#so songs might not be what you expect there

[thanosscross]

My Darling - Choi Seung Hyun x reader part 2

Summary: After months of not seeing your best friend, you finally reconnect, only to find out what he truly thinks about himself and the two of you, resulting in a brokenheart, and a new relationship

Warnings: none really, Seung Hyun having a slight panic attack

As you wrapped up filming for squid games, you were very quickly thrown back into the tour lifestyle, Bouncing from country to country, you couldn't shake the sadness of missing your friend though. As you got ready for your next music video shoot you took a nervous breath, you had sent an invite to Seung Hyun to come shoot on your video with you, using the excuse that you work well together acting, but he never replied. So you nervously waited, having a back-up actor if needed, but you specifically wrote this song about Seung Hyun, so it only felt right to get the chemistry behind the song right.

As you stepped on set you took one last glance around, all you could see was the empty warehouse set filled with props and crew, but Seung Hyun was nowhere to be seen, sighing sadly you checked your phone one last time, seeing nothing almost brought tears to your eyes, had he not meant what he said? Yea it had been a few months, but he did promise you..right?

As you started to film some of your solo scenes, you manager rushed over with a smile "Y/n! Y/n! Turn that frown around, baby! Your guy called, he's on his way, just stuck in traffic!" He cheered, you face immediately lit up, smiling excitedly and jumping up and down "Really!? Really!? He said he'd do it?" You gasped grabbing his arms "Yes! Yes! He did!" He smiled, he knew your situation, he had to hear about Choi Seung Hyun constantly, he tried to warn you it might not be the best for your image, but you quickly snapped at him going off about needing to get over things, your manager knew you since you were young, barely 17 whenever he signed you on, now you were nearing your thirties, your twenty eighth birthday approaching quickly, so seeing you this excited over a boy was something entirely different.

Unknown to you, Seung Hyun had ditched his taxi long ago, he was close enough to be able to make it running, traffic was picking up anyways. As he ran up onto your set he saw you standing off to the side, waiting while looking around occasionally "Seung Hyun!" You shouted seeing him, throwing your jacket down to sprint to him, as soon as you were close enough, Seung Hyun immediately lifted you into the air spinning you around in a hug, squeezing you tightly "Hey! Hey! Careful! Don't hurt her!" Your manager shouted in a panic "Don't worry about him, he just doesn't want anything messed up for my show" You giggled looking down to your friend, your heart racing feeling yourself being that close to him again. "So are you really gonna do the video with me?" You asked excited, Seung Hyun nervously smiled "Ya know..I don't know...I want to..but I don't want to ruin your image and stuff..." He mumbled, you frowned, you knew he was still ashamed of what happened and how badly everybody reacted, it hit him hard and it was always worried about how it'd effect the people around him "Seung Hyun! I don't care about that! You are my best friend! I want you to be the part so who cares!" You argued cupping his cheeks, Seung Hyun couldn't hide the blush on his cheeks feeling your hands being so intimate than you had ever been with him.

"I guess..If you're sure.." He mumbled "I'm so sure! If anybody has anything to say I'll give them a piece of my mind!" You huffed grabbing his hand marching towards set, he gave your manager a look raising his eyebrows, your manager just nodded mouthing the words 'every time'. Filming was something neither of you expected, as your manager and director worked together to get everything right, going through the lyrics it started to make you realize things a lot more clear. You loved Sueng Hyun, more than best friends. Seung Hyun felt panicky, having to be so intimate with you was getting him flustered and it was all going on camera, for you to see later and see.

After you filmed a scene of Seung Hyun following you through an empty street in town, he took a moment to stop and breath, lighting a cigarette to calm his nerves, but there you were, looking at him with that adorable puppy look. "Are you okay?.." You asked softly, going to rest your hand on his arm but he just shrugged away, he couldn't help it, your touch was making him feel hot, like it was burning him, and he was now becoming very conscious of his t-shirt and all of the hate he used to get before he closed it all out. "I-Im sorry I-I just-" You stopped him from speaking, noticing his shaky hands and the tears falling from his eyes as he slowly slid down the brick wall trying to keep his breathing calm, but the panic attack was already settling in. You immediately kneeled next to him, slowly taking the cigarette from his hand, not wanting to see him accidentally burn himself, as you tried to sit next to him he tried to lift you up to your feet "T-T-that ground i-is disgusting" He whimpered, your heart broke a little bit, he was more worried about you sitting down he didn't realize he was sitting down himself "It is..so why don't..we go over there..and sit on that bench?" You asked, taking his hand in yours, still holding his cigarette in the other, guiding him slowly to the bench as he tried to calm himself down, feeling like an idiot for getting like this around you, but like the sweetheart you were, you still took care of him, not even knowing the reason why he was freaking out.

"Seung Hyun..." You called sweetly, cupping his cheek with your free hand "Honey..take a deep breath for me, what's going on?" You asked, Seung Hyun followed your instructions, not realizing he was holding your wrist gently, caressing his thumb over it. "If I ask something...Will you be honest, Y/n?" He asked shakily, his leg bouncing as he looked around, taking the hint you took the cigarette placing it to his lips gently "I don't want you to drop it..but of course" You whispered, you weren't concerned that you were acting more like a wife or girlfriend than friend currently, you were more concerned with making sure Seung Hyun was okay. "Is this..about us?..is that why you wanted me to be here so badly?" He asked, inhaling before exhaling, lifting your head up gently as he blew the smoke to the side so he wasn't getting it in your face. "When I'm with you..things feel different..like..stronger with you..I'm happier, sadder, angrier, everything when it comes to you" You explained sheepishly, going to pull your hand away from his cheek, but he stopped you, instead moving your hand to his lap to interlace your fingers as you spoke, the same thing he did anytime you'd get teary eyed opening up to him during your guys's filming for squid games "I-I didn't understand it..until I saw you again, and I felt like I never wanted you to leave like that again" You whispered looking away from him "I-It was hard..really hard..and barely being able to speak to each other, made it harder.." You whimpered, biting your lip to keep yourself from crying.

"Are you sure we're not just..close friends?" He asked, not wanting you to jump into something you didn't want, you didn't take it as that, you took it as he only saw you as that, close friends. "Y-Yea you're..you're right" You sniffled, taking a deep breath putting on your best show face to hide the plain hurt on your face "Ready to finish up?" You asked, Seung Hyun frowned, knowing he upset you, he just silently followed behind.

Whenever you finished up filming, you rushed towards your small makeup trailer, just needing a moment, Seung Hyun was stuck off to the side, frustrated with himself "Seung Hyun, yes?" Your manager asked approaching him "U-uh yes yes that's me" He confirmed, your manager sighed "Listen, I don't mean to make things..awkward..between you two, but in the ten years I've known that girl, she's never talked about another man or woman like she has you, Mr. Choi, she's one of your biggest fighters, even before she got back from that tv show filming. Meeting you gave her the drive and motivation to work and write again, she's produced an entire album! In a month! So whatever happened earlier between you two..You better not ruin my girl, she's special, not another one like her, until you make a comeback" He explained before nodding over to the trailer "Fix it. Not my broken mess, not my problem to fix" He demanded, Seung felt offended by that, this man seemed to care about you, and yet here he was calling you a broken mess? "Y/n is far from a broken mess, she's single handedly the most independent strong hard headed woman I've ever met, not to mention the most thoughtful selfless and beautiful! Any guy would be lucky to manage her! Or even have her in their life!" He shouted, your manager just kept an eyebrow cocked at him as he shouted, never noticing you slowly making your way out of the trailer "So why don't you tell her that!? Instead of messing with her head for months!?" Your manager shouted back "Because I'm not good enough for her! And because of who I am I never will be!" He shouted back, trying to control himself and not storm off, every bit of anger washing away whenever he was met with your terrified gaze, even when filming while screaming in your face, you never looked scared of him, but in this moment, you looked truly terrified.

Tears brimmed your eyes, hearing what both men said was like a knife stabbing you to the heart, you stormed past, not wanting to see either of them in the moment, heading back to your tour bus. Your chest hurt, it felt heavy but like it was hot at the same time, as soon as you got the bunks of your bus you let yourself cry for the first time since Seung Hyun first left, never noticing the bus door shutting and closing.

"Jagi" Seung Hyun whispered sadly, kneeling next to you as he tried to get him to look at you "Honey, You are not a hot mess" He whispered, you just glared at him "How could you say that about yourself? I opened up about my worst mistake..and you still think you're not good enough?" You whimpered "Y-You're crying because of what..I said about myself?" He asked confused, tilting his head as you shoved him slightly "Yes! I care about you! And it makes me sad hearing you think that" You argued shoving him again "I love you, you asshole! And you're too blind to see you're perfect!" You added on before realizing what you were saying, Seung Hyun's face changed as you spoke, you just glared at him, trying your best to cry anymore but his words just echoed in your head forcing you to lose your battle 'because of who I am I will never be good enough'.

"Jagi, please don't cry" Seung Hyun begged, cupping your cheeks, desperately wanting to see your smile like before, he tried his best to keep his mind from spiraling "I just...I care about you a lot, and it hurts so bad hearing you talk about yourself like that, Seung Hyun, you are good enough for anything you want to be good enough at, because of who you are" You corrected his statement from earlier, now it was his turn to get teary eyed, trying to ignore and hide it he just hugged you tightly "I love you" He whispered as he rested his head against yours, if it weren't for the hairdo they had you do for the last scene you would've never felt his tears "As a friend?.." You asked pulling away to look at him, using your thumbs to wipe his eyes and cheeks gently "I don't..I don't know..but I want to" He whispered, cupping your cheeks before kissing you softly, you happily kissing him back, running your hands through his hair as he gently bit your bottom lip before pulling away "So..does this mean.." You whispered, looking up to him hopefully "Maybe so..I don't know" He smirked, quoting part of the chorus of your song, you giggled blushing hiding your face in his chest.

--

Part three my lovelies?

[ialreadymadeyouapromise]

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐈 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓.

PAIRING: jj maybank x fem!reader WARNINGS: readers upset, no use of y/n GENRE: angst, fluff, comfort SONG INSPIRATION: my kind of woman - mac demarco WORD COUNT: 638 NOTE: been really sick recently so here's a short one!

navigation | inbox | jj maybank masterlist

the party had been loud, chaotic even. the bass thumped through the floorboards of the chateau, the laughter echoed over the music. you had managed to push your way through the crowd, searching for a quieter escape.

the air outside was cooler, the sound of the waves more soothing than the pounding speakers inside.

you walked down to the beach, away from the festivities, the sand cool under your feet. you found a spot where the shoreline stretched wide and empty, a place where you could sit and breathe in the calm.

the sun was starting to set, it’s light reflecting off the sea in beautiful hues of pinks and oranges. you sat down in the sand, the warmth still lingering from the late afternoon, but the breeze was beginning to carry a chill.

you sipped on your beer, watching as the waves crashed against the shore.

jj wasn’t supposed to follow you.

he had been at the party, laughing and talking, taking in the atmosphere like always. but as the evening wore on, he began to notice you weren’t around.

at first, he thought you might be inside with the crowd, but when he glanced through the windows, you weren’t there.

then he spotted you, alone, by the water. it wasn’t unusual for you to be a little more reserved, but something about the way you sat there, the distance in your posture, made him pause. he excused himself from the group and quietly followed, footsteps soft against the sand.

“hey,” he said softly, coming up beside you.

you turned toward him, startled slightly. you hadn’t expected him to follow, let alone see you in the quiet, vulnerable state you were in. a smile bloomed on your face, though it trembled at the edges. “jj,” you said, voice barely above a whisper.

he sat down beside you, leaving a space between you two at first, but the silence stretched, thick with unspoken words. he noticed how you were clinging tightly to your drink, how your gaze kept shifting between the ocean and the setting sun, almost as if you were trying to keep yourself grounded.

but then he saw it. a tear slipped down your cheek, unnoticed until the light caught it. his brow furrowed deeply, concern washing over him as he gently reached out, brushing the tear away with his thumb.

“hey,” he said quietly, his voice softer than before. “what’s wrong?”

you shook your head, swallowing back a sob. “it’s… nothing,” you whispered, but your voice cracked.

he wasn’t buying it. he had seen you like this before. this wasn’t just nothing. his arm slid around your shoulder again, pulling you closer. “don’t lie to me,” he said, his voice gentle but firm. “talk to me.”

you hesitated for a moment, tears welling up faster now. you wanted to be strong, but something about the way he looked at you, concern etched into every line of his face, broke through the walls you had built. “i don’t know,” you said quietly, your voice trembling.

“i guess everything just got a little much. and now… now i’m just here, and i feel…”

“alone?” he finished softly, brushing away another tear that escaped down your cheek. his touch was tender, comforting. a touch that spoke of trust, understanding, and care.

you nodded, finally resting your head against his shoulder. the steadiness of his presence anchored you, offering a sense of calm amidst the chaos in your mind.

“i’ve got you,” he whispered, his voice calm and steady. “always.”

the sound of the waves crashing around you, his steady heartbeat against your ear. these were the only things that mattered now. the party, the noise, the drama of life. 

it all seemed far away as you sat together in silence, comforted by the quiet, by his unwavering comfort.

reblogs and comments are appreciated ᯓ★

© ialreadymadeyouapromise 2025.

[genderqueerdykes]

How to deal w a longtime friend that at some point became a radfem? I was bad at recognising it back then when there were clear signs and didnt know how to argue, so i stayed passive and argeeable, esp since im a nonbinary guy n shes a (sorta questioning) cis girl.

When i showed discomfort with her doing the "i hate all men" type stuff she's said "omg you're not one of those 'not all men' types" and bc i didnt know at the time i backed off, n she also mentioned how she sees/treats both trans men n cis men the same

I mean ive always felt like she's treated me that way, or that i felt like i needed to stay silent or had more priviledge when around her, despite being pre-everything and pr much closeted in my everyday life, or felt more like i was a binary man around her when im not

She has also been sorta weirdly sex/kink negative or made fun of it, for some time i figured that it was just a bit bc of her being sex repulsed n her being immature, but i still felt sorta more ashamed regarding my kinkiness/sexuality around her when not (were both on the aroace spectrum, though i figured out more recently)

Also parroting radfem rhetoric about "well the sex industry is harmful" (..every capitalistic industry is harmful) and when mentioning kinks/fetishes for some reason often brought up "but what about those kinks where people get off to women starving themselves/having problems w their weight" which is like?? Yea okay if they are doing that to real people thats bad but like what kink/fetish spaces do you hang out in where that would be the first thing you'd bring up??

I also once remember her mentioning that she felt weird about her own connection to masculinity, which i sussed and esp now sus might be due to her being this man-hating

She's told me "you don't have an issue w the 'man vs bear' thing since you're a guy right?" but i didnt feel like arguing at that time so i just agreed and quickly moved onto another subject

Looking back at older texts, she's also said before that im "one of the few men she actually respects"

I've realised how harmful and bull radfem rhetoric is now, n i want to keep a distance from her, but idk how to deal w it bc ive always been the more agreeable and peace-keeping one between us

i'm so sorry you had to go through this. radfems are possessive of the identities of everyone around them to the point of coming up with the most asinine bullshit to make other people feel insecure and question themselves and just go along with whatever the hell they're saying. it's toxic and abusive.

whenever i talk about transmasculine and trans male issues, i get those "oh you're one of those not all men types" as well. it's such a useless thing to say. like if the thing you're opposing is people making blanket statements about women and being treated like a monolith, why are you doing it to someone else? that's the example you're setting, but yet you expect different treatment? double standard.

the sex & kink negativity in radfeminism is exhausting, too. it's not progressive. a lot of people choose to go into sex work and enjoy it. some don't mind it. some are okay with that being their job. a lot of people are exploited, but not everyone is. like you said, it's the capitalist corruption of these industry that causes problems. like you said, people instantly jump to the worst possible conclusion when the subject of kink comes up

the normal song and dance is "men who are into BDSM are only straight guys who are misogynistic and want to beat women. women who are into BDSM are scared and confused and being taken advantage of and are enabling abusive men." they have very few arguments and they're all so far out of left field that it's not relevant to the type of conversation you're having in that moment. making blanket statements about all kinky people being abusive in some way... that's profiling.

at this point its your choice if you continue to interact with her. if you do, you are allowed to stand your ground and tell her that those kinds of things make you very uncomfortable and that it's just not okay. if she can't handle that, then it's not your job to try to change her mind. if she cares about you, she'll treat you with respect. i hope that's the case, but you don't owe time or energy to people who treat you like garbage. good luck, stay safe

[witches-dream]

The trailer is just. Gorgeous. In every way. The feeling of dizziness, infinity and confusion it gives is impeccable, i love the way everything flows together, i love the gorgeous 3d models and the horror of not really knowing what's real and what's fake. And ofc Japanese Shmilk is ohhhh my god 😳😳😳

Ok so pv doesn't appear to be going alone, he's accompanied by GingerBrave, Strawberry and Wizard who appear a bunch of times, and White Lily, who in pretty sure only appears in the beginning. But in a lot of scenes pv is alone, making me think that he's gonna get separated from the rest after some point.

With the epic releases we've had accompanying the beast and awakened ancient releases, there's been a pattern of the first epic being someone who's on the beasts side and second being someone who's on the ancients side. It's only happened twice though so both of Shmilks epics might be on his side tho. The cookie with dark hair gives me butler vibes. The one with white hair looks like the type of character who appears cute and sweet, but it's secretly fucked up, sorta like Haetae. That's all i can say about them for now

Other than that, the rest of my thoughts are pretty scattered, so let's see

1. Love the music

2. Love the chess and the taro cards and the circus and the eyes theming. Not enough mirrors tho

3. Love whatever the hell this thing is

I really really hope we get some answers about either Blueberry Yogurt Academy or Dark Moon Magic, ideally both, which is what i think this is about

4. This Cookie reminds me of Crimson Moon Acolyte but i may be tripping lol

5. If anyone still had doubts about whether we were gonna get glimpses of pre corrupt Shmilk, i think it's pretty obvious now that we are

6. If this update doesn't make pv's character any more interesting to me I'm gonna be sad (i think he's boring)

7. Again. Where the heck White Lily gone

She appears at the start a couple of times, but the very next scene after the puppeteer one, she's gone. She also doesn't appear in later instances of the rest of the gang appearing, then running up the stairs, getting sucked into the nefarious vortex and on the chess scene. I wonder if Shmilks gonna gaslight pv about that, knowing how important she is to him. Plus Blueberry Yogurt Academy connection again

8. THE STAIRS. I've been listening to Stairwell by Nick Lutsko religiously waiting for this update you don't know how happy i am to see the goddamn stairs. This song to me is from Shmilks pov, singing about pv and "she" is Lily

9. Since when is Shmilk snake-coded. I'm living for it tho

10. I just realized i think the reflection is showing a Shmilkified version of pv. New costume anybody? (Don't have too many hopes for this tho lol)

11. The title screen, again, is gorgeous, probably one of my all-time favorites

So what can we see here? Once again, like with the other beast updates, the presence of the beast is overwhelming, and the hero appears small and insignificant. We can expect this turning the other way around in the second half of the update, though i imagine it will be a bigger change than with Mystic Flour/Dark Cacao and Burning Spice/Golden Cheese. Simply because i can't see pv being in the same position as sm here tbh

We only see one of the new cookies? Where's the second one?

There's cutouts of the other ancients in the picture (and they appear elsewhere in the trailer too) which makes me think that, just like Shmilk compares pv to his past self, he's gonna do that shit about the other ancients too. Just to say like ohhh you have this potential to become evil too you know, all of you.

My theory from a while ago was that Shmilk was gonna show pv the past of the beasts, showing that they too were good and driven by a desire to help others and spread kindness, which could make pv sympathize, because he's a softie like that. Which would then either corrupt pv or make him want to try to "redeem" the beasts and want to help them, which the beasts could obviously abuse. From The devs pov, that's a good way to hype the fans and tease pre-corruption costumes, which i think are 100% coming at some point. (Btw i don't think the coty costume Mystic is gonna get will be her pre-corrupt one, simply because i think that's planned regardless. She's gonna get a different, unique one. Plus, coty costumes are legendaries I'm pretty sure, and i think pre-corrupt costumes are gonna be epics, maybe specials, but deffo not legendaries. Watch me be wrong tho). Similarly to how Dark Cacao got so miserably helpless in his story and Golden Cheese was so physically and mentally drained in hers, i think Vanilla will be in a similar state before awakening too, but he's gonna have to break out of the illusions Shmilk feeds him, so maybe like. He's gonna get very very close to corrupting as a result of Shmilks influence. I hope I'm making sense here lol

12. Last thing i think. The decor set is gonna be sick

[joelmillerisapunk]

Wip Wednesday!

Tysm for the tags @sawymredfox @thundermartini & @almostfoxglove 💖

I have three snippets this week! And Howdy Honey is on its way veryyyy soon!

-> first is for @jolapeno 's dear-uary challenge

The screen lit up, and there it was—a new message.

Every morning, like clockwork, one of you would send a song with a time stamp—each track chosen so deliberately. Some days, it was your favorite love songs, sappy and sweet, reminding the other how much you cared. Other times, it was to lift each other up, a little nudge of hope when the world felt too heavy. And then there were the ones that said all the things neither of you could say out loud.

You: I’ll send you one tomorrow.

———

You: 3:01 - Exile by Taylor Swift.

His heart kicked up as he clicked the link and let the song play, skipping to the time stamp. The haunting melody filled the room, and when the lyrics hit, he froze.

“I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending.”

Joel leaned back against the headboard, staring at the phone in his hand. The words hit harder than he’d expected—bitterness woven into a truth he couldn’t deny. But beneath the sting, there was something else.

You’d sent him a song. After all this time, after everything that had passed between you, you’d listened, and you’d answered. It wasn’t an olive branch, not exactly, but it was a thread. A connection. A chance.

-> next is for @almostfoxglove 's let's get angsty challenge

You laughed bitterly, shaking your head. “Protect me? You can’t even protect yourself, Acacius.”

His grip loosened, and his hands fell to his sides. The silence that followed was deafening, and you felt the weight of it pressing down on your chest.

“I love you,” he said suddenly, the words so soft you almost didn’t hear them.

Your breath hitched, and you felt the tears prick at the corners of your eyes. “Then fight for me,” you said, your voice trembling. “Don’t let this be all we are.”

For a moment, you thought he might say yes. His eyes searched yours, his jaw clenching as if he were trying to find the strength to give you what you wanted. But then his shoulders sagged, and he looked away.

“I can’t,” he said, the words barely audible. “I can’t.”

-> last is for a mini 3 part series called hold the line. A long weekend family vacation with dbf!joel

Joel leaned closer, his elbow propped casually on the tile, his intent was anything but. His eyes locked onto yours, dark and steady, the kind of look that made your breath catch. It was as if the rest of the world had fallen away, leaving just the two of you caught in the glow of the moment, the tension between you taut and undeniable.

"You’re trouble, y’know that?” Joel murmured, like a quiet confession.

You tilted your head, feigning innocence, though your pulse betrayed you. “And you’re staring.”

“Maybe I am,” he said, his tone unapologetic, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips.

Your breath caught as his gaze flickered downward, lingering on your lips with an intensity that made your skin hum. The music shifted to a slower, softer tune that was spilling from the speakers, wrapping around the two of you.

You weren’t sure who moved first, but the space between you shrank until you could feel the heat of his breath against your skin, warm and laced with whiskey, and for a moment, the world seemed to tilt. Your eyes fluttered closed, your heart pounding in your chest as you leaned closer.

“Hey! There y’all are!” Tommy’s voice rang out, cutting through the moment like a knife.

Npt: @evolnoomym @milla-frenchy @aurorawritestoescape @arcanefox207 @gothcsz

@itwasntimethatdidit40 @ace-turned-confused @slimybeth69

@toxicanonymity @probablyreadinsmut @morallyinept

[patchworkcuddlebug]

Lunar Distance

It's distant, but it's her. That humming.

This one doesn't know why she always hums. It's a song from a movie she's shown this one, about a mother that turns children into dolls. It's considered a few reasons why. Maybe she's trying to call this one a child?

It's getting louder, closer. She's approaching the sun room. She's not trying to cause a reaction, she knows this one is in here, she must. She's tried that once before, getting its attention by surprise. She saw that this one couldn't be trusted to handle even a situation so simple as a greeting.

There's a resigned thankfulness in the one that it doesn't need to fear the surprise. To be reminded. but that just makes it wonder why a witch, the ultimate realization of arcane might, would bother. For all this one knows, she shadows it silently, only humming when she needs herself known. What could her motive be?

She's here.

It shouldn't wait for her to make herself known, good dolls are much more proactive. It sets its duster aside, careful not to bend the wires or fray the feathers, as it does a curtsy towards its Miss. "How may this one be useful to you, Miss?"

She doesn't seem surprised. This one has met expectations. "You've been doing a wonderful job around the manor, Luna." She speaks with the cadence of a mother to child. She wants to make especially sure this one understands every word, despite its evident lack of capability. "Would you like to join me for some tea? It's been a while since your last break."

This one freezes. It looks to the duster, then back to its witch.

This one can't accept. It can't rest, not now. She couldn't accept that. She must be testing this one's commitment, its performance and its dutiful nature. Of course, as it was only recently obtained, she must be evaluating it.

"This one is very complemented that you would offer, Miss. It would be an honour for a doll such as this one to spend time with you." As it bows, it hopes that the witch doesn't notice its grip tightening on its dress, a self-soothing weakness. Its words are practised and polite, but choppy and hesitant, despite its best efforts.

Please, please don't be mad.

"But this one would like to decline. It would be..." No, no, bad doll, focus on its words and don't stumble like that again. It's talking to a witch. "Um, this one would find it unbecoming to accept such a thing when it has not finished its work. This one has only just begun to-"

"Luna?" up like prey, staring down the barrel of a gun. What is that expression? It's a smile, but is it pitying? Malicious? Entertained by this one's failure? "Yes Miss." It took too long to answer.

The witch gave a light sigh. Why? Why? "Good dolls need their tea. I am telling you to take a break."

Oh. It failed again. This wasn't a test, and it simply chose to disobey a direct order.

"Yes Miss, of course Miss, this one is very sorry Miss." It curtsies again, speaking quickly. "Good dolls need to maintain optimal performance for their witch. This one is deeply sorry for neglecting its duties."

The witch has another look. The same look. She has to be planning something after that stunt. "You don't need to apologize that much. I just want to make sure you're taken care of."

"Yes Miss, thank you Miss." This one curtsies again. Is it doing enough to show its gratitude? It can't step out of line. Perhaps it's too much, and this one is annoying her.

"Come with me, I'll make the tea this time." The witch turns away, hesitating long enough to beckon the doll along. No, no, how dare this one even let her suggest that. It's the doll, it has to do the work, but it can't defy a witch, not again.

It hurries along, marching to match its witch's mellow pace. "Is... that a command, Miss? A good doll need to provide service to its witch, and this one needs to be a good doll." It speaks tersely.

"Yes, it is a command. Please, rest and reward yourself after a job well done."

It failed again. If it was a good doll, it would've been obedient on its own, without needing to burden her with the clarification. Surely now it's crossed a line.

Luna bows its head as much as it can while keeping pace. "Yes Miss, this doll is very thankful Miss."

. . . . .

Eyes forward, knees together, legs angles, ankles crossed, shoulders flat, back straight, hands on lap, polite smile.

The witch gently pours this one the first cup. Bad doll. Greedy, negligent of its duties, disrespectful of its witch's presence. "You can relax if you'd like to. I give you permission."

"Yes Miss, thank you Miss." it says reflexively. That could mean anything. This one can't, it shouldn't, good dolls are obedient and presentable and demure and docile and pretty. It wasn't before, but surely this one had to be a test. It's being tempted, to see if it would dare to step out of line. "This one is perfectly comfortable as it is, Miss."

She sighed again. It failed again. Again and again and again.

The witch leans forward, resting her hands together on the table. She's so tall, so confident, so much. She could kill this one in a thousand ways.

She's preparing for something. She has to be. Surely this is the moment where the anticipation breaks and this one is finally punished. She has yet to do anything punitive, so it has no idea what to expect. Perhaps it will be something as simple as being placed in the corner, forbidden from stillness, trapped in a painful awareness. That was a common punishment for new recruits, and perhaps Miss will look past its experience and treat-

"I'm worried about you, Luna."

It. Is a little caught off guard.

"I can't tell what you're thinking, but you always seem so... tense. You're never proud of yourself, you don't drink nearly enough tea, and you always look so scared whenever you see me."

This one made its witch worry. Another failure.

"I know it's a lot to ask you to trust me, especially after everything that happened with... your other witch." This one knows that look. That has to be pity. "So... all I can do is promise that I want nothing but the best for you. You deserve to be the happiest doll in the world, and I want to do whatever I can for you."

"This one trusts you, Miss." Clear, direct, serious. It doesn't waste time, but it remains respectful, as a witch deserves.

The witch seems... forlorn? Disappointed? She must be disappointed.

"...I believe you, Luna." Disappointment, clearly. She can't even bare to look at this one. After all the sadness and disappointment it's forced upon her, so much is to be expected. "Please, drink your tea. I don't want it to get cold."

"Yes Miss, thank you Miss, this one is very grateful Miss." This one takes only a second to look around for a napkin, in order to adhere to proper curtsy. Seeing that none are provided, it concludes that dolls are simply not expected to spill their tea, just as every other time with Miss. It grabs the teacup handle between its fingers as it brings the saucer up to chest height, lifting it and taking a gentle yet thankful sip. It uses its little finger, not outstretched uselessly, but instead to cushion the impact of the teacup with the saucer so it doesn't make such a bothersome noise. As perfect as it can manage.

...why does she still look so upset? This one did everything right that time, right? It spoke just as it is supposed to speak, acted just as it was supposed to act, and it still wasn't enough.

Is this one really that broken?

[maxinemaxmayfield]

Twelve Days of Stranger-mas (10/12)

I'm using the twelve days of Christmas prompts from the @strangerthingswritersguild to create an ongoing fic with a short chapter for each day! steddie | teen&up | temporary character death

A/N: This chapter contains an audio clip, however a written version of the message has also been included, so it can be read without listening to the audio.

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART FIVE | PART SIX | PART SEVEN | PART EIGHT | PART NINE

Day 10 Prompt: Ten Secret Codes

Eddie – or whoever he is now – doesn’t fight them. He goes willingly, back through the forest, back through the trailer park, fortunately now void of bats, and back through the gate.

He looks awful. His hair hangs limply around his gaunt and sunken face, eyes staring blankly. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t seem to hear them either.

They take him to Steve’s, wrap him in blankets to try and warm his strangely cold, pale skin. They manage to get some water down his throat, past his parched, cracked lips. They’re all lost on what to do. Expected he might come back wrong, might be dangerous or have lost his memory. But this… shell? They don’t even know if Eddie’s still in there. 

There doesn’t seem to be anything else to do but wait. Steve insists the kids get home, rest and check in with their parents so they don’t panic. Begrudgingly, they agree, but promise to be back at sunrise the next morning. 

Eddie continues to sit on the sofa, wrapped up and staring straight ahead. Steve can’t take the silence, turning on the radio before he drops down into the armchair. The Police croon about watching him, and Steve closes his eyes, the exhaustion hitting him all at once. 

Every single day, every word you say–

The radio turns to static for a moment, then tunes into a different station. And then another, snippets of songs for no more than a few seconds. Steve’s eyes fly open, head whipping around to look at Eddie, but he’s still unmoving as the radio plays.

Help me if you can, I’m– lo-o-ost– Don’t run away, it’s only me– I’ve been waitin’ for so long– last thing I remember, I was runnin’– I lost my power in this world– Help me– escape–

“Eddie?” Steve asks aloud. 

The radio crackles once more, before landing on Lionel Richie’s voice – Hello? Is it me you’re looking for?

“Holy shit. Okay, uh… hang on – El! El uses the static, maybe… shit, okay, Eddie, c’mon,” Steve decides, guiding Eddie out to the Beemer under the cover of darkness. He’s only sure of one thing – Eddie’s alive. Eddie’s still Eddie, he’s just… trapped.

PART ELEVEN

[fcble]

The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

VIOLET: Welcome to the sixteenth episode of “Lightspeed’s Ansible” and the third episode of “On the Same Wavelength,” where I interview your favorite idols. As always, visit officiallightspeed on your favorite social media platform, and leave a comment in the post for this episodes with who you’d like to see next, and any topics you want us to cover. Today’s guest, who you probably already know from the title, is the perfect fit for the new year. His group is synonymous with the Lunar New Year, and although we’re not quite there yet, I’m excited to have the chance to speak with him today. Could you please introduce yourself to our listeners?

ANDREW: Once upon a—[sharp inhale] I don’t like that. Hey everyone, I’m Andrew from Fable. You might know us from “Gaja” or “Home Run” or maybe even “Platonic Love.” It’s more likely you might not know me at all, which is why I’m here. I’ve never done our introduction in English before. It’s weird.

VIOLET: I totally get it. Every time Ash leads us through our greeting, I die a little inside. One Direction never had to do this. Do you go by any nicknames? Or do you prefer Andrew?

ANDREW: Yejun, for important work documents. Andrew is fine.

VIOLET: Andrew it is. Why don’t we get started with why you’re here today?

ANDREW: I’m releasing my first album as a solo artist. My debut EP, 80303, contains five tracks I’ve been working on for some time. I’m thrilled I can finally share it with everyone.

VIOLET: That’s a different approach to album titles from your music with Fable. How did you come up with it?

ANDREW: 80303 is one of the zip codes in Boulder, where I grew up. I picked this one because it also contains 303, which used to be the only Colorado area code.

VIOLET: Not because you lived there?

ANDREW: [laughs] That’ll have to stay a secret.

VIOLET: As an advanced listener, I saw all of your songs feature the band The Year 2000. Can you tell us a little about them and how you came to work with them?

ANDREW: Absolutely. They're a bunch of my friends from college. They became The Year 2000 as I know and love them now a few years after I graduated. If Fable didn't work out, I would have loved to be a part of their band. When it came to putting together my solo album, I knew I wanted to work with them. This is the first time I've truly had complete control over an album, so I invited them all to Korea to collaborate.

VIOLET: That sounds like it must have been a lot of fun. What was the biggest difference between working on this album and the music you've written for Fable?

ANDREW: With Fable, there are always these expectations. What we're supposed to sound like, how we're supposed to act, the type of concepts we can do. I know it’s part of being an idol, but sometimes it feels more intense for my group. Having the creative freedom to develop my own separate sound and identity was definitely the biggest difference.

VIOLET: I get that. It’s like once you do something, it’s the only thing everyone expects from you forever, especially as a public figure. 

ANDREW: Exactly.

VIOLET: So if you were part of The Year 2000, what instrument would you play?

ANDREW: I’d want to be the lead singer. Sela is a great singer and I love her, but I moved to be a singer. I can’t give that up.

VIOLET: I actually didn’t expect that. You strike me as more of a multi-instrument type of person. Like if I handed you a mandolin or something right now, you’d be able to play it.

ANDREW: [laughs] I’ve never gotten that before. The only instrument I can play with any degree of confidence is the piano. The Year 2000 doesn’t have a dedicated keyboard player, so if they ever let me into their band, I’d probably be stuck behind a keyboard all the time. 

VIOLET: Speaking of moving, how did you get into kpop?

ANDREW: I was never a fan of any specific groups. The industry was more of another opportunity to have a music career, since things weren’t working out at home. If auditions didn’t pan out, I wanted to attempt a survival show.

VIOLET: Really? Survival shows are intense. I’m still surprised I survived one. No pun intended.

ANDREW: [laughs] It worked out well for you. I don’t have a podcast.

VIOLET: It’s not that different from any other live stream or variety show. Honestly, I would have expected more groups to do it. Every online celebrity has one now.

ANDREW: I doubt anyone wants to listen to my group bicker for an hour straight.

VIOLET: Oh, I’m sure it wouldn’t be that bad. Is everything an argument?

ANDREW: Yes.

VIOLET: [laughs] If you’re a Lightspeed member, cover your ears for the next thirty seconds. I thought we were going to be like that. Considering we were literally competing against each other a few months ago, I never thought everyone would be so friendly.

VIOLET: This is when I’d usually ask a few questions submitted by fans, but since this is a special episode, I don’t have any questions from your fans. I thought we could go through a couple of the topics my group members and I use in our other episodes instead.

ANDREW: You have a lot of suggestions.

VIOLET: I’m sure some of them write down their questions multiple times. [paper rustles] “What was the most surprising thing about moving to Korea?” There’s a note on here in parentheses that says, “Learning the sh—[beep] things my parents did were culturally normal.” I think Constance wrote this. Do you mind if I answer first?

ANDREW: Not at all.

VIOLET: I had a similar experience to Constance, if she was the one who wrote this. When I first moved, I had a hard time adjusting to the social hierarchy. It’s probably stereotypical of me to say this. I was a teenager and I just couldn’t wrap my head around speaking formally to girls a year older than me. I moved companies a lot in the first few years. I was always the new one who had to speak politely because I never stayed anywhere long enough to gain any seniority.

[silence]

ANDREW: I was going to say squat toilets, but now I’m embarrassed.

VIOLET: No, I took it too seriously. I should have also picked something more light-hearted. What was your story?

ANDREW: It’s not much of a story. Jaeseop’s family runs a series of hanok-style guesthouses, and we stayed there for a few days before our debut. We started in the most traditional rooms and then had to move to the modern ones by the end. I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t handle it, which was a relief. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I think we were also supposed to film a variety show at the same time. It didn’t help our image to have us all long for real beds while Kiyoung and I considered running to the nearest subway station whenever we needed more modern plumbing.

VIOLET: [paper rustles] This one’s relevant to both of us. “If you had to have a stage name, what would it be?”

ANDREW: The answer I’d give now and what I chose for my stage name almost ten years are very different. I hope I’m less pretentious than I was back then.

VIOLET: So what’s your new stage name? I’m on the edge of my seat here.

ANDREW: [laughs] To be honest, I didn’t get that far yet. Andrew works fine for now. This is an old story for long-term Fabulists, but I picked Yejun for the Hanja characters because I knew more Mandarin Chinese than Korean when I first came to Korea. It’s so embarrassing to think about it now. At the time, I thought about how parents name their kids for traits they want them to have. In hindsight, it’s not nearly the same thing when you’re twenty-something and naming yourself for your future career. Did you ever have a stage name?

VIOLET: I didn’t pick it myself, but it’s almost as embarrassing. When I first debuted, I went by Bora.

ANDREW: Like Violet.

VIOLET: Yep. I think some executive was super proud of himself for that name. I don’t think that company ever came to terms with me being Vietnamese. If they gave me a Korean name, they could try to pretend I was more like everyone else.

ANDREW: No offense to any of my management, but that’s the exact same reason they gave me. They blamed me for the fact that my parents never gave me a Korean name. I’m pretty sure they don’t have Korean names either.

VIOLET: Same for my parents.

VIOLET: That’s all the time we have for today. Before you go, can you give us any hints for Fable’s upcoming album? I assume you have an upcoming album. When is the Lunar New Year anyway?

ANDREW: January 29. Don’t expect anything on that day. We’re always fashionably late. I can’t share much, but we are working an album. It’s something people would expect from us, and I hope everyone enjoys it.

VIOLET: So no surprises?

ANDREW: No surprises. My being here is the biggest surprise of this year.VIOLET: Thanks so much for that. To all of our listeners, thanks for tuning in. You can find Andrew’s album, 80303, on all streaming services at twelve AM local time on January 7, 2025. As always, I’ll see everyone next week for another episode of “Lightspeed’s Ansible.”

[starburr]

Predictably like with my tf one megop and d-16 spotify playlists, I made one for sashannarcy too because they deserve everything!

[cure-stars]

"but you see......this is where my story ends."

"then, let's start it―― right now! your next story!"

as if you're opening a present every second.

as if i'm searching for a star that's still unknown to anyone. 🎪

[driftershunt]

pennymav <3

[snowaftermidnight]

ive been wanting to make an an amv (animatic??) of this song for months so have a lil test of me figuring stuff out for it lol

[aeolianblues]

the real fiction in a lot of band AU fics is the amount of time bands seem to have on the evening of a show!

[beneathsilverstars]

maybe i will. try my hand at a friendquests mashup song after i post my siffrin looping song.... usually i specifically try to make my fansongs NOT sound like they're from a musical, so it might be interesting to chill out and do the opposite? and while i find it fairly easy to write several vocal parts for one song that sound good overlapped, it seems much harder to write five separate, distinct songs that also sound good together. might be a fun challenge!

the only problem is musicals usually have orchestras, and composing the instrumental bits of a song is the part i struggle with the most.... but again, might be a good learning exercise! 😤

[morelikesin]

Drowning.

Trying.

Grieving.

-

Practicing my portraiture; albeit through unconventional means.

[deus-ex-mona]

✨noping out✨ of an awkward situation li k e