#for that one they said 7-14 days unless there was a lot of comms (which there ended up being a lot) so it got delayed

[kon-konk]

I'm so excited! I got the rough color draft back for some art I commissioned for Peach, which means it won't be too much longer before I have the final!

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Mon., Mar. 15, 2021

Commemorated on March 2_by the New calendar

The Priest Martyr Theodotus (315)

     The PriestMartyr Theodotus, a native of Galatia in Asia Minor, was bishop of the city of Kyreneia in Cyprus. During a time of persecution against christians under the impious emperor Licinius (307-324), Saint Theodotus openly preached Christ, calling on the pagans to abandon idol-worship and turn to the True God. The governor of Cyprus Sabinus gave orders to arrest and bring bishop Theodotus to trial. Having found out about this order, the saint did not wait for the soldiers sent after him, but instead immediately went to the governor with the words: "I am here, whom thou seekest; I have shown myself, so as to preach Christ my God". The governor gave orders for the saint to be beaten without mercy, hung up upon a tree and be dealt with by sharp implements, and then be taken to prison. After five days Saint Theodotus was again brought to the governor, who presumed that the bishop would prefer after his tortures to renounce Christ, rather than endure new sufferings. But Saint Theodotus did not cease to preach about Christ. At first they put the saint on an iron grate, under which they set a bon-fire, and then hammered nails into his feet and let him go. Many witnessed the sufferings of the martyr: astonished at the endurance of the saint and his Divinely-inspired speaking, they came to believe in Christ. Learning of this, Sabinus gave orders to stop the torture and lock up the saint in prison.      During the time of Saint Constantine the Great (Comm. 21 May), the freedom to confess their faith was given to all christians, and among the sufferers set free from prison was also Saint Theodotus. The saint returned to Kyreneia and after two years serving as bishop he peacefully expired to the Lord in about the year 326.

All texts© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Jano

The Monk Agathon of Egypt (5th.c.)

     The Monk Agathon of Egypt, a contemporary of the Monk Makarios the Great (Comm. 19 January), pursued asceticism in a skete monastery in Egypt. He was distinguished by an especial meekness, accounting himself most sinful among men. One time monks from afar came to the monk Agathon for spiritual talk and asked him: "Art thou Father Agathon?" "Ye see before you a sinful servant of God", – answered the monk. "It is rumoured, that thou art a man proud and intemperate", – replied the monks. "Completely true", agreed the saint. "We have heard also, that thou art a liar that loveth to gossip about others". "This also is true", – assented Saint Agathon. "They say moreover, that thou art an heretic?" – the monks persisted, but immediately they met with an objection: "In vain, I am not an heretic". When they asked the monk why, having accepted upon himself other vices, that he refused this last one, the saint explained: "These vices it is impossible not to ascribe to myself, since every man by his nature falls into sin, and all of us, through the corruption of our nature, are involuntarily captivated by vices; but heresy is apostacy from God, a deliberate renunciation of the True God".      To the question about which ascetic deeds are more important for salvation, the external or the inner, the monk Agathon answered: "A man is like a tree; the outer or bodily concerns itself with leaves, whereas the inner soul grows fruit. But just as Holy Scripture asserts, that "every tree which does not bear good fruit, shalt be cut down and thrown into the fire" (Mt 3: 10), so then it is evident from this, that the greater attention ought to concern the fruit. But a tree also has need for its leaves, so as to sustain the life-bearing sap and by the shade of its leaves offer protection to the tree and its fruit from the desiccating heat".      The monk Agathon died in about the year 435. For three days before his end the monk sat in silence and concentration, as though disturbed about something. To the perplexed questioning of the monks he answered, that he saw himself at the Judgement in front of Christ. "How is it possible that thou, father, should fear judgement?" – they asked him. "I through my strength have kept the commandments of the Lord, but as a man how might I be certain, that my deeds have been pleasing to God?". "Dost thou not trust that thy good deeds which thou hast accomplished, are pleasing to God?" – asked the monks. "I have no hope until such time as I see God. Human judgement is one thing, but Divine judgement is another matter". Having said this, the saint expired to the Lord.      [Trans. Note: "Agathon" in Greek means "Good", just as also "Makarios" means "Blessed"; – there is a didactic thread woven into the fabric of many of the Saints vitae teaching this or that moral point or insight. Thus, whether or not Saint Agathon started monastically with such a name is less relevant than having finished with it. The opening dialogue with the monks from afar takes on a deeper dimension when set in perspective of: "Art thou Brother Good", – "Ye see before you a sinner" "guilty of all the sins ye allege and more" "but God forbid, no heretic!"].

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

Isaiah 1:1-20 (6th Hour)

1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; 3 The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” 4 Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Childrenwho are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward. 5 Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment. 7 Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. 8 So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, As a hut in a garden of cucumbers, As a besieged city. 9 Unless the Lord of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah. 10 Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: 11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. 12 When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? 13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. 14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. 15When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. 16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; 20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Proverbs 1:1-20 

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; 4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion— 5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 My son, hear the instruction of your father, 9 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, And whole, like those who go down to the Pit; 13 We shall find all kinds of precious possessions, We shall fill our houses with spoil; 14 Cast in your lot among us, Let us all have one purse”—15 My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path; 16 For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood. 17 Surely, in vain the net is spread In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood, They lurk secretly for their own lives.19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.20Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares.

[ruchitarahuljain-blog]

Post corona effects on reselling

JOBLESS IS RISING

Coronavirus has disrupted a lot of industries. In many countries, businesses deemed ‘non-essential’ have been forced to close their doors. Unless you work at a supermarket, hospital, or flexible digi-based company (more on that later), chances are you’re pretty worried about your career situation.

And why wouldn’t you be? Nearly 10 million people filed for unemployment in the last two weeks of March alone. And that’s just 14 days. The full scope of the pandemic is even more unbelievable.

To give you some idea, Forbes recently compiled a list of major companies who have had to significantly cut back their staff in the past month. The list is staggeringly long. And the Art/Culture industry is a huge chunk of it.

Depending on your situation, there is a chance you’ll have to change things up if you’re going to wait out the pandemic comfortably. And that’s pretty difficult as..

Behavior is changing

The world has figured out what happens when outside isn’t an option. And honestly, it’s lucky we’ve reached such a level of technological advancement. This recent piece from The New York Times summarizes it nicely: We’re using computers more and phones less. We’re connecting via video chat. We’re finding new innovative ways to do our jobs from home. We’re consuming news differently. We’re playing esports instead of regular sports.

People are being forced to change their product when they don’t even know if people will still buy it. But there are glimmers of hope.

In many ways, people are being forced to change their product when they don’t even know if people will still buy it. But there are glimmers of hope.

Some businesses are adapting

You’ve noticed it. The businesses you used to rely on are finding ways to get their product to you without you having to lift a finger. Or they’re changing their focus completely.

The fashion industry is a great example. Once upon a time, labels would pay models to show off their clothes. Now, they’re experimenting with loungewear, models are becoming influencers from home and CGI models have become a socially-responsible option.

It’s happening in entertainment, too. Performers are live streaming. Party-goers are video conferencing. Major celebrities are keeping up with their fans via podcasts. And honestly, it’s a far cry from what people are used to.

Even businesses that benefited from more people at home have had to make major changes. Zoom had to beef up its data centers to handle all the new traffic. Pinterest is shifting the way it communicates. Here at Linktree, we changed our internal culture from one that plans comms months in ahead, to one that brainstorms daily.

This is because our audience is mostly freelancers and side-hustlers who link off to multiple places.

It’s way more difficult for you guys now

Sure, it’s great that big businesses are changing their focus, switching to online platforms and finding easier ways to get their product to you. But if you work for yourself or you were let go from your main gig, you now have to deal with a flooded market and a decreasing client list. We reached out to creators within our Linktree community to find out more.

Jon Bailey (also known as @EpicVoiceGuy), is a professional voice actor probably best known for Honest Trailers. We asked him how things were going as a voice artist and impressionist during the pandemic. He said this:

“Several of my regular voiceover sessions have been cancelled and/or postponed because they can’t be together to make what I would be promoting. I already worked from home most of the time but now I’m home 24/7 having to homeschool a 12 year old and three teenagers, one of which is Autistic and Mom and I aren’t trained special needs educators.”

ruchita jain

ceo and director at

Jaipur trendz

[project-runway-rankings]

Season 16 Episode 14- A Fitting Finale

This finale was one of my favorites in quite a few seasons.  I truly had no idea who was going to win, and I could see any of the four of the designers winning.  The last time that I could see any of the designers in the finale legitimately winning was way back in season 7 with Mila, Emilio and Seth Aaron.  I also believe that any of these collections is superior to every collection from the past twos seasons, with only Kelly and Erin’s coming close.

Do I agree with the winner?  Well you will have to see my rankings, but in short I think I would have been happy with any outcome. Onto the rankings:

4. Brandon

I loved the flamingo print and most of his silhouettes, but as a collection is was very one note.  There is a hint of teal/aqua in the flamingo print and I would have loved to see him use a really saturated form of the color like he did with the pink leather in a few looks.

This is my favorite look from his collection.  The leather shirt over the dress gives an interesting silhouette and layering effect.  The print works very well here because it was broken up and his styling is on point.

The play on the shirt construction on the skirt is fun, but it is starting to become an old and worn out trend.  The top is very Brandon in every way possible.

I love the shirt dress underneath.  For all of the menswear Brandon has done he never made a shirt dress until the finale which I found interesting.  The proportion of the vest to the dress is all wrong and the vest looks a bit tortured.  I also wish it was in a different fabric.

The top is a snooze fest and it needs to be a color far more different than the flamingo print.  I really like the skirt with the closures at the bottom and extreme asymmetrical hem.

I am still trying to figure out what is happening here and if I like it.  From the front it is a long coat dress but from the back it looks like a shirt over a dress.  I do like the ruffling along the hem and the you can see the gradient of the flamingo print because it such a long piece of fabric.

This look I love.  It is a simple shirt dress but the details make it special.  The oversize sleeves balance out the relative shortness of it from the front, but I also like that it is longer in the back.  I can take or leave the straps, but the don’t feel over superfluous here.

This piece lacks balance.  I like everything individually, it just so happens that everything draws your eye to her right thigh and not her upper body.  I’ve seen the shirt before in his collection so I would have likes something different on top to balance it out.  The bottom just looks messy.

That paper bag waster is still not working but I am glad he got rid of that tortured top from last week.  Too bad he just added a basic tank instead.  I like to imagine this look with an aqua/teal shirt like in his first look.  The waist down is great and I wish he did more pants in his collection.

This is my second favorite look of the collection.  I love the play on a paper doll dress, and I love the crispness of the leather juxtaposed with the flow and busyness of the dress underneath.  The proportions are right as well.

This is quite underwhelming as a finale piece.  From the back it gives his model a much better shape than the front.  Overall it’s just a bit bland and more of the same from his rest of his collection.

3. Ayana

It was tough to decide between 2nd and third place because I genuinely liked both collections.  Ayana ultimately came in 3rd for two reasons, repetitiveness and the fact that were a few looks I thought were wasted spots in her collection. In the end I truly thought the judges would award her the win because she really showed her modest aesthetic and probably would have done the most with the money.

I love this geometric lace and that she decided to make an entire look out of it.  The pants could be a bit more fitted and I don’t understand why she hs basically the same top on twice (I know one is a shirt and one is a jacket but still).  

I’m not well versed on hijab traditions but I think a hijab out of that lace on this look would have been killer.

I don’t need this hoodie at New York Fashion Week and I don’t understand it within the context of the collection.  the pants are essentially the same cut as the previous look but fabric blocking in a hexagonal pattern mimicking the lace was shows Ayana’s fabrication genius.

If she would have put this top with her pants from look 2, scrapped these velous pieces and created a new top and skirt combo I’d be happy.  The top is gorgeous and unabashedly Ayana.  The skirt is a throw away.  There isn’t much of a market for that length and that cut of skirt.

I sang the praises of this look last week and I will sing them again.  every single piece is gorgeous on its own and together they are even better. The lighting last week didn’t really show off the shine of the shirt which plays well the matte jacket and pants.  I love how loose the jacket is from the front yet it is still fitted in the back. J’dore.

I like this marginally better than when she showed it last week.  The greens are definitely popping more, but I still wish it was injected with even more color.  I think this model may be a few sizes smaller than her model last week and I think it definitely moves better on this one.  It’s just boring.

I love this look.  This is her fifth pant in six looks yet it is different than of them. This is a master class in proportions.  The ruffles on the sleeves hit in the right spot and the skirt hits at the right point on the thighs to lengthen the model while also making your eyes move around her body.

This is the only look in the collection where I can feel Ayana trying to make a modest look.  There is no reason to have pants on under this dress unless it is to create a modest look.  This is also just too much of this fabric, I think the shinier print would have worked better.

This is so luxurious.  I love the asymmetrical ruffles on her waist and thighs which make this special.  It is also her only jumpsuit which is impressive considering we live in a world of jumpsuits right now. (Though it may be a shirt and pants)

When Brandon said this looks like an amphibian I totally agreed.  Not only is it because of the fabric, but when it moved down the runway it reminded me of a newt swimming through the water.  What I’m saying is I loved it.

This may be the single best piece that ever walked down the runway.  There really is just nothing else to say because that says it all.

2. Margarita

Margarita’s collection came down to one thing, taste.  I love how she went full force into tropical island girl style and didn’t neuter her collection like others (Candice) have in the past.  From head to toe, beginning to end, this collection was a Margarita moment.

You know what you are getting from a collection when this looks turns the corner.  From print, to cut, to color, to the feathers this is a wow look without going over the top.  I love the sunglasses she designed as well.  I wish she used this blue throughout her collection more.

It felt a little odd to have the only gown in the collection be in the middle, but then again this also feels a bit like a cover up.  The print and color are vibrant and the up close beading detail is gorgeous.

The judges disliked the feathers but i am all about them.  She mixed all three of her prints in one look and it worked out fabulously.  The way she used the striped print from front to back is fabulous.

I agree with the judges, this is the one piece I could do without.  It does make her model look thin and tall, but it’s just a bit busy yet underwhelming at the same time.

Yes. Bitch. Work.  This look was a moment with a capital M.  the suit is gorgeous on its own and very flattering to Jazzmine, and the cover-up converts it into a cute part dress.  I could see a lot of girls wearing that as a dress on a summer day.

This is where I think the feathers go to far. Other than that I think this is pretty great.  the cut of the pants is sublime, it is not easy to line up that pattern like that across her thighs. I’m not sure how the top works and if it would fall off if the drapes came around front.

The dress I can live without but that bomber is the star.  I love it.

This may be my favorite piece in Margarita’s collection.  it is unabashedly latina in its silhouette and print, but the sheer skirt takes it from costume to fashion.  It’s a dramatic silhouette and different from the rest of her collection.

Honestly, this look was one of my favorites last week, but it is a bit of a low note in her collection as a whole.  The pants are still great, but the top is too heavy for the pants.  They have a sense of humor and he shirt is just to serious.

I love every piece here, but the problem is that this is not a finale piece.  I understand it in the context of the collection, but this is not a memorable final piece.  the trench is everything but the clothes underneath are just that, clothes.  I almost wish her bathing suit was the finale piece.

1. Kentaro

Was there any other option?  I guess the answer yes because every designer sent down a strong collection, but this was the most FASHION we have seen on this show since the Christian and Leanne back to back knock out collections of seasons 4 and 5.  There were a few low notes, but over all this collection hit all the right notes.  I’m glad that, like Margarita, Kentaro just went for it with reckless abandon.

If anyone ever asks you how to open a show, this is it.  The silhouette from behind the screen was breathtaking, if not a bit comme de garcons.  he would have gotten further away from that with a different sleeve length.

A wonderfully simple note. The painted/dyed leggings were perfect with the bagginess of the top, and the sleeves work better here than in look 1.

Made in one day, but that doesn’t mean that I can give it a pass.  The front is boring and the back is awful.

I love everything about this.�� the cut out tee is a fresh note in the collection and I love the double sided pants.  They shouldn’t work but they do.

Kentaro showed a real color story through his collection and it looked almost like a Japanese ink painting, utilizing black, white and red.  The nudes are like the red bleeding into the rest of the collection.  This is such a simple dress but extremely well executed.  The proportions are perfect.

This dress sings.  It still have the proportion issue in the top from last week, but the concept is so strong and because the flaw isn’t egregious this ends up being on of the stars of his collection.

AB-SO-LUTELY! The note of red works perfectly in the context of the collection. Once again it is a bit Comme de Garcons however it is still very Kentaro and not a knock off.  The v is so low cut but the rest of her is so covered it works perfectly.  It is like this top was made for his model, it sits perfectly on her.  I want this.

I shouldn’t like this, but at the same time it is amazing.  I love the layering of the fabrics and it fits her like a glove.  It is a new silhouette for the collection but still remains part of the story.

We’re pretending this didn’t happen right?  He made a slip dress.  I’m surprised the judges didn’t mention this look (or his finale) at all during judging.

Because this finale look is everything I have ever wanted from project Runway.  It’s so odd and quirky yet hits a perfect note of sophistication.  For me this look won him the competition.

Not since season 3 has the show had 4 finalists who so clearly showed their point of view in stunning finale collections.  Faith restored in this show.

Winner: Kentaro

2nd, 3rd, 4th: Ayana, Brandon, Margarita

[alya-bug]

All my drabbles

I am going to collect all my under 500 word drabbles that I write, most for prompts, all in one post. I put them here rather then on my Fanfic Masterlist, because they were taking up a lot of space for not that much actual writing. But if you want to read my short drabbles, they are all here!

The genres in these vary widely from pure crack to super mushy.

There are over 100 of them now, so I am going to put them under a cut now.

If you want to support my habit of writing too much, you can buy me a coffee.

Six Sentences Prompts:

"Is there ANYONE in this room who ISN'T a superhero?!" (Gen)

"Did you sleep well?" (Ladrien)

“You’re out of time, they’re beeping! Hand them over!” (Gen)

"Is my lady tired?" (Ladynoir)

"I didn't know it was possible for Chat to get akumatized..." (Adrinette)

“How dare you!” (Gen)

“Make me” Ladybug said with a hint of flirtation in her voice. (Ladynoir)

“What do you think would’ve happened if I got the cat miraculous and you got the ladybug?” (Ladynoir)

"Adrien, are you PURRING?!" (Adrinette)

"My dad has been really impressed with your designs lately, he wants to meet you." (Adrinette)

Marinette never thought she could laugh so hard because of a penis. (Gen)

Cuddles:

Cuddles with a first kiss (Alyanette)

Cuddles in the backseat of a car (Adrinette)

Post coital cuddles (Ladrien)

Cuddles out of necessity (trapped in a small space, etc.) (Ladynoir)

Cuddles with rain outside (Marichat)

Right to the Good Parts Prompts:

I have you shoved against the wall but now I can’t stop looking at your mouth (Adrinette)

Oh, my God, I thought you were going to die. Please don’t ever scare me like that again. (Ladynoir)

We’re hiding from the authorities and it’s very close quarters in here, I can feel your body against mine. (Marichat)

Wait, my hero’s secret identity is… you? To be honest, I’d always kind of hoped… (Chlonette)

We were dancing but all of a sudden it’s a slow song and we’re standing here awkwardly staring at each other. (Adrinette)

We slept in the same bed for space reasons but now we’re just waking up and there’s something about your bleary eyes and mussed hair (Djwifi)

We slept in the same bed for space reasons but now we’re just waking up and there’s something about your bleary eyes and mussed hair (Adrinette)

This wasn’t meant to be a date, but we’ve had such a good time and now it’s 2 a.m. and I should really go home… (Alya/Nath)

Words prompt:

Apodyopis - The act of mentally undressing someone (Djwifi)

Capernoited - Slightly intoxicated or tipsy (Djwifi)

Mamihlapinatapei - The look between two people in which each loves the other but is too afraid to make the first move (Alyanette)

Mamihlapinatapei - The look between two people in which each loves the other but is too afraid to make the first move (Ninette)

Strikhedonia - The pleasure of being able to say “to hell with it” (Ladynoir)

Cheiloproclitic - Being attracted to someones lips (Djwifi and Ladynoir)

Basorexia - An overwhelming desire to kiss (Alyabug)

Ninette Week:

Day 1: Serenity

Day 2: Lost Date

Day 5: Love of the Arts

Alyadrien Week:

Day 1: Comfort

Day 2: Banter

Day 3: New Kids

Day 4: Chat Noir/Miraculous Holder Alya

Day 5: Mutual Interests

Day 6: Adventure

Day 7: AU

Kiss Meme:

A kiss because I have literally been watching you all night and I can’t take anymore. (Ladynoir)

Hungry kisses on every bit of newly visible skin as clothing is slowly peeled away. (Adrinette, NSFW)

Ladrien June:

Day 1: Comme il faut

Day 2: Cat Person

Day 3: God’s gift to man/woman

Day 4: “Sorry, I wasn’t listening. Your face is too distracting.”

Day 5: Random Wikipedia Article

Day 6:  Trying to finish the other’s sentence and failing

Day 7: Swallow (NSFW)

Day 8: Ladyblog Comment War

Day 9: Witchcraft

Day 10: Wardrobe Malfunction

Day 11: Nap

Day 12: Small(ish) (NSFW)

Day 13: “Wait! I can explain!”

Day 14: Merry-Go-Round

Day 15: Fear

Day 16: Siren

Day 17: Paris Landmark

Day 18: Poker Face

Day 19: Goodbye Kiss

Day 20: Handmade Gift

Day 21: Neighbors

Day 22: Safety Helmet

Day 23: “Don’t move!”

Day 24: Waiting for a Sign 

Day 25: Weakness

Day 26: Morning Elegance 

Day 27: “Can you sign my abs?”

Pride Month (Alyanette unless otherwise noted):

Day 1: Storm

Day 2: Rainbow (Gen Chloe)

Day 3: First Date

Day 4: Identity shenanigans (Ladynoir Friendship)

Day 5: AU

Day 6: Discovery (Adrinino)

Day 7: Underground

Day 8: Elevator (Chlonette)

Day 9: Closet 

Day 10: Coming out (Ladynoir Friendship)

Day 11: The Movies

Day 12: Fairytale

Day 13: Graveyard Shift

Day 14: Coffee Shop

Day 15: Sleepover (NSFW)

Day 16: Amusement Park (Adrinino)

Day 17 and 19: Parade and Mutual support (Ladynoir Friendship)

Day 18: Dance (Chlonette)

Day 20: Confession (Adrinino)

Day 21: Proposal

Day 22: Wedding

Day 23: Anniversary 

Day 24: Acceptance (Gen Adrien)

Day 25: Midnight Snack (NSFW)

Day 26: Chocolate (Chlonette)

Day 27: Shopping

Day 28: Flowers (Adrinino)

Unprompted:

Dibs (Ladrien)

Love Rivals (Alyadrien/OT4)

Gay Chicken Alternative Version (Adrinino) 

[kthyunngg]

I’ll Be There - Part 15

|Part 1| |Part 2| |Part 3| |Part 4| |Part 5| |Part 6| |Part 7| |Part 8| |Part 9| |Part 10| |Part 11||Part 12| |Part 13| |Part 14| |Epilogue|

Member: Hoseok

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Word Count: 6275 

Summary: You and Hoseok are best friends and just like any story that starts like this, nothing good ever happens. One night when Hoseok is in his drunken state, he says some things that make you reconsider how much worth you actually have in his life.

A/N: Okay, I know I’m a little late, but here is finally is. THERE WILL BE AN EPILOGUE. I didn’t want to make this too long and it wouldn’t fit in, so an epilogue it is. Also, none of this is edited, so i’m sorry if there are a lot of typos. I tried to get this out asap. Thank you for reading and enjoy Xx 

Also, I wanted to do a quick birthday shoutout to @kristiniec​. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! 🎉 🎉 🎉

“Kiss the bride!” One of the parents say.

“What —” Hoseok turns towards your and gives you a peck on your lips. Wait. What?

“I got the picture!” Your mother shouts with joy.

“Hobi. What did you do.” You look towards him and he gives you a toothy grin.

This was the first time you ever felt your heart flutter in response to Hoseok’s actions. Everyone in the neighbourhood was well aware you and Hoseok. They knew that you were the best of friends. Inseparable since day one, complimenting each other’s qualities, and some more extreme among those that you knew believed that you and Hoseok would get married one day. Perhaps your little five year-old heart started to believe everything that all these people said.

Endless comments of

“Oh, look how cute they are together!”

“I wish my daughter could find herself a friend like Hoseok.”

“Hoseok, you be good to Y/N now or she’ll never marry you!”

At the time being, you and Hoseok had no idea what these comments meant. The two of you were just best friends; is there anything else the two of you would ever ask for?

You thought that your crush for Hoseok developed during your high school years, but turns out your heart was years ahead of your mind.

“Yah! HOSEOK COME BACK!” Hoseok runs off with the plate that you had just made for yourself. Through Hoseok’s persistent requests, the two of you have decided to do movie nights at the end of every week. You didn’t think that there would be enough good movies to last even a month, but you’ve been doing this for almost five months now.

It has been a while since the incident with Sumi. Every once in a while. you will think back to what happened. A few days after you got out of the hospital, you and Hoseok were notified that Sumi won’t be arrested for what she did. The police said that they didn’t have enough evidence of your other claims to press any charges, however that one time where she pushed you onto the road was enough to grant you and Hoseok and restraining order. Without any hesitation, Hoseok called a lawyer to get the papers ready. You told him that you wanted to think about this whole situation at first, but he didn’t let it pass so easily.

“I don’t know Hoseok.. shouldn’t we get Sumi some help first? I’m pretty sure that there’s a lot more to this whole situation that we don’t know about.”

“What if she hurts you again Y/N? I can’t let that happen, not possible. Think about it Y/N. Once we get these papers, she will never be able to even come near you unless she wants to get arrested.” Hoseok pleads you with his eyes. They’re very convincing, but you deep down, despite all that she’s done to you, you want to help Sumi.

“I just want to help Sumi get past this stage of her life…just like how we’re trying to move on as well.” You grab Hoseok’s arm and hope that he understands where you’re coming from.

“Please?”

Instead of answering you, he moves to the couch. He sits and places his face in his hands.

“We can just find her a psychiatrist or a therapist. That’s all I’m asking. We’ll give her the contact and if she still doesn’t want the help, then we forget about all it.” You sit next to him.

“What about the papers?”

“I’ll sign them.”

“Just a therapist right?” You nod and give him an encouraging smile. Hoseok lets out a heavy sigh and then agrees.

“Fine, but we’re getting the paperwork done first.” You nod. “AND I’m never letting you out of my sight!”

“Okay! Thank you Hoseok! I know this must be super hard for you, but just know that I’m doing this also for our sake and the sake of other people. We don’t want Sumi to keep hurting more people right?”  You place your hands on his shoulders so you can genuinely look at Hoseok.

“I know…” Hoseok nods slowly and then hugs you without anything to follow.

One thing’s for sure. It wasn’t an easy journey to get where the two of you are at today. Just like anything else, there were up’s and down’s. Hoseok took it extremely hard the second month following everything. As if reality decided to get up and punch Hoseok senseless, he would be unresponsive to everything. You felt like you were reliving the time when Hoseok was again, heartbroken from Sumi, but for different reasons this time.

Hoseok would stay out late at bars, getting drunk until he couldn’t even see straight. It hurt you to see him like this. It hurt you even more that you couldn’t do anything to help him. Because of Hoseok’s reckless behaviours during his drunken state, which was all the time, he did many things that are unlike him.

Just because it’s a new year doesn’t mean your boss has changed much. You once again are stuck at the office with a heap of work and files to type up. To motivate yourself, you make a nice cup of steamy coffee as well as treat yourself to some nice aromatic bags of all sorts of chips. Unhealthy? Most definitely. Do you care? Most definitely not. Anything to get you through all this work.

What seems like years of endless hacking at  your keyboard, you finally type in the last word and press the print button. Never in your life would you think that the noisy printer at your office would sound so peaceful.

As you’re enjoying your fourth cup of coffee, the annoying ring of your phone interrupt the printer.

Hoseok

You brace yourself for loud club music and endless screaming.

“Hoseok?” Immediately your ears are hit with the obscene music.

“Y/N! Wheeeerrrreeee aaarrrreee yooouuuuuuu? Comme haave fuunnnn wiiitth mee!” You can already picture what Hoseok looks like. Sweaty, sloppy, slurring his every word, stumbling on every step he takes, and the smell of alcohol washing off of him.

“Which one are you at this time.” Yes. This time. Hoseok has become the frequent customer to many bars.

He tells you the location, and then you gather your things. Since this has become such a routine for you, you no longer bother with even asking why Hoseok drank so much. You’ve tried all you could to get him to stop, but nothing seems to work. At this point, you would even let Hoseok date a frog if it meant that you would no longer have to make late night trips to the bar.

As Hoseok has become a regular to many bars in the city, you’ve become a regular to his apartment. The security guard on duty during the night always gives you a look of pity as he sees you drag Hoseok up to his apartment. However, you declined his offer just to avoid all the questions that would be asked. The guard meant no harm, but with already so much on your hands, you don’t know if you can bear to even explain the simple details.

“Mmm Y/N your hair smells sooo gooood.” When you’re rummaging through your purse to find Hoseok’s keys, he brings his face into the crook of your neck. If it weren’t for the fact that Hoseok was drenched in the smell of alcohol and threatening to vomit on you at any moment, you would definitely be flustered at this moment.

“Okay there big boy,” You manage to open his door without any issues and plop him down onto his bed. “…stay here and don’t move. I’m going to get the towels okay?” You set down all of your things and then get a small bucket of cool water and some towels as well.

Back in Hoseok’s you sigh as you see that he’s already stripped himself of a few articles of clothing. Fortunately, he was decent enough to leave his pants on.

“Alright Hoseok, you know the drill.” You mumble just to amuse yourself. You place the cool, damp towel on Hoseok’s head to cool him down and take another to wipe away the sweat that’s forming on his face and neck. The biggest struggle was just to not get distracted by Hoseok’s bare chest.

“Mmm.” Hoseok groans and rolls on the bed so that he is now facing you. His hands find his way to your waist somehow and then he pulls you down so that you’re now lying down next to him on the bed.

“Ugh Hoseok…” You try to push him away, but his grip around your waist only grows stronger.

“Y/N…You’re so comfortable. I like it.” Now this makes your heart flutter. You hate that even in his drunken state, Hoseok has this kind of effect on you.

“Hoseok you’re all sweaty and gross!” Trying to protest your way out of this, you continue to push him away, but then he does something unexpected. He flips you around so that he’s straddling you. Now this. This leaves you speechless. Not just speechless, frozen. Every muscle in your body expect your heart decides to stop moving.

“Y/N, your eyes are so sparkly.” He moves his face closer to yours and you swear you just lost your ability to blink. “Soo sparkly.” Hoseok says in awe.

“H-Hoseok, w-w-what are you d-doing? G-get o-off me r-right now.” You have definitely lost your ability to speak because your command sounds like anything, but assertive.

“Our Y/N is so pretty.” Hoseok blurts out while he strokes your hair.

“Hoseok I think you should get some rest now.” Your voice cracks every now and then as you try to regain some sanity from this whole situation.

“So….Pretty….” With every word he speaks, he moves his face even closer and with his hands, he cups your face.

Before you can even react to all this, you can feel the ghostly touch of Hoseok’s lips.

No, it can’t happen like this.

You anticipate for the connection, but it never happens? Suddenly you feel a lot of dead weight on your body.

Hoseok is fast asleep.

This causes you to let out a sigh and you laugh silently to yourself.

Who are you kidding. Sober Hoseok would never do anything like this.

You don’t know what happened after that, but something just clicked within Hoseok and he took a complete 180 turn. One day he was the local alcoholic, and then the next he was back to his old, if not better, self. As shocking as it was, you’re glad that Hoseok managed to sort things out by himself because if not, you’re not too sure if you would have even made it today. If anything, you would probably still be dragging Hoseok out of a bar if it weren’t for his sudden change of mind. Despite being so curious as to how he changed everything literally overnight, you didn’t push him to tell you. It probably took a lot of will power and determination so you let it be.  

“Jung Hoseok! You better give me my food back or else I’m never watching another movie with you ever again!” This time Hoseok listens to your threat and he steps out of the room which he locked himself in. He walks out timidly while holding out the plate of food towards you. You smile as you rightfully earn your winning stance and sit down on the church.

“You can choose a move this time.” Hoseok browses all the option that are available online and he settles for one that looks like an action movie. He presses “play” and leans back into the couch beside you.

It doesn’t even take you a quarter of the movie until you’ve completely devoured all the food. In your defence, Hoseok did already eat half of what you prepared. The movie itself was quite interesting, but often times you found yourself quite distracted by the minimal space between you and Hoseok’s thighs. You are already leaning against the armrest of the couch so there is nowhere left for you to go, but Hoseok, he has the rest of the couch to him yet he chose the position he’s in right now.

Knowing that he probably did this unintentionally, you try to take your mind off it, but every now and then, Hoseok would shift in his position and his thigh would rub against yours. You and Hoseok are close, but it doesn’t help that your feelings for Hoseok grow deeper and stronger with every passing day. You know it’s wrong to feel so strongly about him, especially at this point because he just go out of a relationship, so you put in your best effort to hide any signs of you possibly showing your affection for him.

To calm yourself from all this, you place your hands on your thighs to stop them from shaking, and to hide the fact that you palms are becoming extremely sweaty. Does this happen almost every movie night? Yes. Does it get very awkward? Not for Hoseok, but for you it does. Then, Hosoek does a little stretch and you swear your heart stops for a moment because his hands come behind your back, but then he quickly brings them back to the front.

“Ah I’m getting a little hungry. Do you want anything Y/N?” Hoseok stands up and points to the kitchen.

“That’s okay. I’m going to go get some blankets though because I’m getting a little cold.”

“Okay.” He says nonchalantly as you rush into his room to get some spare blankets.

Truthfully you are getting the blankets, but at the same time, you’re also taking this moment to calm yourself of everything.

“Deep breaths Y/N. You’ve done this so many times. It’s nothing new. It’s just a movie.” You whisper to yourself over and over again. When you deem yourself worthy of presenting yourself to the public eye, you quickly grab some blankets and head back to the couch. Hoseok is already seated with his bowl of popcorn. Thankfully there is more space between the two of your this time. Now you’re able to watch the rest of the movie comfortably without having to go crazy.

You wake up with a very unpleasant cramp in your leg. You groan as every move you make makes your leg sore. Perhaps the blankets are too comfortable and warm, but you don’t want to get up. Then you feel something strange. Pillows aren’t supposed to move…. You try to shift your position to figure out the whole situation, but from a very soft bed, you find yourself meeting the hard ground, butt first.

“Aish, what is this?” As you rub away the pain, you take notice that you weren’t in fact sleeping on a bed, but instead on a couch. A couch—Ah. Oh. Somewhere throughout the movie, you must have fallen asleep. Then your eyes diverge to the figure that’s seated on the couch. Hoseok? What is he doing on the — Oh no. You didn’t? Aish stupid Y/N.

The only thing you can think of is that you fell asleep on Hoseok’s lap and the two of you stayed there for the whole entire night. You look at how his upper body is bent at an unnatural angle while his feet are flat on the group. It must have been so uncomfortable for him. You frown at this thought and then standup to place the blanket around him.

Maybe it’s the earliness of the morning, but somehow you manage to step on the blanket and end up tripping yourself.

“Ah!” You let out a scream, but thankfully you fall on something soft.

“Ughh…” Hoseok groans as you open your eyes to see where you landed.

“Oh.”

“Y/N? What are you doing?” Hoseok rubs his eyes to focus his vision and you scramble to get off him.

“O-oh. N-Nothing! I just tripped on the blanket! Don’t worry about it. It’s fine!” As you’re scrambling get away from Hoseok, you don’t notice how much of the blanket has actually accumulated at the bottom of your feet and once again, you step on some of it and you fall backwards.

However, just like the other times when you fall, you don’t feel the impact.

“Aigoo Y/N. It’s too early in the morning. Can’t you give me a break for once?” Hoseok says jokingly as he has a firm grip around your waist. Your face reddens as you notice how close his face is to yours.

“A-ahhh sorry! I just w-woke up too so t-that’s probably why!” Hoseok lets you go so that you’re standing up straight and he takes the blankets away from you.

“We don’t want you falling again right Y/N?” He laughs, but you only manage a forced smile.

Yeah…no falling indeed.

You hate to admit it, but you’re falling hard. Thankfully it’s like a gradual thing so your mind is able to catch up with your heart, but unfortunately, Namjoon and Jin don’t let you live a day without reminding you about this. Whenever you meet up with them, the first thing they will ask you is if Hoseok has asked you out yet. Every single time, you give them the same boring old answer that Hoseok doesn’t actually like you, yet for some reason, that never sticks to their mind.

“Have you told him that you like, I mean loooovee him?” Jin teases you as he stares at the display of watches.

“Jin. Why in the world would I ever do something like that? Hoseok doesn’t look at me that why and he never will so why bring so much embarrassment to myself? Can’t we just live peacefully as friends?”

“Namjoon! You heard that? This girl wants to live peacefully as friends! Honey, we both know that that’s not going to happen.” Jin pats your shoulder lightly for support, but you only glare at him.

“I hate you Kim Seokjin. I hate you so much.”

“Think about it though Y/N. What have you been telling us these past few months? That Hoseok has been a lot nicer to you? Getting you to go out on little adventures together? Taking you places? Always being there for you? Don’t you think that’s gotta mean something?” Jin gives you a wink and nudges your side, but you’re not taking any of it.

“He was always like this Jin, what are you talking about? The feelings are completely one sided.”

“Your brain is one sided.” He mutters underneath his breath and you glare at him.

“Seokjin I hate you so much I hope you never—”

“WOW Y/N!  THIS SCARF IS SO PRETTY! YOU SHOULD TRY IT ON!” Jin immediately wraps a thick wool scarf around your neck and covers everything but your eyes. Good. You think. At least you can still glare and rip out his soul.

“Y/N! HURRY! COME OUT OF YOUR APARTMENT! I HAVE SOMETHING REALLY URGENT TO TELL YOU!” One day, you’re going to teach Hoseok some manners and have him not scream every time he calls.

“Can’t you just tell me over the phone? I’m kind of busy right now.” Your eyes are fixated on your laptop screen as the newest couple on ‘We Got Married’ appears.

“Y/N, I’m telling you. This is really important and if you don’t come down, I’m going to flip shit right in front of your apartment building and I don't think the security ahjussi will like that very much.”

“Hoseok I swear to go—”

“Pleeeaaassseee Y/N! Just this one time! For me?” Hoseok says in a sing-song voice and you reluctantly shut your laptop.

“Fine, but just for this one time. Don’t think it’s going to happen again.” You make your way to your room to get changed.

“Thank you Y/N! You won’t regret it! I promise!” Before you can even say another word, he hangs up. Quickly, you get dressed, grabbing whatever you can find in your closet. You also take your bare essentials with you, assuming that Hoseok is going to take you God knows where.

The moment you walk out of the elevator, the security man sees you and gives you a smile which you return. He also points cheekily outside. At first you’re confused as to why he’s pointing something to you, but then you follow the path of his finger and notice where he’s point at. Hoseok. He’s pacing back and forth in front of the shrubs while rubbing the back of his neck. People from the neighbouring country could even sense his nervousness, but for what?

You decide to sneak up on Hoseok. You clutch your bag so that it doesn’t make any noises and tip-toe towards Hoseok until you’re ghostly close to him.

“What are you doing?” You whisper in his ear, and just like you intended, Hoseok jumps up in freight and you fall to the ground in laughter.

“Y/N! What are you doing?! I could have died you know?” Hoseok glares at you while you’re still on the ground, unable to catch your breath.

“You seemed so nervous! Why are you walking in front of the shrubs like that? You’re going to scare all my neighbours away!” You manage to get up and dust yourself off. Hoseok on the other hand, tries to hide his uneasiness, but you can sense that something is a little off.

“Nothing! Nothing’s wrong! Come on lets go before it’s too late!”

“Too late for — Ah!” Hoseok grabs you by your arm and drags you towards his car which is not parked too far away.

The whole entire car ride, you try to tease Hoseok so that he will tell you where he’s taking you, but no matter what you do, what you say, he doesn’t give in. Huh. Shocking. Normally when you bug him enough, he will tell you something. Maybe it won’t be important, but he still tells you something.

As the car continues to move, you notice the change of scenery. The blur of concrete buildings disappear and the clusters of people grow smaller and smaller. Soon, the horizon is no longer blocked off by the cityscape. Trees come into sight and for the first time in a long time, you’re able to see beyond everything. You open the window slightly and let the wind run through your hair.

“Hoseok, where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see.” He takes his eyes off the road for a brief moment to look at you.

“The beach?! Oh my God!” As soon as you catch sight of the water, you jump out of the car, take off your shoes, and run towards the sparkling blue ocean. The rush of the wind mixes in with the crashing roars of the waves. It has been a long time since you’ve been out of the city, and now you’re just realizing how much you needed such a trip.

“Hoseok! Why did you bring me here?” You ask immediately as he stands beside you in the water.

“I was just thinking how you’re always stuck ten feet under piles of work and I was getting bored so why not come to the beach? I also heard that they’re doing a firework show tonight so I thought we could stay to watch it as well?” You can only stare wide-eyed at Hoseok. He looks at you with a confused expression, but you just want to take in this moment.

You promised yourself that you wouldn’t show any signs of your affection in front of Hoseok, but you can’t help it. The sun is shining at such an angle that makes every curve and line of his face stand out. It’s not the perfect angle, no, but it’s enough to capture the warmth of Hoseok’s heart.

“Well? Do you like it? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this earlier. It was really last minute and I thought it would be nice to give you a small surprise so —”

Without even thinking, you give Hoseok a quick peck on the cheek. Only after doing so do you realize what it is exactly that you just did. No turning back now.

“Thank you Hoseok. Sincerely, thank you.” The Sun is burning brightly, but with the heat rising to your face, you think the sun is going to have some serious competition.

Hoseok looks stunned for quite a while. He opens and closes his mouth several times, trying to find the right words to say, but nothing ever coms out of his mouth.

“Well come on then! We don’t have all day!” You throw you purse a fair distance away from the water along with your shoes and splash some water on Hoseok before running off.  Hoseok finally comes back to his senses and he too, throws his belongings at a safe distance and chases after you.

The idea of Hoseok chasing you alongside the edge of the water seems cliche, but every one enjoys a little bit of that in their life once in a while right? Hoseok manages to catch up to you and he attempts to grab your arm to stop you from running, but you quickly pull away. Consequently for him, he looses his footing and falls into the water. You’re about to run away, afraid of the wrath-of-Hoseok, but then you hear his shouting and feel bad. You didn’t meant to push him into the water, so you retreat back to help him.

“Are you okay Hoseok—AH!” He smirks widely and drags you into the water along with him. Luckily the water isn’t deep at all for it’s only the edge, but it’s enough to get your pants and some of your shirt wet.

“Yah! Hoseok, let me go!” Hoseok’s smile only grows wider and he continues to hold you down against the warm sand.

“Payback Y/N. Should have thought about that before pushing me into the water.”

“But now I’m more wet that you are! You’re only a little bit soaked, but my entire shirt is getting soaked now.” You put on your best sad expression possible to make Hoseok feel guilty.

“Oh…I’m sorry,” Hoseok loosens his grip on you. “I didn’t mean to do that…” This is your chance.

Catching Hoseok off guard, you get up immediately and push him back into the water.

“Y/N!!” Hoseok screams after you as he struggles to get back up, but you’re already meters ahead of him and running away.

The two of you continue to play at the beach like this. Some time after the two of you are exhausted from running around, you decide to lie down on the sand so that your wet clothes have a chance to dry before the sun sets and the air gets cool.

“This is nice.” You say as you admire the blue sky, slowly getting stained from the orange of the upcoming sunset.

“It really is. I don’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun.” Hoseok says as he lays next to you.

“I agree. We should do this more often. I like it like this… a lot.” It’s true. You really enjoy spending time with Hoseok. All your burdens from emotions are gone. Nothing mattered anymore except for the fact that you’re enjoying your time. There’s nothing like worrying about whether or not Hoseok will feel awkward from knowing your feelings, or you being embarrassed because you accidentally said something that you’re not supposed to. Everything just seems…right.

“Yeah…it’s nice.” Hoseok agrees with you, but you notice that there’s something off with his voice.

“Are you okay Hosoek? You seem like there’s something bothering you.” You roll on your stomach so that you can look at Hoseok. He too, leans over to his side so that he’s facing you.

“Nothing’s wrong. Why would you think that?” He tries to push away the topic and brushes the sand off of your hair.

“I don’t know. Earlier today, it looked like something was bothering you. You know you can tell me anything right?” Hoseok gives you a soft smile, and then flicks some hair into your face. “HEY!”

“Come on Y/N! Let’s go get some ice cream!” He stands up and brushes himself off and then offers a hand to you. You gladly accept it and the two of you walk over to the ice cream stand.

One thing that catches you off guard is that Hoseok never lets go of your hand. Hoseok continues to walk as if nothing is wrong, but you can’t help but just stare. He swings his arm, along with yours happily and adds a light bounce to his steps. Occasionally he will look over to you and smile, meanwhile you’re still caught in bewilderment.

What does all this mean?

Before you know it, Hoseok has already bought the ice cream and he hands you your cone as he’s already devouring his own. You slowly eat your ice cream as you’re still replying the moments that just recently happened.

“Hello? Earth to Y/N! Now you’re the one that looks like something is bothering you!” Hoseok waves his hand in front of your face to get your attention.

“Oh, what? Sorry I just blanked out for a while.”

“Aiggoo. My Y/N is working too hard.” He gives a playful frown and pats your head.

My Y/N? Since when does Hoseok say “my.”  What is happening? Did you hear incorrectly?

Then you feel something cold against your face.

“Yah, Hoseok! What did you do that for!” You’re just about to reach to your face to wipe off the ice cream, but Hoseok is one step ahead of you. He doesn’t answer your question. He only wipes off the ice cream from his finger and gives you a cheeky smile.

“This is war Hoseok. War.” You give him your meanest glare and threaten him with the amount of ice cream that you have gathered on your finger.

However, the ice cream war doesn’t last long. The sun is just setting and the ice cream in your hands is well on its way to melting. You, being a lover of ice cream, wishes to savour what’s left of your half-melted treat so you take a seat in the middle of the beach, complete ignoring any activity around you.

“Ahhh Y/N is so clumsy. Look at all the ice cream she got on her face.”

“What—” You say with a mouthful of ice-cream, but when you turn your head up, you notice that Hoseok’s face is dangerously close to yours. You manage to swallow the ice-cream without choking, but the you’re left just staring at Hoseok’s face. He looks extremely concentrated as he’s wiping off all the ice-cream on your face.

The close proximities of your faces makes you heart race even faster than it was when you were running away from him. The sky is getting darker, yet for some reason, you’re still able to clearly make out every line on Hoseok’s face. His fingers brush over your skin lightly, but with every additional touch, you skin heats up even more. You’re almost sure that all the ice cream has melted by now.

“All done.” Hoseok gives you a bright smile, but you’re still left there in shock. “Just in time too! I think the fireworks are just about to start.” He stands up and takes the garbage to throw away then. “Come on then, let’s go on the boardwalk so we can get a better view of all the fireworks!” Without saying another word, Hoseok takes his your in his, not dragging you by the wrist, and he guides you towards the boardwalk.

There is a considerable distance from where you previously were to the boardwalk, yet the entire time, Hoseok keeps holding your hand. Not that you’re complaining, but something so foreign seems so at home. His touch is so warm compared to the cool sea breeze. Just right.

Hoseok picks up the speak and brings the two of you to the edge of the boardwalk. Just in time too. Everything almost seems too good to be true.

You’re still focusing on the touch of Hoseok’s hand around yours when the first crack of the fireworks hits the sky. You jump a little from the sudden sound, but then you’re immediately welcomed with a spectacular sight.

The sky lights up in various colours. There is a variety of shapes and sizes, some big and some small. Some are the traditional round fireworks, while others are the special ones where they make curved paths. As the sky lights up, your eyes light up. You’re so mesmerized by the fireworks, that you don’t even notice that Hoseok has brought his arm around your waist.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” He says in your ear just loud enough so that you can hear over the crackling of the pyrotechnics.

“Mhm..” You nod, still in awe from the sight in front of you.

“Hey Y/N?” Hoseok nudges your side a little, but all your attention is on the show in front of you.

“Mm?”

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to say….”

“Mm.” You’re finding it difficult to focus on Hoseok’s words because of how beautiful the colours are.

“Y/N,” He turns you away from the view and you frown for a brief moment. “Hey, you’re right. There has been something on my mind recently.” You notice that Hoseok’s tone is very serious, very unlike him. “I’ve been thinking a lot recently and I feel really shameful for only realizing this just now, but…better late than never right?”

“Hoseok, don’t worry. You can tell me anything, you know that. I’ll always there here for you.” You grip his arm lightly and he gives you yet another one of his charming smiles. This time, Hoseok doesn’t say anything. For a while he just stands there. His eyes, light up almost the same way that yours did when you saw the fireworks. What could he possibly be thinking right now?

One by one, he brings his arms around your waist to bring you closer to him.

“Hoseok..” You say, but your voice is too soft and it’s covered by the sounds of the fireworks.

Even with all the booming and crashing behind you, the world becomes quiet. Everything is silent and you can only focus on one thing. Hoseok.

He brings one hand up to brush away the hair on your face and he tilts your chin slightly so that the sparks shine on your face. Slowly, but surely, he moves in. No, you’re in fact not daydreaming. This is one hundred percent real.

“Hoseok..” There is a sense of panic in your voice, but it immediately disappears once you feel Hoseok’s lips connect with yours. It’s foreign, yet you’re sure you’ve felt something like this before, but where?

Hoseok’s touch is gentle. The overall situation is overwhelming enough, but Hoseok manages to make you feel like you have your own display of fireworks happening inside of you. You don’t know what to feel. Shock? Excitement? Confusion? There is only one thing you know how to do.

You kiss him back.

At first you’re a little unsure, but the moment you return the kiss, you can feel Hoseok’s smile against your lips. His hold around your waist tightens and then he pulls away.

“I’m sorry Y/N, for everything. You truly do deserve better. I’m sorry for making you go through all this, for waiting for so long. I truly don’t deserve you and you truly deserve someone better..” Hoseok’s eyes fill with guilt.

“Hoseok, it’s okay. Like you said, better late than never right?” You bring your arms around his waist as you can’t stop smiling. Your cheeks are going to hurt from smiling so hard, but that’s the only thing you can do to express how you feel at this moment.

“It’s not going to be easy.” He says while cupping your face.

“I know.” You smile and he gives you a peck on the nose.

“Thank you Y/N. For everything.” The two of you stay like this for a while as the firework show continues behind you.

You take this time to admire the true beauty of Hoseok. You wouldn’t say that he’s perfect, but who is? He may not be perfect, but he presents himself in a way in which you truly admire. You admire how he’s able to be so passionate about the things he does. You admire how Hoseok is able to carry this aura of warmth and comfort everywhere he goes. You admire how he’s right here in your arms.

“Oh by the way…”

“Hm?” You look up at him, slightly amused as there is the occasional flash of colour projected onto his face.

“That wasn’t our first kiss.” He smirks.

“What do you mean?” You bet your life that you haven’t kissed Hoseok before.

“That time when you were drunk—”

“No. No!” You think back to that dream you had months ago. You’re almost so sure that everything was a dream.

“Yup.” His smirk grows wider.

“Jung Hoseok, I hate you so much!” You try to get out of is hold, but he holds onto you even closer and kisses you again.

[swipestream]

New Release Roundup, 25 August 2018: Science Fiction

Space marines, mecha knights, and keyboard VR warriors battle it out in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in science fiction.

Across the Galactic Pond (Far Beyond #0) – Christian Kallias

When young Kevin has a chance encounter with a dying alien, he discovers not only that humans aren’t alone in the universe, but that this encounter propels him into the middle of an intergalactic war.

Now at the frontlines of a massive, far far away war, he’s sent to the last remaining ship of the losing side. The crew of the ship? All dead.

His mission is simple: he must save the good guys from certain doom.

From College reject to War Master, Kevin learns he must adapt quickly or billions will die.

The Ancients (The Survivors #4) – Nathan Hystad

The threat of invaders is gone, and Earth has been bartered away as a price for peace.  Yet, the human world of New Spero is thriving and full of hope.

Joining the rank of the Gatekeepers, Dean and Mary set off to explore worlds connected by the mysterious portals. When they stumble upon a strange symbol, they are led to an ancient object, one that sets them on an unstoppable path.

The journey takes them through multiple worlds, before they can find what they’re searching for. Long ago, the ancient race called the Theos vanished without a trace, and have been next to forgotten for centuries. Do they still exist?

Dean intends to find out, but when he’s faced with the truth, he fears everything he loves will be lost.

Battle ARC (ARC Angels #2)- Toby Neighbors

Facing a horde of hostile aliens known as the Swarm is frightening. Being the only person who can stop them is even worse.

From the great domed cities of Mars, to the verdant fields of Neo Terra in the Tau Ceti system, humanity’s future is spread across the galaxy. The Colonial Space Fleet has struck a blow against the Swarm, but the aliens are far from defeated. Unless the CSF finds a way to win a decisive battle with the ever growing horde of insatiable aliens, all could be lost.

Junior officer Angela “Angel” Murphy can perform superhuman feats in the revolutionary Assisted Rapid Combat suit, but can she repeat her victory as the focal point of a Marine battalion? Can the Fleet produce more ARC suits and find suitable pilots to utilize the advanced technology? The Swarm is always evolving, adapting to its environment, and learning the tactics of its enemies. There’s a battle on the horizon, and the outcome is anyone’s guess.

The Colchis Job (The Four Horsemen Tales #3) – Kal Spriggs

Colonel Jason Azoros is having a bad year. Having taken over the Argonauts’ mercenary company when its previous owner was killed, he has arrived back at Karma to find that no one will deal with him. Blacklisted by his father, Jason is forced to do a job for him to clear his name.

The early days of humanity’s expansion into space was an exciting time, as the best of the race went to the stars. Unfortunately, some of the worst went, as well, and the Argonauts must hunt down and destroy the worst of the worst, Colchis Industries.

Colchis has powerful friends, though, and its coffers are overflowing with credits, allowing it to hire mercenaries and buy equipment beyond what the Argonauts can afford. They also meddle in genetics, and their creations range from…interesting…to unstoppable.

Outmanned and outgunned, Jason and his crew embark on their voyage short on equipment but long on attitude. One thing is for sure—win, lose, or draw, they’re going to go out in style!

Earth’s Fury (Obsidiar Fleet #4) – Anthony James

The human Confederation has provided unexpected resistance to the Vraxar invading forces, but now the price must be paid. The mighty enemy warship Ix-Gorghal has discovered the location of humanity’s populated worlds and its arrival in New Earth orbit promises death for the billions living there.

At first, it seems the invaders will have everything their own way. They send in troops and deploy a ring of satellites to isolate the planet from the main comms network. After that, it should all be plain sailing….

On the New Earth Tucson military base, there are personnel who will never accept defeat – men and women who will keep fighting even when the cause seems lost.

It won’t be easy. The Vraxar are a cruel and unpredictable foe, and at the first sign of a threat, they will surely destroy New Earth without hesitation.

Hidden Enemies (Empire of Bones #9) – Terry Mixon

Trapped between murderous xenophobes and calculating artificial intelligences, an interstellar war threatens to wash Princess Kelsey Bandar away in a tide of blood.

With her most powerful ship crippled, only a desperate mission to steal what she needs right out from under the noses of her enemies offers a way to get her people safely home.

As if that wasn’t hard enough, success requires her foes never learn of her existence and therein lies the problem. Few have ever accused Kelsey Bandar of subtlety.

If you love military science fiction and grand adventure on a galaxy-spanning scale, grab “Hidden Enemies” and the rest of The Empire of Bones Saga today!

The Last Aeon (Terran Armor Corps #5) – Richard Fox

War rages across the galaxy. And humanity is losing battle after battle.

The renegade Armor, Roland, seeks the key to victory against the enemy encroaching from all sides. An Aeon guards a secret which will tip the balance of power in the galaxy. But first, Roland, and the Ibarra Nation must defeat her guardians, the Cyrgal.

On another front and amid the tumultuous aftermath of Roland’s defection, Gideon leads a desperate attempt to assassinate a Kesaht general. He is the last hope to turn the tide of the battle, and save the world of Ouranos.

As the war against the Kesaht and their merciless allies grinds on, Gideon and Roland must summon faith and fury to survive.

Proxima Centauri (Aeon 14: Enfield Genesis #2) – Lisa Richman and M. D. Cooper

Though Jason and his team have taken down Victoria North and freed many of the kidnapped AIs, several are still missing, and it’s the team’s job to find them.

Even as they set things right, a small piece of technology procured from Norden’s crumbling criminal empire is enough to become the catalyst for an even worse catastrophe.

Jason, Terrance, and the Phantom Blade team grapple with this new threat, unaware that it is far closer to home than they ever imagined.

The struggle to bring about equality for AIs and make Alpha Centauri a home for all sentients balances on a knife’s edge. It will take everything Jason has to ensure the burgeoning civilization isn’t cut to ribbons.

Quantum Mortis #3: A Secret Love – Vox Day, Steve Rzasa, and Matvei Daniilovich

Chief Warrant Officer Graven Tower is a ruggedly handsome military policeman who hates aliens. Fortunately, as a member of His Grace’s Military Crimes Investigation Division – Xenocriminology and Alien Relations, he gets to arrest a lot of them. Sometimes he even gets to shoot them.

Chief Tower and Detector Derin Hildreth of the Trans Paradis Police Department are investigating the murder of the Crown Prince of Morchard, but they have not been able to determine a motive for the crime or identify any suspects. So when a royal assistant comes forward with information about the prince’s secret life, they don’t hesitate to pursue the lead into the heart of the wealthy interplanetary establishment.

Renegade Dawn (Renegade Star #7) – J. N. Chaney 

Welcome to the Old World.

Captain Jace Hughes and his crew have finally reached their destination: Earth, the mythical lost homeworld of Humanity. It was said to harbor great wonders, fertile land, and beauty beyond comparison, but the reality is far, far stranger than any story.

The Earth isn’t what they thought, and it must be rebuilt.

Using the newly acquired Galactic Dawn as a refitted transport vessel, Jace hopes to bring help from displaced worlds whose inhabitants can no longer sustain themselves. He’s going to need all the help he can get to jumpstart this new colony. That means farmers, workers, soldiers, and, perhaps most importantly, families, all of them working together to build a home they can call their own.

But the Earth harbors many dangerous secrets, each one more deadly than the last.

The Replicant War (Worlds at War #1) – Chris Kennedy

Billed as “the most realistic game ever,” Worlds at War was a video game unlike any other—one that promised a virtual reality experience that rivaled operating a giant mecha in combat. People flocked to the game in anticipation.

For some, the game lived up to and far exceeded their expectations—the level of graphics was indeed, “just like being there.” The game didn’t provide the experience many others had hoped for, though; for a large number of players, the game was “too real to be fun.”

For video game design majors Ryan Johnson and Noah Bowden, the game play was incredible. It made them feel like they actually were saving a foreign world from horrific enemies, and they rapidly moved up on the leaderboard of the game’s best players.

But then fatal accidents began happening to the gamers at the top of the leaderboard, including many at which men in black were seen. When Ryan sees those same men at his dorm, he realizes there is more going on in the shadows of Worlds at War than he has been led to believe…but can he determine what’s going on before a fatal accident happens to him, too?

REV: Rebirth (The REV Warriors #3) – T. R. Harris

For the past twenty years, Humanity–along with their ultimate weapons, the superhuman warriors known as REVs–have been at war with the more-powerful and technologically-advanced Antaere race. As latecomers to the galactic community, the Humans have beenplaying catch-up, proving that their innate skill at waging war can help skip a lot of steps on the way to galactic domination. That was until two years ago. Now nearly all the civilizations within the local Grid of colonized planets have turned against the Humans, resulting in the loss of nearly all the territory they once fought and died for.

But things are changing. Through recent revelations regarding the Antaere and their ultimate  plan for their alien followers, old allies are slowly returning and asking for Earth’s help in liberating their planets from the Antaere stranglehold. And the REVs are leading the way.

However, things are not always as they seem. The Antaere are diabolical in their strategy. And when a recent mission goes bust, Earth is left in an even worse position than before.

Lt. Zac Murphy and his super-REVs have their work cut out for them…if people will just let them do their job. After all, Zac is not only a new breed of REV…he’s a new breed of man….

Stand or Fall (The Four Horsemen: The Omega War #4) – Keven Ikenberry

Peacemakers. The Galactic Union’s most capable enforcers and resolute negotiators, their name alone elicits fear and awe among the Union’s citizenry.

While the occupation of Earth continues, MinSha mercenaries under the command of Major General Drehnayl have assaulted Human-held colonies in the outer rim, wiping them out completely. With the famed Four Horsemen nowhere to be found, the Mercenary Guild’s attempt to instill fear and subvert humanity is perilously close to reality. Tasked with finding the MinSha is Jessica Francis, Earth’s first Peacemaker, but the odds aren’t in her favor. Racing against time, Jessica realizes that finding Drehnayl’s forces isn’t enough—she must do something to stop their atrocities and end their reign of terror.

Upon locating the MinSha fleet, Jessica faces down Drehnayl’s armada with a band of heroes both hopelessly outmanned and under-equipped on the binary planet Victoria Bravo. Her decision made, and with MinSha Lieutenant Colonel Tirr and the near-AI Lucille at her side, Jessica charges into battle intent on stopping Drehnayl once and for all…or to die trying. A Peacemaker must set the terms, honor the threat, and know when to stand or fall. For Jessica and her friends, that time is now.

Soda Pop Soldier – Nick Cole

Gamer PerfectQuestion fights for ColaCorp in WarWorld, an online combat sport arena where mega-corporations field entire armies in the battle for real world global advertising-space dominance. Within the immense virtual battlefield, players and bots are high-tech grunts, using drop-ships and state-of-the-art weaponry to wipe each other out.

But times are tough and the rent is due, and when players need extra dough, there’s always the Black, an illegal open source tournament where the sick and twisted desires of the future are given free rein in the Wastehavens, a gothic dungeon fantasy world.

And all too soon, the real and virtual worlds collide when PerfectQuestion refuses to become the tool of a mad man intent on hacking the global economy for himself.

Tomorrow’s Spacemage (The Spacemage Chronicles #3) – Timothy Ellis

Thorn is back. He’s lost 1 civilization, and is still trying to fix 2 others.

But fixing when you don’t know how it broke, is never as simple as you thought it was.

The future is threatened by his own past, and to fix everything, he thinks he has to undo what he’s already done.

But what if what you did cannot be undone, and the future has more riding on it than anyone knows?

Yesterday’s Spacemage was the cause. Today’s Spacemage was the effect.

But can Tomorrow’s Spacemage save everyone?

Unification (Ghost Marines #2) – Jonathan P. Brazee

Human slavers attack. Despite trying to fight back, there is nothing the young Leefe can do to save his family and friends. But he doesn’t have to. The Imperial Marines arrive in the nick of time, and they hate slavers. Three tri-years later, when the new emperor issues a proclamation to integrate the imperial military with non-human citizens, Leefe is among the first to volunteer.

The Corps has been integrated by imperial decree—but that doesn’t mean everyone accepts the wyntonan Marines. Despite an impressive combat record as a grunt, Corporal Leif Hollow struggles to become an effective NCO and leader of Marines.

When then the trumpets of war sound, however, Marines forget about differences and come together to accomplish the mission. But when the odds are stacked against them, and the empire’s very existence is at stake, will that be enough?

War Mage (The Magitech Chronicles #4) – Chris Fox

The Krox have finally reached their end game, and the sector will never be the same. Their relentless fleet darkens the skies of New Texas, home of the fabled Ternus shipyards. Their only hope lies with their sworn allies, the Shayans. But the Shayans refuse to help.

Only Aran and his company can keep their leadership alive long enough for Voria to bring reinforcements and the fabled Spellship. If they fail, the entire world burns, and Ternus morale will collapse with it.

But the war is merely a smokescreen for something much more sinister. Teodros, Guardian of Krox, plans to use the distraction to resurrect his dark father. If he is not stopped, Krox will live again.

Behind it all Talifax schemes, and Nara will pay the price.

New Release Roundup, 25 August 2018: Science Fiction published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames