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feel199x · 5 years ago

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to protect our district— 09

TO PROTECT OUR DISTRICT — CH. 09; THE DEVIL

I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX masterlist

♟ ceo!hwang hyunjin, mafia boss!hwang hyunjin, mafia!au

♟ summary: basically this vine

♟ warnings: trauma symptoms, minor character death, depictions of blood and fighting, angst, themes of sexism

♟ a/n: i’ve been gone for a while but!! as a gift, this chapter is twenty three pages long!! i promise i’m doing my best to update, there’s just been a lot going on! thank you for all the support, thank you for keeping my passion for writing alive!! ALSO trying out a new format!! let me know if u like it!!

♟ song rec: believe what you want, blue rose, & painting

You gripped the side of your desk, inconspicuously shoving the slip of paper in your mouth. You weren’t stupid enough to throw it away, and definitely not stupid enough to keep it on your person. Were you going to go? You didn’t know, and you definitely didn’t want to have to make any more life-threatening decisions if you could help it.

There was something sort of comforting about a monotonous life like the one you were pretending to live. Always knowing what was going to happen, doing simple things like organizing schedules, sending faxes, and making spreadsheets.

You’d like to imagine you had lived the type of life and family dynamics that you had seen from time to time on television. It hadn’t occurred to you that this type of life wasn’t normal, not until very, very recently. How was it fair that most people’s problem consisted of what to wear, what they looked like, the drama between friends and what the latest text from their romantic partner actually means. You wanted that type of simpler life, you wanted more knowledge when you were a child. You felt stupid, you wanted to scold yourself and you want to yell and tell that child how stupid, foolish and utterly naive she was.

But that child needs sympathy and protection, just like you still do.

It was all getting too much the more you thought about, making your head spin.

Your eyes were burning, and it could have very well been from staring at your desktop screen instead of actually doing anything. Something just felt wrong, and you didn’t know what. It was like a clock striking the final hour, and all it could say was wrong! with every chime. Your head was drooping, exhaustion lulling you even as paranoia consumed you. The sound of carousel music jolted you awake, making your desk chair squeak as several coworkers took a quick glance at you. And for a brief second, you swore you saw Sir Hwang and his record player. He was there, and then he wasn’t. Your sanity was slipping for you. You rubbed your eyes, shaking your head as your fingers hovered over the keyboard. Getting up, you smoothed your pencil skirt as you found yourself pouring yourself a cup of coffee, your eighth one in the span of two hours.

You should’ve been off your rocker, being able to complete more than what was tasked to you that day. And you were- off your rocker that is, but in a different way. All this caffeine coursing in your blood made it impossible for you to sleep, even as your eyes drooped and your body begged. And yet, you were hyperaware. Every noise, the rustling of paper, the tapping of paper, the hum of the printers, all of it echoed in your brain.

You watched as everyone leave for the lunch break, and you slipped into a leaving crowd of people who didn’t work on your floor. The elevator filled up with people and you crouched down, pulling a hoodie over your head and tucking your hair into the back. You moved your way to the front, your coworkers too invested in picking the restaurant that they should go to next. If they were suspicious of what you were doing, you wouldn’t have known. Not now, or later. You tagged along before swiveling into an incoming crowd, going back into the building.

You’d never been in the surveillance room, and it was locked when you came across it. It was a lot better than having the guards actually in there because you had yet to come up with an excuse or more likely, distraction. You figured they must’ve been on patrol, but still, an uneasiness made your lips tight and chapped. You slipped in after playing with the lock for a minute or two, and you hurried to play with the security footage. Something felt off, definitely off, even if you were unsure of what exactly was wrong. You gave yourself some time to make it to Changbin’s desk, out and then into the building again as if you were returning from lunch with the rest of your coworkers.

It took you longer than you had wished, and you knew that the guards would have been returning from their rounds. (If that was really, indeed what they were doing.)

If anyone was to have information about the feds visiting, and more importantly, the trip that you were all soon about to take, it’d have to be him. Sure, he had said that he wanted to help. But you didn’t know if you couldn’t trust him. Hell, you didn’t even know if you could trust Hyunjin. You pulled your gloves on and went through his papers. Until finally, after looking over your shoulder more than a dozen times, you had found a few sheets of loose paper. And though some information was redacted, you rushed over to the copier. Glancing nervously at the ticking clock, there was a lump in your throat as you tapped your foot. Something was wrong. Something was clearly so, so wrong. And yet, you couldn’t make out what it was.

The copier took forever, and with each somehow delayed second, you grew more and more panicked.

To make matters worse, Hyunjin hadn’t even come in. You knew he couldn’t have been dead, his father was very adamant of securing his son’s place as an heir, even if that wasn’t what his son particularly wanted. You weren’t afraid that Hyunjin was dead, you were afraid that he was very nearly dead.

It had only happened a few times before, but that was enough for it to stay lodged in your brain. A fervor hatred like gasoline to a forest fire. You’d never want to see you Hyunjin like that again, face swollen, his identity nearly shrouded with all the blood covering his face. His father had found out that he had skipped several lessons, to be in your company, no less. And he had still been smiling, crawling into your bedroom as you cleaned him up. He had made you laugh when he saw you cry at his pain, telling you not to worry as he winced from the alcohol as you cleaned his cuts.

Later you had learned that his dad had challenged him to a fight, under the assumption that if Hyunjin had been skipping, it must be because he had surpassed the skill currently being taught.

Looking back at it now, it made you even more resentful and anxious. So terribly, terribly anxious.

Your bullet wound was beginning to stick to the inside of your blouse, and growing more uncomfortable as it began to wet your shirt, a growing humid and wet patch starting to grow on your blouse. But you ignored it, telling yourself you could stand it a while longer. Just a while longer until you could slip away and patch it yourself. This wouldn’t be happening if your first response wasn’t aiming to fucking kill you instead of you know, providing actual first aid. You pulled your shirt, swiveling your head to look for Chan’s desk. You couldn’t do much except for wipe the affected area off with tissues so that’s what you did, folding the paper into small squares as you tried to ignore the smell. You furrowed your eyebrows, remembering the last couple days as if it was some sort of fever dream instead of reality because it would’ve been much better if that was, in fact, the case.

Before you could think- and sometimes you really wish you’d think your actions through- you found yourself walking to Chan’s desk with determination. You leaned over the wall that separated Chan’s cubicle from his coworker, an overwhelming itching sensation coming from

“Hey, ____, how’s the wound coming? Do you want me to have a look at it later?”

“Are you sure your boss is going to be okay with it?”

He blinked, but didn’t miss a beat answering your question, even if he turned towards his computer. “I’m not sure what you’re implying, ____, we’re a team.”

You placed your hand on his glass desk, sure you’d leave some fingerprints but you didn’t care- and leaned to face him, your face merely a breath away.

“I’m not a fool, I know where your loyalties lie. But it’s tradition you know, district nine fights for answers.”

“I’m not going to fight you, ___.”

“Why not-?”

He looked straight at you, teeth slightly clenched but his face otherwise blank, “Because you suffered a bullet wound less than a few days ago, and need I remind you- we’re-,” he paused with each word, “a fucking team!”

“Some shitty team if you were ordered to give me fucking gangrene.”

He clenched his jaw, furrowing his eyebrows at the computer. He tapped his fingers against his desk a couple of times, leaving behind oily residue from their pads.

“You wanna fight? Fine. But not here. Have some fucking decency, ____.”

He leaned back into his chair, pushing it away from you to continue whatever work he was assigned. He was right, in some sense, if you fought here- Sir Hwang would know.

“But it’s not because I want to, or because I’m guilty of anything,” he said as he began to file a few sheets of paper, “But because I have a feeling you won’t leave until I agree to it. And maybe if you lose, you’ll finally understand that not everybody’s against you.”

You walked away, dumbfounded. And sat in your desk chair repeating his words in your head until it was finally time to leave. You zoned out staring at Hyunjin’s office, your desktop going dark as your body was finally starting to give in. There was so much to be worried about, and it all felt like it was going to suffocate you. It would’ve been better if Hyunjin was here, just seeing him right now would give you an inexplicable type of comfort. Still, there was an air of guilt around the thought of Hyunjin. Should you tell him before it’s too late? You knew he was aware that something was going on, and you had never been one to keep things from him. It felt like you owed it to him, but you couldn’t be hasty. One wrong move and it’s all gone. It’s all over.

Your body was beginning to shut down, your shoulder area throbbing and growing more uncomfortable by the second. You should’ve fixed it before everyone had returned from their break, it would’ve cost you this discomfort. But even the thought of someone seeing you walking out with a roll of gauze- the thought of someone seeing you vulnerable- that was too intimidating for you to even risk it.

The office floor had cleared out without you noticing. Thankfully, you had gone somewhat on autopilot, typing up an email to another company the Hwangs wanted to collaborate with. Jisung leaned across the desk from you, a small smile as he took a peek at your screen.

“Are you almost done? I didn’t want to leave without you.”

“I’ll be right down, you can go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”

“Listen…”

His voice trailed off and you looked up after you sent the email, raising an eyebrow. “Yes, Jisung?”

“I heard you were fighting Chan.”

You grabbed your bag and rubbed your aching heels before slipping them into your flats. “And you think I shouldn’t do it.”

He fluffed his hair nervously and looked to the side, “I’ve seen him train before, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Considering your condition and all.”

“You’ve seen him train? You guys know each other?”

“No- uh, not really? I’ve only sparred with him a couple of times before.”

“How is that possible? The only other kid I’ve met is Hyunjin, I didn’t even know you guys existed!”

He pursed his lips, “Listen, let’s talk about this another time. Just, don’t fight him, okay? He won’t think less of you.”

“To the contrary,” you slipped under the strap of your purse, “he will. You will. Everyone will. There’s a lot I don’t know, but I promise I’m not as weak as you guys think. I’ll prove it.”

He followed you anxiously, twirling the keys of the van. “I don’t think we should fight, especially not physically-!”

“What’re you so worried about Jisung? Chan could’ve killed me, I deserve to know why.”

He looked down, running his fingers along the grooves of the keys. “Just be careful, okay?”

The tensions were high inside the car. Jisung and Changbin stealing nervous glances towards you and each other. You pretended not to notice. Chan, however, was as calm and poised as ever. He tapped the steering wheel along to the beat of the song. The sun was still to set as you looked out the tinted windows, the sky painted soft watercolors as day dripped into night. No matter what happened, the world goes on. Everyone you see, holding hands with their lover and walking their dogs, their lives will keep on going. And you wanted to be like them, you yearned to walk a cute dog and hold hands with Hyunjin in a park. It was spring after all, and you’d had very few chances to enjoy it. Before you knew it, the flower’s petals would already have fallen. Summer would pass and the leaves would turn brown and the trees would become bare.

And then it would come again, it would be spring then summer and winter all over again. Nature knew, nature was never changing and ever-changing all in one, and you? You didn’t even know what would happen within an hour from now. This was not what nature intended.

You wondered, to yourself, if this was indeed a game. And if it was, were you winning? Right now, who had the upper hand? Who was making the smarter moves? At least in Chess, you could see all the pieces, but you weren’t even sure what your next step would really be.

In the end, who would be saying checkmate?

A surge of doubt came across you and you clutched the hem of your skirt, feeling the stitches on the underside. You bit the inside of your cheek. Was your goal in vain?

The car came to a stop, the opening of doors and jangling keys taking you out of your trance. You didn’t have time to think about it, even if you wanted to. Jisung hurried off with Chan, giving you a nervous smile as he walked in. “We’ll see you in the training room in the west wing.” Changbin lingered behind, walking by your side. “You’ve probably never been by there, right? I’ll go with you.”

You nodded, thanking him in your head. He followed you as you walked to your family’s small part of the estate, your hand was on the doorknob before you suddenly remembered.

“Sorry Changbin, I just remembered I keep my training stuff in the North Hall. You ever been there?”

He nodded, “Only a couple times, by accident. Do you really think you can win this spar?”

The both of you hurried along, “I do. Or, at the very least, give him a hell of a time.” He gave you a small smile, keeping along with you as you broke into a run for the north hall. You reached the room where you were scheduled to train. Without having to ask, Changbin turned around as you stumbled around to change. You ignored the dizziness and nausea in you, chalking it up to repressed anxiety. “Aren’t you scared? Chan is quite big, and I’m sure Jisung has told you about his capabilities.”

“Why is it that none of you are concerned about Chan’s well-being? How do you know I’m not stronger than him?”

“Because, well-.”

“Because I’m a girl right?”

“That’s not fair, ___, he’s had more years of training and he’s just-!”

“Just what, Changbin? You can turn around now, let’s go.”

He sighed and put his hands up in surrender. “You’re right, sorry. But regardless, you still have a bullet wound. We’re in the mafia, we don’t exactly play by the rules.”

You shrugged, fixing your shirt as the pair of you ran off to the West Wing. You ran, silently wincing with every jolt of pain that came when your heel hit the floor. Fortunately, Chan hadn’t arrived yet. You stretched for a few minutes, Changbin joining you in silence. “Bet you miss Hyunjin. Huh?” You kept a neutral face and nodded, you knew this was Changbin’s specialty. You felt so transparent with him, unsure if it was his demeanor and character or title and status within the group. “I’m going to check up on him after the spar,” you looked at yourself in the mirror, “Probably spend the rest of the night with him. I’m scared his dad hurt him.”

You spent a minute or two in silence, abruptly broken by the opening of the door. Jisung gave you another nervous smile, throwing you a small hands up and Chan ignored your gaze. You got up slowly, pulling your shirt again. You had made sure to grab a loose, flowy one, but your wound kept sticking to it. Your legs were starting to feel weak, the floor seeming to ripple underneath you. Still, you were calm. Probably calmer than you should’ve been. You swallowed hard and faced Chan.

He didn’t look at you, but instead, past you. He was a little less than neutral, a little more than blank. He seemed slightly annoyed, not angry- but instead gave you the sense that he wished he didn’t have to deal with this.

“Let’s get this over with okay? Maybe I’ll knock some sense into you.” He finally looked at you, an intense gaze that could make anyone back down. And maybe it was the haze, maybe the lack of sense that had strung you this far, but you weren’t scared. Not agitated, or irritated either. Just calm.

“Thought you’d be above trash talking before sparring, Bang Chan.”

“I’m not above anything.”

“Lovely moral compass you have there.”

“I wasn’t the one crying because my boyfriend would sacrifice me in a heartbeat.”

You didn’t mean to, but you found his nose blood on your knuckles before you could give it a first thought.

Now you were pissed.

His eyes began to water, and he was startled, staring at you dumbfounded. He wiped his nose, the blood leaving a trail up the back of his hand. It was barely a second before he started swinging. You felt it hit your shoulder, a burst of sharp pain engulfing your shoulder.

Dirty whore.

You found yourself retreating, even though you had initially planned on staying on the offense. You needed a second, just one- to recuperate. But that wasn’t a privilege you had.

You stumbled, struggling to keep a stance as the pain faded into an ache. He swung again and you slid next to him, and with both your legs you trapped one of his pulling his free arm down so he would fall. You kept pinned down, but you knew not to grow confident. He broke free of your grasp, using his leg to throw you over his shoulder. Your back hit the ground hard, but you rolled before he could keep you do. You were growing light-headed, the room beginning to spin but you went on. He had thrown you hard, and was not about to give you another chance to get him on the floor again. He hit you in the chest, propelling you back. He went in for the kill, but you countered, kicking him back and you struck him in the chest back. Taking advantage of the close proximity you tried to keep Chan in a chokehold, but he didn’t let you secure a hold on him.

He aimed for your stomach next and then your throat, and you wheezed, but didn’t clutch your stomach as you stumbled back.

You fell to the floor and slid between his legs, pulling one of them down and he stumbled, falling to his knees, but quickly spinning on them, and he lunged towards you again.

Your hands flew to try and block his next punch, but it was too late. You ended up clutching his forearm as he hit you by your temple. You paced backward, straightening up, attempting to grow the space in between the two of you. He moved to close the space, and you feigned a kick, and as he moved closer to make it ineffective you turned and you pulled down his arm again, but instead of tripping him, you spun yourself up trapping his head in between your thighs. Involuntarily, he rolled, falling and following the motion of your force. You held his arm down, keeping him down between your legs. Your bad shoulder hit the floor and clenched your teeth, squeezing your eyes shut. Chan flexed and struggled to escape.

“..9,10! ___, let go! Let go, ____, he can’t breathe!”

Chan tapped your calves twice, and you nodded finally, unwrapping your legs from around his neck. You crawled away, limbs trembling from exhaustion. You spat blood, heaving as you clutched your throat. Your hair stuck to your face, you were a complete mess. Chan, by the looks of it, was too well off either, slumped up against the wall as Jisung cleaned up Chan’s bloody face. His eyes were closed, and his sleeveless shirt damp with sweat.

“You’re bleeding,” Changbin said, pulling a tissue from his jacket pocket, “Wish I remembered to bring a first aid kit.”

You threw your head up, squeezing your eyes shut as you sat in a more comfortable position. “I’m fine,” you muttered, “Don’t worry about me, okay, Binnie?” You looked back at him, and tried to give him a reassuring smile, throwing two thumbs up. “I’m peachy.”

You turned your attention back to the two boys on the other side of the room. You stood, legs nearly giving out under you. “Chan?”

At the sound of his name, his eyes fluttered open and Jisung backed away. Chan gave you a small dimpled smile. “I have to be honest, I didn’t expect you to win.” He straightened himself up, leaning himself up properly against the wall. He looked to the side, staring at the both of you in the mirror and chuckled to himself. He brushed the hair out of his face, “We look like hell, huh?” Chan sighed again, smoothing his shirt of creases, “Sir Hwang’s going to kill me.”

You looked at him through the mirror, observing your kneeling position, looking into his eyes. There was a sudden weight of guilt that tagged along with his words, hiding in the letters and in between the spaces. “But tradition is tradition, right?” He looked down, and tossed his head back again. “Right, so-,”

“You’re fine.”

“What?”

You stood up, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ears. “I said you’re fine. If you don’t tell me, he can’t hurt you. We’re a team, right?”

He smiled at you. “Of course, we’re a team.”

Changbin guided you back to your family’s place in the estate, not that you necessarily needed him. Still, it was nice to have someone alongside you. And then, after you could no longer see him, you collapsed in your front door. You couldn’t hold yourself up any longer, you couldn’t pretend anymore.

You crawled, crying out for your mom like a small child, like so many nights before. But as you walked into the room, lifting your head up.

You realized you didn’t have a choice.

There wasn’t much you could do when you found the tipped over chair in the living room except cut the rope with scissors, you tried catching the limp body before it fell, but fell with it as the chair tipped over, the back of it hitting your legs.

You didn’t know what to do, so you dragged her to bed and tucked her in.

It was a desperate moment as you kissed her forehead, pulling the sheets up to her neck. You wanted to weep more than anything, but you couldn’t bring yourself to. You sat at her study, staring at her for what seemed like hours, you were running again. You didn’t care who would’ve seen you, and most certainly weren’t going to stop. You let yourself in, Hyunjin was never one for knocking himself.

He was down on the kitchen floor, the gas still clicking. You turned off the stove, cupping Hyunjin’s face. It felt like you were adolescents again. He furrowed his eyebrows and leaned into your touch, his shaking hand moving to hold yours. “C’mon,” you said softly, “Let’s go to bed, Hyunjin.” He fell into your embrace, going nearly fully limp. It took you longer than you hoped to get him to settle him into bed, he kept reaching out and insisting that you join him.

“Come to bed, ___. Please.”

“I have to clean you up.”

Hyunjin wouldn’t be able to come in for several days considering the state he was in. You wish it was an exaggeration to say you had never seen Hyunjin in this bad of a state. His lip was busted, and his face entirely cut and red. He was all bruised up, wincing at the slightest of touches.

“You gotta kiss me,” he pointed at his mouth, ”You have to kiss it to make it better.”

“Jinnie, stop talking, you’re gonna make it worse.”

“Will you kiss me if I stop?”

“You’re such a dork,” you pressed your lips lightly against his, “But my dork, I guess.”

“That wasn’t even a real kiss, it was a peck!”

“I’m not gonna make out with you when you have a busted lip, Hyunjin.”

“Coward. You only like me for my looks.”

“You’re right. You’ve got me, I guess I should leave, huh?”

He pointed his index finger, wagging it around limply in your face. “I’ve been gone one day and you get so bold, what happened to you?” You shook your head, throwing away the bloody wipes and putting away the first aid kit. “Are you gonna tell me what happened?” He reached for your hand, squeezing it. “Let’s just rest, you look like hell.”

“Always such a gentleman, what a prince.”

“Just for you. Now come to bed.”

You sighed, crawling to his side. Without another word, he pulled you into his chest. Neither of you spoke for quite a while, and even though your eyes were on the clock, your body was starting to give in. Every once in a while, he would kiss the top of your head. The tensions in your muscles began to relax. Maybe you had lost your family, but at the very least you had your team. And most of all, you had Hyunjin. He had always been there for you, no matter how big or small the problem was. Things had definitely changed, even your relationship with him. You thought about the movies you would watch every once in a while. How the couple would hold hands in public places and go to coffee shops. They would fight about normal things. You wanted that, and it was silly, sure. But for some reason, that didn’t make you want it any less. You wanted matching outfits and to celebrate 100 days. You brought Hyunjin’s hand up to his chest, intertwining his fingers with yours.

You wanted to be normal.

You were thinking about not meeting up at the address, and maybe even skipping out on work when there was a rustling in the sheets. You felt cold, missing out on Hyunjin’s warmth. He sat away from you, head bowed and forearms resting on his thighs. You sat up, shifting your body weight and leaning to touch him when he shied away from your fingers.

“Hyunjin-?”

“You need to go.”

“Why, what’s going on? Did I hurt you?”

“Get out of my room, and stop coming to me.”

“Hyunjin, I don’t understand-.”

“You can’t even blame me, this isn’t my fault. It’s yours,” he paused, “Do you know how much trouble you cause. You’re not noble, ___. There is no greater good to fight for. You’re selfish. All the shit that’s happened, it’s all you. I don’t want to be part of it anymore. It was just luck we met, I don’t even think I really like you. Even just as a person.”

“Oh,” you slid over the opposite side, “sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll be going.”

For a spring night, it was cold. There were no busses at this hour, and it’s not like you wanted to cry in front of a bunch of strangers anyway. You couldn’t pull yourself together. It wasn’t the fact that Hyunjin broke up with you, you weren’t stupid, his father obviously played a part in that. But he didn’t have to end it the way he did, nor did he have to say the things he said. What was the end goal here, what was the purpose of doing this?

You got lost several times trying to find the address given to you. The people you came across were hesitant to answer the questions of a puffy-eyed and dried blood wearing stranger. It made you slightly angry, but you understood. You were just lucky that no one called the police. What explanation could you possibly give? Besides, you weren’t sure you’d want to help yourself either.

You found yourself at the diner from a couple of days ago. The lady at the counter recognized you, and immediately bowed her head at you. To your surprise, she didn’t tell you to go away. Instead, she thanked you for helping get rid of the men and for your work in the police service. You weren’t sure why she thought that, but you didn’t question it either. It was better for her to think that instead of knowing the truth. Besides, you didn’t doubt that Sir Hwang had connections within the police force. You scanned the room finding no one you recognized, and no one that seemed like they were trying to meet you. So you just sat in a booth, unsure of what exactly you were waiting for.

In the meantime, a waitress brought you some food. “On the house,” she said. You weren’t in any position to protest, and so you didn’t, silently thanking her for the food. You let your legs rest on the plush booth directly in front of you, silently musing at the nightlife when you felt someone slide in your booth.

“C-?”

He pressed a finger to his lips, signaling you to keep quiet and shook his head. He pulled out a pad of paper and started writing.

I know you stole my files.

Why would you say that?

Your bag. He pointed. While you were fighting I saw the paper.

Suppose I do have it. What are you going to do?

I want to help. I want out.

Who are you trying to fool?

The question is, who are you trying to fool?

Both of you left the diner, thanking the staff for their generosity. “Can we take a walk?” He nodded, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Didn’t you say you were going to visit Hyunjin?” You scoffed, crossing your arms and rubbing them. “I did.”

“And something bad happened.”

“Bad? To him, yeah. I guess you could say that. It’s not like I didn’t think something like this would ever happen.”

“You broke up.”

“Bingo.”

There was a moment of silence between the two of you, and you sighed. You looked around, more out of habit than paranoia. “No one’s following us, I promise I checked.”

“Then why didn’t you just come with me?”

“Sneaking out is harder when you’re with anyone but yourself.”

“Then why agree to the walk?”

“You look like you could use a friend.”

You knew he was particularly trained to observe people’s behavior, but it was scary and comforting at the same time to know someone was keeping an eye on your every movement. And yet, you didn’t deny him the role he wanted to play. You needed a friend, and he was willing to play one. Be one.

You don’t know how long the fear of him turning against you will last, or if it will ever go away. And maybe it was your flaw, to be this human and succumb to this loneliness, but maybe that’s what separates you from this regime.

Unexpectedly, you felt arms wrap around you tightly. You stumbled for a moment, and then fell into his touch. He held you for what seemed like a long time. He waited until you dropped your arms until he released you. There wasn’t another word said between the two of you, and you avoided looking back at Changbin.

Admittedly, it was against your best judgment to return to the garden, but you wanted desperately to see the koi. The image of the apricot and pearl fish swimming in dark water kept fishing through your mind. You weren’t allowed to be up here, that much you knew, but it never quite registered in your brain. The gardens had always been your safe space, somewhere you knew that you and Hyunjin could always run to. Maybe Hyunjin was no longer here for you, but the koi still were.

The smell of the elaborate garden was almost haunting, you could smell it long before you were up on the roof. It was always curious how you were never allowed to leave your side of the estate, but no matter how rich the Hwang family was- or was perceived to be, you’d never seen any signs of caution or security around these parts.

Maybe it was the paranoia, maybe it was common sense- but either way, there was this undeniable, irrevocable feeling that you should run for it.

You weren’t the most rational person, though.

So you pressed on, finding yourself up on the roof. It was a bad night, a new moon and the stars nowhere to be seen. The clouds were dark, covering the sky in a blanket as it would just before a storm. You felt the air shift, tense.

You could always smell the rain before a storm, and though you really couldn’t afford to get a cold- not in this state, you roamed the garden. You stilled, letting the pads of your finger caress the delicate petals of the roses. You could feel choked sobs bubbling in your throat, you wanted nothing more than to be able to cry.

Everything changed that night.

It took a deep breath and counting several times to ten to get you to move on from the rose bush. The path twisted and turned, it seemed to stretch out. Your eyes were drooping, burning. Every part of you hurt so bad, you wanted nothing more than to collapse right then and there. Finally, finally, you had reached your destination. Only to find a silhouette poised on the bench. You knew better, you knew better so why did your breath hitch? Why could you feel the hair on the back of your neck rise? You knew that he knew you were there, so why did you freeze? Did you really think you could have run, that he wouldn’t have noticed you by some merciful god?

No, god was never that kind.

He raised his hand and motioned for you to come over. Biting the inside of your cheek, you complied, sitting next to him. You didn’t look at him, but you could feel his gaze on you, his arm stretched across the back of the bench.

“What god do you serve, ___?”

“None.”

He clicked his tongue, lifting up your chin with his fingers. “Pity, such a dirty mouth. What use did Hyunjin have for you?” He gripped the sides of your jaw, “Wrong answer, dear.”

“Enlighten me then, almighty.”

He laughed, “Don’t get cheeky with me now, girl. The answer,” he paused, “Is me.”

“You gave that up as soon as Hyunjin became of age, he’s the leader now. You’re rotting, just biding your time.”

He kept a neutral face, even as he pulled your hair, “I should get rid of you, have you join your parents. Things would be much smoother, that’s for sure.”

“High and mighty but can’t smite me down? What a lousy god you are. Why don’t you just do it?”

Despite his experience, you watched as jaw clenched and he pulled tighter. Your legs bowed as he made you look at him. His face was red, tight with an emotion you had never seen painted on his face. “Because I promised your dad I wouldn’t, but fuck, dead men tell no tales now do they?”

He sighed, letting go of you to smooth his suit down and straighten his tie. He cleared his throat, looking to the koi instead of you. “Starting today you’ll be working on both my operations and Hyunjin’s, do you understand?”

He put his hands in his pockets, turning to look at you one last time. “You’re going to work until you realize your life is not in your hands.”

You sat at the edge of the koi pond for some time. Fingers dipping into the cold green tinted water, the pond rippled under your touch. Instead of swimming away from the motion, fearing your hand, fearing your touch, they circled around the edge. Even in the moonless night, where even the stars were in a seemingly deep slumber, the koi seemed to glow. Through the murky water, you could see the floating spectacles of coral and orange bled fish. They were beautiful, and even though the koi pond was considerably much bigger than a pond, you felt bad for them. Such beautiful animals swimming around the same cage for years, kept as decoration instead of having a life of their own.

You couldn’t sleep. You’d much rather sit on your bed, eyes bloodshot than be plagued with nightmares. Every part of you ached or throbbed. You would take care of your wounds, you really would, but you couldn’t will yourself to move. It seemed like an eternity before the sun peeked through the blinds.

So, until that happened, you reviewed the file you had stolen, er, borrowed. It was against your better judgment, like so many decisions you had made recently, but you pulled it all out in the open. You figured, if they bust your door open and dragged you back to that white room from last time, you’d have an excuse. How am I supposed to fulfill my duties if I’m not aware of what is going on within my team? Was it the best? No. But would it make sense? Absolutely. Even if they decided to dig deeper, which would be protocol, you’d just say you had taken it from Changbin during a meeting. There were no cameras in the conference room- how could there be? And with frequent checks for bugs planted by the feds, the entire room was a complete blind spot. So left with no way to fact check, they’d be resigned to believe you.

You stared at the rather thin file for a while before opening it. It all seemed so normal, deceptively so. Important information all stored in a khaki paper file. What loomed more over you though, was the reality of your situation. You sighed, goosebumps covering your body and chills swimming down your back.

Shipment scheduled to move from Eclipse Bay to Blood Bay. Security should be kept the same, and ordinary item cargo should be moved at the previously agreed on time.

Being moved are several thousand kilos of rewind (see: previous deals).

At 0300, Hyunjin and his team should be flown to Hong Kong for the festival. Along with Hyunjin’s established bodyguards (see: Han Jisung and Bang Chan), multiple armed men should be ordered to see the liftoff.

Hyunjin is on his own, no interference by anyone. Observation only. Expected to win 100 billion won over the week, and multiple alliances with other families.

[2]

Allied cops with the Hwang Family:

Kim Wonpil

Park Jaehyung

Kang “Young K” Younghyun

Park Sungjin

Yoon Dowoon

Hwang Yeji

Shin Ryujin

Lee Chaeryeong

Shin Yuna

Choi “Lia” Jisu

Look into got7, this goes without being said, and connections with Kim Woojin.

[3]

Interrogation scheduled for 0100. Lieutenant Wonpil.

Suspected 02 of being a double, here’s the link for his file.

[4]

New families have paid their way into the festival. Goes by the names of TXT and Monsta X, here’s the link to their file.

[5]

Stakes are now higher. Families betting their entire estates and fortunes, along with betting valuable information, set to a series of predecided games. Winner takes all.

[6]

Bugs planted by the feds have been found in these locations. Watch the sensitivity of your issues. They have not been taken out. Doubles have been found applying to the company. Order to observe all workers, you’ve been assigned to the twelveth and thirteenth floor. Rewards to be discussed.

Granted, there weren’t many things written in the email transcripts. But the importance lied in the things that were indeed, not written. You scribbled noted all over the copy, the original text almost omitted from view. It didn’t matter though, all the information imprinted onto your memory. You knew that there were a lot of blanks that needed to be filled in yet, and that meant asking Changbin to fill in the gaps. There was an air of anxiety around that, but even without the information that could be given, this was a start.

And what a hell of a start it was.

You decided, in those couple of hours before dawn pulled and scratched itself up into the sky, making it bleed blue, that your first two steps would be to find out all you could about the corrupt cops and specifically, especially, Kim Wonpil.

You stretched out, your back cracking in all sorts of different places. You groaned, heaving your dense and getting denser body from your bed. It was hours before you were scheduled to show up at the Main Entrance for work, but you needed something to occupy your mind. Sitting and staring at the ceiling until your alarm snapped you out of your trance didn’t really fulfill that purpose.

Your wound was getting worse, obviously so. Your eyebrows furrowed in the mirror, a look of pain and displeasure slapped across your face. You pulled out your first aid kit, which was really so much more, and got started.

It was ghastly. Tears brimming in your eyes as you cleaned the wound with alcohol. You were clenching your teeth, letting out strangled groans and gasps. And the worst part wasn’t even over yet. Your shaking fingers meant that it was a while before the thread finally slipped through the eye of the needle. Your vision was growing black as you tried to stitch the gaping wound. Legs bowing and falling over the sink, you toppled down to the ground. The needle pierced the palm of your hand, a thin stream of blood coming down your arm. You sighed, the cool tile of the floor and the sharp pain in your back bringing you back to your senses.

You were almost glad you were alone, so that no one could hear your almost inhuman cries. Almost. You felt alone, so, so alone. The inside of your cheek was beginning to bleed, and that’s when your teeth let go of the tender meat. If there was any time to cry, it would be now. But you couldn’t let yourself, no matter how much your body begged you. Your brain wouldn’t. You clutched the edge of the sink, now stained with messy prints of your palms. You heard your alarm go off, and you weren’t even halfway done with your stitches. You finished the third loop before cutting the thread.

Man, you looked like shit.

The shower was quick, more to fulfill the morning routine than to actually make an effort to get clean. You were angry at yourself, thinking you should’ve pushed yourself harder, but you just couldn’t. Your hair was wet, barely free of all the knots and still dripping onto your blouse. Your state was deteriorating, and you didn’t know how to redeem yourself.

At the very least, you were the first one to arrive at the Main Entrance. If one didn’t think there was a need to be competitive, even about the smallest things, they’d be wrong. Your fingers threaded through your hair, a shallow attempt to make sure that there were no remaining knots.

To your surprise, Hyunjin was the second to arrive. He looked great, perfect even, not at all in the state you found him in last night. He kept his hands in his pockets, only moving from his position to check the time in his expensive watch. He didn’t shy away from your gaze, either.

“Problem, ___? Please refrain from gawking at your superior like that.”

A wave of annoyance splashed across your face, one that couldn’t help. You knew he noticed when he smiled at you. “I said, is there a problem, ____? I asked you a question.”

“No, Hyunjin. No problem. Sorry.”

“Sir.”

“No, sir. Sorry, sir.”

It felt so foreign to you, like you were haphazardly dropped into an alternate dimension. If it had been anyone else, you would’ve snapped entirely. But before Hyunjin, you seemed to sink into the ground. The back of your high heels pinching the skin around your ankle, your feet pressing into the uncomfortable sole of the shoes. The rest of your team arrived shortly after, but instead of being lead to the van, Hyunjin stayed where he was.

Everyone stood around him, anticipating what was to come next. Hyunjin smoothed his hair, turning sideways and smiled.

“It is my pleasure to announce that all of you, save one, have completed your individual missions to an astonishing degree, more than what was asked of you.”

Your feet grew heavier, and you held your arms behind your back. Interlacing your fingers, you tried to self soothe. Usually, whenever you would tell Hyunjin about something stressful, he would always hold your hand. You kept your gaze level, refusing to look around even in your confusion. Your stare fell upon Hyunjin again, and he reached in the inside of his suit jacket.

“Consider this a thanks from the Hwangs to you. To District Nine!”

“To District Nine!”

He gave all of the team members, excluding you, keys. Car keys. Luxury car keys. And you thought, you really thought that they’d be above this type of encouragement. They all chattered happily, jangling the keys and pointing at the logo embroidered on the black keys. You stood in the circle, albeit somewhat on the outskirts, and found your eyes falling upon Hyunjin again.

He just smiled at you.

And you decided, in that moment, that this was so much worse than his father’s signature neutral face.

Hyunjin cleared his throat, and silence fell upon the boys. “I hope you find the car suits your tastes well. We have another meeting with Stray Kids today. Please prepare accordingly. In your cars, you’ll find another gift. Don’t worry about parking, you have your own spots.”

He waved his hand, a gesture fit to dismiss the boys but you spoke up, earning a nervous glance from the boys.

“And what about me?”

“What about you?”

“How am I expected to get to work?”

“You’re a smart girl, ___. Aren’t you? If that’s too much to be expected of you, maybe one of your fellow team members would have enough pity to offer you a ride.”

You bit the inside of your cheek again, feeling bits of metallic liquid seep into your mouth. “Of course, sir.”

You just short of hissed the last word, and ignored Changbin’s calls after you as you walked out. You weren’t sure how it would be seen to prefer to arrive late rather than accept help, if it was petty or strong. But either way, you were still on a crowded bus to Central.

You thought about the koi stop after stop, as people flooded the bus. It comforted you, somehow, thinking back to the bright orange fish in the murky water- how they circled around the rippling water. You felt someone bump into you, interrupting your mental image of the elegant fish but ignored it. You didn’t want to deal with this today, you didn’t want to make a scene. You were just so tired. So, so tired.

You got off the bus the next stop, even if it was nearly a mile away from the building. The streets were busy, and as self-conscious as you were about walking bare feet for almost a mile, the blisters on your achilles’ heel couldn’t take it.

You stared at the sidewalk even as you heard people whisper and stare at your feet. Your feet were dirty as you reached the doors of Hwang Headquarters. You walked quickly into the nearest elevator, almost forgetting that there was no ladies’ bathroom on this floor. It hadn’t helped that there was a light morning shower as you were walking here, and your wet clothes and the distinct smell of rain on you didn’t go unnoticed. As you reached your floor, the elevator had thankfully grown empty.

With your wet hair stuck glued to your face, blouse sticking to your chest, and blackened feet, you stepped onto the floor. You went immediately to the bathroom, glad for once that you were the only female employee on this floor. You cleaned your feet, sitting less than gracefully on the sink counter.

Man, you really did look like shit.

You washed your hands quickly, the soap stinging the flesh your needle had pierced.

“You’re late. Everyone’s already in the conference room.”

You decided not to let Hyunjin get the best of you. Or maybe you were too tired, too exhausted to snap back. Still, you were never better to let a smark remark slip past.

“Aw, look at the new secretary. Does that mean I’m the C.E.O now? About time, if you ask me.”

You walked past him, and moved your hair out of your face. What you were doing was bigger than him, bigger than everybody in the room. You scolded yourself, you couldn’t let him get to you like that.

You were across Jeongin again, he tilted his head slightly, asking you a question without words. You waved it away with your hand and shrugged. You could talk about it later.

“Is there a reason you need to move up the meeting? We had one scheduled just hours later today.”

“No, I just felt like being an asshole and calling you in earlier for the hell of it. It’s not like either of us have better things to do.”

“Wouldn’t put it past you, Hwang. Could this have anything to do, by chance, with our alliance with GOT7?”

Bang Chan sat up straight in his chair, hands folding over his lap. Hyunjin ignored the movement, spinning his pen around his fingers. This lasted for a few moments. “Always so efficient with time, Woojin.” He straightened, pulling his feet off the table, and put the pen in his pocket, all in one swift movement. You raised an eyebrow at the sudden use of first names. “You know, as part of our protection over you, we requested to know about all of your alliances.”

“Protection? Is that what you call it, Hwang? Does your team not know about the things we’ve discussed? Pity. You’re more disorganized than your father.”

“Oh, what we discussed? There are no secrets between my team and I, Woojin. Which is more than you can say.”

Hyunjin walked to the other side of the long table, more leisurely than you thought a person could walk. His steps were slow and deliberate, and you watched intently. He placed a tape recorder in front of Woojin, pointer finger hovering over the play button. He whispered something lowly in Woojin’s ear and then turned to face everyone, a sweet smile plastered on his lips.

“You wouldn’t want them to hear about that, would you?”

“No, I wouldn’t. But you know what the feds would love to know? That their trusted Kim Wonpil is providing information about the investigation being held on you. Could you imagine the scandal? The media?”

Hyunjin laughed, his hands slamming on Woojin’s shoulder. “Is this a game you want to play? Are you confident in the moves you are making?”

“Does a fish swim, Hwang? But that’s not what we’re here to do. Your ego is suffocating everyone and everything, you’re no different than your father. Let’s get to the point shall we?”

“Go ahead, Woojin. Fill in the blanks.”

“GOT7 is up and coming, you know that, I know that. The best way to dismantle their current system is by alliance and infiltration, there are no losses here. They’re in no place to refuse.”

“Then why not disclose that information?”

“It wasn’t finalized at the time.”

“Do you really expect me to believe that?”

“I do. Especially if you want an alliance, and more so with the upcoming festival. You’re in no place to refuse.”

Woojin stood up and smoothed his suit sleeves, ridding the luxury clothing of any wrinkles. He was almost imitating Hyunjin’s gestures, who was watching him amused back from his end of the table.

“Seungmin, open the presentation. Minho, please distribute the files.”

The rest of the meeting went until lunchtime, and you couldn’t bring yourself to be interested in financial talk. You wanted to contribute something, anything, but you were beginning to doze off. Your attention span was decreasing exponentially, and even as determined as you were to stay awake, your body was beginning to shut down.

It was paused, briefly, giving everyone two hours for lunch. And you couldn’t be more thankful.

“Let’s get coffee, Jeongin. Please.”

For some reason, you had expected him to object. You didn’t even want to discuss your plans, you didn’t want to plan a huge dismantling of a system that went as far back as history could tell. You just wanted a friend. You just wanted to talk.

“You seriously look like shit, ___.”

“Hey!”

“I’m sorry, and I mean that in the kindest way. You need some sleep. Maybe a couple of centuries.”

“Justice never sleeps, Jeongin.”

“Okay, Batman. I’ll go get us coffee and meet you in the park. Don’t run off into the night.”

“I feel like you just want me to get out of your car.”

“I do. Get out of my fucking car.”

There was something about spring afternoons that you had never really noticed before. Was it risky to be here? Of course, it was. What part of your life wasn’t full of risk? But you didn’t want to think about that, you wanted to think about spring. The fresh breeze softened even as rose into the clear sky’s view. It felt good, calm. The older wood of the park bench pressed into the base of your neck as your head fell back against the top. It wasn’t long before you found tears escaping your eyes.

“Jeongin.”

“___.”

“It’s good to see you.”

He smiled and snorted, sitting next to you and handing you a warm coffee cup. He held his own cup in between his thighs, both hands resting on the lid as he looked up into the night sky. “How have you been doing?”

“Shitty.”

“What happened?”

You found yourself jumbling your own words. Cutting off sentences short and running to a different topic as if you would run out of time or he would cut you off. “...things just haven’t been the same with Hyunjin since he got, er, promoted?”

“Wow,” he said finally, “That fucking sucks.”

You shrugged, suddenly embarrassed as you felt your face go hot. You hadn’t meant to tell him such personal things. You looked down, taking a sip of the latte. But to your surprise, Jeongin did the same.

“Woojin doesn’t trust me,” he commented, “I mean, I get that he’s trying to protect me but I hate feeling coddled you know? I think he feels bad about the night at the warehouse, but it’s not like I’m mad about it.” He shrugged, and his voice trailed off before picking up in volume. “I’ve seen them kill people. It hasn’t even been that long and I’ve watched them do it. I’ve even helped-”

“Jeongin!” Your hand clamped over his mouth as you looked around frantically. “Not here, never here.”

His eyes widened, and he took a sip of his coffee cup.

You sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the breeze and petrichor. “You should eat,” Jeongin stretched out his legs, “We can stay here for a while, but we’re going to a restaurant soon.”

“I thought you wanted me out of your car?”

“Charity for the poor. I’m a generous man.”

“Man? With that squeaky voice?”

“My voice causes earthquakes, fool. Get in the car before I leave you here.”

“You’re so mean to me,” you faked sobbing loudly, earning estranged looks from passerbys, “And I treat you with such kindness.”

“Get up, dumbass. People are staring. I swear to god-”

“Alright, alright. I’m going. I need the ringing in my ears to stop.”

“God fills me with enough power to purge you.”

“Oh, no. I’m so scared. Someone, please. Help me. Mickey Mouse is coming for me.”

“Get in the car before I drag you!”

Jeongin kept raising the volume of the music every time you tried to talk to him, a playful smile on his face. Less than ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of a lush restaurant. You felt almost out of place being here. Even though you were always surrounded and exposed to signs of wealth, the exaggeration of it all never seemed to stop amazing you.

“Isn’t this a place a little...much?”

Jeongin shrugged, “I doubt this is going to cause a financial concern for Woojin. Besides, this is the only buffet I know that has high-quality food.”

“We could’ve just gone to a diner.”

“Live a little. You deserve it.”

Those words swam in your mind for a bit, repeating themselves like a broken record. You and Jeongin talked and talked. About everything and nothing in particular. And for a while, both of you forgot about your life outside the restaurant. You forgot about responsibilities, even your paranoia, your hypervigilance was kept in the back of your mind. For now, you could pretend that everything was okay. Because that’s how it felt.

Your stomach was full, and you had long stopped counting plates by now. Jeongin was no better, still going on even after you slumped over in your chair.

“You’re a coward.”

“Oh fuck off, Jeongin. My stomach feels like it’s gonna pop.”

“I said what I said.”

You groaned, clutching your stomach. “I don’t even know why we made this a competition. Jeongin. Jeongin. I think I’m going to die.”

“Shut up. I’m almost done, we’ll go soon.”

You hid your face in between your hands, and started to fake cry again, just as loud as last time. “Quit it, dumbass.”

Your crying got louder, your shoulders shaking as he kicked you under the table. “Oh fuck-!”

“If it were not for the laws of this land, I would’ve slaughtered you. Let’s go. I paid while you made a scene.”

“I love you.”

“I despise you with every inch of my being.”

The rest of the day went on without anything memorable happening. You were feeling better, much more energetic and happy. You knew you’d have to meet Jeongin later that day to discuss what was actually going on, but for now, you didn’t want to think about that. For at least a couple hours of the remaining day, you could pretend all you did was work a nine-to-five job. You could pretend that all you did was have lunch with a co-worker.

For now, you could just pretend.

“Hey, I’m Felix.”

You looked up from your computer, tilting your head and looking up at him quizzically. “Hey, Felix. Can I help you with something?”

“Uh, well not really. I just never talked to you, and I figured I should introduce myself. Personally.”

“Okay, well, I’m ___. What do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?”

“Boredom. Listen, can I ask you something?”

“Ah, there it is.”

“No, no! It’s not like that! Look,” he sighed, “I’m friends with everyone here but you. I just wanted to know if you wanted to get coffee sometime.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

You watched the freckled boy carefully. “Oops, looks like I overstayed my welcome,” he looked quickly to Hyunjin’s office, wearing a playful smile, “I’ll take you up on that coffee soon! I’ve been told I can be very insistent.”

“I can imagine. We can go for lunch tomorrow?”

“Can’t wait.”

You’re unsure of any of the between the lines implications, if there were any. But really, wasn’t there always? It was naive to think there were any purely good-hearted people in this setting.

But for now, you could pretend.

Woojin and his team left a bit later, Jeongin gave you a polite head nod as he walked past your desk and Felix gave you a warm smile, waving brightly. You waved back, unsure of what else to do in that situation. It’s not like you’d had much practice, anyway.

Hyunjin left after all the common employees, but before you. You watched him bluntly, but he paid you no mind. You wondered if he had been listening into you and Felix’s short interaction. It was the kind of wondering that you were sure you’d never get much closure for, but it kept your mind busy as you made schedules and faxed papers. You missed him, you concluded. It was weird, not being able to talk to him and having his warmth. That was the thing about all types of relationships, wasn’t it? You’ll never really find another person like that. Maybe that was the point, in order not to go through the same pain. But you still loved him, and you knew that only time and patience could heal this kind of hurt. But you did, that was the truth. For today at least. Today, it was today’s truth. Maybe tomorrow’s will be different. There was really no way to know except to get there.

You thought about a million little small things, how soft his hair was or the little beauty mark below his eye. You thought about the way he smiled and how he always clapped when he laughed. And then you thought about your dad, and then your mom. And your heart ached in a way it had never. This was a different kind of hurt. You wiped your teary eyes, and throughout the stained paper. What good did this pain do? All it had done was ruin a spreadsheet, and now you had to print another one.

You wanted to stay in late, you really didn’t want to go back to the estate. You had no idea what Sir Hwang had in store for you, but you knew that it would be no good. There was nothing you could do to prepare, you didn’t know what to expect. That much power, yes, he did have over you.

And you were right, you had no idea.

Going to the main building for purposes other than given orders was prohibited. Mostly because no one liked unwarranted visitors, but you supposed that you had an excuse. A half hour passed, and then an hour came and went, and you gave up. Your feet hurt, and you needed a good shower. If Sir needed you, then surely, he could come get you himself.

Night came and the sky deepened, and you started to relax. Maybe it was unlikely that he would have forgotten, but he was a busy man after all. Plus, doing and managing illicit activities was tiring, he could just need rest. Maybe you were off for the night, just for today.

After a long shower and eating a subpar dinner, you passed out on the couch. You hadn’t meant to, really, you just wanted to rest your eyes. You were really nothing but human in the error of your ways.

But your rest was plagued with nightmares, and Sir was the rat that spread disease. You were on the living room couch, sitting upright and before you were your parents. And Sir. He sat in the middle, on a simple black chair. Your father began to bleed from his head and torso, but he did not move, his expression blanker than a sheet of paper. Your mother sat too, in the same way, a noose around her neck and the tail of the rope sitting curled on her lap. You too, began to bleed. But from where, you could not tell. Your hands held a mess of blood, and with your vision hazy, you looked up at Sir. And he smiled.

You woke up then. Not screaming, not thrashing. You just sat up. Your mouth was unbelievably parched, a jackhammer heart pounding into your chest, you were sure your chest was going to crumble into pieces. You felt so, so hot. You pulled at the collar of your sweater that stuck to your body like you had run through the rain. You pushed yourself up, pressing hard on your numb leg as the static pins and needles seemed to prick your leg. It was late, and you knew you had to meet Jeongin soon. You had to go over all the new information you both had, but you hadn’t done it earlier.

You were annoyed at yourself, changing out of your sweaty clothes into similar sweats. You bit the inside of your cheek, already sore from your previous assaults. Instead, you resigned to bite your lip, which probably wasn’t much better, but at least it gave time for your cheek to heal. It didn’t take you much time to get back to the abandoned cafe. Well, abandoned was no longer the right term, it seemed. Construction tape and a new name that hung upon the storefront. You were early, so it was no surprise that Jeongin hadn’t arrived yet.

But your stomach grew more and more upset as more time passed. The file you had hidden away in the inside of your shirt would begin to crease, and it probably wouldn’t smell too great either. Realistically, you knew that a lot of things could’ve happened. Maybe he had just overslept, and wouldn’t be coming at all. Maybe he was caught sneaking out, or maybe he had just forgotten. All of those things could’ve happened before the worst of the worst- and you weren’t even sure what that would be. Still, something from the depth of your stomach crawled and clawed. You felt dread, anticipating what couldn’t be anticipated.

“Sorry, I overslept. I’m so tired.”

You sighed a breath of relief, laughing at yourself. You relaxed, tensions unraveling themselves in your back and in your chest. There Jeongin was, cheerily holding up to coffee cups. “I got coffee, it’s different this time though. It’s-.”

He was interrupted by a loud bang, and the cups toppled to the ground. A mess of green foamy liquid stroked the air like a paintbrush, and then splattered onto the ground. Jeongin was on his knees, holding his chest.

You ran towards him, holding his anguished face before you noticed the man behind him.

You don’t know what took over you, whether it was a moment of self-realization, or anger that had consumed you like no other. His face was becoming unrecognizable, a bloody pulp and yet, you couldn’t stop. You kept going, your vision hazy and breath labored. Was it you? Were you really doing this? You wiped your face, only to make it more messy, more bloody. The blood on your hands, quite literally, wasn’t yours. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t you, that you were impulsive. What mattered is that you wanted him fucking dead. In that moment, he deserved it, and to you, that was your gospel truth. Written in scrolls and tattooed on your back. You didn’t need to play god to kill someone, you could be Cain for that.

“You’re gonna fucking kill him, ___, stop! Stop!”

“He’s not dead! ___, he has a pulse! Fucking stop!”

You could feel them grabbing at you and you felt animalistic, kicking and screaming. Were you crying? You don’t recall, but your face was wet. You didn’t even know who he was anymore as they pulled you away. You thrashed like an animal caught in a net as all the members of your team worked to drag you away. You couldn’t see straight, abstract figures of color swirling around you. Struggling to calm down, your breath was erratic, palpitations so strong you felt as if you were going to throw up. You were positioned against a wall, poised like a doll. Sweaty, lips chapped, hair sticking to your face, and decorated in blood like you’d just won the hunger games.

Shit. Shit!

You woke up in a room you had never seen before. Stark white walls and a lone painting of the Hwang family in the center of the wall before you. You heard movement and swiveled your head to the right, finding Sir Hwang standing straight from his leaned position in the doorframe. His hand pushed the door lever, he was on his way out as he paused, turning to face you. With a satisfied smile, he looked down at you,

“I knew you had it in you.”

#hwang hyunjin #hwang hyunjin imagines #stray kids hwang hyunjin #hwang hyunjin fic #skz hwang hyunjin #stray kids #stray kids hyunjin #stray kids imagines #stray kids au #stray kids fic #skz angst #stray kids angst

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theoristsden · 6 years ago

Text

A Home to Theories

What is it? A blog dedicated to archiving all the major JSE community theories, observations, and “what if”s. Yes you’ve read right, community’s.

As of today, January 19th 2019, this blog contains about 455 links featuring all the JSE community’s discoveries and ongoing hcs/theories I managed to gather since the beginning of ego lore on the channel.

Ever wanted to get into theorizing but didn’t know where to start? Want to catch up with all the lore and ideas that have been in the community since the start? Well this is your lucky day. The archive of this blog is separated into:

fully fledged&lengthy theories,

shorter hypotheses&thought dumps,

observations&confirmed hints,

masterposts and full timelines of videos, posts, and literally everything ego.

This is not a personal blog and will not clutter your dashes with spam, but will only be a place for theories and operate whenever there’s new discoveries.

Can I use this archive for my theorizing needs? But of course. This archive is fully accessible on both desktop and mobile and will be updating as the lore progresses.

How can I contribute? Reblog. Either this post, or the archive itself (in the description). The more people know this archive exists, the more it’ll evolve, the easier it’ll be for people to catch up with events and find theory material! You don’t find this archive useful? Well maybe this is exactly what your followers need, let them know it’s a thing.

Submit theories! Asks, submits and dms are open. Think you’ve noticed something new? Have a theory you think others should read? Tag @theoristsden . The posts will be added as soon as I get the time.

As a theorist myself, I know how disheartening posting theories can be- especially when your blog is new and your audience is small. Hopefully this blog can become a platform for those wanting to reach the community but lacking the means :) especially now that the tag is rarely working.

All opinions are welcomed! If you disagree with someone, feel free to provide your opinion and ideas. But no bullying of others for having different opinions than yours will be allowed here. An opinion can’t be right or wrong, same way a theory can’t be right or wrong. (assuming it’s not denying existing canon, of course… then it’s technically not even a theory…)

You might notice that I never took any theories down, even if they ended up being “wrong”… That’s because we don’t write to be “right”, we make theories for fun. An idea that you think is dumb, might be exactly what someone else needs in order to finish a theory. Sharing our thoughts and findings are the only way to understand the overly complicated hints that are being thrown at us.

You might also notice some of the links in the archive are gone, that’s because many people changed their urls or completely left. Do you think that you know what theory I was referencing? It belongs to you? Send the link in :D

Don’t want your theory to be in the archive? No problem, pinpoint the exact post you want me to take down.

And lastly, @therealjacksepticeye , if you end up stumbling upon this blog- feel free to use it. This can be a good place to check what the community has discovered so far or look for new ideas! *whispering* the community doesn’t need to know if you use it… It can be a secret y’know…

Signal boosts are extremely appreciated, again- this is not a self-gain personal blog. This is a community blog. I may be operating it alone this time around, but the entirety of this archive wouldn’t exist without this community…

Update: An experimental theme is now up!

The archive should be back to being fully accessible on desktop. This theme was checked in advance, but I’m human too and could’ve missed something so if you happen to see posts appearing on top of each other/images that seem to be in the wrong place/or just random havoc and broken pages- please let me know!

- @aceofspades-lena

apologies if you’re already a follower, I’m in no way intended to spam your dash but this blog was recently allowed to go into the tag so I decided to repost this...

#jacksepticeye #theoristsden #theory #antisepticeye #septic egos

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psicygni · 7 years ago

Text

commenting is hard and scary: general trends in the reasoning of fic readers

an incredibly academic review of answers, asks, and replies by me, 2017, tumblrdotcom

Introduction

This post concerns the super scientific survey from yesterday. A couple of you asked, so: the reason I wanted to know why folks don’t regularly comment is a combination of things. The first is writing for spones, which is a rather new experience, and the comparatively tiny number of comments on what I think is a pretty darn good story, compared with the overwhelming enthusiasm for the s/u piece I posted the other week- it got me thinking, needless to say. Second is the ever present discrepancy between number of comments and read-counts on new chapters when I post them. Third is receiving comments that start ‘I never comment, but’ and finally giving into the curiosity of what that’s like, to read all this fic and not comment on it. Fourth is the always circling posts of ‘comment on the fics you read!’ with explanations of why and how - it seems like those don’t totally get through to people? I don’t know, maybe they do, but it’s not like I reblog one and wake up the next morning to a bevy of comments.

Methods

Participants included the metric butt-ton of anon commenters, plus those who replied to the original post which you can read here. Too many to respond to without clogging everyone’s dashes, so we’re doing this instead.

Results

There were five main categories that responses fell into: not having much to say (and the temptation of the kudos button), RL issues, finding commenting stressful, perceptions of the author, and other.

The Profundity of Comments

The most reoccurring reason for not commenting (or not commenting regularly) was a feeling of not having much to say other than ‘I liked it. As one anon wrote, “i just honestly never know what to say and other comments are so well-constructed that i feel like my random "aww theyre so cute" would be inadequate.” This pressure to feel profound was reiterated by others, such as another anon who suggested “I think not all readers are former lit majors who may get intimidated to leave a "thoughtful" comment and are reading to de-stress or something.”

Beyond this lack of profound and interesting statements on fics, there was a general feeling that leaving a kudos, favoriting a fic, or creating a bookmark was akin to leaving a short comment saying ‘that was great’. One anon put it this way: “if I'm just saying 'great fic', it feels interchangeable with giving them a kudos”.

RL Issues

There was a reoccurring sentiment related to feeling like one has to be profound: not having enough time to sit down and leave the type of comment the reader wanted to. Also included in this was not having the energy to do so, either because readers were enjoying fic as a way to relax and de-stress, or because they were reading in bed and were tired. Another issue raised was the fact that mobile reading doesn’t lend itself to commenting, and it’s awkward to have to switch to a desktop to comment. Finally, there was the simple problem of forgetting, despite all best intentions. Life, as we all know, gets entirely too busy sometimes. @samttuummaa ties this all together nicely and puts words to what a number of other folks said in their own replies: “Here's the recipe: start with I read on my cell, where typing is a moth#£$&#@! of an experience. Combine that with the fact that I always had a million things to say so the reviews were rarely short. Toss that with a toddler wanting my attention. Let it all simmer in the fact that I only got to read in spurts of just a few minutes at a time… modify this recipe by adding a 2nd baby”.

Commenting as a stressful activity

This section of results fell into two main categories. First was readers who struggle with social anxiety. Second was readers for whom English is a non-native language, and either the difficulty of writing in english was prohibitive, or they were too self-conscious of their writing to enjoy the process of leaving a comment.

Author as a roadblock

Interestingly, many folks wrote about ways in which authors themselves were an impediment. There was a general sense among respondents that if authors don’t respond to comments, it’s not worth leaving them a comment on their story. One anon raises an interesting question, writing: “if the author then doesn't engage with the comments… why is a comment better than a kudos?” Additionally, readers felt that writers who don’t respond to comments might ignore the comments they leave, or commenting might be bothersome or irritating to these authors.

Some readers had negative interactions with authors which turned them off from commenting. One anon wrote: “Actually I left a good comment to a fic arthor and she didn't reply back to my comment but replied back to everyone's else and felt so horrible.” Another recounted a story of an ongoing correspondence with an author that went south for no discernible reason, which made them wary of engaging with writers in the future.

Another aspect of the way in which readers’ perspective of the author interfered with commenting was a perception that fic authors don’t like short comments. A second was that authors - myself included - are annoyed by pleas for updates, but that is what the reader really wants to write. (footnote 1: there is a difference between ‘update please!’ and ‘can’t wait to find out what happens next!!’ For me at least, the latter is more than welcome, while the former does tend to feel quite rude)

Finally, @what-if-im-a-mermaid and @mizjesbelle offered insight into the feeling that authors have their friends in fandom and that fics have an ‘insider/outsider’ culture, which the reader can be very much on the outside of, or that as an unknown reader, that feedback wasn’t pertinent compared to the author’s friends comments. As @what-if-im-a-mermaid wrote “I also remember having this vague impression of fandoms as these groups of people who all know each other and comment on each other’s work and are friends and feeling, idk, ‘excluded’ is not the right term because i wasn't sad about it, but like it was something I wasn’t part of? Like it didn’t concern me?” @mizjesbelle follows up this comment by writing, “@what-if-im-a-mermaid I know what you mean about a comment section sometimes feeling like a club you're not part of. I follow a lot of webcomics, and there are some I don't comment on because everyone clearly knows each other. I know they don't mean to be unwelcoming, but it can feel awkward.” (footnote 2: I have made all of my fandom friends through discussions started in comments on stories and trust me, if you comment on a story of mine, I remember you and I love you)

Other

There were a number of reasons that fell outside the above mentioned themes. These are that a fic is bad and the reader doesn’t want to leave criticism, being overwhelmed with feels after finishing reading a fic, the story is old, as a writer themselves they don’t care to receive comments and therefore don’t leave them as readers, and not realizing how it feels to put yourself out there and publish creative work. @what-if-im-a-mermaid writes, “I think part of it is that if you’re a casual fic reader and you’ve never put yourself out there by posting stuff you created to The Interweb it can be hard understand how incredibly rewarding receiving any feedback at all is. For the longest time I thought of fic writers as a bunch of people who find writing so easy and intrinsically rewarding that they post billions of words on line for free, because it makes them happy. They’re obviously Real Writers, very good at what they do, so why should feedback from a random girl who knows nothing about lit and writing affect them in any way? ‘ (footnote 3: it does make me happy, it’s so asldkfjasldkjf not easy, and if you enjoyed my story, you’re not random, see footnote 2 about how much I love you)

Discussion

Overall, a number of reasons stated here have made the rounds in fandom before: old stories tend to get few comments, folks don’t want to be rude and leave criticism, English is a ridiculous language, talking to authors can be scary, commenting is just plain hard when we all have work/school/kids/whatever, and the kudos button is right there for the clicking.

One aspect of these responses that surprised me was the variability. A lot of people have very different reasons for not commenting, which I hadn’t ever really considered before. As a writer, I interpret a lack of comments to mean that my writing is bad or boring, and even if folks are reading it, it’s more so out of not being able to find better fic than any true enjoyment.

Another thing I hadn’t thought about was the fact that for readers, the kudos button can feel the same as leaving a short comment - I don’t know about other writers, but those two feel entirely and hugely different to me. However, having read through all your responses I think I can change a bit and take kudos more to heart and hear what you’re all saying: you enjoyed the story and had you commented, that’s likely exactly what the comment would read. At the same time, I’d encourage all of you to consider how it feels to see a list of names of folks who have left kudos and know full well that only a handful of them stopped to tell you that they liked your story.

I was also surprised by the way in which a writer responding to comments made such an impact. I had no idea anyone responded until one day I left a comment and got a response back and then I started doing it myself. I mcfreaking love talking to readers through comments, especially on chaptered fic as I get to see their reactions as the story develops. It’s like getting to read my own story through someone else’s eyes and experience it as if I’m the reader who doesn’t know what’s coming up in the next chapter, with all of that thrill and fun. The same goes for one shots, though I don’t get to build that rapport over the course of the story.

Further Research

One question I’m left with is: for those of you who do comment, what is the draw for you? And for those of you who don’t, is there a way for authors to engage you so that you would comment? An anon wrote, ““FFN has this culture of the idea of asking for reviews being tacky, probably from the occasional 'I'll post the next chapter after 100 reviews' fics” which I’m not suggesting or anything of the sort. I don’t think that begging for comments is exactly the way through this. I’m more curious as to whether there is anything that might change your commenting behavior - because trust me, I’ll do it.

Conclusion

Fandom is the best and continues to be one of the great joys of my life, and I imagine many of yours. I wish I could convince everyone to comment, but I also respect all the reasons all y’all have furnished as to why that’s not realistic to ask.

#at the same time...#it's the holidays #leave a fic author you love a note #commenting #fic comments #long post #writing is fun!

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musicallisto · 3 years ago

Note

OK BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE i opened tumblr on my laptop and DAAAAAAMN UR THEME IS JUST BEYOND PERFECTION BOTH ON DESKTOP AND MOBILE WHAT IS THIS AND HOW?!?-?-??-!-

this is exactly why i prefer solo work over group works wym gRouP why am i doing all the work then 🙄

PLS it’s more of like a mini hang out but i like how you call it tho :’) actually i’m keeping it a secret from my mom for now so we had to go off mic cos she was gettin suspicious hHABSBAHAJA like whenever she came in she’d be all “why r u so shocked” 😭

but we were chattin about the movie the entire time he was all like “why did i watch this just now”

we’ve actually watched loads of movies even way before he confessed!! he just got me to watch marvel n omfg it’s so mf good i’m about to watch guardians of the galaxy next and i might get into the spiderverse soon as well. it’s so cute when he gets excited abt marvel pls 😭🤞🏻 and i got him to watch b99 now we got peraltiago as our discord pfp :’)

which by the way have I mentioned that Coco is one of my absolute favorite movies of ALL TIME and I bawl my eyes out every time I watch it because I feel like I should mention that.

yep glad u mentioned and BAE I DON’T BLAME U IT’S LITERALLY THE BEST also ✨fuck you ernesto✨

RIGHT i just had to lay low and just log in to collect diamonds for a while cos of classes but imma get back to it. JDNFHEIW I actually had Choices back when it was recently released while I was still an Episode girl 😭 episode shitty now pls i’m sorry, the user stories are so much better. Choices only had like Endless Summer back then and the classics so I got to try that in my old phone but ion rlly remember much so I’ll def reread it ;))

i finished the haunting of braidwood manor back then and some more (like half of It Lives and the High School Story or maybe the Freshman idk) but i lost interest cos i didn’t know how to farm for diamonds yet (but now i’m just farming at home for the holidays cos wtf is it even) I’ll also definitely keep your suggestions in mind pls I got Elementalists next on my list 😌✨

yep i totally get it dw the friendzone part still gets me :’) but i’m glad it all worked out!!

I'm glad I confessed, though, because it's the most romantically vulnerable I've ever been with someone and that confession required a great deal of courage, but I proved to myself I could do it!

DAMN YOU HAVE A WAY WITH WORDS that’s so sweet pls 😔 it really is kinda refreshing to confess!! + hoping that the next time you confess, they’d return the same energy (no actually scratch that they better return MORE cos you deserve that much)

anyway the tea will be coming from you majorly from now on I'm afraid. but if any cute guy catches my attention you will be the first to know, of course ;)

nah nah cos i love this sm i am beyond honored- U BETTER TELL OK HABAHHAAHAHSHAHA because…duh 😐

also i miss chatting w u sm i hope u r doing great :*

* ˚ ✦ shut up shut up Ves have you seen your theme?? it's literally drop dead gorgeous like how!! you are one of my main inspirations when it comes to themes... everything is always so put together and beautiful and!!! miss, I'm in love. that's all. but thank you so much it means the world especially coming from you <3

you guys are so cute omg I might just die. I want, no, need what you two have 😭 matching peraltiago discord profile pictures oh my GOD!!!! no one is doing it like you I just-- heart eyes emoji for days. please keep me updated on everything and for the love of god tell me what he thinks about Coco because if he doesn't like the movie then,,,, I'm afraid that by the powers invested in me by the Goddess of Wingwomen, he can't be The One. and yes absolutely fuck Ernesto & Héctor has all my love. Gael Garcia Bernal is just <3

not you making me want to replay Choices... I thought my days of suffering had ended for good but now I'm kinda tempted to go back and replay The Elementalists as well because it's one of my absolute favorites. I haven't played book 2 but book 1 was so cool, and now I miss it! and please afjbjbscsvhj not the Episode girl 😭😭 I remember you telling me in an ask that you used to play the Demi Lovato path to fame game and GIRL I WAS OBSESSED like I would play religiously in 6th grade it's not even funny😭

and thanks for being proud of me, and I hope the universe learns its lesson and sends a cutie my way - who will actually reciprocate my feelings this time - sometime soon <3

#i hope you're alright too! i love chatting with you you're always so funny and full of life it brings me so much joy #it's like we're at a sleepover i love it #ves 🍵

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adrinette-forever · 7 years ago

Text

Miracu-Hack

{Ao3 Link}

Ch 1 | ?

Summary: With hacker Hawkmoth and his Akuma virus active in Paris, no one is safe. Through spyware and malicious software, he’s stolen countless identities, wiped billions in bank savings, and more. Even with all of Paris’ cyber security force on the job, no one can track down the elusive cyber-terrorist.

Marinette is just a college-level web developer...certainly no match for Hawkmoth. Like many others, her family has been hit by the Akuma virus - their life savings stolen, their bakery slandered online. So when she downloads an AI claiming to be able to stop Hawkmoth once and for all, how could she say no?

Chapter 1

Marinette stared at the email sitting innocently in her inbox.

🐞 Marinette, you have the power to stop Hawkmoth! 🐞

It was spam. It had to be.

Cheap first name token, oddly random emoji, tantalizing offer… it was even flagged as top priority, for heaven’s sake. Everything about it screamed spam.

And spam email was how it always started. Everyone knew that.

Then again, spam was so sophisticated these days. Whoever had made this one was clearly behind on the times, and maybe that was the reason Marinette couldn’t bring herself to just delete the damn thing.

That, and the fact that it had made it through to her actual inbox.

Marinette sighed and spun away from her desk. She had a website commission to finish—she certainly didn’t have time to sit here mulling over what should have been an obvious answer: Mark the email as spam, block and delete it, clear her browse cache and cookies, then immediately update her password, security question, and 2-step authentication. Run a security and malware scan. Maybe even create an entirely new email address.

Marinette wasn’t sure how much the extra steps really helped when it came to protecting yourself from Hawkmoth, but what else could you do? Like anyone else, Marinette just had to do the best she could and hope it had just been some lesser scam artist or a wanna-be hacker.

She glanced over her shoulder. Eyed the email.

Her phone buzzed, and loud music split the air. Marinette jumped at the sound, nearly falling back in her chair. Her heart was still pounding as she reached for the phone.

“Hey Alya,” she greeted.

“GIRL,” Alya all but shouted into the phone, forcing Marinette to pull it back an inch from her ear. “It’s 11:04 PM! We DID it! That makes an entire WEEK without something getting through the RenaRouge spam filter.”

Ever since the rise of Hawkmoth, Alya had been working around the clock to develop an email client that could weed out his infamous spam emails containing the Akuma virus. She’d roped a few classmates into helping, of course—it was far too big of a project to handle on her own.

Marinette had contributed, too. Not so much the backend of it—she’d dropped out of the computer engineering degree long before learning those languages. But she’d put her web design skills to good use by writing the majority of the CSS styling.

They’d only opened the beta to a few people, of course. Marinette and the rest of the team being part of that beta.

Marinette glanced at her open inbox. The bright red ladybug emojis stood out impossibly bright against the other emails.

It had come in exactly 4 minutes before Alya’s call. And Marinette couldn’t find it in her to admit it.

“Wow, a full week already?” Marinette forced out, thankful they were just talking on the phone. She’d never be able to hide her lying face in person. “That’s amazing!”

“We’re finally getting the upper hand! Like, god! Can you believe? Nino and I were working around the clock to push out that last update, and god, I feel like I could fly. And it’s not just the 5-hour energy I chugged. Looks like Hawkie-boy’s not so smart after all, amiright? Talk about out-FOX-ing him, ha!”

“If anyone can stop him, it's you, Alya,” Marinette said. That, at least, wasn't a lie. Alya would figure it out.

“I have to call the rest of the team. I just HAD to tell you first,” Alya gushed. “Love ya girl, BYE!”

The call ended. Marinette set down the phone, the email ladybugs still burning spots into her eyes.

They were only in their 3rd year of university, but Marinette knew she had the brightest and most driven classmates out there. Nino, Juleka, Max, and Rose were the most brilliant developers she knew—and, of course, their fearless leader Alya.

Between them, Marinette did know they'd figure it out eventually. They'd stop Hawkmoth. Even if it was a bit too late for Marinette and her family.

Her mouse hovered over the trash can icon, ready to delete the message.

But what if?

What would Hawkmoth even want from her, at this point? He'd taken everything from her family already. Maybe it was some sort of sick automated email he'd set up to trigger after destroying someone's life.

Steal a family's identity, wipe their life savings, classify their bakery as a public health danger in the city records.

The last one would be cleared up before too long. Paris police were used to false claims like that by now.

But it still felt like a kick to the gut. Hawkmoth really had taken everything.

🐞 Marinette, you have the power to stop Hawkmoth 🐞

Marinette clicked.

And immediately regretted clicking.

The opened email didn't even have a message, but she hardly had time to mull over it before something started downloading.

“No, no, no! Not a virus!” Squealing, flailing, Marinette lunged with her mouse for the cancel download option. But it finished before she could do anything.

Heart pounding, Marinette could hardly feel her fingers as a software window automatically opened. The borders were red with black polka dots, with what looked like a pale pink chatbox in the center.

If she didn't know better, she'd think it was just Skype with a fancy ladybug skin.

But she knew better.

"Please no!" Marinette cried, frantically clicking to close the window. But the window didn’t close.

When she heard the blink-bloop of her new chat software receiving a message, she only started clicking faster.

TIKKI: Marinette! Everything's okay, don't be scared!

She hit CTRL-ALT-DEL. In the control panel, she tried force closing the virus-software-thing, which was just called LADYBUG. Nothing happened.

TIKKI: I know this all seems a bit strange to you, but I'm not here to hurt you! :)

Still whining incoherently, Marinette lunged for her desktop’s power button. If she could shut it down before the virus spread too far...

TIKKI: Wait! Please don’t shut me down!

The message, along with the entire screen, froze for a split second as she the desktop clicked off, then faded to black. Marinette slumped to the ground and let out a heavy sigh.

Remembering the last message, Marinette started trembling harder than before. The virus had known she was going for the power button. Marientte’s eyes swiveled up to her webcam. She’d uncovered it earlier to chat and screenshare with a client, so it was her own fault for forgetting to cover it up again.

Slowly, Marinette lifted herself into her seat and reached for her flower-themed stickers. She was shaking so hard it took her several tries to peel one off and place it over the camera lens. So much for an unsophisticated spam email.

Her parents couldn't afford a new computer. They could hardly afford rent. And without a computer, she'd never be able to finish the website commissions she had lined up. She couldn’t help.

She slumped facedown onto her keyboard to sob.

Only to bolt upright again at the whirl of her desktop powering back up. Even though she hadn’t clicked anything.

Her computer loaded up incredibly fast. In mere seconds, it was back on. The ladybug-themed chat box loaded up with the rest of it.

Marinette smothered her scream with her hands.

TIKKI: Marinette, I’m not a virus! Will you please hear me out?

“H-How do you know my name? What are you?”

Two stupid questions, really. The program would have run a complete background check on her in seconds, including her first name. And despite what the little program said, it was definitely a virus.

TIKKI: My name is Tikki, nice to meet you!

TIKKI: I’m an Artificial Intelligence program created and developed by Miracu-Tech.

TIKKI: I’m here to help you stop Hawkmoth. :)

Marinette blinked at the messages as they appeared. An AI program to help her stop Hawkmoth? It certainly was a lot more effort than she’d expect from a scam.

“Let me guess,” Marinette replied hesitantly, feeling a bit awkward talking to her computer. “You can stop Hawkmoth in exchange for my bank account number, or something?”

TIKKI: No, silly! I don’t want anything in return. I just need someone to help me take down Hawkmoth!

Marinette scoffed. She supposed Hawkmoth had made life much harder for your everyday hacker, considering how beefed up cyber security had gotten since his first strike against the Paris city police records. It made sense that they'd try to band up against him at some point.

“Well, unfortunately you have the wrong girl,” Marinette said. “I don't know the first thing about cyber security, let alone the languages I'd need to know to stop a mastermind like Hawkmoth.”

TIKKI: You were chosen for a reason, Marinette! Want to see what we can do together?

She hesitated. Was she about to become an accomplice in something illegal? Even without being able to see her, the AI seemed able to read her silence.

TIKKI: Let's start with something small. Who would you like to help?

TIKKI: We can reverse the damage that Hawkmoth has done.

“My family! We have to help my family. Hawkmoth…” The words died on her lips. Hawkmoth had taken everything from them.

For the first time, the AI Tikki seemed to need a moment to process Marinette's words. Several long moments lapsed before a message appeared on the screen.

TIKKI: I would love to help your family, Marinette!

TIKKI: But I recommend against helping them first. Hawkmoth may use it as a clue to finding out your identity, once you begin to oppose him.

TIKKI: You MUST keep your identity a secret. If Hawkmoth knows who you are, all your loved ones will be in danger.

“Oh…”

Marinette tried to think of a way around the logic, but there was none. There'd be no point in helping her family if it ended up only endangering them even more in the long run.

TIKKI: Let's help them 3rd or 4th, so Hawkmoth won't connect the dots! What do you say?

Marinette stared at the chatbox. Was she willing to risk it, just for a chance at helping her parents?

There really wasn't much to lose at this point. If Tikki actually was a virus, her computer would be thoroughly infected by now. And she doubted there was much she could do for the rest of the house, either. If the AI could turn on her computer, it could spread to the rest of her home network.

She was going to agree. She knew she would say yes, if only for a chance to make things right again. Maybe it was stupid, but something in her gut said she could trust Tikki.

There was just one part holding her back.

“Why me, though? What reason?”

TIKKI: I can handle the technical side of what we’ll do together, but I need your creative thinking and eye for design, Marinette.

TIKKI: Hawkmoth is using an AI similar to me, except his has been corrupted for evil. Lucky for us, that means his work leaves behind evidence.

TIKKI: If you can find Hawkmoth's mark, then I can take care of the rest.

“His mark? What do you mean?”

TIKKI: My instructions are to tell you: “Look for the butterfly.”

TIKKI: The deeper meaning of that is beyond my processing. Since his mark is invisible to me, I can't even offer an example.

TIKKI: Are you willing to give it a try?

Marinette still didn't know if Tikki was telling the truth or not. But at this point, she didn’t have much to lose.

And what she had to gain…

“Alright. Let's do this.”

#Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction #ML fanfiction #Adrien Agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Ladybug #Cat Noir #Adrinette #Lady Noir #Does anyone else see weird symbols appearing on this?#I don't know why they're there or how to get rid of them #I don't see them in draft mode

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soarcodes · 7 years ago

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Backup Tumblr Blogs - 2017

There are a lot of methods here. I’ve used the wordpress method but with that you get EVERYTHING after days of waiting with not much control. The method that gives the most control (and is so far the fastest) is tumblr-utils by bbolli on github. It can be daunting for those who aren’t familiar with command line, however. They do have a Windows guide (tumblr_backup_for_beginners) which walks you through step by step on setting it up and getting it started.

Below is my version of the guide with some helpful tips not mentioned in the original guide. Under read more for length.

1. Install Python

Key step do NOT skip, even if you already have python you may be using an outdated version and it requires 2.6 or 2.7 to run.) If you are using Windows, download the x86 MSI installer (unless you KNOW you have a x64 system that can handle that version. If you’re unsure, stick with x86)..

You may need to check “Copy Python” when installing in Windows or step 4 will not work.

Note: there are downloads for Mac OS. I don’t have a Mac to test this on, but it should work just as well as on Windows.

2. Download tumblr-utils.zip

Extract it somewhere safe that you know will not accidentally delete it. Do NOT extract it to Desktop or Downloads as directed in the original guide, especially if you like to clean your download folder every now and then. I installed it on my D:/ drive but you can probably get away with putting it in your Documents somewhere. Just remember where you put it.

3. Set up the PATH variable (optional but recommended)

The reason we set up the PATH is to make it more convenient to run the backup code in command line. If the path isn’t set, you have to type in the full address to the script file every time you run it. With the path, all you need to do is specify the file itself and your computer will know where it’s at.

If you’re running this on a Mac, you don’t need to specify PATH (although you can) All you need to do is drop tumblr_backup.py into /usr/local/bin using Finder and it should do the same thing.

For Windows 10, use the taskbar search “environment” and click on “Edit the system environment variables”. Click on “Path” and click “Edit...” add a New variable and type in the path to wherever you extracted tumblr-utils.

Note: You can easily grab the url path from windows explorer by clicking on the address bar and copy/pasting.

If you’re not running Windows 8 or 10, there’s a guide here for getting to the PATH environment variable. For Windows 7 / Vista / XP, make sure you separate existing information in the PATH from your new address with a semicolon. (see the first window in the screenshot above).

4. Create Your Backup Folder

I would suggest making a new folder called “Tumblr Backups” on a separate drive from C (D, etc, or even better on a flashdrive or external), but feel free to put it somewhere you have easy access to or will remember well (such as in your My Document’s folder). Again you’ll want to remember the address to it and how to get there from windows explorer. You can always move or copy this folder somewhere else after you’ve backed it up.

5. Navigate to Tumblr Backups in Command Line

For the next step we need to use Command Prompt (or Terminal on Mac/Linux). To open up Command Prompt in Windows 10 you can simply hit the Windows button + X and then C for Command prompt or search for it via taskbar (Here is a guide for opening it on other Windows versions). On a Mac, you open Terminal with Ctrl+Alt+T. You shouldn’t need admin privileges for what you’re about to do. In fact, it’s probably better if you don’t.

When you open command prompt in Windows it will be set to C:\Users\[your username] (the same place Windows Explorer automatically opens to). We want to navigate to where you want to store your backup. If it’s in Documents, then type:

cd Documents/Tumblr Backups

hit enter and the prompt (the text in front of your cursor) will change to that directory. If you want to go up a folder type:

cd ../

If you set it up on a different drive in Windows, type the drive letter (capitalized), followed by a colon and hit enter and then change directory using cd

On a Mac, you also use the cd command to change directory in Terminal, but to change drives, all you need to do is type:

cd /Volumes/

The ls command (LS lowercase) lists all the files and folders within the directory you’ve currently navigated to. The /Volumes/ directory is where all your drives are located and you can navigate from there to your Tumblr Backups folder. NOTE use quotation marks around files/folders that have spaces!

cd ‘Tumblr Backups’

6. Run tumblr_backup.py

Once you’re in your Tumblr Backups directory, you’re ready to backup your posts!

If you want a complete backup of your blog as-is, type the following (replacing yourblog with the blog you want to backup) and hit enter:

tumblr_backup.py yourblog

It may take some time, but even for 18,000+ posts it should take no longer than 30 minutes depending on connection speed. On the next line it will give you a real-time update of how far it is to completing the backup. If it is interrupted, it will process what it’s pulled so far and generate a backup folder anyway. Note that you can backup multiple blogs at the same time by adding more than one blog name at the end, separated by spaces.

Don’t worry about pulling posts twice or accidentally doing the same command. It won’t add any duplicates.

This also works for side blogs and for backing up blogs run by others that you wish to keep in case it gets purged or leaves Tumblr.

If you only want your own content:

tumblr_backup.py --no-reblog yourblog

--no-reblog (that’s two dashes in front) tells it to only backup posts that you’ve made yourself, including reblogs where you’ve added new content.

If you’re only interested in backing up photo posts:

tumblr_backup.py -T photo yourblog

-T photo tells the script to only backup photo posts. Make sure to capitalize the T!

If you only want to backup posts with specific tags:

tumblr_backup.py -t tag1,another_tag_with_spaces yourblog

Separate each tag with a comma. Tags with spaces use underscores instead. Make sure the -t is lowercase!

If you have an unstable internet connection, break it up into multiple requests.

tumblr_backup.py -n 100 yourblog

tumblr_backup.py -n 100 -s 100 yourblog

tumblr_backup.py -n 100 -s 200 yourblog

-n 100 tells it to only count 100 posts, starting from the last post you made. -s 100 tells it to skip the first 100 posts or checks (which are the last posts you made).

You can find many more flag filters in the documentation that can help you fine tune your backup depending on what you want to keep and how you want the backup to be displayed. You can also get information on these options by running tumblr_backup.py --help (with two dashes).

If you are getting image missing errors, don’t worry. It’s usually just avatar images of deleted blogs that are no longer accessible.

If you get 503 messages and aren’t pulling posts, it could be you’re requesting too frequently and the server locked you out. I’ve had that happen with my stats project while testing. In that case you just have to walk away for a bit and wait it out Double-check that you spelled the blog name you want to pull from right and maybe try again in a couple hours or so.

7. Profit

If you look into Tumblr Backups afterwards, you should find a folder with your blog name. In it is a website hierarchy with each post in the posts folder modified by the originally posted date with all of your tags included. Images are in media, monthly archives in archive, and there is an index.html that allows you to navigate and view everything via your favorite browser.

If you want to use a custom CSS file, call it custom.css, put it in the backup folder and do a complete backup. This forces the pages to all use the new styling.

The CSS of your blog’s original theme css and avatar is always saved in theme/style.css.. Note that it does not save any javascript you may have had on your theme and you should back that up separately. This also does NOT backup pages.

#tumblr backup #backup your blog #backup guide

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mikegranich87 · 3 years ago

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Windows 11 review: Microsoft’s most pleasant OS—until it isn't

What's the point of Windows 11? With Windows 10, Microsoft had to make a big course correction from Windows 8, an ambitious yet flawed attempt at bringing PCs into the touchscreen era. Before that, Windows 7 was meant as a palate cleanser to help us forget about the bloated mess that was Vista. Given that Windows 10 was already pretty polished when it launched, and only got better over time, why the need for a whole new version?

After testing early builds for months, as well as the shipping release this past week (here's how to nab it yourself), it's clear that Microsoft isn't actually trying to fix much with Windows 11. It's basically a fresh coat of paint on top of Windows 10 (and likely a last-ditch attempt at rebranding the defunct Windows 10X.) But the more I use it, the easier it is to see that small design tweaks can go a long way. Windows 10 was laser-focused on productivity; it aimed to make you as efficient as possible. Windows 11 goes a step further: What if being productive was also pleasant and oddly relaxing? Windows, meet mindfulness.

What's new

At first glance, Windows 11 may seem like a radical departure from Microsoft's typical desktop template — an aesthetic that hearkens all the way back to Windows 95. The taskbar is still around, but now all of your icons are centered by default. The Start menu is back with a redesigned look featuring pinned and recommended apps (you can also hit All Apps to see everything you've got installed). RIP, Live Tiles — nobody ever used you.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

This refreshed look extends throughout Windows 11: App windows now have rounded corners; icons, Windows Explorer and the Settings app look sharper than ever; and even the sound effects have been cleaned up. This is Windows at its most refined. To put it uncharitably, though, it also seems a lot like macOS. But fret not, Windows diehards: You can still shove the entire taskbar back to the left side of the screen. (Editor’s note: Where it belongs.)

Microsoft has also reworked system tray, for better and worse. Hitting the date and time brings up your notifications and calendar, while clicking on the volume or networking icons makes the new action center pop out. It’s similar to the system shortcuts in Windows 10, allowing you to change Wi-Fi networks, enable airplane mode and quickly change your brightness and volume. You can also easily reach some accessibility tweaks, like enabling the magnifier or color filters. Everything looks sleeker than Windows 10, though some options are gone entirely, like the ability to turn Night Lite settings on and off.

Windows 11 also marks a major return for widgets: bite-sized apps that also appeared in Windows 7. You can reach them by hitting the widget button in the taskbar, but frankly, I found them useless. These days, I don’t need a glanceable screen for my calendar, news and mail, not when my smartphone is always within reach.

Microsoft

Less noticeable than the taskbar changes, but still important, is the new Windows Store. It looks cleaner, with a left-hand navigation bar and multiple panes for individual app entries. I'd wager Microsoft just wanted to keep those install and purchase buttons in clear view at all times. Windows 10 is also getting the same Store app eventually, so it's not really an exclusive for the new OS. Eventually, we'll also see Android apps in the Microsoft Store, but it's unclear when that's happening.

Similarly, Windows 11 ships with the latest Xbox app, but that's also available on Windows 10. You'll still want to upgrade for the best overall gaming performance, though, as Windows 11 will be the only way to use Microsoft's DirectStorage technology on PCs. Whenever that does land it should dramatically speed up load times (assuming you have a compatible GPU and SSD) just like the Xbox Series S and X.

Microsoft

Calm from the start... mostly

On a new PC, Windows 11 welcomes you with a series of setup screens that feel like you're flipping through a spa brochure. Log into your Wi-Fi (or plug into Ethernet), enter your Microsoft credentials, and maybe grab a cucumber water while you wait.

As with Windows 10, you can choose to disable advertising IDs, which prevents ad tracking, and opt out of sending diagnostic information to Microsoft. But there aren't many other choices you'll have to make; the setup process basically runs on autopilot until you see the new desktop.

It's worth noting that Microsoft has made setup more restrictive for Windows 11 Home users: Both an internet connection and Microsoft account are required. You won't be able to set up a local user account, or use your computer at all, until you meet those requirements. Windows 11 Pro users won't have that limitation, which is good news for IT professionals and power users. But it could be frustrating for people without reliable internet access of their own.

(As of last year, the FCC said around 14.5 million Americans don't have steady broadband, defined as at least 25Mbps download speeds and 3Mbps uploads. Recent figures from Data Reportal say around 40 percent of the world's population are offline. Microsoft is probably assuming that the majority of its potential customers won't have an issue finding internet, but that goes directly against the company's moves towards increased accessibility.)

I'd expect many consumers will be upgrading their existing Windows 10 systems, rather than setting up a new computer. Unfortunately, Microsoft didn't have a way for me to upgrade my PC with a final Windows 11 release. Based on what I've seen with the latest Windows 11 Insider previews, though, moving to the new OS appears to be very similar to installing a major Windows 10 update. On a Surface Laptop 4 I had lying around, the upgrade process took around 15 minutes after downloading the new OS via Windows update.

You're going to have a tougher time if you own an older PC that doesn't meet Microsoft's hardware requirements. You'll need a compatible Intel, AMD or Qualcomm processor; 4GB of RAM; and at least 64GB of storage. Also, you'll have to enable Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module), features that should make it harder for spyware and malware to attack your OS. Microsoft's PC Health Check app can help you see if your system is ready for Windows 11.

If you don't meet the upgrade requirements, you can download a Windows 11 ISO and install it manually, a method that bypasses Microsoft's CPU restrictions. Still, you'll need to be savvy enough to create a boot disk and deal with a more complex installation. Another caveat: manual installations may not receive some future Windows Updates, according to The Verge. (It sounds like Microsoft hasn't decided how restrictive it wants to be just yet.)

If you've built your own desktop PC, I'd suggest bracing yourself for additional upgrade complications. Microsoft's Health Check app initially said that my system — powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X processor, an ASROCK motherboard and 32GB of RAM — wasn't compatible with Windows 11. It turned out I needed to enable the AMD TPM 2.0 module and Secure Boot in my BIOS. But once I did all that, my system couldn't boot into my Windows 10 installation.

After a bit of sleuthing, I learned that I needed to convert my Windows 10 installation disk from MBR (Master Boot Record) to GPT (GUID Partition Table). So off I went into the command line to run some strings and pray for my Windows installation's safety. Five sweat-soaked minutes later, I rebooted and saw my trusty Windows login screen. Whew. From there, I was able to proceed with the Windows 11 Update as normal.

I'm sure I'm not the only one with a Windows 10 installation on an MBR disk — that was the standard on older computers — so I'm hoping Microsoft eventually bakes that conversion into the entire Windows 11 setup process. I can't imagine average consumers trying to figure out command line prompts without wanting to throw their PCs out the window.

Microsoft

In use: A new look, new frustrations

Windows 11 is nice to use. Pleasant, even. Windows 10 wasn't ugly, but Windows 11's focus on design leads to a more refined experience at first. I enjoyed having color-matched themes. The new Settings app is a dream; it's actually easy to find things for once! I genuinely love the new automatic window snapping, which lets you shove an app to a particular area of your screen by hovering above the maximize icon. Even better, snapping a few apps together creates a group that you can easily revisit in the taskbar.

That facelift doesn't come at the expense of performance, either. Windows 11 feels just as fast as Windows 10 on all of my test systems. But I'll be more interested to see how it performs on PCs older than five years, which is about the cut-off for Microsoft's upgrade requirements.

As impressed as I am by the design changes, a part of me feels constrained by the new OS. No matter where you place your taskbar icons, for example, you won't be able to see app labels anymore. Microsoft has been pushing an icon-focused taskbar since Windows 7, but you always had the option to turn on labels, so you could see what was in an app window before you clicked on it. Dealing with that loss is the single biggest hurdle I had with Windows 11.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Now it takes me multiple clicks to find a specific Chrome window, or to locate an email I popped out of Gmail. Icons just aren't enough. I can understand why Microsoft took away labels: They make your desktop look chaotic. It's not nearly as zen as a simple line of high-resolution pictures.

But as a Windows user, I'm used to chaos. I was shaped by the instability of Windows 3.11; I learned to tame Windows XP as an IT admin; and I was there at the Windows 8 launch in Spain (an event that seems cursed in retrospect). Even after all of that, I'm still primarily a Windows user. If chaos can make me more productive, I embrace the madness. Sadly, Windows 11 doesn't give me that option. It just wants me to relax, damnit.

To be fair, I have similar issues with macOS. As pretty as it is, finding a specific app window can be frustrating. To mitigate that, I typically rely on Mission Control to establish hot corners that can either show me every open app, windows within a specific program, or the desktop. Windows 11 lets you set up a hot corner in the bottom right of your screen to show the desktop, but you'll have to rely on keyboard shortcuts to see open apps. (I'm still debating whether Alt + Tab or Win + Tab is better.)

After spending so much time with Windows 11, I'm begrudgingly getting the hang of the new taskbar, at least. I'd bet some Windows diehards will be similarly frustrated with the new Start menu, especially if they're used to seeing all of their apps instantly. Personally, I find the focus on shortcuts and recently added files and apps to be more useful. And as of Windows 10, I just hit the Windows key and start typing to search for specific apps. (I'm glad that's still practically instantaneous on the new OS.)

I’ve only dabbled in the Windows 11 touchscreen experience so far, but in general it feels easier to hit specific targets. Microsoft has also made apps more responsive to touch, so it’s being able to quickly expand and maximize windows feels less frustrating. You still won’t mistake Windows 11 for iPadOS, but I never expected Microsoft to go that far. This new OS is simply better for laptops that have touchscreens, and it’s far more usable for hybrid tablets like the Surface Pro.

While I've found Windows 11 pleasant overall, I'll be interested to see how mainstream users react to all of the changes. Some members of Engadget's staff initially found the new design to be ugly (some warmed up to it later), and at least one was grateful I explained how to move the taskbar back to the left. It's tough for Microsoft to make any major changes to Windows without having users throw a fit. (Remember everything that happened around Windows 8?) So I expect the initial reaction isn't going to be welcoming. Let's just say I'm glad I'm no longer in IT support for this transition.

Microsoft

So, who needs Windows 11?

To paraphrase Thanos, Windows 11 is inevitable. It's going to start rolling out to eligible Windows 10 users today, and it will ship with new PCs this Fall. Aside from re-learning the taskbar and Start menu functionality, there's not much of a reason to avoid it. The new Secure Boot requirements will make it a safer OS overall; gamers will eventually get faster loading times; and everyone can appreciate the clean new aesthetic.

It's a step forward, even if it isn't as momentous as Windows 10. It's also hard to ignore the story behind the new OS, which makes Windows 11 feel more like a way for Microsoft to save face after an embarrassing failure. In the fall of 2019, the company announced Windows 10X, an OS variant meant for dual-screened PCs. Those devices, like the intriguing Surface Neo, failed to arrive. (It's unclear if the complex new hardware was the roadblock, or if PC makers were waiting for Windows 10X to be completed.)

Microsoft announced last year that it was shifting the focus of 10X to single-screened devices, and it put the final nail in the coffin this May, when it said that Windows 10X development had stopped. A few weeks later, we got word that Microsoft was gearing up to reveal the next version of Windows, and shortly after that the Windows 11 leak occurred. On June 24th, with practically all of its new features spoiled, Microsoft officially revealed its new OS.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

In my head, I imagine the frantic meetings around Windows 10X's rocky development like something from The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin. With dual-screened devices a no-show, maybe they could just repurpose that work for traditional laptops, a harried Panos Panay would say. But why even make that a separate version of Windows 10? The PC market is pretty hot right now, perhaps there's a way to capitalize on that? And at some point, someone just said "Why not just go to 11?" A stunned silence. Applause all around.

Not to sound too cynical, but releasing a new OS is an easy way to encourage people to buy new computers. That's particularly true now that we're relying on our PCs more than ever, as many people are still working and doing schoolwork from home. A new version of Windows is no simple thing, and it’ll surely get more headlines and media attention than a mere Windows 10 update. (Stares directly into camera.)

from Mike Granich https://www.engadget.com/windows-11-review-microsoft-mindful-os-200028040.html?src=rss

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xseedgames · 7 years ago

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Zwei: The Arges Adventure - Localization Blog #2

Tom here again, for more fanboy gushing over Zwei: The Arges Adventure!

I’ve already touched on the game’s amazing script, and I’ll definitely go more into that in my next blog entry (there’s a lot to talk about there, as this is easily the strangest script I’ve ever worked with, on multiple levels!), but I figured I’d take this opportunity now to instead discuss some of the new and updated features that our amazing programmer was able to cram into this release. I’d rank most of these under the “quality-of-life improvements” category, though some are more along the lines of old but notable features from the original 2001 PC version which have been adapted to run more readily on modern systems and integrated more thoroughly into the game proper.

Note that in all cases (except where otherwise noted), the original functionality from the 2001 Japanese release still applies – there are just additional options now as well. Also note that while the additional options described all reference making use of controller buttons, allowances have been made for keyboard shortcuts that fulfill the same functions when applicable, so you keyboard-and-mouse gamers should reap some benefits of Matt’s coding prowess as well.

Anyway, let’s dive right in, shall we?

Feature: Quick-using food items in the heat of battle.

How it works in the 2001 Japanese release: In order to use an item, you first have to make sure it’s located on your hotbar (which has 12 available slots). Then, during gameplay, you have to either right-click the item with your mouse, or press the item’s corresponding function key (F1-F12) to use it. If you don’t want to drop your controller to use the mouse or keyboard for this task, no problem: there’s a button you can press that moves control of the game down to the hotbar, at which point you can press left and right to cycle through to the item you want, then press another button to use it. Afterward, you can press another combination of buttons to deselect the hotbar and return to regular gameplay. Time does NOT stop while you do this, however, so good luck surviving the enemy onslaught as you attempt to perform all these tasks!

How it works now: Just press one controller button to instantly use the left-most consumable healing item on your hotbar. After doing so, all other consumable healing items contained therein will shift left as far as they can go, ensuring that the slot you just freed up by using that one item is now located along the right side of the hotbar rather than the left. The reason for this? Well, when you pick up new items, they get sent to your hotbar first, as long as there’s space for them there. And if the blank slot on your hotbar happens to be all the way on the left, then whatever item you just picked up will end up being the first one you use next time you press the item button. But if the blank slot is on the right, whatever item you just picked up will be the LAST one in line for use – meaning, you can customize your own personal “eat list” that determines exactly what items you use on the fly, in exactly what order. Bit of an improvement, wouldn’t you say?

Feature: Switching magic/tools in the heat of battle.

How it works in the 2001 Japanese release: Your hotbar doubles as your equipment slots, so the only way to equip a magic jewel (which determines Pokkle and Pipiro’s attack type) or specialty tool (which allows for various puzzle-solving special abilities) is to add it to your hotbar, then “use” it (via one of the methods listed in my previous feature description), which places the Japanese equivalent of an “Eqp.” symbol over it, signifying that it is now equipped and ready to use. If you “use” that same hotbar slot again, you’ll unequip that item. And if you want to switch to a different magic jewel or tool… well, you either need to open your inventory, drag the new item onto the hotbar in place of the old one, then right-click it to equip it and close your inventory, or – alternately – just keep every equippable magic or tool you think you might be using in the near future on your hotbar (never mind all the food items this is preventing you from prepping!), and press the corresponding function key on your keyboard to equip it whenever the need arises. Siiiimple, right?

How it works now: Whatever your controller’s equivalent of the L1 and R1 buttons happen to be can now be used to cycle through all of your available magic and tools via a single hotbar slot. If you have no such item in your hotbar, but you’ve got one in your inventory, no problem: pressing L1 or R1 will automatically equip whatever you’ve got available into the first available hotbar slot. And from then on, you can just press L1 or R1 to instantly swap it out for whatever the previous or next equippable item in your inventory happens to be. Even unequipping your magic is part of the cycle, for those rare times when you’re attacking enemies who have resistance to all elementals, or when you’re attempting to solve puzzles that call for the use of Pipiro’s base magic.

Feature: Dropping bombs or dynamite to blow up enemy artillery or large rocks.

How it works in the 2001 Japanese release: Oh, this one is really fun. Or rather, “fun.” In quotes. See, bombs and dynamite don’t work the same way as any other items. You can’t “use” either of them – attempting to do so will simply do nothing at all. Instead, you have to “discard” them. Using a mouse, this is accomplished via drag-and-drop; assuming there’s a bomb or piece of dynamite on your hotbar, you’ll need to click it and hold the mouse button, then drag it onto the main game screen somewhere and let go to drop it at that spot and set its 3-second fuse. This is made considerably tougher if you’re using a keyboard or controller, since you’ll have to press the button that transfers game control over to the hotbar, scroll over to the bomb or dynamite, press and hold the item-move button, then use the D-pad or arrow keys to move that item onto the main game screen, and finally let go of the button to drop the bomb/dynamite and set its 3-second fuse. But even after that, you’ll need to use the previously mentioned button combo to transfer control back over to your characters before you’re able to move out of the way of the explosion, which… doesn’t always happen in time. And worst of all, if you use any of these methods to attempt to drop a bomb or piece of dynamite, but the location you’re trying to drop it is considered invalid (maybe it’s a little too close to a wall, for example)… well, it’ll just cancel the whole operation and force you to do it all over again. There’s no mincing words here: using bombs and dynamite in the original version of this game suuuuuuuucks…

How it works now: Erm… you press the SELECT button. Basically, if you have at least one bomb or piece of dynamite on your hotbar, pressing the SELECT button will automatically drop it (or drop the left-most bomb or piece of dynamite, if you have multiples on your hotbar) at the closest valid location. That’s literally all there is to it!

Feature: Switching characters on the fly.

How it works in the 2001 Japanese release: There are three options. (1) You can click the character portrait on the bottom-left of the screen. (2) You can press the button to transfer control of the game to your hotbar, then move the cursor over to the portrait on the bottom-left of the screen and “click” it with the item-use button. (3) You can press the Esc key twice, though only if you’re standing still and… really, only if the game feels like honoring those keystrokes (it gets temperamental sometimes). Those are your options.

How it works now: …Yeah, uh, there’s a button for this now. In fact, since Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection allows for two different control schemes (one button to attack, one button to switch characters; or, one button to switch to Ragna and perform a melee attack, one button to switch to Alwen and perform a magic attack), we decided to mirror that functionality in Zwei: The Arges Adventure with protagonists Pokkle and Pipiro. So whichever option you liked better in the other Zwei game, that option will be available to you here as well!

Feature: Playing the “Typing of Ys” and “Mona, Mona” minigames.

How it works in the 2001 Japanese release: These two minigames consist of an Ys-themed typing tutor and a reverse block puzzler (your goal is to avoid making combos at all costs, since you’re trying to build a sturdy block ladder so an infatuated bunny can climb to the top of the level and rendezvous with his true love). They’re pretty awesome. But they’re also a little… unusual in how they’re played. Basically, you have to unlock them in-game through special means, after which point you’re told that “something seems to have happened on the desktop.” Now you can play them whenever you want… from the launcher. You know, the window that pops up when you first boot the game, which allows you to adjust config settings and such? Yeah. You have to exit Zwei in order to play either of these minigames, because they’re only executable from that. They’re part of a small collection of what I’ve come to call “desktop apps,” which also include the likes of a clock, a calendar, and a calculator – all of which are usable ONLY from the launcher.

How it works now: First off, I should note that there is no launcher anymore in our English version of the game. At all. Matt doesn’t believe in launchers, and intends for every configuration option to be accessible and adjustable solely from within the game. So running these minigames from the launcher is simply no longer possible. But that’s okay! It’s kind of beside the point, in fact. The thing you really need to know here is that there’s a third notable minigame as well, called “Zwei Shooting.” It’s a classically styled shoot-em-up (also known as a “shmup,” if you’re rad), and it’s playable (in all Japanese versions of Zwei!! and in Zwei: The Arges Adventure alike) via an arcade cabinet in one specific town. This town has three other arcade cabinets right next to Zwei Shooting’s, but none of them actually have any games attached to them: one just shows you the instructions for Zwei Shooting, and the other two are literally just there for decoration. So we decided, why not assign the “Typing of Ys” and “Mona, Mona” minigames to two of the unused arcade cabinets? And while we were at it, we decided to make them playable right from the start, so as soon as you get to this town, you can play either (or both) of these minigames to your heart’s content! (Which means the conditions for unlocking them in the Japanese version now net you something else entirely, of course…)

Feature: Guiding your pet through dungeons and collecting items via the “Pet Monitor” app.

How it works in the 2001 Japanese release: Once again, this is a “desktop app” that you can run only via the game’s launcher, though this one is available anytime after you’ve acquired a pet in-game. This particular app, however, is largely passive, as your pet meanders through town and into dungeon areas, only occasionally reaching a crossroads or being forced to make some other binary decision (Go left, or go right? Fight the wildcat, or run away? Enter this new dungeon area, or go back home?). When the time comes to make one of these decisions, the pet will turn to face the camera, and you’ll be given the two possible options to select from. Mouse over the one you want (or wait a few seconds and let your pet make up its own mind), and then just keep on watching as the adventure unfolds. Your pet’s exploits can ultimately net it level-ups that will help it be a more effective AI companion during battle in the main game, or perhaps it can net you some extra food items to be used in your own adventures (which are transferred to the storage chest in Pokkle and Pipiro’s house next time you load a save-game).

How it works now: Once again, since there’s no launcher anymore, there’s no more Pet Monitor desktop app. What there is, however (and I’m going somewhere with this, I swear!), is the ability to leave your pet behind at Pokkle and Pipiro’s house as you go off on your journey. This option exists in the original Japanese version too, but there doesn’t seem to be any reason to ever make use of it – there’s never a time when leaving your pet at home would be more beneficial than bringing it with you. But now, it all makes sense! If you leave your pet behind, the Pet Monitor app will automatically appear as part of the HUD when you leave Puck Village, and it will remain on display (with the option to minimize it) the entire time you continue your adventure. So while you’re off fighting monsters and winning back your stolen macguffins, your pet is out somewhere in the same set of dungeons at the same time, finding treasure and fighting wildcats! And any time one of the Pet Monitor’s binary decisions appears on the screen, you may either mouse over the desired option to select it as before, or – if you’re in the heat of battle and can’t put your controller down, for instance – press the L2 or R2 button to select one of the two options without ever having to disrupt your flow. Finally, when you return to Puck Village, the Pet Monitor will automatically minimize as your pet hurries home to pretend like nothing ever happened. It’s the very model of efficiency, and adds a whole new level of meta-gaming to your journey!

There’s plenty more to discuss, as there have been a bevy of other adjustments made as well (not just mainstays of PC production like widescreen support and achievements, but also simple yet welcome tweaks like the addition of a single button to open the inventory screen, or the streamlining of the game’s formerly rather cumbersome shop functionality). But this blog entry is already quite long, and some of the additions we’ve got on tap are directly tied to the game’s text in some manner… so those are stories best saved for next time around!

Until then, take care, and remember: if you tweeted about this blog entry on behalf of XSEED Games, chances are you Arges.*

…What can I say? When it comes to puns, I’m all about the low-hanging fruit, because it’s just so Ysy. So try not to Mona Mona too loud about it, and just keep on Monitoring this Tumblr for future updates!

Pipi, cheeri-ro!

*Note: This is actually not the case, as the person who Isges is currently off becoming a Mother 2.0. But the pun was deemed worthy of standing on its own merits, and has thus been left intact for your groaning enjoyment!

#xseed #xseed games #xseed blog #Zwei: The Arges Adventure #long post #post: tom #Falcom

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attickit · 7 years ago

Text

A Kiss of a Dream. [BTSDisneyAUCollab, Jung Hoseok]

HoSeok x Reader(she)

Word count: 2394 words

Genre: Fluff

Triggers: 2 appearances from Fairy “Godparent” Bang ShiHyuk

Notations: This is a second part of a work and also part of a collaboration that can be found here. Now done with the serious part, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. I believe that I have filled up the quota of my fluff tank for the rest of this year and half of next year so yeeaah. Any updates after this will probably be angsts. Thank you @angustdtt again for the invitation to this collaboration. It has been amazing. Also, more love to @aichan11, @hoeseok, @hobbitoh, @bangtaninspired and last but definitely not my least @rielleria. Such lovely ladies that are part of this collaboration. I am being sappy but I love you all very much. I am also very cheesy in this fic for some reason. So enough of my rambling, go ahead into this choice.

Collaboration Masterlist.

“I. What?” You wobble around still feeling the after effects of the last door.

Your magical godmother holds you stable by your shoulders. He sighs slightly as he leads you back to your work desk. You settle down in your chair. You see the fun little sleep screen on your desktop bouncing making time a reality once again.

“I forgot that you were hungry before your journeys. Here, have a sandwich.” Bang ShiHyuk places a plate in front of you, accompanied by a steaming cup of tea. “Eat up.”

You take the offer. There is too much in your head, nothing in your stomach. All the memories of each of the different people you have met. Prince or not, romantic or not, there were so many people you met that made this feel too overwhelming.

A choice. It is one that you have to make. You already feel the pain in your heart. It feels like something of sadness. Meeting all the different men that each had their own flair. You wish you could get to know all of them, love all of them for their individuality.

You dust off all the crumbs on your lap. Your sigh is loud as you reach for the tea. You turn and look at person who started this all. He has a soft caring smile, one that reminds you of both your father and mother oddly.

“Feeling better now?” You nod quietly. “I do not want to rush you to choose one of them deary, but do you have one in mind, my child?”

Again, each of them appear in your head. JiMin’s shy care in taking extra attention to you. JeongKook’s straightforward adventurous nature. Jin’s charms and wit. The pull of Yoongi’s mystery. TaeHyung’s daring but soft-hearted demeanour. The seeking familiarity of kind HoSeok. The brave and strong-hearted NamJoon. All of them were amazing in their own rights.

You sip your tea quietly with your thoughts raging from one to another. Picking one against the other is unbelievably hard. Your heart finds its way to a name that comforts you. Knowing is something that made you smile. The warmth spreads within you.

“I feel,” You look at Bang ShiHyuk. He is patient for your answer and it is something your choice has as well. “I feel that I would like to try spending my time with HoSeok.”

A proud smile grows of your fairy godparent’s face. He stands immediately and begins to pick the cup out of your hands and clears the plate as well. He gives you your bag and stands you up.

“HoSeok will love you for all you are, sweet child. It is getting very late.”

You follow him out of the office building. As you step out of the building, you are hit with the hustling of the street even though it was one in the morning. Bang ShiHyuk tells you that you will meet HoSeok once again soon. Your phone rings. You pick it up knowing it is your friend.

“Y/n! Where are you!? You said you would be here an hour ago.” You hear the pumping music behind her as she screams at you through your mobile.

You see Bang ShiHyuk motioning to his wrist. “It’s late. I don’t think I’m going.”

“But you promised!”

“I know that but after my whole office ordeal, I don’t think I’ll be much of good company there. I am really tired. I’ll make it up to you with brunch a that place you always wanted to go tomorrow.”

The music behind your friend still blares from your phone. Bang ShiHyuk is by the road side trying to flag down a cab. Your friend is quiet, possibly trying to contemplate the offer with a half-drunk mind. A cab is flagged down when your friend finally answers.

“Because I love you so so very much, I’ll let this go. I am dragging you for brunch later this day. So, night night Sleeping Beauty and I shall see you later.” She hangs up and you are ushered into the cab.

“Take faith, take hope. Sleep well tonight my child.”

A chirping melody wakes you up hours later. Your hand reaches out to your bedside table thinking it is your alarm. Your hand hits the wood and soon it touches cold metal. Your eyes open and see a bunch of notes and coins placed on top of a note. Your head is hazy from last night, reaching home late. Your body aches as you pull yourself out of the warm comfort of your blankets. The chirping from before is now a long figment of your imagination.

You yawn as you pick up the note to read. Your eyes adjust to the light and the messy handwriting. You recognise the name it was signed off under.

Keep your change, Y/n. It can pay for a coffee in the morning. With love of your Fairy Godparent, Bang ShiHyuk.

“Oh, god. Last night was not a dream?”

You almost feel a heart attack hit you. A name appears in your head and you find yourself calming down just a little. Other names appear after and you feel a little sad. Maybe, if you find yourself in a situation, you could ask Bang ShiHyuk for a favour.

Your phone rings this time and you pick it up immediately. “Hello?”

“Good morning, Y/n!” Your friend exclaims on the other side of the line.

You wonder how the girl can be so cheery and immune from hangovers in the morning. Your smile grows anyway and ask her about what it is she wanted.

“Don’t tell me you forgot you promised me brunch?”

“No. I didn’t.” You roll your eyes even though she could not see you.

“Good! I’ll pick you up at our usual coffee shop in about an hour. Get me a latte too. Bye bye.”

She hangs up before you could say anything else. Your eyes focus on the money on the bedside table. You thank the magic man for the extra change as you stand to get ready for the day.

With the money in your wallet, you get your butt to the coffee shop down the street. Your eyes roam the menu. Nothing piques your interest which leaves you to order only your friend’s drink. Coffee in the morning would be good for your still booting up system but nothing seems interesting enough for your stomach.

You stand next to the collection counter. The coffee shop is quieter than its usual hustle bustle during the weekdays. Being Saturday, the majority of the population should be sleeping in.

You look around and your eyes catch the eyes of a dark-haired man. He looks shocked at the eye contact. He moves out of the queue and walks towards you. His face is softly beaming pink. You recognise the awkward smile and shifting dark cocoa brown eyes.

“I would like to first apologise for staring back there. It’s just, well, I. I. Have we met before? I, I feel like we’ve met before.” His words stumble atop each other.

You laugh at his attempt of trying to get to know you. “I am not sure. I feel it too, like from a dream but you can never be too sure with those.”

You remember the words he told you back in your adventure. You smile at him brightly as he smiles back, reassured about his decision to approach you. His hands fidget with the paper napkins on the collection counter.

“Maybe so. My name is HoSeok. May I know yours?”

You are about to answer when the barista comes over with your latte. He interrupts your conversation but you see the nametag on the brown apron the worker wears as uniform. Bang ShiHyuk. He calls your name as he pushes the cup of coffee towards you. He has a wink as he walks away from the counter. You laugh.

Thank you, fairy godparent.

“So, y/n. Uhm, may I?”

Your attention is pulled back to the handsome man in front of you. Your voice is soft and cautious like the first time. “May you?”

“May I give you my number so that I may get to know you more?” His fingers are still playing with the paper napkins. “I did not have the intention of picking you up in this morning, I swear. You don’t have to.”

The same sweet kindness is there and your heart flutters. “I accept, kind sir.”

HoSeok’s eyes light up. His hand searches for something to write with. The same barista who gave you your latte appears and slides him a marker pen. HoSeok thanks him with a laugh and scribbles his number on a napkin. He gives it to you quietly.

“I’ll wait patiently. It is still up to you if you would like to contact me.”

His smile is wide and inviting. You are tempted to lean in a give him a peck on the cheek. The door to the coffee shop opens with a ding and your name is unceremoniously shouted into the shop. Your cheeks colour in embarrassment. You say your goodbye and head towards your friend. You shove her latte at her. Your eyes glance back to HoSeok who has leaned himself against the counter with a lovestruck smile on his face.

“So, who was that?” Your friend nudges you.

“No one. No one of your business.”

She lets it go. Your heart flutters thinking about contacting HoSeok soon. Your friend leads you to her brunch location. Her enthusiasm just grows as she describes it to you. A Disney themed little place. Oh, how wonderfully on the nose, you laugh at yourself.

The place itself is quaint and small. You and your friend are seated near a small stage. It is a themed bar that serves brunch in the day before its preparation for nightlife activities. The sparkle in your friend’s eyes causes you to smile at how happy she is to have brunch here. You get your orders taken before entering conversations about nothing and everything. Behind you, you hear rustling and hushed murmurs.

A man gets on the small performance area with a slightly whining microphone. “Sorry about that. Good morning to all our patrons today. The performance was delayed today due to certain circumstances but now we are able to begin. I am Samson and I shall be your musician for this lovely morning. I will invite the singer for today on stage.”

Your friend smiles and nudges you. She points towards the stage noticing something that you have not. You turn to look and the sight invites a gasp to escape from your throat. HoSeok is on stage, half arguing with Samson about something. It then hits you where the name sounded so familiar. HoSeok grabs the mic and begins his little speech. His eyes catch yours and his heart shaped smile grows.

“Good morning for brunch huh? I am HoSeok and I will be your singer for today. Continue with your meal for we are only here to fill the space. We are here to entertain. If you do not mind, be our guest.”

The Disney song plays. HoSeok performs with all his heart and gives you a glance more often than he should. You cannot help but laugh or giggle as the man prances about in his showmanship. Your meals arrive. The ambiance was lovely. The songs make the place seem even more lively. The other customers have smiles on their faces as they watch HoSeok run the place.

Another song fades out and HoSeok begins talking again. “I would like to sing a song for someone however I am not sure if she would like me to.”

HoSeok has those anxious eyes on you, asking for a permission that he would always ask before doing something that would affect you directly. He knows you would say yes but he asks anyway. It is like a courting game between the both of you. You nod softly.

“Thank you, my lady. This next song has my entire feelings that I hope will be understood.”

Samson picks up his violin and plays the melody.

“I know you,

I walked with you once upon a dream.”

His eyes are locked on yours. You can hear the giggle from your friend but it feels like it is just you and HoSeok. It feels just like the both are you in the woods in each other’s arms, time standing still.

“I know you,

The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam.”

He holds out his hand to you with a smile in his voice. You place yours in his and stand. He pulls you close while intertwining your fingers together with his.

“Yet I know it’s true,

That visions are seldom all they seem.

But if I know you,”

His eyes take to roaming your features. He leans closer and leans his forehead on yours. You feel yourself move with him in a soft swirling sway.

“I know what you’ll do.

You’ll love me at once,

The way you did once upon a dream.”

The song fades out again. You hear the crowd around you sigh in awe. You are giggling as HoSeok kisses your fingers in his hand. The mic is long forgotten. You hear Samson sighing on stage.

“Well, I wonder.” He smiles.

“I wonder,” you smile. “I do wonder.”

Both your hands are now intertwined with his, not wanting to let go. It does not even matter that in truthful fact that you have met him just less than the hour ago. It feels just right.

“May I, Y/n?”

“Yes, please.” Your breaths mingle. “Please HoSeok.”

It is soft, asking. He is always asking, searching, finding something in you. The soft pecks soon meld together in a sweetness like the whipped cream on the pancakes you just had. You break apart laughing hearing the crowd around you clapping and whistling. Well, it was mostly your friend doing the whistling.

“I don’t know what it is about you that makes me already know you yet have no clue to who you are. I am slowly falling. I hope it is the same for you. To fall for you is like rediscovering myself in a different eternity. So may I, may I be with you in this one?”

#btssunshinenet #btsdisneyaucollab #happyeverafter #sfwbangtan #jhs-network #jung hoseok #Lycanhearted works #aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

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