#i feel a certain way when i see people who looked super interesting and gorgeous feel so crap about themselves enough to get plastic surgery

[sherlock-is-ace]

Obviously plastic surgery is about the person getting the surgery and nobody else. They can do whatever they want and I truly hope they're doing it for the right genuine reasons and not societal pressure and shitty beauty standards. And I hope they feel great and confident and in love with the results. But the way some people change everything that made them unique and interesting looking in order to look like Generic Rando #5 is so weird to me...

[youremyheaven]

Your Angelina Jolie post is super interesting!

(Yapping incoming)

You briefly talked about her childhood and I think something interesting to add is that Angelina says she got called ugly when she was younger for her lips (I say that allegedly as I haven’t actually seen the og sourcewhere she says it). I was never super into the whole Claire Nakti punarvasu beast ugly to pretty video idea, as a native myself, *but* I do feel like it’s common for punarvasu to be called ugly/ experience appearance related trauma in childhood.

Either way I feel like I do see quite a few young Angelina haters who say she was ugly when young- even though us women of culture know she’s always been gorgeous- she did have a physical “awkward phase” in that sense of how she was widely perceived.

Also Maleficent is kind of a punarvasu core role when you think about it. Definitely some other major astro influence in the role as well, I’m not super familiar with her chart. However starting off kind, having someone take advantage of your giving nature, turning into a controlling and unkind leader, and then “returning to the light” by learning how to be kind again through love for a child who saw through the outer “ugliness”. Idk sounds a little punarvasu core to me

I feel like it’s frustrating to guess these things when someone has a planet in the first house which also rules one of the nakshatras, in this case saturn and pushya. It makes it so much harder to go off of appearance. For me personally I spot pushya women by their narrow but full lips (alongside the other traits you mentioned). The beautiful pushya moon native Tripti Dimri has this trait- her lips are full but their shape has a certain narrowness to them.

Going back to Angelina, as you said she has the pushya look anyway bc of cancer + saturn influence, but idk I’ve always felt like it’s a different vibe? The saturn nak women feel a bit more calm and “closed off” if you will(?)

Her having a Jupiter placement would explain this tbh. I’m kind of obsessed with her when she played “Corky”, whenever Jupiter (or mars actually) women do a masc look they eat it up every time!!

I thought Claire's Punarvasu video about ugliness was most relatable to Punarvasu men perhaps because men externalise their traits whereas women internalise them. So Punarvasu/Jupiter men playing the "Beast" made sense to me because they feel hideous and when it's projected outwards (our thoughts create our reality, when someone thinks or believes they're ugly they experience things that affirm this belief?? if that makes sense??) they are perceived as Beastly by others. Also Jupiter dominant people, be it men or women are hella intimidating as all these naks have feline yoni animals (cat, tiger, lion who are all unapproachable and intimidating in their own ways) I think if others are intimidated by you, they're less likely to approach you and if you feel socially isolated like that, you're more likely to think "oh it's because everyone hates me/because I'm ugly" and I think maybe that's why Punarvasu natives struggle with "feeling ugly". Claire did also say that being isolated was a big theme in their lives. It could also be because of how Jupiter's boundlessness means these natives contain too much substance, both good and bad, it's only with age and wisdom that an individual learns to tune out the negativity and focus on the goodness so because of all the internal negativity the natives "feel ugly". Another reason could be that having really turbulent and difficult childhoods are kind of part of the Jupiter experience, if you grow up feeling neglected or if you're abused, you're not going to feel good about yourself?? A lot of people who have childhood trauma also struggle with their self image. Kali Uchis, Punarvasu Sun, Vishaka Moon & Rising spoke about it in this interview about how being abused as a child meant that she hated being looked at or seen :(((

Angelina has mentioned that she hated modelling (which she did briefly as a teenager)

Omg 😳😮 I had never looked at Maleficent that way but damn that does sound very Punarvasu core especially since her own Punarvasu Sun daughter Vivienne was cast to play the young Princess Aurora because all the other kids were scared of her lmao 😭😭

Sleeping Beauty is closely linked to Revati/Pisces as well (She has Revati Moon & stellium)

You're right it is hard to determine bc of her chart 😭😭But Pushya natives imo have longer slimmer faces because of their goat yoni, Angelina's wide expansive face and features are giving Punarvasu 🤌🏼

But also I feel like Saturnian women are very comfortable with their femininity from the get go. They don't transform into it, like Angie did (which is a Jupiterian quality). Salma Hayek, UBP Moon, Madhuri Dixit, Pushya Moon, Miranda Kerr, Pushya Rising, Mariah Carey UBP Sun, Monica Bellucci-Pushya Moon are all Saturnian women who are known for their hyperfemininity. It's inherent to them?? They have this very exaggerated femininity (Pushya is considered the most feminine nakshatra) that I don't see with Angie. She's very poised and elegant now but I see her individuality before I see her femininity?? If that makes sense lol and like you said Saturnian women are 100x more mellow, more composed and overall chill, Jupiter is what creates a more bold/loud in your face kind of persona.

Idk what Corky is 😭😭😭😭please tell me I have no clue 🥹🥹

[blessingmaxxer]

some things I love about my perfect CR (aka the reality I'm going to live soon):

• revised my entire life to my desires; revised my age to 16, and went back to September 2020 from March 2024 (well I guess it's 2020 right now so... I made it so that this year was 2020)

• my skin is never bumpy or pimply, or itchy (this was Hell for me in my past reality)

• my room is big, Baroque-style-fancy + whimsigoth, light blue, and looks a lot like the room in time princess; with lots of pretty furniture, a balcony, a reading nook, two altars for the deities I worship; and a huge gorgeous, gaudy four-poster bed (think princess-like), etc. (I used to have a small, white room that I had to share with other too many other people 🙄 I had to keep my altar in a miniscule cabinet, and only had space for one... my room is now the size of my OR apartment, so I no longer have that problem lol) + decorated with my fave fandom stuff/interests + full of amazingly beautiful furniture

• life like a fun teen movie or slice-of-life anime (in a good way, not the racist, fucked up way... Anyway, I used to barely go outside for fun, and didn't have much money to do stuff, and sure as hell didn't get invited anywhere... still salty about that)

• I never get headaches, stomach aches, cavities, most pains, etc. (I left period cramps cuz I wanna feel human... But yeah in my past CR I was sick and in pain a often, it was almost a personality trait at a certain point 😭 But not anymore!)

• I'm always hygienic and clean no matter what + I have the most perfect skincare and hair care products for me + I always smell like cotton candy and/or caramel (I used to be stinky and had weird shit going on w/ my body... Embarrassing)

• I have lots of Hot, Rich and Intelligent friends who absolutely adore me and listen to me and low-key worship me (let's just say this was very much not the case in my OR; most of my friends were NOT ride-or-dies for me... and most we're hot HRI...)

• homework is extremely easy for me because I just revise/wish it done + extremely high IQ, even though IQ is technically bs (I was only book smart in my OR, and even that started the die w/ age cuz of short attention span) + kid genius to adult genius pipeline

• family is super kind to me and are emotionally intelligent and perfect + spoil me and dote on me endlessly w/ money and affection (my OR family were nice 60% of the time, but were 40% toxic and stingy, which is still too much... 60% is barely a passing grade!)

• gigantic mansion.

• no but like, GIANT MANSION. It's literally something out of a fairytale, it's interesting and magical and full of secrets, lore and history (and, as I've stated before... My room. Is now. The size. Of my. OR apartment.)

• well-behaved younger siblings (they barely exist rn, but they will, and I'm excited to have younger siblings that don't make me want to kms when watching them)

• I was never parentified or had to raise anybody's kids

• immediate family won the lottery so we never run out of money + I have a magical, interdimensional job (it's fun but I won't share any details cuz it's top secret... Just know I make bank)

• really great and talented artist + great at the all the arts, whether sketching, painting, musical, performing, martial, etc. (in my OR I was barely so-so at drawing, and DEFINITELY behind my peers + I didn't know how to fight or play instruments)

• I have a HRI, kind, responsible and brooding bodyguard/personal assistant around my age (he's not in my life yet, but he will be... I shouldn't simp for him, but... 😩)

• now a triplet (I remember seeing a success story where anon manifested being a triplet, so I was like, yeah! I want that, too! I used to be a twin in my OR) + I have good relationship with all of my family

• me and my family are super intelligent + my parental guardians now have their dream jobs and are super educated (one's a lawyer with their own firm and the other is has their own restaurant and is now studying to be an engineer, plus we make a lot from stocks w/ 0 losses)

• me and my siblings have amazing singing voices (amazing range)

• I go to an extremely beautiful, fancy high school (my OR high school was super mid)

• manifested a fancy, wealthy and fun town into existence (used to live in a good but unwalkable town in my OR that is now next to my CR town)

• fancy walk-in closet and my own fancy bathroom (trust me when I say this; your jaw would drop at the beauty, just as pretty as my room)

• full health, whether mental or physical, for my immediate family

• perfect and ideal hair + skin

• I have everything from my desired scripts + everything I want that I haven't written down

[namtanlovesfilm]

axelle judges non bl shows > The Jungle

summary: The Jungle are a group of good-looking men that meet regularly in the secret bar Rendezvous owned by the mysterious bartender Hunter. When certain special women approach them, their whole self-built image shatters.

where to watch: youtube

grade: 7/10

pros:

the cast is awesome!

the acting was good from everyone, though the ones who impressed me the most were my already faves off, pat, nanon, mild & lookjun, who especially slayed considering it was her first main role! they didn't have to go that hard for this show lol

the aesthetics of this show are beautiful, be it the lighting, locations and especially the outfits! each girl's wardrobe was incredibly gorgeous!

cons:

GIRLLLLLLLLLLL. the writing!!! this is one of the worst writings from gmmtv, like... ever bruh! let's analyse everything that's wrong with it:

this show is some of the worst marketing failure ever. they really done advertised a silly 6-stories romcom like a dark, mysterious murder drama bruh!!! so when the viewers started watching the show, obviously we were not gonna like it & feel like it's super surface-level & dumb, bc they had built up our expectations for a completely different show. if this show has been advertised to be in the same vain as the three gentlebros for example, we would've have accepted its three gentlebros writing. but the issue is that we expected something on the level of ps: I hate you & we didn't get anything near that.

focusing on each story one after the other impacted everything badly in this show. first of all, it makes it so every ship (except pineaugust bc they got the most screentime) looks rushed AS HELL, especially the earlier ones like lee & mook, so the romance that we were supposed to feel? isn't here babes. secondly, bc each story is so separated, the link between them feels close to non-existent and the friendship between the jungle guys feel stick thin. MOREOVER!!! since each story is so separate, once a ship get together we barely ever see them on the show again, and the later characters like nathee, hack & pine, whose stories only start by ep 8 feel non-existent during the first part of the show! you literally cannot win with this way of doing the show lol. ALSO!!! bc each story is separate, every viewer had their favorite and the one they don't care about, which means that some entire eps were super boring & people got mad some ships got better development & screentime than others.

they made their female characters look so fucking dumb & useless, oh my lord. honestly it's even more insulting considering the same team created some of the most interesting & complex female characters ever in ps: I hate you, like... makes me wonder what they were on for this. only august is written with layers & an interesting storyline, and florence is alright since she flips the usual conventions of the male lead pursuing the female lead relentlessly on its head.

the male characters aren't much better, there's so many cringy parts where they try to look cool & be defenders of women but it doesn't work at all when they've been established as players who don't respect women. btw they look pathetic bc we are TOLD that they are players but never SHOWN so they have no credibility, also I love the boys & they're all good looking or whatever but idk they weren't emanating this cool, badass energy the showrunners wanted us to feel lol.

leemook's story gave me nothing. it was the most disappointing bc it was the first so that's when I realized my expectations of a gritty series wouldn't happen, but even then not only is their story basic but there's nothing to it, it's so basic & forgettable.

the nanonpunpun story was alright, imo naanfah was probably the most interesting male character in the show (he's black from not me but in a different font lmao), but their story was rushed & didn't have a satisfying conclusion at all. also they didn't really have much chemistry compared to nanonmild imo. lastly, bc their story is so early in the show but contains what was set up as the center of the show, kaewta's murder... once it's done & we know the truth we're just left like... alright there's 8 eps left, what's even the point lol. their story should've been done differently & solved at the end imo.

the plot twist of nanon playing twins... could've been good if it was actually a plot twist??? bc the viewer is aware there's two nanon characters it just fell so flat, the reveal to punpun's character seems so ridiculous & straight out of a low-tier lakorn from 50 years ago bc the viewer is not surprised one bit bruh.

hack's character is so icky & terrible. not only is he INTRODUCED into the show using his power imbalance to fuck a student's mother, but then he has sex with irin while she's blackout drunk & thinks he's pine, which is... r*pe obviously. but then he keeps playing these games & he's just fucking terrible & icky and made me feel so gross while watching this, which is such wasted potential since he actually had really great chemistry with lookjun. but yeah throw his whole character in the trash!

nathee & florence's story is so rushed & underdeveloped, which is kinda sad bc they had good chemistry & also were very fun together. but also tbh florence's insistance on having sex with nathee when he said no 500 times is literally coercion babes, if florence was a man doing this to a girl we wouldn't find it cute.

also please for the love of god luke I'm rooting for you, but why did you have to growl like a werewolf everything you wanted to look hot & angry 😭 this man is so unserious as an actor, wishing him luck in getting better lmao

as for the augustpine storyline, imo it should've started and ended the show. the "past" should've been at the beginning of the show so that 1) we immediately get context of what brought the jungle guys together and 2) we actually FEEL the 10 years wait that pine had to feel on the show for august to come back. it would've given so much more weight to the show imo.

would I rewatch it: only the offpat parts

This was in my top 5 shows I was the most looking forward to watch this year, and goddamn did it disappoint all of my expectations except for offpat being one of the best ships ever. I would not recommend this show except for the pineaugust storyline, honestly don't bother.

[tmwcs]

OH HELL THE LAST CHAPTER OF DOUBLE TROUBLE HAS GOT ME DOWN SO BAD LIKE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!!!!!!!!!! YOURSO GOOD AT WRITING SMUT IT REALLY IS ACTUALLY AMAZING BECUZ I NEVER THOUGHT SMUT WAS RELLY WOULD CARE TO READ UNTIL I STARTED READING YOUR FICS. I M ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT YOU WROTE WHEN YOU SAID THAT HEETHAN WAS BASED OFF YOU IS THAT LIKE NORMAL FOR WHEN YOU WRITE YOUR FICS? IM VERY INTERESTED IN YOUR YN'S AND MALES CAN YOU TALK MORE ABOUT IT?? I'M SUPER INTRIGUED NOW. LUV U!

<3 lol! thank you! i'm glad the last chapter of DT got you feeling some type of way, it was a good chapter. i was pleasantly surprised by how many reblogs it got just over night, which makes me pleased bc i love seeing my work spread out, it gives me hope that many other people will like it and help me create more content. and i love writing smut, it really is fun bc it adds excitement. like writing can sometimes be a drag, but writing smut never gets boring bc there are so many dang ways you can describe and outline the scene, it makes it fun. not to mention i'm sure yall enjoy it ;)

and yes, heethan....actually all my hee-leads are pretty much inspired by myself. like i often think to myself "if i was a dude and in this situation that i'm drafting, how would i react? what would i do?" and that's usually how i end up drafting out the male characters. ofc a bit of inspiration comes from the man himself, the real HS, so certain attributes (aside from his looks and features) but like heethan's ability to dance and do sports, that all is based off the real HS. also the obsession, that's kind of based off the vibe i got from the real HS. to put quite frankly, when i learned who enhypen was and when i first watched their videos and saw their photos, i just got this vibe that the real HS would be the type that would be somewhat obsessed and possessive of his partner. so i just used my gut feeling and expanded that to make the hee-leads as insane yandere lovers. i dont htink the real HS is yandere but i do get this vibe that he would be the type to be somewhat clingy and territorial with his loved one.

i actually love this topic bc i never really got the chance to go into great detail about the hee-leads and how they are created, much less the y/ns. so if you guys want to know more, see below the line for all the details on my y/n and heelead inspirations ;)

for heeleads, they are all based off me in a sense like...their reactions to y/n. all their reactions to y/n is based off my initial reaction i had with a girl that i met at the college i enrolled in, during orientation. now i myself am straight, but i can appreciate beauty when i see it. and the y/n i saw...she was actually in her last year of college at the time and was finishing up...so i assume she was around 23 or 24, so older than me, but she was gorgeous. her hair, her skin, her voice, just...everything. she took my breath away, and it was funny bc i heard about her before seeing her, and i just kind of thought ppl were just hyping her up for no reason but when i saw her i was legit like "whoooooooa." so my reaction was used as inspiration for the heeleads in that aspect, especially heethan. everything else as far as their character is a mixture of "what would i do?" and the vibe i got from real HS, not to mention, adding the yandere influence and traits that are somewhat common in the yandere community. that's the biggest challenge, is to outline their traits as insanely obsessive, possessive, sadistically loving lovers. like i want them to be insanely in love with you guys to the point where the selfishness is wrong but its like....sexy at the same time. bc of how much they want and need you.

now for the y/ns....you know it's so hard to leave the y/n's less descriptive bc i so badly want to describe each one of them in great detail but in order to do that, i'd have to know the attributes of all my readers bc my y/n's really are based off of you all. like i do know its' common for most writers to insert their own image, personality, or their own traits as the y/n, which i find that to be a big no-no as a writer. i feel like if you insert yourself as the main lead when creating, it kind of takes away from the readers in allowing them to fit into the story. so when it comes to the y/ns and who inspires me, it became way easier to imagine a y/n once i got to know my readers and some of them even have PM'd me selfies (just to show love) and it kind of motivates me to draft the chapters and outline y/n's. most of the time, i leave y/ns just a blank face and with somewhat a dull personality bc i dont want to get too narrow with her. i want you all to fit the y/ns. that's the hardest part of drafting the stories tbh. i think the only times i've kind of maybe inserted myself with the y/ns is like....their reactions, like "what would i do if i was her in this situation." so like for instance, when y/n in HHP got kidnapped, I thought to myself "how would i feel? what would i do? would i cry? would i go into shock?" just to try and bring some life in her emotions and personality.

I will say the only y/n that i might of inserted myself a little bit more, as far as sense of style, would be the MT y/n. just the style, like her accessories and attire. so that y/n probably reflected me the most just because when i outlined her outfits, they literally were outfits that i do have or maybe my mom has that i really want to wear....but she wont let me lol. my mom is a fashionista. also heethan's y/n, the bond she has with her dad was influenced by the bond i have with my dad, i placed that in there bc i wanted to include heartfelt moments of y/n with her family, but i also wanted to do the same towards her mother, which is why in DT, the y/n has that similar bond with her mom, so that way i can try to expand the fitting concept to all readers, bc some of you all may be closer to your mom or your dad. i was fortunate to have a tight knit bond with both of mine.

each series has a y/n that will be different from the next so that it can appeal to the wide variety of readers i have. as far as her appearances, i just always have a blank face, although the one thing that is consistent, is that for some reason, my mind always imagines the y/n's (all of them) with longer hair....which is weird bc i personally think that real HS would actually prefer shorter hair (like shoulder length or mid chest length) but for some reason my y/n's always pop up with like really long hair and i have no idea why. probably bc i can imagine the heeleads playing and running their fingers through their hair. that might have been inspired by my cousin, she has super long hair..like mermaid long. its down to her lower waist and its beautiful. I would always watch her swinging it over the arm of a couch and my family members playing with it, so that's probably why i always imagine the y/ns with longer hair. lol.

as far as her personality, again, its dull bc all my readers have different personalities, so i want them to dictate the y/n based off their own traits. to a degree, i will add some personality traits to them. so like heethan's y/n is a gentle, carefree, kind, very submissive and nurturing (good girl next door) type. while MT y/n is immortal, and she's older and her personality type is very witty, smart, a bit standoffish bc of her secret, but caring and just kind of a loner type. she has lots of trust issues bc of her secret lineage.

Heelel's y/n is one that has lots of prospects in life, follows her own gut instinct, and is just one of those that strays from the herd type, as evident in the series. she is confused by the entire events of the cult while she watches her friends and family joining it, but doesn't become influenced to join, which is why she never became a part of the cult. heelel's y/n is just one of those "i'm going to do me" types.

Heebros y/n is kind of like a career gal, she is driven and has lots of potential to be a very successful person, not to mention she's got kind of a slight bit of boldness and attitude to her persona, as seen when she introduced kurt to the parents and the brothers at the wedding.

Heeler's y/n, as you can see so far, is a very calm, no drama type. She's very kind and is the sympathetic type, and will do anything to help others. she's a very nice and quiet type of girl. in fact, all the y/n's are pretty much the quiet types lol.

[yukiranine]

(Referring to last ask) Yes pls give me every single of your opinions on zhongli i devour anything related to that man

*breathes in* you are so terrible to be enabling me like this, anon Anyway here are my hot takes: 1. People need to draw Zhongli with silk flowers much more so than with glaze lilies. Glaze lilies are Guizhong’s signature flower, so unless the work is him contemplating Guizhong, I feel like it shouldn’t have them when it's a Zhongli centric work- where his signature flowers are silk flowers (as noted in Customs of Liyue). 

Speaking of which, I think it’s interesting bc while glaze lilies are very fragile flowers that need extra care to be taken care of similar to people that have not much “use” besides being gorgeous, silk flowers are multipurpose: can be used to spun silk, extracted into perfume, and can be used in desserts as it is naturally sweet. So while Guizhong’s flower is a seemingly useless but ephemeral flower that blooms at the sound of music, Zhongli’s is a pragmatic one with many uses. It feels like it represents their characters well, and my headcanon is that Zhongli used to not appreciate glaze lilies as much, but have come fond of them similar to his love for mortals- which Guizhong teaches him about. 2. His non-canon animal should be a tortoise, not a rabbit. Idk where to even start with this one??? How did people decide to keep drawing him as a bunny??? Is it bc he has 2 ahoges or like bunnies were common animal tropes in MDZS idk like he’s so much a tortoise- slow, old, wise, defense based, like its all there and when I’m done drawing the stuff I’m drawing, I’m drawing TortoLi and it will just be for myself bc I’m gonna get resounding boos. 3. ALSO another thing I need to draw is a fluffy Zhongli bc he’s theoretically also half qilin and not afraid of the cold. It’s cute to see him freezing in the cold but adeptus in general are less affected by temperature. Fighting anyone who thinks he gets cold like a lizard (ง •̀_•́)ง (However I’m super fond of Zhongli accepting Childe’s scarf in the cold because he thinks its cute that Childe cares for him and feels rude to not take the gesture of goodwill [but if Childe seems too cold then he will return it]) 4. Another headcanon I have is that Zhongli has the ability to see the memory of stone just like Azhdaha, as Zhongli was the one to give Azhdaha his eyes in the first place. I think it gives an extra layer for why Zhongli is so fond of gems, because he can also see how much effort and skill is put into certain ones and ofc he’d love to have those memories for himself- the memories of the culture and work of his people.

5. I just really want a training domain that you can test dmg for- or just a weekly boss domain for Zhongli.  But like its the most tedious, boring boss fight ever. You get dragged into his domain that looks like its in the clouds/mountains where the opening cutscene is him sitting down at a table and drinks tea. Which isn't bad until you realize he opens up with a 100mill HP shield. While you're in tears chucking down in vain at his shield bar, he's monologuing and correcting various Liyue tales like cycling through 10 or so of them thats randomized but each one is a good 5min monologue of voiced text. Nothing else goes on, just senior citizen ASMR. Theres only 2 ways to beat him: a) let him finish talking b) destroy his shield + reduce his hp to zero (he has like 1bill hp) Where he just simply leaves after he’s done talking or you beat him. Leyline pops up and you win! So on one hand! You can listen to him or go afk!! But on the other hand whales can show off their big pp dmg. But that's it. Thats his fight.

Anyways thanks for reading my long rant about my controversial thoughts for Zhongli

[selenityshiroi]

Final Fantasy XVI: Some slightly more coherent Post Game thoughts and a kind of long ass reviewish type thing

GAMEPLAY:

First off, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this game. When it was announced to be action based I was horrifyed. I don't play action games and I fell in love with the Final Fantasy series for the RPG elements. So I was so, so afraid that I would hate the gameplay and not even manage to get through the game.

The first trailer, the announcement trailer, looked amazing and I was super excited. But then my interest waned into cautious wait and see apathy. I didn't even preorder the game until after I saw someone play the demo.

I knew very little about the marketing of the game, very little about the plot. I'd seen a few images on the SE twitter and a few mentions around about trying to appeal to a Western Mainstream Audience. None of which really excited me.

No traditional parties, no RPG elements, a gameplay style I have VERY LITTLE experience with, appealing to an audience I don't share much in the way of taste with. And starring a main character who seemed to be gruff, mean and angtsy from his images (an archetype that isn't my favourite).

So I watched the demo, the opening section of story intrigued me, the glimpse of gameplay didn't seem too complicated and I gathered some excitement. It looked gorgeous, the music was stunning and the best thing? Clive was nothing like I'd imagined.

Sure, I knew he wasn't going to be that teenage boy for the rest of the game and he might change, but that first look at him (caring, compassionate, loving, brave...) surprised me and made me want to see what the opening events would bring.

So I got the game, booted it up and dove in.

And I loved it.

The gameplay that I had so feared was perfectly accessible. Was I the best at it? no. Did I experiment anywhere as near as much as I should have? Absolutely not. But I learned the controls pretty easily, learned move patterns, worked out dodges and parrys and counters and staggers and combos. It was mostly fun, occasionally a bit frustrating, sometimes slightly anxiety inducing.

But, after beating the game, I realised that some of that anxiety was fearing that I would reach a point where my skills wouldn't be enough. That I would find myself stuck behind my inexperience and end up giving up. And I think part of that was actually BECAUSE of my RPG preference. Where I'm used to just being able to grab a few more levels if I'm worried. Where there are armours and weapons and spells you can equip to mitigate and target certain enemies.

Without that I felt like the only thing I had to fight against the bosses were my own skills and coordination and not my brain. And I prefer to rely on the latter!

But I managed just fine. The game taught me to fight very well, guided me on how to challenge bigger enemies, gave me the practice I needed in putting dodge and the other essential skills to use.

Am I chomping at the bit to try a harder mode? Absolutely not. But I made it through the entire game on Action Orientated mode and with only using the one assist ring (pet assist, because I knew I wouldn't be able to manage Torgal on top of my own moves). And, for me, that was impressive. I was so tempted to start in Story Mode but I held out. I told myself 'you can try the rings if you can't do it'. I even made it all the way to the final boss and thought 'if you can't beat him you can always try one of the rings' but then didn't have to consider it.

I have no idea if people who like action games think this gameplay is good or not. And I certainly don't speak for all non-action gameplay people. But the gameplay did surprise and impress me. And I feel like if/when I replay it I will be much more confident in trying new moves and Eikons.

STORY:

I've seen people comment on the influcences on other FF titles in this game. But, to me, the biggest influence is the FFXIII Trilogy (which gets a lot of hate but is actually one of my favourite FF titles along with FFIX and FFVII). I'm not sure if it isn't mentioned as much because some people just aren't familiar with the FULL trilogy but, my god...some things are direct one to one comparisons. Some DIALOGUE is almost copy and pasted. There are complete character arcs replicated.

Obviously, the journey and the characters involved are very unique and make the story it's own. But Ultima and his actions are pretty derivative. And I'm not sure it worked for the best in this story. I've seen a few comments on how the first half of the game, which focused more on politics and the struggles of the people, was stronger than the second half. Which was more about Ultima and his plot. And I agree. Because the characters were SO GOOD and the world building so interesting that taking the focus away was a bit disappointing. And then Ultima's motives were just not as interesting as the human motives thast had been driving other aspects of the game.

But some of the story themes were so good throughout. Changing the world and it's order, fighting to live on your own terms.

The sidequests, too, were so much more than simple fetch quests. They all focused around groups of people that gave areas and towns and individuals entire storyarcs. And they grounded the game so much and made you care about the world and the people.

The story has it's flaws. But it still sucked me in. It still made me care. I still drove me forward to find out what happened next. I made me complete 77 hours of gameplay in one week. I loved the world and the characters and wanted to see so much more.

CHARACTERS:

I FUCKING LOVE THIS CAST.

Clive. Clive, my beloved. Oh how I misjudged you from the promos and oh how you surprised me the most. I was expecting an embittered, gruff, wounded man who cared about nothing but his revenge. And I was given an embittered, gruff, wounded man who was actually also still that kind, compassionate, loving, humble and gentle teen we met in the demo. Who was enveloped in a group of people who wanted to make the world a better place and pulled him away from the brink of despair. Who gave him a cause and a purpose and let the real Clive live again. Who found someone he loved from his past and instantly grabbed her and was willing to sacrifice everything to protect her (we would have died, his revenge for Joshua incomplete, in that valley protecting Jill if Cid hadn't turned up). He joined a group he barely trusted and was willing to wait tables for them because he knew that no task was above or below a man. He was open and honest with those he cared about. He raged and cried and hugged and held people when needed. He told his beloved that he loved her in front of everyone, because he saw no weakness in bonds. He was a deadly fighter who mudered his enemies...and yet he also still deeply loved his brother, he cherished Jill with love and devotion and a tenderness we rarely see in this sort of character. He could pet his dog :)

Jill, oh Jill. I love her. I love her I love her I love her. Hurt in a similar way to Clive (used, forced to kill, hates herself for her actions) but never runs away from it. She fights, even though it hurts her. She risks herself to save those she loves but is also willing to take a step back and live for those she loves. She was raised as a lady, speaks softly and beautifully, has a delicate touch when it comes to politics and diplomacy (Clive is also actually pretty good at acting like a lord thanks to HIS upbringing but more so in command and leadership) but yet she never shys away from the path her and Clive chose to walk. Silk over steel, I believe the phrase goes. But, at the same time, I really...really wish the game had just given her more. Jill is probably the character who suffers most from this being a non-party game. Despite her being a companion for most of the game the fact that she is optional for some content and deliberately removed from others gives her less presence. And when Joshua reappears they have to share Clive's story and she gets the shorter end of the stick because of Joshua's role as the Phoenix.

As for Jill and Clive's romance, it is one of the (if not THE) best onscreen depictions of romance we've seen in the series, in my opinion. I'm a sucker for romance, a self declared shipper. I have my ships for every FF game. Some I'm actually super passionate about. But Jill and Clive have such a lovely dynamic, a natural progression and just communicate so wonderfully. From the moment they are reunited they open up to each other, even about the toughest subjects. They share and they support one another. And even before their relationship was consumated they were gentle and affectionate with one another. They are allowed to love one another in a way we don't normally see in a FF romance (and they are allowed to do so long before the final few scenes).

Joshua. My sweet, baby bird. I worked out he was still alive the moment we saw 'Margrace' and I wasn't sure how I would feel about him when he reappeared. Why did he stay away so long, what was he doing, how did he know so much. We eventually get most of those answers, but the moment Clive grabbed him and Joshua was sobbing apologies it felt like it barely mattered. He has a kindness like his brother but fights with his mind more than his body. He plans and puts them into action. But a part of me always felt he was doomed and spent most of the game swaying back and forth on whether or not he would survive. By the time the endgame rolled around I desperately wanted him to live. To carry on his father's legacy and help rebuild a new world order.

TORGAL. WHO'S A GOOD BOY??? THE BEST BOY!!! I LOVE HIM. I'm not even a dog person. I'm a cat person all the way. I LOVE THIS DOG. I PREORDERED THE PUPPY PLUSH. I WILL CHERISH THIS PUPPER FOREVER. BEST FENRIR.

The rest of the cast is just so numerous and to describe my adoration would make this post so much longer. So many of them are wonderful and have such significance. Cid, Gav, Otto, Mid, Charon, Goetz, Tarja, Martha, Isabelle, Dion, L'ubor, Byron and other...all so great and loveable and the sidequests and missions make you so invested in them all. It is truly the whole cast of characters that hooked my attention in this game and drove me through every single green marker I could get my hands on.

The antagonists were slightly less well presented. Benedikta and Kupka felt more real and like you could understand them and their reasons. Anabelle and Sylvester on the other hand felt evil for the sake of it (and, with the possibility that Ultima was fucking with them maybe even from the moment Clive was born it's possible that they WERE just evil for the sake of it because it wasn't truly them). And Barnabas felt like a hot mess. His backstory was just so complicated and yet also barely touched upon. So it felt like we couldn't understand him at all. As for Ultima...he is Walmart Brand Bhunivelze in my opinion. Bhunivelze (in the Japanese version, anyway) had depth in that he didn't actually KNOW he was fucking humans over. He thought he was doing them a favour by purifying them of their hearts so they could be reborn in his new world without pain and suffering. Ultima knew and didn't care. Humans were a means to an end. Ultima did Bhunivelze things for Pulse/Lindzei reasons and they even reused a lot of the terminology (ark, vessel etc) so it felt like a rehash. I still enjoyed fighting and beating them all, but I felt the endgame plot was weaker. Basically, I prefered it the first time round in the XIII Trilogy :)

LEVEL DESIGN AND EXPLORATION:

Oh boy. This is EASILY the weakest part of the game. The levels LOOK beautiful. The art design, the lighting, the graphics...this game is STUNNING. But there is no reason to actually spend time LOOKING at it. The areas are empty, the rewards insignificant. In some ways this is a good thing because it keeps you focused on the plot and helps keep the pace and momentum of the game. But it's also super disappointing. They could have done so much more with the areas and the towns.

MUSIC:

HOLY SHIT. I put my headphones for this game and never took them off. Soken went OFF. The grand and powerful boss music, the subtle reinterpretations of the traditional themes, the sweeping area music, the gentle emotional pieces. There is a piece in Ash that just pulses and gets louder and faster and makes your heart race and the tension build even when you are just walking down a path. Chef's kiss.

Voice Acting/Animation:

Just. Bravo. My hugest congratulations and appreciation to everyone involved. The VA work is stunning. The main cast is perfection itself and even the extras and random NPCs sound wonderful. And the animation is so beautifully done. The body language, the movement, the cinematography...they made the characters feel so real. I cannot fault anything when it comes to the acting and character animation. (Not even some clipping issues because they are so minor compared to that rest of the perfection we see)

and then we come to

THE ENDING:

Welp. On my playthrough I was PROFOUNDLY disappointed. My initial interpretation of the ending was that Clive failed to save Joshua and then sacrificed himself to purge magic from the world. That Joshua and Clive are both dead and we watched Jill and Torgal crying for Clive on that dock. And I could accept Joshua's death...had been pretty prepared for that. Dion, too, had seemed inevitable even from his Bahamut fight. But Clive? The narrative had left so many hint and promises to his survival. His multiple promises to Jill, the continuation of his work (both for Cid and for his father), the plans and teases for the future (exploring the world with Jill,wiritng a book etc.) that his death felt like a betrayal.

But then I saw other interpretations. That there are hints that Clive survived. That there are clues that Joshua survived. That there are clues BOTH of them survived. Or that, indeed, they both died. And that it seems to be DELIBERATELY ambiguous.

And I fucking hate that. I hate that ambiguity.

The ending initially made me want to never have anything to do with the game again. I was about to cancel my preorders for the Torgal Puppy Plush and the artbooks (that I'd ordered the moment I fell in love with the characters and the game). It was only the hope of the alternative interpretations that stayed my hand.

But I don't want this to be a vague thing that the fandom fights over for years to come. I don't want to feel like I'm grasping at straws. I want to see Clive and Jill reunited and get to finally live on their own terms. It would be nice to maybe see Joshua writing that book. I don't care about a distant future where humanity managed to pull through. I care about the characters I spent 77 hours falling in love with.

OVERALL:

Without the ending, I came out of this game feeling like it was a 9.5/10. Even with the weaknesses the game more than made up for it in the way it made me feel as I played it. The ending dropped my score to like 4/10. Now that I've managed to resolve my feelings over the ending to COPIUM optimism I've probably gone back up to 8.5/10

I would love to see a DLC for this game. My top choice would be for a confirmation of what happened at the fucking end. But since the end kind of prevents any sort of playable post game (since the main battle mechanic has been removed) I think it's more likely that we would get additional content. I would love to explore some things that were mentioned but never explored. LEVIATHAN, for one. The Northern Territory. The outer continents.

I also think this will be a strong contender for game of the year. I previously thought TOTK would be a shoe in for that (and for the sheer volume of gameplay and exploration and experimentation you can do in TOTK I think it still has a shot) but I think the presentation, acting, gameplay appeal, characters, music and story (even with the mentioned weaknesses) will earn them a lot of well deserved praise.

Because, despite the flaws, this game is still great. It's fun and exciting to play. The story still grabs you and drives you through it. The characters are phenominal. And it looks and sounds beautiful.

I'm a long term FF fan. I have played at least a little of pretty much every mainline game except V and the Tactics series. I've devoted hundreds of hours to several of the titles and have loved them deeply for years. This title is joining my favourites.

[gwently]

2023 part 2?

So fountain pens. While I really got into them in 2022, it was not my first foray into them. My first pen was a gift from an online friend way back in...2017? For my birthday. It was a Pilot Metropolitan and I immediately fucked it up, spilled ink everywhere. I was too dumb to look up how to properly fill it, though i am sure I messed up the nib as well. Since it was a gift it stayed in my room for several years until I threw it out one day, for a reason that cannot be remembered. We laughed at my incompetence and she wasn't angry, so that birthday managed to be memorable.

I don't even know what sparked my current interest in fountain pens. Think I was looking at ink drawings? and remembered these things existed and well I am firmly down the hole. I brought a lot of pens last year, trying out different filling methods or nib sizes, going for cool colours, you name it. Having disposable income for the first time and not knowing what to do with it may be a factor. Sure, I definitely do not need that many pens, but don't judge me. I sure as hell don't judge that one person who tosses in random kanji in their name or bio that is probably google translated, because to them Japanese is a fun aesthetic, not a language used and enjoyed by real people.

I mostly got the reckless spending out of my system, while there are many different inks and pens I still want to try out there's only so many I can use short term, so now the focus is on getting use of what I have and maybe selling/giving away a few. Improving my handwriting and learning cursive properly are also goals of mine, as it is very awkward trying to write a signature and only being able to make the l and t in my last name look pretty, a thing I only know from diving into the bottom of my memory containing a mental image of my mother's handwriting that can no longer be replicated.

Journaling! Right that's the main reason why I use my pens now. I've always written things down on random scrap sheets of paper as little reminders or to do lists — a habit that happens more often due to my grandmother's influence in recent years — so getting a proper journal only made sense. With fountain pens certain inks or nibs respond better on good paper, so that means I also invested in some notebooks. You can quickly see how this hobby can become a money sink if you really wanted to. Thankfully after trying out Rhodia and feeling dissatisfied, Maruman (a japanese brand) stopped my search for paper that suited what I like. I prefer spiral/ring notebooks the most so it was a double win, similar to [insert fighting game reference 0 people reading this would understand]

I lost my train of thought but it's okay, no one will read this. Here's a pen I brought in...(checks amazon purchases) October.

(yes that is my hand, those aren't scratches it's lint)

The very famous and popular Pilot Custom 823, with a broad nib. It is a vacuum filler — one of my fav methods of filling — and managed to grab it while yen was very, very low so it was around $192 with tax, when normally it would cost me around $220-280. My most expensive pen and probably will be for a very long time. It's funny cause when I first brought it I was like damn. This is kinda mid. Like when you watch that super popular anime that's airing, only to be bewildered at what all the hype is about. Now it's one of my favourite writers, the gold nib has a softness that is fairly unique, making writing with it a breeze as it floats over paper. Sometimes you just need to sleep on things. If it wasn't for the cost I would consider getting a second one, the amber colourway in particular is gorgeous.

Right now though I am interested in vintage pens, there is definitely something nice about holding something older than my grandparents and looking up it's history, and the time period around it.

(Not my image, credit goes to redeempens/will vintage on reddit) Today I got myself a WASP Clipper in this marvelous brown/gold pattern that is commonly called "circuit board" by collectors. It's a "lever filler", a filling method mostly absent from modern pens.

WASP is a sub-brand by famous pen manufacturer Sheaffer. WASP stands for "W.A. Sheaffer Pen", because why bother with subtlety. This pen was made sometime during the 1930s, cool stuff. Usually pens this old have the risk of having it's ink sac disintegrated, so you would have to repair it yourself or get someone to do it for you. Thankfully the pen I grabbed was already restored, so now I'm waiting on my package of ink to come in the mail to test this bad boy out.

Uhh okay this post was long so bye! This is barely 2023 related but that's what happens when you don't plan things out in advance. Here's a song from an album I've been listening to lately, Spirit World Field Guide by Aesop Rock

[alyswritings]

Oscars

Got this idea given the Oscars and I just wanted to write some Z and Holland!sister

---

Since Zendaya is attending the Oscars this year and Tom couldn't go, plus all his brothers being busy, the couple discussed Zendaya taking Y/N. Tom had expressed that his younger sister always wanted to go to some kind of award show, having not been able to go to many for Tom due to school or her own stuff going on.

Y/N doesn't completely mind award shows, although she does get a bit nervous on the carpet sometimes, not super fond of all the attention and flashing cameras -- at least for long periods of time.

When Zendaya asked Y/N if she'd want to go, the 18 year old was ecstatic. She happily agreed to go, giving Zendaya a tight hug for the invite and Tom a tight hug for suggesting the idea.

The two got all glammed up for the event, Y/N feeling absolutely gorgeous in her dress, plus all the compliments from Zendaya and the older girl's friends helping boost the Holland's confidence.

They get to the event, being led to where they need to be.

"Do you wanna take pictures or do you just wanna go inside?" Zendaya asks.

"I can handle a few pictures." Y/N nods, smiling.

"Okay." Zendaya smiles, wrapping her arm around the brunette's shoulders.

The two run into Andrew Garfield, the two Marvel actors taking a selfie with some fans before including Y/N in a second selfie. They took more pictures with him and talked for a bit, catching up, not having seen him since they were filming the movie.

Zendaya posed on the carpet, solo pictures being taken for a bit before she brought Y/N in. The two posed together, switching between different cameras every few moments.

Soon enough, the pictures were over and the two were able to start making their way inside. Zendaya saw Timothee Chalamet and hyped him up from far away. Y/N and Timothee shared a small wave before the two girls went inside.

Throughout the show, Y/N laughed at most of the jokes and applauded whoever won in their category. During commercial breaks, she and Zendaya would talk or talk to other people there, Zendaya introducing her and Timothee to each other. The two got along, quickly finding similar interests and talking about those and their lives.

Y/N and Zendaya are sitting and watching as Chris Rock is on stage, cracking some jokes before he presents a category.

"Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it, all right?" Chris says. He gets mixed reactions from the audience before he continues to talk, but stops.

Y/N watches as Will Smith walks up on stage and up to Chris, slapping him across the face. Y/N's jaw drops in shock, looking over to Zendaya who has a similar reaction.

Y/N chokes on a laugh, not certain if she should even be laughing. Though, she does tend to laugh even when she knows she shouldn't. She doesn't know why she seems to laugh in any mood she's in with whatever is happening -- rather she be happy, mad, sad, uncomfortable, or nervous -- she always seems to laugh through those emotions.

"Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me." Chris says.

Will yells twice at Chris to keep his name's out of his mouth, an awkwardly dead silence following.

"What do we do? I don't think laughing is correct." Y/N whispers quietly.

"It's your defense mechanism, I understand." Zendaya whispers back. "We'll just move on."

"I gotta tell everybody in the sibling group chat." Y/N says, taking her phone out, going to her texts to talk to her brothers about what just happened.

Later, when Will accepted the award for best actor and during his speech, he apologized, his speech soon ending. The rest of the show went well, nothing else like that happening.

Y/N and Zendaya enjoyed the rest of the time before going to the after party. Y/N enjoyed her time at the after party, staying attached to Zendaya some of the night, but did venture off and talked to other people. She met some of the other Marvel actors including Sebastian Stan and Hailee Steinfeld and also met the Euphoria actors who were there. Plus, she was able to meet other celebrities that she likes and she also managed to talk to Timothee and Andrew some more.

By the end of the night, Zendaya and Y/N got back to the actress' house.

"You have fun?" Zendaya asks the younger girl.

"Yeah. Thanks for bringing me." Y/N smiles.

"Of course." Zendaya smiles. "And don't tell Tom, but you and Tessa are my favorite Hollands." She says making the two laugh.

[junghelioseok]

heart-on.

↳ your one-night stand definitely isn’t relationship material, but maybe—just maybe—your manager’s son is.

◇ hoseok x reader ◇ smut | strangers to lovers!au ◇ 10.1k [1/1]

❛❛ my boss is always telling me how perfect her son would be for me and she promises he’s coming to the next holiday party and don’t worry he’s heard all about me too and ALSO there’s this dude i slept with once a couple of months ago and sometimes he still sends me dick pics when i ask him to at 3 in the morning cause seriously dude’s got a good dick ❜❜

notes: welcome to the first installment of the serendipity series! we’re starting with hoseok, because, well, have you met me? 🤣 be warned, however, that this isn’t anywhere near as edited as i’d like so i’ll probably give it another read/edit tomorrow but for now!!! here it is!!!

⇢ series masterlist. | inspired by this post.

warnings: dirty talk bc hoseok’s got a bit of a mouth on him, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it, kids!), sexting. dick pics, obvi. brief mention of a dead pet goldfish :(

You’re refilling your mug when you hear it. Voices filter out from the kitchen, floating past the coffee station where you’re pouring yourself another drink and hanging in the open air of the hallway that leads back to the rest of the office. They’re familiar voices, too—voices that belong to the resident gossips of your workplace. Lottie’s pitchy, nasal tone melds with Hyejin’s higher one, their conversation interrupted every so often by an exaggerated exclamation or gasp from Sandra, the third and final member of their trio.

“Haven’t you heard? Carolyn’s divorce was finalized over the weekend, the poor thing.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine how she’s feeling. I mean, getting back into dating at her age? Goodness!”

“And now she’ll be all alone at the holiday party, too. How sad is that?”

“It’s tragic. Poor thing.”

Rolling your eyes, you grab a packet of sugar and tear it open, upending it over your mug and watching the crystalline granules fall into the dark liquid within. You know for a fact that Sandra and her husband can’t even stand to be in the same room for an extended period of time, considering how they’d spent most of last year’s holiday party talking to entirely different groups of people. You’d sat two tables away from them during dinner, and they hadn’t even made eye contact once. And as for Lottie and Hyejin, well, you’re certain that their relationships aren’t much better. All three of them are miserable people as far as you’re concerned, and you make a mental note to check in on Carolyn—a sweet woman in her thirties who always keeps chocolate bars in her purse—on your way back to your desk.

“Sheesh. Vultures, the lot of them. Don’t you think?”

You whirl at the sound of your manager’s voice. Kyunghee Jung is a dark-haired woman in her late fifties, and she laughs when she sees your startled expression, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Easy! You’ll spill your coffee if you’re not careful.”

“I’ll probably have a heart attack first,” you reply, pressing a hand to your chest. “What was your job before this? Some kind of intelligence operative? Are you a super spy?”

Kyunghee laughs again and joins you at the counter. “Nothing even remotely as exciting as that,” she answers, plopping her mug down beside yours. It’s decorated with what looks like every color of the rainbow, a massive smiling sunflower taking up the majority of the surface, and the only remnant of the ceramic’s original color is on the very edge of the handle where there’s a lopsided little patch of white. The piece is clearly handmade, and a stark contrast to the simple mint green cup that houses your coffee. Looking at it, it’s impossible not to smile.

“I love that,” you remark, inclining your head at her mug. “Was it a present from one of your kids?”

“Hoseok,” she confirms, running a fingertip along the imperfect handle fondly. “I’ve told you about him before—he’s right around your age.”

You chuckle. “Right, I remember. That’s why he’s the perfect match for me, right?”

“Come now, there’s more to it than that,” Kyunghee defends, waving a hand. “But yes, to answer your question. He gave it to me as a birthday present when he was eight.”

“Well, you never told me he was an artist,” you tease. “Does he have an Etsy? Can I buy one of these off him? Does he do custom orders, maybe?”

Normally, your manager is more than happy to play along with your jokes, but today Kyunghee fixes you with an uncharacteristically serious look. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?” she asks. “He’s coming to the holiday party, after all. I figured you could finally meet.”

You blink. Kyunghee has been making offhand remarks about how well you would get on with her son, Hoseok, for over a year now, but you’ve never even come close to broaching the topic of meeting him. You don’t even know anything about the man beyond the fact that his name is Hoseok and that he works somewhere downtown. He also favors tall socks and yellow suspenders if the framed photograph on Kyunghee’s desk is any indication—or at least, he certainly did when he was still in diapers. Whether he still does, is anyone’s guess.

“Wow, I had no idea he was even interested in coming,” you manage when you’ve recovered from your surprise. “Did you bribe him?”

If Kyunghee notices that your voice is a few pitches higher than usual, she doesn’t remark on it. “Oh, you know. I just told him that this would be his last chance to score free booze on the company’s dime.” She laughs. “Three more months and it’s going to be all beaches and sunshine for me. I might even become a cruise person in my retirement.”

You gasp and slap a hand to your heart. “Kyunghee! Think of the environmental impact!”

“I said I might!” she retorts immediately. “Sheesh. Even in my old age, it’s hard to conveniently forget how shitty and unsustainable those damn boats are.”

You pick up your mug and raise it in a salute. “Well, the oceans thank you.”

“My husband doesn’t,” she answers with a sigh. “He’s been dying to book one of those trips that stop all along the Mediterrannean coastline, and I can’t exactly blame him.”

“That is tempting,” you admit. “You’ll have to send photos, if you do end up going.”

“You’ll be sick of me and my photos before the first day is even up,” she promises. Then she pauses, her eyes darting toward the kitchen where silence has fallen in the last few minutes. “Speaking of being sick—you think the vultures are still hovering around in there? I haven’t had lunch yet, and I need the microwave.”

Obligingly, you edge a little closer to the kitchen doorway and poke your head around the frame, scanning for Lottie and her sidekicks. “Coast is clear. Enjoy your lunch, Kyunghee.”

She nods and raises her mug at you, returning your salute. “I always do.”

///

As soon as the work day ends, you fall into your usual routine. Your commute home is easily walkable on nicer days, and though the winter weather is brisker than you’d like, you decide to walk for the sake of stopping at the convenience store on the corner of the block.

Once you arrive back at your apartment, you change into your comfiest sweats and a loose tee. You turn on some music while you throw together some dinner, and settle onto the couch half an hour later with a full plate and Netflix. Television is a welcome distraction from the events of the workday, and you manage to get through three full episodes of your current show before your pesky brain decides to revisit the events of today, replaying the conversations that you’d both had and overheard.

There’s no denying that you’ve been single for quite some time now, and for the most part, it’s been by choice. Ever since graduating from university, you’ve chosen to focus more on your career, and it’s paid off both in terms of the important position you hold in your company and your above average salary. And yet, you can’t help but think back to the gossip you’d overheard earlier—about the supposed tragedy of being single and attending the upcoming holiday party alone. Your mind wanders to Kyunghee’s son, Hoseok, and how he’ll be in attendance this year. You wonder what he’s like, and whether he really is perfect for you, as Kyunghee seems to be so fond of mentioning.

And then your mind goes to Jay.

You met Jay two months ago, on a well-deserved night out after a hellish workweek. The bar was crowded, and the music coming from the neon dancefloor in the back was just loud enough to drown out your inhibitions. That, combined with the alcohol swimming through your system, made you bold. You sashayed your way across the dancefloor, dodging inebriated bodies and swaying limbs as you fixed your attention on the head of pale lavender hair and deliciously broad shoulders that awaits you just behind the bar counter. The bartender is nothing short of gorgeous, and you’ve thrown all caution to the wind. Sure, several other women are eyeing him like he’s their next meal—several men are, too—but you need another drink. And while he prepares it, you plan to flirt.

A lot.

The bar counter is sticky with spilled liquor, but you don’t pay that any mind as you lean across it, the wood digging into the narrow strip of exposed skin left by your cropped top. “Hi!” you call, and the bartender looks up from where he’s just finished pouring a round of shots for a group of raucous young men.

“Hi yourself,” he says, his pillowy lips stretching into an easy smile. “What can I get you?”

You pretend not to notice the way his eyes flicker down to the dip of your cleavage and instead put on the sultriest smile you are capable of mustering. “Vodka soda,” you tell him, injecting a bit of purr into your voice. “A bit of lemon too, if you have it.”

“Trust me, I have it,” he assures, his smile growing as he reaches for a clean glass and a clear bottle. “Name’s Jin, by the way. I’m here all night, if you need anything e—”

A loud clatter and the sound of breaking glass interrupts the rest of his sentence, and all eyes at the bar go to the source of the disturbance. Conversations stutter to a halt, and even the thumping bass of the music seems to dull. Jin darts to the other end of the bar, where you can see that one of several barstools has fallen to the ground. There’s a man on the ground as well, surrounded by shattered glass and spilled dark liquor, and your eyes widen when you realize that you know him.

And arguably, a little too well.

“Fuck,” you mutter under your breath. People are starting to lose interest in the spectacle, turning back to their own conversations and continuing on as if nothing had happened at all. The man is beginning to clamber to his feet, and a few people lend a helping hand as Jin begins barking out orders for everyone to step back so he can sweep up the broken glass. You seize upon the opportunity, latching on to the nearest arm and pulling them close so you can hide behind them. Vaguely, you’re aware of them sputtering in surprise, but you only have eyes for the man who had fallen off his stool, watching him carefully as he brushes himself off and tries to play it cool despite the sizable patch of whiskey soaking his white shirt.

“Hey, uh…” Your human shield is speaking. “Are you okay? You’re squeezing me pretty tight.”

That draws you out of your daze. Abashed, you loosen your grip on his arm and look up into his face, your throat going dry when you realize how handsome he is. His black hair is parted over his forehead, a stray strand falling into warm brown eyes set above a straight nose and an inviting mouth. There’s a freckle above his top lip, just shy of the center, and your inebriated brain wonders just what it would be like to kiss it.

“I, um—” You clear your throat and try again. “Sorry about that. I just didn’t want him to see me.”

Your newfound companion raises an eyebrow and glances over his shoulder at the drunk man, who is now being ushered out of the bar by his buddies. “You know that guy?”

You nod, cringing. “Yeah, his name’s Trent. I… may or may not have dated him for a few months last year.”

The man laughs out loud. “You dated a Trent?”

“What, like you’ve never made a questionable life choice?” you challenge. “Besides, you shouldn’t judge someone based on the sins of their parents. It’s not his fault they gave him a terrible name.”

“Sure, but it is on him for going along with it,” he replies with a shrug. “I would’ve changed my name as soon as I could if my parents had named me Trent. But hey, that’s just one man’s opinion.”

You laugh. “Okay then, Not-Trent.” Relinquishing your grip on his arm, you let your fingers graze his hand before pulling away entirely. “What do you say we continue this conversation over a drink?”

The man, whose name is decidedly not Trent, catches your fingers in his and gives them a gentle squeeze. “Happily.”

One drink turns into two, and then three. By the end of the hour, you are feeling pleasantly warm, the alcohol spreading through your veins like molasses and turning your surroundings into a hazy blur. The music has grown even louder, pounding against your eardrums, and you grab onto Not-Trent’s wrist as he sets his now-empty glass back down onto the counter.

“Do you wanna get out of here?” you ask, raising your voice to be heard over the thumping bassline. “I can’t even hear myself think.”

“The parking lot’s out back,” he suggests. “Why don’t we get some air?”

You nod and stand up on wobbly legs, cursing your decision to wear heels when you stumble into your companion. He steadies you with a gentle but firm hand, and you don’t miss the way his touch lingers on your lower back, his palm warm through the material of your blouse.

Together, the two of you pick your way through the throng of swaying bodies on the dancefloor. The bassline thuds in your ears, dark and hypnotic, and you can feel the reverberations thrumming across the slats of your ribs and echoing in the cavern of your chest like a second heartbeat.

It’s almost a relief, then, when you step out into the cool night air. Your ears continue to ring for a few seconds, but it soon fades and leaves behind only the muted hum of traffic from the street and the faint sound of music from inside. At your side, Not-Trent releases a long breath and leans against the brick wall of the building, and you turn to take in the steep slopes of his side profile as he tilts his head up toward the velvety night sky.

He’s handsome. Dressed in ripped jeans and black leather, he’s a sight to behold, and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t been craving a bit of intimacy for quite some time now. The alcohol swimming through your system makes you bolder than you normally would be, and you reach out to lay a hand on his arm. He turns toward you with a silent question glimmering in his irises, but you simply step closer, until you’re pinning him against the wall with your body and you’re breathing the same air.

“Hey,” you say, your voice an airy whisper. His eyes are near obsidian in the dimness of the parking lot, illuminated only by the orange glow of the streetlamps on either end, and your gaze flickers down to his mouth before roving to the freckle that sits upon his top lip. “Kiss me?”

Your companion’s eyes widen. His lips part, but no words come out, and you’re about to repeat your question when he finally finds his voice again.

“That’s really… that’s not a good idea.” Awkwardly, he clears his throat, but the hoarseness of his voice and the harsh bob of his Adam’s apple give away his true desires. “Look, you’ve been drinking. We both have, and—”

You cut him off, pushing up to your tiptoes and planting a messy kiss to the soft dip just beneath his bottom lip. “Don’t care,” you mumble against his skin. “I want you.”

Your companion laughs weakly. His hands find their way to your waist and pause there, as if he can’t decide whether to push you away or pull you closer. “You don’t even know me,” he murmurs.

“I don’t have to know you,” you reply. Your fingers drag down his chest, trailing along the delicate silver necklace that rests against the black of his shirt. From the chain hangs a round pendant, the surface engraved with the letter J. Slowly, you trace it with a fingertip, the metal shining even in the dim light, and satisfaction blooms in your heart when your companion’s throat bobs again. “I want you,” you breathe, soft but insistent. “Isn’t that enough?”

“I—” He clears his throat and tries again, and you wonder if he realizes that his hands have slid down to your hips, or that there’s a growing hardness against your lower stomach that’s becoming increasingly harder to ignore. “Look, I’m flattered—really, I am. And you’re… I mean, fuck, you’re gorgeous. But I don’t think we should do anything when you’re clearly not in the right frame of mind to be making this kind of decision, and—”

“And, nothing.” You wind your arms around his neck, pressing close and grinding subtly against the bulge in his pants. You smirk when he releases a low hiss from between his teeth, and hide it by laying a trail of kisses along the stretch of bare skin exposed by the dip of his collar. “Stop being such a gentleman,” you whisper. Your fingers trail down his chest, past the silver of his pendant and down to the faded denim of his jeans, teasing at the cool metal of his belt buckle. “I want this. But if you’re not interested, I can always go back in there and—”

The rest of your sentence dies in your throat. Your companion has tugged you flush against him in one smooth motion, and your gasp is cut off by the firm press of his mouth against yours. Immediately, you melt into the kiss, and a moan tears from your lips when he spins you around and pins you against the brick wall of the building.

“You’re a spoiled little thing, huh?” His breath fans hot against your cheeks, and you shiver when you meet his eyes and see the dark promise reflected there. “Used to getting what you want, huh, princess?”

Your breath hitches at the endearment—something your companion doesn’t miss. “Oh, you like that?” He chuckles hoarsely, and when he speaks again it’s in a rasp that sends heat straight to your core. “What else do you like, hmm? You want me to be rough with you, princess? Or should I be gentle and treat you like a queen?”

You reach up, raking your fingers through his hair and skimming across the soft strands of his undercut before finding purchase at his nape. “You talk too much,” you whisper.

And then you’re crushing your mouth back against his, whining when he immediately takes back control of the kiss. His grip slides downward, his fingertips digging into the skin just above the curve of your ass, and you squeak when he grabs the back of your thigh and hooks your leg around his waist.

“You feel that?” he rasps into your ear, nipping at the delicate shell and chortling when you keen. Your skirt has ridden up dangerously high on your spread thighs, and you let out a soft whimper when he grinds harshly against your center. The lace of your panties and the denim of his jeans are the last barricades between you, and you wonder, vaguely, whether your companion has a bit of an exhibitionist streak when he slides one of your sleeves down your shoulder and begins kissing a trail down to the swell of your cleavage. “You feel how hard you’ve gotten me?”

You lean down, kissing the soft spot where his jaw meets his ear before letting your teeth graze against his skin. “Why don’t you do something about it then?”

He hisses out a sharp breath, his hands tightening their hold on your hips. “You’ve got quite the mouth on you, huh? I can’t wait to make you eat your words.”

Any retort you may have had is interrupted by a sudden swell of music and the sound of a slamming door. Whirling to face the source of the noise, you immediately spot a familiar head of lavender hair atop broad shoulders encapsulated in the black uniform of the bar. Jin hasn’t noticed the two of you yet, his attention fixated on his cell phone screen, but he looks up when you let out a little squeak of surprise and shove your companion’s chest in an attempt to create some distance between you.

“Hey.” Jin raises a hand in greeting, a knowing smirk curling his lips. “This phone call shouldn’t be too long, so please. Don’t stop the party on my behalf.”

Heat floods to your cheeks. There isn’t much use protesting against his insinuation, considering the rather compromising position you’re in. Much to your relief, though, your companion simply huffs out a chuckle and waves Jin off. “Thanks, man, but we’ll get out of your hair.” Lowering his voice, he turns back to you. “Coming, princess?”

You nod. He offers you his hand, and you take it gratefully, adjusting your skirt so that it drapes properly over your hips and thighs again.

“Have a good night!” Jin calls after you, amusement lacing every word. You can’t work up the nerve to respond, and luckily, you don’t have to. Your companion leads you around the corner of the building, where several rows of cars are parked beneath an orange streetlamp. On this side, the exterior brick wall is painted with a mural, and you admire the colorful galaxies and nebulae swirling amidst silvery white stars and the word serendipity spray-painted in pale blue.

The last car in the row is parked just beneath the letter Y, and it’s here that your companion stops. The sleek black vehicle has an almost vintage feel to it, and you glance up when you hear the jingle of metal.

“I’m guessing this is yours?”

He nods, pulling a set of keys from the pocket of his leather jacket and inserting one into the lock. “Yeah. You like it?”

“It’s beautiful,” you tell him, tracing the edge of the passenger window “Makes my car look like a total piece of shit by comparison.”

Your companion chuckles, pulling open the driver’s side door, and you catch a glimpse of your reflection in the window as he presses a button to unlock the rest of the doors. Your hair’s a bit of a mess and your mascara has smudged beneath your right eye, and you hurriedly swipe at it as your companion turns his attention back to you.

“So,” he says. “Now what? I can give you a ride home, if you want.”

Deliberately, you let your gaze drop down to his crotch, where his bulge—albeit waning—is still visible. “Seriously? I thought you were going to… what was it again? Make me eat my words?”

And just like that, it’s as if a switch has flipped. His eyes darken to obsidian, his lips settling into a stern line, and you barely have time to draw in a breath before he’s caging you against the side of his car and molding his mouth to yours. Your lips part beneath the onslaught, and he wastes no time in dipping inside to explore, licking into you until you’re both breathless.

“Inside,” he breathes once you’ve broken apart, and you instantly obey. You wrench the door open and all but tumble into the backseat, and he isn’t far behind as he slots himself between your spread thighs. Your hands fly to his shoulders where you help him shuck off his leather jacket, tossing it carelessly to the front where it lands in a heap on the dashboard before focusing your attention on the hem of his black t-shirt. Your companion obliges you as you push it upward to expose his toned abdomen, grabbing it by the collar and pulling it off the rest of the way when your reach falls a little short in the cramped interior of the backseat.

“Your turn,” he whispers when you try to reach for his belt, his hands settling around your wrists. “It’s only fair, princess.”

Pouting, you let your hands fall limp in his grasp, and he chuckles as he leans down to pacify you with a kiss. Deft fingers find the hem of your blouse, pushing it up until you can twist out of the material. You throw it aside with no regard for where it lands on the ground, and lay back as your companion drinks you in, his dark gaze raking across the lacy black lingerie that decorates your curves and skims you like a second skin. “Fuck,” he breathes, his voice hoarse with a combination of amazement and disbelief. “You’re stunning.”

You smile, trailing a fingertip from the dip of his collarbone down to the silver necklace that sits prettily against his bare chest. “You’re not so bad yourself,” you tell him, tracing the letter engraved into his pendant. “Jay.”

Your companion—newly dubbed Jay—smiles back. “You’re something else, princess,” he murmurs, before leaning down to kiss you again. He explores your mouth thoroughly—languidly—before moving down to nip at your neck, and already, you can feel the beginnings of marks beginning to form, blossoming across your skin as irrefutable proof of your tryst.

It isn’t long before Jay frees you from your bra, watching with carnal fascination as your breasts spill out of the lacy material. You whine when he reaches out to cup one, his palm hot against your bare skin, and he smirks crookedly when a pinch to your nipple makes your back arch off the leather of the seat. “So pretty,” he rasps. “I can’t wait to see how you look stretched around my cock.”

“Stop waiting, then,” you tell him, trying again for his belt buckle. This time, he lets you fumble it open, leaning back to watch you work with hooded eyes and a lazy little smile. Emboldened, you push aside the denim of his jeans and free his cock from the confines of his underwear. He’s hard and hot and heavy in your palm, and your tongue darts out instinctively at the sight of the pearlescent precum beading the tip.

“Jay,” you murmur, thumbing across the head of his erection and smirking when he hisses in pleasure. “Fuck me.”

Jay seems to consider your demand, mischief flitting across his features before he manages to school his expression into something more neutral. “Where are your manners, princess?” he asks, pushing your hand away and giving himself a few long, slow strokes. “Say please, if you want it so bad.”

For a moment, you consider refusing. Jay seems to be the type of man who enjoys a good game, but between the state of his cock and the earlier interruption, you’re pretty sure he’s nearing his limit. And even if he isn’t, you are. And so, you shelve your pride for the time being, and trail a hand down the length of your bared body as you bat your lashes up at him. “Fuck me, Jay,” you repeat. “Please. Want your cock so bad.”

His answering smile is equal parts amusement and satisfaction, and altogether sinful. “That’s my girl,” he rasps, before shoving your panties aside. Lining the head of his cock up, he enters you in one smooth thrust, and you moan as your walls stretch to accommodate his girth. You’re more than wet enough to take him in his entirety, your eyes fluttering shut when he bottoms out, and he groans hoarsely as he takes a second to relish the feeling of your walls gripping him so tightly.

“Fuck. You’re so wet, princess.” Jay dips a thumb into your slick, spreading it across your clit and rubbing a few experimental circles around the sensitive nub. He groans when you clench around him, his hips stuttering, and you squeeze around him again just to hear him grit out another curse. “Shit. I’m not going to last long at this rate.”

“Don’t care,” you murmur, rocking against him and sighing when the motion sends him a little deeper into your core. “Just fuck me, Jay. Please.”

Jay leans in, a dark lock of hair falling across his forehead as he plants an indulgent kiss on your waiting mouth. “Anything for you, princess,” he breathes. Slowly, he pulls back until only the tip of his cock remains inside you. Then he’s slamming forward, and you can’t even find it in yourself to care about the obscene sound of skin slapping against skin or the way the car rocks. Jay’s thumbing across your clit in tight circles that he times perfectly with the rock of his hips, and you wonder whether the rapidly building pleasure in your belly is due to your dry spell or if he’s just that good. You can feel every inch of him as he fills you up repeatedly, his brows furrowed in concentration and his dark hair flopping as he drives deeper in search of the spot that will have you seeing stars.

You know he’s found it when the pleasure in your belly spikes, your back arching off the backseat. Your skin is sticky against the dark leather and you’re certain the sweat gathering at your temples has destroyed the last of your makeup, but Jay alleviates your concerns with a particularly well-timed thrust and a harsh nip to the soft spot at your clavicle. You keen out something unintelligible, and his lips stretch into a smirk against your skin.

“That’s it,” he encourages. “Cum for me, princess.”

That’s all it takes for the mounting pressure to snap. Your body collapses into a searing orgasm, the pleasure flaring out like a supernova and spreading through your veins like wildfire. “F-fuck, Jay—” you gasp, your fingers scrabbling at his back for purchase and no doubt leaving scratches in their wake. “Fuck, you feel so—”

The remainder of your words trail off into garbled nonsense, and Jay huffs out a strained chuckle as he begins chasing after his own orgasm, rutting against you in a way that both prolongs your pleasure and sustains his own. “Shit,” he groans, his eyes fluttering shut. “Fuck, that’s it. Look at you—taking my cock so well. So pretty and perfect and—”

Whatever he was going to say dissolves into a groan as he gives a few more erratic thrusts before his release overwhelms him. Creamy warmth floods through you, and you rub his back tiredly as his head drops onto your shoulder, his breath flaring hot against your skin as he rides out his orgasm.

It takes several long seconds for the pleasure to recede. Your legs are still shaky when Jay pulls away, straightening up and tucking himself back into his jeans. There’s an empty ache in your core now that you are no longer stuffed full of his cock, and already, you are missing the feeling. Still, you push that aside as you sit up, adjusting your panties and wincing at the wetness that soaks the material and sticks to your skin.

“So,” Jay says after a moment’s silence, and you glance over at him when he huffs out a short chuckle. “That was fun.”

“Not bad at all,” you agree weakly, an irrepressible smile tugging at your lips.

Jay grins. It’s a bright, infectious grin—and it’s one that you’ve already grown rather fond of in the short period of time you’ve known him. It’s a grin that showcases his perfect teeth and crinkles his eyes into crescents, and one that all but forces you to grin back.

“Here, give me your phone,” he says, and you watch as he punches in his number once you hand it over. “Just in case you ever wanna do this again,” he tells you, handing it back. “Don’t be a stranger, princess.”

You glance down at his contact information, saved under the moniker you’d given him and affixed with a short string of emojis. “I won’t,” you tell him, chuckling. “In fact, I just might take you up on the offer.”

-

The screen of your laptop has long since gone dark, and you stretch your arms overhead before waking it again. Rolling your shoulders, you navigate back to the main Netflix menu, hovering over the resume button and watching the trailer loop in the background.

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t think about Jay often. You’ve texted each other quite often since that night in his car—usually when you’re bored and alone and have had a few too many glasses of wine in the evenings. You’ve found yourself tapping on his name instinctively during those odd, ambiguous hours—when late night and early morning meld together and you’re aching for a bit of relief.

And as if he knows you’re thinking about him, your phone buzzes against the coffee table, the screen lighting up with a familiar name.

[11:22pm] Jay 😘🍆💦: thinkin about u, pretty girl 😘

It’s followed by an image, and your heart rate picks up, thudding loudly against your ribs as you open it.

Fuck.

Your memories of Jay’s face—made all the more hazy by the alcohol and the amount of time elapsed since your first and only meeting—truly don’t do him justice. Though the photograph cuts off just above his nose, you can still admire the sharp angle of his jaw and the fullness of his puckered lips. His skin is golden against the white of his t-shirt, and you lick your lips before thumbing across your screen to respond.

[11:23pm] You: yeah? what else are you thinking about, hmm?

His response is instantaneous.

[11:23pm] Jay 😘🍆💦: thinking about that pretty little pussy of yours

[11:23pm] Jay 😘🍆💦: how good it looked in that pic u sent me tuesday 👅

You barely even notice the way your hand begins trailing down your body, pushing aside the elastic waistband of your sweats. It’s as if you’re on autopilot, as your fingers find their way to the damp spot growing on your panties.

Yeah? you write back with your free hand, already teasing at your clothed folds with the other. Tell me more.

///

It’s an uncharacteristically warm Friday morning when you find yourself in the elevator with Jimin, a good friend of yours who works on one of the lower levels of your office building. “Morning,” he says as he steps in, a large iced coffee in hand despite the fact that it’s still very much the middle of winter. Then he squints, leaning a little closer. “Oh my god. You got laid!”

“Oh my god, not so loud!” you hiss, whacking him on the shoulder and jabbing the button to close the elevator doors. “And no, not exactly. I’ve just been texting Jay.”

“Texting, sure.” Jimin mimes air quotes around the word and rolls his eyes. “You’re sexting him, and we all know it. How many pictures of his dick do you have saved on your phone now?”

“Oh my—” You sigh, trailing off. “Can we not talk about this right now?”

“Right, of course.” Jimin takes a sip of his coffee and pretends to check his watch. “When would you like to talk about it then? Do you need to check your calendar? Can I book an appointment for later this afternoon?”

You stick your tongue out at him. “Shut up.”

Jimin just grins, his lips puckered around his straw. “So, how’s Jay? Have you asked for his real name yet?”

You shrug. “What’s the point? It’s not like we’re friends or anything. We’ve literally only met the one time.”

“Yeah, but that’s just because you’re a coward,” Jimin points out. “What’s stopping you from meeting up with him again? You have his number. You have at least one photo of his dick. Ask him out already!”

“It’s not that easy, though,” you sigh. The elevator doors open to let a few more people in, and you move to the side and lower your voice so that only Jimin can hear. “Jay—he’s not exactly boyfriend material. I mean, we fucked in his car the first night we met.”

“So?” Jimin frowns and takes another sip of his iced coffee. “You talk about things besides sex, don’t you? You definitely told him about your goldfish dying, at least. I mean, you told him before you even told me!”

“Yes I did, and he was appropriately sympathetic about Mustache’s passing, unlike some people,” you sniff. “Get over it already, won’t you?”

“Never,” Jimin replies, ignoring your pointed jab. “I’m sure you only told him because you knew you could get a sympathy sext out of it. How many dick pics did you get out of that night, anyway?”

“You’re gross,” you tell him, punching him in the arm. “Not to mention that’s exactly why Jay’s not boyfriend material. He’s perfectly happy with—whatever it is we’re doing. I can’t just ruin that by asking him to get dinner.” You frown, gnawing on your bottom lip. “I don’t want to make this into something that it’s not.”

Jimin hesitates. “Fine, okay. I guess I can understand that.”

“Yeah.”

There’s a pause, as the elevator makes a few more stops. You watch the numbers crawl higher, and know that you’ll soon have to part ways with your friend..

“Hey.” You nudge Jimin with your shoulder, just as the elevator doors close and you begin the ascent to his floor. “Wanna know something interesting?”

Jimin looks up from his phone, where he’s scrolling through Twitter. “Always.”

“My boss’ son is coming to the party tomorrow.”

Jimin’s eyebrows disappear into his ashy blond hair at your revelation. “Kyunghee’s son? Hoseok, or whatever?”

You chuckle. “The one and only. She’s found about a million ways to bring him up in conversation this past week. She thinks we’re a match made in heaven.”

“Wow.” Jimin releases a long breath. “I wonder what he’s like, then.”

You shrug, adjusting the strap of your work tote over your shoulder. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”

///

The morning of the party, you wake up to an empty refrigerator. Half stale cereal and the last dregs of milk from the carton become your breakfast, and you munch on that as you mull over the contents of your closet. You’re still in your pajamas, but you pull out your comfiest jeans and a sweater to change into after you finish eating. Then you turn to your collection of dresses, rifling through them and mentally debating the merits of each material and color.

You could go in one of two directions tonight. On the one hand, this is still a work party, and as such your attire should probably maintain a certain level of decorum. But on the other, you’re meeting Hoseok Jung for the first time tonight. You aren’t necessarily looking to start anything with the man, of course, but you do want to look good. With that in mind, you eventually settle on a deep red number that you pull out of the very back of your closet, made of a silky material that skims your curves and accentuates your best assets. Laying it on the bed, you begin your hunt for a pair of matching shoes. Twenty minutes of searching and another five of agonizing later, you step into the bathroom, intent on showering and getting on with the rest of your day.

Upon exiting the bathroom, you decide that tackling the state of your refrigerator takes top priority over your other weekend errands. Sitting down at the dining table, you take stock of what you have in your pantry, planning out your meals for the upcoming week and making a list of what you need to purchase in order to make them a reality. It’s just after one in the afternoon when you exit your apartment with a completed grocery list and your purse stuffed full of reusable canvas bags. The store is a short walk from where you live, and you decide to put in your earbuds as your feet navigate the familiar route. The temperature is surprisingly mild for winter, and the sun shines bright from its perch in the cloudless blue sky. It’s perfect weather for a walk, and the fresh air clears your mind and eases your heart.

At the grocery store, you forego the stack of baskets and instead grab a shopping cart. Weaving your way up and down the aisles, you check items off the list on your phone one by one. Eventually, you find yourself in the cereal section, grabbing a box of granola before turning to where your favorite cereal normally sits. It isn’t there, and you turn in a full circle, confused, until your gaze finally lands on the familiar box on the top shelf.

Great.

Sighing, you push up to your tiptoes, stretching your arm as far as it can reach. Your fingertips graze the shelf, but you can’t quite get a grip on the box itself. Glancing down, you scan the bottommost shelf and wonder if you can step on it to give yourself a boost.

“Need a hand?”

The voice comes from behind you, and a vague sense of familiarity sparks in your brain. Slowly, you turn around, and your entire body freezes when your gaze slides up to the speaker’s face.

“Jay.” The syllable escapes you in a near whisper. “H-hi.”

“Hey.”

Jay stands before you, looking like sin incarnate in a faded denim jacket, black sweatpants slung low on his hips, and not much else. At his throat, his silver necklace sparkles, the silver J pendant glinting beneath the fluorescent lights of the store, and you’re suddenly beyond grateful that you decided to put on a decent sweater before leaving.

“Here,” he says, stepping forward until he’s close enough that you can smell his cologne—sandalwood tinged with sweet citrus. “Let me help you with that.”

The sudden proximity has your breath hitching in your throat. Your heart thuds erratically against your ribs as he reaches around you, the denim flaps of his jacket gaping in a way that exposes even more of his bare chest. By the time he pulls back with your cereal box in hand, you feel almost faint, belatedly realizing that you’d been holding your breath.

“You wanted this, right?” Jay asks, and you aren’t sure if you’re imagining the innuendo underlying his words or the teasing inflection of the syllables.

“Y-yeah, that’s the one,” you manage, fighting to quell the uneven tempo of your heartbeat as you accept the box. “Thanks.”

“Happy to help,” he replies. Then he leans in, close enough that you can feel his warm breath fanning your cheek as he murmurs his next sentence into your ear. “Anything for you, princess. You know that.”

Heat floods across your cheeks. Your heart skips two full beats before taking off into a sprint, and it’s impossible to ignore the way your core begins to thrum, as if anticipating a repeat of that night you first met all those weeks ago. Almost instinctively, your eyes dart up to the ceiling where the security cameras are, and Jay follows the trajectory of your gaze with a low chuckle and a soft brush of your cheek with the pad of his thumb.

“Sorry, princess. As much as I’d love to get my hands on you, I’m kind of on a time crunch today.”

You can’t stop the wave of disappointment that washes over you, even if you’re in the exact same boat. “Rain check, then?”

“Rain check,” he agrees. Slowly, you reach up to touch the engraved silver pendant resting against his chest, rubbing it between your fingertips before tracing the curve of the J, and he catches your wandering fingers between his and presses a gentle kiss to your knuckles.

“You know how to reach me,” he murmurs with a mischievous wink. His gaze lingers even after he’s released your hand, and you clear your throat awkwardly before turning to deposit your cereal box into your shopping cart.

The two of you go your separate ways then, exchanging goodbyes. You finish the rest of your grocery shopping in a daze, idly going through the motions at checkout and letting muscle memory guide you back home. Your arms are aching by the time you step past the threshold of your apartment, and you heave your shopping bags up onto the kitchen counter with a relieved sigh before returning to the entryway to toe off your shoes. You throw together a sandwich as you unpack your groceries, taking a big bite as you walk back to your bedroom to look at the dress you’ve picked out. Pacing over to the closet, you double-check your shoe choice. Briefly, you debate whether or not to wear flats instead of heels.

There are still a few hours left before you have to start getting ready, so you take the last of your sandwich back to the kitchen and whip up a smoothie to go with it. You scroll through your phone as you eat, browsing through the latest news headlines and scrolling through your social media accounts. Just before six o’clock, as the sun starts setting beyond the horizon and casting long shadows across your living room, you start getting changed. You snap a photo in the mirror once you’re dressed, pulling up Jimin’s name in your phone and sending it to him.

[6:13pm] You: last chance to come tonight

Your phone buzzes with a response almost immediately.

[6:14pm] Jimin: nah. i’d hate to step on hoseok’s toes.

You laugh. Not so fast, you text back. We don’t even know anything about the guy yet. What if he’s boring? Or sexist?

[6:15pm] Jimin: if u think kyunghee raised a sexist you’re seriously deranged

[6:16pm] Jimin: now stop taking selfies and get your ass out the door! you’re gonna be late!!!!

///

Each year, the holiday party tends to be a little over the top, and this year is no exception. The company has bought out the entirety of a restaurant for the evening, and you glance around in amazement at the twinkling lights and lush evergreen boughs decorating the walls and strung up along the ceiling. An assortment of sparkling ornaments hangs from the massive tree in the far corner, interspersed between silver tinsel and more lights. Grabbing a champagne flute off a passing server’s tray, you head farther into the restaurant, skirting around tables draped in creamy linen and greeting your colleagues and friends.

“Is she alone?”

“Figures.”

The voices come from the direction of the open bar, and somehow, you just know that they’re talking about you. Lottie, Hyejin, and Sandra are clustered in the corner with glasses of wine in hand, casting glances around the restaurant and gossiping about anything and everything with a pulse. You’re sorely tempted to grab the nearest pitcher of water off a table and pour it over their heads, but you suppress the urge and instead head over with a saccharine smile. “So lovely to see you, {Name},” Lottie says as you approach.

“I love your dress,” Sandra adds. “Very slimming.”

“Thanks,” you reply, putting on your brightest, fakest smile. “Yours is great too. How are you and your husband enjoying the party so far?”

Sandra’s face sours, and you hide your smirk in your champagne flute. Maybe it’s petty to bring up her rocky relationship, but you’ve been subject to snide comments from Sandra and her friends for years now and it’s become increasingly hard for you to bite your tongue. A few tables away, you spot Sandra’s husband, Rodney, take an enormous gulp of his whiskey and wince as it burns down his throat.

“We’re all having a wonderful time, aren’t we, ladies?” Lottie cuts in when Sandra takes too long to answer. “Hyejin’s date is over there with Rodney, and my boyfriend is fetching himself a drink. You remember Dev, don’t you?”

You nod, even though it’s a lie. “Sure. Say hi to him for me.”

Lottie’s lips curve up into a smile, her head tilting to the side, and you’re suddenly reminded of a snake rearing its head back for the kill. “So, what about you? Have you brought someone tonight, or—?”

“Hi ladies!” Kyunghee materializes at your side, her lips painted a festive red shade to match her dress. She’s wearing the disingenuous smile that she reserves for the resident gossips of your office, and you try not to let your relief show on your face when Lottie’s attention refocuses on your manager.

“So good to see you, Kyunghee,” she simpers. “Have you been here long?”

“Not as long as you,” your manager replies, nodding at the near-empty wineglass in her hand. “I see we’re already making a dent in the wine supply, and you’re falling behind, {Name}. Why don’t we go remedy that, hmm?”

She doesn’t give you a chance to respond, grabbing your arm and leading you away. Kyunghee is surprisingly spry for a woman her age, and you follow after her with some difficulty as she marches through the throngs of conversing people, all the way to the line at the open bar.

“I’d like you to meet someone,” she says, gesturing at the man standing at the end of the line with his back to you. “{Name}, this is my son, Hoseok.”

The man turns around at the sound of his name, a warm, affable smile stretched across his face. “Hi, I’m H—” he begins, but he’s cut off by your sharp intake of breath. His eyes go wide, his smile fading as his mouth falls open, and you’re certain you’re wearing an even more dumbfounded expression. “It’s you,” he says, his voice hoarse.

“Wh-what… how…” You trail off, speechless. The words flounder and die in your throat as your brain struggles to process this development, and you practically feel the way the gears in your head churn to a stuttering halt.

Because this man standing before you, the one that Kyunghee has just introduced as her son, is none other than Jay. He looks completely and utterly devastating in a navy waistcoat and matching slacks, a green tie shaped like a Christmas tree knotted loosely around the white collar of his shirt. His dark hair is parted, his undercut exposed, and you can’t tear your gaze away from the loose strand that has fallen across his forehead.

“H-hi.”

Jay—Hoseok—swallows. “Hi.”

Kyunghee glances between the two of you, her brows furrowing. “I take it you two already know each other?”

Hoseok’s ears begin taking on a scarlet tinge, the color spreading to his cheeks as he struggles to find his vocabulary again. “I—yeah. Yeah, we’ve met.”

“Right. Do I even want to know how?” she asks dubiously, before shaking her head and huffing out a sigh. “No, forget I asked. I don’t want to know. I’ll just leave you two to… catch up.”

Waving goodbye, Kyunghee disappears back into the crowd of partygoers milling around. Hoseok turns back to you, sucking in a deep breath, and you fight the urge to stare down at your toes as his gaze roves across your face.

“I can’t believe this,” he says, breaking the silence that’s fallen between you at last. “My mom’s been talking about you for months, but I never imagined that it’d be you.”

“You’re telling me,” you reply, finally having recovered your voice. “Kyunghee brings you up all the time, but I never thought… I mean, we didn’t even know each other’s names, and now…” You shrug. “Here we both are.”

“It’s a pretty crazy coincidence, huh?”

“Definitely.”

A beat passes, and then two. You’re fully aware that you’re staring, but you don’t dare blink, afraid that he’ll disappear if you close your eyes. Of all the things that you thought might happen tonight, this particular meeting wasn’t even close to making the list. Never would you have thought that the man you only knew as Jay would turn out to be Kyunghee’s son. Never would you have connected Jay to the photographed little boy in yellow suspenders on Kyunghee’s desk, or realized that they were one and the same.

From behind you, someone loudly clears their throat. Another voice calls for you to get a move on, already, and both you and Hoseok belatedly realize that you are still standing in line for the open bar. Hoseok’s eyes go wide again, and you nearly tread on his toes when you both try to move forward. “After you,” he says with a chuckle, gesturing for you to go in front of him, and that’s enough to break the tension. You step ahead of him with a laugh, catching up to the line, and Hoseok doesn’t stray far as he follows your lead.

“So, what are you drinking?” he asks, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “Vodka soda with a twist?”

“Actually, I think I’m going to stick with wine tonight,” you reply, peering at the bottles lined up on the counter. “What about you?”

“Hmm. Jack and coke, I think. Nothing else is really calling my name right now.”

Grabbing your drinks, the two of you begin searching for a place to sit. You spot Kyunghee at a table near the front, and she smiles knowingly and offers you a thumbs-up when she catches your eye. Eventually, you settle on a table near the Christmas tree, the lights glimmering off the glasses and reflecting off your knife as you pick it up to butter a slice of crusty bread from the basket in the center. Hoseok follows your lead, grabbing a piece for himself, and the two of you munch in silence for a few seconds before Hoseok breaks it.

“You know, my mom says you’re the perfect girl for me” he says with a dry little chuckle. “Think she’s right?”

“I don’t know,” you answer. “It’s funny, though—Kyunghee’s been telling me the same thing. She sings your praises all the time.”

Hoseok laughs and scratches the back of his neck. “Oh, jeez, that’s kind of embarrassing. I’m glad she’s saying good things, at least.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” you tell him, grinning. “She’s only shown us one photo album from your childhood.”

His face crumples. “Was it the Disneyland one?”

You nod, fighting back laughter, and watch as Hoseok groans and lets his forehead meet the linen-covered tabletop with a dull thunk.

“I don’t like rollercoasters,” he mumbles into the tablecloth, his voice muffled by the material. “They make me queasy.”

“Even now?” you ask, and he nods.

“Yep.”

The clinking of a fork against a wineglass—amplified and broadcast through an array of invisible speakers built into the restaurant’s walls—interrupts any further conversation. You twist in your seat to watch your company’s leadership give their opening remarks, listening as they congratulate everyone for a great year and wish you a happy holiday season. The servers begin going out with plates of food, and you thank them as they set yours down. Hoseok does the same before raising his glass in your direction, clearing his throat and offering you a crooked little smile.

“Here’s to second meetings.”

“Third, if you count the store earlier,” you correct, and he chuckles and nods in agreement before clinking his drink against yours.

You spend the entirety of dinner chatting with Hoseok, getting to know him beyond the few facts Kyunghee has mentioned and what little you’ve gleaned from texting him the last two months. He tells you all about his dance studio, Hope World, where he teaches both contemporary dance and the occasional Pilates class. You find out that in addition to rollercoasters, he also dislikes sour foods and raisins, but he loves mint chocolate and sweet and sour pork. He also has a very low tolerance for alcohol—something he tells you as he tilts the rest of his drink into his mouth. “Should I be worried?” you ask as he sets his glass back down, and he chuckles and shakes his head, sending the loose tendril of hair flopping across his forehead.

Dessert is served, and subsequently eaten. The music is turned up, and people slowly begin finding their way to the open space that serves as an impromptu dancefloor. Hoseok rises to his feet and extends a hand toward you, and you only hesitate for the briefest of seconds before accepting it. He leads you out amongst the other swaying couples, his hand finding its way to the curve of your waist, and you rest your hand on his shoulder as he begins guiding you in a slow, simple waltz.

“So?” Hoseok’s voice is a low murmur, soft and gentle against the shell of your ear. “What’s the verdict?”

You blink. “The verdict?”

Even without looking, you can tell that he’s smiling. You can hear it in the lilt of his voice, and imagine it in the curve of his lips. “About me,” he clarifies, carefully pulling back so you can spin in a circle beneath his outstretched arm. “About us. My mom will never let me hear the end of it if she turns out to be right, but I still wanna know. So what are you thinking?”

“Are you asking if I think we’re perfect for each other?” you ask, giggling. “I don’t know if I believe in all that, to be quite honest. Destiny and soulmates—I mean, doesn’t it seem a little too good to be true?”

Hoseok hums. “Maybe. But considering all that’s happened to us in the last couple of months, don’t you think there’s a chance that it's all more than simple coincidence?”

“Maybe,” you concede. “Still, I don’t know if I can give you a verdict just yet. We haven’t even gone on a date.”

“We did do things a little backwards,” Hoseok admits, tugging you close and winding his arm around your waist. “Let me make it up to you, then. Are you free tomorrow?”

“What if I am?” you challenge.

“Then, I’d like to take you out for breakfast,” he replies without missing a beat.

The prospect of a proper meal with Hoseok Jung does something funny to your insides. Still, something makes you hesitate, and you avert your gaze as you search for your next words. “I wasn’t expecting to end tonight with a date,” you admit slowly. “I honestly didn’t even think you were interested in… well, anything beyond sex, to be honest.”

Hoseok’s face creases into a frown, and you look up again when he murmurs your name. “I understand why you would think that,” he says. “Really, I do. But honestly? I had every intention of texting you and asking you out properly. I was going to play it cool and wait a few days, which was stupid in retrospect. And then you texted me first.”

“I texted y—” You trail off. “Oh, god.”

“It seemed like you’d been drinking,” Hoseok says with a shrug, and you press a finger to his lips before he can say anything more. You remember the night in question, and you remember the bottle of wine you’d consumed. And you definitely remember the photographs you’d sent of yourself, and the ones Hoseok had been kind enough to send in return.

“Wait, so you were going to ask me out? And then I… I sexted you?”

Hoseok nods, and you groan and bury your face into his chest.

“I can’t believe this,” you mutter, and you feel laughter rumble through his chest before a hand comes up to stroke along your back.

“Believe me, I’m not complaining,” he assures you. “But I’d still really like to take you out, so what do you say?”

His gaze doesn’t leave yours for a second as he awaits your answer, and your heart skips a beat when you look up to see the earnestness in his eyes and the hesitant smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Breakfast sounds wonderful,” you whisper, and the smile that blossoms on your companion’s face is nothing short of radiant.

“Good,” he says. “Great. Breakfast tomorrow, then. Now, can I kiss you?”

You’re already pushing up to your tiptoes, your fingers fisting in the soft hair at his nape. “God, yes.”

///

“Hey, you made it!”

You beam. “Hi.”

You and Hoseok are about to commence your first date, having just sat down at a cozy little café for breakfast. Hoseok has pulled your chair out in true gentlemanly fashion, and you can’t help but smile over your menu at the few lingering snowflakes that have yet to melt into his dark hair.

“So, here we are,” you remark. “Our fourth meeting.”

Hoseok’s lips stretch into his signature grin, breathtakingly bright and infectious. “And hopefully many more.”

You grin at him. “Yeah? Too bad this is breakfast, because I’d drink to that.”

He leans forward, his grin widening. “Next time,” he says as his hand finds its way around yours, his fingers slotting comfortably into the spaces between your own. “We can do dinner, maybe. Or I can cook for you. But for now, I’m just happy that we’re finally doing this.”

You give his hand a soft squeeze. “Me too.”

“Just promise me one thing?”

The sudden seriousness of his tone has your brow furrowing in concern. “Sure, of course,” you reassure. “What is it?”

He winces. “Please don’t tell my mom about all the dick pics.”

[1111jenx]

Do you really think that virgo risings look seductive and foxy 💅

Absolutely 100%!

Not only that I also think they're the most underrated besides Aquarius Rising😭 People really think Mercury children can be plain or look like "aliens"💀 (I have heard SO MANY PEOPLE said this!! maybe its me but i dont see it guys). Let's do Virgo Rising some justice shall we:)

Virgo Rising/ Mercury in aspects to ASC

first thing first, they literally look like dolls. (esp the women omg)Think expressive eyes, pointy/slimmer and long noses and curvy lips ( not necessarily thick but more like the shape ). even people with more melanin can look a bit paler naturally!!

so many people are gonna come for my neck but i'm a simp for mercury people so i'll say it: they look GORGEOUS without makeup. not in a taurus rising way but wayyyy more delicate?!🤣 baby face without makeup though HAHAHA

these natives usually are CRAZY about their own health as they're prone to a lot of random or some distinctive allergy/diseases or nutrition issues and their health are not necessarily the best if not well aspected or there are no other placements to cancel out(6H Aquarius)

smartass. no they really are. as a kid, they probably traveled a lot or had access to a lot of knowledge about the world and different cultures! grow up reading books or knowing a lot of random fun facts🌸 (Sagittarius 4H)

believe in knowledge is power, ALWAYS learning smth new or interesting🖤

poker face. they have this worse than ANY other earth rising. saturn rising looks very "stern" and dry but mercury/virgo rising simply looks so soooo mean💀 yes the rumours are true, these individuals invented resting bitch face. can literally be browsing for tortilla in Walmart and strangers would think they're contemplating on killing someone. (true story)

the funniest thing is after some period of denial most virgo risings are now aware of their RBF and why do i feel like they secretly like it??😃😃

quiet and peaceful aura when they're not talking. HOWEVER the peaceful part may only come out when they know you well. if not most of the time they're just quiet and a bit anxious (mercury effect) will try to cover this up by putting on their RBF again🤣

kindhearted. mom friend of the group. even if they have the most underdeveloped, stereotypically "childish" or "immature" placements, their virgo rising will always take over. my friend whos a sagittarius sun/moon(yes, she's doing okay dont worry💀) but she has virgo as her rising sign!! would always complain on and on and get super mad at us about how annoying we are when we're drunk and passed out on the floor, but would ALWAYS give us water, take off our makeup, (magically) change us into our pajamas( she even color-coordinate them) and would set a timer every 10 minutes to go back and make sure we didn't choke on our own puke💀💀

random waves of sadness when they're by themselves. identity crisis as bad as saturn but not as career centered but rather about literally everything. as a child the environment they grew up in could have lack a lot of structure or had wayyy too much rules they had to follow, they feel as if they always have to stick to a certain way of life to stay sane🥺

not rly the type to say it but they'd rather show you.

observant in terms of people. their understanding of human minds are kinda scary tbh😀💀 could have been sooo into psychology

attentive. you'd be surprised. they remember everything you said to them. the good AND the bad. don't be shocked when they pull up with a yellow piñata just because you told them that one time a million years ago that you wanted one. yes they remember. (cancer 11H)

when they're under the influence they become someone else. pArTy animals. will jump on the table and start showing off moves you didn't know they could pull. "go big or go home" mentality when wasted. (leo 12H)

will regret everything the next morning. will act as if they don't care tho🤣

randomly walk down the memory lane for fun: get embarrassed by thinking of that one time they did something embarrassing.

SO SOOO sensitive and sensible. this is probably true to most earth rising! strangely, virgo rising in particular has the power to see through one's words to predict their "real" emotions and intentions.

knows when you're lying. they can smell the guilt in the air 10 minutes before you start to speak. i don't know how they do this, they just do. will start pressing you for answers if they can tell you're being sketchy

tight circle of my friends > a lot of acquaintances

don't get me wrong. they're extremely sociable when needed, are SO good with their words and the way they carry themselves just scream professional!!! 😆

need a lot of independence to work efficiently. probably somewhere they're not able to hear others and too much random noises. they also tend not to stick to one's outdated routine for too long, constantly looking for methods to improve productivity (6H Aquarius)

will judge you for your mess of a life😀😄but will still love&accept you. way more comfortable with emotions than typical earth rising.

ROUNTINES. the type of people who religiously follow a certain routine. for example another friend i know that has virgo rising takes her shower at 8 and then will maker a glass of tea by 9. I feel like she has been repeating the same rountine, exact to the minute for a couple of years now....

in love with the smell of fresh linens, clean sheets, shiny countertops and windows. they may not always be a clean freak but a lot of them find cleaning to be very relaxing?? it's like an emotional outlet for them😭 watch these individuals starting to dust the shelves and mop the floor when they're having some slight in inconvenience in their life as a way to destress HAHHA

may come from a very religious family too!! could have lived apart from their parents when younger! (Sagittarius 4H)

education FIRST. they understand how important their education is and the weight of what a reputable diploma/degree can do to their professional life. may be very traditional when it comes to education. (taurus 9H)

health conscious people. always learning about cool tips to improve their health. the first to get a supplement after doing an extensive research on the product!!

grammar nazi. there i said it don't even fight me on this 😃😃😃

sexually assertive. look like prudes but will fuck your brain out. they like to be on top. SUPER FREAKY SO DAMN DOMINANT AND DEMANDING IN BED LIKE i'm never taking this back. (aries 8H)

even in dating scenarios, they need some kind of established connection before having casual sex with someone. not that they can't get any, they're just super freakin picky(capricorn 5H)

SEXY WITHOUT TRYING. do you know how those movies about "nerds" taking off their glasses and braces and instantly become attractive? y'all Virgo rising don't even have to do all that🤣 their charm is so unique and elegant. SO GOOD WITH WORDS I REPEAT SO SO GOOD WITH WORDS

i have to stress it again. can someone please explain to me what is it about then thats so seductive?? like i'll beg my friends who have virgo rising to let me include their pictures to show y'all what i mean. their beauty is like Scorpio rising's intimidating nature + Cancer rising's angelic aura 🥺

if placed with even more beneficial placements they'll demonstrate a crazy amount of management skills and administrative abilities.

once developed, they make spectacular writers, singers, content managers, literally anything that relate to communication (gemini 10H)

pretty good w their own finance but spend millions on their loved one and on self care. (Libra 2H)!

a need to always look put together. so if you get to see them looking crusty, they love you.

they tend to have this BIG need to nurture, to take care of people. omg did i mention that they may also have to take care of their siblings when they were little?? parents for sure put a lot of pressure on them.

attracted to people who lean more on the loner side, who are "different" in some way, people they can save, people with pure goodness in them but rather not show it, people who are lost (pisces 7H)

i'm sorry but virgo rising, especially with libra/7H influence yall attract so much drama for what. and like since they're nice and HATE conflic, they wouldn't just lose it on you. they'd document everything you said and done, screenshot every message before converting everything into a pdf and transfer it to a cloud file. cross them again and everything will be send to your employers.🥰 one step ahead of you dear. ( i'm not even jk guys i saw sooo many virgo risings do this remind me never to fw them in the future🤣 )

like most earth rising, they're fiercely protective of their friends:) however, virgo rising literally see their friends as their family (cancer 11H) or the family they never had in some way, they would try to show you love by fixing all of your problems.🥺🥺🥺

realistic. yes the idea of running off with your lover to neverland sounds nice but it won't pay this month's bills.

complex relationship with their siblings, very defensive of them too (scorpio 3H)

their dream is to be rich. why you ask? so they can travel and continue to thrive in knowledge. they're actually so adventurous🕊

i notice virgo risings can pull off darker colours. they can wear a wholeass black outfit but would still look good

they just look so clean😭😭😭😭

their sense of humour is so fucked up. like i thought my gemini mercury was sick until i met a virgo rising💀💀 gosh they'd make fun of you and you'd b like wait what😀 and they say it with a dead serious face too sklsks I CANT- (scorpio 3H)

honourable people. when they did something wrong, they carry the guilt with them forever😭 omg come here babies lemme hug yall

THEY LOVE PEOPLE WHO LIVE LIFE WITH NO REGRETS. they think thats the best mentality. but they highkey dislike people who are disloyal, who have literally no boundaries

oh alsoooo boundaries issue🥰 if you're a hugger they'd be speechless and look physically uncomfortable but dont worry they probably aren't use to it HAHAHAH

I wrote this in 8 hours and have not proofread this yet but I'll post it anyways so my virgo rising bestie can see it and respond to me heheheh🤣 have fun reading this guys! lemme know what yall think!

heres my rising series

love,

saint jenx🥀

[littleoddwriter]

Hi can you write the Sinclair brothers (separate) , the sawyers(separate), Chucky, and billy and stu (together) with a reader who gives themselves a lot of tattoos and piercings

Slashers x GenderNeutral!Reader, who has a lot of piercings and tattoos | Headcanons

Thank you so much for the request! I really hope you enjoy these. :) <3 [If anyone has any requests, feel free to send them my way! But please read this post BEFORE you do, thank you!]

notes; Body Modifications; Tattooing and Piercing oneself and another; Mild Oral Fixation; Touching; Domestic Fluff; Poly-Amorous Relationship.

Characters: Billy Loomis & Stu Macher; Bo, Lester and Vincent Sinclair; Bubba/Leatherface, Chop Top and Nubbins Sawyer; Charles Lee Ray/Chucky (Human).

Billy Loomis & Stu Macher

Frankly, Stu is actually quite a big fan of body modification, he thinks piercings and tattoos are really neat, so he absolutely loves all of yours – and the fact that you do them yourself mesmerises him

He also takes the chance to finally get a tongue piercing, and he is super happy about it when you do it for him

Billy has never cared much about these things, but he can’t deny that your tattoos and piercings piqued his interest when he first saw you – and when he found out that they were all your own creations, he was just as entranced as Stu was

Whenever you went about giving yourself a new piercing, they’d ask to keep you company and watch you do it – you don’t mind and let them; in fact you really enjoy it

Stu really likes to get involved and help you out with whatever he can – sterilising your utensils, giving you a hand whichever way you may need, while Billy just looks on, smiling to himself

Even though you have plenty of ideas for tattoos that you want to put on your skin, you sometimes ask them both for designs – you love them and their minds, and they come up with such wonderful images, symbols, etc. it only feels right to wear something they made on your body for the world to see (or not, depending on where the tattoo is situated after all)

Bo Sinclair

Your body modifications definitely interest him a lot and he thinks they make you look even more beautiful

Loves kissing you all over your body and running his tongue over your piercings and mouthing at them

Traces your tattoos any chance he gets – it soothes him, so he’ll especially do it when he’s angry

Admires that you do them yourself and enjoys observing the process; he also helps you out however he can – he’ll take any excuse to get his hands on you

He’ll let you tattoo his arms and chest with little designs he’s come up with or seen in your folders that he liked

Lester Sinclair

So in love with you and everything about you – he is super impressed with your skills of turning your entire body into art like that

He really enjoys the way the piercings on your lips feel when you kiss, or when he touches you and feels them against his fingers; it’s so exciting to him

Loves all your tattoos and the different meanings behind them, or how they came to be, what inspired which, etc. – listening to you telling him these things makes him really happy and also feel special

Sometimes he’ll scribble or write something down in a stroke of genius and sheepishly hand it to you as he asks if you would like to either tattoo it on yourself, or on him (or both)

Definitely would ask you to pierce his earlobes – he was always fascinated by earrings especially and now he could get them!

Vincent Sinclair

You’re both artists and he really admires the way you use your body as a canvas

He’s very fascinated by the various tattoos and piercings you’ve got and regularly spends hours just looking at them and touching them gently with such deep appreciation in his eye

Would ask you to tattoo a design he’s had on his mind for a while onto his skin

Really likes the way your piercings look, feel and make you look so much more unique compared to every other person he’s ever seen – it’s strangely soothing, because he obviously looks different too, and it makes him feel less ashamed around you

Will always watch you add to your collection of tattoos and piercings – he just enjoys watching someone else make art for once

Bubba Sawyer/Leatherface

In a way, he sees your body modifications as something similar to his masks – they’re art, you make them yourself, and they’re a part of you

Asks you to pierce his ears, because just like Lester, he’s always been so fascinated by earrings and he always wanted to wear them – especially when he chose to wear his more feminine attire

It’s really stimulating to him to feel you up and stroke his fingers over your piercings

Is absolutely mesmerised by your tattoos – they’re so beautiful and your skin isn’t plain like all the other people’s he’s met, it’s just so exciting all around

Enjoys watching you do it; it’s so nice to just sit there and quietly admire you as you work

Chop Top Sawyer

Super excited about your piercings especially – he really likes to get his mouth on them!

Asks you to pierce his tongue, because he likes the way it feels

Loves to make suggestions for designs or where you should pierce yourself next

He does enjoy watching you do it, but he’ll also try to convince you to let him poke into your skin (you may let him do it once after he’s worn you down enough)

Some day he shows his favourite badge to you and asks you to tattoo it on the two of you, as a symbol for your love – it is so strangely romantic and you really love doing it (especially when it doesn’t stay at just one of these matching tattoos)

Nubbins Sawyer

In contrast to Chop Top, he rather traces all your body modifications with his fingers – it’s a very enjoyable sensation to him

He has an almost hungry look in his eyes when he watches you pierce or tattoo yourself and when you ask him if perhaps he’d like you to do something to him he declines – he just enjoys looking

Some of the animal bones he’s found actually become part of your tattoo designs eventually, because they remind you of him and in a way, they just look gorgeous

He certainly admires the art behind it all and loves to hear you talk about all the different inspirations for tattoos you have, or why you pierced certain areas – even if there is no “real reason” behind it, he enjoys the fact that you just do it

Takes a ton of pictures of your tattoos and piercings up close and decorates his room with them

Charles Lee Ray/Chucky

He really enjoys the fact that you do these body modifications all by yourself

Loves to admire your tattoos and piercings all over your body, especially if they are at places that only he is able to see them up close

He likes to be present when you decide to pierce yourself especially, something about it is just so weirdly soothing, yet exciting, to him

Makes sure he gives you some inspiration for new tattoos (sometimes he’ll even see something on his victims that he think you might enjoy and shows it to you)

Would fucking kill you if you ever told anyone about it, but he loves playing with your piercings and just touching them gently, gingerly stroking his fingers over the jewellery and also your tattoos, just outlining their shapes lazily – this goes in hand with his aforementioned admiration

[imkylotrash]

Whatever It Takes

Pairing: Finnick Odair x reader

Request: They’re getting ready to go into the Quarter Quell, and essentially have a super sweet conversation where they confess their love, and are like “damn the revolution I’ll protect you”. Anonymous

A/N It’s been a long time since I read the books so if I accidentally used the wrong word for something please let me know and I’ll correct it 💛

Tagging: @bitchwhytho​ @music-of-melody​

You called it before they even announce it. You knew all the victors would get involved in the Quarter Quell because how else would he get Katniss to be in the arena without letting the public know that it’s purely to kill her? When you hear Finnick’s name get called out, there’s no choice. But was there ever one to begin with?  

“I volunteer as tribute,” you say raising your hand to let them know that you’ll be going into the Quarter Quell and not that poor girl they’ve got on stage. You don’t look at Finnick because you know his face will just mirror back the pain you feel. No matter what the revolution has planned, you highly doubt that both of you gets out alive. The focus will be on Katniss because she’s the one that’s been fuelling the fire while the rest of you can die a martyr and inspire the people then Katniss’ death would squash the tiny flame. It’s not fair but she made everything possible when she took out those berries. 

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Finnick tells you once you’re on the train travelling to the Capitol. 

“There was no way I was going to let you go alone.” Not to mention that innocent girl who got drafted. You’d have been a proper piece of shit had you not volunteered. 

“But you could’ve survived. Don’t you understand that’s all I care about?” 

“Careful, Finnick. Someone might hear your declaration of love and think it means something else.” It’s a warning that the walls have ears and not necessarily just the Capitol’s ears. Although you both want to think only the best of the lovely Coin, you can’t help but feel like it’s too good to be true. And you have no doubt that she’s got as many spies all around as President Snow. 

“I just want you to live,” he says hearing your warning loud and clear. Katniss and to some extent Peeta are untouchable, you are not. He takes your hand without another word. The rest of the train ride you remain quiet, too worried about saying the wrong thing and jeopardising this whole thing. Haymitch is counting on to keep Katniss alive until the rescue mission and your lives can’t matter more than the entire of Panem. Even if you want to say screw that sometimes.

“God, you’ve gotten old,” you smile spotting Haymitch next to the star-crossed lovers. He scoffs but can’t help but laugh. You’ve known each other for quite some time now and learned a long time ago that humour is how you all get through this with at least some level of sanity.

“I see your kindness have only grown over the years,” he mocks before giving you a massive hug. Being a victor and having to mentor the kids every year creates a certain bond between you all but Haymitch has always been one of your favourites. It’s the reason you know you can trust him to do you a favour. 

“We should talk once all the celebrations die down. Catch up on old times,” you smile giving his shoulder a friendly squeeze. He agrees suggesting the rooftop for a gorgeous view. When Finnick sneaks his arm around you, there’s a slight pang of guilt but you force it to the back of your mind. He’s going to survive the Quarter Quell if you can do anything about it. 

“What did you talk about?” he asks quietly and you keep a smile on your face not even looking at him. 

“Just good old days,” you utter hoping Finnick will understand not to ask more questions right now. There are too many people around you to speak freely and, in a minute, you’ll have to get on that carriage and pretend you’re proud to be fighting once again. 

“Katniss, Peeta!” you call out catching their attention just as they’re about to get on their carriage, “nice costumes.” You’re trying to be nice and establish some sort of positive relation between you but all it does is make Katniss stare at you like you’re personally responsible for putting her in the Quarter Quell. 

“I already tried. Tough nut,” Finnick tells you. It makes sense why the revolution needs a face but why they would ever choose someone like Katniss is beyond you. She’s not kind or caring expect when it comes to the people she loves. The future of Panem seems oddly low on her list of priorities but then again when has war ever made sense? And you certainly can’t say you’re morally better than her. 

“Is holding hands a cliché?” You look over to Finnick who’s doing his very best to put on a brave face.

“I think it’s perfect.” You intertwine your fingers with his not letting go until the carriage has driven through those gates at the end where the public can’t see you anymore. And even then, it’s just to get some blood flow back. 

“I just want some sleep,” Finnick says itching to get the costume off and you’re thinking the same thing. You ride up in the elevator with Katniss, Peeta and Joanna which makes for an interesting end to the day. 

“Never a dull moment,” you say before exiting the elevator with Finnick. Joanna laughs loudly while both Katniss and Peeta looks slightly mortified. If she’s trying to win over Katniss, Joanna is doing a poor job. 

“Let’s take a shower,” Finnick suggests now that you’re finally alone and you’re all too happy to comply. In the shower you can finally speak freely with the sound of water drowning out the sound of your voices. 

“I know it’s horrible to say but the revolution doesn’t matter to me if I don’t have you next to me when it’s done.” He slowly lets his hands slide down your arms until they reach your hands. 

“I know,” you whisper feeling the exact same way. The guilt returns tenfold this time but you keep quiet knowing that when he’s sleeping tonight, you’ll be bargaining for his life. 

“I say damn the revolution. I swore to protect to you a long time ago and I’m not breaking that promise now.” He kisses you with a fire that tells you just how badly he wants to keep you safe. Desperation takes over your body as you kiss him back. You wish you could leave now and hide somewhere far away from everything. If it were up to you, you would’ve fled the moment you heard about the Quarter Quell. But it’s difficult leaving behind so many decent people who needs your help and the few moments of hesitation had been enough for the peacekeepers to show up and make sure you didn’t take off. Snow always knew you were a runner. 

“And I say you’re sounding crazy. We can’t change the plan now. There’s nowhere to run.” As much as you’d love to run away and hide with him, you know it’s too late for that now. You wouldn’t make it out of the building. 

“I don’t care if I sound crazy. We can protect each other in the arena, make sure we never part. And when they come get us, we make sure they grab both of us.” It’s cruel really to give hope to him because you know it won’t work but you wish it could be so easy. 

“And then when we’re out, we hide. No more war, no more revolution. Just you and me and a small cottage near the water.” Hope may be cruel but it’s a strong motivator to survive and if anything you need Finnick to survive. You hide your face in the crook of his neck allowing yourself to feel a pang of sadness at the prospect of the future you’ve lost. Your lives ended the day you got drawn for the Hunger Games. 

“And you can finally have enough quiet to paint,” he adds and you don’t have to see his face to see the affection in his eyes. 

“It would be perfect,” you say closing your eyes to picture the cottage and the life you could’ve had with Finnick. The water hides the tears that fall from your eyes and it’s a good thing because you’re not sure you would be able to hold your secret from spilling out if Finnick noticed. 

“I promise I will make it happen. I promise we’ll be alive to spend the rest of our lives together. Whatever it takes,” he says. Instead of answering him, you kiss him again. When the water turns cold, you get out and dry off. You both know that your safety is gone now and they can hear whatever you say so you keep quiet letting your eyes do the talking. You cuddle up in bed where you wait for him to drift off before you head to the roof where Haymitch is waiting. The wind is loud tonight working as a noise diffuser. 

“I want you to save him.” It doesn’t surprise Haymitch but you both know he can’t make any promises. 

“I know Katniss is the main goal and that’s she’s probably made some demand for Peeta. But if there comes a choice between saving Finnick or the rest, you save him. Do you understand?” It’s the least he can do for you after everything you’ve sacrificed for President Coin and the revolution. You could’ve had a life if things had gone differently. 

“And that includes me, Haymitch. Once you’ve gotten Katniss and Peeta out, Finnick is your priority,” you add knowing that if Haymitch could choose, he’d pick you. 

“Finnick will make more sense for the revolution. I won’t be an asset the way he can be.” He knows you’re right. Of course he does but it doesn’t mean he has to like it. 

“I know,” he grumbles. You both know there’s a good chance you won’t make it out of that arena but then again none of you have been safe ever since you became victors. Snow made sure of that. 

“Promise me. I need to hear you say it.” You’re not satisfied until you hear him say those words that will give Finnick a chance to make it. As much as you’d love to believe his plan of getting out of the arena together, you can’t afford to entertain the idea. Even if Finnick isn’t ready to admit it, you both know it’s a fairy tale ending you won’t get. 

“I always thought he was just your way of getting through it, you know. That he offered some sort of relieve.” Maybe at first Finnick was your escape from reality but not now. He’s your world and everything else. 

“He has my heart, Haymitch.” You hug him tightly hoping he knows how much his friendship has meant to you over the years of being a mentor.

“Take care,” he says before you spin around hurrying back. Finnick doesn’t wake up until you crawl back to bed but a quick excuse about the bathroom satisfies his curiosity. 

“I love you,” you whisper looking over at the man who’s given you so much more than you’ll ever be able to explain. 

“I love you more.” 

[crimefightingspiderguy]

My final thoughts on WandaVision (so it goes without saying if you haven’t finished it, don’t look past Vision)

What I liked:

• I loved the sitcom concept, super cool. And finding out why she hung onto sitcoms for comfort was just *chefs kiss* pay off wise.

• I loved how it started out as a slow build up (but I do think it would’ve worked better to have longer episodes to make things fit better and not feel as rushed towards the end)

• I loved Darcy, Monica and Jimmy’s trio. They were so fantastic together and the actors all did great.

• On the note of Monica, IM SO EXCITED TO HAVE A WOMAN OF COLOR SUPERHERO (especially since she’ll eventually be a main character not just a “sidekick”) 🥳

• I LOVED Pietro/Fietro/Ralph/Uncle P (whoever the hell he actually was). I obviously have some dislikes about the last episode, but we’ll get to that later. I loved how fun Evan Peters was. He really did a fantastic job even though no one knew what was going on with his character, he ate that shit up and left no crumbs.

• Wanda and Visions love story is so much better now that we got to build up to it rather than us just jumping into it (how I felt in Infinity War)

• SCARLET WITCH BOUT TO MAKE ME ACT UP. HOLY JIMMINE CRICKETS WAS SHE LOOKING GORGEOUS AND POWERFUL IN THAT LAST EPISODE

• Billy and Tommy are some of the sweetest children I think I’ve ever seen in a movie/show world and I love them with all my heart and soul and I really hope they do return.

• ITS BEEN AGATHA ALL ALONG 💃🏻🕺🏽💃🏻🕺🏽💃🏻

• “what is grief if not love persevering”

• “we’ve said goodbye before so it stands to reason... we’ll say hello again” IM CRYING JUST THINKING ABOUT IT.

• Wanda tucked in Billy and Tommy so they’d be asleep before they were sucked away with the hex 😭😭😭

• “thank you for choosing me to be your mom” 😭

• That second end credit scene with Scarlet Witch astral projecting was so trippy (I love it) and the boys calling to her broke my dang heart.

• overall the special effects looked really cool

• omg Elizabeth Olsen breaking her back to create the hex was 10/10 she’s so dedicated to the motions/physical acting of it all. Also all her crying scenes, it all felt very real and it really made me sob whenever she was hurting.

Things I didn’t like:

• Episode length. I understand they wanted it to go with the length of a normal sitcom, but it doesn’t work when you’re flashing back and forth between the sitcom and the real world. The time got messy towards the end and things felt rushed like the Vision vs. White Vision battle was just boring because it had no climatic energy to it.

• Too many loose ends/wasn’t clear enough. By that I mean, who was Jimmy’s missing person that led to him learning about the hex? (I’m hoping it was Evan Peters’ character, but more on that later). What happened to White Vision? Does Wanda have Agatha’s power now or did she just make it so she couldn’t use them?

• Ralph Bohner? Really Disney/Marvel? Really? You’re telling me you got Evan fricking Peters just so you could stunt cast and fuck with the audience and end it with a dick joke? Not cool.

• Why no Darcy in the last episode other than 2 seconds :(

• Hayward... Thats it. I just really hate him.

• some of the script/lines were a little questionable... like idk a lot of Agatha’s lines once she was revealed as the villain just were lack luster after her amazing intro and they were sort of tacky.

• I didn’t like how they hyped up certain things just for them to not really be significant (like Monica saying she knew a space engineer who could get her in and it was all mysterious, then not even ending up needing the truck they built or the character not really having much of a “wow” show up)

• I’m back to the Evan Peters thing. Why would they hype up his character’s mystery identity for him to just be a random dude named Ralph Bohner??? That’s such terrible writing (obviously I’m not an expert writer, but I actually did internship at a magazine where I had to read submitted stories and judge them and see if they were worthy of publication. And my minor in college was writing. So I do know a little about story telling, and something is off about the way they did this.). It’s either the fact that it’s just plain bad writing, or it’s a misdirect. I want to believe that Marvel knows how much people would enjoy EP in this show and would eventually expect more from him in the MCU. Now obviously, this is Wanda’s show and she decides what makes it on and what doesn’t, so maybe Ralph is the missing person Jimmy was looking for, but Wanda doesn’t know that, nor would she want it on her show. Maybe he really is Quicksilver but they put him in the Witness Protection Program when he came over from another universe? Or maybe he really is just a nobody who Agatha lived with because his house was conveniently close to Wanda’s. Or maybe he is someone of significance because who just has a random headshot lying around with their proof of ownership of their house and other paperwork and then laughs at their name Bohner even though if they’d had that name their whole life they’d be sick of the dick jokes?? Maybe they left it vague enough so they could gauge audience reaction to EP, if it was good they could come back to it in a mutants movie/show (or maybe even Doctor Strange 2 or Spider-Man 3) or if it was bad, just leave it at he’s a random person who already lived in Westview. Idk all I know is if they don’t end up bringing him back I’m definitely gonna be significantly less interested in any morphing of the XMen and mutants into the MCU.

Lastly, I just wanna say the actors and actresses all did fantastic (especially Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany). They all play such complex roles this time around and it really showed how passionate they were about this project. I loved them all so much and they truly brought this show to life (yes it has flaws, but it was their first attempt at a MCU timeline show, and the actors did what they could with what they were given so none of my criticism go towards them). I really enjoyed this overall (and I’m genuinely sad to see it ending) and I’m looking forward to seeing Wanda being a bad mamma-jamma in Doctor Strange 2.

[orionshounds]

I’ve been knee deep in dsmp lore streams and I just want to ramble about it

Dream smp lore is so good, it’s so good!!! Not only is the story itself just fascinating, but how it’s presented so uniquely through the medium of minecraft of all things is just so cool. One of my favorite parts of the lore is seeing how everyone on the smp has their own “style” they present it in, and watching them find the way they find the most enjoyment in is so cool. Literally no two streamer’s lore stream quite like each others and it’s just incredible! It just speaks to the flexibility of roleplay as an artistic medium and really shows everyone’s individual personalities. 

Wilbur was dramatic as hell and wrote eloquent speeches. He started a drug operation under the guise as a country, and it lead to a revolution in which he was able to explore the spiral of a man who loses control of everything he had built. And after his arc and he wanted a break from the server? He created ghostbur, an amnesic comic relief with just enough touch of tragedy that he is still able to make heartbreaking monologues when he wants to.

Tommy is able to run around with his friends and cause as much chaos to his heart’s extent, but there is so much more than meets the eye. He is incredibly social and isn’t afraid to start conflict with a lot of people, bringing them into the roleplay. He doesn’t back down from storytelling either. His character goes through terrible situations and he fully explores the trauma that comes from those experiences. His character goes against the “stereotypical” trauma I see alot in media; instead of being shy or scared he’s reactionary, he’s angry, he’s violent, he’s depressed. I’m actually really impressed with the heavy subject matter this 17 year old teen has managed to portray (I’ve connected with it quite personally at certain points), while still being able to keep the light hearted fun that’s so intrinsic to his personality. 

Tubbo isn’t really interested in serious lore as much. Even in dire moments he tells jokes and just has fun. So, in his recent lore, he just streams as normal while putting mysterious writing on screen that he doesn’t acknowledge or have to explain, which I think is just a genius work around for him to participate in lore. He still has his dedicated lore streams sometimes, and when he is in the acting zone he has some of the most powerful moments out of everyone on the server.

Ranboo, while having stake in the greater smp lore, is much more character focused. He presents his lore through long monologues and fucking heart-wrenching voice acting. He loves working in themes of horror and causing a specific feeling in the viewer. So he chooses specific music as a themes for events/characters and creates visual queues in his overlays to draw out that desired reaction. He also values improve a LOT, if something unexpected comes up he just runs with it and he has made huge changes to his lore as early as 30 min before a stream.

Technoblade, while arguably one of the most powerful people on the server, prefers a more light-hearted yet dramatic approach to lore. When Dream was at his house looking for Tommy, Techno had no problem joking around and making fun of him for being homeless. He tore down an entire nation on the server and had so much fun doing it! He’s more of an antagonist than a true villain in my opinion. And lets not forget how dedicated he is to the game, he’s cracked at the craft. He spends hours grinding and creating farms on the smp, for amazing pay offs (his several vault reveals, the withers, etc), most of which weren’t even on stream!

Karl Jacobs is extremely social, so he created Tales from the smp as a way to involve TONS of people in lore while exploring the past and future of the server (it was also a way for viewers who weren’t that well versed in dsmp lore to join and not have to worry about it!). And through this premise, he took the opportunity to develop his own character on the smp; making an incredibly tragic story of a time traveler trying to save his home while slowly loosing his memories. Not to mention the beautifully shot cutscenes of the Inbetween and the Other Side. He includes so many people behind the scenes as well, collabing with other members on lore, hiring building teams and people to make intros and credit scenes, and promoting fanart and fansongs from the community!

Quackity explores his lore through heavily scripted events and amazingly shot cut scenes. While the way he expresses his lore comes at the cost of improv, the payoff of the visuals and story is well worth it! The shots he makes of the smp is downright gorgeous, no to mention he’s the first person to include irl footage in his lore (not counting facecams)! He’s not afraid of thoroughly examining his own character, being one of the only people I can think of that shows us “past events” leading up to something that has already happened.

Badboyhalo, Antfrost, Ponk, Skeppy, Captain Puffy, Punz, Awesamdude, Hannahxxrose all work together on shared lore and the payoff is amazing! By introducing the Egg, a constant antagonistic force that constantly pulls on character’s relationships with each other, everyone is able to stream together to battle for or against the egg! There’s also plenty of room for people to do individual lore that's more intimate to their respective character. They spend hours changing vines, putting up posters, slowly shaping the smp in a way that makes it exciting to watch streams to see just what has changed everyday. Because there’s so many people necessary to tell the egg’s story, it does comes at the cost of time (the egg has been around FOREVER). However, they all work together super hard and I just admire their commitment to the story they’re trying to tell!

And Sam! He has several different “Modes” his character is in (and an entirely separate character, Sam Nook) that he gets to explore lore with. He’s a terrifying warden, he’s a money motivated businessman, he’s a conflicted lover, he’s a traumatized victim of the egg, and just so much more. Through having so many different “roles” in the rp he gets to explore relationships and plotlines with a whole array of people. Not to mention he’s absolutely cracked at redstone and has some of the most impressive builds on the server.

And Puffy! So much of her lore is calling into question the morality of the server and really makes you step back and think critically about the characters. Her character also has, in my opinion, one of the most interesting relationships with Dream, the main antagonist of the entire server, which is just fascinating to watch unfold. Not to mention she’s one of the first people to start exploring the backstory of her character!

George doesn’t exactly do lore. In fact he’s slept through so much of it it’s become a meme. And you know what? That mad man took that and ran with it. He explains his absence in the story by having his character literally being asleep through it, creating mystery where there used to just be an absence. He’s able to goof off with his friends and have borderline nonsensical streams, then at the end sucker punch the audience emotionally by “waking up” and have the viewers question just what was real and what wasn’t?

The smp has the freedom for people who want more independent lore to be able to explore their character’s that way as well!

Hbomb, Connereatspants, and Purpled don’t have a lot of lore on the smp, generally only coming on to have fun with everyone, but when they do have their moments it unfolds in very interesting ways!

Sapnap, Eret, and Schlatt maybe aren’t as active as some other people, but when they are on they actively participate in lore and have lasting impacts on the story (Ex: Eret’s betrayal, Sapnap’s visit to dream in the prison, Schlatt becoming president).

Philza mostly does his own thing, improving the server or making some bomb ass builds. He has incredibly devastating roles in lore (killing wilbur, blowing up L’manberg for the final time, starting the syndicate with Techno), but he also has quieter moments that speak to the depth his character has, such as fishing with fundy or reminiscing about his dead son and how it went so wrong. Like Techno, he doesn’t like to take lore completely seriously, often laughing no matter what’s happening or teasing chat after something big goes down, but his character is solid with a lot of potential for future lore.

Foolish has only started on his character and its already super interesting. The hints at his dark past as a “god of death” and his current conflict with the egg are intriguing as fuck. Not to mention the MASSIVE builds he does for everyone, helping to progress their lore as well.

Fundy has a lot of freedom with his character to participate however much he wants in lore. While generally he’s a trickster who loves to prank people he has enough tragedy build into his backstory he’s able to break the viewer’s heart with a flip of a switch. Not to mention his recent, almost surreal, stream that explored his character’s disturbing dreams that may or may not predict the future.

Niki is very character driven, exploring her character's grief of losing her best friend and her anger of being ignored in the very country she helped create. She has incredibly emotional moments, and even though she’s on her own building an underground city she still participates in other lore via teaming with jack manifold or the syndicate.

Jack Manifold’s lore is VERY character focused, and while he’s described his story as a “B plot that occasionally intersects with the main plot”, the story he tells is still fascinating. Being pushed aside not taken seriously his whole life, his character develops into a fun cartoony-esque villain who begs to be taken seriously, that has the depth of a truly conflicted person who is torn between wanting revenge on everyone who’s done him wrong and just wanting a friend.

Last but not least, the man himself, Dream. The most fascinating thing about his lore is that absolutely none of it is from his pov. All we know about his character is only from what we see from everyone else’s povs, and in his case it leads to a very intimidating villain! Not to mention, mans owns the damn server and yet has made himself the main antagonist! He is the only character I consider a “true villain” on the smp. His voice acting and writing is downright sinister. I could write a fucking essay on how his character’s obsession with power has led him to the point he thinks himself an unstoppable god

Everyone on this server is stunning and I love all of them!!!!!

[teeth-and-tea]

Anime I've Binged: August 2021

I've been crafting a lot recently because I wanna get my yarn work done before it gets cold so LOTS OF ANIME lmao let's gooooo

The Case Study of Vanitas: On god, this anime is gorgeous. Still being upload as it's a new seasonal, but it's a Yen Press distributed work by the same mangaka of Pandora Hearts and Crimson Shell so it's STYLISTICALLY GORGEOUS. The story is interesting and feels new but familiar enough to have guess, people who like men AND women will have something for them, and Noè is my baby boy, my heart, my lovely little lamb, the sweetest green bean on the planet <3. Can't wait for the (eventual, as told on the first episode) death of Vanitas by Noè's hands that will crush me <3. 9/10.

Oddtaxi: I was NOT EXPECTING this anime to be THAT GOOD. Oddakawa is the MVP. You think you're getting a slice of life anime with some furry elements and instead you get Paranoia Agent meets Yakuza and went to school with Beastars. Genuinely one of the best anime of the coming decade. The last 30 seconds of the last episode legitimately left me screaming and my brother had to ask me what was wrong. 11/10.

The Slime Diaries: The offshoot for That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime full of shorts while the second half of the second season was put on hiatus due to covid. Cute, bubbly, but the drawing styles for everyone was a little too off for me to entirely enjoy. However, the extra background and time they gave to all the characters really fleshed them out and gave them more depth so you have more to care about when you're watching the main series again. Not bad, pretty cute, but you won't understand unless you've watched all the way up to the middle of the Second Season. 8.5/10.

The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist: Another Light Novel Slice of Life Isekai given life, I've seen better but this one isn't bad by any means. It gives you exactly what it says on the tin, with NO annoying fan service or gross (bad) harem dynamics. Pretty cute tbh. 8/10.

Mob Psycho 100 S1: The animation is INCREDIBLE. OH MY GOD. Story was solid, depictions of original characters was GREAT and Mob is my beautiful little boy I want to wrap up in a blanket and put to sleep <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 Reigen is a sweaty, sweaty gross goblin I found outside the Denny's dumpster at midnight and decided "ahh, yes, a man who is perfect to destroy and objectify all at once." 11/10.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S1, S2, and Shorts: I'm gonna be real, I'm a mad lesbian who knew I was gonna be disappointed by what I wanted but knew I wasn't gonna get it. STILL super cute tho. Lucoa and Shota gave me HARD SIDE EYE VIBES THO. Tits. Tits for days. Not my favorite but I've seen worse. 7.5/10.

How to Keep a Mummy: SO CUTE genuinely went online to see if I could buy a plushie before remembering I have crafting power and twelve dollars. Slice of Life featuring an adorable cast of high schoolers and their supernatural pets. 8.5/10. I couldn't stop being delighted by how CUTE everything was <3

Elegant Yokai Apartment Life: A Slice of Life Turned Plot-ish about if Tohru from Fruits Basket was a guy and shoved in an entire apartment complex full of supernatural beings, with less explicit romantic plotlines. It's not bad but the plot is all over the place and nonsensical in the the "why did the writer think this was a good idea" way and not the "lol" way. It was a Light Novel turned published piece tho so that clears up a lot of things. Incredibly small internet presence so if you want the world's tiniest fandom, try here. 8/10.

Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average In the Next Life?!: Another in the long line up of isekais and light novels that have gained an audience, this is honestly one of my favorite of the Isekais I've watched so far. It's fun, humorous, and it's got the decent premise of "oh yeah, I'm average in all my abilities! ... If you compare them from the tiniest bug to the strongest dragon alive." It's busty jokes and certain dried up cliches are abound tho, so some of the humor falls flat. That being said: the magic is run on nanomachines. That alone gives it enough premise for me to watch it. I watched the dub which I'll admit isn't amazing, but worked for me. 8.5/10

Restaurant to Another World: Another Light Novel adaptation but this one was a much earlier one that was published a few years ago, it's so calm that I like watching it to fall asleep to. That being said, don't watch this while hungry! Or watch it while eating leftovers! Because THE FOOD LOOKS SO GOOD I WANT IT D: Lol but serious it's pretty cute, really normal, there's no plot, I almost hesitate to call this anything other than a fantasy slice of life show instead of just a series of shorts strung together to make a show. I want to eat at Restaurant Nekoya TTuTT 8/10

DISHONORABLE MENTIONS:

How NOT To Summon a Demon Lord: I got 6 episodes in before I straight up could NOT take the fan service anymore. Literally, I watched 5 1/2 episodes, paused about 4 months, gave it one last shot and watched the 6th episode, and then called it quits. It's SO GROSS IT MAKES ME NAUSEOUS. Not in a gorey way (which is preferable tbh) but in "all these hyper-sexualized, assaulted, groomed, fan serviced girls are underage or are lolis" way. Ew. Gross. I refuse. I made myself watch PRISON SCHOOL but smth about this show just... made itself unwatchable. Maybe how it's still trying to make the MC seem like a normal dude and in Prison School they were literally all written to be unlikable and everyone knew it was fucked up. Here, it's like... portrayed as normal and positive? I just can't do it fam, I hate this show so goddamn much. I'm going to bed.