#i even put on my music from around the same era to draw it

[jeremiahthefroge]

(tumblr old yeller'd the quality, click to see Him)

So this morning I was minding my business and watching instagram reels while I waited for my ADHD meds to kick in and all of a sudden I saw this REALLY fantastic little art animation to that Mama's Boy song depicting a trans man (made by @ unluckyy.dog on insta). It was really evocative, but I had this nagging suspicion that the guy looked super familiar, so I opened the description to be BLASTED by the information that this was in fact an animation depicting Aaron from the Aphmau minecraft roleplays (the tag was for MyStreet specifically). Cue memories FLOODING back to me, and I went a bit nuts and read the wiki and tried my very best to brush up on the original Minecraft Diaries series. Turns out it's not really very well documented (the synopsis on the wiki skips a lot of relevant info and has a habit of just. Assuming you know who a character is and why they're there) so I'm sorta doing my best to string the events together with mostly memory.

I didn't really think today I would be designing my headcanons for characters from fucking MCD in 2024 as an adult, but honestly there's a lot of really cool ideas and moments in those videos, and these characters have just REALLY stuck with me over the years, and I want to give them a bit of tribute for how much they mattered to me as a kid.

[little-diable]

The Right Stuff - Hangman/Jake Seresin (smut)

I had this idea on my flight back home, so I simply needed to write it. It’s super self indulgent, but I ain’t sorry. Please like and reblog if you enjoyed reading this, your comments keep us writers motivated! Enjoy my loves. xxx

Summary: The reader meets Jake on her flight back home, a man she's instantly drawn to. Over the course of their flight both seem to be getting tangled in the clear attraction they feel for one another. An attraction they give in to on their following date.

Or: The first time (y/n) lets a man touch her on a first date while feeling like she has met the one she wants to spend forever with.

Warnings: 18+, smut, piv, car smut, somewhat public, teasing, slight choking, dom!Jake, strangers to lovers

Pairing: Jake Seresin x fem!reader (3.5k words)

Music rang in her ears, guiding (y/n) as she squeezed past people while trying to bite down her exhaustion. Airports had never been her favourite spot, too many people, too many noises – a mixture she tried to run from at any given chance. Her eyes flickered down to her phone, opening her boarding pass again to double check the number of her gate before she allowed herself to find an empty bench near the boarding era. 

For a moment, her eyes fluttered close as she deeply exhaled. Soon she’d be back home, allowing herself to relax while processing the past few days of her trip. As much as she loved travelling, she loved coming home even more, fully focused on her time to wind down. 

After a few more deep breaths, (y/n)’s eyes fluttered open again to take in her surroundings and the people who sat on the other benches. Within seconds, her gaze was drawn to a man who was approaching the sitting area. Even though he wore sunglasses, (y/n) could instantly tell that he was handsome, more interesting than all the other people she had looked at so far. The man sat down two benches from her, looking down on his phone while she tried to find something else to focus on. 

But no matter how hard she tried, her eyes were drawn back to him every now and then. There was something to him that seemed to pull her in, perhaps it was the way he sat all too straight or the way his jaw muscles kept ticking whenever he looked up from his phone to study those who walked past him. Whatever it was, (y/n) couldn’t find it in herself to stop looking at him. 

Only as the boarding process finally started did she manage to get a grip, turning her back to the handsome man while she made her way to the plane. She couldn’t help but silently hope that he’d sit close to her, giving her the chance to solve the mysterious aura he exuded – a good way to pass the upcoming hours of her flight. 

With a sigh, she plopped down in the middle seat while fumbling with her bag, knowing that she’d most likely have to stand up again to let somebody pass. She kept her eyes focused on her phone, at least until a slightly raspy voice caught her attention with a simple, “Excuse me?” 

Heat shot through her as she stared up at the handsome man from earlier. She didn’t say a word as she stood up to let him pass, trying to stop her heartbeat from spiralling. The expensive scent of his cologne instantly wrapped itself around her as if it was trying to lure her closer. (Y/n) allowed herself to look up at him for a moment, catching his gaze with a soft smile before averting her eyes again. 

She needed to find something else to focus on rather quickly before she’d make a fool of herself, fighting against the need to look at him to get lost in the bright eyes that were now exposed, perfectly matching his blonde hair. With trembling fingers she pulled her book from her bag, letting it rest on her lap while she put her phone away. 

“Are you enjoying the book?” His voice caught her by surprise, drawing (y/n)’s gaze back to him. A soft smile was playing on his lips, he let go of a chuckle as he showed her the cover of the book he was holding, “The Right Stuff” – the same book she was currently reading. 

“I do, even though I didn’t really expect to like it.” (Y/n) silently thanked her lucky stars for this very moment, proud of herself for keeping her voice low, not carrying any trembling syllables. “ It’s not your first time reading it, is it?” She pointed to the worn out pages, telling her that he – or the person who had owned the book before him – must have read the book quite a few times. 

“I think the first time I read it I was still a kid, so, yeah, it’s been through some stuff with me.” The laugh clawing through him had an addicting effect to it, letting one claw through (y/n) herself. She felt his curious gaze wander over her features before he reached his hand out  for her to shake, “I’m Jake.”

His hand felt warm against hers as (y/n) shook it while replying with her name. She prayed that the heat wandering up her neck wouldn’t embarrass her, not making it too obvious to him. It felt as if fate was treating her today, giving her a chance to learn more about the man who had managed to catch her attention from the first moment she had looked at him. 

“Are you flying back home?” Their books were long forgotten as Jake angled his body closer to her, not sparing the safety instructions any of his attention. She tried not to focus on whatever was dangling from his neck, hidden beneath the white shirt he wore, small details her mind was hyperfocusing on, trying to burn everything about him into her mind. 

“I am, I was visiting a friend for the past week. What about you?” The plane began to move, but (y/n) tried not to pay her uneasiness any attention, she felt strangely safe around Jake, trusting whatever it was that made her feel so comfortable. 

“Somewhat, I’m stationed there, but home’s Texas.” She had been trying to pinpoint his southern drawl for the past minutes, wondering about his backstory and whatever he’d want to tell her about himself. It certainly fit, adding to the many questions she wanted to ask, set on uncovering any and every secret Jake carried with himself. 

“Stationed? Are you in the army?” Curiosity spurred her on, something that seemed to amuse Jake as he sank further into the seat. With one hand he tugged on the band around his neck, exposing dog tags to (y/n)’s wandering eyes. Before she could stop her hand from moving, her fingers were reaching for the tags, stroking along the cold material. 

“I’m a naval aviator.” It was a simple reply, and yet (y/n) could instantly tell that this was more than just a job to him. Pride simmered in his eyes, stretching across his handsome features as he watched her study his tags before letting them drop back against his broad chest. 

“Well, I guess I’m in good hands now that we’re in the air, huh?” She kept her voice low, letting another laugh claw out of Jake who shot her a wink while nodding his head.

“I’ll keep you safe, darlin’.”

……

“You should absolutely come by, they’ll all love you.” Jake had just told her about the Hard Deck and his colleagues coming together there most nights. Hours had passed since they had boarded and yet it felt like she and Jake had known each other for much longer, instantly clicking as they shared more and more about themselves. 

“Maybe I will, that sounds like fun.” Her mouth was about to start hurting from all the smiling she had done, unable to let go of the happiness simmering inside of her. It was cheesy almost, too perfect and yet Jake had easily managed to pull her into his trap, forming a bond miles and miles up in the air where he felt more at ease than with his feet planted on solid ground. 

She was about to reply, wanting to ask another question about his job and the missions he probably wasn’t allowed to talk about when the plane started shaking. No matter how often she found herself in a plane to move from one spot to the other, turbulences had never been her friend, drawing a shaky exhale from her.

(Y/n) could feel Jake’s eyes on her, studying her for a moment while the pilot spoke barely coherent sentences that warned the passengers of the stronger turbulence. Another shake made her hand dart out to grasp the arm rest while trying to stay somewhat calm and collected.  And only as Jake placed his hand on top of hers to loosen her grip and interlace their fingers did she allow herself to look up at him again. 

“I promised I’ll keep you safe, didn’t I? It’ll be over soon.” He whispered his words as he studied her with concern swimming in his pupils.

This was a side of himself he was a stranger to, Jake had no problem chatting up pretty women, he was used to taking them to his or their place for a few hours he’d easily forget about the second he was up in the air, but something about (y/n) was different. Sure, he’d like to ask her out and perhaps even explore her bedroom, but this wouldn’t be a one time thing, at least not if he had a say in it. 

“Tell me more about your colleagues.” (Y/n) was grateful for any distraction as the plane kept shaking. Jake’s thumb ran over the back of her hand, managing to feel her more and more at ease. He started speaking, rambling about those he secretly admired and cherished, even though he’d never say that out loud to them, at least not in moments where their life wasn’t on the line and close to ending. 

Seconds turned into minutes, and even though (y/n) tried her hardest to intently listen to his stories, she struggled to catch up. Her mind was too occupied with everything she had learned about Jake while she wondered how she could keep him close, given he wanted to keep her around just as much.

But perhaps fate was feeling generous today, not running out on (y/n) just yet. 

……

Two days had passed since (y/n) had crossed paths with Jake, the man she had fallen for over the course of a handful of hours. After parting ways at the airport – with a tight hug that had lasted long enough to make others believe they were reuniting after months apart – they had begun texting almost immediately, making plans for a date Jake had asked her out on before they had gotten off the plane with their fingers still interlaced. 

A date that was just about to happen. A date (y/n) felt overly torn about, not used to feeling so excited and yet nervous over a date. Would they feel the same pull they had felt days ago? Would they still be as excited about being around one another while learning more and more about the one they strangely enough wanted to keep around? 

She had begged him for something lowkey, not caring about where he’d take her, just fully set on getting glimpses into Jake’s life. Her attention was drawn towards her door as the sound of the ringing bell filled her apartment. With shaking legs, (y/n) walked closer, opening it to let her eyes settle on Jake's handsome features.

“Hi, darlin’.” (Y/n) was pulled in for a hug, allowing her to inhale his comforting scent. She clung to him for a moment before peeling herself out of his grasp, scared that she may be unable to let go should he keep her close a second longer. Her smile grew wider at the flowers he gently pushed her way, “Here, thought you may enjoy them since you had these on your bookmark.”

“You’re sweet, thank you so much. Come on in.” She opened the door wider for Jake to step in, leaving him alone for a second while searching for the right vase. Moments later, (y/n) had her arm hooked through his, letting him guide her to his car. With his hand placed on her thigh, Jake drove them away from her home, sporting a smile as bright as the one she couldn’t bite down. 

“So, did you tell your friends about being asked out by a hot Navy guy?” His smile had turned into a cocky grin, remembering the mention of her closest friends and how they were set on finding (y/n) the right guy. Her tongue kissed her teeth as she shook her head at him, set on cutting right through the cocky facade he seemed to sport around most people. 

“Did you tell your admirable teammates about finally asking a woman out on a date? Oh wait, you don’t want them to know you actually like them, huh.” A laugh ripped through Jake who silently thanked whoever was listening for sending this fitting match his way. He squeezed her thigh harder at her teasing, showing off his perfectly white teeth while he studied her for a second too long. “Eyes on the road, lieutenant, can’t have you fucking up our date before I got a kiss, I need something actually worth mentioning to tell my friends about.” 

“Oh, you’re working hard today, spitfire. Don’t you worry, darlin’, you’ll have enough to tell them about.” With a wink thrown her way, his eyes flickered back to the road that was taking them straight to the beach (y/n) could already spot.

Excitement simmered inside of her as she realised that Jake must have remembered her comments about wishing for some more free time she could spend at the beach. Even though she lived so very close, she rarely found the time to come down here, adding another special touch to this very date.

He held the door open for her, letting his hand settle on the small of her back to guide her towards the beach. With their shoes carried in their hands, both found themselves walking along the endless seeming beach, getting lost in deep conversations they normally wouldn’t give in to on a first date. Yet this felt like anything but a first date, it felt like they had been doing this for weeks, months even, feeling all too comfortable with the other person. 

“Seems like a storm’s brewing out there.” Jake was sitting next to her, feet buried in the warm sand. (Y/n) had her head resting on his shoulder, following his gaze towards the darkening horizon. The wind began to pick up, dancing through her hair – a silent warning that they should find their way back home, Mother Nature’s own way of setting an end to their date. But neither Jake nor (y/n) dared to move, watching the clouds move closer as they kept sitting next to one another. 

Only as the first raindrops fell did Jake rise to his feet, pulling (y/n) back up with his hands finding hers. The moment had something awfully cheesy to it, something he’d tease others for if they ever told him about it, but today he didn’t find it in himself to care. Jake and (y/n) held eye contact as he wiped some rain drops from her cheeks, letting his fingers rest on her warm skin while dipping his head down to kiss her.

Her fingers fisted the fabric of his shirt, not daring to break away from the man who kissed her breathless. His tongue begged for entrance, unable to bite down their groans the second their tongues met, deepening their kiss all while the rain soaked through their clothes. Two strangers who have managed to fall in love over the short span of just three days; two strangers who’d prefer to spend their last seconds on this earth together should the world end any moment now. 

Thunder roared through the afternoon, breaking them apart to guide them back to his car. Rain pitter-pattered against the windshield, allowing them to get lost in another kiss while nature gifted them worthwhile moments hidden from curious eyes. 

“We have to stop before I end up fucking you in the backseat, darlin’.” His almost pained words left her chuckling against his lips. 

“What if I want you to fuck me there? You promised me good stuff I can tell my friends about.” The groan that followed her teasing words vibrated on her lips. Jake kissed her again before a simple, rasped out “Then move your pretty ass” left him. 

She was sitting on his lap, fumbling with his belt while thanking her past self for settling on a dress for their date. Jake’s strong fingers dug into her thighs as he kissed his way down her neck, leaving marks she’d struggle to cover up tomorrow morning, souvenirs as he’d call them, marks to remind her that from today on she was his, his only. 

“I need you to be sure about this.” His hand found her throat, fingers settling on her jaw to keep her eyes focused on his. There was something dark swimming in Jake's eyes, something that told her she’d struggle to put whatever was about to happen into words later on tonight. Her fingers grasped his cock, pulling him from his underwear while parting her lips to speak. 

“Let’s take this as another test to see how perfect of a match we are, lieutenant.” (Y/n)’s smirk turned into an open mouthed o-shape the second his fingers found her clothed heat, rubbing her pulsing bundle through the thin material of her already damp panties. She felt trapped, in the best way possible, getting lost in all things Jake Seresin, even though she was the one straddling him, keeping the tall man buried beneath her. 

An avalanche of lust rolled upon them both as she spread her saliva on his cock, pumping him while he kept touching her, drawing sinful sounds out of them both. She let him fumble with his trousers to pull a condom free, allowing her to roll it down his cock while he pushed her panties to the side, exposing her aching heat to his bright eyes.

“Fuck, we’ll do this the right way the second I get you home, you deserve to be fucked on a comfortable bed.” The heated kiss she pressed against his lips successfully managed to shut Jake up, drowning out their sounds.

She sank down on his cock with her eyes squeezed shut and her fingernails clawed into the spot where his neck met his muscular shoulder. Neither of them wanted to waste any time, settling on a rhythm that worked for them perfectly, letting his hips meet hers. 

“Shit, you’re a sight for sore eyes, darlin’. Look how perfectly you fuck yourself on my cock.” Her walls fluttered around his cock, movements getting faster to feel Jake at any given chance, high on the feeling of having him buried so deep inside of her.

(Y/n)’s eyes couldn’t help but marvel at Jake, taking in the freckles on his cheeks, the piercingly bright colour of his lust-blown pupils, a godlike feature. Her fingers tugged on his tags, reminded of their run in days ago – oh, how much she’d like to tease her past self about this very moment, knowing that Jake Seresin was about to flip her life around from today on. 

“Jake, touch me, please.” His raspy chuckles filled the car, followed by her moans the second he rubbed her bundle of nerves. She was trembling on top of him, knowing that her high was close – just as close as Jake’s whose grip on her grew tighter with every passing moment. 

“Will you cum for me, baby?” One of his hands kept stabilising her, the other found her throat again, keeping an almost possessive grip that had (y/n) seeing stars. Incoherent, moaned words left her, ringing in Jake's ears while she could only get lost in his guiding eyes. Bright like the northern stars, a guiding light in darkening times she’d look for from now on. 

(Y/n) came with a gasp, a sound Jake’s lips swallowed with the kiss he needed to chase. His hips jerked up again, burying himself inside of her for one last time before he came too. She clung to him with heavy breaths, head resting on his shoulder, focusing on the feeling of his hand stroking up and down her back. 

“Can we do that again soon?” (Y/n) mumbled her question with hot cheeks, grateful that the falling rain was still hugging them with its cosy embrace. Jake tugged on her neck, forcing her to look at him again, gaze instantly drawn to his wide smirk. 

“We can do that daily, for the rest of our lives, darlin’.”

[sugar-coat-it]

hi belle! what do you think body piercer is like as a bf 👉👈

also would you do an alphabet or something for him? lowkey dying for more content for him

Hiii!! <3 

Omgggg wait wait let me tell you some details

He’s very much into punk rock (Fugazi, Rage Against The Machine, etc.) and lives in his band tees. Much like the back room of the parlor, a lot of his stuff is covered in stickers for his fav bands. So I think he’d really like to introduce his girl to his music if she’s willing to try it out, it would mean a lot to him!

Whenever he picks her up, he’s always blasting music LOUD so she knows when he arrives 

Big fan of CDs. You can bet your ass that he’s burning CDs for her for all sorts of things. Songs that remind him of her, songs he wants to fuck her to. Some of them are stupid too, like “Good Shit” scrawled in black Sharpie on a disc. Sometimes he’ll scribble little drawings on there too. His handwriting is shit and she loves it.

Also music related, he's an amazing concert bf, always making sure she can see and no one is getting too close to her. He'd be SO PROUD if she went to a punk rock show with him

Now… if she ever did say she was interested in getting another piercing of any kind, he is begging her to let him do it for her (for free, with princess treatment). He’s very much like “fuck yeah, do it” whenever she brings up a tatt or piercing of any kind

Quietly cuddling, he’s tracing her features with his finger, he comes to the bridge of her nose and he’s suddenly like “You have a good nose for a septum piercing” and she’s like “???”

He remembers everything about her, and he makes a point to, even if he has to write sticky note reminders to himself sometimes (ADHD brain as hell)

This man SMOKES. My god his marijuana tolerance level is ungodly. If his girlie is into it too, it would be the joy of his life to roll spliffs for her.

Big fan of getting baked with her, putting on music, and then going off about the album’s impact on the music world because he knows she likes listening to him talk, and none of his boys let him ramble on nearly as much

The late-night diner visits after hotboxing his car go CRAZY (side note, don’t ask me why, but I feel like he has a rubber duck on his dashboard)

One time after a smoke session they built a fort in his room and made out for close to an hour, all giggly and hazy

I think he’d like to let his girl paint his nails. He prefers black, but he wouldn’t mind painting his nails the same shade as girlie’s so they can match

He also let her braid his mohawk once… lol

Tea had sent me an idea about this, but he’d absolutely buy her engraved jewelry. Like… barbells with hearts that have little M’s engraved on them??? Holy shit 

Also, from a discussion with B, HE GOES SO FERAL WHEN SHE GOES BRALESS AND HE CAN SEE HER PIERCINGS THROUGH HER TOP

He keeps a Polaroid picture of her both in his wallet and at the desk in the shop 

If anyone asks about it he’s like “THAT’S THE LIGHT OF MY FUCKING LIFE”

Veeery possessive. Not to a toxic point, but she is his, and he makes sure that everyone is aware in his own little ways 

He likes to be touching her almost all the time. Whether it’s an arm lazily slung around her shoulders or lacing their pinkie fingers together

Really likes love bites. One time he left hickeys in the shape of a heart on her collarbone 

Y’all remember that hip pouch thing he wore during the 2020 era? That but it’s filled with his girl’s things like her lipstick or her wallet so she doesn’t have to carry them

Teenage boy humor. Hella “that’s what she said” jokes

He forgets stuff at her place constantly. She’s starting to wonder if it’s on purpose at this point. Maybe it’s his own way of feeling like a more permanent part of her life

Finding his jewelry on her dresser, his lighter on her coffee table, a hoodie hung by the door

Sometimes he’ll leave his keys and come running back into her place just to end up messily kissing her against the wall

Overall, I think he probably looks a little intimidating to people because he has a mohawk and wears chains and platform boots but he’s such a sweetheart oh my god anon. He just loves her so so so much, and he’s so gentle with her. I love him. So much. That’s my baby.

And as for an alphabet, maybe! I’d be happy to if that’s something you guys would want to see

[ravers8fantasy]

🎶Disco kid headcanon's!!🪩

Honestly, one of the realest ones in all the circuits I fear...

ALSO HE IS 20 AND 6'3??? I thought he was 19...

Okay so turns out bro is 20 so I think he joined when he was 18 or 19

Sings proper flipping loudly in the shower, its a good thing he's good at singing

Will listen to anything, he is more of a melody person than a lyrics person

Has a drawer full of listening devices, he has like 5 pairs of headphones and so many speakers

Had a swag era in highschool (is still kinda in his swag era but remix)

Sometimes shows up to W.B.V.A meetings in full on 70s attire for fun. Im talking silk shirt and high waisted l bell bottoms

Usually catches everyone off guard as well since they are used to seeing him in more modern outfits (im basing these hcs around 2009 and perchance 2010s idk they change on my mood)

Can handle spicy food pretty well.... Even though he ate a singular taki one time and perished

I saw in his contender mode intro cutscene that his licence plate is custom made (its DISCO-1) which made me think he decorates his car

Like he has a pair of fuzzy dice hanging off the mirror in the front, has like stickers on the dashboard and has like custom made seats-

Also theres this nice looking house in the background with this music note gate, either he is rich or his parents are rich

Or is that normal for people in America to have a house like that, I live in an old af house in Scotland so I defo wouldnt know💀

His favourite color is blue, or pink, or mabye yellow and orange but then again he is a sucker for kitsch patterns-

He loves colour. Ik his ass would HATE to see maximalist antique homes turned into an all white sleek mininalist abyss

Is a beast at roller skating, has a pair of blue and yellow ones with little stars all over.

Hates roller blading tho he says 3 he cant dance properly in them which makes him sad

His hair is originally brown, saw someone at a party with buzzed bleached hair and thought it was so cool he decided to get the same thing

Does calisthenics, has been asked a bunch of questions by other boxers asking him how tf he does it

HATES furbies, had one when he was younger and he put it in a draw in his bedroom after it didnt shut up.

He woke up in the middle of the night to a voice asking to be fed and started crying, turns out it was the flippin furby inside the draw

Has the most perfect comedic timing ever, there is never a dull moment when your with Disco kid

Suprsingly doesnt mind horror films, his fave genre list would probably go 1.horror/thriller 2.Action 3.drama/romance

He was a tumbler in his high school's cheer team and did ballroom for a bit, has a bunch of trophies from cheer and competitive ballroom dancing

Loves going down to a deli and getting a sandwich, usually gets a new filling combination everytime he goes

Has the most amazing wardrobe out of all the boxers, I like to think he is like the 'lewis hamilton' of the W.B.V.A (in terms of style not boxing bless also YALL LEWIS HAMILTONS FASHION SENSE IS SO😼😼😼)

The type of guy who never shuts up when watching a film, he literally ends up narrating the whole thing

Literally never stops moving, if he is standing on the spot he will be tapping his foot or move his head to whatever beat is playing in his head

Also like as no beef or issues with any of the other boxers, some of them (Aran... Wait and perchance idk Soda and stuff yknow) might insult him and would just dance and say "ok! Thats your opinion, Not mine though I think im fabulous anyway"

Chat im giggling at this gif anyway if you see any mistakes in grammer please embarass me and call me out and I will correct it with the utmost haste😼

OK HOPE YALL ENJOYED GOODNIGHT (or good morning or uh good day or evening depending on where u are)

[opticfile]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲

—✦ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 // in which alfred is a truck driver and you're his favorite stop

✧ i loooooove writing for alfred i love love love it hes my favorite to write for probably

—✦ 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 // Alfred F Jones (APH America)

—✦ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 // swearing, reader is hit on by unwanted college boy, fluff, gn!reader

A few things help Alfred get through his days and nights. One is some music, another is phone calls with his buddies. Whatever it is, he just needs something to fill the dull air as he drives endlessly from one place to another. Singing along to a Gwen Stefani song (probably one from her No Doubt era) or dancing in his seat at red lights always helps keep his mood high. Waving to little kids in their mom’s backseats when they look up at him in awe and wonder is always nice, too, it makes him feel like more than just a truck driver, it’s like he’s Superman and flying over the city after saving the day.

But truth be told though, he’d have a hard time staying awake behind the wheel on especially hard days without his coffee. This man doesn’t exactly have the healthiest diet, especially not while driving, his passenger's seat is always full of fast-food bags and his cup holder always has soda or an energy drink lingering in it. Coffee, however, helps him start his day off right. It’s a tasty, warm energizer early in the morning when his eyes are still adjusting and his brain still isnt awake.

Yet the only thing that can get his day off to a good start better than coffee is you.

You’re a sweet college student, probably close to graduating, maybe a four-year degree, he thinks. You work at a cafe he frequents as often as he can, as long as he’s in the area it's his number one choice for his morning coffee and bagels. Half of it is because he really likes the coffee, the rest is because he likes seeing you.

You’re way too kind for someone working the early morning opening shift. You always smile at him and banter with him, no matter how clearly exhausted you are. And he’s way too cheery for a guy who wakes up at the ass-crack of dawn to drive a big ass truck around all day, so you guys have that one in common. You have a lot in common. Maybe you guys have matching eyebags, he thinks, or your voices are equally as groggy. 

But you always smile when he comes in, he's a regular at this point, the kind of regular who doesn't even need to order because the barista knows what he's getting. You always draw a little heart next to his name on his cup, sometimes lately you’ve been writing Alfie instead of Alfred, too. That one will never cease to make his heart stutter. You know exactly how much cream cheese he likes on his bagels, you know exactly how much cream to put in his coffee, and yeah maybe that's just because you’ve made the same order for him a gazillion times but he likes to think of it as something more intimate than it is. 

One time you complimented his hoodie, it had a little alien head embroidered over his heart, and “I come in peace!” was written over his back. You noticed it, you mentioned it, you complimented it, and he broke out into a grin.

“Really? I think it's great, too.” He said triumphantly. “My brother said it was corny, but you should see some of the shit he wears.”

“Corny? Maybe. Cute? Definitely.” You giggled, writing his name on a large cup. 

“You’re supposed to be on my side, you know.” He winked playfully, leaning on the counter and watching you as you made his drink. He’s seen you do it a thousand times, he never gets over how efficient you are.

“I said it was cute!” You said, defensively, a coy glint in your eyes. “But I can’t exactly lie to you, either.”

He laughed joyfully.

The first time Alfred saw you he thought you were cute, the second time he thought your haircut was cool. Now when he sees you it's like a puppy seeing his owner after they’ve been at work all day. He gets happy, his stomach does backflips like an Olympic gymnast, and he can’t stop smiling.

Most of the time it's just you, him, and one or two of your coworkers. Not many customers pop in so early—shocker, right?—so he gets to enjoy chatting with you until his coffee is ready before he has to set off on the road. 

Sometimes there’s another person in the cafe though, sometimes two. One time that other person was clearly a college guy, one who had no business being here this early, one that should be hungover and passed out on his frat house’s deck instead of leaning over the counter and trying to flirt with you.

That was probably the first time Alfred realized you weren’t just his barista friend, but his barista crush. What tipped him off? The fact he wanted to grab the guy by his collar and carry him out of the building like a mama cat carrying its kitten by the scruff of its neck.

He didn’t, by the way, he wouldn’t do that unless you asked him to.

Instead, he just grit his teeth as he waited in line behind the guy, listening as he dragged out the ordering process to drop some lame pickup line that made his skin crawl—and yours too, judging by the awkward smile on your face and the forced laugh you humored him with. Alfred definitely wanted to groan out loud at that point. When the guy finally got the hint and left, Al walked up to the counter with a smile, and your shoulders relaxed and you sighed. 

“Long time, no see, partner.” You smiled tiredly up at him. 

It had been a long time, maybe a week or two, and he realized he missed you all that time, too. 

“Yeah, it’s great to be back in town.” He tipped his ballcap like he was tipping a cowboy hat, a dumb grin on his face. He didn’t have to place his order, you knew already.

You giggled softly at that. Was it just him or were you more exhausted than usual? Maybe the weirdo hitting on you drained your social battery or something, maybe it was finals week or something. 

“Great to have you back, I missed my favorite regular.” 

“Aw, you tellin’ me you have other regulars?” He clutched his pears in faux shock, acting hurt for dramatic effect. Somewhere to your left, your coworker snorted.

“Maybe, but none of them are as cool as you.” You grinned. “And none of them have such easy orders, either.”

“I’m a simple man, what can I say.” 

When you handed him his coffee and bagel, your fingers brushed his, and he felt a tingle go down his arm for a split second. Then you winked, and he felt one in his heart.

To say you felt any different than him would be a lie.

Alfred was definitely your favorite regular, that was no joke when you said it to him no matter how playful your tone was. He was always sweet and respectful and always cheered you up when you were barely dragging yourself through your shift.

The first time he came in you thought he was hot, the second time he came in you thought he was funny, and now when he comes in you feel a breath of fresh air cut through the coffee-scented air and your heart speeds up momentarily at his smile.

His smile always got to you. It was so attractive, he had such nice straight teeth and his lips framed them perfectly. It felt like a beautiful oil painting framed in gold or something. What came out of those lips was no different, his voice was always pleasing to the ears, and sometimes he came in sounding like he just rolled out of bed, and that was also pleasing. 

Alfred’s presence was the best part of your week, everything else sucked if you were being honest. Your coworkers made it really hard to feel positive when they were so bitter because they had to do the job they applied for. Your patience was thinning every day, and honestly when that guy from one of your classes showed up you felt like quitting then and there. Thankfully he never came back, if he did you probably would’ve thrown down your apron as soon as he entered. 

As much as you hate to say it, Alfred alone wasn't enough for you to want to keep the job. So you turned in your two weeks, you found a new job—one much more impressive than “barista”—and you counted the days until you were free from your coffee-stained shackles.

The last week of your job you didn’t see Alfred once, and you were starting to get anxious that you wouldn’t see him again. Maybe you could get one of your lazy coworkers to give him your number, or you could show up every morning until he was there. 

(that was in no way plausible, you barely even wanted to show up now and you work there)

But, to your relief, on your last day, Alfred popped through the window. His blue eyes shone through his glasses, his blonde hair was a mess, and he was wearing a hoodie with his iconic bomber jacket over it. He looked warm, he looked good. He grinned widely at you, shooting you finger-guns as he approached the counter.

“If it isn’t my favorite barista!” 

“And my favorite customer returns! I was getting worried, you know.” You smiled back, grabbing a cup for his drink.

“Aw, I always come back to this place! If you didn’t see me today, you’d see me tomorrow or next week or something.” He promised.

“I actually wouldn’t.” You said, “Because I wouldn’t be here.”

Alfred paused, “What’d’ya mean?”

“It’s my last day.” You smiled, glancing back up to him momentarily and catching the way his lips tugged down slightly.

“Like… forever?” He asked.

“Yup, I got myself a shiny new job.” You boasted.

“So I won’t get my morning coffee from you anymore?” He leaned on the counter, his voice seemed disappointed.

“Uh,” You pulled your eyes away from the coffee machine to meet his, “Yeah. Not anymore.”

He nodded slowly, “I won’t get to see you again, then?”

You chuckled to yourself, “Of course you will, silly.”

“I will?”

“Yeah, did you think I would part ways with you without giving you my number or something?” You grinned.

Slowly, he did too. His eyes twinkled and his chest shook in laughter. “I’d sure hope not.”

You smiled, face warming a little as he stared at you intently. This time, when you handed him his coffee and bagel your number was written beneath his name. 

“So, your number-?”

“It’s on the cup.” You noted.

“Got it. Yeah. I’ll- I’ll call you.” He grinned, walking backward for a moment before ripping his eyes away from your face and walking out the door feeling like a giddy teenage girl.

Today his day got off to an amazing start. Coffee always helped with that, but you? You always made it ten times better.

✧ navigation.

[duckyfruitbat]

YoHoHo, It's a New Era of Pirating

I'm sure a lot of us have been ruminating on this lately, but first I want to draw some parallels.

Picture it, the year is 2005 and you are watching a movie you picked out with your grandma at blockbuster during your weekend visit to give your parents a god damned break from your bullshit. Relatable so far yes? You pop that disk in and sit down as grandma makes the popcorn and an odd little PSA comes up between the previews. It's the infamous pirating PSA that compares downloading films to car jacking. So what do you do? You download copious amounts of pirated music onto the computer under your fathers supervision of course, still pretty relatable right?

You have entered the world of media piracy my friend, an old tradition with a rich culture and history. The early 2000's were some wild times, piracy was at its peak, the internet was a lawless land, and the 2008 housing bubble was just around the corner, truly a glorious time.

Now needless to say, publishing companies hated piracy and were desperately trying to curb it but only through legislation through a government that didn't really care. It was already hard enough to catch one pirate so why waste resources to crack down on it. There was an attempted crackdown by the publishers but that completely failed, one infamous case was a grandma who didn't even have a computer.

This age of piracy was only stopped when Itunes and Netflix made their way online. That was only because everything was on these two websites and later also Hulu. The only people who continued to pirate were kids who didn't have money and anime fans. There were two specialized websites just for them.

Everything was going smoothly, until we get to today, now every studio has at least one streaming service and even then there is no guarantee that their own shows would even be up and they're all owned by the same five corporations. Discovery got in trouble not too long ago for deleting their own shows from their own streaming service. Disney still has a backlog to upload onto Disney+, and there are many exclusives between each site. It's very similar to what cable and satellite television was, gotta pay over a hundred dollars and you don't even watch half the channels. These streaming services are getting too specialized, sure it makes business sense especially when you already have a large library or you're just Disney, but when there are obscure TV channels trying to get their own service, you know something's wrong.

Somehow the music industry didn't go the same path, yes Spotify has its problems, especially for musicians, but it is far better than purchasing entire albums or the old piracy methods that always put your computer at risk.

The obvious consequence of all this is that piracy is once again going up once again. Why? Because it is far easier to pirate than it is to figure out which steaming service that Disney owned show you want to watch is on. The only reason Itunes and Netflix originally won was because it was more convenient to actually pay for the things you wanted to see and not have to worry about malware. That's a lesson that these corporations could benefit from again, but they are if anything stubborn.

Now because of the stubbornness of these corporations I will have a lot to talk about, specifically with all sorts of pirating methods, and some fun stories. I already talked about Tengen and their massive swinging balls of steel as they walked into the patent office to steal from Nintendo, but there is so much more. So plenty of legally dubious fun to be had!

[0zzysaurus]

do u have any advice for writing g1 wreck-gar dialogue i have a potentially wreckrod ish thing i wanna write but i find myself drawing such a blank when it comes to his TV talk

I have some advice for this!!

Firstly, consider how much TV-Talk you want to actually give him. Depending on his iteration, the degree to which he actually uses it can be quite different. You can get away with doing none, and you can get away with doing a fuck ton. Some official writers have written his dialogue exclusively in pop-culture references in the past, and others have omitted the language entirely.

In G1 and the G1 Comics including the movie, he uses almost entirely film/television references to speak as well as old-school advertising slogans and small print read-offs. If you really need some inspiration, you can definitely find compilations of classic ad reels on YouTube from the eighties. I would suggest going for mostly UK centric media references because that’s what he leaned toward in the film and the show, but he also said US pop-culture references as well so don’t feel like you have to restrict yourself. He’d put on all sorts of accents to do American phrases so if you wanna throw that in, feel free. He also liked to make music references as well, so any song that was popular in that era has its lyrics up for use. This carries over to Dreamwave, Collect and Save, and all other G1 centric media.

In IDW2005, his references are all over the place, nursery rhymes, music, television, even fourth-wall breaking “meanwhile” reads that aren’t explained by the comic as anything beyond his inane rambling. He was more prone to actually making pretty intelligible sentences in IDW2005 with a bit of an odd cadence, but in general he comes off as at least a little bit more ‘put together’, haha.

Don’t feel like you have to restrict yourself on the time period of the references either — in fact, I think the newer the reference, the worse it ages in terms of readability. Older, more obscure texts come off as far more charming. My excuse for locking his TV-Talk in and around the seventies and eighties is the delay in transmission signal across space — in short, it takes a long time for the signal to get there, hence he’s still working his way along older media despite newer media existing. Or you can ignore all that and give him whatever phrases you like from any era of television.

I’m not actually sure that TFA Wreck-Gar says any TV-Talk. He mostly spouts bizarre phrases disconnected from pop-culture or parrots the words of others. Sometimes he’ll come out with a shockingly coherent comment that contrasts against his absurdity. He will often introduce himself in a tic-like manner whenever anyone describes him as something — i.e. if someone were to approach him and say “Wow, you’re tall.” He would likely reply, “I am Wreck-Gar. I’m tall!” before actually engaging in a conversation.

G1 Wreck-Gar on the other hand actually has several instances of referring to himself in the third-person. Now this isn’t all the time, but occasionally he does do this, — e.g. “Wreck-Gar will put you in good hands” or “Could this be the end of little Wreck-Gar? Oh No!” (<- such a stupid fucking quote btw, poor thang…) Do NOT feel like you have to do that all the time, Wreck-Gar is very capable of saying “I” in his day-to-day sentences.

I would say restrict yourself on not copying too many of his lines from pre-existing media, since it can get a little stale repeating the same phrases over and over, BUT if there’s a good line that you really like and it works in the moment, just use it.

Also, don’t worry about it sounding stupid. Do I even need to say why you shouldn’t worry if it sounds stupid? No, didn’t think so <3

[fullgrownpalace]

Hi! I just wanted to say I adore the way you draw Ma'am! She's really pretty in your style ^^

Question wise though, do you have any headcanons or anything like that for her or any of the other characters?

I wish I hadn’t accidentally privately responded to a previous question about my headcanons for her, because it was a LONG LIST, but I’ll try and list a few!

This’ll be long so it’s all shoved under the cut, minus some more private HC’s-

Full Grown/Ma’am

• She’s a huge sweets fan, and once Big Deal gets better at cooking and baking, she has a habit of stealing away muffins or cookies, much to the exasperation and chitterings of him.

• I give her battle scars beneath her suit!

• She has some sort of connection to Reggie which royally pisses her off for A WHILE, especially as Endless tries to push for their friendship. In comes my mentor!AU where a greater looming evil forces them to call a truce and they eventually become like family.

• She’s the original leader/Queen of Endless before Bad Things happened and shunted her into the volcanic stasis until Reggie revives her.

• She’s the original creation of Endless. She was made by a very, very lonely little girl who desperately needed a friend and was scared of growing up, who got whisked away to Endless at its most baby state. Full Grown bloomed into life just about the same age as the girl who created her, and she ages alongside her until the girl grows away from Endless and finally stops coming to Endless. Ma’am stops aging from there.

• She likes wrestling, obviously, but she also likes hockey. She likes the fighting lol

• Big Deal’s affections scare her and make her anxious, she’s scared of niceness and affection in *general*, so she acts up, acts out, lashing out and thrashing and acting petulant in her denial to try and create distance. It doesn’t work.

• She can play a few musical instruments! Namely the piano and guitar, but a few others too.

• She can speak a few different languages, mostly because one of my favorite Matt Berry songs has French in it and I said she can.

• Her music tastes are very wide and varying but she favors acid jazz, psychedelic rock, and hypno-pop.

• Ma’am is OLD, lmao. She clearly is themed around astro-retro futurism of the 50s and 60s, between her house, her theme song, her aesthetic, so I like to put the height of her leadership around those eras.

• She /likes/ entertaining guests. Beneath all her bristle and coldness and axe-crazy mania, when she’s not putting out her icy, angry exterior, she *likes* having guests and being able to entertain. We see her even say that she likes having guests when Brown Roger comes around (poor Brown Roger lol)

• She likes roller skating

• She’s got a closet full of unique clothes, but after Bad Things and her stasis in the volcano, she sticks to wearing her Endless suit because her clothes feel too personal and vulnerable for a long time.

• She’s a hopeless romantic at heart, though terribly scorned, so she hides it beneath briars and thorns and chaos. She loves chick flicks and romance novels and she values loyalty and respect.

• Her and modern technology are Not Friends. Her range in technology goes up until the late 80s/early 90s, and I KNOW the show is technically supposed to take place in that era but that completely bypassed me back in 2019 when I started making my AUs, which take place 2015 and above, so modern technology makes her curse and sneer and growl in frustration.

• She just really likes food. Big Deal has to learn fast how to cook and bake properly for her because she gets very cranky when she’s hungry and she eats A Lot.

• She’s like a giant lizard cat. She’s very bendy and flexible, likes climbing trees and crawling around searching for shiny things, and she likes basking under the sun, even if she complains about being around others the whole time (she’ll also grab Big Deal and curl around him because he’s a little furnace, much to his flustered-ness)

• She’s genderfluid and queer. She doesn’t care about earth terms, she’s a shapeshifting alien queen in a different dimension, human customs and opinions don’t really matter when it comes to who *she* is.

• She and Big Deal manage to cross over onto earth at some point and she creates earth human forms for them.

• I technically have a full name for her but thatsss a bit private and will only be revealed if I talk to you for a while hdhfjd

I have a lot more but for the sake of saving time, I just have those for now for her.

Reggie

• CHAOS GIRL- she maintains her chaotic, bright, colorful nature even into adulthood. I really like focusing on her and her friends growing up into young adults because like.. self projection and also because this show is *about* growing up, and it’s SO interesting exploring that facet and seeing how their personalities, ESPECIALLY Reggie’s, grow and flux, yet how they still stay true to themselves.

• She /can/ sing a lil bit but it’s one of the few things she’s very shy about, between bullying and befriending people like Todd and Esther, and eventually Gwen, who are all so musically oriented, so she kinda just.. hides that she can kinda sing by being so overly dramatic about *badly* singing.

• She grows a steady mentorship/apprentice dynamic with Full Grown (though it depends on AU for how old she is when that mentorship starts, for my main one, she’s almost 13, for a few of my others, she’s older teens) who eventually becomes a like a very dear family member to her

• She’s a sporty girl when she hits her teens. She’s got a LOT of energy and frustration to expel and she winds up enrolling in volleyball, hockey, and rollerderby throughout her teen years to help her adrenaline junkie life and it helps with the frustrations of Having To Grow Up.

• She keeps her tooth gap, she never gets it corrected, and she’s got a very crooked and mischievous smile that lasts her whole life.

• She’s COVERED in freckles.

• She’s very shy around Conelly for a WHILE, they don’t even start dating til Reggie’s like 16.

• She’s actually very good with science, it just takes Ma’am’s mentorship to help her realize that ‘hey she actually sometimes likes learning’ and she likes astronomy, astro-physics, physics, and chemistry (she finds interest when she’s being taught magic and finds out there’s a lot of science behind potions and magic)

• She’s forever a foodie, always munching and eating SOMETHING. She’s a frequent food thief and steals snacks from Mack and Beefhouse, from Full Grown and Big Deal, and from her friends.

• She’s the championed Knight of Endless, in all essential aspects. She undergoes weapons training from Full Grown when she hits adulthood due to other threats on Endless.

• She LIKES dressing up, she LIKES dresses sometimes, she just doesn’t like dressing up the way Judy wants her to, and she doesn’t like feeling clumsy and doesn’t like feeling like she’s just playing dress up to be someone she’s not (unless it’s cosplay, she gets her friends into cosplaying with her).

• Most of her wardrobe I draw her in comes directly from my closet or from my style.

• She gets rebellious with her friends when they’re 16/17 and Todd’s older brother takes them to get ear piercings together, so she’s got two lobe piercings and industrial piercings on both ears. When she’s older, she also has a tongue piercing, because she thought it was Cool™️ and she likes to stim with it.

• In my main mentor!AU, she chops all her hair off to her shoulders directly after her 18th birthday in a fit of frustration and rage and panic. Mood.

• She also puts colored streaks in her choppy hair when she’s older, regardless of shortness or longness, she’s got green, pink, and blue streaks randomly smattered through her hair.

• She’s got severe ADHD and is possibly autistic

• She ALSO likes wrestling, so her and Full Grown cheer and snicker and snort over wrestling.

• She maintains her artistry as she grows and is quite successful with her art on the occasion. She’s the designer for Dustin’s podcast’s merch, Space Draculas. His podcast focuses on mythological legends, paranormal encounters, and supernatural beings with Todd’s older brother a few friends. Any pics of Reggie I draw wearing an alien with fangs is for this podcast of his.

• She and Judy mend their bonds over the years, and Judy is definitely the Team Mom for all her friends.

• Reggie’s first car is a Volkswagen Beetle that’s got a yellow body, but the hood, front two doors, and trunk are all different colors. The car is littered with car stickers and it has pins all in the roof from the inside, and she’s got worm on the strings tied to the rear view mirror.

• She ends up being a very good babysitter, it’s her job as a teenager, so she winds up being very good with kids.

• She curbs her dirty, messy habits as she grows older, but sometimessss she still gets down and dirty on Endless, she’s got no problems with getting muddy and dirty, covered in paint, sticky with sweat and sand, and she has to be reminded that showers are REQUIRED /more/ than twice a week.

• Full Grown regularly chews her out because she tries to enter the witch’s home with her sandy boots on. That’s like.. a YEARS long habit.

• She winds up being a rather well skilled magic user

Big Deal

• Learns much of his cooking skills from infomercials after Ma’am falls asleep, alongside with tentatively befriending Mack and Beefhouse and learning from them. They reach out to him first, with much grace and forgiveness, one day when he’s searching for recipe ingredients and they end up being well friends to him, and eventually, Ma’am as well. (She’s much more resilient and hesitant to befriend the others after everything and many of them are just as hesitant of her but Reggie growing under her mentorship helps)

• He whacks Reggie in exasperation when she tries to steal food.

• He was made by Endless to protect his Ma’am and be a tiny little plush dragon to her.

• He purrs when he’s comfortable and happy, and so does Full Grown (though she represses it for a very long time). He also trills and chitters and chirps in feral little noises to her and she’ll make noises back.

• he looks smooth and round but he’s made up of really smooth feathers and he’ll puff up and flair out in high emotions or shock.

• He’s SO little and she’s SO big. My Ma’am is around 7’0” and he’s like.. thigh/butt level to her.

• He’s the first being to see her cry after her revival from the volcano, regardless of my AU and how long it takes for her to finally cry, he’s always the first one to see her cry.

• He’s a very enthusiastic learner and absorbs knowledge like a sponge, and he loves listening to his Ma’am talk so he’s willing to sit and listen and learn until he’s falling asleep.

• He does NOT like horror movies. He does not care for wrestling, or hockey, it all makes him cringe and fret so much, but he LOVES fantasy, adventure, romance, and music, so Full Grown introduces him to musicals and romcoms.

• he LOVES entwining his tail with his Ma’am’s tail, which, for a long time, is a very rare thing, but it grows more constant as time passes.

• he’s got little padded pawed hands! Tiny hands with little heart shaped paw pads!

______________

Okay these are all I can think of tonight but I WILL update this as I think of more, or feel free to message again with individual characters!

[blazehedgehog]

Hello, I have a strange question to ask

I've been having some existential crisis about my understanding of art, but mostly when it comes to Sonic

I'd like to belive that there's no valid answer or approach to enjoying something that speaks to you and partaking in it no matter what, if folks have a better time relating to the musical side of the series and not many other aspects of it, that's fine, like a different era and aesthetic, no problem and I'll encourage it in practice. And I find telling someone "you have low/high standards" offensive honestly, it's way too assumptious.

But I'd be lying if the sea of criticism and hot tales online doesn't get to me, making me question maybe I'm wrong, maybe some opinions are more valuable than others. Like I know my preferences, but what if it all comes from ignorance, or me being lenient on others experiences is some sort of creative failure. Maybe the people who want their specific vision of what they love are onto something and are owed that, even tho it would put folks at even more odds.

I find it very disturbing, the idea of an absolute truth and aiming to find it is very comforting but I just hate the idea as well. It would mean disregarding voices that never had the chance to be heard, perspectives and experiences that don't fit within a coherent vision.

Like I'm from a country that was sanctioned to hell and my first language isn't English nor japanese so Sonic was never accessible for me, so I'm inherently biased against someone telling me something I enjoy is not for me.

A bit of followup to that ask: What I'm trying to say is that while I want to support artistic integrity and respect authorial intent, I just the idea of art being treated like a religion and words of artists (and in sonic's case forgotten manuals sometimes lol) to be treated like holy scripture with a specific "vision" or "direction" everyone should follow Also sorry for lengthy ask

This is definitely a hefty subject to be sure.

I spent 12 years as a paid critic. I wasn't paid very much, and the site wasn't very big, but I still took the job seriously enough that I developed a sense that at some point, you just have to plant your feet and establish your own opinion. You can't walk on eggshells around everyone forever. Battle lines have to be drawn for you to be who you are.

Avoiding conflict with strangers is one thing. But you have to express yourself, your intents, and your feelings at some point. By its very nature, that means you are going to be dismissing someone, somewhere. I don't think that can be avoided. Somebody out there will love the thing you hate, and that WILL generate a conflict.

What really and truly matters is how you are prepared for and handle that conflict. Not every disagreement has to be thermonuclear warfare. And sometimes you might want to defuse, and the other person doesn't. To me, that's just part of life. Have opinion, will argue.

I realize this is easier said than done, but if this kind of stuff bothers you, then... don't let it. It's the internet. If something is bothering you, it's easy to get away from it. Nobody is making you remain in the same argument for days or even weeks on end. Maybe this is just something that comes as you get older, but at some point I realized I valued my time more than just yelling at other people online all the time.

So I... stopped doing that. I put my thoughts out in to the world through places like this blog or my Youtube channel, and if people have a problem with the way I express my opinions, I try to express them better. I don't attack back, I just try to identify what they aren't understanding. Rarely does it start arguments anymore. Does it mean my opinions are right? Probably not. Not entirely, anyway. What even is right and wrong in this context? It's all just perspective.

And once you realize that, the idea of drawing a line in the sand, planting your feet and expressing your opinion, all the arguments and disagreements it may generate just become different perspectives. It doesn't mean you're wrong, it doesn't mean they're wrong, because nobody is wrong. It's all just from where you're looking at the thing from.

Given that we're just talking about Sonic the Hedgehog, and there are no guns, or knives, or real violence happening, ultimately you have to realize: who cares? Find your own happiness. This isn't the fate of the world. It's a cartoon hedgehog. And though you may have started an argument today, the sun will still rise tomorrow. Free yourself and enjoy it.

[cowboymantis]

"The gate has opened.

A new history has written down.

Seven kings of the seven world gathered

and headed for a new kingdom.

All will be one, and the one will be all,

All come to mean the world.

King, draw your sword."

"He who holds the sword, bear the weight.

Carry onto a new era."

And that's how Kingdom starts off in a way, those texts are in the very first debut album of Kingdom and I absolutely loved their concept since the very beginning.

Now... It does sound very similar to King Ohger right?? I'm not going crazy because I obsess over two things and want to connect them no?? No! Because!! I already did this before King Ohger even started, just when it was barely announced. Sure there was a lot of hype anyway because it was the first Sentai season I was there for from the very beginning, and I absolutely love themes like that, but I was even more hyped because it just reminded me SO MUCH of Kingdom, which is one of my favourite bands. I own every album (versions) and have written a whole theory google doc combined with an introduction for my friend and made a whole personal archive of all their stuff ,,,

It was just perfect, the main characters are a bunch of kings of different kingdoms, all of which look completely different and are centered around one big theme.

And then I noticed how some were kind of overlapping with King Ohger, the more got announced about that show.

So I planned on doing this Kingdom X King Ohger thing a while back, but then I didn't really want to start it yet since King Ohger was just beginning, and looking back it was a smart move because a lot of things changed. For example, I probably would've put Ivan and Rita together because of snow, same with Mujin and Kaguragi because of the outfits and theme, just like Louis and Himeno, once again for that exact reason.

Sure, I could also just make one based off of aesthetics alone, but now I like to put a bit more lore into it! Because that's what it's all about, the LORE

So how am I doing this now? First, next thing I'm gonna do is share my notes on who I'm pairing up with who and why. Or at least, I try to explain why I think it fits. Then, I'll add some parts of the Kingdom member's "song" that I think also further prove my point...or something like that. And some photos I thought could have a similar vibe when I went through my albums and archives and stuff. (Also I love calling it archives that sounds so professional hdhdhddh)

I mean, at the end of the day it's just a little project I plan on doing for fun for two things I love so it doesn't have to make much sense right? Jdhdjd I doubt anyone that's gonna see this has both of these things as an interest anyway. Well maybe, who knows.

Anyway, one thing it all leads up to is me making some fanart and I'm thinking of drawing the Kingdom members and mix up their outfits with their "corresponding" King Ohger character. I'll think about later if I do a group pics, or do multiple for each character and whatnot. Maybe I'll even assign them differently just based on outfits alone, since a lot of them fit outfit/kingdom theme-wise but not really character-wise?

But now it's brainstorming and planning time!!

Arthur - Racules

(I'm not writing this name Rkules or whatever weird spelling they gave him-)

Arthur is not the leader, but the first one to be revealed as a king. The power of Excalibur is both what helps him and what leads to his downfall in a way, kind of like Racules' power lust is what makes everyone turn against him and makes his "downfall" for now happen. Idk man. Does that make sense? They're not TOO similar but similar enough? Plus, Arthur definetly feels like he's got the most smug Racules vibes in the music videos. Ivan is a close second, but for him it's way more of a Gira vibe.

Excalibur

"Destiny is in my hands

This fantasy will unfold

The master key will blow away

All the madness spiraled in chaos"

"Hold onto your wounds

Cut by pieces of glass deep inside

Your heart like sharp thorns

To the end of the world, I'm killin'

Bear the weight of the crown"

"History begins with us

The world must work properly

The colour becomes clearer, reject any fear

Kneel and pray in front of the closed castle gates"

Ivan - Gira

Ivan might rule over the Kingdom of Snow BUT he is really not like Rita at all. The kingdom fits well, but other than that... I don't know... But here too, Racules could be kind of fitting, but it's just different, y'know? It's more like a Gira VS Racules internal fight for Ivan if that makes sense?

He has to decide how to defend his kingdom and for that he uses the power of evil. Y'know. Like the... the evil king Gira? Also their facial expressions when they want to look "evil" are very similar and not very convincing because they just have babyfaces 😭

Black Crown

"With a bit of cruel

But beautiful dangerous power

Getting something

Means losing something

A paradox which I swallowed enchantedly"

"Accept it, just the way you are

Wake it

Don't forget who we are

Engrave it

Raise the holy grail above your head

Put on the black crown

Endure the pain of astonishing power

There's no limit"

"Rather than losing the world

I would become a monster

I choose suffering

Over the loneliness which overwhelms

The evil power of necessity given to me"

Louis - Jeramie

NOW, when King Ohger barely was out, I already had the idea of making this "crossover", especially because King Ohger started airing in the same month a new Kingdom album came out which was insane for me who's obsessed with Kingdom's universe and Toku so it was a win for me for sure.

But also, when King Ohger started, Jeramie technically didn't "exist" yet and I'd given Himeno the position here because of the whole Kingdom of Aesthetic deal. And the outfits, they are basically the exact same.

HOWEVER. Louis is insanely fitting for Jeramie, because both of them feel like outsiders and having lived through many more years than any human ever would.

Also, Louis is one I noticed the most often being bount/restrained in some kind of way. I've made some connections how it's often in an almost connection with Chiwoo and Mujin, but I mean that doesn't really have anything to do with the topic rn,,

But yeah,,

Long Live The King

"Time goes off

A lot of things were destroyed then go

But I always existed

I protected my kingdom"

"A child stuck in a time of loneliness

When will this chaos end

I'm on the eye of the storm"

"Lights out bright light, I'm alone under the lights

Dancing in my own

Shining upon me, the spotlight

I can feel it even with my eyes closed"

"Before that sun rises again

The moment I waited with bated breath

Even if everything changes, I shall stand here"

"Running out of time, nothing can stop me

With my own two hands, I'll write again the destiny

Long live the king

Long live the king, I'm a light that will never go out"

"Winding up the spring of endless memory

Unfamiliar masks are dancing in the hall

The moment the good and evil collide

The second hand stops as if it's laughing at me again

Even with the darkness cast inside me

What brightens is the small flame

To this soul that went against the world, what isn't granted is the finale"

Dann - Rita

I was debating on wether to give him Racules or Rita. I know, Racules again, but they are all very serious and strict in a way and the main characters are all way more silly? So yeah.

But after thinking a bit about it, I think Rita is quite fitting. Dann is quite... stoic? Serious? In the music videos, and often seems to be some kind of advisor to other's.Plus, he's got more of that cold vibe that Rita has? Also in general, his music video is just very fitting, the vibe is really perfect.

Ascension

"I'll leave behind the tears in agony

I'll just pass by

Willow leaves shaking precariously

As soon as the wind strikes

All the arrows with resentment are pointing at me"

"One beautiful day

The flower blooms splendidly

One sad night

The deep shadow troubled my heart"

"A glance in between the narrow bars

I see all the enemies coming

They are puring down at once, keep your ground"

"All the evil souls

Burn it all

I'll turn everything back to its original state"

"Spread the wings. Strike hard

Those who rebelled, you will drown in blood

I'll protect you, I miss you

Enchanting ascension over the horizon"

"Knife of condemnation

Don't forget my royal command"

Mujin - Himeno

Another one I really had to debate. In a way I think aesthetic-wise Kaguragi is the most fitting, Mujins theme being traditional Japanese and all, and Himeno would technically fit better in the Kingdom of Aesthetic, but just character-wise I feel like Himeno fits. Also, "Kingdom of Cherry Blossoms" does sound really fitting for Himeno too. And the whole self sacrifice, or rather doing everything for the wellbeing of your own kingdom-theme is also very in character. Also, not like Mujin as the lore character, but Mujin himself loves to be a bit silly just like Himeno :D

And also Dystopia overall is kind of similar to certain events that happened in the show I guess?? So like??

Dystopia

"Rewing the strings of fate and bloom with all your might

All delight swiftly crushed by the rise of rampant evil"

"The flower that blooms in deep darkness

The overwhelming sword of salvation

Sinking into the abyss

Like a dystopia"

"On the night when hatred opened its eyes

The darkness swallows the light

The power of the cherry blossoms suddenly dissapear

The song of monsters

Extinguish the embers of chaos

Just you watch I will definetly shatter it all"

"The flower petals are blooming again

The light of my soul is getting darker

Even if I cross the bounds and dissapear it does not matter"

Hwon - Yanma

This one's hard to properly explain so just believe me when I said it appeared to me in a dream or whatever. IDK at the same time they are quite different but the vibes are just kinda fitting, y'know? And Yanma is quite uh... stormy I guess I don't know man this is hard to justify with words,,

Overall, Hwon is the hardest to fit in because we know the least about him, since he's still quite new and hasn't gotten an album yet... but I mean I might come back to this all later and update it when both Jahan and Hwon have an album!!

Jahan - Kaguragi

So, Kaguragi was really hard to decide if he's more fitting for Mujin or Jahan. Guess in a way Kingdom of Sun is fitting, bees and harvest and all I guess. Anyway, I did a lot of Kingdom analysing and looking in detail through the music videos and lore and Jahan often seems a bit confusing, in a way it's never too obvious which side he's on? He can seem more mischievous, even when he's acting serious. If that makes sense.

And gah sadly no Jahan album yet either. BUT SOON. Hopefully. I mean his specific Kingdom logo was revealed so I guess it's in the works?? 😭

[akitchensinktome]

Before we start our day (journey)

Just some stuff that might be important to mention beforehand? Doing this in a bullet-point form way to keep it clear and simple.

Why the name "A Kitchen Sink To Me"?

This phrase is from one of the band's songs, Kitchen Sink, the full line being "Because a kitchen sink to you, is not a kitchen sink to me". The "kitchen sink" in this song is essentially about creating meaning out of something. That "something" might seem ordinary to other people, but it means something to you, and you can hold on to that meaning that no one else shares in this world. I think it suits the name of this blog because I am pretty much creating meaning out of the lyrics of tøp songs here (which might or might not be the actual meaning Tyler has intended), and I also hold onto their songs because they mean something to me. These songs might mean different things to other people, even to you reading this right now. I am just writing about what kitchen sink is to me, both in the sense of what the lyrics mean and what I have made the songs to mean, which aren't the same as what they mean to you.

What will I talk about?

Besides the lyrics, I might also talk about the music in these songs, the titles, albums, mvs, stuff that I noticed in the band's performances, etc. I am not a professional critic in any of those things, it's just my personal thoughts and feelings. As I talk about the songs, I might include ideas inspired by the lyrics, not just ideas in the lyrics, and maybe personal experiences as well.

About Me, if anyone cares.

I became a fan around the start of the hiatus. I am definitely not the most hardcore one who owns every merch and goes to shows (not that I can anyway, I don't live in western countries and they probably only came here once during the Blurryface era). I don't know every lore theory and am not huge into the lore. I sort of "fell behind" during the SAI era, since most of my time during 2020~2021 was spent in the psych ward (barely any contact with the outside world) and I couldn't catch up on the lore and everything they've put out. I do write songs myself and draw sometimes. I'm not good with words, so these posts might be lengthy or hard to comprehend. English is not my first language, so I might misinterpret certain lines or write weird sentences. (I guess before anyone judges me for saying any stuff they disagree with, I'll just list out all the possible reasons which might contribute to that.)

I definitely won't post very frequently, and that's completely due to lack of motivation and nothing else (I can't blame work being busy when I don't have one...). These posts might seem more like rambles, I don't really plan before composing.

I hope I've said everything that's relevant. I will try my best to gain that motivation on making the icon and heading artworks before starting the journey with Twenty One Pilots, the self-titled album. |-/

[in-my-feels-probably]

Congrats on 900 followers!! It's well deserved 🥳🥳🥳

I was  wondering if I could get a romantic match up with someone from HP (marauders era), please.

I'm straight my pronouns are she/her. I'm a shy and very quiet person, kind of nerd in school who get flushted easily. However with friends I tend to be more talkactive. Well my zodiac sign is capricorn. I'm an infp! My hogwarts house is Slytherin.

I'm medium height, dark raven hair, big brown eyes, pale color skin and I have freckles on my cheeks.

Hobbies: I love drawing and reading books, I enjoy cooking meals especially desserts, cooking helps me when I'm stressed. I love listening to music ( my favorite genrens are pop and rock) winter is my favorite season and sunflowers are my favorite flowers.

Thank you so much lovely! 💐

hi!

thank you for participating :)

i ship you with james!

there’s something about house rivalry that i think he’d enjoy. lily may be a gryffindor, but she’s got the wit of a slytherin (same as harry, who i think should’ve been sorted into slytherin, but that’s another conversation). so i think at first with james, he’d be slightly hesitant just because of your house. but at the same time, he’d be intrigued by you. especially because you don’t mouth off like a lot of the slytherins tend to do (im one too btw 😌). he’d find himself wanting to talk to you. you’d have classes together, and he’d purposefully sit next to you so he could pester you. but rather than telling him to piss off, you just make small talk or don’t know what to say. he’d find himself wishing you’d talk to him more, wanting you to open up around him. as you became friends with the group, that started to happen more. he’d have remus put in a good word for him, because i think you’d get closest with remus first. remus would get tired of having to be the wingman, and tell james to take you out himself. which would spark your one on one time with him.

on your first date, james would bring you sunflowers. he had bombarded remus until remus finally came up with some things you’d said you liked to him. i think james would struggle with coming up with things to talk to you about. i don’t think he’s much of a reader, but he would love the way your eyes light up when you talk about a book you’re reading. watching you get all excited would be enough for him, and he’d ask you about your books all the time. might even have you read to him every once in a while, just so he could listen to you talk. james might not know much about books, but he knows tons about eating. he’d nearly fall to his knees thanking whatever god is out there that he picked a girl who could cook, especially sweets. that’s another date he would set up, cooking and baking with you. he’d pick up a new record for you, letting it play while he pretended to know how to cook. you’d have to teach him, and promise you wouldn’t laugh at his lack of knowledge. he’d have to remind you that he’s a pureblood and that he had a house elf doing all that for him. that or his mum.

i cant decide if i think he’d have a favorite season or not. it’s always a bit cold at hogwarts, but winter could be really cold. i think he’d whine a bit the first time you went to hogsmeade together, but he’d warm up to the idea when he’d have to hold you close for warmth. the snow flurries would fall down and land in your hair, making it sparkle. you’d look absolutely beautiful, and his cheeks would go pink at the sight of you.

“are you alright?” you’d ask, brushing your thumb over his cheek. “your cheeks are rosy. are you cold? we can go back inside.”

he’d just smile, shaking his head. “i’m fine, love.”

“what are you so smiley for?”

he’d wrap his arm around your shoulder, pulling you into him. “i’ve decided winter is my favorite season.”

“yeah?” you’d ask, wrapping your arms around his waist, pressing your cheek into his chest.

he’d chuckle as he dusted the snow out of your hair, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “yeah.”

—

hope you enjoyed it! thanks again for participating :)

[suugrbunz]

Here you go!!:

I’m pale, sort of auburn-blonde, green grey eyed, 5’6” and fairly slender but with big boobs and hips.

I'm very passionate, always smiling, empathetic, sarcastic, smart, and easy going. I hide behind my humor so people can’t get too close, and I overcompensate my shyness by talking to everyone, so no one believes I really am. I’m riddled with anxiety and massively self critical and can be stubborn and proud. I feel like inevitably I’ll disappoint everyone, so I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop. But I try to always put others first, and I like to challenge myself. I’m fiercely loyal once I let someone get close to me.

I love animals, especially dogs (I have 9, plus 1 geriatric cat and 8 chickens). I also love learning about anything and everything; I spend a lot of free time listening to lectures. I’m an avid traveler and reader (mostly fantasy). Music is very important to me, and I listen to just about every genre from every era. Drawing and painting are my catharsis, but I love doing anything creative, which has led to me starting a million hobbies and quitting when I get bored.

I’m an INFP-T, enneagram 4, Libra, Slytherin.

You’re really amazing!! 😍😍

Ok let's get into this... First of all this is so late but I've been in a depressed state for like two months straight. It's. Fine. However;

I ship you with.... Eugene Sledge

You both can be fairly soft and vulnerable around each other.

He understands that you have a tendency to be overly self-critical which results in him throwing random affirmations your way !!

You two definitely read together, not the same book but together. Let me paint the picture; You two sit together in a field of flowers and just read. There is no expectation of conversation just each other's presence is suffice.

Whatever you listen to he will also try to listen to.

He'll even read facts about band members so when a song plays he can tell you a fact about the band. Which can lead into a whole discussion.

He buys you art supplies every month.

Like it's just a way to remind you of his love, so he will buy something without being promoted.

I think Eugene is...an understanding person which can be reflected in how he treats your emotional woes.

He will make sure to take care of you when you feel blue.

In other words, you've struck gold.

Oh, you know what, now that I've said that. I'm giving you a song I think would summarise your relationship; You are gold by the national parks. Good song. Good band.

Okay once again, I want to reiterate how terribly bad I've felt for having this on hold. I have literally thought of this ship before going to bed, kicking myself. Like I said, I was depressed but I wish I would've done this soon. It was highly unfair to you. I hope this is nice and I hope you find it. I'm so sorry.

[fordford]

guhhhhhhhhhhhh

fiddleford sees ford as something comforting and reassuring, something from his past, something you hold on to that has a sort of. protective... safe energy about it. like a teddy bear bears are also gay animals that are seen as wild and ruthless but really are just VICIOUSLY protective and like also bears are so freaking cute top 10 animals that could kill me that i want to hug so bad. awww squishy fiddleford recognizes that time has changed his friend a lot and that he's a little worse for wear. he doesn't see that as a bad thing though. time may have made him a bit rough around the edges but fiddleford still thinks he's a big softie. i tried to design ford after like, steiff teddy bears from the 50's? does anybody remember those? anyway with old toys you have to be a little more gentle with them. they aren't quite as flexible or durable as they used to be (and steiff toys were always kind of stiff anyway) so you can't really toss em around so to say. you just have to be a bit more careful with them, you don't want to accidentally hurt them. do you understand what i am implying here last notes for ford is i was absolutely inspired by the velveteen rabbit (1922) and corduroy (1968). yes i'm a huge sap but like look at this can you blame me

as for the other way around. well. if you know me you know about the beef i have with journal 3 but even i am not immune to The Quote

"i could see the age lift off his face, and see the fiddleford who had been my friend so many years ago."

i think it's worth pointing out that ford also immediately recognizes him in the fearamid. in spite of all the changes his friend has gone through, he still sees him as the same person he knew way back when. i don't think ford is fooling himself into thinking he's unchanged, though, which is why i gave him a couple of newer traits. i think it's just important to show that he's always seen him as the same guy. there are a lot of different feelings mixed up with fiddleford - a lot of care and gratitude, sure, but also a lot of remorse. some of the best memories he has with the guy are also tied up with some of the worst memories of his whole life. the journals in general represent this duality i think so it made sense to me to depict fiddleford as though he was a drawing torn out of his journal - something he'd drawn fiddleford in before, an era fiddleford belongs to, and a certain amount of conflicting feelings. we also know ford can't shut up about how much of a genius his friend is. i wish i'd conveyed this more visually but i felt like putting him in graduation robes would be too hokey. so i put him in his welding gear - again, eliciting memories of the work they did together on the portal (complex feelings) but also something he believes fiddleford just really excels at. i kind of wish i'd included his banjo since he associates music with fiddleford and his fun energy a lot, too, but i thought it'd be better to keep it simple, so i opted to have fiddleford doing some sort of goofy little jig instead last notes: i think either of these images would also work

ok that's it thanks for coming to gold miner appreciation night don't forget to tip the gold miner on your way out

so you know how in psychonauts you can use clairvoyance to see how other characters see you

yeah

[il0veyoujk]

Show me!

This is a tickle-related ff, if you are not interested in it, please keep scrolling

Summary: Nefeli (16) and Jungkook are in the same class but she refuses to share her book with him

Warnings: None

Notes: This ff is inspired by something similar that happened with a boy in my computer class

Lots of love Nef 💕

The bell’s ringing was the most annoying thing the students of the School of Performing Arts in Seoul could hear at this point. It was the third period of the day for them and they were already way too tired to keep up.

It was around 10.00’ and the kids were already waiting in their classes for their teacher to come. Jungkook and Nefeli were sitting in the corner of the desk at the very end of the class, half-asleep “What do we have?”

Nefeli huffed lazily and looked at the school program that was taped on the wall behind them “Ehm... Music history” she mumbled and turned around again, laying her head on the desk to continue her small nap.

“Oh crap!” Jungkook groaned as he was looking through his school bag under the window “I forgot the book!”

“Mmm too bad haha!” the young girl chuckled teasingly. She got out the purple and yellow book from her bag and a blue pen next to it “Ms Choi is not going to be happy when she’ll ask you to read and you won’t”

Jungkook rolled his eyes and took out a small, way too scraped pencil to draw on their desk “Thank God I have you, Nef!” he smiled his famous bunny smile and started scribbling on the desk.

Just then though, the history teacher entered the class. Her heels were tapping against the floor annoyingly loud and the skirt she was wearing was making her look like she was the president’s secretary.

An annoying one, just like the sound of her heels.

“Good morning class! How are we?” she smiled with her shrill voice and placed her books on the front desk “Good...” all the students mumbled bored, not raising their eyes up at her.

Ms Choi gave out a forced smile and sat on her chair “So! Today we are learning about music in the Byzantine era. Turn to page 62, please. Jang Yeeun is reading the first two pages, Jeon Jungkook you are next for pages 64 and 65”

Jungkook’s eyes widened ten times. He groaned under his breath and straightened his body, waiting patiently for his turn “Come on, put the book in the middle of the desk” he huffed lazily.

However, no book moved. Nefeli’s lips had cured in a mini grin and a hint of playfulness had started increasing inside her. It was time to add some... spice to this lame class.

Jungkook raised his eyebrows “Nef? You hear me? Share your book!” the young lad nudged his seatmate as he kept staring at her surprised.

But once again, no book moved “Nope, you should have brought your own book” she chuckled evilly and rested her head on her hand, looking down at her book as if nothing was happening.

A finger slowly poked the side of Nefeli’s to get her attention. It wasn’t too hard. It was really, really gentle. It could almost go unnoticeable if someone wasn’t ticklish. But for someone who was, it would tickle more than a squeeze.

And unfortunately for her, Nefeli belonged in the second category. And even more unfortunately for her, Jungkook had no idea.

“Nefeli! It’s almost my turn! Come on! Don’t be like that!” the first Nefeli’s flinch went unnoticed, but when Jungkook poked her again, with the same poke pressure, the second flinch didn’t go as unnoticed as the young girl wanted to.

“Ihihi said no!” Nefeli giggled softly and squirmed in her seat. She pressed lightly her elbow on her side to protect it.

A wide, evil smirk suddenly appeared on the young student’s face who suddenly stopped poking his best friend “What? You’re ticklish? What’s that?” Jungkook mumbled softly and poked Nefeli again. This time her lowest rib.

The young teenager let out a small squeal and flinched again, a little harder “Yehehes stohohop!” she whispered giggling. She tried to grab his finger, but her best friend was faster than her.

In a shift movement, Jungkook snatched the book away from Nefeli, right on time Yeeun finished with her part “You’ll pay for this, I am telling you” he whispered warningly and turned to page 64 with a smirk well-printed on his face.

All while the young lad was reading, Nefeli’s face was burning in fluster. Her cheeks had turned a sweet shade of pink and the smile was making the corners of her lips ache. Jungkook was unpredictable. When he says that Nefeli will pay for it, he always has something mischievous in his mind.

Once, when Nefeli jump-scared him and he said she will pay for it, gathered all of his friends, and when the final bell rang, they all attacked her with water balloons right outside of the school.

Now the young girl had a tight knot of fluster and anticipation in her stomach, as well as a nervous smile permanently stuck on her face. Who knows what he has in his mind this time?

From time to time, Jungkook would simply raise his hand while he was reading to fix his hair or take his pen to help him keep up with the lines. And Nefeli would flinch and giggle quietly every time. She was alarmed about each and every movement of her classmate. 

Jungkook had a wide, almost sadistic smirk on his face every time. He was doing it on purpose and he was having fun. Not that Nefeli didn’t like it. She was having fun and it was making her giggle. That spice was added but in a bigger dose.

Nefeli was almost curled up on the edge of her seat, ready to explode from shyness, when suddenly the head-teacher spoke from the loudspeaker “Ms Choi, room 209, please report to the teacher’s office”

The old lady rolled her eyes and pushed herself upwards “Excuse me, I will be right back” she got up and walked up to the door with the same annoying sound of her heels following her “Don’t cause any trouble while I am gone” she caustically fixed the black glasses on her sharp nose and left the room quickly.

The moment Ms Choi left the room, Jungkook’s eyes lit up with mischief. He wore his best smirk and started slowly turning to his seatmate, acting as well as he could like he was in a horror movie.

Nefeli gulped. The flustered smile on her face was replaced with a nervous and giggly one. And the pink shade on her cheeks was fastly replaced with a way darker one. The straight eye contact between her and her best friend wasn’t helping at all either “W-Whahat?” she giggled softly.

“Run” was the only thing Jungkook mouthed at her right before he started wiggling his fingers dangerously close to her.

“Eek!” Nefeli squealed loudly and tried to get up to run away. Keyword: T R I E D!

With a fast movement, Jungkook pulled her back and onto his lap, securing her with his arms wrapped around her waist tightly “I never knew you are ticklish Nef!” he chuckled as he crawled his hands under her shirt and started spidering her bare tummy and poking with the same pressure as before her sides and ribs evilly “You should have told me! I would have solved all my revenge like that!”

The poor girl was too busy giggling her heart out to hear exactly what her best friend had told her. Her stretch marks, mixed with Jungkook’s gentle touch were making everything tickle way more “Thahahat’s why I dihihidn’t tell yohohou anything!”

The young lad gasped loudly, getting everyone’s attention at this point “Now that’s mean!” he exclaimed, stopping his assault immediately.

Everyone’s eyes were on the two and Nefeli was feeling like she wanted to disappear right here right now. However, all the anticipation of the moment couldn’t help the wide smile on her face and the small, nervous giggles that were uncontrollably rolling out of her mouth.

“You will pay double times now!” and with that Jungkook’s fingers sped up ten times! He dug them into the soft flesh of her sides and started squeezing and crawling them all over her most ticklish spots. From down her hips to her upper ribs and all the way back down over and over again.

His nails were so sharp yet so soft that was torturing her nerves in a ticklish hell. Jungkook’s grip on her was firm, almost unbreakable. So the only thing Nefeli could do was squirm around on her seatmate’s lap and throw her head back in loud giggles. Only for her best friend to blow a loud raspberry on her neck.

“NAHAHAHAO STOHOHOP AHAHAHAHA!” Nefeli’s loud shrieks were filling the whole classroom at this point. Not to say the whole floor. Some of their classmates were looking at them amused. Some others didn’t care. But they could all hear Nefeli scream in laughter.

“Stop? After all that teasing and then the lies, you have the audacity to ask me to stop? How dare you!” Jungkook suddenly stuck one of his hands in her armpit, scribbling on it faster than the speed of light. Which obviously sent the poor, ticklish girl into hysterics.

His fingertips were so soft and gentle, but his nails were so sharp and hard. It was just the perfect combination for tickle torture. And that was Jungkook. Without even wanting it.

“AGH NOHOHOHO! I AHAHAHAM SORRY AHAHAHA! PLEASE MERCYHYHYHY!” it was chaos. A ticklish chaos. Nefeli kept pressing her arms on her torso, but at the same time, she didn’t know where. She had no idea which one of her ticklish spots to protect first. Her sides? Her ribs? Her armpits? Where?

Nefeli was kicking out in fluster as Jungkook was grinning widely and proudly. He was so amused, just like the rest of their classmates. His bunny smile was almost reaching up to his ears and his fingers were working their ticklish magic automatically.

“Here comes the tickle monster!” he suddenly exclaimed and opened his mouth. Inching closely to her hypersensitive neck, the evil lad was ready to start nibbling on it.

However...

“Jeon Jungkook! Kim Nefeli! Detention!” Ms Choi’s shrill, annoying voice stopped everything.

Nefeli glanced at Jungkook panting with a shocked, yet entertained expression.

Jungkook only winked at her and mouthed evilly “This is not over”

Nefeli’s stomach was immediately filled with butterflies.

Detention was near...

(please do tell me if you want a pt. 2 with the detention scene!)

[appears]

GREEN/Days

It's Ayumi Hamasaki's birthday on October 2 and we're extending the celebration in true ego-maniacal, splashy celebrity fashion, by drawing out the festivities for an entire week! Each day I will briefly discuss a totally random item chosen (not by me) from my Ayu collection. Prepare for praise, disappointment, and controversial opinions backed by love and respect as we take a casual look back in this blurry snapshot of her career in music. Happy Birthday to our Party Queen, Ayumi Hamasaki!

Here's an interesting question when it comes to Ayumi Hamasaki's "GREEN": what came first, the song or the concept? GREEN/Days (or Days/GREEN, depending on which version you bought) is Ayu's 44th single, released at the end of 2008 during her downfall in popularity. I think it was around this time that Ayu truly stopped taking into account what was expected of her and really just did what she wanted, for better and worse.

This single featured two new songs, "GREEN" and "Days," and re-recorded, 10th-anniversary versions of two singles, "TO BE" and "LOVE ~Destiny~." Which version you got, and in what order, depended on which of four different versions you bought. "GREEN" is an interesting song: it draws heavily upon classic Chinese instrumentation that weaves within it a very modern Ayumi Hamasaki rock song. It is propulsive and epic and has all the drama and intensity of Ayumi at this period in her music career. The music video reflects this heavily, with Ayumi playing a cabaret singer in 1930s-era China. The song and video were very strategic: just one year before, Ayumi started touring outside of Japan for the first time, making notable stops in Taiwain, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. And one month after this single was released, she performed her first featured show in Taipei. All of this accounts for the thematic influences in the music video and song.

The second song, "Days," is a typical winter-Ayu ballad. It reminds me of 2003's "No way to say" or even 2004's "CAROLS," including heavy use of slow-motion and CGI snow in the videos. Like the PV for "GREEN," Ayu's back-up dancer SHU-YA and his hair cut features prominently in the music video, here as an unrequited love interest. It's a solid song, but I wouldn't put it in the same category as some of her other iconic ballads.

Let’s talk about the re-recordings: In my opinion, if new vocals and arrangement don't somehow improve upon, or provide some kind of new insight into, the original, then there is no point in re-making a classic. That would be the case here for these, especially "TO BE," whose production, while busier, seems oddly thin. It is also a universal truth that Ayu's vocals, whether you like them or not, have definitely not improved since the original song was recorded. They might have more personality and emotion, but they don't sound technically better, and in many ways, they sound like somewhat-hurried live recordings. If you really want to hear "TO BE," it's better to hit up the original on LOVEppears. The limited-edition packaging on this is identical to the only other single she released in 2008, Mirrorcle World, where both discs come housed in a long, vertical slip case almost 9 1/2 inches tall. There were three other versions released: a limited-edition and CD-only version entitled "Days/GREEN," which included the 10th Anniversary Version of "LOVE ~Destiny" and included the making-of feature for "Days," rather than "GREEN," on the DVD. There was also a regular CD-only version of "GREEN/Days" released with the same track listing as the limited edition.

This is a solid single release from Ayu, but it's not my favorite. "GREEN" is great, "Days" is good (but generic), and the 10th Anniversary Versions are unnecessary, if not a touch insulting. The limited-edition packaging is fun, but only if you can find a second-hand version for cheap. Ayu looks beautiful on the jacket art, but also somewhat sleepy, and none of it really reflects the tone of the content within. The real kicker is the album that these songs ended up on...