#...polishing it will still be tough though LMAO

[sourearth]

yuno & nijirō art post update 3!! part 1 part 2

after taking a render from my perspective camera into photoshop, i used the vanishing point tool to set up some planes!

(absolute legend @wrenbii​ passed me the tip that if you put a big cube in there it is easy to get planes from!! this saved me a fair bit of guesswork)

after that i spent a lot of time lamenting that the perspective was more fucked than id realised at first, and painstakingly fixing it with the help of the vanishing planes

after that i managed to get it mostly fixed - heres a gif for comparison:

(also brightened it a bunch because wow i did not realise how dreary the colours were)

its interesting to me to see that the perspective was alright around yuno but just sorta got more & more distorted around the edges lmao. i thought i could eyeball most of it and i thought wrong!!!!

i then decided to try changing the lighting a touch to see if i could find something that works a little better, and came up with this:

i think the first lighting is a bit more even and might make for a stronger composition, but i think im gonna go for the second one because it feels more character-ful

yuno is a goblin being lit by her screens and nijirō is a cat lounging in the sunshine

next up im gonna add more clutter & refine stuff past being vague shapes!!

[xivou]

Vestiges Of You.

Aventurine x fem! reader; not proofread, this was supposed to be a 300 words drabble lmao?? wordcount; 804.

everything i feel returns to you somehow, consuming me to the core, i'll be gone by midnight; goodbye.

There is a bit of you at the beach.

Aventurine gazes whilst the sun gradually inches down, orange in hue, it mildly kisses the horizon; two souls intertwined. Standing on top of a building in the city, a March spring breeze wafts past him, and the smell of oleanders trails it.

The scene is familiar, to a distant one on the beach. The solitude, the oleanders you used to grow, the sun cozily inching down your wall, the ripples of the waves against the shore, the medley accompanying it, as you pluck the strings with a plectrum, pressing strings against frets with your opposite hand simultaneously.

Your black cat leaps on his lap, it purrs against his stomach, and he strokes it.

‘remember when we first met?’ you pause. ‘we had plenty to discuss. Now, only silence remains…’

‘you know,’ you continue. ‘I guess, the moral of time, is that… you never became jaded by my presence; our meaningless conversations, or this comfortable silence.’

Aventurine does not reply. He merely grabs your hand, and squeezes it reassuringly, pulls it towards his lips as he plants a kiss.

There is a bit of you in April.

Your window flung open, the breeze emerging in carries a scent of peach, a warm sun beams at your back, at your oil paint-stained white shirt. The neighbourhood is extremely quiet, everyone’s inside their home, with fans nudging the cool air at their faces.

‘don’t you feel like going back inside yet? It’s hot,’ Aventurine starts. He anticipates a response from an instance, but you appeared rather too resolute on your painting—it was of an orchard of apricot trees, the leaves and branches shimmering with heat-haze.

‘I don’t think so, I’ll finish this one first,’ you mutter, cautiously painting a cloud. ‘I love April. In it, my ideas are always inventive, sharp, and tender. Do you get it?’

Aventurine hums as he nods. His gaze wanders off toward the market nearby—a mother with brown sunglasses on exits with her young child, who’s wailing. ‘Icecream?’

‘Yeah, vanilla flavour please.’

There is a bit of you in black polished heels.

‘I’ve always loved the sound of heels against the flooring,’ you mutter, bending over as you tie the ankle straps of the heels—black, polished leather; a gift from Aventurine. When you’re done, you tap continually on the floor, and it sounds akin to an exaggerated film soundtrack. ‘it sounds like learning to walk away, from what was never mine to ever have…’

Aventurine raises a brow, ‘did you have a tough past?’

‘Partially, though what am I if not a little hardship? Which reminds me, you never told me much about your past…?’

He offers a half-hearted smile, as he averts his gaze. ‘…The heels suit you, are you sure they are your size?’ ( I apologize; I don’t want to bring it up, I don’t want you to pity me. )

‘Yeah…’ you half-heartedly mutter, removing the heels. ( do you not trust me? )

There is a bit of you in his muddy teacup.

‘Regrets,’ you mumble over the counter. Aventurine stares as you fiddle with your teaspoon—like lifting the world’s edge, like unravelling its threads, apathetically, perfunctorily. His teacup simply lies before him, long cold, and muddy-looking. ‘I have many… so do you.’

A train passes over the railings nearby, quick against the steel, unlike your stagnant manoeuvres, followed by a mysterious silence of what hangs in the atmosphere, and remains unspoken. ‘are you not exhausted of lying?’

‘I never lied to you about a single thing,’ he replies.

‘But you don’t trust me, with anything, at all— regardless of who is in your life, you still seem to have the same disgusting thoughts about yourself; it never stops, it never goes away. I wish I could…’ You place the teaspoon down, the tone of your voice gradually creaking. ‘Take away your blues. I have.. many selfless wishes for you. I wish you would take care of yourself, I wish you would cherish every instant of this ephemeral lifetime, I wish you would relinquish the past; that was then, this is now. Yet you’ve always been a bitter man, and it makes me bitter, too. I hope you will understand, that is all I have to say…’

Reality begins to melt away, in the darkness, akin to a candle’s wax, in the heat of a flame. Everything feels as if it occurred a long time ago, in a far-off world, out of reach. Or, is it occurring in the future, in an alternative far-off world?

( have you seen my lover? The one that owned the beach, April’s beauty, the black leather heels I purchased, my muddy teacup, my dreams, my heart? )

There is a bit of you in all he is.

ironvy, 2024. do not copy, share, repost, or re-upload my work on any website without prior consent.

[titleleaf]

I love perfume soooo perfume headcanons for Hannibal characters (dealer’s choice for which ones)

YES OMG… okay I’ve thought so so much about perfume wrt Bedelia, both because her canonical perfume bottle is such an iconic presence

Taking it in a Watsonian sense that she decants a commercially available scent into a bottle she likes more for whatever reason, she might like something from Profumum Roma, maybe Alba or Olibanum. Xerjoff Zefiro??? (also realizing I recced a Profumum Roma scent for Will, lmao... be that as it may)

I associate her with iris and with more low key gourmand notes, nutty or spiced notes, rather than perfumes meant to evoke a specific baked good or anything really sticky-sweet. Powdery, cool, and dry. I don’t think she’s got any insecurities about wanting to look or be perceived as particularly youthful (her dress sense and attitude seem like they’re going to stay just as they are for the foreseeable future, just as polished and manicured as they are now) so she’s more amenable to weird powdery scentscapes that would repulse some random 22-year-old Scentbird subscriber. The symbolism of her leaving her perfume bottle behind for Hannibal is really intimate but it also suggests to me she’s the kind of person who’s loyal to a single fragrance rather than cycling through multiple depending on her mood. My biggest Bedelia headcanon is that she does so much perfume shopping in Florence. She does a lot of strategic shopping in general as a way of raising a subtle red flag but I didn’t get these unrealistic childhood expectations wrt the Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella for nothing, tyvm.

s1/s2 Alana... I could see her having a similar taste in perfume to Clarice, something that's got less-direct nostalgic associations for her but that's congruent with a presentation of herself as professional and put-together and performing a particular kind of femininity; it's personal to her but it's also something in her toolbelt for moving through her professional setting as a woman. Very different actual perfume choice, than Clarice and her mom though, like a Jo Malone perfume lingering on her clothes. (English Pear & Freesia or Wild Bluebell?) In a more emphatic way she might also be a Tom Ford girlie (maybe White Suede?) but I think I just associate Tom Ford perfumes with the era s1/s2 were first airing. 

Beverly, ooo... they're all professional women but Beverly does more hands-on stuff so if she wears perfume it's a thing in her downtime, maybe her leather jacket carries a little ghost of scent with it. This is 100% pepperjacking on my part but I could see her as an indie scents/perfume collecting girlie. RIP Beverly Katz, you would have loved all the weird chemical scentscapes from Xyrena.

Margot is a tough one for me because I've still got a bug up my ass about how she's translated to the show -- book!Margot has a freshly-showered, cleanly sweaty thing going for her and if I was going to personal shop her a perfume I would get her something really summery and citrus-y and herbal, but show!Margot has a real Old Hollywood archfemme thing going for her. I feel like any perfume she wears is going to be pretty old-school and not something especially soft or welcoming. She's a hardboiled horse girlie so maybe something leathery like Robert Piguet Bandit??? 

Looking up reviews of Bandit, this has cracked me the fuck up: 

[funnywormz]

If the red dwarf boys were cringey streamers what type of content would they make

OOOH that's a tough one. once again not a topic im in a great position to comment on as i don't rlly watch streamers or keep up with specific internet personalities much........

im still gonna have a go at guessing though hehe

obv cat would be a beauty guru type. that's the most obvious idea for him lol. maybe mingled with other stuff like dancing and general fashion/clothing design videos? ik in canon he makes his own clothes sometimes, so i could imagine him posting videos about his clothing creation process from designing to actual sewing, although it would less be a tutorial and moreso just a way for him to show off lol. i can also imagine him making short little weekly vlog type videos where he talks abt things that he likes, esp food, or rants abt stuff he hates if he's in a bad mood. he'd also be infamous for getting into horrendous beef with ppl lol

lister....... i mean. my instincts say Gamer. he does play video games sometimes in the later seasons so yknow.......... i don't think he'd be dedicated enough to the idea of attracting a following to stream super often but he'd enjoy it occasionally. something tells me that he'd prefer retro games and weird little niche indie things but that he'd also have a softspot for sports themed games....... like a zero g version of the fifa games or smth lol

rimmer would post "video essays" that are actually just him infodumping unscripted for 3 hours straight into his grainy webcam with a shitty mic. he gets 5 views on each video. sometimes he might post a vaguely offensive political opinion that makes a couple of ppl mildly irritated at him and for the next 6 months he'll mysteriously talk abt how he was "cancelled" online even though it was like 3 ppl involved max lmao. but mostly it's just barely incomprehensible infodumping on his obscure interests i think

kryten would do asmr. not in a Weird way but he'd make like, cleaning and polishing and tidying up videos. those are activities he enjoys and i think it would make him happy to know that he would make others happy just by recording himself doing the stuff he likes. maybe sometimes occasionally he'd do a little q&a or the odd vlog here and there. he'd generally be seen as nice and wholesome but would maybe lose some viewers due to his instinctive tendency to do product placement every 5 seconds even without any sponsors

[thousand-winters]

Hello pal!! I hope you're doing well after that rough morning 💖

For the writing fic ask, 1, 4, 25, 26, and 27!

Hello!!! 💖 Thank you!!! I'm awake at unholy hours of the morning when I really shouldn't be, but much better in that regard ahaha

The last sentence you wrote

I'm so glad I started lazily working on one of my wips because it would have been mortifying to put in a sentence from like 3 months ago or something ahahaha:

“How rude, I was just trying to look out for you,” Tome sniffs, fully aware that by now Reigen doesn’t buy her little act –as if he ever had anyway–, but hoping it buys her some sympathy points. “So, are you gonna open or what?”

Really hoping I can update this one soon.

4. A story idea you haven’t written yet

I have a list where I just dump all of my upcoming wip ideas with no regard for how polished they sound right away and this one is still so funny to me:

"Dimple being like one of those overprotective dads who don't want boys to date their daughters but with Mob and Teru Just in general him being kinda mean to Teru while Mob is first oblivious and then like ???"

I think this was came to be because Dimple in the fanbook is mean for no reason about Teru ahaha. When he gets asked about who he would like to possess and he goes "I bet I could tank Hanazawa's reputation so fast", like, Dimple, what do you have against him, he's living his best reformed life now ahahaha. So this silly idea came to me.

25. Besides writing, what are your other hobbies?

Tough question because I feel like sometimes I'm busy enough I don't really do too much in general ahaha.

I like playing videogames and reading if that counts, though I haven't have the time to do either of those in ages, I need to make some time for those soon or else I'm gonna go crazy haha. I enjoy doing crafts though I don't have a chance to do them often either.

I think my primary hobby activity is having deranged conversations about my fandoms ahaha. AUs, headcanons, random scenarios, analysis... the amount of back and forths I currently have going with friends is... alarming. Once you start being babbly about those things, turns out the convos just keep being generated like spores lmao

26. Are you able to write with other people around?

Oh, absolutely not 😭 Especially not my family but to be fair, I don't tend to do anything personal in front of them because my sister is noisy and can be quite mean sometimes haha, so I just... don't.

Now, put me to write on a google document or something with other people there and I start second guessing every single word I'm putting down or just going "aaaaahhhh, whatever, whatever!" while writing the first thing that comes to mind, which doesn't feel like an optimal writing decision. It's fine when it comes to just outlining or such, but not the actual writing.

27. Your favorite part of the writing process

I'm quite messy when it comes to writing so I feel like the process for me is more like chaos and screaming and panic and tears sometimes ahahaha. But honestly, I enjoy the writing in itself. Once I have a clear direction of what I'm doing in this one scene, for example, I can just rush through it while writing to my heart's content, and short of having writer's block, that feels really fun and rewarding to me.

I'm not much one for editing, frankly, because I get embarrassed once I do the final read through my work, but I enjoy the minor edits through the way. I know it's not recommended, but I tend to do that a lot, writing a sentence and then going back to look at it because it was too plain or badly phrased and modifying it until it works better for what follows or for what I want. I like that feeling of "yes, this is it".

Thank you so much for the questions!!!

From this ask game

[bruisedconscience-reblogs]

wishing you a Happy October 2024 Next Fest from me & my steam deck!

Games I kept in my wishlist: (5/5)

Botworld Odyssey: IMMEDIATE 10/10 the vibes are stellar. Poké reference immediately? GOTY 2024. Literally grown in a lab for me. (Only one I have 100% the Demo for!)

Windblown: 10/10, played for far too long (apparently it was only 30 mins but bro it’s 1am now so I call…falsehood!). Felt fair and I still think I am capable of changing my weapons around during expeditions, so I can keep the not-default one forever as a starting weapon right? RIGHT???

Usual June: The simlish scared the heck out of me cuz I expected voice acting or nothing, but this game seems stellar! Combat took me a minute to sort out, I kept using items instead of fighting lmao. 10/10!

Graveyard Gunslingers: Absolutely immaculate time sink game. Vampire Survivors-Forager lookin’-ass-stupid, addictive masterpiece. (I think this one needed Experimental Proton?)

30 Birds: Awesome art & style! Atmospheric and entertaining point & click vibes, will return.

I’m not a pro gamer/I’m bitter but wrong about it: (4/5)

Enci’s Solution: dripping with class & polish, but after the 15th time not hitting the narrow window to progress, I got tired. Reminds me of Hob. I hope this becomes somebody’s favorite game from when they were a kid tbh. (Maybe this one needed Experimental Proton?)

Prospector: I wanted to love this one. But I couldn’t like find the EXACT ore the TUTORIAL wanted (I found 2+ others?) and that felt a little counter intuitive… It’s everything I want in a game (Satisfactory Forager) but… I dunno. I am keeping it probably, not uninstalling!!

Permafrost: I played this game singleplayer for 35 minutes. The game defaults to Gamepad no matter what even after I changed it, and this led to me stuck in the main menu in Desktop Mode. I soon got frustrated that head-sh*tting a deer wasn’t enough to k*ll it… But I’m sure somebody else playing KBM (I had to re-map a lot, no built-in controller support) would have more fun.

Toads of the Bayou: This one played “Ok” after I changed the resolution & the default controller scheme to WASD/Mouse. I had a tough time navigating outside of battles (menus, environments), but the battles were satisfying. I also couldn’t spend my final piece of gold on an item that costed 1 gold, which was weird & I reported using their bug report form. I might pick this one up once it’s been ironed out! Into the Breach/Slay the Spire, except I am not too simple for it.

Games that were fine or good/not for me/I uninstalled: (3/5 - 2/5)

Hail to the Rainbow: Absolutely BEAUTIFUL dripping with atmosphere and frighteningly easy to get the mechanics down with limited cues or guidance. Love the AI (speaking russian?) in my eyeball giving me hints. I am a WIMP and this game didn’t seem to have a Horror tag or I wouldn’t have tried it. But beautiful!!

Broken Alliance: The voice acting was stellar, but the pacing was way too slow & I skipped lots of the wonderful voiceovers. Battling seems fair, traversing the map is slow. This is a game for board game lovers, I think, which I so totally am not to be fair.

Chrono Sword: Right in, the vibes are nice. Why am I dressed and then putting on other clothes though? Also, pixel Dark Souls/Elden Ring. edit: found myself wanting to play this one hours later. Hm!

Great God Grove: This has awesome art, unique gameplay, and has lots of polish and style and heart. However,,, I’m still on the fence about it, solid 4/5 though!! Might not just be my speed/current kinda game I’m into.

Wild Planet: This game was awesome, don’t let it being in this section fool you. It took me forever to build a campfire using a controller— you need to double-click the item in the build menu to be able to place it in the world!! What a frustrating 5 minutes I had lmao. Really cute game. Some janky physics, not worth reporting as a bug. It has some charm, the style isn’t my fave personally. Stellar music though!

Floridale Man - The Joy of Chaos: I am just not chaotic enough! I picked up some items, talked to folks, didn’t combine anything successfully…and left! ✌️

Tiny House Sim: This one ran pretty well, which was a surprise. (Even after I quit to main menu suddenly on accident!) The game didn’t have native controller support & I found it pretty cumbersome, but it seems well-made, for KBM.

Games that didn’t run: (1/5 - 0/5)

Keep Driving: Really upset I couldn’t play this one. I created my character just fine with WASD/Mouse controller preset, but couldn’t do anything else. No controls listed in the game options to manually input. The grapevine says it needs KBM to play.

Cube Hero: I got the “Choose Language” screen and selected UK, then I got an error code, even tried Experimental Proton. No dice (no cubes?).

New Arc Line: This one technically ran. With SD Overlay, I had it: capped at 30 fps, Allow Tearing and Half Rate Shading. I made my character and skipped the cutscene (it usually went by too fast for me to read completely & there’s no voiceover) and…the game stopped moving. I tried to open my Overlay (using my external controller’s shortcut) and then this game crashed my Deck. Didn’t respond to my hitting the power button for a while. Had 3 scary vertical lines light up when I held down the power button. Then turned back on when I pressed it once. Will not play again until others verify it won’t crash using default settings/no Cryo Utilities!

Anterris: This one eventually booted (because I pressed random buttons after the Unity screen? Coincidence?) but I had to map several of the controls, and I could not capture any creatures. I was riding on one I owned randomly before understanding why I would need to do that. The creature screen was zoomed in on my TV and I couldn’t really play the game. Not made with Deck (or even a controller!) in mind.

[killemwithkawaii]

No better way to word this so Imma just say it: as a fellow peets enjoyer, I would enjoy reading your takes on the SFs Gangs feet. So if you ever need a excuse to talk about it… gestures

(Also calling it. Larry is ticklish as fuck down there which makes most of the kinky stuff one may want to do impossible because he already feels phantom tickles when you just wriggle your fingers in that general direction and becomes an absolutely giggly mess instead. Which also has its charm mind you)

Anon, it is such a pleasure to be reminded that there are persons with impeccable taste, such as yourself, lurking in the fandom and on my blog, and it's even better when said persons encourage me to be as self-indulgent as you have with this ask. Please accept these headcanons that I thought about way more seriously than I probably should have lmao (I did my best to not let my personal preferences influence them, but a few maaay have sipped through the cracks, and so did yours 🙈💓💦)

What are the Gangs Feet like?-

[CW: Grapefruit (though this is 99% sfw), unsanitary, tickling]

Sally:

-Big feet for his height, greek shape, pronounced metacarpal and ankle bones, arches are a little high.

-Wears shitty off-brand high tops with zero arch support and doesn't seem like the type to own a pumice stone, so there's some callusing on his feet where his shoes rub, but the rest of the skin is relatively soft.

-Typically keeps his nails trimmed purely for comforts sake

-Smell varies from very minimal to strong, depending on whether he's been playing video games or hiking around the woods all day, and whether or not hes had the spoons to change and shower recently.

-Wears soft cotton ankle-length socks (sensory friendly and cushions his very exposed achilles tendons), occasionally with novelty prints. He keeps them on most of the time because his feet get cold easily.

-Sometimes paints his toenails (badly)

-Not ticklish unless you really, really try.

-Hesitant to accept a foot rub, but once you've assured him that you actually want to give him one and he gets used to the feeling, he'll slowly melt into his seat... 🥴

-Blushes if you play footsie with him. 😳

Larry:

-Big ol flipper feet, roman shape, a little wide, average arches.

-Wears sturdy, ankle length work boots with good support, so there's minimal callus, though the skin is overall a little tough.

-Might forget to trim his nails sometimes, and the smell can get pretty ripe if hes been working real hard all day... 😬

-Wears moisture-wicking, mid-crew length socks with strong elastic because he can't stand the feeling of his socks slipping down and bunching at the toe. He has a bad habit of stripping off his socks when he's lounging and leaving them on the floor.

-Has some moles on his feet (just like he has on the rest of him).

-He's ticklish as hell, so touches have to be predictable, deliberate and firm (unless you want to see him reduced to a giggling, thrashing wreck, in which case, do so at your own risk ⚠)

-Would lean back and 'feel like a king' getting his feet rubbed (once it's clear you're for sure not going to tickle him). 👑

-Taps and shakes his feet if he's sitting still for too long.

Ash:

-Larger than average, narrow, greek shape, low arches.

-Used to be that kid that always walked around outside barefoot, but her current use of cosmetics and shaved legs suggests a beauty regimen that would keep her feet looking presentable. She periodically uses a pumice stone, regularly moisturizes, keeps her nails trimmed and occasionally uses nail polish (purple, black or clear).

-Wears supportive, cushioned athletic shoes, and thin, no-show socks, generally in solid colors, but may choose to forgo socks altogether.

-Usually smells like her moisturizer or has a pretty mild scent, unless its especially hot out 🌸

-Average ticklishness

-Could be convinced to have her feet rubbed if it was a mutual thing, or she was especially sore and really needed it.

-Will totally do mani-pendis with a friend! 💅✨️

Todd:

-Average size, egyptian shape, average arches.

-Wears white and grey crew socks and sandals with shorts, so he has a noticeable tan line on his calves. He spends most of his time seated, so they're pretty soft, but the skin can be a little dry in patches.

-Generally keeps his nails tidy, though he can neglect them if he's become hyperfocused on a project, in which case Neil has to remind him to trim them after hes had enough of getting scratched while they're lying in bed togther. 🛌

-Not much of a scent, since the sandals let them breathe.

-Basically impervious to tickling thanks to his parents.

-Will accept the occasional foot rub from Neil, but is more likely to give them, and is pretty good at it, since he's learned a few techniques and pressure points over the years.

-Keeps his socks on most of the time (including during sex) unless it's very hot out. He's just more comfortable that way 🧦

Travis:

-Smaller than average, square shape, low arches.

-Wears mid-crew socks in various colors, sneakers, and dress shoes. Average amount of callous.

-Trimmed nails and almost no scent (he has to shower every day), but that likely changed when he became more involved in behind-the-scenes cult work, and he became increasingly disheveled as he began neglecting his personal hygiene.

-Ticklish to the point of kicking (and will not hold back) 🤬

-Does not like having his feet touched at all (hes touch averse in general), and you probably could not convince him to give a foot rub to anyone under any circumstances without blackmailing him into it. ❌

-Always has socks on unless he's changing or bathing, even when he's sleeping.

[hawkhills]

tagged by @ohhstark, thanks! i really should be working now so what better time to do this 👀

tea, coffee, or soda? I wouldn't be able to get through a work day without coffee but other than that I'm a tea girl. I've even been trying to make the switch from coffee to matcha as my keep-awake drink. big no for soda

dogs or cats? I honestly have no preference at this point, I used to be a dog person simply for the fact that I grew up with them and had little to no contact with cats for most of my life. now that I've been cat-sitting for my in-laws for several years and I know how to interact with kitties, I like both equally

can you play an instrument? i have some decent piano skills that admittedly have been deteriorating since I haven't played for like a year. I did get pretty good at 17-key kalimba recently though, it's so so cool

what's your sun sign? libra

first song lyrics that pop into your head?

"I tried to talk with God to no avail

Calling my name and out of nowhere

I said "If you won't save me, please don't waste my time"

(from Oasis "Falling Down")

do you have any tattoos? nope, have been planning to get one but I always end up deciding to not spend the money lmao

favorite place you traveled? forever and always Skagen in Denmark, but Matera in Italy is a very close second

what's the last movie you watched? I put on You People on Netflix in the bg yesterday for some mindless work tasks

what languages do you speak? Polish, English, ~communicative Russian

do you have any hobbies? Go!!! I've been obsessed with playing Go for the last few years. I'm not even that good, still a double digit kyu player, but it's like my favorite thing and the local/slightly broader European community around this game is just the beeest, I've met so many people and traveled to so many cool places just to play and it's just so!!! I'd also genuinely call gym/lifting a hobby at this point, I'm not particularly serious about gains or anything but I've been training consistently twice or thrice a week since 2019 and I wouldn't be able to function without it now

you can hang out with one fictional character for an hour, who do you choose? shiiit, that's super tough. I'm trying to keep my hdm brain from taking over but I don't think I can lmao, so right now it would be dr Mary Malone. I'm indirectly involved in academia and I'm just drawn to this sort of people lol. But with her in particular, I'd just kill to talk about her work and discoveries

compliment yourself: you've proven to yourself that with a little time and dedication, you can get get through any shit life throws at you. keep at it!

I hereby no-pressure tag you all my mutuals who are bored and feel like answering this haha

[death2normalcy]

Since I’m officially done with the main guides to Stray Kids, I   figured I’d do a couple fun guides, just for, well, fun. I’m done with   the dynamics, but I didn’t want to stop making these, lmao. So, I   thought it would be interesting to kind of explain the boys music, kind  of like a summary of all the music they’ve put out. Not each song   individually, that may be too much. But maybe the albums/mini albums/   EPs, etc.

this post contains information about christmas evel, oddinary, and maxident.

Christmas Evel (2021)

Released in November of 2021

not a full EP, just a singles album, consisting of 4 songs: Christmas Evel, Winter Falls, 24 to 25, and the English version of Domino.

all 3 of the Christmas songs have a music video

each song is pretty different from the next, with a different tone and feel than the rest.

christmas evel is kind of seen as an ‘anti christmas song’ and is fun and chaotic. 24 to 25 is softer and more sappy, and is one of those songs that could be about a significant other, but was clearly written with stays in mind (and, specifically, was fully written by bang chan himself!) and winter falls is another han jisung song, so of course the lyrics are deep and thoughtful and is about trying to forget an ex

the actually won first place on a music show for ‘christmas evel’ and it was Music Bank, i believe.

personal favorite - again, a case of lyrics vs. what i actually listen to most. i think, lyrically, i prefer winter falls. but i listen to christmas evel more.

Peak position - 1 on South Korean Albums chat

Oddinary EP (2022)

released in March 2022.

consists of 7 songs: Venom, Maniac, Charmer, Freeze, Lonely St., Muddy Water, and Waiting for Us.

has music videos for: maniac, venom, freeze, and lonely st.

muddy water and waiting for us are unit tracks. muddy water is the ‘rap line’, consisting of Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, and Felix. and waiting for us is the ‘vocal line’ consisting of Bang Chan, Lee Know, Seungmin, and I.N. both songs have completely different feels to them. muddy water is kind of a 90s style hip hip song and waiting for us is more of a sweet, sappy ballad.

overall theme of the ep was definitely accepting your oddness and who you are and not following the crowd just because.

music show wins - from what i can tell, it was 3 wins for maniac. one for show champion, one for music bank, and one for virtual gayo top 10.

personal favorite - a tough one, as i think this is their best album to date. but i’m very fond of Venom, so maybe that one. i will also always hold a special place in my heart for Maniac, since it was the first song I ever heard from them.

Peak position - Actually hit number 1 on multiple charts: Finnish Albums, Polish Albums, South Korean Albums (Goan), US Billboard 200 and US World Album (Billboard).

Maxident EP (2022)

released in October 2022

consists of 8 songs: Case 143, Chill, Give Me Your TMI, Super Board, 3Racha, Taste, Can’t Stop, and the Korean version of Circus.

has music videos for 4 of the songs: Case 143, Chill, Give Me Your TMI, and Super Board

there are unveils for the 3 unit songs, but they’re mostly just clips from the concert where they performed them for the first time, plus a couple bonus backstage clips. still recommend checking them out, though!

there are 3 unit songs on this one, 3Racha, Taste, and Can’t Stop. as usual, each one has it’s own distinct feel and style to it. 3Racha consists of, well, 3Racha (Bang Chan, Changbin, Han) and is essentially a rap diss track, taste is danceracha (Lee Know, Hyunjin, Felix) and is a much more sensual r&b song (i typed that and realized after that it’s exactly how wikipedia describes it, lol), and can’t stop is vocalracha (Seungmin and I.N.) and is a much more fun and upbeat song.

music show wins - 2 on MCountdown, 2 on Show Champion, 2 on Music Bank (i think. wikipedia doesn’t list them for this one or oddinary, so i had to go elsewhere)

this album actually broke records for Stray Kids! they’re pre-order sales exceeded 2.24 million, which is at least 1 million more than Oddinary. it was also certified for reaching 3 million sales, making them the first JYP triple million seller. (i’m going off wikipedia here)

personal favorite - tough one, but probably can’t stop. honestly, all three unit tracks are phenomenal, in my opinion.

Peak position - Another one that hit number 1 on a lot of charts: Croatia International Albums, Polish Albums, South Korean Albums (Circle), US Billboard 200 and US World Albums (Billboard).

Update since I wrote that: THEY WON A DAESANG FOR THIS ALBUM. Specifically, at the 2022 Asia Artist Awards. So proud of them!

this album is also nominated for a few other awards, so hopefully, they get even more!

[atlafan]

Part One - “Call me Jane.”

a/n: here’s part one of nanny!H, I’m very excited about this series. I’m not sure how many parts it’s going to be, so please don’t ask lmao. Once I know how many parts it’ll be, I’ll make a master post for it. I’m just too excited not at least share the first part because Harry is just too cute in this! Feedback and reblogs are super helpful, and keep me motivated, especially when it comes to writing series. (not proofread) You can support me here if you’re able!

Warnings: none...for now

Words: 4.1K

Pairing: Harry x OC (Jane Watson)

Master Post

Harry found himself in a real bind. He was twenty-six years old, had an early childhood education degree, and the daycare he worked at was going under. He had just been promoted a month prior too, how could things go wrong so quickly? Times like this he really hated that he stayed in the states. Childcare services weren’t nearly as fucked up back home. His dream was to save up enough money to open up his own pre-school at some point, but it was really tough.

There was this weird stigma that if adult men wanted to work with babies and toddlers then that made them a pedophile or something of the sort. That wasn’t the case with Harry. His minor in school was psychology because cognitive development intrigued him. He also loved babies and little ones. He loved watching them learn and discover.

Only now, he was without a job in an already struggling field. He and the other employees weren’t exactly given a big notice before they were told the business was going under. Harry mostly felt bad for the parents of the kids that had to find new child care centers. He knew he’d have to compete with his co-workers for any available jobs, and he knew they were bound to find places before him because they were women. It was their fault, and he knew it. He was experiencing a prejudice that they must face all the time.

He looked into Care.com, but none of the jobs on there seemed like long-term gigs, and he didn’t want to just be a glorified baby sitter. He figured if he could find a well paying nannying job, he could do that for a bit until finding a job at a new facility, or even set up his dream pre-school. During his search on Indeed, he saw a position for a live-in nanny – jackpot! Live-in meant long-term, and long-term meant lots of money. It also meant he could get rid of his apartment and not have to pay rent for a while. He clicked on the ad that was posted only a couple of weeks ago.

Live-in Nanny Needed for Help with Eight-Month-Old

Minimum requirements:

·        Bachelor’s in either early childhood education or elementary education

·        At least two years’ experience working babies/children

Three professional references required

Applicant is subject to thorough background check for the safety of the child and mother.

Other tasks as needed include:

·        Cooking

·        Light cleaning

·        Grocery shopping/running other errands

If applicant is selected, they will be paid a flat rate of $1600 bi-weekly, will live in “in-law” section of the house, and a car will be provided for them. A resume, cover letter, and three professional references may be sent directly to jpwatson@gmail.com

After reading everything over, this seemed like Harry’s best bet. Some of it seemed a little too good to be true, but this was a risk he needed to take right now. He just hoped the position hadn’t already been filled. That night he spent some time updating his LinkedIn, making sure all of his privacy settings were up to date on all of his social media, and then wrote out a resume and cover letter. The last part was his least favorite because he knew a proper resume and cover letter had to be curated to the specific job, and it made things all the more tedious. By the time he was done, it was late. He didn’t want to seem unprofessional, so he waited to send the email until the next morning.

Subject: Nannying Advert on Indeed

To: jpwatson@gmail.com

From: hes2194@gmail.com

Good morning,

My name is Harry and I’m interested in the nannying advert you’ve posted on Indeed. For the last four years I’ve been working at P.B. & J.’s Child Care Center, and was recently promoted to team lead. Unfortunately, the business itself couldn’t remain afloat, and I was laid off.

Attached are my resume and cover letter. I’d be happy to provide the three references if I end up being considered for the position.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Harry

Treat People With Kindness

He closes his laptop with a satisfied sigh after proofreading his email ten different times before he hit send. He takes a sip from his coffee, and sits back on his sofa. Now all he had to do was wait.

//

There was radio silence for two days. Harry was starting to think he would need to keep job hunting. He had bills to pay, and the last thing he wanted to do was ask his parents for help. They already looked down on his profession as it was. If he had his own car he’d become an uber driver or something, but he didn’t so he couldn’t. Then, by some stroke of luck, at 4:55PM on a Thursday, he gets an email from the address he had been hoping to see pop up.

Subject: Re: Nannying Advert on Indeed

To: hes2194@gmail.com

From: jpwatson@gmail.com

Good evening Harry,

My name is Jane Watson, thank you so much for your application. My apologies it has taken me a couple of days to get back to you. I am usually more responsive, but things have been a little crazy at work as of late. Upon further review of your resume and over letter, I would like to offer you an interview this Saturday at noon, if you are available. I can be flexible if that day and time do not work for you.

If you are able to come, and are still interested in the position, I ask that you please bring your references with you. I will want to call them right away. I am sure you can understand me wanting to thoroughly look into you before letting you into my daughter’s life.

I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

All my best,

Jane

Harry responded to her right away, he didn’t care how eager he seemed. He told her Saturday at noon worked great, and that he would definitely have his references, and anything else he needed to provide. She emailed him back an hour or so later with her cell phone number and address. For the first time in a while, Harry felt like he could breathe again. He knew it wasn’t a done deal that he’d be getting the job, but he was being given a chance, and for that he was thankful.

//

He wanted to make a good first impression on Saturday, so he made sure to wash his hair in the shower, and use his good mousse so his hair would look more orderly. He shaved to give himself that clean and sleek look, this was not a day to appear scruffy. He knew he didn’t need to be overly dressed up, but he also knew that you’re supposed to dress for the job you want and not the job you have. He irons a pair of tan slacks and pairs it with a blue button up. Not to brag, but his bum looked great in these slacks, and it was giving him all the confidence in the world. He puts on a floral tie, just to show a bit of his personality, makes sure his nail polish isn’t chipped, and makes sure all of his rings are looking shiny. He takes an uber out to Jane’s house. It was in a gated community, which he was expecting since he looked up the house beforehand. He wondered what she or her husband did for work to live in a place like this. Or perhaps she inherited the home? Either way, he was excited.

He thanks the driver, and knocks on the door as he was instructed to do. A woman with silver hair that was up in a nice bun opens the door.

“Hello, you must be Mr. Styles.” She smiles.

“Yes, hello.” He smiles back.

“I’m MaryAnne, please come in.” She steps aside to let Harry in.

“Thank you.”

“Miss Watson is just pumping, but you can wait for her here in her office.” She leads Harry down a corridor where he meets a grand double door. MaryAnne opens them and shows him inside. “Make yourself comfortable, dear. Can I get you anything? Coffee, water, tea?”

“I’m all set, but thank you very much.”

The woman nods and leaves him in the room alone. He stays standing as he didn’t want to assume where he should be sitting. There was a gorgeous desk with two chairs on the other side, but there was also a small round table with four chairs around it in the corner. She clearly held a lot of meetings here, or so it would seem. To pass the time he looks over her bookshelves, scanning over what she might be into. She seemed to be into fiction, but he had never heard of any of the books on some of the shelves, or the author. She had several by the same person. Before he could look further, he heard the clacking of heels on the hardwood floors approaching him.

Everything stopped when she walked in. Jane had her hair up in a flowing ponytail, a white blouse covered her top half, he notices that the first few buttons were left undone, probably to help with her pumping, and she had a black pencil skirt on that just came to her knees. She was short, and a little voluptuous, not that Harry was checking her out.  

“Hello, Mr. Styles, I’m sorry to keep you waiting.” He goes to stick his hand out for her to shake, but she walks around him and sits down at her desk. “Please, have a seat.”

He swallows and sits down.

“Y-you can just call me Harry if you like, Mrs. Watson.”

“I’m a Miss not a missus.” She says as she takes out a folder with a few sheets in it and a pen. “It says here you graduated Summa Cum Laude from Lesley University. That’s an incredible place to get a degree in education.”

“Thank you, I got a pretty decent scholarship, it was my reach school. I minored in psychology as well. I did my practicum hours at a daycare center that specialized in caring for children with disabilities. So, I’ve worked with all sorts of children. I prefer working with infants and toddlers, though.”

“And why is that?” She looks at him, clicking her pen, ready to take notes.

“Well, I just have more fun with them, to be honest. I like watching them discover new things. My favorite thing to do while working in the baby room at my last job was working with the babies on their tummy times. It was always rewarding to watch them get stronger. I feel like I just bond with them better.”

“I need to ask you some personal questions since this is a live-in position.”

“Of course.” Harry nods.

“Are you in any sort of relationship with anyone?”

“No, I’m single.”

“Have you ever been arrested, or do you have any sort of criminal history?”

“No.”

“I’m not one to judge, I think everyone deserves a second chance, I just have to ask these sort of things.” She says.

“I don’t have a criminal record, Miss Watson.”

“History of drug use?”

“I smoked a bit of weed when I was younger, but I don’t anymore. An edible once in a while, maybe, but never when I’m on the clock.”

“Just marijuana?”

“I’ve done shrooms a few times, but nothing other than that. Stupid kid stuff.”

“Again, not judging. I’d prefer you don’t have any drugs in the house, unless they’re for medical use. I know edibles can be prescribed by doctors for anxiety and whatnot.” Harry nods at that. “What about alcohol? You’re twenty-six, you must enjoy a drink after a long day.”

“A glass of red once in a while, sure.” He nods. “But I’m not really a heavy drinker, I never have been. I’d say if anything I’m a social drinker, but you watch me carefully at a party you’ll notice that I nurse the same drink.” He smirks.

“I’m the same way. A little bit of a buzz is fun, but anything more can be a bit scary. I actually cannot remember the last time I had a real drink.” She looks off in thought.

“Well, can’t you drink now that the baby’s here?”

“And have to succumb to a pump and dump?” She scoffs. “No way, that would be a total waste. It’s torture enough to sit there while a machine sucks the milk out of my-“ She stops herself. “Sorry.” She shakes her head. “Anyways, your resume was impressive, and you were quite articulate in your cover letter. You’re the only candidate I’ve invited for an interview.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” She nods. “I really wanted someone with experience, not someone fresh out of college looking for a place to live. You’d really be okay with living here?”

“Honestly, you’d be doing me a favor. My long-term goal is to either have a daycare or pre-school of my own someday. Not having to pay rent for a while would really help me save up for that.”

“That’s an incredible goal to have, Harry.” She smiles, impressed by his ambition. “What questions do you have for me?”

“I just want to clarify, your daughter is eight months?” Jane nods. “And what’s her name?”

“Lilly.” Jane smiles.

“That’s a beautiful name.” Harry smiles. “Why exactly do you need a live-in nanny?”

“I work a lot.” She sighs. “And I’m a single mom. I want her to always have someone here that she can depend on and feel comfortable with. Sometimes my work drags me out in the middle of the night, or I have to take a phone call at an odd hour. I just want someone else here in case I can’t be if something comes up.”

“So, her father’s not in the picture?”

“No.” Her features sour a bit. “He doesn’t even know she exists to be perfectly honest with you. I found out I was pregnant after we broke up, and I decided not to tell him about her. He was a deadbeat moocher, he would have been useless.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but thank you for telling me. May I ask, how old are you?”

“Twenty-nine, does that matter?”

“No! No, I was just more so curious. You seem pretty successful to be in a home like this. In the advert, you stated I’d be given a car as well, that’s not exactly cheap.”

“You’ll be given access to one of my cars.” She says. “I’m not giving you a car, make no mistake about that.” She smirks. “I’m an author, a successful one.” Harry tries to think if he’s ever heard of a Jane Watson before, but he’s coming up blank. “You’ve never heard of me because I have a pen name. If it’s all the same, I don’t really want to share it with you. Not yet, anyways.”

“Sure…wait…are you offering me the job?”

“Not quite. I’d like you to meet my daughter. I want to see how she interacts with you.”

“I’d love to meet Lilly.” He smiles.

“Great, before we do that, do you have more questions?”

“Yes, who’s MaryAnne? Is she, like, a maid or housekeeper?”

“No.” Jane laughs. “She’s my personal assistant. I usually answer the door myself, but pumping took a bit longer than usual.”

“When did you publish your first work?”

“When I was twenty.” She smiles. “I was still in school, and I decided just to self-publish. It took off, and a few companies reached out to me. I eventually got an agent, and the rest was history. I’m a fast writer, I’m able to churn out more projects than most people, and for whatever reason they keep becoming hits. One of the reasons I travel a lot is that a couple of my works are being turned into television shows, and working out those contracts is a lot. I want to be a part of the process to make sure the stories are told correctly.”

“That’s incredible!”

“it is.” She nods. “I never thought I’d be a television producer, but here I am. I don’t really want Lilly around all that, so there’s another reason for having a live-in nanny.”

“This may seem like a silly question, but will I have time off?”

“Oh my goodness, of course! The salary is negotiable as well. You’ll have weekends off, as well as all bank and national holidays. You’ll also earn vacation time and sick leave like at any other job. You’ll be given a benefits package as well, if you need health insurance.”

“You…you provide stuff like that?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”

“I’ve just never heard of a nannying job quite like this before.” He blinks. “It feels too good to be true.”

“I’m just a firm believer in compensating someone properly. I believe in investing in the people you have.”

“Right.” He swallows. He almost starting to feel like he was going to be her sugar baby or something, but he obviously knew that wasn’t the case. “You asked me about my dating life, what about yours?”

“I’m also single. Lilly is my top priority, and then comes my work. I’m completely fulfilled as is.” She stands from her desk. “Come, I’ll give you a tour of the house, and of the in-law space, and then you can meet Lilly.”

“Okay.” He stands up and follows her out of the office.

She shows him the living room, which felt more like a study. There was an entertainment room with a huge flat screen, deluxe loungers, a pool table, and bar. She shows him to the kitchen which was equally as extravagant. She brings him upstairs to show him all of the bedrooms.

“This is Lilly’s room.” Jane says proudly.

“it’s beautiful, I love the light purple.”

“So do I.” She says. “My room is down the hall, don’t think you need a tour of that.” She laughs and they head back downstairs. “Here’s the inside entrance to the in-law, but there’s also an exterior entrance you can use…or if you have guests over.” Harry’s in awe of the space. It was larger than his apartment. “It’s a one bedroom flat essentially. There’s a full bath en suite, and there’s a half bath over there. Open concept kitchen and living area. It’s fully furnished as well. Feel free to decorate it however you like. I just ask that this space stays yours. There’s really no reason for you to bring Lilly in here, you know?”

“Sure, yeah. This is amazing.”

“I’m glad you like it. Let’s just hope Lilly like you.” Jane smirks, and they head back to the main part of the house, and into Lilly’s playroom. She was sitting with MaryAnne in a large rocking chair. “M, you can feel free to go back to your office if you like. Harry’s going to get acquainted with Lilly.”

“Of course.” MaryAnne stands up with the baby, and hands her over to Jane.

“She has an office here too?” Harry asks.

“Of course she does, and one of the guest rooms upstairs is hers to use when she needs it.” She kisses the top of her daughter’s head. “Lilly,” she coos, “I have someone I’d like you to meet.” She gestures for Harry to take her, and he happily does so.

“Hey, baby girl.” Harry coos. Bright hazel eyes look up at him in wonder. He lets her latch onto his index finger. “It’s so nice to meet you.” He looks at Jane. “She’s precious, Miss Watson.”

“Isn’t she?” Jane beams. “She’s really been enjoying her bouncy, and messing around with her blocks. I have some CD’s I like having her listen to as well. Oh! We did a paint with pudding night as a sensory play thing, it was a hoot.” She chuckles.

“Those are great, aren’t they? Very stimulating, and it teaches the child that sometimes messes are okay.” He looks down at Lilly and smiles. “May I sit with her in the rocking chair?”

“Please!” She gestures to it, and she sits down on the loveseat in the room. Harry sits down with Lilly, cradling her carefully. He adjusts her so she’s able to stand on his lap. She bounces herself and giggles. “Look at that!” Jane exclaims. “I love it when she does that.”

“She’s awfully sweet.” Harry smiles, and then he looks at Jane. “How much do you feed her?”

“I give her roughly twenty-four to thirty-two ounces a day. You’ll know how hungry she is or isn’t in the moment. I’ve started giving her pureed butternut squash, mashed bananas and strawberries, she’s got that puffed baby cereal as well. I’ve also started giving her ground chicken in really small doses just to get her some protein, but right now I’ve mostly been sticking to fruits and veggies. You must know a lot about what foods to give a baby?”

“I do.” He nods. “You’re still producing that much milk to give her daily?”

“I’ve almost been wishing I’d dry up. I get so sore somedays.” Jane sighs. “But I figure it’s good for her to have it while I can still make it. I’m not opposed to formular or anything…but I like bonding with her in that way. I got rid of her baby acne by rubbing my nipple on her skin, it was like magic.”

“It’s certainly a trick of the trade.” He smirks at her. “I remember learning that in one of my courses, and I was amazed. You all are super humans.”

Jane watches Harry play on the ground with Lilly for a bit. Harry was already so wonderful with her. Harry starts to smell something, and so does Jane.

“Think it’s time for a diaper change.” He chuckles and picks her up. “Would you like me to change her?”

“Yeah, I’d like to see you do it.”

He brings Lilly over to the changing table, and lays her down.

“I know you’re all warm and cozy, but I need to disrupt that for a moment.” He says to the baby girl who was babbling and blowing little spit bubbles, totally unbothered. Harry unsnaps her onesie, and lifts her legs to detach the diaper. His eyes widen at the type of diaper that’s on her. “You cloth diaper?” He looks at Jane.

“It’s better for the environment.” She shrugs. “There’s a trashcan for the…um, poop, and there’s another can for the diapers. I give her a regular diaper for bedtime just because it’s easier to change her in the middle of the night and in the morning, but daytime I use the cloth diapers.”

“Makes sense to me.” Harry disposes of everything, and grabs a few wipes to clean Lilly up. She took a powerful stinky.

“I blame it on the pureed peas.” Jane laughs.

“It doesn’t even phase me anymore, honestly.” Harry says as he gets a little baby powder on her. He grabs a spare cloth diaper, and gets it on her. He snaps her onesie back together and lifts her up. “There we go, good as new, darling girl.” Lilly blows some bubbles at Harry, and blows some back, making her giggle. Jane beams at the two of them.

“It’s about time for her afternoon nap. Would you like to put her down?”

“I’d love to.”

Harry carries Lilly upstairs with Jane. She flips on Lilly’s white noise machine, and makes sure her favorite blankies are in the crib. Harry sits down in the large chair in the corner of the room and starts to rock her gently, giving her soothing rubs. Jane watches as Lilly’s eyelids start to droop. She fights it at first, but Harry continues to soothe her until she’s out like a light. He carefully stands up and sets her down into her crib. The two back out of the room quietly, and make their way down the stairs.

“Let’s go back to my office.” Jane says, and Harry follows her there. Once they’re both seated, she starts speaking again. “Well, the job is yours if you want it.”

“Really?” Harry felt every worry from his life leave his body.

“Yes.” She chuckles. “You’ve really impressed me, and I think Lilly’s quite taken with you already. I’d love to have you as her nanny.” She takes out a few forms. “May I have your references? The background check will take about a week. How soon could you start after that?”

“Right away, honestly.” He hands her a sheet with his references.

“Here are the tax forms you’ll need to fill out, a form for direct deposit, and some information on your benefits. You can get everything back to me by the end of next week.”

“I can’t thank you enough for this opportunity, I’m so excited. I can’t wait to get started, Miss Watson.” He stands to shake her hand, and she stands as she takes it.

“Please, you can call me Jane.”

[sukifans]

HELP ME // sokka

WARNINGS: language, a Bug

WC: 3.3k

A/N: a little somethin somethin for @fromthewatertribe’s 1k event! i had a lot of fun doing this drabble. i used 2 (“please help me”) and 8 (“i thought you loved me”) for this bad boy that definitely got away from me lmao

⇦ 𝘔𝘈𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘙𝘓𝘐𝘚𝘛

Panic surged through Sokka when he checked his phone and saw he had about twenty missed calls from you over the past ten minutes. Just as he was about to call back, your contact photo popped up on the screen accompanied by the duck quack ringtone you’d set for yourself ages ago.

“I’ll be back,” he mumbled to Zuko, who nodded absently while preparing a customer’s tea. He stepped out the back of the Jasmine Dragon and slid his thumb across the screen. “Hello?”

“SOKKA, THANK FUCK!” You sounded like you were crying on the other end. He frowned, pulling the phone away from his ear in response to your screech.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Where are you?” he demanded over the ruckus of your wails. His hand dropped to his car keys in his pocket, ready to leave if you needed him.

“I’M AT HOME AND THERE’S A R-ROACH IN—“

Sokka groaned. “(Y/N), I’m at work. I cannot come kill a bug for you.”

Your blubbering paused. “B-But... I need help! And no one else will help me! Please help me!”

“As much as I want to help you I can’t right now, princess. I can swing by after we close in about an hour, though.”

You made a strangled sort of screaming sound and hung up. He brought his hand down, staring at his screen in surprise. The line was busy when he tried to call you back, so he pocketed his phone with a sigh and headed back inside.

Zuko was speaking on the store phone with someone when he got back to the front, making a face like he had just eaten something sour or smelled something foul. Sokka shot him a questioning look as he tied his apron back around his waist and Zuko beckoned him over.

“What’s up?” Sokka asked in a low voice.

“Just go,” Zuko huffed. “I can finish closing by myself and she said she won’t stop calling us until you help her.”

“Wh- give me that.” He took the landline receiver from Zuko. “Seriously, (Y/N)?”

“I’M FREAKING THE FUCK OUT, SOKKA!”

“It’s a bug!”

“IT’S FUCKING HUGE AND IT’S IN MY FUCKING ROOM, PLEASE GET OVER HERE! I NEED YOU!”

He made eye contact with Zuko and his friend just shook his head. “Fine, okay, you win. I’m on my way.”

She hiccuped. “You’re the best friend I could ever ask for, Sokka. I love you. Please hurry.”

“Yeah, yeah. Love you, too, princess,” he grumbled before hanging up. Zuko was watching him with raised eyebrows. “Oh, fuck off, dude.”

“I didn’t say anything.” He tried to hide his smirk by turning away to wipe down the counter.

“Don’t look so smug.” He smacked the back of his friend’s head after he threw his apron in the laundry bag.

“Hey!” Zuko punched his shoulder. “It’s not my fault you’re whipped for (Y/N) and too much of a pussy to make a move.”

“You’re fucking lucky I’m whipped and have to go kill a bug for my girl otherwise I’d kick your ass, Zuko.” He flipped him the middle finger as he headed out the door, keys in his other hand.

“Later, princess.” Zuko twiddled his fingers mockingly in goodbye. Sokka scoffed as he left, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. Yeah, he was whipped for you. He was wrapped securely and comfortably around your pinky finger. So what? It wasn’t like he had plans to do anything about it. He was perfectly happy being your friend — your best friend, in your own words. No way in hell would he risk fucking that up and losing you.

When he banged on your apartment door you simply yelled from inside that it was unlocked. It was hard to suppress a laugh at the scene that greeted him. You were curled up on your kitchen counter, hood of your sweatshirt drawn tight around your head so only your nose and eyes were visible and a can of bug spray in your trembling hand. Your tear-streaked face lit up when you saw him and it made his heart clench in his chest.

“Hey, princess.”

“Sokka!” You dropped the can and threw yourself at him. He caught you in his arms with a grunt and you wrapped your legs around his middle, clinging to his neck. His hands supported your back to keep you upright. “God, I’ve never been so happy to see you in my life. I could fucking kiss you right now.”

He had to recover quickly from almost choking on air in order to keep his composure. “Just doing my manly best friend duties.” He gulped when you slid down his body. Your feet hit the floor again but you still held onto him. “Alright, where’s the big bad bug?”

You glared up at him for his teasing. “My room. I was about to go take a shower when it fucking flew at my face! I don’t even know where it came from!”

“Stand by, princess,” he ruffled your hair and pulled off one of his sneakers to wield as a bludgeon, “I’ve got it all under control.” You rolled your eyes a bit when he puffed his chest out and flexed comically. You released him from your vice grip so he could stalk up to the closed door of your bedroom. Of course, you stayed planted firmly in the kitchen and watched from a distance.

“Be careful,” you warned, “it’s literally the biggest roach I’ve ever seen.”

“It may be big, but I’m bigger. And smarter.” He tapped his temple with his finger.

“I don’t know about that second part,” you giggled. He shot you a withering look.

“Do you want me to kill this thing or not?”

“Yes, sorry! You are so very strong and intelligent and handsome, Sokka. Much more strong and intelligent and handsome than the roach.”

“You know what? I’ll take that compliment.” He winked at you, sending your heart into your throat. You stuck your tongue out and made a face to hopefully hide how flustered you were.

“Stop flirting and kill the fucking bug!”

“You started it!”

“Sokka!” Laughing, he pushed open the door to your bedroom and disappeared inside. You watched the doorway with bated breath, listening to Sokka rummaging around to find the vermin.

There was an almighty thud, then a crash and a shriek along with thundering footsteps as your friend dashed out of the room with a massive roach flying behind him. You screamed too when you spotted the bug as it landed on your wall. Before you could react any further, Sokka had grabbed you and yanked you out the front door, slamming it shut behind you both.

“That’s no ordinary roach,” he panted, leaning against the door. He still held you close to his torso with an arm wrapped protectively around your waist. “Fucking military drone or something.”

“Did you think I was fucking joking?” Your stomach churned uneasily thinking about the insect walking all over your walls and prized possessions. A shudder ran down your spine and you buried your face into his chest, grabbing a fistful of the front of his shirt. “What am I supposed to do now? I can’t go back in there with that thing loose!”

“I don’t know.”

“You were supposed to kill it!”

“It charged me!”

“You big chicken!” Looking up, you flicked his forehead and giggled at his incredulous look. “I thought you loved me!”

His face felt like it was on fire. “I do!”

“Then why didn’t you kill it? You were supposed to protect me, Sokka!” Your hands settled on his chest and he hoped you couldn’t feel how fast his heart was beating. “So much for being smarter and stronger!”

“But you admit I’m more handsome still?” Your cheeks burned when his hand slid to your hip, using his thumb to rub circles into your hipbone through the fabric of your clothes.

“More handsome than the roach?” You couldn’t help but laugh at his goofy smile. “I guess you qualify for that.”

“Tough crowd,” he sighed. “I was going to bring you back to mine so you could get out of your roach-infested apartment, but if that’s how you really feel then I’ll leave you with the stronger, smarter organism.”

“The roach?” you squeaked indignantly. He chuckled at your wide eyes. “I’m sorry, I changed my mind. You are the smartest and strongest and handsomest again. Please let me crash at your place?”

“Wow, using me for my sweet crib? And here I was thinking you loved me for me!”

“Pretty please?” You clasped your hands under your chin, pouted, and gave him the best puppy dog eyes you could muster.

He groaned dramatically and rolled his eyes as if he were being greatly put out. “You know I can’t say no to that face. Let’s go, princess.” He disentangled himself from you and started to walk away only to realize you weren’t following. He turned back to you. “(Y/N)?”

You looked down at your socked feet. “I don’t have shoes. Or my keys.”

“I’m not going back in there.”

“Well, I’m not either.”

“Then it seems we’re at a stalemate.”

You pursed your lips thoughtfully. “Do you still have that spare key I gave you when I went out of town?”

“Good thinking, kid.” He shuffled around his key ring until he found yours, easily identifiable by the heart you’d painted onto it with your favorite nail polish. “Way to use your noodle.” He locked your front door and stood in front of you once again.

“Shoes,” you said simply, extending your leg to lift your foot in the air. “I’m not walking around like this. Knowing my luck I’ll step on a used needle and end up with some rare blood disease.” Sokka scratched the back of his neck as he considered this before a wicked grin split across his face. You did not like the looks of that. “Sokka...”

Without warning, he grabbed you around your middle and hoisted you onto his shoulder like a sack of flour. The inversion of your body made you squeal, scrambling to grab something to stabilize yourself. In your panic, you sunk your nails into the flesh of his ass.

“Jesus!” He gripped you tighter to stop you from slipping in his surprise. “I know I have an irresistibly fat ass but you gotta be careful back there, babe. That’s my moneymaker!”

If all your blood hadn’t been already rushing to your head you would’ve flushed. “That’s what you get for picking me up, asshole!” You paused. “What the fuck are you talking about, ‘your moneymaker?’”

“Well, I couldn’t have you stepping on a used needle and ending up with some rare blood disease, now could I?” You could practically hear his smirk as he carried you down to the front of your building.

“Do you derive joy from driving me up a wall?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. You made an indignant noise and pinched his side. He yelped and smacked the back of your bare thighs in response.

“Did you just spank me?” You thrashed in protest, making him stumble a bit.

“No,” he grunted and then brought his hand down on your ass, eliciting a gasp from you. “Now I did.”

“Sokka!”

“That’s ‘Daddy’ to you, princess.” He tried to drop his voice an octave to sound stern but he couldn’t suppress his laughter. You were just glad he couldn’t see your face.

“I’m going to throttle you when you put me down,” you threatened.

“Kinky.”

“You know what? I’ll take my chances with the roach. Bring me back, you fucking deviant.”

He dropped you down to the ground and you leaned back against his car door, looking away from his face. “Aw, you’re hurting my feelings, babe. I seem to remember someone telling me—“

You clapped your hand over his mouth before he could continue. “That’s enough out of you, thanks.” You could feel his smile against your palm at the reference to a highly inappropriate conversation you’d had together when you were both extremely drunk. You recoiled when he licked your hand.

“Alright, alright; let’s go home. I’m exhausted.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” you muttered without any malice as he reached around you to open the passenger door. He simply gave you that same shit-eating grin and closed your door.

Sokka decided to spare your pride and carried you up to his apartment on his back instead of over his shoulder. His hands on your thighs, shifting your position every so often, made your heart race. You could still catch whiffs of the tea from the Jasmine Dragon off his clothes, mingling with the masculine smell of his deodorant. The combination put you at ease after the trauma of dealing with the roach and you sighed happily, setting your chin on his shoulder and pressing your cheek against his. The stubbly scruff along his jaw prickled at your skin but you couldn’t find it in you to care much.

You thought he’d drop you down onto his couch once you’d entered his apartment but instead he carried you into his bedroom and flopped backwards onto his mattress, knocking the wind out of your chest as he squished you under his body. Despite the squeezing weight on your lungs you were laughing uncontrollably, arms still thrown around his shoulders. Sokka wished he could have moments like this with you every night; that he could turn around and kiss you without ruining everything.

“Why so giggly, kid? Are you enjoying this?” he teased, leaning his head back onto your chest.

“Laughter is my panic response. You’re suffocating me, fatass,” you wheezed

“Nah, I think you like it.”

You hummed thoughtfully as the giggles subsided. “Maybe. You’re kinda like one of those weighted blankets.”

“Yeah?” He turned so he faced you, propping himself up on his forearms on either side of your head. “Do I relieve your anxiety?”

You quirked an eyebrow. “The opposite, actually.”

“You wound me, really. I am a calming, peaceful, meditative presence. I am a delight and a joy to be around.” He frowned when you threw your head back in incredulous laughter. You hooked your leg around his hips and flipped him onto his back, pinning him underneath you.

“Maybe you have your moments.” He stared wide-eyed up at your teasing smile and considered closing the space between your mouths. Before he could work up the nerve, you sat back on your haunches out of reach. “I need to shower.”

“Without me?” he pouted. You groaned and shoved his face into the mattress as you stood.

“Don’t wait up, baby.” He flushed at the nickname you used to tease him. He propped himself up on his elbows to see you down the hall.

“I’ll take the couch tonight,” he said. You stopped just outside the bathroom door.

“Sokka, we don’t have to do this every time. I think it’s okay if we just sleep in the same bed without arguing over who gets the couch at this point.”

“If you’re alright with it,” he sighed, dropping his head back down.

“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s you.” You gave him a quick smile before disappearing into the bathroom.

You always secretly loved staying over with Sokka. The lather of his soap running down your body into the drain made you feel wrapped in his presence — a great comfort despite your teasing that suggested otherwise. His meticulous organizing even in the shower always made you laugh a little to yourself. His products were neatly organized in the order he used them, likely something he started doing when you’d dragged him to a beauty store after finding out he used 3-in-1 “for efficiency.” Now, to your immense pride and satisfaction, he had a full skincare and haircare routine.

Upon exiting the shower wrapped in a towel, you saw Sokka snoring lightly on his bed next to a pile of clothes he’d left out for you. You pulled on his shirt and quickly wriggled under the covers, propping yourself up on your elbow. You poked your finger into his cheek and he grunted, swatting at you.

“Leave me alone, woman,” he murmured.

“You need to shower.” He cracked an eye open to glare at you.

“You’re awfully demanding for a guest in my bed.”

“Well, you worked today and you stink.”

“That’s just my natural man musk. Pheromones and stuff. Nothing to be done about it.”

“Are you an ant?”

“Only if you’ll be my queen ant.” He sent you a cocky smirk and you simply shook your head.

“You’re fucking weird, dude.” He laughed and wrapped an arm around you, pulling you directly into his armpit as you squealed. Finally you freed yourself and rolled onto your side away from him with a huff. Sokka slid behind you and rested his head on your shoulder, sliding his arm around your waist.

“You know you love me, princess.”

“Whatever,” you grumbled. He chuckled and the sound reverberated against your back, his warm breath on your cheek making goosebumps rise on your skin. His thumb slid absently back and forth across your stomach and the soft touch lulled your heavy eyelids closed.

“Don’t go to bed mad, babe. At least give me my goodnight kiss.”

Enough. It’s now or never.

Before you could start second-guessing yourself, you rolled onto your back underneath him and surged upwards to press your lips to his in an insistent kiss. It lasted only a few moments before you pulled away because he remained frozen against you. His clear blue eyes were wide as he stared down at you and you could feel the heat rising to your cheeks and the tears threatening to spill as you realized what you’d done.

“You shouldn’t flirt if you don’t mean it, Sokka. It gives people the wrong idea,” you whispered, the corners of your mouth pulling into a frown. His gaze darted from your eyes down to your lips and back again.

“Who says I don’t mean it?” And then he was finally, finally kissing you before you could tell him off. You snaked your arm around his shoulders and pulled him down on top of you, desperate to be closer, to feel his body on your own to reassure yourself that yes, this was happening and it was real. His hand trailed up to cup your face, skimming his thumb gently along your cheekbone. You both broke away to gasp for air. Sokka looked down at your flushed cheeks and bright eyes and lips that were just beginning to swell and he thought you were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

“Oh, don’t look so pleased with yourself,” you laughed, swiping your thumb over his satisfied smile on your way to pull the tie from his ponytail. The ends of his loose hair tickled your face as he kissed you again, this time much more gentle.

“And why shouldn’t I be?” Another kiss. “I’m kissing the girl I’ve been in love with for years.” Your eyes widened and you shoved him back onto the bed.

“Years?” you squeaked. “We could’ve been doing this for years?”

“I didn’t know you had feelings for me!”

“Of course I had feelings for you, are you joking?”

“Then why didn’t you do anything before now? I flirt with you constantly!”

“Because I thought you were joking!”

“Well, that’s on you, then. Now c’mere, princess,” he reached out and hugged you close to his body again, “we have a lot of time to make up for.”

“God, you’re such a cornball.” You giggled at the teasing kisses he peppered all over your face. When he finally caught your lips you hummed happily against his mouth. He tasted sweeter than the most tooth-rotting candy and gave you the same sugar high.

“Yeah, but you love it.”

“I do.” You snuggled down under the blanket and rested your head on his chest. “I love you, Sokka.”

He ruffled your hair affectionately. “I love you too, princess.”

“You still need to shower, though.”

“Ugh.”

ATLA TAGS: @hotgirlazula @octophopi

SOKKA/ZUKO TAGS: @fiantomartell

[rsmrymnt-tea]

"Feels like there's substance but not really" is such a good way to describe this lesson! I was honestly quite disappointed in this one compared to the others that have come out. It does feel like they're setting things up at least, but the lesson doesn't really feel like all that much on its own??

The consequences for the premilinary trial are so steep! It makes sense because failing does leave a mark on Diavolo's reputation but damn!! It is only the illusion of consequence though - how are they going to send MC home when all of the cast is in the Devildom?

(when Dia said that failing means being kicked out of the exchange program I really was like... Is this supposed to motivate me? The 'privilege' to attend demon school? Uhh..)

(if MC did fail how is Dia going to stop them from teleporting back to the Devildom? They have the magic, and all the people they care about are in the Devildom so..?)

I am nervous because they've really set up these trials to be tough: a verbal warning, Mammon being nervous about them trying, essentially having to find a needle in a haystack for the prelims - plus us having to buy that these are trials to become a member of the Devildom's government. And the trials are under scrutiny too! If they fall short it's really gonna suck!!

With the character stuff. Mammon falling back into old habits does seem to be setting up a character arc for him? Even if it is annoying. (I do love him but isn't it another characters turn? Every other not-Lucifer character could use some development please?) But that said, there's no excuse for Satan to be like that!! And the way they sidelined him by sticking catMammon on him??? Why do the devs hate him 😭😭

Satan easily could've replaced Belphie for the TSL game thing. Satan hangs out in the library, he could've been there when we arrived! And he absolutely would be capable of winning Pasto. If Satan doesn't get to help with one of the trials and get to show off his smarts I'm going to be so disappointed.

- 🐝

I guess that comes with it being a kind of filler-y set-up Lesson? It’s main purpose really is to just introduce a few details about what you’ll need to do but at the same time… I’m wondering why they have to do it like this? At the very least it didn’t end up becoming a ‘mostly just Mammon’ date Lesson again (because if there’s going to be a Mammon-centric Lesson it better be one where it wakes his brothers up to actually rewarding him when he does good) but I’m still left feeling like… Hm. Truthfully parts of Lesson 62 bothered me as well since we got unnaturally stupid brothers and MC for the sake of plot, but I’m glad that that nail polish arc didn’t last an entire fucking chapter like some of the filler in S2 did.

(Also my goodness I kinda go off the rails with this one, under the cut? Oh my god)

And big yes on the illusion of consequence—as far as I can tell, really does just mean that MC can no longer attend RAD as a student, which honestly… Good? Lmao????? Aren’t we all sick of being forced back into school anyway? 😩 And it’s not like RAD’s the only place where MC can further their magical studies since Solomon and Satan exist. Plus with MC now knowing how to teleport, they don’t need any special invite from Diavolo to be able to enter the Devildom + once they know how to use summoning magic then they can have any of the boys up there with them in the human world too should Diavolo actually bar MC from teleporting into the Devildom somehow. And realistically I don’t think Diavolo can do anything about the summoning part since MC is out of Diavolo’s jurisdiction once they’re in the human world.

I guess the only real thing at stake is that they’d no longer be a candidate for joining the government? And honestly that should be enough, but I don’t think the writers have done a good enough job of making us truly invested in making sure MC gets to be part of the student council. With the Sorcerer Trials it makes sense to care since—

- MC needs to be a sorcerer in order to practice magic freely. They can’t do more than the few spells Solomon’s allowed them to use without a proper license.

- Being a sorcerer also means that MC would be able to use more powerful magic—like summoning the brothers and teleporting to the Devildom

- You get Clout™️ from the human world as well! At least, from other magic users.

With the student council… Idk like personally the idea excites me because it’s an interesting proposal for my MC but idk about everyone else when it looks like being a member of the government is a huge drag. How many fics have we seen where the brothers are drowning in work because of their governmental responsibilities? In canon, barely any of them even like going to the meetings :/ And quite frankly I think MC’s real place is by Solomon’s side as his equal and fellow protector of humanity. I guess your only real main stake here is that MC joining the government brings them once step closer to being able to marry the brothers and be part of the family but… It’s probably my bias speaking, but personally don’t think marriage is needed at all for MC to be counted as a ‘real member of the family,’ even more so since I personally do not think humans should be living in the Devildom for extended periods of time? Also, what would MC being part of Diavolo’s council even entail? Would they have to spend more time in the Devildom? How much time will they have for their studies under Solomon? They’re already apprenticing under Solomon with the promise that they’ll be his right hand in protecting humanity.

Like really, I think this has just been spurred on because Diavolo wants a show of good faith that humans and demons can coexist and that demons shouldn’t look down on humans. But that’s a Diavolo problem more than it’s an MC problem imo, and I think MC can function as Diavolo’s representative for humanity just fine without the official government position. I suppose MC can function as the ‘soft’ function of protecting humankind by working with Diavolo to make sure that demons end up no longer a threat to humans but man. Maybe it’s the RPG player in me but that’s so lame?? If you know about GW2 that’s as if you’re the Marshall of the Pact and Trahearne’s out there adventuring in your place, mingling with new people, taking part of the action while you’re in Fort Trinity, managing paperwork and waiting for updates.

I… Guess it would be nice if you’re going for Diavolo or Barbatos? But really, you being a representative of humanity with close ties to the Devildom should entail some regular meetings with Diavolo as you and Solomon (+maybe some other humans since unlike the other two realms we’re very varied and diverse and a lot less tolerating of just a handful of people calling the shots), him, and Michael (I guess) figure out of to unite your realms??? Like?? Isn’t that an interesting thought?

But I recognize that I’ve very heavily influenced by my own views of how this should go lmao It’s just, now that I think about it, why the fuck is MC having to prove themselves like this again?

Re: the trials, it’s definitely going to suck if MC fails, but I’m personally kinda thrilled at the prospect of real trials with real danger and real stakes! Hopefully they make some fucking sense this time!!! This is what the seven fucking trials for the sorcerer’s stars should’ve been. Of course, I could be speaking too soon since we don’t actually know what the actual three trials are, but I feel like they’d pertain to aspects of an individual that demons like in a leader. Like power, intellect, and character? The demons have to know you aren’t too weak in the physical/magical sense to lead them—that’s like the bare minimum basis for respect imo. They have to know that you’re not dumb as shit and can make smart choices for the betterment of their society (whatever that means for demons since I feel like it’s different for them vs us) and that most of all, you’re someone worthy of respect even when both those aspects of you are taken away? Does that make sense? Like when you’re reduced to nothing, are you still someone they’d root for?

And the character stuff!! Ugh!! Even if they are setting Mammon up for character development, that part of him should’ve been addressed long ago by the two of them growing closer through the years! I don’t recall him getting all like that in S3?? He’s actually more open about his feelings and so sweet and forward in S3 (sadly it’s just being directed at someone who’s not interested dsfdjkg) and I think he barely brought up the ‘first man’ and ‘master/servant’ thing during his stay in the human world??? I feel like he should’ve been able to admit that he just wants some attention from MC when he was ranting about them being so busy and that ‘I’m the master’ comment is so :/ Like I mentioned earlier, I’d love for his character development to be focused on something else because that part of him has been addressed and developed as far back as S2, honestly.

Imo with how much he’s actually grown, he could do with stepping out of the spotlight and having Asmo, Belphie, Levi, or Beel have some more screen time and development. Of you know, Barbatos? Simeon? Solomon? Give Satan a personality again? Mammon and Lucifer could stand to not be the focal point of a Lesson for the sake of development because I think they’ve already grown so much from having the focus on them so often. Heck, Lucifer’s so central to everyone that he gets to grow even when he’s not around, I’m sure :/

And man, idk what the fuck the dev’s deal with Satan is. It doesn’t help that they’re definitely very aware of what they’re doing and acknowledge it in game!! Multiple times!! The number of times where the characters (or even MC themself honestly) are like ‘oh, cats again??? :/’ ‘I guess he really loves cats??’ or ‘Satan, this isn’t the time for cats!!’ feels almost like they’re mocking me and everyone else for wanting him to be more. Is there a fucking reason or something that he’s suddenly Like This? Are we supposed to think about it, and so that’s why it keeps being pointed out by the game itself that he’s like this now???

You’re right in that he’d be perfect for the library and TSL thing in the Lesson. He’s read TSL, would know about Pasto and could beat Levi at it. And y’know what? I bet he could’ve helped MC shorten their search somehow. He knows a lot of magic, he knows a lot of spells, he’s at least got a couple thousand years of knowing Diavolo to go off to deduce what his strategy might be in hiding it. Just… Idk. Seeing Satan get treated like this sucks. Like really, what’s their deal with Satan? Stop nerfing him so much for plot convenience, devs.

[dirtyrottenraskel]

my take on yueki's personalities

yue 

notes / personality

cocky (but also like understated confidence - r e g a l af) 

kind of a nerd

maybe a little entitled, and a little bratty and suki loves to indulge her or to rile her up depending on her mood

books

seems soft but made of steel

strong sense of duty

socially intelligent - can be manipulative and suki (the dork) thinks it is so hot 

aloof queen bee typa beat

supportive, both in ur day to day and in going after your big moral life goals 

deep water - steady and powerful, often underestimated

untold depths, private yet surprisingly nurturing - master of deflecting away from herself

political nerd - well read, and when she has someone she trusts not to take advantage of her, she goes OFF 

distrusting of most people, has been used and ignored and underestimated her whole life

patient - homegirl knows how to play the long game

excellent at pai sho / chess 

she and suki have epic battles of wits - dif types of strategy but both are really into it and get a little too competitive (multiple board games have had to be replaced over the years)

loves travel bc wasn’t allowed to much, esp when she was sick 

was super repressed growing up - never let her be herself or really have any sort of independence

used to sneak out and wander around in rebellion and casually sabotage plans and decisions she didn’t agree with 

introverted, many opinions but keeps them to herself, discreet but well spoken

weaponizes secrets and information - doesn’t often use it but...she could

definitlyyyyy worries and overthinks and re-evaluates - worries ab social politics a lot

obsessive about picking things - wants it to be perfect

shes growing into her confidence as a leader

prefers quite intimate places

incredibly romantic

classic lit

planner for the future - visionary

kind / sweet / gentle - yes, but that’s also her “front” to a degree (seriously, i feel like she gets painted as so sweet and submissive and one dimensional by the fandom a lot of times and it freakin kills me)

INFJ-T (The Advocate) ((yes this is from 16p which i know is not super accurate but u can still catch her overall vibes from it ya know)

Creative/insightful/principled/compassionate/altruistic

sensitive/reluctant to open up/perfectionist/prone to burnout/not a fan of the ordinary

friendships / relationships

(<> indicates that they’re one of her best friends)

sokka - puppy love crushes, laugh ab it now, get into deep late night talks about responsibilities and leading, water tribe culture, prank wars (no one believes sokka when he says yue is a mean prank master (expect suki comes to see it in action lol))

katara - <> badass women friendship, totally would go to matches and protests together, tough girl shit, waterbending practice/duels - start of cautious, but then get rough in a good way bc they trust each other, they do water tribe food adventures together

toph - indulges her chaos, bonding over stupid royal upbringings, odd yet weirdly endearing pair

zuko - both sort of standoffish gay royals, but once they come to see that they are friends - take up similar spaces though, so only hang out in a group or rarely by themselves, they do hang out at like political parties and stuff when they get more comfortable together

aang - <> he has an impressive world view, yue is super studied and well read, so she and aang nerd out over past cultures together, and also their peace keeping nature, they have tea together often - usually after she and katara wipe the floor w/ each other

clothing / aesthetic:

blues and pale colors

classy and understated wealth

like those cute feminine button down shirts

dresses

like cold weather classy

complicated braids

sort of soft girl aesthetic?

pleated skirts !!!

i feel like she would wear ethically sourced fur (i don’t wear fur but idk how to get it in an ethical way - maybe it’s just fake??)

knit sweaters and skinny jeans and heeled ankle boots

light academia !!!

hella funky earrings - to mark her native pride and also cuz gay

from my readings, tattoos have a lot of cultural significance for Inuit women, and so i feel like yue would totally have some (when she comes of age ofc) 

suki

notes / personality 

extroverted 

also very strategic 

more spontaneous tho - will totally calculate the odds in a spilt second in her head and then just go for it

like still a careful planner, but willing to say fuck it, yolo if it seems right 

reflects on her mistakes, but more in like a healthy way - unless it was a leadership mistake, then it eats her up inside - worries more ab keeping her girls safe and making the right call

likes lively places

total bashful romantic

manages the present and the short term - realist

loves to do lists 

a little punch happy - loves to make violent threats, but also does it out of excitement and she’s just a really physical person tbh

steady, can come off as stubborn and abrasive but she really just wants what’s best for everyone she loves

harsh on herself and worries about her girls a lot 

always ends up in the oddest situations 

totally would kick someone’s ass for being racist/sexist/homophobic/etc 

dedicated to her training and her regime 

not a great cook, but she can manage 

would drink monsters 

has a weird relationship with femininity - took her awhile to reconcile strength and toughness and being assertive and aggressive with also wanting to feel pretty and feminine and embracing being a girl and how those things can coincide and amplify each other

abandonment issues - parents absent/dead 

was imprisoned - obvi she had several almost successful escape attempts, but she got really close to breaking 

was incredibly independent really early, grew up really fast and tries to make up for that now by sometimes being reckless 

tough/assertive/woman of action 

dry sense of humor/sarcastic - not good at nickname/pun humor tho

practical/dedicated/strong-willed/direct/honest/reliable/loyal/patient

stubborn/judgmental/difficult to relax/difficulty expressing emotions/too selfless 

friendships / relationships

(<> indicates that they’re one of her best friends)

sokka - <>  man they’re like platonic soulmates - she beat him up, and now they spar all the time, totally funny and crack jokes all the time, go skating together, they do shitty art together, and then show their lovers after zuko and yue come back from their high society mixers, broke her out of prison, m/f friendship !!! 

katara - also sparring buddies (suki will throw down at any literally moment (and tbh so will katara)), not close but will hang in a group - go to each other for advice 

toph - <> listen these two wreak havoc together, they help each other out a lot, i feel like they’re shopping buddies (similar enough style to frequent the same shops) toph knows suki won’t judge her for wanting to feel pretty and suki knows toph will be honest, they are both blunt sarcastic assholes and get along like a house on fire 

zuko - <> shows zuko how to like,,,enjoy things (and how to let go of some of that pressure to be always right and the adult and in charge bc they were raised with so much responsibility on their shoulders even tho they were just kids)? she is also super protective of him (once she trusts him), one of the only ppl who can match suki fully in hand to hand combat, both do the Disappointed Parent Look when the group falls into chaos, but by themselves, the two of them end up in hijinks

aang- suki enjoys his optimism and they’re just chill bros, they love exploring abandoned placed together 

clothing / aesthetic

sporty and skater mixed 

ripped jeans, crewnecks, vans 

green and yellow and dark red 

gym clothes/athleisure - lifting style gym clothes - cut off t-shirts and bike shorts

skirts too, likes to play into femininity

she’s a gold jewelry kinda girl - but stuff that won’t hinder her movements 

necklaces that end in the hollow of her throat & occasionally rings

definitely cuffs all of her jeans (it’s just bisexual culture ya know)

so many crop tops - some came like that, some were more of a diy project

yueki’s relationship!!!

nerd/jock solidarity 

feel the burden of responsibility and the weight on their shoulders 

they create a safe space between them, full of trust and warmth and vulnerability 

yue will read suki sappy passages from poetry books while suki polishes her fans 

they slow dance in the kitchen a lot 

they get good at ordering takeout - and they have some weird decision making process that only they understand - bc neither of them are great cooks 

yue would feel jealous of suki and sokka, if it weren’t for how stupid in love sokka was with zuko and yue can see that suki really only has eyes for her 

yue is taller than suki and it amuses her to no end to pick suki up and carry her away from a fight (we all know suki could get away if she wanted to, but when ur hot tall sexy gf throws u over her shoulder,,,,,,u don’t complain)

joke they’ve adopted kataang and zukka, bc they’re all dummies, but in reality every last one of them is stupid LMAO 

they love to do each other’s hair and it’s like super intimate and really cute 

sometimes it’s these epic elaborate hairstyles and then at other times, they try to see how many ponytails they can fit on suki’s head and how many little braid yue can do 

they travel EVERYWHERE 

since yue is royalty and suki is her body guard,,,, well i mean, they totally have to see these kingdoms they are doing trade deals with in person 

it helps that they're friends with a lot of them 

they stay over in everything from camping so they can stargaze to ritzy hotels with hot tubs in the bathroom 

yue gives suki rocks she finds on all their travels and suki lines them up on their mantle around the pictures of them in increasingly weird locations 

suki loves guarding yue’s meetings bc she gets to watch her absolutely rip a new one into misogynistic old men and it never fails to bring her joy 

While yue doesn’t love getting attacked, the ruthless efficiency suki defends her with is like,,,,,stupid attractive 

[aomineavenue]

angel

Pairing: Bokuto Koutarou x Reader

Genre: fluff (OH WOW?)

Summary: meeting each other for the first time.

Word Count: 3k+

MIA’S GENERAL TAGLIST

@luvelyxp @paripedia @bokukiyoom @sunnyatsumu @centuress @doggonudez @newfriendjen @kodzukrn @anjvxmmv @keijikunn @maramalademadara @chaelysian @haikyuuwithadashofart @rogueofbullshit @bokuakadaily @kac-chowsballs @sakomi-kun @giyuwu-san​ @quirklessidiot​

mia speaks: 

just a little piece for my little baby bo to make up for the angst one i made of him lmao and bcoz BIRTHDAY BOY

if it isn’t too much, please leave a little COMMENT on this piece or REBLOG if you like it! Thanky! 

“No, ah—ah, it’s okay!” you interrupt him through giggles, dropping your hands down to your sides as you let your laugher slip through your lips at how such a well-built man turned into an adorable spluttering mess. He surely was different from the typical men that you had encountered throughout your modeling career.

It was like a breath of fresh air.

And you wanted more.

You were all smiles today with the girls as you all excitedly entered backstage to get ready. The show was going to start in a few minutes and honestly, despite the waves of anxiety rocking you back and forth, you were still very much excited for today’s show. After all, it’s the big event that the majority of the world waited to see.

Runway shows have never been a problem for you, that’s for sure. You were confident with your walk, but unfortunately, when it came to the Victoria Secret Fashion Shows, you were completely, utterly, nervous. Not only were you walking down a runway with people watching, but other people would be able to view it at home once it’s edited and polished. People from around the world would be able to watch your performance and you knew the VS Fashion Show was the talk of the world when it was that time of the year. 

Flashing a cheeky grin towards Candice, she gives you one of her own with a wink as you both sat down on your respective prep chairs that had your names on it and waited patiently for your assigned makeup artists to get started. 

“You ready?” Candice asked from her seat next to you. All you could give her was a nod and an excited squeal, causing her to laugh. “Have you invited anyone today?" 

"Oh, yeah. I’ve invited my best friends from high school since we’re around their area but that doesn’t matter since none of them responded to me so they’re probably too busy,” you said with a frown. 

Candice reaches out towards you, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. “Well then your best friends are obviously missing out." 

You couldn’t blame your friends for not being able to attend your shows, no matter how vocal they are when it came to supporting you through scheduled video calls. They were all equally busy with their lives unlike during high school where they could find the time and support the other whether it may be your small local fashion shows or their volleyball matches. 

You wouldn’t have been able to make your dreams fully come true without their help and support. You had always dreamed of becoming a model. You were good, everyone adored your signature catwalk more than anything. Though, for the first few years when you just began, it was a little tough and a lot of competition from other aspiring models. You started off in social media, showing off your looks and your best friends were the first ones to promote it, especially Shoyo, who even ran around the halls of Karasuno High School, waving his phone in front of the faces of students to show you off. And you even had Tsukki sharing your posts though, as usual, he acted as if he was being forced. Eventually, despite still being in high school, you were recruited by a small modeling agency and from there, everything changed. All thanks to your best friends, of course. 

They never stopped supporting you, always finding the time to support your shows and even having them as your own team and because of their hard work and your own, slowly but surely, as you reached your junior year in senior high, you eventually got a name for yourself after a while, but projects didn’t come as easy or often. 

Though, that changed as soon as you approached your senior year during an after party for one of your shows. As usual, you had your team (aka your group of best friends) present with you and all their praises towards your performance during the show gained a lot of attention from various popular brands that were present as well. If anything, you were completely embarrassed by their excessiveness as brand owners began approaching you, but you were more than grateful for that night, for them, because after that night, projects started pouring in.

It was all thanks to Shoyo’s contagious energy, bouncing from one guest to the other, asking them what they thought of you. Kageyema’s persistent pestering, telling brands that they would miss out if they didn’t give you a chance, and he didn’t give them a chance to decline, not that they could anyway with how determined he looked. Then there was Yamaguchi, dragging Tsukki along to talk to different brands regarding your work, the usual tag team when it came to helping you, it almost seemed like a bad cop and good cop scenario, the receiving end not being able to escape until the two were satisfied. Even Yachi had some connections due to her mother, and had introduced you to the people she knew. 

And since then, everything took off and after becoming a well-known model in Japan, you eventually gained the attention of a huge brand that offered projects around the world, and who were you to decline such an opportunity? So as your modeling career skyrocketed, you found yourself exploring the world right after you graduated from Karasuno.

Despite being busy with your career and the time differences, you made sure to keep in contact with the people who helped you reach your dreams and they did the same, none of you drifted apart, always updating the other when needed. Invitations to your shows were always sent to the group, always expressing one day that they would be able to attend your shows. Especially since you had been recruited to become an Angel two years prior, but with everyone’s busy schedule and not having the ability to afford plane tickets to wherever the VS Fashion was being hosted, you and your friends found the time when the show would be aired and face timed each other to watch. And of course, the overwhelming love and support spilled from their mouths. 

Still, a part of you wished they would be able to attend your show today since it’s being hosted in Tokyo. You wished they would be able to see your growth in person. 

A loud squeal breaks you from your train of thought. You glanced over to one of the new girls that have been casted to run this year’s walk. "Wonder what’s that about…” you heard Candice beside you. You simply shrugged. 

“There are some really hot guys!” she squealed excitedly, clapping along. “I was taking a peek outside and saw them! They’re seated front row! Those seats are usually for our personal guests, someone tell me right now whose guests are those and please introduce me at the after party!" 

You and Candice turned to look at each other and burst into a fit of giggles. 

It wasn’t uncommon for the new girls to look around the guests to drool over celebrities that were invited, like a predator looking for its prey. You weren’t going to deny, but you were one of those girls too during your first year as an Angel, and had shamelessly flirted with one of your favorite celebrities during the after party. Thinking about it now, maybe you’ll have some fun later and find your own person to flirt with later but for now, you’re just silently praying that you don’t trip on the runway.

"Okay, can I just say that I’m really nervous right now?” you squeaked, a shaky breath escaping your lips. Your makeup artist patting the liquid shiny highlighter along your cheekbones with her fingers as Candice laughs beside you. 

She counters, flashing you a reassuring smile through the reflection of the vanity mirror in front of you, “You’ll be fine. Just relax." 

"Thank you, Shelly.” you said to your makeup artist before she gives you a nod and walks off. You let out a whine and throw your head back, your eyelids fluttering shut. “Easy for you to say, I’m opening the show this year.”

Candice extends her arm out to reach for your hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, hoping to calm your nerves. “You’ll do good.” You could always count on Candice to soothe you. That’s what best friends were for. 

“Y/N! Hurry up over here, you need to get changed!" 

You snapped back to reality and immediately jumped off of your seat and headed over to wardrobe. The last thing you heard from Candice was a yell of ‘good luck!’ before everyone begins fussing over your outfit. 

Music now blaring, excitement all over the atmosphere as the crew prepares the cue to signal you in. You were opening the show this year. The first set, which was called 'Snow Angels’ and you had been given one of the privileges of having huge fluffy white angel wings. It was heavy but nothing you couldn’t manage due to your rigorous training to maintain your model physique. They were huge and even had a trail that led down to your feet, you were able to grasp on it, to make it flow and follow you along every step. You had decided to hold onto them as you walked, an idea popping into your head. Along with the wings, you were dressed in white lace lingerie that fit perfectly and gave some accent to your well toned body. The lingerie had been adorned beautifully with gems that gave them a boost, making it sparkle when lights shine towards your direction. Plus, the silver heels were to die for. You really did look like an angel.

Bobbing your head to the music, dancing along to calm your nerves. You keep your gaze locked up ahead, a small smile playing on your lips. This is what you enjoyed the most, despite the nervous feeling you felt, you loved the adrenaline that coursed through your body. The adrenaline that pumped through your veins whenever you walked, you enjoyed the catwalks the most in your line of work. 

Hearing your entrance nearing since there was a rehearsal beforehand, you already knew when to start walking despite being given the signal from the crew members that stood around you. Giving them your signature cheeky grin, they give you their thumbs up of good luck with a smile plastered on their faces.

Following the beat of the music blaring through the place, your feet carried you through it, going exactly at the pace of the beat. As you reached the middle of the stage, you started with your signature catwalk entrance that your fans adored, you had your back facing the crowd for a second before you heard your cue to spin around from the music. You flashed the crowd with a smile and this only caused them to erupt into cheers. You began your walk, your feet taking you along in sync with the beat, your hips swaying to the rhythm. Letting your wings go for a second, you encouraged the crowd to go louder with your hands as you walked along the path, the smile still on your face. 

In an instant, your eyes catch a glimpse of a familiar mop of bright orange hair and your eyes widen ever so slightly, not expecting to see your group of friends standing up clapping happily at the sight of you with the biggest smiles on their faces. Time seemed to slow down but you were able to see them clearly. 

Yachi waved happily towards you with tears in her eyes, Yamaguchi giving you a thumbs up and a wide smile while Tsukki just looked at you with that irritating smirk but he looked proud, nonetheless. Kageyama waving a little flag with your face printed, his usual sheepish smile that you were accustomed to nowhere to be found, replaced with a wide smile that could compete with Shoyo’s. Speaking of the ball of sunshine, there was Shoyo, gaining the attention of the camera crew, jumping around excitedly with one hand in the air and his phone in the other, most likely capturing your walk, all the while, shouting your name. 

However, that wasn’t what just had caught your eye but the familiar looking person next to Shoyo who was equally as energetic as he was and you couldn’t help but let the warmth rush to your cheeks at the way he was looking at you in awe. A sudden surge of happiness bubbles in your chest at the sight of the duo excitedly chanting your name over the loud music, you were sure that the editing team would use the footage for when the show airs all over the world.

Despite not fully recognizing who the person next to Shoyo was, you couldn’t help but feel the butterflies burst in your stomach as you caught his eye. You were used to this kind of energy being best friends with Shoyo but something about his whole aura wanted to make your heart burst from the excitement. Summoning the courage, you send a flying kiss and a wave towards his direction. A grin makes its way to your lips at his unexpected reaction. It was like the one in cliche romantic movies where the guy captures the flying kiss with his hand and presses it to his heart before sending one back. You were hooked.

As you reach the end, you give the crowd, especially looking at the camera, your signature pose before gripping onto the wings once more, swaying yourself to create a flow as your eyes focus on the camera capturing your movements as if to seduce your viewers. Breaking out into a breathtaking grin, you spun around to walk back. As your feet carried you, you couldn’t help but glance back at where your friends were seated, your grin never wavering at the sight of Shoyo waving like a maniac, pointing towards your direction as he began telling the people surrounding him that he was your best friend. 

Your eyes caught golden ones once more and your heart skips a beat at the evident adoration mixed in his orbs. You felt breathless and giddy, slightly flustered at the thought of this mysterious man that was seated next to your best friend. You mentally note to yourself to ask Shoyo about him later and silently hope you would see him at the after party before disappearing to the backstage to prepare for your next set.

You had 3 sets for the year, the first one with the 'Snow Angels’ and then a set during the middle of the show and then the last set for the evening. The second set involved you wearing a sort of witch costume. You wore deep purple lingerie with a tiny hat that was pinned comfortably at the side of your head. The purple heels weren’t just a finishing touch, but the witch broom too. And the final set you wore, black lingerie. It was more of a corset but the texture was wonderful, lace, with some parts see through. You felt confident, so beautiful. A skirt was paired up with it, a small trail following you at the back. 

And every single time you walked down that runway, you would glance over at your best friends and him, winking playfully or sending kisses, Shoyo thinking it was directed at him but little did he know that it was for the energetic man with spiky white-grey hair with black streaks that resembled a horned owl that was on the receiving end of your playful gestures. And the man himself knew it too, playfully sending it back that made your heart beat rapidly in its confinement. Your friends, well aside for Shoyo, probably noticed that everything was directed to him, but you couldn’t find yourself to care as your confidence was at full percentage with how sexy you were feeling wearing lingerie.

As the show ended and you stood there happily in a line with the rest of the girls, your bubbly self began to show as you began dancing along to the beat of the music. It was another successful year. 

Now, it was time for the after party. 

You barely had the time to search for your friends as you were always pulled by either your co-angels or people you had wanted to work with. It was so difficult to reach them as they were situated from across the room, having their own little party and not really wanting to leave each other’s side, but you really wanted to join them at the realization that the man that was seated next to Shoyo earlier at the show, who you had been practically flirting throughout your walk, was a part of their group and it wasn’t just a coincidence of them seating next to each other. Then again, something in the back of your head was nagging you that you knew him, something about his aura completely familiar. 

After what seemed like forever, you were finally able to slip away from the people who wanted your attention, having the chance to see your friends after so long. However, before you could approach them you were pulled back by your forearm and as you were about to reprimand the intruder, your plan of actions were put to a halt as your eyes met his golden orbs. 

“Hey, hey, hey?” he starts sheepishly, a small smile playing on his lips as he releases his grip. 

A giggle slips past your lips as your shoulders relax. “Hey, hey, hey,” you repeat his words teasingly with a playful grin, “And what can I help you with?” 

“This may seem really weird since we don’t know each other but can I ask you a question?” he asks, shifting his tone to a more serious one but with one look into his eyes, you can see them twinkling with playfulness and you couldn’t help but nod your head to his request. “Did it hurt?” 

Brows knitting together in confusion, you tilt your head to the side at his question. “Did what hurt?” 

In a second, his features shift from the serious one that he had to one where his lips twitched to a grin, “When you fell from heaven.”

You suppress the heat that wanted to rush up to your cheeks from his cheesy pick up line, completely flustered. You were used to guys flirting with you but how was he able to surprise you and made you want to squeal like a high school girl? However, despite being flustered by his flirting, you weren’t one to back down so easily. Blinking a couple of times, trying your best to not look fazed by his words. “Are you implying that I’m Satan?” you ask, folding your arms across your chest as you arch a brow at him. 

He doesn’t expect your answer and turns into a spluttering mess before you. “No, I—I just,” he stutters, brows furrowing in frustration thinking he had failed to woo you with his pick up line, he was going to reprimand Atsumu who had told him it would work. “You—you’re an angel, ah you know, a Victoria’s Secret Angel, and I—” 

You interrupt him through giggles, dropping your hands down to your sides as you let your laugher slip through your lips at how such a well-built man turned into an adorable spluttering mess. He surely was different from the typical men that you had encountered throughout your modeling career. 

It was like a breath of fresh air. 

And you wanted more. 

Just as he wanted more of you when he stops his explaining at the sight of you bursting into a fit of giggles and he couldn’t even find himself to be embarrassed anymore at the sight of in your bubble of happiness, the way your face were scrunched up from laughing or how the sound of your laughter was like music to his ears, a smile making its way to his lips as he watches you in amusement. Ah yes, you truly were an angel to him. 

“No, ah—ah, it’s okay!” you gasp out through your giggles, shaking your head slightly as you try to regain your composure by holding onto your sides, “I didn’t mean to ruin your attempt at flirting.” 

He tilts his head to the side, the smile on his lips widening. “Oya? Why’s that?”

“Well...” you trail off, a smile matching his as you relax from your outburst, “I wouldn’t oppose to such, if it’s from you, that is.” 

He’d have to thank Shoyo for bringing him along. Your mere smile from afar was already breathtaking but now that he was close, he wanted to see it every single day of his life. Extending his arm, he holds his hand out for you to shake, “The name’s Bokuto Koutarou.” 

Taking his hand in yours, your eyes widen slightly as his name slips out of his mouth, “The Bokuto? The one that Shoyo’s been gushing about during freshmen year? I knew you looked familiar!” 

“The one and only,” he chuckles as he shakes your hand, listening intently as you introduce yourself, not wanting to let go of your hand just yet. He lets your name roll off his tongue experimentally and you mentally note to yourself that you loved the way that it did. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” A Happy Birthday indeed.

[yuthoe]

Day 30: Partners (MONSTA X: Chae Hyungwon)

this is horrible HAHAHAHA it's the second-to-the-last day of MTM and today's prompt is:

Day 30: Sports Setting

and i was going to make like an "i can do anything better than you" plot, but this is the most i can do with the time i had today. was super busy and this deformed baby is what was born. hayyyy idk, i was really looking forward to this prompt bc (1) the premise i made was really fun and (2) it's hyungwon HAHA but apparently my brain juices have run out

ALSO IF Y'ALL ARE WONDERING, the sport they're doing is dancesport aka competitive ballroom, which i also practice hihi i'm so predictable, trying to insert dancesport into every sports related thing lmao. it is 100% a sport and south korea is also a member of the world dancesport federation. it was so hard trying to describe the steps without being overly technical and using the actual names man, brain hurty

PAIRING: Chae Hyungwon x reader. GENRE: fic, fluff. WARNINGS: swearing. WORD COUNT: 1,470.

---

“Two—three—cha-cha-cha! Two—three—cha-cha-cha! One more—cha-cha-cha!” your coach chants, clapping in time to the beat as you and Hyungwon spin around the dance floor. You end with your right feet forward and in an open hold, your hands held lightly in his. The music stops and all that’s audible is your labored breathing.

“Oh my god, fuck,” Hyungwon says, letting go of your hands and doubling over to take in deep breaths. You drop your hands to your hips and walk around, trying to slow your heart rate before sitting down to grab water. “How long until the end of the combo?”

Your coach leans on the wall next to the sound system, leisurely scrolling through his phone. “Not long, just a few more steps,” he says. “Ten minute break and we’ll try the rumba. And let’s try to finish it today, shall we? So we can work on your jive on Wednesday.”

You waddle over to your bags and crouch down to grab your water bottle and squirt some much needed liquid in your mouth. You let out a satisfied sigh after swallowing, breathing out slow before standing back up and wiping your sweat with a towel.

Hyungwon does the same, leaning one hand on the mirrored wall as gulps down water. He rests one foot on its heel and turns it this way and that, flexing and pointing his toes to stretch the muscles; the other foot gets the same treatment.

You go up to the mirror, a little ways away from your partner, and lean your weight on both hands to practice your swivels. Left foot steps to the right and as you change weight, bring the right foot in and face to the left side; repeat starting from the right foot; repeat starting from the left foot.

It’s quiet in the studio as you mind you continue your swivels and Hyungwon reviews the choreography on the floor. For the nth time these past two weeks you wonder how you ended up with him as a partner. You still somehow can’t believe that there isn’t another guy available in the club to compete with you for the Lilian’s Cup this season—and you still somehow can’t believe that Hyungwon of all people offered to partner with you.

It’s not like he’s a bad club member—far from it, actually. He shows up for every club meeting, sure sometimes he’s late but he participates the whole time and even asks to stay behind to work on the choreography sometimes when it’s a particularly tricky variation. You just. Never really talk. He hangs out with the couple of friends he has in the club, and you stick to the club officers who you know from some of your classes.

There’s this tiny voice in the back of your head that’s nagging at you to just talk to him. Because in the five training sessions you’ve had this month, not once have you spoken to each other save for the cursory greetings before and after practice. It’s mostly you both talking to your coach and not acknowledging each other.

Which is really bad, given that you’re supposed to be partners and have chemistry, especially for a dance like the fucking rumba.

You sigh, closing out the couple of cucarachas you did to stretch out your hips and slide over to watch Hyungwon.

He’s just starting the second combo you’ve learned for the routine, the natural top. So you slide into the ballroom hold and do three sets of rumba walks forward in time, looking at anything but him, though you can imagine the surprised look on his face.

After the natural top, you slide into an opening out and prepare for the sliding doors step, when you see Hyungwon stop from the corner of your eye.

His arms are outstretched in the proper positions, his left hand still holding your right, but the rest of his body is stuck in an unflattering stance, eyes flitting about and brows furrowing in frustration. “What’s the next step again?”

“Sliding doors,” you say, and step forward. He steps back as you lean your weight on your forward foot and lift your connected hands up and over your head. You step slowly, allowing him to find his footing in the step, and after a moment of fumbling, you watch both of you in the mirror, properly meeting in the middle and splitting with every side step. After the second sliding doors step, you halt, coming to the end of the choreography so far. There’s still a ways to go, seeing as you’ve only been taught around sixteen bars.

Despite the rumba being a slow dance, you’re still somehow breathing heavily. You lament sometimes that the rumba is your favorite dance because the muscle control it requires is insane. The push and pull between slow and sharp movements gets you off kilter at some points, especially if those difficult turns have to be done without support from a partner. Therefore, communication is necessary to build a solid foundation of give-and-take.

Which means you really have to open your mouth and talk to Hyungwon sometime soon if you want to do well for the Lilian’s Cup.

You pivot to face him, the canvas soles of your heels helping your sharp turn. “Do you need help with the choreo?”

Hyungwon had been staring at the ceiling, no doubt running through the routine in his head once again, but looked down at you when you spoke. He shrugs, bites his lips and says, “Yeah.” He sighs, resting his hands lightly on his hips as he leans on one foot, the other tapping the floor in agitation. “I have a tough time memorizing choreo unless I make it, so…”

You blink. “You make routines?”

Another shrug, and he holds up a hand with the palm down and tilts it from side to side. “Eeehh, sometimes. I’m still learning, and it’s full of basic steps. Definitely not competition caliber yet, not even bronze.”

You purse your lips, nodding. “Still, though, that’s pretty impressive. I’ve been dancing for a while and I can’t create choreo yet.”

“Well,” Hyungwon says, bending his lanky body backwards to open up his chest. “The first step is always the most challenging, I’d say. Once you actually try, it’s easier to take the next steps.” He intertwines his fingers and raises them above his head, groaning from the strain.

You smile at that, and decide that maybe Hyungwon is a better conversation partner than you initially thought. “How about we set like, a day in the week to practice. Just us, you know. I can help you memorize the routines for Lilian’s and you can teach me the stuff you make.” You clear your throat, gaze stuck on your feet, pointing and flexing and looking for something to do. “You know. If you’re cool with it.”

Hyungwon hums. “Yeah, sure.” You look up to see him looking into space, finger tapping on his chin as he thinks. “Can we meet up in the afternoon, though? ‘M not much of an early riser.”

You chuckle. “‘Course. I hate mornings, too.” You wipe your sweaty forehead with your towel and let it hang over your head like a veil as you jog to your bag. You come back to Hyungwon’s side a moment later, holding your phone out. “I also just realized that I don’t have your number yet. It’ll make setting up a date way easier.”

“Mm, you’re right about that,” he says, slender fingers taking your phone and tapping on the screen before handing it back to you. His contact is saved as Dance Partner Hyungwon. “Just a warning tho, I might not reply sometimes because I forget to.”

You tap your phone against your palm and shrug. “S’all right. I’ll just ask one of your friends to pester you then, like Minhyuk. I know he’s pretty… persistent.”

Hyungwon scoffs, but he has a fond smile on his face. “Yeah, that’d do the trick. I’ve known him for years, he won’t shut up unless I humor him.”

You’re about to reply when two loud claps echo through the room. “Okay, you two, break’s over,” your coach calls. “Starting positions please, and let’s finish up this routine today so we can just keep polishing.”

After dumping your towel and phone on your bag and sliding your hand into Hyungwon’s as you get into position, you whisper to him. “I’ll text you later about that after-practice practice.” As the sultry music starts, you have a thought. “And don’t you dare pretend you don’t know me when I finally message you, Chae Hyungwon.”

He bites his lips and looks over your shoulder, fighting a laugh. “Fine, fine,” he says, and composes himself, just in time for your cue to take the first step.

[bosspigeon]

I don't know a thing about Wayhaven outside of what I'm gleaning through osmosis via your blog but have it with your OC of choice: hiding face in neck

lmao it’s fine i’m the one who disrupted my video game/d&d-based blog with my insane hyperfixation on an Interactive Vampire Romance Novel. welcome 2 my cyber wasteland-- no rules, just right. so, this is stupid and self indulgent but  ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯ my house now

3. hiding face in neck

“You don’t have to sit here, you know,” Juni giggles, squirming away from the stubble tickling at the tender curve of his neck.

“I don’t have to do anything, sweetheart” Mason grunts, and the affectation of carelessness Juni’s learned to see right through anyway is lost where it’s muffled between his ear and shoulder. “I’m right where I wanna be.”

Juni feels his face heat up a bit, and knows the flush is creeping down his neck because he’s all too familiar with the shape of Mason’s smirk against his skin at this point, and he knows they’re both thinking of him saying pretty much the same thing the night before, when he’d had his face buried in the detective’s soft chest.

“Well,” he blurts, desperate to change the subject. They’re alone in the sitting room for now, but that’s never a guarantee for long. “ I just... know how you feel about the way nail polish smells? And I can always go paint them outside, or wait until I’m back at my place, or--” He makes an ungodly squawking sound when he feels Mason’s teeth bite into his neck, nowhere near hard enough to pierce the skin, but definitely enough to leave a mark.

“Just paint your fucking nails, squeak toy,” he chuckles, and the detective doesn’t need to see his face to feel the aura of smugness radiating off him.

He grumbles a bit at the rude nickname, but does as bid, twisting open the brand new bottle and trying not to be too obvious about crossing his fingers. Almost instantly, Mason tenses against him, preparing to bury the sensory overload in the human’s scent. Juni waits a few seconds before he opens the bottle fully, and Mason lifts his head from the sanctuary of his shoulder to sniff cautiously at the air.

“Huh,” he says, eyeing the bottle. His nose wrinkles slightly. Juni figured this plan wouldn’t be perfect, but Mason’s reaction is definitely a far cry from the cringing, full-body revulsion Juni got the first time he made the mistake of painting his nails at the warehouse.

“I, uh, I found a new brand online?” Juni explains, brushing a messy black stripe over his thumbnail. “It took a bit, and I was worried it wouldn’t hold up, but it’s supposedly non-toxic and vegan? And the reviews were all pretty good. It actually peels off instead of chipping, too, which is gonna take some getting used to, and it’s pricier than I usually go for, so I’m hoping it lasts, but--”

As he’s wont to do when Juni gets to babbling, Mason quiets him with a kiss, and this one is the kind that leaves him feeling like his brain’s turning to soup in his skull. When Mason starts nibbling on his bottom lip, he thinks he feels it leaking from his ears. The one little part of his brain that hasn’t been liquefied by a stupid, sexy vampire regrets telling said stupid, sexy vampire he may have had a very, very, very small thing (some might call it a kink) for biting.

He miraculously hasn’t dropped the wet brush by the time Mason lets him breathe and try and remember how to think again, but the gentle thumb pressing to his wet, red lower lip certainly isn’t help on that front. “I just...” He swallows hard, blinking a bit and straightening his smudged glasses. “I just figured, well, since you’ve stopped smoking to spare my poor, fragile-even-for-a-human lungs, the least I could do is return the favor and not assault your senses because I want to try and fail to look cool, and wind up looking about as tough as a teacup yorkie in a spiked collar.”

Mason cocks an eyebrow at him. “Accurate, I’ll give you that.”

Juni smiles, still red in the face. “You think I’m cute,” he teases. Mason rolls his eyes heartily, crossing his arms while Juni keeps poking at him. “You like me.”

“You’re dripping nail polish on the table,” he says, and watches with more than a little amusement as the human yelps and hurries to clean his mess before it dries.

They settle in again, and this time Mason hooks his chin over the detective’s shoulder to watch him paint his nails. It’s messy, Juni knows he’s not the best at it. He gets almost as much on his skin as his nails themselves, and just hopes hopes it’ll come off on its own. Mason, if he has any, keeps his critique to himself, and though the polish doesn’t smell nearly as bad as the usual brand, it’s still not amazing even to Juni’s mortal senses, so Mason occasionally has to take refuge in the side of his neck again.

He’s pretty sure Mason’s going to tell him to fuck off (or the politest equivalent he’s capable of) and it’s pretty much just a shot in the dark to curb his boredom with holding still for any amount of time, and he almost falls off the sofa when Mason shrugs his shoulders and says, “Sure, why not?”

By the time he manages to finish (somewhat shaky and even messier than usual because Mason’s decided to nibble him again, and he’s distracting enough when he’s not mouthing at Juni’s ear) and deal with the battle of wills that is trying not to touch anything and ruin the polish before it can dry, Mason’s almost dozing against his back. “Can I paint yours too?” Juni asks without thinking. “Just.. waiting for them to dry is the worst part, and if I’m careful I can probably do yours without smudging mine?”

He probably should have seen Mason bracing both hands on his thigh and squeezing with a wolfish smile coming, but he hopes his sharp warning of, “Hold still, I like these jeans,” will deter any... shenanigans. It does, for the moment, and he finds it’s a lot easier to paint someone else’s nails than his own. Mason only has to bury his face in Juni’s dense curls once or twice before he’s done, and Mason’s left admiring his black nails. They’re still messy, but they look really good with the cords around his wrists. Figures he’d look effortlessly good even with Juni’s substandard nail painting skills.

“Not bad,” he hums, but his smirk says what he’s really thinking, which is “You suck at this, but it’s cute that you tried.” Juni definitely calls that a win regardless.

They are then left to kill time while Mason’s nails dry, and since Juni’s reached the safe stage he rewards the vampire for behaving by straddling his lap and holding his wrists down to keep him from forgetting himself and getting handsy while he kisses him. It’s definitely just as much for Juni as Mason, but with his mouth well occupied, Mason can’t say anything snarky on that front.

Juni growls almost as loudly as Mason does when Felix inevitably bursts through the door.