#it kinda have a little stranger things feel to it

[meshaamem-li]

yeah sure, because y'all never used the free tool that mimicks human dialogue because instead of talking to a Human Being or using google.

googling "how to do groceries" isn't going to give you any productive results, your parents aren't always gonna be available to baby you or they might have never been there for you, and yeah some people are not good at preplanning this shit when they also have a full time job and have to pay bills and take care of a million other stuff, asking chatGPT how to manage groceries is better than surviving on instant ramen and takeaway (like how boomers used to make fun of college-aged millennials)

sometimes you have no clue where to start searching for a topic, so you either make a post on social media asking complete strangers for guidance (hence the Reddit forums) then double check it to make sure you didn't get answers from an idiot, orrrr you use the Free Tool that might have some sort of information on it and then double check it to make sure it didn't hallucinate.

have trouble summarising shit? I used to have a friend who was better at writing than me while I understood the materials of the lesson better, so we covered each others' weaknesses whenever we studied together, I'd help them learn and they helped me summarise (not exactly, and we didn't study a lot together, but kinda). I may have failed creative writing but I did pass my physics exams.

use... a fucking calculator.... why do you need a language model to be a calculator.....

chatGPT is free and it's convenient especially if you don't have friends and if a search engine has trouble giving you results. is it still a fucking language model that's pushed everywhere and is a massive problem? yeah. should you avoid it? absolutely. but it's also inevitably helping all these people, as long as they don't over-rely on it and learn to develop their skills, its not harming anyone.

we dreamt for years about personal assistants and intelligent robots. Siri was always meant to be AI powered eventually, all of these futuristic movies where they ask the computer to do something and it answers like a person is AI, this is the direction people wanted to go towards for DECADES, and now you're surprised it helps people with little things that they probably could've done on their own? it's its entire point of existing!

the problem with chatGPT is that it's used to replace people in the ART FIELDS where HUMAN CREATIVITY is key, used to replace HUMAN CONNECTION with apps like character.ai when it CAN'T ACTUALLY FEEL, and that it's being presented as a DATABASE that knows FACTS when it DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO ANSWER "I don't know" or provide proper sources for what it "knows". that and the fact it was illegally trained on data that - while public - was still owned by hundreds of thousands of people.

[alexturnerisbrat]

Old-fashioned men always want a mistress.

Part 1 - Exactly the wrong time in exactly the wrong plce

A/n: this is my first time writing and for register English is not my first language so i apologize for any mistakes. I mostly just read but i liked how it’s turning out. That’s just a proper introduction but hopefully it will be a serie. Hope someone enjoys it!!!

Warnings: unspecified age gap, alcohol, cigarettes. (This part has actually nothing it’s just foi context lol)

*May 13th 2022*

It’s just another rainy night in London, you loved how melancholic the city has always made you feel. As someone who always had a weak spot for those romantic moments where you just caught yourself lost in thought staring at the rain drops in the car’s window, living there just fitted you well

As your cab arrives at the pub you had picked to meet your friend, you glance at your phone. A couple missed calls and a text saying she couldn’t make it and a desespere apology voicemail asking for you to not hate her.

It didn’t bothered you that much, In the rough times you were passing by it seemed just like the cherry on top. “Typical” you thought in front of the pub. You were between just going away or having a shot first till the scent of cigarettes just filled your nostrils, you haven’t smoked for ages and you just missed the comfort nicotine could provide you right now.

You followed the smell and you saw him, blue jeans, white shirt, gold chain round his neck and an expensive looking brown leather jacket. You could tell he was a considerable amount older than you, his dark brown curls that seemed perfectly messy without any effort. The kind of guy that didn’t needed to try hard to look good. He was just there, near the entrance, his back against the wall for support, smoking his cigarette.

You walked closer to him, awkwardly shy, his strangely familiar face, his big brown eyes lingering you as if he was expecting something. Then you just casually asked for a cigarette.

He gave you a soft smile and handed you a brand new cigarette from the box while his rested on his mouth. You thanked him and he gently held his lighter for you. After taking some drags of it, you looked up, meeting his gaze. He was a little bit taller than you but a little bit short for a man, it was just kinda cute. Then you finally broke the silence by thanking him again as a failed try to start a small talk.

He nodded, not any word, he just nodded with his shy teeth almost showing off. When your were almost in the middle of the cig, you couldn’t help but think the feeling of knowing him from somewhere were starting to bother you a little too much, so you finally gathered some courage for asking.

“It may sound weird but… i know you from somewhere?” You said a bit hesitantly but the tension was cut off by his shaky chuckle, you looked at him with a confused smile as he shook his head holding a laugh.

“No we don’t… at least i don’t know you”

You get a little confused but you just play along, after you two had a small talk about where both lived and those kind of things.

When you grew more comfortable around the stranger who you felt weirdly attracted to, and you finally presented yourself properly and he did the same.

After some minutes chatting he asked if you were up to a drink and obviously you accepted it. Entering the unknown random pub with an intimate low orange light and jazz music playing softly in the background, you both sat down and asked for the drinks. You asked a martini and he laughed.

“What?” You asked confused but amused by his laugh.

“You’re a classic, got it.” He looked at you playfully rolling his eyes and you couldn’t help but chuckle. With a light smile in the corner of his lips he looked at the bartender and ordered a bottle of beer.

He found cute the way you didn’t have recognized him and he could just be a random guy you were having a drink with.

[putschki1969]

🇹🇭YKL vol.#20 ～Asia Tour 20th Special SETLIST～　【Bangkok】 Live Report🇹🇭

Wow, what a week it has been. My Thailand trip was an exciting but very exhausting experience. I'm finally back home and after spending an entire day just relaxing on Tuesday, I feel somewhat ready to tackle this live report. I'm back to work and there's a lot to do but I still want to post as much as possible before I lose all of my motivation. Still took me several days to finish this so I am sorry for the delay🙏 I'll start with some general stuff from the day of the live and then continue with a detailed report. Without further ado, let's get to it〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Before The Live

The concert was held on November 15th at Bangkok Union Hall. At that point I had already been in Thailand for two and a half days doing all sorts of Kalafina and touristy stuff. Needless to say, I was quite exhausted from my previous activities (more on that in a future post) but I was determined to enjoy the day to the fullest. The only major thing planned for that day was a meet-up with some fellow fans to get lunch and dinner so thankfully, nothing too strenuous. Although one could argue that social interactions like this are always a big struggle for me :P Anyway, I headed to the venue quite early in the morning to meet my friends. We were doing some last-minute shopping at a nearby mall to complete the presents for Keiko and Hikaru. Also, we wanted to check out our flower stand which had been put up earlier that morning. I was beyond happy to participate in this particular flower stand project. The HiKei chibis turned out super cute and the banner was also adorable (just look at little Moo Deng🦛). I'm a little bummed though that I didn't get to take the cardboard print home with me since the girls requested the flower stand to be brought to their dressing room after the live (initially, we had planned to take all the decorative stuff off the flower stand after the concert before the flower shop picked it up but alas, it wasn't meant to be). Oh well, we got all those sweet pics with Keiko and Hikaru so that pretty much erased any feelings of disappointment. Thankfully, I got my acrylic key-holders and stickers as a little consolation. I will certainly treasure them forever. During the meet-up with some fellow fans, I also got a bunch of presents, including some gorgeous fan-made articles for the two lives in China. Honestly, I feel so blessed to have received all of this. Thank you so much to everyone who thought of me!

Speaking of fellow fans, I appreciated everyone who came up to me to say "hi". I was also very happy about all the yummy souvenirs. The suncakes from Taiwan saved my life during the following days because I always had a lovely snack to accompany my morning coffee. Sorry if I came across as awkward or reserved to some of you, I am not used to being in big crowds like that and meeting strangers is not among my strengths. Also wish I had gotten more commemorative pics with everyone but oh well, in the heat of the moment it's easy to forget about stuff like that.

For lunch we had planned to go to a Hainanese Chicken place but unfortunately, they didn't have enough room for our group so we ended up going to KFC XD. I forgot to take pictures but our order was honestly not that exciting anyway. I was so eager to try spicy food during my stay in Bangkok but that stuff at KFC was a total let-down (probably our fault though for not looking properly at the menu - they may have had some spicier stuff that we just didn't see). Dinner that day more than made up for it though since my main dish was incredibly delicious. Don't ask me what it was called, it was some sort of fried pork concoction with garlic and chili, simply fabulous and probably one of the best things I had during that trip.

Despite having a lot of fun during these activities, I kinda regret not being able to see anything of the Loy Krathong festivities that day. The weird timing of the concert would have made it very inconvenient to check out any of the festival sites and on top of that there were some bad weather forecasts so no one wanted to risk getting wet😢 It's a real shame but oh well, I guess the live was worth it.

♪The Live♪

Seat

I was very lucky to have dedicated friends who made sure I'd get a VIP front-row seat right across from Keiko's spot on the stage [the picture below was taken at the end of the concert when I was already walking outside so it doesn't properly reflect my point of view - I was seated a little more to the right side]. She was pretty much right in front of me during the entire live so of course, I was in heaven. Taking my eyes off her was a real challenge and at times I honestly felt a little bad for the other singers because I didn't really pay that much attention to them whenever Keiko was on stage. Also, this might make me sound like a perv but I was absolutely mesmerised by Keiko's legs. During her main solo parts she would always turn to the side or turn her back to the audience. Not sure why (maybe because so the audience would focus on her singing rather than her gorgeous face? Or she was a little self-conscious? Who knows). Either way, during these parts her legs were on full display and since her skirt was quite short on one side, you could basically get a glimpse of her tiny safety shorts with every tiny move she made 🫣

One tiny complaint I had was that the stage was quite far away from the audience area and they even felt the need to put up a relatively high metal barrier which created a weird sense of distance despite being all the way up in the front. Nevertheless, the concert felt very intimate to me and I think for that reason, I enjoyed it much more than my past Yuki Kajiura live experiences. I also gained a new appreciation for certain songs that I previously didn't care for all that much. I honestly can't stress this enough, experiencing a concert like this in such an intimate manner is vastly superior to watching a DVD/BD/live stream or even attending it in a spot somewhere further away from the stage. Everything feels and sounds completely different. Your entire body is getting caught in this spectacle and you get a full-on adrenaline rush. It's during these moments when I barely notice any flaws or mishaps. I've been made fun of in the past for always writing these overly positive and raving reviews of concerts but I personally don't even notice half of the bad stuff when I am on such a high. Plus, I don't enjoy lingering on the negative stuff which is why you won't see much of that in any of my reports.

Venue

To be fair, it wasn't a particularly good concert hall, at least in my opinion. The venue was a lot smaller than expected and it felt more like a convention hall rather than a proper concert hall. There are much better venues available in Bangkok but they were probably already booked or too expensive. Also, from what I've heard, the concert tickets didn't sell that well so it was probably a good thing that they stuck with this sort of venue. At any rate, it was very conveniently located at a MRT/BTS station so yay for that. The acoustics were decent enough I guess but nothing to write home about. The sound system could have used some improvements though, I don't think the instruments and vocals were very well-balanced throughout most of the concert. But maybe that could be chalked up to my position in the audience. Just a little disclaimer here, I am not very tech-savvy in that regard but on more than one occasion I noticed that the sound was kinda off...Mind you, not to an extent that would have taken away from my overall enjoyment of the concert but enough for me to notice it several times.

Setlist:

the world: Will always prefer Keiko on main but it is what it is, Joelle on main is fine too. It's a good song so it's a treat to hear it live no matter who is leading. The harmonies at the end didn't quite work for me. Was a bit all over the place. I think the sound system was at fault here.

in the land of twilight, under the moon: Not usually one of my faves but I thoroughly enjoyed this rendition.

vanity: What a blessing to hear this live in concert again! My first time was in Taiwan and I don't think I ever recovered from it. Correct me if I am wrong though but they made a big change during the performance regarding Keiko's epic yayayay part. She flawlessly did her solo of course but then when Joelle starting to sing that final chorus, she didn't continue to sing in the background which she would usually do. I found that very unusual. Also checked the bootleg recordings from the live in China and she did the same thing there too. Huh...Since when did they change it? That was a bit of a bummer to be honest since the very final part felt less epic because of it.

My long forgotten cloistered sleep: So, so good!! Huge fan! Joelle is getting better at it too so I am enjoying her version more and more.

I swear: Wow, what a revelation! I did not expect to suddenly fall in love with this song. I am obviously a huge Keiko-stan but due to her using her cutesy voice in this, it's never really appealed to me. It's always been one of those songs that I preferred to skip during re-watches of home video releases because it didn't really do anything for me. This time though, it felt like Keiko was serenading me specifically (a delusion on my part of course but let me have that little fangirl moment XD). Anyway, this is what I meant earlier. All of a sudden, a song has a new meaning to you and it's only because you get to experience it on such a personal level. The lyrics couldn't be more appropriate: "♪I know, I’m in love♪"

fiction: Not my cup of tea so I tend to skip this but Joelle in particular always does a great job with this song. Her voice is a perfect fit. Definitely my favourite performance so far because I was more into it than usual.

I reach for the sun: Love, love, love.

in the garden of sinners: Damn it, this one hurt so much, I literally almost cried. I don't even really know why but I could barely handle it. All I wanted to hear was Wakana together with Keiko and honestly, it was her voice in my mind, Joelle didn't exist for me in those moments. No matter what happens, I will always associate these melodies with Wakana and Keiko. On one hand, this performance made me incredibly sad but on the other hand, it made me feel even more grateful about the upcoming Kalafina Anniversary Live. Just the thought of hearing the three of them together again is bringing tears to my eyes.

ARIA: What a shame. I knew what to expect of course but it still hurt to hear Joelle sing the chorus. Unlike others, I didn't think that Hikaru sounded all that bad so she could have definitely handled the chorus (especially being backed by Keiko). She might not have sounded her best but who cares?! This is HER song so she should be in the lead. Period. I remember someone saying that Yuki wanted to go back to the original key (more of a speculation, as far as I know, it's not actually confirmed) so she gave the chorus to Joelle but Joelle was kinda struggling with it too so ultimately, we didn't really gain anything from having her in the lead. On a side note, I am just so relieved that Keiko and Joelle didn't do the infamous arm gesture that Wakana and Keiko used to do all the time. All of this sounds rather negative but to be honest, I still liked the performance despite being a little disappointed with the vocal arrangement. it's one of my all-time favourite Kala-songs so it's always a pleasure to hear it.

Magia: By now I am used to the FictionJunction cover version of this and it's really quite good. Solid performance. No notes.

Kimi no Gin no Niwa: Again, good stuff but since I don't particularly like the song it was just okay to me.

ring your bell: Ugghhh, probably my least favourite performance of the night. It's such a difficult song to perform and I honestly don't even like most of Kalafina's live versions but this one was hard to get through. Maybe the sound system was to blame a bit because LINO LEIA's microphone did some weird stuff that made her singing sound worse than it probably was. Plus, I honestly don't think she is a very good fit for the song. Hell, not even Wakana is a good fit for the song 90% of the time. For some reason, LINO LEIA kept using her more generic singing voice when instead, she should've opted for a more controlled head voice. Towards the end we heard a more solid delivery but the rest was unfortunately a bit messy.

to the beginning: Okay I guess. It's certainly one of the better Kalafina covers they do at YKL because Joelle and Yuriko add a lot of dimension. And since I have never been a fan of the song to begin with, it's not like I am missing Wakana too much.

Yasashii Yoake: The See-Saw section of the live was so much more fun than I had expected. Actually really surprised how much I enjoyed it since I am not too familiar with Yuki's old work and don't usually listen to any of it. Also, with Keiko not playing a big role in this corner, I thought I wouldn't be into it. But I guess the songs are just really good with catchy melodies so I couldn't help but like them. Also, my proximity to the stage once again helped me to have a bit more appreciation for the music. All three songs were featured at Kaji Fes. but I don't recall them leaving a huge impression on me. Back then I didn't mind them but I didn't get too excited. This time, I was having a great time from the get-go. Love the Joelle/Yuriko duo here. Joelle's voice works super well for this type of song.

Obsession: I remember not being particularly impressed by the Kaji Fes. performance but the Bangkok version was so cool. LINO LEIA and Keiko did a great job. So cool!! After that rather mediocre "ring your bell" performance, it was nice to hear LINO LEIA sing in a more comfortable range.

Senya Ichiya: Starting to love rito's vocals more and more. She's so criminally underused during these lives. Despite being promoted to "regular" singer, she really doesn't get to do much.

the main theme of “L.O.R.D”: One of my all-time faves. Joelle's best song if you ask me. Will never get tired of hearing it. Although I feel like at this point Joelle had already run out of steam a little because the performance didn't quite hit the spot in terms of oomph-factor. I think it's because Joelle had to carry 90% of the show and was thus running on low-heat towards the end. Still had a blast!

absolute configuration: Love having all the girls on stage for these sort of epic battle songs. Gorgeous harmonies.

luminous sword: Same as above. Perfect transition and a lovely continuation of the epicness.

蒼穹のファンファーレ: Typically not one of my favourite songs but yet again, I found myself enjoying it more than I usually would. The heat on stage was contagious so I simply got swept away in the excitement.

En. the image theme of Xenosaga II: Don't remember much of this but it was nice.

En.nowhere: Wow, wow, wow! What an amazing performance. So much more energised than during the Kaji Fes concert. Definitely one of the songs where I very much appreciated my closeness to the stage. I could really feel the heat and had such a blast, especially when Keiko began to really interact with the audience. Almost made me want to stand up but in the end, I remained seated (really not the type to move a lot during a concert). I have to agree with everyone who has already shared their thoughts on the other Asia live performances, this was definitely one of the highlights for Hikaru as far as her vocal delivery was concerned. Her voice was very powerful here.

En.into the world: I love that this has become almost a staple of YKL. It's such a gorgeous song with a beautiful message and I think Joelle as well as Yuriko manage to improve the overall harmonies with their added vocals.

[yezzns]

{10:47pm}

pairings: idol!yeonjun x gn!reader

wc: ≈740 words

genre: angst, implied strangers to lovers, lovers to exes, right person wrong time (?) trope.

warnings: lame attempt of angst, self destructive relationship, yj kinda plays the victim, one (1) curse word.

not proofread

The city was cloaked in the heavy embrace of night, the distant hum of traffic blending with the steady drizzle that fell from the sky. You sat in the corner of your once-shared apartment, the flickering light from a lone lamp— the one you bought on your first anniversary, casting eerie shadows on the walls. The room, once filled with laughter and love, now felt like a tomb of broken dreams and shattered promises.

More under the cut!

Yeonjun stood by the window, staring out into the rain-soaked streets, his silhouette a stark contrast against the glass. His shoulders were tense, his posture rigid. The silence was suffocating, filled with unspoken words and unresolved pain, but in retrospect, it’s been like this for a while, so long that you can barely remember anything but this.

“How did we get here?” Your voice was a whisper, barely audible over the patter of rain against the window. Hugging your knees to your chest while trying to contain the storm of emotions swirling inside you.

Yeonjun didn’t even turn to face you— coward. “I don’t know,” he replied, his voice hollow, devoid of the warmth it once held. “I really don’t know.”

Your heart ached at his indifference. You had been so in love, so certain that nothing could come between you. But now, standing on the edge of a precipice, you can’t recognize the person he has become. Or maybe it’s yourself you can’t recognize, months have passed since the last time you felt at ease.

“Is this it, then? Are we really ending things like this?” You scoffed, trying to ignore the nauseous feeling. You hated how desperate you sounded, how broken.

Yeonjun finally turned to look at you, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and sorrow. “You know my career is important for me,” he said, his voice tinged with bitterness. “How selfish do you have to be to make me choose between my dream and you?”

Tears welled up in your eyes, but you blinked them back, refusing to let them fall. “I didn’t—” you started, voice trembling. “I never wanted you to choose, but I’m so fucking unhappy. You’re never here anymore.”

His expression softened for a moment, but then the hardness returned. “And you think it’s easy for me? That I’m not exhausted?” he said. “I gave up my whole youth for this, ___. I can’t go around wasting my time in distractions.”

Well, ouch. The words hung in the air, heavy and final. You knew he was right. And you had become a twisted version of what you once were, love poisoned by insecurity, unmet expectations and lack of communication. But knowing it didn’t make it hurt any less. After a while, you broke the silence, just to make this moment last.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” Your voice barely a whisper. “You were so offended that we didn’t serve ramen at the restaurant.”

A sad smile tugged at the corner of Yeonjun’s lips. “Yeah, I remember. And then the next week you added it to the menu.”

You laughed softly, the sound tinged with sadness, thinking of the way he’d stop by your parent’s restaurant every week after that, a little hiding spot in his almost non existent free time. “And now look at us. We’ve come so far, only to end up like this.”

Yeonjun took a deep breath, the weight of their shared past pressing down on him. “Maybe... maybe it’s for the best,” he said, though his voice lacked conviction. “Maybe we need to focus on what really matters again, get our lives back on track.” What really matters.

The thought of a life without him was unbearable, yet the thought of continuing this toxic dance was equally painful. What felt like a daydream soon turned into a nightmare, the promises he couldn’t keep of balancing his career and your relationship, the forgotten birthdays, missed calls and the cold shoulder you’d give him out of spite. It was self-destructive.

But oh, the good days. Your first month together lingered in your mind for longer than you wanted it to. When it was all about stolen kisses, passionate touches and getting to know each other.

“I wish things would’ve ended different,” he continued, glistening gaze with unshed tears drifting to a picture of the two of you hung up on the wall.

“I wish things never ended.” You replied with a sad chuckle. “It feels like you don’t care.”

He sat in silence, ignoring your statement, the rain a constant backdrop to your unraveling. There were no more words left to say, no more apologies or promises that could mend the fractures in your hearts. All that remained was the painful acceptance that sometimes love wasn’t enough.

Yeonjun moved toward the door, the finality of his actions like a knife to your heart. He paused for a moment, his hand on the doorknob. “Take care of yourself,” he said softly, his voice filled with a sorrow that matched your own.

“I love you,” you replied, your voice barely a whisper as you didn’t expect an answer.

And with that, he was gone, leaving you alone in the dimly lit apartment, the echo of his presence lingering in the shadows. The weight of your goodbye crashed down on you as his steps became inaudible, the possibility of never seeing who you thought was the love of your life again being more than you could handle.

In the quiet of the night, surrounded by memories of what once was, you allowed herself to grieve. Your love had been beautiful and passionate, but it had also been destructive and painful. And now, as you faced the prospect of a future without him, you knew that healing would take time.

And maybe, just maybe, you would look back and remember not the pain, but the moments of love and laughter that had once defined what you had.

A/N: this is my first time writing omg 🥴. English is not my first language so I’m sorry for any mistakes, I don’t know if I could express the feeling I wanted to but I’m really content w this work!

[macaroonff]

The photobooth- Park Sunghoon

Where two strangers, in their desperation and vulnerability, take a picture together. One to create a lasting memory, the other to remove the old one.

Genre: Strangers to lovers (kinda)

Pairing: Non-idol Park Sunghoon x gn!reader

Content warnings: Mentions of a breakup, mentions of enlistment, none imo

Word Count: 1.2k approximately

In his mind, what he would do next was stupid, extremely stupid. Park Sunghoon stood solemnly in front of this hole-in-the-wall photobooth he travelled past on the way to uni. He wasn't sure what exactly led him here- whether it was his desperate need to capture a memory, or whether he was driven by pure insanity. He knew a few things had changed since the last time he stopped by. His hair was shaved short, military style as was required of him. There was an increasing sense of foreboding of the future. His heart had never felt this heavy before. Not even when he almost didn't get into the university of his choice. He was about to enlist- only that it didn't help that he'd be leaving in a week. He felt short on time, as the announcement barely gave him enough to physically or mentally prepare himself. His friends had suggested taking a cool polaroid picture for the sake of memories. For a keepsake for the man he was to become, and as a memory of the boy he would leave behind. His heavy feet therefore brought him here,to a last-minute decision after hours of contemplation. He draws the curtains of the tiny photobooth and hesitantly sits on the bench. Unfortunately for him, and to add to his embarrassment, he fails to notice the other person seated right beside him.

"Excuse me?" you squeak, surprised by the appearance of the man next to you.

Sunghoon is pulled out of his thoughts, and he finally acknowledges your presence. "Oh-" he can barely apologise as the click of the automatic booth interrupts you. He notices that he is captured in the second of the four films. Before he is able to process what happened, another click prints the third film. He jumps out of the booth in a second as you're left bewildered there. The bewilderment enthusiastically captured by the last film. As you look at your ruined pictures, Sunghoon find the need to apologise desperately for interrupting you. He peaks his head back in to the booth, in an attempt at apologising. Instead what he sees are teardrops falling down your cheeks, the films balled up in your fists.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, i really didn't mean to interrupt you," he rambles, "I didn't reali-" before he could finish you push past him, exiting the booth. Before you're able to get up again, you're wrist is tugged on by him.

"Let me pay for you, please. It's my fault, please don't cry" he begs. You're too scared to say a word. It really wasn't that deep for you, or it shouldn't have been. it was just a set of photos that you could take again. Unfortunately for you, you'd put too much meaning into this set of pictures. It was after you saw your ex post a set of pictures with his new girlfriend, in the exact same poses he'd once taken with you did you feel the rage erupting from within. You'd come here to re-write or erase whatever that poor memory was. You'd just have to do it alone. It wasn't this stranger's fault for your outburst. In fact you were happy he disturbed your gloomy little photoshoot.

"I-," you look up to meet the stranger's eyes, his eyes ridden with concern. In that small moment of surprise, you didn't really realise how handsome he was. It led you to an idea, a pathetic and selfish idea, but one that'd make you feel better.

"In that case, can you take another set with me. I don't want to do this alone," you request, your voice small as you begin to fidget with your hands.

"W...Why?" Sunghoon asks taken aback. Were you also scared of taking a picture alone like him? Did you also find it pathetic to take pictures alone in a world where mainly couples come here? Why come here alone if you didn't want to do it alone?

"I want to make my ex jealous," you say bluntly. You don't look at him, afraid of judgement at your request. Instead, you hear a small chuckle.

"Sure, I don't mind," you hear the kind boy say. " I might need the company too right now."

You're curious by what his last statement means,but choose to follow him into the booth quietly. He drops some change into the booth, and then looks at you before he presses the button. You nod and move closer to him, knees grazing gently. The both of you seem awkward but try to smile nonetheless. A click disperses the silence briefly, before he puts his shaking hands on yours. "I'm actually enlisting next week," he announces randomly. You look at him in surprise. "I don't know what to say," you can barely reply, when he brings his arms around your shoulder, just in time before the next picture. "Yeah, this is probably my last picture before I leave," he turns to you, smiling at your surprised face. "Good luck," your eyes soften as you pose for the next one, putting out a "V" awkwardly. He follows you, a somewhat shy smile gracing his lips. "Let's do a silly one" he offers to which you nod enthusiastically. You stick out your tongue, a little shy as he winks at the camera, the set of pictures coming out after the last click. The two of you examine the set of pictures, the two of you looking somewhat confused

"I like it," he says. "You look cute in this one," he hands you the last two pictures. You smile, earnestly. Compared to what you expected, you looked happy. Happy enough for you to forget why you'd come here. You realised neither of you had budged an inch, and you didn't feel like leaving.

"I... thought I'd achieve some sort of petty revenge if I could look happier in these pictures than the ones my ex took with his girlfriend."

Sunghoon raises an eyebrow, partly curious, partly in pity. His fingers gently rub against your palm. "In the thirty minutes I know you, I can say with confidence that you're too beautiful for the guy you're worried about. Don't fret it."

His words paint your smile wider as they sink into your soul. "Well, in the thirty minutes that I know you, I think you're so brave and kind that I wish we'd met sooner," you confess.

His smile now mirrors yours as he finally holds out his hand for a handshake. "I'm Sunghoon, by the way," he introduces.

You shake his warm hand, your palms tingling as they meet. "I'm y/n." you reply. After what seemed like an eternity, the both of you finally get out of the cramped booth, the chilly evening wind caressing your face. Sunghoon graciously waits for you to leave first, his eyes following you until your back fades into the city. The encounter felt bittersweet, more sweet than bitter as part of his solemn heart dissipated with the wind. He examines the first polaroid set left with him, where your initials are scribbled hastily at the back. He places it in his pocket, with the realisation that he had a new person, a new memory to bury into his wallet.

[cybershock24601]

Need to cope with everything that happened in Arcane and formulating an AU where everything goes well without Vi having to die because I need Vi and Powder happy damn it! But thinking back that first episode and where things could have diverged and maybe when Powder finds the crystals she shares her discovery which leads to everyone arguing over whether they should take them because on the one hand they look valuable and on the other hand they could be dangerous and they're so loud about it they don't hear the door open until its too late. Now Jayce and Cait get to discover them inside the apartment and everyone just freezes. Cait wants to get the enforcers to deal with it but Jayce gives a very empathetic NO because he's fucking around with things he should not be fucking around with.

The kids definitely pick up on the fact that Jayce doesn't want the enforcers involved which I'm sure Vi would be using to try to get everyone out of their without getting arrested while Cait is like Why not?? Jayce is trying to deal with Vi and Mylo and Claggor while also trying to dodge Cait's increasing questioning because why can't they just get the enforcers. Powder ends up inspecting the big blackboard in there and asks some insightful question or draws some conclusion from it because Powder is Smart which gets Jayce totally distracted because Powder gets his nerd brain working, kinda abandoning the situation at hand to talk to her about what he's doing.

This devolves into Vi bargaining for Powder to get into one of the fancy Piltover schools or else Vi is totally going to rat Jayce out for what he's doing and Jayce is already a scholarship kid basically so he can't really do that but he does offer to teach Powder what he can himself which is acceptable enough and lets the kids pride be soothed because they feel like they got something out of their trip to the upper city. Meanwhile Cait is still freaking out because what do you mean you're going to let them go Jayce, they're thieves! This is probably about the time Vi calls Cait cupcake and Cait turns red for Multiple Reasons and also probably awakens something in her and Cait just gets super flustered and she and Vi start antagonistically flirting.

Anyways everyone parts ways after this with Vi probably pocketing one of the crystals as insurance to blackmail Jayce with in case he tries to renege on the deal. This is then the start of Powder and Vi coming to the upper city for Powder to get lessons from Jayce which mostly consist of the two of them studying hextech and making a lot more strides than Jayce was doing just on his own while Vi just stays there because she's not just going to leave her little sister alone with a stranger and Cait shows up because she doesn't trust these under city kids and also maybe wants to see Vi again and Cait and Vi spend the whole time basically flirtatiously sniping at each other while Jayce and Powder nerd out.

Claggor and Mylo are covering for the girls back in Zaun but eventually Vander finds out what's going on and how the kids even ended up making a deal with some upper city scholar and just kind of has to put his head in his hands because what are these kids doing but also kinda impressed because they went in there to steal and walked out having strong armed someone into giving Powder a semi proper education. Still Vander wants to meet the guy who's teaching his daughter even if he knows Vi wouldn't let her little sister within 15 feet of a creep.

This is also about the same time that Heimerdinger notices Jayce being exceptionally tired lately and manages to get Jayce to admit he's taken on tutoring a kid in his spare time. Heimerdinger is ecstatic that Jayce has discovered a love of learning and wants to meet whoever this young pupil Jayce has taken a shine too though he doesn't want Jayce to burn out. Once Jayce explains he's teaching the kid because she's from the under city, Heimerdinger definitely wants to meet the kid and offer them a place at the academy if they're up to snuff especially considering how talented his assistant Viktor is. Viktor who was in the area at the time of this conversation definitely takes note that Jayce avoided all of Heimerdinger's questions about what he was working on.

Anyways this all leads to Jayce and Heimerdinger taking a trip down to Zaun to meet with Vander and Powder and the rest of the kids too which leads to Heimerdinger meeting Claggor and Ekko who he sees as having a lot of potential too and then I don't really know where things go from there. But I think Heimerdinger who's on the council talking to such a central community figure in Zaun like Vander would really open his eyes and make Heimerdinger realize that there is a lot that can be done to help the under city and I think Vander would be willing to work with him unlike some other people *cough* Silco *cough*. The fact that Vi is looking like the future Mrs. Kiramman would also probably lead to Cassandra and Vander meeting which has a lot of potential to make things happen.

Also please imagine the worlds most awkward meet the family dinner between the posh Kirammans and Vi's incredibly weird found family. The hijinks alone are endless not to mention the drama that would probably unfold there. Especially if Vander and Silco end up reconciling for whatever reason and now you got a council member and a chem baron sharing a dinner table.

[pooks]

okay, so i don't really advertise this because frankly, i do NOT agree with a fucking terf's ideas and therefore, she tainted a beloved book series she wrote and ultimately destroyed my childhood

but then i decided "fuck it, it's a fanfiction and she doesn't have any say in what i wrote or even make money of it"

also i made it gayer. so take that!

anyho, this is my HP/TMA 90s AU fanfiction that turned from a stand-alone story into a flippin series.

so imagine this; canon divergence happens in pre-OotP, Percy doesn't take Fudge's promotion offer (partly because that is sus, partly because web-related shenanigans) so he gets fired instead and what does our lovely ginger nerd find instead? the magnus institute.

so Elias takes a look at this boy and is like "yes, he will do nice for an Archivist" and hires him on the spot.

(and if case you're wondering, this is a TMA where it's set in the 1990s instead of the 2010s)

so we get an archive crew with four assistants and an archivist who has no idea what he's even doing, but he is determined and he needs to keep his wizard status as a secret

that's how this was created;

https://archiveofourown.org/series/3516304

ps. the second season-story is in progress. ;)

pps. i cannot stress this enough, but i DO NOT support the author in anyway and she can throw herself into the sun, for what i care. also i treat the characters better and i made it all better and gayer, because i can.

[manic-pixie-aquarius]

We moved on too quickly from the Rockie/Byler parallels

Still thinking about the fact that the conversation Byler has in the van where Mike is airing out his insecurities about his relationship with El exactly parallels the conversation Rockie have about Vickie's ex-boyfriend

Mike/Robin parallel: them looking completely dumbstruck saying "Cool." when things are indeed not "cool"

Mike/Vickie parallel: where Mike apologizes for his rant saying "sorry, it's so stupid given everything that's going on" and Vickie says "sorry, I'm rambling about my boyfriend when there are people out there suffering"

And of course, the scene where Mileven reunite and when they break apart Will is centered between them...mirroring the scene where Robin sees Vickie and her boyfriend at the supply store, and they kiss and when they break apart, she is visibly upset

(Sorry this is the only gif I could find including the part where Will is visible) Anyways peep the fact that Jonathan is also in this scene but not in view in this particular gif + Steve viewing this from an outsiders view with the knowledge that Robin is queer/has a crush on Vickie just like Jonathan knows Will is queer/has a crush on Mike

Extra proof of this: Steve n Jonathan witnessing Rockie n Byler conversations (of course Steve looks happy while Jonathan looks upset but like I am hoping and praying we get Jonathan witnessing happy mutual pining Byler next season🙏)

The parallels between Rockie and Byler are my favorite pieces of evidence when it comes to Byler being cannon...

[museumgiftshoperaser]

ok ok so... AU where Gareth is Steve’s younger brother??

Because Steve has ‘only child’ written all over him, but I think it would be fascinating if he had a sibling, especially a younger one.  Gareth is the black sheep of the family, likes the wrong sort of music, hangs out with the weird kids, plays that game all the news stations are saying is satanic. He’s three years younger than Steve, just a bit too much for them to ever be close, but really it’s their parents who drive a wedge between them. Steve’s their golden child. Good at sports, dating that Wheeler girl their parents love. He’s the poster boy for the all american teenager. In the eyes of their parents, Steve can do no wrong. Gareth stays out after his curfew? Grounded for two weeks. Steve throws a party when his parents are gone? Just don’t do it again, okay?  Needless to say the Harrington boys don’t really get along. Gareth is pissed that Steve gets away with everything. That their parents seem to actually like him, parade him around in front of their friends, keep his sports throphies on a shelf in the living room. When Gareth won a contest in middle school for a short story he wrote his parents didn’t even bat an eye. He keeps the little plaque he got for it in the bottom of his sock drawer, embarrased that he even cares. Within the walls of their house, Gareth doesn’t even get to be himself without feeling judged.  Steve on the other hand can’t help but envy his little brother. He’d never mention it of course, if anyone asks he can’t stand the little twerp. But it’s hard to miss that Gareth actually knows who he is. He has an opinion for himself and doesn’t seem to care how their parents feel about that. Steve can barely pick a shirt without worrying if their mother would approve. Gareth has friends who clearly care about him, a group of self proclaimed freaks who all clearly hate Steve. He has hobbies he actually likes and ideals he cares about.  So yeah... Steve’s kinda jealous sometimes.  Especially after Nancy breaks his heart. When he doesn’t get into college and his parents approval runs dry. When he can’t make it through a family dinner without questions about whatever happened to his potential. All the years of trying to impress their parents weren’t even worth it. And now the little brats he babysits have started high school and they won’t shut up about how cool his little brother is.

When both Steve’s status and his mental health start to slip, Gareth can’t help but feel a little bit bad. People don’t respect his older brother the way they used to and their parents no longer give a fuck about either of them. Good thing Gareth has years worth of experience being an outcast and a friend group that’s more than a little curious to find out whatever happened to the King of Hawkins High...

[lungsandlips]

"I agree. I like Finn very much and believe he deserves very good friends. Hopefully Izzy and Reed are being just that for him." Of course Dimitri knew that Reed was spending more time with him than Izzy was and he had his suspicions as to why but he wasn't going to call Reed out. Not while trying to navigate his own feelings about his nephew in a positive way. He didn't want to come off the wrong way on accident. "Yeah, they tried though. Izzy has trouble making connections as it is which is probably because the waking world is very different to dreams. Kinda surprised he clicked with you, Walking Danger." He shrugged. Friendship could be weird like that. "Iz met Dre when I was visiting my father, he had questions afterward." Explaining to Izzy who Tassos was and the difference between the man he'd known and the one Dre did had been difficult but Izzy had explained that he just wanted to know enough to understand things a little better. "He's also a little more open with me than he is with his father so I listen when the kid talks, even if he doesn't do the same in return." Listening to Genesis disregard her life so easily made Dimitri realize that a subtle warning wasn't going to do much to sway her. She'd likely heard it over and over again. "Hey, I don't want to see you dead - but I'm serious about not getting my grandson hurt."

Dimitri just shook his head, absolutely certain this girl was a huge fluff ball and it definitely did earn her cute points. She probably already knew that. "I don't want Cree to be my ex, ever. So I'm working really hard to fix all my broken pieces... even though I know he loves me as I am." He didn't have to be completely 'fixed' to be loved and that was something he had been learning lately. "Sorry you've had two though, that sucks."

Dimitri had to agree that Silas had absolutely fucked up in telling her his little secret and then promptly asking her, a stranger, to keep it to herself. "My guess is he'd been bottling it up and it just came out. Honestly, Silas is not himself these days. His memories are fucked up, he feels guilty for leaving Abi. To him, the ultimate betrayal was showing up with another kid. Like he'd replaced her. And while we both know Abi wouldn't have thought that - Silas' head isn't in the right place. Izzy can feel that too. That's why their relationship is strained."

"Finn's cool and definitely needs more friends too, so that's probably good for both of them." She had a soft spot for Finn and Nik with everything they had been through and she was glad to know that Finn was branching out a bit more. "Luna'd probably try more if she wasn't in the process of planning her wedding and Sadie, well, outside of River and Tyler, she's not the most social overall." Still, Genesis wasn't shocked she had made an effort, it was the sort of thing Sadie would do. "Listen, I wasn't sure how much you knew cuz I heard you've been out of the loop for a long while. Also, Izzy doesn't strike me as the type to tell people much unless it's dragged out of him at times." The last was said with a clear affection, not one to shy away from a challenge. "Ehhhh. I'll be fine." Maybe. Hopefully. Well, she didn't care one way or another, but clearly, other people did so hopefully for their sake.

"A lot of extra fluff." One of these days, she was just going to let Izzy walk through the door to her being fully shifted, mostly just to see how he would react to that. "I'm on my second, so, like, it doesn't get any easier." Of course, the situation with Sage was a lot different, and complicated in its own right, so she understood at least a bit.

Genesis nodded at that, giving Dimitri no argument. "What really, honestly, pissed me off was the fact that he felt comfortable telling me, a complete and total fucking stranger but then following it up with asking me not to tell? Like, who does that?"

[msnihilist]

It is worth noting that I get a lot of anon hate, mostly insults and vague threats, but that's just the thing — I get anon hate.

By which I mean, no one gets anons about me. There's no call out post circulating about me.

There's nothing to say that I'm not very open about. Everyone who follows me and is friends with me is very much aware of what I write about and what kind of dynamics that I enjoy in fiction.

Anons don't tell other people that I'm a horrible person, they tell me that I'm a horrible person.

Because they know that I'm not. They just want me to hate myself.

[aeolianblues]

it is literally not about legality, if you’re in your late 30s literally what are you hitting up 21 y/os for. Don’t you have investments to make.

[fanvoidkeith]

me, helping out my mom at a bazaar, like i've done for years, attempting stuff while she walks around to take a break and maybe get some xmas gifts: *vibing enough that some people want to buy some things*

my mom, about half an hour later: *comes back to be the more charming of the two of us, because she has more experience being a salesperson and is not autistic*

the nice lady at the table next to us, talking to my mom: your boy did a good job while you were gone!

my brain, upon hearing that sentence come out of another person's mouth while i'm feeling somewhat dysphoric in my body today:

B O Y ! ! !

(good job!)

[steakout-05]

ok genuine question: does experiencing noticeable back pain that happens often, actively hinders me and usually makes me need to sit down when doing painting, crafting, standing over a table or cleaning my room constitute as a physical disability?

this question might sound a bit silly considering that if i have to sit down in the first place then yeah it probably is disabling me, but a part of me is doubting myself, because i can otherwise function "normally" (don't like using that word but i can't think of another right now) and sometimes the amount of back pain i have fluctuates. sometimes it hurts like a bitch, sometimes it's barely noticeable. another part of me is just generally curious to see what some people think about this topic.

[hubrishazard]

I'm overhearing some middle aged person in a coffee shop talking about the latest doctor who episode, and saying exactly the same thing we've all been saying 😭 they brought it up and I was like "oh here we go" and then they were like "I wish they hadn't said that stuff about the doctor not being able to understand due to being male presenting, that just reinforces the binary theyre trying to break out of" and "I wish Rose hadn't called out the doctor for assuming the meep's pronouns, the doctor should've just asked for the meep's pronouns without needing to be prompted to" and "I really agree with what they're trying to do, I just wish they'd handled it better" and then after complaining about it all they were like "idk... maybe some people do need to be hit upside the head with it". Like. I know this is just one stranger but it feels so heartening. They didn't see One (1) heavy handed episode and decide to be mad about the trans representation. Like maybe things really will be alright

[houseofwolvess]

ive been looking more into, like, the ghost (band) lore stuff because it's fun and all, but. WOW there's a lot of discourse over stupid shit. why are people so pressed about people nicknaming the ghouls