#the low blue c affair

[banemmanan]

Rating each disguise donned by April & Mark in GFU

Part 5/6: Eps. 20 - 24

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Ep.20

Penniless skiier. I ran out of daddy's money 2, health spa boogaloo. Starting to notice a trend here...

3/10

Mr. Crump, world's greatest photographer. Loathes women (very exciting)! Highlight was him taking about twenty pictures of April covered in mud. You just know he had them framed and put on her desk later.

6/10

Ep.21

Hotel employee. We see him for about four seconds, but those are four seconds of straight bungling.

3/10

Ep.22

No disguises in this episode, so have a vaguely suggestive screenshot instead.

Ep.23

Mourner. tfw you mourn so hard that two more people die at the funeral. At least she's wearing black this time.

5/10

Guard. Poor effort, the number of corpses at the funeral tripled under his watch.

5/10

Gambling addict. Did very badly at cards - check! Gambled away all her money and then her jewellery - check! Cried so that a mob boss took pity on her - check! Very successful.

8/10

Ep.24

Waiter. He was very deep in character tbf; he spends the entire episode working at the cafe.

6/10

Madmoiselle Petit Prix. I never once saw her doing any event promotion beyond her initial entry, so somebody is going to be wanting their money back.

4/10

A ghost? Genuinely don't know how inconspicuous they could possibly hope to be looking like this. I don't even know what they were going for, we never get their thought process here, but maybe that's for the best.

0/10

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[yoonmetogether]

Not In the Cards Prologue

pairing: dirty cop!hoseok x mob boss!seokjin (rest of the story will feature bodyguard!yoongi x CEO!fem reader) genre: mafia summary: a tragic love affair sets the stage and unfolds the story yet to come. warnings: angst!!!!!, hurt/comfort, smut (not explicit), family drama, troubled childhoods, parental loss, trauma, su!c!dal thoughts, mentions of violence and murder (blood/guns), panic attacks, drug addiction/rehab, everyone is going through it, alcohol, weed smoking, age gap, borderline stockholm syndrome (whoops!) wc: 6.7k 😀 this is a loaded chapter, so i apologize ahead of time if it comes out like an info dump lol also reminder, Angel is reader's pseudonym minors pls dni, nsfw

teaser l prologue l ch.1 play nice I prelude. strangers 1/2 l ch. ii I

“Hey, agent Jung, are you busy?”

Hoseok peers up from his laptop to the rookie poking his head into his office.

“What’s up?” Taking it as permission to enter, the rookie looks behind him at the hallway before stepping in and shutting the door, fidgeting nervously with a manila folder in his hand.

“Um, I have something,” he murmurs quietly, and Hoseok’s fingers freeze above the keyboard. Glancing back up, the rookie stares at the ground as he stays in place in front of the door. Hoseok sighs and sits back in his chair, stretching his hands cramped from hours of typing up reports. This can’t be good.

"Don’t just stand there, bring it over."

“Right,” the rookie squeaks, rapidly shuffling forward and holding out the folder with a slight bow. Hoseok winces at the intimidation the rookie clearly feels from him and he lowkey hates how he’s grown a reputation of being a hard ass.

Nevertheless, he accepts the folder and silently prays it isn’t what he thinks it is but once he opens it and sees the face of the man already tattooed in his mind, he has to hold back a series of curses. His jaw ticks as he leans forward to flip over the many sheets of paper holding information to the case of the alleged son of the Crow don, filled with leads and scrappy evidence gathered over years of investigations that he once was a part of as a rookie himself.

“What are you showing me?” He grumbles, thinking he would be looking at some new report of a half-assed lead but there's nothing in here that he hasn't already seen and spent sleepless nights practically memorizing.

The rookie clears his throat and points to the second half of the folder, quickly glancing over his shoulder as if someone had suddenly appeared behind him.

“I found a copy of the warrant the CID is drafting up.”

Hoseok is glad for the countless hours he's spent training himself to pass polygraph tests, otherwise his heart would be racing out of his chest and there would be nothing but panic written all over his face. Criminal Investigative Division, the office he climbed himself out of to serve in the CIA instead, getting away from domestic law enforcement to try and keep a low profile.

The rookie, a seriously intelligent and experienced cyber tech, uses his employment to hack into the intelligence agency databases in order to keep Hoseok informed about the CID's investigation into the Crown organization that holds the northern cities by the throats, poisoning the streets with internationally traded drugs, military-grade weapons, and counterfeit goods, all for lower-hierarchy syndicates to play with in the black market and make a buck for themselves. The CID has been going after the don, Kim Dongsoo, for years, trying to take him down for hundreds of pages of blue and white-collar crimes, but thanks to generational power and sickeningly innumerous wealth, the pockets of politicians, cops, judges, and lawmakers have been lined by the don and it's hard to pin him down with any kind of conviction, since most of the evidence would have to be illegally obtained and therefore inadmissible in court. And now that the mob boss suddenly passed away, the CID turned their attention to his successor, Kim Seokjin, the face staring up at him from the manila. Or Atlas, as he’s known on the streets.

Hoseok suddenly stands up, gripping the folder in a way that crinkles the papers. He leans forward and doesn't miss the way the rookie gulps.

"Are you stupid? Bringing this here to my office when anyone could snatch this right out of your hand to have a look? Do you want to screw me over?" The rookie looks like he's shaking in his boots in response to Hoseok's menacing tone and piercing glare. Hoseok misses the time when he used to be the fun, goofy agent around the office.

(He blames it on the man who trained the sunny disposition out of him ever since he'd been forced to go down this dirty rotten path. D, the one who has a scar over his eye and shoots looks that could kill, who Hoseok had to learn to not be scared of. Now, they’re practically best buds; if there can even be such a friendship in this line of work. Sometimes the only fun Hoseok has is holding over D’s head the fact that he could arrest him at any point and lock him up for life. In return, D reminds him how he could snipe him between the eyes and in the balls from two skyscrapers away. But Hoseok knows the man is capable of far worse things - like round-housing him until he folds up like a pretzel, neatly slitting his throat to bury him in scattered locations without a trace of DNA, and even running him off the road going 200 kph, leaving without a scratch on his car or a burn on his tires. Not that he could actually do anything since Hoseok has been fucking the man they both call boss who fills their bank accounts. But he'll never find out that Hoseok gets a few more zeroes tacked on every month thanks to that same man. Well, play one game of poker and D could drain him of every last penny in the blink of an eye. Hoseok is shit at poker.)

"Sir, everyone's gone for the day," the rookie stutters and Hoseok whips his attention out of his daze to the window, finding it is indeed very dark outside, and then takes notice of the time on his laptop, indicating how fast the day had gotten away from him. He sharply exhales and drops the folder on the desk, sitting down with a plop to rub his hands over his face as exhaustion settles heavily in his bones.

"Next time, find me outside the building, or I'll have your job. Understand?"

The rookie rapidly nods, significantly paler, and Hoseok dismisses him with a wave of his hand and not a single word. Not even bothering to tell him that his offshore bank account will receive an exuberant reimbursement for his work because the rookie already knows that, and it's the only reason that he comes back to deal with Hoseok’s moody ass. He waits until his mole shuffles out and the door clicks shut to collapse in his chair, mind starting to race as he thinks of his next move.

One thing is for certain. This is his excuse to see Kim Seokjin.

Shutting off his laptop and gathering all his files into his briefcase because he's not one to stop working when the day is done, he quickly mulls over the contents of the warrant, looking for any reason the judge would have not to sign it, and drops it in the shredder with a vengeance when he finds none. He shreds the rest of the file and carries out the scraps to burn in the fireplace back home.

Once he pulls into his garage, he routinely checks his surroundings as he presses the button to lower the door, and when he's safely locked alone inside, he finds the panel he installed under the steering wheel to fish around for the early-2010s android burner that has only one contact, listed under 'astronaut.'

cabin this weekend? sent 21:22

Hours later when he's in bed, in his failed attempt to sleep before 4am, he puts the battery back in the phone and checks that he received a message just thirty minutes ago. For the first time all day, maybe even all week, all month, he feels lighter.

see u <3 received 3:36

He takes out the battery once more and puts the phone under his pillow. He lays his head down and tries to sleep but his anxious, racing mind has him slipping out of bed and packing for the overnight road trip, suitcase full of cozy sweaters and joggers. He won't be leaving until well into the evening, but he wants to be ready. He's looking forward to the 2-hour drive, but not the earful he'll be getting from his mother for canceling family plans at the last minute with vague lies about working overtime on a case. That's something he's had to get used to doing, lying to his family and friends. But he's worked through that, knowing there's no way they'll ever be able to understand all the risks he's been taking all these years. Back then, when he was a different, more honest person, he wouldn't have understood either. Now, with the access he has to multiple bank accounts which hold numbers that could support him and his family for at least nine generations to come, he tells himself it's not all for nothing. Even though he's not doing it entirely for the money. No, that's just a bonus. It's for the man he's going to drive up a mountain to see. A man who appears in the forefront of his mind any time he gets a second to close his eyes. A man he'd die for, who he hopes would do the same for him.

That's what this is all for.

Around eight that night, at a stoplight, Hoseok whips out his burner and types up a quick message to 'astronaut' that he's almost there. He smiles when he receives a grainy, irrelevant cat meme in response and drops the phone in the console as soon as the light turns green.

Driving up the steep hills, he soaks in the sight of blankets of snow that line the sides of the road and the trees. He knows this could be the last time he'll take this route that makes him look forward to the cozy fireplace waiting for him at the cabin, started by the man who makes his heart just as warm. A string tightens there when he worries it won't be long until he'll be forced to douse it.

The road is long and dark so his mind starts to wander, thinking back to how he ended up here.

He had just turned 25 when he was assigned to infiltrate the mob, acting as a hijacker of trucks and ships coming in and out of the harbor. He was sure it was a hazing thing, getting the ambitious rookie into a semi-dangerous situation to see if he had what it takes. He found out a bit too late that he should've been smarter. He slipped up and his one mistake landed him in a windowless van with zip ties around his wrists and a sack over his head that only came off once he was thrown onto a cold, concrete floor. After he adjusted his vision to the harsh bright lights, his breath was completely stolen from him when he realized he was kneeling before a man whose face belonged in a museum. He barely registered he was in a dungeon of sorts, or the suited guards packed with illegal weapons surrounding him, too busy taking in the sight of the glory that was Atlas. Behind him was a younger, doe-eyed boy who was practically the spitting image of the taller, more muscular man, and Hoseok assumed this to be his brother, what with the way he stared at him as if learning every move he made so he could one day be like him. And that was confirmed when Atlas let him throw the first few punishing punches and kicks to let Hoseok know just what he'd gotten himself into.

He held it together when he was interrogated and forced to beg for his life, seeing as he'd been made as the pig cop he was, and just as he thought he'd never see the light of day again, he and everyone around him were surprised that the mob boss did not decide to spill his blood right there on the stained floor, but gave him the option to die or become an informant, a mole, a dirty cop for his benefit instead. And of course he chose the option to live, even if it meant he would spend the rest of his breathing days in paranoia, anxiety, and fear. At least he'd be making more money than he could ever imagine.

Since he had been found out, he came up with a different story to tell his boss that didn't include being caught by the mob's successor, which ended with him being taken off of the case and sent into witness protection until further notice. And that landed him on another continent in a secluded location, where no one, not even his mother, knew he was there. So imagine his surprise when three authoritative knocks pounded on his door one day and there stood none other than Kim Seokjin. But he shouldn't have been surprised. Not when he knew that the don's son had the resources to find him. Hell, Hoseok probably had colleagues who were puppeteered by him and Jin was there to add him to more lines of strings.

And to do this, Jin set him up with Namjoon, an esteemed lawyer who doubled as a computer science engineer, producing the Crow’s digital landscape to increase their market using cryptocurrencies. Namjoon trained and tutored Jungkook, Jin's younger brother who once broke Hoseok's nose, since Jin complained he was too old for all that technology, but really it was a reason to get Jungkook off the streets for the time being. He worked with Namjoon to keep out traces of evidence in the CIA system that could lead back to Jin and the don, using his police access to wipe cameras, intimidate witnesses, and bribe judges and criminal lawyers. After a year, Jin introduced him to the man who called himself D, and they worked together to scope out other moles in the syndicate, the ones who worked against them, whether they were soldiers or associates, allies or rivals, and paid close attention to the guards employed to Jin's security team, and eventually his little brother's. He became the bad guy and even though the guilt and regret has taken years off his life, he doesn't care. Because he's doing all of this to protect Jin.

Hoseok learned that Jin was eight years his senior, but that didn't stop him from pining after him. He likes to think that it wasn’t some kind of Stockholm syndrome because Jin technically gave him an option to work for him or not (fucked up as it was) and employed him with a salary he'd never be able to spend in one lifetime. He could've killed him, but didn't. Instead, he arranged private, secret meetings that not even his personal guard knew about, under the guise for Hoseok to provide updates but more often than not, they would end up drinking and smoking and sharing stories and parts of themselves with each other. Jin does have a charm and a sense of humor, to the point that sometimes Hoseok forgets the man is who he is, responsible for the majority of the crime and corruption in the city and surrounding districts. Maybe it was all an act, a ploy, to get Hoseok trapped. And if it was, it fucking worked. Overtime, he fell. And fell hard.

Hoseok knew how dangerous Jin was but it didn't stop him from kissing him one night when it was late and they were silly and delirious from being high and sleep-deprived, because the spark had been there all along. Hoseok believes that's what had saved him in the first place. Jin took him to bed and fucked him until he saw stars.

Afterwards Jin dragged him onto the balcony where they smoked a joint together and for hours Jin pointed out constellations and planets littering the sky that they could see clearly from the cabin he's driving to now. Hoseok remembers every star Jin named, every fact about every planet and galaxy Jin gushed about, every dream Jin had of being an astronaut ever since he was a kid. He thought that because of how good he was at being lonely, he would do so well up in space. Hoseok wondered if Jin felt lonely when they were together, because he certainly didn't. Hoseok kissed him anytime he felt Jin needed a reminder - that he was there and wouldn't go anywhere unless Jin wanted him to. Down the road, Jin would tell him how his smile reminded him of the sun and make Hoseok's heart burst, because maybe there was still some good left in him after all, if someone like Jin could see it. And that was the beginning of the end.

He pulls into the snowy driveway of the cabin almost at the top of the mountain, edges of the roof lined in soft-yellow lights, smoke billowing out of the two chimneys, all signs of life hidden by thick forests of tall evergreen trees, and notices a silhouette in the window holding a steaming mug of hot chocolate, soon disappearing with a flutter of the sheer curtain once he puts the car in park. The door swings open and he chuckles when he hears his nickname "Sunny!" shouted through the windshield as he collects his things and a bag of takeout before stepping out of the car.

Strong, warm arms wait for him on the porch stairs and he wraps his free arm around the waist of the man who in another universe could be the love of his life. The embrace lasts for a little more than thirty seconds before he's tugged inside of the gloriously toasty cabin and isn't given the chance to release his lungs of cold air as his breath is stolen by a heated kiss. Jin shoves him against the door and his scarf is hastily tugged off, coat unzipped, and takeout carelessly dropped on the floor.

"Happy holidays, Sunny," Jin whispers in a warm breath of chocolate.

"You too, Jin," Hoseok whispers back, shrugging off his coat and tearing off his hat just as plush lips press again on his mouth.

He lets himself be manhandled towards creaky wooden stairs, mouths and hands never detaching from their touch-starved bodies. They pass the kitchen and Hoseok breathes in the festive smells wafting from the oven.

"You've been baking?"

"You know it," Jin mumbles, working the shirt out of Hoseok's jeans. "You don't mind waiting until later to eat, right?" Hoseok shakes his head and kisses him with a hum before Jin takes his hand and leads him upstairs, laughing when Jin clumsily trips over the steps and accidentally slams Hoseok into the railing.

It's snowing outside the floor-to-ceiling glass windows but neither of them pay attention as Hoseok, again, lets himself be tossed back onto the ridiculously soft bed and mounted by the most beautiful man he's ever seen. He lets Jin fuck him into submission, to the point that it hurts, giving him full control of his body like he belongs to him. Because he does. As the mattress rocks, headboard thumping against the wall, he stares up at Jin through his swinging bangs, noticing the background shadow of falling snow cast on the ceiling above his head, but he can only focus on the fire and fury that blacken Jin's eyes when they're together like this and Hoseok understands why he gets this way sometimes, especially when it's been so long.

But he quickly takes the reins before Jin can get carried away, flipping him onto his stomach to take him from behind, forcing Jin to let go of his resolve, of his need to be in control because Hoseok knows how exhausting it is to be in charge all of the time. Especially of a bunch of goddamn criminals. His hand that presses on the back of Jin's neck doesn't just do the job of keeping his face planted in the bedding, but covers the flying crow carrying a skull branded just below his hairline (with four rings circled around its neck, marking Jin as the fourth blood successor) because sometimes it makes him nauseous to see it, to be reminded of who they really are, outside of this safe haven. As soon as they step foot back home, they'll have to pretend like they don't even know each other, where Hoseok will go back to being a national security agent and Jin to the most powerful criminal in the city, maybe even the country. A criminal from the very empire Hoseok was tasked as a rookie to infiltrate and build a case against, but eventually turned out to become a dirty cop, working to keep the prettiest and darkest eyes he's ever looked into out of prison because he's stupid and fell in love.

Even though both of them have never admitted it to each other, after all this time, it's there.

It's there in the way that neither of them have touched anyone else ever since they first started this, despite the months that have passed between times spent in secret. In the way they think about each other every day, when Jin sends him corny dad jokes and outdated memes that brighten Hoseok's week whenever he gets the chance to check his second phone. And in the way Hoseok drives all the way up a fucking mountain on a weekend he should be with his family, hours away from home, where Jin bakes and has hot chocolate waiting for him on the counter that has since turned cold and forgotten. And they’ll be in bed for hours, so the cookies and takeout will have gone to waste too. Oh, well. Hoseok would take Jin being under him, on him, inside him over baked goods and Jin's favorite noodles any day.

After the room has become blissfully hot and steamy with passion, the two men slip into a deep sleep that they both desperately need, arms wrapped tightly around each other as if neither of them have any plans to let go. However many hours later, Hoseok stirs to his favorite pair of biceps pulling him into his favorite broad chest, lips pressing against his temple. And as they lay there in silence, Hoseok begins to feel the air change with something that settles anxiety in his gut and even somehow lowers the temperature in the room. He pushes himself further against Jin in hopes to preserve that warmth that only exists between the two of them.

Jin turns on his back and pulls Hoseok onto his chest, turning his head to stare out of the window at the cascading snow blinding the horizon and Hoseok listens to the heartbeat thundering beneath his head.

"Y'know," Jin's gentle voice disturbs the solitude and Hoseok tries to blink himself awake. "It’s just a theory, but in the right kind of spacecraft, an astronaut could get almost as close as four million miles to the sun." "Really?" Hoseok asks, eyes drooping with a brain too tired to wonder why Jin chose now to bring up one of his space-obsessed facts. They haven't looked at the sky yet, not that there would be anything to see except the snow falling. And the sun set hours ago.

"Mm. Any closer and the astronaut would get burned." His eye peeks open at that simplistic conclusion and he huffs a worn out laugh, nuzzling into Jin's chest.

"I think they'd get a little more than burned, hyung." It's quiet for a moment. "Exactly." And Jin sits up suddenly, making Hoseok realize that wasn't just a theory. It was one disguised as a metaphor.

He panics and sits up as the elder whisks himself out of bed and heads to the bathroom, dragging a hand down his face when the shower turns on not seconds after the door shuts with a bit more force than necessary. Usually Hoseok would be traipsing off to follow him, but when he hears a heavy thud reverberate through the walls, an echo of Jin's rugged fist slamming into the tile, Hoseok swallows down the anxiety-ridden nausea in his gut and goes downstairs to shower in the second bathroom instead.

Upon returning to the bedroom to change, duffle bag in hand, he finds Jin switching out the soiled sheets and comforter. He goes to help, but he's waved off, and with an ache growing under his ribs, he quietly dresses and does his best not to become overwhelmed from this ominous tension forming between them. When the bed is made, Jin disappears downstairs and a small hill of hope arises when the cabin is suddenly blasted with holiday tunes and the smells of a new savory recipe. This time, Jin does let him help, passes behind him with hands on his waist while Hoseok chops and seasons, hips bumping occasionally as Jin maneuvers around the kitchen to cook up the best meal Hoseok will have had in months. Hoseok knows he's turned up the music extra loud so neither of them will talk. And he pretends he's fine with that.

After dinner, when they clear the table and wash the dishes in quiet tandem, and Jin turns down the music so Hoseok can hear his thoughts again, the older man heads to the window seat across from the kitchen, just under the stairs. He cracks open the window and Hoseok starts to scold him for letting in the cold air from the fucking snow storm outside, but then Jin pulls out a familiar roll of paper and a lighter and Hoseok shuts his mouth. He finishes drying up a dish, puts it away, and goes over to him, mid-step when Jin finally speaks.

"Say what you came here to tell me, Seok," Jin says flatly and Hoseok sighs as he plants himself behind him, hand sitting on Jin's lap while he tries to ignore the frigid air. He presses his frown to Jin's shoulder covered in the softest cashmere.

"You say that like it's the only reason I came here."

"But it's the main reason, right?" Hoseok leans away, frown deepening, and crosses his arms as his back settles against the oak wood wall. He stares at the snow softly falling over the hills, making the night grey instead of pitch black, wishing they could just be enjoying the view and not having this dreaded conversation.

"We only ever meet here when you have news about my case." Hoseok shoots a glare to the back of Jin's head and nudges his foot into his hip. "That's not true." He waits impatiently as the older man finishes up his joint with shoulders that grow more tense as the seconds pass by in silence.

"It's cold, can you hurry up?" Hoseok urges in a terse voice, watching as Jin nods once before taking a final drag and dropping the unfinished joint out of the window, letting the snow put it out. He stopped offering Hoseok weed ever since the office started doing random drug tests. Jin pulls in the frame, sealing out the cold, and settles back against Hoseok's chest, saying nothing when the younger man hesitates to uncross his arms and wrap them around his shoulders.

"They're getting ready to ask a judge to sign the warrant," he inevitably admits, eyes shutting as a tight feeling squeezes his chest when he feels Jin's entire body tense up.

"They're really gonna arrest somebody around the holidays? Who does that?"

Hoseok lets out a small snort, heart rate relaxing as he's reminded that one of the reasons he loves Jin so much is because of his ability to make light of a situation, no matter how serious.

"Tell me I'll at least get until after New Years."

"Maybe towards the end of January."

Jin huffs dramatically, enticing Hoseok to kiss the side of his head.

"I guess that means I won't have to get you a gift for your birthday." Hoseok tries to smile, but it’s tugged down with sadness.

“You know you never have to get me anything." Jin places a hand on his knee, a kiss on his elbow.

“Yeah, I do, Sunny. It gives me an excuse to see you." Hoseok's heart sinks and he tangles their legs together.

"And after tonight, who knows if we'll..." Jin's voice tapers off and Hoseok fights the urge to give into tears. He can't be weak. Not for something he's known he can't have.

“What are my charges? Since apparently they’re sticking this time.”

“Drug and weapons trafficking. They can’t get you for racketeering yet because the evidence is mostly linked to your father. But when you’re locked up, they’ll work on it.”

Jin stares at his cuticles for a few moments again, nothing but the sound of firewood crackling and snapping on the other side of the room, before he sits up abruptly again, knocking his head into Hoseok's chin.

"Fuck, what am I gonna do?!" Jin blurts, raking hands through his hair and tugging at the roots. Hoseok stays silent because he doesn't know what to tell him.

"Sol, he- he's not ready. He just got out of rehab for fucks' sake!"

A frown wrinkles Hoseok's chin.

"And Angel-" Jin continues, gulping down a breath. "She's barely spoken to me since she got engaged to that prick and I know that's the worst thing I've made her do but it wasn't my idea! It was his!"

Hoseok leans forward as he can sense the panic entering Jin's voice, paired with the shaking of his broad shoulders as he loses control of his breathing.

"This was his plan, he was never going to let them get away from all this. He knew the law was gonna come after him, he got too fucking loaded and it made him sloppy and now-" Jin sniffs and wipes his mouth with his sleeve. Hoseok hangs his head like he's not supposed to know Jin is crying.

"Now I'm taking the fucking fall. And I could give a shit about what happens to me, but Sol and Angel?!" Jin twists around and Hoseok is taken aback by the wild, frantic look on his face, eyes tinged pink with raw tears.

"They can't do this, they're not supposed to do this! I was never supposed to let Sol take my place, much less get my sister involved!" Tears are streaming down Jin's face as he reaches for Hoseok's sweater, curls his fists in the fabric to pull him forward like he's the only thing he can hang onto.

"And now they both are and it's-" Jin sobs. "It's all my fucking fault!"

There's a pain in Hoseok's chest as Jin collapses and smothers his face against it. And Hoseok lets him cry for however long he needs to, because here, in this space, is the only place safe for Jin to release the hardness that has been driven into his soul by his father ever since he was a little boy. In his tears, he grieves the childhood he lost when his mother died and left him with a father who forced the youth out of him, forbade him from being anything but stoic, taught him that showing emotions meant he was weak and lacked control.

Yet somehow, Jin had been able to keep a part of himself, however small, that lets him enjoy and appreciate the little things in life, to crack stupid jokes, to have a smile on his face in the right company even if it's a mask.

And Hoseok knows it's because of Jin's siblings. He thinks that without them, Jin wouldn't allow himself to be charming, or silly, or to make stupid jokes. He thinks that despite how he was raised, he taught himself to be for his siblings the man he wanted in his father. Especially since he ended up raising them himself from ages four and two when their mother left and he vowed to never let their father do to them what he endured all the way up to a few months ago, to the day he buried an empty casket beneath a headstone engraved with his last name. He was glad that his siblings were made to take on their mother's family name, even though his brother had been born as a fallback plan to carry on the Kim legacy if something ever happened, and his sister never existed to their father, both kept in hiding only until they were needed for the family business.

Despite what he was taught, Jin loved them. From the moment he found out about them, he made sure to raise them as if their existence wasn't surrounded by death and greed and crime and sometimes pure evil. Even though all of them grew up without a mother, he wasn't going to let either of them feel abandoned or like no one loved them. Because he was determined to maintain their childhood that had been stolen from him. He was the one who took them away to a park whenever their father yelled at and threatened their mother, just before she left. As a fourteen-year old, he would pack them in the car and drive them far enough away from home, because with the way he was aging, he passed for at least seventeen. When he got back one day, their mother told him to take care of them and after that, he never saw her again. But he kept his promise.

He made them lunches, took Sol to school, stayed home with Angel until she was old enough to go to daycare, all while pretending to be the babysitter when he dropped them off so they wouldn’t be mistaken for family. Having different last names helped him feel like he wasn’t completely lying. As soon as he picked them up and brought them home, he always had dinner ready, helped them with crafty projects and homework while he did his own, got them ready for bed, read stories and sang lullabies, and stayed up way too late worrying about how much longer his father would let him do this.

He knew he couldn't always be the best brother, but he'd be damned not to try.

When he finished high school and his father took every spare moment of his free time away to instead spend grinding down the rest of his innocence in preparation to take over for him one day, he made sure his brother and sister were left with the best nannies. And as they grew older, he sent them away to the best boarding schools in order to keep them away from the family business for as long as possible.

In disguise, he went to Sol’s baseball games and math tournaments, and Angel’s piano recitals and debates whenever he could, and if he was unable, he sent one of his guards instead to film them undercover.

Sometimes when he hated everything, hated himself, wished he’d never been born, he spent one too many nights driving back and forth across the Han river bridge, wondering if his father would call him a coward for not having the balls to throw himself over. Because every time he stood on the railing and leaned over imagining what it’d be like to drown in water that pretty, he thought of the only two people he ever truly loved. The ones he hid a picture of in his wallet, because he couldn’t take any on his phone, or even leave some around his house that’s way too big and hollow for just one person, as it would put a risk of revealing both of them to his world too soon.

So each and every time, he got down from the railing, went back to his car, and pulled out his third phone to put them on a three way call, doing his best to keep the fact that he almost permanently abandoned them hidden from his voice. He didn’t care if they playfully complained that he interrupted something in their busy, accomplished lives in school, because he needed to talk to them so they could save him. Time and time again.

But now they have to be saved, and Jin doesn't know if he can. Because he fears that once he’s arrested, they’ll both be put in the worst possible danger and he won’t be around to protect them. He’ll be breaking his promise to their mother. And out of all the sins he's committed, that would be the one thing he could never ask forgiveness for.

So in the midst of his tears and panic, he comes up with a plan to make sure nothing will happen to them in his absence. If anything does, he'd have no problem sending himself straight to the bottom of the river.

They move to the living room for more comfortable seating while Jin goes through his process of formulating plans. Hoseok listens intently, taking mental notes and sharing ideas of how to ensure the safety of Jin's siblings. It involves him, Moon, and D, a plethora of guards and weapons, that would all, without fail, protect Sol and Angel at all costs. Making plans helps Jin calm down and he eventually returns to his place against Hoseok's chest, hiccupping every now and then from crying so much.

"Promise me you'll look out for them, Sunny," Jin pleads in a quiet, nasally tone, needing reassurance for the tenth time.

"I will. We all will. Me, Moon, D..." he promises.

And then, in a deep breath and a whisper, "We love you."

There's a pause just before Jin slowly turns around with a look in his eye filled with so much emotion that Hoseok has never seen before (and will never see again). There's a glint and a sparkle there as he glances at Hoseok's mouth, something that tells him he wants to say those kind of words back but can't. Instead, he makes a joke, true to his character.

"I've had fantasies about you arresting me,” Jin says, kissing Hoseok on the corner of his mouth as he huffs a laugh. “I don’t think I’d mind going to jail if you were the one taking me there.”

Hoseok cackles as Jin wiggles his eyebrows. "You’re a sick freak, hyung."

With an agreeing grin, Jin kisses him and fucks him right there on the couch, then makes love to him on the floor in front of the fireplace on the faux fur rug, under the warmest, softest blanket. They mark their territory on each other's skin with bruises and bites that will last for weeks. When they're both sweaty and breathless, Jin falls asleep on top of him and Hoseok tries to memorize every inch of his body, like he hasn't already done so countless times before, because he just wants to make sure he never forgets what love feels like. He succumbs to exhaustion with tears pricking the corners of his eyes that he won't let fall.

When he wakes, Jin is gone. Hoseok sits up in the eerily silent, practically empty cabin. The fire is now reduced to embers and it's significantly colder in the cabin. Hoseok hates the hollow feeling he gets as he moves around collecting his things, heavy blanket wrapped around him as he looks for any trace of Jin but finds nothing. The baking ware is gone as well. But there's a carefully wrapped meal left for him in the fridge that he won't be able to stomach until later that day.

There’s a big plate of decorated cookies on the counter and his heart stops and sags when next to it he finds an old phone turned off, covered in Jin's fingerprints, an astronaut sticker plastered and worn on the back.

Taped to it is a note that reads:

If you ever need to save yourself, it’s all right here.

And Hoseok melts on the floor in a puddle of tears at the notion that Jin is willing to sacrifice himself, his freedom, his life all for him if it's one day necessary. This is something he never would have imagined, especially not since years ago when Jin once threatened him and his family for his loyalty and devotion with a gun held to his head. Now, Hoseok thinks he would leave all that behind to stay with Jin. It's stupid and irresponsible, he knows, but Hoseok hasn't found anything in anyone like what he has in Jin. And he doesn't think he ever will. But none of that matters now. Because Jin will be gone and there is nothing Hoseok can do, except pick himself up and leave like none of that meant anything.

He's gotten really good at lying.

.

.

.

part 1. coming soon!!! (for real this time)

masterlist

thanks for reading! this is the last of 2seok we'll see in this series :( they'll be mentioned throughout, but there just won't be anymore interactions. maybe at the very end who knows. i also could be lying and suddenly change my mind lol. hope you enjoyed! let me know if i missed any warnings.

xxx- claret

notes: i hope this all makes sense, like with the legal shit lol, i'm kind of making stuff up as i go bc it's imperative to the plot that both Jin and his father are no longer in charge so bear with me. That and i love the idea of hoseok being a dirty cop and having some forbidden love with mob boss jin.

taglist: @polarnightmyg @rinkud

[bitch-for-a-rainbow]

Day 1: Leaves/Race Against the Clock

It happened on a Tuesday morning.

At 8:15am on August 23rd, four gas bombs went off across National City. Two metro stations, the starting zone of Race for Rights, a pro-alien news center.  

The first alien at CatCo started coughing at 8:16. It was Gerry, the custodian. He felt a tickle in his throat. Then a burn. He was dead by 8:17. Patrick Erhaus, who’d stopped by to drop off lunch for his wife died next. Susan Erhaus followed him. Kara lasted longer than most. Long enough that she’s trying to perform CPR on Gerry by the time her throat starts itching. Long enough that she knows what’s coming.

It takes her a whole ten minutes to die. She tries not to panic. She really does. But it’s hard not to panic when your throat closes up, and you fall, and suddenly you’re face down on the rug next to Gerry whose lips have turned blue and who stares at you with empty unseeing eyes.

Her funeral is August 25th. There’s no body in the casket they lower into the ground. Her sister burned her corpse the day she died, and kept a candle lit all night for her to find her way home to Rao. They bury the casket anyway. It was hard, finding someone to do the funeral so quickly, and with so many people to bury. But they wanted it done. Better to bury the empty casket sooner, before people start wondering where her body is.

It’s a quiet affair. Her sister, her mother, a few friends. Lena Luthor stands to the side. She doesn’t cry. Alex Danvers goes home already drunk, and finishes off a bottle of whiskey. Winn and James try to follow her home, to look after her, but a shattered glass aimed at their heads convinces them to make themselves scarce. Alex will be calmer in a few days.

Cadmus takes credit. The video isn’t long, a brief speech about continuing the work after expelling the Daxamites. It hits Youtube barely 10 minutes after it interrupts the live service of every broadcast in National City. 

CatCo mourns. One of the junior reporters goes home early after he screams at a visiting intern who leans on an empty desk. Family members had already cleared them all out, but no one’s touched them since. And no one will. 

The carpet was replaced where the bodies had lay. The new square doesn’t quite match. 

Brusque, cold, and periodically rude, Snapper goes about his business almost as normal. He doesn’t go near the new carpet by the elevators. Snapper was the second to stand up to help behind Kara. He’d whispered to her while she choked, soothing promises they’d both known were empty. 

The list of the dead is posted in their newest edition, with a few anecdotes or in memoriums. Kara’s is the shortest.

The first to reach out to help. The last to let go.

Kara Danvers, you were the bravest of us. 

In the confusion after the attack, Supergirl is nowhere to be found. At first, people assume she’s just laying low. Avoiding getting caught up in the gas, same as Martian Manhunter. Then maybe she’s grieving. Or investigating. By the time a full week rolls around without an official statement or even sighting, rumors start spreading. On September 1st, Martian Manhunter takes the stage at his first public appearance since the attack, and delivers the news.

The city’s response is immediate and violent. Riots break out across the city, mourners protesting in the street meet anti-alien celebrations. Fires spread. By the mid-afternoon most of the city has shut down. Superman is spotted helping break out fights and put out the fires. A few people try to ask him for a comment, but he never touches down on the street level. 

It was only a matter of time before someone put two and two together. It was a joke at CatCo, how much they had looked alike. Now, with publicized lists of the dead, the physical similarity takes on a more serious meaning. The debates about the ethics of her work are fierce, if entirely ignored by the CatCo editors board. The closest to acknowledging it they come is in muttered conversations between staff. She completely crushed my stapler once. Said something about cheap manufacturing and laughed it off. I never thought about it. How could I not have thought about it? 

Visitors flock to her home in Midvale. Alex Danvers, officially an FBI agent, narrowly escapes a court martial only as a result of the publicity. The first bombing attempt at Alex’s apartment kills four people, but is poorly timed. Neither Alex nor her fiance are home when the blast hits. 

The camera feed inside CatCo goes viral. Supergirl’s last attempt at heroism. It plays on every station, sans two. CatCo’s reasons are obvious, but The Daily Planet sparks rumors. Instead of the footage, the Planet airs an official statement from Superman. People mumble if he’d pulled a deal to keep them from showing it. Really the decision had been made during an informal meeting in the bullpen. Clark Kent had threatened to quit if they aired it. Perry White is not typically an easy man to bully but Clark’s voice had echoed across the room, loud and clear and lower than Perry had ever heard it. Had he always been that tall? It even shuts Lane up for a few moments, miracle that is, before she, too, promises quit. 

The filmed statement from Superman is, for the most part, a professional and rehearsed affair. In an unaffected voice that seems deeply unnatural from Superman’s lips, reads a sanitized and politically undivisive statement on standing together during times of tragedy. It’s only in the last few minutes that his voice begins to crack.

Because of what she was, and the live we live, most of you never got the chance to know her as I did. So I’ve prepared— ahem. I’ve prepared a few fun facts I thought she wouldn’t mind me sharing. 

Her favorite color was blue. 

She really liked birds. Krypton didn’t have them. Her favorite was that bird of paradise with the big blue smiley face on his back. 

She loved math and chemistry. She liked to make her own paints. 

She hated brussel sprouts— wouldn’t go into a restaurant that sold them. Once, when she was 15 and we’d had an argument, she replaced all the food in my fridge with boiled brussel sprouts and cabbage. I never got the smell out of that fridge. And I still don’t know where she got them— if she cooked them or bought them somewhere. 

[There’s a pause. He seems lost in thought] 

She loved this place. She loved learning about this planet. I don’t think she ever really understood it, but she loved this world. She really— 

[He visibly collects himself. When his eyes meet the camera, they shine with tears.]

Rao zheldiv :divi bah ni Kara Zor-El

This world is dimmer without you. 

The L-Corp National City office closes by the end of the year. Lena Luthor herself is gone by the end of the week. The official statement cites financial concerns. The avoidance of public statement about the Kara Danvers issue is not missed by the public. 

Lena disappears for two months. When she reappears, it is at a police raid which captures half the upper administration of Cadmus, including Lillian Luthor. Lena gives no statement. The police publicly thank her for her service to the nation, and the next time she’s spotted it’s at a local alien dive bar with Alex Danvers.

Alex returns most of Kara’s personal effects to their mother, except the paintings. When people catch wind that Supergirl’s paintings are going on sale, the interest is intense. There are hundreds of buyers, each offering millions in exchange for just one of her works. In the end, the whole set of paintings are sold for just 5 dollars. The local alien art museum had refused to take them for free, but it’s difficult to out-stubborn Alex Danvers. Kara had liked it there. And it wasn’t like they had the money to compete with the other offers she was getting. 

There are dozens of paintings. The city skyline from above. Fallen leaves on the Midvale porch. The stars, constellations no astronomer can match. Waterfalls made of fire, with strange fanged plants. A glass city, curving and spiraling unnaturally under a red sky. A shattered planet. Green fire. Alex labels the ones she can identify, but there are others: planets, buildings, people, Alex doesn’t recognize. Captured memories of places seen once or twice, people half-forgotten, faded echoes from dreams. 

The museum is flooded with guests. Most the proceeds are donated to charities in Kara’s name, but even so, they have more money than they know what to do with. They bring in alien experts to help identify locations and people. They highlight new artists. They start running afterschool programming for local alien children, and invite them to share their own homes and places and people. Kara’s paintings sit in the center of it all. For the first time, Earth gets a look at Krypton. 

A year after the attack, the statue of Supergirl at the harbor gains a pair. The other statue is slight shorter, with hunched shoulders, a simple cardigan, and a small notebook in one hand. Her glasses are slightly askew.  The inscription is simple enough. 

Thank you.  ___________________________________________________

1 message, 7:56am, August 23rd // Heeyyy Alex! I’m about to head to the office umm I saw the note about the incident out in Blackwood. I’ve got some files on my computer that might be related. I’ll send them to you when I get in and later we can go over the AmerTek connection. Love you byeeee! --Oh and I asked James to pick up Quyhen’s for game night tonight! I texted him your order, bye bye! 

[roseydoom]

Give and You Shall Receive

【America x F! Reader】

Note: Hi there! It's been years since I have actually written smut with my last being Haikyuu in an old blog HAHAHAHAHA

So in line with Valentine's Day (definitelynotgoingbacktomyroots), I made this. Idk why. I think I just miss writing shit like this. I hope you guys enjoy this though!

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Warning: NSFW, MINORS DNI, super consensual, unprotected sex, i did not proof read this so be warned, i was sleepy writing a lot of these parts

Word count: 4k

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Summary: Alfred has always been the receiver during intimacy. As much as Alfred likes his hold on you during intimacy, he felt like he was being unfair to you. You give him all the pleasure he wants, but what about you? Do you find pleasure alone by just giving or would you like to receive more than what you already have?

Alfred believes that both halves in a relationship should be able to give what they both need. He is aware, though, that a relationship isn't always fifty-fifty or fair at times, but that doesn't stop him from trying. The blond is used to being the giver in his previous relationships. He really learned the hard way that he shouldn't always be the provider—how his partners shouldn't treat him as a doormat or as an emotional punching bag. Sure, he's not as nice and patient as his brother, but it doesn't mean that he isn't conscious of how he delivers himself to his partners. He wants to make sure that whoever his partner was is comfortable with him, which became a part of his downfall through his relationships; they try to push their narratives while not considering on how overwhelming their stories and experiences can be. It became awfully normal to him that he rarely finds himself in an adequate space in the relationship. His ego and pride were already as loud as it is outside, so he tries to keep it down when it comes to his own private affairs.

When you and Alfred first started officially going out half a year ago, it was a bit of a shock to him on how you approach dating. You always, always, put him first before everything else. Alfred noticed that you started listening to the same music as him right away and even learned about the artists. You would learn his favorite dishes, even bought yourself a decent griller so you both can grill burgers together at your place. You surprised him by getting along with his friends and understanding the schedule he had for you, himself, his friends, and his family. You never doted on him, but your efforts to make sure that he was comfortable in all aspect never went unnoticed. Even during intimacy, you insist on taking the reigns to make sure he is comfortable and satisfied.

Alfred knows that he is loved and will be loved by you, he is aware of that. It's just that he worries about how well he is reciprocating your efforts. You never showed any signs of neediness or a clingy side towards him. Despite your words of affirmation that he is doing enough for you, Alfred still thinks that he isn't doing enough for you. Are you satisfied with his goofiness and interesting sense of valor? Or do you feel like there is something lacking within the relationship? He feels secure with you, but he wonders if you feel the same security with him.

Tonight, Alfred is determined to show you that he can give as much as you give to him.

His determination really took you by surprise as he caressed your arms before holding your hands. The gentle low tone of his voice gave you goosebumps as he kissed your knuckles and said, "I really want to show you how much I adore and love you."

Your ears grow red as he leads you to his bedroom. The dusty blue walls, a rearrangeable block shelf filled with his niche interests, and a few framed posters had his charm written all over the place. You noticed the empty spots in his room were now filled with things you had brought over whenever you stayed there. A mocha bean bag chair with a tall mushroom lamp sat in the corner of his room with a cow-printed rug underneath it. Next to it was the L-shaped desk you both shared with both of your gaming setups—his color scheme complementing yours. A bookshelf next to the walk-in closet had your own interests and vinyl records you collected, some even framed on the wall by the American's DIY skills.

It never occurred to you that your own touch had left him an impact on how he would rearrange his safe space—how willing he is to make space for you.

Alfred gently pushes you to sit down on the bed, keeping eye contact with you. The quiet creak of the bed made your heart race a bit faster as the anticipation swelled in you. He pushes a tress of your hair behind your ear before he cages over you. He holds you gently by the chin, making you tilt your head a bit higher for him, and stares into your eyes for a while.

"Pretty..." He murmurs, taking his glasses off before kissing you.

You shut your eyes. You wrap your left arm around his neck while your right hand is placed gently against his chest. He cages over your figure as you carefully lay on the bed, pulling him closer.

His kisses have always been gentle and sweet, but you can feel a sudden shift in his mood. There was a sense of urgency in his kiss—rough and heated, but not forced. You didn't resist it. You welcome this new feeling of his against your body. His rough hands all over your body, caressing you with a bit of strength in his touch—sensual pinches as his hand smoothened up on your thighs. Excitement starts to pool in your core as his hand hikes higher and higher into your shorts.

Your eyes flutter open as he pulls away from the kiss. Breathless and in a daze, you grab the hem of his jeans to unbuckle his belt, but he stops you. You gasp as he grabs your wrists and pins them above your head.

"Is there anything that you don't want me to do?" The stare of his baby blue eyes flicker with curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

"I won't do anything to you that you don't like." He tilts his head. "I want to make you feel good, like, as good as you make me feel."

He traces his nose against your neck, making you shiver with this sort of anticipation. You can't help, but return the same level of curiosity back. How he touches you so sensually and gently while having this hold over you just makes your heart race faster. You grip your hands as trails his tongue against your neck; then he starts nipping on your neck gently.

"Do you want me to go on?" His hot breath against yout neck.

Your breath hitches as his palm press against your abdomen sliding them towards the hem of your shorts—ghosting his fingers below your navel. You fidget with your fingers as you feel a bit ticklish from his hands just a fingertip away from the garter of your shorts. You rub your thighs together as he starts sucking your neck. The toe curling anticipation on what he could do next made you weak. He began to suck on one spot on your neck as he hums a reminder for you to answer his question.

You try your best to not moan out your answer—try your best to keep it together and not get too excited. His hands crawl up inside your shirt, unhooking your bra before he starts playing with your breasts. The slow massage of his hands was neither too strong nor too gentle. The amount of pressure he applies on you was just right—just enough for you to feel the heat and the heaviness of your own need. He pinches your nipples and gives them a little flick, before one of his hands returns to giving your lower regions more teasing. The returnee to your lower region teasingly slips into the hem of your pajama shorts—ghosting over your navel once again, but he moves lower and lower. You prayed to the good lord to refrain you from saying anything, but you no longer had control. You answer him with a breathy, "God, yes."

You let out a small whine as the cheeky bastard pulls away with a chuckle. Alfred tilts his head cutely at you, studying your rosy expression. He didn't know that you could get so heated up like this. Your eyes in a daze, your hair in a mess, your chest rising up and down heavily, and your neck covered with a few hickeys and a very prominent one just between your collar and neck. He licks his lips as he takes his shirt off and throws it to the side. He then proceeds to slip your shorts off along with your underwear, slowly moving backwards. The sense of anticipation was now turning into impatience. Alfred got you all worked up and feverish, and now you can't think straight. All you could hear is his voice telling you to come to the edge of the bed. By the edge of the bed, you could see Alfred on his knees on the floor. He motions you to take a seat.

"Just relax for me, okay?" Alfred props your legs on his shoulders. Your cheeks redden as he starts kissing your thighs.

You have never had someone this close before. There was a knot forming in you that you can't explain—a feeling you found a little bit too much to handle. The few relationships you have had before him never really gave you the same treatment. Ever since you and Alfred had gotten together, you never really asked for anything in bed or you try your best not to ask too much from Alfred. Your past dating traumas caught up to you, making you feel like a nuisance if you ever asked for something as simple as a takeout. But here you are, sitting with your legs spread open by your man, who insists on pleasuring you.

Alfred is so close to your hot sex now. You let out a little gasp as he lifts your leg, making you lean back. He looks at you as his tongue protrudes between your folds. Your entire body buzzes from the touch. You grip your hands on the sheets as he starts to lap slowly on your pussy before he starts picking up the pace. Your legs locked around him, moving his head in closer and giving him an advantage to protrude inside you. You swallow your breath, trying to keep your heart from racing. The sensation of his tongue gives you a high as he starts to poke into you a bit deeper. His lips are now against you as you could feel yourself getting wetter by the moment. He pulls you even closer, adjusting you leg on his right shoulder. Your moans echoed in the room as his lips start to brush against your very sensitive clit. You let out a whimper every time you feel him rub against it, but he avoids it.

"Alfred..." You look down at him with annoyance.

He glances back at you, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. You scoff at him. The blond teases you back by playing with your sensitive body—gripping on your ass to pull you closer, his tongue exploring you, and nose poking against your clit. You've had enough.

You grab his hair and position him where you want him to be. He smiles at your sudden move and finally pays attention to your needy nub. You moan out with relief. The satisfaction of him licking on your nub gives you so much stimulation that you start to grind against his face. You lay on your back and continue your grind against his face. You keep on rolling your hips, gripping tightly on his hair while your free hand reaches for a pillow above you to grip on. His lips sucking your clit with enough pressure, making sure that he was building you up into a hot mess even more.

"Alfred! Fuck!" You arch your back as you could feel tight knot forming in your abdomen—waiting to break from the tension.

As if on cue, Alfred slips two of his fingers into your entrance. A gasp slips from your lips. You curl your toes in ecstasy. His tongue solely focusing on your clit while he pulls his fingers in and out of your entrance. Every plunge he takes goes deeper, and you could feel spots inside of you that have never been touched before. He makes a v-sign inside of you, dragging his tongue from your entrance to your clit—tasting up all of your juices as if they were about to run out.

"God, Al, don't stop!" You nearly choked on your words as you could feel the tension coming to a point.

Alfred understood right away. You knew he had experience, but it never occured to you that he was this experienced. The blond looked like a sweet golden retriever with a halo on his head for all the good things he has done, an angel in disguise with his optimism and nerdiness. He did not look like a man who could get you this messy and weak like a mewling quim that wants more of his touch.

You could feel the tension coming to it's sweet release now. You claw hard on what you can reach. Alfred didn't stop, even if you were squeezing his head a bit too tight for his liking. Your breathing intensified as you twitched from any touch you were experiencing now. You could feel yourself coming to your climax. Alfred still refuses to tire out. He continues to concentrate on your sensitive clit as his fingers curl and move in you. Your hands grip hard on your pillows as the piles of sensation finally start to collapse into the most satisfying release you have ever experienced in your entire life.

"Oh god!" You moan out loud as your legs shook from the intense release of your orgasm. Hips buckling against him as you could feel your own fluids running down your ass.

You continue to shiver as his motions slow down. Your chest slowly raises as it backs down with a shivering exhale. You swallow hard as your legs twitch from time to time—they tingle harder when he slowly removes his fingers from you. You whine a little.

"Are you alright, babe?"

You sit up a bit and watch Alfred lick off the rest of your orgasm from your legs. His face shining from the subtle light from the lamp. Your face goes red when you realize that you had yourself all over him.

You cover your face with your hands. Internally screaming and slightly embarrassed, but there's this tinge of pride in you that's beginning to swell up. You are completely enamoured by Alfred eating you out and being face filled with your cum. Your mouth gapes open, wanting to say something, but you quickly shut it. As proud as you are about your cum all over him, you still felt quite embarrassed about your own thoughts.

"You taste so good." Your ears reddened.

Goosebumps crawl up on your skin as you could feel Alfred crawling up the bed. His body houses over yours as he kisses both the back of your hands. You uncover your face and look into his eyes. There was a look on his face. A smile curled on his lips with his hazy blue eyes looking like they were in a trance.

Your curious eyes fixated on him as you started to experiment with his reactions. You cup his face with your hands, he instantly rubs his face against them. You trail your heads down to his neck, scratching his nape gently while your other hand graces over his adams apple down to his collarbone. His lips let out a sigh as his cheeks go red from your touch. His eyes close gently as you continue to touch him. Your hand tracing down lower and lower while your other continues to scratch his nape.

Oh.

Alfred was being patient, but you weren't blind from the fact that his patience was akin to a dog waiting for his treat. Loose whines would escape from his lips. The relaxed, yet hoping, look on his face becomes more and more evident as you continue to scratch him. It's entertaining to you. Just moments ago, he ate you out as if it was his last chance at pleasing you; now, he's now under the power of the palm of your putty hands as his own anticipation grows when you trace your fingers down lower to his trapped cock.

A smile graces on your lips as a groan emits from him. The intense eye contact between you had two sides, one being your mischief while the other was pleading. With the tables turned, you continue to tease Alfred lightly.

"(Y/n)..."

You flutter your eyes at him innocently. A puppy pout sprouts from his lips. You play a dangerous game with all of this, but you couldn’t care less about the outcome. Watching him slowly melt with your touch like a candle entices you a lot. By a lot, you mean a lot. The look on the man’s face is clearly a man who yearns for you. Alfred is burning under the spell of the heat, waiting and staying patiently even if he wants to pounce on you now.

“Tell me, Alfred.”

You grab him by the hairs on the nape of his neck and pull his head backwards. A low moan comes out of his mouth with a pathetic look on his face. He looks down at you with pleading eyes and his mouth gaping open for air.

“Do you want more of me?” You slowly close your hands around his clothed manhood.

“Yes.” He grunts as you give him a squeeze.

“All of me?” You trace you fingers up to the button of his jeans.

“All of you.”

You give his chin a kiss. You slowly angle his head to reach your lips, but only to lick his lips slowly, not to give a kiss—not yet. You want to edge him a little bit more. Watching him crumble from your hold is giving you the ego boost Alfred probably wants from you. His submission to your touch and the look in his eyes show you how much control you have over him. Perhaps you were the one in control this whole time, not him. He did initiate this entire thing, but he catered to what you secretly wanted from him. There is devotion with his actions—a spectre of obedience under your quiet commands.

You fiddle with the button of his jeans. His chin between your fingers as you pull his lips open with your thumb. Without you asking, he draws his tongue out. You couldn’t help, but chuckle lightly at him.

“Such a good boy.”

You pull him into a ravenous kiss. Alfred lets you explore his mouth as you start to slowly open his jeans. Unbuttoned and unzipped, you could feel his erection better now despite the thin cloth of his underwear. You marvel at his cock with your hands for a moment before pulling down the waistband of his boxer briefs. A sigh of relief escapes Alfred’s lips as you pull away for air.

You look down to see him erect with his pre-cum dripping from his tip. You lick your lips as you wrap your hand around him, feeling him up and down. Alfred’s heart pounds with excitement as he moans out your name. His body shivering from the touch of your hand. You spread your legs wider. You look back up at Alfred’s expressions. He looks messier than you did earlier. You could tell that his head was spinning from all of that touch. The sensitivity of his body was at an all time high.

“(Y/n), please.” He begs.

As much as you want to hear him like this, you feel sorry for how long he had to be patient for. You shortly debate on dragging him a bit longer, but you decide not to. After all, he did you a lot of good so far.

You hook a leg over his waist to pull him closer. Your hand guides his length against your slit, both of you quivering from the touch. You press your forehead against his as you could feel his cock dipping into you. A wave of relief finally came over the both of you accompanied by heavy breaths and moans, never losing eye contact with him. His hold on you became more primal and rough—his hand gripping tightly on your hips with his fingers digging into your skin. You wince at the force, but quickly forgot about it as his hips began to move.

Alfred’s movements started slow, but rough. You could tell how much he longed to be in you. He was taking his time to feel your walls wrap around his pulsating cock like a boa coiling around him. His laggard movement is preparing you for what’s about to come next, but you enjoy feeling his sex warming inside you. You wrap your leg around him tighter and whisper, “I love how it feels when you’re inside me.”

Alfred definitely did not expect to hear that from you.

He smirks, almost cockily. He crashes his lips against yours giving you fierce kisses. You were taken aback by the sudden confidence, but you let him. You want to see how far he was going to make you feel good.

“Shit!” Your fingers dig deep into his skin as he starts to pick up the pace.

At first he starts to the rhythm of a four beat scale, giving emphasis for each movement as the wholly sounds of your groans surface out of your lips. But he builds up to a speed where you find yourself losing your own tempo. He assists you with his hand on your hip while he kisses your jaw. You look into his eyes with a lewd haziness in them. The slapping of your skins and the wanton heat in the air became unbearable for you to just hold everything in.

“God, you feel so good.” Alfred moans out.

You could feel him finally hitting a spot he reached in earlier. You wrap your arms around him tighter as you have your lips latching on the skin of his neck. You suck hard on a spot, earning a hiss from him in response, but he doesn��t stop. He knows that whatever he was doing now was good. You could say the same as you create more blooming roses on his skin.

As steady as his pace goes, you hold onto him tightly. Your breasts pressing against his chest and the muscles of your legs tightening from the tension. You could feel yourself finally coming close to another climax. Alfred could say the same as he feels his own coming along.

“Fuck, Alfred!” He rubs your clit as your core pulsates.

“I’m so close, (Y/n).” He grunts.

“Me too, babe. Just don’t stop—ngh!”

As the last stretch comes to a close, you both gasp with euphoria as he ruts inside you with your own orgasm following through. Your bodies shake from the intense release. You feel him fill in you as your eyes roll back. He holds you tightly before you fall back into the softness of the bed. The hairs on the back of your neck rise as he slowly removes himself from you. Your body twitches as you try to make out the words he whispers to you. Nevertheless, you pick up whatever cells in your brain you had left and try to focus.

You smile lazily as he pulls you in a gentle cuddle. You feel yourself calming down from the high and activity. Alfred kisses the crown of your head.

“You really did me good, huh?” You glance at him.

“Would I really be a hero if I can’t please my own heroine?” You chuckle at his statement.

You lace your fingers with his. He moves closer to you, just enough for your ear to hear his heartbeat. You look up and meet his eyes.

“Is there anything you want?” Alfred raises an eyebrow.

“Next time, I’m actually going to sit on your face.” You declare.

You both share a laugh together knowing that it will happen. For now, you both finally start to understand the layout of a give and take relationship in bed. Silently confirming to yourselves that the shyness between the both of you will dissipate slowly.

[foxes-that-run]

As it Was

Harry released the song and video on April 1 2022, the morning after the 10 year anniversary of Harry meeting Taylor Swift. It was written with Love of My Life. While he described it as bunch of people dancing to your most devastating experience, I think he has taken it as a reflection point and decided to Shoot his Shot.

Music Video

In the open Harry is behind glass, he tries to move on with others but can't. In the Zane Lowe Interview Harry talked about One Direction band being a unit and reflected on solo peers (Taylor) not having that support. He said "everyone else is on the other side of the glass and I am on this side of the glass, no one really gets it, having that is priceless." When Harry leaves he references the Delicate music video

Harry is pulled back by gravity to be behind the glass again. To me this is similar to Anti-hero, no one else can relate.

This dance then tells the story of him dating Taylor, it references this expressionist dance. They first hold hands briefly (May 2012 - January 2013, Red) They come back and walk together, his arm around her but looking ahead, not at her (from September 2013 (1989) to February 2015). She moves on because he wasn't looking at her. Harry and his muse wear Red (Red) and Blue (1989) to represent the eras they first dated in.

She leaves him and he stops, frozen at that point while she walks on without him (from February 2015, Harry Styles Debut, Exile) until they embrace tenderly and he looks deeply and lovingly at her. (February/April 2016 Reputation, I'm not happy)

But he turns away, she is in great pain and now she is stuck and can't move without him (from May 2016 Reputation). He comes back and embraces her in a supportive caring way and it looks like he encourages her to go on, which she does in late 2016/2017.

For a short time they both walk confidently then they are both stuck on the past, neither able to move and not together in 2017-Early 2018. Then they have a wild embrace in late 2018. (Lover and Fine Line) She falls off the turntable after the affair. The cycle is broken.

Then they go the London Zoo Penguin enclosure so they can be observed they take their clothes off alone, apart and with others. Taylor is higher than him, maybe 2019 - but also it’s a zoo and reminds me of Central Park. In 2020, they embrace and go to this colourful world where there is no one else and hold out their arms to hold on tight. (COVID / Folklore / HH) Other people come in, (I think this is Joe and OW, the chairs are a reference to R & C Eames), separated again, the world is black and white.

And then they are back in the turntable / their old cycle again. She is walking confidently without him, he reaches out, tries running and stumbles trying to catch up. (Evermore, Renegade) For a time they both walk alone, but then she disappears. In the bridge, in 2021, (the part with leave America) he is devastated, alone and is defeated.

Then he gets up and joyously dances into the future. (Harry's House) This sequence again references Delicate and has seagulls, referencing 1989. With a smile he goes through a gate. He spoke to Zane Lowe as going through a one way portal of realisation.

Charles and Ray Eames

The chairs are a reference to Charles and Ray Eames, who took a photo like this. Charles and Ray were creatives who had a highly productive marriage that shaped 20th century design. A reference to Harry’s desire for a creative romantic partnership.

Harry told Hits Radio As it was was written at the end, Love of My Life was in the same session. He said it about metamorphosis or perspective change. Saying you get to decide if it is devastating or great and accept it is probably both.

When Zane Lowe asked what Harry was going through Harry talked about the journey of his Pandemic experience having 4 parts.

LA March - May 2020, LNT and Folklore w/ William Bowery

England / Italy drive Summer 2020

LA again November 2020 - California possibly, DWD filmed and Long Pond announcing Joe as WB. 2021 Grammy's in March 21

Back to England - April 2021 - LOML and As it Was written

In the same period Harry stopped wearing the Peace Ring. :(

Lyrics

"Come on Harry, we want to say good night to you"

This sample is his goddaughter, Ben Winston's 5 year old. It speaks to the meaning of the song about the difference between Harry's life and goals and calls back to the time Harry met Taylor when he was staying in Ben's house.

The Lyric video also shows Harry playing piano with a child, I think Tyler's son. Who is referenced in Canyon Moon which is similar. Where Harry compares his famous person life to the settled family life Tyler has and asking a wistful what if he had made a choice to stay in LA with Taylor. To me the Lyric video is reminding of that life, asking if he can or will have that life, or what it would look like.

Holdin' me back Gravity's holdin' me back I want you to hold out the palm of your hand Why don't we leave it at that? Nothin' to say When everything gets in the way Seems you cannot be replaced And I'm the one who will stay, oh

In the opening verse, Harry is stuck on the past, he cannot replace Taylor because she is unique. He refers to common themes she has said to him, particularly on 1989 - saying he is the one that does those things but she did not - it's a crushing open.

Harry often talks or shows Taylor as in the clouds or sky. (Golden "So you wait for me in the sky" and in the LNT video) Here he is asking her to hold out her hand to help him get there, which is different, he often talks about 'waiting' or 'one day'.

Taylors asked him to hold out his hand many times in song:

Blank Space: "Grab your passport and my hand"

I Know Places: "Just grab my hand and don’t ever drop it"

New Romantics: "Please take my hand and please take me dancing", and

Willow "I'm begging for you to take my hand"

Taylor has also asked him to Stay, including on 1989's track 5:

All you had to do was stay

Harry has a "Can I stay?" Tattoo in October 2013 after that song, which Taylor wrote 10 January 2013.

Treacherous: "I hear the sound of my own voice asking you to stay"

Renegade "There was nowhere for me to stay, but I stayed anyway."

Delicate: "Stay here, honey, I don’t wanna share"

New Year’s Day: "But I stay when you’re lost and I’m scared and you’re turning away"

The Archer: "Who could stay, you could stay"

Right Where You Left Me: "Everybody moved on, I stayed there"

In this world, it's just us You know it's not the same as it was In this world, it's just us You know it's not the same as it was As it was, as it was You know it's not the same

"It's just us" is being separated from other people by celebrity. Similar to Taylor's Coney Island, (written in a shortly beforehand) "If I can't relate to you anymore / Then who am I related to?" Harry and Taylor have a long shared history, similar experience of celebrity.

'You know it's not the same' is referring to the realization that things have changed and they need to move forward. To me the 'not the same' has layers:

They are no longer the young pop stars in Slut!, Suburban Legends or I know places. Earlier on the record, in Sushi Harry also addresses this "I don't want you to go broke / I won't go broke." They and their fans have matured, he is saying that it won't be as hard as in 2014 and they could now be together.

Their relationship is no longer as it was, in the video Harry shows them being 'built to fall apart and back together' and "when we go crashing down we come back every time' (OOTW/Style). They are older their dynamic had changed and I think he now wants more

Talking to Sirius xm Harry said it was about metamorphosis and that realising that “everything has changed”

Answer the phone "Harry, you're no good alone Why are you sittin' at home on the floor? What kind of pills are you on?" Ringin' the bell And nobody's comin' to help Your daddy lives by himself He just wants to know that you're well, oh

This verse shows Harry alone in a literal and psychological sense. He wishes he was with Taylor. He is alone and his family are worried for his wellbeing and safety.

Go home, get ahead, light-speed internet I don't wanna talk about the way that it was Leave America, two kids follow her I don't wanna talk about who's doin' it first

To me, the leave America line is about Harry finding himself part of a blended family with teens, with a partner he didn't know 6 months earlier. This is pulling him away from his single celebrity life and future expectation Taylor was End Game / Someday.

Much focus is given to that line, but to me "I don't wanna talk about who's doing it first" is equally impactful. It speaks of a sad frustration with the state rather than joyful beginning.

It sounds like being competitive in personal relationships in your late 20's and managing a public narrative with a personal relationship. Hence the sadness here in the film clip.

"Leave America" is his partner leaving a 'Home' rather than going toward one. Home being intertwined with love and commitment in Harry's songs. Looping back to the "Come on Harry..'" sample and lyric video, this 'leave America' is not the life he wants.

As it was You know it's not the same as it was As it was, as it was

In this part of the video Harry dances off into the future. In the bridge Harry saw a path that was not what he wants.

Knowing it is the last song written leaves me suspensed for HS4! Harry is purposeful in his track listing and placed As it Was toward the beginning, between Grapejuice and Daylight. I take that to mean Harry has chosen to pursue the life he wants and to Shoot his Shot.

[redgoldblue]

🎲 Fandom choosing is so hard! Either S&H or H50, a random kiss pls!

oh hell yeah. there are two directions you could go with this (bridal or h/c) and I went with. the other one.

Send me a fandom and I'll generate a kiss to write!

Steve stared down at the top of Danny's head. Not that that was an uncommon state of affairs, but there was a greater distance to stare right now. It made his hair even shinier, especially under the bright lights of Iolani Palace HQ. "Danny, what the hell are you doing?"

"Just-" Danny grunted, wrapping an arm around Steve's legs. "Just shut up."

"Danny. It wasn't actually a challenge."

"Oh no, boss," Tani chipped in helpfully. "I was definitely challenging him."

"Didn't think it was to propose, though," Grover said, making a manful attempt at pretending he wasn't laughing.

Steve sighed. Danny was reaching up for his hand, but he was reasonably sure he wasn't actually going to just grab his wrist without Steve's cooperation. He rested his hand on Danny's shoulder instead. "Does it have to be fireman's carry? I am supposed to have some authority here. Where did you learn fireman's carry, anyway?"

That, at least, achieved the desired effect of Danny standing up. Apparently he couldn't be appropriately offended while kneeling at Steve's feet. "I was trained as a first responder! I should be asking you how you know it."

"The military invented it."

"That's true," Junior volunteered from the other side of the table, where he'd wisely confined himself.

"No, it's-" Grover interjected. "Honestly. You Navy boys think you made the sky blue."

Steve couldn't help shrugging and responding, "Well, it is our colour."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Oh-"

The man could move fast when he wanted. Stocky and low to the ground came with advantages. As did, to be fair, Steve's reaction time being stymied by his aversion to hurting Danny in the process. Somehow it all ended up with Steve halfway to exactly the position he'd been trying to avoid.

Danny's back was, frankly, a less appealing view than the top of his head. At least at this angle and fully clothed.

"What were you saying about authority?" Danny said smugly.

"I think I lost it ten minutes ago," Steve admitted to Danny's scapula. He was tempted to go dead weight, which he was pretty sure actually would drop Danny, but that probably wouldn't end up in any more dignified position for either of them.

"You lost it years ago, boss," Tani told him. "You're way too much of a softie to keep it longer than first impression."

"You know I led a SEAL team?"

"You've softened since then," Danny said, and poked him in the side. "Candy left in the sun."

Sighing, Steve accepted that as merely the latest in a long line of fond but slightly derogatory food-based analogies. "Are you planning on putting me down anytime soon? All my blood's starting to go to my head."

"Can't have your head getting any bigger," Danny agreed, and helped him heave himself back over Danny's shoulder onto the ground.

Safely standing, Steve blinked a couple of times, letting the dizziness subside as Tani clapped Danny on the back and handed over a dollar bill. "Shouldn't have doubted you."

"No, you shouldn't have," Danny said, and went to take the money.

It floated to the ground untouched as Steve crouched and lifted, one arm across Danny's back and one under his knees.

Danny squawked, and Grover started laughing, bending over with his hands on the computer table.

"Hey! No-one challenged you!"

"Partnership equity."

"I don't think you know what either of those words mean," Danny grumbled, and crossed his arms. Which, given his current bridal-carried state, made Grover's laughter redouble and Steve snort, the movement shaking Danny slightly and pushing his elbow further into Steve's ribs.

"I hate you," Danny said, and let his head fall onto Steve's shoulder.

"Yeah, I love you too." Steve bent his head to kiss Danny on the forehead, which was met with a faint mumble that deniably may or may not have contained words of affection, then he looked over at the rest of the team. "Now, who wants to put money down on how much I can beat his time by?"

"Oh, I do."

"Hundred percent."

"Hey!"

[mofffun]

Team wings headcanons??? Any????

They are children on the playground and arguing is proof of their "friendship"!!

Headcanons

Rita being the secret supplier to Yanma's antique collection (think government auction, double as one Gokkan's source of income)

Yanma Gast 100% knew about Moffun.

Yanma the hashtag angry mark vs Rita the pool of yarn mark (ahhh I want to doodle)

THEM WITH KIDS: Rita scaring a little girl in N’kosopa vs. the flower twirl with Ishabana boy + Yanma is a good teacher

when did they first hear the king-ohger legend

"You don't even know that?" -> Yanma: yelling at auroras to "turn off your damn speakers!!!" // Rita: can't tell a lightning cable from a type c

I don't think Rita is bad in tech in terms of lacking a sense in it but they just never had the need to study it

Rita will never say the full technical name for Yanma's inventions though (Does he even know his lie detector is called the Thundercarcker behind his back?)

(bringing the actors into this) Rita serectly adding another grudge on their list because Yanma's Moffun voice is actually really good

per manga ch13, the grudge list grew again because the Jealous Judge's retainer has a heart uchiwa for the yankii king

Yanma is smart enough to motivate the judge with words into helping him if necessary but it'll take a minute hour for Rita to begin wonder if it was because they agreed with his reasoning or his choice of words

Yanma is 2 years older but by kingship he is 6 years Rita's junior. Their first meeting happened at 21/19. The number fluctuates because I also really want to see their first meeting at 19/15.

similarity and differences:

teased by Himeno, Yanma turns red and Rita turns white

they are too gay to sit properly

parallel play (they could sit in a coffee shop for hours and people would think they are angry with each other because they're not talking but it's actually the most comfortable way for them to stay together in the same room)

unconsciously hum while working long hours

“what is sleep”/caffeine addicts 

 you KNOW they both have a tendency to fall asleep in their office

Both have a sweet tooth but Yanma in drinks and Rita in hard candy. Rita more so than Yanma because butterfly.

don’t really look at what he’s eating vs. has a gokkan-native comfort food

Yanma doesn't mind trying foods with dry/weird textures Rita is not exactly a picky eater (because gokkan food shortage/low variety of homegrown food) but typical “I need that texture once in a while or I start malfunctioning”

(Gokkan has all sort of weird pickles and dried meats, typical winter country)

Like any northerner Rita has a high alcohol tolerance though without a preference (okay Gokkan harvest(?) festival and the one day the prison complex is allowed fruit punch) and you'll find me beat up before I say Yanma Gast can take more than a beer.

Yanma Gast has a HUGE ego but I think it’s only gotten worse by having an eternal hyper in Shiokara. Does Rita has an ego? long story short, yeah.

Instances:

first meeting

development of king's hotline/ohger calibur/king's weapon

the moffun scalper

development of the lie detector

yanma's arrest and trial

when yanma and rita were castle-mates (?) before himeno and kagu got themselves in jail

jail time

the body swap phone call!!

body swap resolution (admit it canon is not giving it to us)

the voyage back home

maintenance spa day of the shugods

first meeting: I think one reason Rita doesn't like N'kosopa much (and an underlying cause to them randomly arresting everyone in 28 besides stress), is organized crime plagued N'kosopa in the aftermath of Wrath of Gods.

Post-Wrath, the blue king ran away, so N'kosopa is either an anarchy or at warring states where crime bosses and militarists took hold. "Police" exist but took bribes per Shiokara. At that time, Rita just became king themself and has enough on their plate. So even though it's technically a domestic affair, it's a growing potential threat to Chikyuu's order but it's too systemic for a 10-year-old foreigner to take on alone.

I also think Rita would be required to witness the day Yanma officially becomes King. He has the popular vote, but to keep things simple, the monarchy is kept instead of transitioning into procedural democracy. So the yakuza lawyer, Usba maybe, say they have to get the Chief Justice here, to everyone turning blue and silent for a moment from the excited discussion of a big ceremony hearing their name.

but! my initial fic idea in may/june was very simple because I only wanted to put them in a bike + sidecar and sunglasses and comedic road trip. They chase down a McGuffin to help a kid. Their budapest. Where Yanma making "Absolute Neutrality" Rita's name comes from something they said. Maybe that's why the couldn't end the incident in a less legal but more effective way.

another first meeting idea allows them to meet younger as late teens is maintenance day for the shugods. A very random event is if the Yanma needs the Ohger Calibur to stay over temporarily, how is Rita gonna continue with the trials? Did he buy them a substitute pon pon Moffun hammer at the tuck shop??

Developing the henshin system: See I think Yanma is not going to bother putting in a function that he personally can’t use but knowing it’s a team’s weapon, as a good designer, he at least has to ask the other kings what they want as an auxillary. What is his reaction hearing Rita says bow? (i talk as if anything other than HA? is an option) What if Rita didn’t suggest bow, but Yanma just assigned them that because it fits that stick-in-the-mud?

Body swap resolution: Yanma wants to train his body but doesn't know where to start. I mean, he can't ask Rita of course. But if anyone can keep a secret, it's them. Oh of course he doesn't have to go that far and outright get humiliated again, so he has to phrase it like picking a fight. Rita is down anytime to "convince" Yanma Gast so they didn't really register it as a one either. (re: Erica saying arguing is the proof that this two are "friends")

Yanma's arrest:

Yanma's hair got fried blond because of his ultracomputer

N'kosopa mass protest + boast rally that conversely proved Yanma is the culprit

nobody remembers to hire Yanma a lawyer

a particular loud shriek when Gokkan's power black out (lucky for yanma it's summer i.e. long day)

Morfonia and her unsaved files

Yanma's sentence include improving Gokkan TV/Internet reception as community service

Jeramie using the "boys will be boys"/"he's just a kid" defence as Yanma's Grand-Master to mask he secretly contributed here and there

+ power blackout doesn't really affect the bugnarok because they're underground and only beginning to build a power system with Gira and Shugoddom's help

Shugoddom's historic gas lamps!

Himeno breaking down Yanma's door because "if not for my hospitals all equipped with the best backup power!" (solar/wind energy), and that she can't curl her hair that morning.

Kaguragi turned it into a campfire story night/community event somehow

Yanma's trial day is the day Gokkan's immigration and tourism board has to overwork for the first time.

Shiokara and hacker gang arguing for visitation rights. homemade bento

does yanma sentence last for more than two years if he says prison break is an additional charge?

Gira tried negotiations but he knew he isn't being fair and backed down quickly with a Rita stare

Yanma got dragged away with Papi-chan helicopter style, he's yelling at Tonbo to put in a good word for for his buddy and Papi-chan ignore him lol

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

They have two key words: past/present and secrets.

the thing with wings is, they somehow sparked in each other another side. (i.e. they drive each other crazy, and they are the only ones that can do that to the other) But then they spring back like nothing next day like children on the playground.

On a level, these two are actually very similar in terms of being analytical and practical. Yet their conflict comes from attacking problems from opposite angles. Rita represents the past and Yanma the future. Rita will collect evidence and review history while Yanma focuses on what's already in hand and invents something new. I said that right, but in a way Rita is forward-facing when they never let any childhood trauma stay a trauma or haunt them; Yanma is nostalgic based on his antique/physical media collection.

You may say it's partly recognition of the self. That's why they are only antagonistic 80% of the time.

(hc territory) They ended up doing the same thing/making the same choice ouf of completely different reasons. They are more similar than they think they are but no one can name what/why (not even me).

Yanma Gast 100% knew about Moffun but he kept his mouth shut in ep11. He (should) never told anyone about what Rita did in the underworld. I'm lying to myself he trusted the judge won't do something they didn't deem necessary so he turned away in 38.

Rita holds grudges. Yanma Gast is the source of their headache since he stole Gira and kick-started the story. Sometimes they don't get how such an obnoxious person is so popular. But Rita guesses, he's dependable when it's important. Not a very skilled fighter but he's not dumb. At least they can count on him not to intervene if they make it clear they are making a move.

the movie scene: No spoilers, but, I just think that’s a really nice scene to that established how different Yanma and Rita are while providing a base for reconciliation following their argument in 19. Neither of them are acting like their usual self. I don’t mean they are ooc, but you see them perform different than everyday under an unknown situation.

[aichi-division]

“Most people are like a falling leaf that drifts and turns in the air, flutters, and falls to the ground. But a few others are like stars which travel one defined path: no wind reaches them, they have within themselves their guide and path.” .- Herman Hesse

Introduction

Shouta Takeda, also known as MC C-LOZ, is the leader of the Aichi division group, CLOUD 9. He is a homeless man who once studied art at a prestigious university, but competition and drugs drove him to live on the streets. He makes a living doing graffiti and competing with his group in the famous rap battles, winning the territory.

Initially, he had no interest in the world of rap and political affairs, however, when he met his friends Issey and Eiji, he ended up adopting the position of leader, being a vigorous opponent.

Appearance

Shouta has long, unkempt black hair. She has dark blue eyes, however, they are covered by her pink glasses with 90's aesthetics.

He wears a baggy pink T-shirt and a moss green jacket with the symbols "C" and "9", which refer to the name of his team. He is also wearing long brown shorts and worn-out sneakers. Tends to wear a lot of chains throughout his outfit.

Hypnosis Microphone

His microphone is in the shape of a graffiti can, with cigarette designs and vivid colors, demonstrating his love of art and his issue with drug use. His speakers are Cuban cigars, whose smoke spreads the rhythm of the music.

Shouta's rap ability is "Rhythm Psychodelia", which makes his opponents fall into a trance (or a bad trip) through the rhythm of his songs, leaving them without defenses.

The themes of his rap have to do with perseverance and aggressiveness in the face of the desire to accomplish a particular goal, or as he tends to call it, "the inner fire". This is related to its MC name, C-LOZ, which refers to Zelos, the personification of fervor and discord.

Entomology

消太 Shouta/Shōta - Erase.

武田 Takeda - Military field.

Trivia

He had a strong addiction to methamphetamines.

He has a calm and friendly personality, although sometimes he tends to fall into periods of sadness and low energy.

He really likes Bansky's art.

He tends not to talk about his family and his past. It is a topic he has only been able to share with his team and a few very specific people.

He lived on the streets of Tokyo for a few years, however, a job offer had come up in Aichi, which made him move there, but he did not have the opportunity to stay in that position, so he continued to live on the streets.

He loves to help other homeless people, giving them a space and some food. Has an innate desire to be able to help others, as a mechanism to make himself feel good.

[fallowhearth]

Well, I'm not sure why I did that, but I did, and now it's done and I can move on with my life. I reread all the Poirot novels. I also ranked them.

I'll write them out here for the benefit of anyone who doesn't want to squint at a small low res image or who can't see the image. Within each tier they are in random order.

S (sublime) - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder in Mesopotamia

A (highly enjoyable) - Murder on the Orient Express, Poirot Investigates, Death on the Nile, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Third Girl, Five Little Pigs, Dumb Witness, Sad Cypress

B (moderately amusing) - The Murder on the Links, Peril at End House, Evil Under the Sun, Lord Edgware Dies, Death in the Clouds, After the Funeral, The Clocks, Mrs McGinty's Dead, Dead Man's Folly, The Hollow

C (meh) - Three Act Tragedy, The ABC Murders, Cards on the Table, Murder on the Mews, One Two Buckle My Shoe, Appointment with Death, Poirot's Early Cases, The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, Hickory Dickory Dock, Elephants Remember, Curtain, Hercule Poirot's Christmas, Taken at the Flood, Cat Among the Pidgeons, Hallowe'en Party

D (literally unreadable) - The Big Four, The Labours of Hercules, The Mystery of the Blue Train

D is the only objective tier as these are just the ones I couldn't finish. C may well contain books that are worse overall but they were compelling enough for me to finish them, so. Everything else is subjective. There are a few controversial picks - some of the most beloved novels are meh to me. And I had a few standouts among Christie's later work, which have not entered the public consciousness unlike many of the earlier installments. Third Girl I'll call out particularly as a fascinating example of the Christie formula working in the 1960s.

Reading them chronologically was fascinating as an account of how much Britain and the world changed between the 1910s and 1980s. I probably have a few posts worth of thoughts about the later day Poirots, which I will write up at some point.

Anyway, that's all, I have escaped, it's over.

[heatherthewitchy]

omg can you do a hot layne staley one?!

Sure thing!

You were sitting in your bedroom, waiting for your friend to come pick you over, and see the new Alice In Chains concert.

As the car arrived, you were dressed in a sensual way: a dark red tight dress, leather jacket and combat boots.

The atmosphere at the concert was amazing, but the most beautiful thing was the singer; Layne Staley. He was on full energy during the whole show, jumping all over the stage, and waving at fans too! As you were watching the performance, you could feel someone looking on you, as you turned around, Layne's eyes were on you, his blue, deep gloomy eyes were all for you.

After that little "incindent", you continued to watch the show, until the end, when you decided to go smoke a cigarette outside.

As you layed on a wall, near the backstage, the wind was breezing thru your h/c hair, making it divide in many strands, and beautiful locks. You could feel someone walking towards you, and it wasn't the the usual guy ready to have a one-night stand, but it was him: Layne Staley in person.

His blue eyes were gazing on your gentle figure, while wandering over your curves.

"Hey", he simply said, and layed next to you, smiling. You replied back, with a little awkard nod, that made Layne chuckle a bit: "You look so innocent, to be smoking", you smirked, and got closer to him: "Guess i'm the naughty angel, uh?", you whispered, and made Layne blush a bit. You surpised yourself too with that attitude, that you never showed.

"Listen, uh...", he started and you answered: "Y/n, Y/n it's my name" you chuckled.

"Ok, listen Y/N, I usually don't get too distracted by yelling girls at my concerts", you chuckled at his comment.

"But, you seemed, different....You catched my gaze all the time", he muttered, visibly in embarass. As you took the moment for good, you layed on him, and kissed his lips softly:

"Does this makes you more focused?", you suprised yourself once again! What was happening to you? This attitued wasn't completely normal to you...You semeed, under a spell...Falling in love again, and again, every time you met his gaze....His blue, ocean deep eyes. Those gloomy and depressed eyes...You wanted to dig into them, and discover what the real Layne Staley was like...But, could you?

You looked once again at Layne's appareance...Dirt blonde hair, all in dreadlocks..Blue percing eyes, a ripped shirt and jeans...Why does he seemed so beautiful at your eyes?

Layne took the situation, and took you by your waist, kissing you deeply and slowly. But it didn't end here; he started to took off your dress, gently, yet wildly. You were crazy about him, sooo crazy...

At some point, you found yourself only with your bra on, and the lower part of the dress on the ground. What was happening?

You couldn't quite understand, but you immediately did when Layne started rummaging in his jeans pockets.

"Sorry, for uh...The waiting", he muttered anxiously, and took a condom.

"You, ok with this?", he asked, caressing your tight softly and possesively.

"S-sure", you muttered. "Sex with a rockstar? That's new, Y/N", you thought.

After a few waiting, he wildly started doung his things, but still making you get excited by every minute.

"I'm sorry for all this rushy thing, but I just couldn't hold myself...sorry-", you stopped him before he could even apology. You were LOVING this moment.

"So, you a fan, hm?", he asked, while caressing your internal tight, making you whimple a bit.

"Y-yeah Mr. Staley", you said, and he let out a low chuckle.

"Call me Layne, darling"

After a few conversation, you two continued your "affair" for a few hours, and finished, leaving you tired, and painful.

"You okay?", he asked, cuddling, still with you on the wall.

"Hm hm", you responded, but he took your hand, and kissed it.

"Never saw a more beautiful person", he chuckled.

In that moment, you felt loved, like you never felt...

(Sorry so much if it isn't much hot, but I'm still trying. Hope you liked it! Sry if it wasn't the best)

[trains-of-thought]

What if Mario was depressed?

Concept Summary: Being the hero has taken its toll, and Mario's mental health is at an all time low. Alone and on the brink of defeat, he finds hope in a long-time acquaintance, and begins to gradually heal.

- Prologue: Status post Odyssey. Mario and Peach say goodbye to Luigi, who is leaving on a ghost excursion with E. Gadd.

- Chapter 1: (Months Later) Daisy finds Mario sitting alone, at night, on the edge of a cliff, and stays with him until he gets up and leaves with her.

- Chapter 2: (The Next Morning) Mario goes to a meeting at the castle with Peach and her royal advisors to discuss Bowser's prolonged absence from the Mushroom Kingdom. The group decides to send a small group of Toads on a reconnaissance mission to investigate. Following the meeting, Daisy corners Mario and forces/convinces him to spend the rest of the day with her.

- Chapter 3: (A few days later) Daisy confronts Mario about his recent behavior after an unanswered phone call had her assuming the worst (suicide). He denies her claims that anything's wrong with him (despite evidence) and an argument ensues. After time to cool off, the two come together and reconcile.

- Chapter 4 - 10: Mario and Daisy start regularly spending time together, doing activities that go back to Mario's roots/that he once found meaningful (repairing, building, carpentry, etc). He grows closer to Daisy, and eventually opens up to her about his depression. Upon the reveal, Daisy STRONGLY suggests Mario go to Peach regarding his current problems, believing she would be able to help. Mario vehemently refuses to do so, believing that Princess Peach (and the Mushroom Kingdom) wouldn't understand. The conflicting views lead to a major argument and the two go their separate ways.

- Chapter 11: The reconnaissance toads have returned and the royal council reconvenes. The Darklands are quiet, soothing some and putting others on edge, making the group at odds regarding next steps (if any). Later that night, Mario returns home to find Bowser in his bedroom. Bowser reveals that following Peach's rejection on the moon, he's taken time to re-evaluate his life and priorities. He also reveals he's been spying on the Mushroom Kingdom and (more importantly) Mario. Bowser is surprisingly understanding of Mario's position, and presses him to follow through with Daisy's suggestion of talking to Princess Peach.

Chapter 12: Mario invites Daisy over, apologizes, and asks her to help him approach Peach (and the kingdom) with his problems. The two stay up gathering/jotting down Mario's thoughts and preparing them for him to share.

Chapter 13: The next morning, Luigi returns to spot a disheveled Daisy leaving the brothers' home. Assuming the worst (affair), the brother's fight, leading to a botched confession of Mario's current mental struggles, which Luigi is too furious to take seriously.

Chapter 14 & 15: The brother's misunderstanding leads to all of Toad Town (Peach included) learning Mario's secret. Peach goes to Mario to inquire about what she's heard and (much to Mario's surprise) is understanding of his feelings.

Chapter 16: Daisy walking with Mario to his first therapy session with Merlon.

A Plot: Mario's Mental Health

B Plot: Bowser's Inactivity/Mushroom Kingdom Duties

C Plot: Luigi Away From Home/Mario's Growing Closeness w/ Daisy

Main Character Analysis (Mario): Mario is an extroverted introvert; the attention that comes with being a world famous hero can only be handled in small quantities. As a blue collar boy from the Big Apple, blending in with the crowd is much more natural. Mushroom Kingdom adventures, though strenuous, are a much needed relief from the attention when they arise, but Bowser's recent absence has led to prolonged break from traveling. Pastimes like sporting events and parties used to be a stress relieving and enjoyable, but now feel like extra work and require forced effort to participate in. Thankfully, Mario always has his brother at home to keep him grounded, but Luigi's recent far away ghost excursion has left Mario isolated and alone.

Mario LOVES his job, he is incredibly grateful for the world of opportunities that have opened up for him and his brother since arriving in the Mushroom Kingdom, but the attention and celebrity status that come with it have become insufferable. Mario doesn't want to see adventuring as an escape from his life and the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom, but he can't help it. He's not only miserable, but incredibly guilty about feeling miserable. He knows all too well that he owes everything to Princess Peach and her people. He could never even think to imagine sharing some of his concerns with Peach, it would only convey ungratefulness. So he pleases the people, and puts on a happy face despite growing anguish.

Mario has considered sharing what's going with his brother on more than one occasion, but always decides against it. In his current mental state, he is prone to assuming the worst: his brother wouldn't understand or take him seriously (you're living the big life as a world famous hero! How in the world could you be unhappy?)

*Addendum:

Mario is naturally prone to keeping his emotions to himself:

one of little words

Hard life in Brooklyn. Prioritizing making ends meet vs mental health (hierarchy of needs)

As a hero and older sibling, Mario is a symbol of hope and strength, mental struggle is a weakness that he isn’t ready to admit to others or himself

[plungermusic]

“It’s Bluegrass, Jim… but not as we know it!”

Bluegrass, New Grass, Jamgrass … C&Ngrass? Plunger don’t profess to be authorities on the genre, although we know a bit, from Scruggs & Flatt through Sam Bush, to Bela Fleck and on to Greensky Bluegrass… and now Low Lily. 

Low Lily alumna Liz Simmons’ solo effort Poets really caught Plunger’s ear back in 2021, so we were interested to hear the band’s latest release Angels In The Wreckage. While Poets zips around genres like a pond-skater on acid - and very pleasingly so - Angels In The Wreckage is by and large a more cohesive affair, plying a steadier course through the waters of bluegrass and traditional roots music (albeit with scenic route diversions via the West Coast.)

Keeping true to the ‘his turn, your turn, my turn’ at the mic of old time bluegrass, the fourteen tracks alternate by songwriter and vocal lead, which subtly alters the feel and emphasis while maintaining the overall vibe, and at least half of the fourteen feature an echt 1-2 bass-and-drum pulse, in a very tasteful, understated upright-and-brushes way (from multi-tasking producer Dirk Powell and Stefan Amidon respectively) not “Techno! Techno! Techno!” or riotous rockablilly style…

Epitomising the rootsier, more ‘trad', vibes are the bustling brush-driven badlands two-step Aren’t I Good Enough, with Liz Simmon’s high, plaintive lead vocal counterpointed by Natalie Padilla’s fiddle and a low-harmony-underpinned chorus, while Liz and Natalie swap dextrous mini-solos towards the close; and Long Distance Love’s bouncy commentary on the woes of modern life has a conversely Old Timey feel - in Flynn Cohen’s lead vox, the harmonies, and the rustic-edged fiddle. Flynn’s own instrumental Keep The Pachysandra Flying is a shotgun-shack-meets-Bagpuss reel: a filigree mandolin opening (later joined by fiddle, guitar and bass) conjure celtic/Appalachian overtones; Natalie’s fiddle takes a turn with the melody before harmonising with the mandolin in a raucous hoedown crescendo to the finish.

Hints of West Coast influences come in the Laurel Canyon-y rework of Shawn Colvin’s hit Round Of Blues, with Liz’s airy vocal, delicate harmonies and a poppy middle-eight-cum-chorus; and in the breezy backwoods backporch two-step of Where We Belong, with somewhat Dead-ish timing and chordal progressions, and lovely Crosby, Nash and, erm, Nash three-part harmonies, while the mountainside hillbilly banjo and vox of the traditional sounding minor key Up On A Rock is punctuated by a very Nashesque sunny major chorus (and some very fine guitar/fiddle interplay between Flynn and Natalie). Peak Crosby & Nash comes in Lonely (probably Plunger’s favourite track): melancholic piano (from jack-of-all-trades Dirk Powell) introduces a very C&N, Cali-coloured slow country waltz with exquisite three-part harmonies, the fiddle and mandolin taking their turns at the bittersweet melody, and a spine-tingling near a cappella passage.

The hummed intro, Liz and Natalie’s honeyed vocal harmonies, restrained melodic guitar and banjo (yes, that’s Dirk again) over a half-speed bluegrass beat lend a dreamy sheen to Love And Loss, and the rural reverie continues in Captivate Me courtesy of Natalie’s keening tone and mantra-like repetition, melancholic fiddle and a banjo continuo. Completing an ethereal trifecta, the celtic-tinged One Wild World’s folk features delicate harmonies and a hymn-like chorus, plus wistful, aching fiddle matched with part-colliery-band/part-mariachi (layered) trumpet from Drake LeBlanc.

The trumpet bleeds through into the wholly different sonic universe of What’ll You Do: a ballsy defund-the-police-protest-inspired (we’re guessing) almost a cappella (barring body percussion and a smattering of kick-and-tom) field holler-cum-spiritual, and an air of protest resurfaces in the Woody Guthrie-meets-Julie-Felix (sorry, Plunger’s childhood’s to blame) state of the union lament of Could We Ever Be Great, complete with run outs for fiddle and Flynn’s guitar and some quirky timings.

Flynn’s second instrumental (guitar-only this time) Bastard Plantagenet Blues has the flavour of a English folk number, including a very mediaeval closing shift into the major, perhaps to prepare your ears for the closing track Wond’ring Again, written by Ian Anderson (yes, THAT Ian Anderson). The spookily prescient 70s folk-rock environmental warning is given an Americana wash by Liz’s gentle harmonies and Natalie’s eerie fiddle harmonics, while Flynn does a rather good job of Ian’s delivery and mannerisms, with all-rounder Dirk adding mellotron in the place of flute.

It may not be Bluegrass as we know it, but Angels In The Wreckage is a very polished, captivating collection of modern American roots music and we like it!

Angels In The Wreckage is available to buy or stream now, from here: https://lowlily.bandcamp.com/album/angels-in-the-wreckage

[california-112]

TLG: E06 'Live'blog

TL;DR - Jimmy gets his first story! A guy thinks he's been abducted by aliens and comes from a parallel reality. He proceeds to prove his point by beating up various members of the gang until they find a connection between him and some pro wrestlers. We get the gang in heist uniforms and a happy wedding ending. What more could I ask for? Some more h/c but anyway

Beware of a spoiler mention for TXF S8.

Surf City! Strong start!

Why is there a mini house on a pole

It's a mailbox???

Home Security, yes

Who is this other guy?

(Gay? 👀)

Wait I'm confused. They're the same guy?

I genuinely can't tell, the quality of my source is too low lmao

Drinking a beer in the toilet? 🤮

Why do they keep putting the bad milk back in the fridge though is my question. Just chuck it

When are they gonna see eachother

THERE'S A WIFE???

Just have a threesome lmao. Wait what am I saying

Titlesss

Jimmy and Byers!

His first story! Awww

Man, I forgot how much I love Byers <3

Of all the dumpsters to pick to sleep behind, maybe not the pet store one?

Parallel realities! Aliens! Wahoo!

Ah yes, the Proof: a takeaway sauce container of blue goo

"I can't help you. I'm sure there are professionals who can...!" Turn it over to Mulder then?

The neck scar? 🤨

Hello Frohike! Where is Langly?

Mulder mention!

Hi Langly!

Wait a moment. Back to the Mulder mention briefly because I had a feeling and checked the dates and made myself sad. This ep was first aired on March 30th 2001- before 'Deadalive', on April 1st. So, if we take that as the canon order of events, Frohike mentions Mulder even despite thinking he's dead ;-;

Ok, back to the Lone Gunmen ep

What do you mean 'home made MRI machine'.

He knows Frohike?

"We have brain!" 💀

Wires???

Gilligan's Island mention!

Ok but Byers in his usual suit WITH LEATHER GLOVES. Noted

"Less talkin', more stalkin'" is a motto I can get behind

Frohike and the bolt cutters almost as big as he is lol

Down the back of his trousers?

Oh no thank goodness

"I'm telling my mom on you!" You do that kid

Get him!!!

Not the police...

The grimace of 'f*ck.'

THE REVEAL LOLLL

First of all, lab monitoring the house. Second of all, the woman doctor has a pre-existing head injury...hm.

F*CKING TANK CLONES. FFS

Frohike sleeping with Jimmy lol

MY NIPPLES HURT??? SURELY NOT 😶💀

(Bi Jimmy? 👀)

Leave my boy alone...

Scared langly :'(

Hi Yves!

I'm surprised Langly wants to go near him after all that

NO! LANGLY!!!

Wait is this kinda like Wetwired?

Again, Langly, how are you volunteering to stay with him when he's attacked you, now twice

And you needed a bandage after the last one!

The doctor???

"I've got my eye on you!" Yeah literally lmao

I feel like DC doesn't have trams. Or are they in Surf City now, I've kinda forgotten

Did they roadtrip to Surf City??? 🥺

[Post-ep: I missed the fact that Surf City is only in Maryland. Still...]

STOP ATTACKING LANGLY!!!

Put him on the ket therapy that Mulder took in Demons lmao

Oh now it's Frohike's turn lol

Scared Byers... :(

Wait what? The wrestler's daughter is trying to be affaired with by the VCR guy?

Who is ableist despite being disabled?

Brother brother BROTHER. PUT THAT DOWN

WELL SOMEBODY STOP HIM???

Wait he's an alcoholic?

And he has anger issues and he shoplifts. Well for the last one good for him

Wait is there any crime this guy hasn't committed

Consentual brainwashing???

Marvin stfu.

Daddy issues?

Wait so that was it?

Aww Jimmy... :( He just wants the world to be a better place :(

Blue goo yeugh

Anyone else thinking that that looks scary asf

Wait the doctor has a port as well???

The gang all in their Heist Uniforms looking completely like utilities guys lol

"What's he doin'?" / "I'll tell you when you're older." 💀

What a terrible simulation lol. Although I guess this was peak 2001

"You belong on Jerry Springer or in a zoo" Tell 'im Frohike damnnn

Wrestling marriage???

Awww that's cute actually 🥺

[musicinstrumentsins]

9 Things That Will Make You Rethink to Know About the Clarinet

The clarinet is a fascinating instrument with its graceful curves and emotive sound that has made it a cornerstone of the musical world. Beyond its role in creating familiar melodies, the woodwinds hold a rich history and unique qualities that make it a compelling subject of study.

Here are 9 intriguing facts that will open your eyes to the clarinet's depth and versatility, and leave you with a newfound appreciation for this remarkable instrument.

1. A Register Rainbow: Unlike most woodwinds, the clarinet boasts a unique range with distinct names for each register. The lowest notes are reminiscent of its ancestor - the chalumeau. It resides in the aptly named "Chalumeau Register." As you move up, you encounter the "Throat Tones," followed by the bright, trumpet-like "Clarino Register." Finally, the highest notes reach the stratospheric "Altissimo Register," demanding exceptional breath control. Mastering these transitions and fingerings specific to each register is a challenge that keeps clarinetists on their toes.

2. The Twelfth Night Surprise: Unlike its other cousins that typically overblow an octave when you push the notes, the woodwind has a trick up its sleeve. When you engage the register key, the lower notes jump a surprising twelfth. So, a low E magically becomes a middle B-flat! This quirky characteristic adds another layer of complexity to mastering the instrument.

3. A Family Affair: The Bb clarinet might be the most familiar, but it's just one member of a vibrant family. The higher-pitched Eb soprano and alto clarinets add a touch of brilliance, while the mellow bass woodwind brings warmth to the low end. There's even a contrabass version, a gentle giant that produces earth-shaking notes. This diverse family allows composers to paint rich sonic landscapes.

4. Mozart's Mysterious Muse: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's love affair with the clarinet is well-documented. He composed a wealth of concertos and chamber works featuring the instrument. But some historians believe there might be more to the story. The rise of Freemasonry, with its emphasis on wind instruments, might have influenced Mozart's compositions, further solidifying the gear’s place in the orchestra.

5. Material Matters: While most of these woodwinds are crafted from grenadilla wood, a type of African blackwood, that's not always the case. In the early days, clarinets were made from a variety of woods, including boxwood and rosewood. Today, some musicians opt for synthetic materials like hard rubber or composite resins. These offer advantages like greater durability and resistance to moisture, making them ideal for marching bands or outdoor performances. However, regardless of the material used for carving a woodwind, it is a delicate gear and needs the protection of a dedicated clarinet insurance plan.

6. The Multitasking Marvel: The versatility of this piece extends far beyond the concert hall. It's a mainstay in jazz ensembles, adding soulful riffs and playful improvisations. Klezmer music, with its roots in Eastern European Jewish traditions, relies heavily on the gear’s expressive capabilities. And who can forget the iconic solo in Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," blurring the lines between classical and jazz?

7. A Transpositional Trendsetter: The Bb persona might be the standard bearer, but its music is often written in a different key. This is because the clarinet is a transposing instrument. The Eb soprano type is another example. Understanding transpositions is a crucial skill for clarinetists, allowing them to play music written for other instruments or in different keys.

8. The Three (or Four) Clarinet Challenge: Back in the 18th century, a single clarinetist's life wasn't easy. Orchestras often required them to switch between multiple options in different keys throughout a performance. Imagine juggling a Bb, A, Eb, and maybe even a C type – a true test of agility and mastery! So, if you own one, get it covered under a comprehensive clarinet insurance policy.

9. Beyond the Single Reed: The single-reed mouthpiece is a defining characteristic of the clarinet family. But there's a lesser-known relative: the basset horn. This instrument also played with a single reed, boasts a curved neck and an extended range, offering a unique and mellow sound. Mozart, unsurprisingly, was a big fan of the basset horn, composing several works specifically for it.

[onyxtherapy1]

How Male Depression Can Lead to Emotional Affairs

There is no excuse for infidelity of any kind. Partners who betray trust should be held accountable and should take responsibility for their actions. That said, it can be very important to discover what led to the affair. With that in mind, we set off to explore the connection between male depression and emotional affairs.

Depression is more than just feeling blue. It’s a diagnosable mental health disorder that can result in hopelessness, despair, self-harm, and more. Left untreated, depression can be the catalyst for a wide range of dangerous issues. For example, in men, depression can influence behviours like engaging in emotional affairs.

What is an Emotional Affair?

While most folks associate cheating with sexual activities, such behaviours can be expressed in many ways. For example, an emotional affair is a relationship between two people that does not include physical sex together. However, we’re not talking about a friendship here. While even the participants can see themselves as “just friends,” the bond does cross some clear, intimate boundaries.

How to Know If You’re Having an Emotional Affair

You look forward to seeing or interacting with this other person more than your partner.

When your partner asks about this “friend,” you get secretive and defensive.

You complain about your partner and your relationship when speaking to the other person.

Gifts are exchanged but usually in private.

Your conversations become increasingly personal, private, intimate, and perhaps sexual.

You tell them things that you haven’t told your partner.

Your phone is cautiously guarded, and some messages are deleted to prevent your partner from seeing any evidence of the connection’s depth.

You fear being caught, and you feel shame about neglecting your partner, but you make no moves to cut things off.

Make no mistake, even without sex, this type of relationship can still be a serious violation of trust for your partner. In fact, many people say they’d feel more devastated by an emotional affair than if their partner had sex with someone else.

How is This Connected to Male Depression?

Men less likely to report depression symptoms. They can suffer in silence and are at higher risk for self-harm or suicidal ideation. Untreated depression leaves men searching for ways to “self-medicate”. It could be substance use, pornography, obsessive exercise, or something else that can boost their sense of self-worth.

Along comes another person — in person or online — that falls into the “something else” category. They listen, they sympathize, validate, and they might even provide compliments. They are easy to talk to. For the first time in a long time, you have something to look forward to. In fact, since depression can cause sexual dysfunction and low libido, an emotional affair feels extra safe. You can bond, flirt, and tease seemingly without risk. In reality, of course, you are risking so much, e.g.:

Putting your relationship in danger by sneaking around.

Hurting your partner to the point where the damage may be unrepairable.

Ignoring depression symptoms can lead to far worse emotional and physical problems.

The Reality

Depression causes people to lose interest in what once excited them. This can even mean a committed relationship, and often means sex. Your brain is low on feel-good chemicals like serotonin, so you desperately look for a replacement. That thrill you feel when this new “friend” is so excited to see you and hear from you gives you the boost you need. From there, it’s difficult to stop. However, it’s important to recognize what is happening, and identifying the root of the problem. While the emotional affair might feel good, is it a symptom of undiagnosed depression? Consider what are the longer-term goals for you and your current relationship?

Talk to the new person and explain why you need to back off the relationship.

Tell your partner that you need their help to deal with depression.

Connect with a qualified therapist and/or a medical professional.

If any of the above sounds familiar, our qualified team of therapists can provide support. A competent therapist can work with you individually or as a couple to unpack the meaning of this affair, and work with you towards a place of healing or decision making. Reach out today to book a session with a skilled therapist at Onyx.

[healbellls]

“Rules”: repost with the information of your muse, including headcanons, etc. If you fail to achieve some of the facts, feel free to add some other of your own! When you’re done, tag 15 other people to do the same!

Tagged by Stolen from @catadioptrics TYSM <3

B A S I C S

Name: Matsuba Age: 20 Birthdate: Unknown Species: Human Gender: Cis male Orientation: Bisexual with no clear preference Profession: As an exile he isn't allowed to have any conventional job in any city, within the Johto territory. But he sells his abilities for locating pokemon to hunters, and his future-telling skills to nobles.

P H Y S I C A L A S P E C T S

Hair: Long golden blond hair, which is surprisingly quite well kept by him Eyes: An unnatural shade of violet. Although, when he was born his eyes were blue almost green. But the moment his powers manifested, the color changed abruptly. Skin: light-tan due to his long exposures to the sunlight. But it is possible to see how fair skinned he is, in parts of his body that barely were exposed. Height: 1.90 meters Weight: 74 kg

F A M I L Y

Siblings: Matsuba used to be part of a large family, he had many siblings and for a handful of years he was the youngest brother until his mother had another one. Parents: Matsuba is the product of an affair, his mother had with a clairvoyant. Matsuba never met his father, his mother tried to conceal that fact for years. But his father wasn't the same one as his siblings. Grandparents: He didn't get to meet them, low life expectancy. Other Relatives: Matsuba was disowned during his exile, so this subject doesn't really matter. Any Pets? Matsuba has befriended some ghost type pokemon during his travels

S K I L L S

Clairvoyance: It grants him the ability of locating anything/anyone under a certain radius, he is also capable of seeing through the eyes of others. Lastly, he also has the ability to see small snippets from a near future. Although, it is up for him to try interpret what they could possibly mean. As an wanderer, Matsuba also had to learn a degree of self-defense techniques against people, and wild pokemon alike.

T R A I T S

STRENGTHS. Playful, optimistic, flirtacious/charming, friendly WEAKNESSES. He can be a little too passive at times, way too reliant on his powers he rarely trusts his own gut or inner feeling, easily manhandled

L I K E S

Colors: Gold, red, blue and purple Smells: Burnt herbs, forest, sweat, earthy Textures: Silk, water, softness Drinks: Green tea, sake, any weird alcohol cocktail they would serve back then

O T H E R D E T A I L S

Smokes?: Yes, he only smokes using his kiseru. Favorite place to smoke is in bed, or wherever he is going to sleep on (he likes smoking before falling asleep) Drugs: Not necessarily. But he has consumed certain substances that in modern days, can be considered to be drugs. He mainly consumes it during any festival he happens to attend, or if it is for a religious ritual. Driver License: N/A Ever Been Arrested?: Constantly arrested by authorities abusing their power, due to him being an exile.