#again: this is all just clever hans

[darkwood-sleddog]

By Alexis are you referring to Bunny the dog's owner? Because if so I find it very difficult to take her at her word as she, more so than even people like Christina Hunger, is one of the button animal accounts using egregious story telling and wild interpretation of her dog's behavior in her videos.

I find her video about addressing skepticism rather hilarious as she says we should understand the buttons in the context of how SHE knows Bunny. This harkens to Koko the Gorilla, whose owner would not let scientists engage with the gorilla without her present, interpreted Koko's sign language of her own accord (meanwhile the Gorilla didn't actually use ASL correctly when put with human ASL users), and was also known to prompt the gorilla into producing certain signs such as occurs with many other Clever Hans animals. She also waters down a lot of the (valid) criticism towards her videos as being from "click-bait"articles and does not have a scientific or even casual background in animal behavioral science, so her understanding of what is actually happening is limited.

The buttons aren't added communication, they are merely forcing the dog to ascribe to a specific, human spoken word centric way of communicating when the dog already has a native language it speaks with that humans are primed to learn. Using buttons instead of reading our dog's body language restricts the communication to the area with a button board, which is not natural for dogs. They communicate everywhere all the time, constantly, if only the button people would actual look and listen beyond their button centric behaviors.

If dog buttons have one hater I am that very hater.

Communicating “in the same language for the first time” through dog buttons as Christina Hunger describes in her book is a failure of the most human proportion, putting too much value on the human (English) spoken word and ignoring that every detail, movement, twitch of our dogs is an act of communication itself. They are already communicating with us, just as human and primitive dog first did thousands of years ago. Just how we have shaped each other’s evolution by our very relationship. The dog understands you without buttons. If you can’t understand a dog without buttons, or “speak the same language” without human spoken language that is your HUMAN failure.

[icanimagine08]

Whipped

Summary: Yoon Jeonghan gets teased by the rest of seventeen for being whipped for his girl.

Warnings: none! Just Fluff.

Word Count: 773

I couldn't wait to post so here is another Yoon Jeonghan fic. Hope you guys enjoy this! and if you have any requests for any other members/people/characters feel free to request/ask me anything and I'll see what I can do! Happy reading! :)

Yoon Jeonghan of Seventeen wasn’t usually the type to wear his heart on his sleeve—at least, not when it came to romance. He was clever, always a step ahead, and had a teasing streak as wide as the Han River. But since he started dating you six months ago, Jeonghan’s members had noticed a... shift.

And they were having the time of their lives teasing him about it.

It started during a lazy afternoon at the dorm. The group had finished their schedules for the day, and the members were sprawled across the living room, half-watching a drama on TV. Jeonghan, who usually dominated conversations with his witty comebacks, was unusually quiet. His phone was in his hand, and he was smiling at the screen in a way that made the others take notice.

"Oh, would you look at that," Seungkwan said, his voice laced with mock surprise. "Our Hannie hyung is smiling. At his phone. Again."

Minghao leaned over from the couch, trying to catch a glimpse of Jeonghan's screen. "Is it her?"

Jeonghan’s smile disappeared as quickly as it had come, replaced with an annoyed pout. He locked his phone and turned it face down on the table. "Mind your own business, Minghao."

But the damage was done. The members perked up, sensing an opportunity to torment their usually unflappable hyung.

"Oh, it’s definitely her," Joshua chimed in, grinning. "Jeonghan only smiles like that when it’s about her."

"What did she say?" Woozi asked, though the slight upward tilt of his lips gave away that he was more amused than genuinely curious.

"Nothing," Jeonghan mumbled, slumping into the couch like he could disappear into the cushions.

"Nothing?" Vernon repeated, his eyebrows shooting up. "You were practically giggling."

"I don’t giggle," Jeonghan shot back, but the redness creeping up his neck betrayed him.

"Sure, sure," Seungkwan said, waving him off. "Hyung, we all know you’re whipped. Just admit it."

"I am not whipped," Jeonghan insisted, but his voice lacked its usual conviction.

"You absolutely are," Mingyu said, chuckling. "Remember last week when you asked the manager if you could get off early so you could take her to that café she likes?"

"That’s called being a good boyfriend," Jeonghan retorted, sitting up straighter. "Maybe you should take notes, Mingyu."

"A good boyfriend who’s whipped," Dino added, earning a high-five from Seungkwan.

Jeonghan groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "I regret introducing you all to her."

That wasn’t true, and they all knew it. From the moment you and Jeonghan had made your relationship official, the members had been nothing but supportive. They’d even gone so far as to declare you "the perfect match" for their mischievous angel, as you somehow managed to keep up with Jeonghan’s antics while also bringing out his softer side. But their enthusiasm also meant they saw every little way Jeonghan’s walls had come down, and they weren’t going to let him live it down.

"You’re so good for him," Seungkwan had told you during a group dinner a month ago, while Jeonghan had gone to get drinks. "It’s like you’re his kryptonite. He’s so soft for you."

Now, as Jeonghan endured their teasing, he couldn’t help but think of you and the way you’d probably laugh if you saw this. You’d tell him he deserved it, and honestly, he’d have to agree.

"Alright, that’s enough," Jeonghan said, trying to regain some semblance of control. "Yes, I’m dating someone amazing. Yes, I like doing nice things for her. Can we move on now?"

"Not yet," Seungkwan said, leaning forward with a sly grin. "Hyung, did you text her goodnight last night?"

"Of course I did," Jeonghan replied, without thinking.

"Aha!" Seungkwan pointed dramatically. "See? Whipped!"

The room erupted in laughter, and even Jeonghan couldn’t help but chuckle. He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips despite himself.

"You’re all children," he muttered, but his tone was fond.

Later that evening, when the teasing had finally died down and the members had dispersed, Jeonghan found himself back on the couch, phone in hand. He opened your chat and started typing.

Jeonghan: Remind me why I put up with them again?

Your reply came almost instantly.

YN: Because they love you. And they’re right, you are kinda whipped.

Jeonghan groaned, but he couldn’t stop the grin spreading across his face. He typed back quickly.

Jeonghan: You’re lucky I love you.

YN: I know. ;)

Jeonghan set his phone down, leaning back against the couch, he closed his eyes with a content smile. If his members wanted to play, they’d better be ready for Jeonghan to play back

[eldstunga]

What kind of view does Rynn have of some of the big events that happen, like the clone wars or death star destruction, or the key factors and characters, like Luke, Leia, or the rebellion in general?

As with everything Rynn, one has to remember she is not some hero or important person or even well informed - This is pretty key to her whole character - So we'll need to exercise some critical thought. 1. The Clone Wars: Rynn was very young during the "liberation" of Ryloth and the battles fought there, but for obvious reasons such a traumatic time will leave scars in a child. Her mother fought and died with the resistance and she famously harbours a deep mistrust and dislike for droids. (a distrust most of the outer and mid rim canonically shared before 2012)

2. Murderball: So in Rynn's Timeline the Death Star has not yet been destroyed if I recall correctly, about 4BBY. But when it does occur it's good to keep in mind the Death Star is secret until the destruction of Alderaan and is destroyed itself just days later, well before any public news network has even figured out that the empire was responsible. It would take a long time for anyone not directly involved with the rebellion to know about its destruction, and further still to grasp the significance of the event. Much of the information would likely also either be republic or imperial propaganda, or be suspected of being rebel propaganda. Rynn's opinion would probably be to shake her head or express disbelief at casualty estimates like you might react to a tv broadcast about a war or disaster in a distant country, and then go back to work because she has to eat.

3. She's heard of Han, because they move in similar, gossipy circles, but otherwise the characters would all be unknown to her until probably around the establishment of the new Republic. She'd be surprised people that 'common' and from the outer rim too were important leaders of the Rebellion, maybe a little proud because she's acquainted with Han, spacers represent, but ultimately again, it's far away and rent is due...

4. The Rebellion: The Rebellion is primarily trouble to Rynn, their presence in a system makes her life harder on a good day, their existence at ALL makes everyone's life harder. She understands and respects their creed but doesn't trust the purity of their motives and do not think they'll win. Plus they are underfunded and desperate - tried to cheat her out of a deal once and nearly blew her ship so she does not work with them anymore. Once they actually win, she will be on edge and very curious. It takes a long time for change to reach the Outer Rim but those days will be dangerous and exciting. The market prices will be crazy weird for months if not years, how will fuel be affected? Will they forgive loans to imperial banks? (no) Plenty of ways in those heady days for a clever spacer to get rich or die stupidly...

She just wants to get on with work.

[evilbihan]

Bi-Han was a good brother.

(original post here) I came back only to make this a seperate post so it shows up in the search and Bi-Han's tags again.

I think about this scene a lot.

People like to use Bi-Han's behavior here as an excuse to paint him as a bad brother and instantly assume that he always treated Tomas that way because of one mean thing he says to him in the entirety of the story mode, intros included.

It's almost like siblings never argue and say horrible things to each other that they later feel bad for. Personally, I believe this is the first time Bi-Han ever snapped at Tomas like that, for a multitude of reasons.

Smoke doesn't hesitate to talk back to Bi-Han, he doesn't seem intimidated by him at all. If Bi-Han were to really constantly put Tomas down and say hurtful things to him, he would be more hesitant to provoke him and avoid confrontation as much as possible. But he doesn't.

Of course, every individual is different but take it from someone who has grown up in an abusive household. If someone regularly insults you and belittles you, you're going to start walking on eggshells around them and that's not what Tomas does around Bi-Han at all.

Smoke's expression here displays hurt, anger and confusion. That's the face of someone who just got a reaction he did not expect. His body language would be different if he was used to hearing things like that from Bi-Han. He wouldn't look so surprised if he heard that whole "Lin Kuei blood" speech before. He also doesn't lower his eyes, doesn't flinch... nothing that implies Bi-Han ever talked to him like this on other occasions.

Kuai Liang's silence in this scene speaks volumes too. He doesn't try and defend Smoke, doesn't tell Bi-Han his words are uncalled for and he doesn't interrupt him either. I believe Kuai Liang was just as surprised as Tomas was by Bi-Han's sudden harsh reaction. Furthermore, there is literally no reason for him to step in.

Brothers argue, they get angry at each other. Anger is a normal human emotion and snapping at someone when you're angry doesn't make you a horrible person.

Let's talk about this scene next.

I feel stupid for even mentioning this take here because it's the silliest, most ridiculous and wildest thing I've ever seen but a surprising amount of people with flat-earther mentalities cling onto it, so even though it's obviously bs, let's debunk it once and for all.

Honestly, the first time I saw a post claiming Bi-Han kicked that rock on purpose to kill Smoke I had to re-read it twice because I couldn't believe someone would actually believe that and expect to be taken seriously.

If Bi-Han ever wanted to get rid of Smoke, he could have done so a million times already. He could have banished Tomas as soon as he became grandmaster.

He also could have aimed better.

Here's what actually happened:

Both brothers rush to the edge to check if Smoke is okay. Both are worried about him. If Bi-Han never cared about Tomas he wouldn't even have bothered coming over to see if he's still alive. He would have done the only reasonable thing in this situation, which is keeping an eye on Nitara who just attacked them.

Yes, the rock comes loose as soon as Bi-Han steps closer to the edge but that's entirely accidental and Bi-Han's surprised expression proves it.

You can see the exact moment his eyes say "Oh sh*t" because he briefly looks at the rock and instantly back at Tomas. He looks concerned, not pleased with himself like he just commited a clever murder attempt. He even reaches out as if to stop the damn rock.

He wanted to save Tomas.

It's disgusting how some people try to twist this moment into anything other than that.

Are we also going to ignore the subtle way Bi-Han puts himself in front of Kuai Liang, bracing himself while Kuai Liang flinches backwards during Nitara's attack?

What about the fight against Ermac? Bi-Han almost died, fought an insanely powerful being and his first instinct is asking his brothers if they're unharmed.

I've seen someone argue that he "only asks them if they're fine because he needs them for the mission" to which I say, they were fine. They literally looked fine, no blood on them, no scratches. Tomas didn't even go anywhere near Ermac and Bi-Han still checks on both of them.

We all know what happens next.

Yes, Bi-Han scars Kuai Liang as a way to punish him for his disobedience. Would a good brother do that? No, but a good grandmaster would. Is it fucked up? Absolutely. But again, Kuai Liang seems shocked, hurt and angry by what his brother did, just like Tomas before. Neither of them ever taught Bi-Han capable of something like that, indicating that while flawed, he was a good brother prior to his descent into madness.

When the fight starts, Tomas doesn't even try to step in. He only gets involved after Kuai Liang is injured. He wasn't expecting Bi-Han to go that far. It was a surprise to both of them because Bi-Han never once hurt them before.

As a side note, punishing his warriors for disobedience was certainly not something Bi-Han came up with himself, but rather something he was taught was acceptable by either his father or other Lin Kuei elders, but this post is meant to only focus on canon facts and what we see on screen so I won't elaborate on that here.

In a twisted way of a peace offer Bi-Han still offers a hand to Kuai Liang after scarring him and actually expects it to be accepted. He wants his brothers to join him, he wants to share the glorious future he has planned out for the Lin Kuei with both Tomas and Kuai Liang. Yes, he may be in the wrong but he wants them both on his side.

He wants it to be them against the world. He never intended for it to be him against them.

So far, that's it for the story mode.

Sadly, we never got to see what the relationship between the brothers looked like before Bi-Han gave in to corruption but the intros give us a pretty good idea of that still.

Mileena: "My bond with Kitana can't be broken." Scorpion: "I'd once thought the same of mine with Bi-Han."

They used to be close. If Kuai Liang really thought his bond with Bi-Han was unbreakable, there must have been good in Bi-Han before his frustrations led him to make all these bad decisions. Had he been some kind of abusive monster as the fandom constantly claims, they would have never been close to begin with. The brotherly love between them might be gone now but that doesn't mean it was never there.

Smoke: "Are we to be enemies for life?" Sub-Zero: "Unless you submit, Tomas."

Tomas doesn't want them to be enemies. Yes, he says Bi-Han has always been cold with him in another intro, but cold does in no way equal cruel or abusive. Bi-Han had valid concerns about Smoke's loyalty to the Lin Kuei when Tomas lost his family because of the clan. If anything, Bi-Han not trusting Tomas only shows he was protective of the Lin Kuei and worried that Smoke would end up wanting vengeance one day.

If Bi-Han ever hurt Tomas before, Tomas wouldn't be going out of his way to reunite the brothers, even asking for Liu Kang's help to do so. He says he can't forgive Bi-Han for letting their father die and yet he wants him back in his life. If Bi-Han had always been a bad brother why would Smoke want him back? Shouldn't he be relieved it's just Kuai Liang and him now? Instead, he's heartbroken that Bi-Han and him are now enemies.

Sub-Zero: "Resist me, and there will be consequences." Smoke: "And to think I once idolized you."

Tomas used to look up to Bi-Han. Who would look up to a genuinely horrible person? Absolutely no one. And for Bi-Han's part of the dialogue, he keeps warning his brothers, telling them to submit, to stand down, to not resist or try to fight him. It means he, too, doesn't want to fight them or hurt them.

Scorpion: "A shadow's fallen on your soul." Sub-Zero: "No, brother. I've seen the light."

What more do you need than this bit here as proof that Bi-Han didn't always use to be like this? Shadows only exist where light is present too. There must have been light in Bi-Han before said shadow corrupted him.

Both Kuai Liang and Tomas only resent Bi-Han for two things. Letting their father die and breaking his oath to protect Earthrealm. Nothing else is ever brought up.

At this point I think it's safe to say it's canon that Bi-Han was never abusive or a bad brother towards either Kuai Liang or Tomas.

That's it.

No headcanons, no what if's. No bullshit, just facts.

The only time Bi-Han hurts Kuai Liang is after he reached his breaking point and snapped and they're both equally ready to fight and hurt each other by then. Kuai Liang is even the one who draws first blood. Does that make him abusive too? Not at all.

[sarnai4]

Expectation Subversion

Penguins of Madagascar has some of my favorite examples of subverting expectations for personalities. They also gave me something that I try to use when creating my own characters. It seems like the characters can easily fit into a one-dimensional stereotype, but then there's more. Let's start off with Rico.

At first glance, Rico is just a loose cannon. In lesser shows, he might have been. After all, he just needs to be the silly one who spits up weapons and sure, he is, but that's not all. Rico is also fiercely loyal. He's the same one who was terrified of a "haunted" car and still braved it head-on when it had hurt Skipper. Comically enough, he can just as easily turn on the others when Ms. Perky wants him to do something else (cue Rico attacking them because of that darn voice box). An underrated skill of Rico's is how resourceful he is. He always knows exactly what weapon is necessary for the moment. With these skills, his loyalty, and his fun/unhinged flair, he really comes to life as a character.

Private is seemingly just the nice guy of the group. He's the young one who's innocent. Again, this is a part of him. He is very nice, not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings like when he was supposed to win a rude-off against Clemson. He's also pretty naive with a lot of things, being unsuspecting about Hans actually being bad. Despite this, there's more to Private than niceness. He's got the most common sense of the group, being the only one to see that grabbing the plant needed to save Maurice's life would be easier than continuing to use the jaws of life AND realizing how unlikely it was that Santa was spending Christmas Eve in a random building. I also love how he's got a backstory of being this almost ruthless mini golf player. His underrated skill is that he's the second best fighter of the group. Solely looking at fin-to-fin combat, Private is the only one who's been on par with Skipper.

Kowalski could have just been the "science nerd." He definitely has this as a core part of him, but he's also such a drama queen. I love it. He's the poster boy for book smarts because this penguin has a score of 0 for practical reasoning. Heck, he had to figure out which instincts to use. His struggles with this leads to him continuously making inventions that almost kill everybody. Kowalski is always an invention away from turning into a mad scientist. I'm convinced this actually has happened before and then he just snaps back to his senses (thinking about times like Jiggles and more). Something else which adds an interesting layer to him is how much he wants to be in charge. He's technically the second-in-command and has made it clear that he'd like to replace Skipper when the time comes. "Kowalski's log...too soon?"

Skipper seems like he's just the tough boss. In a comedy like this, he easily could've been an incompetent leader. Rather than that, he's honestly a very good leader who is clever with his plans. Seriously, his escape plans shown in Pets Peeved and more episodes really demonstrate how thoroughly he can think out a strategy even when he's on the spot. Along with this, Skipper tries to act hard and rough, but he makes it clear that he cares about his team more than anything. He even faced his fear of needles (this show singlehandedly taught me what trypanophobia was) for Private when he learned that the soldier would've been hurt otherwise. It even stretches beyond them. Skipper really cares about everyone in the zoo, going so far as to look out for Julien who is probably one of his least favorite zoo mates. I also really like how much being a leader means to Skipper. When he thought he couldn't be in charge anymore, he was having a meltdown. He even put Private as leader just so that he could make it clear who actually deserves the position. It's so petty, that it's almost beautiful.

[staylovesmiley]

Collision— Chapter 5

ᯓᡣ𐭩Pairing; Stray Kids x afab!reader

ᯓᡣ𐭩 ᯓᡣ𐭩Summary; You’ve known him for years but you never would have guessed the charming guy you’ve been online gaming with has been an idol this whole time. (masterlist here)

ᯓᡣ𐭩 ᯓᡣ𐭩ᯓᡣ𐭩Warnings; implied afab reader (only they/them pronouns used for reader), mild angst?, pls I haven’t written fanfics since 2018 patience and kindness is appreciated

You weren’t sure how long it had been since you made your way down the corridor of the JYPE building after leaving the practice room. After retrieving your drink from the vending machine you sunk down to sit beside it on the floor, taking small sips as you got lost deep in thought. It must have been long enough for the boys to start to worry since you saw Han coming into view as he bent down to meet your eye level where you sat criss cross against the wall. “There you are! You okay? We were starting to think you got lost.” He said with a soft smile before noticing an off look on your face, his smile falling. “What’s wrong?” You shrugged, fiddling with the hem of your baggy tshirt and making a conscious effort not to meet his eyes again. “The lights in there were starting to make my head hurt and there were so many sounds-“ you spoke only telling half of a lie. Yes, you were starting to feel a bit overwhelmed in there but it wasn’t from the lights and sounds alone but from all the thoughts racing in your mind. “Oh! You should have told me….it’s kinda bright out here too here follow me.” Without waiting for your response the rapper took your hand and pulled you down another hall and into a room. He flicked one of the lights and only the light inside the recording booth turned on to provide a dim light in the studio. “You can stay here until you start to feel a bit better, okay? I sit in here some times too when I get overwhelmed.” You couldn’t help but smile at his thoughtfulness, wrapping your arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. “Thanks Ji- gosh you’re so sweet.” He blushed, hugging you back before giving you some space. He gave a soft nod before heading for the door. “Wait- could um…can you sit with me for a bit? I’ll be okay in just a second but I’m afraid I’ll get lost trying to go back on my own.” His eyes widened like he hadn’t thought of that before he nodded and sat with you on the black sofa against the wall.

You both shared off into the distance, sitting in silence for a while before he spoke up. “You figured it out….didn’t you.” You sighed softly, for a member of paboracha he really was too clever for his own good sometimes. “Yeah-“

Jisung took a deep breathe before playing with the sleeves of his hoodie. “And?”

You furrowed your brows, staring down at your feet. “Why did none of you tell me? Not even Felix….I just- if you guys trust me enough to allow me to stay with you and had me over almost all the time before that, why couldn’t you trust me with this?” You were hurt, upset and afraid you did or said something that gave off the impression that this was something they had to hide from you. Han’s head raised as he looked at you, placing a hand on your knee to get you to meet his gaze. “Hey, it’s not what you’re thinking. Get out of that head of yours for a second, Star.” He chuckled airily, trying to lighten the mood as you looked into his soft brown eyes. “Then what is it?” You poured at him, making sure to hold eye contact. “Ah don’t none of that- don’t give me that look.” He whined, your cute pout too much for him as he started to fluster. “We wanted to tell you but- I know you’re from America and everything is different there but here people are less than not understanding about this sort of thing….” “And what exactly is this thing?” You questioned, wanting him to admit it now they you knew and he knew you knew, for the most part. “We are together, all of us. Since- well since our second anniversary as a group. Some of us longer than that but that was when we all were officially with each other.” He cringed slightly, like he was waiting for you to scold him or be disgusted. Instead you wrapped your arms tightly around his middle with a soft smile on your face. “I’m sorry you guys have to hide it, but I’m happy for you all. If you’re comfortable, now that I already know, you don’t have to hide around me anymore.” You assured him, your eyes meeting as you pulled back from the embrace. “Especially with me staying with you all while my apartment is being fixed….it could become suffocating to hide especially if it’s for my sake or the fear of me not understanding.” Han just blinked at you for a bit before hugging you again, fighting the urge to cry at hearing your support. “I told them you’d be chill about it- Lix too, so you know….he really wanted to be honest with you since the beginning but some of us were hesitant.” You sighed a bit in relief at this, giving the man a squeeze with reassurance. “Thank you for letting me know. Are you ready to head back?” He pulled back with a nod, standing and taking your hand. “Let’s go.”

Once you arrived back inside the practice room Han gave your hand a slight squeeze before raising it up above your heads. “Cats out of the bag, guys. Sorry-“ they all stared at him in disbelief, about to argue over how he shouldn’t have told you before you put your hands out in front of you in defense. “Don’t be mad at Han okay? I figured it out. You know, you aren’t as subtle as you think you all are.” You said with a slight smirk, taking in their shocked expressions before Seungmin spoke up with a dry tone. “Well? You know now….what does that mean?” You raised an eyebrow at him, trying not to be offended at the lack of trust they seemed to have for you in this moment. “You could have told me sooner and saved yourselves a lot of headaches.” There was an audible sigh of relief from the entire room and you walked up to your close friend and smacked him lightly on the chest. “Especially you. I can’t believe you thought so little of me.” You gave him a pout, Felix going from looking like he saw a ghost to looking like he was a child being scolded by a parent. He returned your pout and looked down at his feet with shame. “I’m sorry, Star….I wanted to- but we couldn’t be sure.” You rolled your eyes playfully before hugging him tightly. He recovered from his sulking quickly and hugged back with a squeeze, Hyunjin soon joined to hug you from behind as well and then the rest of the group followed until you began to shout about being claustrophobic and shimmied out of their hold and to the ground where you then crawled out from what felt like a forest of their collective pairs of legs. They all laughed at the display, you included as they all settled down comfortably. “For all of your information, by the way, I myself was in a poly relationship in highschool. Not like this- we didn’t all date each other but it was an open relationship situation.” Now they all stared at you in shock for completely other reasons. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” Felix gasped, looking at you with mock offense. “You never asked?” You shrugged, laughing at their expressions. “Anything else we should know?” Minho questioned now, ever the curious cat. “Yeah” you started, the sound of your stomach growling echoing in the practice room. “We should probably get something to eat soon.” Everyone laughed and Jeongin pulled out some take out menus from somewhere in the room. The air felt lighter and they seemed even more relaxed than you had realized before that something was causing a tension, that something being them trying to hide their affection for each other.

It was a month and a half later and things were becoming blissfully domestic with living at the dorms. You had never gone to college, choosing to start working straight out of highschool instead for a family friend, but you assumed this is what it would have been like if you ever got to live with roommates on a campus somewhere. Your free time was spent buying groceries with Seungmin and Jeongin, watching dramas with Hyunjin, being a taste tester for whatever recipe Minho decided he wanted to try or for Felix baking endeavors, or sitting in the studio curled up on the couch while 3racha worked on new projects like you were now.

It was pretty late in the evening and you felt yourself dozing as you leaned against an already sleeping Han, whose body was twisted in a way you thought had to be uncomfortable as he snores lightly into your shoulder. You never paid much attention to what they were working on unless they asked for your opinion on something, usually keeping your headphones in while gaming or scrolling through various different social media platforms. You were enjoying your time living with them so much you felt a small pit in your stomach fill with dread every time you remembered it wouldn’t be forever. They had been more openly affectionate with one another ever since you finding out about their relationship, kissing and cuddling in front of you like it was nothing because well- it wasn’t.

You began to open up to them as well, your introverted walls crumbling as you got closer with the group to where you began to be more affectionate with them also. It was healing a part buried deep inside you being able to express yourself how you wanted, your family and others always shunning you for being too emotional. When you would give one of the boys a hug as greeting, or cuddle up during a movie night it was immediately reciprocated and it caused your chest and face to warm instantly at the acceptance of your touch and presence. As you scrolled, trying to stay awake as long as you could, you heard Changbin push his chair back and stand abruptly. “Ya- we’ve been working at this for too long, Hyung. I feel like my eyes are gonna fall out of my head.” He whined, nudging the older with a pout. “Why don’t you take Han and Star home, then? I’m good to keep working for a bit longer…I wanna finish this up before I can stop.” The muscular rapper sighed and shook his head, knowing Chan would likely be there till well into the early morning hours. “Come on, Hannie time to go home.” He said softly, poking the younger’s cheek causing him to whimper slightly in his sleep and reach up to bat his hand away. He chuckled, leaning down to kiss his forehead while looking to you for help. You giggled a bit and reached over to tickle at the young rapper’s side causing him to jolt awake. “Ya! Star how could you- that’s such betrayal!” He whined, pointing a finger at you accusingly. You just laughed and shrugged your shoulders. “You guys go on without me, I’ll stay and keep the old man company.” You teased, standing up and stretching before stealing the spot in Changbin’s rolling chair beside Chan. “Oh woah that was so uncalled for- you’ve been spending too much time with Seungmin.” He laughed, shaking his head at you while you smiled at him sweetly.

“As long as you’re sure….don’t let him stay here all night, yeah?” Changbin begged you, patting the top of your head. You nodded towards him in a silent promise, wishing them a good night and a safe drive home as the door closed behind them.

You started to doze off again soon, almost falling out of the chair causing Chan to chuckle at you. “You sure you wanna wait up on me?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at you. You nodded, covering your mouth as you yawned. “Mhm I gotta make sure you leave before dawn.” You teased, stretching your arms up causing your crop top to raise slightly and show the bottom of your bra which caught his eye and caused him to bit his lip and force himself to look away. “Why don’t you take a nap on the couch and I’ll wake you in an hour and we can go home, yeah?” You felt a slight blush creep up your neck and face at his words. Home, that’s definitely what it was starting to feel like staying with them. Though you mainly stayed in Felix room with him, you had slept over with the other plenty of times while having been staying there for various reasons. Tonight you had texted the younger Aussie that you’d be crashing in the 3racha dorm since you’d been with them so late and didn’t want to wake him up by coming in. He had sent a round of pouting emojis and a message about his bed being too cold without you but that he would manage.

You had blushed like crazy at that, your mind reeling any time he said something of the sort making things feel all that more intimate between the two of you. You weren’t going to lie to yourself, you had realized you had feelings for the other gamer after about two weeks of staying at the dorms when you caught him slow dancing in the kitchen with Leeknow and felt yourself longing to be the one with your hands on his waist while you spun around with him looking into your eyes longingly. It wasn’t so much that you were jealous and didn’t want him to be doing that with one of his partners, but that you wished that title included you and that night you couldn’t help but cling a little tighter to him as you cuddled in your sleep and dreamt of him calling you as such.

Doing as Chan had suggested, you curled up on the sofa and hugged one of the pillows to your chest as you allowed yourself to finally drift off to sleep. It wasn’t for long, it felt as you were being lightly shaken awake by a lightly amused Bangchan. “Ya, Star- it’s been a little longer than an hour but I’m ready to go now.” You grumbled and shook your head, refusing to get up. “M’no way it’s been longer-“ you groaned, causing the older to laugh. “Do I have to carry you to the car? I can if you make me but I’m giving you the choice now cause it’s late and if the others found out I kept you here this long they’ll kill me.” You huffed, only holding turning over as a response. “Alright then, here we go.” He chuckled before lifting you up into his arms bridal style. You nuzzled your face into the crook of his neck, wrapping your arms around him to hold on as he carried you down the hall and out of the building towards his car.

After arriving back at the dorm you fully woke up and rubbed at your eyes sleepily. “Are we home yet?” Chan smiled warmly and nodded. “Yeah, just pulled up. Think you can walk in or do I need to carry you again?” Embarrassed slightly, you chuckled and got out of the car. “I’ll walk this time, thanks for earlier though.” The two of you made it in and you cursed slightly when you made it to his room. “I forgot to ask Lix to drop off some pajama’s for me tonight-“ you cursed yourself mentally and cringed at the thought of sleeping in your jeans. “You can just borrow something of mine, it’s fine.” The Aussie reassured you, going over to his drawers. “Do want sweat pants or shorts?” He asked, rummaging around as he pulled out a pair of sweats for himself. “Um- shorts please?” You asked, remembering from previous sleep overs with the oldest member how much of a human furnace he tended to be. Tossing over a baggy black tee and a matching pair of shorts he turned around to give you some privacy and you did the same as you changed. You had done this a few times, not caring to make the walk down the hall to the bathroom to change and just turning to give each other privacy. You both settled under the covers and you could feel him stare at you for a while before you poking him in the chest. “At least try and get some sleep, yeah?” He smiled, chuckling lightly as he shook his hard. “I’m trying but it’s so hard when I have someone so cute in my bed, wearing my clothes.” He teased making you blush and hit him lightly on his bare chest. “Not funny, Chris. Sleep, now.” You turned around so your back was facing him and felt him drape an arm over your side and pull you flush against his back. “Wasn’t a joke, but good night Star.” He said before you soon felt the deep rise and fall of his chest against you signaling that he was drifting off to sleep. His words flustered you more than usual, being so close and in such an intimate setting with him. That was another thing you had come to realize over your time being here with them was how you seemed to have blossoming feelings for each of them, their charms and humor brightened your days beyond imagine and you felt completely blissful in their presence. Still, you held back those feelings to yourself for fear of interpreting their teasing for something more than it could be and ruining what you had going on as it was, even if you felt they were being obvious about the possibility of them feeling the same way. That little voice in your head told you not to be stupid, that they wouldn’t like you back and that it was all in your imagination and they were just being friendly.

Soon, you too fell asleep feeling the rise and fall of Bangchan’s chest behind you and hearing his snores.

In the morning you woke before Chan, smiling at his sleeping face before slipping out of bed and going next door to shower and get ready for the day. You were met with your four temporary roommates sitting and eating breakfast. “Morning, Star!” Jeongin said with a smile that you returned as you slipped your shoes off at the door and made your way over. “Morning! Sleep well?” The all nodded, all except for Felix who looked at your appearance and huffed. “Lix?” You tilted your head in confusion and made your way over to him. “Missed you.” He said with a pout before reaching for you and pulling you down into his lap to nuzzle his face into your neck. “Hey- I missed you too but i really need to go wash up, yeah?” He whined, but let go nonetheless and you leaned down to place a kiss on his cheek. You weren’t sure why you made the gesture, but something told you he needed the extra affection. You watched as his cheeks heated up and Minho immediately spoke up. “Ya! Why does he get a kiss? I want a kiss!” He shouted, causing you to roll your eyes and approach him as well. Smirking, he turned his cheek to you for a kiss only for you to give it a quick little pat before running off in a fit of giggles to get your clothes and take a shower. “No fair!!” He screeched, causing everyone else at the table to erupt with laughter.

While I’m the shower you heard a knock on the door. “Star? Do you mind if I grab something real quick? I promise I won’t look-“ you heard Felix familiar deep voice call out to you. “Sure! I think I actually left the door unlocked anyways-“ you reply, hearing the door open and soon after close. “I locked it back for you!” He said, and you quickly called back a thanks as you heard his footsteps walking away mixed with the water hitting the tile of the shower.

When you got out and dried off, starting to get dressed you noticed the shirt you had picked out had been replaced and you raised an eyebrow. Holding up the shirt that had been set with your other folded clothes you blushed a bit to see it was one of the young aussie’s shirts, his cologne still clinging to the fabric and causing a soft blush to tint your cheeks as you slipped it on over your sports bra before pulling on your loose fitting jeans. Why he switched your shirt with his own you weren’t really sure, fighting with yourself mentally over the meaning behind his actions. When you exited the bathroom and made your way to the kitchen to grab something to eat before class you felt all of their eyes on you and turned to catch Felix smirk before he turned away and took a sip from his mug. You ate quickly before grabbing your bag from the hooks by the door and slipped on your sneakers. “Bye guys, I’ll see you later!” You called, throwing them all a smile and wave as you started to head out. “Have fun at class!” They all called, starting to get ready themselves to head to JYPE for work.

After class, you made your way to JYPE with the takeout the boys had requested for dinner since they were practicing late that evening. As you were making your way into the practice room you heard a bit of commotion. “You’ve gotta be more careful, Chan! Really, I thought you’d know that better than all of us.” It was Minho, raising his voice as he gave the oldest a look of disappointment. “It was late at night and I was just carrying them to my car it wasn’t like we were caught hooking up or anything!” He shouts back, throwing his hands in the air. You weren’t sure what to do, awkwardly standing behind the door with the bags of food in your hands. “Guys, just calm down we can sort this out but we need to get it together before they get here it will be any minute now-“ Hyunjin said to try and ease them down from more of a fight. “Actually their location is showing they are already here.” Felix spoke up, holding up his phone for everyone to see. You decided to open the door slowly, wincing a bit as all eyes shot to you. “S-Sorry um….I can drop the food off and go back to the dorms if you need some privacy?” You said, walking cautiously towards them and setting the food on the table in the back. Chan sighed, shaking head head. “No, don’t go….some- uh, unfortunate events happened that just have us a bit on edge.” He said, looking back over to Leeknow. “I’ll say. A fan, or reporter one it doesn’t really matter, saw Chan carrying you to the car last night and got plenty of photos that are now all over the internet. Dispatch is having a field day.” He said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

The color drained from your face and you felt a bit faint. “What?” Was all you said, Hyunjin was by your side in a second, placing a hand gently on your lower back as he guided you to a seat. “I’m so sorry I- I don’t know what to say.” “It’s not your fault, so you don’t have to say anything.” Minho huffed, keeping his gaze locked on the oldest member. “Don’t blame Chan either then- it was really late and Star looked so tired in those pictures I’m sure they were out cold.” Changbin spoke up, standing to be beside the leader. “When we left they were already struggling to keep their eyes open and that was way before they got home. “This all goes back to why you shouldn’t be staying so late in the studio, then. Or else this wouldn’t have happened.” Minho spat back, pointing an accusatory finger at the producers. “Please stop-“ you said, looking at them all with worry. “Is there anything I can do to make it better? We could say I’m staff and I wasn’t feeling well?” You suggested, sitting on the edge of your seat now. “That could work- stays would eat that up since Chan is already so kind to our staff.” Seungmin spoke, pondering the idea for a bit. “No.” Felix said, glaring at the floor. “We should just tell them the truth. Star is my friend and they’ve been hanging out at the company with us but stayed too late and fell asleep. It’s the same as if a staff member got sick, Chan is the gentleman he is and was giving them a ride home.” Everyone stared at the blonde, concerned and skeptical faces among them. “It would be less lying and then we don’t have to feel like we are sneaking around…..it’s not like anything scandalous is going on anyways.” He said that last bit with a little huff of annoyance, almost as if he wished there was. You looked down to where you were still in his shirt, blushing a bit. “I’ll talk it over with management before we make any statements but- that isn’t an awful idea…” Chan said, Minho actually nodding in agreement. “It could work. If you’re okay with that, Star….people will inevitably find out who you are and you’ll most likely be pushed into the public’s eye to a degree.” You say and thought it over for a bit, biting at your lower lip as you contemplated the possibility. “Well- if I know anything about fandom culture they probably already know who I am if they saw my face….as in like- my name and stuff. So I can’t see the harm it would do to be honest-“ you shrugged, looking at Felix before leaning into him for comfort seeing he still looked a bit upset. “Then it’s settled….I’ll talk with management once we finish dinner.” Chan spoke, nodding over to the food and everyone made their way over to make a plate for themselves besides you and Felix who stayed in your spots on the couch. “Lix….are you okay? Somethings been off today-“ you questioned him, rubbing his back softly as you looked into soft brown eyes. “It’s nothing- I’ll talk to you about it later, okay? Before we go to bed..” you nodded, biting your lower lip again before rising. “Okay. Let’s go get some food before it’s all gone, yeah?” Smiling up at you he nodded before taking your hand.

The whole rest of the evening you felt your stomach twisting in knots with the anxiety of what it could be that he wanted to talk about when the two of you were alone.

author’s note: ooohh what do we think Lixie is gonna have to say to Star?? ૮꒰ྀི∩' ᵕ '∩꒱ྀིა thank you so much for all the lovely feedback I’ve been getting I try to reply to everyone but sometimes I’m either not sure what to say or I just forget to and then feel like it’s been too long to say something when I do remember to and just- I’m a very anxious person if you hadn’t guessed already heh but anyways I hope you enjoy and look forward to the next update soon ᕱᕱ⊹ ࣪ ˖

tag list (if your name is pink it means I was unable to tag you); @softkisshyunjin @coastinglove @palindrome969 @amara-mars @whiteghostt @ihrtlix @queen-in-the-shadows @soaplickerrr @skzswife

[mxescargot]

Chinastuck: the alpha kids

Jane Crocker: 王艳芳 (Wang Yanfang). Goes by Fangfang. Lives in Beijing. Han Chinese, with some Korean ancestry.

for the name i sort of went off of pure vibes. wang is ubercommon and means "king", yan means beautiful and i honestly just added it so all the prospit kids could have Y names, fang means "sweet-smelling" or "virtuous".

transmasc jane crocker real to me and he chooses the name 敏敏 (Minmin) meaning "clever" bc detective vibe??

still figuring out how to incorporate crockercorp.

Roxy Lalonde: 刘天秀 (Liu Tianxiu). Lives in flooded, postapocalyptic Shanghai among carapacians. Kazakh and Jewish Han ancestry.

roxy to my understanding means something like "bright dawn". tianxiu means beautiful sky. they share the character xiu with rose's name, xiulan.

Dirk Strider: 赵强剑 (Zhao Qiangjian). Lives alone in postapocalyptic, flooded Chongqing. Jewish Han and Hmong ancestry.

qiang means "strong" or "surpassing" and jian means "sword/dagger", tying into his character and one of the meanings of dirk, a type of dagger. he may be from the mainland, but since He's Dirk he uses traditional and even archaic characters for the ✨vibe✨, much to the annoyance of the other alpha kids. he spells his own name as 趙彊劍 lmao

i feel like doll strider would choose the name 雪莲 (Xuelian), which both means "snow-white lotus", suggesting purity, and is the name of a rare and precious herb. lotuses also have religious significance which she is aware of although dirk is a lil bit of a snooty reddit atheist to me. again she'd spell lian as 蓮 for Dirk Reasons

dirk is as much of a weeb and brony as in canon. he likes yapping abt chinese/japanese/western cultural comparisions and tries to teach himself japanese.

Jake English: Angli, sinicized as 洋格李 (Yang Geli). Lives in rural Inner Mongolia. Mongolian.

mongolian names typically are only the given name. jake's name is literally "english"; post scratch jade named him this to spite the condesce, similar to her taking on the last name english in canon. this also reflects a somewhat old fashioned mongolian naming practice of giving a child a strange/inauspicious name to drive away misfortune. (i am not mongolian myself apologies if this explanation did not make much sense) the sinicization of his name starts with a Y to match all the other prospit kids, with the character 洋 meaning the ocean with a connotation of vastness. this references him growing up in the middle of the ocean.

i like transfem jake english choosing the name lara. in china its spelled 勞拉 👍

idk what other details to change abt jakes life... the general arc of it is similar obviously

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Come Out, Come Out

Warnings: noncon and violent elements. Warnings are not exhaustive. Please curate your reading accordingly.

Summary: you get an unwelcome visitor.

Based on this anon ask:

That reblog about Seb's hair: a dark simp character with a hair pulling kink? He purposefully keeps it long because he loves when you pull on it. Even if you're physically fighting him to get away, he'll be disappointed if you don't pull. About this post.

As always, please, please, please, send me your thoughts and feedback, horny and otherwise! Love you all so much 💗

You keep a hand over your mouth, your other arm wrapped around your knees as you huddle down in the cramped space. You listen to the footsteps only a few rooms over. The slow, deliberate pace taunting you. Searching, searching, searching, until you don’t hear any at all.

“Doll,” Bucky’s voice startles you, closer than you could’ve expected, “I know you’re here.”

He lets his steps make noise again. The light on the other side of the door flicks on. You cower as you stare at the yellow line slipping in from beneath the wood.

His soles scuff on the hardwood as he makes a patient progress around the room. The subtle shift of something being lifted sets your skin alight. You swallow down a gulp as you quiver in the dark closet. He clucks loudly and hums.

“I’m just checking in, like Steve told me to,” he says, “making sure you’re okay. How can I calm his worries… if you won’t show yourself?”

His irritation hangs in the last syllable. He sighs as he waits for you to wilt. Wait for you to give in and show yourself. But you can’t. You won’t. You shouldn't have let him know you’re there at all.

“You should’ve let me in when I told you to,” Bucky snarls, “now I gotta explain the tripped alarm to the blonde bozo.”

You push your knuckle into your mouth and bite down. Why can’t he leave you alone? Please, just go away.

“Tell you what, sugarplum, I’ll count to ten and if you come out before then, I won’t be mad.”

The threat is plain. It’s too late for all that. He’s already angry. You know better than to fall for it. It doesn’t matter if you come out now or later. He’s here and he didn’t come without a mission.

He laughs and claps his hands, “you’re really going to make me count?”

You curl your arm around your head as you slouch your shoulders. You keep your palm cupped around your mouth and steady your shallow breaths. Please, please, please.

“One,” he begins and punctuates it with a step, “two,” another, “three–” a third and his soles squeak as he turns sharply, the legs of a chair scraping on the floor. “Ah, of course, sugarplum, you’re too clever for that trick, aren't you?”

You push your lips together as your nose tingles. A tear spills out and rolls down your cheek, a salty line crisp along your skin. You close your eyes and make yourself as small as you can.

“Four,” he says louder than before, “five,” his tone takes on a mean lilt, “six!” A bang as the table jolts against the floor, “seven!” A chair sent into the wall to clatter back with a crack, “eight… doll, you’re playing a dangerous fucking game with me.”

Your throat clenches painfully and your eyes burn. Your horror streams down and pools along the bend of your fingers, curved around your mouth to hold in your fear.

“Nine,” his voice is shaky with rage as his march continues across the floor.

He laughs again. The air grows stolid as your ears prick and you listen. You don’t hear him. Nothing. Not a sound.

The knob wiggles and suddenly the door wigs outward. Yellow lights pours over you, quickly blocked out by his black silhouette. You squeak and hug your legs tight as you shake your head in helpless denial.

“Ten,” he announces in victory, “sugarplum,” he squats down before you as you keep your eyelids shut. A thin shield from his invasion. “I could hear your heart beat from the fucking gate.”

You wince as his metal fingers brush over your hair. He tuts and grabs a fistful, dragging you up as he stands. You exclaim as you hang from his grasp, on tiptoes as you brace your head and try to ease the fire in your scalp. Your eyes flick open and meet the deep valleys where his should be.

“Please,” you beg, “please, I was only scared–”

“Of me? Sugarplum, you know me.”

You whimper and grasp his wrist as you snivel, “you’re hurting me–”

“You made me,” he rasps, “hiding like a bad girl.” He backs out, bringing you with him into the light as he clicks his tongue again. “What am I gonna tell Steve, huh? That his best gal was so mean to his best pal? You know he doesn’t like it when you act out.” He caresses your cheek with his other hand, his real hand. “He cares so much about you, sugarplum, he sent me all the way here to make sure you’re behaving.”

You pout as you peer up into his bottomless irises, so deep and blue. His hair is floppy as it falls apart in the middle. He looks as if he’s only just woke up. Even in only a hoodie and jeans, he makes a formidable figure.

“I am–”

“Shhhh,” he puts his thumb and index around your chin, “don’t lie. I’ll have to tell him about that too if you do.”

You press your other hand to his chest, feeling the firm muscle through the thick layer of his sweater. He purrs at your touch and looks down, poking his tongue out as he takes in your desperate attempt at resistance. He smirks and his eyes meet yours again, a growl creeping up his throat.

“Don’t be too sad, doll, I like playing with you,” he purrs as he wrenches you away and spins you to face the table, “I love it when a little kitten shows their claws.”

His hand slips down from your hair to the nape of your neck. You plant your palms against the table, arms shaking as he puts his strength into you. His metal grip pinches cruelly as his other hand crawls lightly along the hem of your nightgown, toying with the little ruffle there.

“Did he pick this? Or did you?” He leans forward to exhale across your crown.

You whimper as you fight to keep yourself standing. He shoves you and your arms collapse. You land on your elbows and cry out again.

“You don’t gotta say it, we both know he tells you what to wear and you do it like the pretty little doll you are, huh.”

He keeps you bent and slaps your ass, groping you through the thin cotton, his thumb rubbing the print on the outside, “strawberries, mmm, so sweet.”

He pushes the fabric up slowly and slides his boot between your bare feet. He tickles along the curve of your ass and purrs. Bumps rise on your naked skin as he shoves you down further, crushing your arms beneath you until your face is against the polished wood.

His touch follows along the shape of your ass to your cunt. You quiver and clench as he rubs along your folds. Your feet arch as you struggle to keep your toes on the floor. He flutters his fingertips further and delves between your lips, rolling over your bud firmly.

You murmur and reach an arm across the table. You curl your nails against the wood and whine as you turn your head, weeping freely as you kick a foot against his calf. He squeezes your neck until you still, another sob heaving from your chest.

“Please,” you claw at the table as you beg, “please, let me go–”

He snickers and ignores your pathetic pleas. He plays with your clit, slides two fingers around it and squeezes. As the pressure thrums in your bud, he dips back and brings his roughened fingertips against the pinpoint of nerves. You moan as his touch sends a current of electricity coursing through you.

You slap the table, your palm squeaking across the polish. You try to drag yourself higher, try to free yourself from him, but the vice of his fingers only tightens around your neck. You gurgle and gulp frantically as his irritation shows in the motion of his fingers.

“Be sweet for me, sugarplum,” he sneers as he pokes along your entrance, “hmm, I know you can be.”

He dips two fingers into you, stretching you to his knuckles. You walls clench him as you mewl. He wiggles his hand, keeping his fingers buried deep inside you. Your breath hitches and a shaky moan escapes your lungs.

“Mm, feels like ole cap’s been taking it easy on you,” he slides his fingers back slowly, hovering them just along your entrance as he lines up a third.

He pushes against your cunt, inch by inch he stretches you. You throw your arm back blindly, your fingers dancing fruitlessly along your ass as you try to stop him. You lift your head as far as you can as he works his fingers deeper. You arch your back as your thighs flex and quake.

He kicks your feet further apart and rams in to his knuckles. You yelp and drop your head, retracting your hand to bring a fist against the tabletop. He tilts his hand, rocking harshly against you as he jerks your body with each thrust.

“Look at that pussy. Clinging to me… desperate for me,” he gloats, “fuck, he’s barely gone a week and you’re tight as fuck.”

You sniffle and cover your face. You bend your arm over your head and rest your hand on his metal one, another pathetic attempt to push him away.

You can hear it. Hear how your body reacts without your permission. How he steals what he wants from you.

He drags his fingers out of you, smearing the betrayal up your ass and giving a mean pinch. He rescinds his touch, shifting behind you, boots set against your feet.

He bends his knees and you feel the naked graze of his tip again you. A new chill ripples up your spine. You grit your teeth as he rubs up and down your cunt, tapping along your entrance as if to mock your futility.

He centres himself and prods at you. Leaning in only to relent, basking in your weak whimpers and hollow whines. He frames his dick with his fingers and pushes into you. You can't help but sob louder as he invades you.

You gnash your teeth as he rocks himself deeper and deeper. You groan and once more claw at his hand against your neck. He slips it away to gather the fabric of your nightgown behind your waist. Twisting it taut as he carries a steady rhythm with his hips.

Your muscles rack as your cheek presses to the table and your arms fold helplessly at your sides. He grunts as he sinks to his limit, snapping his pelvis so you yipe. He chuckles and speeds up, goaded on by the disparity in your strength.

He releases the knot of fabric and trails his hand up your back. He hooks his hand around your shoulder and bends over you, rutting harder as he puffs against your hair.

"If you let me in, I don't have to break down the walls, doll," he snarls.

You moan and fling your hand back, latching onto the lock of hair that tickles your ear. He grunts as you tug, trying to hurt him anyway you can. He leans in and nips the back of your ear.

"You like it," he pants, "I grew it out so you got something to hang onto."

He laughs again. The derisive snicker turns your blood to ice. You can't hurt a man who feels nothing.

He slams against your ass mercilessly and you grasp his hair tighter. He fucks you without measure, frantically pumping into you as his head drapes down beside yours. His metal fingers dig into your shoulder tighter and tighter as his other hand frames your hip.

You yank the tangled strand again as you heave. It's not about hurting him any longer. It's about getting through it, that is until he's back again.

[peijizerojournal]

re: 'khaos reigns'

i have SO much to say about it lol but i'm still gathering my thoughts. all i know for sure is : even though the bar (in regards to quality of story and characterization) was on the floor, i am still, yet again, extremely disappointed !

(rant/review/spoilers below. will maybe add to this, but also maybe not. just purging some of my thoughts lol)

in a nutshell,

the way liu kang, kuai liang, cyrax, sektor and bi-han's characters were all deviously misrepresented was just appalling.

kuai liang is depicted as heartless, arrogant and temperamental. posturing as a 'grandmaster' even though he's done nothing but usurp authority by establishing a 'clan of his own' and pointing the finger at everybody but himself. lecturing cyrax about honour... pfft.

liu kang is strangely unforgiving and not very compassionate (he was literally more gracious in how he handled shang tsung/quan chi over bi-han?? like what??) not to mention his lack of urgency with dispatching of havik and rescuing geras. instead of extending some authentic benevolence to bi-han, he instead goads and chastises him after his transformation, and fails to elaborate further when they have their brief interaction regarding his hopes for a different future. the miscommunication between them -- in other words -- continues to be infuriating.

sektor doing nothing but being comically op and fawning over bi-han every three seconds is so all over the place, like they couldn't decide or couldn't find a nuanced balance in her persona (an issue with many characters, it seems...). while i thought she was the most accurately characterized out of all of these major players, her defining traits such as her obsession with the cyber initiative and boosting the lin kuei's position are not made so clear in the actual story? instead the writers chose to focus on her over-the-top, one-sided adulation toward bi-han. it makes her so hard to take seriously as a threat or as the next acting-grandmaster. another storytelling fail!

cyrax starts off the dlc defiantly, standing up for what she believes in and deciding to help the shirai ryu, yet during the rest of the story, she has no agency and just follows kuai around profusely apologizing for something she didn't even do (and kuai was relishing in that shift of power.... gross.)

and bi-han... i think that situation speaks for itself. missing chunks of the leak script and clever editing in the trailers left most of the fanbase baited and switched, and not to mention literally anything could happen next because of the lack of commitment to any of the lore and to even the timeline itself. many of the tower endings contradict much of the intro dialogue and the campaign itself. i guess by introducing alternate timelines and universes so early on, it gives the writers fair game to retcon anything and everything. which, effectively, pulvarizes any meaning for liu kang's 'new era' going forward.

i could keep ranting but, in short: 'khaos reigns' was rushed, boring, full of poor characterization and enough 'macguffins' and 'red herrings' fit for a superhero movie. so many plot holes and loose ends that weren't followed up on (like hello, what's with the hand on noob's hip? and where the hell did titan havik go at the end? was he banished? what about the kamidogu???). there were so many missed opportunities to flesh out preexisting conflicts too, and the pacing of everything from dialogue to the transitions between chapters was completely disjointed. all the characters actions were seemingly shortsighted and many of the decisions made led to nowhere and nothing really changed by the end. nobody went through any real character arc or growth, nobody knows what happened to our over-hyped 'villain of the week,' and the tower endings cancel out the dlc's true ending, essentially making all of it, and none of it, 'canonically accurate.'

it's clear whoever's writing this has no respect or insight for the source material, and is just doing whatever they want: whatever's popular, whatever sells, right? the one thing about a multiverse story is, you can keep that going forever. the possibilities are endless, and if they don't like something... it can be changed with a snap of the finger. kind of reminds me of one of supernatural's awful later seasons, or destiny 2's "shadowkeep" expansion. 'khaos reigns' comes across as a shoehorned seasonal narrative that exists solely to sell noob, cyrax and sektor and little else.

oh yeah, and the future dlc's that are sure to come.

[its-not-a-pen]

1460th day as the prime minister of han and you are the enemy general at my mercy. since your absolute loser of a liege lord is MIA you agree to work for me until he returns and in exchange i agree not to raze your city to the ground and put every rebel to the sword. i hope this magnanimous gesture will convince you of my good intentions. 

1461st day as the prime minister of han in order to knock you down a few pegs i try to sabotage your integrity by making you share a room with your loser liege lord's two wives but you just stand outside the door all night with a candle and aren't tempted at all. (i am honestly baffled, as far as i'm concerned other people's wives are utterly irresistible.)

1462nd day as the prime minister of han, my advisor tells me it's easier to catch flies with honey so i begin plying you gifts and pretty serving girls but you keep sending them to your loser liege lord's wives. instead of passing the evening with me engaged in gentlemanly conversation, you spend long hours drying their tears and reassuring them their loser husband is safe. i can't say i'm not annoyed by the snub but your filial piety is commendable

1463rd day as the prime minister of han and even with my considerable intellect, i cannot understand why a man of your skills would chose to serve such an unworthy master. that sanctimonious sandal-weaver has lost nearly every battle he's fought (most of them against me), yet heroes still flock to his cause and peasants aid him at every turn. how does he inspire such loyalty?

1464th day as the prime minister of han, i definitely will not be throwing you an extravagant banquet every day because that's just desperate! i'm only throwing them every fifth day and small ones every third day. do you not like the silk-and-gold robes i've been sending you? you can speak plainly, general, i wont be offended. do they not fit? i must see for myself, please disrobe--

1465th day as the prime minister of han and you finally join me for a drink. i've forgotten how nice this is, in between fighting bandits, quashing rebellions and running 1/3 of a country i've not had much time to myself. the wine loosens your tongue and you talk about brotherhood, sacrifise and sacred oaths in a peach garden, things i've heard about but never seen, like the qilin and other such fantastical beasts but you're so sincere i can't even bring myself to scoff at you. i've lived my entire life looking over my shoulder; better to betray than be betrayed, that's my motto. i've never known anything else.

1466th day as the prime minister of han and i give you a silk bag to protect your long, handsome beard after you made an offhand comment about the whiskers getting brittle in winter. the emperor himself remarked upon it and even though you were humble and self-effacing as always, i preened. it pleases me that you look so well under my patronage, yet your eyes are so troubled. i must not be doing enough, time to consult my advisor again...

1467th day as the prime minister of han i noticed your green battle-coat was threadbare so I fashioned a replacement made of the rarest brocade but you only ever wear it under the old coat loser liege lord gave you because having a piece of him around eases your heart. i don't even have a clever quip for that. although in hindsight i should have expected this turn of events given your utter indifference to that loser's wives and my pretty serving girls. 

1468th day as the prime minister of han, i give you the fastest horse in the world and to my surprise you're elated, bowing and thanking me profusely. then you go and ruin the moment by telling me how grateful you are because it means you will be able to travel quickly to your loser liege lord when you discover his location and now i wish i'd turned that damn beast into glue. this is the first time i've ever seen you smile.

1469th day as the prime minister of han, a verse came to me during our walk through the woods; "the magpie flies south and circles the tree three times. where shall he rest?" i want you to stay. i want you to be mine. lead my armies and help me bring order to the realm, i'll raise you monuments and immortalise your name. alas, the bitter irony is not lost on me, i want you for your loyalty but your loyalty is the reason you cannot stay. if you could have been persuaded i would have lost my respect for you.

1470th day as the prime minister of han and news arrives that your loser liege lord is alive. my advisor tells me that you won't leave until you've repaid my kindness. i guess i better keep you away from the action and hope the next few months are boring and uneventful. in the meantime why don't you try on this new robe! no, i don't mind you undressing here--

1471th day as the prime minister of han and my city is under attack. you single-handedly break the siege and bring me the enemy leader's head. hospitality repaid, you ride off without a backwards glance and i watched the horizon long after you have disappeared.

4391th day as the prime minister of han. I trust you've been well, general, since we last met. I often dreamed that you would return to me, we'd sit under the trees and drink a toast for old times sake. As far as reunions go, the middle of an ambush is not very auspicious. Our roles are reversed, I am the bleeding hart and you are the faithful hound. by rights you should have delivered me straight to your master but instead you let me limp away. why did you do it my beautiful, foolish, loyal general? you know i will only cause you grief. this war will not end as long as i draw breath. this country cannot have three kingdoms any more than a single mountain can have three tigers. 

-epilogue-

last year as the king of wei and i trust you've been well, general, since we last met...

notes under the cut:

It's a truth universally acknowledged that any funny joke on tumblr.com will be run into the ground.

this is a spoof of the 2nd Century Warlord by @romanceyourdemons

1/ Events are based on the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, supplemented by historical events.

2/ In 196 AD, Warlord Cao Cao moves the capital of China to his territory of Xu City with the Emperor as his puppet. His offical title is the General-in-Chief (大將軍) although I've gone with the more recognisable "Prime Minister". In 200 AD, Cao Cao captured General Guan Yu, who was serving under Liu Bei.

3/Book!Cao Cao is portrayed as a villain and his name is literally synonymous with the devil in Chinese culture. IRL Cao Cao was considered to be a wise and capable ruler. I've decided to bridge the gap a little.

4/ Cao Cao (and sons) were very influential poets, the line "the magpie flies south" is a passage from the Unnamed Magpie Poem, after consolidating power, Cao Cao encourages all the best and brightest in his kingdom to flock to his court.

5/ "I dreamt of you, general" monologue taken verbatim from the 2010 tv show. People in the han dynasty were battling demons and that demon is bisexuality.

6/ Book!Cao Cao does not actually think Liu Bei is a loser, he considers him to be "one of the only two heroes in the world". but my god, you can pry that alliteration out of my cold, dead hands.

[byeuijoo]

fake a kiss and heal a heart 𐀔 han dongmin

⠀⠀⠀chapter one. : a broken heart and an unexpected gesture.

warnings : alcohol consumption, kissing, angst if you squint, a kind of panic attack ⋆ word count : 4,034

serie masterlist ✩ boynextdoor masterlist

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ୨ ✩ ୧

MAYBE DONGMIN SHOULDN'T HAVE LISTENED TO JAEHYUN THIS TIME, perhaps he should have taken it upon himself to endure all the sadness in the world without taking action. what a clever idea it had been to hire someone totally unknown to him to play the role of his fake girlfriend and accompany him to an unimportant student party.

on your side, the end of the month was pretty hard on the money, so an extra income wouldn't go amiss. donghyun suggested this idea after stumbling across this unreliable site : a complete directory of people willing to be paid just to look pretty and stand next to random people for one occasion or another. at first, you didn't give it much thought. but since you knew your favorite artist was coming to your town, you had to save every penny you could to pay for your concert ticket. that's why you decided to take the plunge and create your profile, hoping that at least one person would find you attractive enough to hire you.

and that's what led you to your current situation, walking briskly through the crowded city streets, under the light of the streetlamps, to reach the person who had contacted you earlier in the day. it was probably a bit hasty, and you probably wouldn't have time to learn much about why you ended up accompanying him, but it shouldn't have been too complicated. looking again at the photo of himself that he had kindly sent you earlier, a small smile spread across your face as you realized that, at least, he didn't seem to be an old pervert dude interested in young female students. after a few last minutes of walking, you found yourself at the rendezvous point, looking around for any sign of his presence. furrowing your eyebrows to get a better look at the faces of the people around you, you finally spot him, leaning against a stone wall, headphones on.

trotting over to him, you finally tapped his shoulder, which caught his attention and created a look of surprise on his face. « hey, you're han dongmin, am i right? » you asked softly, tilting your head to the side with a smile as he dropped his headphones around his neck. the black-haired boy nodded, and you could see the tips of his ears redden slightly — cute, you think. « i'm y/l/n y/n, nice to meet you. » you added, leaning forward slightly to greet him, before he did the same.

he seemed shy and unsure of himself, and you could easily guess that the idea of hiring you didn't come from him. his honeyed eyes seemed lost and unsure of themselves — as if they were trying to figure out what to say or what emotion to use. « what time do we have to be at this student party? » you say, changing the subject so as not to make him uncomfortable, while looking at the time on your watch. a small, almost inaudible oh escaped his lips before he looked down at his phone, holding out his hand as if to guide your path, « you follow me? »

his voice was soft, like the lullabies sung by mothers when you're little. it was as if he was afraid to speak too loudly. nodding as you began to walk, dongmin followed your movements, staying close to you. « so.. your name is dongmin and you're 19, right? » you asked, tucking your hands into your jacket pockets to keep the cold from attacking your skin. « uh? oh, yea. » he replied, staring at the road ahead. « we're the same age, » you suddenly felt his gaze settle on your side, which prompted you to continue, « i'm glad you're not a weirdo.. i was a little afraid i'd run into an old pervert. »

dongmin nodded positively, raising his hands and shaking them as if to claim his innocence, « i promise i'm not weird, » he said, insisting that he really wasn't weird at all, « i'm just a little unsettled, i'm not used to doing thing like this. »

you understood how he felt. so you nodded in turn, turning your benevolent gaze on his face, offering him the sincerest of smiles. « i could feel it, » you admit, shrugging your shoulders, « but that's normal since we don't know each other and i'm literally here to play your fake girlfriend. »

his cheekbones flushed, a light red-pinkish shade on it, in contrast to his eyes, which were painted with a glint of sadness. so the subject must have been a sensitive one — but you needed to know a little more. « can you tell me why i'm here, dongmin? » he wasn't surprised by your question, but a sigh left his pretty heart-shaped lips right after it.

« my girlfriend broke up with me a month ago, and i don't want her to see that i'm still moping about our breakup, » he let slip this explanation from his lips, as he carelessly tucked his headphones into the backpack he was carrying, « well, my now ex girlfriend. » you hummed in reply, nibbling your bottom lip as you look away from his face. he seemed really devastated by the situation, you could tell by the way his demeanor had suddenly changed. he seemed to close in on himself, looking all around him as if he were panicking, and the way his thumb played frantically with his rings. you had to do something to divert his attention and help him relax, otherwise his plan would fall through completely.

then you suddenly stopped walking, hooking your fingers into his sleeve to prevent him from advancing any further. and when his questioning gaze landed on your face, you offered him a gentle smile. « everything will be fine, » you started, letting his arm fall back along his chest, « i'll be there to help and support you, okay? »

dongmin took the time to observe you properly, for the first time since you two met a few minutes ago. you were smaller than he was, you sounded fragile, yet your voice exuded boldness and unparalleled assurance. he was slightly jealous — you wore so much confidence on your face, when he could barely look you in the eye. he wasn't usually so shy, so reserved, but the reason for your meeting made him nervous without knowing why. it was probably the fact that he'd spent all his savings on a fake girlfriend, with the sole aim of making his ex-girlfriend jealous. it's ridiculous, he thought, finally looking away from your gentle, kind face. however, he had really chosen the prettiest girl on the website to accompany him.

« yea, thank you. » he finally says, gesturing you to walk again with a simple nod of the head. sliding in beside him with a smile, you didn't dare ask any more questions, as you didn't want to accentuate the sadness that was currently occupying the whole of his heart.

after many long minutes and a dark sky, dongmin stopped moving forward, staring at a point in front of him. following his gaze, your eyes landed on a house that seemed crowded with people — loud music blared from the open windows and people chatted on the porch just in front. finally raising your eyes to the boy beside you, you watched his gaze suddenly devoid of all confidence.

he was on the verge of running away and turning back, but your hand on his shoulder drew his attention to you. « eh, you can do it, » you announced softly, like a whisper that only he could hear, « i'll be by your side from beginning to end. »

he couldn't explain why he found a certain reassurance in your low voice, or how the way you spoke didn't make him doubt your sincerity. you had to play a role, sure, but why were you such a good actress? he didn't know what to answer : he was caught between the desire to show everyone that he was not the sad and depressed boy they all thought, and the desire to run away from all this charade which only accentuated the pain in his chest. and anyway, what was he going to do if he suddenly found himself face to face with her? sure, you were there, but what was really your role in this situation? stay silent by his side and smile at his ex? he couldn't put you through this when you had been so nice to him from the beginning. biting his lower lip while juggling his gaze between your reassuring face and this big house, a shiver ran down his arm when suddenly your cold fingers intertwined with his. and for the first time, his eyes looked into yours.

« eh, han dongmin, » you started to say, taking a step forward towards him, « i'm here to help you, okay? » then, your thumb mechanically caressing his skin caused a comforting warmth to rise along his spine, « we're going to show her together what she lost. »

the boy observed you for a few seconds, before sighing, closing his eyes while applying pressure around your hand clinging to his — then he nodded, gently pulling on your arm to pull you in with him. he didn't notice the little victorious smile on your lips after that, way too busy not to chicken out until he get through the front door. he didn't bother to ring the bell or even knock, immediately going inside and dragging you with him. a few glances landed on both of you, and where dongmin completely ignored them, you responded with a charming smile of which only you held the secret. his hand didn't let go of yours until you reached what you assumed was the kitchen — where he hastened to serve you two glasses of alcohol. which he swallowed in one gulp.

you quickly grabbed his hand, removing the now empty red plastic cup from it, sad eyes settling on your face. « eh there, slow down a bit okay? » a scoff left your lips, placing his glass on the counter next to you, as he lowered his head in a defeatist gesture, « hiding yourself in alcohol won't help you anything. » you explained to him, patting the top of his head with your free hand.

« did you see her? » you asked, taking a sip of your drink as you watched him settle into one of the high stools around the counter. dongmin nodded negatively, rubbing the bridge of his nose without bothering to respond to you verbally. « do you want to play a game? » you said suddenly, pushing your arms up to sit comfortably on the counter, next to his stool. the black-haired boy looked up, his eyes meeting yours as you shook your shoulders, « to pass time. it could be funny. »

he didn't hate the idea of ​​playing a game with you — but he didn't have the faith to make the slightest effort to move. so after a few ideas, you suggested the game of twenty questions with the simple aim of getting to know each other. after all, even as a fake girlfriend, it would be safer to know some details of his personality. « alright.. i'll let you start. » he declared, turning around to pour himself a second cup of alcohol, without you stopping him this time. pretending to think, you stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before returning your gaze to him, « what are your hobbies? »

swallowing a few sips of his drink before answering you, dongmin gave you the opportunity to look at him silently. you had to admit that he was very handsome — and a boy as handsome as him would not be common in the streets. when he finally spoke, you leaned forward slightly to hear him more clearly, not wanting to let the music disturb your conversation. « i like to make music. i like writing songs and composing melodies, » he explained, and you saw the little flame of excitement in his eyes disappear as quickly as it had appeared, « it's the only thing i'm good at anyway.. »

wrinkling your nose as you jostle his shoulder, dongmin ignored you as he continued downing his glass of alcohol. « okay, my turn, » he said, staring at the ground, « why are you doing this? »

rolling your eyes at his question, not finding it interesting in your opinion, you placed your hands against the surface behind you. « i give you three reasons, you choose the one that suit you best, » you replied, and before he could protest, you cut him off by continuing, « one, because you're pretty hot. two, i need some money. and three, because i was bored. which of the three do you prefer? » — tilting your head to look at his face, he rolled his eyes before finishing his second drink, « the second is the most plausible. »

what a shame, you would have preferred that he chose the first one. you weren't going to complain — especially since he seemed to have relaxed since you arrived at the party. a smile took place on your lips as you thought about your next question : part of you wanted to ask him what happened to make him so sad, but on the other, you feel like it was an intrusion into his private life that concerned you in no way. so you simply changed your mind, not wanting to appear intrusive. « why did you choose me? » you asked, as he leaned back so that his back was against the counter. you watched him shrug as he played with the rim of his cup, « you didn't look like a psycho. and it was my friend who chose you, all i did was contact you. »

a sulky pout played on your lips as you looked away from his silhouette — you couldn't say why, but the fact that the idea of choosing you didn't come from him made your heart sink. sniffing before finishing your drink and leaving the cup on the side, dongmin raised his chin towards you and stared at the profile of your face without saying a word. trying to avoid meeting his gaze, you puffed up your cheeks and chattered on the marble with your fingernails — until his delicate fingers encircle your wrist, suddenly attracting your attention. « what? » you say, pulling slightly on your arm to loosen his grip, but your eyes met the pretty smirk on his lips, making you stop moving.

« are you disappointed? » he said suddenly, a scoff leaving his tongue right after. turning away and looking up at the ceiling, you decided to ignore his remark and continue sulking in your corner. a crystalline laugh escaped from his mouth, which somehow filled you with happiness — it was the first sincere laugh you'd ever heard from him. dongmin swiveled around again to pour himself a third glass, but you didn't understand how he could do it without letting go of your wrist. you could still feel the warmth of his fingers around your skin as he took a sip of his beverage. he seemed reassured and in a better mood than earlier in the evening — which was a good thing.

not wanting to disturb him further, you raised your eyes to look around you, until your gaze falls on a face so pretty you could have fallen backwards. « do you know this girl? » you asked innocently, not thinking for a single second that it could be the girl who haunted the young boy's thoughts. dongmin raised his head slowly, his eyes filled with apprehension — and suddenly, his hand around your wrist tightening slightly. he felt like he was running out of air, like he was suffocating, as if all the oxygen in the room had disappeared. the pressure on your muscle caught your attention, and you hastened to place your alcohol on the counter to help him. « eh, eh, what is going on? » you asked, placing your hands on his cheeks in panic, lifting his face tenderly so his eyes locked on yours, « han dongmin, look at me. »

he was trying not to panic, to breathe properly and not to juggle so quickly between your two eyes — but his heart in his chest hurt so much that he felt like someone was tearing it away. his jerky breathing was of great concern to you, so you stepped down from the counter to find yourself closer to him, placing one of your hands on his distraught heart. « eh, listen to me, » you started, looking him directly in the eye, « do as i do. breathe in... breathe out... breathe in, breathe out... that's it, that's good. »

after a long minute of controlled breathing, you felt his heartbeat return to a steady speed under your fingers. he seemed to have come back to his senses. « how do you feel? » you asked softly, tucking the strands of his hair back correctly on his forehead. dongmin nodded, patting your shoulder in thanks, « awful. but.. thank you, y/n. »

just as you were ready to answer him, a smile tugging at your lips, a voice suddenly came from behind you. you could see his face turn as white as a sheet, and his eyes slowly move up to stare at a point — a person, behind you. turning to face the voice, you came face to face with the pretty smile of the girl you understood to be the ex-girlfriend of the boy beside you. « hey, taesan. it's been a long time. » she said suddenly, making you frown. taesan? is this a nickname they used between each other?

dongmin rose from his stool, now standing beside you and scratching the back of his neck. « hey jieum, how have you been? » his voice was much more confident than you'd expected, and the look she gives him doesn't seem to frighten him. so.. her name is jieum, that's pretty, you think. there was nothing about her that seemed ugly : her face was flawless, her smile was to die for, she was tall and slender, she had lovely pianist's hands, and her voice sounded like those used in children's night show, the kind of soft voice that grazes your heart with a gentle kiss. you could almost be jealous of the soft, gentle aura emanating from her, but you remembered that she had to have one little flaw that led her to lose possession of dongmin's heart.

you hadn't followed the conversation in front of you, far too busy analyzing the girl as if she were an object of experience, until you hear your name roll off your new friend's tongue, « this is y/n. y/n this is jieum. »

arming yourself with your best smile, you leaned forward slightly to greet her, looking her straight in the eye, « nice to meet you, jieum. dongmin told me a lot about you. » — a sparkle suddenly appeared in her eyes, and her warm hand came into contact with your shoulder, as she gave you this look full of innuendo, « for the better, i hope ! »

you didn't have time to reply when a fourth person joined the conversation : another boy. glancing at him, then at dongmin, you can see something break in his eyes, as if someone had just thrust a dagger deeper into his heart. diverting your eyes from his face, you subtly slipped your hand into his, squeezing his fingers between yours in a reassuring and comforting gesture.

« ah, guys, meet my boyfriend, his name is sungho ! sungho, this is taesan, and his friend y/n. » she explained, smiling broadly as if the sun had just come into the room. you understood why dongmin had trouble getting over the breakup : jieum was mesmerizing. but what worried you most right now was how he must have felt after learning that this guy was the one to replace him. your hand gripped his more firmly, as you made small talk with the two new people so he doesn't have to worry about it. then after long minutes that seemed like years to the young boy, jieum and sungho waved goodbye and wandered further into the room, leaving you alone with a dongmin even more broken than before.

you tore your gaze away from jieum to meet the boy's devastated face, emotionless eyes staring into space as if nothing mattered anymore. then, when he felt your hand tug on his, his tear-filled gaze locked with yours, « don't cry.. » you whispered, your thumb tenderly caressing his pale skin.

but a hiccup escaped his lips, as he tried at all costs to hold back his tears. « she looks at you. don't cry now, she doesn't deserve your tears. » you explained, bringing your free hand up to his cheek to brush away the pearl of salt water that had just escaped from the corner of his eye. then, biting your lower lip, you looked him straight in the eye, « do you trust me? »

dongmin didn't know what to say : how could he trust a girl he'd only just met? but part of him felt that you were good for his heart's well-being. those last few hours with you proved to him that you wanted nothing more than his well-being. so he nodded, briskly, up and down, looking into the whites of your eyes. and in the madness of the moment, it took him a few seconds to realize that something warm was suddenly against his lips.

your hand against his cheek held his face in place, as you dared to kiss an almost stranger for the sole purpose of making his ex-girlfriend jealous. dongmin's lips tasted like alcohol — which you sensed even more when the pressure of his lips against your mouth grew stronger. his previously empty hand was now placed behind your neck, holding your face close, as he closed his eyes to appreciate the exchange more fully. it was pleasant to kiss han dongmin — but what wasn't, however, was feeling all the sadness of his heart against your lips. he seemed to want to get rid of everything that was eating him up inside, as if all his emotions were too hard to feel on his own.

then, after a few seconds, he finally pulled away from you, his pupils juggling back and forth in the depths of your eyes. « you don't cry anymore.. » you whispered, your index finger tenderly caressing his cheekbone. dongmin nodded slightly, not willing to move one millimetre away from you, before speaking in a broken, weak voice, « we're getting out of here, um? »

nodding positively in turn, you took a step back to retrieve your jacket, putting it on in a hurry, before pulling dongmin by the hand to the front door. passing by jieum, you unintentionally gave her a provocative look, knowing full well that she had witnessed your entire kiss scene. you didn't want to get angry with her, you just wanted to know and understand what she could have done to break this poor boy's heart into a million little pieces. for the little you knew, it was she who had decided to end this relationship, and it was also she who already had a fresh new little boyfriend. perhaps she'd lost her love for him, in which that case, she'd done nothing wrong? but it seemed far too easy, bearing in mind that dongmin was really devastated. nodding politely to her, you end up continuing your walk to the door, before leaving this place and taking a disturbed han dongmin with you.

[bbyquokka]

Just saw Han’s star nails and idk why but I can imagine him letting you paint his nails and he can’t help but coo at how concentrated you are and he’s just admiring how excited you are trying out a new design 🥺

lazy days and painted nails

FLUFF BELOW CUT – MINORS, AGELESS & DEFAULT BLOGS; DNI

warnings: gn reader, idol jisung, established relationship words: 0.5k ~ (587)

dont repost. dont translate. feedback and reblogs are highly advised and appreciated!

“baby, it's time.” jisung looks up at you from his position on the bedroom floor. lay flat on his stomach in just a white vest and grey sweats pants with a manga in front of him.

it's stray kids comeback in a few weeks and jisung is taking this time to relax for a while before things start getting hectic again. he doesn't mind things being chaotic, he likes it, keeps him busy. but he hates being away from you so he wants to spend the free time he has now with you as much as possible.

“nails?” he asks as you sit down on a pillow in front of him. you nod as you put the nail polishes, file and clippers down.

“comeback is soon and i want to do your nails.”

“ok. be my guest baby.” jisung sits up, willingly giving you his right hand. you like painting his nails just as much as he likes watching you do his nails. it's like you're with him when he is away, in a weird yet beautiful way.

“what design are you thinking off?” he asks, watching you file his nails and get rid of the dead skin and cuticles.

“something to do with stars. was thinking stars on all your fingers because y'know, five star.” you giggle.

“clever. just like the album, i love it.” your cheeks turn a soft pink colour as you open the nail polishes. you start by painting his nails, careful not to flood his cuticles or get any on his skin.

jisung watches you, smiling to himself. he reaches out with his free hand to tuck your hair behind your ear gently, which causes the tips of your ears to turn red and heart to thump like crazy against your rib cage.

“you're so beautiful, yn.”

“shh. don't make me lose focus.” you mumble.

“i can't help but speak my mind when it comes to you.” you give jisung a simple “mhm”, a sign that you're half listening. you stick your tongue out in concentration, one of the many habits jisung loves about you.

“even now you're acting so cute. with your tongue sticking out and the way your cheeks are so pink because of me.”

“ji!!” you whine, sticking out your bottom lip as you mess up one of the points of the star. “now i have to start all over again.”

“don't” jisung stops you from grabbing the remover by grabbing your hand gently. he intertwines his fingers with yours, pulling you closer to him.

you stutter. your faces are getting dangerously closer and closer to each other.

he's so close. you can see the fine detail of his textured skin. the skin on his lips, the mole on his cheek. his long lashes and cute button nose.

“you don't want me to fix it up?” you whisper, as you close your eyes.

“no.”

“but why.” jisung pulls you onto his lap gently, holding your waist. his breath fans against your lips as he leans in, tilting his head to the side.

“because it shows that someone i love has done my nails. i don't want them to look perfect, i want people to know, to see that you did my nails. it feels like you're with me.”

you whimper softly as his lips press against yours in a gentle, sweet and delicate kiss. your lips move together in sync, creating a perfect rhythm that allows you both to get lost in.

“it's imperfectly perfect and i love that.”

note: anon, we must have the same mind because i too, also thought about painting his nails and just soft bf jisung. im so soft for him, more than usual and idk anymore. f u jisung /af

tags (open): @sstarryoong ; @myprwttyhan ; @fairylouist ; @septicrebel ; @bbujiikseu ; @alyszaen ; @writerracha ; @aestheticsluut ; @xcookiemonsteer

[amethystina]

Do you think Yo Han would like Ga On creating plans and organising schemes post canon or would his protective instincts kick in? Because we've seen the way he looked at Ga On before when it happened, but do think it would be the same later, especially if he was in Switzerland and not nearby in case for backup

I think he would be pretty torn between the two.

I mean, it's clear that Yo Han loves it when Ga On shows off how clever and resourceful he can be, so of course he'd want to encourage it as much as possible. He spent the entire drama trying to teach Ga On his manipulative, wicked ways and encourage him to be more loose with his morals. And even if Ga On always chooses a more legally acceptable route, Yo Han would still be delighted and so goddamn proud every time Ga On plans and executes a scheme.

I mean, just look at Yo Han's face during the entirety of Kim Choong Sik's first trial — i.e. the one where Ga On took the lead and planned their strategy. Yo Han looks like he's having the time of his goddamn life, smiling to himself like the proud Abyss that he is. And don't get me started on that part where Ga On asks if he may step down and talk to the defendant and Yo Han agrees, basically going: "Of course, bb, you go get him."

These two, I swear.

Point being, Yo Han clearly trusts Ga On to plot and scheme — he seemed to give him more or less free rein on more than one occasion — and he's always curious and excited to see what Ga On comes up with. But, just like you say, things might be different after the end of the drama.

Because during most of those instances, Yo Han was always there to rectify any mistakes or miscalculations Ga On made — like when they were trying to bribe Cha Kyung Hee's secretary. The only reason that worked was because Yo Han stepped in and took over since, unfortunately, Ga On's tactic wasn't working. And like Yo Han points out in that moment: Ga On might have the tools but doesn't always know how to use them.

In the baby deer's defence, he's still learning.

But that makes it pretty clear that while Yo Han trusts Ga On to a very high degree, he still likes to maintain a certain amount of control. He still wants to be there, just in case. And, I mean, that probably only got worse post-canon since one of the few times when Yo Han wasn't there to supervise, Ga On's plan was to blow himself up and Yo Han only managed to save him with literal seconds to spare.

So to say that Yo Han would be a bit nervous at the thought of Ga On scheming without him is an understatement.

Not that Yo Han necessarily thinks that Ga On will try to blow himself up again, but it's clear that Ga On doesn't always remember to consider the big picture. He sometimes misses details and doesn't always have backup plans, especially if he gets too emotional to think beyond his main objective. Ga On is reckless and impatient and, depending on who his opponents are, that could be deadly.

So Yo Han's protective instincts would definitely kick in, I think. Not to the point where he'd try to stop Ga On — because, again, he loves to watch his vicious little darling eviscerate people — but he'd want to be there, just in case.

Which, yes, is another reason why Yo Han decided to return to Korea in Who Holds the Devil that he has elected not to mention to Ga On. He wants to be there and protect Ga On from outside threats, sure, but he also wants to make sure that Ga On doesn't get any wild ideas and puts himself in danger. Which is why Yo Han is so eager to hear about all the cases Ga On is working on. Yo Han knows they're all very low-stakes at the moment, but it's good to be cautious. He wants to make sure that Ga On doesn't take any unnecessary risks.

Not because Yo Han doesn't trust Ga On — he does — he just wants to keep an eye on Ga On's blind spots to prevent anyone from exploiting them. To keep supervising him, if you will. And I think it would make him very nervous if he was in Switzerland, yes, since he'd be too far away to physically intervene or provide support.

He just doesn't want to lose any more people he cares about — and especially not Ga On.

But, again, he also wouldn't stop him. So I guess Yo Han just has to live with the fact that he can never let Ga On out of his sight ever again?

Oh how unfortunate ;D

[lettersfromaphrodite]

[17.15]

― pairing : Han Jisung x fem! reader ― content warnings : smut, fluff, sub Jisung, soft dom reader, college au, slight corruption kink, friends to lovers, unprotected sex, Jisung is a whiny and needy and that’s all you need to know ― word count : 2.113

― notes : this fic looks familiar? it is! I’m reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome 💌

«Please, can we take a break?» you groaned, and Jisung quietly answered with a nod. You leaned back into your desk chair with a sigh, closing your eyes and throwing your head back while slowly rubbing circles on your temples.

You were completely oblivious at how Jisung’s eyes traveled on your body while you were distracted. «I’m going to fail this test, Jisung.» you mumbled, fighting the idea of taking refuge under the covers of your bed a few steps from where you were sitting at your desk, unaware that he slightly squirmed in his chair as you hummed his name. «You’re not. I’m here to help you!» you could hear him smile. You slowly opened your eyes, glancing at his puffy cheeks as he gently gave you an encouraging smile. As often happened, you restrained the impulse to reach out and either squish his cheeks, or just straddle him to trace your tongue over his jawline and- well.

Needless to be said, you had a huge crush on Jisung, one of the biggest and most clever nerds on campus. His big, round and innocent eyes screamed “babyboy” all over the place, and sometimes, he’d look at you with such pureness from behind his big, round glasses that you had to refrain your instinct to sit on his lap and have your ways with him.

What you didn’t know, was that your crush was totally reciprocated by Jisung, but he was just extremely shy and convinced that you wouldn’t spare a glance to him in a not-friendly way.

«Yeah, I owe you a big one.» you sighed, leaning over the table and resting your chin on the palm of your hand. «I’ll owe you a bigger one if I pass this exam.» you added, with a playful wink. Jisung blushed, nervously adverting his eyes from your face. You pressed your thighs together,

He gets flustered so easily”, you thought, “he’s so cute”.

Your study session started again, you did your best to pay attention to him and wrap your mind around all the concepts he was explaining instead of focusing on his touch anytime he stopped you as you were writing the wrong formula on your paper. However, him constantly staring at your lips didn’t go unnoticed; you jokingly mentioned it few times, and each time Jisung’s cheeks flamed red and quickly denied.

«You know, I’d really love to kiss you.» you mumbled, bringing your pen against your lips and softly biting around the cap, Jisung’s eyes following your movement. «Would you let me?» Jisung licked his lips and nodded eagerly, making a smug smile appear on your lips. You stood up from your chair, straddling his thighs; his cheeks were burning up, and his eyes were nervously looking at anywhere but you. You gently bring your hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at you.

«Jisung, we don’t have to, if you don’t want to.» you told him, and he instantly shook his head, re-adjusting his glasses.

«I want to, it’s just-» he licked his lips, before continuing «I’ve never did anything like this before.» you slightly widened your eyes, wondering how people didn’t throw themself at him, being both this beautiful and adorable.

«Do you trust me? I can make you feel good.» you mumbled, inching closer to his lips, «Will you let me do that, babyboy?» you hovered against his lips, feeling his breath hitch against your lips at the unexpected pet name.

Jisung’s affirmative nod was everything you needed to connect your lips together. You kissed him slowly, letting him adapt at the new feeling and sometimes letting him take the lead, pleased at how his kisses were so needy. Jisung would frequently bite your lower lip, gently tugging at it; you could feel his breath hitch anytime you repeated the action, or just traced the outline of his parted lips with the tip of your tongue.

As the kiss gradually turned more passionate, his hands gripped your waist, trying to push your weight on his bulge. The moan that erupted from his lips as you complied to his silent request made you shiver in anticipation, loving how vocal and needy he already was. What started as an innocent kiss turned out as you grinding on Jisung, and him not being able to keep his hands still.

When you took off your shirt – you didn’t wear a bra since you were in your house, Jisung’s eyes hungry travelled on your chest, followed by his hands, which gently traced your skin. You took his hands in yours, and placed them on your breasts, meeting Jisung’s wide eyes which immediately flew to yours. Nodding, you let him have his fun, feeling his shy touches gradually becoming bolder as he fondled your breasts and marked your neck and chest, gently lapping at your skin. You never stopped your motions of slowly circling your hips against his, so when he bit your nipple and let out a moan due to a bolder movement of your hips, you harshly grabbed him by his hair, and hotly reconnected your lips. You took off his shirt, paying attention to his glasses, and did the same with him. 

Jisung’s little whimpers and needy moans of pleasure as you sucked on his skin were becoming your new favourite sound in the world, you already saw yourself becoming addicted to it. You lifted yourself up, hearing Jisung’s groan of disapproval, and you proceeded to leave open mouthed kisses on your way from his neck to his waist. You palmed at his clothed length, feeling his hips bucking up to follow the movements of your hand.

Both of you got rid of the remaining layers of your clothes, and you kneeled between his legs.

«Are you sure, Jisung?» you asked again, caressing his inner thighs.

«Yes. Yes, I-» he whined «Please, touch me.» you chuckled, pleased at him being so submissive.

As much as you wanted to tease him further, you also wanted to fulfil your fantasies and ride him into oblivion, so you didn’t waste time and licked a stripe from the base to the tip of his length. You immediately repeated the action, since the sinful moan Jisung left out went straight to your core. You glanced up,  Jisung had his head thrown back and his eyes shut close, his hands firmly gripping on the chair’s armrest. He had such a tight grip that his knuckles were almost turning white. You took his hands, guiding them into your hair and he glanced at you, his eyes wide.

«You’re doing so good that I’ll let you set the pace, babyboy.» you explained, leaving kitten licks on his length while keeping eye contact. His hands tightened in your hair as your head started bobbing on his length, helping yourself with your hand where your mouth couldn’t reach.

Jisung was a moaning mess, whining and begging you sweet nothings. «I’m-I’m close.» he panted shortly after, and you immediately stopped. He furrowed his brows, looking at you with pleading eyes.

«You’ll get to come, babyboy.» you reassured him, sitting back on his thighs and raising his chin with your index finger so that he’d look in your eyes. «Inside me.» Jisung’s hands flew on your waist in a desperate and vain attempt to feel more pressure on his aching length, even if he knew that you were the one calling the shots.

You took in his appearance: his usually neat and styled hair was now dishevelled, few dampened strands were sticking on his forehead. His glasses were halfway down his nose, he didn’t bother to re-adjust them – you knew he liked to wear them even if he didn’t actually need them, and his lips were slightly parted, trying to control his breath which made his chest rise and fall in a quick pace due by anticipation.

«Please, fuck me» Jisung breathed, his head thrown over the chair, struggling his breath hitching every time he felt your wet folds ever so slightly grind against his length. You chuckled, hungrily licking your lips. Jisung dared a bold move, and tentatively thrusted upwards in the desperate attempt to get more friction, but you lifted yourself up as well, harshly grabbing his jaw to make him look at you.

«Now, babyboy. Who’s in charge?» you smirked. He was just as you fantasised, even better.

«Y-You.» Jisung’s big and innocent eyes were nowhere to be seen, replaced by hooded eyes which were staring at you, darkened with lust and desire. The thought of you being the one which made him look like this made you shiver.  

«Ride me,» he whined, licking his lower lip. «please.» you let go of his chin, a smug grin adorning your lips. Hearing what you wanted to hear, you reached down and aligned his tip with your entrance, slowly sinking down on his length. Jisung arched his back and did his best to not snap his hips upwards, a whiny low moan leaving his lips the more you lowered yourself on him.

«Yes,» he breathed. «m-more, please, I-» he interrupted his sentence with a moan as you bottomed out, stilling your hips and running your hands on his toned chest. He filled you up just perfectly, and you intentionally clenched around him, feeling his hands on your ass and pushing you towards him, as if he could have sinked even deeper. He looked up from his long lashes, and you teasingly grinded on him.

«You were saying, babyboy?» you mouthed on his neck, licking a long stripe from his collarbone to his ear.

«I need you, p-please.» Jisung whined, his hands roaming anywhere on your body, as to distract himself from not moving, knowing that you’d probably would have punished him. He loved your dominant behaviour, and even if the thought of intentionally disobeying you crossed his mind, he quickly realized that being good made him earn what he desperately craved.

Satisfied, you pecked his lips mumbling a “good boy”, levering your hands on his shoulders before riding him at a slow, teasing pace. You were mumbling sweet nothings in his ear, and his constant whining and moaning was slowly driving you insane; you easily abandoned the idea of the teasing as your hips quickened the rhythm to ride him hard, one of his hands around your waist and the other firmly gripping your ass, his nails diving into your skin.   

Jisung opened his eyes, looking at his length disappearing between your bodies. As you did earlier, you took one of his hands and guided it on your clit, teaching him the ways to pleasure your body. He obliged, his lustful gaze meeting yours.

«My good, babyboy,» you moaned «doing so good, so perfect for me.» you gripped his hair, connecting your mouths in a heated kiss as you were now bouncing on his length. You swatted his hand away, feeling your orgasm approaching and you didn’t want to come before him, even if – judging by his gradually more frequent moans and his constant squirming under you, he was close as well.

You let Jisung partially take the lead, letting him guide your hips to the pace he needed to come. When he did, he came with his lips parted, his head thrown back and his eyes shut close – needless to say, seeing him like this and feeling his release inside you triggered your orgasm as well and he deliciously whined, feeling slightly overstimulated as he felt you repeatedly clenching tight around him.

You rested your forehead on his shoulder, both of you trying to catch your breath. Jisung kissed your hair after few minutes spent with him affectionately caressing your body, still buried inside you. 

«Did your babyboy made you feel good?» he hesitantly asked, hissing as you clenched around him in reflex, not expecting him to be so bold about it.

«You were perfect.» you smiled, turning your head to kiss his neck.

«To think that I planned to ask you out, first.» you heard Jisung quietly mumble after a bit, and you giggled, shifting your position in his lap to look at him.

«You wanted to ask me on a date?» Jisung nodded, shy.nHis cheeks were still a bit red, and you smiled at him.

«We can go out anytime you want to. It could be tomorrow,» you gently pecked his lips «or later, after a shower. You name it, and I’m yours.»

«What if I just said something like "everyday"?» Jisung joked with an embarrassed smile, leaning up to meet your lips in a kiss, his arms snaking tightly around your waist. «Then I would answer "every day it is".»

all works © lettersfromaphrodite

Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories. I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.

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[gunterfan1992]

Episode Review: “The Star”/“Jerry”

(Fionna & Cake, Eps. 7–8)

Airdate: September 22, 2023

Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang

Storyboarded by: Iggy Craig, Graham Falk, Jacob Winkler, & Sonja von Marensdorff

Directed by: Ryann Shannon (supervising), Hans Tseng (art)

It is hard to believe that we are already privy to the penultimate episodes of the Fionna & Cake miniseries. So far, this series has been hit after hit. So do "The Star" and "Jerry" live up to what has come before them? Read on for more...

The plot to "The Star" is deceptively simple: Fionna, Cake, and Simon are transported into a universe where Simon was killed by vampires, which led to Marceline being abducted the ice crown-wielding Vampire King (once again played by the wonderfully sonorous Billy Brown) and turned into his protege, known as "The Star." While the world has been almost entirely overrun by vampires, a Mad Max-esque version of Princess Bubblegum is still putting up a hell of a fight (Mad Max Bubblegum is aided in this task by Peppermint Butler-as-a-Tank, a human[?] version of Huntress Wizard, and a non-psychopathic version of Martin). Cake's shapeshifting impresses Mad Max Bubblegum, and so she decides to enlist Fionna, Cake, and Simon's help in defeating the Vampire King and his evil 'daughter.' Alas, as goes the best-laid plans of mice and men... The episode ends on a purposeful anti-climax: Fionna, recognizing that all is effectively lost, forcibly teleports herself, Cake, and Simon away from Vampire World while Mad Max Bubblegum and The Star struggle in the sky, with neither wanting to land a killing blow. The fate of Vampire World is thus left unresolved.

As a major fan of Stakes, I was delighted to be transported back into the world of vampires in "The Star." And this time, the show does a very solid job showing just how powerful and scary these monsters actually are (despite their Kermit the Frog-meets-Nosferatu appearance). And let us not forget Evil Marceline (oh, where to start)! I quite like that Ooo's Marceline is a heroic anti-anti-Christ, but even I found the titular antagonist of "The Star" to be a terrifying delight. It has been a good long while since Marceline has rightly pranked someone, and while I don't know if killing people or sucking souls count as pranks, it was nonetheless wonderful to see her ornery side return—only this time, turned up to 11. You can tell that Olivia Olson had a lot of fun recording her lines for this episode; her performance is energetic, her tone mocking. When I heard The Star taunt Mad Max Bubblegum and Co., it took me back to when I first heard Olson's voice acting in "Evicted!"

It was a clever move having The Star and Mad Max Bubblegum be sworn enemies, as it allowed the series to explore their dynamic as a couple without focusing on their past or present relationship. In the Vampire World, we learn that the two have never been in a relationship together. But despite this, still found themselves pulled toward one another in an almost preternatural way. Who knows… Just as the souls of Finn and Jake seem to be destined to always find one another, perhaps Marceline and Bubblegum are "soul mates" in a similarly metaphysical sense? Regardless, the hesitancy to kill one another that both characters show at the end of the episode speaks volumes as to how they feel about one another, even in a universe where they are sworn enemies. (Man, I really hope we get a Bubbline spin-off one of these days…)

Ah, I feel like I could talk about the Star for days, but there is more to consider, so let me move on to…

Airdate: September 22, 2023

Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang

Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Jim Campbell, & Jackie Files

Directed by: Steve Wolfhard (supervising), Hans Tseng (art)

"Jerry" begins with Fionna, Cake, and Simon finding themselves in a dead and desolate world—humorously dubbed "Crapworld" by Cake—that we later learn was created by the Lich's wish in the season five premiere "Finn the Human." (As a mythological aside, when the Lich made his initial wish, it seems that Prismo did not simply wipe out all life in the Oooniverse; instead, he effectively created a copy of the Oooniverse within the Oooniverse. After killing off all life in this bubble dimension, Prismo then transported the Lich to his new wish-altered reality. Really, it is turtles all the way down…) While searching for the Crapworld ice crown, Simon tries to cheer up an increasingly despondent Fionna by telling him the story of how he and Betty met.

Eventually, our heroes run into Crapworld BMO, who upon learning that Prismo's remote is out of juice, attempts to recharge it with his robot heart. This does not go as planned (it actually results in Crapworld BMO spectacularly exploding, which is somehow both horrifying and funny), and Simon, Fionna, and Cake decide to track down Crapworld BMO's oft-mentioned friend "Jerry" and tell him that BMO has passed. Upon finding Jerry, however, the trio discover that he is actually the Lich… albeit a depressed Lich; it seems that after fulfilling his mission of ending all life, the Lich lost a sense of purpose. (I've been there, dude...) Simon sees this as an opportunity, and using the Crapworld ice crown and the Lich himself as a conduits, he manages to summon GOLB just as Scarab materializes to deliver divine punishment.

To be continued!

"Jerry" is a decidedly bleak episode that more than anything radiates the creative sensibilities of its supervising director, Steve Wolfhard. For those out of loop, Wolfhard was a storyboard artist on the original Adventure Time series, and he helped write some of the show's strongest outings (e.g., "Puhoy," "Lemonhope," "Escape from the Citadel," "Graybles 1000+"). Wolfhard has a unique approach to writing, often using humor/cuteness to paste over more existential horrors, and while he did not storyboard "Jerry," the episode nevertheless feels like the apogee of his "voice," brimming as it does with a darkness that is only lightly covered with a veneer of humor. Indeed, many of the episode's funniest moments (e.g., the scene in which BMO cheerfully, stupidly kills itself, the reveal that the Lich has depression) cannot be described as anything other than gallows humor. Wolfhard often joked in interviews that many of the episodes he pitched involved main characters dying. With "Jerry," he finally got his chance.

Ultimately, what prevents "Jerry" from becoming a bummer-fest is the way the episode is interspersed with flashbacks that tell the story of how Simon and Betty fell in love. Despite their being the emotional heart of the episode, I do not have much to say about these scenes other than they are sweet. They largely expand upon details that we already knew, but in doing so, they enliven those details, infusing them with a sense of affect that exposition or background detailing could never convey. There's a couple easter eggs thrown in for die-hard fans (e.g., several relics from the main series are name-dropped, we see when a photograph of Simon from "I Remember You" was taken), and its all tied-up nicely with a new HALF SHY song, "Everything in You." All in all, these scenes are the sweet, sweet eye bleach we need, given the tone of the episode's other half.

My biggest gripe with these episodes is that they both lean too far into Fionna's failures while somehow not leaning in far enough. The former issue is most noticeable in "The Star," the beginning of which sees Fionna follow up her candy genocide by making a series of increasingly bone-headed decisions, one of which leads to the direct death of a character (although, Mad Max Bubblegum was also quite bone-headed for letting Random New Girl put everyone in danger immediately after introducing them to her few crew members). Put simply, I feel the episode excessively plays up Fionna as a gullible girlfail, which seems a bit much. Paradoxically, in "Jerry," the show did not have Fionna properly, fully, believably consider the ramifications of the mistakes she had made; instead, the episode focuses much of its emotional energy on the story of Simon and Betty's relationship. Yes, Fionna does have a realistic breakdown in the middle of the episode, but almost immediately, the show decides to have Simon distract her with more of his own love story. None of this sinks the episodes, but it does make them less than perfect.

For some, the episodes' bleakness might also be a defect: indeed in both "The Star" and "Jerry," lots of characters die, and the fridge horror is off the charts. But while I have criticized the show for such cruelty in the past (e.g., my review of "Wizard City"), the bleakness in these episodes is not meaningless. Instead, it arguably serves to underscore that without Simon Petrikov existing and doing all that he has in the Ooo Prime universe, the world (any world) quickly goes to hell. (This is perhaps most noticeable in "The Star," given that the big twist of that universe is that Simon was killed by vampires, presumably before he placed the ice crown on his head, thus resulting in Marceline's capture and indoctrination by the Vampire King.) Even in his crazed "Ice King" state, Simon is something like a cosmic lynchpin holding together reality! Considering how much Simon/the Ice King is a woobie in the original series, it is nice to see Fionna & Cake accentuate just how important he actually is.

Final “The Star” Grade: A-

Final “Jerry” Grade: A-

[hannahhook7744]

Isle Representative Group Chat! (Part 3);

Usernames: Captain/Theeleganthannahhook/Captain Elegant= Hannah Hook, adoptive daughter of Zarina the pirate fairy and Captain Hook. livelaughfuckyou= Zee Snoops, daughter of Madame Medusa and Mr. Snoops. theisleshottestprince= Lucas ‘Luke’ Tremaine-Westergaard, son of Prince Hans Westergaard and Drizella Tremaine. Gothbitch= Darcy Aoratos, daughter of Hades and Narissa. thegoddessoffear= Skia Aoratos, daughter of Persephone and Hades. Dashadowman= John Facilier, son of Ursula and Dr. Facilier. Clever= Kailani ‘Clever’ Athanasiou, daughter of Ursula and Dr. Facilier. Flamingkaratemaster= Treycor Fae-Aoratos, son of Maleficent and Hades. Princess Peach= Peachy Gothel, daughter of Mother Gothel and Captain Flynn. Yellow devil= Remi de Vil, son of Cruella de Vil. Gothmermaid= River Le Beak, son of Lord Fathom and Beatrice Le Beak. WarriorBri= Shan Bri, daughter of Shan Yu. Thescarletking= Aaron King. Redbitch= Anna King. Thephantomstabber= Alexander ‘Alex’ Procrustes Aoratos-Sinclair ||, son of Helga Sinclair and Hades. Sunshine boy= Noah Aoratos, son of Persephone and Hades (he's 8).

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Chapter 6: Damn it, Julie.

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Trigger warnings: sibling on sibling violence, stress, anger, swearing, threats of knife violence, etc.

Co-written with @igetthedisneybox as usual.

6/01/2024 at  12:20 PM.

Thephantomstabber: WHO THE FUCK IS SCREAMING, I'M TRYING TO FUCKING SLEEP YOU FUCK HEADS!

livelaughfuckyou: that would be our elegant captain

theisleshottestprince: Why are you trying to sleep, it's noon?

Thephantomstabber: Fuck you. Fuck your mom. Fuck your whole family!

theisleshottestprince: Well, someone's cranky.

theisleshottestprince: No wait that's how you always are.

Thephantomstabber: Do you want to get shot?

Princess Peach: No threats in the GC Alex!

Thephantomstabber: You're not the boss of me. 

6/01/2024 at  12:30 PM.

Sunshine boy: Whys Luke laughing?

Sunshine boy: And whys Alis swearin?

thegoddessoffear: Luke is laughing because Treycor smacked Alex because he was being a dickhead–don’t repeat that word–and Alex is sweating because Treyocr smacked him. 

Princess Peach: Noah’s in the chat, nobody’s allowed to swear starting now!!!!

Redbitch: How long has he even been here????

Gothbitch: His mom gave him a phone, remember?

thegoddessoffear: I forgot mom did that.

theisleshottestprince: I thought that happened weeks ago?

Sunshine boy: It did!

Sunshine boy: I was just tryin’ to think of something to say!

theisleshottestprince: Darcy, babe, I'm adopting your brother.

Gothbitch: The fuck you are! 

Gothbitch: You have more siblings than I do and my dad is literally a god . Go adopt your own siblings!

theisleshottestprince: But your brother is adorable!

theisleshottestprince: My siblings, minus Dizzy and the triplets, are just annoying. Or dead. 

Thephantomstabber: I was being attacked and none of you did anything?! 

Gothbitch: We all agreed to stay out of siblings’ arguing. 

Thephantomstabber: BITCH YOU'RE MY SISTER!

[Seen]. 

6/01/2024 at  12:40 PM.

Princess Peach: Treycor! Stop hitting Alex!

Flamingkaratemaster: Wasn't me this time. 

livelaughfuckyou: so we jus gonna ignore that h is still screaming or

Gothmermaid: oh, Julie Foulfellow just brought one of her contracts again.

Gothmermaid: *broke.

Thescarletking: that and her dads won't stop approaching children and breaking their contacts. 

livelaughfuckyou: i see. continue on w ur argument spawns of hades