ACHILLES' HEEL

achilles, champion (dec.14), telepath, neutral oh sehun, twenty-two | loneliness is proof that your innate search for connection is intact.

[phxachilles-blog]

💫 THE MOUSE’S TALE

[phxhaha-blog]

HaHa repressed a sigh as he washed the dishes, a pressure settling behind his eyes. He hadn’t slept well, so he hoped he wasn’t getting a migraine. The Little Penguin had only just opened, so it was still relatively calm, but he didn’t want to have to ask Jongkook to step in again, he’d get annoyed (even if he would do it, because he always helped out despite the nagging.) HaHa couldn’t help but smile slightly to himself at the thought.

The smile slipped of his face so fast it would shatter if it were a physical thing. That was a definite voice in his head, that didn’t belong to him. That must’ve been what the pressure was, not a headache, but an intrusion, his own mind trying to fight the ability interfering with his own.

It was disturbing, really, to hear Eunhye’s voice in his head, to hear those dulcet, sweet tones roaming in his thoughts. To have thoughts that weren’t his own. It felt like a horrible violation. Donghoon had no trouble with lying, with make belief and pretending, but to invade someone’s brain and plant your own thoughts there, that made his stomach twist in disgust.

He breathed in, steeling his expression easily, slipping into a polite, unaffected smile, continuing with the dishes, making sure to control his thoughts. He listened carefully. Huh.

I don’t know what you’re talking about, he focused his thoughts on thinking the words carefully, not sure if the link was a two-way thing or not. But just in case. He carefully, discreetly glanced over the customers. Most of them he knew, in one way or another, so he doubted it was them suddenly invading he brain to question the reality of Yoon Eunhye. Everyone believed she was real by now.

His eye fell on the newest customer, the guy with his hood pulled all over his face. Right. Real inconspicous. He dried his hands, pocketed his little notebook and made another round, clearing a table and bringing it back, angling himself so that he could take a better look at the guy.

Hm. Was that–? It would make sense. Achilles, he believed his name was, a telepath who had become victor in 2014. He’d used his face in multiple of his propo shows. He hadn’t heard of anyone else who could have such an ability.

He put the dishes aside and then made another round, stopping at his table, glancing as his empty glass.

“Anything I can help you with, sir?” he smiled sweetly, but the implication was evident in his eyes, saccharine sweet but clear as day. What the hell did he want from him?

[phxachilles-blog]

Sehun had never been much of an improviser, and he wasn’t ready to give himself the benefit of the doubt. While it did feel like he had handled himself well, if even for a second, he let silence linger after that last transmitted thought. He had never been much of a talker. Literally, of course -- but figuratively, too. So he let the chopsticks go from one bowl to another, stopping mid-way to stuff his mouth with food. Eunhye, as he had hear people call her, had begun to move. From under his hood he kept the sight of her consistent in the corner of his eye, should he have to do something drastic. But now that things became real, now that she came even closer, his courage disappeared with the wind. He had been given a brief moment of total confidence, all which was lost now. Instead his palms got clammy and he reverted back to his default anxiousness.

It was only a matter of time until she singled him about, and the telepath hadn’t expected anything else. But to keep the rest of the restaurant from knowing that they were dining with a champion, he refrained from pulling the hood down. Instead he let the tip of the chopsticks pause just above the rim of a bowl, eyes darting up to meet hers. Or his. Theirs. Despite the irregular beat of his easily frightened heart, Sehun managed to stay on point. Focus. Focus. His lips tugged into a smile, practiced to perfection and polite to boot. He may be a severely lacking champion, just barely keeping himself afloat by abiding the ever relevant quite: “just keep smiling and you may get through this.” He could see the sharpness in her eyes despite that sweet visage, the edge that pierced right through him. Could she help him with anything?

“Yes, some more water would be nice. If you’re so kind.” Sehun transmitted, yet he opted to keep using the woman’s voice. Rarely did he use his own. Never to tourists, what an uncomfortable thought. And he kind of preferred it that way. Using his own voice had become too intimate as time passed. Too real. A constant echo at the back of his head told him to give up, go home, forget all about it. Was it really that important to begin with? The tentative ‘yes’ lingering at the back of his head had the telepath nodding towards the empty chair in front of him. “And your undivided attention for a brief moment.” He eased on the smile a bit, but didn’t let his face go completely. This was so bold, and most likely so wrong, but he couldn’t quit now that he had gone this far. He had to see this through today, or he feared that a similar chance of opportunity would never return.

To calm his racing heart the champion took yet another bite, savoring it as he gave her the chance to comprehend what was going on. The food was really good though, and Sehun reminded himself that he should praise this odd, yet strangely charming, place once he was done. But first -- focus. His eyes flickered back up at her, now with a more serious look to them. Not pleading, well, not yet anyway. But his expression made perfectly clear that it was in her best interest to give him the light of day, if even for a few seconds.

[phxachilles-blog]

💫 GREY HARES

[thunderxph-blog]

Sanghyun still wasn’t used to the others ability. His thoughts being intruded with the other’s, it was a weird concept to get used to although it could prove useful in the future. ‘’I know that in a real emergency you would just call me as well, at least that’s what I think you would do anyway.’’ If that happened to be the case, Sanghyun wouldn’t even mind. Afterall, he used his real name with there other, something he didn’t often do. Although when thinking about it, you kind of had to use your actual name if you ran a clinic and came into contact with people from everwhere. Introducing yourself as Thunder probably wouldn’t be the most professional thing you could do.

The older male followed the other, walking into the living room and noticing the cage almost immediately. He almost said something about the cage but then remembered it was kind of difficult and sometimes difficult to have the rabbits running around the place with next to no protection for themselves. Before going to the actual reason for the visit, Sanghyun needed to ask some questions, just for his own well being. ‘’Before all that, how much are you feeding them? How often do you let them out of the cage?’’ he questioned, looking to Sehun with nothing more than an inquisitive look on his face. He knew the other wouldn’t pose any harm to the animals, he just wanted to know. 

‘’Also, it’s very uncommon considering you live here and don’t live with any other animals, but have you recently checked for fleas? Most people don’t realize that rabbits can get them too.’’ Okay he thought to himself, he had grueled Sehun for long enough. Gesturing to the clippers in the other’s hands he waited for them to be passed over, inspecting them slightly when obtaining them. Still, it was unclear why exactly Ren couldn’t stay still. Knowing that could provide invaluable information which could be used later on. Or it could just be the rabbits having a moment - which since they were animals, might be the cause after all. 

Looking over to Sehun he thought whether or not the other could help, whether it cause hassle or not had yet to be seen. ‘’Actually..’’ he began, grabbing the small flashlight from his pocket. ‘’Hold this for me while I cut them.’’ When the flashlight was passed over he reached into the cage, grabbing Ren. Sitting on the floor he looked over to Sehun, ‘’Okay, I want you to flash the light onto the nails for me.’’ Usually this would come across quite weirdly, especially to people who didn’t know anything about rabbits. Sehun technically wasn’t in that camp but to remind him about basic techniques might prove useful. ‘’Now I don’t know if you can see it very well but there is a vein inside the nail, it’s called the Quick, obviously you don’t want to cut it.’’ Using a free finger he tried his best to point it out, though it was a little difficult to see. Using a flashlight was the best way he had found so see it and thus avoid it.

‘’Looking at how you’ve cut the other two’s nails, you haven’t caught it but might as well remind you just incase.’’

[phxachilles-blog]

”Yeah, most likely.” Or more like, most definitely. Any abnormality was a slight emergency to Sehun, and whenever he wasn’t 100% sure how to care for his furry friends, Sanghyun was the go-to guy. The ‘thank you’ lingered at the back of his head, yet for some reason it stayed there. He was eternally grateful that the other humored him and his constant concerns, and one day he’d find a suitable way to pay him back. But for now he kind of just hovered around the room, clippers in hand and eyes fixated on the vet as he approached the cage.

“Well...” The telepath transmitted as he had to go through his daily rabbit routine to formulate an answer. “They get unlimited access to hay. I remember hearing that was good... They get a small portion of pellets each in the morning, too... then they get some fresh veggies throughout the day, depending on my schedule.” He glanced over at the cage where the three animals were busy eating their daily portion of pellets. They usually got their breakfast when he had his. He liked the idea of them eating together, almost like shared family meals -- minus the whole ‘sitting together by the table’ nature of it. “They don’t look too heavy or too thin, do they?” Sehun might not be confident about pet care, but he had at least done significant research to make sure he’d at least feed them correctly -- everything else could be learned over time and wouldn’t be as severely detrimental to their health.

”They’re usually out of the cage as long as I’m home, though. I prefer to feed them in their cage just to... I don’t know, it just feels easier to keep track of whether they’re eating or not? Then they get to move as they please.” It was quite nice, actually. Especially when they joined him on the couch during lonely nights. Their affectionate bunny nips might not be too pleasant, but after learning that it was their way of saying ‘hey, i like you’, the champion quickly came to endure it. But even so it proved that he still had a lot to learn, and Sehun often wondered whether he’d ever know enough to give them a good life. “Fleas? No... how do you check that?” Fleas! He would’ve never considered checking that, and just like that he was convinced that they had it. Here they’d had fleas all along and he hadn’t bothered to check it! What kind of pet owner was he?

Luckily Sanghyun gave him a task to focus on, and he traded the clippers for the flashlight. Carefully he sat down onto his knees, and waited to turn it on before Ren was comfortably settled on the other’s lap. Meanwhile he listened intently, really looking at everything he was shown in hopes of learning something new -- which he always did when the older male came over. He knew of the quick, and had heard how you definitely didn’t want to cut into it, but it was only with the flashlight that he had properly seen it. The darker the nails were the harder it was for him to notice anything. Now, on the other hand, he had a better sense of where everything was. Sehun glanced up with a small nod. “I can’t say I know what I’m doing when I’m trimming their nails, but I try to just take off small pieces and do it often instead of waiting for them to grow too long.” Trimming nails were scary and highly panic-inducing, but lately he had found a seemingly okay routine. Next he had to figure out how to properly hold, and calm, them during the entire procedure -- but just looking at Sanghyun dealing with Ren would probably clear up a lot of question marks.

[phxachilles-blog]

💫 A WILL IS A DEAD GIVEAWAY

[phxgunwoo-blog]

I felt you, it was a struggle to think in such a focused pattern, to keep himself reigned in even as Sehun bled over him like waves. How to describe the feeling? He felt Sehun’s fear, felt the itch of his tears and the racing of his heart. He felt the ache and the loss and it felt like his own. That was the downfall, wasn’t it? That was…

I felt you. Come down, he offered out one hand. His nose was bleeding and he reached to wipe it with his other hand, the blood not showing on the black material. He had gloves on, always had gloves on when he went out in public because the chances of accidentally coming into contact with someone was so high, but somehow so much of Sehun was rippling over himself that it didn’t seem like coming into contact with him would do any more damage than it already was doing. He was being raked apart at the seams but the important thing was getting Sehun away from the ledge, away from the threat of his death.

Please. Come down.

He tried to be calm. Be calm, keep his heartbeat stable and steady, to keep his mind open when all he wanted to do was slam himself closed in self preservation but his entire focus was narrowed to Sehun so he had to be distantly grateful that at least he couldn’t feel anyone else, couldn’t hear or see anyone else. Just Sehun.

“Sehun,” he heard himself say. Real, physical words with a real, physical ache behind them. “Sehun, come talk to me.”

[phxachilles-blog]

Sehun kept his head angled, glancing over his shoulder at the strange man whose name he didn’t know. His chest was still aching to the point of imploding then and there, and his tear-filled eyes stung as the wind swept around him -- without mercy, regardless of the current scenario. Mother nature was brutal that way. Yet he listened to the words swirling inside his head, evaluating them carefully. None should be able to feel him right now. He hadn’t closed himself off, but the distance was too great. None of the rules of his condition had been followed, so he shouldn’t have been felt. Then again, maybe it wasn’t him who transmitted for once in his life? 

He saw the hand, yet all he could muster was to turn around so that he faced the other. No further from the edge, but with his back against the dwindling fall just a step behind him. The trace of blood was observed seconds before the male wiped it away, and despite the state the telepath was in, he finally noticed that his uninvited company wasn’t doing too well, either. Though his yearning to return to the edge and finish what he had come here to do hindered him from feeling neither empathy nor return -- for now, at least. Instead he truly tossed and turned those words around, sniffling in the cold and reaching up to rub some of the wetness off his red cheeks.

“I wasn’t leaking, right? You felt me on your own.” It was meant as an inquiry, but immediately turned into a statement once it left his mind. The best thing about telepathic communication was that he no longer stuttered or hesitated. Thoughts came quick and confidently, contrary to how he actually felt. He could always rely on his thoughts to have his back. And his intuition kicked in effortlessly, planting the tiniest seed of caution. A stranger had come to his aid, yet Sehun couldn’t help but question his motives. He looked like he was hurting, all the way to his very core, just like the champion was. He wouldn’t claim that he knew anything, but he had a gut feeling. He considered the possibility that he was the cause of the other’s clearly pained state on a deeper level than the kindness of a sympathetic fellow man. And maybe, just maybe, he wanted the telepath away from that edge not only to prevent what was to happen, but to feel less of everything himself.

Maybe...

Sehun knew how to push his emotions on other people to clearly show them just how he felt, but he also knew how to do the complete opposite. And so he did. Just like sweeping a dense, black cloth over his entire being he closed the access to his wreck of an emotional pit, focusing well and hard on cutting everything off and masking any tiny piece of emotion currently felt inside. He knew nothing about the other person, but he knew himself and his ability to hide -- not physically, but mentally and emotionally. And if the man had sought him out with the intention to stop him only to eliminate the effect he currently had on him (whatever that was), at least he could rest assured that it would no longer bother him. “I don’t know who you are or what you can do, but I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.” Effortless thoughts were one thing, but the ‘you may leave now’ never left his head -- he could never be that frank.

Regardless the telepath was consumed by how much energy he had to use to constantly mask himself from the stranger, an effort almost draining him raw. He had no choice but to, carefully, bend his legs and take a seat, still sensing the edge just behind him. If anything he could just tip backwards and fall. But not with an audience, that was too grim. Instead he reached to wipe the last of his tears, with no energy to cry new ones. Instead he looked back up, tugging the hood of his shirt up over his head for some sort of protection, a small physical comfort. And so caution left room for empathy, knees brought up and arms wrapped around long legs. He felt so small, so indescribably insignificant. “... Are you okay?”

[aaron-m-holmes]

[sbxhaneul]

— watch it, cinderella.

What had started out as a long day - with him stumbling upon this bundle of what looked like dirt laying in an alley way on his morning jog, it had been simple gut instinct that had him taking a closer look, a weak growling from the bundle putting him in action, wrapping the animal in the jacket he stripped of his back and bringing it to the closest clinic, the dirty animal had proved to be a small tabby female, not only covered in grime and severely malnourished, but with a nasty eye infection as well - it continued going down hill as he received a new booking with a client, forcing him to leave the feline in the clinics care.

Perhaps he would have been less irritable if the worry had not hung over him quite as heavily, but with it added to the client being one of his least liked ones, annoyance was an understatement for what he felt as his eyes settled on the small group of people gathered on the side walk ahead - the raised, mocking voices having penetrated the night for longer than the group of males had been visible to him, it was the feeling of fright and dread, emotions not belonging to himself, that was the most prominent.

It was not the first time he had met the young champion - however he was actually deserving of the title was a discussion that held no value to Jonghyun himself, he still viewed the tournaments as yet another vile thing - they had done that plenty, in very similar situations, and he highly doubted it would be the last. The younger male did not fight back, from what he had observed, no matter what his attackers did or said to him, unlike other times, this was just another thing grinding on his already exposed nerves; approaching the group, his eyes were cold, no matter the warm, chocolate colour of his irises, sharp sparks of surge flashing between his fingers as they flexed, trying to expel the tension he felt building from his hands and all the way up to his shoulders and neck. “That would be enough,” he bit out, voice still low but holding none of the, for him, characteristic softness to it at this point.

For a few moments he could feel a sense of unwanted thrill coursing through his body as the males harassing the young boy turned their heads to assess him. He didn’t care if they so were experiments or even humans residing in Mugunghwa, one wrong step on their side and he was not too sure what state they would be leaving in. It would however seem that they, upon glances being thrown at the lightning curling around his fingers, had enough sense to give up on whatever plans they had had.

“Answer me this truthfully, Sehun, do you enjoy being treated like that?”

[phxachilles-blog]

The backlash after the terrorizing events had been hard to miss, especially for Sehun who roamed the gold zones riddled with upset humans on the daily. But even so he was mostly subjected to various stares, or glares, which was easy to turn a blind eye to. But champions were who they were for a reason, heavily hyped from the day that they won their respective tournaments. And there had never been a shortage of fans. Fans who, in this case, took the death of their favorite champion so badly that they sought out the most undeserving of the remaining lot to make sure he knew that they would’ve preferred him dead over her. And, like any other time, he just stood there and took it.

He had practiced this from an early age. Don’t look them in the eyes, but don’t necessarily look away either, settle with observing the bridge of their nose -- that way they can’t accuse you of ignoring them. Whatever you do, don’t back away or they’ll take that as initiative to move closer, closer and suddenly you’ve started a chain reaction that’ll definitely lead to a beating. Just stand your ground, but in no means do it like you mean it -- the more assertive you look, the more you’ll provoke them, and we already know what’ll happen then. So just kind of stay there, sway a little in the wind if you have to, don’t tense up. And just endure it. Endure everything.

Sehun spotted the familiar figure way before his aggressors did, and by now it was pure instinct the way he pushed some of the fear and discomfort within towards the man. Later on he had reflected over this habit a lot, and he knew that it was selfish. If he knew any better he’d be ashamed, but he sure loved quick fixes. The default setting of taking the entire arm if you offered him a finger didn’t help either. But it just happened, and he let it. He’d probably always let it so long as Jonghyun never flat out told him to stop. Then he’d stop immediately, never reaching out to him again. But there was something about the comfort of having someone on your side, even if it was something as quickly accomplished as making bullies shatter with one mean look. He just really missed that feeling of safety.

The telepath couldn’t help but to glance at the sparks jumping between the other’s fingers too, almost trembling at the thought of how helpless he’d be if Jonghyun ever turned on him. Even so the small crowd was easily dispersed with one low key threat, and just like that a crisis was averted. But unlike all the other times they actually stood face to face now, and Sehun had every intention to thank the other when he spoke first. Whatever gratitude lingering in his mind took a backseat as he corrected the hoodie around his face and looked at the older male, unsure of what to say. Truthfully? If he’d been braver he would’ve scoffed, but instead he slowly stuffed his hands inside the pockets of his jacket. Then again he probably had no right to feel offended? He was the leech latching onto the other’s ability to save him in a pinch, so maybe he should suck it up.

But even if that was the case, he couldn’t bring himself to actually answer it. Not with a yes or no, at least. “Do you honestly think that anyone enjoys being bullied?” He then transmitted after choosing his words carefully, letting the words settle in the male’s head. He may be a coward, but he thought it was common sense that everyone wasn’t strong enough to bite back -- it didn’t mean that he liked being treated that way. Sehun shuffled where he stood to kind of shake the fear out of his body, now allowing himself to admire the tip of his shoes for a few seconds before glancing back up at Jonghyun again. “Forget it, that’s not what I meant to say. I’m sorry that I’m bothering you so much, but for all it’s worth I’m thankful.” And he was, genuinely so. But eye contact was still something reserved for the brace, so once he had gotten that out the telepath instinctively looked in the direction the group of people had disappeared, wondering whether or not he should just go? They were done, right? Yet he lingered.

[phxachilles-blog]

💫 A WILL IS A DEAD GIVEAWAY

[phxgunwoo-blog]

The screaming fear was difficult to ignore, at best. Gunwoo felt it from… God, from forever away, somewhere along the path from Baekap to Minduelle. The need to stop and pick up supplies stopped dead as he took off down a narrow side street, up an alley and up a set of stairs, another, another– Gunwoo willed himself to remain unseen as the mess of thought and feel and being wrapped him up tight in barbed wire, his nose bleeding, his head spinning like a god damned top.

There had been so much distress, so much anger and agony and fear in the last few weeks since the death of the champion and it had taken all of Gunwoo’s strength to get himself out of the safety of Deadwicks and even then it had only been out of necessity. He had to leave, he had to resupply and the closest supplier was in Minduelle that weekend, but now he was run off course by a boy, a tall, thin boy, Oh Sehun, Achilles, Champion, child, afraid.

He was being run off course by a boy at the edge of a roof, a child, and despite himself Gunwoo could not in good conscience let a boy throw himself off a roof in fear.

Wait, he thought it as hard as he could. He wasn’t a telepath, but Oh Sehun was, and he would hear the quiet whisper as Gunwoo made it through the door to the roof, blood beneath his nose, on his lips and down his chin. Wait. Sehun.

The turmoil swirling in the air between them was knocking the breath out of Gunwoo’s lungs as he tried to reach out and touch with his mind, if not his fingers. It was rare he managed to catch someone before they killed themselves. It was rare he could convince them, even if he caught them. But he tried, god he tried because it hurt, because it felt like a piece of his chest was being ripped out and burned whenever the light of someone’s life went out.

Sehun. Wait. Please.

[phxachilles-blog]

For a split second time stood still, and his feet froze to the ground the moment the sole of his shoe touched the flat surface again. The wind was strong, strong enough to cancel out most, if not all, of the noise that formed below. Yet he had heard something faint, something within akin to his own thoughts. But the voice had been foreign for all he knew, and Sehun was quick to dismiss it for a cruel trick until he heard his own name. In his own head, in someone elses voice. Despite his telepathetic abilities, despite knowing better, he feared that he was hallucinating. He must be going completely insane.

But he kept hearing the voice clear as day in his head, forcing him to snap out of the near trans he had put himself under to be able to do the unthinkable. And once his mind was somewhat free to rationalize things he sensed the brainwaves behind him. This time he was ready for the sound of his own name, and intently listening to it unleashed something so primal within him that he had to catch his breath. It was debatable whether or not the champion was aware of how his tears were now streaming down his cheeks with reckless abandon, yet out of equal parts grief and relief. There was something indescribably soothing about not being alone in his own head right now, and he wondered if that’s how his mother had felt too, that fateful moment that they had reunited in the laboratory.

His feet weighed a ton, and for some reason he couldn’t move. His entire body was trembling, yet it didn’t obey his most basic demand to turn around. So instead he drew a deep breath and looked back over his shoulder, noticing the stranger at the corner of his eyes. Fixating him with his gaze was hard, heck, seeing anything all through the tears was a challenge in itself -- but once the telepath could see the other he could communicate with him. Even so his chest was heaving in painful, silent sobs that seemed to suffocate rather than oxygenate him. “I thought I was alone...” he transmitted, even his thoughts quivering under the grim reality of the current situation. “In my.... I thought I’d always be alone up here, in my head.”

The few seconds of silence that followed felt like an eternity, and he was constantly reminded of his mission as he, however blurry, could sense the steep fall just a step in front of him that would end him for good. The fear was still so real, so tangible -- because despite this sudden, perplexing interruption, Sehun didn’t plan on leaving this roof alive. But for now he had something else to focus on, something that he couldn’t wrap his head around no matter how hard he tried. He wanted to ask why the other was here, yet another question leaked before he got a chance to consider it. As if that question, before any other, had to be asked (and answered) first. “How did you find me?”

[phxachilles-blog]

🔪🌲🎹

🔪 ⇢melee weapons

he can barely wield weapons larger than his own hands. they make him clumsy and he easily loses track of his own movements because he focuses too much on the weapon and its position. but he’s surprisingly efficient with small daggers and other pocket-sized, bladed weapons. his entire fighting style is derived out of cutting swiftly and puncturing accurately – speed over strength. this was taught in preparation for the tournament and he never got to use said skills, but the reflex to cut, rather than punch, remains all the same. despite the lack of continuous practice after the tournament, he still knows how to wield a knife well.

🌲⇢ surviving in the wilderness

if left to his own devices, with no aid whatsoever, he won’t do well. all he knows is to be heavily dependent, and during his tournament his mother left trails to secret shelters and stashes of food that she had prepared for him, so he has never had to rely on himself, out in nature or otherwise. he probably won’t be adaptable enough to take care of himself if he does need to survive in the wilderness. he might last a couple of days out of sheer luck, but he easily resigns and succumbs to fear, so i wouldn’t put my money on him doing a particularly good job. if he had something/someone to survive for his intuition could keep him alive, but if there’s nothing to motivate him he’ll most likely do poorly.

🎹⇢ playing an instrument

music is not a forte of his. his deaf mother raised him, so he just never listened to music unless he sat through the credits of the movies they watched together. he has never touched an instrument in his entire life, and part of him believes it is magic – the way some people can make inanimate objects sound so extraordinarily. despite this he has no interest in trying to learn an instrument on his own. he’s a bit sensitive to sounds, so while he can tolerate some instruments he can’t stand majority of them – and sitting through that period of awkward, out-of-tune attempts until he gets good at it just isn’t appealing in the slightest.

[phxachilles-blog]

⌛️🎭📥

⌛️⇢time management

he might be a bit iffy at managing his time responsibly. he was never taught the concept of being in time, nor the repercussions of being too late. all his activities growing up were very flexible, and truth to be told he very rarely even looked at the clock after his mother taught him how to read what time it was. this still remains, and he doesn’t have that instant reflex to look the time up – for better or for worse. before becoming a champion he rarely had any scheduled activities to take into consideration, now he’s reminded that he’s needed somewhere by impatient knocks on his door: his inadequacy to stick to a schedule hasn’t passed the government by unnoticed. without someone to take the lead, he rarely gets anything done and is absolutely accused for “wasting precious time”. if he’s allowed to work without a schedule he’s surprisingly efficient, but that’s never the case anymore.

📥⇢organization

one of the few things that he can pride himself in is the fact that he’s very organized. be it regarding his belongings at home or the way he deals with tasks – he’s got that thorough and directive approached ingrained in his backbone. so long as his fearful nature doesn’t get in the way, he can easily step in and organize situations seemingly out of control. similarly he knows how to make things come together (and stay that way) usually within hours of observing a problem. unfortunately this is a skill of his that hasn’t gotten nearly as much recognition as it should, and he tends to momentarily forget just how capable he is during times of stress. in conclusion he has the potential to be a very strong organizer even in bigger contexts, but just like always he needs an outside force to push him to realize his true potential.

🎭⇢performance art/acting

he has never been able to portray what he’s not, but he can easily hide what he is. he can’t act confident, but he can hide that he’s not – which in turn makes him appear to be very sure of himself. consequentially he doesn’t consider himself to be any good at acting, but he can easily give someone an impression completely opposite to the truth using deceit and lies. he’s very good at painting scenarios with words though, and it is infinitely easier for him to “get into character” when he’s telling a story. but without a book in hand to recite from, or drawing from a tale forming in his head, he can’t improvise nor put up an act. which might be why he often makes up scenarios in his mind to draw inspiration from in times where a good act is the only thing that’ll get him by.

[horrorgorewhore]

The thing waiting under my bed to grab my ankle isn’t real. I know that, and I also know that if I’m careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle.

Stephen King

[phxachilles-blog]

💫 A WILL IS A DEAD GIVEAWAY

 @phxgunwoo

The Minduelle district looked surprisingly small from up above, yet it wasn’t hard to spot the figures shuffling about down below, working diligently to restore the damage done during the burning of a select few places. But there was no longer any sign of the festivities up until the postponed tournament, and in a matter of days Sehun doubted that you’d be able to see that anything grim at all had happened -- that’s how fervent the government currently worked to restore balance. Yet Jangmi Island would never be the same again, nor would he.

The edge of the roof was an arms length away from him, but even sitting down the impact of everything running through his mind was daunting. The telepath had never imagined that the champions could die. Himself not included of course, he was as defenseless as they came, but the others? A small portion of him had always thought of them as invincible in one way or the other. Or at least untouchable. But Jinx’s funeral proved otherwise, and suddenly he hadn’t been able to breathe properly for days, always hyperventilating. Always panicking. Someone had deliberately killed a champion in direct opposition to the tournaments, and out of all the current champions Sehun considered himself the biggest fraud. If someone came after him he’d be dead in seconds, and that reality scared him to literal death.

His cheeks were already stained wet by tears, and his balled fists whitened as he rose on shaky legs. When he saw just how close to the edge that he actually was the telepath swayed where he stood, fighting for air as his breath hitched in his throat. Some claimed that suicide was the way of a coward, but what they didn’t realize was the tremendous amount of courage and willpower required to actively not only make a decision to end your life, but to actually follow through with it. Sehun was trembling where he stood, not because of the chill winds gripping at his wet, cold face -- but because he was seconds from taking that one, final leap. Some claimed that suicide was selfish, “think about the people you’ll leave behind!” To that all he’d want to ask is what people?

People always assumed that everyone, everywhere, had someone that would mourn their death. But he was the one in mourning. The one without someone to leave behind. The one that was utterly alone with nothing to lose. He didn’t want to be killed, but since that seemed to be inevitable as time passed, he needed it to be on his own terms. To make sure they didn’t kill him, he had to kill himself. And that tore him up from the inside, his entire body physically aching with the grief, fright and hopelessness suffocating him where he stood. His mother’s sacrifice would’ve been in vain, but Sehun couldn’t take it anymore. He wasn’t strong like she was. She had always been strong for him. Without her he was nothing, absolutely nothing. “I’m so sorry”, he transmitted into the vast sky above without anyone to hear his last words, “I just don’t know what else to do.”

Sehun took one last look at the Minduelle district beneath him before he closed his eyes and willed his leg one step closer to the edge. This was it. This was the end.

[phxachilles-blog]

💫 GREY HARES

[thunderxph-blog]

What did drive him up the wall was the fact that it had been nearly thirty minutes and his scheduled appointment had not yet arrived. Typical. Put yourself out there with reasonable hours and people take you for granted. It’s all for the animals he would remind himself, grimacing as he thought it. Didn’t help that Sanghyun was the only one left at the clinic at this point, everyone else running home as soon as they could. Even if he wanted to leave, he couldn’t exactly do so. The minute he would walk away, the minute the women would come in screaming that her dog has the flea’s. Not what he pictured when first starting this job all those years ago.

Hearing his phone vibrate in his coat pocket was like music to his ears, at least something to do. Retrieving it from his pocket, he opened up his messages. Sehun, he should of known. Ever since he had helped the other a couple of times, the messages had been somewhat constant. It was obvious that he was something of a worrier, always thinking that they might be doing something wrong. To Sanghyun, at least the other cared for their animals. If it were the other way around, he would have some issues then.

[TEXT ⇢ Worrywort] I should say no for that pun.

[TEXT ⇢ Worrywort] But considering it sounds like you might start to pull out your own hair,

[TEXT ⇢ Worrywort] I’ll be there as soon as I can.

[TEXT ⇢ Worrywort] Make sure that blanket is off the mirror, otherwise I’ll have to walk and not after the day I’ve had.

Eyeing the clock for what seemed like the nth time, Sanghyun finally decided to call it quits. If the women came here, then she’ll have to be very disappointed, not with Sanghyun but with her time management skills. Luckily for him they kept a stash of rabbit feed at the clinic, grabbing them and a small flashlight he made his way to the mirror.

In a matter of moments he was inside Sehun’s building, albeit a bit startled when the first thing he saw was the worried man. ‘’If you worry this much about cutting some nails, I hate to see what happens in an actual emergency.’’ he joked, moving around Sehun’s body, out of the way of the mirror. ‘’I’m assuming they’re in their cages, do you have the clippers?’’

[phxachilles-blog]

[ ✉ ⇢ miracle worker ] probably [ ✉ ⇢ miracle worker ] i mean, i hate insect puns [ ✉ ⇢ miracle worker ] they really bug me

Cue a satisfied snort followed by nimble fingers flying across the display.

[ ✉ ⇢ miracle worker ] i’m sorry, i’m sorry, please come-- [ ✉ ⇢ miracle worker ] i’ll go check the mirror

With two big spoonfuls Sehun finished his breakfast and dumped the bowl in the sink. He was still hungry, but when wasn’t he? Self-harm could be carried out in so many ways -- not letting yourself sate one of your most basic needs was one of them. But even so his entire focus was on his animals, far too engrossed in the simple act of trimming their nails. How people weren’t required to get a license for owning a pet, much like a driving license to use a car, was beyond him. Shit was hard and lives were on the stake. It all played into the human desire to play God, and just like that he worried that he was doing the same. Playing God. Playing house. Playing with lives entirely dependent on him for survival. A quiver ran down his spine and he shook his head, hurrying over to the mirror.

The telepath tugged the blanket off and threw it atop his bed, entirely unimpressed about his own reflection staring back at him. Luckily Sanghyun appeared more or less seconds after the mirror was cleared, and Sehun took a stumbling step or two backwards to give him some space. But the worried knot was still wrung tight in his chest, and it would be until he knew that Ren had been properly cared for. The feeling of inadequacy would always stay there, nestled deep within, but it left room for the satisfaction towards a kind, helping hand. He didn’t necessarily invite people into his home, not if he had any say in it at least, but his aching love for those furry little creatures had let the veterinarian in without a second thought months prior -- and since then he was a welcomed guest.

“Don’t jinx it!” he transmitted to the older male, the voice lighthearted and all in good fun. But that one innocent word reminded him about the fallen Champion, and as Sanghyun moved around him he could feel his heart drop to the ground and shatter into a million peaces -- a nauseating fear settling in a slight panic. With a quick lick of his lips Sehun nodded and stepped into the living room, looking around for the clippers that he knew should be somewhere, if he could only remember where... “Yes, they’re in the cage. I managed to trim Rey and Finn’s nails, but I couldn’t get Ren to lay still.” He furrowed his brows and stopped in his tracks. He had used the clippers yesterday, where in the world could they-- Oh. On the opposite side of the room, on the floor in a corner, he found them abandoned and out of place. He may or may not have thrown them across the room in a fit of frustration back then.

With clippers in hand the Champion joined the other by the cage, reaching down to stroke two fingers across the soft ears of the black rabbit, as if to apologize for being such a tool yesterday. He instinctively emitted a small flash of love towards the animal. Sehun didn’t know if animals in general could understand his own, human emotions -- but they always knew to cuddle up next to him when he was sad, and similarly keep a watchful eye out whenever he was scared. So yes, in hopes that they did understand he liked to shower them in love, temporarily forgetting that Sanghyun, who was standing beside him, could feel it just as clearly. His cheeks burned with slight embarrassment as he backed up, idly fiddling with the clippers waiting for the other to claim that he needed them. “Can I do something, or should I stay out of the way?”

[ask-meme-addicts]

Muse skillset symbol meme

Send an emoji to learn how good/bad my muse is at that particular skill!

💋 — kissing

💄 — makeup

👾 — video games

🎵 — singing

💃 — dancing

🎹 — playing an instrument

🌷 — taking care of living things

🌲 — surviving in the wilderness

👊 — fighting

😇 — following rules

🍳 — cooking

🍼 — taking care of children

🎁 — giving presents to others

🎉 — hosting parties

💌 — romance/flirting

🎨 — art

🍀 — luck

⚽️  — sports

🏊 — swimming

🚗 — driving

🔮 — magic

🔎 — investigating

🔫 — long range weapons

💣 — explosives

🔪 — melee weapons

🔬 — scientific pursuits

🚿 — hygiene

💰 — finance

🌍 — knowledge of the world

👻 — communing with the paranormal

📚 — reading

🔧 — engineering/mechanics

⌛️ — time management

📥 — organization

🍺 — alcohol tolerance

🚴 — riding a bike

🎭 — performance art/acting

⚓️ — sailing

➗ — mathematics

[sehun8gfat]

[phxachilles-blog]

💫 THE MOUSE’S TALE

 @phxhaha

Rare are the days when Sehun genuinely feels as if he’s got his abilities somehow under control, that he knows the full scope of it and that nothing can surprise him. And as rare as they come, as easily shattered is his newfound ease with a slight alteration to his view of the world and his understanding of his place in it. Lately the telepath had sensed the same brainwaves talk in different tongues, broadcasting different opinions and hinting at wildly separate ideals. At first he thought that his mind had been playing tricks on him, as it had done plenty of times since the death of a fellow champion, but that vague explanation only seemed plausible for so long. As soon as he truly focused he could feel that the brainwaves were, in fact, identical -- and suddenly he was back to square one, utterly confused and completely out of touch with reality.

It might not seem like such a big deal, but for someone who would tremble at the thought of (clearly fictional) monsters under his bed, it was a given for Sehun to see an end to this. There had to be some answers out there, somewhere, and he had to find them. It was vital for him to find a way to ease his mind and explain this sudden change of rules, or the Champion would continue to be lost in a playing field that he traversed blindfolded. He fought for clarity, and he might’ve gotten one step closer to the truth. Or fractions of it, at least. Like a bloodhound who had just picked up a trail, the young man was unusually resolute.

The Little Penguin was far from the kind of place he’d ever seek out on his own, and he was surprised it existed at all. With the hood of his jacket shielding majority of his face he had done the good old ‘point and nod’ as the menu was brought his way. As a Champion he was too easily recognizable, and he wanted to remain anonymous for at least a few more moments. The food wasn’t bad though, and with each bite Sehun felt himself warm up to the place. It was still such an odd piece of work, but the idea was growing on him. And so was his courage, because soon he settled for discreetly glancing at the woman’s wrists as she stood behind the counter. He never ceased to eat though, he wanted to seem preoccupied and incapable of whatever would shortly follow.

He had listened to her when she talked to customers, and it wasn’t hard to replicate her voice. While few people knew the sound of his voice as is, he still didn’t want to use that right now. He wanted to be clever, with his several aces up his sleeves. “You’re Eunhye, correct?” he transmitted right into her head, letting the sound of her own voice speaking foreign words mingling with her own thoughts. Unfortunately he didn’t have a grand plan as to what he would say, and Sehun could already feel his insecurities clouding his mind. Courage left him so easily, today just like any other time in his life. But in place of courage sprouted an alien stubbornness that temporarily filled him with the energy to act. But by now he was improvising in the purest sense of the word, crossing his fingers that it somehow, in some way, would work. “I’ve had trouble catching your name lately, with your habit of being everywhere, and everyone.” Still using her own voice against her, the telepath casually continued to pick at his many side dishes and eat in peace, seemingly unaware of Eunhye’s current mental intrusion.

“You didn’t think you left any traces, did you?” It all remained in her head, and she couldn’t possibly answer him without shouting at the entire restaurant. He would invite her to his table for a more intimate conversation -- soon. But first he wanted to watch her react, and truly give her enough proof that he knew. What he knew was irrelevant, because truthfully Sehun himself wasn’t too sure, but he knew something and he’d convince her that all the cards were on the table before he invited her to his. Before his usual fear of confrontation clouded his ability to get things done.

[phxachilles-blog]

💫 GREY HARES

 @thunderxph

Owning a pet isn’t a stagnant, linear experience -- much to Sehun’s surprise. Admittedly he had never known much about animals, never owned one nor cared for one, but it still surprised him what a roller coaster of emotions it turned out to be. Because one day he would walk through his house with the silliest of grins plastered across his lips courtesy of his well-behaved, ever sweet rabbits. The next he would pull his hair out in a violent mental breakdown over his four-legged spawns of Satan. How people could do this and remain sane was beyond him.

Yesterday had been literal hell as far as he was concerned. He had tried to trim their nails, whereas Rey and Finn had lulled him into a false sense of accomplishment by being model pets. But when Ren was next in line Sehun was reminded of how everything just kind of sucked. He couldn’t get the animal to lay relaxed in his lap like the two prior had, nor would the black rabbit let him take his paws either. With a plethora of faint claw marks on his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks and several pleads for Ren to chill just this one time, he had to call it a night. These were the times that he, in a bout of panic, convinced himself that he was the worst pet owner in the entire world and that he would never, ever be able to figure it out. But what scared him the most was his impulse to wrangle the poor creature’s neck out of pure desperation, and that’s when he locked himself inside his bedroom and refused to come out for the rest of the night.

The guilt, exhaustion and complete sense of inadequacy was still eating away at him where he sat by the dining table the following morning, somberly looking over at the animals happily eating breakfast in their shared cage. He had to admit defeat on the daily, and now was no different. The champion let the spoon kind of linger in his mouth as both hands reached for the phone and opened his texts. 

[ ✉ ⇢ miracle worker ] mayday, mayday [ ✉ ⇢ miracle worker ] !!! [ ✉ ⇢ miracle worker ] ren won’t let me trim his nails, can you help me?? [ ✉ ⇢ miracle worker ] he’s giving me [ ✉ ⇢ miracle worker ] grey hares [ ✉ ⇢ miracle worker ] badum-tssss!!1

Luckily he wasn’t alone. No matter what problem his furry little friends presented him with, he always had someone to turn to. For some reason the veterinarian managed to endure his barrage of worried texts every other day, and that’s probably what gave Sehun enough courage to keep on asking stupid questions in the first place. And the fact that Sanghyun could pop by in the blink of an eye, should he choose to, made everything much less complicated. Those rabbits would be the death of him, of that he was sure, but for now they proved to be the best company he could ever imagine -- bad days, or not.

[onedemigoddess]

No one is ever the villain of their own story.

Cristina (Lady Midnight - Cassandra Clare)

[iloveusistar]