#this show is so nostalgic to me sorry if I keep posting it. I think it's really cute

[kirvia]

yep

[septembersghost]

what addictive stardust does baz put in his movies

[pomefioredove]

Hi uh—I would like to request platonic hcs for Diasomnia and any of your favorites with a very young Yuu? Like, not a child, but not college age either (so like 13-15 maybe). The reader is very quiet and gets overstimulated easily, but they can be very sweet—they just show their affection through actions rather than words (like giving someone a pretty rock because it reminded them of that person, without really thinking about it). Recently, my older brother passed away, and your writing has helped me lots! I hope this request wasn’t too much—apologies if it was!

thank you so much for doing what you do, it genuinely makes me happier :)

hi anon, I'm very sorry to hear about your loss, take care <3 I hope this helps

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ brotherly

summary: young yuu type of post: headcanons characters: diasomnia (malleus, sebek, silver, lilia) additional info: platonic, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu

Malleus just absolutely treasures you

(dragon pun intended)

it's not strange for him to feel protective of his loved ones, but even so...

call it what you will, paternal, brotherly, either way he sees you as family

and he doesn't take such labels lightly!

he definitely has a little space in his room where he keeps everything you give him

and he's quite reciprocal, too

be it the finest jewels from Briar Valley or a glass bead he found on a walk

he quite likes spending time with you, too

let him into Ramshackle and he'll never leave

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Sebek is, as always, a little distant at first

...he can be a little hard to get close to, that's all

but once he's deemed you worthy of his friendship, you will never get rid of him

he's loyal to the core

the kind of guy to start crying because he loves his friends so much

so, you're definitely safe with him

he teaches himself how to recognize sensory overload so he can get you out of uncomfortable situations faster

he keeps the things you give him on his person as good luck charms!

actually a sweetie, 10/10 no notes

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

though, out of the four, I see you and Silver being the closest

he can be a little... awkward at times

but he's got a soft spot for the meek and quiet

and he knows how overwhelming a place like this can be, especially for you

he knows what it's like to feel out of place

his friendship is full of comfortable silences and moments of peace

any time you feel overstimulated, or sad, or even just feel icky, he's got somewhere quiet you can hide away in

he's a sweetheart <3

he's just as protective as Malleus is, in a way

though he's more likely to teach you how to wield a sword and defend yourself

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

the creaky old man himself!

much like Malleus, Lilia keeps everything you give him

unlike Malleus, it's... everywhere

all over his room, hidden in his pockets, he swears Grim ate one of the pretty rocks you gave him...

he cherishes the little gifts no less, though

and he'll often pass down some of his own old knick-knacks to you

(half of them have some kind of curse he forgot about. Silver deals with it)

he's basically adopted you at this point

Lilia has a soft spot for children, after all

and he's been getting oh-so nostalgic over Silver's youth, lately...

he probably makes everyone take terrible embarrassing photos together now that the family is complete

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

Is Sauron a narcissist?

I think it’s time for me to address this “Sauron the narcissist” headcanon, from my Tolkien nerd perspective. I’ve noticed this is particularly popular in the Sauron x Galadriel fandom (for some reason I fail to understand, honestly), don’t really know about the others, sorry.

I’ll start by saying folks are allowed to interpret fictional characters whatever they like, and see fit. Aren’t you allowed to call Sauron a “narcissist”? Of course not. You’re free of projecting or see whatever you want to see on characters.

Is this what Tolkien wrote or what’s being depicted on “Rings of Power”? No. Is this missing the entire point of Sauron and Celebrimbor as written by Tolkien? Yes.

First; you all want to see Celebrimbor as a victim of Sauron. He’s not and this way of thinking is a complete butchering of Tolkien’s message (I hate to sound like a “Tolkien purist” here, but it’s true in this case). You need to understand that Tolkien was, indeed, a preacher, and Christian-Catholic doctrine is all over his work. His legendarium is filled with cautionary tales. There is no escaping it, you can’t understand Tolkien without this. Unless that’s not your goal, and that’s your prerogative, of course.

Celebrimbor is not a victim of Sauron; he’s a victim of his own arrogance, vanity, pride and envy. This is what Tolkien wrote, and this is the cautionary tale. I already discussed this briefly on Of Sin and Sinners post. Don’t recommend if you don’t enjoy Sauron x Galadriel.

Tolkien was particular harsh on the Elves of Eregion, with Celebrimbor being their leader. By allowing the “rings of power” to be forged, they were acting against Eru (God) himself, because this is the core message of Tolkien legendarium.

But the Elves are not wholly good or in the right. Not so much because they had flirted with Sauron; as because with or without his assistance they were 'embalmers'. They wanted to have their cake and eat it: to live in the mortal historical Middle-earth because they had become fond of it (and perhaps because they there had the advantages of a superior caste), and so tried to stop its change and history, stop its growth, keep it as a pleasaunce, even largely a desert, where they could be 'artists' – and they were overburdened with sadness and nostalgic regret. 

Tolkien Letter 154

The Elves were “cheating death” with the whole “rings of power” project, which allowed them to stay where they don’t belong instead of returning to Valinor. Yes, including and especially the “good” Three Elven rings of power. Because this is a breaking of Eru’s laws on itself. And by doing this, the Elves are on the wrong, here, they are on the side of evil, even thought they fight Sauron (Tolkien Letter 183).

And this is why Eru allows Sauron to destroy Eregion (and Lindon, later), as punishment. In Tolkien lore, everything happens according to Eru’s plan. And this is why he doesn’t prevent Sauron from doing all of this. Because this is God’s justice at work. This is what you get for acting against me.

This is not “gaslighting”. This is show writers (or more likely the Tolkien experts that assist with the writing) using Sauron’s character to deliver Tolkien message to the audience. The problem is that the overall audience no longer has the religious background to grasp this. And apparently don’t even the actors understand it, either, with all the nonsensical “domestic abuse” interpretations. Or perhaps they went with this for the audience better accept it, instead of pushing religious messaging down people’s throats. Which is, with all due respect to Tolkien, what he intended with all of this.

It was Celebrimbor’s arrogance that allowed him to fall into evil (embodied by Sauron). And he, indeed, chose it. Because Celebrimbor wanted to surpass Fëanor, he wanted to craft legendary objects, he wanted to create a mythos like his grandfather’s Silmarils. And evil/Sauron gave him just that, and he payed the price for his sins. Because pride and greed are capital sins, deadly sins, against Eru himself, for which the punishment is death.

Tolkien is preaching here: this is what you get for being greedy and envious, and going against God.

Last, but not least, calling Sauron a “narcissist” doesn’t make any sense lore-wise. He’s not a human, nor a mere Elf; he’s a immortal deity who’s been around since the beginning of time. He helped shape the world he seeks to dominate. Of course, he feels entitled to everything he’s doing, and to rule over Middle-earth. He, literally, created the world alongside the Valar and the other Maiar.

He looks at Middle-earth in ruins after the War of Wrath, and how the Valar aren’t doing anything to help. Being a deity himself, Sauron makes rebuilding Middle-earth his mission. He thinks this is how he’ll redeem himself. And Tolkien tell us Sauron means well, at first, until he gets too high on power trips and tries to become God himself (and that’s when Eru intervenes).

[kimsohn]

in each other's arms

pairing . roommates! mingi x gn reader about . 3k+ words, fluff warnings . i have an unhealthy obsession with writing when i’m sleep-deprived take this as you will. i also don’t write long fics so i’m super sorry in advance. reader has a thing for mingi’s arms (who doesn’t), there is cursing involved, slight mentions of alcohol, reader calls mingi annoying and stupid a couple of times but it’s endearingly, this is not proofread yolo

synopsis . you don’t understand why your roommate is suddenly afraid of the dark, but maybe offering him space to sleep next to you wasn’t the worst idea you’ve ever had. note . wrote this for a secret santa fic and decided to post here as well! i don't really stan ateez but writing this has definitely made me some sort of mingi stan 😭 also this was inspired by this episode of curious george, not crucial to understand the fic but definitely helpful

You’re not quite sure how your roommate grew so accustomed to watching Curious George episodes every night, but it’s become a, to put simply, very distracting routine.

Returning home from work to find Mingi, part-time barista and your personal full-time teddy bear, watching a TV show wasn’t uncommon. Heck, customer service jobs were so horrible that even you would settle in front of the screen for the remainder of the day. You’d often walk in on a new Netflix series and even indulge in them with him, humming soundtracks while you both made dinner together or fall asleep cuddling to the end credits of each episode.

It was all fine until he found a Curious George playlist on YouTube with all 15 seasons, and being a nonsensically endearing child at heart, he’d made it his personal mission to cycle through all of them. Initially, it was nostalgic for you too, but after one too many times of seeing the stupid monkey and his yellow-adorned caretaker, you’d opt to crash in your banana-less bed after dinner instead.

Nights often end like this one, with you drifting into slumber and the glaring light of the TV screen peeking into your room underneath the door. Neither of you was that bothered by the change in routine anyway; you got more sleep and he got his screen time. Being roommates, understanding each other was key in your relationship, and although things were slightly different, the silent compromise was enough to keep the peace between you.

Or at least, it was enough until you hear three knocks on your bedroom door and a slight knob turn.

“Y/N? Are you awake?”

The whisper takes a while to register in your half-asleep state, and at the realization of his scared tone, you force yourself to shift into a sitting position before responding.

“Mingi? What’s wrong?”

He tiptoes into the room, turning on the light. The bright contrast from your previously dark room makes your eyes close instinctively, your pupils adjusting to Mingi’s blurry figure.

“Promise you won’t think I’m stupid?” he asks, an attentive gaze in his eyes.

The comment makes you laugh as you patted your bed, beckoning him onto the soft surface.

“You’ve been stupid to me, dumbass. Just tell me what’s wrong.”

He shuffles on the pillows, leaning in closer to whisper to you despite no one else being in the house.

“I think there are monsters in my room.”

“Okay, let me get this straight. You watched a Curious George episode about him seeing shadow monsters in his room, and now you think they’re in your room too?”

You can see the pout on his face intensify as he turns all the lights on while walking to his room. You knew the episode he was talking about, the one where the monkey started envisioning oddly shaped shadows as monsters only to later learn they were just figments of his imagination, but you didn’t think it would affect your roommate that badly.

“No! Don’t turn on the light,” he exclaims as you screw open his doorknob, despite the rest of the house being engulfed in light because of his phobia.

“Why not?” you question, watching the door creak open and stepping into the room, pulling him along with you so he won’t run away.

“Look,” he points at an oddly shaped lump, “you can’t tell me that isn’t some evil slug out to get me.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s just—”

“And over there,” he beckons to a tall, conical structure, “that is literally an evil Christmas tree. I’m 100% sure we’re about to die.”

You sigh as you flick on the lights, your suspicions being confirmed.

“Did you even think to turn on the light? These so-called ‘monsters’ are just your pile of dirty laundry that I’ve been begging you to wash and your coat rack that I still can’t comprehend being in this room and not the doorway.”

“You’re right but,” he moves to turn off the light again, “why do they look so different in the dark? They’re shapeshifting! I’m not insane Y/N, just trust me.”

At this point, you’re too mentally and physically exhausted to even care about his antics. In some other period of time, you would’ve indulged his nightmares, but right now it’s far past your bedtime and the only thing on your mind is a long, relaxing sleep.

“Fine. You can sleep in my room tonight. I don’t have stupid coat racks or dirty laundry in my room for you to be scared of, and we can turn on the little night light I still have from third grade. Got it?”

You pretend not to notice the silent cheer he lets out behind your back as you make the trek back to your part of the building, killing the lights as you go. Mingi keeps an arm on your shoulder, and you notice he keeps his gaze on the wall beside him to avoid any potential shapeshifters in the living room.

After a thorough inspection of your room, Mingi deduces that there are indeed no shadow monsters. By then you’re already half asleep, curling into the right side so his hunk of a body has room.

“You sure this is okay?” he questions, stretching his arms and yawning.

Your tired gaze glazes over the ripples of his lean muscles illuminated by your snowman night light before answering with a nod, and you grumble when he flops on the bed and steals too much of your blanket.

“C’mere,” he voices, making grabby hands, “I miss cuddling with you.”

You make the meanest face possible and flip over to the other side, turning away from his seemingly shocked face.

“Wake me up for cuddles when you stop acting like a baby and grow a pair.”

And as you drift into slumber, despite your warnings you still feel the soft weight of his arm curl around your torso, sending you into the sweetest dreams full of fantastical butterflies.

The next night, Mingi is knocking at your door again, albeit a couple of hours earlier than yesterday. He doesn’t even have to speak before you’re glaring at him, hands crossed in annoyance.

“I’m not letting you sleep here again. You stole too much of my blanket last time.”

You don’t mention to him that you had the best sleep of your life.

“That’s why I brought a blanket!” he exclaims, holding up his polka-dot fuzzy bedspread, “I also brought some popcorn so we can watch a movie on your shitty computer.”

Screw him for being thoughtful, and screw him for wearing the same brand of tank top that he did yesterday. Were his muscles always this prominent, or was it your nightlight making you see things?

“Shitty computer?” you repeat, threatening to close the door in his face.

“No! No… I think you misheard. I love your classic, old computer.”

His grin intensifies as you let him in, snapping the nightlight on and setting up the movie on your computer that is indeed shitty. The overheating of the device makes you turn away from his knowing smirk, and as the starting scenes flash across the blue light screen, you reach for the popcorn, only for him to move it out of your reach.

“Can we cuddle now at least? I meant it when I said I missed it.”

You don’t say anything in response, keeping your eyes trained on the screen, but your hand does reach over to grab a kernel, giving him the green light to wrap an arm around your shoulder. You know that if you refused, he would bring up the embarrassing fact of how you woke up curled into his arm, and you weren’t really in the mood to fight a blush on your cheeks.

“You know, I don’t understand why you’re still scared of the dark when Curious George clearly overcomes his fear at the end of the episode.”

“He does?”

You turn to look at him, confused.

“Did you not finish the episode?”

“I haven’t touched the show since the beginning of that episode. I’m scarred.”

You still believe that this is some sort of sick prank Mingi has been playing on you because there’s no way a 23-year-old man would be this frightened over a figment of his imagination. However, it means you don’t have to bear the stupid ape’s squeaky voice as you fall asleep, so you take the win.

“You know you can’t keep sleeping in my room like this. Why don’t you just clear your room so you won’t be afraid anymore?”

“I like the organized chaos.”

“Oh yeah? The organized chaos that shapeshifts into your worst nightmares?”

“So they do shapeshift! See Y/N, I’m not crazy.”

He is crazy, but the way his arm feels around your shoulder is enough to make you stay quiet as you shovel popcorn into your mouth and watch the movie blur before your eyes.

You awake to find yourself in the same position, and although your head is awkwardly and painfully resting in the crook of Mingi’s shoulder, you find that you once again have garnered a good night’s sleep.

Although you can only see the side of his face, his frame is so beautiful that you can’t help but melt into a puddle of nothingness. The sunlight peeking in from the gaps of your blinds illuminates his face in rays so perfectly, and you have the urge to brush his orange-stained hair behind his ears to gain a better view.

Mingi has always been breathtakingly beautiful. You met him a couple of years ago in college, bonding over the uncertainty of where your future would take you. Ending up together in this small yet comfortable apartment together was something you hadn’t expected, but something you’re learning not to take for granted. His silly quirks and endearing behavior are like a magnet, and it’s hard to not have feelings for someone whom you’re so domestic with every day, but you both are busy with your own lives and have never had time to properly explore those feelings.

Falling asleep in each other’s arms is the closest form of intimacy you’ve shared with him, and you’ve learned to cherish and be grateful for it.

Knowing that both of you are bound to end up with a crick in your necks if you stay in this position any longer, you slowly shake him awake, pushing away your thoughts as you feel him stir underneath your palm.

“Mingi, wake up. You’re going to kill me with your complaints if you wake up with sore limbs.”

“I like sleeping in your arms,” he grumbles, and it’s a little too obvious how your heart constrains at the words.

“I know, but I promise you’d feel much better if you slept properly on the bed. I’ll reward you with an amazing breakfast, I promise.”

The mention of food has him relaxing in your arms, and you move so that he’s sleeping normally against the pillow. The thoughts of waking up next to him and cooking breakfast for him are all very normal, but they’re so domestic that it has your early-morning mind go haywire at the implications.

You tell your brain to shut up and get off the bed to make breakfast before Mingi cusses you out.

Mingi appears in your bed the next day, the day after that, and many more days after that. At this point, your room has now become a shared room, and Mingi has become a prominent figure in your sheets. Hell, your pillows have even started to smell like him, and you don’t know whether you find it annoying or endearing.

A smaller part of your brain, one that you choose to push aside, fears that you’ve grown too attached to this routine. Sure, before Mingi’s monkey infatuation you’ve woken up next to each other on an occasional morning, arms sore from accommodating each other on the sofa, but you’ve never continuously spent nights with him in the same space regularly like this. Now that the routine has become more frequent, the atmosphere has gone from friendly to something else, and you don’t particularly know if you want to uncover it yet.

Besides, sleeping in the same bed is normal for roommates… right?

“Y/N, sleeping in the same bed with an attractive bachelor that just so happens to be your roommate is definitely not normal.”

Okay, so San agrees to disagree.

“I’m being serious,” he says, shaking you by the shoulder, “you’re going to end up catching feelings, and it’ll either end up with you heartbroken and apartment-less or you getting a new boyfriend. There is a fifty-fifty chance. Don’t risk it.”

You turn to look at Mingi across the room, dressed up in a silk shirt and slacks. His hair is styled in that annoying not-so-styled-but-still-styled manner, and it makes you want to run your fingers through it. Badly. Seeing him sleeveless in the mornings is bad enough, but seeing him cleaned up at a mutual friend’s birthday party makes you want to go feral.

“You should’ve given me that warning before he started sleeping next to me,” you mumble under your breath, but unfortunately San is perceptive, and nothing escapes his ears.

“Great. I can’t believe you already have feelings for him. You’re done for at this point. What is he even so scared of anyway that has him crying in your arms every night?”

You explain the details with a frown on your face, not wanting to mull over any possible rejection you might get from Mingi.

“Oh,” San starts.

“Oh?”

“That changes everything.”

You stare at San with a perplexed gaze, prompting him to elaborate.

“Look, Mingi is stupid, but do you really think he’s that stupid? Come on Y/N, even if he was scared of the dark, he would’ve gotten over it in three days.”

You hit him on the shoulder, causing him to yelp.

“Don’t play with me San,” you berate, watching him clutch the area you just hit, “why else would he be sleeping in my room if he wasn’t scared?”

“The same reason you started having feelings for him! Because you both enjoy waking up next to each other and being together. He likes you Y/N.”

The words drift around in your brain, and you process them for a couple of seconds before glaring at San.

“If he liked me, he would’ve told me.”

“That’s what you think. But do you really know him that well if you couldn’t even figure out the reason he’s been sleeping next to you? What if he’s just scared to tell you?”

San has a point, but you don’t want to admit it. As you watch Mingi beckon you over to try some food on the counter and likely force you to shovel down a disgusting combination of food, you and San share a mutual glance to stop talking about the topic.

However, as you walk over, you can’t help your brain from overanalyzing everything that shouldn’t be. The way he smiles too brightly at you, the way he holds your arm gently as he tugs you over, and the way he keeps you hydrated throughout the night make your head spin. Everything normal suddenly seemed different, and you didn’t know if the change was welcome or not.

Later that night, when you and Mingi return exhausted to your apartment, your brain feels more tired than ever. You’ve never been much of a thinker, but currently, your head feels worse than a hangover, and you don’t want to mull over anything drastic. Keeping your distance from the guy who supposedly has feelings for you back is harder than it seems, but you’re not in the mood to confront him right now.

However, Mingi has other plans. He sits you by the bed, helping you take off your jacket and accessories and untying your shoes. You realize that he’s picked up on your exhaustion, and you feel extremely guilty for wanting to push him away mere seconds ago. He is so charming at this very moment, and you feel nothing but enamored for the love you’ve received from him tonight and all the time you’ve spent together.

The words are flowing out of your mouth before you can even stop yourself.

“Do you like me?”

He stops mid-shoelace, looking up at you. You realize how awkward and uncomfortable of a position this is for him, but it’s too late to turn back now.

“Did it take you this long to notice?”

You feel like you’re being shoved underwater. The world hazes before your eyes, and the words are muffled as they enter your ears.

“What?”

He laughs, and the loss of your senses makes you realize how beautiful of a sound it really is.

“You’ve always called me stupid, but I think you’re the one that’s actually stupid here. I’ve liked you for a while now, silly. Why do you think I help you make dinner when I hate cooking?”

‘Oh’ is the only word floating in your head right now.

“So, the Curious George thing was fake?”

“Kind of. I was a little scared the first night, not going to lie, but after finding out how much I missed sleeping next to you, I figured I’d use it to my advantage. I’m honestly surprised you didn’t figure out or kick me out sooner.”

He sees you bury your head in your hands, too shocked to internalize anything right now.

“Hey,” he says, holding your shoulder, “you don’t need to say anything right now. I know it’s probably a lot to take in, and I know you’re probably exhausted after that party. Just sleep on it, okay? We can talk later.”

He finishes untying your laces and gets up to leave, but you pull on his shirt, stopping him in his tracks.

“Don’t go,” you whisper, “I like it when you’re here.”

He smiles so gently, so so gently that you want to stare at him forever.

“Alright, I’ll stay,” he whispers back, despite no one else being in the house, “do you want me to continue sleeping next to you?”

“Yeah,” you breathe out after a pause.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

[yumedoca]

"It's a rumic world!!"

Day 7 of @rumicworldweek - Happy Birthday Rumiko Takahashi!! 🎉

Sadly, no art for today since it seems I've hit an artblock after drawing for almost an entire week 😭, but to be fair everything drawn for this week was for sensei's birthday after all. I wanted to draw art for Mermaid Saga, One Pound Gospel and Rumic Theatre, but unfortunately there's only seven days in a week (though I have drawn art for Mermaid Saga like a week earlier and I have drawn an art for one of the Rumic Theatre stories months ago. Sorry One Pound Gospel, eventually!!) And plus, when it comes to topic of Rumiko Takahashi and her works, I decided to talk about it rather than draw...

Rumiko Takahashi... Honestly, all her works mean a lot to me. Each have it's own reasons, reasons why they're more than just mere stories to me. I guess it's mainly because of how good of a storyteller she is. Here's a little tidbit from her which may show why:

And boy, does it make me feel exactly how she wants it to. She knows what the reader looks forward to and she delivers just that while having fun. The amount of love and passion in her works in insane and the little details put to the story and characters are exactly what I love about her tales. Then there's the amount variety when it comes to her stories which I think is the most obvious when you pick up just one volume of the rumic theatre, one moment you're reading a hijinks story about a boy who just want to deliver newspapers but keeps getting interrupted by invaders and half- fishmen and the next moment you'll be reading a horror where this high school kid who knows archery is trying save his girlfriend from being murdered by his yandere cousin.

Honestly, just the amount of one shots she have is enough to prove how much as well as the number of chapters her serializations have is enough to show how much dedication and passion RT has for manga and this dedication is just what makes their quality so good. Urusei Yatsura makes me laugh and reminds me to have fun and enjoy life. Maison Ikkoku taught me about growing up. Mermaid Saga is a spine-chilling story which talks about the price of greed. Ranma 1/2 brings about the topic of familial love besides the romance itself. I've only watched the OVA for One Pound Gospel, but what intrigues me the most is the fact that the main pairing is a boxer and a nun, it's like the strangest pairing you could make but Kosaku and Sister Angela make it work and let's just say I love these kind of strange pairings, lol. Inuyasha talks about letting go from the past while still keeping the important within you. Kyoukai no RINNE is quite nostalgic to me as someone who grew up in a family who's very keen on saving money and a lot of moments make me laugh because I've been similar situations and it's nice to look back on them. And finally, MAO is the series I'm currently growing up with.

I know Rumiko Takahashi will never see this but.. Thank you so much for everything, your characters and stories managed to lift my spirits in the darkest of times and remind me that everything will eventually be okay. I know I'm not the only one who thinks this and all of what I've said is why I love Rumiko Takahashi and her stories.... ♥

I'm glad that I was able to participate in this year's Rumic World Week. Thanks to everyone who's liked and reblogged my posts and I hope everyone reading this has a great day ahead!! 🌹

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[rollinouttahere-writes]

Okay now that we know Lullaby was on Amazon Lily with Luffy, I’m assuming she goes to Marineford too. Which then makes me think of the whole “Rosy and the Admirals” post. So what I’m getting to is that all of the Admirals are in shock from seeing this kid that looks exactly like the woman they were sleeping with and know had a kid.

Akainu is probably too busy questioning his life choices, especially now that he knows his maybe child is a pirate, to keep fighting, and is just frozen in place.

Meanwhile, Kizaru and Aokiji both take a moment to be in shock, before rushing over to her in panic because she’s in the middle of a war zone. This leads to them both stopping right in front of her and realizing that they were both sleeping with Rosy. This could lead to a fight between them, but I think it would be funnier if, given how well their personalities mesh, they decide to say “screw it” just go full Mamma Mia, accepting that they’re both her fathers. Does this mean that Kizaru is going to Join Aokiji in his midlife crisis? Will Aokiji decide that he wants that stinky warthog Blackbeard nowhere near his daughter? I say yes. I think it would be even better if they join the Revolutionary Army, considering that they can’t be admirals anymore, and they both have issues with the government, so now Dragon is part of the newly formed Dad Alliance, whether he likes it or not.

I am so sorry for the long ask, but I just can’t help myself. Your writing is so good, it brings my creative side out.

Never apologize for sending a long ask, I live for them!

Yes, Lullaby does end up at Marineford despite the Boa sisters' best efforts. Hancock has Sandersonia and Marigold stay on Amazon Lily to keep Lullaby safe and away from the danger. Lullaby, of course, objects to it and does what she does best and sneaks onto the Perfume Yuda before they can leave. Hancock gets a frantic call from her sisters saying that they lost their niece, and she's very close to turning the ship around when Lullaby pops out of a barrel and asks what the commotion is about with a smirk on her face. Hancock is torn between being upset that Lullaby has put herself into danger and feeling a nostalgic pang in her heart because this is such a Rosy thing to do.

Lullaby manages to then also sneak off the ship later because she assumes that Sanji is going to show up at some point to help, and she needs to see for herself that he is okay.

Now by this point, both Aokiji and Kizaru have already seen her. Aokiji saw her when he first encountered the Straw Hats to try and capture Robin. To say that it completely threw him off his game would be an understatement. Nothing could have prepared him for seeing his presumed dead child alive and well and right in front of him. All of a sudden, he very generously offers to strike a deal with the Straw Hats. He's going to pretend like he never saw them, and all that they have to do is let him have Lullaby. That, of course, doesn't happen and they manage to get away.

Then at Sabaody, Kizaru sees her when he's attacking the Straw Hats. He's about to land a blow on Sanji when he feels tiny fists wailing on his leg. He glances down only to completely freeze up when he sees her face. His mind is racing as he puts together who she is, but before he can make any move to grab her, Kuma appears and uses his powers to send her away.

Marineford is the first chance that Akainu gets to see her. He can't believe what he's seeing. The kid that he thought was dead is not only alive, but is also a fucking pirate. He's questioning if this is his punishment for being happy about his own potential child being dead. All he can do is stare at her while being frozen in place. Part of him wants to get rid of her here and now to preserve his reputation... but the tiny sliver of a conscience that he has left is making him hesitate. He's killed people before. He's killed children before. But now that it's possibly his kid... he doesn't know what to do. Can he really look his own daughter in the eye as he ends her life? He feels sick and is paralyzed.

When Aokiji and Kizaru see her at Marineford, neither of them are messing around. They are going to get their daughter no matter what it takes. They're in such a rush to get her out of an active war zone that neither of them notice the other until they're both grabbing onto one of her arms to pull her away.

They genuinely don't care that both of them were sleeping with Rosy. She's a sex worker and neither of them were delusional enough to believe that they were exclusive. And frankly, neither of them were in love with her. Aokiji was very fed up with her towards the end, and Kizaru only offered for her to quit and come live with him for the sake of creating a stable home life for Lullaby. However, they are shocked to realize that both of them had been told that they were the father. They slowly start to realize the extent of Rosy's paternity fraud scheme as more and more people just at Marineford try to make a grab for Lullaby while insisting that they are actually the father. Neither of them are happy about this, but they quickly agree to work together for the time being when Doflamingo tries to snatch her up.

You can see Sengoku's hair graying in real time as he realizes that all three of his admirals had baby mama drama with not only the same woman, but over the same child. He accidentally yells at Garp out of instinct.

Aokiji really didn't need much encouragement to leave the marines. He would much rather focus on raising his daughter in peace than deal with any more marine bullshit. Kizaru was more hesitant and only left when he realized that the marines weren't going to be willing to ignore the fact that Lullaby was a part of a pirate crew even though she's only seven. He's so horrified by them wanting to execute her for her involvement that he leaves immediately. He did not just get his daughter back only to watch her be killed for bullshit reasons.

I think that them defecting to the Revolutionary Army makes the most sense. Both of them have problems with the world government, and helping the Revolutionary Army would be the most logical way to possibly fix that. Aokiji does not want his baby anywhere near Blackbeard or the rest of his freaky crew, so he never teams up with him in this au.

Aokiji and Kizaru agree to co-parent Lullaby purely because neither of them want to even entertain the idea that they aren't the father. They have invested too much in this emotionally to risk taking a test that could come back negative for both of them. They would much rather live in blissful ignorance. That, and they both feel like they are some of the best father candidates, especially with people like Doflamingo and Kaido being among them.

[the-tenth-arcanum]

9 people you'd like to get to know better

(lys sorry I re-liked your post a dozen times I was trying to keep it on top of my 2k liked posts otherwise I would never see it again. and then I got stuck on the very first question and I kept putting this off. but I'm doing this now! everybody clap)

tagged: @malinaa

tagging: @centurieslove | @fairyhagmother | @flowersandfashion | @tuttocenere | @herstarlight |

@stormsouls | @mayapleiades | @courtjestermerlin | @godmerlin

three non romantic duos:

Sam & Frodo! Who did it like them! "Don't go where I can't follow!" "Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam"! And other such hits. Crazy. To be honest there's a few non romantic duos from LOTR that I could pick but I love Sam Gamgee to death so I'm going with these two. Three hurrahs for borderline homoerotic devotion

2. Jen & Jack (Dawson's Creek). Dating myself here but I was obsessed with this teen drama as a teen. I've not really rewatched it since then because I'm afraid it will not live up to my nostalgic memories (though to be fair it started sucking so badly around S5 that I dropped it at the time and only tuned back in for the last episode lol). Anyway is there anything more beautiful than the friendship between a gay guy and his fag hag bestie? They were the cutest I love them both so much. I love how this show was so consistent in the way it portrayed their friendship. they were ride or die. I WANT WHAT THEY HAVE

3. Gaius & Merlin (lol). Okay I agonised over the last one but I couldn’t think of a better duo (sorry women 😔). I'm sure there are others I can't remember right now, but I do love them to be honest so why not them. I might have mentioned it before on my side blog but their relationship is probably my favourite in the show. I like the Chosen Family trope, okay? And I love that their relationship was important, in the show. They care so much about each other and it comes up time and time again. And their dynamic is fascinating, they're so similar in some ways and completely different in others. Immovable object vs unstoppable force. Thick as thieves, a pair of liars. As I once said—they lie so much, to other people, to themselves and to each other. And I think that's beautiful. Grey morality ❤

a ship that might surprise others: can't think of any tbh. I'm sure there are fics I've read that might surprise others, but only because I do check out a bit of everything if the premise sounds interesting enough to me, even with ships that are a bit out there. I don't really count that as shipping though.

last song: 80s medley I need to learn for my choir

last film: I don't really watch films anymore tbh 😭 I think the last one was when my aunt came to visit me last month—How Do You Know, which she chose because Paul Rudd was in it and it's probably the only reason to ever watch this film.

currently reading: Bliss & Blunder!! "A modern reworking of Arthurian legend". Or, the one where King Arthur is a tech bro. I'm enjoying it actually! (Nell if you're reading this I'll post some thoughts soon.ish. but I'm not even halfway through)

currently watching: nothing? I started Wolf Hall but I've watched less than half an episode over three lunch breaks and then I gave up for now because I'm meant to read a book and I can only focus on one (1) thing at the time apparently. but I might resume watching it at some point

currently consuming: nothing. hashtag minimalism

currently craving: local close friends so we can go out for a coffee and a chat 😔

[thebirdarts]

[Sound on!] Going with very limited animation, if any for this Celia/Elena animatic, and its already helping me do so much more so much faster- fingers crossed i can get the whole or most of the song done like this!

The song being Never Forget You by The Noisettes[Yt link]

Its set post Vento Aureo which means post Celias death, so this is from Elenas pov as she travels back for the funeral and thinks about Celia. despite that its gonna be mostly upbeat, if nostalgic, with only a few hints that Celia is in fact dead

Sorry I'm a little late- Elena flying back to Napoli [and being to late to meet Muro alive]

I got your message by the way- from the framing its implied to be from Muro but its actually someone else informing her of what happened.

I'm calling in sick today- The phone being off the hook implys that she did not in fact call in sick and is instead just ghosting people

So lets go out- lets go to a bar, theres two empty seats for Elena and Muro

For old times sake- and the colours invert, showing its the past, and the two empty seats from the last frames are filled with the silhouettes of a young Celia and Elena chatting, showing that the bar Elena is in the present is also one they frequented in the past [Its also probably the same bar as in you hurt the ones who love you]

I'll never forget you- zoom in closer

They said we'd never make it- the eyes represent the pressure they are under and the scribbles over the eyes show their expected young deaths

Your my joy- further zoom in

Always remember me- they are trying to reach out and keep remembering each other

[anylady-fics]

Need to know | Jeongin x F Reader (1)

Summary:

[...]

“You would like that, right?” I got closer, but I aimed his ear instead of his mouth, then I started to whisper. “You can dream as much as you want, Jeongin. But it’s never gonna happen.” I blew his ear and watched his body shivering, like the silly teenager he was. This time I was the one who was laughing, then I came back to my spot, and after that, the game was over.

[...]

Or Jeongin shows her that he knows things despite his age.

*** this work is for adult audiences. Minors DNI ***

Tags: #small age gap #jeonginfanfic #smutfanfic #roughsex more tags below

12,625 words - cross posted on ao3

Part 2

Ⴡ Masterlist

♦ 8 years ago ♦

It was really weird playing spin the bottle at 17 years old, but I wanted to have fun with my friends before going to college. We were always doing stupid things like that on weekends, and it was fun most of the time. Of course, some relationships could get complicated after that, but I didn't mind since I never dated anyone from that circle.

We tried to keep the age average always close, because it would be really problematic if some brat joined us and told people that we were there tongue kissing and drinking stolen beer from our parents. Sometimes we let new people in, but we had to be sure that they wouldn’t ruin our teen tradition, even if it was already at the end.

It was almost 7pm on a Saturday, we could get some beers to bring to the boys basement whose parents would not be at home during the night, and I was already feeling the nostalgic sensation hitting me really hard, since it would be my last reunion with them for a while. I really wanted to enjoy and do everything like it was the first time. And I thought that since there would be some new faces coming over to the game, I got excited to meet someone new, maybe even kiss a pretty boy that I haven’t kissed before, and I was really anxious to know who was coming over.

I was sitting there with my friends, drinking a beer and feeling sorry for how warm it was. Suddenly I heard the door opening and three people coming down to the basement stairs.

I got really confused when I saw the people, because unfortunately I knew all of them. Two girls were from the same school as me, and Jeongin was my neighbor. My brat neighbor who is 13 years old, and because of that I felt the urge to go home, because i didn't like him already.

“What the hell is he doing in here? He is 13!”

“But he is cute…” My friend said, making me even more pist off. “He almost begged to be in here, I thought that you’re going to like it because you guys are friends!”

“No, we’re not! Where did you get that from?!”

“He told me that! I’m sorry… you don’t like each other, then?”

“Nope, I don’t like brats.” I turned to face him, furious and wanting to throw my empty can at his face. “And you, liar! If you tell anyone what we do in here, I'll beat the shit out of you.” 

I was deeply embarrassed because I’ve already beaten him once. Not long ago, I noticed that some panties were disappearing from the clothes line and clearly my first suspect was the brat who was coming to puberty and lived by the next door. I did catch him stealing, so I yelled at him and pushed him to the ground. He just laughed, letting me know that he wasn’t sorry, even ashamed of getting caught. So young and already that shameless.

“Relax. No one can know that I’m here, too. I’m a brat, remember?”

I stared at him, while he was sitting with us, really shocked that my friends let him stay and play with us. At the same time, I felt a little guilty, because he was the proper age for this game, but I wasn't.

“I think he likes you…” My friend told me, sitting by my side. “He lied just to be here with you.”

“He's just a brat who steals panties. For god’s sake, it’s disgusting.”

She was there laughing, but I couldn't, since I was still angry with them. Besides, the two new girls were talking to him, both of them looking really excited, which made me roll my eyes. I was really too old for that shit.

The game started, and everything was alright. People were kissing a lot in the way they wanted, and if they refused to kiss, they had to drink half a can of beer and be out of the game for three turns.

I was kissing the same people I had kissed before, so everything was fine until it was his turn. For three or four turns, it was always him with someone, and I started feeling really uncomfortable watching him kiss the girls because I didn’t see him as someone mature enough for that, despite everything. Sometimes we switched places so we wouldn't keep kissing the same person, but the game was already coming to an end. Soon, everyone would just be talking and laughing, and if a kiss led to something else, they could use the bathroom.

Right after the last place switch, the bottle spun and pointed at me and Jeongin, and before anyone said anything, I just drank the beer as fast as I could and stepped out of the game. I had never done that before, so everyone stared at me.

“Geez, just because he is younger than you? Everything needs a first time, you know?” One of the girls said, and I took a deep breath.

“He is a brat, and he shouldn’t be here.”

“I may be the brat, but you’re the one who’s afraid…” The bold brat said, and everyone listened and started looking at me. “It looks like you’re afraid of kissing me and end up liking it.”

Everyone started to laugh, and that got under my skin really hard. They’re obviously wrong because I didn’t want to kiss that brat, not even a little. I felt the need to prove that I wasn’t afraid, so I stood up and walked to where he was sitting.

“Stand up.”

Still showing more boldness than I could stand, he stood up and got really near me. We were the same height, but he was really skinny and really looked like a brat, it was too much for me so I couldn’t do it.

“You would like that, right?” I got closer, but I aimed his ear instead of his mouth, then I started to whisper. “You can dream as much as you want, Jeongin. But it’s never gonna happen.” I blew his ear and watched his body shivering, like the silly teenager he was. This time I was the one who was laughing, then I came back to my spot, and after that, the game was over.

♦ Nowadays ♦

After college, I went back to my parents house, with a lot of student debt. I had to start working right away and luckily I found a job in my degree field. I finished college at 22 years old, it was just 4 years but it really felt like an eternity.

I was trying to save some money since I got back, and I already had a good amount, the college loan was already paid off. I was thinking about moving as soon as I could, but I need more to feel safe even if I lose my job. I was working for more than 3 years at the same place, with the same thing. I considered myself as a really stable person, but we cannot predict the future.

“Dear, I need you to take this pie to the neighbor. She made me one last week, now I’m returning the kindness!”

My mom always exchanged food with our neighborhood, something that I would never do, but I used to enjoy the recipes. 

“Yeah, sure.”

I took the plate and went outside, going to my neighbors house, as I already have done a thousand times since I got back.

Since I moved back in, I often wondered about their son. They had told me that he was abroad for college, which surprised me. I had always thought that idiot would end up on the streets, being a felon, as he used to steal underwear shamelessly. It was a long time ago, but I couldn't forget how angry I was with him. Now it just sounds really stupid. We were both teenagers, and he used to stress me out a lot.

When I knocked on the door, I heard a lot of voices coming from inside, and I asked if it wouldn’t be a bad time. Maybe they had someone visiting, and I could go back later. I had just decided to go back home when the door opened, and I was shocked when I had to look up to face the person who showed up.

“Long time no see! Remember me?”

It took me a few seconds to associate the image in front of me with the young Jeongin that I knew, and it doesn’t fit at all. Of course, it was normal for him to be taller, but that much? I think I was hitting his shoulders.

His hair was blonde, bleached, with the original color already showing at his roots, making him look like a surfer. And it was pretty clear that he spent a lot of time at the gym, since his shoulders were so wide and his arms were really muscular.

Despite all the visual changes, what was more surprising to me was the fact that he still sounded the same. The boldness, the shamelessness... maybe he was still the same brat, but now old enough to drink and drive.

"Yeah, sadly I remember. The panty thief. Did you finish college already?"

"I did. I just got back! And in my defense, I was really young, and your panties were the only available material that I had."

"Material?"

He raised his eyebrows and smirked, so I understood what he was talking about. Geez, this man is talking to me for less than two minutes and he's already discussing his methods of jacking off. Really…

"No explanation needed! Anyways, could you give this to your mom? My mom sent it to her."

He just took the plate from my hands, and we were in complete silence. Since I didn’t have anything else to talk to him about, I said goodbye and turned my back to go home. I didn’t hear the door close, so I knew that he was still looking at me. I did the math, and he was at least 21 years old now, so he wasn’t supposed to behave like a teenager yet. But I can’t say that I was surprised. When I looked behind, he was really staring at me, and he didn’t even try to cover it. Looks like his childhood flaws just followed him through adult life.

When I came home, I mentioned to my mom about the neighbor's brat being back, and she couldn't help but comment on how she had seen his pictures and found him handsome, etc. I brushed it off and headed to my room, spending the rest of the afternoon lying on my bed. I was planning to go out with my friends that night, so I wanted to rest for a while.

I was just scrolling through my phone when I received a notification about a follow request on Instagram, and I chuckled when I saw that it was from my neighbor. His profile had the name 'I.N.', something he must have picked up in college. I allowed him to follow me, but I didn't follow him back; his profile was public, and I could already see everything.

After spending a few minutes looking at his pictures, I was glad to see that my assumption was correct—he was indeed close to beaches. However, I couldn't help but notice that he seemed to be seeking a lot of attention; he was shirtless in almost every picture, often posing in front of mirrors, at the gym, or on the beach. There were numerous comments and likes, as expected, but I was still somewhat puzzled by his looks. I took some screenshots and sent them to two of my friends who know him well. They had kissed him in that stupid game years ago.

I didn't mean to spark a discussion, but that's exactly what happened. They just kept on commenting about him, and it was non-stop. Even though I agreed with some of the things they were saying, it was overwhelming. I muted the messages and decided to get some sleep.

When I woke up, I realized I was running a little late, so I hurried to shower and get ready to head to the bar. My friends were supposed to pick me up, and we were going to this place with good music and great beer.

It had been a while since I had been on a date, and I was thinking about at least making out with someone, so I decided to put a little effort into my appearance. I chose a short leather skirt and a long-sleeve shirt to maintain a balance. Since the weather was really nice, I chose some pretty boots. My makeup didn’t take long, and I spritzed on one of my favorite perfumes.

My cell had been buzzing for ten minutes already. I knew I was late and that they were waiting for me outside, even though I finished getting ready at my own pace and came down the stairs.

"I thought you were getting ready for a wedding. Why the hell did you take so long?"

"I woke up a little late, and it was just 15 minutes. Don’t be a bitch about it!"

"You’re dressed to kill today, huh?" My other friend said, touching my bare legs. "And the perfume, oh…"

They kept talking, and I kept ignoring them. That's real friendship, I would say.

When we got to the bar, it was a bit full, and the place was a little different, with colorful lights blinking in the slightly darkened room.

We went to the barman and started drinking right away. I always kept a bottle of water near me because hangovers hit differently since I turned 25.

A few guys tried to hit on me, but none of them caught my attention, and the bad pickup lines made me a little depressed. I decided to walk around and dance among the crowd, enjoying the way my drink was already affecting my body.

I bumped into a tall guy, and he held me by the waist, preventing me from falling onto the floor. I couldn't see his face, but it seemed like he had black hair and a nice smile. I could feel his leather jacket with my fingers as I held onto his arm.

"Thanks... I barely drank and I’m already stumbling." I had to get really close to him to talk, and I could smell his hair and his perfume. Neither of us moved, and I felt the heat coming from his body, so I had to step away before that ended up leading us to something else. And I don’t even know why I was worrying about that, because I was really in the mood to make out with someone.

I turned my back on him and started to dance again, still a little shy from being so close to his face seconds ago. My glass was almost empty, so I took a big sip to relax a little more. Not much later, I felt someone putting their hands on my waist. My first guess was that it was the guy I had bumped into, so I confirmed by feeling his jacket again. My first thought was to step away, but I didn’t move. I really wanted to kiss someone, and he looked cute, so why not? 

I just keep dancing, basically rubbing myself against him, his hands squeezing my waist and his body really close to mine, following my rhythm.

"Are you with someone?" His hot breath on my ear made me shiver, and I answered too quickly. Why would I be doing that with him? Wasn't it obvious? I decided to be polite and just confirm, since I was enjoying what he was doing. His bold hands were already under my blouse, and my skin was really hot under his touch.

I didn’t realize how close we were to the wall; I was almost certain that he guided us there while we were dancing. The corner he took me to was even darker than the middle of the dance floor, so I thought it was really convenient when he switched places with me, pinning me up against the wall. There were a few people there doing the same thing that we were about to do, so no one was paying much attention to us.

The height difference between us was really good; I liked tall guys. I put my hands on his shoulders and pulled him closer, kissing his lips and feeling how soft they were. His tongue invaded my mouth, and I sucked it, deepening the kiss and pressing our bodies closer together. I let my hands slide down his back, only stopping to squeeze his butt, already feeling the erection against my belly.

I smiled as his hands slid down my body, mirroring my actions. He squeezed my buttocks really hard, almost lifting me up, and then he pressed my body firmly against the wall and kissed me. He only stopped to kiss my neck, and I let my fingers run through his hair, closing my eyes and feeling my thighs shiver as my body weakened.

I didn’t care if people were looking at us or not, when he cupped my breasts I moaned against his shoulders and started to feel how wet I was getting because of that.

“You’re so hot…”

I bit my lower lip while he touched my thighs, tilting my head back to expose my neck, inviting him to kiss and suck the skin. He left a wet trail as his hands slid up my legs, squeezing as they got close to my panties, since my skirt was short.

I'm not sure what came over me, letting a stranger masturbate me at a party with so many people around, but his touch on my clit felt so good that I didn't care about the potential embarrassment if my friends saw us. At that moment, I just spread my legs to let him keep going.

We started kissing again, and my panties were pulled to the side, allowing his fingers to explore, sliding through my folds and touching me where I was most sensitive. I gripped his waist with both hands, desperate for him to finger me... but he was just teasing.

"Are you this wet because of me?" His deep voice echoed through the sensitive skin of my neck and ear, leaving me speechless. I just stood there, clenching at nothing, and I flinched, which told him everything he needed to know.

He stopped touching me to pull down my panties, and I let him. The guy knelt in front of me to remove my underwear, and while he was still down there, he got really close to my pussy. I thought he was about to go down on me, so I was ready to stop him—it would have been too much to do in public. Thankfully, I was wrong; he just wanted to smell me and quickly stood up after that. He kissed my neck, chin, and lips again, then slipped my panties into his pocket.

"I've been wanting a new one for my collection." 

I took a while to understand what he meant by that, and then I felt an immense void taking over me as I began to understand what had just happened. There was no hole in the world deep enough to bury all the shame I felt, and I was so furious about it… fuck.

Without thinking, my hand came to his face and I delivered a well-placed slap, one that would surely leave each of my fingers marked on his cheek.

I realized I couldn't speak, and that I hadn't even come close to venting all the anger I felt towards this cheeky guy for doing this to me. I raised my hand to slap him again, but I was restrained.

“You’re an asshole!”

“Oh, don’t pretend you didn’t like it…” He was holding my hand to keep me from slapping him, and he used the same hand to touch himself. I felt his hard cock through his pants, and suddenly I was really confused about what I should be feeling at that moment.

I pulled my arm free, feeling unsure of what to do. I still couldn't believe I was making out with Jeongin, my neighbor — the same brat who almost made me cum in public. Fuck!

“For someone who said 'never'...” Jeongin licked his fingers, which were still wet with my arousal, then he looked at me with the most obscene expression I’d ever seen. “You surely went back on your words really fast…”

I hated every reaction he provoked in me, and given the whole situation, all I could think about was that the bastard had dyed his hair that very day, or I would have recognized him right away. My god, I'm so stupid.

I wanted to scream and run away, and I almost did. I pushed him away, feeling extremely uncomfortable because my thighs were soaked, and it was even worse without my damn panties. I just left and grabbed a cab.

On my way home, I felt so embarrassed… and I was even more pissed off than before. Even though I didn't want to see him again, I knew I had to get to the bottom of this.

I let my friends know I was home, then I quickly got into a cold shower. I was still wet and horny from what happened earlier, and I was furious because I couldn't accept that it was because of him.

How could I just accept that I liked what he did? I couldn’t. But the body never lies, right?

That’s why, still in the shower, I had to take care of my tension, and I really couldn't believe that. I put so much effort into not thinking about him while I was fingering myself, rolling my hips against my hand and almost cumming, holding my sounds so anyone listened to me.

Even though I was trying really hard not to think about him, his face popped into my mind while I was cumming on my fingers. I couldn't stop thinking about the way he kissed my neck and the feeling of squeezing his clothed hard dick when he made me touch it.

After showering, I put on a random shirt and panties before lying down, still in disbelief. Jeongin should have told me it was him, but I also could have asked... I'll probably never make out with a stranger again. 

Oh god, when my friends find out about this… because they're definitely going to. They probably saw all the explicit stuff happening against that wall, and they won't miss the chance to tease me about it for the rest of my life if they get the chance.

I tossed and turned in bed all night, and I heard the birds as the sun started to rise. I couldn't sleep at all. I thought about going to my neighbor's place and slapping him again, but I held myself back. I was feeling better than last night, but still embarrassed.

After a lot of thinking, I felt much calmer. Sure, a lot of dumb ideas crossed my mind, like blaming it on the alcohol, but I knew that wouldn't work. I concluded that I should treat this whole mess for what it was: a mistake. The moment I realized it was him, I didn't stay—I ran away.

About what I did later in the shower? No one needed to know about that.

I grabbed my phone and saw a small commotion in my group chat. Everyone assumed I slept with the guy they saw me with. I assured them I had slept alone and miserable as usual, hoping none of them had filmed what happened there.

I looked at Jeongin’s Instagram profile and checked his recent updates. If I had followed him, I probably would have seen the new photo of his freshly dyed black hair that he posted just hours before we were at the bar. Great, my plan to play dumb was falling apart.

And because I'm pretty clueless, I forgot he could see that I had viewed his stories. So I had to press the follow button before I clicked to send him a message.

Me: You’re a jerk. You could have told me it was you. Since I’m nice, I'll let it pass this time.

He read my message immediately.

Jeongin: If you want, you can enjoy it even more. [single-view picture]

I had to think hard before opening the photo because I had a feeling what it might be. When I finally did, it was even more than I expected. Not just my panties, but they were wrapped around his hand. I couldn't see much, but it was clear he was lying on his bed, wearing only underwear, and his dick was really hard, apparently rubbing against my panties.

I hated how the picture made me clench. Damn it. I was horny again, and it was because of him.

Jeongin: Your smell is still on my fingers...

I just stared at the message, speechless. I was getting really wet again, but at the same time, I was in complete denial.

Me: You’re shameless. Jeongin: And you’re still afraid. Me: Afraid of you? Of course not. Jeongin: You know you liked what we did. If you want more, just ask. Me: Like you could handle me, brat. Jeongin: Wanna bet?

I felt butterflies in my stomach, and that didn’t happen for a long time. I wanted to grab my pillow and scream when I caught myself really considering and thinking about how it would be. Oh, I hated myself.

Me: No need to bet. I know you can’t handle it. Jeongin: I feel the same about you. [single-view picture] Think you can handle it?

I clenched my jaw, because I was pretty sure that the picture would be more explicit this time. It took a while to open, and I was even thinking about erasing the conversation and pretending that nothing happened, but my curiosity…

I opened.

It was exactly what I had imagined. Jeongin was in the same position, but now he had removed his underwear, and my panties were wrapped around his cock. His long fingers were holding it at the base, providing me with so much detail that my mouth began to water. The veins, the color, the texture... Oh... god. It made me imagine what it would be like to touch him or even gag on him.

Me: So this is what you do with my panties? Jeongin: Yeah... this one is my favorite now. It's soaked. Me: That’s depressing... Jeongin: You’re gonna keep acting like you don’t want it? Me: Actually, I’d like to know why you want it so much. Don’t you get tired? I mean, since we were kids? Jeongin: I had let it go, but then I saw you again.

I still couldn’t understand, but I was pressing my thighs together because I was really horny, he was a thing. And the pictures… oh. He was being really honest, and very clear about what he wanted.

Me: Stop being funny, we're not going to do it, brat. Jeongin: I think we’ll see about that. You must have gotten home dripping through your thighs. Did you take care of it? While thinking about me?

I swallowed hard, feeling very tempted to provoke this idiot, but at the same time, I didn’t want to give him any more rope because I was the one hanging myself with it. I was hiding things, he wasn't.

Me: Why would I be thinking about you?

Jeongin: I'm pretty sure you did. You were so hot and desperate... Did you touch that pussy thinking about me? Please, tell me. I wanna know. Me: Yes.

After I sent the message, my conscience screamed that I was out of my mind. But when you're horny, you can't think straight, and I was no exception. Jeongin was persuasive, especially because I have a weakness for sexting, not to mention everything else that had happened. It was really good and hot, even if I didn't want to admit it. I loved every touch, every kiss.

Jeongin: Fuck, I’m gonna come in those panties of yours.  Me: Again… depressing. Jeongin: Come here. Me: No!

I started trembling in bed. No way I was going to do that. Going to his parents' house to hook up with him?! That would be the last shred of dignity I had left.

Jeongin: Then let's go out. I can show you what you're missing. Me: Probably just wasting my time. Jeongin: You can say that now, but you won't say it later. Me: Don't you think you're being a bit too cocky? Jeongin: After seeing you all spread out for me in public, I think I've earned some confidence.

Well, he had a point. I just stared at my phone again, now hearing the sounds from downstairs that told me my mom was awake. He sent me a voice message, and his voice was really deep and soft, bringing flashbacks of that moment against the wall. Dangerous.

In the voice message, he was telling me that he could pick me up at 7 PM. I was thinking about declining the invitation, but my whole body was screaming for me to say yes. My pride, on the other hand, was telling me I could just find another guy to hook up with and be done with it.

I told him I needed time to think about it and would get back to him later. I rolled over in bed, wanting to get some sleep, but there were so many things I had to do, so I had to get up.

I was having breakfast and scrolling through my phone, looking at the guys I used to go out with, just to see if any of them could spark my interest, but… nope. All I could remember was how they never really satisfied me; there was always something missing. I didn’t think it would be any different with Jeongin, because even though he had that cocky attitude, he was still younger than me. I had an idea of what might be in store, but I doubted he’d be anything special in bed.

I had to take my mom to several places, and that took up my whole day. But the conversation with my neighbor kept playing in my mind, and I knew I had to tell my friends, even though they’d roast me for it.

And sure enough, my three closest friends betrayed me, telling me I should definitely fuck Jeongin and enjoy it, because he was really cute and hot. I didn't tell them about the pictures and the conversation—I didn't need to.

I must confess that I almost gave in, but I still chose to let it go. I got back home in the middle of the afternoon and tried to rest a little; I was really exhausted from the sleepless night. I slept for less than an hour and then gave up trying. I just got up and tried to reduce the damage with skincare and other self-care routines.

While I was listening to some music and taking care of myself, I decided to check my messages and started laughing really hard at all the things my friends were saying in the group chat, mocking me for almost "getting ready to take care of a man like he was a project." Me, of all people, who has never gone out with a younger guy in my life.

It was already dark, and I realized I hadn't answered my neighbor. I thought he would just assume we could leave things as they were, and everything would be fine. But then I heard the doorbell ring, and my body just froze.

I couldn't go downstairs like that—I was wearing really short pajamas and wasn’t even close to being ready to go out. I started to worry about what would happen if Jeongin was down there, talking to my mom in my living room, so I had no choice but to go down. I ran downstairs and saw him entering my house. It was the first time I could really see his new look, the black hair. And he looked so damn handsome, the bastard, wearing a denim jacket, black pants, and a white shirt.

“Did you forget about our date?” Jeongin had the guts to say that in front of my mom. “I’ll wait for you to get ready.”

“I forgot to send you the message, but I’m not going…”

“Oh, you’re definitely going!” My mom suddenly decided to chime in, which startled me even more. "He's a sweetheart, you need to get out a bit instead of always hanging out with that crazy group you call friends."

"Yes, I'm a sweetheart. If you like, I can chat with your mom while you get ready. I could tell her about how we're getting to know each other much better these days."

I widened my eyes at him and I was speechless. Was he blackmailing me or just teasing? I really hoped it was the latter because, even though he was taller and stronger than me, I'd beat him up until I was exhausted. Ugh, he's so shameless.

"There's no need. I'll be ready in ten minutes."

I stormed up to my room, furious, and opened my closet, thinking about what to wear. With no time to put together an outfit, I grabbed a black dress that came down to my knees with a modest neckline. I picked some accessories for my neck and arms, and choosing shoes was easy—a comfortable pair of high heels with a chunky heel, since I had no idea where this idiot would take me, and I needed to end this date as soon as possible.

I did my makeup faster than I thought it was possible, and went downstairs, taking just enough care not to trip and hurt myself. The look on my face made it clear how annoyed I was with the whole situation.

"You look beautiful, honey! Have fun!" My mom said, smiling happily.

As soon as we stepped out of the house, I punched Jeongin in the arm.

"How do you just show up out of nowhere?! Have you lost your mind?!"

"I told you I'd come."

"And I hope you didn’t tell my mom anything, or I'll kill you."

"Tell her what? That you let a stranger take your panties home? Nah, I didn't say a word, don’t worry. And you know I was just joking, right?"

"You..."

"Just get in the car." He spoke more firmly now, without the playful undertone that was usually in his voice. "I'm taking you to dinner, and you're going to behave. Between the two of us, you're the one acting like a kid, did you notice?"

He opened the car door, and I got in, silently. I thought about what he said and felt embarrassed for how I had been acting; it was a reality check, hitting me out of nowhere. I took a deep breath and accepted that we were having dinner, it would be fine.

But I was really surprised when he just took me to the best Italian restaurant in town... I was speechless. Not just that, he chose a great wine and paid the whole bill at the end of the night, something I wasn't expecting, since I was still having trouble seeing him as an adult.

"Did you ask your parents for money to go out?" I tried to hold back, but I couldn't. I had to make a joke, it was Jeongin. I was on a date with this brat!

"You know I've been working since I started college, right?" He smiled at me, puffed his chest out a bit, and leaned on the table, edging closer.

"And what did you study?"

"I did IT, I'm a programmer. I'm moving out of my parents' house next month." I hated how adorable he looked, smiling and all proud of himself.

"You're already ahead of me. Because of my student loan, I had to stay there for a few years. But I think I can move out within the next three months."

"This might be the first time you're talking to me normally."

"Jeongin, I still see you as a 13-year-old stealing panties from my clothesline. Don't push it."

"That was a long time ago, I'm 21 now. And you're 25. The age gap isn't that big, I don't know what your problem is."

"I know, I just can’t stand younger guys. I've never hooked up with any. I mean, until yesterday… without knowing it was you."

"If you hook up with strangers, how do you know none of them were younger?"

"I don't hook up with strangers, it was something I decided to do yesterday, and look how that turned out..." I felt my cheeks heat up, not understanding why.

"It turned out that you had a very nice dinner. Should I keep going with our date?"

"What else did you plan?"

"I made a reservation for a large suite at the hotel." He wiped his lips with a cloth napkin and carefully folded it before placing it back on the table. "What do you think?"

"I don't know what to say."

"Just say yes. Are you scared?" I hated when he said that. The smirk on his face annoyed me even more.

"No, I just don't know if this will be worth it. I still don't understand you… why do you want this so much?"

"Is it that weird to want to sleep with my hot neighbor? I've wanted to since I was a teenager, I thought that was pretty clear already."

The ease with which he said this was truly impressive. I blinked a few times, thinking about what I could say. I don't think anyone has ever been this persistent with me before. I couldn't decide whether to feel flattered or scared.

"I guess we can try, since we're already here. Just don't make me regret it."

His smile changed, it was victorious and smug, the audacity of this guy…

I felt a bit nervous, thinking he would make me feel embarrassed, but so far, that hadn't happened. I’d given in, and I really needed to know what it would be like.

We managed to have a decent conversation for several minutes once I let go of the fact that he was a brat. We talked about college, money, parties, and our experiences had been quite similar, except he spoke one more language than I did because of an exchange program.

We finished dinner, and once again, I got into the car with him opening the door for me—something that happened occasionally on my dates, but wasn't all that common.

He asked me to pick the playlist, and I did. On the way to the hotel, Jeongin placed one hand on my thigh, and I shrank into my seat; my whole body reacted to the simple touch, and I watched the way his fingers moved, sometimes gripping a bit more, sometimes gently caressing. I still didn't know what to expect from him, but I had realized he was direct. I liked that.

The lower part of my dress was loose, and every time his hands got a little bolder, I shivered. A few times, he touched the inside of my thighs, getting close to where I could feel the heat, but he never touched me directly, he was just teasing me.

We arrived at the hotel, and once again, I was surprised that he'd booked one of the best suites, considering it was our first date and he didn't even know if we'd actually use it.

I went up the stairs to the room ahead of him, feeling a wave of nervousness. I still couldn't believe this was really happening.

Jeongin took off his jacket and hung it up as soon as we entered the room, and I could get a better look at his defined arms and the way his T-shirt fit over his strong shoulders.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little..."

I was glancing around the room; there were lots of mirrors. A huge one on the ceiling, the bed surrounded by them. An erotic chair, a counter with sex shop items, and a bathtub. The room offered so many possibilities that I didn't even know where to look, but I was avoiding looking at him. I turned my back, pretending to be interested in every detail of the room, but I was just… lost?

"I can try to help you relax."

It was quite hard for me to feel intimidated by a guy four years younger than me, considering that just hours ago, I was convinced he wouldn't know what to do with me. He had already proven me wrong a few times, and I suspected this would continue. Well, I hope this is worth it.

Jeongin moved closer and I felt his body pressed against mine, just like it had at the bar. His hands gripped my waist, and his chest was against my back. He breathed against my neck, then kissed it lightly, just brushing his lips against the sensitive skin, sending shivers down my spine.

Not knowing what to do with my hands, I grabbed his thighs and squeezed, feeling how firm and thick they were, the ideas starting to bubble in my mind.

Jeongin used his hands on my body, first groping my waist, then moving up to my breasts. My dress didn't require a bra, so beneath the fabric, my nipples were already hard and sensitive to his touch. I had to hold back, biting my lips to avoid moaning.

We were in front of one of the mirrors, so I watched everything he did to me, the way his hands cupped my breasts, playing with my nipples even through my clothes. He slid his fingers under the straps and let them fall, pulling the dress down and exposing me, our eyes locking in the mirror's reflection.

The pressure from his erection against my back was really good, so I missed it when he moved away, but he soon stepped in front of me and pulled me close again, this time holding my face with both hands and kissing me on the lips.

I was still a bit tense, but it was easy to relax with the way he started grabbing my ass, pressing himself against me as our kiss deepened. I slid my hands under his shirt, eager to feel his skin, and let my fingers roam all over his body, across his back and abdomen. The warm heat from his skin when I lifted his shirt enough for us to make contact made me moan into his mouth.

Jeongin took off his shirt and proceeded to pull down another part of my dress, leaving me in just my underwear. I mean, I knew from his photos how hot he was, but seeing him in person… wow. I stared too long, and he laughed, clearly aware of the effect he had on me. Yeah, it was embarrassing.

This time, I pulled him closer, and we kissed again. I slid my hands to his belt and unbuttoned it, taking the opportunity to squeeze his cock through his pants, rubbing it a bit, which made him bite my lip a little harder.

Kissing him like that, with our skin touching, felt so much better and so much hotter. I finally let myself go, and we deepened the kiss until he pushed me onto the bed. I sat back, leaning on my elbows for support, watching him take off his pants, socks, and shoes. When I saw his boxers and everything else that was exposed, I clenched hard, sure that my panties were sticking because of how wet I was.

"Slide up a little." I shivered at the sound of his voice, the way he looked at me, devouring me with his eyes. I scooted up toward the headboard, where one of the illuminated mirrors was. The light was dim and golden, casting a warm and inviting glow in the room, which helped to ease the nervousness of seeing Jeongin crawling across the bed, heading my way.

I couldn't take my eyes off him; my whole body was tense, begging for the touch I knew was coming, but he loved to tease me. He knelt in front of me and placed his hands on my knees, gently parting them and causing me to spread my legs. He leaned in slightly, never breaking eye contact, and pulled my panties down on both sides, just like he'd done when we hooked up at that bar. But this time, he sniffed them in front of me, and I wanted to understand why that had such a powerful effect on me.

After he undressed me completely, he lay on top of me, careful not to put his full weight on me, and supported himself with his arms. I watched as he leaned in to kiss me again, his face close to mine.

"You have no idea how long I've been imagining this," he whispered, pausing the kiss and moving to my neck, licking it and making me shiver. I spread my legs even wider to give him more space.

"Tell me..."

My hands were on his back, and I didn't realize how hard I was digging my nails into his skin until he smiled at me and then bit my shoulder.

"You always knew, didn't you? You always knew the way I looked at you..." he said, kissing his way down to my breasts, his lips leaving a wet trail on my skin. He sucked one of my nipples, swirling his tongue around it, then gave the same attention to the other. "How I fantasized about you, and your panties..."

"I did…”

Many memories flooded my mind. We even went to the pool with our parents when we were younger, and I knew he'd always been watching me. However, because he was younger, I pushed him away. He really was a kid back then, and now look where we are.

I looked up to follow the scene through the mirror as he kept kissing my body. His hands were all over me, and I was getting really anxious until he finally reached between my legs. He started by kissing my inner thighs, then spread them apart, pushing them to the side as he caressed me. I felt a bit embarrassed, because there was enough light for him to see everything, but at the same time, I was really turned on, knowing I could watch it all.

"I wanna see what you can do..." I tried to provoke him, but I was clearly losing my composure while he seemed completely in control.

"I wanna try something with you..." He licked his lips before smiling at me, watching me from down there. He lay down on the bed and slid his arms under my legs, holding them to keep them open for him. I grabbed a few pillows to prop up my back, wanting to see him from every possible angle, especially with the mirrors surrounding us. My body sank into the bed as soon as I felt his nose touch me, and his lips were so soft on my clit that it made me clench in response.

Using his tongue, he licked my folds, tracing them and sliding along my labia, exploring everything but deliberately avoiding the places where I wanted his touch the most. His teasing had me clenching hard, but I refused to beg him just eat me out already. I was eager to see what he could do, and the suspense was driving me crazy.

He released one of my legs and spread me open with his fingers, sliding them along my folds, teasing my entrance, and using my juices to make me even wetter as he rubbed along my pussy. When he finally touched my clit, I almost screamed, oh god, it was too much relief and pleasure all at once.

Jeongin buried his face between my legs, rubbing his lips over every inch and kissing me as if it were my mouth, leaving no area untouched. I gripped the bed sheets, but soon I started threading my fingers through his hair, pulling him against me and instinctively rubbing myself against his tongue.

My body was writhing with so much pleasure that I could feel I was soaking the bed, having already come close to my orgasm a few times. I even thought he didn’t know what he was doing, but then I realized he was doing it on purpose. Every time I pulled him closer or pressed against him, he changed the rhythm, controlling my orgasm and always keeping me on the edge of madness. I couldn’t take it anymore, it was driving me insane.

"Aren't you going to let me cum?" My voice was barely audible amid my heavy breathing, and it came out a bit whinier than I intended.

"Hm..." he moaned, his face still buried between my legs. When he finally looked up, I saw his face was wet from his nose down. "What's the rush? I told you I wanted to try something with you." His fingers teased me again, pressing harder on my clit, then moving down to my entrance.

"And what are you gonna try with me?" 

"Have you ever squirted?" I was eager for him to push his fingers inside me already, but I got really frustrated when he stopped again.

"No..." I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice. I was incredibly turned on, and I would cum so quickly if he just kept touching me without stopping.

"Wanna try it?"

"How?"

"I'm gonna fingerfuck you just like you're almost begging me to do..." He placed his fingers at my entrance again, teasing me by pushing just the tip in, and even that was enough to make me melt. "But it's gonna feel a little different... you'll feel the pressure, and it'll be like you need to pee, but you have to let it out. Can you do that for me, baby?"

"And how do you know all of this?" 

"Why do you think I like older women?" he asked, his eyes locked on mine. Without breaking his gaze, he finally pushed his fingers deep inside me and knelt on the bed, watching every reaction I made. He didn’t move his fingers in and out like I was used to. Instead, he curled them inside me and began moving them in a kind of up-and-down motion, hitting a particular spot.

My entire body shuddered. I was getting soaked, and the lewd sound of my juices filled the room as he fingered me intensely. I started to feel something different, my body growing weaker, but he kept going.

"Yeah, just like that. I want you to make a mess on me, come on. Give it to me…" 

The pressure was almost too much to handle. He began touching my clit with his free hand, and for a moment, I thought I might pass out from the overwhelming pleasure. His fingers kept hitting the same spot inside me, and I felt my release really close. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

"Oh, god... I'm gonna cum. Jeongin, oh-" 

I closed my eyes, and it felt like my release was both incredibly far away and impossibly close at the same time. Then I couldn't hold it back any longer. The wave of pleasure hit me hard, all at once, and I felt my walls clenching around his fingers so tightly that I almost pushed them out. I came intensely, squirting and soaking his thighs and the bed. My legs shook so much that I thought I might collapse. My clit was still extremely sensitive, but he didn't stop touching me until I came again. I was nearly in tears, begging him to stop, but the pleasure was so overwhelming that I couldn't get the words out, I was still really high to be able to talk.

I closed my legs when I could, because he wasn’t letting me. I had a lot of trouble breathing normally again, and I could barely move. I sat on the bed and looked at the wet spot, the mess he had asked me to make.

"Wow…" I said, genuinely amazed. I could hardly believe that the best orgasm of my life had been with him.

"I knew you could do it..." He leaned in to kiss me, my taste still on his lips. We kissed for a while, and then I noticed he was touching himself, stroking his clothed cock and leaving a wet spot on his underwear from the precum. I touched him to feel the dampness, and my mouth watered as I recalled the pictures he had sent me. I wanted so badly to taste him…

"You did very well..." I whispered, leaning in toward his neck. We were both kneeling on the bed. "Now it's my turn."

"You don't have to... if you don't want to."

"Oh, but I do want to. I like it. And I really want to see if you can handle it..."

"I almost came from eating you out, I gotta say..." He lay where I was before, with the pillows. “But if I let it slip, I can get back quickly.”

“How can you be that cocky?” I pushed the waistband down, freeing his erection, which made me completely forget what I was about to say. I slid his underwear down his legs and returned to my position, on all fours between his thighs.

“It’s a really good thing about going out with younger guys, you know…” He used one of his hands to stroke his cock again, and I felt so turned on watching him that it was as if I hadn't just come twice minutes ago.

Since he was grabbing his cock, I moved in and started by staring at his face before moving downward, smiling at him and getting closer with my mouth. He was wet, leaking precum, so the first thing I did was lick it all up, tasting him and enjoying his reactions. He had such a pretty face! I removed his hand and used mine, stroking him slowly and teasing him just as he did with me, but I wasn't as patient.

I used my lips on his cock, then my tongue, licking from bottom to top while keeping as much eye contact as I could in that position. I was really losing my mind because of the way he was looking at me, so thirsty and desperate. I decided to take him all the way into my mouth—I just took a deep breath first and then sucked him until he hit my throat, causing me to gag. I did it like that for a few seconds, with my nose touching his pelvis, drooling all over his cock, and squeezing his firm thighs.

When I had to stop sucking him to catch my breath, I used my hands again, stroking him and rubbing his cock against my lips and chin.

"Fuck, I'm gonna cum if you keep doing that..."

"You can come down my throat when I gag on you again..."

He was panting, and his expressions were so good and satisfying to watch... The way he was trying to relieve his own tension by biting his lips was driving me wild, making me want to suck him off even more. When he grunted after what I told him to do, I felt the sound right between my legs, how could he be that hot?

I played a little longer, sucked him slowly, just tasting him, his texture with my tongue and hearing his pretty sounds. I couldn't wait to have him all inside me, so far everything was really beyond my expectations.

Jeongin was holding my hair, but he never pushed my head—such a gentleman. It was great teasing him, but I really wanted to feel his hot cum in my throat, so I sucked faster, letting him slide down my throat again and again. My eyes were tearing up, but I didn't stop until I felt his thighs tensing up under my touch, a clear sign he was getting close. I breathed through my nose and kept gagging on him. Then I heard his moans and felt his body tense up and start to shake. It didn't take long before I finally felt his cum in my mouth. I waited a few seconds before stopping, then took a moment to catch my breath, savoring his taste on my lips.

"It'll take a while until you're ready again, huh? I think I can have some fun..."

I knelt down and positioned myself so that his thigh was between mine.

"If you do what I think you're about to do, I'll be ready really fast..."

I leaned forward slightly until my clit touched the warm skin of his thigh. I'd been thinking about doing this since I squeezed him earlier. I moved my hips just a little, leaving him all wet and sticky with my juices—I couldn't remember ever being this wet before.

"Do what?"

"This, riding my thigh. Fuck, you're going to be the death of me..."

"I told you that you couldn't handle me..."

"Oh, but I will, even if I have to do it all night. Please, just keep going."

I spread my legs and rolled my hips, this time really rubbing myself on his thigh. I used my hands to cup my breasts, pinching my sensitive nipples, and I was having such a good time that I even forgot he was watching me. I started to sweat and get a little tired as I increased my movements—I was really close to an orgasm, but he made me stop. Since my eyes were closed, just using his body for my own pleasure, I hadn't noticed how hard his cock had gotten as he was stroking it.

"I could let you keep doing this, but I really wanna feel you cumming on my cock..."

I got off him and smiled because of what he said, I was still very sensitive and couldn't believe that the puddle on the bed had really happened. Jeongin reached over to the nightstand where there was a basket of different condoms and chose a thin one, showing me the package. I shivered—I hadn't realized just how thirsty for him I was.

He knelt on the bed and pushed me to lie down, which I did easily as I spread out the pillows. I got a bit confused when Jeongin pulled one of the pillows and asked me to raise my hips, placing it underneath my body.

"Trust me, it'll be even better like this…."

I did trust him, and it made sense. Having my hips raised would certainly make it easier to hit some sensitive spots inside me, but I refused to admit that he was teaching me something.

I was still a bit shocked by the situation, almost in disbelief, until I watched him put the condom on. I found myself staring at him, at every part of his body, thinking about how hot he looked. My legs were already spread open—I was sooo ready for him, wanting him so much that I could feel my body clenching with anticipation, so needy...

I touched my clit and shivered a little from the sensitivity, but I was still dripping wet for him. I used my fingers to spread my labia and open up for him, and through the mirror, I could see how much of a slut I looked and how much he enjoyed it. Since we entered the room, it was the first time I saw him lose control, and I loved it.

Jeongin just fucked me. He slid his dick inside without hesitation and bent my legs until my knees were almost touching my breasts, letting me feel just how deep he was inside me and I almost let a scream of pleasure leave my mouth, but I held.

At first, it was a bit painful to be fucked like that, but everything got better when he fucked me even harder. The pillow under me made a big difference, allowing him to hit my sweet spot, over and over. I touched my clit again, sliding my fingers a bit lower to feel his cock thrusting into me so hard that it made my whole body move on the bed.

I looked up to catch the scene in the mirror, loving the sight of him fucking me, my breasts bouncing in rhythm with the way his body slammed into mine, and my legs spread so wide that he could go even deeper, fuck… it was so hot.

I was rubbing my clit slowly, making myself really stimulated and trying not to cum, but he was fucking me so good that I was considering just let my release come.

My moans were barely audible, my voice caught each time he thrust into me, maintaining a very fast rhythm for several minutes straight, showing me once again that I had underestimated him. Jeongin slowed down his thrusts, leaned over me, and I finally felt the weight of his body, giving me a chance to grab his shoulders and back, to touch him and feel him even more.

He kissed and bit my neck, and I was sure he’d leave plenty of marks because of the way he smiled against my skin after making me squirm with his caresses. He moved up to my chin, then to my mouth, biting my lower lip and watching me closely. I could tell he was studying my reactions and expressions as he thrust deep, his hips pushing me further up the bed, almost making me go insane.

The pace slowed down after that—he was just enjoying the tightness of my walls and whispering dirty things in my ear about how tight I was, how my pussy was clenching around his cock. Jeongin used one arm to lift his body, while his other hand squeezed the sides of my neck, but not too hard… at least not yet.

"If you don't want this, I'll stop." His thrusts quickened, and I was loving every sensation—the way he moved, the way he was touching me, everything about him. My hips were still elevated, so he was always hitting a spot inside me that made my eyes roll back, and the grip on my neck got a bit tighter as I started masturbating with more intensity—I wasn't going to hold back anymore.

"I.N..."

I only noticed I'd called him that when he slowed down again, staring at me and smiling, even more cocky than before. He'd really managed to drive me out of my mind, and I kept touching myself while looking at him, my eyebrows knitting together, and my mouth opening involuntarily as I got closer to the edge.

"You're creaming me so good... cum for me, come on baby."

His fingers pressed deeper into my neck, and the lack of oxygen gave me a new, intense sense of pleasure as I came hard on him, screaming as I climaxed, unable to stop touching myself until it became unbearably sensitive. I tried to open my eyes to see myself in the mirror, completely wrecked, with tears welling up and my body trembling uncontrollably. Our eyes met when he also looked up.

"You look even prettier when you're all fucked up like this."

I didn't have the strength to laugh, but I tried anyway. I was too sensitive, and he pulled out slowly—I almost whimpered because the orgasm had left me so damn weak. As crazy as it sounds, I wanted more. How the hell could he do that? I wouldn't believe it had really happened, that it was so good, and that I was stupid for trying to avoid it, until at least two days later when I’d still be feeling the soreness from being fucked so well.

"Can you keep going?"

"Of course I can! I’m just a little… tired."

"Hm..." He brought two fingers to his mouth and licked them, and I spread my legs because I knew where those fingers were heading. "You're so sensitive, I don't want to hurt you too much."

I really was sensitive, but that didn't mean I didn't want to be hurt a little. In fact, I wanted it even more. My neck was covered in marks—I could even see the imprint of his fingers, and I knew there was no way to hide those. I'd ruin my reputation at home if anyone saw them, but it was a small price to pay considering all the fun I had so far.

His fingers touched me, first very lightly on my clit, which was already so sensitive that I flinched at the slightest touch, then they slid inside, teasing just enough to get me moving again.

I pushed his body so he'd kneel on the bed again and took another good look at him, really satisfied with what I saw. He was hot from head to toe, knew how to fuck, and had plenty of other qualities that I won’t go into—I'd be insane to keep denying it. I kneeled in front of him and saw the condom, all smeared and cloudy with my fluids, which gave me even more fuel for what I had in mind. I grabbed his cock and stroked it a bit, just to tease him, before turning around and letting my upper body fall forward, getting on all fours and arching my back as much as I could.

The mirror in front of the bed was crucial for seeing his reaction, and he looked pretty amazed looking at my body while I used one hand to spread my buttcheeks and made eye contact with him this time.

"Put it in…"

"Wow..." He grabbed my ass with both hands, squeezing both sides, and I moaned because he did it really hard. When he stopped squeezing, I first heard the slap and then felt the pleasant sting growing as the pain spread. "You're making one of my dreams come true, do you know that?"

“So enjoy it… and fuck me really hard.”

He bit his lip and shook his head, noticing the marks already on my buttcheeks. Before he began, he made sure both sides matched, giving me another slap — this one even harder than the first.

Jeongin moved closer, rubbed his cock against my clit, and slid inside all at once. Despite the slight discomfort, I pushed my butt against him even more and lay down on the bed, resting my head on the pillow and stretching my arms forward, pretending to be relaxed while he was destroying me, fucking me so good and so hard.

The sound of his thrusts was loud enough to drown out our moans, I knew I’d be sore and bruised for a few days, and I really wanted that. I wanted to look in the mirror later and remember everything we did—I think it's never felt so good to be wrong like this.

I tried to touch my clit, but I knew I wouldn't be able to cum again. I was too sensitive, even sore, so it was out of the table for me. For a moment, I thought about how much I wished he wasn't wearing a condom, how much I wanted to feel him cum inside me. Just the thought made me clench even tighter, and it triggered a great reaction from him: he grabbed me by the hair, pulling me up. He pulled me in real close, his body almost pressed against mine as he kept fucking me, and my scalp hurting on his hand. I smiled at the mirror while looking at him.

Jeongin let go of my hair and grabbed both my arms, pushing me forward again. I couldn't take my eyes off the mirror—he was holding me and using my body to drive his thrusts. I could see how my ass bounced against his body, and I noticed my breasts also had some bright red marks. I couldn't help but smile again, especially when we made eye contact. I was really aware of how much he liked that.

His thrusts became less stable—it was clear he was about to cum by how he gripped my arms more tightly, bending me back while continuing to thrust deep into me.

I watched his expressions as he came, his body trembling, and his movements slowing as he gradually released my arms, allowing me to rest on the bed again.

I was very sore, and I felt the friction had been too much once he pulled out, and I just fell on the bed, lying on my stomach. I turned over to look at him—something I realized I really enjoyed doing. He removed the condom and tied a knot before heading to the bathroom to throw it away. When he came back, I noticed how sweaty he was; his hair was wet, and his entire body had a sheen, and I was finding that so attractive that I was thinking I was insane.

If I wasn't so wrecked, I'd want more. I guess it must've been written all over my face because he started laughing while looking at me. I wish I had the energy to hide my thoughts, but… I didn’t have too, at this point.

"I really almost couldn't keep up," he confessed, sitting down next to me on the bed. "Was it worth it for you, or are you gonna keep making jokes about my age?"

"I can't even move, and I'm going to be useless for days. What do you think?" I looked at the mirror behind the bed and saw the new bruises on my butt.

"Besides the bruises..."

"But you like it, right? You came pretty hard when I choked you earlier..." He lay down next to me and hugged me, pulling me close and kissing me on the lips.

"You're so cheeky."

"Another thing you seem to like. Do I need to tell you how you reacted when I was talking dirty to you?"

"No need. My god, I'm a mess. I need a shower!"

"We can use the bathtub, we've got the whole night here. Even breakfast in the morning and I can give you a massage if you want."

"Hmm, are you trying to win me over? I thought you just wanted to have sex."

"Who knows?"

"You know it's not happening again tonight, right?"

"I'm glad you said 'tonight.'"

We both laughed, because I was really hesitant about doing this again—but that was before the night began. After what we did, I knew I'd want a replay, and since we would be living on our own soon, it would be even better. For now, I'd still have to endure the awkwardness of showing up at home in the morning, with a fresh face and in a great mood, making it obvious what I’d been up to that night.

We headed to the bathtub and drank half a bottle of wine before showering and then heading back to bed, both of us too exhausted. We fell asleep quickly, and when I woke up, I had to grab my phone to take a picture of the view in front of me: Jeongin sleeping on his back, mouth open, with a nice tent forming under the sheet that was covering him. It was still early, and we had plenty of time before we needed to check out, so I moved closer and slipped my hand under the fabric, touching his hard cock and slowly waking him up. I was ready, very wet, and still a bit sore, but I was willing to take the risk. I climbed on top of him and slid him inside without a second thought, deliberately leaving the condom aside because I really wanted him to finish inside me.

It burned a bit, and I thought I might regret it, but he quickly started rubbing my clit with his thumb, his eyes still half-closed, saying that it was the best way to wake up. We didn’t last long—within ten minutes, we were all over each other in the shower, without any penetration because I couldn’t take any more. My pussy was really sore but he still made me cum again just with his hands, while kissing my neck and pinching my nipples. I don’t think I’ve ever been this satisfied.

We really enjoyed the room and everything else, had breakfast, and on the way home, we were awkwardly quiet. I didn't know what to say, and suddenly I felt a little embarrassed thinking about what we’ve done, which was silly. He was driving with one hand on my thigh, wearing sunglasses and smirking even more than usual.

When we got home, I got out of the car, and he walked me to the door. I felt awkward when he pulled me in and kissed me right there, where everyone could see. It wouldn’t be a secret to anyone living with us, since we’d spent the night out, but I still felt strange about it, and I didn’t want my mom to see that.

"It was totally worth the hassle."

"Yeah, you did pretty well."

"I guess I should get your number, right?"

I laughed, because even though we’d known each other for so long, I had never even thought about connecting with him on any social media—we’d never exchanged numbers, never followed each other, nothing like that. This was so unlike anything else I’d done, but so much better.

"Only if you're planning to call me." I handed him his phone, with my contact already saved.

"Not just call. If you keep waking me up like that, I'll have to do something about it."

I felt like a teenager again, because I was so nervous and butterflies in my stomach hit me hard. Embarrassed, I slowly pushed him away from me and said I needed to go inside. When I closed the door, I was smiling like an idiot and thanked that no one was watching.

I looked at my phone and there were almost a hundred messages in my group chat with my friends, the latest one being a brilliant deduction from one of them that I spent the night out with Jeongin, since I didn't respond. How the hell would I tell them I was totally into the younger guy? Well, they would find out anyway, so I went up to my room and took a deep breath before starting to type.

I had already written a huge text about how the date went, but I wouldn't give too many details, and then I received a message notification from an unsaved number, I recognized the photo instantly and started smiling again, with the additional dirty flashbacks from last night.

I just really hoped that no one would ever see me smiling at my phone the way I am now, and that this passes, because I'll die of embarrassment if he ever finds out about this.

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 16: Crossing Paths - Episode 33: Temporary Opening

[Door jingling]

Hisoka: … Welcome.

Azuma: We’ve been waiting.

Tsumugi: I’m sorry for making you worry.

Guy: What will you be having?

Tsumugi: Surprise me.

Guy: A Frozen Margarita, then.

Tsumugi: Thank you. … Can I talk to you all for a bit?

Homare: But of course, that is why we’re here.

Tsumugi: … I was reunited with somebody I used to know recently. They asked me why I’m not pursuing acting full-time.

Tsumugi: It isn’t like I haven’t thought about quitting my tutoring job in order to focus on acting, either…

Tsumugi: Putting my financial circumstances aside, I started wondering whether the reason I keep dragging it out is that I was busy creating an escape route due to my lack of confidence.

Tsumugi: I began to feel that I was half-hearted for lacking the determination to focus solely on acting.

Tsumugi: I think my self-consciousness showed in my acting today, and the audience saw right through me.

Azuma: There’s nothing wrong with creating an escape route.

Tasuku: And it’s not like you were continuing your tutoring job to use it as an escape route this whole time, yeah?

Tasuku: Even without one, there’s no way you can let go of acting now.

Tsumugi: You say that so confidently. But, you’re right.

Tsumugi: Can I ask you to go along with my selfishness one more time?

Guy: We don’t mind.

Hisoka: … We’ll go along with anything.

Tsumugi: Thank you so much.

-

Tasuku: “If only you had listened to me. Then things wouldn’t have come to this”

Tsumugi: “I wasn’t unhappy in the slightest.”

Tasuku: “You can’t go back to being an angel. Your existence will cease to be.”

Tsumugi: “Yet, I was able to protect my first love, and you, my dearest friend, will carry me away in your arms. I’m happy.”

Tsumugi: (This is where my life as an actor started again. Never again will I—)

-

[Applause]

Tasuku: Thank you very much.

Tsumugi: Thank you very much!

Audience A: I didn’t think we’d get to see a digest of their debut play~!

Audience B: I really love this story~!

Audience C: It’s sooo nostalgic.

Tsumugi: … Whew.

Tsumugi: I’ve made up my mind to stay here and do this for the rest of my life.

Tasuku: … What’s with you all of a sudden?

Homare: Oho, it seems he’s perked right up.

Azuma: He's completely back to normal now.

Hisoka: I’m glad…

Guy: We don’t need to worry anymore.

-

Review: “The debut digest Street ACT was really good!”

Review: “It seems Tsukioka-kun’s all better now.”

Review: “Looking forward to the sequel!”

-

Staff: We’re starting in 5~!

Tsumugi: … As usual, let’s put on a show that’s befitting of us, and make sure to get the nomination for the Fleur Award.

Tsumugi: With the feelings of the Spring, Summer, and Autumn Troupes firmly in our hearts, we’ll run forward… I know we can do it.

Tasuku: Yeah, you’re right.

Guy: Let’s give it our all.

Tsumugi: We’ve made it through many tough battles up until now. Let’s believe in ourselves and enjoy this performance to the fullest.

Azuma: I agree.

Hisoka: … Let’s enjoy it.

Homare: Let us form a long-awaited Winter Troupe huddle! I suggest we make it in the shape of a rose!

Azuma: That seems a little complicated.

Hisoka: … Let’s go.

Tasuku: We’re starting.

Homare: Now hold on a moment!

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INSTE POST:

Azuma-Y

At long last, the Winter Troupe’s performance is about to begin. The angels are quite adorable trying to walk through the doors without damaging their wings. # MANKAICompany # YukiIsKeepingAnEyeOnThem

[the-dalseum-duet]

I’m going insane

@svwhssftr late night kohlsposting meets queer girlie music taste tag

oh God. oh god KILL ME

bags… i’m not like the biggest Clairo fan ever but i really liked her in middle school and now that bags is blowing up I’m reminded of just how baller her music is. she’s just so airy and cutesy and nostalgic and it makes me want to gut myself. i actually have insane cuteness aggression. i see something cute and i resort to extreme forms of violence. can’t have anything good around here without getting it a lil bloody

(the first time i heard this song was in a rory x paris edit and they’re my one and only comfort ship. they’re so. grrrrr I love them dearly like it physically hurts me that both are “””straight””” BITCH THEY KISSED anyway this is not about the most goated gilmore girls ship. those academic rivals are LESBIANS!!! the writers are SO WRONG)

but i keep seeing posts like “men who listen to Clairo are the most manipulative people of all time” and it’s funny in theory. but. ideas. IDEAS. GRAHHHH

so. this leads me to noeul. Naturally. Manipulative man ever. But noeul does indeed have a soul buried deep down inside him. He is naturally inclined to do things that bring him genuine joy. He is a hopeless romantic bitch HE IS I’M SO SORRY. NATURALLY. HE IS. HE WAS NOT BORN INTO A POSITION WHERE HE COULD FEASIBLY BE ONE. BUT HE IS REGARDLESS. AND HE DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE THIS

like he obviously has a strong romantic attraction to Charlie. he stays in dirty motels to see her and blindly trusts her multiple times. he proposes to her. that’s a massive fucking deal coming from him. Living in Eden Grove gave him a sliver of life as a normal human being, and he fell head over heels as soon as he had the opportunity. Charlie made him feel safe. But like. In the way that you feel it’s wrong. It’s very queer even though he’s a man. And she is a woman. They are the gayest straight couple ever. It’s a hard phenomenon to describe but it’s so strong and it’s so conflicting but it’s so warm and hopeful and. ughhh. tl;dr Noeul has emotions he knows he should have but knows he can’t have 

but he suppresses these HARD once he returns to Dalseum. he has to be cutthroat again and maintain the image he had with the Council. this only worsens once his father dies. this is why he cheats on Charlie with Sonnet because he feels like he should be with Sonnet. Sonnet is a prominent community member who will blindly agree with him. Charlie is this nobody who opposes his authority. So he freaks out and just throws her in prison so he doesn’t have to think about what could have been. Sonnet is who he realistically should end up with. He cannot afford to do what makes him happy and, in turn, a better fucking human. 

Oh yeah. He absolutely has a breakdown once he learns about the existence of Crow. Also why he actually realizes that there is room for kindness inside of him. Crow’s existence as their child. But that’s neither here nor there rn i just love torturing this man. 

But. Here’s where we torture him more. Kai. Kai fits this into a way that makes me want to bash my head into a wall even more. 

Noeul sleeps around in a feigned attempt to crush his romantic tendencies. He’s not supposed to be sappy. He’s supposed to be cold and all exchanges with others must be neutral, if not beneficial to only him. Which is how he meets Kai. This was established previously. At one of Gale’s shows. 

And. Throwing this out there. Just to toxic-ify this yaoi even further. Noeul actually really fucking likes him. Like he gets flustered occasionally around him. Kai is a dumbass (affectionate) and doesn’t pick up on this but Sara absolutely does and picks at Noeul for this. But Noeul definitely picks up on Kai not actually caring for him so Noeul acts like he doesn’t care either. But ohh hohohoho he does!! This little whore DOES care so much!! He WANTS romantic dates out on the town and he wouldn’t trade the mornings they wake up next to each other for ANYTHING!! HE LOVES HIS STUPID BITS AND THE WAY HE SMILES AND THE WAY HE PERFECTLY FITS INSIDE HIS ARMS!!!! HE LOVES THAT DAMN SHARK BOY!! But Kai’s just oblivious. He’s just like “eh he sleeps around with Everyone. he just wants to have some fun and I’m cool with that. he’s just like that” BUT HE’S ACTUALLY NOT LIKE THAT. THAT’S WHAT HE WANTS EVERYONE TO THINK. THAT’S WHAT HE WANTS EVERYONE BUT KAI TO THINK!!

that’s it. that’s all. 

just. picturing Sara walking in on Noeul violently sobbing face planted onto his bed with Bags by Clairo playing on repeat in the background 

“…are you okay?”

“WHY DO I FEEL LIKE THIS”

“hungover?”

“worse.”

“kai?”

“NO”

“you’re in love, sang. I’ve never seen you act like that before. stay in denial all you want”

“fuck off sara”

“I’m just saying. It’s better if you figure it out yourself. I’m just pushing you in the right direction”

“there is no right direction here.”

“is that fucking pheobe bridgers?”

“NO!”

“oh-“

“it’s Clairo”

“oh my bad?”

[polaraaace]

Hrrng. Iron Widow is pretty nostalgic for me and it's got a lot of things I like, but I can't help but keep dissecting the attempts at feminism/queerness and comparing it unfavorably to The Locked Tomb (major spoilers for both under the cut)

Gideon and Zetian's narration styles are definitely distinct, but I can’t unsee the similarities now that I've noticed. RIP girlies, you would either be BFFs or hate each other

The lack of interactions between women in Iron Widow really gets to me. Even though TLT is less in-your-face about being a feminist/gender allegory, giving us all those scenes of fucked up ladies doing fucked up shit to and with each other sets it miles ahead of Iron Widow in terms of showing us that the author and story care about women and their agency. In Iron Widow, you get 1) the MC 2) her fridged sister 3) mean girl who's actually nice 4) nice girl who's actually mean (shoutout to Zhao for their analysis/explanation of those last 2 and I'm sorry for oversimplifying; I just think they would have benefitted from more screen time). I'm super hyped for the countess class mech and the Yang Guifei analogue in Heavenly Tyrant though, and I'm still holding out hope for an Empress Cixi analogue to show up, maybe with a girlfriend inspired by Empress Ci'an

Speaking of which, we just. Never see Zetian showing attraction to women? We're told but not shown that she’s bi—again, having more women in the book could have fixed that. Whereas looking at Gideon the Ninth (also a story about queer characters), waaay before Griddlehark starts developing and even before Dulcinea shows up, we get to see Gideon being very gay in a casual way. And while being queer isn't an accepted thing in Huaxia like it is in the Nine Houses, we could have at least seen Zetian angsting about the struggles of bisexuality in a homophobic society instead of the author inserting it in a random throwaway line that felt like them trying to reassure us that their MC isn't a fujoshi, her getting 2 boyfriends is ok because she's queer too! And speaking of Huaxian homophobia, that's another thing we're told about but not really shown

The pilot system is essentially a more heavyhanded version of TLT's necro/cav dynamic. Both are metaphors to explore gender, and both are combat-based unequal pairings that usually end with one half of a pair dying, with a major theme being that those deaths aren't necessary. I'm actually not going to get into those too much here since analyzing and comparing the pilot and necro/cav systems deserves its own post

The handling of transness within those allegories is markedly different in both quality and tone. The beginning of Iron Widow gives us a brief musing on intersex butterflies, Zetian internally monologuing about feeling disconnected from the label of womanhood (which is never brought up again), and wondering how intersex or nonbinary people would fit into the gendered pilot system. To be fair, we do get a scene of Zetian taking the male pilot's position later in the book, but iirc the author kinda undermined that by saying something on social media along the lines of "sometimes the solution is pegging a thousands of years old emperor," which is just. So disappointing. If you think penetration is degrading you need to do some serious reflection before trying to write a feminist/queer story. (If I'm misremembering and Zhao didn't say that, I sincerely apologize, and please let me know so I can edit this accordingly.) Whereas in TLT, we get Cam/Pal and Pyrrha, both of whom serve as allegories for transness in different ways, born for real world gender and for the in-universe necro/cav system. Also Coronabeth and kinda Judith are their own kinds of in-universe gnc

Both first books end on one of the main characters' love interest dying. Then God/the gods show up and the MC asks for help resurrecting their love interest, to no avail. Also the gods aren't really gods, but technologically advanced people (or a 10,000-year-old millennial kiwi as the case may be). The beginning of the MCs being miserable in their frontier homes and trying to get away isn't anything you can't wouldn't find in a typical hero's journey, but that's such a specific beat to end on.

I'm genuinely curious to see how Qin Zheng is gonna compare to Alecto; I'd love to analyze them after finishing Heavenly Tyrant and the last two Locked Tomb books

For the record, I don't think the parallels were intentional; I just think Muir and Zhao happened to have similar ideas and the latter's execution didn't turn out as well. And I'm saying that as someone wholeheartedly convinced Andy Weir plagiarized several elements of Project Hail Mary

[trainergraceneedstherapy]

Suddenly got nostalgic.

It's funny how much I talk about Unova without actually-TALKING about Unova. I miss it, for sure. I just-..it's home. It may not be where I'm from, but I will ALWAYS be a Unovan at heart. That's where my story began after all-where I met him. Well-one of the hims you're probably getting sick and tired of me rambling about on here but-..he was one of the first people to respect me as a trainer, even if He didn't exactly AGREE with me.

He was-..well-in a bad situation. The older I get, the more I understand what was going on and the more ENRAGED I become about how unfair it was. And the more I want to kick that so called father of his' ASS again.

Unova is where I learned people and pokemon BELONG together-where I learned to hold my dreams-my convictions, my truths, MYSELF-tight and never let go, keep FIGHTING-but to accept the viewpoints of others, even if you don't agree. (Unless that viewpoint is hurting other people. Then it's ass whooping time.)

I didn't know what to say back then, when he left. All I could think about was what he asked me. What he-asked me in that stupid cave I kept getting lost in. (Fuck chargestone cavern.)

'Grace, Do you have a dream?'

He looked me in the eye-I was younger than him then, but he still asked me-like I was his peer. Like we were equals and that-..it meant so much, after everything. ..And I still said no. I-had no IDEA what I wanted then. I didn't think about what I wanted to be-what I wanted to do.

And he said to me-

"Dream your dream! Then, pursue the ideals to make that dream a reality, and someday you will achieve all that you dreamed of!"

...I can still hear that last "Farewell!" even now.

I wonder if he's out there somewhere. I mean-I would HOPE he isn't like-dead in a ditch somewhere! For someone that kind, that brilliant-it would be a horrible fate. ..I just wonder sometimes.

...Hey kingy...

I finally figured out my dream. You proud of me..?

(OOC Rambling time: Sorry about this long ass lore post-I was feeling nostalgic.

My first official pokemon game (Not the Spin-offs like the Mystery Dungeon series, Conquest, and my REAL first pokemon game, Pokepark 1 and 2.) was White 2. I guess i should have started with the originals, but i was 10 back then, i didn't know any better! Anyway, my first encounter with N was in chargestone cave, and i was pretty confused. So, i looked up and watched a couple youtubers (Marriland, Munchingorange, ect.) play through the first game to see what the heck was going on, and BOY, did N's story steal my heart. He quickly became my favorite character, and you can't imagine my excitement when he showed up in the anime series! (i used to watch it all the time when i was little, starting with the Diamond and Pearl series) His story really made me think about the fact that these pokemon i was training weren't just tools, but living, breathing beings. Characters in their own right! In short, despite having its fair share of flaws, Unova will always have a special place in my heart, along with the "Freak without a Human heart" whose title couldn't be farther from the truth. Thank you, Gamefreak, for creating a memory that will last a lifetime.

And thank you, N, for being a teacher of sorts for a kid who had NO CLUE what she was doing back then.)

[jojameswinter]

Omg if this theory comes true?!! https://x.com/k1espp/status/1730027132032872649?s=46&t=3pVP4qJcqGhmh_sHRUkcSA

Okay, I'm sorry - because I took 500 years to answer, I think things have changed since this post LMAO!!! Did we deduce Topper is the one in the red now? Or maybe we don't know for sure? Is it JB racing against him? I'm not sure what's been concluded at this point or if it's still pretty up in the air...

I know there was some bts of jiara cleope at the beach race, possibly on the same day as pier bts 😍

This whole bike thing has me like ?????? I really have no clue what to expect! But I'm interested and intrigued! One thing I heard is about money being blown on this, but that was more related to JJ, so I'm not sure if that's still a rumor. I really hope if they lose any of their money it's done in a clever way, but you know. It's OBX, so we're gonna get high octane plots with little sense and continuity whether we like it or not. And I guess we must on some level, because we keep coming back for more LMAO!!!!!! God, the Pogues really make this show, don't they? They can make anything feel nostalgic and warm.

[nickmaghighlights]

Nick Mag Highlights - #150 March 2009

Salutations everyone, and welcome to another chewy edition of Nick Mag Highlights. Today we’ll be reading through Nickelodeon Magazine #150, from March 2009!

First off, I’d like to apologize for the time since my last NMH post. I'm still trying to work out a proper schedule for this blog that makes sure I’m able to get these posts out at a consistent but manageable rate. Anyway, on with the show!

This cover is resoundingly familiar to me (yes, I dare even say nostalgic). 

It’s a classic bit of SpongeBob fare, which was indeed a largely familiar sight for Nickelodeon Magazine covers following SpongeBob SquarePants’ release and subsequent generation-defining popularity. For reference, 2009 saw the release of the show’s sixth season. Man, time flies!

Speaking of 2009, that was also the year that saw the unfortunate end of Nickelodeon Magazine in November. Being honest, that does sort of add a sad twinge to these issues for me, but I’ll set that aside for the sake of unbiased, uh, retrospecting! (Is that a word?) 

You can find the full issue here. Feel free to read along with me, if you’re so inclined!

Let’s see what’s on the menu today… Y’know I always get excited whenever the theme of the issue is something more on the oddly-specific side, like “Friends and Enemies”. You wouldn’t expect a whole magazine of content could be squeezed out of something like that, but that’s what makes it so interesting.

I’m most interested to see how stoic, harpoon-wielding Mr. Krabs ties into all this, especially with the theming. What do you think: friend or foe?

Holy moly, these credits couldn’t be more 2009 if they tried! Ah man, as fun as it was to make fun of Facebook moms back in the day (or, more specifically, watch Smosh make fun of Facebook moms back in the day), but funnily enough I think I now envy that sort of online innocence.

But forget about that! The Kids’ Choice Awards is nearly here! Actually, forget about that. There’s a new iCarly special coming out! Wait, no no no, forget about all of that! There’s a new episode of… uh, The Naked Brothers Band… coming out. Yay? On second thought, never mind, forget about that instead. The first two were way more exciting.

Woah, hey now! Aren’t we getting a bit ahead of ourselves here? The calendar was never this early on in any of the previous issues I’ve covered on this blog so far. I wonder what prompted the format change?

Speaking of change, I see they changed the instructions, too. I’m supposed to put this in a binder now? Who keeps a calendar in a binder? Besides, whenever I’ve had to use a binder for school or what-have-you, I’ve always had to use multiple binders. So I’d need a calendar for each binder, lest I be caught without a way to tell what day I’m even living in! This is madness!

Er, anyway, I can’t help but feel they might have been stretching for stuff to put in the March calendar this year. I mean, nothing against vitamins of course. Or even vitamin facts, for that matter! But I’m not sure they make the best calendar theme.

I would like to give a shoutout to this absolute fashionista on page 7 here. Sorry for all the 3D-printed BFF bling you’d have to make to properly steal her style.

Well isn’t this cute? But don’t let your guard down! It’s still just as much of a puzzle as any other puzzle… And when it comes to Nick that means it’s pretty easy, and this quest to spot the fake story is no different. 

Now I know I sound arrogant, but I will admit I wasn’t always such a whiz-kid! I’m pretty sure when I read this section back in the day I didn’t even notice it was supposed to be a puzzle, so I just took all these stories at face-value. Now, I’m smarter. Now, I can recognize a suspiciously flat, edited-in emu and can compare it to all the other dynamic and much harder to fake photos.

Now, I haven’t even actually checked the answer by the time of writing this, so maybe the fake story is actually the hamster and snake, who knows. I’d sure have egg on my face, wouldn’t I?

Call me crazy, but is that Homer Simpson and Bart in the bottom left near the trash can?

You know what I say, two pages spent on some Where’s Waldo?-style picture puzzle action is nary two pages wasted (I always say that). And this one’s a fun concept! I actually got distracted while writing this trying to find all the different situations that fit the BFF acronym. 

Now, I usually try to shed some light on the wonderful people responsible for Nick Magazine’s distinct art, but I’m actually hard-pressed to find much on Andrew Brisman, the artist behind these pages. Searching him online seems to just unearth a couple of gambling guide books written under the same name. And, regardless of whether or not that’s the same Brisman, I’m more interested in finding credits that are more relevant to what we’re talking about today.

So in that regard, the most I could find was that an Andrew Brisman did work as an editor on Dark Horse Comics’ Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Lost Adventures series. I’m inclined to believe that’s our guy, since a DeviantArt post from a former Nickelodeon Magazine editor indicates Brisman as previously working as a co-editor for an issue of Nickelodeon Magazine centered around the same show.

So yeah! Not every one of these artists is going to be so easy to find, but it’s nice to give credit where credit is due. I wish the best for Brisman, maybe he's doing something for those three new Avatar: The Last Airbender movies in development, eh?

I suppose this is a good way for kids to get the lowdown on all the famous media rivalries they probably already know about. I suppose the real engaging part is trying to figure out what the numbers on the Fight-o-Meter mean. 

Also, is it really necessary to spoil The Empire Strikes Back’s twist like that? I get it’s an old movie, but c’mon, there’s presumably kids reading who didn’t know yet.

I can’t be too critical though, since according to the website of the writer behind this section, she wrote this during an internship at Nick Magazine. Everyone’s gotta start somewhere!

Time for some pull-out pranks! Well, one prank and two small inspirational posters. It’s always weird for me whenever I’m reminded that old meme format in the top left used to just be a poster format people used regularly. 

And here we come across a beautiful cover done by the artist Theo Ellsworth to start off this issue’s Comic Book. If you’d like to check out more of his stuff, it seems your best venue is his Blogger site and Tumblr blog, although they’re seemingly no longer active.

Got to shed some spotlight on Scene but Not Heard once again. I may have brushed it off to the side in the last post but I think that’s a habit I picked up from childhood. Since this comic was so consistent I ended up glossing over it back in the day since I knew it was always going to be there. But in hindsight, that’s really not giving this comic and its creator Sam Henderson enough credit. It must not have been easy coming up with such entertaining, imaginative illustrations consecutively for more than fifteen years! Or maybe it was, I dunno. They’re funny either way.

(Also hello down there, Impy! Man, I love that little guy!)

Oh boy, time for another introduction! Grampa and Julie: Shark Hunters was a serialized comic created for Nickelodeon Magazine by Jef Czekaj, which ran from 1999 all the way to the magazine’s cancellation. It follows a young girl named Julie and her scientist Grampa as they do the, y’know, eponymous shark hunting. Mischief also ensues, I’m pretty sure. 

This comic wasn’t really one of my favorites growing up, and this incredibly wordy two-pager that’s really just setting up for a presumably much more action-packed installment next month isn’t really doing much to change my mind on that. But hey, maybe this is just a bad example. Shark Hunters still had (has?) its fans! The Letters to the Editors section of this issue actually includes a message from a reader begging for the return of this comic, as it apparently had gone on a short hiatus. I hope it was everything they wanted!

Now, that would be all, but there’s a bit more history to go over. In 2006, Klasky Csupo (the company behind Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys, and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, among others) produced a ten-minute pilot based on Grampa and Julie: Shark Hunters, and pitched it to Nickelodeon as a potential series. As we know now, the pilot wasn’t picked up. But you can check it out here:

It definitely surprises me how much of a departure in art style and tone this is from the majority of Klasky Csupo's other projects, but I do appreciate them replicating the comic's memorable look. What also surprises me is the casting of Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman (Kramer vs. Kramer, Rain Man, Kung Fu Panda) as the voice of Grampa! It's definitely an unexpected choice, and it makes me wonder if he would've stayed on the project had the series actually gotten picked up. 

Coming up next is a nice little SpongeBob Squarepants comic. It’s fun to see Sandy and SpongeBob get competitive and the colors are quite nice. Not much to say, but hey, it's nice.

Eventually, due to the rising popularity of video games in the mainstream, Nickelodeon Magazine saw fit to start incorporating a video game-themed section in their issues to give the gaming populace what they wanted. From my memory, these usually consisted of cheat codes and tips, or sometimes a rundown on whatever new Nickelodeon games were coming out at the time. Here we’ve got ourselves a comedic writeup on how some video game characters feel about their best and worst players. It's a funny idea and the illustrations are nice, but I particularly can't get over the absolute verbal thrashing Mario gives to an 8-year old girl in the bottom left section. 

Also this just came to mind, but aren't all these characters essentially doxxing their players here? Let this be a lesson on why you should always read the Terms & Conditions.

See, I told you that we’d be seeing more SpongeBob in this issue! (Don’t fact check that). 

But yeah, 2009 minus 1999 is indeed 10, and Nickelodeon was all-in on capitalizing on their mascot’s milestone anniversary. This celebration eventually culminated in the premiere of an hour-long special episode titled Truth or Square, but on these pages here we can see an example of one of the off-shoot promotions also coinciding with the celebration.

Starting in March (for some reason) and ending at an unspecified month, Nickelodeon challenged fans with various SpongeBob-themed puzzles, available both in-print and online. The answers to these puzzles would then be utilized to unlock the password to a special “digital prize”. Now, I am having difficulty finding out just how long this promotion lasted for or what the digital prize even was, but I’m willing to guess it was a funky desktop wallpaper. If anyone knows anything about this challenge or the digital prize, I’d love to hear it! Feel free to send a message and I’d be happy to include an update on the blog.

And hey, even if this promotion is close to reaching its 15-year anniversary now, we can still appreciate the art for this issue’s puzzle, which depicts a scene similar to an episode from the show’s third season, “Clams”.

Pretty funny designs for this batch of contest submissions. Readers must have been drowning in anticipation during the seven month-long period between the opening of this contest in August of 2008 and the actual results here in March of 2009. I appreciate giving the kids all the time they need to hone their craft.

Got a favorite? I personally am quite fond of the Spikesicle, it definitely stands out amongst its slimy contemporaries. The Man-wich Sundae is pretty good too. I think it have wings?

Holy moly, Spectacular! And not just Spectacular!, but a tear-out poster and a backside that features everything you need to know about the members of the band and their real-life actors! This is so cool! 

…Wait, what the heck is Spectacular!?

Yeah, sorry, but this really is not ringing any bells. And let me remind you, I had this issue as a kid, so I must have read this at some point! I guess my young eyes must’ve just inherently glazed over when it happened upon teen bands. Sorry to any Spectacular! fans who may be reading.

Uh, hm… In regards to anything else to say on the subject… Let's see… 

That’s the girl from Victorious, isn’t it? Victoria Justice? She seems familiar, yeah… 

Ooh, look on the right! They’re making a show about the penguins from that Madagascar movie! Cool!

Holy moly, the Disrepectoids. Such a strange marketing stunt from the likes of a juice box brand ended up giving way to a very short-lived but incredibly memorable childhood fascination for me. Essentially the whole thing was based around these live-action commercials that each showcased a scenario of a kid beating up, destroying, or otherwise causing grief to their helpless Capri Sun juice pouch. Said kid would then pay the price by being turned into a freak called a Disrepectoid, with each kid sporting a different affliction based on the disrespect they gave their pouch. Here’s one of the first commercials, showcasing the origin of the Disrepectoid featured at the forefront of this page, Bobblehead Fred:

Never really understood how hitting a pouch with a baseball bat links with getting turned into a bobblehead. Shouldn’t he get a baseball bat head instead, or something?

This promotion also included a plethora of Flash games and online cartoons hosted on a dedicated website, featuring stylized renderings of the kids from the commercials. Capri Sun obviously wanted this to be a big deal, seeing as how this was a whole magazine page advertising the airing of a commercial. But hey, I bought into it, and to be honest I couldn't really tell you why nowadays. Maybe I just liked the artstyle? 

If you want an idea on how big I was into this, I could genuinely make a whole post just on these guys. Too bad they’re not a magazine!

Anyway, the whole thing lasted about two or three years I’m pretty sure, before Capri Sun shelved the concept and went back to being a drink for kids who play sports or something, I dunno. Still, for the short time it was around I found the Disrespectoids brand incredibly imaginative and engaging.

Another issue in the bag! It was fun doing another Nick Mag from my childhood. Hopefully it was fun to read, too! As might be able to tell, this was definitely a trip down memory lane. 

Anyway, in regards to my schedule. I was thinking of shifting to something bi-weekly (of the every two weeks variety, not twice a week). Take a look:

So yeah! Hopefully this will allow me to stay refreshed and still keep making stuff people want to see. This blog is already growing bigger than I would've expected and I've gotten nice feedback from people who appreciate Nickelodeon Magazine just like I do. I'm excited to see where this blog goes, and thank you to everyone who's here to see it! 

Have a great day, and as always, keep reading!