#mechanic jin

[cordiallyfuturedwight]

missing jin hours (1/??)

[rooftopdaigos]

[ladyartemesia]

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Characters who are so done with this shit. (Part1/?)

Kieta Hatsukoi

Semantic Error

Minato Shouji Coin Laundry

Love Mechanics

Behind Cut

History 2: Crossing The Line

About Youth

Kabe-Koji

My favorite bl-tropes collection, in no particular order.

[travalerray]

this guy is so funny. Jin Ling clearly has been fine all these years. "Jiang Cheng doesn't know how to raise kids", pls. I know you don't want to let go of a specific idea of your shidi but this is just so. Do you think Mr. Bully the kid was saving Jin Ling's ass all those years???? I'm.

[r95irth]

IF MDZS was a TV reality show PART 2

Jin Guangyao is very proud of his half-little brother.

His pride last for a grand total of 4 months until the Yiling Patriarch came to kick his ass anyways. Then he was not proud and not amused anymore.

JGY : This is not what Xuanyu would want you to do!!!

WWX : What about i Do it ANYWAYS?

JGY : ...*turns to JWY* you know what i'm finally relating to your struggle handling him as your subordinate.

JWY : ...thank you.

JGY : I'm still going to destroy you emotionally before going down.

JWY : WHY???!

[infinitemonkeytheory]

If you're wondering why competitors don't just rely on prescription glasses, it's because your eyesight can actually change over the course of the day. You're dealing with both fatigue and changing light conditions. The adjustability of the mechanical iris allows you to compensate for that.

[rinbylin]

施主噩梦？是思梦。梦见从前的事。 Did you have a nightmare? It was just a dream. I dreamt about the past.

[hanakihan]

you know reverse AU is hilarious because jinchul is definitely the type to ignore the system (or literally doing bare minimum until proceeding seriously) and just using his summons for office work or monitoring (and people are actually terrified how well informed and quick on his legs Chief is)

will he be sending at least one of his summons to monitor each gate KHA owns? maybe will make them do reports on what happened to wheeze, as well as keeping track of S ranks

man literally recruited Kamish to be his therapy pet (and adviser)

plz other summons welcoming new ones with completely zero enthusiasm and death in their voice being like ‘welcome to the club, buddy, you’ll get used to it’

Igris and Beru are probably the rare ones who are more than happy to assists with boring office politics lmao

ALSO PLZ ASHBORN WANTING TO HAVE A LONG BORING LORE DUMP TALK AND JINCHUL IS LIKE ‘Sorry to interrupt you Sir, but I’m already running late. Can’t it wait or can you be quick about it?’

[bigkijan]

When I'm working on the machines, I can't help but give them names and talk to them. When they break down, it breaks my heart. I actually sometimes cry about the machines I couldn't save, as if they were a patient...

-Jin T.

[adhdo5]

Donghua rewatch weather update: so first time around I was struck by JL's sword technique and watching it again + going back to see it again a few times I'm figuring out what stuck out to me about it: he keeps making these huge wide swings that he doesn't have the balance for, keeps stumbling forward about. It's been 3 billion years since I studied sword even somewhat similar to the jian everybody* uses and obviously neither the genre in general nor the donghua in specific are going for anything remotely close to biomechanical realism (the double jumping, the guqin playing), but his strikes seem excessively Going For Wide even compared to other swordfights, and I'm thinking abt how like . He canonically looks up to Jin Guangyao and Jiang Cheng as the coolest cultivators in the world and both of them use weapons that strike wider than a jian

Anyway considering Jin Ling attempting consciously or not to emulate the feel of how he sees Hensheng or Zidian strike but doing so with a weapon that doesn't do that. Manythoughts.png

[twilightarc-gm]

Repeating Themes in MDZS, a Headcanon for Jin Guangshan

Have you heard of Human Cauldrons?

Caibu (采补) can be translated as “Plucking to Nurture”. The idea was that a person could greatly increase their cultivation by plundering the vital energies of their partner during sex. A male doing this to his female partner (as was usually the case) was said to be “Plucking Yin to Nurture Yang” (采阴补阳). It added a connotation of rape to dual cultivation, since it was victimizing and especially since young girls were seen as prime targets to “plunder”.

You kind of see similar concepts to this in other xianxia that delves more into "Evil Ways" (Mo Dao). Basically, the taking of vital energy from a human unable to defend themselves to increase the power of the user.

Things we know about Jin Guangshan:

Appears to be between 30 and 40.

Handsome.

Fucks around alot.

Is very interested in unorthodox ways to gain power.

At the time of his death, he looked sickly.

Other things we know from MDZS.

With proper addition of radicals, a spell can be reversed from its intended purpose.

Jin Guangyao had access to Wei Wuxian's work and would know this.

Jin Guangyao held some responsibility for pulling his father from the whore houses, so had means to know where Jin Guangshan was and what his preferences were.

All that being said, what's my heckin' point?

My headcanon is that Jin Guangshan was using working ladies as Human Cauldrons to keep his own vitality up and increase his cultivation. I further headcanon that this technique he probably used is a secret of the upper echelons of the Lanling Jin, and like all taboo-adjacent techniques, parts of the whys and how-tos may have been lost over generations, as mastery diminished due to secrecy.

Additional supposition:

Jin Guangyao likely had access to a lot of secrets around Lanling Jin. Maybe even access to some manuals about sexual practices to keep Jin Clan Leaders healthy and going for a long time.

Anyway, it would make sense that Jin Guangshan would spread his favor around so that it's not obvious what he is doing, as the working ladies may begin to look as if they have aged faster. Yes, he's probably also naturally fickle, but both can be true and feed on the other.

Madam Jin honestly dodged an arrow on that one, though I am not sure she was entirely unaware. If he spends all his time politicking, partying, and fucking, then when does he cultivate? 🤔 I like to headcanon for her that she suspected him using unorthodox practices. We know she "struggles with depression" for a few years before succumbing to her own death. Given that she didn't seem to have a lovely relationship with her husband, potentially her misery might include sympathy for the girls Jin Guangshan tried to consume in his own efforts to cultivate.

Hey! But what about the way Jin Guangshan died?!

Part of this headcanon includes Jin Guangyao reversing Jin Guangshan's sexual technique. Maybe with hidden seals on the bed. Maybe with women wearing robes with reversing talismans in them. Jin Guangyao seems resourceful enough to be able to plan for his father to make contact with certain women in certain leisure houses.

The reversal would obviously distress Jin Guangshan, but these are regular women so the amount they can affect him would be minimal. Jin Guangshan would start to lag. He would start to become more irritable. He would start to weaken... become "sickly," if you will. He would possibly fuck around more trying to get back to normal.

And due to this technique being--possibly--inherited practice, Jin Guangshan may not realize every aspect about it. Maybe he convinces himself that there's diminishing returns. Maybe Jin Guangyao played the long game and made sure he would think that? 💛Jin Guangyao💛 does play an altered song for Mingjue for quite a bit before Mingjue succumbs to it.

Anyway, by the time we see the old stallion rut his last, he is already in such bad shape and Jin Guangyao brings in specifically older women to finish the job. Older women that would take a greater share of Jin Guangshan's vitality, by the simple nature of the deficit they have in vitality, due to age.

And they were likely energized by Jin Guangshan, so much so that they apparently go twelve (12) rounds with him before noticing he had succumbed to his fate.

I like this headcanon as it seems even more fitting for how those who practice Evil Ways are inevitably the architects of their own downfall. If Jin Guangshan had just stopped what he was doing, he would have lived.

((Well, until he's killed some other way, oops!))

[manawari]

The Shadow Knight

(honorable mentions bc why not) @i-bring-crack @julyarya @winter-1023

In the public eye, he was just an ordinary civilian. But in the underground. . . He was a complete different person.

Many people looked up to him as the supreme fighter. They admired his fast reflexes, powerful fists as though they were made out of steel, eyes that could look into abyss, and most of all, his ability to take down his opponents as the final blow. There had been reported of incredibly damaged ribs, broken noses, shocking bruises, and others that made the doctors pull their hairs in frustration. They'd ask what was the cause of those wounds, an unfortunate accident — answered by the men who brought in the bodies.

But little did they know, a huge event was going on behind — and below — the outside world. A place that was not for the faint of heart. A place where chaos ruled and existed for the entertainment of many watchers who placed their bets on their chosen fighter. The winner got all the money, of course, which was why the audience must chose wisely between the two participants.

But there was one person majority of the people had come for. . .

Shadow Knight! Shadow Knight! Shadow Knight! They'd shout once the match was about to begin.

Shadow Knight. . . A moniker for someone who had created a throne in the ring. He stole everyone's attention to his body's movements that was hard to look away, it was like a demon had possessed him which was why he brought so much damage and left the arena unscathed. No matter how bigger the opponent was, Shadow Knight would always prove that size never mattered, it was the brute and strength that mattered in the fight.

In each victory he was coated with, there came a price. . . Enemies. People who would track him down, take revenge, and grab the money in his hands. These were the ones who often tried to lurk into his shadow and pounce for attack. He knew beforehand that he would have a target in his head, but not once hindered him from living the life he had in the sunlight.

Whatever happened in the underground, must stay in the underground. . .

"Jin-ah! Wake your brother up!"

"Okay, mom!"

He slept soundlessly under the covers, unaware of the unwanted visitor in his door. He snuggled deeply into his pillow and placed another one on top of his head to keep himself lulled within his slumber. The sounds from the other side of the door remained as faint whispers in his ears, but that was until a heavy impact crashed onto his relaxed body

"GAH!" Jin-woo cried out, quickly curling himself into a ball as his arms flew over to his waist. His teeth gritted against each other when he whirled his head over his shoulder. "Sung Jin-ah!"

"Good morning, brother!" Jin-ah looked down on him with an innocent grin. "Had a nice dream?"

Jin-woo growled. "Come here, you little punk!"

"Mom!!" Jin-ah screamed as she sprinted out of the room with her infuriated sibling in tow.

Jin-woo chased her to the living room and grabbed Jin-ah by the wrist to trap her into his arm and ruffled her hair until it became into a mop of mess. His little sister protested furiously as she wiggled against his grip. Meanwhile, Kyung-hye sighed at her ruckus of children, with one of them being basically an adult in his early twenties.

Once everything had soothed down, the two siblings had settled on the table, devouring on the breakfast their mother had prepared for them. It was as if nothing happened. Except that Jin-woo still had that sour look on his face he constantly flashed at his sister for waking him up in his least favorite way. Jin-ah was unfazed, continuing to eat her breakfast with a broad smile just to annoy her brother.

Their father had passed away due to a tragic accident that was too late to save him from death. It was only a day after Jin-woo had graduated from college. Regardless of the devastating memory, the three of them thrived and healed from the grief, it was fortunate that they hadn't gotten into a problem with finance since Jin-woo was now providing sufficiently for his mother and his sister's studies.

"Jin-woo, are you off to work now?" Kyung-hye asked.

"Yes, mom," Jin-woo nodded. He grabbed his wallet from his backpack and took out a few wons to hand them to his mother. "Here, in case you need something, mom."

Kyung-hye widened her eyes in surprise. "Wow. . . That is a lot! A— are you sure about this, son?"

"Of course." Jin-woo smiled.

"Hey, brother! I, uh, kind of need some money for this science project." Jin-ah let out a timid chuckle. "You don't mind, do you?"

Jin-woo rolled his eyes and gave her what she asked. "I still haven't forgotten what you did earlier."

"None taken." Jin-ah snickered.

As Jin-woo closed the door shut on his way out, Kyung-hye let out a longing smile. She spoke;

"Your brother is truly lucky with his job, isn't he?"

Jin-ah huffed. "As much as I don't usually say it, I agree. He sure has some skills to impress his boss. Not all workers are getting a worthy amount of salary."

Kyung-hye chuckled. "Just like what your father had once said, your brother is unique in his own way."

Being a mechanic in a big company had its own perks, it included high profit and tools provided by the company itself so the workers only had to use them without spending a single dime. However, he had chosen to work at the repair shop the company also owned since it granted more services for customers who wanted to get their vehicles fixed. Although the profit was the same, Jin-woo liked to get his hands busy rather than sitting around in the building's garage, waiting for any of the workers to seek help.

And besides, he liked to have his workplace in a simple environment.

Being in the age of twenty-two had earned him a saving grace from ending up in an overbearing job and problematic finances.

. . . The only con was dealing with atrocious customers. People who were ready to do nothing, but try to ruin his day while he kept a nice expression on his face.

"Knock! Knock! Is anybody here?"

Jin-woo paused from twisting the wrench around the engine, he dragged himself out of the underneath of the car using the wheeled board and got up. He walked toward the awaiting customer, who had a purple spikey hair and a malicious glint in his eyes — Kang Tae-shik. What does he want now? Came a blunt thought.

"Oh, nice. It's pretty boy!" Tae-shik smirked. "Can ya fix my motorcycle? I somehow couldn't go to work with its engines keep malfunctioning."

"Isn't that the reason why you came here?" Jin-woo retorted.

Tae-shik snickered. "No need to get your panties in a twist. Isn't that the right way to treat your customers?"

"Just get out and I'll get your motorcycle done by two days." Jin-woo said and turned around. Suddenly, he was grabbed by the collar of his sleeveless shirt, so he was forced to face Tae-shik.

"Two days? I can't just commute for freaking two days!" Tae-shik snarled.

"Sorry, but that is our policy. Learn to wait."

Tae-shik growled and raised his fist. "I already had a rough morning, don't make it worse, Sung."

"Gonna cry?" Jin-woo's mouth tugged into a grin.

As if it was the last straw, Tae-shik launched his fist at him. Unfortunately for him, Jin-woo blocked it with his own hand and twisted it aside before releasing. Tae-shik yelped at the crack in his wrist and aimlessly moved it around. Jin-woo received a cold glare.

"Urgh, screw this place!" Tae-shik seethed and eyed the mechanic as he walked out of the shop, grumbling. "I'll get you next time."

Jin-woo crossed his arms over his chest. One of the cons of doing his job, dealing with customers like Kang Tae-shik with inferiority problems. There hadn't been a week, or day, where he wouldn't have to witness any of his co-workers or himself resisting rude customers.

But he didn't always use his hands to answer them.

At least that was how far his patience could go.

"Keep doing that and we'll have a low rating," spoke Song Chi-yul, the one who was in charge of the shop. "Everyone knows you are strong, just try not to break someone's bone."

Jin-woo laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, Mr. Song. I'll hold myself back next time."

"That sounds like instead of promising." Chi-yul shook his head, a loose smile forming on his face.

Jin-woo shrugged.

He managed to repair two cars and a motorcycle, not the one owned by Tae-shik obviously, before he was finished for the day. He changed back to his normal clothes and left the establishment. The sun was completely out as the dark blue side of the sky had stretched over the orangish hues. Jin-woo stared at it for a few moments and pulled his phone out to send a message to his mother.

[ I am going out with some of my co-workers. Don't wait up for me:) ]

It was a blatant lie. But, both of his mother and sister would believe it anyways, as he didn't use that "excuse" all the time, so they hadn't grown suspicious of what he was doing.

It was like he was living in two different lives.

One, was a life filled with warmth and happiness he wouldn't waste a second to gain. And the other, was a life that was only for himself and nobody else had to know.

Because little did Kyung-hye and Jin-ah know, there was another place Jin-woo had been getting his so-called salary. . .

A neon-lit door awaited for him a couple of blocks later, two bodyguards stood in the doorway as Jin-woo approached them. They looked at the visitor under their intense gazes and inspected his body. Jin-woo whispered a familiar word to them and the guards' expressions changed, they straightened up and opened the door. Jin-woo entered into the establishment, pulling his hood up to his head, then turned to hidden door in the hallway that would led him to the staircase of his destination.

Music blared to the ceiling with the intertwined smell of liquor and cigarettes wafted across the wild place. People clamored without a care in the world. Lights flashed in various colors to match the ceaseless energy. But they only came for one thing and that was the main attraction which was about to begin.

As soon as the dancing lights stopped and the bigger bulbs had lit up toward the arena, everyone stopped and gathered around the centerpiece of the Underground. They muttered in anticipation and prepared their money for the incoming bet.

Finally, the host made his way to the center and held his microphone. "Ladies~~ and gentlemen! Who is excited for this night's entertainment?!"

They shouted incoherently to the top of their lungs.

"That's what I am talking about!" The host grinned broadly. "Let me introduce our first player! He's one of the scariest humans to ever walk on this Earth, a prime fighter, can crush someone's head with his bare fist, and stands over six feet tall!" The audience clapped and whistled. He proceeded with the name. "Folks, Hwang Dong-soo! A.k.a. . . THE TITAN!"

The crowds cheered and shouted their support for the first introduced fighter. Hwang Dong-soo walked with his chin held high and a bold smirk smeared across his face, he stepped up to the arena and punched his fists at the air above him, shouting louder than the audience to express his confidence.

"And now!" The host raised his voice to get everyone's attention once again. "The contender you've all been waiting for. . . ! The undefeatable champion of the Underground, a demon inside of a human body, won all eighteen matches straight. . . EVERYONE GEAR UP FOR THE SHADOW KNIGHT!"

The watchers went wild. All of them screamed and clapped, even others jumped, for the fighter they all had been waiting for — The Shadow Knight. The contender who had won all their hearts and never failed to feast them with his spectacular moves.

He stood in the entryway. The two fighters found each other's gazes in a burning line in the distance between them. Chills trailed down everyone's spines as silence gradually dawned upon the place, Jin-woo stared at the ferocious face of Dong-soo, who was also the brother of one of the fighters he had previously fought.

"Yikes! I am feeling the tension already!" The host guffawed. "Anyways, good luck, fellas. Place your bets in and may the best fighter win!"

"Woohoo!!!" The audience cheered. Two young ladies began to walk around, holding a bowl for each of the contenders in the stage.

The door was shut behind him in a loud clasp, shortly after the host had walked out of the arena. Jin-woo took a few steps forward and kept a bland expression on his face. Dong-soo growled at the reaction and clenched his large hands into fists before marching forward and took the first launch of attack.

Jin-woo dodged his head away from the incoming fist in a blink of an eye. Dong-soo widened his eyes, but it wasn't long until his ire was beginning to explode through his eyes, so he began to storm punches at his mere opponent — all while his attacks were being avoided and The Shadow Knight not moving his hands even for just an inch.

Filled with aggravation, Dong-soo roared and launched another punch, only then to end up in the same response. . . But the difference was that Jin-woo had the outstretched arm locked between his. His mouth curled into a smirk at the shock in his enemy's face and took it as an opportunity to finally shot his fist at Dong-soo's face.

The crowd caterwauled in cheer.

Dong-soo shook his head as a quick recovery from the retaliation and whirled his head to—

*POW!*

Jin-woo threw a hard kick on the back of his head and headed to the center to wait for the next move. If Dong-soo's anger could make an impact, the floor could've been vibrating already. He had a satisfied grin on his face, as if sensing the boiling hatred in the large man, which was bigger than Dong-suk. Poor man had ended up with two bruises on his head, a black-eye, and a fractured nose when the battle was finished.

Could Dong-soo end in the same state as his brother?

Another thing about this current match— Jin-woo had encounters with men who were Dong-soo's subordinates. It was evident that they worked under him since it happened two days after Dong-suk's defeat. Jin-woo managed to get them out of his tail before the conflict could increase further.

Dong-soo retaliated with full force and Jin-woo successfully blocked his attacks, along with agile swerves. He had been fighting in this rink eighteen times — nineteen, counting Dong-soo — and had encounters in the outside, so he practically memorized each move and knew where to aim without an analysis. Fighting was no longer foreign to him, if anything, he liked to consider this as a secret hobby.

Eventually, Dong-soo managed to pin Jin-woo down. His ripped arm interlocked around his neck. The crowd let out a gasp at the unexpected sight. Jin-woo grunted against the firm grip.

"Gotcha now, you bastard," snickered Dong-soo.

Jin-woo let out a smirk. "Your confidence never ceases to amuse me."

Then, he sprang his head up to crash his forehead against Dong-soo's face and kicked his foot against his leg. Jin-woo pushed his weight up to pin Dong-soo against the floor this time and wasted no second to crash his knuckles at the face without a pause.

"Shadow Knight! Shadow Knight!" The crowd chanted.

Jin-woo kept slamming punches until he finally stopped, but only concluding it with a strong blow before he got up. His left hand fidgeted after the strenuous move and had bits of blood on them. Dong-soo's face was damaged and bruised, his ichor sticking out of his cheek and a gradual flow from his nose.

He's weaker than I expected. Jin-woo though, caressing his bruised knuckles.

But part of him had a strong inkling that the battle hadn't ended yet. Not when Dong-soo was famous for knocking people out in one blow. Jin-woo turned around and pulled his hood up.

Even the crowd was silent.

Jin-woo turned around, deciding to count up to sixty before he could leave the ring.

Forty-three, forty-four, forty-five, forty-six. . .

Then, all of the sudden, the audience went wild once again. Heavy footsteps headed toward his direction. Just as Jin-woo turned his head, he was greeted with a surging punch. . . Luckily, he managed to dodge, so the fist had crashed onto the barrier that surrounded the ring. Jin-woo quickly grabbed Dong-soo by the neck and fired a powerful kick from his knee to knock the face out.

Blood dripped on the flooring, but Jin-woo didn't pause there. He punched Dong-soo's torso and clashed his foot at one of his legs, also hitting his elbow at the arm, then grabbed the back of the head to slam his opponent on the ground face-first. It was enough to shook the entire floor.

"Give up, Hwang Dong-soo?"

Dong-soo growled and reached out his hand, but Jin-woo grabbed it and twisted his wrist. Dong-soo cried out. Unfortunately. . . Jin-woo still didn't stop there.

He cracked Dong-soo's arm with his foot.

The winner had been declared.

The audience went insane. They clapped for their supreme fighter's victory. Jin-woo caught the door being opened and a couple of men strode in to pick up the defeated body. The host joined in and supported the crowd with their cheers, gesturing to Jin-woo, The Shadow Knight, to present his glory.

"Wow! Couldn't the fight be more intense? The Shadow Knight rules this ring once again!" The host celebrated and patted the victor's shoulder. "We have already placed the money in your bag, so enjoy your whole batch!"

Jin-woo let out a smile. Finally, he could go home now.

"Ah-hem!" Someone from the crowd cleared his throat loudly. The person raised his hand. "I would like to fight Shadow Knight."

All eyes fell upon the challenger.

"Are you kidding me?!" The host gasped. "Someone actually challenged Shadow Knight?! Well, this night couldn't be better! Alright, everyone, place your—"

"Actually," the man stepped up to the front. His muscled arms crossed over his chest. "I'd like to challenge him for free."

Jin-woo parted his lips in surprise. Nobody had challenged him for another round. . . What was more surprising, this man had no desire to be paid.

Nonetheless, it was settled.

The new opponent had entered the arena. He was tall and muscular, but no bigger as Dong-soo. He had orange hair and had sideburns on his cheeks. Jin-woo hadn't seen this man in his life, but he could tell this opponent of his must be a very strong fighter as well.

Surprisingly, before starting the fight, the man had offered his hand out to Jin-woo with a grin.

"May the best fighter win." He said.

Jin-woo stared at the hand before reluctantly accepting it. "You too."

"My name is Baek Yoon-ho." His opponent smirked this time. "Please to meet you, Shadow Knight."

Before he could even blink, Yoon-ho yanked his hand and sprang his knee against Jin-woo's stomach. It was hard. . . Too hard.

Jin-woo grunted and let out a scowl before launching his punch at Yoon-ho in retaliation. However, the latter blocked it and fired his fist at Jin-woo's cheek. The crowd gasped at the sight — Shadow Knight receiving a counterattack from a volunteered opponent?

What the hell?! Jin-woo widened his eyes. Who is this guy?

In fairness, Yoon-ho had a built of a fighter, therefore he must've known how to throw a punch and retaliate with more power. But what was his reason to step into the challenge? Show off his power to the crowd?

Jin-woo didn't want to lose. No, he never fell into defeat. And he wouldn't allow himself to come home with a scratch on his face either.

To make matters worse, Jin-woo hadn't landed a single hit at his new opponent. Yoon-ho kept avoiding and blocking. It made his blood boil. How is this even possible? A random stranger volunteered himself out of the blue and turned out to be a monstrous fighter. . . Jin-woo wanted to get this over with, but he also wanted to end the night as the victor.

Then, just when Jin-woo finally had his hand on Yoon-ho's neck, a siren blared out. He froze. The crowd quickly disintegrated and rushed out to the exit doors hidden in the place. Jin-woo was about to move away, but Yoon-ho slung his arm around his neck and forced him on his knees. Men clad in dark outfits came rushing down the stairs whilst the crowd completely disappeared.

What the hell is going on?!

"Not bad for a fight. We should spar sometime." Yoon-ho grinned.

Jin-woo scowled. "Just who do you think you really are?!"

"So it is the infamous Shadow Knight." A new voice cut in.

It was an old man. With grey hair and a beard, but he also had a scar crossing over his nose. He was followed by two other men, holding authority in his presence, but they only brought confusion to Jin-woo. As well as Yoon-ho, who must've been part of this plan.

"Let him go, Mr. Baek." The old man ordered.

Yoon-ho obliged. Jin-woo panted for air and got up, meeting the old man's eyes with a snarl. "Care to explain what is going on? Why do I feel like this is a set up?"

"I am Go Gun-hee. Please to meet you, son." He introduced himself. "And to answer your question— yes, this is a set up."

"Unbelievable."

Gun-hee chuckled. "May I ask who you are, Shadow Knight?"

"With all due respect, it is none of your business, sir." Jin-woo said. Suddenly, he was yanked by his jacket.

"The elder is asking you a damn question." Yoon-ho growled.

Jin-woo rolled his eyes. "Easy there, tiger," he glanced at Gun-hee. "I'm Sung Jin-woo."

"Mr. Sung, I'd like to give you an offer." Gun-hee reached to the inside of his blazer and pulled out a card to hand to Jin-woo. "Work for me."

Jin-woo stared at the card, it was grey and had a symbol above the acronym 'H.U.N.T.E.R.S'. He eyed at it blankly and looked up to the old man.

"No." He answered. Plain and simple.

Yoon-ho widened his eyes. "What?"

"You can ponder about it if you want. I am not rushing you, Jin-woo." Gun-hee told him. "Just give this number a call once you made a decision."

"I said what I said." Jin-woo adjusted his jacket. "Now, if you excuse me, sir? I need to be home."

He began walking to the door.

He was no insane person to accept a "job offer" from someone who had butt into the place and placed a subordinate to blend into the crowd just to make him fall into a trap afterward.

"This can benefit for your family. You know, you have a mother and sister, am I correct?"

Jin-woo halted.

How in the world did—

Driven by his shock, Jin-woo whirled around and began to storm toward Gun-hee, only then to find himself pinned against the barrier by one of the bodyguards, who had a vice-like grip on his neck. The guard had a solid gaze even though he wore a pair of sunglasses in such an environment.

"Mr. Woo, go easy on that man. We cannot afford hurting him, can we?"

Jin-woo threw a knee-kick at him, but the bodyguard blocked it with his hand and sent him stumbling back to the center.

"H— how. . . " Jin-woo gritted his teeth. "How did you know?"

"Work for me and you'll know." Gun-hee said, his curving up. "I can use a fierce fighter like you."

"Ha. . . Don't make me laugh." Jin-woo huffed. He sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll think about it. Can you leave me alone now?"

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Sung." Gun-hee dipped his head.

Jin-woo nodded and made his way to the door, not without flashing a death glare at the bodyguard who had laid his hands on him earlier.

He left the establishment and saw four cars parked in front. He ignored it and adjusted his bag on his shoulder as he continued to walk across the street, thoughts running in his mind like a spinner wheel. Those people had crossed the line for mentioning his family. Were they worthy to be trusted? Jin-woo didn't think so.

Job offer my ass. He had only chosen this whole Shadow Knight as a hobby, something he would join if he felt like he wanted to get his hands dirtier than fixing an engine, and the price would have his family thrive without worries.

But if he was to accept the offer. . . Would the price be worthier?

[travelers-of-the-multiverse]

It was another day for Reyna, trying to find more of herself, and understand her budding powers as a goddess, or something more. Meditation, in a closed room, with nothing but the sound of her own breathing keeping her company. Her thoughts focus on her attachment, her belief, and her actions in regards to keeping life safe and what it means to live.

Of course, that all came crashing down when there was a sudden loud knock on the door.

"L-Lady Reyna, please, you must come see this!" A magister's voice echoes from the other side.

She sighs, as there always has to be something. "What is it?" She asks, as she opens the door.

"I...I can't properly explain, it's best seen." He says. Curious, Reyna follows the Magister outside. And there she sees it. Something that surprises the experienced guide even.

A giant tank, towering over the palace even, outside of Arx. It wasn't hard to see, due to the size of it. But that wasn't what surprised her most.

No...it was the signs that children were coming out of it.

"...What...the FFFFFFFFF-" She starts, barely restraining herself from swearing. She takes a deep breath and lets it out.

"I swear, it's always something terrible..." She mumbles, annoyed, before warping over to the children climbing out of the tank.

"Whaaa!" Most of them shouted when Reyna appeared. They were a mixture of anthropomorphic dogs and cats, and very clearly wildly varying ages. The youngest couldn't be older than four, as she clung to what seemed to be her older brother.

"W...who are you?!" The brother asks, protectively.

"My name is Reyna. I apologize for my sudden appearance frightening you all." She says, as she kneels down to look less scary. "Where did you all come from? And why were you in that tank?" She asks.

The kids introduced themselves each: Malt, Hanna, Kyle, Boron, Socks, Mei, Hack, Chick, Sheena, Jin, Wappa, and Britz. They were the pilots of this tank, called the Taranis, and were trying to save their families. But suddenly, the Taranis glowed brightly and was warped away somehow.

Reyna had half a mind to just go back to their world, kill the Berman Officers, and be done with it. But, she thinks back to how her interference might be a hinderance than a boon. So, the most she can do is the rework the Taranis' teleportation function so that they can warp back home easily.

"It won't take you directly to your families, just last where you warped away from your world. I wish I could help more." Reyna tells them. She feels terrible, these children are going to war, and she's basically sending them back into it. Yet, when she looks upon their determined faces, she thinks...they can make it through this.

Mei happily bounces over and hugs Reyna's leg. "Hehehe, thanks lizard lady!" She says.

"...Think nothing of it, Mei. And please, call me Reyna." She says, gently petting the little dog girl's head.

With that, the children board the death machine again, and a golden light shines around it. With that, the Taranis is gone from the sight of Arx.

"...I'll help you from afar. I swear, none of you will suffer again." She promises aloud.

[malewifehenrycooldown]

I say that I’m trying to learn amane’s gameplay and I do get it, however it’s more so that my brain defaults to playing (and thinking) as a rushdown character compared to playing a zoner - which is what aname is. Like his only real option for close combat is his drill special attack, and another special move but most of what he has is just long ranged attacks. Maybe if I played more zoner characters in fighting games then perhaps I might be able to get the hang of him a little more but we’ll have to wait and see.

[theinfinitedivides]

so exactly what the f*ck is it with buying slippers and ripping my heart out in k-dramas. someone tell me exactly what it is bc Jang Hyun completely shutting down to shield himself from opening up to Gil Chae even further by diverting the conversation about her dream with the assumption that she asked him to buy her slippers before then asking her to lie to him (in so many words) so he can use this as an excuse to not leave is THEE genderswapped!Joseon semi-parallel of Park Dong Hoon standing in the middle of the road basically confessing to Lee Ji Ahn by saying he's not going to fire her or stop talking to her and then asking her to buy him slippers again as (surprise surprise) an excuse