#exo is playing so whoops

[justfor2am]

hi my interview has been rescheduled once again because of course it is ^_^ nothing wants me to be interviewed ig ^_^ anyways 🥺😈🛒🎢✨💋🎶⛔🍦🌞💖💌❌🧐🦅👀🤗💞🧠🤩🤯💔🤭 for the fanfic writer asks or wtevr they're called??? didn't realize until just now u even rbed an ask game so apologies 🫡 side note the 💥 emoji is so fun . its just like 💥💥💥💥💥 yk??? also feel free to skip any of those i just threw down the ones i think would be most interesting but as usual there r many

i am manifesting an interview AND a job for u, get that bag king!!!

also waough ty for giving me an excuse to talk abt my blorbos 🥺🥺🥺

and ya 💥 feels like ur comboing someone really well in a fighting game, like 💥💥💥 K.O. yanno?

this is def gonna be a long one tho soooo the rest underneath the cut this goes lmao

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

Anything having to do with touch. I'm a sucker for physical gestures, so anything that involves details like brushing someone's hair out of their eyes, hooking a tentative pinky around someone else's hand, it doesn't need to be overt to get me in my feels every single time.

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

Yes! I threatened a major character death in [though I've closed my eyes, I know who you pretend I am] late in the final (12th) chapter lmao

I knew that being that late into the fic most people would've forgotten what the specific tags were and even less would be willing to scrolling all the way back up to check lol

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

Like I said in the first Q, touch is a big thing for me. Eyes and anything having to do with vision also tends to be a big one, if you read a fic with both of those elements there's a decent chance I wrote it.

As far as overarching things, I prefer to write scenery over dialogue, and put a heavy emphasis on describing what the characters are feeling/thinking over having them verbally express it.

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

I wanna say my [detroit become human au] has shit hit the fan pretty quickly. The fic opens with the conflict and it takes a few chapters for the reader to get any context, but once you've got it, going back to the start just makes your heart break.

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

booo hiss grrr

no but actually uhhhhhh... I will say that when I've got a good idea rattling around in my head, I can churn out a fic for that premise very quickly. to the point that i accidentally wrote three chapters for one of my fics all within a day, because I'm unhinged like that

💋 First kiss fics. Love em or hate em?

LOVE but only if they're done right. I appreciate first kiss fics that aren't perfect or a little clumsy, but also i'm a sucker for those picture perfect moments too

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

YA i do my best writing with some music on. I've been listening to a mix of things lately (Love from the Other Side by FOB, that new Shakira collab, and Flowers by Miley Cyrus) but i've also been looping my 14+ hour long exo playlist

⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

I had a sculk!Grian fic from like, I wanna say October last year that I was 1k words into that just. Disappeared. No clue where it went or how I lost but, but in hindsight, it wasn't my best work.

I'm still a bit sad to have lost it, but considerably more proud of the things I've written since.

🍦 What’s the sweetest fic you’ve created so far?

I have come to the realization that I am horrible at writing fluff without some level of conflict within the fic. Whoops! Closest I've got is a [scarian sick fic] that I wrote recently lmao

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

Either while I'm at work when it's dead during the day time, or frantically at like, 11 o'clock p.m., there is no in between.

💖 What made you start writing?

Wayyyyy back when I was 12/13 I used to be big into rp, and I came into the realization that the rps I was doing could just as easily be formatting into fics.

None of those fics were ever published, but getting to learn how to edit and rewrite scenes that had been planned out with another person made me want to start creating stories of my own.

💌 How do you feel about comments and feedback?

Love love LOVE comments and feedback. Literally getting a comment is like a serotonin boost directly into my veins to write more, esp comments that'll point out specific scenes or moments/lines they liked.

someone pointed out that they liked the way I described fresh hickeys like blooming violets and I haven't been able to stop thinking about that comment ever since.

❌ What’s a trope you will never write?

That's a good question.... I'm trying to think of one that isn't like, a blatantly obvious icky trope.

I'm not sure if it counts as a trope, but Y/N fics. Not only are their primary function to act as fan service, they end up coming off very RPF to me which I'm not a fan of.

Oh, also RPF. Any fic i write has to do 100% with the characters those people portray, not the real person.

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

Depends on the fic! For my [actor au] I've just been kinda flying by the seat of my pants, doing the occasional googling but not much. The opposite of this would be my [detroit become human au] where I literally rewatched jacksepticeye's d:bh playthrough and scoured wikis to make sure i'm describing androids correctly.

tl;dr: generally no, only as needed unless I get fixated on it.

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

Fly by the seat of my pants, but i'm trying to change this! For my multi-chaptered fics I've started actually planning out future events, and even for this one big one shot im working on, i've got an outline in the works.

...though generally, i don't plan. it's a bad habit.

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

GLADLY so speaking of that big one shot, it's going to be a boatem superhero au, i've started outlining it and getting my concepts together, i'm very excited for it!

here's a snippet:

It was fairly obvious that the Mayor had pulled some strings to get Scar to this stage; once a nobody vigilante who seemed more preoccupied with dazzling the camera over saving lives, Scar's public image had taken a hard left turn during the past few campaigning months.

The situation was more of an open secret— it was all too convenient for Scar, who practically lived in the Mayor's pocket, to be joining the city's most elite crime-fighting team.

it's VERY early in development so don't expect this one for a while tho

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

I'd say figure out your character's voice is a big one. It's easy to fall into fanon tropes and while they're fun, they can cause lots of warping in the way you write your own fics, which might make them sound off.

So look out for fanon tropes! Personally I've run into people who make Scar very sweet and innocent, to the point of dusting his hands clean of blame. It's an easy hole to fall into, and no one should fault a writer for falling into tropes.

There's a line to walk, and I find that watching content relating to that character really helps shaping that "inner voice".

Also, get someone to proof read your work who is willing to point out your mistakes. Editing/betaing is never meant to be a personal attack, but rather to make sure that the fic you present to the rest of the world is cohesive and clear.

💞 Who’s your comfort character?

Scar! He just gets me fr. He's one of my favorite guys to write because of how versatile and how much variety he has. He could be a silly salesman one minute, and a quietly scary assassin the next. Whatever the bit or joke is, he fully commits to it, often to the detriment of himself, but god does it make for good content.

Also he has a really good narration voice ok

🧠 Pick a character, and I’ll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.

(ty for the speedy discord reply lol)

Grian! my darling baby boy who has every mental illness ever

no but actually, i'd say my favorite grian head canon is anything having to do with him being an alchemist. i want that man brewing potions, getting blown up, and curing all his friends ailments with the most illegal looking brew you've ever seen in your life.

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

Grian, mostly because he comes easiest to me! There's such a sense of endless potential when I get ready to write him, and like, idk what it is, but longing too?

We've been getting it pretty heavy w/ his whole "I Miss Mumbo" campaign but like, grian to me feels like someone who's always thinking about reaching a hand out, and pulls it back at the last second. It's very relatable.

🤯 What’s a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

Weirdly enough, it's fluff. I always feel compelled to write stories with some level of conflict or it's not "satisfying" to me. I love reading the genre, but for whatever reason when I write it, I get in my head about if it's "good enough" or not without conflict. I'm working on that lol

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

EDIT: so i misread this, you get fic recs as a bonus. my proper answer is: [my bad ending fae two shot], it will shatter you as it did me </3

i'm going to give two because i do what i want. the first being [It's Only Logical by TSTrashCaptain] which is a sanders sides fic that to this day, i can only dream of writing something so good. tw for themes of abuse and nsfw at times, but god. just reading the title again puts a knot in my heart in the best way possible.

now, this fic. [your heart rots in my hands by thepigeoncat]. this fic slaughtered me the first time i read it. i left a long ass comment on it. tw for major character death, but this is the perfect last life scarian fic.

it's beautiful, and tragic, and it makes me feel as though the world has truly ended /pos. please go read it.

🤭 Do you have a favorite tag to use when posting your works?

my favorite tag for when i post unbetaed work is "no beta we die like scar to the boatem hole"

as far as a REAL tag, hurt/comfort >:))

and my favorite one off funny tag is "i cannot emphasis to you enough how much blood is in this fic"

[fanfic writer emoji asks!]

[baekhvuns]

Rip Baek, they wanna make you an American football stan 🤡 I never understood Super Bowl tbh, some performances aren't even good anyway

Lol you're saying the Mbappe x RM saga will finally end? If he plays and behaves well be my guest, but it's on sight Kylian!!!

It's always sad seeing top players struggle in the NTs, because they're doing all the work. The disproportion is really big. I can't blame other players since a lot of them don't play in CL clubs, but it's so embarrassing sometimes 😭

So brother Baek could've been a cricket star?! Omg damn that injury sounds nasty though. I don't know shit about cricket actually. Tbf my wrist was already twisted because of another evil team ball sport called HANDBALL. My spaghetti arms couldn't take it lolol, I'm decent at basketball though! I did break two of my fingers while playing, but 😅

Pique thinks he's a spy or a detective trying to "expose" RM every 4 months, let it go... I can't believe Shakira got with him, girl??? I had to show some of the best football moments to my ignorant USA friend and I ofc sent her the Zidane headbutt and Suarez biting, culture <3

It happens every year so I don't think Salah cares? Good for him, but on the other hand I'd just stop posting at this point, cause the comments are getting worse and worse

Harry Kane being a disappointment isn't anything new lmao. Believe it or not, but I unfortunately have some Spurs fans among my friends and they're often mad at him

Omg, yeah see suddenly everyone knows everyone. Bestie I don't go to weddings, but I probably heard the songs you've mentioned, got me all curious 👀 Riverdale was filmed near you?! I'm so sorry, that's so bad 😩

Is the Yunho fic hot & cold too then? How's it going?

Hwa is a mystery, because no way he wouldn't be able to take Hongjoong down. Sometimes he does this though, soooo 🤔 runner Hwa AU... I'm manifesting

I hope Hwa will be able to attend EXO's concert 🤞🏻 I wouldn't mind a free ticket either, heh. Uhmmm wow, Neymar Jeongin stan... I better not see him at EXO World though

That radio clip of Seonghwa, I'm starting at nose ☺

Seonghwa stans Taemin and Taemin is Jesus, Taemin has passed his role to Seonghwa! But why did Woo say the choreography is tough, but Hwa said otherwise lmao. Maybe Seonghwa isn't doing anything 😭

Btw this person spoke the truth a fear, but they're booing them ausyshshjsjsjsbababsb. If they saw our opinions ☠ can't say shit on that app, because everything is anti behaviour

Halazia on the other hand seems nice, at least in contrast to Paradgim, idk if I'll be obsessed cause I'm used to them spoiling half the song so I'm not sure how I feel yet ajuduwuwsjjsjssjs, but everyone's already calling it SOTY ofc 😭 the performance spoilers what's going oooooon, feathers?! My issue is the cb is at 6am my time AGAIN???!!!! What happened to later comebacks, fuck America I know it's all for Billboard!!! 😭

LMAO gitl, so someone asked if the person on my lockscreen was my girlfriend??? And it's Christmas kitty Hwa I almost died

Oh he... yeah so anyway 🧍🏼‍♀️🧎🏼‍♀️

ALSO MINGI'S HAIR IS YELLOW AND RED AGAIN AAAAAAAA

Wait what's the god save the queen option about 😭 anyways I'm a communist, honestly I got called one more times that I can count so 🤷🏼‍♀️

Oh no Baeksy, HUI ON BOYS PLANET AS A CONTESTANT??? HE GOT RELEASED FOR THIS?! 😭😭😭😭🔪🔪🔪🔪 - DV 💖

hi helloo!!

Rip Baek, they wanna make you an American football stan 🤡 I never understood Super Bowl tbh, some performances aren't even good anyway //// Lol you're saying the Mbappe x RM saga will finally end? If he plays and behaves well be my guest, but it's on sight Kylian!!!

LMFAOOOO 😭😭😭 u will never catch me being one <3 id probably get whooped if i ever put on the american football in this ethnic household fbwndbej,,,, i AM SAYING PERHAPS partially bc at psg he gets the recognition and if he were to move it,,, he’d have to share it the spotlight but since he gets his fair share of it psg iM HYPOTHESIZING that he will not leave unless ronaldo pulls up that is dbd  

and also pelé??? 😭😭🤚🏻 vivienne westwood???

It's always sad seeing top players struggle in the NTs, because they're doing all the work. The disproportion is really big. I can't blame other players since a lot of them don't play in CL clubs, but it's so embarrassing sometimes 😭

yEAAAH! it’s cringe to even watch, i skipped so many of porto’s matches bc of it inconsistency in the plays and the ups and downs,,, if i compare them to argentina u could tell they all worked in a TEAM even if they got messi in, for porto it was like ronaldo was the only one being the definition of TEAM but when he’s benched it just crumbled,,, but i guess a lot of them have an experience now and hopefully put up a great fight next wc!

So brother Baek could've been a cricket star?! Omg damn that injury sounds nasty though. I don't know shit about cricket actually. Tbf my wrist was already twisted because of another evil team ball sport called HANDBALL. My spaghetti arms couldn't take it lolol, I'm decent at basketball though! I did break two of my fingers while playing, but 😅

fhandhwk nO bc we were REALLY onto him being one but then everyone kept pressuring him saying you’d be on tv and then the ball hit his nose and made a bump on it and it was determined he would never <3 dbwnbdsn no its ok cricket’s like football, if u watch it u can tell exactly what’s going on! LMFAOOOO GTFO HANDBALLS SO MUCH FUN HOW THE FUCK DO U FUCK UR WRIST UP PLAYING THAT ANON U MUST BE TWISTING IT AND HITTING ALL THE SCORES 😭😭😭 ronaldo + lewa possessed u i tell u, STOPPP??? ANON??? I WISH U SAW MY FACE WHEN I READ THAT 😭😭😭 anon hOW stop did the ball jam really hard and ur body just gave up 😭😭

Pique thinks he's a spy or a detective trying to "expose" RM every 4 months, let it go… I can't believe Shakira got with him, girl??? I had to show some of the best football moments to my ignorant USA friend and I ofc sent her the Zidane headbutt and Suarez biting, culture <3

NO SRS I WONT BE SURPRISED IF HES SOME TABLOID SOLELY MADE TO EXPOSE RM 😭😭😭 no bc theres like compilations of shakira destroying pique’s emotions and its so funny to watch after the shit he’s done, deserved 🤩 RBQMDBWMCKCK STOP U SHOWED THE BEST THINGS STOP IT FNFNJCKC CULTURE !!!!! CORRECT !!!! literally no one remembers the winners it’s just the headbutt, he def cursed italy ever since dbdb did u show the pep ramos duo 🔫

It happens every year so I don't think Salah cares? Good for him, but on the other hand I'd just stop posting at this point, cause the comments are getting worse and worse

yeah!! like i get religion but ppl also celebrate christmas,,, AND halloween?? it’s not like he’s disrespecting his own religion?? bro just wants to have a good time 😭😭😭 he's having a great season so far too now!

Harry Kane being a disappointment isn't anything new lmao. Believe it or not, but I unfortunately have some Spurs fans among my friends and they're often mad at him Omg, yeah see suddenly everyone knows everyone. Bestie I don't go to weddings, but I probably heard the songs you've mentioned, got me all curious 👀 Riverdale was filmed near you?! I'm so sorry, that's so bad 😩

LMFAOOOO i believe it 100% bc my english cousins were like “disappointed but not surprised actually” 😭😭 omg u must’ve heard his songs! if u didnt go to a hindu wedding bdbd if u watched the movie happy new year? with srk, there’s a track called lovely i think he produced it, he’s worked w/ mr snoop before! tho is songs are primarily from early 20’s! YEAH TRAGIC !!!! ABSOLUTELY TRAGIC I TELL U, constant memories of im a weirdo 🔫🔫

Is the Yunho fic hot & cold too then? How's it going? /// Hwa is a mystery, because no way he wouldn't be able to take Hongjoong down. Sometimes he does this though, soooo 🤔 runner Hwa AU… I'm manifesting

it is hot & cold! banter and silly arguments and a reincarnation of betty white as yunho’s grandmother like the proposal <3 yEAH LIKE NO WAY??? is he just masking his strongness under the humble, nice, oldest persona,,, need him to throw hands,,, runner hwa au,, where he asks the ostracized, once track prodigy for help who shuns him away <3 readers older too!

I hope Hwa will be able to attend EXO's concert 🤞🏻 I wouldn't mind a free ticket either, heh. Uhmmm wow, Neymar Jeongin stan… I better not see him at EXO World though

I HOPE HE DO BC IM EXPECTING HIM TO BE THERE 🔫🔫🔫 BFMWBDKSBDKCKC free ticket is what im hoping for atm bc ik im not getting the tickets 😭😭 they do a raffle thing too all my hope is for that,,, FBWMBDWKKCKC  neymar a kai stan?? 😵‍💫😵‍💫

That radio clip of Seonghwa, I'm starting at nose ☺ //// Seonghwa stans Taemin and Taemin is Jesus, Taemin has passed his role to Seonghwa! But why did Woo say the choreography is tough, but Hwa said otherwise lmao. Maybe Seonghwa isn't doing anything 😭

ANONNNN

taemin is the son of jesus, need to witness him live so bad ill make him my religion on spot fbfb SEONGHWA BECAME JESUS

i am gonna stop

i logged into twt and i

i

how

what THE fUCK

Btw this person spoke the truth a fear, but they're booing them ausyshshjsjsjsbababsb. If they saw our opinions ☠ can't say shit on that app, because everything is anti behaviour

they so brave for this bc its no one would wanna admit,, UTOPIA SUPREMACY!!!! LMFAOOOO the comment just under the post 😭😭😭😭

Halazia on the other hand seems nice, at least in contrast to Paradgim, idk if I'll be obsessed cause I'm used to them spoiling half the song so I'm not sure how I feel yet ajuduwuwsjjsjssjs, but everyone's already calling it SOTY ofc 😭 the performance spoilers what's going oooooon, feathers?! My issue is the cb is at 6am my time AGAIN???!!!! What happened to later comebacks, fuck America I know it's all for Billboard!!! 😭

sEEE NOW its def better than paradigm, i do dislike the “hala hala hala halzia” i prefer just the “halaziA” they do with their voices and it’s oomph 🤌🏻 the beat at hongjoong’s rap was sICK,, for a moment the beat drop was like the same type of music as dazzling light bUTTT it was good!! jongho’s vocals great i do think mayhaps there couldve been a chorus where they all sing together and it would be chills w the drop,, it was an almost anti drop in the first half,, ur opinions on it??

LMAO gitl, so someone asked if the person on my lockscreen was my girlfriend??? And it's Christmas kitty Hwa I almost died //// Oh he…  yeah so anyway 🧍🏼‍♀️🧎🏼‍♀️ALSO MINGI'S HAIR IS YELLOW AND RED AGAIN AAAAAAAA

LMFAOOOO RHQKDHQKHDKW UR GIRLFRIEND IS SEONGHWA !!!!! SCREAMING DHDJDJDJ£|€£\€\ IM NOT EVEN LOOKING AT HIM IM STUCK ON UR STORY STOP THATS HILARIOUS DHDJ

Wait what's the god save the queen option about 😭 anyways I'm a communist, honestly I got called one more times that I can count so 🤷🏼‍♀️

A COMMUNIST 😭😭😭😭 i am a christmas enthusiast <3 heres another!

Oh no Baeksy, HUI ON BOYS PLANET AS A CONTESTANT??? HE GOT RELEASED FOR THIS?! 😭😭😭😭🔪🔪🔪🔪 - DV 💖

NO CAUSE???? WHAT THE HELL???? 😭😭😭😭😭  

bro’s acting

is this not ceo hwa

and im afraid that arrange marriage fic is topping the tier atm…

ikon freedom era and bp going black label?? what IS GOING ON BFFB

AND A POST MALONE SONG FOR ATTEEZ IM GONNA START SCREAMINNNNG oh its not with hwa 😭😭😭😭

[yuuzuforia]

✧*:･ﾟ✧ utopiosphere.

—tick, tock, time doesn't stop.

YUZU speaks: hey, i got the ramen...why are you naked?

new intro, but not so new me :)

yuzu / yuuzu. she/they. 18+ | the general mahamatra's babygirl, wriothesley boob holder and certified dan heng kissing machine 🥰

yuuzuforia is my rb / nsfw sideblog! more utc before u follow ♡

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ mangoeater3000 (yuzu) is now playing:

tokyo revengers, honkai star rail, exo... currently getting stuck in…exo ♡

YUZU speaks: ...that's what that means? shit. i thought we were just going to eat ramen.

YOU ARE ENTERING A NSFW SPACE

i reblog nsfw, dddne content and other dark / taboo content as well! please keep that in mind before following or even sending a something. i separate fiction from reality!! please do not come after my ass just because i rb'd some dddne stuff doesn't mean i'm actually into that irl :D

also this is not a writing blog and i don't exactly take requests.

i write occassionally but not write write like the imagine writers out there! (mad respect to them) i'll write when im inspired but this is first and foremost a rb sideblog! i also rb sfw stuff but mostly the content of this blog is horny, so whoops!

YUZU speaks: mango eater? yeah i eat mangoes, that's why my ign is—what the fuck do you mean that's not what you're talking about?

my ask box and i think my dms are open if you want to talk! i love making friends!! if you have any actual (serious) concerns to raise or want to call me out on something, please send me a dm! i'm more than willing to talk stuff out :3c

YUZU speaks: what the fuck do you mean eating mangoes is basically eating pu—well, i would if i got some anyway. fuck, stop laughing—(cracks up in laughter) fuck you, i'm leaving.

tags:

yuuzutopia - gen/ramble tag | yuuzu rambles - ramble tag 2 | yuuzutxt - writing tag, yuzu's works | yuuzu answers - ask tag | yuuzu rbs (thing) / yuuzu rbs! - rb tracker that isn't imagines | yuuzu and ragi | yuuzu and dan heng

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ YUZU has left the voice call.

enjoy your stay!

[palanoire]

anyway guys do u think shiro would be into kpop

[luxekook]

chapter three.

⇥ pairing: ot7 x reader (insert gif of elmo with flames behind him here)

⇥ genre: college au with fluff, smut & angst

⇥ summary: a series in which the reader meets (and falls for) seven members of the Beta Tau Sigma (BTS) fraternity

⇥ word count: 2.3k

⇥ warnings: 18+, cursing, dirty talk, jimin propositions the reader accidentally, taehyung is a menace, noona kink jumps out A LOT, chaotic ot7, talk of poly relationships, overall kinda smut free (the next chapter should quench fuel your thirst)

© luxekook. please do not repost, modify, edit or translate.

characters | prologue | one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine

Chapter Three

“It means that we’re going to date the shit out of you.”

We’re going to date the shit out of you.

We’re. Going. To. Date. The. Shit. Out. Of. You.

Those words play on a constant loop in my head for the rest of the week. After Namjoon had dropped that bombshell on me, I’d kind of freaked the fuck out, faked an immediate illness, and ran at full speed.

When I had told Luna about it later that night, she had been just as shook as me. Surprisingly enough, she had also given her full support of whatever I decided to do but “would have her banana slicer on standby and would order six more if need be”.

It appears that she had drunk-ordered a banana slicer off Amazon when the last boy she talked to pissed her off. I had apparently drunk-approved the decision. Rad.

Jenni’s reaction had been even better. We’d been in the library on Monday and her screech of “he said what!?” had led to multiple events:

An abundance of shushes from every student within a 50-yard radius

Her continued rant: “Your own personal harem! Can you say goals? Maybe I should infiltrate EXO and collect my own...”

Us getting kicked out by our ancient librarian

For the rest of the week, I had Luna and Jenni both giving me shit about the BTS boys. It had helped that I hadn’t run into them at all on campus between classes. But I had known it wouldn’t be long before my luck would run out...

Quinn Library – 2:31pm

Typically, I don’t spend my Friday afternoons deep within the stacks of the library’s quiet floor. Yet, here I sit typing frantically due to my incapability to stop procrastinating. My fingers fly over the keys of my aging MacBook in hopes that whatever spur of productivity I had going on is captured in its fullest.

General education classes could burn in the pits of hell as far as I'm concerned. If I wanted to be a psychiatrist, why did I have to take – and pay for – an art elective that I would likely never utilize in the workforce? Plus, the only class within the category that fit my schedule ended up being “Writing About Dance”.

Yeah, I’m still a tad bitter, but in all honesty the class isn’t that bad so far. It mainly consists of watching different dance performances and learning how to write about them in different styles.

Today’s assignment is to write critical commentary on videos of the university’s dance team that the professor provided for us. Sighing, I finish my review of the second to last dance video provided by the professor, take a quick second to stretch, and then open the link to the last video on the assignment page.

“Park Jimin – Final Performance Solo, Spring 2019”

Slack-jawed, I fall into wonder as Jimin moves through his routine flawlessly. He dances like it’s easier than walking to him. His movements are somehow precise and fluid all at once. I barely realize a few tears have run down my cheeks until the video cuts off, signaling the end of Jimin’s performance.

Jesus, (y/n), get it together. I laugh lightly as I dig in my backpack for a tissue. How could I possibly capture the ethereal beauty that Jimin exuded into words? Am I even worthy of commenting on such exquisiteness?

Definitely fucking not. And before I can second guess myself, I type: “Park Jimin is art in its purest form. Watching him dance is like watching the sun rise over the ocean – raw beauty accompanied by the hopes brought with a new day. His performance left me wanting for nothing except an encore.”

Boom. Submit Assignment.

As my email pings with the confirmation that my assignment is turned in, my eyes widen in realization. Park Jimin of BTS is a dance god, and he – allegedly – wants to date me? That is just ridiculously unfathomable.

Namjoon must be off his rocker.

Closing my laptop, my phone suddenly vibrates with an incoming notification from snapchat...

President_RM has added you!

Before I can even comprehend the absurdity of Namjoon adding me, my phone bursts into a series of buzzes. Cursing, I switch my phone to silent and check my screen.

minsuga93 has added you!

jhopeworld_ has added you!

handsomeJIN has added you!

JKookie97 has added you!

vantae_BTS has added you!

95jiminie has added you!

Are they serious? How did they even get my SnapChat username?

vantae_BTS has added you to a chat!

Curiosity wins out over aggravation as I swipe to open the chat.

Heart pounding, I fight the urge to chuck my phone into the depths of the bookcases winding around the room. What did those idiots want with me?

(y/n) & Luna’s Apartment – 9:45pm

“What do those idiots want with me?” the decibel my voice has risen to is shocking even to my ears.

Luna cringes, accordingly, “I can’t tell if that’s a rhetorical question...”

I steamroll onwards, “And don’t even get me started on how they could have even gotten my snapchat. It’s a complete invasion of privacy!”

“You could just ask them,” Jenni’s voice cuts through my rambling tirade.

I pause, “No, I couldn’t—”

...Or could I?

Turning on my heel, I rush into my room and head straight for my closet. Grabbing the nearest sweatshirt and pair of leggings, I tug them on and then grab my keys from my nightstand.

Whirling back into the living room, I storm past a dumbfounded Luna and Jenni, “Be right back.”

Opening the apartment door, Luna shouts, “Wait! Where are you going? You’re not even wearing shoes!”

Whoops. I glance at my feet and note that she is, in fact, correct.

Jenni bounds over to me holding my Doc Martens, “Here, babe. You’re going to the BTS house, aren’t you?”

I nod grimly and salute my two best friends as if I'm going into battle. “I won’t be long. I just have a small errand to run.”

“Well, you’re not going alone,” Luna declares, pulling on her sneakers.

Jenni snorts and shoves her feet into her beat-up Converse, “No way am I missing out on this action.”

As we head out the door, I link arms with Luna and Jenni, “Have I mentioned I love you both recently?”

“Right back at you, bitch,” Luna laughs.

Greek Row – 10:17pm

Ten minutes later, we reach Greek Row. Fraternity and sorority houses dot the street on both sides. Personally, I think of this street as home to the chaotic rich, and I tend to avoid it at all costs – except tonight.

The line to get into BTS is so long it wraps around the block. Students dressed in the latest fashions converse as they wait, huddling together in their groups. I glance down at my outfit of a worn university hoodie and leggings.

“Well, shit. We’re underdressed, huh,” Jenni deadpans, causing all three of us to burst into laughter, “Do you think they put you on the list, (y/n)?”

Pondering that thought, I shrug, “Maybe,” and begin marching past the line of waiting students towards the front door of BTS, “But I sure as fuck am not waiting in that line.”

“Hey, there’s a line here!”

“Yo, bitches! What are you doing?”

“What the fuck?”

Paying the hecklers no mind, I saunter right up to the BTS pledges guarding the door, “Hi, I need to talk to Kim Namjoon.”

The pledge on the right rakes his gaze over me incredulously and then makes the same assessment of Luna and Jenni, “You know this is a party, right?”

I don’t deem that comment worthy of a response and instead cross my arms over my chest. He shrinks under the collective glare of me, Luna and Jenni.

The pledge on the left awkwardly clears his throat, “Names, please?”

My answer barely escapes my lips before the pledges visibly straighten, looking at me with new eyes, “You’re (y/n)? Why didn’t you just say so?”

And before I can answer, the front door swings open for us.

People are everywhere. A haze of smoke looms in the air, and rap music blares from the speakers. The bass is turned up so loud that the beat seems to take over the rhythm of my pulse. That cannot be healthy.

Turning to my friends, I do my best to communicate, shouting, “I’m going to find them! Are you going to be here?”

Luna and Jenni exchange a look and nod. Jenni shouts back, “We’re going to get some drinks. Might as well capitalize on free booze! Text us when you’re ready to go.”

And with that, we part ways.

Maneuvering around the sea of gyrating bodies in the main living room area, I scan around for any signs of my seven menaces.

“Do my eyes deceive me? Or is that my future wife?” The deep voice booms from behind me.

I sigh, recognizing the voice, and turn around.

Kim Taehyung is striding towards me with his arms outstretched, smiling like the damned fool he is and looking like he just stepped off the runway for Gucci. “Come to daddy.”

An idea forms. I smile sweetly and walk to meet Taehyung halfway. His boxy grin widens and just as he thinks I'm going to let him wrap his arms around me, I grab him by the ear.

“Ouch!” He cries, “Devil-woman!”

Ignoring him, I drag him behind me towards the stairs.

“If you wanted to get me alone, you could have just asked—OW!”

My hold on his ear tightens as we arrive on the second-floor landing, “Where are your brothers?”

“I don’t know, n-noona!” Somehow the honorific coming from Tae sounds divine, but I file that thought away for another time.

Removing my hold, I corner him against the wall of the hallway, “Okay, Kim, here’s what is going to happen. You’re going to point me in the direction of your room, go find your six idiot brothers, and then report back here so I can finally understand what the fuck is going on. Got it?”

My chest heaves as my directions conclude and I realize how close together we are. Taehyung stares at me with an indecipherable expression before breaking into a slow smile, “Noona is bossy.”

“Noona is going to shove her foot up your ass if you don’t get moving,” I growl.

“Kinky,” he laughs, backing away from me and my brewing anger, “Last door on the left is my room. I’ll be back with the six idiots.”

As he thumps back down the steps, I close my eyes and count to ten, trying to steel my nerves and rein in my anger. When I open them, my eyes are met with the amused gaze of Min Yoongi.

Slapping a hand to my heart, I wait for my pulse to settle from being scared out of my wits, “Motherfuck—how did you even move that silently?”

“It’s a skill,” Yoongi drawls, nodding towards to end of the hall, “So, group meeting in Tae’s room?”

Shooting him the best side-eye I can muster, I stalk past him, steadfastly ignoring the chuckles and light footfalls that follow behind me.

Throwing open the door which Taehyung indicated was to his room, I pause, taking in the horde of photos and art taped to the four walls. The light blue wallpaper barely peeks through the absolute massive amount of artwork.

“It’s overwhelming at first, isn’t it?” An angelic voice shyly breaks through my reverie, “Tae likes to collect pictures and things he finds beautiful.”

“Ah, so that’s why we’re friends.” The joke is followed by a laugh that can only be compared to the sound of a windshield wiper squeakily moving back and forth.

I shift my eyes from Taehyung’s walls and onto the two newcomers – Park Jimin and Kim Seokjin.

Meeting Seokjin’s gaze first, I cannot help but agree that he is a very, very beautiful man. With pushed back dark hair, mischievous brown eyes and impossibly broad shoulders, Seokjin can easily be mistaken for an idol. And, oh fuck, I’m still staring.

Shooting my eyes back up to his, I crinkle my nose at his shit-eating grin. Before he can even comment, I turn and lock eyes with Jimin.

“Your dancing is gorgeous,” I blurt out and immediately want to crawl under a rock and live out the rest of my life as Patrick Star.

Yoongi and Seokjin are cackling as Jimin’s face lights up at my embarrassing compliment, “You really think so?”

“There's no shutting him up now,” Yoongi is in tears, “Watch out, (y/n). Jimin loves his fans.”

“Shut up, Yoongi-hyung!”

Jimin looks ready to swing, but luckily Taehyung chooses the right moment to return, “What have we missed? Why is Jiminie about to fight Yoongi? I’ll put $10 on hyung.”

Gasping in betrayal, Jimin sits on the edge of Tae’s bed and pouts.

The rest of the boys file in behind Taehyung as he flops down onto his bed and reclines like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“Hi, (y/n). Good to see you again. I’m glad you’re here,” Namjoon greets me with a slight bow, a crooked smile and wicked eyes.

He’s followed closely by Jung Hoseok, the only BTS boy I hadn’t met thus far, “(y/n)! It’s so nice to meet you in person! Wow, you look so pretty tonight!”

“Noona always looks pretty,” Jungkook cuts in, throwing an arm around Hoseok’s shoulder, “She’s bae.”

A collective groan arises from the rest of the boys. “Sit your ass down, JK,” Yoongi grumbles, “(y/n)’s going to break up with us before we even start dating.”

“Dating—!” I break off that train of thought. Other matters need to be attended to first, “No, I didn’t come here tonight to say ‘hi’ or to be your ‘bae’. I came here to get answers.”

I take my time making eye contact with each boy.

Taehyung is still spread out on his bed and Jimin has now joined him. Seokjin, Hoseok and Jungkook are sprawled out on the floor at the foot of the bed, while Namjoon and Yoongi slouch against the opposite wall of the bedroom facing me.

“Alright,” Namjoon lifts his chin, meeting my stare head on, “What do you want to know?”

a/n: sorry for the cliffhanger, hehe. i wanted to get something up for y’all! hopefully next chapter won’t take too long to finish/edit :)

taglist:

@hazeljrz @sessi03 @catsandstrawberries @h5naaa @meowmeowyoongles@leftflowerprunedonut @rjsmochii @athletes-of-god @karissassirak  @weallhavesecretsinthebestway @cvbachacbitch @bewitch3dforivar @honeyspillings @xxonyxpearlxx​ @fivesecondsofsarang @oii-f-eli-x2 @joonsroses @theevilyouknow @jooniescupcakes @expensive-grl @i-dont-even-know-fck @doingmybestalltheftime @elraeee @fangirling-all-the-way-tbh @laced-brds @aokay1010 @breeeeh17 @lpayne612 @peachyharmoney @rilakoya @chulchuchi @tabula-rasa0 @guccishookv @nomimits7 @i-like-puppy-mg @s-noir @anna-sorel  @valiantcollectorofsandwiches​ @cage7241​

blogs that wouldn’t let me tag them for some reason: 

@awkwardhumambean

[tagsecretsanta]

From @Gumnut-Logic

to @such-a-random-rambler

Sorry for the wait Random-rambler! I hope you enjoy it :) And a humongous thank you to Nutty for jumping in to help <3

Secret Santa does not own this work, full credit to the author above!

Title: Tactics

Author: Gumnut

Spoilers & warnings: None so far.

Author’s note: This one has been fun to write. There will be more. Theoretically, only one more chapter, but who knows with my muse.

The prompts were:

Fight in the snow, snowball or otherwise

Hat/gloves/scarf

Suits

I’ll let you work out which I included :D

Many, many thanks to @tsarinatorment for the extensive plotwork to stimulate my migraine fogged brain and to @scribbles for reading ::hugs you both so much:: Couldn’t do it without you. Also, thanks to @tagsecretsanta for all their hard work putting this challenge together.

Merry Christmas to you and a safe and well new year as well ::hugs::

I hope you enjoy this :D

-o-o-o-

It was ever so quiet.

Gordon slipped between the snow-laden pines on silent feet. Dressed head to toe in white, he was a ghost against the landscape.

The mission was simple. Get in, nab the target, get out.

He had the training and experience and he had an intimate knowledge of his opponents.

A sudden movement off to his left and he froze. His eyes darted between the trees.

A snow hare bounced off into the distance, throwing up puffs of white powder.

Gordon shifted the pack on his back, his gloved hand armed and ready at moment’s notice.

But there was no notice.

The first volley hit him from the opposite direction. How the hell? But he didn’t get a chance to ask as he was pummelled to the ground.

-o-o-o-

It went against his grain, but Virgil was desperate. He knew he was considered the weak spot in this campaign and honestly, he was. But there was value in his knowledge and while he wasn’t really known for a lack of confidence, his lack of military experience niggled at the back of his mind.

His brothers certainly valued his skill set, but he knew they thought he was a softy…and rightly so. He was going to make the attempt anyway.

After all, his skill set was definitely useful in any situation and it gave him a chance at least.

So, his first victory meant a lot.

He shifted the weapon and stepped forward, his exo-suit whispering, his massive snowshoes compensating for his weight. It had been a fifty-fifty gamble on whether he should use his exo-suit for this or not. The advantages had slowly outweighed the disadvantages when his new weapon came to mind.

He smiled just a little to himself as he shifted the gun on his shoulders and made his way towards his target.

And thanked every defensive process he had put in place when he was suddenly attacked from the air.

-o-o-o-

Alan was having the time of his life. 

He let out one hell of a whoop as he dove at his second eldest brother, launching a massive bomb of snow at just the right point to topple him in his exo-suit. The man was like a bug on its back, flailing in the white powder. Why Virgil thought the clunky thing would be useful in this scenario was beyond Alan.

His astroboard on the other hand was definitely an advantage and he had just proved the point.

Looping for a return volley and to make his grab for his brother’s flag, he wasn’t prepared for exactly why Virgil was garbed in metal. A wide-ended barrel was suddenly pointing directly at him, tracking…

The sudden rain of snowball machine gun fire hit Alan hard, toppling him into a spin that had him blessing not only his collision avoidance software, but his electrostatic grip on his board. If he let out a yelp, he wasn’t going to admit it. After all, he was a veteran of both Halley’s Comet and the occasional asteroid belt. This should be a piece of cake.

But yeah, he yelped and darted away as the stream of snowballs followed him.

Okay, perhaps Virg wouldn’t be as easy as he thought.

But this was no different from a video game, really. Regroup, grab more ammo, attack again.

After all, there were three other brothers to take out.

Alan grinned.

-o-o-o-

Scott Tracy was used to being in the know. Knowing the exact situation, and knowing what he needed to do next.

The lack of a connection to Thunderbird Five rankled him more than he realised it would. He missed his eye in the sky.

He needed a strategy, but in order to build one, he needed to know the players.

Of course, he could just barrel on in and play it by the seat of his pants, it wouldn’t be the first time. But the stakes were too high. Far too high.

So, he opted for reconnaissance first.

One’s drones had a stealth mode and built-in camo, so he was using them to his advantage. Hunkered down in his chosen lair, he deployed them across the landscape, their holographic readouts projecting from his wrist control.

His frown was causing his forehead to ache.

He located his first opponent quite easily. He wasn’t bothering to hide, much. But that was typical. Virg played his games on his sleeves, pretty much like he did everything else. He wasn’t much for stealth. 

But then he made up for it in brute force. Just look at his ‘bird. There was no way he was going to discount his second eldest brother. He watched as Virgil pulled himself out of a snow drift with his grapple and swung between the pine trees like some kind of mechanical monkey.

He was very surprised when he found what looked to be Gordon. It appeared he had already encountered one of the others and was sitting on his butt in the snow.

His frown increased. Now that was unusual. He had expected that brother to be troublesome and certainly not taken out already, much less by Virgil.

Hmmm…over confidence perhaps?

But then Gordon got up and started moving again. Hmmm, perhaps not as down for the count as he thought.

Heat signatures danced about the hologram as the drones skimmed across the top of the forest.

But only three brothers.

One was notably absent.

Scott’s frown threatened to rupture a blood vessel. That was a serious concern. The fourth was not to be underestimated.

It almost distracted him enough to miss the incoming bogey.

Shit.

He had dug himself a snow cave in the hope to hide from the technique he was actually employing, but then Alan...it had to be Alan, he could spot his flying style from a mile off…obviously had his own ways of gathering intel.

Scott grabbed his bag and slipping out of his cave took a running leap and shot up into the air, jetpack flaring.

Better to offend than defend.

Alan literally cackled as he swooped in, a massive chunk of snow in his hands.

Scott grit his teeth. The astroboard was faster and more manoeuvrable than his jetpack, but Scott spoke atmosphere while Alan spoke space.

The eldest darted into his little brother’s flight path and forced him to dodge. Alan squawked and spun in the air, but recovered quickly, flipping in a loop-de-loop that brought him back onto Scott’s tail, snow bomb still at the ready.

Alan cackled as he bore down on him.

Over-confidence, little bro, over-confidence.

Scott curled himself into a ball, killed his jet pack and let himself roll into a drop.

The wind whistled in his ears.

Right angle, right position just above the tree tops, and he kicked his jet pack back in and shot off in the complete opposite direction.

He grinned as his brother squawked again.

Gravity, little bro, gravity.

But Alan was smart and he recovered quickly again, this time using speed to his advantage.

Faster than Scott.

It rankled.

Really, it rankled.

Scott dodged, but Alan had the vehicular advantage.

Scott had experience, but Alan learned damned fast.

By the third time he had had to defensively dodge, Scott was mired by both pride in his little brother and a little desperation. He really needed to up his game or he was in some serious trouble.

Killing his jet pack again, he let himself drop enough to get a good view of the underside of Alan’s board before he swooped to follow Scott down. Grabbing his grapple gun and slapping a pack in with practised ease, Scott aimed and fired at his brother’s astroboard.

There was a satisfying clunk as the grapple secured.

Scott held back a smirk as he let himself swing like a pendulum from the underside of Alan’s support craft, throwing out its balance and sucking away some speed.

Of course, he wasn’t enough to slow it down much…well, until he got himself into the right angle and fired up his jetpack again.

Then it became a tug of war.

With the grapple clipped to his belt, he was at leisure to direct where his pull was coming from and although the astroboard had more guts than his jetpack, it only took a little physics and angle calculation to really throw the board off its flight path.

Of course, if this wasn’t his brother and this wasn’t a snowball fight initially instigated by Gordon nearly drowning John in tree snow, he would have already taken the astroboard rider out of the equation. But this was Alan, they were daring but not stupid, and really, it was just a training exercise.

An extreme training exercise.

Didn’t stop Alan from reaching under his board and dislodging the grapple.

Scott’s eyes widened. How the hell??

But he had bigger things to worry about as he was suddenly hurtling towards the nearest tree.

Experience, experience! And that was all that saved him from a pine needle faceplant.

His grapple retracted with a swift zip as Alan darted off into the distance.

Okay, perhaps he did underestimate his little brother just a bit.

-o-o-o-

“Eos, location on Alan?”

“He appears to be retrieving more ammunition.”

John’s fingers poked at his tablet, his bolthole lit up by flickering hologram. “Making more snowballs?”

“Large ones.”

“And Scott?”

“Has returned to the surface, but appears to be…pacing.”

John looked up. “What?” Another poke at his tablet and he brought up the drone’s display and sure enough Scott was walking a groove into the snow he was standing on. He had seen that movement many times before. Scott was thinking, scheming…planning. “Keep an eye on him. Let me know if he makes a move.”

“FAB.”

John returned to his tablet and the multiple displays from all the technology deployed by his brothers. Scott’s drones were definitely the most useful, giving him the eye in the sky he was forbidden by the rule of no Thunderbirds.

Gordon could be seen scampering away from where Virgil had torpedoed him into a snowdrift. Virgil was on approach again, snowball machine gun at ready. It would be interesting to see who would win that encounter. Gordon was military, but Virgil was stubborn to the extreme.

And Virgil was the challenge.

His engineer brother knew him too well and had pretty much hack-proofed his equipment. John was sure he could get in given enough time, but as always, time was a consideration. He had no doubt that given that time, Virgil would track him down and bust into his little hidden fortress and then John was screwed. Virgil the big softy or no.

So, he was relying on his brothers to take Virgil out.

He had no doubt they would and he just had to stay put in the meantime.

Easy, really.

-o-o-o-

Two brothers targeted, neither captured.

Virgil grit his teeth.

The word was definitely out about his snowball cannon now so the element of surprise was gone. That would likely be bad. He had hoped to take down at least one brother with that surprise, but no go.

No matter. He still had the cannon and it was very effective.

He made it back to where he had pummelled Gordon, but there was no sign of his aquanaut brother. Alan was likely still in the air and Virgil had no doubt that Scott was probably using a similar tactic. So, bar finding Gordon who was likely on the defensive already, John was the next obvious target.

The question was how to find him.

The terrain assigned to this exercise was quite large. The land was part of a complex owned by Tracy Industries in Canada. Their family often came up here for vacations in the snow, usually around Christmas. While they generally couldn’t shut down International Rescue on Christmas due to the collective idiocy of the human population of the planet, Grandma did demand that at least one weekend in the months of December or January be put aside for the family to celebrate.

Scott hated to shut down IR, but he certainly agreed that they did need time.

Virgil was grateful that he did. At least the Medic didn’t have to take on the Commander head on to get him to stop.

This year had been particularly stressful with finding Dad and the medical and emotional fallout from that expedition having lasting effects on all of them. So, Grandma had called it and they were off for a week and as far away from the Island as possible.

Which meant a white Christmas, a pristine lake and plenty of time for a healing family.

Until Gordon took his pranks one step too far and half buried John in tree snow.

Admittedly, it had been funny and Virgil had been hard put to frown. John hadn’t been wearing a hat at the time – it had been in his hand as he was about to put it on – and consequently his hair had been plastered to his scalp in a most undignified way.

Red hair really stood out against white snow.

Also, reportedly the Voice Who Not Only Answers But Can Swear In Multiple Languages ended up with snow melting down his back and ‘Gordon was going to get it’.

Gordon being the occasional idiot he was, took that up as a challenge, daring their genius brother to come whip his ass.

The visuals accompanying that thought had Virgil rubbing his cold face.

The entire encounter had devolved from there, a rare moment where John lost his cool and a sign of exactly how stressed they actually were. It took Virgil a good tug on his astronaut brother and Scott dragging Gordon away to separate them.

Virgil cornered John and wrapped an arm around him, trying to draw him out, to find out what was bugging him, but no. Fiery turquoise was already plotting revenge and Virgil feared this was going to escalate to something ridiculous.

There was a reason why most brothers didn’t anger John. He was an easy target, but the fallout was apocalyptic.

Like never being able to communicate electronically for the rest of your life kind of apocalyptic.

So, it was with some trepidation that Virgil suggested this training scenario.

No Thunderbirds.

Personal equipment allowed - hence the training name of the game and not the all-out death match it was tempted to be.

Snowballs the only weapon - to stop his brothers from killing each other.

Virgil had no doubt that both Gordon and John were quite capable of burying each other in snow. Alan literally started bouncing. Probably because he immediately realised he could bomb from the air.

And Virgil set himself up to be the sacrificial lamb. Well, the one wearing an exo-suit and carrying a snowball machine gun.

The caricature that came to mind at that thought was quite amusing so he stored it away for later scribbling.

But anyway, just because he was the most likely to go down first, didn’t mean he had to go down easy.

Hopefully both Gordon and Alan realised that now. It didn’t hurt to make a point.

The ultimate goal was to nab each brother’s flag – a patch of fabric attached to their hip. Colour coded and numbered appropriately, Virgil’s green number two fluttered as he moved.

But the puzzle still remained: how to locate John.

His brother always liked to be on high with a view. Be it on the roof of the house, up a tree or in space itself, that was a characteristic that turned Virgil in the direction of the hillside.

Sure, John could be up a tree anywhere in the forest, but these were pines. A mix of tall, straight up monsters with few lower branches and squat dense walls of needles. John might have shimmied up one of the taller ones, but Virgil didn’t see the point. No security or camo.

No, it was more likely that John had a bolthole up on the hillside. It might be natural or he might have built it himself, but it would be hidden and secure.

Virgil respected his brother’s skills immensely.

And acted accordingly.

His suit whispered as he moved. Trying to find a way to quieten his movements had been far harder than building the snowball gun.

It had taken multiple adjustments to its hydraulics and several lubricants, but he’d managed it to a passable extent. Enough to sneak up on Gordon at least.

Virgil smiled to himself.

Now that was an accomplishment he wasn’t going to let go for a long time, no matter the outcome of today.

His snow shoes kept his extra weight stable on the soft powder as his reached the slope and began to climb. The hill became quite steep quickly.

Perhaps it was the change in terrain, or perhaps he really was just bad at this, but he had no warning when a grapple shot across his path and embedded in a huge tree to his left.

He had just enough time to gasp before the high tensile cable was wrapping around him, pulling him towards that monster of a tree. 

It snared him about the waist and chained him there before wrapping around him again.

But he managed to keep the cannon free and he made some serious use of it, shooting at a flying blur that could be no one but Scott.

He rained snowball hell upon his brother.

But the daredevil pilot was fast and had more than one grapple pack.

Moments later the gun was as tied to the tree as Virgil was.

Scott certainly knew how to secure a rescuee when necessary. Virgil found himself splayed against the tree like some human-metal sacrifice.

If he had his laser, maybe. But he didn’t.

He still struggled.

And he kept on struggling, straining cables even as Scott came to an elegant landing in front of him.

Despite it all, his eldest brother’s eyes were apologetic. “Hi, Virgil.” A small smile. “I’m sorry, bro, but you have something I need.”

He reached in and with a flick of his wrist, nabbed Virgil’s green flag.

-o-o-o-

TBC

[unofficialadamtaurus]

Wait, is the destiny au one where they're all gamers who play destiny in the rwby universe or are they all characters in the Destiny universe? Because I just had the mental image of Praxic warlock Glynda getting a bunch of flowers from her dense-but-sweet Exo Titan bf, James-Two while Adam pretends to gag in the background (he is the Hunter that all other Hunters pretend doesn't exist and secretly everyone hopes he turns to the Darkness so that Shin Malphur will cap him)

Excellent question. The answers is yes because headcanons for both scenarios are excellent. Case and point, yours.

(Adam does fall to the Darkness for a hot sec but a concerted effort from fellow hunter Blake as well as Adam's typical disaster fireteam drag him back to the Light before he gets onto Shin Malphur's radar. It's a bit of a Character Moment™ that does make him a less awful person and then Adam has to deal with the Darkness whispering to him for the rest of his life #whoops amiright)

[domjaehyun]

𝙰 𝙱 𝙾 𝚄 𝚃   𝙼 𝙴   𝚃 𝙰 𝙶

rules: share about yourself, then tag people you want to know better!

tagged by: @komoruarchives (thank you darling!!!!)

tagging: @moonttaeil, @lustbile, @donghyukcore (look at me branching out and actually trying to be outgoing raise your hand if you’re proud of me)

name: jewel :D

gender: she/her

star sign: aries :D

height: 5′4.5″

time: 5:05 am

birthday: april 14th!

favourite bands: i will interpret this as kpop groups and i will say nct and exo (ONLY BC I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO EXCLUSIVELY THEIR MUSIC RECENTLY) but i follow a lot of groups!!

favourite soloists: i’m gonna interpret this as western artists so: megan thee stallion, doja cat, lizzo, ariana grande

last movie: uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 

last show: criminal minds!!!

song stuck in my head: boom - nct 127 (it’s playing rn hehe)

when i created this blog: um. pls hold *checks archive* july 2018!

last thing i googled: "but it was the me for him” I WAS TRYING TO FIND A MEGAN SONG I HEARD ON TIKTOK

other blogs: @/chocojaehyun where i write (this blog is more so for like works with smut definitely in them, that other blog used to be more plot-driven, but i think the lines are blurring whoops), @/chocojaehyun-main (my main lol), @/domjaerecs (somewhat abandoned fic recs blog)

do i get asks: yes!!! but idk if it’s bc i’ve been semi distracted lately but :( i dont get as many as i used to :( come back i miss you 🥺

why i chose my url: jaehyun......but make him a dom

following: 305

followers: that.......is a secret

average hours of sleep: uhhhhhhhhhhh idk if i’m working during the week then 8+, but on the weekends more like 0

instruments: i can sing!

what i’m wearing rn: navy blue tank top and black sweatpants!!

dream trip: south korea, california, uhhhh yeah

favourite food: hmmmm korean fried chicken?

nationality: american!

favourite song: either what2do by dean or she’s dreaming by exo

top three fictional universes: nintendogs, pokémon, and the wonderful world i have created in my head

if you don’t want to do it, there’s no pressure!! also if you want to do it and you weren’t tagged, you can say i tagged you!

[baekhvuns]

That El Clasico.... I didn't watch it and I'm glad. Benzema saved our asses again, sigh...

Yep it kinda makes sense for older players to go the easier way, lots of money, not so many wins ajhdhsishusshusgeshw cause let's face it, what are they going to achieve in non-European clubs 😬Lmao when Kaka the church boy divorced?!

I don't have my football cards anymore, unless they're at my grandparents house 👀

Wow, Argentina really went full in, huh? Masterminds, Cristiano destroyed. Zidane is only 50 and already a granddaddy, it's so weird 😭

Harry is clearly traumatised which I understand, however there's no need to trauma dump on the whole world and reveal TMI??? Perhaps you're right, maybe the Diana x Sausage Fingers marriage wouldn't go downhill (at least not in that way) if they had a daughter

Okay SuJu members need to attend the Wrestlemania, I hope that LSM is going to be a contestant as well 🔫 yes EXO makes the most sense. It's tricky since they're in their military era, but hopefully once Baek comes back they'll get some more schedules together, because the group deserves better :/ I was afraid SM would ditch Shinee or do things in a half-assed way, but so far I'm pretty content with the pro-military content (they suck at promos, but it's not just Shinee)

The webtoon is gonna kill me, who knew a little high school romance is going to be the death of me?! I'm still team black hair Eunhyuk, but Dohwa is fun, if he was the lead in a different work I'd be 100% into him! But alas...... it's unclear whether he has any romantic intentions, but it's highly likely. Spoiler: they both took photobooth photos with the FL (individually) and last chapter ended with both of them staring at the photos fondly, while FL pinned both on her wall 😭

Alright but THIS man too 😍

So the kid is Sonnaught's 💀 but Tasir was crowned as the Royal Consort 👑 so I'd say he's winning, got the title, got no child to look after <3

Yep, obviously Draco's spoilt ass deserved some whooping, cause kid was delulu, however the pressure his father and Voldy put on him?! And the scene when Harry uses the torture spell on him, I cried in the cinema 💀 Narcissa was an icon!

A CHAT NOIR HWA FIC 😳 do not tease me!!!

Jude is a great actor, I can't believe he played Dumbledore AND the Pope too 😭 him in The Holiday <3 but also in Talented Mr Ripley he looked like a European actor from the 70s-80s

Atinys can't decide whether Ateez members have positions or not, it's so annoying

Park Seonghwa literally serving a whole ass photoshoot at the fan sign, at this point maybe fansites should hire him for a shoot 😭 the masked photos 😳

I wanted the cool patterns to be visible, so I didn't get the 🐍 coloured. The work is so detailed, spend quite a lot of time on them, plus the red ink hurt a bit more, but it was worth it. Okay you dislike snakes, but serpent Seonghwa...

Okay if it was a small spider then it's fine, especially since they deserved it!

Ponytail Mingiiiiiiiiiii that was an experience for sure. Please why is Hwa so endearing, everything he does is so cute especially when he's being clueless 🥰 Absolutely, Seonghwa needs to write, songs, poems, fiction, an instruction manual idc

Oh Pique thinks he did something... clown worthy behaviour. A whole ass witch mannequin, what kind of timeline is this 😭😭😭😭 Pique's a mama's boy in the worst possible way, yikes, they both can fuck off

Guess some people notice the serial fan callers, but they don't care cause they provide cute videos 🙃 Awww so much SeongSang moment.

If he worked at my cafe I'd be on caffeine and sugar rush 24/7

I'm sure Mark has a lot of girlfriends and boyfriends he just doesn't know 😭

😌 he - DV 💖

hello!!

That El Clasico.... I didn't watch it and I'm glad. Benzema saved our asses again, sigh... //// Yep it kinda makes sense for older players to go the easier way, lots of money, not so many wins ajhdhsishusshusgeshw cause let's face it, what are they going to achieve in non-European clubs 😬Lmao when Kaka the church boy divorced?!

everyone maybe afraid of rm, but rm’s afraid of barca 🤚🏻HUMILIATING I TELL U idk what went wrong with the team, they had beasts yet it felt bland,, barca’s youngest were playing like THAT in front of modric???? benzema??? kroos??? VINI??? bro wasn’t even ALIVE,, waiting for a psg v alnassr friendly that’s about to be anything but friendly and i have no hope for the teams bc they all did wack <3 DID U SEE THE ALNASSR RIVAL CLUB OFFERING 350$ MILLION TO MESSI???? WHAT TYPE OF WEALTH IS HAPPENING THERE??? the ultimate religious church boy’s divorce <3 i thought he was against it bfdbbddb

I don't have my football cards anymore, unless they're at my grandparents house 👀 /// Wow, Argentina really went full in, huh? Masterminds, Cristiano destroyed. Zidane is only 50 and already a granddaddy, it's so weird 😭

on my way actually, gimme all the iconic ones <3 argentina used ronaldo’s weakness and it worked! ITS SO WEIRD IT IS !!!! and the way it’s a girlie in a house of 6 boys??? better be rotten spoiled 🔫 imagine having the privilege of saying zidane’s my grandfather 😭😭😭

Harry is clearly traumatised which I understand, however there's no need to trauma dump on the whole world and reveal TMI??? Perhaps you're right, maybe the Diana x Sausage Fingers marriage wouldn't go downhill (at least not in that way) if they had a daughter

yeah! it’s the dismissal of not agreeing you’re traumatized and then monetizing on the very thing that seemingly made you traumatized and then saying you’ve got another book ready 😭😭😭 the diana tmi was too much for me,, did not want to picture her in that way,,, SAUSAGE FINGERS BRKQHDKWHDKSHDLWJCLWUDOWNCMSKH UR RIGHT 😭😭😭😭

Okay SuJu members need to attend the Wrestlemania, I hope that LSM is going to be a contestant as well 🔫 yes EXO makes the most sense. It's tricky since they're in their military era, but hopefully once Baek comes back they'll get some more schedules together, because the group deserves better :/ I was afraid SM would ditch Shinee or do things in a half-assed way, but so far I'm pretty content with the pro-military content (they suck at promos, but it's not just Shinee)

lsm fighting a suju member, waiting for this <3 it’s confirmed they are making a cb after baek comes back! it’s said to be around spring! BAEK IS BACK IN A MONTH, ANON WE ARE OUT OF THE DROUGHT ITS HAPPENING !!!!! BAEK COMIMG AND NEXT IS TAEMIN !!!!!! lots of solo stuff too! exo idoling would bring back kpop i tell u, but if it’s that noise music id cry,,,, shinee world tour also!!! i think onew and key confirmed AND KEY REPACKAGE ALBUM !!!!! sm really sucks at promos, if they promoted their group OUTSIDE of asia rightly we would’ve seen a kpop break thru quite quickly!

The webtoon is gonna kill me, who knew a little high school romance is going to be the death of me?! I'm still team black hair Eunhyuk, but Dohwa is fun, if he was the lead in a different work I'd be 100% into him! But alas...... it's unclear whether he has any romantic intentions, but it's highly likely. Spoiler: they both took photobooth photos with the FL (individually) and last chapter ended with both of them staring at the photos fondly, while FL pinned both on her wall 😭 //// Alright but THIS man too 😍

THE BREAKDOWN U HAVE EVERY TIME I SEE U TALK ABOUT THAT WEBTOON IS HILARIOUS DBWNDBSN the way u turn into a detective wondering about his intentions 😭😭😭😭 ON THE WALL???? HE DID THE WALL??? BFQMDBMWFBKWJCKCJCK WEAK ON THE KNEES !!!!!! FELL IN MY WALMART !!!! im gonna start reading this webtoon 🔫 THAT IS SEONGHWA FROM UR FRIENDS DREAM THAT IS HIM

So the kid is Sonnaught's 💀 but Tasir was crowned as the Royal Consort 👑 so I'd say he's winning, got the title, got no child to look after <3 //// Yep, obviously Draco's spoilt ass deserved some whooping, cause kid was delulu, however the pressure his father and Voldy put on him?! And the scene when Harry uses the torture spell on him, I cried in the cinema 💀 Narcissa was an icon!

did sonnaught’s red hair gene kick in- TASIR HAD IT EASY

STOP WHEN HARRY WALKED IN SAYING “I KNOW WHAT U DID” WHILE DRACO WAS AT HIS PEAK ANGST HAVING A BREAKDOWN, THE CRY I CREWED 😭😭😭😭 half blood prince, i wanted to physically jump in the movie and protect him,,,,,, the way he acted 🤌🏻😮‍💨 SHE REALLY WAS !!!!! so nice too 😭 the only one who was actually nice to draco

A CHAT NOIR HWA FIC 😳 do not tease me!!! /// Jude is a great actor, I can't believe he played Dumbledore AND the Pope too 😭 him in The Holiday <3 but also in Talented Mr Ripley he looked like a European actor from the 70s-80s

superhero hwa fic, on the way 🫡 the diversity of this man is so good, his projects that he chooses too!!! in mr riply, that man omg, he was like if alain delon went young again 🤚🏻

Atinys can't decide whether Ateez members have positions or not, it's so annoying //// Park Seonghwa literally serving a whole ass photoshoot at the fan sign, at this point maybe fansites should hire him for a shoot 😭 the masked photos 😳

atiny’s can’t decide anything, esp the twt ones 😭😭😭😭 they should be the last ones to decide anything bc it will always be unhinged,,, WAIT UR ONTO SOMETHING FANSITES ASKING HIM FOR A SHOOT 👀👀👀 need a pshbar so they can professionally shoot photos for him 🤚🏻 need him in a white button up, sleeves rolled up, buttons unbuttoned (first 4), in a italian summer, on a boat, with raybans one??? a must. need gucci to hire him. or me. i will make it happen.

I wanted the cool patterns to be visible, so I didn't get the 🐍 coloured. The work is so detailed, spend quite a lot of time on them, plus the red ink hurt a bit more, but it was worth it. Okay you dislike snakes, but serpent Seonghwa... /// Okay if it was a small spider then it's fine, especially since they deserved it!

AHHHHH omg but anon ur so cool for that !!!! 🫡 but did not know red ink hurted differently! i wouldn’t say i dislike them but i just get body chills whenever i see their skin, it’s so leathery and slimey and mAKES ME CRINGE but serpent hwa 😯😯

Ponytail Mingiiiiiiiiiii that was an experience for sure. Please why is Hwa so endearing, everything he does is so cute especially when he's being clueless 🥰 Absolutely, Seonghwa needs to write, songs, poems, fiction, an instruction manual idc

ponytail mingi was out of hand and if he pulls that at concerts again, i am officially resigning from life <33 seonghwa, everytime, how can someone be so endearing 24/7 😭😭😭 he can right hello and id buy it ONLY IF THE SHIPPING ISNT OVER 100$

Oh Pique thinks he did something... clown worthy behaviour. A whole ass witch mannequin, what kind of timeline is this 😭😭😭😭 Pique's a mama's boy in the worst possible way, yikes, they both can fuck off /// Guess some people notice the serial fan callers, but they don't care cause they provide cute videos 🙃 Awww so much SeongSang moment.

HE KEEPS TAKING AN L AND ITS SO EMBARRASSING BC HE ACTUALLY THINKS HES DONE SOMETHING RIGHT 😭😭😭 omf ur right, pique’s the ultimate mama’s boy in the most sickly but shakira a whole detective, found out he was cheating thru a jam??? ur right, if that many ppl do it, imagine the amount of ppl we have no idea about 😭😭

If he worked at my cafe I'd be on caffeine and sugar rush 24/7 //// I'm sure Mark has a lot of girlfriends and boyfriends he just doesn't know 😭 //// 😌 he - DV 💖

FBWMFBWMJCKCJ SUDDENLY WILL BECOME A COFFEE LIKER 😭😭😭 see anon he knows u haven’t read model hwa again, or given him the chance, he’s back at it again b-but what about him it’s me, im mark’s gf actually 🥰🥰

AND THIS 😭😭😭

it should be illegal to have gifs this clear

i also want to ask since i recently stumbled upon a few podcasts and stories about this, when u mentioned u went to varanasi, did u perhaps see or sense the immense spiritual ness about that place? bc i believe there’s an insane amount of people there who worship the death, did u perhaps have any experience seeing something like that? like something strange or a shift in vibes bc there’s just so much religious stuff there?

[spudprincess]

1 - Exodus

“Europa?” 

Tango echoed the tiny warlock’s statement, a frown twisting his lips. He watched her move about their shared living room, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. 

“The Commander has put a call out, for assistance. Kresh is going. So is Anya.” He watched her faceplates shift slightly, a fond smile while talking about her fireteam. She hesitated, the explanation hanging in the air far too long, before snapping back to the conversation. “So of course I’m going.”

He leaned a hip on the edge of the couch, watching the small rabbit-eared ghost shell flit about his suitably rabbit-eared guardian. Bonbon’s nervousness was palpable, and the hunter felt a small pang of sympathy for the Ghost. “Of course you are. Just be safe Oosa.”

His throat felt tight. With the Darkness encroaching, and the Traveler’s restoration, the entire playing field had shifted. He had been watching jump ships leave for hours, his own comms beeping with the Commander’s request. He wasn’t about to pack up and leave. He was the sturdy one. The rock. He would remain in the city while the braver and more glory-seeking guardians took to the system to aid the fight. 

Like Oosa. 

A pressure on his hands brought his thoughts back to the forefront.

The exo held both his wrists, looking up to him with wide yellow optics. “You will be safe while I’m gone?” she chirped, before shifting between his arms to wrap his midsection in a hug. The two embraced briefly before Tango pulled her back to arms length and straightened the thick fur ruff at her neck in a fond, almost mothering, gesture. 

“Of course.” It was a soft, honest answer and he gave her a lopsided smile. “Go kick ass for me out there.” 

Oosa-37 gave an excited whoop and was out the door in an instant. 

Tango flopped back on the couch, Loaf shifting with a soft snort and a grunt as the Hunter placed a hand on his flank. “She’ll be safe...won’t she boy?”

===

Ho boy it’s been a hot minute since I actually posted anything on this blog but here I am and here I go, these will be dumb and self indulgent and whatever. 

Day 1 in @destcember - Prompts found [HERE]

[et-lesailes]

polaroid

pairing: chris evans x reader

word count: 1780

summary: you gift chris with a polaroid, and he has fun taking both cute and naughty pictures of you.

themes: fluff n nudes :)

taglist: @viarogers , @evanstush , @chibi-crazy , @chalamet-evans , @world-of-losers , @songforhema, @sebabestianstan101 , @tanyam93 , @bval-1, @wonderwinchester , @little-miss-exo, @poerebel , @bitchbabes-world , @gogomez-509 , @patzammit

note: requested by anonymous // hope yall don’t mind i didn’t put the actual smut part in this one, i’m still taking a break from writing smut for the time being!

“Come on, baby, open it!”

He looked at you with a wide grin, still somewhat disbelieving but thrilled at the same time. “You just got me a random gift? Out of nowhere?”

“Is that so hard to believe? Am I not a good girlfriend?” you asked playfully offended, and he immediately shook his head. “No, no! Of course not! Okay, okay I’m opening it.” He removed the decorative tissue paper from the bag before pulling out a box, his blue eyes immediately widening. “Oh my God. You did not. Is this a Polaroid?” His mouth was wide open as he marveled over the present, speechless for a few moments after, his entire face beaming. “Holy shit. I’m going to have so much fun with this. Babe, you’re the best.” He came over to you and wrapped you up in a bear hug, lifting your feet off the ground as he often did with his hugs. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” You giggled happily as you hugged him back; it really wasn’t that extravagant of a gift, but one of the things you loved about Chris was that he was so genuinely appreciative of everything. Besides, he had been talking about how he’d love to play around with a Polaroid one day, and so you found this to be the perfect opportunity for a little pleasant surprise.

He set you down after a few seconds, eager to remove the camera from the box. “Alright gorgeous, you know what happens next. You’ve gotta be my very first picture.” You laughed softly, playfully wrinkling your nose. “What? Just me? How about we at least take a selfie first, of both of us?” He smiled and nodded immediately. “Good idea. Alright, let me figure this thing out.” After getting it ready, making sure it was stocked up on photo paper, he wrapped his arm around you and pulled you close. “Alright, smile, baby girl!” You flashed the camera a cute smile, laying your head playfully on his shoulder. He snapped the picture before eagerly watching the little photo begin to print, biting on his lip in anticipation. Once it was done, he took it out and waved it around a little for it to dry before looking down at it. You couldn’t help but giggle; it was cute, though a bit of the top of his head was cut off. “Whoops. Looks like I still gotta figure out selfie angles.”

“You have yet to do that with your iPhone, too,” you joked, and he blinked in mock offense, nudging you. “Excuse you! Fans love my selfies!” You hummed thoughtfully, teasingly replying, “Mmhm. I’ll just say you’re lucky you’re handsome, Evans, and leave it at that.” He playfully rolled his eyes before placing the photo on the coffee table, then stepping back. “Alright. Now you have to be my model. It’ll be easier for me to take pictures if I’m actually looking into the viewfinder. Pose for me, pretty girl!” You laughed, not uncomfortable at all by his request; perhaps when you first started dating, you would have been a little shy, but now this man was your best friend. There were no limits or boundaries before you two, and so you gladly obliged in a series of poses for him. Ironically puckered lips, exaggerated cute faces, sassy hand on hip, a flip of the hair-- he even had the idea for you to incorporate props, tossing you the teddy bear he had gotten for your first anniversary so you could hug it tightly and give its head a kiss. 

And of course, you were not going to let him get away so easily. Swiping the camera from him when he wasn’t expecting it, you stepped back and gave him a challenging grin. “Alright, you’re up, babe. This should be easy for you, seeing you basically have to look good on camera for a living, so show me what you got.” You teased, holding the camera up to your eye. He blinked before laughing loudly, and although he technically wasn’t ready, you just had to take a picture of his beautiful laugh. How could you not? His happiness was always so contagious, you swore this man could make a gray sky turn blue. 

As expected, he was very good at this. He gave the camera a magnified smolder, blue-green eyes practically piercing through your soul even through the viewfinder. He ran his hand through his soft hair, not so subtly displaying his well defined biceps. He scrunched up his face with an adorable smile, making you giggle as you made sure to take a perfect photo-- unlike a regular camera, you could not simply snap away and take multiples, and so you had to be precise. He was about to pose again when Dodger suddenly came into the room, having woken up from a peaceful slumber in the bedroom. “Hey, buddy! Get in on this!” Chris scooped him up into strong arms without really giving the dog time to respond, cradling him like a baby as he normally did while carrying him. You laughed and took a picture, then looked excited. “Stay like that! Let’s get a selfie of us all together!” You were a little more adjusted to how the viewfinder was centered now, and so you made your way over to your boyfriend and dog, standing as close as possible so nothing would get cut off. He easily held Dodger in one arm while putting his other one around you, lowering his head slightly to get into view. Smiling brightly at the camera, you snapped the photo, then watched as it printed. There were already several laying out on the coffee table at this point; the two of you would probably need to buy more photo paper tomorrow itself.

“Oh my God. That’s fuckin’ precious.” Chris declared, grin spread across his face as he looked at the photo. “Dodger’s even looking at the camera, it’s perfect!” He suddenly snatched it from you playfully, leaning down to kiss your cheek. “Mm I’m going to keep this in my wallet.” You blinked and stuck your tongue out, lifting the camera up again. “Fine, but I want one for mine too, so smile! Dodger, you too, look at the camera!”

___________

You yawned as you began to strip out of your clothing, tossing them one-by-one into the hamper. You normally slept in the nude, just like Chris, and you were certainly ready for bed and to snuggle up to your boyfriend after a long day. 

He came out of the bathroom fresh from a shower, eyes twinkling with mischief as he watched you. “I love when you give me a strip show, babe,” he commented playfully, in the process of wrapping his towel around his waist. Suddenly, his entire face lit up. “What’s that look?” you immediately asked, arching an eyebrow. “Because that look is never good news.” He did not even respond, but instead ran out of the room, coming back a few seconds later with the Polaroid in his hand. “I just got another idea for a photoshoot.” He said with a smirk, wiggling his eyebrows. “C’mon. Pose for me.” You looked at him in shock for a few moments before biting on your lip, unable to help but slowly smile. Why not? At least you knew these had less of a chance of getting leaked than the photos you texted him when you were bored at home by yourself. 

“How do you want me, Chris?” you asked sweetly, slowly turning around and giving him a perfect view of your ass, looking over your shoulder with innocent eyes. “Like this..?” He widened his own, immediately taking the picture as his teeth tugged on his lip. “Fuck. Fuck yeah.” He took the photo once it was dry, looking at it with a hungry gaze before setting it on the dresser next to him. “More, babe. Please.” You bit your lip and turned back around, tilting your head as you cupped your breasts together with your hands. He was practically drooling with each shot, and you couldn’t get enough of it. You crawled onto the bed and sat on your knees, giving him a seductive smirk. He was even getting into different positions to get better shots, practically groaning to himself from being so turned on. “God, baby, you look so perfect like that…” he muttered, and you giggled softly, turning around so that you were on your hands and knees and wiggling your butt in his direction. “Well then, maybe you should stop taking pictures and come enjoy what’s right in front of you instead.” 

“Shit. You don’t have to tell me twice.” He took the last photo out of the little printer, setting it on the dresser rather carelessly before coming straight to the bed, giving your ass a rough smack before practically tackling you down to kiss you passionately. 

___________

It was practically dawn when you woke up after a very hot and heavy night. You recalled falling asleep before him, but as you looked up at him now, he was sleeping peacefully-- his breaths even and his long eyelashes resting against the top of his cheeks. You smiled sleepily, stretching your body slightly underneath the weight of his arm around you, carefully turning around to get yourself in a comfier position. Staying underneath his hold so that he was now spooning you, your eyes drifted towards the dresser, amused at the thought of seeing several Polaroids scattered across the surface. 

However, they were not there. You blinked, sitting up as much as you could and craning your neck trying to see if they were placed somewhere else. Still not seeing them, you felt momentarily alarmed, then paused. It was not as though someone broke into your home to take them. You felt Chris stir beside you, his mouth stretching into a yawn. “Don’t worry about the pictures, babe,” he spoke in a low, husky voice, barely coherent from having just woken up. “I had to keep them somewhere safe, after all… I’ll need them for later.”

You smiled amused, settling yourself down again still facing the wall but holding his arm around you. “Mm? For what?” you inquired softly with mock innocence, and his deep chuckle sent chills up your spine. “For when I’m bored at home while you’re busy at work, of course.” He mumbled with his lips brushing against your hair, hand playfully giving your breast a squeeze. “Now go back to sleep, baby doll, it’s still way too early.” You giggled softly, nuzzling your head in the pillow and intertwining your fingers with his as you let yourself drift back to sleep.

[fyexo]

191016 Breaking Down the SuperM Phenomenon: The K-Pop Debut Group With the No. 1 Album in America

When K-pop super label SM Entertainment was deciding where to launch its new all-star boy band, it settled on an emerging growth market for the genre: the U.S. Now at the top of the Billboard charts, the group may have revealed a path for other Korean acts to follow.

K-pop fandom in America is an increasingly accessible way of life, but never has the industry catered to U.S. fans as directly as it did in Hollywood this month. In early October, new seven-member boy group SuperM made their official international debut at Capitol Records, notably choosing to focus on the American market from day one. Compiled from several established SM Entertainment acts—SHINee, EXO, NCT 127, and WayV—and created in partnership with Capitol, the all-star supergroup took over Los Angeles, shutting down Hollywood streets for their first showcase and popping up everywhere from billboards and posters to an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

SuperM’s self-titled EP dropped on October 4, and the group promptly made history as the first debut Korean act to hit no. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart—they are the only K-pop group other than BTS to reach the top spot. To those unfamiliar with the industry, it may seem like SuperM came out of nowhere, but the group was constructed from some of SM’s most popular boy groups for a reason—they brought with them a dedicated legion of fans. SuperM’s immediate sales success could reveal a path to follow for other K-pop groups hoping to make it in America.

SuperM’s first week of U.S. promotion was designed with their established fans in mind, and there were plenty to be found in L.A. alone. The weekend began with a live Q&A broadcast from Capitol Records, during which the group answered Twitter questions, interacted with fans, and watched their new music video from casual seats in the audience. Then they closed down Hollywood for a live performance on the following Saturday, performing three of their new songs for a crowd of thousands on a giant stage built outside Capitol Tower. And on Sunday—once they’d been deposited practically on my doorstep—it was time to get to know the boys in real time.

When I walked into the interview room at Capitol Records, I was greeted by raucous hellos and bursts of recognition from the seven members of SuperM: SHINee’s Taemin, EXO’s Baekhyun and Kai, NCT 127’s Taeyong and Mark, and WayV’s Ten and Lucas. No, we’re not longtime BFFs, nor had I interviewed them before; the group had been inexplicably seated directly behind me in the press section for the first viewing of their “Jopping” music video a few days before. After offering to move several times, dodging photographers, and enduring a series of increasingly ridiculous interactions, I finally gave up and appreciated my literal front-row seat for SuperM’s video premiere. Despite my best efforts to make sure they could actually see their hard work play on the big screen, several members—Baekhyun especially—became extremely well acquainted with the back of my head.

On Sunday, it was clear that they were slightly less familiar with the front of it. As I got set up, the guys chatted among themselves in Korean, laughing quietly. It was only when I heard Mark (born in Canada, and the group’s most fluent English speaker) ask, “Wait, should I translate?” that I looked up and realized I was on the receiving end of a table full of amused gazes. “Are you talking about me?” I asked. Group leader, eldest member, and unofficial comic relief Baekhyun nodded mischievously and gestured to Mark—no matter that there were several professional translators in the room—who said, “They’re asking whether you were at the afterparty yesterday.” I replied that I hadn’t known there was one—“Sick invite, though!” I added. When Mark sheepishly relayed my answer, Baekhyun erupted out of his seat with a shout of indignation, which quickly turned into an embarrassed bow.

I tried to start the official interview, but Baekhyun refused to move on until he figured out how he knew me, if not from the afterparty. Mark helped me explain, and when Baekhyun realized I was the one awkwardly slouching in front of him so that he could see his own music video, he decided there was no recovering from our rough start. “Sorry, I’ll go!” he said in English, dramatically shoving away from the table and pretending to walk out with a flippant wave. The exchange was scored by giggles from the rest of the group—a constant soundtrack to just about everything Baekhyun does.

He returned with a grin, and Mark got things back on track—already a familiar scenario from the first month of promotion, as the youngest member of SuperM stepped up into his role as the unofficial English voice of the group. The 20-year-old’s original awe of his older, more experienced groupmates has been an ongoing narrative during the first few weeks of their debut, but it’s hard to imagine him as shy or intimidated now. Many fans may still think of Mark as the endearingly goofy NCT youngster of years past, but SuperM has brought out a new side of him—confident, eloquent, and thoughtful. As their primary English speaker, he was under a lot of pressure during the group’s first week in the U.S., but he said he left the anxiety in Korea.

“You always worry the most before the actual thing happens, so I guess I was worried before we came to America,” Mark said. “But once I was here, I realized that we’ve all worked so hard. To see everyone learn even the shortest English lines took my worries away.”

The members of SuperM said they’re invested in learning English because they want to communicate with American fans, but fans aren’t the only ones appreciative of their hard work. SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo Man attended Thursday’s Q&A, serving as SuperM’s biggest hype man. Every time a non-fluent member attempted a sentence in English—which was impressively often, for their first U.S. appearance—Lee erupted in whoops from the audience. That energy extended through the first live “Jopping” viewing, as Lee sat with and practically tackled the boys during standout moments in the video. It’s no surprise that Lee has made his support painfully obvious—they’re his golden boys, and he has a lot riding on this venture. Providing a little hype is perhaps the least he can do.

Despite the fact that many of SuperM’s members have never worked together in a group setting, most of them have known each other for years. Longtime best friends Taemin and Kai are the main dancers of their respective groups, and widely considered two of the best dancers active in the industry; it’s not the first time they’ve collaborated, but it’s their first time working together as fellow group members, which inevitably ups the stakes. In the room, I asked both of them, sitting side-by-side like two perfectly coiffed peas in a pod, whether they’ve learned anything new about each other now that they’re groupmates. They turned to each other simultaneously and seemed to be at an utter loss. “We know everything, right?” Kai asked. Taemin agreed; both were smiling, but clearly serious. “They’re so close,” Mark told me. Everyone nodded.

“We’ve known each other for such a long time, there’s nothing new to learn,” Kai said in Korean. “But if I had to add something … we’ve been friends for such a long time, but we’ve never worked together as artists. We’ve had separate groups and careers, so coming together on the same team like this has changed the way we communicate, because we’re teammates now. We’re not just friends, and we’re not just giving each other advice, but we share the same goal and create team synergy. So that’s something that’s changed with our dynamic.”

Before SuperM officially debuted, theories abounded that Taemin would be named the group leader—a designated role in nearly every K-pop group that amounts to an official team captain of sorts. At 27, Baekhyun is one year older than Taemin, but the latter has been active in the industry longer and has an impressive solo career to boot. In fact, early teasers seemed to paint Taemin as the architect of SuperM. But Taemin appeared to have no interest in the role, and when Baekhyun was officially announced as the leader, it became clear that Baekhyun’s primary focus would be on keeping everyone happy and relaxed at all times.

Thus far, I’d been addressing different members at random, trying to follow the natural flow of conversation, and I’d unintentionally ignored the leader’s corner of the table after our initial chaotic beginning. As I swiveled toward Baekhyun, he made an exaggerated “Finally!” expression, rolling his shoulders, leaning forward, and sucking in a deep breath as if he was about to hit one of those iconic high notes. But no, this time it was just a steadfast commitment to the bit. The other members craned their heads, already grinning, as he pretended to psych himself up for my incoming question. I asked Baekhyun whether he had any newfound empathy for Suho, the leader of his other group, EXO, now that he is a leader himself.

“I can’t really relate, because I feel like I don’t actually do much,” Baekhyun said in Korean. “My biggest role here within this team is to keep the spirits high, and that’s easy for me—because I’m usually in high spirits myself, and it’s really easy for me to do that with these guys.”

Fellow EXO member Kai laughed at Baekhyun’s over-the-top delivery, but piped up in disagreement. “I’ve been in EXO with Baekhyun for a long time, but before he was just a member. Now, with him as a leader, I definitely see the difference. I can see that he has more sense of responsibility for what he does, and he really goes out of his way to care for each of the members. When it’s hard for us to voice our opinions or complaints, Baekhyun makes sure that everyone’s opinions are relayed, and that everything is communicated. He doesn’t realize he’s good, but I’m 100 percent satisfied with his leadership.”

Language barriers aside, Kai was feeling talkative—our Korean translator was forced to scribble intricate outlines to keep up with several of his elaborate answers. At one point, Kai told a story about shooting the “Jopping” music video, complete with dramatic gestures and poses.

“It was my first time in a helicopter,” he said. “They told me it was going to fly really low, and I thought I could handle it. But all of a sudden, they put me up in the helicopter, and it flew around the area four times. The director and cameraman yelled, ‘Keep your eyes open! Have good facial expressions! Fight the wind!’” Kai imitated the shouting crew members, then leveled his signature intense gaze at me in a re-creation of the action-star pose he was going for.

It was a lot.

“I tried my best, and kept my eyes open for as long as possible, and when I came back down, there was sand in my eyes and I couldn’t open them. I thought, ‘OK, I did a good job,’ but when I saw the final cut, none of the footage was used! Nothing at all!” He burst out laughing as Lucas clapped him on the back. Ever the optimist, Kai continued. “It was still a good experience. It’s motivated me to work harder until I can ride a helicopter again—maybe from Korea to America.”

The younger boys seemed impressed by his goal, but Taemin was skeptical. “Wouldn’t it take too long?” he asked. Baekhyun had other concerns: “From Korea to America? You’d get shot down with a missile.”

Ten and Lucas had their own iffy encounters with heavy machinery on the “Jopping” set. There were no helicopter rides for them, but they posed on a giant tank in Dubai in the summer. Lucas summed it up nicely. “So hot!”

Ten elaborated: “We couldn’t really touch the tanks, but we needed to pretend that we were cool on top of the tank.” He struck a pose as if he was leaning against the combat vehicle, then flipped back one stylish sleeve to gesture at his elbow. “I got burned a little,” he said. “But it was pretty cool. It’s not every day you get to sit on top of a tank and like, take a selfie.”

Ten, born in Thailand, collects languages like he collects earrings, and they were all on full display during our chat. In a light, lilting accent, Ten said that his (near-perfect) English hadn’t gotten much practice during the past few years in Korea and China, as he and Lucas promoted with NCT and WayV in quick succession, and he’s still self-conscious about using it around native speakers in the U.S.

That said, Ten loves getting the opportunity to learn about new cultures and languages. “If you know multiple cultures, it’s easier for you to express yourself in performance. You learn more about dancing, singing, and expressing. It makes you grow and mature, I think. You don’t need to care about people’s race. No matter what, you can empathize with them. That’s the most important thing.”

It’s not immediately obvious from his answer, but Ten was demonstrating his aptitude for learning in real time. According to fellow reporter Elizabeth de Luna, who was helping record the interview from the other side of the room, Ten had leaned over to Mark earlier as I asked Baekhyun about having newfound empathy for his EXO group leader. “What does ‘empathy’ mean?” Ten asked Mark. After a whispered discussion, Ten nodded and returned to attention. Then, just a few minutes later, he inserted the word perfectly into his own sentence. So goes the quadrilingual life–and, to a certain extent, the future of K-pop as an ever-evolving, increasingly global industry.

To wit, Ten and Mark aren’t the only SuperM members juggling several languages. WayV’s Lucas is Chinese, born in Hong Kong, and he’s actively working on his English and Korean. Still, he doesn’t have any trouble communicating with his groupmates, four of whom are native Koreans. “Anything can be overcome by music,” Lucas told me in Chinese. “Cultural differences do exist, but music gets rid of all that. I just use music to simplify everything, and I don’t think too much about the differences.”

It’s a sweet sentiment, but music can’t do it all—Lucas and the rest of the boys devote immense effort and concentration to even simple interviews like this one. When I first posed a question to Lucas via the Korean translator, there was a flurry of activity and laughter as the game plan was decided upon: First, Kai suggested in Korean that Lucas answer in Chinese, and Lucas turned with his ever-present smile to address a Chinese translator who was seated against the wall. Ten was then recruited to help from the other side of the room (“I will try, but my Chinese is not that great!” he chirped) and Lucas just leaned back in his rolling chair, swiveling his head around, and looking massively entertained by the commotion. In the end, Lucas gave his answer—with various interjections from Ten—to the Chinese translator, who relayed it to the Korean translator, who then gave it to me in English. It was like a game of multilingual hot potato. Lucas was rewarded for his efforts with scattered applause and high fives from Kai and Baekhyun. The group effort, energetic as it was, is painfully representative of the extra effort K-pop groups have to expend in order to break out in the U.S. market.

NCT 127 leader Taeyong is no stranger to the multilingual interview scene. As the face of the NCT megaunit, he’s worked with group members from China, Thailand, Canada, the U.S., and just about everywhere in between. He’s also unique in that he’s the only SuperM member with a producing credit on the EP. When I asked Taeyong to talk about his work on “No Manners,” which is basically a song about savagely dumping someone, I received a brief panicked look. “Speak from your heart,” Baekhyun suggested. Taeyong did his best. “At first, it was difficult to understand what the song was trying to say, so I tried to make my rap into a story to help listeners understand. I’m not saying that breaking up is always the answer, but a bad breakup is … ” he trailed off, and looked around for an assist. Baekhyun stepped in, saying that the song is about how sometimes it’s best to cut a relationship off before it hits rock bottom.

In our current context, it was hard to imagine Taeyong as an expert on breakups of any kind. He’d been engaged and friendly, but very quiet—mostly just watching the other members speak with wide-eyed attention. As he sat tiny in his seat, in an oversized T-shirt and fluffy purple hair, it was difficult to reconcile him with the fierce, steely-eyed Taeyong of the stage. Next to him, Taemin was quiet and serene as well, but no less attentive—just beaming cherubically as he sipped on his Starbucks. Such is the duality of some of K-pop’s most arresting performers.

After all, no matter how transcendent they can seem on stage—they’re called “idols” for a reason—at the end of the day, they’re just guys. It’s something they reminded us of during their showcase stage for “Super Car,” when it was revealed that the official choreography is centered around hitting the woah.

As soon as I brought up the viral dance move, I was faced with an entire room of boys hitting the woah, like it was impossible for them to talk about it without doing it. Lucas jumped out of his seat to put his whole body into it. “It’s just a feeling!” he exclaimed in English. The guys persuaded me to try hitting the woah a few times myself—unfortunately, it appeared to be a feeling I couldn’t quite grasp, but they very sweetly pretended I nailed it.

Always ready with the polished take, Mark weighed in. “We feel like ‘Super Car’ has a really trendy vibe to it. We wanted to include a movement that the American audience would find familiar. The woah has been popular for awhile now, but it’s all a cycle–it started in America and took a while to make its way over to us, so we brought it back. It just made sense for us to perform it in America.”

American music fans may think it would have made more sense for a group to incorporate the woah a few years ago when it first became popular here, but Mark is self-aware enough to know that it takes time for things like this to make the rounds in Korea. Besides, we all have a teenage cousin who refuses to stop dabbing—viral dances don’t come with expiration dates. Incorporating the woah into “Super Car” seems less like an attempt to cater to American audiences, and more a statement that this is what K-pop looks like in its current state—even if SuperM knows that the woah is passé in American culture, K-pop groups still love it. So, by god, they’re going to hit it as hard as they can.

“Super Car” was one of the three songs the group performed at their debut performance on a massive stage outside Capitol Records. It was a highly anticipated moment—for a group made nearly entirely of idols known for their dance skills, the first live show felt like a make-or-break moment for SuperM.

No one should have worried. SuperM’s first performance proved that they know how to play to each member’s specific strengths, numerous as they are. Need a standout high note? Baekhyun and Taemin are on it. Time for a rapid-fire dance solo? Ten is your man. What about a blue-steel gaze directly into the camera? Well, options vary, but Kai and Taeyong have turned it into an art form. Mark and Lucas have thrived both onstage and off, as the official crowd-pleasing charmers. It’s an all-star formula, and it’s no surprise that it has been a success. But the extent of that success in the U.S.—the blanket press coverage, the Billboard chart record—has exceeded expectations. SuperM’s immediate impact, both on the charts and in the history books, raises the question: If SM can beat the odds by debuting a new group in the U.S. market, who will follow? Other K-pop labels may now focus on America from the get-go, or create their own collaborative groups, following SuperM’s lead.

That, of course, is not SuperM’s concern. As we wrapped up the interview and said our goodbyes, Baekhyun dragged Mark over to apologize for him once more, and dramatically resolved our short-lived beef—as any good leader would. I told them I’d see them again on their upcoming U.S. tour, which kicks off in Fort Worth, Texas, in November.

To the person who will be sitting behind me at said concert, apologies in advance. You’ve got a tough act to follow.

source: Kate Halliwell @ The Ringer

[changingourdestiny]

Beyond Light Part 3: Behemoth

Summary:

After running into her along with Drifter, Eris and the Exo Stranger, Marcia joins the team on their mission to stop Eramis. But after realising Light alone might not be enough to take down the dark Kell’s house, Rae, Tif and Marcia accept the Stranger’s offer to wield the Darkness.

Previous Part: Here

Next Part: Here

“I know. I owe you an explanation for all of this.”

Back at the campsite from before, Rae, Blaze and Tif were talking to the Exo Stranger while Drifter and Eris remained around the campfire and Marcia stood a few feet away keeping watch.

“An explanation would be nice.” Rae replied, “But that aside, it’s nice to see you again. It’s been a while.”

“Indeed.” The Stranger nodded, “The last time we spoke was when I asked you to destroy the Black Heart. To prevent Darkness’s arrival. Success may have been achieved, but now I know that fate comes knocking sooner or later. The floodgates are open. The Darkness is here. I wield it now with intent to stop our enemies where the Light cannot.”

“So you guys wield Stasis too then.” Rae said looking back at Drifter and Eris. “Not me. Not yet anyway.” Marcia interjected as she made her way over to them, “I was waiting for you guys in case you showed interest. Who better to help you control Darkness than someone cursed by it for over a thousand years?”

“She’s not wrong.” Tif added. “I almost feel bad for ya. Being stuck with Huffy the Magic Dragon, Crazy McHobo, and Negative Nancy: Creepy Edition.” Blaze chuckled.

*BONK!*

“GYAH!”

Blaze was knocked to the ground as a dark blue sphere crashed into the back of her head before returning to Eris, who was glaring at the Awoken Hunter, and reverting to its Hive bone state. “You deserved that one.” Rae said shaking her head as Blaze got to her feet while Drifter laughed from behind them, “Nice aim, Moondust!”

“And ‘Huffy the Magic Dragon’? Really?” Marcia raised an eyebrow as she folded her arms.

“Uh, you were talking about Stasis?” Tif attempted to get the conversation back on track. “Right.” The Stranger nodded, “From what I’ve heard from Marcia, your resilience within the Pyramid proves you’re capable of wielding it too.” She motioned to the temple in the distance, “Before us lies what we call a ‘Ziggurat’. Its purpose is temptation. To begin your training, you must give in.”

Rae glanced at Blaze who shook her head, “Nah. Don’t get me wrong, I trust ya. But I already have my fire and vision bs to deal with. Don’t wanna add another mysterious power to the list.”

“Fair enough.” The Stranger replied before facing Rae and Tif, “And you two?”

“I…I’ll try!” Tif volunteered, “If it means I can help people better, then I’ll do it.” The Stranger turned to Rae who sighed, “If it means we can take down Eramis a bit easier, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try. I’m in.”

“Good. Take these.” The Stranger handed Rae, Marcia and Tif a splinter each, “Please understand. The line between Light and Dark is so very thin. Let’s cross it together.”

“That line sounds familiar…” Blaze muttered under her breath. “Alright.” Rae began, “Let’s see what this Ziggurat has to offer.”

“I’ll hang back with Drifter and Eris.” Blaze said, “Lemme know when we’re heading out.” Rae nodded before she, Marcia and Tif began heading toward the Ziggurat. As they approached the stairs, Ghost piped up, “I understand why you’re going along with the Stranger’s plan, but…well, she’s clearly not telling us everything.”

“When has anyone?” Rae replied, “If we want to stand a chance against Eramis, we need to level the playing field and fight fire with fire. Or in this case, ice with ice- ARGH, AGAIN WITH THE WHISPERS!” Rae exclaimed as the whispers re-entered her head. “Yeah, I’m with ya.” Marcia grumbled as they reached the top of the stairs, “After a while it gets less creepy and more annoying.”

 Upon reaching the top, four large shards stood floating in front of them. “I feel drawn to that one at the front. I think it wants us to attune to that one.” Marcia pointed out. Rae took a deep breath, “Here goes nothing…” The three Guardians held out their splinters to the shard, causing it to glow a bright orange before disappearing. “You guys feel that?” Tif asked, “I feel like I’m being drawn to somewhere.”

“Yeah, I feel it too.” Rae replied. “Well, what are we waiting for?” Marcia began heading back down the steps, “Let’s see where this leads us.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Tracking down the pull of energy, Rae, Tif and Marcia found themselves in what appeared to be a Vex-constructed area where another shard was floating. “Another shard?” Rae muttered.

“Uhh…”

Rae and Marcia turned to Tif, whose shard was glowing. “Does it want you to go to it?” Berhane asked. “Let’s find out.” Tif hopped off the ledge they were standing on and made their way towards the shard before holding their splinter up to it. Suddenly there was a pulse of energy, causing Tif to stumble backwards before feeling their joints begin to freeze up as Stasis began to surround them. “Tif!” Rae was about to run to her but was stopped by Marcia placing a hand on her shoulder. “Wait.” Marcia said. Rae was about to argue with her until she saw Tif suddenly break free of the Stasis, panting heavily. “Vex incoming!” Ghost alerted and several Vex began to teleport in. Rae went for her gun but was stopped again by Marcia, “Wait for it.” Rae watched as Tif turned to face the incoming Vex horde. Stasis crystals began to surround their right fist before completely solidifying. Tif charged towards the Vex before launching themself up into the air and slamming their fist into the icy ground below. As they did, three lines of icy spikes emerged from the ground and impaled some of the Vex while freezing the others. With their gauntlet, Tif went lunging forward through the frozen Vex, shattering them instantly. Marcia and Rae watched as Tif mowed down more and more Vex with Stasis, not having to touch their gun once. Rae was awestruck while Marcia just smirked, “That’s the power of Stasis right there. I was pretty baffled too when I watched Eris and Drifter use it. And that’s only it when in the hands of a Titan! Imagine what’ll be like if you or I use it.” Marcia’s sentence was punctuated by a loud crash and a cloud of snow erupting upwards. It cleared to reveal Tif in a three-point landing with three minotaur bodies skewered by ice spikes, successfully taking out the last of the Vex. Tif stood up, out of breath but looking pretty proud of themself. However their moment of pride was interrupted by feeling energy being sucked out of them. Tif glanced down at their hand and saw that their energy was solar again, not Stasis. “W-wha? Where’d the Stasis go?!” they exclaimed. “Calm down.” Marcia reassured as she hopped off the edge, “You don’t get it right away. What you just experienced was just a sampler. The process of achieving Stasis is a test. The Darkness wants to see if we’re worthy of using it and introduces Stasis gradually. But unlike Eris and Drifter who had more time to hone theirs, we’re cut for time thanks to Eramis. So our training will be more like a trial by fire. Hope that it’ll kick in when we need it most.”

“And by the looks of it, it’s testing us one-by-one.” Rae added, “Not the most practical way, but we don’t really have a choice. I’ll have Blaze meet us back at Variks’s place. It’s time we get to planning our first strike on Eramis’s house.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 “We’re back.” Rae announced as she walked in the door to the base, “Sorry we took so long.”

“Can it be?” Variks narrowed his eyes at Rae, Marcia and Tif, “I can smell that poisoned power on you. Does corruption spread so quickly? Or do you hope to fight Eramis with her own weapons?”

“The latter.” Marcia replied as she followed the group inside. “Who is this?” Variks asked. “This is Marcia Wyverk. She’s a close friend of ours and a fellow Paralian.” Rae explained. “Variks the Loyal, right? Nice to finally meet you.” Marcia grinned, “Rae briefed me on the Eramis situation and I’m ready to help.”

“As for Stasis, yeah. An old friend of ours is helping us to use it properly.” Rae explained, “So far, Tif is the only one that’s used it.”

“Temporarily.” Tif added, “Marcia says that the Darkness wants to test us first.”

“You walk a very dangerous path.” Variks warned, “Take this recklessness to Phylaks, then. But beware. She is Eramis’s most skilled warrior. She made her name at Twilight Gap.”

“Yeah. Tif told us as much.” Rae replied, “Any ideas on where to start?”

“Prove yourself a worthy opponent, and she will show herself.”

“Sounds easy enough. Cause a ruckus, get her attention. The rest is sure to follow.”

“Causing a ruckus is what we do best! Right, Marci?” Blaze grinned.

“Aw yeah! This is gonna be fun!” Marcia chuckled.

“Ooh! I wanna cause a ruckus too!” Tif beamed.

“Yeah! Tif’s on team chaos!” Blaze whooped. Rae held her head in her hands, “I swear I’m gonna have a nervous breakdown dealing with these three…”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 “OHCRAPOHCRAPOHCRAPOH- GYAH!!!”

Marcia let out a yelp as she was thrown from the missile blast of a brig. Quickly scrambling to her feet, Marcia ducked behind a block of ice where Rae also was hiding, sniping from a distance. “Can we agree not to tell Drifter about these? Gambit will be a nightmare if he manages to lure one in.” Marcia panted. “Agreed.” Rae replied, “Oh no. Move!” Rae grabbed Marcia and dragged her away from the ice block as missile strikes came from above. “Nice reflexes.” Marcia breathed as she activated her Shadowshot bow and began firing at the brigs. “Take this, ba sloat!” Tif yelled as they charged at one of the two brigs, managing to slice at its front with their arc blade and cutting deep enough to down the large mech. “Tif, watch your six!” Blaze called out as she launched a rocket from her rocket launcher at the last brig, causing it to stumble backwards, “Go for it!”

“Thank you!~” Tif cheered in a sing-song voice as they took advantage of the stunned brig and stabbed the blaze right into its centre, digging in as deep as they could before the brig let out a low, fading whir and collapsed to the ground, Tif just managing to duck out of the way. “That’s the last of them.” Blaze let out a sigh of release as Tif removed their blade from the brig, “You think we got her attention yet?”

“I think so. Incoming message from Phylaks.” Ghost called out as Phylaks’s message came through.

“Machine-spawns! I admire your thirst for the fight. Come and find me.”

“She’s…transmitting her location to us. Looks like we won ourselves an invitation.” Ghost announced. “I’ve a feeling it’s not a dinner party sort of invitation.” Marcia muttered, dismissing her super, “Phylaks doesn’t seem to be the fancy type.”

“It’d be funny if it was!” Tif giggled, “I wouldn’t complain.”

“Where’s the coordinates at?” Rae asked. “Looks like Nexus. Beyond where Tif used her Stasis.” Ghost replied. “Well, let’s not keep our hostess waiting.” Blaze smirked, “Let’s go party, Paralight style!”

 To Be Continued…

[dailyexo]

[INTERVIEW] Baekhyun, Kai - 200128 Time: “Meet SuperM, the K-Pop Supergroup That Skyrocketed to the Top of the Billboard Charts”

"A palette of hair colors — aquamarine, silver, shades of gold — popped against monochrome clothing as the seven members of SuperM filed into a backstage room at Madison Square Garden. In a matter of minutes, the group from South Korea would take the stage for the first time at one of the biggest venues in the biggest city in the U.S. Outside on this Tuesday evening in November, enthusiasm buzzed for the newly formed K-pop supergroup, comprised of artists considered to be some of the best performers in the industry. Within two months of their debut, they had already hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart — the only K-pop act other than BTS to have topped the list — and attracted thousands at their shows from Forth Worth to Chicago.

The group’s ongoing North American tour, “We Are the Future,” began in November and continues through February, hitting 10 cities. In the moments before the group’s concert at the Garden, SuperM sat down with TIME to discuss, via a translator, their experience since the group’s launch in October.

“I feel like how we’re assembled itself is a very futuristic step that K-pop hasn’t ever seen before,” says Mark, the rapper from Canada and youngest member of SuperM. “Who knows what kind of road this may pave, but we just wanted to show how we can bring different elements together in one — and have that be expressed onstage in a powerful way.”

Assembling the “Avengers of K-pop”

Last summer, SM Entertainment, one of South Korea’s largest entertainment companies, and Capitol Records joined forces to announce the formation of what they referred to as “the Avengers of K-pop,” a group named SuperM. The act would feature members from SM’s boy groups SHINee, EXO, NCT 127 and WayV — each of which boasts a legion of fans that have powered them to the top of Asia’s music scene. “We keep describing them as ‘Avengers’ because I think that’s the best conceptual analogy that will immediately be understood by others,” SM’s A&R executive Chris Lee told Billboard at the time of the group’s launch. “Each Avenger has their own group and Iron Man has his own movie and Thor has his own but together they have an even greater synergy.”

The founder of SM, Lee Soo-man, selected the seven members himself. Taemin is a seasoned artist who debuted in his original group, SHINee, 11 years ago at the age of 14. Baekhyun and Kai hail from EXO — the first, a vocalist with an extensive range and a warm falsetto, and the second, an idol with tantalizing dance moves and even more tantalizing facial expressions. NCT 127’s leader Taeyong is joined by groupmate Mark, both of whom are powerhouse rappers with a knack for performing complex choreography. The lineup also includes two members from Chinese group WayV: Ten, the quadrilingual Thai artist with a honeyed tone, and Lucas, the deep-voiced rapper born in Hong Kong.

The seven artists hold one or more of the positions of “main dancer,” “main vocalist” or “main rapper” — terms used in K-pop to signal members with a central role in their respective specialties. As one team, they bring not only a vast armory of technical skills but distinctly charismatic personas honed through years of performing onstage — a major advantage for a “rookie” group.

Landing a No. 1 Album

The merging of fanbases played a substantial role in driving SuperM: The 1st Mini Album to the top of the Billboard 200. “All of us come from different teams that are already established and we already have our own careers, but us coming together on this album created this new synergy that was that much more attractive to not only our fans but also fans outside of our regular fanbases,” group leader Baekhyun explains. “They all came together in support of this album.”

The initial announcement of SuperM’s formation drew mixed reactions — some fans of individual acts expressed concern that this new project would lead to fewer resources dedicated to the existing groups. But those concerns were soon dwarfed by the significant wave of K-pop listeners across the fandoms of SHINee, EXO, NCT 127 and WayV whose enthusiasm was on display as they attended the tour and purchased the album in droves.

SM and Capitol released eight versions of the EP — one with each artist on the cover, plus one with the group — a packaging strategy often used in K-pop to incentivize album collection in the era of streaming. Besides the EP, a collection of merchandise was designed, each item with seven individualized versions. Each of the products was bundled with a digital album which fans could redeem, a move that would contribute to album sales counted toward Billboard charts. In total, more than 60 SuperM merchandise and album bundles were available. Bundling is nothing new in the American music scene — artists from Taylor Swift to Kanye West have taken the approach in past releases. But the high number of SuperM products that were offered was unusual, reflecting the marketing savvy of labels intent on getting their artists to the top.

Growing as Artists Through ‘We Are the Future’ Tour

The “We Are the Future” concert is a testament to SuperM’s ability to deliver cohesive performances as a new team, while holding their own as individual players. “In addition to our group stages as SuperM, we also showcase our solo stages,” says Baekhyun. “That’s when each member’s distinct music styles and performance aspects shine.” Later in the evening, for the group leader’s individual stage, he sang the groovy tracks “UN Village” and “Betcha” from his solo album. A smooth flick of the jacket and snapping of the fingers every few measures accentuated the vocalist’s relaxed gait, as Baekhyun found the groove in the rhythms of the R&B melodies.

“When I watch him sing and how he vocalizes, his breathing patterns — I feel like I’m taking a vocal lesson,” says Taemin of his bandmate. Mark nods enthusiastically. “Vocal instructor,” he chimes in, gesturing toward Baekhyun with his arm as the singer timidly mouths “thank you.” But it’s not just the SuperM leader’s individual performance that offers instructional value. As the seven artists prepared for the “We Are the Future” concert, a teacher-student relationship was layered onto their brotherhood.

“Me, Taemin hyung and everyone here have different styles of dancing and how we represent ourselves on stage, so when I look at them on stage, I get the tips and tricks,” Ten says, referring to Taemin with the term for “older brother” in Korean. SuperM includes some of the dancers widely acknowledged to be the best in K-pop, but each has a distinct way of executing choreography and freestyling, as displayed through their individual performances. Ten, in a mostly white ensemble, elegantly spun and glided onto the floor while dancing to his songs “Dream in a Dream” and “New Heroes.” Meanwhile, Taemin, dressed in all black with a mesh button-down shirt , sharply hit and twisted his body to the electronic beats of “Danger” and “Goodbye.” Kai, another highly skilled dancer, delivered a combination of soft body rolls and hard pops as animated flames lit up in the backdrop during the rapper-vocalist’s hip-hop solo “Confession.”

“I’ve learned a variety of traits from them and I combine them to create new techniques,” Lucas says, in Chinese, of the group’s senior members. For his solo performance, the Hong-Kong born artist confidently swayed to the drumbeats of the whimsical track “Bass Go Boom.” Although his speciality is rap, Lucas is simultaneously sharpening his vocal skills. “Baekhyun hyung sometimes teaches me to sing,” he says. Mark, grinning from ear to ear as he watched Lucas communicate in Chinese, jumps in and repeats “chang ge!” the Chinese word for “sing.”

On stage, Mark shed his youthful energy in favor of a more mature persona as he performed his solo rap “Talk About.” With whoops and claps, the rapper engaged the crowd and displayed the poise of someone who, at just 20 years old, has spent years making the stage his home. The other main rapper, Taeyong, exhibited his captivating stage presence in the track “GTA.” Wearing a glittery mask for the first segment, Taeyong showcased his ability to pack drama in his rap with vocal intonations and body movements alone.

Their Future as a Supergroup

In the months between the two legs of the tour, the seven members traveled globally for activities outside of SuperM. Baekhyun and Kai returned to Seoul for the release of their group EXO’s new album. Taeyong and Mark left New York after the November concert, only to fly back the next week to perform in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as NCT 127. Ten and Lucas visited cities from Bangkok, Thailand to Shenzhen, China for WayV’s “fan meetings.” Taemin, whose SHINee bandmates are in the military, is working on a solo album scheduled to drop in March.

On Jan. 30, the artists will come together once again as SuperM and tour cities from San Diego to Vancouver. All eyes, no doubt, will remain on the act as it strives to become a major player in the music scene beyond South Korea.

Photo links: 1

Credit: Time.

[yehet-me-up]

The Brief and Disastrous Knighthood of Byun Baekhyun

Pairing: Baekhyun x reader 

Genre: fluff af, comedy

Word Count: 1,787

Request: Baekhyun, comedy, 7+25 (if two is ok?) from the quote list! I love your writing!! Hello love!! This is based on Exo Mall Baekhyun because I’m such trash for that Baek. You don’t have to have read any of it to read this drabble though! I hope you enjoy it <33

A/N: Tagging the Mrs. Byuns: @jeonocho @hopefulbyun @byunfirstlady @byunbabekhyun <3

May 14th, 1988

Baekhyun stretches, lifting his arms above his head and exposing a sliver of his stomach that makes your heart do its traitorous flip. 

You wonder what it would be like to bite the skin there, if he’d like that. Okay, that’s enough, brain. 

To distract yourself from these absolutely insane thoughts about your best friend you playfully tickle the exposed skin of his low back and he yelps, covering himself. 

He makes a big show of dying in agony, holding his back and making you giggle. Both of you are still exhausted from your sixteenth birthday last night but as always he seems to have never ending energy.

‘Back to the old coal mines,’ he jokes while you two wait out back of the movie theater for the opening manager.

‘I hear you’ve got the black lung after a week, that must be a record,’ you say, sticking an imaginary microphone to his face. ‘What can you tell us, Mr. Byun?’

‘Baekhyun, please. Mr. Byun is my father.’ He leans against the wall and gives you a roguish grin. ‘You know me, I will persevere through any hardship. Ready and willing to lay down my life for the people of Seattle, in need of film and snacks.’

You gasp dramatically. ‘You’re so noble. You should be knighted for your services to the cinema-going community.’

He sketches a dramatic bow while you mime placing an imaginary sword on one shoulder and then the other. 

‘Thank you, milady,’ he says in a regal voice. ‘I-’ He stops short at the sight of Serena, your manager. 

‘Don’t stop on my account,’ she laughs. It turns into a yawn as she pulls out her keys to unlock the door. ‘It’s been a week and I already know you’re one outrageous child Baekhyun.’

He sighs, pressing his hand to his forehead with exaggerated relief. 

‘As long as you know what you’ve gotten yourself into,’ you tell her with mock gravity.

He scoffs and clutches his chest. ‘Betrayed by my oldest friend. How dare you.’

Serena walks you inside the theater and you feel a frisson of excitement in your stomach. Finally. For years you and Baek have been counting down the days until you could work here. His ass just had to go and turn sixteen a week before you. Rude.

She opens a closet to the left and turns on the lights. 

You take a deep breath. It already feels like home, with the plush black carpet with its outer space pattern, the smell of stale soda and popcorn, the flickering light above theater One that’s been broken since 1983 when your dad took you and Baekhyun to see Return of the Jedi.  

When Serena comes back out she hands what looks like a checklist to Baekhyun. ‘Will you walk her through the opening duties?’

He takes the list and salutes her. ‘On my life, Captain.’

She rolls her eyes at him. ‘How on earth do you stand him?’ she asks you with a good-natured laugh.

You open your mouth to say something else sassy about Baekhyun, but you pause. Since Kindergarten the two of you have been joined at the hip. Two peas in a pod, your mom would say. They even let him sleep over at your house and you at his; you’re practically family. 

But the past few years you’ve stopped seeing him as just your best friend and started to see him as something... more. A dangerous more that makes your palms sweat and your mind think of all sorts of inappropriate things. 

You cough awkwardly. ‘Well, he’s not that bad most of the time. He’s a pretty great friend actually.’

He looks touched for a moment; the banter and joking you usually keep up between you two lifts for a brief pause. His brows tug together and he gives you a smile absent of laughter. Gods, you want to kiss him. 

Thanks, hormones, you think with a groan. 

Serena laughs. ‘Alright, just don’t burn the place down please.’

‘You got it!’ Baekhyun says and jogs over to the counter, leaping and sliding on his ass across the smooth surface before landing dramatically. 

Serena rubs her eyes with her hands. ‘He’s going to get me fired, isn’t he?’

You take pity on her. ‘Don’t worry, the only thing he ever hurts is himself,’ you say and walk around to the side entrance to the concessions stand, the proper entrance. 

‘That’s not reassuring!’ she calls after you before heading upstairs. 

When you step through the door he’s eyeing the list and mumbling to himself. He has no idea what he’s doing you realize and stifle a laugh. You come up behind him and read over his shoulder.

‘Need some help?’ you say right in his ear. 

‘No,’ he replies instantly. He stands and gathers himself. 

‘Take notes, sweetheart,’ he says in the absolute worst Humphrey Bogart impression you’ve ever heard. ‘I’m an expert.’

‘Gross.’ You snort and fold your arms. ‘So, Sir Byun. You’ve mastered this machine after a solid week? Amazing.’ 

He narrows his eyes at you. ‘If it’s so easy, why don’t you figure it out?’

‘Oh, no,’ you say with a smirk. ‘You want a medal of honor? This is all you my friend. Astound me with your technical mastery.’

He pantomimes rolling up non-existent sleeves. ‘Step out of the way, miss. This requires the work of an professional.’

First he flips on a switch, lighting up the machine. Next he grabs a tall metallic container and looks at the plastic tub of popcorn kernels, looking back and forth between the list and the cup. 

He pouts without realizing it. You lean against the counter and pick at a caked-on patch of something neon blue and sticky to avoid thinking about his soft hair and his lips. 

He dips the cup in the tub and fills it to the brim, brushing a few kernels off the top and pouring it into the machine. ‘Ta da!’ he says triumphantly. 

‘That’s it?’ you ask, stepping next to him. 

‘Excuse me, I’ve been knighted by a Queen, how dare you question me,’ he teases, making a face. 

‘My apologies Sir Byun,’ you laugh, bowing dramatically to him. ‘This queen wonders if perhaps, the machine should be... I don’t know, doing something?’

‘That’s weird,’ he says. He double checks the lights and lifts the lid. ‘It normally starts popping right away, I don’t know what’s wrong with it.’ 

He futzes with it, trying to get it to start. The edges of his ears, still too big for his head, turn pink the longer it takes him to figure it out. 

The smell of popcorn burning reaches you both and his eyes widen. ‘Oh shoot, I forgot this other switch. Whoops,’ he says sheepishly. 

He flicks on the second switch and the popper rattles to life like an ancient beast angry at being awoken. You eye it suspiciously, watching the warped lid rattle cautiously. A beat later and the noise inside grows incredibly loud. 

‘Baek, is it supposed to do that?’

‘Uhhhh… I’m not sure?’ he watches it with fear in his eyes too, moving in front of you as kernels start to pop.

The uneven lid flings a hot kernel at Baekhyun like a slingshot and he winces as it smacks his exposed arm. ‘Oh shit.’

Before either of you can move, the machine practically explodes, dozens of kernels flying out at lightning speed.

One catches you on the forehead and you yelp. ‘BAEKHYUN WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL!’ 

You throw your arms over your head as molten hot kernels rain down around you. He pulls you around the corner out of the way, shielding you with his broad shoulders and pressing your back to the door. 

In the enclosure of his body you breathe in his clean and light scent, heart slowing down from the shock but speeding up at his closeness. His chest moves against yours and he looks down to the non-existent space between you. 

In all the years you’ve been friends you’ve hugged many times. Wrestled over toys. Swam together. Fell asleep in his lap during the millionth viewing of Halloween. Played with his hair whenever he’d pass out on your leg while stargazing with your group of friends.

But something feels different this time and the confusion in his eyes mirrors the turbulent feelings in your heart. Neither of you speak as the popper wages Armageddon on the concessions area. 

Warmth blooms low in your body and your brows shoot up in shock. The motion makes the kernel burn on your forehead ache and you wince and press a palm to it. 

‘I’m sorry, Hitch,’ he says softly.

Before you can tell him it’s fine he lifts a hand, touching the sore spot with his thumb. He leans forward and shocks you by pressing a gentle kiss to the spot. 

You have no idea what to say, robbed of the words that always come so easily between you two. 

But you’re saved by the bell. Or, in this case, by your manager.

The noise cuts off abruptly and you peek around Baekhyun to see Serena with a clipboard protecting her face and her hand on the switches.

‘Baekhyun, what happened?’

He runs his hand on his neck, stepping back to let you move. He winces. ‘I don’t know what I did, I’m sorry.’

‘As long as neither of you were hurt.’ She slides her sleeve down to cover her wrist and carefully looks into the popper. She shakes her head and Baekhyun has the grace to look ashamed. 

Serena stares the two of you down. ‘Look, I’m not going to say anything to anyone about this. Just… next time please make sure you turn on the heat and the agitator at the same time. And don’t forget to put the oil in. And - lord - don’t put in three times the amount of kernels the machine can handle.’

‘Expert my ass, Baek,’ you snicker, covering your mouth. ‘Wait, how’d you get to the popper Serena? Did you jump the counter?’

She purses her lips at you two and glares at you over her glasses as she walks to the door. ‘I won’t tell if you won’t.’

‘Deal,’ you both say in unison. 

Once she’s gone, Baekhyun grabs the broom to start cleaning up and you begin making a batch, the proper way. Neither of you acknowledges the odd moment between you.

He groans and you sling an arm around his shoulder to cheer him up. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll only sue you a little for the damage.’ 

He mutters while he sweeps, pouting dramatically. ‘You’ll definitely take away my knighthood for this.’

[marshmallow-phd]

Lies Untold

Part of The Untamed - EXO Wolf Universe

Genre: Supernatural, Wolf Au

Pairing: Luhan x Reader

Summary: For generations, your family has been the protectors of mankind. You were considered one of the best and due to that reputation, you were sent on what could be the most important mission for the organization. Going under cover in a college to sniff out a particularly large and threatening wolf pack seemed easy enough. But when you meet one of the members, everything you’ve known since birth will be overturned and your loyalty to your family and heritage will be tested.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14 I Final

**

One step forward, two steps back.

Luhan shook his head while he fiddled with the empty cup on the table in front of him. Your own half-sipped drink still sat across from him, condensation dripping down the sides as the ice began to melt in the cream-colored liquid.

What had he said to make you run off like that? Was it his family? Did you have issues with your own? Or were you thinking about all the nomadic packs you surely came into contact with over the years?

Luhan shuddered away the thoughts of how those meetings possibly could have ended.

Seeing you on the sidewalk, just barely catching you in the corner of his eye was making him think that luck was finally siding with him. Hell, there were even small moments of smiles and laughter between you. But then it all went to crap. Why couldn’t he just get closer to you? He wanted to spend time together without you running away five minutes later. Was this how Junmyeon felt when his mate kept running away? Last Luhan checked, the mate pull was supposed to pull you together, not do the opposite.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself up from the booth and grabbed both of the cups and tossed them away in the trash can before shuffling out of the shop, only answering the barista’s wish of him to have a good day with a lazy wave.

He wandered around the business district for an hour or so, just killing time and wondering of what he could do differently in the future to not make you scared or uncomfortable. His mind lingered back to when he tried to reach out to you, to comfort you, but you kept your hands firmly in your lap, determined to stay away. It seemed obvious to him that you didn’t have the same burning desire to keep that electricity again. Or maybe you were just better at fighting it.

When the sun began to fall behind the horizon, Luhan figured it was time to head home. He didn’t have to work again until Friday night and hopefully he’d get a little peace and quiet down in the basement. That didn’t seem like a good idea at the moment. Maybe Sehun would want to play a game or maybe he could drag Minseok away from his mate for five minutes to kick the soccer ball around in the yard. They hadn’t done that for a long time.

Eventually, Luhan made it back to his car, sliding into the front seat with a heavy heart. When his mother told him stories about one day finding his mate, he’d always stared up at her with wide, optimistic eyes. It sounded like a fairytale, the way she worded everything. And that made sense to him. He was a creature of myth, so why shouldn’t his story of finding love be just as magical? Funny that what he got instead was some dumb, tragic retelling of Romeo and Juliet.

He just hoped they both came out of this alive.

**

“You ready for the run?”

Luhan sat up on the couch from where he was untying his shoe. An eagerness was more than apparent in Sehun’s eyes as he bounced from foot to foot off to the side of the seat.

“More than ready.”

“Then let’s go!” Sehun urged.

Hopping up from the couch, Luhan followed him while simultaneously yanking his shoes and socks off.

This was a rarity. Luhan couldn’t remember the last time they all went for a run together. It had to be before he, Kris, and Tao left. Twelve overgrown wolves running around – even in a forest this big – was too risky most of the time. Not to mention, keeping track of the more rowdy members was a bit more hassle then it was worth. But no one complained when Junmyeon suggested a pack run that morning at breakfast. Everyone was excited.  

When he passed the stairs and entered the kitchen, the room was already full of half-naked pack members itching to get going. Luhan peeled his shirt off, the eagerness now hitting him in full force.

Junmyeon counted out loud to make sure that all twelve were present. “Okay!” he yelled over the buzzing chatter. “Let’s go! And remember to stick together!”

A thundering herd scrambled through the backdoor, letting out whoops and hollers into the darkening sky above. Mei let out giggles of her own as she squirmed in Evie’s arms, wanting to join in on the fun. Kris grinned from ear to ear as he watched his daughter with pride.

“Be careful,” Evie urged quietly to the point that Luhan had to strain to eavesdrop.

Kris gave her a reassuring kiss on the lips before replying, “It’s just a run, baobei. Nothing to worry about.” He chuckled at Evie’s protesting pout. “I promise, I’ll be careful and come back to you in one piece.”

“Thank you.”

Kris gave Mei one last kiss on the top of her head. Reaching Luhan as he walked away, he patter the latter on the shoulder. “Shall we join them?”

Luhan beamed. “Let’s get out of here.”

Outside, there were already ten wolves staring intensely at the back door, irritated that the two older members were taking their sweet time. Both of them stripped out of their pants and threw them in the pile with the rest of the jeans and shorts to be fought over later. Once their two legs became four, the pack was off.

The ground was soft under his paws. Each step sunk into the dirt, leaving behind its traces in the curves of his claws. Some of the younger wolves up ahead were yelping and playfully snipping at each other, urging them to race, to see who could go farther and faster. If Sehun or Chanyeol got a little far ahead, Junmyeon would bark out an order for them to slow down. The witch’s premonition still spooked him and if everyone was going to run together then they were going to stick together.

And the alpha wondered why he was referred to as “mother” so often.

Through the break in the trees above, Luhan looked up and took in the bright full moon hanging in the sky. It lit up the forest as if it were middle of the day, outshining the poor stars around it that didn’t have the same potency. He wondered what you thought about when you looked up at the same moon. Did you think of the ridiculous legends that told of the moon’s dictatorship over their transformations? Or maybe you just took in its beauty, appreciating it for the round rock that it was, stuck in a cycle that it didn’t necessarily ask for, but was given anyway.

Luhan snorted. It was kind of a good metaphor for his life. He never asked to be born a werewolf, but he took his first transformation in stride, realizing that he couldn’t change the way he was made. A stray thought drifted through his mind, wondering if you had a similar experience with your childhood. Being trained to kill supernatural creatures isn’t exactly in every child’s curriculum at school.

Someone nudged Luhan’s shoulder and he glanced over to find Minseok had fallen back from the grouping and was now matching pace with him.

You okay? You keep staring up at the moon.

Yeah. I’m fine. It’s just pretty. Thank god their pack telepathy wasn’t omniscient. He would have been discovered the second he shifted. But the most anyone ever picked up on was emotional ques unless a direct thought was pushed out, one that was meant to be heard.

Huh, Minseok mused, looking up as well. I guess it is.

You should try appreciating it more often, Luhan teased.

Minseok rolled his large brown eyes that were still strangely human. Luhan never really got over that fact, even though by now he should be used to the contrast. Seeing it on another wolf still gave him a weird feeling, though. I do admire the sky. I just prefer not to do it while running. Usually, one looks where they’re going.

Where’s the fun in that?

But Minseok’s warning was all too true.

Up ahead, Tao and Baekhyun had started playfully shoving each other while somehow managing to keep running. However, Tao was much stronger than the white and brown wolf and rammed his shoulder a little too hard, making Baekhyun lose his footing. He rolled several times and ended up under Luhan’s own feet, who was still glancing up at the moon. Now he went down, the air getting knocked out of him as he hit the ground and rolled a few times as well. An instinctual growl rumbled in his throat when he finally came to a stop.

Crap! Sorry, Luhan! Baekhyun whined.

Luhan shook his head and simple sent an annoyed look his way. As if being a white wolf didn’t make it hard to stay clean on a run as it was, now he was really going to have to scrub in the shower to get all the dirt he was coated in off. The only saving grace was that, as one of the older ones, he got to go first once they got back to the house.

What’s going on? Junmyeon asked worriedly as he came running back. Everyone had stopped as well to check on the two of them.

It’s my fault, Junmyeon, Tao confessed, hanging head down low.

Baekhyun yelped. Nah, it’s my fault. I started it. It’s easy to forget how strong Tao can be sometimes. You know, considering it’s Tao.

Tao growled at the implication, but Kris stepped in. Just leave it, Tao.

Junmyeon let out a huff that could be interpreted as a sigh. Okay, let’s get- wait. His ears perked up, stiff with listening so hard.

Jongdae cocked his head to the side. Did you hear some-

Shush, Junmyeon ordered. Now the whole pack was straining, trying to pick up on whatever the alpha had heard. Everyone, get behind me!

They all obeyed, save for Kris, who took his place beside Junmyeon as the fellow leader. Luhan immediately went into an offensive stance, ready to strike if need be. What could be lurking in their woods at this time? It had to be something other than a lost human or Junmyeon wouldn’t have gone on the defensive so quickly.

The air filled with tension, fur visibly standing on ends. Several wolves quietly shifted their weight from foot to foot, itching to just know. The waiting, the anticipation was increasing the adrenaline in their veins. And when a wolf got too hyped up… you might want to stay out of the way once that energy was released for your own sake.

Luhan looked over at his brothers. Scanning the area, he was confident that whatever was here with them, luck – and numbers – were on their side. But at the same time, he was hoping – praying – that it wasn’t you. That it wasn’t you lurking out here in the woods with a group of hunters, looking for them. If that was the case… Luhan would have no choice. He’d have to protect you even if it meant fighting his own brothers.

Relief rolled over him once the cause of the alert was finally discovered.

A smaller pack of maybe seven diverse wolves came out of the shadows, led by a dark brown wolf that was halfway between Kris and Junmyeon in size. They approached cautiously, knowing full well this wasn’t their territory and that they were greatly out number nearly two-to-one.

While Junmyeon remained low, ready to pounce at any moment, Kris immediately relaxed, even shifting back into his human form.

“Well, long time no see, Kun,” he chuckled.

Kun? Luhan took a closer look at the other pack and mentally slapped himself. It really was them!

He followed Kris’ example and shifted back into a human. After several exchanged glances, the wolves on both sides transformed. Then the unsuspecting boys in Luhan’s pack gasped.

While six of Kun’s pack were just ordinary wolf boys, a rarity stood among them.

“You have a girl in your pack?” Baekhyun exclaimed.

“It’s not completely unheard of, asshole.”

Yup. Same old Lyn.

“Please, excuse Baekhyun, his mouth doesn’t exactly have a filter and whatever he’s thinking just comes out,” Junmyeon apologized. It was a bit comical to watch him struggled to look literally anywhere but at the naked female in front of him. In fact, all the boys were avoiding even glancing her way. If any of their mates found out they’d stared a little too long… well, who’d get to sleep on the couch and who would have to take the floor would be the least of their worries.

Except, there was one blonde avoiding any eye contact and it wasn’t out of decency for his mate.

“What are you doing here?” Kris asked, thankfully breaking the awkwardness.

Kun folded his arms across his chest, sighing. “A rumor reached our ears about a hidden hunter somewhere in the area.”

Luhan’s heart jumped up into throat.

No. No one was supposed to know. How did a rumor start circulating? A million different scenarios, all ending badly, played out in his head. If they knew who you were, Luhan had to get you out of town.

“A hunter?” Chanyeol growled, his fist tightening at his side. “Who? Who is it?”

Now Luhan’s heart sank from his throat to his stomach. It didn’t matter that you weren’t old enough to be involved in the death of Chanyeol’s parents. In his eyes, a hunter was a hunter and they all deserved to pay.

“We don’t know who it is,” Fin, Kun’s second-in-command, admitted.

Luhan’s mood immediately lifted. If they didn’t know that you were the hunter than he could protect you better. He’d keep you close and throw off any suspicion that might form around you. With Hae In as your cousin, you should already be out of the running, but any little slip could make their alarm bells start ringing.

“So, then are you guys just passing through?” he asked cautiously.

Kun shook his head. “We planning to spend the next week around town.” He turned to Kris – and affectively Junmyeon. “If that’s alright, of course.”

Scratching the back of his head, Kris nodded. “Yeah, not a problem. I, uh, I’d offer our place, but….”

“That’s alright,” Kun chuckled. “I’m sure that farmhouse you told us about is more than full with your pack. Still think you’re all crazy for having one so huge. And by the looks of it, the house has almost double the occupants.”

“What makes you say that?” Jongdae frowned.

“Please,” Kun snorted. “I’m not blind to the way you are all acting like Lyn doesn’t exist right now.” He turned to the taller alpha with a more somber gaze. “You, too, huh, Kris?”

Kris nodded proudly. “Yeah. Soon after coming back.”

“And he’s a father,” Sehun snorted, not missing the chance for a jab.

Kun’s mouth dropped. “A dad? Wow. Things certainly have changed.”

“It wasn’t planned,” Kris said quickly. Then his tune changed completely, everything about him softening as he thought of Evie and Mei. “But I’m happy.”

“That’s all that matters.”

“I think we should talk more about this hunter rumor,” Junmyeon suggested. His eyes flickered over to Lyn for a split second before he cleared his throat. “Maybe back at the farmhouse… and clothed.”

“Good idea.” Kun turned to his members and gestured out with his head. Everyone began to shift back into wolves and follow Junmyeon and Kris back to the house. It was a quick trip. The news of a hunter possibly in their midst obviously put Junmyeon on edge and pushing him to run faster, everyone else just trying to keep up.

Evie was still in the kitchen going through and organizing the fridge like she always did when the house was empty. It was the only time she could throw out old food without having to argue with one of the boys about why it was no longer any good and why they shouldn’t consume expired food. She was shuffling the trash can around in an attempt to free up a little more space before packing in more moldy fruit. At the sound of bare feet hitting the wooden floor, she looked up.

“You guys are home early,” she frowned.

Kris didn’t waste any time walking up to her and giving her a quick kissing before answering. “We, uh, ran into some old friends that need to talk to us.”

“Old friend- oh goodness!” Evie shielded her eyes the moment Kun’s pack entered the kitchen. Luhan barely caught himself in time to stifle the laugh. While they were all dressed at the moment – and Evie was used to the occasion run-in from a forgetful wolf getting back from a run – the others were still very much in the nude.

“Baobei, why don’t you go grab the clothes sitting in the front parlor that were packed for donation?” Kris suggested.

“I would be more than happy to do that.” Evie scurried out of there like she was running from a wild bear. When she came back, she held the white trash bag of old shirts and pants up in her line of sight.

“Where’s Mei?” Jongin asked sadly, taking the focus off of the awkward moment.

“She’s already down for the night,” Evie answered. “But, you know, I think I’m going to go check on her.” Dropping the bag, she ran for the staircase and disappeared into the basement. Out of the corner of his eye, Luhan caught Lyn rolling her eyes. Yeah, definitely hasn’t changed much.

“Nice catch,” Kun joked with Kris.

The latter shrugged with a wide smile as he looked towards the stairs. “I like to think so.”

Already, the others were rifling through the bag, tossing clothes at each other to make sure everyone got the right sizes. Lyn stayed back until the male members of her pack had their share. She never liked getting in the middle of their rowdiness, thinking she was a bit above that. But Luhan couldn’t judge too hard. It had to be tough, being the only female wolf in a pack of obnoxious boys.

When she reached for a black shirt that was lying on top of the pile, Tao stopped her with a hand around her wrist.

“Wear this one.” He held out a red sweatshirt Luhan was pretty sure used to be Sehun’s.

Lyn took it, whispering an awkward “thank you” before pulling it over her head and slipping into a pair of basketball shorts that Evie had insisted Kris throw out. After that little exchange, Tao slipped out the back door while Lyn rejoined her group.

“So, how did you hear about this supposed undercover hunter?” Junmyeon asked as soon as everyone was comfortable.

“An omega we were chasing away from our territory told us,” Kun replied.

“While he was laughing,” Fin added. “Chuckling like he was watching a clown get beat upside the head with a foam bat. As if we couldn’t handle one little hunter.”

“One little hunter can easily become a bigger group,” Kun warned. “Besides, if one is hiding among us, we need to be prepared, find them before they can call for reinforcements.”

“And you’re sure he wasn’t just bluffing?” Minseok questioned. “Being an omega and all?”

Kun shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he was. But considering how dangerous hunters can be, especially with their tactics these days, I’d rather look like an idiot and search for something that might not be there than sit back and do nothing, getting us all killed.”

“I’d rather know the truth as well,” Yixing commented.

Junmyeon nodded, taking it all in. “Alright, then. We’ll start searching around town in our spare time. Looking at wrists for their mark, checking into anyone who might be new, and following through on anything slightly suspicious. We’ll always go in at least pairs, maybe more, giving us the advantage. Kun, if you don’t mind helping out with that.”

“Not at all.”

“Thank you.” Junmyeon sighed. “And thank you for passing this information on to us. I greatly appreciate it.”

Nervousness built up in Luhan’s limbs. Looking at wrists? You’d done a pretty good job at hiding yours since that first night, but what if Hae In saw it? Did she know you had it? Would Baekhyun say something about looking out for the tattoo to Hae In? Or would he actually keep quiet in order not worry her? With that wolf, there was no way to know for certain.

There was only one conclusion. Luhan would have to stay close to you, watch over you whether you knew it or not. He couldn’t let something bad happen to you, but he also needed to know the exact reason that you were here. If you weren’t here for them, he could work with that. But if you were here to stake them out or cause any harm to the pack, that was going to be a much harder battle to win.

Especially with the additional angry wolves now in the mix.