#i also found out a very cool brush????? how am i supposed to go to sleep without trying it now??? its 4am helpp

[b-h-art]

i drew this instead of cleaning my room after promising myself i will get off of my tablet

[reccyls]

Don't Look at Anything Except for Me (Victor story)

My translation of Victor's story for this collection event

---

Standing in the otherwise empty lounge was a tall box with a handle.

(It looks big enough to fit an entire person inside. I wonder what it's for.)

Just as I was going to open it...

Victor: Looks like you found it.

Surprised, I let go of the handle, and and approached the wryly smiling Victor.

Kate: What's this for?

Victor: A prop for my next magic trick!

He enthusiastically pulled open the box, revealing nothing inside. Just darkness.

Kate: It looks like just a normal box to me... What kind of magic trick can you do with this?

Victor: I'm very glad you asked! A trick where you can escape after being shut within a perfectly ordinary box.

Kate: Ooh, I've seen a magic trick like that before!

Victor: Since Vogel has arrived, I've been thinking about welcoming them with a little magic show. Victor: And I might as well take the chance to add a new trick to my repertoire.

Kate: Vogel did say that they want to build a closer relationship with us. Kate: I should also be talking more to the three of them!

(I am concerned about Harrison's warning, but it's important to know people, too.)

I suddenly realized Victor was staring at me...

Kate: What's wrong?

Victor: You're very kind. Always extending grace to anyone you meet, no matter who they may be. Victor: But... I want you to know more about Crown, as well.

Victor turned his gaze downwards, and his shoulders fell slightly. He looked lonely.

Victor: And of course, more about me, as well.

He gave me a playful wink, as if to say not to mind what he just said.

Victor: And now, to make sure I don't lose your attention, allow me to monopolize your time! Victor: I've never done this trick before, so I'd like your help to practice. How does that sound?

Ecstatic that he wanted to practice with me, I nodded vigorously.

Kate: Absolutely!

I stepped into the box, finding it wide enough to fit me comfortably.

Victor: There's a switch on the inside. If you flip it, the back panel should slide out so you can escape.

But inside the box, I couldn't find the switch.

Victor: The manual said it should be in there. Let me see...

Victor stepped forward, half his body leaning into the box. I watched him intently search for the switch, and then-

Kate: Ah, is that it?

Victor: ! Yes, that's the one!

Finding the slight knob, Victor met my eyes and smiled as he pushed it. And just then--

Victor: Eh?

Kate: Aah!

The door slammed shut, and trapped the two of us inside the box.

Victor: That was a shock... Kate, are you all right?

Kate: Yes, I'm fine...

(What do we do? He's way too close...!)

Our bodies were so close that I could hear the sound of his breathing clear as day. He had his hands pressed up against the back wall, so there was a bit of a gap. Perhaps it was due to the darkness, but I felt as though any slight movement in any direction would lead to us being pressed flush against one another.

Kate: Y-you know how to escape from the inside, right?

I tried to hide my nervousness with a question.

Victor: .......Unfortunately, I don't.

His answer was exactly what I didn't want to hear.

Victor: I thought that switch was supposed to be for that exact purpose. Victor: We may have no other choice but to wait until someone lets us out.

Kate: No way...

(Maybe if we press that switch again?)

Kate: Let's try pressing the switch again! I'm pretty sure it was somewhere around here...

Victor: Ahhh!

My finger poked into Victor's side, and he let out a yelp I'd never heard from him before.

Kate: S-sorry!

Victor: It's fine. I was just surprised, that's all.

Perhaps the cramped conditions were getting to be a bit too much for Victor, because he bent an arm. I stifled a gasp at how close we had become. A lock of his silky hair brushed across my cheek. His voice carried the soft texture of a cool night's air. For some reason, my face felt hot where his hair had fallen across it.

(If we don't get out right now... My heart isn't going to be able to take any more of this.)

I ran my hand along the wall again, in the hopes that I'd find something that could hasten our escape by even a single second.

Victor: Kate?

Kate: Maybe I can find the switch by touch.

Victor: That's a good idea, I'll try too-- !!

Kate: Ack!

Because of our movements, the box began to wobble, throwing me off balance. In a panic, I tried to stand, but only ended up with my legs around Victor's, almost as if straddling him.

Victor: Sorry for this. I'm going to try to get us out of here, but I'll need to move a little.

Kate: W-wait a second-- mm....

I tried to scramble for a better position, but there wasn't any space inside the cramped box. Victor's knee pressed between between my legs, digging right into where I was most sensitive...

(Oh no, I can feel my body start to respond--)

My toes curled as Victor's movements caushed his knee to continue to rub in between my legs. I gripped his shirt, trying to endure the sensations.

Kate: It's fine. Please stop moving.

Victor: !

I heard his breath catch, before his knee pushed me back.

Victor: ...I'm sorry.

As I looked up, there was an apologetic expression on his face. And then with a crash and a hard impact, throwing my face upwards. My lips brushed right against the mole at his lips.

Kate: --The door's open...?

Beyond Victor, I could see the familiar sights of the castle's lounge. Unsteadily, I made my way out of the box and collapsed on the spot out of pure relief.

Victor: Are you hurt?

I looked up at Victor's worried expression, his hand extended to me to help me up.

(Right at the very end, I almost kissed Victor...)

Embarrassed and uncomfortable, I couldn't meet his eyes as I took his hand.

Kate: ...I'm okay.

Victor: If we'd been stuck in there any longer, my heart might have exploded.

His tone was light as he turned to look back at the box. That was when I noticed.

(Huh...?)

Amidst his flowing black hair, his ears had turned faintly red.

(Maybe I'm wrong? But, if he realized what happened too...)

Victor: Kate?

The voice that called my name carried just a hint of seductiveness. And I could feel the heat we shared while trapped in the box stlil lingering.

[listentothelittlebird]

so I have been avidly following the lovely dbhc au that @shepscapades has made and I have made a little drabble fanfic of Doc and Xisuma because I feel very normal about them :)

setting: hermitcraft season 10, while Doc is in skyblock jail

word count: 1361

-

Doc is grumbling to himself, ramming his fist into the newly-sprouted tree with not an insignificant amount of prejudice, when he hears the distinct whistling of fireworks crescendoing towards him.

“Have you come to watch me punch wood like an imbecile?” Doc snarks, expecting to hear Scar’s fumbling denials, or Cleo’s cackling assent.

“That wasn’t the plan, no.” The quietly amused voice is far from his first prediction. An oversight on his part, really.

[Vocal Recognition: Xisumavoid.]

“Xisuma!” Doc’s next punch misses the trunk of the cherry blossom tree, glancing off the side and chipping off the bark instead. He blinks away the vocal recognition pop-up, glancing behind him just to check it really is him and not Tango with a goat horn. “Hey, man!”

“Hey! You’ve been busy.” Xisuma’s boots scuff against the cobblestone as he inspects the progress of his miserable sky island. A shulker box thunks onto the stone, freeing his hands up to brush against the cherry wood planks.

“Hardly anything else to do besides work.” Doc throws the words over his shoulder as he continues to gather his cherry wood, not one to leave a project half-done. 

His visitor is content to hum and haw at whatever he finds as Doc works away. It has only been a few days, but the one-sided commentary is surprisingly comforting. After all, no touching the ground means no redstone, which also means no time in the lab. The thought has Doc speaking up, slipping between Xisuma’s quips.

“It’s not been too busy, yeah?” Doc clambers onto the tree as he plucks off the highest branches. He pauses to flick open a calendar overlay, skimming the dates. “Nobody’s scheduled for maintenance checks until next month.” 

“It’s been alright.” The fuzzy wolf-shaped wool mask pops into view as Xisuma emerges from Doc’s pink abode. “Been a bit too quiet, even. It’s weird not having you around.”

Doc snorts to hide the way his thirium pump hiccups at the words. Logically, he knows the sound is far too soft for Xisuma to hear. Having emotions, Doc has found, is hardly ever logical.

“So you came over ‘cause you missed me?” The words are out before Doc can even try to edit the response. It instills in him the same kind of floundering exasperation he feels when trying to recall a comms message already seen by everyone.

“Well.” When Xisuma ducks his head, one ear of the knitted wolf flops to the side. “I mean. I suppose so.”

[Emotion Identified: Shyness.]

“But I did come with an agenda!” Xisuma reaches for the shulker behind him, pulling out a mobile scanner from the lab.

“You’re right about having no maintenance checks on the schedule,” Xisuma says, waving around the scanner. “With you out here roughing it out, though, I figured I should check on you.”

“Ah.” Doc chuckles, ignores his cooling vents spinning faster. “I see.”

“Well, don’t keep me waiting! You look about done with your tree.” 

“I am, I think.” Doc squints through the already-thinning leaves, nodding when he finds no branches left. “Alright, one moment.”

Dismantling the remains of the trunk takes only a few seconds. Doc gathers the wood and plonks them into the chest in his shabby house, with Xisuma trailing behind. 

With two people inside, it only reminds Doc how small the shelter is. Turning around after closing his chest puts him directly in Xisuma’s space.

“So, uh.” Doc shifts back, as much as he can. He ends up plopping down on the edge of his bed, which, well. “Go ahead, then.” 

A check-up does not require much space, really. Doc has done maintenance with the hermits in caves, in redstone farms, in underwater bases and nether bases. This is just the first time Doc himself has been examined outside of the yawning expanse of their labs. The change in routine leaves him uncertain, like recalibrating on angled terrain. 

The ease that Xisuma slips into the motions does well to settle Doc’s stress, however mild. The mobile scanner takes a while to gather results, so Doc answers Xisuma’s laundry list of questions. The list of questions is one curated by both Doc and Xisuma. Most of it is data, which Doc rattles off easily from the numbers that he pulls up in the corner of his vision.

The mobile scanner beeps cheerfully just as they reach the end of the lengthy questionnaire.

“Clean bill of health.” Xisuma shows Doc the display, which focuses less on internal processes and more on external damage or abnormalities. “Although, your average temperature is a bit lower than your usual.”

Doc shrugs. “It’s the altitude, man. Going from spending significant amounts of my time in the deserts and swamps to this is quite the change. Not to mention the wind chill.” 

As if to prove his point, a gust hits the shelter hard enough to make the planks rattle and creak. With no door, the icy breeze rushes in quickly. He tucks his metal arm into his lab coat with a sigh, the exposed components always prone to freezing the fastest.

“It’s not that bad,” Doc states flippantly, knowing without looking that Xisuma is taking in his every move. “I’m working most of the time, which keeps me warm. Plus I have my lava pool to sit beside when I need to warm up.”

“If you say so.” Xisuma shifts, leaning against his crafting bench. “The moment you start to experience temperature glitches, though, call this off. The rest will understand.”

“I know, I know.” This is all in good fun, when it comes down to it. He plays along for his own amusement. “I’ll be fine, Xisuma. I know how to take care of myself.”

“That you do.” Xisuma nods, then, with an “ah” of realisation, pulls his wolf mask off his helmet. 

“Here!” It only takes a step for Xisuma to be back in Doc’s space, pulling the wool over Doc’s head before he can react. 

“Uhm.” The mask is large enough that it goes over his horns easily, fitting loosely around his face. He has to lift and adjust it slightly to get his eyes back through the openings. “What?”

“To keep you warm!” Xisuma draws back again, settling against the crafting bench and tapping his heel against its side. “I mean, even over my helmet, it sure retains the heat. I know it doesn’t quite help with your metal arm, but it’ll at least warm up your horns and face.”

Doc does feel warmer, in fact. Though that is not necessarily correlated with the wool mask itself, and more the action of gifting it to him.

“But it’s your mask,” Doc replies, a flimsy rebuttal. “For your Woolves of Wool Street.”

“I have spares,” Xisuma chimes, eyes squinting happily through his helmet. “I’m sure the others won’t mind if you’re wearing it. Take it as a souvenir, of sorts.”

“Right.” Doc reaches a hand up to the wool. The material is soft, slightly worn from use. It smells a bit like Xisuma’s armour, the polish that he uses to clean it at the end of the day. “Thanks.”

“No problem, Doc.” 

Xisuma’s communicator chimes. A quick look has Xisuma turning back to Doc with an apologetic sigh. “Sorry, I’ve got to go. I’ll come back soon, though, if you don’t mind?”

“Come back anytime,” Doc replies. He tries to reel it towards comedy with a gesture to his surroundings, his meager belongings. “You won’t be interrupting anything.”

The dry quip draws out a laugh from Xisuma, even as he gathers his shulker and activates his elytra.

“See you, Doc!” Xisuma waves from the edge of the cobblestone, then nosedives away, a rocket propelling him rapidly out of sight. 

Doc takes a moment to watch the clouds, then laughs at himself. Did he not poke fun at Tango last season, when he stared longingly at the portal Jimmy left the server with? Now look at him.  

He draws a hand up to the wolf mask, rubbing the soft knitting between his fingers, and decides that Tango absolutely cannot see him wearing this.

He can keep it on for now, though.

[itiswormtimebaby]

Here’s what I’m thinking about:

Biker!Bucky (who also happens to be your brother’s best friend) comforting you when you accidentally get way too high and think you’re going to die. 

TW: Recreational drug use (weed), talks of death (reader feels like they’re dying), virgin reader, suggestive

The illicit baked goods were handed over with very clear instructions, only eat HALF. But you were so hungry, and the brownie was surprisingly good, and what would really be the harm in eating a whole instead of a half? Death. Inevitable death would be the harm. 

There’d been a very pleasant twenty-five minutes where it felt as if you were dancing on air, now you could barely get any- breathing shallow, chest tight, head heavy. This was it. Goodbye, cruel world. You knew there was little to be done so you decided to embrace the inevitable, if you acted quickly maybe you could go in your sleep. So you filled your cats food bowl, pressed a quick kiss to her head, and crawled into your hammock to await the end- but wait, wait you couldn’t go with regrets, that was a sure fire way to come back as a ghost and you did not want to haunt your crappy walk up forever. No, no regrets. 

So you called James Buchanan Barnes, Bucky, your brother’s Bucky. Bucky who lived only a few blocks away, Bucky who could send you off without regret. He picked up on the third ring, and didn’t get much in edgewise after a hesitant “Hello?” 

“Bucky! Bucky I’m dying and I need you to come over right now. The doors unlocked.” You’d hung up before he could ask any questions, best to save your breath, you reasoned. For his part Bucky had politely but firmly asked the girl currently occupying his bed to leave, and made for the door, tugging on gray sweats as he went. While he was positive your dumb ass wasn’t dying he wasn’t willing to leave you in a distressed state. 

When he kicked off his bike and made it inside he’d found you curled up in your hammock, clinging to your cat, eyes squeezed shut; he’d grabbed your attention with a gruff “Bug?” You’d shot up, furry feline friend taking off with a displeased hiss at the sudden rocking motion; “Thank God, Bucky! Get over here, I don’t have much time.” He’d crouched down next to your hammock, bringing his cool metal hand to your cheek, brushing away some stray hairs and taking note of your blown out pupils; “What the fuck are you on?”

“It- it was supposed to only be half the brownie, but I ate it all, I’m such an idiot and now-” He bit back a laugh realizing you were just stoned off your ass, not wanting to add insult to injury as your eyes welled with tears “-now I’m dying but I can’t go yet, Buck, I can’t, because if I die full of regrets I’ll have to haunt this stupid place forever.” 

“For Christ’ sake, Bug, you’re not dying, you’re just stoned.” 

With an adamant shake of your head you reached down and grabbed his flesh hand, pressing the palm of it flat to your chest as the tears in your eyes finally spilled over with a warbling hiccup; “I- I’m not, I am but I’m not- I know what death feels like.”

His mouth popped open in mock surprise; “Oh, you do? Because you’ve experienced it so many times?” 

Your bottom lip quivered as you glowered pathetically at him, “D-don’t be mean to me. Not right now.” Torn between pushing the issue and humoring you he chose to go with the latter. 

“Okay then, Bug, no regrets. How can I help?” 

With a small watery smile you turned in the hammock to fully face his kneeling form; “We’ve got to have sex-”

“Jesus fuck!” Your sincere expression, tear stained cheeks, and glassy eyes awakened something dark within him, pleasure spiking within his groin and pulling him to half mass even as he adamantly shook his head no. Seeing his refusal you began teetering on the brink of tears again; “Please Bucky, please, you have to fuck me, it has to be you. I don’t want to die a virgin and I love y-” 

Quicker than your sluggish brain could process the cool fingers of his left hand wrapped around your mouth, silencing you as his other hand smoothed across the top of your head and down to cup your cheek, thumb stroking it in small even passes. He took three steadying breaths, eyes clenched shut, before he met your gaze; “Shut up. We are not having this conversation right now.” You whined behind the gag of his hand, but he just shook his head firmly in return, so much for humoring you. “Bug, you are high as a fucking kite. So here’s what’s going to happen; I’m going to go get you a drink, and then you’re going to sleep. End of.”

He stood abruptly, moving towards the door of the bedroom as you pleaded with him to come back and take you, promising he could do whatever he wanted as long as he was inside you. You didn’t stop rambling until he stormed back in with a glass of water, towering over your prone form. “Listen to me,” he hissed “when I finally fuck you the only thing you’ll be high on is my cock, so do me a favor and shut the fuck up about it so I can take care of you until then.” 

AN: In hindsight I’ve taken some liberties with the use of the word “comforting.” 

[wethotcrazy]

SYMPATHY IS A KNIFE (iv)

pairing: Yuki Tsunoda x Fem! Driver! Reader

word count: 1865

part 4 this has some very minor mentions of body image stuff if you dont like it you could just skip over it ://

part i part ii part iii

Yn’s arrival in Monza carried a sense of self that had been slowly rebuilding all season. She moved with renewed confidence through the paddock, her head held high, embodying the fierce passion and easy-going charm that had once captivated fans in her junior days. Here, under the electric atmosphere of Italy’s temple of speed, she felt herself settling in, embracing the spotlight rather than shrinking from it.

Press day buzzed around her, a mix of genuine questions and the probing kind that often skirted on invasive. She answered with a cool, unwavering smile, handling questions about her race performance and strategy with ease. But some journalists were still hung up on the idea of her supposed transformation, finding subtle ways to question her ambition and intensity.

A reporter cut through the murmur with a pointed question: “Yn, some fans feel you’ve changed since moving into Formula 1. They say your intensity now is… well, a bit harsh compared to your easy-going reputation before. What do you think about that?”

Yn took a measured breath, holding the reporter’s gaze. “I think everyone grows and adapts,” she replied, her tone steady. “I’ve had to become tougher—this is Formula 1. You don’t get to this level by staying exactly the same.” She smiled, tilting her head slightly, knowing her response might surprise them. “But I’m still me. Maybe they just don’t know the whole me yet.”

Inside, however, Yn felt the familiar weight of their criticisms. Headlines seemed to dissect her appearance as much as her performance. She’s always known what it felt like to be looked at but not seen, to feel reduced to surface-level perceptions. Later in the garage, she scrolled through social media, seeing how her every move was scrutinized, with articles speculating on her appearance and attitude. A headline caught her eye, dissecting how she looked and speculating on her dedication. It stung, yet Yn brushed it off as best as she could, knowing what mattered most were the hours she put in, the passion and drive that defined her journey.

During a break, she slipped outside for a moment, breathing in the cool air and finding a rare sense of calm. Standing by the paddock entrance, she felt a nudge on her shoulder. Yuki, with a comforting grin, extended a cup of coffee toward her.

“All good?” he asked, his eyes bright with the same familiar warmth she’d come to count on.

She chuckled, taking the coffee. “Am I that transparent?”

He shook his head, nudging her gently. “No, you’re strong as hell. Just don’t forget that,” he replied.

Yn smiled down at the coffee, grateful for Yuki’s support. In Monza, she felt a freedom that hadn’t been there for a long time—permission to be herself without apology, knowing she had someone in her corner.

The weekend drew out a renewed side of her, and fans were quick to notice her lighthearted interactions with Yuki. TikTok and Instagram filled with reels and montages of the two sharing inside jokes, quiet encouragements, and lingering glances. Their connection sparked countless posts:

@GridGoddess: If Yn has a #1 fan, it’s Yuki for sure 🥹 #YukiYn

@RaceRomantics: The way they just… get each other? God when will it be my turn?!

@PitStopParadise: Can’t believe people judge her she’s literally my GOAT.

Amid the noise of judgment, Yn also felt a quiet source of strength growing, both from Yuki’s presence and her newfound resilience. She realized that her journey wasn’t for validation from fans or critics, but for herself.

That night, she and Yuki found a quiet corner at a small Monza restaurant, sharing stories over dinner as if it were just them against the world. When a few photos of them laughing surfaced online, fans noticed the quiet bond between them—an understanding that went beyond words. She deserves someone like Yuki, a fan tweeted, someone who’s her equal on and off the track.

With race day approaching, Yn’s focus intensified. Every lap around the circuit, every second shaved off her time, felt like her own triumph, undiluted by headlines or opinions. As she put on her helmet before practice the next day, she caught Yuki’s eye, and he gave her a confident nod.

Race day in Monza held a restless energy in the air, heightened by the sharp roar of engines and the flash of flags. Yn felt a pulse of determination beating through her, gripping the wheel with an intensity she hoped would carry her through the demanding laps ahead. As the lights went out, she carved her way through each corner, holding off fierce competition and securing a spot within the points. By the time she crossed the finish line, she could feel the relief of a race well-executed, even as she knew the spotlight would focus just as much on her demeanor as her results.

She made her way to the pit lane, pulling off her helmet and savoring the sounds of her team’s cheers, the satisfaction of another solid performance in the books. But as she looked around, her eyes fell on Yuki, who had also finished within the points but seemed to be reeling with adrenaline. His helmet was off, and his expression held a smirk of satisfaction that was more defiant than usual. Yn couldn’t help but laugh; she’d heard his radios during the race, the frustration and raw emotion that bled through his exchanges with his engineers. He’d been more aggressive on track than ever, pushing boundaries and holding his ground in a way she admired.

Yn walked over to him, smiling as he caught her eye. “Pushed it a bit today, huh?” she teased, raising an eyebrow.

Yuki shrugged, smirking in return. “Didn’t hear them complaining when it got us into the points,” he replied, unbothered. “Sometimes you have to ignore the noise and go for it.”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “Guess so,” she said, both of them knowing how different the reaction would be if she’d been the one shutting down her engineers with the same bite or cutting through the grid with that kind of aggression.

But as they made their way back into the paddock, social media was quick to start dissecting the race. Fans and analysts alike noted the sharpness in Yuki’s demeanor over the radio, his unabashed intensity on the track. Comments trickled in about his fierceness:

@F1Hearted: “Yuki’s intensity out there—exactly what we need. He was just defending his position like a champ.”

@GridGoddess: “Seeing Yuki hold his ground? No one could say he wasn’t going all-in today.”

@RaceForGlory: “Yuki letting out some heat on the radio… we love a driver who knows what he wants.”

But alongside these supportive voices, Yn saw a few familiar phrases creeping into her feed—posts from those who’d noticed the contrast. No one was labeling Yuki’s behavior as “too much” or “emotional.” No one was implying he lacked the control to handle the pressure. The familiar double standard sat in the back of her mind like a shadow, a reminder of how different things could look when she was the one showing that level of intensity.

@F1RaceQueen: “Funny how when Yuki goes full throttle, it’s ‘passion,’ but when Yn does it, they can’t wait to call her ‘too emotional’ or ‘out of control.’”

@EqualSpeed: “Imagine if Yn spoke to her engineers like that? Guarantee they’d be all over it in the media by now.”

@PitStopPrincess: “Yuki’s aggression: ‘Driven.’ Yn’s aggression: ‘Emotional.’ When are we gonna let her race with the same freedom?”

Yn didn’t need these comments to tell her what she already knew. She’d felt the double standard for years—how her every move, every calculated risk, came under scrutiny, analyzed and picked apart with an intensity that often felt like it wasn’t even about her driving at all. Sympathy’s a knife when they only want to use it to cut you down, she thought. Yet somehow, her every success only sharpened the blade.

Later, she found Yuki relaxing in the hospitality tent, still carrying that sense of accomplishment despite the edgy drive. She joined him, pulling out a chair and watching as he glanced over, eyes glinting with amusement.

“So… intense race today?” she asked, unable to hide a grin.

“Had to be,” he replied, shrugging. “They’ll get over it. We’re here to drive, not win any popularity contests, right?”

She smiled, but her gaze softened. “If only it were that easy. Sometimes it feels like we’re driving two different races, you know? You can go out there, push the limits, and they see it for what it is. For me… they don’t just want to watch me drive…”

Yuki’s face fell for a moment, and he gave her a sympathetic nod. “Trust me, I see it too. It’s messed up… the things they say about you, about how you handle yourself.” He sighed, crossing his arms. 

She took a breath, “I’m learning to tune it out. Most of the time, anyway.” She glanced up at him, managing a small smile. “But thanks for seeing it.”

Yn would be lying if she said that she wasn’t even just a little bit jealous of the other drivers on the grid. Sure, they too got their fair share of criticisms, but they were also afforded a lot more freedom than she was. They could push boundaries, show frustration, and even make mistakes without it being dissected into a commentary on their character or capability. They weren’t labeled as “emotional” or “out of control” for a bit of aggression or a curt radio message. Instead, their passion was seen as intensity, their mistakes as just a part of the game.

She knew it was because they were men, that their presence on the grid was never questioned, never viewed as something “out of place.” No one saw their outbursts as a threat or their ambition as too much to handle. They were allowed to be fierce, even volatile, because it was accepted as part of what made them great competitors. Meanwhile, she had to fight not only for her results but for the right to be seen as a competitor at all—without every emotion or misstep being judged under a microscope.

Sometimes she wished she had that same freedom to just drive, to let herself be ruthless without second-guessing every reaction, wondering how it would be spun or if it would become a talking point. She wanted the same unspoken allowance to be aggressive, to be a risk-taker, without it being a commentary on her “femininity” or a challenge to her professionalism. But instead, she had to keep a tight hold on every word, every expression, every surge of frustration, because the world was waiting, eager to box her in or define her by anything other than her skill.

The jealousy wasn’t rooted in resentment toward her fellow drivers but in a longing to be given the same space to race freely, to know that her drive, her ambition, her mistakes, and her success could simply be hers. And as she watched the other drivers on the grid, it became clear: she wanted nothing more than to be seen as one of them, an equal, no qualifiers attached.

[the-boney-rolls]

The Great Covid Beatles Binge, Day 2: Give My Regards to Broad Street

Hoo boy, here we go!

OK so we open with a stern/bored looking Paul stuck in traffic in the rain and it looks like he's spacing out... hey, Paul, are you starting to daydream? Paul? Is this whole movie about to be a dream, Paul? Oh god

This silly little car! The computer, the carpet, the pool ball gear shift. It's giving the 80's car version of the Beatles house in Help! It's also giving hyper-masculine in a way that is, I'm sorry, not convincing.

This plot is already deeply inscrutable. Something about some missing tapes, a reformed criminal that Paul knows somehow and trusts for some reason, and some ominous business men. Something bad will happen at midnight if the tapes aren't found. OK!

Ringo looks so cool and hot! That vest over that sick as hell dragon shirt. Yes. This scene is genuinely funny, too -- Ringo spends the entirety of "Here, There and Everywhere" and "Yesterday" searching through his mountains of drum equipment looking for brushes, only to find them too late. Apparently, the reason for this scene is that Ringo just didn't want to re-record old Beatles songs!

And now we have Paul, Ringo, George Martin and Geoff Emerick all together in a scene! Makes me think about how George Harrison apparently was a little miffed Paul didn't just call him to ask for filmmaking advice since it was something he had experience with. What could have been!

“Wanderlust” is such a great song, actually, damn.

“I’m not a bad boy, really. I’m just — er, manipulated” John??

Now this is more like it! Surprise Linda in drag, hell yes!

I don't know why this scene is happening? It's a rehearsal for... something? But I'll take it. I love "Ballroom Dancing" and I love vaudeville Paul.

I'm starting to feel like Paul's grandpa in AHDN, "so far, I've been in a train and a room, and a car and a room, and a room and a room." Did Paul's experience on that set define what a movie is to him? "Ah yes, a movie must include lots of transportation from one location to another and then some musical scenes." But dear, it worked because there were jokes! And all four of you to play off each other.

I.......... what

This is Silly Love Songs, of all things!

Again, I don't know why this scene is happening in the context of the movie. Is it another rehearsal for something? A music video? Television special? Who knows, Yoko! But OK here we go, I sure am having fun! Linda is extremely into it. That slap bass kills. There's a Michael Jackson impersonator for some reason? Sure! It makes no sense but I love this man and his bizarre beautiful mind.

So now we're doing band rehearsal in some kind of barn? Or abandoned warehouse? Or something? All of the plot of this movie seems to happen in dialog in cars en route to some ambiguous musical engagement.

“Do you think we can get some heat in here or are we practicing to be Canadians?” God bless you, Ringo.

“Should we try Not Such a Bad Boy” “Do we have to?” “Yeah” Bossy Paul bosses around a Beatle, we love to see it.

Is this song about him or John? 

The French horn player coming in late to record "For No One," inexplicably in a bright red motorcycle helmet, so late that he’s preparing up until right before the solo starts. Reminds me of that story of Ringo recording Hey Jude. But it also feels very symbolic of something. There are so many odd inscrutable details in this movie, it could almost be Lynchian in someone else's hands.

“We’re running, and running out of time too” It feels meaningful but I don't know how.

Hello Mr. Darcy! Wow, can I have an entire movie that’s just this Victorian dream sequence? Can we go back in time and do a Beatles movie period piece, please??

The strings in this which are inspired by but are not quite "Eleanor Rigby" are lovely. Apparently this whole sequence is called "Eleanor's Dream," which implies that Paul is Eleanor. Make of that what you will, I suppose.

I like that Linda is a pants-wearing photographer in this period scene. Linda's gotta Linda.

This strikes me as very Evil Beatles. Again, make of that what you will.

Barbara and Linda are acting the HELL out of this going over the waterfall scene damn.

I don't know, I could screen grab this entire segment, it's amazing, it's insane.

But I can't gloss over Paul being horny for Ghost Horse Girl Linda. Incredible.

"That’s it you’re finished. What are you gonna do now?" Well ok at least this one is pretty obviously a reference to the critical reception of his career after the Beatles and again after John.

"Uncle Jim" Ok so I guess this is supposed to be his dad, but what is the point of this scene? And why the monkey? The further I get into this film the more I feel like I am looking deep into this man's psyche but through the murkiest of windows. I'm here for the weird dream symbolism, Paul, but if you're gonna go that route, again go full Lynch and get even weirder.

Just the straight up original recording of "Band on the Run" feels out of place with all these re-records. I wonder why that choice.

His car license plate is "PM 1" That's right, baby, you're number 1.

Another little cute but inconsequential day dream (presumably within the dream that is this entire movie). He looks like Roy Orbison here.

Oh ok Harry was just locked in a cupboard this whole time. So the whole "plot" was pointless. Cool cool cool.

Paul and Harry being giddy and laughing together is cute though, and it makes me wish that that relationship was fleshed out more. Who are they to each other, exactly??

Yup it was all a dream. Love it, love that for us. Thanks, Paul.

OK so this was definitely barely a movie. There could have been something here, but I'll go back to what I said above -- I wish he'd gone weirder with the whole thing! And I wish Paul himself had been weirder. The character Paul is kind of a dud, just plodding along from place to place and only coming alive when he performs. It's like that Hawaiian shirt is supposed to be a stand in for characterization. But worth it for the music video scenes and for getting a tiny glimpse into Paul's psyche.

[lxndonorris]

tender touch - Dando

Lando Norris x Daniel Ricciardo (Dando) Theme: Smutish, Teasing, Touching prompt: "That wasn't part of the plan. But I'm not complaining." Daniel surprises Lando during an ice bath to congratulate him after qualifiyng word count: 1060+ taglist: @game-set-canet, @mcl4r3n @maxiel-jpg Editors note: I'm still a scrub writing driver ships, so if you have any tips, advice or something like that, feel free to tell me!

It's qualifying day, and even though the sun has already set, the heat is nearly unbearable. Lando managed to perform quite well and got 4th place, right behind two Ferraris and a Mercedes. He is happy and craves nothing more than an ice-cold bath. Luckily, all of the teams prepared that little treat for their drivers; it was the least they could do after wearing those racing suits inside their cars for over an hour.

Lando, stripped down to a pair of black swim shorts, makes his way toward the more secluded area hidden inside the paddock, where his personal ice bath is waiting for him. He asked for some alone time, just to chill and rest. It was an eventful qualifying, and he's so relieved to be performing the way he wants to.

One foot at a time, he enters the cauldron and lets out a long, guttural groan. All of his muscles, his skin, and his mind are aching for some short-term relief.

"Oh fuck." He growls as he lets his whole body sink into the water. It's a sensational feeling—his entire body is tingling blissfully, and shivers run down his entire back.

"Mhmm." Lando closes his eyes and makes himself comfortable before he dunks his head into the water. He's been sweating heavily, his hair is messy, and all he can think of is staying inside this cauldron for an entire week. That's how good it feels. Just chill and relax.

He emerges and struggles to keep his eyes open, but someone is standing right next to him—a bigger figure with a very familiar scent.

"There you are, Lando." Daniel's voice echoes through Lando's head, and he smiles. He runs a hand across his face and through his hair.

""Here I am." He growls deeply and proceeds to subconciously stroke his own chest just below the surface while he looks at him, standing there wearing his usual Alpha Tauri attire.

Daniel smirks and squats down, steadying himself against the cauldron so their faces are on the same level. "I was hoping to find you here." He says it softly and tilts his head.

"You found me." Lando licks his lower lip quickly before he moves in closer toward Daniel, so they are face-to-face now. The smell gets way more intense; it's Daniel's cologne, a very familiar, woody-aromatic fragrance. "What are you going to do now?" He mirrors Daniel and moves in even closer, so their lips brush over one another.

"Congratulate on P4." Daniel breathes right into Lando's mouth once he gasps before leaning in and kissing the man lovingly.

"Mhmm." Lando purrs, embracing these enticingly soft lips on his own. Unable to help himself, he reaches for Daniel, running his wet hand along his neck.

"Fuck." Daniel gasps, pulling his lips just inches away. "That's cold." He giggles quietly and stares into Lando's beautiful eyes.

Lando smirks and narrows his eyes. "Why don't you come in? It's much better here." He grins and lets his eyes wander all over Daniel's face, knowing that he also wants to cool down.

Daniel bites his lower lip and leans his head back. He is supposed to meet a few guys from his garage to celebrate the results as well, but he can't deny the temptation. "Fuuck." He growls again once Lando strokes his neck one more time, and more and more drops of cold water run down his neck.

"I wish I could, but..." He hesitates, but instantly Lando pouts and moves backward. Daniel, looking at his boyfriend's puppy-dog eyes, starts to stroke his own chest through his shirt. "Fuck it." He grunts, causing Lando to smile brightly.

Satisfied, Lando watches him undress. One piece at a time, Daniel exposes his beautiful physique until only his boxers remain. Mindlessly, he starts stroking himself again—his chest, his tummy, and even further down to his thighs.

Daniel knows how to put on a show, running his hands through his hair, his beard, and further down to his chest. He even flexes his biceps and shows off his well-trained form. He winks at Lando, who's visibly getting more and more into it with an open mouth and his hands hidden inside the water, touching himself gently.

"Fucking hot." He grunts as Daniel strikes a pose. His own boxers are giving away his excitement as well, and there is no way to hide it now.

Daniel's skin flushes with more and more color with every stroke of his own hand. "Just for you." He points at Lando, who is blushing now too.

Then, Daniel steps into the ice bath, and just like Lando before, he lets out a long, guttural growl. "This is amazing." He groans and sinks quickly.

"I told you." Lando says, and as Daniel leans his head back, embracing the cold water all around him, he moves in closer again, so he's right in front of him.

"That wasn't part of the plan." Daniel smirks. "But I'm not complaining." He kisses Lando once, then twice, with both of them embracing each other's bodies with their hands.

Lando feels hands all over him, running along his spine, his waistline, across his chest, his abs, and teasingly between his thighs. At the same time, he steadies himself against Daniel's firm body, feeling his heaving chest with every deep breath he takes.

"You're so handsome." Daniel breathes deeply, with his hands embracing the other's entire body.

"Daniel." Lando groans into his friend's mouth as the latter starts to feel the desire building up inside his swim trunks. Both of them slide a hand between their bodies, between their thighs, feeling each other's bulge grow immensely.

"Is this me?" He breathes down Lando's neck. "Or just the excitement for P4? Daniel's hot breath burns on his skin, causing him to let out a low, guttural moan.

"A bit of both." Lando regains his composure and lets his hands feel the chest some more—the hard nipples, the tensed muscles, and how Daniel's breath quickens with every little touch. "I'm glad you came." He is panting slightly as he starts to grind his hips against Daniel's hand.

"So am I." He smirks, and they both start to grind on each other, embracing one another fully.

"I missed you." Lando growls, running a hand through Daniel's hair lovingly.

Daniel, loving that gentle touch, gives in to Lando and hugs him. "I've missed you, too."

[eleni-cherie]

among thieves ✨ || bts • pjm

- chapter 1.8

"what even am I to you? your rival, your lover, an obstacle or am I supposed to be your coffin?"

about two thieves who can't live with nor without each other. and a joint past that comes back to threaten them.

© 2023 | eleni_cherie

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masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, very flirty jimin, friends/rivals/exes to lovers (it's complicated, ok?!) f2l e2l ex2l all members play a role in this story!

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

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The gang didn't waste any time. Climbing down the rock, they made their way around the bay to the old pirate ship. From up closer the signs of the timeson it being even clearer. It had surely lost the shiny glory it once had hundreds of years ago, it was only part of their imagination now. The ship's back was partially underwater while a big whole on the side was gracing the front part of it.

After a short dip in the water, they eventually reached it. The gigantic whole providing them with a good spot to climb up and get inside where everything was inclined due to the ship's prone posture, making navigating through the old wooden space rather difficult.

"Alright, where's the treasure now?" "Let's simply devide since it's such a big ship. And whoever finds it, calls the others." They nodded, everyone going seperate ways. Jimin went to the ship's bow towards crew's quaters, Arabella went to the back to the officer's quaters, Yoongi upstairs to the main deck and Taehyung decided to go downstairs to the supply decks.

Shoving some wooden boxes aside, Arabella opened the door to what looked like a small bedroom. Most furniture was decaying and covered by a thick layer of dust and dirt. She entered with help of her flashlight. The floor underneath her creaked with every step she took while scanning over the shelves and drawers when a wooden box on the desk caught her interest. She opened it carefully, afraid it might crumble into dust at a wrong move. Her eyes widening when seeing its content, beaming with joy. Inside was a pearl necklace with a golden pedant. The pedant itself decorated with countless tiny diamonds. She couldn't help but squeal happily, taking the necklace and putting it around her neck, covering it under her jacket. After roaming around the rest of the place, not able finding anything else of value she sighed and stood up straight. Brushing off the dust from over her clothes when suddenly hearing the clicking of a gun getting cocked behind.

"Not so fast, Arabella."

The blood in her vessels froze when hearing that voice again. It had been years. Over a decade actually, but even so she'd never forget it. She hadn't been able to, as much as she'd wished to.

"How did you even find this place?" She did her best in looking as unfazed as possible as her hands rose, although internally she was boiling with rage.

"It wasn't too hard," Kir smirked while pointing her gun at her, "While searching up the forest, we found the entrance to a tunnel. We simply followed your tracks, as you had also figured out the traps for us. So really, it wasn't hard to find this place." Arabella pressed her jaw together. Yeah, 'searching up'. Rather blowing up everything until randomly finding something. She began weighing out her options then. Concluding she needed some kind of distraction to be able reaching for her berretta. "I wonder if my men took care of your friends yet.." the older women wondered our loud then, "They surely did."

Arabella's face remained stern, no sign of emotions. She knew she had to keep her cool and stay focused if she wanted to get out there alive. Not exposing any weaknesses or letting her mind get clouded in any way. And she tried her best not to think about the possibility that Kir's men did 'take care' of the guys. Of course Jimin, Taehyung and Yoongi were skilled, she knew first hand, but Kir's men were in the majority. However, she needed to suppress these kind of thoughts. She couldn't allow herself to think of Jimin and the possibility of him - "Anyway," Kir interrupted her thoughts and much to her surprise, lowered her gun. "I actually got a proposal for you."

Arabella arched a brow at her. "I doubt a good one," she snorted.

"Oh, I think it's a pretty good one," Kir smirks, "I don't think you'll be able refusing it." "Try me." Clicking her tongue, the older woman shrugged non-chalantly. "What about you rejoining us? Would make all of our lives easier, don't you think? No hunting you anymore, no attempts of eliminating you.. Doesn't that sound tempting?" "It'd be a cold day in hell if that ever happened." Kir shook her head disappointedly. Humming then. "Not even if we told you your real name?" She saw a small sparkle in her eyes, taking it as a hint to continue. "Tell you all about your parents. Their names and where they live.. How about that?" A smile filled with insincere sympathy spread over her thin lips. "It sounds nice, doesn't it? To finally know where you come from. Your origin. I know first hand how much you've always wanted that."

For a moment, Arabella's mind went blank. It was true after all, she'd wished for an opportunity like this for all her life. Having forgotten everything about her past life and identity almost killing her at times. With the only remaining memory of her parents being the silver bracelet around her wrist and her name on it. There had indeed been a time where she would've done anything to gain her memory and past life back. However, she knew it was too late now. Having this information would be useless now. She could never go back to that short-lived life she once had. It'd be impossible to ever go back to that, especially if the price for the information was to rejoin the organisation that made her lose this life in the first place. The cause of her getting ripped out of it. Perhaps it was better this way. Arabella Valentine had now become her true self. Her true identity. The one she'd carried for most part of her life. "No, thanks," she eventually replied with a bored yawn then. Catching the older woman off-guard. Her gun raising again. "Well, then. How about I don't kill your friends instead if you return? Think about it. Either all of you die or you all stay alive. And all you gotta do is join the organisation again." "You know what, you must think I'm pretty dumb for believing anything that comes from your mouth," Arabella retorted then, getting fed up with her lies. She knew Kir would kill them either way, no matter her choice. Only giving her false promises and hope. "There's only one person in this world I trust and it sure as hell ain't you. So go ahead, shoot me! Let's get over with this. Because I'd rather die than having to work for you ever again."

The sudden tremor of a loud explosion caused the ship to quake in that moment. Kir losing her balance, which Arabella immediately took advantage of. With a highkick she threw her opponent's gun into a corner. However, Kir wasn't just anyone. The two started physically fighting without their weapons. And although Arabella had been trained by these people, Kir managed to pin her down after all. Reaching for her gun. "Silly girl. You should've taken the offer." And with that she pointed at Arabella underneath her foot whp struggling freeing herself. "Y-you can't kill me. Isn't that why you ordered Jimin to do it?" Kir shrugged, her lips tucking into a devilish grin. "And who'd snitch me? You? You'll be de-" Another commotion. Smoke entering the room as shouts and yells echoed from upstairs. "Fck, what's going on?" Kir muttered through gritted teeth, taking a glance behind her. In that moment, Arabella raised her legs and twisted them around her, toppling her and snatching the gun away in a swift move. "Gun powder, you idiot," Arabella said then and got up taking out her berretta as well. Both guns aiming at Kir as she started walking backwards towards the door. "The ship must still be full of it." She shot a few times, purposely missing her and ran off while Kir took cover. Disappearing into the smoke.

Unknown sillouettes were running through the corridors and she pressed herself against the wall to stay unnoticed. It was obviously Kir's men. They were shouting and yelling. The word 'fire' having fallen as they panickedly hurried upstairs.

A fire, of course, Arabella thought and coughed. Cautiously making her way to the deck. Some of her idiot men must've shot, igniting the gun powder that was spread all over the place.

As she reached the main deck, she heard another smaller explosion from the bow and the ship trembled underneath her. Kir's men were jumping off the burning wreck, one after another into the water in an attempt to escape. Arabella looked around then, not able spotting anything but flames in the further back. She bit her lip as a gleam of fear washed over her before she shook her head. Running her hands through her orangy-dyed hair. Pull yourself together, she ordered herself and she made her way to the rear despite the fire. Seeing a big hole in the wooden ground, her eyes caught something shiny down there behind the curtain of smoke. Taking a deep breath she jumped down, coughing when the smoke hit her lungs. It being must stronger down there. And she covered her lips with her hand, taking a look around. Not able containing her awe at the sight of the objects around her.

There it was. The treasure.

The thing that brought them there in the first place. The thing that had caused all this. The whole ship's hold filled with golden objects, artefacts, coins and jewels. And despite this having been the main reason for all this journey - from the document to the sapphire to the organisation hunting them again, the puzzles, Jimin getting shot, abducted and conditioned to kill her and them crossing the whole globe in search for it - depite all they had gone through, her heart sank when seeing it all now. Because right in that moment, she couldn't care less for all this gold.

Another cough escaped her lips and she began making her way deeper inside, through the piles of treasures, broken boxes and cannons. Small fires burning in between of gold. Eventually she reached a big door with ornaments blocking her way and she tried kicking it open, even more smoke hitting her then. "Guys?" she called out, waving with her hands to get the smoke out of her face. The room contained even more treasures and was decorated with golden statues, shining dully behind the smoke. Something cold prickled her side for a second when she heard Jimin's voice and her heart eased. "Bella?" The metallic tip instantly disappeared, Taehyung stepping out from the smoke. "Fck, Arabella. I almost shot you," he sighed and slid his gun back into its holster. "Nice way of welcoming your rescuer," she huffed to which he rolled his eyes. "Thought you were one of these jerks," he shrugged then. Yoongi appearing beside him then. "Yeah, they tied us up and locked us in here." "Bella, are you alright?" Jimin asked worried, shoving his friends aside to see her from close up, making them frown. He grabbed her shoulders as his eyes were looking at her concerned. Making sure she wasn't injured. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she calmed him with a smile, "But we should leave. The whole place will explode any minute."

They followed her out. Another concussion swaying them to the side and they hit some of the golden objects. More smoke clouding their vision than before now and they crouched to avoid breathing in too much. Yoongi cut some boxes that had turned and blocked their way. Suddenly gunshots were fired through the smoke. Everyone crouching behind the mountains of gold.

"I know you're somewhere here, Arabella!" Kir's yells echoed from inside the grey fume, followed by some gunshots. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" "This maniac will blow us all up," Yoongi muttered quietly, glancing at Arabella behind him. "She's too obsessed with you." her jaw clenched as her glance fell to the ground and she frowned. "You're right," she said then and took a deep breath, making a move to stand up. "I'll try destracting her and buy you guys some ti-" "The hell are you talking about!" Jimin hissed and grabbed her arm, pulling her back down. "Don't you dare get out there!" More gunshots were heard along with a small explosion going off near them. "She won't let us go," she argued, pulling her arm out of his grip, "I am the reason she's still here and hasn't fled like the rest of them. This ship will explode any minute, Jimin, either we all die or you let me buy you som-" "Bella, no! You know I won't let you, that'd be pure suicide." Her eyes were holding some kind of sorrow as she bent forward, placing a kiss on his cheek. It was one of those moments again. Those inescapable moments where they reached a standoff and the possibility of them not making it was high. Not all of them at least. And Arabella knew this, even if Jimin was still in denial. Her lips curled up into a smirk then as she pulled back. ' "Call it devotion." And with that she grabbed her berretta and ran out, disappearing into the smoke before Jimin could even react. His hands failing in catching her.

"She has the guts, I'll admit that," Yoongi said in an almost admiring tone, making Jimin frown. "That's not having guts, that's being irrational!" he yelled frustrated and pulled his walter ppk out. "I'll go after her, you two leave." "You know we won't do that," Taehyung said sternly. "Besides one against four is better than only two." Jimin wasn't able arguing with that. But he had to. Giving his friends a sad look. "No, you gotta make it back safely to Cassandra." Taehyung's lips parted for a moment. A scowl spreading on his features then and he shook his head. "No. She wouldn't deserve a coward." After all, she was someone who always put others before herself and helped anyone in need. How would he be able to ever look her in the eyes again if he bailed on his friends in a moment like this. "Look, this is something between me, her and that damn organisation. You two have nothing to do with it and just got sucked into it." "Cut it out already," Yoongi scoffed and got up. The grip around his sword firmer. "We won't leave, whether you like it or not. We chose to get sucked into it. So let's not waste any more time!" Jimin was about to object when another gunshot was heard, making him instantly jump up. His heart racing fast as he looked at the direction the woman he loved had disappeared to. Praying she had been the one firing that shot. "Come, let's save your girl," Taehyung smiled and patted his shoulder. A firm grip around his magnum. And Jimin simply nodded with a determined look. Gripping his gun tighter as they ran into the thick smoke as well.

Their vision got clearer as they went further due to the light peeking from the hole above them and they eventually spotted Arabella in a close scuffle with Kir. Pushing away Kir's hand from her as the other was trying to shoot. Instead hitting the wooden ceiling. Provoking another fire to break out. The ship beginning shifting again and the two women slipped to the side. Hitting a pile of coins. Jimin's eyes quickly wandered around, catching a net full of gold dangling close above them. Only held by a thin rope. "I got a plan," he said then, glancing over his shoulder to the other two, "When they get under that net, I'll push Bella away and in that moment you'll cut the rope." Their glance followed the direction of his eyes, seeing the construction and they nodded. Jimin saw Arabella holding her head as she got up, probably having hit it. She was walking in the direction her gun had fallen to, not noticing Kir behind her also getting up while holding her gun and heaving it towards her. His eyes widening in panic and without thinking much, he started running and pushed Arabella away. Landing on the ground with her in the same moment that Yoongi cut the rope. And the net filled with precious golded objects dropped right on Kir, crushing her.

Arabella felt her head spinning, confused of what had just happened. Her eyes slowly blinking open then, growing round when seeing Jimin on top of her, shielding her body. Their noses touching. He didn't say anything. He was just silently looked at her with an intense glare while propping his arms on each side of her face. As if his eyes urged her to never do something as dumb as this ever again. And she swallowed while they remained like this for a second more, just holding each other's gaze. Slowly, he began to lift himself and got up, his eyes never leaving hers. Holding his hand out for her, which she took without saying a word. Arabella faced Yoongi and Taehyung then, giving them a small nod. "Thanks." They gave her a small nod back. Nothing more being needed to say.

She took a last glance on the inanimate Kir underneath the gold, an overwhelming feeling of liberation and devastation flowing in her chest before she turned her back to her. And they made their way upstairs onto the main deck.

Yoongi was the first one climbing onto the ship's railing. "God, I hate getting wet," he whined and squeezed his eyes shut before taking a deep breath. Eventually letting himself fall into the cold water with a splash. Taehyung following behind, seemingly less hesitating. Landing right next to him. And the two began swimming towards the cave's opening. Jimin and Arabella climped the railing up as well. Standing there and watching them for a moment when Arabella suddenly took his hand. Squeezing it firmly, catching him off-guard. And he looked at her with raised brows. "If we actually make it out alive.." she began and her eyes found his. ".. and we reach a point when we can't do this kind of job anymore.. let's give it another shot." "You mean.." He couldn't finish his sentence, being too taken aback by her unexpected offer. She simply nodded. And he smiled, squeezing her hand back and guiding it to his lips. Kissing it. "I promise."

And they jumped. Diving into the cold sea water.

They swam out of the cave, reaching the rocky shore where the other two were already waiting for them. Leaving the cave behind them as they walked out into the setting sun. Kir's men, or at least the ones who had managed escaping, were nowhere to be seen. Probably having left already, not minding whatever happened to their boss.

By now all four were quite exhausted, however, they couldn't just rest now. They needed to get back to their car and get the hell out of nowhere and back to the city.

As they returned to the forest and they stamped through and they chopped their way through the undergrowth, the sound of a detonation in the distance caught their attention. It must've been a big one to be heard all the way from the cave. And they were even able to sense a slight vibration in the air. A swarm of flushed birds flying out of the trees. It was most likely the ship, getting wrecked completely now and leaving it undiscovered for some more decades or even centuries.

Taehyung's hand slid into his pocket then, taking out a golden coin and holding it against the light. "Got myself a small souvenire," he chuckled proudly and observed it from all sides. The engravings dating it to 1708. "Oh, same," Yoongi said, revealing a gold coin as well, "So this whole adventure wasn't totally for nothing." Jimin laughed out loudly, revealing a third gold coin. "I like how your minds work!" The three snickering happily over the coincidence, making Arabella roll her eyes. "Noobs," she said and zipped her jacked down. Revealing the pearl necklace she had got herself. Causing their laughter to abrubtly die down. And they stared at her bewildered before Taehyung snorted. "Of course, why am I not surprise." "When did you even.." She shook her head at them disappointedly and giggled. "Noobs."

After awhile they eventually reached their jeep, exhaling in relief since they wouldn't have to search for it in the dark and they opened its doors when the clicking of unlocking guns behind them was heard. "Hands up, you're under arr- What the fck happened to you?"

Jimin groaned, turning around with his hands up. Seeing none other than Seokjin, Jungkook, Skylar and some other officers there. "Seriously, pops? Very bad timing." "No really, what happened to you? You look -" "Like crap?" Taehyung finished, glancing at his partners. Bruises, cuts, scratches and dirt covering their bodies and clothes, "Yeah, we also feel like that." Jungkook couldn't help but stifle a laugh at this, to which Seokjin only coughed annoyed. "I wanted to say 'beaten up' but I assume 'crap' also fits." "Oh, you know.. some traps here, some exploding pirate ship there.." Jimin shrugged. "So I assume those guys we caught earlier weren't total lunatics then," Jungkook mumbled, peeking at Seokjin for confirmation. "Yeah, seems so.." The four exchanged a look. "You caught some guys?" The older agent nodded as he put handcuffs on Jimin. "Yeah, we were here since city residants reported explosions and smoke across this area to local police. And we knew you guys had something to do with this. And then we saw those suspicious vehicles racing through the forest. So we obviously stopped them." "And arrested those men," Skylar added as she handcuffed Arabella. Seemingly enjoying it a little as she was smiling while doing so. In a way it was her revenge for Mexico City.

"Good. You know these guys were from -" "That ominous crime organisation?" Seokjin laughed out. "Yeah, we figured that out. Kim and Jung from special victims and organised crime are taking care of them, while we take care of you guys. And Valentine? The two would also like to ask you some questions." Arabella just mumbled a 'whatever' as Skylar lightly pushed her to the direction of the van, the rest following behind.

"Seriously, pops.." Jimin sighed then as Seokjin led him to the van, "You know we'll just escape anyway. Why not skipping the whole 'arresting' part?" "Oh, c'mon. What kind of interpol agent would I be if I'd make it so easy for you guys? I gotta do my job, too, after all." "Today was really tiring though. Just make an exception." "Oh don't worry, you can rest as much as you want in your detention cells." "Will we at least get some food?" Yoongi asked then, feeling his stomach growling, "I'm starving." "Yeah, yeah. You'll also get food. Don't worry," Seokjin ensured him as they got pushed inside the van and closed the doors.

And the four sat there, exchanging glances as the vehicle began moving.

And they laughed.

What an ironically lame ending to such an adventure.

However, the next one was right around the corner, waiting for them already.

»»»

next chapter: epilogue here

[bigdaddyjnuggs]

Torune Aburame x GN Reader

so I have noticed a lack of fics for my bug boys, so I have decided to take matters into my own hands. This is the first fic I have written in years and years so please don't judge it too harshly -- I have also never written smut before so please be nice. I am always open to suggestions and constructive criticism :)

18+ minors DNI

Things had been weird lately, there's no other way to say it. Your mentor, Torune, had been acting strange for a week -- being short with you when you were talking to him, avoiding looking at you, calling your sparring match off early. You couldn't help but wonder if there was something you had said or done that caused this behavior, but honestly, you couldn't think of a single thing. Torune was always so in-control of his emotions that this behavior today had you deeply worried and concerned -- not only that he was acting strange but that there was always the off-chance of Danzo catching wind of it and… well, who really knows what would happen then. Danzo was strict and wildly unforgiving about breaking his cardinal rules, so needless to say any kind of outburst or attitude or glint of emotion was fair game for punishment.

Your training and sparring sessions with Torune had always been very cordial: Torune could actually be a bit of a talker, with the two of you exchanging stories about your lives before Root, what your hopes were for Root, things you like and don't like. Torune was really a friend, you could count on him and tell him things and he would do the same for you. Today though, things were at the worst they'd been all week. There were no mutual conversations today. Everything you said seemed to bounce off a brick wall. You had never seen him talk the way he did to you today to anyone, but to be fair, it isn't like you spent every waking moment with him. Thinking back on conversations with Fuu you had overheard, Torune spoke very comfortably with him, as well. You suppose that everyone has an odd day -- but not everyone is in Root.

You were relaxing briefly in your room during some of your quite rare time off. For a moment, you had nothing to do; you had no missions to be on, no tasks to complete around the base, and Torune had already called off your training and sparring for the day. With so much time to think to yourself, you found that you really couldn't stop worrying about what was going on today, and you started to worry that your emotions would show too. Torune, Danzo, Fuu, and everyone in Root always touted that they had no emotions -- but is it really possible to get rid of all of your emotions? For you it wasn't. You experienced emotions daily and were just an expert on masking them from everyone around you. Even now, your constant worrying and anxiety was being expertly masked -- you showed no outside signs of distress and kept it cool, just like you were taught.

You were disrupted by a knock at the door. You turned to stand up from your bed to answer it, but saw Torune already standing in your doorway.

"Y/N -- I hope I am not intruding?" Torune asked.

"Oh -- Um, no you aren't," you said apprehensively.

"But?"

"I just -- I felt like things were a little bit tense today," you began. "I was just hoping to clear the air or --"

"Clear the air?"

"Yes -- or at least figure out what's going on so that I might help fix the issue or apologize or --"

"That is hardly necessary." Torune said flatly.

"See there you go again," you quickly quipped. "You're acting very strange today."

"Strange? I don't see how I am." Torune brushed you off. You actively had to hide your frustration as he disagreed with you. You took a breath and continued.

"You're usually so… nice to me? But today you've been so distant and short, I'm just confused on what I did to upset you is all." You looked away from Torune, feeling your face heating up from a combination of frustration, awkwardness, and the feeling you had from Torune being in your room.

"I… really did not think you would notice something like that, I apologize. I never should have let my emotions get the better of me like that. It is good advice to get rid of all of your emotions if you are able to, truly." You looked back at Torune only to see him looking away from you like he had been all morning.

"Torune?"

"Yes?" Torune looked back towards you.

"What emotions are you talking about? That you let get the better of you? Did I do something?" Torune stood for a moment in silence.

"… Yes, you could say that."

"That I did something? Torune, whatever I did I sincerely didn't mean to. I'm sor --"

"I did not mean that you needed to apologize." Torune stepped further into the room towards you.

"Well if I did something to upset you then I absolutely do need to apologize. You are my superior and I owe you an apology."

"Is that what I am to you?"

"My… superior? Yes you are?"

"Is that… all I am… to you?" Torune was right next to you now. You could feel your face heating up again, this time from how close Torune was to you… in your own room… alone.

"Torune, I don't understand. You are my superior --"

"These emotions I am cursed with now… it is your fault," Torune interrupted. "I have been thinking about things, about you."

"What about me?"

"You -- you are making things very difficult for me," You sat there in disbelief. Your mind began racing. Was Torune going to tell you he couldn't be your mentor anymore? Was Torune going to tell Danzo that you were having this emotionally charged conversation? You began to go down every avenue of overthinking there was when Torune spoke again. "Truthfully, you have complicated my life and I cannot say that I am upset. The truth is… the truth is difficult to say."

"Torune I just want you back," you could feel tears welling in your eyes. "I -- this week has been awful. When I talk to you it's like you'd rather be talking to anyone else. You called off our training today and it seems like you'd like to act like I don't exist."

"Y/N, that could not be farther from the truth," Torune sat on the bed next to you. "I am so sorry Y/N, but I believe I am in love with you." Your heart stopped. You replayed what Torune said in your head over and over. Did you hear that right? Him? In love with you?

"Torune, what?"

"I'm sorry to complicate things for you but this is how it is. I'm sorry if it is not what you wanted to hear." You thought back on all of the times you and Torune had trained together, all of the conversations, that small smile Torune would give you when you talked about your life. You felt tears falling down your cheeks and you let out a small sigh. You felt relieved that you had not done irrepairable damage to your relationship with Torune by being obtuse or by saying something foolish. After what felt like an entire minute, you spoke.

"Torune, I think I am in love with you, too." Now it was Torune's turn to sit in stunned silence. After a moment, you reached over and placed your hand over his gloved hand. he turned his hand over and held your hand properly.

"Danzo… Danzo can never find out. Nobody can find out. Are you prepared to have to live with this every day?"

"Of course." Torune leaned over and placed his lips on yours. His kiss was gentle and hesitant.

"Did that hurt you?"

"No, should it have?"

"I just had to be sure my insects wouldn't hurt you. I am grateful they are not." Torune kissed you again, this time forcefully and needy, much different than the first kiss. Torune did not break the kiss, instead he kissed you again and again. You finally felt a sense of relief and finally felt that things were as they should be.

You finally broke the kiss, gasping for air after what felt like an eternity. You could get absolutely lost in Torune, you were certain of it. You squeezed Torune's gloved hand just to feel it and know it was real. You kissed Torune again, needing to feel his lips on yours for every moment you can. the kiss grew hungrier every second and Torune's quiet moans were your signal to keep going. You let go of his hand and place your hand on his chest. The feeling of his toned chest and heartbeat racing under your hand was giving you a rush you could not replicate. You kissed him faster until he broke the kiss.

"Is this really okay? We don't have to go so far if you are not comfortable --"

"Torune, I need you."

That was all he needed to hear. He began to kiss you again and let his hands explore your chest. You moaned quietly as he lightly brushed his hands over your chest. Torune took this as a queue to keep going and touched your chest more firmly, making you gasp and break the kiss.

"Is this okay?"

"Yes, please, Torune. Do whatever you want to."

"Would you… take off your clothes?" You laughed at Torune's awkwardness and being so forward. You removed your clothes as he asked and threw them in a pile on the floor. Torune sat in awe of you for a moment before whispering a series of 'you are so beautiful' and 'you are gorgeous' and any other iteration of compliments he could come up with while his mind was still in a haze from your kiss. Torune began to take off his clothes. He threw them in the pile on the floor but left his gloves on.

"I am concerned that I will not have perfect control over my insects -- if anything begins to be painful you have to tell me immediately so I can help you." You nodded your head and pulled Torune back onto the bed. You kissed him feverishly and passionately. He slipped his tongue into your mouth and you put yours in his. You kissed deeply and let your hands roam his body. Nothing was painful and there was no sign of any insects causing any problems. You reached your hand down and gently touched his cock, hard from the make out session and body exploration the two of you had been engaged in currently. Torune moaned loudly, not used to the new sensation of someone else touching him so intimately.

"Aah, I am -- sorry -- I will be quieter, I would hate for someone to overhear --" you cut him off, crashing your lips into his again. You began to gently stroke his cock as he quietly moaned into your kisses. He placed a gloved hand on your breast and began to massage it, eliciting quiet moans from you.

"Torune -- Aah, Torune --"

"I love the way my name sounds when you say it like that."

"Torune!"

"You -- do you want to --"

"Yes, please."

You pulled away and let Torune lay down. You straddled him and leaned down for a kiss.

"I have to tell you, I have never done this before," Torune admitted. "But I want to do it with you."

"I'll take good care of you, Torune," Torune smiled at this. His sweet small smile you have come to love so much. The smile that leaves you weak.

You positioned yourself about him and guided his cock inside of you. You guided him in slowly, allowing him to get used to the sensation and allowing yourself a moment to stretch out to fit him. After a moment, you started to move slowly. Torune moaned quietly and grabbed your ass, keeping his hands on you as you slowly moved up and down.

"You -- aah -- are just perfect…"

You picked up the pace and began to bounce up and down faster and harder. Torune kept babbling praises and compliments to you:

"You are so beautiful." "You are so wonderful." "You fit me just perfect."

You continued on steadily, taking in the sights and quiet sounds Torune was making for you. It seemed like everything you did was exactly what he wanted -- even though he had no experience. With the overwhelming emotion of the evening, you were already rapidly approaching your climax from so little actual activity.

"Torune -- I think I'm going to --"

"Yes -- yes, really?"

"Fuck, yes, Torune -- I'm gonna -- fuck!"

Your climax hit you hard. You moaned a little too loudly for comfort, prompting Torune to capture you in a kiss. You gently rode out your high, kissing Torune deeply and holding his hands above his head. After your orgasm had passed, you began to ride him again. Torune couldn't hold back his small moans and praises for you.

"I -- I am in love with you," Torune breathed. "You are -- hah, you are too fucking good to me." You felt your face flush more than it already was at the sound of Torune swearing. You could hardly believe what you were hearing.

"I am in love with you, Torune."

Torune's grip on your ass tightened and his breathlessness was increasing. You could tell he was approaching his limit. You leaned down and kissed him. He kissed back more hungrily than before, breaking the kiss to catch his breath. Torune was rapidly coming undone beneath you.

"You want to come for me?"

"Oh -- fuck -- yes, please!"

"Please come for me, Torune."

And that was all it took. Torune covered his mouth to muffle his yell as he reached his climax inside of you. You slowly stopped moving and leaned down to capture him in a kiss. This kiss was chaste and gentle, unlike the hungry and needy kisses from before. Torune broke the kiss to catch his breath before speaking.

"I am so grateful you are not hurt," Torune spoke between pants. "If Danzo ever found out about this --"

"Danzo won't find out, I promise," Torune smiled at you. "You know, you have the most beautiful smile I have ever seen."

"I could say the same about you."

[dragon-queen21]

hey :) ! I saw your kuma bear agere edits a while ago when I was browsing through the kb tag and thought, “huh. That’s pretty cool” and didn’t think much of it. After some weeks, I would be thinking about it again and go to search for it. I felt strangely happy? Like, yeah, this makes sense. Yuna would probably do that cause of everything that has happened. So, now I’m asking this after pondering it for a couple months. The point of all this is: do you mind sharing some hcs you have about kuma bear? Or some edits. Anything really, it can even be about someone other than Yuna or about her relationships with anyone else. I just feel really happy when I see someone else enjoying kb and making edits and stuff. If not, thanks for posting your kb edits :). I really like them! Have a nice day ^^

dbsjbdjdbksnsi You have no idea how long I have waited for the chance to ramble about Kuma bear :D I know theoretically I could have done so at anytime without prompting but still

This ask is so dear to me you have no idea, thank you so much, this made my whole week! Anyways!

Regressor Yuna headcanons

~~~

~You can’t tell me that Yuna wouldn’t have severe trauma considering she’s been on her own for so many years and her parents genuinely just didn’t care where she was or what was happening to her.

~Yuna probably would have regressed a couple times before she got summoned to the other world but never actually knew what it meant. Probably vent regressing when she got too lonely. Maybe she researched a couple things online and found the term age regression and just brushed it off because, “well that couldn’t be me, I don’t have childhood trauma I must just be over tired.”

~Then when she meets Fina and her family and everyone else it just suddenly hits her like “oh. I had a really bad childhood huh? This is what a loving family’s supposed to be like.”

~After that she has a harder time not regressing whenever she gets back from a mission just from the overwhelming feeling of love and safety

~So Yuna gains the ability to turn Kumayuru and Kumakyuu into cubs. I forgot what she does to earn this power so I’ll instead share the idea that has been rotating around my head. She gains the power due to accepting her own regression.

~Yuna carrying around her bear cubs everywhere with her when she's small like they’re stuffed animals.

~Making childhood snacks like pudding and needing someone to tell her when regressed to stop eating desserts or she’s going to make herself sick

~The shyest little cub whenever she’s regressed. I feel like she’d trust Fina if she tried to coax Yuna out of her room but otherwise she just hides away.

~Fina doing her best to watch over Yuna when she’s small. She'd would definitely know how to look after her considering she took care of Shiri for years. And if Yuna gets really embarrassed she just tells her that it’s her way of making it up to her for all of the things she’s done. (Also Fina would probably be a regressor too but that’s for another post entirely)

~Probably made a bunch of little gear for herself but is 90% of the time too embarrassed to use it and even less so around anyone.

~Fina and Noa being very proud at being the “older siblings” whenever Yuna is small.

~Cliff is 100% father figure material for Yuna while she's small. Noa probably mentioning something about Yuna regressing and Cliff just going into protective father mode.

I have a lot more thoughts for this series (lot of found family material tbh) but I am going to cut myself off here before this post gets any longer than it already is <3

[a-pale-azure-moon]

Random TotK Thoughts #3

How am I supposed to save Hyrule when there's so many distractions? I'm only now starting another regional phenomenon (the Gorons) after activating all but one of the towers, doing all the Great Fairy sidequests and doing more of Penn's sidequests. I'm up to 56 shrines completed and over 100 Koroks found. It's impossible not to get sidetracked in this game and both I love it and hate it. xD

I also collected the next three Dragon Tears. (I consulted a spoiler free guide to make sure I got them in order, if you're curious.) And wow...I sure got my wish for a demonstration of Rauru's powers, and I was not disappointed.

-I've found a couple of those "Eventide" shrines and yikes are they a pain. Two of them weren't that bad, but the one I found where it was pitch darkness? A very bad time! Took me three tries. I can't wait to see how much worse they get. /s

-I much prefer how they handled the Great Fairies in this game. I didn't get to the 4th fairy in BotW until very, very late, since she was way in the desert and cost 10,000 Rupees. The sidequests were fun and they're easy to do even with minimal health and equipment.

-I want to explore the sky more, but it's too hard to get around between islands. I guess this is my enticement to go into the Depths so I can upgrade my batteries (which is a priority but again....too many distractions!)

-I resent that the game made me hold the idiot ball when "Zelda" was kidnapped, and then the disguised Yiga mocked me for falling for it. [eyeroll] Nintendo does love to troll players that way.

-Ditto for the "Zelda" we see with Yunobo. It's a little insulting how the game is trying to convince me she's turned evil when it's also shown me that she's thousands of years in the past. The present day Zelda is clearly an imposter, either another Yiga or something similar.

-I love how Memory 4 starts, giving us our first look at non-mummified Ganondorf looking menacingly at Hyrule and declaring that he will make it bow before him. His design is awesome, and I especially like how he contrasts with Link. Ganon's just huge, a tall and broad wall of muscle, and Link's a tiny little shortking. Who will soundly kick his ass.

-I also love how the generic soldiers and Zelda are (rightly) freaking out about a swarm of Molduga, and Rauru barely moves faster than a brisk walk as he approaches the ledge. And then he wordlessly fires off his Holy Hand Grenade and obliterates all the Molduga. You can tell even Ganondorf was impressed.

-I guess that scene also definitively answers my question about how Rauru's third eye works.

-Memory 5 was a nice callback to Ocarina of Time and I appreciated the homage. I was also deeply relieved that the writers didn't make Rauru suddenly hold the idiot ball and instead made this more of a "keep my enemies closer" situation. It comes across as mildly arrogant or naive at worst, but it doesn't make Rauru look outright foolish.

-I enjoyed Ganon's passive-aggressive "compliments" and how Rauru gave him an almost bored brush off.

-So the Zonai are already nearly extinct, with just Rauru and Mineru left? What happened to the rest of them? Did they really come from the sky originally? How long had they been living on the surface before Hyrule was founded? (The ruins in the present suggest a long time.) Where do their Secret Stones come from? I want to know all of these things!

-It was completely unsubtle how the camera lingered on the Secret Stones, particularly Sonia's. I'm sure that's not significant.

-Memory 6 was so wholesome. Zelda was so cute with the way she gushed over Link, and Sonia and Rauru both sounded like amused parents teasing her about her very unsubtle crush.

-It's also a nice callback (call forward?) to what Rauru's ghost said to Link at the end of the tutorial.

-Finally got a clear shot of the cool Triforce tattoos on Sonia's wrists too. How does the Triforce fit into this continuity anyway? We know it exists because we saw it when Zelda used her powers in BotW, and there's Sonia's tattoos and the conspicuous triangle pattern on Rauru and Mineru's shawls (and the fringe on nearly everyone's clothes as well). It's so weird how neither of these games have mentioned such an iconic object in the Zelda mythos by name, and have only made vague visual allusions to it.

[swiftsaltsweet]

Wednesday Season 2: Hyde in the Shadows

Episode 2 Intermission 2: Wednesday’s Letter #2

Prev Episode

Characters: Wednesday and Enid (ft returning chars and new OCs)

Pairing: Wenclair

Important info: VERY Slow Burn, Canon Compliant (with season 1), read A/N For more details on everything.

Summary:  Stalking, murders, troubling visions, sins of the past, and a little bit of kidnapping. Wednesday’s start of the second semester isn’t a normal one, but when is her life ever “normal?” Wednesday has new mysteries to solve and catastrophes prevent, with the help of her overly enthusiastic roommate Enid, she just has to deal with some annoying relatives first.

Other Sites: AO3 and Fanfic.net

                                      Wednesday Season 2:

                                      Hyde in the Shadows

                     Episode 2 Intermission 2: Wednesday’s Letter #2

Dear Enid,

      As I open yet another one of your letters, I feel as if I am being assaulted by sparkles and rainbows but in text form. I do not know how you do it, but your letters always come off as if they are screaming. But I suppose that is what makes them memorable.

As much as I love to learn, I feel that I may need to give you a crash course of your own. Both of you.

Very well I will not implicate you but do be prepared to be an accomplice in the near future. If caught, we can both perjure ourselves in front of the high court.

I will keep that in mind.

Charming, I am sure.

I will see what I can do, but I would not get your hopes up. These sorts of events tend to go on for a while and attendance is mandatory.

I noticed you forgot to include your full moon antics. I have always been curious about the mechanics of ‘wolfing out.’ Did anything happen while you transformed? Or did you kill someone and are trying to cover it up? Either way, your secrets are safe with me. The only thing I ask for in exchange is the gruesome details.

                                                                      Regards,

                                                                       Wednesday

______________________________________________________

A/N: Me writing Wednesday’s letters: It’s my business email voice! Standby for for a bonus episode dropping by later today~! ;D Also, I’m going to be changing up the intermissions juuuuuust a tad (they’ll be longer, and we’ll see the chars reactions)

What I think is funny with Wed and Enid is that: Wed is actually serious about crimes, and Enid is like “haha yeah sure” and not serious at all in what Wed is saying. I love a dipshit comedy routine. (but when it comes down to it, Enid is like “Gdi best friends help hide dead bodies!” kinda gal). I didn’t have a fun fact relating to THIS chapter, but I just watched another ep of the 60s show and found a similarity from a previous chapter! (Retrospective) Fun Fact 1: In the 60’s ep, Thing is Missing (spoilers for that ep btw), Thing goes missing and there’s a ransom for him. The ransom is in a cemetery, and when the person goes to drop off the ransom, they are met with a hand (just a hand) coming out of the ground (and taking the ransom). We don’t see it (I’m not sure if the 90s remake ep shows it atm, if it does, I’ll make another retrospective fun fact). (Unrelated) Fun Fact 2: Not related to what’s going on in this season (but is related to the above fun fact), but I thought it was cool. There’s a brushing scene at the beginning of the Thing Is Missing ep, and having watched the 70s sequel TV Movie, it also features that same brushing scene as a call back. Just thought the call back was cool. 8U

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I didn’t do one of these last week because honestly, I had a shit week and didn’t want to do anything except passively consume this media so it could serve as a fleeting distraction. But good news! This week’s been less terrible and I am excited for the new episode.

Thoughts on Taskmaster s15e06, written as I watch it:

- I wish Ice Pie were a game you could buy and actually play.

- Mae and Kiell’s prizes this week are a perfect example of whether things should be judged on effort or achievement. Mae put a lot of thought into theirs – I assume a producer actually put it together, but still, they had to think of how it would work, what to put on it, and the creative idea itself. Kiell clearly just Googled entertaining bathroom accessories and found one. However, playing a piano mat with your feet on the toilet is definitely more fun than possibly brushing your teeth with hand cream. So which do you reward? (Kiell, you should reward the person who followed the remit, but it is unfortunate.)

- Love how consistent Frankie has been in making no effort to have his prize relate to any of the categories. He clearly just grabbed a bunch of stuff, mainly items that could function as wall art, and then found incredibly tenuous connections between that and the list of categories. In this case, the connection being that some people light candles in a bathroom and also light candles when using a Ouija board, and presumably a laminated board would be good in a room where things get wet sometimes. But it’s barely a connection, he just wanted to show people that he has a Ouija board with the Bee Gees on it.

- I expected to be able to follow up the previous point by saying “And here we have a contrast to that, seeing someone who thought long and hard about the category and found something that fits it perfectly.” I expected that because Ivo was next, and he always has something he’s carefully chosen to meet the task’s specifications. Except this time. He just wanted to show people a scale model of the Titanic. Fair enough, that’s pretty cool.

- Contestants have been accused before of using the prize tasks to get rid of stuff they don’t want. Jenny Eclair may be the first Taskmaster contestant to admit to using the prize task to get stuff she does want, not by winning it off other people, but because she can just ask the production staff to procure a prize for her and they’ll do it. The equivalent of putting it on a rider. I’m pretty sure Jenny Eclair can afford a cleaner for a mouth brace, but that’s still quite a funny idea.

- It’s a good thing Frankie Boyle is very unlikely to win this whole season, because it would be a tainted victory, by the fact that he keeps getting over-scored on these prize tasks that are cool but have no relevance at all. I’d love for him to win an episode, though, and would be just fine with it if that over-scoring leads to a win in this one.

- “Imaginary companion”. So, the best friend task from Taskmaster NZ, but in a way that will seem even creepier since they’ve left out the dummies entirely?

-

Frankie Boyle may make no effort to match prizes to categories, but he’s been pretty good so far in the pre-recorded tasks, at reading the task carefully and matching his efforts to the rules about what you’re supposed to do to win. And then getting indignant when others are rewarded despite failing to do so. I respect that, given that that would be 100% my strategy if I were on there, to the point of sacrificing entertainment for it.

- I know in Taskmaster it’s usually ideal if you see five different approaches to each task, but in this case, I find it quite funny that they were given something relatively open-ended, and Kiell, Mae, and Frankie all chose to do almost exactly the same thing.

- Good God, they are really going for it. Worth remembering that these three do know how to do that. Mae Martin’s sitcom Feel Good was a comedy-drama with a lot of legitimately dramatic – one could certainly say poignant – moments. Kiell’s primary job is as an actor rather than a stand-up. Frankie Boyle did a Beckett play last year. This was a good task to give to that group.

- Watching Mae try that hard to cry is quite amusing.

- Saving Ivo for last again, as he mentioned on last week’s podcast that they do a lot. For a variety of reasons, but few of them involve him doing well.

- I don’t know why, but I’m also finding it very funny to watch Jenny Eclair pretend to trim hedges.

It’s the way you can see several centimetres of space between the saw and the leaves. Like they told her she’s not allowed to actually touch them or it’ll ruin the bushes. And that she has to wear goggles. Health and safety.

- “I’m going to have to get an other imaginary friend now!” sobbed by a middle-aged woman wearing goggles: also very funny.

- Ivo going to the trouble of getting a tiny sponge and tiny car to add to this scene of his tiny friend cleaning cars with him is 1) respectable commitment to the task, and 2) I’m sure he does exaggerate the whole “boarding school boy who could always wanted but failed to have his father love him” persona in his stand-up, but that persona does put another layer on him helping a smaller version of himself work on a smaller version of his car and tell it “I’m so proud of you.”

- Well, Ivo was the only one to not actually kill off his imaginary friend, but may have actually been the most poignant one. Well done.

- Wrote the above point just before seeing this:

Yes, exactly, Greg, that’s what I thought.

- Frankie was over-scored in the prize task, but I think he deserved the five points this time. He really pulled out those Beckett play skills. This episode might finally be his to win.

- Right, okay. This is one of those tasks that makes me immediately want to break down what I’d be thinking about if I had to do it. Tongs, right? You’d have to go to the kitchen and get tongs so you could shake the egg next to your ear and tell which ones are real. If you find a raw egg, boil it. I would definitely involve knives and tongs. Wasn’t this a thing Bob Mortimer claimed he could do, along with the apple thing? Shell an egg in one go? Probably even he couldn’t do it without hands, though. I wonder if he could do it with gloves on.

- And Ivo has put gloves on, solid strategy.

- I’d love to say I’d have a smarter way of doing it than Jenny just cutting it in half, but I can’t really think of one.

- Ivo, not at all for the first time, bringing some Mark Watson energy to Taskmaster. Like when Mark Watson stared at the briefcase saying “I don’t know how to open it, and I don’t quite know what to do if I can’t.” Ed Gamble once commenting on the podcast that in some of Mark’s tasks, he’d just stand around with an aimless look on his face while anxiously considering and rejecting options, and you could see the look on Alex’s face that says… at this point it doesn’t really matter what you do, Mark, but we you to do something. We need you to do something because this is my TV show and it depends on you doing anything at all within this timeframe. That’s what I’m thinking of, when I see Alex tell Ivo:

- Jenny chewing on eggshells is some impressive commitment to Taskmaster. Also, I think her strategy’s not bad. A spoon might help matters, as would gloves like Ivo wore. But it’s not bad.

- Worth noting that no one said the egg had to disappear, Jenny just chose to eat it anyway. But her getting those “crunchy bits” probably helped her score, left fewer bits of shell on the table.

- Even though it turns out that egg was already hard boiled, I wonder if boiling it again would help. Would an egg come apart more easily if it’s wet and has recently been heated and then cooled a bit?

- What the fuck did Kiell find? Was that just put there for this task, or are those tools always there? If it’s the latter, why don’t they incorporate those into every task? That’s the same way I felt in the season 13 task when Sophie Duker used handcuffs – if those are in the shed or whatever all the time, they could definitely be used more often.

- Well, I thought Frankie had a good strategy, dropping them in water to see which is the most hard boiled. And then he immediately just cracked into it with his fingers.

- Kiell got stuck with the raw egg when he cracked it accidentally, but he could still have boiled it before cracking it further, right? You can boil an egg even if it has a slight crack in it. Actually, would have worked even if someone hadn’t ended up there accidentally? What if they put the egg in boiling water, and then just chipped at with a knife while it was still in the water? And then the boiling egg would break apart naturally inside? I don’t know what I’m talking about anymore, I think I’ve stopped making sense but there was an idea there at first. For some reason I’m really interested in finding a proper way to do this task, and the first four contestants have not helped.

- Frankie has made far more egg pieces than I normally would even if I were not trying to keep it together for the sake of a task. To be fair he can’t touch it with his hands, but I think I’d do better than that even with a towel on my hands, and even while not being on Taskmaster, just trying to peel an egg normally. This may not, in fact, be his episode to win.

- Okay, to be fair to Kiell, that seems to have worked a bit. Good job finding the weird tool.

- “You’re looking for a raw egg, because then you can get the egg out in one. You can make a little hole, and then you can blow the egg out in one.” Well, Alex just told me the solution to the task, but I don’t like it. I don’t even really know what he means, how do you blow the egg? This is reminding me of Mawaan thinking he could fill an egg with helium, which I believe we all agreed was bullshit.

- Oh God, Mae, what the fuck? I have suddenly remembered Rob Beckett’s thing where he can peel a banana with his feet and likes to show that off on panel shows. That’s not great. Please stop this. Mae, every other person worked out a way to manipulate the egg with their hands and just not touch it. You are smarter than this.

- And now they are using their mouth. Mae Martin has forgotten about the existence of tools, or even of cloth.

- Mae has remembered that pins exist and mentioned making a pin-sized hole in a raw egg, like Alex said. What are they talking about? Is this actually a thing?

- Okay, now that I see what happened after Mae broke the egg, I realize the raw egg probably is, in fact, better than a hard-boiled one. I was so stuck on getting the egg properly boiled because a hard-boiled egg is better than a soft-boiled egg, because the shell will come off faster. So stuck on that that I forgot how with a raw one, you can just split it once down the middle, and then pour the egg out instead of worrying about splitting it all around the egg. Which is basically what Kiell and Mae both did accidentally. Obviously.

- Ah, I see. I’d thought they’d all be different levels of hard or soft boiled, but in fact, it’s just one raw one and four boiled ones and you want the raw one. Because I forgot about the obvious thing that you can just pour a raw egg out of a shell. I think I now have less grounds for judging Taskmaster contestants for forgetting the obvious, because for some reason I got really into working out the answer on this one, and I still forgot the obvious, which is that you can just pour a raw egg. Sorry I spent so much of this post writing about my theories on egg peeling, everyone.

- Second “Do not touch the astroturf” task of the season. A classic for a reason.

- Mae has found one gold shoe and is looking for another. Pretty sure I’d just put that one on, pick up the ball, and hop on one foot to the bell. Or is that not allowed? It did say “Unless you’re wearing gold shoes”, so maybe only having one on doesn’t count as wearing “gold shoes” plural, even if the other foot never touches.

- I enjoy Jenny having “Why would you do that to someone?” as her catchphrase. Amazing that it took fifteen seasons for that to become someone’s catchphrase, really.

- Okay, now that I actually look at it, hopping on one foot all the way to that bell would be tough. Doable, but tough. Noel Fielding would be good at this. Actually, given that Noel was famously wearing golden boots when he hopped on one foot across the grass, I wonder if this is an intentional homage to him.

- Well done, Mae. Decently impressive athletic achievement.

- Jenny’s having a good time. Turns out watching someone kick a bowling ball is always amusing.

- I might try for being the slowest if I did this task, though that’s a risk. A risk either way though. Find the gold shoes and then wait until the last second of the allotted twenty minutes. At least you can control how close you are to the end; you can’t get right up to the beginning.

- Well, Frankie has the black and rainbow straps touching the green, and those are not gold shoes. And Kiell has not touched it with his hand and knee. That can’t be allowed.

- Hang on, are they just allowed Kiell? Is the argument that he only touched the underside of it and that’s not the green? But I’m pretty sure that still counts as part of it. And they debated in the studio about whether Frankie’s contraption was golden, but not about 1) the fact that the straps were not and they touched the green, or 2) the fact that they were not shoes. Yeah, I want Frankie to get his episode win, but they should both be disqualified.

- Ivo last again.

- Ivo cooking Alex breakfast is amusing, but I think it would be more consistent with his stand-up persona if he instantly took the option of throwing money at the problem.

- He put it down! He put it down on the thing! They’d better not allow that, that was definitely something besides gold shoes and the bowling ball touching the green.

- Ivo’s non-gold shoes have now also touched:

They’d better not even consider counting this one. This should be five points to Mae for doing it fastest, four to Jenny for doing it slowest, everyone else disqualified.

- Ah. I got so caught up in my litigation of this task according to the letter of the law that I forgot the word used was technically “grass” and not “green”. Putting Jenny out of contention as well. And Kiell unequivocally out. And Ivo out for like four different reasons. And in light of those gross violations, Frankie’s are looking less bad. I mean, technically you could argue that the straps are part of the golden shoes that he made.

- The contestants switching sides about Frankie’s shoes in the studio, based on when it benefitted them, was amusing. I’ve been won around, the straps could be part of the shoes. Also, Frankie’s in with a shot at an episode win.

- I’ve managed to avoid mention how hot Mae Martin is for this entire post (for some reason, I instead spent most of it trying to work out strategies for pulling shells off a boiled egg, while forgetting that you can just pour raw egg out of it), but can I throw in one mention of the extent of their focus and competitiveness as they begin the live task? Because that’s pretty good.

- Oh I am enjoying this live task so much. I think they should scrap all the other live tasks and just play this one every week.

- Stage we’re at in the battle of Charlotte Ritchie’s husbands: the look Mae instantly gives Kiell over their shoulder when he fucks up by touching a chair.

- The saga of Mae Martin turning that intense focus on a beeline for one chair, even their high levels of competitiveness not being enough to shove a middle-aged feminist pioneer off a chair, and instantly changing tactics to grab the other chair right out from under Kiell:

Kiell should have had that one based on who was closest, Mae was just quicker and better. I know who’s winning the battle of Charlotte Ritchie’s husbands.

On the other side, we have a somewhat similar story with Frankie having his closest chair taken by Ivo, but reacting quickly enough to get to the next one before Kiell. Well done.

- And Frankie Boyle shares none of Mae Martin’s hesitation about shoving middle-aged women:

I love everything about this screenshot. Taskmaster should sell a poster of it as merch.

- 

- What an image. Every face is perfect. This screenshot, subtitle included, should be printed on billboards to advertise the show.

- 

1) I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Frankie Boyle give off “befuddled old man” energy before, but he might have a bit here, as he sat on his chair and realized he sat down too early.

2) You can see Ivo’s chair move a bit, which means he definitely it on his way past, which means he should be disqualified too and Mae should win.

3) Whether this disqualify Ivo or not, Mae (who has a great facial expression here - Ivo might have been fooled in the split second of adreniline into following Frankie, but Mae was focusing very hard and is clearly aware that they’re wrong) went into this task one point ahead of Frankie, and he can’t beat them anymore, so there goes his shot at the episode.

4) What word did Frankie think got said, in the line “Right in”, that started and ended with the same letter? Or was it just Greg’s delivery, saying it so dramatic made him think he had to move, as can happen when you’re really concentrating and ready to make a split-second decision? Honestly, I love this task. Play it every week.

- To be fair, I guess the round ended the moment Frankie sat down, so hitting the chair afterward doesn’t have to count against Ivo. And a Mae vs. Ivo final sounds like fun, so let’s do this.

- How fucking quick is Mae? They and Ivo were about equally close to the front of the chair when the word “little” got said, so that wasn’t even luck, as it could have been if it had been said while one was in front of the chair and one was behind it. The two of them started with a close to equal chance, Mae was just that much quicker. Fucking hell. Before today, I don’t think I’d have counted “really good at musical chairs” on my list of things that are attractive in a person. But here we are.

- Well, I managed to get to the final task before going overboard with my “screenshotting the entire episode” and “constantly talking about how hot Mae Martin is”. Kept it fairly well in hand before that point. I still can’t believe I forgot that it’s easier to just pour liquid out of a raw egg than to crack a shell off of a hard-boiled one. Fun episode. That egg thing is going to stick in my mind, though.

[ask-the-mailman]

to any of the ethans we haven't talked to yet; how fo you feel about this place?

( Strawberry Milk Ethan looked over before looking at their brothers again, asking a silently question before turning around complete ) " We like it so far.. its different but also the same in a way! " ( They said happily for them and their brothers besides poison )

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( Cupcake Ethan hummed, having a finger on her chin as if she was thinking, then she looked down at you to answer ) " it's rather plain, but I like it! Could use more candy though— "

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( Ethyn stared silently before just shrugging ) " It's not different from my world, so I'm not too sure on what to say ! " ( She answered, now dragging you to her room ) " Anyway, let's go play games now! "

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( Yandegire scoffed, lowering the knife he had pinned at your neck before pushing Yangire away ) " what's it to you anyway? hoping we're all having a good time so you won't worry? " ( They glared at you before Yangire pushed Yandegire back with a hand to yans face ) " we're fine! it's normal here, there isn't much to say. goodbye now! " ( He slammed the door )

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( Priest Ethan raised an eyebrow while stopping his movement of patting your head ) " well.. it's certainly something here, nothing too different! I just hate that pesky demon though.. why did they make me share a room with him.. " ( He sighed, patting your head again when he heard a thud behind you both, an offended 'hey' being heard shortly after )

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( Cupid turned to look at you as God Ethan brushed loves hair ) " Oh! How i feel? i feel great here! It's nice and cool! I personally— " ( Lov then proceeded to ramble, causing God Ethan to giggle )

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( Gem looked at you as he stood straight next to a warp pod ) " How I feel? Um, it's very different! In a good way i mean.. My diamond and I used to visit earth a lot even if it was way different than this one, so I'm accustomed to it! " ( He shuffles his feet ) " May I go now? "

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( Darling Ethan only stared blankly. ) " how else am I supposed to feel? different? Its just the same. "

( Brazilian Ethan elbowed him and waved at you ) " it's cool here! Wish I was back home though, to be honest. Kinda getting home sickness! "

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( ??? Ethan looked at you from a very large distance and shrugged, too uninterested to really answer )

( Ime Ethan(lucifer) sighed and turned to you from his seat ) " It's normal. Just normal. " ( She said and promptly picked up a knife from inside their sleeve ) " Now will you leave or do I have to use this? "

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( AD!Mailman simply walked away before you could even ask the question, Mayor Mailman following after apologetically ) " Its cool! " ( He said in a raised voice before walking away completely )

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( omo ethan maintained eye contact with you before starting into the camera, choosing to not speak )

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" Uh..? Normal? For like any ethan who's not drastically different? " ( Hanahaki ethan said, ticked off as his leg started bouncing ) " Why are you asking everyone anyway? " ( They asked, their irritation getting worse the more she stays seated ) " This is stupid, get out. "

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( Ahodere Ethan wasn't found, maybe its because he's lost? uh oh.. )

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( SCP ethan merely continued to cuddle you, not worrying about anything in the world.. head empty, no thoughts... )

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( MH Ethan stared at you in shock, how did you even find his room— coughing, he answered ) " its nice? "

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( Gacha ethan and pony ethan only hid behind sans ethan, opting to not answer ) " * ah.. sorry! " ( Sans Ethan said, sweating a little )

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( Plush, Cloud, Shipper, Moth and Moth keeper were sleeping, they had got here recently and were tired from the transportation )

[astingliamberry]

University Talk

Looking at University has always been a bit of a struggle with me, I never knew what I wanted to do, and I found difficulty when it came to what exact course I would like to study. I wanted to do something similar to the course I am currently on and writing this for. I wanted to do something to do with model making even maybe prop making for movies and tv shows. I really love the idea of making realistic models for a living, this is something I have recently fell in love with but I fell in love hard. After making that really cool mountain model a year ago, the dry brushing the painting it was just so perfect. I couldn't believe I made something so cool, I was so shocked that I could create something so realistic so easily. I liked drawing but it didn't feel like me anymore, it felt like I was doing it for someone else. Making a model felt like something I was doing for me. Back on track to university talk.

A person came in to tell us about UAL a university of 6 collages of different category's of creative courses. There's buildings all based around fashion, graphic design and more! She went on about the kind of courses each building has by listing and talking about what courses are available for people to take and what they entail. Like if you were doing graphic design they had multiple courses focusing on specific graphic design like climate graphic design which specifically is graphic design for social issues like climate change, the healthcare system and anything like the trans healthcare system too. I really like this course and have been considering it a lot. It was only mentioned because I asked about the difference between graphic design and graphic communication. The difference between the two is that graphic communication is more worrying about the communication that the artwork brings across like the message its supposed to bring. Graphic design is about creating things for graphics like making a font or something similar like making a simple illustration of a person. I did graphic design in high school as well as art and I loved it. It was a load of effort and very hard but I loved it. I loved both courses that I went out my way to do at the same time because I was creative in both ways. The graphic design course had no women on it, only cis men and me a trans man. I was isolated but god it was worth it learning everything I did. The art class was a good mix even though I had a run in with my teacher being transphobic I had a good time and I learnt a lot. She may have gotten herself fired but I still learned an unbelievable amount. I love both things and I want to learn both but for university I have to choose between model making and graphic design. I wrote a few notes on it so I could look back at it later. I wrote down a course called graphic media design that seemed to have a bit of both when she explained it.

She talked about student finance, apparently the debt isn't as hard hitting as its described in media. People go on and on about how painful student debt is but they probably are basing this on American student debt which is criminal how much they expect you to pay. In comparison to the amount that you pay for british university. I want to do university because I want to experience something like this, a university sounds like such a fun and educational experience. I honestly don't care if they are skimming off the top of my wage a little bit if it means I get to experience university and all it has to offer.

I also like the idea of living in a big town, living in a small town as a trans man is hard. Not everyone understands you so they turn to hate, and due to Rishi Sunak it has become a safe space for transphobia because they can say: "The prime minister said it was ok and so did Elon Musk so it must be ok." But unrelated, I just want to move to a big town where I can blend in to the crowd of other people who are experimenting with their gender identity. I am a wear London is very expensive but the salary lines up with the cost of living so, I will happily move there when I get the chance. I keep thinking about my life in dorms and my life as a university student and I just love it, I love the idea of making art for a living and maybe I will discover what job I exactly want to do. I keep mixing between all different kinds of jobs and deciding what ones I want to do and the idea of freedom with a safety net is pretty cool.

[lucidrims]

     " ah, i suppose that's a sign that i should just save my money for now. i really don't see any use for a car at this point. " kaori chuckles, accepting naeun's answer. " indeed ! i am. i'd like to think my korean's gotten a lot better. i've been around here for 4 straight years after all. " flashing her a toothy smile, the make-up artist was proud of herself at how she's gotten better at the language. snorting at her comment about the cleaners, she nods, " you're right. but i guess. . i just don't want to be the reason why they need to clean more, you know ? " her point was very valid, but it really showed just how different their viewpoint was in life. not that kaori minds, working with all sorts of people and personalities every day, she's more of an open-minded person.

" no right ? well, your friend did mention that you were looking for someone to help out last minute so, hopefully next time, i won't be a last-minute choice. but the choice is yours, of course, you'll be the judge when i'm done with your make-up look. " at this point, she's in the blending process of the eye shadow look, making certain it looks as seamless as possible. " it's so tricky, no ? finding your calling in life. i feel like even though i have, i've been feeling quite burnt out these days. i've found myself wondering if like, this is really something i want to do for the rest of my life. i'm also a content creator on the side and i gotta be honest, i'm enjoying that as well. " she shares, wiping away all the excess powder that fell off on naeun's cheek, her touch light as she uses a big brush to swipe it all off, but taking her sweet time doing so. " i see what you mean. those are the usual go-to's huh ? that's cool. i'm actually now really interested to go see the cafe ! is it nearby ? i might as well visit the cafe tomorrow or something. it is my day off during then anyways. "

She shakes her head as an answer before opening her mouth. "Nope. I have a license, but I don't like driving because... Well, like you said, the traffic can be ridiculous." And her patience isn't the greatest when it comes to waiting. Especially when she's in a hurry. "And I don't know anything about cars." She just thinks some of them look cool, that's it. Naeun briefly opens her eyes to look at the other, curiosity peaking. "You're from Japan?" She asks. She can ask that as a client, right? She can. How else she's supposed to get to know her? "This might sound mean, I don't intend it to be mean, but... Isn't it their job to clean it? That's what they get paid for, so I wouldn't feel too bad." Oh god, she sounds like one of those people she never wants to sound like. Those people who think they're higher than the rest of the people because of their status.

It's a perfect moment for her to hide her smile and chuckle after hearing her words, immediately moving her hand away when she's back to touching her face. "I should say that to you. You're telling me they always come to you and this is the first time I've heard about you? Unbelievable." She gasps dramatically at the end of her words, shaking her head in disbelief, but her act is ruined when she laughs alongside the other. Hearing about her struggles with not knowing what to do after graduation, she could relate to that. "I had the same issue. Which is why I took a year - long break from everything." It was a year full of partying and getting into trouble. It was a wild year, but much needed. "But I'm glad you sort of found your calling." The little squeal she lets out startles her, causing her to open her eyes and look at Kaori with a hint of amusement in her eyes. "I had those options, but... They seem sort of stereotypical to a person whose parents have power. So I wanted to surprise people with my choice. I still get to attend events and live the luxurious life, while also doing my own thing." She tells, brushing her hair back a little while talking.