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draino2025-01-04 08:00 am
saltburntmods) wrote in draino2025-01-04 08:00 am
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ππππ ππ πππ π ππππ β£ JAN TDM
JANUARY 2025 TDM: IMMORTALITY
Welcome to SALTBURNT, a panfandom smut/thriller game based off the film Saltburn, where characters are encouraged to indulge their deepest desires. The money never runs out and the liquor never stops pouring, so you may as well indulge from the bounty. Of course, things are rarely what they seem, and the manor itself seems to have a consciousness of its own. Throw parties, trash the house, engage in youthful merriment, but remember β dangers come out at night, and no one, no matter how rich you are, is safe from demons lurking in the shadows.
Threads can be considered game canon, provided the players agree. Players can also start fresh upon acceptance into the game. In game characters can post to the TDM directly, using Β« NEW CHARACTER/IN GAMEΒ» in the header. There will be a spot below for new characters to link their toplevels for easy access. Alternatively, prompts on the Test Drive can be used for in game logs.
WELCOME TO SALTBURNT
It's the hangover more than the light streaming in through half drawn curtains that wakes you up, your brain rattling in your skull, your mouth dry and cottony, your stomach churning with whatever it is you drank last night. If self preservation is your strong suit, you might turn over in bed and see a few painkillers laid out for you on a silver dish, accompanied by a glass of water. If it isnβt, stay in bed and wallow β eventually a maid will be in to tear your curtains open, saying, "Breakfast is served," and scurrying out quietly, invisibly. Breakfast? Maybe itβs normal for you. Maybe it isnβt.
You're drawn from the room, either by the mystery, or an undefinable urge that could be supernatural in origin, or could be your hunger catching up to you. It's almost nostalgic, the walk to the dining room β have you been here before? Were you drawn up to this estate in a car? Havenβt you done all this already? Maybe you mosey around a library, maybe you run into your suite mate in your adjoining bathroom. Regardless, seemingly all hallways, covered in priceless artworks and ancient relics from times long past, lead to the dining room, where a comically long table houses the Balfours and their many guests, some who seem just as disgruntled and confused as you. No matter. "Breakfast will be out in a minute," they say. What's that?
EDIT SEPTEMBER 2024: For those who have attended breakfast with the Balfours before, a change in routine might come as a shock, given how rarely they stray from form. However, as of September, the menu has been redone by some guests in the manor. In place of the self-serve style breakfast, there is an elevated menu, including: a self-serve juice bar, with pitchers of various juiced fruit and vegetables, shaved ice, coconut water, green and black tea syrups, potted microherbs, sliced whole berries, and finger limes. There is also, naturally, liquor and champagne available. Guests can make their own drinks, or ask the allocated staff member to serve them one of the "specials" if they're feeling adventurous.
πππ πππππ: one runny boiled egg shelled and recoated in edible gold leaf, seated on a throne of fried bread soldiers, plated with whipped butter and italian parsley.
ππππ ππππππππ: vinegar poached eggs with hollandaise foam on a bed of toasted freekah and baby spinach.
ππππ πππππππππππ: two eggs poached in a ramekin of pureed tomato, served with a crispy grilled cheese cut to dip.
πππ ππππππ: french omelette with a light cheese filling, topped with crushed potato chips and chives.
ππππ π πππππππππ: fluffy scrambled eggs in brown butter, served on sourdough.
πππππππ ππππ: mini-quiche made with caramelized red onions and jamon pata negra ham.
πππ ππππππππππ: bacon, egg, cheese and sausage breakfast muffin that tastes weirdly like it was made at a popular chain with golden arches.
β momofuku's "cereal milk" β
β fette biscottate with a sour cherry jam and peanut floss β
β a warm cinnamon bun served with a shot of espresso coffee for dipping β
β a macadamia-marzipan croissant with a wattleseed and burnt-honey filling β
β poffertjes with a liquid nutella injection β
If you want to leave, youβll have to tell Giles, the housekeeper, who will arrange a car for you that mysteriously, or perhaps suspiciously, never arrives. Unfortunately, confronting Giles about it is near impossible, as heβs as good at being invisible as the rest of the house staff. Of course, thereβs no reason why you canβt just walk out. The front gates are easy enough to jump over, even if the walk towards them gives you a strange sense of foreboding, or just outright discomfort, as if the ground itself doesnβt want you to leave. Those more sensitive or fragile might find they canβt make the jump, no matter how physically able, or desperately wanting. Still, a strong person could continue on, over the fence and into the lush English countryside. The feeling doesnβt dissipate, though β this sense of wrongness, almost sickness, like a weight on your back. Walk into the evergreen, carry on, but the strongest will make it perhaps a mile or so before the weight of dread and paranoia brings you to your knees, and then to your face, flat in the middle of a dirt road. What were you thinking? Is this really better?
Wake up with a hangover, in a bed, the curtains drawn, the maid saying, "Breakfast is served," before scurrying out. The painkillers are there, just like you remember. In fact, itβs all exactly how you remember, as if you never left an imprint the first time, or any mess you made was cleared away while your back was turned. Walk to the dining room, find everyone there eating away at their breakfast.
"We dress for dinner," says Portia, with a kind, if discerning smile. "Black tie."
You're drawn from the room, either by the mystery, or an undefinable urge that could be supernatural in origin, or could be your hunger catching up to you. It's almost nostalgic, the walk to the dining room β have you been here before? Were you drawn up to this estate in a car? Havenβt you done all this already? Maybe you mosey around a library, maybe you run into your suite mate in your adjoining bathroom. Regardless, seemingly all hallways, covered in priceless artworks and ancient relics from times long past, lead to the dining room, where a comically long table houses the Balfours and their many guests, some who seem just as disgruntled and confused as you. No matter. "Breakfast will be out in a minute," they say. What's that?
EDIT SEPTEMBER 2024: For those who have attended breakfast with the Balfours before, a change in routine might come as a shock, given how rarely they stray from form. However, as of September, the menu has been redone by some guests in the manor. In place of the self-serve style breakfast, there is an elevated menu, including: a self-serve juice bar, with pitchers of various juiced fruit and vegetables, shaved ice, coconut water, green and black tea syrups, potted microherbs, sliced whole berries, and finger limes. There is also, naturally, liquor and champagne available. Guests can make their own drinks, or ask the allocated staff member to serve them one of the "specials" if they're feeling adventurous.
That said, these are world class chefs, so the gold is really in the menu:
THE EGGS
πππ πππππ: one runny boiled egg shelled and recoated in edible gold leaf, seated on a throne of fried bread soldiers, plated with whipped butter and italian parsley.
ππππ ππππππππ: vinegar poached eggs with hollandaise foam on a bed of toasted freekah and baby spinach.
ππππ πππππππππππ: two eggs poached in a ramekin of pureed tomato, served with a crispy grilled cheese cut to dip.
πππ ππππππ: french omelette with a light cheese filling, topped with crushed potato chips and chives.
ππππ π πππππππππ: fluffy scrambled eggs in brown butter, served on sourdough.
πππππππ ππππ: mini-quiche made with caramelized red onions and jamon pata negra ham.
πππ ππππππππππ: bacon, egg, cheese and sausage breakfast muffin that tastes weirdly like it was made at a popular chain with golden arches.
THE SWEETS
β fette biscottate with a sour cherry jam and peanut floss β
β a warm cinnamon bun served with a shot of espresso coffee for dipping β
β a macadamia-marzipan croissant with a wattleseed and burnt-honey filling β
β poffertjes with a liquid nutella injection β
If you want to leave, youβll have to tell Giles, the housekeeper, who will arrange a car for you that mysteriously, or perhaps suspiciously, never arrives. Unfortunately, confronting Giles about it is near impossible, as heβs as good at being invisible as the rest of the house staff. Of course, thereβs no reason why you canβt just walk out. The front gates are easy enough to jump over, even if the walk towards them gives you a strange sense of foreboding, or just outright discomfort, as if the ground itself doesnβt want you to leave. Those more sensitive or fragile might find they canβt make the jump, no matter how physically able, or desperately wanting. Still, a strong person could continue on, over the fence and into the lush English countryside. The feeling doesnβt dissipate, though β this sense of wrongness, almost sickness, like a weight on your back. Walk into the evergreen, carry on, but the strongest will make it perhaps a mile or so before the weight of dread and paranoia brings you to your knees, and then to your face, flat in the middle of a dirt road. What were you thinking? Is this really better?
Wake up with a hangover, in a bed, the curtains drawn, the maid saying, "Breakfast is served," before scurrying out. The painkillers are there, just like you remember. In fact, itβs all exactly how you remember, as if you never left an imprint the first time, or any mess you made was cleared away while your back was turned. Walk to the dining room, find everyone there eating away at their breakfast.
"We dress for dinner," says Portia, with a kind, if discerning smile. "Black tie."
8-BALL
CONTENT WARNINGS: drugs, nsfw.
In all 700 (and change!) years of Saltburnt's existence, never has the new year been rung in with anything less than a bang. Similarly, the manor is a bustle of activity in the post-Christmas week, setting up predominately in and around the Operating Theatre. Formally, all guests are welcomed to celebrate on the 31st of December leading into the new year by a fancy, handwritten invitation, delivered individually by Giles. BLACK TIE, the invite says. LET'S MAKE IT A GOOD YEAR, DAWG.
Upon arrival, it's plain to see the Operating Theatre has gotten a glow up since last visited. The amphitheater stairs serve as a dramatic entrance to walk through, the main floor usually designed for holding cadavers for dissection instead replaced with a dance floor. Everything is black, white, and as silver as surgery tools, the room seemingly a great deal larger than when it was last observed βΒ though, maybe that's your eyes playing tricks on you. Don't worry about it!
Celebrate instead, ringing in the new year with loud, Eurodance music and American rock, bodies dancing together for one last hurrah of 2006. In true Saltburnt fashion, there's a snack spread on the organized operating tables βΒ Vietnamese spring rolls, glass noodles, Prosecco jello shots to go with the tall flutes of champagne passed around on silver plates. Additionally, there are some silver platters circling the venue full of tall mounds of white, powdery cocaine, already spliced into lines for convenience. The name of the game is indulgence, as ever, getting one's worst habits out of the way to make room for better, healthier choices in the new year.
For the last hour of the year, a mock time ball in the shape of an magic 8-ball is set up in the center of the room, slowly inching up as time ticks down. At 11:59, the ball reaches its zenith, much more rapidly moving the other way as the countdown starts. Once the countdown drops to the 10s, everyone in the room is pairing up in couples (or trios?) to kiss at the strike of midnight, loudly chanting the last five numbers in chanting succession, 3, 2, 1, and happy new year!
Several things happen at once, following your kiss, or the strike of midnight if you're more of a lone wolf. Firstly, everyone's clothes disappear, left completely naked in the theatre. Any fabric they might think to dress themselves in will miraculously disappear once they put it on, and any attempts to escape the room are likewise barred, doors unopenable for the time being. At the same time, the 8-ball which reached the bottom of its stand rolls over, presenting its windowed side to all who look upon it βΒ and all who look upon it will see one of 20 different instructions.
For a fun game, roll a d20 and see what you get!
Naturally, the doors only permit you to leave after achieving whatever challenge the 8-ball gave you, where you can run nakedly back to your room and find some clothes, saying goodnight to a wonderful year. Any and all party poopers uninterested in taking part will be let go an hour or so post midnight βΒ approximately when it stops being funny.
In all 700 (and change!) years of Saltburnt's existence, never has the new year been rung in with anything less than a bang. Similarly, the manor is a bustle of activity in the post-Christmas week, setting up predominately in and around the Operating Theatre. Formally, all guests are welcomed to celebrate on the 31st of December leading into the new year by a fancy, handwritten invitation, delivered individually by Giles. BLACK TIE, the invite says. LET'S MAKE IT A GOOD YEAR, DAWG.
Upon arrival, it's plain to see the Operating Theatre has gotten a glow up since last visited. The amphitheater stairs serve as a dramatic entrance to walk through, the main floor usually designed for holding cadavers for dissection instead replaced with a dance floor. Everything is black, white, and as silver as surgery tools, the room seemingly a great deal larger than when it was last observed βΒ though, maybe that's your eyes playing tricks on you. Don't worry about it!
Celebrate instead, ringing in the new year with loud, Eurodance music and American rock, bodies dancing together for one last hurrah of 2006. In true Saltburnt fashion, there's a snack spread on the organized operating tables βΒ Vietnamese spring rolls, glass noodles, Prosecco jello shots to go with the tall flutes of champagne passed around on silver plates. Additionally, there are some silver platters circling the venue full of tall mounds of white, powdery cocaine, already spliced into lines for convenience. The name of the game is indulgence, as ever, getting one's worst habits out of the way to make room for better, healthier choices in the new year.
For the last hour of the year, a mock time ball in the shape of an magic 8-ball is set up in the center of the room, slowly inching up as time ticks down. At 11:59, the ball reaches its zenith, much more rapidly moving the other way as the countdown starts. Once the countdown drops to the 10s, everyone in the room is pairing up in couples (or trios?) to kiss at the strike of midnight, loudly chanting the last five numbers in chanting succession, 3, 2, 1, and happy new year!
Several things happen at once, following your kiss, or the strike of midnight if you're more of a lone wolf. Firstly, everyone's clothes disappear, left completely naked in the theatre. Any fabric they might think to dress themselves in will miraculously disappear once they put it on, and any attempts to escape the room are likewise barred, doors unopenable for the time being. At the same time, the 8-ball which reached the bottom of its stand rolls over, presenting its windowed side to all who look upon it βΒ and all who look upon it will see one of 20 different instructions.
For a fun game, roll a d20 and see what you get!
Naturally, the doors only permit you to leave after achieving whatever challenge the 8-ball gave you, where you can run nakedly back to your room and find some clothes, saying goodnight to a wonderful year. Any and all party poopers uninterested in taking part will be let go an hour or so post midnight βΒ approximately when it stops being funny.
NEW YEAR, NEW ME
CONTENT WARNINGS: homophobia, misogyny, implied grooming, cultural insensitivity.
New year is a time for new beginnings, and it's no surprise that many resolutions involve the bettering of one's self. Exercise and eating healthy are all usual suspects, but what if you could take a little something that did it all for you, effort-free? New Years Resolutions the easy way βΒ try ReSculpt, an organic supplement using exotic kinds of sea kelp, as provided by Portia's personal life coach SHAMAN LEAF, for making a better you. Fat melts away and wrinkles smooth out, complexions clear and muscles strengthen, all with the help of this miraculous product! Simply apply the topical ointment on yourself, and watch a new and improved you emerge β even those of you who wouldn't choose it willingly can take part, as it's stocked in every bathroom, in the shape of an ordinary lotion bottle.
Of course, it doesn't only effect your looks. The road to a better you requires a full makeover, changing you from the inside out. Be the son your father always wanted, or the wife your husband deserves β become a better partner, a better housewife, a better soldier, a better friend. Whatever any of that means to you, whether changing your style or the people you're attracted to, this magical lotion seems to clear it up and straighten you out, turn you into a true, decent member of polite upperclass society. Even Portia in the days following New Years appears younger, nearly like a girl in her teens thanks to the power of ReSculpt. On your journey to self-improvement, you might feel inclined to sign up for Shaman Leaf's 12-step guide to proper English behaviors, including lessons in etiquette, fine dining, lovemaking with respectful hands-on accompaniment, and a suggested sizable donation on towards Shaman Leaf's travel fund. All of it concludes in a graduation for the enlistees in the form of a debutante ball.
Not to worry if you didn't take the course β all are welcome to witness the caterpillar become the butterfly in this re-introduction to society in one of Saltburnt's many exemplary ballrooms. As opposed to the more carefree party that welcomed in the year, the debutante ball is steeped in the premeditated societal structures of an aristocratic family, everything proper and regal by design, complete with huge, expensive dresses and expertly tailored, starch-collared suits. Luckily, ReSculpt will see to everyone conforming to the expectations of society, without complaint. Unluckily, the side effects seem to kick in at the debutante ball.
Step one: paranoia. Is this who you really are? What happened to the person you were a few days ago? Where did everything that made you who you are go? Dread creeps in, a discordant note, a cold breeze. Step two: touch repulsion. The dances at the ball are all respectful, leaving plenty of room for Jesus, flirty little wrist touches and soft, careful hands β and you're disgusted by wanting more, confused by it. Consumed by it? Scared of it. The sick touch of skin on skin is as offensive as it is arousing, like gripping ice cubes in your hand and flinching at the numbing, burning pain. Step three: hallucinations. You turn in a dance and the hand that slips into yours is more bone than flesh. The ballroom itself seems to grow more decayed than decadent, ghosts and horrifying faces spliced between the crowd, all looking at you, angry and disturbed. Is that face looking back at you your own? Can your friends tell you from a doppelgΓ€nger? Who even are you anymore?
And finally, step four: rehab. As it turns out, Shaman Leaf is not actually a good guy. That is, he's not a guy at all but a pΓΊca, here to unleash a humble amount of chaos and then quickly skedaddle while the iron's still hot, escaping with mischievous shapeshifting behaviors through the closest door, galloping to the forest. Though his exit from the premises doesn't clear up the effects of ReSculpt, it's nothing a little week spent very fashionably in rehab can't clear up. Going cold turkey is the only way to remove it from your system β and you do want to remove it from your system. A depleting supply will force you into withdrawals regardless, in the form of continued paranoia and hallucinations, acting hot and cold with touch, alternating between your true self and ReSculpt self, fevers, nosebleeds, puking, and blacking out. A good detox for the new year.
New year is a time for new beginnings, and it's no surprise that many resolutions involve the bettering of one's self. Exercise and eating healthy are all usual suspects, but what if you could take a little something that did it all for you, effort-free? New Years Resolutions the easy way βΒ try ReSculpt, an organic supplement using exotic kinds of sea kelp, as provided by Portia's personal life coach SHAMAN LEAF, for making a better you. Fat melts away and wrinkles smooth out, complexions clear and muscles strengthen, all with the help of this miraculous product! Simply apply the topical ointment on yourself, and watch a new and improved you emerge β even those of you who wouldn't choose it willingly can take part, as it's stocked in every bathroom, in the shape of an ordinary lotion bottle.
Of course, it doesn't only effect your looks. The road to a better you requires a full makeover, changing you from the inside out. Be the son your father always wanted, or the wife your husband deserves β become a better partner, a better housewife, a better soldier, a better friend. Whatever any of that means to you, whether changing your style or the people you're attracted to, this magical lotion seems to clear it up and straighten you out, turn you into a true, decent member of polite upperclass society. Even Portia in the days following New Years appears younger, nearly like a girl in her teens thanks to the power of ReSculpt. On your journey to self-improvement, you might feel inclined to sign up for Shaman Leaf's 12-step guide to proper English behaviors, including lessons in etiquette, fine dining, lovemaking with respectful hands-on accompaniment, and a suggested sizable donation on towards Shaman Leaf's travel fund. All of it concludes in a graduation for the enlistees in the form of a debutante ball.
Not to worry if you didn't take the course β all are welcome to witness the caterpillar become the butterfly in this re-introduction to society in one of Saltburnt's many exemplary ballrooms. As opposed to the more carefree party that welcomed in the year, the debutante ball is steeped in the premeditated societal structures of an aristocratic family, everything proper and regal by design, complete with huge, expensive dresses and expertly tailored, starch-collared suits. Luckily, ReSculpt will see to everyone conforming to the expectations of society, without complaint. Unluckily, the side effects seem to kick in at the debutante ball.
Step one: paranoia. Is this who you really are? What happened to the person you were a few days ago? Where did everything that made you who you are go? Dread creeps in, a discordant note, a cold breeze. Step two: touch repulsion. The dances at the ball are all respectful, leaving plenty of room for Jesus, flirty little wrist touches and soft, careful hands β and you're disgusted by wanting more, confused by it. Consumed by it? Scared of it. The sick touch of skin on skin is as offensive as it is arousing, like gripping ice cubes in your hand and flinching at the numbing, burning pain. Step three: hallucinations. You turn in a dance and the hand that slips into yours is more bone than flesh. The ballroom itself seems to grow more decayed than decadent, ghosts and horrifying faces spliced between the crowd, all looking at you, angry and disturbed. Is that face looking back at you your own? Can your friends tell you from a doppelgΓ€nger? Who even are you anymore?
And finally, step four: rehab. As it turns out, Shaman Leaf is not actually a good guy. That is, he's not a guy at all but a pΓΊca, here to unleash a humble amount of chaos and then quickly skedaddle while the iron's still hot, escaping with mischievous shapeshifting behaviors through the closest door, galloping to the forest. Though his exit from the premises doesn't clear up the effects of ReSculpt, it's nothing a little week spent very fashionably in rehab can't clear up. Going cold turkey is the only way to remove it from your system β and you do want to remove it from your system. A depleting supply will force you into withdrawals regardless, in the form of continued paranoia and hallucinations, acting hot and cold with touch, alternating between your true self and ReSculpt self, fevers, nosebleeds, puking, and blacking out. A good detox for the new year.
DIRECTORY
Cha Hyunsu | Sweet Home | existing character
I. Before Countdown
II. Midnight (potential for smut)
Wildcard
[feel free to hit me up with something else if you want! I'm OOCly open to most of the 8-Ball tasks, but there are some that Hyunsu might ICly be hesitant about (he'll definitely say no to making someone cry). If you want to plot you can PM me or hit me up at etcetera on discord (since plurk is being a pain right now).]
midnight
Oh. Well. Oh. He stares for a beat too long, blinking rapidly, because Hao had teased that Hyunsu looked like that under his clothes, but he's not exactly a master of description, is he. The real thing is much different. Koby's leaner, softer, scars vivid across his chest, waist smaller than his usual layers of clothes will let on. He's also standing partially behind the now cloth-less table, because he's not sure if Hyunsu had caught on to his whole...deal, and he'd like to build up to that, thanks.
Right. He's being asked a question. Clearing his throat, dragging his eyes away from (abs, abs, abs) all the bare skin on display:] What did I get for what? What -- huh? What?
no subject
He does notice that Koby seems shy about being looked at, which is understandable really. A couple of years ago, Hyunsu would have been shyer to. With that in mind, he politely averts his eyes before he answers Koby's extremely flustered sounding question.]
There were numbers in the 8-ball after it fell.
no subject
[He straightens up, rolling his shoulders back a couple times, trying to ignore the urge to cover up the scars.] Well, Iβm guessing that if weβve been given a task, thatβs our only ticket out. I got fourteen, so...I have to answer a question honestly.
[Not at all a difficult task for Mr. Honesty Impact here.]
Whatβd you get?
cw: vague reference to past self-harm
He thinks the number Koby saw isn't so bad, really. He seems inclined toward honesty anyway, and Hyunsu can avoid asking him anything too personal if he wants.
Hyunsu's on the other hand... Well. It's not great. He even looks again to make sure, like he's hoping it's changed to something else. It hasn't.]
Twenty. Confess a private shame.
no subject
A private shame, wow. They really arenβt pulling punches, are they. [If he thinks anything about the other numbers β especially as other guests loudly announce theirs, a variety of lewd acts and scandalous dares β he doesnβt say anything about it. Instead, Koby finds a nearby sofa, tucking his legs underneath him and (subtly) folding his hands in his lap, though he beckons Hyunsu over with one. Even the movement is probably enough for him to see -- well, why Koby has scars on his chest, what he's lacking, what he has.]
I can cover my ears during, if you want? I donβt think there are any rules about that.
no subject
[He doesn't really mean it in an accusatory way. It's just an observation. It seems that Koby genuinely got the luckier draw when it comes to uncomfortable new years party tasks. He's been here awhile, though. He's probably had to deal with worse things in the past.
Hyunsu moves to sit with him when Koby gestures for him to join him, he's still being careful not to stare because he doesn't want to make Koby uncomfortable. Though he's not bothered when he notices Koby staring at him, and Koby does seem to be getting more comfortable with Hyunsu as the moments pass.
At the offer to cover his ears, Hyunsu does finally focus his gaze on him fully, blinking a few times in bemusement. Not at what he sees when he looks at Koby, but just...the mental image of him covering his ears while Hyunsu talks about some dark aspect of his past.]
I think that might make it weirder. [Making a confession while someone is covering their ears and trying very hard not to listen just feels kind of silly somehow.] And if it doesn't work I would just have to do it again if I want to leave.
no subject
No, youβre probably right. I can promise not to judge you? Whatever it is? And you can ask me something really embarrassing if you want, no matter what, and Iβll tell you the truth. We can beβ¦sort of even, then?
[Koby sits up straighter, squaring his shoulders, looking as determined as he can.] Really, you can ask anything. Anything at all. Iβm ready.
no subject
[About being judged, that is. In part because Koby in general doesn't seem excessively judgmental, but when he thinks about it, Hyunsu is so used to being judged at this point that it just doesn't register as a concern any more. People will hate him or they won't and in his experience he doesn't have a lot of control over which way it goes.]
I don't really want to embarrass you, though.
[Even with permission he doesn't like the idea. The monster might be more willing to be ruthless about it, but as he is now Hyunsu sees no point in it. Though after a moment of thought he does settle on a question he can ask that might be potentially embarrassing but it could at least serve a purpose.]
You seem uncomfortable. [But also a little like he's trying to power through it.] Do you mind if I look at you?
cw: dysphoria, transphobia just in caaaase
But Hyunsu asks that. And Koby blinks a couple times, taken aback, hardly aware of what heβs doing, the way heβs shielding himself, the way even the question makes his shoulders scrunch up towards his ears, his back bow forward in an attempt to hide. A beat, then he straightens up, slowly, rolls his shoulders back, resists the urge to cross his arms over the scars across his chest.]
I donβt mind. [Itβs soft, itβs the truth, it's just...itβs just:] Iβm not β used to it yet. Not wearing a shirt. Iβve only done it a couple times outside my room. [Then, softer, almost apologetically:] And theyβre not nice to look at. The scars. Theyβre β ugly, I know.
[Objectively, heβs not wrong β theyβre jagged, twisted, uneven lines of shiny scar tissue, clearly an imperfect job healed even more imperfectly, thick in some places, thin in others, gnarled and raised and ragged. Koby swallows hard, ears pink.] But I donβt β mind if you look.
no subject
But as it turns out, he seems to have landed on a question that wasn't terrible. Maybe. He lifts his gaze finally to look at Koby directly and he thinks Koby is being too hard on himself. The implied apology in his tone isn't really necessary.]
They're not so bad. [The words might seem like they should be an empty reassurance, except he actually means them.] Scars are just a sign of who are and what you've been through. [He thinks of Sangwook, whose scars disappeared only when something else started wearing his skin. Sangwook wasn't Sangwook without them.] It's not something to be ashamed of. [A thoughtful beat passes as he considers something else.] Do they hurt?
cw: unsafe binding, unsafe top surgery, gore ig??
Plus -- he can feel Hyunsu means it, feel the warm, genuine, straightforward honesty like a warm ray of sunlight, impossible to mistake. There's no room for fear, in the face of that.] Yeah? Thanks. They weren't really done that -- um, professionally. I had to bribe someone in a port, and he hadn't really...done anything like it before. But I was sort of desperate. I used to use bandages, but it's hard to do chores like mopping decks wearing that, so.
[Koby shakes his head, reaching up and running a thumb along the jagged length of a scar.] I can't really feel anything in them anymore. They hurt a lot at the beginning -- I wasn't allowed to rest and let them heal, so I kept tearing the stitches. [A beat, a wince, shoulders scrunching up.] Sorry, that's -- too much?
cw: reference to past self-harm, body horror
No, it's okay.
[He does notice that Koby starts to fold in on himself again, though, which inspires Hyunsu to make a decision that maybe he should have thought of at the start of all this.
He holds his right arm out and for a moment the scars there are obvious--jagged criss-crossing lines up the underside of his arm--before they start to burst like seams and the spikey feathers of Hyunsu's wing start to bloom and grow from his arm, transforming it all the way up to his shoulder. As the wing stretches outward it's obvious how large it is, several feet longer than Hyunsu is tall. He's mindful not to make any sudden moves, even though he's sort of aware by now that Koby can feel his intentions. Nothing about this is a threat, in spite of how grotesque and threatening the wing may appear. But all he does with it is carefully curl it around Koby so that no passers-by can peep on him.]
No one can look now.
[Or they can, but all they'll see is Hyunsu's freaky monster wing. Hopefully most everyone is otherwise occupied with their 8-ball tasks, but he figures it might be nice for Koby to have a shield.]
cw: body horror continued
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8-ball
when he spots hyunsu from the corner of his eye, he visibly perks, eyes widening slightly before his expression immediately shifts to something more serious. this time, he won't approach the other male with the intention of saying he knows him right away. instead, he'll play it cool, keep calm and just approach like he's someone new.
so, with a spring roll in hand, he shuffles up beside hyunsu and says,] Hello. [then he takes a bite of his food, chewing and swallowing before continuing.] Do you know where we are or are you new as well?
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Yeah, sort of. We're somewhere in England.
[It's entirely honest, but he knows it's also kind of vague and unhelpful. What if this guy is from a world where England doesn't even exist? Even if he's heard of England before, it's still not a lot to go on.]
I've been here a few months. Did you just wake up here today?
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regardless, he accepts hyunsu's answer at face-value and nods, showing that he understands, even if he doesn't quite know where they are.]
Yes, I did. [another bite of spring roll, his hand moving to cover his mouth this time while he eats, then he lowers it again once he's finished.] You say you've only been here a few months?
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Hyunsu chooses not to pursue it and just answer the question. For now, anyway.]
Yeah. It's getting close to four now.
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at least hyunsu doesn't question it for the moment.] Four months... that's quite a bit of time. Has anyone said anything about possibly being sent back home?
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Is it? You seemed to feel differently a minute ago.
[He's not really mad. Sizhui doesn't seem to have any kind of malicious intent. If anything he seems kind of excessively honest. It's like he's trying his hand at subterfuge and floundering.
In any case, he doesn't mind answering the next question.]
People talk about it sometimes, but not much has come of it.
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for a brief distraction, he pops what remains of his spring roll into his mouth, chews, swallows, shakes his head then clears his throat.] Perhaps I didn't word that correctly. Four months is close to half a year, after all, and that seems like more time than less. [okay, it's fine, he can try and play it offβ
he blinks lightly at that, eyes briefly widened with hope, but it doesn't last long.] How unfortunate, [he sighs.] I suppose there isn't much that we can do if we're trapped here.
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Right. [He shrugs a little.] They're good at finding ways to distract us. [Like with parties, such as this one.] At least there's food. Most of it is safe.
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I'm sure they have lots planned for us tonight. [a beat, his eyebrows lifting with consideration before he continues,] How do you know what's safe and what isn't? Or is not knowing the point?
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It's hard to tell. Breakfast and dinner are usually pretty safe. The stuff you find at parties tend to be more suspect.
[Which would mean the food here might be a potential problem, but there was no way he was passing up glass noodles and spring rolls. And so far there haven't been any strange effects, so he figures it's probably fine.]
And you should always be careful if you go to Otherworld.
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either way, he didn't want to pass up free food either, so it seems that if there is something tainted, they're both in the same boat.]
Otherworld? What is that exactly?
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This is probably fine.
[He's pretty sure he would have started to feel the effects by now if it weren't.
He pauses at the last question because there's really no polite way of explaining it.]
Otherworld is the sex club.
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