#i track all of that on my own anyway but its cute having it built in

[a-ikuoliver]

i bought rose im ab to fuck up a pervy kiri fic

[absolutebl]

Top 10 Great BLs That Are REALLY hard to find (but worth tracking down)

You may want to go hunting anyway!

Seven Days

Seven Days: Monday-Thursday

Seven Days: Friday-Sunday

Japan 2015

Never doubt my ability to recommend this show. One of the best live action yaois ever made, with perfectly structured angst, fantastic characters and acting, and no problematic tropes (rare in Japanese BL). The leads have excellent chemistry although it’s low heat there’s still some really cute mutual kisses.

Cherry Magic AKA 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii

Japan 2020

The sweetest fluffiest magical realism BL, packaged as a pinning office romance, very low heat (practically chaste) but the cutest. It’s truly great.

Cherry Magic Thailand

Thai 2024

A soft charming warm hug of a show about crushes and mind reading and self worth, with no-fuss execution from a consummate team and an OG lead pair proving why they remain eternal and deserve to grow up. Look, here’s the thing, Cherry Magic is a great Thai BL in its own right not comparing it to any other iteration. But even when I do compare (and I've seen all the Cherries and read the manga) it still stands. I personally like it slightly better than the Japanese live action, but I think that’s because I just really like Thai BL and I LOVE TayNew. Also all the kissing was both present and better than any other iteration. As it should be from Thailand.

I Feel You Linger in the Air

Thai 2023

IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn (but no as much as To Sir With Love and with way less scenery chewing). This is an elegant and classy BL... from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t good either. This show could easily have earned a 10/10 from me except that it fumbled the… erm… balls in the final quarter. Argh. Whatever.

All about the ecstasy and the agony here.

Restart After Come Back Home AKA Risutato wa tadaima no ato de

Japan 2020

Atmospheric study in rural Japan meets complex family dynamics built on a romance framework of city boy meets country boy, grumpy/sunshine. It’s beautiful and icy sweet. Slow moving in places but ultimately worth the patience, low heat, low angst, and stunning.

Given

Japan 2021

Boy joins band, falls in love with other boy. The singing is terrible, fast forward through that but with the possible exception of the hair styles, this BL could have been made in 2015 and no one would be surprised. As such, it wasn’t ground breaking, but it didn’t disappoint either.

Make a Wish

Thai 2023

A doctor who can see the dead strikes a bargain with a wish-granting irreverent tree angel - naturally they fall in love (from Sammon: Manner of Death & Triage). Stars Fluke Natouch opposite not-Ohm, but who tf cares because Fluke has chemistry with everybody. Once again the Thai afterlife is incredibly bureaucratic but I enjoyed the premise and the unfolding of the story (it’s not predictable but still satisfying and with nice little twist). I like that the doctor is just gay AF - fag hag bestie and all the swagger. The cast is excellent even if the comedic stylings are a bit overblown and tonally off. It had sad parts and did make me cry but is ultimately happy with a great sex scene, good smiley kisses, and all the agency. Definitely recommended.

2 Moons The Ambassador AKA 2 Moons 3

Thai 2022

A Thai pulp that felt like it came out 5 yrs prior, with many of the flaws inherent to that time and studio system, including manufactured angst and convoluted plot, but an ultimately sweet main couple that (as a pairing) feels a bit more modern and satisfying to watch than they started out. This will probably go down in history as one of the few BLs where I genuinely didn’t care about any of the side couples. All that said, I find this show oddly appealing and rewatchable and I have no excuses for that except, I enjoyed it probably more than it deserved. Nostalgia & d**k, it's what's for dinner.

I Want to See Only You AKA Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai

Japan 2022

This is a beautiful well acted piece of cinema, about two boys who are opposite personalities and grew up together. Gifted and serious Sakura pines after outgoing eccentric manic pixie dream boy, Yuma. It is very pretty and this is the kind of atmospheric elegantly performed BL that only really comes from Japan (complete with dead fish kisses - what you though Korea invented them? oh no). If you want something stylish, this is it.

Triage

Thai 2022

BL does Groundhog Day featuring a doctor stuck in a time loop who must save a poor little rich boy from death by seducing the stuffing out of him, then PLOT TWIST, poor little rich boy must do the same for the doctor! Unfortunately... stuffing keeps leaking. I thought the plot was engaging if a little redundant and occasionally exhausting. The pairs were all well done, low heat but with decent chemistry and the support characters were likable (or unlikable, as required). If anything, the romance arc detracted and distracted from the main plot, but that doesn't stop this from being a genuinely good show.

HONORABLE MENTION

Great Men Academy

Thai 2019

Bodyswap involving unicorns turning a teenage girl into a boy makes this questionable as a BL (because, ya know, gender). But the fact remains that James is killer in the lead, and I (who do not like bodyswap) loved this damn show. Look, there is actual plot, hotties at boarding school, "bully the one you love" trope, some weird VR shit, very bad CGI, and yes, the boys end up together... whether they boys or not, so to speak.

Some of these shows may appear on a smaller streaming service, like WeTV, or they may be on a legal platform in your territory. I hope it goes without saying you should check there first.

(source)

This list updated Spring 2024, not responsible for cool stuff that went missing (or was added to a platform) after that date.

It's it last in a series the rest of which are:

[romanarose]

Love and Friendship

Joel Miller x fem!reader

Summary: Joel drives you and you friends home.

Warnings: Mentions of drinking and getting drunk, brief mention of cheating and bad relationship not with reader or Joel, but her friend. Joel being respectful as hell.

Immersivity: Reader is fem and drinks

Written for the @swiftiscruff fic exchange! This is dedicated to every single one of the people in my RomanaVerse discourd server, in no particular order.

Lila, Angie, Kit, Kate, Katie, May, Tara, Winnie, Alicia, Del, Whitney, Dolli, Fen, Haru, Ivy, Mickyla, Pimo, Soup, Olive. Thank you to all you guys who have been supporting my work for years or few weeks. I love you all. If i somehow missed your name its just bc im silly i swear.

******************

“JOOOOOOOOOOOEL!!!!”

Joel had to pull the phone away from his head as you screamed over the thumping sounds of the club. He hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. While you were out with friends, he had spent the evening and into the warm summer night Sarah’s room putting in a built-in bookshelf. She was on a trip with his parents for a few weeks and wanted to surprise her when she got back. Sarah always wanted a built-in bookshelf. 

“Shit! I’m so sorry darl’n!” Joel ran down the stairs, shoving his feet into his shoes and grabbing his keys. “I lost track of time, I’ll be there in 10!”

Joel was supposed to pick you up at 1 AM from the bar. It was 1:53, and he wouldn’t get there until the bar closed. 

“It’s okay baby!” you didn’t sound peeved at all. “But could we maybe drop off my friends too? Since we’re out anyway?”

He hopped into his car. “Yeah, of course baby, of course. Just stand outside once they close up, don’t talk to no one and don’t go near any cars. Make sure Angie doesn’t wander off with no one.”

You promised to stay on the phone with him until he got there. Joel didn’t like you leaving the bars on your own, too many freaks and perverts out there.

Joel pulled up to find you with your friends standing by the building, and he got out to open the door for you and them. “Sorry the back’s a little messy, ladies, work truck and all- hold on.” As you got in the front, Joel got a blanket from the black and laid it over the seats “There, less dirty.”

Angie, Kat and Lana all thanked Joel, and climbed in the back. 

While Joel drove to Lana and Kat’s, you talked to you rfriends about the night. 

“I can’t believe you danced with him Ang, what the fuck. He cheated on you three times.”

“I knoooooowwww!” She giggled. “But he’s sooooooo cute!!!”

Kat rolled her eyes with a smile. “Girl he looks like a grown up Big Mouth guy.”

“Nick Kroll?”

“What? No. Like the cartoon guy grown up.”

“Yeah, the weird Big Mouth kid was modeled after Nick Kroll so that’s just Nick Kroll? And he’s hot??”

Kat groaned, sinking down into their seat. “No, not Nick Kroll, the one voiced by John Mul- wait, you think Nick Kroll is hot?”

The conversation continued with Angie trying to justify how she wants to give Jake ‘Just one more chance!’

Finally, you turn to Joel. “What do you think, baby?”

Joel sighed, and shifted in his seat a bit. “Well, it ain’t none of my business, and I shouldn’t really git involved…”

You smile at your boyfriend. “But you have an opinion anyway.”

With a good natured huff, he lets it out. “It’s just that Angie, I think you’re a nice gal, and if I may, respectfully, easy on the eyes and I think you could do better than a 30 year old still trying to get his rap career off the ground and looks like a naked mole rat.”

The truck erupted in laughter, including Angie,at Joel’s half-roast, half compliment, and he smiled softly. He liked your friends, and he wanted them to like him too.

*

First up was Kat and Lana. Lana was quite drunk so Joel put the truck in park and helped Kat take her girlfriend inside. Once through the door and up the stairs and safe, Joel said goodnight and locked the door as he left.

Angie was asleep by the time he was back.

“She alright?” He asked about your best friend. 

You mumbled, tired but with a smile. You had a great night, and loved your friends very, very much. “Yeah, she didn’t drink that much. She’s just not used to being up this late”

Joel hummed in recognition. “That’s right, she works the early shift. She’s probably up at like what, 4 AM?”

Turning to him with a bright smile, you giggle a bit. “How do you remember that?”

He shrugged, not thinking much of it. “Angie’s usually the first to leave, so it makes sense.”

You can’t help beam at him, streetlights periodically illuminating his pretty face, strong nose, full cheeks. Your friends mattered to you, them and Joel and Sarah were your everything. So many times, you hear of women whose friends hate their man and vice versa, how there was contention. Hell, Angie’s stupid ass ex never wanted her to hang out with your girlfriends, saying you and them were bad influences, accusing Kat and Lana of trying to sleep with her, etc etc etc. Joel was never like that. 

From the beginning, Joel was respectful, kind, and welcoming to your friends and family. They were welcome over any time, and sometimes came over when you weren’t home to wait for you. You trusted them with Joel and Joel with them. He’d always offer to BBQ something on a warm day, or make you drinks. Slowly, as he’s gotten more comfortable, your precious, shy man has been joking around with them, which makes you smile. Joel was more nervous than he let on a lot of the time, hiding his anti-anxiety pills  from you for months after you moved in. Still, he always welcomed your friends and in return they were respectful of his space and self. 

Pulling up to Angie’s, she’s sleeping like a baby.

“You’re gonna have to carry her and put her to bed, ain’t noth’n wake’n her up once she’s out.” You are about asleep yourself, leaning against the window.

Joel bawled. “I can’t do that!”

“Sure you can, have you seen your arms? Jacked.”

“No- I mean-” He sighed. “I can’t take a drunk lady to her bedroom, it’s indecent!”

“Well she ain’t sleep’n in the truck, c’mon I’ll walk with you. 

Joel sighed again but agreed. Walking around the truck, he unbuckled her, scooped her up and carried her to where you opened your door with your spare key. You guided your boyfriend to the bedroom and excused himself to get her water. There was no way you were gonna be able to put her in pj’s by yourself, so you just unzipped her dress to give her room to breathe and took off her strappy heels. You put fuzzy socks on your feet, the aloe infused kind she loved and covered her in her blankets.

A knock on the door. “She decent?”

“Yeah, come on in.”

Joel placed the glass of water and an Advil on the counter and a trash can by the bedside and said he'd be in the living room.

You sit by your friend’s side, just for a moment, stroking her hair, admiring how pretty your friend was. Beautiful woman, beautiful heart. Your best friend. 

She murmured your name. You took the opportunity to sit her up, making sure she drank some water. “Yes babe?”

“I like Joel a lot.” Angie yawned. “You should keep him.”

You chuckled. “He can’t escape me if tried.”

*

Once she was asleep again, you walk out and take Joel’s hand, wrapping your arms to hang off his. Joel opens the door for you, and you slide into the middle of the seat, snug against him when he gets in the driver’s side.

“Seatbelt.” He reminded you, you mutter ‘blah blah blah’ but he reaches over you and straps you in.

“Love you.”

“Love you too, darl’n.”

You drive down the road, Joel taking the long way home just so you could watch the night sky together. His truck rumbled and vibrated and bounced, but his arm around your shoulder steadied you.

“They like you a lot. My friends.”

“I like them too. And baby, I ain’t try’n.”

You look up at him. “Hm?”

“To escape.” Joel kissed your forehead tenderly. “Heard what you said to Angie, and I ain’t trying to escape. Not in a million years.”

******************

due to everything happening, this will be my last fic for a little. If you know my other writing formates, I will be updating there a bit here and there but with everything going on I think it's best to keep things quiet for a min. the timing is fitting, as I have a lot of projects to do before school finals.

Then, I'll be backand raring to go again! I think a break will do me good.

I love you all dearly!

No tags bc given everything, I don't wanna draw attention from myself to anyone else. Don't feel like you gotta reblog this one, I would suggest you don't to avoid the heat.

Hugs, and thank you to everyone whose supported my writing for the last 3 years.

[decaydanceredacted]

im back. again. for tboy puppy pete…getting my dick into him as we speak. (nobody is surprised) anyways this is sort of a continuation of my last egregiously long submission i apologize for the brainrot

so like my last anon was super long and more me being weird about bruises than actually fucking pete so. yeah. i’d fuck the living shit out of him on the asphalt i don’t care. it doesn’t have to be pretty. (even though i still think this might just be where he’d be the prettiest (all bruised up with his own cum wetting his inner thighs.)) i don’t wanna be really gentle with him anyway because that would kind of defeat the purpose of us beating the shit out of each other in the first place (even though he was really just in it because it got him horny. so)

i’d barely let him recover from cumming the first time. it’d be kind of cute to watch him struggle to get his brain back on track but it’s not like i’d actually let him get away without taking at least one load, so i’d get my fingers back in there (much slicker this time, still twitching) and start trying to open him up a little. his brain would melt back into a liquid and he’d be arching his back and crying out in seconds. his baseline is “sensitive, needy puppy” and now its exaggerated about one thousand times. poor thing whimpering and stuttering about how it’s ‘too much’ already and he hasn’t even cum twice yet.

i’d keep a hand on his collar for as long as i could. if not to restrain him, then to ground him. i keep it there when i pull my fingers out, and when i replace them with my dick. i need to feel him around me so bad. he’d feel as good as he looks. i’d probably readjust myself to be more directly over top of him, maybe getting him into a position more akin to a mating press (maybe i’d even be nice enough to take off his shoes for him so his pants can go too). i wanna watch him tear up a little and see his lip quivering when i stretch him out. hearing him whine about how it’s too big (it’s definitely not) or about how he’s not gonna last (who cares? not me) or just little jumbled up curses. (i wanna look down and see his stupid womb tattoo just over where my dick would be when i bottom out. maybe press down on it a little with my free hand.)

fucking him would be super overwhelming at first i think (his puppy parts feel so good and he’s so loud and i’ve gotta hold him down and talk him through taking it like a good puppy) but i’d pretty easily quiet him down (make him cum again so he’s forced to stop thinking anything at all for a second). it’d probably only take a couple well timed brushes to his tdick and he’d be stuttering to a stop. (he cums harder than last time. absolutely boneless little puppy hanging off my cock. in a parking lot. so i would definitely mention how anybody could drive by and even though it’s dark out they’d know exactly what was happening.) (it’s honestly taking like 95% of my brain not to call him a stupid puppy literally every chance i get. he’s a stupid puppy)

i wanna fuck him through cumming so bad. watch his jaw drop open and how he’d visibly go blank. nothing in his head but how good he feels. (maybe he weakly tries to extend the feeling (no words to ask me to do it for him) by fucking himself back onto my dick. but at this point he’s definitely too tired for that.) overstimulating him because i need to cum too (and it’s just a bonus to see him try and stop himself from cumming a third time. it’s absolutely useless because he was built to take it like a good puppy.) wanna tell him he’s been such a good boy, that i’m gonna put pups in him as a reward for his efforts.

since pete is such a pretty boy and he’s taken it so well of course i’d keep my word and cum inside him. and then stay inside him (just for a little while because why the hell would i not? he feels good and warm and it’d be so nice to have him under me pressed into the concrete for a little while longer. maybe i need to lesn down and lick the blood off his upper lip. get my tongue in his mouth and give him perhaps the laziest makeout session he’ll ever have. while my dick is still inside him. yeah.)

my brain is absolutely mush right now i need to ruin him so bad Hope you understand.

- ⚙️ gear anon :-)

.

[eye-of-yelough]

there was a post i saw ages ago saying that since there are underwater communities, and durge is supposed to kill everyone Ever, then durge being able to breathe underwater is entirely plausible. likely, even.

anyway. githyanki seamonster Aeryn wins again.

uhh this got a little long and it’s also. horrible. so. oc lore dump ramble including what i can only describe as trans horror and gortash being his usual awful sadistic scientist self below. 👇

i think bhaal may have used githyanki as a base for aeryn for the psionic abilities and all that, but ultimately built him with the plan of him mothering (eugh) a whole new race of monstrous amphibious bhaalspawn (Pure bhaalspawn because asexual reproduction) i don’t think aeryn was ever actually intended to take over and wreak ruin, but to birth the children that will. which makes me sick to my stomach.

i think this works better with aeryn’s personality being the way it is, yknow, “kind”, “compassionate”, all that. nurturing. of course, nothing went to plan. Bhaal wanted to wait until Aeryn hit 30 to start. yknow. sending him eggs. and by that point Gortash was already in the picture, already had his hooks in him. egg thievery ensues. gort does a lotta weird shit to them i can tell you that much. eats some, sure, but mostly experimentation. noting how many are duds, seeing how susceptible they are to genetic manipulation, hypothesising on a way to force them into stasis without access to the Astral Plane, so they could all hatch at the same time when we wishes, (illithid tadpole prototype)

a few years down the line, he let’s one live, in the most perfect conditions he can make, to see how long it takes to hatch. and in a moment of sadism mercy, decides to let it live for a while, the cute little runt. he’d always wondered what aeryn looked like as a hatchling. bathes it, wraps it up, and takes it to the balcony. shows it the rising sun, his city. keeps it around for a few days, maybe weeks, tracking its progress, running tests, snipping its vocal cords so it stops crying, until Aeryn’s next visit. introduces him to his baby he didn’t even know he had, and tells him about his grand plans, how they can raise it as their own, raise them all as their own, their perfect killer offspring army. forces him to hold it, and smiles as he kills it to save it from that fate.

and then he cooks it and serves it to him for breakfast the next morning :)

[conchelle]

Okay it's time to talk about my thoughts on Dekapari (bootleg machine translation edition)

I'm gonna be honest I'm not quite sure where to even start with this one. But it is certainly the something of all time

So to start things off. I do genuinely enjoy this game. It still has some of the classic Towelket jank, but as always it's nothing game breaking. The music choices are great. The first scene in particular really does a great job at setting the tone.

In general the game just looks good. This game has brand new sprites for almost about everything. If you're familiar with the Towelket series you'll know the creator often likes to recycle their own sprites which isn't a bad thing at all. But it's definitely a breath of fresh air to see brand new sprites for just about everything this time around.

The characters all have unique sprites as well. I like the detailed shading and they're all pretty cute and nice to look at.

This game definitely feels a bit like a return to form for the Towelket series. It definitely does feel like ever since Nekoashi Otome the games have gotten more fantastical and wacky with its setting. Not to say the other games weren't extremely silly was well but they definitely took place in a world that was meant to more or less meant to reflect our own until the whole plot that changes that sense of normalcy happens.

Not to mention this game features some of the more classic and iconic Towelkets as important characters like Conchelle, Lasagna, Moochasu and Paripariume. PPU being what the game is named after and having probably her biggest role since Towelket 2. Yeah she's appeared in a lot of other games, but it's almost been a running gag that she inevitably fades into the background.

This game's Lasagna is definitely one of my most favorite Towelket characters of all time. Like, she is such a genuinely fun character to have around and easily steals every scene she's apart of.

The writing for this game is pretty engaging for what it is. It definitely follows some of the classic Towelket story beats like the whole midpoint where they gotta go to the TV station for whatever reason but it's all done in a way where it doesn't feel painfully repetitive.

Part 2 of this game kiiiiind of loses focus of the plot- just a little bit but it's all entertaining regardless. It has probably some of the funniest and most charming parts of the game which is fun. Part 3 gets us right back on track to the main conflict which is perfect and gives the story plenty time to progress before the big finale.

If you've played any other Towelket game you would definitely be aware of how the story has a habit of kind of swerving off the road with its story progression and by the time it gets back to the main plot there game kind of just...ends. Thankfully! This game didn't have that problem at all.

However I do have a few issues with the story. There's a certain plot point in part 1 that's brought up and it's just never properly developed despite being built up as something important.

I was a bit confused on why it was even included in the first place if the creator decided they were ultimately going to do nothing with it and after digging in the files a bit and reading back on some of the development logs...yeaaah it's pretty much a scrapped plot point that was left in anyway.

For some context, this game was released in three parts. So of course, once something was written in and released the creator couldn't really go back and change it. The issue lies in just the fact that according to the creator themselves, they did end up changing where they wanted the story to go half-way while they were working on part 3.

admittedly, the story never felt like it took a sharp turn from what was already being built up and its overall themes. Everything felt pretty consistent except the inclusion of that particular plot point that was clearly meant to be something pretty significant to the story- so much so that I went back and tried to see if I just missed an alternate ending or something. But unfortunately that really didn't seem to be the case.

It's such a shame too since it does just feel like a big hole in the story that's left unsolved. My only hope is maybe we get some kind of write up or even update that expands on this...? Not likely but who knows, the Towelket creator is kind of unpredictable.

Another criticism is that even after 14 years the battles are still just kind of lackluster. In past games there has been some experimentation and some interesting ideas that could have been really been fun if executed properly but it seems that at this point battles are just one of those things the creator isn't all too enthusiastic about experimenting with. It's a shame but eh, what can you do?

Despite those issues I did still overall really enjoy this game. I hope it gets a proper translation someday though it's pretty far off on the list of games that need to be translated.

I'm not gonna put this game on my Towelket rating for now since I feel it's pretty unfair to put it against the games that came out a whole decade ago

My only hope for the future is that we get more Lasagna like this one. She's a very good Lasagna

[hislittleraincloud]

Grandpa Tor in Hollyweird (Short Memory)

This came to mind bc I was laughing about how Miller's Girl probably had a $50 wardrobe budget. k maybe not 50, but they did not spend any money on wardrobe. I'm better the hoses and the water from the shitty "rain" scenes cost more than the entire wardrobe budget.

*taps cane, adjust glasses* Long ago, before any of you whippersnappers were born, I flew down to Hollyweird to make a short movie (actually I think Ortega was a newborn when this was released 💀). No, I won't give you its name, bc I have top billing (I had no clue that the director had intended for my part to be his self-insert, and he wanted the 'star' to be cute 💀).

The first day down there we were given our choice of what we would like our characters to wear, off of a Hollyweird rack of clothing that had been stored/passed around/used in other shows and movies.

So weird seeing my ringless fingers. 👀

I cannot tell you how fast my hand flew to the shirt, because me n' my detail-oriented mind knew exactly where it had been worn before.

Gods I had such a crush on Christian too, Cher. 🫦💦

Looks brighter in my screencap, but it's the same shirt (our director/photographers seemed to have no clue how to light a scene properly, so we had bright lights BLASTING on us and making us sweat, which is why I don't even wanna give a full screen/face reveal...we were all sweaty 😭). I really, really wanted to steal it, but they were keeping track of it for...whatever (it had kind of a weird geneology slip thing w it that stated where it had been used previously). I bet it's in a dump now...I would have treasured it always.

But speaking of costume/wardrobe woes: The director wanted me in a jockstrap for the stripper sequence (apparently, my character's fantasy was to become a male stripper) and I said hard NO because my body was not built for jockstraps, and I didn't feel comfortable exposing that much skin (I did not have a Hollywood Body). He was kind of insistent on it until he could see in my face that I didn't wanna do the jockstrap thing, and he said they'd figure something out.

That night the L.A. friend that I was staying with took me to a sex shop for funsies/cheer me up and I found the solution: A latex "sailor suit" with sexy shorts. It was cute AF and I snatched it up with my own $ and brought to set the next day to the director's delight. The giant cock I was supposed to wear fit in it perfectly, too.

Filming all of it went pretty smoothly. Got to dance/"strip" to the Lords of Acid (but they replaced the song in the final cut). Didn't get reimbursed for the outfit but it didn't matter since I was gonna keep it/take it home.

So anyway...that was my literal 15 minutes of Hollyweird fame and swimming in a better, hotter actor's shirt.

[runawaycarouselhorse]

ما شاء الله, لا قوة الا بالله

Victorique's little sing-song "the lace is piling up" when she gets a new dress, that's my current mood as I get a new backpack and the pastel pinks of my wardrobe continue to grow. I was wearing solely jeans and dark-coloured shirts for so long, people. So long!

I also got a vintage trunk-inspired Uniwalker suitcase, but in floral pastels, for travel that's so darling, ma sha Allah. I didn't have a little suitcase for travelling, so I lugged around two over-stuffed tote bags and looked a mess in the airport, so mama's been reminding me for weeks to buy a backpack and suitcase. Buying them new would be less pretty and more expensive, so I'm glad I found something so lovely used. Both have finally arrived. ^^

I bought both on eBay!

The suitcases' damage is veeeery minimal, it's in beautiful condition, the white leather looks a tiny bit bent in like two or three spots, a tiiiny bit of peeling in one spot, otherwise, it all looks in lovely, perfect condition! It even has its own built-in locks. ;3;

The suitcase definitely suits Lolita fashion, it reminds me of the cute heavy old trunk this figurine I had back in school sat on...

The backback is very cutesy, it looks a bit cheap (I think I accidentally bought a knockoff?), oops... but that works, since I just wanted a bag that could carry a lot of things while travelling, so this way, I won't be super-scared of scuffing it!

I don't think the backpack quite fits Lolita fashion, it's just very general cute/kawaii, fff. I also badly needed some winter clothes, so I got heavier black pants and a pink track suit, as well as some pastel pink winter tops. ^^ (Nobody'll see the tops anyway since I wear a lab coat over them or 'abayah outside, but they're special to me. They make me happy!!)

My order which failed to arrive yesterday, the cafe called me today to apologize about, and offered to either refund or send me the order today--of course, I accepted the order today! ^^ I'm enjoying my cake and drinks~what a lovely day.

Civil defense is warning of heavy rain, luckily, I already have my umbrella ready--that's why I want a big backpack while on-call, so I stop lugging an over-stuffed tote bag (with a long, 'abayah-like knit black-and-white checkered jacket, mittens, possibly also my earmuffs stuffed in it, with an umbrella poking out at a jaunty angle...) and a tiny purse, looking put-upon...

A tiny purse is enough in the hot and dry months, a big bag fit to carry an umbrella and winter gear is a must in the cold and wet months!

[flyingcookierambles]

oh yeah some silly gpose i guess

under the cut

i have to learn how to screen record tomorrow when the game is back up bc static pictures cannot do the nirvana zeta (replica) justice. the thing changes colors! the gems are rainbow!!! its so pretty. my pride and my joy and my source of pain and suffering for about 1 year lol.

the above were in my Off gshade setting. that is to say, my own setting. which is why it sucks and is so so crunchy. like. i really am envious of Pint (former WoW player, now a ffxiv lalafell streamer and machinima/animator/comedy guy/femboy kinda lol) and his gshade settings are so so pretty and cinematic and the DoF auto setting is good i really have to find the vod or something where he sets it up or answers a question abt it so i can copy. he’s only adjusted it a few times in his vods and i think the names of the settings were just like “Pint ____” so its custom i guess and everything uuugh will he release his settings publicly i need to knowwwwwwww ugh

anyways BLUE TONGUE AAAAAAAA RAEN ARE SO CUTE i can never fantasia to be a xaela or non-au ra race now im sorry the blue tongue is just so so cute and such a dumb little detail i love it lolgruhago

on a shadowbringers train last night (im in a hunt linkshell for Jenova called Hunt VIOLENCE II but is 128/128/full so idk if the ppl running it will make a VIOLENCE III or what lol). someone sniped the grassman :( monke gone

bonus silly adventurer plates

played the piano for francel at the firmament and unlocked charlemend’s custom deliveries finally. loved this scene. on one hand i get that they’re just reusing npcs bc it probably costs money to make new ones or whatever the push of the randomization button is, on the other hand i love that they reuse npcs bc i can name ppl and ishgard feels lived in with your familiar neighbors :)

tbh pre-hw, i accidentally spoiled myself via the subreddit and twt, not on the plot stuff for hw, but the ishgardian restoration. and also a bit of dark knight. so. my impression was the gross communal salt rocks, the squishy beds of mysterious substance, the murder of the innocent orl tribe. so. my first impression, pre-hw, was...not great.....but now that it really seems like they’re trying to make it a better more inclusive place and moving more towards living with the dragons like letting ehll tol and her dragon friends live in the city, plus the machinist questline of the great equalizer power of gun uhhh i mean hilda and her hounds providing the brume and common folk safety in the streets instead of just the corrupt temple knights - ishgard just feels like home now. :) there’s also the crystarium on the first.

anyways, visited another world after seeing a shb hunt ad on the centurio hunts discord.

also, my crappy apartment in-game in the empyreum / the ishgardian housing apartments. im finally decorating it.

saw a concert in gridania aetheryte plaza and there was a portgas d ace cosplayer lol.

anyways i loved my co-healer cajun lettice here lol we all had brain fog. thankfully no full raid wipes, just...our team. lol

slightly outdated, but heres my suffering inventory and relic grind. im on the stupid atma books rn, so kinda disregard the atma shown here rn.

edit: realized i forgor to add the pics of the artemis atma oops. the colorful one is the gshade neneko x eorzea collection natural vanilla settings. the drab boring one is just the vanilla base game. literally. so. drab. even on my regular ps4 and whenever i borrow my sister’s ps5 to play, our tvs have built-in shader/color adjusting settings to make it look not. dirt. ugh. gshade really helps this game i swear idk how vanilla ppl do it anymore lol. its not even like cheating modding fluid aura type game mods like in world of warcraft, its literally just a built in instagram filter lol.

just putting these here bc. uh. i was thinking of helping out that tracking site that’s been helping me not go absolutely bonkers doing these dang relics. they need a picture of it or something i guess. idk. its this website, it saves me so much time and hassle. > https://ffxivrelictracker.com/

ok and maybe the zodiac buddy dalamund add-on*winks*

[imtryingmybeskar]

Day Twelve of Steph's Christmas Challenge.

Just a little meet cute between Francisco Morales and Reader, instigated accidentally by his lost daughter.

Francisco "Catfish" Morales X GN! Reader. No warnings really, just Christmassy fun in the snow. Word count: 903.

Building A Snowman

Despite the freezing temperatures, you were melting from all your exertions. The gloves you were wearing were doing an appalling job of keeping your hands warm as you packed the snow together, but your coat, scarf and hat were feeling pretty stifling at this point. After moving the rounded pile of snow into position, you undid your coat, pulled your scarf away from your sweating neck and pulled the bobble hat from your head, feeling your hair standing up around your head as you did.

"Um...excuse me?" came a tiny lisp. You turned to see no one in front of you, but as your eyes tracked down you saw a small girl around seven years old. She was dressed in shades of pink and purple, so bundled up that you wondered how she could walk without waddling. A backpack was on her little shoulders.

"Hi," you said. "Can I help?"

"I um...I was here with my dad, but I don't know where he is now," she said in a small voice.

"Oh," you said, automatically scanning the park to see if you could spot a frantic parent anywhere. Some hope. The amount of snowmen being built, snowball fights, people walking their dogs, and general Christmas time merriment being had meant it was difficult to pick out anyone specific from the crowd. "Okay. Don't worry. We'll find him. Well," you corrected yourself. "He'll find us. It's better to stay in one place if you're lost like this, so you don't keep missing each other." The girl nodded, miserably. She was keeping it together remarkably well, but you could see how scared she was. "Do you want to help me build my snow person?" you asked. "Maybe if we make them really big and really colourful, your dad will see and come over?"

The girl gave a small smile. "Sure," she agreed.

You had already made good progress and the snow was deep enough that you didn't have to travel to get more of it. You kept looking around for the missing dad, and keeping an ear out for anyone calling out to a child, but that was fruitless too. You didn't want to make her uncomfortable by asking her name, as you suspected she had already broken a cardinal rule by talking to a stranger, but also there was so much shrieking and yelling around you that you suspected you wouldn't have been able to hear him call out anyway.

"Do you have anything in your backpack that we could put on our snow person?" you asked. "Maybe something your dad would recognise?"

Her eyes grew wide and she nodded enthusiastically. She opened it and pulled out a Powerpuff Girl blanket. "My dad's car gets cold sometimes," she explained. "He made me pack it just in case."

"He sounds like a good dad," you ventured, and she looked a little upset again so you hurriedly changed the subject. "So...you like the old cartoons, huh?" you asked. "Me too! I love Bubbles the best."

She finally gave you a proper smile. "I like Buttercup. And Mojo Jojo. He's not a bad monkey, really. He's just silly." As she was speaking, you put the gloriously pink and colourfully gaudy blanket around the "shoulders" of your snow person and topped it with your own hat.

"Hmmm...what do you think?" you asked her.

"Needs a smile!" she exclaimed. "And-"

"Olivia!!!" She turned at the sound of what was presumably her name and a man all but threw himself at her feet in his desperation to hold her. "Sweetheart, are you okay?!" he exclaimed. "Why did you go off like that?!"

"I'm sorry dad," she said, a little sobbing hitch in her voice. "When you were in the bathroom I got distracted by this big husky dog that came by and when I looked around again I didn't know where I was. It all looked the same with the snow."

"It's okay, its okay," he murmured as he held her close. "Just...next time wait and we'll go make friends together, okay?"

She nodded miserably against his neck and he kissed her cheek before standing, his big hand splayed across her back to keep her close. "Thank you for waiting with her," he said sincerely.

"Hey, its okay. We've all been lost. Its never nice," you replied, trying hard not to notice how handsome he was under his baseball cap and failing miserably. Taking the blanket off, you shook it a little and folded it up. "Um...sorry, but your blanket is wet now. I thought it would be something you'd recognise so...

"Oh, I did," he said. "it was a good idea. It's okay. It'll dry out. Its uh...its a good attempt." You looked at the vague pile of snow, now with just your hat on top of it.

"Really?"

He chuckled. "Okay, maybe it could be better."

"Well, we were just about to make a face. I dunno if you still want to help me?" you asked Olivia. She looked up hopefully at her dad.

"Why not," he shrugged. "We came here to make one of our own, but maybe if all three of us work together, it will be the best one in the park!" He stuck out his gloved hand toward you, and you shook it in greeting. "My name's Frankie," he said, a beautifully cheeky smile gracing his lips.

Taglist - @thisshipwillsail316 @prostitute-robot-from-the-future @elegantduckturtle @dihra-vesa @midwesternwitchery @just-here-for-the-moment @eri16

Day Thirteen

[devilyn]

drunken honesty | tsukishima kei

— alexa, play: us by keshi.

maybe we’ve been

a little too guarded

from things that have hurt us

a bit more than we thought

— synopsis: drinking always made you more honest, which is how you ended up calling someone you shouldn’t have in the bathroom in the middle of a house party.

— genre: angst, happy ending (yay)

— word count: 1.9k

“Did you drink again?”

You wanted to lie to him. But you knew he would find you out right away no matter what. So you laughed weakly, the bass pounding against the bathroom door as if trying to force its way into your inebriated brain.

“You went to another party, and just expected me to pick you up after you got drunk again?”

His straightforward tone was always so cruel. It was one of the many reasons the two of you ended up breaking up. Even now, through the drunken haze that the many alcoholic drinks put onto your consciousness, he knew just how to hurt your feelings.

“I’m sorry, Kei,” you croaked out.

“You say that everytime,” he spit out like venom, as if the words hurt him too. “When will you learn to stop all of this?”

You bit back tears. The beat-up soles of your sneakers pressed firmly against the sticky bathroom floor as if they were the only thing keeping you grounded. You forgot why you called him in the first place. You couldn’t even remember why you had ended up at this party. It must’ve been Kuroo who dragged you along again, claiming that you needed to stop moping in your bedroom all the time. When in reality, he probably knew of your terrible drunken habit that was calling your ex-boyfriend.

“Drunk calling me isn’t going to get my attention the way you want it to,” he continued, your silence not stopping him. He was frustrated, you could hear it in his voice. “And it’s sure as hell not going to get us back together.”

“Come pick me up, Kei,” you finally pleaded. “I wanna go home.”

You heard him curse a few times, then the sound of his chair skidding back against the hardwood floor, and then keys jingling.

“You’re a fucking nuisance,” he grumbled, and despite the sting in your heart, you smiled.

“I love you,” you whispered, and you could picture him furrowing his brows and pushing his glasses back up against the bridge of his nose.

“I love you,” you repeated.

“I’ll be there in 15 minutes, so you better be outside or I’m leaving without you.”

“Bye.”

The sound of him hanging up beeped through your handphone, and you closed your eyes.

“I love you,” you murmured again to a man who could no longer hear you.

Maybe, deep down, this was your plan. You could only be honest with him when you were drunk, which is why you ultimately agreed to Kuroo’s invitation. In reality, you could’ve asked Kuroo to get you a ride back to your dorm building, but you unconsciously called Tsukishima instead. It’s not like Kuroo didn’t know that either. That must’ve been why he poured you so many shots even before the party started.

You jumped as the pounding on the door grew louder. Only then, did you realize it wasn’t the music, but another party patron who was begging to be let in or else they’d pee their pants. Quickly, you fumbled with the door handle and wrenched it open. Sheepishly, you smiled at the group of girls who forced their way past you into the tiny bathroom.

In less than 10 minutes, you managed to track down Kuroo and yell over the loud music that your ex would be picking you up. If you weren’t drunk, you might have noticed the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, but instead, you gave him a tight hug and bid your close friend goodbye.

This meant you only had to wait 5 minutes in the freezing cold for Tsukki to arrive. You stumbled over your feet a bit as you squat down to sit on the edge of the sidewalk, but ultimately managed to accomplish your goal safely.

Your breath came out in white smoke, and despite how cold it must’ve been, you couldn’t feel it over the heat that alcohol always brought to your skin. Your vision blurred, and you closed your eyes to force back the tears pricking at your eyelids.

Just a few years back, you had asked Tsukki out in this same cold. It took you three days to process the fact that he had accepted your confession, and that the two of you were then going out. Aside from the occasional teasing from his volleyball teammates, things were smooth sailing. Tsukki was a surprisingly sweet boyfriend behind his tough exterior, though he never let up on the brutally honest side of him that made him who he was. You never minded it--it was a part of him, after all. 

When did it all go wrong? Did university truly pull you two apart like everyone said it would? You had hoped that his friends would be right when they said you two would make it--that your relationship was strong enough to survive anything. But all it really took was a few glares, one or two missed dates, and a couple sharp insults under his breath, and you gave in.

It didn’t mean you loved him any less. But there were nights after the break up where you’d lay down and stare up at your ceiling, wondering why you gave so much of yourself to someone who, towards the end, never seemed to give you the same amount back.

“What? Now you’re going to catch a cold and call me over too?”

His voice used to be warm when addressing you, but was now as cold as it was to those he thought were a bother. It made sense. You were merely a bother to him now, after all.

“Kei,” you murmured, eyes still closed as he tossed what you assumed to be a jacket into your lap. “Why did you never let me in?”

A question you always wanted to ask him, but never had the courage to until you were drunk enough. The inquiry silenced him. It seemed he couldn’t even come up with an insulting jab in response to that. Instead, he grabbed your arm to pull you up off of the cold concrete, forcing the jacket around your trembling shoulders.

“I did,” he answered simply, and you could almost feel his sharp eyes narrow as you snorted. “I let you into my apartment multiple times.”

“You’re really cute when you act stupid,” you giggled, eyes fluttering open to look up at him. “Let’s stop playing around. Do you know why I broke up with you?”

“I never asked,” he responded snarkily under his breath, his hands steadying your form to make sure you didn’t trip over your own feet. You absentmindedly watched him pull the passenger side door open and help you inside the warm vehicle.

“It felt like you didn’t love me,” you told him anyway. “And you didn’t say anything when I suggested we break up, so I thought it was what you must’ve been waiting for all along.”

He was silent. With a sigh, he buckled your seatbelt before slamming the door shut and making his way over to the driver’s side.

“I realized, you know. That you never told me you loved me. Not once,” you continued when he was settled into his seat, the door closed behind him. His phone was hooked up to the car stereo, playing music quietly. But you knew he could hear you, even if some of your words were slurred. “I knew that you showed it in different ways. Like how you never missed my birthday even if I never brought it up, and how you’d ask us to eat together because you knew around what time of the day I’d get hungry.”

You turned to look at your ex, the tears finally streaming down your cheeks. He had his gaze focused on the road in front of him, hands clenched around the wheel despite having not released the parking break yet.

“But what am I supposed to do, Kei? What am I supposed to do when I don’t see those signs anymore?”

Were you still drunk? You didn’t know anymore. Maybe your body was forcing you to still be drunk so you could continue honestly telling him your thoughts. In reality, you suddenly felt very sober, especially as the sorrow built up in your throat.

"You just stopped one day. Stopped texting me what I wanted to eat for dinner, stopped remembering dates, stopped helping me study for exams," your voice trembled. "And you started ignoring me or genuinely insulting me."

You placed the heel of your palms against your eyes in an attempt to stop your tears. 

“I love you so much,” you breathed out between soft cries. “So what am I supposed to do when you don’t feel the same?”

Tsukki was silent as he put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb. His eyes never left the road, though you could see on his face that he was troubled.

You slid further down into your seat as if trying to make yourself seem as small as possible. You placed a palm over your mouth to hide your sobs, closing your eyes again, as if that would stop your endless crying.

Fifteen minutes must’ve passed. He had waited for you to stop crying before he spoke.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, the sound barely audible over the softly playing music.

You didn’t respond, burying yourself into his jacket.

“I’m really sorry,” he repeated. “For how I acted. For making you think I didn’t love you. For everything.”

His voice cracked as he spoke, and you could hear him curse quietly again, as if angry at himself for showing weakness.

“You know me,” his voice continued to quiver, “I’m a prideful prick. I never wanted to look weak in front of you, so I shut you out when things started getting tough. Volleyball and school got to me when I was frustrated, and I ignored you because of it, when I should’ve just told you honestly. I let you break up with me because I didn’t want to beg for you to come back, even if that’s what I really wanted to do deep down. I took my anger out on you when you drunk called me, because I was upset you kept coming back to me even though you broke up with me.”

You rubbed at your wet cheeks as his hand came over to rest hesitantly on your thigh.

“I love you,” the car rolled to a stop in front of your dorm building. “And I’m sorry it took this long for me to say it.”

He finally turned to look at you, and you could feel yourself tearing up again. His brown eyes reflected your sorrow, and you fumbled to unbuckle your seatbelt so you could throw your arms around his shoulders.

“You’re so stupid,” you cried, “A stupid idiot. I hate you.”

“I think I deserve that,” he laughed weakly as your arms tightened around him, hugging yourself as close to him as you could despite the awkward positioning.

“Next time, can we please just talk to each other?” You buried your face into the crook of his neck as his arms came around you to rub gently at your back.

“Yeah,” his tone was warm again, and it melted away any inebriation that may have still been in your system. “Let’s do that. Without the alcohol this time."

He pulled back to rest his forehead against yours, gazing into your teary eyes and snickering when he spotted your pout.

“Should I take us back to my apartment? I think there’s a lot we should catch up on.”

Your pout twitched up into a smile you could no longer hold back. “Mm. Let’s go home.”

[mudstoneabyss]

I MEWNT TO SENT THIS EARLIER for the description prompt Kevin 12 :] (or the favorite outfit one idk if it’s 12 or not whoops)

what if... I combined these into one... and their favorite outfits on each other were them wearing nothin but in a sweet way ab lovin each other's bodies not in a horny way... and then I kinda got off track bc I see a prompt I go. yeah that's a suggestion to vaguely base something around I don't need to follow it 100%-

  "They're all just as pretty as your tattoo ones"

  Charles whispers this as his fingers trace along the vivisection scar marking Kevin's torso, starting at the opposite ends of the horizontal cut just below his collarbones. Once his hands meet at the scar's T-shaped intersection, he strays from its path to instead run his hands down Kevin's chest. Kevin himself rubs up Charles's back, his nails lightly raking the hair there before gently pulling him down by the neck for a kiss.

  The kiss is soft in pressure, in intent, yet rough in sensation, in physicality. Kevin's lips are scarred, a layered tapestry of white and red against pinks and brown. Charles's are chapped, heavily worked under the pressure of nervous teeth. Neither of them view the roughness as a flaw of their kisses, rather it is what makes them theirs.

  When they part, Kevin responds:

  "Why don't you get some of your own?"

  He lightly pushes Charles so he shifts off of him to lay lounged by his side, his touch on his chest lingering. The skin there is soft, tender. Hair blooms from the center, adorning his breasts. Many a night has Kevin fallen asleep with his head rested there.

  "Nothing big! Maybe something on your collarbone, or on your other shoulder to match your ink tattoo."

  He reaches now to Charles's left shoulder where he runs a finger along the words of his tattoo. It depicts a combined sun and moon, both with human faces, surrounded by feathers and has the definition of religion: "I don't know, but I'm trying to find out, okay?"

  Charles's hands, meanwhile, still haven't left Kevin's chest. They fixate on the scarification tattoos of open, fanged mouths that surround his pecs.

  "Some of these you've done yourself, right?"

  He asks, still whispering- it seems built into Charles's subconscious to speak in whispers if everything else was, too, quiet.

  "The centipedes. Well, the ones on my arms and legs, anyway. Would've been a bit hard to reach my back!"

  At Kevin's response, Charles sits up and feels down his body until he reaches the large centipede-design scar that stretches across his left leg. It cuts off where his leg does, the rest of its body continued in a painted form on his prosthetic.

  "I've told you this before, but, God they're gorgeous. You're gorgeous."

  Kevin beams at the compliment, causing a glass on the bedside table to crack slightly. Time and time again, it never fails to make him swell with joy to hear Charles call him beautiful- to call his body, that old thing that everyone else deems horrifying or deems tragic alone, beautiful.

  "Kevin?"

  "Yes, sunshine?"

  "Could you give me one? I don't have any design ideas yet or know where I'd want it but-"

  "Of course."

  It's Charles's turn to grin now, exposing his perfect and beautiful teeth. Straight and white broken up by- very cute- small fangs. Once again Kevin pulls him down into a kiss, only this time he rolls them over so he sits legs around Charles.

  "We could build it off of this one"

  He suggests this, grabbing and turning Charles's arm to show the large claw marks scratched into it an inch below his shoulder.

  "Maybe..."

  Kevin lets go of his arm, sliding back to then take in the entirety of Charles's naked form. His gaze on his future canvas raises an age-old philosophical art question: how can you improve on perfection?

  "...Maybe we could add more too, eventually. I'm not saying we have to plan out this overall grand designs just..."

  Just as he was adoring Charles, he can see Charles's eyes wander his body, a small placid smile adorning his face.

  "You look so wonderful with yours, you look- you look like something holy, and to be able to share something like that with you... like flesh of my flesh, right? I-"

  His words trail off into chuckling, before he falls into a momentary silence that proceeds a breath.

  "-I love you, Kevin. So much so."

  "I love you too, you big sap."

  This time, Charles pulls him down for a kiss- one of mostly teeth as neither of them find themself able to stop smiling against the other. When the kiss ends, Charles's arms wrap around Kevin and hold him close, while Kevin buries his face at home in his neck.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

B2:S - Chapter 5

Much of this series will be about the differences and additions in the novel version, and how they contribute to my understanding of story canon. But there will be character appreciation, the odd theory and headcanon, and suchlike as well.

Here be lots of Viren deets, Best Boy Soren deets, some writing/continuity stuff, worldbuilding appreciation and half of a theory, Detective Rayla, Moon Temple geeking, Claudium and dark magic, and more!

Spoilers for Book Two: Sky below.

(I know for darn sure that I wrote up a post for chapter 4, but I can't find it anywhere so I guess Tumblr ate it and I'll have to redo it at some point, but today is not that day)

Viren, my evil dude, my bad guy, coming in clutch with the worldbuilding and backstory again! If you want to know decades of information, you gotta talk to Viren. Or read his scenes, at least. Here, he seems to not sleep much when he has a big problem to analyze his way through. Solutions trump pretty much everything else in this guy's life, and he's had a really hard week with a lot of new and complicated problems. Of course he's getting sleep-deprived trying to find his way through them all.

Harrow put so much trust in Viren when he made him High Mage! He just threw himself extra hard at that Lady Justice blindfold, didn't he? Didn't really want to see what Viren was doing in his magic study, so he left Viren to his devices. And Viren has a lot of devices.

Also, this is fascinating: Viren made the secret passage to his "less official study" in Katolis Castle! And he was inspired to do so by the way his own mentor kept the Puzzle House. What else could a Puzzle House be, except a place with secret passages? Yay! secret headcanon that "the Puzzle House" is just "Katolis Castle" from Kid Viren's perspective tho

So either Viren built all of those passageways, or at least the ones to his dungeon. Which means he has to have, or know where to get, a stash of those glowing blue Moonshadow crystals. Hmmm.

I can't wait to learn more about Kpp'Ar and young Viren, btw. From this description of Viren and all his literal secret ways, it feels like another parallel between Viren and Runaan, with the whole "secretive paths, members only, insider knowledge" type stuff. Only the really cool members of this cult club get to know the secrets, and guess what, kid, you're cool now but you can never tell anyone, okay? Our secret.

Yeahhh, that'll never backfire in any way for either of them.

Kpp'Ar calling puzzles and secrets "man-made magic," though. Yes sir, knowledge is indeed power.

This chapter mentions Runaan by name, from Viren's perspective. Generally that would imply that Viren knows his name, even though assassins do not share their names, and Runaan didn't seem to give his to Viren in the first book. However, there was a scene in book one where the last paragraph switched perspective from Viren to Runaan - a technique that's very common in visual media like movies and shows and gives you that "ohoho they left the room and didn't notice this, but you do!" vibe. Using Runaan's name there in book one, where Viren couldn't see it but readers could, helps them keep track of the assassin's story arc while maintaining Viren's racism.

So in book two, in which Runaan has no onscreen scenes (alas), using his name in a scene that calls back to the events in book one helps us remember what happened in that dungeon cell. It would be a bit muddier to recall the specifics if Viren kept thinking about Runaan as "Elf." So I'm cool with the perspective nudge because it serves a narrative purpose: clarity. But I'm also enjoying the angst of considering that, somehow, Viren learned Runaan's name either during or after the coining spell. Mwa ha ha haaa. (Obligatory "Keep my pretty name outta your mouth" goes here)

Okay, back to Viren's scheming! He took the mirror because it was human-sized in a dragon lair. He knew it didn't really fit there, and that made it interesting, so he stole it. But he realized it was really powerful when Runaan wouldn't tell him squat about it - the assassin's instinct to protect Xadian secrets from human hands meant that Viren was holding a very powerful Xadian secret. And that just made him want it all the more. Ah, Runaan, if only your relationship with lying was, like, the exact opposite of what it is. Nyx could've spun Viren a believable tale in 2 minutes flat.

Also of interest: Viren considers his cursed coins to be a final fate. He expects Runaan to remain in his coin forever. With the Chekhov's coins still extant in the storyline, we can assume that they'll come up again eventually, but Viren has no current plans to do anything with his elf money except carry it around.

It's worth noting that Viren admits that he got impatient when he trapped Runaan in the coin. Runaan's first fate in Katolis was supposed to be death at Soren's hands, but Claudia "saved" him from that. His next fate was to become spell components, but Viren's frustration with his stubbornness "saved" him from that fate, too. So now he's in a coin, where no one can chop him up at all. Yay? No, boo!

We get one last line about Runaan before Viren shifts gears: he makes a point of noting for us that Runaan's shackles are still locked shut. However much of Runaan made it into that coin - body, soul, hair care products - he was magicked there, pulled right out of his restraints.

The creepy black liquid that Viren pours right into his eyes is the last of a powerful potion he got from Kpp'Ar, and its recipe is ancient! Humans used it back in the age of Elarion to see through the illusions of the world. And we get a delightfully creepy bit of description about the preparation of this serum, which makes it abundantly clear that it's a Moon magic-based concoction, harvested from eyeless vipers on a moonless night, with the threat of irrevocable madness ("madness" by whose definition, though) if it's done wrong-

Hang on. Hold up. This is a Plato's Cave reference. OH MY GOD.

No no I'm fine, this is brilliant. Sorry, sorry, I couldn't figure why there was so much description for a potion prep that Viren didn't even have to perform himself. But now I get it. I see the light. HA. I should make a separate post for this, it's amazing.

Anyway, for reference, the humans who used this serum were called the Oracles of Ophidia, and Ophidia is a taxonomy group that includes all modern snakes. Can you say "creepy ancient snake rites"? I can! Woo!

Viren activates the serum with a spell, but apparently he's never done it before. He's not sure if it's supposed to be hot and bubbly, and he worries that it's been tainted by moonlight.

Oh, I do hope so.

The magic potion hurts, a lot. Viren will do just about anything, to himself or anyone, to do what he believes is necessary. He just risked madness and blindness to find out what this mirror does! Viren. Can you just. Take a nap or something. Have a Snickers.

This chapter gives us a fun clue that I don't remember from the show: when Viren's vision clears and he can see, his reflection has white pupils and the room reflected in the mirror has inverted colors. You know where else has inverted colors?

You know who else got white pupils for a hot second?

Okay, now it makes sense! Viren and Lujanne were both seeing into the realm beyond life and death. Him with his moon magic potion, and her with her moon powers on a full moon night at the Moon Nexus. Which is Very Interesting! Is it a direct hint about Aaravos's location, or just a separate cool detail? Orrr, does it look like a direct hint because Aaravos is actually trapped in the world beyond life and death, but it's actually separate and we'll see something about white pupils again later on?

Viren really does have self-esteem issues, we all picked up on it with his rant at his reflection. He throws a fit when he catches himself wondering if he's actually worthless. In the book version of his tantrum, he shoves the mirror and hurls a candelabra instead of flipping a table. He didn't need to shove the mirror to set the fire, but it's in here. Foreshadowing that perhaps, if push comes to shove, Viren will choose himself over Aaravos? Giving Aaravos time to peek through and see that the coast is clear?

Soren, my boyyyyy. He has a rough night at the Moon Nexus because two sides of him are fighting with each other. He struggles to understand Callum's friendship with Rayla, and he also fantasizes about chopping off Rayla's head. One of these is a pretty ordinary thing to do. The other is Soren's internalization of what he needs to do to gain his father's approval. If he brought his dad a chopped off elf head every week, he'd probably feel a lot more confident because Viren would praise him a lot more.

Okay, okay, omg, is it just me, or does the "Moonshadow Madness" story, as it's told in the book, seem like Soren just doesn't know what a monsterfucker is? He thinks an elf bite puts humans under a spell. But vampires are sexy, and some people want them to do more to them than just bite them. A passionate kiss under the moonlight could look very bitey, especially if one of the participants has horns and you're already culturally trained to hate them. No yeah, I'm already headcanoning an actual human-elf kiss that got misunderstood by an observer long ago.

it's Lujanne isn't it, we all know, because what is a love spell but a sweet soft illusion, I mean how else does she get supplies for her Caldera, I ask you, and also Corvus was totally sent to investigate once and he told Soren at camp what he saw

And then back to magefam angst: Soren pretending that his sister's nose-tapping is stupid, even though he actually thinks it's cool, just because their dad thinks it's stupid. Viren, istg. Let your kids like harmless things. It's so cute that Soren taps his nose back at her, though! Like they have their own sibling code. I hope we get to see the nose tap again, especially now that they've chosen different sides. It could mean so much, that they're not too far apart yet.

Rayla knows what buttery pancakes smell like. I love this. Do Moonshadow elves have butter and pancakes, does Rayla eat a stack of eight giant pancakes in the morning? Orrrr it is just illusion food? I don't care, let Rayla have pancakes! Everyone loves pancakes. Pancakes will save the world. this message brought to you by the fact that I can't eat pancakes rn, send help

I love that Rayla is both sus of the pancakes and hungry, and that combines into a very motivated "I will get to the bottom of this" attitude. She kind of goes into Poirot Mode when she inserts herself into Soren and Ellis's conversation about Ava, explaining about the wolf's illusion leg and segueing into her claim that the pancakes taste sus. Claudia confirms she used dark magic, and Rayla is furious. It's different than the show's version in that it puts Rayla in detective mode, as the only Moonshadow elf in the scene, and boy does she take that role seriously. Also, she doesn't actually swallow the dark magic pancake bite. It ends up on the ground just like Lujanne's grubs from that earlier meal. These poor kids are so nutrient-starved. You guys gotta eat!!

Rayla's determination and prejudices and the fact that she super knows Harrow is dead all dovetail to make her try repeatedly to persuade Callum that Soren and Claudia are Not To Be Trusted. It's nice that the book keeps taking the time to point out that Rayla is Well Intentioned But Flawed, just like Callum and pretty much every other character in the show. No one is Right All The Time, no one Knows More Than Everyone Else.

Callum loving the sound of Claudia's unique voice is so wholesome. When you like someone, it only makes sense that you like all the things about them that they can't change - like the sound of Claudia's voice. Her choices with dark magic, not so much!

Claudia seems to have the same concerns Soren does about Callum's relationship with Rayla, but she comes out and asks him. The inherent possession implied in "your elf" is interesting, though. Elves are not people to Claudia. They're enemies who can be disassembled for the magic inside them. So maybe more like robots than living beings, if she knew what a robot was. Maybe she heard Soren's "Moonshadow Madness" story and realized he totally missed the kissing implications - but she didn't, and now she's genuinely worried that Rayla could kiss Callum under a full moon and enchant him to do her will. Good thing it's only a half moon, then!

Okay, Callum nervously making a puppet hand and then not knowing what to do with his hands and freaking out about itching and moving and pointy elbows is such a ND mood. The sudden stress of knowing that someone else is noticing your existence and maybe you're Not Existing Right, amirite? Ugh, poor Callum.

The Moon Temple! Omg it's so pretty in the description! Made to be beautiful and useful, full of knowledge but also allowing light and life inside (butterflies and vines). Lujanne, when can I move in, please? Also, it's all the more angsty because Lujanne is the only one who gets to see this beautiful place, but it has lots of chairs and shelves and tables, and it was meant to be used by lots of people. :(((

Claudia knows some of the runes on the walls. She isn't in a hurry to copy the rest of them down or anything, either. Her spellwriting is very precise, and she's a skilled mage. Her father would have made sure she was aware of the dangers of drawing sloppy runes, as much as he made her aware of the dangers of doing dark magic wrong. And the whole point of dark magic is that it's easier to learn than primal magic. Claudia supports her dad and their shared knowledge and life path. She's not gonna go nuts over an elf library she can't translate.

Side note: Between Claudia knowing some Moon runes and Viren building a secret passageway and a dungeon and lighting it with the same blue crystals that Lujanne and Ethari use for light--and Claudia exclaiming that she loves ruins--I wonder once more if there are really Moonshadow ruins somewhere in Katolis, which Viren has found and looted. Father-daughter relic hunting trip, maybe while Soren is away at camp? Omgsh that would be so wild!

Callum out here having a Viren moment with his "I feel powerless unless I've got magic that lets me help" vibes. God. I love their complicated mirroring. One of the hard differences between them is that Callum is very sure dark magic is bad because you have to kill stuff and take its power to cast spells, and he doesn't want to be a person who kills and takes like that. The line he walks to be nice to Claudia on their tour of the Cursed Caldera because he likes her, while telling her that he doesn't want to do her magic, like, ever, is so fine that it might as well be a shifting shadow on the ground. It's a very fitting conversation to be having during the half moon, with its tricks and little white lies.

Callum being out of the castle and his comfort zone, having to deal with the fact that the Claudia he loves is not quite the Claudia who's chasing him down across the kingdom, but of the two of them, he's the only one with a problem with this.

They say that if you really want to get to know someone, you should spend time with them outside their comfort zone - in heavy traffic, with a small baby, taking care of a new pet, trying a new skill, following unfamiliar directions, etc. While the castle is familiar territory for them both, Callum's never really found his comfort zone yet, while Claudia is pretty comfortable with her growing skill set. The creepy part starts to kick in when Callum begins to realize that Claudia's comfort zone encompasses a whole bunch of stuff that seems like it should make her uncomfortable... but it doesn't. But that'll be for a future chapter!

[zedwards]

MOVIE DATES WITH STRAY KIDS

stray kids x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 1.8k

warnings: intended for male reader, but can be read as gender neutral; my first fic 👉👈 im nervous; lowercase aesthetic; does “bastard” count as a swear word..?

i hope you enjoy this little gift :)

bang chan

he likes romantic comedies

tbh being chan’s s/o would feel like a romcom of its own

since he doesn’t like crowds, your movie dates together usually wouldn’t involve actually going to the movies

instead you’d probably both opt to stay in for the night and watch a movie on the couch

under multiple blankets

in each other’s arms

hugs and cuddles

with the occasional kiss on the top of your head

it’s so soft

it’s chan :)))

he does the little claps at the end of the movie

because happy endings ^–^

y’know those awkward scenes where the main couple meets for the first time?

he likes to point out which character you were most similar to when the two of you first met

“i didn’t know you were in this movie!”

“you look so different! i could hardly recognize you!”

he’s such a dork

all your movie nights would end in one of three ways:

1.) you falling asleep in his arms

2.) him falling asleep holding you close (yeah not really, this man doesn’t sleep that much T_T)

or 3.) you both make it through the movie, and one of you says something like

“this is nice...i wish we could just stay like this”

and so you both (in theory) fall asleep right where you are

either way, chan is the best boyfriend and neither of you know what you did to deserve each other

lee know

he’d get you to go see a horror movie

even if you protest, he’d manage to convince you somehow

pokes fun at you every time you get scared

during a suspenseful part in the movie, he’d suddenly put his hands on your shoulders and shake you (lightly) out of nowhere, just to startle you

and he’d have to stifle his giggles because your reaction is just too priceless

absolutely relishes in how you never let go of his arm

like ever

seriously, his arm might as well be an extension of your body at this point

he may act like he’s annoyed

but he loves it

cuz he knows it’s because you feel safe with him

and if you hide your face in the crook of his neck

he’d get this look on his face...

something between an evil smirk and an amused grin

why? because his plan is working

plot twist: the whole reason he chose to see a horror movie with you was so that you would cling to him

surprise!! >:]

but even if you catch on, he’ll never admit it

tsundere

“did you even see any of the movie?”

you just kinda grumble in response, still latched onto his arm

“i can’t believe it... i so generously paid for your ticket, only for you to hide your face the whole ti- OW!”

you jab him in the side with your elbow give him a “love tap” :)

but it’ll take more than that to get him to stop teasing you about it

he’s a cocky bastard but you love him to death for it

seo changbin

superhero movie!!!

like something from the mcu

seeing him get so excited/invested in the movie??

wholesome

but he might get a little too excited

in other words, going to the movies with changbin is an...interactive experience

meaning that he talks at the movie

not to the movie, but at the movie

like...he talks at the characters on screen

as if they can hear him

honestly it’s kinda cute

but occasionally you have to remind him to keep his voice down

“HE TRIED TO TELL YOU NOT TO TOUCH THE STONE”

“shhhh alright calm down a bit-”

“...AND NOW YOU DEAD”

“changbin i love you but please don’t get us kicked out of the theater”

10/10 would have his arm around you throughout the movie

even if his arm goes numb, he’d refuse to let anything stop him

“changbin, you don’t have t-”

“CUDDLES.”

lowkey feels like a pillow

bc he beefy

on very rare occasions he might fall asleep during the movie

if he does end up dozing off and you catch him in the act, he’d deny it profusely

he likes to spontaneously slip his hand into yours :)

and lace your fingers together :))

you’re holding hands now :)))

his presence is just so warm and fuzzy and you make each other so happy

hwang hyunjin

THIS MAN

the funnest(?) most fun bf in existence

he’s definitely the type to try and smuggle outside food into the theater

he insists that he’s inconspicuous about it

and he tries to be

but he’s not :)

“uh... hyunjin, why are you wearing two hoodies?”

“i uh... i’m... cold?”

“so you’re sticking bags of microwaveable popcorn in between your sweatshirts...to keep warm?”

*visibly sweating* “i can explain...”

ok ok

so y’all seeing a comedy

why?

because HIS LAUGH OMG

it’s so bubbly and contagious

so naturally, you’d both be laughing up a storm at the back of the theater

and sometimes it’s because of the movie

but most of the time it’s because of the side comments the two of you keep making to each other

and it doesn’t help that he keeps making these ridiculous observations about the characters in the movie

“what’s up with that guy?”

“what about him?”

“why is he built like a refrigerator?”

about halfway through the movie, you both reach that delirious state where literally anything and everything becomes funny

even if it’s not supposed to be funny

...especially if it’s not supposed to be funny

the two of you? lowkey hyenas

long story short, you’re both asked to leave the theater not even two hours into the film :)

han jisung

action!! movie!!

finishes the popcorn within the first ten minutes of the film

that is, if he doesn’t scarf it all down during the previews

he talks through the entIRE THING

he’s always got something to say

it’s like watching the director’s commentary version of a movie

but instead of the director talking about the film-making process

it’s jisung muttering nonsense in your ear

sometimes pertaining to the movie

and other times...

“hey did i ever tell you about the time i saw a seagull eating garbage?”

...yeah, other times it’s...not

either way, you don’t mind

because you aren’t really paying much attention to the movie anyways

you’re too busy admiring your boyfriend

how could you not?

the way he’s on the edge of his seat, giving the movie his full attention...

the light from the screen flickering dimly on his face, highlighting his gentle features...

you’re the luckiest person in the world, no doubt

his eyes light up whenever something particularly cool/badass happens in the movie

but he also gets startled by the explosions every now and then

when that happens, you just look at each other for a moment

and then burst into a fit of giggles

“stoooppp!! it was loud, ok??”

you just hum in response and rest your head on his shoulder

y’know that thing he does where like...

he’s giggling, but he has something he wants to say, so he keeps trying to talk?

but his words keep getting cut off by his own laughter?

yeah... that’s what he’s doing

he’s adorable

lee felix

animated movie

a firm believer that you’re never too old to enjoy cartoons

he never lost that child-like energy/enthusiasm, which is part of what makes him such a gem

so of course, when the new disney movie came out, he knew he had to go see it with you

he would definitely load up on snacks from concessions

if you don’t stop him, he’s gonna be buying two giant things of popcorn and at least five different kinds of candy

and when he walks back to you after paying, he’d just smile brightly from behind the mountain of junk food in his hands like

“snacks :D!!!!!”

seriously though, try to keep track of how much popcorn he eats

bc he might overeat and get a stomachache :((

obviously he can take care of him self, cuz he’s an adult

but like

he loves when you look out for him

because he knows just how much you care about him

sunshine boy :((

y’all already know how much of a cuddle bug this man is

so of course that means lots of cute, affectionate gestures during the movie

skinship

holding hands

you resting your head on his shoulder

and him resting his head on top of your head

and most importantly SNUGGLES

snuggles are a must

for him, movie dates are just an excuse to be extra touchy with you

even though he never needs an excuse to get cuddles whenever he wants

because c’mon

it’s felix

what are you gonna do, say no?

kim seungmin

murder mystery film

tends not to talk all that much during movies

he’d just be so completely engrossed in the movie that he’d forget about his surroundings

but that’s not to say he won’t hold your hand or drape his arm over your shoulders

every now and then you can catch him leaning forward in his seat

with his mouth slightly ajar

it’s so endearing

but if for whatever reason you want to get his attention...

heh...

yeah, good luck with that

you’d have to maybe give his hand a lil squeeze to get his attention

and at first he’d just turn his head in your direction, keeping his eyes glued to the movie

but if you gave his hand another squeeze, he’d snap out of it

“psst...seungmin”

“mm.”

“hey, seungmin?”

“huh? yeah?”

“i love you”

if that doesn’t make his heart SWELL—

his dazed expression would quickly shift into one of pure elation and fondness

he might not respond verbally

but he’d gently bring your hand up to his lips

press a soft kiss atop your knuckles

and then lower your hand again without letting go, turning his attention back to the movie

but that bright smile of his would never falter for even a moment

he loves you too

so so much :)

yang jeongin

another one for romantic comedies

he likes it when there’s a little less “rom” and slightly more “com”

and so do you

because it means you get to hear his laugh more

oh god...

his laugh

the little giggles in between the short gasps for air...

so cute

“no. i’m not cute.”

he is very cute

probably won’t initiate any skinship

but if you do, he will absolutely go along with it

sometimes he’ll nod off in the middle of a movie

and then wake up during the credits, completely disoriented

“where am i”

“you fell asleep”

“huh??”

“you drooled a little on my shoulder, you goof”

unlike hyunjin, he’s really good at sneaking food into the theaters

like really really good

almost to the point that it’s scary

usually people try to sneak in popcorn or candy or maybe soda

well not jeongin

“hey, you want some?”

“what the- HOW DID YOU GET A BUCKET OF FRIED CHICKEN IN HERE”

“:]”

he’s not telling

like or reblog if you enjoyed ^^ feedback is always welcome and very much appreciated!

[smaidjor]

i know they're losing (chapter 3)

Hello everyone! Welcome back to your favorite(/j) hot mess of a fic. Sorry this chapter took a little longer to post, I thought I'd give you all a bit of time to recover from that last one. Plus, I was working on Scott's POV of this (which will be posted soon, don't worry!) Anyways, enjoy the fic!

(Once again obligatory disclaimer this is characters not people, don't ship real people, etc.)

(Also a disclaimer that I am not a medical professional and any medicine portrayed in this fic is likely inaccurate. Do not follow any medical procedures used in this fic, as I did absolutely 0 research to confirm any of this.)

Chapter Title: I turn at last to paths that lead home

Chapter Wordcount: 3214

Content warnings: blood, canon-typical violence

AO3 Link

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Actual fic under the cut:

The next morning dawns bright, sunny, and with a looming sense of unease that Jimmy can’t seem to shake. Scott’s ring feels heavy on his finger despite the resolution they reached yesterday, and he shifts anxiously as he waits for his husband to wake up. The sun’s well over the horizon and Scott still isn’t up, which only makes him more anxious. Usually, Scott’s an early riser. Today, though, he’s sleeping like the dead, and the scar on his throat doesn’t help the effect. Something is wrong. Jimmy doesn’t know how or why he knows it, but something is wrong and why is Scott still sleeping?

Finally, Jimmy can’t take it any longer. “Scott? Scott, wake up,” he whispers.

Nothing.

“Scott! Wake up!”

His husband is still firmly unconscious, and Jimmy’s heart leaps into his throat as he begs one more time. “Scott? Please?”

Scott rolls over and blinks at him, thank god, his voice coming out thick with sleep. “Five more minutes, darling.”

“I think something’s wrong,” Jimmy urges. “It feels wrong. Really wrong.”

That gets his love to sit up, rubbing at his eyes. There are still dark circles visible under them, and Jimmy gets a rush of guilt for waking him. “What is it?”

“I don’t know. It’s alright, go back to sleep.”

“No, no, I trust your gut.” Scott gets out of bed with only a slight stumble, sliding on his cloak in one graceful movement. “Let’s go look, and if it’s nothing then I’ll sleep more, okay?”

Jimmy nods, hurrying after him. “I have a really terrible feeling, Scott. Be careful, please.”

“I should be telling that to you.”

“Hey, I’ve gotten more careful!”

Scott laughs, looking more alive than he has in months, but quickly sobers again as they reach the front door. “You’re right, Jimmy. Something isn’t right.”

“I know, it feels awful!”

“Mhm.” Scott snatches up a frankly ridiculous axe from nearby, a shimmering pink monstrosity that’s twice the size of Jimmy’s head. “Stay behind me, just in case.”

The door creaks as it swings open, and the source of Jimmy’s unease becomes immediately clear.

Across the valley is the demon, standing next to Scott’s enchanting tower.

“That’s the demon!” Jimmy hisses, once he gets his racing heart under control. “Right there by the tower!”

Scott looks like someone just killed a cat in front of him, an odd sort of heartbreak flashing across his face before it’s replaced with determination. “That?”

“Yes!”

“Right. Okay. Jimmy, I need you to listen to exactly what I say right now. If I say get down, you get down. If I say run, you run and don’t look back no matter what you hear. Can you do that?”

Jimmy looks at the elf who very nearly broke his heart, and chooses to put that heart right back in Scott’s hands. “I trust you. If you say run, I’ll run.”

“Alright. Give me your engagement ring.”

“Wh-”

“Trust me. Please.”

Jimmy hands it over.

Scott slides it onto his finger. His hands are a little smaller than Jimmy’s, and it only fits on his right middle finger. Which would normally be cute, but right now Jimmy is just terrified. “Okay, Jimmy. I’m about to go out the front door, and when I do, I need you to go out the side door over there and run for the stables. When you get there, roll in the mud and then run for the village. Speed over stealth, corrupted elves track by smell and sound rather than sight.”

Jimmy nods.

“From there,” Scott continues, “I need you to track down an elf called Gilnar and tell them to lock down the kingdom and warn everyone of the danger. I also need you to tell them that Lord Smajor orders them to protect you.”

“What about you? Will you be okay?”

“I will, I promise.”

Jimmy knows Scott’s lying because Scott could never properly lie, not when it’s to Jimmy. He always looks away, no matter how steady his voice stays. Jimmy says nothing about it, but he grabs a spare sword and prays he’ll be quick enough to save Scott if it all goes downhill.

Scott hefts the axe. “Ready?”

Jimmy isn’t, but he nods. “Ready.”

Scott steps out the door, calling out something in some elven language that sounds like a challenge. At the same time, Jimmy bolts out the side door, sprinting for a low building which he thinks is the barn.

Somehow, he gets there without incident, and he throws himself into the mud without hesitation. The farrier gives him a deeply weird look, which Jimmy ignores in favor of sprinting for the village. The altitude means he’s out of breath by the time he gets there, hurrying inside the walls. The elves give him strange looks, a few seeming rather judgemental. Jimmy tries not to flush, remembering Scott’s instructions.

“Excuse me?” He asks the nearest elf. “I’m looking for uh, Gilnar?”

They stare him down, raising a single eyebrow. “For what reason?”

“Scott- Lord Smajor sent me.”

In the background, there’s a cry of pain, which thankfully sounds demonic rather than elven.

“Gilnar should be that way.”

“Thank you, uh, gentleperson!” Jimmy hurries that way, stopping another villager. “Are you Gilnar?”

The look he gets is even stranger. “Do I look like a captain of the guard to you? No. What do you want Gilnar for anyways?”

“Scott told me to find them.”

“Then that’s them over there,” the elf tells him, pointing out an incredibly short elf with neatly plaited brown hair.

“Thank you!”

Gilnar looks up at his approach, seemingly unbothered by the mud. “Lord Codfather, right? Scott sent ya?”

“He said to tell you to lock down the kingdom,” Jimmy reports faithfully. “He also said you should protect me, or something like that, but I don’t really need- I’ll be fine is the point.”

“Riiiiight. Calros!”

A tall elf appears behind them.

“Protect the codfather, Lord Scott’d be a bit put out if he died, I think. Alqualoth!” Another elf appears. “I need you to help me get everythin’ locked down.” With that, Gilnar hurries away, a few elves falling into formation behind them.

“So….this is awkward,” Calros, the tall elf, offers.

Jimmy ignores them in favor of running to the edge of the cliff the village is built on, trying to catch a glimpse of Scott. He’s rewarded only with the sight of his husband dueling a demon, which isn’t exactly what anyone wants to see at 8 o’clock in the morning. At least Scott doesn’t seem to be entirely overwhelmed, but the demon has far too much of the upper hand for Jimmy’s comfort.

“Whoa, whoa, let a girl catch up,” Calros yelps. She doesn’t seem very dignified for an elf, but Jimmy’s not very dignified for a human, so he understands. “So, uh...how’s Codland?”

Unfortunately for Calros and her well-meaning questions, at that moment, Scott starts screaming. It takes a moment for Jimmy to even register the sound as Scott’s voice; he’s never heard Scott scream before. It’s a high, broken noise, pure pain in every note as the demon pins Scott to the mountainside. Jimmy doesn’t think there’s anything he wouldn’t give to never have to hear that noise again, which is why he jumps the wall at the edge of the village.

“No, wait!” Calros yells.

Jimmy’s already gone, landing awkwardly on the other side. He hardly feels the pain of what’s surely a twisted ankle, sprinting for the scene of the fight. The sword flies into his hand, the gleam of enchantment shimmering bright. He doesn’t have a single second to think about what he’s doing as he opens his mouth to shout. “Hey, demon thing! Yeah, you! You’re ugly! And you probably smell bad!”

The being turns its head in a way that’s far too human for Jimmy’s comfort, and thank god, Scott stops screaming. “What did you say to me?” It hisses.

Jimmy’s heart is beating in his throat, palms sweaty as he scrapes together the few remaining bits of his courage. “I said you’re ugly! And you suck! Leave my husband alone!”

The demon loosens their hold, rage twisting their smile into something even more terrifying, and Scott backhands them across the face, kicking his way free. Jimmy watches as he struggles to his feet, the ring gleaming on his hand.

Scott cries something in some elven tongue, and the demon hisses.

He calls out another word, a command, and the ring glows with a light of its own as the demon is forced back, inch by inch. Finally, it flies backwards and vanishes entirely.

Scott sinks to his knees, cradling the hand with the ring on it, and Jimmy breaks into a run again.

“Scott! Scott!”

His husband looks up at him with haunted eyes, face bruised and battered, a little blood trickling down his brow. His teeth are bared, just a little sharp, and there’s something desperate about the way he whispers Jimmy’s name, his voice hoarse from screaming.

Jimmy kneels by him quickly, looking for any major injuries. “What’s wrong? Where- what’s hurt? I’ll fix it, I promise, I-” he’s cut off by Scott yanking him into a desperate hug, burying his face in Jimmy’s shoulder.

“Oh,” Jimmy says weakly. He wraps his arms around Scott in return, running a soothing hand up and down Scott’s back as he feels the elf tremble. “It’s alright, Scott, we’re alright.”

“Jimmy,” Scott says again. “Jimmy, I can’t.”

“I-”

“I want it to be over. I don’t want elves or nations or politics. I just want you.”

“I know, I know,” Jimmy soothes.

‘Why does it have to be me? It wasn’t supposed to be! It wasn’t supposed to be me!” Scott sounds almost angry, but the words quickly dissolve into incoherent sobs and fragments of sentences. “I- please- shouldn’t have- Jimmy. Jimmy.” He repeats Jimmy’s name over and over, hands clutching the fabric of Jimmy’s shirt, and Jimmy has never felt so helpless. All he can do is whisper empty comforts, kissing the top of Scott’s head and holding him close.

Elves have begun to surround them, varying looks of concern or disgust on their faces. Jimmy glares up at all of them, daring them to say something.

“Uh, milord?” Gilnar starts, and that’s the final straw.

“Give him a goddamn minute!” Jimmy snaps, rage bubbling up under his skin. “He just fought a demon for all of you, let the man rest! I know you’re all elves and you’re all- all elegant and composed or whatever, but you can’t expect someone to be perfect! We’re all human, you know!”

One of the elves gives him a look of disdain. “You are human, Codfather. We are not. Lord Smajor knew the responsibilities and difficulties of ruling.”

“He’s too young for this,” Jimmy thinks he hears someone mutter, but he’s too angry to bother paying attention.

“I- well I don’t think anyone could have expected a demon! And probably even less people’d be willing to fight one! Scott’s one of the bravest, kindest, smartest people I know, so lay off him, will you?”

“You know nothing of the affairs of elves,” the same elf sniffs.

Jimmy’s about to open his mouth and inform them that he knows about the affairs of being a decent person, for goodness sake, but he’s cut off by Scott raising his head, his sobs subsiding into ragged breathing. “It’s fine, Jimmy. They are correct, I do have responsibilities.”

“They can’t expect you to be perfect,” Jimmy argues, but there’s no dissuading Scott as he staggers to his feet.

“Gilnar, get the village out of lockdown and make sure people are aware of the threat of Xornoth. Celebear, search the library for any books on corruption of elves, and Lauriel, translate any you find that are not Sindarin into it. Elder council, I need research done on any rings of power that are strong enough to counteract Vilya to that degree, that will narrow down what Xornoth has. Now, the Codfather and I need to negotiate wool and fish trades,” Scott adds, grabbing Jimmy’s hand. Jimmy yelps, startled, as Scott drags him off with inhuman strength.

They make it up the hill and into Scott’s house before Scott slumps, collapsing into one of the kitchen chairs. “Well, fuck me to the End and back,” he groans.

“Are they always like that?” Jimmy asks, worried.

“Pretty much. Gilnar’s okay, just tough as shit, and so are Celebear and Lauriel, but...I wasn’t- well, I wasn’t meant to inherit Rivendell, and the Council of Elders takes every opportunity to remind me of that fact.”

“Oh. Who’s Xornoth?”

Scott laughs, a bitter, exhausted sound. “My twin, also known as the demon that’s been terrorizing you.”

At first, Jimmy thinks he’s misheard. “What?”

“My twin. My older sibling. The person who was supposed to inherit the throne of the elves.”

“What?”

Scott sighs. “Let me start from the beginning. My parents were two elven monarchs, one of the Sindar, and one of the Noldor. With other bloodlines mixed in, but the Sindar and Noldor is the important bit since those two groups haven’t always gotten along. Somewhere around fifty-five years ago, they started trying for kids. What they didn’t expect was that Xornoth and I are identical twins, only the fifth set of elven twins ever recorded.”

“Whoa.”

“Mhm. Xornoth was- is- technically the older one, who was always set to inherit the throne of the elves and unite our divided people. They were compared to Elrond, wise and powerful leader of another land named Rivendell far in the past, and I was Elros, his twin. Impulsive, snarky, human.” Scott closes his eyes, looking as if it pains him to talk about this. “Our parents died when we were both quite young, and we were brought up expecting Xornoth to take the throne as soon as they came of age. I spent my time hanging out with mortals, instead, getting involved in things like mcc and 3rd life.”

“Ohhh,” Jimmy says intelligently.

Scott nods tensely. “When I was the elven equivalent of seventeen or so, Xornoth gave me a ring. This ring, specifically,” he says, tapping Jimmy’s engagement ring. “Vilya, an elven ring of power. They told me to leave Rivendell and not return.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t know at the time, but they were being corrupted by a ring of their own, not to mention their own desire for power.” Scott’s voice shakes a little, and Jimmy takes his hand in comfort. “I returned after coming of age while away to find that Xornoth had fled and I was now the heir of Rivendell. Which absolutely no one wanted.”

“Why not? You’re amazing!” Jimmy protests.

“Remember when I told you that I’m not a very elven elf? That. I’m too human for their tastes, spend too much of my time with humans.”

“Well, I think you’re wonderful.”

Scott squeezes his hand tight, a faint, fond smile creeping onto his face. “Thank you, Jimmy. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jimmy replies, and then something Scott said catches up with him. “Wait. Scott?”

“Yes, darling?”

“Did you give me an elven ring of power for an engagement ring?”

“….Maybe.”

Jimmy’s torn between laughter and outrage. “Me! You gave me, little old Jimmy Solidarity, an elven ring of power?”

“You’re the most precious thing in my life. I gave you everything I could offer.”

Jimmy flushes immediately, feeling his cheeks heat with the compliment. It’s not fair that Scott can make him lose all his remaining braincells with just a simple sentence, it really isn’t! “Stop that!”

“Stop what?” Scott asks innocently.

“Saying that stuff and giving me that look, you know what I mean! That soft one that- that makes me all blushy and stuttery!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He’s smirking. He definitely knows exactly what he’s doing, and Jimmy would hate him for it if he was even capable of hating Scott.

“I’m trying to scold you for giving me a ring of power that’s super important, stop- stop flirting, for goodness sake!”

“You’re hot when you’re flustered, though.” The charming words would be a lot more effective if Scott didn’t also choose that moment to try and wipe the blood off his forehead, only succeeding in smearing blood everywhere and reminding Jimmy to be worried about him.

“Let me get that,” Jimmy offers, looking around for a rag. Scott patiently lets him fuss, and Jimmy dabs at the cut with a wet rag and bandages it carefully. He moves on to cleaning out smaller cuts and scrapes, then the bruises, handing Scott some ice to put on the largest ones. Even then, he’s not fully satisfied until he makes Scott count backward from 100 to prove he hasn’t hit his head too hard.

“Ninety-two, ninety-one, I swear I’m fine, Jimmy, ninety, eighty-nine, eighty-eight, eighty-seven, I literally explained elven rings of power to you, eighty-six, eight-five, can I stop counting now?”

“No.”

“Jimmyyyyyyyy,” Scott whines.

“Just a bit more? For me?” It’s a dirty trick, but Jimmy gives him the puppy dog eyes that he knows Scott can’t say no to.

He’s rewarded with a long-suffering sigh and “Fine. Eighty-four, eighty-three, eighty-two…”

Jimmy makes him count all the way down to seventy and then multiply together thirteen and twelve before he’s satisfied, ignoring Scott’s complaining about having to do math so early in the morning.

“I can’t believe my own husband made me do math.”

Jimmy laughs and bops him on the nose. “I’ll make breakfast to make up for it?”

“You better!” Scott says, but he’s smiling too.

Jimmy makes them both pancakes, firmly ignoring the lingering fear from the demon attack, not to mention all the revelations from this morning. Those are problems for future Jimmy. Present Jimmy is going to scold his husband for sneaking bits of pancake batter (“It doesn’t even taste good, Scott!”) and drink hot chocolate in a beautiful little kitchen with the love of his life. None of that demon nonsense, no thank you. Just hot chocolate and pancakes and the sound of Scott’s laughter as he teases Jimmy about smelling like fish. Which is a perfectly fine smell, thank you very much, Scott, why are you laughing?

Every so often, he pauses and admires the bracelet that’s still on his wrist, running his fingers over the elegantly shaped flowers. This must have taken Scott so long to make, and he did it all for Jimmy. He gave Jimmy a ring of power, for goodness sake! Jimmy doesn’t think he’ll ever be over the thrill of how it feels to be so loved and to know it, too. To know Scott loved him back in 3rd life and loves him now and will love him for the rest of Jimmy’s mortal lifespan and beyond. He can’t quite wrap his head around it, honestly, but it’s not a bad thing, not at all. How could having Scott in his life ever be a bad thing? He thinks- knows, as well as he knows his own self- that whatever happens next, he and Scott can face it together.

[timextoxhajima]

Love Me A Little Less: Chapter 7 - Golden Chains

LOVE ME A LITTLE LESS CHAPTER MASTERLIST

Member: (3rd person pov) arranged marriage au with Lee Juyeon

Genre: angsty wangsty

Taglist: @hyunjaethereal @sunwoowuvbot​ @suzy-rainbow​​

"Everyone wants everything she has.”

Juyeon raises his fist, Porsche parked nicely in the only empty lot of three by the fountain before the mini mansion. The sky is cloudy and Juyeon can already smell the musty scent of rain as the gentle cool winds blow through his still-waxed hair. 

His knuckles press into the wooden door before he actually knocks, and he almost feels sorry for himself for being such a nuisance at the worst timings ever.

Finally mustering the courage to knock, he does just that, and he can see the lights in the entrance hall flicker on through the door panels by the sides after some time. Multiple locks click open, and the door opens just enough for the resident to see him.

“Juyeon,” Sunwoo blinks, already in his silk pajamas and his hair combed down nicely. He looks tired - probably from the day’s work of being Juyeon’s moodmaker at his own wedding. “What are you doing here? Oh my God, you got kicked out of the Lee’s House?”

“What? No!” The elder seethes quietly, his pride hurt. “I left.”

Sunwoo’s brows are covered by his fringe, but Juyeon doesn’t need to see them to know they are far up his forehead with amusement. 

“You left the Lee House?” 

“Yeah,” Juyeon sucks in a deep breath and avoids eye contact. “My mother told me she wanted me to have a child with Jang Won just so we can inherit HERA & ARTEMIS.”

“Oh, man,” Sunwoo’s face falls with pity and confusion. “That... that’s gotta suck.”

“I know. That’s why I’m here.”

Sunwoo pulls the door open for Juyeon to enter, head poking out the door to see the Porsche parked in his driveway. “You can stay if you like but I’m afraid people are gonna find out you’re here and not back at your place or Hera’s Manor.”

Juyeon pulls off his shoes and slips on a pair of home slippers meant for guests. The entrance hall is a lot less spacious and elaborate compared to the Lee House’s or Hera’s Manor, but it’s because of its smaller scale that comforts Juyeon. Feels more like a home than an exhibition.

The door shuts and Sunwoo pulls the locks back into place. 

“I know, but I just didn’t know where else to be. I can’t stand being in that house.”

“Okay, so you hate your parents. We know this, but do you really have nowhere else to be at now?”

Juyeon turns and shoots Sunwoo a look of displeasure. The younger pouts slightly as he passes him and heads for the main hall. The fireplace crackles to life when he turns it on.

Dropping himself into the couch and staring at the fire, Juyeon pulls off his blazer and covers his face with it. The cushion next to him sinks when Sunwoo sits, quiet and unsure.

“It’s not that I don’t want you here. I just don’t want to risk you getting into trouble with the press. Everybody knows the Porsche’s carplate number. And aren’t all your cars bugged?”

“I removed the bug.”

“What? How? How did you even find it?”

“The one in the Porsche was under the compartment on the passenger’s side.”

“Did you like, throw it on the ground and drive over it or something?”

“I threw it at my bodyguard.”

Sunwoo snorts. “Were your parents around to see that?”

“Yeah, my dad was this close,” Juyeon lifts a hand and gestures with his thumb and index finger. “To punching a hole through the driver’s window, so I threw it out the passenger’s window instead.”

The hearty laugh that runs out of Sunwoo’s throat tickles Juyeon as well. “I’m not gonna lie, this is something you definitely wouldn’t have done prior.”

“Prior to?”

Juyeon pulls the blazer off his face and side-eyes Sunwoo. The answer was already in his eyes.

“Ah,” Juyeon scoffs. “Maybe it just bugs me that my mother was in the same position as Jang Won is now - an arranged marriage - and yet she’s telling me to do all these things to her... a child, taking HERA & ARTEMIS.”

“Don’t you think you’re developing too much of a soft spot for her already?”

“Why does everyone think that way?” Frowning, Juyeon finally sits up in the couch. “Poor girl lost her mother to cancer and then her father who only comes back from the dead, only to take what she built - does that make sense at all?”

“It doesn’t, but you seem to forget that she’s got the entire world at her feet. Even if your families harmoniously merged, I’m very sure she still wouldn’t give away her blood and sweat so easily.”

Juyeon sighs and drags his hands down his face, feeling the weight from the day sink into him. “I just... I can’t imagine. She’s... got questionable motifs, no doubt, but... when I spoke to Younghoon today, I... He made me promise to protect her and be patient with her, and now I see exactly why.”

He pauses and looks at the cracking fire. 

“Everyone wants everything she has, and she knows that herself.”

Jang Won yawns and crawls into bed, stretching her neck from left to right as she tightens silk night gown around her waist. She fiddles with the ring on her left hand, diamond sparkling under the amber lights of her room. 

Memory sends her back to earlier that day - to when Juyeon pulled her out of that sickening interaction with misogynist Mr Teuk, only to call her a hypocrite in her own office. 

She harshly exhales, pulling out the ring and placing it by the nightstand. Her feet shuffles under the sheets, cool and heavy and all she wants to do is to slip into forever. If only.

But a gentle knock ensues on her door, and she groans in frustration, shutting her eyes to regulate her lack of sleep.

“What is it?”

“Miss Kim, there’s a call for you, and I’m afraid you’ll have to entertain it.”

She rams her face into her pillow when she recognises Mr Ro’s calmness. She’ll never yell at him for anything in the world. 

“Can’t it wait till morning?”

“Uh, well... I’m afraid not, Miss Kim. It’s your husband.”

“Oh- my God!” She screams into her pillow, refusing to leave her bed even more now. “What is it that’s so fucking urgent?!”

The door finally clicks open and Mr Ro kindly pokes his head in, eyes furrowing at the lady of the house huddled into the thick sheets of her bed. She turns subtly, enough for one of her eyes to see Mr Ro’s head through the gap of the door.

“He, um, ran away from home. He’d like to stay for the night... or rather, until you leave for your honeymoon next week.”

Jang Won frowns, neurons in her head struggling to fit themselves together. She sits up. “What? Juyeon... ran away from home?”

He nods enough for her to see, and a strange sense of protection wells her stomach. 

“Give me the phone,” She stretches out her palm and beckons Mr Ro over to her bed. The butler was already dressed in his own pajamas, so she can’t help but smile softly at how cute he looked. 

And yet, she displays the magic of a 180 degree change as she presses the phone to her ear, “What the FUCK is wrong with you?! Do you have any FUCKING idea how late it is?!”

“Oh!” Mr Ro anxiously waves his hands at her. “It’s Mr Kim Sunwoo on the line, Jang Won!”

Her eyes widen, and she winces into the phone, taking a pillow to gently whack Mr Ro. 

“Yeah, hear that, Juyeon? Do you have any idea what time it is now? Anyway, hi. It’s Kim Sunwoo, in case your butler hasn’t told you.”

“Right, right, sorry about that.”

“Don’t be sorry about that, just come and take your husband back to Hera’s Manor. He’s homeless and I can’t risk him being seen here. He drove his car here.”

“What? Isn’t his car bugged with a tracking device?”

“He ripped it out, but the whole press knows his car plate number so if he’s spotted here, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to answer why there’s a man involved in your marriage.”

Jang Won huffs with irritation. “Fine. I’ll send someone over to drive him back to Hera’s Manor. Why’s he homeless now anyway?”

Sunwoo laughs dryly over the phone. “His parents. What else?”

Jang Won twists the receiver away from her mouth and turns to Mr Ro. “Is the second master or the other guest room made up?”

“The second master is being used to house your clothes and items for your honeymoon, and the other guestroom is currently being used by your father.”

“What? My father? What the fuck’s he doing in the-”

“Uh, would you like a word with him? Maybe you could snap him out of his nonsensical act right now that’s putting him and you in various difficult situations.”

“Ugh, get someone to watch my father in the second guest room! We’ll clear him out tomorrow, and send someone down to Kim Sunwoo’s residence now! I want Lee Juyeon in Hera’s Manor in 30!” She twists the phone back so the receiver is at her mouth. “Get him on the phone. I’ll scream his ear off.”

“He says he’ll explain when he gets there- hey, give that back- wha-” 

BEEP

Jang Won removes the phone from her ear just as Mr Ro shuts the door behind him. Rubbing her temples to cure the headache that’s forming in her skull, she reminds herself that her newly wed husband cannot be brutally murdered the night of her wedding. 

“My God,” She huffs exasperatedly, side-eyeing Mr Ro. “Men.”

“Shall I call someone down to drive you there or-”

“No, just send a guard to tail my car but you just stay home and clear the second guest room.”

“Your father won’t be able to clear it out by the time Mr Lee is here, Jang Won.”

She halts in the midst of throwing on full-length coat. “Are you telling me that I might need to share this bed-”

“Possibly, yes.”

The groan that escapes her throat is loud, annoying and absolutely a bomb of a ruin to the rest of her night. “Fine. But get me a bolster. I don’t want him anywhere near 30 centimeters of me.”

Jang Won can’t exactly remember the last time she’s got her fingers around the steering wheel, but she sure as Hell felt the freedom when she didn’t have to worry about telling the chauffeur where she was headed off to. 

The Mercedes tailing her car was driven by one of Hera’s Manor’s bodyguards, and so she makes sure to stay a good distance away from it since the press is also aware of her car plate number.

She parks her Audi right next to the Porsche, and the Manor’s Mercedes almost at the entrance where it leads up to the fountain and the roundabout. There’s no hesitation in slamming the door and almost running her entire fist through the door (if she could) to make her presence known.

“ROOM FUCKING SERVICE FOR MR LEE JUYEON. GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!”

Almost immediately, she can hear someone shuffling for the door, and it swings open to reveal Kim Sunwoo, a distant member of The Board. Peering over Sunwoo’s shoulder, she can see the reluctance dripping off her husband as he peels himself off the sofa, still in his clothes he had left in. 

“You went home and didn’t bother to take a shower?” She sneers, but Juyeon cannot give two damns about her attitude right now. He finally reaches the party at the front door, noticing the Manor’s bodyguard driving the Mercedes up to meet the other cars. 

“I went home and got blasted with the suggestion of having a child with you, how’s that for a reason not to shower?” He frowns, trudging past her for the Porsche. 

Jang Won watches his back head down the steps, getting into his own car and prepare himself at the wheel with a look of contempt in his eyes. She turns to thank Sunwoo with a mere nod, before heading down the steps herself and getting into the Porsche. The plan was to have the Manor’s Mercedes left at Kim’s Residence while her bodyguard drove her Audi, and she would be in the Porsche with Juyeon - all this to prevent any sort of complications if they were to be spotted by the press. 

The urge to scream at him for possibly ruining the perfect plan she had in store to debunk all the shit’s that gone down with her father has, surprisingly, diminished. Jang Won cannot decide what she’s more taken aback by - the fact that Juyeon left home because she had been unreasonably brought into discussion, or that he got scared by the thought of spending the rest of his life caring for a child with her. 

Of course, being the skeptical person she is, she chooses to believe the second option more than the first.

“Is the idea of having a child with me so horrible that you had to leave home?”

“A child should not be brought into the picture when we don’t even care about each other,” The weight in his voice kind of hurts her pride. He checks the side mirror as he turns around the corner. “Neither of us had a choice to be where we are today so... let’s not implicate any other prospective beings that might suffer from our decisions. I don’t want to be my parents and I’m sure as Hell you don’t want to be like your father.”

Juyeon checks the rear mirror, making sure that her bodyguard was tailing them in the Audi. It’s strange, to have some peace and quiet in the car as the whir of the air-conditioning hums through the vehicle. She’s looking out the passenger’s window and seeing everything outside as they drive past.

“Haven’t been to this neighbourhood before, have you?” 

She shakes her head, not bothering to turn to him. “No. I’ve only been hanging around the Manor and the Meridian Streets where you stay.”

A pause.

“Sunwoo’s grandfather was the first of his family to secure membership in The Board, that’s why the disparity.”

Jang Won’s eyes dart to Juyeon and tries to side-eye him, but he remains out of her view and she returns to the world outside. “He’s a new-blood?”

“Three-generations new,” Juyeon nods. “Haven’t met one, have you?”

“No. I grew up with people whose great-great-grandparents lived in the Joseon dynasty.”

“That would’ve been a fun time to be alive.”

“Only if you wanted to be executed for being a politician.”

Juyeon exhales through his nose.

Jang Won lets the atmosphere settle, feeling the gentle night seep into her after a long day. She wonders about Juyeon’s perception of her as a person, after everything’s been happening. 

“How did you meet Kim Sunwoo?”

“We went to the same high-school. I was two years his senior and we were in the same club, and by then, my parents had already begun to teach me the likings of The Board and even gave me a booklet with all the families who were involved with it. I remembered Sunwoo’s family being indicated near the back of the book because they were new-bloods, and from then, I remembered his face.”

“Wouldn’t you have been worried he’d use you to shift up the food chain?”

“Not everybody is as venomous as the ones we know. Sunwoo had no idea I was from the Lee family. Once, we were shooting hoops till late and his father had come to get him... and then Sunwoo had to watch his father bow to another student... and I could tell he hated it, and then he was almost as shocked as I was, but for completely different reasons.”

Jang Won doesn’t even notice she’s staring at Juyeon until he turns to her, looking straight at her in her eyes. The car stops at a red light, now just a few streets away from Hera’s Manor. He turns away first.

“And I had to watch him bow to me too, just because his father told him to... and it felt like shit,” Juyeon’s eyes are glimmering the shade of red from the traffic light as he looks ahead. His face reflected the amber hues of the street lamps and other stray vehicles still on the road. “I wanted a friend, but his father was treating me like something they shouldn’t even be talking to.”

“It has always been like that. The way The Board works... it’s a hierarchy within another and when you’re a new-blood...”

“Yeah. I know,” Juyeon sighs as he lifts the brakes. “Part of me wishes we weren’t born into this shitshow.”

A mirror. That’s what he is. Stand right opposite Younghoon and he’s nothing but someone who wishes the same - to be free from all the golden chains.