#kpop shifting

[hrrtshape]

Hello Emma! Since you’ve shifted so much, has you shifting routine changed? How do you shift now?

the shifting routine of a girl who shifts (mostly) whenever she wants, craves, or desires.

shifting is not a performance. there is no audience. i am not standing in front of a tribunal presenting my case on why i deserve to be somewhere else. i am simply going there. this is not a trial. this is muscle memory. this is knowing the way home. it’s an instinct, like finding the light switch in the dark. i don’t have to prove i can do it. i just do it.

i shift before sleep (nothing against awake methods, but i like returning back to my cr right after waking up), usually between 11pm and 1am. not because those hours are mystical or drenched in folklore, but because that's when i’m least bothered. the world is quiet, my bed is a raft, and i’m not interested in staying here.

i don’t prepare. not really. i do not count down, do not recite an essay-length affirmation, do not negotiate with the laws of physics. i simply think: what if i am already there and just forgot? what if my senses just have to catch up? i am not convincing myself. i am remembering and questioning reality.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┊ 

some nights, there’s music in my headphones. sometimes, there’s just silence, the white noise of rain, the hum of the night. my plushies (yes. yes) are there, but not as relics or ritual objects, just soft, familiar things that happen to exist alongside me.

i do not wait for a sign, for the planets to align, for the atmosphere to give me a knowing nod. i decide, and then i go. like turning a page in a book i’ve already read. 　　i know what happens next. the key is not waiting for permission to remember.

　people ask . . 　　❛ how do you know it's working? how do you know you're going to shift? and i think, how do you know you’re going to fall asleep? you just do. you close your eyes. you stop trying to be awake. you just go. shifting is like that. you let go of this world’s grip.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　you fall. you land.

routine is something that exists but doesn’t dictate. it's not the point. the point is the knowing. the ease. the way it happens when it happens because it was always going to happen. shifting is not a thesis to be defended, it is a place to be returned to. and i return, as i please.

[melshifting]

EFFORTLESSLY BLESSED ― Ultimate 'Lucky Girl' Pack for your DR ‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧

❝ I swear, the Universe is obsessed with you.❞

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ Doors open when you approach — not just automatic ones. People hold them for you, even from an unnecessary distance, to make life a little easier for you.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ You get free stuff… a lot. Brands send you PR packages even if you’re not an influencer, baristas “accidentally” make an extra drink and give it to you even if it's not your birthday.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ An actual bad day...? — even when everything seems wrong, you always end up in the right place at the right time; the universe orchestrates your schedule so you get even better opportunities.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ Limited-time offers! — you always get the last of anything without even realizing how close you were to missing out.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ Lost & Found — somehow, anything and everything finds their way back into your hands, as if the universe keeps an eye on your belongings.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ Your instincts are eerily accurate — you always pick the fastest-moving line at checkout, the restaurant with the best food. Decisions flow through you.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ You're the priority. — trains, waiting rooms, crowded events; someone always gets up and gestures for you to sit. They don’t even know why.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ Money magnet! — a $10 bill on the ground, change in an old coat pocket, that refund you forgot about suddenly appearing in your account at the perfect time.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ Best luck with clothes — last one in your size? Always yours. Surprise discount at checkout? Of course. That thing you’ve been looking for forever? Magically waiting for you.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ 10/10 memory — whether it’s your notebook for class or the charger for your phone, you manage to remember the essentials just in time.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ 100% acceptance rate! even on a whim — jobs, programs, exclusive clubs... your applications always land on the right desk at the right time.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ VIP list — bodyguards at events, clubs, or exclusive parties don't ever question if you have a pass, you just look like someone important.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ You always get served first — whether in a bar, bakery, or food truck, you barely step up before someone’s already handing you what you wanted.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ Pet's favorite! — you have that unexplainable magic that makes any animal gravitate toward you and trust you instantly.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ You always find the loophole — whether an extra day on a deadline or an easy way around a problem, solutions come to you like second nature.

[cupiid-777]

The things I will do to this man.

😳

[lotuzies]

[moondustville]

am I the only buddhist shifter out here......???

[axylotls]

gotta lock in and make super detailed scripts again cause it's honestly so fun BUT i just can't find a template that satisfies me you know??? i'm so nitpicky but im also lazy asf 😴 so i don't want to make my own lollll but as i said i gotta lock in so i will make my own!!!!!

[dessarchive]

cutesy little video i made last month about my aesthetic in my enhypen dr <33!!

[aerindrs]

✦𓏲 INTRO TO MY VAMPIRE DRS ܀

Desired Reality 1

this is a shared dr with my bsf rin ( @garrdenwonie ). we're shifting to the 1800s where me and rin are both vampires.

the story starts in 1828 in a small town called transylvania, where vampires and humans used to live peacefully among eachother. the leader of the vampires, Dracula himself riseded in his castle on the hill, with his family. he and his wife had two daughters Mavis and Maeve.

i am Maeve and this is my story.

i was born on a chilly december night in 1710.

throughout my childhood me and my sister would play in the castle yards, sometimes going to the village to see what life looked like among the humans.

we never attacked them.

my parents were strick about not drinking human blood. we stuck to animal blood and it sufficed us just well.

on a random sunny day in the year 1828, Mavis and i went down to the market and that's where i met her.

a little girl maybe around the age of 10-12 hiding behind her mothers skirt. she looked at me, clad in all black with an umbrella as if it was raining but the sun was all the way up, her eyes were curious.

i watched her as she left with her mother, still looking at me and i know she will remember me like i still remember her. because it was only a week after that, when i saw her again.

that night everything changed. something in the peaceful town had flipped.

they attacked on a snowy midnight, the castle was set on fire and my mother had rushed me to the kitchen and pushed me out the back door. her last words were “Maeve— run, now”, before the kitchen blew up.

i did as i was told i ran and ran, horror struck. confused so confused. what happened? why did it turn out like this?

as i was running towards the forest away from the village, i saw her. in a white night gown, awaken from the chaos she stood there in the snow, her look of confusion matched mine but something in me clicked.

i was angry, hungry and i was no human. my primarial instincts took over and i lunged on her biting her.

but when i looked at her face and her weak hands trying to push me away, only then did i realise what i had done. shocked from my own act, i left her blood soaked body and ran to the woods.

i don't know how long i ran, maybe days and nights but soon my body grew tired from hunger and i lay on the ground, my back to the tree and slept. vampires did not sleep, but i was hungry and tired and at that moment i thought i would die from starvation. i blacked out and was only awoken from the sound of his footsteps.

i forced my eyes open, weak but alert. a man stood before me, silhouetted against the snow.

he was tall, broad-shouldered, his dark coat billowing slightly in the wind. but what struck me wasn’t his beauty—though he was beautiful, his sharp features almost ethereal. it was his eyes.

golden eyes that were quite similar to my crimson ones.

a vampire.

he looked at me, then at the blood on my lips, and he understood.

without hesitation, he extended a hand.

“come,” he said. his voice was smooth, steady, as if we weren’t two hunted creatures in the middle of nowhere. “it’s not safe here.”

i didn’t question him. i simply took his hand and followed.

we hadn’t walked far before the sound of boots crunching against the snow sent panic racing up my spine. hunters.

one of them approached us, gripping his sword. “you there. what’s your business out here?” i tensed, but the man beside me—Solon, as he later introduced himself—smiled easily. “we’re a married couple,” he said smoothly. “out for a walk.” the hunter eyed him warily, then turned to me. i forced my face into a soft, harmless expression, trying to look like nothing more than a young wife following her husband.

the hunter hesitated, then nodded. “go home. it’s dangerous out here.” we didn’t wait for him to change his mind. we kept walking, our steps measured, controlled—until we found an inn at the edge of town.

Solon pulled me inside, leading me to a dimly lit room. he turned to leave. i grabbed his sleeve. “you’re leaving?” i whispered. he raised a brow. “i just helped you escape. i have nothing else to do with you.” he walked out, shutting the door behind him.

that night, i lay awake, staring at the ceiling, my mind spinning. i had nowhere to go. nothing left. unless…

the next morning, i found Solon in the inn’s bar, casually sipping tea like he was a normal human. a lawyer, he had said. well-respected in town. untouchable.

i sat across from him. he barely looked up but he spoke to me nonetheless.

“i thought you were supposed to leave,” he muttered.

i met his gaze. “i can’t.”

silence.

then—

“can we do that?” i asked.

Solon frowned. “do what?”

i inhaled sharply. “say we’re married. pretend to be a couple so i can stay with you.”

his fingers tightened around his cup. he stared at me like i had lost my mind.

i waited, if i had a heart it would be pounding.

then he slowly set his newspaper down.

Solon didn’t answer that day.

but the next morning, there was a knock at my door. i opened it to find him leaning against the frame, arms crossed.

“you’ll need a new name,” he said flatly. “and I’ll need to fix your birth certificates. we might need my friend’s help for that.”

i smiled at him. a real smile, for the first time in days.

“of course,” i said, stepping aside to let him in. “husband.”

he clicked his tongue, annoyed as i let out a chuckle. this was going to be fun.

unbeknownst to me, the little girl i had left behind in the snow was alive.

in my daydreams that lead to nightmares, i always saw her weak lifeless body. her voice echoed in my ears asking me to stop, to leave and let her live.

and she did. because in the year 1878 Rhea would walk into Midnight Manor, with her husband Jakah, not as a human child i had seen before, but as a full grown vampire.

the Midnight Manor was built in the year 1830, two years after i met Solon or Sunghoon Park—his human name—and i took the name Marie Park, his wife.

in the dim glow of the inn’s candlelight, i spent my nights laying out our grand scheme to Sunghoon.

each evening, after he returned from work—his coat dusted with city air, his pale hands adjusting his cuffs with meticulous grace—i’d bombard him with ideas.

he humored me at first, leaning against the wooden walls, his expression unreadable, but over time, he began to listen more closely. “we'll live in the outskirts of a small town,” i told him one night, my voice thick with determination. “a house of our own, hidden yet welcoming. to the world, we'll be a newlywed couple—strange, gothic, but normal enough to be ignored. we'll stand by our doors, greeting neighbors like any mundane couple would.”

Sunghoon had only chuckled, that infuriatingly slow smirk creeping onto his lips. “and you think we'd pass as normal?” he mused, tilting his head. i ignored his sarcasm and continued.

i painted the picture of our life with words—our quiet, eerie existence, the slow way we’d lull humans into thinking we were nothing but an oddity rather than a threat. Sunghoon never interrupted, only throwing in the occasional dry remark just to watch me fluster. but in the end, he agreed.

one day, he told me a friend would be visiting. the next evening, Heeseung arrived.

tall, lean, pale as death, yet grinning like the devil himself. he introduced himself as Sunghoon’s cousin to the humans but bowed his head to me in acknowledgment of what we truly were.

another vampire. another shadow lurking in the night.

he owned land on the outskirts of the city, a hidden place away from prying eyes. "we’ll build your little haunted dream together," Heeseung said, smirking as he spread his arms. and so we began.

the land was silent, untouched by time, the trees frozen in eerie stillness. she soil was soft beneath our feet, welcoming our presence.

the first few weeks were grueling—Sunghoon and Heeseung handled the labor while i designed our home. ehat started as a modest two-story house soon grew.

and then something strange happened. the house began to change on its own.

at first, it was subtle. a hallway that seemed longer than the night before. a door that hadn't been there yesterday but led to a fully furnished room. then, it became undeniable—each guest we took in caused the house to expand. a new room would form. the library would stretch, its shelves multiplying.

the Midnight Manor was alive, breathing with us, molding itself to our needs. it became our home.

the house was fascinating. not only did it expand to it’s liking, it also teleported. one morning we would wake up in the rural areas of england, and another morning it would be in the bustling streets of paris.

when danger lurked nearby, the manor worked by itself. Heeseung would tell us we should run, but the manor was faster. changing locations when the hunters were near sight. so all they could see was barren land and nothing else.

Midnight Manor was a solace. a place monsters like us could come and rest and then leave if and when they want to.

the manor would find them. appearing only when one is in need. of a place called home.

and so it appeared in front of Rhea and Jakah. lost vampires who had been running ever since they were turned.

Rhea would tell me later—when i had her in my arms like an old friend and no longer the monster she knew of—that she was saved by her parents when i turned her. they had kept her hidden under their roof until she was 18 and had sold her to the Yangs.

the Yangs were a prestigious family of vampire hunters. i knew them very well. the elderly man had once come to my father, Dracula to form a contract. a peace treaty they had said. but we were fools.

Rhea had been sold to marry their youngest son, Jakah. but unlike his family, Jakah had a secret weird infatuation with vampires. he had found out Rhea’s secrets and wanted to be bitten too.

curiosity took the best of him and Rhea had turned him into a vampire. they could no longer stay with the Yangs and decided to flee. both of them going by the names Rin and Jungwon to hide among humans.

it took them 50 years to find the manor. to come to me. fate was cruel to us all, but we were no longer kids. time had taught us and were going to make full use of it.

notes : the day we shift is the day rin arrives at the manor. the rest of enhypen is involved, but they come slowly one by one as years go by so we will be experiencing it all together.

• my s/o is sunghoon but also jino/jake who is a vampire hunter who comes to the manor in the 1900s. he's the only human i bite after rhea in more than hundred years.

• my backstory is heavily inspired by hotel transylvania and dw my dad and sister are alive i meet them later on. i also stole the zing idea from here, basically the glow/flash in vampires eyes when they meet their soulmates.

• when we've shifted i'll make a master list and seperate my drs and post the story times too.

Desired Reality 2

this is another dr with @garrdenwonie but it's in the year 2022 and we are both actors. the backstory for this dr is the first dr with many added plots between the years like in the 1900s.

every fifty years, we followed the same tradition. all the residents of the Midnight Manor—Heli, Solon, Maeve, Shion, Rhea, Jakah, Jaan, Jino, Noa, and the supernatural beings who had joined us over time (such as Aespa, IVE, &Team)—would switch identities. we changed our names, created new backgrounds, and blended into human society once more.

this tradition started after the 1920s, years after Noa made his decision to turn into a vampire at 18. by then, we had spent centuries hiding, and honestly? we were tired of it. we weren’t bloodthirsty monsters lurking in the shadows, waiting for the next hunt. we just wanted to experience the world as it changed around us.

it all started on a dull afternoon when Rin (Rhea) and i ventured into town. that’s when we first heard rumors—whispers about a city that never slept, where night was alive. a place where a prestigious academy ran night classes. the concept intrigued us. a school operating on our natural schedule? we had to see it for ourselves.

when we arrived at Decilis Academy, we were met with a shocking discovery. the academy was a sanctuary for supernatural beings, run by a vampire civilization hidden within human society. the headmistress explained it’s system: it’s job was to erase our past lives, forging new identities, birth certificates, and histories so that we could start fresh without suspicion. it was the perfect way for us to integrate while keeping the supernatural world hidden.

the offer was too good to refuse. we all enrolled, eager to experience this new way of life.

after decades of trying new identities, careers, and hobbies, we finally settled on something that excited us.

in 1970, we decided to form a band. Heli became Ethan, Jakah was Johnny, Jaan was James, Rhea took on the name Ruby, and i went by Maya Claire. we were high school dropouts turned underground musicians.

we never expected it, but our music took off. our fanbase exploded, and within a few years, we were internationally recognized artists. it was thrilling—sold-out concerts, screaming fans, the adrenaline of performing on stage.

but after ten years, the vampire system intervened. they warned us that staying in the public eye for too long was dangerous. the longer we remained famous, the harder it would be to erase our identities again. they ordered us to retire and lay low.

it was bittersweet. we had loved every moment of it, but we understood the risks. so, we disappeared from the industry, fading into legend.

after years of retirement, the Midnight Manor took us to London, where we stumbled upon something even more fascinating than Decilis Academy—the land of witches and wizards.

we learned about Hogwarts, a school strikingly similar to Decilis. it had its own secret government—the Ministry of Magic—which functioned almost like our own vampire system.

through Professor Dumbledore, we were invited to enroll as students in 1995 to better understand their kind. even though we weren’t human wizards, we still possessed our own innate magic—abilities that didn’t rely on wands, but rather on our existence as supernatural beings.

for three years, we lived among wizards, learning about their world and hiding our own. it was another chapter of discovery, another life we immersed ourselves in.

by 2000, we had once again faded into the background, vanishing from Hogwarts records like ghosts.

as always, we found new ways to entertain ourselves.

in 2016, after Rhea reinvented herself again, she began her acting career in South Korea. watching her thrive in this new industry, i decided to follow suit, adopting the name Marie Claire.

to explain our eerily similar appearances, the vampire system created a backstory: Maya Claire was my “grandmother”, and i was her lookalike granddaughter.

my first major acting role came in Narnia, which brought me international recognition. from there, i starred in:

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

XO, Kitty

these projects gained me popularity in South Korea, eventually leading to my first K-drama—alongside Rin (Rhea)—where we played Lee Hyerin and Eun Marin in Twinkling Watermelon (2022-2023).

it was a surreal experience. the story, about four kids traveling back in time to change their parents’ lives, resonated with audiences. the drama was a huge success, and working with well-known actors was something i had only imagined before.

after that, Rin and i continued working together in Alchemy of Souls as Naksu and Mu-deok, and in Family By Choice as Juwon and Dal.

i also took on roles in:

Stranger Things Season 4 as 003

Squid Game Season 2 as Semi

Bridgerton Season 4 as Sophie

these roles cemented my career, and both Rin and i received multiple awards.

despite all our adventures, the Midnight Manor remained our sanctuary.

from the outside, it appeared to be a simple apartment, blending in with human society. but on the inside, it was still the same grand estate i had envisioned centuries ago when Solon and i first dreamed of a safe place for us all.

no matter how much the world changed, we remained the same.

we had learned how to live among humans, hidden yet civilized.

we had made careers, memories, and legends.

through it all, Solon and i stood strong together. our endless bickering had softened over time with Jino joining us. the centuries shaped us, yet we remained each other’s constant.

and above all—we had become a family.

notes : this dr was scripted because we wanted to experience filming our twinkling watermelon dr. so we will be shifting around 2022 when it was filmed.

• we will be making a tiktok post about all the shows/movies/kdramas we're both filming (my tiktok is aerindrs and rins is ltsredsreality)

• we scripted lots of precaution type things for this dr like people easily forgetting or not noticing that we don't age. then vampires can be seen in mirrors, pictures, films and all that like we aren't typical vampires.

• overall this dr is for fun and we will be experiancing the ‘backstory’ for this when we shift to the first dr and have reached the years.

Masterlist

[luciavrseblog-com]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐔𝐒 ; A King's Burden

— King!Heeseung x Queen!Reader

⠀ ⠀.   ⋆ ･˳ ⠀⠀⠀⠀. ⋆  . ⋆･. ⠀⠀˳ . ⋆⠀⠀.

Summary: For months, the Queen of Light has been nothing but a ghost, her kingdom lost to a curse that shattered the world’s balance. Now, even the Dark Kingdom suffers, and its newly crowned king, Heeseung, sets out to claim what remains. But when fate leads him to the missing queen, their reluctant alliance forces them to face a deeper truth—light and dark were never meant to exist without each other. The question is: can they fight fate, or were they always meant to fall together?

A/N: Hello~ this is my first chapter of this fanfic… and I'm a little unsure whether it's engaging or not, which is why the second chapter will be uploaded not too long after this chapter. My schools first unit ends on the 4th next month, so I will be trying to do more updates as I have some break off of school!  Please let me know if you're wanting to be a part of a tag list and if you're liking the story so far!

Wc: 4134

Warnings: Mild language use, mentions of death and destruction, light horror themes, supernatural elements

⠀ ⠀.   ⋆ ･˳ ⠀⠀⠀⠀. ⋆  . ⋆･. ⠀⠀˳ . ⋆⠀⠀.

The ink that bleeds through the paper gets harder to read everyday, the cursive writing in the journal leading up to the hour slowly becoming more incompetent as the light from the flames start to die out. 

‘The light.’

He writes. 

‘The light that has once welcomed our world is slowly leaving. It’s been seven months since the last letter from the light kingdom and three months since we’ve come scarce on our light sources. Karina insists that it’s fine and that the Queen is just having her misfits again. I tell her not to use too much and to not say such foolish things, but she insists she can only do her routines when night has officially fallen. It ‘set’s an atmosphere’ she says.’

His quill stills on the paper, his lips pursing together at the thought of his wife’s inconsiderate actions. It has been four years since their coronation, and it is expected after this journey that they will have kids. Heirs. 

His fingers tighten on the quill and he takes a breath before continuing to write. 

‘I pray she is fit enough to run the kingdom by herself these next few months. She’s been nagging me about an illness she might inherit from her mother, which I highly doubt. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, but if much changes, I will immediately switch it back to how I like it. I will leave this journal here and take a new one to track my mission, if anyone finds it, they will know of the exciting adventures I experienced with the six of my soldiers.

Please, keep Karina in check. And don’t let her change anything too drastic.’ 

He watches as the ink dries in the journal, as if much will change, before he shuts it, letting it rest in the middle of his desk. Besides the book, the candles dwindling light flickers, and for a moment, Heeseung thought it grew stronger, as if it was fighting for it’s life. He thinks about what the Light Kingdom’s final days were like – broken, in flames, one last flash of light before darkness falls. 

He doesn’t even notice the presence of his wife until the smell of Jasmine greets his nostrils, scrunching his nose momentarily, he leans comfortably in the chair and tilts his head backwards, lazily. “How long have you stood there?” He mutters, watching her upside down.

“Long enough to see you watch the ink dry,” her sharp tone speaks, causing him to tilt his head up so she doesn’t see the roll of his eyes. The slide of her hand on his shoulders distracts him from the annoyance as she leans over him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I’m still unsure on why you wanted to do this. You’re king of this Kingdom. Whatever happens over there, is their problem.”

He fights the urge to scoff, reaching his hand up to intertwine their fingers, shifting his body and guiding her to stand in front of him, “If it causes our fall, then it is.” He whispers, properly addressing his wife by pressing a soft kiss to the knuckles of his fingers. “You changed the colour of your nails.” 

“You sound exactly like how your father did,” she scoffs at his attempt of changing the topic, rolling her eyes and situating herself on his lap, she wraps her arms around his neck and leans into him, “So dramatic and nosy. If it’s really that serious, then as queen, I should be going beside you.”

“No.” 

She stiffens as she hears his immediate disagreement, her eyebrows furrowing as she tilts her head to look at him, “Excuse me?”

“You’re not going,” Heeseung says, voice firm as he trails his fingers in small circles on her lower back while his other hand rests on her thigh to keep her secure. He watches the annoyance in her eyes flare to something of anger, lips curling upwards softly before he leans in and presses soft kisses to the plump skin of cheek, her jaw, and her neck. “You’re too precious to me. I don’t want you dirtying that stunning face of yours, my love. Who will keep the kingdom in check if we’re both gone?”

His shift in tone – from cold to indulgent – seems to please Karina as her usual smile is back on her lips, giggling and tilting her head to press a happy kiss to his lips. “I suppose you’re right. A kingdom needs their queen afterall.”

A squeak falls from her lips as Heeseung suddenly lifts her up, carrying her bridal-style and spinning her around in a small circle before he makes his way towards their bed, pressing kisses along her skin to keep her satisfied. 

“Just lay with me for now, rina,” he whispers against her skin, “I leave tomorrow.”

He keeps his promise until just before the sun is meant to rise, barely little light coming in as he double checks his items, fingers brushing over his journal one last time before he heads to his horse. His last potential words dismissing his wife.

The morning air is tense as his guards part, making way for their King. Mounting their horses at once, their hooves strike the ground as they strut through the streets. The sounds are deafening in the early morning, as everyone else lays in bed alongside their loved ones while the seven men ride out to a location that may be just fine. That would mean he was overreacting, as Karina has said one too many times these past few weeks. 

Yet, he knows. That gut feeling that something is not okay.

It’s like he can hear the nagging tone in her future letters, the way she’d slowly degrade him more and more, listing the ways she changed the kingdom to fit her wants, not even bothering to take into account Heeseung or the villagers. She’d be wearing that insufferable, condescending snarl on her face and she’d flip the pages through his withered journal. 

He can hear his main guard, Jay, shouting out directions to his other men and guiding the horses along the rocky roads that soon turn into dirt. The further they venture, the more dry the air comes and the higher the humidity rises. He wonders how his father rode down this road when he was still King. How tall had he stood, going into battle, while knowing that he would return safe? To his people. To his Queen. How did he fight for so many years and return as strong as when he left? He wonders if Karina would jump into his arms when he arrives home, cooing and doting over him the whole way back to their chambers before laying with him and feeding him the food he’s been wishing for. 

Or if she would nag him when he came back, murmuring how it was a waste of time and draping herself on him to distract him from the changes in the Kingdom. Maybe, if the trip was useless, then he’d have Jay and Sunghoon rough him up a little – just enough for Karina to slip into the nurturing role their parents wish she’d have. 

That night, after grueling, long hours of travelling, watching as tumbleweeds drift past, they set up camp. The fire burned in the middle of the group, the six guards sharing their stories of their lives outside of battles and protection. Heeseung smirked as Sunoo shared the gossip about his older sister cheating on her husband with a fishmonger.  He lets his gaze rest on the stubborn flames that flicker even on the still road.

“And then,” Sunoo said, shaking his head and laughing softly, “Her husband found out, came to me and stated he has to train beside me–  to ‘be stronger’. Mind you, he works in the bakery for a living and the lover cuts up salmon for a living.”

The men around him bark out laughter at the thought of his in law training alongside him, the thought itself being ridiculous. They continued like that for a few more minutes, the guards sharing stories of each other like how Sunghoon almost got trampled by their horses because Jake was too busy ogling a pretty woman to secure the reins properly.

As their stories died down into more simple words, Heeseung kept his gaze locked on the dancing flames. He watched them dance around each other as if they were whispering words to him. 

His mind wanders back to his castle that his ancestors walked through for decades – centuries even. He imagines Karina draped across the beautiful, emerald green chair near their bay window, dressed in her finest silks, barking orders at the servants. 

For a moment, he saw her in a way that he almost forgot existed.

Beautiful and airy, giggling and making jokes alongside him in the morning light. Her skin is smooth, and her cheeks are slightly flushed in embarrassment as he teases her and presses kisses along her skin. The image of his wife. His Queen. 

His thoughts eventually shift once more. To the bigger picture at hand.

The Light Kingdom. 

He wondered how their Queen and King had fallen, what managed to take over half the world and keep the imbalance stable for such periods of time. What were their final thoughts before they were wiped out? How were they wiped out? Did they prepare for what happened?

He wanders back to the time he met their King, standing strong as he and his wife greeted Heeseung and Karina, the air immediately lifting.

Soobin was a wonderful man, he remained standing tall, his broad frame creating whiplash to his bright personality. His toned arms were constantly adorned by the decoration of his wife’s beautiful, ringed fingers – who never stood too far from her husband. His smile was as bright as the sun in the sky, as if it was a relic in his name. A relic of the light he was meant to protect. 

Heeseungs jaw clenched, his eyes falling to his lap as he takes in a deep breath. 

That light was gone. 

All that’s left is the flames in place of his ashes. 

The sound of the horse’s neighing and stomping on the dirt drags him out of his thoughts. He tilts his head up, blinking as he sees that everyone is staring out to the distance. The horses, too, stood rigid as they looked towards the horizon. The air runs thin, and even the crackling of the fire grows silent. 

Heeseung’s throat runs dry as he looks to where his guards watch, ignoring the way their horses snort and shift uncomfortably. 

“Jay.” He mumbles, keeping his voice firm despite the hesitancy he’s feeling. 

They shouldn’t be worried. Darkness is where they’re from, their calling, their destinies. They can face anything that’s in the darkness. Except, this time, with no answer from his head guard, Heeseung feels uncertain of what lurks in the distance. 

“Jay.” He repeats again, his voice slightly louder than before, narrowing his eyes as his hand twitches towards his sides. Finally, Jay turns his head, slow and carefully as if trying not to startle the thing in the distance. 

“We’re not alone.” He whispers, his own hand reaching for his sword. 

His words spoke enough. 

Something was out there.

The other guards had never looked more tense or terrified, frozen in place as their eyes dart between each other and the horizon. 

Then – there was the slow gurgling noise. Distance and high pitched. 

Heeseung didn’t even notice when he moved, standing into a simple fighting stance and gritting his teeth together, getting ready to sheath his sword. “We must leave,” He says slowly, narrowing his gaze and slowly shifting it over the horizon. “Now. Move it.”

The six men didn’t need to be told twice, instantly standing and mounting their horses, calming them down quickly in hopes they wouldn't get kicked off. Heeseung hears Jake cooing to his stallion, telling her to calm down and stroking her mane. 

As Heeseung’s eyes shift to his horse, away from the horizon for a singular second, a rotten smell reaches their nostrils. Heeseung immediately covers his nose, looking back up to find the source of the smell, but all he can see is darkness. Nothing moves and nothing creeps forward. 

Niki clears his throat, speaking up for the first time all night. “Your honour, we need to leave. Please.” His voice wavers and the realisation of everyone's fear settles in. Heeseung nods his head, motioning with his fingers to move forward. 

The adrenaline starts to shoot through the King’s veins, pressing for his horse to move at a high speed to get far away from whatever lurks. Despite his evident fear, he stays behind the others, constantly counting them to make sure nothing has pulled them aside and they’re all safe. 

It’s only the first night and dangers are coming. He prays that this journey was worth something in the end. 

They spend the whole night moving East. There were no break periods, no matter how tired the horses were and how sore the men were. There were no stretch periods and there was no time for water breaks. Just 12 hours of riding through dirt roads. 

As the sun started to rise, there was still no humanity in sight. They didn’t encounter anything else throughout that night, but the smell lingered on for miles and Heeseung was sure he could smell it in the early mornings. 

Pure exhaustion weighed on the men, and no matter how far they traveled, it still felt like they weren’t even at the edge of the Dark Kingdom. 

By the time they saw some sort of life forms, it was a rice farmer travelling between his farm and the riverbank nearby. He called himself a foreign name that was unfamiliar with all of them, Vernon. He offered them a place to sleep and for their horses to rest. 

Heeseung didn’t wake till the next day. 

After that fearsome night, Heeseung made sure that wherever they set camp was safe and protected. He made Jungwon draw sigils and place any protection spell on each of them, their horses and where they slept. He refused to let something unknown hurt them. 

On the fifth day of travelling, they arrive at their fourth town. Except this time, it was empty and cold, ashes taking place where people stood. Heeseung strolls leisurely through the town, keeping his guard high as he scans the surroundings. The soft sound of rustling makes him come to a halt. 

He raises his hands to stop the others, listening into the deafening silence of the ruins. Just as he goes to motion to continue forward, the sound of crying and footsteps make them freeze. A figure slowly makes their way towards them, their feet walking quickly and their heavy breaths coming into their line of hearing. 

“The chapel!” The figure cries, waving their hands as their steps speed up slightly, “Everything is ruined… but the chapel! The chapel has the books… and the… Light… Kingdom…” 

Heeseung’s head perks up at the mention of the Light Kingdom, his stoic expression faltering for a moment as he watches the figure collapse into a heap on the floor. 

There’s silence for a few moments before Heeseung clicks to his left. “Sunoo, Jungwon, Niki,” He says, turning his head, “You three stay with this… priest. Keep him alive. Jake, Jay, Sunghoon, you come with me. We’re going to find the chapel.”

It doesn’t take long to find the tall, decorated building, the poor sunlight filtering through the stained glass windows and shining onto the entrance, as if the building was waiting for them. Heeseung takes a mental note to mention it to Karina in the future, knowing she loves when the window pains in the castle do such things. 

The horses stay outside as the three men stretch their legs, sauntering through the rubble of the broken doors. Feet are etched into the wooden floors, a memory of the people who stood before them not too long ago. Heeseung can’t help but wonder what happened to the beautiful building. He waits till he stands in the middle of the room until he pauses, lifting his head up and looking around the tall walls, stained glass windows decorating every space, telling its story of the Kingdoms. 

At the entrance, stands two opposite sides, a dark and a light, in between them was a glass stain in the shape of a rose. Next to it, showed the pair in battle, holding each other at their throats as the rose starts to wither away. Beside it shows the dark side watching the light side at the river, cupping some water in their hands and taking a sip, the rose on its last petal. The rest show the story of how, despite their hatred for each other, they have to work together to store a balance in the world, their love story blooming and creating a peace between them. 

Heeseung heard the story countless times: throughout his childhood, in literature classes, when he found out he was getting married, at the wedding, at the coronation, at the honeymoon and so on… It was to remind him why he should never battle with the light kingdom, to never become selfish and try to take more land than he really needs. 

Heeseung hears the trio murmuring and can see them pointing at the windows as they recall the story and try to piece everything together. He scoffs and focuses on the task at hand, letting out a sigh and climbing up the steps to the podium, finding a desk off to the side filled with spilled paper and ink everywhere. 

“The books… the books. What books?” He thinks out loud, furrowing his brows as he starts to look through the drawers, being met with empty spaces and cobwebs. He grunts in frustration, sliding a drawer shut and covering his face with his hands. He’s lucky enough to even hear the sound of the object falling onto the wooden floors. 

He slowly moves his hands away from his face, tilting his head down and looking around. Is he imagining things? What just dropped? He looks up, looking towards the three men he bought with him and seeing the way they all looked amazed by the intricate carvings in the seats and the poles. He blinks a few times before looking the opposite direction, immediately flinching as the light goes straight into his eyes. 

“Fuck–” he says, covering his face with his hands and stumbling back. When did that happen? He thinks to himself, keeping his hand covering the sunlight as he looks away, blinking away the dark spots that formed into his eyes. It takes him a few moments before he notices something glinting in the sunlight, a few seconds longer before he recognises what it is. A key. 

“Hey–” He says, catching the attention of his guards as he bends down, picking up the key, “Look what I found. Do you think this’ll help us find those books?”

“We found them already,” Sunghoon suddenly says, furrowing his brows as he and Jake hold up four different books. Jake’s were a dark navy colour while Sunghoon’s were a light yellow, the same words placed on all four: A crown of light, a throne of shadows. 

That night, they sat in a random building’s rubble, watching the fire flicker miserably as they try to decipher what was written in the pages. They’ve only managed to decipher the words ‘Light’ and ‘Dark’ from the cover of the books. 

“So… if this symbol is ‘a’, then most of these should have ‘a’ in them.” Jungwon says, looking between the different books as he notices the same symbol used consistently. “Does anyone have some spare paper we could write on?”

Jungwon’s request is met with silence between all seven men, Heeseung’s expression turns somber for a moment before reaching out of his bag to find the journal he packed before he left. He opens up the pages and rips out a page along with a stick of granite, passing it over to the boy and watching as he immediately starts to write down the repeated symbols. 

They all watch in silence as Jungwon depicts what the vowels of the alphabet are, before placing the rest of the letters in their own section. They fill each of the letters with the translations etched onto the leather bindings on each book, each having their own meaning. 

Book one and three were both yellow-dyed velvet bindings, signifying the perspective of the Light Kingdom was being presented, while books two and four were the opposite. Book one had the words ‘Dawn on the fallen’ engraved on the front. 

“There’s no point doing this,” Sunghoon suddenly says, furrowing his thick brows and resting a hand on his thigh, “Translating these– these– ancient texts is useless! It’s going to be daybreak by the time we’ve finished translating the first page.”

He looks around the group of people, some of the younger men looking away to avoid eye contact while Jay and Heeseung keep their piercing gaze on the man. He’s always known to be the most impatient when it comes to these things, wanting to keep going to finish things. 

“This is important–” Jungwon starts but he immediately gets cut off by the brunette.

“Then how about you stay here in this shit fallen city so you can sit here and translate a bunch of old ancient shit.” Sunghoon spits, standing up in annoyance. “I’m not going to sit here and–”

“Hoon–” Jake starts, grabbing onto his hand to pull him back down but the latter yanks his hand away with a scoff. “Oi! Stop being fucking dramatic and sit back down. Where are you going to go at this time of night, huh?”

“Away from dealing with this waste of time!” He snaps, turning around and heading towards his horse, pulling on his reins and guiding him away a couple metres. The air is silent besides the footsteps of the man, Jake rolling his eyes and standing up to go chase after him. 

What happens next is something you wouldn’t have been able to see if you had blinked. Someone– no, something, grabs a hold of the horse's head, dragging the animal to the floor and taking Sunghoon with him. In a matter of three seconds, the horse is gone and Sunghoon is on the ground, Jake standing over him and cupping his face. 

Heeseung’s body moves before he even processes it, his feet running quickly and he can hear the footsteps of others behind him, “Sunghoon!” Heeseung calls, squatting down and checking over the man. “Are you good?”

The man below him groans in agony, slowly turning onto his back, showing everyone the gash right across his features. His porcelain features and pale skin is ruined with blood trickling down the sides of his face, bleeding into his hairline. 

“Shit.” Heeseung whispers, looking over his shoulder at the other men. “Get some bandages. Go!” He looks forward again, seeing Jake holding the man’s head into his lap, brushing his hair out of his face and whispering affirmations and reassurances. 

Heeseung stands, grabbing the hilt of his sword, looking around to find what mystery took his horse and slashes his guard's face, eyes only being met with darkness and the rubble of houses. His breathing quickens and he doesn’t remember much else that happens that night. 

The night is fueled with exhaustion, the translation being long forgotten by everyone else except Jungwon, who distracts himself from the situation with it, an underlying guilt setting in his stomach. Jake stays seated throughout the night, keeping watch over Sunghoon and keeping the injured head in his lap, playing with his hair and soothing him when the pain starts to become unbearable. 

Jay stays beside the youngest, having them sleep on either side of him in case the wretched creature comes back. Heeseung… Heeseung paces in circles around the camp, around the city. Watching as the moon hits the chapel’s stained glass windows, the symbol of harmony lighting up when it hits just right. His thoughts linger on every little thing, his wife, his kingdom, the light kingdom, the creature that just appeared and the way that the fire flickers lower and lower, straining Jungwon’s gaze. 

It takes them two more days before Jake decides they can leave, too worried about Sunghoon’s safety. Since they’re missing a horse, Sunghoon sits on the back of Sunoo’s horse, much to Jake's dismay, and they set out again, the same cycle of no rest and constant travelling happening once more until they reach the border. 

[minkiluva]

it’s that time i’m getting back into shifting. i have a few scripts for different places i might share. i always try one night and then give up for the next 9 months

shifting bingo!

[naevisnova]

Shifters, after realizing that nothing in this reality truly matters.

[melshifting]

people calling me a homie hopper in my DR as an insult... LOUD AND RIGHT, you know damn well I am tf.

[lotuzies]

𝜗𝜚 what is shifting to you?

one of the biggest shifting tips i could ever give someone is actually a question — what is shifting to you?

what does it mean?

no, seriously. put down the phone. turn down the music. forget everything. the countless advice and terms you read on tumblr. now, begin to tear shifting apart, get to its very core.

what is shifting to you? how do you perceive it? what do you believe in? these are all questions you should be able to answer by yourself.

we can get so lost in the vast sea of information available on the internet that we forget to think by ourselves. there are many useful posts, of course, but it's a lot of info that we try to process all at once.

speaking from experience, when i tried to shift after endlessly scrolling on tumblr, a bunch of new information had just been barely processed into my brain, things would get messy. during the attempt i'd think about so many things at once, trying my absolute best to remember all the good advice i had just read, resulting in my brain overworking — when shifting is supposed to be easy.

so, take a moment, maybe write it down if it helps, get a clear image of your beliefs, what you've learned and what works for you.

— but, izzy, how do i know i believe in the right things?

right, this might shock you, or go against what you naturally believe, but when it comes to shifting, there's no right or wrong. everyone's journey is different.

many shifters believe in the multiverse, while others don't, for example, and both get the same results. it's more of a matter of what works for you. no one's opinion should be held to the highest standards.

STOP RELYING ON OTHERS. you know enough.

this is also why you should think for yourself, there are so many different perspectives online, take time to create one of your own. for your own journey.

— but if there's no right or wrong, how do i know shifting is even real? won't that just give me more doubts?

that's why it's called a shifting journey. it's up to you to take your time exploring, researching, experimenting, be curious and build your own answers. my beliefs as to why shifting is real might be completely different than yours. but, if you must know — it's a practice that has been done years before the internet even existed. actually, to build such a big community on the internet, there had to be an immense background of previous information. that's what i believe in.

now, i'm not saying you need to know everything! absolutely not! shifters don't have the answers to every question in the book and that's natural, we are human. but i still believe you should have something solid of your own to trust and to guide you.

keep searching, keep learning, your beliefs aren't set in stone and can be changed any moment, but give yourself some clarity! what is shifting to you?

[cupiid-777]

answering for my skz dr! X

𝑉𝐼𝐸𝑁𝑁𝐴’𝑆 𝐴𝑆𝐾 𝐺𝐴𝑀𝐸 ( send emojis along with a dr in my asks to play ! )

TAKE YOUR PICK . . . nepo baby dr , challengers dr , fame / jackass dr , podcast dr , hippie dr , hogwarts dr , the walking dead dr , 70’s band dr , outer banks dr , stranger things dr , farmer’s daughter dr , rapper dr .

— 📞 PHONE A FRIEND . . . who do you consider your best friend(s) in this dr, and why?

— 📸 PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY . . . ( if shifted ) what is your favourite memory in this dr? ( if not shifted ) what is your favourite scenario you are looking forward to?

— 🌞 THE SUN . . . in this dr, who or what can brighten up your day in an instant?

— 💸 TRUE INTENTIONS . . . what are you shifting to this dr for? fame? money? love? drama? or just the experience?

— 💐 HOPELESS ROMANTIC . . . tell us about your s/o!

— 🐚 WALKING ON EGG SHELLS . . . who are you most intimidated / scared of in this dr?

— 🪐 STARGAZER . . . what is your favourite thing to do in this dr?

— 💋 CHILDISH GAMES . . . kiss , marry , kill ( please give names with this question ! )

— 🎤 YOU’RE A NATURAL ! . . . what do you consider your talents in this dr?

— 🫧 ANYTHING ELSE ? . . . custom question !

this is my first time doing an ask game so let’s hope it’ll be used 😖🤞 i’ll be going to bed now, but will answer whatever asks there are tomorrow!

[hrrtshape]

reminder that you can shift anytime, anywhere, under any condition. it doesn’t matter if you’re exhausted, if you’re spiralling, if you’ve just remembered an email you forgot to send and now you’re in a fugue state of regret. it doesn’t matter if you’ve put shifting on a pedestal so high it’s getting altitude sickness (even then, a pedestal is just a glorified step stool. kick it over. nothing is above you, nothing is out of reach), or if your brain is complied of intrusive thoughts and mental white noise. you could be in a grocery store queue, on a sinking ship, in the middle of a hostage negotiation. and could still shift.

people love a reason why not. alas, the conditions are not set in stone. they never were. consciousness is liquid gold. it seeps through cracks, it adapts. you don’t need the stars to align. you don’t need the perfect night, the perfect mood, the perfect silence. you need exactly what you already have... a mind.