#therefore his career taking a hit

[brutal-out-here]

One thing that I’ve thought about a lot over the years that I would just go straight to the source and ask about it if I knew I wouldn’t get met with either ignorance or some dumb reason is that to the people who believe that Taylor does not like men at all and that every relationship she’s had in her career has been a cover up to hide this fact, who do you all think the songs she’s written are about? Do you believe they’re made up stories or that they’re actually about other people we may or may not know about? I’ve always been curious because if some believe they’re made up then I think Taylor would have to be a damn good actor and a lier to pull it off. And to those who believe they’re about other people my question is why would Taylor let the blame for her heart breaks be put on people who didn’t do anything? Specifically I know there’s people who believe her and Jake’s relationship was fake and so do they just believe Taylor has let all this blame be put on him so much so that I’m sure it’s taken a hit on his career? (don’t get me wrong I don’t think it’s had that much effect but there definitely is some) Anyways I’m not going to tag this with anything so I don’t get jumped but I’ve been wanting to make a post about this for a while

[jinhyun]

—in a different light.

pairing: hwang hyunjin x reader

genre: fluff, pining, non-idol au, best friend’s little brother au

word count: 5.2k

summary: when another girl makes hyunjin question the way you see him, inevitably leaving him to sulk, he wants nothing but to go to you and hold you in his arms. and good thing he did, for that was all he needed to realise how wrong she was.

a/n: here she is! like i said this part doesn’t show the upcoming convo between y/n and dahye but!!we have a very good hyunyn moment if you ask me and a lot of you were asking about hyunie’s tweet about the almost kiss lol. as always i hope you guys enjoy! i would love to read your different thoughts on this<3

Hyunjin wanted you to rely on him.

Ever since the night you broke down in his arms when Mingyu left, he promised to himself to always be there for you no matter what. And then when you grew closer as the new year started, not only was his goal to be there for you anymore, but for you to notice that he was, and therefore to know that you could go to him whenever you felt like you needed someone.

However, the thing was, that just as you began to rely on him the way he wanted, he failed to realise that he, too, started to rely on you the most — not to say to need you more than he ever had.

It only hit him after the very unpleasant conversation with Dahye he had that afternoon.

Although he sounded cold, unbothered even, he couldn’t help but feel upset about it.

It wasn’t even Dahye threatening with telling you about his feelings for you what he was upset about — he was being so obvious about them already anyway, if anything her telling you would only confirm what you deep down already knew. It sucked that it wouldn’t be on his own terms and timing, sure, but that was it.

He could also always confess that day, before Dahye even had the chance to do it for him, but he didn’t want to rush into something he knew you weren’t ready to hear just yet, only for Dahye not to end up acting on her words in the end. In all honesty, he didn’t think she would do it. She wouldn’t, right? He wanted to believe she wasn’t obsessed with him to the point of actually coming in between your relationship.

No, that wasn’t it. What upset him were her spiteful words about his age, and how you would never be able to see past your age gap.

He knew it was stupid. Three years were nothing. Maybe they were when you just met, when he was still a high schooler, a teenager, but not anymore. Not now that you were both in your twenties and he had a career, a job, a car. Now that he was able to drive you around, take you out, buy you stuff just because. Most importantly, three years were definitely nothing now that you grew close enough to become actual friends —although there was nothing platonic on his end of your friendship—, being able to joke around and treat each other as equals, finally leaving behind the ‘little brother/big sister’ dynamic you had unintentionally adopted with him by being Yeji’s best friend, and which he grew to despise with everything in him as the years went by.

He had even brought it up to you only a few days ago, how he didn’t want you to still see him like the teen boy you met six years ago, and you promised him you didn’t; that you saw him as the man he was now — as Hyunjin. Just Hyunjin.

Nevertheless, although he knew your small age gap was nothing now, and although you had confirmed it to him not even a week ago, up until he managed to make you fall for him, it would always be his biggest insecurity when it came to you. And, therefore, having someone point out how ‘clearly’ you treated him like a child, even if it came from a place of spite, like he knew it did from Dahye, could only make him sulk.

And it was when his mind was spinning and his heart was hurting, that he realised he wanted nothing more but to go to you in that moment.

He wanted to hold you close, to wrap his arms ever so tightly around you, and to have your arms wrapped around his body just as fondly. He wanted to feel your chest move up and down against his with every breath you took, to feel your breathing on his neck as you hid your face in the crook of it, and to take in that sweet scent of yours he loved so much.

He wanted to be with you, close to you. Simple as that.

And, thankfully for him, expressing his wishes to you was all it took for you to accept him at your place. Even though you were busy right then, having him say he was feeling down and wanted nothing but to be with you was all it took for you to put your workload aside and focus on him.

That’s how Hyunjin ended up at your door only half an hour later, entering the passcode he knew by heart. It was still surreal for him to have reached this point in your relationship, where you’d tell him to just help himself into your place when he arrived, like you had texted him to a few minutes ago.

It felt almost domestic, without you being a couple yet. And he loved it to bits.

“I’m here!” He announced his arrival as soon as he entered your place, not to have you freak out over your door opening so suddenly.

“Hey, I’m in the kitchen!” You replied from the next room, just as he took his shoes off and put on the slippers you kept for your guests by the door.

Wasting no time, he made his way into the kitchen, unable to hide the beaming smile creeping up his face at the sight of you in an apron, with your hair tied up into a ponytail, as you were just putting a tray of what looked like chocolate chip cookies in the oven.

“Suddenly felt like eating something sweet?” He asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame as he admired you.

You shook your head no, closing the oven and then quickly fixing the heat before you stood up and finally looked at him — your eyes inevitably softening when they met his. “Just thought we could have some coffee and your favourite cookies later in order to cheer you up…”

Being too shy by your own statement, you missed the way his lips parted into a lovesick smile that showed his teeth. You did, however, hear the breathy laugh that escaped his mouth right after, feeling him enter the room and get closer to you right as you cleaned up the remains of flour on the counter.

And maybe you focused a little too hard on said task, for you failed to realise how close to you he actually got — only doing so when you felt his chin rest on your shoulder and his arms sneak around your waist, loosely enough not to push any boundaries.

“Thank you…” he mumbled cutely, unable to see just how flustered you were. “You didn’t have to, though. Just being with you is enough to make me feel better”.

You bit your bottom lip in a poor attempt to avoid a smile from showing on your face, looking down to his intertwined hands over your stomach, before you found yourself covering them with your own and gently rubbing your thumbs on his soft skin.

“There was no harm in taking it one step further and making you a sweet treat, was there?” You asked, tilting your head back so you could look at him.

Hyunjin smiled softly, eyes going down to your mouth for a second before he nodded his head. It was only becoming harder not to lean in and press his lips to yours when you were so close to him.

Luckily —or not really— for him, you put some space between the two of you by undoing his hold around your waist and turning around, so you could properly look at him.

“I may have gotten a bit caught up and ended up making more cookie dough than I intended to, though” you confessed, undoing your ponytail and beginning to take off your apron. “So I put the rest of it in a container that I’m giving you to take back home later. Just keep it in the freezer and whenever you feel like having some preheat the oven at—what…” you shyly wondered when Hyunjin could not hold back a giggle, quietly placing the folded apron on the counter.

He shook his head in disbelief, letting out another small laugh as his warm hands cupped your face.

I love you, is what he wanted to say.

Fuck, he loved you.

He loved how you cared for him and everyone you loved. Because you loved him, he knew you did, even if it was only platonically.

He loved how you had dropped everything that day, regardless of how busy you were, just to be with him when he said he needed you.

He loved how you showed affection by baking and doing small acts of service.

He loved the way you loved so beautifully, so selflessly; without asking for anything in return — although, unknown to you right then, he was willing to give you everything in return.

He loved you. All of you.

From head to toe, inside and out, he loved every last bit of you.

“You’re the best” he said instead, adoringly looking at you while his thumbs drew gentle circles on your cheeks.

“All I did was bake some cookies…”

“And you’re the best” he repeated, leaning in once more and tightly wrapping you inside his arms.

“Hyunie…” you sweetly called his name when he began to softly rock your bodies together.

“What, I said I wanted to hold you” he mumbled nuzzling a ticklish spot in your neck that had you letting out a laugh.

“I thought maybe you’d do that after I took the cookies out of the oven”.

At that, he smiled, pulling away just enough to look at you. “Now why would I do that, I’m taking every second I get”.

Rolling your eyes in amusement, you playfully tried to pry his hands away from your body. “You’re a dork”.

He chuckled, only tightening his hold on your waist and lifting you up with ease. “Maybe,” he sat you down on the counter, not wasting another second to pull you into his arms once again and to hide his face in the crook of your neck, all while you were still trying to process what had just happened. “But I did say I was coming over just to hold you, so…”

“Just to hold me?” You wondered, for once and for all hugging him back and feeling him relax under your touch.

“Just to hold you” he hummed, getting lost in the way your hand gently ran up and down his back.

“You won’t be eating the cookies I made especially for you then?”

He chuckled, somehow managing to pull you closer to him. “I will be eating all those and then taking the dough you told me about home with me”.

“I would’ve been very sad otherwise” you pushed it, earning a brittle laugh from him.

“You’re gonna have to text me the instructions, though, because otherwise I’ll most definitely end up fucking it up somehow and burning them”.

“I’d expect something like that from Han and not you, honestly” you admitted.

“Oh, he’s not allowed anywhere near my cookies”.

“Don’t be selfish now” you called him out.

“You made them especially for me, though” he stood his ground.

“Should I make a whole batch for him then?” You teased, pulling him away by his shoulders, so you’d meet his eyes right before you pensively stared at the ceiling. “Maybe one for Minho as well”.

“Yah, they can get their own person to bake for them” he called you out. “You’re mine”.

Trying your hardest to ignore the butterflies that had just been unleashed in your stomach, you played dumb. “Oh, so I’m like your personal baker now?”

He smirked, knowing all too well what you were doing. “You know that’s not really what I meant”.

Finding it hard to meet his eyes without growing nervous, you looked down to your lap instead, noticing his loose grip on your waist. “Let them at least try one if you don’t want me to send them some, then”.

“I’ll think about it after the nap you promised me” Hyunjin negotiated.

You chuckled, only then locking eyes with him. “We gotta wait until the cookies are done first. They take around ten minutes, there isn’t enough time left for us to actually fall asleep”.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t cuddle in the meantime” he fidgeted with the fabric of your t-shirt.

“I guess you’re right…” you agreed softly. “We could go to the sofa for now”.

“For now?” He questioned. “Where are we going next?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to take a nap?” You confusedly asked right back.

“Yes?” His eyebrows furrowed. “I thought on the couch?”

“Oh,” you felt your cheeks burn. “The couch, of course”.

“Where were you thinking?” He smiled —more like, smirked— as he caught on.

“I’m not saying it” you sheepishly looked away, earning a throaty laugh from him that had him resting his forehead on your shoulder for a moment, as he collected himself.

“I have no problem napping in your bed as long as you’re okay with it” he managed to put into words what you refused to.

“I simply thought it’d be more comfortable but now I’m too embarrassed, so let’s just go to the sofa instead”.

“Don’t be,” he lovingly pulled a strand of hair behind your ear. “It’s all about comfort after all”.

“Never mind, I’m too ashamed now”.

“Couch then?” He suggested, not wanting to push your limits.

“I mean, I guess, but it’s gonna be uncomfortable though…” you mumbled, taking the two of you back to the night you fell asleep together on it, and how your bodies hurt the next morning.

He knew first hand that your couch wasn’t the best place to sleep on and that you weren’t just using it as an excuse to take him to your bed — although he wouldn’t mind it if you were.

“Then bed” he stated the obvious, unable to hide his grin.

You half laughed, half whined, letting your head fall on his shoulder to hopelessly hide yourself from this conversation.

“Y/N, if you don’t decide within the next five seconds, I’m choosing one and carrying you there”.

“You wouldn’t” you mumbled.

“Is that a challenge?”

You shrugged, still refusing to lift your head up and to give him a proper answer.

“Okay then,” he sighed, making your heart jump when you felt his hands grab the back of your knees to pull you closer to the edge of the counter —and, therefore, to him—. “Just for the record, I warned you”.

With that said, his hands travelled slightly up to the back of your thighs, lifting you up enough for you to wrap your legs around his waist out of instinct, just as a small, surprised squeal escaped your mouth.

This wasn’t platonic, you thought while you crossed the door and entered your living room. This was so way past being platonic.

His hands on your thighs, your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck while your face hid in it, as you were too shy right then to look up and meet his eyes that would be only a couple of inches away… These weren’t touches you’d share with a friend, let alone with just anyone else.

You could see the red lights in your head warning you about the risky path you were taking, and yet, you didn’t want to turn back around.

“Okay, last chance” he stopped right outside the door to your room. “Where are we napping”.

“I thought you were choosing instead?” You tilted your head back, finally earning enough courage to look at him.

“I was, but I’m trying to be a gentleman here and let you have the last word”.

You chuckled, feeling like you were losing your mind. “Just take me to the bedroom already”.

His head tilted back in surprise, eyes sparkling in a way you’d never seen before. “Oh?”

“No, don’t” you helplessly tried to fix it, placing a hand over his eyes so you wouldn’t have him giving you that look that for some reason made you so fucking weak. He giggled, accepting his fate as he could not use his hands right then to remove yours from his eyes. “I didn’t mean it like that”.

“You know, when you say stuff like that I—”

“Yah, Hwang Hyunjin” you moved your hand down to cover his mouth instead, before he could finish his sentence.

“You’re the one who started it” his loud yet muffled words were enough for you to withdraw your hand completely, placing it back over his shoulder.

“I didn’t mean it like that, though?” You repeated your previous point.

He sighed overdramatically, shaking his head as he could not contain his amusement. “You really need to start watching your words”.

“Last time something like this happened, you said it was cute” you reminded him.

“Last time it happened, I wasn’t carrying you like this when we were alone at your place” he pointed out, managing to bring even more heat to your face. “I’m just a simple man, Y/N”.

“Ugh, can we just go take a nap before I get even more embarrassed?” You begged, having already shamefully hidden your face in the crook of his neck.

Hyunjin laughed lightly, silently complying with your wishes and entering your bedroom for once and for all, where he carefully laid you down on your bed before he slumped down next to you.

Not satisfied with just being next to you, he lied on his side to face you and threw an arm over your waist, so he could pull you closer and make the most out of this lazy evening with you.

However, instead of closing his eyes like you’d expected him to as soon as his head hit the pillow, he kept them open, using that moment to admire your face from up close and giving place to a comfortable silence to take over the room, as your eyes remained fixed on him as well and neither of you dared to look away from each other.

“You know, you’re supposed to close your eyes when you’re trying to sleep” you teased him in a whisper after what felt like minutes.

“You’re looking at me instead of closing them, too” he bit back, in a whisper as well.

“There’s no use for me to try and sleep yet, I have to go and take the cookies out of the oven any minute now”.

“Well, I guess I’ll just stare at you as well until that happens, then” Hyunjin said, and at that you could only laugh under your breath, shaking your head as your adoring eyes remained locked with his. “What?” He couldn’t help but nervously ask — somehow the look in your eyes feeling all too new for him and not knowing how to react.

“Nothing, I just…” you kept quiet for a moment, thinking carefully about your next words. “Never thought we’d be like this one day”.

“Like what, about to take a nap in your bed?” He joked.

You playfully shoved him off, having him take that small action of yours to his advantage by grabbing your hand, in order to keep you from pushing him again. “You know what I mean…”

He nodded quietly, staring down at your hands right as he intertwined his fingers with yours. “Is it weird?” He asked you, unable to hide the fear in his voice.

Staring down to your interlocked hands now resting in the small space between your bodies, you shook your head no, and Hyunjin released the air he didn’t realise he’d been holding for the five seconds it took you to give him a sincere answer.

“It’s just new,” you confessed, looking up at him. “Different. Not weird”.

Hyunjin smiled sweetly, leaning slightly in so that his head would rest closer to yours on the pillow — close enough for his breathing to mix with yours, for his nose to graze the tip of yours, and for a small tilt of his head to be all it’d take for him to press his lips to yours if he wanted to.

But he wouldn’t. No matter how bad he wanted to kiss you and how hard he was trying not to, he wouldn’t go as far as to close the gap between your mouths and press them together, because he wouldn’t push you.

The ball was in your court. It had been for a while now. He would only get as close as he could without making you uncomfortable, and you would be the one to make the final decision. Whenever you were ready, he would be there, ready as well to take whatever it was you were willing to give him.

The way he caught your eyes going down to his mouth, staring at it for what could be considered longer than normal, to then fix them back in his eyes before they went back down to his lips, just as he was hopelessly doing with yours right then, was enough to let him know you were considering taking the risk.

Nevertheless, right as he felt you move just an inch closer to him, just as he held his breath and thought maybe you would finally make the move and allow him to taste your lips like he had dreamed of countless times by now, the alarm you’d set up on your phone was heard going off from the kitchen.

You inevitably jumped up and away from him, undoing the previous hold of your hands while at it and clearing your throat, almost as if you’d just been pulled away from a trance.

“T-The alarm, I should, um…” you tried your best to compose yourself as you began to stand up. “The cookies…”

Hyunjin simply nodded, just as stunned, letting you know it was okay for you to go.

“Do you want me to bring them to you or maybe come with me and eat them in the kitchen or…”

He smiled. You were blabbering.

Cute.

“As much as I’m dying to try them,” he genuinely let you know. “I just want you to come back here already so we can go back to how we just were before the alarm went off”.

Feeling your cheeks burn, like it seemed to be the norm when you were around him now, you nodded; clumsily stumbling back and pointing towards the door, to let him know you were heading out of there.

With one last lingering look after he nodded his head for you to go, you left him alone in your room to shove his face into the pillow as a mixture of an incredulous laugh and a frustrated whine of his was muffled into it.

That was just his luck.

But he wasn’t crazy, was he? You had been staring at his lips and you did lean closer to him the moment before the alarm went off. The tension was so clear, so palpable, he couldn’t have imagined it. He wasn’t that delusional, was he?

He sighed heavily, resting on his back and defeatedly throwing an arm over his eyes. Had it not been for the stupid alarm, maybe he would be feeling your lips on his right then.

You, on the other hand, although just as frustrated as him, remained speechless, unable to understand what had just happened.

After having mindlessly turned off the alarm as you rushed to take the tray out of the oven, you just stood there in the middle of your kitchen, almost frozen, as you got once again lost in your thoughts.

You wanted to kiss him.

You could try and blame it on the atmosphere surrounding the two of you being just right and luring you into it, or maybe even on the way he looked particularly handsome that day and having his pretty face only inches away from you was being of no help at all. You were only human, after all. But even then, you couldn’t deny that, whatever the reason was, for a moment there you had really wanted to kiss him. Had you even leaned in at some point?

God, had it not been thanks to your alarm, you would probably have ended up rushing into something you were not ready for yet and turning your relationship with Hyunjin into a mess.

Were you really willing to kiss him regardless of the consequences?

It had been, what, a week since Chan opened your eyes about this whole situation with Hyunjin? Roughly one week since you started questioning everything? And you were already thinking of risking it all and kissing him?

You couldn’t just rush into things. Not with Hyunjin. Not when you weren’t sure about anything.

You didn’t know what you wanted, nor what you were looking for yet — either with Hyunjin or with anyone else for that matter. And you cared about him too much to even dream of playing with him.

Which didn’t mean you weren’t willing to explore your feelings for him. You were certain now more than ever that you did feel something for him. Maybe minimum, maybe just a small crush, but you couldn’t deny that there was a spark in your heart that ignited when it came to him. And you wanted to lean into that warm and safe feeling you got whenever you were with him.

You didn’t feel ready to jump into a new relationship just yet, and you didn’t exactly know what Hyunjin wanted from you either; for you knew that, in male language, flirting and giving someone special treatment didn’t always translate to wanting a serious relationship.

It felt too soon to ask him about his intentions with you, too entitled to demand an answer from him right then. But, so far, you were okay with how things were. You were just figuring out your feelings and the depth of them, and you guessed so was he.

Still, whatever it was that you felt, and whatever it was that he did, you couldn’t ignore that there was something going on between the two of you anymore. The conversations you held, the looks you exchanged and the small touches you shared during the past week… Furthermore, the tension you had felt only minutes ago and the urge to lean in and press your lips to his, were all the realisation you needed.

Taking a deep breath, feeling ready to go back to the man waiting for you in your room after managing to clear your mind, you grabbed your phone before you could head back. However, a particular Twitter DM caught your attention before you could do so. Standing in your place, you stared at the notification, reading Dahye’s words over and over.

‘Hey, girlie!’, followed by the smiley emoji with blushy cheeks, which could only come off as cynical from her.

You immediately felt sick to your stomach. You’d gotten a text like that once before in your life, by one of Hayun’s annoying friends trying to warn you about Mingyu and her, and you had wrongfully ignored it —only at first, until you could no longer look past the signs—, so you knew better than to ignore a text like this now. But that didn’t mean you were opening it today.

You had already gone through enough emotions that day. From waking up early to catch up with the project, to have Hyunjin publicly call you pretty on Twitter, to have him text you about feeling down and inevitably making you worry, to have him tell you he wanted to hold you, to have him actually hold you, to feel flustered as ever over the sudden couch or bed discussion whilst being carried by him, to feeling like kissing him for a moment there… You definitely needed a rest, and you wanted nothing but to do so in his arms.

Whatever it was that Dahye wanted to tell you, it could wait — for you knew it had to do with Hyunjin, and you were neither emotionally nor mentally prepared for yet another disillusionment.

Was it wrong of you to want to live in an illusion for just a little longer, in case Dahye’s DM ended up being bad news?

Either way, regardless of your wishes, the nauseous feeling you got at the simple sight of her name and the way your mind was sent spiraling because of her text, could only serve as a reminder of why you weren’t ready for a new relationship yet.

Not even bothering to take your phone back with you anymore, you locked it and left it on the kitchen counter before going back to your room.

Once there, a smile curved up your mouth at the sight of Hyunjin. He was now lying on his back with his hands behind his head, and his eyes had been closed until he felt you cross the door and they inevitably focused on you.

Without a word, he opened his arms for you to go over there. And, without a second thought, you did just that.

Feeling his arms wrap ever so tightly around you as soon as you crawled next to him, you let out a contented sigh as you instantly felt at ease; right before you realised just how close your face was to his and you hid it in his chest.

“What” you daringly mumbled when you felt his chest tremble and his laugh reached your ears.

Instead of answering you right away, he took you by surprise by pressing a soft, lingering kiss to your forehead. “You’re adorable” he said, resting his chin on your head and tightening his hold on you.

“Just go to sleep already” you scolded him, in a way cuter voice than you’d intended, which had him laughing once again and mumbling something about how cute you were under his breath.

Feeling how nervous you got both by his words and by being that close to him again, and how you had clearly hidden your face in his chest to avoid having either of you possibly leaning in again, Hyunjin could only confirm that he had not imagined you staring at his mouth and leaning closer to it earlier that day.

Even though you were visibly nervous over it now, and although he could tell you didn’t feel ready just yet, just knowing that you were now beginning to see him in another light, just enough to look at him with longing and maybe even considering to kiss him, was enough for him to be on cloud nine.

He had come here because he needed to feel you close after Dahye planted all those doubts in his mind. He needed the reassurance that you didn’t see him the way she said, and he couldn’t be happier now that he had just confirmed that you were indeed able to look past the baby image you used to have of him.

In the end, he was right to tell her she knew nothing about your relationship, because she truly didn’t. She didn’t know how you acted around each other, how you talked to each other, how you looked at each other.

Only you and him knew how your relationship worked, and even when it came to the bits of it that neither of you were sure about, it was still only for the two of you to figure out.

He realised right then that he shouldn’t mind what outsiders —let alone Dahye of all people— had to say on your dynamics, and that he was actually okay with people not seeing the changes in the way you treated him as long as he was able to feel them.

After all, he was the one who almost got kissed by you when no one else was around.

tag list: @jehhskz @iknowyouknowminho @doohnut @saintcosette @lailac13 @kayleefriedchicken @rikibun @yongbokkiesworld @seungzsmin @beautifulcolorgarden @hyunetopia @velvetmoonlght @automaticpersonabatpaper @httpdwaekki @brinnalaine @wondering-out-loud @feelikecinderella @nujeskz @amarecerasus @liknws @nhyunn @midsoulz @tirena1 @tinyelfperson @thatonexcgirl @iovecb97 @hynier @phenomenalgirl9 @your-favorite-pirate @jin-from-the-block @yearofthetiger25 @quokkacidal @stayconnecteed @kwanisms @yoonguurt @143hyunes @iiriam @cookielixie @hyunlvrs @allyrarara @machaandlofi @mehli-00 @justiceforvillains @minhosprettywife @whats-my-question @armystay89 @jaiuneamesolitaiire @hyeon-yi @skzstannie @onlyhyunjin @shyshyshytwice @nicoleparadas @​broken-glowsticks

[smutoperator]

The Midas Touch

Ahnatchaya Suputhipong (Natty) x Male Reader

Tags: anal teasing, choking, CMNF, cum on tits, dirty talk, hair-pulling, (lots of) jiggling, massaging, pervert, photographing, pounding table, spanking, stress relief, (lots of) titfucking, wet

Word count: 5004

Natty needed some stress relief. She was finally happy that after such a long career of tribulations and failed attempts, she had finally got the recognition she had aimed for so long. But that came at a cost, as she seemed very tired after so many performances and yet another comeback preparation. Therefore, she decided to book a good Saturday morning pre-comeback massage.

As Natty arrived at the massage clinic at your home, she asked you a very unusual question: "May I use the shower?". "Sure," you replied to her.

Natty took off her shirt, unveiling her triple-D cup pink bra that could barely hold her tits in place as you set the table, before taking them off and exposing her massive boobs in the shower. As Natty slowly got fully naked inside it, you could see her body in full glory. Her thick thighs, her sexy back, and, of course, that amazing pair of boobs of hers.

You hid yourself behind the wall and started watching every sexy move she did in that shower while spraying lots of soap and shampoo over her fit body. The little massages she gave to her boobs and butt caught the most attention from you, especially how she poured the soap all over them. Soon, you were secretly filming Natty, taking pictures of her amazing body behind her back as she showered, waiting for the perfect moment where she would turn around and let you see those beautiful tits, but just her thighs and ass were already great enough for you to admire.

Natty only turned around by the time she had finished the shower, taking one of your towels and wrapping it around her wet body, making sure to hide her boobs as much as she could while you scrolled over the pics you had taken of her. Natty caught you by surprise, walking towards your massaging table, ready to start her session, forcing you to hide the phone.

"Hi," you said to her. "Hi," she replied back. "Make yourself comfortable," you continued, as you prepared the table and grabbed the lotion in your hands. "Thank you," Natty kindly replied. "We can start whenever you're ready," you told her. Natty was ready, as she dropped the towel on the floor and shocked you with a close view of her huge boobs. She lied on the table with her back facing you as you picked another towel and hid her toned, naked ass out of your sight.

"How are you feeling today?" you asked her. "I'm feeling well, but with a lot of tension, especially in the nerves of my back, especially on my lower back," she replied. "Alright," you said, rubbing your hands, picking up the lotion, and starting the massage on her back area just like she asked. "It's going to be a little bit cold," you told her as you poured the lotion over her back. Natty felt the shivers on her spine as the cold liquid hit her soft but sore skin, laughing a bit.

You started slow, getting Natty comfortable as your hands ran over her back. "God, I'm so tired," she said. After a little shoulder massage, you rested your hands on Natty's lower back, close to her hips. "You're such a good masseur," Natty told you, praising your work over her back. "There it is," she said once you landed your hands at her sorest spots.

"You must be busy with these magic hands," Natty said. "Well, I wish, but I only have 3 more clients for today besides you," you told her, now starting to massage Natty's sexy thighs as well. "How are those legs? Are they sore today? They seem so strong," you asked her. "Very," Natty replied, as you started pouding the lotion on her legs now. "That feels so good," she said, praising you once more.

You lifted the towel on Natty's butt a little to start massaging her ass, even though you looked sort of embarrassed. "You can massage there; it's fine," she said, giving you the green light. "Your cheeks are very toned," you told her. "Thanks," Natty said, her holes winking as you placed your hands over her butt. Still, you were a bit shy, even though you had done massages on many women's intimate parts before, but Natty just seemed different. Most of your clients were rather flat and skinny, but she was so fit and thick.

"You can go higher; that's fine," she authorized. It turns out your massage was a huge turn-on for her. "Okay, if you say so," you told her. "It's very sore; it needs a good massage," Natty said about it. "All that sweaty, physical work you do while dancing takes a huge toll," she continued. "For sure," you agreed. 

"It's perfect," Natty praises your lower body massage, enjoying a deserving rest. You take advantage and take pictures of her ass while her eyes are closed. "Go higher; massage my ass cracks," she demands. You started doing so, being careful not to touch her pussy or asshole. Natty sleeps a little as your hands get close to her holes, her pussy spreading as you reach under her ass crack.

"Could you please turn over?" you ask her. Natty follows as you cover the area around her pussy with the towel, moving up to massage her neck and shoulders while pushing her body up. You add more lotion to massage those areas before Natty intervenes. "That feels so good, but these are very sore too, ahhh," she says, moving your hands straight into her big tits and moaning as you touch them.

You continue to give Natty's boobs a good massage. Your erection is getting uncontrollable as you do so. Natty's tits are so soft and so massive that you slowly start losing your composure, giving them a desrving erotic massage and groping those massive pair of honkers of hers. You add more lotion to make it easier to slide between them, sensing that Natty finds it the most enjoyable part of your massage as her nipples harden. "You touch them so well. You really do have magic hands," she says as you keep circling them around her huge boobs.

"That's exactly what I need," Natty says. You grab both of her melons and start jiggling them like jelly. At this point, you're just fascinated by them, getting closer to watch them move freely with your touch and groping them. As you keep moving, your bulging erection accidentally touches the top of Natty's head, leading her to react.

Natty gasps as she feels the hard cock under your pants. "Is that what I think it is?" she asks as you now press her nipples. "I'm sorry," you say to her, feeling embarrassed. But Natty is ready to spice things up, using her hands to reach into your pants. "That's exactly what I want," she says, pulling them down, making her gasp once again as she gets shocked by the size of your throbbing cock, licking her chops straight into your veiny shaft.

"Oh, it's perfect," Natty says as she lines up your cock in her mouth. You get even touchier with her big tits as Natty starts sucking that throbbing tip. "Oh yeah, baby," you say as Natty sucks that pole hard and you start massaging her pussy now. "That's so good, my mouth and pussy getting massaged by that big cock and magical hands," Natty says as you poke the entrance of her vagina.

You put extra pressure on Natty, fingering her clit as her mouth still engulfs your cock. "Just like that, keep touching me right there," she says as she now jerks your cock off and slaps it all over her face. "You want a massage from this fucking dick?" you ask her, popping it in and out of her mouth. "Yes, please," she begs.

"There you go," you slowly thurst your dick up Natty's mouth while diving your own mouth straight down her boobs, motorboating her. "Open your fucking mouth," you tell Natty, trying to fuck her face, but she struggles with the girth of your cock, only letting the tip in as she spits on your cock.

"You know what? Give me those tiddies," you tell her, pacing your cock right between them as Natty squeezes them around your shaft. You take the towel off her body, getting Natty fully naked on your massaging table as you grab her waist and slide your cock between her huge tits. "Fuck those titties just like that," she demands. You barely hear her as her face is now between your legs.

"Give me your mouth; get that cock wet to fuck those beautiful big tits," you demand, groping them as Natty bobs her head on your shaft and jerks it off. "Fuck," you groan as she does so, covering her boobs to tease you as you move your hands down her pussy. "That feels so fucking good," Natty says about your magic hands working her already wet cunt.

"Keep taking that fucking dick," you tell her as you place more lotion between her boobs and some more around her pussy, getting on top of her as Natty grabs her boobs and pushes them close to each other to squeeze your shaft. "If your pussy is as tight as this, I'm gonna love it," you tell her as you fuck her tits in full swing and give her pussy a hard massage with your right hand.

"OH RIGHT THERE," Natty screams soon after you start that vaginal massage. Her tits get pounded nonstop as you treat them as a warmup for that wet hole, increasing the speed even further as you spread her pussy lips, only pausing when you need some extra spit on your dick, and loving the way her boobs jiggle once Natty starts to suck your cock more aggressively.

"Tell me you're a fucking whore, bitch," you say to her as you grope her tits. "That's what I am," Natty says. "A dumb big tit whore," she finishes. "Yes, you are," you tell her as you now spank her right boob, loving the way it jiggles every time your big hands slap those huge milk bags.

"Give me those fucking tits," you tell Natty, who moans hard. More titfucking ensues as you firmly grab her waist and treat her like a toy, before you turn her around and start choking her. "You want this dick, bitch?" you ask her as she puts her tongue out. "Oh, I want it; give it to me, please," she answers. Shortly after, you kiss her, your hard shaft still pointing to Natty's big honkers.

You grab Natty by her ass and bend her over the table, spreading her cheeks as you start tonguing her asshole. "OHHHHH," Natty moans as your tongue sweeps her anal folds. You then push her legs up and get Natty on her knees on the table, massaging her pussy with your right hand while you kiss her fit butt. "Uhhhhhh, yesssss," Natty approves, flipping her hair as you touch her. You then increase the intensity, your hands warming up Natty's cunt while your tongue eats out her anus, both at very high speeds. "It feels so good," Natty says.

"Give me that fucking pussy," you demand of Natty as you sit her ass up against the table before sliding under it and penetrating her from behind. Natty sexily moans as you insert your cock in her pussy. "Ahhhh, fuck," she moans. "You want that so fucking bad, don't you, whore?" you ask her, jerking your cock off as you adjust it to her pussy.

You start very slowly, letting Natty ease her way into your long and large cock. That doesn't last for very long, as just a few seconds inside Natty's cunt give you an increasing urge to fuck her harder. You slowly pick up the pace, and her moans are now music to your ears.

"God, you're so fucking big," Natty moans, her tits starting to jiggle as you get deeper inside her. You firmly hold her waist and appreciate her amazing boob-bouncing. "Take that big cock in that fucking pussy," you tell her, pushing Natty closer to you as you kiss her neck in between thrusts, her boobs turning more and more into a bouncy pair of jellies.

Natty swings her hips on your cock as you take your shirt off. She's finally ready for the massage she needs most: a deep, hard, vaginal massage. As soon as you finish pulling your shirt away, you grab her ass and push your cock harder, making her cheeks clap. "Oh, keep doing that," she approves.

And indeed, you kept doing that, now grabbing Natty by her hair. "Make me cum all over that big cock," she told you as you manhandled her. Natty didn't want you to stop, loving every second of that hard massage you were giving her as you now gave some kisses to her shoulders. "Is that what you want?" you asked, pushing your cock faster into her cunt. "AHHHHHHHHH!" Natty screamed shortly after. "I'm going to take it as a yes," you laughed.

You had never seen boobs bounce the way Natty's did; it seems like they want to split out from her body every time you hit deep inside her pussy, and more so now as you loudly clapped your balls on her cheeks, getting Natty out of breath. You slowed down a little, adding more lotion to spread around her ass, but still with that long shaft buried deep in her cunt, using the lotion like a lube. "Do you want more massaging in those fucking holes?" you ask her.

"Yes, please, don't stop massaging me; tease my holes," Natty begged as you started fingering her asshole. "It feels so good.". So you like how I tease that fucking asshole?" you asked as you rubbed your tip into her anal entrance. "Yes, I'd let you in there if it wasn't going to make me unable to walk before my next schedule," Natty said. "Well, I'll make sure that's true for that fucking pussy then," you replied.

You impaled Natty with full force, almost making her slide off the massaging table. Hard and fast, it was the only way a meaty pussy like hers could be massaged from her lips to her cervix. Your thumb poked under her tits before you slid them to grope her bouncy melons. "Fucking whore," you degraded her. "Yes, I am, and that's what I fucking want," Natty said. "Let's see those tits in full swing," you told her as her knockers just couldn't stop bouncing.

You put Natty in a standing position and tied her arms behind her back, giving even more wiggle room for her tiddies to jiggle, while placing your hands on her shoulder and massaging them, turning Natty into a defenseless fuckdoll only worth as a sleeve for your huge cock. "YES. YES. YES. AHHHHH!" Natty screamed as her boobs felt more and more like they were about to pop out of her body.

"Don't you stop, baby," you told her. "FUCK YES. I'M NOT STOPPING," Natty moaned. "Good girl, worship that dick," you told her, pressing Natty's chest against the table, then reaching under to kiss and grope her tits. "You gave me the kiss of life," Natty said, referring to her group. "More like I'm sucking those tits for life," you replied.

"Are you ready for more of this dick, baby?" you asked her. "Always," Natty said. Shortly after, you got back to pounding her pussy fast, making it more difficult on her as you choked Natty hard. "Keep doing that, please; choke me like a whore," Natty begged. "Treat me like a useless fucktoy," she continued. "Shut up," you told her as you pushed her face close to your mouth and kissed her lips.

"Good girl," you told her as you pulled out and gave Natty a couple spankings in her butt. "Tell me how much you want this fucking dick," you said. "More than I want to breathe," Natty said. "Then come here," you said, doing a ponytail on Natty's hair and pushing her head slowly down your shaft. "Fucking whore sucking that dick like her life depends on it," you mocked her, slapping her ass soon after.

"Umm, yes, thank you." Natty enjoyed the spanking, jerking your cock more intensely after it, adding some extra spit. You reached under her to massage her tits while her mouth massaged your shaft, leading Natty to gag even with just half of your length inside her mouth. "Show me how much of a fucking whore you are; come on, take that big cock deep in your throat," you told her. Natty wasn't accustomed to sucking cocks bigger than 6 inches, but dove to take all of your 8 inches in her mouth, gagging shortly after as you spanked her again.

"You like being a fucking whore?" you asked her. "Yes, baby," she answered. "Then jump on this fucking dick and bounce all over that cock," you demanded of her. Natty nodded positively, her eyes glowing as she stared at you, licking her chops, and you groped her boobs. "But first, let me massage more of those tits; let me see them shake," you told her, pouring more lotion into them.

"Come here," you told Natty, your hands all over her big tits. "Oh yes, please, fondle those titties; they are still sore," she said. "Dirty whore likes to be massaged on her tits?" you rhetorically asked her. "Yes, I love the way you touch my big tits," Natty replied. 

You finally got fully naked, as Natty couldn't take her hands off your cock, lying on top of that table. "Sit on this fucking cock, right now," you ordered her. "Yeah!" Natty got excited as you lined your cock into her entrance, screaming as soon as you got it back inside her: "OH FUCK!". You gave her no room to breathe, pumping as soon as possible and making her boobs jiggle nonstop. "OH MY FUCKING GOD," Natty moaned as you destroyed her pussy and her boob bouncing got out of control.

"That's what I want," you said as Natty settled down and started herself bouncing on your dick. "Yes," she sexily said, her tits turning more and more into a pair of jiggling pinballs. "That's it; make those fucking tits bounce," you kept telling her. "Holy fuck, God, that cock is so big." Natty started feeling that hit as her pussy kept getting impaled by your massive length.

"Damn it, fuck," Natty moaned. "If you want it, then take it," you said, pushing up her pussy. "PLEASE MAKE ME CUM ALL OVER THAT BIG COCK!" she screamed shortly after. "Ride that fucking dick," you said, grabbing her waist and pushing Natty's body down, making her cheeks clap hard each time she descented into your own body. You could only get a side view from it, but you knew her boobs were getting bouncier and bouncier.

"I love the way your cock fucks me," Natty told you as you gave her tits a little groping. "That's perfect, baby; get that fucking cock deep in that pussy," you told her as Natty sat on top of your body, and you reached to finger her cunt as she did. As soon as Natty recovered from your finger-fucking, she got back to bounce even harder on your cock and set those big tits free. "Do you like to bounce on that big cock?" you asked her. "Yes, baby, I love it," she responded.

"I won't stop until I... FUUUUUUCK," Natty couldn't finish the sentence as her legs started to close with your dick buried deep in her pussy. You took the opportunity to pound her fast and deep, sending Natty to the heavens as she got weaker and weaker. "Oh, I love it," she said, as you gave her butt a little spanking in approval.

"Spin around, baby; I want to see those tits bouncing," you told her. "Put those fucking tits in my face," you told her, sucking them while you aligned your cock back inside her pussy, pushing it up inside once again, and letting her boobs freely hit your face. Down low, your balls slapped Natty's cunt nonstop while your hands grabbed her ass hard. "I'm gonna fuck you until those boobs fall out of your slutty body," you tell her as gravity pushes her tits increasingly down and closer to you.

"Tell me when you fucking cum on that dick," you tell Natty as you choke her. Natty's boobs are so hanging so low they now bump against your chest. You keep hammering her cunt as Natty's moans grow softer. "Just like that," she whispers, squealing as your cock hits her harder and harder and your mouth is all over her tits. "Holy fuck, you do it so well; fuck me, daddy, please," Natty says as she goes back to bounce on your cock. "Yes, baby, I'm your daddy," you tell her as you slap her ass hard.

Natty twerks on your cock and enjoys getting stretched out balls deep. "It feels so fucking good," she moans. "Ride me harder," you tell her, giving her more and more spanks. "If you don't, I'm turning this ass red," you said, but that would be true regardless. Natty tilts her boby against yours and keeps working on that cock. "That's it, use that fucking dick," you tell her as her cheeks make an increasingly loud sound with her riding going on for long minutes.

"I want you to bury this fucking cock deep inside me," Natty says as she lies sideways on the table, allowing you to take her in spooning and make very romantic eye contact with her. "Come here, baby; I'll show you who owns this fucking pussy," you tell her. "Yes, baby, you own that fucking pussy," Natty responds as you passionately pump her and give her hot kisses.

"My pussy feels so good," Natty tells you as your balls clap hard against her entrance. "Are you ready to cum again?" you ask her. "YES, BABY, KEEP USING MY FUCKING PUSSY, PLEASE," she begs. "Come on, baby, let's go." You incentivize her and increase the pace. "YES. YES. OH MY GOD, DON'T STOP!" Natty screams as she gets closer to her orgasm. "CUM ON MY FUCKING DICK!" you order her. "YES, I'M CUMMING, I'M CUMMING, FUCKKKKK," Natty says shortly after.

As the pounding goes on, you get more and more addicted to Natty's pussy; you just can't stop going, hitting her throbbing hole full force. Natty is just a bystander who lets you give her the best vaginal massage possible. "Fucking whore," you spit at her. "Yes, I'm a fucking whore, and that's a good fucking cock; you go so fucking deep; don't fucking stop; pound my little pussy," she moans as you reach to grope her bazookas in between your hard thrusts.

"That's it, baby, turn around," you say to Natty. "Wrap your fucking tits right on my dick," you command. "Yes," she says, entushiastically spitting on her big boobs as she sandwiches them between your throbbing pole. "Ooooh, yes, baby, fuck these tits," Natty says as she gives you a naughty smile, but it's her tits fucking your big cock, actually.

"You like the way they feel wrapped around your cock?" Natty asks. "You don't even need to ask me, whore; of course I do. Give me more, please," you answer back. Natty picks up the remaining of your massage lotion and covers her tits full of it, quickly sliding her melons around your shaft. "Is that what you fucking need?" she naughtily asks. But this time, you can only groan. "I'll take it as a yes," Natty says, laughing and twisting your cock all over her big tits.

"How do those tits feel, baby?" Natty keeps asking as her voice gets even sexier. "OHHHHH!" you scream to her. "They feel good, I see," she answers back. "This cock is fucking perfect, made to fuck my tits." Natty keeps singing praises of your throbbing member, sending you over the moon. "Hmmm, you like how I worship this cock?" the questions continue. "Oh, yes, baby, yes, everything you ask me, I'll say yes, you got the best fucking tits in the fucking universe," you keep going. Natty loves it and just keeps playing around, hitting your cock with her tits from every possible angle.

"May I fuck you again?" You grab Natty by the neck, then draw her closer to you. "Yes, yes, please," she gleefully answers. "Pound you hard again until I cum all over you," you continue. "Yes, please, I know that big cock can shoot a lot of cum all over me; that's what I want," Natty says as she kisses you.

You put Natty's back against the pounding table, already signaling you're about to go HAM on her. But before, you tease her, using your magic hands to massage her throbbing pussy, making Natty drop her head into the table and moan hard. "Oh, yes, yes, yes, use those magic hands all over my pussy," she says. "I'm going to use much more than my magic hands," you tell her as you spit in her needy cunt and masturbate yourself in anticipation.

"Take this magic wand instead," you tell her. "Oh yes, AHHHH," Natty moans. "I'm gonna fuck the shit out of you and only stop when I cum," you tell her. "Yes, please," Natty says. Soon enough, you turn Natty into your personal fleshlight, manhandling her pussy as you go more and more insane. "I'm ready to use that fucking pussy," you tell her. Natty can only watch now. Her boobs get crazy bouncy, and her pussy cums all over your dick. She just wants to be used like a whore.

"Just like that, don't stop, please, AHHHH" Natty begs you as she whispers in your ear between thrusts. But you were never going to stop. As Natty collapses onto the table, her nipples get erect, her boobs become just a pair of bouncy balls at each thrust, and her neck gets veiny just like your cock buried deep inside her. You inch closer and closer to that orgasm. Natty is now just a shaking mess born to get pounded like a dirty whore. 

"Come here, watch that fucking pussy get destroyed," you tell Natty, pushing her body back up. Better yet, Natty gets a privileged view of her tits becoming more and more jiggly. "Keep going, baby, make my tits bounce," she begs. You get more feral, grabbing her by the head, as Natty sticks her tongue out to lick her own tits every time they get in her vicinity. "Please, please, cum all over me," she begs, becoming a sweaty mess to the point where she'll need another shower.

You slow down and put Natty's legs over her head, teasing her holes a little as she begs for more. Your tip pokes her clit and asshole, getting Natty even more anxious. "Oh my God, the way you tease me, such a bad boy," she tells you. "Well, that bad boy is going right back in, then," you tell her, pointing to your cock as you slide it straight back in her cunt. You can't hold for much longer, grabbing her waist and enjoying her pussy knowing each thrust could be the last.

"Give it all to me, baby," Natty says. "AHHHHHH!" you scream as you fuck her pussy full of rage. Your mind is free of any thoughts. All you see now is Natty's sexy body and her tight pussy. "I want that cum; give it to me," Natty whispers in a manner that makes her sound like the dirtiest slut ever. "I want to taste. Every last drop," she continues. "I want to be your little cumslut; please cover my tiddies full of it." She keeps going as you play with her boobs, and she keeps talking dirty to you.

And indeed, it doesn't take long for you to fulfill her wish. You were so eager to cover her body with your seeds that you missed the first shot, which landed at the edge of the table, but you have room to spare as the remaining geysers of jizz land all over Natty's whore face and huge milkers.

"You said you wanted every last drop, then clean this before my next client comes," you say, pointing to the semen sprayed all over the table. Natty indeed wanted all of it, as she licks it and swallows all the cum you fed her, scooping the sperm that landed on her tits and pushing it straight into her mouth.

"Good girl," you praise her, feeding Natty's mouth with your big cock one last time for her to lick it. Natty's head and your cock are standing side by side as she admires your huge length, wishing your massage went for even longer, but you already have a client who's already arriving at your house. "So, would you be in for another massage on a different day?" you ask her. "Absolutely," she answers, heading to the shower to clean herself up.

You get your clothes back on just in time for the next client, a little Hawaiian girl, who notices Natty showering.

"Do you know her?" you ask the girl.

"Yes, she's my groupmate Natty; by the looks of it, she had a great massaging session with you," Julie says.

"Wait, groupmate?" you say, confused.

"Yes, we all booked the massage together; Belle and Haneul will come next," Julie continues.

"So, how do you want me to massage you?" you ask Julie.

"I think you can start massaging my ass; it's feeling really sore these days." Julie takes her shorts off and spreads her butthole right in front of you.

It turns out your day of special massages has just begun.

[qqueenofhades]

I would like to... gently shake the people going 'Dick Cheney/Alberto Gonzalez/[insert neoconservative architect here] endorsing Harris is entirely and only a bad look for Harris' because that's not the point. And like, I get feeling weird about it (I've been unimpressed with Dick's backpedaling since Liz Cheney got primaried), but: Trump is proving too extreme for THE PEOPLE WHO MADE HIM POSSIBLE. This is their consequences. THAT'S the point.

Look, this is what I think about it: I fucking hate Dick Cheney and all the architects of the Bush Junior neoconservatism-early-aughts-War-on-Terror-Patriot-Act-No-Child-Left-Behinding Republican Party that laid the groundwork for the Tea Party and then for Trump. If there was any justice in the world, Dubya would be at the Hague for a war crimes tribunal and not allowed to sit in Texas painting dogs and enjoying a quiet retirement. But he was fortunate to be the president of the most powerful country in the world, and America doesn't obey international law unless it feels like it, so that's what we get. (And yes, someone asked Dubya if he was going to endorse in 2024, following Cheney, and was told, no doubt with much pious handwringing, that "President Bush retired from presidential politics many years ago." But he's still raising money for MAGA Senate candidates in Pennsylvania, evidently. Fuck you, George W. Bush. Kids these days don't say it enough.)

However, since literally the entire pre-Trump establishment Republican party is now deciding that Trump is too insane, fascist, and dangerous even for them, I'm not surprised but still annoyed that Online Leftist Logic (TM) has translated that to "Harris must secretly be an early-noughties hard-right neocon Republican and that's why they want to vote for her!!!" Most if not all of them have said that they openly disagree with her policies but are voting for her anyway because she is the only way to maintain American constitutional democracy. And yes, we're all shocked that DICK FUCKING CHENEY, architect of the Iraq War and the Patriot Act, felt that there was in fact a line of fascist government overreach that he wasn't willing to cross, but if that's the case -- if even these completely terrible warmongering corporate assholes are like "uh Trump is too bad even for us to support," then you should, I don't know, maybe listen to that. But as ever, I search for logic in vain.

Likewise: Harris has made zero policy concessions to these Republicans and she never went fishing for Cheney's endorsement specifically. She didn't suddenly declare Iraq a totally okay and normal thing in order to get Cheney and his warhawks on board, and yes, Old Dickhead probably has no small amount of personal motive to get back at Trump considering what he did to Liz. But that's the thing where apparently political motives should only ever be pure, moral, and Perfect, and taking the right action for the "wrong" reasons is still disqualifying because you weren't thinking enough pure moral thoughts while you did it, or something. I don't give a fuck why Cheney decided to vote for Harris, because I don't respect his opinion and can't foresee myself ever doing so. But because we are in an unprecedented historical moment where even DICK GODDAMN CHENEY thinks that Donald Trump is too dangerous to ever have power again, I will thank him for doing that and that alone and then tell him to hit the f'n road if he thinks he deserves a scrap of credit or Democratic policy concessions for it. He doesn't. He sucks. But he's still making a choice that we need to see made at this moment, and people who don't get that, as usual, can STFU.

Basically: Cheney's endorsement is not directed at you, and it's not intended to move voters who already fit your profile and therefore think, like I do, that Cheney can eat shit. It's directed to all the career-Republican-politician types who can see him doing that and decide that they can do the same thing. Hell, we just had 17 former staffers of Ronald Reagan announcing their Harris endorsement (in addition to the 200+ Bush, McCain, Romney alumni who already signed on and all the ex-Trump officials at the DNC) and going so far as to insist that Ol' Ronnie Raygun himself would have supported Harris. Now look. I hate Ronald Reagan more than any other twentieth-century president. The degree to which he ALSO laid the groundwork for incredible damage to America cannot be overstated. But because I am not an idiot, I can see that this does not mean Harris has suddenly turned into Reagan in her policies. So. Yeah.

The other thing to note here is that Harris has seen the advantage in cultivating a bipartisan coalition and making a cross-party case for voting her to preserve American democracy. Now, a lot of the Republicans have said that they are going to stay Republicans and they want to purge their party of Trump and MAGAism, they are trying to buy time for that transition to happen by voting for Harris, and while I have never voted for or agreed with a Republican in my whole life, I actually think that's a good thing! I don't WANT to fear the end of American democracy every four years because the Republican Party has become a screaming shitgibboning insane vehicle of American Gilead while inciting stochastic terrorism against Springfield, Ohio and everyone else who doesn't bow down to Trumpist Dear Leader and his KKK alt-right Elon Muskified supporters! I don't WANT this howling fascist conspiracy-theory-puppet-of-Vladimir-Putin black hole of violence to be just what we have to accept as the center-right (except you know, now far-far-far-far-can't-see-it-with-a-telescope-right) party in America! I would prefer it if we had a functioning democracy again where both parties were engaging in fair competitiveness and good faith and had the basic premise of making people's lives better, even if they disagreed about how to do it! I would REALLY like it if we could go back to the days of disagreeing about taxes and foreign policy and social welfare -- you know, NORMAL THINGS -- instead of Commander Vance and the Project 2025 foot soldiers trying to install a theocratic fascist dictatorship! I WOULD LIKE THAT A WHOLE LOT!

That said: I have pretty much reached my limit with asking people to vote. I have done it for 8+ years (since before Trump was elected the first time) and I'm done. Either you know the stakes of this election at this point, or you're so blindly and stupidly committed to misunderstanding them that there's nothing I or anyone else can possibly do to convince you. I still see people posting a lot of stuff from the bad-faith anti-democratic leftist cranks and arguing with them endlessly and... why? Why? Why are you giving them the oxygen and exposure that they crave, and which is giving them more attention than anyone else is giving them? Block them. Mute them. STOP ENGAGING WITH EVERYTHING THEY SAY EVEN IF YOU'RE TRYING TO REFUTE IT. It's not going to work, and at this point, it's not remotely conducive to winning this election. The Great Myth of the Undecided Voter (TM) is another one that, I hope, can finally bite the dust, and the actual undecided voters who are out there are not the ones posting dirtbag leftist bullshit about Harris on The Website Formerly Known as Twitter. This election is now completely down to a numbers game: who can make their identified voters turn out to vote. So please. Spend your time and energy on reaching those folks, who might want to or have said they will vote but need a push or extra help to make sure they do.

That being the case, if lifelong Republicans want to vote for Harris and help defeat a Trump dictatorship, they're actually being more helpful for the cause of American democracy than every single shrieking Online Leftist out there, and maybe they should think about that. I'm amused at how they still think they can make demands of the Democrats, because -- when your entire plan from the word go has been "I'm not voting for the Democrats and there's nothing you can do to make me!!!" -- why are you surprised that they don't take your thoughts and opinions into account? That's the basic simplest Democracy 101 version of how electoral politics works. If you have removed yourself from their voter pool and laugh and scoff at any suggestion that you should enter it, then they're not gonna listen to you or think that they should make policy to appease you (which is good, because most of these people are fucking nuts). That's why they're blowing a gasket disowning AOC, still one of the most left-wing members in the House, because she wants to actually win and make real changes in society and has reached a happy-ish marriage with the Democratic party, instead of virtuously losing her seat and becoming irrelevant like some other members of the Squad who got primaried out this year. And the Democrats have accepted many of AOC's views as mainstream policy! She didn't change, but she stayed in the party and worked with it, and the party as a whole is moving to where she was all along. But because any hint of compromise or working to get results, rather than just posting self-righteous screeds on the internet, is Bad, she had to go, I guess. Or something.

Anyway. That's the that on that. If you want to win this election, target and talk to the people who have already identified themselves as likely or possible voters, they just need that extra push to become definite voters. I'm over the anti-democratic hypocritical leftist cranks as much as I am the screaming shitgibboning racist-mob-inciting fascists. If it takes some Republicans gritting their teeth and getting on board the "let's save American democracy" boat with me, then fine. They're actually willing to do the smallest tiny thing to make that outcome come about, and that means, for right now, they are the enemy of my enemy and I'll accept their help. After that, I would in fact like it if we had a sane center-right party again, once Trump is in jail and we can fumigate the MAGA rot. It's up to them.

[kaladinsspear]

Self indulgent fluffy modern Shakadolin AU. Because I love them.

* Kaladin is ex army. One of those people who was special forces and therefore “officially” sat on his butt and did nothing for all 6 years of his service. He didn’t of course, but his entire file is redacted so he gets nothing. No disability (how could he have ptsd? He was “never deployed”) no VA support, no GI bill, nothing.

* He is now working for Amazon as a delivery driver while he goes to school. He started premed, but ended up switching to psychology. He’s especially interested in the body/mind connection. Not necessarily medication (though, he does support its use when needed) but more things like diet, sleep, exercise, and how your physical health affects your mental/emotional health.

* He volunteers at the local animal shelter where he takes dogs on hikes each week. This is how he met Syl.

* Syl is a Veterinarian. She volunteers at the local animal shelter as well, and the two quickly became close friends. They currently share an apartment.

* They tried dating for about a week (heteronormativity ya know?) but decided that it wasn’t for them. They love each other deeply and would consider each other life partners, but they don’t love each other romantically.

* Shallan works at one of those “paint with me” art studios. She has a degree in….drawing? (Sorry! I don’t know what the specializations are in art school!) and takes commissions for technical illustrations on the side.

* She loves the Wheel of Time series and has a thriving fan art instagram and tumblr.

* She met Jasna when she was in school. Jasna was her history professor and quickly became her mentor. Somewhere between a mother and older sister with a little bit of a crush thrown in. Not that Shallan would ever actually want to be in a romantic relationship with Jasna, but she so pretty, and smart, and opinionated, and bold, and…… ya know?

* Jasna is the one who introduced her to Adolin, and he and Shallan hit it off right away.

* They dated for about 3 years before getting married. They are sickeningly adorable.

* Adolin served in the military as well because it was family tradition, but didn’t make the career out of it that was expected of him.

* Adolin was a Marine, and his service is on record. He gets a nice GI bill which he is using to study physical therapy.

* Turns out, Adolin and Kaladin go to the same school.

* At first they are kind of indifferent to each other, but soon bond over shared military experience and an interest in whole body health.

* Adolin introduces Kaladin to Shallan and the two hit it off super well.

* Fortunately, they are all adults who know how to talk to each other and Shallan and Adolin have discussed polyamory before, all be it in hypothetical terms.

* Adolin is actually the one to bring it up to Kaladin, just to make sure Kaladin doesn’t feel pressured or sneaky. All 3 of them have a conversation about what a relationship might look like, and they decide to try it out.

* Turns out, it works great for them. Kaladin and Adolin have a delightful bromance thing going on. They probably wouldn’t have gotten together without Shallan, but they love each other deeply and enjoy their relationship.

* Shallan and Syl are super close as well, and they enjoy drawing together and discussing the Wheel of Time.

* Syl and Adolin get super into cosplay and make fantastic creations together.

[littleglutton]

Bare with me, I never post anymore, but with the release of Caleb's trailer, I have the need to SCREAM.

I am so excited because let me tell you, I firmly believed the only way they could do it right was by bringing him back as THE villain. Not a villain, mind you, THE villain.

Now, hear me out, ok. As someone coming from both the original launch of both MLQC and LADS, I've been playing these otomes forever. Am I an expert? Absolutely not. Have I poured an obscene amount of time, energy, and even money into these games because they bring me joy? Hell yes. #noragrets

Mind you, this is just me speculating and having fun, take what resonates with you 😜

Let me ramble a bit more.

Slight spoiler ahead for mid MLQC lore, so maybe skip or come back to this later if you need to

I thought for sure that when Sylus was introduced, he was the be-all, end-all bad guy. But nope, what he got instead was a super delicious, badass mafia boss whose interests actually end up aligning with MC (because honestly, what he really wanted was YOU), therefore eliminating the truly antagonistic part of their relationship, even if it started that way. Don't get me wrong, Sylus is absolutely morally gray and suspicious, but for the most part, he's not malevolent.

Now, idk bout y'all but the entire VIBE of Caleb's trailer was dark. Stormclouds, abundant. Lighting, striking. Traumatic memories/dreams, all of the above. The best part, watching Caleb suit up into that delicious black uniform. Did that honestly look like a uniform the good guy wears? Because I say hell no, not with those eyes and smile that are suddenly less endearing and more unnerving! Also, let's take a quick peek at those handsome eyes for a second, hmm? What color are they, again?

VIOLET

In film and media history alone, purple is definitely a color associated with the more suspicious/villainous characters. And if we're going by Paper Games alone, you know who else has the dark hair/violet eyed wombo combo?

This shady bastard, right here:

My first love and the original, truly villainous LI of MLQC: Lucien, aka Ares.

When I first started LADS, being a Lulu girlie, I immediately gravitated towards Zayne, obvi. But then I realized the only thing that was really similar was their stoic personalities. While they are also similar in terms of looks and professions, they share completely different motives. In reality, Zayne's arc mirrors more of Gavin's - reunited childhood friends. And while Zayne is typically an icy person in general, throughout the story he opens up so much to MC, allowing their relationship to grow. And while he is secretive about some things, for the most part, he's honest, almost to a fault. I never got the feeling or vibe that there was always another shoe to drop, or that he was hiding one hand behind his back while distracting us with the other like a certain someone listed above. And that is Lucien's draw. As soon as you find out his alter-ego, you're never TRULY sure which Lucien you're talking to from that point on. Are you Lucien, or are you Ares? Also, much of the time, especially in the traditional-themed cards, Lucien is almost always referenced with a snake to really hit home the duality and suspicious nature of his character.

I honestly think we're heading this direction with Caleb. Caleb, whose symbol is an apple. (Original Sin, hello.)

I feel like he's been in-the-thick-of-it longer than we realize. Like...he was recruited for a reason and it's not what we think. That wasn't a rookie's uniform, guys, that was a big boi uniform 😳 if you go to his character profile, it blatantly states he's a COLONEL. WHAT THE HELL!

Why am I excited about this? Aside from the copious amounts of angst we're going to get, it means that Caleb is already established in his career just like the others and that makes him more sure of his personal motives and decisions. (And his bad decisions, I can't wait for his bad decisions 🫠) This is what's going to drive the tension and antagonistic relationship between himself and MC. Because I can tell you right now, whatever that boy is doing, HE probably firmly believes it's the "right" thing to do. There was not one ounce of insecurity or hesitance when he put that uniform on. Is he tied to Ever? I'm going to say, absolutely. The speculation before the trailer was the only thing keeping me interested. I feel like they gave us a bland start to Caleb on purpose so the reveal would hit a little harder. And now that this seems to be the route we're headed, I'm INVESTED.

Food for thought, before I wrap up this long-winded rant:

Caleb is also supposed to be a direct foil to Zayne.

We already know that personality wise, they are quite opposite, but let's check their physicality.

Physically, they are very similar: tall, pale-skin, dark shaggy hair that's cut only slightly different. So where is our visual cue to really cement this foil? Well, it looks like again, it's all in the eyes. Because, what's across the color wheel from purple?

Green

This is just my take on things. Could be right, could also be dead wrong to which I will come back to this post and say so and leave it up for posterity's sake. 😆

At the end of the day, let's all remember that it's just a silly otome game that we all enjoy and in this house we love ALL 5 of our boys, (10 if we're adding MLQC 😂) so if you're gonna say something disrespectful or mean, please scroll on. But if you're coming with fun takes and theories of your own, I'm always free to chat!

[jasperandhenryslovechild]

dude i gen can't stop thinking about how shit everything went for ray throughout henry danger / danger force because JESUS CHRIST IS THAT MAN A WRECK. i love it so much it makes him such a good character but GOD....

like. he's always been a narcissistic, irresponsible, self absorbed man child and he has blatantly ADMITTED IT by the end of hd. but at first? at first it wasn't as bad. like we see in episodes like the indestructible henry 2 parter that ray did have some sense of that this was too dangerous for henry (ie: "youre just a kid! what right do I have to take you around with me and put you in all kinds of dangerous situations?"). we see him be genuinely concerned for his safety and well-being but, at the same time, episodes like tears of a jolly beetle (where ray sends henry to fight crime alone for days after being hired less than like what, 2 weeks ago? maybe a month??) show his negligence and lack of awareness about how this could be affecting henry

as henry grows older and matures more, so do the class of crimes he has to get through— as would be expected, but at the same time, that fact is putting more stress on him and therefore he can't really pursue an education because of being constantly at the man cave right? and ray doesn't see it at all. he doesn't notice a decrease in school stories from henry, etc, because he himself never had to worry about school. he didn't even go and he turned out fine, why wouldn't henry? and as henry grows and matures, ray feels less responsible to take the upper hand and protect the kid because he can protect himself— his responsibility for him dwindles and he finds himself "putting henry through all kinds of dangerous (and irresponsible/lwk stupid) situations" anyway (ex s4 ep 2 henry's birthday, when ray mentions he took like a week off to go ride every rollercoaster in texas but did not let henry take his birthday off, or s5 ep 33 rumblr when ray falls into a sort of depressive episode over not having any new criminals to fight and letting henry & team danger take on the responsibility of pulling him out of it). almost constantly throughout both shows, the kids take care of him rather him take care of them.

and sure, it's genuinely all because of his upbringing. like s1 ep 17, caved in, shows us how neglected ray was as a child. he had a lack of knowledge in things kids did because he never got to be a kid himself due to his forced crime fighting career. he's too into his head to realize that's genuinely the exact same thing he's doing to henry— at a young, fundamental age in his life, he too is pulling a kid out of basic education and fun teen stuff to get him to instead fight crime for him. because of this, he loses the chance at a life beyond it. what seperates him and ray in a way that i don't think ray would ever truly grasp is that, unlike him, henry actually cares about what he's lost. he knows its weight and wants it back. ray never has. ray has never seen a reason to change the way he is because he refuses to pick up any answer dropped in front of him.

when henry ends up quitting (and everyone goes with him) ray loses a support system. he's too fucking fragile to have adult friends beyond schwoz for whatever reason, so the one place he had for people to actually care about him or listen to him was team danger. and now, that duty's passed onto danger force because they're the ones who are gonna have to stick with him now.

and then, at the end of danger force, ray hits his midlife crisis a bit early, marries his ex sidekicks wife that he met like 9 episodes ago, buys a boat, retires, and never comes back. like. WHAT?? without even giving df any proper warning before like what, the 2nd to last episode? are they even trained to handle all this on their own? will they be fine? and like, did you think about anybody outside of yourself before making this choice.

NO!

no, because that's the entire point of him as a character— he is aware, but he is still in denial. he still refuses to change because everything has worked out just fine for him thus far. he's never had a normal life— he's never owned his own house, he's never had a normal job, he's never had anything outside of what his father and the government have molded up for him so he believes that is all he is and can be. retiring is a realization that he can finally sever those ropes and become something like normal, but not quite. retiring is ray manchester's form of closure from all the things his capitan man alter ego have kept him from in the past.

ray, inherently, is not a good or bad character. he does good things, but he is irresponsible with how he goes about it. he cares about people, but above that cares about himself. i think that makes for SUCH a GOOD FUCKING CHARACTER. he is supposed to be this hero character archetype— loving, kind, strong— and while he is all those things, he's also got fundamental flaws that he cannot see or change that set him apart from that. he wrecked the lives of his sidekicks because he didn't have a concept of what should and shouldn't take priority when it came down to training them. when he had to take responsibility for how they turned out because of it, either they fled or he did. he always ran or found a way out of having to think about the affects of his actions— and that's probably most likely kept him up at night.

like jesus christ his character evolution is less of an evolution and more of a devolution/j

but that's what i LOVE about him. ray is not normal and never will be! #! #!

thank you for coming to that unexpectedly long rant i only expected to write like 2 paragraphs and then i just kept going

[macsimagines]

Buenos días, tardes o noches, ¿no te preguntaste cómo serían Mikey, Mitsuya y Kazutora cuando descubrieran que su amor de la infancia/novia adolescente, con quien rompieron por cualquier motivo, está a punto de casarse con un viejo amigo de ellos?

I will let your imagination fly

First and foremost, I have nothing against spanish or spanish speakers but please understand that i don't speak it and dont want to have to go through google translate to decipher a request again. NEXT, I have done this exact scenario for Mikey Here and therefore will not be including him in this

TW: YANDERE BEHAVIOR, MINORS DNI, MURDER, MAYHEM, ABUSIVE AND TOXIC BEHAVIOR

Yandere!Mitsuya Takashi

He didn't think this would happen... TBH he wasn't a yandere when you two were together or even when you two broke it off. You both had been going onto different paths and Mitsuya wasn't going to ask you to put your whole life on hold for him.

But then years later he sees you and realizes just how miserable he had been without you, how empty all the fashion shows and runways had been without you by his side.

He wants to reconnect, want to be with you again and try to do this right, his career has taken off and he wants to share it with you... but you're engaged. Nonononononono- he can't take that.

Mitsuya is smart though. He makes an offer you can't refuse. "Lemme make you a wedding dress. One of a kind. C'mon, Y/N~ You were always my favorite model."

And he spends months with you, going over design after design and fitting after fitting, each dress more breathtaking than the last to you. And hideous to him.

You're beautiful of course, the most perfect bride any man could ever ask for. And you're just out of reach. Mitsuya is like a man dying of thirst just a few steps away from an oasis.

If you were his wife you'd be the most beautiful bride, if you were marrying him the dress would've been the greatest in the world, if you were his, everything would be ok.

But you're not. It doesn't matter how much time you spend together, how hard he's trying to prove you belong with him, you still want to marry someone else.

The last fitting before the wedding that's only a few days away. "I know its last minute, but you'll love this dress more than anything," and you do. Its a dress that's completely different from the one you had chosen before but its too breathtaking to say no to.

"Takashi, it's perfect! I can't wait to wear this to my wedding!" "Our wedding, darling." "Wha-!" you don't see the hit coming, just the sharp pain in your neck and you vision blacking out are the last sensations you feel, panic rising within you when you realize suddenly that Mitsuya had knocked you out....

"Bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress, I know, but I gotta take matters into my own hands. Sleep well, when you wake up we'll be on our honeymoon~"

Yandere!Kazutora Hanemiya

He broke it off with you while he was serving time after Baji's death. It was a single moment of clarity. "I can't drag you down with me anymore, Y/N. I love you too much to destroy you too..."

Regretted it the very next morning. No matter what the detention center's therapist said about 'Healthy Boundaries,' and 'Breaking Cycles' he knew deep down it was a mistake.

When the guilt and shame he has brought onto himself aren't eating him alive, his head is full of thoughts of you. Are you doing ok? Are you happy? Are you sad? Are you staying loyal to him? Of course you are, you were the first time he got locked up surely-

Chifuyu has to tell him very gently a few days after he's released. "She's ok. Better than that. She's happy. Can't that be enough?" And Kazutora tries to let it be.

For your sake and his own and all the people that he's hurt, he tries to let you go again but it doesn't work and his resolve crumbles when he sees you on the street one day.

With him. You're smiling like an angel, like your soulmate wasn't locked away in a prison cell to rot all these years, next to some stranger, some fucking interloper.

Kazutora just shatters right there in the middle of the street and makes the biggest scene, shaking you by your forearms demanding answers.

"How could you do this to me!? To us? I waited so long to be with you again and you've betrayed me like this!" and your fiancé makes the sorry mistake of trying to get in between you two and is just dropped in five seconds flat from one devastating hit.

And he would've done more than just that if you hadn't stepped in to save him, tears and fury and hate burning in your eyes. "I wanted you, you turned me away! I would've waited life times for you, but then you rejected me! You don't get to act like you were betrayed when you gave up first!"

Your words and tears leave no room for argument, he can't say much to that, o he just lets you walk away with your fiancé and watches you the whole time, eyes searing into your back...

The day of the wedding finally comes but your groom is no where to be seen. Apparently nobody had heard from him since the night prior and you're so scared.

Of course because the love of your life has seemingly abandoned you at the altar, but what terrifies you more is Kazutora who showed up uninvited and unwanted. Smiling, wide and knowing eyes never leaving you once...

"Are you ready for your actual soulmate to step in?"

[fcble]

THE FABULIST'S FIELD GUIDE TO FABLE.

Somehow I've managed to post almost one hundred thousand words on this blog in the form of writing pieces. Which is absolutely insane to me because I don't think I've managed to write one hundred thousand words of creative writing towards any single project in the rest of life up until this Tumblr blog. And maybe this type of celebration is a little premature but I have things planned and I will hit 100k. It's also the three year anniversary of this blog, and I want to celebrate that too.

This is a little recap of where we've been, where we are, and maybe where we're going. And by we, I mean me and the guys in my head. This is also a sort of guide to their writing pieces and the reading order because I did not write in chronological order.

WHERE WE'VE BEEN

There are four major, earth-shattering, life-changing events that happened to various Fable members that had repercussions to various people over various years. If you're interested in all the writing as a whole, I have a Google doc in posting order here and chronological order here, which splits up a lot of the pieces.

[ OO1 ] MINGEUN'S NATIONALITY SCANDAL

In order to debut, Mingeun made a deal with Taein, the company's CEO, to lie about his upbringing, and therefore his nationality. He was born in South Korea, but immigrated to Canada with his family when he was two. When it came to being a Fable member, Andrew already had the diaspora member position on lock. And the main vocal position, which led to Mingeun being cut from the debut lineup after Haksu joined at the last minute.

Jaeseop fought for Mingeun's inclusion and won, leading to Taein brokering the deal with Mingeun. Everything went swimmingly for the first two years, where Mingeun pretended he didn't understand a word of English, and never uttered a word about Canada. He uttered very few words in this time period and was always out of the spotlight.

In the summer of 2020, having hit their stride with their previous album a few months earlier, the lid on the entire operation was blown via Dispatch articles. Given that Fable was on the rise, both in Korea and internationally, it didn't take long for friends and classmates from his childhood to corroborate the news. Mingeun's hiatus was immediate, and it would be over a year before he returned to the group. In the months that followed, he gained a reputation for being a liar, and in turn, tainted Fable as "the group with the liar" for some time.

RELEVANT POSTS: One of the news articles that broke the news. Pre-redemption arc perception. A drabble. "Not Enough." "Live Wire."

[ OO2 ] HAKSU'S BLACKMAIL

Haksu was the last member to join Fable. In the most succinct way possible, he spent the last two months of 2017 stalking and harassing Taein until he was accepted as a trainee. This is because he very much believes in fate and he had a dream about him. In the least weird and creepy way possible. It's only what he did because of it that becomes weird and creepy. Armed with his knowledge and physical evidence of Taein's adultery, he used it as a bargaining chip to get his foot in the door.

At the end of 2017, the debut lineup was otherwise set and they would have debuted earlier, if not for Haksu's sudden inclusion. Jaeseop and Mingeun tried so hard to get him out of there, but he was surprisingly stubborn and resilient and optimistic. He's also the best singer in the group, which is why Mingeun was demoted to main dancer and then nearly kicked out.

After debuting, Haksu continued to use Taein's crimes against him to secure himself the position of center, along with every opportunity that came Fable's way for the first few years of their careers. This continued on until 2021, when Taein and his wife began divorce proceedings. Having lost his best bargaining chip, he had to start learning how to share the spotlight. The majority of Fable fans continue to consider him the undisputed center.

RELEVANT POSTS: "Great Things" part one and two. One part of "Form is Emptiness."

[ OO3 ] EUNSU'S DEPARTURE

Eunsu was Fable's main rapper for three years, until he left the group in August 2021. The official reason for his departure was given simply as "personal reasons." The real reason he left was the death of his older brother, Yonggeum, which left him as his parents' only child. His father runs the only Buddhist temple in the small town he grew up in, a position that was passed down through his family for generations. It was expected that Yonggeum would inherit their father's position. That gave Eunsu the freedom to do things like become a kpop idol. After his brother's death, he was compelled by a sense of duty to return home and learn his father's role.

Despite his departure, he continues to interact with the rest of the group to the point where it's like he never even left. He writes songs for them, features on some of them, appears on a bunch of their livestreams, and is still Mingeun's best friend.

RELEVANT POSTS: "Form is Emptiness" part one and part two.

[ OO4 ] 'THE PROBLEM WITH FABLE'

Ever since their debut, one of Fable's greatest assets and their biggest weakness has been their concept. After building their careers as a modern take on mostly Joseon-era culture, they're boxed into the same square. They hardly ever do anything different, and when they do, it pisses off half their fanbase. These problems and some more were the subject of a viral video essay by Lightspeed member Tyler, but before he joined a survival show and became an idol. You either die a hero or live long enough to become a villain. But I digress that has little to do with Fable.

Responses to this were split, with Mingeun and Jaeseop weighing in with their own opinions. They are a bit too decently established and also a boy group for this to really affect their reputations. It just sits in the back of Jaeseop's mind and bothers him every now and then.

RELEVANT POSTS: "the problem with fable" itself. Mingeun and Jaeseop's reactions.

There are a few smaller plotlines that focus more on individual members.

[ OO1 ] BYEONGHWI (AND GICHEOL)

Byeonghwi is the only character whose storyline is mostly romance-focused. I wanted at least one of them to have a smaller stakes plotline that wasn't lying about their entire identity or blackmailing their CEO. So I spun a wheel and it landed on him. Which works out well, because his idol origin story was always somehow passing an audition he went to with a friend.

Anyway, his plot is very linear and straightforward. He had a friend. He debuted first. He confessed and it went terribly. He no longer has a friend.

RELEVANT POSTS: "First Love." "Sea Change." "No Return."

[ OO2 ] ANDREW

Quick side note Andrew is the greatest thing that happened to Fable. He was not in the early drafts. It was just Mingeun against the world. A lot of things are better for them and also for me because he's in the picture.

As far as plotlines go, he's the diametric opposite of Mingeun. His story is also a lot more vibe-based. It's very much about his identity, and trying to find a place for himself, both as a Korean American returning to the so-called homeland, and as an artist in the kpop industry. I don't really know how to TL;DR this I think the TL;DR is his pieces.

RELEVANT POSTS: "Not Enough." "Double A-Side." "Piano Concerto in A♭ Minor" part one, part two, part three. A drabble.

WHERE WE ARE

After all of that happened, I am trying to pick up the threads and extend them years into the future. The easiest way to do this is probably by member.

KIYOUNG recently returned from his mandatory military service. Other than that he's big chilling. Not to be confused with bing chilling. He's adjusting to civilian life again. RELEVANT POSTS: "Piano Concerto in A♭ Minor part one"

ANDREW is being recruited by Taein's somewhat shady business partner and not-quite-chaebol-heir Jinguk, for reasons he still doesn't really know. He has been Fable's temporary leader for the past nine months, and will continue to be so for another year or so, while Jaeseop is enlisted. RELEVANT POSTS: The drabble again. And also his piece which is linked in three parts right above so I'm not doing that again.

JAESEOP enlisted in December. He will be there for some time. Before he went, he tried to prepare Andrew as his substitute. He considered it putting his affairs in order, like he was going to die. RELEVANT POSTS: The saddest announcement ever o7.

INTAK is technically the first Fable member to go solo, in a move absolutely no one could have predicted. He released a mixtape in August. He went to Japan with Byeonghwi and Mingeun and returned with an entire extra suitcase of anime merch. RELEVANT POSTS: The album. A news article.

HAKSU briefly went home in May and missed Fable's last tour date. He did not know that his parents set up a date for him. He also did not know that the date was with one of his sasaengs. It's bad for him right now. RELEVANT POSTS: Tour absence. "exploring haksu's sasaeng problem." "One-Way Mirror."

EUNSU might as well be in Fable with his appearance on Intak's album. He also hosted Mingeun back in November after he got into a fight with some of the other members for reasons I can no longer remember because it's been almost a year and I didn't write it down. RELEVANT POSTS: "Interlude: Birthright."

MINGEUN was given an ultimatum early in the year by Taein. It took him a while to get around to it, but he broke up with his girlfriend of almost four years in July. He's also been on house arrest for majority of the year. RELEVANT POSTS: "Live Wire." "Interlude: Chances." "A Night Out On Earth." An epilogue.

BYEONGHWI is doing things I have yet to post anything about. He's in a situationship with a fan. Nothing like Haksu's situation. There are no relevant posts because this is in my head. It's been going on since Fable's album in the spring of this year.

WHERE WE'RE GOING

Poll time! What kind of ending will Fable have? (This is just an interest check I'm going to do whatever I want.)

The good ending is something along the lines of their disbandment when their contracts expire. The bad ending is they succumb to what might be the only scandal that could kill them. After they made it through Mingeun's rough patch I really believe they could survive anything else, EXO/cockroaches of kpop-style.

Other than that, I don't have many more plot points fleshed out yet. I will go wherever they take me 🫶.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Top 5 comics that aren't bat related?

GOD okay I'm admittedly so so behind on my non-Bat comic reading because trying to read Everything Published In A 15 Year Period is fucking TIME CONSUMING, but! but but but!!! I have some fun ones!! also as always these are not in ANY particular order!

Thirsty Mermaids (Kat Leyh, 2021)

first off: yes we are including graphic novels! that's just a honkin big comic! nobody @ me! anyway, I read Thirsty Mermaids in one sitting on an airplane earlier this year and it was delightful. it follows three mermaid besties who turn themselves into humans and go ashore in search of booze, only to get stuck when the party mage can't remember how to turn them back. what follows is a mix of shenanigans and genuinely heartwarming character development as the trio cope with being landlocked and try to survive capitalism. there's a high potential for a story like this to get cloyingly oversentimental, but Thirsty Mermaids struck the right balance for me the whole way through and never went overboard.

also, the character designs are soooooo fun. look at them!

2. My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness (Nagata Kabi, trans. Jocelyne Allen 2016)

MLEWL is one of those books that actually completely lives up to the hype and then some, and it totally knocked me on my ass the first time I read it. I didn't really know what to expect going in, but I was totally blown away by how boldly Nagata's willing to share the ugliest parts of her life through this reflection. it's so much more than romance and yearning (and that isn't even really resolved by the book's end! Nagata continues to struggle with interpersonal relationships in later books, which you should also read!), and it felt really refreshing to see such an honest depiction of how much being depressed and anxious and insecure can just fucking suck. but at the same time, Nagata's ability to turn all of that into art and process what she's experienced in a really levelheaded way as she finds the will to grow and change is really affirming.

I have to give a special note of appreciation to the actual sex scene and how intimacy is negotiated between Nagata and the sex worker she hires, especially the ultimate realization that sex is just an act and losing her virginity didn't really change anything about why she was unhappy in her life. as a sex educator, I really appreciated the honesty and sheer practicality of how it was all framed.

3. Nimona (ND Stevenson, 2015)

hi okay yes basic bitch alert I'M AWARE, but I reread Nimona last year to remind myself of why I didn't want to watch the Netflix adaptation and I was so right for that, because OG Nimona fucks so much harder. it's heartfelt but also chaotic and violent and funny and deeply jaded; I think when I mentioned it in my monthly reading synopsis here I described it as weird art for pissed off queer people by a weird pissed off queer person. and I stand by that! if you haven't read it already or if you haven't in a while, it's right there waiting for you with an open invitation to burn the entire corrupt government to the ground.

I know the word feral is overused and therefore cringe but christ, comic Nimona is feral. come on, man. just let her kill your ex. he's a cop.

4. Superman Smashes the Klan (Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru, 2020)

I had to get one DC comic in here, sue me! it's not Batman-related at all! it's a really rad Superman story that takes place in the 1940s and loosely reimagines an old radio serial, "Clan of the Fiery Cross," the was pretty much a 16-part hit piece on the KKK that was hugely successful in tarnishing their reputation and getting membership to drop. how cool is that? in this version we follow Lee family, Chinese-Americans who have just moved to Metropolis and are met with harassment from the local Klansmen, contrasted with Clark, early in his hero career, still figuring out the full extent of his alien abilities. you get some really nice parallel storytelling between the Lee kids, Tommy and Roberta, exploring what it means to be part of two different cultures at the same time Clark is going through something similar figuring out how to be a representative of two totally different planets, and it all works out in a way that's really sweet. now that I have a friend who's a baby I can't wait until he's old enough to get a copy.

it's an extremely comic book-y comic but in, like, the best way possible.

5. Hawkeye (Matt Fraction and David Aja, 2012-2015)

I can't believe I almost forgot to list tumblr darling Matt Fraction's Hawkeye! what do I even say about this series that hasn't been said already? I love the way Clint Barton is a sadsack piece of shit who's repeatedly ruined his own life, and I love rooting for him anyway because he's just trying so goddamn hard. and also because there's a teenage girl who stole his name and gimmick bullying him the whole time. (Kate Bishop you are everything to me and you will always be famous.) there are costumes and crime fighting but it's first and foremost a slice of life about a life that fucking sucks but keeps on trucking anyway, and that's so up my alley it's not even funny. a lot of the humor probably feels dated now but fuck it, the series is iconic for a reason.

MCU, eat your heart out.

bonus because I wrote out the whole thing and then decided I wanted to include a different one: Paper Girls (Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, 2015-2019)

I'd be lying if I said that the thing about this series that I love first and foremost wasn't the art, because Chiang's art is breathtaking and I'll read anything ever if he does the art on it. but it's also just a super cool twisty, time-bending story about four girls getting roped into some high sci-fi bullshit when they're just trying to finish up their paper routes the morning after Halloween and having everything go to hell around them. I really respect a series that is committed to being weird and doesn't really care if you don't understand what's going on for a decent chunk of the plot, especially because it all comes together in a way that's pretty satisfying. waiting to read the whole series in one big run once it was all published so that I could track all the little hints and clues and things coming together across time travel bullshit was mwah, delicious.

also more than anything it's a story about how you Do Not fuck with 12 year old girls, especially in packs, because they're metal as hell, and I'm really about that.

[melit0n]

EUCLID ANALYSIS.

Told you guys it was coming, didn't I? I apologise that this has taken a bit longer than expected, my mental health hit me like a bullet train, but I do hope it's sufficient.

Part one -> You're already here!

Part two -> Line by line analysis part 1

Part three -> Line by line analysis part 2

Part four -> Musical/intrumental notes

Part five -> The Night in Sleep Token

Part six -> Conclusion

Please note this is a general analysis. Although I do go into theories, both my own and others, this is just general thoughts. Also note when I speak of Vessel, I mean Vessel as a character, not the person, unless I specifically state so.

Tagline: @rilllvri @a-s-levynn @fivewholeminutes @euclidsvessel @tonguetyd @moonchild-in-blue @kkarmatic @branches-in-a-flood

+ Some people were worried about spam liking/reblogging the last time I did one of these big analysis posts, and I want to say please don't worry about that! I get happy when I see the same users pop up liking and reblogging my work, because it means you're interested in this enough to go through the whole thing. Feel completely free to add your own thoughts, correct any errors I've made etc. As per usual, my DMs are completely open to anybody wanting to discuss ST <3

Let's start off with the basics. ‘Euclid’ is the anglicised version of the Greek name Eukleídes (Εὐκλείδης), mainly known via the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid of Alexandria, who is seen as the ‘father of geometry’, and most famous for his work on symmetry. Its general definition is something or someone who is renowned and or glorious (A) and the lesser known definition is something that is a copy of the same (B) (taken from Euclid’s ideas on symmetry), which we’ll come back to in a bit.

However, there is another Euclid in history that we’ll be referencing; Euclid of Megara. This Euclid, similar to our mathematician, was an ancient Greek Socratic (having been a pupil of Socrates) philosopher. I’ll be taking part of a text out of his Wikipedia article since his ideas have been explained thoroughly there.

(we'll be coming back to him soon)

First off, this is an incredibly interesting choice of name for a song. Outside of someone's maths and philosophy class, this name doesn't exist to most, so the fact it's been chosen at all is intriguing.

Vessel has shown time and time again he enjoys sometimes elaborate references in his art, an example being chemistry and biology in TPWBYT (most notable would probably be ‘Telomeres’), so, I think it would be easy to say that, whether it be a reference to Euclid the Mathematician or Euclid the philosopher, that said reference is understood and intended by Vessel.

So, let's start with our mathematician, shall we?

What I find interesting about Euclid of Alexandria is that his life and existence outside of his work on geometry is almost completely unknown. There's almost nothing known of him, as a person, other than where he spent half of his career (Alexandria; Egypt, hence his title), where he may have studied (Platonic academy) and a general idea of when he lived (around 300BC). What is known about this insanely famous man who created the foundations of symmetry is incredibly barebones. People take Euclid at face value for his work, just like Vessel (both as an artist, and a character).

Further, we, as listeners, don't have much of an understanding of who Vessel is other than being a mouthpiece of a deity known as Sleep, someone once human now grasping at the threads of humanity and someone sharing some of his struggles in life (both with Sleep and unknown people). Like Euclid, he is barebones, we take him at face value; a vessel. He is both a mouthpiece for Sleep, a mouthpiece for his own emotions (obviously) and a mouthpiece for us. His experiences transcend being just his, due to his anonymity, therefore allowing us to connect and express our own experiences. It's music for the sake of music; expression.

Now, having talked through Euclid as a person, it's time to talk about Euclid and his symmetry. Symmetry in shapes is 'reflections, rotations, translations, and combinations of these basic operations. Under an isometric transformation, a geometric object is said to be symmetric if, after transformation, the object is indistinguishable from the object before the transformation- a copy of the same’. So, of course, this means shapes like squares, rectangles, parallelograms and circles. Circles are a representation of infinity, wholeness, unity and loops. What does Euclid do? Loop itself (starts and ends with B major, which also happens to be the same chord that TNDNBTG starts with), and loops the three albums together, musically and lyrically.

Now, onto Euclid of Megara.

Euclid was born in Megara, Athens and was a follower of Socrates (sneaking into Athens to hear him speak, and he was also present during his death). He is most known for his philosophy that good is the knowledge of simply being and that the opposite of good does not exist, aka evil. The Good is described to be a perfect, eternal, and changeless Form, existing outside space and time. A form of Heaven without a God.

This idea could be linked lore-wise with Sleep Token; Sleep could, in a way, be The Good literally. Bliss. Further, with the idea that there is no actual opposite of good, then how can anything be bad? How can Sleep, as a deity, have bad intentions if there is no actual evil?

So far, with these two notable figures in mind, we can perceive Euclid as one of two ways (and there are more ways to come). Euclid can be seen as quite literally being a form of symmetry; a parallel that Vessel lays his life on because it brings all of the produced albums, all of his stories, together. Or, we can think of Euclid as Vessel. This brings me to @euclidsvessel's post on their theory on Euclid; what if Euclid was Vessel’s name before he became a vessel?

The theory that Euclid could be Vessel’s old name is not only extremely insightful, but very plausible as well. They explained their points very well in their original post, and I don't want to repeat what they’ve already said, so I do implore you to go read that! It's not detrimental to needing to understand this post, but I highly recommend it. Despite this, I am here to both support their argument and bring my own comparison. Take a look at the cover art for Euclid:

Let me repeat the lesser-known definition of Euclid; a copy of the same. A clone. A replacement. Held in the right hand is the decapitated head of Vessel's old (2nd gen.) mask. Specifically, the one that covers his mouth; the version that relinquishes the most amount of humanity. The album art is a representation of change portrayed in a symbolically gory way. Beheading, depending on the era you’re working from, symbolises both vengeance as well as a form of purification. By cutting off the head, you remove any ‘unholy’ thoughts. It's also among one of the most horrific and humiliating ways of killing someone (since it was typically done publicly, and sometimes the heads were placed on spikes of battlements as a warning).

Furthermore, there's a theory that's popped up a couple of times, lore-wise, that Vessel is not the first person to be turned into a vessel of Sleep, and he certainly won't be the last. So, considering the literal album art illustrates a replacement of Vessel, I’d say that theory is pretty much confirmed. In conclusion, the album art can either be interpreted as how Vessel will eventually be discarded and replaced by another vessel, or how Vessel himself will change, for better or for worse; clawing out of his own skin to become “someone new”.

So, to compare the idea of Euclid being Vessel’s old name, and to create the third perception of what or rather, who, Euclid is, what if Euclid will be the eventual replacement for Vessel?

[adarafaelbarba]

Holiday bingo- could you do first Xmas with Joe Velasco? Pretty please ❤️

First Christmas and Happy Endings

✨ Covering the «First Christmas» square of @storiesofsvu ’s holiday bingo ✨

It was your first Christmas in New York, the first one where you worked with SVU, and therefore, you had to cover the shifts over Christmas, so those who had been there longer, and had families could spend Christmas with them. You didn’t mind though. The holiday wasn’t something you really cared for, not since moving away and taking up a career your family didn’t like for you.

Joe on the other hand, had offered to take the shift with you, as his mother would be celebrating with her new husband and family, not to mention it wouldn’t be enough time to fly down and come back up just for Christmas. So he worked with you.

That didn’t mean you wouldn’t make it fun for the two of you. He was your best friend and you wanted to give him a somewhat normal Christmas, despite the current situation.

On the day in question, after prepping for a few days leading up to it, you walked over to him with an envelope in hand. «Got a minute, Velasco?»

He turned, smiling as he looked at you, «what’s up?»

Stuttering slightly as his beautiful smile caught you off guard, you handed him the envelope, officially inviting you to the dinner after shift that evening. And to your surprise, he said yes, his smilie broadening.

«I’ll bring some wine on my way over.»

At that you nodded, and you went back to work, smiling to yourself as you counted down to the evening.

…

Right as the clock hit 7pm, there was a knock at the door. You took a moment to check yourself in the hallway mirror, smoothing out your dress, before you opened the door.

«Merry Christmas, y/n,» he murmured, handing you the bottle of wine before leaning in to kiss your cheek. «I got you a present, where should I leave it?»

«Oh, ummm, under the tree…you really didn’t have to get me anything though—.» You muttered, blushing. Although you’d gotten him something, you absolutely did not expect him to get you anything in return. It had not been planned at all.

«Well, for one, you’re hosting Christmas, and second, you’re my best friend, so yeah.» That made you blush again, and he smiled softly at you. «Now, are you going to invite me in? Or are we celebrating Christmas in the hallway?»

Apologizing again, you moved out of the way, letting him in to your apartment.

He sighed in content as the scene before him and the aromas filled him with an internal warmth.

…

The whole evening was filled with laughter and great stories over a home cooked meal and a good selection of wine. It all felt so right, having him there with you. You could almost imagine it being the future you were meant to have.

But you had to know if there was a chance he might feel the same.

“Joe?” He looked over at you at the sound of his name, and you took a deep breath before leaning in to kiss him.

He seemed shocked for a mere second before he pulled you closer, kissing you deeper. His lips feeling so soft yet so dominating on yours. Yet you couldn’t pull away, didn’t want to pull away. It felt like you were supposed to be there in this moment with him.

One kiss, and everything felt right.

~~~

Tagging:

@plaidbooks @storiesofsvu @cycat4077 @thatesqcrush @alwaysachorusgirl @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @bisexual-dreamer02 @misscharlielulu @xoxabs88xox @muchadoaboutcj @beatrice-san @meetmeatyourworst @thats-jaywalking @cursedashes-blog @mysoulisasunflower @crazy4chickennuggets @imaginelover88 @beccabarba @itsjustmyfantasyroom @detective-giggles @guitita @ladylionstar @achataa @nessamc @peauxheaux @silversprings-mp3 @polkadotpenguin16 @pepperbstark @im-a-slut-for-this-man2 @chickensarentcheap @irishavengersassemble

Wanna be on the tag list? Fill out this form to be part of the team 🥰

[theresattrpgforthat]

Any games about cross-country racing or just racing in general? I've had this setting with this grand race for riders of fantasy creatures and its rough trying to find a game that fits it.

THEME: Racing Games.

Hello friend, so I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that I found a number of racing games! The bad news is that all of the games I found are built with the expectation that you are racing machines, not creatures. I don’t think that makes these games completely non-viable, but pretty much all of them will probably need a little bit of re-wording or hacking in order to become games about racing living things.

SUPERSTARS Racing Icons, by Tristan B Willis.

The air screams around your helmet as you hurtle past the final turn and towards the finish line. Your best friend looks to make a pass that could take both of you out. Do you play it safe and risk losing, or play for glory and risk everything? 

Welcome to Superstars: Racing Icons.

Trophies are nice, but racing careers are short and you’re here to build something that lasts. Is that a rabid group of loyal fans who follow your every move? A list of sponsors willing to keep you comfortable long after your racing days? Or just one meaningful connection with a teammate, a rival, a friend, a lover? 

The designers expect you to translate this game into a setting that works for you, but plenty of the language expects elements like sponsors, a PR team, and vehicle terminology. The game is GM-less and comes with a menu of backgrounds, which define your character’s narrative role in the race.

Because Superstars is a Firebrands game, instead of freeform play the group instead moves through a series of scenes, embodied through various mini-games. This means that this game is well-built for telling some kinds of stories, but not others. Much of the game is about the tension between the riders; the races are simply methods through which you can explore that tension.

If you want a game that is focused on the spectacle of the race as much as it is on the race itself, you might want to take a look at Superstars: Racing Icons.

Speedway Showdown, by Bammax Games.

Speedway Showdown is an ultralight, GMless minigame for two players that aims to quench your need for speed! Built on Cezar Capacle's Push SRD, Speedway Showdown begs you to put the pedal to the metal and take risks to walk away with the glory. Take a single turn on the tracks and reap a lone victory, or form your own circuit with your friends and race for the top of the ranks!

This is a business card rpg, so it’s very simple and therefore probably pretty easy to hack. Instead of damage to your car, your creature might get wounded or spooked, and you can replace mechanical benefits to reasons why your creature might suddenly get a boost of speed. This is also GM-less, so everyone can throw their hat in the ring for the title!

The game is probably going to be over pretty quickly, since there’s not much to it, so this would be a good set of rules to couch within a larger game.

Ghost Kart Racers, by kumada1.

Lord Aoyama was your master. He wronged you and killed you, but in doing so he made two mistakes.

He angered your spirit.

And he left an unsecured motor-kart in his stable.

Ghost Kart Racing is a 20 page supernatural racing trpg in which you shred rubber, use power-ups, and unhinge your entire face to devour the man who wronged you.

This is a multiplayer game that relies on different sided dice to represent your Kart (or perhaps, in your case, your Steed). You take turns flicking your dice towards a finish line, with the goal of hitting it exactly, with falling short being considered just as bad as overshooting. The game also comes with extras for customizing your racers, creating custom tracks, and adding Charms that change how your vehicles work.

I think the rules for this game can definitely be separated from the story that the designer has introduced, and the idea of having different steeds with different strengths may make sense if each racer is riding a different creatures. You could re-tool the charms into abilities that different fantasy creatures might have, such as a glowing body part or the ability to jump over low obstacles. The game also has optional skills that represent your character’s abilities outside of racing, which you could change to reflect what your characters might need to be good at when they’re not out on the race track.

Dirt Eaters and Grid Beef, by e.a.

DIRT EATERS is a dice game where players compete to see who can get the best score driving their cars through dangerous tracks! Players build the tracks through dice rolls, ranking each sector on a scale from 1-5. Rolling six sided dice, players have to get a number of successes equal to the difficulty of each sector to score a point. The more dice you use, the harder you're driving, and the more damage your car takes! Replenish your dice by 'repairing' your car between stages. It's a game of resource management, strategy, and a little bit of luck!

GRID BEEF is a roleplaying game about racing. In this game, players will be racing cars against one another in a series of events across the world. In between races, they'll form friendships, clash with bitter rivals, and be submerged in the world of politics and drama that comes with racing at a world championship level. Sometimes, the biggest drama happens off the track!

Both of these games follow the same core mechanic, in which a number of d6’s are rolled and the results over a certain number are counted as successes. While DIRT EATERS focuses on damage and hazards, GRID BEEF is more about the relationships between the racers, and how you interact with people affect your performance on the track. I think the core rules can work on their own, and the outside elements are examples on what can affect the race depending on what is important to you. In both cases, there’s probably a good amount of hacking and home-brew that you’ll have to do, but the benefit of looking at both of these is that you can see examples of how the core game can be re-tooled to focus on elements that matter to you.

Love by the Quarter Mile, by Dice Monkey.

Rev your engine and prepare to fire the NOS. In Love by the Quarter-Mile, you play as a street racer trying to make it while fighting for family. This one-page tabletop RPG is quick and dirty, providing you with everything you need to use to play games in the same vein as Fast and Furious and Gone in 60 Seconds.

This is another short game that I think can be very easily hacked to turn this game into a game about racing animals, rather than racing cars. You can replace the car tags with animal tags to differentiate the creatures that you are riding. However, being fast isn’t the only asset you have here - the game is also about fighting and personal relationships. You can fight rivals or other characters, and the rules are loose enough that you could use fists, or weapons that match your setting. You can also have arguments that can tax your emotions, so if there are personal stakes in the competition, you can enjoy some hair-raising drama in between each race.

Also Check Out

Gravity RIP, by lukewestaway.

[romiswired]

Chris Brookes (c) vs. Shuji Ishikawa (DDT New Year, New Hero 2025)

I thought I "knew" how this match was going to go.

The more I consume wrestling, the more I find myself stuck in this idea of "knowing" the outcome of a match. It's like one of the most special things about the sport, because in the supposed predictability a match could get, you find somewhat of an unexpected outcome. To me, saying wrestling is scripted takes from the dramatic nature of a match in which you actually don't know what's going to happen.

Yes, you can argue wrestling is indeed scripted, but you don't know said script at all, you just try to understand it and see where does it go from point A to point B. You can predict the outcome of a story and see if you can connect all the dots, but you'll never "know" how a match will develop.

As there are examples of matches falling down piece by piece like a house of cards, there are examples of matches that understand you're taking them for granted and show you how wrong you can be, succeeding in their mission, as you watch your screen thinking "Well, that was awesome."

That's the appeal of a "match" to me in terms of telling a story. Yes, I know this is scripted, but predicting the outcome of a match to me is a great way to see how a match treats suspension of disbelief and how does it make you feel a part of it.

If you read this blog, it's no secret DDT is one of my favorite promotions. I made various reviews of DDT matches that gave its flowers to a company that to me stands out as the best example of what "modern" pro wrestling should be in all of its glory, and this match I bring you today is a great example of this I'm preaching.

Chris Brookes vs. Shuji Ishikawa is built around the idea of Ishikawa being this big, mean monster that will surely take Brookes by storm.

A similar idea was the backbone of that fantastic King of DDT final between Kazusada Higuchi & the current KO-D Openweight Champion. While this is enough to catch my eye, the implications of this match for Brookes were big, if not immense.

If you don't know what happened with Ishikawa these last months, I can give you a quick recap.

Ishikawa left All Japan Pro Wrestling and entered a DDT built around junior-heavyweights. A DDT that had just lost Yusuke Okada, Yukio Sakaguchi and Yuji Hino but had both Brookes and Yuki Ueno as flag bearers of a new era in the company, seconded by the oh so charming and charismatic stable of 37KAMIINA.

Ueno, as former KO-D Openweight Champion, had his reality check when he faced Shinya Aoki, a legit shooter that made him understand the flaws around his game and humiliated him in both a technical sense and a psychological sense. Ueno's defeat was something unexpected to me, but the more Aoki continued his title reign, I understood the purpose of it.

Therefore, when taking into consideration that both Ueno and Brookes were the flag bearers of the company, and both had careers certainly connected to one or each other, the idea of the same scenario happening was at least intriguing. DDT tends to work like that. When a champion faces every talent in the company or at least every single potential threat to his title reign, a new contender emerges and dethrones him.

For me, Ishikawa was that guy. It was not only his in-ring prowess that made me contemplate the idea of a KO-D reign from him, but other things like another match with HARASHIMA on the horizon, or Ueno's redemption being beating this big bad monster in Judgement or something like that.

I never considered Brookes as a legit threat to Ishikawa.

And this is what I meant when I brought out the idea of "knowing" the outcome of a match. When a match shuts you up and makes you doubt if you know anything about wrestling is when said match hits a higher level, and when you can actually believe what you're looking at. Brookes is no stranger to these kinds of showings.

As I said before, the King of DDT final in 2023 is a great example of this type of matches where he just gets destroyed but continues fighting, while bloody and battered. A type of match where you just don't see the miracle of Brookes actually winning, and you just simply accept what will come.

I think Brookes has been fantastic for a while, and some people will still refuse to give him his flowers because of some things he does that don't align with people's tastes in wrestling, but to me, it's all about the heart and the emotions he evokes. He's definitely one of the best foreign wrestlers in Japan right now, but the work he's been putting on DDT has been nothing but outstanding to me.

If you didn't realize by now, I love this match. Ishikawa is great as always, but Brookes pushes all the right buttons to make you believe he's actually going to defeat this monster standing in front of him. In the first minutes of this match, Brookes' offense is useless against Ishikawa, who using his brutal headbutts puts him in a hurry over and over. The size difference also tells a story of Brookes' natural and evident limitations against his opponent.

He may be tall, but he's not as powerful as Ishikawa, so he has to pull every trick out of his book and stand against everything that gets thrown at him. This match is violent and aggressive, but I don't think it's necessary to clarify this when you consider the hardcore aspect surrounding it too, because yes, this is also a hardcore match, and a great example of the stories you can tell when bringing weapons into the equation. It seems like this match hits all the strides, and maybe it does because if not, I wouldn't write this. Brookes' victory feels satisfying in a way few matches make me feel.

Because it's not just about the idea of him winning, but him overcoming the odds and the presumed idea he's going to fail, welcoming a new year, and standing tall as DDT's new hero.

[fromtenthousandfeet]

What is it gonna take for HYBE to give Jimin the support he deserves? Will it ever even happen? Because I'm tired of feeling so miserable all the time. I even wanna delete all my socials and just find something else in my life to fixate on. I feel terrible for feeling this way because it's like I'm abandoning Jimin (even if I'll still be streaming his music). I'm tired of all of this, it's not good for my mental health at all.

All this corruption and evil simply can't keep winning like this, can it? Are we just supposed to make peace with JK being BTS' "break out star"? Really? I naïvely thought that they'd abandon their sinister plans after seeing how poorly he's been performing in comparison to the crazy amount of push they've been giving him. What the hell is going on at that company?

Anon,

I'm sharing with you this poor quality video of Michael Jackson calling out Tommy Mottola and Sony because it's worth remembering that record labels using and abusing their artists is the rule, not the exception. Not even The King of Pop was immune.

At around 3:20, MJ mentions that he "owes" the label two more songs and then he's a free agent. He says he writes about 120 songs per album, so he'll just pick two songs he's got hanging around and then he's done.

I bring this up because I suspect Jimin might be doing something similar. Having as few solo songs under Big Hit as possible is smart, because he likely won't own the rights to his own music if/when he leaves. The less they own, the better. Writing and recording two albums at once was efficient. Also, by keeping his marketing budget (ads, playlist placement, music videos, etc.) as small as possible, he'll keep more of the album sales and streaming revenue. All those expensive marketing costs are deducted from an artist's earnings, so best to keep them at a minimum if the plan is to make the most money possible. Between the writing credits, lower marketing budget, and the high profile brand ambassador deals Jimin's got, I feel like he's positioning himself to create his own company or label. This is my hope even if I have zero proof.

The way FACE went down really bothered me. I knew the company was behind Jimin's sabotage immediately and it drove me crazy that it took so long for others to catch up. But look at the response to MUSE. Jimin really does have an army of dedicated fans who are calling out the company's (intentional) incompetence 24/7. In reality, it's fun to watch PJMs catch the company and create a stink. It's almost like a game. Don't take it too seriously. Plus, in the long run, who cares about charts? The quality of the music itself is far more important.

Once again I've droned on way too long, but hear me out. I think HYBE/BH is investing so heavily in JK because they have to. BTS isn't going to last forever, and if Jimin leaves, they've lost a huge revenue source. But please trust me when I say they have an uphill battle before them because JK doesn't currently have the artistry or charisma to enthrall the west the way Jimin does. Don't expect them to abandon ship anytime soon, though. And if he does make it big, so be it.

I really wish BTS fans, or at least PJMs, didn't feel so much hate for Min Hee Jin because there's a lot to learn about Bang Si-hyuk and HYBE when you follow the whole ADOR saga. There are some astute NewJeans fans out there who've sized up Bang PD so well and their observations help explain Jimin's treatment by the company. He breaks people down (the idols, staff, and fans) using the "death by a thousand cuts" method. Endless small transgressions and slights, that individually appear like no big deal and are therefore not taken seriously by the media or fans, but collectively are detrimental to careers and one's mental health.

You know what? If Jimin announced he's leaving the music industry after military service, I would say congratulations and thank you for all the amazing music and performances during your BTS and solo career. Have a wonderful life! While I don't think he'll do that, it's worth remembering that none of this is all that serious. Enjoy his music. Take a break from social media, because in the real world nobody cares about this stuff.

Anon, did you make to the end of this long post? Way to use the umlaut on naïvely!

[biggestwilliamfinnfan]

Favorite in trousers song??

Alright, here we go, strap in everyone,

My favorite musical in the Marvin Trilogy is definitely In Trousers, mainly because of the music. I think it's some of Bill Finn's best work (of course, excluding Falsettos as a whole and Elegies, which I consider to be the peak of his composing career). Now, if you asked me to pick one song of his to say is my favorite, I probably couldn't do it. A lot of his music stretches out across different genres, albeit sounding very similar. All of his music is very special to me and also really fucking good.

So, I have three answers for this question (from the 1979 version), and I have my reasons why:

The Nausea Before The Game

Love Me For What I Am

The Rape Of Miss Goldberg

The Nausea Before The Game and My Chance To Survive The Night often duke it out in which one is my favorite. They're usually tied, but the reason why The Nausea is my top three is because it's just... so good. I never know how to put into words how much I love Finn's music. It has such a particular sound no one can replicate, and this song is just one of those songs that only he could write. Also, THE LYRICS. It's probably the most important song in the whole musical, therefore in my top 3.

Love Me For What I Am is the most devastating song I've ever heard, and definitely one of the most beautiful Finn songs of literally all time. All of Trina's songs in In Trousers are top tier, nothing can beat them. The transition from Nausea to Love me is just... so important to me. I could listen to this song on repeat for days (and I have before). "Love me for what I am, I am someone imperfectly me." The best lyric he's ever written. Not only is it like, so freaking good, I relate to the song heavily. It hits the audience hard and it kinda leaves you frozen in your seat. The vocals, the lyrics, the instruments, it's literally everything to me.

The Rape Of Miss Goldberg; the most insane song William Finn has ever written. Yet, it's so good. Sometimes, Set Those Sails takes this songs place as my top 3, mainly because of the title: The Rape Of Miss Goldberg, and I don't exactly bring that song up in regular conversations. But, either way, I love it. It perfectly encapsulates Finn's writing style. It jumps around from genre to genre, it's fast, the lyrics don't make sense at first, it's insanely catchy and get's stuck in your head, and it's a pretty heavy topic. All of it, I love. Do I understand the song? Not at all, but that doesn't mean I can't love it. And, it's an important song... somehow. I literally have no idea this musical is crazy and insane I love it. Like Chip Zien once said, "It's a abstract fever dream."

Honorable mentions: Marvin's Final Words from How America was Discovered and Marvin Takes a Victory Shower. They're just so fucking good, can't even put into words. So underrated.

If you don't want to read all that nonsense then the short answer is Love Me For What I Am :)