#DK was technically their second meeting

[ddoxhan]

say that it's love

on a day when stars pour down, so precious and rare I'll listen to every word you say, especially when it's love

word count : 4.8k words

genre : fluff and a sprinkle of appreciation for the people around you; you've been planning to confess but end up failing and you finally realize plans don't work; florist!hanni x fem!reader (a year older than hanni); girlfriends for the win !

t/w : none :) mentions of murder but jokingly?? (i fr dk how to t/w stuff)

a/n : hello everyone ! i present to you the final chap for 'baby's breath and lemon candies' series :D i hope this was a good wrap up for the short series :) enjoy !

taglist : @keiji-jin

you've been telling yourself that you were going to confess to hanni. and that has been the seventh time you've told yourself that after making up your mind. thinking and imagining about it was the easy step of the plan, but as you try to move onto the next stage of actually carrying out the confession, you just can't find the right timing to do it. (or more like you were just second guessing everything and maybe, you misunderstood her actions and she doesn't actually like you)

your attempts to confess ended up futile. the first time was very ambitious, as you were overflowing with passion to make it the best (and last) confession hanni would ever receive in her entire life. but that passion was met with the 'closed' sign on blooming potion's front door. a small note in the owner's cute handwriting, indicated she had closed early for personal reasons. (you forgot that hanni told you she was going to close early that day for a high school reunion dinner)

and that fact made you feel a little disheartened as it meant that she was going to be meeting her acquaintances who might possibly take the initiative to hit on hanni. to be fair, she's so beautiful that if they were to find out she was still single, your chance would be out the window that very second. (in the near future, you will come to know that all this worry was all for nothing because this certain someone had already fallen down the rabbit hole of love so deep, and she's happier than ever to be there)

since your plans were technically ruined (by yourself), you trudged your way back to blue rain in hopes that your beloved bosses were still in the middle of cleaning up the cafe. lucky for you, they were and you offered to close together. chaewon and minju noticed that you were looking unusually down hence they invited to go for a drink at downtown. technically, you had nothing to do so why not take up the offer? (safe to say, those two had to carry you back to your place and throw you onto your bed cause you drank till you were wasted)

the following attempt had a small margin of success but you were being a coward during the walk back home with her. fidgeting with the bicycle handles, kicking the small pebbles by the road, looking up into the sky, you name it. you tried so hard to shake off the nervousness and fear of getting rejected if you were to confess at that very moment. and by the time you thought you were ready, hanni had already walked up to her doorstep, waving goodbye with that smile you love. (which had you waving back at her awkwardly, as if you weren't so close to shout across that you liked her. which you didn't because that wasn't the best way to confess, obviously)

many more attempts had similar outcomes — failure. you weren't sure why it would end up being bad timings, or your cowardice getting the better of you. or sometimes, the thought of the confession flew past your head because you were too busy admiring hanni as you adore the way she puckers her lips every now and then when she talks about something, and the way her eyes sparkle when it comes to a topic she is interested in. (you were a simp for her, and you loved every second of it)

"you know, just standing by that counter every day at 8 won't get you a girlfriend."

chaewon's voice broke your trance as you tried to figure what went wrong with the last time you tried to confess.

"and you say that because you confessed to minju-unnie on the third date."

"no, I'm saying that because your ass needs to get moving before someone else stumbles upon your crush and makes a move on her."

you slouched on the counter with your arms, running your hands through your hair in frustration.

"it's not that I don't try, unnie. I've been attempting to for the past seven times."

the older girl gave you a skeptical look before standing from her seat by the window, placing her book down next to her cup of iced tea. (it wasn't peak hour so the shop didn't have any customers for the time being, therefore chaewon took the opportunity to laze around as she sent minju out to deliver the online orders)

"I don't know how you've attempted the past seven times, but have you ever considered not planning ahead?"

you looked up from your slouched position to find her leaning against the counter, eyeing you from above before she made her way into the working station.

"I've known you for three years now, and I just know that you would plan things ahead, a little too much ahead."

all you could do was stay silent and chuckle awkwardly because whatever chaewon had said was undeniably true.

"you love things to be perfect, just like how you would want the confession to be the most special, wonderful and extravagant experience for hanni."

"but you missed out on the part where it needs to be heartfelt."

with that, something rang within you. the bell of realization. you realize you weren't able to bring yourself to confess or carry out that plan in your head as it made things artificial. telling hanni you liked her had to come from your heart, not your brain. (during these kind of times, you thank chaewon for not roasting your dumb ass)

"and with it being heartfelt, it can also be simple."

while the older had hit you with words of wisdom, she had already finished brewing up a fresh cup of ice americano for you. it was one of the easiest to make on the menu and also a staple drink for customers in this season of summer.

just like this cup of ice americano, your confession could be simple and straightforward. no public stunts, no sparkles and party poppers, no surprises that would ruin the mood. just you, yourself, would bring out the best confession that only both you and hanni would ever know.

chaewon could only chuckle at your face of astonishment and enlightenment from her words. if she were to be truthful, although she had confessed on her third date with minju, she had also struggled to confess a lot of times before saying sike by kissing her. she had long noticed her on campus before they had officially met through the arranged date. (therefore she was speaking from experience)

she handed you the cup of coffee before leaving to finish that book she left on the table. as you drank your dose of caffeine for the day, you were motivated to just let that confession come naturally, just like how your feelings for hanni fell upon you.

the day went by rather quickly compared to the previous days where you were racking your head over the confession. before you bid farewell to chaewon and minju after closing up, you felt the urge to throw those two into a bear hug, and you did.

"what's with the sudden affection? are you going to kill us and take over the shop?"

minju thought you were going through late puberty these days, so she just went with the flow of whatever you did. including squealing like a lovesick high school girl swooning over a hot guy, which wasn't too far from where instead, you were just squealing over how cute hanni looks when she's asleep. (you went over to blooming potion as usual to walk the florist home but was met with a breathtaking sight of her asleep on the counter. therefore you couldn't help but take approximately 100 photos of her before she woke up naturally)

"maybe, who knows?"

and your playful reply earned a smack on your back from chaewon. but you just laughed it off, knowing that she rolled her eyes at your antics.

"okay, I'm not going to kill you but I am going to thank you for always being here for me, like older sisters."

"you guys just know what to say and when to say it, and I just felt like I wanted to thank you for it."

chaewon and minju exchanged glances and soon tears filled their eyes as it was their turns to bring you into a bear hug.

"you're growing up so fast."

"our baby is so mature these days, I feel so sad."

"why the hell are you talking like you raised me or something?"

they actually do treat you like their baby, especially when minju is giving you butt pats and squishing your cheeks right now.

"technically we sort of did throughout university until we graduated, and we're still raising you through your uni days."

"alright moms, I think the affection session has ended, so I will get going."

as you squirm out of their tight grips, they each gave you a ruffle on your hair before they walked hand in hand towards the opposite direction. (those two act more like your parents than your actual ones)

when you turned around, the familiar sight of blooming potion filled your heart with warmth and love. the thought of being this in love with someone would have never crossed your mind even if just a year ago. it's about time you knew, maybe, you don't like her.

maybe, you love her.

"need help with that?"

the soft ring of the bell on the door accompanied with your voice was something hanni could never get tired off. instead, it was more than she can ever ask for to have you by her side every day as you two walked home. all the days throughout spring into summer this year was special to her. (when she turned over to her left, you came into sight, smiling at her, and that's when her day is complete)

"unnie, I'm pretty sure you're shorter than I am."

she whipped her head towards the sound of your voice while she was arranging some stocks on the top shelves. your offended face had her burst out in laughter but thankfully, she was careful enough up there to not drop anything.

"you're lucky I'm in a good mood today, so I'm letting you off the hook."

it's been months since you've met hanni and came over every evening to walk her home. you oh so naturally walked over to the counter to close the cashier, followed with cleaning up the flower remnants on the countertops.

"what put you in a good mood?"

hanni came down from the ladder before walking over to you by the countertops.

"I don't know, I just feel happy and all that. just not in a bad mood, I guess."

you actually didn't know why. perhaps, you woke up on the right side of the bed, the cafe didn't have any nasty customers with complicated orders, and chaewon wasn't roasting your ass for once. maybe all of these combined made you a better day than the rest, which were undeniably good days too. (you had a hunch that something good was going to happen but couldn't pinpoint on what it was exactly)

"then that calls for a celebration!"

seeing the girl being happy on your behalf, although it was something so trivial. it warmed your heart a little, reminded that you have someone who cherishes you more than yourself.

"for my good mood?"

"yup! we can head to town for this really good ramen place, and right opposite it is a bakery I've really wanted to try."

whenever hanni talked about food, especially bread, her face would literally light up. the next thing you know, you'll have her ramble on about what bread she's into right now and what new stores she's discovered. (you found it really adorable, very endearing as all you do whenever she does that is stare and nod because whatever she likes, you will also)

"sounds like you're eager to go more than I do."

you couldn't help but let a chuckle escape your lips as her cheeks are painted with a light shade of pink. her attempt to hide by turning around with her back facing you let you know you were bullseye. (not sure if it's because you two spend so much time together, her ears turn red when she's shy or embarrassed, just like you do)

"alright, let's close up real quick and head over. hope you don't mind my driving."

renting a car definitely wasn't within the budget. it simply amazes you every time when you find yourself doing the unimaginable for the love of your life.

"two bowls of regular pork bone soup ramen, with an agedashi tofu side. thank you."

the place was rather quiet, despite being in the always bustling town. you wonder how hanni had found such a place, and before you could even look over to ask her, it's as if she read your mind.

"actually, an old friend of mine owns this place. she's currently out right now so maybe later, I could introduce you to her."

"I haven't even asked you, yet you just know what goes on in my head."

"perks of spending time together every day? you know how much we talk throughout the walks and those calls."

"well that, I can't deny."

curiosity about this friend of hers occupied your mind, which had you shoot your question.

"who's this old friend by the way? high school acquaintaince?"

"mhm, we reconnected after losing contact with each other at the reunion dinner the other day."

a nod was your only answer, because what else could you have done? imagine being so young and already running a whole shop on your own, you could never. not when you're only a struggling university student. (to be honest, you were slightly jealous of this old friend of hers before coming to know that she was already dating someone)

before you could create the worst scenarios of hanni and her friend in your head, the food arrived quicker than you expected. maybe god was also trying to save you from unnecessary heartache and worry about those two because really, there was absolutely nothing to fret about.

you tried your best to tell yourself that, but you just couldn't shake off that feeling of uncertainty which began eating you up. rather than eating up the bowl of ramen in front of you. even the younger girl felt it in the air around you, constantly eyeing you as you looked troubled, contradicting the very reason why you were here.

"hanni?"

"jen!"

an unfamiliar voice uttering her name had your head shoot up so fast, you almost choked on that piece of meat that you were swallowing. your eyes followed hanni's movements before it stopped upon a figure a lot taller than her. that was when your head short-circuited before it proceeded to run on that energy drink you had earlier.

"why didn't you tell me you were gonna drop by?"

"it isn't a surprise anymore if I just tell you."

their banter seemed so natural that it made you feel a little out of place. but you kept a façade that you believed wasn't too easy to see through, that you were making this stranger who is an acquaintance of hanni, your competition. (as you relived these memories in a very near future, you wished to smash your head into a wall, hoping to get a wake-up call because you were an idiot for even thinking)

but that didn't last long as your date tiptoed to whisper into jen's ears with the latter bending down a little to match their height. you had no right to be fuming but you did, internally and discreetly. (however, that was when you didn't know that hanni had been asking for advice from jen about her extremely obvious crush on an extremely obvious someone. what she whispered was, 'that's the girl I like by the way, so don't do anything stupid')

the two walked back over to your table before jen flashed you an unsettling and mysterious smile that had some meaning behind it, offering her hand along.

"nice to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you from hanni."

"jennifer, or yunjin. if you prefer korean."

her glance over to the said girl earned her a smack before you stood up to accept the handshake politely.

"nice to meet you, yunjin. although she hasn't told me anything about you, I did hear that you own this place."

"yes I do, along with my girlfriend. I hope you like the food so far, they're century-old recipes passed down from my girlfriend's family so I can guarantee it'd be the best ramen you can have in town."

although yunjin was explaining about the restaurant, you blanked out after hearing the word 'girlfriend'. it would have been great if you could just dig up a hole instantly and bury yourself in it cause oh boy, why did you put yourself through so much agony only to find out this rival of yours wasn't even competing with you in the first place. it was as if you were putting up a fight with an inflatable balloon, if that made sense.

"are you okay?"

the concern laced in hanni's voice dragged you out of your daze.

"yeah, I'm fine. sorry about that, just had a little something going in my head. not the best first impression, I know."

"don't worry, we all have those times. I'll take my leave first, I hope you enjoy the rest of your dinner."

as yunjin excused herself to tend to the restaurant, the two of you resumed with your meals. hanni's eyes never left you the entire time which made you a little awkward before malfunctioning altogether. her undivided attention on you made you wary of everything you did, including the way you chewed on your food or how big each bite was. it was making your heart pound a little harder than usual, but the thought of that didn't cross her mind as she was genuinely worried that you might have been uncomfortable with something.

alas, she was put to ease when you started to regain that playful demeanor of yours towards the end of the meal. you also let your guard down a little when hanni gave yunjin and her girlfriend, kazuha, a hug before leaving the restaurant. the two owners were bigger lovebirds than you expected, ultimately letting out that breath you were holding unknowingly. (honey, loosen up because no one's gonna take your girlfriend away from you)

initially, you were to drive back after dinner and drop your date off before heading back to your place. but seeing how there probably won't be another chance like this (a car you meant) with her, here goes nothing.

"would you mind if we headed south to the beach?"

you suggestion was either a hit or miss, and you could tell hanni loved the idea from the way her eyes shimmered a little at the thought of the calming ambience and scent of the sea. (it's been a while since she visited and she had always loved the sea more than mountains. it oddly felt like home, and so did you)

"of course! after all, I'm not the one driving."

she tried to play off her excitement nonchalantly, earning a chuckle from you.

"alright, let's head off then."

"oh, and we can even have those pastries by the beach."

perhaps because it was a weekday, there weren't many people by the beach. and you weren't complaining as that meant peace and quiet from potential screaming children. (you don't despise kids, but sometimes they can really get on your nerves)

you used to come to the beach back in your hometown as a kid with your parents and sister. your mom would enjoy the sun under the parasol while your dad went to fetch some drinks from the nearby store. you and your sister would build sandcastles and occasionally fight over who made a better one. (your dad would usually be the mediator, critiquing both sandcastles as if they were one of his projects)

the visits slowly died down as you grew older and you were convinced that your sister studying overseas contributed to it. but you do agree that the beach visits need not be so often, especially when your parents were getting old. (it was much better when your mom started reconnecting with her school friends and your dad going for golf with his retiree partners, enjoying the personal time they finally have after you moved out too)

"there's a really nice gazebo over there."

hanni pointed over to the lone gazebo sitting in the middle of the sand. it was a really odd place to see one but you did not question further as she pulled you along. (it would have been nice if she gave you more time to grab the box of pastries cause you almost shook up everything in it)

"hanni, slow down! the pastries are gonna get ruined!"

sometimes, you wonder if she loved bread more than she loved you. that does not sound right. hey, as a friend. (but not for long)

"my pastries!"

she came into an instant halt, making you almost squashing your face against her shoulder. the halt was necessary, with you by the gazebo already. it was a lot more cozy than you had expected, still a little chilly from the night breezes but it was just nice.

you knew she was very impatient ever since you had mentioned the beach. from the way her fingers kept fiddling with the hem of her shirt and how she struggled to conceal a wide grin from being plastered across her face.

hanni couldn't even wait for you to take a seat next to her as she opens the box, revealing the pastries that you and her had chosen before having dinner. even after a bowl of ramen, she still had more space for dessert. (you know what they say, people have a second stomach for desserts and hanni was not an exception)

the food you had earlier was finally easing down from potential indigestion. so you decided to watch the way her cheeks are puffed up from being full with pastries, the way her hair fluttered along the wind, and that cream below her mouth. (you found it adorable which had you leave it there for a while before doing something about it)

"you got some cream there."

pointing at your own to show her, hanni's eyes bore into yours as she attempts to wipe it off. she misses by a margin before trying again, and fails to locate it.

the smile on your face never left while she struggled, rummaging your pocket for the packet of tissue you usually carry along with you. pulling a single piece out, you folded it properly before facing her.

suddenly, you felt yourself break down. not emotionally, rather physically. you know when you see something so entrancing and mesmerizing, you just stop doing whatever you did and changed your course of action according to the visual info? yeah, that was your exact response.

the moonlight cascading on hanni's face, how her eyes glisten, as if she was looking at a person she cherishes a lot. perhaps she does cherish you a lot. and the proximity between your faces was a lot to take in (at this very moment, there was only one thing in your mind, and it sounds absolutely amazing)

your hand holding that tissue dropped down as you dived in to kiss the cream off of hanni's skin. it was a quick peck, your upper lip lightly grazing her lower lip as you pulled back to see her frozen. (big doe eyes, stiff body, mouth agape. if someone happened to walk past at that timing, they would've thought she saw a ghost)

you didn't know where that immense courage came from, and you were pretty sure even hanni was taken aback by your bold move. usually, she would be the one giving you cheek kisses for walking her back.

the grin that was already sporting on her face was replaced with a wider one if possible, and a different one at that. something about it told you that she was more than okay with what you had did back there. and maybe, it caused something to click in your head, figuratively and perhaps literally as if a switch had flipped on.

.

.

.

'confess.'

this very thought caused the adrenaline to course through your system, driving you into an overdrive of emotions. feeling that this was the timing to do it, you take a deep breath as you opened your mouth.

"I like you."

did you already say it before you actually thought you were ready? but that didn't sound like your voice. by the time you had snapped back from your questions, you felt a pair of hands cupping your cheeks before pulling you in closer.

everything went by like a flash and before you could comprehend things properly, hanni's lips on yours was the only thing that mattered at that moment. you could feel chills run down your back before leaving a tingling feeling across your whole body, contradicting the warmth that filled your insides. you weren't making any sense with your descriptions but whatever. (it might have been because of the wind but you knew better that it was hardly cold on summer nights)

'so this is how kisses feel like,' as you thought to yourself. the quick peck wasn't quite similar with this. you could feel hanni's feelings in that kiss, as if she was trying to tell you that she had been in love with you ever since she met you. (technically she did, but it was that she took approximately a week after to admit)

the kiss didn't last very long, considering how you practically broke down as your hands not knowing where to go. if anything, you were sure you looked like an absolute idiot in love with the person right in front of you, which was perfectly accurate.

"so.. do you like me too?"

maybe something about kissing hanni had a certain effect on you as you proceed to nod to her affirmative question, totally forgetting how to make up words to answer her. in a simple conclusion, your brain crashed and automatically had 404 error windows popping up, like how it usually does when she gets too close to you.

"gosh why are you so cute."

the compliments didn't help either with your crimson cheeks as they soon spread through your entire face. the sight of you being embarrassed than ever created the urge for her to wrap you in her arms as she coos at you, which she gladly succumbed to.

although you hadn't said much since, the reciprocated hug consisted of a thousand words of reassurance that you felt the same for her, if not more. as you remained still, listening carefully to your heartbeat and breaths slowly matching hers, your heart swelled when you realized that you found someone to love and that someone loves you very dearly too.

"you know, actually."

hanni's voice pierced through your attention on the everlasting moment. she pulled away slightly from the embrace, yet still holding onto you, before gazing into your eyes and saying the words that you didn't know you wanted to hear from the person you have met accidentally in spring, which was your most hated season.

"I love you,"

"and I will for as long as you and I are here."

every moment spent with hanni felt like a dream, even now. countless times, you had felt that you weren't someone who deserves such an angel in your mundane days, but she reassures you that you are someone who's deserving of all the nice things that exists in the world. (which she hates about because you were more than deserving of love and warmth, and she had been ready to be the one who gave those to you for a long time)

your hearty laugh wasn't something she or anyone in particular got to hear often. it was as if you were content with whatever that life was, for the first time. for the first time that you received the love that you had always wanted. and also because hanni stole your confession right out of your hands.

"you know, that was kinda my line, but I'll let it slide because I am in a good mood today."

"but also because it's you. you're my only exception, pham hanni."

"if I can, I'll say it over and over again until you get tired of me."

.

"I love you,"

"like baby's breath and lemon candies."

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[choccyhearts]

So No Sex Tape? // Kurt Kunkle x Reader (18+)

Note: There will most likely be a second part to this, I just dk when

CW: Talk of sex tapes/sex work, d/s relationship, dom!reader/sub!kurt, fem/afab!reader, kurt being the male manipulator he is

It's no secret your boyfriend is fame hungry. Fame starving, honestly. So the idea of sex tapes has crossed his mind several times, both before and after meeting you.

He's thought of solo videos but each time he gets ready to film he finds himself camera shy in front of an audience of 0 and chickens out. OnlyFans was an idea and he has set one up but no posts yet.

Until one night...

"Babe? I have, have, this idea I want to ask you," Kurt mumbles. You're both sitting on his bed, your computer on your lap as you do homework and he sits on his phone doing who knows what.

"What's up?"

"So, like OnlyFans has been, like, super really popular, ya know? And I was just thinking, I was wondering-"

"Do you want to make OnlyFans content?"

He pauses and his face slowly reddens, his eyes darting away from you.

"Well, yes, like technically, but-"

"I don't mind if you make it, Kurtie, it's your body your choice", you give him a soft smile, hoping to ease his anxiety.

"Well, like, what I really want is to make content with...with you, if you want."

"With me?", you raise your brow.

"Yeah, like a...like ya know, a sex tape." It's your turn for your face to heat up. You always knew this day would come where he'd ask this but you still weren't prepared.

You'd given it serious thought and your mind always came back around to declining. It wasn't easy saying no to your boyfriend's puppy dog eyes but you needed to stick to your boundaries. If it was a private recording for the two of you, that's one thing -- but this is Kurt we're talking about, hardly anything is private.

Maybe pictures would be a possibility, but even those would still have clothing, just very minimal. But Kurt loved showing you off and bragging. He does it all the time with both of you fully clothed, you can only imagine how hard he would plug your sex tape.

Your sexy times were intimate and something you enjoyed being the one thing private from the world...however, there had been times where you were so lost in the moment that you nearly begged Kurt to whip out his phone and start live streaming.

For the same reason Kurt got turned on by idea, you too wanted to show how much you love him to the world and brag about how good you make him feel.

"I don't know, Kurt. I've thought about it, but it's just not something I'm really comfortable about doing. I don't want my face out there with that kind of stuff, those times are for you and I privately. I like my body being a little secret for you and me to share."

Kurt nods slowly and hums in response.

"I truly don't mind if you want to make that content, I support you and love you just as much, but I just don't want to."

Kurt continues to look away from you. You pout and sit up, placing a hand on his bicep.

"Kurt..."

"So no sex tape?"

You bite back a giggle and shake your head.

"No, just...not right now."

Kurt nods, still stuck in his mind before sitting up and looking at you.

"Well, what if we just don't get your face in it? Like just position the camera certain ways and, and we can do only certain positions!"

You frown and shake your head, "Kurt, no, that's still my body being exposed to the world."

He droops back down again and nods. You set your computer aside and sit up, scooching next to his body. You pull him into your chest and pet his hair, his arms immediately wrapping around your waist.

"Aside from the potential to gain followers, why do you want to make a sex tape with me?"

Kurt nuzzles his head into your chest more, smushing his face between your boobs.

"Because...", he says like the baby he is. "You're my girlfriend and I love you and I want to show how beautiful you are and show the world even I can keep a gorgeous girl like you around. And, and, and I want to show how pretty you look with me inside you."

You flush at his words, leaning down and kissing his head.

"Oh, Kurtie..."

He continues to nuzzle his head between your boobs, essentially soft motorboating you. It's his favorite thing to do when he's either stressed, overwhelmed, sad or being a brat.

You just let him, continuing to pet his hair and thinking of a solution.

"Well, how about...", you trail off. "What if shoot it a bit more...artistic than a typical sex tape?"

"Mm?"

"What if set up some pretty lighting and film our silhouettes against the wall while we have sex? That way you still get all the nudity and everything you want, and my face and body won't be completely exposed."

Kurt pulls himself up and out of your boobs with a smile on his face.

"That's perfect! Yes! It sounds so, so, so um... erotic!"

You give him a smile and a kiss on his hand before pulling your computer back onto your lap.

"What are you doing?", he asks.

"My homework still?"

"No, I want to film it tonight, that's why I brought it up."

"Tonight?!"

"Yeah, of course!", Kurt gives you his famous adorable yet total male manipulator smile.

"That's a bit soon, I thought we'd do it like in a week or something."

"A week? But I'm horny noooooow", Kurt whines.

"You're always horny."

"But I want to nooooow." You close your computer again and pull him down by his shirt.

"Stop whining or we're not going to film anything ever, understand?"

Kurt quickly nods his head, "Yes, ma'am."

"Good, Kurtie", you say and peck his lips. "Why don't you start setting up the lights, pretty boy, and I'll slip into something a bit more comfortable?"

Kurt nods even faster and scrambles up like the little bitch boy he is. Anything for you, his highness...

[ravenbloodshot]

Would Seventeen date a fan?

It's not part of the series but let's see

Mingyu- Yes and No. He wouldn't be completely sure if they would be really liking him or in awe of a persona. But if they're pretty enough he might disregard this fear (unfortunately)

Scoups- No, unless you were a foreign confident fan that grasp his attention.

Jeonghan- No, he doenst want to be pressured to meet unrealistic expectations from a fan. He also doesn't like the idea of getting women so easily, there is no chase for him, a fan would come to him too easily and he finds that unattractive

Dino- Yes (hes done it already) a fan would have to appeal enough to him, make him feel special and remain a secret.

The 8- Yes, he has VERY high standards though. You would have to be a fan that has the talents and looks of IU and just happen to be a fan of him

Seungkwan- Yes. a high class, rich fan that gives him loads of attention has a chance with him

Vernon- Nope. Not a chance.Doesn't think it's a healthy dynamic

Dk- Nope. Never in his life would he do that. It can only end up in the relationship being in a coffin

Joshua- No....toxic

Woozi- Yeah...he lowkey knows it's not the best investment to be with a fan but it's like a wattpad fantasy/mystery appeal that may make him second guess " like how bad can it really be". The fan would need to be pretty and appealing.

Wonwoo- No and yes. Thing is he may not think a person is considered a fan if their in the same industry as him, but technically you can be a fan of someone and work the same job as them. So he would if the fan was a pretty idol/actress but not if you were a regular fan

Hoshi- Yes but no saesang fan and no poor fan. Have to be pretty and well off

Jun- Yes.....he thinks if a relationship is meant to be it will be. He also doesn't like forgettable ppl/relationships so the fan would have to be someone that steps into his life and leave some kind of impact

I wouldn't be surprised if he would date a fan after like a one-on-one fan meeting, if like a really interesting question/topic was brought on by the fan. If a fan made a powerful impact on him even in that setting, he would fall for them. (I know it seems very Wattpad-ish but it's just how he is).

[marinerainbow]

Fuck, Marry, Kill- Harper Alexander, the Driller Killer, and Tiffany Valentine

You really trying to make my heart explode from having to choose between my top three crushes, huh?

Ok, ok, SO-

Fuck: Driller Killer. In the movie he can't really die (I think they actually tried to kill him, but he wound up coming back) and... Well, he certainly looks like a guy who knows how to have a good time I'm so sorry

Marry: Tiffany. No I do not care about Chucky becoming a problem, I'll make it work. I also do not care about her being crazy. I just want to bbie in a domestic relationship with this woman and help raise the twins.

Kill: ... Harper. I SWEAR THIS WAS NOT AN EASY DECISION. I can't kill DK, and Harper is technically already dead, and I know he won't want me since I ain't southern (at least I don't think), so Harper, you're gonna go meet the lord a second time.

Thank you for asking! This was fun ^^

[delcakoo]

omg im so sorry hello same person w the soulmate au riki request😭 anywayss

for the string idea, the string is ig magical and its js binding them/forever connecting them to their soulmate. this string lengthens and shortens according to their distance from e/o its not js one length(basically its not constricting). they can be continents away from the other or a foot away, point is they’ll always be connected by the string no matter the distance(also the string never breaks) and technically u can always find e/o if u follow the string(unless ofc theyre in a diff country). i js added the fact that only soulmates of the same pair sees theyre own string bc the thought of having so many strings lowkey bothers me LOL. also i looked it up and apparently its an ancient japanese myth that soulmates’ pinkies are bound to the string.

for the timer one, i left smthin out last time and i think thats what made it confusing i finally remembered the word for it is “counter” (this one counts up) so along side the timer/countdown that measures how much longer till u meet that person(ex: 00:10:59[days:hours:mins]) theres a counter on the side that tells u how many times youve already been within a 5 foot radius of eachother. like maybe when u were babies u were put along side the other in the nursery and that counts as 1 or u passed e/o on the street, 2. the point is that these counts make it frustrating bc ur like “wth ive been around them ___ many times i still dk who it is” but the timer doesnt actually go off until you’ve OFFICIALLY met. the timer may come close to 0 but it doesn’t actually notify u until uve actually spoken to eachother. what i mean w “the timer fluctuates” is that maybe for example u pass e/o on the street it comes close to 1 second when ur right next to eachother but it never touches 0 and once u get away from eachother again the time goes back up. until uve exchanged words w/ the other/officially met thats when the timer hits 0 forever and thats when ur body ig gets some feeling like “oh thats my soulmate, the person who just said excuse me” or wtv.

js making sure yk: im not making u do both in one au its js a choice im giving u to choose which one u like better😭 so sorry the last one was confusing i hope this makes more sense. tbh if u like a different soulmate bond (maybe the ability to write on ur skin and the same thing appears on them IDK) feel free to do what u want. these 2 are js ones that interested me. the whole point is that the two characters js need to be linked somehow. tysm goodluck😭🫶🏼

OH GOSH, i feel really stupid rn UHHH OKOK THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME SOME MORE DETAIL!! im not quite sure if i’ll be able to do this BUT IF I DO, it’s going to take a while and end up being pretty long so. BE PATIENT WITH ME DJNDKSHn i’ll see what i can do 😎 THANK U FOR REQUESTING AGAIN LOVE

[effygiraffetalks]

DK Records Now Set To Release ‘End of the Beginning’: Shocking Reunion Explained

In a probably shocking turn of events, End of the Beginning will be releasing this year under DK Records (formerly known as SD Records).

In March, I initially walked away from the label to try and strike a better deal for myself after the success I had with Beginning of the End. The contract I was under left me with next to nothing, while they held a huge percentage in my royalties.

In their eyes, they did me a favor by signing me in 2022 for a two album deal. After being away for 8 years, they saw the contract offered to me as a fair deal considering my relevance faded over the years.

As soon as I announced my return, I revealed the first single, End of Everything, would serve as the title track to one of TWO albums I’d be releasing. The first album initially was to be titled Beginning of the End, set to release in 2023, and the second being End of Everything, which was set to release in 2024.

Plans for a double album later collapsed, and we decided to release one album which would become Beginning of the End. The singles did progressively well with each release we pushed. I couldn’t be prouder. By the end of 2023 we had the album released and already had the first 3 singles for 2024 scheduled.

We opened the year strong with I’ve Moved On, shortly after we released second single Better Off Alone, which again saw really great numbers. Then by March we released a second edition of Better Off Alone, a slowed down version, to continue promoting it— as the single was my best of my return.

I then reached out to DK Records demanding a fair deal or I’d release my next and future projects under my own label. I halted recording my next album and announced its delay into 2025 due to what I assumed would be a lengthy negotiation process.

At first, they did push back demanding I stand by my contact and release my second album plus the albums third single, Be My Guy (Don’t Want You To), which they already had scheduled for May 2024.

I got in touch with my team who advocated for me stating I did in fact release two albums under them. One being my return debut Beginning of the End, and the second was a greatest hits compilation, Effy Giraffe: The Hits Collection, which I just so happened to release in May 2023.

For a few weeks they attempted to state the hits collection wasn’t technically a new release— but given the album remastered my hits, featured two songs that weren’t apart of an album of mine prior, plus included a new edition of One Night Stand my team successfully argued it to be new. They then argued I still owed them Be My Guy (Don’t Want You To) which they already invested in to be release in May 2024. They stated I had to release it.

So I did what anybody wanting to break free would do, I released the song much earlier — in February, and again reminded them I wanted a new deal or I’d walk at this point. Days later I received an email where they stated:

We don’t want your album… We will be releasing you from your contract as of March 21, 2024.

I then revealed my next album, which at the time was going to be called End of Everything including the first three singles had to be scrapped as they were released under DK Records. So I started fresh. Announcing End of this World, releasing it’s lead single The One That Got Away and moving forward on my own.

The single did okay but definitely was a step down from the Better Off Alone numbers, probably due to the period of time I had to take off before jumping back into releasing singles again. The second single Me, Myself & I thought did much better. Then by August we released High and I heard from a friend a new deal was drafted by DK Records and they wanted to set a meeting.

I was hesitant at first, but:

A. The deal actually was decent.

B. Most importantly I have big plans for 2025 — those plans include an Out Of This World sequel album. They own the rights to that album, so with this deal I’d actually have the ability to (possibly) recreate and or incorporate some of the songs into the sequel album — which is major considering I have a BIG intro in mind for the albums first track.

I made a few requests, which they graciously obliged to, and then as of September 1, 2024 I signed the contract — which will begin starting September 23rd, the same day as End of the Beginning’s fourth single release, Fairytale.

The album will now have an official release date, album cover, and tracklist reveal very soon. DK Records is wasting no time with this release. Fairytale will be the album’s final single. The album release will shortly follow.

Keep an eye out for the announcement soon

Xx

Effy

[tentacle-stylograph]

(non-spoiler thoughts on Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, specifically very superficial impressions about El Lobo. some scene-specific discussions, but nothing revealing about the plot or characters, i don't think. this isn't me saying it's a bad movie, and i even recommend it to anyone, 'cause so far i've been the only person i've heard or seen say they didn't like it; even many people who don't care for animation like it a LOT. this post is just me rambling)

hm. it's been odd to be an animation person who was actually bored by Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, especially since it's so colorful, and i often seem to be taken in by technically well-crafted and colorful animations

i'd like to rewatch the movie to see if i can appreciate it more a second time, but anyway

watched a collection of clips of El Lobo last night to see if i'd think he's any better than i did in the theater and, yeah, i just don't find him as cool as other people do. i was resting my chin in my head watching the clips. i don't find his action moments exciting

for when he first meets Puss in the bar, currently all i have to work with is "maybe i would have thought he's cooler if

"a) he didn't talk as much, or

"b) he didn't 'interact' with Puss as much?"

like, when Puss attacks him, he turns to face Puss. maybe it'd be cooler if he continued facing in the same direction as if he were that unbothered. and maybe if he didn't change his mood when he tells Puss "Pick it up," i'd like that moment more too (even tho i actually did like that moment more than the rest of the scene) like it'd be better if he continued seeming entertained instead of irritated. (for his character i can understand the latter, but i'm just rambling)

_____

yeah. -shrug- dk what it is stopping me from liking the movie more. i feel like a big part of it is i was going "okay, and?" a lot of the time, and i am pretty sure there were some storyline ideas that just aren't favorites of mine, but getting more specific would mean spoilers, so i won't say it here.

...was about to say, "don't know if i'll make another post for the more specific spoiler things," but, hey, i can make one with at least bullet points, just so Future Me can know what Current Me was thinking of with my vagueness

[shabre-legacy]

I think I’ve mentioned that Natamai threatened 3 adult Mando’s with a frying pan when she was twelve. Here’s how it went down.

It was a year before the end of the war and the treaty of Coruscant. The Sith, then Lord Mynrich, later promoted to Darth, was traveling with one of his favorite young slaves. He was planning on gifting her to a Grand Moff who would be killed by a Jedi the next year. His plan would never work out. He refused to notice how much she hates him. They stopped on Ziost to refuel before heading on to the frontlines of the campaign that Mynrich had been ordered to help with. That was where they were supposed to meet the Grand Moff. As they walked through the hanger back towards the ship after refueling and resupplying, an officer stopped the Sith and they talked for a moment. Natamai took the opportunity to look around and noticed a few loading droids moving supplies onto a ship. She wasn’t sure who the ship with the skull of some kind of creature painted on it belonged to, but she knew based on the look of the ship that it wasn’t imperial and that was good enough for her. The Sith and the Officer were facing away from her, engrossed in their conversation. 

As the droids all moved into the ship with another load of crates. She ran. She pushed herself to move as quickly as she could without making any load noises and in a stroke of pure luck, she managed to make it to the waiting crates. She found one she could get into and crawled inside and closed it behind her. That’s when she realized it was a crate of cooking pots and pans. Frying pans, open fire stew pots, the kind of baking pans you cover and place on the flames, spatulas and large spoons and ladles, things you would use to cook decent field in a war or hunting camp. This was going to hurt. But she was used to pain. She just had to wait till they hit hyperspace anyways and then she could hide elsewhere in the ship. She braced herself, stuffing a large part of the bottom of her tattered shirt into her mouth so she couldn’t scream just as the first shock hit. Mynrich had noticed her gone and was trying to use her shock collar to find her. Unfortunately for him, he used it so often that she had figured out how to brace herself against it and he would have to find her to make the shocks stronger and as long as she stayed quiet, he probably wouldn’t. So she used everything she had to stay silent curled in a crate full of pans as the droids came back and lifted it and loaded onto the ship. After a while, the shocks faded, likely because Mynrich wandered out of range while looking for her and not long after that, the ship shook as they took off and headed into the sky. As they flew out of the atmosphere, they reached far enough that the clasps on her collar loosened and she was able to use some of the utensils (mainly some rubber spatulas that had clearly never been used) to pry it off.

Soon, they hit hyperspace, but being in the cargo hold in a crate of uncomfortable cooking pans, she didn’t notice. She did notice the footsteps and the voices. They came closer, clearly heading towards the cargo hold. Natamai panicked and unsure of what to do, grabbed to handle of a heavy frying pan and prepared. If they opened the crate she was in, she’d attack. So, when the footsteps stopped outside her crate and a small sliver of light appeared, she jumped up and swung as hard as she could before pausing in a bit of shock as she stared at the people in front of her and the ring of metal hitting metal faded. She’d hit one of the Mando’s in the arm. His armor protected him mostly, but there was still the force of the blow, but they didn’t move for a moment. They had not expected a child to jump out at them. While they stared in shock for a moment, Nat recovered first. Striking the same guy in the arm again, then in the knee, causing his leg to buckle and aiming for his head as he went down. The others reacted, grabbing her and prying the pan out of her hands and hauling her out of the crate. The big weequay mando carried her up to meet the alor while the other two human mandos headed to the medbay to get the guys knee fixed. 

[miioouu]

He's dilf

(also dk what else to call this)

Dilf Sakusa? Yes, dilf Sakusa. As I said before my head is sooooooo empty, just want Omi to rail me, so here we go!! Also i wanted to write more but i felt like it got too long, if you guys enjoy iiit, i just might write another part.❤️💜❤️

Warning:smut, age gap, perv reader...

Sakusa is a single dad, and a caring, loving one to say the least. All he ever does is for his kids, he always got them in mind, he dedicates his best matches for them, he dedicates his whole life for them really. But being an athlete means a lot of special training, a lot of overnight practices, a lot of overseas games, and as much as he loves that he's able to do what he's really passionate about for a living, the only downside, the thing that he hates the most about volleyball, is that it takes away from his family life. If it were for him, he'd spent everyday with his two kiddos, waking up next to them, having breakfast on the same table, spending the day laughing and doing normal family activities, bathe them, put them to bed and read their bedtime stories, but unfortunately, he couldn't do that. And that's why you're here.

A college student balancing studies and work, you honestly were so grateful that you applied as a babysitter for Sakusa. Not only are his kids literal angels, but he paid you good money, you technically live in a luxurious home for free, everything, from food to bed is there for you. His rules are pretty simple, keep an eye on the kids, make them happy and be there for them, support them, and stay clean. When first read that in the contract you were taken aback, but you quickly realized the man's strange phobia.

And to be honest you find it hot. When he came home, the way he takes off all his clothes at the door, leaving him in nothing but his undershirt tank and his boxers. If you're lucky, he's just came back from practice, his body is still glistening in drops of sweat. A look of pure disgust on his face as he takes his mask off, revealing his entire face as he marches to the bathroom, his bathroom, seeing every muscle of his contract as he moves. And you know it's wrong, kind of gross to be having lewd thoughts about him, not only he's your boss, the man is a good fifteen years older than you. But maybe that adds to the attraction. Older, more mature and well wise, you bet he knows so much more than your stupid college boys. You bet he knows exactly how to make you feel good. You can't help to think that way. Not when on the rare days he spends home, he looks so heavenly. The muscles in his arms flexing as he's wiping the table after his kids have finished lunch. His back muscles bulging as he's picking up one of them, and even more when it's the both of them. The odd times when you're alone, his words make you shiver, his whole attention on you. You can but rub your thighs at his weird habits; holding your hands to his nose seeing if you washed them properly, peaking over your shoulder as you do the dishes, sometimes standing way to close you can feel his body heat, running his fingers into your hair, putting them in ponytail, tightening it because "Don't want none of you hair in my and my kids's food."

All those small moments, they shouldn't make you wet, but they do, as you replay them in your memory, layed out in his bed. You know it's kind of creepy and inappropriate, if he ever finds out, it's the end of you, but you're addicted now. It only take you once. As you were putting away his laundry, the scent of him invaded you. The kids are well asleep, he told you he's coming late, you had plenty of time, and you couldn't help but think "What do his pillows smell like? Is his mattress firmer than mine? His sheets softer? What if I just..." and you did. You slipped into his bed, your unconscious taking over as your hand traveled down between your folds, the smell of his fresh laundry mixed with the remnants of his expensive cologne invading you, and it became a little, naughty habit of yours to cum in his sheets.

But do you really think he didn't notice? From the first night, he felt you scent in his sheets. He's not surprised, he's not dumb. The man has seen you eyeing him, your orbs looking from the curls on top on his head to his toes, always focusing on the bulge in his pants for a bit a too long. He should be disgusted by your behavior, but instead he's grossed out by his own dirty thoughts. He'd be lying if he didn't feel the same attraction. The man is well aged, too tired to be chasing around, so when he has someone like you living under his roof, he doesn't need to do much. Just close his eyes and let his mind wander; why are you in a skirt so short around kids? Your work consist of bending down, crouching over, moving around, do you know what you're doing? And why do you keep fluttering your eyelashes like that? Why do you smell so good? Everytime you walk past him, his cock twitches in his trousers. And he's so close, so close. Just remembering your form bent over helping one of the kids, your shirt opening and revealing your chest, one hand busy cleaning the kid's face, while the other holding into your own popsicle, getting it closer to your mouth, your lips wrapping around it, and it's when he remembers your innocent eyes looking up and meeting his hungry ones for a second that he finally reaches his climax, leaving traces of white in the sheets for you to discover tomorrow morning...

[because-of-a-friend]

Boyfriend!DK Fluff

Thanks for the requests anons! I hope you guys like it! Jun and Jeonghan have been requested so the rest of the series will hopefully be out soon! (Sorry requests are taking so long, I’m transitioning between jobs right now so I’m technically working two and I’m a little stressed, so idk if this one is even that good... sorry guys!)

MASTERLIST

Coups | Jeonghan | Joshua | Jun | Hoshi | Wonwoo | Woozi | DK | Mingyu | Minghao | Seungkwan | Vernon | Dino

DK feels unbelievably ridiculous and stupid

He cannot believe he’s actually about to do what he’s going to do

He turns around several times to make sure no one is around

He even came out there in the middle of the night to avoid anyone watching him

But there he is, standing in front of a water fountain, holding a coin, getting ready to make a wish

He feels so childish

But also at this point, he feels as if making a wish is the only choice he has left

After one last look to make sure no one is watching him, he holds the coin up, whispers his wish, presses a kiss to the coin and throws it in

He sighs at the insignificant “plop” sound, hangs his head for a moment, then turns to leave

Right as he moves, he hears someone yell

“HEY LOOK OUT”

And then a bicycle hits him

Well it doesn’t actually hit him

Just kind of brushes his side and knocks him off balance

But later he tells the boys that it full on hits him when he’s recounting the story and wants to be dramatic

But the encounter also throws the cyclist, aka you, off your balance so now both of you are on the ground

It’s honestly not that bad

He just scraped up his hands and you have one big scrape on your leg

But there’s no serious injuries on either of you

You get up immediately

“Shit, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you at first. Are you ok?”

You rush over to where he is on the ground and help him sit up

He doesn’t really say anything at first, just sits there in kind of a daze

So you start to panic

“Do you need me to call you an ambulance?”

There’s one more beat of silence

Then he starts laughing 

And you’re like ????

“I didn’t think I hit you that hard, did you hit your head?”

He shakes his head as he keeps laughing

“No, no, I’m fine, I think I was just shocked for a moment”

You start laughing too but mostly out of relief

He finally composes himself and looks up at you

“Are you ok?”

You’re not sure why this random stranger asking you if you’re ok makes your heart skip a beat when it’s a totally normal thing for someone to ask in that situation

“Hey, I’m the one who hit you, you shouldn’t be worried about me”

DK stands up before he responds

“Yeah but that scrape looks pretty bad, you should definitely get some disinfectant on that asap”

You look down at your leg and realize he’s right

His phone buzzes and he looks down at it

“Oh, I’ve got to go. You’re really ok, right?”

You nod, “Yeah, I’m fine, what about you? You’re ok too?”

He nods and smiles brightly at you, “Yeah, I’m good! Get home safely!”

And then he runs off

You honestly think about him nonstop for the next week

The handsome stranger you accidentally hit with your bike

You kick yourself for not getting his name at least

But once the week is up, you just kind of sigh and tell yourself that you’ll probably never see him again so you should just get over it

Then the next day

You’re on a street corner waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green

You look down at your phone for literally two seconds

You hear someone yell

“C’mon DK, hurry up!”

Then suddenly

WOOM

Something hits you and you fall to the ground and your breath is knocked out of you

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!”

You look up to see who ran into you

“Fountain boy?”

When he sees that it’s you, he breaks out into a grin

“It’s you, the cyclist!”

“DK seriously, we need to go!”

You look over to see another boy waving him towards a van

DK leans over and pulls you up off the ground

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I think so, is this revenge for what happened at the fountain?”

He lets out a laugh

“No, I promise I’m not the type to get revenge”

“Alright, I believe you... DK”

His eyes widen

“How’d you know my name?”

“That other boy over there that looks like he’s about to lose it keeps calling it out”

DK turns around to see Woozi stomping over towards him

“Oh right, I guess I’ve got to go”

Woozi grabs DK, apologizes to you for interrupting and starts to drag him towards the van

Before Woozi can drag him away fully, DK turns back towards you 

“Hey before I go, what’s your name?”

He can barely hear you call it over the crowds of people around talking and Woozi scolding him but he thinks it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard 

“[Y/N]!”

DK grins through the whole van ride

After that, you two run into each other all the time

You bump into him on an elevator

He gives up his seat for you on a bus

You accidentally spill your coffee on his shoes

He sends your report papers flying into the wind

You trip over his feet when he’s sitting around waiting for Mingyu and Minghao to be done shopping at the mall

You two learn a little bit more about each other with the opportunities presented every time you see each other

He finally asks for your number when the two of you end up volunteering at the same charity event

“It’s about time, Fountain Boy, I was thinking you were never gonna make a move”

“[Y/N], my name is DK and you know it”

“I like Fountain Boy better”

He just grins at you

Your first date is nice

Everything feels easy with DK

Mostly because it feels like you’ve already known each other for years somehow

He always makes you laugh 

The more time you spend with him

The more you realize he’s truly the kindest, most genuine person you’ve ever met

He’s always so considerate of you and your feelings

Always making little sacrifices to make you more comfortable or more happy

Honestly every little action of his touches your heart

The idea of ever hurting or upsetting or disappointing the other seems unacceptable to both of you

So your whole relationship is that way

Just the two of you always being so completely selfless for the sake of the other

DK is honestly the softest boyfriend ever

He’s just so grateful for every moment he gets to spend with you so he tries his best to show it in every way possible

He’s always smiling around you

Because even when he’s had a bad day, he knows you’re going to be supportive, listen to him, and offer help and advice

You become his safe place so he always feels comfortable and content when he’s with you

The other boys love you

They didn’t think there was anyone as kind and selfless as DK, but here you are

They love how much you do for DK

And you also do nice things for them all the time too, so they have no complaints

Sometimes DK gets jealous of how well you get along with the boys

But not in the way you expect

“I thought you guys would say something like ‘make sure they treat you right’ or ‘only the best can date our Dokyeom’ or ‘if you hurt DK, you’re in for it’”

“Seriously DK? They just made us all cookies for no reason and brought them up to the dorm themselves, if you two break up we might keep them instead of you”

DK is grumpy™️ for the rest of the day lol

But DK seriously adores you

I feel like this is obvious, but he’s super cuddly

He’s kind of like a cat

You’ll be working on something on your laptop

And he’ll just push himself into your arms and giggle as you roll your eyes and run your hands through his hair

You’re showered in kisses every single day

The type of boyfriend where whenever you say you’re cold, he’s suddenly pushing one of his sweatshirts over your head and piling blankets on you

If you get sick, he does. not. leave. your. side.

A super doting boyfriend

He gets nervous all the time still 

When you meet up for dates or when you take new steps in your relationship

He does that thing where he bounces his legs up and down and gets all jittery

But it’s honestly super sweet

Even when you’re dating and well into your relationship

You find yourself unable to get away from each other

He wishes you luck one morning when you have a job interview but then you run into him there bc SVT is having a meeting with someone in the same office building

He says he doesn’t have time one day to come see you bc his schedule is super busy but then you end up on the same bus as him and some of the other members on their way to one of their chores for the day

It’s like the universe is making sure you two are weaved into every part of each other’s lives

And you love being a part of each other’s lives

You live for when he opens up more about what it means to be an artist and what writing music and performing is like for him

DK just kind of casually sings all the time so you get to hear his voice whenever you want

Your all time favorite is when you’re laying in bed next to him, playing with his hands and he’s just singing softly

It makes you feel so safe tbh

But then sometimes he has to go on vocal rest and you have to do all sorts of ridiculous things to make sure he lets his vocal chords get the rest they need

I’m talking

The quiet game

Tape over the mouth

Making up funny little penalties every time he starts singing or talking too loud

Make out sessions where every time he puts strain on his vocal chords you just push him down and kiss him until he remembers that he needs to be quiet lol

Sometimes you’ll just guide him to the bed and soothe him to sleep bc you know that he as a whole needs tons of rest, not just his throat

And you catch yourself just lovingly staring at him as you run your fingers through his hair methodically to coax him into a nap

When he’s half asleep he gets sort of talkative and he says the cutest things

You don’t try to trick him into saying anything that he wouldn’t be comfortable saying to you fully awake

But sometimes you ask him questions about random things to get his honest answer just for fun

“Seokminnie”

“Yeah?”

“What were you doing that night?”

“What night?”

“At the water fountain when we first met, what were you doing out there?”

“Making a wish”

You can tell by his voice that he’s about to fall asleep

You can’t help but smile at his sweet face as his eyes flutter closed when you run your thumb over his cheek

“A wish for what?”

You wait for a moment, thinking maybe he fell asleep before he heard your question

But he’s just awake enough to give out one more answer

“To meet my soulmate”

[bedtimebrain]

EXO D.O. : Summer Love Part 1

Characters: DKS x Reader (+ Chanyeol )

Ksoo’s is an actor having a musical where you are working at. And a summer crush begins...

‘Rrrrrrinnnng!!’ The alarm goes off, argh, you thought to yourself, another day to get up for work.

You were a hired hand at a theatre just 20minutes from where you stayed. A part time job you picked up during you summer vacation. Your job scope ? Literally doing anything you’re told.

Dressed in black top, black jeans, white shoes, you headed out . Comfortable. And dull. Just like yesterday, and just like today,how your day is going to be again.

A new musical team was heading in today. Honestly, you weren’t so keen on the team, just hoping there’s no one nasty, no cock ups.

Upon reaching the theatre , you head straight to the meeting room, you see Chanyeol (your (reallly really enthusiastic) friend), already there , setting up bottles and tidying up the room. Chanyeol was your best partner at work, nicely balancing out your negativity and always ready to help.

‘Y/N!! Aren’t you excited! A new team’s coming in today! I can’t wait to hear what’s performance we are preparing for this round!’

‘Hi Chanyeol, I don’t see how you can always be so enthusiastic every single day after doing this job for a month.. ‘ you rolled your eyes at him as you head over to help him out.

‘Everyday I just ....’

Before you could complete your sentence, rustling noises were heard outside the room announcing the arrival of the musical team.

The remaining theatre team and musical team entered the room. Both of you moved over to join the theatre team.

‘Hi everyone, we’re BCD production company, our production this round...’

Just as you were about to zone out a smooth deep voice shot you out of it.

‘...Hi everyone , I’m Do Kyungsoo’

Oh wow , that voice. You gave him a second look, thinking , this guy sure has big eyes. And.. a little cute too, you watched as he shyly flashed a smile to everyone and bowed.

After the cast introduction then the technical meetings, lunch time was finally here.

‘Chanyeol~~~ Let’s go get the bento boxes in together, I can’t do it alone todayyy’ you whined.

As you guys were picking up the bentos, that familiar face... ah kyungsoo! Walked over, ‘do you guys need some help?’ Reaching out his hands about to bring out more bentos.

Right before Chanyeol could respond, you cut in coolly ‘Erm kyungsoo-ssi it’s fine. You might just get us scolded , but thanks anyway’

He was a little taken aback, ‘ah sorry, I didn’t realise I would make you guys uncomfortable, I’ll head off. Thanks for bringing in the food’

‘Ya Y/N you’re surely a little too harsh, poor boy didn’t deserve that for being nice’

Ok honestly, he seems nice,cute and all, but work was work and you’re really edgy coming to that.

After bringing and distributing the lunch for everyone, you both picked up your own and started looking for a seat among the crowded rooms.

‘Y/N there’s a seat here, quick!’

You head over quickly, absolutely ready to start eating until you saw kyungsoo sitting on that same table. You stared at chanyeol with that OMG face, making that eye contact telling him ‘awkward?!’

You sat down, turned back to kyungsoo with a straight face, smile a little, and without a word start to eat.

The day’s bento was Chinese food, and it comes with your favourite custard lava bun. Your eyes brighten up, oh yes, sweet sour pork , you just couldn’t stop the ‘ahs, and wows’ . You didn’t even notice kyungsoo looked up a few times at you , raising his brows with a small smile.

You’re just a little excited when it comes to food

‘You might want to be a little careful with that’ you watch as kyungsoo tries to eat the lava bun. You thought to just warn him. He looked at you quizzically ‘the custard inside is hella hot’

Surprisingly that ‘warning’ of yours broke the ice between you guys. Though Kyungsoo was a little quiet, the three of you hit off well over the love of food. Kyungsoo took a little while to get comfortable, but soon many questions were thrown around as you guys get to know each other.

Lunch time passed by fast, so did the rest of the day.

Throughout the week, the musical team were all busy rehearsing and finalising their scripts. The theatre team were busying helping them get the stage and technical things ready.

You normally kept your distance from the musical team, but Kyungsoo just felt a little different. You guys made comfortable small talks when you met briefly along the walkways. During lunch he would occasionally walk by to chat with you and Chanyeol, teasing how whiny you were just like chanyeol too. As days go by, you started looking forward going for work. Somehow you liked the small talks you had , and somehow.. You felt yourself drawn to Kyungsoo, hoping you will get to see him before each day ends.

Today is the second last day of rehearsals. It’s already 9pm and most of the musical team has left. You were about start cleaning up as you head to the stage, but you see kyungsoo still there speaking with the director.

You chuckled to yourself thinking /That serious face of his really does scare people away if you don’t know him well/

Just as you were about to pick up the trash left behind on stage, the director called you over ‘that girl there! Could you come over please!’

Oh gawd, what’s up, please don’t get me to run some errands for you at this hour or get me to find some impossible props... You couldn’t hide your annoyed face as you stride over. Kyungsoo caught that face of yours and made a subtle imitation to tease you for the 3rd time today.

‘Could please rehearse Kyungsoo’s lines with him now ? Just read it out, there’s some details we are discussing to clean up’

‘ oh, sure~’ you replied with some forced enthusiasm.

Picking up the script , you started reading

Y: ‘How could it be that you were MinSeok? This is surely a twisted fate..’

K: ‘No, we are destined! After all these years I tried to find you, you finally appeared. Please don’t go!’

You read the next line in the script

/Hold female lead’s hand/

WHAT NO , WHATS THIS

Before you could even react to your senses Kyungsoo already reached out and held your hand, catching you by surprise that you could feel your eyes widen so fast. Looking at your stunned expression, Kyungsoo raised his brows then using his eyes to tell you to read your script.

In your nervousness you stuttered

Y:Er Minsoo, sorry , I meant

Minseok, no! I have to go , I left because the stars wrote about our twisted fate if we remained together’

/shake male lead’s hands off, and wipes tears/

Upon reading that line, you quickly shook his hands off with such force that Kyungsoo almost laughed in all his seriousness.

K: ‘There’s nothing to be afraid of now, my inner soul has changed..’

You continued silent reading the script directions

/walk towards female lead/

You see him approach you closer

The next line ...

/reach for her hand and give a forehead kiss/

OMG.

To be continued!!

Part 2

[sheyshen]

Today’s short ramble fic brought to you by my thinking about Koren and Theron back during the class stories, shortly after they had broken up because of work pulling them in separate directions. This takes place during chap 1 of the BH class story, before Tatooine but after DK, back when they were still pulling each other out of the fire on occasion.

Hope you all enjoy! :3

-

He was in a tough spot, to say the least. Theron grunted in pain as he shoved the door open enough that he could squeeze through. His right arm was dislocated at the shoulder, his implants were fried, and his nose was broken. That likely wasn’t the full extent of his injuries, but it was the most immediate of them at the moment. He cursed his luck as his comm beeped an incoming call. Such terrible timing.

Ignoring the pinging device, the spy sprinted down the hallway. He didn’t have time to see to the dislocation properly so he yanked off his jacket as best he could and used it to brace the wounded arm to him for the time being. He’d worry about it as soon as he was safe for more than a few seconds.

The lights of the hall flickered on, the power to the station cycling and restarting and he quickened his pace. The pinging continued and finally, Theron grabbed the device, debated on just tossing it to use as a distraction, but ended up answering it instead. Without his implants working the comm was his only way to get contact off the station. The red emergency lights flickered and shifted to the blinding white as the station finished it’s reboot as he hit the button and shouted at his comm.

“Now’s not a great time!” He ground out as he banked down a hall and headed to where the shuttle bay was located.

“So you don’t want a rescue I take it?” The voice on the other side hummed.

“Kor?” Theron practically squeaked the nickname out as he nearly slammed his head on a barrel of a blaster as the door in front of him opened. Dashing to the side and dodging the shot the spy scrambled away before continuing. “Wha- Where are you?”

“About to land, hopefully. Mako is trying to get the blast doors open, so get ready to hop on as soon as we get in.”

“Do I want to know how you knew where I was?”

Koren laughed, a sound that the spy had honestly missed. “Jonas.” He answered simply. “I’ll give you the full details as soon as your safe, Shey’s already prepping the med bay since knowing you you’re gonna need some patching up.”

“Am I still that predictable?” Theron glanced up as he slid into cover, watching the blast doors open. The sounds of alarm around him let him know that he was now the lesser of the two issues the station was now facing.

The rumble of engines was what he heard before the Mantis landed in the middle of the bay, ramp descending. Taking that as his cue to make himself scarce Theron ran for the ship. A woman stood on the ramp, taking shots at the enemy and covering for him as he ran up and into the open door.

“Sorry to crash your party.” She said as she followed after him and closed the door. Hitting the comm she shouted. “Alright Kor, he’s on, let’s get outta here.”

“Already on it Shey.” He returned as the ship’s engines revved and Theron could feel lift off as the woman led him further in.

“You’re a friend of Kor right?” She smiled at him, the red jacket and lipstick she wore standing out on her almost ghostly pale skin and hair. “I’m Shey, one of the team. The other is in the pit with him right now.”

“Theron.” He introduced. “I appreciate the save.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t show?” Koren grinned, leaning on the hand railing above.

Theron chuckled, “I didn’t know you were coming honestly. Might’ve made sure to grab a few more party favors if I had.”

“Ah, I’m sure you’ll make it up to me somehow.” The merc chuckled as he headed down the stairs. As soon as he stepped up to the spy he tsked, “You’re a mess.”

“The party got a little rowdy.”

“So I see, let’s get you patched up.” He urged him forward before turning his attention to Shey a moment. “Can you help Mako with the jump to Coruscant? Use the landing codes that are logged under Kole.”

“Sure thing.” She said as she headed up to the cockpit.

“Didn’t think you had landing codes for Republic planets.” Theron huffed a laugh as he sat on the padded table that lay on the far side of the med bay, letting Koren remove his jacket and shirt to tend to his wounds.

“I don’t, but my brothers do.” Koren hurried around the room retrieving various supplies and deposited them next to his ex. “Perks of being an identical brother of not one, but two, Jedi that are apparently well regarded in the Republic.” He grabbed Theron’s arm with one hand and braced the other on his back. “This is gonna hurt.” He warned.

Bracing himself, Theron bit back a shout as his arm was pushed back into the socket. Even though he grumbled in pain he held as still as possible as Koren worked, taping his shoulder for support and then went to tend the remaining injuries, saving the implant for last.

“Still no plans to come back to the Republic?” Theron asked as the pain subsided, replaced by a warm numbness from the anesthetic that the merc rubbed on the wounded shoulder.

“Not at present.” Koren glanced at him before returning his focus to his work. “I’m technically MIA, and you know I make a poor excuse of a Jedi.”

“I’m sure whoever would end up your master wouldn’t appreciate you puking whenever you use the Force.” Theron joked, earning a quiet laugh.

The familiarity between them was something he had missed. It had been a few months since they had broken up, his work with the SIS and Koren’s with the job this ‘Braden’ had offered taking them in different directions. But that he didn’t lose a friend in the process was nice.

“I’m sure my brothers are making enough trouble in the order without me anyway.” Koren stepped away to grab some more supplies, these more geared for cybernetics.

“Have the panic attacks gotten better?”

The merc paused a moment, taking a heavy breath, and returning to continue tending to Theron’s wounds. “No. And please don’t mention them to the other two.”

“They don’t know?” The spy winced as Koren cleaned and stitched a particularly deep gash on his arm.

“I haven’t mentioned it. They know I’m Force-sensitive, but that’s it. They don’t need to know the rest.”

“They’re your team, Kor. What if-” Theron watched him worriedly.

“They don’t need to know,” Koren repeated. “I made mistakes and I don’t need anyone to clean up after me, you know that.”

“Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have someone looking out for you.”

The merc grinned, “That’s what I have you for isn’t it?” At the slight look of surprise on his friend’s face, he chuckled. “I know you’ve been tracking me. And I’m pretty sure the cover-up from the last job I took was done by you and not Kody.”

Theron laughed, “I was trying to be sneaky. Besides, I know that the Jedi that gave those troopers on Balmorra a run for their credits was you.”

“See, we both have someone looking out for us. Don’t need to involve anyone else.” Koren pulled up a chair and urged Theron to turn his head as he poked at the devices implanted around Theron’s eye. “Just going to give these a quick restart. I know the SIS wouldn’t want me messing with them.”

Theron hummed, closing his eyes and letting him work. It was a shame that he still refused to return to the Republic, but if he was being honest with himself he was also glad he didn’t. Koren seemed happier like this. He was a combat medic and preferred to stay neutral so traveling the stars as part of a team of bounty hunters suited him more than the spy would admit.

Maybe one day they’d be on the same team again, be able to grab a drink, and talk about their adventures without worrying that either could be at risk. Maybe they’d both meet someone new, have someone else to look out for them when they got in over their heads. But until then they had each other, and Theron would do everything in his power to keep his friend safe just as he knew Koren would do the same for him.

[strayycarrot]

Dancing in the Rain - Chapter 2 (Seventeen Dino X reader)

Chapter 1 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Words: 2140

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: none

Notes: rereading this made me smile, and I hope it makes someone else smile

Your mom wakes you up the next morning. Well, technically all she does is stick her head into the room and shout "Wake up!".

Groaning, you roll out of bed. You wince when your cheek brushes against the mattress. Your cheek is even more sore now than it was last night, and it feels swollen too. After you get dressed, you do your make-up and gently apply concealer over the bruise. You don't want your mom to get worried. She probably wouldn't notice anyway, but you don't want her to yell at you for getting into trouble.

When you finally leave your room, your mom has already disappeared in her study, working as always. It's usually best to leave her alone when she's busy, so you walk into the kitchen and make yourself breakfast. Normally you would make her something, too, but you realize that she's already eaten because of the dirty dishes in the sink.

After you eat and wash the dishes, you take your favorite book and blanket and snuggle up in the reading nook by the window. After a while you put down the book and just stare out of the window into the sunlit yard. A few water droplets are still dotting the window, sparkling like pearls. Through them, you watch the reflection of the partly cloudy sky in a puddle. You can't believe Dino was standing there just last night.

Absentmindedly, you rub the bump on your head. You grit your teeth as you remember the sheer panic that gripped you moments before Dino showed up. You don't even want to imagine what would have happened if he hadn't been there.

The annoying beeping of your phone distracts you from your dark thoughts. As you unlock your phone, you see just how late it is. You've been sitting there for hours. The text is from Ji Woo.

"Why is Dino wearing your hoodie?", it says.

Frowning, you quickly type a response.

"What do you mean???"

Not a minute later, Ji Woo answers.

"Didn't you see the pics from this morning? He was wearing it at the fansign!"

A quick search later, you gasp. She's right. That's definitely your blue dragon hoodie, the one you lost last night. The one he said he would find for you. But he never said anything about wearing it! You scroll through the comments, and a particular one catches your eye.

"This is one of my favorite looks on him!!!", you read.

You giggle. The fan is right, the hoodie looks amazing on him. You also notice that he must have washed it. You're relieved that the rain didn't ruin it, and that it's not lost after all. But one question remains: How are you going to get your hoodie back?

"He must have found it", you text Ji Woo, realizing she's still waiting for an explanation, but not wanting to repeat everything that happened last night.

"And he just kept it? That's not very nice."

You chuckle.

"What else was he supposed to do? I'm sure he's way too busy to find me just to return a hoodie!"

"But why is he wearing it?"

"I have no idea. It's not like he doesn't have any clothes."

You frown and think it over.

"I guess he just likes it", you add.

"Min Ah says you should call Maria. Maybe she knows how to contact him so you can get it back", Ji Woo writes.  You hesitate. A new message comes in. It's from an unknown number.

"Hey is this y/n?"

You raise your eyebrows. How did someone get your number? You've only given this number to Min Ah and Ji Woo. And Maria, through the sign-up sheet, you remember.

"Yes, who is this?", you type back, hoping that it's Maria and not some creepy stalker.

"It's Dino. Just letting you know, I have your hoodie!"

You laugh.

"Never mind, he just texted me.", you inform Ji Woo. Then you switch back to Dino's message.

"Thank you so much! I thought I'd never see it again!"

"It's very cool. Def suits you ;)"

"Are you saying I'm as fierce as a dragon? That's probs the best compliment I've ever gotten :)"

"You're welcome :D"

You stare at the phone in your lap, still confused as to why he would go through so much trouble just to give you your hoodie back. You purse your lips and scroll through the photos of the fansign again. You're not so sure anymore if you even want it back. You kind of like seeing him wear it. It's crazy that it fits you both so well. It was pretty baggy on you, but he fills it out very well. The more you stare at Dino, the more you want to tell him to just keep it.

But then again, if he gives it back to you, it would give you an excuse to see him again. You try to ignore the butterflies in your stomach. You watch dots appear on your screen. Dino is typing again.

"So what's he saying??? Spill it we're both dying over here!"

False alarm, it's just Ji Woo again.

"Not much. I guess he's trying to figure out how to get it back to me."

"Awesome! Ask him out on a date while you're at it ;)"

You snort.

"Calm down, he's just being nice."

"Yeah, right...".

At the same time, Dino finally sends his message.

"Would you like to come by the dorm later to pick it up?"

You chew your lip and eventually decide that it would be too weird if you asked him to keep wearing it. You don't want him to think you're obsessed or something.

"Sure! Just give me a time and I'll be there."

You don't feel as enthusiastic as the message suggests. The first time he met you, you made a fool out of yourself, twice. Three times, if you count your dumb idea of walking home alone in the dark. No wonder he didn't want to leave you alone even when you got home. He must think that you don't have enough brain cells to even take care of yourself.

"And don't worry, I'll get there in one piece -.-", you add, fearing he'll appoint himself as your personal bodyguard or something. Not that you would mind having him by your side all the time. You shake your head and put your phone down. You can hear your mom rummage through the drawers somewhere in the house. Following the sound, you stop at the doorway to the kitchen and watch the spectacle as it unfolds in front of you.

Your mom, not by any means a tall woman, is balancing on top of a chair, trying to reach the plates on the top shelf.

At the same time, the water on the stove is boiling over. You rush to the pot and pull it off the heat as quickly as you can. The sound of water sizzling angrily as it hits the hot stove top grinds your ears.

“Thank you sweetie!” Your mom jumps off the chair and it’s a miracle that she doesn’t drop the plates.

“You’re cooking?”, you ask, shocked. You’ve never seen her in the kitchen for more than a few minutes at a time before.

“Sure”, she says. She walks over to the pot and pokes a fork into the potatoes. You smile as you look around and take in the array of ingredients and cooking utensils strewn across the kitchen.

“Thank you, mom”, you say, your voice thick with emotion. You’re so used to taking care of yourself when you lived with your dad that it didn’t even occur to you that someone would do something like this for you.

“Can I help?”, you ask, already moving to the counter to cut up some more vegetables.

“That’d be great. I may be just a little bit in over my head”, she admits, relief coloring her voice.

“Of course. It’ll be great!”

It’s not long before the two of you have prepared a simple meal and are sitting together at the table, eating and chatting happily.

“So how was dance class?”, she asks.

Your face lights up as you tell her excitedly about your new friends and the awesome choreography you’re learning.

“And they even go to the same school!”, you exclaim.

Your mom’s phone rings. She leaves the room to answer it and the smile leaves your face. You know she won’t be back anytime soon. Her work is important, you remind yourself. You gather up the dishes and chuck the rest of your mom’s meal into the trash can. Sighing, you begin to wash the dishes by yourself.

When you get back to your room, you check your phone. There are several notifications.

“What’s going on?? You’ve got to tell us everything!” You smirk. Min Ah is just as nosy as Ji Woo.

“I’m going by their dorm to pick up my hoodie later”, you tell her. You switch over to Dino’s messages and stare at the last one he sent you.

“Of course you are. It’s not like you tend to trip over your own feet or anything‍‍ :P”

You scrunch up your nose.

“Ugh that was one time!”, you reply. “I can’t believe you’re coming for me like this!”

“You said yourself that I’m not an angel. I’m still curious why you think that btw”.

You roll your eyes. You don’t believe for a second that he doesn’t know exactly how much he drives his fans crazy every time he’s on camera.

“Have you seen yourself dance?”

“The real question is, have YOU seen YOURself dance?”, he shoots back. The question confuses you, so you just type a few question marks and wait on him to elaborate.

“Are you serious? How did you get so lucky?” Min Ah still won’t let this go.

“I’ve been asking myself the same thing”, you tell her.

You fall into your bed and stare at your ceiling, shaking your head. The real question is, when will your luck run out? Because it always does eventually, and usually at the most inconvenient time.

Evening sneaks up on you and before you know it, you’re standing at the address Dino sent you, stepping from one foot to the other. You’re not sure you’re actually ready for this. Meeting Dino was one thing, but you’re afraid you might suffer a heart attack if you come face to face with all 13 of your favorite idols.

Taking a deep breath, you raise your hand and rap against the door. One time, two times, three. Your heart is beating fast. You stick your hands into the front pocket of your second favorite hoodie and clench them into fists. If only you weren’t so nervous.

The door opens, and you look up, expecting Dino. It’s DK.

“Hey”, he says. “You’re y/n, right?”

You nod slowly, not quite trusting your voice. You follow him inside. Dino stands up when you enter the room. Dk disappears through one of the doors, leaving you alone with Dino.

“Hello”, you say, waving awkwardly. He walks over and raises his hand to your face, but hesitates before touching you.

“Hey”, he whispers.

“It looks worse than it is”, you try to reassure him. He doesn’t look convinced. Suddenly he turns around and gets your hoodie from the back of the couch.

You smile in thanks as you take it back. It smells like him. You look down and feel the soft fabric between your fingers, very aware of his eyes on you.

“You wore it”, you state, looking up, unspoken question in your eyes.

He blushes and scratches his head.

“Ah, I’m sorry about that. My stylist saw me with it and she wanted me to wear it”.

You nod and turn towards the door.

“It’s alright”, you say over your shoulder. “Thanks for giving it back”. It seems you’ll never run out of things to thank him for.

You’re already out of the door when he calls after you.

“Y/n wait!” You turn around again and raise your eyebrows. He’s given back your hoodie. What else could he possibly want?

He doesn’t speak, just looks at you with an expression on his face that you don’t understand. Whatever he wanted to say, he can’t seem to find the right words.

You turn around and walk away. But you can’t shake the feeling that he didn’t want you to leave. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say he enjoyed having you around. You shake your head. The only reason he contacted you was because he had your hoodie. Now that you have it back, you need to move on. You can’t allow yourself to get lost in the illusion that someone like Dino could actually care about you.

[benzilla80]

Waterous Trail on Foot 50 Miler – The Resurrection

The Backstory

The lead up to this race had been a pretty solid one by my standards. WTF 100 miler in 2015 was a qualifier race for another 100 miler on the Australian east coast. After nearly a year of waiting, I was accepted to race in the Great Southern Endurance Run (GSER) A 181km 10,000m vertical gain alpine race. Fast forward almost another year and the race is fast approaching this coming November.

I will try not to wander to far from this race, but it was all part of my preparation. My GSER training program involved nearly a year’s worth of ‘racing diet’ Both for financial and racing effort reasons. Since Australia Day Ultra in January until GSER in November, there was to be only one race, and that was a ‘test and tune’ event. WTF50 was perfect. Local, I knew the course and it was a chance to test out some things under race conditions.

Training involved a good base of 100km weeks before training even started. Bread and butter weeks including one interval session, one tempo session and one long run as the foundation. The first few weeks were 6 days a week with easy volume runs filling in between the harder workouts, then I swapped to 7 days a week and targeted at least 2,00m elevation gain. The training week of WTF was a 130k week with an extremely short 3-day taper.

What The Actual Race Day

I got as early a night as I could, and rose on the first alarm, quietly got ready and drove myself to the start line with an instant packet of porridge warming my belly. The drive was dark, wet and not exactly inspiring for what lay ahead.

I arrived at the meet point a bit early and was not sure of the new parking area, eventually, I found the toilets and parking area and Sergio was also wandering about in the rain looking for the start. A few moments later a stream of cars rolled in and it was on. I parked and walked behind my car to get my gear out and stood in a large puddle…. great.

Race director Dave Kennedy (DK) arrived in the big orange bus and we get through the drop bag process quick and easy then take the short walk through the early daw sunlight to the start line proper. It’s raining lightly and I am in two minds about keeping my hooded jacket on or not, I hate running in that thing, yet didn’t want to spend all day wet either, so it stayed on.

Race line brief, I hit my watch to get the location and it has an update waiting for me…. c’mon really? You need to do this now?! (I ended up starting the race without it tracking and got it sorted on the go, but that explains the minute difference between my watch time and gun time)

We set off and I’m about mid-pack and 50 meters into the race the lead guys run right by the first turn and take half the pack with them. I call out and everyone gets back on track among a few laughs. I find myself running with a person I didn’t recognise, Thomas with another lady I didn’t recognise Martina. Both looked springy and ready to go and as Chris and Andrew joined me they pulled ahead. The boys and I had agreed to run together for as long as it worked as a Runningworks Team, which I was happy for. The company was nice and I offered a few tips and laughs along the way. Both those guys had potential to win, and now there were two other factors I had not considered opening a gap ahead. I told the guys to be patient, 80k is a long way.

The first 5km is mostly downhill, so I tried to keep the pace comfortable but not silly. I said to Andrew “forget the split times and think of the split effort, consistent effort is more important than maintaining a specific number, some will be fast, some will be slow so think of the overall effort” I had planned my effort to be above training but stay below racing pace.

Things were going well, Martine came back to the group on one of the last big downhills before the river and Thomas opened the gap more and more. Our group of three crossed the river and began the next long 1.6km climb. I was happy to use my poles and run walk this, Chris seemed eager to run more and Andrew was happier to listen to his wife’s advice “winners walk the hills” Either way, we stayed pretty much together and were on the more runnable stuff into Kingsbury Drive Aid Station holding a nice pace and chatting away. Our average was pretty much 8 hours flat and Thomas was out of sight, a quick glance behind saw a few runners not far back, also in good spirits.

We round the last bend and I ask the guys if they were stopping and both said yes. I mentioned I needed to get my jacket off and have a pee so they might catch me then, but I avoid stopping at stations if I don’t have to. I had packed enough gear to not stop and ran right thought “307 in…307 out”

I would not see the boys again until Goldmine Hill’s out and back leg.

Running solo, I expected to slow down a bit, but managed to hold some pretty good pace on the hard-packed trail between the Kingsbury rd. crossing, around the plantation and into the ‘lil bitch’ (a term I use for my second most disliked part of the course, not an official name haha) the first of two rolling technical hills sections that can be tough in both directions, at least this year was a one way trip for me. A few hiking breaks and 6-7minute km’s saw me through to the Boyd Road section in pretty good shape. It was here my heart rate was elevated when I saw two rather large off leash Rottweilers running towards me with a small third dog in chase…. ALARM! The owner was close by and called the dogs and thankfully they had a great recall and decided against chewing on the skinny runner passing by! Just before leaving the road section I saw Chris’s wife Sandy and the rest of the support team at the junction. I appreciate the cheers guys. This was followed by a right turn and ‘big bitch’.

Part two of the rolling hill sections. It’s really not that bad, and many a runner would take it in their stride, but it’s enough to break your rhythm and technical enough to make you consider your footing and conserving the quad strength, it’s too soon to be burning them up. A few slower km’s and I took the chance to cram in some calories, after all the more you eat the less you have to carry! A couple of great single-track kilometres saw me popping out at the North Dandalup Dam Aid Station. 30km into the race and my first official stop. “307 in” and I was greeted by the lovely Kel, Harms and Jez at the table. “4 minutes behind the leader Ben” They took my rubbish and passed me my drop bag containing a kids sized packet of plain chips, a mini can of ginger ale and one Winners bar. I can’t remember if I had my bottles filled, I don’t think so?! I ate the chips, drank the drink and pocketed the bar “307 out” and was on my way. 30th kilometre was 7:15, so probably puts the total aid stop somewhere between 90 seconds and two minutes before setting out over the picturesque dam wall. 6 minutes behind Thomas.

As I crossed the wall in clear blue skies and tried to take in the views I reflected on two things, one was immediate and one was more philosophical. Firstly, was race related, Thomas was 6 minutes ahead, that’s a pretty solid kilometre gap and I figured I would see him in the next hour, or I would never see him again and the dark house effect had taken place once again like a Survivor blind side. Only time would tell. Secondly was a conversation I had with a hiker one day during training “runners see twice as much but only half as good” SO I made the effort to take in the views on the go, to really see twice as much

From the dam wall to the Out and Back Aid Station is my favourite part of the course. Even though it’s hilly it is still my favourite. Rolling single tracks, perfect for mountain bikers. Bermed banks and bush right up to the trail edge. I didn’t even mind the puddles or diversion around large fallen trees, plus I was almost halfway and the average pace was still sub 8-hour finish.

35.5km and I pop out at the Out and Back Aid Station, this year a full aid station and I cruise right through to complete the out and back leg before stopping. The volunteers cheer and I start the climb over Goldmine Hill, now officially on the local favourite 6 Inch Trail Marathon course heading towards it’s start. I break out the poles and run walk my way over the top and part way down to the 50 mile turn around. All the while wondering “Has Thomas opened the gap and run away, or will I see him any second?” Passing the Dodd’s sign, I see him on the return trip and we both look at our watches. As we crossed I gave him a cheer but I don’t think he heard me as he had headphones in, he was also climbing and probably doing the maths, as was I.

I hit the run and take two steps more, just to be sure and start my way back with that number locked in my mind, I pass the sign and #margiemaths has the gap back to 4 minutes, so I had clawed back the two-minute aid stop but at what cost? Hiking over the top with my poles clicking away I see SJ, it actually took at least 30 seconds for me to place the face and name but I got there in the end and smiled my way over the hill, stowed my poles and ran down the backside of Goldmine Hill towards resupply.

“307 in” and I find a bin to drop my rubbish and grab my drop bag. I pass on the chips and just drink the ginger ale. Helped by Elise and another lady I recognised but could not place a name, I’m bad with names until I hang out with them, sorry for not being able to thank you by name! I donate my ration of snake lollies to the aid station kitty as I still had a few left from the start of the race and stow my re-filled soft flask bottles. DK mentions I am looking in good shape and I feel pretty good at the halfway mark. In the parting seconds of the stop I cross paths with the leader of the 100 mile race, Nate. He is looking fresh as a daisy! With the roar of four people clapping it’s “307 out” and I’m starting the longest leg, 25km to the fabled Treasure Island at Oakley Dam.

The first half of this leg goes smoothly, I see the 100 pack coming past on their journey to Jarradale where I started and they all seem in good spirits and fairly spread out. I wish them all luck and they all cheer back, some saying “he’s right there” or similar but I was yet to see Thomas through he tree’s so I dismissed it as well meaning motivation but maybe not entirely accurate, #margiemaths really was a thing after all! It took until the sharp left turn across the rickety old wood bridge before I caught a glimpse of first place. I didn’t push or try to close the gap. I just maintained the same effort and let the cards fall where they may. At almost 48km we were should to should at the base of a long climb. We hiked for quite a long time (about 9 minutes!) and chatted about all sorts of things while we worked the hill. I took the chance to get some calories in knowing there was some runnable km’s coming up before the Del Park Road crossing. We crested the main climb and started running together, Thomas stayed with me for a while but seemed to drop off the back. Not sure if he stopped on purpose for a toilet break or just slowly slipped behind but the last I saw him at that stage was a cheer as we passed 50.1km, I called over my should “happy distance PB” we laughed and I turned my attention to my own effort and now had to make some decisions.

The section to the road crossing seemed to take a while and I tried my best to just run by feel and not try to run away from Thomas. I felt he had gone too hard too early and would now slip back in the pack as Chris and Andrew would be not far back, they were about 10-12 minutes back at Goldmine when I saw them there. From here I tried to dial the effort back a bit, this was a training run after all so I fell into the habit of looking back (which I always try not to do) and let myself hike more than I would if I was racing super hard. This had a weird effect on me and I hit my first low point of the race. My right wrist was getting sore when using the poles and I had to stop using them after the technical section from Del Park Rd and just ran the gentle climbs like Deadpool with my sticks strapped across my back. Hiking more than I wanted but I was also in a bit of a funk. Running past Tuner’s Hill (Aid 1 at 6 Inch) I berated myself for so many little hikes and committed to run to the Scrap Road crossing, “all the way, no walking, this is all runnable” I wanted to cruise slowly and consistently, but found I would run fast and get tired and the urge to walk was overwhelming. Weirdly, I felt exactly the same here at last year’s 100, and was passed in the exact same spot to slip from 2nd the 3rd (hat tip to Rob) I found the urge and saw a car coming which I think had a relay runner in it, he said “are you coming first?” and I replied “yes mate” trying to smile on the outside and “ gave me a cheer “that’s awesome, looking great” “thanks mate” as I passed by desperately trying to stay running. I knew the road was close now and was confident I was going to hold up my end of the deal and run all the way, before I hit a small rise and without permission my legs stopped running and I turned into a real life Jekyll and Hyde, right there out loud arguing with myself like a crazed lunatic “You f#$%ing P#$%y” “it is a training run, I don’t need to race that hard” “a deals a deal and you folded” Seriously, the weirdest conversation I have ever had and I was all alone. The rise was over and I was back running, chin up chest out in a bit of disbelief regards the last 30 seconds of my life.

I pass the start of the 3 Inch Trail Half Marathon course and begin the climb to the radio tower. I run the flatter stuff and hike the steeper parts, but walked almost a km solid to the top, eating what I can and drinking what I need to. Looking back, doing (now silent) deals with myself. As I pass the tower with the rumble of the conveyor belts to my left I feel the pull of Treasure Island and running down the other side I feel the funk passing. I see the relay guys again at the turn and they tell me I look fantastic and I confess “I’m not exactly feeling it” “I don’t think you are supposed to at 60km!” I cross the conveyor belt overpass thinking that he is right, I’m on target for a 8:30 finish and I had let my nutrition slip a bit that last long leg so of course I was feeling it. I ate another gel to be sure as I passed the ‘scarecrow’ and made the climb up towards Treasure Island.

I roll down the hill and can see signs posted for the runners, all pirate themed as the fabulous Treasure family embrace their name sake Aid Station. The road is lined with cars and there are people moving about. I hear a lady say to her daughters “her comes first place” and I smile. I don’t normally run this end of the field, only ever come first once before so it was a special feeling. I roll into Treasure Island to claps and cheers from a swarm of pirates. “307 in.”

I hand off one bottle to get me to the finish and leave one half full bottle in my vest. Blue is there with my drop bag, Frank fill my bottle and tried to give me a shot of rum, Ben and Shirley are right there packing my vest with my ‘to go’ bag and my other secret weapon, a small bottle of kids red fruit juice. That stuff sends kids crazy at parties, perfect for ultra-runners! I donate another small serve of chips and snakes to the aid station and finish my ginger ale. I mention that I really wanted to hit a sub 8:30 but I’m not so sure now and Blue does the maths for me “two hours to do 16 and a half kays’, no worries” (or to that effect) Going to be close but doable if I keep my head in the game. As I finish my drink Blue says, “don’t let us keep you” and two to three minutes later “307 out.”

Oakley Dam is a short 2km out and back that means you need to leave the marked Munda Biddi Trail. It also means you can once again see some of the field. I was expecting to see Chris or Andrew next, but was surprised it was Thomas, still holding on and still running. Kudo’s to him! Back to the scarecrow that is one of two danger points for navigation and has a history of runners missing the turn. As I was making the final turn back onto the trail I crossed paths with Aaron, but he was coming out of the trail and asked if he was going in the right direction. I confirmed the way to Oakley Dam and thought that was a good catch on his part in correcting the navigation mistake.

From here I was on the last leg, the final pull of the finish was there and the earlier pity party was wrapped up. The food was working and the mission was 16km in under 2 hours but to not destroy myself, maintain the faster than training, slower than race but should someone close the gap be prepared to run hard. The kilometres ticked by and I was happy with the effort. I drank my kids juice, tried to eat a bar but was over the dense food and only ate half of it. Not long later I ate two snakes, no point carrying them all the way and I continued to feel good.

Then it happened and for a moment I thought my race was done. As I neared the turn taken in the 6 Inch race that heads up to Aid 2, I began to cough. I had one almighty cough that was so violent my balls hurt and I doubled over and staggered to the side of the trail. Out of nowhere. I clutch my crotch and suppress the urge to cough again, I didn’t want the pain and I didn’t want to vomit. The urge passed and I got moving again, hesitant but moving. I had no idea where that came from and it worried me for a few seconds, but everything stayed down and the cough was a once off. I had a drink and decided to back off the eating for a little while. Pace came back and I was on my merry way, praying that didn’t happen again!

From here I hit a left turn onto the last of the notable climbs, mixed walk and run to get it done then steady pace, now alert for on coming mountain bikers heading out from Dwellingup. The effort is perfect, I do feel the miles but I’m not ‘running for my life’ Down the first powerline section and I have my final gel of the day and a drink. This section is open gravel road and I left the downhill flow, not even worried about looking back anymore. I feel if anyone catches me from here I can push it home. I just take in the trail, even saw a train! That’s a weird feeling seeing a steam train moving through the scrub where you had no idea there was train tracks! Now enjoying myself I sipped my water and did my best to avoid the run off puddles, one section of single track was impossible to avoid, it usually is so I just ploughed on through. Less than 10km with wet socks was fine, they had been wet most of the day anyway.

Second powerline section and into the Marrinup Maze. Five kilometres to home. One parkrun. Passing through the campground I have one last look back and can only see campers. I enjoy running the winding single track, taking in the berms and not caring about the puddles. Running well I think that this is what today was about. Not winning or leading or any of that stuff, but running well on tired legs. The training part of today. Manage the effort, be running well at the end and somewhere between 8 and 8.5 hours. A win was cream on the cake, or more accurately new shoes on my feet.

I pass the familiar farm with the hole in the shed and pigs, the dog barks at me as I run past, as Alexis predicted and now only 3km to go.

I pass some hikers and their border collie out for a casual walk, must be close now. I hear the noise of a country town and know in my bones it’s close and then I see a yellow trail marker. The original last turn to the finish. Now a four-way junction, and DK’s races have used all four in the past. There is no tape, I stand still in the junction and process my options and decide to follow the trail markers to the train tracks and see some tape at the upcoming road junction. I made the right choice and pop out once again on Del Park Road to a sign 50M to FINISH with an arrow.

I make the final turn and scan around looking for a finish line. The pub is busy, there are people in the park and I look both ways as I cross the train lines then ahead I see my youngest son running towards me, then comes my oldest into view and I choke back a sob. They had other plans that day and I didn’t expect to see them or my wife at the finish. I gathered them around my arms and jogged over the road to the group outside a small building. “where’s the finish line?” “you’re standing on it” and a wave of relief sweeps me as I pause my watch and look down.

It says 8:19.49, which was corrected to 8:20 and change considering my watch took a minute to sort itself out on the start line. Almost an hour faster than my 2014 race. I was pumped with the result, and stoked to have my family there to share it.

A word of warning to runners in DK’s events, if you have an issue with the course marking, be prepared to do something about it! Dave grabbed some tape and joked about sending me back out, but I also know he was recovering from a 200 mile race himself. So, I gathered the kids and Alicia and we took a slow stroll back to the four-way junction to put some tape down for the next runners. Thomas ended up holding second for the last 30km running sub 9 hours on his 50 mile debut.

 A special thanks to DK and his wife Belle for putting on a great event, even getting us some sunshine during the day. To the aid station teams who put so much work, time, money and effort into helping us runners. Many are friends already and I can’t thank you enough.

 Fast and Dirty Stats

Distance – 81.8km, 8 hours 20minutes, average pace 6:06/km

Calories consumed – Approx. 1,000 – 1,100, (7,000 burnt)

Water consumed – 2.5 litres, Kids Juices – 3, Mini Ginger ales – 3

Shoes – Altra Superior 3.0’s, Innov-8 mud sock with Stone Free Running Gaiters (also recommend Treasure Gaiters if you are in the market)

Shirt – TEAM RUNNINGWORKS tech shirt, Innov-8 Race shell when it was wet.

Poles - Carbon Fibre Z Poles

Vest, Salomon S/Lab 12 set

[smashmusicideas]

June 25: How the Ultimate Trailer Works So Well

Amongst all the thoughts and discussion regarding Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I don’t think any individual element of the game - even more than the confirmation of Ridley - warranted the level of adoration and excitement as not just the inclusion of every Smash character ever, but the short “Challenger Approaching” trailer explaining that.

So I decided I’d take some time and analyze it for how it works. Hoo boy, did that take longer than I expected.

For ease (and because I’m, well, lazy), I’ll be splitting this up into bullet points. I should also note that I’m avoiding a lot of stage analysis except in certain cases, largely because the emphasis on fighters is the focus. Also, this is quite long, so a “read more” tag is needed for this one.

Before the video: Sakurai adds this whole “character numbering” element, which is odd. Most viewers less familiar with this scheme (which has mostly always existed within the series) assumed this indicated the total number of characters from the start, but more than that it inherently acknowledges cut characters, something Sakurai tries to avoid as to not make their fans feel worse. No matter who is watching, it’s odd, and sets up the actual video in a way that feels odd.

00:02 - 00:15: We see Battlefield, something which since Brawl has always functioned as a focal point for the series - kind of in the way Mario does, too, which is why he appears here. Traditionally, Mario is also the character who reflects the visual direction of each game the most, so his “Brawl meets Smash For“ art style confirms it as a new game, one that will marry multiple iterations of Smash.

0015 - 00:28: Kirby, Samus, and Bowser are all Smash staples (two from the first game, one from Melee). They’re also not in numerical order, telling us to not expect things in a “normal” way. They also more clearly show a few returning stages, Castle Siege and Green Greens in particular, and Giga Bowser seems to function in a far new way.

00:28 - 00:34: Link is also one of the central Smash characters, but his drastic redesign tells us further that this will be a new iteration - one that will look to more recent games, at least in part (we also see a new Breath of the Wild stage, alongside Temple). Keep in mind that he gets a huge amount of time to emphasize this.

00:34 - 0:44: We see a lot of Donkey Kong (including a change to his Giant Punch), but it’s Falco’s appearance in 00:42 that’s surprising. He’s typically and understandably a hidden character; showing him off is kind of bizarre. For most viewers, it’ll just seem nice for a beloved character to return, but for the more attentive first-time viewers it is somewhat odd and continues the off-kilter vibe of Sakurai’s introduction.

00:44 - 00:48: Marth casually shows off the new changes to Shield Breaker, just like with DK earlier. Further indication that old fighters will have, to quote Sakurai from a decade ago, a “slightly different flavor this time around,” and that it won’t simply be an expanded port of Smash for Wii U (this emphasis will continue throughout the video and into Nintendo’s continued promotion of the game.

00:48 - 00:52: New Zelda! Not really new Sheik! Their having their default costumes implies they will remain separate fighters, and Zelda’s in particular bucks a trend of Zelda and Link’s costumes coming from the same game.

00:52 - 00:54: Our first post-Melee fighter, Villager, shows a new ability. His appearance also begins to move us from the more classic Smash fighters into a wider variety of ones new and old.

00:55 - 00:58: Meta Knight and Mewtwo. Notable for the former being the first Brawl character in general and the first one shown, and for the latter being the first Pokémon representative - before Pikachu, even. Mewtwo also looks like it did in Smash For, an indication the DLC would not be ignored.

00:59 - 01:01: And here comes Sonic - with a new version of Super Sonic and a returning Green Hill Zone in tow - as the biggest guest fighter out there, though that doesn’t confirm whether less established third party content would be joining him.

1:02 - 1:08: Peach and Pikachu, each with slight new changes in how Toad and Volt Tackle work. It’s notable how long it took to get to either of them, though their being more famous leads nicely into...

1:09 - 1:15: the Ice Climbers! Their return is such a big moment it’s hard to notice we’ve also got a returning Summit (and Living Room), and they unsurprisingly get a whopping six seconds to show off how they look in HD.

1:16 - 1:21: And from a beloved, long lost fighter to a highly desired new one, Nana and Popo formally introduce Inkling, with both a male and female design in tow. We get a good look at how diverse their weapon selection is, alongside a new Splatoon stage.

1:22 - 1:27: Pretty much the only thing we need to see with Falcon is the Punch, while Zero Suit Samus and Wii Fit Trainer show that even the less “iconic” of the cast aren’t going to be ignored. Given Boxing Ring’s centrality to Smash For, its being so prominent here makes sense.

1:28 - 1:30: here’s where things get weirder. The Ice Climbers coming back makes sense, but the Pokémon Trainer? I don’t really think it’s vague on whether the switching mechanic will return (he’s in the back, so...), but it’s out of the blue in a way none of what we’ve seen here is. That it only lasts about two seconds makes it all the more shocking.

1:31 - 1:36: Ness and Lucas. A little surprising for the former, given his traditionally being a hidden fighter, and more so for the former, who was last in the series as DLC.

1:36 - 1:41: The DLC concern becomes even more noticeable now, with Ryu fighting yet another normally hidden fighter: Ganondorf, surprisingly sporting the classic Ocarina of Time design Melee used. It implies a far greater amount of changes than what we were initially expecting, and assures the less confident of us that even third party DLC will not be ignored.

1:41 - 1:44: And look who else is looking new, but Ike, who’s reverted to the design Brawl used...except he isn’t. While the Inklings were expected to have male and female versions, this is the first indication we’ll have more pronounced alternate costumes for specific characters.

1:45 - 1:51: Cloud’s inclusion is another important one at this point, because compared to other guest fighters, the possibility of his return seemed far more up in the air. He gets a lot of airtime, space that comfortably confirms his two outfits and Omnislash, a great flashy move to send us into the big moment.

1:52 - 1:55: If Cloud’s return wasn’t a sure thing, than Snake’s was a pipe dream for fans (myself included). Having one go to the other is smart, because after him, Ice Climbers, and Pokémon Trainer, Snake‘s chances feel so much more possible. And it works so well. We don’t see an attack, or anything, because we don’t need to. It’s Snake, on Shadow Moses Island. That’s enough for us, until...

1:56 - 2:01: “EVERYONE IS HERE!” really just speaks for itself, but I’d also like to note the small feature of Snake running right after the words appear. It’s subtle, but it’s a flash of energy leading to the rest of the video (an energy that is supported by the music, which becomes far more intense up until the end). And it’s important to him be behind the words, because by this point a viewer is processing them, recognizing the totality of what that means.

2:02 - 2:04: And to prove how serious that claim is, Jigglypuff - the last of the original cast (minus Luigi and Yoshi) - brings back Pichu, likely the very fighter most people would think of after hearing that “everyone is here”: “even Pichu?” That the joke character of Melee has returned is proof of the claim, an example of how insane and wild this project is planning to be. But despite how notable it is, the two Pokémon are onscreen for only two seconds.

2:15 - 2:18: Truthfully, the next few reveals are less exciting. Roy is the fifth DLC character revealed to return, but Olimar, Diddy, and Lucario are all fairly normal. But it’s with Lucina that we get yet another oddity. She’s 21ε - an indication that something different was being done with the then-called “clone characters.” It’s yet another indicator that Smash is going to be different, and in rather unexpected ways.

2:26: It’s not a big detail, but Dr. Mario lacks the Epsilon, indicating that he’s different from how he used to be (given that he, Lucina, and Dark Pit are associated as the Echoes of the previous iteration of Smash, it stands to reason people might look for that on him, too).

2:30 - 2:32: And there’s Dark Pit literally one shot after Doc, with the Epsilon. It’s important to keep it all in mind more easily. I also think it’s notable that Palutena’s moveset isn’t shown at all in here; it’s one more thing about which Sakurai’s been coy.

2:39 - 2:42: It’s important, I think, to have the two versions of Link show up together; it highlights how they’ve both functioned as spinoffs of one of Nintendo’s (and Smash‘s) most important heroes. By this point, Young Link is the final character (again, other than Luigi and Yoshi) who came from a game before Brawl; he’s important as one more reminder of this game’s scope.

2:46 - 2:49: And if there were any fighters whose fate would seem as up in the air as any third party character, it’d be the Mii Fighters. And yet, they’re all here, too. And like with Palutena, we see no customization or anything beyond some very basic attacks.

2:55 - 2:56: Despite not being a huge surprise, Pac-Man’s new Final Smash (or new version of Super Pac-Man, technically) is fast, really fast. And that’s good because it kicks up the pace right to the finish. Like, it’s weirdly intense to watch at that point.

3:00 - 3:03: Wolf! While calls for him were probably not as loud as those for Snake and the Ice Climbers, he has remained a beloved Smash character and a fighter people really wanted. Having him here is good for a bunch of reasons - he was the last newcomer in Brawl, his style works really well for this point in the video - but probably the most is that people really wanted him back especially. And holding off on that until now helps emphasize this game’s scope.

3:04 - 2:08: Mega Man needed to be the final main shot for a lot of reasons. He’s a beloved gaming and Smash character, he’s got name recognition, and especially because his Final Smash is the best way to send off us. It’s just this huge blast that keeps up the momentum right until the end.

3:11: And we have the title. “Ultimate” really is perfect word for this, a video that is pretty much just about the history and power of Super Smash Bros. 

3:16 - 3:20: ...But it also wouldn’t be Sakurai without some goofing around, so we let the air out of all this pomposity with some silliness from Luigi and Yoshi. I think it makes sense for more reason than Sakurai often using those two for mirth. The Brawl trailer had all this bombastic, dark energy...but then Wario showed up and farted. The first Smash For trailer seemed exciting and crazy...and then Wii Fit Trainer appeared; almost all the character trailers after it had stingers afterwards, mostly goofy ones. It’s a good and important statement that Smash will always be goofy and weird. And you got that in some individual shots (Dedede and Wario, for instance), but it’s a deliberate anticlimax that mocks you, but only slightly, for all the energy you’ve hopefully gotten from what is a very long trailer, all things considered.

So, what have we learned, aside from me realizing I need to come up with shorter topics for this blog? I think it’s that you could have made this announcement any way. Sakurai could’ve just shown the character selection screen, Nintendo could’ve put it out in a press release, or they could’ve just not mentioned it entirely (though that’d be insane given that “everyone is here!” is the game’s tagline). But a video was the best way to do it. And I think this way was the best video they could’ve realistically made. Every fighter gets to show off a ton of personality in a couple seconds, and by basing the whole video around being before or after Snake, it can position the ideal fighters in a way that lets viewers slowly realize how much grander this is going to be than they realized. It’s all just great design in general, and more than just a really cool trailer that showed things off.

(Link to my writings on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)

[chipsandwaffles]

Nu Kappa Tau - Milkshake

You get drunk and cry over your love for Doyoung, Doyoung tries to save his own ass after an argument, and you want five milkshakes. Your relationship in a nutshell, really.

I wasn’t going to post this because it’s technically an “end credits” scene i suppose for a different fic, but, an anon wanted some doyoung because they were stressed and this is something i could post so. i hope it makes you feel a little better lil anonnie <3

Other Dad, 1:27 A.M Doyoung your girlfriend is at it again  

Doyoung <3, 1:27 A.M ???? 

Doyoung <3, 1:27 A.M Is she okay?? 

Child, 1:27 A.M She’s currently crying on the sofa at the psi epsilon house because dk asked if you and her broke up  

John John, 1:27 A.M She downed like six shots and two cups of SOMETHING before this so 

Doyoung <3, 1:28 A.M …how drunk is she ask her about her dog back home and if she cries about it I’ll come get her  

Child, 1:28 A.M Why don’t you pick her up before she starts crying about that  

Other Dad, 1:28 A.M Stop being stubborn and just come get your girlfriend  

Doyoung <3, 1:29 A.M she’ll cry if she sees me why would I do that  

John John, 1:29 A.M You need to apologize at SOME point don’t you??  

Doyoung <3, 1:30 A.M Just ask her about the dog and if she cries I’ll come get her  

Child, 1:31 A.M Asked and she is straight up balling  

Other Dad, 1:31 A.M She said she wanted to raise a dog with you oh my god thats so sweet  

John John, 1:31 A.M She’s talking about how she wants to pick all the stars from the sky and give you each one oh my god this is so sweet  

John John, 1:32 A.M I think yuta is tearing up just listening to her  

Doyoung <3, 1:32 A.M  ...im on my way  

- 

It’s late. You’re pretty sure it had to be almost 3 am if the groups of people walking down the street were anything to go by.  

You’re not sure when you ended up in a car, nor when you had even left the party at Psi Epsilon. The last thing you remembered was Johnny passing you a shot and then DK asking if you and Doyoung broke up. You’re pretty sure you had cried, but, that could’ve been any girl. (Who were you kidding you know it was you). 

You’re not even sure who the driver was, because you’ve yet to look at anything else besides out the open window. The breeze felt far too good for you to move away, plus it was sobering you up which is exactly what you needed. The driver knew what you liked.  

Whoever the driver even was. The person had access to your car though, because you’re not sure anyone else had a broken mirror with a rubber band wrapped around the part that connected the mirror to the car. And who had that piece of glass missing from the broken part of the mirror. No one but you.  

Which it meant it was either Doyoung or Ten, and since Ten had been at the party getting drunk with you, that meant it was Doyoung.  

You guessed that was why there was a hand on the back of your neck, Doyoung’s thumb busy tracing circles against your skin. That gesture was always something he did when you drove together, whether he was in the driver’s seat or you were. It calmed him down mostly, having a hand on you, and you never minded.  

Until now, because you and Doyoung were kind of fighting and him having his hands on you meant that he had apologized and you had forgiven him, which you absolutely did not. If he had apologized when you inevitably fell asleep an hour ago or something, then he was going to be hit. He always tried saying important things when you were too out of it to really know what he was talking about.  

You give up your life of looking out the window and enjoying the cool breeze, turning your head to look at Doyoung. His hand immediately falls away from your neck and finds a place on the steering wheel, not welcome near you until he had been forgiven.  

“Hey, sleepyhead. You hungry?” Doyoung asks. You don’t like that tone of his, sweet and asking for silent forgiveness. He wasn't getting that from you.  

“Why? You planning on buying for me? Oh! Is this supposed to be a date?” Doyoung must know you’re mocking him because he sighs and doesn’t reply to your remark.  

You stare at him as he drives, silence settling between you. You’re not as drunk as you were before, you’re sure, the nap you had fell into helping you out a little bit. Instead of being overly emotional you were just feeling kind of bitter, but you’re pretty sure if Doyoung did anything or you talked about your fight you'd probably start crying, so you couldn’t count emotional you out of this yet. 

Two streets down from the one you’re on (which you figure out is not the frat block, which makes you think Doyoung has just been driving around until you woke up, which means he totally owed you gas money that fucker) is Food Street, so lovingly named because of all the restaurants and convenience stores that lined it. It wasn't actually called Food Street, but no one really bothered to remember the name when Food Street was so nice to hear.

Doyoung passes all the closed shops, and like the beacon at the end of the road, pulls into the 24 hour diner (and not the McDonald’s, thank fuck). He parks the car and shuts it off, unbuckling himself and you. You both open your doors at the same time, making you mumble under your breath about being in sync even when you were fighting.  

Doyoung, even to your protests, helps you make your way into the restaurant. A gentlemen as always, really.  

He helps you sit down and even orders your drink for you when the waitress comes over, and you grumble but sip quietly at your soda anyways. 

“What do you want? Burger? Just fries?” Doyoung asks. You glance at the menu, immediately seeing the milkshake adorning the front of it. A smile spreads across your face and you look up at Doyoung.  

“I want five milkshakes.” His eyes narrow at you.  

“I’m not buying you five milkshakes.”  

“Then I’ll buy myself five milkshakes.”  

“I’m not gonna let you buy yourself five milkshakes.” 

You cross your arms and sit back, pouting. “Why not?”  

“You’re going to get halfway through your first milkshake and then feel sick. I’m not going to waste my money because half-drunk you wants to be bitter towards me.”  

“Half-drunk me is bitter towards you for a reason, you know.”  

Doyoung looks away from you and back down towards his menu.  

“I know.”  

Joy, your waitress and the only girl in Sigma Mu Epsilon willing to still talk to you after you got kicked out comes over to ask if you're ready to order. Instead of ordering five milkshakes and wasting Doyoung's money (as much as you want to) you just order a plate of fries that you can munch on. Doyoung orders an actual meal, because Doyoung's appetite could match Jaehyun's, even at three in the morning. 

"...my parents asked if they could meet you the other day," Doyoung suddenly says. You glance up from your drink and frown at him. 

"Are you seriously talking about your parents right now?" You ask. Doyoung opens his mouth to talk again, but, he must realize that his topic of choice was kind of stupid to talk about right now because he closes it a moment later and goes to sip at his own drink.  

This was stupid. This entire situation was stupid. You wanted to go back home and just curl up in your bed and sleep. You didn't want to be here with Doyoung, especially if he wasn't going to apologize or talk about shit with you.  

You sit back in the booth again and stare at your now empty drink, debating whether or not you could walk home as you were. You were still somewhat drunk, maybe even at this point just buzzed, so it would be possible.  

If not, you'd just end up at one of the frat houses. It wouldn't be such a big deal.  

"I don't know what you want me to do," Doyoung speaks up. His words break you out of your thoughts and you look up at him once more. "You always encourage me to go for things. So why is it any different now?"  

You roll your eyes at your boyfriend. Of course he didn't understand. "Overworking yourself so bad that you pass out the second you walk into my place isn't the same thing as encouraging you to do things, Doyoung.  

"I never said be president of three different clubs plus the president of the frat plus have a part-time job plus study for what, eight classes? You don't need a part-time job when your school is paid for by scholarships. You don't need to be part of clubs when you hate each of them but one. You don't need to take eight classes just because you feel like taking three extra classes- you're gonna kill yourself from fucking exhaustion, Doyoung!" 

"You can't die from exhaustion, Y/N- 

"Are you seriously backtalking me right now?" Doyoung shuts up again, and, just like you, sits back in his seat with his arms crossed. You sigh looking at him. 

You know he's not purposefully trying to overwork himself. You know he's just trying to keep himself preoccupied because it was Doyoung and if he was bored, he needed to find a way to stop his boredom. 

That didn't mean he had to work himself to death though. He was only president for two of three clubs because people asked him to be, and he took the extra classes because he thought they'd be interesting, and the whole part-time job thing he never told you why he took it, but you know he probably didn't need that either. He wasn't short on money by any means, so you're not sure what he was doing.  

It was too much, even for him.  

"Doyoung, when you came over that day you scared the living shit out of me because you just… Fell over and didn’t get up for so long. And then right after you got sick- I just don't want you overworking yourself like that. Everyone at the frat is worried about you. And I'm worried about you. Just... think about quitting some shit. Please." 

Doyoung is silent across from you, refusing to look at you. At least it was better than him yelling back at you or you stomping out of the frat house.  

The silence continues even when Joy brings over your food, and when she picks up your empty plates. It continues on for the car ride back to the frat, your walk up the stairs to Doyoung's room, and as you sit next to each other on the couch in his room.  

Your head is resting on his shoulder, and his hands are playing with your fingers, gently and of course, in silence.  

Silence was never really a thing between you two unless Doyoung was thinking really hard about something, so usually you just left him to it. And, when you were fighting you usually didn't let him touch you, but at this point, you were tired and he was a good pillow. Who were you to complain? 

"You still like me, right?" Doyoung mumbles out randomly when you're practically on the verge of sleep. You move your hand to entwine with his, smiling.  

"Of course I still like you. I love you, loser. Just... don't love you overworking yourself."  

Once more, silence settles between you. You're drifting off to sleep again, the warmth from Doyoung and the comfort of his hand in yours and the quietness of his room makes it so easy, especially when you haven't been hanging around each other for a couple days. Being with Doyoung after a while always managed to comfort and relax you.  

And, when you're nearly in dreamland, you hear him speak again. You're too far gone to reply, but, you swear it sounded a lot like an apology. 

Typical Doyoung, always apologizing when you were practically asleep.

-

Other Dad, 1:27 A.M Doyoung she’s At it again  

Doyoung <3, 1:27 A.M What now?? 

Other Dad, 1:27 A.M Drunk and talking about you  

John John, 1:27 A.M She’s being so cute though  

Child, 1:28 A.M She sAID SHE WANTS TO MOVE IN WITH YOU WHEN SCHOOL IS OVER bye I’m not crying again  

Other Dad, 1:28 A.M Come get her she's asking for you 

Doyoung <3,  1:28 A.M …on my way 

-

You wake up to someone humming in your ear, their hand stroking up and down your arm to probably soothe you to sleep. You don’t remember getting there, but you’re not sure you minded much, because whoever was holding you was very comfy and warm.  

You’re guessing it was Doyoung anyways, considering you probably wouldn’t let anyone hold you so intimately in a car. Was this your car? It was probably your car.  

The more you wake up, the more you start thinking about the situation, kind of curious as to why Doyoung had your car. Last you knew it was sitting parked out front of the Psi Epsilon house, and your keys were somewhere with Wonwoo who was far more responsible than drunk you. But at some point Doyoung got your keys, got you into your car, and drove you someplace. You wondered when all this happened.

Maybe you fell asleep on him back at the house.

So many questions, so little answers, truly.

“Are you awake?” Doyoung asks. You nod your head and end up shifting your body so you could look at him.  “Just making sure. I asked you two times before that but you were just mumbling in your sleep.” 

“What was I mumbling about?”

“…It was embarrassing. Do you really want to hear?” Doyoung asks. You shake your head. You could live without knowing what sleepy you might have said.  “Okay.”

“When did you get my car anyways?” You ask. “When did you even come to the frat party? I thought you were studying.”

Doyoung shrugs. “Studying can wait. I came up to pick up my drunk girlfriend and spend the rest of the night with her.”

You try to hide your smile, but it’s really hard. Doyoung making time for you, especially when he was still so busy (not as busy as before, thankfully), makes you happier than anything else ever could.

“You’re a dork,” you mumble, burying your face back into the crook of his neck. Doyoung chuckles, mumbling something about how he’s your dork. He’s right, but it doesn’t make it any less cheesy.

You two fall into a comfortable silence, Doyoung continuing to hum under his breath while you listen. These kinds of things were your favorite things with Doyoung. Things like this made up for all the times you had been stressing over whether he was going to kill himself over school, and your own problems, and everything in between.

Because in this moment, it was just you and Doyoung, with no worries in the world and only each other to focus on.

It was what made you happy.

“Hey.” You hum out a sleepy, quiet reply for Doyoung to let you know you were listening. He laughs a little, and then speaks.

“You wanna go get a milkshake?”

“…Are you going to buy me five?” You ask.

Doyoung pauses, and then sighs. “…two.”

“Three and I’ll throw in five kisses.”

“Two, and make it twenty kisses.”

“…deal.”