#interior design nonsense lol

[bones-n-bookles]

FINALLY HAVE BOOKSHELF

I evidently need another already xD this isn't including the stack next to my bed that I'm reading currently

[le-trash-prince]

I've been in a "watch 500 van conversion tour videos" mood lately so i'm just gonna post some of my thoughts (lots of complaining about YT and lifestyle minimalists here)

as always I hate YT's algorithm and how difficult it is to get past the wall of full-time influencers

Legitimately I hate when youtubers are like "here's an instructional video on how to do [thing i am doing for the first time]." This is something I genuinely think YT has damaged about DIY culture because ppl think that you can learn something just by watching a video. Like yes, you can receive instruction through a video, but you have not actually learned how to do something with your hands until you have learned it with your hands, and even then you shouldn't be giving people instruction on how to do it when you've only done it once??

I think the Malaysian food ep of Dish Granted is a really good example of this, when Steven is like "oh I'll pull chai while spinning in a circle the way the chaiwallahs do" and then realizes the hubris of that statement bc there is a high level of physical skill involved in what they do that simply watching a video simply does not magically gift you. I was really glad when Ronny Chieng basically called him out "sure the meal is good for a first attempt that you threw together but you can't pretend this compares to actual Malaysian street food. Like as street food it's crap lol"

in that vein I hate the videos that are titled "here's the best way to do xyz for your van" and it's like. the person's very first van build and they've never lived in a van before. like how do you know that's the best way? because you read about it on the internet?

anyways love this one tour video where 20 minutes into the tour, the dude goes "and here's my crockpot. because I really love soup." and then their camera guy who has been completely silent just busts out laughing and is crying "I rEaLLy LoVe SoUp."

one van had the BL sheets and I hate that my vision has been cursed this way

love the no-nonsense approach that the channel Cheap RV Living has.

also hate how hard it is to get past the YT algorithm of "wealthy white ppl doing xyz" and talking about the spiritual freedom it grants them to live more sustainably by getting rid of all their things that work perfectly well and then building an apartment's worth of furniture from scratch and cladding an entire van with virgin wood. did no one teach y'all about the thrift store.

every time someone is like "living in a van has enriched my life because it taught me how to be uncomfortable" i'm like "...... wait you guys were comfortable before?"

so many of the designer builds look completely the same but i will admit i do at least enjoy the current trends of interior design (warm whites, earth tones/natural wood stain, gold accents, the color green) as opposed to the whitewashed colorless shiplap trends of the 2010s. like yesss paint those lower cabinets green, go off girl. but also i have to wonder what the point of having something custom made is if it's just going to look like what everyone else has??? (aside from the fact that it garners views sure whatever)

at this point if it's a couple doing a van tour video i automatically skip it because i'm tired of the level of (fake?) cheerfulness it requires for 2 ppl to live in a 60sq ft space and talking about how "it's the best thing ever" in that social media voice. i say this but i haven't had any queer couples come across my feed yet so i could feel differently about that. I'd maybe watch videos from that lesbian couple in How to Build a Sex Room that were totally gunning for a threesome with the old lady designer.

take a shot every time a video is like STEALTH CAMPING and it's literally just someone hanging out in their van in the middle of the day watching TV before they go buy their groceries. i do that all the time, it's called "i don't want to get out of the car."

before someone even says what their previous housing status was, you can tell the diff between the homeless ppl and the rich ppl just based on who actually has stuff and is excited to talk about their stuff vs who is trying to emphasize their lack of material attachment while filming a video about their belongings.

also love the one dude who had a basic bed set-up in an otherwise empty van, went to IKEA and bought a metal folding table and a burner, set it up in the corner and had such genuine enthusiasm for having a kitchen in his car. like legitimately he was so excited and i was excited for him! vs the person looking like they were gonna murder someone bc they mismeasured a wood panel in their ~under $10K~ fully custom build.

[castlebyersafterdark]

OMG so i watch a youtuber unrelated to ST and in it, she reacted to david and lily's home tour for architectural digest, to judge their interior design taste

and it was so funny, she had some insights into how david is a classic 'male actor' (aka a puppy in human form who is desperate for attention and has a certain ironic energy about him lol) and also when it came to the parts with them together, she was like 'have these two met? is this their first meeting?' hahahhaa

because the vibes were just so fucking weird haha

also david had a fridge in the bathroom for his beers and a cold plunge, which we will judge him for.

so yeah there was always weird vibes. and if i judge my judgement on that as good, i will say... finn and noah? status officially unknown, but chemistry and attraction? oh honey they dont even know what to do with it. byler = sublimation hahah

I have no insight to either of them! I kind of want to watch now because despite not knowing jack shit about interior design, I love judging rich people's houses and taste.

Oh my god, a fridge for beer... in the bathroom? Why? David, David. That is theee straightest thing I've ever heard. Is there no stereotypical man cave so his only escape is the bathroom and his bathroom beers? 🤣

Halfway through this I decided to watch what I think is the video? Not a reactor but the real video and it's so... weird. Oooh they have strange energy. Not digging it or their house I don't like it THAT IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED THE BATHROOM TO LOOK LIKE. My man cave straight man beer hoard jokes and then in reality it looks like Marie Antoinette's damn frou frou apartment holy what. THAT MAN did not design or request aaaany of that. The whole house. No way. He's dripping with sarcasm the entire way through. Almost half mocking? Nothing about that house looked comfortable. I'm not saying it was ugly - just I don't believe people actually can live there.

Maybe the white tiger room. That was actually kinda my style. WAIT now I'm watching the tour of his old apartment and I actually love it? Like a lot (I'd do it with more color though). It looks like A PERSON LIVES THERE - it's still bougie hipster actor but he's got stuffff he's got belongings and real plants and thats what was so sad about the other one, and he had more chemistry talking to himself than with his now former wife to compare tours. Hmmm.

Anyway. Chemistry. I know it was one highly polished, staged video but they had bizarre energy. Comments said they had "first date vibes" and yeah, I could feel it 🤭 Awkward. But our boys... I'm imagining them give a home tour like this and I feel like the chemistry would be miles different. Can you imagine Finn's awkward humor and Noah laughing at everything he said, and Noah getting all hyper specific about something to end his ramble with his "...and, yeah." To which Finn's "totally, totally. These light fixtures are so, like, awesome and rad you know" leaves them both cracking up. I can picture the tour perfectly, with their little in-joke asides as they just start a side conversation about nonsense out of context, never explained. I know them, I can picture it 😉

[pixelplayground]

What are some of your favorite ways to add personality to an interior room/space in your builds?

Hello, @ellemant!

This is such a neat question thank you for sending! I will try to explain without sounding too much like a nonsense columnist, lol.

I've sat and pondered this for a while, and I think the way I approach a build is what translates as personality for those who enjoy my stuff. I think for me, my process always first involves understanding what the home or space is supposed to convey. Lately, that has been an exploration of transitional and timeless luxury. Every time I build and decorate, I do so with myself mentally standing within the room, waiting to interact with the space.

First I start with the structure, and I place a ton of emphasis on designing rooms that make use of light (because in real life, there is nothing more calming to me than being able to bask in a room bathed in the golden hour) and that alone can bring so much majesty and presence to a space. A good structure should be it's own living entity, while objects and fixtures enhance it, if the building itself doesn't speak or invoke an emotion, then I feel it lacks personality. Adding in some beams, or crown molding or paying a lot of attention to balanced proportions are good tips to improve physical builds.

Lastly, in terms of actual furnishing, I used to subscribe to the color palette everything must match theory. I've since moved on to treating each room as it's own space, and focusing on variation that compliments but doesn't match. I feel this has given a lot more maturity and depth to my most recent builds and I'm really enjoying exploring textures, patterns, and styles I wouldn't normally select. I hated checkered floors, for example, and now, I have fallen in love with them. Mustard wasn't a color I would consider to be nice, and yet, an injection of it in luxurious textures like velvet feels exciting and decedent in a room.

Sorry this was super long, and probably didn't answer the actual question because TLDR, I'm not sure what outside of obvious things like, placing sims personal in game photographs or adding clutter makes a space seem different.

[annieqattheperipheral]

Nate looks like he’s at his grandmother’s for the SC interview 😆 He is so cute in it though… I loved your commentary.

Last night was a bit rough but the content amazing.

Happy Hockey Season 🥰

Happy hockey season to you too! 💕 what a bang of a bad start! Yayyy!

aww thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed reading my nonsense lol. I'm just glad i get to unload my natemac feelings here so i can go be a regular human irl!!

...ok ok it did have some grandmother kistch going... but i LOVED nate's background in his denver home!! Idk i liked that it had a not so modern, more of a collection of meaningful things he and his family like (like I'm sure his fiancee and parents have been decorating that home) look to it. Also such nice gentle colours (that soft teal of the mantle is my favourite colour), not harsh minimalism, not the technical touch of an interior decorator, not the sharp feel of his polished expensive tailored suits for work. Not something that is designed to show off to others. Just cozy home, place to relax (lmao when he finally does). Good for him!

[vintagecandy]

So what's next for you, project wise?

Well!!! Currently I'm supposed to be animating Adam for his animation meme, ( or I call it that, its more like an AMV when I do it lol ) much like Joli Love's one, because I want to do more animated things and I want to test his story's setting a bit, see how I feel about doing more with it

And if I really like it, I did.... vaguely promise I'd make a sticker set inspired by him. If I can think of stickers people would want to buy lol.

BUT If you're wondering where I've been, unfortunately I have not animated anything. I ran into a problem with the printer for my etsy store and spent half a month finding a replacement. ( The print quality is just fantastic now though, thank god ), and I had finals and all that--

But I've just now gotten back to drawing Adam... but that's only the start before I animate, because I have to do some actual concept art-ing for once. Since I am more semi-concerned about canon when it comes to him. And I plan to slightly redesign Jude, possibly design a few of his other followers, design a consistent interior for his van based on a real world volkswagon bus, and more Assorted Things

BUT first..... I just have to doodle him. Because its been ages since I've drawn him consistently! Luckily he's one of the only characters I have that have a turn around reference drawn for him already, that is really helping, but still I feel rusty at drawing... in general lol

So the first thing I'm bound to post next is just a small doodle page trying to get a feel for his highly yellow aesthetic again c:

I know this is going to read as rambling nonsense, but thank you for the interest, hope that explains lol !

[abyssmalice]

(thonks my head. tonitoni in fontaine outfit.....

still a draft tho bc im not fully satisfied with the design, tho overall i like what I have - one day I'll revisit and improve!!!!! maybe lol

notes for future me who wants to redesign:

flowery-butterfly-looky buttons are horribly drawn fatui symbols

forgot toni should have a vision albeit fake so it's on the back bow for now, we can pretend the fatui symbol there is her delusion or fontaine aq events nonsense

wait I also forgor........ we need leyline flowers in here somewhere stat

mask has a lace veil attachment now bc I said so so keep it!!!!!!

braids: more a half braid, done only halfway while the rest isn't plaited

big poofy overskirt layer only has the flowery pattern on the interior

remember: 200% MORE LACE FOR TONI!!!!!!! THE FRILLIEST FONTAINE EXPATRIATE HERE!!!!!

[scarlet-riot]

Tagged by @bigboobshaunt

Favorite Color: green and teal! they are different enough to me that i am listing them as separate colours ok

Currently reading: aside from weekly series that i keep up with, i’m currently hopping around between 2DK, G-pen, Alarm clock (a yuri series about a no-nonsense interior designer and her disorganized aspiring mangaka roommate), Kaiju No.8 (a shonen jump series about fighting kaiju, recommended to me by @bakumanfaces), aaaaaand Wyrd and Other Derelictions (an anthology of horror short stories, recommended to me by @thebirdroads)

Last song I listened to: "Goodbye, Goodbye," by Tegan and Sara is currently on shuffle as i’m typing this, so that :P

Last movie I watched: Violent Night with @shooponthemoon lol

Last series I watched: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury!! i am extremely into it and still going nuts over the season finale and you should all watch it too

Currently craving: i just ate dinner so i’m not really hungry for anything atm, but i just made a vegetarian shepherd’s pie for meals this week and i’m pleased with how it came out so i’m looking forward to eating more of that :)

-

Tagging: @bakumanfaces  @thebirdroads  @shooponthemoon  @knuckle @magodangretsus  @reicchel  @shishiikura  and anyone else who wants to!

[bones4uuu]

Physical media for the win today, but they will succumb to being chopped up for my vision board in the next couple days.

For some reason I have a constant need to change something about myself or my life every couple months. It's not like I'm not satisfied with myself. I very much like who I am but it just feels like every couple months or so I have to drastically change something or I will go insane. It's all on impulse. Once I get an idea I must act on it or else it will nag in the back of my brain till it gets addressed.

I think it stems from my adhd. From what I read online and see from other who also have it. I don't feel like delving too much into it. I used to do that all the time, try and figure why I am the way I am and why this illness (I guess?) makes me act the way I do. But I've just come to accept that I will be like this the rest of my life.

Anyways, so I got an idea today, I've always collected magazines when my favorite celebrity is on the cover. I have a very extensive Harry Styles and Timothee Chalamet collection if I'm being honest. But I decided why the fuck am I not buying and collecting more magazines for shit I'm into. I love anything and everything fashion along with interior design. I have since I was a small child and could form a coherent thought and interest. So today I went to Barnes and Nobles and picked up a couple magazines and a new book that looked very interesting from what I read on the back. ANYWAYS, back to the magazines. I grabbed these 3 because I gravitated to them the most and were the least expensive from the ones I wanted. I want them to make collages with in my journal but now I'm not sure if I will got through with that, I can't decide at this current moment.

I also have this urge to collect physical media any chance I get if it is something I love and enjoy so that years from now. So that if I ever have kids, that they will have physical evidence of shit their cool Mother/Grandmother loved and enjoyed enough to collect and keep for many years so that they could inherit it and hopefully cherish it like it did. Or maybe if it is worth a shit ton of money they can sell it and buy something they love with it. I have a vinyl collection currently at I think 120 maybe 125, idk I'm not sure.

I don't know what I am saying anymore but this whole blog is my personal public diary of shit that is too much for me to write down because my handwriting is actually terrible, so terrible I can't even read it half time and my brain works faster than I can write. I also need a hobby that isn't spending money because I cannot keep up with that even though I love it. I also have been out of high school 3 years now and am now just going to school this fall and my major is English so I really need to use my brain and freshen up my writing and research skills lol. I honestly didn't know I would type up this much work vomit when I went to make this post but I think that is a good thing. If anyone sees this for some reason please ignore it, it is just a bunch of nonsense and only needs to make sense to me but if it makes sense to you then hell yeah.

ANYWAYS, peace and love xxx

[vincavi]

Day 13

Draw an interior setting with the character you designed on Day #6 in it.

"No, I just live here."

OKAY because his post on day 6 was kinda lackluster, I want to provide more information on his character. Sadly, I didn't do a character sheet like I wanted to but I'm lazy like that lol

Name: Common Man, but you can call him Conner

Age: 36

Height: 5ft 9in

Occupation: Retail Sales Representative

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Sex: he would like that Male

Thoughts~~

So when I got a character description for a normal man that has nothing to lose and didn't want to reveal an alien invasion, I thought that was- in a way- contradictive. Mostly because a normal man would have something to lose and would for sure say something about an ALIEN invasion. That's when I started thinking; this man doesn't want to be bothered.

He is normal, but he's also a background character. As in, you wouldn't notice him. BUt when you do-! You'll notice that he's too nonchalant about everything and therefore mysterious (lowkey suspicious). Oh someone told a story about a dog that died? I'm sad to hear that he says.

His face may be empathetic yet his tone of voice is as monotone as a failing heart monitor. He moves on as soon as the person is done talking. He doesn't have any friends, not because of that no, but because he seems perfect even without them.

He blends in.. no one would ever notice him, right? But if you were to pry with your eyes more, you'll notice that there are people like you looking his way.

He enjoys life- only don't bother him with avoidable nonsense. Seriously. its an inconvenience

[imeverywoman420]

A lot has also to do with personality and not just being attractive/unattractive. Like men love being with women with plain personalities lol

THEY DO!! They tend to be attracted to women with no individuality ive noticed. Like lots of siblings and bases her entire adult personality on her role in the sibling hierarchy, “mom friend”, quiet wallflower types. Domestic, responsible, shakes her head at vulgar jokes, most basic and bland on trend taste in interior design and fashion.

Id rather die than be basic tho. Back when i was a teen all the femininity dating advice was basically “just be less of a person. Talk less. Have less interests. Be receptive” and that shit is impossible for me lmao i dont wanna do that nonsense.

[applehsia]

oranges [0391-5749-651]

[brawltogethernow]

Have you read Phil Jimenez’ Tempest miniseries from the mid 90s? If so, what are your thoughts?

No, but it’s four issues long. Gimme a minute.

Okay, I’m back. That was VERY stupid (compliment). Absolute camp nonsense. Unfortunately it's also kind of bad?

Obviously these aren’t finely aged takes. Plus I have picked up exactly one (1) back issue of Aquafam content prior to this in my life, usually absorbing them exclusively through team titles, and lack of preexisting attachment to the lore here definitely doesn’t do it any favors.

Okay, so. In this title, AQUALAD (Garth), who is already not going by that at this point, has decided it’s time to STAB HIMSELF IN THE CHEST WITH A MAGIC KNIFE to absorb some kind of ANCESTRAL ELEMENTAL POWERS so he can finally update his name and outfit like every single other og Titan did in the eighties. You grow up slow when you’re not very popular! Complicating the planned KNIFE RITUAL, AQUAGIRL (Tula) has SPONTANEOUSLY COME BACK FROM THE DEAD and REFUSES TO ANSWER LITERALLY ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS. This coincides exactly with Garth’s MENTOR GUY who looks like HE-MAN WISHES HE DID being kidnapped, also Tula immediately begins picking fights with Garth’s only other ally present, an EDGY SHARK MERMAID who is trying to enemies-to-lovers route their relationship and doesn’t appreciate being cuntblocked by a rude corpse. Garth decides to COMPLETELY IGNORE this BULK ORDER OF RED FLAGS because of love, which done well could be touching and tragic but in practice makes him look like a moron. He tells his SHARK GIRLFRIEND to gtfo for saying his DEAD GIRLFRIEND is going to fuck up the KNIFE MAGIC, allowing her to FUCK UP THE KNIFE MAGIC IMMEDIATELY. She’s revealed to be a pawn of Garth’s UNCLE, who is a NECROMANCER TRAPPED IN ANOTHER DIMENSION. So NECRUNCLE escapes and uses their (*communist Bugs Bunny meme*) ancestral mojo to summon a SOGGY UNDEAD ARMY. Garth is rescued by his community he thought were all dead but were actually just avoiding him. They reveal that they knew if he tried to claim his family magic his uncle would escape, so they tried to leave him for dead as a baby, and when they found out that hadn’t worked they decided to lie to him instead of telling him not to stab himself with a magic knife, also the knife was just an unnecessary bit of danger they added to the ritual at the last minute for fun. Did they mention they’re pacifists? Except for when they executed Garth’s dad for trying to fight off his necromancer brother, because they felt that was kind of over the line. They’ve been hiding out in a bunker full of COMICALLY NORMAL-LOOKING ANTI-ZOMBIE GUNS, which Garth takes to go fight his UNCLE and his DEAD GIRLFRIEND and his DEAD PET WALRUS, but he still needs to be rescued by SHARK GIRLFRIEND and her family, who she went to get instead of leaving Garth to die of his own dumbassery which he tbh deserved. So Garth yeets his uncle back into the PHANTOM ZONE BUT WET and levels up his magical abilities an unclear amount, the end.

Every single character is as dumb as a plank and deeply unsympathetic, except Letifos (edgy shark) and Atlan (He-mentor), who can get away with acting mostly normal because they are forcibly removed from the bulk of the plot. Every single thing that happens including all of the backstory could be avoided if the cast weren’t completely stocked with dumb jerks.

Great color palette choices, slightly tortured digital coloring on the version online. Nice underwater art that never forgot everything was underwater or succumbed to the urge to just put everyone in a blue void. My inner four-year-old, who is on some level still sitting at the bottom of a pool trying to manifest an uncanny lung capacity and a magical fish companion, was really vibing with it. This is approximately the age I was the last time I interacted with underwater civilization content, but it turns out I still appreciate it as an aesthetic, and this mini nails it.

It was actually slightly too good at remembering literally everything was underwater, in the sense that I had trouble turning my brain off about the logistics and kept pausing to go, “Underwater...blanket...? Why...? How does that...” I am very ready to allow the ocean zombies, however, for cool factor reasons. Although skeletons are also cool and don’t raise questions about underwater mummification.

This was my introduction to the fact that in post-Crisis DC Neptune and Poseidon are two separate dudes, one of whom is blue and has a bubble beard and one of whom is a bald white merman. And they hate each other? Alright! Okay, okay. Like did DC accidentally establish both and they just decided to roll with it?

Now, you know I love me some undead women.👍 Unfortunately Tula’s agency and interiority are lower than zero, just steeply in the negatives.👎👎👎 Tula is Charlie Brown and agency in this plot is the football. Jimenez’s entire approach to women in this gives him an extremely punchable vibe. I would not go to a bar with this man. He remembers the girls have super strength (and doesn’t keep the violence completly divvied up by gender), at least, but doesn’t seem aware that they’re people, which is unsettling. You could have turned around a LOT with like, a single scene from Tula’s POV after it’s established that she’s been bespelled to experience a completely different set of events from reality so that by the end she’s experiencing her ally losing it and attacking her, or just by working harder to convey that experience through her reactions. But lol no it’s fine that she’s basically a hand puppet, because what matters is the lead’s reaction to her! Jail. Go to jail. Also as it stands I’m confused about how her deal shook out to be that she was both not actually Tula and being mind controlled, and also her real experience of love for Garth was critical to the villain’s plan? Explainy-looking words happened but the zombie logistics absolutely went unexplained in spite of them. While we’re at it, why did Letifos come back for a big damn heroes scene at the end. Devoting a thought bubble to addressing this turn around wouldn’t have even had to break the binding contract that seems to be in place forbidding any lines from her not directly about Garth.

Right, the villain. Great design, very gross. I do kind of want to boil him and then try to crack him open and eat him like a crab. Love that Garth lampshades that Slizzath is a ridiculous evil name by saying he can’t pronounce it, right next to the reveal that Slizzath is his uncle. It doesn’t seem like he took that on as his necromancer title or anything. Garth’s grandparents just named their kids Thar and Slizzath. Really, the way that his face is a skull now is their fault.

I was surprised to see that the contentious dick towers from the Little Mermaid VHS cover have taken refuge in this version of Atlantis.

I feel like I should segue from there into something about Garth’s shrinkwrapped costume’s gratuitously pronounced crotch bulge, but like, I don’t know. Whatever. We’re just uncomfortably up close and personal with absolutely everybody’s anatomy consistently, it’s whatever.

So yeah, that was not good. I enjoyed it. I would punch Phil Jimenez in the mouth without hesitation.

[muckleberryjam]

i absolutely love your townie makeovers, thank you for sharing them here! making over the townies (and sometimes their houses, though i'm not as good at interior design lol) is one of my favorite things to do in the game and i like to look at your blog for inspiration! i love how you put so much thought into including their unique personalities :)

Omg thank you so much! I started off as a Stardoll blogger (looool) so dressing up my sims was a v natural progression.

I'm so glad that people find inspiration from the general nonsense I post! It's easy to have imposter syndrome when you're in such a creative community.

Although I don't know who you are anon, I'm sure you do a gorgeous job and I thoroughly recommend posting your own stuff if you don't already! I'd love to see it ;)

[unsound-unbody]

I got the book Torah Queeries just out of curiosity and this shit is the most mixed possible bag I could ever imagine lol. One parsha will be like, honestly pretty homophobic nonsense written by straight women about how Bezalel is a queer figure because he's fabulous and likes interior design or some crazy shit and the other will be a thoughtful discussion about how we reconcile a traditional vs. historical/bias-conscious understanding of Torah wrt to the infamous ban on homosexual relationships

[killjoy-loveit]

A Photographic Confession

Request (@smut-wars​): Donghun, friends to lovers au for the genre and Blissful and Seductive 😉

A/N: I would like to clarify that everything written in this story is complete fiction and isn’t to be taken as a true portrayal of reality. As always, the links for my masterlists will be in the notes. I had fun writing this one, imo it’s super adorable. This was written as part of my mystery request game (you can choose the member if you really want to, there’s just no element of surprise that way lol)!

Word Count: 1,098

Genre: Friends to Lovers AU, Angst (not too sure if it’s angsty, but just in case), Fluff, & Comedy

***WARNING: There’s like one cuss word near the end, that’s all***

     “I swear, on my love of all things Mario, that if you even get close to me with that thing, I will smack you all the way into next week. Don’t test me.” For the first words out of your mouth the entire day, it seemed pretty fitting that they were threatening. Not only were you dragged out of your warm bed far too early in the morning, but you were also in a terrible mood. Let’s just say that someone, your roommate, stayed up late blasting ‘80s tunes, which resulted in a lack of sleep on your end. Thus, the grouch monster you kept hidden away, for the most part, made its presence known when Donghun had shown up to drag you out.

     Donghun just raised a brow at your threat. It made sense, you’d never been very good at following through on your threats with him. “I highly doubt that,” He scoffed. “Besides, since when has your love of Mario ever outshone your love for Toad? If you truly wanted to threaten me, you would’ve used Toad.”

     To say the look you gave him was scorching would be an understatement, it would fit best under the ‘if looks could kill’ category. With a sigh, Donghun dropped the feathered pillow back onto the display couch. 

     “Why do you hate pillows like that so much anyway?” He questioned, slinging his arm around your shoulder.

     You purse your lips. “I had a bad experience with them when I was a kid… My dog tore one up and ate some of the feathers. Seeing a dog vomit feathers is not a good memory.”

     Donghun made a sound of disgust, nodding in agreeance. “Understandable.”

     The two of you wandered around the home goods store for a while, the conversation taking a light-hearted turn. Donghun had brought you with him because he “didn’t know what would fit” in his new apartment. Seriously. He was using you like a free interior designer. Though, he did promise to buy lunch and your favorite ice cream. It was an acceptable deal- you get food, and you get to help choose his decorations. A win-win sort of thing, especially since you knew you’d be spending a lot of your time at his place. Your roommate was annoying, put simply. 

     Halfway through the aisle of lamps, someone called out to you. “Excuse me?”

     Turning on your heel, Donghun’s arm falls from your shoulder. “Yes?”

     “I have a question, or rather a request?” A woman asked, her voice quiet. She didn’t wait for a response before soldiering on, no matter how nervous she seemed. “Could I take some photos of you guys? You’re a really cute couple, and I would love to feature you on my channel.”

     You blinked at her slowly. A couple? Donghun, and you? What an absurd idea. “I’m sorry, we aren’t—” You started. 

     “Sure, we don’t mind.” He replied before looking at you. “Do we, baby?” 

     As if him agreeing wasn’t shocking enough, he had to go and call you ‘baby’? You just stared at him, wide-eyed, mouth parted slightly. The sheer audacity of this man.

     “Awesome!” The woman beamed. “I’m Dia, by the way.”

     She directed you two to one of the couches on display. “Relax,” She kept saying. But how were you meant to relax when a stranger was taking photos of you? Then she instructed you to look into each other’s eyes, which made you feel all the more awkward. Donghun’s eyes were burning into yours, an emotion you couldn’t quite place, making its home there. His stare was too intense, your cheeks were aflame as you glanced away from him, a nervous smile on your face. All the while, the camera shutter clicked in rapid-fire succession. 

     You thought that Dia might be done with how many times you’d heard the click of her camera, but that wasn’t the case. The photographer asked you to go to the gardening section of the store for a different setting. A small part of you wanted to object, but another part wanted to see where this would go. So, you followed her, and let her direct you two in front of a section of greenery. Donghun’s arms wrapped around your waist, drawing you close enough to rest his head on top of yours. You wondered if he could hear how fast your heart was beating. The thunderous sound was all you could hear.

     Then you heard a question that made you do a double-take. “Would you guys mind if I took a few photos of you kissing? Nothing major, just a little peck.”

     You jerked your head back, looking at Donghun. If you didn’t know any better, you would think that the way his eyes lowered was seductive, the corner of his mouth tilting up. “Alright.” His reply caught you off guard. What on Earth was going on in his head right now? Was he just trying to mess with you?

     “Great! Now, this should be light, serene, almost blissful. Nothing fierce.”

     Dia counted down. Three, his face was getting closer to yours. Two, you could feel his breath. One, your eyes fluttered shut as his lips brushed against yours gently. Was this what it felt like to have your heart go into a frenzy? Like it’s going to explode purely because there’s no humanly way for it to beat any faster than it already is? 

     “Perfect,” Dia exclaimed. “Let me give you guys my social media and email so that I can share the photos with you when they come out of editing.”

     You stood there, frozen in place, as Donghun got her information and bid her goodbye. It was only once he was facing you again, and Dia had disappeared into the store, that your mind unpaused. A million thoughts flooded your head, the main one being: why? What the hell was going through his mind to agree to any of that? And you asked him just that, voice raised, wobbling uncharacteristically. 

     He shrugged, a playful look on his face. “I had no problem with it.” 

     “Why didn’t you? We aren’t a couple.” You muttered, crossing your arms.

     “But we could be,” Donghun says softly, taking a step closer to you.

     “I know it’s— Wait. What?” 

     “We could be a couple if you wanted.”

     Blinking wide-eyed at him, you stammer nonsense, trying to formulate a response, heart pounding in your chest. Heat rises to your cheeks. Was he saying what you think he was saying? “You- want… With me?”

     He thunks a finger on your nose. “Yes, you adorably dense human.”

     “O-okay.”