#{Also me: Happy to jump at the chance to help best friend create icons and promo banners for her OC character. WILL STAY UP ALL NIGHT }

[vxmpirehunterd]

...

“Sometimes I must rethink my life choices.” 

[snowboiwinwin]

The Boyz as my University Professors

Disclaimer: Some of my professors are evil bitches; none of the boys are truly evil and I am in no way implying they are or trying to make them look bad! I love the boys and I just thought it would be a fun thing to post :D

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Sangyeon: 

the one professor that absolutely loves the topic of his class

super wholesome and smiley throughout the 90 minutes class time

getting super close to the camera (actually to the mic) because he is worried students won’t hear him well enough

always asking questions and encouraging students to interact

not offended when something isn’t clear and therefore students don’t know the answer

reading EVERY. SINGLE. MESSAGE written in the chat (sometimes students have mic problems or don’t wanna speak)

making everyone feel valid and appreciated

being super calm and relaxed

barely doing breakout-rooms cause he knows no one likes them

ending class always a little earlier cause “I know how stressful your life can get.”

just the cutest prof out there

Jacob: 

another sweet guy

never holds class at its normal timeframe

just uploads all the files students will need (although attendance is supposed to be mandatory)

“you guys are all grown-ups, I trust you to decide yourself when it is the best time for YOU to study.”

constantly uses smileys and is therefore super popular with students

doesn’t teach many classes, cause which good prof does that? ugh

gets right back at students when they email him their concerns

and no, you don’t get half-assed answers

you get a very detailed answer, which is rare in university life

THANKS STUDENTS FOR SENDING HIM THEIR HOMEWORK!!!!

“Dear [name of stundet], thank you very much! 😊”

offers students to call him by his first name

“I’ll call you by your first name too if that’s okay... creates a more comfortable atmosphere!”

the best <3

Younghoon:

he is a savage professor

his look is hella scary and students fear taking his classes

but he is actually the coolest and most laid back dude ever

the first time class is held, he comes in, stone cold expression and literally throws his bag on the desk - everyone is hella scared

then he says, in the scariest voice ever, “We can have fun here in class, no problem, but i AM YOUR PROFESSOR. NOT YOUR FRIEND. Remember that.”

*everyone scared to death*

“Welcome to class everybody! My name is Mr. Kim and I am very looking forward to teach this class in our summer term! Feel free to ask any question that might come up and don’t hesitate to reach out to me whenever!”

no need to be scared, he is a sweetheart

strict and has high expectations, but won’t overdo it with homework or assignments

constantly jokes around but then switches back to being serious

he creates a nice atmosphere where students want to learn something and do it voluntarily 

cares for his students and appreciates their hard work - especially during the pandemic

“I know this is not easy for any of us but I am so amazed by your guys’ work this semester. It was an absolute pleasure teaching you. I hope to see you guys again, but not in this class. Please don’t fail.”

I love him

Hyunjae:

omg, he is an absolute legend

class starts and he is doing his introduction part

the class i about british literature 

“Welcome to this literature class, you are in for a long ride!”

so far so good right?

“Let me just say, British Literature is an ABSOLUTE shit show!”

when I tell you, I almost died hearing that (no offense to anyone, pls don’t take my profs words to heart... he lives for british literature 🥺)

he definitely has his students hooked with this one sentence

“the teacher that taught this class before me... what was he even talking about! I mean, british literature is so much more than what he made it out to be!”

basically starts ranting  

teaches with so much passion

can’t forget the jokes here and there

also uses smileys which students seriously love (at least I do)

wants students to be informal with him as well

“moving on to this next topic... a little disclaimer before we start: I will go batshit crazy with this topic because I LOVE IT. So please tell me to shut up when I exceed the 10 minutes mark. Thank you!”

A savage legend that everyone loves

sadly only teaches a handful of classes as well

Juyeon: 

super laid back and chill

does never check attendance and just trusts his students

usually talks most of the time and doesn’t ask too many questions

is super happy when students contribute though

but he isn’t one to force them

“I know your day has probably been really long, so it’s okay. I’m not taking this personal.”

his class is not based on theory but more on experiences he made

shares funny stories, mistakes he made and what he learnt from them

always gives the smallest and easiest homework ever

“please just share your experiences with these types of situations in our forum”

and he does not want to grade students based on an exam

“I have a better idea. In order to understand a certain topic, I want you to write a portfolio about it. It should be detailed but I won’t give you a number of words. Do what feels right and surprise me! Be creative, nothing will be worth a failing grade as long as you put in some effort.”

does split classrooms

one half is in the main room with him, the others are in breakout rooms, working on a certain topic

super chill and just not as hard as some other classes

but students definitely learn from him!

Kevin:

oh boy, students either gonna hate or love him

he is very kind and nice but he is STRICT

take his class serious and work or you will fail

although he has very high expectations, he will make sure students will be prepared for all the essays, assignments and presentations he throws at at them

no half-assed instructions, you will get the full program (as every student should!)

you have to write an argumentative essay but have no idea how to do that?

Professor Moon (students are allowed to call him Kevin) will explain an argumentativ essay in detail, will show examples and will tell you exactly what to put in it

having trouble finding sources?

Kevin will help you, just let him know!

Also a very empathetic teacher

something happened and you can’t attend class? Absolutely no problem

whenever something serious happens (for us it was a shooting), Kevin will cancel class and spare his students cause their well-being is more important

he doesn’t throw out A’s and B’s easily but when you do get such a grade in one of his classes... dude, you did a really good job

so as I said, he is either your fav or least fav professor... choose your side!

Chanhee:

he is a bitch (not really, but he gives the impression)

at first, he is that nice, bubbly professor

super friendly and kind

and his classes are absolutely okay! no biggie

or so they THOUGHT

his exams and progress tests or whatever ARE HELL

he makes it seem as everything is so easy and not overwhelming at all

BUT nothing is easy and everything is overwhelming

50 pages for a damn progress test two weeks into the semester!

the grading is so strict, you need at least 65% to pass! (maybe I am a baby but 65% is a lot for a passing grade hahaha)

but he confuses students

he is so kind and soft spoken

constantly smiling and in a good mood

but the exams????

are you sure you were the one creating them Mr Choi?

and yes, he is one of those professors that wants to be addressed by his last name (nothing wrong with that)

as I said, he confuses students

they don’t know what to think of him

at the end of the day he isn’t a bad guy

just not the type of professor the students would want in every single class for the rest of their lives

Changmin:

changmin is not your ordinary professor

because he is a big fan of team-teaching

so all his classes are taught by him and his dear colleague Haknyeon!

YAAAAY

I love this duo already

he is the part of the duo that is EXTREMELY motivated

he is is so hyper and so ready for teaching

his classes are always fun but also slightly overwhelming?

juts imagine having too much caffeine in your body

that is changmin being able to teach something he loves

that’s just the passion jumping out of him

he is constantly talking and laughing and throwing jokes left and right

he is having a good time!

super understanding and empathetic

and although everything seems fun and games

you will definitely learn from him!

he has this natural and authentic way of teaching in his body

it comes... naturally and it all makes sense somehow

although the class is packed with inside jokes and changmin teasing haknyeon

haknyeon doesn’t even have time nor the chance to speak

this is changmin’s time to shine!

they love and hate each other

but the students definitely love this iconic duo

Haknyeon:

as I mentioned; haknyeon and changmin are a team

it wasn’t really something haknyeon wanted but... how could you possibly say no to baby changmin? 🥺

so yes, changmin’s cute face got him into this situation

he doesn’t even have to prepare anything for class - his lovely colleague does the talking anyways

he usually lays back and relax

he frowns into the cam cause he tries to intimidate students

but they know he is a soft guy anyways

while changmin is talking, he is chatting to students in the chat

as I mentioned earlier, not everyone wants to unmute themselves and therefore posts in the chat

so he is having chats with students, often not even related to the topic

“Please excuse me, I will be absent for a few minutes - mommy duties” -student

“Don’t worry Miss! I know exactly what you mean... children.” -haknyeon

whenever he tries to get a word in, he has to talk VERY LOUDLY

he literally has to talk over changmin

but changmin doesn’t mind, he just smiles, nods and listens

changmin is super proud whenever haknyeon speaks

and haknyeon thinks that’s very sweet

but that thought passes as soon as changmin makes a joke about him

at the end of the day, they love each other at least to a certain extent and students adore them

Sunwoo:

he is not an ordinary professor either

class time? virtual meetings?

nope, not with sunwoo

again, in the classes the boyz teach, attendance is mandatory 

mandatory? sunwoo has never heard of her

he doesn’t require students to attend meetings and homework is also something he does not expect from them

he uploads powerpoint-presentations with videos and audio of him explaining everything in the presentation

but the boy is clumsy

and he is not good with anything technical

so him dropping his glass and spilling his water all over his lap?

well, students will see this in the video

“... and it’s important to- YAAAAH OH NO....”

*awkward silence*

“I spilled my water... if you haven’t seen.”

*more awkward silence*

“Give me a minute”

*the video continues and sunwoo is nowhere in sight*

after ten minutes of an empty chair, sunwoo returns and continues as if nothing has happened

sometimes his kids walk in and dab in the camera without him noticing

“and then - Hey! I am at WORK.”

he loves it though

and he posts these “fail” videos on purpose

“I want to show you, that it is okay to not be perfect and to not be in control of everything! Stuff like that happens, especially with us being in home-office! And don’t worry, if your mom walks in or whatever, in my classroom no one gets judged! This is life and now that we have to do everything from home, the unexpected is unavoidable!”

Another students’ favorite

Eric:

I would love to imagine him as this savage prof I have in mind... but no <3

he is a sweet guy

also super obsessed with the class he is teaching

he is LIVING for it

usually experiences technical problems right before class starts

“oopsie daisy, sorry guys... might take a few minutes *giggles*”

and no, it’s not a creepy giggle but a really cute one, I swear!

constantly has a pen in his hand and clicks it absentmindedly while teaching

students constantly hear the clicking sound... or when the pen falls to the ground.... which happens every five minutes

he constantly forgets to mute himself whenever he wants students to work by themselves and all they hear is him chugging down his water or whatever drink he has prepared

also sends out super sweet emails

but due to him being a young dude, he wants students to call him by his last name

he also calls students by their last name but he does use smileys to lighten the professional mood that comes with honorifics

overall a very motivated but extremely kind-hearted dude

[artificialqueens]

Had to Give In (Couldn't Give Up) (Gottrosenali) - Writworm42, Fromthenorthernskies

A/N: Here it is, folks. Perhaps THE most iconic Franco-Anglo collab since the hit 2007 movie-I-haven't-seen Bon Cop/Bad Cop. This was incredibly fun to write, and Emerald and I had a blast bringing this fic together. We really hope you guys like it!!

Of course, it wouldn't be what it is at all without our lovely beta Holtzmanns, who single-handedly removed 43728497 commas for us. Your patience is legendary and appreciated, friend <3 <3 <3

Title from I Don't Do Drugs by Doja Cat ft Ariana Grande.

SYNOPSIS: A bad flight and surprise plans convince Denali that his birthday probably isn't going to be very happy; that is, until Mik and Rosé step in to give him the best present he could ask for.

Saying that the plane ride from Chicago to New York had been rough was, in Denali’s opinion, probably one of the biggest understatements someone could make. What was supposed to have been an hour and a half gravol-induced nap had turned into a six-hour nightmare, all thanks to an unexpected rainstorm that had turned up out of nowhere, delayed their flight, cancelled it, delayed the new one, then kept them grounded in the plane itself for an extra hour. Add a thousand gate changes, and by the time the crew had actually let them off at Kennedy, Denali had been regretting not going ham at the duty-free liquor counter back at O’Hare.

But it was all worth it when he walked into the passenger pickup area and saw Mik and Rosé waiting for him with wide smiles, birthday balloons, and lavishly-decorated WELCOME HOME signs.

He broke into the biggest grin of them all, outshining even the ones of his boyfriends, finally free after all the hurdles of the day. His pace picked up, but Denali didn’t even have time to fall into a comfortable fast walk before Mik jumped right into his arms, giggling. Denali wobbled on his feet for a moment, even though he had expected Mik to do exactly that, but he wouldn’t have changed it for anything. He was back with them, after such a long time, and for his birthday, too — nothing could top that, he was certain of it.

“Come on, let him go, he must be tired after all that happened today,” admonished Rosé, and Denali saw Mik pout but finally slide off, still refusing to let go of his hand. He didn’t mind at all, especially when Rosé gathered his long-lost forgotten luggage on one hand, and started to pick up all the things they had brought to welcome him.

He still found himself dragging down Rosé a bit, getting a soft kiss at last after his stupid stressful day. Denali also let a whiny Mik claim one as well, trying his best to keep it pretty tame since they were still in the middle of a big airport with lots of people moving past them. “I hope you two haven’t planned the biggest party of the year for tonight, because I’m exhausted,” started Denali with a chuckle, which quickly died down when he saw the sheepish looks his boyfriends shared. “Okay, what can I expect?”

“Let’s just say we might have gone a bit overboard with inviting people,” admitted Mik, rubbing the base of his neck with his free hand.

“In our defense, we didn’t know you were going to be stuck on a plane for six-ish hours.”

He barely kept in a sigh, even though Rosé was right. As they fell into their Uber, Denali was still stuck in his mind. He had wanted nothing more than to have his boyfriends for himself all evening and night; they could go celebrate his birthday with their friends in the next few days. After all, he was supposed to stay for almost a week, so what was the hurry?

That, and Denali had clearly underestimated how horny he was for them, now that he was stuck in the middle, pressed against them firmly. He knew they didn’t have too long to stay in the car, more or less thirty minutes, but it was plenty enough for him to feel the heat of them nearby — it was plenty enough time for him to go crazy with how Rosé’s hand was lingering on his thigh, and how Mik was all cuddled to him on the side, his warm breath hitting his neck.

It was a fact that didn’t slip past Mik, ever-observant as long as sex was potentially involved.

“Don’t worry, gorge,” the youngest’s whisper was low and teasing in Denali’s ear as he drawled, “Just a few hours, and then we’ll be back home to give you your real present.”

It was less reassuring than Denali was sure Mik meant to be, but at least Rosé hadn’t seemed to have heard them - if he had, Denali knew for a fact that he would have amped up his teasing by now, and Denali wasn’t sure he could survive that without damaging his Uber rating.

Luckily, they stopped briefly at Rosé’s apartment to put away Denali’s suitcase, and Denali couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when he kicked his shoes off, the ache in his feet soothed by the familiar feeling of Rosé’s hardwood floors under them as he headed for the bedroom. Rosé and Mik both followed, and for a moment, Denali almost thought that he’d get a little relief — a cuddle maybe, a quick handjob if he was lucky. After all, they still had about half an hour before they’d have to head out for dinner. And things actually did look like they were coming up for Denali when Rosé told him to lie down with a quick kiss on the lips, both his boyfriends allowing him to rest as they put his clothes away for him.

Unfortunately, that was as far as it went; the minute his body melted into the mattress, Denali’s eyes couldn’t help but fall closed, and he was out like a light.

When he woke up again, Rosé and Mik were laid on either side of him, the former tracing lazy patterns on his arm as the latter spooned him from behind, holding him snugly as he nuzzled into Denali’s neck.

“Did you have a good nap, baby?” Rosé’s voice was soft, his smile gentle, and despite the way Denali was kicking himself for the missed opportunity, he couldn't help but nod as he let out a yawn.

“Do we have any time left before dinner?” The thought came to him as the sleep left his brain, unfogging his mind and making him painfully aware of where he was, what his boyfriends were doing. What else they might be able to do to him, if they had any time left.

But Rosé shook his head sadly, sitting up and gesturing for Mik and Denali to do the same. “We’re already late,” he sighed. “Sorry, baby, but we have to go, the others have been waiting for a while.”

Sure enough, when Denali checked his phone, their group chat was full of messages from Kandy, Jan, Lagoona, Joey, Kahmora, Utica, Olivia, and Symone demanding to know where they were, if they were alive, and if they could go ahead and start getting drunk without them.

Figures.

“Trust me, this hurts us as much as it hurts you, gorge,” Mik teased as he helped Denali up and off the bed. “You wanna change before we go, by the way? I mean, it’s your night, so you can go in stained sweats if you want, but the restaurant isn’t exactly a McDonalds…”

“He’s trying to tell you it’s fancy,” Rosé cut in, tossing Denali a button-up and neat pair of slacks. “Come on, get changed, I’ll call us a cab.”

--

Denali didn’t know what he’d expected, but in retrospect, he really should have guessed it was going to go this way. They had barely arrived, and he had barely taken a seat between his two grinning boyfriends when he felt not one, but two hands brushing against his clothes underneath the table. He was ready to bet all the money in the world that Mik had spilled the beans about how antsy he had been in the car earlier — because that was usually how they worked, even if he was usually the one plotting with either of his lovers instead. This was wildly different, and just thinking about it wasn’t helping him in any way.

Denali turned his head just in time to catch Rosé watching him with amusement, his typical smirk clearly playing on his lips, especially as his hand squeezed his upper thigh more firmly. He barely stopped a squeak from leaving his throat at this, and he knew with certainty that Rosé had caught on — and that usually meant he would be relentless. Denali didn’t know how long they were supposed to stay here, but it would be hellish at best. It couldn’t be any other way, not when he felt Mik’s lean fingers slide right under his button-up.

And he was expected to stay calm and keep on with everyone wishing him happy birthday and giving him gifts? Yeah, Denali wasn’t too convinced about that one. He wasn’t sure he could will his body to stay rooted to his chair, instead of ignoring the very public setting they were in and pouncing on the two of them.

Which is exactly why he escaped towards the bathroom the second he had his chance - their friends had been distracting his boyfriends while they took pity on him for a moment to let him eat without having their hands on him all the way through. It may have been the best of all sufferings, but Denali wasn’t equipped to deal with it right now, not until they took care of the mess they created.

Denali looked at his reddened cheeks in the mirror, knowing it wasn’t only because of the drinks he had downed so far this evening. He could only hope that their friends hadn’t noticed too much of this. He was well aware of the reputation they had amongst their friends circle, one that they could barely keep their hands to themselves whenever they were together, as duos or all three of them.

“Ah, so that’s what you’ve been doing. You okay, baby?”

“I told you, he was gone for way too long,” replied Mik with a wicked glint shining in his ocean eyes, locking the door behind him.

“As if you two didn’t plan to get me here,” Denali snorted in response, but he couldn’t say he was mad, not when his lovers were walking towards him, grabbing his wrists and pulling him in to close the distance between them all.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t love it,” Rosé chuckled, reaching up to cradle Denali’s chin in his hand, swiping his thumb gently over Denali’s bottom lip and smirking when he swallowed hard.

“So what, my big birthday present is a romantic bathroom blowie?” Denali tried to make his voice sound sarcastic, but the waver in it betrayed that he was rapidly falling under his boyfriends’ spell, especially when Mik’s hand snaked around to grab his ass.

“Don’t be ridiculous, gorge,” Mik got up on his toes to bite at Denali’s earlobe, tugging it with his teeth as his grip on the other man’s ass got a little firmer. “We’re much meaner than that, aren’t we, Rosie?”

Rosé simply hummed, dropping his hand from Denali’s face down to his belt, undoing it swiftly and plunging a hand into his pants to palm Denali’s cock through his underwear.

“What’re you--”

“ Shh ,” Rosé cut off Denali’s question with a finger on his lips before his other hand slipped below the band of Denali’s underwear. “Why don’t we give you a little temporary relief, huh?”

“Just enough to get you through dinner,” Mik added, winking, and Denali swallowed hard, but melted into his boyfriends’ touches, unable to resist anymore.

—

As it turned out, Denali and his lovers had two very different definitions of ‘temporary relief.’ They edged him mercilessly for the next few minutes, and he came back to the table harder than he’d been when he left, struggling to act natural as he used Mik and Rosé as shields walking in front of him to hide his erection from his friends. Not that they didn’t all know exactly what had gone down; in fact, with the smug bemusement on their faces as he took his seat again, he wouldn’t be surprised if Rosé or Mik outright bragged about it before coming to torment him.

“Just think about how much better everything’ll be after we get home, baby,” Rosé comforted Denali with a wink and a hand tracing up his thigh as they took their seats again, and as much as Denali wanted to pout at the statement, his heartbeat quickened, and he found himself distracted for the rest of their outing. Luckily, his friends took pity on him after dessert was finally finished, all of them just-so-happening to decide they were ‘too tired’ to go to the club and that they should head home for the night. And not a moment too soon, either; Denali swore that Rosé wasn’t even finished telling the cab driver where to go before Mik was loosening Denali’s belt once again.

“When we get home, it’s gonna be all about you, angel,” maintaining at least a modicum of decency, Rosé slipped his hand into Denali’s pants without undoing them completely, Denali’s dick straining against the fabric of his underwear as Rosé got him worked up with deft, teasing fingers. “Anything you want, we’ll give to you.”

“That’s right, it’s your turn to use us ,” Mik threw Denali’s often-used plea back on him with a nip to his neck, smirking against Denali’s skin when the older man whimpered at the sensation.

“Just a few minutes longer, baby boy,” Rosé promised. “Can you be good for us until then?”

Denali was too far gone to do anything but hiss out a needy yes.

—

He wasn't too sure how he managed to get inside Rosé’s apartment without begging them pitifully to take care of the mess they’d created and entertained all night long.

But still, they at least made it all inside, the door duly closed and locked behind them. It was better than some of the times they’d fallen into a passionate embrace right in the middle of the hallways or in the elevator; Denali was sure they had traumatized at least half their neighbors in their respective cities.

He stopped thinking altogether when Rosé firmly pushed him against the door, and Denali felt the sheer need to wipe off his stupid smirk from his face. His wrists were pushed down, restraining his movements and he whined, trying to fight against the hold to no avail.

"Come on, what happened to giving me what I want?"

Rosé merely chuckled, gently deepening one of the marks they had left earlier in the bathroom. Denali bared his neck more, letting his boyfriend do whatever he wanted.

"Baby, I said we'd give you whatever you want, but I know this is what you want, isn't it? Don't you want to use us and guide us in whatever way you want, but only after you're turned on enough?"

Denali hated how right Rosé was, and clashed their mouths together to avoid answering. He was deeply pleased by the soft groan he got in response, finally freeing his wrists while Rosé was distracted.

But that didn't last — while they had both moved a bit farther away from their front door, still kissing, Denali felt soft hands take hold of his wrists again, a warm body pressing itself on his back. Even through his button-up, Denali could feel the heat of bare skin against his spine, shivering and breaking the kiss to turn his head over his shoulder.

He had been wondering where his other boyfriend had gone, and now he had his answer, as Denali saw the mischievousness play in Mik's darkened ocean eyes. "Whatever you want, baby," he murmured softly, relaxing his hold after a moment to let Denali decide what he wanted to do next.

Denali turned around fully, fascinated by how the youngest had taken his time away to remove most of his clothes already, his hands touching his chest almost reverently. Denali felt Rosé push himself against his back, effectively taking Mik’s previous place, and mouthed at his throat.

He sighed contently, bringing Mik closer to him, but raised an eyebrow when he felt something hard push against his thigh. "Baby, did you get all ready for little old me? Bold of you to assume that's what I'd want," Denali snarked with a breathless laugh, feeling Rosé’s hands unbuttoning his shirt with dexterity.

"It's not bold if I know that's what you want in the end, even if you play hard to get," retorted Mik simply, his hands dropping to help Rosé finish undressing their lover.

Denali has seen Mik wearing a strap-on a countless number of times at this point, witnessed firsthand the change in confidence and demeanor simply having the harness fastened onto the younger man’s hips could bring. How Mik’s jaw became set and the mischievous twinkle always in his eyes turned up just an inkling more, and how the planes of his abdomen always framed whatever cock he was wearing in a way that was so tantalizing, Denali almost couldn’t take it. But it didn’t matter how often Mik’s strap brought Denali to his knees; each time was like the first, and tonight was no exception.

“D’you like my new toy, angel?” Mik cooed, stroking along the shaft of the dick waiting between his legs.

It was one Denali felt like he’d seen before, but didn’t remember Mik having - long and thick, with more ridges and a steeper curve than most of the toys Mik had in his collection. In fact, it wasn’t the kind of strap-on Mik usually went for at all. So then…

The memory clicked in Denali’s mind suddenly, his breath catching in his throat as he thought back to about a month ago, remembering just where he’d seen Mik’s new cock before.

Michelada: bbies SOS im dying for a new dick

Michelada: help me pick?

The texts had been followed by three links, different sex stores that were usually their go-tos for toys. Denali remembered perusing each site leisurely, trying to imagine what Mik would look like with each dildo he saw, until finally reaching one that he just couldn’t move on from, one that had looked absolutely perfect and that he’d just known Mik had to have.

One which, perhaps not so coincidentally, was now right in front of him, close enough to touch. And before he could stop himself, he found himself doing just that, reaching forward to wrap his hand around it, feel over its ridges and imagine what they’ll feel like inside of him--

“No,” Rosé slapped Denali’s hand away, coming up behind him to wrap his arms around his waist as he clicked his tongue in disapproval. “What’s the rule, baby boy?”

“Come on ,” Denali groaned impatiently, unhappy with having been cockblocked for the umpteenth time tonight. “Isn’t this supposed to be my gift? Just let me--”

“Gifts can be taken away, sweetheart,” Rosé reminded Denali with a low growl, his grip around the younger queen’s waist tightening. “When you want something, what do you have to do?”

As if to hammer in his point, Rosé wrapped his other hand to rest on Denali’s throat, and Denali swore he could hear Rosé’s breath hitch when he swallowed hard against the older man’s palm.

“Please, Mik, please can I touch your cock?”

Mik smiled, taking Denali’s hand and bringing it to his lips to plant a chaste kiss on it before looking back up at Denali. “Wouldn’t you rather put something other than your hand on it, doll?”

Denali’s eyes widened at the suggestion, and before Mik or Rosé could say anything else, he found himself dropping to his knees, grabbing the toy to hold it steady as he licked his lips. “Whatever you say, daddy .”

Seeing Mik shiver at the title was worth every bit of teasing, and Denali couldn’t help but feel a flash of amusement as he finally wrapped his tongue around the head of Mik’s strap.

Denali suddenly remembered how much he enjoyed doing this when he felt his boyfriend’s hips twitch lightly underneath his fingertips, which were resting on Mik's lower body. Nothing but pleasure shot through his veins at feeling his knees press harshly to the cold floor; Mik's hand pulling on his dark hair the more he took him in; and seeing Rosé palming himself from the corner of his eyes.

He wanted a lot of things from them for his birthday, but right now he didn't want to be anywhere else. He didn't want to do anything other than please his youngest boyfriend while their lover watched them, absolutely enraptured. Rosé seemed on the edge of acting up, barely holding back, and Denali didn't want him to.

Rosé had been right earlier, not that he would admit it out loud. Denali wanted to get riled up until he couldn't think of anything else, and only then have the permission to use them without breaking any rules.

He wanted Rosé to make him beg and Denali knew exactly how to handle it so it would happen. "Daddy," he whined, "wanna feel you too…"

Rosé hummed, coming closer to them and ruffled Mik's hair softly, pulling him forward to bite down on his bottom lip. Denali revelled in the groan that Rosé got from their lover, tilting his head in curiosity when he saw the oldest whisper something in Mik's ear. Denali wasn't too sure of what the other two had talked about, but the mirth he witnessed shining in both their eyes as they turned to him was enough. He stayed still, knowing better than to disobey them so clearly.

He’d only let himself be pulled up to his feet when Rosé grabbed his hand, winked, and dragged them both towards his bedroom. Denali didn't know what he was in for, but he trusted them. He knew he'd have a good time, as long as they were all together, the three of them.

—

Denali was eager to know just how far he could stretch the lines of their rules for the sake of being a birthday boy, and that's exactly what he tried — he escaped Rosé's firm hold on his waist to push an unsuspecting Mik down the large bed, watching his ocean eyes widen. Denali knew he needed to take advantage of their position while he still had the upper hand, and shrugged off his button-up and pants in the same breath. He wasn’t surprised to have Mik’s full attention, gaze riveted on how Denali’s dick fully strained against his underwear, picture completed with the wet spot already there. It wasn't surprising with how teasing his boyfriends had been all damn evening, edging him without any care.

Denali let one thigh slide over, effectively straddling a dazed Mik and watching him intently. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rosé come closer, a warning playing on his traits, and Denali channeled all his inner strength to turn around. He wiggled his finger in what he hoped was a threatening way.

"Stop," Denali said in a rough, low voice. He was pleased to see Rosé freeze, and continued with a smirk, "Sit. Let me have my fun."

As his boyfriend did what he wished, Denali added on to it, "Y'know what? Why don't you take off your clothes, too, you're a bit overdressed between us three."

Even if Rosé’s hazel eyes narrowed dangerously, he still did what was asked of him, and Denali almost got off on that power alone. "Come here," he mumbled, just as awestruck as Mik had been watching him earlier.

To have Rosé so pliant now clearly meant that he would pay for it eventually, but he didn't mind — he barely got to play with them like this, usually more at ease with being at the entire mercy of their whims.

But it was his birthday, and he could still feel the hot shiver running down his spine when Mik had said Denali could use them. Even if his body wanted to get pushed between them as they ravaged him until the night ended, his mind still wanted to enjoy this rare opportunity.

Obsidian and hazel eyes met like a storm, and eventually, Denali won the stare-down, bringing his free hand to push Rosé down his bed too, the older man going willingly. Their eyes never broke contact, and Denali felt the same need to touch him, make him scream his name endlessly, in whichever way he could.

He had all the power now, both of his lovers down under him, with Denali straddling one and loosely pressing the other one down into the mattress. They were watching him with such love and trust, Denali knew all these weeks away were worth it in the end — just so he could be with them. His heart fluttered when Rosé covered his hand with his own warm one, and when Mik gently stroked along his thick thighs.

Now Denali just needed to get to work, having them both waiting eagerly for his next move.

“I think you should go get the lube," he leaned down until his nose was inches away from Mik’s, the urge to kiss him only spurred on by the way Mik was clearly thinking the same thing. The younger queen was angling his face up, slowly and hesitantly craning to try and close the distance between himself and Denali. But Denali wouldn’t let him, stopping him instead with a hand on his throat, a gentle reminder of the task at hand.

“Earn it,” he challenged, and it was both the right and wrong move.

A fire lit up in Mik’s eyes, and he could feel Rosé shift under his hand. He barely had to process it all--Rosé’s hand on his wrist, Mik’s hands on his shoulders, firm pushes and pulls flipping their positions entirely to pin Denali down again.

“Isn’t he cute, Rosie?” Mik chuckled as he began to work his hands over Denali’s body again, trusting Rosé to pin Denali’s wrists down firmly as he continued to tease him. “He still thinks he’s in charge.”

“Silly thing,” Rosé clicked his tongue, though his smile stayed affectionate as he leaned down to nip at Denali’s jaw. “I said we’d spoil you, baby, but that doesn’t mean you’re the boss here.”

“Please—“

“So bad with manners today,” Rosé cut off Denali's would-be protest with another bite to his jaw, a little harder this time. “Please what, baby boy?”

“Please, daddy, please fuck me, open me up for you, fuck, it’s been so long…”

“Good boy.”

With that, Mik slid away to grab lube and a condom, leaving Rosé alone to attend to Denali.

“What do you need from me?” Rosé landed one more soft bite over Denali’s pulse-point before continuing to travel along the line of his neck, kissing and sucking and teasing with little kitten-licks as Denali squirmed underneath him, savouring each and every sensation.

“Your mouth, daddy, please,” he panted breathlessly as Rosé moved to his collarbone, then down over his chest. “Need you on me.”

“You wanna fuck my face, baby?” Rosé raised his head to look up at Denali, but his teasing didn’t stop; he brought a hand to one of Denali’s nipples, tracing over it with his thumb as Denali nodded resolutely. The tension hardly lasted though; as if right on cue, Mik crawled back onto the bed, eyebrows knit in equal parts curiosity and amusement.

“Who’s fucking whose face now?”

"Well, I think Nali wants me to go down on him and use me, but I'm not sure if he’s earned it," chuckled Rosé, letting one of his hands still roam along Denali's upper chest, teasing the base of his throat. "What do you think, baby?"

"I think… and only because it's his birthday, we can entertain some of his demands. Maybe. If he remembers some manners," smirked Mik, sitting cross-legged and watching them.

"Please, I'll be good, I promise," Denali whined pitifully, trying to get back their attention to him. He watched as his boyfriends traded a gaze, and shivered helplessly underneath it.

"Okay, baby — you'll get my mouth, but if I see you trying to fuck it before you get permission, you can be damn sure it's the only thing you're gonna get tonight, birthday or not," Rosé said in a rough, stern voice. "Do you understand?" he asked, starting his descent, hazel eyes focused on Denali's face.

"Yes, daddy, I do," Denali barely managed to get out, as Rosé had started to trail his lips along his aching dick.

He bit down on his tongue, trying to avoid giving them the satisfaction of seeing how far gone he already was, especially after having them rile him up all evening. He took in a large gulp of air, willing his hips to stay down and not buck wildly, knowing Mik would easily call him out from his position. His ocean eyes were focused on them, trailing down from Denali's face to how Rosé was working him — and he knew his boyfriend. He knew Mik was enjoying the show more than he let on; Denali could see it in the tightening of his jaw and the way his fingers flexed on his own thighs.

Almost against his will, Denali let out a loud moan as he caught Mik's eyes at the same time that Rosé firmly took his cock inside his wet mouth, instantly hollowing his cheeks. He felt his hips twitch, and grasped at the blankets to avoid the temptation of guiding Rosé himself. He needed to be good if he wanted to have his rewards, after all.

"Rosie, fuck , don't stop, please, please," he blurted out, and he caught the mischievousness clear in his lover’s eyes.

Denali was sure Rosé would have been smirking if he could have, without a doubt pleased with himself. Conscient that he had slipped earlier, his self-control waning by the minute, Denali turned to Mik with dazed eyes. "Daddy, please, please , can I just guide him? I'm so close and I've been so good, please!"

He watched as Mik came closer to him, dragging his chin upwards, his fingertips lingering gently along his jaw. His boyfriend seemed deep in thought for a second, but he finally nodded after seeing his clear desperation. "You've been good, baby boy; ask him if he still wants to, but you can."

Denali was about to actually ask Rosé when his boyfriend only took Denali’s hands and brought them to his own head and shoulder, winking. Denali groaned as he felt a stronger suck, and he harshly pulled on Rosé strands of hair, his nails scraping along his scalp. His hips canted up, so close as he was, and when Denali felt Rosé's throat relax around his length, he moaned hoarsely. His head fell back on the pillows, and his back arched, absolutely drained. Denali was left a panting mess as Mik slowly stroked along his forearm. Rosé, on the other hand, was watching him with amusement, making a whole show of wiping off his mouth.

“How do you feel, gorgeous?” Rosé came up beside Denali, kissing him gently on the cheek as the other man tried to catch his breath. It was a good question, given just how much Denali was feeling in that moment--spent, happy, relieved, excited. Calm.

“Like I’m ready for more,” he finally said, unable to help the wry smile that curled at the corners of his mouth, and he could tell by the way both his boyfriends hummed in satisfaction that that was exactly what they were hoping to hear.

“Was hoping you’d say that,” Mik winked as he popped open the bottle of lube, squirting some onto his fingers to coat them. “Now scoot up the bed a little and open your legs.”

“Yes, daddy.”

Denali shivered as slick fingers started to circle his hole, then sighed contentedly when Mik finally eased his fingertips in, leaning down to kiss the discomfort away. He’d missed the warmth of Mik’s tongue against his, along with the soft moans he always let out into his mouth. He felt Rosé’s eyes lingering as he watched them make out, his fingers stroking through Denali’s hair to get him to relax even more.

“Fuck, you’re tight,” Mik pushed in a little farther, pumping in and out smoothly while he watched Denali’s face for any signs of discomfort.

But Denali was fine; in fact, he was more than fine. He felt amazing, each rock of Mik’s hand and crook of his fingers sending pleasure that’s almost electric coursing through Denali’s body. But the best part of it all, the sexiest thing Mik was doing?

“You look so pretty like this, baby,” Mik’s eyes shone with love, his voice almost reverent as he scissored his fingers, smiling when Denali let out a mewl. “Taking my fingers so well, so good for me. I love seeing you like this, Nali. Wish I could keep you like this forever.”

God, was that feeling ever mutual.

But Denali was known to be hasty, sometimes even too much for his own good — he wanted more, so much more. He had waited all night for it and yes , coming once already had helped, but not so much when there was something so tantalizing and new he couldn't wait to experience. Denali knew he was supposed to let Mik tease him and play by their rules, but he was struggling to let it play out without doing something. Rosé was far from helping his restraint, too, when he was watching them so intently and letting both his fingertips and his lips roam along their bodies wherever he could reach.

And then Mik crooked his fingers just right, making him whimper loudly, his back arching and hands trying to hold himself steady on his shoulders. "Please," he started, but finished on a breathless moan, as Mik pushed back harsher, and Rosé’s hand brushed against his cock.

"What do you think, Rosie, is he ready for this?"

Denali watched as his two boyfriends eyed each other, seemingly pondering on their next action — if they wanted to take pity on him or make him beg even more. Denali really hoped it would be the first one, because he remembered how Mik’s dick had felt earlier, on his hand and in his mouth. He felt it push against his inner thigh, causing him to tremble lightly. He wanted, no, needed to have him inside, making him see stars as he'd clench around him—

"Look at him, baby. I think he'll snap if we don't give him something soon," smirked Rosé, turning Mik's face to kiss him too, but they didn't have time to deepen it as Denali whined pitifully to get their attention back.

"So needy," cooed Mik, pulling back his fingers finally, kissing the frown off Denali when he suddenly felt empty. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"If you don't fuck me with the dick that I've thought about ever since you fucking bought it in the next thirty seconds, I will never let you touch me again," Denali threatened, hissing in warning when he heard the warm chuckle of Rosé next to him. The older one seemed quite skeptical of what he had said, too. "Don't try me," Denali warned once more, whacking at Rosé's forearm. "Else I'll extend this to you too."

"You're the worst out of us, Nali. Your love language is literally touch. You wouldn't make it," teased Rosé, with that typical smugness.

"Yeah? Wanna see me try it, starting now?!"

However, his threat fell short when he saw Mik hover above him once more, eyes sparkling with mischievousness. "I don't think you wanna start now, this is just starting to get interesting," he advised, his warm hands moving thick thighs farther apart, and Denali lost his breath for a moment. His heart was hammering in his chest with anticipation of Mik's next move.

But it wasn’t Mik who acted first - rather, Rosé reached out to graze his hand down the planes of Denali’s abdomen, fingers scratching down Denali’s stomach and stopping at his pubic bone and lingering there.

“One more time, baby,” he whispered, winking over to Mik before looking down and locking eyes with Denali again. “Be polite, take back your little threat, then we’ll make you feel good.”

There was no way around it; if Denali wanted to be taken care of, he’d have to swallow his pride and do what he was told.

“Touch me. Please ,” he whispered hoarsely, finally giving in to what he’s wanted this entire time. “Touch me. Use me. Ruin me.”

As soon as the words had left his mouth he felt the air in the room change, becoming just a little lighter.

“Let me know if I’m going too fast,” Mik’s voice was gentle, his lips soft and fingers light as he stroked Denali’s cheek, gave him one last kiss. They all knew it was just a gesture--Denali liked it rough, after all, the whole world knew that now--but it was one that meant a lot to Denali just the same.

“Don’t hold back,” he half-ordered, half-pled, and apparently it was all the permission both Mik and Rosé needed.

Denali let out a shaky sigh of relief as Mik finally eased his way in, each ridge and curve of the strap making him shiver as Mik pushed deeper. Meanwhile, Rosé’s hand continued its way down Denali’s body, finally sliding home between his legs to wrap his fingers around Denali’s already-aching cock.

“My, my,” Rosé teased when Denali bucked into the feeling of his lover’s hand on his shaft, only to gasp when Mik began to thrust into him experimentally. “Already excited, are we? Look, Mik, he’s already half-hard again!”

Denali blushed fiercely when Mik looked up and broke into a grin, the sight of his boyfriend’s semi spurring on the rhythm of his thrusts. It was too much, especially when Rosé started to stroke up and down his dick, Mik snapping his hips a little harder to go a little deeper. Denali tried to shy away, tried to hide his face in his hands so that his lovers wouldn't see, but of course neither of them were willing to make it that easy.

“No baby, no being shy,” Mik bit down hard at the juncture of Denali’s neck. “Rosie, make sure he doesn’t get too bashful, yeah?”

It was entirely too easy. Rosé didn’t even break his rhythm stroking Denali’s dick as he grabbed his wrists and brought them up over his head, pinning them down firmly and making it impossible for Denali to wriggle free.

“There we go,” Mik timed his kiss with another thrust and giggled when Denali moaned, trying to squirm for more. “So pretty like this, all blushy and helpless. Doesn’t that feel so much better, angel?”

Denali opened his mouth to answer but Mik picked up speed again, changing his angle slightly, and he found himself lost for words, unable to do anything but mewl as Mik hit up against his spot at a relentless pace.

Stuck between Rosé holding his wrists tightly while he continued stroking him without any trouble even if he squirmed around and Mik still hovering above him and smiling wickedly as he kept his rhythm steady, he wasn't too sure he could last long. Denali could feel the strength of the grasp the youngest had on his hips, knowing that if he kept it up, it would eventually bruise — not that he minded. He enjoyed it. Denali enjoyed it when they left the gentleness behind for a moment, only to rough him up.

He fought vainly against Rosé's hold on his wrist and only got a hum in return, nails digging into his skin. His chest heaved and he arched his back when both his boyfriends decided to go all out at the same time - Rosé twisting his hand just right on his length, lingering on the head to tease him more, and Mik thrusting harshly, his head falling into his neck to moan right against his ear.

"Please," Denali keened, the high-pitched sound resonating against the walls of the otherwise silent apartment.

"Are you gonna come already? Oh baby no, no, that won't do," cooed Rosé, slowing his movements much to the dismay of Denali. He looked desperately at his boyfriend, pleading silently for his cause, but he knew Rosé wouldn't relent, not right now.

"You can hold on a bit longer, no? We just started," Mik smirked, punctuating his statement with a deeper snap of his hips and Denali's head fell back to his pillow. "It will feel better if you let us build it up. Can you do that, baby boy?"

Denali inhaled sharply, trying to recenter himself and not focus entirely on them making him feel so good, on the pleasure building up, but even if he had already come once, the entire night had been enough to rile him up for a good while still.

"Yes, daddy," he answered breathlessly, and he saw the appreciation shine in both his lovers' eyes.

Mik slowed his movements enough for it to feel only teasing inside him, just short of brushing against his spot everytime, and it was driving him absolutely crazy. Added to how he couldn't move his arms, and the lazy strokes of Rosé’s hand against his dick, he just wanted to disobey for once and come now, not later like they wanted.

Denali also knew how it would please them to watch him go wild, trying to keep from misbehaving the best he could. He turned to the only solution he could think of: talking and telling them how he felt, and hopefully it would be enough to distract them from their quest of leading him right into pure madness.

"You feel so good, both of you. Don't want you to ever stop making me feel like this," he started with a hoarse voice, already seeing the effect of it on them. "You’re driving me absolutely insane, please…"

“Tell us just a couple more things,” Mik winked, not breaking his stride, and Denali swallowed hard, waiting to hear whatever idea the youngest had come up with.

“Who’s a pretty boy?”

Fuck. So they were playing this game—not only giving Denali praise but making him praise himself, adding just that touch of humiliation that always put him right on the edge. It was downright cruel, but he was too far gone to fight now. So instead, he played along.

“I am,” he whimpered, earning some faster thrusts and a few flicks of Rosé’s thumb over the head of his cock.

“And who makes the cutest sounds when he’s close?” Rosé followed up, grin positively evil as he quickened his pace a little, making Denali cry out at the overwhelming feeling.

“I do!”

“And who do you belong to, baby, who’re the only ones who can make you feel like this?” Mik was returning to his previous pace now, a fact that was so relieving, Denali almost forgot to answer.

“You, daddy, you and Rosé, only you two make me feel this good, you make me crazy, God, please let me come please—“

“Tell us what you are, sweetheart,” Mik leaned down to whisper in Denali’s ear, his voice taking on a soothing tone when Denali sobbed in response.

“I’m—I—“

Another flick of Rosé’s wrist, a change in Mik’s angle, and Denali couldn’t hold back any longer.

“I’m a good boy, your good boy, please daddy, I need to come so bad, please— oh, oh, fuck, fuck—“

Rosé and Mik must have known he was at his limit, because they didn't ask anymore of him. They just kissed him and praised him and finally, finally told him he could come. Rosé’s hand was painted white with come as Mik continued to fuck Denali through his orgasm, milking out every bit of pleasure they could possibly give him. And by the time he could finally see straight again he didn’t care how tired he was, or how sore, or how much his lovers had tormented him. He was happy and sated, high on pleasure, and he wouldn’t take the feeling back for the world.

He was ready to call it a night, especially after the hectic start of his day, but somehow Denali knew his boyfriends wouldn't stay restless for that long. He just wasn't too sure if he could handle having them all over him for the third time in such a short period, no matter how much he wanted to please them. He felt pleasantly sore all over, and he knew he'd have trouble moving in the next few minutes.

Denali was about to tell Mik and Rosé just that when he heard the rustling of the sheets on the bed, followed quickly by heavy breathing and soft groans. He opened blurry eyes, turning his head towards the side of the mattress.

He was only half surprised to see Rosé hovering above Mik, with the oldest keeping his wrists firmly pinned above his head. Unlike him before, Mik wasn't even trying to squirm underneath their boyfriend, merely trying to kiss him instead, whining when Rosé moved away slightly.

Denali's eyes widened when he caught the free hand of Rosé moving down to Mik's hips, already untying the strap with practiced ease and smirking while doing so. Denali already knew what would happen — he had witnessed it happen so often before with different variations maybe, but it still stayed the same: his boyfriends taking care of each other after he was left fully sated.

He loved to watch them play together and seeing it unfold in front of his curious eyes. They traded roles so easily according to their moods, often without even a need to actually ask out loud. Denali was always eager to know what would happen and this time wasn't an exception.

He had just started to come down to earth, slowly moving himself to sit against the headboard, now with an even better view of his lovers kissing fervently. Rosé was already making a mess out of Mik, and Denali could hear him moan, even if it was slightly muffled.

Denali's dark eyes followed the way Rosé’s arm flexed, relentless with his pacing; he watched as the oldest broke the kiss to tease Mik’s burning skin. When Rosé firmly bit down on his pulse point, Denali could hear Mik pant, finally putting some struggle to the grasp Rosé had on his wrists.

Rosé tutted gently at this, slowing his movements enough to have Mik complain, but Denali figured Rosé was already riled up enough by having taken care of him with Mik earlier, and Rosé promptly picked up back his former speed. From the wicked glint in his eyes, Denali knew Rosé wouldn't stop there and make Mik come just like this, and he sat up straighter against the headboard more than ready to watch them. He wasn't going to miss a single second of it if he had his way.

Denali could feel his body reacting to all he was seeing and hearing, and he hesitantly trailed a hand down his chest, not quite ready to have direct stimulation but also wanting to bank on the warmth he still felt lingering in his lower stomach. And it only increased when Rosé turned a hungry look towards him, licking his lips as he cocked his head towards the youngest.

“Go wild.”

Denali didn’t need to be told twice. They worked in a smooth motion, Denali taking Rosé’s place without so much as a moment gone to waste, kneeling over Mik and boxing him in.

“Can I go down on you?” Denali took his time kissing over Mik’s body, voice full of hope as he whispered the question against his skin. Mik swallowed hard in response, and Denali could practically hear the younger man’s throat as he nodded.

“Need to be opened up, but want your tongue first…”

“Why not both?” Denali winked, and Mik rolled his eyes, but laughed nonetheless.

“Just fuck me already,” he shook his head, still laughing a little.

Denali didn’t have it in him to deny his baby any longer. He began kissing his way down Mik’s body, taking time to explore the places he knew made Mik go wild. And of course it worked—by the time Denali finally made his way to the apex of Mik’s thighs he was nothing but a puddle beneath him, squirming and sighing and very clearly putting effort into keeping his arms on the bed, not grabbing at Denali and pulling his hair like Denali knew he wanted.

“Spread your legs a little wider, angel.”

Denali looked up with wide eyes to see Rosé hovering beside them, hand stroking along his cock as he watched the sight in front of him. With a wink, he tossed Denali their bottle of lube before sitting back on his heels, still stroking himself and waiting.

“I’m not going to deprive you,” Rosé shrugged. “Play with him as much as you’d like, darling. He’ll let us know when he’s ready for me.”

“Please,” Mik added breathlessly, and Denali decided right then and there that he couldn’t wait anymore. He coated his fingers in lube and turned his attention back to Mik, finally setting to work.

Up until then, Denali hadn’t realized just how much he’d taken eating Mik out for granted. How much he’d missed the taste of his boyfriend on his tongue, missed feeling the twitch of his thighs and the buck of his hips under his ministrations. How he’d missed the way Mik’s little sighs and moans clued Denali into exactly what he was feeling as he circled his entrance with wet fingers, easing inside of him slowly and pulling out whimpers that were music to Denali’s ears. He could do this forever, he really could--but he knew that right now, he needed to control himself. Rosé was watching and waiting for Denali’s permission to take over, and Denali wanted nothing more than to see the older man make their boyfriend come undone.

Then again, taking his time meant torture for both of the other men, and after all the shit they’d pulled this evening, didn’t they deserve it?

So he kept going relentlessly, pulling out every move he knew and even trying out some new stuff, until both his boyfriends looked like they were right on the edge of losing control.

Perfect. He had them right where he wanted them — and while he kind of wanted to continue riling them up just for the sheer pettiness of it. For how they had acted all day, Denali also wanted to see them have their moment.

He pulled himself away abruptly, watching with a smirk as his boyfriend helplessly tried to bring him back but to no avail. Denali had already moved back to his original place, easily trading his position with an overly eager Rosé, who had never seemed more ready before. He let one of his hands trail softly along the length of the older one’s arm, their eyes meeting for a few seconds. They shared everything in that simple gaze to be enough that words were unnecessary, but Denali still needed to push through in the near silence of the room, apart from heavy breathing and soft rustling of the sheets. “Take care of him.”

Denali broke into a small grin when he heard the chuckle his boyfriend let out. “You know I always do, but is he really ready?”

“Yes I am, now come on,” Mik loudly whined, grabbing Rosé’s body closer to his own. “And don’t say I’m impatient, just do something!”

Denali watched amusement unfold on Rosé’s expression but he still kept quiet, probably only because he was just as close to losing all his self-control. Denali was well aware that otherwise, Rosé would have just held back to see how much he could get away with before actually fucking him. While neither of them were the best at denying what Mik wanted, both in bed or not, Rosé usually had a better handle on it — especially if the youngest was acting up a bit.

Denali was startled out of his thoughts when he felt a hand squeeze his leg, and he caught smoldering blue eyes watching him. He held his gaze, not wavering when blunt nails dug almost painfully into his skin. Denali only dared to move his eyes away when Mik himself broke their stare down, taking the whole scene in for the first time.

It didn’t matter that he had seen similar scenes so many times before. Something was always fascinating in witnessing his two lovers move so fluidly together, both of them grunting and moaning and whispering sweet nothings at each other between kisses — only for them to enjoy; only for him to see it. Denali watched with rapt attention as one of Rosé’s hands clutched the wrinkled up sheets near Mik’s face, while the other held on to one of his thighs. He was pretty certain that it would come to bruise on his pale skin, but it wasn’t something that bothered any of them.

He watched as one of Mik’s legs hooked around Rosé’s hip, wordlessly encouraging him to continue his actions, as if he would even dare to stop like that. They both were way past the stage of teasing, having taken it out mostly on him before. Denali could see it in how Rosé’s thrusts were already wild and uncontrolled, paces away from the way Mik had controlled his own when Denali had been in his place. He could see it in the thin layer of sweat shining on both their bodies, with how they were both shaking. He could see it in how Mik’s back was arching off the bed, his nails dragging along his leg, only making him more involved in what was happening in front of him — not that Denali wasn’t already with how he was biting down on his already bruised bottom lip, dark eyes focused on them and a hand lazily touching himself.

He had been more or less trying to keep silent and not distract them from their time together, but it was difficult with the kind of show they were putting on for him. Every moan dragged out longer and sounded louder. They purposely exaggerated the deep rocking of their hips so he could clearly see what was happening. It was almost a blessing that Denali had already come twice in a row because otherwise, it would have been a problem. He was more than happy to just give himself a bit of pleasure without any pressure of coming again.

Denali barely caught the rough, low voice of Rosé saying he was close, and his eyes fell to a bright eyed and deeply flustered Mik, knowing without him saying anything that it wouldn’t take that long for him to come either. Not that he needed the indication, with how the indents of his boyfriend’s nails were littered around his leg. Denali was sure he had avoided a few scratches on Rosé’s shoulders and back because of it.

And then he got an idea, a wicked one, and smirked.

“You think you two can come just like this? No, I’m not done watching you yet — it’s still my birthday gift, yeah?”

Denali had to give it to Rosé, he did slow down once his brain caught his words, even if he groaned in displeasure at his intervention. Mik, on the other hand…

“I hate you,” the youngest grumbled, still letting his leg fall off for a second, his head falling back to the pillow now that Rosé was only slowly and shallowly pushing into him. Denali laughed at his misery and shrugged.

“What happened to the ‘we just started’ from earlier? Doesn't that apply to you two as well?”

“Come on, you’re evil,” retorted Rosé, huffing through both annoyance and the strength he needed to keep from bucking wildly as he had been doing before.

“Keep it up and you’re not coming,” he warned in a sickly sweet tone.

“You don’t make the rules —”

“It’s my birthday, I kinda do,” Denali argued, “you two had fun torturing me, so let me do it, too. I’m not that evil, I’m gonna let you come… eventually.”

While neither Mik nor Rosé looked particularly happy about the situation, they didn’t fight Denali any further. He suspected that they couldn’t, not while distracted like this. Their self-inflicted teasing was getting to them both, and Denali felt a spark of smug satisfaction as he watched both of them get closer and closer to cracking. Mik’s cheeks had practically set ablaze with effort and his hips twitched just the slightest bit, clearly unable to lie still completely. That was okay; Denali would give him that at least. After all, the clear effort the younger man was making was surprisingly cute. The fact that he wasn’t quite able to be good, and was unable to control himself completely was even better. Couple that with Rosé’s panting breaths, little whines of need just barely audible underneath that, and it was almost enough to get Denali going again too.

“You both look so precious like this,” he teased a little further as he let his hand wander down slowly between his own legs, beginning to play with himself lazily. “All needy and desperate. Bet it doesn’t feel so good when you’re on the receiving end of it, huh?”

“You like it and you know it,” Rosé retorted, but Mik’s whimper at the taunt betrayed that maybe, just maybe, Denali’s boyfriends were enjoying it just as much.

“Oh, I’m having fun, that’s for sure,” he grinned. “Tell you what, Mik, baby, you’re getting pretty vocal--tell me how you feel, and maybe I’ll let Rosé go a little faster, yeah? It’s only fair, after all.”

He knew he was going to get it the next time they did this, that neither Rosé nor Mik would forget the kind of shit he’d pulled tonight. But he could worry about that tomorrow. Right now, he was set on just enjoying the way Mik was struggling to find his words.

“What, you don’t want more?” he prodded again, grin widening. “Aw, how disappointing. I guess you really can come this way. Okay, Rosie, looks like you’re stuck like this--”

“No, please, fuck , feels so good, but I need more, please, Nali, let me have more?”

Denali couldn’t tell what was hotter--the desperation in Mik’s voice, or the way Rosé looked caught between betrayal and a plea of his own as he looked from Mik back up to Denali, checking for his next move.

“Good boy,” Denali hummed. “Alright, you can fuck for real now. But ,” he added, chest swelling with giddy excitement as he warned, “You both still need to ask to come, and if you don’t come together, then whichever of you would wind up coming last won’t be coming tonight.”

It was a false threat, in reality; Denali planned on pretending to take mercy, to enjoy hearing one of them grovel before he revealed the ruse, if it came to that. But he wasn’t going to let them know that. And in any case, the idea of them coming together?

He couldn’t help but stroke himself a little faster at the thought.

Denali didn't have to wait long to see them fall into action, Rosé instantly picked up back the speed he had from before, while Mik pulled at his hair, getting him closer, almost sobbing in relief. Rosé hummed appreciatively, leaning down even more to capture Mik's little whimpers into his mouth.

Denali let his eyes focus on his two lovers, knowing how close they still were, even when he had interrupted them for a moment. His hand brushed against the head of his cock as he picked up speed, and Denali moaned hoarsely, getting a look from Rosé, and a whimper of his name by Mik.

Denali didn't know if he was going to come once more just by watching them, but he didn't mind. It was enjoyable, and there was almost nothing more satisfying than to witness his two lovers fall off the edge.

He almost lost it himself when Rosé brought a hand down on their boyfriend’s hip, squeezing his bruised inner thigh and making him moan — and Denali might not have had the best point of view with how Mik's raised thigh was hiding it, but he knew what Rosé was doing, and it was more than enough. Especially when the sheer idea of it was mixed up with the high-pitched sounds Mik was letting out now. Denali felt a shiver running down his spine, his chest heaving. Hearing them taking pleasure was always making him crazy, and tonight was no exception. His hips canted up into his tight fist, and he fought to keep his eyes open to watch the scene in front of him unfold until the end.

Denali heard Mik’s scream first, but in his defense, Rosé's moan resonated only a few seconds after, and he stopped stroking himself instantly to the sound, wanting to take it all in without distraction. Vaguely, in the back of his mind, a voice told him they’d disobeyed, hadn’t asked like he’d told them to, but right now, he couldn’t bring himself to care. It was too satisfying to see them both in such pleasure, enjoying each other, enjoying him watching. He didn’t want it any other way.

Both Mik and Rosé were panting loudly, and Mik had his eyes firmly shut, an arm now flung across his eyes as he tried catching his breath under the strength of the orgasm. Rosé on the other hand had more or less no more strength left in his body, falling halfway on top of their boyfriend.

Denali got closer to them, gently stroking along Rosé's spine, the older one arching his back to get more of his touch. He leaned down to push back a few strands of dark hair from Mik's forehead, his boyfriend mumbling something he couldn't pick up. He dropped his body on the bed, staying slightly up on his elbow and waiting for them to come back down fully.

“Hi,” he turned a soft smile towards Mik, who was the first to look up again, the fuzzy, sated bliss in his eyes making Denali’s heart warm.

“ Fuck, that was good, ”  Mik let out a breathy laugh in response, wiping the sweat from his brow as a tired smile broke onto his face.

“You definitely put me through the works, I’ll say that,” Denali teased, stooping down to give the younger man a kiss.

“I think you still aren’t done, though.”

Denali and Mik both turn to Rosé, who in the time since Denali had shifted his focus away had pushed himself up onto his elbow, looking them both up and down with a bemused twinkle in his eye. And for a second, Denali isn’t really sure what he means, until he looks down and--

Oh .

“Huh,” Mik looks down at Denali’s semi, eyes wide with half-shock, half-satisfaction at what he and Rosé had done to their boyfriend. “I gotta say, I knew you were pent up, but three times? I’m impressed.”

Denali blushed fiercely, the heat in his face only intensifying when Mik and Rosé both tittered at his reaction.

“Don’t be embarrassed, baby,” Rosé teased, scooting closer and running a hand up Denali’s thigh. “It’s okay. Here, I know you’re tired--let us take care of you one last time, then we can relax, yeah? How does that sound?”

Denali weighed his options for a moment, but shook his head, unable to stifle a yawn as he did. The truth of the matter was, he already knew he’d be sore tomorrow, especially after everything he’d been through today. He didn’t need to add a broken dick on top of that, since he knew how relentless his boyfriends could be. He’d need to be in tip-top shape for the next week, otherwise he’d never survive.

Besides, there was a part of him that kind of felt like he didn’t actually need anything more, no matter how much his boner tried to say to the contrary. He’d been lavished with attention all evening, every need met for him, and even watching his boyfriends just now--sure, it turned him on, but his satisfaction with the display had gone beyond that. Because it wasn’t just sexy seeing Rosé and Mik fuck, it was also just plain nice for lack of a better word. Hearing Mik’s moans, seeing Rosé’s hips buck in such a wild, yet measured way--it filled Denali with a sense of contentment that was second to none. After all, there was nothing better than seeing Mik and Rosé happy, engaged with and enjoying each other as they played together. In Denali’s mind, that was the real treat of seeing them fuck, so really, did he even need anything else?

“I’m good,” he shrugged, moving up the bed to lie back against the pillow and making grabby-hands at both his boyfriends. “Now c’mere and cuddle me, will you?”

Rosé and Mik both obliged happily without another word.

[hidelaney]

Del darling!

So I’ve been digging like Sherlock Holmes incarnate and I just hit a jackpot.

Here’s my fantastical theory.

1D was, in part, an exploitation of wide-eyed young musicians. It always happened, and not to just boybands either. God knows how hard your Queen Taylor has been advocating and fighting for changes.

Zayn barely got away intact. His whole cultural identity had gotten erased and whitewashed since Day 1. Dropping out mid-World Tour was unprofessional, yes. But what else could you do when your contract assigned your profession as a full-time performing slave and half-time rejected musician? How else could you start to save yourself from mentally drowning when you never have time?

Louis, oh my god, this boy was simultaneously buried alive and strung up as a scarecrow. I can’t believe I bought into the messiest part of the print!Louis narrative for even a minute. It broke my heart that he can’t let himself feel less bitter about Zayn leaving just yet. Understandably, it was supposed to be them against the world. And it’s incredibly difficult, nigh impossible, to keep resentment from spilling over when Zayn leaving seemed like a fatal catalyst for every horrific thing that came after. But both Louis and Zayn have been hurting for so long. They deserve their best friends back. It’s the label cruel machine, and existing political climate that allows it to work, that created the perfect storm for a painful fallout. That’s where to lay the blame. I’m praying for the day truth comes to light and these two estranged BFFs can work it out.

Niall is undeniably the glue that holds OT5 together no matter what anybody else says. It’s obvious he adores all his boys and they all adore him right back. The support from him toward HL relationship has always been overwhelmingly present, apparent, and abundantly clear. He essentially captains the ship for god’s sake. It is, however, also worth noticing that the only person in the band with non-problematic media representation is a straight white male.

Liam is arguably another straight white man in the band with relatively non-problematic media representation. But Liam isn’t a very smart cookie sometimes. His words had came across as problematic primers to be ridiculed on several occasions. However, it’s also clear as days that Niall and Louis would never trade Liam for anyone else. Zayn never badmouthed Liam and neither Liam did him after he left. He jumped in to rescue Harry from uncomfortable interview questions about his relationship time and time again. All these speak volume of Liam’s character to me, even if I could rarely understand, as quoted from Yours Truly, ‘What is going on in this kid’s brain?’

Harry had seemingly been distancing himself from other boys since before hiatus. But the disquieting absence of interaction would afford them all plausible deniability. Back then, nobody could’ve known for certain if there’d be more support than backlash after Harry basically came out with the now-iconic ‘Not that important’ and ‘Hey, don’t knock it til you’ve tried it.’ I bet he planned it just so if the axe were to fall, his own neck would be the only one on the executioner’s block. But we all knew who ended up getting crucified instead. (Read: Louis) Since then, Harry’s been going out there flaunting against every stereotype he was once painted to be. Always pushing the boundaries further. Pushing hard just far enough to get away with it. Always shine through all the superimposed rules and regulators. It’s brilliant how unafraid he has become.

Not everyone, even given the same rock solid support, could do what Harry is doing now. He is so, so, brave. Everyone who loves him is so, so, proud. But credit where credit is due. I’ll never forget Louis saying, ‘Painted nails make Harry beautiful.’ I’ll keep holding onto my appreciation for the time Zayn defended Harry when an interviewer called him a womanizer, telling him ‘I know the real you.’ I’ll be forever grateful to Niall for assigning himself as a Larry Stylinson spokesperson so very early on. I’ll always remember Liam’s fond laugh at Louis’ charmed whisper of ‘I love him’ and Louis’ unbelievably happy and smitten expression at his own ‘I can’t help it.’ (The way both their smiles dropped right off immediately after glancing at the same spot off camera is another heartbreak all on its own.)

I’ll never forget that Louis William Tomlinson believed in Harry Edward Styles from the very start. Neither will I forget Harry devoting ‘Night Changes’ to Louis during 2014 AMA and on Graham Norton Show with Sir Ian McKellen so that everyone who cares to see would see.

Real eyes realize real lies.

Ridiculously entertaining riddles as means of communication are necessities. The greedy and problematic psychopaths on top of the label food chain know exactly how convoluted their plot to keep musicians under their thumbs is. So much so that they wield each Non-Disclosure Agreement like it’s their nuclear warhead. Always ready to threaten a rebellious artist. Have no problem executing public damnation. A revolution has been a long time coming. It’s bigger than just the both of them, so Harry and Louis are carefully choosing their battles. No other possible explanations make everything lined up half as neatly.

HL made it. They’re making moves to ensure the ones following their footsteps will have plenty of chances to make it, too.

But, hey, that’s just a theory. A fan theory. And... cut!

#Clifford trending is just pure gold.

Sasha

[babygirlgalitzine]

for @weloveweird, based on this iconic post i cried over

i’m counting on high hopes to get me over you (ao3)

one

They sat in the Vic, closed off from everyone else. Ben had initiated it, sending a text to Callum asking him to join him for a few. It had been a while since it was just the two of them, and Callum jumped at the chance, even though in his heart of hearts he knows he should have probably been a little bit reluctant, knowing that every time he had been around Ben recently he had walked away from his best friend a little bit more heartbroken than he was when he started.

“So, I suppose what I’m asking you is,” Ben paused, watching Callum’s face carefully. “will you be my best man?”

Here’s where it at started. Ben and Callum had been the best of friends for the longest of times. They were inseparable. Ben had helped Callum through so much, and Callum had helped Ben through the bad times in his life. For most people who knew them, it seemed as though it was destiny that one day, they would realise their feelings for each other and they would become a couple. For people who didn’t know them that well, or just saw them out and about, they probably thought that they were already a couple. That was until a year and a half ago, when Ben had admitted to Callum that he’d been going on dates with this man he met on a dating app, and Ben was falling for him. That’s when Callum first met Joe, and was suddenly overcome with a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach and felt as though someone was ripping his heart away from him every time Ben and Joe so much as looked at each other. These feelings were heightened tenfold when Ben had texted Callum a picture of his left hand whilst on holiday, the focal point of the picture a glistening silver band on his ring finger. Then it all clicked. Callum Highway was head over heels in love with his best friend. His engaged best friend. Who just so happens to be Ben Mitchell.

“I’d be honoured, mate!” Callum smiled, wrapping Ben up in a hug. His heart ached, wishing it didn’t have to be like this.

A pang of guilt knotted through Callum as Ben smiled at him, talking through all the ideas he’d had for his stag do. The only small mercy to come from this was the fact Ben and Joe were set on having individual stags, so Callum wouldn’t have to be around Joe any longer than necessary.

“I was thinking The Albert.” Ben said. “It’s mums place, we can get it cheap.”

Callum smiled and nodded. “Whatever you want, Ben, I’ll make it happen.”

Ben pressed his hand to Callum’s shoulder, and Callum tried desperately not to smile at the touch, warmth bubbling up inside of him, his heart exploding with love. “I knew you were the perfect man for the job.” He admitted, finishing his pint. “Another?”

“Go on then.” Callum smiled, draining his glass empty.

two

Neon lights circled above them, creating patterns on the walls, shining onto people’s faces. Callum stood back with a cocktail in his hand, watching his creation. It was Ben’s stag do, and after Callum was promoted from best friend to best man, it became his life mission to send Ben down the aisle in style. That, and he wanted to prove to Ben that Callum was the one who knew him most. Which is why everyone was dressed up as pop icons, a theme that Callum thought was absolutely hilarious when he initially thought of the idea, drunk at three in the morning, and was equally just as hilarious now, watching as men waltzed around the club with wigs and dresses on. The music that blasted over the speakers was the usual anthems for the Prince Albert, but also some of Ben’s favourite songs, ones attached to memories that he’d spent hours talking to Callum about, years ago.

Jay stood to the side of Callum, watching as everything unfolded. Both of them could see Ben dancing away to ABBA with Lola, swinging each other about, drunk and merry. Callum smiled, and Jay caught that look. He had seen it many a time, but had ultimately been too scared to bring it up, not wanting to push Ben and Callum away from each other.

“To be honest, mate.” Jay spoke, tilting his body into Callum’s, making sure he was heard. “I always reckoned you’d be the one stupid enough to settle down with him.” He joked.

Callum smiled, acknowledging Jay, and then looked down at the drink in his hand, finding it suddenly interesting. The smile suddenly dropped from his face, and the horrible feeling of guilt and heartbreak spread through him like wildfire.

Jay recognised the look, and rested his hand on Callum’s shoulder. “I’m sorry mate.” He confessed. “It must be really hard for you, seeing Ben like this.” It was funny, really. How Jay could know, but Ben could be completely oblivious to Callum’s feelings, as if he didn’t really ever know him at all. Callum shrugged his shoulders and sadly looked at Jay. “Well I can’t do much about it now, can I?”

He watched as Ben danced and laughed and sang, feeling on top on the world on his night. He caught Callum’s eye, and shouted something over to Lola before walking over to Callum, stumbling on every other step he took. He soon caught up to him and he drunkenly latched his arms around Callum’s shoulders, swinging on him slightly. “Thank you for this, Cal, it’s the best!” he slurred, before looking at Jay. “Aren’t I lucky?” he asked.

“The luckiest.” Jay smiled, taking a sip of his drink before nodding his head down to Callum’s hands which were resting on Ben’s waist, fingers rubbing in circles, almost cradling him.

three

The wedding day came around quicker than anyone could’ve expected. The sun beamed outside, a rare warm spring day. The whole square was decorated with banners and bunting, everyone being up since the crack of dawn to make it look perfect.

Ben had stayed at Callum’s the night before, his suit hung up on the wardrobe as he slept. It was an hour and a half before the wedding, and true to his nature, Ben was running late. Music played from the television, old songs he remembered from his childhood, having heard Kathy play them on repeat. He smiled to himself, watching in the mirror as he attempted to put his tie on, his fingers shaking with nerves.

“Struggling?” Callum asked, walking over to Ben, wearing a similar suit.

“Just a bit.” Ben laughed, untying the poorly executed knot in his tie, letting it rest against his chest.

“Come here.” Callum whispered, picking the tie up and starting the knot again, wrapping it around twice before tucking it under, pulling at it until the knot appeared in the perfect position. “What would you do without me, eh?”

And it was like the stars and moon aligned and everything just seemed right in the world. Callum was there, with Ben, helping him yet again, and Ben was overcome with emotions, the feelings he had spent years suppressing suddenly bubbling up to the surface once again. Without thinking, he leaned forward and soon his lips were pressed to Callum’s, who was unable to move with the shock of what was happening. “Please.” Ben pleaded, his lips still on Callum’s, and that was all it took to bring Callum out of a state of complete and utter shock, pulling onto the tie that was still in his hands, dragging Ben closer and closer to him until they were moving backwards, Ben’s hands coming underneath Callum’s suit blazer and eventually pushing him down on the bed, lips still interlocked, neither of them willing enough to come up for air.

And if Ben called off the wedding an hour later, in the arms of Callum, nobody really needed to know the ins and out of its – just that he was happy, and in love, and with the man he proudly called his best friend.

[ghostofwriting]

Untitled

Word Count: 3,755

Warnings: Okay so I don’t really know but probably light obsession? Is light stalking a thing? Not from the reader or towards the reader. 

AN: So this is the thing I wrote that I don’t know what to call, what to do with or how to explain. 

I figured I would just post it. 

Tell me what you think. 

She only has herself to blame. She loves him. She’s in love with him and it’s her own fault. She works for him, he’s her damn boss and she couldn’t stop herself from feeling things for him.  

The worst part is that she has to watch him day in and day out with the person that he’s in love with. 

It’s crazy how in tune she is with him, or at least she thinks she’s in tune with him.

She knows how in love he is because of the way he looks at y/n. It’s the same way she looks at him. 

Y/n is oblivious to the way she brightens up his entire day when she walks into a room, or the way he’s always looking to find her in a crowd. He gravitates towards her and she to him but she doesn’t notice. 

She loves him and she hates him but mostly she hates herself for falling in love with someone who could never love her back because she’s invisible and could never compete with his childhood best friend. 

***

He kisses her in the early hours of one Saturday where they spent the whole night partying and getting drunk. 

Right after he does he’s crying and sliding down a wall and holding his head in his hands, mumbling about how she’ll never love him.

He says something about her, not understanding, little does he know that she understands perfectly how unrequited love feels. 

When they wake up it is midday and he’s apologizing profusely, talking about how unprofessional he was and how he hopes she’ll forgive him. 

Of course, she will, she can never stay mad at him. 

She finds out the reason he got drunk was because he had just found out the person he was in love with was taken. 

She hides the smile trying to make an appearance and instead helps him nurse his hangover. 

Maybe she does have a chance after all. Y/n had someone else and it’s his turn to have someone else. 

So her plan starts on that cloudy Saturday. 

Get Shawn to fall in love with her starts now. 

***

She’s extra present whenever he needs her. She’s at his beck and call and that might sound desperate but that’s what love is right? It’s doing anything the person you love wants. 

He’s really appreciative of her and he’s giving her more attention than he ever has and if anything, she falls more each time he gives her his crooked smile. 

He’s trying to move on, has told her just as much, trying to forget the feelings he’s felt for his best friend for so many years and she hopes that he finally lets her go. 

She knows it isn’t that easy though, if it was, she wouldn’t love him anymore. 

Since she has the first-hand experience with trying to move on, she’ll be patient with him. She’ll be there whenever he has the urge to crawl back into the y/n spaced hole in his heart. 

y/n isn’t around much, not since she got a boyfriend, it could also be because she’s busy with school but all in all, she hasn’t been around which gives her a chance to make herself part of his heart. 

y/n is normal, y/n doesn’t understand his lifestyle, y/n deserves someone normal and he deserves someone who knows the ins and outs of the industry. Someone who can help him rise to the top. 

She’ll always put him first and y/n can’t do that.

***

The days pass by and no one dares mention y/n when she’s around because she’ll always glare at them, they know not to upset him and her name does just that. 

Whenever she finds him on her social media, she takes his phone and hides it, smiling at him when he groans sarcastically. She thinks he’s starting to feel something too. 

She can’t win Brian over, it’s weird because everyone loves her, but she can’t seem to shake his glares like he’s in on something that she doesn’t even know. 

When she walks into a room to talk to Shawn and Brian’s in there, he’ll huff and scoff, and glare. He’ll walk away from anywhere near her and wait until she’s gone to approach Shawn again. 

She thinks he’s being childish for whatever reason but she doesn’t care, as long as his attitude doesn’t influence Shawn in any way. 

***

She finds out that y/n breaks up with her boyfriend when Shawn storms into the green room and lifts her off her feet, kissing her cheek, all smiles, he’s glowing and she wants to know why. 

“What! What is it?” She asks giggling as he puts her down. 

“Y/n’s single! And she’s coming in three days.” He’s so happy he doesn’t even notice that he’s stabbed her in the heart. She thought that they were making progress, she thought that he at least thought of her as a potential romantic partner but y/n’s single and he forgets about her?

He’s laughing when Brian walks in the room, tackling his friend, the two men embracing. She doesn’t notice Brian’s glares, too busy being heartbroken. 

“I’m gonna tell her,” Shawn says. She hears Brian say finally as she walks out of the room, the world spinning around her. 

Doesn’t he know that this is a bad idea? That she’s just going to use him and break his heart? She isn’t good enough for him and she’s going to prove it. 

She doesn’t know when she snaps, but she does and she thinks she’s right. 

***

y/n being here is driving her insane, it’s her laugh and the way she talks and walks and exists. 

The worst part is that y/n had never been anything but sweet to her. That made her hate her even more, someone couldn’t be that nice. She had to be hiding something, something that Shawn wouldn’t like and she was going to find out what.

And if she couldn't? She would make something up. 

After all, she wasn’t above that, it was what was best for him. It was all for him. 

***

She’s about to walk into the green room when he hears them talking, her heart stops and crumbles. 

“I think I’ve always loved you, I’ve just been too afraid to admit it because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.” It’s her sickeningly sweet voice confessing her feelings for her Shawn. 

Who did she think she was? She broke his heart. She dated someone else and ignored him for months and she thinks she can come back and just claim him?

She wasn’t there on the drunken nights when he drank himself sick. She wasn’t there to see him cry over her. She wasn’t there to pick up the pieces and put him back together. 

Shawn was smart, he would see right through her act and remember who was there for him this whole time.

When Shawn does the complete opposite of that and he tells her how long he’s been waiting for this, how much he loves her and how he can’t wait for whatever they do next, she’s shaking with rage. 

He’s so dumb. So stupid, how could he be so blind? She doesn’t deserve him and he’s going to show him. 

Brian pops up from behind her and smirks, she puts a fake smile on her face and walks away. 

She had to find something. 

***

“I’m going on a coffee run, does anyone want anything?” y/n’s standing in the middle of the room, eyeing everyone, the smile on her face could not be real. 

Great, she’s been on tour with them for two months and she’s already trying to take her job. 

What is it about her that makes everyone swoon? What did y/n have that she didn’t?

She watches Shawn watch her. He looks at her like she put the stars and the moon in the sky. 

He watches her like she put the universe together and gifted it to him. 

He watches him like he’s the earth and she’s the moon and they’re being pulled to each other. 

He watches her like he lives and breathes for her and it makes her want to puke. 

She’s watching him so she misses the way y/n looks at him. 

Like he’s the sun and she shines for him and only him.

She also misses the way Brian notices the scowl on her face.

***

When y/n comes back with their drinks she’s hoping that the woman got something wrong, that she could point it out and somehow everyone would turn against her. 

 Obviously, that wouldn’t happen because it’s just some drink orders but she was hoping that Shawn would notice that she’s better at coffee runs than his girlfriend. 

That word makes her sick. 

When everyone leaves to watch Shawn perform, she stays behind to work. She was going to wait it out, wait until y/n went back to school at the end of the summer to create doubt in Shawn’s head about her, but it was getting too serious so she had to do something now. 

She waits a few seconds before she’s running across the room towards y/n’s laptop. 

Y/n hadn’t even logged out, she wasn’t even smart. She doesn’t know what Shawn sees in her at all. 

She’s snooping trying to find something, anything that will incriminate her in Shawn’s eyes, and when she finds nothing she wants to scream. 

Her phone goes off startling her, it’s a message from her mom asking her when she’ll come home and visit. She ignores it looking at the messaging icon. Perfect.

She clicks on the facebook icon on the laptop and it takes her right to y/n’s account. She’s giddy on the inside, she’s going to get him back. It’s for his own good. 

She finds y/n’s ex's name and starts typing a message to him, not before revoking all access to Facebook from any mobile app. Just to buy her enough time without alerting y/n. 

He’s luckily online and responds immediately. 

She channels her inner y/n and her plan starts. 

She’s about to send one more when she hears footsteps approaching. 

She jumps to the couch and pulls out her phone, the laptop still glowing but off the facebook page. She hopes whoever it is doesn’t notice. 

Brian walks in, eyeing her before grabbing a sweater that’s too small to be his. Just like that he’s gone. 

She breathes a sigh of relief and waits until she can play out the second part of her plan. 

***

“I have to show you something my mom sent me but it’s logged me out and I can’t remember my password so it’ll have to wait.” She hears the sugary sweet voice say. 

Shawn nods and kisses the side of her head and then her cheek. The sight makes her shiver. 

“I’ll be right back, Brian needed me for something.” She internally groans. Brian hated her. She knew that much by now, she didn’t know why. And it pissed her off to no end that he seemed to adore y/n. Yeah, they had been friends for a long time too, but wouldn’t you be happy for anyone your best friend dates? As long as your best friend was happy? She doesn’t think Brian will ever like her so she’ll have to get rid of him too.

First y/n, then Brian. 

Shawn’s surfing on his phone when she plops beside him.

“Hey, stranger.” She shoves his shoulder with hers and he smiles, looking up at her. 

“Hey, didn’t see you out there.” He had noticed she wasn’t there, had missed her. 

“Had to get some work done.” She puts on a sad face, a look of concern growing on Shawn’s face.

“What’s wrong?” She sighs, looking down at her hands and looking back up at him regretfully. 

“y/n’s computer kept going off and it was annoying me so I went over to shut it but-” she cuts herself off, putting her hand over his and swallowing the ball in her throat. 

“I’m so sorry.” She sees fear creep into his expression and he shakes his head. 

“Is she okay? What is it?” His voice is shaking and she suddenly doesn’t want to break his heart, but it’s what’s best for him. 

For them.

“Shawn, she’s talking to her ex.” Shawn sighs and she sees the tension leave his body. 

“Yeah, I know that they’re friends, they have to be, they’re in the same year and same program.” Of course, she was one to be friends with her exes, that perfect little angel. 

“These messages weren’t about school. They were more seductive than that.” 

“No, no way.” Shawn’s in disbelief. 

“I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t believe you.” He’s shaking his head and he can see the doubt building. 

“They’re right over there. Go see for yourself.” He’s hesitating, and she knows it’s because he doesn’t want to invade y/n’s privacy, so she pushes him.

“She’ll delete them before you can see that she’s cheating on you, why do you think she didn’t let you see the thing her mom sent herd? It was in case he sent her a message while you were using her phone.” That’s the push he needs to let the doubt win and walk over to y/n’s laptop. 

She stays put in her spot and watches as he logs into her laptop that had gone into sleep mode, sees as he tenses and starts to shake with rage. 

When he turns around, his eyes are dark, full of anger and sadness. 

There’s silence for a few moments and she’s going to get up and comfort him when y/n walks in, Brian trailing behind her. 

Shawn’s face morphs into something that breaks her heart when he sees y/n. He isn’t angry at her, he’s just devastated, he’s broken. She did that to him. 

It’s for the best, she tells herself. 

“Babe?” y/n walks over to him and reaches for his hand but he shakes her off. 

“How could you?”

“How could I what?”

“You fucking know what!” Shawn screams, making her flinch. Y/n doesn’t bat an eyelash, her concern for him increasing. 

“I really don’t.”

“I can’t wait to feel your lips all over my body.” Shawn recites one of the messages she typed out. y/n’s look of concern turns into confusion. She avoids eye contact with Brian and sinks deeper into the couch. 

“I miss how you feel inside me.” Y/n’s whispering his name, trying to get through to him but he doesn’t listen, reciting more messages she had sent.

“I want it hard and fast.”

“Stop.” y/n says, her voice calm. 

“No, you stop. Pack all your shit and get out.” y/n tries to speak but he doesn’t let her. 

“Get the fuck out y/n! I never want to see you again.” She looks down when she sees the tears streaming down y/n’s face. When y/n doesn’t move, Shawn yells again, “Get out!” 

Y/n moves past him, grabbing all her things and storming out of the room. 

As soon as she leaves the room, she picks up her head and watches as Shawn crumbles. His knees crashing to the floor along with his hands. 

Before she can go to him, Brian’s there, rubbing his back, trying to pick him up. 

While Shawn’s crying, she’s there in shock. 

This is what’s best. It’s for the best. It will get better. He will thank her. 

***

“I know you’re behind this.” Brian is standing at the door frame, hands crossed over his chest, anger all over his face. 

“What?” She sets her phone next to her, ready to play the part. 

“Don’t play dumb. I see the way you look at him, at them, I know how you feel.” His voice is so certain of what he’s saying and it scares her that everyone else will believe him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“I talked to y/n and she has no recollection of sending those messages.” Why couldn’t he just blindly follow Shawn and ignore y/n. Now she had to convince him too.

“She’s obviously lying.” Brian shakes his head clearly not believing a word she’s saying. 

“I walked into that green room and the laptop wasn’t sleeping.” She shrugs her shoulders. 

“A laptop doesn’t go to sleep after half an hour?” She moves her hand in a “so what” motion and Brian chuckles. 

“I don’t know, maybe it’s a setting.” He’s not going to believe her, y/n has her claws too far into him.

“The only reason you’re getting away with this right now is that Shawn is too hurt to listen.”

“I’m not getting away with anything.” 

“Not for long,” Brian says, slamming the door behind him. She glares at the closed door, her mind reeling. 

Time to get rid of Brian. 

***

She doesn’t even have time to get rid of Brian before Shawn is coming up to her, anger written all over his face and she’s already cowering before he’s in front of her. 

“What the hell?” He screams. He’s so angry, he’s never seen him like this, never towards anyone and definitely not towards her. 

“You know what? I don’t give a shit, pack your things, you’re fired, effective immediately.”  His words shock her and she’s flying after him as he leaves. 

“No! Shawn, please!” She’s gripping his arm pulling him towards her and he’s shaking her off.

“You have no place here, I don’t know who you think you are to mess with people like that but you need to leave.” He flings her off and security comes down the hallway as he starts walking away. She sees y/n standing next to Brian, her face not angry but sad.

“I love you!” She yells after Shawn. 

“You don’t do what you did to me to people you love.” He turns around to look at her, a shadow cast over his face before turning back around and walking towards y/n and Brian. 

She can’t break through to him, she knows that now, not when his heart belongs so completely to someone else. She should have realized earlier, her heart belonged to him and no one could break through that. She’s pulled away, her eyes not leaving his frame and the way his hands look for hers in comfort. 

***

She’s packing her things when there’s a knock at the door and it opens right after before she can respond.

When she turns around, y/n is standing there. She stares at the woman, her hair framing her face perfectly. She has no makeup on, has bags under her eyes and is wearing sweats and a hoodie and she is still one of the most beautiful people she has ever laid eyes on. 

She never wanted to admit it, but she always knew y/n was beautiful, tried to convince herself that that is why Shawn loved her so much. 

Y/n isn’t alone, Jake is standing right behind her. He’s there too, she sees him peak his head in when y/n steps closer to enter the room, sees as his hand reaches out to pull at her sleeve so she doesn’t walk further into the room before stepping off to the side. 

They’re probably scared they’ll hurt y/n. She would never, not like that, not in the way they’re thinking. 

She’s glad she can’t see Shawn anymore, can’t bear to see the pure loathing on his face. 

“Hi.” She wants to hate y/n more, the way she greets her with no animosity, just genuine concern. 

“Hello.” She says softly. She can’t hate her though, not anymore, she’s exhausted. 

“I just wanted to see how you were doing?” She wants to cry. How could she have ever wanted anything better for Shawn? Anything better than someone who cares about everyone, even someone who tried to ruin her relationship.

“Humiliated, ashamed, guilty, sorry.” Y/n gives her a gentle smile. 

“It’s okay.” y/n was really here telling her that everything she had done was okay?

“How?”

“Feeling all that means that you learned something from all this.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I forgive you. It’s your turn to forgive yourself.” How could someone be so freaking special? How could someone be so understanding and nice? She knows what Shawn sees in her now, imagine having this energy in your life for your whole life? Of course, he couldn’t resist. 

“Thank you.”

y/n goes to move closer and two hands jump out to stop her. One of Jake’s is gripping her shoulder, and Shawn is once again pulling her from her hoodie, this time from her back. 

“No.” he whispers from the door. 

y/n turns to both men squeezes Shawn’s hand and nods. 

“I’m fine.” When she steps into the room, Shawn comes into full view, Jake is quick to follow y/n into the room, standing behind her once more. 

y/n stretches her arms out and waits for her to come closer before wrapping her up in a hug. 

She really does feel forgiven, at least from y/n because when she looks behind her, she catches Shawn’s eyes and the worry in them. The worry that his whole world is in the arms of a crazy person.

She can’t blame him. She would be scared too. 

y/n pulls away, one hand on each shoulder and squeezes. 

“Now you get to go out there and do better.” Is the last thing y/n says before she’s walking back to Shawn, the tension leaving his body once she’s back in his arms. 

He doesn’t even look back at her and she’s okay with it. 

She sees it now, sees it completely. They are meant for each other. They have been sculpted by the gods and put on this earth to be with one another and she can’t come in the way of that. She won’t. No one could. 

To him, she’s the sun and he orbits around her and to her he’s the sun and she orbits around him. They are equal. They’re soulmates. 

She needs to go out there and learn from this and find her own soulmate. 

[the-naboo-sith]

Rules 

1. I will rp paragraph form with just about anyone whom wants to, however I am a SFW, meaning Safe For Work, blog and while both myself and my muse (her son and daughter, Casper and Lily for the verse(s) they’re included in, not included as they’re three) are over 21, Desdie is 23, and therefore of age we will not RP smut as I’m uncomfortable with such, might be willing to allow “suggestive” things to occur but the actual “act” will be faded to black or otherwise time skipped, depending on the style the Mun of the other blog prefers. 

   

 -Regarding post lengths, I will try to make my reply no shorter than an actual paragraph, and will attempt to without running into grammatical errors, but this in no way means you need to match me length for length. I do ask that if you post a reply that could be said to be a one liner that you have some sort of gif/icon to back it up, as I will be attempting to do the same. I’d also like to apologize in advance if I forget about a thread, feel free to send me an IM asking if I need it or not, I’ll happily answer if I’d lost it or not. 

2. My muse may seem hard to get to know at first on occasion, she’s usually very happy to make new friends but due to her situation (which in the DC/Marvel version is also partly her past) she can occasionally find herself leaning more toward sarcasm. This does not in any way reflect my as the Mun’s opinion of your muse, my muse just tends to be a bit of a sassy wise hat, and sometimes she may be the complete opposite and be fairly open and easy-going if maybe slightly modest, as that is generally speaking the way her nature is (blame the Jedi training she was doing before her transformation over to the Dark Side). NOTE Fawnflight, Des’s Warrior cat form, is always the second one and is always perfectly happy to make friends with everyone. 

3. Regarding Ships, if you do want to ship Des with your male character by all means ask me what I think HOWEVER I do NOT ship FORCED ships, only those with some kind of chemistry will be allowed, as the Mun I do reserve right to have such say, please I ask only the respect of myself and my muse in ALL matters. 

  -You’re still PERFECTLY OKAY to come yell at me in my chats “HEY LETS MAKE THEM A THING!!” or something of that effect and if I agree I will allow it. 

 -Also Hateships and Platonic friendships please don’t be afraid to come at me, I love those as much as I love the fluffy romantic ones, not everyone can be in love with each other. (especially with her being a Sith XD) 

- AND ALSO SINCE SHE HAS A VERSE WITH HER AS A CAT I’LL DEFINITELY BE CAUTIOUS OF SUCH BUT IF YOU HAVE A OR ARE WILLING TO CREATE A VERSE WHERE YOUR MALE CHARACTER IS A CAT, IF YOU’D LIKE TO SHIP HIM WITH FAWNFLIGHT FEEL FREE TO SUGGEST IT TO US, HOWEVER SAME AS ABOVE APPLIES, NO FORCED SHIPS PLEASE AND THANK YOU. 

 4. Regarding memes, it is fine if you see me reblog a meme that doesn’t feel like it fits the theme behind our muses’ current relationship, it may be a step too much or whatever etc. etc. and you may not be quite ready to see what they’d be like that far into the future, as I’m very much not a chronologically locked blog (meaning that I won’t disallow jumping from the beginning of their budding relationship to four years down the line of marriage or just them knowing each other, etc. like that depending on if we agreed to them being Platonic or Romantic.) but I do ask that you please take into consideration that while I will reblog memes, I am not a meme source, so please if you reblog a meme from me send in something of it before or after you do so, otherwise please be considerate and reblog from the meme source if available. Thank you. 

  -Regarding asks, feel free to send them in however, since this blog has several verses to it, please remember to be specific which verse you’re asking for or I will pick the one that seems best suited to the ask OR the Meme that was sent and apologize in advance if the verse was incorrect, I ask only that you tell me before you reblog if I have made an error in my answer, thank you very much. 

5. In regards to follows, I am a fairly Non-Selective Rper however if I follow you that definitely doesn’t mean you’re obligated to follow back, I understand that my blog may not be your cup of tea as the expression goes let alone that she’s an OC I will generally give blogs that I’ve followed but who haven’t followed back yet 1 whole week of them being active to do so, afterwards I will then most likely unfollow. If this happens to be you and you notice too late to give a follow back certainly feel free to still follow, chances are I’ll be more than happy to follow back and hopefully get something going.  

  - As a side note that especially applies to fellow OCs it would generally be most appreciative if I can find an about page on your muse, either when searching my browser or linked to the description for ease of Mobile User access, as I have it, and a rules page similarly accessible. If I can’t I may still follow but you’d definitely be sent a message asking about your muse and if there’s any rules I need to be made aware of if you choose to Follow back and especially if I am giving you a Follow back. I try to make sure I remember to read everyone’s rules and about pages, usually after I’ve been given a follow back, but I apologize if I forget at first.

Thank you for reading the rules;

Please send in 

“To the Stars and the Moon and Back again” to confirm you’ve read this. If you’re uncomfortable with doing that, that’s okay, so long as you let me know you’ve read through it, thank you. 

Note: Icons were made by myself, with the exception of her Lioness verse one which I had the help of the lovely queensxrabi to make and would appreciate that you respect my hard work with them and that of my friend’s and not steal them, thank you. 

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

JUNE PICKS

I know, I know it’s currently July 13th and I’m only posting my June picks now. In my defense summer is going FAR too fast and I didn’t want to encounter spoilers for Stranger Things so i was avoiding a lot of social media. So without further a do here come my picks.

Always be prepared for spoilers. Tread lightly. 

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW

Best.season.so.far... As a MAJOR fan of all things Arrowverse, recently I have found myself losing interest in the Berlanti CW/DC shows. Some of the plots feel overdone (we’ve done it on one show and now it’s appearing on another), or characters are losing who they once were. The only show in this multiverse that I’m caught up on is Legends of Tomorrow. Thanks to Netflix I was able to binge it all at once (which I found really helps watching this show. You just want to watch episode after episode because you NEED to know where we’re headed next). I think Legends is really underrated as a whole, which is wrong. It deserves more love compared to Arrow and The Flash. I believe it is the strongest of the superhero shows on the network. That was proven with this great season (I’d call it the best and I can’t wait to watch season 5). I really enjoyed this team of heroes aboard the Waverider. We’ve seen much change from last season and only 3 remain from the original team that Rip created. (Which is SO crazy!) At first I was worried about Charlie because I didn’t want her to just be a recasting of Amaya, but I loved her addition. She brought another style to the Waverider and having her as a “monster” was perfect for this season that involved bringing awareness to these creatures. Plus her power came in handy a lot of the time. I’m always a fan of Constantine so it was great to see him as a permanent fixture of the Legends (even if he claimed he didn’t want to be :). After speaking with him at HVFF in Edison, New Jersey this June I am excited to see his character return as a regular for season 5. I also enjoyed Nora Darhk. When we first met her last season we we’re supposed to like her, but since she’s no longer possessed and wanting to change her ways we see a different side of her now. A side that Ray sees (still think it’s super adorable that off screen husband and wife are love interests on the show). I was a big fan of her involvement this season. Speaking of Ray, what a journey he went on. Props to Brandon Routh for his acting this season. Very out of his regular character, which often is the most fun to watch. I loved the Time Bureau getting more involved in the plot. We got to see more of their headquarters and how they function while the Legends do their thing throughout space and time. I hope that continues, especially so we don’t lose seeing characters like Ava and Mona (oh and of course Gary-oops!) MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!!   That ending!!!! Please don’t tell us Zari is off the team for good. I mean I’m sure her brother is nice and all, but we need her! After speaking with Tala, also at HVFF, she said we’ll be getting a much different Zari this season. Which makes complete sense seeing as how her backstory has drastically changed. 

Man, I guess I could have dedicated an entire post just to Legends of Tomorrow. Just shows you it is a great show that you should be watching. 

Now I can’t stop singing James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James”

Good Omens

This Amazon Prime Video original was my first watch of the month. I didn’t binge it all at once (mainly because I don’t like investing ALL of my time into watching something that’s only a handful of episodes and then feeling completely lost when it’s over...Wow that opened something I didn’t know was there....) While that’s one of the reasons I didn’t watch all episodes in one sitting the other is that I couldn’t really get into it. People have told me great things about the book, but I haven’t read it and I didn’t know a whole lot (other than what I’ve seen from the trailer) before watching. It’s hard for me to explain why I didn’t enjoy it or get into it. I don’t know if it was the large amount of characters to follow or the style of episodes or just the overall style of the show. I enjoyed the voice over narration and I thought the dynamic between Aziraphale and Crowley was great (always a fan of David Tennant). I liked the reinventing of the final battle and how these forces currently exist on Earth. I think my favorite episodes were the last two as the battle occurred and how Adam was a part of it all. 

Have you watched Good Omens? Did you like it? 

Jack Whitehall’s Travels with my Father

After watching Good Omens I was looking for a quick watch before jumping into Daredevil (which I know is also a quick watch). Seeing Jack Whitehall in Good Omens reminded me of a Netflix show I had saved in my queue a while ago. The British Comedian Jack Whitehall decides to go on a gap year in his late twenties and bring along his seventy year old father. Like everyone does! I’ve read a lot of things, while I watched, about how the show is scripted and while it is at times very obvious I still liked watching their banter. His dad had some great lines as Jack brought him to some eccentric spots. It was also nice to see their relationship progress as the episodes went on. As someone who wasn’t thinking of traveling to Asia I really liked being able to see some of the places and attractions in different countries that might not be as publicized. I have the second season saved in my queue where Jack’s dad will bring Jack to what he considers a vacation. This time traveling around Europe. I think it should be good, but right now I have other things to watch before.   

Blood & Treasure

CBS’ new summer show has already been picked up for a second season and the first season hasn’t even finished yet! If that’s not a reason for you to check this out then read this review. :) 

This action adventure show follows Danny, an ex FBI agent, and Lexi, an art thief, as they travel the globe in search for Cleopatra’s tomb and other Egyptian antiquities before they get in the hands of a terrorist. Each week feels like you have entered a movie as you join this team race against the clock to retrieve these artifacts. Because of this there are times where I feel like the show might work better as a movie or a mini-series/3 longer episodes. By this point I feel like there are times where the plot gets a little extended and parts might not need to happen (but do because of the length of episodes). That being said I am still enjoying this show and am excited to see how the season eventually ends. Now that I know there will be a second season it will be interesting to see what they pursue next. If you like movies like Indiana Jones and National Treasure as well as the TNT show The Librarians, then this show is one for you!    

PBS Les Miserables 

I am way behind on reviewing this program that debuted on PBS’ Masterpiece in the Spring, but with one episode left I am very excited to talk about this new adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. This six episode show directed by Andrew Davies brings Hugo’s characters to life without music. Being a fan of the musical, I was a little worried about how the show would be without this element. While there are times where I would like a song that is traditional sung by one of the leads to be played in the background (and I think it would have put the scene over the top) I have really enjoyed watching. Due to the length of the series we have really been able to get to know these characters and watch their transformations. I have always been daunted by the size of the novel, so I have not had the chance to read it, but being familiar with Davies’ work in the past (the iconic Pride and Prejudice 1995) I have a feeling this program is very accurate to the original text. My favorite character is still Jean Valjean (despite the slight plot wholes at how he has so much money despite escaping jail so many times). I think my favorite parts have been the earlier episodes when Cosette is young. I understand she wants to see the word as she gets older, but sometimes she bothers me. Currently I am at the barricade with them. One more episode to go. I know how it will end, but I’m probably still not mentally prepared.    

Master Chef Junior

This season I have watched a good amount of reality shows (in the sense of game shows/competition shows/and yes Bachelorette). Some seasons when you watch I feel that you connect better to the contestants. You root for them and are devastated when they lose or get out. You call them by name as if you know them. I often feel this way with Fox’s Master Chef Junior, but this season especially I was invested in this show. They were a great group of young home cooks.

While their cooking skills ALWAYS put mine to shame and half the time I don’t know what they’re talking about and just smile and nod, I always find myself watching cooking competitions that involve kids. It’s just so impressive all that they can do at their age. I always love how they talk about cooking for so long meanwhile how much cooking could you do at 2 years old? (Or was it just my parents that wouldn’t allow me to use a stove??) This season they had multiple non-elimination rounds showing just how good these kids were. While my favorite, Reid, did not make the finals (he was soooo close) I will forever think of him when people talk about fishing. “The best part about fishing is fishing.”   

The Amazing Race

I’ve been a fan of the Amazing Race for a very long of time, but cannot believe that this past season was their 19th SEASON! In the past I’ve heard of the show possibly not returning for another season, but I’m so happy that was not the case. There really is still not too much out there like it. This season the teams (ironically) came from all reality shows ranging from Big Brother, Survivor, and (of course) The Amazing Race. There were so many familiar faces that it was like we were visiting old friends. (I’m still super happy that the top 3 were all Race teams). This season was another example of getting too invested in the show. It often caused a lot of anxiety and being told to ‘fast forward to the end’ to know who got out. (Which I usually refused to do). Next season will be very hard to beat!

BINGEING

The Walking Dead

I mentioned that the Walking Dead was on my to watch list and I have decided to make it my Summer Show of 2019. Season 1 went by extremely fast (it was only 6 episodes) and now I’m in the middle of season 2. (I think I just hit episode 10?) Shane is getting crazier and crazier by the day. Sofia was discovered. I knew she’d be a zombie, but wow I was not expecting where we’d find her. Dale has quickly become one of my favorites and I don’t want anything bad to happen to him. I love how he knows what’s truly going on. Glenn is still my favorite and I’m excited to see his relationship with Maggie progress. Carl got his signature look wearing Rick’s hat. I think Hershel might let them stay on the farm. This show is just so addicting. I can never just watch one. I know I’m in for a roller coaster and just like when I watched Game of Thrones, the spoilers are out there (because I’m watching it so late) and I do know some, but not all. Can’t wait to continue. Are you a fan?  

So, that’s it! That’s the June Wrap Up. Are we watching any of the same things? Are there any shows that seem interesting? Anything I should add to my watch list? Let me know!

July Watch Preview

Just finished it last night. (You now see why I had that rant earlier about finishing a show and not knowing what to do with my life.) Wow! I am probably not going to be able to wait to post an article till July. Keep your eyes open for a new post soon!!

[karma-was-taken]

MY THOUGHTS ON ENDGAME

 (mostly focused on Steve and Tony) (95% of this post is pure rambling)

THE GOOD THINGS: • Tony and Nebula…….. just,,,,,,, their entire dynamic. Tony offering her food and her gently nudging it towards him. Them working together. Her being so soft and caring when he fell asleep. Just. So soft……. So pure…… when she helped him down the ramp I was already In Love. • Steve CATCHING TONY WHEN HE STEPPED DOWN FROM THE JET!!!! Tony saying in that absolutely broken voice “I lost the kid, I lost the kid” i----- HELLO?????? Literally the best stevetony scene to date I cannot believe that ENDGAME SAID SUPERFAMILY RIGHTS and also my heart was bursting holy fuck • Still can’t get over how fucking good tony’s monologue/speech with the other avengers was. The catharsis. The satisfaction. “Where were you when i needed you?”, the distaste in his voice when he says “we’re the avengers! We avenge, we don’t prevent” and then the “we’ll lose together. You said we’d do that together too, liar!”. Amazing. Powerful. One of the best moments in this movie and in the entire mcu. Rhodey having to physically hold him back. Tony tearing the reactor off his chest. Him pushing everyone away as he collapses. Everything was so painful and yet so healing oh my god- • EVERYTHING ABOUT MY BOYS 5 YEARS LATER!!!!! The parallel between Steve and sam at the support group. Steve still trying to help others through their trauma despite being unable to do the same for himself. Powerful and heartbreaking, especially in his scene with nat. I didn’t love the “this is my family” thing because it was a tad out of the blue but I still enjoyed nat’s character and her relationship with Steve. • TONY AND HIS FAMILY I CAN’T EVEN EXPLAIN HOW MUCH I LOVED THAT. Tony finally getting a quiet life with his wife and kid. Literally everything he deserved and more. TONY WAS SO SOFT WITH MORGAN. THE PHYSICAL AFFECTION. THE CARE. I LOVE YOU 3000. Like holy fuck,,,,,,,, you cannot tell me that tony isn’t the best dad in the whole universe. • Tony’s bitterness when the avengers came to his house. The jarring difference between how warm and open he was with morgan vs the cold sarcasm he gave the avengers. Steve’s evident pain at seeing tony living the life he never got to have. • Tony telling Steve he had a family he couldn’t sacrifice like,,,,,, I fucking teared up. Tony was so emotional, so desperate to keep what he had fought for his entire life. AND YET!!!! He still couldn’t live with himself without trying to save the world. This is why I loved his conversation with pepper. The clear subtext that connected this to her leaving him when he couldn’t quit being iron man. the development for both of them,,,,,,, she went from “it’s either me or ironman” to “will you be able to rest?”, tony asking her permission but really telling her that if he went for it he would have to sacrifice their life and leave them behind. It was so powerful and so well executed. • The photograph. Yes, that one. That’s all. • THAT STEVETONY SCENE WHERE TONY BRINGS THE SHIELD I--!!!!! WAS LITERALLY SCHREECHING. It felt like an acceptable reunion after the events of CA:CW but tbh I would have loved a “you gave me a home” moment for our boys. BUT STILL VVV GOOD • Tony and bruce teaming up and literally creating a time machine we stan two science bros (plus scott bless his soul) • the throwbacks to the old movies were incredible. It felt like a behind the scenes feature AND a fanfiction all at once. The 2012 one especially Fucked me UP!!! The elevator scene,,,,, Steve’s “hail hydra” being a fucking smartass wink to the audience. Steve vs Steve!!!! Tony telling Scott to disconnect the reactor!!!!! America’s ass. Tony finally being a thot on main for Steve rogers. • I----- didn’t love the 70s time jump. I disliked how howard got redeemed for what he did to tony. Not something that I wanted for either of them. The Steve/peggy scene was so painful and yet powerful, specially because Steve left her behind once again (………. More on this later) • TONY BUILDING A FUCKING INFINITY GAUNTLET HELL YEAH BITCH • I didn’t have many feelings about the whole nebula thing but the reactions of the characters there felt rushed (gamora immediately trusting the new nebula. Past nebula being killed and this somehow didn’t affect the “rule of time travel” or whatever the fuck,,,? Sure jan). loved her dynamic with rhodey and quill. Super fun. • The big three facing thanos was everything I’ve ever wanted from this movie and I’m so glad it was SO FUCKING GOOD!!!! • STEVE LIFTING MIJOLNIR!!!! HE FUCKING USED THOR’S LIGHTNING AND!!!! I LOVE HIM HE DESERVES THIS AND MORE!!! • RESCUE MADE ME CUM!!! That scene where they’re back to back?????? Orgasmic. • Just. That entire fight scene was. So good. Perfect. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing. Absolutely incredible. The subtext was everywhere and it was so powerful. The Steve/t’challa nod,,,,, the clear throwback to iw,,,,,,,,,, amazing. • Listen y’all when strange lifted that finger my heart stopped. I Knew what was going to happen immediately. The sheer relief/terror I felt when I saw that fucking finger is indescribable. • Literally the most powerful and iconic line I’ve ever heard: “I am inevitable.” “I am ironman”. I was bawling at this point. • The entire funeral scene. “proof that tony stark has a heart”. Happy and morgan interacting. “I want a cheeseburger”. Sam getting the shield. Tony’s message at the end. I was crying for the entire thing. Literally the most cathartic thing I’ve ever experienced.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: • Literally my pettiest beef with this movie: carol danvers. Her screentime was a joke. Literally “oh hello carol” *carol fucks off to god knows where for the entire movie* “oh hey carol nice to see u again just in time for the final fight huh”…….. absolutely disgraceful. She should have been part of the planning. Where’s the team dynamic. Where’s the character building. Literally the only good thing about this was her haircut I’m so upset at how fucking badly she was treated in this movie. • thor and bruce were …….. no. it felt like a bad comedy. What the fuck was this character building I have no idea but I’m so sorry for thor and hulk fans because they were done so dirty I’m actually speechless. Bruce’s actions made no sense (he’s just,,,,,, chilling with his fans while the avengers struggle???? Hello????? Where’s his,,,,,, *barf* “relationship” with nat????) and thor was……. His struggle and clear ptsd were just treated like a joke. They literally put him in a fat suit I was speechless. Disgraceful. • They both deserved better. • I’m a bit meh re: natasha’s death. Like,,,,,,, I get it but also Why • RHODEY DESERVED MORE!!!! I WANTED A RHODEYTONY HUG AND I DIDN’T FUCKING GET IT. NO CAROLRHODEY EITHER HELLO?????? I’M BEING DENIED MY RIGHTS. • And now……. The Big Yike: Steve. The mcu has never treated Steve’s character like he deserved. What I wanted for him was the chance to have a new life, in the present, with his family. His entire character arc seemed to go towards it (e.g. his dialogue with tony when tony was leaving the avengers???) and yet. We got fucking robbed. I wouldn’t have minded Steve going back to have that goddamn dance with peggy, hell, they both fucking deserved it. But leaving for good? Not coming back? Hell no. he gave up his friends. He gave up Bucky (stucky shippers I am so sorry Bucky also deserved better) just for the chance at having a relationship with peggy. What I wanted for Steve rogers was the possibility to make peace with what he’s lost in the past so he can live in the present and fight for the people of the future. Instead all we got was this,,,,,,,, weird character regression where he just. Gave up??? No. I hated that.

THE BIG DEATH: A lot of people were unhappy with tony’s death but honestly? It’s exactly what I wanted for him. He had the best possible ending: dying to save the entire universe with his sacrifice, using the infinity gauntlet he built himself. The mcu and the avengers started and ended with tony stark. This was his final redeeming act: he made the sacrifice play once again, this time once and for all. No one will be able to call him selfish anymore and he’ll be remembered forever (“i hope they remember you”) for dying like he lived: always trying to save the world. Sacrifice has always been the core of the im movies and this ending felt perfect for him. He got the 5 years of bliss with his family, and then he had to give it up to save the world. The final sacrifice.

I can’t elaborate more on why I hoped to see this ending because it’s literally midnight but long story short this movie was amazing, final score 10/10 despite the Steve thing, I left the theater literally crying tears of joy and felt high on happiness for the following 2 hours. This movie means a lot to me and I’m so glad I liked it as much as I did.

[sawamura-daichis-thighs]

get to know the author

I was tagged by @yaoyoroses :D thank you En!

Tag | @l1nkp1t​, @astersandstuffs​, @eccentrick-stardust​, @amajikies​, & @hajiiwa​ (if any of you would like to!)

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean? i wanted a Haikyuu!! themed username since i fell deep so here we are :3 in terms of my ao3 username, Miah_Kat, it’s a mashup of my nickname & a name for an old OC; i use some variation of it as a default whenever i make a new account somewhere bc i’m bad at thinking up usernames on the spot. ^^”

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/subscriptions/hits/kudos). what if i told you...? is at the top with 734 hits & 133 kudos (!!!!! holy crow) on tumblr, Cafuné is the most popular with 46 notes :”D

3. What is your AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it? it’s of megane Oikawa! ^^ i chose it because he’s one of my favorite characters & he looks damn good in glasses

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters? @l1nkp1t, @wallynorthbynorthwest, @ninja-spacenerd, & @littleop always leave me wonderful comments/tags that never fail to brighten my day!! ❤❤❤❤

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again? hmmm i can’t think of one off the top of my head but y’all should def check out my bookmarks & fic rec tag for some awesome works!!

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked? i’m subscribed to 46 users, 20 series, & 127 works. I’ve bookmarked 257.

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most? i don’t stray far from canon-compliant stuff but i find myself writing a lot of getting together, first kisses, or domestic fluff kind of stuff. If I’m going to go full-AU though I lean towards fantasy.

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page) i have 8 user subscribers, 17 unspecified subscriptions, & 111 bookmarks total ^^

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!) mmm well i think every writer has some general fears of being judged, regardless of what’s written. for me, maybe smut since i just don’t write it often (& i’ve only ever posted one fic that has it)

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc. writing in general?? lol idk i’d like to be more...dedicated, i guess? i can’t seem to finish anything without it taking months. i also have a hard time with details, so i’d like to find a good middle-ground with that. oh, and world-building when writing fantasy (it’s just so much work aslkdjfk)

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often? i write popular ships more often but i’m absolutely open to writing rarepairs! i know it can be disheartening to really love a ship but not be able to find much content for it, so i don’t mind getting rarepair requests. i like making people happy if i can :)

12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)? 33 on ao3

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program? 18 WIPs in Google Docs & probably...10+ in my laptop files?

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head? oh, definitely write them down! i can keep them in my head for a little while but there’s a 95% chance of not remembering them after something distracts me lol

15. Have you ever co-authored a story? kind of? back in high-school my best friend & i used to write stories together. it was all for fun though, nothing that ever made it to a site. i think it would be fun to do a collab with someone though! :D

16. How did you discover AO3? i think a post from tumblr linked me to it & i’d seen a lot of people talking about it, so i gave it a shot.

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3? HAH no way lmao  😂😂😂

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers? not really. i just think everyone who reads my stuff are wonderful, lovely people ^^

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write? i’ve read basically my whole life and fanfiction led me to writing. there wasn’t a specific story or author though; just the realization that i could also put my own twist on characters/fandoms i enjoyed. i also have an amazing best friend who supported my passion when it first began, so she’s definitely a huge part of why i continued to write.

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author? read. a lot. write, even when you don’t want to or think it sucks. as with any kind of art, experience and practice is the only way you’ll get better. be open to constructive-criticism but don’t let the “rules” overwhelm or suffocate your passion. most importantly: write what you like! what you want to read! have fun with it!

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go? oh jeez, it’s a mixture of both? i usually start with a scene in my head that makes me go “i wanna write that” but then i have to find a way to get to the scene? so i either wing it, if the idea was clear enough, or i scribble down an outline to get my base ideas down but leave wiggle room for inspiration during the writing process.

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do? i’m sure i have, back when i first started; i likely commented back that if it wasn’t their preference, there was no need to read the fic or leave a rude comment behind.

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)  a c t i o n, definitely. i also get kind of stuck on kisses? idk how much detail to put into them lol

24. What story(s) are you working on now? even tho i’m slow af about it i’m currently working on 2 actively:

a makoharu gift exchange fic!

a klance fic with which i’m taking my first steps into writing for VLD (i’m jumping on the bandwagon where they’re somehow physically stuck together (via alien handcuffs in mine) for a time & grow closer as a result)

i’m always sorta-kinda working on my various iwaoi fics; the nipple-piercing fic is near completion & i’ve recently remembered my single dads au that i hope to work more on soon ^^

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)? pffftt all the time. the ideas are definitely more forthcoming than the Muse & motivation like to be.

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself? nope. i tried that for a while but it didn’t stick.

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started? absolutely! although i sometimes have mixed feelings about it, concentrating in creative writing definitely helped me improve in many ways.

28. What is your favorite story that you’ve written? i don’t...really...have one? ^^” i guess i am particularly fond of with a hoarse voice, under the blankets just because i feel i managed to get the atmosphere & imagery i wanted

29. What is your least favorite story that you’ve written? anything from when i first began lol

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years? hopefully still improving & enjoying what i write (as well as finishing what i start aslkdjfk). i’m not aiming for publication or anything; i just want to write for fun.

31. What is the easiest thing about writing? getting the ideas!

32. What is the hardest thing about writing? to quote En: “e v e r y t h i n g”

33. Why do you write? it’s fun! i enjoy making the ideas i have in my head come to fruition on paper. i like experimenting with styles and imagery & characters. i enjoy the happy dance my heart does when i know i’ve described a scene or a character just right. i’ve made a lot of amazing friends through writing & i love knowing something i’ve created might bring a smile to someone. ❤

[devptel]

Hey favourite captain America movies scenes?

OH BOY! OH DUDE!

(i wrote this whole thing out with my favourite scenes from all Cap movies and it was so fucking long it was almost embarrassing and definitely unnecessary so i cut out everything but CA:TWS and it’s still so fucking long, i apologise but also i don’t)

My favourite scenes in the winter soldier are Every scene™ Best Movie Ever Made™ Single handedly saved the film industry™ but some personal favourites are:

-”On your left” and Steve having a great time being a Little Shit™/ Sam and Steve’s back and forth

-”I’m here to pick up a fossil”

-Steve jumping out of the plane without a parachute because he’s not just a little shit he’s a Dramatic Little Shit™

-The whole of him infiltrating the ship to free the hostages and the crazy dramatic parkour of it all, like we get it Steve, we see The Beef™, we get it

-”I’m multi-tasking” / ”Hey sailor” (just Natasha™ and everything she ever does and says and is)

-*Puts away shield, takes off helmet* “on va voir” Dramatic. Little. Shit.™

-”Last time I trusted someone I lost an eye” and more of a look into Fury’s past and who he is (!!)

-“This isn’t freedom this is fear” (Every line in that scene and the clear emphasis on the stark difference between Fury’s morals and way of thinking and Steve’s)

-Little kid in the Captain America shirt noticing Steve at the Captain America exhibit/ Steve visiting the exhibit (how many times has he done that? just gone alone to see footage of his old friends? gone to remember why he started fighting? and why he still is?, i’m crying.)

-THE PEGGY SCENE i’m still crying and i’m never stopping 

-Steve visiting Sam’s support group (”You could do whatever you want to do, what makes you happy?” “I dunno” bruh. i am still crying.)

-”Air conditioning is fully operational” and THAT WHOLE ENTIRE SCENE with special EMPHASIS on bucky shooting a bomb on the car and dramatically stepping out the way just before it explodes and crushes him (also the winter soldier theme is beautiful and haunting and THAT SOUNDTRACK THO)

-”EARS EVERYWHERE” “SHEILD COMPROMISED” Fury in Steve’s apartment/ Fury getting shot “Don’t trust anyone” + Steve going after Bucky (“Tell them i’m in pursuit” *Dramatic Music* BUSTS THROUGH FIVE DIFFERENT WALLS. truly the biggest drama queen to exist)

-Natasha’s face when Steve said “he had a metal arm” (give me bucky/nat or give me death!) 

-Natasha watching Fury die ”Don’t do this to me Nick” have i stopped crying yet? no. 

-Natasha questioning Steve “You’re a terrible liar”/ Steve hiding TOP SECRET shield files in a VENDING MACHINE what the fuck rogers 

-More information about Fury! Alexander Pierce! “Did he tell you he bugged it?” Pierce subtly trying to get Steve to distrust Fury PLANTING SEEDS OF DOUBT! A CORRUPT SYSTEM! PLAYING TO STEVES ALREADY WARY ATTITUDE TOWARDS FURY AND WHAT SHIELD IS UP TO AND HIDING FROM HIM! “He told me not to trust anyone” “I wonder if that included him?” STEVE NOT BUYING IT!

-THE ELEVATOR SCENE™ !!!

-Steve full on just JUMPING OUT A WINDOW to escape “Are you kidding me!?” hard same Shield agent hard same

-Natasha popping the bubblegum behind Steve can you say Iconic™ ? / Natasha and Steve’s back and forth talking about the winter soldier “He shot him straight through me” 

-Natasha and Steve going undercover/ Steve running over their options on fighting as Shield agents approach them, vs. Natasha’s ”Shut up and put your arm around me, laugh at something I said” Steve thinking like a soldier, Natasha thinking like a spy.

-The dialogue as they’re driving: “Truth is a matter of circumstance, it’s not all things, to all people, all the time, and neither am I” “That’s a tough way to live” “It’s a good way not to die though” // “Who do you want me to be?” “How bout a friend?” “There’s a chance you might be in the wrong business rogers” (also the way she drags out ‘wrong business rogers’ like fuck me up)

-Steve and Natasha infiltrating the old Shield base: “Shall we play a game?” ZOLA! HYDRA! “Operation paperclip after World War II Shield recruited german scientists with strategic value” SHEILD DOOMED ITSELF FROM THE BEGINNING! HIRING HYDRA AGENTS! LETTING RED SKULL DIRECTLY INTO THEIR SYSTEMS! “cut off one head two more shall take it’s place” 

- ‘Anthony and Maria Stark die in car crash’ “accidents will happen” (I OUT LOUD GASPED AT THIS PART WHEN I SAW IT IN THE CINEMA FOR THE FIRST TIME STILL GETS ME)

-“We won Captain, your death amounts to the same as your life, a zero sum”

-Pierce talking to Bucky in the shadows plus the maid walking in ”Sorry Mr. Pierce I forgot my phone” “Oh Renata I wish you would have knocked” and then him shooting her. Yikez™

-SAM WILSON™

-More Steve/ Natasha back and forth (!!) “You seem pretty chipper for someone who just found out they died for nothing” / A LOOK INTO NATASHAS BACKSTORY (!!!!) “looks like i just traded in the KGB for Hydra” (!!!)

-”..throw me off a building? that’s not really your style rogers” ”You’re right it’s not, it’s hers” NATASHA JUST STRAIGHT UP KICKING A MAN OFF A BUILDING ICONIC! AMAZING! 

-HIGHWAY FIGHT SCENE! HIGHWAY FIGHT SCENE! HIGHWAY FIGHT SCENE!!!!!! DID SOMEONE SAY HIGHWAY FUCKING FIGHT SCENE !!!!

-”Bucky?” “Who the hell is Bucky?”

-MARIA HILL! “She’ll want to see him first” FURY FAKED HIS OWN DEATH! “Can’t kill you if you’re already dead” ALSO ((“I wasn’t sure who to trust” then he looks at Natasha???? I’m sure it’s because he knows the past between her and Bucky and didn’t know if it might compromise her IM SURE OF IT))

-BUCKY BACKSTORY + “ the man on the bridge who was he? (…)  i knew him (…)  but i knew him.” + a little look at the torture they put him through, Yikez™.

-”This man declined the noble peace prize, he said peace wasn’t an achievement it was a responsibility” (…) “see it’s stuff like this that gives me trust issues” Great lines. Great characterisation of both Pierce and Fury in just two sentences. 

-”we’re not salvaging anything we’re not just taking down Hydra we’re taking down Shield too”  ”Shield had nothing to do with it” Fury still having faith in a flawed system! because it’s how he knows how to help! Steve being fed up with it! Doesn’t like people who keep secrets! Doesn’t like how Shield and the bad guys seem to always go hand in hand! “Hydra grew right under your nose and nobody noticed” “I noticed” “How many paid the price before you did?”

-Dramatic Bridge scene™ Bucky Flashbacks™ “I can get by on my own” “The thing is you don’t have to, I’m with you till the end of the line pal” Oh you think I stopped crying? Wrong again.

-”IF YOU’RE GONNA FIGHT A WAR YOU GOTTA WEAR A UNIFORM”

-STAN LEE™

-CAPTAIN AMERICA SPEECH OVER THE INTERCOM ON THE SHIELD BASE! “The price of freedom is high, and it’s a price i’m willing to pay.” THATS MY BOY! THATS MY DUDE!

-”Send those ships up now” “Sorry sir (..) i’m not going to launch those ships, Captains orders” I ?? loved this ??? the little guy standing up even when it doesn’t benefit him, ESPECIALLY when it doesn’t benefit him, the little guy fighting for what he knows is right, is anything more Captain America™ than that? don’t think so. + “You picked the wrong side agent” “Depends on where you’re standing”

-MORE FIGHT SCENES. LOVE ME THEM FIGHT SCENES. 

-“What if Pakistan marched into Mumbai tomorrow and you knew they were going to drag your daughters into a soccer stadium to execute them? and you could stop them with a flick of a switch, wouldn’t you?” (PIERCE FIRMLY BELIEVING HE’S THE GOOD GUY! THAT HE’S FIGHTING FOR THE WORLD! PEACE IS A RESPONSIBILITY!) + “Not if it was your switch” 

”I’m sorry did I step on your moment?” TRULY ICONIC™ HOW CAN ONE PERSON BE SO ICONIC™ ?

-Natasha releasing the classified Shield files (!!) “If you do this none of your past is going to remain hidden, are you sure you’re ready for the world to see you as you really are?” “Are you?”

-FALCON™

-THAT WINTER SOLDIER THEME! IM NOT OVER IT! AND I NEVER WILL BE! MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS AMIRIGHT!

-”Company’s coming” THAT DRAMATIC AS HELL ENTRANCE BY NICK FURY THO Natasha’s not the only iconic™ one around here

-”Why make me head of Shield?” “Cause you were the best and the most ruthless person I ever met” “I did what I did to protect people”  “Our enemies are your enemies Nick, disorder, war, it’s just a matter of time before a dirty bomb goes off in Moscow or an EMP fries Chicago, diplomacy is holding action Nick (..) and you know where i learnt that? from you, you didn’t ask Nick you just did what had to be done. I can bring order to the lives of 7 billion people by sacrificing 20 million, it’s the next step, if you have the courage to take it”  “No I have the courage not to” (THE BACK AND FORTH WITH THESE TWO! NOT JUST TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN BUT QUITE OFTEN THE SAME SIDE OF THE SAME COIN! JUST NOT IN THIS INSTANCE! THE TENSION THAT CREATES IS INSANE! THE GREYING OF THE MORALS! THE BLURRING OF THE LINES! THATS SOME SMART AS HELL WRITING BABES!)

-“You don’t think we wiped your clearance from the system?” “I know, you erased my password, probably deleted my retinal scan, but if you want to stay ahead of me Mr. Secretary, you need to keep both eyes open” *lifts up eyepatch* now I know i’ve said iconic a few times already but really that’s iconic™  

-BUCKY VS. STEVE ON THE HELICARRIER. “people are gonna die Buck, i can’t let that happen, please don’t make me do this” 

-SAM vs. RUMLOW “man shut the hell up” + Rumlow on his way to becoming Crossbones thoooo it’s a real thing of beauty

-bucky shooting steve. steve’s face when it happens. just checking in that i’m still crying? yep you betcha dude

-”There was a time i would have taken a bullet for you” “You already did” . I love old friends that become enemies. I love it. Please more.

-Natasha using her widow’s bites on herself. “Ow those really do sting” BADASS.

- “41st floor!, 41st!” “Not like they put the floor numbers on the outside of the building!”

-Steve saving Bucky.

-Steve trying to get Bucky to remember who he is “i’m not going to fight you, you’re my friend” “You’re my mission” “Then finish it, cause i’m with you till the end of the line” 

-Bucky saving Steve.

-On your left

-COURTROOM SCENE™  TRULY AMAZING “Hydra was selling you lies not intelligence” “Many of which you seem to have a personal hand in telling (..) There are many that feel given your service for this country and against it that you belong in a penitentiary not mouthing off on capitol hill”  “You’re not gonna put me in a prison you’re not gonna put any of us in a prison you know why?” “Do enlighten us” “Because you need us (..) The world is a vulnerable place and yes we help make it that way, but we’re also the best qualified to defend it, so if you wanna arrest me, arrest me, you’ll know where to find me” THAT SMIRK. (also ‘the world is a vulnerable place and yes we help make it that way’ I LOVE THAT. acknowledgement that the very existence of superheroes is the reason for the existence of supervillians, reminds me of joker/batman dynamics LOVE IT)

-STEVE AND NATASHA FRIENDSHIP + “be careful Steve you might not want to pull on that thread”

-”You’re going after him” “You don’t have to come with me” “I know. When do we start?”

-And those dope credits tho

THIS IS TOO LONG IM SO SORRY 

I also love that I said “some personal favourites are” like I didn’t just write out the whole entire goddamn movie in plot points lmao fuck thats my bad

[cantbeatyourbike]

A B O U T

hello all! and hail hydra! just kidding. a little about me. i go by the name  S I A on here. I am currently T W E N T Y - F I V E . i am originally from         E A S T  S U S S E X ,  U N I T E D  K I N G D O M  in a small grass covered town. i consider myself  P A N S E X U A L & go by  S H E  /  H E R  pronouns, though you can call me dirt-bag and I would honestly care less. i have been roleplaying for roughly at least  S I X T E E N  years of my life. so needless to say, i pride myself in my writing. i am by no means perfect nor will i ever claim to be anything near that. i write because i enjoy writing. it is a hobby and nothing more, nothing less. real life never equals roleplay and my character’s actions, history, etc; will  N E V E R  reflect anything in my personal life or my personal opinions. i have  N O   T R I G G E R S but will gladly tag anything you find offensive on my blog with ‘tw: -insert trigger here-’. overall, i am a really easy person to get along with. if you ever have a problem or need somebody to talk to i will literally be your personal shrink and best friend. also, i do not have a smart cellular so that means  N O  K I K  / /  N O  S K Y P E  / /  N O    S N A P C H A T or any other fancy apps where roleplaying can be done.

R U L E S

I C O N S ;  quite often i do not have time to make my own icons. the only nes that i may make will be a few circular gif icons but seeing as how they are very time consuming and i work a lot my icons come from multiple sources. first off, thank you to @wbtresources for the help in finding awesome icons and helping me out. My icons have come from @hemlockgraphics, HOLLOW ART LINK 1, HOLLOW ART LINK 2, HOLLOW ART LINK 3, HOLLOW ART LINK 4, HOLLOW ART LINK 5, HOLLOW ART GIF ICONS, and finally a big thanks / credit to kissthemgoodbye screencaps who i use for making my icons and use as a source.

N O  G O D M O D I N G ; i find this to be a pretty basic rule on everybody’s list. basically this means do not control my character’s actions or what they say. i am perfectly capable of controlling my character, just as you should be able to yours.

N O  S T E A L I N G ;  seriously, that is a dick move. the majority of my icons i have found on icon galore or hollow art. any others i have made myself from gifs and edited with my name over. my theme backgrounds are made by me but i do not make the themes themselves. credit goes to the original makers and credit will always be kept in it’s respective place. please, please, please never steal anything from my blogs or writing. it’s not very nice.

F O R M A T T I N G ;  typically i will format my own writing. i do understand that people are unable to trim their posts the majority of the time, whether it be tumblr’s fault with bugs or that they are mobile. this does not bother me. just know that i will trim our posts and format my own replies into smaller special text. if you have trouble reading one of my replies i will be more than happy not to do this, though, and type in normal text. just shoot me a message or ask.

M Y  T H E M E  /  L I N K S ; everything on my blog is customized and floats. generally from what i hear it is not very mobile friendly but i cannot really edit my blog to fix that. if you simply shoot me a message or ask for the links to rules, about, etc; i will be more than happy to send them your way!

M Y  A C T I V I T Y  /  R E P L Y  T I M E ; as a rule of thumb i will post a notice if i plan to be absent more than a week from my blog. i try to remain semi-active on all of my blogs but if you feel i have disappeared then feel free to shoot me a message, once again, and kindly remind me. i do have a full time job and a life outside of it ( even if it isn’t much of one ) , so please understand that these are factors in my daily reply times. i run on  E S T aka east coast, usa / canadian time and am typically on at night anywhere from 8 pm until 2 or 3 in the morning, depending on my mood. if my reply has taken more than  T W O  W E E K S  than please kindly nudge me and remind me i owe you. i promise that i am not ignoring anybody. my life can just be rather hectic at times. also keep in mind i run a total of at least three active blogs at any given time and attempt to spread out replies among them evenly.

N S F W / S E X U A L  P O S T S ; seeing as how i am legally an adult everywhere in the world no matter how childish i am, i reserve the right to write smut as i see fit. it will not occur very often on my blogs unless my character is more so sexually active ( such as one of my vampire characters ) , but either way i choose to ONLY write with those that are 18 and older for smut. why? because it is illegal on both ends and i don’t really feel like catching any flack because somebody needed their lady bones or bones jumped one night. also, i will ALWAYS tag anything sexually related as ‘nsfw’. rarely will i put them under a ‘read more’ unless they get a bit more graphic. don’t wish to see those posts? simply block the tag ‘nsfw’ and you won’t. don’t unfollow me because of them. besides, i find myself to be rather a shite writer when it comes to anything sexual. i will, however, roleplay regular storylines and plots with those that are under 18. just nothing sexual, please. also, never lie about your age. it’s rather skeevy if you ask me.

W R I T I N G  S T Y L E  / L E N G T H ;  once again, i format my writing. i will generally always reply in some form of smaller text and i will always trim my posts. as far as length of my writing i can do anything from one liners up to novella when i feel inspired. generally i will reply in a para to multi-para style, though. i will, however, try my very best to match whatever length you choose to write in up until the point where i feel like my quality is going down. i prefer quality over quantity any day of the week.

G O S S I P P I N G ; i take no part in it when it involves other roleplayers. as a matter of fact if i find out that you are purposefully slamming another roleplayer’s name into the ground simply because you do not enjoy the way they write then i will unfollow you. i find it rude and honestly rather childish.

F A N D O M S ; i have literally roleplayed with somebody from every fandom across the board. i am familiar with everything from serial killing horror genres up to disney princesses. as long as i can see our characters having a logical writing experience together i will be more than happy to write with you. i follow every blog that follows me and give them a chance.

S E X U A L I T Y / S H I P S ; please never ever force a ship on me. i much prefer to write with a character before any type of relationship happens. i will kindly return the favor. my male characters that i write are usually straight while my female characters that i write are often pansexual or lesbian. does this mean that they will hit on you all the time or automatically find you attractive? of course not. so please, never feel uncomfortable around my characters. also, i reserve the right to have multiple ships on a single blog. EVERY ship will be in a different verse and i never want to catch somebody from one ship interacting with somebody from another one of my ships as if they are fighting over me or know we are dating, sleeping together, etc;. each ship is single. simple as that. i ship chemistry and you can cause a chemical melt down of my character by doing something stupid like that.

O P E N  P O S T S  /  M E M E S  / M ! A ‘ S / E T C ;  my open posts are exactly that. i don’t care if we have never interacted before, if we have a million threads together, or if we are best friends. feel free to reply to them. however, once they have been claimed by a roleplayer i will take it off as an open rp to cut down on clutter. as far as memes go - i am the meme queen. literally send me any and all memes that i post. i will love you forever, trust me. also, feel free to continue it as an actual thread or storyline after i have answered it! i don’t care if you reblog it or make a new post. i am not picky. i, however, will create another post and tag you in it when i go to reply.  i do not now, nor will i ever, accept M!A’s. they are uneventful and stupid in my opinion. it feels like another person is literally controlling my character and i do not like it.

[realjcel-blog]

˗ˏˋ TASK 1/?  → WHAT’S IN YOUR PLAYLIST

joel’s most listened to playlist, even if it is only a few months old. if he’s listening to anything, chances are it’s this. he knows these songs front to back  —  every  verse, adlib, melody. these are the songs that inspire him most as an artist and as a poet! @muhqs

"life is a puzzle. it isn’t picture perfect, you could miss perfection in it because it is subtle. the storm is coming and it’s raining cats and dogs, stay away from all them puddles”

ninety by jaden smith is joel’s most played song of all time. he plays it when he’s sad, when he’s happy, when he’s lacking muse, and when he’s inspired. he feels like the song is him in musical form, like it expresses his emotions better than he ever could in words or with paint. he uses the song as inspiration for many different works, using the lyrics, musical elements and themes as focal points. it’s such a complex song that every time he listens, something else jumps out at him. he wants to one day create something that amazing.

“i just wanna talk about nothing with somebody that means something. spell the names of all our dreams and demons for the times that i don’t understand.”

real friends by camila cabello is joel’s go-to when he wants to let his inner white girl run free. he’s usually not a very melancholy person, but there’s something about the song that he finds so gorgeous. he sometimes plays it when he paints, especially when he wants to mess around with oranges and browns. something about the lyrics and the bluesyness of the track makes him think of autumn, his favorite season.

“got me thinking bout all my old days. i been getting money four ways, r kelly 12-play with the foreplay. i know, i be up to know good. baby, i know, i’m just misunderstood.”

ex by ty dolla $ign and yg is joel’s go-to feel good song. he can’t listen to the song without singing along or dancing. it has that old school vibe, where you wanna drive around in your drop top with the volume on one hundred for everyone to hear. he often plays this when he’s feeling down, or lacking confidence.

“girl, you know i’m crazy, crazy over you. out my mind, ain’t no telling what i’ll do. girl we both made that promise, i ain’t switchin up. stay silent even when i got my money up.”

don’t sleep on me by ty dolla $ign, future and 24hrs is another one of joel’s most played songs. ty dolla is one of joel’s favorite artists because not only does he have some of the catchiest hooks and best features in the industry, he also knows how to create a vibe with his work. this song makes edwin feel good in a way that no other song can, and it gets stuck in his head for days after just one listen.

“can we speed it, can we change it, reverse it, remake it. friendships never did me well. i always fell under their spell. i need a partner, give me a partner.”

partna by chloe x halle always calms joel. it’s short, a robotic, psychedelic interlude that joel fell in love with immediately after hearing. it also helps some that he feels like he can relate to the song; life would be nicer with a partner in crime, someone who understands him and is there for him.

“celebrate everyday like a birthday. good things come to those who wait up, but don’t wait to jump in too long. don’t sleep, you gotta stay up. don’t sleep, you gotta stay up.”

sky walker by miguel and travis scott is an inspirational masterpiece, in joel’s eyes. it’s all about being patient and knowing yourself, but it’s also about enjoying yourself while waiting on your moment. it’s exactly what someone like joel, who is impulsive and constantly worrying needs to hear. he turns it on when he starts doubting himself a little too much for his liking.

“you could be the one, you could be my favorite. we could be in love if we keep datin', baby, i could beat it up, i can catch the fade with it. take the mask off, i can put my face in it.”

do u wrong by leven kali and syd is gives joel an incredible amount of muse. it’s easy to write poetry to it. especially love poetry, which has recently become joel’s favorite even if he hasn’t had any romantic simulation in a long time.

“i need you to listen to the vision. all your verses sound like dirty dishes, i'm about to clean 'em in the kitchen. and we making money by the minute. i'm about to do it way different.”

icon by jaden smith is what joel listens to when he’s feeling himself. it’s like a mantra to him, and it also serves as a motivator to him. he wants to be able to relate to the lyrics one day. to become an icon, to be known, to make a difference in society. it reminds him to focus on his goals, to keep doing what he’s doing.

[iputmyselfintothenarrative]

We had our chance (Part 2)

Yay, finally! I have been really busy these last few days, and now I finally got to sit down and actually finish this thing! It called to me <3 As always, THANK YOU for your kind word, likes and reblogs. You are the best, and I love you. <3

Part 1, Part 3

Pairing: Lin x Reader

Summary: Love is like a puzzle, you have to find the right pieces to create the whole picture. But what happens when the pieces are incredibly small and easy to loose?

Warnings: This will contain angst. Not only angst, a little fluff as well, but the ride won’t really be an easy one.

Wordcount: 1,687

-Present day-

The tea was completely forgotten, standing abandoned on the coffee table. You had tried to distract yourself by watching short YouTube videos, but as soon as the video ended you found yourself thinking about him again. You didn’t really know why, since you hadn’t thought about him in months let alone talked to him. The extent of your communication had been a few likes here and there on Facebook and Twitter, but not much more than that.

After a long time of hesitating, you did what you told yourself not do to for a long time. You clicked on his profile, letting you see his timeline. As you scrolled through it you couldn’t find any indication of him dating anyone up until now when their engagement was announced, something you found very odd. Your feed was normally crammed with people constantly documenting their relationship via pictures and lovey-dovey status updates so you were quite used to that. And to think that he was now engaged, they had had to dated for a long while, right? There should at least be SOME indication somewhere?

After about ten minutes of staring at the messenger icon, you reluctantly clicked on it. After formulating a draft for five minutes you finally pressed “send”, watching your message flying out into the void. There was no turning back now.

“Hi! How are you? Congratulations on your engagement, I was really happy to see it! :D”

That last part was a lie, but you didn’t really know what else to say to not make it obvious. As soon as you sent it, you started to feel nervous. Your heart was pounding against your chest, resulting in you having to stand up and do a few jumping jacks to not loose it.

After about ten minutes, your computer gave away that familiar sound, the sound when someone writes to you. Your heart almost skipped a beat when you opened it to read the response.

The message read

“Hello, hello, hello! I was good, but now I’m great after hearing from you! Thank you! What are you up to these days? Gosh, it feels like we haven’t spoken in ages.” followed by the poop emoji. You couldn’t help but smile at his cheerful demeanor that he managed to translate well via text. Your plan hadn’t been to actually engage in a conversation with him, but since the conversation seemed to go flawlessly you just continued writing.

“I’m happy to hear it! I’m good, just doing the usual stuff. Attending classes and studying, you know. Making sure I’ll one day be able to save the world and all that. How about you? What are you doing?” You bit your nails, knowing that you should not be doing this right now. If you were smart and had a little bit of self preservation in you, then you would end the conversation right then and there and just go on with your normal day. But since self preservation wasn’t your strong suit you couldn’t really help it.

“Oh, you know. Same. Also saving the world. I am actually working on a musical right now. I can tell you more about it over coffee? Trust me, it’s gonna be good!”

It took a really long time for you to fully comprehend the message he sent you. He wanted to meet up? Without really thinking it through, you started typing.

“Wow, sounds really exciting! Sure, wednesday ok?” You would probably live to regret this.

“Wednesday is perfect!”

–

July, 2013

Right after the party in February, he had sent you a Facebook friend request which you had accepted. You hadn’t really been interacting much until he, for some reason, invited you to his moving-in-party, since he had recently moved to a new apartment. Because you had a good time the last time you went to a “Lin-hosted-party”, you decided to go to this one as well.

Unfortunately, your friend had cancelled just the week before, making you consider doing the same. But it was like some invisible voice in your head telling you to push through it and go by yourself. Sure, you were a bit scared, but sometimes you had to challenge yourself.

The next week you found yourself boarding the same train you boarded six months ago. He hadn’t moved very far, since his new apartment was located roughly five miles from where his last one had been. Why he had moved, you weren’t really sure.

As soon as you rang the doorbell, it swung open revealing Lin’s happy face looking excitedly at you.

“Welcome! So nice to see you again!” he said as he pulled you in for a hug.

“Thank you, yeah you to!” you blurted out from within the hug.

“So, let me give you the grand tour.” he took your hand to make sure that you followed him. Although it was a little overwhelming, you felt thankful for it. You now didn’t have to walk around awkwardly by yourself, trying to look more chill than you actually were.

Trying to intertwine your fingers was pretty much a no go, since he was basically just holding your entire hand in his fist. When you got to the first room, he let it go, and for some reason you felt kind of disappointed. Why? You didn’t really like this guy, right?

“So this is the living room! This is where the magic happens.” he said with pride and gestured towards the room. It had a TV with a Playstation, a big piano with a blank note sheet on it and a desk that looked like it came directly from a Jane Austen movie. It also had a typewriter standing on top of it. People were crammed in there, but still did seem to have a good time. Everyone was abruptly interrupted in their respective conversations by Lin.

“Everyone! This is Y/N, make her feel welcome, okay guys?” He almost yelled out these words in order for everyone to hear.

When everyone had shouted hello at you, making you blush, the tour continued. Lin showed you his bedroom which had a king sized bed and a keyboard. This room was also crammed with people, but this time he didn’t announce your presence to absolutely everyone in the room.

Lastly, he showed you the kitchen.

“So, that’s about it. I know it is not that big, but it’s bigger than the one-room apartment I lived in before.” he said, and reached for a beer.

“Is that why you moved? You wanted a bigger space?” you asked him. “Yeah, I needed room for my claw machine.” he said and took a sip of his beer.

“You have a claw machine?” you asked, looking around to see if you could spot it, but to no avail.

“Nah, not yet, but I will someday! Just you wait” he winked at you.

“Hey, you want something to drink? We have beer and a really sweet drink mixture someone brought. It tastes like unicorns and rainbows, basically” He said with a hint of amazement in his voice.

Even though you were kind of over the sweet drinks since those were the only ones you ever drank in High school, you were persuaded by his amazing description.

“I’ll have the unicorns, please.” you said and took a little bow with your head.

When he went to get your drink for you, you followed him with you gaze. How did this happen? When you first met him, you never thought that you would actually catch feelings for him, but yet here you were. If he liked you back you couldn’t really tell. He seemed to be one of those people who a lot of people caught feelings for, as he was extremely charismatic and outgoing. He had been really friendly to you, and now he was talking to YOU out of everyone else here. But maybe that was just him being him, making the new girl feel welcome.

As soon as he returned with the drink, he gave it to you. It had taken some time because of everyone stopping to talk to him, something that made you smile. You received the drink, thanked him and took a sip of the pink liquid. He wasn’t lying when he said that it was sweet, because it was. Apparently he had noticed your reaction to it, as he laughed.

“Bad?” he asked with a squinty-eyed smile on his face.

You did like it, even though you couldn’t bring yourself to drink too much at the same time.

“No, I like it. I just feel sorry for the unicorn.”

“And that’s coming from someone who likes dog food.” he took a sip of his beer, trying to look innocent. He did a bad job at that. Of all the things he remembered, the dog food thing was the one. You knew that he was teasing you, looking to start a friendly fight, but you still fell for it.

“I was just trying to help the old lady!” you said, trying to defend yourself.

“Oh, sure, if you say so.”

He didn’t seem to believe you as his grin spread across his face, clearly amused by your reaction.

“So, who killed the unicorn?” you asked and took another sip.

Before Lin could answer, a third voice jumped in to answer for him.

“That would be me.” The voice belonged to a female, and when she stood next to Lin, you could see that she was very attractive as well. She placed a kiss on his cheek.

You could feel your heart sinking, and how a lump in your stomach was forming. But you refused to show it to them. He had never said that he was single, and just because he was nice to you didn’t mean that he was actually flirting with you. You knew this, but yet you still feared those words that came out of his mouth next:

“Y/N, this is my girlfriend.”

[sempiternalsandpitturtle]

How to use advocacy marketing to complement your other content strategies

I love when people help me with my job — especially when those people really appreciate the work I do.

I’m serious. We all need a helping hand sometimes, and it’s good to have someone in your corner when things get tough.

For businesses, those people are your advocates. They’re your best customers; not just because they buy a lot or are easy to work with but because they believe in your brand and want to help you achieve your company mission.

What’s more, they endorse your company all the time, whether prompted or not. In a way, advocates are the best cheerleaders your business can have.

That’s why it’s important to recognise your current advocates and try to cultivate as many additional ones as you can. This is what advocacy marketing is all about.

What is advocacy marketing?

The simple explanation is that advocacy is the last stage in account-based marketing. A better explanation is your marketing efforts should work to turn your clients into customers who not only love your brand but sing its praises to everyone who will listen. It’s word-of-mouth marketing for the digital age.

And we all know that word-of-mouth works.

In a survey from Ogilvy, TNS and Google, word of mouth held the most influence in purchasing decisions among consumers. And let’s face it: we’ve all added something to our Amazon wish list because our friends made it sound cool. (Mine was fancy imported instant ramen packets, for the record).

Also, keep in mind that consumer opinions posted online are the third-most-trusted form of advertising, per Nielsen. If you’ve ever seen a movie with a huge advertising budget but a horrible Rotten Tomatoes score, then you know how much online opinions matter.

Advocacy marketing attempts to fill the gap between traditional advertising and glowing online comments. In a sense, you’re using the first idea to improve the second, creating stronger content that converts people from customers to advocates. You’re also nurturing your existing advocates to strengthen your bond with them.

In this way, advocacy marketing complements your existing campaigns, working alongside them to boost engagement.

What’s a brand advocate, really?

Advocates are those customers who support your business almost as much as you do. They show up to every party with an invite, and they’ll stand by your side when you least expect it.

And they’re happy to do so in exchange for the amazing service you provide.

That’s the thing: Brand advocates don’t just support your business, they believe in it. They agree with your company’s mission, whatever it may be, and fully trust that you’ll achieve your customer-service initiatives. They provide helpful, constructive feedback to improve your product or service, and they may even come up with a new idea of their own.

And lucky for you, their enthusiasm shows itself not just in their level of engagement but in their willingness to praise your brand to other people. Advocates open up a large network of opportunities, ideally extolling your business to their peers, friends and family.

Finding your brand advocates

At first, your energy is best spent using advocacy marketing to target your most engaged customers and get them to spread word about your business. This act could be as simple as sharing a LinkedIn post from your brand or tagging your company in an Instagram post.

Clients who are the most engaged and in touch with their designated day-to-day are good people to target. Engage them with personalised marketing emails that allow them to share content on their social pages. Interview them for short videos or case studies, and invite them to any events you host.

Once you’ve developed a strong connection with these people, you can switch to your average customers. These are the people who like your brand well enough but don’t feel any strong attachment to it. With advocacy marketing, your goal is to create content that gets these people to fall in love with your business.

Also, give all of your current and potential advocates your engagement. Hype up their business on social media when appropriate to do so, and share any interesting content the company has created if it’s relevant to your audience. Showing you’re willing to support them (in the B2C space) or their business (in B2B) makes them more likely to invest in yours.

Using online platforms for advocacy

Technically, you can use any platform that resonates with your readers. If you see the most engagement and shares from your blog, focus your marketing efforts here. If people often retweet your Twitter posts, well, get those fingers ready to type some 280-character specials.

At the end of the day, choosing between LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or your blog depends on the content you’re creating and any non-advocacy goals attached to it. Want your content to spread like wildfire? Try Twitter. Want to increase your company’s standing as a thought leader? Craft a well-researched piece for LinkedIn.

Also, don’t forget the power of user-generated content! Blog commenters are advocates in their own way, as are the people engaged in your resource library or forum. It’s also a great way to turn casual customers into advocates by giving them a little individualised attention. Your customers will appreciate being noticed, view your business more favorably and therefore be more likely to recommend your company. You’ll also get all the other benefits of UGC, so it’s a win-win.

Do you really need to focus on advocacy marketing?

The tides of content marketing turn fast, and you may be struggling to finally get a hold on the last major innovative idea in the field. I wouldn’t blame you if you feel a little fatigued, but advocacy marketing really is important enough to pay attention to.

Why? Well, it’s a good supplement to paid ads, which aren’t performing as well across the board as they used to. Last year, brands saw a decline in reach on both Facebook and Instagram, two of the biggest online customer engagement platforms. Lower reach means fewer impressions and engagement, which directly affects your bottom lines. If these trends continue and paid advertising becomes significantly less effective, advocates can pick up some (or even most) of the slack for you.

Advocates, meanwhile, bring that element of third-party trust described above. They’re not paid to advertise your brand, so outside viewers see their enthusiasm for your product as honest and worth considering.

This isn’t to say that paid ads aren’t effective right now: Ads bring in three times more new customers than existing ones, and paid social ad revenue is on the rise. Plus, influencer marketing is proving to be a pretty good investment on its own. But as social reach falls and digital ad costs rise even by small amounts, brands should focus on advocacy marketing to spread word of their business.

Employees as advocates?

Yes, you can use your employees’ enthusiasm as part of your advocacy marketing campaigns. The key here is to make their comments seem organic rather than forced. UGC is great for this; have your employees share behind-the-scenes pictures and videos of themselves and the company. Make sure the copy is casual, not promotional, otherwise it’ll read as an ad, not as advocacy.

You can also create communities for your advocates, something I alluded to earlier. American Express has its OPEN Forum, which originally started as a networking community for entrepreneurs. It eventually expanded into a content and advice resource, but the community aspect is still a major focus. Wiley, meanwhile, has WileyPLUS Studio, an invitation-only advocate platform where top users can share insights, strategies and more.

Of course, launching your own community forum takes a lot of time and money, not to mention an expert web programmer. You might want to start smaller and build up your advocates on social media first. Then, once you get a large, supportive community, create an exclusive online content source specifically for them. Focus on nurturing other customers to the point where they actively want to join these communities, and you’ve got a recipe for great advocacy marketing ROI.

Writing content for advocacy marketing

Technically, you want all of your content to turn people into advocates. If you plan to dedicate focus to this concept, however, then keep these two ideas in mind:

Personalisation makes customers view your business more favorably. Mention people by name, at the very least.

Shareable content is easier for advocates to promote, so make sure you have those social icons and plug-ins handy.

Targeting your advocates specifically, again, makes them love your brand and more likely to promote it. If you want a little more guarantee for your effort, however, then there’s nothing wrong with holding a little contest. B2C brands offer giveaways all the time on Instagram, and you can do something similar in the B2B space. Maybe you can offer a free trial of a different service in exchange for user-generated content describing why customers like your business.

Also, sometimes it’s most effective to just talk to them directly. Send an email asking which pieces of content you’ve created resonate best with them, and see what they’d like to read from you in the future. Your advocates will likely jump at the opportunity to contribute. Chances are they aren’t your only customers who have such opinions on what you produce, and creating these bits of content may convert more casual customers into advocates.

Getting customer advocates goes beyond marketing. Your content can help, but its your company actions that compel people to advocate on your behalf. Make sure you have an amazing product and stellar company service, then talk about your strong points and get customers engaged.

It’s a long haul to be sure, but it’s worth it.

from http://bit.ly/34zRtJM

[terryblount]

One Piece: World Seeker – Review

When I first heard of One Piece: World Seeker, I remember thinking it was about time they brought one of Shonen Jump’s most widely-beloved exports to gaming. Unbeknownst to me, the now eight hundred and seventy-three episode anime has actually ventured into our industry numerous times over the last nineteen years. Some quick research revealed that One Piece has inspired several beat ‘em ups, fighting games, turn-based JRPG’s, action-adventure games, and even a baseball game.

Now the series has finally sailed the treacherous waters of the open world, sandbox genre. Veteran One Piece developers, Ganbarion, have yet again given players the chance to don the straw hat of protagonist Monkey D. Luffy, but this time with unparalleled freedom to explore, find collectables, and pummel hoards of marines with his iconic, elastic fisticuffs. Thanks to the power of modern platforms, and not least of all the might of the Unreal Engine 4, gamers have the chance to immerse themselves into Luffy’s adventures like never before.

Monkey D. Luffy, one of the most famous faces in anime.

So close, and yet so far. While there are merits to the idea of building a One Piece game out of a sandbox formula, I don’t think One Piece: World Seeker represents the ideal solution. The combat mechanics were relatively enjoyable, and it is obvious that the developers have put some serious elbow grease into the game’s visual representation. Nevertheless, the repetitive nature of side quests and the underwhelming attempt at world building simply did not take advantage of the rich and varied source material that is its namesake. This is simply not the game it should have been.

Watashi wa Luffy!

For the unfamiliar, One Piece is a long-running manga and anime series based around the escapades of Monkey D. Luffy, a pirate who seeks to obtain the eponymous ‘One Piece’ treasure. Whoever holds this legendary booty will be proclaimed as king of all the pirates, so the series is sort of like Treasure Island, but stretched to an encyclopedic length with the distinctive quirkiness and fanfare that only an anime can pull off.

Yet, Luffy’s whimsical straw hat and flip flops belie his true abilities because he accidentally ate the ‘Gum Gum’ devil fruit as a boy. The fruit made him stronger, highly resistant to enemy attacks, and enables him to stretch his body into extraordinary shapes much like Mrs Incredible or Mister Fantastic. With the power of his rubbery physique, Luffy sets sail on an epic treasure hunt across endless seas where he encounters new friends, gains crewmates, and confronts formidable enemies.

Eight hundred plus episodes later, and we have One Piece: World Seeker opening with our man being detained in a sky prison floating above a union of islands named ‘Prison Island.’ It seems Luffy allowed himself to be incarcerated as a distraction while the Straw Hats crew  break into a vault somewhere below. Unfortunately, the plan turned out to be a trap, resulting in Luffy bailing the flying fortress to escape the clutches of Isaac, the tyrannical warden of the whole region.

Isaac, the warden of prison island.

Once our hero crash lands on Prison Island, he befriends a new character called Jeanne, who eventually explains that the island’s populace has been split between Pro- and Anti-Navy factions in the aftermath of a protracted war. The Pro-Navy inhabitants live a life of comfort afforded by Isaac and the Navy as their new governors, while their counterparts struggle under their draconian regime.

Never one to turn a blind eye towards the troubles of the little people, our hero agrees to help Jeanne and the Anti-Navy resistance to rebel against their oppressors. As such, the player will take part in various missions such as reuniting Luffy with his crew, getting to know the colourful inhabitants of Prison Island, and steadily crippling Warden Isaac’s (literal) iron fists over the islands. Of course, you also get to beat up lots and lots of bad guys and bosses.

Missing the treasure in plain sight

One Piece: World Seeker’s setting is one of the most obvious links to its anime and manga roots. The narrative brings out the tried and trusted theme of Luffy stumbling upon a new island with a dilemma, and then going on a spontaneous adventure to assist the inhabitants with their struggles. It is the old, ‘good taking a stand against evil’ trope that has sustained the One Piece universe since its origins.

Moreover, fans should be pleased with how the writers have transitioned the characters and some cameos into the game from the One Piece chronology. Everything from their dialogue, to the depiction of the main villain feels like an authentic production from the central story line of One Piece. Considering that Eiichiro Oda, creator of the series, was involved, it is no wonder the game convinced me that I was playing through an actual episode of the anime during its best moments.

Nami, the resident thief of the straw hats. I cannot stop staring at her big… belt! Is she promoting Bitcoin!?

Unfortunately, it is also here where I began to notice how the gameplay of World Seeker ends up linking to the story in a rather shoehorned manner. After the tantalising opening cinematic of the narrative, most players would probably assume that Luffy will become the centre of a complex operation to overthrow Isaac. Instead, the game just falls into the same loop where he must travel to a certain location, and beat the crap of everyone he finds there.

Generally it boils down to you are at A, bad man at B. Go from A to B and remove bad man’s front teeth. World Seeker does try to mix things up with a few sections where you must infiltrate strongholds without being detected. As is usually the case with sandbox games that include ham-fisted stealth sections, they just feel like tacked on filler meant to lengthen your play time. It doesn’t take long for the gameplay to deteriorate from fun, to repetitive, to monotonous.

Gum Gum BAA-ZOO-KAAAA!

Luffy has a basic, three-hit combo that he can unleash upon thugs and navy soldiers, as well as his famous Gum Gum pistol serving as a ranged attack. There is also the option to sneak up on enemies either from behind or inside a barrel Metal Gear Solid style, which then creates the opportunity to perform stealth takedowns. It was rarely necessary to be stealthy though, since the bad guys are not only easy to kill, but sneaking around as Luffy just feels like a disservice to his character.

I must admit that the combat is very well animated, and fighting does a superb job at making you feel powerful. The camera also has the delightful habit of shifting to slow motion when you deliver the KO blow to the last man standing much like Batman and the Arkham games. Seeing the poor sod being launched slowly off a high building after receiving Luffy’s catapult fists was very entertaining… for the first fifty times I pulled it off at least.

Adding some variety is also the ability to switch between the blue and red ‘stances’ of combat on the fly. The red mode is essentially reserved for Luffy’s heavier, more focused attacks along with the ability to guard. Blue mode is faster and deals less damage, but the broad sweep of the attacks makes it appealing for confronting whole groups at a time. The dodge mechanic is also useful in this stance since you can zip out of the enemy’s reach if you need to.

While One Piece: World Seeker’s traversal fails to achieve the fluidity of recent super hero games, I thought that the mechanics of swinging and propelling my way through the game’s surprisingly big open world was implemented nicely. Like the combat, you really feel the forces at work in Luffy’s special ability, and it became a particularly exciting system once there were some high trees and buildings around me.  I even managed to gain a bit of fun out of collecting the overabundance of pointless loot scattered throughout the world.

To my dismay, the majority of the side quests have actually been built around this idea of collecting random loot items for citizens of Prison Island. I was horrified to catch myself looking for small flowers at the request of a random man standing near a wooden shed, or finding pieces of copper for a random little kid. Why must I do favours for bland-faced NPC’s who the game does not even bother to introduce to me? This sort of meaningless filler has no place in a One Piece game; I’d rather go looking for Riddler trophies.

At least the game is generous in dishing out experience points from these meaningless exploits. You can use said points to purchase new blue or red fighting moves, or you can spend them on Luffy’s traversal abilities and health points. However, let us not forget that One Piece has had an entire manga and anime saga to build up Luffy’s resume of moves. Does it really make sense hiding them behind experience points which can only be gained by grinding away at meaningless loot quests? No, it doesn’t.

It feels Unreal how much I love this game engine

Sorry about that atrocious pun, but sweet mother of monkey milk this game is pretty. I am not sure why many studios from the Land of the Rising Sun have made the Unreal Engine 4 their engine of choice lately, but World Seeker is yet another example of what a brilliant move this was. Just like the anime, this game is so colourful and vivid that I bet it would cure a defective monitor from stuck pixels.

This game can be seriously beautiful at times.

I cannot deny that the environments were eerily empty at times, nor can I look past at the lack of variety in enemies. However, the character animations, the sheer scale of some buildings, the beautiful landscapes and the particle effects really captivated me on a visual level. Honestly, if Toei Animation did an entire episode in these graphics I would be happy, and I cannot imagine better aesthetics for a One Piece video game.

If only for more time

What struck me from the moment I launched One Piece: World Seeker is that this game feels unfinished. There is nothing overtly broken in its mechanics, and certain elements of the gameplay are undeniably polished. Yet, the lack of voiced cut scenes, the general empty feeling of the world, the repetitive nature of the side missions, and using the same models for most of the enemies are all the tell-tale signs of a studio being pushed for time.

In fact, the stark contrast between the excellent visuals and the bland mission design makes me suspect Ganbarion had plans to make World Seeker more like a JRPG. In any case, it is clear that their plans never came to fruition and they settled on making a more fast-paced, open world game from what they had already finished.

If you are looking to play a good One Piece game, I suggest you look at any of the Pirate Warrior instalments, because World Seeker just feels like too much of a mixed bag. This is not the kind of game we want from this beloved series at this point in time, and playing it makes it clear that the developers share our sentiments. If, one the other hand, you don’t own a PS3, wait for a sale. There is still fun to be had with this game, even if it is very short lived.

Beautiful cut scenes

Graphics and sound design

Story fits the universe

Sterile world design

Very bland side quests

Too many collectables

Insipid mission design

Upgrades locked behind XP

          Playtime: 22 hours total. For the single player campaign and light grinding

Computer Specs: Windows 10 64-bit computer using Nvidia GTX 1070, i5 4690K CPU, 16GB RAM – Played using an Xbox One Controller

One Piece: World Seeker – Review published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/