#and no one has seen the co-owner of the company

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Lina Khan’s future is the future of the Democratic Party — and America

On OCTOBER 23 at 7PM, I'll be in DECATUR, presenting my novel THE BEZZLE at EAGLE EYE BOOKS.

On the one hand, the anti-monopoly movement has a future no matter who wins the 2024 election – that's true even if Kamala Harris wins but heeds the calls from billionaire donors to fire Lina Khan and her fellow trustbusters.

In part, that's because US antitrust laws have broad "private rights of action" that allow individuals and companies to sue one another for monopolistic conduct, even if top government officials are turning a blind eye. It's true that from the Reagan era to the Biden era, these private suits were few and far between, and the cases that were brought often died in a federal courtroom. But the past four years has seen a resurgence of antitrust rage that runs from left to right, and from individuals to the C-suites of big companies, driving a wave of private cases that are prevailing in the courts, upending the pro-monopoly precedents that billionaires procured by offering free "continuing education" antitrust training to 40% of the Federal judiciary:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/13/post-bork-era/#manne-down

It's amazing to see the DoJ racking up huge wins against Google's monopolistic conduct, sure, but first blood went to Epic, who won a historic victory over Google in federal court six months before the DoJ's win, which led to the court ordering Google to open up its app store:

https://www.theverge.com/policy/2024/10/7/24243316/epic-google-permanent-injunction-ruling-third-party-stores

Google's 30% App Tax is a giant drag on all kinds of sectors, as is its veto over which software Android users get to see, so Epic's win is going to dramatically alter the situation for all kinds of activities, from beleaguered indie game devs:

https://antiidlereborn.com/news/

To the entire news sector:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/save-news-we-must-open-app-stores

Private antitrust cases have attracted some very surprising plaintiffs, like Michael Jordan, whose long policy of apoliticism crumbled once he bought a NASCAR team and lived through the monopoly abuses of sports leagues as an owner, not a player:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/michael-jordan-anti-monopolist

A much weirder and more unlikely antitrust plaintiff than Michael Jordan is Google, the perennial antitrust defendant. Google has brought a complaint against Microsoft in the EU, based on Microsoft's extremely ugly monopolistic cloud business:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/google-files-complaint-eu-over-microsoft-cloud-practices-2024-09-25/

Google's choice of venue here highlights another reason to think that the antitrust surge will continue irrespective of US politics: antitrust is global. Antitrust fervor has seized governments from the UK to the EU to South Korea to Japan. All of those countries have extremely similar antitrust laws, because they all had their statute books overhauled by US technocrats as part of the Marshall Plan, so they have the same statutory tools as the American trustbusters who dismantled Standard Oil and AT&T, and who are making ready to shatter Google into several competing businesses:

https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/8/24265832/google-search-antitrust-remedies-framework-android-chrome-play

Antitrust fever has spread to Canada, Australia, and even China, where the Cyberspace Directive bans Chinese tech giants from breaking interoperability to freeze out Chinese startups. Anything that can't go on forever eventually stops, and the cost of 40 years of pro-monopoly can't be ignored. Monopolies make the whole world more brittle, even as the cost of that brittleness mounts. It's hard to pretend monopolies are fine when a single hurricane can wipe out the entire country's supply of IV fluid – again:

https://prospect.org/health/2024-10-11-cant-believe-im-writing-about-iv-fluid-again/

What's more, the conduct of global monopolists is the same in every country where they have taken hold, which means that trustbusters in the EU can use the UK Digital Markets Unit's report on the mobile app market as a roadmap for their enforcement actions against Apple:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63f61bc0d3bf7f62e8c34a02/Mobile_Ecosystems_Final_Report_amended_2.pdf

And then the South Korean and Japanese trustbusters can translate the court documents from the EU's enforcement action and use them to score victories over Apple in their own courts:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/10/an-injury-to-one/#is-an-injury-to-all

So on the one hand, the trustbusting wave will continue erode the foundations of global monopolies, no matter what happens after this election. But on the other hand, if Harris wins and then fires Biden's top trustbusters to appease her billionaire donors, things are going to get ugly.

A new, excellent long-form Bloomberg article by Josh Eidelson and Max Chafkin gives a sense of the battle raging just below the surface of the Democratic Power, built around a superb interview with Khan herself:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-10-09/lina-khan-on-a-second-ftc-term-ai-price-gouging-data-privacy

The article begins with a litany of tech billionaires who've gone an all-out, public assault on Khan's leadership – billionaires who stand to personally lose hundreds of millions of dollars from her agency's principled, vital antitrust work, but who cloak their objection to Khan in rhetoric about defending the American economy. In public, some of these billionaires are icily polite, but many of them degenerate into frothing, toddler-grade name-calling, like IAB's Barry Diller, who called her a "dope" and Musk lickspittle Jason Calacanis, who called her an all-caps COMMUNIST and a LUNATIC.

The overall vibe from these wreckers? "How dare the FTC do things?!"

And you know, they have a point. For decades, the FTC was – in the quoted words of Tim Wu – "a very hardworking agency that did nothing." This was the period when the FTC targeted low-level scammers while turning a blind eye to the monsters that were devouring the US economy. In part, that was because the FTC had been starved of budget, trapping them in a cycle of racking up easy, largely pointless "wins" against penny-ante grifters to justify their existence, but never to the extent that Congress would apportion them the funds to tackle the really serious cases (if this sounds familiar, it's also the what happened during the long period when the IRS chased middle class taxpayers over minor filing errors, while ignoring the billionaires and giant corporations that engaged in 7- and 8-figure tax scams).

But the FTC wasn't merely underfunded: it was timid. The FTC has extremely broad enforcement and rulemaking powers, which most sat dormant during the neoliberal era:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/10/the-courage-to-govern/#whos-in-charge

The Biden administration didn't merely increase the FTC's funding: in choosing Khan to helm the organization, they brought onboard a skilled technician, who was both well-versed in the extensive but unused powers of the agency and determined to use them:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/18/administrative-competence/#i-know-stuff

But Khan's didn't just rely on technical chops and resources to begin the de-olicharchification of the US economy: she built a three-legged stool, whose third leg is narrative. Khan's signature is her in-person and remote "listening tours," where workers who've been harmed by corporate power get to tell their stories. Bloomberg recounts the story of Deborah Brantley, who was sexually harassed and threatened by her bosses at Kavasutra North Palm Beach. Brantley's bosses touched her inappropriately and "joked" about drugging her and raping her so she "won’t be such a bitch and then maybe people would like you more."

When Brantley finally quit and took a job bartending at a different business, Kavasutra sued her over her noncompete clause, alleging an "irreparable injury" sustained by having one of their former employees working at another business, seeking damages and fees.

The vast majority of the 30 million American workers who labor under noncompetes are like Brantley, low-waged service workers, especially at fast-food restaurants (so Wendy's franchisees can stop minimum wage cashiers from earning $0.25/hour more flipping burgers at a nearby McDonald's). The donor-class indenturers who defend noncompetes claim that noncompetes are necessary to protect "innovative" businesses from losing their "IP." But of course, the one state where no workers are subject to noncompetes is California, which bans them outright – the state that is also home to Silicon Valley, an IP-heave industry that the same billionaires laud for its innovations.

After that listening tour, Khan's FTC banned noncompetes nationwide:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/25/capri-v-tapestry/#aiming-at-dollars-not-men

Only to have a federal judge in Texas throw out their ban, a move that will see $300b/year transfered from workers to shareholders, and block the formation of 8,500 new US businesses every year:

https://www.npr.org/2024/08/21/g-s1-18376/federal-judge-tosses-ftc-noncompetes-ban

Notwithstanding court victories like Epic v Google and DoJ v Google, America's oligarchs have the courts on their side, thanks to decades of court-packing planned by the Federalist Society and executed by Senate Republicans and Reagan, Bush I, Bush II, and Trump. Khan understands this; she told Bloomberg that she's a "close student" of the tactics Reagan used to transform American society, admiring his effectiveness while hating his results. Like other transformative presidents, good and bad, Reagan had to fight the judiciary and entrenched institutions (as did FDR and Lincoln). Erasing Reagan's legacy is a long-term project, a battle of inches that will involve mustering broad political support for the cause of a freer, more equal America.

Neither Biden nor Khan are responsible for the groundswell of US – and global – movement to euthanize our rentier overlords. This is a moment whose time has come; a fact demonstrated by the tens of thousands of working Americans who filled the FTC's noncompete docket with outraged comments. People understand that corporate looters – not "the economy" or "the forces of history" – are the reason that the businesses where they worked and shopped were destroyed by private equity goons who amassed intergenerational, dynastic fortunes by strip-mining the real economy and leaving behind rubble.

Like the billionaires publicly demanding that Harris fire Khan, private equity bosses can't stop making tone-deaf, guillotine-conjuring pronouncements about their own virtue and the righteousness of their businesses. They don't just want to destroy the world - they want to be praised for it:/p>

"Private equity’s been a great thing for America" -Stephen Pagliuca, co-chairman of Bain Capital;

"We are taught to judge the success of a society by how it deals with the least able, most vulnerable members of that society. Shouldn’t we judge a society by how they treat the most successful? Do we vilify, tax, expropriate and condemn those who have succeeded, or do we celebrate economic success as the engine that propels our society toward greater collective well-being?" -Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo

"Achieve life-changing money and power," -Sachin Khajuria, former partner at Apollo

Meanwhile, the "buy, strip and flip" model continues to chew its way through America. When PE buys up all the treatment centers for kids with behavioral problems, they hack away at staffing and oversight, turning them into nightmares where kids are routinely abused, raped and murdered:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/they-told-me-it-was-going-be-good-place-allega-tions-n987176

When PE buys up nursing homes, the same thing happens, with elderly residents left to sit in their own excrement and then die:

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/12/24/nursing-homes-private-equity-fraud-00132001

Writing in The Guardian, Alex Blasdel lays out the case for private equity as a kind of virus that infects economies, parasitically draining them of not just the capacity to provide goods and services, but also of the ability to govern themselves, as politicians and regulators are captured by the unfathomable sums that PE flushes into the political process:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/oct/10/slash-and-burn-is-private-equity-out-of-control

Now, the average worker who's just lost their job may not understand "divi recaps" or "2-and-20" or "carried interest tax loopholes," but they do understand that something is deeply rotten in the world today.

What happens to that understanding is a matter of politics. The Republicans – firmly affiliated with, and beloved of, the wreckers – have chosen an easy path to capitalizing on the rising rage. All they need to do is convince the public that the system is irredeemably corrupt and that the government can't possibly fix anything (hence Reagan's asinine "joke": "the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help'").

This is a very canny strategy. If you are the party of "governments are intrinsically corrupt and incompetent," then governing corruptly and incompetently proves your point. The GOP strategy is to create a nation of enraged nihilists who don't even imagine that the government could do something to hold their bosses to account – not for labor abuses, not for pollution, not for wage theft or bribery.

The fact that successive neoliberal governments – including Democratic administrations – acted time and again to bear out this hypothesis makes it easy for this kind of nihilism to take hold.

Far-right conspiracies about pharma bosses colluding with corrupt FDA officials to poison us with vaccines for profit owe their success to the lived experience of millions of Americans who lost loved ones to a conspiracy between pharma bosses and corrupt officials to poison us with opioids.

Unhinged beliefs that "they" caused the hurricanes tearing through Florida and Georgia and that Kamala Harris is capping compensation to people who lost their homes are only credible because of murderous Republican fumble during Katrina; and the larcenous collusion of Democrats to help banks steal Americans' homes during the foreclosure crisis, when Obama took Tim Geithner's advice to "foam the runway" with the mortgages of everyday Americans who'd been cheated by their banks:

https://www.salon.com/2014/05/14/this_man_made_millions_suffer_tim_geithners_sorry_legacy_on_housing/

If Harris gives in to billionaire donors and fires Khan and her fellow trustbusters, paving the way for more looting and scamming, the result will be more nihilism, which is to say, more electoral victories for the GOP. The "government can't do anything" party already exists. There are no votes to be gained by billing yourself as the "we also think governments can't do anything" party.

In other words, a world where Khan doesn't run the FTC is a world where antitrust continues to gain ground, but without taking Democrats with it. It's a world where nihilism wins.

There's factions of the Democratic Party who understand this. AOC warned party leaders that, "Anyone goes near Lina Khan and there will be an out and out brawl":

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1844034727935988155

And Bernie Sanders called her "the best FTC Chair in modern history":

https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1843733298960576652

In other words: Lina Khan as a posse.

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/10/11/democracys-antitrust-paradox/#there-will-be-an-out-and-out-brawl

[writingstreetspirit]

One Breath, One Touch

Summary: A night out at Rita’s changes everything for the better

Pairing: Azriel x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Tension, reader is very shy, prolonged eye contact, kissing

Word count: 1.6k

A/N: It feels like it’s been forever since I last wrote a longer piece instead of headcanons, so here’s a Azriel piece. If you liked this, please like/comment/reblog/follow as it helps me and every other content creator out there. Thank you! 🫶🏻

—

Rita’s is full of people, not unusual as it was Saturday night. Drinking, laughing, dancing, and music fills up the building, a pleasant atmosphere of life all around you. A lot of handsome and beautiful things and people to look at, but there is only one person that’s grabbed your attention tonight.

You can tell he is watching you, because you can feel his stare in your soul. The Night Court's own Shadowsinger Azriel is just a few meters away, along with several others that are part of the Inner Circle, Cassian, Nesta, Mor, and Amren. They’re drinking and laughing, Mor and Cassian goofing along to the music.

While Azriel is there in the middle of the group, his focus seems to be entirely on you. His eyes are like whiskey, they glow in the light, and are dark in the shadows. He stands there, looking at you, waiting and watching.

You blush from the intense staring, not being able to hold the intense eye contact for more than a few seconds before having to look away, only to then return your eyes to him again, starting over the process.

This has become a routine over the years. While Velaris is not a small city, it is inevitable to run into all citizens at some point or another. Especially with you being a co-owner at the local bakery in the middle of town, you have had customers all over the Court visit to purchase freshly baked bread or sweet pastries.

That includes the Inner Circle, Feyre and Mor often visit for the delicious cupcakes, and oftentimes Azriel accompanies them, probably as a safety precaution with Feyre being with the High Lord of the Night Courts, Rhysand. The first ever time you meet the lovely High Lady you also saw Azriel.

It’s almost been four years to the day, and every time the door opened and Azriel stepped inside, your heart would race. You’d engage in small conversations, well, more like just a few words, but you’d think about those hazel eyes and dark hair for days until the next drop in.

He raises an eyebrow slightly. He leans back against the wall he’s against, and stares you down. You can sense some kind of tension like it’s something you can physically touch and see. You feel nervous, a fluttering in your stomach.

He stares at you for a while longer. When you're not expecting it, he walks away from his group and steps right up to you. His voice is low and rumbling. “Are you here alone?”

You blink slowly, feeling warmth traveling through your face. If you had a mirror to see yourself, you bet you’d be as red as a tomato. You admit in barely a whisper, “No, I came with a friend. Though I think they’ve left me for a male.”

The corner of his mouth curls down in a small frown, and he glances away from you for a split second before his eyes pierce into yours again. “She didn’t even say that she were leaving?”

You shook your head. It wasn’t the first time something like that has happened, and while it stung the first couple times, it didn’t bother you anymore.

“Would you like company? You seem lonely.” You gulp, looking away from Azriel’s intense eyes. Your cheeks are burning hot, and despite the thin dress and the slightly cool temperature you break out into a sweat. You croak, “Yes, I’d like that.”

His gaze returns to yours, Azriel’s eyes seem to pierce through you. He leans closer towards you, the a small smile forming on his lips. “Should I get us something to drink?”

“Okay,” You breathe out, your heart racing inside your chest. Azriel’s the most handsome male you’ve ever seen, and so…kind and caring. You find it hard to look at him without revealing all your personal thoughts and feelings about him. About how he’d been on your mind everyday since he first walk inside the bakery.

You can smell his scent, it is intoxicating, and it fills your mind with thoughts of him. He’s wearing that cologne that you’d sniffed out whenever he’s been near enough for years now. It’s good, fitting him perfectly. He is so close you could kiss him.

“What would you like to drink, sweetheart?” Azriel asks, and his low voice sends shivers down your spine. Your heart fluttered, he had called you sweetheart.

You don’t answer for a long moment. You’re sure that he’ll know what you’re thinking about if you answer him. Hell, he probably already knows. After all, he is a Spymaster, and a very skilled one at that. Finally you squeak out, “Surprise me.”

He smiles, then turns away to walk towards the bar. You breathe out shakily once your alone. Fuck, you think, I must look so dumb in front of him. He’s just being kind, he doesn’t like me like that. Just as you’d managed to gather yourself somewhat, he returns with to glasses in his hand. One’s a whisky, the other is…your favorite drink.

“I hope you like this one, I can get another for you if you don’t.” Azriel says, holding out the glass towards you. A shaking hand accept the glass, letting the cold drink cool your flushed skin. “Thank you. No, this is perfect actually.”

You sip the drink through the straw, a pleasant hum escaping your mouth at the pleasant taste. You miss the pleased smile forming on Azriel’s face as he takes a swing of the whisky.

“Have you had a pleasant evening, despite your friend leaving?” Azriel asked, and you look up from your drink to see that he’s already looking at you. You hum, nodding once. “I have. Have you? Had a pleasant evening, I mean?”

He chuckled, nodding to behind him where his very obviously family were still hanging out. “Indeed, but I think they’ve had more fun than me based on how much they’ve drank. Especially Cassian and Mor.”

You laugh softly, gazing down at your high heels clad feet bash fully. “Yes, it seems to be that case.”

Azriel studies you for a long while, waiting for you to look back up again. When you finally do he smiles that smile that you’d like to think was reserved just for you. Your hair has thankfully fallen in front of your face and you hope the strands hid the flush that spreads across cheeks.

“Though I can think of something else that would make this night impossible better than it already is.” Azriel spoke low, his voice barely louder than that you just managed to here him. You look at him questioning, curious as to what he was thinking.

He raises his hand, scarred fingers brushing strands of hair out of your face and tucks it behind your ear. He pauses, the space between you is electric and palpable. “Do you want to know what I’m thinking about right now?”

You want to say yes, tell me, I want to know everything single thing you’re thinking, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant, but you're too flustered to speak, so you nod instead.

He smiles slightly, it’s as if he already knew you’re tongue tied. His thumb traces your jawline, his touch sending a shiver down your spine. He whispers, “Y/N, I have been wanting to do this since the moment first I saw you.”

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, not knowing what Azriel is referring to, but before you could ask what he meant, his lips were pressed against your.

His touch is gentle, yet intense. Your heart is pounding out of your chest. You feel alive, your whole body is humming, electric. Azriels free hand is cupping your cheek tenderly, and you melt into his touch. Your hands creep up to his waist, gripping onto the fabric both to pull him impossibly closer and to keep your unsteady legs upright. Somewhere far in the back of your mind your hoping that you’re not spilling the drink all over the back of his shirt.

You don't want the kiss to end, but eventually it does. He pulls away slowly, as if he also didn’t want to leave your pillow soft lips. His hand fall away from your face, and you look up at him. Your breath rushes back to your lungs, and you are breathless.

Azriel stares back at you, you are both breathless. Eventually he speaks, his voice is low and rumbling. “You are the most beautiful person my eyes have ever laid upon.”

Your heart races, you have never felt like this before. Never been so enamored, felt so seen, both in and out, or so cherished by another. It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time. Please, a voice in your head said, don’t ever let this feeling go away. You pant, eyes unable to look away from his for even a second, “Really?

Azriel lowers his hand to touch your chin, to cup it in his and make you look him in the eyes. They are warm and soft, unlike his usual hard and closed off expression. His voice is low and rumbling, you can feel in your heart that he is telling the truth.

“I could look at you all day.” He tells you, “and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

You lean your flushed cheek into his hand, nuzzling into his warm skin. You smile up at him, at the male that had stolen your heart. The true words spill out of your mouth without any embarrassment or uncertainty. “You are too, Azriel. So very beautiful.”

He smiles back, and his touch is gentle as he strokes your cheek. All the tension and nervousness has melted away between you. Instead a warm, cozy feeling lingers between the two of you, the rest of the visitors in the bar just background noise.

“Will you take me home with you, Azriel?” You asked, looking deep into his eyes. Azriel lowers his hand from your chin, his eyes still locked on yours.

“Yes,” he says, his face shining with what you could only describe as pure joy. Wherever your newfound confidence came from, you thanked it greatly. He puts down his whisky on the table top beside you, and you follow with your own glass. “I will take you home with me if you desire it, sweetheart.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” You ask, a small playful smile breaking out across your face. Azriel chuckles low, slowly wrapping his strong arm tenderly around your waist and gently guides you along with him out of Rita’s and into the night breeze.

[kwanisms]

Stranded for the Holidays Collab

➮ a stray kids & ateez writer collaboration

The holidays are typically about family, friends, and gatherings but sometimes it also means inclimate weather and forces beyond our control running amok and ruining what's meant to be a joyous time. So here are 16 stories about being stranded during the holidays brought to you by 9 amazing writers; @anyamaris , @millennial-fangirl , @twisted-tales-of-all , @yoonguurt , @kpop-stories-21 , @staytinyville , @skyechild , @stardragongalaxy , & myself.

index

❅ Swiss Holiday by Booki

➮ best friend's brother!Yunho × f!Reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 21.4k

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: All throughout her formative years, Y/N has always harbored a bit of a crush on her best friend’s brother, Yunho. Having not seen him for years, she doesn’t expect those feelings to come back when she joins the Jeong’s on a family trip to a cabin in the Alps for the holiday. When she meets Yunho and his girlfriend, she’s hopeful that she can finally move on.

❅ Read Now

❅ Purrfect Company by Anya

➮ cafe owner!Minho × reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 6.7k

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Working at a cat cafe has its perks, but your sarcastic boss Minho is definitely not one of them. Despite it being the holidays, you have no one to spend it with so you’ve volunteered to take the shift at the cafe on Christmas eve. A power outage and a surprise visit from your seemingly rigid boss has you discovering things you’d never have known otherwise. Maybe Minho has a softer side than you’d realized.

❅ Read Now

❅ Room 25: a Christmas Love Story by Liz

➮ idol!Changbin × reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1.6k

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Changbin is enjoying his Christmas break from Stray Kids and life. He checks into a ski resort. He runs to an old hometown friend. Who is working at the resort. One can surmise it turns into a Christmas romance.

❅ Read Now

❅ Bittersweet Holiday by Sar

➮ Hongjoong × reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1.7k

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Christmas has always been yours and Hongjoong's favorite holiday. After all, it was on Devember 24th four years ago that the two of you became husband and wife. But this year is different; not only will it be the last one you celebrate with Hongjoong, it will be the last one you celebrate period. And you can't think of a better place to be when things happen than snowed in with your husband at your family's mountain cabin.

❅ Read Now

❅ Just as the Kids Predicted by Jay

➮ Jeongin × reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 6k

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: When the new student mentor catches first-grade teacher Mr. Yang's eyes, he tries to keep his crush to a minimum. However, then they get too drunk at the annual holiday party and confess their feels for him as he drives them home, he begins making moves, and a snowstorm during a staff-only workday helps them move things along even faster.

❅ Read Now

❅ This Isn't Grey's Anatomy by Kay

➮ Seungmin × reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 4.8k

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Working the night shift at the hospital has always been easy for Y/N because most often than not, everyone eas asleep and there wasn't much she needed to do. However, when she gets Seungmin as a patient because he has bronchitis, her chill nights were anything but chill. With the heating system working slowly, there was only so much blankets could do to heat up the body.

❅ Read Now

❅ Crafting Christmas by Sky

➮ single dad!San × f!Reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 15.2k

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: a failed relationship and an ailing mother forces Y/N to move back to her hometown, despite not wanting to. She knows in her heart that everything will be the same as the day she left. Nothing ever changes in a small town... except when it does. A new neighbor, a new hardware store, and two new additions to two will bring the holiday magic into Y/N's life. The question is, will the magic stay or will the Ghost of Christmas Past ruin everything?

❅ Read Now

❅ Home for the Holidays by Mio

➮ Seonghwa × reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 4.7

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Seonghwa comes gome early the day before Christmas Eve to surprise you, and with the roads being closed to all the snow you were not expecting anyone at your door at 9pm.

❅ Read Now

❅ Naughty or Nice: a Complicated Christmas Story by Liz

➮ Mingi × reader

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𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Mingi and you broke off a week before Christmas and was due to get the rest of his stuff on Christmas Eve. Was he being cruel in picking it up on that day, both his and your favorite holiday. Or was he trying to get back together? Either way, you would get your answer since you're now snowed in.

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❅ Snow Stars by Haru

➮ Wooyoung × reader

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𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: On vacation for the holidays, a break from all the busy times have left you feeling under the weather. What better way to warm you up and get better than the brightest star in your heart?

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❅ A Boyfriend for Christmas by Sar

➮ Jisung × reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.6

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Telling your parents you had a boyfriend always kept them off your back about settling down. Now that they're coming up for Christmas, your lie is about to be exposed and you begin to panic. Luckily, Fate takes pity on you and has you running into a cute barista who captures your heart immediately.

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❅ Frauds and Festivities by Jay

➮ Jongho × reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 5.3k

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: You and your boyfriend have been drifting away for the past couple of weeks. It's god-awful timing though, as the planned holiday trip with your friends creeps around the corner. After deciding to stick it out through the holidays, you manage to get on each other's nerves more than ever before, but you must keep up the act.

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❅ Less Than Perfect by Anya

➮ boyfriend!Yeosang × reader

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𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Your boyfriend Yeosang has planned the most amazing vacation for the two of you over the Christmas holiday. While the journey starts out fine, you both find yourselves in a small town with car troubles and no mechanic to fix it because of the holiday.  What should have been a perfectly planned vacation turns into everything going wrong, or so your boyfriend thinks.  It could just be that perfect isn’t what you’re looking for.

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❅ the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Sky

➮ Chris × f!Reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 9.6k

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Christmas this, Christmas that. The "most wonderful time of the year" is not how Y/N would describe it. Sure, it used to be a magical time full of happiness and love, but she let that belief go years ago. Christmas is all about how much money you spend on someone and making yourself look good to outsiders. Snow is wet and everything is cold during this time of year; makes everything gross. Her best friend is tired of have the Grinch as a roommate, especially when he remembers what it was like when she loved Christmas. This year he finally decides that it's time to bring the magic back into her life. And maybe that magic will bring a little love with it.

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❅ Ghost of the Past by Booki

➮ ex!Hyunjin × f!Reader

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𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Y/N never expected to run into her ex again, especially not at a holiday party of all places. Nor did she expect for him to offer to drive her home when her ride bails on her. She definitely did not expect Hyunjin’s car to get stuck in the snow and for them to have to spend the night at an elderly couple’s house where they, unsurprisingly, have to share a room and even more unsurprisingly, there’s only one bed.

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❅ Holiday Warmth by Haru

➮ Felix × reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1.1k

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: after bring snowed in from the winter storm and your friends in neighboring cabins, what better way to pass the time as the countdown to Christmas is near.

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[hitoshi-yuuto]

Haikyuu rich kids AU

AU where some of the characters are rich kids

They have known each other since their childhood, because they hung out in the same social circle (Rich kids)

Hinata Shouyou

- Son of the richest man in the world, makes him the second richest person in the world.

-Spoiled kid born with a diamond spoon in his mouth, Tends to spend money as if he had it infinitely (which is the case)

-He didn't have any friends when he was younger because everyone was after he's money, he created a false identity in high school and was able to have his first real friends (Karasuno)

-His language of love is giving gifts, he doesn't know how to show his love otherwise.

-He bought the Karasuno High School to donate more funds to the volleyball clubs

- Is better at volleyball than in the canon since he has been playing since he was a kid with his friends, and he pays volleyball players to teach him.

-He fell in love with Kageyama when Karasuno learned that he was rich and that Kageyama's only reaction was: All I care about are your volleyball skills.

Sakusa Kiyoomi

- Coming from a family of famous doctors/hospital directors and son of the CEO of most of the greatest pharmaceutical companies and laboratories around the world.

-He and Sachirō support each other as people who don't want to follow in their family's footsteps.

-Even if he doesn't want to become a doctor, it runs through his veins and he's very good at it.

-He and Shouyou were best friends until they were 13 years old, since then they say they hate each other but we all know it's a lie.

-When he fell in love he thought he was sick, it put all the hospitals on alert.

Komori Motoya

-Son of the mania of the restaurant and food industry in the world.

-Loves to take friends to great restaurants

-Is a fine cook

-Spend his time inviting Kiyoomi and Atsumu to great romantic restaurants.

-He is the sponsor of Onigiri miya

Semi Eita

- Son of the Emperor of Japan, his family is everywhere in Japanese politics, his father is also the owner of seven of the biggest car brands.

-One day someone annoyed him, and he got him kicked out of the country, don't annoy the next emperor.

-Surprisingly his family supports his dream of being a singer, his aunt says that it will make a great image of him when he becomes emperor.

-Spend his time mocking Shirabu saying that he is going to become his empress.

Lev Haiba

- Son and heir of the most powerful mafia in the world

- As kill someone for the first time when he was eight years old.

- When they are old enough, he and Alisa will share the mafia as co-leaders

-He lived in Russia for the first 10 years of his life, before moving to Japan to be protected from a war, then decided to stay in Japan until he was 18 years old because he liked it so much. (Help Alisa manage the Japanese branch)

- Having grown up in the mafia world his standards are very different, he will be able to talk seriously about torturing someone while smiling.

-Also better at volleyball for the same reason as Hinata

-He confessed to Yaku at graduation, he expected a rejection and then panicked when Yaku told him yes, "you had to say no I'm a mobster I've killed people!" Yaku still said yes and if seven years later he finds himself killing someone to protect Lev it's between Lev and him alone. (Lev was devastated to have let Yaku dirty hands)

Hirugami Sachirō

- Son of the most famous volleyball player, his family is filled with super famous celebrities.(Lots of actors)

- One word from him and your reputation is ruined

- He has seen, heard, and done too many things, even if the end of the world comes tomorrow, he won't blink twice.

-He has a LOT of followers on his social media

-He's the reason Hoshiumi is the most followed volleyball player on the internet.

Yahaba Shigeru

-His parents run a really popular clothing chain in Japan.

-He was not born rich, his parents became rich when he was like twelve, He was then thrown into the lion's cage that are the rich children, and he was adopted by the group of weirdos above

-Being the only one who didn't grow up from this background, he is the only one with a real conscience, if you ask him he'll say that he is a babysitter.

-Aoba johsai seriously wonder how he manages Kyoutani, Yahaba will answer that compared to the six psychopaths he is simple.

When they met

Shouyo Kiyoomi & Motoya 4/5 years old

Eita & Sachirō 8/7/6 years old

Lev 10/11/12

Shigeru 12/11/13

Sorry for the mistakes, English is not my first language 😅

[xuchiya]

"She's the manager" || song mingi ||

| genre: fluff. fluff. | mentions: bruise. lil bit of blood. this is me when i played fight with my boxing partner.

boxing has to be a well-known activity in your town and being part of the town for so long, you have taken lessons. Your grandfather encourages you to at least learn the basics to which your mother disagrees as it is too violent for her but you just stand there and balance the pros and cons. Though it all flew out when you saw your grandfather having the sparkles in his eyes disappear.

Sooner or later, if you would have known that boxing will forever be with you until you are an adult, your grandfather would be proud of you. From junior high up to your last years of your college years; boxing has one thing that stayed with you.

Now that you were working and had stopped training until your co-worker from a company that you were currently working at had left you a message about new members of the arena having enrolled. You were curious as to have the arena filled in with new athletes. The place is soon closing due to less and less people having not tried to enroll in the arena.

The same training arena that you grew up to. And now, you and the other people that you grew up with in training were managing it.

You - [That’s odd and exciting! We’ll be there in 5!] seen 15:45 San - [We’re back on business baby!] seen 15:46 Seonghwa - [We were always in business, San-ah.] seen 15:48 Wooyoung - [WAHAHAHAHA PABO SANNIE~!] seen 15: 49 San - [... shut up.] 15:50

You arrive at the training arena a few minutes late of what time you mentioned but with the noise and cheering from the inside court, you know none of them have any problem with your tardiness. As you adjusted the strap on your shoulder, you took upon yourself to see a rather tall— taller than Seonghwa— in a battle between Jongho. 

The bell clings and the fight ends with Jongho raising his gloved hand, you shake your head as if you knew no one can defeat the guy. Cheers from your friends made the other guy sigh and step out of the ring.

“Noona!” Jongho waved his free hand. You waved back, placing your bag down on the bench as Seonghwa approached you with four other guys trailing behind me, one of them was the guy that Jongho defeated.

San, Wooyoung and Jongho stood beside you as Seonghwa introduced you to the new members of the training arena. You bowed your head with a warm smile, “I’m not actually the owner of this arena—”

“She’s the manager.” San butted in. You chuckle, “Like he said but don’t mind it and also thank you. This is enough for us to save the arena as we have grown up here and been in this sport for so long.”

Hongjoong the one you notice because of his height difference with the two tall members, “These are actually my sons.  I’m just here to learn a few tricks and there. The eldest— Yunho here wanted to do it out of curiosity, Yeosang my middle kid is interested and my youngest here— as you have seen, he dreams big and wanted to be part of the Olympics.”

Your mouth gaped open as you trailed on the youngest, clapping in adoration, “That is quite a dream but in this place, we’ll do our best for you to reach your dreams.”

Mingi, beaming at your words, bows at least a ninety-degree angle, shouting, “thank you!” You wave at his enthusiasm a smile still there, “No need. We should be thanking you instead, so with this, are you guys ready?”

“Oh I forgot, this is Seonghwa—as you guys met him a while ago, he is actually the eldest among us.” You said pointing to Seonghwa who bows then pointing at Wooyoung and San, “San here is actually our fighter while Wooyoung here is our coach and manager when it comes to games but he also fights in the arena a few times and lastly, Jongho— he is actually our coach here inside.” 

Mr. Kim, you can go to Seonghwa here to learn the basics. San please help Yeosang with his lessons and advances, you too Wooyoung. Jongho?” You saw him eyeing Mingi to which Mingi cowers at his stares, you smack Jongho before you let him train Yunho instead. Mingi felt relieved to be away from his deadly eyes.

You swing your bag as you lead Mingi to your own training area. It was silent until Mingi cleared his throat, catching up, “So .. Do you compete too?” You look over your shoulder, your lips pursuing to the side as you shrug, “Yeah but not that much like San does.”

“So you know how to?” You flip all the light switches on then placing your bag down on the bench, zipping it open as you take out your bandage and wrap it around your wrist then up to your knuckles. “Yeah, I have been boxing since I was in my junior year.”

“You’re strong.” You chuckle, looking at him as you notice his eyes were sparkling. Your eyes trailed in his  features, reminding you of how your grandfather looks at you when you told him that you were training. The same sparkle, adoration and pride in their eyes.

Before you let yourself dwell in the nostalgic moment, you cleared your throat, nodding at the materials near the wall, “Go ahead and start getting ready. Warm up at 15.” You took your shirt from your bag before disappearing to the bathroom.

“You have to know which is your dominant hand…” You said, angling your curled fist on your face, then stretching your left hand forward in a fast pace, “Punching using your dominant hand will help you defeat your opponent, the non-dominant one will be like your guide to make an opening or helps you land more punch on your dominant.”

Mingi does a couple of punches before nodding, “I think left is my dominant.” You nodded, directing him to a body punching bag. You made a footwork drill for him that you knew for sure he would get it in a few minutes.

“When you land a punch, you land on your dominant then follow by your non-dominant then again and again until ... ”Your fist lands on the bag on the last part, you let out a hard ‘ah’ as you land a hard straight punch on the bag making it swing further.

Mingi could feel chills running down his arms as he watched you land punch after punch on the bag and only Mingi could do is nodded, gulping “Okay.” He stood on the other punching bag. You watch him executing the combination until you hum, standing beside him. 

“When you punch on your left, stand here on your right. It will make you swing better .. Go.” Mingi did, blowing a soft sigh before repeating the combination and earning a different result to which you nodded with a clap, “Good good. Do this combination but faster.”

In under 30 minutes, Mingi had picked up at least 4 combinations and you were, to say, impressed. You have taught kids and young teens simple combinations and it took them a while to do so but Mingi? It felt as if he was born to do this. Mingi is fast, his agility and stamina are no joke as he had you sparing the next minute.

So, being able to compete within six months is an achievement not only to benefit the arena but to Mingi as well. His dream was starting to build up and you were glad that it was slowly advancing, few athletes and local boxer competitors had recognized Mingi’s potential and had taken him for a few words and training in their own arena. You, being Mingi’s manager and coach, were proud of him.

Much more to his father and his two older brothers who had been supportive of his career from the very start. You saluted Hongjoong for making his kid's dream come true.

You landed a punch but he had dodge it before landing on your right side. You felt the punch surge through you before you took a step back, doing a small cross side and landing a punch around his stomach, combining it with an uppercut.

Mingi is shook making stumble backwards, “What the—” Mingi yelp retreating a few steps as you swing twice. You chuckle, exhaling sharply, “Focus.”

The spar the Mingi initiated lasted for an hour and half before you called time. Sweats drip down your forehead, trailing on your chin and neck. You were not out of shape but the fact comparing your stamina to his is beyond. It is nothing new when he and San spar and the round lasts for 4 when San taps out.

“Hey manager-nim, here.” You turn around to see San tossing you a towel. Catching it with ease, you wipe the sweat from your face and neck, feeling the cool fabric soothe your overheated skin. "Thanks, San," you say with a tired smile, draping the towel over your shoulders. Mingi is catching his breath too, leaning against the ropes of the ring, a wide grin on his face. "That was intense! You're really good," he praises, his eyes still sparkling with excitement.

"You never fail to impress me Mingi," you reply, stepping out of the ring and grabbing a bottle of water from the nearby bench. "You've come a long way, Mingi. I'm really proud of your progress."

He blushes slightly at your words, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks, that means a lot coming from you."

The two of you step outside the training arena, the cool evening breeze a welcome change from the stuffy air inside. Mingi takes a deep breath, looking up at the sky as the first stars begin to twinkle. "You know," he begins, his tone more serious, "I've been thinking a lot about my future and what I want to achieve."

You nod, taking a sip of your water. "And?"

"I really want to make it to the Olympics. But not just for myself," he says, turning to face you. "I want to do it for my family, for everyone at the arena and for you. You've been an incredible mentor, and I want to make you proud."

Touched by his sincerity, you place a hand on his shoulder. "You already make me proud, Mingi. Your dedication and hard work are inspiring. I have no doubt that you'll achieve your dreams."

He smiles, a determined look in his eyes. "And I'll keep striving to achieve not only my dream but yours too. I know you had to give up a lot to keep this place running. I want to see you back in the ring, competing and winning."

Your heart swells with gratitude and pride. You were so focused on your outside work that giving this a chance was slim to nothing and now that someone has to do it for you felt as if a part of you were reliving again and the same fire of determination were ignited. "Thank you, Mingi. That means more to me than you know. We'll make it happen together."

As you both stand there, taking in the peaceful night, you feel a renewed sense of purpose. The journey ahead might be challenging, but with Mingi's unwavering determination and the support of your friends and family, you know that anything is possible. Together, you'll continue to fight, to train, and to dream big, keeping the spirit of boxing alive in your town.

[scotianostra]

On January 14th 1872 Edinburgh’s world famous dog, Greyfriars Bobby died.

For many visitors to Edinburgh, a must-see is the statue of Greyfriar's Bobby on George IV Bridge and, although it's officially frowned upon, rubbing Bobby's nose for luck. The true story of Greyfriar's Bobby is so enchanting that even Walt Disney decided to make a movie about him.

Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier who became famous in the 19th century for his unwavering loyalty to his owner. In 1850 John Gray, his wife, Jess and their son John arrived in Edinburgh. John was a gardener but could not find employment in his new hometown, so he worked as a night watchman for the Edinburgh Police Force.

It was a lonely job, so to keep him company, he bought a wee Skye Terrier, who he called Bobby. Soon John and Bobby became inseparable through the long winter nights they maintained a watch over their charges.

Edinburgh's damp and murky weather eventually took its toll on John, who was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Despite treatment from the Police Surgeon, John died on 15th February 1858 and was buried in Greyfriar's Kirkyard.

Bobby, who had never been apart from John, refused to leave the cemetery and stayed by his owner's grave. Despite the efforts of the graveyard staff to evict Bobby, he always returned and eventually, they gave up and provided little Bobby with shelter beside John's Grave.

Word of Bobby's loyalty quickly spread, and he became a local sensation. It is said that crowds would gather outside the graveyard at one o'clock each day. When Edinburgh's famous one o'clock gun was fired, Bobby would leave the grave and join local joiner William Dow for a walk to a local coffee shop.

John and Bobby visited Traill’s Temperance Coffee House on their rounds, and Bobby was always given something to eat by the owner John  Traill. This tradition continued after John's passing, thanks to the generosity of the owner.

A new by-law was passed by the Edinburgh Council in 1867, making it mandatory that all dogs had a licence and a collar. The Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Sir William Chalmers, undertook to pay for Bobby's licence, and he received a collar with the inscription "Greyfriar's Bobby from the Lord Provost 1867 Licensed".

If you visit the Museum of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile, you can see Bobby's collar and drinking bowl. as seen in the pics, that I took in 2016/.

Bobby stayed by John's grave for 14 years until he passed in 1872. He was buried in the same cemetery, just a few feet away from his beloved owner.

Greyfriars Bobby's story is one of the most enduring tales of loyalty and devotion. It serves as a reminder of the special bond between humans and animals.

In 1981 a new headstone at Bobby's Grave was unveiled by the Duke of Gloucester. The inscription reads, "Greyfriars Bobby – Died 14 January 1872 – Aged 16 years – Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all".

The legend of Bobby touched the heart of Baroness Angelia Georgina Burdett-Coutts. She was the daughter of the banker Thomas Coutts (of Coutts Bank fame) and inherited £1.8 million on her grandfather's death, making her one of the wealthiest women in England.

Burdett-Coutts spent most of her wealth on philanthropic causes. She co-founded the Urania Cottage for "fallen young women" with Charles Dickens and became a social housing pioneer.

The Baroness got permission from Edinburgh Council to erect a statue of Bobby at the junction of Candlemakers Row and George IV Bridge, just outside Greyfriars Kirkyard. The artist William Brodie was commissioned to create the statue in 1872.

Since its unveiling, the statue of Bobby has become an important Edinburgh landmark.

[theroyalsims]

BREAKING: GUS AND ANYA'S ENGAGEMENT INTERVIEW MAKES TELEVISION HISTORY

It's finally here, and everyone was definitely watching!

The 20-minute special was aired on the three biggest TV networks in the country, and royal fans were not disappointed! Gus and Anya answered some of the biggest questions in our minds, including their shared childhood in Rennaux, how Gus proposed with TWO rings, the proposal, and their upcoming wedding, of course!

Anya and Gus' much-awaited engagement interview aired last night, and over 32.5 million people - in Brindleton alone - tuned in, making it officially the most watched TV broadcast in Brindleton history.

The interview was conducted by veteran journalist and Brindleton Broadcasting Network senior correspondent Mr. Hank Hanson-Bradbury (HHB).

Snippets of the interview is reproduced below:

HHB: Before everything else, congratulations. Anya: Thank you.  Gus: Thank you.

HHB: Has everything sort of settled down since the news broke? Gus: We're getting there. *laughs* Anya: Yes, but it's just a big relief that we're able to share it everyone, finally.

HHB: Everyone’s just very curious about how we got here. So, how did this start? When did you first meet? Anya: A long, long time ago. *laughs* Gus: *laughs* Yeah. We’ve known each other since we were children. Anya: We were co-workers? Weren’t we? *laughs* Gus: Yeah, we were.  Anya: During summers, my siblings, and cousins, and I would 'work' at the Rennaux palace gift shop. We got paid in cakes and tarts and sweets. He had the same deal with his mum, apparently. Gus: Yeah, my mum managed the gift shop and she thought since I was hanging around so much, why not put me to work?

HHB: Did you know she was royalty? Gus: Yeah, but, you know... we were kids. I didn’t exactly understand what that meant, that sunk in much later when we were a little older. But when we first became friends, it was kind of like meeting other kids your age, except they lived in a castle. 

HHB: So you were childhood sweethearts? Anya: Yes. He was my first boyfriend. Gus: She was my first girlfriend. We were friends for what seemed like forever, and then one day, I think we both kinda realised we had something special between us.

HHB: And then... life happened, you both grew up, went to school, worked… how did you to find each other after all these years? Anya: Well, I had some work done at a property I bought and he turned out to be the contractor.  HHB: And you had no idea?  Anya: Nothing. Not at all. His company was highly recommended by a dear friend, and all I knew was the owner’s name was “Gustavo.” We were in Tartosa, it’s a pretty popular name there, so I thought nothing of it. And then he showed up. To say I was shocked is an understatement. Gus: On my end, I was just told that we'd be doing an ocular of a prospect client's property. We were told it was for a VIP client, and since we do restorations, we get VIPs a lot. I was just as surprised to see her.

HHB: What was it like? Was it the first time you saw each other after so long? Gus: Yeah. Well, I’ve seen her in the papers, pictures but not in person. It felt like I was a little kid again. The boy working at the gift shop with the massive crush on his co-worker. Anya: It was a really big shock for the both of us. But I remembered his eyes. The beard was a new addition though. But I like it. It suits him very well.  *laughs* Gus: Thank you. *laughs*

HHB: So from there, the "rekindling" started? Gus: Things slowly fell into place.  Anya: It did. 

HHB: Now, tell us about the proposal... Gus: I invited her to go on a hiking weekend with me in Rennaux. There’s a really nice trail, a little rougher but a lot less crowded that led to the famous cliffs. We’d gone hiking before so I thought I’d be able to surprise her.  Anya: Yeah. We were hiking all afternoon. I thought it was just, you know, a typical hike in the woods. We love those. We often go with our dogs. But when we finally reached the cliffs, the sun was beginning to set. I was looking out at the coast, and telling him how my mum and dad got engaged there. Then when I turned around, he was down on one knee. I just remember crying. And saying yes, of course.  

HHB: So it was a surprise? Anya: Absolutely. I had no idea. I mean, I was hoping. You know, when you’re with someone you really love, you really click with, it’s… you dream that one day, you’d have your happily ever after with that person.  Gus: I’ve known for a while that it was her. It’s always been her. I had that ring in my pocket, my tool bag, my rucksack for at least a month. I’d been tempted to ask sooner many, many times, but I wanted it to be very special, very memorable for her. 

HHB: Speaking of the Ring… it IS gorgeous. Quite stunning.  Anya: It is. It really is. I love it. It’s very beautiful. I can’t stop staring at it. I’ve been wearing it everywhere. I even wore it out once, because I forgot to take it off… you know, since it hasn’t been officially announced yet. No one seemed to notice though. 

HHB: Really? When was this? At the garden party. It was already too late because I’d already stepped out when I realised I still had it on, and the anthem was playing. I had to keep my hands clasped for quite some time before I could excuse myself. I hated having to take it off this past month. *laughs*

HHB: So Gus, tell us about the ring? Gus: Yeah, well, uh, I’ve always had this vision… what ring I hope she’d like. I brought my mum to the jewellers with me to help with the design. And when I saw the sketch, I could see her wearing it.  HHB: So you designed the ring?  Gus: Well, um, I picked the diamond, and I asked them to add more diamonds on the band and it’s got a little engraving inside. I also had them add a hidden sapphire underneath… to reflect her beautiful eyes. So, well, uhh, I helped design the ring? Maybe? *laughs* Anya: He actually gave me two rings! HHB: Two?  Gus: Oh, yeah. Well, we were at her house a few days after I proposed and I saw her gardening in the yard wearing the ring. I think at that moment I realised that she needed perhaps a more... subdued ring for when she’s riding or gardening or playing with our dogs.  Anya: It’s this really pretty gold band with a traditional Ekhkarean motif. I love it just as much. 

HHB: But of course this is not the first piece of jewellery he’s given you? Let’s talk about the necklace. Anya: Ah. Yes. My locket. It’s a double-sided locket. He gave me that ages ago. Gus: It was a gift. For her seventeenth birthday.  Anya: I remember that day.   Gus: That… I saw it at a shop, and they let you personalise it. I wanted to get her something nice that she could wear. So I worked three jobs that Summer. I really wanted to get it for her.  HHB: So he is “G”?  Anya: Yes, he’s most definitely “G.” *laughs* 

HHB: But I see that you also have something to remind you of Anya permanently inked on you? Gus: Yeah. I have two. But this one’s the much older one. I got it when we were eighteen? It’s the Tartosan “A” on my ring finger. It’s actually my first tattoo. I remember my mum throwing quite a fit. *laughs* Anya: I was so scared for him when he showed it to me. I mean, it was very sweet. It was very thoughtful, but I was so scared for him that he’d get in trouble for it. *laughs*

(Above: File photo: Gus has many tattoos, but one of the most prominent ones is a small letter "A" on his left ring finger.)

HHB: Speaking of mums and parents… did you ask The Queen and Prince Jacques before you popped the question? Gus: Yes. I know how much they love and value Annie, and of course, I respect The Queen and The Prince very much. 

HHB: How did it go? I mean... talking to The Queen and asking for her daughter's hand... that's gotta be quite the experience? Gus: Oh, yeah. Wow. I mean, I was very, very nervous, I’m not going to lie. Al was there, too. It was after dinner when I finally had the courage to tell them, ask them. She’d stepped out with Ingrid - who’d been helping me. Thankfully, they were very supportive and they were all very welcoming. 

HHB: And now the engagement… It’s rather short, for a royal wedding. It’s happening later this year? Anya: Yes. Later, this Autumn. It is a relatively short engagement, but thankfully, we have wonderful people helping us out, and we had a little over a month as a head start, which helped immensely. 

HHB: So the dress has been picked? The venue? Anya: Yes. There is a dress. Or well, there’s going to be a dress.. hopefully. *laughs* And we’re just sorting some things out with the venue. Other details will be made public very soon. 

HHB: Gus, you’re known to be very private and low key, but with this massive move, are you ready to become a public figure the groom to a future Queen? Gus: I know there will be changes, very big changes, but I’m very willing to learn. And I’m glad that I have Annie to help me, and of course, her Family, too. I’d love to be able to offer my help, my support to a much wider audience. I understand that the Royal Family has dedicated their life to service, and I think that’s a very wonderful and honourable way to live. 

HHB: And your family? How have they taken the news? Gus: My mum’s very happy. My sisters are, too. They were in on it, the proposal, from the very start. And of course, they know Annie from way back, and they’ve gotten to reconnect. They all love her.  Anya: They’re all been very kind to me. And I actually look forward to Gus coming home from Tartosa because his mum sends me the best homemade limoncello and pasta. The best I’ve ever had, hands down. *laughs* Gus: I just wish my dad was still around. I'm sure he'd love her, too. Anya: I would've loved to have met him, too.

HHB: So what's next for Anya and Gus? Children, perhaps? Anya: Hopefully. But we're taking it one step at a time. Gus: We've both grown up in very close families. We'd very much love to have our own family some day. But I agree, we're taking things at our own pace. Anya: For now, we're just very excited for the wedding. Gus: And spending the rest of our lives together.

HHB: Well, that sounds wonderful, and I think that's about it. Thank you very much, Your Royal Highness, Gus, for taking the time to chat with me. Anya: Thank you. Gus: Thank you very much.

The interview was done outdoors at the Palace's balcony overlooking the famous Brindleton Palace Gardens. The blooming bride-to-be wore a brand new and yet to be identified blue and white printed floral dress. Gus, meanwhile, looked handsome in his matching blue pinstripe suit.

Congratulations again to the happy and beautiful couple!

Meanwhile, we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more royal wedding updates!

[intoanotherworld23]

Miles Teller

Updated: 5/4/24

One shots:

Calling You Mine : You haven’t seen Bradley Bradshaw since the two of you broke up, and you run into him at the Hard Deck

Penny For Your Thoughts : Watching Bradley play football on the beach gets you all hot and bothered, and it’s a good thing he’s there to help you out

Sweet Revenge : Admiral Simpson pisses off Bradley and he decides to take sweet revenge on him involving you and his desk

Rock The Car For Me : Bradley couldn’t resist you any longer and his car seemed like the perfect place

Hungry For You : Bradley is hungry for something to eat, and you’re are the only thing that he is craving

Caught Red Handed : You’ve been sleeping with two of your very attractive teachers for a while now, and so far you haven’t been caught

Home Movie : Bradley catches you watching the home made movie you guys made

Dreaming About This : Things get physical in Bradley’s office

Vibrations : Bradley overhears a conversation he wasn’t supposed to hear, and he decides to teach you a lesson

Deep In The Woods : Bradley wants to take you for a walk in the woods, but that’s not the only thing he wants to do with you

Feel The Vibrations : Bradley always has a way of surprising you with new things in the bedroom

Body For Hire : Bradley Bradshaw is the best bodyguard there is, and he proves to you exactly why he’s the best

Playing With Toys : Bradley decided to try something new in the bedroom, and you aren’t exactly complaining

Bathroom Break : You need to take a bathroom break when things start to heat up on the dance floor, and Bradley Bradshaw decides to join you, and things heat up even more

Berry Delicious : Bradley loves the taste of berries, and you happen to be his favorite dessert

Series:

Pick Your Battles : Bradley broke your heart when he accused you of betraying him, and you haven’t seen or spoken to him since. Until you are both called back to Top Gun to help with a dangerous mission that nobody’s ever attempted before

Getting The Truth : You’re one of the best journalists in your field, and then one day convicted serial killer, Bradley Bradshaw announces that he would like to be interviewed since he’s on death row, and is willing to do anything to get the truth out

Right And Wrong : Working for a company that makes and builds different jets for naval bases has been an experience over the past year, and on top of that you have the best co workers and boss. Until one day the son of the owner shows up to change everything

Crashing Through : Bradley got promoted to Admiral Bradshaw and needs an assistant to help him keep up with his work, the only problem is he isn’t exactly the most friendly

[midnightfantasiez]

Twisted Love | 넷 (chp.4)

SUMMARY: you were certain that you would never find love nor ever lose your virginity throughout university, that is until a man named Lee Sangyeon came into the picture and offered to become your tutor; in exchange for keeping your grades up, and most importantly, teaching you everything you needed to know about sex. it was all just for fun & games, that is until one of you started to develop feelings for the other.

PAIRING: tutor!Sangyeon x afab!reader

GENRE: smut (18+ MDNI!!)

WARNINGS: we taking a look back on Sangyeon's past 👀, as well as a peak into reader's feelings, petnames (princess), talks about Sangyeon having fwb behaviour, unprotected sex (pls don't do that irl), dirty talk, creampie, rough sex, p in v sex, doggy style, pussy rubbing, lots of teasing from your best friend Haknyeon, sex jokes (nothing too vulgar dw), alcohol consumption, Sangyeon is now just cold 🥺

WORD COUNT: 4,121

A/N: apologies for the late update on this one it's been a while!! 😭 but we're back and hohoho. yall are not ready for this one 😮‍💨✨

send me an ask/comment to join the series taglist! those in my permanent taglist will automatically be added!

Sangyeon’s POV

“Sangyeon? Sangyeon-ah!” 

That loud voice startled the young teacher assistant as he was scrolling through his computer, grading all of the pop quizzes that were handed in by the students over the school holidays, making him turn his back almost immediately towards the direction of the owner of the voice. 

Professor Kim clearly noticed the vast and heavy under eye bags that he had gotten recently, and it was very concerning to him, especially when he used to be his favourite and top student several years back. 

“Sangyeon-ah, you clearly have something going on in your mind, don’t you?” 

He knew that his professor read him like a book, and there was nothing he could do to hide his emotions and struggles from him ever—at least, he had never succeeded once. Sangyeon was basically like the professor’s own son, taking him in and tutoring him for hours after lectures each day back then so that he could obtain the title of one of the best alumni the university has ever seen for the past decade. 

After graduation, Sangyeon traveled to Tokyo for a couple of years and gained some experience there before returning to Seoul, where he met the love of his life. 

Meeting his ex was truly one of the best things he had ever experienced, especially abroad, since he had accepted the fact that he would be completely stuck working remotely in his apartment, with little to no contact from the outside world. 

But it was thanks to his roommate, who convinced him to attend their monthly company events, that he met the love of his life. She was half Korean and half Japanese, and she was truly one of the sweetest human beings he had ever seen. 

Within less than a year, they got so close that he decided to move in with her, spending almost 24 hours with her at all times and treating her the best that he possibly could. It went pretty smoothly for two years—travelling all across Japan during the weekends and their paid holidays while making precious memories together. 

Sangyeon was convinced that he had found the love of his life, and he was ready to propose to her. He even reserved a specially made ring from Tiffany & Co. in Ginza, Tokyo—turquoise was her favourite colour, after all. 

But his dreams came shattering down when his ex confronted him in the comforts of their apartment one night, telling him that she had found someone better and that it was time to end their relationship. Tears were shed, and his heart was shattered into pieces when he found out the exact reason why she saw no future between them.

You don’t pleasure me enough. 

Through that heartbreak, he decided that he needed to go through a healing journey, and to really figure out what he was lacking that made his ex end things abruptly with him during the peak of their relationship. Hence, he started meeting different types of girls—goody-two shoe ones or girls who were often wild and found at the clubs, all to figure out and work on his sex skills. 

He has definitely learnt a lot more through those experiences, even if some of them turned out pretty messy and unpleasant—he just needed to refine himself to make sure that he would be loved once again. 

However, when he finally got back to Seoul a couple of years prior, he decided that it was time to put his fuckboy life behind in order to live a proper life with a stable job and to mix around with people who weren’t just craving for his dick. 

After a few different jobs, he finally landed on his current one, and he was surprised yet grateful that Mr Kim actually thought and remembered about him after all those years, and he immediately accepted the offer without much dilemma, thinking that working in the education field would divert his attention back to reality for a bit. 

That was until he met you. 

He only had one job at the sorority party: to make sure that the students avoided making outrageous decisions and that everyone went back home safe and sound. But somehow, he laid his eyes upon you, and you reminded him so much of his ex. Be it the looks you had or your demeanour, or how it was the way you reacted that was the exact same with his ex back when he first crossed paths with her during a company event where she had a little too much to drink. 

Instantly, the lust within him grew, and he knew that it was hard for him to refuse the kiss that you gave. One thing led to another, and then you actually trusted him to take your virginity away. Sangyeon was definitely beyond grateful about that, knowing that he was actually validated and loved in some way, even if you were absolutely lost in this whole messed up contract you both had made with one another. 

But there was something different about you: you never refused his touch and that you actually enjoyed his company, even if his tutoring sessions were definitely something completely different to what you had in mind. 

Sangyeon never thought much about it, until Haknyeon came into the picture. 

He never really knew why that was exactly the case. Haknyeon had been your best friend since you were kids, and he had little to no room for messing up with your personal life. It was not his place to have a say in this, after all. Who was he to judge nor control the timing of when your best friend would actually return from abroad and reunite with you this quickly? 

It shouldn’t have affected him in the slightest—Haknyeon was just being himself and hanging out with his best friend after being separated for quite a while.

But why did he have this uncomfortable feeling deep down in his gut that was slowly eating him away? 

To the point he even had a spicy dream about you making out with your best friend. 

It has been a week since he last saw you, and this time, Sangyeon himself was the one to turn down all of the tutoring sessions that were supposed to be going on, coming up with any possible excuses to tell you that he wasn’t able to see you for a while.

Or rather, he wasn’t ready to reunite with you. 

However, he knew that he could no longer avoid this, as he clearly had to meet with you to discuss the possible topics or chapters that your professors would highlight in the upcoming quiz that was going to take place next week. 

With that, he kindly excused himself from the lecture hall where he was with Professor Kim. He slowly made his way out to the nearest rooftop garden, located right outside the campus. He reluctantly took out his phone and dialled the familiar number. 

“Hey, I’m coming over at eight tonight. Don’t be late.”

Y/N’s POV

Your walls are slowly ripping apart with every single thrust that Sangyeon makes within you, not caring about your pleas and cries as he continues to push his cock further and as deep as he can. 

You were panting while lying flat down on the bed with your ass sticking up to his abdomen, both your arms bound by one of his veiny hands, while the other was gripping a clump of your hair as his groans filled the entire room. 

Sure, you both have had rough sex like this before, but deep down, you knew that something wasn’t right, especially with the way he treated you firsthand when he stepped right into your apartment. The both of you would usually start with your actual work, having an hour or two to work on your grades before going in with the sex, but that wasn’t the case today.

Immediately, he quickly pinned you straight to your front door the moment you let him in, and he began kissing you feverishly, not giving you any room for rejecting his advances. Frankly, you couldn’t even do much because, well, you did kind of miss his presence. 

You missed his scent so badly and how his fingers would comb through your hair whenever you made out. You missed the way his lips felt against yours, that sweet mango-flavoured lip balm that he would often apply on a daily basis, one that you have grown accustomed to. 

Most importantly, you craved the way he would treat you in bed. He knew exactly what you needed and was feeling for the day. It was as if he had some sort of telepathy when it came to reading your mind, and he would meet every single one of your needs for the day. 

Sangyeon always made you feel good about yourself; it made you feel as if you were loved by someone, given that you had concluded that romance would never be a thing for you in university. But ever since Sangyeon came into the picture, that all changed. 

You knew this was all part of the gimmick and the so-called “contract.” None of this is accurate, and you two will not be guaranteed to end up as a couple.

However, you have always kept your hopes up that perhaps one day, Sangyeon would change his mind and that you actually meant a lot more to him, given that he would agree with this whole ordeal in the first place. 

Right? 

It has been about 3 minutes of Sangyeon constantly picking up his pace as he thrusts into you, but this time, you could tell that he was getting impatient. He tugged you up aggressively to pull you upright, with you now kneeling on the bed while his other hand was still holding both of yours in place. 

“Y/N— Tell me—How much you missed this?” He panted while he leaned close to whisper into your ear, desperate for your answer.

“A lot— I missed this so much—” 

“Come on, Y/N. You can do better than that— Show me how much you missed this—” Sangyeon growled before letting go of your hair and moving down to rub your dripping wet clit.

“I— I missed you, Sangyeon! I want you so badly!” You were now shaking from the mess that Sangyeon had placed you in, and it made it even worse when he began sucking on your earlobe. “I’m cumming! I’m cumming!” 

“Cum all over my cock, princess. Do it for me,” Sangyeon commanded before giving one final thrust as you two finally came, then taking a few seconds to come down from your high before letting you go as you fell straight down onto the bed. 

You expected Sangyeon to do the same because that was what you had grown accustomed to—cuddling in bed until you regained strength and sometimes sharing a few sensual and slow kisses before he would carry you right into your bathtub and give you a warm bath. 

However, your tutor immediately got up and put on his pants, pushing his sweaty hair back with his hands before draping his shirt over his bare shoulders and walking straight into the living room. 

“Call me when you’re ready. I’ll get you ready for a bath, and then we’ll work on the lectures.”

Those were the very last words he said without even turning his head back to look at you before closing your bedroom door shut. 

Something was definitely not right.

“What’s with that gloomy face that would actually cause a thunderstorm to happen sooner than later, miss Y/N?” 

You were brought back to reality when your best friend flicked you on your forehead, earning a yelp from you while giving him an immense glare as if you were going to murder him right here and then. 

“Nothing. Just been having some issues with some assignments,” you commented before returning to meddle with your boba straw instead of drinking from it. 

“Nah, I’m not convinced. Y/N, I’ve known you for decades now, and that look is giving me an I'm-depressed-please-get-me-to-talk-about-it look,” Haknyeon insisted as he pulled your boba drink away from you.

“Hey! Give it back!” You raised your voice before your best friend began taking a sip of your beverage. “Oh, Ju Haknyeon, you’re so dead—”

“Then spill. I’m going to finish up your favourite Oolong Milk Tea if you don’t,” he stuck out his tongue right at you before taking a few more sips of your beverage. You could clearly see that he was already halfway through and would inhale the entire thing if you were not going to speak anytime soon.

“Okay okay, stop! Don’t finish it! That’s my very last boba that I’ll be able to afford for the month.”

“Not my problem that you’re not earning as much with your current part-time job.”

“Look, I’m doing it all for charity, okay?”

“Don’t care; spill the tea now.”

“You’re so–”

“Tick tock, tick tock! I’m going to finish it!” Haknyeon teased before taking another big sip, and he was close to finishing up your boba pearls. 

“Fine! I’ll talk! Now take your mouth out of that straw,” you snarled. 

Haknyeon’s eyes now glowed as if he was going to listen to his favourite bedtime story from when he was a kid, and he quickly pushed the drink aside and rested his face on both of his palms as he leaned forward to look straight at you. 

“I hate how something tells me that you’re planning to use whatever I’m going to say up against me.” 

“It depends, knowing you it’s probably about your “side assignment” instead of your actual ones.” 

Dang it. 

“I absolutely despise how you just know too well about me,” you sulked. 

“Whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me forever as best friends, so suck it up,” he smiled, giving you his signature puppy eyes which just made you roll your eyes back. “Now that’s just rude. You’re ignoring my cuteness.” 

“It makes me wanna puke every time I see you do that straight to my face,” you fought back. 

“Okay so, what exactly happened between you and Sangyeon?” Haknyeon immediately jumped into the topic, not giving you a little breath of air to mentally prepare yourself on how you would address it to your best friend. 

On the bright side, it definitely saves you from taking your usual 10 minutes to muster up the courage before you would touch on topics like this. 

“I wished I knew, Haknyeon,” you lowered your head, and your voice was now getting softer than before. Truthfully, you never really knew how you felt about all of this. 

You were definitely concerned about Sangyeon’s change of demeanour; it was not like him to give you fairly little attention or care. After all, the Sangyeon you knew always made sure the people around him were being taken care of, and he would always put up this genuine and soft smile that seemed to make even the worst possible scenario seem bearable. 

However, another part of you was also feeling certain emotions that you weren’t sure if you could pinpoint them correctly. Sadness? Loneliness? Upset? You really didn’t know at all. 

But it seemed your friend immediately picked up on the situation and flat-out shoved his observations right at your face. 

“So you’re sad that he did not give you any aftercare after your last sex,” Haknyeon flatly blurted out right there and then.

“What the fuck? Of course not! It was definitely nice if he did…but that’s not the main point,” you were now blushing as you commented on that. 

“Hmm…you’re sad he walked out on you after sex,” he continued.

“Haknyeon. He was just different. Even during our tutoring sessions, he wouldn’t even look right at me in the eyes, and his vision was constantly on the lecture notes for the 2 hours we were doing it.”

“And then he left right away after that.”

“And yes, he left immediately after that, with only a single goodbye.” 

You slowly waited for your friend to process all that information before his concerned look turned into a sinister smile, knowing he was up to no good. 

“You wanted more sex after that.” 

Immediately, you slapped his arms, earning a yelp from him and sending you daggers through his eyes. “Can you not hurt me like that!”

“Then be serious with me, will you?” You snapped, crossing both of your arms while giving him a little huff. 

“Okay fine, he’s different than usual. And what about it? You do know that Sangyeon has his own life and matters to deal with; he’s also an adult and not just a tutor and a sex buddy, okay?”

“I’m aware of that…but it’s affecting me too…” 

“How so?” 

Haknyeon now scoots closer to you, and he is now resting his hand on his arms that are draped on the table so that he can peer up and look straight at your face from below. 

“Oh, hell no. You caught feelings for the guy, Y/N.” 

Cat’s out of the bag. 

Suddenly, all the alarms went off in your mind, and all the puzzle pieces came together immediately. You knew that from the back of your mind, part of the reason you didn’t want to agree with this whole contract to begin with was that you were afraid that you wouldn’t be able to distinguish between “business” and “romance”. 

However, you were desperate to find love, and you were certainly not going to graduate university being labelled as a virgin. Hence, you decided that it wouldn’t harm to actually try it out. 

Only if you knew that your worst nightmare was slowly beginning to form down the road. 

You didn’t really know when you started falling for your tutor, but who could’ve blamed you? Especially when he was one of the university’s top alumni and had such good looks that made every female swoon over him whenever he bypassed down the halls. 

Sangyeon was truly a blessing and a curse for you. You were now stuck in a situation where you actually developed feelings for the man himself, even when you promised yourself that you would never fall deep into this whole situationship that was going on between you two. 

It seemed as if you had failed. Horribly. 

If it wasn’t for Haknyeon, who was now cupping both of your cheeks with his hands, you could’ve gone on and on overthinking this whole situationship between you and Sangyeon. Thankfully, you were now brought back to reality and managed to break that unpleasant train of thought for a little while. 

“Look, Y/N. I don’t know why you’re overthinking about all of this. If you fall for him, then why not? Confess to him. If you’re worried about him, then ask him face-to-face. It can’t be that hard, especially when you both are a lot closer than just normal friends.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t know why I’m making such a big deal out of all this,” you chuckled before choking on the tears bound to drip down your face. 

But Haknyeon wouldn’t let that happen and immediately embraced you, soothing you by rubbing your back while his other hand patted your head. “Here’s an idea: you’re good at baking. Why not make him some sweet treats to thank him for all the hard work he has put in for you and also to make him happier?” 

“You’re right. Maybe I could whip up that mango sago recipe my mother used to make for me all the time, and I’ll give it to him after the quiz tomorrow morning.” 

With that, Haknyeon smiled and ruffled your hair before rubbing his nose against yours. “Now that’s more like the Y/N I know.”

You tried so hard to juggle between studying for your quiz and making the dessert the night prior. To be fair, making the dessert would’ve taken about half an hour, and it was a fairly simple recipe—that is if Haknyeon hadn’t decided to take you out to a newly opened bar and treat you to some drinks before you finally came to realise that you have a quiz the following day. 

You scurried your way back home at 1 in the morning, and you quickly tried your best to sober up by chugging down glasses of water and splashing your face with some cold water in an attempt to pull an all-nighter. 

Without wasting time, you immediately set your phone on silent mode and try your best to focus on studying for the quiz while taking necessary breaks to work on the dessert. It took about a couple of hours before you realised the sun was about to rise as the sunlight shone through your blinds. You knew there was no point in trying to take a little shut-eye now, for you wouldn’t want to risk being late for the quiz.

Instead, you caked on as much makeup as you could to try to cover the under-eye bags and to make it seem that you weren’t drunk in the slightest as you packed away everything, including the dessert, as you made your way to campus.

Besides feeling groggy and not your best self due to the lack of sleep and alcohol in your system, everything else went smoothly as you arrived on time and did some last-minute studying before your professor was about to walk in with the papers in hand. 

Sure enough, Sangyeon trailed behind Professor Kim at 8 a.m. sharp and helped your professor to pass out the papers for each student, even coming close to placing one right on your desk personally. Obviously, you looked up to see him right in the eye, but the male didn’t return the favour, and he quickly made his way towards the other students.

You were slightly upset, that’s for sure. However, you figured he was just doing his job and not making any unnecessary interaction since it was during campus hours. Once all of the students had gotten their papers, the professor started the timer before everyone began answering the questions frantically. 

On the other hand, you were doing fairly well and with ease, all thanks to Sangyeon highlighting the specific chapters to focus more on during your last tutoring session with him. You could answer all of them easily before you realised you had finished a little earlier than the other students. 

With that, you gently placed your pen on one side before turning your eyes to look straight at the male himself. Unfortunately, he was staring right at the students on the lower ground, not even once tilting his head up to glance at the floor you were on. Once again, you had to remind yourself that he was just doing his job as a teacher’s assistant, nothing else. 

After what seemed like 10 minutes had passed, the timer that your professor set had gone off, and all of the students were to hand in their papers before they were permitted to leave the hall, and then it was the start of midterm break. 

You followed the other students, gently placing your paper on your professor’s desk before bowing to him and wishing each other a blessed midterm break until you reached the front door where Sangyeon leaned against the wall, grabbing onto your wrist and not letting it go in the slightest. Instead, his grip tightened slightly before he gently pulled you back into the hall, addressing a few things with your professor before he took the papers with him and left. 

“H-Hey, Sangyeon! Thanks for helping me during the last tutoring session. The quiz was fairly easy, and I was able to answer the whole thing fairly quickly!” You tried your best to show Sangyeon your excitement, but the male only furrowed his brows and stared at you blankly. 

Now, that was awkward. 

Trying your best to break the tension between you two, you quickly fished through your backpack to pull out the dessert that you have been dying to give to him. “Oh! I made you a little something last night to show you my token of appreciation! I think you’ll love it—”

“Y/N. Stop it.” 

That alone was enough to freeze you in place, and your hand immediately fell off from your backpack. “S-Sangyeon? Is something the matter?” 

Instead of answering your question, Sangyeon takes in a deep breath and tucks his hands away into his pockets before closing in his distance between you. 

“I’m sorry, Y/N. But this whole tutoring session between us is over.”

A/N: one more chapter to go folks 🥹

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[thetrashthatsmilesback]

Watcher, Capitalism, and the Petite (Petty) Bourgeois

So the whole Watcher controversy has revealed an interesting misunderstanding of what constitutes "the rich" or capitalist beliefs. The major theme that arose during the controversy was the sense that Shane in particular had gone against his previously stated leftist beliefs - that he had, for all these years, taken up a humorous aesthetic of anti-capitalism without actually believing in what he was saying. I believe that this is due to a breakdown in definitions as they become spread to the general public. Dissemination of information is a good thing, and I would never argue against it, but one problem which arises from concepts spreading to large groups without context is that often the actual meanings break down until they are vastly different from their original, academic denotation. This is, I believe, what happened with the phrase “eat the rich” and its current colloquial usage.

I want to preface this with the fact that nothing I am about to say applies exclusively to Watcher, or that the Watcher staff have done anything wrong or misrepresented themselves. I also don’t think that the Watcher fanbase is wrong at all – the situation just happened to spawn arguments both in defense of and critique of the Watcher team which indicated, in my opinion, that an understanding of “the rich” in a capitalist society is not well understood. Disclaimers out of the way, let’s get into this.

During the controversy, two major sides arose – those who had begun to see the Watcher crew (in particular Steven, Ryan, and Shane) as “the rich” or ruling class in a capitalist setting, and those who argued against this by arguing that as Watcher is a small business, and not the upper 1%, they are not included in the definition of “the rich” expressed by leftists. I want to focus in on the counter-argument that Watcher being a small business just trying to survive means that they are not considered “the rich.”

In Marxist theory, there is a small group called the “petite” or “petty bourgeoisie.” This group is defined as those who both own and contribute to the means of production – aka, small business owners. Marx himself wrote little about the petite bourgeoisie, predominantly referencing them in passing in his essays The Class Struggles in France, 1848-1850 and very briefly in The Communist Manifesto. He does happen to criticize this group in the little writing he did on it, “Marx derides what he sees as the petit-bourgeois self-delusion that, because it combines both employment and ownership of the means of production, it somehow represents the solution to the class struggle. This class was progressive in a limited sense, as witnessed by its claims at various times for co-operatives, credit institutions, and progressive taxation, as a consequence of felt oppression at the hands of the bourgeoisie. However, these were (in terms of the Marxist view of history) strictly limited demands, just as the ideological representatives of this class have been constrained by their own problems and solutions” (“Petite Bourgeoisie - Oxford Reference”).

Now, it is very important to note that team “Watcher is a small business” aren’t completely wrong in their positioning of Watcher’s attempt to raise more revenue as Not Evil Capitalism. Marx’s belief was that eventually the Petite Bourgeoisie would be pushed into the proletariat class. I also am not positive that Watcher is a classical small business – they very well could be a worker co-op. A worker co-op is a business where the workers have ownership of the company, and significant representation on the board of directors(“What Is A Worker Cooperative? – U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives”). While some criticism of worker co-ops from a communist or socialist view exist, they are generally seen as a more socialist approach to the typical small business model.

I couldn’t find direct confirmation that Watcher is a co-op. One point against them being one is the use of titles such as CEO and Owner, but these designations could simply be for tax and paperwork reasons. Watcher is an objectively small company, they have between 25 and 30 workers, and most people cite them currently having 27 workers, but in the past they have employed interns and I am unsure of if they currently have interns on board so I am going to stick to the range. It would be incredibly easy to have a worker co-op with 25-30 people, you wouldn’t even need voted representatives; everyone could just be on the board and contribute to decisions. I figured the next best approach would be to see what the roles on Watcher’s shows are – if Steven, Shane, and Ryan contribute significantly rather than just showing up and looking pretty on camera, then there is a good chance they might be functioning as a worker co-op more than a traditional business or small business.

To do this, I decided to look at Watcher’s largest show for each co-owner. This means Ghost Files, Mystery Files, Puppet History, and Steven’s food series. These numbers broke down as follows:

Ghost Files: Ryan is listed as a Creator on all Ghost Files videos. Ghost Files Debriefs do not have writers, so that role will not be held against them on those videos. Ryan and Shane were listed as a Host and an Executive Producer on all videos, but neither ever held a Writer, Editor, or Sound Mixing role.

Mystery Files: Ryan and Shane were listed as a Host and an Executive Producer on all videos, but neither ever held a Writer, Editor, or Sound Mixing role.

Puppet History: Shane is listed as a Creator on all Puppet History videos. He is listed as a Host on all videos, an Executive Producer on all videos, Writer on 4 videos, and never held an Editor or Sound Mixing role.

Steven’s Food Series: Steven is listed as a Host and an Executive Producer on all videos, but neither ever held an Editor, or Sound Mixing role. This show does not require a writer so this will not be held against him.

*Do take these numbers with a grain of salt, I wrote this while in class so its possible that I missed something.*

Looking at those numbers, the main three do predominantly just film, but I don’t want to devalue the work that goes into being on camera. They are still generating capital by acting, I simply wanted to clear up confusion I had due to seeing people say they edited every Ghost Files video. From what I can see, they don’t do the editing, but as executive producers they likely have to review every video before it goes out. I also still can’t fully come to a conclusion on if the company can be considered a worker co-op, but I believe it is a standard small business – aka, the petite bourgeoisie.

All of that leads to the final point – the way that people only began to view the three lead Watcher members/founding members as “the rich” after the announcement of the streaming platform shows the way that leftist theory has become divorced from some of its meaning. I saw several people arguing “you guys can’t recognize the rich”/”you guys would attack doctors and lawyers under the guise of eating the rich,” and yes its true that doctors who work in hospitals are proletariat, but if a doctor opens a private practice or a lawyer opens a private firm, does that render them more bourgeoisie or more proletariat? At what point do the petite bourgeoisie become a part of those who we disavow? I don’t actually have answers to these questions, and I’m sure people much smarter than me or better versed in economics have written on this (one source I found that seemed good while I was skimming it despite its age is this one https://www.jstor.org/stable/2083291?seq=3 ). I didn’t make this point to argue one point over the other on whether Watcher counts as “the rich,” but more to focus on the way that term gets used. The argument could be made that we could have started questioning Shane’s anti-capitalist beliefs the moment he helped start a company, but we didn’t. We only started to criticize him on the basis of hypocrisy after the announcement and its out of touch comments. This raises so many questions about how we use the term “the rich” now – does it refer to anyone we dislike who is financially stable? Has the term become completely divorced from its original meaning? Or were we being hypocrites all along? Has Watcher Entertainment always been incongruent with Shane’s implied political beliefs? Is there a certain point at which the petite bourgeoisie become a part of the financial aristocracy? Or is that term only relegated to the industrial bourgeoisie, is it reserved exclusively for those in financial positions that no artisan could ever hope to reach?

Is it possible that both arguments are correct regarding the Watcher boys, and all other members of small business ownership and management positions? That they are both “the rich” but not a part of the proper bourgeoisie?

I don’t know. I find it fascinating though.

[lace-coffin]

OKAY OKAY, I swear I’ll stop requesting Asa Emory, (never 😔) but I js thought abt this, okay so what about a police officer, that has 2 jobs, 1: police officer trying to find the murderer, ‘Asa Emory’ but the 2nd job is like teaching in a class in the same building Asa teaches in 👀?

How would Asa Emory react to a co-worker leading his cop case? (Nsfw)

Asa Emory x Police!Gn!Reader (Nsfw)

Requests are open!

This dynamic really reminds me off Mark Hoffman and Peter Strahm and I love it, I’m fixating on saw so hard right now so I’m excited to write this!

You had to die. There was no other way around it. If Asa wasn’t already stressed out enough with his collection then he definitely was now. You were like a moth to a lamp, moving wherever he did despite his best efforts to shake you off, always finding your way back to him. Usually he adored moths but you’re a different story.

with the kind of ‘extracurricular’ work Asa did cops were a given, the threat of being discovered always hovering over him like flies to putrid meat. He could handle that, people were going missing all over the city and never turning back up, and if they did somehow make a reappearance they hardly resembled humans at that point. He was used to it, no skin off his back.

However when it interfered with his teaching work..this unnerved him. Here he was supposed to be Mr.Emory, unremarkable and flying under the radar, at most people may think of him as “that one kind of quiet entomology lecturer” some people may consider entomology a weird major to choose but that was neither here nor there, if anything Asa was glad it drew in the more reserved types.

It had been quiet until you began working in the same building, he had no idea what you taught, he just knew you worked in the class next door, and that you worked part time as a cop. That was enough for him to avoid you like the plague. Realistically it probably wouldn’t hurt to just introduce himself but he’s not taking the risk.

Unfortunately you didn’t seem to get the memo, too friendly for your own good he supposed. After a week of classes you finally introduced yourself in the staff lounge. Asa couldn’t brush you off or bolt here, not wanting to disrupt or cause a scene amongst the other teachers. It’s almost like you did it on purpose. He swore he had seen an almost sadistic glee behind your eyes as the realisation dawned on him.

Still, he couldn’t find it in him to be upset even after you’d put him on the spot. It felt odd to be the one squirming on the other end, Asa was used to making his projects uncomfortable, not the other way around. It awakened something in him, the way you ushered him over to the staff sofa, prompting him to introduce himself to the other teachers expectantly, making a point of leaving to make you both a coffee, by proxy leaving Asa the centre of focus to these strangers.

Asa’s face was heating up despite his best efforts to calm his breathing, he had wanted to stay a nobody here, now he was on a first name basis with half the staff, brilliant. You throw Asa a knowing look whilst waiting for the styrofoam cup to fill, confusing him even more.

None of this was a coincidence for you, having been working on “The Collector” case for months. Even transferring uni to here was carefully timed, down to the classroom you would be working in. All missing people had records of using a pest control service weeks or months before their abduction. That was the first lead, tracking down said services and requesting them, seeing who turned up and if they were suspicious. It was difficult considering multiple people worked for the company and were sent out in groups, but sure enough one person always snuck off when they thought no one was looking.

You took inventory of the number plate on the van he arrived in and bid them goodbye. It was easy enough going through insurance records and finding the owner of the van. “Asa Emory?”

Considering the unique name it was easy to find information on him, as little as there had been. An article from a few decades ago about a family slaughtered by their father in cold blood, stuffed and sat at the dinner table. The only survivor in the massacre was a young boy, the article didn’t give a first name but did mention the man arrested was an Emory. your eyebrows rose in interest as you read further, the father had worked at a museum, pinning and creating taxidermy out of insects as a licensed entomologist. Supposedly he’d already had some issues leading up to the event but being exposed to the chemicals of the job is believed to have sent him insane.

That would definitely make sense that Asa worked as pest control if his dad had been an entomologist. The only other relevant information was a link to a “meet the tutors” page at a university about an hour from you. The page boasted its unique courses and top of the state tutors. After flittering through the pictures and descriptions for a few minutes sure enough the man who owned the van showed up. Also an entomologist. You deemed this enough reason to investigate.

After months of trailing this guy you knew his routine, you also knew he didn’t stay home long after a class, only being home for an hour or two before leaving in a different car. The location of his after work activities varied but more often than not he ended up at a dilapidated hotel.

Meanwhile in the present day you’d made yourself somewhat of a nuisance to the mystery man, always managing to corner him in the teachers lounge even if he only visited for a few minuets to grab a timetable. It all came to a head when you asked him out for coffee, Asa glanced around to the other teachers at the table and practically shrank behind his turtle neck, he couldn’t make himself look rude or cold in front of his co-workers, he didn’t need a reason for them to deem him an outcast. Asa coughed awkwardly and agreed as neutrally as he could, sending you a quick glare, not knowing what it is you want with him. Meanwhile you looked like the cat who had gotten the cream.

The coffee outing was..fine. Asa answering questions about his personal life as plainly as he could and you pressing despite him being visibly pissed off just to watch him struggle. He should be annoyed, disgusted even at your lack of tact, but at the same time it made his heart race, his face flush deeply, a feeling he never really reserved much time for stirring deep in his gut. He’d had to imagine unsexy things multiple times and will it away before the end of the date. It’s almost like you could tell regardless, pressing and laughing as he stumbled over answers.

Despite how conflicted Asa felt and how desperate and uncomfortable he was when you pried and taunted him for being shut off he agreed to see you again, and a handful of other times. He knew better than anyone else you were a cop and most likely trying to dig and find something on him, but it always ended up being the least of his concerns as you laughed on the other side of the booth at a joke he made, making him feel human again for a moment. He was a glutton for punishment, knowing you were getting way to close to him personally for his secret to be safe anymore but still turning up every week to feel the shame and adoration flood his veins.

Against Asa’s better judgment he had agreed to move from coffee to alcohol, not his smartest move but god were you convincing, all pretty lips and sweet words. Surprisingly to no one it ended in a messy clash of teeth and tongue in the dingy alley behind the bar, one too many drinks finally making the tension between the two of you boil over. Asa groaned as you panted into his mouth, pinning his hands to the grimy brick wall behind him. You lean in close, mouth tracing the shell of his ear before nipping at the lobe. A cold steely feeling envelopes his wrist, tearing his eyes open he sees his now cuffed hands. Before he can even start to wrestle you off you lean back in, spare hand rubbing between his thighs.

“You have the right to remain silent.”

[spookikookiboo]

if it's not too much trouble , what does the cast line up of you fnaf au look like?

Hello Stranger!

Sorry this took so long to craft up. I am but a small creature! This is everybody I could think of!  Unless of course I am forgetting someone? Which is entirely possible as my brain has about as much RAM as a packing peanut.  Officer Bobby Dunn- Possesses Glamrock Freddy. If you want to know his whole deal just follow the link here for details.  Gabriel (Gabe) - Possesses Glamrock Bonnie. One of the original victims of William Afton’s. Gabe is the eldest of the bunch and tends to be the leader in most situations, although that wasn't always the case.  Susie - Possesses Glamrock Chica. She is the baby of the group but absolutely loves having rowdy siblings to mess around with. She too was one of the original children to go missing.  Fritz - Possesses Pirate Foxy. Fritz is the middle child and is more than a handful, often being the one to get into the most trouble. He refuses to call his new frame a ‘Glamrock’. Cassidy (Cassy/Cass)- Possesses Golden Freddy/ OG Freddy frame that has been lost in storage for years. Cassy was one of the original children and once the ring leader of their small ghostly group however she vanished and has been missing for quite some time now…   Then we have the rest of the cast Sun, his twin Moon and Eclipse. H.E.L.P.Y. along with everyone’s favorite murder bunny Springtrap aka William Afton. Roxy & Monty who may or may not be possessed but that remains to be seen…  Coming to the humans…Vanessa and the cast of my FNAF AU OC’s.  Liam Cooper- the new technician hired by FAZCO to handle maintenance on the building as well as routine work on the animatronics. Liking objects more than people he has taken a liking to the Sunny daycare attendant. Monica Spinelli- the designer and creator of Sun & Moon. If you ever thought those two looked out of place in a building full of endo’s and Glamrock’s you are right! She was a private engineer FAZCO hired years ago to create child care animatronics for their up and coming daycare. She however left the company rather abruptly and no one seems to know the answer as to why. The secret may lie in her creations.  Ava Harper- the new face of FAZCO. She has bought up a good amount of shares in the company and now runs it as a co-owner along with Todd and a mysterious benefactor.  That is a wrap! Thank you for your question and if anyone has any other questions please feel free to ask! 

~Spooki🖤

[spyglassrealms]

Spy's OCs: Zak Kaiyo

art by my good friend, the wonderful @wildegeist!

Realm: Arcverse Species: Tokaya Homeworld: Terotewaukia (Teroteaumia system) Age: 26 annua (29 Earth years) Gender (human analogue): cismasculine (he/him, xe/xen*) Height: 1.8 m Weight: 72.5 kg Occupation: Captain and pilot of the starship Free Spirit; freelance cargo-hauler; occasional mercenary; jack-of-all-trades [Suggested Listening: Burn Out Brighter by Anberlin]

Zakane "Zak" Kaiyo is the co-owner, captain, and pilot of the heavily-modified light hauler Aum Hara (otherwise known as the "Free Spirit") and the leader of a small band of freelance spacers that make their home aboard the ship. He's just one more spark in the great spiral; one more restless soul trying to make a living doing what he can in a galaxy that's always moving and yet always standing still. From the Tyrian Shallows to the Drift and everywhere in between, Zak and his small but loyal crew of misfits can be found anywhere something interesting is happening.

Zak's talented -albeit reckless- piloting skills earned himself and his copilot Arkto a spot in the Galactic Spacecraft Pilots Association Hall of Fame, having broken the record for the smallest crewed ship by mass to exceed 10 million times the speed of light with a hyperdrive. His performative stuntwork is also renowned, and he frequently attends the annual Galactic Pilot Convention.

Most of the "swashbuckling freelance ace pilot" tropes apply to this space hobo, whose personal creed is "do good recklessly." His confidence, determination, and cheerful sarcasm make for an extremely charismatic, if reckless, leader. He's very mischievous and likes to get into trouble, but can be relied on to get out of it as quickly as he gets into it… most of the time. Zak acts fearless but, go figure, this man has Attachment Issues. He hates the idea of getting tied down to one place or thing, yet at the same time he is fiercely protective of his crew. (Shhh. Nobody tell him.)

Zak's homeworld is a backwater: connected to the galaxy and participant in its affairs, but hardly anyone there actually got out beyond the system. He was constantly told that he ought to be happy on Terotewaukia, fixing up interplanetary haulers and maybe going to the outer moons of the system once in a while. He and his two best friends always wanted more. The three of them had plans to quietly fix up one of the written-off hauler derelicts on company time and get the hell out, making their way around the wild starry yonder to see what could be seen.

And then one of them decided they wanted to stay and settle down.

That was the last straw for Zak. As soon as the opportunity arose, he and Arkto (his other bff) took off in their souped-up light hauler and never looked back. But once they were out there... Zak came to realize that the galaxy isn't a really adventurous place.

See, Arcverse is a universe that everyone thinks has been more or less figured out. Galactic civilization has been around for something like a million years or so, and the Arcadian Order have been sort of running the Galactic Assembly for about that long (mostly because they got off their planet first and they do a pretty decent job of wrangling the rowdier civilizations with diplomacy). The entire galaxy is, broadly speaking, at peace. The clash of titans already happened; the fate-of-the-galaxy-level stakes were sorted out thousands of generations ago. All the major starfaring powers, while independent in principle, are constrained by the bureaucracy of the Galactic Assembly. There's mild internal turmoil —and there's always an underbelly— but it's still quite tame. There's a whole galaxy out there with lots to see but nothing to really strive for in it.

Zak Kaiyo is someone who desperately, fundamentally, needs to strive. He wants to live fast and die young in a galaxy where everyone lives at a reasonable pace and dies basically never. He exists to challenge the stagnancy of a world that's as close to utopia as it can reasonably be. Zak wants so badly to save the galaxy, but he lives in a galaxy that doesn't need saving. And that's tearing him to pieces.

[princesspiastri]

Hi tumblr friends, I just wanted to post this here because I cannot believe that no one in the F1 space is talking about how absolutely horrible it is that this terrible awful company is sponsoring an f1 team.

The company was created to give platforms to people who were banned from twitch, it was promoted as a less moderated platform allowing for gambling (Kick is owned by Stake which is a large online gambling site) however because of this lack of moderation it has grown to house some of the worst content creators on the internet. Adin Ross is the poster child for this website, he promotes people like Andrew Tate and associates with a lot of the people in this video.

This company not only elevates hateful voices against women, the LBGTQ+ community, and POC. But they also have pedos running freely on the site! Multiple Kick streamers have been going on Omegle clone sites to sexually harass young women and one of their creators was found to be running basically a cp ring by sharing videos and photos of young girls doing sexually explicit things to his paid subscribers on discord. He has since been banned, Kick claiming they had no idea what he was doing, but co-owners and members of Kick’s team were seen in his chat multiple times during his streams.

I know money talks more than morality in this world but the fact that Sauber is running under their name absolutely disgusts me and seeing as not a lot of people know how terrible this website is, I figured I’d do my part and try to enlighten people on the scummy activities happening on here.

I’ve attached another video for information regarding the cp ring streamer since the main YouTube video I posted doesn’t go too far into it.

PLEASE WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! Both of these videos go into graphic descriptions of the disgusting behavior of these kick streamers!

I’ve attached some links here at the bottom for more info about why Kick is a terrible platform, including a video from one of my favorite streamers about his interaction with Kick creators and streamers.

Hasan talks about how Kick has cultivated a culture of harassment and depravity.

Like I said before, I just wanted to post this here to enlighten people about this website since almost no large news sources have said anything about it’s content and consider how you support this team because of it.

[everyones-least-favorite-bard]

ORV WESTERN AU MASTERPOST

ill be coming back and editing this as i come up with more ideas/modify pre-existing ones

LORE BELOW

SETTING:

Generic cowboy/western movie city Stella River has been plagued by a violent gang war between two main factions and several subsets for nearly 40 years. One side headed by the owner of a massive coal mine near the town is mostly made up of gentlemen bandits and Robin Hood types--criminals with honor (so they say). The other is run by an oil baron, and is composed of more seedy, ruthless types. Stella River is soon to have a railway line constructed running through the town, and the two factions are fighting to see who gets control of it first.

CHARACTER ROLES:

Han Sooyoung: Stella River’s sheriff. She seems to have been bought out by the less reputable of the two factions and tends to maintain the facade so as to keep her true intentions under the radar. Faked Kim Dokja’s death for him and is gathering players to prepare to completely wipe Stella River clean of both sides of the war. She gets most of her information from Kim Dokja and Yoo Sangah, but a mysterious benefactor has also been leaving her tips...

Kim Dokja: a gunslinger going by the name ‘the Lone Star’. He doesn’t seem to be taking an active side in any of the fighting but still maintains amicable relationships with the majority of each groups members. A former employee of (han myungoh’s saloon), he owed a great debt to the owner until Stella River’s sheriff helped fake his death and brought him on to work with her as a spy running for both sides. He’s probably lost count of how many times over a double agent he is but it’s at least five.

Yoo Joonghyuk: a marshal called in by the mayor to help clean up the town. Born and raised out on the East Coast, he comes from a wealthy upper-class family, real socialite types, who he left behind after his engagement to fellow socialite Lee Seolhwa fell through. He began working as a deputy in a small town and quickly worked his way up the ranks and is now called in only for lost cause type places.

Yoo Sangah: a vaudeville performer at (han myungoh's saloon). She used to have an act with Kim Dokja before he faked his death. Another runaway socialite. Feeds information she receives or overhears from the saloon's patrons to Han Sooyoung directly or through Kim Dokja.

Lee Hyunsung: one of Stella River's deputies. He's not entirely clear on what Han Sooyoung is doing, but he knows Kim Dokja and trusts him implicitly, so he's pretty alright with doing whatever the two of them need him to do. Plays the role of naive do-gooder most of the time, but can be frighteningly capable under direction.

Jung Heewon: a rancher living just outside the city's limits. Before faking his death, Kim Dokja once helped her fend off (read: warned her and attempted to look menacing) a small team of bandits attacking her home. She begrudgingly begins working with Han Sooyoung et co when she discovers that the company she sold her products to was working with Eden.

Lee Gilyoung: an orphaned boy working in the coal mines. He begins following Kim Dokja after he helps clean him up after getting in a fight with some of the older boys at the mine. A remarkably good shot, and prone to attempting to defend Kim Dokja from any and everyone he deems a threat.

Shin Yoosung: a girl orphaned due to a hostage situation orchestrated by one of the warring factions. Kim Dokja saves her while still under his original name, and she is one of the first (and only people) to put together that he and the Lone Star are the same person. 

Lee Jihye: an intern of sorts sent to check on Yoo Joonghyuk. Also raised on the East Coast and another runaway from a more uptight family. Has the tendency to follow Yoo Joonghyuk like a baby duckling. She's brought officially onto the team working under Han Sooyoung as another deputy.

Biyoo: Kim Dokja’s daughter. It's unclear who exactly her other parent is but she's often seen with and has connections to Bihyung. She ferries Kim Dokja information from the mayor's office and often shows up to bail him out of whatever scrape he's landed himself in.

Lee Seolhwa: Stella River’s most capable doctor. A former socialite from the East Coast who, after an engagement with Yoo Joonghyuk fell through, was disowned from her family. She moved to Stella River about three years before Yoo Joonghyuk’s arrival and built a reputation for serving any patient appearing at her doorstep and negotiating payment later. 

Uriel: an heiress to the Eden family fortune and owner of a general store in Stella River. She becomes aware of much of her family’s involvement with Stella River’s corruption early on and blatantly begins supporting Kim Dokja under his alter ego. She's responsible for much of the gossip and sort of propaganda surrounding the Lone Star.

Bihyung: undersecretary to the mayor. Nebulously connected to Biyoo and by extension Kim Dokja. Passes information he gathers off to Biyoo and then pretends he doesn’t know what she does with it. Begrudgingly works with Han Sooyoung in hopes of running for mayor properly once she cleans out the town.

Anna Croft: owner of a nearby coal mine. Has control over several of Stella River’s small businesses and much of the trade/commerce coming to the city. Has nebulous ties to the mayor’s office but the nature of which is unclear. A member of Yoo Joonghyuk/Lee Seolhwa’s socialite circle but retained those connections.

(will add more characters as i put together their roles)

GENERAL MISC BITS:

kdj almost runs over yjh when the latter first arrives in town

(as has been est by the first mini comic) kdj gifts yjh a pocket watch that a la dark castle arc, is left by kdjs hospital bed after it stops a bullet that wouldve killed yjh

kdj fakes his death twice; once as kdj and once as the lone star. this number is not set in stone

the faking of his death as lone star runs much like the star wars clone wars rako hardeen arc

for the unaware: ITS REAL BAD

as @solcarow said. train car uncoupling scene. Oh My God

there is a cigarette lighting scene (yall know the one) with kdj and hsy

kdj makes his own outfit (hsy provides the material). everything is a little too big in the hopes that he’ll put on some muscle and grow into it (he does not)

kdj cannot shoot a gun. half his hits have been incidental and/or the result of rube-goldberg type contraptions

there is a chase scene involving a handcart piloted by hsy and yjh

yjh is somehow capable of every stupid gun trick seen in a western movie

the gun spinny is his happy stim a la sword dragging

lgy has crawled under tables and tied yjhs shoelaces together on multiple occasions

hsy and yjh have a full screaming match when kdj fakes his death the second time that ends with both of them shot (non fatally)

anna croft kidnaps biyoo and kdj goes full liam neeson taken on her ass. my guy confronts her in a traincar and shoots her in the kneecap

he also kills selena kim! just shoots her in the head when croft refuses to tell him where biyoo is

kdj fakes his death (at the time of writing) minimum 3 times, not including all the times people just think hes dead because of general Scheme Shenanigans

third time is the kicker! boy does it suck

im not adding too much here because i do have actual scenes i want to write/draw but! thats what ive got off the top of my head

massive shoutout to @bidokja for contributing at least half the Lore in this au ilysm

NOW WITH A FIC COLLECTION

[geminicollisionworks]

Half of the company members of Gemini Collisionworks/Life With Althaar met up on Saturday night at a great performance of Adam Szymkowicz's play Clown Bar 2 at the Parkside Lounge on the Lower East Side, NYC.

Company member Chris Lee was in the show, which was also co-produced by member Philip Cruise -- both of them writer/actors in Althaar. Chris is also co-owner of the Parkside, a great bar that has had no small influence on the Electric Egg and on Chris's performance as Chip Frinkel.

(photo by Jen Ferguson of 12 Collisionworkers and 2 spouses -- includes the performers of Radio Free Fairgrounds, Cmdr. Torianna, Hardyfox Fornes, Chip Frinkel, Stalin-Bot, Mrs. Frondrinax, Ens. Dormer, Amber? on the Bridge, Frall, Althaar, the Narrator, and the Weasel)

We had gathered, apart from wanting to see each other, to take a moment to remember and raise our glasses to our beloved company member Rolls Andre, who died on April 4 at the age of 52.

Rolls was a great person and a great actor. I had expected to have a few more decades of getting to know and work with him. He acted in three plays with Gemini CollisionWorks -- Cant and ReFuse by myself and Harakiri Kane by Dean Haspiel -- and played 5 roles across 10 episodes of Althaar, most notably as George Foreman-Bot.

He also played the title role in King Lear in a live Zoom reading during COVID lockdown that GCW co-produced, which also features many Althaar actors, and can be seen HERE. This was a dream role for Rolls, and it continues to make me happy that we supported him in getting to do it, and so terrifically.

A few more pictures of Rolls in our shows, and one with me (who he always called "Skipper" or "Skip," I called him "Straw"):

I, and all of us at GCW, will miss this great man. I have to rewrite bits of episodes 34 and 36 of Althaar to deal with losing him, and it is a sad, depressing job. George Foreman-Bot had some important things to say that we were building to, and it was because I had Rolls's voice that I thought they could be said properly.

There was much discussion about, and demanding from the company towards, starting Althaar production up again ASAP, and indeed, this sad, tragic event may be a necessary kick in the ass to that happening.

We will definitely be back. Now for Rolls as much as for anything else.

Thank you for your attention; it is a pleasure working for you.

IWH