#Hex Maniac is the real hero of this game

[miraclejune]

HERO’S SOUP: Chapter 10 (Special)

-Woojin’s Daily Life

Waking up to muffled screams and laughter was an everyday routine for Woojin, more like it was his alarm clock. The same scene every day, although different members change ‘roles’. Will he ever get tired of Jisung screaming while running around the house, Seungmin experimenting on Hyunjin just for the hell of it, Minho admiring himself non-stop in front of the whole-body mirror, Changbin and Felix singing loudly and out-of-tune while dancing like idiots? No. Not really. He would actually be worried if he woke up with the whole mansion being quiet as a mouse. That’s when he can tell something is wrong.

Woojin would sit up from his bed, staring blankly at the door, breaking into a smile as he heard Jisung singing on top of his lungs. Pushing himself out of bed, he would stretch his asleep muscles, fixing his clothes right after.

The wolves would simmer down a bit, sensing the alpha was awake. But eventually they would go back to their rowdy selves. With quiet steps, Woojin descends from his room, walking straight to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. He would gulp down the whole bottle before crushing the container and recycling it.

“Where’s Felix?” Woojin looked around the living room, sensing the missing fox. “He went out for a while,” Seungmin replied, not batting an eye at the alpha. Woojin was used to Seungmin by now, he was a bit ill-tempered, but he knows the witch doesn’t mean any harm, plus he has a soft spot for Jeongin. “Any reason at all?” He sat beside Hyunjin, putting a hand on his beta’s thigh. “He said he needed inspiration for writing lyrics.” Seungmin continued, shrugging his shoulders, closing his eyes to practice a spell. Hyunjin leans on Woojin’s shoulder, cuddling the alpha. Woojin smiles, Hyunjin was always so warm it made him feel at home.

“Why are you guys still here? Don’t you have to work?” Woojin turns his head towards the small whiteboard on the wall near the kitchen, reading clearly the schedules of every member of the house. “Jisung? Changbin?”

Jisung and Changbin whose eyes are glued to the tv screen, aggressive button smashing on the controllers on their hands, paused the game. Both looking at the alpha. “We finished up everything yesterday to free up some time today.” Jisung nods, agreeing to what Changbin said. Woojin cocks an eyebrow at them. Jisung speaks up, not needing a word from the alpha. “It’s been a tiring week, and Changbin’s gonna go find a place for his shop.”

Woojin nods, running a hand through his soft locks. Feeling two pairs of eyes on his face, Woojin turns his head, nodding his head at the two wolves. They were waiting for his approval so they could go back on the game they’re clearly losing. Cute. He smiles softly, putting an arm around Hyunjin who was now stuck to his side like a koala. “How ‘bout my Jinnie~ do you have work today?” feeling the wolf shake his head, Woojin hums. “I checked your schedule last night, looks like you’re free today too.” again he felt Hyunjin shake his head, but now up and down.

He chuckles deeply, eyes finding Seungmin, the witch who has been transformed. Hair ash white and eyes are a deep shade of violet. “My only class is at 3pm, I’ll be home by 10pm. Don’t wait for me please.” but Woojin ignored his request. He would always wait for Seungmin to come home, on the first night the witch threw a hex at him, he dodged it but the sofa was turned into a rabbit (which they now keep). Seungmin was startled, of course, he got home at around 3am because of council work, dead tired entering the house and seeing a whole ass man magically appearing in front of him (he just didn’t notice the alpha because he was exhausted as hell). Who wouldn’t be shocked?

“Okay.” Seungmin knew his last words were given dirt by Woojin, so he went back to his summoning.

After spending time with the boys in the living room, he would walk to the kitchen and start cooking breakfast for the hungry kids. He wasn’t the best cook; they usually order takeout if they’re lazy but Woojin still tries his best to give the boys a not-so-healthy but full-of-love meal. “Boys, breakfast.” In a blink of an eye, the remaining people in the house gather around the dining table. The bickering never stops. “Where’s Chan?” Hyunjin asks before shoving a spoonful of scrambled eggs down his throat. “He left at around 4am.” Woojin recalls being jerked out of his slumber as he feels Chan’s presence vanishing. The vampire materializes in front of him, “Germany.” and with that Chan was gone.

“I really don’t know how you understand that old dude.” Changbin stated. Jisung who was looking at Changbin beside him nods before locking eyes with the alpha. “Chan is so vague.” Woojin grins. “You guys know Chan, he’s like that.”

“Wait, what does he mean by Germany?” Seungmin, who was itching to ask about it finally spoke. “He went to Germany to buy some antiques for his shop.” Minho replied. Seungmin was overwhelmed by how much the non-human beings around him knew the vampire. Even more than him. “He’ll be back tomorrow.” Woojin reassures them.

After breakfast, he would leave the dishes to Minho and Jisung. Usually Changbin does the dishes but something came up and he had to meet the real estate manager early. Jisung will catch up once he’s done. “I’ll be leaving for the cafe.” with half-assed goodbyes, Woojin drives out of the garage into the bumpy road. He turns on the radio, humming unconsciously along with whatever song comes up.

“Good Morning.” He greets the staff with his usual toothy smile, turning his head towards the customers and giving them a smile. “Good Morning to you guys also.” Johnny walks up to the boss, putting a hand around his shoulder as he teases him. “Boss is so handsome kya~” Woojin giggles, shoving the taller one away from him. “Idiot.”

“Where’s Jungwoo?” Woojin walks around the counter, checking the machines and pastries along the way. “He’s in the back, fetching some whipped cream.” Woojin opened the cabinet for all the whipped cream cans, it was empty. He then proceeds to the computer they use for stocks and sales. “I already ordered what we need, boss.”

“Wasn’t gonna ask that because I already know you did.” Johnny grins at Woojin’s words, he turns to his heel and disappears inside the kitchen. Woojin proceeds to stand beside Jaehyun who was minding the counter, after handing the customer the buzzer (used for when the order is done) he turns to the boss. “Hey.”

“You alright?” Jaehyun smiles sadly, he knows he can’t hide anything from Woojin. With a sigh, he crosses his arms, looking at Woojin through his lashes. “My mom wants me to go back to the States,” the bell chimes as a customer walks out into the busy street. Jaehyun relaxes upon seeing Woojin’s reassuring smile. “She said she found a job for me there; the benefits were great, and they would provide my housing-”

“Then why are you hesitating?”

“I’m not. I just don’t want to go back.” Woojin felt Jaehyun’s searing stare in his own eyes. The guy was telling the truth. Woojin puts a hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder, “Whatever you want to do. I will support you, okay?”

Woojin genuinely does. He supported Jaehyun ever since they met. The trainee life weighed on him too much, but Woojin was always there to cheer him up, to keep him going. Even Johnny was thankful for the alpha, even though none of the staff knew about his real identity.

“I know you will. Thanks, man.”

-

“Johnny, tell the boys I left early. I ordered some pizza so be sure to give them their share!” pulling on his trench coat, Woojin bid his last goodbye before circling his car. Opening the door to the driver's seat, one particular person standing in the corner caught his eye. His long stature leaning against the wall, soft light brown locks falling perfectly right above his eyes. Those dark orbs snapped at Woojin’s direction making contact with the alpha’s. With a smirk, he threw his cigarette on the pavement, crushing it with his black dress shoes. At this moment, Woojin noticed the guy’s overall look.

His face was perfectly framed by the black turtleneck underneath his black overcoat. His skinny-fit black jeans look like they’re about to burst because of his muscular thighs. 

“Yuta.”

“Woojin.”

The air around them became suffocating, you can feel the extreme aura radiating from both men. Their eyes are not blinking at all. Woojin turns, body fully facing the man. With simultaneous steps they fell into each other’s arms, laughing almost maniacally. “Where the fuck have you been, you dumbass!” Woojin pulls away, locking his arm around Yuta’s neck, caging him in his armpit. With his extra hand, he roughly ruffles the man’s hair, both laughing in glee.

“Hey! Come on man! I spent an hour fixing my hair.” Yuta struggles on pulling Woojin’s muscular arm around his neck, he wasn’t suffocating at all, but seeing the blatant stares coming from strangers walking by, plus the customers coming in and out of the cafe, he had, by all means, to be embarrassed. However, knowing Woojin, he can never win against the man. Woojin was obviously ten-fold stronger than him. “Woojin, you do know I’m older than you.”

“The elder acknowledged me first.” with a smug look on his face, Woojin lets go of Yuta. “Really? You’re still bringing that up? Fuck you.” keys jingling in the air, out of reflex, Yuta caught it right in time. The frown on his face grew much darker. “You drive. Let’s go back to the mansion. You disappeared suddenly last week; the boys were worried.” Yuta snickered, puffing out air from his cheeks as he eyes Woojin walking towards the shotgun seat.

“Why are you like this?” the car door shut twice, both pulling on their seatbelts securely. With a chuckle, Woojin shifted comfortably on his seat as Yuta pulled out the driveway. “What do you mean?”

Sneering, Yuta slowly puts pressure on the brake with his foot, yanking the e-brake as the car stops. He glanced at the rear-view mirror, fixing his hair before turning to Woojin. The glare from the stoplight shining on both their faces. “You’re always bringing that up in every conversation we have.” Woojin only chuckled. “You’re really different.” Yuta releases the e-brake, drawing his eyes back on the road. He could feel Woojin’s curious gaze on his side profile. “You’re still the same idiot as before. But somehow, you’ve changed.”

“The boy who used to be so arrogant and mean, using his father’s position as leverage to look down on the other cubs and wolves. Carelessly causing trouble for the elderly just for the heck of it. Never relying on friends, because he says they’re all the same, they would all just leave him once they benefit from him. Only befriending him because he was the leader’s son.”

Woojin looked out the window, as much as he wanted to ignore the words Yuta was saying. He just couldn’t help but look back at his past. He was really quite an asshole back then. He only brought trouble for his family, not that they don’t mind. They were disappointed in him but had no other choice but to let every bad deed he did go through. He was the only heir, the only son. It was the only way for him not to rebel and completely run off from the pack. “Even after your whole pack got attacked,” Yuta was a distant relative, his family descended from Japan and they still reside there. Woojin sighed heavily, the blaring horns coming from cars behind him were all muffled by Yuta’s words.

“You still remained the same. Father and mother really thought that incident would change you,” Yuta parked the car in front of the mansion, turning off the engine as he glanced at Woojin. “But decades later, after we met in Japan. You changed drastically.” turning his head, Woojin’s eyes met Yuta’s. They stared at each other, as if they were trying to find answers in each other’s eyes. “What changed you? Who changed you? Hyunjin?” Yuta was partly true, Hyunjin did change him. Being the alpha, he had to protect Hyunjin, even if he wasn’t the beta.

But it wasn’t just Hyunjin.

Yuta knew. He knew right from the start who it was. “Woojin! You’re back early! Oh, is that Yuta?”

“Can you not shout for just one second, Jisung.”

“Well sorry. Minho. I’m not a cold ass bitch like you.”

“Yuta? Yuta’s back!”

“Dum dum, he was just here a week ago.”

“Changbin, I hate you.”

“I hate myself too, Hwang.”

“Where’s Seungmin and Felix?”

“They went to fetch Jeongin from school.”

“Oh! Jeongin’s coming over!! Yay!”

With one last fleeting smile, Woojin turned his back on Yuta. Walking briskly towards his family.

Yuta smiled in defeat, shoving his hands inside his pockets. Mumbling underneath the wind, “It wasn’t just one person.”

—Changbin and Jisung’s Daily Life (⅔ of that spicy sauce)

“Jisung, wake up. We need to go.”

“Five more minutes, Binnie.” sighing heavily Changbin sat on the edge of the bed. Five minutes ago, he was in Jisung’s current position. Sleeping soundly and not wanting to be bothered in his room, but apparently the alarm went off and he had responsibilities. Jisung groans, moving his lifeless body onto Changbin’s lap. With light and soft strokes, Changbin’s hand runs through Jisung’s fluffy locks. Out of all the boys, Jisung has the softest and fluffiest hair. Minho would come in second. He glances down at Jisung fondly, it’s been a while since the incident happened. Although Jisung seemed to be back to his normal state, Changbin can’t help but worry. Jisung is his best friend, they were both found and aided by Woojin and Hyunjin from different circumstances but both of them were scarred heavily, physically and mentally.

Ever since then, they were inseparable. And to add the fact that they both enjoy music; it made their fondness for each other grow deeper. It made them understand and express each other much clearer than before.

As much as he wants to lie back down on his own bed, or better yet cuddle with Jisung. Like he said, Changbin had responsibilities, and Jisung was part of it. The songs won’t write, compose and produce themselves. Changbin always thought of asking Seungmin if he had any spells that would work that way, but he was too afraid to ask. And Chan would probably tell him it was just a lame excuse to slack off and not do any actual work. “Ji. We have to work.” It took him 10 minutes to push Jisung out of his bed, dragging the wolf towards the bathroom to wash up.

Entering the living room, he was welcomed by Woojin who seemed surprised enough not to see them in their usual state. “We got home by 5am, I’m tired but otherwise okay. Ji had it rough yesterday. The artists won’t cooperate well and demand a lot of changes,” he sat down on the dining table, ushering a brief ‘thank you’ to Hyunjin who handed him a plateful. “You know Ji has a bad temper, and that shit stresses him the fuck out. I offered to help since I’m only handling the computer. But-“

“Knowing that dumbass, he wanted to do his task on his own.” Seungmin appeared beside him, pulling a chair on his side. Changbin handed him a glass of juice. “Thanks.” he nodded at the witch before proceeding to eat. Jisung comes down from his room after a while. Changbin waited for him to finish his meal and then they left in haste.

“Please tell me we’re not working with the same people as yesterday?” Jisung whined, taking a sip on his iced coffee as they sped across the city. The car came to a halt, Changbin glanced at the stoplight before turning to Jisung. “It’s just until today, Ji. Please just bear with it.” With his big eyes, Jisung stared at Changbin’s side profile as the man started driving again. Changbin didn’t say he hated it. But he knew for sure that the wolf was just as annoyed as him.

Changbin never really showed he was struggling. He never once complained even though he was having a hard time, he just stood there smiling. Even comforting the people who had it way better than him. Changbin may look dark and mysterious, but he’s a big softie. He always looked unapproachable and cold, but he’s actually the opposite. He always says he likes ‘dark’ but that’s only his preference in music.

Changbin cares and loves each and every one of the members equally. No questions asked.

“We finish it up early today, then we can go get some pasta. How about that?”

“Are you gonna pay?”

“Even if I say you pay or we split the bill, I always end up paying.”

“Because you’re older.”

“Only on our human birth certificates.”

“You love me.”

“No.” Changbin closes the car door, even though Jisung can be an annoying bitch, he still stops in front of their building, waiting for the younger one to come out. Joining him, they enter the place. Greeting the guard as they clamor in the lift. “Are they there already?” Changbin fished out his phone. “Nah, their manager said they’d be here around lunch.” Jisung heaves a sigh of relief, they had plenty of time to work on some stuff without someone yelling at their ears, feeling like they know everything about producing. Noticing a much larger hand grasp his own, Jisung looks up, his frown turning into a cheeky smile as he sees Changbin’s worried face. “I’m okay, Binnie. It’s just until today, like you said.” Changbin nods, knowing Jisung was telling the truth so he wouldn’t worry much.

Upon entering the studio, they get to work almost instantly. No words were exchanged as they set-up the equipment, making sure everything works perfectly. As Jisung and Changbin sat down in front of the computer, they turned into working mode. There was no fun and friendly aura between them. They conversed and acted professionally. “Come in.” twirling a pen in his hand, Jisung responded to the soft knock on their door. Both boys are not batting an eye on the clients. Jisung stands up and ushers them in, he didn’t have much of a choice either.

Changbin silently observed how Jisung’s face contorted into a somewhat casual smile. He almost scoffed because Jisung doesn’t know how to do that. The wolf was annoyed. Changbin could hear his thoughts and none of them were positive. As the clients settled in, they began demanding some changes again. Asking Jisung if this or that was possible. And Jisung responded with much gusto. Changbin grinned. No matter how rude and arrogant the people they work with are, Jisung really loves music. When he starts talking about music-related stuff, you can’t help but stop and stare in awe. ‘He’s a genius.’ Chan once said. And he was right. Jisung is an amazing person. His past may be dark and cruel but that never affected his passion for music. Not even one bit.

As their eyes found each other, both boys broke into a small smile. Turning back to what they have been doing, Changbin rearranging pieces on the computer and Jisung hearing out the concerns of the artists.

“Let’s make music!”

—Minho and Felix’s Daily Life (Dance idiots, I mean, prodigies)

“Lix, are you coming with me tonight?”

“Hongdae?”

“Yeah. I kinda miss it.”

“Sure. Let’s get ready then.”

Dusk fell upon the mansion. The orange gradient looked like a painting as Felix stared outside, waiting for Minho to pull up beside him. “Get in you idiot.” Felix pouted. Minho always ruined the mood. “You’re such a bitch.” he ranted, as he slid in the shotgun seat, Minho flashes him a smirk. “Thanks, I know. Now put on your seatbelt.” he did what he was told. Minho might come out as bossy (well he is), but he just lowkey cares for his friends’ safety. “Aren’t we a bit too early?”

Felix glances at Minho, ah. This man’s side profile will always be so fucking amazing. “Let’s stop by Changbin and Jisung’s building. They might have a vacant dance room we can use for rehearsal.” Felix smiled, responding with a deep ‘yeah’.

Minho is just usually at home or hanging out with the boys at their workplaces. Busking was just some sort of a hobby for him, he wanted to try it and he did. He then got hooked by the feeling of performing in front of others. Sure, scouts came up here and there, but he was just content with what he was doing. Being an idol is on a whole different level. He lowkey hates it because he might not have enough time to spend with his new family, and when he says ‘spending time’ it means he just teases and annoys every member on a daily basis. Especially Jisung. They’re always seen sticking to each other like glue at the mansion. Jisung was always fun to tease according to Minho. The wolf gets mad, and when Jisung gets annoyed, he looks so adorable. Making Minho tease him more.

Felix on the other hand was getting busy. Like now, he gets invited by Minho to go busking. They were originally partners in crime. Felix moved to Seoul with Chan a bit earlier than Minho. They met the same day as Minho came from Japan with Chan. And they just decided to get an apartment somewhere in Seoul and live together. The only past time they had was visiting Chan at the shop and well, busking. But after moving in with the rest of the pack, Felix has gotten busier. He mostly works with Jisung and Changbin at the studio. Offering all the help he can. Writing songs and sometimes producing music. The two wolves helped him a lot and he was forever grateful for everyone in the mansion for treating him like family.

Arriving safely at the building, Minho proceeds on hitting the button to Changbin and Jisung’s studio. Drawing back his hand inside his pocket as he stares at their reflection on the elevator door. “You alright, Lix?” Felix nods, profusely wiping the sweat pooling on his palms. “I’m just giddy because it's been a while since I last performed with you.” Minho chuckles, putting an arm around Felix’s broad shoulders. He pulls the fox closer to him, tickling his sides. “Me too.”

They both got off their floor, sauntering towards the door to the studio. As they opened it, they were both welcomed by Changbin and Jisung sitting in front of the computer. Jisung whips his head back, and smiles. He stands up, placing a hand on Changbin’s shoulder. The wolf looks up at Jisung and then looks back at the two additional people. “Let’s take 5, okay?” holding up an okay sign with his free hand, Jisung opened the door to the recording booth. Ushering the artist to the sofa on the left side of the studio, along with their managers and staff. “What brings you guys here?” Felix and Minho sat on the small love couch beside the computer, almost instantly clinging onto one another. The artist who was just recording a few moments ago can’t help but stare at the additional eye candy. Changbin and Jisung were already overwhelmingly attractive. but the two flower boys had rendered her speechless, even the female staff that was with her. Jisung notices the meaningful gaze at their position, he lets out a soft chuckle. Sending the girls into a frenzy. “Do you know any vacant dance rooms?” Minho knows his effect, but Felix was a little bit similar to Hyunjin. He was naïve. “Told ya.” Jisung smiles at Changbin’s remarks. “Yeah, I can call the owner. You boys go ahead and practice. Geez, if you always come and practice here then why don’t you just go and rent the place.” Jisung scratches his head, crossing his arms in disappointment afterwards.

Minho and Felix excitedly spring up from their seats, tackling the two wolves with hugs and kisses. “Alright alright! Now go!” shoving them out the studio, Jisung shouts one last favor before the two vanish into the elevator. “Don’t forget to clean—And they’re gone.”

Changbin giggles, pulling Jisung back to his side. “They clean up, Ji.”

“I know.”

-

“Lix, your arm is not straight enough.”

“Like this?”

“No no. Here-“ Felix’s tense muscles relax underneath Minho’s touch. He had been nervous and stiff because it has been a while since they last danced together. Minho notices Felix’s awkwardness and decides to take a 10-minute break so the fox could loosen up. “How’s the song you’ve been writing?” Minho smiles as Felix’s expression turns from guilt into excitement. “Oh yeah! I brought it with me! Can you check it out?” he nods and chuckles at Felix who stood up almost instantly, dashing towards his bag on the corner.

Felix always wanted to be a songwriter. And being praised and acknowledged by the music geniuses, naming Changbin, Jisung and Chan, it meant the world to the fox. He was actually really good. His songs were full of meaning and some of them were from his personal experiences. The sole reason why Changbin and Jisung gladly accepted him as part of the production team.

As they talk about the song for a while, Minho stands up and turns on the music. They finished creating the choreography right before the break and it was time to practice it along with the music.

Both of their playful expressions vanish. Focusing on their reflections on the mirrored walls. Their eyes were full of passion and concentration, as the room was filled with a familiar tune. All at once their bodies fell in sync with each other.

Much more like Jisung and Changbin, Music, to them, was like turning back the clock, traveling and returning to a previous life full of agony, joy and sadness. They embraced the music and in turn the music took control. Both found themselves in a different world. A world of mystery. Mysteries they would love to discover.

Their movements flowed with a dazzling grace that took away the breath of every person in their soon-to-be street audience. Both boys could feel their soul become one with the music. Unleashing their emotions into the dance. They needed this as badly as they needed to breathe. The music came to a halt, the room was soon filled with heavy pants from Felix and Minho. “You’re still amazing as ever, Minho.” Felix fell on the floor, Minho followed suit, falling on top of Felix’s sweaty body. Minho chuckled loudly, his voice echoing around the four walls of the room, sending vibrations onto Felix’s figure. “I can say the same thing, Lix.”

“I wish Hyunjin was here.” Minho sits up, pulling Felix. “Yeah, it would be amazing if he performs with us.” They chat for a while before returning to practicing their dance.

—Hyunjin’s Daily Life (Jack of all trades Hyunjin)

One last click of the camera and Hyunjin relaxes on the bar stool. Three people run up to him at the same time, fixing up his makeup and outfit. He smiles at them, making the three of them blush. Gullible idiot. “Hyunjin? How about we take a break so we can proceed to a different setting?” Hyunjin beams at the camera man and the rest of the staff, bowing in the process. “Okay!” The staff guides him towards the dressing room, offering him some drinks and snacks. He declines politely, fetching his phone inside his backpack.

“Your manager is not here?” the make up artists ask. Hyunjin nods and pouts. “He just left me here hmp.” she giggles, moving her hands skillfully unto Hyunjin’s face. The stylist comes in and shows him the next set of clothes. Hyunjin changes into them and walks out of the waiting room, his eyes grew wide at the new set. Tons of flowers decorated the set, and in the center was a king-like chair. “This set is so pretty!'' He can’t help but admire the vivid shades of flowers around the place, and the cameraman asks him to sit on the chair. And once he did, everyone in the studio grew quiet and stared in awe at the King sitting on his throne.

Being the gullible handsome idiot he is, Hyunjin smiles prettily. Reaching out his hand, Hyunjin places one of the flowers in between his fingers, his face cornering in to smell the scent. With eyes closed, his side profile was majestic. And it was definitely the perfect shot. No cues were issued at all, the cameraman proceeds on taking the shots, shaking his head in disbelief on how amazing the model is.

“Thank you for your hard work!” closing the car door, Hyunjin gives the staff who sent him off, one last fleeting glass before Woojin pulls into the highway. “Was the shoot fun?” Hyunjin beams and begins to tell his fun day to Woojin, which the alpha gladly listens to. He always does. Hyunjin has this very puppy-like look on his face when talking about how exciting his day went by, and Woojin was never sick of it. “Do I have another schedule for today?”

Woojin hums in response. “So there is?” Hyunjin breaks into a fit of whine. “I’m tired~” Woojin grins, taking a right turn. “Eh? Where are we going?”

“How about we stretch some muscles?” With a small smile on his face, Woojin pulls up in front of a dance studio, leaving the dumbfounded Hyunjin to process what he just said. “YAY!” with a light chuckle, Woojin pushes the door open. allowing the overly excited Hyunjin to come in. Woojin already booked a room, he knew Hyunjin would be stressed out from work and the wolf had a long day ahead of him. It was his duty as Hyunjin’s manager to take care of the boy.

According to the brands Hyunjin had worked with, he was definitely perfect. With his honey-dripping looks, his long stature, his physique, the boy was beyond perfect. And to add the fact that he was an amazing dancer? The complete package. Seungmin on the other hand had one rude thing to add ‘He was an utter and complete idiot’ no one in the mansion spoke a word after Seungmin said it. Not even Jeongin. Hyunjin is an utter and complete idiot. Not that it was a flaw, weirdly enough it added him a bit of charm. When the ladies think that he doesn’t really notice their looks, they fall harder for the guy.

But it was not all rainbows and bright lights for Hyunjin. Whenever they moved from one country to another, the friends he made on the way made him feel like he only had the looks. Especially when he went to Korea. Scouts were always swarming around him on a daily basis, some of them even came from big companies. He did refuse every single one of the offers, but that was not the case in the first few weeks in Seoul. He had accepted one of the auditions. Hyunjin woke up early and prepared for his audition. He had a dance piece, a song, and a rap prepared.

“He’s so handsome.”

“Companies only look for good faces these days.”

“I bet he doesn’t have any talent.”

“Well, he could only be in a group for the eye candy.”

Those words coming from his fellow auditionees dawned on him. Because their words were true. He did not have any talent at all. He cannot sing or dance or rap. They were right, he was just another pretty face. That’s why he quit even before they got to contract signing.

You would think that he gave up and just let those words bring him down. You would think that he just quit and accepted his fate. But no, Hyunjin wanted to prove them wrong. He wanted to prove to everyone in that audition room that he was not just a visual. He started practicing dancing, he learned rapping on his own but Changbin and Jisung guided him all the way. And now both wolves acknowledged his talent, even saying they would surpass both of them.

Hyunjin may be a big softie, always clinging to his members, always teasing them. But he was as hard-working as the next guy. His heart is pure.

Woojin stares in awe as Hyunjin’s face turns into something mesmerizing as he dances. The sweat glistened down his face and neck, the way his body moves fluidly along the music. He was definitely a sight to see and Woojin can’t help but say…

“You’re amazing, Hyunjin.”

—Seungmin’s Daily Life (Witch photographer with Puppy Visuals)

To be honest, Seungmin’s life before the mansion was plain and boring. He would wake up, get ready for school. And once inside the campus, he had to deal with council work and at the same time his classes.  By the end of the day, his social battery will be more than drained, he will stop by at Chan’s shop. Not that he helps out there, he just sits and nags the vampire all day.

But everything changed when the fire nation attacked, JOKE.

Everything changed when he met Jeongin. His world suddenly grew way larger than before. Seungmin had a hard time adjusting to it, but everyone helped him to do so. He was lowkey in denial at first, but he really was thankful for the pack.

“For the last time, Hwang. I don’t want to move in with you guys.” Seungmin rolls his eyes at Hyunjin. The wolf was all over his face as soon as he entered the mansion, he held the urge to punch the wolf on his gut because he knew he would be the only one in pain. Seungmin snaps his fingers and Hyunjin’s vision goes blurry, and when he regains his sight, the witch is no longer in front of him. Turning to his heel, Hyunjin dashes across the hall, right in time to jump Seungmin.

But he fell on the floor instead, face first. Rubbing his injured nose, Hyunjin whines. Plopping down beside Changbin who cooed the poor wolf. “Yeah, why don’t you want to move in? We have plenty of room here.” Before Jisung can finish his statement, Chan cuts him off.

“It’s no use, Ji. Seungmin’s not the type of person to live with other people. Especially you rowdy bunch.” a unison of ‘Hey’ was said before Woojin entered the living room. His usual smile plastered on his face. “What do you guys mean? Seungmin’s moving here today.”

The room went still and silent. 6 pairs of heads turn towards Woojin’s position. Seungmin snorts, failing to hold back his laughter. A few moments later, he burst into a fit of cackles, slapping his thigh as he let out all his pent-up emotions. “You should see the look on your pathetic faces!” Seungmin found himself trapped in an embrace with different members trying to get a hold of him as he laughed. “You’re such a jerk!” Felix whined, lightly slapping Seungmin’s arm. “I don’t know why I’m friends with you, to be honest.” Chan shakes his head; he was the only one who didn’t jump on Seungmin. Well, Woojin on the other hand was chuckling silently on the side.

“Did you bring your stuff?” Woojin asks. Seungmin nodded, the boys removed themselves from Seungmin, fixing each other’s clothes. All eyes lock onto Seungmin magically producing a miniature briefcase. “What the hell is that?” Minho moved in closer to take a look at the small bag. His teeth protruding from his lips, ‘that’s actually really cute’ Seungmin thought. “It’s my stuff.” with a twirl of his finger, the mini case grew into a regular sized one.

“You may be an asshole, but your magic is amazing.”

“Thank you, giggles.” Seungmin responds proudly, opening the briefcase.

“You’re welco—HOLD UP WHAT THE HELL”

Hyunjin bolts upright from his seat, almost shoving his face near Seungmin’s busy hands. “Is that a trolley—WOOJIN HE’S WRENCHING A WHOLE ASS TROLLEY FROM HIS BRIEFCASE---” Jisung cannot believe his eyes, Hyunjin’s reaction was exactly what he’s feeling right now. How is that even possible? Seungmin laughs, “You dumdum. I'm a witch.”

For the past 2 hours, Seungmin has been pulling out his stuff and equipment from the briefcase. The rest got used to it as time passed by but Hyunjin is still going on about how Seungmin pulls out a cabinet full of books. “Can I fit? Can I? Can I?” pushing Hyunjin’s overly-excited face from his face, Seungmin closes the briefcase right after he pulls out the last spell book. He snaps his fingers and the briefcase vanishes. Leaving Hyunjin pouting. “You can. But you’re just gonna fall into a complete and infinite oblivion, floating around lifelessly as you dwell deep on your inhumane thoughts.”

“Seungmin, stop scaring the poor pup.” Chan warns, rubbing his hand against Hyunjin who threw himself at him. “What a big baby.” Hyunjin made faces at Seungmin but cowered against Chan’s chest when the witch pulled out the briefcase once again. As the witch playfully approaches him, he detaches himself from Chan and starts sprinting out the backyard. Looking back to see if the witch was after him, he trips on his own foot, falling on the grass.

Hyunjin groans and flips himself, his eyes grew wide and face grew paler, Seungmin was just a few inches away from him, a grin etched on the witch’s face. His eyes falter onto the witch’s hand where he sees the briefcase wide open. Normally the inside of it would look like any other box but it was pitch black, almost like a void sucking him in.

“HELP!!!”

The rest of the pack let Seungmin have his fun, but Woojin had to step in once half of Hyunjin’s body disappeared inside the briefcase. With tears in his eyes, Hyunjin wobbled, Changbin supported the disheveled wolf with his weight. He tried hard not to laugh. “You’re such a fucking dick.”

The briefcase disappears once again from Seungmin’s hand as he turns to face the poor wolf. He laughs maniacally and shakes his head. “And you said you’re the beta?”

“H-Hey!”

The rest of the day consisted of Seungmin fixing up his stuff. Woojin had already decorated his room, actually, Changbin stepped in line to manage everything. The last time Woojin helped with the interior design, it looked like a teen’s room going through an emo phase. “We’ll have the basement cleaned up by next week. I contacted Ria and she said she’ll be here by Monday.” Seungmin nods, placing the last piece of shirt neatly on top of his clothing. He closes the cabinet door and walks out the closet with Woojin on his trail. He just agreed with whatever Woojin told him, not that he had a choice. The alpha insisted on doing so.

But before he could close the closet door, some figures pop out of nowhere, dashing inside the closet. “Wow. These are really dandy clothing you got here, Seungs.” Hyunjin carelessly opens one of the cabinets and rummages through Seungmin’s coats and long sleeves. “You even ironed them out before hiding them.”

“I always thought you had an adorable sense of fashion.” Jisung chimes in, pulling his hoodie over his head to wear one of Seungmin’s coats. Changbin, who was busy going through Seungmin’s shoes, turns around and points at Jisung, all the same time laughing at the wolf. “Ji! Haha! You look so small in Seungs coat omg.” Jisung pouts as hastily takes off the coat and throws it at Changbin’s face. “Then how about you try it!”

“I’m too buff for this.” Changbin snickers, proudly rolling up his sleeves and flexing in front of the boys. “Minho and I have been going to the gym,” the idiot mentioned was now standing beside the other idiot. He rolls up his sleeves and does an X symbol with Changbin’s arm. “Yep. You know you have to be fit to attract some ladies.”

“Hey! I have abs!” Felix pulls up his shirt and flexes his abdomen. Jisung felt challenged, so he pulled up his shirt to show his pack. “Me too.”

“My thighs are thick.” Hyunjin adds, placing his foot onto the chair in the center of the closet, flexing his thighs as he makes a handsome face.

Seungmin sighs, turning to Woojin and Chan who were watching the boys with fatherly gazes and smiles. “You deal with this bullshit every day?”

“Hey. You have dealt with it too ever since you met them.” Seungmin sighs once more at Chan’s remarks. The vampire was correct, he does handle this nonsense every day. “But,” gazing back at Woojin, the alpha gives him a toothy smile. “You like it, don’t you?”

He avoids Woojin’s eyes and crosses his arms against his chest. Chan smiles, he has known Seungmin for a long time now. The witch was a bit of a bitch and was always so full of himself. But other than that, he was a caring person. He hates violence. Hates humans being hurt.

He may come out blunt and arrogant, but in reality, Seungmin is a nice person. Once you get to know him. Chan rarely saw the witch smile, like the genuine type of smile. But these days, he could see it more often. Often than normal.

“No, I don’t.” Seungmin turns to his heel, trying his best to hide the smile on his face. ‘I love you idiots.’ Even if it was just a murmur, the rest of the boys knew Seungmin meant well.

“PILE UP ON THE BED!” with Jisung’s annoying voice, Woojin pulls Seungmin, shoving him onto the bed. “NO! I JUST FIXED THE SHEET—OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE! YOU BASTARDS WILL PAY FOR THIS!”

Hyunjin’s distant scream can be heard. “NO! NOT THE BRIEFCASE!”

#stray kids #skz #skz au #stray kids au #hero's soup #kpop au #kpop angst #kpop smut #kpop vampire au #kpop wolf au #wolf au #vampire au #chan #changbin #woojin #minho #hyunjin #jisung #seungmin #jeongin #felix #stray kids angst #stray kids smut #supernatural au

[fsnowemblem]

Would you do a big post about why you like Noire? I know like nothing about her but I think she's really cute and I wanna know what about her makes you love her so much

you asked for it m’dude

you FREAKING ASKED FOR IT

and i assume that at this point you dont care about awakening support spoilers

In general like her archetype of character, a seemingly fragile quirky character that can go insane/berserk, an example is A.B.A. from guilty gear, i love it so much that my first ever original character that i made is this archetype

I really like her backstory, not like in the sense that i relate, but like in the sense that is very interesting, having a shitty shitty parent that did experiments on her, she ends up being a guinea pig for hexes of her mother, and becomes very shy, very jumpy and she talks very softly and with kind of a broken voice, her mother ends up giving her a talisman that is supposed to be hexed so that noire can draw strenght from it so it will protect her, talisman is just a placebo thats just there for noire to vent up her frustrations, she starts yelling, laughing and becomes way more aggressive, it is not a happy story, when you see noire for the first time she has already gone through so much, that the very fact that she is there to fight still is kind of remarkable, she is so determined that a lot of the supports she has with other ppl usually are impressed by her will power alone, she comes to the army broken, sad and scared, like most of the kid generation to be fair, their world pretty much was destroyed, but she along with the others is so set in making things right that her fears and worries are not gonna stop her, in short terms, she is like actually the strongest and most incredible of the kids that went back in time

I touched on her personallity a bit but she is really cool, even tho she is kinda quiet and doesnt usually involves herself with others, she cares about every single person she interacts with and is ready to help and protect anybody at any time, the best example is the support with pannes kid, dude is as much as a scaredy cat as her and their support starts by her doing him a favor, no questions ask and no hesitation, followed by him being inspired by her conviction of making things right and overcoming her fears, so much so that he stops hiding all together, and that support also shows that she is smart as to when to snap and become all violent and shit and when to keep calm and make ppl listen to her, she has weaponized both her cuteness and her aggresive nature

She is a way bigger human than me, if my mother experimented on me to the point of me becoming her guinea pig, i wouldve been like, lol fuck you never talk to me again, as strong as blood bonds are, i am not one to take shit and expect to make peace later, she on the other hand wants to make amends, and even tho the tharja she makes ameds with is not her mother, she wants to avoid her to be repeated by the mistakes of her parents i think that is so cool too, she is incredible

I just love all the little details of her supports about just being so inspiring to the ppl she talks to and her determination being contageous while never hiding her fears, worries and hesitation, she pushes forward despite her being scared, broken and sad, while other ppl have to be pushed to the point where they will actually say how they feel, i like how honest and direct she is, and i also really love how if she gets frustrated with someone being blatantly lying or being dense as fuck she will just snap and yell the truth out of them or really clearly explain her point so then she can help them get better or help them realize something abuot them, her berserk form is kind of a last resourse in this regard but its super funny and endearing when she just looses patience and tell them in ther faces how it is

But enough about her backstory lets go to gameplay!

she has *the* coolest passive ability, vengance, when you get hit you do your damage, plus the damage you where dealt at i think the luck stat x 2? one of the stats x 2, not only you can level up that stat really easily, she levels it up a lot naturally  and you end up getting vengance like 80% of the attacks if not all of them, she is a fucking killing machine its amazing, she is a bit of a glass cannon tho so be careful when using her, but i ended up using her so much that she started to just take like hits that where just around 20% of her health and subsequently dealing one hit kills, and since she is an archer, she can learn the one hit kill skill that is i believe the same stat as the vengance one, so since she already levels it up so fast naturaly she either does a one shot critical, she does a straight up critical hit that will murder fools straight up OR she will deal damage BACK that destroys ppl, SHE. IS. INCREDIBLE

 She is very resistance heavy and in the tail end missions of awakening you are usually getting bombarded by wizards not only is that helpful, they usually attack her bcus she has the least ammount of health so you can just go destroying magical fools left and right, and this is like, just vanilla noire, the first time i played awakening, gregor (a mercenary) was the parent she inherited a skill from, i made her a mercenary after getting said vengance and one hit kill chance, she gained sol, so when she did some insane damage she cured herself up to full health, proceeding to just freaking MURDER, i went with pretty much just her alone in one of the hollow boxes thingies and she just destroyed the whole map by herself taking like 3 damage total, when gaius was her father in my 2nd or 3rd playthru, she had the vengance stat to 50% so her vengance triggered EVERY SINGLE TIME plus the one hit kill skill she was the deadliest unit i had but she kept her glass cannon-ess trait so i had a healer next to her all the time, that being said tho she was my go to, oh shit this unit is super tanky, les go girl 1 shot it, and she did 100% of the time, and the 3RD TIME (or 2nd, i dunno) Libra was her dad, so i ended up making her a sorcerer, and needless to say, i think she ended up getting less vengance triggers but her magic power alone was dropping any fool that decided to wear metal armor that day and not go prepared for the biggest magic damage in human history

I really cant stress this enough

SHE.IS. A. GOD. DAMN. MONSTER. I. LOVE. HER. SO. MUCH. 

Also needless to say, in one of my 3 playthrus, i just went straight up to grimma with her, she got hit to 1 hp left, did the vengance and got grimma herself to freaking 5 hp left GRIMMA, THE FINAL BOSS, THE finall boss that you usually have to use a falchion to do significant damge, she is the hero we need and deserve.

AND TO TOP IT ALL OF, HER MANIACAL LAUGH IS THE CUTEST SHIT IN THE UNIVERSE SHE LAUGHS LIKE A TRUE DISNEY VILLAN AND DOES THE MOST ADORABLE SQUEAL AT THE END OF IT HOLY SHIT, i played the game in english so maybe its just in the english version BUT DAMN DID THE VA FUCKING NAILED IT its like, so perfect how she goes from insane laughter to with that little little hint of her broken meekly voice, BOY HOWDY i fell in love then and there the first time i heard it, best part, she triggered a skill/got a critical hit so often that i hear BLOOD AND THUNDER!! and her laugh SO MUCH, AND IT NEVER GOT OLD I was allways allways aaaaallways all giddy bcus i love it so much, i have 3 critical triggers that i love with my whole heart in awakening, 1 is noires laugh, 2 is noire yelling blood and thunder and 3 is frederick saying “pick a god and pray” bcus hot damn all of them just give me goose bumps, also continuing in voice lines trends

HER VOICE ACTRESS IS SO GOOD i cannot even begin to think about a better job to do this kind of character her passive voice is so quiet, scared and broken and her aggressive one is SO aggressive there is no inbetween its either 100% or 1% volume and crazyness its incredible, her passive voice is like she is constantly in the brink of tears just by talking, and her aggressive one is in the brink of snapping your spine in half mortal combat style and going back to the archetype i like THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT DUDE, THIS IS THE PINICLE OF SHY GIRL THAT GOES INSANE VOICE

If you thought i was done gushing about her IM JUST BEGINNING, lets move to her overall design shall we?

comming off of the voice actress incredible job, her whole demeanor compliments her voice so well, its one of those designs that you just cant see it any other way (even tho i do some changes to it all the time xD) i just cant imagine her having that voice and *not* looking like that you know? she looks straight up incredible (i could maybe use actual breastplate rather than a boob window with a leather support underneath but hey, i guess nothing is perfect)

Her official art of her drawing back her bow but the arrow being all badly placed and shit is objectively the most adorable picture in the world

The tones of green they used for her are really cool i grew in a place with a lot of trees and i really find them soothing, her whole forest green design just kills me and compliment her browns of belt and leather so well, the diamond pattern is also rul cute rather than the boring line pattern virion has, complimenting her whole deal of her being as beautiful and precious as a diamond

The armor she has on her arm looks so good, and so contrasting to the whole outfit i think its really funny but really badass at the same time, why is she wearing a full on knight arm armor? i have no clue but. i. love. it. she is such a powerful unit that she just needs one arm to defend against scrubs aka all enemy units including grimma itself

HER SQUIGGLY EYEBROWS HOLY SHIT

THE CUTE ROBIN HOOD ASS FEATHER SHE HAS ON HER HEAD, THE HEADBAND, THE FREAKING GOLD HEADBAND DEAR LORD

HER

POOFY 

PANTS 

ARE 

SO 

CUTE

I also really really like how she has like 5 leather belts that go from the belt to her high boots, its real unnecessary and you would think goofy as hell but it ENHANCES the poofy pants so good, now it looks liek a renissance striped poofy pants and i am a sucker for renissance clothing, also, imagine her doing flips and twirls with those, they are gonna follow her flow like a god damn princess dress and god dammit she deserves it bcus she IS A BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS 100/10 pants/belt combo, she also has the slickest quiver ever for her arrows, which she hangs on her waist and looks rul cute

HER BOOTS are the best boots in gaming, souper cute, super stylish and really cool looking i just love how tall and chunky they are, they are almost wider than her feet, top notch, the little hole pattern on them give them extra stylish points, they are very basic brown, which just goes to show, if you have a good premisse you can slack on some departments and still look cooler than most of the competition, the little beighe frills on the top of it just puts it all together, incredible, amazing, fantastic i would go on a date with those boots and give em smooches

Im a fan of short hair, i am also a fan of puffy hair and above all i am a FAN of poofy short hair, and she has both, excecuted to perfection, her little long hairs on the side to compliment her messy back, it looks incredible, the braided pattern on the top of her head that just SHOWS how much she cares about her cute hair and with reason bcus its the cutest hair ever, 1k/10 extremely kissable forehead to show love and support when words and praise are not enough, will make you think that she deserves an award for greatest person alive or something, so beautiful it will bring you to tears, so beautiful that will make any dark day a bit brighter, so cute that it surpasses any fuzzy animal on the planet, SO BRIGHT AND GORGEOUS THAT IT WILL BURN YOUR EYES, you get my point by now yes?

her poses of nervousness are cute as hell, makes you want to be there to support her in any way you can, but then you realise that you are looking in a mirror and that not only you see that you also need love and support, but you realize that you can give it, it makes you wanna be a better person, and make everyone around you grow with you, its a mirror into your best self, it will bring you to tears and want to ask for forgiveness to anything wrong you have done in your life

You know how sometimes too much of stuff that you like will sometimes not mix well and end up ruining something in the process? not this time m’dude 

every

single

piece

flows and fits so well with every other composing a beautiful song named Noire, a song so beautiful, amazing, incredible, outstanding and mind blowing that i dont think there will ever be a shining light as bright as this in the whole time i have the privilege of walking on this little dot in the universe that we call earth

so when i say that i like everything about Noire i am NOT joking, i love this character to death, and even  if i wrote this thread with a narrative of me starting really tame and gradually getting overly excited to talk about something that i really love culminating in some ridiculous shit, i really do love this character and i wish to write/design a character this appealing someday a character that seems pretty one note and simple but ends up rooting its way into your heart

#fsnow rambles like a god damn moron #noire #fire emblem awakening #i told you i would write a 10k letter essay if you asked me to go more indepth #but nobody listens #fsnow slowly descends into madness

[aion-rsa]

WandaVision Episode 5 Review: On a Very Special Episode…

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This WandaVision review contains spoilers.

WandaVision Episode 5

It seems nearly impossible to follow an episode like “We Interrupt This Program,” but as we hit the midpoint of the season the team behind WandaVision has managed it. WandaVision episode 5 continues directly from where we left off and sets up some interesting potential conflicts both inside and out of Westview. With Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) thrown out of Wanda’s suburban mind palace, she’s back in the not so welcoming arms of SWORD and Director Hayward (Josh Stamberg). While Agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) and Darcy (Kat Dennings) couldn’t be happier to see Monica, the rest of SWORD is more concerned with the massive existential threat that is Wanda Maximoff and her puppet town of ghoulish human hostages. 

After another sitcom reference heavy opening credits, it seems like we might be back to the format established by the first three episodes. But once SWORD comes into play again we get our first real feel for what the shape of the show will likely look like going forward. There are two dueling realities here, Wanda’s and the world of the MCU that surrounds it. Just like last week, Parris’ Monica is our hero, and a mighty one at that. She’s the kind of complex, thoughtful, and well-drawn female hero that the MCU has often struggled with. Yet here she is and Parris imbues her with a quiet power that almost vibrates off her as she faces down with SWORD Director Hayward. See, the suspicious military man has deemed Wanda a terrorist, and although Monica was her victim, she’s loath to define the former Avenger in the same terms. 

This SWORD rift sets up a nice camaraderie between Jimmy, Darcy, and Monica which will hopefully carry over for the rest of the season. If you were loving Dennings as the representation of the theorizing fans among us, then you get more of that here. She even names the Westview anomaly “the Hex,” (for the hexagonal patterns noted in the previous episode) which is a clear reference to Wanda’s Hex Magic in the comics.

But back in the world of Wanda, things are amiss with the kids, with Tommy and Billy magically aging up throughout the episode. If you were wondering how the boys might end up as permanent teenage members of the Young Avengers in the MCU, then wonder no more as they go from babies to five-year-olds and then age up to 10 when it comes to the question of whether or not they’re old enough to have a dog. It’s a creepy and narratively convenient conceit that works to the episode’s advantage. 

If you were worried about the momentum slipping after the fast-paced adventure of episode 4, you can breathe a sigh of relief because the juxtaposed stories work well together, crafting something bigger and more expansive than we’ve seen yet. We also get our first examples of those dual realities colliding when Monica attempts to fly a drone in to connect with Wanda. Sadly, she underestimates just how much MCU agents love military weapons and doesn’t realize that the drone is armed.

Yes, evil old Director Hayward tries to shoot Wanda on sight, leading to a showdown on the outskirts of Westview where the Scarlet Witch reveals her full power and plan. This is her home and anyone who tries to take it away will be punished. The most exciting thing that this episode and this exchange sets up, though, is that while Hayward and SWORD might see Wanda as a threat, Monica clearly sees more, and that connection could harbor a safe way out for Wanda when it inevitably all gets too much for her and family. 

Speaking of that family, they’re at the core of the action this week, with Wanda writing out most of the supporting cast. The mysterious Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) is still around and we get some hints that maybe she knows a little bit more than she should. Could she be there to help Wanda? Or does she have other plans for the powerful magic user? We’ll have to wait and see.

Elizabeth Olsen has been showing off her range throughout this season but she’s especially strong this week, playing everything from loving sitcom mom to maniacal mutant wielding world destroying hex magic (her accent from Avengers: Age of Ultron even makes a reappearance). But the undeniable truth is that this episode belongs to Paul Bettany. Spending most of the runtime in his human form, he acts the hell out of Vision’s slow realization of what Wanda is up to with emotionally devastating effect. 

The tragic romance between Wanda and Vision is at the heart of their namesake series, and we are slowly learning the lengths that Wanda went to reunite them. Not only is she potentially puppeteering Vision’s creepy dead corpse around, but she violently raided a SWORD facility to get it. Now the two are playing a game of marital cat and mouse as Vision tries to uncover Wanda’s plans–in one of the creepiest sequences, freeing Norm from Wanda’s mind prison–and she tries to keep their living paradise secure. Bettany sells every wince of horror and shame as the scales fall from his eyes, and Olsen does a great job at either gaslighting Vision horribly or unconsciously revealing that Wanda might not be in control after all. 

The question of Wanda’s control comes into play once again as the episode comes to a close with a huge twist. For months, rumors have persisted that Evan Peters would be joining WandaVision, and it turns out those rumors were true. As Vision finally faces Wanda and tries to demand accountability for her actions, the pair is interrupted by the doorbell. Wanda promises that it’s not her doing, but Vision can’t quite believe her, and who can blame him?

But the biggest secret is who’s behind the door. And, of course, it’s Peters. In a laugh out loud moment, Dennings delivers what will surely become a historic MCU line: “She recast Pietro!?” That she did, or at least someone did, because when Wanda opens the door, Peters is there in an ’80s sitcom approximation of his Fox X-Men Quicksilver garb (sans goggles). Although Wanda’s brother was previously played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it only takes a couple of seconds for her to say “Pietro?” 

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So what’s the truth? Has Wanda manifested her brother from another reality? After all, she does give a big speech today about how she can’t bring people back from the dead even if she wants to. Or is someone else pulling the strings? Wanda was telling Vision that “she didn’t know how any of this started” just before the pair were interrupted, so could Pietro be nothing more than a distraction?

We’ll have to wait until next week to find out, but no matter who is controlling Westview one thing is for sure: Disney has officially crossed the streams with their recently acquired Fox X-Men universe and things in the MCU will never be the same…

The post WandaVision Episode 5 Review: On a Very Special Episode… appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3cPQkW5

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[esportsrush-blog]

Dota 2 Guide: How To Play With Arc Warden

Post URL - https://esportsrush.com/dota-2-guide-how-to-play-with-arc-warden/

Dota 2 Guide: How To Play With Arc Warden

Arc Warden has been in the game for a while. However, people have still not understood how to play the hero. Below is a detailed guide about how to play the hero. Pros:

one of the best snowballers in the game.

strong teamfighter, very strong pusher.

wrecks hard disorganized pub teams.

very good against non-unit heroes if left 1v1.

late game rat menace.

Cons:

early ganks slaughter his progression.

against unit heroes like Broodmother (his no.1 counter) immediately swap lanes.

He's a very immobile hero that's extremely positioning dependent. Most of the fights you take are already decided by how good you placed yourself and your Tempest.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Credits Devian Art[/caption]

Skillset

FLUX - deals damage over time when there are no units around the enemy. Try to use it at lvl2 to harass your enemy in the lane.

MAGNETIC FIELD - provides full physical evasion to everyone inside the field. Buffs you, neutrals and your team with attack speed (tower ignores evasion on the creeps).

SPARK WRAITH - aka techies mine. use them sparingly because they're mana costly. If people are dumb enough you can stack them near a tp spot in the tree, they tp into it sometimes.

TEMPEST DOUBLE - Sixth man off the bench, you cannot use consumables on him. He shares full stats with the real Arc Warden. Rapier isn't cloned anymore. Whenever you summon him try to use his mana to the fullest. (for instance you're jungling, kill the smallest creeps first, use the Flux from the Tempest on the biggest creep)

Arc Warden is not an easy hero to master. He's easier than Meepo, but harder than Invoker. If that makes any sense. Microing him and the Tempest itself isn't really a hassle. It becomes hard when you get 6(7) slotted. That being said he's extremely item dependent.

Extremely Item Dependent

After getting an Aquila and Boots, you're buying a Midas. ~2100 gold for an item that gets you to your second farming (and fighting) item, Maelstrom, which is ~2700 gold. That's nearly 6.5k early gold for farming items. Compare that stupid amount for any other agility carry:

Slark: Shadow Blade, Treads, Aquila, Wand ~5.6k early gold and he's pretty much ready to fight.

Phantom Lancer: Wand, Treads, Aquila, Diffusal blade ~6k gold and ready to fuck shit up.

Arc Warden with those items can only properly set up to farm up the next core items that allow him to actually fight.

This guide is divided into few sections which cover up when to pick him, laning, items, skills and talent progression.

Draft

His hardest counters are those who can get into your face - Slark, PA, Spectre and illusion based heroes like CK and PL. But if they got into your face, you're not playing him well. Positioning is the key in those matchups. Also, try not to pick him up against those pesky 5man-group-up-and-push-together lineups. First 15mins you're completely useless to your team so you will have a hard time catching up. He absolutely wrecks every 1v1 mid matchup (except Brood) if you're skilled enough.

Honorable mentions that don't stand a chance against Arc are. Sniper, Shadow Fiend, Zeus, Skywrath, Clinkz, Ember and Storm pre level 6 and pretty much any melee hero that shows up.

Skill Order

Skill order depends on the matchup. Obviously, at 6 you are 3-0-2-1 which works great against any hero. If you're against an Invoker, you will have to take a different approach and go 1-1-3-1 to be able to trade hits and kill off his forge spirit. My choice of skills is 3-1-1-1 if you've managed to deny a lot from them and establish the level difference. That kind of skill build allows you to bait them into your Magnetic Field which can bring you some pesky kills pre level 5.

Proper Combo

You always flux first. It guarantees spark not missing them when they run away. 1 is the Main, 2 is the Tempest.1Q, ULT, 2Q, 1E, 2E and 2W to finish off or protect yourself when diving the tower. The reasoning behind this combo is mana conservation on the real Arc.

Talents

LVL10:+8% CD reduction, It really proves it's worth later when you're TPing everywhere.

LVL15: I'm a firm believer that Flux range is superior to HP talent. Being able to Flux them as they flee from the fights or as you approach the fight from across the screen is OP. Also, you almost always never want to be in the middle of a fight with the real Arc. Imagine real Arc as a backline Sniper and his Tempest as an Axe. Tempest is meant to soak up the damage. Although, against PA, Slark and WR I pick up the HP talent and an early Blademail.

LVL20: Attack range. I see that Icefrog meant some kind of support/caster Arc Warden coming into the play with the CD reduction on the sparks. It is doable with the level 25 talent. But physical Arc Warden is always preferred since he scales much better into the lategame.

LVL25: Well if you're constantly fighting take the +30 lifesteal. If you wanna play a worse version of Techies, take the spark dmg buff. It's good when the enemy supports don't expect it. You stack upto 3-4 sparks and they're probably dead. But since we're in lategame, pickoffs are very often rare. People group up and march down mid with the creeps. So, there are games when it's good and games where It's criminally bad to take it.

Laning

Mid 90% of the time. 10% safelane. The reason for taking the mid is solo XP and the pure potential of killing their mid over and over again. Once you hit lvl6 - it becomes 2v1.

When mid

Start with Wraith band, Branch, Faerie fire and 2 pooled tangos. Blocking your creeps every wave is very important to be able to harass them properly. Your last hitting ability is crucial those few first waves. Try not to waste level 1 mana and completely focus on your last hitting. Sub 3 min Aquila is a must. Follow it up by naked brown boots. You will need a ward to be able to see them on their ramp. This is probably your first power spike if you catch enemy offguard (not close to their creeps). You flux them and chase them down.

Some people advocate on getting Phase Boots. I haven't experimented with those yet but I believe that +24 dmg *2 units does make a difference early. In my opinion those boots are a waste of gold that early on since you need BoTs very early to contribute to your team. When you hit level 6 this is where the fun starts. Remember the part where I've said to always block your creeps a bit? You do this so their ranged creep is in the river, not on top of their ramp. This allows you to place a zoning spark wraith behind the creeps.

This way enemy has 2 choices: eat up a spark or not get close to it. He eats up a spark: instakill with the above said combo. He stands there and doesn't do anything: you deny everything and lasthit everything. If you have vision of him highground and at least level 3 flux you can attempt the combo above. If you manage to catch the first flux, which is very likely to succeed.

Other small tricks are to never stop harassing them with right clicks (try not to aggro their creeps). It's very frustrating for them because you have a superior attack range in most of the cases. It makes them pull back from the creeps which again leaves you with kill opportunities. There is also a trick if you fail to block your creeps. Hit the ranged creep 2 times and place level 2 spark on them. If enemy stays close you combo up. It's all mind games from there on. Finish up your Midas after you've gathered those 3-4 kills.

When Safelane

you will be behind on XP, but once you reach lvl6 tell your supports to leave, same principles above apply, harass them and zone them out with sparks

The transition from Early to Mid Game

Your objective is to bring down their mid tower. From there you TP to the weakest sidelane and help them bring down another tower. With that amount of map control you finish up the Maelstrom and farm BoTs. Try to realise that this itemisation is most common in 99% of the games. If you're against a pushing lineup I'd rather get a Mjollnir to be able to deal with them.

Mid Game

You got your Maelstrom and the BoTs sub 18mins or even less. Now what? Split push like a maniac? Join fights? These great questions don't have great answers. It's really tough to judge as a beginner what you should be doing. Communicate with your team. I always tell them that I will probably spend 3-4 more minutes farming up a Mjollnir by split pushing.

Try to TP to the outskirts of fights. Park your real Arc Warden behind and spam spells with him, while microing the Tempest in front. Never, ever come in as 2 unless you're completely sure that Slark is on another side of the map. Or that they don't have gap closer heroes capable of backlining you. In lower bracket games people seem to believe that the Tempest is an illusion so they don't expect him dishing out full damage while ignoring him. He's the 6th hero on your team. So to sum it up, fight with your team, gain map control, jungle their wards, ward their jungle, etc.

Itemisation

You can build whatever you want to. He's such a diverse hero. SnY and Manta? E-blade and Dagons? Gotcha fam. Situational builds aside, go to build, after Maelstrom and BoTs is as follows:

Blademail, SB or Pike, Mjollnir, Orchid, Nullifier --- constant fighting build against gap closers or spell spammers

Mjollnir, SB or Pike, Orchid, Nullifier, MKB --- true right click build

Some games demand a Force Staff (Riki smokes, saving your teammates, double forcestaffing yourself out) while some allow for using SB to infiltrate their jungle and picking off their carry. It's really up to your playstyle. I've found equal success with both, sometimes I even get both. BKB is often that 7th item in your backpack. Don't fear to get it. If you're against a Slark, I suggest getting a Hex instead of the Nullifier (has a projectile time, Hex is instant and not purgeable). In most cases Nullifier is preferred since it boosts your damage output.

Late Game

As I've said in the beginning, Arc Warden is a late-game menace. You can always keep 2 lanes pushed in. You will probably sit on 10k gold while being six slotted. Buy your carry a Moonshard if possible. With the acquired map control get the Aegis on your carry. While pushing in try to keep your team under Magnetic field since it gives them the attack speed. If you're defending try to reach their backlines with the Tempest (Shadow Blade or Force Staff). Always keep a track on your buyback status.

Bonus Tips

Try to synergize first few Midas usages (earlier maelstrom)

Getting chased and nowhere to run? place yourself near any trees and field that place so you can tp out or kill them

Learn to double forcestaff yourself, very useful skill

Don't be afraid to bring yourself any sort of regen, going back to fountain is the worst outcome

So this is it for now. Feel free to discuss this guide and add some tips on the abysmally low-picked hero. If you've got any questions feel free to discuss here.

Dota 2

Arc Warden, dota 2, Hero guide