#sorry for the lame quality this is screen recorded

[glateias]

Fujii Kaze - "Shinunoga E-Wa" Live at Nippon Budokan (2020)

[epic-potato-crisp]

Wireless (AjinWeek2020/6)

Day 6: Favorite AU! / Dotard + Call of Duty

By @ryokasmagic

Note:  AU in which Satou is a Pro-Gamer.

…………

* Sam_The_Gaming_Man has started his first stream on Twitch! *

“Hello everyone, and good day from Tokyo!” The older man greets the audience with a bright smile, throwing up a peace-sign. He’s wearing a cap that’s covering parts of his face, but no-one can miss the mischievous glint in his eyes.

“First, I want to thank my over 1 million subscribers for making this possible by always watching my Let’s Plays- You guys are the real champions! Welcome to my debut stream!”

He tips his hat. “This whole social media landscape, if I may be honest with you guys, is quite the challenge for an old geezer like me. That’s why I have Oliver over here helping me out. Thank you, Oliver!”

Someone waves a walking stick in greeting in the background.

“And thank you to Terry and Garry, who carried all my equipment up here, and helped him install it.” He gestures around himself. “Here, you can see my entire setup!”

A photo briefly fades into the right corner of the stream, showing a desktop with two large monitors, a tower case standing at the bottom, a keyboard flashing in red, gaming mouse and various other electronics. “4 TB of storage and the best CPU on the market, according to Oliver!” He holds up his hands in resignation: “Please do not ask me for the details, I have long since given up on that particular aspect. I’m here for the game and the game only! As they say, I’m going in for the kill.” He chuckles.

A taller man appears in the background. “Eh- Sato- eh, Sam-san?” a voice asks uncertainly.

“Oh, Ted!” Sam beckons him closer in a gleeful voice, “Ted my man! Come here, come here! Say hello to our audience!”

Ted inches forward. He’s of above average height, his black hair is long and shaggy under a grey basecap, and he’s wearing a red sports-jacket. He also looks like he very much doesn’t want to be here.

“I’ve brought your refreshment.” Ted says, holding out a large glass filled with tea, ice-cubes, lemon, a straw and even a little turquoise umbrella on top.

“Ted, please, take a seat!” Sam insists and finally Ted does, sitting down on the stool next to him and hands him the glass, which he gratefully accepts.

“Thank you so much!”

Sam takes a large sip. Closing his eyes, he tilts back his head and lets out a content sigh. “Just what I need before a long streaming session. Ted, you really are an angel!”

Ted avoids looking at the camera. There’s a faint blush on his face.

“Can I go now, Sat- eh, Sam-san?”

Sam laughs, amicably patting his back. “Ahh, Ted always the shy one. Go on, I won’t keep you.”

Ted bows, mumbles his thanks and disappears in a flash.

“Where were we, where were we….” Sam studies the screen, “Right, today we will be tackling a very retro game, made possible by Oliver and his friend, the emulator. Super Mario Brothers, originally published for the NES! Haha, what a joy to go back to my roots!”

Sam takes another sip of his drink. “Mmm, delicious. On this note, a big thank you to my sponsors Nekozawa Tech! They have also gifted me this beautiful headset!”

He points to his face. The headset in question shines in a cardinal red, with cat-ears adorning the top.

“See, these can even be lighted up!” Sam explains, as he demonstrates, “It makes me feel right as though I bathed in the fountain of immortal youth!” He winks into the camera.

“And of course, it wouldn’t be complete without a high-quality microphone.” He continues, lovingly patting the device in front of him. “If this has wakened your gaming spirit, click on the link in my description and get 40% of your next Nekozawa Tech order with the code EmperorSam! And now, back to the game!”

He rubs his hands, smirking.

“I do hope I won’t regret my boastful words the second I start World 1, but if you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m quite the pro at this game in particular. So, in order to keep this whole stream a little more interesting and personal, feel free to ask any burning questions you may have. Terry and Gerry over here are monitoring the feed and will pick the most exquisite ones for when I pass a level! Right, you two?”

“Back to business, baby!” a cheery voice shouts.

Sam nods. “That’s what I love to hear. Ah, and now, to no longer keep you- let the Games begin!”

….

Sam breezes through the first two worlds in record-time, audibly having a blast while doing so.

Apparently, so is his audience. His viewer count has tripled by the time they reach World 4.

“Sam, ready for some questions?” a voice asks in the background.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, Terry!” Sam flashes a confident grin at the camera, stretching and tilting his neck from one side to the next, until it gives a satisfying crack.

“telomere_freak wants to know: “Don’t you think Sam_The_Gaming_Man sounds a little too peaceful for someone of your caliber? How about killer_grandpa_606 or murderous_maniac_xoxo.”

Sam laughs heartily in response. “What a great first question to start of the round! You have a point, telomere_freak, my bloodthirsty nature – in games, of course, only- “yet again, he winks at the camera, “is not as subtle as I believed. I’m quite content with my name, however I do want to honour such a creative suggestion.” He spins around in his chair.

“Hey, Oliver?”

“Yes, Sam?”

“Can you add: “Killer_Grandpa_xoxo” to my twitter bio?”

“Sure thing, boss.”

“Wonderful! Thank you again, telomere_freak for your question. Do we have any others, Gary?”

“We have one here from yuuandai.” A second voice announces in the background. Someone, presumably Terry, cracks up with laughter.

“Guys, seriously? I see what you did there, but that’s so freaking lame!”

Gary clears his throat. “Yuuandai wants to know: “What was your occupation before becoming a pro-gamer?”

“Quite the serious one here.” Sam muses, taking down his headset for a moment. “Well, I won’t disclose too many personal details, but I can say I dabbled in International Trade before deciding to retire at my desktop. It might be difficult to imagine me all fancy in a business suit, but back then, it payed the bills. And it taught a lot about strategy at the same time.”

He puts his headset back on. “And now, let’s get ready for some entertainment!”

……

World 4 is destroyed in an almost ridiculous amount of time.

“I’d really feel sorry for these turtles.” he comments, “If they weren’t such fun to jump on!”

Unexpectedly, World 5 proves to be more difficult than Sam had anticipated.

His good mood doesn’t drop in the slightest. On the contrary, it seems have been heightened.

“What a rollercoaster!” Sam calls out in exhilaration, pausing the game after yet another death, “That’s an enemy how I like them- difficult to predict, difficult to conquer. Alas, I will take a short break. Terry, if you please?”

“kurochan100 wants to know: Will you be joining us for the Call of Duty Tournament next weekend?”

“What a question, of course! That’s something that even early stage dementia won’t let me forget.” Sam laughs, “Just a joke, folks.” He smirks. “My old brain works a little better than Ted would like it to sometimes.”

As if on cue, the taller man appears behind him: “Sat-, eh, Sam-san. Your medication.” He fidgets, pill box in hand.

“Ted, you’re truly an angel! Don’t stand there, sit, sit. You know my female fanbase appreciates your cameos.”

“Do they?” Ted asks quietly, fidgeting but taking a seat as expected of him.

“Why wouldn’t they? We all need a savior like Ted when your own hips become one’s mortal enemy.” Sam sighs theatrically, waggling a finger at the camera.

He then swallows medication in one go with a generous sip of iced tea.

“#tenshited is trending.” Terry calls out from the back, as #てんしてど moves up to number one of Japan’s most popular twitter topics.

“Ahahaha, is it? See Ted, the ladies just can’t enough get of you!”.

Ted mumbles something incoherent, pulling his basecap even lower.

“Wait a second though- “Sam frowns, “What user asked about the tournament again?”

“kurochan100.” Gary says.

“Wait, is it the kurochan100? Terry, check that please.”

“On it, boss. Oh, speaking of the devil: “It is me. You better have your weapons ready on Saturday.”- kurochan100.”

“Of course, it is them!” Sam chuckles, and waves into the camera.

“Shout-out to kurochan100! She’s an up-and-coming streamer, and a living legend at Call of Duty. Even Ted has experienced the joy of being crushed by her before. Haven’t you, Ted?”

“I need to leave.” Ted mumbles, and promptly disappears from sight.

“Some losses take longer to get over.” Sam comments, with a wry smirk, “Well, give her a follow on her Twitch channel, you won’t regret it! Except of course, if you’re on the opposing team!” He laughs loudly.

“Let’s continue.” he announces, turning back to the game. There’s a vengeful glint in his eyes.

“I still have a World to take over.”

[tsuki-chibi]

Smutember Day 30: Going Out With a Bang

See the whole Smutember fic on AO3: A Mutual Arrangement

————

When the bell finally rang to end the school day, Marinette turned to Adrien and asked, “Do you mind if Alya and Nino join us?”

“Not at all,” Adrien said. He gathered up his things and swung his bag over his back, following Marinette, Alya and Nino out of the room.

It had warmed up considerably but was still chilly, and he was happy for the excuse to wrap an arm around Marinette’s shoulders as they walked. Alya kept shooting them sly looks, a delighted smirk on her face. Adrien could tell that there was something she was itching to say and finally, she came out with it.

“So, did Marinette tell you the truth about your scarf?”

“Alya!” Marinette said.

Adrien frowned. “The truth about my scarf?” He touched the blue scarf around his throat. “What about it?”

Marinette scowled at Alya and reluctantly said, “I made that for you. It was a gift from me, not your dad.”

“Wait... what?” Adrien said, shocked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were really happy you got a gift from him. I didn’t want to ruin that,” Marinette mumbled, looking away.

Adrien looked between her and Alya before glancing at Nino, who gave him a small nod.

And suddenly, it all made sense. He had always wondered why that one year, his father had deviated from his typical gift of a lame pen. Something about the whole situation had never added up - the scarf was excellent quality, but clearly homemade, and that had never been Gabriel’s first choice - but Adrien had been too happy about it to really think it over.

It also explained why Alya had asked him to wear the scarf to his first date with Marinette. He’d thought at the time it was so that he and Marinette would match, but no. Alya had probably been hoping Marinette would find the courage to say something during their date.

In retrospect, Adrien kind of hoped that Alya and Plagg never got the chance to scheme together.

“I can’t believe you never told me,” he said to Marinette. “I love this scarf, and all along I thought it was from my dad... when really, it was from you.”

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said. “Knowing what I know now, I should’ve said something.”

He could understand why she hadn’t, though. Adrien shook his head. “It’s okay. I just... love it even more now that I know it came from you.”

“See?” Alya said smugly, nudging Marinette in the ribs.

“Babe, I think they’re having a moment,” Nino said, catching Alya’s arm and gently steering her away.

“Oh fine,” Alya grumbled.

“Just for the record,” Marinette said once their friends were out of earshot, “do you also remember getting a Valentine’s card that wasn’t signed?”

“Yeah, why -” Adrien stopped as Marinette turned pink. “Wait, that was from you?”

She nodded. “I saw your valentine in the garbage and I thought... well, I thought maybe it was for me. So... I answered it.”

Adrien laughed. “Oh my god. That valentine was for you! Well, the other you,” he amended quietly. “And I thought maybe Ladybug sent mine... guess I wasn’t wrong.”

Marinette smiled. “I did get better at signing things for the record,” she said. “I’m not sure how the scarf mix-up happened, though. I definitely signed that one.”

“I can guess,” Adrien said with a sigh. Nathalie had given him the package, so it wasn’t a stretch to think she was the culprit. He wished she hadn’t done that. In the end, she may well have prolonged how long he and Marinette had suffered.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. You know the truth,” Marinette said, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “And I’ll give you all my presents in person now, not through a third party.”

“There’s more presents?” Adrien said, eyes lighting up. Marinette’s gifts were always sweet and thoughtful. She put so much effort into each one, unlike other people in Adrien’s life. He really wanted to know what she would make for him now that they knew the truth.

For some reason, Marinette blushed again and averted her eyes. “There will be for your birthday and stuff,” she said vaguely, grabbing his hand and pulling him along.

Adrien was still momentarily stuck on the idea of more presents, but he snapped out of it when Marinette stopped before the counter. André didn’t seem to be out today, so they were settling for café ice cream instead. He picked out a small sundae and Marinette got a cone. Marinette paid, and then they joined Alya and Nino at some picnic tables.

“This is so nice,” Alya said, licking her cone. “I’ve been waiting to go on a double date with you guys for forever. I love that we can go out together now!”

“Is spending time with me alone really that much of a hardship?” Nino asked dryly.

“Aw, you know I like you,” Alya said, patting her boyfriend’s hand.

It really was nice, Adrien reflected. There had always been something awkward about the four of them hanging out together before, but he’d never been sure what it was. Now, he knew that awkwardness had existed entirely between him and Marinette.

He was so happy that the two of them had figured things out... and even happier that he hadn’t had to give up Marinette or Ladybug. He could have them both, because they were just one incredible girl.

“Dude, stop with the heart eyes,” Nino said, biting into a chunk of chocolate.

“I think it’s adorable,” Marinette said, giving Adrien one of those soft smiles that never ceased to make his heart flutter.

Nino mumbled something around his spoonful of ice cream that Adrien chose not to hear. Instead, he opted to lean over and give Marinette a quick, sticky kiss. He didn’t even mind that Alya whipped out her phone and snapped a picture.

“So cute!” Alya said, beaming.

“Send that to me!” Marinette said.

“And me,” Adrien said.

Alya nodded, tapping on her phone. “Done!”

Marinette’s phone chimed and she pulled it out. Adrien leaned over to look. He had to smile at the sight of the photo on her screen. Alya had caught them mid-kiss, and both of them were smiling. It really was a cute photo.

“It’s almost like we were made for each other,” Adrien said, reaching out to bat lazily at the black kitty charm hanging from her phone. Marinette giggled and turned to him, pulling her phone out of reach.

Her blue eyes twinkled as she playfully tapped his nose. “Yeah, imagine that.”

[dumbbelle]

robber!Minghao

In the end, Chan’s the one who says it best: “So… What you’re telling me is that you broke into Y/N’s house to steal a painting, and walked out having stolen their heart instead?”

Seokmin raises his hand for a high five. “Smooth man, smooth.”

Minghao Robin Hoods the frick outta his life, and quite literally bumps into you in the process. 

✄ Word Count: 3402 ✄ T/W: Swearing, attempted robbery, cute shit ✄ A/N: Heyo it’s Belle, I’m back with something that nobody asked for but I thought was necessary.

Masterlist

Contrary to what his best friend and roommate says, Xu Minghao insists that he’s a decent person.

(“And Mingyu can go fuck himself with his morals, the asshole’s the most notorious bootlegger you’ll find on campus”)

But honest, Minghao is a simple college boy.

He came to Pledis University when he was 18 as an international student, double majoring in Visual Arts, and Korean Language and Culture.

He’s there mostly on scholarship but he also has financial support from his parents, so he’s never really had to worry about his economic status.

He’s not the most social of kids but he’s also not the most introverted, so he always has just enough friends and just enough parties to attend as to not get bored.

But he gets bored anyway, because he’s always been an active child itching to do more.

So really, this whole mess started when he decides that he should pick up his old hobby:

Breakdancing

It’s mostly just a passing thought that comes to him when he comes back home for holiday and rewatches a VHR tape of an old b-boying competition.

But it lingers and every once in awhile he considers the possibility of him just quitting school and becoming a b-boy star like he once dreamed of.

After all, he was pretty damn good.

(He accidentally thinks this out loud during dinner and his mother throws her chopsticks at him)

Anyway, he returns to college for the new year and he’s almost completely forgotten about his old dreams.

Luckily enough (or maybe unluckily enough, depending on the perspective), there is a campus b-boy squad that he happens to stumble upon during his second-year clubs fair (as in, they barrelled into him with a flier and bombarded him with questions).

To be truthful, it seems pretty lame and Minghao’s sure that if he went underground, he could probably find a cooler scene,,,

But also, they said that there would be snacks at the interest meeting,,,

And so he makes the considerate decision to attend.

The interest meeting is where he meets Seokmin of all people.

The acting major makes a scene when he announces that he’s not there as Lee Seokmin but as Kang Hajoon, a lower-class high school drop out who finds his way through the power of breakdance.

(“Nobody knew who you were in the first place, dipshit–“

“–I said to call me Hajoon–“

“–Just sit down.”)

And people are snickering at Seokmin because they find his method acting lame.

But Minghao finds that lame so he proceeds to sit down right beside the boy and stare daggers at any jerk who directs a snide comment their way.

He hangs around just long enough so that he can decimate the rest in a b-boy demonstration, pretty much showing them all what they’re going to miss out on.

And then he gets up and leaves the meeting, Seokmin following behind him.

They grab some chips on their way out and properly introduce themselves.

“Hey sorry about all of that in there, Seo- uh, Hajoon. B-boyers usually aren’t assholes… Just them. Don’t let that bleed into your portrayal, you feel? I’m Minghao, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

“Don’t worry, I’m over it. Thanks for what you did back there... It’s nice to meet you too. And you can call me Seokmin now, I’m done with Hajoon for the day.”

Which starts an odd, but well-oiled friendship.

Seokmin introduces Minghao to all of his friends, and that’s how Minghao ends up with an incredibly,, diverse,, friend group.

And by diverse, he means that he’s positive his friendship with them will likely result with him going to jail.

He should’ve realized it when the de facto leader Seungcheol introduced himself as “S.Coups” and made him sign a waiver of liability before joining the group.

It was scribbled on to the back of a receipt but yeah, it should’ve been a little concerning

But Minghao just kinda rolls with it.

And this is how he finds himself inducted into their so-called “League of Good Doers Doing Not So Good Doer Things”.

It’s a working title; LoGDDNSGDT for short.

(“What do you do, Seokmin?”

“I’m a recruiter!”

“… That’s fair.”)

It takes him a few months to solidify his role in the group (he’s the last to join), but in that time he manages to become especially good friends with Mingyu, so much so that he becomes his roommate.

Mingyu’s known for using his technical abilities to bootleg high quality concert footage, videos, textbooks, and whatever else you need.

(“We’re all just a bunch of broke college students with a bunch of broke college student needs. We’re just making those needs realities.”)

Also alcohol, he sells a lot of alcohol.

And though Minghao initially scoffs at this, it also makes him check his privilege a little

He’s always been fortunate enough to grow up with money and be smart, free to do whatever he wants when he wants.

Growing up, he’s had a lot of interests and a lot of phases, all of which he more than excelled in.

Gosh, there was even that one ninja phase…

THE NINJA PHASE

He’s eating a brownie that’s probably been laced with weed one Friday night as he watches tv with Mingyu and Seokmin when he remembers the ninja phase.

He remembers how stealthy he is and just how good he is at picking locks.

And so he decides to Robin Hood the frick outta his life, robbing the expensive belongings from the richer students and pawning their items off so he can donate to the poor.

He excels at this too, much to Mingyu’s chagrin (“the kid’s just fuckin’ good at everything!”)

It definitely alleviates him of his boredom, and he’s so subtle and precise with it that most of the time, people don’t even notice when things are missing.

He’s become some kind of town legend, and so many people idolize this mysterious robber that the authorities aren’t even too concerned.

He’s also somehow acquired this odd nickname?? The8?? They say it’s because you never know how his crimes begin or how they’ll end.

Like the only thing anybody knows about his victims is that they’ll be wealthy (but gosh, Pledis U has too many of those roaming the place),,,, but then next thing you know the underfunded art department will suddenly get a donation of a few thousand, or the Culture Club food drive will find a gazillion non-perishable cans when they come back the next morning.

Minghao likes to think he's spontaneous.

Now this is where you come in (“finally,” I can hear you sigh from behind your screens)

Unlike everyone else around you, you do not have the biggest crush on this mysterious figure.

(“Just for the record, ‘The8’ is literally the dumbest robber alias I have ever heard.”

“How many have you heard before?”

“Not. The. Point.”)

All he does is go around and undermine people’s hard work, invading their personal space and infringing on their privacy.

All so that he can make a quick buck.

And sure, maybe he’s not spending all that money on himself, but to make students feel unsafe and unprotected in their own freaking homes and dorms?

And to have nobody do anything about it?

Absurd.

It becomes such a constant source of ire for you that you rant about this almost daily.

But it’s like you’re the only one who understands the gravity of the situation.

Your closest friends are all about this guy, singing his praises and commending his selflessness.

Your junior, Chan, is particularly adamant about the quality of his character (you have no idea about his involvement with the LoGDDNSGDT, of course; after all, he also had to sign the receipt contract).

So you’re a party of 1 in the Anti-The-8 Movement.

He’s three months into it when he makes a rather stupid mistake:

He decides to rob you.

Minghao will later complain that anybody could’ve gotten the wrong idea.

He sees you for the first time in his Korean History class.

He doesn’t exactly know how he missed you before.

First of all, you’re fucking gorgeous

First of all, there is a certain air that you carry yourself with–

It’s poised and self-assured and kind of breathtaking.

You raise your hand to read a passage and even the way you speak is levelled and controlled.

You remind him of royalty some of the other wealthy kids on campus.

Probably trained to uphold a certain degree of eloquence so that you can one day take over your parents’ company and maintain good business relationships. 

And socialize at those hoity-toity parties with the little hors d'oeuvres.

His thoughts are confirmed after class when he overhears you talk with your friends.

You’re asking your friend to take notes in place for you when you go off to vacation with your family next week.

“Heading off to the island?” Your one friend chirps.

“Yeah, dad just finished a successful case and we’re celebrating.”

And wait, an island? These guys must be fucking loaded.

Your friend lets your name slip and it’s all starting to make a lot more sense.

Now he’s heard of your name around campus.

Your parents are lawyers who built an empire, opening up law firms around the country.

They’re known for being ruthless and never sharing their wealth.

In short, they’re prime targets!!

Minghao feels like it’s Christmas– this will be his biggest catch since that one kid who was the heir to the electric toothbrush company.

He trails you and your friends for a few minutes just to confirm the details and then he’s off to plan.

Fast forward a week later to when you should be going off to vacation.

But instead you come down with the stomach flu, and not a pretty one either.

You experience the full range of systems:

Vomit, fever, dizziness, fatigue,,, There’s no way your parents are letting you tag along on the trip.

And you’re too busy vomiting to argue.

So they ditch your ass and head off to vacation by themselves, once you assure them that you’ll be fine on your own.

After all, you are a certified GDI who can take care of yourself.

… Who just so happens to be dressed up in a onesie, cuddling a large teddy bear as you watch Netflix from your nest of pillows on the couch.

You’ve scrolling through your recommended feed when you hear it:

The door opening

And you have to wonder if the vacation ended early because who else… Would…

You gasp when you realize what’s going on, rushing to turn off the television as to eliminate all sources of sound.

All your nightmares are coming true, and you haven’t even fully developed a game plan to approach this awful situation.

Now you’re not dumb, you’re not gonna run headfirst into a situation where you don’t have the upper hand.

Instead, you’ll hide and discreetly notify the authorities when you activate the alarm system.

And so no, you’re not dumb,, 

But you are clumsy.

You’re trying to navigate your way to your bedroom, remote in hand as a backup weapon, checking over your shoulder at every possible moment.

Perhaps you’re checking over your shoulder a little too much, because next thing you know you’ve crashed into a wall.

Except the wall moves and you know that it’s definitely not a wall.

The wall makes a sound, a little grunt and you snap your head back around so quickly, you think you hear the whip of the wind.

The man in front of you is tall and skinny, and seems oddly familiar even with his ski mask on.

You don’t have too much time to contemplate this however , as you’re too busy trying to whack the heck outta him with your remote.

“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU ASSBUCKET.”

It's all just too much, and you're surprised you haven't shat your pants because of how scared you are.

But,,,, The8 is kinda just taking it??? He's trying to block you of course (and mostly succeeding to, the jerk) but he's not trying to fight back. What kind of shitty robber…?

You're c o n f u s e d, which is why you stop to look up at him expectantly.

“You done?” His voice incites a whole new wave of panic to wash over you, and you raise your remote to start hitting him again but The8 quickly raises his hands in surrender. “Hey, hey now, I'm not here to hurt you.”

You're skeptical, of course you are. But you think back to all the gossip you’ve heard about The8, and realize that you can’t recall any accounts of violence.

This doesn't change the fact that this asshole is robbing you, so you use the remote to gesture towards his ski mask.

“Take it off.”

And he sighs, as if it's inevitable, but holds up a finger and starts to negotiate,,,, as if he has any right to in this current situation,,, and gosh, how is he so damn calm right now??

“Okay, but if I do, promise you won’t call the cops immediately.”

You don't know why you agree to his terms– you're sure it won't make a difference.

He’ll get the cops called on him sooner or later.

But if it gets him to cooperate… You agree with a swift dip of your head.

The tension in the room is palpable, and you have to remind yourself to breathe as he starts to take off his mask.

And oh fuck you know who it is you know who it is you know who it is.

You recognize him immediately as the cute guy in your Korean History class, the one you've had a crush on since forever and a half ago.

The one that's always hanging out with that group of loud kids…Chan's Precious Seniors

And somewhere in your subconscious, you're freaking out about the possibility of Chan being involved in a crime syndicate.

And further freaking out about how you’ve confided in Chan about your crush in Xu Minghao, who just so happens to be The8 and holy fuck you can’t believe it’s him.

You really don’t have much time to dwell, because the shock and overexertion of the situation starts gets to you, and you’re starting to feel dizzy. It’s like the fever finally catches up to you–

And then you’re falling, fainting–

The last thing you hear before you pass out is the startled cry of your name.

…

You wake up to the smell of broth, and the feeling of a damp cloth pressed to the top of your forehead.

Your headache is devastating, but you’re otherwise positioned comfortably

It takes you a minute to process that you’re back on your living room couch, low hum of the television sounding from somewhere to your right

You try to locate the smell of broth, which is when you meet eye-to-eye with a very timid looking Minghao

He’s more tense than earlier, as if he’s scared you’ll jump up right then and there to attack him

And you would, honest, but the broth,,, smells,,, so,,, good,,,

You motion for him to give it to you and he relaxes before quickly complying, letting you sit up before gently placing the bowl in your hands.

He settles into a stool beside you– one that definitely wasn’t there before, but it’s whatever.

You sit there in silence for a good couple of minutes, Minghao watching the drama playing on TV as you drink your broth.

It’s kinda nice

Minghao’s the first one to speak.

“Please don’t exert yourself like that if you’re sick. You could’ve had a heart attack or something.”

He sounds so small that you just manage to resist throwing the rest of the hot soup at him in the sudden bubble of anger that erupts from you in the form of a hiss.

“Um, my memory might be wrong here but wasn’t it you who broke into my house in the first place, assbucket?”

He chuckles at that, and you’re slowly losing that sliver of self-restraint.

“Assbucket, that’s a new one.” You notice that his accent is more prominent when he’s amused.

“You deserve worse, you assbucket.”

At that he really laughs, and you have to look away to distract yourself from how attractive the sound is.

“You’re cute, you know that?”

You’re not sure what to say to that, and Minghao can tell. He quickly changes tact.

“Listen, I get why you’re mad.” Oh, now wouldn’t that be the understatement of the year.

“But I promise I’m not here to hurt you. I-I won’t even steal anything from here anymore. But please, please don’t make yourself more sick because of me.”

And man, fuck Minghao for making it damn near impossible to call the police on his ass. You don’t say anything more until you finish up your broth.

“Why… Why do you do it?”

Minghao shrugs. “Just because.”

“Just because? You’re violating my home, Minghao. This is my private space, and you’re infringing upon it without my consent.”

Minghao furrows his eyebrows, as if he’s never considered it before. And God, why did it have to be him?

Minghao finally hums. “Would you miss it?”

W-wha… “Huh?”

Minghao nods towards an abstract modernist piece that hangs high up on your wall. “Would you miss it?”

Your silence is more than enough to answer his question.

“But I’m sorry, you know. I truly wouldn’t have come around if I was aware you’d be home. Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation?”

“. . . Minghao, that’s creepy. Don’t do that. Besides, how do you know my name?”

“How do you know mine?”

The fucker. You blush, shrugging and dropping the subject completely. You’re avoiding his eyes so much that you miss the fond smile on his lips. He’s about to say something when a phone sounds. You realize it’s coming from Minghao’s pocket and watch as he takes it out, curious.

Minghao checks his phone and immediately scowls, closing his eyes in what seems like exasperation.

“I… I have to go, so sorry. My roommate just did something unbelievably stupid because he’s unbelievably stupid.”

You refrain from asking; you really don’t wanna know.

“Will you be alright by yourself? I’m worried… I’ll try to stay longer if you don’t think you will… I mean, if you want. Or I can call someone to come or–”

Where was this bashful kid an hour ago? For the first time that evening, you let out a small smile. He sees it and is stunned, momentarily blinded by your beauty.

“I’ll be fine Minghao, go help your roommate.”

He nods, getting up to leave, but not before taking your phone from the coffee table. He holds it out so that you can unlock it, and you do, though the question hangs in your eyes.

“I-I’m not taking it, just wanted to give you my phone number. In case you start to feel worse. Call me or don’t... It’s whatever.”

And so you do.

...

Bonus:

Three months later, you’re recounting the tale to the rest of the boys during one of their weekly movie nights. (You don’t dare touch the brownies, Minghao tells you they’re fucked.)

In the end, Chan’s the one who says it best: “So… What you’re telling me is that you broke into Y/N’s house to steal a painting, and walked out having stolen their heart instead?”

Seokmin raises his hand for a high five. “Smooth man, smooth.”

Your boyfriend ignores it, though Seokmin stubbornly keeps his hand up and waits for anyone to complete the exchange. You tap your palm against his in pity.

“Actually,” Minghao starts, nuzzling his nose into your hair, “I would say Y/N is the one who stole my heart instead. Just had to fall straight into my arms like that… A true master of seduction.”

You giggle, turning your head to peck his lips. The boys groan, losing interest in your story and turning back towards the movie.

From somewhere in the corner, you hear Mingyu fake a gag.

(Perhaps it’s the brownies, you can’t really tell.)

Masterlist 

[mysticsrose]

Sorry to disturb you but could you tell me how do you make your aesthetics look the same color and stuff?

hiii, first of all, you are not disturbing me, second i am really sorry for such a late reply, i don’t even know how long this message was in my inbox cause tumblr didn’t show it ??

to answer your question, i’m not even sure how they look the same color and all but i’ll explain what i do when editing haha (under the cut)

1.    you gotta find your photos, the ones you plan on using in your edit obviously,,, i find pics mostly on pinterest (here’s mine) – i search character’s name and i go to look at boards and i find pics from those boards (i look in a lot of boards) + i search character’s name aesthetic, i find everything i need there but sometimes if i feel like i really need some other pic that i might not be able to find it there, i go on we♥it (mine), i rarely use it but sometimes there are really good pics or if i know exactly what I’m looking for, i’ll just google it,,,, also aim for high quality pics

2.    after i’ve found all pics, i open them all in photoshop and start cropping them (if i’m making a moodboard i’ll use 400x400 and if i’m making that character poster type of edit i use 400x535,, also i make sure that the image size is that size)

3.    then i make a new file so  can fit all pics in that file (i also make sure that the background is white) and decide which ones i’ll want or not in my edit and how to arrange them, for example if i’m making a moodboard i’ll make a new file that’s 1200x1200 and then fit all my pics on it, like this

(sry about this lame gif, i was too lazy to download that screen recorder thingy haha)

4.    after i do that, i add a psd either my own or this one by ameriepsds (check out their psds they have really beautiful ones) which i love to use for my moodboards, i adjust layers if needed

5.    then i rearrange pics in order i see they look the best

6.    next  go and edit every pic individually (pics i’ve put into that file) – i add the psd then right click on the background pic and merge visible

7.    after i’ve done that i add sharpen to the pic, these are my settings

8.    and then i save it and i repeat it on every pic

9.    then i open all pics on tumblr as i’m making the post and arrange them in order i did on that file and that’s it

that’s just how i do it and how I’m used to doing it, there probably are easier ways but this is mine i hope this helped at least a bit, i know i’m terrible at explaining but hopefully it’s understandable

[chaoticneutralwriter]

05; Attacked

In which you recall how you nearly died (it’s not as serious as it sounds)

idol!jimin x staff!reader

genre: mostly fluff, comedy, and others along the way

word count: 2.5k ish i’m trying okay?

A/N: Don’t imagine Jimin dancing to this.

It was ridiculous at just how well you can recall this particular moment in your life. The details were so vivid that if you so much as to even think about what happened, your body would react as if you were going through a PTSD flashback…okay maybe not that severe in terms of actual real PTSD flashbacks, but you still felt like you were gonna die that moment.

You’re probably dying to know: what exactly was that moment in life?

Well…

It starts out simple enough; you were in the office, working until the late hours of the morning because the comeback is looming closer which means everything needed to be in absolute, perfect order. Schedules are checked, then double checked, then re-checked again for things like meetings, promotional videos, and twitter posts. Poster designs need to be finalized, album pre-order counts need to be confirmed and not to mention how many social media platforms needed to have a new banner and icon update soon…Your head was spinning at this point at just the amount of preparations that needed to be done and you still technically had a month until D-Day when the changes come drastically.

But you pride yourself as a diligent worker, always determined and resilient to get the work done and with careful attention to the finer details to deliver top quality results. So you stayed and worked until at around 3am did you finally decide that you were satisfied with what you got done. Stretching, you cracked out the kinks in your stiff neck, hissing at the stiffness before getting up from office chair. Gathering your things, you exit your cubicle and made sure to lock up before heading out of the office area. Before actually heading to the garage where you parked your car however, you detoured to the washroom because goddamn all that coffee just built up.

So after the washroom trip, you were finally set to go home and were already fantasizing about how soft and warm your bed will be.

That is until you noticed the lights were on in the dance studio. The white fluorescent lights streaming through the door practically made it look like a beacon in the darkness against the dimmed lights surrounding the area outside the room (didn’t help that the door to the dance studio was literally just a large panel of frosted glass with a frame around it). Once you’ve slowed to a stop in front of the practice room, you also detected the muffled sounds of a beat, no doubt some kind of song being played only to pause for a while before starting up again.

You really didn’t have to think too hard to guess who might be the one staying this late cramming in as much practice as he can (your 50/50 chance bet with yourself was either Hoseok or Jimin) but regardless, it brought up a little bit of concern in you because even though the comeback was soon, it wouldn’t do them any good to practice to the point where they can’t the very next day. Giving your body the time to rest and relax before doing more strenuous activities is just as important for it to be able to keep going and not completely shut down otherwise.

Which is what drove you to press down on the handle and gently push the door open. Cautiously, you poke your head in, letting your eyes adjust to the sudden brightness and starkness of the vast room before your eyes land on a lone figure currently sitting on the floor. At the sound of the door clicking open, they turn their head towards you and you sort of wished you had someone else to bet money on who it could be in the dance studio this late.

“Oh Jimin-ah.”

“Noona, you’re still here?” He blinks at you, genuinely surprised to see you. You wished you could say the same to him, but then you would be fooling no one.

“Yeah, late night. I had a lot of stuff to look over…Comeback prep and all that fun stuff.” You lamely say as you slip in through the door and let it gently close. Even though you’ve been in the practice room multiple times before, it still made you feel like a speck of dust standing against the all white flooring and walls (save for the wall of mirrors on one side). You feel it ten times more now that you’re literally one of only two people in the spacious room (and of course it had to be with Jimin).

You catch yourself from sighing aloud. Even after the whole closet debacle, you still felt really fidgety when it comes to Jimin, but hey at least now you two talked more than you have before! … Kinda… God Yoongi would not let you live it down if you admit that he’s right.

“Oh, wow I can imagine…” Jimin’s light chuckle pulls you out of your thoughts and you watch as he runs his hand through his hair. “I feel the most sorry around these times; the staffs work so hard to help us get ready for comebacks and to make sure it turns out perfect.”

Which no doubt is why he’s working so hard right now. The thought makes you smile softly at him; that part of Jimin was something you really admire and love (but honestly who cannot love that about him?)

“Trust me, we get a lot of joy from watching you all perform on stage so all the work is definitely worth it.” You say in all sincerity. His lips pull back to a smile, the one that makes his eyes disappear to crescents and he looks down shyly.

Crap, your heart is starting to stutter against your ribcage but no, you’re better than this. You’re. Fine.

And just when you get a hold of yourself, Jimin looks up at you except suddenly his eyes are now glinting with an underlying mischief, the once soft smile is replaced with a faint smirk that looked too devilish for you to not be suddenly nervous and, smoother than any cucumber, says, “Then I’ll make sure to put on a cool performance for you noona.”

….

 UM??!!

You physically feel your brain short circuit and suddenly you’re having a mental battle where an inner voice of logic is yelling at you to play this cool because goddammit YOU. ARE. BETTER. THAN. THIS. So with much effort, you let out a chuckle, praying that it doesn’t come off as sounding too nervous in order to mask your inner turmoil and reply as casually as you could, “I’ll look forward to it.”

If Jimin notices your sudden stiffness then he chooses to not comment on it. Instead, he shifts topic as he gets up from his seat, dusting his pants.

“I actually have a favour to ask since you’re here.”

“O-Oh…Um okay, yeah what is it?” The change has your nerves relaxing a bit but you still shift on the balls of your feet as you watch Jimin make his way to the stereo, fiddling around with the iPod plugged into it before turning to you again with a smile, all traces of…what happened earlier gone from his pretty face and it nearly has you reeling again because how.

“Can you help me record a video for this dance I’m working on? I want something to post on twitter.”

“Oh, yeah sure.” You agree, mind still not quite there yet but also not thinking much of it. Another known fact about Jimin is that he loves and feeds his fans well, even you who nowadays didn’t have as much time to be on the ball for their twitter postings knew that much. As you slowly stride away from the door, you suddenly feel uneasy — of what you’re not even sure yourself, but you can acutely compare it to the feelings a child would have if someone had suddenly taken their security blanket from them.

Yet you push through, determined to put aside those feelings. You make your way closer to Jimin who by now was also making his way to you, phone in his hand. You both stop with ample space in between as he hands you his phone, camera on recording mode already set up. You’re too hyper aware of your hands and take great care to not accidentally brush your fingers against his as you take his phone (you will not fall into that K-Drama trap, you have some pride). Jimin gives the room a once over before turning his gaze to you to gesture over to the wall with the mirror panels.

“You can stand just in the middle there.”

You wordlessly nod and shuffle your way over; positioning yourself to what you hoped would be a good angle. With the phone held in a landscape fashion, you begin to experiment with the shot; bending a little, leaning back slightly, or shuffling a half step to the left or right until you finally settle on a position you’re satisfied with.

“Good?” He asks, eyes dancing with hints of amusement and you return with a nod and a smile.

“Good.” The task of finding the perfect angle has your mind settling back down, welcoming the distraction to forget about the risk of a racing heart and a frazzled mind. You feel good which means you can totally do this.

And so you hit record.

With one last smile, Jimin bounds off towards what you had thought would be to the stereo system but as you look up from the screen wondering just where he’s going, you find him stopping in front of the light switches.

And suddenly the room is dimmed.

Your breath hitches (because what the fuck) and you had to count to ten backwards to reign in the onslaught of nerves. You were so caught up in doing so that you barely notice him heading to the stereo next to press play and in the moment of silence between tracks, a slow, heavy beat starts up as he gets into position. Wait isn’t this—

And then before you know it, he starts to dance.

Your thoughts start running a million miles a minute and the same goes for your heart as you watch him through the screen. His body moves with such precision and fluidity in time with the beat that even though he's practically on the other side of the room from you, it still felt like he was dancing way too close. You swear you could see the breath he takes and the way his face shifts as he feels the music.

The music… This song…!

As if Drake’s crooning wasn’t a dead giveaway, then the lyrics are because YOU DAMN WELL KNOW WHAT THIS SONG IS ABOUT AND YOU’RE SUDDENLY NERVOUS WHETHER JIMIN DOES TOO.

And that’s when you make your first mistake; your eyes stray from the phone screen to glance up at Jimin as if you would find some sign that he planned for this but you’re met with something worse. Way worse.

The smoulder that greets you nearly leaves you winded and it takes all of your willpower to not collapse right then and there. He’s still moving effortlessly to the song as if lost in a trance and you’re left trying to hold together what sanity you have left but it’s so hard to do that because of the way his fringe falls over his eyes only for him to move it away with a sweep of his hand and you get the full force of those eyes again AND DID HE JUST LICK HIS LIPS??

Oh no…oh no what is he doing now, no don’t— NO DO NOT GET ON THE FLO— PARK JIMIINN!!

You’re internally shrieking and want to so desperately look away but it’s one of those things where you just can’t no matter how much it makes you wish the mirrors would suddenly transport you to another dimension.

It felt like eons before he ends the choreography (by far the longest minute and a half of your life thus far) and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Before you actually get a chance to breathe though, he’s making his way towards you and you swallow the urge to make a run for it.

“Did it turn out okay?” He asks, voice taking on a rasp and sounding slightly breathy.

If you mean did the body rolls, casual grinding and all manners of movements that should be classified as illegal to be executed by Park Jimin were captured nicely in the video? Then yes, it turned out more than okay.

“Y-Yeah….” You stutter out instead and quickly spew out more words in hopes of covering it up, “It might be a little dark but the lighting behind you might be enough so it shouldn’t be so bad…” You feel the heat rising all the way from your neck to your cheeks and you actually think that it’s not such a bad thing that the lights were dimmed; you probably looked like a tomato right now.

Jimin gives you a noncommittal hum, showing no signs of noticing anything strange about the way your words came off as slightly choppier as he reaches over for his phone. You pass it over like the device had just burned you and silently thank your shaking hands didn’t drop it or that would’ve made things super awkward.

Jimin flashes you a smile after he looks through the footage and says in a very cheery voice, “Thanks a lot noona!”

You numbly nod back and muster a crooked smile, a little dazed and questioning whether or not this is an entirely different Park Jimin than the one a minute ago.

“Uhh…so do you—do you need anything... else?” You force out. As much as you want to exit the building right at this moment to just yell, it would be very impolite to not at least try to wrap up this interaction here.

He shoots you a sweet smile again (almost too sweet) and shakes his head, “Nope, that’s all I need help on.”

“Ah…” You more or less breathe out. You’re floundering again and the heat on your face is not letting up any time soon so before you might actually combust, you give one last, rushed words of concern (“Don’t stay so late!”) to which he replies with reassurances (“Don’t worry noona, I’ll leave soon!”) and then you’re skittering out of there, heart rattling against your ribs.

Your nerves are still shot even after you get into your car, and you take a minute for your mind to finally catch up to what happened in the dance studio. After who knows how long, the only conclusion that you can make is:

There is no way that happened. Absolutely. NO. WAY. In what universe does this happen?? And what higher being planned this??

Well, this universe clearly.

And little did you know, you didn’t have to look very far to find the person responsible.

A/N: So how about that comeback huh?

[lovelawactually]

In The City

Tori sat with her feet kicked up on the edge of the desk - one foot bouncing along with the music that blared in her earbuds.   This was the part of her job that she loved the most - working solo meant she could operate in complete solitude - nothing and no one to interface with.  It was just her, a laptop, and a backpack filled with various tools used for ethical hacking.  As far as she was concerned, ethical had a loose interpretation.  With great power comes great responsibility, right?  Her philosophy was that the concepts of good and bad was completely relative - at least where cyber security and information was concerned.  

The code had already been written, and it was a masterpiece - if she were to say so herself.  All that was left to do was wait and watch it work - a timer ticked away to denote the execution time.  The goal to beat was 10 minutes - that was the amount of time it took her to crack the last network and control the databases that her latest client had given her as a target.  The intel she had received was good on a suitable entry point - that would reduce the time significantly - she was feeling confident she would set a new record.  This job was of the not-so-ethical variety, but as the suit who handed her the envelope said - it was for the greater good.  She would be the judge of that once she got a better look what they were after.  

She picked up the paper coffee cup and gave it a shake, sighing when she found that it was empty.  Lame.  It would not be too long before she could roll out and get another - it was still early, and she averaged at least 4 cups a day, give or take.  It could not be just any coffee either, Tori was a self-prescribed coffee snob.  The screen on her laptop flickered, and a welcoming sight was displayed.  A shit-eating grin stretched across her lips.  Six minutes, Doug E. Fresh - we’re in.  

She stood up from the chair and executed the command to begin the download - as she pressed the enter key, she broke out into a celebratory dance.  This job was going to pay handsomely, with little effort.  She was certain that this was not what her grandfather had in mind when he shipped her off to the United States to attend M.I.T - but what the old man did not know, wouldn’t hurt him.  He had been disappointed when she did not come back to Japan to pursue a career in Robotics - she started hacking her freshman year and had not looked back since.  She loved it almost as much as she loved the renowned poet Keats - or coffee.  

Her chosen profession - for lack of a better term - paid a hell of a lot better than writing poetry, and that would have been her second choice for work.  It also afforded her the freedom to live the lifestyle she wanted, and to be able to send money home as well.  She had worked hard to get into school - to be the dutiful granddaughter and become an engineer - but one of her professors said something that changed her perspective on everything.

“You have to do what you love, because life is not a dress rehearsal - you get one shot at it - so live a life doing things that make you happy. You were born to do more than just pay taxes and die.”

Tori thrummed her fingertips on the desk, waiting for the last 3 percent of the progress bar to hit completion - she looked at her watch.  She pumped her fist in the air when she saw the time - she would have time to hit the bookstore and the coffee shop before she was scheduled for a meeting with a new client.  As soon as the download was complete, she packed her laptop into her backpack - she slung on her jacket and grabbed her helmet from the hook on the wall as she walked through the doorway.  “Hey Jeans - I am gonna head out.  Ping me if the suits come sniffing around, would ya?”

Jeanine - or Jeans, who was Tori’s awesome assistant - nodded her head and hummed.  “Sure.  I got a date tonight though, so I am going to leave a little early.”  Tori stopped before the door closed behind her, “It’s not with that same douchebag, is it?  I fucking hate that guy.”  Jeanine shook her head, “No - a new guy I met last weekend.  He’s got a cute friend too.”  Jeanine’s tone implied that she was looking to try to set up another shitshow of a double date.  Tori groaned, she had absolutely no interest in the smarmy friends of the guys Jeans was into. She’d given it a try once, and that was enough.  “I’d rather get a lobotomy.  Good bye, Jeans.”

Tori sped down the street, zipping between cars - she loved that she could roll through traffic practically unhindered on her motorcycle.  It was the first purchase she made after being paid for a big job - a black Triumph MY17 Bonneville Bobber.  It was custom made, and equal parts iconic and quality engineering.  It also made her feel like a proper badass.  She pulled into her usual parking spot in front of her favorite coffee shop in the neighborhood - it was a mom-and-pop run joint, and she loved the ambiance there - she probably spent too much time there.  Not probably.  Definitely.

She took off her helmet, strapped it to the seat of her motorcycle and strolled toward the door - it was a crisp day, so she found it odd when she noticed that someone besides herself would opt to sit outside - and she had never seen the man there before.  She glanced at him as she walked past - dark messy hair, glasses - a tattooed hand flipping a page on the book that was laid out on the table in front of him.  The door tinkled when she opened it, followed by the employees shouting their customary greeting.  “Ay!  Tori!”

After getting caught up on the neighborhood gossip and acquiring a very large cup of coffee, Tori made her way back outside - to sit at her favorite table.  She slung her backpack onto the chair next to her and pulled out a worn, black leather-bound journal.  The stranger that sat across from her caught her eye again - his attention focused onto the page he was reading, fingers slowly scrubbing the hair on his chin.   She raised an eyebrow as she noticed  the letters tattooed on his fingers.  Interesting.  

Tori pulled her phone out of her pocket and placed it on the table and queued up the next song in her playlist - ‘In the City’ by The Jam - and plugged the headphones into her ears.  She opened the journal and began to scribble notes into it, bobbing her head with the music - designs for a new RFID hacking device that made use of a mini drone - controlled by a program on her phone.  She chuckled as she thought of all the fun she would have with it.  She paused to take a sip of her coffee, making eye contact with the stranger this time - his eyes were a golden, almost amber color - she continued to stare even after she sat her mug down - she wondered if it was the light of the sun that caused the effect, or if his eyes were actually that color.  There was no change in the man’s expression - it was one of an almost clinical inspection - as she continued to stare at him.  When Tori’s phone rang, he nonchalantly turned his attention back to the book he had been reading.

Tori swiped her finger across the touch screen of her phone, “Talk to me, Jeans.”  There was a longer than necessary silence, “Jeans?  You there?”  Tori heard what sounded like a phone being dropped followed by a string of profanities - after a few minutes of fumbling - Jeanine’s voice came through.  “Shit.  Sorry.  Where are you?”  Tori sighed, “At the coffee shop.  I’ve got a little over an hour before the meeting.  Why?”  More silence.  Tori’s eyebrows furrowed, her voice lowered to nearly a growl.  “Jeanine.  Why?”  Jeanine stuttered, “W-w-well, you see - I might have entered in the details into your calendar wrong.  The meeting  is actually an hour earlier than what it says.”  Tori sighed more heavily this time, “If I am late for this meeting, Jeans -”  Jeanine interrupted her, “I will make it up to you, I swear.”

With a growl, Tori hung up the phone - she began shoving her belongings back into her backpack and slung it onto her shoulder - her eyebrows knitted together, muttering to herself about the various ways in which she would murder Jeanine, should she be late.  She hated being late.  She stopped and popped her head inside the door of the coffee shop, “Oi!  I’m off!  See you guys later!”  As she turned to head to walk away, she heard the employees shouting their goodbyes - she jogged over to her motorcycle and plopped down onto the seat, quickly pulling her helmet on.  She turned the key, starting the engine - she took one last look at the time on her phone before cranking up the volume and shoving it into her pocket.  

Music blared in her ears.  With a bad attitude and a short time to make it to her destination, Tori quickly sped off.  She had been so pissed off that she did not notice that the handsome stranger’s eyes had been fixated on her from the moment that she stood up from the table - following her until she was out of sight.  

[getyourmojoworld-blog]

Why I Mojo: How My Standing Desk Made Me Happier, Healthier, And So Much More Productive

A little over a year ago I decided to take the plunge. Yep, I bought a Mojo standing desk. I hesitated to make the purchase. Did I really need a standing desk? After all, I mostly work while running from here to there– school drop-offs, while making dinner, watching my kids at the park or their activities.Will the benefits outweigh the price? After owning and using my desk for a couple of years, the overwhelming answer is – yes, it was totally worth it. My desk paid for itself multiple times over and made me happier, healthier, and so much more productive.

Healthier – Reducing Pain and Improving Ergonomic Posture

With the nature of my work, I spend large amounts of time staring at a computer screen. Before my standing desk, I spent long hours in front of my small laptop computer at home scrunched up at my dining room table, on my couch, or in my bed. I travel for work at times and when at home I work all day while juggling car pool, activities, and with one child not yet in full-time school, I find myself working from practically anywhere – coffee shops, the front seat of my car, the back seat of my car, sitting at a park bench, or on those uncomfortable sports bleachers. Because of this, I need to be as compact as possible. My small, lightweight computer isperfect when I am mobile. But, when I am at home logging long hours while my kids are at school or asleep, I quickly find myself with unbearable neck and back painfrom staring down at my little laptop. My doctor told me once that I had tech neck; yeah, apparently that is a thing. I spend so much time looking down at my computer screen, tablet, or phone that it really becomes a pain in the neck (sorry for the lame pun).

When we built our home office a couple of years ago, I did my research on office furniture. I quickly learned that a mojo standing desk was on my wish list. I hesitated pull the trigger on a desk that was three or four times the cost of an alternative; a simple, modern looking desk that could give me a nice space to work. Upon much deliberation and research, I learned that there were pros and cons to having a standing desk. I knew from my experiences working from home, that I like to stand and work, but did not want to stand all day or all the time.It seemed challenging to justify a purchase that may or may not be something that would benefit me or be an asset to my business.

In the end, I decided to go with the electric standing desk. I cannot say that I made this decision all on my own; my husband did a fair amount of convincingand helping me to be okay with spending the money on a deskandtherefore investing in myself. As an aside, he purchased a standing desk for himself a couple of months later, after trying out mine.

Our Mojo desks areworth every penny.In fact, we have not yet purchased another office chair since one of us is usually standingwhen we work together in the evenings. While sitting or standing I often check my ergonomic posture and can freely change where and how I position my neck and back with the simple push of a button. This helps my neck and back feel so much better and I found that my time spent even became more productive.

More Productive – Working Efficiently and with Less Hassle

I love that I can push a button to return to sitting or to stand. Since the work I do involves a lot of writing and editing large documents, I learned that I am simply more productive when I get to stand with some tasks and better at others when I am sitting. When I bought my desk, I also bought a large monitor to dock-in with my laptop. I worried about the number of cords and how to keep everything organized, and wavered about getting a power grommet – which ended up also being a great choice. It eliminated the time I spend setting up my work station. Now I have all of my devices charging at the same time and within reach – my computer, Bluetooth headphones, tablet, phone, and do not forget my essential oils diffuser. My work set-up with this desk is ideal.

And, not to sound like a broken record, but did I mention that I literally run around a lot? With my standing desk, I can run back and forth making lunches and dinners, doing laundry, attending to the “mommy, mommy, mommy…” requests, and can easily get right back in to what I was doing. While you may be asking yourself why a standing desk helps me do this better than a regular desk, I am not sure I have the best answer other than,it just does. It allows me my creature comforts and aligns with my personal and professional life needs. Oh, and I can easily raise the desk high enough for my computer to stay out of reach of little hands? It’s tall enough (for now) that my kids can walk under it without banging their heads. This is especially useful, when my office morphs into a police station, the doctors office, or the pretend work office of one of the parents during my kids family time game. And with the cord concealingoptions, they are safe from those too.

When I am working on a deadline, and spending long hours in front of the computer screen, I am more productive with a standing desk. Since this purchase, I added additional time to my work day. I even extended my longest work day by three hours. While, spending extremely long hours working is far from a bragging point, a few years ago when I was scrunched over my little laptop all day my body did not allow for more than a 10-hour work day. When there are days that every minute counts, I can accomplish my goals, meet my deadlines, and have more time and energy for family time. This desk is a working parent must have.My parental duties of carpool, watching kids play at the park, and multiple drop-offs and pick-ups are easier to manage when I get a great space to work when I am home.

Happier – Always Working to Improve my Work/Life Balance

As much as I try to be a person who relies less on material possessions, I have my vices. During my time as a parent, I learned that there are some purchases that seem like a want, that can and do improve your quality of life. I remember the guilt I felt when I purchased a $100 pair of Bluetooth headphones. If I had guilt about a somewhat minimal purchase, that also has been a great convenience and timesaver for me, how would I feel about a bigger purchase? Two years later I can say that having a standing desk improves my quality of life and I have no guilt about it. My husband was right (don’t tell him I said so), that cost of the desk was an investment in myself. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to burn more calories at work, find a better ergonomic body position when spending long hours in front of a computer, or who wants to have the ability to move around more. When I am standing, I automatically take more frequent breaks to simply look away from my computer screen, walk around the office, dance to my favoriteSpotify mix, or play with my kids. Balancing work and life with a young family is my primary priority and is a constant juggling act. It is on my mind all day, everyday. I want to be great parent, business owner, wife, and friend, and my best self. Its super cheezy to say, but I think this desk is one step forward to aligning with my work and life balance goals. Now, it is time to get back to writing more proposals and building more Legos.

[yesterdaysdreams]

Elsie’s Den Tour (Before + After)

Well, this is by far the longest I’ve ever spent decorating a room and maybe the most challenging room in our home, but the payoffs are SO BIG. This den is the living space we spend the most time in as a family. I completed it right before we left for China. It’s where we spent Nova’s first Christmas and I have a strong feeling that someday when we move away it will be the room we miss the most.

I have a zillion photos to share. But first, a walk down memory lane! (You can see all the before pics here.)

This is more before/after pics that I would normally do, but I wanted to show all the angles to really explain the transformation.

From this view, the most obvious thing that stands out is that, yes, we painted the stone fireplace. You can read all about how to paint brick and stone here. Jeremy and I painted this ourselves with an inexpensive sprayer and it was a lot of work, but worth it in my eyes. When we first viewed the home, I disliked the style of the dark stone fireplace so much that I wanted to remove it completely and start over. Now I love it and am amazed what paint can do!

The other big note from this room was the dark carpeted floors and painted walls along with heavy drapes (we actually REALLY opened them for this “before” photo if you can believe that). This is still one of the darker rooms in our home because of a large magnolia tree outside the front window so brightening up the color scheme and lighting up the curtains went a long way. I love the feeling of it now because it’s bright, yet diffused.

This room was tricky because there really was no place for a television. The previous owners had a large TV in the corner you can see there between the fireplace and the window (on a stand) and the sofas were facing the windows. Since we knew we wanted to have this as our TV room, we had the choices of either: a. mounting one on the fireplace stone, b. configuring a TV into the bookshelves or c. facing the sofa away from the fireplace and putting the TV where we put the record player set up.

We decided on option b. And instead of using a TV, we traded it out for a projector set up. When you see the bookshelves below, you can barely even tell a projector comes out of there, as it’s hidden really well. This turned out to be a great choice. Initially we were SO nervous because this is the only TV in our home. But we have never once missed having a “real TV”. This view toward the kitchen changed so much. The kitchen is really blown out in this photo, but if you’re curious how our kitchen started out, you can see it here. I had a really strong visualization of a record player set up being a main element in this room. It’s nostalgic to me and I knew we would use it a LOT for entertaining, Saturday mornings making breakfast together and random “dance parties” with children.

The bookshelves view makes me extra happy! It was one of the first things I painted right after we got the keys to this house. It’s much bigger than it looks in photos! I struggled for a long time over styling these shelves and eventually decided that since we already have rainbow books in another room that I would keep these shelves mostly neutral. It’s also mainly cookbooks since it’s right near the kitchen and we plan meals in here a lot. Jeremy and I both collect cookbooks (although very different ones), so it’s nice to have a mix of our only mutual collection here.

I know painting wood is another subject of debate, but I say love what you love. And I love white shelves!

I always loved this little built-in desk and knew I wanted to keep it. My friend kept telling me to rip it our since it was so “outdated,” but I loved the vintage feel of it. Although we really updated this home, I wanted to maintain some of those 1970s vibes.

You’ll notice that the art is different here than in the photo above. The (new) print here came one day after we shot the rest of the room—haha. But I still wanted to show it because I love it so much. It’s by my good friend Arielle Vey. I love her photography so much, and she has the most gorgeous Instagram account as well.

The gold hardware is from Schoolhouse Electric. I love their hexagon pulls, we used both sizes on these drawers and cabinets. The chair is from Wayfair, but it’s no longer in stock (here’s a similar one).

Augh! The memories we are making in this room are JUST INSANE. It is by far our most used room in the house. We hang out in here on and off all throughout the day (lotsss of playing in here), and at night (after Nova is asleep) it’s where Jeremy and I unwind with a glass of wine and an episode or two of The Office.

First, let’s talk about this fireplace! Painting stone was, is and will always be one of the great debates in home renovations. I’m sure some people will say they liked it better before, and that’s cool with me. I LOVE IT and I am so happy we took the leap to paint it. If you’re considering a DIY project to paint a stone or brick fireplace, read this post first.

For the inside of the fireplace, we were originally going to keep the gas insert it came with. When I called the gas company to get assistance lighting it for the first time (I am super careful and paranoid about all things gas), they very strongly recommended that we upgraded it for both safety and efficiency reasons. After spending wayyyy too much time looking at options we decided to go with a new gas insert that is covered in glass crystals. To use it, you just turn the key (it is not accessible for Nova) and then light the top of the crystals with a lighter. We had a fireplace like this at an Airbnb in Palm Springs and it always stuck with us. I’m really happy with how it turned out.

The macrame I have above the fireplace is this one (I think the plain colored one is out of stock, sorry). Also, I get a lot of questions about the fireplace screen. It’s from Horchow. I searched for SO LONG to find this style in this size, as it was very specific. I went with two white poufs by the fireplace because I was visualizing s’mores and sitting by the fire. We move them around the coffee table when we have a lot of guests over, though. So it’s nice to have some portable seating.

I’ve never been asked more questions about ANYTHING than I have this sectional. It’s from Article and I’ll tell you all about it. We actually have the same style sofas in our living room and after having them for over a year I decided to get the same thing for our den. I debated it for a long time because I do realize it’s slightly lame to get the same sofas in different rooms (haha), but they are SO GOOD that I gave in.

Here’s my quick, honest review of the Sven sectional. I picked our first sofas (they’re in the other living room) on the recommendation of my friend Katie, who said they are great for both kids and pets. I definitely agree with her on this. Our dogs LIVE on this sofa and it gets spilled on and abused on a daily basis. We even spilled some oily Chinese takeout on it when we first got it and it has all cleaned up really well. I wipe it down regularly with just a wet washcloth and it has held up as well as any sofa could. In addition, we had a HUGE dog hair problem with our last sofa and so I love this much more because dog hair doesn’t stick to it or seem to collect nearly as much.

In terms of the style of the sofas, they are pretty “slouchy,” which I love. Highly-tailored sofas age really quick with high traffic (we’ve had quite a few of them over the years) and these really hold their shape over time. I fluff the back pillows once in a while, but otherwise I don’t really think about it.

So, yes, I highly recommend these sofas for anyone who is open to a leather sofa or is specifically looking for something that will hold up with kids and pets. They are also extremely comfortable. This is probably TMI, but when we first got home from China, we were all sick and had bad jet lag and I slept out here a couple nights and it wasn’t bad at all.

OK, I guess I’m done ranting about my love for this sofa. I could have just said, “it’s comfortable and easy to clean.” Haha!

The coffee table is my absolute DREAM coffee table. It’s the shroom coffee table from CB2. It comes unsealed, so you do have to seal it (or be OK with color change). We sealed ours with concrete sealer and it’s been really great. You can also use car wax, but I chose the concrete sealer since it didn’t require as much maintenance. Brass light fixtures are a theme all throughout our home. These lights were actually the first purchase I made for this room. They’re from Lucent Lightshop, one of my favorite small businesses. Their level of quality for real brass fixtures is unmatched (make sure your contractor wears gloves when installing, as they are real brass).

We also painted the wood beams along the ceiling. Funny story, they aren’t wood! They are actually made of plastic and foam. We found that out when we were doing the projector install and it was WAY easier to modify them than we thought (we cut them with a utility knife). I actually think light wood beams would be pretty magical in here as well, but since the ceilings aren’t crazy high, maybe white is best.

Oh! And the shiplap wall. There’s a DIY for that. I didn’t initially want any shiplap in this home because I didn’t think the style fit, but it’s just so damn cozy I couldn’t help myself. Doing just the one wall added just the right amount of texture. Since this room isn’t very colorful, the texture is carrying a lot of the load.

Plants are a big part of this room and most of them are fake. I know some of you have strong feelings about fake plants, but as a new mom I am feeling ZERO shame about them. Plus, this is one of the darker rooms in our home and I have killed a lot more plants in here than other rooms.

My personal rule of thumb is that if I kill a plant in a certain area in my home more than twice (two plants), then I have to replace it with a fake one. I wrote more about fake plants here.

 This standing plant stand is from Modernica.  Our large bookshelves holds mostly sentimental items like photo books from vacations, cookbooks and neutral decor pieces like baskets. I recently added a few more family photos here. I also store all my white ceramics and vases here since they look nice as a collection, and a borrow from them anytime we get fresh flowers.

Bookshelf item sources: Eye bookends/Target, Disco Ball, Wooden Checker Game/Schoolhouse Electric.

These binoculars belonged to Jeremy’s grandpa.

This little 1970s rattan rocking horse was a vintage find from my hometown. I impulse bought it since it was a good deal, but it has been one of Nova’s most used and most loved toys. Bonus points that it matches the decor, I guess. She loves to rock on it while we listen to her Chinese songs.

You didn’t think I was going to pass up an opportunity to post a photo of our little cutie, did you?

Our record player set up is one of our most loved indulgences. I love that it is the centerpiece of our room instead of a television. Playing our records seems to be the only time we still get to experience the full album format (as opposed to playlists) which was a big part of our teenage years and something we are not wanting to give up. I did a full post on the turntable and speakers and everything here.

Record table sources: Console Table/West Elm, Palm Tree Print by Moonlight Magpie on Etsy, U-Turn Audio/Orbit Basic Turntable, Speakers/Audioengine, Alvvays record, Wooden Beads.Nova has good taste in music already (actually I don’t think we’ve even played Violents for her, she just loves the purple record).

I love the quote from Dorothy Draper, “I always put in one controversial item, it makes people talk.” I guess our hand chair counts as that? It’s definitely a love it or hate it piece. I get a lot of strong reactions from it. But it is a DREAM chair to me … it looks just like the vintage ones (it’s new from Wayfair, and it’s out of stock, but Anthropologie has a very similar one). It’s so iconic to me!!!!

Our curtains are from Anthropologie. We used them in every room of our home except for the bathrooms and I LOVE them. I find it really difficult to choose curtains and these were the perfect fit.

Oh! And the rug I got on super sale from Anthropologie (here’s a similar style). Choosing a rug for a high traffic room is not easy and I think the quilted cowhide is a great option for a room like this.

Here’s another view of the little desk. I keep my stationery here and letter from my main penpal (my grandmother, Norma).

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this tour! After so many phases and some trial and error I am happy to call this room complete! It was worth all the paint mistakes. Haha!

Coffee table sources: Gold Tray and Vase/Target

A little disco sparkle before I go! People always ask how I get the “disco lights” in my Instagram photos, and all it is is a disco ball (12 inches) sitting on the book shelf opposite the window. At about 7:30 a.m., the room gets the prettiest sparkles. Get your own disco ball, you won’t regret it.

Thank you so much for coming along on this tour! If you have any questions about details, I’ll get them in the comments! xx! Elsie

Credits//Author: Elsie Larson. Project Assistant: Collin DuPree. Photography: Amber Ulmer. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

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