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btsgotjams27 · 1 year ago

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don't push your luck | knj

you’re asked to present at an important meeting, but of course, your rival has to come along for the ride.

✨ title: don't push your luck | one-shot ✨ pairing: namjoon x f!reader ✨ genre/au: angst | ex college rivals, e2l, co-workers, one-bed trope ✨ rating: pg-18 | ✨ word count: 6.4k ✨ warnings: language, joon loves to call reader a lot of pet names, suggestive language, they're both kinda jerks to one another, they've also known each other for a long time (and slept together once), both are literary agents, mentions of surgery and cancer, banter, mentions of alcohol, they sleep in the same bed, there is a small hug, reader has misconceptions of joon, did i mention angst?, reader likes to blame namjoon for her shortcomings ✨ a/n: hi--so this was originally supposed to be out for joonie's birthday lmao and here it is a few weeks later. don't be afraid to let me know what you think. i love hearing from readers.

“Hold the door!”

A heaving sensation fills your chest and you feel out of breath. Everything you could imagine going wrong before a flight happened—your alarm wasn’t set, the Uber arrived late and hit every traffic light, security ‘needed’ to rifle through your suitcase for suspicious items, and the stupid expensive carry-on you purchased has given up on you.

“You made it just in time,” the attendant smiles and scans your plane ticket.

“Oh, thank god.”

You’re grateful to be in first class and now you can finally relax. It’s even better when you look at your row and the seat next to you is empty. There are a few glares from other passengers, but you don’t care��you’ve made it, and that’s all that matters.

When you settle into your seat, you check your phone for any last-minute work emails. The flight attendant announced the plane was ready to taxi for take-off. They ask everyone to be seated and buckled.

As you’re ready to plug your earbud in, you hear a muffled bang from behind. Peering over your shoulder, you realize you’re in the row before the bathrooms. Great, you think, that’ll be fun. You can hear clinking and clanking from the bathroom door along with someone shuffling out as the door slam shuts.

“Sir, please take your seat. We’re ready for take-off,” the flight attendant says.

The man clears his throat. “Oh, yes, of course. My seat’s right here.”

You look up to see none other than the person who has become the bane of your existence, Kim Namjoon. They say keep your friends close, but your enemies closer and he loved to be so close to you alright–everywhere you are to be exact.

Your jaw clenches as he plops down beside you. A few seconds later, a woman emerges from the bathroom. She brushes past the attendant, holding a card between her fingers as she peers down at Namjoon. “That was fun. Call me sometime,” she grins while walking away.

“You’re disgusting.” A shiver runs down your spine as one can assume what they were doing in there.

Namjoon gives you puppy eyes. “You’re so mean to me,” he pouts, folding his arms against his chest as he looks down. Not a split second later, he turns to you with a smirk. “I can rock your world whenever you want, angel.”

If only he could see the smoke fuming from your ears. He would never let that one time you slept with him go, would he? It was a moment of weakness you wish you could take back.

You scoff at his comment. “I can’t believe they just let anyone on airplanes now.”

His eyes rake over you. “I could say the same about you,” he retorts.

“What are you doing here, anyway?”

“What do you think I’m doing here, darling?”

Your body cringes at the stupid pet name. “Oh, I don’t know, to annoy the fuck out of me?” you say, flashing a wry smile.

“Ah, yes. That’s on my itinerary too, but you know I can’t resist an all-expenses-paid trip when it’s offered.”

This was your chance to make an impression on one of the biggest publishing houses. But with Kim Namjoon tagging along on this little trip? He will consume your thoughts because you can’t think of anything else when he’s around–plotting and scheming ways to take you down.

“Just stay out of my hair tomorrow.”

Namjoon sucks his teeth. “Wish I could, sweetheart. But, whatever Ms. Davis wants, she gets.”

A part of you wondered if Namjoon was sleeping with her to get to the top of the food chain, like the vulture he is. You shivered at the thought of the two in compromising positions. Namjoon’s college shenanigans were something that continued even into adulthood, you guessed.

The blinking cursor in this blank Word document has been mocking you, thinking you’re a clown. But you blame Kim Namjoon. He’s pushed his seat back, legs crossed and reclined, hands behind his head as he’s laughing obnoxiously at the movie on his computer screen. Every stifled laugh and clap has you rolling your eyes.

You can’t concentrate when he’s around, and that’s how it’s always been since sophomore year of college. The countless conversations with yourself because you had to be ready with a witty remark in case he is a smart-ass about anything and everything.

It was a sweet relief when you walked across that stage to shake the president’s hand and retrieve the rolled-up paper. And when you lifted your tassel from one side to the other, you exhaled because you never had to cross paths with him again.

That is four years into your job, and who shows up sitting in your office? None other than Kim Namjoon–your old academic rival.

You’re 29. No man should have you gritting your teeth, ready to claw at him. Then again, he’s no ordinary man–more like the devil incarnate. He makes your skin crawl. His presence makes you want to jump out of a window–because he’s suffocating, and the air in your lungs doesn’t exist.

Okay–maybe you’re exaggerating. But right now, you want to spill your glass of red wine just so he’ll have a stained shirt.

Your mouth twists as you nudge the giggly goon head. He takes off the noise-canceling headphones. “What?”

“Can you zip it? I can’t concentrate,” you say, repositioning in your seat.

Namjoon snickers. “Aw baby, you weren’t able to concentrate before I even started the movie. What makes you think me turning it off will help now?”

With a click of your tongue, you’re unsure why you even bothered asking him, so you return to your blinking cursor and blank document.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent into New York City….” the announcement continues.

Guess it didn’t matter, anyway. You’ve spent two hours unproductive on a flight while Namjoon lollygags. At least you’ll have time to work on your presentation in peace when you get to your hotel.

You notice the way he walks and the way his bag is slung over his shoulder-practically about to drop, and you can’t forget the stupid overcoat that’s a tad too big for his frame. The crooked black tie contrasts against the crisp white button-down, and you want to help him fix it, only to make it snug enough to choke him a bit. It’s the way his cheeks lightly push against his thick black-rimmed glasses when he smiles, and his crescent eyes disappear, then immediately he widens them. It’s the way his hair falls perfectly above his glasses, and he daintily moves it away like the unflawed prince he is.

You hate you notice all these details about Kim Namjoon, but you’ve been around him long enough to have your guard up in case he pulls any funny business.

He doesn’t even care to check in at the front desk. Instead, he runs off to the bar when he sees a beautiful woman walking the same way.

You’re third in the check-in line, and you can’t help noticing the crowd hanging out in the lobby. Everyone’s dressed as some kind of anime character. It almost makes you feel underdressed in your plain white tee that’s tucked into your jeans.

A nudge from the side causes you to catch your footing. You clench your jaw before breathing out a sigh of frustration. He’s like a fly that won’t leave you alone.

“Want a sip? I think you could use a drink,” Namjoon says, tipping his glass toward you.

“I don’t drink on business trips.”

“Damn, baby. Lighten up. One drink won’t kill you,” he raises a brow and smirks. “Maybe it’ll even warm you up to me.”

If only your eyes could shoot laser beams every time he opened his smart mouth. Facing him, you took a step toward him, pretending to pick off lint from his coat. “It’s cute you think I’d warm up to you,” you pout.

Namjoon gives a lopsided grin, licking his lips. “Don’t worry, love. I’m sure we’ll become real cozy.”

When it’s your turn at the front desk, the receptionist flashes a warm smile, asking for your information. “Is this man with you as well?”

“No,” you say.

“Yes,” Namjoon chimes in.

You roll your eyes, glaring at the man who is the bane of your existence. “No. Nope,” you say, shaking your head. “He is not with me. He needs his own room.”

The receptionist doesn’t respond. She types and clicks around on the computer, her eyes darting around the screen. “I’m sorry ma’am, but it looks like we only have one room left,” she says, avoiding your gaze.

“What do you mean there’s only one room left?” you articulate, gritting your teeth.

The receptionist clicks around her screen again. “Again, I’m so sorry, ma’am. But we’re overbooked because of the anime convention in town. We can book this room for the two of you or give you a free hotel stay for another time to compensate for the inconvenience.”

Free hotel stay for another time? It wasn’t an option at the moment. You needed this hotel room to prepare for your presentation tomorrow.

Someone cosplaying as Sailor Moon walks past you and Namjoon. His elbows are propped on the counter as he faces toward the lobby. He turns to you. “Guess we’ll just have to share,” he raises a brow and licks his lips.

“You cannot think I’ll sleep in the same bed as him. I’d rather burn in hell instead.”

Namjoon turns to the receptionist. “She’s joking. She doesn’t want to sleep in the same bed because she knows she can’t control herself around me,” he grins, holding his hand out for the key card. “We’ll take what you have, love.”

You grumble, muttering curses under your breath as you grab your things, heading toward the elevator. First, he shows up unannounced, and now you have to share a room with him. Let alone a bed? What’s next? He’ll take over your presentation, you bet.

Namjoon whistles a cheerful tune while strolling down the hallway. How is he like a ray of sunshine right now? But to you, he is like a lingering cloud ready to rain on your parade.

When he reaches the door, he turns to you, still whistling, tapping the keycard against the sensor. The door almost slams in your face. You’re struggling to keep the heavy door open while dragging in your luggage.

“Really?” You huff with irritation in your voice.

Your eyes follow him as he makes himself comfortable on the bed. He’s lying down, his legs are dangling off as his feet touch the floor. And you hope the phone screen illuminating his honey skin drops on his face. You’re vile, you know. But Namjoon’s like an itch you can’t seem to reach.

Setting down your things, you walk over to him, slotting yourself between his legs, arms folded against your chest. “What are you doing in my bed?”

He chuckles, placing the phone beside him. He props himself up on his elbows, eyes raking over you. “Waiting for you to hop on, baby,” he sneers, patting his thigh.

How are you supposed to get any work done if he’s around invading the very air you breathe?

“In your dreams, Joon. You’re sleeping on the couch.”

“Oh, baby girl. You don’t even wanna know what you do in my dreams.”

His dreams, huh? You’ve wondered how many times you’ve shown up. “Let me guess, am I strangling you?”

Namjoon sits up, pushing himself off the bed to stand. It forces you to take a step back. There’s a moment of silence before he speaks, “Actually, you’re the one who likes it, remember? Not me, princess.”

You’re inches away from him and you hope he doesn’t see you visibly gulp. It’s like everything is stripped away when Namjoon’s around. As much as you try to hide it, you hope he can’t see through your bullshit.

Clicking your tongue, you try to compose yourself, tilting your head as you gaze into those dragon eyes. “Keep dreaming, Joonie because that’s the closest you’ll ever come to fucking me.”

“Again—” he corrects you. His gaze turns dark as he scans you from head to toe. He grasps your chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Come on, love. Don’t you want another taste?”

You roll your eyes, pushing away his hand. “Another taste of Kim Namjoon?” you tut. “Please—I eat boys like you for breakfast.”

A stupid grin spreads across Namjoon’s face. His scent invades your space again, making you step back. “Well, I’ll be sure to serve you breakfast in bed tomorrow. I hear the sausage is great.”

You huff a breath, glaring at the tall, beefy man. “I swear to god, Kim Namjoon if you don’t stay on your side of the bed—there’s gonna be hell to pay!”

Namjoon puts his hands up in defeat. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll keep my package safe, but it's cute you think your mouth is big enough for me.” He raises a brow, gently nibbling on his bottom lip.

You scoff. “Don’t flatter yourself, Joon. Always talking a big game, but you gotta put your money where your mouth is love.” You almost retch as the last word rolls off your tongue.

The night you slept with Namjoon was a hazy one. You blame the wine that was coursing through your veins and the critique you received from your professor—it messed with your head and you wanted nothing more than to get your mind off it. Namjoon was in the right place at the right time—annoying you like always. Naturally, he wouldn’t shut up, so you shut him up. One thing led to another and before you knew it, you had slept with your rival.

Walking away, you grab your bag, breathing a sigh of relief once you’re out of the room. It’s a stupid game the two of you have played since college—he riles you up, and you retaliate, but you would try your best to not let him get to you.

You spent the last few hours sitting in the hotel’s bar, with headphones on as you clicked and clacked away at your laptop, finally getting your thoughts onto this Word document. There’s no music playing. You wanted to drown out the noise of the crowd.

As you’re facing out toward the lobby, you look up, glimpsing the bane of your existence, Kim Namjoon. You watch as he makes his way out of the hotel lobby, and now is your chance to sneak back up to the room and have some quiet for once.

When Namjoon’s out of view, you gather your things, making your way back up. As the door closes, a breath expels from your lips and you can finally breathe again.

Sitting down at the small table, your stomach growls, a reminder that you had ignored for the past hour because this presentation was more important than nourishment. You’re more than halfway finished, and your reward would be a delicious meal.

It’s nearly 9 o’clock, and your meal is nowhere in sight. The outline is finished, talking points are ready to go, but your laptop is dead, and with your luck, you forgot to pack the charger.

You want nothing more than to disappear and crawl into a hole and never come out of it. You’re ready to jump ship without a lifejacket—it’s practically what you’re doing going into this presentation. If only you had more time to prep instead of being thrown into this so last minute. Maybe you shouldn’t have told your boss you’re always ready for whatever’s thrown your way.

The rumbling in your stomach continues, but you’d rather wallow in self-deprecating thoughts than fill your belly with a delicious meal.

Why can’t things go your way for once?

As you’re sitting on the couch beside the window, a sprinkle of rain falls, and it’s perfect, actually–matching your exact mood. You place your chin against the jade-green velvet-colored couch, breathing a sigh of frustration.

How are you meant to get others to care when you're apathetic about why you got into this profession in the first place? You remember discovering your first author and how they made you kick your feet and giggle all night. The feeling of watching someone grow from a small audience into a commercial success made you love your job, and when you and an author are on the same wavelength and both so passionate about a story? You were unmatched when the stars aligned.

But this trip was a different story. You had been working with this author, but Ms. Davis asked Namjoon to chime in, and once something is in Namjoon’s hands, it’s never yours again. It was like a repeat of your college years.

So when Ms. Davis asked you to fill in for Namjoon, you jumped at the chance because you had missed this story and this author, and you hoped Namjoon didn’t distort the beautiful story and world that she had built. You get why everyone fawns over Namjoon. Admitting it crushes your soul just a tad, but he’s smart, charming, suave, and not that bad to look at. You just wished he’d let you have a win now and again. You’re tired of being second best.

When you hear a beep from the door, you sigh, throwing your head back. You don’t acknowledge your roommate for the night and instead focus on the rain droplets hitting the window. Pulling your knees toward your chest, your arms rest on them along with your head as you stare outside. You’re not in the mood to deal with Namjoon right now.

A delectable aroma fills your nose when Namjoon’s presence occupies your space. He sets something next to your feet while on the couch. You look at the box and then at him.

“What’s this?”

“You need to eat.”

“I already ate,” you lie, and your stomach growled, loud enough you’re sure Namjoon heard it too. You make a face, clenching your stomach, hoping it doesn’t do it again.

“Just eat,” he says, bending down to grab the box for you.

“Is this your way of poisoning me, so you can do the presentation tomorrow?”

Namjoon scoffs. “No, actually. It’s me being a decent human being. I saw you at the bar, and I know how you are when you’re in work mode. You forget to eat.”

There’s a fire rising in your chest, and you want nothing more than to be left alone. “I didn’t think the devil had a heart,” you quip back. It’s easier when he isn’t, makes you feel less of an ass—and so much for not being in the mood to argue.

He tuts. “Why are you always like this? Even when we were in school together. You’ve always hated me.”

Maybe it’s how everything’s been handed to him on a silver platter–like how he doesn’t have to work his ass off just to get a sliver of recognition. Maybe it’s because he could be the good guy, but he chooses otherwise. Maybe it’s because somehow he always shows up wherever you are, ready to take things from you.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“Fine, starve. I don’t even know why I tried.”

You groaned. “Can you just go away? You’re so annoying.”

“Me? Annoying? You’ve had a stick up your ass ever since you saw me on the plane, and I haven’t done shit to you. I’m here out of courtesy for our boss. What am I supposed to do? Say no?”

“Yeah! You should’ve.”

Namjoon shakes his head. “God–there’s no winning with you, is there?”

You ignore his comment, shifting in your seat, eyes focused on the rain again.

His jaw clenched as he backed off. “I was trying to be nice–break the ice, but it’s useless when I keep hitting a wall with you. See you later. I need a drink.”

Your eyes squeeze shut when the door slams. Sometimes you wonder if you’re too harsh or if you channeled your hatred toward something else, if it would benefit you more. But this was the circus of you and Namjoon–mortal rivals, nothing less, nothing more.

It’s well past midnight when you illuminate your phone for the third time. You’ve been tossing and turning, panicking about tomorrow’s presentation. Maybe you’d have to forgo using a slideshow and go off your outline. Graphic design isn’t your passion anyway because Canva was your best friend for presentation templates.

You had prepared yourself for having to share a bed with Namjoon, but you can’t help but notice that he hasn’t returned from wherever he went. You wonder if this was it–if it was the final straw for him, with you and your bitchy attitude.

As you’re on your phone, going over your outline, a beep from the door alerts you that Namjoon is back. You quickly stuff your phone underneath your pillow, turning in the opposite direction with your back facing him.

“Yeah, mom. Don’t worry. I’ll be back.” His voice softens when he sees the lights are out.

An indistinct voice is heard from the other end, but you close your eyes, pretending to be fast asleep.

“Yes, I have it on my calendar and already asked for the days off. I’ll be back before your surgery.”

You feel bad listening in on his conversation and even worse when you realize his mother is having surgery.

Namjoon hums. “I love you too, Mom. I’ll see you next week. Mm–bye.”

He sets his phone down and cards his hand through his dark hair, but it softly falls back in place. You can hear him ruffling through his bag before he walks off to what you guess is the bathroom to wash up.

You turn over when there’s a sudden ache in your side. Your eyes open to see the light shining from underneath the door, and he’s pacing around as he brushes his teeth.

When the water shuts off, he opens the door, turning off the light. The darkened curtains eliminate all light sources in the room, save for the bit peeking through from the moonlight shining on him, revealing his broad shoulders and honey-skin chest. Thank god it’s dark, otherwise if Namjoon saw you ogling him, he’d have a field day. But the gawking ends when he slips on a shirt.

You shift back to the side that’s still aching and Namjoon slips under the cover, keeping his distance. You’re facing away from him, and you can’t help but hear the frustration when he huffs a breath.

Of course, the stupid ache doesn’t dissipate, and you’re back on your side, facing Namjoon. You peek an eye open. His phone is dimly lit before he turns it off, setting it on his chest. Both of his hands are laced behind his head as he stares at the ceiling, and you’re fighting the urge to say something.

What you overheard was personal, something you weren’t meant to hear. After all these years of being academic rivals and co-workers, you knew little about his life except that he was a trust fund baby and had a younger sister.

“Namjoon?” You quietly croak out.

He quickly gazes in your direction. “Sorry—did I wake you? I didn’t mean to.”

“No, I couldn’t sleep, and then I heard you come in.”

A muttered apology escapes his lips along with ‘Night,’ as he turns on his side, facing away from you.

His demeanor is different, almost as if he’s let down his guard. You’ve never seen him distraught before.

“Namjoon?”

He hums but doesn’t turn around to face you.

“Is everything okay with your mom?”

Namjoon clears his throat. “Yeah, she’s okay. At least, I hope so.”

You’re nibbling on your bottom lip. “I couldn’t help but overhear she’s having surgery?”

“Oh—yeah, we, um, recently found out she has breast cancer and has to have a mastectomy.”

“Joon,” you utter. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he stammers, shifting himself into a more comfortable position. “Everything happened so fast, and I feel like I haven’t had time to process my thoughts. I’m trying my best to stay strong, you know?”

You place your hand under your cheek as you’re staring at his backside. The two of you stay silent for a moment.

“I get that,” you say, lying on your back, bringing the duvet to cover you. “Um, my mom also went through breast cancer a few years ago, if it’s any consolation, I suppose breast cancer is one of the better ones to have? If that’s such a thing—I mean, there’s a lot of research that’s gone into it, and there’s so much support out there if she wants it. So, um, yeah, just keep your head up. Your mom will be okay.”

Namjoon mumbles, “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

He doesn’t turn to you, and you don’t blame him. You have been a bit of an ass to him, but you’re not made of stone—there’s a heart buried somewhere inside.

Flipping on your side, your backs are facing one another, and you hear a sniffle. Immediately, you turn back, hesitant about being in this position. In the time you’ve known Namjoon, he’s never cried in front of you. There are more sniffles, and you can hear him holding back whatever’s caught in his throat.

Your heart’s racing, your breath is slow and controlled. You shift closer to him, removing the pillow you had placed in the middle to separate the two of you.

“Joon?”

He wipes his nose and clears his throat. “Yeah?”

“Would it be okay if I hugged you?”

Namjoon hums in agreement, and you take it upon yourself to inch closer to him. Somehow he seems so much smaller when you’re this close. You snake your arm underneath him, wrapping it around his waist, pressing your body against his. It takes a moment for him to register what’s happening, and then his hand finds yours, entwining them together.

You’ve been where he has and any kind of surgery is scary, especially when it’s a loved one. Your mind can only wander to the worst-case scenarios.

Your bodies are in sync as you can feel his chest rise and fall. But his breath is ragged and shaky. You suppose he’s fighting off any tears threatening to fall.

“You can tell me to fuck off.”

He chuckles. “No, I like this. It feels nice.”

Your mind finally settled during the night, and you could fall asleep. Namjoon’s snores were your alarm clock this morning. The weight of his arm draped over your waist. It was a familiar feeling—just like the day after you had slept with him. Only this time, all your clothes were on, and there was no accompanying headache.

Peering over your shoulder, he was still fast asleep, so this was your chance to sneak away. You were hoping to go over your presentation a few more times before your meeting today with the publisher. But as soon, as you decide to slip away, a buzzing from Namjoon’s side causes you to close your eyes and pretend like you weren’t trying to get up.

It buzzes a few times before Namjoon stirs awake, fumbling around to find his phone. “Hello?” he says in a groggy, raspy voice.

You shift away from him, snuggling underneath the duvet. The conversation is indistinct, and you can’t hear anything but Namjoon’s responses.

“Wait—” Namjoon sits up, turning away from you, his feet planted on the ground. “You want me to do what?”

He’s frustrated by whatever he was told.

“No, I can’t do that to her.” He quickly peers in your direction, and he sees you fast asleep. The voice on the other line continues along with Namjoon’s frustration. He’s rubbing his temple and sighs. “Please don’t make me do this. She already hates me as is.”

You can’t help but wonder who’s on the other line and who the ‘she’ is.

Namjoon shakes his head, and his voice quiets down. “She’s been working so hard on this presentation. I can’t just take this from her.”

Your heart sinks when you realize he’s talking about you. There’s no one else doing a presentation, and Namjoon was working with this author before they were handed back to you.

“Okay, okay. I’ll let her know,” he said dejectedly. Namjoon doesn’t even say goodbye. He’s crouched over, elbows on his knees as his head hangs low.

The soft chimes of your alarm go off. You wait a few seconds before reaching for your phone to silence it. Sitting up, you glance over at Namjoon who’s looking right at you.

“Morning. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No, my alarm woke me up,” you say before flipping the duvet over. You stand, smoothing down your hair. “Big presentation today. I should get ready for the day.”

You’re ready to run to the bathroom, but Namjoon stops you. “Um, about that.”

Slowly, you turn to him. “What about it?”

Namjoon’s hands are entwined, and his thumbs fiddled out of nervousness. “Ms. Davis called and wants me to do the presentation.”

You suck in your lower lip, gently chewing on it. “But I worked on it like a madwoman last night. Why would Ms. Davis ask me to do it and then go back to asking you?”

A buzzing from your phone interrupts you. The screen flashes ‘Ms. Davis.’ You peer at Namjoon, then answer the phone. “Hello? Ms. Davis?”

“Good morning, ____. I hope you slept well.”

You hum in response.

“I know I asked you to go to New York, but now that Namjoon is there. I think it’ll be better if he does the presentation. He just has a way with words, and I think he’ll be able to land this deal, don’t you think?”

Namjoon avoids your gaze by scrolling on his phone. You remember Namjoon’s words from the day before, ‘What Ms. Davis wants, Ms. Davis gets.’

You take a moment before responding. “Why yes, Ms. Davis, I agree. Namjoon would be perfect for this presentation.”

She continues about supporting him in whatever way he needs today, and you’re seething like a teakettle that’s ready to burst. You agree with everything she says.

“Mmhm, yes. I’ll make sure he has everything he needs.”

You bid her a chipper farewell before hanging up. Your phone’s clenched in your hand, and your chest is heaving. Thoughts are running rampant—you’re ready to quit on the spot.

Licking your lips, you look at Namjoon. “Well, good luck with your presentation today. Don’t ruin it for our author and Ms. Davis.”

Namjoon shakes his head. “No–you worked hard on it. You should do it.”

You scoff. “Don’t act like you don’t want to take this from me, Joon. It’s what you’re good at. You always get your way—just like when we were in school and now even at work. No matter how hard I work for everything, you’re there to reap the reward.”

His jaw clenches. He stands, walking to you. “You’re so fucking exhausting,” he spits out. “You think I’m some guy who’s out to get you or wants the worst for you–it’s like whatever preconceived notion you’ve fabricated has overlooked the fact that I’m a pretty decent guy if you could get past whatever thing that I’ve done to tick you off.” He sighs. “I’m telling you to do the presentation, but here you are blaming me.”

The warmth from his body is scorching as he nears you–it matches the energy firing inside you. Here he is, allowing you to shoot your shot, but you’re stubborn and temperamental.

Your gaze pierces through him. “Do whatever you want, Joon. I quit.”

Quickly, you gather your things, stuffing them into your carry-on. You know how ridiculous it sounds, but Kim Namjoon tends to bring out your foolishness. You’ve had seven years of him right by your side, which was too many for you. Maybe it was time to find a private island with no form of communication to escape him.

Namjoon doesn’t stop you, he lets you leave. He knows how strong-willed you are and once you’ve decided, there’s no changing it.

You wash up in the hotel lobby’s restroom, rushing off to nowhere because well–you had quit and home was two hours away by flight and it wasn’t leaving until tonight.

Cars and buses screech to a halt along with the sounds of never-ending honking. Chattering from tourists and bicyclists whiz by your side. There’s never a dull moment so you can get your head on straight.

A buzzing from your bag goes unnoticed because you’re too busy figuring out the next steps. You don’t know what you’re doing. Quitting, so suddenly? Was it out of spite? If you couldn’t even handle Namjoon, how would you handle the next prick that came along?

You held your arm out, trying to hail a cab, but no one stopped. Well, it was probably the worst time to grab one, anyway. Checking your phone, you noticed a missed call and a voicemail, and it wasn’t from anyone you were expecting.

It was from Noa Skye, the author you were trying to get published.

“Hey ____. I know I’ve been working with Namjoon for the last several months, but when I heard that you’re doing the meeting with HarperCollins instead, I screamed! I know you’ll be able to pitch my book well because you love this story as much as I do. So, yeah, I just wanted to call and wish you good luck. You’re going to do great. Talk to you soon!”

Your heart sank to your stomach when you heard Noa’s voicemail. It was true–you loved her story, and you wanted the entire world to read it so they could laugh and cry along with you. Her book deserved to be on bookshelves and New York’s best-seller list.

Should you buck up the courage and walk in with your head held high? And for once, maybe Namjoon was right–that you were looking for someone to blame and he was conveniently the scapegoat.

Noa deserved better than this ongoing battle between you and Namjoon; maybe more you than him–but regardless, you needed to set aside your ego for the sake of your author.

Huffing out a deep breath, you pulled your hair back, ready to fight for this presentation.

Namjoon was typing furiously, looking through his previous notes on Noa’s novel. He wished he had spoken to you about what you had outlined to get a better grasp. You and Noa had been working on her novel for a couple of months before Namjoon came into the picture. Surely, he knew how to charm the pants off publishers, but sometimes he felt like you captured the heart of these stories better than he did.

You’re jabbing the number seven several times, encouraging the elevator doors to close. Looking at your phone, there’s half an hour before the presentation. You hoped it was enough time to sort things out with Namjoon and go over your outline.

Turning the corner, you find Namjoon sitting with a laptop. He looks up, almost relieved when he sees you, but of course, he doesn’t make it known.

“Thought you quit,” he says when you’re near.

You flash a thin smile, sitting beside him. “I never waste a moment where I can rescue you, because it looks like you need my help.” A glimpse of a nearly empty page proves your point.

In normal Namjoon fashion, he’s ready to bite back, but he holds his tongue. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

You scoff, rolling your eyes. “You can say ‘thanks’ and I’ll call it even.” He mumbles something indistinct and you cup your hand up to your ear. “I’m sorry. I can’t hear you over the sound of your ego.”

His shoulders slump, and he cocks his head. “Thanks, ___. I owe you one.”

Wiggling in your chair, you’re smiling proudly because this is the first genuine show of gratitude from Kim Namjoon.

“Here’s what I have. Can you tell me what you and Noa have been working on?”

Even without visuals, you felt the presentation went well and did Noa justice with her novel. Namjoon was another surprise. He didn’t interrupt, waited until you finished before adding in his two cents.

Although the presentation and trip to New York were short and sweet, it was eye-opening for you because you had been toying with the idea of opening up a literary agency. The sound of being your own boss sounded lovely.

“We did good, huh?” Namjoon says as he stands beside you.

“We?” You quirk an eyebrow.

He tilts his head. “You. You did a good job.”

You stand proud outside of the hotel’s driveway as the two of you wait for an Uber. “I know. I always save the day.”

Namjoon chuckles. “Well, have a good flight back home.”

Whipping your head back to him, your brows stitched in confusion. “Are you not going back to Chicago?”

He shakes his head. “My mom’s surgery got moved up, so I’m flying straight to Seoul. I’ll be back in Chicago in two weeks.”

“Oh,” you mumble. “I hope everything goes well.”

“Thanks,” he flashes a small smile. A car pulls up to him. “Looks like my ride's here. I’ll see you.”

Namjoon grabs his carry-on, ready to leave, but you stop him. “Joon–” He turns back around. “I’m sorry about what happened this morning. You’re right. I haven’t treated you nicely and have blamed you for a lot of things over the years, and it’s no one’s fault, but my own. I hope things go well with your mom, and if you ever need anyone to talk to, you can call me.”

He lets out a soft chuckle. “Call you, hmm?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I don’t, actually.”

“Just–” you groan. “You know what? Never mind. I don’t even know why I tried.”

Namjoon lets go of his carry-on and walks back to you. “I’m messing with you.” He chuckles lowly, taking another step closer to you. He lifts your chin with his forefinger, his dragon eyes gazing into yours. “It’s our thing, isn’t it? You hate me, I hate you. We find some kind of common ground, then fall in love. Isn’t that in all the books we read?”

You lick your lips and nod, pointing to yourself. “Me? Fall in love with you? Don’t push your luck, Joon.”

read 'under the mistletoe' (a don't push your luck drabble)

#namjoon fanfic #namjoon fic #rm fic #rm fanfic #namjoon imagine #namjoon scenario #bts fanfic #bts fic #bts x you #fic: don’t push your luck

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acourtofthought · 8 months ago

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Hello, I'm new to the fandom and currently reading SF. But what I've seen so far in just a few months is making me realise what a big mistake it was to join the online shit storm that is the acotar fandom. Readers aren't supposed to tell the author/publisher which direction the author should take the story. We are suppose to read the books and enjoy, not pressurize the author into writing fanfiction for us. I don't understand what makes Elriels so sure that they won't enjoy an elucien book? Or what make eluciens so sure that sjm isn't writing a plot driven great elriel book? It's so frustrating to see all 3 (4?) sides of the fandom bullying each other.

I completely agree that readers should not tell the author how they should be writing their books. Is it ok to make predictions based on the text? Absolutely. Those debates in the fandom are not the issue because while none of us know what her plan actually is, she's admitted to leaving hints and readers are only trying to make sense of those hints. Is it ok to claim that if SJM writes XYZ in the next book she's only writing fan-service and that people will leave her negative reviews because they didn't get their way? Absolutely Not. However we're interpreting the text, we all run the risk of having done so incorrectly. Someone can be disappointed if they're wrong but they don't have the right to claim they were misled and SJM did them dirty. From early on she's been very vocal of where Elain's journey would be taking her so whoever she ends up with, I think it's safe to safe that it has been SJMs plan for multiple books. She added hints for E/riel and Elucien but that means she always realized one of those was a false lead and readers are just going to have to accept that whenever the next book is announced.

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aeternallis · 2 years ago

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God, I want your optimism for KinnPorsche season 2... I wish it wasn't so hard to know that Jeff left BOC, even if I wish him the best. It hurt so much to see our Barcode cry like that..

Dearest nonnie, I have a rule in my life that I try to live by as best as I can and it's this: never talk/think in absolutes. You never know what the future may hold.

I'm still hopeful for a KinnPorsche Season 2 because the story itself is not over. If we never get one however, that's okay too, I personally like where the story ended and being a KimChay fan, I got my semi-canon happy ending. Lol All I really needed was some sort of confirmation that Chay would give Kim second chance; we got that, so I'm satisfied.

It doesn't take much to make me happy, alas~

But I also know that we were never going to get an announcement this year, considering as I've said before, there's so much emotional and financial baggage that went into making KinnPorsche, yknow? BOC needs to regroup for a bit and take on smaller projects, before they tackle KP again.

And there’s a few factors that I’m not sure people realize that needed to be considered before a season 2 could be announced:

The second part of the story has not been published yet. With Yok and Poi leaving DAEMI House (and all the baggage that came with these two, jfc), we don’t even know if they have a working script yet.

Money – this is a no brainer. KP—due to its production quality alone—was an expensive production to make. Mile and Pond will need to hunt down some good sponsors, and this takes time. It’s not that surprising that MileApo are doing all these brand events to get their names out there, both together and separately. The more their name are out there, the better chances they have of sponsors knocking on their doors.

Utilize the other actors – as much as it hurts to see Jeff and Build leave BOC, they needed to break up the pairings eventually anyway in order for the other boys to shine. The circumstances under how it happened were not the best (Build's situation being forced, basically), but it needed to happen either way. I won't be surprised if eventually, MileApo are broken up too. BOC wasn’t just made up of 6 actors, there were 16 of them originally. The other boys deserve a chance to shine too. Hell, maybe they can even pair up some of the boys; personally, it’d be interesting to see Barcode and Ta paired up for a drama, since they get along quite well in RL. I’m also very curious about the new recruits.

Future of the other actors - Build is a different story, but tbh, I’m not sure where the idea came from that Jeff is retiring from acting entirely? He’s mainly a musician who sometimes acts, not the other way around. He deserves to shine through his music, since it's obvious that it's his passion in life and he's wickedly talented. I’m sure if he’s interested enough in a project, he’d be willing to act again. KP was his breakthrough in getting his name out there, and Kim is very much a character he made his own; I can’t picture anyone else playing him, imo. We can only hope that if KP season 2 is ever a thing, he’ll be willing to take on the role again.

KP Copyright – at this point, we don’t know who holds the rights to KP. Is it possible BOC bought the rights from DAEMI House? Who knows, there’s a lot of logistics to muggle through, and this too takes time.

Again, I was never expecting KP Season 2 to be announced this year, but it doesn’t mean that there’s no hope for the BOC 2024 line up or BOC 2025 line up or whenever, yknow?

As for Jeff leaving and Barcode being heartbroken about it; don't let it get to you too much, they'll be fine. Jeff and Barcode are not KimChay, they'll talk it out (if they haven't already), and they're gonna be wonderful in Wuju Bakery, so let's support them on their current endeavors.

Finally nonnie, please disengage to the best of your ability. I follow Jeff and Barcode on twitter and ngl, I have them both muted right now. I also follow BOC, and they've been muted as well; I'm not checking the JeffBarcode, JeffSatur, or BarcodeTin hashtag either. A lot of the fans are still sad and that's valid and all, but it's not good for anyone's mental health when some people are posting BibleBuild and JeffBarcode images with Build and Jeff grayed out like they've died or something. Nor is it healthy that people keep posting the video of Barcode crying his heart out, jfc.

Honestly, it's disturbing and only creates an unhealthy feedback loop.

Take care of yourself nonnie, you'll be okay! <3

#kinnporsche the series #jeffbarcode #jeff satur #bible wichapas #barcode tinnasit #mileapo #BOC #you'll be fine nonnie #kinnporsche #kimchay

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wisteriasakana · 1 year ago

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Welcome to Soe finally does a real devlog on Pink Pro (but first, she talks about something else) + little announcement!

This experience with jams has taught me that, as I am, the perfect deadline is a month and a half. If it's a full two months, I'll end up doing something else because "there's plenty of time", only to find myself doing it all in the second month/last three weeks.

BUT! It's not like I haven't done anything, what do you think?

[Part where I talk about other things]

🍨 In parallel with the development of Pink Pro, I collaborated with GrandPiekron on his This Tomb of Ours (Run and check it out, it's right HERE!).

It was great to be part of building a game from scratch and seeing it take shape! Maybe in the next few days, I could publish Erin's beta designs. Fun fact: Her sprite creation time was 10% sprite and 90% hair lock. As I already said for Clea and Aurel, the idea of making everyone bald is increasingly tempting.

At the moment This Tomb of Ours is not yet complete, literally only the ending is missing, but it is on its way. In the meantime, how about take a look at Doomstone, GrandPiekron's other game? It's complete, but I warn you that it's very dark.

🍨 My collaboration with @time-lapse-games continues, this time for a project that you will soon see on your screens.

Here, instead of sprites and busts, I am the main characters spriter and the betatester. When it's published, I'll obviously spam it here too!

🍨 As mentioned on Halloween, I'm getting help from two great people who can make Three Yellow Quartzes a game in existing English, and that involves discussing adaptations.

🍨 For the 100+ downloads (Thank you!) of Interview with a succubus, I contacted a Spanish translator to make it available in an additional language. I love Spanish and who knows, maybe one day I might be able to translate things myself! Hopefully in a more existent Spanish than my English.

I will never stop thanking acadizs for his translation and his patience with my requests.

🍨 Given the introduction of an additional language, I put my hands on Ren'py again to do a single build of Interview with a succubus.

I'd like to do other visual novels, maybe a little longer than ten minutes and more elaborate than two ending branches. I was a little sad that I didn't get to participate in the Once Upon a Time VN Jam, but 1. I had no ideas, 2. I wouldn't have had time even by mistake. I'm eyeing the Winter VN Jam but, barring a miracle, I seriously doubt I'll participate.

🍨 I would also like to go back to translating RPGs into Italian and I contacted again an author whose everything I translated except, like, their most important game. Living Playground: The Witch's Puppets, I'll come back to you!

🍨 I fixed a few things about The Night of the Candy Apple. I plan to make a dedicated devlog about it, once Pink Pro is published.

[/Part where I talk about other things]

I've been wanting to make "a pink game" for a while now. I love the aesthetic of games like The Huntress of the Hollow, Sweeter Yesterday and Dreaming Mary and I wanted to make something pink too. I also wanted to do something with sweets tilesets (You might have deduced this from the fact that I made a post on sweets tilesets-), so I decided to merge the two! When I decided to join jams, I decided that I would make my pink and sweets game for the Yuri Jam.

I've already written about the characters in their introductions, so what about the game itself? The game itself, in theory, is very simple: dialogues, cooking minigames, ending requirements, period. Then, of course, maps, sprites, CGs, music, sound effects.

So what's the situation like?

So geometric...

🍰 The maps are complete. They're the first thing I made and the first thing I finished! Obviously, Chocomill and com-sho could not be missing. I am very satisfied with how they turned out! (… Although I definitely need to practice more with exteriors. Maybe one day I'll be able to build a house other than a rectangle or trapezoid.)

🍰 The sprites are- The sprites for Chantal and Janet are complete. Margrit's would be complete too, if only I could make her tail decently.

As for now, the sprites of the others exist - Except Zora's, who is always the last. Poor Zora. They are not all 8-directions-complete, but it must be said that not all of them need 8-directions sprites-

🍰 The busts are complete! I still have to do all the expressions, though. If nothing else, they all have an average of 3/4 expressions, only Chantal has like eight.

🍰 CGs are almost finished! Only one left.

There's one that I'm extremely satisfied with, I hope you'll like it- Um, actually, it doesn't represent a happy scene, so I'm afraid you won't like it much-

Since I started using Clip Studio Paint not that long ago, I still make stupid mistakes that I notice eight hundred years later, possibly after publishing. Above all: smudged shadows, non-blended shadows and color that goes on the lineart. But I assure you that in traditional I know how to color within the lineart! I learned it in kindergarten!

🍰 The sound side is ready.

More importantly, Pink Pro will also have a customized music track! Maybe I'll talk about it more in depth in a future post, but in the meantime: thanks to DogStudio there will be a story section accompanied by a track that they wrote especially for the game! It has a very particular sound, and inspired me for the main musical genre.

I was sure of one thing: I didn't want to play the "jangling" music typical of sweets contexts. I find them cute, but I wanted to do something different. I hope you like the result!

🍰 On a separate note, since @time-lapse-games has been my sound designer for Three Yellow Quartzes and explained to me the whole philosophy behind the choice of sound effects (?), I pay more attention to the sounds and I feel like putting them even where I wouldn't have put them before. For anyone looking for sound effects for Anything, may Taira Komori's website be with you!

🍰 Venka's Crafting Script works!

… Well, inserting the latest recipes gave me a weird problem where recipes from, like, Number X to Number Y did not appear. I still have no idea why (I thought the numbers were connected to some variables that were also used in the game or other scripts, but that doesn't seem to be the case, so who knows?), but I solved it by simply dubbing the recipes that didn't appear in the number following Y onwards.

🍰 The cutscenes exist. It's a great achievement. The fundamental parts are there, the scenes of four out of five customers and the ending are missing. I hope I don't get stuck as usual-

And so?

Initially, I wanted to post the whole game in Italian, and then translate it as soon as possible - This is because, 100%, I would not be able to finish the game and translate it by the jam deadline. However, the RL has landed like a volleyball in your face as you walk courtside, and in the next few days I won't have as much time to dedicate to it as I would like.

SO! For the jam I will release a demo. If you stop to read the flavor texts and talk to everyone, the gameplay can last about twenty minutes. Seems like a good timing to me!

In this way, I will be able to publish both the Italian and the English versions. Since the game is 80% ready, I plan to get back to it as soon as I have a bit of a break.

And that's all for now!

To the next time! Hopefully with the demo-

#devlog #devblog #game dev #rpgmaker #rpg maker #rpg maker game #yuri game jam #yuri game jam 2023 #pink pro #three yellow quartzes #interview with a succubus #collaboration

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griefpersevering · 2 years ago

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the ripples they cause

Read on AO3 🕷 Playlist 🕷 Buy me a cup of tea ☕

Chapter Nineteen: You Know Where to Find Me

Notes:

Hii everyone!! I hope you're having a lovely tuesday <33 This chapter includes the brilliant Jen from She-Hulk! There's very minor spoilers for the series if you haven't had a chance to watch it yet (you absolutely should, it's so good!) but I mostly wanted to say that we're sticking to all the canon of the show, except for her and Matt being a couple. They're cute, but unfortunately for canon, Matt and Foggy are cuter :D

Sneak peek:

Peter has only been sitting in a cell for twenty-two hours and he already regrets his decision.

He's made the right choice — he would sacrifice himself a thousand times to save his friends — but he didn't realise how boring prison would be. All the movies make it look dangerous and exciting, but when you're the only superhero in a block of cells designed for enhanced people, there isn't anyone to chat to.

If there wasn't a power dampening collar around his neck, he would literally be climbing the walls by now.

Peter will be the first to admit that he's never been the best at sitting with his thoughts for extended periods of time. But after explaining the plot and production history of all twelve Star Wars films to a brick wall, he's losing his mind.

When the metal door at the end of the corridor screeches open and Matt steps through, relief courses through him.

"Mr. Murdock!" he exclaims, walking up to the reinforced glass at the front of his cell. "I'm so happy you're here. I'm so bored."

Matt chuckles, but his expression quickly turns serious. "Are you alright?"

Peter sits down on the edge of his metal bunk. "I'm fine. They took the suit, but only a handful of people know my identity. The food's kinda gross."

"They've announced a trial date for you," Matt says, dragging a plastic chair over and taking a seat. "Monday."

Time has lost all meaning for him, but... "That's less than a week away!"

Matt folds up his cane. "I know. I imagine it's not the only thing they'll rig against you, but Foggy and Karen and I are doing everything we can to help."

"I know," Peter says. Foggy must be somewhere important if he isn't here with Matt, because the two are attached at the hip.

"Your friends are helping as well," Matt adds. "MJ has set up a campaign, and she has someone else your age financing the whole thing. He even offered to pay us."

"Ned?" Peter guesses. He has no idea how much a lawyer costs, but he's pretty sure Ned doesn't have that kind of money. The only thing he saves for is buying new LEGO sets.

"I believe his name was something ridiculous, like Flash," Matt says.

Peter groans. Of course Flash is inserting himself in this whole catastrophe. After finding out that his hero and the nerd he bullied were one and the same, he'd been insufferable. How on Earth he'd published his book so quickly is beyond him.

"I don't have much time," Matt says. "I need you to tell me every detail of what happened with Mysterio, if that's okay."

"I've been thinking about it, but I can't figure out the hole in his plan," Peter says. "The guy was clever. Even though he lost, he still managed to get his revenge."

"We're smarter. All we need is one piece of evidence, and the entire case starts to unravel." Matt rifles through his bag, pulling out a sheaf of papers covered in braille and a small recording device. "Remember, this is confidential. You need to tell me everything, even if it paints you in a bad light."

Matt insists on talking him through the entire school trip twice, including all the embarrassing moments. Peter lies a few times to omit MJ and Ned from the story, but tells Matt every other detail that he can remember.

"One more time," Matt says, pressing the button on his recording device again.

"Do we have to?" Peter groans. "There's nothing new to say." And he'd rather not keep relieving one of the worst few weeks of his life.

Matt lowers his voice. "Peter, I can tell when you're lying."

"What?"

"So either tell me what really happened, or we can sit here in silence until someone throws me out."

Peter swallows. He trusts Matt, and he understands why he's frustrated that he isn't telling him the whole truth. But how does he begin to explain what really happened? 'Oh, sorry for lying to you, but you see, Mysterio revealed my identity and then I nearly broke the multiverse. By the way, we've met before.'

Matt folds his arms and Peter sighs.

Continue reading on AO3!

#marvel #mcu #spider-man #peter parker #no way home #matt murdock #daredevil #she-hulk #jennifer walters #lina lore #my writing #the ripples they cause #long post

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cacodaemonia · 5 months ago

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Look, I don't care what browsers people use (I mostly use Opera and sometimes Firefox on desktop because they're... tolerable, and Chrome on mobile for accessibility reasons). But these constant trendy claims I see on Tumblr about how Firefox is somehow squeaky clean and runs well on all devices etc. are pure fantasy. Mozilla is a corporation just like any other, so their goal is making money, and just like ever other corporation, they'll do anything they can get away with.

Here are a couple of articles dealing with sketchy stuff I've heard about them in the past several years:

Why Mozilla’s layoffs and Google deal made me rethink my browser of choice, from 2020:

Within a few quick hours of laying off those employees, Mozilla signed a new search deal with Google to the tune of $400-$450 million per year from now until 2023 to ensure that Google is the default search engine in Firefox. Let me get this straight: Mozilla lays off 250 employees citing COVID-related financial trouble and then inks a nine-figure deal with Google.

Mozilla Drops Onerep After CEO Admits to Running People-Search Networks, from 2024:

Mozilla only began bundling Onerep in Firefox last month, when it announced the reputation service would be offered on a subscription basis as part of Mozilla Monitor Plus. Launched in 2018 under the name Firefox Monitor, Mozilla Monitor also checks data from the website Have I Been Pwned? to let users know when their email addresses or password are leaked in data breaches. On March 14, KrebsOnSecurity published a story showing that Onerep’s Belarusian CEO and founder Dimitiri Shelest launched dozens of people-search services since 2010, including a still-active data broker called Nuwber that sells background reports on people. Onerep and Shelest did not respond to requests for comment on that story.

The most popular browsers in different countries in 2012 and 2022.

by @theworldmaps_

#firefox #mozilla #capitalism #web browsers

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the-firebird69 · 8 months ago

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We're in receipt of several messages and warnings and threats from these people to not talk about the three tunnels there they go from the middle of Florida to about 2 miles out off the northwest of the Florida peninsula up near the inside elbow of the panhandle. So we talked about it turns out some of them want us to and they start beating on each other and then they start to lose people so this all goes if we hear you say that most likely and all likelihood we will publish that kind of thing if you don't make demands we certainly might not bring it up but bring it up doesn't really help you you think it helps you but that's in there trying to more or less Force us to talk about it and have been doing it for hours I think it slows it down it does not yeah it stinks out here and their effluence is going in the pond it's going everywhere down the state this s*** everywhere everything's clogged up it'll take a little bit a month or so and it's going to ooze out we have other things happening they are pretty big but the tunnels are emptied out of ships right now and a lot of them it's a huge amount of Little ships being pulled out just a gigantic number and fairly soon they're going to realize that they're almost done and I know they know that they're probably a mile or two miles from completing one and they are about 3 mi from the others which is pretty far it's very murky at the end and they had to slow down and do it the old way no so they're going to be out rather soon maybe within 2 or 3 hours and once they clear it they'll be fighting over the diamonds and that's rather intense it is a huge huge infight coming up a lot of it is going to be directed against Jason and he is pursued. There's other things happening right now as we're speaking about seven people were very rude to our son demanding to go by on the sidewalk try and cut it close and they're all told not to now they only be more rude but we say is we're going to have you plugged with a bullet and you won't be doing it but that's what happens to you and you're warned every day the f****** year so you're worn by all these people and yeah they're stupid and they're spent longer gone we have a few other things to announce this is a major major announcement that it will be early this evening or this evening when the fight over the diamonds begins at three tunnels there are other tunnels that are going to be emptied of ships as early as late tomorrow morning about 5:00 they're also in the northwest area south of the elbow of the inside elbow of the panhandle and it's going to continue that way and several more later on that afternoon or evening and that would be West just north of Tampa and once this starts It won't stop and it's coming up in just a couple hours or a few hours it's going to be huge

-here a couple other things to announce these people are just not know his kids okay we told them not to we tell them what we're going to do they come by with stupid crap and they continue with it and it gets more and more worse so I'm going to tell him to go screw themselves because it's so heinous and we're going to tell them emphatically in a moment

-cuz other people should be concerned about and what they're doing is trying to threaten to get to them

-there are other battles and wars going on the pseudo empire is preparing to attack these people they are prepping tonight for a large scale attacks on the Western hemisphere 50% of the bases 70% of the ground bases and 100% of the bunkers and yeah some old piece of s*** Gaga came by and threatened the throw poop at him I mean no wonder you're going to die and trash is going to get rid of you trash and what would you want for that huh. You're down here you're already a piece of crap so she's going to die and tell me if he heads her and we think that he's leaving and left her there and she shoots at him and misses that's what happens it's in the little movie preview and it's terrible these people will pay

-more so there's going to be large-scale attacks on these bunkers today they also including some attacks on Oregon and Washington State and several movies occur there including baseball that's where Sarah dies and she's the queen and she dies there because they're attacking the pseudo empire. These people are distinctly rude and they're going by the faster speed than normal so we're going to make them pay for it

-also tonight begins that series but it also begins the downfall of the pseudo empire as well as the completion of the downfall of the Mac morlock and it is a rise of the minority more luck and the clones start getting back up a little and it becomes a war between the clones and the empire and they are destroyed then the foreigners turn it up I am a minority warlock end up working with them more than more than often but they usually were it's a gross relationship but they do it

-these battles and stuff are coming up and these people are very rude and we're going to buy the farm we'll see where they're going you're going to set up all sorts of dumb things to say and really they're morons and humiliating themselves embarrassing themselves they look ridiculous and big groups are going after them they haven't always done that

-we are going to stop the turds at this time and on purpose and in several more they want to walk by and say stupid s***

-there's also something else to consider they're running by with their underwear on cuz they don't have running shorts and they should be arrested but no they're getting information but still he says it and we have to react and so we're going to

-there's one more aspect to today and tonight it's very important this neighborhood I live in is going to start breaking up again they are going to lose it they're going to be trying to attack and they're evacuating at the same time we have now 2% have left and about 3% are up and they are heading out that is out of the Mac morlock number in Florida we went over the numbers earlier and the total of the number of there's not that many but it was up there around 35%.? That's both groups of the Macklemore lock in this miscellaneous too of Macklemore so that brings it down to 30% shortly and we expect them to be up and running about to leave in moments about 3% of that 5% are up already pretty soon it's going to be huge number of them and it's a giant giant evacuation if they're not evacuating there probably going to die but yeah the s******* got it he's going to get something else later cuz he's a f****** a****** we need the money in the stuff can't you figure it out little kid no I don't even know how old I am you're so stupid. I'll tell you what you people live to bother people and I live to get rid of you to take your stuff. It's your motif it's your act it's your motives and I'm running mine and I'm destroying you with your cute little pansy p**** f****** dumb poor dumb s*** act you ain't going to have squat same with the max just spoiled little b****** these are real words can you imagine that a******

-so we have a lot of other stuff happening but this is Major so we're going to publish and he's on the road

Thor Freya

Olympus

Zues Hera I got to tell you these people are huge assholes they're fighting over a small puny ships and they're being massive assholes and my husband help them with the logic and their f****** jerks I don't want them to have one small ship at all there's too many of these assholes flying around they finally find out where they're supposed to go and I'll tell you what not fast enough so I'm sending orders

Hera

0 notes

sea-owl · 2 years ago

Note

Okay I’ve seen a lot of people making AUs where Colin suffers so what about this? Imagine Colin and Penelope falling for each other in their teens and knowing how the other person feels but not acting on it since Colin is still in university or Penelope has debuted in society. Come Penelope’s first season when she’s eighteen, Colin is already figuring out a plan to court her. There’s just one small problem. Everyone thinks they are just friends or that Colin sees her as a sister. Even when he came over with flowers for Penelope, her family assumed they were for Marina. Penelope and Colin exchange exasperated looks while Marina quickly catches on and does her best to help the childhood sweethearts. Except somehow this leads to everyone thinking Colin is with Marina. Even when Marina marries Philip (no Whistledown exposure in this) people think Colin is heartbroken about this when in reality he’s heartbroken because when he asked Lord Featherington for Penelope’s hand, the man in question said no and stated drunkenly that he has no intention of seeing his daughter married to some third son that relies on his brothers money to support himself. Of course the man just had to die shortly after, taking news of Colin’s intentions with him. So not only must he allow Penelope her mourning period, but Lord Featheringtons words bother him until Penelope tells him perhaps he should travel. It might help him find what he wants to do and they can still write while also respecting her mourning period. So he sets off and comes up with the idea of documenting his travels and later publishing them. It might not be the money a viscount makes but at least he can support his family. Unfortunately to do this, he might have to travel for a few years but thank the lord Penelope agrees to wait for him. Thankfully he comes back for each season. Cue a few years later, Colin enters his family’s sitting room beaming and announces that he’s finally proposed Penelope. Cue his family going “WHAT?!” as Colin looks at them oddly and says, “how is this a surprise? I’ve been courting her since her first season! I just wanted to make sure I had enough money saved up for us to start our life together. Thank the lord Penelope loved me enough to wait.” I’d just love to see everyone but Colin and Penelope being oblivious to their relationship for a change rather than the other way around.

Hell yeah, we got a happy Polin au. Jk, I love you all but you gotta admit a lot of you send me asks trying to make Colin suffer

So, I'm thinking a little bit of book, a little bit of show, probably closer to book, as in I want to take out the queen deus ex machina subplots, and Whistledown is closer to the book version. We also gonna add Felicity because we love her in this house and Shondaland did a disservice by cutting her. Also, a little side note for some context, mourning periods in the regency era differed for a widow and children. A widow was the strictest of the mourners, she was in mourning for a year and a day, any social interactions were practically forbidden outside of callers, and halfway through when she went into half mourning, she could slowly restart her social functions. For children it was 6 months to a year depending on the age of the child. The older the child the longer the mourning period. Personally, I think Portia would be 50/50. If Lord Featherington left her good financially, she would probably keep her daughters in mourning for the full year, but since they are in the financial situation that they're in she's probably pulling them out as early as she can to get safety nets under them.

On the day of the bonnet incident, we got a mutual love at first sight, with a little bit of my favorite trope of theirs's, she fell first (because it took him two seconds to see her due to bonnet) he fell harder.

Colin is all in, and if Penelope was already out in society, he would've asked to marry her on the spot. They come to an understanding for them to wait until they are secure enough for marriage. They are on a very fine line though with how often they skirt the edges of propriety.

When Penelope's first season comes around, a year too early in both their opinions, Colin starts planning a courtship with plans of a long engagement.

Here comes the problem, both their families think Colin is trying to court Penelope's cousin, a one Ms. Marina Thompson.

Colin brings flowers, they give them to Marina, Colin says he is calling on Penelope, they assume it's him using his friendship with her to basically skip the line of Marina's callers.

Marina for a moment thought the same thing until little Felicity growled at her.

"They are in love," Felicity said. "Colin will marry Penelope, and not you!"

That's when Marina sees all the touches, and whispers that go between them. How even though people say he's there for her, the whole time Colin is sitting next to Penelope, his head practically resting on her's.

It's a miracle how no one has forced them to marry yet. The ton must be blind.

With a few bribes to Felicity, who clung to her older sister like glue, Marina was able to ask Penelope about it. Penelope did reveal that yes, they were courting, but they were both also aware that it would be better for them to have a longer engagement.

Meanwhile Colin finally worked up the nerve to ask Lord Featherington for his daughter's hand. Lord Featherington, who had gambled away any dowry for his daughters and had already scared away Mr. Finch, almost had a panic attack at the question. Lord help him if Portia ever finds out about this. She'll kill him if she ever learns he ruined her chance of marrying one of their daughters off to a Bridgerton.

Lord Featherington turns towards Colin and says, "My daughter will not marry some third born son who relies on his brother's good will for money! She deserves to be supported and not have to hold her breathe for the day her charity case of a husband comes home and tells her that he failed her!"

Lord Featherington might as well have struck Colin. It was as if he knew which words would pick at Colin's insecurities the worst.

By the end of the season Marina has married Phillip, and Lord Featherington is dead. The ladies of the Featherington household must now go into mourning. Colin fights the urge to groan, because now depending on if Portia decides to keep all her daughters in mourning with her, he won't be able to see Penelope until midway through next social season. Not to mention the last words Lord Featherington said to him were still weighing heavily on his mind.

"Why don't you travel?" Penelope suggested to him.

Currently the Bridgertons were on a condolence call to the Featheringtons. It was strange, given Portia's taste for bright yellows, oranges, and pinks, to see all of them wearing black, veils and bonnets covering their hair.

"Travel?" Colin asked her.

"Yes, maybe it will help clear your thoughts. I'll be in the countryside anyway until we go into half mourning. You could write to me all the new places you visit."

Colin heads to Greece, keeping a journal, and writing his beloved letters. He makes sure he's back in time for the next season, having to make plans to call on Penelope except she was already in his drawing room.

They talk about his travels and Colin shows her different entries from his journal.

"You know you could publish these, they're quite good."

Colin rolls his eyes. "You mean the Bridgerton name will get them published. Then everyone would just tell me they thought it was good when they could be lying through their teeth."

Penelope thought for a minute, her fingers tracing the spine of the journal. "Well how about this, the name may still be the reason they buy the book in the beginning but no one will give you false praises."

Colin raised an eyebrow at her. "Pen, what are you getting at?"

"Publish them under Lord Whistledown."

"And invite the wrath of Lady Whistledown?" Colin scoffed. "Could you imagine what she write."

Penelope only smiled. "That I am proud of my husband?"

Colin could have sworn he almost got whiplash from how fast he turned towards Penelope.

In the end the travel stories of Lord Whistledown's time in Greece became a huge success, and people were wanting more.

"I'm sorry love, we're going to have to put off marriage a bit longer."

Penelope sighed. "We can always use my money."

Colin kissed Penelope's forehead. "I need to be able to provide for you. Just a few more years," he promised.

"I'm going to hold you to that Lord Whistledown."

"A gentleman never breaks his promise Lady Whistledown."

A few years later Colin is in the Featherington drawing room asking for Portia's permission to marry her daughter.

"Finally! Mr. Bridgerton you certainly kept my daughter waiting long enough!"

It was a very different reaction to the bewilderment of the Bridgerton household.

"Are you all really that blind? I've been courting Pen since her first season!"

#polin #bridgerton #penelope featherington #colin bridgerton #love at first sight au

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sotiredmostnights · 7 months ago

Text

OK after thinking about this a bit, I thought it might be good to post some tips for manga collecting. While I'm not employed in the manga industry, my manga collection is over 2000 volumes strong, so I do have a lot of experience with collecting manga.

(Please note, I can really only speak for the US region when it comes to manga collecting, since that's where my experience as a collector lies! For the EU, I've heard that Walt's Comic Shop is really good!)

first, here is a list of good manga retailers (from my personal experience):

Books-a-million: Good for in print, new volumes, especially of shonen series. Great rewards program; the annual $20 fee is more than worth it, especially if you buy manga in bulk. This is a good strategy, especially since manga prices for some publishers (VIZ) have risen in the last year.

Barnes and Noble: Like BAM, good for in print, new volumes. Out of all the retailers I've used, B&N is the most likely to have early releases of new volumes.

Kinokunia: Wide selection of Japanese and English manga, as well as art/illustration books and anime figurines. No sales or rewards program as far as I'm aware, and there aren't many locations in the US, but if you live close to one, they have a solid chance of carrying new releases and even special editions of certain volumes.

Newbury Comics: The first one on this list that is more likely to have volumes of older, potentially out of print (OOP) titles. Sales are few and far between, but they do have a BOGO half off deal on occasion, which is great for collecting (I got almost the entirety of Kamisama Kiss this way).

Second and Charles: I've never had the opportunity to visit one, but I've heard it's a fantastic place to get rare or OOP manga.

Book-off: Great place for rare or OOP manga, but not always the best retailer for new items.

Bullmoose Music: This is my favorite place to go, since they're a local chain that carries both new and used manga. Books are always 30% off the cover price, and it's always fun to see what manga people have brought in to resell. Unfortunately, this chain is limited solely to ME or NH.

Next, I want to mention good places online to find manga. When buying online, always be cautious of scammers. When it comes to OOP series, if the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Here are some online avenues I've used to acquire manga in the past:

Thriftbooks: Good for rare, old, or OOP manga. Prices and condition vary based on seller.

Abebooks: Somewhat less reliable than Thriftbooks, but you can still find some neat stuff there if you look hard enough.

R/Mangaswap: I know what you're thinking...why would ANYONE go to Reddit of all places to buy manga? Well, you'd be surprised! I've used this sub a lot to find rare, OOP items at a decent price point, including some volumes of Basara. Just be polite, follow the rules, and be VERY cautious when buying - people WILL try to scam you. Always check the username of the person who contacts you, and only spend money you wouldn't mind losing. It's a gamble, but it pays off amazingly when it works.

Crunchyroll (formerly Rightstuf): I'm putting this one here last because, although they've kept the prices and packaging similar to Rightstuf's, the Crunchyroll store website is riddled with glitches and is difficult (and annoying) to navigate. Their stock hasn't been up to par either. Personally, I would only order from Crunchyroll if they have volumes I couldn't find anywhere else.

Some additional tips/notes:

When possible, preorder volumes. Manga isn't like video games; preordering a volume of manga that you want WILL make it easier for you to get it.

Shonen series are, by and large, less difficult to find. While it depends on your taste, my personal priority when buying manga is Shoujo/Josei > Seinen > Shonen. This is because Shojosei tend to go OOP first (smaller print runs), whereas Seinen and Shonen series are more readily available in most cases.

An anime announcement will ALWAYS generate hype for a series. We're seeing this with Dungeon Meshi right now, where it's impossible to collect the series because the anime adaptation popularized it. The best you can do in a scenario like this is to try to make a special order at a local retailer or wait for a reprint (for DunMesh, I think a reprint is pretty likely).

Some publishers are better to buy from if you can hold the physical volume in your hands first. I know this is a weird thing to say, but when it comes to publishers like Kodansha, misprints can be very noticeable, especially regarding the spine of the book (or even the shape of it - I once had to exchange a Kodansha manga that was shaped like Idaho).

As someone said in the notes, certain volumes of a series are more available than others. The publisher does not always print the same number of volumes across the board; they might print 2000 volume 1s of a series but only print 700 volume 17s. This is why, like I mentioned earlier, it's best to preorder manga whenever possible to ensure you can get a copy of what you want.

DO NOT PAY SCALPER PRICES. EVER. The only reason people feel comfortable charging $3500 for a full set of Basara is because they think people will actually buy it. DO NOT ENCOURAGE THEM. With older series like this, read it on the publisher's official app and/or buy similar series to it to encourage a reprint from the publisher.

Reprints of old series DO happen if the demand is there. Sometimes, the reprint will even be a new version of the manga entirely, such as the Marmalade Boy Collector's Edition and the upcoming Red River 3-in-1s.

It's always a better idea to buy new volumes immediately. This shows a demand for the series, which incentivizes the publisher to keep it in stock.

That's about all I have. You can always sail the high seas if it suits your fancy, but if you find it difficult to read manga online (like me) or just really like collecting things (also like me), I hope you find this guide helpful. Happy manga hoarding! 🥰

manga shops are all like yeah weve got manga. volumes 2,5, and 4 copies of 9

#manga #my post #<- sort of. more like...just my addition to a post.#OP i hope it's okay to add to your post here!#i just want to share my love of manga with the world 🥰#ref

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violettelueur · 4 years ago

Text

GOJO SATORU || FOR A LIFETIME

| featuring : gojo satoru from jujutsu kaisen

| warnings : grammar errors other than that n/a

| form : imagine

| word count : 1733

| published : 19 november

| request : Gojo Satoru x wife! Reader. They're just cuddling and being all lovey dovey until his students burst in, and are immediately asking questions cuz they didn't know he was married. He just says they've been married for three years and met at the Academy, and she's just smiling as they start asking her questions and how he managed to search up a pretty girl like her

| barista’s notes : i really loved writing this imagine for some reason ʕ·ᴥ·　ʔ like i just had so much fun thinking all the events that could happen with the trio but i kinda feel like i didn’t paste my imagination well into words ʕ ﾟ ● ﾟʔ other than that, i hope you love your cup of classic black coffee and i hope you come again and order soon once we’re back open ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

Stretching your arms upwards, you could clearly hear the few cracks that your back had released telling you that you had been sitting in the same position for too much time causing you to groan from the satisfaction that your back felt lighter than it did a few seconds ago.

Looking at the clock that was hanging to your right side, you had come to the realisation that you had been working on your reports for a full three hours, leading you to take a deep breath as you were glad that you had managed to finish everything before the sun was going to set. Quickly standing up, you collected all the papers you needed and started to make your way out of your office and let your feet guide you to wherever they wanted to take you.

From what you could recall from this morning, no one had a mission assigned to them today unless it was an emergency to which that was unavoidable - sometimes you can’t even escape them yourself. However, compared to the other Jujutsu sorcerers that were in Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College, you weren’t a teacher but rather the school principal’s right-hand person as you were a student of his back from when he was a teacher himself.

You continued to walk around aimlessly around the corridors until you stopped to see a sliding door in your way. Tilting your head to the side, you wondered why your feet decided to drag you here while you were daydreaming, causing you to grab one end and quietly slide the door open to see if there was anyone that was in the room right now.

To not much of your surprise, you ‘unexpectantly’ found a very tall man relaxing on a chair acting like he didn’t have any students to teach at this current moment in time. After sliding the door behind you, you walked up to the sleeping man before taking a seat on the remaining space of the chair and decided to rest your head on the palm of your hand that was relaxing on your knee. To think that you were married to his man, made you wonder what was going on in your mind when you said ‘yes’ to his proposal.

“Am I that handsome to you honey?” the man suddenly asked in a teasing tone, as he used his thumb to lift up part of his blindfold to reveal one of his bright sapphire eyes staring at you back, “you’ve been admiring me for quite some time”.

“Nah, I was wondering how drunk I was when I said ‘yes’ to marrying you,” you answered with a playful smile before you suddenly started laughing when your husband gave you an offended expression on his face. “Honey, I’m hurt by that comment,” Gojo stated causing you to reply with, “well you have to live with that for the rest of your life,” leaving him no choice but to give up this little game of banter - since the day both of you became friends, Gojo knew that you were one of the rare people that he wanted to remain by his side as he did with Geto, but that didn’t half of his dream didn’t come to last, yet you were here with him by his side. For a lifetime.

Slowly, he leaned forward to gently grab your sleeve before tugging it, somewhat telling you that he wanted you to move closer to him. Looking at his hand that was holding your sleeve, you scooted closer to him to the point where you were on his lap with your legs hanging out from the side and the side of your head was resting on his chest with your reports in hand.

“What’s that? Shouldn’t you be concentrating on me?” Gojo asked as he looked at the papers in your hand. “These are reports babe, something that you never do,” you answered, before rolling up and sheets and using it to hit the top of his head. However, before Gojo could even playfully comment back at you, the door was slammed open causing you to slightly jump at the sudden interruption leading you to look up, only to see three students with the most confused expression on their faces.

“So I assume you didn’t tell them that you were married,” you quietly asked your husband to which he used your head to rest his head on top and in a high tone muttered, “I forgot wifey~”

“Gojo-sensei!” a boy with pinkish hair yelled out - to which you assumed to be Itadori Yuji - leading to the only female student - to which you quickly figured out that she was Kugisaki Nobara - within the trio to then say, “who is the pretty lady?”. While Fushiguro stood there with the surprised expression still plastered on his face.

“I assume you forgot to tell Megumi as well,” you then giggled out, to which then Gojo laughed with you, as he remembered that after all the years he took care of his precious student, not once he had mentioned you to him.

“This pretty lady here is my little wife, Gojo Y/N,” said to the confused trio, fully and finally introducing you to his first-year students.

“YOU’RE MARRIED?!”

“It’s nice to meet you all, Itadori, Kugisaki and Fushiguro, am I right?” you greeted them with a smile, as the three of them quickly grabbed a random chair out of nowhere and sat down in front of you as if you were about to get interrogated - to which you technically were.

“How does she know who we are?” Kugisaki asked as she was confused about how you knew all their names.

“Your useless teacher here talks about you guys from time to time, so I sort of already know you guys without you knowing.” you answered her as you used your thumb to point at your husband, leading Kugisaki to ask, “can we call you Gojo-sensei as well then?”

“Wouldn’t that confuse us as well as them?” Itadori then asked, to which Kugisaki looked at him to shout at him, only to realise what he was trying to interpret to her.

“You can call me by my first name not to get confused, I’m alright with it,” you mentioned to her, leaving the students to nod at you.

“Gojo-sensei, how long have you’ve married for?” Fushiguro asked, still wondering why he didn’t know this piece of information about his teacher, let alone that he was with someone.

“Three years!” Gojo proudly announced as he lifted up three fingers as if they didn’t understand what he said so he had to show them. “How did the both of you meet?” Itadori then pressed on with his hand up, seeing how much information he could gain about his teacher’s love life.

“We both met then we were students here and then time flashed by and here we are married,” Gojo answered his student with the vaguest answer that he could have given to anybody, leaving his student annoyed.

“Y/N-sensei, how did both of you met?” Kugisaki then asked you, as she was not satisfied with the white-haired man’s answer.

“Well like Satoru said we met when the both of us were students here, just like all three of you. We were on the same team with Shoko and another person, causing me to have to deal with this man since my first year at Jujutsu High,” you then answered in some detail, causing the students to be more intrigued on the both of yours relationship.

“What do you do Y/N-sensei? I don’t see you around the school at all,” Fushiguro then asked, leading you to smile at him before answering with, “you could say I’m the assistant principal,” causing all the first years to look at you with surprised expressions again.

“GOJO-SENSEI THERE IS NO WAY SHE IS YOUR WIFE, SHE TOO SMART AND PRETTY,” Kugisaki shouted as she looked like she was about to flip her chair - as she confused on why you would be with someone like him - causing you lightly blush at her compliment before giggling at the chaos that was happening right in front of you.

‘This is really just how I imagined it to be. Chaotic’

“Here’s a picture if you don’t believe me,” Gojo then casually stated as he suddenly pulled out what seemed to be a small picture from his wallet, causing you to be curious of what it had to show since you didn’t know he kept something like that within his possession. Once he passed the picture to Fushiguro, you leaned forwards slightly only to be surprised on what the picture displayed.

It was a picture of you and Gojo standing together with you wearing the traditional white kimono with the white wataboshi on your head, while Gojo was wearing the traditional black kimono that contrasted with his bright white hair and bright blue eyes perfectly. It was your wedding picture.

“Y/N-sensei you look so beautiful!” Kugisaki stated as she snatched the picture out of Fushiguro’s hand to take a closer look at the image, “your makeup is so beautiful, you really suit a red lip,”.

“You look really pretty sensei,” the boys simultaneously said, as they had a light blush on their faces after seeing the picture.

“Since when did you have that picture?” you asked your husband, as you turned around to look at him, only to find him looking at you without his blindfold - fully showcasing his beautiful blue eyes that you have fallen in love with since you met him - as he brushed his fingers through your hair, amused at your surprised expression.

“Since I got the picture printed after the wedding,” Gojo admitted before he moved his hand to caress your cheek causing you to suddenly feel the coolness from his wedding band. "You looked really beautiful that day,” Gojo sentimentally said to you, causing your cheeks to go a light shade of red.

“But you always have been and always will be”

Slowly, he took your left hand in his left hand leading to both your wedding bands to hit against each other lightly, reminding you that this whole thing wasn’t a dream.

“For a lifetime ha?” you questioned him with a soft smile painted on your face, to which Gojo reciprocated back to you.

“For a lifetime wifey~”

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always-andromeda · 2 years ago

Note

i would love more writer!reader hcs! it's hilarious how calvin's like my least fav pd character but the requests for him are so good, you made him likable 😭😭

Socialization Pt. II | Calvin Weir-Field’s x fem!Reader

Calvin Weir-Field’s x fem!Reader

Word Count | 1,260

Author’s Note | ugh, I LOVE writing Calvin actually so I’m glad someone finds my version of him likable! again, if anyone wants another part of this little dynamic, I’d love to think about making it a sweet little trilogy of headcanons lol thank you so much, anon, for enabling me to indulge in this man.

Warnings | Calvin is a ball of anxiety, nothing else I can think of!

Calvin hates being late to things. So, of course, he's late to the writer's group you invited him to.

It's not his fault that you wrote one of the numbers in the address wrong. It's not his fault that he spent twenty minutes driving down the same street, craning his neck to find the right place. By the end of the ordeal, he finds the breakfast buffet. Tucked away behind a few pretentious boutiques sits the building. Obviously some sort of historic place that has managed to just escape from LA's glitzy grasp.

Having led a group of his own for a few years, he thinks he knows exactly what he's getting himself into. A couple dozen twenty somethings who've convinced themselves they're artists and moved to LA to flounder and die. It's partially why he left said group after his dad died and Lila left.

He parks, gives himself a pep talk, takes a deep breath and enters the restaurant.

A staff member tells him that the meeting had started ten minutes prior in the banquet room. Great. Absolutely fantastic.

Calvin opens one of the doors of the entrance for the banquet room. All eyes are on him within seconds. Shit.

You're standing at a podium, papers in hand and mouth open, obviously midway through a sentence as you glare at him.

Calvin ducks quickly like he's walking in front of a row of people in a movie theater. He finds a table with an empty chair and tries not to meet anyone's gaze as you clear your throat and continue speaking. He quickly realizes that he is very out of place. Most of the attendees are...older. The women dotting the table around him are all white haired with deep wrinkles and wearing their finest clothes.

The next thing he notices is how attentively everyone listens to you. You command the room in such a way that he can tell you've been doing this for a long while. You don't drone on monotonously. And you crack small jokes every so often that makes some bursts of chuckles erupt from various tables.

You give a rundown of different writing workshops that are being held throughout the month, give deadlines for some monthly edition that members can submit pieces to, and read out updates on various projects that some of the members are working on.

Apparently Reginald has a science fiction novel he's been working on for years that is finally in talks of being published. A woman named Maria is in the preliminary stages of research for her book on pigeons. Calvin has no clue who these people are but he's struck by how...not miserable they all look.

You announce a writing exercise. The idea: you're going to give them one word and five minutes to write as much as they possibly can on whatever thought the word reminds them of. Sounds simple enough.

Calvin panics. Because of course he has to feel the frantic grip of anxiety right here and now in an artificially lit banquet hall at 10:38 in the morning. Life very well may have looked kindly upon him up into the very moment he walked into that room and made an absolute fool of himself.

The word you chose? Control.

The timer starts and his mind goes blank.

Control...control control control...he wishes he had control over that stupid timer. It's the only thought he had running through his mind. It's morbid and messy but he doesn't want to be the only one in the room without a word on his sheet of paper. So he scrawls out as much as he possibly can.

He writes about a clock that won't stop ticking. Won't stop taunting. Every time the hands shift, it seems to point and titter at a different failure. Nearly thirty. No high school diploma. No girlfriend. A publisher breathing down his neck. That clock keeps sneaking up behind him and beating him to an indistinguishable pulp. But this time, he catches it. Throws the damned thing to the ground and rips away at the face until it stirs no more. Digging his nails into the inner workings, he tears at all the intricate pieces until he's satisfied that it won't have a chance at coming back. Until he can finally breathe properly.

The timer goes off in reality this time.

And Calvin feels like he's just killed someone. But the tension in his fingers seem to have disappeared.

You say that if anyone would like to read what they wrote aloud, they may. A few people have the guts to do that. Calvin won't be one of the sacrificial lambs; he can't even imagine what kind of horrified stares he'd get this time if he were to describe how he'd murder an anthropomorphic clock. He simply claps along with the other attendees and crumples up his paper, shoving it in his pocket and intending to throw it away when he gets home.

Calvin approaches you after the meeting. You're putting away your notes in a giant, three-ring binder.

Standing in front of you for a solid minute, he's sure that you're deliberately giving him the cold shoulder. He clears his throat. You peer up at him almost dismissively through your lashes.

Returning your attention to your papers, you ask firmly, "If you didn't want to be here then why did you show up, Calvin?"

"Oh, trust me, I did want to be here. I was just...late."

"Okay." you purse your lips and close up your binder before laying your hand on the cover, tapping your nails against the surface and gathering your thoughts. Slowly, you perked back up, "What did you think about the meeting?"

"It was..." Calvin scratched his head before saying with uncertainty, "Enlightening."

His reply makes you snicker. You hadn't actually expected him to attend. And after he was absent for the first meeting after you invited him, you figured that was it. You'd managed to find another snobby writer who looked down his nose at his peers. But with how tall he is, there's no way he can't psychically look down on you. Except instead of disdain in his eyes...it's wonder. Those green eyes look down at you like he’s waiting for you to unveil the secrets of the universe.

You ask with a smile biting at your tone, "What parts did you find enlightening?"

"I thought the five minute writing exercise was fantastic. It loosens you up...forces you to just think of something." Calvin can't help but grin. Sure, he hated what he'd written. But maybe that's what was needed for a creative rut like this. Something messy and terrible and completely wrong. That felt right.

You laughed then. It sends butterflies through his stomach out of nowhere. He joined in, hoping that his nervous grin would convince both you and him that you were laughing with him instead of at him.

"You're a funny person, Calvin Weir-Fields." And a cute person. But he doesn’t need to know that.

"Thank you?"

"You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed your time today. I hope you decide to become a member before you go. You can sign up with Donna over there." you nod towards a woman speaking with some other members near the double doors.

Calvin didn't even think about the possibility of spam or extra mail or any of those other annoyances as he gave Donna all of his contact information. All he thought of was writing again. Of seeing you again.

#paul dano #danonation #danocel #ruby sparks #calvin weir fields #calvin weir fields x reader #calvin weir fields x you #calvin weir fields x y/n #calvin weir fields headcanons #˚ʚ meda writes ɞ˚

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icology · 2 years ago

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Game 4: where are we at?

GenDesign's new game is on the way, and it's a whole new beginning for the team as they finally solidified themselves as an independent studio and scored a deal with Epic Games, their new publisher, taking them to new heights with a multiplatform game. It's going to be 6 years since their last game released, and this seems to be the year where we'll finally see what their next project is. But what do all of these changes mean? And why does the process seem to be dragging on for so long? Well, fear not, because we're not as clueless as it seems! In the light of the new era we're about to enter, I put together a small comprehensive timeline, where we'll break what we know from the path and development of Game 4, until now, down into smaller milestones that are easier to understand.

So, if you're someone who's feeling a bit lost, or just a casual fan who hasn't been keeping up with the latest changes, buckle up, because we're going to figure this out!

(very long post, so hit the read more!)

We're currently in 2022 and, at the end of this year, it'll be 6 years since GenDesign published The Last Guardian, their most recent game.

The Last Guardian suffered with delays that were caused by a various amount of obstacles, including a game engine that took 3 years to put together alone; a change of platform from the PS3 to the PS4 that caused the entire game to be rebuilt to run on it and, later on, Ueda's departure from Sony until he returned with his own independent studio, finishing the game alongside Japan Studio, but not before it getting delayed one final time, by a few weeks.

After The Last Guardian released, the goal was for the next game to never take that long to release, but this time the pacing was not really in the team's hands, giving all that's been happening in the past 2 and a half years.

However, this development period hasn't been entirely clueless for us: it's been a while, but in these 6 years you can fit in a rocky release that certainly took its toll on the entire team, their transition to a fully indie studio, a remake that Ueda still had a hand in, and a pandemic that has yet to end and that forced the team to work from home for at least 2 years. Sounds like a lot to handle when you're probably trying to deliver your most ambitious project to date! It's understandably hard for all of us on this side too, to have almost no news and see the years go by.

So, let's break it down in milestones:

After the release of The Last Guardian, the team took a (much deserved) break before going back to work Once they returned, they began a prototype phase during which they gave life to the many ideas they had for Game 4, to see which one would be the best fit, which they would later pitch to a publisher. This prototyping phase was funded by game investment fund Kowloon Nights (read more about it here) After the prototype was complete, the search for a publisher begun. Many of the companies they were in touch with wanted to strike a deal, so they had to choose the one that best fit their goals, which ended up being Epic Games (find out more about it here). This process itself took more than one year, until they finally announced their partnership with Epic in March 2020, alongside two more industry powerhouses, Playdead and Remedy (watch the announcement video here)

... this was also when the pandemic hit... ... and caused the team to work from home for at least 2 years.

Nonetheless, GenDesign makes sure to let us know they're still actively working, even if only through our yearly update in the form of a New Year's postcard (see the ones from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022)

And it now brings us to the present! (phew. are you still with me?)

Now, everyone seems to have the same concern regarding Epic (including me when I first saw the news!) but, unless they go back on their word, the game is going to be multiplatform, probably just exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC. Also, it wouldn't make sense for a team whose entire fanbase comes from a single platform to only launch their most ambitious game to an audience who has had no contact with their work. All in all, the situation is pretty positive, especially considering the deal the team scored! Here's a quick overview of the benefits:

The deal allows them to retain 100% of IP ownership, and they’re also the ones in control of everything regarding the development;

Epic covers all the costs during the process, from the team’s salaries to marketing expenses;

The profits are split evenly, which means GenDesign will always keep at least 50% from the total profit.

(read about the terms in detail here)

After all of this, it's important to reiterate a few things, which people out there are still a bit confused about:

Team Ico is no more.

Though Ueda is still the directive creator, and many of the team members joined him in this new venture, they no longer go by Team Ico. Many of us, whether by convenience or because that name is still near and dear to us, still refer to them as that, though it's important to remember we won't see them under that name anymore.

The 4th Game will not be published through Sony.

After their departure from Sony and becoming an independent studio, the team is now being supported by a new publisher. This means that we should no longer expect news from a Sony State of Play, as they are no longer exclusive to Playstation, so we should instead look forward to general events where the entire industry participates, like Summer Game Fest, GamesCom, The Game Awards, and so on. However, and as mentioned before, the game will be multiplatform, which means that it will for sure come out on the PS4/5, especially considering that SIE and Epic are continuously expanding their partnership.

The New Year's cards might not be teasers for the new game.

Although they feature interesting, unseen artwork, it's important to expect the possibility of our yearly postcards not even being related to the new game at all. As mentioned before, the team went through an extensive prototyping phase before commiting to a single idea, so we might even be looking at discarded concepts, for all we know. The same goes for the sketches featured on their official website, that seem so close to the universe we all know and love, and yet so different from it. Ueda is an artist, so it could be that those sketches were a few ideas he had and that he couldn't find an use for.

However, there isn't proof that they might not be actual teasers either... it's just a matter of keeping our expectations grounded and ready for anything!

So what comes next, and what should be expect from now on?

Following the new year's message with hopes to announce something this year, and the new additions to the team in April, it seems to me that things are looking up and that everyone is getting ready to reveal the game in the near future. Epic Games reminding everyone that they will be publishing their next game during Summer Game Fest is also most likely a little hint for everyone to keep a close eye on them.

I highly doubt this was the "announcement" they were talking about at the beginning of the year, as we already knew they were publishing under Epic for almost 2 years, so we'll probably have a reveal coming soon. There are still a few more game shows this summer, so there is a chance we might still get a reveal before the end of the year.

Next destination, GamesCom in August!

#this was in my drafts since summer games fest and I finally finished it so here you go!#feel free to comment and add your thoughts and all that if you want :)#gendesign #team ico #ico #shadow of the colossus #the last guardian #game 4 #long post

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