#i think an interaction between her and zag would be funny given everything

[gravelynz]

booted up hades and there was a new npc? weird.

bonus: full sprite (since chuckles got kinda mike wazowski'd) + bond forged icon

[clairen45]

The Millenium Falcon: That’s My Ship!

My thoughtful Anon sent me one last long ask before coming out of anonymity. So I’m calling you out @lightaroundthecorner, and bid you an official welcome into the community. Wishing you all the best! This is how it went... I thought it was funny you assumed the “CocoReylo” moniker for a while. This was actually a pun for my French-speaking Reylos, since Cocorico is the rooster’s cry in French (and roosters are the emblem of France). It is a good one though, especially since you brought up Coco, the movie, the first time you reached out to me.

Hey Clairen, it’s the Coco Reylo Anon lol. Thx for the reply insight and analysis ♡(´ ▽｀).。! I’m also debating if I am glad or not I am a 2nd waver, but in the end I am just glad I did jump on the ship 3 months ago! It might sound odd but all the meta’s I’ve been reading really make my day and help me grow and better understand a story I love so much. It is a wonderful fandom! After what you wrote about creating a Tumblr account I am seriously considering it! I’ll let you know when I create. I’m also not a grand fan of the new BatB film and have my fair share of issues with it, but having watched it after hearing a great amount of comments I decided to go to the movie and see if I could make sense of the plot emotionally speaking and I’m glad it worked! It is crazy how these plots end up having so much in common (they are so organic / happen to naturally parallel). I never thought about the book / mirror and rose parallels but I loved what you brought! I remember wayward Jedi mentioning that a wilted flower represents lack of love. Rey’s parents are not coming back and Beast could only be saved if he loved someone and that person loved him back. The Heroine journey is truly about intimacy and belonging (Ben and Rey need each other’s magic). Now what hit me hard was the MF parallel!!! Never thought of that, although I admit I have this canon in my head that after Ben comes back he will feel he can’t stay with everyone and act like nothing happened. So, in a  way like his father, he would feel the need to travel with no destination in mind (a need to see the galaxy and try to see things from a different perspective, as well as time to center himself and heal), but he wouldn’t think about getting the MF, for obvious reasons. Rey would sense/know it (I just love how much they understand each other without really saying everything) and when he is decided to leave she would convince him they should get the MF and without saying a “proper goodbye” they would go. I also think that Finn, Rose and Leia would understand an indirect “see you soon”, because they will see everyone again. In my canon I am not sure if Chewie would go with them or not, but I still think he would be with them again. So that Reylo can be associated with Persephone and Hades and MF 3 brains with Cerberus is just really crazy! Especially when we consider the fact that MF is the home he makes amends to (it was Han, Chewie, Luke and Leia’s home, and to go back to it means comeback to his family like you said, being accepted and loved). MF has also been compared to the Chariots of Gods that protected the Skywalker siblings from the Emperor and Vader. The fact that Rey goes to Luke in the MF, later to Kylo and later to save the Resistance, all seems to hint this is where Ben/Kylo should be. The anger he has for the “piece of junk” equals the anger and longing for his family, and it’s always with him. Ok, this got long again o.o’’’. See you soon!                                                                      

So, dear Anon who is no longer anon but now @lightaroundthecorner, sorry I took so long to answer. As I was telling other fellow bloggers, real life caught up a bit with me lately. Nothing but good things, but I haven’t been able to properly monitor my account for a while, besides the reblogs and short comments. Sorry, because I am late in my meta projects (sigh), and also I am late in my asks (I have not forgotten you, nice people who send me great questions, do not worry! I promise I will answer shortly!).  (Gif found on @reylo-hill)

I am just adding on and expanding from your previous comments. Yep, the MF is probably the core of the ST. Everything revolves around it, and they have distilled so many clues about it, its role, and what it represents for every character, and how they come to interact with it. It is not just the nostalgia and the old jokes about Han’s piece of garbage. The MF, for some reason, though it comes from Han’s side, has come to stand for something important in the Skywalker’s family: their future, something that is, if you think about it, rather paradoxical. This piece is an antique, a thing of the past. But no, in the ST, the MF is really the future. Because something about the MF points to Ben Solo all the time, and Ben is, after all, the only future left for the Skywalker family. Of course the Skywalkers would look to the MF as a place of nostalgia: this is where Luke’s big adventure began, what saved him in ANH and ESB, where Leia and Han fell in love and first kissed. Han and his ship seem as inseparable as Han and Chewie. Funny thing, though, is that at the end of ROTJ, Han had -very reluctantly- moved on from the MF, lending it back to Lando (even if just temporarily), as if he was symbolically ready to grow up and start a new life with Leia. And it would have made sense to see him start something like that.

But in TFA they decided to bring back the MF, and despite the usual critiques on TFA about the fact that the movie was just a rehash for the nostalgic of the OT, I think the choice to pull out the MF out of retirement meant something important. It was there, as a matter of fact, on the Vanity Fair cover that was bringing us the new characters and the old, the common thread between them all, what creates the connection.

They did not JUST use the MF to make us feel fuzzy inside. Nope, the MF has a story to tell. The first obvious thing is the path to HOME.

And who needs to go back home? Not Han... Han does not really pine for home... He is a roamer, always been. But Ben... The MF is and will be the HEART of the ST, because the ST is about the fight for Ben’s HEART. if the MF has always been Han’s pride and joy, what about little Ben? Of course he was his father’s pride and joy. Check out that cutesy promotion for Empire’s End:

And just read the few lines at the end of Aftermath’s Empire’s End when Han talks to his baby boy... Heart wrenching....

Hey. It’s you and me, kid. Whole damn galaxy against us but we’ll make it through okay. I’m not always gonna be the best dad- c’mon, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here. I can barely take care of myself. But I’ll always keep us pointed in the right direction...even if we zig and zag a little to get there. There’s your first lesson. Sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t mean following a straight line.

This zig and zag is a bit like the MF itself... And when Han promises his newborn son to point him in the right direction, the MF also plays that part, pointing him to Rey.

Just the way they bring back the MF says something... The MF, just like Ben, has been lost to Han for a while. It has suffered years of neglect and tampering with. It has been abandoned and considered lost for good. Ben chose to assume a distinctive archaic look (medieval by our own standards), with the cowl, crossguard, robe. And what about his saber, which, just like the MF is archaic, poorly constructed, rugged. And the MF, surrounded with the relics and the wreckage of the Empire, is also pretty much like Ben, surrounded with other relics of the Empire (the Vader mask, the First Order as the copy of the Empire, the decrepit Snoke).

Also consider the information given by The Visual Dictionary: Unkar Plutt has refused to let the scavengers plunder it because it “can still fly and he has big plans for her”. Just like Snoke has big plans for Ben.. And look at the Breakdown part and the words used:

An energy flux in the motivator bleeds back (...) causing a surge (...). Liquid metal fuel overflows (...) overheating components and rupturing a jucture. The liquid fuel sublimates into a poisonous gas that fills the freighter.

“Bleeding” is the word used by the Sith to turn the kyber crystal of their saber into a fiery red, knowing that, in Ben’s case, he probably bled his own Jedi saber, and not another Jedi’s, as is the Sith custom. “Surge”, “overheating”, “overflow” are all words that evoke, unequivocally, Kylo’s fiery bouts of rage in TFA.

And the term “poisonous” can equally apply to the way Kylo has been, for years, filled with Snoke/snake ‘s poisons, and his own dangerosity. Note that Rey is fully able to circumvent the potential danger posed by the MF.... But all this time, think about it, it was SO close to Rey. It was with her all the time, owned by Unkar Plutt, the very bane of Rey’s existence, which creates yet another invisible thread between them. What about Rey’s epidermic reaction to it: “This is garbage”. That goes, when faced with no other choice to “The garbage will do”. And then, the magic: she can handle it. She knows how to handle it. She understands it instinctively and knows how it clicks. She can figure it out, find what is wrong with it and repair it. She can fix it.

And she also admires it when she realizes what it is: 

Remember Han? He never really could figure it out or repair it for good. She can. Obviously, major outcry about Rey being a Mary Sue! How could she? How dare she? Pilot and fix the MF? But people failed to understand (because it took the ST as a whole, as a perspective) that the MF was a metaphor all along. What Rey’s SPECIAL relationship to the MF was supposed to do is FORETELL us all along what her special relationship to Kylo/Ben Solo would be.

Just like the MF, she first reacts strongly against it. But then she gathers that she will have to deal with it anyways (that is what the Force bonds mean). And eventually, she realizes that she is, indeed,the only one who understands him. Who knows how he functions. Who can handle him. She also comes to respect him. Possibly help fixing him?

What about all these details about the MF that they brought us in the novelization. The hilarious idea that there are three brains in the MF constantly bickering... Just like in Ben Solo’s little head there were probably all these voices bickering and fighting all the time. I will exclude Snoke because he is an alien voice, coming from outside as a parasite to bug and hijack Ben Solo. But the three brains that have been fighting in Ben’s head, couldn’t they be Han, Leia, and Luke, who were respectively supposed to have one movie of the ST centered around them? As if, one by one, the fighting heads would get shut up, and forgiven, to finally find peace.... So yea, the anger he is directing towards the MF can be explained by the anger he is still directing towards his family...

Which is why Kylo has still to remain banned from the MF. In order to get back in, he needs to accept being Ben again. He needs to make peace with Ben Solo, with this part of himself. When I first heard of the deleted scene on TFA where Kylo gets to step inside the MF on Starkiller, I initially thought “Oh, what a shame!”.

  How stupid of me! I know truly believe cutting it was a brilliant move, very coherent on a symbolic and narrative level. Of course, they would and should NOT let Kylo back aboard the MF at this point of the ST... His whole journey is about going back home. And obviously a “home” he can share with Rey (nesting porgs, I already made that point here). We are supposed to see them together aboard the MF on IX. That’s all. Twice, at the end, Rey goes alone aboard the MF and turns back to look behind, turning to look back at HIM, who never makes it to the MF. Rule of 3 applying, he has to make it to the MF eventually. She has to usher him there.

And from Ben, the MF has even come to stand for the relationship between him and Rey. It’s a nest, it’s a home, it’s a future together. I am pretty sure that RJ had his own little wink wink moment at the anti Reylo with the “Blow that piece of junk out of the sky” and “They really hate that ship” on the battle of Crait. If you hate Reylo, pretty much, you should hate the MF and all it stands for at this point.

And what about the new Han Solo movie? Of course they would do a Solo movie. I think they are trying to tie up all the loose strings here and there into a tight story. The MF is the core of the ST. So, in the Solo movie, we will get something about the MF. Remember the emphasis on the dice (and their part in TLJ) in the trailer, this eerily familiar new villain that is reminiscent of Kylo’s mask, and the mad theory I have been cooking with fellow blogger  @antbee17 about the possibility of ...maybe... possibly... pretty please... finger crossing... getting a Harrison Ford voice over at the end narrating the story to an entranced little Ben...

Maybe I am projecting a lot into this (for sure into the Solo movie), but, about the MF and its connection to Ben and Rey, nah, I am pretty sure!

[jewelslover]

My Expectation

Series Summary:

Ever since my group 'Expectation' had gone viral, I've been pulled away from the type of dance I love, and have been mocked by those I admired most. I'm now determined to break out of this dance stereotype, and other problems my idol lifestyle has thrown at me, and return to what started my love for dance in the first place. My group members and some idol friends will come along beside me to help do just that.

My name is XY and this is my journey.[A series based off of the one shot "The Expectation"]

Chapter Summary: 

My first dance practice with J-Hope

Pairing: J-Hope/Jung Hoseok x Original Female Character(s)/Reader

Word Count: 3.5K

Length: 1/? | MASTERLIST |

Comedy, Angst, Fluff

AO3

In the little notification bubble on my home screen it read:

“Testing. Testing. This is a test to see if XY gave me a fake number. Testing.”

I shook my head and shot back a quick reply:

“You’re so weird.”

I was just going to leave if at that, when I took the bait and replied again:

“Testing. Testing. It has been confirmed that this is XY’s real number. Testing.”

I smiled down at the phone, and stuffed it back in my pocket watching the scenery of Seoul pass by the window. I had a feeling that having J-Hope as a dance partner was going to be quite the experience. But hey, who was complaining? I was going to dance in a way I loved.

-3 Months Later-

I planted my right foot in front of my left and spun on the ball of my foot. The movement was smooth enough, but I over-rotated and tripped over my right leg, falling onto my butt yet once again. I groaned and flopped back against the hard panels of the floor. I had been trying to get the stupid rotation down for at least ten minutes, and with no profit. The step sequence wasn't difficult- I just kicked my right leg behind my left and then swung it back around, planting it in front of my left. Then, I clasped my hands in front and me and zig-zagged backwards jerking my shoulders in the direction of each diagonal. After that I centered myself and threw my hands out in front of me to the left, guiding my body into the spin which was followed by swaying out in the same direction. It was probably the simplest part of the dance, and I kept screwing it up.

I sighed and stared directly into the room’s artificial lighting as I heard footsteps walking up to my pitiful figure on the floor.

When the sound of footsteps stopped, it was replaced by the familiar wheezy laugh of my dance partner for the afternoon. I flopped my head in the direction of their feet and closed my eyes when they started to speak. “Funny, that looked different than how I remember choreographing it.”

I mocked his sarcastic comment before I turned my head back up and was greeted by a bright smile. He had his hands on his hips and his sweaty red hair hair was pulled back by a visor. The smile broke into a laugh and I rolled my eyes, extending my arm so he could help me up. Grabbing from the inside of my wrist, he pulled me up into a sitting position and I looked up at him and the younger member joining our practice.

“Oppa.., as much as I love your sarcasm, I could really do without it right now,” I sighed, letting my head fall into my hands. Hoseok laughed and squatted down on the balls of his feet to level with me. He cleared his throat to catch my attention, and I looked up from my moping.

“Hey, you haven't even been at it for that long. You're picking it up really quick, trust me.” Leaning closer to my ear he lowered his voice to a whisper, “If it provides any consolation, Yoongi-Hyung couldn't get down a similar move for an entire practice session.”

“I can hear you Hobi-ah…” the older boy called from a corner of the room. I laughed when the redhead quickly stood from his stooped position.

“Aniya, Aniya! I don't have any idea what you’re talking about Hyung!” he said, waving his hands back and forth in front of him, a wide phony smile taking over his features. I laughed at the interaction between the two and stood up, surveying the room.

I was in the BigHit practice room with the members of Bantan Sonyeondan, or BTS, around me. Two of the youngest members, Jimin and Taehyung, were talking near the tables in the back-right corner of the room and their leader, Kim Namjoon, was walking through the metal double-doors across from them. The two eldest members, Min Yoongi and Seokjin, were reviewing some choreography (or at least they were), while Hoseok-Oppa, Jungkookie, and I were going over a routine we had choreographed ourselves.

The original plan was that Hoseok and I were going to choreograph a routine together. While Hoseok had choreographed some of Bangtan’s songs before, my choreographing experience was minimal and I was eager to test the waters with a guiding hand to help me. Early on in the process, Jungkook had walked in on a practice and wanted to join. Hoseok and I saw no point against it, so for about a month now the three of us had been designing a dance to one of Yoongi’s unpublished tracks. Today, we were putting it together.

I laughed at Hoseok denying everything he had said about Yoongi-Oppa and walked back to the tables to grab my water bottle. My phone vibrated as I was wiping the back of my sleeve along my forehead, and I shifted my gaze to the screen. I had several new messages from the group chat I was in with the other Expectation members. The messages were all asking how practice was going and if any progress had been made, most of them from E. Setting down my water bottle, I smiled at the phone as the screen dimmed and picked it up. I grabbed Hoseok’s attention and nodded towards the door, waving my phone. “Mind if I step out for a bit, Oppa?” I asked, and he waved me out smiling.

I stepped out of the noisy practice room for a bit to open up KakaoTalk, and clicked on the call feature next to E’s Kakao ID. The phone rang for three tones before I heard a cheery voice on the other side of the line. “Unnie!”

I laughed at how excited she sounded and greeted her back. “Hey, Eunki-ah.”

“How’s practice going? Did you guys get the routine finished?” she asked, her voice pitched higher than what it usually was.

“Yeah, we’re putting everything together today. We should be able to go over a rough but full version today,” I told her.

“Yes!” she called, and I could almost see her fist pumping with a silly grin on her face. “Oh! That reminds me Unnie. Are you going to be able to make it for dinner tonight? The older girls were thinking of maybe going out before our schedules get hectic again.”

The smile I wore dropped from my face and I bit down on my bottom lip. Would I be able to make it? I glanced at the clock that hung on a far wall and noted the time.

It was near five o’clock and we still had a lot of work to get done on the routine. I sighed and looked at my shoes, weighing my options. On one hand I could go to dinner and skip practice with Hoseok and Jungkook and just practice on my own time. However, the downside of that was that we wouldn’t know when we’d be able to meet up again. On the other hand, if I stayed here to continue practice I would be able to get a significant amount of work done on this project with their help. I inwardly groaned as I was being forced to pick between two of my favorite things, dancing and my ‘sisters’.

“Noona?”

I jumped and turned around to look behind me. Jungkook was standing in the doorframe, hands tucked into his back pockets. “Oh sorry. Um…” he scratched behind his ear, nodding back towards the practice room. “Hyung wanted to know if you were almost done with uh-” he gestured to the phone in my hand, “whatever you were doing?”

I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I just have to finish up this call. Tell him I’ll be there in just a second, Jungkookie.”

He grinned and walked back into the room. I bit the inside of my cheek- I had just subconsciously given Jungkook an answer and couldn’t back out now.

“Soobin-Unnie? Are you still there?”

I sighed and nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Yeah, I’m still here. I- Um, I don’t think i’ll be able to go to dinner tonight, Eunki.”

“...Oh… okay.” I could hear the obvious disappointment in her voice, but it was gone almost as soon as it came. “That’s okay… we can always do it another time.”

“Okay… I’ll uh, I’ll see you later tonight then.”

“Yeah. Have a good night. Annyeong, Unnie,” she quipped.

“Annyeo-” and then the call ended. Did she just… hang up on me? It was probably an accident. E didn’t do stuff like that.

I shook my head and sighed, swiping away some other notifications from the phone’s screen as I headed back into the practice room. I was greeted by the sight of BTS surrounding Min Yoongi, who looked annoyed and kept shaking his head. I stood with my hand keeping the door propped open, looking confused until Seokjin waved me over.

“Soobin-ssi, we’re planning on going out for lunch but can’t decide where to go. Any preference?” he asked me, smiling.

I returned the smile and shrugged, “Not really hungry. But, thanks for the offer.”

The group turned to me so suddenly that it looked almost comedic. Jin looked so shocked that you would’ve thought I had just done something scandalous. “You’re not going to eat? But, you’ve been practicing since this morning!”

“Sorry Seokjin-Oppa, I’m just not terribly hungry,” I said, offering an apologetic smile to the eldest.

He grunted in disbelief but accepted my answer anyway, “Fine… any suggestions?

I shifted my weight and went over the list of places I’d visited recently. I perked up at the memory of one I had really enjoyed. “Jyoti Restaurant is really good! The rest of Expectation and I went there last week and loved it! The staff is really nice and the food is well priced! It’s in a smaller part of Seoul but the building is sectioned off to where you could keep it lowkey if you need.”

“Indian food?” Jungkookie asked, looking to the others in consideration. Looks were shared around the circle, along with nods, and Jimin spoke up.

“I don’t see why not. I’ve been wanting to try out some new things recently anyway,” the boy smiled.

“That’d be easier to accomplish if you actually ever went out Jimin,” the maknae laughed sarcastically, knowing full well that the older went out a lot, and Jimin shot a dirty look at him.

“Disrespectful little-” Jimin started, smiling

“-hyung!”

Jungkook added the honorific after a beat with a cheeky smirk,  laughing again when Jimin hit his bicep.

“Calm down you two!” I scolded. Hoseok hit both of their shoulders, causing them to both to giggle at me and stop the little skirmish.

“We’ll be back soon Soobin. You sure you don’t even want us to bring something back for you?” Hoseok asked, and I shook my head explaining again that I wasn’t too hungry, insisting that I’d be fine. With that, the boys started heading out with Seokjin leading the pack.

“So… who’s paying?” Taehyung asked hesitantly.

A chorus of ‘not it’s’ came from the group and a frustrated sigh came from Jungkook. “Oh come on! I’m still recovering from the almost 1 million won you cost me at my graduation dinner! Not fair!”

I laughed along with the others and walked back into the practice room once they had left. No harm in getting some work done while I waited for them to return, right? I cued up the song on repeat and centered myself in front of the mirrored wall, settling into the start position. I stuck my right foot out in front at an angle and bounced back as the first bass note hit.

The boys had gotten back from eating and were caught in the hall by Bang PD-nim, hoping to catch a quick meeting with them. While the others stayed behind with their boss, Hoseok managed to slip away so he could bring Soobin something they had gotten for her at the restaurant. Opening the door to the practice room, he was greeted by the pulsing beat of Yoongi’s track but didn’t see her dancing along to it. Scanning the room, he felt his stomach drop when he saw her slumped against the mirror in an awkward position. Damn it, he knew something felt off when she refused to go get food- the exact reason he had brought some back for her. She must have fainted. He was stupid to have let her keep practicing on no fuel!

He quickly dropped the bag of food on a chair and rushed towards her. He gripped her shoulder and shook it softly. “Soobin... hey. Soobin...” he called, his voice weak. She frowned and squinted up at him, swatting at his hand on her shoulder.

. . .

I felt someone shaking my shoulder and frowned. What did a girl have to do to relax a little?

“Soobin… hey. Soobin…” a worried voice called. Was the Hoseok?

I swatted at his hand and squinted up at him, “Yah… knock it off Oppa.”

His eyes widened and he stepped back from me. “Oh… you were conscious.” He pocketed his hands and smiled awkwardly. “Sorry… I thought-” he cut himself off, as if he wasn’t sure if he should finish his sentence. “Um, nevermind.”

“Ah… okay?” I started, standing up and brushing off my sweats. “Sorry, I was just resting a bit,” I apologized. He seemed a little on edge as he nodded and walked back towards the doors, to a plastic bag resting on one of the chairs. “Hoseok-Oppa… what is that?” I asked cautiously, crinkling my nose.

“Oh, this?” he asked, his attention shifting back to me. “Uh, just some food.” He smiled guiltily and I raised my eyebrow. He turned to pick up the bag, “-for you.”

I sighed and shook my head, “Oppa. I told you all not to get me anything.”

He shrugged and continued on to unpack the contents of the bag, “We ‘all’ didn’t get you anything... Jungkookie and I did.”

I sighed at his excuse and followed him to one of the tables where he set down the bag. I thanked him and sat down as the rest of BTS entered the room. There were a few smiles at me eating, and a certain ‘victory’ look on Jin’s face, which earned him a quick glare before I focused back on my food.

Although Hoseok and Jungkook-ssi had gotten me food, the rest of the members ended up enjoying it more than I did. I don’t know how many times I had to swat hands away from my meal. Honestly, hadn’t they just eaten?

By the time I was finished, most of the boys had started packing up their things. “Are you guys getting ready to head back.”

Taehyung threw his bag over his shoulder and nodded. “Yeah, I think we’re all about ready to head back to the dorm?” He glanced at the others in the room, and they all nodded in confirmation.

Hoseok looked up from his phone and shook his head. “I think I’m gonna stay behind and practice a little more with Soobin,” he replied, and then looked up towards me. “Unless you were planning on going home too? If that’s the case we can just plan for later.”

I shook my head and told him that I had also planned on getting in a little more practice time before I had to head back to my own dorm. He nodded and we both saw the rest of the group off.

Once they had all gone, Hoseok and I went back to practicing. He cued up the song and we started running through the moves, more often than not repeating parts and fine-tuning minute details.

An hour into practice, I still couldn’t seem to get through the full song without that stupid spin screwing me up. “Ugh!” I groaned, throwing my head back.

“You seem frustrated with the second verse,” Hoseok commented. When he paused the music, I looked up at him and shrugged, shaking out an arm that was tired.

“The spin is proving to be difficult, but I’ll get it… eventually.”

“That didn’t sound too confident…”  He said, quirking an eyebrow.

“Look it’s not a big deal. Run it again please,” I asked, moving towards the soundboard. He stepped in front of it and I stopped. I made a face, “What are you doing, Oppa?”

“You’re tired and frustrated. I’m stopping practice because you won’t make any progress in that mind set. It’s not healthy Soobin-ssi,” He frowned, a rare expression on his face.

I rolled my eyes. “Hoseok-Oppa I’m not tired,” I said… and yawned. He smirked at my yawn and I scrunched up my nose. “That was just… bad timing. I can still practice, I swear.”

“We’re stopping Soobin.”

I sighed and nodded reluctantly, making my way over to my things and packing up. I was putting my phone into my back pocket when I saw a KKT notification. E had sent a photo. I swiped the notification bubble across my home screen and opened up the app. In the chatroom, there was a selfie of her and the other 3 girls all smiling at the camera. They looked like they were in a restaurant, decked out in full idol garb- facemasks, hats, and glasses. A “Miss you!” message was below the picture. I grimaced and stuffed the phone into my pocket after turning it off.

“Ready?” Hoseok asked behind me.

I nodded and slung my backpack over one shoulder. “Yeah,” I answered, pulling a beanie over my ears and a facemask over my nose.

He smiled and walked me out of the building, grabbing his own stuff on the way. I wheeled my bike out of the lobby and we headed out to the parking lot.

“You gonna be okay biking home on your own?” He asked, unlocking his car door. I nodded my head and smiled, even though he couldn’t tell from behind the mask. He smiled back, and slid into his seat, “We need to check when our schedules align again, okay? I wanna work with you on that spin if you haven’t mastered it by the time we get together again.”

I nodded again and situated myself on my bike, “I’ll try to message you as soon as I get October’s schedule.”

He agreed to do the same and closed to door to his car. He pulled out of the lot and I pedaled away soon after.

I rode up to the door of the Expectation dorm, and hopped off my bike. I typed in the passcode lock next to the door and shrugged into the entryway. Leaning my bike against the wall, I kicked off my shoes into the cubby holes by the door and stepped into my pair of house slippers.

I caught sight of myself in the mirror we had in the hallway and frowned. My faded green hair was sticking up at odd angles, my eyes had dark circles under them, and my overall appearance just looked exhausted. I sighed and shuffled into the living room.

“Unnie? Is that- Unnie!” IOU’s eyes widened as she looked up from the seat she was curled up in, a textbook in her lap and eyes framed by round glasses. She closed the textbook and hurried up to me, sliding her socked feet over the wood. “You look awful.”

I raised an eyebrow at her comment, “Wow… thanks Jiwoo-ssi.”

“Ah… that’s not what I meant. You look exhausted. Are you okay?”

“It’s nothing… just worked a lot today.”

She eyed me, “I’ve seen what you look like after dance practice, and this isn’t it. You look���,” she sighed. “You need to go to bed or something.”

“Jiwoo…”

She frowned, “Bed, Unnie.”

Despite her being younger, she acted as if she was my mother. I sighed and she crossed her arms in authority, raising an eyebrow. I dropped my head and nodded. “Fine fine. I’ll go to bed. I make no promise to sleep though,” I smirked over my shoulder and walked off to my room. She raised her arm to argue, but cut herself off sighing in disappointment and went back to her chair to continue studying.

I laughed to myself and shut my bedroom door softly behind me. The lights were off and I looked over to see E asleep in her bed. One of her legs was hanging off the side of the mattress and the sheets were only covering half of her body. I smiled and went over to shift her leg back onto the bed and pull the sheets up over her. I took her phone out of her limp hand and plugged it in, setting it on her bedside table.

Shuffling over to my bed, I had barely pulled the covers over myself before I passed out.