#if being humble was a contest

[signed-sapphire]

Here to say, I Love you Asha! This Kusco-ish, in denail, spoil princess is amazing! Love her! 10/10 of writing!

The most humble princess out there

“I don’t know who this Kusco is, but if they’re anything like me, then he’s obviously perfect as well. But denial? Darling, please. I’m not in denial about anything. And spoiled? That’s just a term jealous peasants use. However, as the gracious princess I am, I will overlook this because you love me, which means you have a brain. Unlike most of the roses here...”

[pochapal-pokespe]

platinum berlitz discovering the plague of generational wealth and nepotism that haunts the sinnoh region's institutions in real time.

[catboy-jupiter]

thinking abt it, the part im the least confident in regarding all my stories is always the title. now im worrying that the generic title i chose for the scene i wrote for that contest might be the deciding factor on whether it gets chosen or not..... ughhhhh i rlly hope not

[beatmyfeet]

1. The submissive man must always respect and honor the dominant woman.

2. He must obey all instructions given by the dominant woman without retort.

3. He must always speak respectfully to the dominant woman and use appropriate titles.

4. He must always ask for permission before undertaking actions that might affect the dominant woman.

5. The submissive man must never contest the judgment or decision of the dominant woman.

6. He must always be available to satisfy the needs of the dominant woman, whether emotionally, physically, or in other ways.

7. He must accept punishment if the dominant woman deems he has broken a rule or behaved inappropriately.

8. He must always ensure the safety, comfort, and well-being of the dominant woman.

9. He must always maintain a humble and respectful attitude towards the dominant woman.

10. He must respect pre-established boundaries and report any situation that exceeds them.

11. The submissive man must not touch the dominant woman without her explicit permission.

12. He must maintain good personal hygiene for the comfort of the dominant woman.

13. He must always thank the dominant woman for her attention and corrections.

14. He must take part in all household chores designated by the dominant woman.

15. The submissive man must accept to wear the clothes or accessories that the dominant woman designates.

16. He must keep his place, never sit or put himself at the same level as the dominant woman without her permission.

17. He must always be honest and open with the dominant woman, never hiding his feelings or concerns.

18. The submissive man should strive to learn and understand the preferences of the dominant woman to better serve her.

19. He must always respect the confidentiality of the relationship and never share private details without the consent of the dominant woman.

20. The submissive man must acknowledge that the dominant woman has the right to end the relationship at any time if she deems it necessary.

21. The submissive man must always prioritize the needs and desires of the dominant woman.

22. He must never interrupt the dominant woman unless explicitly asked to speak.

33. He should always present himself in a manner that pleases the dominant woman.

44. He must take responsibility for his mistakes and seek to make amends under the guidance of the dominant woman.

25. He should always strive to anticipate the needs of the dominant woman without being told.

26. He must be patient and never rush the dominant woman in any situation.

27. The submissive man must not make decisions that affect the dominant woman without her explicit consent.

28. He must keep a journal of his thoughts and feelings to share with the dominant woman if she desires.

29. He should always exhibit gratitude towards the dominant woman for her guidance and control.

30. He must never engage in any form of disrespectful or negative behavior towards the dominant woman.

31. The submissive man must not engage in any sexual activities without the explicit consent of the dominant woman.

32. He should always strive to improve himself under the guidance of the dominant woman.

33. He must not show jealousy or possessiveness towards the dominant woman.

34. He should respect all of the dominant woman's personal space and belongings.

35. The submissive man must adhere to a daily routine or schedule set by the dominant woman.

36. He should participate in regular self-reflection and report his progress to the dominant woman.

37. He must not argue with the dominant woman or question her authority.

38.. He should take care of his physical and mental health to serve the dominant woman effectively.

39. He must acknowledge and respect the dominant woman's right to engage with others as she sees fit.

40. The submissive man should always remember his position and role within the relationship, reaffirming his submission to the dominant woman.

[littledeadling]

You probably know by now that I’m quite taken with my DND character, Horatio. In this post I’m going to explain him (with pictures!!) so you can enjoy him too, and follow along with his story if you want!

~~~~

Let’s start with the man himself:

~Horatio Ignatius Heronwillow III~

Horatio is a human paladin knight following the Oath of Glory. Also, he’s a pompous bitch with an ego the size of a small country.

Horatio’s character arc is all about getting humbled over and over again. Maybe he’s not the best. He’s not even second best. Maybe he’s even…pathetic. Despite all his training? His many successful battles? His prestige? What does any of that matter if his Queen doesn’t trust him to be her champion? If the Queen doesn’t even like him?

Horatio is from the nation of Thrane. He introduces himself as “the gilded knight of Fort Light, first at her majesty’s royal table.” He’s an ardent follower of the Queen, even though she’s merely a figurehead—the Church of the Silver Flame holds all the power. He is considered weird for this. His family are all noble elitists, and their support for him is conditional. Even though he’s become such a high-ranking knight, he’s never good enough.

But we can’t truly discuss Horatio until we meet his nemesis/rival/best friend/worst enemy (who he’s totally obsessed with, and who happens to be a centaur). His name is Elethar Sigrún.

Elethar came to the castle when they were both young (for ~unknown reasons~), and they trained to be knights alongside each other. Despite being the only centaur in the kingdom and not of royal birth, Elethar immediately usurped Horatio as the Queen’s most promising young knight, thus beginning a lifelong rivalry.

Does Horatio have feelings for Elethar? Not that he’s aware of. This is because he is stupid. Does Elethar feel anything for Horatio (besides pity and disdain)? Unclear!

~The Dragonshard Derby~

Now that we’ve met our hero, lets turn to the story!

The players are all entrants in The Dragonshard Derby: a mounted cross-continent race hosted by a rich and famous duke. To the winner goes the spoils: a great dragon’s hoard, and glory for their chosen nation. Obviously, Horatio is racing for Thrane. One hundred contestants are participating, riding everything from regular horses to owlbears to dinosaurs (dinosaurs are normal in Eberron 😳).

Horatio’s mount is a golden Akhal-Teke horse named Marvellous Moondance. She’s the light of his life. Despite his competitive nature, he would never push her past her limits. He puts her safety above all else.

Much to his chagrin, Elethar is also running in the race. Apparently the Queen had a special, secret mission for him, which she didn’t tell Horatio about. He persuades Elethar to confide: there’s an artefact rumoured to be among the dragon’s hoard that the Queen desires. Neither of them are sure what it is. Horatio promises that if he encounters it, he will give it to Elethar.

~The World of Eberron~

The campaign is set in a world called Eberron. The road is dangerous! We’ll be journeying though many different terrains, including the Mournland, a desolate wasteland which was once a great nation. Less than five years ago, during the war, a white fog filled the nation of Cyre from border to border and killed everyone inside. The cause of this was unknown, but it led to a tenuous end to the fighting. Horatio and Elethar were both on the front lines when it happened. They witnessed people across the border dying in agony. Horatio still has nightmares.

The Dragonshard Derby is the first time since then that the other nations have come together to put the past behind them in friendly sport. Evaluators will be watching from airships to make sure there's no foul play, though their vision is limited whenever racers are passing through the woods. Any teleportation is strictly prohibited.

~The Race So Far~

Each leg of the race begins with a sprint. In the first sprint, Horatio finished first in his section, but 11th overall. Elethar placed actually first, and gave Horatio polite congratulations once the scores had been posted. Horatio was pissed. This was supposed to be his chance to prove himself to the Queen! Why did Elethar have to be here and show him up? He ruins everything! And he’s so effortless about it, too. He never loses his composure, ever. Horatio wishes he could be like that.

During the first leg (a multi-day ride through the forest and plains), two riders were murdered under mysterious circumstances. Both had placed within the top ten. Their belongings had been trashed, searched through. As frustrated as Horatio was with Elethar’s presence, he’s now more just worried for his well-being. After all, Elethar is racing alone.

Then, when Horatio’s party was still a day’s ride away from the second sprint, something strange happened.

While fighting off a band of raiders, the world suddenly froze for Horatio. A strange light appeared in the sky, drawing him towards it. The moment he touched it, he felt something write itself into the skin of his arm. A mysterious lantern appeared in his bag, glowing with ethereal purple light. It would later become clear that the lantern will always appear back in Horatio’s bag, no matter where he leaves it. And, he discovered, he now has access to new magics that he was previously incapable of. This was all VERY ALARMING.

Anyway, back to Horatio’s arm. Something important in Eberron is the concept of dragonmarks. There are twelve great Dragonmarked Houses (basically powerful mob families) which each share a unique dragonmark- a sigil that appears somewhere on the body at puberty and grants powerful magic. There are also aberrant dragonmarks, which is when a combination of two other sigils appears on someone not from a Dragonmarked House (usually when there have been mixed relations between Houses). There’s a lot of political baggage attached. And Horatio suddenly has one, at the ripe age of 35. To make matters worse, it’s not a normal dragonmark OR a known aberrant, but something entirely new.

He chose not to tell his party anything about this.

Then, it was time for the sprint to the next checkpoint. Horatio started strong, but again, Elethar swept in and beat him right at the finish line. He congratulated Horatio on the race. Embarrassing him further, Elethar presented Horatio with this letter he had just received from the queen:

Sir Elethar Sigrún, First Knight to Queen Diani ir’Wynarn My earnest congratulations on placing first on the primary leg of this great race. I would expect nothing less of my finest knight. Of course, you are missed at the castle, but I am honoured by the diligence with which you have chosen to pursue the purpose I have set out for you. I am sure that you will earn the respect of the kingdom, should you succeed, and I am pleased to hear of your success so far. It will be essential that you continue to maintain this position, else my favour lies elsewhere. Loyal Elethar, I wish you great fortune, and may the blessing of the Silver Flame be upon you. Her Majesty, Queen Diani ir’Wynarn PS. Please tell Sir Heronwillow I am being informed of his standing in the race as well.

…Crushing.

He’d been considering telling Elethar of his troubles, but after that he was too upset to broach the subject.

Now that they’ve made it to the checkpoint, there are official tents with beds for everyone (with sleeping arrangements decided by race standing), a small market, and a mess hall with dinner provided.

During the meal, a friendly fellow racer named Ash attempted to flirt with one of Horatio’s party members, offering him a strange glowing flower he’d found nearby. Horatio immediately recognized it as being similar to his lantern. When his teammate turned down the flower, Horatio asked if he could have it. Ash took this the wrong way. He let Horatio know he was really, super not his type, and would not be giving him the flower. Double ouch.

That night (in the dead of it), a pack of wild raptors invaded the tents where the racers were sleeping. The party managed to kill them before they hurt anyone, but Horatio detected that the animals were all under an enchantment. Their real purpose had been to attempt to steal the flower and take it... somewhere. To someone. Was this what the killers from the first leg had been seeking? None of it bodes very well for Horatio!

The next evening, Horatio dragged Elethar to the edge of the camp where they could not be overheard, and nervously confided in him. The dragonmark, the lantern—everything. He was a bundle of nerves, but… It went well! Elethar was very alarmed, and told Horatio not to let ANYONE else find out. Not even the Queen. Especially not the Queen. Horatio was equal parts thrilled by Elethar’s willingness to share a secret with him, and terrified to keep anything hidden from the woman who basically controls his life. I drew a comic about this conversation. It was too good of a scene not to draw. 🫣)

Well, that’s where we left off last session! Thanks so much for reading, and meeting my guy! I love him and I hope you like him too! 💖

Stay tuned for a little intro post about the rest of the party! :•) I’ll link that here as well!

To be continued! (Probably in a month or so)

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

[ilovejoostklein]

hii, a little request. could we get sum eurovision singer!reader with joost?? maybe after their endless flirting they end up having a one night stand in their hotel room😵‍💫 and after eurovision ends reader is caught by some fans attending joost’s concert in vancouver or they are seen attending a club together and being all cozy😫 sorry if it’s to much, feel free to decline🫶🏻

i got you! 💙

-

Little Stars

You’re Joost’s favorite girl at Eurovision

nsfw: smut, some fluff

-

The entire competition served more as an ego boost than as a popularity boost to your career. You were always an extrovert. As a child, you always got the same cliché comments that you’d either be a great lawyer or a performer, and you decided to choose the option that wouldn’t cause you to have a lifetime of boredom. It certainly helped that your parents stuck you in every extracurricular activity, dance, gymnastics, volleyball, to have an outlet for your energy and love for being the center of attention.

You’d discovered your singing talents from your father, who was an amateur singer. On weekend mornings, when the morning dew would still be on the plants, pale golden sunlight illuminating the streets of your city you’d rush down the stairs to join him when you heard the gentle strumming of his guitar with the song of the morning birds. 

You two would sing a song together, the neighbors always taking a moment to listen from the windows or their doorsteps, people walking by smiling at you or taking a moment to talk. Your parents were adamant that you were born to be on stage, your family and neighbors nicknamed you their little star. 

You first gained popularity after posting a few covers on YouTube when you were a teenager. It wasn’t much in terms of internet fame, a couple of thousand followers, and your most popular video getting a little over 100,000 views but it was surreal to you at the time. You always stuck to ballads, your voice strong and from your high stamina, you could belt out notes that lasted miles. It wasn’t until you showcased your dancing talents that your popularity seemed to ignite. 

At first, it scared you a bit, but the attention was overwhelmingly positive besides the few comments from older people in your country who damned the youth and their nerve to have fun. You realized that your singing could only take you so far, millions of other people had nice voices, but few could captivate an audience like you with your stage presence. Before you knew it, you had enough money to hire a manager and move yourself and your parents to a nicer part of town. Your name spread across parts of Europe, and you became somewhat of a celebrity, selling out small venues and playing a few festivals. 

You came from truly humble beginnings, and you suspected that was why so many audiences connected with and favored you, and a large reason why your application to Eurovision to represent your country was accepted. You were beautiful, incredibly talented, and had a larger-than-life charisma. In interviews and press conferences, it was the best thing, especially in the unique and rather tense climate of this year’s competition, but backstage was a completely different person. 

You quickly gave yourself a reputation of being a flirt. You wore skimpy, bright outfits adorned with glitter and rhinestones with every practice and rehearsal. When you weren’t about to perform, you still wore mini skirts and the tiniest top imaginable. You walked around with your body practically on full display, some parts of your skin being hardly covered with fishnets or tights. You lived up to your nickname as being a star, the other contestants hearing it from your parents, but being grown up and leaning into your sensuality you were more like Venus now, your presence scorching, bright, and exigent. 

Beside you in the sky of stars was Joost. If you had been a little star, he was the sun itself. You two had taken a liking to each other almost immediately and nearly became attached at the hip. It was far from platonic, but you found yourself amused at how you two could be able to flirt with each other so shamelessly and without constraint without doing more than hugging. 

“Hi, baby.” You greeted him in one of the lounge areas for breakfast. It became an inside joke between you to constantly use silly pet names. It was very early morning, and the sun and blue skies were hardly present. “Can I sit with you this morning?” You smiled. 

“You already know the answer, honey.” He smiled back. You loved how his smile would take up his entire face, you felt you could never get tired of looking at it. “I can’t wait to see you tonight.” 

It was the day of the rehearsal before the finale, and the nerves hadn’t quite gotten to you yet. You nodded, watching as he fixed your plate with your usual breakfast order that he picked up. It was a sweet gesture that warmed your heart, you were beyond thankful to have someone who took you into their arms the way that Joost had. 

You two sat down together at a corner table. You watched as sunlight blanketed his features. It reflected into the ridge of his nose and illuminated his eyes, you found yourself staring into them, never seeing eyes that reminded you of the crystal blue waters of the beach you grew up by.

“Your eye contact scares me.” He chuckled, the direct comment making you feel your heart drop to your feet. “It’s ok, gives me an excuse to look at you.”

“You have nice eyes.” You said, ripping a piece of your croissant that Joost had fried in the microwave, despite you asking it to be lightly warmed. “This is super cold, by the way.” You said, pushing the first piece into his mouth. 

The bread burned his tongue a bit, but he was able to ignore the pain when he felt your fingers in his mouth. He bravely ran his tongue over the pads of your fingers, sucking down gently all while keeping his eyes set on you. You were speechless for a moment, seeing and feeling his sinfully pink tongue on your fingers before you were able to pull away. 

“You drooled on me.” You looked down at your hand, seeing there were still crumbs on your fingers, and pushed them into your mouth. You watched Joost’s eyebrows raise as he stiffened in his seat, feeling himself getting far so excited so early in the morning. 

You tasted him in your mouth, the sickeningly sweet syrup from his waffles and the bitterness from his coffee. “There’s crumbs on my fingers.” You said, “You don’t lick your fingers to get food off?” 

“No,” He spoke, his tone a bit hushed, “I like to lick my fingers.” 

You blushed at his comment, always catching the innuendo but never pushing it further. The two of you sat in silence for a moment to let the tension cool, as you always did when it became too unbearable. 

“You’re the only performer who changes your outfits.” Joost was always the first to break the silence. “How short will your skirt be tonight?” 

You laughed, “Shorter than last night.” You answered, his dimples giving away his amusement. “Your outfit is one of my favorites though.” 

“Ah.” He said happily, “What do you like about it?”

“The color is nice.” You complimented, seeing in his face how much he loved the attention. “Is it hard to take off?”

He withdrew a bit, smiling knowingly but deciding to beat around the bush as you two formed a habit of doing. “Not really.” He said. “It’s very easy, I don’t need any help at all.” His answer was excruciating.

You rolled your eyes, “Well, I need a lot of help with mine.” You began, “There’s so many hooks and zippers, it’s so annoying.”

Joost hummed in absentminded agreement. You saw on the vacant expression on his face, and how he went back to eating his breakfast that you’d give him too vivid of a picture. All he could imagine now was being alone with you in the dressing room, undoing all the hooks and zippers you were talking about. He’d want to rip apart those fishnet stockings you always wore, the thought of seeing the gentle threads snap apart from his hands revealing your soft skin drove him wild. The imagery became too much eventually, and he felt a bit of shame when he saw your gentle, unknowing face across him. 

“You know you’re gonna win, right?” You said suddenly, making his expression drop into something deathly serious.

“It would be nice.” He mumbled nervously, his nerves entangling themselves together even tighter than before. “You think so?”

“No, Joost.” You glanced at the clock on your phone, realizing you’d spent too much time at breakfast. “I said I know you’re doing to win.” 

The night of the semi-final had solidified Joost’s obsession with you, but he realized he was in a long line of admirers. It was like he was in a trance, your voice like a siren’s, and the way your outfit glittered and reflected onto the bright light, it was surreal. He wanted to congratulate you after, but he saw that a crowd had already formed around you, specifically that the Croatian performer, Baby Lasagne, another favorite, had beaten him to it. 

Joost watched from afar, how you smiled constantly and looked so animated talking to him. His hands grazed your bare arm a few times, and every time it felt like it tugged on his heart in a horrible, unfamiliar sensation. It pained him a bit to know that you were known as a flirt, wondering if the way you looked at him and clung by his side meant anything at all or if it was all a part of some game. 

He saw you again walking down the hall when he felt a tap at his side. He knew it was you immediately, turning around he couldn’t help but bring you into a hug that left your feet dangling as he rambled on about how well you did. 

“Are you kidding?” You said, holding onto his neck before he set you down. “You’re fucking amazing Joost, I loved watching you.”

He scoffed, looking down at you still in your outfit, it was like he was dreaming. He yearned to keep his hands on your waist, but his better senses got the better of him, and his arms returned to his side. 

“I think everyone loved watching you more.” He began, remembering how he had to watch another man try to charm you the way he’d been for the past few days. “I don’t have people crowding me after I perform.”

You raised your eyebrows, remembering how the Croatian performer came up to you to talk you up, offering to take you for a drink and inviting him back into his room, an offer that you left to a ‘maybe’ just to keep him hanging. You saw Joost at the end of the hallway, now realizing that he didn’t just happen to be there but he was watching.

“You sound jealous.” You teased, seeing a blush begin on his face, like red wine spilling on pristine sheets. “Anyways, I’ve got to get going.”

Joost hated when you did that, knowing that you had nothing to do but sit in your room, drink obnoxiously expensive liquor, and talk about equally as obnoxious things with your friend. He wished he had it in him to ask to go back with you, but the fear of rejection always struck too hard and quickly for him to take advantage of the moment. 

The day of the finale, it didn’t come as a surprise to anyone but Joost that he’d won, and you’d been the runner-up. You didn’t have much of a competitive spirit, the experience of Eurovision alone already felt like a victory in itself. When it was announced that he’d won, you two hugged in front of what felt like a sea of cameras and you were able to sneak a kiss on his cheek before he went up on stage to be awarded. There was far too much commotion directly afterward to see him again, it was physically painful to feel him slipping away from you and realize that this, like all good things, was all finally ending.

Joost found you again in the early hours of the morning, holding flowers at your door dressed down in a simple t-shirt and jeans from his short night out to come to personally congratulate you. He noticed you weren’t at any of the after parties, and even his own which admittedly stung a bit. He had an evening flight the next day, so he could stand to lose a bit of sleep if it meant seeing you one last time. 

You answered the door in a robe, from your exposed skin it seemed like nothing else was underneath. You smiled and laughed to conceal the overwhelming feelings that filled your chest from the gesture.

“You’re so sweet, Joost.” You said as you took the small bouquet from him. “I have some champagne in my room if you want to share, it for the winner.”

Joost felt a weight lifted off his shoulders, freeing him from the torturous game you’d forced him to play as he finally was alone with you. Whether or not he’d leave with anything didn’t matter, he just wanted a moment with you that wasn’t in the halls or the lounges. 

Your room was serene and surprisingly organized, unlike his with bottles piled on the coffee table and clothes all over the couch. The lights were low, and soft music played in the background, by the look of the skincare products on the vanity it seemed that he’d interrupted your bedtime ritual. 

He watched as you poured a sparkling glass of champagne for him, clinking your glasses together before taking a sip. It was a bit sweet for his liking, but it made sense if it was coming from you. He knew you were the type to overindulge, like a child of Dionysus you lived for worldly pleasures and your enjoyment alone. He wondered if he would be a part of those pleasures if you’d fall into him like you did your other vices. 

“I’m going to spend a little bit more time here.” You said, “I’ve never been to Sweden before.” 

Joost nodded, knowing that you came from a small city and that all this travel was probably the best thing in the world for you. “I leave tomorrow.” His tone was a bit disappointed. “I would’ve liked to stay a little longer though.”

You hummed in agreement, “So,” You began, setting down the half-finished glass of your drink. “You only came to give me flowers?”

He felt his grip tighten on the delicate glass, looking down at you, he noticed that the fabric of the robe had fallen forward a bit, exposing a bit of your naked chest and body. “No.” He confessed, “Just an excuse to see you, the flowers were mine.”

“It’s rude to regift.” He hated your teasing, he hated the ever-present sensuality in your voice. “Alright, well, you saw me.”

You watched as Joost’s eyes widened at you, a desperate look on his face from how insufferable you had become. He knew that you had seen right through him this entire time, and he felt that you were now making a mockery of him. Even if he was the one with the dishonest motives, if he was the one staring down your robe, he felt that he was completely naked in front of you.

“You’re too much.” He mumbled, fumbling with the intricate buckle of his belt and swirling the champagne in his cup. “You don’t even come to my fucking party.”

You smiled at him, but not like you had been doing before, “Is that belt bothering you?” You asked before reaching over, your hands gently moving his away. “Let me help you.”

You undid his belt with a bit of a struggle, finally pulling it off and letting it fall to the floor. Joost felt his breath get caught in his throat, looking down at you as you undid the button to his jeans that now felt suffocating and pulled down the zipper. The sound of his clothing coming off echoed in his mind and made him grow rigid. He tried to relax, trying to see you for what you were, someone who was just as crazy for him as he was for you, instead of someone who had the upper hand. 

You couldn’t bear to deny yourself anymore, the tension finally snapping loose as your fingers dipped underneath the waistband of his underwear and pulled them down in one desperate, fluid motion. Joost began to step away so that he’d be able to sit down on the chair across from you, his pants and underwear pooling at his ankles as you followed shamelessly. 

You mused at his size, wrapping your hand around the base you couldn’t help but take it all in. Joost was pretty, all of him was so fucking pretty. His dick looked perfect in your hands, just big enough that you knew it would hurt and prove itself to be a challenge that you were eager to take on. His skin radiated warmth, it was softer than any other man you’d touched. You nearly salivated the longer you pumped him in your hand, drawing out soft groans before you finally took him into your mouth. 

It was as if you were a groupie how enthusiastic and sloppy you were. He watched through half-lidded eyes as you took all you could, your hands pumping at the base of what you struggled to fit. Your tongue was sinful, swirling around his shaft and sensitive tip, sucking him off so well he began to lose all rationality, wondering how crazy it would be if he asked you to be his girlfriend after all of this. 

Joost grabbed the glass of champagne and began drinking again, the rush of sweetness on his tongue paired with getting head from his new favorite girl was heavenly. His ego had completely taken over, he was a winner and deserved to feel like it. He wanted to have you for as long as he could. He didn’t want to finish like this, so he poured himself another glass and pulled your head away gently so that you’d face him. 

“Kiss it.” He said, the glass sparkling and bubbling alongside his eyes that now were drowned out by his pupils. “Look at me while you do it.”

Your body grew numb at his request, seeing him rip the control that you once had as he sat in your room, drinking your champagne with his fingers tangled in your hair telling him to kiss his dick for him. He knew you liked to put on a show, using it to his advantage he watched from above, glass to his lips before you listened. 

You felt passionate desire pour out of you as you mindlessly kissed and licked on his dick. You pressed sloppy, wet kisses all over, sucking down gently on the tip as he watched quietly, suppressing his moans and taking sips of his drink. The only sounds were coming from you, you moaned from the pleasure it gave you to be touching him, and how much you loved the feeling of your saliva and his pre cum dripping all over your face. 

Your lips were plush and greedy against him, the sight itself better than the sensation. When he’d finally had enough, he pulled you up so that you’d be sitting on his lap, your face was a bit too messy, so he took a makeup wipe from your vanity and gently cleaned your face. 

“Here,” Joost offered the last sip of champagne from his glass, “Wash your mouth.”

He pressed the cool glass to your lips and watched as you drank until there was nothing left. He finally pulled you into an impatient kiss, but it was much softer than you expected. He kissed you tenderly, his arms holding your body taut, so much that you felt his heartbeat against yours. You could tell even if this was all unintended and in the heat of the moment, the feelings you shared underneath were all genuine. 

You held his face in your hands, his stubble rough against your palms. You wished you could stay like that forever, but the ache in between your legs would never allow you. You lowered one hand so that you could untie the knot on your silky robe and let it fall off your shoulders. Joost felt the shift in the fabric and moved one hand up to cup your breast and squeezed down, pulling away from the kiss to look at you. 

He left a trail of kisses on your neck, sucking down on the sensitive skin before leaving a mark right below your ear so that he’d give you something to remember him properly. It was crimson, deep, and loving, you wished that he’d even left more. You loved the feeling, and you let him know with the way you squirmed in his thigh and whined with every kiss. 

As much as he enjoyed moving slowly, the time was passing by too quickly and he was animalistic in his desire to fuck you. It felt as if he’d been putting out for a lifetime, his better judgment was non-existent. He paid just enough attention to your breasts, he’d hate to neglect something so perfect, kissing them lovingly, before kissing down your stomach down to your thighs.

Joost kissed in between your thighs slowly. His lips lingered too closely to where they should’ve been teasing you to the point it felt cruel. As you watched his languid motions, how much intention and care he put into every touch, you could tell how crazy he was for you, how your flirting had driven him to this madness. Your hand ran through his hair as he continued to press soft kisses against your skin, making him look up at you with a pleading expression, 

“Can I?” He asked in a strained whisper, you blushed a bit seeing him soften so much and ask the most obvious question. 

“Please.” You could hardly speak seeing him like that, he was unrecognizable from the man you’d known before. “I’m yours.”

He wondered if you could peer into his mind into his deepest desires. Joost ate you out as his thoughts raced, somehow without the overt focus it felt so much more natural and perfect for you. He was operating on pure instinct now, his mind elsewhere, thinking ahead to when he’d get to fuck you as his mouth preoccupied itself. He moaned against you, his warm tongue lapping against your clit desperately. The sounds you made only made him more determined, so much so that he couldn’t feel the ache in his jaw and weakness in his tongue. 

His thoughts then floated to the image of when he’d make you cum. The taste of you was addicting, better than an ice-cold shot of his favorite liquor and the first cigarette out of a fresh box. The taste of you dripped down his chin like biting into an overly ripe peach, messy, sticky but inexplicably perfect. He kept your trembling thighs apart with his strong hands, like the skin of a fruit as delicate as a peach he was careful not to hurt you, but you seemed to become more beautifully vocal when his fingers would dig down into your flesh. 

“I’m close.” You mumbled, not wanting to lose your high, the feeling of your orgasm building steadily in the bottom of your stomach. “Please don’t stop Joost.”

He forced himself to listen, if time wasn’t against him he would’ve edged you to the point of tears until you would be coming undone, ripping at the seams for a well-deserved orgasm rather than one so easily given. His soft lips pressed down on your clit, sucking down gently he knew you weren’t going to last too long, but just to make sure he traced your entrance with two long fingers and  fucked your desperate, soaked pussy. 

You lost yourself in the bliss that washed over you. You’d never felt anything quite like it, it was ecstasy in its purest form. He fucked you through it, gentle whispers guiding you back to reality as you clenched and writhed against his hand to ride out your orgasm. 

“That’s it, dotje.” His voice was so delicate and comforting against the intensity that overcame your senses. “I’ve got you.”

You felt tears in your eyes from how tightly they’d been shut. Looking down as the feeling subsided into a nearly sedated, dreamy sensation you watched as Joost withdrew his hand from you. Wincing at the loss of his fingers, desperately needing something inside of you again you watched as his two fingers, completely drenched in your slick arousal went into his mouth. 

You wished you had it in you to tease him and remind him about the time you’d had breakfast together, but it was all a distant, meaningless memory now. You were entranced watching him lick his fingers clean, he stared you down as he did it, his tongue swirling around to taste every last bit of you. 

“You taste so good.” His voice too was unrecognizable, his lust for you so apparent that you found yourself feeling much more bare than just in the literal sense. “Open your mouth.”

His fingers were warm, you’d finally returned the favor and sucked down to taste yourself like he wanted. After he was satisfied, he wiped his hand against his torso carelessly, reaching into the pocket of his jeans that were tossed on the floor to pull out his wallet. He always kept condoms, although he hadn’t acclimated himself to a rock star lifestyle yet he was glad that he’d made a habit of always carrying some.

“Can I go on top?” You asked sweetly, only for him to shake his head with a smile. 

“No.” He said plainly, tearing open the holographic packaging. “I want to be romantic.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. Joost made you feel at ease, he was undoubtedly a special person who would always have a small piece of your heart. You wished that he didn’t make you feel so warm inside, a fling and one nightstand should’ve made you feel nothing but lust. 

Even if he had been joking, it had been romantic. He laid atop of you, kissing you just slow and deep as he fucked you. He filled you up so perfectly that you could do nothing but hold him close and moan into the never-ending kiss. You tensed a bit at first, but he was gentle, touching you sweetly to relax your body so that he could bottom you out. 

Joost lasted a bit longer than you anticipated, you even grew a bit sore from how much he stretched you out and your body soon became weighed down with a drunken feeling. The champagne had long worn off, but nothing was comparable to getting fucked by such a man who wasn’t only gorgeous, but completely on top of the world. 

It made you feel a bit shallow, wrapping your legs around him as he began to kiss your neck to give your lips a break. You tugged on the longer part of his hair possessively, eliciting a low groan from him. Just like you’d boosted his ego, he was now doing the same for you. Even if you didn’t win the competition, you’d have the person who did wrapped around your finger. 

He came inside you without any verbal warning, but his body gave him away. You felt entranced by it, the way he panted and moaned Dutch praises tangled with English ones. His cock twitched when he finished, a bit disappointed you couldn’t enjoy it fully and all you felt was the warmth. 

What followed was a bit disappointing. Your head was a wreck for the days after, thinking of how Joost left in the later morning hours after spending what was left of the night cuddling with you. Your remaining time in Sweden was beautiful with your friend, but you’d promised to fly back to Vancouver to see her family so that they could give you proper congratulations. 

You’d confided to your friend on a drunken night in Stockholm about your night with Joost, which failed to surprise her. As you lay in the living room of her parent's house, watching her nieces and nephews play and talk your ear off about Eurovision you noticed her running into the house. 

“Check your phone.” She was far too excited, making you nervously take your phone from the coffee table. “Hurry!”

You looked at her messages to see tickets to a festival, looking at the line your heart nearly sank at seeing Joost’s name. You were silent for a while, your face still and statuesque you’d unintentionally offended your friend. 

“Uh,” She began leaning down to look at you. “Do you not want to go or something?”

You shook your head, “Of course I do.” You said quietly, not wanting the kids to butt into the conversation. “I just hope I can see him, not just watch.”

You certainly got what you wanted. After watching the show, it felt like you’d been falling in love for a second time with the way he performed. You loved seeing him get to see him being himself without constraint, even if he was completely out of his element in Canada he was too charming for anyone not to like him. 

You found Joost after his show, not needing to say anything, your arms wrapping around his torso as you two stood behind the stage as the next performer went on. You realized you were still in the open for everyone to see, but even if you noticed groups of people slowing down to stare at you two you hadn’t cared.

“There are people taking pictures.” He whispered, nodding over to one of the passing groups, presumably Eurovision fans. 

You shook your head, cupping his face for what felt like the last time as the sun-kissed all his features for you. You didn’t want to do anything else but admire him for as long as you could. 

[whencyclopedia]

Empress Theodora

Theodora reigned as empress of the Byzantine Empire alongside her husband, Emperor Justinian I, from 527 CE until her death in 548 CE. Rising from a humble background and overcoming the prejudices of her somewhat disreputable early career as an actress, Theodora would marry Justinian (r. 527-565 CE) in 525 CE and they would rule together in a golden period of Byzantine history. Portrayed by contemporary writers as scheming, unprincipled, and immoral, the Empress, nevertheless, was also seen as a valuable support to the Emperor, and her direct involvement in state affairs made her one of the most powerful women ever seen in Byzantium.

Early Life

Theodora was born in c. 497 CE, the daughter of a bear-keeper called Akakios who worked for the Hippodrome of Constantinople. The 6th-century CE Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea states in his Secret History (Anekdota) that Theodora earned her living, like her mother before her, as an actress, which meant performing in the Hippodrome as an acrobat, dancer, and stripper. Theodora was said to have had one particularly lurid routine involving geese. By implication, considering the common association of the two professions at the time, she was also a courtesan. Procopius would have us believe an especially popular and lustful one, at that.

Procopius' Secret History, is, though, regarded by many as an outrageous gossip piece with a few facts thrown in for authenticity. The writer's attitude to both Justinian and Theodora is plainly that they were the worst thing ever to happen to the Byzantine Empire (in contrast to the official works he wrote under Justinian's patronage which are suitably laudatory of the emperor's achievements in war and architecture especially). Procopius also had it in for Antonina, the wife of Belisarius (Justinian's most talented general), and she is portrayed as constantly scheming with Theodora to create damaging palace intrigues. It is perhaps important to consider, too, that our knowledge of Theodora only comes from male authors and a woman performing any other role than the traditionally submissive one in Byzantine society was bound to be, at best, disapproved of and, at worst, outright demonised.

Before she married Justinian, the nephew of Emperor Justin (r. 518-527 CE), in 525 CE, Theodora left the sands of the Hippodrome to travel to North Africa as the mistress of a medium-level civil servant. After the relationship broke up, she made her way back home via Alexandria where she may have converted to Christianity.

The marriage between such a lowly figure as Theodora and a future emperor was an odd rags-to-riches one, but there was a tradition in the Byzantine court for emperors to marry the winners of beauty contests organised for that purpose. The entrants to such contests could come from lower classes and from far away provinces so such mismatches were not unheard of. The lowly status of Theodora was not ignored by everyone, and one particularly passionate opponent was Empress Lupicina Euphemia, indeed, her death seems to have removed the foremost obstacle to the marriage. Justin I even went so far as to amend the laws (senators, which Justinian was, could not marry actresses) in order to permit the marriage and to legitimise Theodora's illegitimate daughter. Procopius also claims there was an illegitimate son, too, but no other sources substantiate this.

The Empress, 20 years younger than her husband, is described by Procopius as being short but attractive, a stickler for court ceremony, and a lover of luxury. Theodora was crowned as empress in the same coronation ceremony as her husband on 1 April 527 CE. Justinian had insisted his wife be crowned as his equal and not as his consort. The pair also matched each other in intelligence, ambition, and energy, and with their lavish coronation in the Hagia Sophia, they seemed to herald a new era for the Byzantine Empire and its people.

Continue reading...

[caribbean1989]

Stage Fright - a Baby Lasagna fanfiction

Who: Marko Purisic / Baby Lasagna Request: maybe smt where you work for esc and marko has a panic attack before going on the stage and your there for him calming him down and stuff. just angsty with lots of comfort. Requested by: anonymous. Word count: 2010 Warnings: contains descriptions of panic attack / anxiety / stage fright. Lots of angst, but also some comfort 😇

A/N: I usually write footballer imagines and fandom whump, so writing something like this is quite new to me. Hope you'll like it, let me know what you think of it 😇 If you want me to write more like this, you can always make a request through my Asks 😉

This story can also be found on my AO3 account, here. For more information on my Baby Lasagna fanfics, see this masterpost.

At your job working backstage at concerts and events, you were one of the people making sure everything went smoothly backstage, and that the performers had all they needed. This month you would be working at the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Today was the biggest day of all: the final.  You felt confident. Everything had been rehearsed endlessly, the semi-finals had already gone well, and you had built up a good relationship with most of the performers and their entourages. 

It was a nice group of artists this year, but one still was your personal favourite: Baby Lasagna. At first you were drawn to the Croatian candidate because of the rather unusual name, but you quickly learned he went by Marko off-stage, and was somewhat different from the other participants. He was a flamboyant personality on-stage, which proved to be the complete opposite of how his personality was off-stage. 

You didn’t need long to see Marko was actually rather shy, could be very insecure, and was humble and polite. There was a cheeky side to him as well once you got to know him better. You liked that about him, and, without actively trying to, you already formed a rather close friendship with him in only this short time of working together. 

That was why you immediately knew something was wrong when you found Marko sitting alone on the day of the final, huddled away from everything and everyone.  He sat amongst crates of sound equipment, on the floor, in a dark corner of the backstage maze, hugging his knees. His hands were clamped so tightly around his legs that his fingers had turned white, and he trembled like a leaf in the wind.  Marko had chosen a spot far from the foot traffic from and to the stage, hidden even from his own entourage, and it was a small miracle that you stumbled upon him like you had. 

"Marko?" You lowered yourself onto your haunches in front of him, but mindful to keep enough distance between yourselves so not to frighten him or make him feel more uncomfortable.

He looked disheveled, only vaguely aware of his surroundings, and surely not in control of his emotions.  In this moment he was not the extroverted Baby Lasagna, he was introverted Marko. The eccentric costume he wore on stage was replaced by regular jeans and a black hoodie. The make-up wasn’t applied yet, which might be a good thing, because you saw the tears on his face. The haunted look in his eyes scared you, worrying you even more about his well-being. 

Suddenly your mind went to a line from the song he was performing with here this week. 

My anxiety attacks.

Whilst Rim Tim Tagi Dim had people dancing all over the world, you couldn’t help but notice its darker meaning, too. And it clicked into place for you now. That line about anxiety wasn’t just a line. It actually held truth for Marko, and the proof of that was right in front of your eyes with him having a serious panic attack. 

"Marko?" You repeated softly.  His gaze flickered to you, but he didn’t acknowledge your presence in any other way.  "I need you to talk to me," you nudged carefully.  Marko swallowed hard. He made every effort to get himself to speak, but couldn’t. The words he meant to say got involuntarily silenced on their way to his mouth, and, finally, he just sadly shook his head. Fresh tears fell as he rested his forehead on his knees, shrinking even more into himself. 

Your heart broke for him. It was hard to believe you only met him a week and a half ago, with how much you already cared for him. 

Marko shivered in his hoodie. His breaths became even more rapid and shallow, accompanied by the occasional wheeze or whimper. He was losing more and more control over himself with every heartbeat of his racing pulse. Where first maybe only his hands had shook, there now wasn’t a muscle in his body that wasn’t shaking. He raised his head and looked up at you again, this time really seeing you. 

Marko’s lower lip trembled, and it took effort, but finally he got some words out. "Help me…" "I’m trying," you answered helplessly. You wanted nothing more than to help him, take him out of this panic attack, but you really had no idea where to begin. "Do you need me to bring someone from your team over?" "No!" Marko nearly jumped a foot into the air at the mere idea of that. "They don’t need to see me like this. I’m a mess, I…" "Calm down, calm down," you tried to ease. "We can do this. You and I, we can get you through this."

Having suffered from panic attacks yourself, you suddenly remembered what your sister used to do for you to get you to calm down. "Marko." You got his attention. "I want to try something to help you calm down. Are you okay with me touching you?" He still was in the height of his panic attack, with fear wild in his eyes, but he still nodded his head. He wasn’t sure what you had in mind, but he trusted you.

You scooted closer to him, fully sitting down on the floor by his side. Marko trembled heavier than ever and he was truly hyperventilating now. Tears sparkled in his eyes, but he gave in to you. He wanted for you to offer comfort and take him out of this anxiety. 

"Close your eyes," you said softly.  Marko hesitated for just a second, but slowly closed his eyes. He didn’t know you for that long, yet you felt secure and safe to him. "Whenever you’re no longer comfortable with anything I’m doing, you need to tell me," you insisted, "and I’ll stop immediately." Marko gave you a strained nod, but he surrendered to you. 

You moved slowly, making sure not to make any unexpected movements which would cause Marko any more fright.  You placed one of your hands flat on his chest. Only now you realised how heavy this panic attack actually was for him. His chest heaved and trembled under your hand, and now that you were closer to him, you heard the whimpers that were hidden in the wheezes of his breathing.  With your other hand you picked up his wrist, gently pressing two fingers against the pulse point. As you had expected, his heart was racing. 

"I need you to focus on my hand on your chest." You kept your voice as calm and serene as possible. Marko dipped his head once, eyes still firmly pressed shut.  "Whenever I press into your chest, I need you to breathe in through your nose, and try and press my hand away with your chest," you instructed, "when I release the pressure, you exhale slowly through your mouth." Marko wanted to speak, show you he had understood, but he found his words once again stolen from him by the panic attack. Instead, he dipped his head once again, but it was all the confirmation you needed. 

You slowly and gently pressed the palm of your hand a little firmer into his chest.  Marko took a shaky breath. He did his best to get his lungs to fill properly and get his chest to give counter-pressure against your hand, but couldn’t quite manage.  "It’s alright," you eased him, "take your time. Just focus on the rhythm of the pressure of my hand and try to breathe with that." You felt how Marko was really trying to, but also how he wasn’t succeeding yet. His inhales were broken by shudders, and his exhales disrupted by sudden and involuntary gulps.  "That’s it," you encouraged anyway, "easy does it."

Your hand never left his chest as you gently applied pressure and released it, with Marko doing his utmost best to get his breathing to fall in sync with it. You spoke soft encouragements, yet the silent moments in between were filled with Marko’s quiet whimpers.  It didn’t matter to you how long it would take, you would help Marko through this. 

---

Eventually, you sat with Marko like that for well over 30 minutes. There was no reason to rush anything. Soundchecks for the grand finale of tonight wouldn’t be starting for another few hours, so you gave him all the time he needed to pull himself out of this panic attack.

Marko’s pulse had returned to a regular, calm rhythm, as had his breathing. His trembling had subsided, but he sat beside you looking worn out from everything he had just gone through. 

You gently let your hand fall away from Marko’s chest for the first time again. You kept a close eye on him, but he was able to keep his breaths calm by himself now. "Open your eyes," you said softly. Marko slowly did so. Even though the area where you sat was dimly lit, he still squinted at the light. He ran slightly trembling fingers through his silvery hair, before he finally looked up at you sitting next to him. 

"I’m sorry about that." Marko sounded tired. "No need to apologise." You shook your head. "May I ask what happened?" "This happened." Marko chuckled wryly, motioning his hands to the area around you. "I’ve never performed at an event of this magnitude before. And… well, my stage fright took the better of me, I guess. It does that sometimes."

The airiness with which he spoke of his stage fright was pitiful, almost like it was the most common thing in the world for him. "But it doesn’t often get this bad, I reckon," you said sympathetically.  "No." Marko sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair once more. "It doesn’t usually lead to a full-blown panic attack, and certainly not like this one, but, apparently, big stages lead to big anxiety." A dark chuckle followed. "That’s not even remotely funny," you scoffed. Marko gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I’m used to it by now."

He shifted his body, grunting softly as he stretched his cramped legs out in front of him. He leaned his head back against one of the crates behind him and glanced up at the ceiling for a moment. 

"But what you did really helped me." He spoke after a few seconds of silence. "I’m not quite sure I would have gotten through this one on my own, so I’m really grateful." You shrugged. "I’ve got a bit of experience with panic attacks as well, I’m afraid. So I know how bad they can get."

Marko’s gaze slowly shifted back to you. "Yourself or helping someone deal with it?" "Myself, unfortunately." You sat back into a more comfortable position, too. "Some events in life leave more scars than you can imagine," you added darkly.  "I’m sorry." Marko shortly rested a hand on your arm in support.  "What I just did with you, my sister used to do that for me whenever my anxiety flared up," you explained, "it always helped me through it, so…" You let your voice trail off.  "Well, tell her it’s a good technique." Marko winked lazily. "And I’m glad you’re the one who found me just now. Thank you." The sincere thankfulness was in his voice and in every fibre of his being. 

The two of you talked for a while longer, before Marko slowly hoisted himself back onto his feet. He looked steady again, ready to go, and a glimpse of the extroverted Baby Lasagna shone through the cracks again. 

"Will you be alright?" You stood back up, too.  "Yes." Marko nodded confidently. "I know it sounds strange, especially after what you’ve seen just now, but it feels like I needed to get this out of my system in order to be ready for tonight." You chuckled, glad to see the sparkle of joy back in his eyes, instead of the sparkle of tears and panic. "Come see me if anything threatens to overwhelm you again." Marko nodded gratefully. "I sure will."

[submariini]

When Finland’s Käärijä took the stage at this year’s Eurovision, a star was instantly, explosively born. With an outrageous energy, infectious presence and that oh-so-catchy hook, the Vantaa-based rapper may not have won the contest but he certainly snatched the hearts of those in his home country and beyond. We ask Käärijä the million dollar question: what next?

[full article under the cut]

Last May, a peculiar frenzy engulfed Finland. Virtually all green foods – cucumbers, especially – were sold out from stores. Buildings across the land were bathed in vivid green lights. Social media brimmed with green-themed parties, while data obtained by Swedish fintech company Klarna showed a 570 per cent increase in the online sales of neon green shirts.

This phenomenon was all thanks to Käärijä, the rapper who represented Finland in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. His now-infamous, blazing green puff sleeve bolero – dreamt up by Finnish broadcasting company Yle’s costume design team and which he dons when performing the smash hit track ‘Cha Cha Cha’ – had taken on a life of its own, the lush hue uniting the entire nation amid the competition. “It was incredible to see it happen and so cool being part of it,” Käärijä says. “It wasn’t planned at all – it was the people who created the commotion. I’ll definitely never forget it.”

When we speak over Zoom, Käärijä, whose real name is Jere Pöyhönen, is lounging in his minimal apartment in Vantaa, a city just outside Helsinki. He appears on my screen shirtless, a chunky gold chain dangling on his neck. On his head sits a pastel turquoise cap adorned with little cat ears. As he gestures with his hands, I spot flashes of poison green nail varnish. Pöyhönen’s chosen attire, or lack thereof, is extremely fitting – he typically performs bare-chested (“It gets so hot during my gigs”) and his Instagram handle is @paidatonriehuja, or ‘shirtless rascal’.

Hot off a performance in western Finland, the 29-year-old is enjoying his first days off in a while. It’s been a sweltering summer of non-stop touring, with fans flocking to festivals and concerts nationwide to see his explosive live show. Things are not winding down either, with Käärijä heading off on his first-ever European tour this month. Some of these shows sold out in mere minutes, an indication of his immense international following. “It’s so exciting; I’m definitely jumping into a new territory with that tour,” Pöyhönen says. “But I don’t have any expectations – I’m just going to let everything happen organically rather than stressing about it.”

Although he created one of this year’s buzziest songs, the guy on my screen is humble and, save for his look, almost un assuming. I remark on the stark contrast to his fiery and flamboyant stage presence. “Through Käärijä, I get to channel all the craziness, quirkiness and hyperactivity I’ve had since I was a child,” Pöyhönen says, describing himself offstage as “just this ordinary dude”. Without delving into further details, he tells me that the name Käärijä (translating roughly to moneymaker) stems from a history with gambling. Despite the darkness of its origin, he notes that the moniker is to be taken with a grain of salt.

While it might seem like Käärijä exploded into the public consciousness from obscurity, Pöyhönen has a long journey in music behind him. Born in Helsinki but having spent most of his youth in Vantaa, he started dabbling in the medium at just three years old. Coming from a musical family (“My dad and big brother both play the guitar”), jamming sessions were commonplace in the Pöyhönen household, his instrument of choice being the drums. “I was playing with pots and spoons before I got a set of those plastic kids’ drums,” he says. “When we moved to a bigger house, we built a band room downstairs where me and my brother spent a lot of time practising.”

At that time, rap music hadn’t yet entered Pöyhönen’s life; he was strictly a self-described “metal guy”. His older brother had instilled in him a love for the genre, particularly metal icons Rammstein. Upon starting high school, his musical taste broadened and he began listening to Eminem and popular Finnish rap groups Fintelligens and JVG. “Me and my friends were filming our own music videos to old rap songs, learning the words by heart,” Pöyhönen says. “It [making rap music] pretty much started as this humour thing I did with my mates.”

Encouraged by his loved ones, Pöyhönen began writing his own songs, still playing it for laughs. Turned out he had a knack for it. “Since I was little, I’ve been an avid storyteller – my imagination ran a little wilder than the rest of the kids’ at my school,” he says. “So when I started making music, I didn’t even need inspiration; I was able to whip up the lyrics from my head.”

But then, at 15, an unexpected turning point came by way of a severe sudden illness. Rushed to the hospital with ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, Pöyhönen underwent emergency surgery to remove his colon. Had he not been treated immediately, the complications could have been fatal. “I was writing songs in the hospital – music became a source of strength for me,” he says. “I decided that if I make it through this, I’m going to give my all to music and be serious about it.”

After over a decade of hard work and countless hours in the studio, Käärijä released his first album, Fantastista (Fantastic), in 2020, but it would take three years for him to become a household name in Finland. After snapping up the top prize in Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (the Finnish contest for new music) with his party anthem ‘Cha Cha Cha’, a song dedicated to a hedonistic night out fusing rap, electronic music and metal, he secured the coveted spot as his country’s entrant for the 2023 Eurovision, held in Liverpool. One of Pöyhönen’s craziest dreams had come true.

For Pöyhönen, Eurovision was “an amazing but immensely tough experience”. The event’s intense schedule and the little time carved out for practising surprised the artist. There was no room for errors or retakes once it was time for rehearsals. “They didn’t give much mercy,” he says. On the bright side, the long days filled with “lots of press conferences and waiting around” gave Pöyhönen a chance to get to know the other artists. “The group we had there was wonderful – there wasn’t a competitive atmosphere at all,” he says. One of the contestants he became especially close with was Sweden’s Loreen, with whom he exchanged numbers and promised to “meet up and talk about everything else but music”.

By the time the grand finale came, Käärijä’s explosive performance and infectious song had made him one of the favourites to win. Ultimately he came second, while Loreen nabbed first place. How did Pöyhönen handle the letdown? “It was a huge disappointment, but in the end, the feeling didn’t last long,” he says. “When I thought about how far I’d gotten, the incredible journey it was and all the new friends I made, I realised that these things are far more meaningful than winning.” Plus, he still achieved something major: ‘Cha Cha Cha’ made history as the first ever Finnish song to reach Spotify’s global most-listened charts. The track’s reach proved to Pöyhönen that language doesn’t matter; it’s all about creating a singular, infectious sound: “The mouth is just as much of an instrument as the piano or the guitar is,” he says.

Having made history, I ask Pöyhönen if he felt any pressure after the Eurovision bubble had burst. “Of course there are the thoughts of ‘what now?’ and ‘is this going to be it, will anyone be interested anymore next year?’ – I’m aware that the hype won’t last forever,” he says. “But I’m onto creating the next thing, trying not to feel any pressure for future releases. I haven’t done that before, so why would I do that now?”

Pöyhönen hints at a new album dropping sometime next year, but in the meantime, he’s enjoying the attention – including his Vogue Scandinavia debut. Shot at the extraordinary home of the late interior architect Antti Nurmesniemi and his wife, textile artist Vuokko Nurmesniemi, we find the space where Pöyhönen and Käärijä meet, the quiet confidence mingling with that more-is-more persona.

And while Käärijä might develop as a character (“I want to show that he’s more than just a bolero chap”), he’s adamant that he will stay true to his music and keep singing in Finnish, despite the sudden international attention. “In the end, I’m doing this for myself,” he says. “Also, why change something that works?”

Photographer: Karoliina Bärlund Stylist: Sanna Silander Talent: Käärijä Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist: Neea Kuurne Photographer Assistant: Milja Laakso Stylist Assistant: Nelli Korhonen

[elsecrytt]

do you have any daddy suguru thoughts to spare....

(this is me indoctrinating you into the dilf fuckers cult <3)

tw: aphrodisiacs, yandere!geto, kink shaming (sexy?), humiliation, daddy kink, captivity, public-ish sex.

disclaimer... i'm not an old man fucker, geto just happened to adopt two children and became a teen father. but i can admit that that makes him more attractive, not less,

but yes. suguru is SO. paternal coded. almost maternal, as your omega!suguru thoughts have expressed. he is the type who absolutely believes he knows what's best for you and that confidence empowers him to do whatever he wants.

consider the humble daddy kink. it is exceptionally popular, and it's also considered "cringe" by many (as many kinks stereotypically associated with women are).

i don't think suguru has a particular interest in being called daddy. however. if you had a daddy kink, or more specifically, if you found it humiliating...

well. suguru does have an interest in that.

he would love getting you to call him daddy. during sex or outside of it, doesn't matter.

usually, to suguru, the magic word is "please" - he loves when you beg - but now there's a new magic word, and it's "daddy".

you don't feel like sitting on his lap for dinner today? "what's that, my sweet girl?" "hmm? what did you call me?" "well, if you can't ask correctly, then you take the seat your daddy gives you."

(he says the word with 0 shame in front of all his inner circle if they're present. suguru isn't ashamed of anything he does with you, ever.)

the absolute euphoric surge he gets when you grind out, "please, let me sit in my own chair, daddy."

watching you debase yourself for him is the ultimate high. he's walking on air the whole rest of the night, and you don't have to do anything but sit pretty and stew in your humiliation.

it's hotter to him, even if you're not into it. he would get this sick pleasure out of forcing you into dd/lg aesthetics, and it doesn't hurt that a lot of that goes along with what he wants to do with you, anyways.

all sorts of protective coddling, of unbelievable condescension. you are helpless and he takes great pleasure in showing you that.

you need him, and he loves to watch you struggle.

come now, you really didn't think daddy would let you leave the safety of your home, would you? sweetheart, he works so hard to make it comfortable and safe for you in here.

his curses are always watching, ready to drag you back in after an instant, it's really not a fair contest. he doesn't need to be fair. he needs to be right.

and what's right for you is whatever he says it is.

naughty girl needs a time out, doesn't she? if you don't appreciate what daddy gives you, maybe he can just lock you outside for the night, in the cold, until you're finally honest enough to beg daddy to let you back in.

baby girl, you know you're not supposed to touch yourself. that's daddy's pussy, he says when it can get attention, he says when it can cum.

he could tie your hands behind your back, but what's the fun in that? your wrists would get sore, and daddy can't have that, can he?

no. instead he feeds you something - maybe his curses produce it, maybe not - but he feeds you to it with every drink, every meal, to keep daddy's pussy all wet and ready for him, all the time.

and then he takes you out, like you keep asking him to. out in town, out to restaurants and corner shops. out to his congregations, in his business meetings.

he takes you everywhere, doesn't give you a single opportunity to be alone, to touch yourself.

no. instead he tsks and swats your hands away when you get antsy and shift in his lap. smiles his awful, terrible smile and hushes you when you whimper out daddy, please help me.

oh, you want help, baby girl? daddy's busy right now, you know that. you asked to come outside like this, and what did he do? he brought you. you're a big girl, aren't you? don't throw a fit now.

and isn't that so easy for him to say, balancing you on his lap, an arm wrapped around your tightening, hot core, legs squeezing together for any amount of friction.

he's probably hard underneath those robes but he won't let you grind against him, won't let you change your position at all. it's completely intentional and you know it.

there's another complain, another hiss, maybe, and his hand tightens on you before he tells you what he wants, but not in so many words.

well, daddy always take care of you, doesn't he? don't you agree? even when it's difficult, even when you huff and fuss that you don't want him to, he always gives you what you need, now, doesn't he?

and you hate it, you really hate it, but you've been dripping and aching and your cunt is throbbing at this point, it's all you can think about.

(and deep down, you know, you hate that you know, once geto decides to fuck you it's going to feel so, so good and you want that so bad right now.)

so when you finally do break down and admit it, tell him everything he wants to hear, how right he is and how you want it please please please -

well, you can't say you're disappointed. deep down, you knew geto couldn't resist an opportunity to make you demean yourself.

what's wrong, he coos as he slots you over his thigh. your one saving grace is that you're facing him now, your flushed face visible only to him, and not the others in this meeting.

it's only because these are people he doesn't respect - people he'll kill before the hour is over, probably - that he even allows you this much, the chance to grind yourself to an orgasm on his leg.

oh come now, darling, don't make that face. daddy's providing, isn't he? and if you're a good girl, he'll give you a treat when you're back home, how's that?

you try not to think it, as you hump and cling to him, biting your lip, tears of shame that you're sure geto wishes he could lick up.

you try not to think it, shoving the thought down, the product of your over-aroused, drugged-out brain, but it still comes to mind -

you can't wait to get back.

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

ARAMINTA: Welcome to the first in a series of gardenside chats!

LILAC: (drily) Production really wanted to milk the whole ‘lilac’ and ‘mint’ thing. But yeah, hi.

ARAMINTA: These will occur after each round, and after any ‘significant’ event which merits a discussion. And neither will I be exempt. On that note, Lilac - I believe we’re starting with a query for me?

LILAC: Yep, you get to wet your wick on that one first. 

ARAMINTA: (...) 

LILAC: (grins to herself) If you weren’t in the competition, who would you want to win Mad About Dodo?

ARAMINTA: Sierra. Well, I think her scores speak for themselves. She’s positive and fun, and would have got along splendidly with the extended Harper clan - with family being very important to Dodo. Also, she is a very dear friend. I could have eventually come to be happy for them both.

LILAC: We like Sierra Mitchell in this house. And if you could pick someone to not win?

ARAMINTA: Hmm. I’m not sure that I feel comfortable answering this question. Still, during the show I’ll be asking our contestants - and you - to be very honest. It would be hypocritical if I weren’t the same.

LILAC: And you learn a lot about who people are when you ask the uncomfortable questions too. So, who?

ARAMINTA: In terms of people who made it to the final round? (after a pause) If I had to choose someone: Shay.

LILAC: Why Shay?

ARAMINTA: I… never actually had the pleasure of being in a household with her, but in retrospect I didn’t like how she interrupted others while they were flirting with Dodo. Possibly this is simply due to my background as a competitive equestrian - and to my upbringing - but I didn’t think that was very fair or sporting on her part.

LILAC: I see. And likewise you didn’t think it was ‘very fair or sporting’ on Orlando's part either?

ARAMINTA: I, well…

LILAC: I mean, I could say that Shay was just doing her job. And that you and anyone else could have done the same.

ARAMINTA: I actually couldn’t have, I don’t think. But that is fair. 

LILAC: Her job was to win the competition, and Dodo’s was to give everyone a chance. He could have stopped the interruptions and said “I’m getting to know this person right now, I’ll catch up with you later?”

ARAMINTA: You are right. I… suppose that even now, I can’t imagine myself as having the confidence to do that. So perhaps that has nothing to do with her and everything to do with me. My apologies, Shay.

LILAC: And we don’t even know if that’s why she was interrupting people. But yeah, we often seem to find fault with people according to our own perceived weaknesses. Anyway. The only reason why I wouldn’t have wanted Shay to win was if she didn’t, I could still get her number (winks).

ARAMINTA: (giggles) She is very pretty. Speaking of ‘pretty,’ if you could go on a date with any of the Mad About Dodo contestants, who would they have been?

LILAC: Well, Shay. I like her vibe. Val for the same reason.

ARAMINTA: It was so funny how she didn’t hide being unamused by Dodo’s jokes.

LILAC: Funny - and an indication of good taste (grins). Ariah because of her creativity and interest in sustainability. Also, I have eyes. And Robin. He’s my brother in ink (nods towards her shoulder tattoo) and I like a humble intellectual.

ARAMINTA: A humble intellectual? So no Dr Roder then? (looks shocked at her own joke) I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.

LILAC: Oh, c’mon! You’re way more fun when you’re not trying to be Ms. Perfect. (turns to cameras) Who else wants a ‘Reads With Araminta’ series?

ARAMINTA: (quickly) Any other contestants?

LILAC: Theo - she was such a baddie. Hassan and Paradise. As a freegan, I like a two-for-one deal (winks). And pretty much anyone else who was there out of good faith. Ava is free to black-widow challenge Vlad outside of this save file.

ARAMINTA: I hope that no one dies during this save file.

LILAC: Yeah, that must have been rough. But we’ll be in a safer setting than on a deserted island - well, most of the time anyway. And the Watcher will just de-deadify someone off-screen, if it does happen, and we can’t persuade Grim to spare them. But I can be very persuasive. 

ARAMINTA: That she can! Earlier she almost talked Agnes into giving her a discount!

LILAC: My biggest achievement in life, yeah. And not to downplay what Bo and the rest of your household went through, but he did get brought back to life in the end. How’s he doing these days?

ARAMINTA: Very well, actually! He owns a house now, and he - well, it’s not my place to reveal his personal business, but he’s happy (beams).

LILAC: If anyone deserved a happy ending on that show, it was him. So that’s great.

ARAMINTA: What can we look forward to for this show?

LILAC: ‘Looking forward to’ is probably a better description for the Watchers and other viewers, but yeah. We’ll have some fun. Skill building will be a component of this, and there will be mini competitions where the winner gets a date with the infamous Leo Harper-

ARAMINTA: (wrinkles nose) They do not get a date with the infamous Leo Harper.

LILAC: Yeah, actually no. But they get to spend some one-on-one time with me, and an opportunity to rack up those sweet sweet friendship and romance points. And as Araminta can tell you, any solo date is a great chance to ‘wow-wow’ the bachelor-

ARAMINTA: And that’s all we have time for today! Tune in next time to find out more how the introductory round will work, and a feature with one of the fashion houses that will be sponsoring our outfits during the show.

LILAC: Bitch, we had more time than that. You so owe me details on that one...

hope your sims ears weren't burning too hard:

@akitasimblr @tipsy-clouds @changingplumbob @enchanting-whim @linalinsims

@theosconfessions @whyeverr @westonsims00 @riverofjazzsims @invisiblequeen

@ravingsockmonkey

[hotvintagepoll]

James Coburn (The Magnificent Seven, Charade)—he has a dry, i'm-made-out-of-beef-jerky-from-the-floor-of-your-car quality to him that i think denotes scrungly. blow on him and he turns into dust. he could be a straight western hero but he's just too Weird for that

Takashi Shimura (Ikiru, Roshamon, Seven Samurai)—Look, my first thought of Takashi Shimura is not "scrungly." He's starred, compellingly, in some of the best films ever made; he can bring an incredible weight and warmth to his roles. But let's be objective. He's also willing to be a odd-looking stubbly strange little guy. He scrungles with the best of them. In Rashomon he's a humble wood-cutter; in Drunken Angel he's an alcoholic doctor faced with Toshiro Mifune's yakuza.

This is round 1 of the contest. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. If you're confused on what a scrungle is, or any of the rules of the contest, click here.

[additional submitted propaganda + scrungly videos under the cut]

James Coburn:

Takashi Shimura

Well, here he is literally dripping wet, especially starting at 0:35:

And here he is being scruffy in Drunken Angel:

[defrosted69]

My Laker star (Lesserafim)

++++++

I had this custom story made when I was watching the game and realized that Lesserafim was at the building. so it may not be perfect and I have decided to change it up a bit. (7k words)

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"Y/N McDaniels with the ball. He faces up against his opponent and goes into a smooth crossover, faking right and then slicing diagonally to his left. His defender is slow to react, and he blows past him with a step to his right, going up with the layup. He puts it up with authority, sinking the shot, and the crowd goes wild as the Lakers take the lead!"

"McDaniels on defense now, his opponent trying to drive to the hoop, but Y/N stands his ground and uses his superior length to contest the shot, and it's a miss!"

"McDaniels has been on fire tonight; nobody has been able to stop him. He gets the ball on the break, and he's one-on-one against his defender. He puts the ball down and drives, beating his man and going up for the layup, but his opponent puts a hand on the ball and tries to block the shot. It could have been a foul, but the refs let the play go on! McDaniels brings it down and puts it up again, sinking the shot! Another bucket for McDaniels!"

"McDaniels has it at the top of the key. He sees LeBron James open down low, and he makes the perfect pass, whipping it down the court with lightning speed. LeBron jumps up to meet it, and he throws the ball down with authority, and the crowd goes wild as the Lakers stretch out their lead. McDaniels and James are working great together tonight, and the crowd loves it!"

The huge ovation from the audience caused Kazuha's phone to ring, surprising her members who were gathering their breath after packing their belongings. With their hard work and sacrifice, the world has gradually acknowledged the ability of six girls who only wanted to play on stage.

"Zuha, What are you watching? Sounds like a parade there?"

Chaewon, their leader, inquired as she sipped her drink. When the firm gave them a ton of work, they didn't grumble and instead went out to perform with their hearts out, giving as much as their fans gave to them. To them, being an artist is not as simple as it appears. Some must make significant sacrifices in order to make their debut and demonstrate their skills. Because the sacrifices often may not equal the return, being a successful artist sometimes need luck.

"Ah, Sorry Unnie…my bad hehe.."

As a brilliant smile came on Kazuha's face, she murmured humbly. She was so engrossed in what she was viewing that she forgot about her surroundings, but can she really blame herself? When someone is completely absorbed in what they are doing. They tend to lose sight of the people around them and concentrate only on what they are doing. In this example, Kazuha was watching a thrilling Los Angeles Lakers game.

"Hearing the sounds…is that a basketball game Zuha?"

"Oh yeah Unnie."

"Eeeppp!! Is that the Lakers?! Girl let me watch!"

Yunjin dropped her luggage and sat next to Kazuha, her gaze fixed on her phone. The viewing tool for the game was minimal, but for die-hard fans like Kazuha and Yunjin, it was far superior to watching streams with so many strange adverts plastered left and right on a website.

"Eh? Yunjin, you watch basketball?"

Sakura inquired, closing her suitcase carefully. Sakura has already checked her suitcase three times to ensure that everything she needs for their short holiday is in there. Her suitcase was more ordered than their Maknae's luggage, who wasn't even packing and was sleeping. Sakura sighed as she began organizing their Maknae's stuff and placing everything in her suitcase.

"Of course Kkura Unnie. I have a few friends in New York who are basketball Junkies. Heck, I used to play basketball with them a few times before."

Sakura nodded in agreement as Yunjin's response demonstrated his familiarity with basketball. Given that she grew up in New York and discovered that their culture was much different from the society to which they were used. Sakura, on the other hand, knows basketball for two reasons. One is that in the early phases of her career, she was urged to do insane things in order to be elected, and basketball was one of them. She still suffers nightmares when she tries to remember those events. The second is that her childhood pal is now a basketball player. She last heard from him when he moved to the United States to play collegiate basketball, and after that, all forms of communication were cut off.

"Eh? You used to play Basketball Unnie?"

"The opposing team is looking to get an easy layup off of a fast break. McDaniels races back down the court to do his best to stop the play, but the defender is already airborne, ready to dunk the ball into the basket. McDaniels jumps, putting his body on the line to try to reach the ball. He tips it with his fingertips, and LeBron James comes soaring in from behind, blocking the ball and preventing the opposing team from scoring. McDaniels and LeBron high five as they force a turnover."

Yunjin nodded her head as her mouth formed an oh shape as she just saw an amazing play from the king, Lebron James.

"Yeah. Basket is literally a part of American culture there so yeah. Anyway, What's the age of Lebron again? He isn't suppose to be doing this things at year 21! My god…"

Yunjin was left speechless and at awe by the amazing feat Lebron James was showing. But Kazuha was more focused on the efforts of the other player. Y/N McDaniels. Kazuha knew that Lebron was the one who erased that easy layup but she knows that Your the one who prevented it to even making it graze the rim at all.

"Well He's Lebron Unnie. What can you say?"

As the opposition team requested a timeout, Kazuha laughed gently. Growing up, Kazuha was a tremendous basketball lover since her father was a huge basketball fan. Either the A or the B. The NBA or the Premier League. She recalls becoming exposed to the game of basketball during the 2009 NBA Finals. It was Game 6 of the NBA Finals, and Kobe and the Los Angeles Lakers were giving the Boston Celtics a fight for their money. Kazuha saw his father so engrossed in the game that she imagined herself in the stadium with her father, watching the game. Some would claim it's dull to watch, and who could blame them?

10 guys try to get a ball and score on each other and it just repeats over and over again. What's so fun about that? Add in the stereo type that Girls don't like basketball because it's too simple just makes Kazuha love the game even more.

Basketball became her method to hang out and interact with her father over time, since they were both die-hard Lakers fans. The Lakers have long been popular across the world, thanks to Kobe Bryant. His fame, combined with his influence, made the Lakers renowned all over the world, as it is constantly rated first in the world. So it's no surprise that the majority of the individuals Kazuha knows are huge Lakers fans. It is, after all, the city of angels..

"Hmm.. That guy McDaniels seems familiar and good too don't you think Zuha?"

Yunjin inquired as Kazuha nodded. Throughout the game, Kazuha was analyzing every player's mistakes and excellent plays, and in her opinion, you were the one with the fewest bad plays and the most team plays. Of course, she recognized your name; after all, you were the first rookie to lead your team to the Western Conference without any assistance.

"Of course Unnie. He's actually the only rookie to bring the lakers to the west conference finals when Lebron, AD, Dlo and Reaves were all injured. He went head to head with the Golden State warriors and got the respect from Curry, Klay, Draymond and even Kerr. Obviously the lakers lost because He was just a rookie but he made Golden state question their defensive scheme to stop him. "

Kazuha's words were full of pride in them as she spoke with confidence. She will never forget the headlines you made during that series and it was the buzz until the season ended. Expectations were set high for you following your next season and you didn't dissapoint at all.

"Oooh he sounds like a problem. So did he perform well his next season? Last year? Did he?"

Yunjin eagerly asked as Kazuha smiled and nodded her head.

"Yeah Unnie. He actually destroyed all expectations and showed the world and the team that he's legit. There were concerns about his fit with Lebron and AD but he showed them that he's a team player."

Everyone was taken aback by her remark. Few individuals can swallow their pride, especially in basketball, where many players are overly full of themselves and want to prove that they belong in the NBA. With the added pressure of playing with LeBron, your faith in yourself was unshaken, and it just fueled your desire to win.

"Seems like an amazing player. Also… He's kinda cute in a way.."

Yunjin said as she eyes you from Kazuha's phone. Chaewon sighed and gently smacked her arm reminding her that they are idols and not any ordinary people.

"Yah Huh Yunjin. Don't do anything stupid when we go to the states got it? We're still idols remember that."

Chaewon's leader side was showing as Yunjin could only laugh at her remark. Of course Yunjin was only half joking about her comment on you. Again, the word there is Half joking meaning, in a sense, she was admitting a small truth in her words.

"I know I know. I'm just half Joking Unnie hehehe~"

"Yah Yunjin."

The two began to do a playful banter as Kazuha was once again focused on the game. Sakura finally finished fixing the luggage of Eunchae who happens to wake up from all the noise her Unnies were doing.

"Did..did I miss something?"

Eunchae yawned as she slowly stretched her arms up trying to wake her body up.

"Not much. Just the typical chaos your used to Eunchae. Also, try to lessen your clothes in your bag. You have more clothes than me."

Sakura scolded their youngest who just cutely smiled at her as she knows that Sakura would listen to her no matter how much she scolds her. After all, Sakura loves her too much.

"It's fine Kkura Unnie. It's cold there in America and it's better to have thick clothing right? Hehehe~"

Eunchae did have a point as autumn has finally started in that country. But then again, Sakura knows that Eunchae would be spending a lot of her allowance in buying clothes there so what's the point of her grabbing many clothes when she will just buy new ones there? This somehow confused Sakura but she still had to scold her for it.

Meanwhile, the game concluded for the victory of the Lakers despite them struggling earlier on with their shooting which was always been the problem. There was this crazy conspiracy that all shooters that come to play for the Lakers suddenly forgot how to shoot the ball into the net. Of course seeing the terrible 3 point shooting of the Lakers pissed Kazuha off. But then again, the lights are the brightess in Los Angeles so that could be a huge contributor to why some of their players shoot bricks.

"Everyone! Have you all packed your stuff? Remember, we're going to watch the Lakers game in a few days from now after our short vacation in New York."

Their manager arrived in their dorm suprising everyone with what she just said. Kazuha's eyes widen hoping that she wasn't hearing things just now. Everyone was frozen shut as Chaewon tried to confirm what they all heard.

"Wait Unnie. We're.. We're going to watch an NBA Game? The lakers?"

Their manager nodded her head confirming that they infact heard the right thing.

"They Invited you girls to watch their game against the Clippers. And they also have you girls buy whatever you want in Los Angeles NBA store."

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"Shit Man I'm tired.."

You sat in your place behind your locker as the squad pulled off a hard-fought triumph against the opposition. Playing on the road has always been difficult since the supporters would be cheering on their squad, which may be detrimental to any team. So you have to be prepared to perform well and bring your best against road opponents, otherwise the media will either condemn or acclaim you. There was no middle ground.

"Well we got the dub, that's all that matters. Now we have a 3 day rest before we return home and play against the Clippers"

Austin Reaves, your teammates spoke making you sigh deeply. Even though that team was in the same city as yours, they have been quite the nuisance with all the noise they have been making in social media. Sure some of those don't really affect you too much but the fact that ESPN always hype them up like that have achieve something annoyed you. For you personally, your a person who doesn't really have a talent to basketball at all.

You just worked your ass off to where you have been.

"Nah like they probably gonna play like it's Game 7 or something against us again."

Anthony Davis added to the group. Even though AD was a very dominant starting this season, there was. A few instances where he would dissappear in the 2nd half of the game and it's either Lebron, Dlo, Austin or you has to carry that slack up. But considering the start of this season, he's playing like a Defensive player of the year so far and the most important thing is that he's healthy to start the season.

"Don't let all that get in your heads. They wanna start putting all this in your head so that when the game arrives, you will be shaken"

As LeBron talked, the atmosphere in the room calmed down. He has always been admired and idolized by many people, and his skill set at his age just serves to reinforce why he is regarded as an all-time great in the sport of basketball. Not only that, but he has been an excellent mentor to you from your first year with the team. His training routines were difficult, but you kept going because you didn't want to be pleased with an alright outcome; you wanted a greater result.

"Alright Guys. Great win today but for now, let's all rest and pick up our practice once we returned to LA okay?"

Coach Darvin said as everyone nodded at him. He may have been doing some questionable lineup for the past 3 seasons but right now, with you at the starting lineup, he finally found the recipe to win games and close them out. Coach Darvin also has been a big part of your rise to all star level as he has been training you on and off the court about Basketball and about life as a whole. You got nothing but respect for him. As everyone was preparing to leave the arena and head to their hotel, Austin pulled you to the side confusing you.

"Hey man, let's walk around New York shall we?"

"For what?"

"Oh come on don't be a party pooper. This is the only time we get to New York you know. Come in dawg, I just wanna walk man."

You sighed at his recommendation. As weird as it sounds, This was the only time you'll visit the Knicks this season as the second time you'll meet would be in your home court. Most of the time, you'll face a team at least 3 times but for this season, You'll only face the Knicks twice. And New York has always been an iconic place in the whole world so why not visit it around right?

"Alright, alright."

"That's my brotha right there. Alright let's go."

Austin Changed his outfit to his regular clothes and by that, it mean his hoodie and pants. No fancy clothing or anything like that. Austin in your eyes has always been a simple man but you could guess that a huge part of that is his place of birth and growing up in.

As you two exited the arena, you were welcomed with a massive edifice and a plethora of lights that represented New York City's nightlife. You were surprised at how many people flocked to this location despite the large crowds. The numerous digital billboards drew your attention as award shows and musicians were advertised on the colorful billboard.

"This is so different than LA…"

Austin could only laugh at you remark as he couldn't help but add in his own joke.

"You should visit Arkansas, you'll be greeted by cows and beautiful grass than this."

"Sounds relaxing in my opinon."

He laughed as both of you continued to walk. Many kinds of act was caught by your eyes ranging from magic tricks, mimes and the one that caught your eye is a bunch of people dancing to some Korean music.

"Hey, why are there so many people dancing to a song they can't understand."

Austin looked at you rather annoyed and in disbelief. He was kinda caught off guard with your question as he took a few seconds to answer you.

"Dude, Music transcends language. It's a universal language that no words needed."

"Right…."

You realized how stupid you looked asking that question so you just decided to ask a different question this time. Something more reasonable.

"Then what music is that?"

"That's Kpop bro haven't heard of it?"

He looked at you with an eye raised eyebrow. He looked rather quite suprised by you not knowing Kpop since it's kinda blowing up in the west. Even kids nowadays nows Kpop and have many Kpop artist on their Spotify Playlist.

"Sorry I haven't. Educate me AR"

"Fuck you man. I'm older than you, But basically Kpop is Korean Pop. That's it. It has many groups doing many category of that genre."

"Such as?"

"Cute, girl crush, retro and many more. Some are experimental"

You were quiet suprised by the many genres of one music has but you have to consider that Kpop is a pop music and pop Music can vary from time to time depending on what the listener wants.

"I see…I wonder if Jen achieved being an Idol…"

"Who?"

You shook your head not wanting to confuse AR further. You just smiled and nodded your head.

"Sounds intriguing"

"Oh it is. Anyway, buy me a New York Hotdog rookie"

"But I'm already in my Sophomore year."

"Did I stutter?"

You groan at him and walked away from where he was standing. You can see him enjoying the people dancing to Kpop songs and for you, it was interesting to say the least. It's music was something you haven't heard yet and it's not bad to try something new once in a while. Perhaps you should take this Kpop music a thing a chance and who knows, you could end up enjoying it.

As you approached the food truck with Hotdog on the menu, your eyes searched for the neighboring hotdog stand. But something else drew your attention away from the menu. You noticed the merchant attempting to communicate in English with a female wearing a hat and mask. You could see the bewilderment and fear in her eyes. You sighed as you noticed a long queue forming behind her, so you sped your feet and stood behind her, hoping to assist her.

"Is everything okay Miss?"

You asked as she look behind you and you saw her look up from her height as her changes to look of confusion and worry to amazement.

"Uhh… Food.. Eerr….want..This.."

She was trying her best to communicate with her broken English as she pointed at the Hotdog with bacon in them. You immedietly knew what she was trying to say as you nodded and spoke her order.

"Sir, she's ordering 5 Hotdogs with bacon toppings in them."

And just like that, the vendor sold her 5 hotdogs which she payed well for. It wasn't much of a big deal for you helping her but in her eyes, she was so glad someone from a foreign land helped her.

"Ah thank you very much~"

Her voice was high pitched and you would though that she was a singer with how her voice sounded.

"It's no problem miss. Hope you enjoy your food"

"Ah, You too."

It was preety obvious that English wasn't her primary language as you can hear the forces accent in her words but you didn't pay mind to it as you just nodded your head as she left with her food and you ordered your own. You pulled out your wallet hoping that it wad empty but you forgot your a millionaire athlete as you cursed AR.

"Damn you Austin!"

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Kazuha was lounging on her bed, watching highlights of the Lakers vs. Knicks game that had just ended. Despite their hunger, they waited for Chaewon to return with their New York Hot dogs with patience. Kazuha was so engrossed in the game highlights that she couldn't help but replay the highlight of the Lakers' action every time. But her heart would race as the scoreboard went from 2 to 7 down in an instant.

She is aware that the Lakers have a tendency to forget how to shoot, especially in crucial times, but based on the clips she was viewing, the Lakers were able to hold themselves to catch or tie the score. But, among the Lakers players she was watching on the phone, her gaze was drawn to you since your team's performance usually amazes her. She knows you had the ability to take over and fire as many rounds as you want, but you weren't pressing the trigger. Kazuha understands that basketball is a team sport, not an individual sport, and that getting the team involved in a play is what important in basketball.

"I'm back!"

Chaewon's voice made everyone look at her with a grin as their leader was back safely with food at hand. Eunchae ran out of her bed quickly as she rushed towards Chaewon sniffing the food in her hand.

"Gimme gimme gimme please~~"

Eunchae's cuteness was over the roof for Chaewon but Sakura once again scolded her.

"Yah, Eunchae Wait for everyone okay?"

Eunchae could only pout her lips as Kazuha pauses the video on her phone and went towards Chaewon with a small grin seeing her safe.

"Welcome home Unnie. How was your English skills?"

Yunjin smirked hoping to hear great news from her but Chaewon just simply chuckled and scratched the back of her head signaling that something didn't go well for her.

"Hehe… I kinda fumbled my English when I was speaking with a local. Hehehe…"

Chaewon shyly smiled as she felt embarrassed by what happened earlier. Everyone knew that Chaewon was confident in her English as she was practicing really hard for it and Kazuha knows it too. So for her to say that she failed means that Chaewon needed more practice. Sakura distrubuted the food to each one of them as Yunjin asked Chaewon.

"So how were you able to order this then Unnie?"

Their attention went to Chaewon who suddenly got embarrassed with their stares. For her, it felt she was the center of attention and she wasn't familiar with such feelings.

"Oh umm.. A tall person helped me out. I was kinda scared at first since he looked so tall but he ended up helping me out."

"A tall person? What does he look like Unnie?"

Eunchae asked seemingly intrigued as everyone else. Chaewon tried to recall your feature but the only thing she could remember was how nice you were to her.

"He's tall. I feel like he's an athlete and he's nice too."

Sakura widen her eyes as she immediately asked

"Does he look Japanese?!"

Chaewon shook her head making Sakura sigh and look away dissapointed. Kazuha noticed this and perhaps there was something more than what meets the eye for her.

"Well anyway, we should start getting ready after we eat as our flight will be tonight alright?"

Chaewon reminded them all that they still need to fly to LA since the Lakers invited them to their game. Kazuha suddenly got excited once again as the though of seeing you and the team as whole got her feeling excited and nervous at the same time.

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After a few days of seeing Los Angeles and shopping at the NBA store, it was finally time to meet the Lakers and witness their game versus their hometown rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers. When they arrived to the Staples Center, Kazuha was overjoyed. She never imagined witnessing a statue of Magic Johnson in front of her eyes, yet here she is. She took out her phone and began photographing the iconic Magic Johnson, but she was surprised when Mr. Magic appeared in front of them.

They were all looking uo to him who showed a sweet smile at them as they all shook their hands with him. Lesserafim was one of the tallest kpop idol group in south Korea especially Yunjin and Kazuha but standing next to Magic Johnson made them look like average people.

"It's nice to see and meet you girls. Congratulations to your shows Ladies. Can we take a picture?"

Despite him being tall, in their eyes, Magic Johnson was a big ball of sunshine who's smile radiates infront of them. But Kazuha was the most thrilled one when Magic himself asked for a picture with them. Her smile was reaching her ears as Magic Johnson told them to enjoy the lakers game which they will.

Their Manager told them to follow them as they will be guided to the Lakers court which at this point, everyone was excited to see but Kazuha was the most thrilled one. Wearing a custom jersey given to them by the Lakers, getting welcomed by a laker legend, taking a picture with him and now seeing the court first? This was a dream come true for Kazuha.

"Zuha your excitement is showing through your smile."

Sakura said as a chuckle escape from her mouth. Kazuha shyly blushed but smiled happily as her excitement was just off the roof right now. From watching the Laker on her TV and Phone to actually sitting Courtside and walking in the laker court was her dream come true.

"How can I Unnie? This feels so surreal and its my dream come true!"

Sakura could only laugh at her as they were walking the halls of the Lakers. Painting of the great players who wore the purple and gold was hanged on the walls as Yunjin and Kazuha were happily explaining who these players are. The rest were happily listening as they finally arrived at the court of the lakers. The arena was empty as the game wasn't until 10pm tonight. It was here that the girls realized how small they really are compared to NBA players.

"Wow… The rim is so tall.."

Eunchae said as she looked up the rim like it was a big giant tree infront of her. Yunjin chuckled and patted her shoulder.

"Thats why the NBA athlete are crazy good. Imagine shooting so far or even getting into the rim."

Eunchae nodded as the group spotted a few of their fans as well as they greeted them and had a chance to interact with them. Sakura smile quickly dissappeared when she noticed their fans jersey number familiar with her and a name that she was familiar with. Chaewon noticed this as she talked to her.

"Is everything Okay Unnie?"

"H-Huh? O-Oh yeah.."

Sakura returned her smile like usual but something didn't sit well with Chaewon. Meanwhile, Yunjin decided to take picture of them as a whole with the Lakers logo behind them. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them to step foot on an NBA court and even walk on it. Their manager told them that the lakers have a suprise for them which got the girls intrigued. Eunchae wanted to know what the suprise is but instead, their manager told them that she can't reveal it yet as it will happen during the game.

The girls then went to their seats waiting for the game to start as the crowd was finally filling up the arena. One by one the players were coming out of the locker room and into the court as Chaewon and Yunjin gasped seeing a familiar face. Kazuha smiled happily to see her favorite player out and Sakura gasped seeing a ghost of her past.

"Y/N?!! YOU'RE AN NBA PLAYER NOW?!!"

Yujin's voice was so loud that despite the many people, you heard her as your eyes landed on her. You widen your eyes in suprise seeing Jennifer on the Courtside with a different hair color but you were damn sure she was that Girl you know back in New York. You smiled and went near her seat as Yunjin did the same. Kazuha was shocked that her favorite player was acquainted with Yunjin as Yunjin Rushes towards you hugging you tightly making the girls shocked.

"Y/N! It really is you!!"

Her tight embrace made you feel your chest getting crushed and the air shortening as you breath.

"J-Jen.. I.. Can't breath.."

"Opps. My bad hehe."

Yunjin chuckled as she let go of you. She looked you up and down looking so proud of you as her smile was the proof of that.

"Wow look at you, already an NBA player huh? Damn Daniels, I didn't know you were like that."

"What can I say? I'm guessing you made it too right?"

"You bet! Look look! My jersey is custom gifted by your team!"

Yunjin happily showed you her jersey which you were at awe from. You begin to question why the office didn't told you that a Kpop artist was in the building and more importantly, it was your friend Jennifer. Yunjin called upon her members as they made their way towards you. Chaewon was shocked because the person that helped her out back in New York was you.

"Hey guys meet my friend Y/N McDaniels."

They waved at you as Chaewon smiled at you cutely. Your eyes landed on Chaewon and her eyes immediately made you feel like you have seen her before.

"Have I… Seen you before Miss?"

Chaewon nodded as Yunjin gasped in suprised.

"Oh my! So your that tall person that helped her in that Hotdog stand?"

You nodded your head as Chaewon smiled and bowed at you thanking you for that time of helping her.

"I'm Kim Chaewon. Nice to meet you and thank you"

Her voice made you blush right away since you thought it was charming. Your face flushed with embarrassment as you realized what had happened. You were staring at five attractive females in front of you, and the notion made you feel self-conscious.

"Oh umm.. N-Nice to meet you too.. I-I mean nice to meet you all…"

Yunjin noticed your shy demeanor as a smirk appeared on her face. She playfully nudged you as she found a way to tease you.

"Hohoho~ Look at this, this guy is getting flustered~"

"W-Well why wouldn't I? I'm infront of 5 beautiful ladies."

Yunjin was taken aback by your response, as her cheeks grew rose-colored and her eyes widened. Her heart began to beat faster, and her pupils became wider. This sensation was familiar to her, but she didn't expect it to happen to you.

Kazuha decided to take over as she smiled and offered you a handshake which you accepted.

"Hi, I'm Nakamura Kazuha. I'm a fan of yours."

Kazuha brightly smiled and that alone made you blush even more. There was this pulling string towards Kazuha that got you staring at her beauty. Her smile was so bright that it lighten up your mood even though your not sad yourself.

Chaewon saw that you and Kazuha were staring at each other as she decided to grab your attention with a cough. That snapped both of you as you and Kazuha pulled each other's hand away from each other. Both your cheeks were blushing as Chaewon smiled and offered a handshake.

"Hi again. My name is Chaewon~"

Her cute voice reall got your heart racing and it got you feeling different. You shook her hand and just like Kazuha and Yunjin, her hand was soft and fluffy to touch as your blush only gotten redder.

"Thank you again for helping me."

"A-ah no it's nothing.. Anything to help."

"That's so cute to hear. Hehehe~"

If your think your cheeks couldn't get any redder, it just got redder. Chaewon has this cuteness factor which got you captivated and cling to her. In all honesty, she's quite dangerous for your heart as she could effortlessly grab your heart without you resisting.

"Me! Me! My turn! Me next!"

Eunchae was enthusiastic to meet you as Chaewon pulled away shyly. She herself felt lost in those eyes of yours as she blushes a little and looks away. Eunchae happily and energetically shook your hand which made you smile happily.

"Hong Eunchae!! Hehehe~"

She was really cute with her smile but what got you was her energetic aura that she was showing. She was like a pure ball of energy that just make you smile. In a sense, it made you feel like you need to protect her from the harshness of the world.

Last but not the least was Sakura who smiled happily at you as you shook her hand.

"I'm Miyawaki Sakura. Nice to meet you."

"Hi Ms. Sakura. Are you Japanese?"

"Yes I am."

"Ohhh just like Rui."

Sakura stood frozen upon hearing your word. Everything was starting to line up for her as to why she was given the jersey number by the lakers. Her suspicions could have been answered as You notice her staring blankly at you.

"Sakura? You alright?"

"H-Huh? O-Oh yeah. I'm fine. Is this Rui… Named Rui Hachimura?"

"Yeah."

That was it. Sakura was right all along. Rui Hachimura is here in the NBA. Her eyes began to dart everyone trying to look for him as Yunjin decided to slip in to talk to you again.

"Well you know our seat Y/N, that means you know where to look at hehe~"

Yunjin's words was kinda filled with teasing and a little bit flirty as Kazuha and Chaewon got what Yunjin was planning too. Chaewon was filled with worry about her Idol career if she was to get into a scandal with you. Kazuha on the other hand felt jealous that Yunjin was a step ahead of her when it comes to getting to know you. She pouted her cheeks as she looked down a little annoyed by herself.

"Alright, alright. Well I hope you enjoy the game guys."

You smiled once again before returning to the court warming up with your teammates. They returned to their seat as all of them began asking Yunjin how she was familiar with you. Sakura on the other hand was solely focusing her stare at one player, and his jersey number 28. She was feeling a mixed emotions seeing him as she has many questions more than answers.

"どうして私を捨てたの?"

(Why did you leave me?)

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The buzzer sounded and the atmosphere was filled with energy coming from the lakers fan as a whole. Lesserafim was shocked to see how passionate the fans of the lakers were but they immediately got themselves immerse into the game.

When your name was introduced, Lesserafim was hyped up cheering you on as Yunjin and Kazuha took Out their phones taking a picture of you on the big screen.

After trailing and suffering from the 1st half, Lesserafim realized how stressful it is to watch a game for the Lakers and how great it feels to comeback from a huge lead. They could feel the intensity of the game and the support of the fan cheering on.

"Wow this is… So this is the feeling of Live NBA basketball.."

Kazuha said as her dream of being in the NBA has finally happened. It was dream come true for her seeing NBA players up live and seeing you up close.

"I think my throat is getting dry from screaming earlier…"

Eunchae remarked, making the others laugh. What she claimed was correct since they had entirely forgotten that they were Kpop Idols while immersed in the game. Sakura was screaming her lungs out trying to defend the Lakers from questionable fouls, Chaewon was trying to understand the game but she was also cheering and defending the Lakers, Kazuha was explaining the game to her but she was also cheering you on, and finally Yunjin was cheering and reacting to every play with her heart. Her expressions were spot on.

But despite the hardship, the Lakers managed to take a win against their hometown rival and was able to snap their 11 losing game streak with them. Their manager then decided that it was time for them to get the suprise they were anticipating. She smirked as she called Lesserafim over. Excitement was evident on their faces as they suddenly walked down to the tunnel as they were standing waiting for something.

And that something was unexpected to say the least. You came out holding their Album and a pen as your sweet smile made them know what your goal was. Yunjin was more than ecstatic to sign the album as she slowly began planning on how she'll write her number on the album. Kazuha was blushing as this was her one chance to get you more than just a player and as a friend. Perhaps down the line that friendship could evolve to something beautiful. Chaewon was feeling a little nervous as she was contemplating on whether or not she should be bold or keep her thoughts to herself. She wanted to know you more and be friends with you because she has this weird attraction towards you. Eunchae wants to have an NBA all star friend so she can boast it to her friends back at home.

But Sakura found this as an opportunity to find more about Rui. So when you went towards them holding their latest album, you kinda felt self conscious about yourself.

"Heh, Lesserafim Huh? Guess you girls have an NBA fan now."

Your words was all the thing they need to feel like they are on top of the world. Kazuha couldn't be more happier when you spoke those words. To her, this was the biggest dream come true for her. She couldn't be more proud of herself.

Chaewon was smiling ear to ear because she felt proud of their team as a whole. All their hardship and sacrifices has been paid off because now, they are being recognized by people who are adored and idolized in the world. That's not a feat that should be overlooked.

Yunjin on the other hand couldn't help but be proud of herself and to you. She knows the hardship you went through to get through here and she also have to give herself a pat on the back for this one. Her journey wasn't easy as well and there were many times where she though of quiting but she didn't. She pushed through and her determination proved to be rewarded.

"Can I have your autographs?"

You asked them and they happily complied. You were feeling nervous about getting your album signed by the artist themselves but you noticed how Yunjin turned the album around and wrote something else as a Smriks appeared on her face.

"Don't show this to the camera okay? It's my number~"

That made you blush as your eyes widen looking at her. Kazuha knew Yunjin already did something to make you blush so she did the same thing. After signing from the front, she turned it around and wrote her own number as she looked up to you blushing shyly. She quickly turned away with a blushing face but no words were needed to know her intentions.

Chaewon sighed as she already knew what those 2 did but she ended up doing it as well. After all she also has her own goals with you so this time, she choose to be a little selfish.

"That's my gift for winning tonight. Hehe~"

Again, Chaewon's cute voice really got you like a blushing mess as she was very dangerous for your heart. Eunchae followed what her Unnies did but instead of her number, she placed her IG account there.

"You have my permission to talk to me hehe~"

Eunchae's silliness made you chuckle as you almost forgot that 3 beautiful idols handed you their number like it was nothing. Sakura wrote her signature and didn't turn the album instead she asked you.

"Is Number 28 gonna walk here?"

"Oh Rui? Yeah he will. He's just busy doing some interview right now but he'll be here"

"Thank you and congrats on the win."

Sakura smiled as you thanked her and smiled as well. You took picture with the group and signed their custom jersey as well before they could depart in the arena. Yunjin and Kazuha wanted to stay with you more but their manager told them that they have to return back to their hotel now. As sad as it seems, everything wasn't in vain as they gave you a way to connect with them. It made you feel a little sad that you could have spent more time with them but that little time was enough for you.

You looked back at the album and you smiled a little knowing that something could start with this chance. But as you look further on the album, you saw an unfamiliar hand writing that says…

"MY LAKER STAR"

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Rui just finished his interview and was feeling great after that win. He was smiling ear to ear until a familiar person made him stop walking. Sakura closed her eyed before opening them and showing a bittersweet smile. A smile that hold so much emotion but has no happiness.

"It's been a while… Rui.."

"Sakura…."

[intheticklecloset]

A Much Sweeter Deal (Blue Lock)

Summary: Chigiri, Kunigami, and Nagi have a playful competition to find out who is the most ticklish!

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY SQUIGGILY!! (@giggly-squiggily) I hope your day is filled with joy and happiness and all the fluffy things! May this humble fic offering make it that much sweeter! Thank you so much for being such a great friend to me. Tumblr - and life in general - wouldn't be the same without you in it! HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAY!! 🥳🎂🎉🎉🎉

Word Count: 1832

~~~

Chigiri had been duped. Hoodwinked. Blindsided. Bamboozled. The sheer audacity of what was happening to him—

“Wahahahahahait, no!” he squealed uselessly as he felt the soft cushion of his beanbag chair against his back, his attackers moving in on either side of him. “Wait! Two agahahahahahainst one isn’t fahahahahahahair! Guys!”

Kunigami – his dearest, his beloved – had the nerve to look smug. “What’s the matter, princess? Don’t think you can take it?”

And Nagi – his love, his heart and soul – pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’m sure he can. He just wasn’t ready for us to gang up on him. Right, Chichi?”

He was going to kill them both – right after he was done laughing himself silly, of course.

“I hahahahahahahate you!” he shrieked, squirming against their strong holds as Kuni dug his fingers into his hip and Nagi squeezed his knee. “You suhuhuhuhuhuhuck! I wahahahahahasn’t reheheheheheady!”

“Told you,” the white-haired boy said to Kuni with a smirk. “Well, you know we’re coming now. I’m sure you’ll get used to it~”

Chigiri had each of his arms pinned – one by each of his boyfriends – and they each loomed in close as they tickled him all over, knowing it would drive him crazy to have them in his personal space during such a vulnerable moment. Still, the redhead couldn’t hide his elation at being ganged up on this way, though he protested and struggled and generally tried to pretend he wanted out.

His partners knew him better than that.

“Where are you going, princess?” Kuni teased as he reached up into his armpit, making Chigiri squeal and lean further to Nagi’s side to escape. “You’re not trying to escape from your prince charmings, are you?”

“I’m nohohohohohohohot – gahahak Nahahahahahahagi!” the redhead cackled when the other boy drilled into his ribs, leaving him shimmying from side to side as he attempted to escape all of the tickly sensations coming for him at once.

Nagi smirked. “If anything it sounds like he’s imploring us to keep going.”

“Thihihihihihihis isn’t fahahahahahair!” Chigiri reiterated, unable to curb his laughter at all even as he whined, “You guhuhuhuhuhuys always tihihihihihihickle mehehehehehe!”

“Because you’re just so ticklish, Chichi,” Nagi cooed into his ear.

Chigiri flushed bright pink as he challenged, “You’re juhuhuhuhuhuhust as tihihihihihicklish! Bohohohohohoth of you!”

Kunigami hummed, a wicked smirk playing at his lips. “Oh, yeah? Then why don’t we have a little contest to see who’s the most ticklish, hmm?”

“I’m ihihihihihihihin!”

“Great! Nagi?”

“On it.”

Suddenly his two boyfriends were going for his knees, squeezing and scribbling at the undersides, and Chigiri spasmed in his chair as he screeched, “NO FAHAHAHAHAHAIR NO FAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAIR!! GUHUHUHUHUHUHUYS!!”

“Whaaaaat? How are we supposed to know who’s most ticklish if we don’t go for a bad spot?” Kunigami teased.

It was all for show and the three of them knew it. Chigiri’s knees were absurdly ticklish, as were his hips – it didn’t take much of the two of them alternating between the spots for the redhead to lose stamina, pleading for them to let up within just a minute.

“Who should we go for next, if this is a competition?” Nagi asked, genuinely curious. But the instant Chigiri cackled “KUHUHUHUHUHUNI!!” he abandoned his position and tackled the blonde, forcing him off of the redhead and grabbing onto his ribs at the same time.

“Gahk! Nahahahahahagi, you jeheheheheherk! I thohohohohought we wehehehehere on the sahahahahahame teheheheheheheam!”

“We are,” Nagi replied with a grin as Chigiri quickly recovered and dove in to help him. “But I’m also on Chichi’s team. That’s how relationships work.”

Kunigami was in a less comfortable position on the floor, but it made no difference in his reactions whatsoever. He halfheartedly fought back, knowing he could take them both out with one swipe if he really wanted to, but where would the fun be in that? He’d suggested this competition; the least he could do was contribute to it.

Still…

“Nahahahahahahaha not my lehehehehehegs, prihihihihihincess!” he squealed, trying to pull his thigh away from the redhead while Nagi struggled to pin his arms and go for his armpits.

“Hmm, did you stop when I said the same thing? Nope!” Chigiri happily planted himself on Kuni’s knees to better access his thighs while protecting himself from further kicking. “So I’m not gonna let up either, hero! Tickle, tickle!”

“Gahahahahahahaha nohohohohoho! Chigiri – Nahahahahahahagi plehehehehehehehease!”

Nagi looked far too happy with himself, having finally pinned one of Kuni’s arms with his body while digging freely into his upper ribs, pulling shrieking laugh after snorting chortle from the blonde that was bigger than both of them. “You said it yourself – we gotta go for bad spots for this to be a real test, big guy.”

“Mehehehehehehe and my bihihihihihihig mohohohohohouth!” Kuni wailed helplessly, making both of his partners laugh along with him. But it wasn’t until Chigiri abandoned his thighs and scooted up to straddle his hips and drill into his abs that the blonde truly lost it.

“Whoa!” he yelped as he was nearly thrown from his seat, his bigger boyfriend having tossed his head back with hysterical laughter at the change in location.

“NOHOHOHOHOHOHO NOT THEHEHEHEHEHEHEHERE!! PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE, IT’S SO BAHAHAHAHAHAHAD!!”

Chigiri shot a knowing smirk at Nagi, who grinned right back. Revenge is sweet, the redhead thought as the two of them took up positions on either side of Kuni’s torso and vibrated into his abs and stomach like they were giving him electric shocks.

Kunigami lasted about the same amount of time as Chigiri before waving his arms frantically and pleading, “NAHAHAHAHAHAGI NEXT!! NAHAHAHAHAHAHAGI!!”

Nagi had already forgotten that he was due up, so caught up in the fun of tickling each of his partners the way he was. He blinked at Kuni’s words, then let out a soft “oh” of realization before he was pulled off of the blonde by Chigiri, who quickly got to work pulling his arms up and pinning them down to prevent an escape attempt.

For a moment, there was a lighthearted silence as Kuni caught his breath and sidled up next to Nagi on the ground, Chigiri wiggled his fingers teasingly, and Nagi whimpered and tried, “W-Wait, we don’t really need to test me, right? I’m not as bad as either of you—”

“We’ll see about that,” Kunigami declared, beginning the new round of tickling by scribbling over the smaller boy’s sides.

Chigiri also got started, tracing circles in his underarms to get him warmed up. They both knew he didn’t do well with immediately being sent into harder laughter – Nagi handled being tickled better when he had a chance to get used to softer sensations first, and despite their urges to do otherwise, both Chigiri and Kunigami made sure to never go for his bad spots right off the bat.

The payoff was worth it, too, because after just a minute of light tickles, Nagi was prepared to take rougher ones, and he voiced it by giggling, “Juhuhuhuhuhuhust get on wihihihihihihith it alreheheheheady!”

Kuni’s eager grin was back in full force as he snuck his hands under Nagi’s hoodie to get at his bare skin, making the white-haired boy shriek and arch his back in the spare moments he had before Chigiri went up to his neck and ears, making him snicker and squirm and blush like a strawberry.

“Ehehehehehehehe! No fahahahahahahair! We dihihihihihihidn’t go skihihihihin to skin for either of yohohohohohohou!”

“No one was stopping you,” Chigiri teased.

Kuni chuckled. “Besides, we know it works much better on you than either of us. Just look how much you’re laughing now! Got a ticklish tummy, Nagi?~”

“We dihihihihihihihihidn’t tehehehehehehease either!”

“Sounds like a missed opportunity.”

“Would you rather we didn’t tease?” Chigiri asked.

“Yehehehehehehes!”

“All right. Hero?”

Kunigami glanced up at him. “Go for the feet?”

“Nohohohohohohoho!”

“Go for the feet.”

Nagi protested and kicked as the blonde made his way to the next spot, but it was useless. Within seconds Kunigami had his ankles in a headlock, fingers scribbling over his bare soles as Chigiri released his arms and scooted down to tickle his upper ribs.

“Nohohohohohohohooooo!” Nagi whined, gripping the redhead’s shoulders as soon as his arms were free. “You’re so mehehehehehehehehean!”

“You can really only expect so much from us, cutie,” Chigiri replied, leaning down to kiss him briefly before skittering wildly all over his torso.

Nagi squealed and giggled and squirmed, protesting the entire time, but thanks to his boyfriends’ positioning, he wasn’t going anywhere fast.

After another minute or so, Kunigami finally let up on his feet and turned back around, prying Nagi’s legs apart and slotting between them with a suggestive smirk, and Nagi blushed furiously even as his struggling intensified.

“Nonononono not thehehehehehehere! Dohohohohohon’t you dare – KUHUHUHUNIGAMI!! CHIHIHIHIHIHICHIHIHIHIHI, NOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!”

This time it was Nagi’s turn to scream his laughter into the air as they each attacked a thigh, focusing on the inner parts that were more ticklish and barely dodging flailing arms along the way. The poor boy had no chance of lasting as long as either of the others had.

“I GIHIHIHIHIHIVE!! I GIVE, I GIVE – PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE NO MOHOHOHOHORE!!”

At last the competition was over, and each of the boys fell back to catch their breaths and let out leftover giggles, the space between them light and fluffy as a cloud. Chigiri recovered first, having been the furthest from his own tickle attack, and he asked teasingly, “So, do we have a winner?”

“Of who’s the most ticklish?” Nagi questioned, having curled up in the fetal position to protect his legs from further attack.

Kunigami chuckled. “I think it’s pretty obvious. Don’t you, princess?”

Chigiri was going to take a moment to think about it, because in his mind, there wasn’t a clear winner. But apparently his boyfriends were on a different page than him, because suddenly it was like the contest never happened, and he was right back where he’d been at the start, pinned to his beanbag chair with a loving boyfriend on either side of him, ready to make him laugh to his heart’s content.

“Waitwaitwait – whohohoho says I’m the most tihihicklish?!” he protested, unable to help the few anticipatory giggles that slipped out of him.

“We do,” they both replied at the same time, then each grabbed a side and leaned in to kiss his neck, making the redhead squeal with both ticklishness and delight at the affectionate contact.

“Guhuhuhuhuhuys! This wahahahahahasn’t the deheheheheheheal!”

“Too bad~” Nagi teased in his ear before kissing his jaw, his hand sneaking down to his hip and making Chigiri spasm.

“Besides,” Kunigami added, kissing his forehead before settling in to scribble ruthlessly into his armpit, “this is a much sweeter deal anyway~”

Chigiri had been tricked again! It was all a roundabout way for their tickle attack to be ‘fair’ – and it wasn’t fair! But…he decided he really didn’t mind. He loved being on the receiving end of their combined affection – and it was obvious they loved giving it to him, too.

[emotionalsupportdman]

i’ve got next level chef on the tv so while i’m avoiding sticking myself with the needle i’m also bitching at the contestants

current mood: stitching the cuffs of my short sleeve button downs permanently rolled up so i can show off my biceps

[rinaxtaros]

[06] | 𝐑𝐄𝐃.

summary: Ciel, [y/n] and Sebastian discuss her future with the Phantomhive’s.

— Tainted (verb) contaminate or pollute (something)

"Well if you are ordered to be by my side I suppose there is nothing I can do.” Ciel shrugs as his eyes flutter close. Sebastian scoffs "My Lord!"

Ciel opens his eye to glare at his baffled butler “I believe this matter has no need for your input, surely you understand the details of our contract?"

Sebastian stays quiet as he sees Ciel had stuck him in a rut. It is true. Yet it annoys him that his simple-minded human master had told him about the details of a demonic contract. He lets his eye twitch in annoyance.

"Do not fret, Sebastian" You interrupt, placing a hand against your heart in feign compassion “I do not wish to consume your master's tainted soul.”

Your eyes flush with a beautiful array of pinks, reds and magentas. Your passion is very obvious as it swirls within your eyes when you’re speaking.

Ciel observes your characteristics intently. The young boy notices the way your eyes seem to glow a passionate red whilst you speak (mock) to Sebastian, and how they seem to sparkle under the candlelit room. Ciel believes your eyes are reminiscent to his late aunts ruby hair.

Though, he should be terrified by the powerful aura you hold, he is nothing short of captivated. Even when you were disguised as a figure close to his mother, he could still sense your strong abilities. Although he may not of known of your supernatural prowess, the confidence you radiate when you’re not acting the part of a humble maid is something that matches Sebastian’s cocky attitude.

"If you are to watch over me, I suppose we should disguise you as a maid." Ciel interrupts the bickering that had begun between you and Sebastian in his time spent thinking.

“Perhaps a housekeeper, a higher position.” He ponders, hand cupping his chin.

“Very smart, young master.” Sebastian comments, ignoring how your smile is pissing him off “It means she can speak to us regularly without being questioned.”

Ciel nods.

"Maybe a name change is in place?" He asks as he looks towards the newest member of the Phantomhive manor.

“Whatever you wish, Phantomhive.” You reply, looking towards the young boy. Despite his young age, he is quite a distinguished businessman.

Ciel thinks for a few moments, allowing the sounds of nature to enter the room. The light pitter-patter of the rain against the large expanse of the glass panes is calming to say the least. It adds to the atmosphere of the room that Sebastian had attempted to make for his master.

You glance at Sebastian. He has had his guard up the whole time you were here, which you find quite confusing. You have shown no sign of aggression, just a simple jest here and there with said demon.

"Have you had any past names?" Ciel rips the two from their staging contest. You laugh “It would take me years to list them all, little Phantomhive."

You blink, thinking “You can call me [y/n]. We can just pretend you hired me after your aunts passing.”

Ciel growls lightly "Do not call me that!" You cock a brow. It’s quite easy to rile up the poor thing. Has Sebastian been a good little dog and not crossed the line with little Ciel?

"I think I recall that you are not my master.”

Sebastian hums "I suppose you aren't my Lord, however, technically you don't have a master at all." He glances at you through the corner of his eye, almost smirking as he tries to one up you.

“Her soul has been eaten has it not?"

You nod. “That is a dilemma for me.” You slip the lacy glove from your hand to show the pair the faint marking “It disappeared when she passed, but after reading the letter, it reappeared.”

“Only slightly, though.” Sebastian hums.

The study falls quiet, the only sound being the clock that ticked on the mantelpiece. The soft glow of the room bounces off of the entities present.

The two seem to communicate silently, passing you glances. It unsettles you.

"I hope that you don't get too happy with me being here, I find it tedious." You add, downcasting your eyes to your scratched shoes. The woodlands had done a number on the polished material.

"Perhaps you can be an informant, surely you know quite a bit about the underworld." Ciel asks.

“Oh? and why would I tell you?” You tease half-heartedly.

"Because I have Sebastian" He speaks smugly "I'll just ask him to torture it out of you.”

His attitude is truly vile. A little boy with such tone-deaf confidence really ticks you off.

“Is that anyway to speak to someone that can so easily kill you?" You mutter, tongue clicking against the roof of your mouth in distaste. Sebastian shuffles, turning towards your figure.

Does he not realise you have to desire in hurting the boy?

“Plus I think you’ll find that…” You glance over at Sebastian “I’ll enjoy it.”

"Is that anyway to speak to my Lord?" Sebastian enquires, stepping towards the demoness who changes her gaze to the wall in front of her.

"I'm starting to rethink this proposition, perhaps I will ignore Anne's last order.” A sigh escapes your lips, tired eyes boring into Sebastians so uninterested it makes his blood boil. Sebastian scoffs.

"You call yourself a Faustian demon yet you disobey your masters orders?" Sebastian glares in disgust. You mirror the disgusted look "You may have respect in Hell, but we are on Earth, I shan't feel scrutinised by your words.”

Ciel laughs from his chair, watching the conflict between demons. A voice in his head tells him he should probably be scared as there is a high chance that a demon fight will break out. Sebastian's demon aura grows from his back, magnifying with the blatant disrespect you continue to show but by the cocky smirk on your face, it’s clear you enjoy pushing his buttons.

Perhaps Ciel will bargain to keep you around.

"Your words aren't just blatant disrespect, but I rather find it amusing to think you will get away with what you say.” Sebastian growls. You shrug her shoulders "If you think you'll get me back in Hell then you are wrong, I don't wish to go back there for centuries.”

Sebastian raises an eyebrow "You think I won't get you here? You think lowly of me, darling.” He chuckles lightly as he collects himself.

Ciel hums, his hands resting in his lap "Will you stay [y/n]? I'm sure you would like to get started on your next contract.”

"Yes.” You confirm, "I would like to make a contract, but no souls attract me.”

Your eyes flutter closed for a second, "It's getting late, little Lord, are you sure you're not tired?" You ask, eyes fluttering open to catch the slight slouch in his posture. Ciel’s houlders droop as he tries to keep himself up right, but he fails miserably. He’s still a child after all - he’ll eventually give into his tiredness.

Sebastian turns to his master, his hands toying with the Phantomhive stopwatch and clicking it open. His eyes widen "Unfortunately she is right my Lord, the time is a quarter past twelve.”

Ciel sighs tiredly "I suppose so.”

"What game are you playing at?" Sebastian asks as he walks down the large hallway, candle holder in hand. His eyes flicker occasionally to the demoness beside him who walks along silently.

"Nothing..but now that you say something like that, perhaps I'll start one.” You taunt, fluttering your lashes towards Sebastian who watches with an unreadable expression.

He scoffs "I can tell what sin you are.”

You pouts (although you weren’t trying to hide it), "Really? How about we play a game then?” You pause Sebastian in his stride.

He watches as your hand slivers to grasp around his black tie. Your fingers curve around the material, watching as his eyes flicker between your hand and your face. You pull, relishing in the way he seems to stutter.

Sebastian's eyes waver for a few seconds as he formulates a plan. A smirk widens on his face as he leans closer, there faces barely centimetres apart "Perhaps we can, but I decide the rules'.”