#okay but; it's been annoying me for ages. there's a news bulletin that i wanted to grab from cyberpunk 2076 for this

[iobartach]

in 2099's nueva york, organic pets are ❌ no more

but robotic! pets! are ✔️ in fashion! get yours today !

enjoy the shiny distraction your new friend!

and don't think for a second about the unethical experiments that the big corpos have ofc gotten the relevant exceptions to continue conducting behind the scenes

[daybreak-delusion]

Chapter 7

Introduction: Whitney Goodwinson was planning on inheriting one of her deceased grandmother's properties, but not a little house off the coast of North Carolina.  As she struggles to meet new people, fix up her new property, deal with troublemaker JJ Maybank, and perfect her grandmother's infamous lemonade, she might just find that the Outer Banks has more to offer than it seems. 

Series Masterlist 

Previous Chapter

After the long walk home I took a shower, finally, and went straight to bed. It had been an excruciatingly long day and I was ready for some sleep. Thankfully the next morning I wasn’t awakened by the annoying sound of a lawnmower. I took a shower to clean off my sleep and changed into some shorts and a simple blouse. The one good thing about the humidity is that it was making my normally frizzy curly hair look normal. Back in my room after looking around at my mess, I decided that would be a cleaning day. I put on my headphones and shuffled my cleaning playlist and got to work. I started with my room, unpacking my bags, finally, and organizing my clothes in the closet. Then I moved to the bathroom, cleaning the mirrors, countertops, and disinfecting the shower and toilet with some cleaner I found in the kitchen. I spent three seconds debating whether or not to go into Grandmother’s room and then turned into the living room. I vacuumed, dusted, and disinfected some more. The kitchen was the worst, I kept sneezing from all of the dust when Fernando by ABBA came on. Oh my god, this was my song. I picked up a spoon and pretended to sing to my adoring fans. 

“There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright, Fernando!” I was practically screaming by the time the chorus came on, dancing to the beat like a maniac. 

“They were shining there for you and me for liberty-” 

“Hey, sunshine!” yelled a voice from behind me. Screaming I turned around and saw JJ leaning against the back door frame. He was wearing the same tacky shorts as yesterday and a white t-shirt with some fishing company logo on it. 

“How long have you been standing there?” I said, taking off my headphones blush creeping on to my face. 

“Not long, I’m here to pick the lemons and just need to get a bag,” explained JJ walking towards the pantry getting a reusable bag out. 

“Oh right do you need any help?” 

“Oh no I’m good, wouldn't want to cut your little concert short.” 

“Ha, ha,” I laughed sarcastically, “be sure to bring them back, I’m thinking of trying Grandmother's lemonade recipe.” 

“Really?” he stopped before heading out the door giving me a quizzical look. 

“Yeah, I was thinking about making a batch for good measure.” 

“Well good luck with that, Vicky was really particular about the way she made her lemonade.” 

“Oh, I think I can handle a little lemonade.”

“If you say so, I’ll be in the greenhouse,” he said humming the chorus of Fernando on his way out the door.  When he left I shook off my embarrassment and I turned back to dusting the shelves. After a while, I realized how hungry I was. The only food that I’ve had was dinner last night with the Camerons and the only food in the house was some stale saltine crackers and beer, which was kinda concerning but I tried not to look too into it. One thing was for sure, I needed food. Like now. Thankfully just as I was about to try my luck with the saltines, JJ walked back in with a bag full of lemons. 

“I only got about 10 this batch but next week we should get about triple,” said JJ walking in through the back door. He placed the bag on the counter and reached into the fridge to grab a beer. 

“Thank you, also do you by any chance know of anywhere to eat?” 

“Um yeah my friend’s family owns a restaurant, it’s called The Wreck, they got great sandwiches. It’s about two miles into town.” 

“Sounds perfect, you want anything?” 

“Uh no, no I’m good just tell Kie I said hi,” he said taking a swing of his beer as he walked towards the back door. 

“Do you ever drink water?” I asked. 

“Not if I can help it sunshine,” he replied with a wink walking out the door. 

That boy was going to die of liver failure if he kept his drinking habits up. A problem he’d have to deal with. In the meantime I needed food. That’s how my search for transportation started. No way was I gonna ask for a ride from Rafe and I’m pretty sure JJ just materializes everywhere, so I had to either walk or find another way. 

Another thing I was oblivious too when I first arrived was the garage to the left of the house. Hopefully, Grandmother left a bike or even a skateboard for me. I walked the dirt path to the old little garage. It’s kinda how I imagined what the house would have looked like if I’m being honest. It was even more faded yellow then the house with a rusty white painted garage door. Cobwebs were everywhere. I was terrified that I would have to encounter the creatures that made them. I was half expecting the handle to fall off when I pulled the door up. It opened with an ear-piercing screech and a cloud of dust. When I stopped coughing my lungs out I saw it. A vintage yellow Volkswagen beetle with a rack on top for surfboards surrounded by at least 50 cardboard boxes. I just stared at it for a few seconds admiring the car. I’m not exactly an expert on automobiles or whatever, but something about vintage cars really got me going. On the left of the garage was a bulletin board with a couple of keys tacked to it labeled with different things. I found the one that said car and prayed that the thing would start. The outside of the car was covered in dust, but thankfully the inside was a little cleaner. The only problem was that the car was a stick. Now I haven't driven stick in two years. Grandmother always said any person with a brain could drive automatic, but it took a real driver to learn stick. It was a miracle the car started in the first place and all I had to do was pray I remembered how to drive it. 

I only stalled a couple of times in the beginning, but eventually got in the grove of changing the gears. As I drove I was hoping I was imagining it but people seemed to be looking at my car as if it were on fire. I’m pretty sure I would know if my car was on fire or not so I kept going. Eventually, I found the little restaurant and pulled into a parking spot. The Wreck was just preparing for rush hour when I walked in. The floor was worn by the many footsteps that had walked into this establishment. The walls were decorated with pictures that looked as old as the restaurant and stickers from different surf shops and fishing companies. What I noticed most of all was the salty and intoxicating smell of freshly made french fries. I was practically salivating when a girl about my age approached me. 

“Welcome to The Wreck, what can I get for you,” she said with a tired, but genuine smile. She had her dark curly hair tied up in a messy bun with an old gray headband keeping her flyaways out of her face and was wearing a dark green bikini top under her tank top with the logo of the restaurant on it. 

“Hi, I hear you guys got great sandwiches,” I replied. If my instincts were correct this girl was Kie, JJ’s friend. 

“Yeah, we got tuna, turkey, roast beef, and our specialty lobster.” 

“Do you actually have any vegetarian options?” 

“Oh, you’re a vegetarian? So am I!” she said with a little more energy in her voice. 

“Yeah have been for the past two years.” 

“Wow I started about three years ago and am trying to make the switch to veganism.” 

“Good for you!” 

“Thank you! Most of my friends make fun of me for it, but I just can't stand the thought of eating a living creature. Anyways just one vegetarian sandwich?” 

“Yes please and some fries as well, also I’m sorry if this is too weird to ask , but are you Kie by any chance?” 

“Uhh yeah how did you know that?” she replied giving me a look that said, “who is this weirdo and how does she know my name?” 

“Okay cool, I’m Whitney and your friend JJ works… I mean worked for my grandmother.” 

“Oh my god, no way your Vicky’s granddaughter of course!” she said the look she was giving me melting into a smile,” I knew I recognized your car from somewhere, your grandma would come in here every Sunday for brunch, there gotta be a picture of her on the wall if you wanna look. She was such a sweet lady. JJ mentioned that you were in town I don’t know why I didn’t put that together and you had dinner with Sarah’s family yesterday right?”  

“Yeah I did, she has an interesting family.”

“God tell me about it, her brother is a piece of work.” 

It seemed like everyone had some kind of beef with Rafe.

“I had to spend the afternoon with him yesterday and it was excruciating. Thankfully JJ saved me.” 

“He saved you? Usually he’s the one to get people in trouble.” 

“Yeah I heard something like that, but so far he’s proven his usefulness.”

“Well I’m glad he hasn't screwed you over yet,” she said noticing the lunch rush was about to start, “So just the sandwich and fries?” 

“Yeah and just whatever JJ usually gets, he’s over working right now and I figure I’d get him something to consume that wasn't a cheap beer and make it to go please.” 

“Alrighty then a vegetarian sandwich with a side of fries and a The Barrel Roll Burger coming right up. That’ll be $15.25.” 

I pulled out a twenty and put the change into the jar when she was looking the other way. While a man, who I assumed was Kie’s father, was making my order I looked at all of the old photographs and stickers on the wall. I failed to find any of Grandmother but a newer looking polaroid stood out to me. It was of a group of teenagers sitting around a table in the restaurant. I recognized Kie, Sarah, and JJ with two other handsome looking boys. Geez what was in the water on this island, everyone seemed to be incredibly attractive. JJ was shoving some sort of food in Kie’s face while Sarah and one of the boys were pretending to make out, I assumed it was her boyfriend John B, while the other boy just looked straight into the camera like he was on The Office or something. They all looked happy and seemed to be enjoying their afternoon. I couldn't help but notice how close Kie and JJ were and a twinge of jealousy sparked in my stomach. 

“Order up Whitney!” called Kie with a brown bag in her hand. 

“Thank you!” I replied, “You have no idea how hungry I am.” 

“Well come by anytime, we got the best food on the island,” she said with a smile. 

“I sure will, thanks again!” I said walking out the door and towards my car.

a/n: So yeah apparently Whitney gets turned on by cars. Anyways thank you so much for reading! I absolutely LOVE writing and although sometimes it gets frustrating or I start to doubt wether I should continue or not I just keep going because I love it. Next chapter will be up Wednesday so stay tuned! Thanks again! 

[jisungyah]

Dream State - 18 : BESTEST FRIEND

San and the other members of ‘Just Gotta TOUCH’, that he now knew to be Hyunjin and Minho, and of course Seonghwa, stayed to have coffee together. 

Sat at one of the campus cafes, they shared events from their day. Having some quality time together, finally off of their phones. 

After their brief coffee date and before their departure from each other, the four friends tried to arrange their plans for later that evening. 

“I have one more lecture at 5 to 6 soooo.. if you want I can just meet you at the party!” Hyunjin said as he led the group to the old gates that San entered through earlier. He was informed that those gates weren’t used as the main entrance anymore, more-so as a shortcut for students to get into the city centre. 

“Where did you guys get accommodation? I can drive us if we pick a time?” Minho suggested, once they made it to the gates but not leaving campus just yet. 

“Do I even trust you as a designated driver?” 

“San ! we won’t be drinking much anyway! and we’re staying at my mom’s friend’s place” 

San felt guilty at Seonghwa’s words. He wasn’t able to find his own accommodation, knowing that he did procrastinate on it for too long that even Mingi said so.  

“I should really find another place tho, I feel bad” he spoke up again. Hyunjin placed a hand on his shoulder, “I saw some places on the bulletin board if you’re looking, living the college life with roommates would be fun”

Minho gave Hyunjin a questioning yet disgusted look, Hyunjin replying with a mouthed ‘what?’. The Busan boys turned to each other confused, not wanting to interrupt. 

“You say as the one that still lives with his parents”

“I didn’t wanna stray too far from home !”

“Scaredy Cat!”

“Atleast I’m not one of your cats, God knows what you feed them..” 

“Hey! I treat my cats well! What about Kami !? he like hates you !”

 Their little argument went on for a bit longer until Seonghwa broke it up, saying they should get going so Hyunjin could prepare for his class. It would still be a couple more hours away, Hyunjin whining at how they were leaving him already. 

They talked out their meeting for the party before actually leaving him, Minho then offered the two a lift which they accepted. 

~~

Yeosang was already done for the day at half past three. 

As they walked, Wooyoung played ‘Walk You Home’ from his phone like he promised. They shared more about themselves, speaking about their music taste apart from NCT. 

The walk was peaceful but it quickly came to an end. 

Just as the lyrics of ‘Walk You Home’, Wooyoung wanted to sit at the benches they passed and chat with Yeosang for a little longer. He also knew that they’d see each other later at the party to continue their conversation, so he left Yeosang at his accommodation. 

When he knew his friend was safely back, Wooyoung carried on the rest of the way alone. 

He admired the slowly changing trees along his path back. The wind picking up some of the already fallen leaves, fluttering in the opposite direction to Wooyoung. He told himself to take a mental note on the weather, it was getting colder but the sun still provided him some heat.

This could only be the perfect weather for long coats and sweaters or if you’re Wooyoung, bucket hats and oversized hoodies. As if he didn’t wear those any time of year anyway. 

Reaching their dorms, Hongjoong sat at their shared living room waiting for him. “So have you thought out your outfit for tonight or were you too busy flirting with Yeosang?” Joong greeted once he saw Wooyoung enter the room. 

“I may have had some ideas while waiting for Yeosang, why? do you need help picking?” 

“No I just don’t want you wearing pajamas so you can jump into bed, the moment we come back” 

Wooyoung rolled his eyes, entering his room with Hongjoong following behind. 

“I was thinking a blazer and jeans but now-” 

“You trying to look smart for Yeosang?” Joong interrupted, looking through Wooyoung’s closet, clearly judging his clothes. Wooyoung let out an exaggerated sigh before crashing down on his bed, the elder was quick to start piling outfit choices on top of him. 

“Tell me what’s really up with you and Yeosang” Joong asked, stopping his actions of stacking clothes on Wooyoung. He looked down at the younger waiting for a reply but got nothing only another frustrated sigh. “Well are you gonna tell me, or am I going to have to do my own digging?” Joong was now seated at the edge of the bed next to Woo, still staring down at him. 

Wooyoung sat up to face him, “Since when were you so interested?”

“Since you started acting weird? Don’t make me become the annoying pushy friend, on top of the mom friend!” 

“Isn’t that part of being the mom friend” Wooyoung gave a smug face causing Hongjoong to push him playfully, “you know what I mean”. Laying back on the bed, not bothered getting up from Joong’s push, Wooyoung commented “Well I do know you haven’t been acting yourself either” 

“Yeah cause you’re being weird! and I don’t know how to cope!” 

“Like I said I-” 

“Don’t tell me you’re fine when i know you’re not !” Hongjoong retaliated, picking up the clothes off of Wooyoung to place them towards the end of the bed. 

He then pulled the younger to sit up so they could start having a proper conversation. 

Although Joong wanted to talk about Wooyoung’s feelings, whether it was stress, anxiety or most likely another crush.. Wooyoung knew how to change the subject, asking about their roommate situation. 

They had rented an apartment with an extra room and although they were both financially stable to pay for rent with just the two of them, Joong wanted to have someone else around. 

It was more so for Wooyoung to have company. Joong would be working late and staying back on campus for assignments. He knew Wooyoung would offer to stay in the library to come home with Joong, like they had arranged last year but Hongjoong wouldn’t be around for much longer because of graduation. He wanted Wooyoung to meet a new friend so he would have someone during his final year while Joong would most likely be starting work. 

Hongjoong forgot the purpose of their conversation, telling Wooyoung how he put a notice on the campus bulletin board. He also mentioned someone from his class already asking about it and how he came to the idea of holding interviews for their potential new roommate. 

Wooyoung nodded along pretending to be interested. He just needed to waste enough time before getting ready for the party. 

“Anyway I was asking-” 

“I think we should ask Jongho about his friend? maybe they're still looking for accommodation? but also we should probably be getting ready? well it seems like you’re already ready.. maybe I’ll just ask the GC what I should wear?” Wooyoung prompted, rambling but he hoped Joong would read past it. 

“Fine, we’ll talk about this a different time...” giving up the talk, Hongjoong left the room. Wooyoung quick to jump into twitter once he was gone.

-

-

-

-

Whats up?: 

well something is definetly up with san .. and he also doesn’t seem to wanna talk about it but Mingi has his suspicions!

but also Seonghwa soo late to the Woosan agenda like...

pt.17 < Masterlist > pt.18.25

[ Social Media Woosan AU:

Having finished his first year of college, Wooyoung spends his summer with friends.. online friends mostly., friends made through his Lee Donghyuck parody acc..

Will he be ready to spend his second year with these crackheads ? and what if his twt crush starts attending his university ? ]

a/n anywooooooo i’ve started to use that more again but just the usual chaos i guess... but i also did this really late soo hopefully it’ll be okay and ages well when i check on it in the morning for mistakes cause my head ain’t right after reading it over 3 times already... okay i should stop rambling like woo too but.. hope you like it 

[ghost-town-story]

FebruarOC Day 16: Percy

Percy took a deep breath, then crossed the lunch room and approached his target. “You’re Summer, right?” 

Summer blinked and looked up at Percy. “Yes,” she said hesitantly. 

“I’m Percy,” Percy introduced himself. “Can I talk to you for a second? Alone,” he added, glancing around at the table full of people. He noticed her boyfriend’s arm wrapping around her waist and barely refrained from rolling his eyes. 

“Whatever you have to say, you can say it here,” Summer said dryly. 

Percy leaned back for a moment with a sigh, glancing around yet again. He wasn’t sure how many people he wanted to share his theories with, but he knew that number definitely didn’t include the crowded lunch room they were currently in. “It’s about Aydan,” he finally settled on. 

Summer exchanged a look with her boyfriend, then she stood. “Okay. We’ll go somewhere quiet. But Will’s coming with.” 

“Really?” Percy said before he could stop himself. “He doesn’t trust you that much?” 

“It’s not a question of trust,” Summer replied, rolling her eyes. “You’ll understand in a bit. Come on.” With that she passed by Percy, heading out of the lunch room. Percy hesitated, then followed with a huff, Will close on his heels. 

Summer didn’t slow down until they left the school building, emerging onto the frost-covered athletic fields. “Alright,” Summer said, turning to face Percy again. “Shouldn’t be anybody else out here, so we should have the privacy this discussion needs.” And suddenly, Summer’s gaze turned sharp. “What do you know about Aydan?” 

Percy held her gaze steadily. “It’s more of a theory than anything,” he said. “But my sister, Sora, went missing yesterday afternoon, and I think her disappearance and Aydan’s might be linked.” 

Summer exchanged a hesitant glance with Will. “If she’s barely been gone a day, then what makes you think—” 

“Don’t you pull that shit with me too!” Percy snapped before she could finish. “The police refuse to look for her just yet because it’s too soon, but I know my sister! She’s not lost, and she wouldn’t just disappear without a trace! Not to mention Seanna and Calder—” He cut off, wary of revealing too much. 

“Seanna and Calder?” Will asked. 

Percy shook his head. “I need to know you believe me first.” 

“Then tell us why you think they’re linked,” Summer said. 

“A while back, I caught Jay talking to Sora,” Percy explained. “She said it was homecoming committee stuff, but he was acting way too shifty for me to believe that.” 

Summer let out a heavy sigh. “Of course Jay is the common factor in everything,” she muttered. 

“Everything?” Percy questioned. 

To his surprise, Will was the one who answered. “There’s something going on here Percy, something that could potentially be dangerous. If you want to get involved, that’s your choice, but it’s only fair you know the risk involved first.” 

“What do you mean, dangerous?” Percy asked. 

“Dangerous as in we’re apparently poking our noses into government business, and we’ve been warned to stop doing that,” Summer spoke up. 

Percy narrowed his eyes at the pair, but ultimately, if the information they apparently had could help him find Sora, then his choice was easy. 

“I’m in.”

~

“Okay.” Percy finished clearing off one of his old bulletin boards and took a step back. “Let’s consolidate everything we know.” 

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to put everything out in the open like that?” Will asked. 

“My parents don’t look close at what I have hanging up here,” Percy replied. “But if you’re that worried, I’ll take it down when you two aren’t here.” Will didn’t look entirely appeased, but he conceded the argument. 

“So we have Aydan, Sora, and Jay.” Percy scrawled each of their names on notecards, which were then pinned up on different corners of the board. 

“I can start with Sora. I know she and Jay were talking about something they wanted kept secret from me.” Percy strung a piece of yarn between their names with a little note about their discussion. “And, before you guys came over, the police were here. They’re finally starting to take this seriously, and they had a picture of the last person Sora was seen with. I snagged it and said I would ask around school, since the guy is around our age.” Percy pinned the picture to the board under Sora’s name. 

“And then Aydan and Jay,” another length of yarn connected those two, “were friends, and disappeared around the same time.” Percy took a step back. “And that’s what I have so far.” 

Summer hopped off of Percy’s desk to take a closer look at the picture, then swore softly. 

“What?” Percy asked. 

“I know that kid,” Summer said. “I don’t know his name, but he’s connected to Jay somehow. He picked Jay up from school that one time, and one night I found him and Aydan getting coffee together, so Aydan knew him through Jay.” 

Will joined Summer in investigating. “His name is Baz,” he said. “Or at least, that’s what Jay called him the one time I ran into the two of them.” 

Percy didn’t know whether to be elated at the new information or uneasy about how tangled this web was getting as he scrawled the info on a series of notecards. “Okay. One piece at a time.” He tacked up the new notes: Baz’s name, the connection between him and Jay, and the one between him and Aydan. “First, anything else to put on this card?” Percy tapped the note between Baz and Jay. 

Will hesitated. “They’re dating, as far as I know. And Aydan knew.” 

“I thought she and Jay were dating?” Percy carefully asked, eyeing up Summer. 

Summer threw up her hands. “Fuck if I know!” she exclaimed. “She stopped telling me shit when he showed up.” 

Percy shrugged, not wanting to poke that nest any more than he had to, and added Will’s comment to the notecard. “Anything else?” he asked. 

Will and Summer shook their heads. 

“Okay. And anything else about how Aydan and Baz are connected?” 

Summer huffed again. “All I know is that she trusted him, apparently more than she trusted me. She wouldn’t even tell me why they were getting coffee.” 

“Do you think there was a reason?” Percy asked. Summer shot him a glare, and Percy held up his hands. “I’m trying to put together what happened, chill.” 

Summer sighed heavily. “It looked like they were having a serious discussion when I found them, but she never told me what it was about. Kept refusing no matter how much I asked.” 

“Okay.” Percy carefully added that to the board. “And Aydan and Jay?” 

“They kept to themselves a lot,” Summer said. “Aydan didn’t like to talk about him to me. She thought I was being nosy.” Summer scoffed. 

“We’re pretty sure Jay is behind Aydan’s disappearance though,” Will added. “They were at Ben’s party together, the night she disappeared, and when Ben left to take her home, Jay left right afterwards.” 

Percy paused in the middle of writing this new information on a notecard. “You don’t think he’s the one who caused that explosion?” he asked. 

“Maybe,” Summer sighed. “It depends. If he was okay with Aydan hating him, then he very well could have. But if he didn’t want her to hate him, then I doubt it. Ben was Aydan’s best friend, before Jay showed up. She would never forgive Jay if he… did something like that to Ben.” 

“Okay.” Percy finished up the note and added it to the board. 

“What if he didn’t have a choice though?” Will suddenly spoke up. 

Both Summer and Percy shot him a confused look. 

Will blinked as if realizing he’d spoke out loud. “I—never mind. Just a thought.” 

“Okay.” Percy kept his eyes on Will for a moment longer to see if he would change his mind, but Will just shook his head and focused back on the board of information they now had. “So what are we missing here?” 

“Why did Jay and Baz target Aydan and Sora,” Summer said. “Because right now, I can’t see any connection between Aydan and Sora other than the ones Jay and Baz made.” 

“So we should find out more about them,” Percy decided. “How do you two feel about digging through databases?” 

Summer let out a soft groan, closing her eyes. “For Aydan, I’ll do it, but I won’t enjoy it.” 

Will nodded in agreement, though Percy noticed he still had a thoughtful look on his face. Percy had to wonder if he knew something that he hadn’t even shared with Summer.

~

“You know, if it wasn’t so annoying, I’d be flattered by your obsession with me.” 

The three teenagers jumped at the unexpected voice and whirled to face it. Jay was leaning against the door to the study room they’d borrowed, his expression unreadable behind his tech goggles. 

“You have a lot of nerve coming back here after you kidnapped my cousin,” Summer hissed, leaping to her feet. 

“That’s a bold accusation my dear.” Jay shifted in the doorway to let the door swing shut behind him. 

“Don’t you “my dear” me!” 

“But it’s true, isn’t it,” Percy backed up Summer. “You kidnapped Aydan, and Sora.” 

“I didn’t kidnap either of them,” Jay said, his voice level. 

Percy was about to argue but was cut off as Will put a hand on his shoulder. “Why are you here?” he asked Jay. 

“You three are poking your noses where they don’t belong,” Jay said. “I’m here to tell you to stop.” 

“Why? Because you work for the government?” 

“What?” Percy hissed, turning to look at Will. Will kept his eyes on Jay though. 

“What makes you say that?” To his credit, what they could see of Jay’s face remained impassive, and his voice stayed steady. 

“I know what that scar on your arm means,” Will said. 

“You’ve never seen my arm.” 

“I don’t think I need to,” Will countered. “It’s too convenient to be a coincidence. So tell me Jay, who sent you? My mom? Myles?” 

“Neither.” 

“Bullshit!” Will hissed. 

“I am telling the truth.” And for the first time, Jay’s mask cracked, a flash of anger showing through. “And you’re damn lucky neither of them have noticed what you’re up to yet. If they had, they would be a lot more forceful about stopping you. I’m merely here with a warning. Quit while you still have a chance. Cause if you keep going, you will attract the wrong sort of attention. And I might not be able to save your asses.” 

“Why would we want your help?” Summer snorted. 

“Oh, trust me.” Jay gave her a humorless grin. “When faced with the alternative, you’ll be grateful for my help.” 

Summer scoffed. 

Jay shrugged. “Well, that’s my message delivered. Keep your noses clean kids. Hopefully I won’t need to see you again.” 

“Hey, wait just a second,” Summer started, but Jay pressed a button on his goggles and disappeared in a flash.

“Motherfucker,” Summer hissed. She turned to look at Will. “You okay?” she asked lowly. 

Will sighed, pressing his hands against his eyes. “I don’t get it,” he said. “You and I basically confirmed Jay has the same scar on his arm that James did, and Myles told me it meant he worked for the government. Why would he lie about that?” 

“To cover his ass?” Summer suggested. 

Percy shook his head. “He didn’t look like he was lying though.” 

Will groaned. “I hate running into dead ends!” he growled. “Every single turn we take, somebody is trying to stop us and I’m sick and tired of it!” 

An idea popped into Percy’s mind, and he spoke before he could think it all the way through. “I might have an idea.” Two heads snapped around to look at Percy. “Your mom works for the government, right Will?” Percy started hesitantly. 

Will nodded. 

“So, if Jay is to be believed, she’d try to stop us if she knew what we were looking into,” Percy continued. “Which stands to reason, why stop us unless she, and by extension, the government had something to hide?” 

“I’m following you so far,” Summer said carefully. 

“And what better way of unearthing government secrets than by looking for them in a government database?” 

Will blinked. “I’d be so dead if we got caught.” 

“Then we don’t get caught.” Percy faked confidence he didn’t quite feel. “What other leads do we have?” 

Will let out a heavy sigh. Finally, he spoke again. “Only if you’re absolutely sure we won’t get caught.” 

“Give me twenty minutes alone with your mom’s computer, and I can guarantee it,” Percy responded. 

Will groaned, then sat up. “Okay. Fine. But only because I’m so sick and tired of hitting dead ends.” 

Percy nodded, hoping that this chance would be worth the risk.

~

Percy sighed, taking a few steps back from the bulletin board to take it all in. The information they’d gotten from Will’s mother had answered some of their questions, but it had also brought up a lot more for Percy. He was hoping that when Will and Summer took a look at what they’d found, they would be able to help him make some more sense of it. 

There was a knock on Percy’s bedroom door, and he opened it to find Summer standing there. “Hey,” Percy greeted. “Where’s Will?” 

“I don’t know.” Summer fidgeted nervously with her phone. “He hasn’t been answering his phone all afternoon.” 

“Huh.” Percy frowned. “That’s weird. He didn’t say anything had come up when we planned to meet.” 

“That’s what’s got me really worried,” Summer admitted. “Usually if he goes radio silent, he warns me about it before hand. This time, nothing.” 

A soft cough from behind Percy startled the both of them. Percy spun around to find Jay standing in his room, studying the bulletin board. 

“What are you doing here?” Percy demanded. 

“Woah, chill out, I know it’s bad form to teleport directly into a building but I couldn’t exactly just waltz in here,” Jay defended himself. “Shut the door Summer, there’s a dear.” 

“I’m not your dear!” Summer snapped, but she complied. 

Jay pulled up a screen from his tech goggles, pressed a few buttons, then closed the screen. “There. Nobody should be able to listen in now.” 

Summer and Percy exchanged a nervous glance. 

“I’ve already said, I’m not the one you should be worried about,” Jay said with annoyance. “I’m here because congrats, you’ve poked too far, and Will’s already paying the price.” 

“What? What happened? Where’s Will?” Summer demanded. 

“According to security footage,” Jay said, pulling up a screen and flicking it over to Percy and Summer, “it looks like his mother found out, and confronted Will about it.” 

Percy watched as the screen showed silent footage of Will standing in his mother’s office, his face pale and fearful as his mother spoke forcefully to him. 

“Just a few minutes ago, she took Will and left the house. I haven’t been able to track them, the traffic cam system is a mess to hack into, but if I had to bet, she’s either taking him to a government facility, or they’re coming for you two. We don’t have much time.” 

“Why should we believe you?” Percy demanded. 

“Because Sora and Aydan did,” Jay replied. Percy choked on his next words. 

“Like I said, we don’t have much time,” Jay continued. “Summer, you’re probably in the most danger, since Allison would be able to recognize you in the security footage. Do you two trust me?” 

“With what?” Summer asked. 

Jay sighed. “If the government gets their hands on you, it won’t be good,” he said. “I can’t be 100% sure what they’ll do to you, but I do know that they don’t want their secrets getting out. I can guarantee they’ll try to silence you, one way or another.” 

Summer paled considerably. “And if we go with you?” 

“Then we’ll hide you and keep you safe,” Jay replied. 

“Is that what you did with Sora and Aydan?” Percy asked. 

“More or less,” Jay said with a shrug. “They’re a slightly different case, but essentially yes, we took them to hide them from the government.” 

“Because of this Nova thing.” 

“Yes.” Jay glanced at his watch. “We should get going if you’re coming with me. I don’t know how much longer we have.” 

Percy glanced at Summer, waiting for her to make the first move. After all, she had known Jay better when he’d gone to school with them. 

“Fine,” Summer decided. “I’ll go with you.” Percy nodded in agreement. “But I want to see Aydan when we get there,” Summer continued. 

Jay let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll let her know you want to see her,” he replied. “But I won’t force her to do anything.” Summer bristled, but Jay ignored her and held out his hand. “Come on then,” he said. 

Percy carefully took it, and Summer put her hand over his, though she was glaring at Jay. Jay continued to ignore her as he pulled up another screen from his goggles and pressed a button. 

Their surroundings disappeared in a haze of teleportation, and when Percy’s vision cleared, it was to find themselves in a strange room. 

“You two good?” Jay asked, taking back his hand. 

Percy and Summer nodded, though the latter looked decidedly more queasy about their method of transportation. 

“Come on then,” Jay said, turning on his heel and opening the room’s door. “I’m taking you to Boss now,” he added over his shoulder. “He’s the guy in charge down here, and he’s also the best at explaining everything to newcomers.” 

“Down here?” Percy asked, looking around as Jay led them through a series of hallways. 

“Yup.” Jay popped the p. “We are currently in one of the abandoned underground cities. Well, not quite as abandoned as most people would think. It’s one of the safest places for Novas though. GPS signals don’t work down here, so we can’t be tracked.” 

“Huh,” Percy said, filing that information away for later. He almost wished he had grabbed his notes from his bulletin board before they’d left, because it would be so satisfying to see the pieces click together. 

The thought of home cause a flash of guilt in Percy’s chest though. He’d just left without even a note for his parents, who would now have to deal with both Sora and Percy’s disappearance. 

“Will we ever be able to go home?” he asked Jay. 

“Maybe,” Jay replied. “Maybe not. I honestly don’t know.” 

Percy nodded, biting his lip. 

They soon reached their destination, as Jay opened a door and ushered Percy and Summer through. 

There was a guy working at a desk within, and he looked up as they entered. “Got that bad?” he asked with a wince. 

“Yeah,” Jay sighed. “Boss free?” 

“Yeah, I’ll just let him know you’re here.” The guy stood and disappeared into the inner office, leaving the three of them alone. 

“Feel free to ask Boss whatever,” Jay told Summer and Percy. “If anybody would have answers, it would be him.” 

Summer finally spoke up again. “What about Will?” she asked. 

Jay paused before responding. “I’ll see if I can track him down,” he said. “And when I find him, I’ll give him the same choice I gave you two.” 

“You mean you’d leave him?” Summer demanded. 

“Only if he felt he was safe enough to stay,” Jay replied. “I won’t leave him there if he wants the safety we can provide.” 

Summer looked about to argue more, but she was cut off by the return of the secretary. “Boss will see you now.” He glanced at Jay. “Gonna go in with them?” 

“Not if I don’t have to,” Jay replied. 

The secretary nodded. “Boss said you’re free to go if you wish.”

“Okay. If he asks, I’m gonna be tracking down Will.” 

“Alright.” The secretary turned to Percy and Summer. “You two can head in.” 

Percy grabbed Summer by the arm before she could continue her argument with Jay and pulled her into the inner office. There, they found a man sitting at a desk, obviously waiting for them. 

“Summer Rivers.” He looked at Summer, then shifted his gaze to Percy. “And Perseus Reyes.” 

“Just Percy,” Percy muttered. 

“Take a seat,” the man said with a smile. “As you can guess, I’m Boss.” 

Percy and Summer took a seat in front of the desk, but before Boss could say any more, there was a knock at the door. 

“Yes?” Boss called. 

The door opened to reveal Baz, and on his arm was—

“Sora!” Percy breathed. He glanced at Boss, who nodded at him. Sora said something in a low voice to Baz, and Baz nodded and pulled away, disappearing back into the outer office. 

Percy hardly cared about him anymore though, as he leapt to his feet and swept his sister into his arms. “You’re alright,” he muttered into her hair. 

Sora let out a soft laugh, nestling into his embrace. “Yes, I’m fine,” she replied. 

Holding his sister once again, Percy knew that no matter what, it was worth it to know that she was safe.

[slaterfm]

» • * — ( CHARLES MELTON , CIS MALE , HE/HIM ) . i think i hear LOWLIFE BY NECK DEEP coming from apartment 618. doesn’t SAGE SLATER live there ?? i heard they are a TWENTY-FIVE year old PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR from OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA , but they’ve been living in the apartments for ONE MONTH . they come across a bit UNRULY AND FLIPPANT , but they also seem like they could be INCISIVE AND JOCUND . whenever i see them , i think of OBSCURE 80s REFERENCES , MISMATCHED CONVERSE HIGH TOPS , and A BULLETIN BOARD CLUTTERED WITH PHOTOS AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS CONNECTED BY STRINGS . ooc . sam , 23 , est , she/her .

hey there, demons! it’s me...sam. this is a brand new character for me and i’m very excited, so please message me if you would like to plot!

i. stats

𝕗𝕦𝕝𝕝 𝕟𝕒𝕞𝕖: sage slater

𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕠𝕨𝕟: oakland, california

𝕒𝕘𝕖: twenty - five

𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕓𝕚𝕣𝕥𝕙: july 24th, 1994

𝕫𝕠𝕕𝕚𝕒𝕔: leo

𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: Bisexual Disaster™

𝕠𝕔𝕔𝕦𝕡𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: private investigator

𝕡𝕠𝕤. 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕥𝕤: incisive, jocund, astute, exuberant.

𝕟𝕖𝕘. 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕥𝕤: unruly, flippant, puerile, stubborn.

ii. history

sage slater was born and raised in oakland, california. at the time, his mother was a psychology professor at uc san francisco and his father was a police officer with a natural talent for solving difficult puzzles.

his intelligence was apparent from an early age, but was often overshadowed by his antics. after all, just because he was smart didn’t mean that he wanted to work hard and be on the honor roll and graduate as valedictorian of his class. he preferred to spend his time having fun : watching television, playing video games, obsessing over classic 80s films, coming up with one harebrained money - making scheme after another.

it was beneath this restless and rambunctious surface that his father saw potential. he believed that he could mold his son into the perfect detective and set out to train him accordingly. sage’s earliest childhood memories are lectures, strict rules, every little mistake being pointed out to him while anything he did right went completely ignored interspersed with the occasional argument between his parents.

his father was the one who ultimately filed for divorce. upon signing the papers, his mother packed up and left for a teaching position at ucla. sage never stopped feeling like she was driven away.

there was a time where sage wanted nothing more than to be just like his father, but after the divorce his image of the man he once considered his hero was irreparably destroyed. he started acting out, the occasional detention and plummeting grades snowballing into missed curfews and running from his own father’s police cruiser.

self - destructive out of spite, sage was just counting down the days until he turned eighteen, and then with little more than the clothes he was wearing and a small handful of cash, he hopped on a bus and left.

he became a wanderer, using the cash from a slew of minimum wage jobs he got fired from every other week to fund his travels across the country. rolled into new york city and fell into the private investigator thing about two years ago after there was a robbery at a music store where he was working. by the time the police arrived he had already solved the case. the story went viral, and sage was flooded with calls from total strangers offering him money ( sometimes in astronomical amounts ) to find their long - lost high school sweetheart or figure out who’s been stealing from their billion - dollar company. he’s even been brought in on official police investigations and has subsequently closed several cases for the nypd.

he’s bounced around several apartment buildings since he first moved to the city, and ten23 is his latest stop! he’s kind of a terrible tenant and roommate so i apologize in advance yikes.

iii. extras

sage is highly intelligent and hyper - observant, although it can be very difficult to tell.

he was diagnosed with adhd as a kid and went through a few different medications and doses before he began his current treatment, which is adderall that he sometimes takes like he’s supposed to.

the textbook definition of man - child. still plays video games, has a diet that consists of nothing but junk food and candy, and he never takes anything too seriously.

he’s a fiercely loyal friend who loves to make people laugh, but he’s not always the most reliable person. like, he goes out of his way to show the people in his life that he cares, but also don’t call him in desperate need of a ride at two in the morning because he will swear that he’s coming right away and then fall asleep in front of the television again.

a flirt, but also a commitment - phobe who likes to date around only to freak out when things get too serious, so he prefers to keep things casual.

loves old school police procedural shows and he’s obsessed with all things 80s, so the obscure references are never ending.

his everyday footwear : a blue converse high top on the right foot and a green converse high top on the left foot. it’s called fashion sweetie look it up.

he bought a motorcycle with the first big check that he ever got for a case and it’s his favorite thing in the entire world.

his life philosophy is : have fun at all costs!

iv. wanted connections

best friend from oakland who travels with him *will probably submit as a wc

friends

drinking / partying buddies

cousin ( their grandparents would probably be from california but otherwise anything really goes for this )

people who don’t like him / find him annoying

clients OR people he’s investigated 👀

maybe someone who knows how smart he really is

romantic connections! i LOVE ships okay

( these are just ideas and i’m trash at coming up with these, so please don’t feel limited by what’s listed here. )

[ceescedasticity]

Ghost Army Enlistment

(Okay, really not kidding about deaths here.)

==> BE FUTURE ARADIA It's the fucking Gleeful Abandon that gets you. The terrible killjoy captain (not to be confused with the killjoy commodore) has finally decided that the level of haunting is interfering with operational efficiency, and contacted the Bureau of Retermination to at least get the officers' diningblock cleared out. All the administrative material was in order, you checked in, bowed and scraped, you did everything you were supposed to, and some junior subjugglator walks in, decides he doesn't WANT the ghosts cleared out, and casually crushes your throat and snaps your neck.

Feferi's given him a massive brain hemorrhage before you're even clear of your body. You give her a mildly reproving look. "I WAS going to haunt him a bit myself." "Sorry?" She sounds a little sorry. "You could still terrorize his ghost." "It's not the same." It's the work of a moment to fix your neck, followed by dozens of aches and pains which have built up over the sweeps. "Okay. I am professionally obligated to completely trash at least half the ship now, but I want to go talk to Sollux before he hears it from the official report." Oh, fuck, he probably HEARD you, too. "You mind getting started?" She cracks her knuckles. "Not at all." Sollux is upset, of course, and threatens not to help you learn to type with your brain, and gets sniffly, but you both knew this was coming sooner rather than later, and it's not like you're GONE. He agrees to message the living individually. You head off to look for Karkat, Gamzee, and Vriska -- they deserve to hear it from you before you send out an all-points bulletin to the Terrifying Ghost Army re: avenging your slightly premature demise. Skeleton -- back in the Fleet this sweep while a ghost necropath called Latecome watches the Caverns -- finds you while you're working out how to jump to Karkat's location. "Megido." She's never really picked up calling you by your adult name. "Hi," you reply absently. Where is he... oh right, Gathering Swarm. "Welcome to the club. I can see you're busy right now, but... We need to talk when you have time. There's some stuff I haven't told you." By the time you escape the -- admittedly very informative -- conversation, the rest of the terrifying ghost army has trashed at least two-thirds of the Gleeful Abandon. You just go ahead and trash the rest.

~~~~ ==> BE FUTURE SOLLUX Between hacking and your information network, you find out about the agreement to sell you out of the squadron almost as soon as it happens. The prospective buyer is higher-ranked, more conquest-focused. Fleet data indicates that he likes well-trained, integrated helmsmen. That MIGHT have been manageable, but the out of the squadron part isn't. You announce in the dropbox that you think it's time. KK throws a fit, but the out of the squadron part convinces him, too. You let Kanaya and disorderlyImpulse know transmissions on this end may be delayed for a while until you get used to ghost computing, and to hold off on routing anything to twinArmageddons until you inform them everything's transferred. It helps that disorderlyImpulse already knows about the ghost thing. Your closest friends are in the dropbox. Outside that... You consider leaving messages for Ananas, Cephal, maybe Pachex and the least odious of your techs. (Why do you have FRIENDS?) You decide against it. You'll stop by in person later. You DO leave time-delayed taunts for the captain and the more odious techs.

You initially plan on taking care of it yourself -- there are features specifically designed to keep helmsmen from offing themselves, but you sneer at their pathetic hardware constraints. But that COULD get someone else in trouble, and it might be someone you don't want to get in trouble, so you agree to let a ghost do it. Ghosts, as it turns out. AA drags you out of your body, and FF quickly and efficiently shuts down all your body's functions so no one can use it as a mindless battery. You blast the memory of biowire off your hands and feet, and avoid looking right at the body. "As long as you're at it, mind killing the helmscolumn?" You'd do it, but if you're anything like everyone else it'll be a while before you can affect the real world. "Dibs," KK says, and manifests a sickle. AA hugs you. You hug back. ~~~~ ==> BE FUTURE TAVROS Most of your colleagues from your Conscription days are gone. Even beyond the preferential treatment you get, you have a much smaller problem with some of the significant areas of chronic stress in lowbloods -- if your knees don't like the weight of your horns, you can fix them yourself with a wrench, and you added a back brace pretty early on.

But then you get sick. Really sick, and in the back of your mind where you're not too fevered to think you're pretty they're not going to spare the medicine for you. Lowbloods -- especially lowbloods your age -- don't get antibiotics. But you've built up a lot of goodwill, so you get Terezi informed before and not after, in time to visit, and you get an anesthetic overdose to make everything easy. You coalesce in the Mediculler bay to find Terezi must have passed the information on -- Aradia and Gamzee perched on the counter and Vriska pacing back and forth behind them. "Tav-bro!" Gamzee says enthusiastically. "Feeling better?" "Give him a minute," Aradia advises. "That infection did its best to fry his brain, and everyone's a little disoriented to start with." "I'm good," you say. "Infection?" "You got a cut on one of your stumps where you couldn't feel it and didn't know to treat it," Vriska says. You... guess that explains why she's here? You sit up, look at the body the medicullers are hauling away for disposal, and hastily look away. "How's Terezi?" Aradia shrugs. "Sad. Karkat's ghost stalking her." "I'm about to go join him," Vriska says, "but I need to apologize for finally killing you. I cannot BELIEVE I've now killed you how many sweeps later? Just, wow." She disappears without waiting for a response. Okay then. You stretch. Your head feels so light. Your legs feel so light. You feel like you could just float away. "...How long does it take to learn to ghost hover?" ~~~~

(==> BE FUTURE KARKAT) (You hit a lull in the Ghost Inner Circle's expansion, since Sollux checked out early. There are near misses with Terezi, plenty of them, since she no longer has to worry about endangering Tavros, but you eventually manage collectively to convince her that she should try to do for new conscripts what Sharpeye did for her, and having a few protégés settles her down.) (You master looking like you died at full growth, not as a young adult. You still revert under stress, but at least you don't spend much time looking like a pupa on stilts, VRISKA.)

~~~~~ ==> BE FUTURE NEPETA You honestly think you're going to die when you get poisoned by a young indigo pissed off that an aging midblood occupies the dashing seadweller first officer's red quadrant. But none of your quadrants are ready to let you go just yet, and you get the best care possible, and soon enough you feel fine. (And the poisoner is in inquisitorment, being led to frame 'poisoning a greenblood' as 'plotting against a seadweller'.) The medicullers don't tell you -- or your quadrants -- that it did damage to your blood pusher that probably won't ever heal completely. Tavros reads it off your chart over the mediculler's shoulder, and tells you later. He picked up a lot of mediculling knowledge while he was alive, and now it's even easier to snoop.

"What does it mean?" you ask. "This will get me eventually?" Tavros grimaces. "Unless something else does, I guess. But it could be sweeps, especially if you slow down a little..." You nod understanding, not agreement. "Don't tell Equius or Eridan, please." It IS sweeps. It might be longer if you took it easy, but -- no. And it's not like the endurance terrain runs you keep doing kill you RIGHT AWAY. They're just fine until the one that isn't. You just power along the track, pass a few young ceruleans who could really be in better shape, and then suddenly you feel dizzy, and go to your knees, and everything fades out. Well, shit. That's... annoying. You fade back in looking at Aradia, with Tavros just behind her, looking anxious. "See, I told you," Aradia says. "She's fine. She just didn't turn up right away since -- I'm assuming -- she wasn't very upset about it." "A little annoyed, maybe," you say, looking around. Still on the track. Your body is still lying where it fell. You really did just drop dead. "Pawsibly a little embarrassed." "No, it's kind of nice we've at least got one person with a natural death." "Except this was probably because of the poisoning, ultimately," Tavros puts in. "That was sweeps ago, it doesn't count." You go see Equius and Eridan, to say -- not goodbye, but hello from the other side. Eridan will be okay. He's moved on before. Equius... is harder. "I'm not telling you to find someone new," you say. "I'm not saying goodbye. But I'm not going to let you turn into Corpsepap, either." "It -- is not the same. We all--" You're all more heavily involved with the dead than is normal. Or -- from this side -- with the living. "That's true. But it's not going to be the same, and we need to -- we need to come to terms with that. Both of us. EACH of us."

He agrees, but he still doesn't take it WELL that you'll be gone for a while. That you want to be gone for a while. So you break down and tell him. "I'm going to go back to Alternia and run around in the mountains the whole time. I am *so tired of spaceships*." He doesn't try to argue with that. ~~~~ (==> BE FUTURE VRISKA) (Rainbow drinkers live longer, so Terezi is next, and unfortunately she KNOWS it. She's PLANNING it practically.) ("I am not," she says when you call her on it. "I just... don't see myself going from heart failure. Nepeta wasn't very happy with the outcome, you know? And I don't want to end up there too.")

("How is that not planning?") (Karkat is making a point of Not Being Pushy for some weird Karkat reason, and everyone else is not sufficiently anti-death, so YOU AND TAVROS have to form the Make Terezi Live To Retirement Team. It's sort of awkward, even after all this time, but you're both motivated to stay on task and get stuff done. Together you head off or mitigate all sorts of risk-taking behavior!) ("I can't BELIEVE that YOU TWO are in CAHOOTS," Terezi complains.) ("Shut up and put your gorget on.") ~~~~ ==> BE FUTURE EQUIUS You do not die in a predictable mishap involving Gathay, a robot, and a disintegration ray, despite several close calls. (You aren't sure Gathay's robots have ever killed anyone, actually. You've never heard of any cases, however unlikely it seems that she could avoid it.)

You don't die when your moirail dies, even though you sort of want to for a while. She wants you to keep going. You can be strong a while longer. You don't die when a senior archeradicator brings in his subdued, two-sweeps-past-Conscription teal "matesprit" for robotic feet and doesn't even pretend he wasn't what happened to the originals. "Now that she's learned about RUNNING," he smirks, and you VERY BADLY want to be VIOLENTLY insubordinate. Instead you alert the terrifying ghost army. After some discussion they finesse a transfer to First Officer Deepfall's ship. Eridan has the... FUCKER detained for conduct unbecoming an officer and orders him questioned. Inquisitormentor Burnteye maneuvers him into expressing resentment of Deepfall, and then suddenly he's the insubordinate one. He gets demoted and sent packing out of the squadron; his EX-matesprit gets sent to admin training. It's immensely satisfying. No, you die in an ALIEN PLAGUE. Initially a reconnaissance ship is blamed, but it turns out to have come in on a courier vessel from another squadron. The plague tears through the lowbloods -- it incubates asymptomatically for a week or more, and then in the space of a night the victim is drowning on the fluid in their lungs. The death rate is almost thirty percent WITH TREATMENT. Without treatment, it's over fifty. One ship loses its helmsman. It stops dead after teals, though. No one knows why, but highbloods breathe a sigh of relief and try to go about their business, watching the plague with dismay but also making fun on the Ruthless Regulation's stringent universal isolation procedures. It turns out highbloods have a LONGER asymptomatic incubation period, after which their lungs more or less LIQUEFY. The death rate is sixty percent with treatment, and treatment has to start immediately. Without treatment, it comes close to ninety. (For landdwellers, that is. Seadwellers can ride it out by going underwater and staying there until there's an opportunity to reconstruct their lungs.) You know the odds aren't good, so you aren't surprised to wake up to Vriska and Feferi floating over your desk and sitting on your ceiling, respectively, both looking as clear and solid as Aradia when she puts effort into it. You glance back at your body. "Well." "Welcome to the Terrifying Ghost Army!" Feferi says. "Sadly at the moment we're a little overwhelmed by terrified ghost plague victims, it's completely out of hand. But it'll take you a while to get control enough to be helpful, so I could take you back to Alternia for now. Meet up with Nepeta." And you feel guilty about it, but-- "Yes, I would like that, if you can spare the time." You pause. "Terezi? And Eridan?" "The legislacerator quarantines were effective, seems like, so Terezi's fine. Eridan doesn't know if he's infected, but he's moved underwater in case he is, and he is NOT happy about it." Vriska barely snickers at her own words, though, so you know they're taking the situation seriously. ~~~~~ ==> BE FUTURE TEREZI Everything's a mess after the alien plague is finally eliminated, and personnel get sent every which where in an attempt to fill some of the emptied critical positions. The squadron gets put back on Conscription duty ahead of when rotation would call for it, but throwing in COMPLETELY UNTRAINED highbloods is not, unsurprisingly, terribly helpful. It would make a lot more sense to break up all the plague-afflicted squadrons (how many squadrons is classified information, but the ghost army confirmed it was EIGHT) and consolidate them into fewer squadrons, but this is more useful to you, so.

Over your protests, you get put in charge of crew assignments on the Gathering Swarm. You resolve to come down like a meteor on any murder-recon-like situation, keep a close eye out for any illegal trade, and manipulate the assigned teams to encourage highbloods to play nicely with others. You keep it up for a good few sweeps, too, and you need your swordcane to LEAN on by the time a brownblood grieving a culled matesprit decides an elderly teal administrator is the most PRACTICAL revenge target available. "I thought you were smarter than this, Serfin," you inform him. "No, you -- I don't know why you're even BOTHERING to hide the body, I'm going to be missed regardless, but if for some reason you MUST don't hide it THERE. Do you ever even talk to maintenance people?" Tavros shows up while your body is still only halfway in the air duct. "Aradia said-- What happened?" You throw an arm around his shoulders. (It feels a little strange, you hadn't quite hit full growth before he died.) "Generalized rage happened, I think." "...The air duct, really?" "Not exactly a criminal mastermind, is he." "...Looks like he broke the screws on the grate, too, he's never going to get that back on." ~~~~~ (==> BE FUTURE GAMZEE) (After the plague, you really start networking with other squadrons. You're one of the people on the... goodwill tour? Well, anyway, you go around between squadrons, talking to other ghosts and necropaths and occasionally other people if it's called for, and distributing ghost music players and palmhusks which hardly ever bite anymore.)

(You always find time to stop by whatever subjugglator ships there are and talk to the ghosts, in case they need help. You never PLAN to do anything more than that, but somehow you always end up delivering at least one ghost smackdown to a living subjugglator.) (When you get back Karkat tells you you've become an urban legend: a phantom who protects people menaced by highbloods and curbs the power of the subjugglator cult. People haven't really settled on a name, but since you hardly ever try to look like a full adult, a lot of them say The Small Highblood.) (You think that's pretty cool, but decide to bring your guitar to future interventions so you're associated with music, too.) ~~~~~ ==> BE FUTURE KANAYA As a rainbow drinker converted young, you may live a very, very, very long time. At one point you almost decide to die out of sheer BOREDOM. You love the caverns, you do, you LOVE the Mother Grub you hatched yourself, your friends never neglect you, but still, after so long... Then you realize you have a certain amount of authority at this point and assign yourself to go survey the virgin mother grub population. Much better. With some variety, you can stick it out much longer. As an Attender (you turned down Altadona when they offered it) you're not in a position to directly change culling policy, but you can make suggestions, so you always make sure to have current contacts in grub handling. So you hear things pretty quickly. And... not yet. ~~~~~

==> BE FUTURE ERIDAN Nepeta shows up while you are supervising the re-enameling of your new command block. "Aradia said they'd given you a purroper ship this time," she says, looking around. You do not roll your eyes st her where anyone can see, but do head to your personal blockset as soon as you can get away with it. "Good to see you -- is something going on?" She nods. "I just came from Alternia--" "Is it Kan?" you ask, feeling your vascular system seize for a moment. It doesn't really make any difference, but you don't want to be the only one alive. "No, no, she's fine. No, it's -- an heiress made it through the Trials." Your blockset should be clear of surveillance, but you still don't say anything beyond "Oh." A lot of hypotheticals may be about to become actuals. "I'm mostly sure I didn't say anything about being bored that could've tempted fate," you say, more to the ceiling than to Nepeta. She laughs anyway. ~~~~~ (==> BE FUTURE FEFERI) (You wave to your lusus, who seems a little nonplussed by your presence but not hostile, and ghost-swim down to the hive rising from the sea floor. Karkat follows basically ghost flying.) (The Heiress is two sweeps old and is playing with a box of colored sand, swirling her fingers through to make patterns. You crouch down beside her and make sure you're visible. "Hi there.") (She looks at you with big eyes. "Hello?") ("Your name is Pelagi, right?") (She nods.) ("I'm Feferi! And this is Karkat, and I hope we can be your friends.") (You've got a lot to tell her.)

[dumbbelle]

✄ like a moth to a flame (pt.1)

@pristeen-23​ : CRIMINAL MASTERMIND WOOZI AU

>> jihoon is engulfed in his own flames but he sees starlight in your eyes; all you want is to take a selfie with the highlighter-haired boy

warnings: swearing, murder, dispersed angst pairings: woozi | reader ; woozi | s.coups word count: 4599 a/n: this ended up being really long so I’m splitting it up lol

[pt.1] [pt. 2 – coming soon]

“Right, then let’s get down to business.” 

A well-built man stands in front of a crowded bulletin board, mouth pressed into a hard line as he settles on the group seated at the worktable in front of him with a steely glare. Choi Seungcheol was clearly Not Delighted to be here but hey, what else was new?

“Because of a certain blonde fucker hiding behind Minghao over there – Mingyu, you’re the tallest one here, it’s futile to hide – our plans have been delayed, and we lost our last deal.” 

If there’s one thing that distinguishes Seungcheol, Jihoon thinks, it would be a voice that commanded the silence of a crowd and that carried clearly over an entire room. 

(“Cheol… With that voice of yours, I can picture you becoming a rapper in an alternate universe,” Jihoon’s a lot more open after an evening of drinking, and it’s not an unfamiliar sight to find the university students having similar conversations on their shared apartment floor.

“In your dreams, Hoon,” Seungcheol snorts, although Jihoon sobers up quickly at his words. 

“You know I can’t anymore.”)

Despite the man’s relaxed tone, his cutting words are enough to make the tall agent recoil ever so slightly and take a silent step back. Jihoon scoffs underneath his breath, clearly not impressed. 

“What was the first thing I told you boys about covert operations?” Mingyu raises his hand to answer the question and Minghao automatically tugs it down, looking as if he has to physically restrain himself from calling the other an idiot. “It’s to Not! Fuck! Up! You had ONE JOB.”  Out of the corner of his eye, Jihoon can see the gang’s resident peacekeepers (a contradiction in itself, but there was too much to be said about the lack of normalcy in their little group) Joshua and Jeonghan glance at each other in nervousness; it is very rarely that one gets to witness Seungcheol raise his voice like this. “I work with a bunch of dumbasses!”

Did he just…?

Jihoon raises an eyebrow, loudly clearing his throat – and just like that Seungcheol falters, looking caught. Though he manages to hastily school his features into a hard expression, his tone is considerably softer as he speaks once more. “Yes, well, anyway, I’ve gotten us one more chance with these guys. Don’t mess it up this time.” And with that he turns around to the bulletin board, launching into a vivid explanation of their latest job. 

Jeonghan and Joshua allow themselves to breathe a little easier in their seats. 

“You don’t have to worry boss, I’m the best at what I do. There’s no way we can fail.”

You sway your legs back and forth as you sit atop your boss’ desk, swirling around a gobstopper from side to side in your mouth as you try to work your way to the middle. You can feel your boss’ eyes bore into you with flabbergast, and if not for the fact that you are Jeon Wonwoo’s closest friend, you might feel a little self conscious.

You are though, so screw it.

“Y/N, I think you might be missing the point here,” Wonwoo rubs a hand over his face, not even attempting to hide his exasperation, “Even your sketchy ass can’t possibly get us onto the invitation list of the most exclusive party of the year.” He turns his back to you and starts to pace, a habit you’ve come to recognize as Wonwoo in deep focus. You chuckle softly at the sight.

“You’re overreacting,” you sing, sticking out your tongue and crossing your eyes to gauge a visual representation of how much more you needed to go to finish your gobstopper. Just a little bit more! You feel relieved; as a matter of necessity, you had been working at it all day.

“Overreacting? Y/N, we need this story. Imagine being the only online tabloid in years to get the inside scoop from the Carat Gala? This will take us from lowly online tabloid to lowly online phenomenon!” Wonwoo has this glint in his eyes reflective of his undying ambition and hope, so of course you have to be the first person to pop his bubble.

“Boss, hate to break it to ya, but I’m sure it’s gonna take more than one story.” Wonwoo scowls and you shrug as if to say I don’t make the rules, sliding off his desk and stretching your arms behind your head. Before he has to chance to protest your claim, you wave a hand at him. “But don’t worry, I’ll find a way to make it work. You know I always do,” you chirp and casually stroll out of his office, forgetting to close the door behind you.

Wonwoo only watches you go silently, aware that arguing about the last time he had to bail you out for something stupid would only delay an inevitable process. Instead he sighs, slumping into his chair and eyeing the top drawer of his desk.

“Ah, fuck it.”

Wonwoo yanks open the drawer and takes out a gobstopper, popping it into his mouth. 

“Coups, you know how much I hate being referred to as one and the same with the rest of these dimwits,” Jihoon grits his teeth at his best friend, – his literal partner in crime – having finally gotten the chance to say what was on his mind. The two stand in their now-deserted base, Seungcheol not even sparing him a glance as he focuses on rearranging the clippings on the bulletin board in front of him. 

Jihoon feels more than a little bit insulted. 

“Aw, Hoon–”

“–It’s Woozi on the clock.”

“On the clock? It’s just the two of us, Hoon.”

“Woozi.”

“Woozi,” Seungcheol clicks his tongue in annoyance, as if he can’t believe the immaturity of his best friend. Well he can, but this was just not.the.time. “I’m sorry, okay?” Jihoon scoffs and makes to leave but Seungcheol quickly moves to cling onto his wrist. “Okay? We’ve got a job to focus on, it’s not time for petty arguments. And besides, I know you only get this cranky when the nightmares start up agai–”

“Shut up!” Jihoon snarls as he yanks his wrist away. “Shut up.” Once again, he makes his way towards the exit but this time, Seungcheol makes no move to stop him. He pauses at the entrance, and if Seungcheol wasn’t so accustomed to keeping an ear out for even the slightest of sounds, he might not have heard it:

“And you don’t have to worry, I’m the best at what I do. There’s no way we will fail.”

Seungcheol thinks the base feels much bigger when he’s standing there alone. 

“Y/N, this is possibly the stupidest idea you’ve ever come up with, and I’ve known you for five years – heck, I’ve worked with you for two!” Seungkwan is practically vibrating in his car seat, unable to sit still as he contemplates the full absurdity of the looming situation. 

“What’s so stupid about it?” You turn to pout at your junior from behind the wheel, and Seungkwan ushers you to look back to the road. You tsk at him, annoyed. “You’re always such a nervous passenger,” you complain, despite obliging and turning back around to face the road ahead of you. 

“Correction: I’m always such a nervous passenger with you,” Seungkwan dismisses and you huff, offended at his implication. You open up your mouth to make a snide remark but he continues on, effectively shutting you up before you even get the chance to start. “And don’t try to distract me from the real issue here. We’re going to get thrown into jail again because all you can come up with is some half-assed plan.” 

“On the contrary, I feel that the best way to sneak in is to not sneak in at all,” you giggle, drumming your finger tips along the grips of your steering wheel absentmindedly as you try to contain your excitement. 

Seungkwan looks at you as if you’ve grown a second head. “Do you hear yourself right now?” He shakes his head in fascination. “Y/N, believe me when I say that we can’t just stroll into such a high-class event by pretending to be part of the entourage for some A-List celebrity!”

You gasp, scandalized. “He is not just any A-List celebrity! He’s Kim Mingyu, possibly the most handsome young bachelor around right now.”

His confusion is visible. “So?”

“So, he never goes anywhere without a massive entourage. One that would be very easy to blend into, if we play our cards right.” Even through your limited side-eye, you can tell he’s not buying into your plan one bit. 

All of a sudden, he releases a loud groan. “Oh… We’re totally just following him in because you think he’s hot!” He hits head down on the glove compartment of the car. “We’re doomed.” You blush, trying to keep your professional image in check as you deny his accusations. 

“Of course not! Now stop being melodramatic, we’ll get in just fine. In fact, I’ll even bet you 20,000 won.” This gets Seugnkwan’s attention, and he calms down for a second to gawk at you, unconvinced. You almost think to take it back, knowing that you have one too many overdue bills to pay this month and not enough money to do so. However, you’re confident in your abilities as an undercover reporter so you only repeat yourself, louder this time. “I’ll bet you 20,000 won that we’ll get into the Carat Gala scot-free. In fact, I bet we won’t even be noticed.” You stick out a hand for him to shake, and he gently nudges it back onto the wheel.

“You’re on.”

“W-W-Woozi! Oh hi, didn’t see you there… NOT that you’re easy to miss anything, your presence is huge… Goodness, that was not an attack on your height! Just look at me! You’re not short at all, ha ha ha…” 

New recruit Chan is everything that Jihoon remembered himself to be at his younger age: awkward, short, and bad in social situations. He has to hold back a grimace and push down his internalized embarrassment as Chan continues to dig himself further into his grave; eventually, Hansol slams a hand over the kid’s mouth and shoots Jihoon a sheepish smile.

“Sorry about that, he didn’t get much sleep last night.” Chan looks ready to protest but he instead nods bashfully, and Jihoon starts to wonder when the kid stopped looking like one of the most deadly up-and-coming assassins in the business, and instead started looking like an idol group maknae–

He has got to stop visualizing these idol group comparisons. 

Hansol can’t seem to contain his curiosity either, it seems. “But sir, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing here?” It’s a valid question, as Jihoon himself usually prefers to control everything behind the scenes from his meticulous computer setup equipped with a bowl of ramen. 

“This job’s important; ergo, we can’t have you inexperienced members messing it up.” Jihoon smooths out his suit in the mirror before giving himself a once-over to check that his earpiece is safely concealed and that his hair is perfectly gelled back. “So I’m coming with you to make sure that doesn’t happen. ” He bends down to comfortably adjust the butterfly knife underneath his pant leg, ignoring the looks that Hansol and Chan share with each other as they finish their own preparations. Obviously, they didn’t take kindly to the way Jihoon talked down to them. Obviously, Jihoon didn’t care.

Standing back up, Jihoon scans the room for the rest of their members. Seungcheol is busy fixing Joshua’s tie, and Jihoon jeers at the almost motherly behaviour. They were starting to feel too comfortable around here, and he couldn’t have them turning soft. The more emotionally attached they got to Seungcheol and each other, the more worried Jihoon got that they would become too emotionally attached to their cases. The last thing he needed was for one of his guys to fall in love with one of their client’s targets.

Turning away, he can see Mingyu moping in a corner, Minghao by him as a comforting presence as he sits by his side and uses his phone. Jihoon glowers; Mingyu’s been acting like this since their last group meeting, and frankly, he is long over it. Making his way over, he catches Minghao’s eye and nods once, a silent dismissal. The sharpshooter pockets his phone immediately before patting Mingyu’s back and gracefully exiting the scene. Jihoon appreciates the ease of process. Why can’t the rest of them be like this? Jihoon stands in his place, looking down at the man. For a few moments, he says nothing, but then he opens his mouth and–

“Mingyu, stop moping around and get off your ass,” Jihoon almost winces at the harsh timbre of his own voice, as it’s not quite the effect he was going for. Nevertheless, Mingyu begrudgingly hulls himself up, refusing to meet his eyes. Jihoon wants so badly to strangle the man but he knows his gang members, so he also knows that doing so would badly jeopardize their team. Mingyu had unwittingly become a key figure in many of their plans, a public icon that acted as their primary gateway and major distraction. Though Jihoon knew they could function without him, it would be much easier if they kept him on board. 

“Mingyu, about the other day…” Mingyu raises his head from the ground slightly so that the two meet eye-to-eye. Good, I’ve got his attention. “Coups has a short temper, but he has little resolve. He’s long over everything. After all, what happened on the ship could have happened to anybody.” Not to Jihoon, but Mingyu looks so damn hopeful that he knows that his battle is as good as done. “As for me, as long as you do what you do best and charm everyone with that kind and endearing bachelor image of yours, we’ll sweep this whole incident under the rug.” Like hell he will, but they’re under a time limit and he needs Mingyu in tip-top condition. Mingyu nods, and Jihoon, sufficiently satisfied, turns to the rest of the gang.

“Any questions?” Silence. “Alright, let’s get on our way.”

“There! That’s him!” 

You push Seungkwan to the side in order to get a proper look at the limousine that arrives by the hotel entrance, a tall celebrity emerging from the vehicle and waving a hand at the paparazzi that immediately bombards him. Seungkwan, used to your treatment, ignores the arrival and only checks to make sure that his camera is safely disguised in his jacket. After all, someone had to be ready for the sneak-shots, and the only other option was busy ogling at some 6-foot-tall socialite. Seungkwan risks a glance. 

“There’s no denying his looks, that’s for sure,” he concedes, eyeing the man’s broad shoulders and toned features. But what really catches his attention are the people exiting the car behind Mingyu, each sporting good looks of their own. Seungkwan whistles. “Y/N, look,” he nudges your attention over to them and you scrutinize the crowd before smiling in recognition. They are all familiar faces to you: Xu Minghao, Choi Seungcheol, Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo, Choi Hansol… In-depth Naver stalking had you memorizing the known details of Mingyu’s closest friends and most devoted followers. 

“See? I told you they would be with him. They tag along for every event.” Your eyes continue to follow them until you notice a shorter being amongst their midsts. Strange, you think, furrowing your eyebrows. How could I ever miss him before? Though his highlighter hair is gelled back perfectly and his sharp cheekbones look like they might kill a man, there is this undeniable cuteness about him that you can’t help but linger on. Perhaps it is the height, but you think it has something to do with his demure smile and the way his head bobs around excitedly, seemingly overwhelmed. You realize that he must be new, and a single thought permeates your brain:

I need to take a selfie with him. 

But for that, you had to get in successfully first. When you finally rip your attention from the group, you turn around and place your hands on Seungkwan’s shoulders. He mimics you, squeezing your shoulders in response. “We got this,” you both chant quietly, what had become a treasured tradition over the last couple of years. With one last pat on each others’ backs, the two of you slide around to the front and scurry in to the hotel with the rest of the group before they even have the chance to notice. 

The two of you work in silent harmony, each sidling up to walk ever-so obliquely behind an entourage member, trying to spread yourselves apart; the two of you are harder to catch when dispersed. You can feel a pounding of exhilaration inside your chest, something that you know Seungkwan must be feeling twice as hard even with his dazzling smile. You position yourself behind the short man you had noticed earlier, taking note that Seungkwan quickly chooses a position behind that Hansol boy. He looks a little flustered, and you’re not sure if it’s because he’s anxious about getting caught, or if it’s because Choi Hansol looks like a damn doll in person. Hell, they all do.

It was probably a little bit of both.

Your large group arrives to the intimidating doormen and you try and hold your head up higher, knowing that confidence would only contribute towards your success. They’re stiffly straight, clipboards at the ready as they look towards Mingyu. 

“Kim Mingyu,” It’s your first time hearing his voice this evening, and you involuntarily let out a small squeak, not being able to completely restrain your inner fan (okay, so maybe Seungkwan was a teensy bit right). Though not loud enough to be heard by most, you notice Mingyu’s small friend in front of you has now turned to stare at you fully, and you halt. Busted.

Your eyes widen and you glance over to Seungkwan, who has also noticed and looks like he wants to internally combust. You slowly turn back to the man, bringing your hands together in a silent plead. “Please don’t say anything,” you mouth the words but he does nothing to respond, only continuing to stare, and you find yourself quickly retracting any early notions you had about him being cute. You feel unnerved by his unblinking eyes, unmoving expression. Cute? 

Right now, all you see is danger.

As the doormen move you along, the small man simply turns back to face the front and you’re stunned still for a moment, surprised at the sudden turn of events. Before the doormen can get suspicious, you feel Seungkwan’s hand grab yours and tug you forwards.  He gives your hand a concerned squeeze, but it’s hesitant, as if he’s not sure what to be concerned about. You’re not sure what came over you either, so you flash him a reassuring smile and leave it at that.

The moment the two of you are far enough from the entrance, you break from the group and sneak away into the crowd. You make the mistake of looking back, and your eyes immediately find those of the highlighter-haired man. It startles you, the phlegmatic stare that follows you into the crowd. His face is eventually lost in a sea of others, and though your favourite actress is standing just an arm’s length away from you, all you can remember is the look of danger.

The look of fire. 

“Strange, huh?” Seungkwan’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts, and you nod in agreement. “Perhaps he just had bigger problems on his mind than two journalists trying to gatecrash.” You start to wonder if he had been aware of your presence the entire time, but the thought is interrupted when a hand is shoved in front of your face.

“Pay up.”

Seungkwan beams as you take out your wallet from your purse and reluctantly slap two ₩10,000 bills onto the palm of his hand.

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

“That was strange, huh?” Hansol comments airily as he snatches two hors d’oeuvres from a passing waiter. He offers one of the grilled scallops to Jihoon, who only scrunches up his nose as a response. He all at once regrets assigning himself to stick with the two youngest to scope out their targets. But he was not in the mood to team with Seungcheol, so he accepted what came. “Suit yourself,” Hansol shrugs, and holds the food up for Chan so that he can feed him the treat. 

Jihoon is disgusted. “Do you use those same hands to poison your targets?” The two freeze, Hansol slowly retracting his hand from Chan’s mouth. Chan rubs his throat a little, but the other is quick to assure that he “isn’t Mingyu” and that he does, in fact, “have hygienic habits.” Jihoon doesn’t watch the exchange closely, busy looking into the crowd for the two gatecrashers from only minutes before. 

You weren’t very discreet, no question about it. Even Mingyu was able to immediately spot the two of you the moment he exited the limousine, signalling your location to the rest with the hand behind his back. Jihoon was amused as he continued to subtly track your movements, holding back what felt like an actual smile the moment he noticed the two of you performing what seemed like some sort of ritualistic chant. “Mingyu, your fans are fucking crazy,” Jihoon hears Seungcheol mutter, and he has to agree. The absolute lengths that the fool’s fans would go through just to take a mere photo of the guy was astounding, but never did he once underestimate the power of a dedicated fanbase. And then the two of you tried to follow them in. 

If he was amused before then he was downright tickled then. It had been a while since he felt so entertained, but the moment he felt your breath on the back of his neck (you were standing so damn close, he could inhale the light waft of your citrus shampoo), he was left in a state of disbelief. Whose dumb idea was it to gatecrash a party by following the celebrities directly in? Even if they weren’t assassins, the two of you would have been caught. In fact, the matter that they were assassins probably saved your asses from being kicked to the curb; as a matter of priority, they could care less about two fans with big ambitions to party. It was so laughable that he had to smile to himself secretly as they approached the doormen. 

What he was not expecting was the small squeak you let out at the sound of Mingyu’s voice. It was right in his ear, and he felt compelled to finally acknowledge your presence – at the very least to tell you to take a step back. He turned around, and for those few moments he felt as if he was Chan’s age again: awkward, short, and bad in social situations. 

You were… Prettier than he expected, and the way your eyes widened at the sight of him was so pure and innocent that all at once he felt uncomfortable in your presence. Jihoon felt his voice catch in his throat and his lips glue shut, a phenomenon that left him unable to speak. And he saw starlight in your eyes so bright that he got lost in it, wondering if he could follow it all the way back to normalcy. It felt dangerous in a sense, to be so easily taken aback and out of his element; but like a moth, he always found himself drawn to flames. 

“Woozi look, that’s Mr. Jung. Objectivo número uno,” Hansol is whispering into his ear now and Jihoon only nods, embarrassed at having been found off task. “I can go slip some thallium into his drink, if you’d like – you know, the regular stuff. He won’t see it, he won’t smell it, and he won’t taste a thing. I’ll even get Mingyu to cause a distraction,” Hansol almost goes to do just that before Jihoon places a hand on his chest, telling the boy to calm down. Jihoon long accepted that the boy was trigger (read: posion) happy, but that wasn’t how he did his work.

“Calm down, assess the situation first. There has to be some reason that our clients want him gone. Figure it out.” Hansol looks reluctant but he doesn’t argue, pulling Chan off to do their work.  

“Hoon, stop stressing out the poor boys with useless work,” Jihoon damn near decks Seungcheol as the man miraculously appears by his side. The leader took pride in being the only person to be able to sneak up on the short killer, and all Jihoon wants to do is to punch the smirk off his partner’s face. 

“Woozi.”

“Woozi, stop stressing out the poor boys with useless work, I know you already have all the data filed up here,” Seungcheol taps Jihoon’s head fondly, speaking as if he’s doing so more out of obligation than out of actual concern. He loops an arm around Jihoon’s neck in a friendly manner and Jihoon doesn’t hesitate to shove it off. 

“It’s a good exercise.” Unlike too many in this damn business, Jihoon didn't take on jobs blindly. Even if he considered it a policy to carry out jobs once accepted, Jihoon liked to know all the details behind a kill. Information was power in this day and age, and Jihoon likes power. But he’s not about to elaborate since Seungcheol already knows that, like Jihoon already knows his sole purpose on this earth was to try and piss him off as much as possible.

“Don’t you have a person to be pulling teeth off of or something?” He says it distastefully, not a particular fan of Seungcheol’s more sadistic forms of torture. Jihoon is an elegant assassin, but Seungcheol made them look like barbarians. “'We’ve got a job to focus on.’ Sound familiar to you?”

Seungcheol shrugs. “Tag team’s got it covered. Besides, we’re already here and things are falling into place.” And if Jihoon was being honest with himself, he could in fact hear the faint groans of pain emitting from his right earpiece, the pathetic cries for help playing like soft music in his ear. Joshua’s cynical laughter is present as well, and if Jihoon wasn’t so fucked up himself he might be concerned with how quickly the agent could change personas in the blink of an eye. 

But Jihoon is fucked up, so he only plays dumb.

“If that’s the case, then you should be there helping them,” he puts on a smile, bowing at a popular television host who passes them. 

“I could, but it’s more interesting here with you, my favourite person in the entire world~”

“Fling yourself into the sun.”

“Hoonie~” Jihoon hates how his glare doesn’t phase Seungcheol, but he ultimately supposes that came with the whole ‘childhood friend’ nonsense. He stares straight ahead, not wanting to give Seungcheol the satisfaction of eye contact. “I was talking to those two who followed us in earlier.”

Jihoon gives Seungcheol the satisfaction of eye contact.

Seungcheol snickers, pulling out a business card and tucking it into the collar of Jihoon’s suit jacket. “Journalist for Pledis Publishing. Thank me later.”

Jihoon hates Seungcheol a little bit less.

[pt.1] [pt. 2 – coming soon]

[motherlifesucher-archives]

Prefects | Shawn Mendes Imagine

(a/n): I had been craving to write Hogwarts Shawn so thank you for requesting :). I hope you enjoy it <3. PART 2.

prompt: Shawn and (y/n) are Gryffindor’s Prefects.

It wasn’t a surprise for anyone that you were chosen by the headmistress to be one of Gryffindor’s Prefects.

But it was impossible to say that half the school wasn’t surprised when Shawn Mendes, probably the best Keeper Gryffindor had seen since Ron Weasley left the school, had been appointed as the new fifth year prefect.

Shawn himself had been surprised when he received a letter signed by Minerva McGonagall announcing the news to him. Even his sister, who was also a Gryffindor, had laughed on his face while telling him it was probably a joke.

You were on the top of your class, professors loved you, and you didn’t have trouble with anyone. On the other hand, Shawn’s grades weren’t the best, professors were often telling him to pay attention, and it wasn’t unusual to catch him exchanging a few words with Quidditch players from other Houses, mostly Slytherins who knew he was an easy target, especially before games.

The first day of September arrived sooner than expected, and while you arrived to the Platform wearing your Prefect badge with pride, Shawn had to bear with his friends ruffling his hair while telling him it was probably a joke, but when you approached him before entering the train, he tried his best to wiggle out of his friends’ embrace, and when they let go of him, he gripped his broom tightly on his hand.

“Hi,” you smiled at him shyly. “I’m (y/n)” you stretched your hand.

“I-I know,” he stuttered before correcting himself. “Sorry, I’m Shawn.” he gently shook your hand.

“I know,” you smiled at him. “Just wanted to remind you that we’ll have the first patrol on the train, and that we’ll be meeting with the Head Boy and Girl on the prefect’s carriage.” Merlin’s beard, he had totally forgotten that.

“Sure, yeah. I’ll see you there.” he said not looking very sure of himself.

“Okay then.” you gave him a smile before walking towards your friends who were waiting for you.

-

The only thing thing Shawn wanted to do after the Welcoming Feast was over was to go to the dormitory, take off his robes and fall asleep, but he was reminded that it was his duty to guide Gryffindor’s first years to the Common Room. He groaned internally, but he soon found his mind directing to the form beside him.

“Long day, huh?.” you smiled at him before turning around to the group of eager kids. “Hello, my name is (y/n) (y/l/n) and I’m one of Gryffindor’s Prefects with Shawn here.” you greeted the kids who were still taking in the surroundings of the Great Hall.

“Well, we are now going to Gryffindor’s Common Room. Please try to remember or you’ll get lost, and I’m telling you because it happened to me,” he said smiling, making the first years giggle, and some of the girls blush. “The stairs are constantly changing, and it’ll probably happen to you, but as long as you know how to go back to Gryffindor’s Tower, you’ll be okay.”

“Everything you need is in your trunks. The Head of our House will give you your class schedules tomorrow at breakfast, so make sure you’re on time,” you said as you started heading the new students along the corridors. “Quick advice, leave your dormitories at least fifteen minutes before your class starts, or you’ll get lost.”

“Try to not forget the passwords, because there’s no way the Fat Lady will let you in without the password. Keep an eye on the bulletin board, since there’s where the new passwords will be posted.” Shawn added just when you reached the entry to the Common Room. “Fortuna Major” he said on a loud voice.

“There’s the best Keeper Hogwarts has seen! Wait, are you Prefect now…?” The Fat Lady started rambling.

“Fortuna Major.” you repeated the password. The Fat Lady rolled her eyes before revealing the entrance.

“Yeah, make sure you say the password loud and strong, or she’ll start talking or singing.” Shawn chuckled and winked to the first years, making the girls blush and giggle, and you roll your eyes with a smile on your face.

“Well. Girls will follow me, and boys will follow Shawn. Don’t hesitate to ask for help, we’ll be around for whatever you need, okay?” you said locking your gaze with Shawn’s. “Good night, see you tomorrow.”

“Good night.” he said to you before directing the boys to the stairs.

-

Shawn woke up almost an hour before he had to get out of bed, and he knew why his brain had decided to put an end to his sleep. His sleepy form made its way to the bathroom, the water bringing him to his senses. He rubbed his eyes one last time before adjusting his robes and leaving the Common Room. He avoided Peeves who was lurking around the empty halls before he arrived the Headmistress Office. One of the perks of being a Prefect is that he had been handed the office’s password, so he didn’t have trouble getting inside. He knocked softly and after a few seconds the door opened, revealing the one and only Minerva McGonagall.

“Mister Mendes? What are you doing here so early?” she asked him surprised.

“Morning, Headmistress. I-I wanted to talk to you for a second.” He said and she opened the door.

“Come on in,” she guided him to her desk. Shawn let himself admire the office in awe before taking his seat. “What can I help you with, Mr. Mendes?”

“Well, uhm… I had been asking myself if you were sure about appointing me as Gryffindor’s Prefect?” he said and Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrow. “Wait, don’t get me wrong! I’m honored, but I just don’t understand why me, there’s nothing special about me.”

“Are you doubting my judgement, Mr. Mendes?” she asked Shawn, and he shook his head in denial.

“No, of course not, Professor. But look at (y/n), she’s the brightest witch our age, she’s kind to everyone… and I’m just me, I’m not bright and all that stuff.” he finished his speech and found professor McGonagall smiling at him.

“You and Miss (y/l/n) remind me of two people I met a few years ago…” she took a deep breath. “You two may be different, but you both wear Gryffindor’s colors with pride, and that’s more than enough for me.” she said and Shawn unconsciously directing his eyes to the lion resting on his chest. “I hope you still have time to practice, Quidditch tryouts are in two more weeks, and you are our best shot on winning the cup.”

Shawn seemed taken aback, he never thought the Headmistress thought so highly of him. “Thank you, Professor.”

“Now go, I’m sure a few first years will be looking for you.” She told him.

Shawn carefully left the office and let out a deep breath he didn’t know he had been holding. 

Looks like he had a busy year ahead.

Two Weeks Later.

You had your face buried on a Potions book as you tried to understand why your potion had failed earlier. You didn’t notice when someone took the seat next to you. The person cleared their throat, and only then you lifted your gaze to find Shawn.

“Hey, I’m sorry to interrupt you but I have to talk to you about tonight’s patrol.”

“Sure, what’s up?” You said closing your book and smiling at the boy in front of you.

“Quidditch trials are today’s afternoon, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it, and I was thinking if maybe we could switch with whoever has the last patrol of the day? If you’re okay with it, of course.”

“I didn’t know the best player on the team had to undergo tryouts.” You said but it didn’t take long for you to realize your words, but it was too late since Shawn had a smirk decorating his face.

“You think I’m the best player?” he said on a flirty tone, clearly enjoying the way your cheeks flushed

you shrugged, trying to make it look like it wasn’t a big deal. “That’s what people say,” you said but Shawn still had the smirk. “I’ll talk to the Hufflepuff’s prefects, I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“Thank you.” he said before getting up from his seat.

You wanted to bang your head against the table as you realized what you had said to him. You didn’t want him to think you had a crush on him like half the school did. You sighed and tried to go back to your potions book, but your mind was on a certain boy.

-

You were about to start the last patrol and Shawn hadn’t shown up yet, and just when you decided to start without him, you heard loud steps coming your way.

“Sorry, I’m late,” he said sounding out of breath, his robes looked a bit messy and his hair was wet. “It took a bit longer than expected.”

“It’s okay… How did it go?” you asked him while you tried not to look at him.

“It went well… We’re going to have one hell of a team this year, the Cup has our name on it, and I meant it.” he said excitedly and you couldn’t help it but laugh at his words. “What, you don’t believe me?” he asked you arching an eyebrow. “Didn’t you tell me that I was the best player on the entire school?”

“I didn’t say that.” you argued, making Shawn laugh loudly.

“Yes, you did!” he said on a teasing tone.

“I said you were the best player on the team, not on the entire school!” you said hitting his shoulder softly.

“Oh, so who’s a better player than me?”

“I don’t know, I’m not a big Quidditch fan.”

“Then how do you know I’m the best player on the team?” he said wiggling his eyebrows.

“First of all, you are annoying,” you said smiling. “And people talk about you, in case you hadn’t noticed, and of course I keep up with Gryffindor’s team, what kind of student would I be if I didn’t?”

“Then I expect to see you cheering for me on the stands.” 

“I will be cheering for our House, not for you.” you giggled, earning a few glares from the portraits.

“You say that now.” he said and you kept walking.

-

Shawn had to admit he found himself waiting for night patrols.

On the last months, he had found himself enjoying your presence way more than he expected. He didn’t want to admit he was starting to like you in a different way. He loved the way you listened carefully about his day, or the way you took your time to explain something he hadn’t understood on class. 

Right now, you were laughing at a story he was telling you about how he had almost killed his owl minutes after buying her while choosing his wand at Ollivanders, but he reassured you it had made them bond.

“What are your stories?” Shawn asked you as you kept an eye on the empty corridors.

“Not much, I threw up once after eating an entire box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans myself… I’m not a big fan after that.” you told him and he let out a loud laugh. “What? Come on, you almost killed your own owl!” you said copying his actions.

“You are weak if you couldn’t handle a box of Bertie Bott’s!” He said and it looked like he wasn’t going to stop laughing.

“Oh, shut up.” You mumbled but the hint of laughter was clear on your voice.

Shawn slowed down his pace a bit and scratched the back of his neck. “Hey, (y/n)…” he was going to continue but noticed you had stopped walking.

“I’m sorry, but it’s your turn.” you whispered as you pointed to a couple that was making out on a dark corner.

“Last time was my turn, it’s your turn now” Shawn said on a playful tone.

You pouted and gave him your best puppy eyes. “Please, just for this time.”

Shawn sighed. “Fine, but you owe me.” he said and you gave him a bright smile.

Shawn walked to the couple and cleared his throat. You had to suppress your giggles as the Ravenclaw boy and Hufflepuff girl couldn’t look at him in the eye. Their lips looked red and swollen as Shawn reprimanded them and told them he would tell their respective Houses’ prefects so they could take appropriate measures. The couple said goodbye to each other and walked in different directions. Shawn turned around and gave you one of his killer smiles.

“I need your help with the Potions paper.” 

“Are you asking me or…?” you said on a teasing tone.

“You owe me, remember?” he said and you laughed.

“When are you free?” you asked him.

“Tomorrow after breakfast? I have a free period.” Shawn suggested.

“Sounds like a plan.” 

Nothing else appeared on your way until you found yourselves in front of the Fat Lady’s portrait. You walked inside the Common Room, but neither of you seemed to want to go to your dormitories.

“Good night, Shawn. See you tomorrow.”

“Good night, (y/n).”

“Don’t forget your Potions book!” you reminded him just when you were about to go to the stairs.

“Don’t worry about it. Sleep tight.”

And just like that you weren’t facing each other anymore, but the smiles on your faces wouldn’t be easy to erase.

-

Shawn had barely touched his pumpkin juice since one of his friends had mentioned it was Hogsmeade weekend.

He had been planning to ask you but he didn’t know how. He didn’t know where you stood. Maybe he was misreading the signs and you weren’t interested on him at all, but he did know you were constantly on his mind, and it was starting to become annoying. 

“Shawn, you okay?” one of his friends asked him from across the table.

“Uh? Yeah, sure.” Shawn responded, earning chuckles from his friends.

“You don’t even know what we were talking about!”

“I did, I just didn’t know what to say…” he tried to excuse himself.

“Really? You didn’t know what to say when we were talking about how your precious (y/n) has been eyeing you the entire time.” Other friend said and Shawn immediately straightened his back and his eyes widened.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?!” 

“You’re so gullible.” His friends laughed.

“Ha-ha, so funny.” Shawn said but soon noticed his friends eyes widen.

“Hey Shawn.” he heard your melodic voice over his shoulder. He quickly turned around.

“(y/n), hey,” Shawn said while he got up from his seat. “Did you sleep well?”

Your cheeks tinted pink. “I did. How did you sleep?”

“Very good.” he said and he could feel people staring, since someone had started the rumor that there was something going on between the two of you, but the only thing he could focus on was on your flushed cheeks and glowing eyes. 

“Are you ready for Potions?” you asked him cheerfully.

“Yes, but not as enthusiastic as you are about it.” He chuckled and you hit his chest softly.

“Let’s go.” you grabbed his hand and he could feel his cheek burning while butterflies filled his stomach, and his friends all were giving him cheeky looks.

“Aren’t we going to the library?”

“Nah, I know a better place.” You winked and he looked down with a shy smile on his face.

You didn’t let go of his hand while you guided him through the outsides of the castle. The day was cold even though you could see some sun rays peaking through the clouds. When you reached the side of the Black Lake you stopped walking, and unwillingly let go of his warm hand.

“This view is amazing.” Shawn said as he sat on the grass, leaving his bag on the floor.

“I know, right? I come here all the time.”

“Then I guess I’ll know where to find you.” he said happily.

“I guess so,” you smiled at him. “Anyway, let’s get started.”

The minutes went by just as night patrolling did. It was like neither of you could stop smiling while you were next to each other, maybe you weren’t even speaking, but knowing you were next to him, and knowing you could just stretch your arm and touch him was enough to plaster a smile on your faces.

“So, that’s the difference between a Calming Draught, and a Draught of Peace. We can go over how to brew them properly, if you want to…”

Shawn couldn’t tear his eyes off you, and he didn’t seem to control his words. “Go to Hogsmeade with me.”

“Sorry?”

“Let me take you to Hogsmeade this weekend.” Shawn said a bit more confidently this time.

“What? I mean… Are you sure?” you said not really knowing what to answer.

“Of course I am sure…” He stopped talking and it seemed like he was doubting if he should continue talking. “I like you, (y/n). A lot. And I think you like me too.”

Your eyes widened before you recomposed yourself. “You are pretty confident, aren’t you?”

“I like to take my chances.” he shrugged, but he could feel his insides turning with anticipation.

“In that case… Does three work for you?” You asked him but he didn’t seem to catch up. “Hogsmeade?”

“Oh, so that’s a yes?” He said with his cheeky grin back to his face.

“Looks like it.” you said getting up.

“Does that mean that you like me, too?”

You smiled and left a kiss on his cheek. “I guess you’ll have to find out.”

And with that you grabbed your things and walked away, dedicating him one last glance while butterflies erupted inside your belly.

[bubbleskat]

Book Four: The Message

Maybe I'll aim for two books a week since that's what I seem to be doing right now...we shall see. On with the book! --the squirrel POV is fantastic and exactly how I imagine squirrel minds work --the scenes where they almost get caught in morph tend to be amusing. Or just imagining the ends of the morphs, like Cassie with a huge squirrel tail --Because Rachel had a bulletin board with quotes, I made myself one back in 5th grade. It was pretty cute, though with very different quotes than Rachel. Maybe I should do one again... --paranoia is starting to show up, but not nearly as strong as it will become --the Marco/Tobias dynamic is amusing. Really every member of the team has a great dynamic with each other, but that's one I don't see a lot and so I'm intrigued. --yay first sign of Ax! Lil stupid of him to be calling out when he doesn't know the territory but he's also a wee stupid teenager so he gets a pass. --maybe hindsight is 20/20, but wouldn't it be an easy guess that the voice was an Andalite considering the footage Jake saw with Andalite writing? Who knows. --awww the first time they're unanimous is the time they're going to go rescue Ax --The Sharing really intrigues me because there are so many reasons people might become voluntary and the Animorphs don't recognize any of them. Eleutherophobia is great for this, as are some other fics, and part of the reason I'm rereading is because I've had an idea of writing a fic about controllers for a long time and still really want to do that. --Yeah you might want to remember the constraints of sand and footprints --KTVH! Aka Keep the Visser Happy. Another great thing from the Eleutherophobia series. And it shows up so much. --"We do have lives beyond being Animorphs, after all." For now at least. Small innocent middle schoolers. --Cassie being forced to make decisions seems to always turn out really well (Ax) or really badly (the whole Karen incident...). Well that still turned out well but it could have been bad. --man morphing a sea lion would be fun too. The sea lion at my zoo is so chill even though he's blind. But dolphins were the right choice for this, since sea lions rest fairly often. --they've mentioned having to pay to get into The Gardens, but like for real why haven't they bought a membership yet? Like especially since Jake mentioned in the first book it was one of his favorite places. Okay then again they're 13...but couldn't their parents get one? Idk. I give up lol. --hahaha all the dolphins are named after Friends characters that's brilliant. (Is that because of the new reboot? Idk. Either way great) --Tobias is basically playing the parent to a bunch of 5 year olds when they're dolphins and it's brilliant --the drama of Marco losing a tail. At least now they're learning they can morph away injuries. --lil preachy with the whale bit but still fun --why didn't all of them demorph and remorph to reset the timer? Use analytical skills lil 13 year olds...then you could have gone further instead of going back home. Saves time and all. Alas. --ya know maybe I should also write an AU where they're aged up like 3 years--old enough that they're smarter, but young enough to still be daring about it --"Marco, you know, for a guy who's always joking around and being annoying, you're awfully smart." Good description. --you know the stakes are about to raise when the yeerks show up randomly in the middle of wilderness. --Aximili! --aww Ax is trying so hard to follow Andalite customs but these humans are messing everything up. :') so cute. --Yes Prince Jake! I can't believe I forgot about that. But it is brilliant and bring on all the "don't call me prince" "yes prince jake" --right Ax would have a lot more information about yeerks. That would be how they finally start learning more. --the first "don't call me Prince!" And kicking taxxon butt. Do they know yet about taxxon hunger? I don't remember reading about it yet so I don't think they do. --Ax automatically jumps to the conclusion that Visser Three went to one of the Andalite's moons to acquire the Mardrut, but couldn't it have been Alloran? Honestly that seems a lot more likely to me, that Alloran had a bunch of the morphs already when he was infested. --yay whales! They really are awesome and super sentient. No wonder Aftran wanted to be a whale. They would be cool to morph. --welp this became very hippy again. But it's still interesting and fun. --Man Tobias is really turning on the snark. I didn't remember him being this sassy but it's brilliant. --Ax morphing a super attractive mixed human is great. Along with attempting to put on clothes lol. And mouth sounds! Brilliant. Overall thoughts: This book definitely has its moments of weirdness regarding dolphins and whales and that communication, but it's very Cassie and still enjoyable. Of course, seeing Ax is great! The Animorphs are complete now, aside from the David debacle and later war events. And it was definitely fun to see them out of place in the water. And like I mentioned for the last book, we see why Cassie is fighting. She doesn't have a solid epiphany moment like the last 3, but it's very clear throughout the book.

[furrynewsfnn]

Urgent Bulletin - Special Fox Furry in Need

There is a furry located within Florida who is in need of some fur love. Currently, he’s living within a tent in the woods and claims that medical conditions are about to take his life, but refuses to seek medical treatment or help.

Currently his family is searching for him to help him out, but they do not know of his location and he apparently is moving his campsite nightly to avoid the park rangers in addition to anyone attempting to provide support.

While possible to be a hoax, it’s the duty of an organization like FenNN to do the right thing and bring this to the attention of the furry fandom at large in order for those in FL to be aware and if you’re in a position to help, do the right thing and extend that help.

Update 7/5

A local FL furry by the name of Ripner has confirmed that he is currently supporting “Duxfox” or “Dux” which is his actual real furry name. It appears that he is really living alone in the woods and that the local furry community is making regular weekly trips to supply food.

So there is a 36 year old male in the woods right now, complaining of various medical emergencies and lamenting the fact that any night they could die from them, refusing to seek any medical assistance.

Ripner claims that Dux doesn’t have a job as scientologists took over his place of employment but in the below logs you can see that Dux has claimed that it was his parents calling his place of employment. Additionally, he’s changed his name on Telegram, deleted his account and was telling even different stories to other chats.

So the question is is there a real emergency and is he in danger like he claims to which we have Ripner confirming that his situation is dire, but that he is in more danger exposing himself to his abusive parents.

We also know foxs has a near constant access to electricity and that he’s now within the Orlando area, like within Ocala National Park.

Even more deep, can we trust Ripner isn’t causing Fox’s problem? Is Ripner being exploited? This is deep and we’re going to continue finding out the truth of this very scary situation for the fandom.

Update 7/4

Happy 4th of July!

It looks like his furry name is “Duxfox” and is part of the bathroom scene.

Here are some logs of him. Those who interacted with Duxfox allege that he did the same thing he’s doing now on Special Foxy.

Logs:

Additional Logs:

Deleted Account, [10.12.16 16:27] [In reply to Longbottle] there are stable furries and some volatile ones. To me, it's a mixed bag having met many furs. Deleted Account, [10.12.16 16:30] passive-aggression is a highly travelled mode in this sub culture in my experiences! Deleted Account, [10.12.16 16:32] Most furries don't have the whole bag of support I guess is what I'm trying to say... Deleted Account, [11.12.16 02:36] [In reply to unci 🐾 narynin] heya! I'm 34! :D Deleted Account, [11.12.16 02:36] er, sorry, just turned 35! Deleted Account, [12.12.16 13:25] there ya go! :3 Deleted Account, [12.12.16 13:25] i have a place to live and my health and a great roomie and i'm looking for work so life is nominal for now Deleted Account, [12.12.16 13:25] better when i get back to work again! Deleted Account, [13.12.16 11:17] i didn't get active until about 1997 Malcolm the Bear, [13.12.16 13:11] [In reply to Deleted Account] That's around the time I discovered the fandom.  Didn't get active until 2003. Deleted Account, [13.12.16 13:12] [In reply to Malcolm the Bear] i was really afraid to meet furries for the first couple of years. Deleted Account, [13.12.16 13:12] the first furry i met was sibe in 2000. Deleted Account, [13.12.16 13:13] i avoided the furry fandom for a couple of years after that. he was a psycho. Deleted Account, [13.12.16 13:13] then i found cool furries in like 2005+! Deleted Account, [13.12.16 16:53] bark, bark, bark of the ruffles!~ woof as he can be! Deleted Account, [13.12.16 17:03] [In reply to Lion ⚣🇺🇸] not me. and i have played dux fox since 2008. Deleted Account, [13.12.16 17:05] i use the internet lightly Deleted Account, [13.12.16 17:07] i know how 1s and 0s work though... i'm just saying... imma hacker fox! Deleted Account, [13.12.16 17:09] *types in code and mashes his paws all over the keyboard* yess... yes! i have hacked lion and can now see him naked. Deleted Account, [13.12.16 22:34] hi dolphin! Deleted Account, [13.12.16 22:34] one of you saved my life once Deleted Account, [13.12.16 22:34] i was caught in a riptide and pulled out to sea. the beach was very distant Deleted Account, [13.12.16 22:34] i was probalby going to drown and something was pushing at my feet Deleted Account, [13.12.16 22:35] i'm crying hysterically Deleted Account, [13.12.16 22:35] the dolphin is under me trying to keep me afloat Deleted Account, [13.12.16 22:35] and then i held onto his top fin and he pulled me back to shore. Deleted Account, [13.12.16 22:35] no joke. Deleted Account, [13.12.16 22:35] a dolphin literally saved my life. Deleted Account, [13.12.16 23:05] did you know that every grain of sand on miami's beaches was placed there by a person? all the beaches are eroding. Longbottle, [13.12.16 23:06] Clearwater is like that too Deleted Account, [13.12.16 23:06] i have heard, and i just lived there for 3 months Longbottle, [13.12.16 23:08] Why did you leave? Clearwater is awesome. Deleted Account, [13.12.16 23:09] company didn't want me. come to find out it was run by scientologists Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:11] *busts a huge fart* sorry :v Wolfric the Pipe Wolf 🌑, [17.12.16 12:12] Really?  <_< Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:12] i really farted :V Wolfric the Pipe Wolf 🌑, [17.12.16 12:12] Congratulations.  Was it really necessary to announce it? Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:16] grossfox :D Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:18] i'm not looking to impress anyone~ Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:18] well sorry that i fart. i guess you'll have to cross me off your list of potential mates, malcolm :P Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:19] no farting foxes! Malcolm the Bear, [17.12.16 12:19] I'm already engaged to Wolfric. Malcolm the Bear, [17.12.16 12:19] We've been mated for over 8 years. Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:19] cool well all the more reason to be on a hookup chat. Malcolm the Bear, [17.12.16 12:20] [In reply to Deleted Account] This isn't a hook-up chatroom.  This is just a place for older Furries to hang out. Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:21] well whatever, you're judgemental on something i have no control over :P Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:22] i guess i could save up all my farts and wait until i'm around you :v Malcolm the Bear, [17.12.16 12:22] You control whether or not you announce it in here. Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:23] why does it bother you so much? Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:27] okay so... Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:27] i just farted... Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:27] its not a fetish Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:27] you both turned it into something when it was nothing :3 Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:27] furries suck :( Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:27] [In reply to Bormac Dragon] you turned it into a fetish when it was just a fart. i don't think you need to type anymore. Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:28] furries are trashy, but they don't fart. ever. Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:28] because if you farted, that would be their fetish. Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:28] *makes notes* Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:28] how dare you fart around furries Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:28] what are you trying to turn them on??? Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:28] looking at gratuitous porn is just how furries say hello Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:29] if you really want to get sexual and turn up their blush, start farting. Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:29] porn doesn't phase furries Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:29] but farting... look out! :O Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:29] *gigglefits!!!*❤️ Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:29] its too easy. way too easy ❤️ Bormac Dragon, [17.12.16 12:29] Talk about turning something from nothing. Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:30] hey don't worry about it Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:30] i pretty much don't need this from trashy anyone Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:30] its yalls fetish, not mine Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:31] 40 people above the age of 30 Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:31] and 150 people in the farting fetish furs room Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:31] i guess it really is a fetish. hrmf Malcolm the Bear, [17.12.16 12:31] I wish blocking a user prevented you from seeing their posts in chatrooms as well... Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:31] agreed Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:31] totally agreed! Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:31] which is why i can't stand furries anymore :\ Deleted Account, [17.12.16 12:31] the annoying shitbreath troll is everywhere in this group now.

~ FenNN News Desk

[surveysonfleek]

563.

Can you remember the first survey that you ever took? not clearly, but i’m pretty sure it was on either xanga because my cousin told me about it or myspace through those bulletin posts.

What did you spend the majority of the last night doing? lounging around.

Have you ever had a particularly disturbing dream? About? just any time someone close to me appears to have died.

What goes through your mind when someone threatens suicide? i haven’t heard of anyone i know saying this since high school tbh.

Have you ever expressed that you wanted to kill yourself? nope.

Should gay marriage be legalized? What are your reasons? yes omgggg. like why the fuck not? i’m all for any consenting adults to get married.

Would you ever consider getting an abortion, under any circumstances? i may consider it if i were raped. but idk.

What do you think of people who get abortions? tbh i don’t know their reasonings and/or story so i’m not one to judge people on that.

What was the last bug you killed? i forgot. a spider i think.

Do you ever argue or debate with people about your beliefs? no. unless they’re trying to start an argument with me.

If yes, when was the last time? my boyfriend’s parents do not believe in gay marriage. so i politely told them i’m all for it and tried to end it there.

When was the last time you felt turned on? satuday.

When was the last time you felt disgusted with someone/something? today. i was talking to this guy from work and his nose was running halfway down his upper lip and he wasn’t doing anything about it.

Do you typically finish all the food you put on your plate? yeah, i got it from my dad. never waste food. the food has to be absolutely terrible for me to not finish it.

Do you continue eating even when you are full? only if it’s on my plate.

What is the most wasteful thing that you do on a regular basis? surveys haha. i wish i was getting paid for this.

What is one weird eating habit that you have? it’s not that weird, but when eating a sandwich i’ll eat the crusts first.

What is something other people tease you about? my laugh.

Does it bother you to be teased about this? no, i’m fucking happy when i’m laughing so whatever.

Would you rather suffer from anorexia or bulimia? um, neither.

What is the worst question a survey could ask you? same old boring shit.

Do you think it’s okay for a survey to ask if you’ve been raped? Why? no. it might not matter to some, but if someone has been raped i don’t think they’d take that question very lightly.

Would you answer such a question honestly, if faced with it? it’s just a survey guys. i don’t see the point of putting that question in there.

If you are a vegetarian, do you look down on people that eat meat? i’m not vegetarian.

Why do you think some vegetarians behave that way? idk and idc. i respect their decisions but i honestly hate people that are preachy.

If you eat meat, what do you tend to think of vegetarians/vegans? it’s fine. just don’t preach to me about what i should and shouldn’t eat.

If you paint your nails, what color do you generally choose? i literally have hundreds of nail polishes. i’ve tried a lotttt of colours in my time and i still don’t have a go-to.

If you could spend a day as the opposite gender, what would you do? eh, i wouldn’t.

What are some good things about your gender? i feel like women don’t get as judged for being sensitive as men, so i like that lol.

What are some of the downsides? periods.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to start life over? no.

What might you do differently? probably take my career in a different direction.

If you could spend a year living in a foreign country, which would it be? canada.

Why did you make this particular choice? i’ve visited a couple times and i like everything about it.

What is the next big event you have planned, if any? a music festival this saturday. not looking forward to it.

What do you do to entertain yourself on long car rides? listen to music.

What do you say to someone who is annoying you? depends who it is. if i’m close to them i’ll just tell them.

How do you let someone know you don’t like them? i just won’t speak to them.

When was the last time you felt insecure? What happened? i forgot.

How did/do you feel about learning to drive? Who taught you? it was nerve wrecking but i only got better with time and experience. my parents took turns teaching me.

What do you think of people that like the Twilight series? nothing. it’s okay to like whatever you want.

What do you think of using lyrics to express how you feel? i used to do it a lot in high school but not anymore haha.

Do you prefer profile pictures by yourself of with someone else? i’ve done both.

When’s the last time you had Sunny D? don’t think i’ve tried it.

Is there anything hot pink within five feet of you? body spray.

Have you ever told someone you hated them and meant it? no lol.

Do you and your friends ever make up ‘code names’ for people? haha yes, all the damn time.

Would you rather go out to breakfast, lunch or dinner? dinner. but i think i’d enjoy going out for brunch more.

Do you know how to work a barbecue? nope.

Do you find it rude when people text when they’re talking to you? yes. i usually stop talking.

What would you do if the last person you spoke to on the phone asked you to marry them? i don’t even know who they are lol.

What’s the longest you’ve ever been out of your state/province? 6 weeks.

Do you know anyone who has written a book? not personally.

Would you rather have eggs or waffles for breakfast? waffles!

How many people could you fit (standing up) in your kitchen? maybe ten, more if they surround the bench.

How long would it take to walk to the nearest McDonald’s? ummm. 20 minutes maybe.

Does your best friend have any pets? no.

Is there something that happened to you ages ago but seems like only yesterday? plenty of things.

Where would you go if you wanted a fake ID? i don’t need one.

What would you do if the last person you laughed with dated your best friend? weird.

Who’s the last person you shot a dirty look to? i forgot.

What was your second to last conversation about? going home lol.

Do you drink milk/juice from the carton if no one is around? no.

Do you know anyone who broke a limb from being in a car accident? yes.

Have you ever burned a photo of you and a person you were angry with? haha no. that’s cheesy af.

Would you prefer working at a grocery store or an ice cream parlor? Why? ice cream parlour. it seems like more fun.

Has anyone ever told you they liked you in a realllly sweet way? umm. probably.

Is there any ice cream in your house right now? What kind? yes. oreo and peanut butter.

What’s the best part of sleepovers? staying up late and pigging out.

What’s the most comfy thing to sleep in? a loose tee. and soft pjs.

Does the last person who sent you a message online wear makeup? yes.

Would you rather have an overly cheerful cashier,or a completely silent one? overly cheerful. it’s contagious.

Do you cry at weddings? yes.

Do you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night frequently? only if i need to pee.

Do you bring pillows on road trips? yes.

What’s the most important thing for a road trip? food, chargers, music.

Has a member of the opposite sex ever given you jewlery? yes.

Do you like camping, or would you rather stay home? stay home. i camped all throughout my childhood and teens, never really loved it.

Do you know anyone who’s name is your middle name? haha no.

Do you think Super Bad was as funny as everyone said? yes.

If you wanted a hamburger right now, where would you go? mcdonalds is the only thing open at this time.

What about a new pair of shoes? i’d have to go online shopping. everything’s closed.

Do you find sleeping in cars easy? not really. only if i’m insanely tired.

How long would your hair be if you cut off eight inches? pretty short.

Would you do that? no.

Have you ever woke up with someone you didn’t know next to you? nope.

Has a boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s parents ever gotten mad at you? Why? haha idk. probably but they didn’t tell me.

Have you ever been friends with a boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s siblings? yeah i guess.

Who’s the last person you told to shut up? i forgot.

Do you know who Blair Waldorf is? yes.

Do you own any hot pink clothes? no.

[ecopoeticsuchicago]

The Sanctuary

Process Notes On Sunday morning, I arrived an hour early to Church. I had planned, originally, to record what I heard using my computer, but in the sanctuary I felt that was somehow disrespectful. Instead, I used the back of a bulletin to take notes, which I have transcribed in the tumblr post, as written. The accompanying short story reflects the information in the notes, along with some visual details, but contains no more auditory information than originally written. I approached this assignment wanting to depict an interesting soundscape. I actually help run sound at my Church, so I pay attention to the vocalists’ EQ, the annoying buzzing  from a bad mic, which most people don’t notice but drives audiophiles insane. Before the service starts, the musicians rehearse, and pastors circulate throughout the room, saying hello to people, and checking their microphones. In fact, one of them interrupted the flow of my notes in order to ask me how my break was. To record what I heard, I relied mostly on words like “snap,” “pop,” “crack,” which evoke a sound on their own, but for some sounds such simple descriptions wouldn’t suffice. The background hum of a heating unit, for instance, is so elusive, seeming to fade from one’s awareness, yet so distinct when one pays attention. One difficulty I encountered, as my time progressed, was the repetition of sounds. I think in almost any space, the same sounds tend to repeat themselves again and again. In my case, it the was the clacking of shoes, the popping of microphones, the screeching of the un-oiled door. These sounds peppered my notes, which I thought would seem only repetitive. In going back, however, I found the recurring sounds established a rhythm to the notes, and I attempted to recreate this rhythm in the short story below.

Field Notes: hum of the air conditioner, constant, consistent, fading steps on aged hardwood, clunking squeeeeeak of the auditorium-turned- sanctuary door, un-oiled, woelcoming cellist, out of tune, sways back and forward,   forth, echoing over dull wooden chairs, framed in iron "I didn't know them, but I knew a guy, kinda rickety otherwise it's been great" as a guitar meanders over hte same broken lines gently sings, the guitarist Conversing among instruments, musicians, as dull thunking boots descend the sloping aisle, passing by, to a chorus of "Good morning." Drum beat, good seat, makes me tap my rhythm feet, Rolling. "Check, check," the mic pops. Rustle, swish, the winter coats,   parishioners shed their skins "God we are just so thankful to be here this morning the resurrection, message, impacts our life," the musicians praying, Guitar case clicks, snaps, the sound case also. "Wha!" someone exclaims. Clearing throat in the mic. Soft steps onto the echoing stage, the technician clicking, fiddling with a finicky projector. Then the muic, oh the music, rising, scratching over the speakers, every other beat. Electric drums boom, bang, descending. Soft thump, and the podium descends, shifts, into place for the pastor, his place as piano swells, and vocals rise. Over newcomers shedding coats, laughing, mutter "Good morning." "Yeah, I'm, like, I'm realizing, Then sings my soul, my savior god to thee, They offered me, um, that's what I did, How great thou art." repeats. A snap, a clack clack clack, high heels as the strings tune once more. Scrapes the rungs of curtains rhythmically drawn over the flat back wall. Bing laughs, booms with his voice over the dim lull, parishioners talking, somehow under the music, repeating rehearsing once more. laser sounds, from someone's mouth "How about you? How was your break? PHD, so we were..." "Yes," says Andrew. "I figure, the guys, that deep push." They both laugh, Andrew... "I'm gonna go say hi to Benjamin." Bing says. Sidles sideways, pants shuffling scraping past cramped chairs. "Benjamin, welcome back. It's good to see you." Palm contacts palm, claps, shakes heartedly. After, turning, drums, beat, the unhinged door slams shut. A bad mic pops, hisses rakes the eardrum through over-loud zippers. A woman unzips her jacket, three seats away. Rifles through the pockets sliding over her knee, T.J., leading worship, checks his mic, scratches Check,check, zzz Good morning, check." The woman sips free Medici coffee, sighs content. The singer shifts lower, Andrew dials his EQ. Violin plucks through the boom mic, an idle violinist "Test, one two three, how is that in the back, need a little more in the back? Test, test... Okay good." I crack my neck, pops to the right, not the left. Too much looking down, staring at the back of the bulletin on which my new rOtring pencil glides, in lieu of a notebook.

The Sanctuary The heating unit wraps the sanctuary in a faint background of noise. Without it, this drafty auditorium would wince at harsh clunks of footsteps abusing aged hardwood; the squeeeeeeeek of un-oiled parlor doors, admitting newcomers; an out-of-tune cellist, swaying gently as she adjusts her wooden scroll-pegs. Harshly, the vibrations of her A and D strings slam into dull wooden chairs framed in flat iron, clashing until with a final twist the notes resolve. “I didn’t know them,” someone says, their voice faraway. Only snatches of the conversation reach me. “. . . but I knew a guy,” I hear, “. . . kinda rickety . . . otherwise . . . it’s been great,” as a guitar meanders over the same broken lines he’s been practicing. Gently, he sings, and the conversation lifts from instruments to people, and— Dull, thunking boots descend the sloping aisle once more, to a chorus of “Good morning.” “Check, check.” The mic pops over the music. Winter coats rustle all around me, as parishioners shed their warmer skins in favor of more comfortable ones. Snatches of prayer float down from the stage, lower than all other voices. “God, we are just so thankful to be here this morning . . . the resurrection . . . message . . . impacts our life.” When they finish, the guitarist’s case snaps open, closed. “What!” someone exclaims loudly, in the back. Caught up in some moment of conversation, as someone else clears their throat, still on mic. To stage right, a smiling woman steps softly around the audio cords, making her way to the projector. Idly, she fiddles with the buttons, until a picture emerges: today’s powerpoint, with song lyrics and announcements already prepared. The projector makes a clicking noise when she adjusts it, scrapes on the aluminum podium, when she shifts it left or right. THUMP! The pastor’s podium touches down in front of the stage. Volunteers position it quickly, careful to keep the simple piece from falling. Suddenly, this auditorium seems less like the paper-snowflake covered gathering place for five to ten-year-olds and more like a place of worship. IN the back, snatches of newcomers’ conversation drift on the sea of music, making their way to my ears between lyrics. “Yeah, I’m, like, I’m realizing . . . Then sings my soul, my savior god to thee . . . They offered me, um, that’s what I did . . . How great thou art.” The lyrics repeat. The conversations ebb gently. Bing, one of the pastors, laughs with a booming voice somewhere just under the music but above everybody else. I recognize him without turning, just by the sound. “How about you, how was your break?” Only snatches. “. . . PHD, so we were . . .” “Yes,” Andrew responds, near the sound booth. “I figure . . . the guys . . . that deep push.” They both laugh. “I’m gonna go say hi to Benjamin,” Bing says. He sidles sideways, pants shuffling past cramped chairs. Looking up from my writing, I reach over, extending my hand. “Benjamin, welcome back. It’s good to see you.” Palm contacts palm, claps, shakes heartedly. We talk about the holidays, how Bing stayed in Chicago with his family. He says he enjoyed the relaxation.” When he finishes, I notice the electric drums once more, the unhinged door squeeeeeking shut. A bad mic hisses, rakes my eardrums through over-loud speakers. Three seats away, a woman unzips her jacket. For a minute, she rules through the pockets, sliding them over knee until she procures her phone. T.J., another pastor, checks his mic. It scratches, “Check, check . . . zzz . . . good morning, check.” The woman, three seats away, sips free Medici coffee and sighs, contentedly into the vapor. Andrew, at the sound board, twists a knob, and one of the singers dips lower. Violin plucks through the boom mic, over his adjustments. “Test,” the lead pastor booms. “One, two, three . . . how is that in the back . . . need a little more in the back? Test, test . . . okay good.” I crack my neck. Bones pop harshly to the right, but the left remains silent, still painful from too much looking down at the back of the bulletin, on which my new rOtring mechanical pencil glides effortlessly, in lieu of a notebook. And so, not immediately, but with the rising tide of conversations and busyness, the service begins.

Benjamin Killeen