#hard to do anything lest something creative and somewhat demanding

[seaofreverie]

I actually made 9 drawings in 2 days

[lynenspray]

joygi 04

prompt: seulgi should know better than to come unprepared, especially when it involves her girlfriend's reputation at work.

---

hold me up (tie me down)

(joygi gp!seulgi frottage overstimulation car sex)

seulgi’s reflection followed as she tilted her head, brow furrowing at how the white collar of her dress shirt didn’t quite shape itself around her neck the way she wanted it to. 

with a sigh, she tugged at the front of her top and tucked it into her slacks haphazardly. the collar gave until the first closed button was right in the middle of her chest, but the action left unsightly creases around her shoulders. goddammit.

she shook her head in mild annoyance. should’ve gotten a new dress shirt for this occasion. she didn’t want to disappoint joy, after all--the younger woman was the one who had bought the sleek black suit seulgi was to wear for the night, demanding that the older woman don it in order for them to match. 

so she did. and now here she was, looking like a child playing grown-up, glaring at the troublesome cotton that was currently the bane of her existence. 

you really ought to stop dressing like a teenager, joy had told her once, bemused at the photographer’s choice of wearing a bucket hat on one of their dinners out. didn’t you say you came from work? the creative field really is something else...

seulgi mistook it as a joke, because joy and her had similarly bold fashion tastes in somewhat opposite directions. her own style was more baggy and fit for walking the streets, while the younger woman was fond of suits and blazers even on her casual days. seulgi was pretty sure joy would be the type to wear an oversized, tailored coat just to walk her dog around the block.

but apparently the comment was not to be taken as a good-humoured quip, and now seulgi was going to seem like an absolute fool at one of the most important fundraisers her girlfriend coordinated herself for the company that she was a division head for. fuck.

“maybe if i just…” she started, trying not to deflate when she discovered that buttoning her shirt up all the way just made her look worse. if that was even possible. 

ding!

seulgi blinked and picked up her phone, biting her lip when she saw her girlfriend’s message, impatience in its tone. probably from the traffic and the fact that seulgi got caught up with the photoshoot she had today, only having enough time for a shower and light make-up before joy fetched her. they were cutting it a bit too close to being exactly on time for the party instead of fifteen minutes early.

jwoyie ♡

i'll be there in ten. be at the driveway when i arrive

[7:21pm]

one of the elevators in her building had been under maintenance since yesterday, leaving only the other available. the wait and ride down would take anywhere between five to twenty minutes, and joy abhorred it when she was late. shit.

her head whipped around as she stared at her reflection once more; the state of her hair and overall demeanour appeared as frazzled as she felt. was there anything else she could do? 

deciding that no she didn’t own any other dress shirts that had any chance of being appropriate for the formal occasion and no she couldn’t possibly back out now and upset joy while she was at it, seulgi heaved a long suffering breath and wore the jacket to complete her outfit. 

she took one last look at her closet and rummaged through the drawers, figuring that she may as well bring a tie if there was any chance joy could salvage her attire. 

"seriously…"

the only ties she had were long printed scarf-like silks in different colours. great. 

she tucked one into her suit jacket anyway and hoped for the best, quickly making her way down to the lobby of her apartment building lest she be late. 

joy's mercedes-benz pulled up on the dot, and seulgi was both unsurprised and terrified to see her girlfriend's blank expression as soon as she slipped into the passenger seat in all her disheveled glory. 

all seulgi could do was sit there in quiet shame as she fiddled with the cloth in her hands.

"you’re gorgeous," seulgi whispered as she settled in. joy was going to turn every head at the fundraiser with the side ruffle black dress she wore; simple but eye-catching. oh god. seulgi was going to embarrass her girlfriend at the very event she worked so hard for. 

"thank you." joy’s reply was simple and quick, smooth as her steering them out of the driveway and onto the main road. the younger woman's hand trailed down seulgi's arm, twining their fingers together as their matching couple rings met. no praises were given about seulgi's own outfit. rightfully so, because she looked pitiful in comparison. 

seulgi sank further into her seat. 

joy didn’t look at seulgi when she spoke next. "are you upset? was it with your photoshoot today?" 

"no," seulgi answered, tightening her grip on joy's hand as she gazed out her window. "i just… know that i don't look good. i'm sorry i didn't just buy an actual dress shirt, or text you asking if i could borrow one."

joy let a few minutes pass by without a single word, the evening traffic’s lights bouncing off her face and making her glow. the few minutes had first turned into several, before several more, and soon enough time had stretched on until almost an hour of silence had passed and the events place underground parking lot was all seulgi could spy outside.

when the taller woman finally spoke, it was an inquiry rather than a response. "what are you doing with that tie?" joy’s tone lacked any accusation, but the steely gaze she flicked towards seulgi as she turned the engine off spoke volumes.

"i…" seulgi swallowed. "thought… maybe i could wear it tonight," she reasoned, every word that slipped out of her mouth softer than the last. though the car was warm, the temperature didn't call for the cold sweat that she felt trickle down the back of her neck. that was caused by something else. 

seulgi held her breath as she watched joy's fingers clench around the steering wheel, her stomach dropping at the sound of leather being stretched. 

"haven't we been over this before?" 

"the…" party? seulgi couldn't recall any such thing. 

joy's hand was almost as quick as her hiss. "this," she indicated, holding seulgi's hand and the tie up between them. "making decisions without me. it's my event."

and you're my girl went unsaid, but seulgi could hear the implication of it with joy's piercing stare. 

seulgi dipped her gaze impulsively, trying to appease the younger woman. she knew far better than to push joy, especially when she was in business-mode and concerned about her reputation at work. “i know… i’m sorry.” 

"you want to use this?"

she crumpled into herself, not knowing the answer joy wanted to hear.

the older woman let out a squeak of surprise when joy's other hand moved to grab her chin, forcing her to lock their gazes. "backseat," joy commanded. 

seulgi blinked, bewildered for only a moment before gathering her wits and scrambling to do joy's bidding. she squeezed herself between the front seats, waddled her way over the console, and caught her breath as she settled into a sitting position.

joy only looked at her with an expression of amusement, lips tilted mockingly. the older girl watched wide-eyed as her lover reached out to open the glove compartment and pulled out what looked like sleek black cloth. 

before seulgi could make sense of what was going on, the taller swiftly exited and reentered the vehicle through the back with a smirk, pushing her against the opposite door as soon as she got in.

seulgi gulped when joy languidly approached, maneuvering the former's legs until she could fit snugly between them. the position was awkward, but seulgi wasn’t thinking about that right now. the rough manipulation of her limbs had her trembling, and if she looked down now, she was sure the tent in her pants would be more than obvious. 

joy’s smirk only widened as she brushed fingers against seulgi’s trousers, right where her slowly hardening dick was. “sit tight, big girl,” she whispered. seulgi gulped as joy leaned forward, lips right by her ear and causing goosebumps to spring forth on her skin. “using this was your idea, after all. i wouldn’t want to disappoint you now.”

the older woman did nothing but watch and let her lover leave kisses on her wrists before wrapping the tie around them, tugging them up, up, above seulgi until they were level with the car handle over her head. 

a gasp escaped her lips when joy tethered her arms to the handle, leaving no room for her to resist or move from her place. 

she wanted to ask her lover what was going on, but just as she was about to, the black fabric was folded into a ball and stuffed in her mouth. 

the only thing she could muster was a confused grunt, her tongue pinned as joy placed another cloth between her teeth and tied the ends behind her head, pulling at the edges of her lips and preventing her from closing them. 

seulgi tugged on her bonds questioningly, letting the squeak of satin against leather ask everything she couldn’t manage to voice out. 

“you want to look good for me, right?”

she nodded, hips unconsciously bucking against the hand that ground down against it.

“i know just the thing to help, then.” 

joy’s smirk turned vicious, from what seulgi could see in the dim light. she felt more than saw her lover’s hands trail their way up her shirt, swiftly unbuttoning the white cotton. then those long fingers brushed against her ribs, coming between her breasts to unclasp her bra, letting her tan skin meet the still air of the car they were in. 

seulgi suppressed a weak whimper as joy's breath ghosted over her body, lips poised to kiss along her collarbone and doing so slowly, reverently. 

joy's kisses would normally range from deep and sensual to light and playful, but seulgi noticed her pecks now had intention behind them; firm and final, no sign of her tongue peeking out as she grazed against the older woman's peaks. 

"hnmf," seulgi groaned through the cloth as the ends of joy's hair tickled her waist, bucking her hips up to show her want, her need. if joy wanted to have her, she was all hers for the taking; would always be. she just needed to touch her. 

instead of following through with her lover's obvious request, however, joy ignored her restless hips in favour of grabbing her lipstick from her bag and reapplying some as she stared down at her unnie with a smirk. 

joy's hand found its way to seulgi's thigh, pressing her fingers harshly against the muscle and smirking wider at seulgi's whine in reaction. 

"you know when you look best, baby?" she questioned, rubbing along the underside of seulgi's leg and pushing it up to have seulgi blossom open for her, slacks pulling tight against her crotch, hugging her bulge. "when you're mine."

seulgi's head rolled back as joy started leaving firm kisses all over her torso once more, steady and insistent. she was so distracted by the sensation that she hadn't noticed when joy started writing on her chest; only blinked back to reality once the lipstick was recapped and joy sat back to gaze at her with a pleased expression. 

"if only you could see yourself," joy said, chin tilted upwards as she directed a lazy smile at seulgi. her grin was quickly replaced by a sneer. "but the view isn't for you anyway, is it?" 

seulgi shook her head with a squeak, knowing that was what joy wanted. she closed her eyes when joy still paid her swollen cock no mind, frustration building. 

"look at me."

please. seulgi planted her ankles on top of the car seats so she could inch herself closer and grind on joy's knee. please just touch me. 

a muffled yelp escaped her as joy abruptly pressed her thighs back against her own chest, holding her so firmly she could feel the shape of the car door digging into her spine. 

seulgi's eyes shot open. something in joy’s expression told her it was best if she stopped struggling; that if she knew what was good for her, she would sit still, listen carefully, and–

"look at me."

look at her. 

the older woman would bite her lip if she could. she spied the shadow of muscles moving as joy let out a breath and clenched her jaw. the sight had seulgi trembling; she couldn't tell what was about to happen.

she'd been disobedient before, pushed joy to the limit, tested her patience repeatedly to the point that she'd had no choice but to teach seulgi a lesson about her manners. 

but it had never happened in the cramped space of a car, right as they had to show up at an event. 

would joy drag her out of the vehicle, disheveled and so obviously wrecked, and leash her to her person as they got to the party? would she then push her into a cubicle in the restroom, make her cum all over herself, and watch as seulgi would try to hide the evidence? would they leave early, with joy stripping her naked and tied in the backseat as she drove the long way home? 

seulgi let out a shaky breath at the thought, gaze locked on joy and her barely withheld annoyance. she could do those things. joy would do all of those things if she felt like treating seulgi that way tonight. 

"good girl," joy practically purred. her hands were back on seulgi's legs, rubbing the material of her own slacks against her. "see? it's not that hard to do what i say."

the older woman let out a whimper as joy loomed over her. 

"isn't that right?" 

seulgi nodded before joy could even finish, breathing heavily as she felt her dick leak, aroused at the sight. she groaned when joy's hands travelled to cup her groin, massaging her bulge and causing her to jerk up in response. 

she tugged on her bindings and lifted her hips, rolling against joy's palms as the younger woman curiously left seulgi clothed. no movements towards unbuckling her pants were made. what…? 

joy answered her unspoken question. "you're keeping them on." she cupped the head of seulgi's dick through the fabric and rubbed against the junction between the crown and the rest of her shaft. 

seulgi moaned at the harsh touch, titillated beyond comprehension. joy's always did this to her, sent her reeling, desperate and yearning for more of what she would be given. 

and it was obvious that it turned joy on too. the younger growled as she buried her face into seulgi's neck, ignoring the sweat and licking her skin. "bought them for you, y'know." she nipped and sucked almost feverishly, marking seulgi with love bites. "wanna see you in them. cum in them."

the older woman squirmed, the thought of being jerked off while clothed sending tingles down her spine. on her new clothes, too. 

"mmffh," seulgi groaned, eyes rolling back as joy continued fondling her, mercilessly pressing on her most sensitive buttons. 

fuck fuck fuck– it was a sick sort of satisfaction to finally receive all the touch she had been craving for, tenfold. the line between pleasure and pain was one seulgi was familiar with as joy's shadow formed over and on her. 

her lover knew all the spots to get her aching; she ground a thumb against seulgi's crown and cupped around the outline of her swollen cock with one hand, while the other massaged her tightening balls.

an eye pinched closed as seulgi gasped, feeling the telltale sign of her reaching the edge. her gut clenched, hips stirring as she felt her muscles constrict in the moments leading up to ecstasy. 

oh god oh god ohgod–i'm going to–

seulgi whimpered through the cloth between her teeth, tugged on the ties around her wrists, and unceremoniously creamed in her slacks and underwear. 

"just like that, baby. had a lot pent up in you, hm?" 

she grunted as joy cooed, caressing her through her orgasm. each spurt slowly emptied her gut but also filled her panties up, making for a sweaty, almost oppressive feeling right where her crotch was. 

the older woman shivered as she gushed the last drops of her cum, the sticky, full feeling in her underwear making her blush crimson. it was really hot–both temperature-wise and just the act of her cumming in her pants. she felt so dirty. 

seulgi let out a squeak when joy's hands continued, spreading the accumulated seed in her pants all over her slowly softening cock, cruel smirk in place. 

"give me some more," joy purred, pressing harder when the older woman jerked back. "be a good girl."

seulgi whimpered when she could no longer move further, backside practically molding into the door's interior.

what was touch that expertly balanced itself on the tightrope between pleasure and pain terrifyingly morphed into torture; joy's hands were unyielding, fluttering over seulgi's flaccid shaft and grating the material of her clothes onto her sensitive skin. 

"more?" 

seulgi shook her head frantically, legs trembling but curiously remaining wide open at the mercy of her lover. 

"i see," joy hummed, ministrations abating. seulgi let out a sound between disappointment and relief. 

joy was a good lover and an even better listener; it was just that sometimes seulgi wasn't sure of her own wants and desires. she knew it hurt, a little bit, to be fervently stimulated seconds after cumming, but–she still wanted it somehow. 

seulgi whined through the cloth, gyrating her hips once again. she wanted–she didn't know. hopefully joy could figure it out for her. 

"shhh, i know, sweetheart." 

joy continued to coo as she quickly unbuckled seulgi's pants and pulled her soiled underwear down. seulgi saw her bite her lip before readjusting herself, comfortably fitting in the rest of the backseat that seulgi wasn't occupying. 

then she curled forward, mouth hovering seulgi's cock. "gonna clean you up 'til you're good as new, baby." 

the first lick sent seulgi reeling, knocking the back of her head against the window behind her. her lower body was past the point of quivering, now shaking to the core as joy lapped her up dutifully, slurping down her seed. 

the texture of her tongue didn't change, but somehow the press of it felt rough, chafing against her oversensitive skin. there was no more room for seulgi to shy away from joy's mouth. the long minutes it took for her to be clean from all her spunk allowed her dick to stir back to life in joy's loving hands, aching once again, as if the pleasure she’d received until that point was negligible. 

when joy started pumping her again, slowly, all seulgi could do was take what she was being given. her sense of self melted away under joy's expertise, forgetting all about the overstimulation, her ruined clothes, and even the fundraiser. instead, the world was made of only her and joy; her lover's mouth, her warmth, the sound of their breathing. 

it felt like time both moved at a glacial and erratic pace for seulgi, as joy gently unbound her arms and released the hold of the cloth on her jaw. instead of retreating from the overbearing touch, however, seulgi let her limbs melt around joy's body and lazily pulled her closer.

now that seulgi's mouth and arms were free, she sang praises into joy's ear and slithered her own hand up the woman's dress. 

"so wet," seulgi managed to hum, rubbing circles onto the taller woman's swollen nub, mixing both of their groans and gasps. 

she dipped her fingers in her lover, causing a long moan to be yanked out of joy that seulgi answered with a deep, sensual kiss. 

"joy," seulgi sobbed, rutting against the pace the taller woman set as she pumped her slick cock, twisting each time she reached her mushroomed head. her member was aching, craving for joy's familiar velvet heat. "joy."

"c-come closer, baby. i can help," joy gasped as seulgi's fingers slipped out of her, stripping off her own panties and pulling her skirt up. she widened her legs so seulgi's narrow hips could slot between them, and when she aligned the woman's shaft at her entrance, steadily inching down to swallow seulgi's dick–

"oh christ, seul, seul you're so fucking good to me–"

"–joy, haah, joy pleaseplease–" 

the older woman cried out with a throaty scream the moment joy's ass met her pelvis, her girlfriend's pussy made just for her. she jerked up into the taller woman, setting an unforgiving and brutal tempo that her lover took in stride, understanding her desperation. she asked for this, after all. 

seulgi felt the churning in her gut make its presence known once more, liquid heat pooling in her balls. "i'm–hgck, ffffuck, joy!" 

her lover only ground her hips down harder, stoking the fire that was burning in the smaller woman. "g-give it to me, seul, give m-me everything," joy hissed out, bouncing atop her as she trembled and showed signs of reaching her own peak.

only the sound of flesh slapping against flesh cut through their rhythmic cries. it took three more harsh thrusts until seulgi came again–an even bigger load this time, painting the walls of joy's fluttering, clenching pussy with her hot seed. 

the lovers rode their highs for several long seconds together, mixing their body heat fluids as they came back down to reality. 

seulgi blinked out of her post coital stupor only to get lost in thought again, because holy fuck. that was amazing–and so much better than how seulgi thought her dedicated stress relief session would go. 

when she said she wanted to be dominated both mentally and physically by her lover, seulgi thought joy would resort to power play involving names and other verbally demeaning acts triggered by her fake wardrobe malfunction in the event of the made-up important fundraiser. she was not expecting all of this.

usually, their sessions would go with both taking charge–unless it was explicitly stated beforehand that one would dominate. this time, seulgi requested for joy to be in control. she wanted the chance to loosen her figuratively coiled body and mindset that were caused by the high-stress, fast-paced work environment she was constantly exposed to. 

… and if this was how it was going to go, leaving her a sloppy mess at the mercy of her partner looming above her–well. she should really ask for joy to dom more often. maybe even beg outside the bedroom. 

seulgi's mind was so clouded by bliss, she could barely tell when joy finished cleaning them both up. she only realised so when she heard the zipper of her slacks close. 

"you feeling better?" joy asked, expression of cruelty replaced by one of fondness as she caressed seulgi's sweaty hair from her face. 

"mhm." seulgi's voice was raw with adoration. the form and presence of her lover were large and reassuring; seulgi felt like she was so small in comparison. "take me home?"

"whatever my girl wants."

the trip back to their apartment passed by in a blur. seulgi tucked her hands in her lap and directed her gaze from the road to the roadside to what she could make out as joy's silhouette from her backseat view.

only when they arrived at their own car park did seulgi realise that they were previously at friend's apartment complex, making use of her dedicated tenant parking slot. 

trust in joy to plan so thoroughly. public sex wasn't exactly a crime either of them wanted to go to jail for, after all. she probably bribed irene for it. 

joy carefully guided seulgi every step of the way as they returned home, pulling her out of the car and holding her in her arms during the lift ride. 

seulgi sighed as joy closed the bathroom door behind her, dazedly watching her lover strip her in the mirror. she smiled when she saw what joy wrote on her chest. 

"easy, now." joy's voice cut through seulgi's floating thoughts. the older woman blinked as her lover sat her down in the warm bath, eventually sighing as the chill of the night air was chased away. "i've got you," joy assured her, her own naked form slipping in between seulgi's back and the end of the tub. 

the older woman could only lean back against joy and hum, quietly observing and feeling the way the other woman's hands ran over her flesh. 

she watched the lipstick wash away from her chest. the word 'mine' that had been written melted away, replaced by joy's strong fingers massaging her muscles and joy's plump lips pressing against the junction between her neck and shoulder, whispering sweet nothings. yours. 

[basilandthym]

 Captain Rosemary blinked in disbelief.  She knew every face on every journey she took, but the small inventor before her was entirely unfamiliar.  A stowaway, surely, on her own ship.

 Thym seemed to be trying to shrink in on themself. Some part of Basil noticed their fear. He reached out to put a comforting hand on their shoulder, but they pulled away from his side, suddenly terrified of being confined.  

 “It’s alright.” Basil said, addressing both Thym and Rosemary.  

 Rosemary tilted her head, confusion shifting towards awe.  

 Basil continued in a definitive tone, “Rosemary, this is Thym.  They will be coming with us on this voyage.”

 Ignoring Basil’s complete disregard for her authority, Rosemary instead cast another glance at Thym, who was now beginning to relax and had pulled themself back to their full height. Rosemary nodded.

“I suppose they will.”

 Rosemary found she couldn’t disagree when Basil was here vouching for a stranger. It went against everything she understood about the detached scientist. No, she had to know more about this kid, and besides, she couldn’t just kick them off the ship.

 The captain extended her hand.

 “I’m Captain Rosemary, it’s nice to meet you Thym.”

 With a small smile, Thym accepted the handshake.  

 “Nice to meet you, Captain.”

 Introductions out of the way, Rosemary gestured for the duo to follow her.

 “Come along, let’s warm up a little.”

 Basil nodded and made to follow, and Thym apprehensively took up the rear.  Basil felt the need to keep looking back at them, lest they vanish once again.

 In the warmth of the decks below, Rosemary led the way to the galley.  The smell of a delicious dinner cooked only a few hours ago still lingered in the dining area, and Thym’s stomach reacted loudly.

 “Here, sit and tell me about yourself.” the captain prompted as she started on a meal for their new guest.  The kid looked starved.  The small stowaway could’ve easily taken more for themself from their stores...

 “Uh, I uh, I’m just trying to get out of New London for a bit.” Thym responded, unsure what information the captain was looking for “This ship is bound for Ireland, yes?”

 Rosemary shot a glance at Basil, but he was focused on his new acquaintance, listening intently.

 “It is.” Basil answered “Arcturus has a botany keep there.”

 “Sounds nice.” Thym smiled, imagining the warmth and beauty of a greenhouse.

 “It’s lovely.” Rosemary agreed while setting the stove to a simmer.  She came and sat at the table with Basil and Thym.

 “Tell me, Thym, why an Arcturus ship?”

 Thym averted their gaze.  This was technically an inquiry into their crime of sneaking aboard.  

 “It felt safe.” They said, softly.

 Rosemary nodded, accepting their answer, then lightened the tension with a small chuckle.  “Then I guess I’m doing my job alright.”

 Standing again, the young captain went to stir the meal she was preparing.  Thym watched her, mystified and intrigued at her kindness.  She wasn’t what the stowaway had to come to expect from someone with her title.  She was only in her early thirties, with a gentle face and lovely black curls cascading over her shoulders.  In the lantern-light, her dark chestnut eyes glimmered with thoughtful consideration.  But she had the hands of a captain.  The warm copper skin of her palms was crossed with scabs and scars, a history of hard work written in red letters.

 Basil interrupted their train of thought. “Thym, you have some very creative insights on engineering.  Do you have any experience in that area?”

 Rosemary’s interest was piqued immediately by Basil’s focused query.

 Thym lit up. “Yes, I was an engineer for a smaller ship once.”

 “Really?  That’s wonderfully impressive, especially for your age!” Rosemary exclaimed “Tell me, have you ever considered expanding your knowledge of the subject?”

 The redhead gave a sad smile.  “Yeah but uh, sometimes things go a little off-plan.”

 “You know,” Rosemary pointed out “Basil has some experience in that area.  He works in neurorobotics.”

 Thym grinned at the scientist.  “Yeah, I gathered.  He has some opinions on the subject.”

 Basil only gave an aloof nod as Rosemary cast an inquisitive glance between the two.

 “Well.  Food’s done.”

 Rosemary set a double serving of stir fry in front of Thym.  The simple but hearty dish of potatoes, vegetables, and bits of salted beef looked better than anything they’d eaten in months.  Conversation died immediately as they hungrily dug in.  

If Thym weren't so understandably focused on the meal, they may have picked up on a subtle tension between Basil and Rosemary while seated in their company. A bead of sweat rolled down the skinny scientists brow to which he immediately reacted, first removing his gloves, then unbuttoning clasps down the coat sleeve before slipping out of the garment fully.  He set it all, neatly folded, on the bench beside him, and stared off into the middle-distance.

After a few mouthfuls, Thym found themself intrigued by Basil’s now uncovered right arm.  They tried not to be obvious in their observation, but curiosity was getting the better of them. They hadn't really gotten a chance until now at an up-close look at Basil and the golden mechanical limb had piqued their interest at every prior sight of it. It looked to be in immaculate condition, well polished metal panels met at clean angles, mostly hiding the internal workings. Small red tubes could be seen, fed through the length of the arm. Affixed at the wrist was an oddity, Basil's fully flesh hand, only slightly scarred at the connection point. Thym wondered just how far up the construction of the metal arm reached and what the story behind it was.

 Basil felt Thym’s gaze intensify, honed onto his right side. Despite being used to others staring, the awkwardness grew with every second and in an attempt to dispel it he cleared his throat.   

 “Sorry.” Thym muttered, re-directing their attention to their half-finished food “It’s just some beautiful work.  Your own?”

“Collaborative effort initially, but it has seen a lot of personal upgrades since then.”

Basil leaned forward, deciding to extend the arm to Thym for closer inspection. They had an engineer’s mind … he could trust them to appreciate and respect the complex work that made him whole.

 Thym examined it with open wonder.  They noted its neat build and simple practical style, and tried to understand how it functioned with the minimal information available to their eyes.  Gently but shamelessly, they placed a hand along one of the smooth plates, prompting Basil to tilt his arm a bit.  They stood at their seat to lean in for an even better look. The tubes seemed to function like veins.  Thym noted the slight shade difference in reds and realized the arm was hosting a proper circulatory system.

 “That's incredible!” they exclaimed, curiosity momentarily quelled.  They sat again, smiling with admiration at Basil.  

 “And hey, pretty stylish, too.” the redhead said playfully.

 Basil smirked and pulled his arm back.

 Rosemary sat contently, having watched the shared interaction with heavy interest. “Basil's got more style than he lets on,” she said.

 Basil sighed and stood, somehow appearing more stiff than when he’d stood in the biting cold winds above deck.

“I think I'll make a pot of tea, got a bit more work I'd planned to finish before reaching Virgo.”  He looked to Thym, “Care for some?”

 “Yes!”

 “None for me, thanks.” Rosemary called as Basil left to prepare it.

 Rosemary turned her attention back to Thym, a look of concern marginally detectable. “So just how long have you been… catching a ride aboard Arcturus vessels?”

 Thym tensed.  

 “I’m...not quite sure.” they lied “Time sorta blurs together when you’re not doing much.  But it’s been...a few trips.”

 Rosemary simply nodded and a silence permeated the air for a few moments.

 “I suppose we should find you some official quarters for the duration of the trip.”

 “Oh, er,” Thym shrugged nonchalantly “I'm fine.”

 “No, I insist.” The Captain demanded.

 Basil returned holding a cup of steaming tea in each hand. As he set one down for Thym, Rosemary turned to him. “There's still space in your quarters for another person right Basil?”

 Basil frowned “Yes, but, wh-”

 Rosemary gestured to Thym in earnest  “As you already seem to know each other, it makes more sense to place them with you, rather than them being stationed with someone else. At least for the time being.”

  Basil tried not to look openly troubled about the intrusion of his privacy. He didn’t intend to drive their guest away. Not tonight at the very least. He’d enjoyed their secretive consultation and it was true he had been wanting a chance at something a little more direct. He sipped his tea, silently relenting to the Captain’s order.

 Thym flailed their hands. “You really don’t have to worry about me.”

 Rosemary looked at a loss and Basil found himself urged to speak out in agreement with her.  It was only sensible Thym was given a place to stay other than the cargo hold.

 “Thym, I may have lost that last note.” He said, trying to keep the particulars of their previous engagement somewhat vague. “If we’re indeed to share a space, I had some more thoughts on the subject we’d discussed, but to your credit, having your work to reference as I prepared a response was something I was looking forward to…”

 “Oh?” Thym lowered their hands, then smiled down at them “Okay, I’ll re-make it!” they laughed softly “H-how did you lose that already?”

“I ah... wind.”  Hoping to immediately dismiss his awkward response, Basil looked to Rosemary “Was there anything else you wanted to ask them tonight, Captain?”

 Rosemary considered all the many, many things she wanted to ask, but they could wait.  It was late, and she could sense that she was getting in the way of something that felt quite exceptional.  For when was the last time Basil had taken an interest in anyone?

 “No.” The Captain decided. “We should all get some rest.”

 “Great” Basil stood with purpose and gathered his coat, gloves, and tea. “You can follow me, Thym.”

Rosemary watched as they left without another word to her.

Once out of earshot of the Captain, Basil raised a questioning brow at the stowaway and added “Though… You may already know the way?”  

 “I mean I know where rooms are.” Thym responded, sarcasm practically pouring from their voice “I don’t know where your room is.”

[danganronpa-21]

Content Creator Update (Warning: Long)

I’ve been meaning to make this post for quite some time now, but... well, this entire post itself could be used as a reason for why even this update took so long to see the light of day. So I just wanted to talk to you guys about what’s been going on lately, and how I intend to proceed from here on out. 

THE EXPLANATION

As I write this message, I am in the midst of exam season. It might seem a little silly of me to be writing it right now, but this is actually the calmest things have been for me for awhile. Even during my holiday break, I was still doing schoolwork. I calculated it and uh... nine out of the fourteen days that I got off of school, I spent working. As classic of an excuse it is to not be working on all of this stuff that I do for you guys, I’ve been an absolute mess of due dates since the beginning of September. This year in school, I’ve been trying a lot of new things -- which has been totally great for my learning and my experiences, but has also been very stressful for me to try and balance. 

If you were to try and get me to list some of my successes from this semester, it would probably become somewhat clear to you what I’ve been up against... so some of my biggest projects have included editing & scripting & recording audio for a 32 minute documentary for my tech course, planning a school event (tours for the incoming students) as a major project, writing a full-length poetry collection and a full-length short story, reading six different novels for school (all overlapping), being a peer helper who created lessons and attended events for my students, and being a leader for my school’s art club as we try to plan an art show. And these are only the bigger things that I did this year! I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I’ve been working pretty hard to get things done. It seemed like from September to November, I was even giving up my lunch breaks to work on school projects. I’d maybe have two to three hours when I got home from school, and then I’d go right back to work again. It really was an exhausting schedule! 

Needless to say, it most certainly impacted the progress I was able to make on projects like Danganronpa 21. If the sheer amount of assignments and extra homework I had to do was not enough to get in the way of my writing time, then my lack of energy for it surely would. Half the time when I would find a sliver of time to work on Danganronpa 21, my body and brain were tired and were not having it. I would force myself to write it anyway, and then end up not liking where it had gone because I didn’t have the brain power to actually think about what I was doing. At the current moment, I’m actually on the sixth version of The Old World’s Future’s fifth chapter because I kept running head first in to the same problem because I couldn’t think about what I was doing wrong. It didn’t occur to me that if I were trying to build up a friendship, I should probably consider actually having it build rather than just making them instantly appreciate each other. Furthermore, just because I wrote down “do this”... does not mean I planned it. I don’t know what I was thinking when I wrote something in my plans and then immediately refused to keep going on that point that was really very crucial to progression, but regardless now I have to go back and try to expand on it. Apologies for getting a bit huffy with myself there, I’m just frustrated and guilty over how long I’ve made the wait for something new. I promise it was never my intention, and I’d really like to get back on the horse as soon as I can. I’m hoping that perhaps my next semester will be easier, as my writing-heavy and weirdly demanding courses are behind me. I’ll even have the benefit of a spare period, too! So hopefully, this will grant me just a little bit less exhaustion and just a little bit more time. Thank you all so much again for all of the patience you have given me, because I appreciate it so much!! I know I say it all the time but you are all so sweet!! I literally don’t deserve you!! I’m going to do my best to keep creating content for you, and hopefully I won’t disappoint!!

THE FULL CONTENT UPDATE

Naegiri Week 2018: I’m sure some of you have noticed, but I never actually got to finish writing my prompts for Naegiri Week 2018! Work managed to get in the way even more right at the end, so after days of submitting things late I was forced to postpone it entirely. However, I do intend to finish them even though 2018 is over! I’m not sure whether or not I’ll post them on here (or if that will annoy the poor NaegiriWeek moderators in some way, I don’t want to be any trouble to the nice people!) or if I will simply upload them to ArchiveOfOurOwn (just a reminder, you can find me there under makot0naegi). Regardless, I intend to finish them up as best I can and give you something to enjoy. I can’t say for sure when I will be done them, but at the very least uh... they will come before Chapter 5 of Danganronpa 21. I’ll try to get them done while I’ve got the free time!

Regeneration, Rebuild: I dunno if there is a huge demand for this one, but if at all possible I’d like to start uploading more stories to this little one-shot collection. In particular, I think I’d really like to focus on one of the families or relationships that is NOT the Naegi-Kirigiris. Much as I love them, I really would like for the others to have their time in the spotlight as well. Currently I’m thinking of having it focus on Byakuya, and the struggles he faces with his son and being a single father. It would be kind of angsty but also kind of touching, and that’s about the extent of what I will tell you lest I start to spoil things. I’m really good at that, hahah.

Danganronpa 21: The Old World’s Future: As I mentioned previously, I am on six layers of Chapter 5. I’ve been fighting myself tooth and nail in an attempt to get this right, and I’m not about to stop trying now! I think what I need right now is just some time to sort myself out -- where I’m going, what I’m writing, and knowing concretely and for sure of what I’m doing. If anybody’s open to it, I might even like to bounce ideas off of people for the next chapter as I work on it. If there was one thing I learned from my creative writing course this year, it’s that working with others is actually way less scary than you think it will be... and it’s actually pretty helpful and fun! So if anybody has anything they want to suggest or talk about, hit me up and lemme know! Additionally, because I have so many scrapped versions of Chapter 5, I’m hoping to share some of the deleted scenes with you as well as unused sprites and any other things that I made or thought of while I was working! 

Bonus Content: If anything, this is one thing I will try to keep a steady flow on. I’m going to do my best to update you with bonus content both here, and on my Instagram page (@kotocake) so that you’re never too too drained of anything you might be interested in.

Non-Danganronpa Stuff: If that’s of any interest to you, I’ve got stuff for that too! Lately I’ve been thinking about doing a little bit of writing and other mediums in relation to a few other things... but I dunno for sure about most of them. The only thing I really have my heart set on is Fire Emblem Awakening fanfiction. My friend suggested the game for me awhile ago and I finally got a copy for my birthday back in December, and I’ve loved it ever since. I’ve had a few cute and fun ideas for stuff for it, so if anybody else is interested I am more than ready!

CONCLUSION

Allow me to get mushy gushy again and say that you guys are all angels, and I adore all of you, and I am so lucky to have such eager yet patient people supporting the things that I do. It really makes me so happy to see others responding to my work and further responding to me as a person, too. I love having this group of people, and I honestly look forward to all of the time we will continue to have together. You are all amazing!! If you ever need anything, just let me know and I will do my best to support you. You all deserve wonderful things!!

- Your friend Koto

[builder051]

Oooh, Could you do something where Jason gets sick but tries to power through his day anyway and then ends up passing out in a corridor because he's so dehydrated from throwing up?

Thank you for sending this!  I loved writing it.

_____________________

Jason stares up at the small digital clock embedded in the stark white wall.  It ticks from 1:44 to 1:45.  Five minutes left in this class.  He can make it through.

“Any questions?” the professor is asking.  “No?  Well, I hope that means you have a good handle, then.  I’d love to see a few examples from today’s lecture in your essays.  Which, I’ll remind you, are due in two weeks…”

Jason adjust his gaze down to his notebook, and beneath the wadded up Kleenex, he’s barely scribbled down two lines from the lecture slides.  Fuck.  He digs the heel of his hand into one of his eye sockets, cringing at the touch of his freezing hand against the warm skin of his face.

“Alright, if there are no questions, that’s it for today.  See you on Friday.”  The professor shuts down the projector, dashing Jason’s last chance to try to copy down whatever was just up on the screen.  Oh well.  He feels just shitty enough that he doesn’t quite care.  All his attention is turned to the relief that comes with being let out of class three whole minutes early.

It’s not worth celebrating, though, because it takes Jason almost that long to push his binder into his backpack and make sure all his rogue tissues are safely in his hoodie pockets where they’re beginning to make the soft fabric cold and damp.

He should just go home.  Jason knows he’s running a fever.  He’s swallowed enough of his own snot to give him a stomachache.  But there are two more classes on today’s schedule, and he’s already made the effort to drive to campus.  Plus if he leaves now, there’ll be notes to catch up on, assignments to make up.  And the prospect of the chilly walk to the student parking lot is in itself a good reason to just stay at school.  He ignores the fact that he’ll have to make the trek eventually anyway, lest he spend the night in the humanities building.

Jason’s next class is World Religions, held in the lecture hall at the opposite end of the massive classroom-filled structure.  The walk only takes a moment, and Jason’s usually only too happy to loiter in the ground-floor coffee shop for a while before finding a seat in the theater-like room.  He forgoes his usual latte today, though.  The thought of the warm, frothy milk running down his achy throat and mixing with the mucous already coating it is nauseating, and the scent of coffee drifting from downstairs only makes it worse.

Jason walks slowly along the hallway to the lecture hall.  Each step jostles the throb behind his forehead and makes him fervently wish he hadn’t gotten out of bed this morning.  But he’d felt ok this morning, so he’d wiggled out from under Colby’s arm, gone for a brisk morning jog, and driven to school.  But as the day’s worn on, it’s become clear that he’s not well.  And at this point, it’s starting to feel like an understatement.

Jason selects a seat at the top of the amphitheater, somewhere few other students will sit, as well as near the second-floor exit, just in case he needs to make a quick escape.  Down on the teaching platform below, he young, hip professor adjust his beanie over his dreadlocks and fiddles with the projector, sending a huge image of Ganesh onto the silvery screen.

His brain feels too dim to scour back through last week’s intro to Hinduism notes, so Jason just leans his head back against the wall and wonders if anyone’s ever thought of hosting a movie screening in this well-appointed lecture hall.  The internet connection in the building’s not bad, so it could be an ideal location to watch Netflix.  Maybe he’ll have to propose the idea to student council.

Jason’s nose drips as he bends over his knees to unpack the binder from his book bag.  He snuffs the viscous liquid back up without thinking, then almost chokes as it starts to run down his throat. You’re disgusting, he admonishes himself.  Jason coughs a couple times to try to clear the closing-in feeling from his gullet, but gives up when the professor turns on his microphone and calls the class to order.

World Religions is a sleepy class on the best of days, what with poetic-sounding scripture readings and beautifully colored paintings, and it doesn’t take long for Jason to relax into the rhythm of the professor’s voice.  He shifts in his seat to keep from drifting off.

Hardly a moment later, though, Jason regrets moving.  His stomach, which had been in somewhat dormant discomfort, is suddenly writhing.  His slimy throat constricts, and his hands and feet prickle with icy sweat.

There’s no time to do anything but rush for the door, and that’s what he does, knocking his notes to the floor.  Jason sprints down the deserted hall.  The single occupancy non-gendered bathroom is closest and most private, so he rips the door open and flings himself down in front of the dirty toilet.  The small room smells faintly of marijuana, and it further upsets his stomach.

Jason heaves into the porcelain bowl.  It’s not productive at first, but then a forceful wave of mostly liquid vomit splashes into the toilet water and sends flecks back up onto the seat.  Jason barely has a chance to breathe before more’s coming up.  He can barely recall what he’s eaten today, but so much comes rushing up that Jason suspects it’s everything he’s consumed in the past week.  Or maybe month.

The retches keep coming until it’s only sour yellow-green bile and mucous.  Jason drags a wad of toilet paper across his face, mopping his clammy forehead before wiping his mouth.  He flushes the toilet and watches the mess spin in dizzying spirals before disappearing down the drain.

Jason gets shakily to his feet.  He’s almost at the door, ready to exit to the hallway, when nausea flashes back up and he has to scramble over the toilet again to gag up some saliva and a whole lot of nothing.  “Fuck,” Jason mutters under his breath.

When he’s sure he’s done for good, Jason slowly walks back to the lecture hall, one arm loosely holding his stomach.  He should just run for it now, leave campus for the day and skive off his last class.  But he has to at least duck back in for his backpack, his coat, his keys.  Jason gingerly bends down to get his binder off the floor and tuck the explosion of notebook paper back in.  Head rush almost downs him, but he manages to quickly plant himself back in his chair, tip his head back, and breathe himself back to normal.  There are only 10 minutes left in the 50 minute period. What’s 10 more minutes?  He can press through.

When the huge throng of students starts to exit into the hallway, Jason moves slowly.  He’s already made up his mind to leave campus.  He’s swallowing surges of nausea every few minutes, and his body’s quick switches from hot to cold seem to denote a new stage of fevered agony.

Jason slings his backpack over his shoulder and his coat over his arm, then emerges into the crowded hall.  Students rush on all sides, and annoying people attempting to move against traffic brush against him.  Jason’s nearly at the door that will take him to the staircase to the ground level when his vision suddenly goes white around the edges, and before he knows what’s happening, he’s toppling backward.

His backpack keeps him from bashing his head into the tile floor, and at first he thinks it’s also what made him fall.  Some hooligan grabbing at the shiny blue fabric, trying to either rush past or hold him up.  But then vertigo launches a second assault, and the hallway swims into a blur before his eyes and a feeling of intensely shaky weakness washes through his limbs.

“Oh my god.  Are you ok?”

“Did he fall?”

“I think he passed out.”

“Somebody call 911!”

The shouts around Jason echo in his ears.  It takes several hard blinks to bring any semblance of his surroundings into focus.  A boy he recognizes from his Tuesday morning Creative Writing class is kneeling beside him, looking concerned.

Jason tries to sit up, but he just succeeds in twitching slightly.

“Don’t move,” the boy says.  He pulls on Jason’s shoulder and gets him onto his side.  “Just stay like this.  We’ll wait for the ambulance.”

“I d— don’t need…” Jason chokes.  “No ambulance.”

“But you… you could be hurt.  Or sick.”

“I’m calling 911,” someone announces from over Jason’s head.

“No, please,” Jason says in as loud a whisper as he can manage.  He twitches his hand toward his face to try to rub the disorientation out of his eyes.  “I just…go home.”

“Do you have someone to call?  Your roommate?  Do you live on campus?” Creative Writing boy asks, rapid fire.

“No.  You can…my boyfriend.”  Wait, no.  Colby doesn’t have a car.  Mike should still be on campus, though.  She can give him a ride.  “Call Mike.”

The boy has his phone in hand.  “What’s Mike’s number?”

Jason tells him.  The phone is on speaker, and Jason hears it ringing out.

Then Mike’s trademark bark of “What?” answers.

“Can I talk to Mike?” the boy asks, clearly taken aback by the masculine name and feminine voice.  In his less-than-alert state, Jason’s forgotten to refer to her as Michaela and avoid confusion.

“This is Mike, dumbass,” Mike replies.

“Oh,” Creative Writing boy says, flustered.  “Your, um, Jason?  He just passed out.  In the middle of the hallway.”

“Shit,” Mike says, somewhere between disbelieving and impressed.  “What happened?”

“I don’t know.  He’s sick or something.  I don’t know if he got hurt.  We were going to call an ambulance.”

“No, hold up.  I’m coming,” Mike says.  “What building are you in?”

The boy tells her, and Mike hangs up.

Most of the loitering voyeurs have taken their leave now that the situation’s somewhat resolved, but a few remain gathered around Jason’s prone form until Mike bursts through the glass door a few minutes later.

“Ok, get out of here, weirdos,” Mike demands, manually pushing a couple onlookers out of her way.

Jason raises his head an inch off the ground, his neck trembling with effort.  Mike looks like a windswept twig, but she’s wearing a determined expression that shows she’s really here to help.

“You’re gonna sit up and put your head between your knees,” Mike directs Jason, her voice all business.  She hefts one of his arms and helps him semi-upright.  Once Jason’s repositioned, she asks, “Ok.  What the fuck happened?”

“I feel really bad,” Jason mutters into his jeans.  “I got sick.  Then I got dizzy, I guess…”

“Probably dehydrated yourself,” Mike says sharply.  “I know a thing or two about that.”

“Yeah,” Jason sighs.  “I just…wanna go home.”

Mike’s unzipping her own backpack, and there’s a loud clunk as she sets her metal water bottle down on the tile floor.  “When you can lift your head without feeling like you’re gonna blow chunks, take a few sips of that.  Then I’ll drive you home.”

“You’ve got a fantastic bedside manner there,” Jason teases her weakly.

“Yeah, I know,” Mike sighs.  “But I’m right.”

“You always are,” Jason jabs at her again.  But he knows this time she really is, and for that he’s grateful.