#I know the solution is easy in theory but...

[rrat-king]

And what if I tell you my Fight, Flight, Fawn theory for the Appleboys reuniting with Kristen. What then? Going by your age gaps of 2, 4, 8 because they're canon adjacent and the idea of the Applebees having a playpen when three out of four kids were 14, 12 and 10 is too funny. Assuming a reunion between Kris and the younger two happens post her birthday so it's 17, 13 and 9 respectively. Buckys is analysing his actual response we saw from 14 year old him. When I say leave in reference to Kristen, know that I know it wasn't her choice (Mac and Donna when I fucking get you)

Bucky got the Fawn response. I'll be real, when I began theorising that an Applebees brother would feature I thought "Oh god here comes the angst. There will be resentment, Mac and Donna have undoubtedly been talking shit for two years. But we see him and he's happy. He missed her. He hugs her. He wants to hang out. And yeah that probably stems from the fact you'll naturally miss your sibling and the fact he probably had to take the oldest sibling mantle. But he barely even commented on her life and friends (aside from the half baked comment about her living in sin and side eyeing Fig). I was expecting more problematic behaviours to be honest. The theory is he entered full people pleasing mode, desperately tampering down any complicated feelings because he NEEDS to make himself a good brother that Kristen will want to stay for this time (of course not realising Kristen will stay the best she can no matter if he kicks and screams)

Bricker got Fight. Was like 10 when Kris left, and I say this with love, in the absolute throes of puberty. I don't know what it is but this kid just gives me angry vibes, maybe it's the middle child. Very Nico DiAngelo "He looked too young to be so angry". When you're a kid, especially in that horrific period of 10-13 you go to the easy solution which is being mad, and you go to the easy target which is the one who "started" this huge upheaval (read Kristen). To a lesser extent, Bucky, for trying to play big brother (Bricker doesn't even realise this but the anger mostly came from a subconscious desire to preserve Kristen's place in the family for if she comes back).

(Bonus: Once they have a very good conversation and Bricker is reassured Kristen never did stop thinking about and loving him he will cry three years worth of pent up tears and beg her not to leave again)

Cork got Flight. He was only 6 when she left, its been 3 years of experiences (little man went from first grade to third in that time its a Lot). Kristen has physically changed a lot since they last saw each other. All this to say, he takes a minute to recognise this older person who's eyes are all wet at the sight of him. Some part of his brain blocked out memories of her because the way she was just gone one day was so scary to his little brain. When it does register who she is, Cork becomes completely unlike himself and gets shy. He makes Bucky stand close by because all he knows is that 1. This is a heathen who rebuked Helio's light 2. This is Krissy, back after what felt like forever and 3. She's so cool looking and why would someone this cool ever want to talk to him.

(Bonus: She played it off but Kristen's heart did break seeing Cork, the little boy she raised, take a minute to work out who she is, when she never forgot him. Not to quote Taylor but very "And I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe")

god yeah kristen having partially raised cork only for him not to know who she is anymore/barely recognize her haunts me so much. bucky as a people pleaser is such a good read especially as he is forced into kristen's role as head of the siblings I just. yeah. also angry bricker is so important to me. he got left behind! he's not ok with that and he's gonna be angry. god I just. applebees kids make me crazy this is such a good read.

[rosiesmuts]

Dangerous Game

Twice Sana ft. Nayeon

Words: 4,400

A/N: Sana hella hot doe

Nayeon is sick and tired of Sana bragging about her blowjob skills yet again.

"And then," Sana says, waving her hands as she recounts her latest sexual conquest. "He came, like, everywhere. All over my face. My tits. My stomach. I swear I was just covered in cum."

"You're so fucking disgusting," Nayeon replies. "Seriously, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" Sana chirps. "It's not my fault guys just explode when I suck their dick."

Nayeon groans,"I'm really sick of hearing about how great you think you are at giving head. I bet I'm just as good as you are."

"I doubt it," Sana says, shrugging.

"Bet."

"Fine. Let's bet, loser has to do whatever the winner asks. But how are we gonna prove it?"

"I bet Oppa is game. He's waiting for me to come home. Technically he's the best person to judge."

"Are you crazy? I'm not gonna suck your boyfriend's cock."

"Aww, scared you'll lose?"

"Fine I'll do it, but don't get mad if he falls in love with me."

"I think I'll survive." Nayeon kept up a strong face, but as per usual, she got too caught up in winning an argument. She didn't actually think Sana would actually follow through on this, but sure enough, Sana followed her into the cab.

You hear the sound of your door creaking open. "Nayeon, is that you?"

"Yea! Sana's here too by the way!"

She must've had too much to drink and was crashing over again. A sigh escapes as you get up to greet the two crazy women.

"Here Sana, you left your pajamas last time, you can sleep in these."

"Oh what's the rush Oppa? Don't you want to have a little fun?" Sana teases you, running her finger up and down your chest.

"You're drunk Sana. Go to bed."

"Oh I'm not drunk at all Oppa. Nayeon brought me back here to suck your cock." She says in the most casual tone, like this was an everyday occurrence.

Your mind races. You can't deny that you've fantasized about Sana before. She's constantly talking about how she gives the best head in the world. But you've never taken her seriously, and you didn't want to ruin your relationship with Nayeon by actually testing the theory.

"What the fuck?" You yell at Nayeon.

"Look," Nayeon starts. "She's just been bragging so much about her fucking amazing skills. I told her to prove she was better than me, and who else would know besides you. It's the perfect solution."

You can't believe the words coming out of her mouth. This had to be a dream. But you know Nayeon is the type of girl who sticks her foot in her mouth. This is real. You can't hide the shock on your face.

"I thought she'd back down, but she's pretty set on doing it."

"Oppa, can I please suck your cock? Pretty please?" Sana pleads. Her eyes are begging.

"Um..." The decision doesn't seem difficult from her perspective, but your heart is pounding like it's a life or death situation.

Without a moment to respond, Sana is already leading you to the couch. In one swift move, she sinks onto her knees, making easy work of your sweatpants, sliding them off completely in a moment. The fabric pools at your ankles as Sana nuzzles her face into your underwear. She eagerly presses her cheek and chin into your groin. You've always appreciated her bubbly, round face, but it takes on an extra definition as it's cradled by your crotch.

She leans back for a moment and you can feel her fingers stroking your cock over your briefs, her eyes filled with childlike glee as they bounce around. Sana licks the front of your underwear and moans with delight as she gets a first taste.

Her slender hands hook into the waistband and gingerly slide it down, holding you steady by the shaft.

"Oppa, it's bigger than I thought." Sana giggles before planting an almost innocent kiss onto the head of your dick.

"What's wrong Sana, don't think you can handle it?" Nayeon scoffs as she plops onto the other end of the couch, her feet tucked into her black skirt.

Sana shoots Nayeon a glare, "Size isn't an issue my dear Nabongs. It's just I haven't really done anything yet and he's so hard already. I love how eager he's being for me."

She emphasizes her last word by rubbing her fingers up your thigh, ending at the base of your shaft, keeping it as straight as possible while her mouth hovers inches above.

"Just suck his cock, I'm not here to watch you talk," Nayeon commands.

"Now, now what's the rush Nayeon?" Sana teases while her hands reach under her shirt and into her bra, tossing them over her shoulder. You're left slack jawed, Sana's cute perky tits previously only a dream. But now they're here, in front of you. She's here, in front of you.

"What's wrong, Oppa?" she whispers "You're acting like you've never seen a pair of tits before." She teases, knowing they're bigger than Nayeon's.

"Do you wanna play with them? It's okay. Here." She pulls your hands towards her, allowing you to squeeze her soft tits.

Your gaze remains locked onto her breasts, unable to fully take in the surreal situation. One second they were out, in a teasing peek and next, you were grasping them like an overeager schoolboy.

"I thought this was about sucking cock Sana."

"Oh Oppa, she's so impatient," Sana whines, "doesn't she know a great blowjob isn't just about sucking cock. It's about the whole experience." Sana teases, placing your cock in-between her breasts, jiggling the skin, stroking you, providing sweet warmth as your tip peaks through with every movement.

"Fuck Sana..."

"Do you like that? Do you like my tits rubbing all over your big hard cock? It's okay if you do."

Nayeon is staring from the corner of your eye. "You're going to have to try harder than that to beat me," she sneers.

"See, he likes it. Isn't that right Oppa?" Sana ignores, bouncing her tits on your cock. "Doesn't that feel nice?" Sana beams at your disheveled face, pleased at your helpless reaction to her tits.

"Mmm, that's so hot, Oppa. It feels so warm sliding up and down." She interlocks her hands together, squeezing her tits together. Her tits aren't big enough to fully cover you, but it's just enough. Your cock presses into the valley of her cleavage as she starts fucking them against you, and a sight unlike any other. Sana has been teasing Nayeon this whole time but when she says those last few words, the sneer and confidence falls off her face, turning into an unadulterated gape.

Her tongue sticks out, licking the tip whenever it pops up from her squishy embrace. "Mmm, Oppa, I can taste you already." Sana kisses your slit with a hungry moan, letting some saliva drip down her chin and onto the space between her breast.

"Uggh. Can you fucking suck it already." You can hear the impatience in Nayeon's tone, finally losing all pretense and sincerity.

"This is just an appetizer," Sana interjects, stopping her jerking movements. A smirk on her lips and and naughty look emerges on her face.

"Oh my god Oppa, I can't believe how wet I am. Look." She slips a hand into her pants, and then takes it out, her fingers glistening with her juices. You look down, seeing your cock still poking up from between her tits, but also her fingers, coated with her juices.

"Here have a taste."Sana brings her index and middle finger to your mouth, gently pushing the liquid inside, tracing your lips as you gulp down her arousal.

She squeals in joy. "Oh Oppa, how naughty of you. Do you like the way I taste, hmm?" Her voice coos, watching your reactions. It's like you're drunk, entranced by the sight before you, stuck in a euphoric daze. Sana's so fucking sexy it makes you wonder if there is any woman alive that could top this.

"Come on Sana, quit fucking around." Nayeon sighs with annoyance.

"Silly, silly Nayeon, the key is making them beg. Don't you want Oppa begging for it?" Sana giggles.

"If there's not some cock sucking action I'm gonna declare myself as the winner."

"So impatient. Ok Oppa, let's give Nayeonie a show she won't forget." Sana gets back between your legs and takes a deep breath, inhaling your musk.

"Oh my god, Oppa, your scent is so intoxicating." Her hot breath is blowing against your cock. "I can't wait any longer. I need to taste you." She places a kiss on the tip, then another, then another, each time lingering a little longer than the last. The tip of her tongue slides along the sides of your cock as Sana explores with a curious excitement.

Nayeon scowls. "So your fucking blow job is going to be taking all day."

"He's just soooo hard." Sana caresses the throbbing appendage with admiration. Her right hand strokes your inner thigh in long soothing motions, the pads of her fingers tracing lines up and down your tense muscle.

It's slow, torturously slow. Light kisses and licks cover every surface of your cock, the feel of her tongue now a sensation rather than individual touches. Her tongue starts to flick against the underside of your tip, sending a shock through your body. You can feel the warmth of her breath, the pressure of her tongue. Her eye contact is unwavering, rubbing your thighs up and down with her soft hands.

You and Sana are now in your own world. A private space for the two of you, separated by both time and distance.

There's an excruciating pause. The room stills. There's no sounds, no movement. Her eyelashes flutter as she blinks. You're frozen. You can't breath, can't blink. It's an eternity.

The air moves with the slow grace of a dancer as she sucks you between her lips. Her eyes light up when the tip meets her tongue. Sana sighs, relaxing her shoulders. She lets herself get lost, transported by her desire. With the slow rhythm of a slow song, she slowly sinks lower, deeper.

Sana is worshiping your cock, treating it like it's the only one in the world. She's moaning and humming, sending vibrations through your shaft. As great as it feels, there's a special technique about her, knowing exactly how to keep you from cumming. As if she's been with you for years. She reaches for your hands, interlocking your fingers together, making this feel like a tender loving moment rather than just your run of the mill blowjob.

Her eyes remain fixated on yours, never even once breaking focus. It's one continuous moment until she pulls back for breath. A thick, translucent web stretches between the two of you. A dewy layer of spit is now surrounding your cock, dripping off the sides of her lips. You can feel the edges of her lips form a perfect ring as your cock passes between her lips. She is hypnotic, the speed is torture, but it's impossible to stop looking.

She lets you go, slowly inching up until she's next to your ear. "Oppa, can I tell you a secret?" She's whispering, like she's scared Nayeon will hear.

"Sure."

"I really love doing this, especially when it's a cock like yours. I can't wait to make you cum. I can't wait for you to explode in my mouth.

"I can't either."

"But I wanna make you wait a little bit, cause when you finally cum, it's going to be amazing." She trails a string of saliva down from your ear, running her finger past the puddle of spit still leaking off her chin and finally across your balls. She pecks her lips on the underside of the head, all the while looking like a kid about to play with their new toy.

Nayeon hits you. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Um...yeah," You whisper back. You've nearly forgotten she's here.

She seems satisfied at your answer, but it feels weird admitting that in front of her.

Sana's right back into action, your fingers still interlocked so she's using only her mouth. This time she's focusing on the tip, flicking her tongue and sucking on your head.

"Fuck Sana..."

She chuckles, feeling accomplished, her grin big as can be. The two of you resume your rhythm as you grind your cock against her welcoming cheeks. Slowly working her way down the shaft until her mouth is about halfway down. She inhales, breathing deeply, smiling even with her mouth full.

"God, I love your scent." she moans out seductively on her way back up. The hot air of her words permeate and swirl with your sweat. Her pace is further teasing, steady at first then almost playful as she slows and pauses, relishing the torment it has on you. You can feel her tongue working its way down, swirling around your cock. You're so close to bursting, but she knows just when to stop. Her hands pull away, squeezing your balls, ignoring your shaft, focusing all her attention on them. She's cupping them, massaging them, using her tongue on the one not attended by her hands.

Her hot, wet tongue tickles and warms them as she begins sucking and groping, working in unison. Knowing it felt good, but wouldn't cause you to cum. It's a change in tempo, something else to enjoy until it was time again.

"You're gonna be a good boy and hold out until I've shown Nayeon all my skills right?"

"Oh, so he's your new puppy. At least he's useful," Nayeon is curious, testing the waters, seeing how much she can push her.

Her fingers are tracing circles around your balls, sending shivers up your spine. Her other hand is slowly jerking up and down, sizing you up, using her hand to measure your cock.

"I think I can fit you." Sana calmly states, flashing a wink.

"What? What does that mean?" Nayeon yells out.

"Shush, Nayeon, let me concentrate." She tells her off and returns her eyes to you. They're dark and hungry.

Her hands position the tip between her puckered lips. Nayeon stares at the scene unfolding before her, feeling the waves of lust emanating off of Sana. She's got her hands wrapped around your shaft, holding it like a weapon. Your heart races, eyes closed, feeling the pleasure pulse.

You feel a rush, an impending doom, but one you welcome. A moment of heaven, a moment of hell, it doesn't matter to you. Lower and lower she goes, only a couple inches in and you're already overwhelmed. A surreal bliss radiates, filling your mind with an unbelievable pleasure.

There's moaning and slurping, the sound of her muffled voice vibrating through you. She's going further, inch by inch, her eyes locked with yours, fitting more of your cock into her throat every time she goes back down.

Her pace remains the same as ever, steady and sure. A thrust in, followed by a drag out. Up and down, the same torturous speed, letting the sensation flow through your entire body. There's a smug grin, prideful smile, confident in herself. Her hands roaming your inner thighs, content with her conquest, basking in it.

Nayeon stares, but with a different emotion. You feel the heat of her gaze, the anger behind them.

"It's not possible. His dick is way too big. It'll never fit. I've never even been able to-"

"Hush, Nayeon, we're not talking about you right now." She chides. Her voice is softer, kinder, the commanding tone dropping slightly.

Sana's pace quickens, the sound of her gagging and choking fills the room. Drool is dripping down her chin, and she's going faster and faster. Her nails dig into your thighs, her eyes tearing up as she forces her mouth all the way down. Her cheeks are puffed up and bulging, her neck stretches out.

"Holy shit, Sana." Nayeon jumps out of her seat, her eyes wide.

"Holy shit," you echo, feeling her sharp pointed nose tickling pressing into you.

Her tongue is jittering from the girth filling her mouth, sending wonderful vibrations through you. There's a grunt, she's struggling, straining. Sana holds it there for what seems like forever. Your cock is being squeezed by her throat, and you can feel every breath, every twitch, every swallow. After an eternity, she slides back up, and releases your cock from her throat. A string of spit and precum follows, breaking as she licks her lips. Sana looks pleased with herself, savoring the sight before her.

"Holy fucking shit," Nayeon can't hide the shock, can't help but step closer to get a better look at the ridiculous sight.

"I told you size wouldn't be an issue." Sana winks at Nayeon.

Nayeon scoffs, folding her arms in annoyance.

"Oh Oppa, do you like seeing Nayeon pout? That's such a cute look on her."

There's a few minutes of respite, Sana sucking you down every once in a while but nothing more. It gives you a chance to breathe, a moment to process. The image before you is difficult to process, as if you're having an out of body experience.

"Let me try again. It'll be easier the second time." She's not lying. The next time is even smoother. Her throat is slick with spit and precum, and your cock slides in like a knife through butter. There's sucking and slurping, coating your cock with her saliva. She's going up and down, over and over, and the pleasure is insane.

It's not like she doesn't have a gag reflex, she's using it to her advantage. She's gagging on your cock, spit leaking everywhere, the sounds of her throat a sinful delight. After taking a deep breath her head becomes a blur going faster and faster. Your cock is disappearing and reappearing, over and over again. You can't believe the sight before you. Sana, the picture perfect idol, is deepthroating your cock, gagging and choking herself over and over. Her hands have abandoned you, caressing her throat, stroking where you cock is pushing her insides outward.

She looks up at you with her pretty, innocent eyes. The term cutie sexy starts to make sense, so adorable, yet obscene, like an angel became a slut. You're groaning, and panting, stuck in an endless maze of pleasure.

She's drooling, saliva dripping down your balls to her chin, not even bothering to wipe her mouth. She just keeps bobbing her head up and down, faster and faster, moaning like a pornstar. You can see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Your cock is throbbing and twitching. You're on the precipice of climax. You can't hold it back any longer.

She brings her mouth up, making a loud pop as she slips you out of her lips. "Oh no Oppa, you can't cum yet. Not until I've showed off all my skills to Nayeon." holding your cock in her hand and slapping it against her tongue.

"What are you doing?" Nayeon questions her, unsure on what else Sana has to show.

"Shush Nayeon, It's only the second round, and I promised Oppa three. This one is my favorite." She coos to you, sweetly kissing your tip.

"Stand up Oppa." You stand before her, looking down on her beautiful messy face. She places your hands on her head.

"Do you wanna fuck my mouth, Oppa?" Sana teases. "Here, grab my hair and shove it in."

You're stunned. This is all happening so fast.

"Come on Oppa, fuck my mouth." She takes your cock back into her mouth, and you feel the pressure from her hands pulling you forward.

There's hesitation on your side, a lingering reservation, a fear of overdoing it. You're a bit unsure, you've never been deepthroated before, yet alone fucked someone's face. You're afraid to hurt her.

Her lips curl upward, smiling like an eager puppy, letting your cock rest, leaving you suspended. With your grip still on her head, Sana waits for you.

"Come on Oppa," Nayeon snarls, "stop being such a pussy. You know she can take it. She just swallowed your whole damn cock in one go. Stop being a little bitch and fuck her face."

You thrust forward, and immediately the pleasure is overwhelming. Her hands are still pushing, and now your hands are pulling. You're thrusting and pulling, fucking her face. The feeling is unlike anything you've felt before. It's wet and sloppy, the sounds of her mouth a depraved melody. Your hips are moving faster and faster, her eyes are wide and full of lust, begging for you to use her.

The reality of the situation sinks in as Sana sucks harder and harder.

You're facefucking Sana. You're fucking an idol with every inch of your hard cock. She's pushing her head into your crotch and you're burying her face.

You're not gentle, you can't be. It's so wet and hot, and the sensation is insane. Her nails are digging into your thighs, and you're grunting and groaning, pounding her throat like an animal. She's slapping her face against your crotch, taking everything you're giving her. She's choking and gagging, drool pouring from her mouth. Her fingers are exploring, stroking the bottom of her throat and her neck.

You're groaning. This is not a blowjob this is something else altogether. Your hands are tight on her head and your mind is hazy. You're so turned on by her. You're mesmerized by her. You can't stop fucking her mouth. She's moaning and crying, but tells you to fuck her harder every time you pull out. You're focused solely on Sana and her perfect mouth. She's not even sucking - just letting you use her mouth as a cocksleeve. Her tongue is flicking over your tip whenever it enters her mouth. And it's so fucking hot.

You're at your limit. You can't hold it in anymore. You're gonna explode. And then Sana wraps her hands around your ass and squeezes, pulling you closer, forcing you to push deeper into her mouth, your balls pressed against her chin.

"Sana, I'm gonna -"

And that's her cue, her throat constricting and contracting, massaging your head while it's buried deep inside. You didn't even know this was possible. Her final trick. Her ace in the hole. A sense of pleasure that previously only existed beyond your wildest dreams. Your body tenses, and then you let go, the hardest orgasm you've ever experienced in your life, mouth or otherwise. The world goes white and the only thing you're aware of is the warmth and wetness of Sana's throat.

Cum explodes into her mouth, filling her up. She can't take it all, it's too much, and she coughs, and chokes. She pulls off, harshly stroking your cock with her hand. You're still cumming, some landing on her face, her tits, in her hair. Your entire body is shaking.

"Fuck," you groan, collapsing onto the couch. She taps on your thighs and opens her mouth, showing you the pool of creamy liquid collected on her tongue.

"Oppa, you came so much!" she says after gulping down the mouthful.

"I swallowed so much and there's still so much on me." She's scooping your cum off her face, licking her fingers clean, moaning with every drop she swallows. Her breasts are covered, and she's gathering as much of it as she can, putting her hands between her legs, scooping up any drops that landed on her thighs. She takes your hand and puts it on her chest, covering her nipple with your cum, rubbing it around her nipple, teasing it with your sticky seed.

"I told you Nayeon! An explosion! Cum everywhere!" Sana winks and teases her with a wag of her tongue.

Nayeon rolls her eyes.

Sana goes back for more, sucking your cock until every last drop has been extracted. She's cleaning you off with her tongue, kissing the head of your cock, and then she's rubbing her face on it, like a cat nuzzling her owner. "Mmm so good," she coos.

"That's enough, you've proven your point."

"Aww, but Nayeon, look how cute he is, all tired and sweaty." Sana pouts, giving your cock one last kiss before getting up.

"Yeah, well, you look like a total slut." Nayeon snaps. "Seriously, you've got cum all over your face, your hair's a mess. Not to mention, there's a fucking puddle of spit on the floor."

"So?"

"So? Do you have any idea what would happen if someone saw you like this?"

"They'd fall in love with me." Sana teases. "Oppa did."

"Don't give me that shit. You know what? Fine, you proved your point. I guess I owe you a favor." Nayeon takes a deep breath and then exhales, bracing herself. "Whatever you want, just do it quick, and don't tell anyone, okay."

"I'm so fucking horny after all of that." She looks at you, then back at Nayeon. "Threesome?" She's fluttering her eyelashes, acting more innocent than she has all evening.

"Th-threesome?" You stammer.

"Of course." Sana says, matter of factly. "You didn't think I was going to leave without taking care of myself did you?"

"Wait a second, I never said I'd do that!"

"Come on, we're both so horny, I'll bet Oppa is hard again just thinking about us making out. I bet he's already got a load saved up. Besides, he's already fucked my throat. How much worse could it get?"

"No! Absolutely not!"

"Please? Please, please, please? Pretty please, Nayeon? Oh, does this help? I swear I have the best pussy around, guys can't help but explode inside of me. Want me to prove it?" She was stripping as she spoke, not a shred of shyness or timidness anywhere to be seen.

"Oppa, look." She moans, sliding her fingers out and showing the string of sticky fluids connected to them. "Look how wet I am. You did this to me. All that talk about cocks and cumming. I'm so fucking horny. And it's all because of you." She slides her fingers back inside, her eyes rolling back in pleasure. "I'm so close to cumming."

"You're the worst." Nayeon snaps, grabbing her hand and pulling it out of her pussy. "Fine, whatever, but only cuz you won the bet. I'm not doing this because I want to."

"I love you, Nayeonie!" Sana squeals, throwing her arms around her friend. "Come on Oppa! Don't leave us hanging. We'll be waiting in your room." Sana grabs her clothes and skips away, leaving Nayeon alone with you.

"This is such bullshit. Why did she have to be so good at that? Ugh.." Nayeon mumbles. "Come on, I don't wanna keep her waiting...."

[zer0pm]

Imagine Luis using the communicator to call you. Constantly.

“Luis? What’s your status?”

“No bueno, my friend. I’m in a lot of pain.”

Your head immediately snaps up at attention to these words. Leon, who answered the call as the device was on his person, shares your look of alarm and nods in understanding to prepare to come to the Spaniard’s aid.

“Where are you?” Leon inquires, maneuvering the communicator between you two so that you can listen in as well. “How serious are your injuries?”

The man on the other line groans, “I’d say pretty serious. Severe, even.”

Filled with worry, you were about to join the line of questioning until his voice cuts you off before you could utter a sound.

“After all… how does one recover from a lonely heart?”

Leon squints, “…What?”

“I am separated from my light- mi luz! Forced to wander these terrifying, dark corridors alone without any source of warmth and comfort!” In the tiny screen, you can see the man waving his arms around with an exaggerated pout on his face. He looked like he was rehearsing a scene of a play or something. Luis notices your face on his end and smiles widely before releasing an over-the-top gasp and calling you by name. “¿Dónde estás, mi luz? I am suffering without you.”

You pinch the bridge of your nose, doing your best to choke down the laugh that was threatening to erupt from your chest. Before reuniting with Leon S. Kennedy, your partner in the mission to retrieve Ashley Graham, you were running around the village with Luis Serra, a man you happened to come across while fighting hordes of infected villagers. Initially, you were suspicious of him, but he proved himself to be a man of good character, chivalrously watching your back and using his intimate knowledge of the area and the terrors that creep within to navigate you both through multiple dangerous encounters.

You and he became close quickly, forging a strong bond during your time together, made easy with the man’s charisma and light-hearted nature. Even in the constant face of danger, Luis would twist the dark ambiance to his playful tune, often making you the muse of his antics if not for the sole purpose to tease a smile upon your face. So what he was doing now was not at all surprising, but the confused and incredulous look upon Leon’s face was priceless.

Just as you were going to point out that it hasn’t at all been that long since you two have separated ways so that you can help Leon relocate Ashley, the blond agent beside you drops the call with a push of a button. He then throws an inquisitive glare your way.

“What?” you ask.

“Do I dare even ask what the hell that was?” Leon shoots back.

You ponder his question for a moment before answering, “Honestly, it’d save you the headache if you didn’t.”

With that, Leon drops the conversation with a sigh before taking the lead to move on. Little did you both know, it wouldn’t be the last time Luis would call.

The second time he calls, he asks how you and Leon were progressing. And just like the first time, Leon answers, reporting that you were busy cracking at a difficult door puzzle while he kept watch.

“Whoever designed this castle was a real asshole,” the agent comments.

“Agreed,” you sigh. “And whoever took the time to reset these puzzles is an even bigger asshole.”

Luis’ voice chimes in through the static. “Perhaps I can be of some assistance? I am a brilliant man, afterall. Let me have a look, por favor.”

Thinking nothing of it, Leon walks over and faces the screen of the comm to you and the door so that Luis can see what you are working on from behind before you reset the puzzle. You then explain how you got stuck and your theories on what the possible solutions could be. While doing so, Luis hums after each pause, his face showing that of absolute concentration. After you finished and a moment of considerable silence passes, you engage him.

“Well?” you ask. “Any thoughts?”

Luis lifts his hand from his stubbled chin, “Just one.” He points at you, his voice lowers to a husky growl.

“You look particularly ravishing from this angle.”

You were grateful that Leon hung up before Luis can see the blush burning hot on your cheeks. After some time, you managed to solve the puzzle and proceed with the mission although Leon was none too happy with the Spanish man for wasting both of your times.

The third time the communication device goes off, you offer to take it from Leon.

“It’s probably him again. Why don’t I handle this one?”

“No,” he denies, shaking his head. “I still don’t trust him and you don’t need the distraction.”

Instead of being offended at your partner practically casting your professionalism into doubt, you reason with him. “C’mon, Leon. It could be serious this time.”

“Highly doubt it.”

However, more time passes and the device is still beeping. The sound echoes off the walls in taunting pings to the gnawing point where it was practically imprinted into your brains. When Leon couldn’t handle it anymore, he sighs in defeat and pushes the button. Again, he doesn’t hand it to you and greets the dark-haired man himself with an irritated frown.

“This better be good.”

“Depends on your definition of “good”, mi compadre.” Luis too wore a grimace, his voice void of his usual humor. “I’ve relocated one of my hidden caches and uncovered the suppressants you will both need to slow the growth of the plaga within your bodies.”

“Well, damn. That sounds like great news to me.” A wave of relief washes over Leon’s face, probably because Luis finally shared something worthwhile. “So what’s the catch, then?”

“Catch is- there are two different kinds of doses. One dose is a simple needle injection. That will be for you, Leon. Pero, the other…” he trails off, eyes casted with a faraway look while the adam’s apple in his throat bobs. Whatever was on his mind seems difficult to swallow let alone speak aloud.

Curiosity evident in Leon’s expression, he prods him further. “What is it, Luis? Is the other dose dangerous to administer?”

“It can be. The application process has a high probability of being rather intensive. For both the receiver and the administrator.”

You join in, “What do you mean?”

It was only until the words left your mouth did you realize what you just waltzed into.

Upon hearing your words, Luis’ expression changes like day and night, the somber frown flipping into a mischievous smirk. “It is nothing you can’t handle, mi amor. I’m certain. Only that it requires you and I to exchange bodily fluids in-“

Never before have you seen Leon hang up so fast, his hand covering his beet red face. You couldn’t tell if it was out of embarrassment, disgust, or fury for falling for the Spaniard’s antics once again and concluded that it was all at once.

“Let’s… ugh… Let’s just keep going.”

You didn’t put up a fight at the order, fighting off your own set of emotions that stirred from Luis’ shameless teasing. However, not even five steps were taken and the walkie talkie beeps. Leon was livid.

“For fuck’s sake, what now?!”

“Catch you at a bad time, Leon?” A deadpan feminine voice comes through the comms and you swear Leon turned several shades paler.

Leon’s “informant” tipped you off on Ashley’s last sighting and you two wasted no time moving to catch up to her. After fighting another wave of plaga, tensions were running high. So when you two were rushing to navigate around the courtyard, the communicator goes off once more and that became the last straw for Leon. Already fuming, he waited to see the Spaniard’s face on the device before verbally popping off.

“Luis, I swear to god. If the reason you’re calling is to talk about how miserable and lonely you are or make some dumb comment on a certain someone’s assets, I am going to literally throw this walkie talkie off the ramparts,” Leon snarled, his frustration unrestrained. “So I dare you, Luis, I fucking dare you to speak. And it better be god damn important!”

For a moment there was only white noise, then a familiar thick accent finally comes through.

“… I was going to say that I can see you two across the courtyard,” the man reports candidly, “and there’s a swarm of monsters coming in at your three o’clock.”

Sure enough, a horde of giant mutated insects were zooming towards you and Leon. Amidst the countless gunshots and death cries of your enemies, you can hear your fellow agent beside you cursing colorfully to the high heavens as well as the sound of hysterical laughter further in the distance.

When it was all over, the communicator was beeping again. Leon didn’t even bother answering. Instead, he tosses the device over to you without so much as a word or making eye contact. The brief exchange almost made you laugh as you press the button and are greeted by a familiar handsome face whose grey eyes lit up instantly at the sight of you.

“I think you broke the poor man,” you say with an amused, pointed look.

The expression you see in the tiny screen was that of feigned innocent confusion. “¿Perdon? Whatever do you mean? I thought I did my due diligence in warning you two of imminent danger.”

Your ears pick up an irritated groan followed by harsh stomps moving away from your position. You can practically imagine smoke coming out of the blond’s ears as he created distance, muttering an excuse that he is going to check the perimeter. If not for your respect for the man, you would have rolled over laughing.

Shaking your head, you return your attention back to cause of your partner’s grief. “Alright. Now that’s it just the two of us. What did you really want to say to me, Luis?”

“Nada,” the Spanish man shrugs, throwing you his signature charming grin. “Just wanted to hear your voice.”

[sugar-grigri]

2. Protest: between the author's cynicism and the antagonist's emergence

Fujimoto once again tests you as a reader

Why? Because this chapter requires you to pay as much attention to the foreground as to the background

Yes, hello headache, but now I need you to follow me…….

First of all, I see it as cynicism. The only thing that would make me laugh is if I thought Fujimoto was teasing us.

How and why? Because the church in Chainsaw Man is us. Victims of CSM (who belong to the work), and young people, students who don't always have the right to vote, who come out of curiosity (the fans) fighting bloody battles against the communities.

Come on, Fujimoto follows the networks

Like his OS, but especially Just listen to the song, it's about the relationship between a work, its author and its audience.

I think Fujimoto relishes the debates and arguments on Twitter and other networks.

Fujimoto follows them as much as he suffers them, acclaimed by critics and his own, adored by his fans, he is also the target of threats and hatred.

Whether it's from those who hate his work or those who adore it but can't forgive him for making them suffer.

Fujimoto is as much a figure of protest as Chainsaw Man.

And he's there in the shadows like Denji

But it's not just a wink, and then we get more serious

The protest in the background is just as important as the foreground

Denji and Yoshida are shown as much as the crowd, with the cut-out swapping places between background and foreground. As if Fujimoto were placing them in the same position of importance.

Why ?

First of all, this chapter proves that NO, Yoshida is not up to the task of being the antagonist

who could be the antagonist then?

Where ? Who ? We're a bit confused... well yeah, it was easy to understand that Makima was the antagonist

Not only do we kind of forget that it wasn't that easy to know she was the antagonist, the revelation that she was a demon came very, very late, as did what she was really capable of doing

In CSM the real antagonist is present from the start, and then appears more clearly

Fujimoto likes to use this process to make his work chilling, to encourage you to reread while seeing the chapters take shape under a different light.

SO WHO'S THE ANTAGONIST?

Chainsaw man himself or, (confirming my theory again), Fake! ChainsawMan

To put it simply, since part 2, Fujimoto has shown that Chainsaw Man is controversial, both adored and feared.

This fear would naturally give rise to a Fake!Chainsaw Man demon, whose aim would be to increase its power by maximizing people's fear of Chainsaw Man.

Now let's take a step back. Nostradamus' prophecy is about to come true. Fami's goal is to prevent this apocalypse (for pizza). But this prophecy, as Yoshida knew about it and got in touch with Fami, shows that public safety is aware of the danger.

So why do we want Chainsaw Man to disappear? Would Public Security abandon humanity? Hardly imaginable.

I've given it some thought, and here's the plan as I imagine it.

An alliance has been formed between Fami and Public Security, to take control of Chainsaw Man. Not an absolute alliance, I imagine, but the two groups have common interests.

Both groups need a champion to face this apocalypse.

The fact is, Chainsaw Man is getting weaker.

Turning a demon into a hero who is close to humans means that part of the population no longer fears him, so his power falls proportionally.

Chainsaw Man can't face the apocalypse now.

The solution is to separate Chainsaw and Man. Literally.

When Yoshida invites Denji to live quietly, it's so that he can literally retire.

To make way for whom? Bingo. Fake!CSM

So why do they want CSM to disappear? Why so much emphasis on Haruka and the worship of Chainsaw Man's church?

Nothing creates greater fear than giving people a hero and then suddenly taking him away. We're back to another of CSM's key themes: necessary evil.

If, overnight, CSM no longer appeared to fight the demons, then the world would be in disarray. And fear would increase... giving power to the secretly chosen champion.

A champion... who only appears before dawn. At the very last moment.

The existence of Chainsaw Man leads to clashes, increased tensions and dissent.

His disappearance, meanwhile, will lead to a consensus: the despair of a humanity with no so-called protection.

Nostradamus' prophecy is not simply a prophecy announcing the apocalypse, but a plan that has been in front of us all along.

To be saved, humanity must descend into chaos.

If you want to better understand my theory about Fake!CSM :

[hellenhighwater]

Hi hello! So I saw your video about book binding and I wanted to offer a tip for people looking to try it out if that’s ok. So I’m working on binding a book right now and am following a YouTube tutorial. I’ve found most of the process pretty straight forward and relatively easy except for one step. The step where you cut the edge of the text block so that it’s all nice and even after you sew the signatures together. It sounds easy in theory but in practice I find it much harder so I found a solution. Instead of trying to even out the terrible job I did on cutting the pages I called my local staples and they said they’d be happy to give the edge of the text block a neat straight cut using their industrial paper cutter if I bring it by. I’m not sure if every staples would be up for this or have an industrial paper cutter but I figured it might be worth a shot if anyone else struggles with this step of the process. Will update with costs and results when I return from staples in a couple hours.

Staples update: it cost $8 CAD to get the edges of my text block trimmed it would’ve only been like $3 but then I would’ve need to wait a day to pick it up and I need to finish the project today so I had to pay extra for a rush order. Other than that though they did a fabulous job!! It’s so crispy and neat now I am in love with it. I would probably do it again but I would plan better so I don’t need to pay for a rush order lol

Good tip, anon! I've also done that, because trimming text blocks sucks tremendously and it's surprisingly hard to do well.

I will point out that you're likelier to have luck getting someone to do this at a local print shop as opposed to a franchise like Staples. Local shops are usually more able to give you a random price for a weird job, and sometimes the franchises wind up with cashiers that go "I don't have a button on the register for that so we can't do it," even though nobody's going to inventory how many chops the commercial guillotine did and I will hand you ten dollars cash money to go chop my text block. Most print shops will indeed have an industrial cutter, because almost any print shop is going to offer printing services that include full-bleed orders, which means trimming.

Anyway. Go local, and if there's any flexibility to the spine of your text block, make sure that the employee doing the chopping knows exactly how it needs to be positioned during cutting. And also give them registration marks to trim to.

[productivefairy]

Your guide to ace MATHS

So, here I am gonna tell you the way you can make Maths your fav or atleast make a big improvement in it.

Study Maths daily. Math is a habit, and once broken, it is difficult to regain. Give it at least 45-60 minutes per day.

Decide what you are gonna study and once you have decided then read the theory thoroughly or watch youtube theoretical videos on the points you are unable to understand.

Not everything will make sense. You'll have some problems grasping a formula, a concept. So dont get de-motivated and abandon it.

Once you are done with theory then you go through the solved examples. I cant express how cruicial step it is.

Solve those easy questions. You see, first few questions of any maths textbooks are easy so you might be tempted to skip it. DONT. If you lack time then you can mentally go through the process of solving it.

Break the question in steps.

When you cant solve a rather tough problem then set a timer of however long you want and just play with the question in different ways. Dont even try to solve it, just get comfortable with it and trying to do different things with it.

If you still cant solve the question then go through the solution and attempt again by yourself.

PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE. There are more than few processes that you have to pick up inutiatively and practicing gives you this. This gives you guts to solve new question and perform well in test.

Be fascinated. Maths is a beautiful subject. So, if you have time or you are interested then you can check out how calculas, algebra or anything were discovered travelled their need and how they advanced, like knowing the whole process.

These two sites are lifesavers. Hope you liked it.

[specialagentartemis]

We talk a lot about reading comprehension and misinformation on this website, but learning how to slow down, assess sources, and fact-check is a skill. A skill a lot of us have not been called on to demonstrate since high school, but a skill that's vitally important in the modern world.

I'm in graduate school for the social sciences (anthropology) - critically assessing sources is part of the skillset we are taught. I've had people ask on my post about historical misinformation, "How can I only reblog things that are true? How can I tell?" And it's a good and important question!

A couple core questions to ask, about history, science, or current events, are:

Who is saying this?

Where are you seeing this information? Is it a legal scholar, a historian with a PhD, a museum curator, an on-the-ground activist, a rando twitter poster, a Mormon conspiracy theorist? For scholarly questions, look for people with PhDs and published articles; for questions of current events, look for what people who are actually there are saying and showing.

Who agrees with them?

Can you find articles from other sources corroborating this, or is it just one guy who is saying this? Conversely, do you see anyone disagreeing and correcting this information? Who?

Does this person have an ideological bias that might cause them to discount conflicting information?

Everyone has biases, of course, but some are obvious. A lot of revisionist American history is put out by Mormon groups to try to prove the literal truth of the Book of Mormon; ditto for history that seeks to prove various things in the Bible. It may be easy for us to laugh at that, but a lot of tumblr revisionist history involves inventing gay historical figures out of flimsy sources because we want it to be true. Is there a reason that the person making this claim might want this to be true? This doesn't necessarily make it false, but it does mean you have to require more robust claims.

What sources do they cite?

Do they cite well-documented research or well-provenienced archaeology? Do they have photographs of what they're claiming happened? Or do their claims rely on nameless, dateless, "I can't show you my sources yet" or "I swear I heard about a guy..." Do they cite any sources or is it "just trust me bro"? Are those sources that they do cite reliable, or are they circular? Do the sources they cite actually say what this person is claiming they say? Are they cutting out half of a quote, or ignoring conflicting evidence presented in the same source?

Is this conspiracy theory thinking?

Is this making claims that an individual or a group is secretly hiding information from the general public? Is it blaming one individual or group for widespread societal problems? Is it claiming that the only reason this isn't common knowledge is because Somebody is suppressing it? Is it claiming that the solution to a complicated political problem is actually simple and everybody knows it but people just don't want to do it for nefarious reasons? That's conspiracy thinking, and it's almost never as clean or easy as the claimant wants you to believe.

Just because someone is saying something confidently doesn't necessarily make it true, but also, just because you don't like something doesn't necessarily make it false. Ask these questions when you see a claim that makes you feel angry - or makes you feel righteous. Look for journalists, scientists, historians, legal scholars, who present their credentials and their sources. Look for multiple independently verified news reports or scientific articles. Determining The One Truth about things is not always easy and sometimes not possible, but asking these questions helps you assess what you're reading critically and evaluate claims.

[thrawns-babygirl]

Making Eyes (Tech x F!Reader)

Hello Tech Girlies (GN)

So! A lot of emotions are running high after yesterday huh? I totally understand TBH, while I am a Crosshair Girlie at heart, I do also adore Tech and I can empathize with some of the emotions yall are going through.

This was so much fun to write and it turned into the longest thing I have ever written so I hope you all enjoy. Feedback is greatly appreciated.

And yes, Phee is in this story but she is like, the ultimate wing woman dw, fully platonic.

Rating: E (18+) Summary: Tech has been giving you eyes forever now, and Phee takes it upon herself to help him talk to you Warnings: Oral (M!Receiving), grinding, unprotected PiV, Creampies Word Count: 4300+

Masterlist

Tech was staring at you. Again.

I was a daily occurrence at this point, whenever you would visit Cid’s Parlour you would hang out with Omega, bring Wrecker some food, play a couple games of Dejarik or Sabacc with Echo or simply have a few drinks with the boys. It was a nice piece of normalcy for the squad of rogue clones. It was nice having a friend.

“You know, starin’ at her isn’t gonna get her to talk to you” Phee sat down on the stool next to tech, placing a hand on his shoulder as she took a sip of her drink. Tech sighed, lips tightening to a thin line as he took one last look at you before turning to the pirate. Sorry, liberator of ancient artifacts.

“I do not understand your obsession with getting her and I to talk” Tech replied taking a sip of his drink, eyeing you over the rim of the glass. Phee just chuckled “because you got it bad Brown Eyes” polishing off her drink and motioning the bar tender to bring her another she stared him down. It was so painfully obvious to everyone that Tech did indeed ‘have it bad’ for you but he just… had no idea what to do, and Tech never had no idea what to do. He was the one with the plans, back up plans and back up plans for those back up plans, but when it came to you his mind simply… stopped working.

“Look, its painful watching you make eyes at her across the bar every time she comes in, you should just go up and talk to her. Talking is your specialty, there’s gotta be somethin’ that brain of yours can come up with to woo her” Tech frowned. It’s not like he hadn’t tried coming up with something to say to you it was just… he was never properly socialised to interact with women, so far Cid and Phee were the only adult women he had interacted with for an extended period of time outside of the likes of Nala Se and the Kaminoans. He knew, in theory, what he could say to you, but he had no practical data to go off of. He had been involved in maybe two or three one night stands before the fall of the Republic, and they were almost always rushed, semi pleasurable ways to blow off steam. He's never been worried about rejection before. And the thought of you rejecting him sent cold shocks of fear rushing down his spine.

Phee sighed… this was gonna take more work than she thought. “I simply… Do not know what to do” he mumbled, it was always hard for Tech to admit when he didn’t know something, it was his sole purpose in life to know things, to always have answers and solutions. The tightness in his chest and the weight in his stomach was something he was very much not used to, even while on a battlefield knee deep in mud with driods closing in on all sides he had never felt this amount of uncertainty.

“You just gotta work the charm, tell her she looks pretty, ask about her day… that kinda thing. Ask her to play a game of dejarik and strike up a conversation that way… and don’t look now but she’s coming over this way” Tech choked on his drink, coughing spilling some of the contents on his pants. Great now he looks like a fool.

When he turned around, he saw you stifling a giggle as you slid onto the stool on the other side of Phee, asking the bartender for a drink. “Hey sugar, what are you up to this time of night” Phee makes such easy conversation with you, it makes him jealous. Why couldn’t he just find the words, why couldn’t he swallow his fear and just talk to you. He can talk for hours about anything. If only you would ask him about the components of a hyperdrive or about the capacitors or about-

“Wow is that true Tech?” Tech is ripped from his thoughts as he looks over at you, you’re smiling at him with wide, beautiful, eyes. “Pardon?” he asks lamely, inwardly kicking himself for not paying attention. “I was just telling her about the races on Safa Toma” Phee smirks over at him, bringing her drink up to her lips before inclining her head as if to say ‘go on’.

“Yes I did partake in the Riot Races on Safa Toma multiple rotations ago. It was on a whim in order to help Cid settle some debts” your eyes widen slightly. Okay maybe he could do this. He inwardly thanks Phee before launching into the specifics of why he was racing, what happened with Tey-0, the modifications on his racer he had to do prior to the race, his strategies and to his surprise you were listening with bated breath, hanging on every word he was saying. Your elbows resting on the bar, drink long forgotten as the hours dragged on. From there the conversation flowed naturally, reminding himself of what Phee had said he asks you about your day, about what you were doing at work, your last few games of dijarek against Echo. He listens as you lament about not being able to beat his brother “perhaps I could show you some strategies. I have played multiple games against Echo and could show you not only specific manoeuvres that would work against him specifically, but also the game as a whole” your smile makes his insides melt.

“Well, I’m gonna turn in for the night, I’ll see you two around” Phee places a hand on both of Tech’s and your shoulders before standing up and walking towards the door, giving a polite wave to the other batchers as she exits. Leaving Tech alone with you. His thoughts catch up with him again without having Phee as a buffer, would you still be interested in talking to him? Just him? Would he even know what to say?

“So, what else do you do for fun? I only ever see you all hanging around here” your smile is so genuine. He would have to thank Phee later for laying the groundwork for him as conversation continues to flow smoothly, effortlessly almost. Much to his surprise you actually do ask him about hyperdrives and how they operate, telling him about how you always wanted to be a mechanic, but the universe had other plans for you. He’s never been more enraptured with anyone than he is with you right now. You listen to his every word, asking questions, enjoying his answers, giggling at his dry wit.

It's only when he notices that there is no one else in the parlour anymore that he checks his chrono and balks at the time. You sigh “Maybe I should get going, I know that Cid doesn’t like just anyone staying after she closes” you stretch your arms above your head as you stand up and Tech can’t help the way his eyes run down your body as you move. Tech is not a spiritual man, he is a man of science, but he believes that you are the closest thing to a goddess that he will ever encounter.

“It is very late, perhaps I should accompany you back to your domicile” he gets off his stool, motioning towards the door. You hesitate slightly before nodding, a slight dusting of colour on your cheeks. “I would very much like that, Tech” you smile at him again. And by the stars he swears it is a sight he would never tire of.

The walk back to your apartment is mostly spent in companionable silence, sometimes one of you would make an observation to the other, but otherwise it is nice. Comfortable even. You, however are entirely oblivious to Tech’s internal struggle. He wants nothing more than to tell you everything he’s feeling, divulge his every emotion to you as you walk next to one another down the quiet streets of Ord Mantell. He just wishes he could find the words, tell you enough without telling you too much, without frightening you off with the sheer depth of what he feels for you. Every now and then your hands brush, fingers grazing slightly as you continue walking. He expects you to pull away, he expects you to recoil but you don’t. So, like the inquisitive man he is, he continues brushing his hand against yours, periodically at first before making the action seem more intentional, watching you out of the corner of his eye to gauge your reaction to the contact.

After the third or fourth obviously intentional graze of his hand against yours you surprise him by intwining your fingers with his, silently, your eyes never once leaving the path ahead of you. Tech’s brain completely fries. He has no idea where to go from here, maker he never thought he would even get this far with you and now he is in uncharted territory. Once again at a complete loss for words, it takes a moment for him to realise that you have come to a stop in front of an apartment building. Your hand leaves his and while it’s not a cold night he misses your warmth already. He wishes he could simply hold your hand forever and never let you go. He has never really been a fan of other people touching him, he has been actually quite touch averse his whole life, but something about the softness of your skin and the meaning of the contact has him longing for more.

“This is me” you say with a small smile, you look almost embarrassed, and it takes Tech a moment to figure out why “We… we passed this location approximately 20 standard minutes prior” he says with a raised eyebrow. You shuffle from one foot to the other, avoiding eye contact as you blush all the way from your neck to the tips of your ears. “I uh… I wanted to keep spending time with you” you let out a small laugh, still looking anywhere but him as you approach you door. “Would you… would you like to come in?” your hopeful smile is breathtaking, if only you knew how unnecessary all of your nerves were, if only you knew how much he too wanted to continue spending tonight with you, as well as every night beyond this one.

Kriff… the realisation hits him like a speeder. You may actually… return his feelings. You could potentially be interested in pursuing him… romantically. His thoughts grind to a halt as he realises he still has not responded to you, your face becoming slightly crestfallen as you presume his lack of answer is a refusal. “Yes! Yes of course… I would uh love to” inwardly cringing at the volume and excitement present in his voice Tech clears his throat as you lead him inside your home. If he is honest with himself he is very curious to look around your home, to learn a little bit more information about you without seeming too eager, eyes darting around to take in as many details as he can.

Your living space is tidy and modest, a well-worn couch, a small kitchen area, a door leading off to what he assumes to be a bedroom as well as a holo projector on the wall facing the couch. Shelves hold up various holos of what looks to be you and your family and friends. It brings a smile to his face as he looks around getting this insight into the way you live, the life you lead, you as a person.

“Caf? I know it’s late but you seem like the kinda guy who lives off the stuff” you ask, he chuckles and nods “sorry its only the crappy instant stuff, work has been kinda slow recently” you begin pouring the powdered caf into two mugs before boiling some water. “No apologies necessary, I have lived off military rations and bad caf my whole life, I am very used to it by now” the smile on his face grows as he watches you work, observing your small idiosyncrasies as you go, tucking your bottom lip between your teeth as you pour the water, focusing on not burning yourself, fanning the steaming cups with your hands before adding a small amount of sweetener to both cups and bringing them over towards Tech who is still standing in the middle of your living space.

“Feel free to take a seat, I know it’s not much but it’s home” you smile and Tech has the overwhelming urge to take your face in his hands and connect his lips with yours. Would you allow that? Would you want that from him? You seem to be showing interest but he has no way of knowing how far you are willing to go, did you want him romantically or were you just being friendly and hospitable?

The two of you make easy conversation, sipping on your caf and enjoying each other’s company as the projector plays a muted holo in front of you. You slowly edging closer to him on the couch until your sides are pressed against each other. Tech finished his caf a long time ago, but is hesitant to place his mug down on the table in front of him, if he does he has no reason to stay here, he has no reason not to go back towards the parlour and his brothers and leave you for the night. Your eyes scan over the aurebesh subtitles of the holo in front of you. “I’ve seen this holovid at least a dozen times. It’s about a group of smugglers trying to make a better life for themselves. Makes me think of you and your brothers a little bit” you lean your head on his shoulder, the contact making Tech’s hear beat faster, his hands becoming clammy as he takes a leap of faith and moves his hand over your shoulder, letting you move closer into his side.

You press your body as close to him as you can, and Tech decides then and there that should he die tonight, he will die the happiest man in the galaxy. He slowly begins soothing circles over your shoulder as the two of you continue watching the vid in front of you, now with the sound turned up slightly. The scene where one of the smugglers kisses the woman he is in love with flashes in front of him and he is once again flooded with the indescribable urge to press his lips against yours. You fail to stifle a yawn as you rest against him and Tech looks down at you, eyes half lidded, totally content.

“I think perhaps it is time that I made my departure. You appear to be quite fatigued and I am sure my brothers are wondering as to my whereabouts” the moment the words leave his mouth he regrets it, watching as your content demeanour is tinged with a hint of sadness. He simply did not wish to overstay his welcome. He opens his mouth to perhaps ask you to dinner tomorrow night when his com chimes. Cursing under his breath he answers.

“Tech? Where are you? Do you know what time it is?” Hunter seems slightly panicked and Tech feels a twinge of guilt about not telling his brothers where he was going, he was simply so caught up in spending time with you that it slipped his mind to let his brothers know that he was leaving with you to walk you home.

“Yes, my apologies Hunter I was just out having a walk and simply lost track of the time, I shall be back within the next hour” Tech felt your move out from under his arm and longed for your contact again.

“Just having a walk huh… sure, well I’m sure you can tell me all about your walk when you get back. No need to hurry just comm if you’re going to be later than an hour” Tech replies in the affirmative before shutting off his com. Hunter knows something, perhaps he saw you two leaving together from the parlour? Maybe he heard the soft sound of the Holoprojector in the background, either way he was in for some brotherly banter when he got back.

He turns to you, not realising how close together you were. His eyes dart down to your lips and he watches as yours do the same. His mind fries again, does he make a move? Do you want that? Everything so far tonight has been highly indicative that you are interested in him romantically but what if-

His thoughts are cut off as you place your lips softly on his before pulling back and looking into his eyes with a soft smile. His face is flushed, his lips are slightly parted as he breathes heavily. He is almost certain that you can hear his heart thudding against his rib cage due to how fast it’s beating and before he can give himself a chance to second guess his decision, he moves his hands up to your face and presses his lips against yours with all the passion that he can muster. He’s not an overly experienced kisser but he is a very quick learner, he lets you take the lead before he gets more comfortable, lips moving against yours in a passionate dance as you tangle your hands into his hair before reluctantly pulling back for air.

Your kiss swollen lips spread into a smile as half lidded eyes stare up at him “I hope that was alright” you say as if that wasn’t something Tech has wanted to do since he met you all those rotations ago. “That was more than alright… that was perfect, you are perfect” You move in to kiss him again, and again and again as you slowly move on top of him so that you are straddling him on the couch, parting briefly to catch your breath before continuing your heated session. Tech has been hard since you first placed your lips on his but the pressure of you sitting atop him has him acutely aware of his predicament. You grind your hips down against the hardness straining against his pants and Tech breaks the kiss to let out a sinful moan of your name, bucking his hips against yours, greedy for the feeling of you. You look up at him with lust blown eyes, panting slightly as you move your hips against his clothed erection. “Let me know if we’re moving too fast…” you mumble out as your lips move to his neck sucking dark marks onto the skin there as your hips continue their sinful movement against his. “Of course mesh’la” he pants, hands finding their way to your hips to help guide your movements against him as his head falls against the back of the couch “but I assure you there is nothing we could do tonight that I haven’t been dreaming about since I met you”

You begin working on the fastenings of his vest, pulling it open as he moves to assist you in removing the fabric from his body before your hands find their way underneath the hem of his shirt, toying with it before he grabs it and pulls it over his head leaving his upper body completely bare before you. You knew he was a soldier, but you never expected him to be quite this built. His chest and arms nothing but lean muscles and while you are busy staring down at his perfectly sculpted body, he begins ridding you of your clothing, pulling your shirt over your head and moving his hands around your back to the fastening of your bra before hesitating for a moment “M-may I?” his stutter is endearing as you nod and feel his nimble fingers work against the offending garment leaving you totally topless before him.

He pauses for a moment, simply taking in the sight before him, committing it to memory before slowly lifting his hands to your breasts, cupping them in his large palms, rolling and tweaking your nipples causing you to arch against him. You hear him speak in hushed whispers, a language you don’t understand before he lowers his lips to one of your pebbled nipples and places it in his mouth. Lathing is tongue against it, sucking and licking before releasing it with a soft ‘pop’ and giving the same attention to your other breast, his hips bucking up against your core the entire time.

After his lips release your nipple, he looks up at you through his yellow tinted goggles “I must admit mesh’la,  It has been a very long time since I participated in any… intimate activities and I do not wish to disappoint you” you smile down at him and he feels his cock throb against the confines of his pants “you don’t need to be perfect Tech, and I wont be disappointed as long as I’m doing this with you” you grind your hips against him for emphasis before standing up and removing your pants, Tech’s eyes trained on you the entire time, watching you reveal more of yourself to him.

You get to your knees before him and he automatically spreads his legs allowing you more space between them as he holds his breath. Your fingers go to the fastening of his pants and you look up at him, with a small nod you undo them and free his weeping length. You gasp slightly at the sheer size of him, he is long, thick and leaking precum. He lets out a hiss through clenched teeth as you wrap your hand around him and give him a few experimental pumps, his hips bucking into your hand for more friction as he screws his eyes shut and lets his head fall back.

Lost in the feeling of your hand wrapped around him, he lets out a sinful moan as your hand is replaced by the wet heat of your mouth, hands going to the back of your head to tangle in your hair as your lips wrap around his throbbing length. “O-oh mesh’la you’re perfect ahh- absolutely p-perfect” he grunts out as he feels himself hit the back of your throat. You drag your lips up his length before settling into a steady rhythm. Tech loses himself in the feeling of your mouth against his cock, speaking in a combination of basic and Mando’a, praising you, telling you how amazing you feel as his hand rests on the back of your head.

It's not long before he pulls you off of him, a string of saliva connected from your mouth to his cock as you look up at him “I apologise, any more of that and I would ejaculate prematurely and I wish for this to be a pleasurable experience for both of us” he impresses himself by managing to speak full sentences as he pants, he was sure that his capabilities for speech left him the moment you wrapped your lips around him. You smile, pumping his slick length a few times before standing, ridding yourself of your panties and returning to your previous position of straddling his lap, now with no barriers between you.

Tech reaches his hand between your legs, fingers brushing against your folds “Kriff… y-you’re so wet mesh’la” he grits out, the feeling of your soaking entrance almost enough to send him over the edge. “It’s all for you Tech” you whisper into his ear, your breath fanning over his skin making him shudder as you slowly lower yourself onto him.

If the feeling of your mouth was intense, Tech was not ready for the feeling of your tight walls wrapping around him. It took every ounce of control not to paint your walls with his seed the moment your heat fully engulfed him. His fingers were digging into your thighs, his eyes were screwed shut as he focused on his breathing as he felt his length throb inside of you. You rested your head against his shoulder, moaning out his name as the feeling of his girth overwhelmed you. After waiting a moment for both of you to adjust you slowly raise yourself up off him and slam your hips back down, drawing a ragged moan from the both of you. Tech simply held on for dear life as you took control, riding him as he babbled and rambled about how good you felt, about how you were so tight about how he had never felt anything this good.

It took all of his remaining brain power to bring one of his hands down to start rubbing tight circles against your clit, causing your walls to flutter around him, clenching and squeezing around his cock as he drew ever closer to his peak.

“W-where” he manages to groan out between loud moans of your name.

“I-inside- ah-” your permission was all he needed to be pushed him over the edge into euphoria, his nerves set alight as he pumped rope after rope of hot cum inside you, filling you up and spilling out of you as you reach your own peak atop him, your clenching walls bordering on overstimulation but he would never complain.

You led the two of you to your bedroom before reminding him to tell hunter that he would not be home tonight, Hunter telling him to simply stay safe and that he would see him tomorrow morning. Exhausted and oh so content, it wasn’t long before the two of you passed out in each other’s arms, wrapped in your soft blankets, entirely ignorant to the outside world.

The next morning after another round of lovemaking, Tech returns to the parlour, his brothers and Phee present around the bar. Wrecker lets out a holler as he see’s the dark marks you left on him the night before, smacking him on the back as he makes his way to the bar. Tech slides into the stool next to Phee as she smirks over towards him “I’m glad you two finally worked it out” she sips her drink “Yes… Thank you for your help”

I thought I could try and help recontextualize the relationship between Tech and Phee a little bit so let me know if it helps soothe some of that heartache because I genuinely love Phee, but I totally understand the emotions if Tech is your man. She wants yall together as much as you do dw

@where-is-my-mind-tho @starborncyare @antishadow2021 @healingskywalker @crosshairlovebot@ttzamara@sunshinesdaydream@bambambunny@madameminor

[rallamajoop]

Did Ethan play the piano?

There are a bunch of little hints scattered through these games about Ethan's character. He seems to have a love for the retro ‒ at least, his drawer is full of jazz CDs and he drives a 1971 Dodge Challenger. As Rose notes, he's clearly a wine drinker. And he may have played he piano.

I don't want to overstate the hints RE7&8 give us on that last part. Resident Evil is, after all, a universe where apparently being able to bang out a full sonata at a moment's notice is just a basic life skill for anyone who might want to infiltrate a suspicious facility (though just jamming a few bars of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star may also do in a pinch).

There's a piano in the Winters' home, but then, maybe Mia's the one who plays, or maybe the BSAA set them up in an already-furnished house ‒ who knows? You can't actually interact with it as Ethan, nor does Rose comment on it. But Rose does wonder out loud if her Dad played any instruments (after he jokes about whether baby Rose banging her spoon to the Miss D. record suggests she's going to grow up to be a musician) ‒ and that at least primes you to notice that piano, if you hadn't already.

There are also two different pianos you can interact with in the Baker property ‒ one in the guest room, which will slam shut if Ethan reaches for the keys, and a second in Lucas' room that merely prompts the message 'it's broken'.

It's not until Dimitrescu's castle that Ethan himself finally gets to make like all those other Resi heros, and bash out a quick solo to open a mini door in the piano, in which you'll find a key that will open another door... look, you've heard this one before.

There's an argument to be had whether any of the puzzle solutions in a video game like RE should be taken as truly diegetic. But if nothing else, this does at least suggest Ethan can read sheet music. Here's the asset for the sheet, by the way (and again with the bit you actually play highlighted). You can hear someone play the full song ("Sogno" ‒ which means 'Dream' in Italian ‒ by Francesco Paolo Tosti) here.

There's even a version with lyrics, though I doubt they necessarily meant much to whoever picked this piece for the game: more likely it was chosen for being a song with a very simple treble clef (so the player doesn't have to do too much work to solve the 'puzzle') but a much more complicated bass (so it still sounds sophisticated when played). Regardless, you can hear it sung here.

There's also one other little clue that might suggest that someone in the Winters' household has some real musical leanings: one of the CDs you can find in that drawer is titled 'Jazz Standard Theory'. Which sounds a lot more like an instructional CD than easy listening (though they're certainly not winning any prizes for those other titles).

Actually, while we're talking Ethan's CD collection, here's the asset for that Miss D & the Pallboys CD too! Surprisingly, it has a back as well, suggesting that at some point you might have been able to pick it up and examine it. The text is all pretty illegible, however.

(I've talked before about the theory that 'Miss D' is actually Lady Dimitrescu, but if you want the short version ‒ given that she's not from the village and is 'descended from a fallen noble', this one's surprisingly plausible!)

Hilariously, a love for jazz might just be one thing Ethan has in common with the Bakers, given you can find some records lying around the rec room upstairs.

Mind you, even RE2R managed to work a jazz festival flyer into this one puzzle solution...

Does someone in the team at Capcom have a thing for Jazz? Evidence is starting to stack up...

But getting back to our original topic, does Ethan play the piano? You can make a case either way, as the game never tells us explicitly. But there's enough here to point that way that I'd like to think he does, anyhow.

Which only makes the implications of this so much more tragic.

[satureja13]

Jack is disenchanted and disappointed. As exciting as it was to talk to Tiny Can, he'd expected more of the AI Therapist.

Sai went back to sleep again, he's exhaused from crying and reliving his worst memories. And Ji Ho and Jack decided to play a bit. But the only 'game' available is a boring puzzle... Jack: "Oh my, I don't know what's more boring. This puzzle or our therapy... Have they never heard about gamification? Or fun? Or to make it a bit more interesting?" Ji Ho agreed. Though the insight about Vlad and his own locked away feelings was interesting. Maybe he should follow and explore these thoughts a bit deeper.

Suddenly Saiwa was wide awake: "What did you just say, Jack?"

Jack: "Uh - probably something wrong? You finish the puzzle, Ji Ho, I go and run."

Saiwa: "No! That's actually brilliant!

Gamification! The Game!!!

We combine the AI with our game and make it a Therapy Game!" Jack and Ji Ho: "..." (Haha you can see how Jack and Ji Ho's brains are working ^^') Saiwa: "And not just for us - for other creatures too! This would have been so helpful when we'd been so scared and alone! And who knows? This could be a sucess and we'd make money to pay Rubyn and the others back!" We barely get to see Saiwa this excited ^^' But here some of his main interests meet, his love for games and computers - and being there for others and help them.

Vlad went back home to grab Saiwa, Jack and Ji Ho's content they'd already had created for their game over the last months and then they started their epic gathering to develop the:

For the computer game they'd planned, Jack already made the concept art and design, Vlad wrote and Ji Ho composed the music and soundscapes. They are going to feed all this to Tiny Can and see what kind of 'gamification therapy' he'll create. How exciting! (For me it really is! Imagine this: a game that also is a therapy - supported by an AI! How amazing would that be if you could see the things that make you suffer from a distance and you'd find solutions for them by doing insightful AND funny AND interesting quests! You'd gain helpful new habits and get rid of unhealthy ones by playing a game! Where I live it's so hard to find a therapy place. We have to wait up to a year -.- I do have high hopes in AI. You could go by your own pace. And you wouldn't even have to leave the house!)

After a very long gathering, Ji Ho and Jack relaxed in the hot tub. Jack's pain is thanking him. They sat silent for quite a while, lost in their thoughts. Very unusual for Jack, but his brain is running on hyper speed now. He's so excited :3 And Ji Ho was pondering about his locked down feelings. The Bond made it easy for him to love Luci. They had a whole different approach to each other. While his relationship with Vlad was doomed from the beginning (their story in (kind of ^^') short -> here).

The only ocassions where Ji Ho was really comfortable with Vlad was, when they touched and made love. And this is also a benefit of the Bond and Luci because Ji Ho hated being touched in the beginning. After all he'd seen at the House of the rising Sun in the slums of Sulani. But Luci had approached him slowly and tenderly. Ji Ho shared his thoughts with Jack: "Do you think this might be a way to become more comfortable with Vlad and finally be able to love him? And to find my buried down feelings?" Jack: "I think that's brilliant! At least one of us learned something in that therapy. When you charge the Bond later, just try a bit more and we'll see how it goes."

A little later Vlad came down: "Uhm, I'm leaving now. The Bond..."

Ji Ho left the hot tub and went over to Vlad to charge the Bond - and try his new theory... They embraced each other as usual and then Ji Ho tried to kiss Vlad.

But Vlad moved his head aside and whispered: "I want nothing more than you - but not like this." Vlad's breath ghosted over Ji Ho's still wet skin and made him shiver.

Vlad still has his principles - not to forget his foolish pride. No way he's going to have a plain physical relationship with Ji Ho - without love. There is no 'two out of three ain't bad' or 'it's better than nothing' in Vlad's world ^^' Only 'it's all or nothing'. He would do anything for Ji Ho, but he won't - and can't do that. It would break him apart. That does not mean it was easy for him to not give in and leave. Vlad really is the master of self control ö.ö

And then Vlad left. Ji Ho seems a bit piqued after Vlad's rejection ^^'

'I can't stop this feeling Deep inside of me Girl, you just don't realize What you do to me

When you hold me In your arms so tight You let me know Everything's all right

I'm hooked on a feeling I'm high on believing That you're in love with me'

Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede from the OST of Guardians of the Galaxy I

Outtakes

He will be mine, oh yes, he will be mine.

Yang Mal: "Can we grill our corncobs now?" 🌽 Saiwa: "Uhm - sure ö.Ö'"

Ji Ho checking the mail... 📬 Who might have sent that letter when Ji Ho looks like that?

Tyalindo watching the sun set 🌅

From the Beginning  ~  Underwater Love ~  Latest 🕹️ 'Therapy Game' from the beginning ▶️ here 📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28

[fatuismooches]

Hello! Former 🐺 anon here! (I always struggle to not forget the "-🐺" at the end of the asks so uhh I guess imma make the job easier for myself by revealing true identity, i guess?? 😅)

Anyway. I don't remember if this has been written about before, but... Can we talk about Dottore's earring? The connection between segments? And fragile reader?

That little trinket is one of the mysteries surrounding our beloved Doctor. Is it just a fancy accessory? Perhaps. But then why do all of his segments wear one? At very least, the ones we've seen? I feel like it might have something to do with connection between them. Could it be a hive-mind device? Basically something that connects all the segments into one net so they can communicate telepathically? That would explain how Omega managed to delete all of the segments so easily.

But yes. Imagine if theory about it being a telepathy bond device. What if Prime gifts fragile reader one of those? So that when he's away on a mission or something, fragile reader could reach out to him! Almost like the two were having a phone call! (Since Teyvat doesn't have phones apart that strange dodoco ball thingy).

Or it could also be used for when the reader is too scared to speak their thoughts. Imagine Dottore holding them tightly in his embrace, his soothing voice whispering in the reader's head to just think what troubles them and use the telepathic bond to tell him. I just feel like Zandik would use this as a way to reassure the reader. Like, it's silence, but also not. Of course, many forehead kisses and headpats are included in this procedure.

YESSS DOTTORE'S EARRING... <3 I love that thing... :3 (Webttore and Dottore actually have two different designs of earrings so I love to hc that each segment's earrings are a little bit different, even though we see they're the same in-game 😭 Maybe it's a way to tell them apart from each other as well 💗 Alright moving on-)

Besides the signature masks of the segments, they are never seen without their earring, the mysterious blue liquid inside squishing around with their movements. What could it be? That is unknown, but the agents would prefer not to know considering it's the same color as that vial he always carries around. And the vial's contents are similarly unknown... no one wants to be the first one to try. Well, regardless of that, most would never guess the earring is used for the segments' communication with each other. Truly technology far more advanced than what the majority of Teyvat could ever dream off.

It was when you complained about how long letters took to be delivered back and forth that he realized a rather easy solution. The earring's communication device was no easy procedure, with the materials and skill, but for you? He got it done with ease. Obviously, you're elated! Though there are probably times you abuse your new privilege now. For example, even when he's not away, you'll call him. He'll think it is urgent, considering your health and all, but what did you call to tell him? That you love him, and are coming to give him lots of kisses and hugs and- he hung up on you.

It would also be quite cute if your earring could connect to various other earrings like the segments while they're away on expeditions as well... they have most definitely slacked off when you've called them. Them being in the middle of killing/threatening/general Dottore things but pausing to take their beloved's call while the guy watches them in fear and confusion.

Dottore using it as a way to comfort you though... 🥺 that is just so cute. Because sometimes it's too hard for you to verbalize all of your troubles and negative thoughts, and the words get stuck in your throat. Making it quite hard for the two of you to communicate with each other since you can't open yourself up like that. But now you can let out your feelings telepathically and your husband can know, and perhaps get a further reach into what your mind is like. The silence around you combined with Dottore's soothing voice is the perfect aid to make you feel better.

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Plan

So the poll is still running, but I think I'm safe in saying there's sufficient interest, so I'm going ahead and typing up a "how we're going to do this" thing, which I will schedule to post after the poll ends properly. As of the time I'm writing this, over 500 people have voted for the "yes I want to draw things" option, and I had been expecting to get maybe a dozen, so we definitely have enough participants. Let's get started then:

Our Source

I had originally planned to translate an Old or Middle English bestiary, but haven't been able to find a good one -- the best option I was able to dig up only has thirteen critters, which I feel like isn't enough to really have fun with. I was debating the idea of translating a Latin one -- this would have been far more time-consuming since my Latin is terrible, but also I do need to practice it, so I figured it evens out -- when I found a solution that doesn't involve me spending hours and hours on translating.

It seems that when Aberdeen University created their digitized version of the famous Aberdeen Bestiary, they released it under a Creative Commons license. (Assuming I'm reading their copyright policy correctly; I'm not a lawyer.) It does not seem to specify whether the transcriptions and translations they attach to the scanned images are also covered by Creative Commons, but since all of those are already freely available online through their website, I can't imagine they would have a problem with me posting them here as long as I provide attribution (which I am hereby doing right here on this post) and am not using it for commercial purposes (which I am not).

The Aberdeen Bestiary is missing a few pages, but there exists a very similar manuscript, the Ashmole Bestiary (they're sometimes called "sister" manuscripts), which is not missing those pages. And I happen to have a translation of the Ashmole Bestiary in hardcopy on my bookshelf, so I can just use it to fill in the gaps. Edit: whoops, the one I have is the Bodley Bestiary. They are in the same bestiary "family", though, so it still works well enough. (I think that should qualify as "fair use", since I'm only taking excerpts and not using them commercially.)

The upside of using the Aberdeen Bestiary is that it means when I round up all the art of each critter, I can include their very nice illustrations alongside the reveal of what animal was being described.

The downside of using the Aberdeen Bestiary is that since it already is free online, people might be tempted to "cheat" by looking up the entries and finding out what animal they describe. For that, please see the next section...

Guessing the Animal

Guessing what animal is being described is not the point of the exercise. (Feel free to have theories and whatnot, but please keep them to yourself so as not to influence the artists.) If you see an entry and think, e.g., "oh that's describing a raccoon"*, and then you create a picture of a raccoon... well, you could have done a perfectly good raccoon at any point and didn't need this framework to do it. So just don't worry about what animal is meant, and do your best to draw (or paint or stitch or whatever else) based on the description! You're not getting ranked on accuracy and there are no prizes forthcoming, so... just have fun with it.

*Example chosen as something that will, for obvious reasons, definitely not be in a 13th-century European bestiary.

Edit after starting to type these things up: some of these are going to be super easy to guess, though, to the point where I don't know how possible it'll be to block out prior knowledge. Sorry about that.

General Procedure

I'm going to schedule a post every Monday (I'm thinking of queuing them for 6pm Eastern Time) with a new entry. It will be the translation of an entry from the Aberdeen Bestiary with all references to the animal's name replaced by a randomly-generated nonsense word. (Henceforth to be referred to as "nonsense-names". I'm Googling* each one before using them so I don't accidentally generate one that actually means something.) These posts will all be tagged maniculum bestiaryposting, so you can follow that tag if you want to make sure you see them.'

*Later Note: Did you know that if you search dozens of nonsense words within a short span of time, Google makes you prove you're not a robot? Repeatedly?

Anyone who wants to draw the critter being described should do so. (You are encouraged to describe your thought process re: why you've depicted it the way you have.) You can put it in its own post, or reblog the description with an image, or however you want to do it. Then tag your art with the nonsense-name I've given to the animal.This will let me and others find it. (You should probably employ copy/paste there to make sure the spelling is the same, since nonsense words are hard to spellcheck.)

A week after posting the bestiary entry, I'll go through that tag and round up all of the art contributed. Then I'll put the images in a big post (or series thereof, considering how many people might participate), along with an @ and a link to your original post.

If you want...

to not have your work included in the round-up post

to have only a link to your post included and not an image

to have me include a link to your website / other social media / etsy shop in addition to or instead of your tumblr

to have other information included alongside your work

anything else along those lines

... then just say so in your post and I will follow your instructions to the best of my ability.

I will also include, at the end of the round-up post, an image of the creature as depicted in the Aberdeen Bestiary and what it is actually called.

All posts I make on this will be collected at https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting so that people can look at previous ones without scrolling through the tag.

Various Notes

I'm going to trim out any religious digressions in the original entries -- bestiary authors had a habit of adding stuff like "and the raccoon is symbolic of god in such-and-such fashion, which teaches us...", and I just don't think that's relevant here.

The entries will also be presented in a random order. This is because they're sorted into categories in the original text, so if I don't change the order we're going to get stuck with, e.g., a few months of All Birds All The Time.

You should all be aware that the animals described are not guaranteed to be, you know, real. There are several entries describing animals that straight up do not exist -- some of which are mythical creatures familiar to most people, others of which are extremely obscure.

Explanations of the animal's name within the entries will be redacted.

If other animals are mentioned within the entries, they will not get replaced with nonsense-names. Originally, I was going to make the switch globally, so that if, e.g., the entry for "raccoon" read "a raccoon is about the size of a possum", and the random generator had decided that a raccoon was a balzikhear and a possum was a flunggrish, the "raccoon" entry would now read "a balzikhear is about the size of a flunggrish". However, I decided that it will cause more problems than it solves to obscure any comparisons to other animals -- so the name-switch is now localized only to the specific entry. A possum is a flunggrish only in its own entry, and remains a possum everywhere else.

I was originally going to do one post for every single entry, but there are a lot of them and they vary wildly in length & quality. So I've cut it down to exactly 52 posts, meaning that if I queue them up for once a week, this will run for roughly a full year.

Most of that cutting-down mentioned above was done by combining a bunch of the really short entries into categories -- the last half-dozen posts in this series will be group entries. You can choose to make art of any of them that strike your fancy, or do a group portrait, or just ignore them --I dunno, I'm not a cop, do what you want.

I did also directly cut some, mostly domesticated animals because there's a somewhat different approach to them based on author and audience familiarity.

So yeah, that should cover everything.

[likealittleheartbeat]

hey there! can i ask you to elaborate on something?:)

when you reblogged the scene from 'the firebending masters' ep where aang and zuko are judged by the dragons, you said that "now they stand beside the person they thought had what they most longed for" in relation to their yin/yang dynamic.

i remember zuko's monologue in 'the siege of the north' about how aang is like azula and things come to him easy - something that zuko may feel jealous of and long for. but in what sense do you think zuko has what aang longs for the most, and does he acknowledge this?

Such a good question referencing this post and these tags:

First, I’d say that when I talk about longing here, it’s not conscious longing, it’s a deeper subconscious longing for that which will resolve their inner conflict but the character has not necessarily articulated it for themselves or even come to the conclusion themselves. @avatarsymbolism has a nice little post about zuko and aang’s wants and needs. And while I don’t agree whole-heartedly with the wants and needs they land on for the characters—Aang’s need to “mature and step into his role as Avatar” is clearly more nuanced since the Avatar state he masters at the end of season 2, as mentioned in the post, ends up getting him killed rather than serving as a narrative culmination—the framework of wants and needs with the initiator of a characters’ “lie,” which might be better understood as a character’s misunderstanding, is a nice way to discuss it. What I’m talking about with longing is their need.

Therefore, Zuko’s longing is not for the prodigiousness of Azula and Aang. That’s his want. What he needs is restraint, patience, and openness. What the framework of wants and needs hides, however, is something atla does incredibly well. The characters already possess and have demonstrated the features they need, just as an aspect of yin exists within Yang and vice versa. It resists the theory that desire is created by a lack. The problem is not in the characters’ ability but in their awareness of themselves and the bigger picture, the grand design. “Destiny? What would a boy know of destiny?” Jeong-Jeong asks in the episode that directly follows the Storm and the Blue Spirit which have paralleled and intertwined Aang and Zuko. “If a fish lives its whole life in this river, does he know the river’s destiny? No! Only that it runs on and on, out of his control. He may follow where it flows, but he cannot see the end. He cannot imagine the ocean.” The understanding Aang and Zuko reach in the dragon’s fire is their ocean. Zuko finally understands that his dogged pursuit of the avatar and his honor and all the failings to be self-disciplined towards the rules of his father’s court were related to his own values of restraint, patience, and openness to others’ lived experiences. He can finally see a vision of himself that is integrated rather than lacking.

Aang longs for an inner drive, a motivating force, a reason to live and, most importantly, to act decisively that belongs to him rather than the expectations of others for him. Zuko’s clarity on his desire for his honor provides such a stark contrast to Aang on this point. All Aang can manage to do is try to avoid and escape the mantle placed on him while barely even receiving a chance to consider self-determination. The lack of a motivating force is compounded by his survival of the genocide—why go on if no one remains who can understand you? why do anything if it can’t undo the loss?

He is teased by Bumi: “Typical airbender tactic: avoid and evade.” It haunts Aang’s arc as a criticism of his approach to life. He blames himself for running away and leaving his people to suffer the genocide without his protection. He is criticized for fooling around rather than being more direct in mastering the avatar state. He is told to stop thinking like an airbender by Toph in order to master earth—“there’s no different angle, no clever solution, no trickity-trick.” And then he doubles down on himself when he dies and feels that he’s abandoned the world again.

When he reawakens on the ship, we get another parallel to Zuko as Aang asserts a desire for honor, but the goal collapses into the stormy ocean with Aang before the end of the episode. Aang would like to be determined in the same clear way as Zuko, but he keeps having to face his inability to embody that the way Zuko does.

In “the firebending masters,” Aang finally starts to understand that his fleeting nature has an underlying motive. The nomads philosophies resisted the pressures of honor and productivity important to others in order to emphasize the illusion of separation, the potential for unexpected joy, and the inherent value of life. This openness is a drive itself, Aang realizes finally, though its action seems like inaction to others. All the dodging of attacks and duties Aang performed had a greater purpose to render freedom and reconnection, as if an invisible thread had been trailing behind him stringing all the places and peoples he met back together, across distances and even across death and time. He is finally allowed to find his own reason.

[aurae-rori]

MESMERIZER ANALYSIS!

Hi guys, Aurae is back at it again at Krispy Kreme, this time with a voacloid song analysis (woah!). So, before we get into this, here's my usual disclaimer! I have been researching psychology for a WHILE and I plan to go into it professionally (:O). HOWEVER, that said, I am NOT a professional, so understand that everything I come to conclusions about has been analyzed with some personal judgement, personal interpretations, and this is just what I have concluded.

This also contains a lot of personal projecting onto this song as art is aways up to interpretations, and I see a lot of my childhood in this song. I will be touching on topics that are implied through lyrics, and you may not see this song the same way that I do, and that is perfectly okay! This is my take on deconstructing some of the messages that this song has.

A TW FOR THIS ANALYSIS INCLUDES: hypnotism, escapism, unhealthy coping mechanisms, suicide, self-harm, depictions of abusive environments (as that is how I interpret this song), manipulation, gaslighting, dehumanization, neon colours.

So, now let's get into the confetti and fun wonderland of MESMERIZER!

I'll be splitting this into three parts: The part where I talk about the song lyrics, the part where I talk about the animation itself, and then I'll explain a few theories I've seen, as well as my own, adding onto the story that I think it is telling.

PART 1: SONG LYRICS ANALYSIS

“No thinking about real feelings

Are you pretending to not notice?

The absolute truths and your own heart

That's how the safe zone is shrinking

Prostituting your wounds

You give a feeble cry, such shameful conduct”

Although the song itself is quite catchy, cheerful, and jubilant, the lyrics are far from those things. We immediately start off with the idea of disregarding one’s own feelings, Miku talking about how people pretend not to not notice their own feelings and the ‘truths’ of their own hearts. However, this is hard to avoid forever, and their ‘safe zones’ (escapism places) are shrinking as reality creeps up on them, so they ‘showcase’ their sorrow to others. I think this is definitely a metaphor for how some people overshare to others and tell others all about the ways that they’ve hurt, which can be used against them, as this gives others easy access to material that could be used to manipulate them. However, there are also undertones of self-shame (which comes with trauma), calling their cries for help ‘shameful’. It should also be noted that some abuse survivors, while being abused, have relatively clear cries for help through their actions that nobody else seems to pick up on, which is also a theme in this song as nobody answers Teto’s cries for help. 

“I’ve got a recommendation for you, the ultimate escape

Eventually, you will be saved from being lured into sweet traps

Now that you can no longer live sanely in this world anymore

Perhaps pretending to know nothing

And surrendering yourself is the optimal solution”

This ‘ultimate escape’ that the song talks about is escapism, or imagination. Reality is too hard to deal with, so children turn to their own minds as a way to stop the pain from taking over. It’s much easier to live in a dreamworld rather than a reality where you’re being hurt, right? They say that ‘ignorance is bliss’, and they’re taking it to the next level here by repressing, ignoring, and denying their own true feelings in order to feel happiness. They escape to that ‘safe zone’ mentioned earlier within their minds. However, there is an irony in the second line where they talk about ‘sweet traps’, as it can be interpreted as the imaginary world being ‘sweet traps’, or maybe the harshness and certainty of reality can be considered a ‘sweet trap’ as well, depending on how you look at it. 

“If a bunch of flowers dressed up with words

Can steal one's heart, are they real?

To an event where everything will be tainted

I give you an invitation”

This runs even further with the idea of imagination and escapism, because flowers cannot literally dress up and speak in the real world. This is talking about how maybe the characters feel like they can no longer distinguish fiction from reality, talking about how fictional things can make you feel things, so they must be real, too. It’s basically saying that because fiction has such an effect on us, then can fiction and imagination be considered to be another form of reality, as well? However, it is mentioned that the event will be ‘tainted’, possibly referencing the idea of fiction completely overtaking reality. 

“Farewell

You're tailor-made for this era

With an appearance of vulnerability

Fooled by this truthful acting

Your heart beats so very loudly

Your extra lives are quickly being lost

Your durability worn away

Dodging matters right in front of you

You got your hands full just living”

This is where we go back to the idea of manipulation, and maybe even conditioning. ‘Tailor-made for this era’ implies that something turned these people into the kinds of people that would be easily manipulated. It is also implied that the two are hurting and explicitly stated that they’re vulnerable and easy to take advantage of. I would consider the theme of hypnosis and brainwashing to tie into this as well. They are more vulnerable to the idea of being manipulated and taken control of due to the fact that they are hurting and want to escape to another reality, and will believe anybody that says that they will make things better because they are hurt too much. They are fooled by the acting of the people that pretend to love them, who are really here to just control them. This is talking about the urge that people have to run away from reality, because just getting up and existing can be such a challenge. 

“You’re getting sleepy, a shallow hypnosis

Your head, your body are becoming muddled

No way, so many tricks?

Swinging a coin before your eyes

You'll become completely still

"This is fine," even you can be coaxed into shut down”

This is Miku’s part, and the part where she is completely hypnotized and taken control of. She ‘shuts down’, completely rejecting reality and going into the ‘imagination world’. She does not want to feel pain any longer and takes the opportunity to run from it, turning into a puppet for others to control and manipulate. 

“You're getting sleepy, a shallow hypnosis

Your head, your body are becoming muddled

No way, so many tricks?

Swinging a coin before your eyes

You'll become completely still

(coercion cancellation)” 

Teto’s part however, in the middle of it, fades out, as she does not completely listen to what the people have to say. She resists the manipulation, and it’s explicitly stated with the part where it goes ‘coercion cancellation’. She is actively fighting the urge to run away into escapism, and resisting the manipulation of whatever is trying to do so to them. 

“However you survive today, it's unrewarding everyday

You're already in a bot-like cycle

Continuing from the moment of inertia

If you have no luck, no hope, it's all the more pointless

If you haven't got it then give up

Playing with the leftovers is your fate”

This is just more stuff about giving up on the real world. Inertia means “the inherent property of a body that makes it oppose any force that would cause a change in its motion”, aka: refusing to move, even when force is put upon something. I would say ‘inertia’ is a synonym for birth or consciousness, because it’s talking about how even from the moment that you are born that you are stuck in a cycle of endless pain in reality. This part is basically talking about why you should give up on reality entirely and simply live in the worlds of your own creation, running away into escapism and disregarding the real world in favor of not feeling pain. 

“You’re tailor-made for this era

With an appearance of vulnerability

Fooled by this truthful acting

Your heart beats so very loudly

Exaltation has already lost its meaning

A fake charisma

If you stare directly at reality, you’ll end up going blind

So do it in moderation”

Once again, talks about being perfect subjects of manipulation. However, Teto speaks of the fact that the rush of joy that you usually get after originally going into the escapism world has already been lost, and that it is fake. However, she also mentions that if you keep on living in the real world the entire time, it will not do you any good, so she advises everyone else to live in your imagination only sometimes, but to keep an eye on the real world. 

PART 2: THE ANIMATION 

This is just a lot of things that I have noticed other people saying, but some tidbits about the animation include: 

This is a screenshot from the very start, showing how there are themes of hypnosis from the beginning. 

I believe it is also mentioned that the 13-pointed star that is shown a lot represents immortality. 

Also, can I mention that their outfits seem almost childish in nature? I believe that this is meant to represent that they are ‘vulnerable’, intensifying the idea that they are easily taken advantage of. However, these also look like worker outfits in the way, with the yellow rectangles almost looking like name tags. It almost seems like they’re workers for a children’s amusement park? Which would make the horror aspect of this even worse… 

Miku’s shoes are rollerblades, which can be interpreted of her being more carefree and more willing to run away, because wheels are faster, and can also be interpreted of her being less connected to the ground/reality. It can also be shown in the idea that she is the more ‘childish’ of the two of them, being easier to manipulate, which is why she falls to hypnosis first. 

In contrast, Teto’s shoes look rather normal. Probably a representation of her being more grounded? 

I’ve seen people interpret Miku’s cuffs as like places for strings to hold onto during her later animations, which can tie into her being more of a puppet rather than a human? 

Star pupils at the start for both of them when Teto talks about an escape. They are clearly both looking for one. 

However, Teto pretty early on also does the ASL sign for “HELP”.

Also, Teto blinks in morse code for “SOS” during the first chorus. 

The first letter of all of these spell out “help”, while the fourth letters spell out “SOS”. 

“phosphoribosylaminoimidazole succinic carboxamide” is something that helps with energy metabolism, as well as DNA synthesis. I believe this can be a reference to the fact that many abuse survivors go through dehumanization, or it could be a reference to the idea that neither of them feel “real” or “human”. 

Also, at the end here, Teto makes another nonverbal sign for help with her hands. 

Miku is hypnotized pretty easily, swaying from side to side like following the motions of a coin. 

However...

Teto resists hypnosis for ten days, if you count the amount of times the sun rises and sets in this scene. Although, at the end…

Even she falls into hypnosis.

Also, their entire background is green here. Teto looks a little shocked, while Miku finds nothing wrong with this. This may be a green screen, which further emphasizes that the world that they are in is not real, and is only a product of escapism and/or imagination. 

Miku has never done this pose before, until after she was hypnotized. 

Also, it’s a good time to say that Miku’s movements here look robotic, or like she’s being puppeteered, with how jarring they are. 

I didn’t point this out before, but this happens earlier too – they point at the star, and tell you to “focus”, before “MESMERIZER” is spelt out really quickly in the star, at the very start, but not at the second time.  

As we start the next chorus, Miku’s face develops into this. It’s also noted that Teto stops bouncing for a few moments in pure shock. Also, I should mention that after you hang yourself, your tongue can protude from your mouth. There’s also a choker around her neck, and her skin seems to pale considerably, which points to the idea of a suicide. However, if she’s dead, what is puppeteering her? 

Also, the star at this point is swirling. It’s outright trying to hypnotize you. 

However, after this, Miku continues to dance, even after her part is over, and even goes off beat. The amount of confetti in this scene is increased considerably, as if whatever is trying to hypnotize them or control them is trying extra hard to make Teto give in. 

At the end, she does. 

PART 3: THEORIES 

So, what the hell does this all mean? 

Let’s recap– 

Teto & Miku are going to the unhealthy coping mechanism of escapism to deal with their lives, through one form or another, to run from reality. This much is clear. However, it gets to be too much for them and they are inevitably hypnotized by something or someone, taken control of, and while Teto asks for help, Miku gives in early, leading to the ending. This is all we can take from surface level. 

This is where I get into it with my theories. 

I like to mention the fact that these two feel immensely like they’re being conditioned by something, or someone, that they are supposed to trust. Maybe an adult figure in their lives. They clearly have faced hard shit during their lives, which explains the need for escapism. Teto is the more grounded one, and Miku just wants to escape from the pain. The first way that I interpret this is: 

Childhood abuse. Both of them are being manipulated and coerced by their own parents, and are finding solace in one another. Teto brings up escapism to Miku, and they do it together, creating worlds together and having fun at the start. Teto keeps on trying to ask for help to the people of the outside world in miniscule ways, but even when she directly asks for help dealing with her situation, she is still ignored and pushed aside. So, they then escape whenever they can because it gives them a feeling of control when in fact their own escapism mannerisms are a way to try and control their real lives but it doesn’t matter because it’s better this way. So all of her “SOS”s are for nothing. 

However, the longer the abuse goes on, the more they fall into it as their only method to be saved, and Miku eventually cannot handle reality, falling into the imagination world forever – that is, killing herself so that she will never have to deal with reality again, being pushed over by the expectations she had to fulfill in reality. Teto stays afterwards, however, trying to handle life, but is eventually manipulated into being something that she’s not, and kills herself as well due to the pressure. However, this could also be interpreted as a “loss of the self” as they either drown themselves both in the imagination world, or could be interpreted as the fact that they eventually simply turned into the people their parents wanted them to be. 

I can also interpret this in a completely opposite way – that the world that is full of colours and whimsy is actually a world that their parents have trapped them in. That they are being pressured to be happy all the time even though they don’t want to be, and that in front of everyone else they have to act like everything is fine even though it isn’t. Maybe they’re being coerced by their parents to never feel sadness, to leave all of those ridiculous things behind, to become perfect – almost like a Coraline situation. They’re pretending like everything is fine even though it isn’t. However, eventually, they get caught up in all of their lies and the fake reality they set up for themselves. They’d rather look at it rather than reality, but at the same time, they are being puppeteered by their surroundings in a harmful manner. 

Escapism. :) 

Second interpretation: they are working for some studio or something, which could be why there was a green screen at one point. They are promoting the idea of escapism to other people, but unwillingly. Miku falls into the ideals of their director and falls into the headspace entirely, agreeing with the ideals of others while they are forced to continue spreading this message in an almost dystopian manner. They are hypnotized by the person producing this message. 

Third: Maybe this is a story about them working in some sort of childhood theme park in order to escape their realities as well, and be children forever? This ties the two previous ideas together. They are overworking themselves to the point where reality and fiction are indistinguishable. Unable to deal with everything that she has to do, Miku dies, and Teto follows suit. 

Four: Literal hypnosis. Maybe some sort of horror story of becoming victims of some hypnosis monster? I like this one the most because it makes me think of a story where Mikuy and Teto were struggling, and perhaps made a deal with some eldritch being so that they can escape reality into their own fictional world. However, as more time goes on, the more the world that they’ve entered becomes twisted, and Miku falls to the being’s whims, turning into a mindless puppet in order to reject reality further. Teto, horrified at what has happened, tries to reach out to others, only to have nobody listen to her. She then gives up entirely and joins her friend. 

There’s a lot of ways to interpret this, but the general message is that people want to escape from their harsh realities. This is natural, especially if you’re a victim of manipulation or abuse, but this is also a reminder that you can’t go too far from it, and that there are still people waiting for you. 

TLDR: Escapism, slay! But don’t slay too hard, unless you want to end up like MESMERIZER Miku!! I love this song so much and I can and will elaborate on ideas. I’m really tired due to my exams so I am so sorry if something doesn’t sound coherent here, but thank you for reading!! <3 

[royalsweetteaa]

Child’s play

Pairing: bully!Johnny Storm x teacher’s pet!reader

18+ ONLY | MINORS DNI

WARNING - the following fic contains: explicit smut/dub-con, public sex, oral sex (male & female receiving), high school AU (Johnny & reader are 18 in this story), Johnny is an asshole, other character appearances (Wanda Maximoff & Jake Jensen), mild dark humor, blackmail, dom!Johnny, dom/sub, daddy kink, stubborn!reader, needy!Johnny.

Summary: As a teacher’s pet, you take it to your advantage of making Johnny - the bully of the school to stop his torment against others. You later discover the reason why he bullies in the first place.

Y/N’s POV

Grade 12 in High school was probably the chillest year. While it had its challenges with harder exams and tests, I found myself acing those easier than previous years as I had found an efficient way of learning and memorizing the needed subjects.

In the beginning, puberty and finding our place was the hardest part of settling in, but now we were finally past being teenagers and going into adulthood at our last year, - which meant more control over ourselves.

Most of us changed for the better, while others….didn’t.

Johnny Storm was a perfect example of someone who had gotten worse from when he first started high school with the rest of us.

He has been viewed as a huge bully since year 2, first doing the ridiculous old school low blow of throwing 8th graders’ backpacks over the rooftop, which recruited him a group of boys who also seemed to enjoy being a huge menace.

He had recently been more active with his ruckus, and today wasn’t much different from that. I left my classroom, and the first thing I saw was Johnny picking up Jake’s sunglasses, swaying them around as he threatened to loose them to the floor.

“Guys, please stop messing around….these are expensive.” Jake pled, but it went deaf to their ears.

Johnny’s and my eyes met for a split second, and he grinned before he continued mocking the shorter guy who was desperately trying to get his glasses back while the group of guys behind Johnny laughed their asses off.

I looked over my shoulder at my friend, Wanda, and we rolled our eyes in sync. “Here we go again…” I muttered, before I walked over to Johnny to stop his nonsense.

“Johnny, stop it. Give his glasses back.” I demanded, but he didn’t seem to be paying attention at first. I was about to open my mouth again, but he finally tossed the glasses over to Jake, and thankfully Jake caught them without crushing them.

I sighed in relief and turned to Johnny again, “Can you please stop picking on Jake? He has literally done nothing but exist and you keep taunting him every chance you get.” I stated, scolding the taller blonde.

Johnny scoffed at my attempt to reason with him. “Maybe him existing is the problem, sweets. His only solution might be to jump off the school balcony if he wants me to stop, right boys?” He looked over his shoulder where his friends stood behind him, laughing and snickering at Johnny’s edgy humor.

I wasn’t amused in the slightest though, and I shook my head with full disapproval. “That’s just low. How less pathetic can you be to say something like that? It’s easy to tell you have nothing interesting going on in your life if this is all you do, - making people miserable.”

Johnny huffed, but didn’t say much else as he began walking away with his friends, calling me names above whispers as they followed him.

My focus was quickly shifted to Jake, and I held his shoulder as I asked out of concern, “Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah I think so…” Jake responded as he adjusted his glasses onto his face. He then turned to me and gave a smile of gratitude. “Thank you for saving me, Y/N. I can always count on Johnny’s tyranny to be put to a stop when you’re around. Something tells me he likes you with how he actually listens to you.”

I laughed at Jake’s theory, “I don’t know about that. I think it has more to do with the fact that my aunt is the principal. Not to mention I’m known as a notorious teacher’s pet, but I don’t mind the title as the benefits overweigh of being one.”

Jake snorted as he nodded his head. “Yeah, I don’t mind you being in the school council’s favor either when you’re using it for the greater good. Makes us feel a little more safer. Like uncle Ben said to Peter once in Spider-Man issue #15, - With great power comes great responsibility.”

I giggled at the reference Jake had provided through his share of thought. He is such a nerd, but in a cute way.

“That’s right.”

It was just another Wednesday again, and Wednesdays were the days where my class would be done and leave 2 hours prior to most of the students at this school. I was looking forward to arriving home earlier than usual.

As I was walking down the hallway, I heard a familiar series of sniffles and sobs come from the girls restroom, and I was too curious to continue walking out.

I quietly entered the restroom and saw none other than Wanda, my friend crying by the sink as she wiped her tears with paper.

I immediately rushed over to her and held her by the shoulder, urging her to tell me the reasoning behind her tears. “Wanda, what happened? Why are you crying?”

“Johnny, h-he…” Wanda paused as she sniffled again, “he took my phone during science class while I was distracted with working on our project, and he went on my private messages with Vision and found nudes I had sent…and then he airdropped them to his own phone and teased me about sending them to his other guy friends when he gets home…”

I was mortified to hear this, almost questioning how Johnny could steep that low. But considering how he usually is, I shouldn’t be too surprised.

Johnny had done plenty of things that wasn’t acceptable, - such as setting up a full bucket of water over the gapped door to have the hot substitute teacher be soaked through her white shirt, causing her breasts and bra to be more prominently visible. He was a mixture of being perverted, way too curious and provocative.

“Wanda,…we need to tell someone, - either the principal or one of the teachers. They can confiscate his phone and make him delete them.” I reasoned.

She shook her head, “Are you kidding me? If we tell them and it becomes a case, my parents will freak out once they find out I’ve been sending inappropriate pictures to my boyfriend! It doesn’t help that they have been disapproving our relationship since the beginning.”

That I have been aware of, and I wanted anything but to have Wanda split from her boyfriend, the guy I was sure she will end up marrying one day because he was just that good for her despite what her parents thought.

An idea came to mind of how we could solve this. A risky but easy one nonetheless.

“What class does Johnny have right now?”

Wanda furrowed her eyebrows but answered anyway. “I-I think he has P.E.? He goes in the same class as Steve,…why?”

My face lit up, “That’s perfect then. If we could get Johnny’s phone, I could ask Jake if he could hack the phone and get the password so we can delete those pictures. Jake’s good with that stuff.”

Wanda slowly shook her head in disbelief, “Y/N, you can’t be serious…are you suggesting on sneaking into the boys’ locker rooms? That’s insane! I still have classes anyway, I won’t be able to make time for it.”

“But I have plenty of time. I’ll quickly rush inside, find Johnny’s bag, and boom! Phone snatched! We don’t have to make this complicated.”

“But — couldn’t we ask someone else to do it? It’s too risky! Why don’t we ask Jake or some other guy to do it?”

“We don’t have time!” I reasoned. “Jake’s god knows where and we’re not about wasting precious time. Now please listen to me and only keep for a look out for as long as you can while I get the phone. I promise you, it’ll be okay.”

“O-Okay,…thank you, Y/N. I owe you so much.” Wanda said, shedding a happy tear.

With that, we ran towards the locker rooms.

Second person POV

Sneakily, you entered the boys’ locker room with quiet steps while Wanda stood by the door to keep lookout.

You looked through the shoes placed in front of the lockers, trying to see if you could recognize Johnny’s shoes to save time from going through each locker. You spotted the dirty white Nike Air Force 1 shoes that were a match to what Johnny usually wore, and you opened the locker and rummaged through what you recognized as his bag.

You went through every zipper, one by one, only to be disappointed to find nothing. Where could it be?

“Well look what we have here…” your head snapped behind you where the voice came from and you stiffened as you saw Johnny, standing there naked, bare chested with only a towel covering his manhood.

“Looking for this, sweets?” He asked mischievously, as he raised his hand where he held his phone. “Somehow I knew Wanda would send someone to show up and try stealing my phone from my locker, so I left P.E a bit earlier. Didn’t expect the teacher’s pet to show up though. Not that I’m complaining.”

You straightened your posture, nose flaring as you glared at him, “Delete Wanda’s pictures, Johnny. You have no right keeping them.”

Johnny only laughed at your attempt to make him listen, and you grew irritated, - angry even at how much less he could care of terrorizing a girl. “Fine! You leave me no choice. I’ll report to the principal about how you’re keeping nudes without consent. It’s an invasion of privacy, - a crime.”

Johnny’s face fell and turned sour at the thought. He tried to hide it as he chuckled darkly before he said, “Oh yeah? Well if you’re going to report me, I’ll send in a report of my own…” Before you could predict his next move, you heard the sound of a picture being taken as Johnny held his phone up.

Your eyes widened as you realized what he had done, and he amusingly snickered. “Wait until everyone hears how the teacher’s pet snuck into the men’s locker room and tried to get a glimpse of me naked. I’m sure it’ll make headlines on social media if that principal aunt of yours doesn’t do shit about it. It’ll ruin the school reputation if they don’t take invasion of privacy against boys seriously too.”

In shock, your mouth remained open and eyes almost popping out as you realized what situation you had gotten yourself in. You didn’t know what to say.

“Now you decide to shut your mouth, hm? What, the teacher’s pet has nothing to say anymore?”

“Johnny, please don’t…” you pleaded. He was right, - you had nothing else to say as you weren’t prepared for this to be the outcome at all. You were stuck, and now Johnny had a clear image of you in the men’s locker room, enough evidence to get you kicked out of school. This was such a bad idea.

Johnny had caught on your distress, and condescendingly added, “Hey, don’t look at me like that, baby. You don’t have to be sad. We can come with a compromise….”

You glared at him with suspicion, “What do you want?”

His eyes dropped down to your body, and he bit his lip as his mind went through a dirty path. You grimaced as it was visibly obvious what he was thinking, and you started to shake your head immediately. “No.”

“Baby, I haven’t even said anything.”

“But I do have an idea of what you will say. It’s not happening.” You said sternly.

He sighed, “Come on, no need to make a big deal out of it. All you gotta do is drop on your knees and give my cock some attention. After that, I’ll delete Wanda’s nudes and the ones I took of you just now. It’s so easy.”

You thought about it for a moment. Oral sex was never a big deal to you, but you weren’t exactly used to handing out blowjobs in exchange for something. You hated the idea of giving the bully pleasure for him to do something right, but it was in exchange of saving yours and Wanda’s future.

For once, you came to the conclusion of giving him head just to save yourself from more trouble.

“Fine. I’ll give you what you want if you delete those pics as soon as we’re done. And you better not tell a fucking soul about this.” You said the last part through gritted teeth.

Johnny smiled victoriously. “Deal.” He then put the phone in his locker securely, and made you move in front of him. “Follow me, baby. I know the perfect spot where we can have more ‘privacy’.” Johnny said, as he began to walk and have you follow him to the shower stalls. He picked the one furthest to the corner, and he gestured you to walk in first. You did hesitantly before he locked the door after him.

“On your knees…” Johnny ordered as you turned to face him. You did as he said, carefully placing yourself down on your bare knees, your face now in front of the tent that had formed around Johnny’s towel.

Johnny turned on the shower, and you shrieked when you felt a few droplets land on your head.

“Ugh, I’m going to get wet..” you complained through a whine, and Johnny snickered.

“I’m sure you will,…we don’t want anyone to come by and get suspicious of what we are doing here, do we? Now go on. We don’t have all day..”

You peeled off the towel he had wrapped around his waist, his cock springing free as you did so. You wanted to gasp at how big he was than you had anticipated, but you knew it would only stroke his ego more, and you didn’t want to give him that satisfaction.

“Liking the view?” He asked smugly, and you rolled your eyes.

“Shut up.” You muttered as you began to stroke him, making his head dip slightly back as his hand landed on the towel handle. You quickly began working by using your mouth, wrapping your plump lips carefully around his tip before you bobbed your head around his shaft. You spat on his cock once to make it more slicker for you to suck on properly.

“There you go…what a good girl. You take care of everything and help everyone when they are in need of aid. Now it’s time for you to help me, pet.” He purred, and started to buck his hips forward, fucking your mouth. You gagged at first, but got the hang of it after a few thrusts.

He grunted and closed his eyes with his mouth agape, enjoying the feel of your hot and wet mouth. “Mmh, fuck yes…so fucking good..” he moaned, trailing off the swear word more than usual.

“You’re the reason I keep harassing people, did you know that?” Johnny suddenly confessed, and you pulled a frown through your daze. “Yeah, I got bored from doing it a while back, but It’s the only way I get your attention. To be honest, I get kind of horny when you tell me off. You’re a feisty girl…I knew you would be good at this.”

You grew flushed at his confession, not believing your ears. While you weren’t obliged to do it, you cupped his heavy balls and massaged them, making him suck in a sharp breath as he took in the new sensation.

“Fuck, you’re a good friend for doing this…but I bet a part of you is enjoying this. You like sucking my fat cock, don’t you?”

You whimpered around him, and Johnny didn’t need an answer to that. “I know you do…I’m going to bust my nut and you’re going to swallow it all. Don’t want to make a mess on your pretty face.” He pulled your face forcefully and facefucked you until his grunts and gasps grew louder, finally orgasming and letting his cum shoot down your throat for you to have a taste of his substance. He tasted bitter, but it wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. You gulped down every last drop with little effort.

“Drink it up, slut. That’s it,…such a good fucking pet.” Johnny grunted with a low voice. Once his grip loosened, you pulled away and wiped your mouth, giving him an annoyed look as you wanted more than anything to step out of the shower and complete Johnny’s part of the exchange.

Just then, you heard the noise of a door opening, and several male voices speaking amongst each other. Johnny held you back against the wall, his arm around your stomach with his other hand on your mouth.

“Damn, that last session was intense!” One of the boys exclaimed, and your stomach dropped as you realized it was the rest of the boys coming back from P.E.

Fucking damn it.

The steam from the hot water was getting thicker, and your baby blue top was becoming see-through from the moisture. Unbeknownst to you, while you were concentrated on keeping quiet, Johnny watched over your shoulder to take a peek at your breasts, your white bra being visible to his eye.

He bit his lip lustfully, and without warning he grabbed a handful of your breast, squeezing it through your bra. You whipped your head back with a glare, and Johnny had to hold back a snort.

Your glare was quickly replaced with the face of someone being sex dazed, with your lips being parted as he put his hand underneath your shirt, getting a handful of the soft flesh of your breast when he pulled your bra down below.

“Let me return the favor...” he whispered quietly into your ear as his hand left your breast and hoisted up your skirt. He began doing a circling motion onto your clit through your panties, making you throb with pleasure.

You nearly moaned, but Johnny’s other hand which he had placed on your mouth was a reminder that you couldn’t make a sound, - not when a whole bunch of other men were now occupying the locker rooms.

On top of that, his hot breath against your neck gave you tingles, and you put your arm around his neck as you lost all feel in your legs from the stimulation he was providing you with.

“Johnny, are you the one in there?” One of the guys asked, - you assumed one of Johnny’s buddies. “You’ve been in there forever..”

“Sorry guys, I’m going to be in here for a while. Been trying to find some good MILF porn to jack off to. Think I found the right video, and now I’m really going to enjoy myself…” He responded out loud as he began rubbing harder on your clit, and you let out a weak whimper involuntarily.

The whole locker room started bursting out laughing, and you internally rolled your eyes at how childish they were. You could hardly make a face though as he continued to stimulate your clit, his mouth on the skin of your neck as you could feel his smirk.

“Have fun with that, dude. We’re on our way out to catch an early bus. See ya tomorrow.” They greeted, and you heard the foot steps of the boys heading to the exit, the door finally shutting, leaving the two of you alone again.

Johnny proceeded to sneak a finger through the outline of your underwear, rubbing directly onto the sensitive skin of your pussy which made your head snap back onto his chest.

“Are you gonna cum, sweets? You probably haven’t had an orgasm in such a long time with how tense you always are…” Johnny claimed mockingly as he began sucking the skin on your neck, not for too long to leave hickeys but it felt certainly sensual. “You’re so fucking gorgeous. I always admire the view you provide, - showing off your pretty legs when you wear a skirt.”

“Johnny…” you moaned, almost babbling his name with how close you were getting off. His finger found your quivering hole, and with the use of his arm, he hooked one of your legs up to get better access.

His finger entered inside of you, and you let out a strained cry as your mind went almost blank before you.

“Call me daddy, baby girl. Only then I’ll let you cum…”

You shook your head and whimpered, denying his order in efforts of keeping your dignity.

“Say. it.” He commanded through a sharp whisper. He inserted a second finger, and he dug further in until it hit the spot, making you unravel completely.

“A-Ohh, - D-Daddy! ~” you moaned out desperately as you felt the pressure in your abdomen increase. “Please make me cum!”

He smirked, satisfied with your answer, and he granted your wish by continuously fingering onto your weak spot, until your body trembled and you came, your juices oozing out and onto his finger. You let him hold you up until you got down from your high, and with a shaken breath you stood up on your own, wiping your sweaty forehead as you looked behind you. You quickly put your bra and undies into place, suddenly feeling shameful even if there was no reason to as he had already seen everything.

Your eyes widened in shock when you witnessed him sucking off his finger clean, - the one coated with your stickiness.

“That was unnecessary.” You remarked breathlessly as you stepped out of the shower stall, and Johnny laughed as he followed you out.

“I think it was very necessary actually. You taste delicious.”

You were far too gone to be humored by him, you threw a dry towel at him as you took out his phone from the locker again. You stood there, with his phone in your hand. “The photos, Johnny. Delete them. Now.” You ordered firmly, and Johnny raised his arms up in defense.

“Okay, okay, calm your tits…I’ll do it now.” He said as he took his phone from you, typing in the password and let you with your very own eyes witness him deleting the images in his album before he deleted them permanently from the ‘deleted images’ folder.

“There. I deleted them, just like I promised you. I can be a good person when I want to be, baby.”

“Knock off calling me that.” You spat at him as you tried to straighten your wetted skirt. “And that doesn’t put you in a better light.”

“I can be good permanently, - but only exclusively to you, babe.” Johnny said huskily as he walked past you to go to his locker and put on some clothes. “Let me take you on a date and I’ll consider apologizing to the nerd you always rescue.”

You scoffed in response as if it was a dumb joke. “Not a chance, Johnny. Just so you know, if you tell anyone about this, I’m going to bring hell upon you.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. You can trust your daddy to keep his mouth sealed, baby girl.” Johnny responded while winking at you.

“You’re not my -! Ugh, you’re unbelievable!” You bursted out, before you angrily left and slammed the boys locker room behind you.

All in the meanwhile, Johnny dried his body with the towel, muttering to himself ‘you sure are,’ as he grinned with pride.

You walked out of the school building from the back entrance, avoiding being seen as you were still soaked from head to feet. Luckily it was a hot day, which helped you in getting dry before you reached home.

You stepped into the house and went straight to your room where you plopped into bed, groaning into your pillow as you realized what had went through today.

Minutes later you checked your phone, opening your messages to see what Wanda had sent.

♦️Wanda♦️

Hi, did you get the phone? A teacher caught me in the hallway and sent me back to my classroom, so I couldn’t stand for long. :(( Hope everything turned out well.

Y/N L/N (Me)

Hey! The phone wasn’t in the locker room, so I waited for Johnny to walk out and I told him to delete the photos, to which he did. :)

You’re safe! ♥️

♦️Wanda♦️

Oh, thank god. 😪 For a moment I was worried you were caught in there…

Anyway OMG that’s great!! 🥹♥️ Thank you so much for making him delete them. You’re a life savior!! Coffee at Starbucks is on me next time!

You owe me so much more than a Starbucks coffee, was all you could think, but then again you had agreed to Johnny’s dirty agreement when you could have maybe come with a different solution.

Finally you put your phone down as you let out a defeated sigh. You felt bad for lying to Wanda, but you would rather be caught dead than admit what had actually happened in the locker room.

Y/N’s POV

As I walked through the hallway to my locker in the morning, I could already eye something unusual. A pink bag with a rose taped onto it was tied around the locker, making my face scrunch at the unexpected romantic gesture.

There was no name tag but I already knew who could have put it up on my locker.

Johnny.

It just has to be him, I guessed confidently.

The note that came with it further proved my suspicion right.

‘Cheers to being each other’s dirty secret.’

I quickly shoved the note into my pocket, embarrassed I had even read that.

Jake came by just then together with Wanda, and both of their jaws dropped when they eyed the package.

“Oooo, a secret admirer!” Jake teased over my shoulder, and I groaned as I lowered my head.

“Please, just don’t.” I almost whined, not wanting to get into it but I knew Wanda and Jake wouldn’t leave it there so easily.

We started to walk towards our classrooms, and they were already keeping the topic afloat.

“So, who do you think it’s from?” Wanda asked, seeing as there was no note, - not to her knowledge anyway.

“Probably some weirdo.” I replied with a shrug.

“Aren’t you going to see what’s in the bag?” Jake asked, wondering why I hadn’t given it a glance.

“I don’t want it. You can keep whatever’s in it.” I said.

He opened the package with care, and brought out the item. “Chocolate,” Jake mumbled as he studied the heart shaped box. “…sure you don’t want it?”

“Yes. I don’t eat chocolate unless I’m on my period. I get acne all over my face otherwise.” I explained, and Jake shrugged, convinced enough that he could have a piece.

“Give me some of that too. I want some.” Wanda pleaded, and Jake gave her the box once he had a handful in his palm.

As for the rose, I felt too bad to throw it out. I ended up putting it on an empty vase by the window of my classroom.

While I worked on our given exercise of the day, I couldn’t help but feel flustered every now and then as I glanced at the rose.

Was it really true what he had said yesterday?

The part where he said the only reason why he bullies is to get my attention?

It was the least I had expected to be the reasoning behind his taunting. All this time I had thought maybe he had it bad back at home, — that he had major mommy/daddy issues. Come to think of it, he might have that if he was craving attention of someone like me, - where our only interaction with each other was through my scolding.

Regardless of the psychological reasoning behind Johnny’s crush towards me, I wasn’t going to entertain the thought of us becoming something, knowing he was a remorseless asshole by the end of the day.

At least, he would remain that way until he proves otherwise.

Luckily I had been able to avoid Johnny as he had been out of sight. When the school hours ended, Wanda invited me to have Starbucks coffee like she had promised.

A few hours passed by and I returned home late in the evening. I hadn’t checked my phone since the last hour of school, and when my Lock Screen lit up, I frowned at the several messages I had received from an unknown number.

I sat down on the couch comfortably and checked out the messages.

Unknown number (possibly Johnny Storm)

Hey, TP. ♥️😏

Why did you give the chocolate to the nerd? 😑

I saw you kept the rose tho. Nice place to put it by the window where you’re sitting. Glad you liked it. ;))

I groaned tiredly. ‘TP’? Really?

I began to type my response.

Y/N L/N (Me)

🙄🙄🙄🙄

How did you get my number?

Johnny Storm

I might have sneaked into your classroom during break and taken a peek at the student phone catalogue inside your teacher’s desk drawer…

Keyword: might have. 👀

Y/N L/N (Me)

Sure. 🤨 I’ll just block your number then.

The three dots were fast to appear on the screen, and before I could put my phone away, a new message appeared from Johnny.

Johnny Storm

NOOOO!! - C’mon, don’t be mean. 🥺

Y/N L/N (Me)

You’re one to talk. 😒

What do you want?

This time he took longer to type out, - assumingely writing a longer message this time.

Johnny Storm

Just wanna know if you’ve changed your mind about that date. There’s this really nice place I want to take you to. You’ll like it, I promise. 😘

I’ll also apologize to your friend - regardless if you accept my invite or not.

I was being a noisy prick, - I’ll admit that. Boredom makes me do dumb things.

But hey, at least it led you to me. ;)

I held back a snort.

The confidence of this guy. It was baffling, but I couldn’t lie and say it wasn’t a smidge charming. His self reflection was also somewhat refreshing.

Y/N L/N (Me)

Apologize to Jake too and I’ll consider it.

Only then I’ll let you speak to me. But first you gotta go through your part of the agreement.

Johnny Storm

Okay, cool! I won’t let you down, TP 😚

Nightie, baby girl 💫♥️

I smirked as I bit my bottom lip unknowingly, butterflies swirling in my stomach as it was unfamiliar yet pleasing to receive a farewell message from a boy who was interested in me. Someone who was actually willing to correct his wrongs to have a chance with me. Why did it feel so good?

Yet, despite the cute message he had sent me with the heart emoji and a wishing star, I replied dryly, not wanting to give him the impression he had won my heart just yet. He had to prove himself.

Y/N L/N (Me)

Night.

The morning after I met Wanda by the main hallway as per usual, though this time it looked like she had seen a ghost with how shocked of an expression she wore.

“Y/N, the strangest thing happened this morning…” Wanda began. “Johnny…he -“

“Y/N, you won’t believe what happened to me just now.” Jake interrupted our conversation as he came over to us, but we let him with how his bewildered expression intrigued us. “Johnny apologized to me. Like, he said he was sorry for treating me like shit these past years and said he hopes I forgive him. Can you believe that?”

“No way! He said that to you too? I was just about to tell Y/N how he said the same thing to me this morning…” Wanda said.

While Jake and Wanda shared looks of complete awe, I held back a smile of pride.

He actually did it, I thought.

When class started, I sent Johnny a quick message.

Y/N L/N (Me)

Meet me behind the building after school.

Johnny Storm

That sounds suggestive.

Gonna reward me? ;)

I grumbled under my breath, aggressively typing my response.

Y/N L/N (Me)

No you idiot. 😑 We’re gonna talk like we agreed.

Johnny Storm

Sounds good either way. :)

I quickly put my phone away, blushing a little as I tried my best to suppress my excitement. This bastard was really making me feel things I usually don’t feel, and I stubbornly held a grudge against it.

I was aware it was childish, but it was too much in his favor, and that I disliked. Still, it interested me in getting to know this side of Johnny who wasn’t mean nor influenced by his so-called buddies.

The final bell rang at 03:00 PM, and I excused myself away from Wanda, walking the other way out to meet the tall blonde.

Johnny stood behind the building like we agreed, staring at his phone expectantly. Then he looked up and made a toothy grin as he spotted me.

“Proud of me, baby?” He asked smugly while I made my way over to him.

“Come on, what you did was the bare minimum of human decency…” I replied unbothered. He pouted, and I quickly added, “- but a deal is a deal. I’m giving you a chance.”

His pout was replaced with a smile, and he leaned in with his face, his lips approaching the closest, making my eyes widen as I pushed him back.

“Woah, not so fast. You gotta take me on that date first.” I said.

Johnny’s eyebrows furrowed, “I literally fingered you in a public shower after you gave me a blowjob. I think we’re past that, don’t you think?” He asked, finding my limits to be confusing.

I narrowed an eye, as if I was beginning to question my decision of giving him a chance, and he immediately retorted with, “You know what, - Nevermind. We can go slow.”

Truth be told, I felt a little awkward as he wasn’t wrong. It could come off as strange to be so carefree about sex and not want to kiss at the same time, but I did have a reason.

“I just…I like to think kissing is the most intimate thing two people can do. Sex isn’t of much importance to me as it can go without passion but you can’t like kissing without feeling something, you know?” I tried to explain.

He nodded his head, “No I get it. You’re scared of how easily you’ll fall for me me once I show you how great of a kisser I am. Don’t worry, - I like you playing hard to get anyways. Gets me horny.”

I gasped at his audacity and hit his shoulder, “You perverted asshole! You’re always thinking with your dick!” In response he laughed, finding my reaction to be hilarious as I started to walk away. He followed and caught up to me by jogging.

“C’mon, I’m just playing with ya! At least partially!” He defended himself. “I’ll walk you home. We can plan out our date on the way.” Johnny offered.

At that moment, I hadn’t considered how far this relationship would go. Let’s just say it wouldn’t be the last time Johnny walked me home.

N/A: Public sex & Johnny goes so perfectly well together, I can’t even begin to explain how much. Thank you for reading!

Hearts & Reblogs are very appreciated! <3

[starboyyoongi]

(de)tangled. ateez au

⭑ summary: unable to a set an appointment with your favorite braider, your roommates decide to step in and help. the problem, though? the three of you had absolutely no idea how to braid—at all.

or, in which you, hongjoong, and wooyoung (damn near) fail at doing your braids at home.

⭑ pairing: kim hongjoong x jung wooyoung x choi san x black female!reader

⭑ warnings/tags: cursing, lots of confusion, questionable hair parting skills, joong and woo bickering, use of nicknames (“ji” and “mama”), play fighting

⭑ notes: in light of me stressing over getting my braids done, i decided to write something a little light hearted and funny about the boys trying to help reader do her braids. i also thought that this would be a cute way to kick off the series? idk but i hope that you guys enjoy and feel free to leave feedback! x

and then there were nine series masterlist

YOU ALWAYS PRIDED yourself on being able to figure things out relatively quickly especially when it came to others. it’s how you ended up becoming the unofficial mom of the group a couple of years ago. the boys, and just about anybody who knew you, knew that they could always depend on you to come up with a solution.

when it came to yourself, however, things were… different.

it was like all of your problem solving skills went out of the window and your body became riddled with anxiety. you didn’t know what to do when it came to solving your own problems. sure, you could ask someone else for help, but why would you want to run the risk of being looked at as stupid or incompetent? it was a silly thing to worry about, yes, but you couldn’t help it.

if anyone was going to come up with a solution to your problems it was going to be you—plain and simple.

however, your current problem was starting to feel more and more like something you couldn’t do by yourself. as you stared at the pieces of braiding hair strewn out in front of you, you wondered why you thought that this would be a good idea. while you knew how to manage your natural hair and do a couple of plaits or twists whenever it was necessary, you were by no means a braider.

that was something reserved for either your mom or your braiding lady who you had been loyal to for the last four years. speaking of said woman, she was the reason why you were in this mess to begin with. she was booked solid for the next few weeks which meant that any plans to get your hair done was basically thrown out of the window.

you were desperate, though, and instead of finding someone else to do it and risking your hair being botched you decided to do it yourself. you now recognized that in theory this sounded like a good idea. you felt so confident as you picked out your hair color and browsed the hair beads section in the beauty supply. you couldn’t keep the smile off of your face as the cashier rang your items up and you thought about how cute your hair was going to look.

but that was in theory.

in reality, you were a confused mess standing in the middle of your room clutching your phone in one hand and a comb in the other. you didn’t have the slightest clue where to begin and it was stressful to say the least. just as you began typing something in tiktok’s search bar, you heard a knock at your bedroom door followed by hongjoong saying your name in a sing song kind of tone.

“jia, babe, have you seen my— oh. what’s, um… what’s going on here?” hongjoong asked.

you peaked up at him with a fake smile and held your comb up as you said, “nothing. just getting ready to do my hair.”

hongjoong raised an eyebrow in confusion. “okay… so what’s with all of the pieces of hair on your bed? and why is your hair still up?”

“because i’m just getting started.”

“by looking at your phone all anxious and whatnot?”

“ugh. okay, fine,” you sighed. “i don’t know what i’m doing, joong. i thought that doing my own braids was going to be easy, but i completely underestimated things.”

“do you need some help?” hongjoong asked.

you opened your mouth to say no, but then you hesitated. now really wasn’t the time to be picky and deny any help that was offered to you. because again, braiding your hair wasn’t your forte. and if you could get an extra pair of hands to get the job done then so be it.

you nodded in response and watched as hongjoong smiled at you before loudly calling wooyoung’s name. it took a few seconds, but soon your other roommate was popping his head into your door frame and asking, “what’s up? everything okay?”

“yeah, but are you busy right now? jia needs our help doing her hair” hongjoong explained.

“no, no, i’m not doing anything right now,” wooyoung smiled. “however, i’ve never done hair before so i’m not sure how this is going to turn out…”

“don’t worry. i have a bunch of tutorials in a little playlist i created and we have all the supplies that we’ll need,” you said half reassuringly. you weren’t sure if you were trying to convince them or yourself. “so we should be okay.”

right?

⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑

you guys were in fact not okay.

twenty minutes later, the three of you found yourselves situated in front of your mirror trying to follow along a hair parting video you found on youtube. the video was pretty straightforward to you, but the same couldn’t be said for wooyoung and hongjoong. where wooyoung was confused about how big to make the parts, hongjoong was confused as to why so many were needed in the first place.

“the more parts, the more braids, joongie,” you tried to explain, but to no avail.

hongjoong scrunched up his face in confusion as he said, “yeah, but, like… won’t it be too much hair? and will parting your hair hurt?”

“why would it hurt, hongjoong?” wooyoung huffed out with an eye roll. “clearly jia’s hair has been parted before and it’s never hurt her. are you stupid?”

“you don’t know even know how to part her hair to begin with!”

“neither do you, fuck face!”

“oh, fuck yo—”

“okay!” you said loudly as you paused the video. “clearly this is getting out of hand. how about one of you work on pre parting my hair for now? what do you say, wooyoung?”

at the mention of his name, wooyoung started to nervously laugh. he wanted to say no so, so bad, but he couldn’t. he had such a big soft spot for you that saying no felt like it was impossible. hell, he doesn’t even think that he’s ever told you no before and he wasn’t about to start now.

so with a nod of determination, he positioned himself behind you, comb in hand. your hair had already been blow dried and taken out of the messy ponytail that you had it in earlier. all that was left now was for your hair to be parted then braided.

“ready, woo?” you asked.

he gave a thumbs up.

“ready.”

hongjoong watched as his (clearly nervous) friend began to part your hair. for a minute, it felt like things were going well. wooyoung had managed to part a straight line across for the first row before starting on the square parts. everything seemed fine until hongjoong realized that the squares were all different sizes.

he stifled a giggle as he looked away, not wanting to draw attention to himself. but you had noticed and asked what he was laughing at.

“nothing, babes,” hongjoong replied. “just looking at woo’s, um… squares is all.”

you narrowed your eyes at him. “why’d you say it like that?”

“like what?”

“you know. like something was wrong with the squares or something.”

“pfft, no. there’s nothing wrong with the squares…”

“okay, good.”

“…except for the the fact that they’re different sizes and look goofy from this angle. but aside from that, everything’s fine.”

“what?!” you screeched out, immediately twisting your neck to try and see what wooyoung was doing.

“i thought that i was doing a good job! they look fine to me, ji, i swear—” wooyoung tried to explain.

you wanted to believe him.

you really, really did, but one glimpse of the back of your head told you otherwise. you sighed and told wooyoung and hongjoong to switch. if hongjoong was just as nervous to part your hair he didn’t show it. you sat still as you felt the end of your rat tail comb glide through your hair once more.

you couldn’t see it, but hongjoong had somewhat managed to fix wooyoung’s square partings. once everything looked okay to him, he moved on to start making the second row of squares. wooyoung had been standing beside him watching closely the entire time without saying a word. once again, it started to feel like some progress was being made. if hongjoong could just get through parting your hair then—

“your parting is ugly as shit, joong.”

hongjoong threw wooyoung a nasty glare before he glanced at you in the mirror and gave you a very unconvincing smile.

“he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, jia. the parting looks great! woo’s just being a fucking hater” hongjoong stated, but you didn’t miss the way that his voice faltered at the end. that was all that you needed to shoo him away and twist and turn your neck in the mirror once more to see the damage.

okay, so maybe wooyoung was right—hongjoong’s parting was definitely on the weird looking side. you couldn’t deny it no matter how hard you wanted to.

you sighed for what seemed like the nth time that day. if you guys couldn’t even get the parting right, then there was no telling what the actual braiding process was going to be like.

you started to weigh your options.

on one hand, you could forego the entire thing and style your natural hair for the next few weeks instead. there were quite a few styles that you had been meaning to try on pinterest anyways and your hair was finally long enough for some of them. the only downside was your lack of patience and sort of laziness when it came to doing your hair. a cute slick backed hairstyle that was meant for two days could easily turn into a three week old, caked up gel mess on your head.

on the other hand, you could continue to go through with the braiding process. you had more than enough hands to help and your best friends didn’t seem to mind redoing anything for the sake of wanting your hair to look good. plus, you had more than enough tutorials on deck for practically every part of the braiding process. the downside, though? you were taking a huge risk with your hair being botched—the one thing that you had been trying to avoid this entire time. as much as you loved your best friends, they weren’t experienced braiders and it would (most likely) show.

in other words, you were fucked.

sort of.

kind of.

you groaned in frustration before you spun around in your seat to face wooyoung and hongjoong. you looked up at them, eyebrows furrowed as you said, “guys, i don’t think that this is working.”

“you think?” wooyoung immediately deadpanned.

hongjoong gave him a nasty glare before he nudged him rather painfully in his side. he ignored wooyoung’s whines for help as he asked you, “what do you want to do then? should we keep going or…?”

you shrugged in response.

hongjoong hummed as he started to wrack his brain for a solution. it had become apparent to him over the last hour or so that the three of you were not cut out to braid hair whatsoever. the whole thing was a bad idea from the jump and hongjoong knew that. but he was so desperate to help you out that he was willing to ignore the possibility of the whole thing falling apart.

now, though, as he stared at the uneven parts in your hair and the frustrated look on your face, he felt bad—awful even. there had to be a way to fix things. you guys couldn’t give up just yet.

“what if—” hongjoong started only to be cut off.

“san. we should ask san.” wooyoung interjected.

“what? san?” you said in a confused tone.

“yeah, san,” wooyoung said with a shake of his head. “he has a little more experience with braiding hair and could probably follow the videos better than we can.”

you chewed at your bottom lip as you thought the sudden suggestion over. you had no idea how wooyoung even knew that san could braid hair in the first place, but you weren’t in a position to really question it. either you agreed to ask for his help or you called it a day and stuck to hiding your hair under a bonnet for the next few weeks.

“okay,” you agreed. “call sannie and ask, but you better not be lying to me, woo. or else i’ll beat your ass.”

“so will i!” hongjoong chimed in.

“but you just hit me! what the fuck, joong,” wooyoung complained as his fingers started to fly across his dimly lit screen. just as he finished sending the text and was about to lock his phone, he saw the three little bubbles pop up. they disappeared for a second before wooyoung’s phone buzzed with san’s response.

sanieee 🕺

LMFAOOO of course you two dumbasses messed up

tell ji i’ll be up in a few 😁

⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑

seven hours.

it had taken you and san (with occasional help from wooyoung and hongjoong) seven hours to braid your hair with an additional twenty minutes spent adding beads at the end. that part would have taken less time, but hongjoong had no idea how to add them and kept dropping the beads every five seconds.

by the time you guys had finished both braiding and beading your hair, your fingers and arms were in pain. san was pretty sure that his fingers had gotten cramped up and you had a feeling that you’d be finding braiding hair and beads in odd places for the next few days.

the boys watched as you kept turning in the mirror to see your hair, the grin on your face growing wider with each turn. you swung your small, long pink and red braids from side to side as you took a quick ten second video of yourself. you tilted your phone down slightly and zoomed in a little on the clear and black beads that adorned the ends of your hair. simply put, your hair was fucking stunning.

you took a few more videos and pictures before you finally set your phone down to work on your edges. as you rummaged through your drawer for your edge brush, you caught san’s gaze in the mirror. just as you were about to thank him for the millionth time in a row, you suddenly remembered what wooyoung had said earlier.

“he has a little more experience with braiding hair and could probably follow the instructions better than us.”

dipping your brush into the half empty jar of edge control, you called out san’s name. he tore his gaze away from hongjoong to look at you as he answered, “yes, ji?”

“a little birdy here tells me that apparently you,” you started as you pointed your edge brush in his direction. “know how to braid hair. i’ve known you for how many years now and i’m just now finding out about this?”

“oh. um…” san ran a hand through his hair as he laughed, slightly taken aback by your question. beside him, wooyoung and hongjoong were watching you two and giggling like two little kids.

“well, i wouldn’t say that i know how to braid. i only know how to do plaits and stuff, you know? basic shit” he said.

you turned around to face him and raised your eyebrows in disbelief.

“you just braided my entire head and you gon’ sit up here and tell me that you only know how to do ‘plaits’? and ‘basic shit’?” you questioned, not entirely convinced by his answer.

“but it’s true though?” san said with a a shrug of his shoulders. “and to be fair, i was just following along and being patient. braiding isn’t that hard to do.”

“okay, now you’re just being a show off, dude” hongjoong muttered with a roll of his eyes.

you barely managed to stifle your giggles as san suddenly shoved hongjoong, causing him to fall off of your bed and land on the floor with a loud thud. it took all of five seconds for hongjoong to get back up and lunge at san. you watched as the two men rolled around your bed play fighting with one another and messing up your neatly spread bed in the process.

you shook your head and turned back to your mirror to finish doing your edges. you could hear wooyoung in the background repeatedly yelling out “fight! fight!” and hongjoong and san giggling loudly. as you finished fixing your baby hairs and putting your things back, you couldn’t help but stare at all three of them in your mirror’s reflection and smile.

you didn’t realize how long you had been smiling and looking at them, though until wooyoung asked in a teasing tone, “uh oh. what’s got you smiling so hard, mama?”

“you guys, duh. although,” you squinted your eyes at them a little. “you look like a bunch of idiots right now play fighting on my bed and stuff.”

“yeah, but we’re your idiots and you love us, so…” wooyoung joked with a toothy grin as he dragged out the ‘o.’

you rolled your eyes at him with a dramatic sigh, but you didn’t disagree.

“of course i do. i’ll always love you guys. forever?”

“and always, mama.”