#interact with him i just want to know that hes alive. hes got some health things™️ and the thing is i dont think ill ever not love him but

[idanceuntilidie]

Can I request poly yanderes x male werewolf reader please?

Where they collar him and force him to be their pet.

Sure you can!

Hope this was okay, I wanted to write this earlier but I had small issues with mental health.

Poly yans x male werewolf reader

tw. yandere themes and kidnapping.

Requests open,

There was a curse in your family. No one knows how it came to be.

It was a burden passed onto generations,

and now, you.

Thank whatever is out there that it only happened on the night of a full moon.

It made it easier to get through this.

It was your secret, no one knew, you wanted to keep people safe. Beside small interactions here and there you were alone, and it sucked ass.

Your body shivered, it was so cold in the basement. You hated it, but it was a small price to pay to keep everyone alive. You wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you killed anyone.

“Alex if you won’t get your ass in there-“

“I am trying Six, can you shut the fuck up for a second?”

“If you won’t shut the fuck up someone will call the cops”

Once upon a time, when you visited a coffee shop, a group of three caught interest in you.

You spilled your coffee and Six offered to buy you another.

You agreed shyly, hands shaking when Six gave you the cup.

It was cute, when they got back Alex and Mateo cooed about how adorable the interaction was. It sparked something, and each meeting it glowed brighter. Your face, eyes, hands, how you breathe made them more in love.It got to the point that it was burning, and your little interactions couldn’t satisfy the group.

They began to follow you.

They even went as far as getting into your house. They didn’t take anything, they just checked everything out, to see how you live. You had such a small house, you deserve better.

They decided to steal you away.

When they finally have gotten inside they began to look for you.

Alex didn’t see you leave the house tonight so that gave them a green light to get in.

“I thought you said that he didn’t leave!”

Mateo whisper yelled at Alex.

“He didn’t, I was watching him for the whole day he didn’t leave.”

Alex hissed at him.

Six only huffed, and tried to look for you, they heard a loud bang from the basement. It made them pause.

The door was closed, but they swear there is such loud noises coming from the other side.

They didn’t know you had a dog.

After some lock picking later, the door was opened and the noises were louder.

Six had expected a lot of things but not this.

You groaned in pain before you opened your eyes.

Was it morning already?

The whole transformation thing always tired you out. You also wanted to take a shower and actually put some clothes on, to save your clothes from being destroyed you only had boxers on, it was really fucking cold.

You rubbed the sleep of your eyes only to notice you aren’t in your basement.

You were in a very fancy room.

When you finally got up you heard a small jingle sound.You brought a hand up to your neck, a collar. A fucking collar. Before you even got a chance to scream the door bursts open, and you see three familiar faces.

“Oh you are awake already?”

Mateo chirped,

“Hungry?”

Alex smiled.

You were speechless. You tried to get away as far as you could, you didn’t notice Six sneaking up to you.They hugged you, forcing you not to move. They nuzzled their head into the crook of your neck. Alex and Mateo aww’ed at that.

“..Where am I?”

“In Mateos house”

You saw Mateo sigh dreamily.

“I have always wanted a pet.”

Alex nodded and Six hugged you tighter.

You swear they will break your bones.

“..Pet?”

Six let out a small mhm.

Then it hit you, you were kidnapped. How much did they see? How long were they planning this?You needed to fucking get away.You started to scream and scratch, it didn’t help. It only seemed to make Six angry, they pulled your hair and yanked it back.

“If you don’t calm the fuck up we won’t be so nice.”

He huffed.

“You are our pet now, and we don’t care if you like it, or not. Be a good boy and don’t struggle.”

#yans #yanderes #yandere ocs #yan ocs #ocs yandere #yan oc #oc yan #male raeder #amab reader #x reader #x male reader #yans x male reader #yandere x male reader #yanderes x male reader #yandere #yandere x darling #tw yandere #yandere blog #oc yandere #oc tag #gn reader #original character #oc #werewolf reader #werewolf male reader

[shwoo]

Okay here's my headcanons of which Bugsnax characters actually know the Journalist's name. I'm also headcanoning that Lizbert mentioned their name when she told the others she wanted to invite them, and that they tend not to give their name unless prompted. They're a journalist, is that not enough?! (They may also have some personal identity issues)

REMEMBERED THEIR NAME

Lizbert: Knows their name and maybe also their address.

Beffica: Knew their name because she's read all their articles. Pretended not to know at first as part of her facade of detachment, which is why she said "You're that journalist!" when first meeting them.

Clumby: Presumably knows them as something more specific than "obsessed monster hunter who made me have to work late."

Chandlo: Remembered because he is definitely the kind of friendly and outgoing person who can remember anyone's name after hearing it once.

Wiggle: Makes a point of remembering journalist's names. Tends to unconsciously assume that any media person is there mostly for her, so she wants to make a good impression.

Snorpy: Remembered in order to look into them and figure out if they were the heroic truth-seeker kind of journalist or the villainous sensationalist kind. Liked what he found, but still suspected they were a Grumpinati impersonator when first meeting them.

Floofty: Remembers their name, but refuses to use it out of spite.

DID NOT REMEMBER THEIR NAME

Gramble: Forgot their name, and either asked them when they met, or asked Wiggle.

Triffany: Terrible with names, apologised and asked them for it when they met.

Cromdo: Told himself he'd remember their name in case they did show up and he had the chance to sell them something, then totally forgot. Asked them what it was when they met, and immediately did the "[diminutive], can I call you [diminutive]?" thing. The Journalist said "Sure," because they didn't really care.

Eggabell: Didn't pay much attention to what Lizbert said about them, since she didn't think they'd take the invitation. Despite having quite a bit of interaction with them and worrying about their health, didn't realise she didn't know what to call them until halfway through her "I just need Filbo and... Filbo's... buddy." line.

Shelda: Tried to remember their name so she could address them by it before they introduced themself, and impress them with her mystical knowledge, but got distracted by everything else that was happening and forgot. Got away with it for a while because of her tendency to refer to people with descriptions when overacting, but exposed herself when she said "Floofty, did you ask the journalist to throw acid at you?" The Journalist made fun of her for keeping up the charade for so long, so she reminded them that Floofty had asked them to throw acid at them, and they'd done it.

Wambus: Took a little while to realise that he couldn't get away with just calling them Stranger forever, and then was too stubborn to admit defeat and ask. The Journalist specifically suggested he use their name after his "I been calling you stranger, but you been around a while" chat, but he still refused to ask what it was, or admit that he didn't already know. Eventually heard Triffany refer to them by name, but she had to do it a few times before he decided that he knew it now.

Filbo: Forget immediately after being told, and also forgot to ask when they met. Didn't realise they probably had a name until after they'd interviewed him, and didn't want to ask out of awkwardness. Hoped they or one of the others would mention it, but coincidentally, nobody ever did, at least in an unambiguous way. Eventually asked them while they were heading back to the mainland, but continues to call them Buddy anyway.

Jamfoot: Clumby told him their name when she let him know that they were also going to Snaktooth Island, and he forgot their entire existence immediately. Was confused when Clumby mentioned them by name after they returned alive, even after she clarified that they were her ex-employee who went to Snaktooth Island.

#Bugsnax #It's entire cast tagging time! #Bugsnax journalist #Lizbert Megafig #Beffica Winklesnoot #Clumby Clumbernut #Chandlo Funkbun #Wiggle Wigglebottom #Snorpy Fizzlebean #Floofty Fizzlebean #Gramble Gigglefunny #Triffany Lottablog #Cromdo Face #Eggabell Batternugget #Shelda #Wambus Troubleham #Filbo Fiddlepie #Alegander Jamfoot #I have so many oddly specific categories to sort the cast into and this is one of them #I think I did seven deadly sins/heavenly virtues once #Except I also included despair and hope so there were enough to go around.

[sorryimananti-romantic]

Horizon (Chapter 4)

series masterlist

faerieprince!san x oc

royal/fantasy au, soulmate au

chapter wc: ~20k

chapter warnings: fluff, angst, tragedy, violence warnings, mention of death/su!cide, past traumas, atz interactions, suggestive

chapter synopsis: gaeul prepares to say her goodbyes before going to the other dimension but also burdens seonghwa with a promise in case things go wrong. san's health starts to deteriorate as a result of his separation from gaeul and the bond. in the other dimension, gaeul practises her magic with yeosang, yunho, mingi and yena make a discovery that shakes their beliefs.

manager-nim: @eightmakesonebraincell (makes sure i don't sound stupid when i write :') LOL)

“That’s… crazy,” Yeosang breathed, turning to meet eyes with Gaeul who was also staring at the very large tear in space itself- the air was all shimmery and broken around it, distorting her vision. Gaeul took a step back, bumping into Yena who looked equally blown. However, she noticed the others staring at them in confusion.

“What’s crazy?” Wooyoung followed Yeosang’s eyes, staring into the distance but finding nothing out of the ordinary except a sinking feeling that confirmed there was something out there. Wooyoung stepped at the edge of the cave, looking down at the beach and the waves violently crashing on the rocks, and then looking up into the air again. “Can you see something that I cannot?”

Yeosang turned to look at Yena who nodded. Gaeul also pointed at the distance, however, it looked like none of the others could see it. “What’s crazier is that it’s using some sort of illusion magic to become invisible to even you guys. Hongjoong?”

“I can’t see anything- is there anything I should be seeing?”

“There’s a literal tear in the space itself- it’s stitched close,” Yeosang sighed, not knowing how to explain. San walked to Gaeul and asked if he could enter her mind to see from her eyes- he was able to see it as well, and worse, feel it with a greater intensity- the feeling Gaeul must be experiencing right now.

“I think me and Yeosang can see it because duh,” Yena began, “We deal with spaces and portals. Gaeul can see it because she came from it. Interesting none of you can see it.”

“I just saw,” San raised his hand and everyone else groaned, making him grin despite the severity of the situation. “It’s just like Yeosang described. A distortion in the space- you can’t even tell. I bet it opens to let the creatures in here.”

“Which means the missing faeries might be on the other side,” Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong. “We’ve got to save them if they’re… still alive.”

“And how do you suppose we do that?” Yeosang interrupted. “You can’t just go prowling in there and expect to come back alive. You don’t even know what’s there, when it opens, when it shuts close. You could become trapped in a world you don’t belong in.”

“Well then,” Jongho looked at Yeosang. “You know better than any of us about other dimensions. What would you suggest?”

“I think the three of us,” Yeosang motioned at Yena and Gaeul, “might be able to do something about it- but not until Gaeul is able to get her magic under her control. As much as I want to see if the missing faeries are at the other side and are even alive, all I can do is wait. Even my spirits can’t move across dimensions so casually.”

“What can you both sense, across that… tear in the space?” Gaeul asked Yena and Yena paled.

“We can’t… sense anything across that, we can sense only the tear in the space itself, right Yeosang?” She looked at her brother and he nodded, looking suspiciously at Gaeul. Gaeul rubbed her arms.

“You can’t sense the multiple presence of both faeries and… something else across it?” Gaeul asked, looking at each one of them.

“I think I can,” Yeosang hesitantly began. “I sense souls across dimensions, so I think I can. What I’m confused about is that unfamiliar presence.”

“Me too,” Gaeul nodded. “It’s not dangerous though.”

“It’s not?” Yeosang frowned, showing off his arms- he had goosebumps all over. “I think it might be, Gaeul. I’m interested to hear why you think it’s not.”

“Yeosang-” San warned but Gaeul shook her head at him- Yeosang had every right to question her. 

“I just… I don’t know,” Gaeul sighed, looking around helplessly. “I have never sensed this presence before, but I know it won’t hurt me- something like that.”

“It took faeries, what do you mean it won’t hurt you?” Yeosang was getting more and more confused.

“I think I can relate,” Mingi raised his hands and Yeosang gaped at him. “You know how I can feel some souls now- I could feel you, Gaeul. Not your magic, but your soul burning with it. I can feel the unfamiliar presence across the sea too.”

Gaeul was glad someone could relate, she relaxed and smiled in a silent thanks. Mingi only shrugged, looking at Yeosang. “Whatever is across there, it must have a soul if I can feel it. If the creatures in question are not faeries and not darklings either…”

Hongjoong sat down in defeat. “We might really have to rewrite the history books, it seems,” he looked at Yena. “Our plan to omit your story won’t work anymore if we want to explain this to anyone.”

“Well,” Yunho sighed. “What do we do now?”

“Just stick with the plan,” Hongjoong grumbled and Seonghwa snickered at his mood swings. “We can’t do anything about it so let’s just breathe for one goddamn day before we wrack our brains trying to think of solutions.”

Everyone laughed at that and Hongjoong sulked further, making an annoyed face- Gaeul could tell that even though he kept asking everyone to relax and forget about everything, he could never do the same. Gaeul sat down next to him, legs dangling down the edge. 

“I will not move from here until you promise to breathe for one goddamn day as well,” she teased and Hongjoong scoffed in defeat. “One step at a time, okay? I’ll do everything I can to make everything right again.”

“You’re not responsible for what happened, though,” Hongjoong’s voice was quiet. “And I’m worried about the unfortunate faeries that are missing.”

“But I could end it, and I could save them,” Gaeul said and Hongjoong looked at her- she wasn’t wrong. And it was nice to see that she was at the optimistic end for once. “I have all of you with me, trying to help me. Everything will get better, I know- I believe so. Let’s slow it down, okay?”

Hongjoong nodded slowly, taking a deep breath and getting up first, offering Gaeul his hand. “Let’s go to the spot you mentioned.”

“It’s right down there, ironically enough,” Gaeul pointed at the edge where they had just been sitting. “I can’t believe this is the place I came back to.”

“Fate works in mysterious ways,” Hongjoong patted her back and urged Gaeul to lead the way.

Their plan for the day was a little picnic at the beach, and Gaeul had brought them to her favourite spot- away from the city where few people came since it was surrounded by caves. The orange sun shone with all its might on the foamy waves of sea, a tint of green seen in the distance. The only sounds surrounding them were of the waves crashing, of the seagulls around them and the chatter of their group as they ate their snacks. 

San got up near sunset and motioned for Gaeul to join her for a walk. The rest of the group cheered for them dramatically, making Gaeul blush furiously- it was no hidden fact anymore that San and Gaeul were meant for each other, and everyone wanted them to feel good about themselves at least for today- if they were all honest, they weren’t sure if Gaeul and San would meet again- it was going to be tricky for Gaeul to try to live with the bond itself, though everyone hoped she would.

San took Gaeul’s extended hand in his, caressing it repeatedly and letting the familiar warmth course through the both of them as they walked bare-footed along the shore. Gaeul pointed at a seashell with a brown base and red swirls all over it. She bent to pick it up, showing it to San.

“This looks like the colour of your magic,” Gaeul said and San raised a brow.

“Really?” He made a satisfied face. “My magic’s a pretty colour then.”

“It is, pretty boy,” Gaeul smiled, snatching the shell from him and dropping it in the pocket of the pale blue dress she wore that hit her knees. “I’ll take it with me to the other dimension and look at it when I miss you.” San smiled at that, showing off his dimples and Gaeul poked at one of them. “I’ll miss this too.”

“What else will you miss? Go on,” San was clearly enjoying this, asking in a teasing manner.

“Your voice,” Gaeul sighed, resting her head against his arm as she walked and San passed a confused smile- he hadn’t expected this. 

“What about my voice?”

“Something about it is very soothing,” Gaeul sighed, putting her other hand on his arm as well. “It sounds very melodic to me. I’m more jealous because I know I sound like a banshee most of the times-”

San snorted before he laughed- Gaeul was so unpredictable and that was one thing he really liked about her from the beginning. “You don’t sound like a banshee, Gaeul,” he said and Gaeul smiled at him. “You sound like a dying banshee, is a more accurate description-”

That earned him a harsh slap on his arm which had him laughing harder than he had meant to. Gaeul broke apart, pouting as she sulked but San wasn’t having any of it- he put an arm around her shoulders and brought her in until she was flush against him as they walked. San kissed her temple as he rubbed her shoulders. “You’re beautiful to me in every aspect. Whether you sound like a dying banshee or a beautiful siren, it doesn’t matter. I love you in every way. And for the record, you don’t actually sound like that, you sound very normal and cute.”

His sudden confession made Gaeul look up at him but he was looking ahead as if he hadn’t just said things that made her heart swoop dangerously and skin tingle. As Gaeul took in every feature of him, his honey skin and the sharpness and softness that blended so well, she exhaled. “I don’t know what I did in my very uneventful life to deserve you as my soulmate, San, I really don’t understand.”

San narrowed his eyes at that, pausing to face her. “I don’t care how exactly we ended up being soulmates, but… I don’t know what I did to deserve you either- you’re everything I ever dreamed of and more.”

“So you’re telling me you dreamed of death and danger? Because that’s me-”

“Just put the magic nonsense aside,” San laughed, shaking his head and putting his hands on her shoulders and bending down a little to meet her eyes. “I don’t care whether you have the magical capability to destroy this world or no magic at all when all of this is over. All I care is that you’ll be the person I fell in love with. That you’ll be tossing teasing remarks and making all these cute faces that absolutely drive me crazy. That you’ll still have the glint of life in your eyes that you had even when you wanted to die. I’ll be waiting patiently for you, so take your time with yourself, okay? I’m not going anywhere- you own me now.”

“San,” Gaeul sighed, looking away because she was overwhelmed. “You know very well you’re the only reason I’m alive- not just because of the bond, but because… you. If our soulmate bond breaks and I’m still alive… would you still want me?”

“Of course I would,” San tsk-ed at the doubt in her eyes and cupped her face. “I told you. Bond or no bond, I love you.”

“And I love you- even though it’s a little overwhelming because I honestly never pictured myself to be with the scary Prince of Earth-”

“What part of me, exactly, is scary?” San showed off his dimpled smile and Gaeul laughed, shaking her head and moving forward to wrap her arms around his waist. San sighed into the hug and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his cheek on the top of her head. 

Gaeul wanted to tell him that she would miss this- she would miss touching him and hugging him. She knew it was not only just because they were in love but also the reaction it had on both of them physically. She also wanted to tell him that she did not want the soulmate bond to break- she would die if that happened, even though San assured her it didn’t matter. She just couldn’t bear the thought of losing that part of her yet again. 

It seemed like San understood enough and perhaps shared most of her worries and fears with her. He didn’t break the hug and they stood in each other’s arms until it was almost dark- they watched the sky change together, each praying it wouldn’t be their last.

At night- their last night- it hit harder, especially when they just sat staring at each other from across the room, San having already been sitting there before Gaeul came in the room and sat down in front of him to take a breather.

“What are you thinking?” San was the first to break the silence. 

“Just… how long it might take in that dimension,” Gaeul took a deep breath. “It might only be a few days to you, but it could be years for me. That’s… crazy.”

“That is, isn’t it?” San whistled in disbelief. “Would you prefer the time to go at the same speed?”

“No, I absolutely understand what’s it costing us all,” Gaeul knew that everyone helping her also had kingdoms to run, though they kept insisting that they would be considering this a ‘vacation’- Gaeul understood that while some part of that might actually be true, it was also false at the same time. “I just… how will I be apart from you for so long?”

San’s fists tightened hearing that, though he managed to pass his usual smirk in an attempt to lighten her mood. “You’re gonna miss me that much?”

“As a matter of fact, I am,” Gaeul wasn’t in the mood for teasing right now, and when San’s face changed after hearing that, Gaeul sighed and put her head in her hands. “It’s just finally hitting me. As selfish as it sounds, I wish we could be together there, even though I know we can’t.”

“Gaeul,” San got up and walked to her, sitting on one knee in front of her so he could face her. “We’re together tonight. You can be as selfish as you want tonight. I know I’ll be.”

Gaeul looked up and saw something foreign in San’s eyes, in his clenched jaw and parted lips- longing, every nerve in her body screamed. It was pure, raw longing to be with each other forever. To not be apart for a moment. To become one and then stay that way, never break apart. Gaeul licked her lips, her hands trembling as they met San’s face and he shut his eyes when electricity coursed through his nerves like fuel. Gaeul let her fingers trace every angle and curve of his face, before running her hands through his hair repeatedly, playing with his ash mullet, and cupping his face to kiss his forehead, lingering. She let her lips trail down, pecking the tip of his nose and making him grin a little. She swiped her thumb over his lower plump lip and urged him to open his eyes.

He did so, with a huge amount of effort, but when he found her so close to him… his brows furrowed as he held himself back, letting her take the lead. She bent down and pecked his lips once, a strangled breath escaping him. She pecked him again, and again, and again-

“Do you want to break me, Gaeul?” San’s voice was hoarse, and despite what he said, it made Gaeul smirk so devilishly slow that San decided that was enough- he got up slowly, shaking his head as he beheld the sight in front of him. He tipped her chin up until she faced him. “Tell me, Gaeul. Tell me what you want to do with me.”

Gaeul tilted her head, considering- the darkness beneath his eyes excited her. She’d only seen San be gentle and teasing- she wanted to test him tonight, to see what extent he could go, where he would- “I want to watch you break apart under me.”

San’s jaw clenching and unclenching did it for her- she got up and pushed him back on the bed, making him scoff as she got on top of him and straddled him- they only had tonight and an unforeseen time apart- she had to make the most of it. She had no time to be shy- she ran her hands up his chest excruciatingly slow until she reached his shoulders- and then she was running her hands down his arms while San watched, unaware just where she was going with this. 

However, the last thing he expected was her to pin his wrists at his sides and smile almost sadistically at the sight- it made him stifle a groan. He hadn’t seen this side of her and it was a shame he only had tonight to test her buttons. Gaeul bent down and finally met her lips with his, immediately falling into a rhythmic motion, her hands relaxing to move up and interlace with his as she kissed him.

Still, San had better ideas- he broke apart and cupped her face, angling her better so his lips and tongue could make the most of it, and flipping them over, slowly taking more control. For the longest time it was just this- kissing like there was no tomorrow, and this time the gravity of that hung over them, making their kisses more desperate and passionate. 

Gaeul breathed San’s name when they broke apart but he was immediately attacking her neck, extracting the loudest moans from her as he bit and kissed and licked at every sensitive spot, his hands going to undo the laces of her gown and breaking it apart only to remove the barrier between them, taking off his own shirt as well, whistling when he realised they were only in their bottoms now. 

“Turn the fucking lights dim, San,” Gaeul groaned, covering herself, suddenly shy. San chuckled, waving his hand and leaving only one candle on, kissing her forehead before slowly drawing her arms apart.

“You don’t have to hide from me, Gaeul,” he pecked her lips, caressing her face lovingly.

“I’m just… shy,” Gaeul pouted.

“You weren’t very shy a few minutes ago when-”

“Shut up,” Gaeul laughed, urging him down to kiss him. San broke apart, trailing his hand all the way down her, tracing her curves and taking his time to play with what was exposed of her, sliding his knee between her legs so it met her core, and she moaned, which San immediately swallowed with a kiss. 

“San… San, I want you.”

“As much as I’d like to, I really don’t think we should go all the way- there’s no knowing how your magic will react,” San looked to be in pain as he said that. “The first time between soulmates… it’s supposed to be different than with any other.”

“So… you don’t want your dick to turn into ash and fall off, is that what you’re saying?” Gaeul smirked and San threw his head back as he laughed. 

“That too,” he shook his head as he looked at her lovingly. “However… we can do some other… interesting things tonight.”

“Lead the way then,” Gaeul smirked, trailing a finger down his muscular chest sultrily. “We have all night- make the most of it. Let’s see how good you are.”

“It’s a challenge,” San laughed as he bent down to kiss her once again, slow and passionate, more intimate than anything they ever had before, and they barely got any sleep that night, only making out and touching each other everywhere, making the other break apart several times throughout the night without going too far. It left them both tired and they slept in each other’s arms, skin to skin, each hoping tomorrow wouldn’t come.

—---------------------

Even though Yena had told everyone that they wouldn’t be needing food or a change of clothes or anything, for that matter, in the other dimension, Yunho couldn’t help but freak out.

“Are you really sure we don’t need anything?” Yunho gave up asking Yena and Yeosang who just rolled their eyes at him while Gaeul giggled. “I get that it’s the mirror dimension or something, but… we could get bored.”

“I told you, you can travel the whole planet there- you wouldn’t want to come back,” Mingi shared a grin with Yena. “The only thing you’ll miss there is the people, so no. You don’t need anything. At all.”

“That’s convenient,” San nodded as he glanced at Gaeul- the two of them were sitting next to each other while the rest of them were either making arrangements, discussing the ‘how’ or freaking out. 

“I could even visit your castle before you actually take me there,” Gaeul teased.

“Please don’t do that,” San laughed. “I want to show you our home when you’re with me.”

Our home.

San didn’t miss how her face fell at those words. He had his arms around her so he only squeezed. “Stay positive, will you? You’re coming back, Gaeul. You’re gonna be fine, and once you come back, we will go to my castle- or anywhere in the world that you want. You have a home not only at my place but at everyone’s now.”

“He’s right,” Wooyoung inserted his face in the little gap between San and Gaeul, making them laugh. “You have a home with us, Gaeul. Just make sure you don’t… un-make it, will you? You never know what Gaeul’s gonna do, eh, San?”

“The only thing I want to un-make is you,” Gaeul muttered and he laughed loudly, making her wince and rub her possibly bleeding eardrums. “Do come visit me, Wooyoung. I’ll make sure you’ll have fun.”

“Ah,” Wooyoung slapped the top of Gaeul’s head, earning a slap on his own hand from San which he ignored. “You hurt me, woman.”

“I’ll visit, just to see if I’m needed- in the meanwhile, I’ll be doing research so if you ever feel like your nature magic is acting funny, just… call me,” Jongho said as he passed by with a box of what seemed to be books and archives from the library in this house and Gaeul nodded in gratitude.

Gaeul scooted closer to San, resting her head on his shoulder as she watched Seonghwa and Yena argue over something probably related to how long it was going to take- they really were a married couple. Seonghwa held Yena’s hand in his, caressing them even when Yena looked like she could incinerate him with her glare alone. The way Yena let Seonghwa calm her down even when she was angry at him melted Gaeul’s heart. Yena would miss Seonghwa a lot- she knew so. The last time she had been in the other dimension wasn’t a very good experience so Gaeul knew it could bring back bad memories.

She watched Seonghwa kiss Yena’s forehead before she ran to Hongjoong who was calculating something related to the time and magic- Hongjoong had explained that if they entered the wrong dimension, it could mess things up irreversibly. Gaeul hadn’t realised just how hard this magic was and she insisted that they find a secluded place or something to train her, but Hongjoong told her it had to be there, and that way everyone would be safe, no matter how much time passed there. Gaeul felt guilty but everyone around her kept assuring her it was alright.

She wanted to believe so too. She watched Yunho and Seonghwa go over the details of how Seonghwa was going to manage Yunho’s kingdom while he was gone. Jongho was sitting next to San as well, going over whatever instructions San had given him earlier. Mingi and Yeosang were doing the same. 

Gaeul felt tired and she almost dozed off on San’s shoulder but she caught Seonghwa waving at her from the other room. Gaeul waved back and he came closer, hesitating before he looked at San who was busy talking to Jongho and then her. “Can I have a word with you? Alone?”

That was new. Gaeul broke apart from San’s embrace which was when he finally noticed Seonghwa standing in front of her. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing, just wanted to discuss a few things with Gaeul,” Seonghwa assured and San nodded.

“Get her to eat something if you can while you’re at it- she insists she’s not hungry.”

“I’ll make her coffee- I’m good at it,” Seonghwa grinned and San laughed, letting them go. Gaeul insisted she was okay but Seonghwa just made her follow him to the kitchen and as he made coffee, he asked how she was feeling, how her magic was doing, just small talk.

With two cups of coffee in their hands, they decided to take a walk along the long paths in the garden around the estate. Gaeul felt nervous- apart from the fact that Seonghwa looked intimidating (even though she knew well enough how kind and soft his personality was), she never really had one-to-one time with the Prince of Dark. Just his presence alone made her magic feel queasy- he was truly a force to be reckoned with.

“Do I make you nervous?” Seonghwa noticed her fidgeting as they walked and Gaeul passed him a guilty grin.

“More like my magic,” she informed and Seonghwa nodded in realisation. “Even though my magic is ‘dark’ in nature, it gets a bit queasy.”

“Your magic and mine… it’s going to be the most similar when you come back,” Seonghwa told her and she paused- Seonghwa had never said that in front of anyone. In fact, he never let anyone make a connection between her magic and his. “I’m the Prince of Dark. It’s foolish of everyone to think that it only means I am able to control the shadows. Even the Princes don’t know the entirety of my magic, and I would like to keep it as such. Only Yena knows.”

“I never thought…” Gaeul faltered. “What exactly is the Prince of Dark capable of?”

“We never practised the ‘dark’ aspects of my magic, but we know it’s there,” Seonghwa told her. “After the incident, I started practising a bit with the help of Yena- just so I can keep her safe. So nobody goes through the things that we did. And I think in the future… we can sit and talk about our magic freely, you and I. It’s a freedom I never thought I’d have one day, so I look forward to that, Gaeul. Do come back safe and sound.”

Gaeul’s heart warmed at that and she clicked her cup of coffee with his as they drank. “Thank you… Seonghwa. It feels better to know that someone understands the gravity of how dark our magic can be, though I’m surprised you didn’t let me know sooner.”

“I wasn’t sure what exactly your magic was like, but I think I have an idea now. We could even train together- I might be needing your help, in that case,” he laughed. 

“Anytime,” Gaeul promised. 

“There’s also something else I wanted to talk to you about,” Seonghwa looked down as they walked, his bangs falling over his forehead. “The last time Yena was in that dimension… It was a really, really bad experience. I’m not sure how she’ll react this time and I’m glad Mingi is with her again, but can you… keep an eye on her?”

“Of course, Seonghwa,” Gaeul let him know before he could say more. “I don’t want Yena to be in a bad place mentally while I practise. I understand the gravity of this situation. I’m glad there’s a lot of us going because that’s going to keep Yena from being distracted and thinking about those memories, but if I feel like it’s too much for her, I’ll let you know. You can trust me on that.”

“Thank you,” Seonghwa visibly relaxed in relief. “She’s strong. She won’t show it. No one else but you might notice that- you’re good at noticing that. So is Yunho. Also, Yunho is a very, very good listener so if you ever feel overwhelmed, you can talk it out with Yunho. He is the first one who notices whenever someone else is upset.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Gaeul thanked him. “You have nothing to worry about, Seonghwa. But can you promise me something as well?”

Seonghwa paused as he narrowed his eyes at Gaeul and shook his head furiously as he realised. “I shouldn’t have told you about my magic.”

“No, I’m glad you did,” Gaeul faced him. “Now I know I won’t hurt anyone else if it comes to that. Yeosang is practical- I’ll ask him to bring you there if things go… wrong with me. You, not San. If I become something that I’m not supposed to, only your magic might be able to end me. I want you to do that favour for me, for everyone, Seonghwa. I cannot live with myself if I hurt anyone.”

“You’re asking too much of me,” Seonghwa looked to be in pain. “San won’t forgive me if I do.”

“He will,” Gaeul smiled knowingly. “I have made arrangements for that too.”

Seonghwa shook his head. “Very well prepared, aren’t you? Who?”

“Hongjoong,” Gaeul sighed. “He refuses to convey my message to San if anything happens to me, but I hope you can help him with that.”

“Please… come back,” Seonghwa put a hand on her shoulder, surprising her. “I know what it's like to lose a soulmate- I didn’t, but I very well could have. San won’t be whole again if something happens to you. And you’re a good person, Gaeul. Bond or no bond, you’re now the Princess of the Underworld. When you come back… you’ll be one of us.”

“Thank you,” Gaeul took Seonghwa’s hand and squeezed it. “It means a lot. And… I hope I can come back too,” Gaeul said as she looked around, still holding Seonghwa’s hand. “I’d like to see how my life turns out after all of this.”

—-------------------

It was time to go, late at night after dinner together in which the mood wasn’t as cheerful as the previous few days. Gaeul, for one, was the most nervous she had been, and San had to constantly touch her hand to check if her magic was under control. 

“You’ve been playing with your food for an hour now,” Wooyoung, who was sitting beside her, pointed out. 

“I’m sorry, I’m just not feeling hungry,” Gaeul slid her plate away from her, glancing up to notice that everyone was stealing their own nervous glances at her. “I’ll be in my room if anyone needs me.”

“Gaeul-”

“I’m fine, San,” Gaeul smiled at him, squeezing his shoulder. “Please finish up and call me when it’s time to go.”

It was a clear message to be left alone, yet… each one of them felt like they needed to go after her. After all, at times like these, you rarely wanted to be alone even if you felt like it. San stared at his food- he wasn’t feeling the best today either but he was being strong for her sake. 

“Do cheer up and let her have some time to herself if you can,” Yena said from across the table. “No point sulking right now, San. She’s probably feeling scared right now and that’s only natural.”

San knew that Yena had a point and he reluctantly finished his food, cleaning the table with the rest, sighing as he forced himself not to drop everything right there and then to be next to Gaeul. Gaeul, however, was at the roof, staring as far as she could at the town she used to live in before her life turned upside down. Gaeul couldn’t help but smile at the irony of life- she used to think that being a part of the yin-yang bloodline and having to hide her possible affinities for other elemental magics was the worst that could have happened to her. Here she was, with magic that no other faerie had ever possessed in history.

Gaeul scoffed to herself- she still wasn’t sure if she had come to terms with her magic. She quite liked the idea of cold fire even though it was probably more dangerous to possess than the ‘anti-life’ magic. The latter, she still wasn’t sure of. But she had a thought stuck in her head ever since San had voiced it out to her a couple of nights ago as they lay in each other’s arms. 

“If you miss your earth magic or nature magic, you can always use mine. Aren’t yin-yang soulmates able to borrow each other’s powers?”

That was something that gave her hope, though if she was really going to train her magic, she was sure she wouldn’t really be needing earth magic- her magic was dangerous and enough. But the thought that she could still use her original magic with San… it made her ecstatic, and it made her wonder why San, the Prince of Earth, was her soulmate. Perhaps destiny had chosen so- if she had still been normal, she wouldn’t have felt much of a difference in her magic other than the strength and range of it heightening since they were both earth magic wielders. 

But now… San and Gaeul could make quite possibly the most dangerous pair- at least as dangerous as Yena and Seonghwa, if not more. Gaeul silently prayed she would be able to come to terms with her magic and help the missing faeries who were unfortunately involved in her mess.

She didn’t realise how long she had been standing at the edge and watching the lights flickering along the city until she sensed San behind her. She turned and smiled at how he was cautiously approaching, ready to leave her alone if she wished so, but she extended her hand and he took it, sighing as he stood beside her, glancing at her. “What were you thinking?”

“Too many things,” Gaeul laughed. “Just trying to sort out my thoughts before I go.”

“And did you?” San caressed her hand.

“Kind of,” Gaeul nodded slowly, relishing the feeling of their connection, trying to fix it in her memory for the days it would get bad. “Is it time to go now?”

“We still have a few minutes until someone calls us,” San told her, watching her cautiously- he didn’t want her to feel overwhelmed tonight so he only watched, waiting for her to make whatever move she pleased. “Are you feeling good? Is there anything I can get you?”

Gaeul turned to face him, taking his other hand as she looked up at him, smiling. “I’ve got everything I need.”

San grinned shyly at that, shaking his head. “You know, you have a way with words.”

“Learned from the best,” Gaeul looked pointedly at him. “I like that I can have the upper hand now as well.”

San watched her eyes travel all around his face and he raised his brows in question. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Gaeul wanted to tell him that she was memorising his face in case she ever dared forget, in case this was the last time she saw him. She only brought her hands up to his face and let her fingers trace every curve and angle, marvelling at the way he was carved- he was simply beautiful. Gaeul sighed internally as her heart swooped and then she let her hands travel down and hold onto the edges of his jacket as she rested her forehead on his chest, breathing in his scent and feeling his heartbeat reverberate through her body. 

San understood why this goodbye was so hard for her. He let her stay like that for a few moments before he cupped her face and made her look at him. He laughed a little at the pout forming before he tucked her hair away and locked eyes with her. 

“I hope everyday that you are there, every night that you think of me, you’ll remember that I love you. That nothing in this world could change it. I pray that every time you start to lose hope and think you’re better off gone, you remember that I am waiting for you back here, that you have someone to return to. I hope I’ll be enough to be your strength, Gaeul, I really hope I am.”

“You are,” Gaeul nodded- it seemed stupid to say it out loud since those words didn’t encompass the entirety of how grateful she was to have him. He really was her strength in every way, and Gaeul hoped that he could feel it physically. San smiled as if he could understand and leaned in to kiss her- it was slow and deep, making Gaeul wish she could sink into the feeling she was experiencing right there. She was definitely going to remember this moment if no other- the kiss was full of emotions- love, fear, longing, strength, everything. 

He kissed her long and good and then he joined their foreheads as they broke apart, caressing her face as he caught his breath. Kissing her forehead once, he proceeded to hug her, arms around her shoulder and eyes shut as he rocked her. Gaeul stifled her tears, deciding to leave on a cheerful note- she knew she would be losing it pretty soon in the other dimension. 

Gaeul was the first to break the hug. The two of them looked at each other, wanting to tell a million things but at a loss for words. Gaeul laughed nervously. “Let’s go downstairs, shall we?”

San nodded, kissing her temple before taking her hand and leading her downstairs where everyone was waiting. Yeosang was the first to spot them and he clapped once. “Perfect timing- I was just going to send Wooyoung to fetch you two. He had a few plans on how to ruin the moment.”

“Ah, it seems I was late,” Wooyoung appeared from the kitchen. “You good?”

“I’m good,” Gaeul confirmed and Wooyoung smiled, glancing at San who looked like he was trying not to cry- he would handle him later. “Where are we… doing this?”

“Backyard- the others are already there,” Yeosang tossed a chocolate to Gaeul while putting one in his mouth. “Let’s go.”

Gaeul didn’t know what to expect, but everyone gathered in a circle with Yena shouting orders at everyone just wasn’t it. She giggled- Yena looked like a teacher scolding her students. She spotted Gaeul and relaxed as she smiled. “You’re here. Let’s go.”

Gaeul nodded, looking at San who gave her a brief side hug with one last kiss to the forehead before letting her go reluctantly. Gaeul grinned at him. “Try not to cry too much while I’m gone- I’ll be back before you know it.”

San chuckled at that and Gaeul looked at Wooyoung. “You make sure to keep him busy.” 

“Yes ma’am,” Wooyoung saluted before patting her shoulder. “Stay strong.”

“Jongho, can you make sure Wooyoung doesn’t annoy San too much?” Gaeul whispered to him and they giggled. 

“I’m not as nice as you think,” Jongho scoffed.

“I know,” Gaeul winked at him. “But at least you’re not Wooyoung.”

“Hey, I heard that!” Wooyoung came for Gaeul but San held him by the back of his shirt like a cat, making everyone laugh. 

Seonghwa and Hongjoong finished saying their goodbyes to Yena and the rest and Gaeul walked to them. “Both of you better keep your promises, okay?”

“I’m out,” Hongjoong announced, folding his arms as he sulked.

“I know you will,” Gaeul smiled knowingly. “And Seonghwa… you need not worry.”

Seonghwa nodded in understanding and gratitude. “Stay strong.”

“You have to,” Hongjoong continued. “It will get bad before it gets better, remember that.”

Gaeul wished she understood the gravity of those words. Everyone waved goodbye to each other and Yena opened a portal in space with the help of Yeosang. Gaeul was to be the last one to jump and she looked at everyone with a smile before she did.

However, as soon as she was on the other side, a mirror of the world she had just left, she fell to her knees as excruciating pain took over her entire being- it felt like her connection with San was as good as severed, and she was back to square one, right where she had started. San, unfortunately, saw and felt that before Yena could close the portal and he went for her, held back by Wooyoung and Jongho. The last thing they saw was panic on each other’s faces before Gaeul passed out and the portal closed shut.

“Well,” Mingi sighed as the pale Gaeul passed out in front of them, looking up at Yena. “This certainly brings back memories.”

—-------------------

[Day 2 in the dimension/45 minutes in Mirinae]

“Do clocks even work here?” Yunho glanced at the wristwatch he was wearing. “If so, Gaeul has been out for almost a day now.”

“Kind of?” Yena, who was relaxing on the grass using Yeosang’s thigh as her pillow, flipped through the page of a comic book she was reading that she refused to share with anyone. “I mean, the days change. That’s how we kept count of the time, didn’t we, Mingi?”

Mingi nodded in answer, too busy making paper boats out of a book he had grabbed from Wooyoung’s library that he was sure was very important in the real world but here, it would make for origami. “I think we did that until we lost count and Neve told us a rough estimate of just how much time had passed- wait, what was my boat count?”

Yeosang, who was only relaxing by the tree and taking this time to think and do nothing, scoffed at Mingi. “How did the darkling know just how long you two had been here?”

This made Yena put down her book as she met eyes with Mingi. “He probably sensed us or had a time-calendar or something, right?”

“Let’s pray that’s the case,” Yunho went back to completing his puzzle and Mingi groaned, not believing all his effort making and counting boats went to waste. “I’ll still be counting the days just so we know.”

“You do that,” Yena said and before she could comment on how he, too, was going to lose count one day, Gaeul woke up with a gasp, sitting upright and-

“You scared the shit out of me,” Mingi put a hand on his heart. “How are you feeling?”

Gaeul looked around at the Princes and the Princess, frowning as she recollected the previous events of her memory. “I… I feel empty.”

“Empty like how, exactly?” Yeosang asked cautiously. “Magic?”

“That, and… whatever I had with San, I can’t really feel it. It’s like before I met San- I would feel this empty pit in my heart until something ticked me and then I’d lose control.”

“That’s good, actually,” Yena got up, finally shutting her book. “That means that it’s just you now- San and his magic are not interfering in any way.”

“She looks sick though,” Yunho frowned. “Is she going to be okay?”

“I don’t know how sick I look right now but that’s how I looked before I met San,” Gaeul pursed her lips. “Like a zombie.”

“Like your magic,” Yeosang mused. “Like you really did come back from the dead.”

Gaeul shrugged. “So? What are we doing?”

It was Yunho’s turn to smirk. “We’re going to be… ticking you off, as you said. We need to learn the extent of the different magics you can control, and we really, really need to examine cold fire before it consumes you- or us.”

“I must warn, I’m not hard to tick off,” Gaeul folded her arms and everyone laughed at that. “In fact, you should have brought Wooyoung here. He’s the best at that, isn’t he?”

“I’m better,” Yeosang said and the rest hooted in agreement. Gaeul considered him with a scoff. 

“We’ll see,” she said. “What about the… anti-nature? What are we calling it again?”

“Destruction, doom, whatever you wanna call it,” Mingi thought out loud. “Or… Queen of Ruins sounds nice too.”

“My point is,” Gaeul tried ignoring the pit in her heart singing louder, “We need to deal with the fact that I could do something very, very wrong. I don’t wish to hurt you guys, so… how are we dealing with it?”

“Well, as soon as I feel something is wrong, I can immediately portal us to somewhere far away from you,” Yena assured her. “So… I say, let’s get started. I’d suggest destroying this garden first- start with flowers and will your magic to make it wilt. You need to be able to control it to such an extent that you only harm a single petal on that flower.”

Gaeul gaped at the Princess. “I’m sure that’s not even possible.”

“Didn’t San do something like that with your magic too?” Yeosang mused.

“That’s what we’ve all done,” Mingi sighed as he reminisced. “My father made me sit in a room full of candles and asked me to light only the one he would mark as the target. You can imagine how it went.”

“And how long did it take you to master that?” Gaeul asked casually.

“About a decade, I think-”

“And you expect me to master that in a short time and not more than a decade?” Gaeul gaped at them. “Are you sure you’ll be here for a decade? A decade here would mean at least a year or two in reality, right?”

“It won’t take you a decade,” Yunho said and Gaeul looked at him. “It won’t even take you a year. A few months, at most.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Do you think we would have willingly brought you here if we weren’t?” Yunho smiled and something about it made her shiver. “We can feel it. The more a person’s magic is bound to get out of control, the more quickly the person can actually control it if they have the willpower, contrary to popular belief.”

“Wow,” Gaeul brushed her black shirt. “If you say so. I’m trusting you then. Where should I do it?” 

“Wherever is fine,” Yena went back to her position, resuming to read her book. “And keep trying until you can at least stop the whole flower from wilting. You’ve got all the time in the world.”

Gaeul shrugged and walked to the nearest flower bush, grabbing a daisy and beginning to try. Mingi, who had been quite intrigued by Yunho and Gaeul’s exchange, looked at his friend. “Do you really believe it will only take months?”

“Nah,” Yunho went back to finishing his puzzle. “In fact, she can never wilt only a single petal. It’s all about control- that she will be able to stop her surroundings from dying when she focuses on one single object.”

Mingi scoffed at that, shaking his head at a grinning Yunho. “Who knows? Maybe she could wilt a single petal too.”

“If she does, that would be a bonus,” Yunho nodded.

—-------------------

[Day 6 in the other dimension/5 hours and 32 minutes in Mirinae]

“I’ve been doing this for like a week now,” Gaeul huffed in annoyance.

“It’s only been like three days, stop being so dramatic,” Yeosang muttered, not even bothering to open his eyes from the ‘nap’ he had been taking from the past 2 days.

“Four, actually,” Yunho said and Yeosang groaned in answer. “We could take a break.”

“Yes!” Mingi got up, “There’s a lot to explore here, actually. No one to worry about. We shouldn’t be sitting here like bummers. We should be making it fun so that Gaeul feels better.”

“Says the person who always stays home when we go out in town to eat during a meet-up,” Yena narrowed her eyes.

“There are no people here,” Mingi challenged. “And you remember how you and I roamed around a lot here? It made you feel better, didn’t it?”

Gaeul glanced cautiously at Yena who contemplated as Mingi waited for her answer, and for a second, they both thought that he messed up before Yena slowly nodded. “I guess it did. We could take this chance to practise our magic too. I’m sure some of us have a lot they need to get out.”

“Ah, yes, I do,” Yunho raised his hand. “I haven’t been in my animal form for years now.”

“What is your animal form?” Gaeul asked but Yunho only winked.

“I haven’t seen it ever, either,” Yena laughed at Gaeul’s annoyed expression. “It’s better if you let it be a surprise.”

“You can try guessing,” Mingi said, waiting for what he knew was about to come.

“Uh… fish?” Gaeul said and started laughing, “It’s probably something better than that, right? What’s yours, Mingi?”

“You’ll never guess mine,” Mingi said proudly and Gaeul knew she couldn’t. She looked at the twins. 

“Mine is pretty obvious. Yeosang’s is… funnier.”

“Don’t even start-”

Yena giggled and Yeosang finally got up from his two-day nap to attack Yena. Gaeul looked helplessly at the rest. “Do only the Princes have animal forms?”

“Some of the faeries do as well,” Mingi said. “Shapeshifters have it best.”

“You could have one too, since you’re technically of royal bloodline,” Yunho commented and everybody paused as they digested that fact. “What? You haven’t thought of it?”

“I wasn’t aware that I was a descendant until a few days ago, thank you,” Gaeul sighed. “And… I don’t think my family explored that part of their magic. Probably to not attract attention. Or even if they did, they kept it secret.”

“Sad how so much of your history was kept from you,” Yeosang said, his eyes glinting. “Makes me think if someone knew just who you were.”

“As in?”

“There are a lot of ways to know the hidden about someone- that even that person themself might not know,” Yeosang explained. “Spirits usually do that. It’s against their law but sometimes, a faerie makes a deal. And now that I think about it… It might be how Kieran found out about you.”

Gaeul felt sick again though she couldn’t throw up here- not when her stomach was empty and she didn’t need food. She only choked on air and tried to calm her trembling hands. Yena slapped Yeosang’s arm. “You didn’t have to think out loud, Yeosang.”

“No, it’s okay,” Gaeul brushed her hair away from her face. “I should know. Thank you, Yeosang. If all of you find something about me, even if it is bad, please don’t keep it from me.”

They knew what she meant- she had lived in lies and secrets all her life. She did not want to live like that anymore. 

“What do you think your animal form might be, if you still possess that part of your magic?” Mingi changed the subject.

“I think as a nature-user, her animal form could have been anything at all,” Yunho thought. “Now I’m not so sure, and we shouldn’t explore that idea until she has all her magic under control- we don’t want her to be stuck in her animal form forever.”

Gaeul whistled. “Already forgot about it. Shall we go now?”

The beach was of course the nearest place that provided a good scene with the waves crashing, both the sun and the moon shining brightly creating a pastel sky of purple and orange, and Gaeul immediately sat at the shore, letting the waves wash over her. The twins joined her on either side, yelping at the coldness of the water once it hit them. 

“Does it not bother you, the coldness?” Yeosang noticed how calm Gaeul was.

“I used to sit like this every other day, so I’m quite used to the cold,” she replied. “Try digging your toes in the sand too.”

The two did and realised it kept them steady when the waves washed and also made the waves tickle them in a pleasing way. “You must have had water affinity if you felt so calm at a place like this- I can sense your magic.”

“I must have,” Gaeul’s smile didn’t quite meet her eyes. 

A magic- a whole world left unexplored. How many other doors did she never get to open?

“Water magic is the most disastrous,” Yeosang commented and Gaeul looked at Yunho- he had never looked happier as he played with Mingi in the water. “I know you feel like you missed something, but where one door closed, another opened for you. I say you master what you have and make a whole new magical world for yourself.”

It was as if Yeosang had read her thoughts. Gaeul nodded, taking a deep breath, pleased to smell the familiar tinge of saltiness in the air. “I should, huh?”

Perhaps every one of them had told her about the downside of their magic, and with time, Gaeul had started to feel like her magic might not be all that bad. She still needed time, but… she didn’t hate it now. Strongly dislike it, more like. Progress.

Mingi came running towards the three. “Yunho is going to turn.”

“Here?” Yeosang got up immediately. “Shouldn’t we run away?”

“We should move back, yes,” Mingi helped Yena up and Gaeul got up as well. 

“Why exactly do we need to move?” Gaeul frowned. “What is he? A shark? Alligator? Is he going to eat us?”

“Oh, you’re gonna cry when you see him,” Yeosang shook his head, patting her back to make her move and she reluctantly followed until they were a good distance away from the sea. Yunho made an ‘okay’ sign and started moving further into the sea, until-

“Underwater?” Gaeul gaped at a disappearing Yunho. “Octopus? Jellyfish? He does look like a jellyfish-”

“Shut up,” Yeosang laughed, “It’s something better. You can’t even imagine.”

“Seahorse? But we wouldn’t need to backoff. Dolphin? Oh no, is he a whale? Is he-”

The waves crashed several feet up in the air, giving all of them a jumpscare and earning a frightened yell from Gaeul who instinctively hid behind Yeosang and watched the sea calm down until the waves were still.

“Don’t tell me he drowned.”

“Is he going to be okay?” Mingi looked at Yeosang. “It’s been a while since he turned.”

“He’ll be fine,” Yeosang smiled proudly.

The waves started to vibrate in a rhythmic motion and Gaeul narrowed her eyes, waiting, anticipating, until the sea split apart to reveal the most glorious shades of blue and teal shimmering like diamonds and the gasp that left both Yena and Gaeul was one they would always remember. 

“That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!” Yena gaped at the sight that unfurled in front of her- the long torso disappearing and reappearing at the surface as it swam and swam and Gaeul didn’t even realise she was clutching Yeosang’s arm so hard, though he didn’t mind. He, too, had the same reaction. 

“A dragon!” Gaeul looked at the others, her eyes wide.

“A water dragon, yes,” Mingi nodded.

“You mean you are a fire dragon?” Gaeul narrowed her eyes.

“I wish I was,” Mingi shook his head as he laughed, pointing back at Yunho. “Watch.”

Gaeul watched the tail disappear and then the dragon drifted upwards and spread its wings, large and mighty, and it flew up and up until it blocked the light from the orange sun, creating an eclipse. Gaeul sighed dreamily- she wouldn’t ever forget this sight. 

“He’s really enjoying himself,” Yeosang scoffed, though he couldn’t have been happier for him. “Let’s go back there.”

As they reached the shore once again, Yunho as the water dragon swam until his head rested on the sand in front of them, happily. He could have swallowed a couple of them in a breath, yet… Gaeul felt no sense of danger from him. Even his eyes looked friendly. They all marvelled at his beautiful skin and scales. 

“Can I… touch it?” Gaeul asked and before anyone could reply, Yunho nudged his face forward, making Mingi laugh. Gaeul grinned before she cautiously leaned forward and touched its temple, marvelling at the smooth texture. 

“This is beyond anything I ever imagined, I thought water dragons no longer lived.”

“Kept a secret for the right reasons,” Yeosang said.

Gaeul nodded, moving back to sit and Yunho went back to the sea, his tail barely avoiding them as he turned, earning a curse from Yeosang. Then he disappeared underwater for the longest time, occasionally coming up, sometimes flying. All of them lied down and watched him, and for a few moments, Gaeul forgot who she was and why she was here. She felt peace within her- something she hadn’t felt in a while.

It must come with embracing the magic itself, she thought. It must be hard for Yunho to fight the urge to turn into a dragon whenever he pleased. And the fact that he was one was both grand and alarming- water dragons were very dangerous animals. 

“All of you have your own battles you fight each day, isn’t that so?” Gaeul muttered.

“Everyday,” Yena confirmed. “Without something, we’d be sitting idle, wouldn’t we?”

Gaeul nodded. She shut one door that night- the yearning to possess water magic. Though she still loved the idea of it, she was no longer selfish.

—----------------

San had never felt like such a mess in his life before. And Wooyoung and Jongho could see it in his body language, on his face, in the way his smile wasn’t meeting his eyes, barely a quirk of his lips.

“Look, they’re probably doing fine over there,” Jongho tried comforting him as they sipped on their coffee, sitting in front of the fireplace in an inn they were stopping at back on their way to Wooyoung’s castle. “Can you relax a bit? Your magic is… all over the place.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Wooyoung hesitantly asked. San sighed, rubbing his face. 

“I’m sorry, I just… don’t know.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Wooyoung assured him. “Just say it out loud if you want to. Don’t keep it in- I can see it’s killing you.”

San looked at the worried faces of the two and pursed his lips. “I should keep my magic under control, I know. It’s just that it feels like my magic has lost a part of itself. It’s strange because I didn’t feel it earlier.”

“Ah,” Jongho nodded. “Probably because… the bond snapped in place?”

“Yeah,” San took another deep breath. “Now I feel like I lost something. Dread… that’s what I feel.”

“Well, Choi San, you’re going to have to stop sulking at least,” Wooyoung began to say and Jongho raised a brow at the change of his tone. “I’m sure they’re doing fine. If there’s a chance that you two can still feel each other across dimensions, she better not be feeling all this negative energy from you, okay? Be strong for her, man.”

Jongho had to nod in agreement- Wooyoung was absolutely right. “No point moping, really- won’t do either of you any good. However, you remaining in good spirits might actually help the both of you. I’m sure you feel really bad inside, but… stay strong. We’re with you.”

San smiled at the two and it was the most genuine smile they’d seen in hours, making Jongho and Wooyoung laugh a little. San half laughed, half groaned and told the two they better make his stay at Rukbat fun enough to distract him.

Enough to distract him from the neverending sinking feeling in his heart- as if a part of his very soul had been snatched from him. He prayed Gaeul was feeling better.

—-----------------------

[Day 12 in the other dimension/12 hours and 42 minutes in Mirinae]

Gaeul was far from feeling any better- at least physically. Though she hadn’t bothered looking in a mirror for the past few days, she could tell she had lost weight from her hands alone- they were less fleshy from her wrists than she recalled. 

It was unnerving, she thought, to be able to feel yourself losing to your magic which was also a part of oneself. Her movements were getting sluggish, she was fainting at least once a day and her thoughts were getting cloudier, all as she began practising- she would be fine as soon as she regained her consciousness back after fainting, probably a courtesy of staying in this dimension. 

The progress with her magic, however, was slower than she thought. She still couldn’t make a single petal wilt- instead, she usually ended up wilting her surroundings. That gave Yena an excuse to practise her targeted healing magic, with which she reversed the damage, but Gaeul thought Yena was probably getting tired of her too.

“Don’t you all have kingdoms to run?” Gaeul slumped down against the tree at the outskirts of the forest in Ascella. “With the progress I’ve made so far, I think you all can go back and return in like… a week to check on me. I would probably make little progress by then.”

The Princes and the Princess who had been fooling around with some board games they stole from one of the cabins along the beach all looked up at her and started giggling, to her horror. “What makes you think we want to go back? We’re escaping from our duties if you haven’t noticed already, Gaeul.”

Gaeul narrowed her eyes at Yeosang but everyone else still giggling made her realise it was part truth. “Besides, only like 12 hours have passed in the real world. I don’t want to go back so soon,” Yunho commented. “I need at least 3 days there to pass- that should be enough rest for me.”

“Well then, why don’t you all travel the world then?” Gaeul offered, “No people around here, time to check out the unexplored territory of this planet, huh?”

“That’s a good idea, actually,” Yena pointed out. “And while we’re at it, I could try to send some signals to Neve as well. I’m sure he could be of some help.”

“Are you sure that is a good idea though?” Yeosang asked. “I still don’t trust any darkling, whether it be Neve or someone else.”

“Neve is different,” Yena’s tone was guarded and Gaeul thought that it was probably because she only had one darkling she could compare him to- Kieran. “And I think to actually send a signal worth his attention, we’d have to go to the mountains in Rukbat.”

“Are you sure you wanna go back there?” Mingi asked cautiously. Gaeul understood where exactly he meant- the place she and San had gone to. Gaeul decided not to reveal that she knew.

“Yeah, it’ll be okay,” Yena shrugged. “I’ll keep sending signals along the way so he knows it’s really me.”

“And can you trust he will be alone?” Yeosang raised a brow. Yena didn’t answer.

“I’m not sure we need him right now,” Yunho started. “I think once she has a better control of her magic, then we can maybe consult him. Right now… there’s no other way, is there?”

“Well then, let’s just explore Wooyoung’s kingdom,” Mingi offered, getting up. “I’m going to set his palace on fire.”

“Do you have some grudge against Wooyoung?” Gaeul laughed, taking his hand when he offered it and getting up. “Do you secretly want to set his ass on fire too?”

“What makes you think I haven’t already?” Mingi leaned in as if to whisper that secret and Gaeul gasped.

“I should have known!” Gaeul laughed, the rest following behind them. “Who’s ass is still safe from that?” 

“Only Seonghwa, Yeosang and Yena,” Mingi revealed. “They scare me.”

“Well, I got a tip for you,” Gaeul peeked behind her. “With Yeosang, you just have to make it look natural- like when he’s near the fireplace or a candle. Make it look like he caught fire himself.”

“That’s a very nice idea-”

“You make it look natural and I’ll show you just where you’ll be going when your time on this planet is over, Mingi dear,” Yeosang said and Gaeul winced, laughing along with the others.

“Not if I burn you to a crisp first!” Mingi called and Gaeul clapped at that.

After aimlessly walking until they reached what would have been a lively marketplace, Yena decided to tag with Gaeul while the others teamed up, looking around at the clothing items, trinkets and jewellery, and some kid’s game that everyone paused to play, until they stopped at a stall with some hotdogs ready to eat.

“I still don’t understand why food is here when we don’t even need it,” Yena admitted, biting into one. 

“Probably so you don’t go insane while being here?” Gaeul offered, looking around. “Just like everything else here.”

“Or maybe to tempt you into living here forever,” Yena’s eyes glinted and Gaeul gulped- she had once admitted that dimensions felt like a living being itself and the thought that it was tempting people to stay here felt dangerous. 

As the group spent hours in the marketplace, Gaeul was beginning to understand just what they were doing- keeping her busy and distracted at all times. She felt better when she was not thinking about her magic- or more specifically, the missing bond inside of her.

The soulmate bond, feeling like it was being held together by just a fibre of the thread, threatening to snap at one wrong move. The very thing keeping her alive, the thing also making her weak with each passing day because San was not here.

Oh, how she missed San. She yearned to feel the comforting presence of him the most- not even his addicting touch but just his presence. She wanted to feel him creep behind her from the shadows like he usually did when he was up for teasing her, settling behind her close enough that she could feel his faint breath caress her skin but far enough that she would want him to touch her. She wanted to see him, hear him. She wanted to watch him talk, wanted to see him even if he couldn’t see her. She wanted to feel his fingers brush hers whenever he passed by, wanted him to look at her with his flirty gaze, and wanted so much more-

Gaeul didn’t realise she was smiling sadly at the distance until Yunho came to stand beside her. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah,” Gaeul sighed, “I just… miss everyone.”

“Oh, stop being so humble,” Yunho teased. “You miss San.”

“Would it be surprising if I say I do miss everyone else too?” Gaeul looked at him with a grin. “A certain someone’s endless yapping, for instance, or the dad jokes-”

“It’s natural, you spent a lot of time with them,” Yunho nodded, inhaling deeply as he looked at the sky. “But I’m asking if you’re feeling okay physically and mentally. If you want to talk about it, if it’s getting too much for you… I’m here.”

Gaeul recalled what Seonghwa had told her- to talk to Yunho. “I know,” Gaeul nodded and Yunho raised a brow at her knowing smile. “I guess I’m just… surviving. I haven’t made much progress. I’m worried I won’t.”

“But you have,” Yunho said and Gaeul narrowed her eyes. “We feel it, you know. Even if you can’t wilt a single petal right now, your control over your magic is improving at a steady rate. You don’t feel it, but we do.”

“Could have let me know earlier then,” Gaeul pouted, tracing her shoe along the dirt in circles. “I wouldn’t be feeling like shit then.”

“Trust me, you’ll be feeling like shit even if we do tell you,” Yunho laughed, shaking his head as he folded his arms. Gaeul looked up at the handsome Prince, his blonde hair almost pink in the glow of the sun. “That’s just how practising goes.”

“And once I manage to get better control? Give me something to look forward to, will you?”

“Then, Princess of Underworld,” Yunho’s smirk made Gaeul’s heart sink, “You fight us in battle.”

—----------------------

[Day 36 in Mirinae/36 hours and 17 minutes in Mirinae]

“I did it, I did it!” Gaeul jumped in the pile of wilted flowers, happily looking at the rest who were all… napping. “Guys?”

None of them stirred and Gaeul stuck out her tongue at the sleeping lot- they had missed a historical moment because they were taking a bloody nap. Gaeul sat back down, concentrating her magic just like before, trying to wilt another petal of that flower- she had to focus on the remaining four.

But as if she hadn’t just wilted only a single petal of the flower, she was back to being the miserable failure she was so sure she was now. It wasn’t working anymore- the flower wilted and even spread into ashes around her.

Gaeul sighed, wondering if she had actually just done that or hallucinated altogether. In the past few weeks, she had started hallucinating a bit whenever she was tired- probably the side effect of her staying in this dimension for so long with her magic, but she knew she didn’t have much time to gain control over her magic. She wasn’t growing any thinner, but weary. That wasn’t good and it made everyone around her a little nervous too, though they wouldn’t admit it. 

Gaeul shrugged and picked another flower, and then another, and another, but to no avail. She couldn’t do that again. So Gaeul slumped and rested her hands on the bare earth, sighing, but then she had the strangest idea.

Just like the magic she had possessed- she had to think like before. Could it work? Gaeul dug her fingers into the dirt, recalling how she used to call out to earth and nature as she felt the roots, felt the very life in them and had the desire to suck the life out of them-

The very instinct she had to fight. The urge to destroy everything in her wake. The urge that every faerie struggled with at least once in their life, the urge that was so much stronger in her now. But Gaeul took a few deep breaths and with steel nerves and focus, she picked one of the trees in the path of several and managed to turn it grey within seconds.

This was control. Gaeul almost smirked as she created a pattern around them and when she was done, when the sleeping lot finally felt something fancy in the air and woke each other up, they gaped at Gaeul who had created nothing less than art from the trees around them. 

One dead tree, one alive, one half dead from the trunk, one’s leaves dead, one’s branches dead, and so on. Mingi whistled while the rest gaped. “I think I’m never taking a nap in this dimension again.”

“How did you do that?” Yunho glanced back and forth between the trees and Gaeul. “We didn’t even feel it happening.”

“I did what you asked me to do- I wilted one single petal, but I couldn’t do it again. So I thought I’d focus my energy on something… bigger in scale. Turns out I’ve got this amount of control afterall.”

“This was quicker than I expected,” Yena clapped but Yunho was still dumbfounded.

“You wilted a single petal? Not the stem, nothing else, just one petal?”

“Yeah?” Gaeul narrowed her eyes- was he suspicious of her? “I would have shown you the proof but I tried to wilt another petal of that flower and the whole thing died.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Yunho shook his head, assuring her that he believed her. “Though I have to say, I never imagined it was possible that you could do it.”

“Really?” Gaeul frowned. “Then why did you ask me to?”

“So you could do this,” Yeosang pointed at the tree with only the leaves dead. “This amount of control is impressive, I have to admit.”

But Gaeul was gaping at Yunho who was shamelessly grinning. Mingi raised his hand, coming between the two. “I believed you could, Gaeul, from day one. Yunho here thought you could never do that.”

“I wish I had proof!” Gaeul shook her head, amused at how the two had bet on her. “I don’t think I can do it again.”

“And that’s perfectly fine- you don’t need to practise on such a small area right now anyway,” Yena told her, hands on her hips as she assessed the situation, her golden locks like a halo around her. “But now that you have a good amount of control over your magic, we can move on to the next phase.”

“And what was that again?” Gaeul was brushing the ashes off her clothes as she asked, finding them grinning at her when she looked up. “No way. Were you serious about the duels?”

“Very,” Yeosang grinned. “You need that if we’re ever taking care of the otherworldly creatures and getting those faeries back.”

“But… me against you?” Gaeul was sure all the colour had drained from her face. “I thought you all were joking or something-”

“Who’s going first?” Mingi interrupted her, her protests ringing in the air while they decided their turns by rock-paper-scissors.

“I’m first,” Yeosang smirked.

“Oh no,” Gaeul gulped. “Can I at least have some rest?”

“Oh, of course, we’re not fighting right now,” Yeosang patted her back, chuckling when she flinched. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”

“That’s really assuring to hear, Yeosang,” Gaeul glared at him. “Let’s start tomorrow, okay? Give me some time to prepare mentally.”

“Of course, of course,” Yeosang patted her back again. “I’ll tell you what you should look out for- it’s a battle of your senses with me. What you see is not what there will actually be. After going first against me, you’ll be able to battle the rest of them way better than they think.”

“Really?” Gaeul perked up at that. “Because I’m preparing myself for the fool you all will make out of me, Prince Yeosang.”

“We’re the fools going against you,” Yeosang raised his brow. “You should go all out against us. Don’t hold back- don’t worry about the consequences. As long as me or Yena are safe, we can reverse any damage, so… I think we should be the ones scared.”

“Come on, that doesn’t sound like you,” Gaeul pouted and he laughed. “You should be saying something like how I’m a fool and how I’m going to get my ass handled tomorrow and the shame I’ll never forget-”

“I’m not that bad!” Yeosang put a hurt hand on his heart. 

“He is,” Yena called out from where the rest of them were packing what little they carried. “Shall we start moving to Rukbat now? It will take forever on foot.”

The five of them started walking- one of the perks of this dimension was that they didn’t feel physically tired. Walking endlessly was not as bad as it sounded- at least for now. So far, they had explored much of Wooyoung’s territory, especially the south where none of them had visited much. They had tried all sorts of street food, feeling full just after a few bites. They had fooled around on bicycles and Yeosang had taught Gaeul how to skate which he was surprisingly good at. Yunho taught Gaeul archery from the tools they found in a weapons market. Mingi gave Gaeul history lessons about the fire magic, demonstrating everything he could do, and how he suspected Gaeul would be able to control the temperature of the fire better- especially in the cooler ranges. Usually when they walked, one of them would discuss something like magic with Gaeul.

But that night, when they took a break and decided to nap (just for the heck of it) in one of the inns on the way, Gaeul knocked before entering the room Yena was using. Yena was drying her hair with a towel.

“I’m glad we at least get dirty here like the real world,” Yena mused. “It’s like the markings and washing them away makes me feel like I’m not really stuck in a dream or a hallucination- that this, too, is real.”

“Do you suppose there is a dimension where you don’t need to wash up? I wonder if people get lost there, wandering around.”

“I don’t want to find out,” Yena shivered. “Imagine getting stuck in a dream forever, not realising who you are and why you are there.”

“Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer,” Gaeul said and Yena nodded. “Is this the same dimension that you came to with Mingi?”

When everything happened, Yena didn’t need to hear it out loud. She sighed as she nodded. “The principles are the same, only the time ratio is different. It’s been about 37 days here, so around 37 hours have passed in the real world.”

“That’s it?” Gaeul wowed. “It hasn’t even been too long for them- they won’t be missing any of us.”

“You bet they aren’t,” Yena laughed. “They would be more concerned about taking care of our kingdoms than us.”

“Can you feel Seonghwa? From here?” Gaeul asked. Yena understood why she asked.

“I just know he’s there, in my heart,” Yena put a hand on her chest. “I think the connection gets so dull here that you’d only know if the other person dies.”

“Seonghwa told me something,” Gaeul started and Yena raised her brow. “He said when you were here… the only thing that kept him going was the feeling that you were alive.”

“Did he say that?” Yena smiled and Gaeul liked how her smile was always different when they were talking about Seonghwa. “I think it’s the only thing that kept me going too. I actually… forgot who Seonghwa was. Kieran tried to take my memories, but he couldn’t have guessed he was my soulmate. I think it’s the bond that made my memories come back and because of that, Kieran couldn’t erase the love I had for Seonghwa out of me. Even when I didn’t know who he was.”

“That’s… unbelievable,” Gaeul whistled. “Is that how you knew that you and Seonghwa were soulmates?”

“That was the only possible explanation, yes,” Yena nodded. “How did you know?”

“I didn’t know he was like… my soulmate,” Gaeul tried explaining. “I didn’t know what soulmates were, but I felt him in my bones before I saw him.”

Yena clapped. “You explained the feeling perfectly. I felt that too.”

“Right?” Gaeul chuckled. “One look at San and I knew we were meant to meet- I just didn’t realise how big it was, I guess. My magic probably messed it all up… but now that we’re apart… I feel so, so empty. Do you feel that way too?”

“That’s because of your magic,” Yena shook her head. “Soulmates are just… partners. Friends. Lovers. You aren’t dependent on them like a drug. I can stay years away from Seonghwa and I wouldn’t go mad- of course I would miss him, but that’s just it. You and San… your bond took a chaotic form, Gaeul. It was why we had to separate you two- whole dimensions apart. You shouldn’t be dependent on each other like that, ever. And your case is understandable because your bond is keeping you alive, but San? I think his magic was becoming messed up too.”

Gaeul bit her lips, realising she was right. She felt guilty but she knew she wasn’t to blame, and neither was San. Yena smiled sadly. “I can see you’re growing weary. Keep your mind strong, Gaeul. Only then can you overcome this. We’ll see this through, okay?”

“Thank you,” Gaeul nodded. “But… are you sure you want to go back to Rukbat, in the mountains, Yena? You don’t have to do that- not after everything you’ve been through.”

“I’m sure,” Yena’s chin was up and Gaeul realised she was stronger than Seonghwa might have thought. “I still have nightmares sometimes, if I’m honest. But I’m not going to let them hold me back from my life. And for San, I’d do this even if I’d hate to do it. I owe him that much.”

“Do you think San and you meeting was a coincidence or planned?” Gaeul asked, curious. “I feel like nothing is a coincidence after the events of my life.”

“Even if Kieran didn’t plan this, I think it was a ‘planned’ coincidence,” Yena laughed. “You call it fate.”

“Then was I meant to die before I could ever meet San? Would we have ever crossed paths had I not encountered Kieran?”

“Maybe,” Yena laid on the bed. “It’s interesting to think how life would have been otherwise, isn't it? But if we keep thinking about the what-ifs, we won't be able to carry on with life.”

“You’re the Princess of Space. You can live in any version of the timeline, can’t you?” Gaeul asked, curious ever since she learned just what Yena could do with her magic.

“Yet, I wouldn’t change a thing right now,” Yena curled like a cat, yawning. 

—----------------------

[Day 38 in the other dimension/38 hours and 31 minutes in Mirinae]

Gaeul was tired of being thrown around by Yeosang- especially when he was doing absolutely nothing. 

Well, absolutely nothing was what it looked like at plain sight. He was lying down, eyes closed, absolutely relaxed and you would think he was sleeping if it weren’t for his constant scoffs reminding Gaeul of what a failure she was right now. What was happening, really, was that his spirits, his warriors, were playing with her.

“How the hell am I supposed to sense it?” Gaeul muttered, looking at Mingi who was clearly enjoying the show with Yunho. “Ears? Nose? At least give me something!”

“It’s not that,” Yunho helped. “It’s about sensing the energy-”

“Wrong,” Yeosang spoke, unmoving. “Spirits don’t have ‘energy’. Can you feel them, Yunho?”

“Oops,” Yunho grinned and she gaped at him- even he was playing with her. 

“So basically I can’t feel them?” She scoffed, getting pushed from the back and almost falling on her face, fighting the urge to scream every curse in every language she knew. “I’m supposed to stand and take the beating?”

“Wrong,” Yeosang opened one eye, finally deciding to guide Gaeul after hours. “Firstly, you’re learning balance. You’re being pushed-” As if on cue, she received another shove from the left side and this time she tripped and fell on the thankfully soft sand. “But you can’t figure out who or where or when. You need to be steady on your feet, Gaeul, before you learn anything else.”

“Geez, so much for confidence,” Gaeul sighed. “I admit that I’m clumsy but we could have started somewhere else.”

“As long as you’re clumsy, dear, you can’t be trusted with the dealings of your magic,” said Yeosang. “You need to have the sharpest senses and the best aim before we move on to magic. And the trick to fighting my spirits would be agility. As soon as you’re pushed- the very moment you come in contact, that’s when you need to stay steady and fight back.”

“Oh,” she could see Yeosang’s point now and she had to admit, he was smart. “Thanks for the tip, though it won’t make things easier, will it?”

He simply snickered and went back to sleep, leaving Gaeul to deal with invisible forces- she was pretty sure they weren’t even ‘warriors’- just normal dead mean people.

“I swear if one of you pushes me from the back again, I’ll kill you,” she said when she received another shove and fell on her knees. 

“There’s only one of them, Gaeul,” Yeosang sighed and Mingi and Yunho burst into laughter, leaving her cheeks pink with anger. “At least, for now.”

“If I accidentally end up damning you, Yeosang, forgive me.” Gaeul straightened and shut her eyes- she couldn’t see the spirit anyway so she might as well focus. She didn't see Yeosang turn his full attention to her this time- he was going to take advantage of her heightened senses to train her.

It took uncountable hours, but Gaeul was soon able to 'feel' the spirit before it touched her. That was strange for the others since they relied on sensing energy, but they figured that since Gaeul was half dead anyway, she could probably sense the spirits.

"Why can't I sense the dead," Yena said with a pout. "I'm related to Yeosang. You'd think I'd be better at that."

"Maybe you need a little one-on-one training with me too," Yeosang offered casually but Yena saw right through him, throwing popcorn at him. 

"Who's teaching me how to fight back though?" Gaeul stood near the fire that Mingi had lit, warming her hands- it wasn't cold but oddly, she felt like she wasn't warm enough. "Wooyoung didn't get to teach me everything."

"You should learn from Yena," Mingi glanced at her with a devilish smirk. 

"I didn't realise I was being tested too," Yena scoffed. "Yes, I haven't trained as long as you all but I'm not an amateur! Seonghwa has been training me well."

"None of you are patient enough to teach me," Gaeul laughed. "You can fight all you want among yourselves."

"I volunteer," Yunho raised his hand and when the rest stared at him, he shrugged. "I'm the best here anyway."

And so began another argument followed by challenges to duels. Gaeul yawned widely, rubbing away sleep from her eyes and Yena noticed.

"You must be extremely tired if you're feeling sleepy here."

"Getting tired from physical exertion is so much better than me getting tired from magic malfunction," Gaeul replied. "It makes me feel like I'm… the same old Gaeul."

For the next few days in that dimension, Gaeul was learning everything from scratch. It was like she was being trained to fight in war. Yunho was teaching her how to use her body, how to find her core strength and balance on her feet, and most importantly, how to remain calm, which Gaeul was finding the hardest to do despite her mellow nature. Mingi was teaching her how not to react impulsively- that meant that she had to figure out how to react within milliseconds. Yeosang continued to strengthen her senses, not keeping her limited to her sixth sense alone. Yena, apart from providing endless support and encouragement and teaching her how to tolerate the Princes, taught Gaeul how to live with her magic from now on.

Acceptance. Endurance. Perseverance. 

Gaeul kept repeating to herself. Yena had taught her how to live with herself.

And when Yeosang put Gaeul to test, sending not one, not two but five spirits all at once, Gaeul was able to detect them all and use not only her body but also her magic. And this time, she didn’t just fight back- she protected herself too. 

And ‘accidentally’ sent Yeosang flying a good distance away.

While the others recovered from laughing, it was Gaeul who offered her hand to Yeosang who shook his head before grabbing it to get up, and then, quite affectionately, patted her shoulder. “You’ve learnt a lot in a short time, Gaeul. Well done.”

“They’re having a good time laughing at you,” Gaeul pointed at the rest who were now attempting a reenactment. “You can tell me how to finish them when it’s their turn. We’ll call it even.”

Yeosang smirked. “Deal,” he said and they walked to the rest who straightened up. Yeosang rolled his eyes at them before saying, “Mark the calendar. Day 74 is when Gaeul wins against me. Get ready to lose… losers.”

Gaeul snorted at the weak retort but was more surprised when Yunho fished out an actual notepad from his pocket and started scribbling. “You’re keeping a calendar?”

“Tracking your progress, actually,” Yunho explained. “Our parents used to do that too- though it must have been rather boring for them. We weren’t the quickest learners.”

“No one tracked my progress,” Yena pouted. 

“You should track your own progress,” Yeosang said. “There’s no way we could have with all the time-travelling mess.”

“True,” Yena shrugged. “Only I know my progress. That’s so weird…”

“Why do you keep records, though?” Gaeul asked. “To help?”

“And to improve ourselves as well,” Mingi added.

“Day 74…” Gaeul mumbled, calculating the hours in her head. “74 hours- it’s only the third day there. Wow.”

It was the third day in their original dimension, but things weren’t as relaxed back there. Whatever remnants of Gaeul’s magic resided in San’s body were causing him to experience after effects such as-

“-incredible longing, short temper, bad retorts-” Jongho stopped narrating when San sent a shoe flying for the youngest Prince, sending Wooyoung into a fit of laughter but making him pause when San hurled into the bucket again and wrenched his guts out- there was nothing left to throw up now. 

“...along with extreme nausea, disorientation and occasional hallucinations,” Jongho concluded, folding the note and throwing it in the fire- a message to Hongjoong. San wiped his mouth, drinking a glass of water before slumping down on the couch, drawing the covers over himself.

“I’ve never seen him sick like this, I’m actually worried for once,” Wooyoung sighed, sitting down with Jongho, the two ‘babysitting’ San as they had quoted in the note to Hongjoong.

“They did say it was supposed to get worse before it got better,” San’s voice was weak as he said, shivering. “I just hope she’s okay there.”

Wooyoung rolled his eyes so hard they would have gone back in his skull. He leaned forward, snapping his fingers in front of San’s face so he opened one eye. “San. Listen to me, you love-sick bastard. They’re in the dimension where their body functions have basically frozen. You worry about yourself- I’m pretty sure they’re joking around there.”

“Agreeing,” Jongho scoffed. “They can’t remain serious when Yeosang is there.”

San laughed a bit at that. “It’s been 74 days there. What do you think is their progress?”

“Just hoping they aren’t burning the world down there…” Jongho muttered, sounding unconvinced. 

He wasn’t wrong. In the other dimension, Yena, Yeosang and Yunho were watching Mingi set the forest on a blazing fire, a blast from Gaeul’s attempt to shield herself creating a wave that made their hair fiercely (and dramatically) fly back. Yeosang sputtered, trying to get the ash out of his mouth.

“If Gaeul sets his ass on fire,” Yena sounded serious, “I’ll treat you all to a grand feast back home.”

“Shall we bet?” Yeosang asked.

“I don’t think we need to,” Yunho started to laugh. “I think we’re all with Gaeul.”

Gaeul, however, wasn’t having such a grand time. “At least give me time to get my shield back! I’ll burn myself!”

“You won’t get that luxury when you’re in a fight,” Mingi continued with the fire shots in her direction. “And anyways, if you get burned, Yena can heal you.”

“Geez, why didn’t I think of that,” Gaeul muttered, cursing under her breath. Fire was probably the scariest element to be against. “I’d like not to get cooked, Mingi-”

Gaeul winced when her forearm caught fire, quickly patting her clothes to blow the fire. “It’s not like I’m going to the fucking war!”

“You still don’t get it,” Mingi laughed. “It’s not about fighting against fire. It’s about not being scared of the most frightening element. You can fight back properly because I’m the most scared of your power too. We’re learning from each other, Gaeul.”

“Are we?” Gaeul retorted. “So far I’ve been the only one learning-”

Gaeul’s calf caught on fire this time and something in her brain ticked- she had been fighting fire casually for the past few days, but for the past few hours, she had caught fire uncountable times. Gaeul groaned and bared her teeth, shooting her hands forward.

The last thing Mingi was expecting was catching fire himself- not like his, the warm flame, but the cold flame that burned harder than the hottest fire. Mingi yelped, rolling around in the grass and this time, it was Gaeul’s turn to laugh- but when the fire didn’t go out, Gaeul rushed for Mingi and put her hands in the flames-

Transferring them to herself.

“You underworld witch,” Mingi was laughing in disbelief and pain now- he was used to the pain of the burns which was the only reason he wasn’t crying. He called for Yena and she healed him first before joining Yunho and Yeosang to gape at Gaeul who was playing with blue, almost white, flames of her fire.

“They’re not hot anymore,” Gaeul looked at Yunho. “Can you feel it?”

Yunho was hesitant but he put his hands in the fire, gasping because it felt colder than his ice. “You can control the temperature?”

“I was angry- it was hot,” Gaeul turned to Mingi, muttering sorry but he assured her it was alright. “When I took it away, it didn’t feel too hot to me. Should I try consciously raising the temperature?”

“Go ahead,” Yunho nodded. Gaeul concentrated and tried but it remained the same. She groaned.

“More to practise, I guess.”

“Fighting fire with fire. Who would have thought!” Mingi was clapping.

“It’s a good thing it finally manifested while we were here,” Yeosang was nodding. “Whatever you need to do to practise, whatever the damage, you can do it here. Meanwhile, let me just appreciate the sight of Mingi’s smug ass catching fire-”

While Mingi and Yeosang bickered, Yena went back to what she was originally doing- she had a portal opened up in this dimension and was trying to get the portal to shift to some other dimension. She couldn’t figure out how to contact Neve.

“Is it necessary to summon him?” Yunho asked for the first time- Yena had been practising her portal for months now. “We taught her well.”

“We still need to do something about the parasitic nature of her magic,” Yena sighed. “I got a message from Hongjoong earlier- San’s not feeling well. Don’t tell the others.”

Yunho frowned. “What happened?”

“I’m guessing it’s the bond- the bond isn’t supposed to act like this, but since her magic is unusual, it’s attacking San. I got Hongjoong to portal to San to assess how bad it is and report back.”

“Let’s hope it’s nothing Hongjoong can’t heal,” Yunho was worried. “Gaeul’s doing better here, though.”

“Perks of this dimension,” Yena’s smile didn’t meet her eyes. “I wonder though- how strong is the soulmate bond? Will she be able to live with both this magic and the bond?”

For that, no one had an answer yet.

—----------------------

[Day 93 in the other dimension/93 hours 27 minutes in Mirinae]

Fighting against Mingi may have made Gaeul fearless, but she was learning that the fear of the element that she loved the most was a different sort- and it was bad.

As a kid, Gaeul had adored the water bodies, the animals in it, the seemingly endless oceans, the rain, everything. She would sometimes dive and play with the fishes as well. And that one time that she had raised a few water droplets in the air? She told herself that it was a secret she would take to the grave (now she was supposing she did take the secret to her grave) though it was something she wanted to yell to the world. 

Now she was learning to be afraid of the endless depth of the ocean, of the monsters that resided under the sea, of the rain that could drown you or peel your skin away, and of the water in her own body. In the past few days, Yunho had managed to scare her in every possible way and she was not enjoying the experience. He had shown her the horrors that something as simple as water could bring by nearly drowning her a number of times- of course, Gaeul trusted him not to actually drown her but he sure did increase the amount of time she could hold her breath underwater. 

Gaeul was actually feeling a little scared of Yunho, if she had to admit. It was funny because he was apparently the friendliest of them all, a literal ray of sunshine, always smiling and laughing, but there was this other side to him that he rarely showed anyone, and oh. It sent shivers down Gaeul’s spine whenever Yunho’s eyes would change, whenever he would become serious. She was calling it his ‘inner demon’, and she was not a big fan of this inner demon.

Especially when she was training across it.

“Ice and fire are not that different, you know,” Yunho was saying as he drew a circle of spiky icicles in the sand around them. “Just two extremities, polar opposites. You, somehow, are somewhere in the middle.”

“Would you really call it being ‘somewhere in the middle’?” Gaeul almost muttered and Yunho raised a brow. “I mean… Cold flame isn’t exactly natural, is it?”

“True,” Yunho nodded, playing with the icicles, shaping them into different objects. “Cold fire can take the appearance of snow and icicles, yet it can burn like fire too. I’m just wondering what I would do if I possessed such power?”

“Probably set your friends on fire for fun?” Gaeul thought and Yunho snickered. “I bet Mingi doesn’t really have that luxury.”

“If he tried that, he’d be in big trouble,” Yunho shook his head. “So… do you think you can melt my ice with your fire?”

“Of course I can,” Gaeul straightened, extending her hand to send the almost white flame for the icicle circle Yunho had created around them. It went around the ice, to Gaeul’s surprise, and she touched the ice this time for good measure but it didn’t budge.

“I don’t understand,” Gaeul frowned. “Is it not hot enough?”

“Honey, I’m the Prince of Water and Ice for a reason,” Yunho was grinning and Gaeul pouted, slumping. “If my ice would simply melt, I would be no match against someone with fire powers.”

“True,” Gaeul made an impressed face. “So how would one defeat the Prince of Ice?”

“That’s what we will figure out,” Yunho stretched his limbs. “So far… I have no weaknesses as far as my power is concerned.”

“Wow,” Gaeul was gawking at the Prince. “You’re really scary.”

Yunho laughed loudly, shaking his head. “You’re scarier, you just don’t know how yet.”

Gaeul scoffed, watching Yunho melt the icicles and create them again. He explained that he could control the temperature and other properties of the ice, which meant he could make the ice as strong as he preferred, as cold as he liked. He displayed the stages of his element- from extracting a drop of water from the air itself, making it into a snowflake, solid ice, and then the hardest of ice which had a bluish tinge to its form. 

“That’s what I’m aiming to teach you,” Yunho explained further. “Now that you have good control over your body, you need to have the same amount of control over your magic.”

Gaeul nodded. Her physical training was nowhere near the end but she had never been quicker on her feet, never been this strong. It was amazing how she could control every muscle, every movement in her body. To have this amount of control over her reflexes was no joke. And to have a similar amount of control over her magic was Yunho’s final aim. 

He had been incredibly patient with her, so much that Gaeul marvelled at his stamina- he was teaching her from scratch like he would teach a child. Anyone would think he had trained armies just like this. He had taught her how much each of her limbs could move, had figured out her extremities with her body in a way that she didn’t feel overwhelmed and most importantly, taught her to be patient with herself. For that, she respected him a lot.

“So cold fire has how many stages? I’ve seen the snow stage but I think it resembles ash more in that state…”

“I have a theory,” Yunho began, leaning forward as if to whisper a secret. “But I won’t tell you.”

“Yunho!” Gaeul rolled her eyes. “You’re just teasing me. I know how all of you work- you drive me to the edge and somehow it does the work.”

Yunho shook his head. “I taught you how not to be driven to the edge ever since we came here, Gaeul. That may have been Yeosang and Mingi’s plan, but not mine.”

Gaeul ignored that, wondering what he could be talking about. “What is cold fire even good for?”

“Making people non-existent, apparently,” Yeosang, who was passing by, said. “I still don’t know what fate those souls met.”

He was talking about the man Gaeul had killed. It still sent a jab through her, even though she knew they didn’t mean to hurt her. “Well, what other purpose does it serve? I don’t think it’s here just to… make people poof.”

Yeosang snorted at her choice of words and Yunho said, “It’s meant to be the bridge between the power of ice and fire. It can both burn and freeze. I do think it serves a greater purpose but we know nothing of it yet.”

“So we’ll just master the temperature control for now,” Gaeul suggested and Yunho nodded. “I’ve gotten better at it, I just…”

“Don’t work well with the extremities,” Yunho nodded. “That’s the toughest part. Maybe we should call Mingi after all…”

“Only if he promises that we’re even- I don’t want him to burn me,” Gaeul pouted. “I’ve had enough of my hair fried!”

“Just burn him back,” Yunho laughed.

“No! What if I make him go poof?” Gaeul sighed and Yunho paused for a second before shaking his head and calling Mingi. Mingi was quick to come and help for the sole reason of trying to get back at Gaeul for the forest firefight but Yunho told him to stop being a child.

With the three working together on trying to learn about the cold fire and its properties, Yena and Yeosang were left working on the portal and trying to contact Neve. Yena was learning quite a good amount of things on how the portals worked in this dimension and with Yeosang’s guidance, she was getting better at the duration of the portals. The scary part was opening portals to unknown worlds and having to shut them in a matter of seconds- before anyone noticed- when they found out it was the wrong world.

“I still can’t grasp the fact that there are places other than the planet Earth and our planets where there are actual habitants,” Yena phew-ed as she shut another portal to a place that looked to be a garden full of flowers- she was pretty sure there wasn’t a hint of flower or life on the planet that darklings dwelled on.

“The universe is neverending, it seems,” Yeosang was taking notes- he had the ability to process the distinct feel of each dimension but it seemed the ability extended to different environments- or worlds- as well. “There are multiple dimensions we’ll never know of.”

“Talking about dimensions, we still haven’t found out what dimension exactly those creatures are taking the missing faeries to, right?” Yena asked and Yeosang shook his head in denial. “I was wondering if we could somehow get Gaeul to do the deed.”

“I don’t think she can open the doorway to that dimension at will, that would mean she possesses dimensional powers which cannot be the case even with her magic taking a turn,” Yeosang explained. “But… what are we even going to do once we’re facing those creatures? We don’t know what they look like, how strong they are, what they are. All we know is that they’re capable of travelling dimensions without consequences, it seems.”

“Consequences?” Yena asked.

“We’re still on planet Mirinae, right?” Yeosang drew a sketch to explain. “We’re just in a different layer of time. That’s why Neve can come and go from here as he pleases, because it’s the same dimension but different worlds. We don’t know if the planet that the darklings dwell on is on the same plane as us. By plane, I mean the time-flow.”

“Ah, I get it,” Yena nodded. “So there has to be something in common to roam around without consequences?”

“Yes,” Yeosang nodded. “Take my example- there’s the world of the living and the world of the dead. They have nothing in common but I am the bridge. Where the spirits stay before moving on is a dimension that is entirely unique. Without a bridge, the spirits cannot move freely.”

“Oh, so with those creatures, they must have something in common with our world, right?”

“Yeah, they must either be in the same time flow as our planet, or just be another dimensional layer of our planet- wait a fucking second.”

Yeosang was frowning as he looked at his notes and Yena watched him go to Yunho and whisper something in his ear, looking grim. Yunho handed him the journal he was using to track Gaeul’s progress and then Yeosang came back to sit in front of Yena. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Let me just confirm something,” Yeosang was skimming from the beginning, stopping at one of the pages. “I have this awful theory but I’ll need Hongjoong to confirm it before I reveal it.”

“Tell me,” Yena insisted, poking Yeosang’s thigh again and again until he gave in.

“If this is the first time some otherworldly creatures have made it to our planet, and if there are no such records from Earth as well… I think it might mean that Gaeul could be the bridge, like I am, to another world, which means…”

“That we may have a serious problem at our hands,” Yena finished, looking at Gaeul who was laughing along with Mingi over something. “What have we gotten ourselves into?”

—-------------------

[Day 124 in the other dimension/124 hours and 39 minutes in Mirinae]

Hongjoong was positive that if he stayed alone in his library looking for god knows what for one more day, he was going to combust into light.

If he sat down and thought about it, he would say that he was speaking a little selfishly, considering that those who were in the other dimension have been staying there for more than 4 months now while here, only about five days had passed. And he had only spent three of them in the library.

But three of them in the library, going through the archives, reading scroll after scroll without a single soul to accompany him because of the sensitivity of the situation? He would say it was too much for him. He was almost finished, but he needed a break. 

Hongjoong went in front of the fire and wrote a letter to Seonghwa, saying he hoped he was doing well. He got a reply a few minutes later.

You must be bored already.

Hongjoong scoffed- Seonghwa knew him well. Hongjoong wrote another letter, asking him if he wanted to visit San with him when he was done turning the library upside down. Seonghwa agreed and Hongjoong mustered the remaining kernels of his willpower before going through the last shelf.

Sadly, he found nothing. He wrote that on a note and placed it on the window Yeosang had designated from where one of his soul-friends would receive it and pass it to the Prince. Yeosang conveyed the message to Yena who had something to say about the situation.

“It’s no use searching the archives. Gaeul is an entirely new case. We’ll have to do everything ourselves.”

“Always better safe than sorry,” Yeosang scolded and she pouted. “Also, he wants you to portal him and Seonghwa to San. Apparently they’re having a sleepover.”

“Oooh, we’re missing all the fun,” Yena said, opening a portal to her room where Seonghwa was standing in front of the mirror-

“Getting ready for who, exactly?” Yena asked and Seonghwa froze before sinking to his knees, making Yeosang giggle.

“If you scare me with the portal one more time, Yena dear, I’m going to pass away,” Seonghwa clutched his heart as he got up. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good,” Yena grinned. “Just missing you a lot. Let’s get you to Hongjoong.”

“Okay, I’m ready,” Seonghwa turned, grabbing a bag. “Yeosang, you better be taking care of my wife-”

Before Seonghwa could say anything further, Yena portalled him to Hongjoong, earning an eye roll from her brother. Hongjoong was prepared for the shock and didn’t react as funnily as Seonghwa did. 

“Hello there,” Yeosang greeted. “I hope your time at the library was fun.”

“I found nothing,” Hongjoong sighed.

“I knew it. I just wanted to keep you a little busy.”

“Yeosang, you little-”

“Don’t throw anything through the portal!” Yena shouted and Hongjoong froze, sighing. “Get your stuff, quick.”

The next stop was Wooyoung’s room where San was half passed out, Jongho and Wooyoung eating popcorn as they watched a movie. However, when the portal opened in front of them, their screams almost made Yena shut the portal midway.

“You can’t be louder, can you?” Yena flinched, shutting the portal and Hongjoong laughed at the sight before going to San who still appeared sick. “I need San’s health report now.”

“I’m okay,” he shifted up with immense effort, looking like he was in physical pain. “How’s Gaeul?”

Yena looked back at Gaeul who was sitting by the shore with Mingi while Yunho swam in the water. “She’s well. Her training is almost complete- we’re just waiting to contact Neve so we can do something about the bond.”

“Right,” he sighed, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “When do you expect to be back?”

“No idea, it’s all on me opening the portal to Neve now,” Yena shrugged and San told her that it was alright- she could take her time. “How are you feeling?”

“The potions have helped, but every day I can feel the bond getting weaker,” San said and Seonghwa met eyes with Yena. “I hope something can be done about it soon.”

“Of course,” Yena smiled in assurance. “Don’t worry. It’ll be over before you know it.”

“I’m sure Wooyoung is wearing you down,” Yeosang commented, making Wooyoung yell at him. “I know I’d be sick if I stayed with Wooyoung for this long too.”

Everyone had a good laugh over that and with the goodbyes, Yena shut the portal, looking at Yeosang. “I really don’t like seeing San in this state. And if he feels the bond getting weaker, I can’t imagine the kind of pain he’s going through.”

“Shall we move on to Plan B then?” Yeosang suggested and Yena looked at him.

“I’m not so sure about it- what if something goes wrong?”

“Well, you could open the portal in front of Kieran too,” Yeosang said and Yena grimaced. “You can imagine how wrong that could go. It doesn’t look like we can control where the portal opens to a world we do not know of, so let me find a stray darkling spirit who might be willing to help.”

“I bet they don’t help for free,” Yena muttered.

“They don’t, but I’ll make sure we have the upperhand,” he said and when Yena didn’t sound very convinced, he nudged her. “Come on. You know I’m good at that.”

“It’s not very safe,” Yena countered.

“You opening portals is even more unsafe. Come on, now. It’s time to tell the others what’s really going on.”

Reluctantly, Yena followed Yeosang to where the rest were and Yunho joined, instantly dry as soon as he got out of the water. The orange sun was almost setting here. Yeosang spoke as he sat down.

“Gaeul, you don’t feel anything regarding your bond right now, is that right?” 

“Not really, no,” Gaeul shifted, thrown by the sudden question. “Is everything alright?”

“It is, don’t worry, it’s just that San’s not really handling it well,” Yeosang said and Gaeul looked around- it seemed like she was the only one who didn’t know. “Sorry for not telling you earlier, but we thought it was the initial separation.”

“But that’s not the case?”

“He can feel the bond getting ‘weaker’,” Yena said. “Which means we may have to be quicker.”

“What can we do?” Gaeul straightened. 

“Nothing, for now,” Yeosang was smirking. “I’m going to be hibernating for a while.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Gaeul scoffed. “What are you, a bear?”

“He’s not actually hibernating,” Yunho laughed. 

“I’m just going to be separating my soul from my body for a while,” Yeosang said and Gaeul felt sick hearing that, “In an attempt to find some stray darkling spirit and get them to pass a message to Neve. Meanwhile, Yena can continue with her portals. Whoever makes it first does it.”

“Can I hibernate too? I kind of want to take a nap…” Mingi pouted.

“While I’m gone…” Yeosang stood up, pointing his fingers at everyone. “Do not mess with my body. You don’t want to face the consequences, I can assure you.”

“Does that mean I can’t even draw something on your face?” Yunho asked and then started an argument that had Yeosang wanting to go back to his home. Finally, when he was done explaining everything, he chose a comfortable spot in the grass and sat down.

“Adios, you good-for-nothings,” Yeosang said and before anyone could retort, he fell sideways and Yena laughed before putting him in a more comfortable position. 

“Who wants roasted Yeosang for dinner?” Mingi asked and Gaeul snorted, pushing him away from Yeosang’s body.

“Let’s not interrupt him while he’s working. I have a better idea- we can turn him into a flower princess.”

Yeosang was only pretending to have gone into hibernation and when he opened his eyes, saying “I dare you to try”, the screams that came out of Gaeul and Mingi as they clung on to each other could have woken up the dead. Yunho couldn’t move as he sank to the ground, having gone to the stage where he was laughing so hard he couldn’t produce a sound, and Yena scolded Yeosang for joking around, threatening to hibernate him for good before sending the rest away so he could actually do his job properly.

—----------------------------

[Day 130 in other dimension/130 hours and 21 minutes in Mirinae]

Gaeul was getting tired of just sitting around and waiting for either Yeosang to contact Neve or Yena to open a portal. It’s not like she was not doing anything productive- Mingi and Yunho were making sure that she kept busy, introducing her to a new technique everyday and she found herself getting better and better at controlling her powers. Still, the thought of San feeling unwell and actually feeling their bond getting weaker was making her anxious.

If she was also a little honest with herself, she would admit that her life back in Mirinae was starting to feel like a fever dream- that’s how long they’ve been here. She missed her home even though she had long since moved on from that, and she missed the boys. She missed Wooyoung’s constant bickering and teasing, Jongho’s shy playfulness, Seonghwa’s calm presence and advice, Hongjoong’s confidence that everything would be alright, and…

She missed San so much that she was positive she would go insane.

Gaeul took a deep sigh and looked up at the sky- she was sick of the blue sky that never changed its colour. She wiped the remnants of tears away from her cheeks and looked at where the sea met land- even though she had been sitting here for hours, it was still beautiful.

She felt a soft thud beside her and found Yunho sitting next to her, crossing his legs for a moment but then opting to let them hang by the edge of the cliff, mirroring Gaeul’s position. He didn’t look at her. “Don’t you wish the weather would change?”

Gaeul passed a tight smile, nodding along- she knew he meant much more by that. “I’m sure you can make it rain here too.”

“I could, but…” he sighed deeply. “The constantness of this dimension reminds us that we have to go back one day or another. If you become too comfortable here, you might forget your purpose.”

Gaeul blinked- she hadn’t imagined that the rest might be as tired as her- or maybe if she had listened closely, she would have noticed how their jokes about ‘resting’ and ‘being off-duty’ were starting to sound dry. “Well… what’s something you want to do when you go back?”

Yunho almost snorted. “Sleep. Actually sleep, and then get back to duty.”

“Got enough rest, huh,” she stretched her arms, the sound of the waves ringing in her ears. “Who do you miss the most?”

This time, Yunho looked at her. “I… I suppose I miss my court. They’re the ones I spend the most time with.”

“Do you ever feel lonely?” Gaeul asked, and Yunho tilted his head as if he found the whole situation strange. “Seonghwa told me I could talk to you if I ever needed someone. If everyone comes to talk to you, who do you go to?”

Yunho smiled at that. “I go to the sea. I sit where the land and the ocean meet, and I pour my heart out. Then I let the waves carry it away.”

“Just like me,” Gaeul looked ahead. “It’s been lonely.”

Yunho let a moment of silence take over as he sorted out his thoughts. “I do… talk to one of them sometimes. It’s just that we’re all busy and have a lot going on. And I’ll admit that I’m better at listening to others than talking about myself.”

“Well, if you ever wish to go to the sea again, maybe you could find me instead?” Gaeul offered and Yunho raised a brow. “I know what it’s like to only talk to the sea. You can think of me as a fish too, if that helps-”

Yunho laughed at that, and Gaeul thought that was the most relaxed laugh she had heard ever since they arrived here. “Thanks for the offer. I’ll consider it- if you return the sentiment too. I know something is eating you up right now. Will you go talk to some fish in the sea or…?”

Gaeul felt pleased to hear that he would think of her if he needed to talk to someone- she had seen how he carried so much for the others, perhaps without realising. She wished to share the burden. But right now, with his offer to listen to her, she felt her defences slip. “I just miss home. I don’t remember the last time I missed home- I guess it’s just because it’s so strange here, with every day being the same. I also miss San a lot,” she laughed a bit but hid her face when tears threatened to spill. “It’s starting to feel like meeting him was only a dream.”

“We’re closer to the end than ever before,” Yunho assured, putting a hand on her back and patting it. “You’ve done so well until now. Let’s hold on a little longer, alright?”

“Yeah,” she wiped her face. “I don’t know, it’s just messed up, all of this. I’m so tired-”

Gaeul paused when she felt her heart sink dangerously, and she immediately turned to look at Yeosang, who was still in the same position, lying peacefully on the grass, Mingi resting next to him. “Something’s not right, Yunho. Where’s Yena?”

“She was practising down there,” he pointed. “What did you feel?”

“I don’t know,” Gaeul frowned. “We need to get to her. Mingi can watch over Yeosang.”

“Okay,” Yunho got up, leading the way to Yena and waking up Mingi on his way. As they started to step down, they spotted the portal open and Yena stood frozen, staring at something beyond it. Gaeul sped up, jumping across the rocks and Yunho stopped her by her arm when they almost reached.

“Let me check if Yena is okay,” he said and Gaeul nodded, following him slowly this time.

“Yena?” Yunho called when he was closer, and when he called her name the second time, he didn’t need her to explain anything, feeling Gaeul’s sharp intake of breath as well as they too could now see what was beyond the portal. 

“Tell me you see this…” Yena finally managed to say.

“Well and clear,” Yunho breathed, “Gaeul?”

Gaeul couldn’t believe her eyes- there was darkness in whatever world was ahead of her, but she could somehow make out everything. The land seemed dead, devoid of any signs of life save for the naked trees around which those creatures rested-

It had to be the creatures she’d seen that day in the forest, when she killed someone. She could feel the familiar presence, and she could also sense-

“Faeries. The missing faeries? Can you feel them?” Gaeul asked.

“Yeah, I think I can,” Yena answered. 

Gaeul took a step ahead before anyone could stop her, now standing between the current dimension and the unknown world before her. As if the creatures had sensed her, they opened their eyes, sending chills down her spine at the synchrony. One by one, they got up, revealing their huge size, the feline features and pointed ears abnormally long, stretching their bat-like wings. 

“I- I’m going to close the portal-”

“Not yet,” Gaeul motioned with her hand. “They won’t hurt me.”

Yena and Yunho looked at each other and Yunho nodded, ready to pull Gaeul away if he felt the need to. Gaeul watched the creatures almost snarl at Yunho and Yena before they turned to Gaeul and dropped their heads-

They were bowing to her, waiting for her command.

“I- I don’t understand,” Gaeul looked helplessly at the two who looked just as surprised. “What do I do?”

“Nothing,” Yena commanded. “I’ve memorised the portal. We will open it again when we are ready. You need to step back now, Gaeul.”

Gaeul nodded, outstretching her hand and watching them rise. Yunho grabbed her gently by the arm, pulling her behind and Yena watched for a moment before shutting the portal, each of them looking at the other in confusion.

“Well,” Yena exhaled, looking bewildered. “It seems like the Underworld might have a queen afterall.”

“But,” Gaeul looked at Yunho who was grinning in disbelief and then back at Yena. “How?”

“We’ll have to ask Yeosang that, I’m not really educated in that field, but if I have to guess,” Yena rubbed her chin in thought. “If those creatures didn’t exist before you, then your rebirth might have caused another dimension to open up to cope with your presence, to keep the balance. And just like Yeosang is the gateway between life and death, mastering over one dimension… you might be the same.”

“And she says she is not educated,” Yunho commented. “I think that’s the only explanation we can come up with. Yeosang can confirm if it’s true.”

“I better note down the calculations,” Yena started making her way up, muttering to herself as she went. Gaeul looked at Yunho, her face pale.

“That means the faeries are in there because of me, right?”

Yunho pursed his lips. “If those creatures obey you, you might free them.”

“What if they are hurt? Oh, goodness,” Gaeul sank to the ground, her limbs trembling. “I can’t have more blood on my hands, Yunho.”

“You won’t,” Yunho sat down beside her, putting an arm around her. “If we can sense them, they’re still alive. We don’t know why those creatures took them, but… we can only hope they’re somewhat safe.”

taglist: @yunnierights @monstaxdirtywonk @moni-cah @uyumilk @atxxzist @hazysan @bewitchedinyourhunger @kk-fleury @sincostansan @onedumbho3 @wooya1224 @icouldntcareless22 @jjaelly @huachengsbestie01 @ztjileen @charreddonuts @mdibby @gugggu6gvai @altgojo

#ateez x reader #choi san x reader #san x reader #ateez x oc #ateez au #choi san fluff #choi san angst #choi san imagines #choi san scenarios #san angst #san fluff #san smut #choi san smut #ateez fluff #ateez angst #ateez imagines #ateez scenarios #san scenarios

[everytimeigetmoody]

You stated all my thoughts about White. Up until this point he has no stakes in this story. They better do something with his character quick because there are only three eps left and I could not care less about whether he lives or dies right now. I even want Fluke’s selfish crazy ass to survive more than White at this point.

they just aren't giving us anything about white. as far as we know, he's just boyfriend. he has no ties with non and has done nothing to harm him or the investigation. he just doesn't have many ties to the main story with non. let's be honest. it makes him a little boring and bland. i kinda care about him cause he seems nice. he's innocent. there's nothing wrong with his place in the story and i feel like he does have his seat at the table even if he's not involved with non. he plays detective with phee and tan and he does his best with trying to contact the outside world. we see how fluke is going crazy through how he interacts with white. we get to see tee fleshed out a little through white.

i just don't think it would be satisfying to leave him as final girl. i mean, it's just too cookie cutter to leave the "innocent" one alive. this doesn't really seem like a story that's so rigid in its sense of morality. a lot of the characters we see are very much not black and white. you have phee who cares very much for non, but sleeps with jin and, at least the way i see it, kind of likes him too. he's on his mission to seek the truth about non or kinda get revenge but he gets distracted and veers off course. we have tee who is a major bully and does fucked up things to non which could have landed him in jail and did land him into deep shit with his uncle, but he also ultimately asked for mercy for non and tee is dealing with a lot of shit at home. i mean, he has the health of his dad on his shoulders (if i remember correctly) and his uncle was stepping on his neck threatening him with money or the lack of it. i am a tee hater but when i really think of his situation, i can't help but feel bad for the guy and everything that he's going through. and i love phee, but man was it fucked up to sleep with jin without knowing the full story.

with all of these complex and interesting characters to really dig into and analyze, white just seems bland in comparison and i feel like that's probably the point of his character. i mean, maybe i just haven't caught onto any foreshadowing, but white isn't going to turn out to be some great mastermind or part of the conspiracy with phee and tan in the end. that would feel like such shitty writing. i think this is more or less confirmed by white getting the hallucination of boils on his skin. he's not in on the plan and he didn't use this to throw off suspicion like tan did.

i think he works best as a tragic death. he would work best as collateral in the end. he has done all that he can and that is still not enough sometimes. you can do all the right things but circumstances get you sometimes. that's just what life is.

white is not final girl material. this story ultimately isn't about him, and i think that's what seals his fate. no part of seeing him coming out of the woods bloody and crying would be satisfying as an ending and would honestly create the most basic ass theme. it would make me actually angry if the "innocent" one got out alive. in a show that works so hard at being morally complex, that is such a slap in the face as an ending. it sends the most basic theme of "if you do bad things, bad things happen to you, and if you do good things, good things happen to you." the story would say nothing interesting. it is such a tired theme that doesn't take into acount the cemplexities and nuances of life.

i believe dff will do better than that. i think it will give us a story that leaves all of us speechless and satisfied. white being the final girl will not give us that.

sorry anon that i unloaded all of this on you. i never really got into it in my original post, and i still didn't fully get into it here but this was getting long.

#white dff #dff #dff the series #dead friend forever #dead friend forever the series #tan dff #new dff #phee dff #non dff #tee dff #teewhite #fluke dff #i've got a lot of thoughts and feelings about this show #and i've been seeing a lot of shit takes on here which makes it worse #but tell me your thoughts #who do you think is final girl? #personally i feel it's jin #he's just been such a focus and he was final girl in the short film #jin final girl explanation could be its own post tbh

[bengiyo]

For Him Ep 2 Stray Thoughts

Last week, we started with a breakup. Nail learned that Jay has been cheating on him with some other woman. The woman intentionally let Nail know and we had all the drama. He and Jay were committed to the point of rings, but Jay blamed Nail for being distant with him. Nail and his squad got together, and a new guy named Him started pursuing Nail. They were very flirty and eventually started hooking up. Dew is very pretty in this show, and I’m liking the dynamic between the leads.

Hm, is Him also getting over a breakup?

I hope Him doesn’t let me down. He’s beautiful, and I like how direct he is with Nail.

I love this returning the shirt scene. This is the second returning of clothing scene I’ve had this year after La Pluie, and I love that both shows understand the importance of the rituals.

I don’t think we’re talking about movie genres anymore.

What happened to Blue? Did he just leave? I hope he didn’t die.

Him seems so intense about Nail. It’s a lot for how little they know each other, but I like it because it feels like they’re both rebounding.

Second date and they’re going raw in a tub. Ladies, Theydies, and Gays, don’t do this. It’s hot, but unsafe.

Wow, these bubble jets are working overtime to protect the modesty of the leads.

Oh no we’re interacting with side characters who I don’t even know how they’re related already.

Did Him and Te hook up? What is the connection to Blue, and why does Te want Him to suffer?

I love when they let the BL boys drive very expensive cars, because it’s always on a closed road and very slowly.

Sorry, girls, Him is clearly very gay.

So Him is a model, and now he’s performing tonight? He can act, and dance, and he can sing?

Wow, Him, that was a harsh deflection about your ex. I like that these two have histories that complicate their current fling with each other.

I’m not sure who these side gays are, but I like this boy dunking on the cheesy pickup lines.

Doctor’s appointments? We have health drama!

I do not know these guys’ names, but I like them discussing what they want from each other!

Man, there’s something too intense about Him’s eyes. It feels like an intentional choice from Dew. It’s not lost on me that he immediately called Nail after getting pushes from his mom and Te.

I like that Nail is being clear about how far he’s willing to go with Him.

Okay, so Blue is alive, and also looks a lot like Nail???? Y’all can’t just dye their hair back to black like this!

WTF is wrong with Te??

Okay, this show is struggling to incorporate their sides into this mix, but I’m intrigued by the direct communication so far.

#for him the series #thai bl #bl series #Ben watches

[catdemontraphouse]

Had this realization today… ok more like a headcanon but hear me out:

Does Sebastian act the way he does towards OCiel at least to some degree out of a twisted sense of kinship? Like, Sebastian himself being an outcast wants Ciel to be ruthless and powerful with no regard for others instead of being treated like a mistake because he wishes he had learned to be like that sooner in his own life? Is he subconsciously projecting his own feelings of anger and resentment towards his own kind and their society on this kid?

it seems like Sebastian feels alienated from his own kind. People talk shit about him for being weird, or well, we’ve seen the reapers at least dunk on him for his contract numerous times. I have to imagine if he interacted with other demons they’d likely chide him the same, since William makes it sound like contract demons are uncommon and even they don’t starve themselves. So most demons must not make contracts at all or do quick agreements which are easily fulfilled, I assume?

So like, pair that with how eager Sebastian is for human approval, which I’ve spoken about in the past. He probably got bullied or trash talked a lot in the past by his own kind right? He wants to be seen as exceptional by anyone who will give him the time of day, even if those people are creatures easily impressed by demon magic and abilities. He almost seems desperate for people to fear him, to be amazed by him, to admire him. Even if the only people he can impress are “below him,” he’ll gladly take the praise.

Does he act so callous and rude to Ciel sometimes to try and toughen him up I wonder? Like he sees this kid who’s afraid and frail and constantly put down and relates to it? Like does he know what it feels like to be unwanted, a pariah, an afterthought? Do you think maybe he instills these values of cruelty and self-preservation at the cost of others in Ciel because he doesn’t want to see a fellow outcast be downtrodden?

It just seems weird that he’s “seasoning” the soul but then he does things which are counterintuitive to that goal. Covering the kid’s eyes when there’s some really awful display. Being so concerned about his health instead of just limping him along so that he’s alive and okay enough to fulfill the contract? Going beyond the terms of his agreement in often self-deprecating ways. I think whether or not he realizes it or wants to admit it, OCiel reminds Sebastian of himself and he sees this human child as a vector for his own rage and revenge in some ways. Vicariously trying to heal his own inner child in the most gruesome manner.

Really good parent /s

#long post #long #black butler #kuroshitsuji #sebastian michaelis

[necromaniackat]

Cruel Summer

Chapter 1: So It Begins.

It was the morning you were leaving for Heelshire mansion to begin renovations. It was your dad’s dream to turn the mansion into a bed and breakfast. He said it’s seen enough tragedies for a lifetime, now it’s time for it to see community. Your dad told you that your grandparents would never allow it while alive. Your dad died when you were twelve. That was a brutal hit to you and your mum. Mainly because your dad was a handyman and the epitome of health, yet he dropped of a heart attack at thirty. Then your mum married Adam a couple years later.

This caused a sadness to settle in the pit of your stomach. You couldn’t help but frown as you carried one your suitcases to your crappy little BMW. Hooked in your other arm was Brahms. Since you got the doll a couple days ago you haven’t paid any mind to the doll or the booklet of rules and regulations to follow when caring for Brahms. You were probably going to take it to an antique’s dealer at some point.

You put Brahms in the front seat and buckled him in. You didn’t want to send the doll flying if you slammed on the brakes. That’s at least a hundred pounds that you can put toward your next tattoo fund. Just as you closed the boot to your car a silver Audi pulled up behind you. You smiled when you realized it was your mum and stepdad. You stepped back around to the side of your car.

Your mum looked stunning in simple tie-dye summer dress and black flip-flops. Her bleached blonde hair was twisted up into a messy bun at the top of her head. Your mum always looked like a super model; she was a model at one point. That means growing up she was very much into healthy eating and exercising regularly. Just looking at you and your mum side by side, the regular person wouldn’t be able to tell you were mother daughter. You look more like your dad. You have his dark curly hair and his almost grey-blue eyes whereas your mum is a natural red head and has green eyes. You couldn’t get a tan to save your life, your mum looks like she’s mixed. You’re introverted but you become extraverted when you’re in your element which is usually by yourself while your mum was extraverted and couldn’t keep to herself to save her life. You were so unlike your mum. And sometimes that distance feels extra big.

“You alright, luv?” Your mum asked as she came up to you.

“Yeah, I was just putting my things in the car,” you replied with your hands on your hips.

“Do you have anymore upstairs?” Adam inquired with a smile.

“Of course. I always leave the heavy stuff for you,” you told him with an equally happy smile then tossed him the keys to lock up when he was done. Adam was the definition of golden retriever. He loves to be involved in your life. Which made the transition from mum’s boyfriend to stepdad all that much easier.

“I’ll go get the last of your stuff. You two…... –interact,” Adam said as he wandered up the path to your front door. You understood from his awkwardness your mum had some things to say to you that you’ll probably not like. But what else is new? Since your dad died you and your mum have had a rocky relationship.

You sighed and itched your brow.

“Listen, I know how you feel about them. I feel the same way. But this is a major opportunity for me. If this pans out, then I can quit my dead-end job. I can start living not just surviving paycheck to paycheck,” you argued before she could say anything.

“I don’t like it. That family is messed up, who knows what kinds of trouble you’ll get into because of them,” your mum posed a good point. The Heelshire side of your family are…...–different. Your great aunt was supposedly into the occult and witchcraft. There was a feud between her and your grandpa a long time ago that never got resolved.

“I know you don’t. I don’t either. But I want to do this, for dad,” you told her honestly. If it weren’t for your dad’s dream you’d put it up for sale. And maybe you will. Your memory of Heelshire mansion was a bit fuzzy.

“Jesus have mercy, Evelyn,” she muttered in defeat. Your mum sighed heavily and looked away, peering into the car. Her eyebrows rutted together.

“What’s that?” She questioned, pointing to something in your car. You instantly knew she was talking about Brahms. Your mum has a deep hatred for that doll. After the real Brahms died your grandparents doted on this doll instead of their remaining son. Your dad had to spend his late teens and early adult years living in the shadow of a doll.

“Is that Brahms?!” Your mum exclaimed looking at you like you had done something wrong. You held your hands out in front of you in defense as you tried to gather your words.

“Evelyn Elizabeth,” your mum warned coldly.

“Okay, okay! It is Brahms but I’m taking him to an antique’s dealer next week. He’s not staying,” you explained as though your life depended on it. With how angry your mum looked; it could very well be.

Your mum placed her hands on her lower back and scoffed, shaking her head.

“You’re not following those stupid rules, are you?” She asked, trying to figure out if she should just smash the doll into pieces now or allow you to prove to her that your grandparents hadn’t brainwashed you.

“I haven’t even looked at the terms and conditions book,” you retorted, crossing your arms over your chest. This earned a snort from your mum as she broke out in a fit of giggles. Little to your knowledge this is exactly how your mum reacted when your dad wanted to bring her home for a few days and he had to go over the rules.

“Okay, this is the last of it.” Your stepdad, Adam, declared as he came walking down the small path with your duffle bag of power tools and your last suitcase. You opened the car door so he could unload in your backseat next to the cat carrier with Bandit, your cat, inside. The door closed and Adam handed your keys back to you before bringing you into one of his ‘dad hugs’. They weren’t the same hugs you got from your dad; they were different. But over time Adam’s hugs became something of a comfort to you.

“If you run into any problems at all, call me and I will drive out to help sort it out,” Adam told you as you two broke away from each other. You smiled and gave him a sure nod, telling him you’d do just that. Something you’ve always loved about Adam is he’s willing to help with problems, not solve them but assist. It always gave you a chance to fix it and then to reach out for help if you needed it.

“I guess I should get going,” you murmured. Your mum pursed her lips then opened her arms for a hug. You obliged. Your mum’s arms tightened around you. You can’t remember the last time she hugged you like this. It brought both comfort and a hint of dread.

“Call me when you get there,” she said, pulling away from you. You forced a smile to reassure her as you opened the driver’s side door. Your very full lanyard jingled as you waved awkwardly. Your mum and Adam stood on the sidewalk waving at you. You wondered if this is what it would’ve been like if you decided to go to university like the rest of your peers. That thought left a sour taste in your mouth.

You gave your parents one final wave before hopping into your crappy BMW. You turned the key to bring the car to life before putting on your playlist to listen to on the drive. You never really grew out of your alt phase, at least now you have more refined tastes, so your playlist shows that. And just like that, you were on your way to Heelshire mansion.

#writing #horror #wattpad #writer #brahms headcanons #brahms the boy #brahms x reader #brahms heelshire #fanfiction #fanfic #my writing

[gamerswift13]

Mrs Maisel Musings!

Kia ora, friends!

Alright, here it is folks, the moment maybe some, maybe none of you have been waiting for: my thoughts on the The Marvellous Mrs Maisel final season. I did it, I finally got it done. I think the reason it took me so long, aside from previously mentioned mental health issues, is that writing stuff like this for five hundred and sixteen minutes of television is hard! It’s really hard. I would love to hear what you all think of this, and if you want to discuss what I’ve written here, or even just about the show or season in general, please hit me up! I would love to talk about it with you.

Now enough with the delays and the stalling - please enjoy my review (??) of The Marvellous Mrs Maisel season 5, the final season.

So, I really liked the first few seasons of The Marvellous Mrs Maisel. Even though it’s a bit cheesy and dopey at times. Rachel Brosnahan is a joy to watch on-screen, and a lot of the other actors here do a really great job with the script they were given... such as it is. On a recent rewatch, though, I started to see the strings a little bit - things that I liked the first time around just didn’t quite hit the same. I got through most of it, all the important parts, and then I started the new season. It’s been a couple weeks or so since I finished it, and I’m not as down on it now as I was when I started, but y’all, I am about to have some opinions.

This the final Mrs Maisel season really feels like creator Amy Sherman-Palladino probably wanted to do at least one more season after this, but someone at Jeff’s Website Studios said no, so she simply decided to burn the show to the ground.

Now as I wrote in the subtitle, I am about to spoil things here, so this is your final warning: if you don’t want to be spoiled for season five of The Marvellous Mrs Maisel, get out now.

Also: foul language ahead! 🤬

The entire point of this season seems to be leaning into how much of a piece of shit Miriam Weissman is. We get glimpses of her in “current day” 1962 juxtaposed with scenes set in 1972 and 1982, and a couple of other random years, where we skip around and see all sorts of wild stuff - Midge is rich and famous, her kids Ethan and Esther are all grown up, Joel is in prison, and there are some bonkers and hilariously bad facial prosthetics.

Now, aside from the hilariously stupid idea that Midge as a stand-up comic somehow got insanely rich, there are some cool ideas here. The first episode opens with Esther in a psychiatrists office in 1981, searching through a backpack for something and seeming very annoyed. On first watch, I didn’t like that this is something that’s shown at all, but the more I thought about it the more I warmed to the idea. In previous seasons, The Marvellous Mrs Maisel has at times made a point of showing Midge being a terrible and/or absent mother, usually for comedic effect, but I think it’s interesting that they took this idea and bore it out, to show that mid-20’s Midge’s actions had consequences. In a later episode we also see Ethan as an adult, with Midge annoyingly landing in a helicopter nearby and upsetting everyone - this wasn’t as interesting to me, but it was still a good glimpse into how little regard Midge appears to have for anyone but herself, Joel, Susie, or Lenny Bruce.

Speaking of Lenny Bruce, I want to talk about his appearances in the final season. If you know anything about him from real life, you might know how his life ended, and where. The very first episode of season five has Midge bumping into him randomly at the airport when he is about to board a plane to Los Angeles. This made me so. Fucking. Mad. IRL Lenny Bruce was found dead in his home in Hollywood Hills in 1966, which lead me to believe that the very last time Midge will ever see him was this scene at the airport. Midge walks away from the interaction with Lenny with a strange look on her face, as if she somehow knows that this will be the last time she ever sees him alive, and it is my humble opinion that that fucking sucks. Lenny Bruce is one of the best characters on this show, with a ton of great appearances and lines and jokes, and Luke Kirby does a phenomenal job of capturing the real Lenny’s energy - it’s not 1:1, but it’s a great depiction, and I simply cannot believe Amy S-P would do my boy like this. The only other time we see Lenny in this season is years later, performing in front of a fairly disinterested crowd as he mumbles and rambles about this thing and that, and it’s so fucking depressing. This season, the show never outright mentions his drug use, but it’s heavily implied, and there’s a moment in a back room where he is talking to Susie and appears to be unable to stand up. On the one hand, I’m kind of pleased that they didn’t depict his death at all, but it really bothered me that these two scenes were all we got of him before the show stops referencing him at all.

The part of this season that really shines the most to me is a scene from episode eight, with Abe in a dimly-lit restaurant with Gabe, his boss, and a couple of colleagues. The scene begins with Abe checking his coat and coming over to sit where Gabe etcetera are already seated around a table and chatting. They order some wine. There’s a cut here to a few minutes later where the wine has arrived and been poured, and Abe sits silently, swirling his drink and clearly deep in thought while the others talk amongst themselves. Eventually, Gabe interrupts Abe’s thoughts, telling him that he had been raving to the others about his conversational skills. Abe apologises. “It’s just… the whole goddamn world, you know,” he says, clearly depressed about something. “Only that?” chimes in one of the other men at the table. Then ensues a conversation about the state of the world, about progress, about gender inequality and mental health, even, which was surprising to me. This scene is heartbreaking, and might be some of the best writing in the entire series. I cried watching this scene the first time around, and again just now rewatching it. It’s really sad that Abe never got the kind of character development shown here earlier, I would have liked to see that.

Episode six is an interesting sort of experiment; beginning with Midge on stage, in 1985, talking about her relationship with Susie, it then transitions into a roast for an indifferent and grumpy Susie in 1990, which is basically a device for a bunch of famous people you’ve seen in other things to come together as characters never seen before or again and tell stories about Susie’s rise to fame as one of the biggest talent managers in the United States. Here we get an explanation for why Joel is in prison, and a bunch of seemingly randomly selected stories about what Susie has been up to since 1962. As with the portrayal of Esther in episode one, this was another thing about this season that really bothered me at first, because it felt like it lacks focus, but as I thought about it more, it started to grow on me. This collection of tales about Susie’s exploits make sense for her character, and help to define who she is.

Overall, this season really fell down for me when I realised that a lot of really interesting moments never truly pay off. We jump around a lot between different years and perspectives, and we see a lot of things that could have been great story arcs, but they simply end and are never mentioned again. I really do feel like this season was supposed to be two or more, and Jeff’s Studio said no, so Amy Sherman-Palladino lit it all on fire. I think that if hyou like this show, it might still be worth it to catch the final season, but personally I feel like it should never have been made - at least not in this form. I would much rather have seen this stretched out more, over at least one more season. It tries to give the viewer some closure in the very last scene of the very last episode, but for me it falls flat. I don’t think I’ll ever watch this again.

Thanks so much for reading! What did you think? Once again, please feel free to hit me up in the comments, on the socials, or send me an email. And as always, if you want to read more stuff by me, you can check out my Letterboxd reviews - I recently reviewed The Craft (1996), Eradication (2022), and The Sand (2015)!

I hope y’all are staying safe out there! Have a great week and I’ll talk to you again soon. Ka kite anō au i a koe. 💚

Rebecca

Links | Twitter | Mastodon | Cohost | Substack | itch.io | Letterboxd | Instagram | Carrd | Email

#The Marvellous Mrs Maisel #Mrs Maisel #Luke Kirby #Lenny Bruce #Rachel Brosnahan #midge x lenny #mental health #queer writers #trans writers #non binary writers #writers of aotearoa #writers of new zealand #aotearoawriters #new zealand #Amazon #substack #authors #non fiction #aotearoa #lgbtqi+ #television #TV #review #entertainment #gamerswift13

[comicbookhyperfixationtime]

Uncanny X-men #197- To Save Arcade?!?

Again, not doing a full review. Don't want to talk about Piotr and Kitty's relationship again. See my last post.

Last Issue Recap: The X-men foiled an assassination attempt on Professor X, who is hiding his failing health and powers. A reformed Magneto and Rachel had a heart to heart. Kitty Pryde said the N-word.

What is with this trend of every issue title having a million punctuation marks? This cover is definitely a step up from the last two by sheer virtue of the scene on the cover actually happening in the issue. Honestly it feels very nostalgic, all the X-men are in their old uniforms, Cyclops and Storm are back, and they're fighting Doom again

Damn if he really goes through pajamas that much he should just grab some extra blankets and sleep in the nude because that has to be more convenient.

By the way, for all y'all who don't know who Arcade is (so, most people), he's an old X-men villain-for-hire whose schtick was like... killer escape rooms. Like he has this absurdly OTT lair called Murderworld and its sort of like Saw except instead of dingy white tiles and rusty spiky shit he's got absurdly realistic robots and holographs other magitek.

Also he dresses like this.

So, TLDR, Dr Doom put a hit out on Arcade and he's kidnapped recruited Kitty and Colossus to protect him, with the assistance of his giant army of X-men robots.

Also, it feels like the comic is trying to gaslight me into believing that's Colossus' uniform and always has been but I remember that slutty sideboob too well, you can't fool me.

I love how fucked up Marvel civilians are. When Spiderman accidentally sneezes on someone he's a menace who must be gunned down but when a pink robot who can disguise himself as any human brutally vaporizes two robbers in cold blood he's bigger than hula hoops.

Goddamnit they pulled the old "Actually a Doombot" retcon on the original Avenger's confrontation with Doom in X-men #145-7, which is just bullshit because I actually liked that story. Also, I refuse to believe it took practically the whole team three issues to defeat a Doombot but the real deal can be taken out by a literal child and the X-men's least impressive punchy guy in one. Ok, headcanon time, Arcade is lying to freak out Piotr and Kitty so they'll take this more seriously.

NGL its kind of rough to repeatedly see the X-men horrifically murdered by Doom, even if their organs are just robot bits.

You could just kill him. I mean, he's right there. I'm honestly super shocked Arcade followed through and let them go though.

All in all didn't like this issue. All of Piotr and Kitty's interactions make me uncomfy even when they're not still actively flirting (*shudder*). Also, the Murderworld was overall pretty bland by Murderworld standards. The X-men robots and not knowing which Kitty/Colossus was a robot and which was the real deal was an interesting gimmick but the fight only took place in one set piece which fails like a waste of a good Murderworld. On the bright side:

STORM'S ALIVE! Glad they didn't keep us hanging for too long.

(oh btw also Cyclops is temporarily rejoining the team to help Prof X but the scene of him saying goodbye to Madeline Prior was too wholesome for me to make jokes about so I skipped it).

#comic books #marvel comics #kitty pryde #colossus #piotr rasputin #arcade (marvel comics) #nimrod #storm #cyclops was technically also there #I hope this is remotely coherent and entertaining

[melonba11s]

When a beer doesn't help (Reupload)

You haven't been yourself lately, and Strade doesn't like this

Minors and Ageless blogs do not interact, you will be blocked.

Contains: Strade, Gender-Neutral MC, depictions of depression

It had been some months since Strade had decided to keep you. At first, you hadn’t really known what to think, feeling only uncertainty weighed down by the collar around your throat. Then there was relief, knowing you were alive. 

But to what life? You were trapped in the house, if you got too close to the doors, a painful electric shock would be administered. Strade spent most of his time in the basement, leaving you upstairs with Ren most of the time. At first, you had filled your time with cleaning, making meals for Strade, and spending awkward times with Ren as he surfed the internet or watched anime. 

But there eventually grew an ache for the outside world. To get up in the morning and go to your favorite cafe for a cup of coffee. To head to a job you had hated, but one that gave you routine. And you could always spend your day off doing whatever you wanted. Walking through the park, driving out to a museum. So many things you now felt you never did enough. Because now, you’d never do them again. 

It started off pretty simply. Sleeping in, letting the hours tick by as you drifted in and out of sleep. There was no reason to wake up after all. Eventually you spent more time just laying in bed with your thoughts than you did up and about. 

Ren never forced you to help him with anything, after all. You had only volunteered to help. So a new routine emerged of sleeping, laying around listlessly, and occasionally being called to join Strade as he watched a movie or some TV. 

Today wasn’t any different. Strade had called your name, and you’d shuffled out into the living room to sit next to him, toying with your collar as you barely paid attention to what was on the screen. You only gave some acknowledgement of Strade’s existence next to you when he got up. 

“I’m going to go get a beer.” he had said, heading into the kitchen without another word. You had just nodded, continuing to stare at the television. Until a can of beer was shoved into your face. You looked up in questioning at Strade, his expression unreadable as he pushed it into your hand. 

“Here. Drink.” He enunciated, before sitting back down next to you. You stared down at the beer, before cracking it open. He’d never gotten you anything before… It tasted awful, like cheap tea left in the sun for a week. But you kept sipping, aware that Strade was staring at you from the corner of his eye. 

“What's up.” he said, suddenly, as the program on the TV took a commercial break. It was a question, but he phrased it more like a sentence. You shot him a confused look, squinting a bit. He coughed, and explained himself more. 

“All you do is sleep. Lay around. Faulenzen.” He took a sip of his own beer, now staring at a commercial for a hardware store. “You were so full of life before, I liked you better then.” You shuffled in place, trying to find your words. 

“... There doesn’t seem to be a point to it.” you finally decided on saying. “I don’t have any reason to get out of bed, do I? And I like sleeping.”  Strade gave a grunt, letting you know to be silent as his show came back on. So you again both sat in silence, occasionally drinking from your can of beer. Until the next round of commercials came. 

“When was the last time you showered?” was his question this time, reaching out and running a hand through your stringy hair. 

“Don’t remember.” you offered as an answer, and watched as he wrinkled his nose. 

“Not good, Schatzi. You should be showering regularly.” You rolled your eyes. 

“The collar isn’t waterproof, and why do you care?” You gave a small squeak as Strade stood up, turning the TV off and grabbing you by your upper arm. He began to half drag, half lead you up the stairs. 

“I need you in good health next time we have some fun together.” was his only explanation. Ah, so that was it. He just needed you to not break too easily. 

“You’re going to miss your show.” you tried to protest, as his tugging you along became painful. 

“I was barely paying attention to it anyways.” Strade said. Liar. If he wasn’t paying attention to it he wouldn’t have gestured for you to remain quiet while he watched. You just tried your best to keep up as he swung open the bathroom door, and flicked the bathtubs tap on. 

“Take them off.” He instructed, pointing at your clothes. A hand me down shirt from him, covered in beer stains, and a pair of underwear. He left the bathroom after giving you instruction, leaving you alone. The room was quickly filling up with steam, as you stripped down. You toggled with the temperature of the water, figuring that Strade was forcing you to bathe. But there was still the issue of your collar. 

You turned as Strade came back, holding two towels, and the remote to your collar. You stiffened, shrinking back from him. 

“Relax. I just need to take it off.” He grumbled, looking mildly annoyed. You watched as he locked the door behind him, locking you in with him. He set the towels down on the counter, then reached forward, pressing a button on the remote as he did so. 

Almost instantly, there was the relief of the collar unlocking, you scratched at the exposed skin as Strade set the opened collar down next to the towels. Then began unbuttoning his shirt. He caught your wide eyed stare, and smiled. 

“I may as well bathe too, shouldn’t I? I apparently have to show you how to properly clean yourself.” You turned around, despite not caring if he saw you naked… The idea of watching him strip made you warm in the face. 

“I-I can bathe myself, but, the collar-” 

“Come and ask me to take it off, Schatzi” he said simply. “I do not bite. Usually.” you hunched your shoulders as you heard the unmistakable sound of clothes hitting the floor. Then warm hands on your shoulders. 

“Come now, get into the tub.” unwilling to push him off and risk angering him, you let him lift and guide your body into the bath, following suit until you were nestled between his legs, forced closer to him than you’d been in a long time. 

“Relax, a bath is a time for relaxation.” he instructed, wrapping his arms around your chest and pulling you back. This was the opposite of relaxing, being pressed up against him, skin to skin. You did your best though, closing your eyes, trying to imagine you were somewhere else, with someone else. 

Strade hummed softly, making a show of pouring shampoo into his hands and attacking your head with it. His fingers were way to rough, digging into your scalp that threatened to bruise. You could only sit there and take it as he scrubbed away what was probably weeks of filth. 

“... I’d like for you to enjoy being here.” he said suddenly, quietly. You tried to turn to look at him, to try and make sure it actually came from him, but he kept a tight grip on your head, making you face forward. Before you could say anything, he continued. 

“... Keep cleaning for me. Give yourself something to do. Or else.” It was a thinly veiled threat, but you could read through his painfully thin lines. “Keep a routine.” 

“Also,” he added on. “... Do you have any hobbies? I can get you things for them.” He was speaking gruffly, and low, so much so you could barely hear him. You took in a deep breath. You suppose this was his way of showing he’d been worried for you. 

“... Thank you…” You managed, as he dumped water over your head to get out the last of the shampoo. 

“Don’t thank me. It’s my responsibility to care for my pets.” 

#Strade

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #115

Up late again last night having important conversations with J. My brain is having a really rough time of it.

Well, that's okay. I got a bunch of insecurities out in the open instead of holding them in and trying to deal with them by myself. My delivery of my thoughts was clumsy, and we were both very tired, and so naturally the result was that J and I were frustrated and frightened. Thankfully, both of us work hard to be people who do not take our fears or frustrations out on other people, so instead of shutting down or getting snarky with one another, we simply kept trying to work through the things until we came to a mutual understanding. That was good.

The main crux of the issue is that my brain is mean to me. I generally feel unworthy of being loved by others (or even of being alive, most of the time), so when expressions of love or praise come my way, it's hard for me to accept them without becoming uncomfortable and shying away. As such, my response to any kind of praise or recognition has set a precedent where it becomes hard for other people to give it, because I am doing everything I can to avoid or deflect it. I'm working on it, but I come from an environment where praise was rare, and if you DON'T deny it, then you leave yourself open to accusations of being full of yourself. So, it's going to take me a hot minute to get it together and learn. But that's okay. I have time, and I can learn difficult things, even when it's uncomfortable, and the health of my relationships depends on my ability to work on the issues within me that I've put on the back burner in favor of tending to literally anyone and anything else.

Br came over today in the morning, and she will stay overnight. I was able to go over my struggles with her as well. We talked over the tea we made together. I had the maple black tea, and she had the maple herbal tea. We both sweetened ours with maple sugar and heavy cream. Here's how mine turned out:

Here's how hers turned out:

Fortunately, she was able to respond much less defensively than J did, so I came away from the interaction feeling seen and understood. Ultimately, correcting the way my brain treats me is my responsibility and mine alone, but feeling as though I am understood and supported helps me to have the strength and courage I need in order to do the necessary work to change the way I look at myself.

J and M are working from home still, so Br and I went out on a date to the Galleria 7 place. As it turns out, the empanada place is gluten free by default! So I got lunch for her, lunch for me, and lunch to bring home to J, and M didn't want anything. I got tacos. They were awesome! And I got some horchata, too, and this was also good! I'll show you:

I brought with me my small tree orb; last time we were there, the lady who runs the trinket/empanada shop expressed an interest in selling my handicrafts. I didn't know how to price it though, so I asked for suggestions. So now my little orb is amongst the other trinkets, with a price tag of $20:

…I wonder if anyone will want it.

My other orb is still drying just a little. That one will be going to the other side of the planet very soon for a person who needs it. I hope it will serve him well.

I am trying to think of things to write to you. But I am very tired and my brain isn't doing the things properly. So I guess I'll end this one here.

Hey. In the future, Sephiroth. If you're struggling with doubt, pain, and insecurity, instead of bottling it up and spending a week in a terrible place trying to handle it yourself (and failing miserably, because humans are NOT built to handle things themselves, no matter what anyone tries to tell you), you gotta talk about it to the people around you, okay? Zack is maybe a little oblivious and silly, but he's good people - one of the best. Don't struggle alone. Please. I'm sure if you set down the weapons and promise not to fight, he'd try to listen to you and understand you. So give it a try, okay?

Because… if you don't turn yourself around, Sephiroth, you're gonna get erased. Please don't get erased. If I have to get on my hands and knees and beg you not to make choices that will get you erased, I will. So come on… I'm counting on you. I'm counting on you to make it. I'm counting on you to eventually be okay.

I'll write again tomorrow. I love you. Stay safe.

Your friend, Lumine

#sephiroth #ThankYouFFVIIDevs #ThankYouFF7Devs #ThankYouSephiroth #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 #ff7 #ffvii #final fantasy vii crisis core #final fantasy 7 crisis core #final fantasy crisis core #ffvii crisis core #ff7 crisis core #crisis core #ff7r #final fantasy vii remake #final fantasy 7 remake #ffvii remake #ff7 remake #final fantasy vii rebirth #final fantasy 7 rebirth #ffvii rebirth #ff7 rebirth #final fantasy 7 ever crisis #ffvii ever crisis #ff7 ever crisis #ffvii first soldier #business opportunity #sleep deprived #wholesome

[marshmallowprotection]

How do you think the RFA + V & Saeran would react to a MC with DID? Would they notice there is more than one person in the body if we try to hide it? How would they handle it?

We're just two, and we're in a part of therapy where we're highly functional, but sometimes being more than one is just overwhelming, hard to deal with or hide it enough :(

Yoosung wouldn't understand at first. He thinks you shuffle through emotions at every turn. To him, it feels spontaneous when your tone shifts in conversation or when you suggest something he hasn't heard you say before. To him, unless you've told him first, he'll be prone to assume that you're somebody who can flip at the turn of a hat. You're out of the box and decide to try things differently when you're pushed into situations that might not mesh with something you've done before.

He isn't well versed in anything to do with mental health so he's not going to be searching or thinking anything about your health. He's going to think the way you interact with the world is a part of your personality. Nothing more than that. Even if something is amiss around you and he senses there's more going on he isn't aware of, he won't know what to say or how to ask you about what you're feeling.

He thinks you're you. I.E. The face of the body or whoever fronted when you entered the messenger and introduced yourself if you never mentioned the plurality. So, when It's time to talk to him about the condition you're all faced with, you'll need to keep in mind that any ignorance he voices isn't spoken in malice or anger.

It's because his interaction with DID until this point is probably through the media and it is well-known that most depictions of DID in movies and television are demonized. He has a lot to learn and he's going to listen to what you've got to tell him, alongside the rest of the system. It's not like he hasn't met your other system members if it's been a while since you've met him. He just doesn't know it was someone different than who he knew when whoever was fronting met him.

His ignorance might be the hardest thing to deal with since he'll do or say something insulting without meaning to do so. But, he'll apologize and learn from any of the mistakes he makes. He cares about you, all of you, and he wants to make sure the person he's been trying so hard to protect feels safe with him. Yoosung needs time to process that this changes some dynamics of his relationship. He has questions.

"Am I just dating you? Does everybody in the system like me? Can I know everybody's name so I don't make the mistake of calling someone by the wrong name? What can I do to be a good boyfriend? I want to make sure I don't hurt you. Any of you. I might be inexperienced but I want to do right by us."

Zen is someone you might imagine to be unaware of the extent that the world can ebb and flow for every person who is alive. But, he's more in touch with his emotions and the feelings of others than most even realize.

His problem is similar to Yoosung; being that his ignorance of the details of conditions will be the only source of a problem you've got to deal with once your status is revealed. It's like when he says something in support of others but you note he's using an outdated term or he means well but he misses the mark with what he says.

His intentions are good when he acts on them, and that's probably obvious when you speak to him since it's hard to misconstrue how supportive he is toward the people that need it most. But, similar to Yoosung, again, if you don't tell him, he won't think to voice any concern. He's an actor who can play a role that's so unlike himself that it almost feels like it's normal for someone to wax and wane with the limitlessness of the path they can take when they go about their day.

Any major deviation from what he's been shown at first would just make him think you're an out-of-the-box personality type. The only thing that could really throw him off would be if a different name was said to him and it was corrected later back to another name. If it's not laid in front of him, he'll only think that you're a wildcard.

But, once you tell him that you're a system and how the dynamics are at play, he adjusts right away and apologizes for any poor behavior before. The things he asks won't be invasive. As a victim of neglect and abuse, he knows when not to ask someone about a painful memory. He does want the system to know he won't let anyone hurt them. None of you will be at risk for harm as long as he has breath in his body. Nobody hurts the one(s) he loves and gets away with it.

"So, should I change any of the things I do so you're all comfortable? What isn't okay for me to do? Do you prefer certain names? Pronouns? I don't want to assume something! I'll take notes and read them like my lines until I know I'm doing what you all need me to do. Babe, babes? I will learn and do whatever it takes because I love you. All of you."

Jaehee has learned quite a few things since she started working for Jumin Han. The amount of extra time she's spent studying different subjects to try and source a deal is more than she can count. In the name of mental health, she dived into a few topics just to be well-informed before they spoke to the head of a unit or hospital division.

It's possible she has a rudimentary idea of what DID is and how it affects the system at large. Her insight wouldn't be much more than Yoosung or Zen but she would be present enough to know that there are things to say and not say when you're speaking to someone else. It's not her place to inquire about your system if the topic hasn't been broached by you.

After all, it is a defensive tool to protect the body from harm. It is important to allow you to exist as need be until a comment or request from you changes that tide in any way.

However, depending on the way that your system interacts with the RFA at large will play a role in her speculation unless you've opened up about your health.

Even if she suspects something and has a moment to note that you don't act like "you" when you bring a different energy into the chatroom, she won't say a word about it if it doesn't get in the way of the charity work you're all meant to be doing at this point. Jaehee isn't someone who pries into someone's business for any reason. She respects the privacy and the right to share only what you want with the people you interact with. So, it's really on you or a situation where it can no longer be avoided for you to have with conversation.

She is respectful, insightful, and methodical. She knows this doesn't change how much she cares for your system. But, it will change the way she speaks to you and other system members. She'll have to get to know them as they are instead of pretending to be the one who fronted when this all started on the first day you arrived.

You can expect her to sit down, listen, and take this change in like a champ. You don't need to answer every question she might ask, no, she'll have taken the incentive to study through appropriate channels so as not to expect you to share everything. It's her job to meet you halfway as your loved one. You can't do all the work. No member of your system can do it all alone, either.

"Should I try to make changes to how to speak to you? What about (system member)? Is there anything I need to avoid? What can I do to make sure I support all of you the way you need... Just as you've given me more support than I've ever known?"

Jumin is empathetic and insightful. He never does miss a detail when it's offered to him. Even if it's the smallest detail you've never thought to point out to someone before. From the way you bite your lip the second you're anxious or the way, you tap a pen on the desk three times before you write something. It never misses his attention. He'll notice that there's a tendency to jump from point a to point g at times in the middle of the day.

At first, he'll think that you're dealing with your stress by juggling parts of things you feel and say. But, it won't take long before he's sure that he'll need to have a discussion with you on this subject. He won't have any clue why you act a certain way or change the way you speak, but he'll know that you're in need of his support. He wants to offer it since you've been helping him since the first day you arrived... despite his obvious wariness to an outsider who stumbled into a private server.

There's a strong chance that he'll be the first to approach the subject. If you don't discuss things with him, he'll know there's a reason why. But, him being the man he is and his ability to take care of any of your needs would spur him to want to do something to help. Even if he doesn't know what you're going through, his instinctual thought is to think of your needs and find out accommodations that can be made to ensure you're comfortable.

"Dearest, I want to make sure I'm treating not only you with a warm welcome but your system as well. They're a part of you and you're a part of them. I'm sure that I've made mistakes in hindsight, but I wish to repair them and learn the best way to know all of you and the warmth you've given me so I may give it back tenfold."

DID won't be among his first guesses as to what you're going through, but once you sit down and talk with him, he'll take the time to study and sort through the right resources to discuss how he can improve the way he's with you (and the rest of the system) because the thought of him ignoring or discounting people he cares about (even if he only just recently learned their names and of their existence), is upsetting.

He knows what it feels like to be misunderstood or demonized for acting and feeling the way you need to to survive. He won't let that happen to you if he can help it. No. What he'll do is anything he can do to ensure you feel peace in your heart going forward.

Saeyoung has been through the wringer when it comes to his mental health. He has seen more horrible things than he knows to count. It's not easy for him to rifle through all his experiences. But, if there's one thing he knows it's when someone is wearing a mask. He might not be aware of the reason why you shuffle through emotions and talk as if you're not the same person every day, but he knows he is guilty of the same for a different reason.

He might assume that you're just like him in that regard. There would have been no reason for him to go into your medical history when he did the background check, so he won't find out about your system that way. He'll only find out when you reveal it to him and it won't take that much for him to understand what's going on. It pains him to hear, though. That means you went through a lot of pain and grief in your childhood and he wouldn't wish that on anyone in his life, not even his worst enemy.

In the same way that he'd feel if he learned about his twin brother's system, he'd worry that he did something wrong in the past and hurt you. His fears hurting the ones he loves the most so you have to keep in mind his paranoia and fear when it comes to feeling like he hasn't done enough to make a difference in your life. He wouldn't want any person he loves to be hurt because he made a mistake. So, he'll be sure to spend a lot of time apologizing for his choices. God, especially if being in the apartment made it hard on you.

"Listen, [Y/N]. I love you. I love more than life itself and that means I love your system, too. I may not know everyone yet and I may not be able to say if I'm in love with them because I need to get to know them as they are, but I know I love all of you no matter what happens and I want to learn how to treat you all the way you deserve. Any angel who fights for a damned soul like mine deserves to be happy and safe."

V is the one who grapples with this revelation. His reaction to Ray/Suit Saeran during Ray Route is a testament to that. He doesn't understand what the MC means at first and this confusion feeds into the misunderstanding and lack of education he has about mental health disorders. He hardly acknowledges his turbulent emotions as it stands so it stands to reason he'd have a hard time letting himself accept that not only is he in need of accepting that he can't wear a pair of rose-colored glasses, but he needs to focus on doing right by his loved ones in need of care.

So, his partner being a part of a system will take some time for him to process and think about as he's made mistakes in the past to his other partner and now he fears that he'll do the same again, but to a fault that would contain far more than one person in a relationship, if more than one member of the system is in love with him the way you are. It's not you or the system he's worried about. It's him. He's fearful he'll make a mistake again or hurt someone with meaning to do so.

These insecurities are about a lot of shame and guilt he holds over what happened with Rika, and it's not your fault he feels that shame and guilt. It's something he needs to work on to be able to have a new relationship. His education will come during the time you spend apart, actually. Exchanging letters and long notes so he can properly get to know not only you but the other members of your system as well. Give him time to come around, and focus on being yourselves when you're with him.

"I hope this letter finds you at a good time. I was hoping I could talk to you. Not just [Y/N], but all of you. It was the combination of the kind nature I found within each of you which found a way to make a difference in my life. I hope I can better understand the best way to take care of all of you the way you deserve... the way I'm learning to take care of myself."

[This has been answered for GE Saeran.]

#ask #anon #mod kait #mystic messenger #mysme #mysticmessenger #mm #saeran choi #choi saeran #jihyun kim #kim jihyun #yoosung kim #kim yoosung #hyun ryu #ryu hyun #saeyoung choi #choi saeyoung #jumin han #han jumin #jaehee kang #kang jaehee #ge saeran

[hollowflay]

I will say for as much as I talk about heather being a maniacal bitch she is actually SHOCKINGLY compassionate and empathetic in ways that are super unexpected and some of her seemingly callous behavior can come from it.

like she doesn’t feel bad about the deaths she and Billy caused. she understands that at the end of the day they didn’t have a choice and it’s cruel and pointless to beat herself up about it. even when you get into the murkier ones like her own parents (which she wasn’t exactly trying to save) it’s just – realistically what do you think she could do? what does replaying it or obsessing over it or tormenting herself with it do? Nothing.

It’s pointless self flagellation to give into guilt on that. it won’t bring them back, the only good thing you can do is just try to move forward.

the most shocking (to outsiders) display of kindness/compassion/empathy is for Billy tho. Yes she’s 100% upset/traumatized/angry about what happened to her but there’s not an ounce of her that really blames Billy for it. He had no control over it, she knows that better than anyone alive. She can’t hate him for it or blame him for it and she HATES seeing him beat himself up over what he did to her. She sees it as someone basically blaming themselves for being violated and made to do things with a gun to their head. She really does see him as the victim he is and commits a LOT of time to trying to do right by him.

She worries a LOT about Billy, worries about his mental health, if he’s okay, if he might hurt himself. She saw it as her job to keep him together when they were in the hivemind and she still sees it as her job bc no one else alive wants to do it and she’s more than happy to.

it also shows up in her friendship with Chrissy. sure she can be shitty and kinda toxic to Chrissy but she also really worries about her A LOT. she’s likely guessed at her ED and is worried about her and would 100% beat the shit out of her mother if asked. She’s very protective of Chrissy because she knows how gentle and easily manipulated/pressured she is. She fights Chrissy’s battles for her because she can’t bear to see her hurt.

All of Heather’s cruelty and violence is generally coming from the fact she is ACTUALLY VERY SWEET AND GENTLE but that’s not respected in the world. You don’t make it if you’re nice. In the world her father made clear was The Real World, those kinds of quality were very clearly marked as bad and weaknesses and belittled in men. Naturally they were seen as great in women but in a patronizing way. Heather wanted the kind of approval and acknowledgment a man like her father would only give a son (you know, like she's a Real Actual Human and not an Object) so naturally she got very twisted up inside. Add onto that how fake friendships based on status can be, very negative interactions with peers and mentors, a general sense of feeling emotionally unsafe and it all culminated in her never really acting on her kindness and instead using her empathy to clock people and insult them better. But when the situation is right her kindness really does shine thru.

#meta / ooc. #headcanons / ooc. #honestly once heather decides she cares about someone she WILL die for them she's intensely loyal and caring when she let's herself be

[spittyfishy]

Hi hello big fan of you giving the V3 cast a corruption arc via the Remnants AU. Have you gone into how Kaito fell into despair, since I think you mentioned he was one of the first ones to go?

Hi there! I’m so glad you like the AU! And yesss corruption arcs are top tier

It’s sort of been mentioned a few times in passing, and I plan to touch on it a bit in the fic I’m trying to write for the au (you know, if my dumb brain can be convinced it’s ok enough to actually post) but no, I haven’t gone into too much detail about how Kaito fell to despair…. until now!

So! Part of that is because unlike some of the others like say, Ryoma, I don’t think there was one big inciting incident that got Kaito into despair. I think it was a much more gradual, slow, methodical deconstruction of him and his ideas until Junko and despair was all he could possibly be. Junko used her skills as a master manipulator to do a targeted character assasination Kaitos perception of himself, his relationships, and his very dreams until he had absolutely no hope left.

Kaito does think he was the first to get turned, which has a big effect on how he interacts with the other remnants (he isn’t actually right, unbeknownst to him Tsumugi was the first in the class to be brought into despair. But in part because of her talent, she is a Very good actress, and since she’s quite plain (you know, according to the games, despite Tsumugi having one of the best designs in all of danganronpa), no one else noticed she was in despair until much later, and so Kaito genuinely thinks he came first.

A core part of Kaitos character is wanting to be seen as a hero, and while a great deal of that was corrupted beyond recognition in despair (doing more and more almost cartoonishly evil things so he’ll be seen as a villain to the general public), with the other remnants he still tries to take on that leader role. He wants to be looked up to, he wants to keep them working as a team, he wants to keep them doing their best to keep Junko’s vision alive, and he wants to be the one responsible for that. If he isn’t going to be a hero he’ll be a champion to the villains!

It’s likely one of the main reasons he’s so often at odds with Kokichi. Kokichi’s ultimate puts him in the perfect position to usurp Kaito as de facto leader. (Side note: whether any of the other remnants actually see Kaito as a leader is debatable. Kirumi, Angie, and Ryoma all have much larger followings that extend beyond the core remnants themselves, as does Kokichi, and many like Tenko only recognize Junko’s authority and no one else’s, but Kaito sees himself as the leader of everyone.)

He’s Junko’s favourite after all right! (He wasn’t.) Why else would she have picked him first? (She didn’t.) So why shouldn’t he be in charge? (He isn’t.) Kaito honestly has a lot of issues with self worth and his own self imposed importance, and those are likely the qualities Junko exploited most.

Oh yeah! And sort of just a general note for Kaito, he’s not gonna have any variation of his illness at any point in the AU. I myself have a lot of health complications irl so I don’t really feel like tackling something like that in an AU that’s just for fun lol (don’t worry I’m fine, it’s just a hassle lol)

Thanks for this ask, it gave me an excuse to prattle on about Remnant Kaito lol

#I’m always down to talk about remnant Kaito lol #I don’t know what it is about him but like #blorbo potential #v3 remnant au #remnant kaito #junko enoshima #remnants of despair #danganronpa killing harmony #danganrompa

[hollowflay-arc]

I will say for as much as I talk about heather being a maniacal bitch she is actually SHOCKINGLY compassionate and empathetic in ways that are super unexpected and some of her seemingly callous behavior can come from it.

like she doesn't feel bad about the deaths she and Billy caused. she understands that at the end of the day they didn't have a choice and it's cruel and pointless to beat herself up about it. even when you get into the murkier ones like her own parents (which she wasn't exactly trying to save) it's just -- realistically what do you think she could do? what does replaying it or obsessing over it or tormenting herself with it do? Nothing.

It's pointless self flagellation to do give into guilt on that. it won't bring them back, the only good thing you can do is just try to move forward.

the most shocking (to outsiders) display of kindness/compassion/empathy is for Billy tho. Yes she's 100% upset/traumatized/angry about what happened to her but there's not an ounce of her that really blames Billy for it. He had no control over it, she knows that better than anyone alive. She can't hate him for it or blame him for it and she HATES seeing him beat himself up over what he did to her. She sees it as someone basically blaming themselves for being violated and made to do things with a gun to their head. She really does see him as the victim he is and commits a LOT of time to trying to do right by him.

She worries a LOT about Billy, worries about his mental health, if he's okay, if he might hurt himself. She saw it as her job to keep him together when they were in the hivemind and she still sees it as her job bc no one else alive wants to do it and she's more than happy to.

it also shows up in her friendship with Chrissy. sure she can be shitty and kinda toxic to Chrissy but she also really worries about her A LOT. she's likely guessed at her ED and is worried about her and would 100% beat the shit out of her mother if asked. She's very protective of Chrissy because she knows how gentle and easily manipulated/pressured she is. She fights Chrissy's battles for her because she can't bear to see her hurt.

All of Heather's cruelty and violence is generally coming from the fact she is ACTUALLY VERY SWEET AND GENTLE but that's not respected in the world. You don't make it if you're nice. In the world her father made clear was The Real World, those kinds of quality were very clearly marked as bad and weaknesses and belittled in men. Naturally they were seen as great in women but in a patronizing way. Heather wanted the kind of approval and acknowledgment a man like that would only give a son so naturally she got very twisted up inside. Add onto that how fake friendships based on status can be, very negative interactions with peers and mentors, a general sense of feeling emotionally unsafe and it call culminated in her never really acting on her kindness and instead using her empathy to clock people and insult them better. But when the situation is right her kindness really does shine thru.

#headcanons / ooc.

[gilliesmemes]

𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃    !     /    sentence starters pulled from the 2015 movie ‘legend’ starring tom hardy .  some lines may have been edited for better use,   change whatever you want to suit your character interactions . trigger warning for general gangster activity . part two of four .

❛ you daft cunt. ❜

❛ we’ve got to fucking sort this. ❜  

❛ woah, woah, woah . what the fuck ! ❜  

❛ i will fucking map you up, southie. ❜  

❛ no, no, no. go on, let him in. he’s only little.  ❜  

❛ how do we know that we’re going to be safe ?  ❜  

❛ well, that’s a little thing called trust, ain’t it ? ❜

❛ trust, eh ? you always got one bloke harping on about trust, don’t you ? ❜

❛ whoa, no. no, no, no ; right you, get him out of here. you, fuck off. ❜

❛ it’s a fucking rolling pin. who are you, fanny cradock ? what you gonna do with that ? you gonna bake me a cake ? you gonna sing me a song, watch me blow out me fucking candles ? ❜

❛ i come here for a proper shootout with some proper men, like colonel custer and geronimo. have you heard of ‘em ? no. ‘cause you were too busy in your pinny baking fucking fairy cakes, weren’t you ? ❜

❛ this lot are fucking nonces to a man. they’re fucking nonces. ❜

❛ get out my fucking way, go on, get out, fuck off. call yourself a fucking gangster ? ❜

❛ a shootout is a fucking shootout... like a western. wankers ! fucking embarrassing. waste of my time. fucking waste of my time. ❜

❛ he’s just generally disappointed with you. that’s all. ❜

❛ when you see him next, you tell him from me that i say ... fuck him, right ? fuck his brother and fuck that fat fuck that hangs out with him all the time. fuck your face, yeah ? and fuck the fucking lot of you. ❜

❛ you wont mind if i fight back, will ya ? ❜

❛ before we start, i got a little joke for ya. you’ll love this one - a paranoid schizophrenic, he walks into a bar ...  ❜

❛ what, are the americans trying to muscle in on us ?  ❜

❛ you say ‘our’ and you also say ‘we’ a lot, my question is, do we share the last name ?  ❜

❛ this is a very bad idea, a very bad idea indeed. ❜

❛ i say we meet these scum at the airport, we pick them up, we chop them up, put them in their fucking luggage and send them straight home, mate. ❜

❛ we can do your security, not a problem. but we don’t want to work for you, we’d much rather that we work with you. ❜

❛ no, i understand, we’re in your backyard, right ? ❜

❛ i’m glad we could make a deal, this feels right. ❜

❛ you got a lot of fucking balls to admit that, kid. you know what ? you got some fucking set of castagnas on you.  ❜

❛ you know what i say to that ? bravo ! salute, am i right ? what fucking balls. salute ! ❜

❛ you don’t understand, he’s not what you think he is, he’s really sweet !  ❜

❛ just because you have a boring life, doesn’t mean i have to as well. ❜

❛ as long as their health doesn’t suffer, high rollers love rubbing elbows with gangsters. ❜

❛ aristocrats and criminals have a lot in common. they’re both selfish, get bored easily and have access to wads of cash that they didn’t have to work honestly to get. ❜

❛ no one here has any interest in bourgeois rules or morality, mix that in with roulette wheels ? a stunning recipe for success. ❜

❛  as soon as you turn your fucking back. life, it just plays dirty tricks on you, you know ? ❜

❛ are you sure this is where you wanna be ? ❜

❛ fucking let them have it, don’t let them do you like this ! ❜

❛ did you know, its possible for a person to become a ghost while they’re still alive.  ❜

❛ i’ve heard you and that's your problem, that's your problem, not mine. ❜

❛ i want to build a city in nigeria, for the children - near enugu ! ❜

❛ did you know that enugu is the african word for utopia, did you know that utopia is the greek word for nowhere -  ❜

❛ do not meddle with the foolproof way of making the money.  ❜

❛ i am not a banker, i’m not a fucking banker!  ❜

❛ don’t you threaten me, you cunt ! don’t you fucking talk to me like that! ❜

❛ you will trot along down to the fucking back and you will fetch me my fifty thousand pounds ! ❜

❛ i may work for you, but i’m certainly not afraid of you - ❜

❛ this is prison. its the law of the jungle in here. ❜

❛ i promise you, this wont happen again. ❜

❛ life isn’t always the way we want it to be, life has other plans, it’s the way it is .. its life. ❜

#gangster rp #sentence starters #starters #rp starters #prompts #angst #legend rp #legend 2015 #crime rp #crime starters #mob starters