#more coming soon chat

[inksheeep]

Guide dog/Blind EJ HCs under the cut ^^

Small disclaimer: I am not visually impaired beyond having thick ass glasses,, I tried doing research but EJ is obviously different than a human being with blindness and if I get anything wrong or forget to mention anything, please add on in the comments/reblogs with your own ideas! :]

-> Jack technically can see heat signatures, by clicking his tongue or making any kind of chit chat similar to echolocation.

-> However, seeing pure reds, oranges and blues can be VERY overwhelming, especially in the sunlight. Which is why he hunts in the dark, easier to see the warmth of people.

-> He still wants to function in the daylight, so he has a white cane that he put a plastic chain on for the ☆aesthetic☆

-> He wears glass eyes when outside, which makes him blend in incredibly well especially with his long emo hair.

-> His guide dog is a german shepherd-lab mix, and has enough energy to keep up with him when off-duty, considering Jack's inhuman-ness, while still having the intelligence to relax with him and be in work mode.

-> Feel free to give names for the doggie :3

-> He has a dog AND cane because depending on the day and his needs, sometimes he only has the dog, sometimes only the cane, sometimes both. He doesn't take the dog on missions or hunting for obvious reasons.

-> He has labels and can read braille because he does enjoy cooking meals for himself, and still has some memory left from before his eyes were removed, so he can use a knife and stuff like that with practice. And the labels make him independent, which is the most important part, and make some kickass techwear outfits.

-> Since screens dont have heat signatures to show you what's happening (I assume, I'm not that smart), when the proxies have movie nights, they try to choose movies that Jack had seen in the past, so he can enjoy them, or if it's based off a book, he listens to the audiobook (that's the main way he consumes media, along with music)

-> Despite the blindness, he's actually a great cook. He sometimes needs help from Tim when it comes to certain things, but he can pick seasonings and recipes fairly well. It's a good night when Jack is the one cooking dinner. Obviously, he keeps his human meat separate from animal meat, along with separate pots and pans for his own meals as to not cross contain and make the other proxies sick.

[utilitycaster]

I firmly believe that pre-taping has been, overall, good, and that anyone who claims the stream is different than when it was live is fucking making that shit up because it's indistinguishable, with the singular exception of Sam posting The Full Chetney on Twitter 2 minutes after the end of the stream with an admission that he couldn't figure out Reddit.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

The Charles Xavier im not pregnant panel is even more funny with context 😭 like if a girl says to you "you cant have coffee if your pregnant" WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU ASSUME SHE MEANT YOU???? CHARLES YOUR A MAN why would you assume she was talking about you 😭

cmon anon we've established he got reasons to be concerned 😔

[ssssssstarnnnights]

Sidney Prescott art (I LOVE HER SM)

[dayas]

The Wicked brainrot is literally taking over so have these songs and lyrics from my On Repeat for some ships and characters!

Thrupple: My Love Mine All Mine by Mitski

Lyrical Highlight: “My baby here on Earth showed me what my heart was worth”/ “Nothing in the world belongs to me but my love, mine, all mine. Nothing in the world is mine for free but my love, mine, all mine, all mine.”

Gliyero: All to Yourself by Emerson Azarian.

Lyrical Highlight: “You got what I need but you’re kinda smothering” / “I know you’re capable but you’re too available” / “Yes, I love you but it’s a living hell.”

Fiyeraba: Fools Like Me by Lisa Loeb

Lyrical Highlight: “If love is blind, if love's a drug, it always is, it always was and love was surely made for fools like me” / “I did, I can, I was, I am only human, living, dying, just like any fool who ever breathed. Maybe it's the sanest thing or just the sweetest kind of dream but love was surely made for fools like me.”

Gelphie: The Black Dog by Taylor Swift

Lyrical Highlight: “That was intertwined in the tragic fabric of our dreaming, ‘cause tail between your legs, you're leaving. I still can't believe it, ‘cause old habits die screaming.”

Galinda: Taste by Sabrina Carpenter

Lyrical Highlight: “If you want forever, I bet you do, just know you’ll taste me too.”

Elphaba: Hurt Feelings by Halsey

Lyrical Highlight: “And in a few years I will leave, but I'll perpetually believe that any man who says he loves me is hiding something up his sleeve” / “Wash me in the water, you can cut off all of my hair and I'll be changing like the weather but I'll never be like him” / “'Cause blood is thick but water is forever and I'm stiffer than a board, lighter than a feather. And that girl will be a problem only if you let her, and I left her back home but I cannot forget her.”

Fiyero: Sweet Delusion by Bella Poarch

Lyrical Highlight: “It's a fantasy, better than being alone. Keep me company, don't you ever let go. Lose my sanity and get lost in the smoke, ‘cause reality is inevitable.”

[sorryiliketoscreenshot]

Meet: Johanna De Riva, better known as Rook

[rinhaler]

hiiiii sorry I left so abruptly thank u to everyone who sent me sweet asks 🥺💕

[seedlessmuffins]

Are you new to hockey and confused about stats? Are you an old hat at this sport but still confused about stats and too scared to ask? Do you think you are proficient in stats and then, all of a sudden, a new acronym comes out of nowhere to re-confuse you about stats?

This season, seemingly more than any other, every other hockey tweet and article mentions an incomprehensible acronym jumble and a percentage sign. With the NHL making more advanced statistics accessible to the public, these different stats seem to have more of an impact than ever on how people talk about and analyze the game, but it can feel like explanations of these numbers and codes are hard to find. 

I’ve written a handy guide to some of the most common stats, talking about what the acronyms stand for, the data that the stat is looking at, and why each stat is important so you can better understand the tweets and articles from all the hockey analysts.

There are three main categories of stats to look at: skater stats, goalie stats, and team stats, and these stats were accurate as of 5:00 pm on Saturday, March 2. 

Skater Stats:

SH%

Shooting % (SH%) is the percentage of shots a player attempted that resulted in goals. This is calculated by multiplying goals by 100 and dividing by shots. This shows a player’s conversion rate, or how many goals they score for every 100 shots. It's useful when looking at goal pace, and whether a skater is just on a hot/cold streak or if their goals are indicative of their average abilities. 

An average shot conversion rate is between 9% and 13%, but skaters can have seasons where more of their shots go in or less of their shots go in. SH% fluctuates from less than 1% to over 20% depending on the skater’s luck. It is also important to look at the sample size. On Natural Stat Trick, if you sort by pure SH%, it shows you that Vasily Ponomarev (CAR) has the highest SH% of the players who have more than 1 goal on 1 shot, with a 33.33% SH%. This is because he has scored 1 goal on 3 shots, so the low sample size inflates his SH%. 

Highest SH%: Sam Reinhart (FLA) with a 25.31% SH% from 41 goals on 162 shots. It would seem like this year, lots of bounces are going Reinhart’s way. 

Average SH%: David Pastrnak (BOS) with a 12.67% SH% from 38 goals on 300 shots. This is league average, despite how many goals and shots he has. 

Lowest SH%: Seth Jones (CHI) with a 0.90% SH% from 1 goal on 111 shots. This is extremely unlucky, his SH% says he is due for some bounces. 

+/-

Plus/Minus is a stat to measure defensive efforts. Every time a player is on the ice when their team scores a goal, they get a +1, whether they are involved in the goal or not. When a player is on the ice when the other team scores a goal, they get a -1. If a player is on the ice for 2 goals for their team and one goal for the other team, they would end the night with a +1. If a player ends the night with 0, they were on the ice for equal amounts of goals for and against. 

However, a disclaimer; +/- is an imperfect stat, and it is not always useful without context. It is a useful at-a-glance stat to quickly see defensive performance, but more context is necessary to see if a player is good defensively or not. This is because +/- is often influenced by factors outside of a player’s control, highly variable factors. Some variables that can influence +/- without player input are goalie SV%, the amount of time the player spends on ice and whether they are spending that time in the offensive or defensive zone, and the amount of time a player spends on the power play or penalty kill. Nick Suzuki (MTL) has a +/- of -14, but he also has the fifth-highest TOI of any forward in the league and has very positive defensive numbers in other areas, such as takeaways and offensive zone time.

Highest +/-: Gustav Forsling (FLA) with +39 in 59GP

Average +/-: Mikko Rantanen (COL) with +5 in 61GP

Lowest +/-: Philipp Kurashev (CHI) with -32 in 53GP

Goalie Stats:

GSAA

Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA) is the difference between a goalie’s goals against and a goalie’s goals against with the same shot against and the average save % (SV%). If you were comparing Goalie A with Average Goalie, who has the same goals against and shots against just an average SV%, GSAA measures how many more (or fewer) goals against Goalie A would save over Average Goalie. 

For example, if Thatcher Demko (VAN) was compared to Average Goalie, with the same goals and shots against and an average SV%, Demko would have saved 6.80 goals more than Average Goalie. This is useful for evaluating how goalies perform compared to the average, as well as how much they need to bail out their team. For example, a goalie like Sam Montembeault (MTL) might have a lower SV%, but a higher GSAA because he faces many more shots than a lot of goalies but saves many of them. This is a good stat to evaluate goalie quality. 

Highest GSAA: Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) is +26.74 GSAA, which is crazy. Hellebuyck is crazy good. 

Average GSAA: John Gibson (ANA) is -1.09 GSAA, the closest to the hypothetical Average Goalie this season. 

Lowest GSAA: Arvid Soderblom (CHI) is -17.34 GSAA, yikes! 

SV%

Save % (SV%) is the percentage of shots against a goalie that a goalie saved. This is calculated by dividing the number of saves by the amount of shots against. This is useful as an initial evaluation of a goalie’s quality and should be used in conjunction with GSAA to evaluate a goalie’s performance more accurately, as SV% doesn’t account for any extenuating circumstances. Igor Shesterkin (NYR), for example, has had some stretches of poor SV% this season. These weren’t entirely his fault, as he was not getting the defensive support he was used to, therefore he was letting in more goals. 

League average SV% this season is around 0.903% and typical SV% ranges from 0.870% to around 0.930%. Similarly to SH%, it is important to look at the sample size for SV%, as the number of shots a goalie has faced can affect their SV%, and can show whether it is just a hot/cold streak or a reliable measure of performance. 

Highest SV%: Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) with a 0.940% SV% by making 948 saves on 1008 shots. 

Average SV%: John Gibson (ANA) with a 0.913% SV% by making 752  saves on 824 shots. 

Lowest SV%: Jonas Johansson (TBL) with a 0.895% SV% by making only 513 saves on 573 shots. 

GAA or GA/G

Goals against per game, known as GAA or GA/G (I will be referring to it as GAA, but different websites use different acronyms), are the average amount of goals per game that a goalie allows. This is calculated by multiplying the goals against by 60 and dividing it by the goalie’s time on ice. This number is indicative of how many goals on average a goalie gives up, which isolates a goalie’s performance and is indicative of how good a goalie is, separate from their defensive core. It is especially useful when looking at good goalies on bad defensive teams, as it isolates the goalie from the skaters. A lower GAA means a goalie lets in fewer goals per game, and a higher one means a goalie lets in more. In this case, a lower number is better. 

Lowest GAA: Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) with 2.23 GAA through 43 games played. 

Average GAA: Jake Oettinger (DAL) with 2.92 GAA through 38 games played. 

Highest GAA: Arvid Soderblom (CHI) with 3.97 GAA through 22 games played. 

Team Stats:

P%

P%, or Points %, is the percentage of available points a team has won. For example, if a team has played 50 games and won all 50, they would have the maximum amount of points: 1.000 because every win is 2 points. Therefore they would have a 100% P%. If they won 40 of those 50 games, they would have 80 points and a 0.800 P%. If they won only 30 games but lost the remaining 20 all in overtime or a shootout, they would also have 80 points and an 80% P%, as OT and SO losses still gain a point. 

P% is useful to look at throughout the season when teams have not played the same number of games. As of the time of writing, some teams have played up to 60 games while other teams have played only 55. When comparing the two teams, P% is a more accurate way to look at the standings, because it levels the playing field when there is a discrepancy in the amount of games played.  

Sometimes people talk about being above or below “500 hockey,” and this is talking about P%! “500 hockey” is when a team has won 50% of the available points. Above 0.500 is usually seen as a positive. There is only one team exactly at 0.500 P%, and that is somehow the Buffalo Sabres!

Highest P%: Florida Panthers, with 0.700 P% from 84 points in 60 games played (wow!)

League Average P%: Washington Capitals, with 0.551 P% from 65 points in 59 games played

Lowest P%: Chicago Blackhawks, with 0.292 P% from 35 points in 60 games played (yikes.)

PDO

If you are a fan of the Vancouver Canucks like I am, you have probably heard this acronym from both the media and opposing fans all season. PDO, also known as “puck luck,” is just adding a team’s combined shooting % with a team’s combined save %. The team’s combined shooting % is the average of the shooting % for all a team’s skaters, and the combined save % is the average of all a team’s goalies. 

PDO is important to know what percentage of a team’s shots are going in the net and how many shots are being saved by the goalies; basically, just puck luck! The average PDO in the league is 100.0, but depending on a team’s SH% and SV% throughout a season, these numbers usually fluctuate between 95% and 105%.

Highest PDO: Vancouver Canucks, with 103.4 from a combined 11.36 skater SH% and a 92.09 goalie SV%, those lucky ducks.

Lowest PDO: San Jose Sharks, with 97.4 from a combined 6.78 skater SH% and a 90.59 goalie SV%. Better find some four-leaf clovers, SJ. 

Corsi/CF%

Corsi is a number that combines any shot attempt outside of a shootout. This includes goals, shots on the net, shots that miss the net, and shots that are blocked by the opposing team. There are two types of corsi, corsi for (CF) and corsi against (CA). CF is the amount of shots that Team A makes on Team B. CA is the measure of how many shots Team B takes against Team A. 

For example, if Team A has 3 goals, 30 shots, and 30 blocked shots or missed shots, their CA would be 63. If Team B scored 2 goals on Team A and also had 20 shots and 20 blocked shots, Team A’s CA is 42. 

Got that? Great! Stay with me for this next part. 

CF% is the important stat, as it measures the percentage of total Corsi while a team is on the ice. It shows how the percentage of CF a team has vs CA. In other words, CF% measures how many more total shot attempts Team A has on Team B’s net than Team B has on Team A’s net. 

Hold on – don’t close the page, I know it’s confusing. Maybe this will make sense with some examples. 

The team with the best CF% is the Carolina Hurricanes, with 59.56 CF%. They have 3468 CF, or total shots, and 2355 CA, or shots the other teams took against them. Of the total goals, shots, and shot attempts on the ice in any Carolina Hurricanes game, the Canes have just under 60% of them. That is an impressive share of the shots. This stat helps you evaluate offensive versus defensive possession, as a high CF% (like the Canes) indicates high offensive possession. The more time spent in the offensive zone, the more goals, shots and shot attempts, and therefore a higher CF%!

Highest CF%: Carolina Hurricanes, as I said, super impressive!

Average CF%: Ottawa Senators, with 50.15% of the total shots on the ice in their games (or just over 50% CF%). Sens the most equal offensive zone vs defensive zone time? Makes sense!

Lowest CF%: San Jose Sharks, with 43.48% CF%. San Jose is not great at controlling play, but what did we expect? 

These are some of the most common stats and acronyms that you will come across in your analytics research, happy reading!

Stats were retrieved via Natural Stat Trick and ESPN’s NHL Player Stats, and definitions were retrieved with the assistance of Natural Stat Trick’s Stat Glossary. 

[todayisafridaynight]

dads and makeup

[kissingarthurclaus]

Ugh I feel like in general I handle art block/burnout really well but every time it happens I'm like man....

[soliusss]

Do not take 18 credit hours if you want to have hobbies guys

[promisesbutnevertokeep]

Twelve days of newtmas 2024- day 4

Lonely in a winter wonderland

Masterlist

it’s a short and sad one, once again sorry it’s late! Btw I know that the safe haven was like an island, but just for this, let’s pretend it can snow there.

Taglist: @griffinclawforlife @elliebellie-isthebest

Trigger warnings: Thomas is sad, newts dead,

Snow fell to the floor, delicately gliding down. Unique, miniature flakes of ice would catch on eyelashes and breath could be seen in the air. If newt were there he’d probably complain about “the bloody cold”, if newt were there Thomas would probably be wrapped up in several layers of clothing so he wouldn’t catch a chill.

But newt wasn’t there. Newt was gone, body distorted by the flare, mind shrivelled and tormented, corpse cold. Just like the winter snow.

Newt was gone, Thomas was alone.

Christmas should be a time of happiness, a celebration of life, a moment filled with joy. It should be surrounded by family, both blood and chosen. But this year, it wasn’t. It was lonely, sad and solemn. Around him was a wonderland of snow, beautifully blanketing the nature with a layer of pure whiteness. So tranquil and soft. all the wildlife had disappeared from view, escaping the bitter cold. the birds flew south, in attempt to find a warmer place to settle till spring, so it was just, lonely.

oh so lonely.

Thomas never liked the quiet before, he thrived in loudness. He craved the chaotic yet comforting cacophony of Christmas chatter, some could say he adored it. Silence was a nightmare for him. It felt overwhelmingly…calm.

[kaoharu]

im comming pazuchan again cause they need samples and im a greedy little fuck for their drvo art

[xxplastic-cubexx]

On the topic of Charles and sports, I bring you Charles playing Murderball! (Wheelchair rugby)

local wheelchair-bound professor shocks students by how visceral he gets during a game of murderball (name unrelated)

[natasha-in-space]

Chain of Memories

Series: A Wilted Daffodil (AO3 link): Ch.1, Ch. 2 (you are here!);

Characters/pairing: Rika/cmc Chaewon Lee, Yoosung;

Chapter summary: After Sally's passing, Chaewon discovers more about Rika's past and finds something in common with her lively younger cousin. A shared discussion about an old photo turns into a recounting of the first meeting that transformed her life.

Credits: picrew by plzdoctorwho, dividers by @/saradika-graphics.

Two weeks have passed since Sally's unfortunate passing. Things were feeling... bleak, to say the least. Chaewon was subjected to a lengthy disciplinary lecture the morning after leaving her nursing post without any care in the world. For the first time in a while, she didn't have a single thing to say in rebuttal, she just listened with her head hung low. After all, she really did act selfish and dangerously irresponsible, there was no doubt about it. She was aware of that. But did she really care? No, not at all. She just felt embarrassed over making a reckless fool out of herself in front of her colleagues like that. She had no desire for any annoying gossip to follow her around, that's for sure. However, she was willing to apologize and accept any disciplinary action that would be taken against her. She was lucky enough to still have her job intact after causing such a huge mess. She wasn't about to start a ruckus over her ego getting hurt.

She would go to Jihyun's place once or twice per week to check on Rika and give her some help, even if it was awkward and clumsy.

It was impossible for Chaewon to stay away. Since this tragedy occurred, Rika hasn't been communicating with her as much as she used to, and she couldn't really hold her friend responsible for that. Aside from a couple of short messages every few days, Rika wouldn't talk much. To anyone, really, not just Chaewon. It was a huge source of worry for her. Even in person, it felt like Rika had all her life sucked out of her: her green eyes were dull and grief-stricken as she would look downwards, not even meeting her gaze once as they talked. Or, more accurately, as Chaewon would go through awkward one-sided monologs, since Rika would barely respond or even listen to anything being said to her, it seemed. It hurt to see her friend so overcome with her own grief like that, and being unable to do anything to ease her sorrow at least a little bit. It seemed like Rika was not fully present, occupied with her own thoughts. Chaewon's doubts about the positivity of those thoughts worried her greatly.

She felt that Jihyun was experiencing some of Rika's pain as well. She felt like he was sharing her hopelessness, but she also noticed a tense anxious aura around him lately: his hands nervously wriggling together and his mint locks looking more messy than they normally did, giving him an unusually disheveled appearance. She could have sworn there were some bags under his eyes as well.

Chaewon was unable to bring it up with him due to her lack of mental fortitude. In addition, he had Jumin to take care of that.

She let out a heavy sigh as she sorted through the many school books stacked on this one shelf, far too small for such a large number of things to be efficiently stored on it. It was an annoying task: finding a specific pair of notes in such a cramped mess. Honestly, this reminded her of her own university days, and how disorganized it felt to step foot into her dorm room. Then again, that was probably just the result of her messy nature, her room was always a completely chaotic mess.

Rika would always pester her about that...

Chaewon wiped that memory away with a single sigh.

She didn't have a plan for the weekend to help Yoosung with his midterms in school, but she was desperate for a distraction from all the doom and gloom that has been happening lately. As his graduation approached, he was as determined as ever to receive good grades and be accepted into a prestigious university. Thanks to Rika's support and motivation, no doubt. While she wouldn't say that she and Rika's younger cousin were friends per se, they were on good enough terms to keep in contact with one another casually. The boy didn't seem to share that sentiment, however, as he would frequently address her as a friend of his, making it easy for her to get the gist.

Perhaps she was not good at making friends. A trait that is not good for a woman in her late 20s. Before Chaewon could get any further into the self-deprecating jokes, though, she finally managed to pinpoint the much-needed biology worksheets, stashed crudely in between a few other textbooks in the corner.

This shelf was a mess, dear God.

"Ugh, finally... Hey, I think I found the-" 

She paused as a couple of photos fell off the cramped shelf and landed on the floor of the apartment. Thankfully, it looked like nothing else was planning on falling down from there. For now. She definitely had no desire whatsoever to clean up a potential mess of school books and paperwork. With an annoyed click of her tongue, she promptly kneeled down to pick up the fallen photos, inadvertently glancing over their contents. This made her stop, though, and a thoughtful look crossed her face. These seemed to be photos of Yoosung and Rika together... a few years back, maybe? She would guess these were taken at some charity event... or volunteer center. Her heart ached to see the bright smiles on both cousins' faces, particularly Rika's.

But... was that smile of hers truly as genuine and bright as it looked in these photos? 

...What a strange thought. 

"-What's up? Did you find them?"

Chaewon was awakened from her momentary trance by the young man's voice, and she quickly realized that she was still in her crouching position, completely absorbed by the two photos that were in her hands. She quickly shook her head, getting back up and dusting herself off, before handing over her findings to Yoosung: "When was this? You look pretty young."

Since she was unable to concentrate on schoolwork, she decided to ask.

Yoosung's eyes widened slightly as he gazed at the two photos, recognition flashing on his face. With a wistful look in his eyes, he took the pictures from her. These must have brought up some memories for him: "Oh... This is... From middle school, I think. Back when I was just getting to know Rika."

"Wait- Middle school? I thought you two knew each other from early on. Aren't you two family?" Chaewon raised her eyebrows in puzzlement as she heard that. Yoosung and Rika's closeness led her to assume they had grown up together as cousins. Of course, she did know that Yoosung and Rika weren't related by blood, but... still, it felt confusing to hear this new information. 

Yoosung shook his head, sat down on his bed, and patted down the area next to him, inviting her to sit down as well. With a newfound interest, she accepted and looked down at the photo he was holding in his hands.

"No, I first met her when I was in 6th grade, actually. At a family diner."

"Huh. Didn’t expect that," Chaewon made a deadpan comment, shaking her head a little.

Yoosung laughed and nodded at her reaction before continuing: "Would you believe me if I told you that I went to her only because I needed to fulfill my school's volunteering requirements? My mom kind of forced me into meeting her, to be completely honest with you."

Chaewon was left in shock as her mouth fell open. This was significantly different than what she had anticipated. With the way Yoosung admired his cousin, she had a hard time picturing him being reluctant to spend time with her at all: "No way."

"Surprising, isn't it?" he laughed, once again nodding in understanding at her baffled reaction. His smile became more wistful as he looked at the photo in his hand and traced a delicate finger over it, "I was in it solely for the volunteering requirements at first... But, she made me see it in a completely different way. I always viewed it all as a pointless waste of time pushed on us students by the school board, but... she made me feel proud of myself, for the first time in a while. Like what I did had meaning."

Chaewon swallowed with a familiar sensation in her chest. The butterflies were both determined and cruel, scratching her ribcage with their wings and demanding freedom. She pushed it all down, as she always did: "...I know how that feels."

"You know, you never told me of how you and Rika first met either. I know you two met in the hospital you worked in, but... Now I'm curious to hear the full story!" the young man chirped, looking up at her expectingly. Yoosung frequently reminded her of her younger brother. She sighed, running a hand through her dark locks absentmindedly. She usually wasn't one for sharing bits of her personal life like this, but... He did just tell her what she wanted to know. The only thing she could do was to repay the favor.

Her shoulders were squared: "Alright, fair enough. It was... untraditional, to say the least."

Sipping on her mediocre cup of coffee, Chaewon sat at her brand new nursing post, taking in the surroundings of the hospital that had become her new home. It definitely felt like that because of the ungodly hours she was assigned to work for the next week or so. Then again, maybe she was being a bit too harsh and spoiled, but she couldn't help how she felt. At least her parents were proud of her for snatching a stable and well-paying job... But, unfortunately, that's where the pros would end.

She had no reason to complain since she was the one who decided to pursue this career path out of resignation. At the very least, this hospital had a gym that was quite usable. She hoped she'd be able to get some exercise done in between her duties. That would help keep her mind off all this self-pity crap.

Chaewon heaved a deep breath and took another sip, relishing in the bitterness the coffee created as it raced down her throat. It was not recommended to drink on the job, so lukewarm coffee from the nearest break room would suffice. Although she would have really liked to go for some whiskey right about now. While she was not much of a drinker usually, sometimes it's the only way to feel a little bit better. It's the only way to sooth the negative thoughts that would constantly swirl around her head.

If you ask her, she would say that she thinks it's pretty pathetic.

Chaewon was aware that it was merely causing a distraction. It wasn't much of a solution. Truth was, she was simply too uninterested to take any action in her situation. So, temporary distractions would have to do for now.

She was pondering whether or not to hide in the break room when she felt the air change. The small breeze that always followed the opening of the door into the hall was probably the cause. She could see a small group of visitors further down the hall, steadily approaching the nursing post. Probably loved ones of the patients on this floor... And, it looked like some of them have already forgotten to leave their coats back in the checking room. Or didn't care about following the guidelines. Great.

Chaewon surveyed the small group of people, quickly taking note of their mood and appearance, while licking her lips. It wasn't hard to do. It's important to mentally prepare for a social interaction before engaging in it.

Until she noticed a woman with long, blond hair, staring back at her with piercing green eyes that were so hard to look away from.

The world around Chaewon seemed to fade away as the young woman's appearance took her breath away. The thoughts that had been swirling around in her head for hours now seemed a hundred light years away...

Oh gosh, she's staring, isn't she? This was definitely not looking good. Shaking off the momentary daze, she quickly redirected her gaze to the first thing that caught her attention at her desk, which were some reports she have been procrastinating on for a few hours now.

Chaewon was not unfamiliar with sudden feelings of attraction right from the spot, but she would rather not engage in them currently. It wouldn't be a good idea to get distracted by a pretty stranger on her first day at work.

That girl was definitely breathtaking, there was no doubt about it. The window's light framed her gorgeous golden locks in such a way that it almost looked like they were glowing, making it hard to resist feeling drawn to her. But there also seemed to be a bit of something else to her. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. That beautiful stranger was intriguing and her looks certainly got her spine tingling, but more than that, she found herself wanting to get to know her… Maybe, just as a friend.

-And such a thought was alarming. 

Chaewon tolerated physical attraction. The whole: 'sleeping with a pretty woman just to get it out of your system' thing. She was content to let some of the women in her life go without as much as knowing their names, even though it was uncommon for such a thing to happen. Because learning someone's name meant asking to learn about them as a person, and asking about them as a person meant getting emotionally involved, and she had no interest in that for any reason whatsoever. Not with her life currently being in a complete mess.

She ignored everything and then let everything else return to her at once. The hospital lights, the distant chatter of visitors, and the bitter taste of coffee on her tongue made her feel as if she was being assaulted by something unpleasant once again. Despite only being thirty seconds long, the brief encounter between her and the mysterious woman felt much longer.

Thankfully, one of her coworkers sat next to her just as Chaewon was about to have a small mental crisis. Before she did something stupid, it was a perfect opportunity to escape. She stood up abruptly, grabbed her half-empty coffee cup, and sweeped by before she could be stopped. 

"-I need to go to the break room. It's urgent."

Lying was a breeze for her, almost embarrassingly so. Her colleague's protests were ignored as she hurriedly walked through the corridor, her eye cast low. She needed to clear her head.

However, she maybe should have paid better attention to her surroundings - a fact Chaewon quickly got reminded of once she felt herself bumping into something. Or, rather, a person. Someone who had an unfailingly cute sounding gasp and a perfume that was sickeningly sweet.

"Oh-!"

She acted on her instinct, quickly stabilizing the shorter stranger by their shoulders, with her eyes widening upon seeing the rich green color that had taken her breath moments earlier. And an ugly blotch of black slowly forming on the woman's light dress.

...Did she seriously just spill coffee on the very same girl she got interested in, almost knocking the poor thing over her in the process? Chaewon struggled to decide whether to laugh or cry.

"Shit- I am so sorry! Are you alright, miss...?" Awkward apologies quickly tumbled out of her mouth, her hands shaking a little as she felt her heart start to race. She was embarrassed by the mortifying circumstances and her attraction to this stranger. It was advantageous that her coffee was only lukewarm, as it prevented her from burning the woman. Only ruining her dress. Just slightly less humiliating.

The stranger laughed, taking a few steps back as she looked down at her now stained dress, waving off Chaewon's nervous chatter with a polite smile. She actually had a more subdued reaction than she expected: "Ah... No, please, don't worry! I'm alright. It's my fault for being too absentmind, anyways."

The kind-hearted response caused her to blink in astonishment. This girl had every right to get upset, or angry with her, and she just... took the blame instead? A part of her desired to scold this stranger for being so risky in her act of altruism. Of course, she bit her tongue at such a thought. Instead, she shook her head, taking a step forward: "I'm a nurse. It's my responsibility to be aware of my surroundings and be mindful of everyone's safety in this hospital. I could have seriously hurt you, and that isn't right. Please, let me make it up to you. At least let me buy you something at the cafeteria."

Wait, what the hell did she just say...?

"Uh... Would that be alright for you to do on a job though?"

It's obvious that it would not. Chaewon could already hear her colleagues giving her a piece of their mind when she would return to her post. As she rightfully deserves.

"-I was just about to go on a break, actually. Please, it's the least I could do."

Over a cup of coffee, she became engrossed in a long conversation with this charming stranger. She wasn't gulping down a cheap cupboard-like parody she spilled minutes ago, but a proper and rich drink that made your belly buzz with a pleasant warmth. Was she just trying to impress her new acquaintance? Maybe. Either way, she felt genuine remorse for knocking her down so unceremoniously, so treating her to a tasty drink and some dessert was the least she could do.

Rika, which Chaewon learned was the young woman's name, turned out to be a sweet and somewhat witty individual. Though, she experienced moments where she felt like her new acquaintance was holding back. On what, she wasn't sure entirely, nor was she one to pry. She could only guess this from the rather distant glint in her eyes that would appear from time to time. Rika was good at conversing as well, quickly impressing her with her vast knowledge of a whole lot of different subjects. She tolerated Rika's refusal to discuss her reason for being at this hospital. It wasn't her business, after all. But, it did make her chest ache a bit to wonder whether or not the subject was perhaps a painful one. Rika seemed like such a lovely and kindhearted person... far too good to have to go through something like grief and loss.

She quickly became attached to this new stranger. She found herself effortlessly sharing her frustrations with her current situation with this person who was still stranger to her.

"So, you don't find what you do in life fulfilling... Yet, I can see that you have a passionate heart. It's like there is a fire burning in your eyes, no matter how much you try to turn your back on it. There is something you want to do, isn't there?" Rika's voice was warm and inviting. Her words were thought-provoking, even though they may have seemed strange. It was like she could see things not even Chaewon herself was aware of, and such a thought made her breath hitch.

It was both frightening and enticing.

Looking down, her brows furrowed a bit: "...Perhaps there is. But, it's not a path I can follow anymore. I have to make do with what I have."

"You are a loyal person. I admire that," as Rika hummed, her golden locks fell over her shoulder, making them look as if they were lit by sunlight streaming through the window. It was difficult not to stare, "Perhaps, you feel like you lack purpose because you don't think that your actions have any effect on those around you. You feel like you lack any worth to the world, so you decide to condemn your own passion instead. So it doesn't hurt as much when others take away that choice for you."

"That... sounds kind of complicated."

Rika laughs and nods in agreement. As she elaborates on her thoughts, her finger delicately traces the brims of her cup: "All our pain and suffering arises from the fear of not being loved. And all of our happiness comes from us being recognized in the eyes of others, being loved and perceived by others as we truly are. So, when we find ourselves stuck in a situation where our heart longs to be recognized, yet our circumstances keep us isolated... It becomes painful."

"Well, I wouldn't say I am unloved... My family loves me, I have a few friends I can go out for drinks with on weekends, and I don't have to worry about money. Many have it far worse than me. I'm just... whining about not liking my pretty prestigious and well-paying job is all," Chaewon was pondering while sipping her coffee. The way Rika was talking was... unusual. Intriguing. Her mind was brimming with thoughts and questions that she had never contemplated before.

"But, does your soul feel like it is loved?"

Her reply is limited to silently staring at her own reflection on the cafeteria table. The answer came to her mind immediately, but she couldn't express it. Instead, she said something else that was on her mind as well.

"...Does yours?"

As Chaewon raised her eyes back up at Rika's face, she saw a look of surprise flickering over her soft features, and her hand frozen where it had been tapping against the coffee cup moments earlier. In a strange moment of uncertainty, they were both silent and staring at one another. The quiet sound of Rika's phone buzzing shook up this brief interaction, prompting her to stand up and gather her things. She suddenly felt her warm hand pressing against her shoulder.

"Well, it was lovely getting to meet you, Chaewon. You are a very passionate person with a devoted heart, even if you don’t think so. I wish you'll find what your soul is truly searching for one day."

She followed Rika's footsteps out of the cafeteria before she realized it.  

"W-wait... Rika!" Chaewon called out to her, making Rika stop right at the door as she turned to face her, her eyes wide with surprise. Oddly enough, she didn't feel all that embarrassed about making a fuss. She just sped up her pace until she was a step away from her. Once again, acting on impulse alone, she placed her hand on Rika's shoulder and squeezes just slightly, repeating the same action that she just did to her herself.

"Listen... I don't know you, and you don't know me. But, I... I had a really good time talking with you today, despite how... inconvenient our first encounter turned out. Point is... you are very intriguing, and now I want to get to know you better. All we did was talk about me the whole time, and... I'd like to repay the favor one day. If... If you'd allow me," she mumbled to Rika, the words rushing out of her mouth on a whim. She never prompted for a second meeting with someone herself before... but, the idea of never seeing her again was, honestly, quite daunting. Her goal was to learn more and gain a deeper understanding of her inner world, even if it was only for a short time.

So, Chaewon took a risk.

She saw Rika search her face briefly - she was unsure of what she was seeking, but she held her gaze steady, planted her feet on the ground, and refused to give up. Then, Rika smiled and placed her soft hand on her upper arm, sending her heart fluttering.

"...You shouldn't want to get to know more about me, Chaewon. But, I admit, you... intrigue me, too. I would love for a chance a chance to see you again. How about I give you my number instead?"

"-I'd like that very much."

[redtippedfox]

Me: I have so many designs to do

Also me: Man these power ups sure are pretty, can we like make designs for all of the kwamis instead of just a few? And make our own power ups too?!

Me: But we have so much..

Also me: Too late