duologs | ( CLOSED ) ORV CATCH-ALL

[ I've chosen that they're chilling in the training hall because the last thing he wants is to get rusty in the case they're attacked in the flesh. Maybe they're taking a break after some sword sparring with many criticisms sprinkled in about Dokja's footwork and swordsmanship—how two months of this place must have made him complacent.

For whatever reason, Joonghyuk still... Does shoots... Or the few shoots he had in April what with the storm, but perhaps the normal setting has made him more. Normal. Despite his feral disposition. He's rather behaved after the match, just sitting on the mat as he browses on his cellphone.

If Dokja is on his phone, too, then he'll notice his following account on some social media go down by one. On his social media manager platform, he'll obviously find missing accounts—Joonghyuk's accounts. This has been a recurring event every week, sometimes ambitiously every couple of days.

Guess who's also here? There's a black puppy just sprawled right next to him. Let's pay attention to that instead of the silent war being waged online right now. ]

[ After way too much physical exertion, Dokja is sprawled out on the mat, trying his best to catch his breath, while he holds his phone over his face and thumbs through his feed. It's the very image of every Asian mother's worst nightmare, lying down and on the phone, but who's stopping him.

Just two guys and their puppy... What a nice way to pass the time.

Except that's promptly broken when Dokja notices his following has gone down by one? And then he double hands his phone as he races to confirm his immediate suspicions, fingers tapping away until... until...

In his shock, he drops the phone on his face with a shout, then bolts upright into a sit, the phone falling on the mat in the process as Dokja rounds accusingly on Joonghyuk. He doesn't even feel the pain of where his phone had smacked him. ]

Where are your accounts?!

[ They don't co-parent this puppy. This is Joonghyuk's puppy. Minji, the black soot ball of a pomeranian, startles when the phone just falls straight on Dokja's face and he starts yelling. Her owner in comparison doesn't react as dramatically, but the knit of his eyebrows tell enough.

His dark gaze shifts over, narrowing into a squint. It's trying to communicate, be normal. ]

You're being loud.

[ Dismissive and avoidant, Joonghyuk decides on a non-answer. He isn't annoyed that Dokja somehow caught on so quickly, no... It couldn't be his own fault for not being discrete about it. Couldn't be his fault for being so Obstinate about this, either. This world is to blame. ]

[ Meanwhile, Dokja is panicking as he jerks his gaze back to his phone. The threat from his loan shark still hangs over his head... And now one source of income is just GONE? ]

Could it be that you were hacked...?

[ He's mostly mumbling to himself now as he frantically starts navigating through the social media sites, desperate plans formulating in his head in case of worst case scenarios. They could restart the accounts but rebuilding that following is going to be such a pain in the ass. ]

I'll contact support. Maybe they can restore the accounts...

[ what is WRONG with you. Joonghyuk doesn't know anything about Dokja's AU and he has been waiting for Dokja to tell him since his own is... Mildly normal and unimportant? Though he has suspicions his guardians are roped in a cult.

He'll figure that out later. Not important.

What's important is watching Dokja turn ghost pale despite being white as hell already. ]

I deactivated them.

[ Which Dokja can reactivate them by relogging on. ]

[ With the number of times Dokja is whipping his head around, he's going to end up breaking something. For now, he stares, dumbfounded at Joonghyuk, like he's not sure he heard correctly.

Very slowly, he lowers his phone down to his lap so he can direct his full attention to the man trying to have him dismembered. ]

Why did you do that?

[ Despite his ghostly paleness, his tone is oddly calm. Maybe he's had a break from reality. ]

[ ... Uh. He isn't sure why, but watching Dokja be extremely anxious and nervous has him anxious—maybe because it's rare. This is a time of peace, isn't it? Peace with strange curses and effects, but nothing he has found to be... Dangerous. Yet.

Instead of answering, he passes another question. ]

Why are you upset?

[ Minji, the pomeranian, crawls over against the floor to Dokja, whining because she Senses the bad vibes. ]

[ It's the kind of anxiety he hasn't felt in a while... The sort that would keep him up at night back in the day as he wondered if he'd be able to pass his classes, if he'd be able to pay next month's rent, what the electricity bill would look like, if his internship would lead him anywhere.

Mundane concerns. Every day life concerns. It comes back in an all too familiar rush. Gods, apocalypses, regressions... These are all things that he knows how to combat. This, however, is different. ]

I'm not upset, [ he says, upset. ] I just... I needed that job.

[ His mood grows quieter as he reaches out to pull Minji closer to him, hugging her against him. ]

[ The struggle of a salaryman has returned, dread and the mundane corporate death wrapping their hands around Dokja's small neck. Joonghyuk remembers Dokja mentioning he was on contract before the world fell apart, but... What now?

Are they not well off now? Sooyoung doesn't seem pressed about everyday life yet. His thoughts are interrupted with watching Dokja shamelessly take his dog and use her for his own comfort.

his pity is wasted he feels ]

That doesn't explain why you're incredibly upset. There are better jobs and other talents you can manage. [ WHY THE DREAD? He cocks an eyebrow. ] Is someone threatening you?

[ Your manager? ]

[ While Minji isn't Biyoo, she's almost as soft and fluffy. It gives Dokja great comfort in these troubling times, and he absentmindedly pets her as he thinks about how to best answer.

Sure, there may be better opportunities out there for him, but this is the quickest and easiest. Who knows Yoo Joonghyuk better than him? Maybe he'd failed to market the protagonist the first time around when he'd been crusading on those webnovel forums, but times have changed. Situations have changed.

Except he's immediately halted from his thoughts at the pinpoint accuracy of Joonghyuk's assumption. ]

... You're seriously a scary bastard. [ But no use lying here when Joonghyuk always sees right through him. ] Don't overreact to what I'm about to tell you.

[ Minji is a dog, domesticated to love and be loved, so she licks Dokja's fingers to keep comforting him unlike her mean owner.

While Dokja has delusional thoughts about being his manager and knowing him better than anyone, Joonghyuk continues to believe modeling is a poor fit for him. Whatever drama deals he has been getting, also not to his interest. What matters to him is that he brings Dokja and Sooyoung home.

Playing house is not as good as actual house.

... He doesn't like the sound of that, so his frown deepens exponentially as his brow furrows more. Only Joonghyuk can somehow scowl more. ]

I won't.

[ The pets become a lot more hurried as Dokja gears himself up for the explanation. The fact that this is part of his very fake background makes it easier to reveal, at least. ]

I'm in debt. The backstory I got isn't all that great, and now I have a loan shark demanding I pay back the money.

[ And maybe it would have been easier to ignore if she hadn't climbed in through his bedroom window and brandished some supernaturally sharp scissors. He doesn't know how well he can defend himself in this OFF world, especially with his lacking powers. ]

I managed to buy myself some time, but I need every scrap of money I can get.

[ Which is where Joonghyuk comes into play. ]

... This sounds stupid.

[ Because from what he has heard of Dokja's original story, he was not in debt. He was barely surviving everyday salaryman life, but he wasn't suffering under debts and loans. Be glad that he's giving you more credit than the Dokja of Crane City since Joonghyuk thinks they may have been... Transmigrated into an alternate universe.

HELP IS IT TOKO... CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS THE DRAMA THAT'S GOING TO SPIRAL. ]

Why are you abiding by the laws of this place? You can kill them.

[ DON'T BE A WUSS ]

[ After grumbling and living a life of normalcy, or alleged normalcy... Joonghyuk doesn't believe a building that switches around rooms and floors is normal in the slightest. He doesn't think being forced into an MMORPG is something mundane. Well, the point is, after some time of settling into this strange universe where he has memories that he's sure he isn't his own,

he has paired up with Sooyoung to break into one of the few consistent things in Crane City. The Divination Tower looms atop Dodo House, always, and that has him curious enough to invite her for investigation. Is this... Place locked? I guess not, so they can peruse the divination tools at their disposal.

The sight of stars make Joonghyuk grimace, bitter. ]

... Why do they have this here?

Edited 2023-05-03 23:11 (UTC)

[It's not locked, but Sooyoung feels that sensation -- you know, the kind you get when you feel like someone's watching... Which she guesses is right in a way, since the Dodo House is clearly sentient.

It's not shooing them out (yet), so maybe they're allowed to be here and look at the... (yjh voice) stars.]

It doesn't really fit with the theme, huh?

[It's out of place enough to garner their interest, even if they didn't have an obsession with the (orv voice) stars.]

I wonder if there's an ON world equivalent.

[ Clenches fist, he hates the stars. They taunt him all the time, either as aesthetics or gods in the sky laughing at him. May they all rot and the sky be blotted out into his favorite color—black.

Crossing his arms, he isn't here to be emo. ]

There seems to be enough similarities between events in both realms to consider that... There must be a reason.

[ For this tower to exist, to always keep its place—for this house to be ridiculous as it is. ]

A focal point?

[ JOONGHYUK HAS GATHERED THEM BOTH... MAYBE I GUESS HE HAS INVITED DOKJA INTO THE DIVINATION TOWER AFTER HIM AND SOOYOUNG LOOKED AROUND AND STUFF. they may have broken something but i don't know this is forward dated. ]

We share some history together in this alternate world, but we don't know everything. It's better if we know what story has been written for us since someone is in debt.

[ LOOKS AROUND LIKE WHO COULD IT BE ]

Okay, well. Who should start? Han Sooyoung, you go first.

[STARES AT THEM BOTH?]

Why does Kim Dokja have debt.

[ He looks to Dokja, arms crossed. Will he try to save him? No. ]

Tell her why you are in debt.

It's not like I chose to be in debt.

[ GROANS IN MISERY ]

This is some really unoriginal writing, you know. Am I supposed to be the lead in a drama?

[HELLO?]

-- It's that bad?! How much do you owe?!?

[ Mumbles an answer that can't be heard clearly...... ]

[IT REALLY IS THAT BAD]

How many kidneys is that.

[ Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh. ]

About two... and a half...?

[looks at yoo joonghyuk and thinks about his kidneys]

You only have two kidneys maximum!

[ THAT ISN'T THE POINT ]

Then it's a good thing I'm not going to give her any of them.

[ Because he will Figure it Out. ]

Who would want your kidneys?

[clearly she was thinking of selling YJH'S???]

Anyway, the obvious solution here is that we track down whoever you owe debt to and kill them.

[KILL?]

[ WHY ARE YOU BOTH THINKING ABOUT SELLING YOUR KIDNEYS AND SOMEONE ELSE'S. Joonghyuk is assuming they will NOT be losing their kidneys. ]

What is their address?

[ KILL! ]

Edited 2023-05-22 23:36 (UTC)

[ This is an open log now. And it's a good thing that Joonghyuk has been making use of the training hall because the two of them, while traversing Mount Cumulo sort of independently and sort of together, eventually find themselves in the belly of a snitcher.

It's damp and moist in the belly of the beast, smelling vaguely of vomit and decaying meat, and the vines that dragged them in are still wound tightly around their bodies.

Wolfwood does not take this development with grace. ]

You've gotta be kiddin' me.

[ He struggles against the vines, doing little more than splashing the acidic nectar around, before settling down and fixing Joonghyuk with a grumpy look. ]

Any chance you've mastered usin' magic?

[ i didn't even realize you just nonconned my closed log and chose vore

Joonghyuk really has to be Aware of Wolfwood, his new suitemate, existing here and there on his trek of Mount Cumulo. Glad to know they are practicing social distancing and being antisocial. ]

I'm not a mage.

[ He unsheathes his sword and it surges with an electric current, crackling wildly like a storm. Maybe stray lightning tickles the beast, or static shocks Wolfwood, but he swings to sever the vine claiming his leg. Tentacles are not allowed. ]

[ I'm a mage, Joonghyuk says, immediately before using magic.

Anyway, the sword and the electricity are super cool. Wolfwood doesn't really care what he has in his arsenal as long as it works. Which it does. Sort of.

It works in the sense that the electricity shocks the vines around them enough to loosen, but it also doesn't work because the water in the stomach acid all around them conducts the electricity and sends it sparking everywhere. Including up Wolfwood's spine, which he announces with an angry, ] Oi!

[ He doesn't get much else out when the beast suddenly trashes around them, sending him stumbling toward Joonghyuk. Which is, at least, where he wants to go, hands fisting in the front of Joonghyuk's shirt. ]

You're gonna fry us both, idiot! [ Grr. ] Why don't you just cut this thing open?

[ You see him shooting magic with a staff? No. The lightning dies down and the skill goes on its timer, but the blade moves in a large arc. The stomach wall splits, but there is much more fiber to work through. ]

It'd be your own fault for not learning any elemental resistance.

[ Says... Joonghyuk whose resistance isn't the same as it used to be, so his hair is a little fried and kinked, fuzzy and sticking on end where it didn't before. It may have hurt a little bit. He isn't going to show it, though.

He grabs Wolfwood's wrist, trying to get him to LET GO. How will he CUT ANYTHING with you holding him. ]

We have to find the thinnest part of the stomach—

[ The vines are coming and snap onto them again, now as a pair. Snug and comfy, aren't they? ]

[ He's been here for one month cut him some slack. There's enough to take in with all the plants and water and indoor plumbing that he hasn't gotten around to magic yet. Also, I still haven't picked an element for him.

Anyway, he was planning to let go in accordance with Joonghyuk's wishes until they're boldly shoved back together, the air leaving his lungs briefly from the force with which the creature winds its vines around them. idk where Joonghyuk's sword is but I assume it doesn't stab Wolfwood when they crash together.

Too close... ]

Tch.

[ He closes his eyes. ]

You got fire resistance?

[ Maybe he will simply ignite the vines around them? ]

[ He found Wolfwood trying to give him commands annoying, but not annoying enough to let him get stabbed by his sword like this. Woowoo is whole.

The vines drag them across the corroding stomach floor, through the acid, deeper into the pit of the snitcher's plant stomach. TOO CLOSE, also not fun. ]

I do—[ Their noses brush as he shifts and he makes that face that cats do when they smell something stinky. There's a judgmental silence. ] Let me try this game's analysis skill first.

[ Is Joonghyuk assigning Wolfwood stinky?? He's assigning him stinky??

Though, to be fair, he is pretty stinky given that they're literally being dragged through stomach acid in a place where plenty of people have probably died before them.

Anyway, Wolfwood just gives Joonghyuk a blank stare. ]

The hell's that...

[ He's mostly mumbling to himself, because it seems like Joonghyuk is being helpful whereas Wolfwood has done little more than flail around and yell. ]

It's a Warrior's guild exclusive.

[ Granted, he also has his own assessment ability from home... It just doesn't work as well here in this weird world. Sometimes you bump into glitches here and there (he doesn't like it). Upon use, he gets a vague summary, but it's enough to deduce what will work.

...

The silence that follows isn't one of confusion per se, instead it's one of dread like he saw something he didn't want to see. ]

...

[ Well, not they're both here in silence, slowly being digested and squeezed to death. Wolfwood isn't sure how long this ability is supposed to last, but eventually he gets tired of waiting and gently bonks his forced against Joonghyuk's. ]

You plannin' on sharing with the class anytime soon?

[ He frowns, looking a little put out. ]

This ain't the time to practice your tall, dark and mysterious vibe.

[ what the fuck He instantly leers at Wolfwood for bonking him, metaphorical hackles raised and bristled. Ugh. It'd be better if Wolfwood just burned him alive, honestly, but he relents. ]

Its weakness is that it gets embarrassed easily.

[ There are no crickets in this stomach, but that's the vibe right now. Silence, the sound of digestion, and literary crickets. ]

[ Way to tackle the problem head on, Joonghyuk. Wolfwood had thought he looked like a priest (haha), but it seems he has the sensibilities of one too, if he's being vague and shy about this.

He just assumes that Joonghyuk is being shy, and not that he's repulsed by him. ]

And what? We gotta make it feel some secondhand embarrassment... sweetie pie?

[ Well, it's not like he has any particularly embarrassing memories of the plant that he can use as blackmail. ]

[ you think you're so funny and you are. He's not being coy about their predicament. If anything, he's emanating murderous aura that can choke any weak bitch within the vicinity. The desire to kill in the air is thick and suffocating, but perhaps that's familiar and cozy for Wolfwood.

The receiver of this disdain is the snitcher, though there's a pause when Wolfwood makes a solid attempt to save their asses. ]

I'm not interested in men.

[ Is getting instantly rejected cringe enough? Rolling a solid 7, the vines do tremble and shrink, oof. Hm. ]

No matter how handsome.

( CLOSED ) ORV CATCH-ALL

MAY (OFFLINE) ✦ DOKJA

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MAY (OFFLINE) ✦ SOOYOUNG

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MAY (OFFLINE) ✦ ALL

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may dungeon: mount cumulo

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