#and understand that he has failed his people
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itsnesss · 3 days ago
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𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭 | thanos (player 230) × fem!reader
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summary | Thanos constantly harasses you until you stand up to him
warnings | strong language, drug use, physical confrontation, kissing
word count | 1.6 k
author's note | it would help me a lot if you liked, commented and reposted so that more people read what I write and don't forget to follow me thanks ᡣ𐭩
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It all started with a look—one of those glances people give you when they underestimate you. Of course, you were used to it. Here, no one expected much from a girl like you: small, quick, and quiet. And Player 230, whom everyone called Thanos, was no exception.
From day one, that jerk had decided you were his personal entertainment. He provoked you whenever he could, shoving you as he passed, making sarcastic remarks about how "weak" you looked, and making it clear that if he ever had the chance, he wouldn’t hesitate to crush you.
You put up with it because there wasn’t much choice. In this place, showing weakness was a death sentence, and an open confrontation with someone like him could be just as dangerous. But today, something inside you snapped.
It was the fifth game, a test of endurance and precision. Everyone was tense, including the guards patrolling the room. You focused on your strategy, ignoring the murmurs and stares. Then, as always, he showed up.
“Look who’s here, our little rat. Ready to run away when things get tough?”
His voice echoed behind you, and you could hear the smug grin in his tone. You didn’t bother turning around.
“Don’t you have anything better to do, 230?” you replied, trying to stay calm.
He let out a laugh. “No, not really. Watching you fail is the only entertaining thing here.”
He placed a hand on your shoulder, a gesture that was anything but friendly. You swatted it away, turning to face him.
“You know what? That’s enough. I’m sick of your crap.”
His eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he quickly recovered his mocking expression. “Well, well. The little rat has claws.”
Your heart was pounding, but you weren’t going to back down. Not this time.
“And what about you? What do you have? Besides a big mouth and a small brain?”
A murmur rippled through the room. The other players were watching the scene unfold with interest, some even smirking. It was rare for anyone to stand up to Thanos, let alone in public.
For a moment, you thought he was going to hit you. He stepped closer, and you could feel his heavy breath, mixed with the unmistakable stench of something chemical. Drugs. You’d noticed it before—his dilated pupils, his slightly clumsy movements.
“You know what’s funny?” he said, leaning toward you. His voice, usually loud and commanding, sounded almost… confused. Like he couldn’t decide whether to laugh at you or with you.
“What?” you snapped, not breaking eye contact.
“I like your attitude.” The grin on his face widened, but this time it didn’t seem mocking. It was different, disoriented.
What happened next took you completely by surprise. Before you could react, his hands grabbed your arms—not forcefully. He looked at you as if he were seeing something new, something he didn’t fully understand, and then… he kissed you.
It was quick, clumsy, and so unexpected that for a moment, you didn’t know how to react. Your brain took a few seconds to process what was happening, but when it did, you shoved him away with all the strength you had.
“What the hell are you doing?” you yelled, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.
He stumbled back, a satisfied smile plastered across his face.
“You’re sexy when you’re angry, you know?”
Your blood boiled. The air in the room seemed to freeze. The other players stared at you—some horrified, others trying to stifle their laughter. The guards, as always, did nothing, letting the chaos unfold on its own.
“You’re insane,” you said, not bothering to lower your voice.
He took a step toward you, but this time, you stepped forward first.
“No. I’m warning you—don’t come any closer.”
Something in your tone must have reached him because he stopped. He blinked a couple of times, as if trying to process your words, and then let out a low, almost raspy laugh.
“You know, I think I like you more than I thought.”
You couldn’t believe it. This idiot was definitely high and didn’t seem to have any idea how inappropriate his behavior was. But instead of feeling intimidated, a wave of fury surged through you.
“If you ever touch me again,” you said, pointing a finger at him, “I swear you won’t walk out of the next game.”
For a moment, he just stared at you. And then, to your surprise, he nodded.
“Fine, little rat. But don’t be surprised if you change your mind someday.”
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chancloud8 · 3 days ago
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CHAPTER 2
series masterlist
Pairing: OT8 x reader
Word Count: 4,8k
Tags: bodyguard!ot8, idol!reader, banter
Summary: you're still resisting your new bodyguards and while there seems to be a brat war going on between minho, seungmin and you, you slowly warm up to some of the others. a/n: I nearly deleted the whole chapter and started over like six times while writing this lmao. I hope you like it <3
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With Chan and Minho on your heels you storm into Yoona’s office without knocking. Luckily for you she’s not in a meeting nor is she on the phone or she would have probably fired your ass on the spot. Your manager looks up from her computer and frowns at you.
‘Where’s the fire, Nabi?’ 
‘Don’t Nabi me,’ you hiss, balling your fist to stop yourself from angrily pointing at her. You might be angry, but you still respect the woman. 
‘Ah, so you’re that mad at me,’ Yoona sighs, crossing her arms as she leans back in her chair. ‘Go on then, give me your worst.’ 
You grit your teeth and look over your shoulder at your two future bodyguards, pondering if you should really give Yoona a piece of your mind with them present. Chan looks worried, but when you meet Minho’s gaze he just raises his eyebrows at you, fueling your anger. 
‘They are not moving in with me,’ you growl, taking a step forward to create distance between you and the two men. ‘You can’t force this on me.’ 
Yoona stays silent, knowing you well enough that this won’t be all. 
‘You want them to follow me around all day, fine, but I’m not being watched twenty four seven, Yoon. Even Faris isn’t with me at night now, so why should they?’ 
‘Yeah and look what happened, some lunatic tried to break into your house,’ Minho mumbles. 
‘I moved!’ you yell, turning around to glare at him. 
Minho isn’t impressed and once again raises his eyebrows at you. ‘And you think that no one will find out your new address? I’m sorry to break your bubble, Princess, but stalkers are named just that for a reason and you have some real messed up fans.’ 
‘I also bought a new fancy security system,’ you cross your arms, not breaking your eye contact with him. 
‘Even those can fail, Y/N,’ Chan says, stepping forward with his hands raised as if he’s trying to show you he means no harm. ‘If something really happens it still takes a few minutes for someone to reach you.’ 
He has a point, but you’re not going to give up this easily. 
‘I’ll get a guard dog then,’ you shrug, only partly bluffing. 
Minho snorts and shakes his head. ‘You’re impossible you know, you should be grateful.’ 
‘Grateful?’ you laugh humorlessly. ‘Sure buddy, I’m oh so grateful that I’ll lose even more of my privacy.’ 
They really don’t get it, do they? As an idol you already have little to no privacy, your life being led by your manager and the company you signed under while the media and your fans watch your every move. You love the life, your fans and even the hard work you have to put in, but sometimes the sacrifices still hurt. Sometimes you wish you could experience normal life again, like going to the grocery store or the mall without security or people following you around. 
Minho glares at you and opens his mouth to say something else, but Chan steps in front of him. ‘And we understand,’ he says softly, smiling kindly at you. 
‘Well, I don’t,’ Minho grumbles. 
‘We do,’ Chan keeps his eyes on you as he speaks. ‘I know it will be a sacrifice to share your home with us, but Faris and Yoona picked this house for a reason.’ 
You glance at Yoona and she nods. 
‘It might be a big house, but I’ll still know you’re there. I’ll never be home alone. I won’t be able to walk around in my underwear in my own fucking home or dance on the table while eating ice cream straight out of the carton.’ 
‘You still can if you want to,’ Chan grins. ‘But I get your point and I promise you that we’ll try to be as invisible as possible.’ 
‘There must be another way? Can’t you take turns guarding my door or something?’ you try again. 
‘Selfish much,’ Minho says under his breath and this time Chan also glares at him. 
Anger starts to bubble up in your belly again, but before you can even think about yelling some more, Yoona appears next to you. She wraps her arms around you and presses a kiss against your temple.
'Just get over it, darling, this is happening.’ she says. ‘Now go home and enjoy the peace and quiet while you still can. Tomorrow Minho, Felix and Hyunjin will join you for training and by this weekend they will all move in.’ 
You open your mouth to protest some more, but Yoona is already walking back to her desk, letting you know that this conversation is over. You know her well enough to know that no matter what you say or how much you beg, she won’t change her mind on this. When you risk to glance at the men, Minho grins at you and Chan smiles. 
‘Fuck my life,’ you mutter. 
****
You don't talk to any of the men again and just ask Faris to take you home so you can spend the rest of the day mopping in your room filled with unpacked boxes while Faris sits downstairs doing god knows what.
The next day you feel a little better and when you eat your breakfast you text Jisung.
You: Sorry about storming out yesterday.
Jisung:You’re already forgiven (by me at least)
You: Tell Minho to leave his judgement at home
Jisung:How did you know I was with him?
You:Lucky guess. Will you be at the company today?
Jisung:Yes, I'm already on my way. Chan is picking you up.
You frown at your phone and look at Faris who's reading the paper across from you while sipping his tea.
'You’re not coming with me today?' You ask him, pushing away your half eaten bowl of porridge.
Faris looks up with a smile. 'Ji-a has an appointment I'd like to be at, so I asked Chan to be with you until I'm back.'
'Oh, of course,' you give him a small smile in return. 'You should definitely be with Ji-a.'
Faris folds up the paper. 'It will be good for you to spend some time with him, Nabi, just give him a chance.'
'Yeah, okay,' you nod. 'I'll try.'
‘Good,’ Faris smiles. ‘I’m sure you’ll grow to love them.’
‘We’ll see,’ you smile back. ‘Chan and Jisung seem really nice at least.’ 
When the man beams at you, you promise yourself you’ll try to be a bit easier on the whole situation, if only to make Faris happy. 
Chan arrives shortly after you clean up your breakfast and you quickly grab your bag and trusty water bottle, trying very hard not to stare at how good he looks in his dark blue suit. It's a crime really and you already know that one of these days he’s going to catch you staring. 
‘You ready?’ Chan asks.
You nod and wave at Faris. ‘Give Ji-a my love.’ 
‘Will do, Nabi. Try and not piss off too many people today, yeah?’ 
You laugh. ‘Can’t make any promises, but I’ll try.’
Chan chuckles as he holds open the front door for you. ‘Should I warn the others?’ 
You shrug as you follow him to the car, already taking out your phone to text Jisung you’re on your way. He quickly replies with a thumbs up. 
‘Why don’t you sit next to me?’ Chan asks when you reach the car. ‘I’d like to talk a bit if that’s alright.’ 
‘Oh, sure,’ you nod before walking around the car to get to the other side. 
The smell of coffee and sandalwood hits your nose as you get into the passenger seat and you smile in surprise. There’s two to go cups on the dashboard and the sandalwood must either be Chan’s cologne or some sort of car perfume. It smells nice. 
Chan sits down behind the wheel and when you’re buckled up he reaches for one of the coffee cups and hands it to you. ‘Faris said you like cappuccino.’ 
Your mouth forms a surprised ‘oh’ and you happily wrap your fingers around the cup. ‘Thank you,’ you smile genuinely at him. ‘Caffeine is the way to my heart.’ 
Chan chuckles and starts the car. ‘I’ll remember that.’ 
You take a sip of your coffee and close your eyes when the creamy taste of a perfect cappuccino hits your tongue. 
‘Where did you get this?’ you ask Chan, twisting the cup in your hand to look for a logo or anything that will tell you where it’s from. 
‘It’s self made,’ Chan says, his eyes on the road. ‘Do you like it?’ 
Your eyes widen in surprise and you take another sip, nodding happily. ‘You made it? It's delicious.’ 
‘No, I don’t like coffee, but we have a fancy coffee machine at our dorm. The guys are very particular about their coffee and prefer to make their own.’
‘I guess that will be one pro about you moving in,’ you sigh. ‘So who made it then?’ 
‘If I tell you, will you tell them thank you?’ 
You look at Chan with narrowed eyes, taking notice of the grin on his face. 
‘It’s Minho isn’t it?’ 
‘Yes, he’s the coffee king in our dorm.’ 
‘Damnit,’ you mutter. 
Chan laughs and you can’t help but smile. His laugh is adorable and you notice he giggles a lot too. It doesn’t fit his bad boy image, but you like it. 
‘So, will you?’ Chan asks, looking at you. 
‘Thank him? Hmm probably not.’ 
‘Why not?’ 
You snort. ‘He’s a brat.’ 
‘He says the same thing about you,’ Chan smiles. 
‘Of course he does,’ you roll your eyes and take another sip of your coffee. ‘He’s lucky he makes good coffee.’ 
‘He’s also a really good dancer.’ 
‘And you’re not just saying this cause you’re biased?’ 
Chan laughs again and damnit you could get used to that sound. ‘I probably am, but both Minho and Hyunjin danced professionally before they joined the program. Minho has even toured before.’ 
You blink at that piece of information and purse your lips. He must be good if he toured with an idol before, they don’t just hire anybody. 
‘What about Felix?’ you ask, steering the conversation away from Minho. 
‘He mostly danced for fun, but took a preference to martial arts. He’s very flexible and I’ve been told he picks up choreography crazy fast.’ 
All of this makes you very curious to see the three of them in action in a bit and a small part of you secretly hopes that they’re not as good as Chan and Yoona say, because if they are, it gives you one less reason to dislike them and you’re not ready to make friends with either of the men that are rooting up your privacy. 
During the rest of the ride you stay silent, looking out of the window and humming along with the music Chan puts on. He doesn’t push you to talk and you’re grateful for that. Chan seems great and you’re sure that in time you’ll get along splendidly, but for now you simply refuse to make too much of an effort and if that makes you the brat Minho thinks you are, so be it. 
The company building looms up before you and you quickly finish up your coffee as Chan maneuvers the car into the parking garage. As soon as the car stands still, you open the door and jump out, not waiting for Chan. 
‘Y/N!’ Chan calls out after you. ‘Wait up!’ 
You ignore him and press the button for the elevator, tapping your foot as you wait for the doors to open. Luck isn’t on your side and it doesn’t take long before footsteps sound behind you. Gritting your teeth in annoyance, you turn around to face Chan while trying to decide if you should apologize for running or not. 
Your eyes widen when you’re not met with Chan’s face. 
‘I knew you’d be a runner,’ Seungmin says, shaking his head like he’s disappointed to be proven right. 
Before you can argue, Chan appears beside him, frowning and holding your water bottle in his hands. Shit. The look on Chan’s face actually makes you feel guilty for running out on him like that.
‘I’m sorry,’ you say. ‘I–’
‘Are you though?’ Seungmin interrupts you, crossing his arms. 
You glare at him. ‘I am actually, stop being a–’ 
‘A little brat like you?’ a new voice pipes up. ‘That’s impossible.’ 
Minho. Of course. 
You roll your eyes at him and turn to face the elevator again. ‘Please, I just walked to the elevator without Chan, if that makes me a brat, it makes you a bit of a drama queen don’t you think.’ 
A hand grabs your wrist and pulls so you have to turn around. 
‘I don’t,’ Minho glowers at you. ‘We are here for a reason and you better start to accept it soon or one of these days something will actually happen.’ 
‘Min,’ Chan puts his hand on Minho’s shoulder. ‘Let’s all calm down here.’ 
The elevator doors finally open and you pull your wrist out of Minho’s grip and get inside, pushing the button for the second floor. 
‘Yes, calm your ass down, nothing happened,’ you mumble in their direction. ‘I was without Chan for about ten seconds.’ 
‘That’s all it can take,’ Seungmin says, standing beside you. 
Chan gives you a pleading look as if to say ‘please don’t fight this.’ 
You hold up your hands in surrender, but you don’t say anything. The tension in the elevator is thick and you're glad it’s only a short ride up. Minho leaves without saying anything else and you’re already dreading dance training later. 
‘Come on,’ Chan says, gently placing his hand on your back and pushing you in the direction of your studio. ‘I think we need to have a proper talk.’ 
Seungmin follows and you can’t help but throw him an annoyed look over your shoulder. He just rolls his eyes at you and you grit your teeth, looking ahead again. You might try with Chan and Jisung, but Seungmin and Minho could bite your ass. 
‘Here,’ Chan says, handing you your water bottle. ‘You left this when you jumped out in a hurry.’ 
You open your mouth to apologize, but Chan shakes his head and gives you a sad smile. ‘No need to apologize when you don’t really mean it. I’ll earn your trust eventually.’ 
God damnit, why does this man need to have such adorable puppy eyes and cute dimples you want to poke with your finger. 
'Good morning!' Jisung greets you with a grin when you step into his office. He’s behind his desk that’s littered with papers, two cups of coffee and an empty bowl that probably held ramen if you guessed the smell that lingers in the room correctly. ‘How are we feeling today?’ 
‘She already ran away from Channie Hyung,’ Seungmin says as he drops down on the couch. 
You groan in annoyance. ‘I don’t think you can count walking ahead to the elevator as running away, but okay.’ 
‘You still should have waited for me,’ Chan says, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. ‘I don’t care that we’re inside your company, you need to stick close to at least one of us at all times.’ 
‘Okay,’ Jisung claps his hands. ‘I see you’re all feeling fine on this beautiful morning, but I haven’t had enough coffee yet for arguing.’ 
‘Preach,’ you mumble, sharing a grin with your new assistant. 
‘You had two coffees already,’ Chan frowns, eying the two cups on the desk. 
‘One actually, the other one was Minho’s,’ Jisung says and he chuckles when you pull a face at his name. ‘How about we all take a little time to wake up some more. Maybe you guys can get us some more coffee while I talk with Y/N here about some of the rules we came up with?’ 
‘Rules? Jisung, come on, I thought you were on my side here,’ you sigh, pouting at him. ‘I’m not a child, you don’t have to give me rules.’ 
‘Apparently we do,’ Seungmin says. 
‘You’re really getting on my nerves here, buddy,’ you glower at him. ‘If anything it’s behaviour like yours and Minho’s that sets me off, so how about I give you some rules of my own huh?’ 
Seungmin snorts and cocks his head. ‘You have no say in this, missy, you’re not our boss.’ 
Jisung quickly grabs your arm when you’re about to jump forward. 
‘Minnie, get the fuck out of here,’ Jisung says, pointing to the door with a serious look on his face. ‘You’re not helping.’ 
‘Yeah, minnie,’ you grin. ‘Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.’ 
Seungmin just laughs and stands up, holding your gaze. ‘Sure thing, but remember that I’ll be watching you closely, little fly.’ 
‘Seungmin,’ Chan’s voice sounds stern and you grin at him, waving sweetly. 
‘Bye now.’ 
‘You know you’re not helping, right?’ Jisung chuckles, letting go of your arm as Seungmin and Chan disappear into the hallway. 
‘I know, he just brings out the worst in me I guess,’ you admit with a grimace. ‘You might have already gathered this, but I don’t really like to be told what to do and I’m very stubborn.’ 
‘You don’t say,’ Jisung gasps, acting like he’s surprised. 
‘Oh shut up,’ you laugh. ‘You would be too when you’re a famous idol with no real say about basically anything you do. I can’t really act out about it, because I chose to be here and I’m grateful about it too, but sometimes it just gets too much you know. I guess you guys are just an easy target for me to lash out at, at the moment.’ You blink when you realize what you just told him and clear your throat. ‘I didn’t mean to drop that on you, sorry.’ 
‘Don’t be,’ Jisung says, grabbing your hand and giving it a little squeeze. ‘I’m glad you did. I can’t even imagine the pressure you must be under constantly and us coming in after what I think is a pretty scary moment in your life, probably doesn’t help.’ 
‘Not really, but maybe Minho was right and I should be a bit more grateful, at least towards my company, that they care enough about me to hire a shit load of bodyguards.’
‘Maybe,’ Jisung smiles. 
‘If you tell Minho I said that, I will kick your ass,’ you threaten. ‘I’m nowhere near ready to be nice to him.’ 
Jisung laughs and holds up his hands. ‘My lips are sealed, I’m just glad you’ve seemed to accept me at least.’ 
‘You’re very easy to like,’ you shrug. ‘And maybe it helps that you also pose as my assistant, so it feels less like you’re watching my every move.’ 
Jisung hums. ‘Maybe, but I’ll be with you just as much, if not more.’ 
For some reason that thought doesn’t bother you as much and you sigh, leaning against the desk. ‘Well, since I like you right now, let me apologize in advance for when I’m in a mood. Caffeine and food usually helps though.’
‘Good to know, are you ready to go over some of our rules now?’ 
‘What if I say no?’ 
Jisung chuckles. ‘I’ll email them to you, print them out and hang them all over your studio and I’ll keep texting you until you read it anyway.’ 
While you only just met him yesterday, you somehow know he would actually do all that. 
‘Fine, tell me.’ 
‘It’s pretty simple actually. You’re not to go anywhere with at least one of us present, even inside the company.’ 
You make a face, but don’t interrupt as Jisung continues. 
‘If you need to go to the bathroom we won’t go in with you obviously, but other than that you shouldn’t be alone unless it’s in the comfort of your own bedroom of course. If you want to go out, just tell us in advance so we can scout the area if needed and make sure there’s enough security. When you want to go somewhere with Felix, Hyunjin or Minho, someone else still needs to go with you so your fans will know you always have a bodyguard.’
‘I’m sorry, I know I’ve asked this a million times already, but is this really necessary? You talk like I’m a fucking royal in line for the throne.’ 
Jisung shrugs. ‘Until Chan and Yoona feel the threats against you are down and there are no more assaults, yes we do think it’s necessary. I know it seems excessive, but trust me that you’re not the only idol who gained a team of bodyguards.’ 
Somehow that thought hasn’t even crossed your mind. It makes sense though, with the increase of accidents and violence against idols, especially the girl groups and solo artists. It’s insane really and it makes you sad to live in a world where people think it’s okay to act like this. 
‘I didn’t know that. I really need more friends in this idol world,’ you mutter, looking down at your hands. 
Sure you met other idols before and while you get along great with a few, they were all in groups and you always feel like the odd one out when you hang out with them. 
Chan comes back inside then, carrying two coffee cups and a brown bag. ‘I come bearing treats.’ 
You share a look with Jisung. ‘Bribing me with caffeine and food, huh I see how it is,’ you joke, remembering what you told Jisung earlier and loving how Chan’s lips immediately turn up in a smile. 
‘Don’t tell me you’re that easy,’ Jisung laughs next to you, poking your side. 
‘Yah!’ you squeak out. 
Jisung’s eyes sparkle. ‘Are you ticklish?’ 
‘No.’ your eyes widen. ‘You just startled me.’ 
No way are you going to let him know this weakness of yours. Besides, you can get crazy violent when someone won’t stop tickling you. You once kicked your uncle in the face when you couldn’t breathe anymore from laughing. 
‘Mhm, sure,’ Jisung grins, but he doesn’t try again and turns to Chan to grab the coffee. ‘Thanks Hyung.’ 
After your second coffee, Chan comes with you to your studio and you spend the rest of the morning working on your new songs with your headphones on. Occasionally you glance up to look at Chan, but never meet his gaze as he quietly works on his laptop. 
At first it goes well, you’re in a nice flow and happy with the results, but then you get to the song you’ve been struggling with for over a month already. There’s something missing, there must be, but you just can’t put your finger on what it is exactly. 
‘Ugghh,’ you let out a frustrated groan when you listen to it again, letting your head drop to the desk with a loud thud. 
There’s a headache developing behind your eyes and you blindly reach for your water bottle. Your fingertips touch the bottle, but it’s too far away to actually reach it. With another groan you lift your head and stretch your arm a little further. 
‘You doing okay over there?’ Chan asks from his spot on the couch, his voice sounding far away thanks to your headphones. 
‘Peachy,’ you reply, pulling the bottle towards you with a victorious smile. 
You pull your headphones down to hang around your neck, chug some water and then turn your chair to look at Chan properly. He’s already looking at you, a frown on his face and you can basically taste his disapproval. 
‘Don’t even try and lecture me on working this long without breaks and for not having proper light, I know this headache is my own fault,’ you say before he can even open his mouth to scold you like Faris usually would. 
He blinks in surprise, but then he lets out a laugh and nods. 
‘Alright, I won’t say anything, but do you want to tell me what’s troubling you?’ 
It’s your turn to blink at him now. ‘Huh?’ you let out dumbly. 
Chan laughs again and gets up from the couch, putting his laptop aside. He pulls out the second chair at your desk and sits down next to you, his head tipping towards your computer. 
‘You’re obviously struggling with something. Is it lyrics? The beat?’ 
Your first instinct is to snap at him, to tell him to mind his own business, but he’s looking at you so sincerely that you can’t help but sag your shoulders and give in. 
‘I’m not sure actually, that’s the problem,’ you admit, debating if you want to play the song for him or not. Faris did tell you that Chan, Jisung and Changbin used to make music. Fuck it. You’re going crazy if you don’t fix this anytime soon. ‘Would you like to hear it?’ 
The surprise is clear on Chan’s face, but he nods immediately and holds out his hands for your headphones. Nervous butterflies twirl in your stomach and with a deep breath you hand them to him before you can change your mind. He puts them on and gives you an encouraging smile. 
Biting your lip you press play and watch as his eyes widen when the music starts. It's a catchy beat and you can’t help but smile when his head starts to bop up and down. His face doesn’t give anything away and you nervously play with the bracelets around your wrist as you wait for him to finish. 
‘Wow,’ Chan says, putting the headphones down. ‘I knew you were good, but this..’ he shakes his head with a smile. ‘It’s really good Y/N, like really really good.’ 
You feel your cheeks heating up at his praise. ‘Thank you.’ 
‘I think I know what you mean though,’ Chan says and he points at your laptop. ‘May I?’ 
You frown and look between him and your precious laptop that holds all your hard work. 
‘I think it’s a very easy fix with the beat in the bridge,’ Chan smiles. ‘You can do it yourself, I just want to point out where I think it is.’ 
It’s clear to you he knows what he’s talking about and you’re curious to find out which part he means. You slowly push your laptop over to him and get rewarded with a wide grin. For the next hour the two of you work on the bridge, editing and adjusting the melody. Your cheeks hurt from smiling when the song keeps sounding better with every adjustment you make. 
‘You could be a producer,’ you tease, when Chan offers another idea to add to the song. 
A knock on the door causes the two of you to look up and you don’t know why, but you feel like a kid getting caught stealing candy. It’s not like Chan isn’t allowed to help you, but it hits you then what you’re doing and your body tenses anyways. 
‘Hyung? Noona?’ a deep voice calls out that you immediately recognize as Felix. 
‘Come in,’ you yell, quickly saving the progress of your song and closing your laptop. 
The door opens and Felix sticks his head inside, grinning when he sees you and Chan huddled together at your desk. You quickly jump up, causing both men to laugh at the panicked look on your face. 
‘No worries, I won’t tell Yoona or Minho you’re warming up to Channie Hyung,’ Felix smiles. 
‘That’s not it,’ you blush, turning around to grab your bag and water bottle. ‘I’m late for practice aren’t I?’ 
Felix nods. ‘Minho sent me to get you.’ 
You growl at the sound of his name and Chan snickers, standing up as well. ‘I’ll walk with you and get you some food seeing as you haven’t eaten anything since this morning.’ 
‘You don’t have to, I don’t think I can eat much before dancing anyways or I’ll feel sick.’ 
‘I have a banana in my bag if you want,’ Felix offers, rummaging around in his bag and holding up the yellow fruit for you. 
‘Perfect, thank you Felix,’ you smile, accepting the banana. You turn to Chan as you start to peel it. ‘I promise I’ll eat a proper meal after practice. You should have lunch, I’ll be fine with Felix here, right?’ 
You bite off the tip of the banana as you look at Felix and the blonde nods, his eyes flicking to your mouth for a moment before he blushes and looks at Chan. 
‘We’ll be fine Channie,’ he agrees with you. ‘It’s one floor down and Minho and Jin are already there warming up with the others.’ 
‘Alright, just keep an eye on Minho. These two are likely to bite each other's heads off,’ Chan sighs, patting Felix’s shoulder. 
You snort and take another bite of your banana. 
‘I’ll bite something else if he isn’t careful.’
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a/n: I wanted to add dance practise to this chapter, but it already got way longer than I planned so next chapter it is ;) I really hope you still like it, even if it might move a little slow -i guess thats slow burn and a multi chaptered fic tho- big smooch to you all <3 taglist: @jaeminie-cricket @jeonginsbaee @staylovesmiley @newbbystay @cashtonsbetch @mariahxrrera @kaleigh-2002 @silencionyx @smileykiddie08 @my-neurodivergent-world @yaorzu-blog @yoongiismylove2018 @staytinyluv @bookswillfindyouaway @queen-thiccness @notastraykid @ateez-atiny380 @estella-novella @furfoxsake22 @hyunjinhoexxx @insomnjen @girl-in-love-with-kpop @vivilovesuu @velvetmoonlght @skz8love @corgilover20 @littlelostdemonofthelight @stephanieeeyang @zulie-and-cats @chanshugsaretherapy @pizzalove5000 @dazzlingjade @milie-com @thequibbie @channiesrightasscheek @strawbrriz @eastjonowhere @stellmeiv @bookishcaptain @flylis @deadpool15 @0325ale @thatgirlangelb @iknow-uknow-leeknow @nchhuhi @shycreationdreamland @readr1221 @beewilko
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mareastrorum · 17 hours ago
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That last episode really wasn’t as interesting as the discourse suggests, and that’s pretty much the problem:
First, Ludinus’s fight was not of the caliber expected for a final boss fight, which (in combination with his staff) suggests that it won’t be the last time we’ll see him. The issue is that the audience is generally quite tired of Ludinus because (1) he has made far too many appearances for a villain with a single-minded goal, (2) his interactions with the PCs are uninteresting because his motivations don't resonate with them in agreement or opposition, and (3) Delilah did the whole “Cerberus Assembly wizard who refuses to stay dead” thing in this very campaign (plus it was far more thematically appropriate for a necromancer) and that takes the dramatic tension out of the possibility. No one cast member bears the blame for those 3 issues; Matt probably should have pivoted to give Ludinus additional motivations when the Hells had so consistently demonstrated an inability to commit to the gods question, and the players should have done something to build a sense of purpose in their group (which would be their reason to oppose the villain). Instead we're left with "this guy has rancid vibes, kill him and do what he wanted us to anyway."
Second, the PCs’ decisions leading up to this point have annihilated any semblance of tragedy in the narrative. This isn’t a tragedy because that genre rests on eliciting a feeling that the characters deserved better, but the audience nevertheless understands why it turned out this way. That can arise from paying attention to institutional injustices, the allure of cycles of violence, or the development of tragic flaws (strengths causing a downfall). That isn't C3; this is a bunch of trite flaws (selfishness, short-sightedness, pettiness, favoritism, etc.) turning out to be flaws. It would have been amazing if this had been an example of hubris like we saw in EXU Calamity, but each of those main characters were bursting with pride in themselves, their city, and mortality, and while that hubris brought the Lord of the Hells back, they managed to prevent the worst case scenario using the exact same skills and resources. None of that is present here. Bell’s Hells are constantly trying to shift the captain’s hat to someone else, and their ship has been heading straight for rocks for the past 60 episodes. There was no intention to sail into the rocks. It wasn’t their strengths that led to Imogen accepting Predathos; it was the same indecisiveness that has plagued them the entire campaign. They had 118 episodes to build a proper tragedy, and instead we have a story that took hundreds of hours to say that unreliable people shouldn’t be relied upon. The result has been numerous posts hoping for the Hells to suffer all sorts of consequences (TPK, specific player deaths, refusal of aid from the gods) for failing to commit to a course of action. Why? Because then at least there would be some type of cathartic satisfaction that Fucking Around means they’re going to Find Out. It has nothing to do with imaginary people deserving a better ending and everything to do with feeling like this ending would have been more satisfying around episode 50.
These criticisms are not about facets within the story; it's not about whether X character was correct, whether Y fucked up, whether Z plan was the better choice. It's that sometimes people don't land their bit for improv shows, and that is disappointing after seeing skilled storytellers do so well with prior campaigns.
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vaguely-concerned · 22 hours ago
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imagining that while rook is gone, about a week and a half or so in, there's one night where lucanis suddenly appears unannounced in illario's room in the way he has of doing that and which could scare anyone else to death on its own, but of all people in the world illario is the most inclined to only find it mildly annoying to look up from his bad boy Brooding and also facemask-equivalent beauty routine (can't be tragically denied even being doomed by the narrative if you ain't cute) to find his cousin -- now first talon of the crows at least in name -- suddenly staring at him intently and expressionlessly from a few meters away. and when illario (half-jokingly, half-seriously, all-yearningly because crows live bad) is like 'ah so is this finally it are you here to kill me' even with no vengeful purple glow in evidence lucanis just snorts scathingly to show all the seriousness with which he still takes that idea and illario has to wistfully be like 'no, I thought not. so to what do I owe the honour, then, first talon. I figured you'd be pretty busy out there by now'.
and lucanis doesn't say anything at all, just stands there silently for a while and then sits down in a corner of the room with his back against the wall and buries his face in his hands. you have to understand how crucial it is for my vision here that they Do Not talk about it. they never talk about it, not in that moment and not later. illario doesn't have the first idea what 'it' could even be, once he's asked 'is it -- caterina? did something happen to...' (feeling suddenly and absurdly as much like a little boy again as lucanis just had before covering his face) and gotten the slightest headshake in response, nothing else he tries to ask even gets a reaction.
everything is all fucked up and nothing is ever going to be like it used to and the fact that this is where lucanis thought to go about whatever has happened to make his eyes look like that is ludicrous on so many levels and in so many ways. but I do think illario eventually sighs and at least sits down on the floor next to him, leaving a bigger distance between them than he might have once both in self-defense and out of something like consideration. 'I'd ask if you'd like to talk about it, but of course I know you. you never do'. (even with everything else that has happened, illario still knows lucanis better than almost anyone in the world. few things could have convinced him that maybe it really is his cousin in there still quite like this prolonged and complete lack of communication lol.) in the silence they fail to keep each other company in the same way they have for years, but maybe they can at least be honest about it now.
and then when lucanis gets to his feet like this entire very strange silent last half hour never happened to brush dust from his clothes and say he has to go... what can illario really do but go 'sure. great talk, as always. happy to be of service' from the floor as he watches his cousin disappear again into the night. I imagine illario wearing some sort of opulent bath robe or something through this whole thing by the way I think that's an important detail to get in there
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ssentimentals · 22 hours ago
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Hiii, I don’t really have a prompt that’d I’d like to request, but could I get something with scoups & reader that is scared of bad weather (tornado type weather & such—speaking from experience 🥲)?
I love your writing so much & love reading all your small prompts :)
hiii! tbh i always wanted people to come up here with their own requests, but that never reallly happened as most prefer to pick from already formulated prompts, so you have no idea how happy you made me with this message! 💜thank you for your kind words as well :')
seungcheol + bad weather
when you get a notification on your phone about the upcoming storm, dread settles uncomfortably in your chest. makes it hard to breathe, squeezing your lungs painfully with growing anxiety. clutching your bag, you look up at the sky, noticing how light blue sky slowly starts turning grey. your phone buzzes and you sigh in relief, seeing seungcheol's photo on your screen.
“i got the storm notification,” your boyfriend says instead of greeting. “i’m taking rest of the day off, will work from home. where are you, baby?”
“got the groceries, going home now.” you wince at the way wind picks up. “i’m gonna-“
“can you go inside and wait for me to pick you up?”seungcheol interrupts.
warmth pools at the the pit of your stomach. seungcheol has no problems with any weather conditions, he has no anxiety or panic attacks, doesn't flinch at thundreclaps - it's all you. since he learned this about you, it never fails to make your heart squeeze with affection how he always goes out of his way to ensure your comfort and safety during these moments. “it's a ten minute walk,” you say, shaking your head. “i'll go on my own. be careful, yeah? drive safe.”
“i'll be back home very soon, angel.” seungcheol assures you.
before seungcheol no one ever made you feel so seen regarding this issue. you know that he's going to probably break some rules on his way back home just to get quicker to you and it's enough to make you rush home as well, ignoring the way wind picks up. force of nature is terrifying, especially when you know how devastating it can be; you quickly turn on the lights and shut the curtains as soon as you're inside. with years came not only age but wisdom: you learned how to deal with your fear. any kinds of distractions work the best and until your boyfriend arrives, you busy yourself with the groceries, preparing easy salad just to keep your hands busy.
seungcheol arrives with a loud bang and even louder: “baby, where are you?”. his big eyes are on you the second you appear in the hallway and wide smile spreads on his face: “hi, love.”
you grin, coming up to greet him. “hey, cheollie. thanks for coming over.”
“don't mention it.” seungcheol waves it off like it's not a big deal, when it actually is. he has no idea how much the fact that he took his job home the second he saw storm notification means to you. “you got the groceries?”
it's very domestic for next twenty minutes; seungcheol changes and you two enjoy the salad and tea, when another notification about a possibility of this storm turning into a tornado pops up. it makes your breath hitch, but seungcheol's warm hand on top of yours keeps you grounded. “let’s go to bed, yeah?” he suggests. “we can watch something.”
“but your work?” you ask, frowning. you took this week fully off and didn't have to worry about missing any important meetings. “it’s okay, really, we can-“
“don't worry about it.” seungcheol presses, taking your hand and forcing you to stand up. he hugs you tight, leaving small kiss on your forehead. “i just need you all cuddled up to me, my work can wait, okay? let's clean this up and go upstairs.”
you have no idea how seungcheol knows exactly what to do or say in moments like this. his touch is never too much, his words are never harsh, his gaze is always understanding and not pitying. when first thunder rolls in, he already has you two laying on the bed, covered from head to toe. first thunderclap echoes int he distance at first and then silences you both at the full volume. the sound makes you flinch as you've been slapped - you barely manage to conceal your whine, burying deeper int he comfort of the weighted blanket.
“it's okay, love, it's okay.” seungcheol soothingly rubs your back, pulling you even closer. “i’m here, yeah? do you want headphones?”
headphones help immensely but you were always shy about them at first; it always seemed to be so rude to just put headphones on when another person is around. seungcheol assured you from the start that he has no problems with it, but you always hesitate.
“hey,” he leans in, making sure that you make eye contact. “you come first, remember? you and you well-being always come first. let me get you those headphones.”
you can hear wind whistling outside like it's out there to get you and your heart rate picks up with dread settling as a heavy weight on your shoulders. it’s incredibly frustrating - you wish you never had this fear, wish it didn’t affect you the way it does. at the sound of yet another thunderclap, you squeeze your eyes shut and shiver, wanting to disappear. only when warm body settles next to you and headphones are placed gently on your head, only then you uncurl from your position and open your eyes. seungcheol is watching you with furrowed eyebrows, worry evident in his gaze. he caresses your face lovingly and points at the headphones, handing you your phone. “music,” he says. his thumb brushes below your eyes and he sighs. “i’m here, baby. just listen to the music, yeah?”
you nod. shuffling to cuddle closer, you whisper: “go ahead and work, cheol. it’s alright, i’ll listen to the music anyways.”
“you sure?” seungcheol asks and when you nod, he leans in to leave a sweet kiss on your cheek. “okay. but if it gets worse or you’ll need something, just let me know, okay?”
it’s so, so sweet. the way he angles his body so it’s be easier for you to lay down, how he wraps one arm around you securely and pulls you in, how he ocassionally leaves kisses on top of your head while he works. the safe space he creates for you lets you zone out, steady your breathing. you still flinch at the sounds but fear is not that strong when seungcheol is close to remind you that he is here for you. after some time he puts away his laptop and lets you flop on top of him, covering you two with a blanket.
“i quite like this, actually,” he comments, smiling.
“which part? me crushing you with my weight or me having a stupid fear?” you ask, aiming for a joke but falling flat.
“the part where we get to cuddle and i let you know that no fear is stupid and that holding you makes me incredibly happy.” he looks at you, eyes full of tenderness. “i’m happy to be here, right now. happy that you’re letting me do this.”
your throat feels too tight. before you can say something stupid like “i love you” and confess first, seungcheol adds: “can we do this more often?”
you don’t trust you voice not to crack if you speak, so you nod. seungcheol beams at this and leans in to kiss you. “awesome. now let’s nap for a bit.”
napping is definitely easier than admitting your feelings or facing the raging storm outside. you nod again and close your eyes, breathing in. you’re fast asleep in seconds and don’t feel small kiss on top of your head or quiet “i love you” spoken in the secrecy of the night.
a/n: so. if it wasn't very obvious, i know zero about storms/tornados so i'm sorry if this ended up being very unrealistic. hopefully you liked it :/ - nini
you can find my other writings for seventeen HERE
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unhappy-sometimes · 1 day ago
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a 2024 writing retrospective (for sxf fanfic)
ignore the fact that i’m a few days late. i’ve been unbelievably busy the past couple weeks.
in this post i’ll go over the fics i wrote in 2024 think of it as an extremely extended author’s notes. i love to talk and will do so when given the chance.
i’ll start from my latest fic and work my way backwards. spoilers for everything i’ve written in 2024.
(Very) Stupid
Something that I try really really hard to maintain in my writing is believability, specifically when it comes to writing characters. Characters acting out of character is one of my biggest fanfic pet peeves: if I wanted to read about someone’s oc, then I would’ve read a regular book. That being said, I think a lot about how Twilight would actually act like if he were in love. I had an interesting conversation with @cantareincminor forever ago about how he’s so emotionally constipated that it’s kind of difficult to write Twilight in love without making him a bit ooc. Right now in canon it’s hard to imagine him falling head over heels for anyone (in my opinion, anyway).
That being said there are moments in canon where he acts flustered in situations that could be interpreted as romantic. So, for right now, my hypothesis is this: if and when Twilight falls in love, he’s going to be an absolute fool. He’s going to do his usual overthinking and overanalyizing, so much to the point that he starts hesitating over the smallest things.
(Very) Stupid is how I imagine all of that unfolding, although for the sake of comedy I did push things to the absurd. Sometimes Twilight does things in canon with such certainty of “Yes, of course normal people do this, I’m nailing this normalcy thing” that he fails to realize he’s being kinda ridiculous. I also wanted to take that element and incorporate it into a fic.
I also wanted to try subverting expectations (ooh fancy literary term) by having them do romantic things that lead them nowhere. I tried to cram in as many tropes as I could—feeding each other with a fork, only one bed, first kiss—but do so under the guise of Twilight completely missing how dumb he’s being the entire time. He only realizes his feelings until after their first kiss, specifically when Yor surprises him with a quick peck on the cheek. This, of course, was deliberate. I figured that it’d make the most sense if Twilight would only realize his feelings in a situation where he wasn’t the one initiating a (somewhat) romantic gesture because he theoretically wouldn’t be overthinking it. Instead, Yor just sneaks in when his guard is down <3
Endings are usually the hardest things for me to write and (Very) Stupid was no exception. I almost had Twilight pass out at the breakfast table when he kisses Yor but then I realized I’d made him faint in almost every fic I’ve written this year and that felt like a cop out. But I figured it out and I don’t mind the way the ending turned out :D
Also, kind of a random reference, but the title is slightly inspired by VERY NICE by Seventeen lol
Holy crap I’ve written so much for only one fic so far. My apologies in advance.
21 Eden Street
I won’t go into too much detail for 21 Eden Street because it’s still ongoing, but I just wanna brag about how fun it is to write hehe. It’s really enjoyable to write pure crack and come up with stupid and insane ideas with Cantare. You don’t need to have seen either iteration of 21 Jump Street to understand what’s going on. Honestly, we’ve taken very little from the source material and treated it more like a loose guide and a basis for brainstorming.
Don’t worry, we haven’t abandoned it! Cantare is waiting on me to finish writing my chapter (hehe sorry, Cantare!) and soon it’ll be back up and running.
Seeing things
Ah, Seeing Things, my beloved <3
This fic has the least amount of hits out of everything I’ve written (which is not surprising to me) but I hold it very dear to my heart. There’s not a specific reason why other than I just really enjoyed writing it. I also spent a ton of time making supplementary drawings and a whole hype campaign for it, too, so I kinda am obligated to feel some sorta way about it.
Anyway, the way this fic came about is simple; I just had the things I am most afraid of happen to Twilight. Yes, I’m scared of serial killers and my loved ones dying like everyone else, but something I am absolutely terrified of are hallucinations. That and doppelgangers.
Not being able to tell reality apart from fiction activates the flight or fight senses in me. Real life can be scary, yes, but reality is bound by the rules of reality. Literally anything can happen in fiction. The most horrific, awful things are possible in fiction and if those things suddenly become possible in reality???? Girl I am GONE. Passing away. Curling up in a fetal position in the nearest corner. I don’t know if that makes any sense. If I ever start seeing things that I can’t be sure are actually happening or not, I am choosing to die right then and there. Doppelgangers as a concept are also really scary to me. It’s like stranger danger but times a thousand because you can’t tell who the strangers are anymore.
In my initial draft, there wasn’t nearly as much of a tension between Twilight and Yor. If I recall correctly, by then I’d written to nearly the end and realized that for Yor this whole experience has been Loid acting just a little more weird than usual. It might’ve been Cantare’s suggestion (just assume everything after Guy’s Night has been beta’d by Cantare and you’ll be mostly right) but I realized that Twilight probably would start to suspect the people around him were screwing with him. I added the scene where his room was messed up and it all fell into place hehe.
I don’t like writing gore or the like because I feel like typical gore quickly starts escalating into levels of pain that the average reader has no possibility of comprehending and it loses its efficacy. Instead I tried feeding into Twilight’s paranoia, adding things that in isolation are just weird but when put together are unsettling. I shamelessly stole the fourth room hallway from Impossible Landscapes, a Delta Green campaign that I highly recommend you check out if you enjoy surreal horror. I purposefully kept some things vague, like the things Anya sees in Twilight’s mind, the way Handler’s face gets warped, or the description of “the watchers” because I felt like going into detail would lose the unknown-ness of it all. That and I’m lazy heehee.
In some way, canon Spy x Family does deal with ideas of doppelgangers and paranoia. Spies are constantly afraid of being listened in on, they don’t know if they can trust anyone, and they always have to keep an eye over their shoulder. For someone who is always a little scared of being spied on (I cover my phone and laptop cameras for that exact reason), that kinda sounds like torture. Seeing Things was a fun way to crank that paranoia up to a hundred. It was especially fun writing the museum scene because I tried thinking of things that are just ever so slightly off, things that theoretically could exist but clearly don’t.
I also threw in other things I’m scared of, like being watched, being followed, the dark, and the bathroom at night just to be extra mean to Twilight <3
Anyway, I’m rambling and this analysis post will be a novel if I keep this up.
Guy’s Night
I do recognize the insane tone shift going from Seeing Things to Guy’s Night.
What is there to even say about Guy’s Night? I got the idea from Psych (the Last Night Gus episode) who got the general basic from the Hangover movies. I wrote it all out in a few days, one of which I was sick in bed. I don’t know what to say.
Looking back on it, I don’t love the way it turned out. I’m glad I wrote it but where I usually don’t mind rereading my stuff for fun I do kinda cringe at Guy’s Night. It relies on a lot of contrivances which I tried masking with humor but it’s still a bit obvious. If you make a timeline of the previous night’s events, it only kinda makes sense.
It doesn’t help that I went into it with no plan whatsoever. I just sat down and said what happens happens. When I wrote in chapter one that something had happened between Loid and Yor, I didn’t know what that was. When I wrote Loid saying “we need to see what’s on that camera film” I was right there next to him saying “buddy, so do I because I have no idea.” When wrote Franky saying that his friend Marko might have answers, I was hoping he would too because I, like everyone else, didn’t know what was going on either.
The ONE thing I DID know was that Twilight got a tattoo the night before. That was it. That’s all.
I don’t typically plan out everything when I write but I usually have a good idea. For Guy’s Night, I had a bad idea in that I had no idea. It kinda shows. Sorry.
That being said, it was incredibly fun writing their drunk shenanigans and banter. The dynamic between Twilight, Franky, and Yuri was so goofy that I’ve seriously debated writing a sequel of sorts. However that’s incredibly unlikely. If I ever do write a sequel, it’d be a Girl’s Night with Yor and a combination of female characters, probably Sylvia and Fiona.
After Peace (and Glimpses of Happiness)
A quick heads up: I don’t go into detail but I do discuss mental illness in this segment.
I am incredibly proud of how After Peace turned out. Not only did it receive a really good reception for being my first fic ever, but it also helped me work through some things in my own life. It’s important to give some context.
I wrote After Peace shortly after graduating college. I won’t go into specifics, but college was really, really difficult for me. I had been so excited for this next step in my life after graduating high school but instead it turned out to be one of the hardest experiences of my life. Depression came out of nowhere and stomped me into the ground.
I used to have very high expectations for myself; I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do with my life and I was taking steps to work towards those goals. Then my mental health tanked and suddenly everything just felt so difficult and pointless. I’d sleep all day and then hate myself when the sun started to set because that meant I’d wasted an entire day doing nothing when I was supposed to be working towards something. But I just couldn’t do it anymore.
That’s something I’ve noticed that a lot of media gets wrong about depression sometimes. It doesn’t always make you feel sad. Sometimes it just sucks everything out of you—sadness, happiness, anger, everything. I stopped drawing, stopped listening to music, stopped eating, stopped exercising, stopped doing everything that I enjoyed because it felt like the equivalent of doing the dishes. Everything was a chore, even the things that I liked.
What really changed things around was when my poor roommate, who was sick of me sleeping for twenty hours a day, dragged my sorry self to the free counseling services on campus. It’s doesn’t fix everything, but having someone who cares about you and you care about can really help your mental health.
Anyway, let’s not forget I’m talking about an anime fanfiction here haha.
After Peace really did start out as a couple of doodles but as I started to write it, I noticed that there were a lot of similarities between myself and Loid. No, I am not a former spy turned grumpy hermit, but I did once have great aspirations and now have to settle for what reality offers me. Realizing that worth comes from simply existing was something that I had to understand in order to begin my recovery process.
I’ve always found it kind of sad that if you took away the goal of world peace from Twilight that you’re basically left with nothing. He doesn’t really have hobbies, no real friends, and he never takes a day off. That’s hardly sustainable. Would he really be happy when there’s nothing left to do? I’d like to think so, but I wanted to see what would happen if he wasn’t.
I mentioned this in the end note, but After Peace was also influenced by this comic I was working on years ago that had the similar premise of “grumpy man learns to enjoy life with the help of a young girl” (very original, I know). I doubt that I’ll ever release that comic in the capacity I once intended, but it does live on in my secret second tumblr account of you ever manage to find it.
Anyway, I was worried about writing After Piece because Anya plays a big role and I am Not Good at writing children. It was hard striking a balance between making Anya likeable but still realistic. I don’t interact with children often and, as a youngest sibling, I don’t have much experience with them. Anya has so many layers—being a test subject, being a telepath, being a child—that it was hard managing them all. But I’m okay with how she turned out.
There is a slight problem in that she basically disappears once Yor shows up D:
I debated having Yor in the fic at all but then I realized that without her the emotional climax would have to rely on a four year old’s emotional intelligence and then decided right then and there that Yor had to be in it haha.
Yor’s whole deal with accidentally killing the wrong person was kind of a last minute addition. I do wish I was able to explore that more, but I also feel like she’s emotionally mature enough to forgive herself more quickly than Twilight would. She ends up serving a bit of a role model to him. It was also nice to be able to write them interacting with the truth out on the table and for them to be honest with each other.
Pacing was something that I was very concerned with. Looking back on it now, I’m still worried that things move along a bit quickly. However, I am reminded of some advice my graphic design professors gave me: “Good design is when nothing more can be take away.” And, because I was writing this as fast as possible, you best believe I was taking things away if I didn’t need them. I didn’t want to fall into the trap of dwelling on Twilight’s thoughts for too long so I instead opted for showing him progressing through experiences instead. I think it worked out.
However because I took so many things out I decided to start Glimpses of Happiness, a supplementary fic to After Peace that fills in the cracks, so to speak. I wanted to have more moments between Twilight and the other characters, like stargazing with Anya and growing close to Yor. Right now there’s only one chapter, but I have plans for at least a few more. I also thought it was important to highlight that mental health recovery never truly ends. Just because Yor and Twilight had a nice chat on the roof doesn’t mean that things are suddenly okay. It’s a long process that sometimes never ends and I wanted to show that.
Of course, I can’t talk about After Peace without addressing the Midwest allegations. As I said, yes, this fic was inspired by my childhood in the American Midwest, even though I was nowhere near any mountains. The Midwest is a silly place full of nothing to do but go to your local Walmart for fun, but I think it served a good enough setting for Twilight to chill out and slow down. If I really wanted to do full Midwest, I’d have Twilight watch a tornado touch down on a cornfield from his truckbed, but that feels sort of out of place.
I feel like there’s more to say but I can’t think of anything and I doubt anyone’s actually gonna read all the way down here anyway. But yeah, that’s After Peace.
Oh, and the A.M. AM by Damien Jurado Youtube video currently has nine comments that mentjon falling from a five story building, which I think is really funny.
So now what?
Against my better judgement, I’m still writing. I have a couple projects in the works, especially one big big big one that hopefully I can start publishing soon. Keep an eye out for that.
In the meantime, thanks for a great year! I hope 2025 holds more great things in store for us all!
-unso ^. .^<
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starsinmylatte · 2 days ago
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I am fellow of Rick flags Sr lover I I don’t know if you are still taking requests for Rick flags if you are not then please disregard this but if you are
I was wondering if I could ask NSFW alphabet X and K thank you so very much. I really do hope you enjoy your day and I love your work 
Hi, hi! I absolutely am still drooling about this man taking requests for him 🙂‍↕️. Thank you for the super sweet compliments! 💕
Cw: fem!reader, Breeding kink/pregnancy kink, age gap, brat taming, overstim
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X: I really thought about just leaving the screenshot of his crotch close-up here with nothing else added…. but allow me to elaborate. This man is HUNG. Rick Flag Sr has a massive Flag pole (ha) with big, heavy breeding balls to match.
He’s circumcised and only slightly above average length, but his girth is no laughing matter, even when he's flaccid. 100% a shower; you know exactly what he's working with. Rick has to prepare his partners extensively to take him, or they just have to be ready for the stretch of a lifetime.
No part of this man is small, and his military service has left him deliciously toned. His biceps are the best pillows in the world, and if you kiss along the contours of his muscles or scars, his hefty cock gives a delicious little twitch. Rick’s body is toned because of his occupation, not for vanity reasons, but he can't lie and say that he's not flattered (and more than a little aroused) when you show appreciation for his rugged body.
K: Oh, I've been waiting for this one. With a dedicated partner he loves, Rick develops the breeding kink of all time.
Before falling for you, Rick would've said that he's too old and jaded to do any of that shit ever again. He’s a tough army man who had a son at a very young age with a wife he grew to dislike, and that's gonna leave some deep scars. He likely missed out on a lot of her pregnancy and Rick Jr’s childhood because of deployments, and he also has a lot of guilt around that. It only gets worse when his son dies in Corto Maltese….. but
You come into his life and show him the love and understanding that he didn't think he would ever receive from another human. His pain and guilt are eased immensely by your gentle, soothing compassion and sparkling intelligence as you work through any relationship hurdles. Rick begins to understand more and more about himself and why his marriage failed (caused by both faults from him and his ex-wife), and you encourage him to be an even better man.
Rick finds himself considering marriage once again, but he still winces every time he thinks about how you're a younger woman and would probably want children. You're too aware of his pain to bring the subject up, but he worries that staying with him would rob you of the joys of motherhood. However, that all disappears one night.
Rick had been invited to countless family gatherings since his string of tragedies but couldn’t bear the thought of being stuck in a room full of happy people who pitied him. Through your gentle support, he finally agreed to give a very small get-together a try, which is how Rick found himself knocking on the door of his cousin's house one night for dinner around Christmas.
It took a moment, but a man who vaguely resembled a very tired, younger Rick with no beard opened the door, chuckling softly. "Sorry, the little one is not happy at the moment. We're running behind and haven't even started cooking yet."
It had been so long since Rick had seen his family that he didn't know they had just welcomed their first child. He froze and was prepared to reschedule for another night, but your eyes lit up, "Oh, it's not a problem at all."
Before Rick could blink, you had already introduced yourself and offered a hand in the kitchen. In no time, you were giggling and chatting with his cousin's wife, rocking their baby in your arms as the other woman stirred a pot simmering away on the stovetop. Rick was sitting on the sofa, drinking a beer and conversing with his cousin, but his warm, brown gaze was fixed on you. You looked nothing short of angelic underneath the glow of the Christmas lights as you cooed at the baby in her little holiday outfit. Something just clicked in his brain, and he understood. He wanted to see you just like this, except in your own home, with your baby.
From there, it only took a few days for Rick's brain to devolve into visions of you swollen with his child, waddling around your home as you nested and decorated the nursery. He wanted to massage your aching back and breasts, to pamper you like a goddamn princess- no, a queen who wanted for nothing. Rick had gone from casually looking at rings to feverishly checking the shipment status of one, all so he could do things correctly and set a diamond on your pretty finger before giving you his baby.
Age Gap: You cannot look me in the digital eyes and tell me Rick didn't immediately pop a boner when Ilana said that she liked older men. He is absolutely not one of those old creeps who wants some innocent girl with no life experience, but there's something so goddamn hot about a strong, capable younger woman who freely and clearly chooses him above men her age.
A little bit of teasing/brat-taming also turns him way the hell on. Use your wit to be snarky, and don't be surprised if you find yourself thrown on the bed with Rick coaxing orgasm after orgasm from your tired body with his hands and tongue.... just wait until you get to the point where he gives you his heavy, aching cock.
NSFW alphabet link here!
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bullet-prooflove · 21 hours ago
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5500 Follower Celebration: Tears of Pearl - Eliot Spencer x Reader
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Tagging: @kmc1989 @madisonbroxson1 @hazel-eye-coffee-shop-girl-blog  @readings-to-share  @sameenbyhat
Companion piece to:
Star - Eliot realises he's made a terrible mistake.
The Worst Thing - There's only two people that know the worst thing Eliot has ever done.
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You’re wearing pearls,  Tahitian black pearls to be exact.
 It’s the first thing Eliot notices because it’s an unusual choice for a woman of your calibre. You society girls usually prefer diamonds, the bigger the better. That’s the first indication you’re not like the others, it’s not the last.
He spends a year getting to know you as your personal protection specialist. You hate the fact you have a bodyguard but he was hired by your fiancé Moreau after threats have been made by some of the people he’s pissed off.
“I can’t have anything happening to my investment.” He tells Eliot as he sits across from him at a desk that costs more than most homes these days. “This marriage opens up a lot of doors for me, gives me connections I wouldn’t have access to.”
“What does her father get out of it?” He’d asked as he flicked through your dossier.
“A cash injection into some of his more problematic businesses.” He’d said as he lounged back in his chair. “He can’t stand the shame of failing.”
You are everything that Eliot does not expect from someone whose a daughter in one of the founding families. He sees the work you do with those charities, the way you immerse yourself in it as if you’re trying to make up for the sins of those that came before you. You’re not content with cutting a cheque, you need to be involved and not in the public shit either, the stuff that would get you recognition, but the grassroots stuff. Teaching kids to read, sitting with the elderly who have no families and then there’s the homeless, the people who don’t have a voice.
The first time you sit down next to a veteran in the street Eliot almost hurls you right back up because you, you don’t seem to understand the risk that comes with being with Moreau. The fact the people who are trying to hurt him will use you to do it.
“Let me take five minutes to share a coffee and a sandwich with my new friend Joe.” You negotiate and he reluctantly agrees.
It’s not five minutes, it’s thirty because Joe, he’s non-threatening and watching you interact with him it’s fascinating. You don’t act like other people, you don’t talk over him, try to give him advice, you just listen and to a guy like Joe whose spent years being in the background, ignored, it’s overwhelming, which is why you take his hand when he gets a little upset, clasping it tightly in your own. He understands in that moment that you’re lonely, that you probably have been for a long time.
When you do come away Eliot’s silent because he isn’t sure how to articulate this new knowledge. It’s only when you get to the car that he notices your pearl necklace is gone, that you must have placed it into Joe’s cup.
“You gonna keep giving away all your jewellery like that?” He asks you, his gaze flickering up to meet yours as he watches you in the rearview mirror.
“They’re just things.” You say distractedly, looking out of the window. “Things that could help other people who actually need it.”
That’s when Eliot realises how trapped you are in this world, it’s a gilded cage you were born into, not one that you want. When he looks back he knows that that’s the moment that things changed between the two of you, he saw you for you, not the role that Moreau had crafted for you.
Six months down the line, you’re wearing a different set of pearls, a more expensive set and Eliot’s tearing them from your throat, breaking the strands because you’re in the midst of a panic attack and the damn things are practically padlocked around your neck with a gold clasp that can only be undone with a key. The pearls scatter across the floor, rolling in all directions and that lock, he throws it out the window in disgust.
It’s another Moreau special. A collar to remind you who you belong to because he saw you talking to another man at a charity event, one that had paid you a little too much attention. He doesn’t know that Eliot spends most nights in your bed, that he makes love to you in the shower before he puts on his suit and pretends he’s been in his own room all along.
“I don’t want to marry him.” You sob as Eliot uses his thumb to chase away the tears that leak down your cheeks. He despises the kind of man that can do this to you, that steals away your autonomy, that tries to stamp out all the goodness in your soul.
“You don’t have to.” He whispers, his forehead coming to rest against yours as he looks into your eyes. “I’ll find a way to get you out of this. I promise you I will.”
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haifoct · 2 days ago
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let me kiss your brain, because, seriously, EVERY WORD in that post about LI Lun IS ON POINT!!!
Was Li Lun behaving like a murderous toddler throwing a temper tantrum? Yes! But he had some good reasons to do so!
Regardless of their "romantic" relationship, ZYZ and LL were first and foremost, friends, who spent 30k years together. Even though they disagreed and even though ZYZ always felt like being a demon wasn't good enough, he wanted to be human, LL still accepted that.
Did LL overreact by killing those people in the clinic? Yes. But, if I saw my people- including children- in cages, tortured, I'd probably snap too. Plus, it irked me to no end that ZYZ was too preoccupied with being outraged at Li Lun for killing guards instead of actually helping his fellow demons. "I will protect the Wilderness"- proceeds to do absolutely nothing crying over two killed torturers while LL does all the protecting.
Then ZYZ proceeded to touch the unknown burning thing and ended up mortally wounding Li Lun. And then sealed him in and deprived him of any choice. And did he go to talk to him after? Nope. No explanation, no "get well" card, nothing. Heck, I think even a shouting match would've been better.
Even if he never went to LL because he was spiraling into depression, that doesn't explain the whole "holier than thou" attitude he displayed throughout the show. Did LL kill humans? Yes, but so did ZYZ (example- that bureau guy whose heart he exploded to prove his point). And then had the audacity to taunt LL and call him names when in reality LL was right in most of his accusations- of ZYZ being a hypocrite, liar, traitor, etc. I'm sorry, but while LL is absolutely NOT free of fault, ZYZ has no right to pretend he is any better.
But the worst of all is that when he got a chance to make up with LL, he let his pettiness and anger get the best of him. He failed to say ONE SENTENCE (we will put your soul into a piece of wood and you will recultivate again in 100 years) that would've made a whole lot of difference, and in the end, he indirectly caused Ying Lei's, Li Lun's, and likely Bai Ju's deaths.
Literally, all they had to do to get LL to stop his antics and even become THEIR ally was for ZYZ to say "sorry I set you on perpetual fire, bro. I missed you". But the "hero demon" couldn't even do that...
If anything, Zhuo Yichen was the one who showed more compassion and kindness to Li Lun than his supposed friend ever did. No wonder Li Lun shifted his focus to him in the end.
It seems that ZYZ was inherently biased against being a demon and valued humans more than demons. Perhaps, it was because of him being the vessel of malicious energy, so he juxtaposed that unfair twist of fate onto all demons (as in, he would not be in that situation if he were a human). Perhaps, he also realized at some point that he could not have the same range of emotions as humans, so he perceived himself and other demons as less. And Li Lun was the personification of demon-ness and all that ZYZ hated about himself, and he couldn't overcome it. Plus, it seems that all demons have a problem with dealing with complex emotions like grief and rage; this is why, in the end, among all of them, ZYC is the most mature one even though he is only 24. If only ZYZ had one tenth of ZYC's maturity and compassion to his fellow demons, the whole story would've played out very, very differently.
And this is why I want to write fix it fics now
Thank you SO MUCH for your addition, especially for bringing up their very last chess match. It’s probably the only moment that makes me genuinely, fucking angry at Zhu Yan. I can even understand his reaction in the clinic—but this? He wanted to be human so badly that he put his pride above everything else, lmfao. How pathetic, how frustrating it was to see him so desperately refuse to call Li Lun his friend, refuse to say that he cared for him, that he didn’t want him dead, that he had a solution. It’s so sad that Li Lun was always open and clear about his grievances, he always used his words to explain why he’s angry.
I guess if Zhu Yan admitted that he cared for this unhinged one, it would show him in the bad light.
I don’t care; I don’t even think he "indirectly" caused Ying Lei’s death. He literally killed him, period. Xiao Zhuo and the rest of the gang were the ones who told Li Lun about the root thing, and the fact that we see Li Lun IMMEDIATELY stop struggling? He went, Oh… sure, I’ll go into the root, we can draw. (Also, if Zhu Yan cared for Li Lun, he would’ve put him in Cheng Huang’s sundial and grown him for 100 years as an apology for the pain. What is 100 years to a 30K-year-old demon? A mere blink.)
And YES, Xiao Zhuo was incredibly kind to Li Lun. Despite saying he never understood him and never would, we know damn well that’s not the case. Baby Zhuo Yichen spiraled into loneliness, bitterness, isolation, and hatred toward Zhu Yan and demons—until Wen Xiao’s words about snow eventually melting brought him back (the same way Xiao Zhuo’s words sobered Li Lun and left a mark on his soul). I’m forever grateful to our precious Zhuo Yichen for forming his own opinion about Li Lun. (Isn’t it fun that he never told the gang about his encounter with Li Lun by that river?) 
Zhu Yan’s hatred, his harsh words, never affected him. Zhuo Yichen understood Li Lun. His journey with Li Lun is one of the most fascinating and interesting. No wonder our director grabbed the two actors and put them in another series together — he’s one of us, a shipper.
I absolutely adore you pointing out Li Lun being everything Zhu Yan hated about himself. His harshness with his former friend comes from his self-pity and self-hatred.
His words, "Li Lun, you’re bitter I have everything, and you have nothing." Despite it being awfully annoying in the moment due to Zhu Yan literally not hearing what Li Lun was telling him, it made me think it’s Zhu Yan trying to convince himself.
And even worse, Li Lun is proud of being a demon. He loves the Wilderness, he loves his home, he loves his people. There’s nothing he loves more than being a demon. He even turned the human he liked the most into one as well.
Zhu Yan is not as broad minded as Wen Xiao claims him to be. He very clearly has his biases. Always thinking about Zhu Yan murdering Xiao Pagoda Ghost that played with them in Li Lun’s illusion. That was awfully cold blooded! 
They’re tragic, indeed, and my heart breaks for them both. However, it makes me incredibly happy that Zhu Yan learned from his experience with Li Lun and stood firmly by his new friends’ sides. And I’m happy Li Lun found one Zhuo Yichen and one little Ying Lei who cried for him and were kind to his pain.
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lostinwildflowers · 3 days ago
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You're Wheelie Great
Jean Kirstein x Reader
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Summary: After running Jean over with your bike, Jean takes you back to his place to fix it up.
Word Count: 1.4K
Warnings: Cursed fluff, terrible, and I mean AWFUL dad jokes
A/N: I am emerging from the depths of my drafts with more fluffy Jean! This is kind of cursed and I am so sorry, but I needed to put this out there XD -Birch<3
Part 1 - Head Over Wheels For You
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"You really did a number on this," Jean chuckles as he flips your bike's kickstand out. The two of you were in the garage of his small home just a few miles from campus, examining the wreckage from your... accident.
"Well you didn't move out of the way when I yelled "watch out" you know!" you giggle nervously as Jean gets down on his hands and knees, inspecting the brake lines which seemed to fail. You rock back and forth on your feet once or twice before saying softer, "I am still sorry for hitting you, though."
Jean just smiles as his hands fiddle with the lines, shrugging, "Ah, I'll be alright." He smirks up at you and flirts, "Plus, now I get to help a pretty girl out. That's not too bad of a day for me."
You can feel an intense wave of heat rush over your face as butterflies swarm your belly, and you cough once to hide the way your voice was about to break.
"Do you get run over often on campus? Those noise-canceling headphones probably don't help," you try to deflect, still fighting the growing smile on your face.
Jean gives a soft chuckle as he stands up and walks over to his workbench and replies, "I only get run over by girls I'd like to take to dinner." This immediately sends another wave of heat through you, and you manage to gush out, "I suppose I could arrange that."
Jean turns to you with a wrench in his hand and his eyebrow cocked as he asks, "Oh really?" You shuffle uncomfortably on your feet before gesturing to your bike, "Think of it as payment for helping me fix my bike up."
The tall man goes back to work on your bike and states, "You know, I should be the one buying you dinner, not the other way around." You move to sit on one of the shop's creeper carts and with a smile shrug, "Oh really?"
This time, you can see pink dusting Jean's nose as you throw his words back at him. You just giggle at his reaction before asking, "How bad is the damage to The Swag-mobile?"
Jean glances at you with an incredulous look on his face as he repeats, "The Swag-mobile? You named your bike?" You scoff playfully and jest, "And you don't?"
A moment passes by before you continue, "Actually, my friends call it The Swag-mobile. I'm the only one who bikes around campus, they all usually walk."
Jean nods in understanding as he works away on the bike, time sliding by as the two of you make easy conversation. You told him about how you were a senior in one of your final semesters, just trying to make it to graduation.
He told you he was in the same boat, and that life as a sports medicine major had its ups and downs. Jean was in the middle of telling you about this one stretch he was taught for people with messed up calves, attempting to demonstrate it.
In doing so, he tips backward, knocking into your bike. It wobbles on the kickstand for a second, threatening to fall over. You hold your breath as it steadies, your eyes glancing over to Jean with a certain uneasiness.
He's already looking at you, and it's silent for a moment before the two of you burst out laughing. Jean plants his feet firmly back on the ground before grabbing a hold of one of the handlebars.
Nodding toward the bike he says, "Your bike has seen a lot today, I better not mess it up anymore," a chuckle following his last words.
You laugh before shrugging, "It's only a $200 bike, she's seen better days." A sigh falls from your lips before you stand up from the shop stool you had been perched on.
You walk over to the bike, your hand gently resting on the opposite handlebar from Jean. Your (colored) gaze meets his and you ask, "Shall we take it for a test ride?"
A low whistle slides between his lips and he raises his eyebrows in mock defense. "It's as good as it's going to get from a non-pro bike brake mechanic," he ushes, a boyish smile slowly creeping its way onto his face.
The seemingly permanent smile on your face grows even bigger as you grasp the handlebar tighter, pulling the kickstand up with your foot, "Let's take her for a ride!"
Jean lets go of your bike and watches your figure in the light of his dim garage. His boyish smile has turned into a smirk as he calls out behind you, "I think you're wheelie great at riding your bike you know."
You swivel around as a playful gasp escapes you. You can't help the giggles that follow as the bad joke reverberates in your head.
The tall man can't help but think he likes the way your nose scrunched up when you laugh, and that you may be the cutest girl he's ever seen.
You throw back your head as you giggle out, "You could say I was head over wheels for you!" The unexpected comeback makes Jean huff out a laugh, the joke playing off of his own.
Jean walks up to you as you both continue to chuckle and he pushes, "I don't think I'll get tire-d of hearing you say that." Another round of giggles escapes you, your stomach starting to ache from all of the laughter.
"I've cycled through all of my jokes", you managed, sending Jean into another fit of laughter, your grip loosening on the bike handles.
The two of you continue to laugh and chuckle for another few moments before you attempt at catching your breath. You didn't notice how close you had gotten to Jean until your eyes glanced up to take note of him.
You could see a dusting of freckles littering his nose, his gaze soft as a smile settled on his lips. You could almost feel his breath on your cheeks as your lungs tried to recover their lost oxygen, your heart skipping as you unconsciously leaned into him.
Jean was no different, his eyes flitting between your (colored) gaze and your slightly parted lips. He, too, unconsciously was leaning into you, his hand settling on the frame of your bike.
His body suddenly stilled and he cleared his throat to break the tension that suddenly built between you two. You blink as you realize the moment is over and embarrassment starts to flood over you.
"I- I'm sorry, I think I may have read this wrong-" you start, but Jean cuts you off, "No, I'm sorry. I-, I just have this thing where I usually take a girl out to dinner before our first kiss."
The meaning behind the words is not lost to you as you stare up at him, eyes wide. The heat of unsettled embarrassment shifts to butterflies as you try to counter, "Is this your way of asking me out?"
Jean tilts his head back and forth in a mock and playful manner as he replies, "Well I did say I should buy you dinner... so if you're interested?"
His words trail off with uncertainty that he was reading the atmosphere wrong, but when an appreciative smile slides across your face, Jean feels weightless.
You solidify the answer to his question with a quip of, "You also have to buy me ice cream if I get on this bike and the brakes don't work." Jean smirks back at you and drawls, "Well I better warn you now, it's a rocky road from here to the end of my driveway."
A rush of giggles falls from your lips as you take in his joke and swing your leg over the frame of your bike. Jean backs up, a smile landing on his lips as he hears you say, "We better not be out too choco-late, or all of the shops will be closed."
At that, you push off on the bike pedal and ride down the bumpy pavement that is Jean's driveway. As he watches you, he can't help but think he's in for a wheelie great time with you.
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justinspoliticalcorner · 3 days ago
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Ken Klippenstein:
Donald Trump’s incoming counterterrorism czar wants you to join the government’s war on terrorism. That’s the message he conveyed yesterday in a little-noticed interview following the reportedly ISIS-inspired vehicle ramming attack in New Orleans. The remarks paint an alarming picture of the incoming administration’s plans to take the war on terrorism to “the streets of America” — a war in which “you are the first responder,” as the Trump nominee put it. “You are on the front line of the war against global jihadism,” Sebastian Gorka, Trump’s incoming senior director for counterterrorism, told Newsmax. His rhetoric reminds me of the post-9/11 paranoia of the Bush administration, during which the national security state crept into American civic life in all sorts of ways that remain with us today. In much the same fashion, Gorka stressed that preventing terrorism is a responsibility you — not in the plural sense but you personally — share with even the elite operators like the Navy SEALs(!) As he told Newsmax:
[“You need to understand — every single one of our Newsmax viewers. You are on the front line of the war against global jihadism. It's not just our tier one operators. It's not just the guys at Dam Neck, the SEALs, or the guys over the wire at Bragg. You. You, like the people on Bourbon Street, are on the front line. So be aware. Keep your head on a swivel…it's not about warzones 8,000 miles away in Central Asia. It's about here on the streets of America. You are the first responder.”]
Several troubling implications arise from Gorka’s counter-terror vision. Deputizing ordinary people as volunteers for the national security state induces them to view the world through that framework, which just doesn’t map onto civic life. Should a teacher really adopt the worldview of a Navy SEAL? Also, Gorka’s rhetoric implies that terror attacks happen because the public wasn’t vigilant enough, rather than that our lavishly funded national security state failed to anticipate them. (There’s already plenty of signs that New Orleans authorities failed to properly deploy barriers that would have prevented the attack.) Gorka’s extreme views may well make him the most dangerous figure in the incoming Trump administration, as I’ve previously reported. While the major media have tended to obsess about Tulsi Gabbard and her supposed ties to the Russians (despite there being no hard evidence), Gorka has basically completely avoided scrutiny. Particularly alarming are his views on “radical Islamic terrorism,” a phrase he is fond of. When asked if Trump believes Islam is a religion, for instance, Gorka has repeatedly declined to answer. “Anybody who downplays the role of religious ideology,” Gorka said in 2017, “they are deleting reality to fit their own world.”
Rabid Islamophobe and soon-to-be former Newsmax host Sebastian Gorka went on Newsmax’s Finnerty Wednesday told Americans that “you are on the front line of the war against global jihadism.”
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4rk4n4 · 2 days ago
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I apologize for the lengthy reply, but tl;dr I think people oversimplify their relationship when they say that he groomed her into being a weapon, and they’re doing that because there’s precedent in media for this. Jinx had nowhere to go. Silco had no reason to take her in, but he did so anyway. It’s unreasonable to expect a traumatized adult to raise a traumatized child without that adult imparting their unhealthy view of the world and how to survive in it onto that child… which is what happens with Silco and Jinx.
It’s definitely more complicated than people make it out to be, or rather not “complicated” but different from what people expect out of a villain adopting a child. There’s a multitude of narratives involving a young child becoming a killer under the “guidance” of a villain or gang leader or terrorist and so on and so forth. It’s usually backstory. There’s little fleshing out the relationship between them, and a lot of those young children grow up to be adults who would easily throw their life away for a cause because they were “groomed” to be a weapon.
(I’m dating myself here, but a prime example of this is Heero Yuy from Gundam Wing who was raised by a terrorist. He does not value his own life because he had been trained from the time he was a child (around Powder’s age) to assassinate his targets, fight his enemies, and die before he got caught. The show involves Heero going from trying to kill himself after a failed mission to refusing to fight any longer in the end, accepting a need for peace. Yet, he struggles to exist in a world where he is no longer a weapon.)
Silco and Jinx’s relationship doesn’t fit the traditional mold. Yes, Jinx was raised by a villain. Yes, she is exposed to the criminal underworld. Yes, she builds and uses weapons. (She did that before she met Silco). Yes, she takes on jobs that Silco has for her. However, she also acts on her own to Silco’s chagrin (e.g. Jinx blowing up enforcers). Silco has carefully crafted plans and Jinx ruins them on more than one occasion, but he doesn’t discard her like any other typical villain would in that situation.
People act like Silco is a criminal mastermind that consciously manipulated her every step of the way, but it’s shown to us that Silco adopted her because he, too, was abandoned by family after he made a grave mistake. He treats her like a daughter, keeping her hand made things and scolding her when she does something foolish like a parent would. Silco doesn’t even do a great job of manipulating her. What he says to her is based on his own warped sense of the world. He thinks he’s correct, and he thinks he’s helping Jinx.
That is very different from the “terrorist creates child soldier to do his bidding, then discards them when they’re no longer useful” narrative. He adopted her into his world, which included crime and violence. However, she was already making weapons before meeting Silco because crime and violence were already the norm for children in The Undercity. People forget she saw her parents killed by enforcers. That alone molded Jinx into who she is as an adult.
Their relationship was toxic because it involved a lack of boundaries, and of course he nurtured her desire for revenge and her penchant for making bombs. She did hurt people for him. From that, I can understand people saying he “groomed her to be a weapon” but it is still such a shallow interpretation of their relationship as a whole. We know he saw her as a daughter before he ever saw her as a weapon, and he did not give her up because he did not view her as a weapon to discard.
This doesn’t mean he didn’t have a negative impact on Jinx. It’s a bit of a No Shit Sherlock moment whenever someone expresses that a villain like him can’t raise a child in a normal, healthy manner. Clearly, she deserved a better childhood. However, we also know that under different conditions, she could have had a perfectly normal father daughter relationship with him. We also know she’s not the only child in The Undercity forced into conflict. She even mirrors Silco by adopting young Isha, who does end up dying for the cause.
Silco is a very damaged person, and so is Jinx. Enforcers took away their family. They were betrayed by the closest person they trusted. Silco believed everyone would betray them eventually, and he instilled that in Jinx because he believed it to be true. Their combined hatred of Piltover and their inability to build community with their peers, being social pariahs after their deadly mistakes, made it that much easier for them to funnel their energy into destruction and that much harder to do better.
Of course, Silco is the adult and Silco should’ve done better and yadda yadda… but he is not a healthy, mentally stable adult and I think anyone who grew up with parents whose traumas informed very unhealthy behaviors on their part that they unconsciously tried to instill in their children can tell you that their relationship is complicated. You can say Silco did a lot of fucked up things while also understanding that he didn’t adopt Jinx just to use, abuse, and discard her as a weapon.
People say that Silco groomed Jinx into being a weapon as if she isn't uncontrollable. That is not a weapon lmao.
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orangedodge · 2 years ago
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No, everyone, Ganondorf is not secretly some really great, misunderstood, good-guy that’s only trying to free his people from Rauru, come on. The instant he gets real power, he uses it against his own people. We are specifically shown that he unleashed his demon army against the Gerudo people first, and waged war to subjugate them first. It was only after he finished that he went to war with Hyrule. He didn’t care about them at all.
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navree · 6 months ago
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Incorrect, the fact that Biden has dropped out and a candidate with history of supporting medicare for all and being more receptive to a ceasefire in the I/P conflict has made me go from "I cannot morally support the Democratic nominee" to "I am voting for the Democratic nominee despite the fact she isn't perfect in every respect." I'm really happy this played out. The Dems for the most part abandoned the old Obama platform and it feels like its possible an actual progressive agenda could come to pass in my lifetime.
Kamala 2024!
If you weren't going to vote Democratic in this election before Biden dropped out you're a dorkass loser who does not care about any of the issues you're yammering about here and also a fundamentally bad person, and I hope you get run over by a bus.
But you got one thing right in all of this gibberish, Kamala 2024.
#personal#answered#anonymous#i mean let's be clear here no president is gonna attempt to be progressive ever again within my lifetime#because joe biden tried to do like 25% of that and got ZERO fucking credit#he did so much on healthcare on reform on loans on so many social issues and for all his litany of failings on i/p#he has been distinctly harsher on netanyahu than a good chunk of dems and certainly the entire republican party#for the first time since i was four we are not involved in any wars as americans and that is thanks to joe biden#but the thing is that he gets no credit for any of it!#him pulling out of afghanistan caused his approvals to tank in a way that never recovered#and leftists gave him FUCK ALL for it#they gave him nothing they just continued whining that even tho he cancelled a bajillion in student loans#he didn't actually cancel a QUADRILLION dollars so both parties are the same and voting is the most arduous task known to man#no democrat who is running is going to forget that catering to leftist/progressive policies gets them zero leeway with those supporters#that it not only tanks numbers but you still get constant haranguing about it anyway#so they're not gonna do it#we are gonna get fuckall for at least a good fifty years#and anything we get will be utterly in SPITE of people like you anon it will happen in spite of everything you've done#mostly because of people like me and mine who understand that voting is the bare minimum#and that for the democratic process to work the way you want it to you need to participate and not pitch a fucking fit#like a four year old who was told they can't go to disney this weekend#like i know you ratfuckers are happy this played out because this is all a game to you and you don't actually care#but that's why i've got zero faith in you people and why i'm glad it's my kind of folks#actual die hard democrats who have always been hardliners for supporting democrats in every possible election#who are picking up the slack and donating to harris and supporting her agenda#which is the exact same as biden's because she's his vice president and they share they same platform#because that's what they were both running on! twice!#anyway fuck you please feel free to find a necktie and test how tall your doorframe is
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lady-raziel · 5 months ago
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hilarious that with each new day that passes a new bit of dirt from JD Vance's past gets discovered and plastered over the internet...it's almost as if this is why presidential campaigns have always announced their running mates well before the convention...so that if glaring issues with a candidate came to light quickly there would be time to replace them on the ticket before they were officially locked in...it's almost as if certain things in political campaigns were done for a reason, donald...because the very same critical failures had happened before...but no i'm sure you and your guys attempt to recreate a fantasy version of history while ignoring all the reasons that history was a disaster will work this time...because you are built different and the 10000th time trying fascism will work like a charm...
#us politics#politics tw#i view the MAGA movement like this:#the conservatives have been desperately trying to jam a square peg into a round hole for a very long time#and they keep trying because one of these times its GOT to work! a very long time ago they heard the hole was more squarelike#so if they just TRY hard enough it will work!#failing to understand that the hole has become weathered and changed over time and the solution they are trying#will never work (if it ever did)#and then donald trump comes along and looks at the square peg#lobs one of the corners off and proclaims 'this is a triangle! THIS will work! I am so smart!'#and everyone around him is like 'whoa! this guy gets it! he's a genius and understands the problem! he's our savior!'#ignoring the fact that the peg is not a fucking triangle. it's just a deformed square now#so its still not going to work. and even if it WAS a triangle it still wouldn't work because THE HOLE IS ROUND.#it's the same damn peg but it looks a little different so everyone thinks its a genius solution that is DEFINITELY going to work#so they're all excited! they're FINALLY going to prove those idiots trying different types of oval pegs wrong!#they were right all along and it just took donald trump to see it! thank goodness he came along!#but that's just it-- he WAS just COMING ALONG. he was just walking by and saw an opportunity. he never spent time trying to make pegs#all he did was saw a crowd and took a chance to break an already failing peg even further#but because the people were desperate and it was different enough it seemed revolutionary#and now some of the conservatives--who can still see that the 'triangle' peg isnt a triangle are starting to look around#and see that elsewhere there have been some who have forced a triangle into the center of the round hole#and these people think well what if we ACTUALLY tried a real triangle?#and it does not matter to them in the slightest that it will never be the true solution to filling the hole#they just want credit for solving the problem#and so they are going to back donald trump and when the time is right put a real triangle in his hand#while the people trying ovals are busy arguing over the right type of oval#and once the triangle has been jammed into that hole...well...#it is going to be really really hard to force out#anyway thats a long and complicated metaphor and i probably should have just put it in its own post aaaaaahgh#long story short dont be a fascist triangle alright
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rafayelsbelovedbride · 18 hours ago
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Sometimes, when I see MC is the problem comments, I can't help but compare MC to how dragons are described in these stories.
Especially for "drawing out the hidden parts of one's heart", "harbinger of world's end", and being a scapegoat in general part.
I think it's really interesting seeing "problem MC" being the interpretation on a surface level, because it still somehow fits the narrative.
For all LIs, MC is the one who brings out their desire. Desire to love, to be loved, to care, and to be cared for. She enters their lives unexpectedly and loves them with a heart so pure that they have no other choice but to give the same devotion back to her. With Rafayel, she meets him as someone none other than a sacrifice, and in the end, she becomes the owner of his divine heart given to her willingly. With Zayne, she meets him as an intruder to his peace, and she becomes the one person Zayne wants to protect the most. With Xavier, she meets him as a persistent young girl with a crush and becomes someone Xavier will chase throughout the time and space. With Sylus, she meets him as the person who stole a part of his soul and becomes the one who shares half of her soul with him. In all stories, she brings out their desires and show them what love feels like.
But also, in all stories, MC's appearance is the sign of doomsday. The Lemuria is plunged into darkness after the ceremony fails. It fails because Rafayel has a desire to keep MC by his side. Zayne is punished and God's tool is useless because he is desperate to love MC and keep her safe. The people of Philos are destined to be food for the planet, because Xavier wants MC to live a peaceful life with him by her side. The ivory city is destroyed as the dragon loses his control to his desires brought out by MC.
So she becomes the scapegoat in all these stories. Because she is the easiest to blame. Blamed by Lemurians and sent to the Abyss. Blamed by Astra because her destinity is to bring chaos. Blamed by Philos because they need to make her a sacrifice. Blamed by ivory city and sent to the Abyss again.
It is always the easiest option to blame MC for rocking the boat instead of questioning the Sea God's prophecy, Astra's orders, the king's demands, and the sacred judicator's intentions.
Long story short, my point is, if you think MC is the problem, I wonder how you are even able to read this story from her perspective. Because if you choose to blame MC, you are the sacred judicator making an example out of the last dragon, you are the king of Philos sacrificing one soul to save the others, you are Amund blaming MC for Lemuria's demise, you are Astra punishing Zayne for his desire to save one person who's precious to him.
If you were in her place, you would have continued to live in Ivory City as a puppet without knowing what desire is. You would have kept quiet and followed orders and not demanded Sea God's heart in exchange for your devotion. You would not hold on to your short life and you would just accept your death without searching for a solution.
And maybe that's why MC is unrelatable on a fundamental level for so many people. If you have no desire to go against the norm, you wouldn't be able to understand and rationalize her actions.
In the end, I think all these misinterpretations of both MC and LIs are a part of the story and only strengthen the point being made. So I'm going to be a better person and not call people idiots for their very wrong opinions lol
Media literacy truly is dying bc why tf am I seeing bullshits like "mc is the problem all along" when i thought we all have talked it through and collectively agree on the fact that it was NO ONE'S (and i meant between the main characters) fault and MC is literally the BIGGEST victim compared to all of the LIs here??
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