#i'm doing my horror assignments and dying

[oblique-lane]

References for Anomaly Diversion!!!

Official!! finally!!

I wanted to make their design stand out, so I created them from scratch; they're not loadouts you can find in-game. Plus a little bit of character description because I'm dying to talk about them and their roles in the story (*wearing a shirt that says "please talk to me about my fic"*).

Now I can finally draw them often!!

Somewhat goofy clothing sheets under the cut↓↓↓

I tried to design them the way their silhouettes and colors stay recognisable, as if they were meant to be used in-game later, to not to break the gameplay rules. I also wanted them to look as tf2-like as possible, I studied the hell out of the 3d models and on the last three I guess it started to turn out decent. Drawing Spy is still pain though.

Or maybe it's just that I'm not attracted to the majority of the mercs visually?? That's why they don't look satisfying?? Lmao. Need to adjust them to my tastes later.

I'm not sure I can exactly explain my design choices with these... How exactly they correlate to their characters. There is something, but I went for it fully intuitively.

//

For BLU scout I went for the softer, rounder oversized clothing to accent his insecurity and the need to shield himself for comfort. It still needed to shape his torso (game rules) but his hood and sleeves do the deed. There is also a strict rule in how to draw his freckles: they look more like moles and there's 7 or 8 of them. You won't believe me if I say this is lore relevant.

For RED Scout, I went with the more aggressive military style. I think I literally took this jacket design from a real military one. There should be an accent on his heavy relations with the army. His clothes are tight because he still likes himself.

RED Sniper is giving hunter vibes, forest type. BLU Sniper looks more like a fisher or a winter hunter. Not sure what deeper meaning I could assign to this except that BLU Sniper was heavily referenced on Ogata Hyakunosuke.

BLU Spy should radiate tiredness. His look is quite unkept for his standards but at this point it doesn't matter anymore. The turtleneck and the boots are special requests from @/gentlesurgeryenjoyer (xoxo)

BLU Medic just looks so freaking cool in a black shirt. It was a vision. I'm not sure if black and white accents mean anything in terms of which side those characters are on. I also wanted to separate him from another famous horror witnessing Medic.

And Miss Pauling was the most satisfying to draw, it was a gift to draw her last... I gave her pants because it's getting cold outside at the time when the story takes place. I also find it very impractical to go killing job in a pencil skirt, I'm sorry. She probably also wears snickers underneath.

And also thanks to @nightly-headache for helping out and assistance!

[leeny-leens]

Knives Out (Wounds In) | BCJ x Reader

Pairing: bsf!Barty Crouch Jr x bsf! Reader

Summary: You accidentally stab Barty and he...asks for more?

Warnings: BLOOD, STABBING, INJURIES, Barty has issues,I've never dressed a thigh wound before, description of injury being taken care off, Barty likes pain (and blood), proceed with caution okay I'm sleep deprived

Content: Barty and the Reader are a little unhinged, Barty is having a crisis, Barty being called doll (courtesy of @vun3r4b13xwrites for this brain rot), not proofread or edited, Barty makes like one really dark joke abt dying but it's not too dark

WC: 3.83k

AN: this was inspired by a post of @unconventional-lawnchair and honestly idek what happened, it somehow spiraled into being something much longer and ??? than anticipated so have this. Also tagging @esotericloser BCS ya said ya want it <3

Being friends with Barty meant that there wasn't much that could actually traumatize you anymore when it came to gory horror. Oh no, you’re bound lose that ability quite quickly in his company, with the way he walked around looking like a splasher horror victim half of the time. He barley ever had an explanation for it either, always shrugging and mumbling something incoherent about where the blood on him came from.

So really, you'd say you're pretty desensitized when it came to blood and injuries, especially when it came to Barty being bloodied and injured.

Nothing however, could have prepared you for the sight of your very own dagger piercing his thigh, blood spilling and splashing on the ground and wall.

It's your worst nightmare come true; a loved one injured and bloodied because of you and your stupidity, though Barty would go on a tangent, chiding you for the self deprecating notion of that thought.

The boy in question, you just noticed, stood by the open door, his face pulled into a blend between amusement and a grimace of pain as he stared between the dagger and your frozen form on your bed.

“Damn Precious, when I said your stare could throw daggers at me I didn't think you'd take it seriously,” he said, painfully failing to conceal the wince in his voice as he joked.

The sound of his voice was apparently all your brain needed to reboot itself and jumpstart again. Immediately, you hurled yourself up from the bed, standing by his side in a few quick strides as you crouched down to examine the injury on his thigh.

“Merlin I’m sorry Bee, I was doing that stupid Charms assignment and- and you just came in and I panicked and oh my god are you gonna die?” there was seemingly no stopping you the moment you began to speak, the words stumbling out in no rhyme or rhythm as you tried to remember what little you’d learned about first aid.

In your panic, there wasn't much you remembered aside for needing to stop the bleeding somehow and making sure to keep his leg raised high, or was it keep it low to prevent bleeding? You couldn't recall it, your mind too riddled with guilt and terror at the vast amount of blood staining the carpet.

“You can't die on me,” you whimpered, tears barley held at bay “They're gonna expell me if they find out I killed you-”

The sudden realization of who your best friend was hit you harder than any hex you've sustained in your lifetime before you stared up at him with terror blown eyes “Oh my god your father is sending me to Azkaban for killing his only heir.”

This was evidently the straw that broke the camels back, Barty finally doubled over from laughter, his barking voice probably resonating through the entirety of the dormitory. His laughter quickly turned into pressed coughs as he tried to straighten back up again, mild gasps of pain escaping him in-between. Quickly, you're on your feet again, gently yet firmly guiding him to your bed and hissing at him to not put any weight on his injured leg.

To his credit, he let you push him around like a pliant ragdoll, following your instructions and keeping his pretty mouth shut aside for a few pained noises here there. His eyes flickered between you and the dagger, regarding the latter with a glimmer of fascination and you could tell it took everything in him to not poke at the metal protruding from his flesh.

“Relax Precious,” he said in an attempt to reassure you “ ’M not gonna die yeah? 'Tis but a scratch.” As if trying to convince you, he tapped the dagger lightly, smiling at you with that wide expression, his lips pulled apart so much it brought his dimple out. “See? I've survived worse,” he added, and to your utter dismay, it did help calm you down.

“Right, it's probably worse than it looks like” you muttered, taking a few deep breaths to compose yourself before finally gathering your thoughts to help him. “Okay, stay right there and don't move okay?” you threw him a warning glare before disappearing into the bathroom, occasionally glancing over your shoulder to make sure he was following your instructions. You knew staying still was hard for Barty, his natural inclination to always be in motion was one of the biggest hurdles he faced in his day to day life. He couldn't sit still for longer than a few minutes, not without bouncing his leg or tapping his fingers against the nearest surface or hell, rocking back and forth. Don't get him started on people telling him to be still, that somehow made it much harder to comply than if he tried to do it on his own.

He was however, trying his best to stay still, probably to not worry you more than he already had, and you appreciated his cooperation immensely.

Returning back to his side, you knelt down at the bedside and set down a plain white box and opened it, revealing various bandages, potions and vials along side bandaids and scissors of different types and sizes.

Barty decided to stay silent, watching your movements with an attentive, hawk-like gaze and arched his eyebrows in surprise as you grabbed the biggest pair of scissors, only to bring it to the hem of his pant leg, quickly cutting through the dark fabric.

“You know,” he said amused, watching you cut apart his pants “This is not how I imagined you undressing me for the first time would go, could've taken me out to dinner first at least.”

“You're so lucky you already have a stab wound,” you replied dryly, moving the fabric away to reveal the pale skin of thigh and barley held back your grimace at the sight of the dagger lodged into it. “Otherwise that comment would've gotten you one.” you grabbed a whole bunch of gauzes and disinfectant, slowly trying to assess how bad the wound was in order to decide your next course of action.

This was the part you'd feared the most, the one where you pulled the dagger out.

As if he’d read your mind, Barty reached out to take your hand into his, bringing it to his lips so he could press a kiss on your knuckles. “It's gonna be okay Precious,” he murmured softly “I trust you, you're bloody brilliant and you don't have to be scared of this.”

It was comical really, how he'd gotten hurt because of you and yet was the one to offer you comfort and reassurance. Had this been anyone else, you would've scoffed and thrashed against the gesture, but this was Barty, your Barty, who'd watched you overcome every obstacle in your life for the last six years, your Barty who knew you like the back of his hand and studied you like you were the biggest mystery in the universe to be unraveled. You could only nod in agreement, squeezing his hand tightly as you steadied your breath to pull out the dagger.

You vaguely remembered how Madam Pomfrey would talk up injured students to distract them from procedures, and you decided that if the matron of the hospital wing did it, it couldn't be that stupid of an idea to try out.

“Why did you come into my room?” you asked suddenly, and he leaned back into the nest of pillows you had propped against your headboard.

He shrugged, a lopsided grin on his face. “No reason, just wanted to see my favourite person,” despite all the years with him as your best friend, the response still managed to draw out an over exaggerated eyeroll from you, one that did nothing to mask the smile that tugged at the corners of your lips.

You questioned him some more, asking about his day and what he was going to do, and because this was your Barty, you knew he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to talk your ear off, the dagger in his thigh quickly forgotten. Fortunately for you, that meant you could pull it out with one smooth movement, granting Barty barley any time to register the pain before you began to press a mountain of gauzes against the wound. The white fabric quickly became a soaked, scarlet mess and you could hear his breath hitch at the sight, not the way it would've from pain, but rather from something akin to speechlessness. He watched you press against the wound, switching out gauze after gauze whenever it became unusable after soaking up too much blood, and he was sure the blood rushing to his head at the sight of your fingers gleaming with the red liquid of him was significantly more fatale than the stab wound to his thigh. There was just something so primitively alluring about the sight, your face contorted into a grimace of worry and concentration as you applied moderate yet firm pressure against his thigh, not minding how dirty your hands became in the process. It didn't help that it was him sullying your pretty hands, and he swore his soul left his body when you moved a stray strand of hair out of your face, cursing when you felt the blood smear on your cheek.

He wanted nothing more but to lean forward and wipe it off, perhaps clean it up with his own mouth just to see how he tasted on you, but he remained rigidly seated like a statue, his mind a battle field of desire and rationality.

You were none the wiser to his predicament, taking his sudden silence as a side effect of pain or shock. You took to murmuring encouragement and random things about your own day, partially to fill the silence and partially to make sure the boy was still rooted into reality instead of floating into the realm of dark memories, just on the off chance that the sight of his own blood and the feeling of pain brought them forward. You told him about the stupid Charms project you’d taken up for extra credit, letting a dagger float around in a coordinated pattern, and how you'd been sitting at it for hours on end before he barged into your room, startling you into sending the dagger straight at him. He made the occasional grunt of agreement or let out a snort at a particularly funny joke you cracked, and after a few minutes that felt like an eternity, the bleeding finally seemed to stop enough for you to be able to actually inspect the wound.

It looked worse than it actually is, not too deep and not too long, and your entire body slumped in relief at the realization. For a moment, you rested your head in your hands, muttering thanks to whatever might hear you. “Thank Merlin, you're not gonna die,” you said once you looked at Barty again, whose attention had been on you the entire time. “What a pity,” he replied almost too plainly, yet the grin on his face betrayed the self deprecating statement. “Here I was looking forward to bringing joy into my father's life for once,” you rolled your eyes so hard you worried they might actually fall out, and you could only lean forward to hit his shoulder with a warning scoff. “Don't be mean to my best friend,” you chided “That's my job, I can't afford to lose it in this economy.”

“So true, the prices are ridiculously high these days,” he mused, eyes glimmering as he watched you disinfect the wound and bandage it up.

“Exactly! I mean come on, 5 galleons for a pack of chocolates frogs? Do they think all of us are made of trust funds and old money?” Barty, unable to hold in his snort at your statement, reminisced how you haven't let it go ever since your last trip to Hogsmeade nearly a month ago. If anyone knew how to hold a grudge, it was his Precious for sure.

Absentmindedly, your fingers traced slow circles around the red, angry skin of the gash, careful to not press or touch anything that might elicit unnecessary pain. Barty’s entire body went stiff at the soft touch, so gentle and soothing, like he was made of porcelain and too fragile, the lightest press of your thumb against his thigh a breaking hazard. It was a stark contrast to how he was usually treated, but he’d come to accept it from you. While he hated being seen as vulnerable and weak — because he was everything but that—, he found himself relishing your touch and care, for it stemmed not from pity or underestimation but genuine care and love. And oh how he soaked up every ounce of affection you gave him, starved of it for his whole life but finding you there to give it to him like a steady stream flowing from the creek of your heart.

You took his stiffness as a sign of discomfort and swiftly withdrew your hand to stop the ministrations, almost missing the imperceptible whine of dissatisfaction that barely escaped the boy’s lips. When you stared at him with a puzzled look on your face, he greeted you with one of his own, cleverly covering for his mindless slip-up.

When it seemed like he hadn’t actually made any sound, you were content to get back to treating the wound, your fingers brushing over the tools in the first aid kit.

After realising the wound wasn't life threatening, your mind had cleared up significantly, rendering you able to think and remember what you needed to do to properly take care of the gash. You grabbed a bottle of blue disinfectant alongside more of the gauze, dousing the latter in the blue solution before pressing it against the injury.

The lack of warning, coupled with the sudden action, had Barty hissing and bucking in pain, even if the momentary sting left an aftertaste of pleasure in its wake.

You glanced up at him, your expression one of sheepish apology, before dapping the gauze carefully on the cut.

“’M so sorry, just a bit more yeah doll?” you murmured, your other hand coming up to rub along his knee. Barty wasn't sure what knocked out the breath out of his lungs first; the endearment, the touch or perhaps the sincerity and care that he could feel seeping into his cold and hollow bones with every second he spent in your presence? If getting stabbed by you meant he could have you this close, this warm and soft and attentive all for him? Merlin, he'd let you stab him over and over again, like he was your personal pin cushion.

He tried to keep the noise to a minimum, alongside the flinching in fear of losing your touch. The last thing he wanted was for you to let go of him, as selfish as that sounded. He quite liked having your full attention on him, like nothing else in the world mattered as much as he did.

Selfish and self-centred? Maybe.

Did he give a fuck? Not in the slightest.

A tap against his knee brought him out of his reveries, and his eyes met yours in a questioning manner. “Whadya say, darlin’?” he asked, trying his best to sound casual “Too busy enjoying your hands on me.”

His comment drew an amused chuckle from you, much too used to his flirtations. You never quite knew whether he meant it or not, all those playful jabs and nudges that toyed the line between friendship and something more, yet neither of you made a move to explore that territory, too afraid to lose what you had.

“I said I’m putting some of that scarring ointment on the wound,” you said, repeating the statement that had been lost on him. You’d already grabbed the small tub with the greenish paste. When you uncapped it, dipping your finger into it to apply it to his wound, you were surprised by his sudden recoiling, as if the mere notion of applying the ointment would sear his skin down to his bones.

“Bee?” You asked, surprised to see him flinch away from you.

He was mortified at his own reaction, not having had enough time to control his movements. He didn’t quite know how he could explain this to you, why he flinched away when you’ve been nothing but a perfect caretaker, inspecting and treating his injury.

Just as he began to sputter out a messy apology and an explanation, realisation dawned on you. You weren’t stupid, just like Barty knew you better than anyone else, you had the privilege of knowing him like no one else had. You’d watched him get into fights more often than you could count. You’d talked to him plenty about it of course, unable to just stand by as he destroyed himself, body and soul, over and over again. What had bothered you the most was him never properly taking care of his injuries, opting to let them fester and scar until his entire body was littered with gashes and cuts of various sizes. Over time, you’d come to understand that he didn’t necessarily enjoy the act of fighting itself, but rather how alive he felt with each punch, with each crack and broken bone. The scars were a testament to his existence, proof that he hadn’t been complete worn numb by life and its hardships. He liked the reminders, liked to look at them and trace along their edges whenever he felt himself slip away into the darkest corners of his mind, and you’d figured that this gash was no exception.

“You want it to scar,” you said, not a question but rather a fact. You watched as colour rushed into his pale face, mouth falling open and closing in a comical fashion. He could muster up nothing more than a nod, knowing that trying to talk his way out of this wasn’t an option.

Softly, you traced along the edge of the gash, your eyes never once leaving his. “Why?” There wasn’t an ounce of judgment in your voice as you posed the question, just pure curiosity and the need to understand him.

Silence blanketed the room as you patiently waited for him to answer your question. His eyebrows furrowed in that typical Barty manner, the one that made the silver piercings in his eyebrows more visible, catching the lights around him. When he spoke up, his voice was quiet, almost too quiet, as if afraid that speaking any louder might shatter both you and him.

“I want your mark on me,” out of all the answers he could’ve given you, this one was the last one you’d expected, yet somehow the most perfect Barty answer of them all. His love had always been that way, all teeth and scratches, leaving marks in its wake as evidence that he had been there. In the same fashion, it made sense that he wanted love in the same manner; with marks left on him to prove that he was loved.

It was crazy, really, how much you understood him. It should’ve scared you, weirded you out at least, but no such sensations arised. There was only love and understanding cursing through your body for the boy you called your best friend.

Emboldened by his vulnerability, you found yourself leaning in closer, your lips ghosting over the edge of the gash before pressing them down in a gentle kiss. “It’s alright,” you mumbled “You can keep it Bee, ‘m not judging you.”

His breath hitched at the feeling of your lips pressed so closely to the wound, mind reeling at having you so close, so understanding and so incredibly loving despite him being so himself, a warning in and out of itself.

“Does that mean you’d be down to giving me another one?” He asked jokingly, trying his best to lighten the mood by even an ounce.

“Maybe,” you quipped back, pulling one of the bandaids out to put it over the wound. “If you ask nicely, I might,” you grinned up at him, enjoy in seeing him squirm for once. His eyes drifted to the dagger, mind running wild with anticipation.

“Please?”

“Is that the best you got, doll?”

“Bold statement for someone who just stabbed me,” he retorted “And took off my pants without asking!”

With a snort, you stood up, patting his thigh softly before putting the first and kit on the ground to sit beside him. “Well when you put it that way, I have no choice but to oblige, no?” You grabbed the dagger, twirling it in your hand before you ever so slowly lowered it down to graze the skin of his thigh.

He was completely still beneath your touch, his breath shallow as he waited for your next move. There was no hurry in your movements, the glinting tip of the dagger barely tracing across his flesh. “What do we say when we want something, doll?” You asked, amused by the extreme change in his behaviour. You’d never seen Barty so complacent and mellow in all your years together, much less because of you.

“Please,” he mumbled “Give me another one?” Subconsciously, he’d leaned in closer to you, hazel eyes almost completely swallowed up by the darkness of his pupils.

A small smile tugged on the corners of your mouth, and not wanting to tease him any further, you pressed the blade into his skin.

You watched as he bit his lips, trying to the best of his abilities to not wince in pain and spurred on by the heat of the moment, you closed the distance between the two of you, crashing your lips against his. The sounds of pain he let out were swallowed by your mouth, moving in frenzied hunger as you let the dagger blade dig deeper into his thigh.

In that moment, you realised two things.

One: You were in love with Barty Crouch Junior, your best friend since first year.

Two: You were incredibly and thoroughly fucked, for you would go to the ends of hell for this boy, the same way you knew without a doubt he would do the same.

And here, in the quiet of your dorm room, your mouth on his and the distinct, metallic smell of blood, you didn’t quite mind going to the ends of hell if it meant you could have Barty by your side.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Okay idk if u wanna do this but May I request a crossover of vita Carnis and Mandela Catalouge headcanons?..

For Adam,Jonah and Mark. Basically they arrive at theyre s/o’s House..and find out they have a pet trimming named Meatloaf or something.s/o treat them like they’re baby like any pet owner would,what are they’re reactions?

Awwwwe yeah my two current analog horror fixations let's goooo

.......

Adam

He shows up at your door right as you were getting food for your pet.

It was especially important that you fed it at this particular time so it would settle down for the night...

But Adam's persistent knocking forces you to stop and answer the door, momentarily leaving it with an empty bowl.

"Adam? What are you doing here so late?"

"Did you get my message? Our client wants us to go to his place now. I got the salt and everything."

"...he's gonna have to wait a minute. I just gotta feed my pet and-"

"C'mon, babe. We can't lose this offer. I'm sure your pet's not gonna starve to dea-"

All of the sudden, both of you hear metal scraping and a loud whining noise that sounded like a dying animal, startling Adam while you just stare blankly at him. "You were saying?"

"..what the hell was that?????"

You decide it's better to just show him, so you go back inside and introduce him to your pet: a small six-legged fat lump of raw red meat with a collar around its neck.

"What the fuck is that?? An alien??"

"No, it's a Trimming. And their name is Meatloaf."

"....that literally explains nothing."

After feeding your Trimming and calming it down, you told Adam a little bit about its role in the Vita Carnis family.

Where you're from, they're common house pets, being even more popular than dogs or cats as they were docile and willing to eat anything.

When you're done explaining, he just stares at Meatloaf for a while, who's now swaddled in a blanket and curled up in your lap.

It looks kinda gross, but he is intrigued.

Apparently, it's trained to sniff out Mimics and scream when it detects one....which has saved your life on multiple occasions, and it did the same when it sensed an Alternate in your house not long after you moved here.

That's cool.

He thinks you should bring it on BPS assignments.

Jonah

On the other hand....

When you mentioned owning an exotic pet, Jonah didn't expect anything like this when he showed up uninvited, letting himself in with a spare key.

"Hey I brought some pizza for--WHAT THE HELL IS THAT, S/O?!!

Babe, please don't scream-"

"Am I tripping or is tHAT A FUCKING FETUS??!!!!" He points wildly to the Trimming sitting in your kitchen sink, covered in soap and looking saddened bc your bf interrupted bath time.

Meanwhile, you're pissed off by his yelling and covered its sensitive ears, glaring at him. "Will you calm down? This is a Trimming..you haven't heard of them?"

"No???? It looks like the goddamn chestburster from Alien! What is it?!!"

He was ready to run out of the house, but you convinced him to stay and you explained what a Trimming is, rinsing off the soap while doing so.

Poor guy's still trying to comprehend why (and how) a thing like this even exists, eyes wide as he watches you dry it off and care for it like you would a puppy or kitten.

It doesn't help that you call it "Meatloaf" and have a cute little bow on its collar/head.

Nothing you say will stop him from getting nauseous, suddenly losing his appetite for the pizza (especially since he got pepperoni and sausage on it).

You reassure him it's not gonna go to waste, instead feeding it to Meatloaf in bite-sized pieces.

Jonah's just in shock as it happily devours them with no hesitation, before it waddles back into your arms for cuddles.

You made it your mission to get him to hold it, trying to show him it's not scary at all.

It's....still a work in progress.

Mark

You knew exactly what he was gonna think of your Trimming.

So you explained what it was exactly, even showing him a photo so he's better prepared to meet it when he comes over.

The last thing you wanted was for him to scream "demon" and throw a bible at your sweet little nondemonic meat pet.

But still...he clams up when you greet him at the door, holding Meatloaf in one arm.

"O-Oh, it's..uh....cute...?" Mark tries his best to be polite, yet his face is as pale as a ghost's.

You're just relieved he didn't panic and cause a huge scene.

However, for a normally social creature...Meatloaf became unusually shy around him, flinching away when he attempted to pet it and whining if you put it down for too long.

It constantly followed you, refusing to be in the same room as him.

This keeps happening whenever he visits, and he's unsure what to do.

So one day he asks if it'll ever warm up to him.

"Oh! How could I forget? Trimmings usually like it when they're sorta "involved" in conversations..if that makes sense." You tell him. "Meatloaf probably thinks you're unfriendly because you talk to only me when you come over."

"....so..how do I fix that? By talking to it myself?"

"Yep!"

"Will it...understand me?"

"Not sure, but it just likes hearing chatter." You then speak to Meatloaf, scratching under its chin to stir it from sleep. "Hey, Loafy. My boyfriend wants to tell you something."

With the Trimming now looking at Mark, he feels...awkward, but he finally stutters something.

"H-Hey, uh...so I'm Mark. But you probably know that. S/o talks about me a lot and...uh....anyways we've been together for a few months. Sorry if I didn't seem that "friendly" to you, but I hope um...you...approve of us..?"

He trails off as it shifts out of your hold and climbs into his lap, curling up and cooing happily.

His eyes are HUGE and he's filled with fear(tm), but eventually makes the brave decision to pat its fleshy head, hearing it...purring?

Then you see his smile.

You're extremely happy about this bonding moment and had to snap a picture of the two.

'Yeah, this one's definitely for the books'

[what-have-i-unleashed]

rivers of red

surprise update for mermaid bunny!! my inspiration do be sporadic lol

anyway, here's to more toxicity between these fucked up skeletons >:3

(cw: violence, toxic relationship, mentions of abuse and suicidal ideation)

it has been weeks and killer still hasn't stepped foot outside of the castle even once.

the others frequently do for their missions. but when it comes to killer, he's always left behind. no one has given him a clear reason yet, and cross, easily the worst liar of them all, has told him to bring it up to dust since he's the nominally their second-in-command. as if killer would ever trust that creep, really.

but having nothing to do except roaming the castle and occasionally going down to the dungeons to ramble at their unfortunate prisoners (more like food source for nightmare) have lost their charm. killer is dying of boredom, being trapped in an empty castle for days on end. it feels weird not being utilized according to his function - he feels as if he's done something wrong. isn't what nightmare has brought him here for? to be an instrument of calamity?

yeah, but shouldn't you feel good about not having to kill anyone anymore? one of the voices in his head inquires.

who cares? it's in your name, killer, another voice crows. maybe kill them all and then nightmare will see your potential.

"i'm not killing anyone here. nightmare won't like that," killer says out loud, as there isn't anyone here to tell him he's crazy for doing so. unlike someone in the gang.

is staying here so bad?

it is! it's so booooring! you need something new, don't you?

but the world out there is such a horrible place! you will have to kill so many people if you step outside.

oh please! you are the most terrifying creature out there. no one will dare cross your path if they know what you're capable of. there's a reason they chose you after all.

killer tunes out the voices as they bicker back and forth. maybe they are right. maybe this is a test and he needs to prove himself in order to be let out of here. he doesn't want to stay here all docile and restless. he doesn't want to be treated like one of nightmare's little meals downstairs, trapped here and waiting for a rescue that will never come.

so when the gang finally comes back, against all his preservation instincts, he goes straight to dust in the great hall, who stills upon seeing him approach.

"we need to talk," he says to dust.

out of the corner of his eyes, he sees cross and horror lingering around, but they don't interfere, just like usual.

what? dust signs to him, strangely reserved.

"i want to go out on mission," killer replies.

i'm not in charge of assigning roles.

"you're nightmare's right-hand, aren't you? can't you just put in a good word for me?"

dust looks at him, his eyelights flickering. after a tense moment, he signs, no.

"what do you mean, no?" killer asks, but dust brushes past him. not letting him get away, killer grabs dust's arm. "hey, i'm talking to you!"

the air buzzing around them is the only warning killer has before he instinctively summons his knife as a barrage of bones shoots up from the ground, angling at his midriff. the attacks don't hit him directly as he softens the impact with his knife in the way. he grins at dust. so now they're speaking his language.

before he can jump at dust, someone grabs the back of his jacket.

"no fighting," horror's voice rumbles behind him. cross also appears in front of dust, saying something that he can't hear. the hooded skeleton seems to be shrinking into himself.

"he started it," killer sneers at no one particular. "if it's a fight he wants, then it's a fight he gets."

"don't be stupid," horror shakes him. "you break him, nightmare will break you."

"what?" killer smiles back at the one-eyed skeleton, all teeth. "little dusty there is his pet or what?"

everything momentarily freezes after what he said. horror's grip on his jacket tightens, and cross looks back at him. and dust - killer won't describe it, but the expression on his face is something else. it only prompts him to open his mouth to spit out more venom.

"you can't fight your own battles, dusty? always needing someone for you to hide behind, like the coward that you are?"

"killer, stop it," cross tells him, softly yet sternly at the same time. one of his arms hold out over dust, as if covering dust from the onslaught that killer is ready to unleash on him.

"even now, you have to have cross here to protect you," killer breaks away from horror's grip as he steps closer to his target. "don't you have shame? can you even call yourself our superior like this?"

dust doesn't reply. he doesn't even move from his spot, as cross resolutely stands between both of them.

"nothing to say, right-hand?" killer sneers.

"killer, that's enough," cross scowls.

"scram, guard dog," killer tilts his head at cross. "this is between me and him."

before cross can say anything, a familiar high whine echoes behind him. a purple light illuminates the hall for a second before the gaster blaster goes off. horror, cross, and killer have all teleported away to a safe distance just in time to see the blaster decimate half of the great hall. as the smoke dissipates, dust stands there, a crazed smile on his face. his bi-colored eyelights dart around and catch killer perching on a railing. killer feels something race through his body, the sensation of adrenaline coursing through his leylines that he has sorely missed. he reciprocates dust's smile with his own as he spins his knife in his hand and jumps.

the ensuing fight between the two of them is messy. killer can't exactly tell the intent between each blow dust delivers to him, but dust does fight like someone who wants to see him dead. dust's movements are jittery and unpredictable - he doesn't move like a regular monster for sure, but neither does killer. dust hesitates a lot mid-fight, his eyes flickering in its colors, but a smack to his face always gets him back into the mood quickly. his crazed grin wobbles at its corners more often the more the fight goes on. and killer notices.

when he sees dust takes a misstep and stumble back, killer swipes his knife at dust. the hooded skeleton's eye flares up, and killer anticipates a counter-attack of some sort - maybe a blue magic grab, maybe another intricate attack pattern that dust loves to do. but no, dust's flare only lasts for a second before it gives out, his eyelights fading back to white. his body relaxes as it falls into killer's knife, and on his face blooms a bloody half-smile. killer stares at it, startled.

he changes the angle of his knife at the last millisecond, the spine of the knife instead of the tip hitting dust's zygomatic bone. a small crack appears on dust's face, another injury on his banged up body. killer grabs dust's collar and pulls him up, the hooded skeleton unmoving like a puppet with its strings cut.

"... what was that?" killer whispers at dust, who remains unresponsive. it's like all his fight just escapes his body. the crack under his eye drips red onto killer's hand. his eyelights bore into killer's empty sockets.

let's just kill him, a voice pops into killer's head. the others will have no choice but make you their superior, right?

and then nightmare will kill us for sure. or worse, make us one of his fixture in the dungeons.

come on, do you really think so? what if the cracked head lied to us? you think nightmare keeps around this unstable coward for his abilities?

you really want to risk that?

dust continues to stare at him, not saying anything. not even a scared expression on his face. just eerily serene and smiling as he watches killer raise a knife right at one of his sockets.

after a while, killer throws away the knife and pushes dust away from him. dust crumbles among the mess they've made, and doesn't get up, his eyes still fixed on killer.

"... if you want to die, do it yourself," killer mutters under his breath before teleporting back to his own room.

he doesn't hear from the others for the rest of the day. he doesn't leave his room, opting to read his meager collection of books for the nth time. with no way to tell the time, he stays vigilant against the door of his room, waiting for the mute maniac to come back for revenge. or worse, nightmare. but dust never comes, the hallway outside of his room blessedly and strangely quiet.

it is a while when he hears a couple of knocks on his door, a muffled voice calling him.

"killer, it's horror. get up."

when killer opens the door, horror is standing in front of him with his arms crossed.

"what's the deal, big guy?" killer smiles, to which horror frowns slightly.

"you're gonna have your first mission with me today."

it takes killer a moment to absorb the words. "wait, really?" he says, stunned.

"unfortunately," horror turns to walk away, making killer follow him. "just a small espionage. don't mess it up."

killer beams, his steps having a little spring in it. as the duo passes by the living area, killer spots cross and dust sitting on one of the benches. cross is mumbling something to dust, his head angling down. dust's head abruptly turns and he locks eyes with killer for a second before killer walks past the living area completely.

as horror prepares the portal to their destination, killer can't help but think about what he's seen, his deformed soul feeling as much discomfited as he is able to. much as he tries, he can't remember dust being injured in his right eye at all yesterday.

And if a double-decker bus crashes into us To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die And if a ten tonne truck kills the both of us To die by your side, well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine

~ there is a light that never goes out - the smiths

[possessionisamyth]

Here's some RE Separate Ways analysis that isn't about shipping because I like Ada. I'm happy her DLC actually focuses on her, but some of the takes I'm seeing are Insufferable. Main statements in bold for ease of reading and skipping purposes.

-Wesker and Ada haven't been working together consistently for the past 6 years. This dripless bitch is calling Ada every five minutes to babysit her. I don't think that's the relationship dynamic of someone you're regularly employed under, and when it is, Ada is not the type of character to tolerate that behavior for 6 years. We know Ada is a contract worker. We can understand she's worked for Wesker on and off, but she's a freelance agent period. She must've done enough jobs for Wesker that he feels the need to check on her and have this constant reporting in to make sure she stays on task since he's clearly used to her not always following his orders. He 100% hired her for this assignment because he knew the situation and compared to the other options, she had the highest survival chances. Which, he was right. High risk, high reward.

Sometimes Wesker's babysitting works: Ada holding Luis at gunpoint when he tries to negotiate saving Leon and Ashley. Sometimes he knows when to step away: "Keep your dog." All of it is in the effort to get what he wants. Look, he let her live. He worked with S.T.A.R.S for years and wanted them all dead. If he worked with Ada regularly and she pulled this shit with the amber, he would've had that helicopter blown out of the sky. There's always some restraint with personal distance, especially with a guy who thinks so highly of himself.

-Luis is a drama queen. In the regular game, Luis acts cool and under control to the best of his abilities around Leon and Ashley. It's a part of his newly found hero-complex even though he does still know when to ask for help: "save me prince charming!" In the DLC, we see the real side of Luis. The one who's scared, and dramatic, and knows when he's not shooting with a loaded gun so to speak. When Ada tells him to leave her to fight, he does. He wants to help, but his respect for her abilities sends him fleeing like she orders him to. Also, like every scientist, he has zero self-preservation! He ran into a fire that clearly would kill him to get medicine. And the exchange afterwards? "No! Now you'll all die!" "Make some more medicine." "Oh..yeah...I can do that. I do have that ability."

The flamenco dance. "Are you mad at me???🥺 You're mad at me!😭" This man understands Ada can kill him without blinking, but still can't keep his composure around her. This is such a fun dynamic to explore in fic for expansion stories and "Luis lives" au's. The DLC gives him breaks to freak out and panic, whereas the main game holds the "cool persona" moments after Leon saves him. Even his dying words to Ada. This man is bleeding to death and still can't shut up. I love him.

Okay, that's all I gotta say about the loser men. Now for the star of the DLC. Ada. :)

-Ada "Sans Undertale go into my eyes" Wong. The methods Ada uses in the DLC are fun and appropriate. It's not invasive and in your face unlike another agent, but more subtle. She can track footprints, fingerprints, gauge the safe distance required for her grappling hook, and she knows when she needs to fight and whens he needs to run. Her practicality has always been the cleanest of the entire cast due to her being a spy, but this time we actually get to see this trait utilized through her tools.

-Ada is silly and quips her own jokes to get through it. Something I'm not seeing anyone talk about including the aeon people who are claiming anything they can get, is this specific humor parallel between Leon and Ada in the remake. Both of them have gone through the horrors of Raccoon City. Both of them went right back into very difficult military in function style work which always has a body count. I talked about Leon's humor coping mechanism here [X], but to hear Ada do the same thing? I feel like they went under the radar because they don't sound as stupid as Leon's quips, but they are still so stupid. "Nighty night." "Lights out." "Bring me a real challenge next time." "Now look at the mess you've made." "You think that gun will be enough?" She and Leon even share the same "Next," line!

If I had 80GB to spare on the game, I'd see just how many more I could get out of her. Like, these are dumb as hell. She's found a method to cope with the horrors she's witnessing that just so happens to coincide with Leon's. I'm not saying this as a marker of whatever romance you've tossed them in or even to diss any other romances. What I am saying is that they have a similar type of mental illness resulting from trauma, and they ended up using the exact same coping method despite never seeing each other.

Ada fans who hate Leon! This opens a door for you when it comes to character analysis and how Ada deals with her PTSD and/or depression! Run through it RIGHT NOW!

-Ada's infection pulls a lot more weight than it seems. I've seen some people say Ada's parasite should've been removed the same as Leon's and Ashley's. (Which is an extremely unsubtle argument to get them all in the same room for your shipping nonsense.) However, something I noticed with the DLC were the parallels to the troubles in RE2. The Black Robe/U-3/Pesenta monster is the first time where we get to see Ada dealing with a stalking enemy. Due to RE4 being so much more plot-lined streamed to maintain the flow of gameplay, these events were not allowed to be random, but the narrative purpose remains. Ada gets to have a stalking enemy in her DLC like Claire and Leon did in RE2 with the addition of a hubris check.

The hubris check? Well, Ada has never been infected until this DLC. In the original games, she can step back and watch people die because she doesn't know what it feels like. Now she knows what it feels like. The lack of control. The pain. The slow turning. Her job has had her flirting with death for years, but not in a way she can't fiddle with the odds. A parasite is not something a person can distract with words. The action to steal the amber is backed up via personal experience not just a morality code slapped on. The addition of Wesker's correction to "billions of causalities" means she's included in that number and just cements her incentive to flee. She's not doing this for Leon. She's not doing this for Luis. She's doing this for herself, and if it so happens to help other people then it is what it is. After being on both sides of the coin when it comes to viruses, she can no longer function as entirely impartial to the work she's doing.

-Ada doesn't ask for permission but asks for forgiveness. Don't take this phrasing literally. She doesn't ask Wesker to forgive her. What this means is that she'll do something before asking, and if it upsets people then she'll course correct. Her job is not the kind of job where she needs to take orders for every action she implements which is why Wesker calling every five minutes was annoying as hell. In the OG RE4 she kind of argues with Wesker for Leon to live for "his usefulness", but it's swiftly shut down until it's convenient to Wesker for Leon to live. This forces her to sneak around and betray Wesker multiple times to save Leon secretly, and the concept rightfully gets thrown into the garbage for the remake DLC.

The scene in the bedroom where Wesker tells Ada not to become a liability after taking her blood? Ada doesn't fight to get her shit back. Some people said this was flirting. Wrong. This is Ada seeking forgiveness after the fuck up of passing out in the middle of an active field by letting Wesker walk off with an infection sample. She then makes sure not to fuck up a second time in the same way, and she doesn't. She learns the signs of her parasite so in case she does pass out again, she'll be somewhere much less conspicuous. She listens for the changes in her environment and the feelings in her body and prepares herself for what's next.

-Ada saves Leon and Ashley for Luis' sake. I stated earlier that Ada's action to take the amber was for her own sake but ends up helping others. This is the exact situation going on when Luis talks about getting the suppressant. She needs the suppressant in order to do her job and kill the black robe so she can heal. It just so happens that Leon and Ashley need the suppressant for survival reasons too. They are an afterthought until Luis dies.

We watch Ada question Wesker and his plans all throughout this DLC, and she comes to her own conclusions after her experience working with him. She could've gotten the amber back and let the whole place blow into smithereens like Wesker intended. Who cares about the president's daughter? Who cares about another dead federal agent? Luis did. He cared so much he died for it, and just like that other clown in Raccoon City (aka her), she got emotionally attached. If there was anything she could've done for Luis to make his death mean something, it was this act.

-Ada sells Leon's jacket. This isn't analysis, but I thought this was funny as hell. ACAB! No exceptions! Freeze your tiddies off, Leon! I don't give a shit!

-Ada's new outfit is still better than her old one. It's still not the best they could've given her. I'm also not speaking from a fashion point of view when I say this. In the OG RE4 we see Leon in a jacket which is forcibly removed to show off his pecs to the ladies, but it clearly marks a colder time of year. OG RE4 Ada has arms out, legs out, and tits out because a hoe never gets cold. The sweater dress for the remake re-establishes that it's colder here because even Luis doesn't lose his jacket. Ashley doesn't lose her jacket either until they yoink it off her for ritual reasons. I still hate that the thigh high boots have that heel and would prefer the flats, but that's going to be in the complaint paragraph below.

-Capcom sexism at play once again. I don't give a shit about rigs and motion capture or whatever, her walk cycle was 2 adjustments from being full Bayonetta, and I hate it. The ass shots? Disrespectful. Her heels didn't have to be that high. Never heard of a kitten heel? They exist. The people who worked on RE3 Remake and worked on this DLC sure love to make a woman vomit don't they? Why the fuck was she so clean the entire game? She was being thrown around and tossed in the dirt a lot, but this woman's skin is shinier than a waxed apple. Either she has some wet wipes on hand, or god forbid women get filthy. Absolutely zero reason she shouldn't have been looking as rough as Leon by the time she gets on the helicopter! No reason at all!

That's all they wrote! I love Ada. I loved this DLC, and I loved the dynamics going on here even though I hated every time Wesker was on screen or opened his mouth at all.

As much as I would love to expand this post and go further into the changed Ada and Leon relationship, I frankly hate all the takes I've been seeing so much on either side of the Aeon debate. I hate the ongoing conversation around it so much that I don't know if I want to discuss this at all. The Aeon should've gotten this if not for Luis and Ashley side and the Aeon is dead side going back and forth with each other? All of you put on your clown noses! None of you are looking at this situation objectively to see where the lines cross and where they run alongside each other, and frankly I'm tired! I could clear this whole table off so both of you can get exactly what you want based on what you're not actually interpreting from this media, but I won't! Kill each other!

[iri-desky]

Oooooh I saw your reblog on my post and I'm intrigued to see what you can do! >:D

If you have the time, I would like to request for a Horropedia x fem!reader for a headstart... Maybe specifically with the reader also wearing glasses? It would be funny if he asked if the design is from any movie and stuff XP

No rush and good luck! 🙌

Thank you so much for the ask, yay! I tried my best. And sorry for the wait! I had school finals ;-; Didn't really have much time nor energy to write--nonetheless, I enjoyed this!

___________

(◇BESPECTACLED ◇)

♡ Horropedia x Fem!Bespectacled! Reader

♡ Type: Narrative, One-Shot-- Reader Self Insert (denoted by (y/n))

♡ Genre: Romantic Fluff

♡ Content Warnings: None!

Enjoy~

___________

"I'll admit, I can absolutely say the first X-Ray Monkeyman movie is fantastic, although the second film is compartively sub par..."

It was a quiet evening, sunlight flowing through the windows and painting the room in scarlet and tangerine. Within the pallid walls of the foundation, you were assigned the blandest of paperwork.

Well, it would've been a quiet evening if it weren't for Horropedia's--your best friend and current coworker-- perpetual chatter.

His voice tends to carry, Horropedia's, although nonetheless you didn't quite have the heart to silence his persistent jibber-jabbering. The absolute glow on his face whenever he discussed one of his favorite horror movies or was asked about the latest horror debate was incomparable to anyone you've ever seen, a gleaming grin on his face as his glasses shimmered with a tiny, piquant starlight in the evening sun. Eyes like honey, delicate and sweet, and an intellect, serrated, sharp.

Indeed, he had not a tint malevolence of in his jabbering or gaze, just passion.

"Hey! ... (y/n)? Earth to Miss (y/n)! You alright there?...It looked like you're looking straight into the void. Careful, the void stares back should you gaze too long," He chuckled heartily, taking a swig of his coffee.

"What? Oh, nothing." You muttered, shaking your head-- you blinked rapidly in the light of the sun, attempting to reorient yourself. "Lost in my thoughts. But, anyway, I still think the second movie's better than the first." You chuckled.

He smirked as he processed your counterclaim. "Actually, while I can respect your point, the first film is definitely better than the first. Scares are higher quality, the actors give a more believable performance..."

"Well, didn't the second film have better marketing?"

"Not quite. While the second film had a more active marketing campaign, the first one was more successful. In fact, in one of their first screenings, they sold limited edition glasses similar to the pivotal artifacts from the movie. It was only sold at the premiere, it was a huge success... in fact, these glasses aren't ordinary spectacles," He stated, proudly, pushing up his own glasses. "They were in fact the glasses sold at its premiere!"

"Oh, wait," He said excitedly, rushing over to you, "Those glasses look familiar... did you get them from the film's premiere? I did, myself--" He slipped off his glasses and stepped in front of you, proudly presenting the inner pattern of the frames to you, bumping shoulders with you. He was so absorbed in his ramblings, he didn't notice the streak of pink dashing across your face. "They may not look like much, but see here? This inner pattern--it's highly distinctive!"

Your face brightened at his enthusiasm. "I don't think so, but I guess you can look sometime."

He turned up to you, and slipped on his glasses again. "Wait, lemme see here for a second-"

Before you had a moment to object, he stepped right in front of your face and was peering to the side, in an attempt to see the inner rims--in doing so, he bumped noses with you as you gasped in surprise. It took him about three seconds to realize what he was doing.

One -- he touched noses with you, brilliant eyes amber in the dying sunlight, enthralled by his passions.

Two -- he peered to the side, searching for that telltale pattern in pure, analytical fascination.

Three -- he pulled a strand of hair out of your face, behind your ear, his movements, delicate.

It was to get a better view.

After that final moment ticked by, there was a beat as Horropedia stared at your face. Then his cheeks flooded with fuschia, his eyes growing wide as saucers. His hands began to shake.

"Oh." That's all he could stutter out.

For once, he had nothing to say.

"...I guess I'll...I'll...um..."

He slowly slipped off your glasses, taking a step back--just one.

He then, shakily, slipped off his own.

He stared down at the two pairs in his hands.

"...nope...haha...yours aren't the souvenirs..."

You couldn't speak.

His head tilted up again into your direction, glancing up at you as he continued to awkwardly fumble with both your glasses in his hands.

"...(y/n)?"

"...mm-hmm?"

"...Have I ever told you...uh...you look...look...I love the way you look...with...uh...your eyes with...your eyes are really gor--gorgeous with no glasses and your glasse-"

He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. You had cut him off when your lips touched his.

It was a gentle, saccharine kiss, his supple lips meeting yours with adoring pressure and fast succession. His kiss was zealous, albeit pure--and clearly, he didn't mind it at all.

He was so absorbed into the kiss that, several moments later, both of your glasses clattered to the floor from his hands.

He dragged himself away, his visage frazzled and--to say it plainly, an absolute blushing mess.

"...Whoops," He chuckled, reluctantly bending down to scoop up both of your spectacles. He handed yours over, hands still shivering. "I--I believe these are yours." He said with an awkward grin as he shoved on his own glasses, brushing stray hairs out of his face.

You grappled your own glasses in your hands, an involuntary smile tugging at your lips.

"...(y/n)?" He asks.

"Yeah?"

"... thanks for listening to my stupid questions."

You step back up closer to him, his flustered expression a badge of his affection.

"It's my pleasure," You smile. "And, Horropedia?"

"...yes?"

"... would you like to take your glasses off again for a second?"

_________

I had a great time writing this, but just FYI that this is my first request anywhere! So definitely feel free to give me some feedback. Hope you enjoyed!!

[pillowhoep]

Unstable Elements .𖥔 ݁ ˖ S. Mingi

Summary: You're just trying your best to get through college and stay on track; all of that gets ruined when you meet your new lab partner, Mingi, who has more than a couple skeletons in his closet.

Pairing: fwb!mingi x female!reader

Genre: angst | non-idol au | college au l e2l (ish)

Rating: 18+

Word Count: 7.2k

Content Warnings: cursing and nicknames (Mingi says princess)

Notes: Hi, this is my first fic. I wrote most of this, but it's so long that I'm gonna to split it up into parts. Yay, I hope someone likes this. I'll survive if you don't.

Update: I changed some things because I'm never satisfied with my work ;)

The nerves of your first day in lab are reaching their peak as you drive. This class was notoriously difficult despite only being a few credits but you were ready for the challenge. With your minimal lab experience, you knew you’d struggle but it was a stepping stone. After parking your car in the lot of the Life Sciences Building, you notice there are still 20 minutes left before lab so you take the extra time to read over the protocol once more. After you finish reading the steps for today’s experiment, you do just one last check of your hair and face to make sure you still look cute. You walk inside the maze that is the Life Sciences Building, hopelessly looking around for room 296B. All of the hallways looked straight out of a horror movie, flickering lights and all. You notice a couple of students lined up outside one room in particular, to your luck it is your lab. 

You take this as a chance to do some flashcards for another class. Putting in your headphones, you begin to zone everything out. Flipping through card after card, the material was beginning to get easier for you, this exam is gonna be a breeze. A special soft-study playlist blared in your ears so you didn’t notice the stranger who attempted to make conversation with you. That is until you feel two light pokes on your shoulder, you angrily sigh taking your headphones out. You clearly did not want to be bothered and what could possibly be so important that someone would have to interrupt you. You turn around to a tall blonde guy waiting for an answer from you. After taking a better look at him you were happy that he interrupted your study session, he is literally gorgeous. His hair was a little messy, but it fit his face so well. The smile on your face stretching practically ear-to-ear as you grinned up at him, taking one headphone out of your ear. 

“Sorry?”

“Didn’t we meet last week? Stacy?” Your smile immediately drops when you recognize his famous deep voice. Song Mingi. Every time you’ve seen him he’s been loud, stupid, brash, and only shown interest in one thing. He always has some crazy rumor going around about him, last week you heard he got caught having sex in some professor’s office. Big yikes and a hard pass for you. “No, I don’t think we’ve met, unfortunately.” You give him a sarcastic smile and turn back to your phone. Feeling him staring at you, you face him, “I’m pretty sure you can tell I’m doing something,” and immediately start doing flashcards again. Before he can retort, the door of the lab swings open and your TA is hanging out of the door frame with one hand and a perfect smile on his face. He was pretty eccentric-looking for a STEM major with his dyed hair and colorful clothes. “Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait. Please follow me” the hoard of students follows behind the man who has a lot of pep in his step. “I am Hongjoong, your TA for the semester, I will be leading this lab. You guys have been assigned partners and stations…” He droned on about lab safety, chemical hazards, fire hazard, eye wash station, and the like. He finally sends you guys away after about 20 minutes of safety. You get to your station, situating yourself by putting your backpack away in the cabinet below the station. You bend down to take out your lab protocol, smiling to yourself because you remembered to print it out. You were so good, you thought to yourself. You see Mingi approaching you from the corner of your eye and pray he isn’t going to talk to you again. Instead he quietly makes his way around you and places his bag in the cabinet on the other side of your bench. What is going on? You look at him disgustedly, he laughs when he notices you staring. “Look at the board, genius,” he said, pointing his finger at the board. You whip your head around to see Mingi Song as your assigned partner. Luck is never on your side. You roll your eyes and turn your body away from him. The lab period begins and everyone settles into their places with their partners. As the TA was doing his rounds he spotted a student not practicing lab safety, “uh, Mingi is it? No phones in the lab.” Mingi shoots him an annoyed look and sighs audibly before shoving his phone into his back pocket. “I don’t have the protocol–“

“That’s fine. I’m sure your lab partner–“ he turns around to find your name on the board. “Y/n. I don’t think she’d mind sharing, right?” He was giving you such a sweet smile, how could you say no? You give Hongjoong your most innocent smile and slid the protocol towards Mingi. Hongjoong did a little clap and walked away. “Thanks” Mingi scoffs at you. “Of course” you roll your eyes at him. You guys worked in silence, refusing to talk to each other. The lab bench was relatively small so Mingi would hover over your shoulder to get a better view. Every now and then he grazes your back but since his frame is so large you're basically suffocating. 

“Can you move over?” Mingi slowly turns his eyes to you and quietly moves over. You hear him huff and see him struggling to light his Bunsen burner. He takes a deep sigh with his eyes closed, and turns to you, reluctant to speak. “You mind helping?” Motioning him away from the bench, you attach a rubber tube to the gas nozzle in the wall and attach the other end of the tube to the burner. After turning the gas on you grab the sparker and a single steady flame erupts from the burner. You turn to Mingi to see him already frowning at you. You hand him his sparker, “try reading the lab manual next time and you won’t be so lost.” He snatches the sparker from your hands and continues the lab. Mingi quietly thanks you for the help but he doesn’t understand why you dislike him so much. The two of you just met and will have to interact for the next three months. Even though he's trying to be cordial with you it’ll only last so long. Lucky for him, you were smart so his situation wasn’t all that bleak. It took you like 30 minutes to set up and finish the lab. The test tube in your hand looked perfect, just like the protocol, and if you were nice enough maybe Mingi could leave early too. You have to throw away your results anyway so what’ll it matter if he uses your work. But before Mingi can muster up the courage to ask you, you begin to walk towards your TA. As soon as he gives you a thumbs up, you race to pack your things. This late night lab was a horrible idea, it’s already 9:30 and you have an assignment due at midnight. “Hey y/n, before you leave—I know you’re gonna throw your results away, so would it be cool if I—” 

“No.” You drop the tube in the biohazard bin and swing your backpack over your shoulder. His pretty face and deep voice could have convinced you to help him but you don’t care, it's not like you’re gonna need him. So you leave without saying another word to him.

It’s the second lab and you are very set on finishing the lab early but Mingi is all over the place. He forgot to print his lab procedures, again, so you guys ended up shoulder to shoulder, again, just to read the paper. He hasn’t spoken to you at all. It’s probably because of the last lab, but if you let him cheat off you once he’ll want to do it every time so you set a boundary. Mingi wasn’t good at lab work and he did need help but he’d rather ask anyone but you. Lucky for him, the girls on the bench next door have been eyeing him since last lab. First, he went up to them asking about the procedure and eventually spent the entire lab period at their bench. You weren’t really listening to his conversation but you knew he was trying to take their data. This made no sense because his lab report had to match up yours, so he’s only creating more work for himself. It honestly doesn’t matter because at least he isn’t asking you for your work. Plus, you did not have the patience those girls did. Accepting that you’ve officially lost your partner, you decide to continue your lab with a disappointed sigh.

The first to finish today, you confidently stride to your TA with your yield. “Wow, this is a great yield! Y/n, right?” You nodded. “You finished really fast last time too, I should’ve guessed you’d kill it today too. It looks great, you can head out.” You head back to your bench, still high from the praise, grab your things, and prepare to leave until you overhear Mingi talking to your TA. Despite his lack of effort, he managed to make it through and finish at the same time as you today. Even though you watched the lecture last night and read through the protocol in your car, Mingi got the same grade. All he did was ask the girls working beside your shared bench for their results with his deep ass voice and they folded immediately. Of course they did, pretty privilege is ruining society. After cleaning up the mess you made, you head out in a rush, slipping your headphones into your ear and finally you can relax until you hear fucking Mingi call you. Deciding to ignore him, you keep walking. He calls your name one more time, so you turn around to face him with your arms crossed in front of you because it was getting awkward.

“Yes?”

“Can I see your data sheet? Just for the report, I have everything else though—“

“No. Do your own work.” You turn around and start walking but he follows you. 

“Jeez lighten up, y/n. It’s not that big of a deal–.” 

“Okay then don’t ask me for stuff.”

“I’m not copying off you, I just want to compare—“

“No.” He turns his head away with tsk in a bout of frustration.

“What the fuck is your problem?”

“What?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me. What’s your problem with me, I just met you.”

“My problem is that you’re lazy. I’m your partner, I’m not gonna do everything for you.”

“When did I ask you to do anything? Yeah, I asked for help once but I don’t think that’s a crime.” Both of you are seething with anger. He turns his eyes to the floor with a small, tired sigh, “you know what, you’re right. I shouldn’t be cheating but I just need an estimate. I don’t wanna fail this class, please.” Yeah you don’t like him but you’re not a monster. You kneel down angrily and pull the sheet out of your bag with frustration and nudge it towards him. He smiles down at you, “Thank you.” For a while, he was flipping through the sheets trying to absorb whatever information he could before handing it back to you. “You know, you’re actually kinda cute when you’re nice.” Your mouth fell open as you snatched your sheet back, you hated to admit that Mingi calling you cute caught you off guard. He chuckled at your face as he walked around you towards the staircase. “Don’t talk to me like that!” You yelled as he kept walking down the hall. He turns around, walking backwards and mouths, “so my type,” before heading out of your line of sight. You stood there for a second, your face growing hot. It’s so embarrassing that Mingi, out of all people, has you blushing like this. He’s so annoying but he’s hot, but none of that matters because he is a bad man. You really need to get out more, maybe touch some grass, or a man. 

The meeting you scheduled with your advisor ran long and you were speeding to make it to lab on time but you were already 20 minutes late. It didn’t help that the Life Sciences Building was in the very corner of the campus. After parking your car, you rush inside. You didn’t even have time to read the protocol so you were practically winging this lab. Hoping that Mingi remembered to print his protocol today, you walk in and immediately explain your situation to Hongjoong who smiles and gives you an “it’s okay” pat on the shoulder (god bless him). As you head to your bench, you see another girl working with Mingi. The both of them giggle as they work. Great, someone stole your spot. You stand there for a second, kind of annoyed, until Mingi sees you and gestures you over. You choose to ignore him and opt to find an empty station in the back of the room. You didn’t need Mingi’s dumbass to do this lab. Sending Mingi one final glare as he worked, you find yourself all alone in a secluded corner of the room. Still upset, you realize that you have no time to be petty, you were already late so you have to start your experiment with haste. Seeing that you’ve changed seats Hongjoong comes over to you looking between Mingi and his new lab partner and you, “he replaced you?” He said laughing. You laugh with him and nod. 

“It’s fine y/n, let me know if you need any help.” He winks at you and begins to walk away, you grab the corner of his lab coat, “Actually can you check this for me?” 

Hongjoong smiles and walks over to you peeking over your shoulder as you shake the liquid in your test tube. His chest lightly grazing your shoulder. You could feel his breath fanning your neck, this proximity is making you nervous so you pull away, slightly. He reaches out for your test tube, his hand engulfing yours for a brief second as he smiles at you. You aren’t sure if he’s flirting with you but for your sanity you hope he isn’t, you cannot afford to develop a crush right now. Eveytime you’ve been interested in someone in one of your classes, you can’t focus on your work and do worse than you would regularly. So you keep avoiding the idea that Hongjoong might be interested. “This looks good. Just follow the protocol, don’t worry. You always do good.” 

He gives you a thumbs up and his addictive smile before walking away. That was all the reassurance you needed to begin with the last step. You face your setup again, ready to continue your lab.

 Deep in concentration, bent over with your hands on your knees, you’re trying to get the best angle to see the bottom of your flask. For the experiment to work, you had to stop the heat right as the solution began to evaporate. It’s so difficult for you to find the right angle so you keep alternating between bending over and standing straight with your head turned.  All of the sudden the water in the sink behind you turns on, scaring you. When you turn around you see Mingi standing at the sink washing a flask that wasn’t even dirty. He turns around to make eye contact with you, you roll your eyes at him in response and continue to fixate on your flask.

 “Why didn’t you come to the bench?” You flinch hearing Mingi’s voice. He’s standing right behind you. “I called you over when you came in.” Your eyes are still fixed on your flask, you do not care for this conversation right now, “You were busy and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“I wasn’t busy, I was waiting for you.” You scoff and stand up straight.

“It’s not that serious Mingi.” 

“I mean, you’re one that’s mad. So I came over here to tell you that I didn’t give your spot away.”

“Mingi, I genuinely don’t care.”

“Then why’d you walk away when I told you to come over.”

“Because I didn’t feel like telling some random person to move, I don't care about the bench that much—”

“Are you jealous?” You take a moment and just stare at him, hoping he’s embarrassed. But he has no shame in his eyes as he laughs at your deadpan expression, you can’t help but laugh at him too because deluded much?

“Jealous of what?” You ask in between chuckles.

“I don’t know, me working with someone else.”

“Yeah, okay. Go back to your partner–”

“See!” Just as you’re about to tell off you can’t help but break out in laughter when you see his face.You’re only laughing because you find Mingi so corny and you don't necessarily hate his flirting.

“What’s wrong with you? Go away, I’m busy.”

“I wanna see how to do it right, so I’ll stay…” He stands next to you, leaning against the bench. You decide to keep going with your experiment, keeping a watchful eye on the flask. Mingi hesitates to say something, his voice is so quiet when he says, “Anyway, it’s not as fun if you’re not there to yell at me.” You almost don’t hear what he says, almost.

“What?”

“Nothing, now come back. I don’t know what I’m doing.” He pushes your shoulder to get your attention but you’re still focused on the flask. He does it again, waiting for you to look at him. Finally, you get annoyed and push his hand away, you’re about to tell him to go away for like the fifth time but you stop when you notice how handsome he looks. What is happening? His eyes scan your face and for a second you swear that he lingers on your lips when he licks his own. Taking a step back, you break the weird tension between you two, 

“Well, I’m good on that so go back to your new lab partner.” He sucked his teeth making a tsk noise, 

“So someone is jealous?” Your breath hitches and you feel yourself get warm again. It’s not like you were actually jealous, but how could he just work with someone else when you’ve been helping him so much? That aside, his persistence is also a bit much for you. You’ve never met a man as adamant as him. 

“Oh please, Mingi you wish,” he takes a step closer to you and the air gets thick. “But, you’re the one who’s mad at me.” 

“I’m not mad. I could’ve used the help today—” 

“Well, it’s not like I told her to come. She just showed up.”

 You turn to step away from him, waving your hand in front of his face, “I don’t care Mingi, stop botheri–” he grabs your hand pulling you back under his gaze. “But I care, y/n. Especially when you get all worked up like this.” His grip still holding you in place as he smiles down at you, you were taken aback by this attack. The words refuse to leave your mouth and for a moment, that felt like an hour, there’s just silence as your eyes meet his. Suddenly, your solution vigorously bubbles out of the flask, pulling your attention away from Mingi. You rush to grab the flask but it’s scalding hot and burns you. Immediately grabbing your hand after you drop the flask on the counter. The liquid inside spilling out as the burn courses through every nerve in your hand, tears threatening to spill out. You whine some curses under your breath clutching your hand to your chest. Mingi grabs your hand, pulling you to the sink and sticks your bright red hand under cold water. You sniffle and look up at Mingi to see his face twisted into a worried frown, unable to look at your teary-eyed face. Blinking away your tears, you turn around to see all of your work gone and sigh at the thought of having to start over.

 “It’s okay, just use my results. He already gave me my grade,” you were going to decline his offer but you seriously did not want to stay any longer. So you quietly accept and thank him. He was still holding your hand under the water. You attempt to pull out of his grasp but his hand tightens around wrist, insisting that he hold it for you. 

“Y/n, I’m sorry. I was just messing around but seriously, I’m sorry,” about to laugh, you see that Mingi is actually upset. His eyebrows furrowed and his gaze stuck on the floor. He was being sincere and it actually warmed your heart a bit. “It’s not your fault, at all. Just a freak accident. But maybe focus on your work instead of flirting with me.” You were trying to lighten the mood and it worked because he finally laughed, 

“Didn’t I say you were my type?”

“Yeah? What’s your type? Smarter than you?” His eyes forming crescent moons as he smiles down at you. 

“Yeah, basically. Smarter than me, rude, burned hand, the whole package.” You send a “hmph” his way and pull away from him. This time he lets you go. While you were putting away your setup, you called your TA over to show him Mingi’s results. “These aren’t your results are they?” You didn’t think your lie would get caught so easily but you knew you looked guilty. “No, I burned myself and lost all of my solution,” holding your red hand up. “Oh no!” He thought for a second, took another glance at your hand and sighed. “You know I shouldn’t do this but I know you worked hard on this lab all alone so I’ll give you the grade. Keep this between us, though, okay?” Hongjoong was so sweet it was bringing a tear to your eye, you nodded at him. “I hope your hand gets better, but next time call me over if anything happens.” You agree to his request and thank your gracious TA with admiration in your eyes. Looking around, you see that everyone has left lab except for you, and apparently Mingi who is waiting at the door. After waving goodbye to your TA, you head out of the lab and Mingi starts walking with you. 

“You said bye to your boyfriend? You sure he doesn’t want a kiss too?”

“Oh my god, I was just telling him about my hand.” Holding up your hand to show him and he visibly gets upset. He’s internally blaming himself for your injury, but it’s weirdly sweet. 

“Seriously Mingi, it's not your fault. I’m fine, nothing even happened.” 

“Y/n, I’ll never work with another girl again okay?” 

“Mingi, it’s not about you. It’s the bench…” He rolls his eyes and laughs. 

“Liar, I know you’re jealous,”

“Yes, Mingi, for your sake, I am jealous. Happy?”

“Yeah. I am actually.” 

“Good.” 

“I also want you to say that ‘Mingi is the best lab partner–‘” 

“It’s really good to have confidence, but let’s calm down Mingi.” You both laugh and continue to talk while walking to your cars together. Once you arrive at the parking lot, you notice that you parked very close to his car. 

“It’s like you’re following me, y/n. Just admit that you’re into me.” He stuck his tongue out slightly while smiling. Ignoring him, you unlock your car and sit inside. You flipped open the mirror taking a quick look at yourself. You were smiling so hard and you didn’t even notice. Your mind wanders to Mingi knowing he’s the reason for your smile. You were surprised by how comfortable you were with him despite this being your fourth time meeting. You hated to admit it but you were kinda into him but you weren’t willing to take the chance at embarrassment. Mingi is so outgoing, handsome, and you knew he was definitely popular with girls. It scared you. He spoke to everyone so easily, even you. He has you arguing with him like a child. You tried your best to resist his charm but you found yourself wanting to see him outside of class or even ask for his number. Lately, your mind has been screaming at you to throw caution to the wind and just take a chance. From the rumors, it didn’t seem like he was the type to date but it’s not like you wanted a boyfriend right now. You’re too busy with school and work. While your experience with men was limited to your one ex-boyfriend, you think that Mingi is also interested… or he’s probably interested in many other girls. You didn’t want to be one of the “many other girls” who were involved with him. Despite that, you still find yourself wondering if you even like him. You know that you enjoy his company. Even with all your uncertainty about your feelings, lab was becoming the highlight of your week. 

The professor who ran your lab offered students extra credit if they attended his research seminars and you were free and would love the extra points. You arrived right as the lecture began and found an empty seat in the back. Since midterms were starting to pick up, you had to do some to keep up with your load. You’ve finished two assignments by the time the second speaker is called up. Clapping, you look around the room and notice there was more faculty than students but the room was starting to fill up. There were only a few seats left but luckily no one sat next to you. The lecture was actually quite interesting, from the few topics you’re able to pick up, you’re going to write a great mini report on this. After finishing a decent amount of work you decide to map out the extra credit report. Your ears perk up when you hear a hushed “excuse me”. Someone is walking down your row and instinctively you move your feet back to let them pass, yet no one passes. You see a pair of chunky sneakers stopped beside you when the seat to your right is abruptly taken. “Funny seeing you here, princess.” Mingi was sitting next to you with messy hair and big glasses resting in his nose bridge. Surprised to see your lazy lab partner, you smile at him. “Princess?” He’s too busy shuffling around to get situated to notice that you enjoyed the nickname. He takes out a notebook and shifts his body into yours and that’s when your internal panic begins. He’s so unpredictable, you never know what he’s going to do. Sometimes he’s rude, other times he’s sweet, you just couldn’t get a gauge on his behavior. Leaning closer to you, pressing his shoulder to yours, he whispers, “What are you doing?” He was so close. Everytime Mingi touches you, whether intentional or not, you immediately lose your train of thought. You mouth homework to him and he fake gags. Continuing your work, you feel Mingi’s knee touching yours. Unsure of what to do you just leave your leg as is. Mingi takes your indifference to his touch as an invitation and puts his arm around the back of your chair, his arm just barely touching your back. He leans into you again to take a closer look at your screen. Your breath hitches, you can feel the warmth emanating from his body. You lean away from Mingi a bit to cool yourself down because you still feel like you’re on fire. He keeps leaning into you to see so you just turn your computer towards him to give him a better view. “You’re taking notes too? You’re so good y/n.” His praises sound a little too good with his deep voice and piercing eyes. If there was one thing Mingi loved, it was eye contact. He stares right into your eyes, you try to hold his gaze but it was too much so you laugh awkwardly and continue your work. With his arm brushing against your back, he brings his mouth to your ear, “you wanna hang out after this?” His deep voice was like honey to your ears. You could smell his cologne, god he smelled so good. He knew the exact effect he had on women. 

“It’s 7pm on a Tuesday, what could we possibly do?” Mingi holds your gaze, looking right into your soul again, his smile slowly widening. 

“You wanna come over? We can watch a movie,” slightly disgusted you look away with an “ugh”. How could he ask you that so casually? You decline his offer after shaking your head, disappointed. He moves his arm from the chair to your shoulder and pulls you toward him. 

“You can’t always say no.” Completely caught off guard with the little distance he’s put between your faces, your eyes immediately fall to his lips. If you move just a bit forward your lips would touch. You could hear your heartbeat pounding in your ears. You were struggling to keep yourself together but he was completely fine. He was waiting for you to answer but you were so overwhelmed by him that your mouth just hung slightly open waiting for words to come out. You snap out of your daze when the people seated around you begin clapping, the third speaker is up. You push him away, embarrassed, remembering you’re at an academic seminar, and he’s unapologetically flirting. He lets go of your face, laughing, but keeps his arm around your shoulder. “Mingi we’re at a seminar!” Angrily whispering at him, you remove his arm from your shoulder. Your heart is still pounding, you can tell Mingi really gets a kick from seeing you so flustered by him. He brings you close again by pulling your arm. 

“So what? if it was just me and you, then what? Hm?” Like a deer in headlights, you can’t speak, move, or do anything.

“Come on princess, say something.”

“We’re not alone though–” Attempting to push him away, you grab his hand to remove it from your hand but he’s so strong. Squeezing your arm slightly but making sure he didn’t hurt you. “Okay, then let’s go and be alone.” He nudges his head toward the door. There was a long pause, you staring at him, eyes wide, and him back at you, a smile plastered across his face. His smile turned into a laugh seeing your shocked reaction. 

“I’m just kidding y/n. Relax.” You can’t help but sigh when he admits he’s joking because mindless flirting is one thing but acting on that flirting? Very dangerous. 

“Good. Don’t be weird. Anyway, I hope you know–” Trying to change the topic but Mingi insists on teasing you a bit.

“Yeah yeah, you wouldn’t survive two minutes alone with me.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Come find out.” Your gaze towards Mingi develops into a smile matching his. You’re so sick of him messing with your emotions, you decide to match his energy.

“Beg me and I might.” He widens his eyes at your response but he was more interested than shocked. Now you’re the one laughing at his flustered expression. This is fun. He licks his lips, and pulls you close by your arm. “Please y/n. I’ll do anyth—” Before he can finish his sentence the room erupted with applause. You’re guessing the lecture has ended, everyone around you was clapping so you two followed. Your brain finally started to work again. God, what was that? What came over you to say those things to him? What is he thinking? Mingi was just aimlessly flirting, but since when did you do that? Mingi is making you discover parts of yourself that you didn’t even know existed. Beg? Since when did you like men to beg? I mean, he did beg. Does that mean you have to go over? There is some downtime in your schedule so technically you can hang out with him. People are walking down your row to leave, you stand up leaning back to make way for everyone. Mingi starts packing his stuff and you begin to prepare yourself to tell Mingi that you’re ready to hang out. He pulls his hoodie and backpack on, you grab his arm hurriedly. His head turns so fast that you swear he could’ve broken his neck, smiling down at you with a big smile like he knew what you were going to say. 

“Shall we–”

“Mingi!” Your declaration suddenly dies in your throat when you see a pretty girl in a mini skirt run up to Mingi and hug him from behind. His arm falls out of your grasp. He, almost as if it’s second nature, turns around and hugs her back, lifting her up a bit. As he puts her down, his hands slide down her body with so much ease like he’s done that millions of times before. His touch lingers on her hips and he pulls her closer to him as he’s talking to her. Seeing him touching her after he touched you has your heart sinking. Your heart was actually aching seeing how quickly Mingi disregarded you. Your ears are refusing to register any word of their conversation, you wanted to go home and leave this embarrassing moment but you couldn’t bring yourself to move or look away. Unsure of whether you were angry, sad, or disappointed, everything gets worse when you tune into their conversation. “Are you doing anything tonight?” She asks him, biting her lip, his gaze following the way her teeth engulfed her bottom lip. He took her in the same way he just looked at you. That was enough for you to pack up and leave because how long can you stand behind him, waiting for him to acknowledge you? You feel like throwing up as you walk out of the hall. Your face is so hot, this isn’t even due to jealousy, you’re just angry. He forgot that you were even there after he did all that during the lecture. What? This is so stupid, you’re so stupid. You sit in your car for a few more minutes ruminating on the fact that you wanted to kiss Mingi a few minutes ago. You even considered going to his place to “watch a movie” with him, you mull over your whole interaction with him with your head in your hands. This whole scenario was so embarrassing and couldn’t have gone any worse for you. You held your hands over your eyes trying to forget every feeling you ever had for Mingi. This was gross and icky but you can't blame yourself for him being a terrible person. He just wasn’t for you. The signs very obviously presented themselves and you just chose to avoid them. You’re glad that you’re going home to study and not hanging with Mingi. Fucking whore.

As he left, Mingi felt really bad for not saying anything to you before you left. All he could do was think about you during the car ride to his place, even with another girl in his arms all he did was think about you. The entire time, he kept wishing she was you. But even with his best efforts, it was so difficult to get through to you. Every time it seems like you like him, he does something to fuck it up. But, god. He wants you so badly, so he’ll keep trying until his interest subsides. His little “fascination” with you has been particularly concerning because it’s never taken him this long to get with a girl. You in lab yelling at him, calling him stupid, getting shy every time he flirted with you, even getting bold lately. No one was like you in any way to Mingi. No one was as fun as you were to him, even the way you insulted him was amazing. It turned him on. He loves when you lecture him in lab. No matter how hard Mingi tried to deny it, it was just different with you. He himself was still trying to figure out what he felt towards you. All he knew was that he loved everything about you: your face, your body, your voice, the way you’re always so on top of everything, he just wants to see you on top of him. So he’s been secretly trying to spend more time with you. He even showed up to a fucking extra credit lecture because he thought you’d be there. Lo and behold, you were there, eyes trained on the slideshow, taking notes or doing homework, whatever you did. He loved how you were so smart, it was so attractive to him. Always so focused on school or an assignment, he loved it. But you don’t make it easy for him, you’re so difficult. You always fight him which is why he really disliked you at the beginning of lab. But, as time went on you’re all he thinks about and he loves fighting with you. He was making progress with you but his little distraction definitely has him starting at square one again because you were not a forgiving woman. He can’t wait for the day he has you under him whining his name but for now, he’ll settle for your “shut up Mingi”. He loves a challenge and that’s exactly what you were.

[kokorosfanfics]

May I request an nsfw Taka x reader first time one shot?

I've been really into Taka lately. Hope you like this! -Mod Kokoro

Kiyotaka Ishimaru x fem!S/O first time. NSFW!

"And that's all our homework done!" Taka beamed out happily. You and your boyfriend would always go to his place after school to do your homework together, and spend the rest of the time doing other kinds of activities. Usually it was studying, or maybe you found a nice movie to watch. Sometimes you found a video game. Or, you made food together. This time though, things would go a lot differently. Way differently.

You got up to stretch your limbs, relieved to be done with that dreadfully long biology homework. It was brutally long, difficult, and sometimes you wondered if they just tossed random words together to sound like intellectuals when they just weren't.

"I think we're both pretty tired after that assignment. Movie?" Taka asked cheerfully. Truthfully, this assignment was child's play to him, but he wanted to be considerate.

"Yeah. Movie sounds good. Let's see what's on." You made your way to the sofa while your boyfriend fetched the remote.

He sat next to you, one arm around you to hold you close, while the other hand used the remote to boot up the TV. You had your head rested on his shoulder, your arms wrapped around him to snuggle into him. He began to flip through channels.

"I don't think horror is good on a school night, we've already seen this sci-fi, maybe a good fantasy is- OH MY GOD!" Taka flinched and dropped the remote. The loud volume combined with perfect timing lead to the sight of a romance movie in the middle of a sex scene.

Flustered, Taka began to scramble for the remote, face blushing madly, his face as red as his gorgeous eyes. You on the other hand, stared wide eyed at the screen, your face heated, and desire welling up inside you. You thought of what it would be like to do those things with Taka. You wondered if he ever thought about it too. Subconsciously, you began to rub your legs together as you thought about it.

"THERE! I-IT'S OFF NOW!" The TV was immediately shut off, and Taka breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wait, S/O are you alright? Your face is very red!" He gently pressed his hand to your forhead.

"N-No love, I'm fine. Just um, I was kind of thinking, well about that movie scene..." You wanted to ask if he ever thought of doing those things, if he wanted to do it with you. But you felt so nervous. What if he was weirded out? Taka was loving though, so would he really?

"Oh? Did it bother you? I'm sorry, I should've had better grip of the remote."

"N-No, not that, but um, the thing they were doing, well..." You looked down, too nervous to complete your sentence.

"S/O..." Taka eyes widened. Were you suggesting what he thought he was suggesting? He's definitely thought of having you in his bed, doing what couples do, but the thought it could happen.

"Um, it's fine. We can pretend that didn't happen." You were too nervous.

"N-No... I get what you're trying to ask. I want to take our relationship to the next level." He told you, placing his arms around you.

You looked up at him. "R-Really?" You asked, excitement burning within you, heating up like a volcano.

"Yes, love." He looked at you with love and passion in his eyes. He pulled you in for a kiss, a deep, passionate and fiery kiss. But also gentle and sweet. You melted into his sweet kiss, throwing your arms around his neck. His wet tongue met yours, and they danced between your mouths together.

He scooped you up in his arms as he began to carry you to his bed. He laid you down gently, admiring your blushing face.

"S/O...." He whispered. "I've been wanting to show you how much I love you for a while now."

Taka began to gently take off your clothing, enjoying more and more of your body coming into view as he undressed you.

"You're so beautiful, S/O. So gorgeous." He began to move his hands across your breasts, and you moved your hands to his shirt. You were dying with anticipation to see your beloved Kiyotaka shirtless, and to see him completely naked. Before you knew it, your wish was granted, and you saw the most ripped and muscular sight imaginable before your eyes. His body was gorgeous beyond words.

"Taka.~ You're so gorgeous. So sexy. I want you." You moaned to him.

He kissed your delicate lips. "I want you too, my love. I want to make love to you all night." He tenderly groped your breasts, rubbing your nipples as he kissed you from your jawline to your neck. He kissed, sucked, and nibbled until he found your most sensitive spot. You moaned out his name in your angelic, wanting voice. He continued to focus intently on that spot that got you going. Taka loved to study and analyze, and his beloved was no exception. He was going to find what made you holler out and moan the most. He left his mark on your neck, a hickey, from him to you, just for you. He bestowed a kiss to it before he went to suck your nipple. He sucked just hard enough that you felt the pressure of his mouth and tongue on you, and his fingers took care of your other nipple. You gently took a fistful of his hair, moaning out his name. He let go of your nipple, and began to leave kisses from your nipple all the way down to your entrance. He took his fingers and spread apart your folds to reveal your clit. He gave it just one lick, and you could feel the shudders up your spine.

"You taste so good. So, so good. I love you S/O." He said before he dived his head down to stick his tongue into you.

"Ahh~ Oh Taka~ Your mouth feels so good.~" You breathed out. Taka began to taste every inch of your sex, licking and sucking your sweet juices. The taste was indescribable to him. It felt as if he were dining on a world class five star meal. He wanted nothing more than to pleasure you, to show his undying love and devotion for you.

So, he added his fingers to the mix. He began to stretch you slowly and gently, making you feel even more pleasure from this act. His fingers felt so wonderful. Stretching you out just perfectly, pleasuring you all the way. Soon, you felt a heat building up inside you. Your climax was nearing.

"I'm getting close~ Oh Taka!~" You cried out, clenching around his fingers and tongue.

"That's right my love. Let me taste more of you. Come on.~" He used his free hand to squeeze one of your thighs, encouraging you to release. Before you knew it, you had climaxed on him. He sucked up all of your juices, slurping up as much as he could, and off his fingers.

You panted after coming down from your high, and you knew what was next. Taka rose up to hover above you, and kissed you tenderly, but passionately. You looked down to see his member, fully erect and big. You went wide eyed at the knowledge it would soon be inside you, filling you up.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt. I'll be gentle, I promise." Your beloved pressed his forehead to yours, reassuring you.

You nodded your head. "I trust you, Taka. Take me, please." You whispered up at him with lovingly and pleading eyes.

He kissed you once more before he began to lift your legs up. "Alright. I will. I'm going to."

He began to slowly inch himself into you, careful not to hurt you. He knew how big he was, and he was going to stretch you. He was going to fill you completely.

"Mmmm~ Taka it's huge. It feels really good." You moaned out.

He had fully entered you now. Completely sheathed in your body. Twitching in anticipation, wanting to thrust already.

"Are you ready? I'm going to start now."

"Yes. I'm all yours, take me." You told him.

So he did. He began to slowly move in and out of you, and each time he went back in, he went just a little harder. He began to pick up the pace, going faster and harder into you, all while telling you how much he loves you.

"S/O, your the best thing that happened to me. I love you so much. I want to be with you forever, and ever and ever. I love you so, so much!" Every word he spoke made him go harder and faster into you, so hard and so good.

"Oh Taka, I love you too. I love you so much, I want you forever!~" You hollered out, hands clawing at his back.

You felt that same heat rising in you once again, but more intense. You knew you'd come soon again. Taka knew it too. He felt you clenching around him, and so he began slamming into you. He bent your legs further down, so he could plummet deeper into you.

You were met with the most satisfying orgasm you could ever even dream of. You cried out your lovers name, feeling yourself ascend, your eyes roll back, and you came undone all over him. He was getting close too. Very soon he'd be joining you in release.

He bent down and kissed you with love and passion, his tongue deep inside as he came. He orgasmed into you, filling you with his seed. The two of you were making out as you both slowly came down from your ascension into bliss.

Soon, the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of your wet, passionate kisses. After a good long while of it, Taka slowly pulled out of you.

You both smiled lovingly and looked in each other's eyes.

"Never forget how much I love you, S/O."

"Never forget how much I love you too, Taka."

He fell beside you, pulling the blankets over the both of you before pulling you into a loving and tight embrace.

"Goodnight, S/O." Your love told you with a kiss on the forehead.

"Goodnight, my love." You said before nuzzling into him and your eyes fluttering shut.

This was just the start of more passionate nights to come.

[horrormogai]

hi! i'm looking for genders i can identify as that are associated with corpses/being a corpse. any gender relating to corpses, death, murder, gore and i was wondering if you could help me find some? i've been struggling to find any that feels to fit

I can certainly do my best!! Lemme roll up my sleeves here and

───────

Corpse Based Labels

[PT :: Corpse Based]

Aldercormangic :: An aldernic subtype that is described as having or wanting a body partially or completely of a mangled corpse.

Aldercorpse :: An aldernic identity where one has or wants to have a corpse-like body.

Assigned Gender At Death :: A neoagab for being assigned a gender at death. Tag can be found here.

Burylexic :: A gender that is/is related to the word ‘bury’.

Cadáblezive :: A GORiN macarshric neogender linked to corpses that are turned inside out. where the insides of the corpses are is up to the genders user.

Coffinrot :: A gender related to coffins and rotting. being a rotting coffin, being in a coffin and rotting, or simply being connected to the two, etc.

Corpflowetopic :: A gender that is gorin/horin (gory in nature/horrific in nature), relating to the idea and/or concept of (being) a corpse with flowers growing out of it.

Corpsegender :: A xenogender / kingender relating to one’s undeath.

Corpselexic :: A gender related to the word "corpse".

Cryptlexic :: A gender connected to or best described by the word 'crypt'.

Deadboycoric :: A gender identifying with feeling as if one is a rotting corpse, living dead boy, or a boy that is dead yet reanimated.

Deadgirlcoric :: A gender identifying with feeling as if one is a rotting corpse, living dead boy, or a boy that is dead yet reanimated.

Deadthing :: A gender related to being dead and a 'thing'.

Decayic :: A gender of or pertaining to decay, the state or process of rotting or decomposition.

Decayxper :: An intenxper when one has such an intense connection to decay that it becomes intertwined with their very being

Decomposegender :: A gender that feels like it's slowing rotting and decomposing. It may feel like it's already dead, dying, or in the process of decay.

Died As X :: A neoagab for those who have died as something, a term similar to Born As X.

Eternaturecorpse :: A gender related to being a functionally immortal corpse that endless gore and torture is inflicted upon.

Fleshgender :: A gender connected to gore, organs, decomposition, organic matter, and being connected to your gender in a sort of detachable, gooey way.

Florcorallion :: An allion linked to both death & rebirth; with flora blooming out of corpses both old and new.

Florcordernic :: An aldernic identity linked to having or wanting a body that is a corpse with flora blooming out of it.

Florcorporis :: A neogender linked to both death & rebirth; with flora blooming out of corpses both old & new, as well as growing around skeletons. Tag can be found here.

Gendercorpse :: A gender system where one's gender is the corpse of an (x), a corpse that is an (x), an (x) and a corpse, etc. You can find the tag here.

Goreimagic :: A gender where it feels related to gore images, images of dead bodies, and stuff like that.

Guromossis :: A gender related to blood, darkness, mushrooms, forests, moss, dark naturalism and gore. It may also relate to rotting organs and a rotting corpse being taken over by nature.

Macarshric :: A neogender that is not xenic or xenine. It is the sum of macabre and horror themes which generally means the distress or disturbed feelings that can arise from death and/or violence. Tag can be found here.

Maggotgender :: A xenogender related to maggots, decay, death, rebirth, worms and bugs.

Misturotic :: A gender that is like a body decomposing in the fog.

Mortelum :: A term for someone whose identity relates to a variety of concepts centring around death, the passage of time, and the intersection between those two concepts. Tag can be found here.

Mortemgender :: A Gender related to the belief that one is dead or dying, a walking corpse.

Mortivior :: A vior term for when one's behavior is related to, or like, that of a corpse.

Necropteric :: A xenogender which feels like a decomposing corpse which is being swarmed/infested by winged insects.

Peacefuldecayic :: A gender connected to rotting flesh, empty eyes, sunken skin, and the beauty one finds in it.

Puscorpse :: A gender related to corpses filled with pus instead of organs.

Rotgender :: A gender related to rotting, corpses and gore.

Vesirot :: A vesility in which all or most of your identity is influenced or affected by rot.

Witherfleur :: A xenogender tied to the concept of decaying in the earth.

───────

If you wanna do more browsing, I recommend going through our tags for death and rot! I hope this was helpful <3

[themswritinwords]

Past/Current/Next WIP Game

This looked way too fun, so I'm hopping on an open tag from @blind-the-winds. Gonna no-pressure tag @northernrosewritings, @hayatheauthor, and, of course, passing on the open tag! (That means you!)

Rules: past is a WIP you stopped working on/finished; current is a WIP you're currently working on; next is a WIP you want to write

Past

I was gonna go for Ethan Ellis, since it's the only one that's officially done in the sense of "in a publishable shape and currently being queried." But then I thought about my first love, Shadows of Flame.

It's post(-near)-apocalyptic high fantasy, wherein the King's right hand man, Ayris, is living a lie. For his own safety, of course, but a lie nonetheless. See, Ayris can do magic. If he'd been around 20 years ago, this would have made him one of the Irriman. Only around 20 years ago, one of the Irriman went off the deep end and tried to take over the known world. She nearly succeeded, too. After having murdered, subsumed, mind controlled, or otherwise squashed all opposing Irriman voices, stealing all their magic for her own in the process, she marched her army of unfailingly loyal supernatural freaks across the continent, steamrolling everyone and everything that wouldn't submit to her rule. An alliance between the three largest and strongest nations managed to stop her. By stop her, I mean kill her. Which is great news, unless you're Ayris. Because not only has he lived his whole life having to hide his powers for fear of getting murdered as a potential threat, it turns out it didn't work. She's back, and she's got her sights set on revenge-- and Ayris.

If we go back to the earliest iterations, I've been working on this one for 15 years. Of course, I don't want anyone going back to those earliest iterations, and I will start torching old notebooks to make sure that doesn't happen. But my point is that I have a special place in my heart for Ayris. I was working on this one in its current unfinished iteration when I had my child 4 years ago, but put it on hold just after covid lockdowns when I realized the pacing I'd had set out just wasn't working. There was more to it than that, but that was the biggest issue I couldn't seem to get past. So I shelved it. But you can't keep a good WIP down, so it'll soon be out of "past" and into "present," and I'm so excited! I've figured out what needs to change, I have a plan, and I even have most of an outline. (Amazing what 2 years on the shelf will do, eh?) But it's gonna have to wait, because....

Present

The Rockbridge Experiment. Urban fantasy meets Southern Gothic, with just enough "dude that's messed up" to toe the line of horror crossover.

Evan Grant is a detective. For now, anyway. She was pretty close to quitting altogether, especially when she got this assignment. Fae in the human district. What could possibly go wrong? A lot, as it turns out, and none of it in the way she expected. When she's paired up with a half-dwarf and a dying elf to solve a string of kidnappings and murders, Evan's whole belief system gets put to the test. The elf just so happens to be able to see the future, which might be handy if they weren't living in a world where magic was hunted to extinction several thousand years ago. Worse, those kidnappings and murders are starting to smell an awful lot like a drunken uncle's favorite dinner table conspiracy theory- that there's folk out there running horrible experiments to try and bring magic back. Evan and her new partners have to solve these cases quickly and quietly, or risk upsetting the delicate balance of human-Fae relations, quite possibly unpausing a particularly uneasy cold war. Add in an undead (maybe possessed) terrorist, the literal monsters in the shadows, and a millennia-old, quite-possibly-all-powerful baddie pulling strings they didn't even know existed, these kids are about to have one heck of a time.

"But wait!" I hear you cry. I thought that was one of the finished ones! And to that I say, "you're right! But I'm rewriting it!" Not editing, rewriting. Why? Because the first draft was, I kid you not, 365k words.

And yes, I may have had three separate alpha readers binge it in less than 3 days and come back asking where the sequel is, and yes, I spent a long time crying in the shower about how much I didn't want to change a dang thing because do you have any idea how long it takes to write 365000 words??? But as much as I love my slow-burn, takes-its-time, thoughtful-exploration-experience version, it's never getting published like this. Hard stop. It's just not. It took a lot of shower tears, but I've accepted that.

I've also learned a thing or two about the craft of storytelling since finishing it the first time, as well as over the course of finishing it the first time--- my writing style matured a lot from the front half to the back, and it unfortunately shows. So did my understanding of story structure, my characters, my own worldbuilding, etc. So I know now what's extraneous and where I want these characters to go, and I had just enough alpha reader feedback to know what landed the way I wanted it to and what didn't. I know what I need to do to make it as tight, coherent, and impactful as possible. So rewrites are underway, and we're not stopping til we've chopped this sucker at least in half! Which isn't to say it's gonna become a novella, not by any means. My best estimate right now is still sitting around 120k, but at least that's within the realm of "non-debut normal-ish" for the genre.

Future

I could cheat and say Shadows of Flame again, because I'm gonna start working on that one as soon as I get Rockbridge settled. But I like having two or three active non-editing WIPs at a time, so I'll also put in a plug for my next brainworm hyperfixation, which I'm currently calling "Fantasy Escort Mission, but with Babies, Goats, and Demons."

Okay, there's only one each of those, but our protagonist Ayla Severin, gets saddled with all three. She only knows about the baby and the goat, though, because the demon is bound to the baby's bodyguard. Why does the baby have a bodyguard, you ask? Because it's the infant prince of the neighboring kingdom. With whom Ayla's country is at war. Because a rebel faction framed Ayla's nation for the murders of the entire royal family. The baby, however, escaped (thanks, bodyguard!), and is living proof of the framing. If Ayla's team can get the prince back to the members of government who weren't part of the coup, they might be able to stop the war and bring the rebels to justice. Unfortunately, the only possible way they're getting across enemy lines without getting caught is through a wilderness so inhospitable that both countries gave it up as hopeless decades ago. That would be hard enough for an elite force of highly-skilled commando soldiers, but this is a baby we're talking about. An orphaned baby, and orphaned babies have to eat, so along comes the milking goat. And the demon? Well, it's certainly not going to be making things any easier, but just what it is up to is anyone's guess. Ayla gets to sort all of that out while also battling her own, less literal demons-- the grief of losing her little family, and the guilt that comes along with it.

So keep a look out in the next few months for early brainrot re: my many Plots, Schemes, and Homemade Blorbos, because I'm super excited about literally all of these!

[zh-lele]

zh-lele's wips

□ here's a list of my wips so I can keep track of them and my progress, and in case any of you (my followers) are interested in a story and wants to let me know (this encourages me to work on them even more!)

□ please keep in mind I don't know when I'll publish any of these, but I'm planning on finishing them all eventually.

□ send me an ask or leave a comment if you want to know more about a story/want to join a taglist! <3

untitled wip #1 (m)

vampire!doyoung x club dancer!mc x vampire!johnny | supernatural & horror

About: In a decaying world, mc is terrified of dying. And what do you do when you want to live eternally? In your head it's pretty simple: you get with your vampire boss and get him to turn you; that you'll have to kill him if you want to keep his fortune is just a minor detail. But, wait! You better get to him before he gets to you first.

Status: 8600 written words

Expected release date: No idea 'cuz this fic will be long as fuck

untitled wip #2

demon!jaehyun x reader | supernatural, comedy & romance (i guess???)

About: When Jaehyun was assigned his mission to become a demon, he never imagined he'd be stuck in limbo for what felt like an eternity, tormenting poor living souls in every possible reality until his superiors decided he'd be ready to work in the big leagues. Sometimes, he thinks he should've just listened to the angels and turned around to enjoy a peaceful afterlife in heaven. That's until he's assigned his last poor living soul, and he starts to doubt if he really wants to ruin your life and never see you again—even if it meant getting banished from the kingdom.

Status: planning

no expected release date

untitled wip #3 (m) | taeyong's part of my 'drifting' series

(was originally titled 'Dancing in my backseat' but there's a big chance I'll be changing it)

street racer!taeyong x reader | romance & angst

About: Find out the reasong why Johnny's gang got separated and get to know Taeyong better while he's still alive.

little preview & drifting masterlist | extra content: taeyong's film archive

Status: outlined

no expected release date

free fall | yuta's part of my 'drifting' series

street racer!yuta x fem reader | romance

About: Running away from all the drama of the past few years, Yuta moves to start a new life in Japan. This time, he hopes he can find some tranquility, opening his own garage in the outskirts of the city. If luck is on his side, he'll finally find love too.

little preview & drifting masterlist

Status: outlined

no expected release date

untitled wip #4 (m)

yangyang x fem reader | romance & angst

About: Another college story about how you (almost) got your heart broken by a player.

Status: planning

no expected release date

[lakesbian]

Sorry, I’m the one who asked the awakening question. You posted some thoughts about the start of 1.7 a couple of days ago, so figured you had finished the chapter by this point. Again, sorry about that, I’ll be more careful in the future.

ohh fair assumption. yeah i didn't think he was gonna do it that soon i thought he was going to get into some more silly shenanigans with the gang (rose) first. and also i am the slowest reader on the planet at times due to comical amounts of executive dysfunction and propensity for distraction. it's no prablem. anyway here's my thoughts about their different metaphorical assignments 2 the items as per requast:

the dagger: "war" is an obvious and common concept 2 ascribe to weaponry, nothing much interesting to note about this one. if i really wanted to read into it i could suggest that they went for "war" instead of "murder" or whatever because war/mass-scale conflict is already on the mind due to they sort of just got dropped into the middle of of a magical battlefield + have nukes to cold war w/ on hand.

hourglass: to quote blake, "Something we didn’t have enough of, something dangerous, foremost in our thoughts, with its association to Laird."

dreamcatcher: blake picks like. the most basic-level interpretation possible (dream), whereas rose's "fate" read indicates that fate has already been smth on her mind. i'm not great at reading into rose yet but there is the whole thing where blake actually has a life outside of The Horrors, despite still being fated to experience 'em, but rose exists pretty solely because of The Horrors. i think she's feeling the pressure of fate much more than blake is + is more concerned w/ the future overall than him and subsequently brings it up here

skull: "doom" from blake and "death" from rose are largely synonymous but i Can get something out of this. i've mentioned before that i don't think blake has fully processed the consequences for a misstep--he's aware of them, but he hasn't genuinely processed them imo. he's very "one step at a time" about everything and very prone to making hasty decisions when he feels trapped, immobile, or like he's not doing anything, and he explicitly counts "sitting down and researching" as "not doing anything." every time he wants to make a rapid decision--or just goes ahead w/ one w/o rose's consent--she's the one to express outright fear of death*, whereas he's more concerned with reducing his immediate psychological stressors (i.e feeling immobile). i think this indicates that he's thinking in significantly vaguer terms (i.e "doom") whereas she's extremely concerned about concrete possible outcomes (like Literally Dying if blake runs off and gets himself killed).

*i think death will probably seem like one of the more pleasant things that could've happened to them later on but i digress

coin: this one is p straightforward. while they obviously both have the same shitty family, blake is a man who subsequently didn't actively fight for the inheritance as a child, so he already doesn't have the same negative association w money rose does. in addition to that, he already absconded from his family when he was 17, and after time spent being homeless + being in very poor financial shape even after he gets an apartment, he associates the idea of money significantly more with positive emotions and good luck than with the inheritance. rose, however, never left home like blake did + was a girl who was expected to fight for it. she witnessed firsthand everything the promise of the money did to the family. hence: blake associates money w/ fortune, rose associates it with ruin.

rose: this one is. exceedingly straightforward, to blake a rose means his grandmother + rose (family), to rose a rose means herself. adding this one to my brain soup alongside padraic's rose metaphor and stirring but i'll need more data points to write anything coherent. I Am Remembering though.

also someone wanted to know my thoughts on maggie so far. i don't really know anything abt her i only saw her for 2 seconds but i think it's so fucking funny that wildbow made Her the part of pact that gets referenced in worm and not blake. like blake is so sopping pathetic that despite being the protagonist he doesn't even get a feature when his own damn book is being easter-egged somewhere else. sorry blake you're just not personable enough. maggie is all plucky and charming and says things like "drat." all you do is stumble around cursing and bleeding. you don't have being a YA protagonist in you.

[mistwraiths]

3 stars

While this book wasn't awful nor hard to push through except for the last 20% because I was ready for it to be over, I do kind of wish I DNF'd because ultimately I didn't really care.

I love sci-fi and aliens so I was expecting to like this book. The worldbuilding, the science and what not doesn't make much sense and ultimately, I was left very confused half the time and looking at the big plot holes the other half. The idea of a reality changing machine or whatever existing is a very fascinating concept but don't ask me to explain how it works or what shadow engines are or shadow jumps or subreal flashes or how the "Princes of the Wisdom" do their things.

None of the characters are really likable at all but I can see that the authors is showing that they're unfortunately products of their fascist, homophobic, racist, etc upbringing especially Kyr because she's essentially a TERRIBLE person and a bully and in the beginning does truly unlikable things such as misgendering; violence against a cuffed alien, and more. I will say I do think her slow come around was done fairly well although it was extremely heavy handed in the last bit.

All the side characters aren't great either, the ones who seemed maybe different are her brother and the nursery assigned girl who actually don't get a lot of focus. I actually felt sorry for how awful Yiso is treated but I LEGIT don't know anything about them??? I don't even understand how they're friendly after one or two little trips into the Wisdom (don't understand that). Avi was the worst but fascinating because he was always choosing AWFUL options and being the biggest bitch ever.

I will give credit to the BIGGEST plot twist I definitely didn't see coming.

However, in my opinion, the execution of what potential could have made this book so cool was that it felt poorly and shallowly done. My big issues is that this book only touches briefly on the things it explores. The biggest plot twist is that the Wisdom just REMAKES reality with Kyr's help. They literally CHANGE IT. It's so freaking cool of a concept. I would have liked to see more grappling with this decision of learning about Kyr and being Valerie. It seems a little ridiculous to me that everyone is mainly alive, I'm sorry but Kyr and her friends were purposely planned for humanity in the last reality so why would most be alive in the reality where people didn't have to plan and could just choose??? Kyr's genetic mother wasn't even pregnant before shit went down in the other reality? Why would her twin be when her father could potentially be completely different from whatever gene pool they picked?? Cleo?? Lisa?? Avi Like how??? And like Kyr learns and is immediately disgusted with this reality. Why???? Isn't this everything she could have hoped for?? Later when we go into a different reality, there's this symbiosis of Kyr and Val that honestly could have been really interesting internal tension or at least made to sound difficult or confusing or uncomfortable but isn't.

The ending is just very heavy handed "we gotta save everyone" because we're showing people "we are good now we think about others" that it gets a little eyeroll worthy. To be quite honest of the ending, I didn't like it. I do think Kyr dying would have been a great way to end it and Yiso because that would have been tragic and sad, but felt poignant. Then it's like jk!!!! the wisdom isn't completely dead!!! you get to live which really cheapens the attempted sacrifice of letting people escape the horror of Gaea Station without you.

So yeah. This book was just kind of mid. At least after the big plot twist the pacing picks up because things are finally having to happen and be dealt with. But overall? Not the cool sci-fi book I wanted it to be.

[cybernightart]

15 Questions and 15 Mutuals Tagged by @nitewrighter Were you named after anyone? funny story actually! I got my name because years before my dad met my mum, he had a dream about having a child with my name, and he was dead set on naming me that to the point he made sure none of my cousins were called the same name! When was the last time you cried? Like 2 days ago, I stumbled across one of those sad grim reaper comics with the animal spirits and those make me sob every time istg Do you have kids? Nope Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yes, but I'm very obvious about it. I struggle when other people are sarcastic, I'm very bad at picking it up, so I try and make it easy for others when I do it What’s the first thing you notice about people? In person, it depends. Maybe what they are wearing or their hair if it dyed a funky colour. But usually I get a vibe about a person, like a gut instinct whether I think they are going to be a good person or not, and I'm right a majority of the time, but I give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Online though, same sorta thing. Except i get the gut feeling about the way they type or in general talk with people, and how they have their profiles/blogs decorated (if i look, which isn't guaranteed) What’s your eye colour? Dark brown! Scary movies or happy endings? I wish I could watch scary movies, but I can't handle them, though I love gore art and horror stuff. I just can't do scary games or movies. I love happy endings though, a sure fire way to make me hate a book or movie is to have a sad or otherwise bad ending. Even if I love the rest, if the ending is bad, I hate it all. I watch movies to feel good. I don't wanna finish a movie feeling worse then when i started it! Any special talents? I can do the clover thing with my tongue, I can roll my stomach, other than that I don't really know? Most of the things I can do are “special talents” I didn't know they weren't normal until someone told me. Where were you born? Scotland! Though unfortunately i lost my accent, as i moved somewhere else a few years back What are your hobbies? Apart from playing games and drawing, it really depends on my current hyper fixation. But I have done things like knitting, crochet, painting (water/acrylic), sculpting, collecting things, baking, jewelry making and more (wish I was better at writing though, I'm 90% sure I'm dyslexic and have a really hard time reading/writing, and it's very hard for me to get my thoughts into text. My brain goes 500x faster than I can type and I have the bad habit of jumping around when I'm telling a story or writing something out, on top of the hard time with attention/ regulating focus part of my Adhd) Have any pets? I have 1 fluff ball of a dog called Maisy, she's a shih tzu bichon frise! What sports do you play/have you played? The only time I decided to sign up for a sports team, was in March of 2020, for a badminton team. The day try-outs were going to happen was the day we shut down for the pandemic. I now semi jokingly say that was a sign from the gods to never play sports XD How tall are you? I am an absolute giant, a towering giant behemoth of a human being at my incredible height of 5’4 ( 162.56 cm) XD Favourite subject in school?

Art all the way! But that was followed up by science and la depending on the unit/assignment Dream job? Video game character concept artist! Or concept artist in general but i love character design sm more then designing objects or scenery Tagging (i don't have 15 moots so cant do 15, but i do have these wonderful people!) @reaphantom @fr00tzcat @cyberbirb-arts @genjishimada @cloud-amiibo and anyone else who’d like to participate :D 

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

211 of 2025

Was the last book you read for fun, or was it for some type of assignment?

For fun. I'm still reading these horror stories about trains.

Have you accomplished any goals you set for yourself this year so far?

Lol. Better don't ask. I'm failing as hell.

If you could go forward in time and see your life 5 years from now, what would you hope to see?

A happy person still being married to the same person and working in the same workplace.

Are there still movie rental stores where you live or have they all gone out of business?

I don't even know if they still exist, now that we have streaming services.

What was the last thing to annoy you or make you upset?

I don't remember.

Do you think you would be a good match for your celebrity crush/es assuming you have one? Why? If you don’t have one, who was the last person you saw that you found attractive?

The last person I found attractive was probably one of the train conductors lol. As usual.

When looking for something to watch on TV do you tend to pick shows you know you like, or try new shows that look interesting even though you’ve never heard of them before?

It depends if I'm in a mood to try something new, but usually I stick to what I like. I have my TV show wishlist, though.

Have you ever been ditched by someone only to find them out and about with someone else?

Nope. I don't recall any situation like that.

How old were you when you had your wisdom teeth removed?

I've never had them removed. I've never felt them grow, actually. One day I just noticed they were there.

What is the last song you sang out loud?

I don't remember, probably something in the car.

Have you ever dated someone you met online?

Hell no. I don't trust people that much.

Do you wish you were taller or shorter?

A bit taller. 5'11 is not much enough for me.

Where was the last job application you filled out sent to?

The place I've been working for the last 11 years and counting.

Have you ever been fired from a job?

Not really. More blocked from going back abroad for a business trip.

What do people tell you your voice sounds like?

Nasal. Well, they're not wrong XD I also sound like a teenage boy, for real.

What financial class are you?

Upper working class, I guess. The people who do physical labour, but are qualified, have diplomas and do the job they're actually qualified for.

What poster is hanging closest to you?

We don't have posters in our house.

What time did you go to bed last night?

Around midnight.

Do you watch any reality shows?

Only when they happen in TV I set as a background noise, but even then, I don't really watch.

Are you more comfortable with men or women?

Men, I think. We all have something in common, after all.

Do you think you’re fat?

Always and forever. Even if my weight was 1 kg, I would still feel fat lol. Not realistic, though.

Have you ever borrowed money from someone and never repaid them?

No. I don't do such things and I don't like when others do it.

Do you have a pet cat?

How did you know, I have Susie. And Susie is a cat. :P Previously we also had another cat, Victoria, but cancer took her away at the age of 12. I miss her every single day.

What is worse: physical or emotional pain?

Both, it's impossible to choose.

If you had to get up at 6 AM tomorrow morning, would it be painful?

Guess what, I have to get up at 6am tomorrow. I have to go to work.

How is your hair?

Still there. At the moment, still wet from the shower. It has to be re-dyed, too. I can see my natural boring brown colour peeking out.

Are you happy with life at the moment?

I'm just okay-ish. Full of hope, though.

Who was the last person who called you?

Some private number. I don't pick up private numbers.

How long does it take you to fall asleep at night?

It depends. Apparently not that long anymore. If I experience hypnic jerks, I know I'm getting there.

How many people have you had strong feelings for in the year of 2012?

Oh lol damn, this survey is old.

What are you doing for your next birthday?

Probably existing. At least I hope so.

Would you go on a date with someone right now if they asked?

No. Why would a married person be going on dates.

When did you last drop your phone?

I don't remember, but I do it often.

Do you believe that if you want something bad enough, you’ll get it?

Happens to me almost all the time, so yes.

Is it ever too late to apologize?

It is. Particularly when you moved on with life already.

Do you think things will change in the next few months?

Maybe they will, maybe they won't. Hopefully the next few months will bring good news to us.

Do you know any of your neighbors?

I know many of them by name.

List three things near you:

Box of handmade earrings, notebooks, smartphone.

What was the last thing you watched on the TV?

Probably that Polish sitcom again.

What do you hear?

The music from my husband's PS5 game.

Is confidence cute?

It's intimidating.

What is the last beverage you had?

Hot leek soup.

Last movie you watched?

I don't watch movies, I'm sick of all these movie questions already.

Who were you with?

No one.

Who came over last?

What?

Where is your phone?

Right next to me, charging.

Spell your name without vowels:

JR. Nothing impressive.

What are you listening to?

How many similar-sounding questions in the same survey yet?

What is your favourite scent?

Vanilla and cinnamon.

Who has the same phone as you?

Jeanmarie, I think. Unless he changed it to a newer one.

Where was the last place you bought something?

The canteen in the sports club in Kanegem. We got leek soup and hot chocolate.

Everybody lies. Do you agree?

Yup. Even saying you're okay when you're not okay is a lie, isn't it?

Have you ever wanted to be a ballet dancer?

Lol no. Not in a million years.

Does your family keep tons of leftovers in the fridge?

Nope. We throw leftovers away.

Favourite FRIENDS character? That is, if you like it.

None in particular, but I can easily say I like Ross and Phoebe the least.

Skullcandy headphones, yay or nay?

I've never had them, so no opinion.

Are you thinking of getting another piercing? Where?

Nah, what I have is much enough.

Do you love when people remember little things about you?

Who doesn't. It means you pay attention and you care.

Do you ‘bless’ strangers when they sneeze?

No. We don't say "bless you" in my country. We say "gezondheid", which means health. Similar to the Polish way.

How many phones have you gone through?

I wish I could remember lol. I've been having cellphones since I was 16, so already for 17 years.

What was your favorite Disney movie growing up?

None.

Are white walls boring?

Nope. White goes well with almost everything.

Any teacher you’ve ever had that’s made a lasting impression?

Yeah, probably.

Have you always lived in the house you currently reside in?

No. I moved here in 2018, after coming back to my country from abroad. My hometown is not where I currently live, too.

Do you own any band tees?

From the top of my head:

Evanescence x3

Volumes x1

Periphery x1

Vildhjarta x2

HRFTR x1

Gojira x2

Tesseract x2

Textures x1

At The Gates x2

Katatonia x1

Veil Of Maya x1

Meshuggah x1

Monuments x1

Eminem x1

Linkin Park x1

Paradise Lost x1

Do you like to drink wine?

I love semi-sweet white wine. But now I don't drink alcohol at all.

Assuming you’ve gone to a concert before, who performed at your most favorite one?

Nope.

Have you ever stayed up all night while drunk or high?

No. When I was drunk, I was falling asleep lol.

Do you think your future will be a good one?

I hope so. For my family, for my workplace and for myself.

[discoknack]

Links to convos and asks about Ghost Kafka AU

This is mainly for my personal use, which is why the title is small, I'm tagging nothing and nobody, and the appended notes are for me. Is that mean? Should I make one for public use?

For those who do read it anyway, red is stuff I thought about but didn't put in the posts. And the AU belongs to Sonicasura but I stole it for some scenes.

Species Swap: Agunimon, Ghost, MAG

Sonicasura's post about three different AUs, where Kafka becomes an Agunimon by using cursed armor, or a ghost by dying, or a MAG through unethical experimentation by an evil organization. I might want to look at the other ones at some point. for ghost, offers an early glance of his death and his initial looks after eating souls but before the Larva. Overview of how Defense Force reacts to the emergence of Kafka's elusive ghost. Science Department's tryna figure out how to catch him. Kafka made a fake human body and works with the Sweepers for those sweet sweet vermin Yoju souls. Also the Larva makes his body sort of alive again, but he can die forever.

Reblog: I make commentary on all three swaps. Inquire about the temporary human body thing in the ghost section. I make a joke about how Kafka would feel eating a Kaiju that *wants* to be eaten. Express how great it is to feel alive.

Sonicasura's reblog: Responds to my commentary. In the ghost section explains that Kafka made a temporary body using alchemy. He could steal his own body parts for it, especially because the Kaiju that killed him essentially embalmed him. He can repair it with the power from kaiju souls. Tiny (the Larva) was a surprise, probably magic.

Why do I hear the arby's tag in Kafka's voice?

Basically me meming about ghost kafka in the tags of the Species Swap post led to a short conversation. Sonicasura says Kafka's human form looks like he walked off an autopsy table.

Anon suggests Hikari would like to know Ghost Kafka

Sonicasura answers that Hikari and Kafka are long-time friends and Kafka haunts Kikoru as a favor.

Anon Curious of Isao's opinon

Ask sent to sonicasura about Isao's perspective when Kafka begins haunting the household and harassing him. Isao is annoyed, initially thinking it a pest Kaiju, until Kafka threatens him with his own wife's words. Seems to imply that Hikari as a ghost makes threats either at Kafka or where he can hear them, and then Kafka repeats them at Isao later. And also implies that Hikari made similar threats at or near Isao while alive. Hikari can't be seen by the spiritually unaware because she isn't strong enough compared to a well-fed soul-sucking Kafka.

Anon Curious of Kikoru's opinon

Ask sent to sonicasura about Kikoru's perspective when Kafka haunts the household. Kikoru is 9 or 10 (I didn't see this post until after a later post) Response provides outlines for at least two scenes. Investigating stake-out style. Meeting Kafka for the first time. Kikoru inquiring about her mom's spirit. Arranging the meeting between mother and child.

Comforting Shadows

Sonicasura outlines his death via silk-spitting wasp Kaiju, saving the monster sweepers but dying alone in an alley, quickly mummifying. Brief description of Kafka's ghost form immediately after emerging from his cocoon. Third Division finds the wasp Kaiju dead, suspicious circumstances described. DF can't break open the cocoon to identify his body. Kafka now as a Shade-type Onryo experiences horror hunger and requires souls to sustain himself. Ghosts consider darker spirits as dangerous, and even if Kafka only ate kaiju souls, they would run away. Hikari remains a ghost due to family matters, and she takes Kafka under her wing. Depiction of Kafka's ghost form after consuming many kaiju souls. Because of his power, the living can see him. Need for alchemical disguise. Kafka could open the cocoon, therefore DF learns of his body. DF assumes grave robber to be kaiju. Mina grieving and pissed off, assigns her division to handle sniffing it out. Kafka's death not made public and body held as evidence. Kafka returns to MS with coworkers unaware. Usual activities for the next six or so years described. Pranks Isao all the time, destroying his room, hiding his documents. Leaves gifts and does invisible favors for Kikoru, eventually becomes friends. Description of Ghost Kafka's transformation and description of his human form after eating the Larva. List of abilities. Snatcher boss fight inspo.

Thinkin' bout sonicasura's ghost!kafka au

A post I made pondering Hikari's character, Kafka's initial haunting behaviors, Kikoru's age when Kafka went kaput. Ponders the day he eats the Larva, suggesting he spills the beans to Reno by smacking the shit out of the Yoju as a ghost before anything else happens because priorities. Buut this would mean he is not at hospital, Larva would have to meet him at home, not as funny. Ponders Kafka's character and motivations in response to the transformation and the fact he is still dead to the DF.

Sonicasura shares manga panels of Hikari. Tries to explain to me how Onryo are made, but at the time, I didn't quite get it and looked it up after this. Describes Kafka as "chaotic neutral". No to killing, yes to torturing bad guys. Kafka chills out more from looking after Kikoru. Sonicasura says that Kafka *does* go to hospital. Which means DF was called. Kafka doesn't have a pulse so he plans to escape. The timing of things in canon has me think he was meant to stay the night at least. Describes Kafka's transformation from the perspective of Reno. Kafka's body is left in the bed, sort of like in a coma. His organs are operated and repaired by the Larva. If Kafka does choose to join DF, he'll use magic to disguise himself further. If he doesn't, he'll just look out for Reno.

Reblog from me figuring that it would make the most sense for Kafka's meat puppet to get its leg broken for everything else to line up. If he tells Reno to call the DF, he has plenty of reason to keep his ghostliness hidden. I mention Mina's feelings when she sees his face again, knowing he is dead, and figuring that it was someone else who just happened to look like him. Kafka is very troublesome for the nurses, having narrow parameters for his cooperation. Avoiding some plot holes by digging another: why don't the nurses try to sedate him? Oh well, don't care rn.

Sonicasura concurs on Mina. Once Kafka died, she had a permissible reason to have access to his records and learned how Kafka kept trying for the DF for years until he aged out. That hit Mina hard, and seeing a man who looked like Kafka was another punch to the gut. Sonicasura explains that Kafka tries to avoid hospitals because the nurses can figure out Something is Dreadfully Wrong with him, and also ghosts in the hospitals are hostile toward him. Risk they'll harm his companions.

So his body is human that night?

Sonicasura goes over Kafka's alchemical disguise. Learned during the first few months (Now I'm curious how Kafka kept that from the MS since it's some months of absent Kafka. Paperworks?). He needs his own original heart to prevent other ghosts from using his vessel. Body looks sickly pale from lack of vitamins and melatonin (melanin?). Otherwise customizable. Pigs blood transmuted into Kaiju blood slowly after Larva. Can absorb nutrients from food.

If my brain will let me read the manga, I hope I can get a better picture of Mina's character, especially for the ghost!Kafka AU.

Ask sent to Sonicasura about Mina's character and relationship with Kafka, particularly after the reveal. An Imagine by Sonicasura about the very thing.

Ghost Kafka Goes Girl

Ask and small convo about Kafka's ability to change his vessel's form before the Larva locks in his appearance. No particular physical descriptions except that he went out a few times as a woman, but looked different each time. After the Larva, he can just change minor things now like hair, eyes, nail colors. Might look into what GirlVessel!Kafka could look like later for art.

Tryna Squeeze Out That Motive - what is Kafka compelled to do? What is his theme?

This is me overthinking the Onryo thing and sending it as an ask to Sonicasura. For the first time, I bring up the web thing here, as well as a potential propensity to inadvertently harass Mina at some point. Sonicasura goes over his self-loathing as he died. Explains that he has a new side to him as an Onryo full of malice, and Hikari helps him stabilize. So it looks to me like his misbehavior is motivated by an external influence (like how a guy who turns into a monster tends to deal with monster urges) rather than an intrinsic aspect of his character (which I still didn't get the picture of until later). At the time I also misunderstood "confronted with the darker side to humanity" thinking that meant him, but now I know it means bad guys. Might want to think about later, "That malice will soon be tempered fully into a Obsession, the driving point of spirits. One which represents Kafka perfectly: To Protect." On the surface, seems relatively obvious for Kafka's character, but I'm guessing that because it's pointed out, Kafka will eventually control his newfound urges and be able to channel them into more complex priorities than just 'make bad guys hurt. bad!' I wonder if he'll become a slightly different thing again. *hmms like a skeksis*

Inverse-Translation Nicknames

A long-winded explanation of why I do certain things in my Kaiju No. 8 fics and some problems I run up against and my solutions, sent as an ask to Sonicasura to check my understanding and see if she has more ideas. Yes! Overview of characters in relation to honorifics, Kikoru's relationship with Kafka in particular. 'Kuro' is also a nickname option. I looked it up and 'Kuro' in some sense means black, having a positive-leaning connotation of elegance and so on. I did not use it in Kikoru's Spirit Guy because I wanted Kikoru to use a nickname in a more negative sense, but I think she will use 'Kuro' for him later as he earns her trust.

Kikoru's Spirit Guy Part 1

A short story by meeeee! Basically the backstory for part 2, sorta following Sonicasura's outline of the first meeting between Kikoru and Ghost Kafka face-to-face. Trying to get into Kikoru's head about her relationship with her school studies and how she handles getting a B. Risa partly antagonizes and flatters her over it. Children that age grow at different rates and I put Risa on the more childish end. Sebasu struggles to navigate the situation on the way home, wanting to comfort Kikoru but not wanting to overstep on parenting or boundaries. Kikoru's main drama is how she's going to tell her dad about it, and how she feels after getting the answer she expected, feeling like she screwed up big time. Concerned Ghost Kafka Jumpscare.

Kikoru's Spirit Guy Part 2

Kafka's perspective during and after Kikoru's breakdown over a paper test, and Kikoru's perspective after waking up from fainting. Sebasu and Hikari appearing in ways that can characterize them. Kafka wants to make sure Kikoru is okay and doesn't fall behind in school because of him. Kikoru thinks he intends to play deadly mind games. Also I tried to include the motif of Kikoru's connection with her mother by having Kafka use similar language about Hikari that Risa did about Kikoru in part 1. Interestingly, despite him being dead, I have Kafka use future tense.

Regular-ass Hibino Kafka

Doesn't say much. Just something I thought was amusing and might look at later.

Sparklebug

sonicasura explains a headcanon about Kikoru's relationship to her mother, regarding nicknames. it is appended to my joke post about Kafka and Kikoru's initial dynamic.

Ghost Kafka Attacks + Convo

First Portion: A short story rambly thing by me, bouncing off Sonicasura's outlined depiction. Ponders Kafka's character, death and immediate post-death, and a possible first meeting with Hikari. Also ponders rules of the setting. My headcanons about his ghost appearance and how it changes. My headcanons about his abilities and smells (yes, smells. I figure it would be interesting to give him a scent that various characters would have different associations with. Kikoru finding it comforting, Isao finding it enraging/annoying, Mina having mixed feelings about it, Perhaps one character associates it with a sex shop and everyone cringes.)

Second portion: Sonicasura concurs re: Kafka beating the crap out of bad guys without killing them. Corrects Horror Hunger to something akin to addiction, allows possibility of quitting early on. Puts Hikari in the dark on Kafka's early soul sucking status. Alludes to alternate mechanism of identifying the turning point. Suggests Hikari's involvement in rehabilitating other Onryo before Kafka. Establishes rule-of-setting regarding Kafka's sucking prowess vs Kaiju Fortitude.

Third portion: Basically me taking the Onryo thing too literally again and busting my brains trying squeeze a character element maybe-antithetical to Kafka out of him. Failing that, trying to shove him into soul-sucker route ASAP. Tried to justify why most spirits would flee even without knowing his soul-sucker status. But I also tried to justify multiple ways Hikari would learn Kafka ate a kaiju soul, including the claim that ghosts can sense each other's vibes. Asserted that eating even one Human Soul crosses the Moral Event Horizon (implying it locks you into sinister-soul-sucker with no exceptions), but also reiterated that eating a Kaiju Soul isn't that bad (so maybe it does or doesn't lock you in). Tried to take a look at Hikari's perspective, but I didn't have a good grasp on her character and either forgot or didn't know how to suggest a scenario where: she knows he ate a soul and that he is at risk; and he knows he's at risk because she told him the stories; but she doesn't know the risks of kaiju souls in particular, and while keeps an eye on him, she trusts him to make his own decisions; to where Kafka in the end chooses to gather more power for the sake of protecting others, of course. Whether he made it through quarantine successfully before making that choice or was still under the influence of cravings, which is more narratively interesting? If I return to this, it won't be any time soon.

Fourth portion: Sonicasura correctly identifies that I need to chill out, lol! Goes over Kafka's canon character. Clarifies that the Onryo thing is an approximation. (I'm not sure what the next paragraph is saying: "As for his conversation with Hikari about eating a kaiju soul, he just died. The afterlife was just a passing thought or idea that Kafka sometimes hears throughout his life. Hikari basically teaches him a LOT that he needs to know." All those sentences on their surface, I know. But I'm not sure if together it's saying: yes, she does know he ate a soul and taught him about it along with everything else; or no, he was too overwhelmed by all the new stuff to tell her. Either way, I don't have to worry about it because I won't be making stuff directly about it, heh...) Explains how ghosts feel about those who eat souls. Animals have souls. Explains the addiction aspect. Implies that the method of detecting soul-suckers is not vibes.