#general pd talk

[dragonwysper]

Seeing all these other pwASPD talk about how they hate socializing because they don't care about people's drama and they think it's all stupid is so interesting to me. I also dislike socializing, but like I DO wanna hear the drama. It has to be interesting, but I like sitting back and listening to these crazy-ass stories. It's entertaining as hell, and also saves me from the agony of trying to come up with a non-canned response for small talk.

[pluie-et-romarin]

I'm sick af, but this ain't stopping the pd grind: episode 10 finished

I have two things to say:

Fuck Mal

Live laugh love Wavelengh

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

fucked up ship bingo.... i feel like you've finished dunmeshi? so i will say. farcille!!!! & also tidalwave :]

i have not actually finished dunmeshi yet !!!! im still relatively close 2 the beginning actually, i took a break from reading it to go hardcore finishing moby dick (which i still have not done yet. you might even call it. my white wha *gets shot*)

I have a lot of feelings about farcille though <3

ALSO FUCK YES THANK U FOR SAYING TIDALWAVE I WAS LITERALLYYYYY THINKING ABT THEM WHEN I RBED THIS

i dont actually want them to kill each other but theyve definitely tried to before so i had to include that one. actually i also should've added the vampire bat one. im not sorry for being a tidalwave enjoyer it WILL happen again. worlds worst divorced single fathers. i think tide should visit him in prison

[kamryn1963]

I don't talk about Crockett as much as I should. I love him, he can do no wrong in my eyes

[leonhrt]

I want to talk about how often characters coded to have a personality disorder are nearly always seen as autisitic coded by fandoms, but i don't have the energy to type a lot.

[comradecowplant]

Love how the new PLL writers were like okay FINE fans were right to point out that A was never really a slasher villain and continuing to use that moniker for these new villains is a slap in the face to the original evil girlbosses-- Mona, Cece, and Ello Spensah-- who worked 👏 hard 👏 scheming and stooging (sometimes YEARS of preparation!) in order to torture the original liars...... so for these new girls we will call the villains B instead :)

[tigwalen]

I got someone on my case last time I said something similar but I really don't care how much of a victim you are to Jakey being a terrible or abusive boyfriend, if you inflict him upon the rest of us and refuse to help yourself, I'm not going to help you.

[robbysreaders]

pairing: jack abbot x f!reader  word count: 1.8k notes: I saw this gif of Shawn from Chicago PD i think? and it made me think of Jack giving a lecture and then i kinda spiraled out idk!!!

You slip away mid-shift, all your patients stable, waiting on results or beds upstairs. You catch Dana’s eye as you peel off your gloves.

“Running upstairs for a sec—page me if anything changes.”

Dana arches a brow, glancing at her watch. “How convenient. A certain silver fox is about halfway through his presentation, if my sources are correct.”

You raise a brow. “I’m just going to support my colleagues. Totally normal.”

“Sure,” she says, deadpan. “Totally normal to reapply lip gloss before a lecture.”

You roll your eyes and make your escape.

You duck into the back of the auditorium, quiet as you can, but your entrance still catches Jack’s eye. He doesn’t miss a beat in his sentence, just tips the corner of his mouth up in a smile before continuing. You melt into a seat, pretending not to notice.

Jack and Samira were asked to give a presentation on their banana pants pigtail catheter procedure from the PittFest MCI, after it had been published by The Lancet.

The talk wraps. The crowd filters out. You linger.

Jack steps down from the podium, spotting you. “Didn’t realize they were letting the riff raff in these days.”

You raise a brow. “We’re a teaching hospital, are we not, Dr. Abbot?”

Before he can reply, Samira swoops in and wraps you in a quick hug. “You made it! You’re coming out tonight, right? Jack’ll give you the details.” She says over her shoulder as she follows someone out the door.

Jack watches her go, then looks back at you. “So… are we?”

You blink. “Are we what?”

“Being honored with your presence tonight.”

You turn toward the exit. “I’m considering it.”

“You do realize you’re walking the opposite way from the ED.”

“What, a girl can’t grab a coffee mid-shift?”

He follows you to the cafeteria, orders a black coffee, pays for both without asking.

“You always this generous?” you tease.

“Only with people who show up to my lectures uninvited.”

You shake your head and sip your drink, and he falls into step beside you. “Can I walk you back to the Pit?”

“You say that like it’s a romantic stroll and not a direct line to getting roped into seeing patients on your day off.”

He laughs. “You still didn’t answer me.”

“I’m walking,” you say innocently.

“Not that question.”

“Oh,” you say, glancing over. “Yeah. If the next few hours don’t implode, I’ll come.”

“Careful—don’t jinx it. And first round’s on me.”

You grin. “Shouldn’t we be buying for you, Dr. Published?”

He shrugs. “Not my first publication. Still not sure why everyone’s acting like I cured cancer.”

Robby suddenly appears beside you. “You done monopolizing my best resident, Dr. Abbot?”

You take that as your cue. “Back to it,” you say quickly, slipping away.

As you walk off, you hear Jack murmur, “Told you we need ten more like her.”

“You don’t need ten,” Robby replies dryly. “One’s already got you tied in knots.”

--

The bar’s dimly lit, a little too loud, crowded with scrubs and badge lanyards. Samira’s already holding court in a booth, waving wildly when she spots you walking in.

Jack’s at the bar, two beers in hand, scanning the crowd. His shoulders drop when he sees you.

“Told you I’d show,” you say, sliding up beside him.

“You cut it close,” he says, handing you one of the beers. “Was about to assume I got stood up.”

You raise a brow. “That why you were brooding into your IPA like a sad Hemingway character?”

He huffs a laugh. “Only a little.”

You clink glasses. “To your big debut.”

He groans. “It wasn’t a debut. I’ve done talks before.”

“Yeah,” you say, sipping. “But this one had fans in the audience.”

He glances down at his beer, then at you. “Just one.”

You feel that zing of heat at his words and have to look away for a second—too much eye contact and you might combust.

Across the room, Dana’s already watching like she’s got popcorn in hand. Robby leans over and says something to her, and she nods in the most obvious way possible.

Jack notices too. “Are they—?”

“Oh yeah. Full-on surveillance mode. Maybe we should go join the group, get them to stop gossiping behind our backs.”

“Knowing them, they’ll start gossiping to our faces,” he jokes as he follows you to the booth.

Conversation flows from how excited they are with being done with revisions and how they’re being invited to a couple conferences to give the same spiel to the craziness of the emergency department and their personal lives.

At one point, your knee bumps his under the table and he doesn’t move away.

After a beat, he murmurs, “You always this bold off shift?”

You tilt your head. “You always this soft-spoken after a beer?”

He chuckles. “Maybe.”

You smile, leaning in just enough to keep the banter between you and him. “I like it. The mysterious gruff thing works on the floor, but this? This is nice.”

He looks at you for a long moment—eyes soft, mouth curved like he’s fighting the instinct to say something he shouldn't.

Then: “You’re trouble” as his hand moves softly to your knee, hidden from the group by the table. 

You grin. 

Samira calls your name across the table, beckoning you over to take a photo. You stand reluctantly, then pause and turn back to Jack.

“You coming?”

He hesitates, then shakes his head. “I’m good here. I’ll hold your seat.”

You lean in, just close enough to tease, your voice low. “Try not to miss me too much.”

He watches you  go, fingers still resting on the spot where her knee had been. He tells himself to get a grip, but his smile betrays him.

As you walk away, you hear Robby slide into the seat next to Jack and say, loud enough for you to catch it: “So… that seems like a new development?”

Jack mutters something you can’t hear—but you see the smile he doesn’t bother to hide.

The group’s thinned out. Laughter’s softened. Samira’s doing tequila shots with two interns and Dana’s deep in animated gossip with Robby at the end of the booth.

You and Jack are side by side, quiet again.

He’s got his hand back around your knee rubbing small thoughtless circles.

Jack nurses what’s probably his third beer, but it hasn’t touched him much. He’s too grounded. Steady.

“You okay?” you ask, voice low.

He glances at you, brow raised. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’ve just been…” you search for the word, “thoughtful.”

He smiles faintly. “Guess I’m not used to being the center of attention.”

“You handled it fine. Better than fine.”

He looks at you for a long moment.

“This thing with you… it’s not just in my head, is it?”

You blink. Heart stutters. “No,” you say. “It’s not.”

He nods once, like he needed the confirmation, like he’d been carrying that uncertainty all night.

“I’m not good at this,” he admits.

You reach for his hand under the table, wrap your fingers around his. He doesn’t flinch. Just holds on.

“You’re doing okay so far,” you say quietly.

And for a moment, everything else—the noise, the bar, the chaos of the hospital world—fades.

--

You’re halfway through rounds when you catch sight of him at the nurses’ station—coffee in hand, hair still damp from the shower, reading through a chart.

He looks up. Sees you. Smiles. It’s different than before. Softer. Quieter. Like a secret just the two of you share.

Dana clocks it immediately.

“What the hell happened last night?” she hisses, falling into step beside you as you walk toward the trauma bay.

“Nothing,” you say too fast.

She gives you a look.

“Nothing… overt,” you amend.

Behind you, Jack appears. “Morning,” he says, voice low but warm.

“It’s 3:47 in the afternoon,” you reply, trying very hard to sound normal.

He shrugs “It’s morning for me” while he hands you a cup of coffee and keeps walking. Dana stares after him.

You sip. It’s exactly how you take it.

She turns to you, eyes wide. “Okay, no. That is not normal behavior.”

You hid your smile behind the cup.

--

The ER is quiet. It's after 3 a.m.—that liminal, weightless hour when the world feels like it belongs only to the people still awake. The lights are dimmed. Somewhere down the hall, a monitor beeps—steady, slow.

You’re at the counter, finishing notes on a patient you’re about to discharge, when Jack walks by, flipping through a chart. His scrubs are rumpled. He stifles a yawn.

“You’re still here?” he asks softly.

You glance up. “Working a double. I’m actually considering switching to nights—covering some shifts for Ellis to see how it feels.” You ramble a little, nerves showing.

He leans against the counter beside you, arms folded, close enough that your elbows nearly touch. For a moment, neither of you speaks. Just the quiet hum of fluorescent lights, the hush of a sleeping hospital.

“Hm. What can I do to help tip the scales?” he says at last. “You’re the best doctor I know. We’d be lucky to have you on nights.” He pauses, then adds with a grin, “Oh, fuck—does Robby know you’re leaving him?”

You chuckle. “Of course. He’s not thrilled, but he wants me to do what’s right for me. The cases are different overnight. I’ve always been a night owl. Still figuring it out.”

“I’m always here if you want a sounding board.”

“Thanks,” you say, smiling—then shifting gears. “Have you eaten anything? Dana said she stashed some thank-you cookies earlier.”

“I’ll never say no to a 3 a.m. dessert. Lead the way.”

You end up side by side on the doctors’ lounge couch, coffee in hand, both of you still bone-tired but not ready to leave. There’s a comfort in the quiet.

After a while, he says, “You should go home.”

You glance at him. “I could say the same to you.”

He doesn’t laugh. Doesn’t deflect. Just looks at you.

“Truth is,” he says quietly, “I’ve been finding reasons not to leave.”

You straighten a little, watching him.

“Not the hospital,” he adds. “Just… you. Every time we’re together, I almost go with you. And I keep trying not to. Because we work together. Because you… you get it.”

You don’t breathe for a second.

“Jack…”

He shakes his head, like he’s already regretting saying it—but then: “You make it hard. To keep the distance.”

Your heart kicks. Loud. Certain.

You turn toward him fully. “Then maybe stop trying.”

He doesn’t move—but something shifts in his expression. Softens. Opens.

You lean in.

He exhales. “This isn’t smart.”

“I’m not asking for smart.”

He leans in slowly, like he’s waiting for you to change your mind.

You don’t.

And when his lips finally meet yours, it’s gentle—almost reverent. A sigh of a kiss. Like something long-held and long-denied.

When you part, foreheads pressed together, the silence between you feels full.

There’s nothing to say.

Not yet.

[svt-kiki]

kiki in nana tour but shes upset that cheol couldn't be there and mentions him every 5 minutes ;o;

　🧺 𓏔 DON’T LET SEVENTEEN KNOW　　⌅ .

𝗡𝗔𝗡𝗔 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥────EP. 001　✦　01

　　🥥 ⸝⸝ 𝗇𝖺 𝗉𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗉𝗌 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖺𝖼𝗁𝗂𝖾𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗂𝗆𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗌𝗂𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇. 𝖽𝗈𝗇’𝗍 𝗅𝖾𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 — 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗂𝗌𝖾𝗅𝗒, 𝗁𝖾𝗋.

⌇ 2023.　kiki ( fem!oc ) x svt　2.9k　fluff, crack, messy writing, kicheol is rly strong in here so be aware　✉️　i said i struggled writing this and still is but luv the layout so trying to write and post it as much as i can... enjoy !

“i think she would be the hardest to fool,” seungcheol presumes. “if you want to wake them up one by one, i think it’s better to go to her first.”

it is september 7th, 2023. few hours ago, seungcheol received the surprising news from the staff — youth over flowers is actually happening.

na youngseok pd agrees, “actually we’re planning the same thing... maybe it’s insensitive for women to just storm into the room while sleeping, you know,” then pd crosses his arms, tilting his head slightly and murmurs, “i mean, is this okay for her? i hope it’s not too much or unnecessary,”

he’s implying that she could be sensitive to getting different treatment with the rest of the members. since day 1, she needs to prove herself constantly to make people believe that she didn’t end up in the group for just instant attention gathering but because she deserved it in effect. seungcheol chuckles with a hint of surprise, “woah, you’re really thoughtful. i think it’s alright but have you talked with minji noona? if she approves, i guess it’s more than fine.”

“yeah we talked,” na pd nods. “in fact she’s on our side.”

“ohh is that so? but it makes sense,” seungcheol looked impressed at how their team planned well to make it before na pd retorts. “but you didn’t seem surprised?”

“minji noona is the best at poker facing. she’s so professional, no one can detect she’s hiding or concealing the truth beside kiki, so it just makes sense you, or other staff on your side choose to include her, because she’s the safest person to entrust your secret.”

“oh yes, she’s kinda an earnest person?” na of snickers about the way seungcheol describes a famous manager of seventeen like a boss he’s afraid of, or wishes to not pissed off. 

[ 15 hours later ]

next morning, at four thirty, na pd dashed into seungcheol’s room. 

“seungcheol-la, how’s it going?” general leader stuttered to pd’s question as soon as he entered the room. “it’s in danger! she might have noticed it! i didn’t know if i glossed over well!” na pd is lured to his upset as well and quivers, “what- what do you mean? who’s she? kiki-ssi?”

“yes,” he continues after pacifying his own agitation. “after the concert she asked me to eat dinner together. i was already shaken up for the ask because i’m not confident i can stick through with the plan in front of her — which means i need to keep lying to her — but i don’t have good reason to decline, thus i’ve been like well, she should have no idea what’s coming, there’s no way minji noona spills it unless it's unprofitable for her, so i was okay, then after eating the dishes she really concerned about me because i looked tired,”

“you looked tired?” na pd tilts his head before cracking up a little for his response. “because i shooted this with you in the afternoon!” 

[ he was exhausted ]

“she was genuinely worried about me and i felt so guilty,” he keeps going. “it was in the tip of my tongue!” na pd pat on his shoulder and reassures him. “i know, thank you for bearing that for us seungcheol-lie. in fact we couldn’t decide which to call first between kiki and the boys who are still awake, what do you think? i thought maybe we should go to her first quietly, you or minji-ssi enter the room before us and make sure everything is okay?”

“sounds nice.” seungcheol nods. “then we can go to their room,” he waves toward the direction where mingyu and others are having rap battles. after the explanation from pd about plan to go into energetic kids, they stand up and sneak out the room together. 

kiki picks up the call from seungcheol earlier than expected. “yeoboseyo? kyoka?” he calls her by the birth name, indicating the bosom relationship they have. while na pd glances at the camera to how his voice softened. “hey, sorry to wake you up this early. can i come in now? …okay, good.” he gives a thumbs up to the crew. minji follows after him, entering her room in silence. pd and the other staff overhear them chatting some words in the room from outside without looking into before seungcheol pops out the head from the door. 

“good morning kiki-ssi,” na pd greets the japanese girl who's still half asleep. “it’s been a while, do you recognize me?” 

“...??? annyeonghaseyo...???”

[ politeness in full of question marks ]

“but... why... how...?”

everyone cracks up to her guiltless state while trying hard to keep their voice low. her dark hair was a bit messy but flowed down smoothly to her chest area over the sweat shirt. she blinks slowly as trying to process what’s going on right now. kiki just wakes up with her bare face but somehow it looks almost intentional. her skin is glowing and there’s almost no sign of any puffiness, leading the female pd’s voice of awe. she sighs in impressed, just murmurs “wow…” and that makes them push into another bursting out, while they edited her with glowing effects around her with the sound of birds chirping and flower petals blowing in the screen. 

[ living sleeping beauty is here ]

“wake up sleepyhead,” seungcheol gently pokes her head with a palm which makes her giggle with slight confusion. then suddenly, she snaps back into the reality and gazes all over those people in the room. “wait- is this- for real? it’s happening?”

“yes it is, and you’re the first one to know.” pd confirmed. kiki is delighted, she beamed to seungcheol and the words slipped out from her mouth. “cheol-lie! oh my god, it’s happening! we are going to...” then she realized. all of the emotions drop from her facade. “wait,” she mumbles. “are you not... going to say that... the...” 

he casts a look at her face changes before holding and caressing the back of her hand. “kiki, it’s okay.”

“i’m sorry,” na pd droopes his head in guilt. “we tried to rearrange after hearing this news but since you have fourteen of them, it’s really difficult to find another date.” 

at the moment, almost everyone in the room feels pain with her. the way her eyes roamed all over the sheets, backed to with seungcheol, moved with minji, then backed to na pd again, she clearly trying to hide the sadness for the sake of this filming. “ah- i understand. thank you for trying to make it happen for all of us oppa. it’s…sad but, can’t be helped right?” she holds back his hand and swings it a little. “i’m so sorry cheol,”

“i know. you don’t have to worry about me, okay?”

in fact, this is the true reason minji agreed — moreover, recommended — to obtain her first. kiki must be heavily upset about the fact that seungcheol can’t make it to this trip. she’ve already registered deep concern for his injury a few months ago as he joked that the doctor needed to reassure her more than himself. in addition, she’s the one who is excited about this trip the most. carats know how she seemed happy during ttt in house and other behind contents when she was spending time with all of them. now she needs to depart to the destination leaving him behind alone. it’s not easy. “now, put this mic on!” seungcheol giggles as he does by himself for her. after managed to slip away from her room — she added the black frame glasses on her face along with the mic in last second — na pd told her the plan to surprise dino and others. he added the mention of the glasses, “oh you dressed up?” to which she responds “i thought... i should just cover up for it...”

“what? you don’t need anything! i can’t believe you were asleep 5 minutes ago!” he affirms which cracks up her. 

[ now let’s visit the energetic kids ]

“why are they still awake and loud like this?” kiki is genuinely bewildered about the voice which is heard from inside to the hallway. she almost collapsed onto the floor to hold on laughter while lending an ear to their singing. 

then pd catches hoshi who just came out from the room. kiki pulls him closer and whispers to not speak loudly. surprisingly, hoshi perceives the assignment in a second, guesses its for the show that jun and minghao would star. 

“no,” she quickly shakes her head. “it’s youth over with flowers, soonyoung! it’s happening!”

“woah- really? like actually? how? oh my god,” it’s funny that his reaction was almost identical to hers. after receives the call from the member inside, na pd leaps into the room as answering to the phone. “yeoboseyo?” 

the double bed room turns into chaos immediately. they blart out what they want to say randomly as “wait, are we not going back to korea?” or “what will happen to jun and the 8’s show?” and it becoming out of control by each seconds. kiki just giggles next to seungcheol throughout adorable little brothers falling onto the bed out of intoxicate until two reveal that na pd came to tokyo via fukuoka, which is one of the most west side of japanese major cities, while tokyo is the east side. her eyes get wider, mouth slightly parted. “woah, oppa... you’ve really gone through it.” her calm wards somehow bring more laughs among the members. although neither she couldn’t maintain her composure once na pd spilled the beans about destination. 

“italy?” the voice of her and mingyu’s synched. “are we... going to italy? really?” mingyu drops his knees onto the floor, making himself into the posture of begging towards him. “seriously?” she joins him by words. “how did you-” she couldn’t grasp what’s going to happen at this point. is there any chance that 13 of them — not 14, her stomachs become heavier for the idea — will going to europe?

“y’all really drunk,” she snickers about how four of them, dino, mingyu, seungkwan and joshua, that their brain is only functioning half of it because of alcohol. their gaze is still blurred and how hard they tried to focus on the filming, they are already losing the game.

“seungkwan-nie, guide us. this is your field.”

by hearing her demands, the tangerine fairy suddenly remembers the responsible as a variety-assigned-member. “pledis really does it, really!” he repeats with excitement. 

and the rest of the time, waking up members one by one, she just constantly fixes their hair in the background and pds make sure to highlight her habits in the edit. on the other hand, she can’t help but look up at the sky for how many of them are sleeping naked. 

“it can be bloopers by any chance...”

“that’s why we wake up you first before going into your room...” pd taps on her shoulder. 

[ true strugglers ]

“and also why did they display their front cover magazines like it’s in a shop or something?”

kiki bites her lower lip, displaying her concerns about waking up the 8 at the end. na pd already worries about the task, harks that he expecting this fake tv program filming so much from the boys all this time. in the matter of discussing how to ease his disappointment in jeonghan’s room, kiki throws a question to joshua who’s sitting next to her. he recommended entering the room while clapping and applauding. the idea’s quickly adopted by everyone. while marching towards the last room, jun chortles. “sounds so much fun! i couldn’t believe pd was there when i woke up... when he visited you, noona?”

she shared what had happened. “i was woke up first. i’ve also surprised so much, failed to process it right away.”

“i know.” jun nonchalantly put his arm around her shoulder. “it’s still hard to believe what’s happening. taking this number secretly must be so difficult.”

“yes. they must’ve planned the details to not be doubted by us.” she approves. 

after storming into minghao’s room, kiki couldn’t help but to cast a smile in the corner of her lips. although she feels sorry for him, it’s still humorous how he reacted to this news. he’s clearly not contended, or convinced fully, so she choruses besides jun when he reminds na pd once again that they ought to make an actual program for them. 

“i know few people from tvn as well, i can talk to them if you want.” she amuses. na pd facepalms as if he was waving the white flag. “are you... blackmailing me?” she said nothing but just smirked, and nothing shook na pd to his core ever.

[ for the context, kiki starred in tvn drama “it’s okay to not be okay” as the main lead in 2020! ]

they inserted the clips from future episodes in here, as she got recognized from the people in italy time to time, being asked for taking pictures or autographing to them. they also mentioned to her acting career, for example psycho-pass: zero, japanese drama on netflix that recorded a massive hit internationally this year. 

in the meantime, they go off in all directions to prepare for a depart in 3 minutes, while kiki runs out from the 8’s room as think out loud. “oh what should i do...” 

she rushes into her own room leaving the camera behind. first she washes her face with a water, put on all in one gel to keep her skin from drying out. then she throws the bottle into the bag, changes into a pair of adidas tracksuit. after she changes, the camera crews asked so she let them come in. “oh sneakers... i need to wear those... and my supplements,” even if she’s in haste, kiki doesn’t look upset. she just prepares things in calm to not waste precious 3 minutes. “oh and hats and glasses, too.” she brought those from the table and put it in. in addition, she also joins the toothbrush group alongside with mingyu, seungkwan, dino and jeonghan. 

“oh no, i don’t have extra underwear...” as she naturally murmured, they inserted “???” subtitles in the screen, telling how she’s carefree yet being female idol. 

[ is this okay to broadcast…? ]

“what should i do…does pd mean including this too?” she stands in the middle of the room like a scarecrow for a second, wondering what exactly he meant. however, she just stop minding all business before heading towards the meeting room with her tote bag. after all, things will work out, right?

“you can’t bring the bag,” as soon as she sets foot in the room, the boys who’ve already arrived there chorused the same thing. “oh is that so?” but unlike they imagined, she just gave a nod of assent and put that on the table. “you… accepted very easily, aren’t you?” na pd tilts his head with slight confusion. she just shrugs and answers, “because i’m counting on you, since you are the one who said all-inclusive.”

[ !!! ]

[ unexpected attack ]

pd bursts out laughing. they also add the subtitle “huge responsibility” on na pd. “i mean… yeah… you’re right…” he stutters as whipping the cold sweat. “you really don’t have to worry. i’ve already talked with minji-ssi and she prepared essentials for you to avoid inconvenience.”

“then let me just take my charger.”

she picked out what she said, made comfortable next to the 8. after jun sat next to her, she giggled about how they looked like matching theme outfits since both were wearing set-ups.

“but it feels so good. i’ve never- or anyone never left a country like this before, right? without worrying the luggages like just going to convenience store in the neighborhood.” and that’s true. no one would think she’s off to italy when you look at her outfits. it’s as if she’s heading to the practice room like usual.

and the time finally comes.

“oh, wait, hyung won’t go?” wonwoo awkwardly turns back to seungcheol and hugs him outside of the bus. she just stands next to him, observing members say goodbye one by one through lonely eyes.

“i’m so sorry we are not together. i’ll take lots of pictures and send to you, hm?” she puts arms around him, holds him tightly.

“i know,” seungcheol pulls her figure closer too. he really doesn’t feel sad or lonely. of course he wishes he could go with them together. but he’s also happy that his family can experience a once in a lifetime vacation like this. he can already sees her walking by the beach, basking in the sun of toscana, smacking her lips to the pizza and pasta, being a bit tipsy for the glass of red wine. oh, he loves to watch her eating. she’s an excellent cook, but she also expresses her content fully when she enjoys eating. truthfully, kiki never eats just because she needs to. she always finds a way to enjoy the dishes, whatever it is. even in haste, she always begins the meals with little “itadakimasu,” without fail. it’s a common etiquette in japan to show gratitude to people who played a role in providing food—they also say “gochisōsama-deshita,” at the end. it’s more like a secular custom than praying before the meals or something, but she never misses those. it never changes since he met her for the first time. she changes a lot like other members as well. but she’s always the same girl in his eyes.

the girl, he cares the most in this world.

to avoid being dramatic, he let go her quickly. yet her scent of fabric softener lingers with him. his chest tightened a little.

“just don’t mind and enjoy, you little workaholic.” he makes a little mess with her hair. once again, she waves at him before getting on the bus.

now, it’s time to go.

© SVT-KIKI　/　2025 .　

(　tag list　)　@smh-anon @jennwonwoo @angie-x3 @scarlet789 @cheeksung @babilou-pov

[felassan]

David Gaider: "It occurs to me, after reading posts getting it spectacularly wrong, that there are a lot of misconceptions over how game studios organize and, in particular, who makes the actual decisions about what ends up in your game. Much of it is by folks who don't *try* to get it... but not all, surely. I'll explain it a bit, but a big caveat: I'm going to talk in generalities and roles. Actual titles vary (a lot) from studio and studio, and the bigger a studio is the more segmented their departments (and thus management) is going to be. Even so, most studios, big and small, kind of work the same. To start, you're going to break your devs up into at least three groups: design (what is the game? how does it work?), art (what will it look like?), and engineering (making it go). There can be a lot of cross-over and some departments that don't fit into a project structure (QA, Marketing, etc.)"

Rest of post under cut due to length.

"There's going to be someone in charge of these groups - these are usually called "leads" or "senior leads". The actual title varies. The Design Lead could be a Lead Designer, for instance, or it could be a Creative Director and a Lead Designer is what they call someone further down the chain."

"These leads all report to a Project Director, someone who's job it is to manage the project as a whole. Now, this part gets a little dicey. Depending on the studio, this role can be anything from more production-oriented (they control the schedule) to an outright auteur who micro-manages everything."

"More importantly, it's the PD who hands down the project goals to the Leads: the strategic goals, the needed features, the shape of it all, etc. The Leads then figure out how their department is going to tackle those, and work with each other. If the Leads conflict, it's the PD's role to solve it. How much autonomy or ownership those Leads have is, like I said, really up to the individual PD and that studio's culture. Even in the case of a PD who has a lot of authority over the project, however, they still report to the studio leadership (unless it's the same person, like in a small studio)."

"The studio leadership is going to be giving the PD their marching orders, often in the form of those strategic goals. If there's a publisher involved, that's where the studio leadership is likely getting those goals. The PD, then, ends up being the person who has to negotiate with everyone above."

"What does this mean? If the studio or publisher has concerns about the project, they're calling in the PD to explain. If the project needs more time or resources, it's on the PD to explain to them why and how and when. If there are a lot of layers above the PD... yes, it's a looot of meetings. So while the PD is managing up, the Leads are managing down. With big projects, that means managing the "sub-leads"... those in charge of the individual sections of their department. It'd be unmanageable otherwise, and the bigger the project the more of these there are going to be."

"What does this mean? Well, let's look at the way BioWare broke up Design (as of 8 years ago, anyhow). Design consisted of Narrative Design, Level Design, Systems Design, Gameplay Design, and Cinematic Design (who worked in tandem with Cinematic Animation, which actually fell under the Art Lead)."

"The sub-leads are handed their goals by the lead, and work out how they're going to produce their particular corner of the game and also, more importantly, how they're going to work with each other. Conflicts between sub-leads are handled by the lead, as are ANY conflicts with other departments. What conflicts could there be, you ask? Dependencies, for one. "I can't do X until Y is done, but Y is someone else's job". Or scope. "We need 20 doodads but the sub-lead said they only have time to make 10, what now?". Even outright differences in vision. Big projects means room for a LOT of egos. If you think this is easier with a smaller (or indie) project, the answer is "yes, but not really". The roles are still necessary but often get combined into one person. Or outsourced, and someone still needs to manage the outsourcing. Things fall off over-full plates. It's a different kind of hard. Anyhow, the point of all this is: the further you go down the chain, the smaller the box you can play in is. The less you have actual say over, and even then that say is subject to being overridden by ANYONE above... and must still play nicely with the needs and goals of the other departments. You also need to keep in mind that projects are constantly in flux. Problems that were thought solved need re-solving. The team falls behind schedule and scope needs to change. You are constantly in a dance, within your tiny box, trying to figure out sub-optimal solutions that cause the least pain. And there will be pain. Shit rolls downhill, as they say, and when the project encounters big issues that means those high up have the sad job of figuring out how to spread it out and who can afford to take the hardest hit. If you're that one, you take it on the chin and you deal. This is the job. Lastly, I'll re-iterate: not every studio works this way, exactly. The roles exist, sure, but are not divided up so neatly or as easily identifiable. Even so, this should give you an idea what "lead" and "sub-lead" mean... and perhaps help you imagine what it's like existing further down the chain."

[source thread]

[ssahotchnerr]

okay but hear me out: hotch and bau!reader are married and she absolutely is the mom friend so the team calls them mom and dad

simultaneously

i LOVEEEE that cw; fem!reader, brief talk of illness, sweet domestic fluff (i'm crying)

interrupting the current, comfortable silence of the car - mind the radio playing lightly - spencer erupted into a sneezing fit, one that lasted at least a good ten seconds.

once his sneezing had ceased, you turned in your seat, allowing you to peer into the back at him. aaron's eyes quickly darted towards you, double checking your seatbelt was still properly laid across your chest despite your movement - just by force of habit.

"do you need tissues..?"

spencer weakly nodded his head in response, you plucked a few from the package you had conveniently stuffed into your pocket.

"how about a throat lozenge?" spencer croaked quietly and hopefully after he blew. the congestion was clear in his voice, as well as on the hoarse side.

"here." aaron didn't skip a beat, answering immediately. he dug into his pocket to retrieve a few, reaching his arm back behind his seat to hand the cough drops off to reid, all while keeping his eyes set on the road ahead.

emily snorted out a laugh, surprised, but not surprised at the same time. "you just happened to have some on you?"

"cold and flu season," aaron shrugged, flicking on his blinker and taking a right turn.

"and," you finished for him, looking out the window as he turned through the intersection, "with jack, the amount of germs he brings home from school. then you add his age to the mix - being more susceptible and all - you can never be too careful." you too shrugged, mirroring aaron's to a tee. "same goes for a team of profilers."

"speaking of," aaron searched through his other pocket, retrieving a pocket-sized container of purell and handing that back as well. "best we try not spread it if we can. the last thing we need is everyone calling out simultaneously."

"or," you reached into yours, grabbing a small hand gel also. "this one's scented. warm vanilla sugar, if you'd prefer this over the generic. and you know what," you adjusted in your seat again, facing aaron a little more head on, "we should probably stop and pick up vitamin c tablets for everyone before we get back to the pd. just to be on the safe side."

"ugh you two are so married and so mom and dad," emily feigned disgust as aaron nodded his head in agreement to your suggestion, but was still immensely entertained nonetheless, "it's sickening, pun intended. are you going to do the forehead check next?"

[a1sft]

۶ৎ GIRL TALK

What's Girl talk?

'Girl talk' is a show were Stray Kids' Alaa invites other female idols that she's friends with or wants to be friends with and they talk about "girly stuff" and also do some fun games like truth or dare, doing each other's make up blind folded or with fake make up for kids, baking, cooking, sleepovers, pool day, recreating memes, karaoke, dance challenges, etc.

General info

⋆ First episode release date: November 2023.

⋆ Episode lenght: 40 minutes-1hour.

⋆ Release time: 1 each month/1 each two months.

Why did I start it?

Okay, let's be honest I love the members, they're my only family in my dr so I cherish them a lot but being around 8 men I also need to talk about my girl stuff or just interact with other female idols because it's fun.

[ taglist: @cupiid-777 , @dollistive , @iama1ice , @h1biscusgal , @nab3rries , @mikroms , @avelineshifts , @mimi-shifts , @alexshiftz , @soapyfairie , @nothyeri , @gyucherie ]

(PD: got the idea to make this in tiktok but changed it to fit me and what I wanted)

[theseventhdimension]

Heyo could I request s4 Aaron Hotchner x gn!reader fluff where reader and Aaron got caught in the rain and warm up under blanket together

Dry by Morning

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Gn! Reader

Word Count: 1.2k+

DNI: all are welcome!

Author's Note: Why am i lowk so cold right now you read my mind? I'm writing this in my bed covered in a million blankets and I'm still shivering?? Hope you enjoy!! ;)

The sky had been threatening it for hours.

It crouched low and heavy above the streets, a swollen bruise of a sky—slate-gray, thunder-veined, sagging with held breath. Like some divine ceiling was about to crack. The air buzzed with static. Wind jittered through gutters, rattled street signs like teeth in a glass. Even the birds had made a tactical retreat.

You’d seen it coming from the passenger seat of the SUV—glancing sideways at Hotch, who drove like the storm didn’t exist. Who barely blinked when the clouds began to roll like some ancient thing shifting in its sleep.

You should’ve known.

But the debrief had dragged. Local PD was eager and underqualified. Reid had filled the gaps with a full-blown TED Talk. Rossi took the younger agents back to the motel. You and Hotch stayed behind, tying off paperwork at the courthouse just a few blocks away. Allegedly walking distance.

You made it one and a half blocks before the heavens lost patience.

It didn’t drizzle. It attacked. One second: nothing. The next—biblical.

A wall of rain fell like a dropped ocean, soaking you straight to the bone before your brain could catch up. Your breath punched out in a gasp. Hair plastered flat. Water sluiced down your neck and pooled at your collarbones.

“Jesus Christ,” you muttered, yanking your jacket tighter—not that it helped. It clung like wet tissue.

Hotch didn’t flinch. He didn’t curse. Just stopped. Glanced at the sky like it was mildly inconvenient. Then reached out and caught your hand.

“Let’s move.”

His grip was firm—warm in a way that felt unfair, given the weather.

You blinked rain out of your eyes. “Sprinting through a downpour? Is this standard FBI protocol or...?”

“Adapt and overcome,” he said, deadpan. “Or we could wait out the thunder and hope it’s in a generous mood.”

You ran. Kind of. It was less sprint, more sodden shuffle.

Puddles licked your ankles. Rain sheeted off the awnings. A flash of lightning painted the street white, catching a rusted neon beer sign and a couple of raccoons making regrettable life choices behind the dumpster.

By the time you reached the flickering "VACANCY" sign of the Sunset Pines Motel, you were two-thirds water, one-third regret.

Hotch opened his door—closer than yours—and tugged you inside like it was a crime scene that needed securing.

The rain didn’t stop. If anything, it escalated—pounding the roof with the intensity of a stampede, the heater vent shrieking faintly in protest.

You stood in the center of the room like a shipwreck survivor, dripping onto laminate flooring designed to look like wood and failing. Your jacket peeled off with a loud squelch.

“We should’ve waited for Reid,” you grumbled. “He had the car. And an umbrella. And probably some smug algorithm to avoid this exact scenario.”

Hotch gave a rare, understated snort. “He also had a granola bar stuck to the backseat.”

“Better than fungal carpet and the scent of despair..”

His mouth twitched—so brief you could’ve missed it. You didn’t.

You also didn’t miss the way his shirt clung, now translucent, mapping out the line of his collarbone and the tension in his shoulders. You turned away quickly. Pretended to admire the curtains, which had clearly not been updated since the Clinton administration.

“Bathroom’s through there,” he said, already crossing to the closet. “Towel’s on the rack. I’ll grab the spare.”

You escaped into the bathroom, clutching your pride and dripping all over the tile.

It smelled like citrus disinfectant and mid-life crisis. Beige walls, beige tile, beige towels—like someone had bleached the idea of color. But it was dry.

You caught your reflection in the mirror and winced.

“Excellent,” you muttered. “I look like a haunted mop.”

When you emerged, Hotch had changed.

Sweatpants. A long-sleeved cotton tee with the sleeves pushed up. Barefoot. Hair damp at the temples. He looked less like a federal agent and more like someone you might run into at a bookstore at 9 p.m., buying decaf and crime novels.

He was kneeling by the bed, fiddling with a space heater that sounded like it wanted to explode.

Without looking, he tossed something toward the chair.

It landed with a soft thud.

His hoodie.

“Put that on,” he said. “You’re freezing.”

You stared at it. Then at him. Then tugged it over your head. It was warm. Soft. Smelled faintly of cedar and clean laundry and something underneath that was just him.

“Better?” he asked, glancing over.

Your heart gave a traitorous little thud. “Yeah. Thanks.”

He nodded once, then rose smoothly, pulling a thick motel blanket from the shelf above the rack.

“You’re pulling out all the stops,” you teased. “What’s next, cocoa?”

“This isn’t about theatrics,” he replied, dead serious. “It’s about comfort. You need it.”

Something in your chest flickered. He said it like he meant it. Like you needing comfort was not only valid—it was expected.

He sat on the bed, unfolded the blanket with calm precision, and left a space beside him. No invitation spoken. Just… available.

You sat. Slowly. Shoulder to shoulder. Damp sock to damp sock. The blanket came up around you both.

It was warm. The room still hummed with rain outside, but the storm couldn’t touch you here.

He exhaled slowly. Almost a sigh.

“You okay?” he asked, voice low, like he didn’t want to disturb the moment.

You nodded. Then, softer, “You ever get tired of this?”

He didn’t ask what this meant. He just looked out the window, watching the rain make art out of the glass.

“Sometimes. But not tonight.”

You studied him. Jawline sharp in the lamp glow. Eyes thoughtful, not hard. Quiet strength wrapped in soft layers.

“Why not tonight?”

His gaze met yours. Steady. Measured. “Because you’re here.”

It hit you somewhere deep. Behind the ribs.

He didn’t say it with heat. Didn’t say it like a pickup line. He said it the way he said everything—with control, with certainty, with meaning.

And then, slowly, he leaned forward. Not all the way. Just enough to ask.

You met him halfway.

Forehead to forehead. Breath mingling. The blanket still around you. A quiet kind of intimacy. A truce with the world.

You murmured, “Are you always this smooth, or is it just the trauma bonding?”

A ghost of a smile. “Statistically, this is my least embarrassing approach.”

You shifted closer. Shoulder to chest now. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“Not luck,” he murmured. “Strategy.”

Then he kissed you.

Not rushed. Not hungry. Just present.

And in the morning, when sunlight finally cracked through the window and painted the walls gold—

—you didn’t notice right away.

Because for the first time in days, maybe weeks—

You were warm.

You were still.

And he was still beside you.

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 186 (Big News at Work)

Life returning to normal in Brindleton Bay didn't just mean more time spent with family - it also meant Heather had her hands full managing her updated clinic, and Conrad always had cases to tend as captain at Brindleton PD.

The clinic also received a visit from Catarina Lynx-Munch, the director of Shelly's Animal Haven, who came in with one of her cats for their annual check-up. She was also thrilled to report an uptick in donations after the shelter - and Heather, Conrad, and Gord - appeared on the reality series Dating Deanna.

"We won't have to think of the electricity bill for at least a year after this exposure!" she beamed, and Heather celebrated along with her.

"Cat, that's fantastic! I know how hard you guys work to get Brindleton Bay strays ready for adoption, and the exposure couldn't have been given to a better shelter."

Suri came by at least once a week to check on the clinic's adjoining cafe, which made decent extra money for them both. And though Heather had long ago forgotten fears of sending her children to daycare, she also wanted to spend as much time with Roan - who was growing so fast! - as she could, so she brought him to work (and sometimes the pets) on slow days when she had more lab work than appointments.

Her best vet tech, Kaori Hayashi, used the appearance of Roan to request time off to spend with her daughter, Kimi, and Heather was all too happy to give it. Kaori had been with her a long time, and Heather had relied on her time and again between maternity leave, time off to get married, kidnappings, and funerals, and she promoted her to a level 5 vet tech while approving her time off.

Family friend Bella Goth came in with one of her cats, all too thrilled to cuddle the youngest Gordon while she and Heather chatted about Alex Goth's mayoral prospects.

"He's always been determined, my Alex," said Bella proudly, as Heather finished examining Spatula and changed into a clean pair of scrubs. "He's knocked on so many doors the last few weeks, his knuckles have knocks on them! I think he'll mop the floor with Mr. Huntington in the debate, but that's because Alex is preparing as well as he would no matter his opponent."

Heather smiled. "I've heard great things from locals when I've canvassed with Hazel. Conrad can't canvas, of course, and cops endorsing politicians is blatantly corrupt, but Alex's dedication is exactly why Conrad and I know were our vote is going. J's a decent guy and his pets are great patients, but I'm not convinced he's not running because Landgraab Corp. put him up to it. The Bay needs people in charge who care about the town in ways the Brindletons never did."

Heather was also working hard to train her newest tech, Fernanda Carrillo, hoping to raise her skills enough that her clinic's rating wouldn't be too severely impacted by the death of her last tech, Rico Garrison.

Fernanda was young and enthusiastic, eager to do her best for her boss and all the clinic patients. She was a good hire, and things at the clinic were going as smooth as ever.

Likewise, Conrad's day-to-day at the precinct lately was quiet. He always had cases to go over or lab results to analyze, but no bodies were turning up at Fisherman's Wharf. And at least while the mayoral race was on, J Huntingdon's heavies at Bay Landgraab Security weren't making any trouble.

Conrad was cautiously optimistic, but it seemed George Brindleton's assertions that the town would fall apart without his control had been mere threats by a power-hungry gangster.

He was checking some lab results when the head squint, Sarah Emery, interrupted his analysis. "Captain Gordon, has the chief talked to you about the tests I ran this morning?"

Conrad shook his head. "Was there anything special about them?"

"They sent some DNA swabs over from Brindleton Prison and asked for a paternity test for a pregnant inmate."

His stomach dropped, and inmate John Brindleton's words ran through the back of his mind. "I'm happy in here. I've met someone." He waited for the rest of Sarah's gossip with morbid curiosity.

"Inmates getting pregnant doesn't happen all that often, especially by other inmates, but I was just as surprised as the Chief when Ximena Bonilla's test confirmed John Brindleton is the father of her baby!"

By the time Sarah said it, Conrad had been waiting for the truth. His heart raced - not because photos confirmed Ximena, who hated kids, was going to have a child, but because he knew what the system did with children born to incarcerated parents. His fears were for Rafa, who seemed so unready to raise a niece or nephew, but Conrad knew Rafa well enough. He'd never let the system raise his flesh and blood.

Conrad left the lab to talk to the chief, with the quiet monotony of the day replaced by the cloud Ximena always seemed to drag behind her. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 2.1 Summary

Gen 1 Start | Gen 1 Summary

NOTE: I've got the clinic rating to a solid 4 stars, I think. I'm almost at the point where I can afford the lab coat - the last vet clinic perk, and I'm hoping this tips the scales. At this point if I can get a handful of 5 star ratings, regardless whether it impacts the average, I'd call it a win on this bonus goal. Thus far, I have zero five star reviews.

NOTE 2: For those keeping track - Felicia Richards (born), Angela and Emit's twins (coming soon), Lilix baby (coming soon), and now Ximena and John Brindleton. Is that all the babies in this boom? Nope, it is not! More to come because my game said let's get wild (to the point I even cancelled a couple autonomous pregnancies because there were actually too many)!

[atopfourthwall]

Full disclosure, I just want to push your Trek nerd button, since your love of the franchise is infectious. In your opinion, what are some of the best and worst examples of the characters following the Prime Directive? Both you and SF Debris talk about the PD and why it exists but also about how some episodes very badly misuse or misunderstand it.

Of FOLLOWING the Prime Directive? Harder to see that because often the Prime Directive is used for the characters to do stupid things. However, the Klingon Civil War is a good example of them following it - while politically they ASSUME that the Duras family has Romulan aid, the civil war IS an internal struggle until the Romulans are officially involved. Thus the blockade to expose Romulan support was a better use of their time, and potentially more life-saving, than if they had openly aided Gowron with military support. Worst example... well, we have plenty to work with. Maybe "Homeward," where Worf's brother has a plan to save a single village from a planetary extinction and Picard not only says no but later when they're watching the planet die he's all "Yeah, this sucks but noninterference is more important." I can understand them not being able to save the planet (I can't recall if there was a way to stop it, pretty sure there wasn't), I can understand the moral dilemma of "Who are we to pick one village to survive while EVERYONE else dies?" But to then say no to the plan to save as many lives as they can JUST because their culture might change and then being like "Yep, this was the right thing to do!" Horse shit. Only reason I'm not counting Enterprise's "Dear Doctor" is because while they invoke the future Prime Directive with their bullshit, it's not official policy in Starfleet - just a very, very bad decision on the part of Phlox and Archer, with it being the character-ruining moment of Phlox for me. But if we did count it, then yes - Dear Doctor is the worst for its failure to understand genetics, evolution, and ethics in general. Horrible, horrible episode.

[copperbadge]

SAM!

I love the Chicken Salad War, but it's been a bit of a week so I have not commented. But it is very good. Which is funny, because I don't actually like chicken salad itself... Anyway, I have two(ish) questions about the Shivadh-verse! Back in one of the earlier books, you mentioned Gregory hung out (or at least knew) Princess Mia of Genovia. So are we talking about the Disney version of the Princess Diaries, with the awesone Grandmere? Or the book version, where Grandmere was pretty awful? My headcanon is that it's the Disney version, since (IRRC, as I said, long week, family emergencies, hospitals and all that) the Shivadh-verse started as Hallmark Channel Romance type movie script. So the happier version of the PD would make sense. Okay, second thing... When there is an election, is it basically "first across the finish line" style voting? Or is it ranked choice voting, where the votes for the non winning persons are redistributed ? (I know that's a massive over-simplification, but I'm sending an ask, not a theoretical essay.) I am assuming there's none of this stupid electoral college nonsense going on. (I am USian and I hate the electoral college system. But that's a rant for another day!)

I honestly love when people ask world building questions about the Shivadhverse, and I'm so glad you're enjoying the latest one!

I wasn't even aware the Princess Diaries HAD a book version. I won't lie, I've enjoyed the movie both times I've seen it but neither was like, intentional, I didn't seek it out. I'm not very well-versed in the canon, so yeah if the movies are happier lets go with those!

As for voting, that's an interesting question. I looked up how old ranked choice is as a methodology, and I think probably for royal elections in the Ask it's majority rule, but I have some really detailed reasoning as to why :D

Mainly, it seems that ranked-choice was generally known, but also not very popular, around the time Gregory II was democratizing the country in the early 20th century. That being the case he probably went with majority rule, which mostly matters because a lot hinges on how he chose to structure the elections.

There have, at least at this point in canon, been only five elections since the country went to democracy: Gregory II, Nathan IV, Jason I, Michaelis I, and Gregory III. I might write Jason or Michaelis facing a recall vote at some point but I don't have plans to right now. I find politics stressful :D Anyway, the history goes like this:

Gregory II was a birthright king and took the country to a democracy but then was elected king, which I think probably dismayed him a little but what can you do? He died in office, so parliament ran the next election, and they wouldn't have changed the still very new system.

Nathan IV was both incompetent and dictatorial so he was the first real test of the elected royalty system, where there are no term limits, simply the ability to call an election if people didn't like what the king was doing. A recall election would have been a really ugly time to change the system. Plus the whole thing was engineered by Jason, so he would only have allowed it to change if it benefitted him against Nathan. In theory it would have, since if you're voting for someone running against Nathan your vote would probably go to Jason next, because this was mostly about "get Nathan out of office", but Jason also knew he could win without it and he had to consider optics.

Likewise, Jason wanted his son Michaelis to be king. It's not so much that he wanted power for its own sake, but more that he felt that his family were the right people for the job (Jason was a competent ruler but he was arrogant and also not someone who let ethics get in his way). So again he would only have changed the system if he felt it would benefit Michaelis, who was so clearly going to win that he didn't need the help. That election had a number of people running, but nobody was giving Michaelis a real challenge.

Michaelis would have been willing to change to ranked-choice if the people wanted it, especially since he thinks it's a fairer system. Despite his dad, Michaelis is concerned with ethics and he wants to make sure everyone has the same power in the ballot box. So it's possible he held a referendum about it, perhaps well before he was thinking of retiring. If he had just decided to push it through parliament, there were again optics to consider, like whether he was doing it because it would benefit Gregory, so he put it to a public poll. But while Shivadh are generally very liberal they can also be a little set in their ways, and I think if he did hold a referendum they'd vote to keep things as they are. The system elected them three good kings and only one bad one, and those are decent odds.

And Gregory is open to the idea of changing the voting system, but unless there's a push for it from the voters, he's not going to bother, he has bigger fish to fry. He is concerned about the fact that three generations of his family have held office and now it's looking like they're bucking for a fourth, even if Joan is new to the family, so he's more focused on making sure that other young people who are interested in politics get opportunities similar to Joan's. Both because they deserve it, and so that it doesn't seem like Joan's getting undue favoritism.

I might write a political-themed Shivadh novel one day -- we know very little about Michaelis's election and nothing about Gregory's. I have distant plans for the election after Gregory announces his retirement -- Joan obviously is going to run, but I think Serafina will too, and they won't be the only ones. :D But we'll see. There's enough scary politics in the world right now that it won't be for a while in any case.