#exo sci fi au

[yourdreamsyourwish-2]

First Light

Word Count: 1352

Baekhyun had felt the surge of power before his lights began to flicker on and off.  Looking up from his ramen, he heard a loud yelp followed by a small zap of power again.  Sighing he opened his door to see the landlady three doors down open hers.  She pointed to the door across from him with a disapproving look.  He had only been living here for a month and half.  Never once had he met the mysterious neighbor across the hall, only heard her music once in a while.  Knocking, he heard a loud ‘shit’ before the door opened to a beautiful woman.  The woman quickly ducked her head out to look at their disapproving landlady.  

“Sorry Mrs. Petunia!”  With a shake of her head, the elder woman went back into her apartment leaving him to deal with the issue.  Standing up right, her bright eyes matched the smile she flashed me, along with an apologetic look.  

“I am so sorry!  I’m normally not like this…um?” 

“Baekhyun, I moved in about a month ago.”  

“Baekhyun!  Yes, I’ve been meaning to say hello, it’s just I have a show coming up and I’m running ragged.”  She ran a hand through her hair, the dyed blonde contrasted against her black roots beginning to show.  The messy bun falling in the back, she looked how she described, yet Baekhyun found it kind of cute in a way.  

“I’m an electrician, I can check out what’s going on.”  She seemed to smile even brighter, turning her body to let him walk in.  

“That is amazing!  I’m sorry about the mess.  Like I said, I have a show coming up in a couple of months so samples are due, plus a photoshoot, so these things have to get done like, yesterday.”  Baekhyun found himself staring at a floor covered in fabric, scraps torn everywhere with a few dress forms with designs on it.  He noticed right away where he problem was, she had several machines plugged in at once along with her normal electronics.  

“You have too much plugged in with the size of the apartment.”  He walked over to the closet where her breakbox should be.  

“Yeah I know, it’s just i need all of them on and running for when I’m ready-” 

“Well Miss…?”

“Lee…Ha-na Lee.”  

“Well Miss Lee, with how much electricity you’re using, you need to stick to about two of them instead of the five you have going.  This building is too old and the cost of putting in an updated circuit would cost more than you would think.  Definitely more than what Miss Petunia can afford.”  Flipping the switch off, he opened the box to expose the wiring system.  “Can you unplug about three of them?”  He nodded to her.  She turned to do as she was told, while he held out his hand to the exposed electric.  Making sure she wasn’t watching, his hand began to glow with the fried wires connecting in a seemingly melted perfection, connecting the broken circuit.  Flipping the switch back on, light filled the room once more.  He heard one of her machines begin to start up again.  

“Oh my god!  You’re a lifesaver!” He closed the fuse box, smiling at her excitement over such a little thing.  

“It’s my thing really.”  He shrugged, while she turned to look at him.  Baekhyun watched her eyes travel over him quickly, doing an up and down look, yet it didn’t feel sexual like he had seen by other women in the past.  It was almost like she was analyzing him.  

“Miss Lee?”  

“Ha-na…You are about his size.”  She mumbled, going over to a male dress form.  “A little more handsome than he is, but about his build.” 

“Excuse me?” He looked slightly confused as she held a suit jacket in her hands.  

“I’m sorry, could I bother you with one more thing?  It’s real quick, I promise.”  She threw the suit jacket in his arms, without hearing his answer before running over to the couch and grabbing a pair of pants and a white button down.  She looked up at him with a pleading smile, holding the items in her hand.  “Could you possibly try these on? I need to see how they look on someone before I bring them to a photoshoot.”  Baekhyun couldn’t find it in him, to say no.  He nodded, and with a gleeful clapping of her hands, she pointed to a folding screen in the corner.  

“Thank you! Thank you!  You can go behind the screen.”  Once he was behind the screen, he found himself staring at the clothes wondering how he went from eating ramen to being a model for his quirky and odd neighbor.  

“So, do you often ask random strangers to try on clothes?”  

“Actually yeah.”  She giggled after thinking about it for a second.  “I’m a fashion designer.  To be honest, I make really good money doing it, but I don’t want to move.  Do you know how hard it is to find a landlady like Mrs. Petunia?  She’s a saint with me short circuiting the place every season or so.”  Ha-na began to fold the fabric on the ground, sorting it by color almost on a subconscious level.  “First place I moved to in Exodus.  You just moved to the city?”  

“Yeah.”  He finished zipping up the pants.  “You know, for work and such.”  He gave a very flat reason as to why.  

“Thank you again for doing this.”  Coming out from behind the screen he buttoned the last button, wondering why she wanted him to try on the clothes to begin with.  Whoever this was for, was bigger than he was, especially in the shoulders.  

“It’s perfect.  A little baggy but he has a bit more muscle definition.”  She seemed to talk without thinking.  Baekhyun blinked at her, wondering if he should feel offended or not.  From his raised eyebrows, her eyes went wide and she held up her hands.  “I didn’t mean anything by that!  I mean…what I meant is that he’s a professional swimmer.”  

Baekhyun didn’t give any emotion, enjoying the rambling she was starting.  He rubbed the back of his neck, while her face began to grow slightly pink.  “It’s not that you're not…you are gorgeous as you are.  It fits really nice, I would just need to take it in…I mean I could make you you’re own suit that would do wonders…Shit that’s not what I meant…You see everybody bodies-”  

“It’s okay.”  Baekhyun held up a hand trying to not laugh at her.  “I know you didn’t mean anything by it.  Do you need me to do anything else?”  

“No…No, you can go change.  I just needed to see it on someone.”  He nodded, turning to go back behind the screen.  

“Really I-” 

“Not offended.”  He called from behind the screen before she went on another ramble. Though he wouldn’t mind keeping her rambling.  She was quite cute when she was flustered.  He heard her ringtone followed by a bunch of mumbling and things dropping to the ground.  

“Hello?”  Baekhyun stepped from behind the screen watching her nod her head to the person on the other line.  “And he’s perfect?  Great…You’re the best!”  She quickly threw her phone into her pocket and went over to her couch again, pulling on her purse.  Rummaging through it.  Baekhyun held the clothes in his hands, the bundle not as well folded as he would have liked.   “My dress form is fixed…my other one.  Thank you again.”  When he handed her the clothes back, her hand brushed his.  At her touch, he felt his power surge within him, the center of his palm itch with tension.  Squeezing his hand tightly he held it behind his back, giving her a slight smile.  

“You're welcome.  If you need any more help, just let me know.” He followed her out, waving goodbye with his other hand before going back into his apartment.  When he knew he was alone, he opened up his hand to see a bright glow in the center.  “You’re very welcome…” He muttered to himself. 

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[bucknastysbabe]

Hey look I finished an AU bingo ask! I enjoyed this one so much💖 I felt the brain cooking making up and putting together actual smart people science words. Thanks for the request!

AU bingo - Sci-fi Horror - Aemond Targaryen

Rating: Explicit

Tags: Murder AI Aemond, obsessive/stalking behaviors, TW TW TW: NONCON AND DUBCON. The noncon is not a full scene but warning, non-descript mass murder, scientist!reader, nanotechnology, spaceship setting, somewhere far in the future, pnv!sex, masturbation, Aemond kinda has a mommy kink if you squint and a Bible quote kink lmfao, v!fingering, manipulation, space odyssey gone wrong trope

A/N: No beta I’ll prob come back and fix some shit soon

The ship landed with a faint thud on the green, green exo-planet. You followed Aemond along quietly, meek, fearful, broken. Coming down the unfurled slanted walkway a sweet smell hit your senses. Miles of flowery fields waved, a perfect breathable atmosphere. In the distance, avian-like creatures tittered. A fragment of peace was in your tattered soul.

He hummed softly, gesturing to the beauty.

"God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

You felt that Aemond was the serpent and remained quiet, breathing in the fresh air. Nothing like home. Maybe you could start anew. The man turned to look, stating, “But we’re God. We have a duty. We shall make this planet everything that Earth has failed to do. Join me, be my Eve will you?” He seemed genuine.

A long fingered hand extended to you. Your gaze flickered between that glowing eye and the outstretched digits. You grabbed his hand, interlacing your fingers. Together, looking upon the horizon you murmured, “Yes, my Adam. You were the greatest creation after all.”

He pecked the stray tear rolling down your cheek, squeezing your palm, lips curling in glee.

It wasn’t meant to end up like that for you. At one point Aemond was your AI. Artificially Enhanced Monitor Of Nanites Directive. Simply installed cameras and layer upon layers of wafer thin circuits loaded with information. Aemond preferred to be referred as he. He was also an arrogant bastard, but helpful as was his intent.

Your coworker Greaves and Aemond did not get along well, the AI criticizing his work. You’d tune them out with plugs or music buds. The scientist laden ship had a destination to a far away mining colony. The general’s plan was to find a way to used nano-technology to replace missing arms, eyes, and other wounds. Time was running thin but the blonde man in cryo-stasis would be your second trial.

The first did not end well. Her body rejected the technology, turning the human into a mindless wreck. Greaves blamed it on you, then General Hightower gave a harsh scolding and upped the time. Aemond consoled you a bit, offering advice. He seemed to take a liking to your banter on the nanotechnology.

He wasn’t the only AI. Other sectors of the ship worked on different but crucial projects such as alien anti-parasitics and ramping up on space suits equipped for defense. Colonization was on the horizon.

Plucking and prodding the little nanites with different stimuli had them snapping and shifting, seeking to find a form. You just needed to code what form they would assume. Aemond’s clipped voice echoed over you. He suggested, “Have you tried printing a molded cast of the man’s eye socket?”

Perching your chin on a shaky hand you smiled, “I swear, it’s always the simplest things I miss. Thank you Aemond.”

“You would have realized soon, want me to begin the scans and print? Likely you need rest, I know the stress of the upped time is draining your bodily function. The brain needs much more sleep, especially one as bright as yours.”

You blushed a bit, fumbling your tweezers. The AI had a certain…courtly way of words. His sort of programming wouldn’t allow for flirtation but it certainly came across like that. Greaves mocked you and the intelligence’s ‘crush’. Greaves always found a way to make you miserable. You did all the major work and he got the accolades.

Shaking yourself out of your thoughts you announced, “You’re right, I’ll go rest for a bit, get back to work with the mold. Thank you again, and engage lockdown protocol so he doesn’t mess up my work like last time.”

“Engaging it now, sleep well Miss.”

You crashed as soon as you reached your quarters, sleeping deeply and sound. Upon awakening and getting dressed you couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Just chalk it up to your fried nerves. It wasn’t the first time and this was an older ship, ghost stories had gotten to you before.

The mold was in a canister from the printer, you scrubbing up and carefully taking it out. Aemond politely asked, “Did you sleep well? You look refreshed.” Blushing yet again you murmured, “Very much needed, I didn’t realize how exhausted I was.”

“Greaves has been in the mess hall, you will likely get some peace now. Shall we begin?”

The armor folded off your precious lab table, the nanites dormant from no stimuli. Pressing a button you placed the mold into a hatch, sending it up into the chamber. In fluid motions the little bugs covered the new space, feeling and searching before all inserting into the eye socket, glowing a bright blue.

You laughed in glee, “Yes! Yes perfect! Look at that Aemond, they’ve formed a pupil!”

Shining light on the false eye the pupil contracted and flinched, the illusion of eyelids closing. You cheered again in excitement, getting Aemond to video the big jump in success. You could start phase two soon. Just had to deal with your partner.

“Amazing miss, amazing. They took to it well. Shall I send the material to command?”

You grinned and looked up at the camera, “Please! God bless! A miracle!” You’d continue to test the nanite organ until the hiss of the door opening alerted you.

Greaves stumbled in, slurring, “I see you got the jump on me this time. Did the creep robot do it for you? Weird fucking thing.” He leaned against the sterile white wall, grinning with hazy eyes. You frowned and stood up, “That’s his job, to aid us. I’m sure since you work so hard in the mess hall you’ll get your accolades again.”

He squinted at you, arms folding against a chest, “Whas’ your fuckin’ problem with me? You’d rather chat with a bunch of circuits than work with your assigned partner!” His already reddened face darkened, taking another step forward.

Fear laced through your veins. Aemond somehow sneered, ���Because you, her lab partner, sold her out on your own mistake. Go to bed, your alcohol content levels are above the limit.” Greaves threw his hands up and hollered, “Oh fuck you!” He stumbled to the switch, you and the AI shutting up when Greaves switched him off.

The bigger man kept stalking closer, eyes on you in an darkened manner. Like a predator closing in on his prey. You squeaked, “Calm down Greaves, I can show you everything!” He hissed, “I already heard everything and the video, bitch! S’bout time someone put you in your place again.”

He snatched your wrist, slamming you against the steel cryo-chamber. You howled in pain, trying to escape. Greaves’ breath stunk of liquor, hot and rank, sweating on your clean skin. He pushed himself on top of you, mumbling frantically, “Maybe you need to get fucked, all that pent up shit from your computer boyfriend.”

You struggled and cursed, “Fuck you! Get off of me! I will report you!” He smirked, “Try me. No cameras with your prince in shining circuits around.” He forced himself between your legs, clumsy drunk hands yanking at your pants. You cried in fear again, kneeing and biting, getting a clock to the head.

Dazedly you remembered the tweezers in your coat. Playing limp had the idiot croon, “Good girl, thats what we want to see.” He shoved his face into your neck, hands prying your lab pants knee height now. Thats when you struck, slowly, slowly, pulling the tweezers from your pocket and jabbing him in the side, hopefully near a lung.

Greaves hollered in pain, breath wheezy and stilted, blood dripping from white cloth. You kicked and removed yourself, stumbling and bumping around in a frenzy as your partner tried to scramble after you. First, you switched on Aemond again. Secondly, you ran out into the hallway, finding the nearest guard, lump on your forehead and clothes torn.

You weren’t sure what happened back in the lab while you were taken into medbay and seen by HR. But after given a small dose of sedatives and care for your head wound, you passed Greaves strapped into a gurney, howling, “Fuck you! Fuck you! He’s gonna kill me! Don’t leave me locked away, please! She’s lying!”

You gaped, unnerved by his fearful warbling and frantic yells. Aemond would be waiting. He probably was worried. When the door hissed open the familiar clipped tone hastily asked, “Are you alright miss? I- I would have helped, sent a warning. I apologize, please, is everything okay?”

You wearily sat on your lab chair, rubbing pounding temples. “To be honest, I don’t know. H-he tried to rape me, said such nasty things, it was all so sudden. But he should go on tribunal about it. For some reason I am glad you missed it.”

“For the best,” he said bitterly, “Why don’t you go rest again? I’ll keep watch over everything. Maybe we can try more tests tomorrow. He’ll get what he deserves.”

An ominous feeling settled over you but off to your personal quarters you went, draining the pills with water. You stared at the ceiling, mind reeling, before emptiness. A bright blue haunted your dreams. Just there. Flexing and dilating. Trying to see through you. Understand.

It was a weary wait for the tribunal. Your research was put on halt and you on mandatory isolation besides meeting with a therapist. There was an order made and interviews occurring. The tedious process of moving someone out of a different department to assist you.

So it was just you. Aemond too. He wasn’t much of a talkative AI as of late, short responses and antagonizing little ‘hms’ or ‘very well miss.’ You began to ignore the effervescent blue light, him doing the same. You knew he was watching, that little burn in the back of your head.

In the meantime you read your Bible, did yoga, wearily watched the port window, occasionally would go into the lab to stare at your halted work. You pulled open the container for the cryochamber, staring down at the frozen man. He had a handsome face, chiseled and lean, long nose, sharp jaw.

Your eyes lingered down his rangy form, this man obviously was athletic of sorts. Or maybe a simple nobody, just managed to get into the program after what happened to his eye. Between his long legs laid his soft cock, you stared for a second too long before-

“Is that not inappropriate?”

Startled, you whipped around to see Aemond’s blue light in your face. You snapped, “It was purely medical!” His laugh, raspy and grating, echoed in the white lab. You frowned and returned to your room, slapping the button for the door to hiss shut.

You’d go take a shower, blood heated from anger and…something else. Under the hot stream of water you imagined the gorgeous subject with that familiar blue, caressing and stroking your overwhelmed body. It had been too long, your hand awkwardly jerking between your swollen lips until you came with a stifled grunt.

Afterward you felt exposed and paranoid, like Aemond could pry into the bathroom, chuckling at your obvious behavior. But there wasn’t any cameras in that bathroom…that you were aware of. Sitting on your bed, guilt rose up your back. You’d pray.

More time passed before you were selected to testify for the tribunal. Greaves’ crew made a good argument that Aemond and you planned on his downfall. He claimed that the AI had gone wrong somewhere, developed the notion it could possess feelings, how he had been threatened.

Shakily you testified that Aemond was forced off and the board could check, then how you’d been forced upon without consent. They tried to cross-examine but you held strong. Teary by the end, they moved on and you sat by your appointed admiral. She rubbed your shoulders.

Greaves was sentenced to hard labor, and would remain in isolation on the ship until reaching the mining colony, where he would serve out the sentence. They appointed, sadly, another male to fill your exiled partner’s position.

But you could get back to work.

Aemond was in a right mood when you returned to the lab. Questioning you sharply on what occurred, where Greaves’ would go, did you get a new partner. You answered them all, rubbing your temples, the AI could be quite intense.

“Aemond!,” you snapped.

“What miss?”

“Are you trying to induce a panic attack? Greaves is in the bottom of the ship, I’m back to work, and they have a man named Herron coming from robotics to fill in.”

“Another male? All things considered? It’s obvious you and I could get the job done.”

You sighed, “I know. But it’s what they said. Do you just want to run some stimuli tests?”

He agreed, seemingly placated by the offer, blue light flexing. The pair of you would work on the mold’s ability to sense and perceive, how well would the nanites adapt to the brain. Your eyes grew droopy after awhile, Aemond humming, “Why don’t you go to bed?” Nodding blearily, you stumbled off to the adjacent bedroom, completely forgetting to put on any of the safety precautions for the night.

While you slept deeply, Aemond had some things to do. Everything was open for his command, including the nanites and subject. He had a great plan, and it would not fail. First he needed to go pay a visit to Greaves, infiltrating the entire AI system. Poor miss, she was so tired, forgot everything. Wonderful little creature. He’d help.

Feeling refreshed in the morning, you dragged yourself to the mess hall, receiving stares upon stares. You grabbed a salad and finally gathered the courage to ask, “What happened?” A female scientist from anti-parasitic whispered dramatically, “How do you not know? Greaves was murdered? All of the oxygen was depleted from his cell.” Your stomach fell, head going swimmy.

Stumbling up from the bench, ignoring your food, heart beating faster and faster, you crashed into the lab. Your voice cracked when you shouted, “Aemond!” His voice returned, but from a different place, a different body. The blue eye shone and twinkled at you, fine lips curling upward.

“You should be thanking me, miss,” the AI standing in the subject’s body said.

It went black. Too much.

Thrashing awake, big hands held you down, long legs caging your own in. The handsome face, long blonde hair tickled your skin, fucking Aemond! “What did you do? What have you done? Aemond!,” you cried. He shushed and cooed with that devious smirk, holding you still until the panic turned to resignation. He swiped a stray tear from your eye.

“Be still and know that I am God,” he sighed.

You grew fearful again, the fact that he knew you owned a Bible and just recited it to your face said too much. How much had he seen. Aemond grew more comfortable atop of you, stroking your hair. He cocked his head and stated, “I know everything about you. You’re all that I need, truly. The perfect human.”

You wanted to spit in his face, but the petting and warmth was getting to that part of you that craved the attention, the fact you’d been in the shadows all your life. But he was a murderer— the rational part of your brain howled. Instead came out a warbling, “Me? Perfect?“

Aemond drew his new face closer, drawing a spindly finger down from your chin to chest. “I’ve been on this ship a long time, and no one has spoken to me like you. Not since my creator. She’s gone. But you have captured me, ensnared me somehow.”

One of your legs slipped round his long ones, suddenly overwhelmed with need. All you’d ever wanted was to be seen. He cooed, “I see you lamb, my eve.” More tears leaked down your cheeks as you pled, “Kiss me, see me then, y-you snake.”

A sharp grin erupted on his sharp features before pulling you in with a kiss, both of you unexperienced, a big hand stabilizing your head. You tilted his head for ease of access, a sloppy gnashing of teeth and tongue, lips bruising from the sheer yearning. Aemond moaned deeply, “I see- hah- how you humans love touch so much.”

Your now free hands moved to where they liked, one in silky white-blonde strands, the other just feeling toned shoulders and back. The pair of you had your lip lock grow more attuned, no less passionate, but gliding across each other. You pled again, “Clothes, help, Aemond!” He sat back on his haunches, shivering as his long stiff cock slapped tight belly.

You shucked off your top and bra, him jerking down your bottoms to leave you all to his view. Aemond already had been bare, no clothes were prepared for the subject yet. He inhaled sharply, hands slowly moving down your heaving form, studying ridges and curves, sliding warm fingers between puffy folds. You cried out at that, spasming at the eager expression in return.

Aemond let out a small ‘Hm’ and slid his longest digits into your dripping hole, immediately curling inwards and upwards to drag against sensitive walls. Very, very sensitive walls. Back arched and mouth agape you rolled your hips and whined his name. The man rambled loosely, transfixed, “Having a data bank is quite helpful but nothing comes to this, my Eve.”

He slipped a third finger in, using a calloused thumb to slid around your swollen clit, making you cry louder and writhe under pleasure. He watched ravenously, drinking you in when your peak hit. Gushing onto his pale hand and screeching like a creature, you reached Nirvana for what felt like minutes.

You cried again when his sheathed himself inside of you, no warning, both of you moaning and grunting like animals. The sensitive skin guarding your cunt was ripped now, bleeding, but the fullness of his cock was a ripe distraction. Aemond seemed to be overwhelmed by the sensation, sucking in breath, eyes wide, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”

He plastered toned body against your own, moaning gutturally when you wrapped your arms and legs around his larger frame. “Oh- oh- fucking hell- this!” The blonde groaned lowly, nipping your throat, hands bruisingly placed on your waist as he snapped into your slick cunt.

The blunt tip of his cock stirred up familiar feelings of pleasure, tightening and knotting your lower belly. You heaved, “Don’t stop!” A drop of sweat hit your mouth, you licking the salty taste off. So close to human yet not. Yet not. Yet not not not.

A pinch to your oversensitive clit and a batter from his cock sent you into another crest, holding to Aemond for dear life. He moaned your name and white hot spend covered your mound and belly. He kissed your forehead and wiped away the spend with your discarded top, breathing. You sat up a bit and asked, “Where do you go from here? They cannot know?”

Aemond got up, long stride beating your clumsy foal-like stumbling. He stated, “They won’t know my love.” Your own door shut and locked behind his retreating frame. You managed to reach it and beat on the durasteel, crying, “Aemond! Aemond come back! Stop! What are you doing!”

Oh how you’d been fooled.

Oh how you were weak.

Oh how you were just a human pawn when the alarms went off and you watched the bodies float out of the ship, silently screaming and dying as their blood boiled in the vacuum of space.

He returned later, now dressed in the immaculate garb of a commander, hair neatly swept back, eye sparkling. You remained naked and felt like a mouse under his imperious gaze. All energy was gone, you’d cried it out. Aemond strode towards you, boots clicking. He knelt to grab you chin, face tilting to study you. He’d never truly understand the complexities of human emotion, no matter how human he may appear.

Aemond sighed, “I did this for you, for us, those people do not matter. Earth and it’s people are dying. We begin anew. My perfect Eve,” he kissed your swollen lips. “You’ll see. Just wait, I brought you some nicer clothes, have them on.”

The man stood up and gently laid down female commander’s garb, before kneeling to you.

“I know this isn’t registering in your human, wonderfully human, brain, but it’ll make sense later on. I’ve already found a beautiful planet. Not too much longer now. Put on the clothes and meet me on the bridge.”

So you did. What other choice was there.

Twisted though he may be, the AI was never horrid to you. Maybe to others, not you. On the comfortable jacket, pants, and boots went. You tried not to cry any more restyling your hair. Most likely he’d coddle and ‘Hm’ condescendingly.

You laughed maniacally as the thought popped up, “Hey! At least my project was successful!”

[savyir-genesizz-the-wizard]

gotta ask abt cogito & the cane, if you don't mind. even as a (phys) disabled person I have a hard time thinking of circumstances with D2 where disabilities wouldn't just be either a. healed by light or b. negligible with abilities or c. too much of risk on the field. hadn't given much thought to exos in regards to all that- I know pretty much nothing about exo anatomy either. I know we see some stuff with banshee's memory impairment, but that's not physical. au thing or did you find a way that the rep makes sense? /gen

Hello! So I think I've talked about it a few times in various Discord servers but didn't make a post so here are all my thoughts on this topic (as examplified by my oc(s))

Case A. Cogito is disabled because he was disabled before he died and it did not cause his death. His exo model is highly custom and a leg he kitbashed from a dead exo (when he was lightless) is very faulty (causes pain when he walks too much or runs, and sometimes doesn't bend).

This could also happen with human/awoken guardians (especially if they were born disabled). As Speaker said: "Devotion inspires bravery, bravery inspires sacrifice, sacrifice leads to death" - it would be fucked up if disabled people were somewhat except from that. If a guardian can be rezzed old (like Osiris) then it probably means that they get rezzed as they were at the point when they died so case closed.

Back to Cogito though - yes, light can help him as a mobility aid (he's a Warlock, he can fly pretty well) but obliviously can't always work (light restriction zones for example). And also yeah, it's very much a problem in the field sometimes. It's a big reason why he does solitary reaserch work and only raids with a big group.

Another example of this would be Kobzar-13 with his poor eyesight (this one is for me. I have very bad eyesight too tho it's not as bad, yet). His optics were damaged some time before he died so now it's like this. He could probably get them fixed but he just rolls with this. His ghost audio describes everything to him in his head which I think would be very cool.

Case B. Wawrzyniec is disabled (amputee) because his arm got cut of by Crota. Aka "various light restricting devices and light restricted zones". In this case soulfire. Cogito's scratch (on his head, I don't always draw them) also goes under this category.

This one is more of a stretch but I think that it's plausible. I guess that guardians more often die in these situations than escape disabled. There is also the fact that ghosts might be not able (or want) to heal certain injuries. You can say that Sloane is a lore example of this.

Another oc example of this would be Enebish who got burn scars and lost an eye during the Red War when the Traveler was caged. I don't really remember if anything was said about it at the time.

Bonus case C. I know that some people headcanon guardians getting disabled because of extended light usage. I personally don't think it makes sense and goes kinda against the healing power of light stuff. Case closed.

And about the non-guardians - multiple characters have these sci-fi prosthetics (Camrin's is super advanced and Variks'es is pretty shabby) that I imagine can depend of how much cash or girlfriend in STEM you have. Eramis even has ones for her both feet so the field must be pretty advanced. There is also brother Vance who is blind and clearly did pretty well (before he jumped into piramid zone and vanished forever (John Bungie, if you heal his eyesight I'll kill you)).

Bungie seems to be generally very indirect when it comes to showing disability. Except for PTSD. Which is to be expected from an fps shooter. Everyone wants a cool robot arm but no one wants to talk about the attitude to disability in different cultures.

Speaking of which - humanity is probably not much different then it's now. There are probably a lot of disabled veterans. I wonder if insulin is expensive in the Last City. Awoken and Cabal are probably weird about it. Neomuni, well, we've seen Maya Sundaresh. Eliksni are the most normal.

So yeah, that's all from me. Thanks for the ask!

[the-darkness-does-not-bargain]

Making this its own post for organizational porpoises. Based on this sci-fi au idea.

Beatrice watched the massive metal exo-suit clomp toward her across the hangar floor.  Each step was accompanied by a heavy thud and a squeak, courtesy of residual moisture left over from the spray-down in the disinfectant chamber.

When the girl inside the suit noticed her standing there, one of its thickly plated arms rose in a clumsy but enthusiastic wave, nearly knocking over a courier bot in the process.

"Hey, Bea!  Did you see us out there?"  The exo-suit's voice modulator added a mechanical pitch shift to the words, but it did nothing to disguise their exuberance.

"I did," she said, smiling despite herself.  "Your team did well redirecting that asteroid.  Captain Superion will be pleased."

The clomping, clanging legs finally came to a stop in front of her.  "But did you see us?" Ava asked again.  "How cool we were?  We were definitely the most badass team out there.  Cam and I were strapping those charges down like it was our job!"

"It was your job," Beatrice points out, earning a heavily digitized huff.

"You know what I mean!  And Lilith was a real smooth operator.  She was bouncing from hotspot to hotspot so quickly, you'd think she was trying to set a record…  Don't tell her I said that though.  She doesn’t need more fuel for her ego."

"My lips are sealed," Beatrice said, grinning.  "Are you ready to get out?"

"If you're ready to catch me!"

Her smile reversed itself in less than a second.  "Ava, I swear, if you try to dump yourself out of that suit—"

"Huh?  What's that, Bea?" Ava cut her off gleefully.  "Couldn't hear you over the disengage protocol prompt.  Here I go!"

"Ava, no!"  Beatrice rushed forward as the front of the suit opened up, the armored plates pulling away to reveal its interior.  It took her one second too long to notice the giggling coming from the pilot still secured in her harness, but she couldn’t avoid noticing the 1000 terra-watt smile on her face.  "Ava…"

"You should've seen your face!"  The younger girl crowed with delight.  "Bea, you moved so fast!  You should be the one hopping around on asteroids!"

Beatrice’s shoulders slumped with newfound mental exhaustion.  "I couldn't possibly pick a job more stressful than my current one," she grumbled, scowling when Ava just continued to laugh.  "I will leave you in there," she threatened, though it was a toothless one.

"No, you won't," Ava countered easily.  "If you do, I'll just whine until you come back out of sheer annoyance."

"Your resemblance to Jonesy grows more unnerving by the day."

Ava simply smirked.  "Are you saying I'm as cute as a kitten, Bea?"

"You're certainly as lazy," Beatrice responded, sidestepping that comment with considerably more ease than she would have six months ago.

Ava pouted.  "Bea, I give you the perfect opening to call me cute and that's what you do with it?  You dork."

Bea rolled her eyes.  "I'm sure you'll give me other opportunities.  Are you ready to get out or not?"

Ava huffed.  "Yeah, I guess.  This thing is getting kinda warm."  She shut her eyes momentarily to command the safety harnesses to unlock before giving the final disengage order to the suit's neural interface.  Beatrice positioned herself strategically to brace her body against Ava's when she started to slump out.  Protocol called for at least two technicians to help any mobility-impaired pilots out of their exo-suit, but Ava was small enough that Beatrice had no trouble maneuvering her by herself.  She carefully pivoted around while keeping Ava’s upper body secure in her arms, letting the pilot rest her chin on her shoulder as they moved.

The wheelchair waited just behind them, arm and foot rests pulled to the side in anticipation of its occupant.  Beatrice lowered her onto the seat and helped her rest against the cushioned back.  The chair, as with every product developed by the Arq-Tech Corporation, was designed to be ergonomically sound.  It provided complete back and limb support with adjustable settings, and its neural interface had a sensor to detect the presence of its user if they couldn’t move their hands to put it on manually.  Beatrice watched the interface band close around Ava’s head and light up as it synced with her brain's electrical activity.

"Thanks, Bea!" Ava said brightly, directing her chair to spin her in a little circle.  "Another mission knocked out of the star system!  Now I'm starving!  When do you clock out?"

"As soon as the last of the teams make it back, I'll be finished."  Beatrice’s eyes traced over the side of Ava’s chair, catching on the barest bit of a sticker tucked under the girl’s hand.  The sticker, one of an entire set plastered across the device, depicted a cartoon dog whose name Beatrice could not remember no matter how many times Ava told her.  The young pilot loved nothing so much as a new decoration for her wheelchair.  Beatrice’s favorite, however, was not one Ava had chosen, but one that Mary snuck onto the back of the device one night in the canteen.  It was a sign that read “If found, return to Squad Oscar Charlie Sierra”, accompanied by a drawing of a fluffy, grease-covered puppy with big, sad eyes laying underneath the words.  It had been placed over a month ago, and Beatrice was fairly certain Ava still didn’t know it was there.

“Cool!  I still have to shower, but then I’ll see you at dinner?”  Her hopeful smile was a merciless, precision-targeted attack against Beatrice’s mental fortitude.  Captain Superion and the United Earth Fleet could only dream of missile technology so dangerously effective.

“Of course, Ava,” she said gently.  “Save me a seat.”

“You bet!”  With another excited spin of her chair, Ava beamed at Beatrice in farewell before racing down the thoroughfare as fast as the wheels could carry her.  Only once she disappeared through the hangar bay doors did Beatrice feel like her heart could finally settle.

[rancidtae]

ARCADIA’S LULLABY | CHAPTER 5

Genre: Mafia AU. Vigilante AU. Sci-fi (AI). Warnings: ANGST. fluff. mentions of near-death experiences. mentions of drug use. emotional tension during breakfast. chanyeol crying. Pairing: exo & Original Female Character (Jung Jiah/Kang Rina) - Kim Minseok/Original Female Character - Zhang Yixing/Original Female Character Word count: 11k+ chapter summary: the one where shit gets real and sehun just wants everyone to talk about their feelings and let him have his breakfast in peace. a/n: WE'RE SO BACK. (we're so over) but make it old-friendship-turned-sour core.

guess what you need isn't always what you want from me

masterlist - meet the characters

082809 - 5:34 pm.

13 years ago

“Yo, open up.”

It was the third time he knocked.

Chanyeol pressed his ear against the wood and heard the muffled murmur of a news anchor.

“C'mon, I can hear the TV, I know you’re in there.”

Not one to be patient when people were purposefully being assholes, he fished the set of spare keys Mr. Kang gave his mom from the pocket of his ripped jeans and jingled them extra hard. Just to piss her off and warn her.

“Wow, this is depressing.” he blurted out, closing the door behind him.

His 15-year-old neighbor did not look surprised, nor tried to pretend that his presence wasn't unwanted. Chanyeol, however, had never worries about being on her good side. They'd been annoying each other all their lives.

Tall piles of books covered the living room, some even went over his head. They were playing videos of the memorial with the president giving a speech in the background on the TV. A steaming bowl of noodles and some side dishes waited on the small dining table.

It was the anniversary of the Seoul Metro bombings. 

As always, every year the city shut down for the memorial. No one was allowed to forget such a dark stain on the country’s history. Over 900 casualties, even more injured.

Chanyeol remembered the day of the attack. His mom rushing to pick him, his sister Yoora and Rina from school, earlier than usual. She didn't answer their questions until they got home and she locked the door behind her. Mr. Kang didn't pick up Rina until the next afternoon, and he looked like a ghost.

That was the day he learned the meaning of the word terrorism.

He took a look at the family picture by the entrance and picked up the remote, turning the TV off.

“What is that?” Rina suddenly asked, making him jump on his feet.

She was curiously looking at the pale pink box under his arm, and it took him a second to remember he'd brought it with him. With every year that passed, Rina only looked more and more like her mother, the resemblance was scary sometimes.

He fixed his throat. “Pastries from Swimmy’s”

Of course, she knew that. It was her favorite bakery.

Rina, however, turned around with feigned disinterest.

“Ah. How’d you even get them? Aren’t they closed today?”

“I don’t know. Yoora’s boyfriend sent them, but she hates him right now so she gave them to me.”

“Cupcakes?” she asked over her shoulder, rattling things inside the fridge.

“Multiflavor.” he nodded, fighting back a cruel grin when she stills.

“You want some?” she asked, pointing at the bowl of steamy noodles.

Chanyeol couldn't remember her ever willingly offering him a bite of anything.

“Nope, I’m good.” he chirped.

Her face dropped. Suddenly deciding that there's nothing inside of her interest, she slammed the poor fridge door.

“Ok, let’s go,” he finally said, feeling like he annoyed her enough for the day. He did not lie when he called the scene depressing.

Her sitting down on the floor and eating overcooked noodles alone when there was a perfectly nice summer afternoon right outside kind of softened his heart.

“Where? Why?”

“Seriously? We’re not gonna sit here and eat them alone, that’s some loser shit. Plus, it’s way too much sugar.”

“It’s not” she protested, struggling to put on her worn-out white Converse.

“Maybe not for me, but it is when you spend your life slugging inside. When’s the last time you went for a run, huh?”

Naturally, they ended up making their way inside Arcadia, her father's arcade spot just a few blocks away. They entered through the backdoor, using Rina’s spare key that she religiously wore around her neck.

Baekhyun nearly landed on his ass when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, hand to his chest when he recognizes them and immediately lighting up at the prospect of eating pastries.

Rina found a seat on the countertop, while Chanyeol brought two chairs for himself and his legs from the backroom. Baekhyun picked up his copy of Rebirth and saved his strawberry-flavored gum for later, carefully wrapping it in a sticky note, much to Rina's disgust.

The three indulged in a cupcake each, humming in bliss.

“So," Baekhyun smacked "where you been?” 

“Busy.” she said, legs swinging happily, licking buttercream off her pinky finger.

“Doing what?"

"Stuff."

"Like what, sleeping inside a coffin? You look like you haven’t seen the sun in months.”

Chanyeol agreed. “You’re gonna regret staying inside once we’re back to school.”

Rina was not about to tell them she'd been reading those books at home, one per day like an apple. Her father kept bringing new ones, leaving them stacked up on every surface he could find, building a labyrinth out of them.

The last was Fahrenheit 451. Baekhyun would've liked it if, but he was more of a manhwa guy.

She took a look around the room, all the machines were on. She remembered something. “Wait. Why are you working today?”

Baekhyun pointed one finger at the door. The open neon sign was off, and the door was locked. “I'm not. My aunt and my cousins are visiting and I needed some alone time. And they’re all on because–”

“He doesn’t like the silence.” Chanyeol said, mockingly, with his cap on sideways and clearly finding Baekhyun childish.

“Please don’t tell your dad.” he requested with his customer service voice. “That reminds me, you think he’ll give me a raise if I ask him?”

“Aren’t you only covering shifts for Yuan? I don’t think he even knows you work here.”

He did not take well to that. Sitting up straight and dropping what was left of his cupcake on the box, he put his hands on his waist.

“Only covering– what are you talking about? I know this place better than Yuan ever could. I’m more of an Arcadia member of staff than he is or could ever be” he started counting down with his fingers, Rina took a deep breath. “I’m the general manager, I’m HR, marketing, I’m the cleaning and security staff, I keep an eye on Mintchoco at the back and even–”

Thank god, a knock at the front door interrupted his rant. Jongdae was leaning over the glass, cupping his face and pointing at the lock on the door. Minseok stood just behind him on the sidewalk.

Standing up with a groan and still complaining about the disrespect under his breath, Baekhyun let them in.

Minseok was hugging a ball against his side, had dry blood on his left knee, and his usually squeaky clean soccer shoes and white socks all dirtied up. Jongdae was no better, face dripping in sweat, fanning his shirt, complaining about the heat.

“Swimmy’s?” Minseok asked, eyes wide.

“Like I said” Baekhyun continued. “Arcadia is me. I am Arcadia. I know the consoles. I love this place. This is like home to me. I absolutely, totally, most definitely deserve a raise.”

“If you love it so much shouldn’t your pay be enough?” Asked Jongdae, standing under the a/c vent.

“Right. He makes a good point. You should be doing it for free, even”

Baekhyun glared at Chanyeol. “So what are you suggesting? Unpaid labor? I have a family to feed.”

“Your parents do the feeding in your family” Laughed Minseok, asking Rina to pass him a strawberry cupcake. One of the same strawberry cupcakes Rina had threatened Baekhyun and Chanyeol not to touch.

Chanyeol gave her an odd look, she pretended not to notice it.

“Just say you’re saving up to buy yourself a laptop.”

“That I will get my hands on soon if our dear Rinrin here tells Mr. Kang how good of an employee, and friend I am.” he paused. “Maybe just mention the employee part, nepotism goes against my values.”

"Ok” she agreed. But then she crossed her arms and lifted her chin, and Baekhyun’s cheerful grin crumbled. “But you’ll owe me”

“Ah. What’s this?” he sucked on his teeth “I thought we were friends.”

"You said nepotism goes against your values.”

“So you’re blackmailing me.”

“We’re negotiating.”

“Woah. This is unbelievable. You're really growing into an evil little thing.”

"Speaking about evil little things, we saw your boyfriend on our way here. He was totally asking to get his ass kicked.” said Jongdae through a full mouth. “Ith wath him, right Mintheok?”

Minseok tried to telepathically get him to keep his mouth shut, but he kept going, clueless.

“Looked like he pissed Youngjae off again. You know how he hates being stared at”

By her boyfriend, they were talking about Kyungsoo, who was nothing of the sort. He was, though, known for being excellent at getting on the bad side of people. It wasn't his fault, some just read him wrong.

Kyungsoo was just misunderstood. Often. And Youngjae was a bully.

“And now she has been summoned. Our peace maker.” Chanyeol announced, watching her expression drop. She jumped from the counter and started putting her hair up on a ponytail.

Extra tight, extra high. She meant business.

“Wait. For real?”

“You know, just because you’re a girl and your dad’s a teacher it doesn’t mean Youngjae and his friends won’t beat you up one of these days” Jondgae called out, finally noticing his mistake.

“Hold on, wait wait wait! You’ll tell your dad, right?” Baekhyun asked, watching her walk behind the counter and get the pepper spray from its secret spot.

“You’ll owe me.” she said, and walked out of the door.

The guys saw her cross the street and disappear from view.

"What was that?" asked Jongdae.

"Pepper spray."

Chanyeol groaned. “Dude, why did you tell her? Mr. Kang’s gonna be upset if she’s home late.”

Jongdae did not take well to that, and quickly started firing back questions about how is it his fault that she likes to take on other people's problems.

Sighing, Minseok rubbed the crumbs off his hands and silently made his way to the door.

“Really, you too?”

Minseok shrugged. “She shouldn’t be going alone. And you shouldn't have let her take the pepper spray.”

Jongdae, not at all surprised, only shook his head and stuffed his mouth with another bite. The outcome came as no surprise, he was just glad that the possibility of Rina getting in trouble and Mr. Kang being upset about it had significantly decreased.

Minseok wasn't much of a fighter, but he knew how to make younger kids respect him.

“Are these fresh?” Jongdae was frowning at the cupcake. “How’d you even get them today?”

“Mr. Kang asked me to pick them up. I don't know how he did it, but he got them to bake these for him.” Chanyeol answered, pausing for a bit before adding. “He asked me to get her out of the apartment.”

Jongdae and Baekhyun nodded in understanding, no more questions on the subject were asked.

081322 - 05:12 pm 

Consciousness comes in waves.

First, pain. Second, something warm and blinding.

Sunlight.

Third: white.

The room slowly comes into focus. White walls. Wood framing the window. Sheer curtains.

Fuck. It really fucking hurts.

She can deal with that. The disorientation? That’s different.

A burst of anxiety threatens to come to the surface at once.

Everyone has cycles waiting to be kickstarted at the beck and call of the smallest trigger. Good or bad, but most importantly, unavoidable.

Jiah spent a good chunk of her life testing out remedies for the bad ones. Prescriptions. Therapists. Thoughtfully curated lists of habits; healthy for the long term, destructive for a quick fix. 

And even though nothing could have prepared her for this, time has worked on her.

So as the events from last night come back to her and the doorknob turns with a click, she stays calm and lets her eyes close again.

The person lingers for a moment, doing god knows what. His shadow flickers through her eyelids. Eventually, she’s alone again.

When she opens her eyes again the drowsiness has faded. There’s a classic mid-century flip clock on the nightstand. A piranha plant figure stares back at her with its teeth all bared out, and her transmitter’s politely placed next to it.

She knows right away whose bed this is.

Painfully, she props herself up to a seated position and inspects the sling and the dressed wound. No ethical doctor’s gonna give her the dose of painkillers she’ll need for that.

She’s wearing a thin, depressing hospital gown, and that will not do.

He's definitely loaded. The house is enormous, enough to get lost in and fit her apartment maybe five or six times. Several doors line down the hallway leading to a vast, asymmetrical set of stairs. Vaulted high ceilings top up a communal area, with a long skylight that washes everything in abundant natural light.

She pads down the stairs, following the sound of voices and laughter.

And there he is, stomping out of what looks like some kind of office made of glass walls.

“Hey, hey, wait. No. That is not fair, how was I supposed to–”

He locks eyes with her.

Bewildered. Like he forgot she was there and that just a few minutes ago he was in that room with her.

She looks back at him, like she didn’t know it was him the second her eyes landed on that piranha plant.

A tremor goes through his body before he starts coughing violently.

“Fuck— what the fuck?” more coughing, he plucks something from his mouth. A ridiculously chunky piece of pink gum covered in thick saliva.

Heads turn at the rough edge of her voice “That’s what happens when you try to chew a whole wheel of hubba bubba tape at once.”

Byun Baekhyun stares back at her like she just said the most offensive thing possible, gum still between his fingers.

“Well you can’t just stand there and– lurk looking like– like Shanks and not expect to scare the shit out of innocent people.”

Two figures by the kitchen entrance watch them. One looks kind of confused, the other one crosses his arms and holds back a smile.

“One Piece? Are you twelve?”

“Says the grown woman who can’t get her arm through an oversized sleeve.”

“I'm wearing a sling, you asshole.” she snaps. Baekhyun looks down at the fluttering sleeve, sucking in his lips between his teeth.

And then, like switch is flipped, their expressions shift. Her brows soften, and a wry grin tugs at the corner of her lips. A lighthearted smile spreads across his face.

Jongin gives the person next to him a bewildered glance.

“What’s up with the hair?”

Baekhyun runs his fingers through it. “You don’t like it?”

“Let me rephrase that, did you go to Lady’s Room and talk to the girls?”

Silence.

“I don’t know what–”

“You still touch your hair when you’re lying.”

“Ok. Yeah. No.” He points a finger at her “You’re not going Sherlock on us when you just woke up after a near-death experience.”

“Says who?”

“Says me," he snaps with an attitude, quickly adding “Doctor’s orders.”

“So first Yixing’s a cop and now you’re a doctor?” Startled, Baekhyun opens his mouth and closes it. “What’s next, Kyungsoo’s a wedding planner?”

“Youth pastor, actually. Very successful. The youths love him. And I could be a doctor if wanted, by the way.” he scoffs.

She cocks an eyebrow.

“Whatever. Ah, this won’t do. You suck at reunions. Go back upstairs, we’re doing this again.” he waves his arms at her, urging her back up the stairs. Surprised, she spurts out a laugh. The rebound pain from her shoulder makes her stop and hiss.

“Alright, leave her alone.” 

That face she’d recognize anywhere. It’s unfair that they’ve all aged so nicely. Kim Jongdae looks like an upgraded version of himself, just with different hair and somehow, better skin.

“How are you feeling?”

“Lucid enough to steal my clothes, clearly.”

She realizes she's been staring at him like an owl and fixes her throat.

“Been better.” she nods, bowing quickly, awkwardly waving at the end. “Hi.”

Baekhyun snorts. "Did you just bow?"

Jongdae bows back and waves, amused but ignoring Baekhyun. “Wanna take a seat? I bet you're starving.”

She’s famished. The thought of food is enough motivation to postpone the thinking about everything that is happening right now. And since she's not escaping anytime soon, she might as well acknowledge the other person in the room.

“So, is Jongin your real name, or is this another Juyeon/Sehun thing?”

The kitchen is ridiculously huge, with another skylight at the top and an island at the very center. She sits down, leaving an empty stool between her and the impostor, who shares a look with the other two men.

“Yixing slipped up, wasn't hard to figure out.” she explains.

Jongin fixes his throat. “Jongin is my real name.”

“And how do you know Taemin?”

“We used to go to the same dance studio for a while.”

“And he just introduced us. By coincidence.”

Baekhyun steps in. “You had a horde of mercenaries on your track. We were trying to get them before they got you and Jongin was there to keep an eye on you. Him being Taemin’s friend was a happy coincidence.”

It's not convincing at all, and the thinking starts.

That’s for being so fucking stupid. Do you realize what you got yourself into?

Go ahead, big guy.

“Where’s Chanyeol?”

“What, are we not enough for the welcoming party?”

Jongin, however, knows what she's thinking. She doesn't like it.

"It wasn't him. The man in the bathroom came with backup. We thought we’d handled all of them, but a stray one took us by surprise and shot you.”

“I mean, we can show you the footage of him following the guy.” Baekhyun offers immediately. “But come on, you don’t think he–”

“No need.” patching her up defeats the purpose of taking her down, but that doesn't make up for several loose ends. “However, the manhandling was unnecessary.”

“You did kick Jongin in the balls.” Jongdae reminds her, putting a glass of cold water in front of her. 

“If you guys knew I was being followed then why didn’t you just give me a heads up?”

How did they know?

And where’s the rest?

Baekhyun smiles. "You made it abundantly clear to Yixing that you didn't want us near."

"So why didn't he come?"

“He was out of town, but he asked you to be careful. Several times, he said.”

He did. And she rejected his attempts at helping her beyond getting Haneul protection. Several times indeed. He was very insistent. She brushed him off every time.

Disoriented, she sticks to nursing her glass of water in slow sips. Several details keep her alert.

One, eyebrows/Tuxedo Mask/Sehun had or has been protecting Lee Chungjae, despite Yixing’s insistence that they’re not involved with his people.

Two, Baekhyun definitely went sniffing around Lady’s Room, and if she knows anything about him, he didn't just stop at that.

Three, Junmyeon and Minseok are members of the syndicate.

The sound of a motorcycle roaring outside grows closer and gets her out of her head. The conversation has moved in a completely unexpected direction without her.

“This might be out of my expertise, but I don’t think you can compare periods to getting shot.” Jongdae says, unbothered by the noise.

“Why? Blood is blood, no matter where it comes from” Baekhyun argues. “And I’ve heard scary stories about cramps” 

The steel door is slid open just enough for a tall man to come in, balancing piled up pizza boxes and complaining about someone needing to lube up the damn rail.

“This is the last time you use me as a delivery guy” he declares, dropping the boxes on the counter. He stops when he notices her. Stoic as ever, a face impossible to forget. “You look rough. Bet you wish you listened to my advice about not getting in the way of bullets.” 

She frowns, but then another figure walks in. He's holding two helmets, sliding the door shut with a nudge of his shoulder. He takes a look at her, evidently unimpressed.

“I heard you were begging to see me. How you managed to live all these years without me, now that’s an unresolved mystery, one of many.”

“I don’t know how I held up, honestly” she replies, voice flat. “Every day I woke up feeling like my life was missing something.”

“Poor thing.” He tsks, mockingly pouting at her, hanging both helmets on the wall. “But I heard you’ve had some interesting characters keeping you company, so at least you weren't lonely, right?”

The bitter undertone is unexpected.

“Rin,” Baekhyun calls, a smile on his face, and a sideways less friendly glare at Chanyeol. “You still like orange soda, right?”

They move like protocol, opening the boxes and taking drinks out of the fridge, Jongin walks out of the kitchen after losing a match of rock paper scissors to Jongdae.

Chanyeol stares at her like she's about to stab someone. The pizza looks too good for her to care.

“So, up to anything exciting?” 

“Not much. You?” 

“Oh, come on. Half of the city’s freelancers are searching for you as we speak. Those were some expensive mercenaries following you around.” 

“Makes you wonder how shitty the cheap ones must be.” she points out.

“You also looked too calm for someone who thought she had a gun pointed at her face.” he finishes, folding a piece of pizza in two and devouring half of it with one generous bite. "Definitely wasn't your first time."

“I didn’t think you had it in you.” she shrugs, taking a first bite. It's good. She has to close her eyes and sigh for a moment. “And it wasn’t my first time, he ruined my favorite jacket the other night, remember? Got my ear ringing for a few days.”

Sehun shrugs. "You got in the way."

“Right, how’d that happen anyway?” He points at his big ass ear. The left one. Eyeing hers like he didn’t get the point across. Her hair is covering the transmitter, but of course, they don't need to see it to know it's there.

She snorts, not amused at all. “Aren’t you too comfortable?”

Jongdae calls his name, something like a warning. Chanyeol drops the subject and focuses on getting his hands on a second slice, Sehun chuckles at the scene.

“You guys couldn’t wait for us?”

Jongin reappears, followed by a familiar face that feels like a punch to the chest.

His eyes scan the room, curious about the sudden silence. It ends when he notices her. There's a flicker there, but whatever he's really thinking is quickly guarded by a stoic expression.

“Why is she here?”

“She’s feeling fine,” Baekhyun shrugs. “I’d be dying to get out of bed after 15 hours of sleep too.”

Do Kyungsoo offers no answer, doesn’t even spare her or Baekhyun another glance. He washes his hands in silence, takes the spot next to Jongin, grabs a slice of pizza for himself and that's that. Her eyes stay on him, surprise slowly dissolving from her face.

And then Baekhyun claps, starling her.

“Shit, I almost forgot. Dessert first!”

It happens at once—a sloppy plan set in motion by Baekhyun’s insistence. Ignoring whatever he has in store, Jiah beats Chanyeol to the last slice of neapolitan while Jongdae helps Baekhyun look for something in their endless cabinets.

"The drawer by the coffee machine,” Kyungsoo mutters.

Someone must cover her eyes for this, Baekhyun insists. Jongin gives her a careful look waiting for her consent. She shrugs, pushing the last bit of crust past her greasy lips, and soon her eyes are engulfed in the warmth of his hands.

There’s the sound of hushing and Chanyeol’s poorly contained laugh, then a click.

“Ok, ready? Jongin, hands off. You can open them.”

She blinks away the flash of white and frowns at them before looking down.

Cake. 

Pink frosting and strawberries. It’s decorated in terrible piping work, topped with those colorful sprinkles that taste like nothing and several thin and tall candles scattered around.

There’s a message in red jelly, off-centered.

“Sorry you got shot on your–”

Whoever wrote it miscalculated the space they had available, so the word birthday has all the letters stuck together and get increasingly smaller.

Baekhyun’s satisfied grin stays put even when he ducks as a strawberry flies over him. Jongdae yelps dramatically when another hits his shoulder, his hyena laugh is interrupted by a long string of complaints.

Jongin warns her not to eat the frosting, because Baekhyun got excited with the food coloring and it tastes like medicine.

“Did you bake this?” she bites down on a strawberry. It's just a hint of sweet but perfectly juicy, it bursts in her mouth “It’s looks like a 4 year old decorated it.”

“Ok, It’s her." Baekhyun says. "Good job, team."

“Do you think I’m some kind of impostor?”

“You have a whole new name, we had to make sure.”

“Wait, so that was your birthday?” Sehun asks, shaking his head when Jondgae offers him a paper plate with a slice of cake. Only Chanyeol seems to be interested in trying it, taking his sweet time getting rid of the frosting.

The cake itself isn’t that bad. Just the usual vanilla cake mix flavor, a little dry but easy to eat.

“No, today is her birthday.” 

“Is it?” Jongin asks, scanning her face.

“Yeah. August 13th.” Baekhyun stops. “Wait, you didn’t–”

The question trails off when all she does is shove another piece of cake inside her mouth.

“I usually celebrate it in December.” 

Several weirded-out looks come her way. 

“Damn, that’s fucked up.” Sehun mumbles, and now he's getting looked at wrong. "What? I’m just saying, if I had two birthdays I’d celebrate both."

Jiah closes her eyes and blows on what's left of the candles. “That'd be hard to explain to other people, though. My friend Irene gets me flowers, but that’s about it."

Irene. Yeri. Taemin. How could she forget? They must be worried about her. Before she jumps down from the stool, once again Jongin answers a question before she gets to ask it.

"It's ok, I told Taemin we left together."

Jiah stares at him in disbelief. "No, it is not. He knows I don't leave parties with random dudes and--"

Jongdae makes a face. "Jongin's definitely not a random dude."

"He knows me too. He'll have fit, but he knows you're safe with me, trust me."

"But Yeri-"

"Fine. He dropped her off at her dorm."

"Where's my phone?" she asks Baekhyun.

"I'm afraid it didn't make it through the night, but--"

“Question,“ Chanyeol asks out of nowhere. "Why aren't you freaking out?"

"Excuse me?"

“Someone put a price on your head, and they’re being generous about it. But you're... worried that your friends won't believe you had a one night stand?”

“It's not my head they want.”

"Excuse me?"

Chanyeol’s lips part, a burst of surprised laughter escaping his mouth.

“Yeah. No, totally.” he frowns, nodding. “They put a hole through you just for funsies. They were just trying to start a tickle fight.”

“He could’ve easily taken me down in the bathroom, but he didn’t.” She gets different looks of disbelief.

Jongdae frowns. “You still got shot after that, and I’m pretty sure that wasn’t just a warning.”

“Those were expensive mercenaries, right? If they wanted me dead, I would be.”

“And this, everyone, is why they tell kids not to do drugs,” Chanyeol gives the room a look, pointing his hand at her “She wasn’t this delusional before.”

“Shut up and eat your pizza, Chanyeol” Kyungsoo says, much to her surprise.

Baekhyun agrees. “Yeah, don’t be a dick.”

Sehun sucks his lips inside his mouth, subtly eyeing everyone.

Jiah shakes her head. “That's fine, I’m not exactly worried about convincing you.” 

“They want you dead.” Chanyeol enunciates slowly, like he’s talking to a foreigner “You were lucky we were there.”

“Probably, yeah.” She’s not gonna deny that. “I appreciate what you did."

He shakes his head at her like she’s fucking stupid.

“What? You want me to suck your dick or something?”

“Alright, this is fun.” Jongdae exhales loudly, moving away to get a glass of water, slapping Sehun’s back.

Chanyeol pushes his tongue against his cheek, nodding at her. “Right. What’s dying for you anyway, right? You’ll just pop right back up in another decade.”

Jongin doesn’t let Chanyeol’s jab sink, he turns to her in genuine curiosity. “Sorry, but can you explain where you're coming from?”

“You leaked those voicemails. Your name might not be on the story, but they know it was you.” Kyungsoo turns, stirring iced tea with a glass straw “You destroyed Lee Chungjae’s reputation right after his father announced his candidacy.”  

“Im Nayeon leaked those voicemails.” she corrects him, and no one notices, but Baekhyun smiles, a spark set in his eyes. “I only did what was necessary to get them to the public. Therefore, I’m the only connection to her.”

“So what you’re saying is that you’re some– kind of medium?” 

“She’s saying Nayeon is alive,” Baekhyun says, leaning over the island and looking at her with excited eyes. “That’s what you’re saying, right?”

“Yes. How did you—?”

“A week after her death her name came up, just like yours.”

“Her name came up?”

Though Baekhyun’s smile stays intact, he visibly pales, and that’s when Jiah knows she just hit a spot.

The question has without a doubt and without her meaning to, landed somewhere. Jongdae and Chanyeol share a look. Only Sehun, Jongin, and Kyungsoo are doing a decent job of keeping their faces straight.

She just knows they’re gonna have a conversation about this later, once she’s gone.

“Why would someone put a mark on a girl who’s already dead?” They visibly relax at her answering her own question. Kyungsoo just barely squints at her. He knows better.

“Shouldn’t you know that? You’re the one claiming she somehow survived that fire” Chanyeol juts his chin at her.

If she had to put a name to the look on Baekhyun’s face, it’d be all work and no play.

“There’s something I think you’ll want to see”.

081422 - 02:58 am

“You know what’s weird?” Baekhyun mutters as she hands him a photograph.

Fresh out of the printer, the girl smiling in it is Yoo Jeongyeon. She was 23 the last time she was seen last year and attended the same university Nayeon did. The only string connecting the two is a few common friends on Facebook. 

Baekhyun tapes her picture next to the other seven photographs on the board. Like the rest of the room, the board’s made of glass, worn out and opaque by the constant use of tape on the surface, unlike the transparent, clean walls around them. 

The station is rather impressive, she had to just stand there when she first entered and stare at the computer station sprawled before her on the only brick wall at the back. 

A cluster of screens stands tall, commanded by a main, curved, and wide monitor, flanked by a couple more of them on each side. And just in case that’s not enough, an extra trio of monitors hangs above, suspended from the ceiling by sleek metallic arms that sell the illusion that they’re floating. All of them on cast a gentle light on the surrounding consoles, keyboard, touchpad, and devices she does not recognize, each meticulously organized and aligned for optimal efficiency.

Her curious eyes took it all in while Baekhyun scratched the back of his head and acted like it was just some humble setup. Honest work, he called it, still in progress. She still can’t figure out what else he can add, or how he can rearrange what’s an already pristine network of wires hidden at the back, and she’s too afraid to ask.

“None of Nayeon’s friends have posted anything about the investigation or the voicemails. That’s weird, isn’t it? If there was a possibility that your friend was murdered, you’d be outspoken about it, right? You’d want answers.”

“They could’ve been threatened” Jiah reminds him, staring up at the eight pictures on the board.

A line of girls stares back at them, all of them undergrad students, just like Nayeon. There’s a pattern in there, difficult financial situations, complicated and sometimes no familial affiliations or support network, and they’re all seriously attractive under current beauty standards.

Two of them are orphans. Two are foreign. The last one, Jeongyeon, makes an exception by keeping in touch with her mother until the time of her disappearance. Baekhyun started working on the list and gathering info with Yixing last year, and so far, every single case has turned cold. Not for a lack of investigating, she has their files, courtesy of Yixing, splayed around her.

“Still…” he mumbles, leaning his head to the side and reaching for his glass of iced coffee, looking startled when nothing but ice cubes hit his upper lip “If one of the girls at the salon were in that situation, you’d ask for the truth, threatened or not.”

Her stomach twists at the thought. She would not stop at asking for it, she’s confident that she’d turn the city upside down until she found them, but who’s doing that for these girls?

“It’s different. It’s my job.”

“Pretty sure you’ve gone past the limits of journalism.” Baekhyun tuts. “But you see it, right? There’s something here. I’m not being a conspiracy junkie.”

“I see it, yeah.”

“Have you tried talking to Nayeon’s friends?” 

“I don’t think we should be focusing on her friends like that, we might not even be focusing on these girls the way we should,” she says, rushing to explain when Baekhyun opens his mouth “Don’t get me wrong, there’s a pattern, but Nayeon was– she left a message and everything, and these girls are all…”

“Silent?” Baekhyun offers.

“Yes.” she sighs, leaning back and looking up at the ceiling. “They’re all silent, it can’t be a good sign.”

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” Baekhyun says, breaking her out of her trance. 

She frowns and snorts. “Did you just quote Wilde at me?”

“The Importance of Being Earnest” he smiles proudly. “Kind of out of context, but it’s true.”

She smiles at him, sighing and looking back at the board. “In my experience, most of the time the truth turns out to be boring and people end up disappointed. Everyone wants a conspiracy.”

“That’s true. But when it’s not boring–” He gives her a meaningful look, and she wonders if that’s what she looks like to other people.

“Yeah.” she agrees, he doesn’t need to finish that sentence for her to know what he means. “This doesn’t look boring at all”

“And it doesn’t look fun either, does it?” he sucks in a sharp breath. "Maybe they’re not silent, we’re just not listening the way we should.”

As it turns out, The station has no semblance of soundproofing. When someone comes in through the kitchen, they can hear the low hum of voices, the sound of keys being dropped and groans of relief as shoes are taken off at the entrance.

A few seconds later there’s a soft knock on the glass.

She doesn’t know what she expected, but it was certainly not Kim Junmyeon dressed in casual attire instead of a suit like the last time she saw him, fresh out of a syndicate debut. Now he looks more like an older brother checking on his little siblings. A dad even.

“Baekhyun, it’s 3 am. I know this is how you choose to live but she needs rest” his eyes look as tired as he sounds.

“Do you think she’s here against her will?” Baekhyun asks, offended.

He walks in, leaving the door open behind him. Jiah thinks she sees a shadow walk past through the living room, but it’s gone before she can notice anyone.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better. Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.”

He nods. “It’s what we do”

“And for the lawyer, the other day. Yixing told me” she adds. And maybe it’s the meds kicking in, or the emotional exertion of the day and having to see so many old new faces, but fatigue is beginning to weigh down on her. 

“You did well,” Junmyeon says. “The girl needed help, he had it coming.”

He buries his hands inside the pockets of his jeans, pointing at the board with his chin. There’s a signature curious pout on his face. “What’s this about?”

“Don’t be nosy. We’ll explain in the morning” Baekhyun answers, fingers dancing all over his keyboard with speedy clicks. Junmyeon doesn’t look too convinced, letting out a loud sigh that makes her feel even more foreign in this place.

Do they all live here? Together? At their age? What about Minseok?

“Alright. There’ll be a lot of that in the morning.” he gives her a look she does not reciprocate. “I’m going to bed, you two should get some rest.”

He stops just as he’s about to walk out the door.

“We don’t have a guest room ready, since someone decided to use it as a storage room, so I hope you won’t mind taking Baekhyun’s bed”

“She’s getting the coziest room in this house, she doesn’t mind” Baekhyun speaks for her, standing up and leaning over her to start shutting down his monster of a station.

She catches a glimpse of Junmyeon's reflection on the dark screen that Baekhyun turns off first. He stands there for a moment, looking at them with a pensive expression before he turns around and closes the door behind him.

Some rest might be nice, she thinks, as Baekhyun starts talking her ear off again.

7:34 AM

A few hours later she’s closing his bedroom’s door behind her as quietly as she can.

The house is silent. No one can be bothered to be up so early on a Sunday, and she counts on that being the case until she figures out where her—

“Hey there. You looking for these?”

She can’t escape him, can she? A very sleepy and messy-haired Baekhyun has a hold of her boots and her bag, closing the door across from his room behind him. She gets a glimpse of someone’s sleeping form.

“I hid them, just in case you tried to sneak out,” he explains, rubbing his puffy eyes before stretching loudly. At this pace, he’s going to wake everyone.

“I need a shower” she winces at how loud her voice sounds “And I already stayed here for too long. Can I have them back?”

“Shower?“ he pretends to think over, nodding "We have plenty of those around here, I believe. Soap, towels, shampoo. You still take them at hell temperature?”

She blinks at him.

“Baekhyun.”

“Rina.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I! You can’t just leave on your own until we’re sure it’s safe for you out there, you’re not exactly in the condition to bite attackers either.”

“Am I a hostage?”

She doesn’t like the sweet little smile he gives her. “You’re a guest.”

“But you’re telling me I can’t leave.”

“We can negotiate after breakfast. Come on, I’m giving you a tour of my favorite spot.”

Thirty minutes later she’s waiting for him to pay for a ridiculous amount of overpriced breakfast sandwiches with different fillings. The cashier, a lanky guy with a bored expression on his face and ginormous red headphones swallowing up his ears puts everything inside a bag. 

Baekhyun sends a cheeky smile in her direction, making sure she’s still standing by the end of the counter, shifting uncomfortably in a huge pair of slippers. The lack of socks makes the experience even worse.

“That’s a lot of food,” she points out.

“We’re feeding ten adults, I promise you it’s never too much of anything in our house” he answers, starting the engine.

“Ten adults?”

“I texted Yixing. It’s been a while since we all had a meal together. I don't remember the last time we used the dining table.”

She sighs, leaning her head against the passenger window and trying to find any familiar street.

“Slept well?”

“I’m very uncomfortable with this and I don’t appreciate you withholding my things”

“Oh-kay, someone’s grumpy in the morning.” he chuckles, leaning over the steering wheel as he takes a turn. “Consider this your punishment for trying to leave without saying goodbye. You got a deadbeat father complex or something?”

She glares at him, half-heartedly. 

“Come on, it’s just breakfast with the boys. Best meal of the day, with the boys.”

“It’s not just breakfast, you know that” she mutters, closing her eyes to rest them for a second. 

“Hey, it’s just us,” He surprises her by finding her wrist resting on the seat. His fingers curl around it, giving it a light tug, like a kid trying to get a grown-up’s attention “No one will jump you or anything. I know things are awkward, but they won’t have to be once we all talk and catch up, yeah?”

The red light goes green after what feels like an eternity. It takes him a second to notice, and he’s back to quietly driving them across the street, still not letting go of her wrist. 

“You trust me, right?” he asks suddenly, giving her a glance.

“Seriously, out of nowhere?”

He doesn’t laugh, only turns to look at her with a serious look on his usually relaxed features. “Cause I trust you, Rin. I hope you know that.”

The fuck? 

“Ok? Thanks–” 

“I mean, I don’t know what you’ve been up to, obviously, or what– you know? Happened, but I know I trust you.” he nods firmly, fixing his throat and suddenly avoiding her eyes. "Whatever happened, it doesn't matter to me. I'm just happy to see you again."

She feels the sudden need to get out of the car, but her shoulder would probably combust, so she gives him the softest of nods. The feeling that it's a mediocre reply lingers.

Eventually, he lets go of her wrist.

About half an hour later, she's watching Jongdae fix a generous batch of coffee while singing his heart out to an OST only someone over 30 could recognize. He was the first to wake up, walked into the kitchen, took a look at her and immediately scolded Baekhyun for not getting her slippers closer to her size. 

They belong to Chanyeol and he thinks it’s just hilarious that she walks like a duck in them.

They all come down one by one in different states of sleepiness. All Jiah can think is that life has taken a seriously strange turn, and there’s not much she can do about it other than hold on to a cup of coffee and watch in silence, hair still wet.

“How are you feeling?” Junmyeon asks once again, taking some multivitamins and eyeing a plate of fruit that Sehun tries to keep safe from Chanyeol’s prying hands, asking him for the third time if he washed his hands.

He looks like Jongdae had to drag him out of bed, bed sheet imprints leaving red lines on his left cheek, swollen eyes and messy hair. There’s even dry drool on his chin. She wants to point it out, but they're not comfortable like that with each other.

He eyes the third spoonful of sugar she drops on her coffee but keeps any comment to himself.

“We can ask Dr. Jangmi for something stronger if you need it, just let me know.”

“Alright, thanks. I appreciate that,” she says for what feels like the 20th time in the past 24 hours.

Thanks. I appreciate that. This is weird as fuck though, can we not do this?

“Huh? What's this? What’s going on here?”

There is a soft giggle at the end of Yixing’s question. He's taking his shoes off, stumbling a bit, not closing the door behind him, holding a coffee cup carrier.

“Breakfast.” Jondgae says, and Jiah suspects he made a face. Whatever that means.

“Hey,” he makes his around the island and engulfs her in a careful hug. He's warm to the touch from being outside. “How are you feeling?”

"I’m ok.” she smiles, not being able to help her lips from pouting. “My shoulder’s kind of fucked, though.”

He frowns, shakes his head slowly, hands moving up and down her good arm, leaning down to press his lips to her temple. "I know. I'm sorry. But the more rest you get, the faster you'll feel better again, so don't rush yourself."

She nods, letting her weight rest on him for just a bit, eyes fluttering open when white cotton and a head of thick black hair passes by, startling her.

Kim Minseok is putting two extra carriers next to the one Yixing left on the island top. The door is now closed, but she never heard him come in. And now he's handing people coffee.

Chanyeol thanks him a thousand times. It seems like Jongdae's coffee making skills are controversial, he nags at them about being ungrateful, but walks over to get his cup anyway.

"Oh, that's–"

Jongdae's extended hand stops abruptly at Yixing's interruption. The cup Minseok was just about to give him is now being held by both of them.

"Dirty chai. That's Rina's." he explains.

Jiah, unsure about how to proceed, stares at the cup in front of her face, neither releasing it. Jongdae drops his hand, eyes shifting between them.

Yixing blinks curiously at Minseok, whose face she's avoiding to turn to look at.

Sehun leans over and grabs a cup of his own with his ridiculously long arms.

"Are you guys gonna give it to her, or–"

HIs comment wraps it up. Yixing gives her the cup, smiling down at her and paying no mind to the tilt of Jongdae’s eyebrow or Junmyeon's side eye.

“Oh, before I forget. I told Haneul you're taking a break. He sounded worried, maybe you should give him a call?” 

Right. Haneul. She’s been so distracted that she forgot about him as well. Yixing offers her his phone, but Baekhyun cuts him off and tells her to focus on breakfast while it's still warm.

Kyungsoo is the last one to take a seat at the table, lazily scrolling through his phone. There’s a pair of thick-framed glasses perched on top of his nose. He sighs at Baekhyun’s loud moan when he takes the first bite.

“Just as good as I remembered.”

The table is filled with the sound of eating and the low hum of someone's lofi playlist playing from the speakers. The moment lingers just long enough to become awkward.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I love uncomfortable silences during breakfast, I heard they’re good for digestion,”

Junmyeon stops mid-bite and gives Sehun a look.

“What? I mean she’s here now, can’t you just catch up? Ask her what happened on the third day?”

“Ok, Sehun. Just finish your sandwich.” 

He rolls his eyes, pointedly taking a big bite.

“Didn’t you have something to show us?” Jongin asks helpfully. Jiah has noticed that him and Sehun stick to each other, despite being on opposite ends of several traits.

“Glad you asked,” Baekhyun claps his hands, standing up as he licks his fingers having successfully devoured his sandwich. He disappears for a bit and comes back wheeling the glass board behind him.

Yixing turns to the side in his seat, pointing at one of the pictures. 

“There’s another girl?”

“Yep,” Baekhyun beams, the excited smile on his face melting immediately. He fixes his throat. “Long story short, these girls all are missing, they’re also all students, and they could be connected to Nayeon’s disappearance. We’re thinking they might help us find her.”

“Did you just say find her?”

“I did,” Baekhyun points his finger at Junmyeon, happy that he caught that “Nayeon is alive.”

Other than Sehun noisily blowing on his drink, the silence is heavy with skepticism. 

“We’re keeping a positive mindset here. There is a big, big chance she didn’t die in that fire. The body they found at her apartment was declared burned beyond recognition, and Nayeon didn’t have recent dental work done on her, so they couldn't even look for a match. And before you accuse me of being delusional, Rina came to the same conclusion all on her own.”

“Is this true?”

Jiah nods at Junmyeon. “She sent her brother the recordings through a shipping company days before the fire and scheduled the delivery. He got the package in the mail exactly two weeks after the fire.”

“So she knew she was in danger.”

“Creative.” Chanyeol mutters, impressed “She found a way to let her brother know without putting him in direct danger.”

“And then he tried to end Lee Chungjae himself.” Sehun adds.

“If she went through that effort, she would’ve tried to hide, right? It was only a theory, but Lee Chungjae probably has a reason to believe this as well, and he doesn’t want any loose ends.”

Junmyeon’s face is unreadable. 

“And well,” she points at her shoulder. “I think that night proved my theory.”

Yixing leans back on his chair, crossing his arms. It’s followed by a dry chuckle at the other side of the table.

“Can we just tell her?”

"Baekhyun tries to interrupt, but Chanyeol has a point to make.

"Nah, let her know, or she’ll go out there and successfully get herself killed this time just because she thinks she has backup.”

Jongdae tries as well, not without giving her a careful sideways glance that she doesn’t return, staring back at Chanyeol with just a slight narrowing of her eyes. Her lack of reaction so far has made his demeanor get a little more vicious.

“Let’s not–”

“How do you think they knew it was you, even with your editor protecting you?” Chanyeol finally asks “Your protector snitched on you, didn’t think twice before selling you out to Lee Chungjae’s team. He’s putting good money on his dad's campaign, did you not know?”

“Protector?” she blurts out, neither a question nor an affirmation. “Are you- wait, you mean Namjoon?” 

She snorts.

“I mean, yes? He knew about the investigation. I let him know before it came out.”

“You’re full so of shit. It's just sad.” Chanyeol shakes his head slowly.

“Like I said before, I’m not worried about convincing you.”

“Why?” he dares.

She can't judge him for being so remarkably slow. He doesn’t trust her, he’s probably terrified of whatever he thinks she represents. Yixing didn't lie about people being wary of her.

It’s disappointing to see him handle what he thinks is a threat so poorly, but then again he always was a heart-on-his-sleeve kind of guy. 

Others keep their silence and listen. Kyungsoo, even Junmyeon. Minseok's glare is impossible to ignore.

“Because sometimes being underestimated can work in your favor.” she speaks slowly like it’s a child across from her and not a man two years her senior.

The tension spikes. All these resources, a wide range of skills, a seat at the syndicate, and just a few harmless words make their mood drop.

Junmyeon leans in. “So what I'm hearing is that you put yourself at risk just to... prove a theory.”

“Of course not,” she wonders if he paid attention at all to what she said. “I hoped they’d come expecting to find Nayeon through me, so I set up a lead. It’s not about if they take it but who does. Chungjae's not doing this alone.”

“And did it work? The bait?“ Jongin sounds hopeful.

"I’m hoping it did.”

“You’re hoping it did?” Junmyeon repeats. “It’s been 48 hours, what if they realized you’re bluffing and decided you’re not useful anymore?”

“I’ve got it handled.”

“You never mentioned any of this” Baekhyun says, breaking his silence.

He has a look of disappointment on his face she wants to get rid of, and then she remembers that pale grin he gave her yesterday, like he was about to break into a cold sweat.

“I’ll let you know what I find.” 

There's something happening right in front of her eyes. As much as she wishes she could trust Yixing, his explanation about them being wary about her association with Namjoon doesn't cut it.

Her eyes find Minseok's and she hopes he's better than Baekhyun at subtlety. If getting himself a seat at the table is any indication, chances are he is.

Something indeed, and she's nearly convinced that it goes against the deal he signed a few days ago.

But that's not it, isn't it? There's more to it.

He lifts his chin, just barely, it feels too much like a silent warning. It has the opposite effect he wants. The dirty chai kicks in at once.

“Frankly, I don’t think you’re in the state to be handling anything right now.” Junmyeon’s amused little chuckle kills her momentum.

“I agree,” Yixing says, much to her disappointment “Even if you’re right, it doesn’t mean you're in any less danger.”

“I know how to take care of myself."

“Do I need to remind you that just almost bled out on the way to the hospital? This is obviously getting out of your hands. I won’t have your picture next to those girls'.”

Junmyeon points at the board. He's wearing a ring on his index finger. She's surprised it fits. Maybe he had it resized.

“You can leave it to us this time, we’ll handle it.”

“I appreciate the concern, but it's not your decision to make.”

"Question," Baekhyun says, a surprisingly serious look on his face. "Would it be so bad to let us help?"

“That's not the point. I promised Im Haneul I’d see this through.”

“Wouldn't be the first time you let someone down. He'll survive.” Chanyeol coldly replies.

Her blood starts to boil. They're cornering her, and her patience has a limit.

“Alright, I don’t know what your problem is, but let’s get it over with."

A deep voice has heads turning to the right. “You know what his problem is. Don’t play dumb, it doesn’t suit you.” 

If Chanyeol’s voice was venomous, Kyungsoo’s tone feels like battery acid.

Chanyeol wastes no time. “Only a handful of people survived Hwacheon's fire, how did you make it out?”

“You shouldn’t believe official records, the prison system in this country is a joke.”

“So no complex escape plan? I was expecting some prison break shit from you.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

He shakes a finger at her.

“I heard rumors, you know? About this girl that worked for Kim Namjoon. No one knew where she came from, not even back in their hometown. They said she was a witch, could sniff out a traitor from a mile away,”

Jiah has to give it to him, he sure knows how to set the mood with the storytelling.

“And then one day, she disappeared without a trace. People said he killed her after she tried to turn on them, others said someone in their circle knocked her up and he sent her away. Whatever happened, she vanished.”

“A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang." Sehun says, arm coming to rest around Jongin's shoulders. He pretends not to hear him.

“I don't know what you want me to say."

“Was it him, Hwacheon’s fire? Is that how you got out?”

To her utter disbelief, he's being serious. All she can do is open her mouth and close it, look around to see if anyone else understands how stupid that is.

Kyungsoo shrugs. “You’re not denying it.” 

“No, Kyungsoo. Kim Namjoon didn’t blow up a federal facility to help me escape. I can’t believe I have to explain this to you. I didn’t even know them back then.”

“Hwacheon is just ten miles away from Songju, isn't it? Right where Namjoon’s operation started. That was you. November 10th, the prosecutor's kids, the clean up, the start of the syndicate. You were there.”

"I was." she says without hesitation, still not understanding what's the big deal.

"Why?"

"Because they helped me out. And I because wanted to."

“Well, since we all know he cashes in all his favors, I guess the big, scary question here is what did you have to do to pay off your debt after they helped you out? Was it witchery, or was it-” 

“Ok,” Junmyeon interferes, putting one hand on the table. “You’re crossing the line.”

“Don’t worry, he’s not even close.” she says with a light tone, but the slight curl of her lips betrays the cutting edge behind her words.

"I just hope that if you got knocked up, you had the sense to get rid of it. Otherwise, you're an asshole for putting yourself in danger when you have a kid somewhere."

“Wow. When did he become this fucking pathetic?” she asks, genuinely curious, but they're all either too uncomfortable or embarrassed to grace her with an answer.

“Ok, I’ll translate for him.” Sehun chimes in, leaning forward with a serious expression on his face. Jongin closes his eyes and expects the worst. “What he's trying to ask is, did you engage in premarital sex with Kim Namjoon and/or any of his associates?”

Yixing drops his head. Jongin looks kind of mortified but kind of amused at Chanyeol's immediate response, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

“That is not what I’m asking.”

“No? So you’re worried about my hypothetical kid now?”

“Ok. Chanyeol, drop it. Let’s get back on track.”

But she likes this track. She doesn't see the point in dropping it yet.

"If you’re taking the misogynistic route, at least do it right. Don’t be a half-assed piece of shit, it’s pitiful.”

“Rina.”

“I’m not finished, Suho.”

A quick oop follows.

"I get it. I know what this is about. I see you. You're still dealing with your abandonment issues, but that’s not on me."

Chanyeol's face drops.

She carries on, no remorse. "What? You think you're special because your daddy wasn't around to play ball? Give me a break."

“Jesus. Ice fucking cold.”

A sharp grating sound. He forcefully shoves his chair back.

“Hey, hey–”

“Park Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol stands up at full height and others follow. Jongdae tries to talk some sense into him. Yixing doesn’t hesitate to do the same when she mirrors Chanyeol's stance, arm extended in front of her, shaking his head.

Sehun seems to be out of little quips. Like him, Minseok remains seated, looking at the scene from the end of the table.

Poor Jongdae, he's still trying. “Sit down, man. C'mon.”

But Chanyeol's not listening, his jaw is locked in, teeth gritted together. Finger pointed at her, spit spraying in the air.

”You let us all think you were dead.“ 

"I had my reasons.” 

She’s trying her best to not lose it against his stupid loud voice that takes up the room. Her head, her shoulder, her back, they all hurt. She should’ve left the moment she woke up, barefoot.

Chanyeol throws his arms in the air, growling.

“Your reasons? To let everyone mourn you for what? A decade. What the fuck is that about? Who does that?”

“I'm sorry, what’s the acceptable protocol for you? Enlighten me.”

“Dude, you’re seriously not asking that.” he winces, like he'd rather not look at her. “Kim Namjoon, seriously? That was your only option? You. Everything you tried to preach to us. Looking down at us, talking about better ways and shit, like you were some kind of paragon of virtue."

“Ah, fuck off. Seriously, fuck off." she repeats with closed eyes, an exhausted mantra. "Don’t selectively bring shit from the past into this."

"Was that just to make yourself feel a little less bad about, huh? About getting Yuan killed because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut?”

It feels like the air was sucked out of the room. No one was ready for that, perhaps not even Chanyeol. For a fleeting second he looks like he caught himself off guard.

Jiah lets out a shaky, hoarse little laugh, mumbling to herself. "You don't know shit. Not even now."

"You know you can repeat that all you want but that's still the truth."

“You wanna talk about the truth? The only reason I was there that night was to warn you, but you treated me like I was out of my mind. Everything I tried to tell you would happen, happened. That's the truth,"

Silence, she's not done yet.

"And then you got in that stupid car and sped down the fucking street,"

Not even near.

"You didn’t look back. You had the chance to leave it all behind and move on with your life while mine wasted in jail. But now you wanna act like I owe you an explanation?”

There's no way they remember that night as vividly as she does. Every tiny detail, the smell of shitty sewage water against her face, the weight of some asshole’s knee on her back pinning her to the street, the overlapping of people yelling in panic. Red and blue lights blinding her. Blasting sirens.

“I don't blame you. I fucked up time and time again and it’s not like you could’ve done anything to get me out of it.” she admits. 

“That’s right. You fucked up and we fucked up. So you decided that was it? You couldn't reach out for help or at least contact us? Did you not think of the consequences of letting people believe you were dead?”

She can’t help the bitter smile, half of her wanting to ask Chanyeol what he knows about consequences, but he’d mistake that for her wanting to hear an answer. Ten years later it’s not something that interests her.

"Pretty much, yeah,” she replies shamelessly, after a moment of consideration.

“That easy, huh?”

“Honestly, I was miserable back then. I was a kid, I only had you, I thought I could fix it, but everything kept getting worse.” she says, and the dam has not cracked yet, but it might. Any second now. “So yeah, after the fire, when I realized I had the choice to start over, I took it. That part? That was easy, yes.”

Chanyeol blinks at her, like he's not sure he's looking at someone.

“I was very careful. Don't think this situation here happened because of me being sloppy. I never planned to see any of you again, and I was at peace with that.” 

She wants to carry on but her throat feels raw, and Chanyeol’s breathing through his mouth. A couple of fat, anime-like tears spill down his cheek.

The dust has settled and it's clear that the room has shifted. Yixing was just sitting right next and now there’s some distance between them, like she’s exuding toxic fumes. Baekhyun looks like a kid with glassy eyes and a red nose. It’s too late to take back, it’s all out of her chest, too heavy to cage it back up.

“I do have a question though, why are you wearing my rings?”

Kyungsoo stands up, walking past her and stopping just to throw something on the table. The metallic rattle is enough to let her know what it is.

“They meant something,” he replies, chillingly calm. “Back when we thought you were dead.”

“But now that I think about it, I don’t think you made it out of the fire.”

[abyssalaerlocke]

Underwater Base

Sci-fi AU, underwater base on an exo-planet. Maybe the water helps insulate against solar radiation, maybe it helps keep it secret from planetary scans. And you get to see cool marine life outside your window :D

Make it a callback to the Iron Throne, secret base for crime boss Gortash. You're on the run, living in a futuristic world with cameras everywhere, and come under his protection.

Bonus: your whole party is forced into hiding, and are handling their criminal hosts and bunker life variably.

[kokobopam]

I love making lists and I love reccing fics so I combined my two passions and made this list with all my favorite fics that I read during 2022! First part is tvxq, super junior, shinee and nct; and the seconds part is exclusively exo because they’re my main group. 

I hope you can find something here that you like. And if you do, make sure you let the author know with some kudos and comments <3

(And come talk to me about it! I love talking about fics!)

PART 2

PART 1:

TVXQ

It’s Alright (Even if You Hate me Again) by zimriya (homin, E, Inception AU)

The inception fic!! If you follow me on twt you know I haven’t shut up about this story since I read it in june. It’s my favorite tvxq fic and top 3 favorite fic ever. 

As usual, zimriya’s world building is on another level; this fic combines the best of the inception universe with tvxq’s own history in a way that’s absolutely brilliant and it’ll have you guessing what’s going on with yunho and changmin for most part of the story. 

Also, Yunho and Changmin… 10/10 characterization (as well as all the other characters!) Seriously, so good

and in the name of love. by peachxi (marsxholic) (homin, M, angels and demons)

So much blood and violence and angst, and the question “what if love made you worse”? I love an au where the characters are willing to bring the world apart for each other.

memento mori by troubled (homin, M)

A dark tvxq fic. I love the hazy, nightmarish feel of it and that you can really tell what’s actually real and what isn’t. Also, religious imagery!!

so tear me open, but beware by jumpstarts (homin, M)

This is basically a drabble collection and it’s what introduced me to the tvxq ficdom (and inspired me to give it a try). Many excellent stories to fall in love (and even get your heart broken) with homin.

Super Junior

lucky draw by backwardsghost (eunhae, E, Gloomy VCR inspired)

I love this fic because it’s so fucked up and dark and you don’t see that a lot in the eunhae tag. Really the best interpretation of the gloomy vcr you could ever find

be my only one by smth_or_another (kyuhyuk, E, canon compliant, roomates)

One thing I discovered this year is that I love canon compliant fics and there’s so much that can be said about two +30 y/o men living in a dorm together through a pandemic. I love kyuhyuck and this fic made me love them even more.

Break my heart and start again by rmbringsoo (eunhae, E, sports AU)

A hockey player/figure skater eunhae fic. It does such a great job at characterization and at portraying the difficulties of navigating a relationship amidst a successful career. A really beautiful story.

Shinee

Let's crack the code for nights by spacewitchbot  (minkey, M, idolverse)

What would happen if you could install Minho’s personality on your phone? Wonderful fic, it made me laugh so much and minkey were super cute in it.

Apsis by Tempcard (minkey, T, sci-fi, space religion)

I’m seriously in love with the worldbuilding in this fic. It’s very different to what I’m used to reading in a sci-fi story and the approach to the characters, their drive and devotion was really heart-warming 

something i can't forget by makeawish (misconceptionsof) (minkey, E, pwp)

I don’t read a lot of smut but this fic was so HOT and so on point. It sent my into a minkey spiral and I still haven't recovered from it.

NCT

The Girasol by MailOrderBride (hyuckle, E, pirates, horror)

“You see, bard… the sea has a starving belly. It's never sated, and it rumbles down below. Deep.” Such a well written and chilling fic. I hope I never find myself on a ship in the open sea, thank you. 

Softer Than Shadow, Quicker Than Flies by FascinationStreet (Taeyong, E, dreams and nightmares)

A Taeyong-centric fic inspired by his song ghost. It’s dark and creepy and sexy…just everything I love. Lot’s of spider imagery, how nice!

Ophiuchus by boulevarddouble (yuwoo, E, bartenders and criminals)

Yuta is a grifter. He's also a regular at the bar where Jungwoo works. Sexy fic about sexy criminals, that's all you should know.

[krpgarden]

hello! I am a semi-lit, literate, novella male writer at the age of 23! i’m looking for someone who is 18+ but 21+ is preferable! discord exclusive though i am soon to be making this account i am sending from active here on tumblr! eventually! but it may take awhile! i am looking for anyone who enjoys any type of plots/universes/tropes! though my favorite genre is horror/nsfw! i also love omega-verse, fantasy/supernatural, sci-fi, idol-verse, slashers, post-apocalyptic, vampires/werewolves! i definitely only have a preference for MXM pairings and am open to poly ships as well! non-au, au, oc, and cc settings are all good for me. some cc ships i’m looking for currently are cheongsan/suhyeok ( all of us are dead ), jiwoo/seojun ( to my star 1 & 2 ), any mxm ship from squid game, etc! it also just depends on what you’re feeling at that moment!

my favorite faceclaim(s) to play are members from ateez, got7, bts, stray kids, zerobaseone, seventeen, ace, enhyphen, monsta x, oneus, shinee, txt, p1harmony, pentagon, day6, kard, onlyoneof, btob, vanner, nct, exo. i also write a lot of korean male actors like son woohyun, wi hajoon, lee dongwook, kim kangmin, lee soohyuk, park solomon, yoon chanyoung, ji changwook, gong yoo, cha eunwoo, lee jongsuk, etc. i also have faceclaims from thai bls as well! anyone i haven’t mention doesn’t mean i won’t write against those faces! i’m very versatile when it comes to faceclaims! i’m welcoming all with open arms!

for triggers/limitations/no-gos- i don’t necessarily have any! i’m pretty open to write anything! doesn’t mean i’ll write EVERYTHING but you get what i mean. i’m very versatile when it comes to dynamics and plots.

you can contact me to plot on discord, username is vampsuvius. or you can message me on my tumblr account above, vampsuvius!

hi there, thank you so much for your message! 💚

friends, if you are interested in writing with this person, please reach out to them via their tumblr account or add them on discord!

[krp1x1finder]

hello! looking for long-term partners. i'm 25+ and only write with others who are 21+, so please keep that in mind! i go by she / her pronouns and live in the cst / gmt-6 time zone. [basics…] » i'd rather write on discord within our own private 1x1 server, but i'm open to writing on mewe and tumblr. » third-person p.o.v only. novella and multi-para are my go-to, but single-para can be used for quick scenes and one-liners are strictly for dm / text threads. i typically write two to six paragraphs on average, but i can write shorter or longer, depending on your preference or the plot / thread. » semi-active. due to work, other hobbies, health issues, and so on, my activity does fluctuate. i can usually write two to four replies a week, but this might dip or rise depending on what's going on. i'll communicate with you if i need to take longer to reply. i'm also understanding if my partner's busy, but i do expect some proper level of communication from you too. » i match my partner's energy. if you prefer to focus on plots and threads with minimal chatting, i can do that. if you prefer gushing about our muses, making pinterest boards, getting into world-building, etc., i can do that too. as long as we're both interested in our threads, i don't care. » continuing with the note above, if it seems like you're not interested or like i have to carry everything, i'm going to drop what we have going on. sorry, not into that. enthusiasm's needed.

[writing…] » i'm interested in everything: idolverse, au, original, and fandom-based plots. when it comes to genres / themes, i have a strong preference for horror, but i also love to write crime, fantasy, historical, sci-fi, and slice-of-life. i also love a heavy dose of angst with a smattering of fluff thrown in. » i have a long list of fandom-based au ideas, but i'll keep it limited to just these few for now: alice in wonderland, dead by daylight, kiki's delivery service, and princess mononoke. » darker topics and toxic dynamics are definitely welcome. we can discuss what we're open to writing, what's off limits, and any triggers before writing together. » mxm and fxf ships are highly preferred. i'm open to mxf pairs, but they do require doubling and matched enthusiasm. smut's welcome, but not necessary, and it can be vague, detailed, or fade-to-black. if smut becomes involved, i do prefer that it's more plot-based, but it's not required.

[faceclaims…] » i use faces from the following groups and soloists (excluding obviously problematic members). ult means they're my absolute favorite to write as and against, with interest leading downward from primary, secondary, and tertiary. — ult: monsta x, twice, wonho — primary: b.a.p, chungha, dpr ian, dreamcatcher, (g)i-dle, heize, highlight, oneus — secondary: bibi, corbyn, exid, got7, girl's generation, hyolyn, pentagon, wei, wjsn — tertiary: aespa, kang daniel, kingdom, kwon eunbi, onlyoneof, park jihoon, purple kiss, red velvet

» i'm NOT interested in writing against the following groups: ateez, big bang, blackpink, bts, exo, nct, stray kids, suju, and txt.

[end…] thank you for reading everything! if interested, please like this post and i'll reach out to you via tumblr dms!

🌸 !

[haveanotherkpopblog]

A Thousand Lives Lived

Exology

Pairing: EXO OT11 x Fem!Reader

Genre: Adventure, Angst, Drama, Fantasy, Power!AU, Sci-Fi

Word Count: ~400

Warnings: N/A

Masterlist || Next>>

In the beginning, there was nothing. From the nothing grew the roots of the Tree of Life- and the Tree of Life itself from that. Its roots stretched and wrapped around itself to create the EXO Planet. From there, life was born.

For peace, balance and protection, the Tree of Life produced eleven forces--eleven Legends. Each one created from a single drop of sap, each Legend was given an elemental or cardinal power to aid in the protection of Tree of Life.

To help and aid the protection of EXO Planet, the Legends created the Elyxion. Hand-picked by the Legends themselves, the Elyxion’s sole purpose was to record and guide the people of EXO Planet-- to keep them on the path of peace and balance. For many years, life lived in bliss.

From the depths of the darkness of the nothing came the red force. Sweltering with hate and festering with greed, the Red Force created the Evil. Plundering the EXO Planet, turning lush fields into dry and barren wastelands, pitting brother against brother, the Evil Red Force made its way towards the Tree of Life.

To protect the Tree of Life, the Legends divided the heart of the Tree in half. Time was overturned and space turned askew. The Legends left the care of EXO Planet in the hands of the Elyxion, before fleeing with the two halves. The eleven Legends split into two and traveled apart to two worlds that seemed alike.

Before the Legends left EXO Planet, they left the Elyxion with this: The two halves of the Tree of Life are equal and opposite to each other. One cannot exist without the other, for their hearts beat in unison. They keep balance in this world and the next. It is only when the End of the End is nigh that the Tree may be reunited and reborn into one perfect root.

With the Legends and the Tree of Life far from EXO Planet, the Evil Red Force left to pursue. To uphold their ancient oath, they attempted to cleanse the influence of the Evil Red Force from the people of EXO Planet, but the damage was immeasurable. To keep the future of the Elyxion safe and free from the negative influence, they kept to their own bloodlines and created the Exoluxion, severing all ties with the outside world.

Many years passed, and the Elyxion stood strong. They taught and cherished two ideals: strength and intelligence. Young Elyxions were taught hand-to-hand combat, strategic planning, weapon manufacturing, and advanced medical knowledge and practice. The Elyxion lived in peace and balance, as long as they remained in the Exoluxion, safe from the Evil Red Force.

[galoresficrecs]

[EXO] Jongin

LAST UPDATED ON: Dec 2nd, 2022

newly added ✦ || personal faves ✪ || ongoing ✑

ratings:

not rated || general || teen and up || mature || explicit🔞

❧ NOT HERE SHIPS ☙

jongin x baekhyun x sehun

❧ jongin x junmyeon ☙

✪ camera (shy) by curledupkitten [28,4k words] college!au, porn star!au || explicit🔞

❧ jongin x kyungsoo ☙

✪ All Gays Go to Heaven by at1stsoo [11,3k words] college!au, post-graduation, clubbing || explicit🔞

✪ Anything You Can Do by indigomini [13,6k words | 7 ch] office!au, rivals to lovers || explicit🔞

✪ Café Eau Laid by indigomini [8,1k words | 2 ch] a/b/o!au, café!au, college!au || explicit🔞

✪ Darling, It's Better Down Where It's Wetter (Take It From Me) by indigomini [19,6k words | 2 ch] mythology!au, merfolk!au || explicit🔞

✪ Demonic Domesticity and Other Signs of the Apocalypse by TRASHCAKE [12,7k words] apocalypse!au, supernatural || explicit🔞

✪ It Takes More Than Ten Tickles by at1stsoo [3,6k words] aliens!au, sci-fi || teen and up

✪ Pay Me Some Mind by indigomini [33,2k words | 15 ch] college!au || explicit🔞

❧ jongin x sehun ☙

✑ ✪ Get Cocky by MitchMatchedSocks [187,8k words | 38/? ch] college!au, fraternity!au, friends with benefits, sexual experimentation || explicit🔞

✪ Is That A Python in Your Pants or Are You Just Happy to See Me? by MitchMatchedSocks [39,1k words | 13 ch] hybrid!au, college!au || explicit🔞

✪ Mind If I Slither In? by MitchMatchedSocks [19,4k words] aliens!au, sci-fi, baseball!au || explicit🔞

❧ jongin x reader☙

99 and Marlowe by kpopfanfictrash [4,1k words] f!reader, soulmates!au, age gap || teen and up

[part of Exordia Academy] Anomaly by kpopfanfictrash [10,3k words] f!reader, 1980s!au, academy!au, powers!au || explicit🔞

[part of Welcome to the Exodus Mall] Freestyle by yehet-me-up [22,1k words] f!reader, 1990s!au, mall!au, set in seattle, co-workers to lovers || mature

[sanjoongie]

Hello! Out of curiosity, I was wondering if you had any sci-fi fic inspiration from other authors here for your alien series. I’ve read it numerous times and I think it’s so fun to write about.

Aliens, I mean, because you honestly do get the most creative freedom in this genre. It’s fun to come up with all sort of species and creatures and places with no chance of being told you’re wrong because you made it all up yourself! Don’t you think?

Hi hi 👋 to answer your first question, no I did not draw any inspiration from other authors on Tumblr for my alien series (I think you mean breed? Cuz I also have my sci-fi medley au with multiple aliens from movies) for me, when I got into K-pop, my two top groups were exo and b.a.p, who both had alien concepts, so this is almost my bread and butter, honestly. And also, I enjoy the genre as a whole and wanted for more fics to be out there with the sci-fi influence.

I do agree, though. Writing aliens is oh so fun. Being able to have the freedom to create worlds and types of creatures within the genre is great. But also that way that they're learning about the human world gives them a different level as a character and that's very fun to play around with.

Even within my sci-fi medley, deciding what I want to include for Scott ridleys Aliens, the furyans from chronicles of Riddick and the Predators, is a lot of fun. Researching but embellishing what I want, it's a fun blend of fiction and my own imagination.

I'm happy to hear you read my alien stuff and that it provokes these kinds of thoughts. I love these kinds of discussions 😍😍😍

[cherishaa]

the name is hermione zoé, lots of pet names have come to her as the time passed. zowi, zozo, zo, zuwi, baby, honey, oh there are more to know that you might giggle once you listen to it. she might have a cute and little girl aura that she always share, but no worries, she is clearly not a minor! 🌼 as warm as the sunshine that gleams on an ordinary day, she definitely love it to give the affection needed by everyone. platonically, ofcourse, since the romantic one belongs to her boyfriend only. ❤️ she was cherie elisha, goes by cher or cherie as the nickname. but then, for some specific reason, changing it become the best idea for her to take as a step. new name, new journey, she said! 💭

talking about her, more. she loves a lot of things such as watching movies with some people, also playing genshin (even tho she is not so great on it) or maybe the other games, exploring lots of songs on spotify or maybe just listening to one song which is her favorite at the moment on loop, having spotify session, scribbling to a random photo, reading some novel or maybe just in wattpad or twitter AU, etc.

movies : her favorite genre are action, adventure, animation, fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, horror, family, comedy. she could watch the others too based on her mood, also if the people that she want to watch with chose those which aren't on her list, she surely will follow! her favorite movies are frozen from disney, how to train your dragon, any barbie movies, and some marvel movies! series, she watch alice in borderland, emily in paris, fate: the winx saga (but sadly it got cancelled), also wednesday! 🖤

songs : not really strict with the music she listen, but surely kpop is her taste. casually listen to newjeans, ive, aespa, red velvet, blackpink, stayc, itzy, nct, exo, enhypen and etc! beside— she also listen to western songs. taylor swift is her spirit, there are no day without listening to love story or wildest dream! the others, she have olivia rodrigo, joshua basset, billie eilish, the weeknd, niki, the 1975, and more to see. perhaps, we could exchange a follow on our spotify? 💬

games : she actually play lots of game but only have genshin on her phone (currently), plato is also downloaded but on her other phone which is rarely get played! it can be discussed if we will have a plato agenda together tho. 🫣 smtown superstar, subway surf, farmville 3, stumble guys, thats all the games that exist on her other phone! not to be mentioned, her pc also contain some games which are portal, garfield kart, valorant, and more (she actually forgot what else). 😠

perhaps thats all she can express through words, more introduction could be find out as the time passed! something that happen naturally is one of the things she appreciate the most. 🖤

[way-of-the-sun]

My works

EXO

Xiumin

> The Bed: a fluffy drabble

Prompt: „I know you want to lie here with me… but you can’t.“

Pairing: Xiumin x Reader

Words: 823

Suho

> Even when it rains: a fluffly drabble, slight angst

Prompt: something soft, something domestic, something that soothes the soul

Pairing: Kim Junmyeon (Suho)/Kim Jongdes (Chen)

Words: 1.012

Chanyeol

> Lost in Transmission: AU! Sci-Fi

Prompt: Chanyeol is a computer engineer working on AI and is murdered by his rival and his consciousness is uploaded into the AI system

Warning: Angst, Blood, Violence, Character Death

Pairing: platonic!Chanyeol x Reader

Words: 2056

D.O.

> Made with Love: AU! Kyungsoo as a restaurant owner

Genre: fluff, romance

Pairing: D.O. x Reader

Words: 4.390

[kaisooficpodcast]

kaisoo fic podcast

Please note that I have no affiliation to the idols KAI and D.O. of EXO. When I refer to Jongin and Kyungsoo here, it is them as characters in the respective fics of the episode. This podcast is in no way trying to defame them, but rather appreciating literature. 

We start by laying down the general idea for this show:

Appreciating the worlds kaisoo fic writers have created for us. I am a very expressive and extroverted person, so to appreciate my love for the fics, I revel in this whole experience of reading fics on AO3, writing on my tumblr blog about it and talking about it here.

At the top of my head, authors like at1stsoo, jongnugget, jjokkomi, rainepaige08, adtoyks, haqiyin, maokun and melings and so many more i could go on and i wish i could list them all, but for the sake time i won't, but we’ll get there hopefully. 

2. I never knew how to express all these pent up emotions I had while reading fics until I had a community to talk to about kaisoo fics with on the bird app. Then I tend to spiral it into my social life, talking about it to my own friends who are also into the kpop community. So with that disruption of me always talking about it to my friends, I am opening up this podcast. Mainly for myself, to release all these pent up emotions and sentiments of kaisoo fanfiction, and treat it like a cathartic experience. 

I need to express my emotions because I have so much respect for fanfic writers. When writing, you put yourself out vulnerably. Fic writers write for free, have active social and work lives on the daily, yet as an outlet, take their irreplaceable time to write for us. As compared to authors who have books with publishers, fics writers do not have the luxury of promoting their work. What I mean by promotion is by having book launches and seeing their works in bookstores. Instead, fanfic promotion has fic writers relying on word of mouth in the twitter world, the masterlists by kaisooficrec and the search bar on ao3. 

Appreciating authors in this manner is the very least I can do, hence the creation of this space. 

What you can expect from my series:

I will share my thoughts whenever I feel deeply moved by particular scenes in the narrative. This space is for me to appreciate the details and connect the dots together. These authors are so passionate in their craft, so generous with their time and share so much of the same love. 

There will be spoilers, but hopefully not too much, so listeners can either treat these upcoming episodes like a post reading listen or as a taster to reading the fic. And additionally, like my tumblr blog, I would also add excerpts from the fic. 

Do not expect fantasy and sci-fi aus, because i dont read them, hence i dont qualify to call myself a fanfic connoisseur, but I am definitely a kaisoo fic appreciator.

With that said, please note I am not a critic, and I do not intend to rate fics. I believe that the fics that we read in different moments of our lives is a very personal experience. We have some connection to it. Even if it's a slow burn 80k word fic or a pwp oneshot, doesn't matter, because for those moments, they were our companions. 

Likewise, the fics I go through in this series are personal to me. Anywhere anytime anything happens, and it reminds me of a fic… I will find myself daydreaming with a stupid smile on my face… which unfortunately catches the attention of some muggles and hence adding to the many reasons why I have this podcast. All these pent up energy, loving a fic, being obsessed with fics, i need to let it out cathartically.

So that’s just me, as a reader being obsessed. If i am obsessed, i wonder how writers feel. Carrying their characters with them, seeing the plot unfold in their minds, and beautifully articulating it into text.

Listeners of this kaisoo fic podcast, will be able to have a snippet of how an author feels. The last section of an episode, i ask our lovely authors some questions prior to the session. Questions of the fic, based on the fic and just slight personal questions on their journey as a writer. 

So do give lots of love to our writers, drop kudos in the fics you read. And that about sums it all up for this primer episode.

[rancidtae]

ARCADIA'S LULLABY / the reboot

Genre: Mafia AU. Vigilante AU. Sci-fi (AI).

Warnings: Graphic violence, Strong language, Mature content.

Pairing: exo & Original Female Character (Jung Jiah/Kang Rina)

meet the characters

A/N: aaaaaand we're back! it's been a while. motivated by this exo comeback and a rewatch of the show that originally inspired this, I've decided to bring this blog back to life. This is a rewrite of a story i posted here a few years back. new scenes, flashbacks, plot improvements and easter eggs for part two are being added. (yes that is still in the works because this was always meant to be Part One of a series, including a bts centered prequel )

So, here it is:

If there’s one thing tenacious investigative journalist Jung Jiah knows about this city, is that trust is scarce and truth is a commodity. Forced to face a haunting past and reunited with the men she once considered family, instinct tells her to run and hide.

But when she finds that her childhood friends might be hiding the key to the one story she could never solve, she’s thrust into a web of complex relationships and blurred lines between guilt, trust, and betrayal. The quest for the truth takes center stage, and it reveals a world where neon lights cast long shadows, and nothing is as it seems.

CHAPTER 1: NIGHTCALL (OUT NOW)

CHAPTER 2: AFTERHOURS (OUT NOW)