#just because there very difficult to put in my lore

[mishasdirt]

What is your fav ancient breed released so far?

I'm sure this poll has been done one million times over, but I want to do it! Flight Rising tumblerinas, what is your fav ancient breed released so far? (these are not ordered by date of release, unless I somehow guess magically the order they released in)

[icewindandboringhorror]

Recent life photos

[marzennya]

The Northern Consort used to be a spy, don't you know? A good one, too...only the heavens know how far that particular web goes, but it benefits the Emperor's reign, and the Empress is found of him, so who are we to judge, eh?

[+200 Better Lore points!]

Empress Shen is finally here, my God! How difficult was this particular beast, eh? It took me, like, five or six redesigns! The balance between feminine and masculine really kicked my ass here...I think I did pretty well, if you take in account everything. I'm proud of myself, so all of you must be nice to me.

The drama is set during the warring states period, my inspiration was mostly from how they costumed the Queen of Zhao, the dowager Queen of Qin and Haolan when she finally becomes the Queen of Qin. They are all gorgeously dressed, I recommend watching it PURELY for the costuming and also the scheming women.

The design was immensely inspired by the Chinese drama The Legend of Haolan. The main character just has this impeccable Shen Qingqiu face-card, every time I see her I just think 'Yes, Shen Qingqiu, for sure.' Here's her, for reference:

For Shang Qinghua, things were so much easier, though; I watched some episodes of Story of Yanxi Palace and was struck by inspiration™. He was so easy to draw! It's all very Qing dynasty inspired, it just fits him, I think.

It took me so very long to draw the jewellery and the embroidery in both of them...I admire the people who actually do metal and needlework. Heroes, all of them.

The pearl makeup is one of my favourite ancient Chinese makeup trends; I just had to put it in. It's a very fancy form of Huadian, which is where you draw forms, mostly flowers and other pretty things on your face using paints, powders, pearls, gems and glued flowers, and it was popular from the Tang dynasty onwards. The ICONIC pearl Huadian was popularized in the Song dynasty because it (shockingly) represented modesty and elegance.

Shen Qingqiu's greenest ornaments are made out of imperial jade, which is characterized by this vibrant emerald green colour and great translucency. It's also the most expensive type of jade ever.

The! Nail! Guards! Make! A! Comeback!

Shang Qinghua's ornaments are, in the other hand, made out of pearls - for elegance, wisdom, and wealth, and blue jade, for serenity, peace of mind and self-reflection. Mobei-jun buys all of his husband's jewellery with intention, for sure.

They're such big gossips omg, nobody is safe.

[colossrat]

Is the captain insane or just brain rot?

Batman has several children, and even so it is very difficult for him to keep up with the new slang or memes of the generation. So the fact that Captain Marvel, a guy who appears to be between 25-30 years old (but theoretically has bazillions) stupidly knows a lot of these jokes, doesn't enter his mind and he finds himself constantly just questioning the sanity of his co-worker.

Because it's all so absurd, he can't tell anymore when the captain is just being himself and dropping the most meaningless piece of lore in the world, or if he's reciting a tiktok meme

several league members don't really know, at least not the older ones

After a mission, Marvel is talking to cyborg. Is the topic about dating? teachers? Superman is listening in the background while he has his own conversation with Batman a little away, so he's not really listening.

But something catches his attention, and it's the captain's choked tone of voice, almost as if he were crying

Marvel: oh my god, oh my shayla, no... ;(

Supes go pale and tune off from the conversation that he is not part of, feeling that he has just invaded the privacy of his colleagues

Batman: superman? whats wrong?

Superman: I-- I think I just overheard the captain lamenting about an date he had with a teacher called Shayla… he was crying, i think… I feel horrible, I didn't listen on purpose---

Batman:

Batman: who that fuck is shayla?

billy was just joking, because actually his teacher made him change seats in the class so he wouldn't be sitting next to freddy anymore, since they talk like hell, and he was demonstrating to cyborg how shaken he was by reciting "oh my shayla"

Then there's that time where Voltage (Freddy or Lieutenant Junior) is with them during a magical mission, and out of nowhere the two start communicating using "u i a", in rhythms that resemble morse or binary code…

Marvel: u i a i u i-i a-i?

Voltage: u i a i u-u i i a-i.

and they both start laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world

Zatana: Is this an extinct language or something?

Dr. Fate: I would also like to know… I think I'll have to do some research, but maybe it's an ancient, witchy language. I didn't know that the captain was teaching witchcraft to his apprentice.

And then there's Batman discreetly writing down all the lyrics they say. he will question constantine or jason blood later to see if it mean something to them

everything gets more confusing when these codes start to have pop music melodies, not that they recognize these songs at first

And a time when John Constantine is explaining something at a meeting for the league, something about fusing magical objects that were stolen. and the captain is almost combusting to keep from laughing.

Constantine: So in theory, the thieves took the hyperball staff and put it together with the cursed sapphire stones, and put that together with what they gathered from the cord wand and sickle feathers--

Marvel: and then they became hyperphires-corckle? like, HPCK?

Constantine: what in the bloody hell is this?

Marvel: -- nothing… no, no, I confused the objects-- it's nothing. it was from-- another category of magical objects, there is no correlation, you can continue.

He simply couldn't get the PPAP thing out of his head, and the gestures that John made to symbolize the objects coming together reminded him of that iconic clip (pen pineapple apple pen)

the magicians' heads are racing to understand what a hyperphires-corckle is, and so is the heads of everyone in that room. except for Barry who is shaking to keep from laughing since he understands where the captain really came from with that.

Hal is looking at him confused. He was off Earth for so long that they created a whole system of new magical objects? Not that he was already aware of the old ones. fucking magic.

and sometimes there is no context at all, marvel will simply drop one:

Marvel: gegagedigedagedago...

Wonder woman: What did you say, brother??

Marvel, completely seriously: Abin mery alongtameago...

Hal: Is he insulting us...? wait marry? married?!?

Marvel: wede wude--

Flash: I think he's possessed, I'm going to call John and Batman!!

One day, there is an alien invasion. they are green, thin and bald. Billy can't help but say:

Marvel: Oh my Olympian gods, they are of the "dame tu cosita" kinda alien no way!!

Hal: Now you HAVE to be kidding me. Ring, what the fuck is he talking about?

and the ring responds by saying that they are aliens X from planet Y with characteristics of being tall, thin, green and friendly

Flash: friendly? they are invading the earth!

Marvel, joking: maybe they just want to dance and have "nossas cositas"? lol, you know their stuff

Green Lantern's ring glows and says "this species is known to visit other planets in search of dance partners for entertainment"

Marvel: oh.

And then Marvel is pushed to dance with them next to Green Lantern since apparently they both have knowledge about the race and how to entertain them?

Marvel is a horrible dancer, the movements he makes are humiliating (yes, the moves in the meme), but it doesn't take long for the aliens to ignore the green lantern and imitate the captain, completely amazed by his dance. forgetting the invasion and forming a dance circle around him

Batman: I think I'm having a stroke.

Flash: I don't know how I'm going to look at his face after this…

Hal: I can't believe they didn't even care about my dancing…

Wonder woman: I thought your dance moves were very good, green warrior.

Hal: thanks Di...

Voltage, who for some reason is there, recording: this is going to be a hit on my tiktok.

Shayera: this is too humiliating to see, I'm going back to the watchtower.

Martian Manhunter at some point joined the dance circle. he is not part of that race, despite strangely having certain physical similarities. he just found it very entertaining

Marvel was very happy to have him there, he doesn't like to be embarrassed alone. The gods in his mind are giving him migraines cause they're laughing so hard

And also, the Martian is someone who can understand the captain's jokes, since he has a lot of access to watchtower technology and he doesn't do much when he's not in action, so he ended up becoming an iPad kid

but he avoids showing that he understands because despite recognizing it, he is very very shy

Cyborg also understands since he is literally connected to the internet 24/7, but he plays dumb because he doesn't want to look unprofessional and childish, not in front of his bosses at least

There was a time when Marvel came out talking about a toilet monster eating people in Chicago. flash thought he was talking about that skibidi toilet meme or something and commented about it with the league. It took a good few minutes for Marvel to convince them that it was true and that he needed help.

In the end it really was a giant toilet monster that was eating people and teleporting them to random sewers around the world.

One day, Marvel spends hours talking about a magical bipedal tiger that drinks tea. he actually spent HOURS talking about interesting facts about this tiger. No one was paying much attention, thinking it was some meme or joke that they weren't aware of.

He said that the tiger was a stuffed animal, an attraction at the zoo, a zoo employee, a super old cartoon icon, an explorer from another dimension and a lot of other things at the same time. Obviously they thought it was a lie?? or just not real

Several times at other times, days or weeks, Marvel commented on this tiger. Did they start to think it was some kind of series? maybe

until a moment came when the fucking tiger appeared at the watchtower, having tea with the captain. He had a green plaid suit and a posture fit for royalty. He greeted all the heroes who passed by with great respect and grace. They no longer know what to believe coming from the captain

But how the fuck were they supposed to know that a tiger named Mister Tawky Tawny was real and was the captain's best bestie friend forever ever?

[meglosthegreat]

So... everyone pretty much hated Veilguard's "secret ending", right? Beyond speculation about the Executors themselves, I haven't exactly seen anyone excited about its presence, and for that matter, haven't seen many people talking about it at all.

The closest way I can describe my initial reaction to it was an immediate, visceral disgust. I think I remember uttering at my screen something along the lines of "Fuck off! What the fuck?! Are you fucking kidding me???" and ever since then I've wanted to put into words exactly why it made me feel that way.

For the 88% of you (according to Steam achievement statistics) who didn't see this ending due to not picking up three very specific codex entries by complete chance, you can watch it here. In short, the clip depicts a mysterious voice who sounds suspiciously like Matt Mercer talking about how a group of shadowy figures has "balanced, guided, and whispered" over scenes of villains from the previous DA games, implying that these shadowy figures have been at least partially responsible for all of the bad things happening in Thedas, towards some unknown nefarious purpose.

Now obviously, this sucks. This is hamfisted, unimaginative writing that simultaneously retcons and re-contextualizes elements from DA's past that absolutely no one thought needed further explanation, as well as being exactly the kind of irritating sequel-bait tactics that people have largely grown tired of these days. But why does it suck so much? Why did I feel such palpable distaste for this scene?

For starters, it simply reeks of entitlement, and a lack of respect towards Bioware's own past games. Remember those villains you loved and thought were compelling? Well, their own personal, very complex and thought-out motivations were really just the Executors whispering in their ears the whole time! Loghain making a difficult and calculated decision at great personal cost for a greater good he truly believed in? Executors. Bartrand succumbing to his own greed to the point that he betrays his only family and devolves into a tragic husk of himself? Executors. Corypheus and the Magisters breaching the Golden fucking City??? Executors.

Ignore the infuriating lore ramifications for a second and consider: what do all of these things have in common? They're all instances of complex character motivation; of people in this world doing things for their own reasons that ended up having massive ramifications. In short, they're not events that can be explained easily in terms of black and white morality. And from what we've seen in Veilguard, the current dev team has a serious inability to work with any story elements that do not have absolute moral clarity: the Venatori and the Antaam are Evil. The Shadow Dragons and the Crows are Good. Any nuance; any potential questioning of this duality is quickly explained away or snuffed out.

And that's exactly what they're trying to do, retroactively, with the rest of the series. Having a hard time deciding whether Loghain was right or wrong? Well, worry not, the Executors are Evil and if they were guiding him the whole time, then what he did must have been Evil too! Grappling with how the plot of DA2 was about the inevitable tragedy of a series of oppressive systems reaching their natural breaking point? Well, wrestle no further, for if the Executors were involved then Meredith and Bartrand must've been Evil, no question! What the Magisters did was definitely Not Great, and what do you know, there were consequences for it that they and the whole world very much did pay for. But if the Executors were behind it all, then it was someone else's fault, some Evil power reaching in and making them do what they did, rather than their actions being the result of a horrific series of power abuses done by actual people.

Which leads me to where my initial disgust comes in. Because in a world which has always had core themes of power and its many abuses, actions that have consequences, and the idea that there are no true higher beings; every horrible thing that has ever been done was done by people, the simple act of putting shadowy figures behind key moments in history completely debases and neuters all of those themes. The whole point of Dragon Age as a series up until this point has been to illustrate the complex relationships people and societies have with power, choice, and morality. To remove that link - to place an external force between those characters and their choices - is to rob the series of any meaning whatsoever.

There is a staggering difference between the messaging of a game that tells you ordinary people are to blame for society's wrongs and a game that tells you a secret shadowy faction of evil forces are to blame for them. The former invites thought about one's own society; it has the potential to be uncomfortable and difficult to reconcile with. The latter assures its audience of the fantasy it is couched in. It gives the audience a boogeyman to be angry at, and in so doing deflects any potential for introspection. And that, I think, is the real point of the scene in question.

In a time where our media has become inundated with bland, unchallenging liberal politics, the idea of "cozy" stories have become a growing trend. These types of stories often sport a broad rejection of complicated themes, painful emotions, and nuance, preferring instead to provide a "safe" place to escape to. And with that "safe" space comes a directive not to engage in critical thinking about a work, and not to draw any message from that work and apply it to the real world. Yet this is exactly where Bioware seems to be heading nowadays.

Veilguard has already been faced with heavy criticism about playing things overly safe; removing anything that might be potentially uncomfortable for the player. And the end credits scene is no different. Don't think about things too hard, it whispers to you seductively, in Matt Mercer's soothingly Evil voice. See? The Bad Guys were behind everything, all along.

[sightseertrespasser]

Lore dump! Lore dump! Lore dump!

You! Anonymous asker! You shall be my excuse to infodump on the Mentor System.

So, Cybertronians do not have children.

A “newborn” mech emerged straight from the Hotspot has the body of a fully realized adult, the mental capacity of an adult and the base instincts of a feral raccoon.

A mech that’s existed for about two minutes has all the information it can possibly acquire within two minutes. Which mostly amounts to rolling around on the ground and becoming acquainted with such novel concepts as gravity, vision, sound and other forms of sensory input.

Eventually, the newly sparked Hot Spot mech will start putting two and two together and figure out that the ground isn’t moving around at random and that the changes in visual data is directly affected by how they’re flailing about.

After a couple days of this, most mechs have usually figured out “walking.”

A new spark only really has three guiding structures of information already in their heads: Pain is Bad, Energon is Fuel, Knowledge is Good.

They don’t know what the hell any of that means right away but it quickly falls under “you’ll know it when you see it.”

Hot Spot mechs start off with basically no knowledge at emergence and have to learn how to do everything. One thing that MASSIVELY speeds up the learning process is if the mech is lucky enough to find other, more experienced mechs.

At this sort of larval mental stage, the only form of communication that doesn’t need to be directly taught are EM fields. So, when a new spark runs into any mechs for the first time, if any of them send out any kind of Positive EMF, it’s going to cause that New Spark to latch on the that particular person pretty hard. From their grand perspective at a whopping total of three days old, this is literally the nicest thing that’s ever happened to them.

From there, whoever decided to be nice to the still feral mech that’s actively trying to lick any open wounds is now responsible for their well being.

Good news is that the newly appointed Mentor can get the new spark up to speed on things like language and basic survival pretty quickly, especially using stuff like data packets.

On modern day Cybertron, collecting newly formed mechs for education and socialization is a standardized process and a very well compensated one at that. A mech who places themselves in such positions are referred to as Mentors. It’s a very serious position since the mentor can have a significant impact on how a new spark develops as a person.

Within the totalitarian regime of the Functionalists, early developmental control is an even bigger deal, as Hotspots, or Forged mechs automatically have a higher social standing than Cold Constructed mechs. In turn, meaning they will have far more influence in society later on.

Some groups of mechs, such as various guilds or tower socialites will want those who show the most promise to join and bolster their ranks. Granting more allies in the long run without having to make peace with old enemies.

Most Hot Spots just end up joining general society however. Even with standardization, it’s extremely difficult for a mentor to have more ward than one at a time. Since they literally don’t know anything, but have the mental and physical capabilities of a fully developed mech, new sparks have to watched 24/7 and don’t do well without constant interaction.

You know how toddlers have a “Why?” Phase? It’s like that, except the toddler will become extremely distraught if you take a break, it can turn into a helicopter and it doesn’t know that flying into power lines is bad because you haven’t explained that concept to them yet.

Mentorship is not for everyone. Unlike humans who have a healthy dose of “aw, they’re so stupid!” happy brain chemicals that tell us this is Cute, and Cybertronians, Do Not Have That Benefit. Instead going “Oh god they’re so stupid.” Repeatedly. And without reward.

Basically, a good mentor has the patience of a saint.

So what’s mentorship like for Cold Constructs?

Pretty different!

For starters, Cold Constructs come online with a lot of pre-downloaded data packets. Mostly stuff like language packs, instructions on how not to accidentally blow themselves up and other commonly referenced information.

The Functionalists have three big W’s covered: Where are you, What are you and Why do you exist?

In the case of a CC Praxian Enforcer, everyone of them comes online knowing they were created in and for the city of Praxus. They are an Enforcer and what they were created to enforce was the law.

So! You’ve got fully functional Cold Construct with all the updates. They’re instantly ready to be released into society. Right?

Right?

Wishful thinking is a fools trade for sensibility.

As it happens, language packets can’t effectively cover culture. And no amount of instruction manuals is gonna replace practical experience. Any job you’ve ever worked, you’ve undoubtedly learned the difference between what you’re told to do, and what’s the best way to actually do it.

That’s not even touching on How To Interact With Other People. Society is constantly shifting, slang evolves and social dynamics shift. The rate of updates necessary would have to be constant and every mech made beforehand would be working with defunct data.

Not to mention, personalities are still random upon coming online. The Functionalists can try very hard to encourage or punish certain behaviors, but short of Shadowplay, there’s no real method of control that works beyond an individual scale.

Ultimately, the best solution to making sure their Cold Constructs are actually capable of interacting with society semi-normally is going back to the Mentor system. Depending on what they were built for, a new Cold Construct will be assigned to a mentor of the same function. So a construction-based mech gets assigned to a senior construction worker, a cargo mech goes to a more experienced cargo mech, and so on.

Because CC’s are built to order, there’s no social capital to get from mentoring them as they’ll be joining the given demographics rank’s regardless. So, mentoring CC’s is a lot more like showing the new guy the ropes.

Sometimes there’s a monetary bonus, sometimes a CC just gets randomly assigned to a senior enough mech without compensation. Volunteers are always welcome.

In the case of Prowl and Smokescreen, at their original precinct, there was effectively a hazard pay and special living quarters for anyone who signed up to be a mentor and Smokescreen figured “I see people mentor all the time. Looks easy and I get a bigger habsuite. I can deal with rooming with a temporary dumbass.”

And then he got Prowl. Who came with all of his Prowlness, and Prowled all over the place.

At first, Smokescreen thought he lucked the fuck out, because almost immediately after Prowl started up with the existential questions, Smokescreen sat him down and taught Prowl how to do research and figure out stuff on his own. The mentorship was effectively on autopilot. All Prowl had to do was follow Smokescreen around like a silent shadow at work and observe what wasn’t written in databases.

Job done.

And then Prowl had to talk to someone who wasn’t Smokescreen.

And that person did not like how Prowl spoke to them.

And Prowl got so confused and frustrated that Tac-net crashed for the first time.

Giving Smokescreen the very cold wake-up call that he was the only person who understood how Prowl communicated. Because he assumed Prowl would figure it out talking to other people on his own.

Throw in the health issues related to Tac-net and Smokescreen had the very real paradigm shift that he was now not only responsible for another persons wellbeing, but the single person who could support him anymore.

Ever since then, Smokescreen has tried fairly hard to teach Prowl how to be a person, which pretty much amounts to how to be like him. Life happens outside of work, most laws are hypocritical, and stop caring so much damnit.

But you can’t control someone’s baseline personality. So eventually, Smokescreen stopped trying to argue with Prowl, and just started working with how he was as a person.

Traditionally, mentors and their wards live in fairly close proximity, and the mentor is legally responsible for their ward until the dynamic is dissolved. Cybertronians are very social by nature, so it’s fairly common for mentors to remain apart of their former wards social circle for a long time.

In the case of Smokescreen and Prowl, due in part to the smaller age gap and general unpreparedness, their relationship is far less like a typical Teacher - Student relationship and far more like a Older Brother Who Knows How To Skip School To Go To The Club and Younger Brother Who Should Not Be Brought Along To The Club relationship.

Add in Bluestreak to the mix and you’ve got an almost functional person between the two of them Mentoring him.

Youngest Brother Who Was Clearly Raised By Their Older Brothers And Is Destroying At Darts In The Club.

[gotta-winwin]

(🐍) ... minghao x reader

⭐ starring: minghao

💌 genre/wc: angst, light fluff / 1.2k

💬 preview: you stumble across old records from a damaged diary that seems to hold the conversations between a student and a boy living within the pages.

tw/cw: slytherin!minghao x hufflepuff!reader, diary format, spoliers for the chamber of secrets, needs previous knowledge of hp lore, abstract death, tom riddle appearance

🪽fic rating: pg

☁️ masterlist & a/n: this has been sitting in my drafts for weeks and i'm putting it out in hopes of giving myself some time to work on other stuff hehe. this one's a bit experimental with the format but hope you all enjoy!

p.s thank you so much to @ylangelegy and @diamonddaze01 for beta reading !

hello. fifth year slytherin, here. i found this journal lying in one of the professor’s cupboards - long abandoned, it seems. it looks to contain the mad ramblings of two people, conversing through the pages. i cannot seem to figure out who this once belonged to, pages have been torn out and blurred by water - so i’m writing in hopes another student might. 

read it, and let me know if anything comes to mind. 

if i have to sit through another class with professor bins, i will avada myself. 

finally, something worth replying to. your class notes are utterly boring. 

WHAT THE FUCK THE BOOK SPEAKS

…yes, i speak. 

go away. you’re speaking over my class notes. 

they weren’t good notes anyways. barely competent. abysmally below average. 

i cannot believe i’m being insulted by a book right now.

i cannot believe my pristine pages are being vandalized by an incompetent student, yet here we are. 

mr. book, 

what. 

shut up.

mr. book,

what is it now, incompetent student? 

can you write my notes for me. pls pls pls i will owe you for life.

that is a very dangerous game to play. 

my hand hurts. and you keep saying you’re so smart. write my notes for me.

what house are you in?

hufflepuff. why? 

no. i will not write your notes for you. 

bro. 

what is a bro ?? 

you know what, never mind. i’ll write them myself. i hope the ink drowns you. 

incompetent student  hufflepuff girl y/n?? respond to me now. 

yes, book?

MY NAME IS NOT BOOK 

you refused to tell me your name so i’m sticking with book. mr. book. 

can you go to the dungeon bathroom and check one of the faucets for me. 

uh. why? 

because i said so. 

i’m going to waterboard your pages.

you’re quite snappy for a hufflepuff. just go check. 

say please.

no. 

i’m holding a cup of water above you right now.  hello? mr. book?

please. check the faucets. 

see? wasn’t so difficult. i’ll go now.

minghao. 

what? 

my name. stop calling me mr. book

MINGHAOOO

what. 

i’m bored. 

silly girl. and what am i supposed to do about that?

tell me about yourself. when were you at hogwarts? 

a long time ago. 

psh. of course i know that. 

professor bins was still alive when he taught me. just as boring, trust me. 

ooo what else? who were your friends? anyone famous? 

i wouldn’t know. i never graduated. 

what? 

the faucet. did you check? 

i did. there’s like a snake or something, but it didn’t do anything. 

oh. y/n? 

yeah? 

don’t go to that bathroom anymore. 

why?

just don’t. 

hao. people are saying there’s a snake in the walls. 

what do you mean?

there was blood on the walls too. talking about the chamber of secrets. 

fuck. 

minghao? do you know something? 

don’t go anywhere alone. promise me. stay with your friends. 

i’m scared

you should be.

stop that. 

what? hao? 

grown fond of your little friend, xu minghao? 

tom. stop.  i’m sorry, my heart. ignore him. 

who? hao, what is going on?

has he neglected to tell you? he isn’t the only inhabitant of this journal. and turns out, he isn’t strong enough to silence me.  keep hiding, y/n. i’ll find you soon enough. 

hao? 

i’m sorry.

i think i’m starting to go a bit crazy. 

is everything alright? are you safe? 

i’m fine, hao. you worry too much. 

i must admit that i’ve grown fond of you. 

even if i’m a hufflepuff? 

you’re the most tolerable hufflepuff i know. 

:)  is the uh. tom guy still with us?

my magic suppresses him in short periods of time. we’re alone at the moment. 

i still don’t understand. both of you are…inside the book. 

tom was here first. the journal was given to me my fifth year, and i spoke to him - much like you right now. from what i’ve gathered, this journal holds a piece of his soul. and a piece of mine as well. 

how? why? 

[redacted] [redacted] 

you are beginning to care for the girl.

i admit she has grown on me.

no. you’ve grown to love her. our souls are intertwined whether you enjoy it or not. do not pretend i cannot feel your emotions. 

have mercy.  spare her. 

are you finally regretting your choice, xu minghao?  you once promised me a life in exchange for your life and access to your soulmate. so i spared you, and stored you here with me.

please. 

this is what greed gets you, my dear friend.  you promised me a life. and i choose hers.

please. 

finally. you learn to beg. 

she is innocent. 

she is your soulmate. the strongest magic our world has. and for that, she is valuable. 

my heart. 

hao? 

i need you to destroy this journal. now.  

what? why? 

tom must be stopped. i will not let him harm you. destroying the journal will destroy his soul too.

but you’re in the journal too.

yes. a small price to pay for your life. 

i won’t do it. 

you must.

no. i’m not killing you.

i’ve been dead for a long time, my heart. 

i won’t. you cannot make me. 

you’re wetting the pages with your tears. stop crying. 

hao…

do it. just because the journal is gone doesn’t mean i won’t be with you. every step of the way. 

how cute. 

note: 

> xu minghao: previous slytherin student, renowned potion student. his name is on one of the potion award plaques in the great hall. he died during the second opening of the chamber of secrets, an underground location rumoured to house the slytherin basilisk. 

> y/n: referred to as ‘my heart,’ there is no real indication of who she is. while there is a professor portrait in the headmaster’s office who shares the same name, i cannot be certain they are the same person. 

> tom: he can only be assumed as he-who-shall-not-be-named, a dark wizard who was killed by the-boy-who-lived years ago. 

note: 

> the pages are burnt at the edges, erasing most of the conversation that would allow this to make more sense. it is clear to me that someone destroyed this. 

note: 

> i found something when searching the bathroom mentioned in the first couple entries. i will clip it here. 

is he gone?

for now. i cannot contain him for much longer. you must hurry.

you cannot expect me to do this.

from the short time i’ve come to know you, i know that despite being a hufflepuff, you hold the courage of a gryffindor, the brains of ravenclaw, the wit of a slytherin.  do not be afraid. 

are you not afraid? this could kill you.

i have to admit a part of me still fears death after all this time.  but this is my price to pay. i love you, even in the short time we had. 

i love you. even if this version of you is only a figment of what you were. 

note: 

> a point i must bring up: minghao refers to y/n as ‘my heart.’ at first i thought it was just a term of endearment, but upon further research:  Soulmates are rare in the wizarding world, although not at all impossible. Soulmates share more than their magic, they share their hearts. One cannot die if the other is still alive -- making soulmates the most powerful form of magic to exist. It may be the only way to cheat death without the use of a horcrux.

[aevellewritessometimes]

Recently I learned that most foxes mate for life, and this has led me forming an idea for a potential conflict during Vere's route:

Now, obviously, Vere is at least somewhat similar but still very different from actual foxes. For one, he clearly hasn't stuck to one sexual partner for his whole life. But foxes are canines, so it's not like mating for life is entirely about sex for them and there's an emotional aspect as well (I think. Don't look at me, I'm not a fox expert).

Now, back to Vere: the blurb on his flower lore post thing very vaguely implied that he was betrayed by an ex-lover, and when he talks to MC in the Wick during the demo, he comments on how he can tell MC was betrayed and that he could understand them because of it.

(I could just be wrong and/or Vere could've just been lying, but for the sake of this we're just going to ignore both of those factors)

When foxes - particularly the male ones - lose their mate, they usually don't move on from that and instead stay alone for the rest of their life.

So, here's what I'm thinking: because of Vere's hypothetical ex-lover, it's going to be very difficult for him to fall in love with MC. Sure, whether or not MC can trust him is probably going to be a big, defining question/plotline for his route, but I feel like whether or not Vere can trust MC might be a big one as well.

This leads me to have a few ideas for at least three different potential endings on his route:

Neutral Ending: Vere is free and MC is cured, but he doesn't fall in love with them and they just part ways after everything is said and done. You could add extra angst by saying that MC fell in love with Vere, but that isn't necessarily required to happen for this ending.

Bad Ending: MC betrays Vere and now Vere really isn't going to fall in love ever again and instead just goes back to his routine of one-night-stands and (very rare occasions of) FWBs

Bittersweet Ending: Vere is freed, MC is cured, and Vere eventually manages to fall in love with MC and vice-versa. But MC is, as far as we know, mortal. Vere is, as far as we know, immortal. Eventually, MC will die, but Vere will (most likely) live on for a long, long time after. And it's MC's death that actually leads to him never being able to fall in love again. Sure, he might eventually go back to sleeping around. Maybe he'll even end up with a new FWB. Or two, fuck it. But he'll never actually fall in love with someone ever again.

And of course, since I'm suddenly feeling creative when my brain is too tired to notice how many typos I probably have here (and/or if what I'm writing is actually coherent), I also have three "I don't think it'll actually happen but it's fun to think about" ideas:

Ending where Vere figures out a way to turn MC immortal and they live happily ever after forever. Is it a "Serial Killer x Serial Killer" thing? Is it a "Serial Killer Partner x Sunshine Partner Who Makes Dinner For Them After Their Long Day Of Murdering" thing? Is it a "Serial Killer Partner x Exasperated Partner Who Complains About Them Getting Blood On The Carpet" thing? Or maybe being with MC somehow caused Vere to develop a moral code, leading to there being much less murdering going on? Or hell, maybe it's something else entirely. Who knows and who cares, because either way, they're happy!

Even less likely ending where Vere turns mortal. There's an epilogue where you can watch Vere struggle with the fact that he actually has a time limit to do stuff now, but he guesses he can put up with it, as long as MC stays by his side. Not that he says that out loud. Sure, eventually, one of them will die first, but the one to die second might find comfort in the fact that they'll be together again soon enough (depending on how the afterlife works). (also everything from the previous scenario could apply to this one as well)

Reincarnation AU where Vere's hypothetical ex doesn't exist but he's been falling in love with MC in each and every life they live. Actually I have a lot of ideas for this one so let me get back to y'all on this note.

EDIT: here you go

And that's pretty much it. For now. Also, apparently foxes are very loud during sex and they're horniest during the winter months so do what you'd like with that knowledge.

[cookierunoutofideas]

Day 1 of "Writing SMC angst until he stops breaking my heart and comes home" (hopefully first and last)

So, after this post, someone sent me this ask in my main blog and I had an idea.

As usual, not beta read we crumble like cookies. Possibly OOC. Possibly crack. Cookies have human anatomy but made with cookie stuff. Fem! Reader. Making up random Cookie Run lore because I can. I am getting desperate, so pardon my lunacy, I just have terrible luck in gacha and need to let my frustrations out

+-+-+-+-+-+-+

"The DOG?!"

"Don't call him that!"

Shadow Milk Cookie can't believe his eyes. He can't believe his ears. He can't believe any of his senses nor his mind.

How did that happen? How did he not see it happening?

Shadow Milk knows for a fact that ever since the other half of his soul jam had awakened in the hands of another cookie, he has kept Pure Vanilla Cookie and his group under his gaze. Specially after Pure Vanilla Cookie somehow met (Y/N) Cookie, the one the Beast of Deceit has loved deeply since he first woke up in the Witch's baking tray, before he was even bestowed the Light of Knowledge, the two blinking confusedly at each other.

He had known, then and there, that they were meant to be together forever. It was like the Witches had baked them to fit together, almost as if they were originally one cookie dough that got separated in two. Even as he allowed the corruption—salvation to take over and transform him into something greater than the Witches would've allowed, his feelings for (Y/N) Cookie never once wavered. The joy he felt when Pure Vanilla Cookie finally did something good and guided him back to his beloved is simply too difficult to put on words.

She is as beautiful as always.

And so terribly close! He couldn't wait to finally break the seal fully and get back the life the damned Witches stole so he could finally reunite with (Y/N) Cookie.

So, then, why is she glaring at him? Standing there, at the Dark Side of The Moon, shoulders rigid and eyes piercing, (Y/N) Cookie proclaims that she has found someone else.

And it's a god damned CAKE MONSTER!!

"My love, what have the Witches done to your brain? Is this a joke? Must be a joke! Right? Right!"

"It's no joke, Shadow Milk Cookie. I have found love away from you and your lies," she crosses her arms, unamused. "Schwarzwälder is a sweet guy who treats me well. I'm very lucky to have him."

"You're enemies!"

"We were enemies. It was before Dark Enchantress Cookie abandoned her followers to covet the power of the Beasts."

"That– how–!"

"I don't need to explain myself to you!" (Y/N) cookie takes a step back and he can tell she'll soon manage to free herself from his influence. Shadow Milk Cookie remembers the days they spent training their magic together. "We are over, Shadow Milk Cookie! The next time we meet, it'll be on the battlefield, and you better hope White Lily manages to seal you before I crumble you!"

The connection severs then, the once warm and welcoming magic of his beloved now sharp and cold like a blade, and Shadow Milk Cookie is left alone in the dark realm of his own creation.

[flowery-laser-blasts]

STRANGE MAGIC DRAKGO AU

First of all thank you @cocoa-night for letting me know the name of this movie. I saw a snippit of Dawn and Bog a few months back on instagram but I couldn't find the title. The second I watch this? BAM! I'm instantaneously sucked into the whole story. I don't care if people say it's a bad movie or cringe, it makes me happy.

This is a lot so if you're interested in the AU...

Designing these two in the style of the movie proved to be very difficult in the end. I'm still very unsure about these colours and details since it became pretty busy, however, I have left it as is for now and maybe in the future I might redesign it! I thought it was important to implement a bit of each other's colours in their outfits. A bit of blue in Shego's green Rajah butterfly wings and I wanted to capture the green reflection of the Scarab in Drakken's outfit, but the show's style rarely shows very shiny objects so I ended up with green accents in the collar and ends of gloves and boots. Note that these designs change a LOT in my sketches because I'm more 'free' with drawing and don't fully stick to things unless I fully render out things.

THE STORY: It basically follows the same storybeats as the movie but with some added lore I made of my own. Please don't expect a fully written fanfic. This is somewhat inbetween rough notes and script.

Kimberly, the Princess of the Faerie Kingdom, has been preparing to take her place on the throne ever since the day she was born. Under the strict eyes of Miss Go, her Governess, Kim has been leading up to the most important day of her life: choosing her husband and future King of Faeries at the Spring dance. However, Kim has other plans. During lunch periods Miss Go and Kim would often take a stroll in the Castlegarden, where she would listen to her Governess' past adventures as Shego; adventurer, world explorer, kick-ass Faerie extraordinaire. "Whatever would make you quit that exciting life and be stuck in this place?" "Well, for starters: having a roof above my head and three meals a day is nice. A warm bed--" "You've become soft haven't you?" "Do you want extra homework Kimberly?" "No ma'am." "That's what I thought. Let's get back inside. It's almost time for your dance practice." Kimberly never received a 'real' answer to her question but something must've happened in Miss Go's past... Right?

"Sooo... the spring dance huh." "What's with that?" "Oh just... You having to choose a partner for life, that's uh- That's a big deal, huh?" "Yeah, no. I don't think so." "What?" "I'm not going Ron. I am so done with this boring castle! I want adventure! I want to see the things Miss Go has seen!" "Danger, homelessness and poverty?" "The WORLD RON!" "I mean... I guess--" "All I have to do is distract Miss Go long enough during the dance and I can finally be free!" "That woman is like a bloodhound... Unlike Bonnie. Man, I tell you Kiki. I've seen ladybugs in love but that girl has it bad! I passed by her today and she didn't even comment on my 'fashion sense' like usually, all because Brick was weeding the farm!" "Wait, Ron. Rewind; What did you say?" "My fashion sense, you know, my pants and shirt never match--" "No before that!" "Ladybugs in love?" "That's it Ron! Love makes blind, maybe blind enough for us to run away!" "I mean, I don't think I've ever seen Miss Go show any emotion other than anger-- wait 'us'?" "Well, duh, of course! You and me together Ron. You're my best friend since forever! Besides Miss Go may act cold on the outside, deep down I know she has a warm heart." "Well if you say so... But what guy would be brave enough to even try greeting her?" "Easy, general Barkin. You tell him that Miss Go has a crush on him!" "But she doesn't???" "Easy Ron: Love potion... now here's the plan." And thus Kimberly's plan, after Ronald wrote it down on a piece of parchment, was put in action: - Step 1. Get General Barkin to go for Miss Go. (Maybe they even fall in love right? That way we don't need a love potion to begin with!! Right!??! I DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE DARK FOREST! MOM TOLD ME I SHOULD NEVER GO THERE!) - Step 2. If General Barkin's persistence doesn't work: Love potion. Kim said that we could get some from the Sugarplum Faerie, but I heard that she's just a legend but you know how Kim is; she's headstrong. I love her for that but this is a bit dangerous, isn't it? I'm not going to let her go by herself though! She says she's found old documents in the archives of the castle, but are those even real? What if it's just a tale?? - Step 3. Put some of the love potion in Miss Go's tea? Food? How does this even work! I've never seen it in real life! Can you overdose on it? Argh Kiki why are you doing this to me!!

"Wh-what? The Dark forest?! Miss Go, we all know that no one is--" "I'm joking Princess. Of course I'll come to the dance. Someone has to make sure that you find the right man to marry. The kingdom's fate is at stake." The night before the Spring Dance, Kimberly and Ronald met at the edge of the kingdom, ready to go into the unknown of the dark forest.

"You got all the ingredients Ron?" "Boy do I! It took me a few hours but I found everything we need for a love potion!" "Spankin! Alright, all we've got to do now is get to the middle of the Dark Forest and then in the Kobold King's cast--" "K-k-k-k-k KOBOLD KING? KIMBERLY, THIS WON'T END WELL. I THOUGHT- YOU KNOW, SUGAR PLUM JUST DIDN'T WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN SOCIETY ANYMORE AND STARTED LIVING IN THE DARK FOREST... IN A COZY COTTAGE... THAT WE CAN WALK INTO FOR A VISIT? MAYBE GET SOME COOKIES?" "Ron, please. I need you to be serious and focus. Tell me: Are you in or not? I won't be mad at you if you want to go back, but I need to know now." "...I--" Ronald took a deep breath. "Yes, of course I am." "Thank you Ron."

Once in the forest, Kimberly and Ronald snuck around. They evaded giant centipedes and weird looking frogs. Luckily for the duo, they found the way to the Kobold King's Castle with the help of a chipper cockroach that tried to get Ronald's roadtrip snacks. Meanwhile in the castle, King Drakken was having an argument with his mother who, once again, brought in a suitor for her son. "Mother for the SO MANIETH TIME. I. DO NOT. WANT. TO GET HOOKED UP WITH A TOTAL STRANGER!!!" "WELL YOU NEVER LEAVE THIS CASTLE EITHER. IF YOU'RE NOT OUT THERE LOOKING FOR A GIRL, HOW DO YOU EXPECT THEM TO FIND YOU, HMM? I'M GETTING OLDER DREW, I DON'T WANT YOU TO WITHER AWAY LIKE A SHRIVELED UP WALLFLOWER AFTER I'M GONE" "Mother, that won't happen--" "FOURTY YEARS, DREW, FOR FOURTY YEARS I TOOK CARE OF YOU, RAISED YOU WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS AND WHAT DO I GET AS THANKS? A GRUMPY GROUCH THAT DOESN'T WANT TO GIVE HIS MOTHER ANY GRANDCHILDREN." "Oh for the love of--, if you want to take care of something: get a pet!! Love is just an obstacle if you look at the bigger picture." Drakken waved his mother off as his two minions, Fissi and Killi, ran in; telling him about the spies that sneaked into the forest.

Kimberly and Ronald managed to break into the dungeon and found the Sugarplum Faerie. After they got the love potion, they helped Sugarplum to escape but because of her very, very loud singing, the Kobold King arrived. "What do we have here? Two nimwits tresspassing my domain!?" "HEY! DON'T CALL THE PRINCESS OF THE FAERIES A NIMWITT-- Oops.." "RON!" "GIVE ME THAT POTION!" Ronald struggled against the grasp of the King. "KIKI, CATCH!" Ronald thew the flask of love potion in the hopes that the princess would catch it. However as she dove towards it, it broke onto the dungeon floor. The impact caused half of the potion to splash onto Kimberly's face. Enraged, the King tossed Ronald aside and ordered Fissi and Killi to cleanup the mess before more damage could be done. Kimberly's eyes unfortunately fell upon the tyrant's face "AND AS FOR YOU PRINCESS-- why, are you looking at me like that?" IMPORTANT NOTE: FOR THIS AU TO WORK, PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT I SEE THIS AS A TEENAGE GIRL CRUSHING ON/FALLING FOR A FAMOUS CELEBRITY AND IT'S COMPLETELY ONESIDED, LIKE IN THE MOVIE. I DO NOT SHIP KIM AND DRAKKEN. Anyway, Drakken gets the absolute creeps and locks both Kimberly and Ronald up in each a seperate cell. The King was determined to make an antidote but had to admit; this accidental fiasco proved to be bountiful. With the princess as a hostage, Drakken would have the upper hand in demanding that the Faeries would surrender their kingdom to him as an expansion of the dark forest. This was almost too good to be true! Drakken told a few of his soldiers to go to the King of the Faeries and let his demands be known: Hand over the Faerie Kingdom if you ever want to see your daughter back, alive. Luckily for Drakken, Kimberly was very helpfull in gossiping about the kingdom... maybe a bit too much. Soon enough he had too much information. He didn't want to hear endless tales about, for example: Hank, the royal baker, who's cupcakes were the buzz of the town.

From the moment she got up until lunch time, Miss Go managed to evade General Barkin's advances as she made her way to Kimberly's quarters. As expected, she didn't find her there. Going to all of Kim's regular spots, she noticed a crumpled up parchment… Ronald's notes. "Those brats… When I get my hands on them--!!! I might need to find a new job." Miss Go set out to get to the Castle of the Kobold King, hours before his army arrived at the border of the Faerie Kingdom... From this point on, I'll refer her back to Shego as we're outside of the kingdom.

Drakken was going over his plan of attack as Shego crashed into the King's throne room, causing him to shriek and hide behind his desk. "Alright, cough up. Where's Princess Kimberly." "I could take you to her... If you surrender yourself to me, wench." "Fat chance dungbeetle." "HNG! WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!?" "Get that mulch out of your ear, saves people time in repeating themselves!"

Drakken and Shego fought tooth and nail until both of them were out of breath. That's when they noticed a familair voice. "Not again... It's been HOURS!" "Is that?" "I told her to stop talking about the castle... So she started singing instead." "Did she." "Love potion? Yes." "Oh no." Drakken sighed, "Come along... watch your step."

"YOU ARE A SICK, SICK MAN!" "WHAT?! THIS IT ISN'T MY FAULT!! THAT BUFFOON PRACTICALLY AIMED THAT LOVE POTION STRAIGHT THAT GIRL'S HEAD" "YOU'RE STILL TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION" "I'M WORKING ON AN ANTIDOTE IN THE MEANTIME!" "How long until it is done?"

Drakken and Shego spoke to the Sugarplum Faerie who gave Fissi and Killi a list of ingredients to gather. Meanwhile they went upstairs along wtih Drakken's mother to see the dininghall decorated in red hearts and all that hoopla.

"I have nothing to do with this." Shego looked him up and down, "Yeah, I can tell." "I don't know whether to take that as an insult or not." She shrugged. "Take it however you want it."

Hours passed and eventually both Drakken and Shego lost their patience. Both of them demanded to know the status of the antidote. Sugarplum told them that the antidote was inside the dungeon all along. "WHAT!? WELL WHAT IS IT?!" "YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS!" "Well what is it??" Sugarplum smirked and started to play out the tragic lovestory of the lovesick King who tried to forcefully win over the heart of a lake creature who was, unbeknownst to him, already in love with another.

"Ha...hahaha." "What's so funny Kobalt King?" "Even with that love potion, I am just too hideous to love, aren't I?" Shego felt a bit of empathy towards the King. He probably didn't notice it himself, but the few moments when the moon shone onto him through cracks of the darkened castle, he would faintly glow in a beautiful, almost mesmerizing azure blue shine. It almost made his wings and exoskeleton look like a finely polished gem. "ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO WHAT I AM SAYING?" Sugarplum's yelling snapped Shego out of her thoughts. Thinking about the story, Shego realised something: "Wait, do you mean that... urgh... 'true love' is the cure to all of this?" "Bingo! A love potion is fake, nothing about it is real. But true love, nothing can break that bond!" "...and 'in the dungeon'... Ronald! Argh!! Those two kids--" "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" "You locked me up and blamed all your misfortune on me! I tried to warn you but you NEVER LISTEN!" "Fissi, Killi.. Just... Just take her away and let that brat-- I mean; Let Ronald into Kimberly's cell. He might be able to wake her up from her delusional state." Drakken's henchmen took the Sugarplum Faerie and left the room. Shego turned to follow Fissi and Killi but hesitated at the door. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the King standing near the window. She took a deep sigh and walked over.

"Wowwww... you.... uhhhh... You planning on blowing this whole thing off?" "Hm? Yeah. Guess you can call this a revelation, I suppose." "What do you mean?" "This whole 'wanting to take over everything'. I guess I did it because I wanted to become powerful. All these years I wanted to hold power over those who have wronged me in the past and to show sweet, beautiful Amy that I could be worthy of her love. I now realise that I just felt lost. I wanted to control everything but--" "But you can't control everything. Sometimes you just need to let go and focus on yourself. Trust me, I know everything about that. My older brother? Total control freak that hovered over all of my siblings and I. That's why I left home." "It suffocated you... That must've been a difficult decision to take for you..." "Yeah..." "Sooo... Now you are a babysitter for the Faerie Kingdom's Princess." "Governess. I saw the world for a while and after that I grew a bit bored. I wanted something more stable so... teaching. It used to be my passion. But soon Kimmie will be engaged, married and then I'll move onto the next thing." "Well, if you need a place to crash. I can keep a cell warm in my dungeon for you." The both of them laughed. "Come let's stretch our wings." "Great idea!"

The two of them flew out of the castle into the night sky and passed by all sorts of folliage and creatures until Drakken dove into a large bramble.

They enjoyed the flight and most of all; each other's company. That was until Drakken noticed the Faerie Kingdom's army. "Uh-oh... I... forgot about that." "Urgh. Just-- Just wait here. I'll go talk to them. They might shoot you on sight." "Nothing I can't handle... But I might-- er... Go check on Princess Kimberly and Ronald. If you hear singing--" "I'll stall time." Shego took off "Wait!" "Hm?" "...Be careful. That's all."

Drakken got to the dungeon via it's secret entrance and found Ronald and Kimberly, holding each other in an embrace and outside of her cell. "AH GOOD! Great to see you are back to normal... Right?" Kimberly looked over, startled at first and then cringed, remembering everything she did. "Yup!SureAm!Let'sGoRon.HaveYouSeenMissGo?" "She's at the entrance. Come with me before things escalate any further." The three of them ran up the stairs. "Let me get this straight: You're a good guy now?" "I wouldn't necessarily say that, but in this case: sure." "What changed?" "What do you mean?" "Well you went from "I AM GOING TO TAKE OVER THE FAERIE KINGDOM!" to "I'm letting both of you go." What changed? Why don't you want to take it over anymore?" "I suppose that controlling others isn't truly what I want." "What do you want?" "... I think--" "Ron this is so not the time to become a therapist." Kimberly interjected as she pointed out the massive Faerie army with at the front General Barkin.

"For the last time General. I am NOT your ANYTHING." "But-- But Miss Go. What we have--" "Nothing. NO-THING." "That damned monster has brainwashed you hasn't he?! I heard the tales about him kidnapping Sugarplum for his selfish reasons!!" Drakken felt a surge of anger coming over him as he dove headfirst towards Barkin. "I AM NOT BRAINWASHING HER. IF SHE SAYS NO, THE ANSWER IS NO. DON'T YOU DARE TO DECIDE WHAT'S BEST FOR HER!!" The two fought, which gave a misunderstood 'signal' to their allies to charge into battle. Shego grabbed Kimberly and Ronald, moving them out of harms way before looking for Drakken and Barkin.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a faint blue shimer in the light of the sunrise. The Kobold King was backed into a corner and with General Barkin's sword at his throat, he admited defeat. "My Hero!" Shego squealed out in joy. "Miss Go! You've broken free from this despicable creature's spell!" Barkin practically tossed away his sword, spreading his arms to receive, what he thought was, a warm embrace from his green Faerie in distress; instead, he received a sucker punch that send him straight into the chasm mere meters away from her and Drakken. "That was terrifying." "You almost dying?" "Your acting." Drakken and Kimberly called off both of the armies. Telling the full story, though excluding some embarassing details for everyone's sake. The Faerie army retreated, turning around to head back towards the Faerie Kingdom, leaving the Kobold King, the Governess, Princess Kimberly and Ronald to part their ways.

"I'm glad that everything got resolved in the end. See Kim? We don't need a love potion!" "That reminds me, why did you want that love potion? Weren't you two already, well, you know... On the right track?" "Oh it wasn't for Kim! It was for mhmpfff--" Kim quickly covered Ron's mouth with her hand, turning beetred. "Kimmie..." Shego crossed her arms looking at the Princess. Kim sighed.

"I want to see the world. Just like you did! I don't want to marry some random guy just so I could rule the kingdom." "You are still young," Shego smiled and brushed Kimberly's redhair behind her ear, which reminded her of her own mother. "you can see the world in due time. You will marry once you're ready and I'm pretty sure you've already found your king." Ron choked on his spit hearing that, laughing nervously. "AHEM MAYBE- MAYBE IT'S TIME TO GO BACK?" his voice cracked. Both Kimberly and Shego laughed at the boy. "Yeah, let's. Kobold King, my apologies for all the troubles we have caused you." "Ah- well... it wasn't all that bad. If it weren't for you two sneaking in, I wouldn't have met--..." "..." "Yes?" "Yes?" "Met-- individuals, such as yourselves, to show me that things aren't all that bad and that love is, mayhaps, a beautiful thing." "...Am I the only one here that thought he was going to say Miss G--OOF!" "Ron!" "It was nice to have met you as well Kobalt. You aren't as bad as they say." "Heh.." "...Farewell." The three Faeries walked off, crossing the bridge. Leaving both the castle and the Kobold King behind. Drakken bit his lip. "...Actually" "Yes?" Shego turned around. "Feel free to visit whenever you like." "Oh. Okay." "Miss Go?" Kimberly had a small smile on her face, "I have learned a lot from you. Ever since I was little, I've seen you as my secondary mother. I'll be good on my own now, besides; I think you might have found your king as well." Shego felt a lump form in her throat as she listened to the Princess' words. She touched her cheek and felt warm tears on her fingers. "Stay out of trouble Princess. I know where to find you." "I'll try my best." Kimberly beamed and hugged her Governess one last time.

"What are you doing Drew?" the King's mother held her son's hand. "What I should've done with Amy: Letting go." "No, you should've told Amy about how you felt. But that's in the past. Now you tell her how you feel." The King turned around to see the green Faerie standing in front of him. Taken aback, he tried to step away but his mother blocked his path. "Tell her. Right. Now!" "Ahem... I-- Erm... it's..." "...Yes?" "I think I-- might, have... I have fal-- fall-- What I mean to say is I lo--" Shego placed her finger on his lips hushing him. "Maybe I should take it from here." she smiled. He hummed in agreement against her touch. That night along the border where magical flowers grew, the Kobold king and the green Faerie danced along to the spring dance's melody that was carried over by the wind. Flying above the Primroses that bloomed between light and shadow.

The end.

Hope you enjoyed reading all of this! :)

[wardensantoineandevka]

I'm trying to think of how to tie the Ruidus plot into Marquet specifically (like how the Empire and Dynasty tension was very much tied to Wildemount). Like there has to be some way it could have worked, right? Perhaps making Ruidus relevant to the Apex War and thus digging into that offering needed information? Maybe Ruidus' core structure was made from Marquet, so its most ancient ruins/stories could hold hints as to what was there? What about Cael Morrow? There’s a potential hook in Call of the Netherdeep. The party split could have been sent to remote parts of Marquet instead of totally different continents, with locations made to fill the plot/lore roles needed.

I'm blabbling here, because just... it didn't have to be this way. Why put all that effort into developing Marquet then not give a good reason for 'the Ruidus campaign' to happen there of all places?

The idea that Marquet was doomed from the start to be cast aside when Matt went into this wanting to tackle Ruidus feels... idk. But I walked away from that campaign feeling like I learned more about moon aliens (which it seemed Matt ran wild with) than Marquet (developed with consultants) which... isn't helping the icky feeling.

Honestly, I don't think it's that difficult or complicated because I don't think you need to connect anything special between Marquet and Ruidus at all. The fact that this is just happens to be where a nexus point of the Apogee Solstice occurred is perfectly fine if you simply allow Marquet to be a place. It did not need to have to be a story about Marquet for Marquet to feel like a rich and developed place, for the story to feel grounded in it as its primary setting, and for it to be given that space and breathing room.

While, certainly, creating closer ties between Marquet specifically and Ruidus would serve toward that, I don't think it's at all necessary to solve my personal criticisms nor to make Marquet feel treated properly as setting, not mere set dressing. (Creating those ties also runs the risk of making Marquet feel subordinate to Ruidus if not done properly, but that's always dependent on execution.)

Simply, I believe letting Marquet have space to exist and to allow the characters and narrative to be informed by this geographical and spatial context would've been enough. Merely, give Marquet the time to be known. Once it is known, once we have developed that relationship with it as a location, even if that is not tied explicitly into the plot, that informs and provides avenues to contextualizing these events within that geographic, geopolitical, and historical setting. It helps us understand relationships between plot, characters, and place, which in turns grounds the plot in place even without having to create special relationships between Marquet and the moon.

This would be in actually bringing the Apex War forward and actually delivering this and foregrounding it as a major shaping of modern Marquesian history, allowing Otohan's personal backstory and her relationship to Eshteross to matter and in turn bringing forward the Courth of the Lambent Path in Aeshanadoor and the Stratos Throne in the Taloned Highlands as major powers in Marquet. Allow us to understand the Tishtan site as a place and giving more depth and space to the Tishtan as a vanished people, which might give us avenues to tie this as a place thematically to Ludinus's project. Have the Marquesian organizations and groups be unmistakably present and major players and organizers of the Exandrian coalition as those who are local to the site and most prepared to handle the logistics of mustering and organizing this push against the Malleus Key. Give insight into what it means for Bassuras to be the most physically proximate to this battle. Revisit the Grim Verity and its Marquesian members, allow us to remember that this starts because of them. Build and forefront Marquesian NPCs, give them roles and space in this narrative and allow them to return; characters like Artana, the Nobodies, Verna the Viper and Imahara Joe, the Green Seekers were all sorely missed and provided ins to the setting. Build out Marquesian relationships and understanding of the gods; continue to build on things like the Duskmaven and Serataani traditions. Give time to actually exist and move through spaces in Marquet, rather than constantly emphasizing a ticking clock and tight deadlines (that turn out never to be that tight), so that characters can linger and learn and we can develop relationships to these locations and characters. Allow these places, traditions, characters to have time to speak for themselves and to be known, understood, and engaged with by the audience and the party.

Notably, I point out, a lot of these things were never delivered on or, if they were, were in the first third or so of the campaign. Which, tracks with my feeling of this dropping off once the Ruidus plot locked in.

I don't believe that the Ruidus plot needed to be about or connected directly to Marquet at all — though it could have been, sure, if done well. I believe that allowing Marquet its due as a location and allow it to be place rather than backdrop simply required the campaign to give it space, time, and connection. Notably, I don't think that C3 failed to do this with Marquet alone, but rather that this is a massive structural failing. Simply, in the same way that the campaign needed to give the characters space and time to develop themselves, their perspectives, their personal plots and their relationships and to more often have time to pursue things that were not so always heavily tied into the Ruidus plot, so I feel the same with Marquet as a location.

The campaign did not necessarily need to make the narrative and Ruidus plot The Marquet Story. It could have been The Moon Plot while still giving the space and time to allow Marquet to develop itself as the place where this happens and to allow the characters and the world itself to develop an understanding and relationship. We see this in practice with the Shattered Teeth, actually. So much of the campaign's failures simply come back to that crushing pace and smothering everythingness of the Ruidus plot, to the point that it left no room for anything else. Marquet is simply one of those things, and a simple fix can be as simple as "let something else have focus for a bit" and "allow breathing room so we can think about something else for a while". Let us engage with the location, and then let what we've taken away from that inform the narrative that is unfolding within it.

[ajastu]

good morning. i still cant get over that fucking 'wanton massacre' post from yesterday

Like, don't get me wrong. I do agree that it would be interesting to revisit the whole architect plotline n maybe explore some more the consequences of darkspawn being able to be 'awakened'.

but oh my god. im going to chew this bone a little bit, as a treat

There are a lot of reasons why this take, worded like it is, is bad. Nothing against OP, obviously, i just want to put my thoughts into words. for funsies. this is enrichment in my enclosure

First of all. we do have to establish that this is a game we're talking about, and games have to conform to certain requirements for the sake of gameplay design. Having darkspawn as an enemy has been a staple of the franchise for as long as it existed, and so there is nothing 'weird as hell' with the fact that veilguard continues that trend.

Now, if we talk about purely just the lore, not looking at gameplay...there is a huge difference between a darkspawn and someone who is tranquil. The main one being: tranquil people do not try to kill other people on sight. They are also not able to infect someone else with the blight. And, if we look at the definition of 'wanton' in this context...

The lore never presented non-awakened darkspawn as harmless or able to be reasoned with. It has also never presented the tranquil as a danger to other people.

So, killing the tranquil? that Would be a wanton massacre. Killing the darkspawn? I'm afraid that's just self defense.

The fact remains that it takes a certain process done by a certain guy (The Architect) to 'awaken' a darkspawn. Even if he could teach someone else to perform the ritual, we are still talking about the few vs however fuckoff many darkspawn there are in the world. Not to mention, it is not guaranteed that the awakened darkspawn will even choose to remain peaceful, as was the case with The Mother in awakening.

And the existence of The Architect and his group of peaceful darkspawn isn't even common knowledge in Thedas.

So, even if the game did decide to go into all that and maybe pursue the avenue of awakening the darkspawn etc etc etc....what should the people of Thedas do in the meantime? Because that will not be a quick and easy process. And the darkspawn are not going to just stand patiently in line to The Architect's Awakening Kiosk.

Again, I do agree that it could be a fun story to explore. It would also be a whole another game that will require a completely different plot direction, and it is kind of unreasonable and unfair to present this as a failure on veilguard's part. For a story to be coherent, it has to follow a certain thread and theme, and that becomes even more strict and difficult to navigate in an rpg game like dragon age, which has to account for different player choices.

Hell, even some of the choices we are presented with in veilguard could mean wildly different outcomes for the state of the world (keep archive or not, return griffons to the grey wardens or not...even taash's quest-line, while not making you choose that particular aspect directly, has very different implications for the future of the antaam). And i honestly don't know how easy it would be to navigate if we do, by some divine miracle, get da5 one day.

It is similar to the criticism of "well why couldn't we choose to tear the veil down!". There is a story that needs to be told, and it needs to account for a lot of player choices, and so something as radically world-altering as tearing down the veil simply cannot exist in the canon of the franchise. It will lead to two completely different games down the line. there was only ever going to be one choice possible: either keep the veil, or destroy it. Not both.

And, arguably, veilguard actually opens the door to the possibility of exploring a different side of darkspawn with the ending where you convince solas to bind himself to the veil.

'I cannot kill the blight, but i can help to soothe it's anger'

Like, you see what im saying here? This could be argued as a possible beginning to the reform of how the blight works, generally. So, instead of relying on one guy to awaken all the darkspawn, perhaps the blight itself would let them 'awaken' on their own once it's sufficiently soothed. Of course, this is all theory and speculation and just a fun thought exercise etc etc etc, but it's the best shot for the possibility of exploring this topic properly in-game. Not that i think that this is the direction that will be chosen necessarily, but you know. nothing is certain at this point.

IN CONCLUSION, I think that this once again comes down to how people let their disappointment over a game not meeting their expectations cloud their judgement. If you think about it without letting your emotions control the narrative, it is quite reasonable that veilguard would not be exploring the darkspawn awakening aspect of the lore. There's just no space for it in the narrative that was required. Hell, they obviously had to cut it as much as they possibly could afford to, thanks to the development hell the team was put through. Exploring this plotline in a way that would do it justice would have been impossible in the game, and it would have cheapened both this concept AND the overall narrative.

Criticizing veilguard for this is similar to criticizing, i don't know, a cheese store not selling your favorite candy. Not the best metaphor, but you know.

It could be a fun discussion. It could be a fun project, to really sit down and work out the logistics of this whole thing. It could become a creative endeavor, but instead it's used as a way to dunk on datv for no reason, and i just think that's a fucking shame

[balrogballs]

Hi hi hi! I just finished reading The Sword Tree and I'm still unwell about it so I hope it's okay if I rant in your ask box for a sec. I'm South Asian and the bit about celebrian saying there's more to their national diagnosis of sea-longing hit so close to home because the rhetoric around returning to valinor is so similar to partition where the rhetoric was (and remains to this day at least in pakistan) that all the Muslims of the subcontinent WANTED to go to Pakistan because they wanted a Muslim homeland. Which is just - patently untrue as evidenced by the fact that MILLIONS of Muslims chose to remain in India and doesn't take into account any of the hundred of reasons people actually chose to migrate, the threat of violence being not least amongst them. The way returning to valinor is framed as this glorious homecoming when really so many of the elves would have been fleeing from violence, would have been going because they had no other choice, because it was that or fade is soooo ASHDHSGS it drives me insane. But at least now I can think of celebrian taking them to her forest so yay <3 thank you for that

You’ll have to excuse me nerding out being a complete freak and writing a whole ass impromptu 1500 word meta essay at midnight in the hour since you sent this though, because this ask scratches a good 100% of my brain in a wonderful way + I have a lot of THOUGHTS + it touches on some non-fiction stuff I was preparing for Mereth Aderthad… so thank you very much ily as you can see here I am just as unwell 🥹🙏🏽🫶🏽

I’ll put the actual content under the cut since it’s long, but it may be interesting to anyone else keen on my silly meta/theory ramblings re: postcolonial South Asia, Tolkien elves, Valinor, Indo-Pak (obv a thematic comparison rather than a direct equation since the circumstances, cost and setting is entirely different), slow violence and the diction of genteel exile… plus, Frodo comes into it at one point!

Forgive me if I repeat myself here because I’m not sure how long you’ve followed me so idk how much Balls Lore™️ I’ve dropped btw… so I’m not religious but my paternal side (who we’re culturally closer to as a family since my mum’s side don’t really practice their religion/culture) are actually Indian Muslims from Kerala, which was one of the v few Indian states that had both a high Muslim population yet saw almost no northward movement towards Pakistan, partly bc it was so far south and the people don’t speak any of the Indopak “border languages” but also because there wasn’t much communal violence or structural discrimination (relative to the rest of the country, I mean…) so life was at the time not particularly hostile or difficult for Muslims in Kerala, at least on the basis of their religion (caste is a diff story though 🥲).

And so people just stayed, because, as you say, they COULD. Because why the fuck would you choose to leave the place you were born in, trek across the entire subcontinent and face unspeakable violence, if you had literally any other choice!!!

And your point about “glorious homecoming” is also super interesting to me especially in the context of the RSS/Indian RW’s “Musalmanon ko donon sthan, Pakistan aur kabarsthan’ (Muslims have two places: Pakistan or the graveyard)” chant, by now a vicious majoritan sentiment which simultaneously contradicts their other unhinged viewpoint, aka “Pakistan technically belongs to India”. And that kind of diction is in turn echoed and mirrored from the Pakistani side, where anytime anti-Muslim violence breaks out in India, the PK broadcast media/politicos begin their “we told you so tee hee we told you you should have come here, who asked you to stay in India? 🤪” world tour like they’re talking about children who dropped their ice creams 🥲

Which is unsurprising of course, considering India and Pakistan have spent nearly 80 years constructing their national identity as the moral and civilisational antithesis of the other one… ie Pakistan as a “sanctuary from Hindu majoritarianism”, India as a “secular (lmao) republic against Islamic theocracy”… and like w Valinor and Middle-earth, these imaginaries are less geographic than mythic (thinking about Eärendil’s journey here, or Tuor just… as a concept sksksk): each land continuously reifies itself by casting the other as failed or impure, and the rules of performance and belonging keep shifting…

The very structure of Valinor's inaccessibility aka requiring divine permission, reserved for the select, where rules can be broken only if the divine powers will it to me resonates w how citizenship & belonging are gatekept in the subcontinent and how those with hybrid or marginal identities (like Ëarendiil) are often asked to prove their fidelity to the nation (“choose elves or men”) in ways the majority never is, as if access to the country of your birth was a conditional gift rather than a birthright.

And I’m thinking again about the Peredhel choice, and Elwing and Eärendil being forced to choose to belong to either men or elves at great cost, quite literally punished for hybridity, and for stepping foot in Valinor as the “wrong kind”, the kind who aren’t allowed to enter… and this punishment lasts for several generations of their line, right down to Arwen… so again that “homeland” projected not as a shared horizon of peace but as a fantasised ideal purified of the other’s existence…. an unsoiled homeland that can only keep moving forwards by erasing those whose identities speak to entanglement...

And with “Indo-Pak”, that metaphysical distance between Valinor and Middle-earth is reenacted as militarised borders and cultural opposition... each made from the blank spaces in the other’s mirror. And so in India, much like for other minorities in Pakistan, or former East Pakistan prior to the liberation of Bangladesh… those who don’t fit the moral geography of Partition ie religiously intermarried families, religious minorities, borderland communities, secular dissidents, queer folk, etc, are not only excluded from nationalist narratives but seen as aberrations, or intruders… India must inversely reflect Pakistan, and Pakistan must inversely reflect India, because if they don’t, then neither country can be said to exist.

And yes absolutely, for ME elves (ie Elrond for instance) the “return” is not some triumphant homecoming, the journey West is sorrowful and final… less a political return and more an admission that Middle-earth, the “contested space” so to speak, can no longer sustain the presence of its most wounded or burdened beings. Eg Frodo’s departure, like Celebrían’s sailing, being a spiritual evacuation rather than a physical one, not in itself necessary for healing, but because healing is no longer possible where the wound was made… like, the tragedy of people needing to convalesce from their own country is just 🥲

and I think the ending of the Return of the King showcases this splendidly: by ending with a *departure* from ME rather than an *arrival* in Valinor. And that’s what makes it tragic to me, bc in Tolkien’s world, the sailing to Valinor marks the end of the narrative for the reader, but in South Asia, this desire for purified homelands continues to regenerate new forms of violence…

What I’m trying to say here is, I assume you haven’t read my India AU (Prayers to Broken Stone) since I remember you mentioning the sea serpent one was the first Maedhros and Elrond story of mine you read, which is why I am EXTREMELY shook (in a good way aka I am insanely impressed, whatever our souls are made of yours and mine are the same etc etc) at how you’ve hit the nail right on the head when it comes to a major undercurrent of Prayers, which I don’t think I’ve even mentioned explicitly on Tumblr either—the overarching thematic parallel between the fading of elves and the postcolonial trajectory of the Indian Muslims who chose to stay because they wanted to, where the opportunity for a “glorious return” to an unknown land is no opportunity at all, and is in fact nothing but a great and violent sundering. Like that is the main thematic framework there, far beyond any positionality-politics about the Noldor and the Sindar or whatever. Just including a bit from one of the chapters which I think illustrates exactly what I mean (context, this is set during the Emergency following the Fëanorians as a Malayali Muslim family, where Maedhros is a former freedom fighter).

———

———

I wanted to convey in the fic how in post-independence India, Muslims were not formally expelled, but their political + cultural + historical centrality was increasingly made to fade, ie transformed from participants in the national story to spectral reminders of an undesirable past… thinking about that alternate LOTR ending where Sam talks to his daughter Elanor about Celeborn staying alone in Lothlorien, and her calling it “terribly sad”… artefacts/relics/remembrance etc etc…

+ in Tolkien, fading is often accompanied by a refusal to speak of the past. Sam, after Frodo’s departure, speaks little of the Ring or of what was lost, or with Celebrían, the narrative has nothing to add about the year between Cel’s capture and torture, vs her sailing, ie what it was like to make the decision to sail after the act of violence. Similarly, in India, public discourse around Patrition + postcolonial antiMuslim violence is marked by silences, half-truths, and amnesia (similar to how the Bangladesh War of Liberation is taught in Pakistan, from what I hear from a cross-border friend…). And this silence is absolutely not accidental but functional: they allow the nation to perform coherence by concealing rupture.

Eg just as the memory of Frodo’s pain is only buried under the peace of the Shire and never truly gone, the memory of communal violence in India is buried (quite literally sometimes, thinking about Babri masjid…) beneath the rhetoric of secularism, progress and unity. IE like Maedhros realises in that snip above where he “loses” his name, India tells itself that it must forget the past in order to survive the future… and in doing so, renders certain kinds of survival indistinguishable from death 🥲

So yes, I absolutely think it’s exactly that “violence of belonging”, where to belong fully often requires the erasure of the other, where even the sacred return is structured by exclusion. Ie the “offer” of “returning” to an imaginary, idealised and ultimately inert “homeland” is more a euphemism for removal, or a horizon made visible only through loss.

The political grammar of “sundered” states require a sort of continuous re-inscription: new Others, new exiles, new purity tests. and in both Tolkien + postcolonial India, gesturing the “fading people” towards a redemptive “homeland” doesn’t signify the endpoint of suffering and victimisation, but rather serves as its ongoing justification. Eg is it homecoming or is it exile? 🥲

Hope my very incoherent midnight thoughts make sense! You really put my brain on speedrun mode jsjsjsjxjd this is the fastest I’ve run to answer a meta ask hahaha. And I also wanted to say thank you so much for leaving all those fantastic comments on my fics, I normally respond in bulk because I’m only logged in to AO3 on my desktop, but I just wanted to say they have TRULY been making my week…

[4thwallbreakerdraws2]

THE LOGIC OF SELF-INSERTS IN THE RTV! AU & BRAINWASH/MIND CONTROL

Getting this lore out now, to finally to stop procrastinating on school work lol

When it comes to RTV’s abilities you have to differentiate between Brainwash and Mind Control. Both are results of being exposed to a) RTV himself or b) his media. However, there are differences.

Brainwash:

People exposed to brainwash will start becoming incredibly attached to RTV. They will believe everything he says and feel a sense of loyalty. However, they also keep all their personality traits and characteristics, it’s simply their opinion that changes. Some even voice criticism, though it’s of course with the intent of helping RTV or seeking his approval. One big impact of this ability (aside from the tons of fan mail) is the uniting effect. RTV unintentionally United a lot of the Mushroom Kingdom as they bond over liking one thing: Him. However, that’s also leads to them turning towards everyone RTV dislikes. He just has to point his finger.

Example characters that are under brainwash: Chris & Swag

Mind Control:

When a person is hit with Mind Control, they turn into a puppet of RTV’s will. People like this will lose their personality traits and grow oddly stiff, monotone in speaking until RTV gives them an order on how to act. To be a victim of Mind Control, you have to be exposed to either RTV directly or his media for a long time. Ironically enough Mind Control is easier to break out from, as soon as a person starts becoming self-aware again, RTV will find it more and more difficult to put them back into a unconscious state. Because the person will remember and RTV can’t erase memories, he can only create.

Example characters for such a case: SMG3

Alright, not to the next lore part of this post: How Self-Inserts work in the RTV!AU

And I shall ping my fellow self-insert creators for that, since it may interest you lol (I JUST NOTICE HOW MANY U ARE HELP)

@fenicearts420, @runrabitrunrunrun, @lari-the-dragon, @selfshippinglover, @entityarts, @angelic-entity121, @untitled14360, @nia1sworld, @stalkersamsrptumbler, @niranutcake

Anyway, let’s get to it.

The different types of Self-Inserts:

Self-inserts appear in different forms in the RTV!Au and I’m sorry, I usually tend to go very meta with my lore SOBS Gotta stay true to my name. Anyway, beforehand: RTV can recognize self-inserts.

We will start off with the 1st type:

The self-insert that represents you through and through.

This self-insert is basically just yourself. There is no character, there never was someone else before, it’s simply a representation of yourself in the fictional world. Your self-insert acts like you, but most importantly: You have no backstory in the world. It’s like you simply just appeared.

How RTV recognizes you: RTV will immediately feel that you don’t belong in his world or the fictional in general. He will have no trouble recognizing you if he’s interacted or seen you on the site before.

2. The posessed self-insert.

With this I mean that the self-insert is supposed to represent you, but also has a story behind it, a past and maybe some characteristics that differ from you. Now, in the RTV!AU logic this means that you basically possessed a character that lived in the world beforehand. When you started writing/drawing yourself int the AU, you took control of said character. Some characters are aware of a change happening to them, while some remain oblivious. The ones that notice, often have to deal with the consequences of self-awareness about their existence. You’re basically like a symbiotic entity latching onto them.

How RTV recognizes you: In these cases RTV will slowly notice that something is off with the character, it’s all about how obvious the character or you make it. But at some point RTV will recognize that you are in control of the character, no matter how good it’s hidden away. It will take some time for him to always tell who is speaking however.

3. The self-insert by proxy.

This type of self-insert is not even supposed to represent you, but simply your OC implemented in the RTV!AU. In lore that means that you are practically just latching onto said character, able to experience what they experience. You don’t truly influence them, you simply observe their life.

How RTV recognizes you: RTV will only recognize you having a connection with this character if a) he sees it here on Tumblr, b) you told him or c) he spends a long time with said character.

Self-inserts and their history, as well as RTV’s feelings on them:

Self-inserts only started appearing in RTV’s world after he got his five stars because that’s when I started picking up his AU. Hence why his first encounter with a self-insert, is mine: Animsay.

RTV’s worst introduction to the concept, because Animsay is a Type 2 Self-insert. She previously existed as a nameless employee at the studio, one of the first, before RTV gradually started noticing behavior changes and something else being there. He finally figured out what it was when Animsay started talking about stuff she shouldn’t know about. So he dealt with that by ████████████████████████.

RTV’s opinion on self-inserts is conflicted. On one hand he sees them as useful. They give him more power, better his connection past the 4th wall and offer him knowledge. On the other hand they get into his business, disrespect him and know too much. If he has bad experiences with you guys, he will also have a bias for the self-insert.

Self-Inserts and Brainwash:

Self-Inserts can be brainwashed, if only Type 2 and 3. Type 3 gets the full brainwash experience like any other character in the AU if they are hit, Type 2 however may have moments of clarity, questioning things or noticing something is off because of your influence on said character. Type 1 cannot be brainwashed as it’s just you. You know his shtick.

For Mind Control it’s a bit different. Once again Type 2 and 3 are affected, but this time Type 2 is fully affected like Type 3. That’s because RTV is practically taking control of the character’s mind. You basically get pushed to the sidelines. Type 1 can this time get affected as well, if you allow it. But you wouldn’t want to do that, would you?

[00lunect]

★JD with Braces: Take 3★

Translation:

JD: It huuuuuuuuuuuuurts~…

Bruce: Calm down, John. We'll get ice cream later.

Clay: No ice cream! You heard the dentist: his mouth is a mess. The last thing he needs is more junk for his teeth!

Floyd: Don't be so hard on him. The dentist also said it would take a few weeks for the pain to go away and that it would be good if we did our best to cheer him up…

Clay: You're being very soft. John asked for it by not taking care of it when he could!

Bruce: The underbite isn't something you can prevent by just brushing your teeth, Clay.

Branch: But the tartar, the three cavities, and the broken tooth that they also had to treat can.

JD: Shut up…

So, I decided to add a little ✨angst✨ to the whole JD braces thing because in my last doodle, the man didn't suffer enough, and my brain came up with more lore about it. (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠).

So, it turns out the underbite isn't the only thing wrong with John's mouth when they go to the dentist. While getting checked out, the doctor discovers the man has been living with a considerable amount of tartar, three cavities, and a broken tooth between his teeth for a few years, which obviously worries the brothers greatly and causes them to scold John for having neglected his oral hygiene so badly. At least for the first few years he was away from the Troll Tree. Apparently, his teeth started hurting about two or three years after Brozone separated, which is why he was forced to return home (also because he missed his family terribly, of course, but the cavities simply made him rush to get there faster and see a dentist).

Unfortunately for him, he found the Troll Tree empty, and, devastated by all this, he ends up neglecting his hygiene even more for a while, until he manages to make his own toothpaste. Years later, he discovers the other tribes, but unsure of what to expect from his medicine, he doesn't dare visit a local dentist for a checkup. By now, he'd gotten used to living with the pain as a kind of punishment for abandoning his family, so he just sticks to getting proper toothbrushes and real toothpaste. Since then, he brushes every day after every meal to prevent his dental problems from worsening and tooth loss, and somehow it worked, as even the dentist was impressed that he still had a set of teeth to save.

The rest of Brozone is horrified by the revelation and extremely worried for their older brother.

John Dory receives THE scolding of his life, plus special treatment to restore his teeth to their former glory (or whatever they once were before the split), which is pretty easy for the Pop Trolls considering their high-sugar diet, so performing miracles regarding cavities was their specialty. The broken tooth and tartar were more difficult, but the dentist managed. Finally, after several weeks of constant (and painful. Really painful) treatment and making sure John Dory's teeth didn't fall out anytime soon, they finally address the initial problem: the underbite. By now, John Dory has already had a terrible time with the other treatments, barely able to sleep after someone drilled into his teeth for hours and put some weird, bad-tasting stuff in them to fix them. So, braces are the icing on the cake. The pressure in his mouth is unbearable, and according to the dentist, he'd have to deal with that pain for a few more weeks.

Long story short, JD was going to suffer for another month, and he's exhausted and almost traumatized by it all. The only thing his brothers can do in the face of such a pathetic sight is try to make him feel better or keep him comfortable until it passes, and John can only last a few hours before finally being overcome by the urge to cry…

But don't feel sad, people, this is all for his own good. And once the discomfort from the braces passes, he'll look so cute with his new smile! (⁠✿⁠^⁠‿⁠^⁠).

…Even if he hates it…

Here are Take 1 and Take 2 of this whole thing, in case you were wondering where this idea of JD with braces came from. Just a silly little thing I thought of the other day and wanted to capture. You'll also notice that the John Dory drawing in this post has facial hair, which the previous one didn't have, so I decided to add it. I don't know, I felt like he needed it. In my previous doodle, he looked very young.

(Edit note: And by the way, here's Take 4 of this, in case you want to see how it continues. Sorry, I totally forgot to add it when I made the new JD with Braces post, but hey, better late than never, right? (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠))

And here's the drawing without text and enlarged, so you can appreciate my boy having a bad time. ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

Thanks for reading!

[moonlitcelestial]

Chapter 27 

Beyond the Lens - Logbook Videographer!Reader x OT8 Ateez

W/C ~16,462 

🎥 Series Masterlist 🎥

☽ Masterlist ☾ 

Inspiration Pictures

Pinterest Board Masterlist

Previous Chapter (Chapter 26)

Disclaimer: This story is purely a work of fiction. It is not meant to assume or mock anything about Ateez, Atiny, or anything relating to what I do not know about being a videographer. This story will follow several of the events that Ateez have done in the past year for Golden Hour Part 2, that being said I will not be able to include everything. 

Contains she/her pronouns.

The logo in the center is mine. Please do not reuse or copy.

I strongly recommend looking at the inspiration pictures and the Pinterest boards linked above (which will be updating as the story goes on).

General Warnings: cussing, conflict, angst, fluff, and obliviousness. 

CHAPTER WARNINGS - Shenanigans, fluff, a pinch of angst, Alcohol

Shenanigans and unlocking lore in this chapter you might be in for some fun!! I rewatched the Drunkteez episodes while sipping on my own wine while writing parts of this so be warned 😂 Let me know what you think! <3 Moonie

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Absolute chaos unfolded after you leapt into the pool with everyone. First you were thrown over Wooyoung’s shoulder, and following that he toted you around, your other boys and the team were teasing you as you were ‘trying’ to get out of his hold. Really you were just putting on a show because you knew how to get out of this hold very easily. When he finally put you down you glared at him and before he could process it you had thrown him over your shoulder and started toting him around like he did to you. Most of the boys were staring at you in shock and you were grinning before throwing Wooyoung into part of the deeper end of the pool. When he broke the surface of the water he was smiling so widely at you that you wondered what was going on inside his head. Dirty thoughts most likely. 

Next you were dragging out the net to play some volleyball. As soon as you had it set up everyone was playing kai bi bo to get teams figured out. You were grinning the entire time when Minho offered to be the referee, just like a normal cat he absolutely hated the water; and was thankful when he wasn’t forced into the pool. He ended up sitting toward one end of the net with his feet in the pool. Mocha and Beans settled down on one of the lounge chairs like always while Toothless and Atlas were sitting close to Minho. The teams ended up being huge and most of you were shooting shit in the background while the others did a round and then you flip flopped. When you finally got up to play you were up against several of your boys and a smattering of the other two groups. Most of your team consisted of Xikers and a couple of Stray Kids. 

The other team learned very quickly that they underestimated you. Any time that they served close to you you spiked it back over to them with quick accuracy. After they learned you were met with Chan almost each time, his kangaroo abilities made it just a little difficult to get it over his head. So when you did the Stray kids on your team immediately would celebrate with you and tease Chan. Junmin was not too far behind Chan so when he missed or it went elsewhere he was there showing off as well. The two teams were fairly evenly matched so when it came down to it you let Minho decide the winner, he ended up choosing your team; most likely because Han was on it. 

After the volleyball match and various other shenanigans you noticed that it was finally getting dark. With quick movements you went over to the side of the pool and leapt out to grab the remote and turn off the normal lights. The glow sticks were shining so brightly making it look like a crowd in one of their concerts, which gave it such a fun vibe. Your boys were absolutely mesmerized at the glow emanating from the bottom of the pool. While you were out of the pool you made your way over to the porch to grab the s’mores tray and a chocolate covered strawberry tray, one of which you left out for this specific reason. When you made it over to the fire pit you started stoking the fire to make sure it was still good enough to roast marshmallows. 

With quick precision you put several marshmallows onto one of your sticks and started roasting them to perfection. You had a tendency to love them when they were the perfect golden brown but you would do several of the lightly roasted ones and the more burnt ones to cater to everyone. When they made it to the perfect color you started putting them together. “Sannie, want a s’more?” 

San whipped around from where he was conversing with Minho; presumably about their cats. You held up one s’more and he grinned showcasing his adorable dimples before starting to move toward you. As soon as he made it close enough you handed him two over the wall. “Bring one to Minho for me, my love.”  

He nodded to you and leaned up to give you a kiss before making his way back across the pool. After putting together the remaining smores from the first batch you called out to everyone else. “S’mores anyone?” 

As soon as the words left your mouth you were immediately swarmed by almost all of the people in the pool. You were laughing as they started bickering on who would get them first. You handed one to Seungmin who was standing there grinning at you with a shit eating grin knowing full well his best bitch privileges would get him one first. Before he wandered away you were offering him a chocolate covered strawberry, he was truly beaming after he spotted one of his favorite sweet treats being offered to him. He took both from you and started eating. You distributed the remaining two out and started making more. 

Several of the men were just leaning against the wall watching you roast the marshmallows. You were watching the fire with a grin, you absolutely loved being able to hear the chatter of some of your favorite people. A couple of seconds after you had finished the next batch a set of big warm hands met your hips. You turned to look over your shoulder and were met with Yunho, he was smiling at you which you returned immediately. “Need some help Haebalagi (Sunflower)?” 

“If you want to help I won't stop you, I have a large line of customers waiting.” He laughed and took the stick with the marshmallows from you and started plating some of them up. You grabbed the other stick you had and started making the next batch, the two of you quickly found a rhythm. When the ones who loved strawberries appeared you gave them some and watched their faces morph into even more happiness. 

All of the people here were surrounding you and happily munching on the smores you and Yunho made. Minho and San eventually made their way over here, San was leaning on the wall close to Hongjoong and Minho was sitting on the bench inside the fire pit area. (This is inset to the pool, it was the best picture I could find to suit what I wanted) The cats had migrated over as well, all four of them were content just laying on the warm concrete; Toothless and Atlas curled up together while the girls were on the bench. Minho had taken off the floaties and set them to the side, what surprised you was that Toothless didn't take off running like he normally does. He must have been tuckered out for the time being. Yunho was joking around with the other boys in the proximity, more specifically Mingi and Hunter. On more than one occasion you felt a furry body rubbing on your legs. When Atlas made his rounds again you scooped him up and placed a kiss on his forehead. He wormed his way to sit against your shoulder like a baby and just started purring. 

You were working with one hand to roast the marshmallows while Yunho assembled them, each time he would hand you another round of them you would get a small kiss. Slowly but surely after everyone had a couple your stash had run out, everyone was pouting when Yunho mentioned that this was the last batch. “Don't forget we also have sweets and alcohol inside for when we move to the games portion of the night.” 

A round of cheers flew out of most of their mouths at the reminder. Before too long everyone was getting out of the pool, night had finally completely fallen. Felix was approaching you quickly and you watched as he almost tripped over his own two feet. “Y/n-nie! Can we show everyone the greenhouse and garden before we go inside?”

You realized that all of their eyes were on you right after he asked. Hyunjin was watching you with a pleading look like he wanted to show his friends the place he and Felix had their first date. “We can do that, let's get the giants into the house and then I can take everyone over.” 

Felix and Hyunjin were immediately beaming, your boys ended up scooping up the remaining three giants. Beans with Yunho, Mocha with Yeosang and Seonghwa with Toothless. The giants made the boys almost look small, you were grinning at the three of them while they realized how big and heavy they actually were. A small camera shutter caught your attention and Wooyoung was standing there grinning with one of the disposable cameras. He was definitely going to have fun with them and you may get some of the most chaotic pictures you have ever had out of it. The four with the giants made their way to the house and deposited them gently right inside the door. When you set Atlas down Toothless immediately approached, sniffed him, and took off. Seonghwa watched him with pinched eyebrows and a confused smile. “He’s got a way with kittens.”

“Evidently so, I am curious to see how they are going to battle it out for your affection though. Atlas seems to be attached to your hip.”

“Toothless was the same when he was little, not that he has changed much.” Seonghwa let out a laugh and grabbed your hand. Before you made it too far you saw Seungmin standing there with your coverup on. The laugh that burst out of you was loud while he paraded himself around swishing it dramatically like a cape. Chan had his phone out recording and you watched with a smile as he posed dramatically for Hyunjin who held the polaroid up to capture him. 

“Minnie, what are you doing?” Seungmin turned toward you and popped a hip.

“I’m the better version of you.” A couple of protests came out of several of the men in the surrounding area. 

“Whatever floats your boat menace. Can I have it back?”

“Nope, you’ll have to catch me first!” He turned around and took off down the winding path toward your greenhouse. You laughed and let go of Seonghwa’s hand to chase after Seungmin. He was giggling like a maniac and you could hear some of Stray Kids echoing the sentiment from behind you. 

“Are the two of them always like this?” Seonghwa was watching you with a smile on his face. Your laughter was echoing through the trees while you were chasing the younger man. He hadn't seen you this joyful and carefree since right before Yeosang’s birthday. 

“Almost every time they are together,” Chan was laughing at you while your boys were asking questions. Hyunjin took a picture of you chasing Seungmin and was immediately proud of himself because he timed it perfectly enough that you were leaping over a stick in the path. 

“They were insulting each other so heavily earlier we thought we would have to step in.” Hunter was walking close to his older brothers while keeping an eye on you in the distance. He may have been younger than you by several years but he felt an innate responsibility to keep an eye on you, just like he would for his older sisters. 

“That’s normal, one of her favorite nicknames for him is bitch,” everyone whipped to look over at Han who was grinning.

“Don't forget about bastard!” Innie shouted from the front.

“And my personal favorite Gae-Sae-Ggi (Son of a Bitch/Asshole)” Minho was grinning back at your boys like he was the one who helped you come up with it; which he did. Your boys had heard you cuss, but the nicknames you had for Seungmin were something else. They had yet to hear you say any of those things about a person so they didn't quite believe that you would say something like that.

You finally caught up with Seungmin and grabbed his wrist, before he could get any further you moved quickly and put him in a headlock much like you had earlier. “Give me my coverup Minnie the Menace or I will tell Channie why his very expensive hoodie disappeared after the last time we hung out.” 

“You wouldn't, you were just as much to blame as me for the bleach on his favorite black hoodie.” 

“That’s a damn lie and you know it, I told you it wasn't the detergent. You were just too damn stubborn to take the correct answer from me. And you also know good and damn well he wouldn't get onto me for anything.”

“Fine, fine just stop embarrassing me in front of everyone.” 

“You want me to embarrass you? I can actually embarrass you.” He cocked an eyebrow at you and you returned the gesture. Before he could think or protest you knocked his legs out from under him and turned back to the rest of the large group following you with a grin to rival Joker’s. Chan had a hand slapped over the bottom half of his face trying and failing to contain his laughter. Innie was laughing his ass off and trotting up to Seungmin to make fun of him. You made your way over to Seonghwa and took his hand in yours like it was before you took off after Seungmin. 

“Having fun Dalnim (moon)?”

“It’s always fun when I get to be mean to Minnie the Menace.”

“Ahh I forgot about that one! That is the tamest nickname you have for him isnt it Y/n-nie?” Felix was walking hand in hand with Hyunjin right next to you and Seonghwa. You turned your head to look at the blonde and he was smiling at you.

“Other than Minnie yeah,” Seonghwa squeezed your hand and placed a kiss to the back of it before you were approached by Innie who was holding out your coverup to you. Seonghwa released your hand and took the coverup with a small bow to the maknae of Stray Kids. He turned to you who had stopped when he did and held it out for you to put on. You slid your arms into the sleeves and gave Seonghwa a kiss on the cheek in thanks. 

“Wahhh! That’s amazing!” you looked over your shoulder to the boys behind you. They were all standing in awe of the weeping willow in the distance. 

“It gets better the closer you get to it, trust me.” This time it was San that spoke up from somewhere behind you. You walked with Seonghwa swinging your hands back and forth between you. Some of the other boys had taken off in a race in front of you to see who could get to the willow the fastest. The couples holding hands ended up just strolling behind the crazy hooligans at their own pace. 

The critters of the night started coming out, you could hear a couple of the resident owls and some of the creatures that hung out on the forest floor. Your mind wandered toward them and what kind of things they would be doing tonight. The glow of the pathway was lighting enough that you just barely saw one of said critters but it was quick enough that you couldn't quite catch what it may have been. The boys echoing laughter made your heart warm as you approached. As soon as you were in close enough proximity you heard the boys talking about the ponds and when the koi moved around toward the top every single one of them jumped away from the splash like they weren't wearing swimsuits and hadn't just gotten out of the pool. You fell into a fit of giggles and brought Seonghwa with you over to the greenhouse to turn on the lights. 

As soon as it was lit up you heard the gasps of several people. You and Seonghwa were grinning at each other while the others piled into the large greenhouse. Several of them had found the ripe fruit and were animatedly discussing something while they browsed. You grabbed a basket from next to the door and handed it to Seeun who was now jumping around animatedly at the prospect of getting fresh fruit. “The strawberries, and watermelons should be ripe so you can have at those. I will most likely need more of them anyway if we are going to have cocktails. There are some raspberries and plums outside if you would like to go for those as well.”

He was hanging onto every word and as soon as you were finished he took off in a sprint to the fruits section of the greenhouse. “You’ve got some eager beavers in here tonight, you watch at least one of them will be toting around a watermelon while we go to the garden.”

You turned around to glance at Rowan who was watching the younger men with a small smile on his face. He must have been thinking about his younger brothers back home. “Honestly, I’m not sure I would have been able to eat all of them myself this time around, the harvest is pretty big so far this year.”

“This year was going to be a prosperous one anyway you may as well share what you have.” Asher, always the prophet, had told you it was going to be an amazing year after he did a series of tarot readings for your friend group. He was always the one that kept up with the spiritual side of things and kept you in the loop of all the happenings he could. Looking at him you would have never been able to tell that he was into that sort of thing, but as they always say; don’t judge a book by its cover. 

“Y/n! Look at how big this watermelon is!” Your eyes caught Chan who was holding a watermelon that was maybe just under the size of a couple of basketballs. Your eyes widened looking at the monstrous thing, that was the biggest one you had produced in the several years you had been growing them. 

“Jjong! Can you split it for us when we get back to the house?!” Laughter bubbled out of you Hongjoong and Seonghwa at the eager words of Wooyoung on the other side of the plant table. Jongho gave a small nod and Wooyoung was immediately celebrating so hard he almost knocked into the table behind him. A stern glare from several of the older boys had him stopping in his tracks and celebrating with smaller movements. You just snickered at his excitement. 

“Seeun, did you get all of the things you want?” The younger man turned toward you with one of the largest grins you had seen from him. The basket you handed him was full to the brim with strawberries and one stray eggplant and he hadn’t even wandered outside yet. You caught the twin glares of Hyunjin and Jinsik at the purple fruit and snickered at their absolute disdain. 

“I think I have most of it, Noona, but to get some raspberries and plums I might need another basket.” With a nod you separated yourself from the two standing closest to you and walked over to grab another basket. When it was in your hands Felix took it from you gently and started on his way out of the greenhouse. You shook your head and motioned for everyone to follow so you could shut down the greenhouse for the night. As soon as the last man was out you shut off the lights and closed the door. 

Several of the taller members were trying to pluck some plums out of the tree but most of the ones down where they could reach had already fallen. You were watching as some of them were leaping to get some while others pouted at being too short to even consider grabbing some. Chan, ever the kangaroo, had managed to grab a couple before they were too high in the tree for him. Before you could step toward all of the boys to offer to climb the tree you were hoisted up and settled on someone’s shoulders. A small squeal left your mouth involuntarily while you looked down to see Yunho grinning up at you. “Hi Haebalagi (Sunflower).”

“Hi naui haetsal (my sunlight),” Yunho’s smile got wider than it had been at the nickname. He was just an absolute ray of sunshine, how could you not call him that. He made his way over to the plum tree and you were at the perfect height to be able to pull several of the fruit down. You were handing them to whoever was closest and he was moving as he needed to. Before too long you had enough to last you at least the rest of the night. When Yunho put you down he didn’t let go before he leant down to you and pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“Don't think I didn’t see that pretty new tattoo of yours tiny, you’ll have to show it fully to us later.” His voice was merely a whisper but he may as well have been shouting with how it rang through you. You could feel the small blush coming up the back of your neck and making its way to your face. The butterflies you felt what felt like forever ago came back in a swarm. If he was going to play this game you would have to even the playing field. You placed a quick kiss on his cheek before responding to him.

“Maybe I will, maybe I won't, maybe you’ll have to catch me and make me, who knows.” His head tilted as he took you in with a smirk before you walked away from him and back to Hongjoong and Seonghwa who were standing there patiently waiting on you. Most of the others had already wandered off to look at the willow. You could hear Wooyoung faintly telling the surrounding people about the time that you scared the shit out of them in the garden, which was met by Felix animatedly retelling his story of when you did the same to him and Hyunjin. Honestly, you had half a mind to do the same to everyone, but knowing how Mingi, Hongjoong, Han, Sumin, and Jinsik would react held you back. You really didn’t want to terrorize them into losing their voices. 

Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho and you were the last to arrive at the moon gates. Seonghwa separated himself from you with a squeeze to your hand, he was making his way over to the gazebo where several of the men had taken a seat. Hongjoong had quickly taken his place at your side. Gentle hands intertwined your fingers together, it was odd holding his hand without any rings on it; but you were sure he could say the same thing about you. In the distance you could see Seonghwa showing some of the other boys how you taught him to cut some of the flowers. All of them were listening intently while he was showing them and telling them how to find the best rose, your heart absolutely melted into a puddle when he took San’s hand and paced one of the roses he cut into it. They shared a small sweet kiss before returning to the other men surrounding them. 

“The love that you share with them is beautiful.” You jumped out of your skin to see Minjae who was standing slightly behind you after looking at some of the other flowers. Hongjoong was smiling at the younger man before speaking.

“Thank you, really I don’t think any of this would have been possible if San and Wooyoung hadn’t proposed it all those years ago. They saw the connection all of us had and spoke about it with us as a group. Most of us hadn’t realized that we have a bond stronger than friends until then. They saw it, they saw the lingering eyes and touches that we all thought were normal of friends.”

“That kind of connection is difficult to find, but I see it in the way all of you look at eachother. Most people would see it as friends but the perceptive few, and the few that know, can see it as love.” Forrest was the one that chimed in from where he was standing close by. He looked at Asher in the same way, you had seen it before they even told you they were together and not just friends who lived together. 

“You know, there was always a small part of me that felt like something was missing though. It didn't show up that often but when it did it was in the moments none of us knew what to do, when we faltered or when the chaos was too much. I was trying for the longest time to forget about it. I always felt guilty, how could I feel this way when I have some of the most compassionate partners; seven of them at that. None of us realized it, that all of us felt like there was a missing piece, something to bring calm into our chaos and we found that in you.” Hongjoong turned to look at you, his eyes were bright under the stars while he smiled sweetly at you. You gave his hand a squeeze and he pulled you closer. 

“I could sell out shows, go on tours, do photoshoots, walk a runway, and be a VIP, but none of that compares to nights like this; surrounded by friends and my family. Sure Atiny keeps us going as a group, we wouldn't have made it as far as we have without them; but this right here is what keeps me going.” 

“We wouldn't have it any other way,” Yeosang had come up to your small group holding a white rose, presumably from Seonghwa. His arm rested on your shoulders and you leaned into him. 

“Agreed.” you murmured, placing a kiss on Yeosang’s birthmark. He let a small grin stretch across his face and you could just barely see the blush beginning to coat his cheeks. You were extremely happy he had forgone his makeup today, every time he did you would gladly take the opportunity to kiss his birthmark. 

“Noona, how long have you been working on this garden?” Junghoon’s voice carried across the large space.

“So, I have been working on this practically since I built this house which was just about five years ago, right out of my second round of college. My aunt Melody was a large help sending me things from her plant store to get it started. That’s how I have some more of the things that aren't quite as common around here.”

“Wahh, that’s amazing!”

“Second round? What colleges did you go to?” 

“I went to Central Oregon Community College first for my associates, and then the Seoul Institute of Arts for my bachelors.”

“Wait, you aren't from here?” The surprise in Seeun’s voice made you smile. Apparently you had picked up enough of their customs that he wasn't able to tell.

“Nope, I moved here from the states right after I graduated college with a little help from my mom’s family right around seven-ish years ago. I hated leaving them behind, but I followed what I wanted to do here, and to get away from some things.” Hongjoong squeezed your hand lightly and you returned his small motion of comfort. 

“What was it like in the states being a photographer, is it much different?” you turned toward Junmin who had one of the disposable cameras out and pointed toward a particularly pretty peony. When he napped the picture he looked up at you with a tilt of his head and a smile. 

“I did a lot more daring things while I was in the states, I'll have to show you those later. It is significantly different. A lot of the photographers there, in the field I would have gone into if I hadn't moved here, are rude and just flat disrespectful. They have a tendency to invade people’s space almost to the level of stalking and shoving people around to get their shots, where here it isn't. Here, you, as idols or celebrities, have more privacy and are more respected. In fact, the states are just more pushy as a whole, their entire celebrity culture is completely different; among many other things. They don't see them as people, they just see them as figureheads and treat them as such. Honestly, I fit in here better than I ever would have there, while there are some things I do miss, it is a small price to pay for being as content as I am.”

“I know you said your mom scared Sannie hyung the other day, but do you have any other family here or are they in the states?”

“Nope, all of my family is back in the states, she followed me a couple of years later after getting divorced from my father. She is happily remarried and her new husband is absolutely amazing. The remainder of my family, aside from my aunt and her daughter, I wouldn't want anywhere near me, I haven't spoken to them since I left.”

“Why didn't your aunt come too?” 

“She inherited my Granny and Papa’s house and land which has been in the family for generations. She also has a very successful flower shop which triples as a bookshop and cafe so she wouldn't want to leave that behind.”

“A flower shop, bookshop and cafe?”

“Yep, it's called Scribe’s Garden Cafe Co., she started it up when I was little and it has been booming ever since. She is the expert in books, arranging flowers, and making coffee. I actually learned a lot from her and her bookstore was where I had my first job.” 

“What a nerd, having a job at a bookstore,” You turned to glare at Seungmin who was sticking his tongue out at you before turning back to Chan who was proudly holding his giant ass watermelon. You should probably get back up to the house so he could put the damn thing down. 

“My aunt is the biggest reason I had enough money to be able to move. She paid me well and gave me a little extra for helping her with odd jobs around her house. She knew I wanted to move to Seoul but that I wouldn't just accept money so we traded. I helped with her shop and she paid me as she saw fit. Her and my mom tag-teamed raising me, when I wasn't at home with my mom I was with her at the shop, and over the weekends I was over at my Granny and Papa’s house.” 

“That’s why you have so many plants and books, they remind you of her.” Your gaze fell to Hyunjin who was standing close to Felix and Han. 

“I never really thought of it that way, but yeah, I guess it does. I also just like flowers and books too.” Seonghwa approached you and Hongjoong, he was grinning while holding what you assumed was roses behind his back. As soon as he got close enough he presented you with a deep red rose and Hongjoong with a beautiful white rose. Your heart did a backflip and you looked up at him with a smile. 

“Thank you Hwa, it’s beautiful.” His grin turned bashful and out of the corner of your eye you saw Chan readjust the watermelon in his arms. He’s probably getting tired of holding the damn thing. You handed your rose to Hongjoong and he looked at you questioningly. 

“Alright, the first one back to the house gets the first mixed drink.” Your words carried over everyone and they turned to look at you, but before anyone could get a word out you had left your sweet boyfriends behind. You were laughing in earnest while you ran through the trees taking the shortcut you had to get back to the house. The ground was soft against your bare feet, this was the part you loved. Feeling the earth’s soil against your feet; letting you feel mother nature's energy as you glided toward your sanctuary. As you weaved through the forest you heard the thundering footsteps on the path behind you, someone was yelling and you could barely make out Wooyoung teasing San and Changbin. You picked up the pace just a little feeling at least one person close enough that they could be competition. 

Someone was cheering you on in the back, most likely Aurora and Meadow while the other two couples from your team were most likely rolling their eyes at you. Someone said something and there was laughter echoing shortly after, you couldn’t focus on it right now; all you needed to do is win. You could see the lights of your house ahead of you, there was a colorful glow coming from the pool that intensified as you got closer. When you were in the open field behind the pool you gave yourself one final push. Only a little farther. When you got to the smooth concrete it was still warm from the heat of the sun earlier. You brought yourself to a slow stop and ended up at the corner of the deep end of your pool. While you turned around to face the way everyone would be coming from you threw your arms up in celebration. 

They were all coming up the path with a storm. Somehow Wooyoung and Chan, who had been toward the back of the group when you left, made it up toward the front. Where the giant watermelon is remains to be seen. Seonghwa was not too far behind them grinning like crazy. Hunter, Yechan, and Yujun were just about in line with Seonghwa. You watched them with a large smile as they got closer, between Wooyoung and Chan you knew who would win; Wooyoung used his last burst of energy to get just a hair in front of Chan. As soon as they stepped onto the concrete they slowed down. You laughed when Wooyoung immediately collapsed into your arms while Chan stood there breathing heavily with a huge smile on his face. 

“Hi Aein (Sweetheart) have a fun race?” He nodded against you, he had completely attempted to bury his face into the juncture of your neck and shoulders. 

“You seem like you need cooled down,” a small huff of laughter left you at your own joke before you turned your body. With a light shove you pushed Wooyoung into the pool, the screech that left him was very loud but you could barely hear it over the laughter that erupted from the surrounding people. When he broke the surface of the water he was glaring at you, the shift of his eyes to something, or someone behind you was enough of a warning. You stepped to the side and Mingi had come barreling past you and fell into the pool, what you didn’t catch however was the hushed conversation right before; coming up with a plan to get you back. 

Steady arms wrapped themselves around you and you knew you were done for, Yunho had grabbed you and attempted to throw you into the pool. You were however not going down without a fight; when he moved to release you, you grabbed his wrist and pulled him in with you. His wide eyes were the only thing you focused on before you hit the water with a grin. You saw several bodies flying over you and into the pool, one by one they appeared under the surface of the crystal clear water. San, Seonghwa, Yeosang, Jongho and even Hongjoong had leapt in with you. When you surfaced again you turned around to look at what was happening behind you. The boys were in an all out splash war, and Wooyoung being the instigator he is, he started going after some of the men on the concrete behind you. Chan, while having too much fun after running the entire way back, took a running jump off the diving board and soared past all of the men in close proximity. 

You were laughing while keeping yourself afloat in the deep end of the pool. Yunho had come up to swim beside you and you gave him a light shove away which earned you a laugh and wink. “Y’know I thought we were going inside for sweets and video games.” 

With a glance you saw Willow standing there with a smile and her hands on her hips in that motherly way. Rowan was just behind her holding the huge watermelon with a knowing grin. Before anyone could say anything Rowan’s hand shot out and pushed her into the water next to you. Thankfully the boys had scattered in their war and none of them were too close. You slapped your hand over your mouth and tried so hard not to laugh, but when she came up above the surface with one of the most severe glares you had seen in a while you lost it. Aurora and Meadow were doubled over with laughter while holding your roses and the rest of the boys standing out of the water were taking slight steps back. 

You saw through her immediately, she may have been glaring at her husband but there was the small twitch of her lips that gave her away. A secret hooligan at heart she loved being able to fool people once in a while. Her face morphed into a smile while she turned to you and gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes; you were just grinning the entire time. You loved their dynamic, she was the one always in control of everything but he brought out her fun side. He reminded you of an orange cat in most cases, a totally weird goofball utterly obsessed with his woman. 

A screech pierced the air followed by a splash, you turned around quick enough to see Han breaching the surface of the water with a smirking Minho on dry land. All of the Xikers boys had yet to fall into the trap of the water and you might have to change that. “Yechannie can you help me out of the water please?”

He made his way over to you and offered you his hand. You made it seem like you were climbing up the side of the pool but you were bracing yourself to pull him in. When he was bent over enough that his balance was slightly off kilter is when you struck, with a firm tug he was soaring over you and into the water. His eyes spoke of betrayal as he realized there was no avoiding his crash landing into the water. You heard muffled laughter above you and before you knew it more of the Xikers boys joined you. Minjae had chosen to stay above the water claiming his hold on the cameras as his defense.

Turning to look over everyone you couldn’t help but to notice that they had all converged together in one big group smiling and laughing on the more shallow end of the pool. With quick and easy movements you hefted yourself out of the pool and onto the concrete. Your poor coverup was dripping and clinging against your skin; you took it off and left it over one of the lounge chairs so it could dry off. Making your way over to the porch you grabbed your giant stash of towels for the rest of the boys. When you caught their eyes they started moving toward you. “You don’t have to get out yet I just wanted to have them ready for you.” 

They all paused and looked toward each other before shrugging and continuing their chat while floating around. You took a seat on one of the three canopy daybeds and leaned back to lay on into it. Closing your eyes you just listened to everything. The birds were mostly gone aside from the stray owls, crickets were chirping and the waterfall was soothing. There was light banter and chatter from all directions while you just laid there. In the back of your mind you knew you would need to have decent energy to be able to do the drinks while everyone was downstairs. You just sat here and soaked it in, something about being outside at night with your torches burning to keep the mosquitos away not having to worry about anything was soothing. 

There was pattering of footsteps, you peeked an eye open to see Yujun standing in front of you looking sheepish. “Could I lay with you noona?” 

In response you scooted over to one side and patted the space next to you. He grinned and climbed onto the large chair. “Thank you for having us, this has been some of the most fun outside of work we have had in a long time.”

“Of course, I’m glad I could talk Minjae into letting you guys have tomorrow off from dance practice. He seemed to think that all of you deserved a day off so he agreed fairly quickly, with the promise of not having to worry about appearances.” 

“He works really hard to get us to where we are, especially when we are getting close to comeback season. Everyone has been stressed out and I think this was perfect for us to let loose a little.”

“That’s what I aim for, I know everyone here has been under a lot of pressure, even my team.”

“So I know that you guys do photography and videography but what exactly do you do?”

“We specialize in many things. Willow is our chaos coordinator. She is the one who helps us keep all of our bookings and clients straight, something like a manager if you will. She prefers to do the behind the scenes things like editing photos and videos. Aurora focuses on the more videographer side of things like doing videos and commercials for clients. She loves being in the middle of everything and specialized in it in college, her portfolio is astounding; I might have to talk her into letting us show it to you guys soon. Forrest is more on the photography part of things, he prefers to do model shoots and anything related. He loves to be able to do weddings in his free time between our now packed full schedule. Then there’s me, I guess you could call me their leader, I am the oldest and have the most experience and specialized in everything I could. I love doing editing, photography and videography. In general they like to default to me for many things especially when it comes to big decisions among other things. I am also like the figurehead of our studio because of my connections; even though I really don’t like dealing with people.” 

“So you’re the boss lady both in the office and out of the office?” 

“Yeah, kinda like that.” He hummed thinking of something and before you knew it he was leaning his head against your shoulder. 

“Don't tell them I’m telling you this but I could tell that they missed having you around the past few weeks.”

“Really now? I didn't hear anything from them about being missed other than from Hongjoong.”

“It wasn't really said in so many words, but more their actions. They were a little mopey these past few weeks. When I asked Woo Hyung he told me that you were working from home and trying to get some more things done outside of the things you do for KQ. Everyone seemed on edge, it was weird.”

“We had a lot happening, everyone was stressing out after I got back from Paris for Men's Fashion Week.” 

“You were there too? How was it?” 

“It was amazing, if you want I can show you some of the pictures that I took while I wasn't on the clock with the models.” He vehemently nodded against you and you pulled out your phone to access the pictures. You were showing him all of the pictures you captured and telling him a little bit about your time there. He was grinning and listening to every word while occasionally asking questions. You enjoyed being able to show him some of the more fun things that you got to do in your free time. He was immediately more taken with some of the shots you got of the people around the piano dancing. 

A few minutes later there was a weight on your legs and stomach. You moved your phone to see who it was and you caught a dark mop of hair and a tattoo on the back of their neck, Wooyoung. He had situated himself with his head on your stomach facing Yujun. Your hand immediately moved to rest on the back of his head to lightly run your fingers through his hair before you continued with your conversation. Wooyoung’s hands started drawing gentle circles into your skin while you spoke. While you continued talking to Yujun, more and more of the boys in the pool started filtering out and wrapping themselves in towels. 

“Shutterbug, are you ready to head in and continue the party?” You glanced over your phone to Hongjoong who was smiling softly at the three of you curled up on the canopy chair. 

“Yeah, Woo you ready to choose your cocktail, if I remember correctly you were the first one up here after me.” the man in question picked his head up and looked at you with his beautiful mismatched eyes. You could see that he was slowly wearing down, hopefully he would wake up a little if he got up off of you and started moving around. 

“Yeah, we can do that my rose. I think I want what you made for me last time.”

“A tequila sunrise?” 

“Yeah,” he pushed himself up off of you and before he completely left he placed a kiss on your lips. When he was fully up off of you Hongjoong held his hand out to help you up. You gladly accepted it and then offered Yujun a hand. When the two of you were up you made your way over to the house. Several people were already in and chatting amongst themselves. 

“I am going to change and then we can get started with the second half of the party.” You were met with several nods while you made your way up the stairs. There was the padding of feet following you and you had a sneaking suspicion you knew exactly who it was. Without looking you went into your room and waited to close the door until Mocha had made it in. With quick movements you snatched one of your bartender shirts and a pair of two tone shorts to change into. You stayed in the closet and started changing and when you were finished you took your contacts out and put your glasses back on. The shirt you were wearing was big on you and fell past the shorts you chose to put on so you tucked it in enough that you could tell you were wearing something under it. 

When you turned to walk out of the room you were met with a pair of wide boba eyes. Yunho was standing there just staring at you, his mouth just barely agape, you tilted your head at him and he didn’t move; he was buffering. You finally may have put a crack in the nonchalant facade he always had up around you. “Kit got your tongue, Yuyu?” 

You knew using the nickname he gave you would do one of three things, make him fall apart, make him buffer harder, or snap him out of it. You really hoped he would crack and finally give you some of the man you knew he was holding back from you. Keeping your eyes on the tall man you stepped closer, he was completely frozen. “How much did you see pup?” 

His eyes finally snapped to yours; you grinned at him. The way he was looking at you, with dark eyes and blown pupils told you enough. “Well, since you can't seem to form an answer, I'll take my chances guessing. If you will excuse me I have a party to host. Feel free to use the bathroom to take care of your– little problem.” 

You put a hand on his arm to slide past him and out of the room. Seonghwa was standing more toward the door and grinning at you. He wrapped his arms around your waist as you approached, when you melted into him he put his head in the crook of your neck. “I think you may have broken him. To let you know, he saw everything.” 

His breath against the skin of your neck made you lightly shiver. He placed a small kiss on the spot he knew drove you insane and stepped back to open the door for you. With a small bow you walked out of the room to see several of your boys coming up the stairs. You stepped past them with a knowing grin, most of them raised their eyebrows at you but continued on toward your room. When you walked into the downstairs area it was mostly empty; continuing on your way you finally made it to the basement. As soon as you stepped into the space you were met with silence for the first time in several hours; it was nice. Before you could make your way behind the bar you walked toward the desserts on the large table. You snagged one of the large pretzel sticks covered in chocolate and popped it in your mouth, you continued through the room and looked over your piano room. 

A small smile graced your face as you took in the family portraits. Your eyes fell on all of them in the collage. You and your cousin Dahlia were on either side of your Granny while your aunt and mom stood behind each of you (1). The next one your eyes fell to was the one right above it, one from the same photoshoot. You were standing in front of your granny while she kissed your forehead. (2) One of your favorites with your Papa was right next to it. He was standing just behind you and you were laughing your ass off in front of him. (3) Before the photo was taken he had said something that had completely made all of you lose it. He was the only man there so he had to make up for it by making sly jokes, and by god it worked so well all of the photos he was in were filled with laughter. (4) Your eyes trailed over the many other pictures of your family scattered across the room. (5) (6) (7) 

You took a seat at her piano and let out a small sigh, she would have loved having this many people over. She would have adored each and every one of the men and women here. You decided to let a piece of her come back. With graceful movements you settled your hands over the keys and started playing Faded by Alan Walker. Your head tilted as your fingers moved in slow succession to the beautiful melody. Before you knew it you were swaying as well, just like she used to while playing; a habit you unintentionally picked up. Footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs but you couldn't care, the music was all that mattered to you in the moment. 

In the middle of the song someone sat next to you on the small stool next to yours. Out of the corner of your eye you could see Yeosang just smiling at you. He gently put his hand on your thigh and just let it rest there while he watched you play. When the song came to an end he stood and then sat back down on the bench with you. “That’s one of my favorite songs.” 

You glanced at him, “I’ll tuck that information away for later use. Sorry I’m a little mopey. I just wanted to bring a piece of my Granny to the party in the silence between the chaos.”

You took a deep breath and looked up, willing yourself not to cry. “She liked to play this song with me sometimes when I needed to escape the loudness of parties. Every time I play this song her words echo in my head, she would always say ‘let the music make everything fade away, all you need to do is be here with it and it will be with you calming your mind.’ I guess I needed a bit of calm.” 

“She sounds wise,” he bumped his shoulder with yours and you leaned your head onto it in answer. 

“She was,” you reached up to the photo closest to you and grabbed it. While redoing the pictures you replaced the picture they knew of the two of you with this one and put it back in its rightful place on the wall among the others. You brought it close so you could show Yeosang. “This was at her last performance, all of us were bawling so we took a picture facing away from the camera and toward the stage. She got onto my Papa because he suggested just taking a normal picture when her makeup was ruined. No matter how many times he told her she was beautiful even with smeared makeup she didn't budge, so we compromised.” 

“And we wonder where you get your stubborn attitude from,” you landed a light smack to Yeosang’s arm. Before you could take your hand away he grabbed it and intertwined your fingers. 

“She would have loved today, she thrived being surrounded by people and lived to host parties.” 

“I’m sure there wasn't nearly as much alcohol involved though.” 

“Oh hush, you loved the mudslide I made you last time so much that I caught Hongjoong having to clean your face more than once.” You heard the small scoff and felt his judgy stare without having to look at him. You moved the hand he intertwined his fingers with toward the piano, with gentle movements you separated them and started hovering his hands over the keys. You hit the beginning notes of Faded using his hands and he was watching intently. Slowly you walked him through the beginning and with each passing second his smile got wider. He never would have expected you to show him how to play this song after he told you it was one of his favorites. Your hands were gentle as you pushed down on the keys with one of his hands. It wasn’t perfect, but it didn't have to be. 

“Whatcha two lovebirds up to?” Both of you jumped and turned to look over your shoulders at Minjae and San. The two of them were grinning at the two of you like they caught you doing something bad that they could report back to someone. 

“I was showing Yeosangie how to play the intro of one of his favorite songs.” 

“You put more pictures up, I don't remember most of these.” San stepped into the room to look over all of the pictures. 

“Yeah, I put them back up. I took most of them down in my grief after losing my Granny and then my Papa.” 

“That’s why it looked like pieces were missing last time. You know, you haven't really told us much about her, other than the basics, do you feel up to sharing?” Taking a deep breath you thought about it, really they deserved to know a little more about the woman who moulded you into who you are today. This could be the perfect opportunity to show a piece of yourself you held close to your chest at all times to some of your closest friends.

“If I get into this can we actually move to the couch? I would rather be sitting in a bit more of a comfy spot if I am going to get into it.” As soon as you finished your sentence San scooped you up into his arms in a princess carry; which caused a small squeak to leave you at the ease of which he scooped you up. He gently sat down on the corner of the couch and held you in his arms, not letting you go. Yeosang followed shortly after the two of you and sat as close as he could to the side you were facing. Minjae watched the three of you with a grin before snapping a picture and sitting on the floor across the room. Some of the boys started filtering in, and then your team and their spouses made themselves comfortable on the floor as well. When your boys got here Wooyoung and Hongjoong sat around you as close as possible, they almost fought to be the closest to you but in the end Wooyoung had been just a smidge bit faster in sitting down. He held his hand out to you and offered the ring you gave him earlier in the day, with a chuckle you took it back and started messing with it. 

Seonghwa appeared in the door and took everyone else in before sitting on the couch on the other side of Yeosang. Just when everyone sat down you heard Yunho, Mingi, and Jongho calling for the group. Beans chirped and then there were some padded footsteps and normal footsteps following her to the room everyone was in. You smiled at her as she jumped into your lap. 

“Wow, those are beautiful pianos! Do you play? Chan asked. You nodded to him and motioned for the last three of your boys to join you in squishing onto the green couch. When they were settled you started brushing your hands through Beans’ soft fur. 

“So, Sannie asked me about sharing some things about my Granny, who is the star of most of the pictures scattered across the room.” Everyone was nodding and you caught Willow’s eyes, she gave you a subtle deeper nod than anyone else. She knew everything down to the moment you lost her. 

With a deep breath you continued “The last time I played before playing at the MV shoot a few weeks ago was at her funeral. I have only recently gotten back into playing.” Each of them sucked in a breath and you looked over all of their faces. With a glance at Aurora you could tell she felt guilty for how hard she pushed you that day. You would have to tell her that you were thankful for her pushing even if it stung in the moment. Seonghwa was close enough that he reached out and put a hand on your ankle. He looked at you with a small smile knowing this was hard for you to talk about. San had squeezed you and set his head on yours which was cuddled to his chest listening to his steady heartbeat. Wooyoung had offered you his hand from his seat at your back, you immediately took it and started to play with his fingers using them to ground you.

“Just under three years ago I had to make an emergency trip down there to see her before she left this earth. Her last request for me while she was laying in her deathbed was that I play her and my Papa’s song Moonlight Sonata at her funeral. Her funeral was a few days later and I did as she asked of me but it tore my soul in two, she was my best friend, someone who was always there through every phase of my life.” You looked over to the picture across the room and fought back tears. It was the last picture you had of her while she was alive; you were holding her hand while she was in the hospital. You never let go of her until you were forced to after she passed. You got to hold her hand in her final moments, and this photo was the only thing you could remember in your grief. 

“After that I couldn't stand to look at a piano until I saw the joy it brought Jongho.” You looked over to the youngest and smiled at him. 

“If it wasn't for you guys bringing back this joy for my passions to me I don't know that I would have ever played again because of my grief. But, I think she had a hand in this. A hand in sending you guys to me so that I could reignite the passion I once felt playing. Each one of you reminds me of a small piece of her. Joongie, you have her fierce protectiveness, Hwa you have her quiet support, Yuyu you have her happy go lucky attitude, Sangie you have her grace and bashfulness for compliments, Sannie you have her gentle strength, Woo you have her love of pranking people, Mingles you have her passion, and Jjong you have her love for music.” as you spoke about them you looked each one of them in the eyes. All of them were listening with a quiet intensity and were smiling at the small compliments you offered. The other people in the room were smiling at you while you looked over each of your boyfriends. Just like Minjae said earlier, the love you held for each other was beautiful.

“What was her name?” You looked over to Seonghwa, he was looking at you not with pity but understanding. 

“Her name was Nell Starling, I am sure if you looked her up you would find several articles about her sold out piano shows. She was a well known pianist in Oregon, she got to travel around a lot to play in huge concerts, plays, among many other things.” 

“Wahh that's so cool!” You turned your head to look at Yunho who was trying to cover his outburst. You hadn't even noticed that he pulled out his phone and did a search on her. He was showing the video to Jongho who had taken the phone from him and turned up the volume. Each of the people in the room smiled and listened to her play the piano, some of them were swaying to the sound and you just relaxed into San’s hold. 

“I would like to dedicate this final show to my family.” Your breath caught in your throat and immediately perked up at the sound of her voice ringing through the speakers. You scrambled out of San’s hold and made your way over to Jongho who still had Yunho’s phone; almost tripping over several people in the process. Worming your way into his lap you grabbed the phone pulling it close to your face. He was stiff for just a minute before relaxing and wrapping his arms around you. 

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

Each one of them watched you with concern as you scrambled out of San’s lap and into Jongho’s. Some of them let out small snickers at the way he froze but melted into you after you made yourself comfortable. 

“Tommy, you have been the best support and husband I could have asked for. Thank you for listening to me drill these songs nonstop for the last sixty years, I love you.” They watched as the tears began to form in your eyes while watching the video. You took off your glasses and brought the phone even closer to your face. 

Willow was on high alert, she knew hearing her voice was going to be hard on you. For weeks afterward you used to dial her phone only so you could listen to her voicemail. You would just sit in your office and rewatch old family videos of her and you. Nothing could have prepared her for hearing your Granny’s voice again. 

Aurora grabbed Willow’s hand and gave it a squeeze, she could remember hearing your sobs in the office next to hers when you would watch the videos. On more than one occasion she wanted to go in there to comfort you but you had explicitly told them not to. 

Forrest offered his hand to Aurora; who took it immediately. He could remember carrying you out of the office and to Aurora’s car after you had fallen asleep on your desk from overworking yourself trying to cope with her loss. He could still see your hollow cheeks and the deep bags under your eyes, you had refused to eat unless absolutely necessary and sleep never came voluntarily. They knew you dreamt of her, Aurora’s panicked calls to them early in the morning would always ring through his head. He could hear your sobbing and borderline screaming on the other end of the line while she summoned them for backup. 

The grief hit you hard, you were a complete shadow of yourself after that; and when your Papa died a couple of months later it got worse. You had to take an extended period of time off, in that time they rotated who stayed with you at your house just to keep an eye on you. 

“Cadence and Melody, thank you for watching your old mom perform and giving me a reason to keep doing this, you both inspired me to continue doing what I love and for that I am eternally grateful, I love you both–  Y/n,” A choked sob left your lips and all of them momentarily panicked. Jongho held out his hand to Wooyoung, Mingi, Yechan, Hunter, Felix and Hyunjin who had stood up. He wrapped his arms around you and pushed your head under his chin making sure you could continue watching. 

“My moon. My muse. My heart. I love you so much. Thank you for allowing me to teach you, thank you for taking an interest in one of the most precious things to me. I know you don't want to follow in my footsteps but I hope you keep playing as you move on to your next adventure. You are the reason I wrote this final song.” Jongho felt you start to shake, he ran his hand over the back of your head and down to your back. All of them listened to the beautiful song. Each one of them watched you carefully and some of them were tearing up at the gorgeous and emotional piece. 

Seonghwa got up and weaved his way over to the piano toward the far wall. Kneeling in the front of the bench he opened it and pulled out lots of papers. He seemed to be searching for something and found it after a short while of sifting through the papers. He gently put everything back into the bench and moved back toward the couch, he handed the papers to Hongjoong who immediately knew what it was. Hongjoong quietly tucked the papers away where he knew he would be able to find them later. The remainder of the people in the room watched the two with curious gazes. 

Willow caught the title of the work as Seonghwa passed and let a small smile grace her face through the tears that were threatening to spill. Y/n. 

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

You looked up at everyone after the song ended. All of them were paying close attention to you. You sniffled and grabbed your glasses putting them back on your face. “Sorry, I didn’t know there was a video of this. I haven't heard her voice in so long I almost forgot what it really sounded like. That was her last show, and the song was something she painstakingly wrote for me while I was in college and planning to come here.” 

“There’s no reason for you to be sorry Noona, losing someone so close to you is difficult. I would have cried if it were me in your position.” You smiled at Felix who was offering you a sweet smile in return. 

“Don’t act like you weren't just crying,” of course Seungmin had to pop off. You rolled your eyes at him and he was watching you with careful consideration. For as much as you teased each other, he always knew when you needed a pick-me-up. 

“Having someone that close to you be gone is one of the hardest things in life, but you made it through it.” Your eyes fell to Hunter who was offering you a sweet smile. 

“I did,” your fingertips went to the tattoo behind your ear. To some it was a nervous gesture of you pushing your hair back behind your ear, to others they knew. Seonghwa squeezed your ankle again, he understood now. You had fought one of the hardest battles in life and came out on top of it and then created something beautiful for it. 

“Y/n-nie, can we maybe have cake now?” A round of smacks were heard before you could find the person. Of course, the one who is always hungry was the one to ask. Changbin was hidden behind several of the other Stray Kids which is why you couldn't see him immediately. You let out a laugh and got up off of Jongho’s lap and handed Yunho his phone back before starting to weave your way out of the room toward where you stored the cake.

“Come on Binnie, let’s cut the cake and you can have the second slice after Sannie,” A loud whoop echoed across the room before several pairs of footsteps were following you out of the room. You made your way to the stairs and as soon as you got around the bend you were met with Atlas’ meowing at you. 

“What little man?” When you got close enough he started circling and then following you to the kitchen where the cake is. You grabbed the cake and started to make your way over to the stairs and down them. A meow caught your attention and Atlas was just watching you. 

“Aww buddy– Sannie, come get your kitten he can't get down the stairs just yet.” San appeared around the corner and tilted his head at you.

“What did you say Jagi?” 

“Your baby can't get down the stairs just yet and he wants to come down here with us.” San walked up the steps and looked over at the curious kitten, the pout was immediate when he meowed at the two of you again. 

“Come on little boy, let's go see everyone else.” San walked up the rest of the steps and scooped the kitten into his arms before following you down. You were smiling to yourself at how well they fit together. When you got to the bottom of the steps you were met with many beaming faces that were not so patiently waiting for the cake in your hands. You walked behind the bar and set the cake down and started looking for your cake knife. After a little looking around you found it and moved over to start cutting the cake. The cross section looked absolutely amazing, the cake was layered perfectly. The strawberries in the middle of the creme were still wonderfully fresh as you sliced into it. When San caught sight of what kind of cake it was he was flabbergasted and smiling like an idiot with his perfect dimples on display. After getting his slice on a plate you handed it to him and he was bouncing with excitement in his seat at the bar. As promised, the next slice went to Changbin and you followed the bar. When you finished cutting the two tiered cake you grabbed your own slice. 

“Y/n-nie, where did you get this cake? I might have to ask for the recipe! It’s so good!” You smiled at Felix and covered the bottom half of your face to give him an answer. He brought out his phone and typed something before setting it back down. 

When you finished your slice you grabbed the remainder of the cake and brought it over to the snacks table with the knife so if anyone wanted more they could have it. “Alright Thing 1, how strong you want your drink?”

Several snickers erupted and the man in question moved quickly to look at you, then around the table like you were talking to someone else. You held his eyes and he realized you were actually talking to him. “Show me what you got boss.”

“Uh, I wouldn't if I were you Wooyoung, she can be mean with her alcohol.” You rolled your eyes with a light grin. 

“ I don't want to hear your bullshit, you lightweight. You only say that because I got you damn near drunk after one drink when you said you wanted it strong.” Meadow tried to reach out over the bar and smack you but you avoided her as you stepped back to grab your ingredients. 

“Who’s Thing 2?” The question came from Asher who had a knowing smirk on his face. WIthout moving too much you motioned in the direction of San who to his credit actually caught the motion. A small noise of complaint came out of him before everyone else started laughing at his expense. With a chuckle and a kiss blown in the birthday boy’s direction you started to put together Wooyoung’s drink. You knew he had some tolerance but you would take it easy on him this time. 

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

She was moving so fluidly while preparing whatever drink Wooyoung had chosen. While she was shaking out the drink she gave an exaggerated wink in his direction and he fell into a fit of giggles. If he wasn't looking at her with heart eyes then he definitely was now; especially knowing him. I looked back to her and it was then that I fully read her shirt. Some bartenders have tattoos, pretty eyes, thick thighs and cuss too much. It's me, I’m bartenders. Honestly, it shouldn't have surprised me that she had a shirt like that, but it did make me wonder who got it for her because that doesn't seem like something she would get for herself. “Y/n can we get some beer for beer pong?”

Chan was leaning against the bar at the end next to Willow with a smile while his boys were excitedly watching and waiting for him to return. Without batting an eye she reached down and to the side while continuing to shake the shaker. When she pulled out two bottles simultaneously it surprised me. She repeated the process a couple of more times before he nodded to her and took the six bottles she offered. “Minho catch.” 

She threw a small bottle opener to him after a glance and then without completely looking in his direction while she poured the drink out for Wooyoung. It was a perfect throw to him and everyone cheered when he caught it with one hand and gave her an appreciative nod and small smile. She was in her element, one of the several that we had yet to completely see. If this was her behind the bar of calm people I could only imagine what she must have been like with rowdy people waiting and harassing her. If it was anything like how she was in the presence of the many models, makeup artists and staff it would be a sight to behold. When she finished pouring Wooyoung’s drink she moved immediately to something else. Bending down to grab something she pulled out several sojus and shot glasses. She set them on the counter and cracked open the bottle like it was nothing before pouring the line of shots like an expert; barely spilling anything. Many of the people sitting at the bar almost immediately took one before she poured another round so everyone could have one. “Here's to us in the calm amongst the storm of life, geonbae” 

“Geonbae!!” We echoed her cheers before clinking our glasses together and taking the shot. The taste was warm and burned while it made its way down my throat, it was something I would never get used to and didn't plan to. 

“Alright, who wants a strawberry daiquiri?” I raised my hand and watched as several others did as well. “Alright, little bear could you do the honors of splitting and cutting up Channie’s watermelon while I get the rest of the drinks going?”

“Yes boss,” I didn't even have to see her to know she rolled her eyes. With quick efficiency she started cutting up strawberries, between her chopping she handed one to Willow after dipping it in sugar for her. She repeated the process and placed one in front of San, Seungmin and I before dropping the fresh strawberries in the blender along with several other things. She pulled out a bag of frozen strawberries and tossed some into it as well. 

“Blender warning!” She waited a second before turning on the loud blender and while it was running she prepared several glasses by drizzling some kind of strawberry syrup on the edges. When she was satisfied with the consistency she pulled it off the blender and distributed it into several glasses and garnished it with a strawberry on the rim. God, how did she manage to move this quickly and efficiently without even breaking a sweat?

I sat and watched her, my chin ended up on my hand while I was sipping my drink. She was grinning and speaking to her team with enthusiasm. On more than one occasion she decided to show off performing tricks with her shakers and several knife tricks which scared the hell out of me. She never faltered once and by the end of the first round of drinks she was prepping more for the first people who got some. Jongho had asked for a couple of soju bottles and she traded him for a slice of watermelon and a kiss on his cheek which turned him into a blushing mess before he even walked away. 

In the lull of movement I took the chance to look over the room, all of the younger men had scattered and were doing their own things. Most of them ended up in some kind of drinking card game on the floor in front of the tv while several others played on a console. Some of them were coupled up at the game tables, San was having the time of his tipsy life playing air hockey against Wooyoung, Jongho and Yunho were locked in a battle at the pool table. Her team and their spouses were sitting at the bar with me, Yeosang and Hongjoong. Mingi was over with the Stray Kids cheering along with them while Chan and Minho battled it out for the last two cups on the table. She had handed over a second large cup of something that looked like chocolate ice cream to Yeosang and he was grinning at her sheepishly as she lightly teased him before reaching over the bar and wiping his face with the pad of her thumb. 

“Alright, you've done enough hosting, everyone has had at least their first round, let me take over and you can let loose a little.” All of the people at the bar turned to look at Aurora who was smiling like a menace at her best friend. She nodded and relinquished her title of bartender for now, everyone shifted down and she ended up sitting next to me in the middle of the bar. 

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

Taking the seat next to Seonghwa I leaned my head on his shoulder, “Hi Yeobo (Darling).” 

“Hi Hwa, did the daiquiri come out okay?” 

“It’s perfect, honestly if I hadn't watched you put the alcohol into it I wouldn't believe it had any in it in the first place.” 

“Good, oh before I forget I need to give something to Sannie. Give me just a second and I'll be back, if they don't keep me over by the air hockey table or kidnap me on the way back to play a game of Mario Kart against Xikers.” Seonghwa nodded and gave you a kiss on your hairline before you got up to head over to the secondary alcohol cabinet. Getting into the mini fridge you pulled out the special ordered bottle of scotch. Reaching up and over your head you snagged a couple of glasses; in your time as a bartender while you were in college you had never tried this. Hopefully it would end up good otherwise San was going to get a double; which he really doesn't need. You poured the drink for him and yourself before grabbing both glasses and waltzing over to the pair at the air hockey table. 

“Sannie, I have something I want you to try.” He whipped around and smiled at you while you approached. You handed him the second glass and offered yours to do a small cheers. He clinked his glass against yours before taking a sip of the scotch. His eyes immediately got wide when he tasted it. 

“Jagi, is this what I think it is?” You nodded at him and he almost threw his glass to give you a hug. “I can't believe that you know one of my favorites.”

“I can't believe you forget the things you say on live— Wait, honestly I shouldn’t be surprised.” Wooyoung snickered on the other side of the table and San separated himself from you. 

“You watch our lives?” 

“Sannie, I was an Atiny before I met you, of course I do; and now my random knowledge can be put to good use in spoiling all of you.” San snorted and shook his head at you before pulling you into his arms again. You snuck a kiss to his cheek and took a sip of the scotch in your hand. It was warm going down your throat, the hints of orange and cinnamon lingered on your tongue after it had passed. Now you understood why he liked it so much, it was amazing and definitely worth getting it special ordered. 

“Let me know if you want more, I have the whole bottle and when it is finished I will give it to you to keep.” He gave you a slight squeeze before placing a kiss on your lips. He tasted of the scotch and of his strawberry daiquiri; an interesting combination to say the least. You separated yourself from him and walked over to Wooyoung to offer him a sip of your drink. His eyes lit up and he almost immediately took it from you to try. When he handed you the glass back he was nodding and then without warning he placed a kiss on your lips. 

“Thank you, my rose.”

“Of course Aein (Sweetheart).” Someone in the close vicinity started screaming in what you assume is triumph; or despair there's no telling. The involuntary jump almost made you lose your grip on the glass in your hands. 

“Shit,” you muttered under your breath while putting a hand over your now thundering heart. Taking a couple of breaths you calmed yourself down slightly, there was someone in your field of view a second later. Hongjoong had made his way over to stand in front of you, his hands were hovering around you in a silent question.

“I’m okay, it just freaked me out a little.” 

“Can I touch you?” you nodded your head and watched as he slowly moved his hand to tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear. “Do you need to step out for a minute?” 

“I’m okay songbird, thank you.” He nodded to you and let his hand fall to intertwine his fingers with yours before pulling you back over to the bar with him. In your absence Mingi had taken over the chair you were previously in. He was grinning while talking to Forrest and Asher about something. His smile is so pretty, especially when it is genuine. Hongjoong had moved you into his chair and Yeosang had immediately leaned over to you. 

“You’re pretty,” oh boy, he was definitely at least tipsy. He was leaning over the substantial gap between your chairs so you decided to make it easier for him by grabbing his bar stool and scooting him closer. In hindsight you probably should have warned him because he almost toppled out of the chair at the sudden movement, thankfully Seonghwa’s hand shot out to steady the younger man. You shot a grateful smile his way and noticed his red cheeks. Maybe you should catch up with them, it’s been a while since you had let loose like Aurora suggested. You downed the rest of the scotch in your glass like a shot before setting it on the countertop. 

“Rora, it's time to play catch up, whatcha got?” Everyone’s heads whipped to look at you and your team was grinning. Not even ten seconds later there were several shot glasses lined up in front of you. Curiosity got the best of most of the men in the vicinity and they approached the bar to see what you were going to pull this time. 

“Wanna show these men how it's done?” Her grin was wicked while she started pouring the shots. 

“Girl, it doesn't take much to beat them in drinking. Have you seen their videos?” Laugher erupted around the bar more specifically from your team and their spouses because of the looks on all of the idols faces. When she was finished pouring there were five shots lined in front of you. You knew your limit and this was most likely going to be approaching it on top of the others you were most likely to consume. Of course after having drinks you tended to do one of two things, get extra fucking tired or be the life of the party. You grabbed the first shot and held it up before knocking it back and all but slamming it back down on the bartop. You took the shots in quick succession and by the end of them all of the men had their jaws almost on the floor. 

“Come on boys, it’s not that surprising. I was a bartender while I was a college student.” you pointed over your shoulder to the picture of you behind the bar some random girl took for you. Several of them started chattering, and at least a few of them said they hadn't even noticed the large picture covering the dumbwaiter’s entrance. You shook your head at their observational skills, some of them really didn't pay much attention in the slightest. 

“Anyone want to do a mario kart tournament?” Everyone perked up at the mention and before you could even fathom the words flying out of everyone's mouths you were practically dragged out of your chair. Yunho had taken the opportunity to pull you into his lap in the corner of the couch, which was your favorite spot to be. The remainder of the large group made their way over to where you and Yunho had sat and made themselves comfortable. Mingi and Yeosang immediately were tucked as close to the two of you that you could be, Mingi at your back and Yeosang sitting with your legs in his lap along with one of Yunho’s. Wooyoung and San had taken up residence in the corner of the couch against Yunho’s legs. Jongho settled by Yeosang and Seonghwa and Hongjoong took up residence on his other side. Xikers had come to cuddle up with everyone and a few of them ended up leaning on your boys. Felix squeezed himself against the arm of the couch and Hyunjin had settled himself in front of his lover. The rest of Stray Kids were scattered around leaning on each other as well. Your team and their spouses took up residence on bar stools lined along the back of the couch. 

“Alright, I have a list of everyone’s names in a tournament app, I am going to let you know now these are completely random so if you end up fighting it is not my fault.” You nodded with a smile up at Willow and she read out the names. Felix, Changbin, Wooyoung and Mingi were the first to go. At least you were getting rid of most of the older loud ones in the first round. It turned into absolute chaos with each round, several expletives were thrown at each other. One of the most comical ones was when Wooyoung yelled fuck and immediately covered his mouth with wide eyes. He looked up at you like you were going to scold him and you burst into laughter and patted his head.

“You don't have to worry about that here, you’ve heard me cuss all the time. There's no cameras so yell it as loud as you want and then some, just warn me so I can cover my ears so they won’t bleed.”

“You shouldn't have told him that Moonshine, now he won't keep his mouth shut.” You snorted at Yunho’s whispered words and wrapped his arms around you tighter. 

“You will most definitely be just as bad if not worse, I have seen you hold back while playing games.” In response to your jab he flexed his fingers at your side, you whipped around to look at him and he was just grinning at you like he did nothing wrong. 

After several rounds of watching everyone play you were up. When Willow announced the names you were immediately grinning. You, Seungmin, Yunho and Yujun. This was going to be an interesting match, you separated yourself from Yunho just so you wouldn't get jostled while you were attempting to kick their asses. It started off normal but as you got further and further into the game your competitive spirit emerged. Seungmin specifically had it out for you and made it his life’s mission to make sure you didn't win. 

“You dog, leave me the fuck alone I’m not even in first” You were trying so hard to get up to at least fourth but he was making it impossible. 

“I don't care as long as you don't win, cat.” You huffed at him and continued, Yunho and Yujun were trying so hard not to let the other win and were neck and neck toward the end of the race. In the last second, just like Hongjoong did all those weeks ago to win a ride on Ink, Seungmin threw a shell at you and knocked you into fourth place. 

“Kim Seungmin, I will kill you.” You handed your controller off to Yeosang and got up off the couch to march toward him. He was sitting close to Chan who to his credit scooted out of the way so you could get to Seungmin. Before you could he pointed down to his lap and you looked to see Atlas curled up with him. 

“You lucky Gae-Sae-Ggi (Son of a Bitch/Asshole). If he wasn't curled up with you I would have kicked your ass into next week and created a new range of vocals for Channie to use in your next track.” you shoved his shoulder as you marched off toward the bar, if you were going to completely make it through this night you would need another drink. What you didn't catch however were the shocked faces of your boyfriends and the poorly hidden grinning faces of Stray Kids and your team. You poured yourself a shot of soju and slammed it back before walking back over everyone. Honestly after standing up you felt the warmth in your head and weren't quite sure if you would make it back over to where you were seated earlier without stepping on someone. You were really considering just finding another seat but when Hunter offered you a spot next to him on the floor you took it. You were situated between him and Yujun and you leaned your head on Hunter’s shoulder and watched the match of Mario Kart. This one was fairly tame other than the grumbles of Meadow from the back. 

“You remind me of my sisters.” You glanced up at Hunter with a small smile.

“Yeah?” He hummed his response before turning back to the tv. In the background there were many conversations going and you couldn't quite focus your foggy brain on one until you heard your name. 

“Y/n-nie is like their leader, do you think that we could come up with a leader title like Hongjoong Hyungs to fit their lore?” Most of the tipsy conversations were completely random and had no thought to what they were talking about, but this one seemed like it was going to be different. You shifted gears in your brain to make sure you heard this one; even if it took a little more willpower than you thought you had. 

“I have one,” Hunter’s voice floated over you toward the conversation Yujun and Minjae were having. Both of them looked over to the pair of you, behind you the conversation had caught the attention of your boys. 

“The North Star.” Your heart picked up at the implication of what Hunter was saying. Your boys exchanged looks that portrayed their mutual understanding; even if it would be foggy in the morning for some of them. You picked your head up and looked at Hunter with a tilt of your head. He took it as his cue to keep talking. 

“Hongjoong hyung is the captain, he directs the ship, but he is always looking to you to guide them home. He looks to you for calm, guidance, and reassurance. The rest of them look to you too, I don't think you see it because it is when you aren't watching or aren't there. When we were going to the garden most of them kept turning and watching for you; other than the ones that stayed to walk with you. It was also in the look that Woo hyung gave you when he cussed, he was looking at you for reassurance that it was okay because he has been conditioned that it isn't. They follow you and would most likely go with you to the ends of the earth if it was possible. When you got up to go grab the cake they were the first ones up and out the door behind you. I've seen them search for you in every room they are in even when you aren't there. Especially the last little bit at KQ, while you were working from home Aurora was covering for you and when she would come in they would almost always immediately turn around to see if it was you. They do it more than they would like to admit. Most of their conversations I have overheard in their freetime are about you. You are their guiding light and have created a home for them where they can be themselves and not have to worry about appearances. You’ve created that for all of us, not just them but Stray Kids and Xikers too. I mean look at everyone.” 

You turned to look like he told you to, the couples behind the couch, your boys leaning against each other unabashedly holding hands and laughing together at the frustration of everyone else at the tv. Then to Stray Kids, all of them were huddled up and leaning on each other, the couples within were content and holding their partners close, even though Minho was a little red faced when he caught you looking at him and Han. He didn't move though, he just pulled Han closer. Finally you looked to Xikers, they were all sprawled out in some of the most unceremonious ways you could think of, something that would not have been allowed in any other circumstance. They were at home. 

“They look at you and feel a sense of calm knowing you are their guide to find their way back. You have created a home for all of us, and by following you we will always be brought back home and to our real selves. The North Star.” 

“I agree, you are our North Star.” You glanced over to Minjae after he finished speaking, he was watching you and Hunter like a proud dad. With a glance over your shoulder you caught Hongjoong’s eyes, he was staring at you like he had realized something. Seonghwa, though tipsy, was looking at you with the same look; all of them were. You smiled at them and turned back to Hunter. 

“I don't even know what to say to that.”

“You don't have to say anything.” You gave him a nod and leaned on his shoulder again. After living where you didn't have that kind of confidence in a place to land you were on cloud nine. The warmth in your chest was comforting. Hearing that you created a safe place for them, and that they knew you were a safe space, was the biggest and best thing that you could ever accomplish in life. 

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

The conversation they overheard between you and their little brothers struck a chord within each of their chests. You really had created a home for them, a ragtag group of people from all over the country who had so many hardships and questioned on the daily if they would fit in with the standard. With you they didn't have to fit in, they just had to be. No strict rules. No covering themselves for speaking improperly. No having to hide their love. No worries that they would lose everything for one slip up. You made this place a safe haven from their lives in the spotlight, you treated them like people and not idols. You made sure they ate, made sure they cared for themselves, stood up for them when they couldn’t do it for themselves at the risk of losing their jobs. You took care of their younger brothers and friends without batting an eye, you did things to make them feel cherished. That you loved them for themselves and not the things they did. You created a home for them in the storm of idol life, and they couldn't have been more thankful for their North Star. 

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Next Chapter (Chapter 28)

Likes, comments, reblogs, and follows are greatly appreciated!

Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!

Thanks for reading! <3 Moonie

Taglist:

@breadedloafs @a-short-ass-disappointment @ateezswonderland @staytinyluv @cherryangel-coke @11glitch11 @neivivenaj @herpoetryprincess @starryjoong-jeongcheollie @sol3chu @diouysns @beccaskz @bands-r-my-heros @whatdoyouwanttocallmefor @vtyb23 @juicyjaxxy @latisthegenderfluidwannabealone @dinossaurz