#to have something be so massively misunderstood is so annoying

[elleloquently]

i honestly don't even really like to talk about tlou2 but something that will absolutely baffle me until the end of time is how many people romanticize the farm sequence and view it as happy. every time someone says the game should've ended there or that ellie threw away her whole life and she could've been happy etc etc etc, it really makes me realize how many people do lack literacy and the ability to read between the lines. because how are you seeing the farm scenes and not realizing how devastating it is?? it feels so empty and lifeless.

yes ellie laughed and they listen to music and dance but those are such small snippets. anyone with severe ptsd / mental trauma can be okay for a moment. but ellie was quite literally killing herself on that farm and absolutely would've ended up dead by her own hand (which is not a crazy assumption to make it is quite literally context clues)

like she’s always been skinny and lean but she’s even more thin on the farm?? she literally says she doesn’t eat or sleep?? and the panic attacks that she has?

also when ellie says “i’m not like you dina” and dina instantly snaps back with “you think this is easy for me?” like no that’s not what is being insinuated at all, but the fact of the matter is that dina is still able to function and cope in healthy ways and ellie is not. and the fact that dina doesn’t understand that kinda kills me. also telling ellie to “prove it” when she tells dina that she loves her is so fucked considering everything.

she would’ve died! i will stand by this forever, ellie would not have lived much longer. (confirmed btw in directors commentary, ellie was severely suicidal at this point. so not sure how everyone views the farm as her happy point.)

i don’t think ellie had an obligation to suffer in silence for the sake of what dina wanted.

i don’t blame dina for leaving obviously, that was the best choice for her and i don’t blame ellie for going either!! i think their relationship is very doomed, it was quite literally built on years of miscommunication and it only continues as they’re together.

i don’t blame ellie for leaving the farm whatsoever, she did not “fumble dina,” she didn’t throw away her life, she was barely functioning in the first place. if the game ended with ellie on the farm and the last thing we saw of her was her trying to play house while knowing how much she was suffering, that would’ve been so damn depressing. her leaving may not be the “morally good” choice but it was necessary considering her own mental state.

i think it’s also so important to remember the way in which joel died. she’s not just grieving and dealing with survivors guilt, she’s also living with the brutality of what she experienced. watching the person she loved the most get brutally tortured/beaten to death while she was held down and begging for it to stop?? and you guys expect her to just move on and deal with it so she can keep living on this isolated farm and play happy family??

and it’s not like ellie was fine until tommy showed up. she was already on the edge. the evidence is in her behavior, her journal, the clues around her house (the whiskey glass at her bedside) and her literal mannerisms.

this is very messy and disorganized i just don’t understand how many people STILL oversimplify the farm stuff or act as though everything was happy and good. every time someone says that ellie owed it to dina to stay, i lose a year off of my life.

basically a ramble instead of a proper analysis/breakdown bc i’m trying to focus my energy elsewhere but hopefully it makes enough sense to be understood

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

book 7 chapter 13 part 1 thoughts!

***THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 PART 13 OF THE MAIN STORY!!*** This spans part 295 to part 327.

Part 2 of this update will be out on the 10th of this month.

Please note: this is NOT meant to be a summary or a translation; these are only my initial thoughts on the events that roughly unfold. There may be details overlooked or misunderstood in this post, so PLEASE do not use this as a translation.

WOW awful way to start this update off 💀 They’re falling from the sky and L*ONA TAKES chARGE AnD THELLS tHe otHER thURD yEARSTO TO NOT juDt FALL BUT FucKING DO SmTH… So him, Cater, and Trey use wind magic to cushion everyone’s fall.

We land on the sandy beaches of Ace’s dream. Ortho picked this spot because it has the lowest chance of encountering darkness. (zbxjsbkwdhks Cute scene of L*ona shaking sand off of himself…) Ortho worries because he still has not regained connection with Idia’s tablet.

Sebek yoinks Grim out of the sand and checks on Yuu but ignores Adeuce, who are right next to us www

Trey initiates the card soldier roll call, with Ace counting off as 1, Deuce as 2, himself as 3, and Cater as 4. They realize Riddle isn’t there and panic until Leona informs them he’s probably in that “third layer” of his dream, where he is confronted with his truest, darkest self. Omg… Leona calls that third layer “the abyss” because there was nothing else there, just “the darkness, quietly opening its maw.” SO THAT’S WHY THIS BOOK IS CALLED RULER OF TGE ABYSS, EH…

Trey begins to worry like a dad looking for his lost child (Leona’s description, not mine lol). Leona tells Trey Riddle’s strong enough to hold his own in the abyss (which I guess is his way of reassuring Trey 😂).

Ortho expresses frustration that he can’t do anything right now. If he dream hops again without Idia’s cloaking + other tech support, Malleus will surely notice them. The group decides to try and recover for now. They also reassure Ortho that he has done a lot for them.

LEONA FUCKED OFF TO NAP, BTW 💀 Bro cannot be bothered to deal with a crying kid…

Silver like. Grabs Ortho and tries to squeeze him to help release tension from his muscles. It’s something Lilia taught him. Silver shares that he understands how he feels. Ortho continues to worry that they may “lose” Idia and that he’ll break his promise to their parents (to stop them from “losing” another son). HE STARTS CRYING… Sebek shouts at Trey to do something, because him just standing there and pointing out that crying’s expected in situations like this isn’t helping. So Trey strokes Ortho’s head and provides comfort.

Everyone kinda falls asleep together on the beach?? And Ortho hears his mom’s voice. Mr. and Mrs. Shroud appear via holograms!

Shroud parents tell everyone that Malleus has invaded Idia’s dream. For now, he cannot quite barge in due to the technomantic shield in place, but Idia can only hold him off for so long. They worry about the discovery of the cheat tool Idia was working on to help them fight Malleus. Mrs. Shroud shows them a photo of recent transmission from Idia’s dream. However, the quality is pretty bad.

LOL WHYmS THAT lOOK LIKE A MISSING chILD IMGAGE…

The Heartslabyul students spot Riddle in the corner of Idia’s picture. Ortho is a little relieved that Riddle can support him, but then the others point out that Riddle and Idia have clashing personalities + cannot get along. Trey says we should put our trust in those two…

Idia wants Riddle to keep Malleus busy while he works on the cheat tool. He provides Riddle with magic coding books and tells him to read them in 3 minutes or so???? Riddle claims it’s impossible but Idia goads him saying Riddle can memorize the Queen’s 810 laws and all school rules but not this??? His big head’s ready too full, so he can’t hold more info? Okay then stick a pacifier in your mouth and let us game over :v Riddle gets annoyed but then swears he’ll memorize all the coding manuals in 2 minutes, not 3, since he owes Idia for all of his help so far.

Uhhh I think they use a coding program thing (not sure of terminology) called Spell Forge. Riddle uses a stylus called InQuill to fill out the gaps in the protection spell’s construction, since he prefers doing things by hand rather than typing (Idia uses a unique keyboard with weird shaped keys and very few of them).

New mini game thing…? Where we basically just punch in the letters displayed up top.

Malleus is made aware of Riddle’s presence and tries to meddle using frost and electricity magic. Riddle has one more book to read… he likens the coding to solving a crossword puzzle.

Malleus breaks the door off?! But Idia needs Riddle to entertain him for 3 more minutes so he can finish his cheat tool.

AgHHHhHhHHH SudDENLy…?! Ignihyde-themed main screen reboot?!

YOu’RE JOKING…

TWST iS IdIA’/s FRiGGin’ CHEAT TOOL???????? 😭

Oh my god, he had Malleus trapped on the home screen and he cannot move without “player input” 😭

Boss!!!Idia has a cool new jacket that helps him optimize his performance. If he gets a new SSR, it might feature this jacket.

We also see S.T.Y.X.'s headquarters! On the large screens in the back, you can spot some battle map plans.

UMMMMMMM Idia summons us all as SSRs via the Mirror Chamber… HE SAYS THE SAME THING THE MIRROR OF DARKNESS DOES… The exact same animations for pulling them from the gacha play. I show one example with Ortho below, but he does this for all of the cast, excluding Lilia and Malleus. (D-Does this canonize our gacha pulls...?????)

... By the way, Idia hacked himself infinity gems and 999 keys + rigged the rates to always pull SSR OTL We all wish this was us…

We’re brought to HQ to talk about our next steps. Idia moves Malleus to various isolated battle maps (with that dorm’s members there) to slowly whittle him down. Each OB boy is granted the ability to take on their OB form, which enhances their powers. LMAO they all start complaining about how lame Dream Form Change is but Idia mutes them 💀

Silver, Sebek, Yuu, and Grim are with Idia, everyone else is with their dorm members. Yuu and Grim ate going to grant support on the battle maps via the Twst app 💀 Heals, buffs, that kind of thing. They’re being very literal with us being the strategist here. Ortho meanwhile is going to go wake up the staff (bless, idk if I could have handled like 60 extra parts of waking them up too).

Silver asks about Lilia, who wasn’t summoned. Idia says he was not able to bring Lilia since he never handed him an invite.

Silver lets everyone know that Lilia is his father. (asdhbasa Cater and Kalim think he was talking about a teacher..._

Pomefiore is especially touched by Silver’s love for his father, so they volunteer to be the first to step up and fight Malleus.

OKAY OKAY SO

There’s like 6 battle maps, each of them involving the OB boy changing into their OB forms and then kicking Malleus but Malleus still manages to resist every time. Idia has to intervene to prevent him from turning us into charcoal and isolate him to the next map. There’s a lot of extra dialogue on each map, but the gist of it is we see the members of each dorm fighting alongside each other, along with some commentary interjected from members of other dorms (via projections/holograms). I’m pretty sure this is meant to show how far they’ve come in willingness to cooperate with each other, because previous battle maps did not have nearly THIS much dialogue. Before going to the next battle map, we always get a brief scene of the next dorm chatting about what happened in their dreams and then psyching themselves up for their turn to bash Malleus.

Mrs, Shroud gets in contact with her son!! She had trouble because Idia kept her account blocked. He’s embarrassed to face his mom after she’s been digging around in his computer.

Mr. Shroud also appears! He lets us know that they’re looking for a mystium in order to craft weapons that can take Malleus down, since his dragon scales are very tough. Baur (in the real world, not the dream) has joined the search as well.

Silver and Sebek realized that Lilia’s magearm contains mystium. However, it was wrapped up and shipped to the Land of Crimson Long to join Lilia in retirement. Mr. Shroud moves to contact the countries the magearm would have to pass through to get to its destination. They MUST intercept the package!

Heartslabyul is happy to reunite with Riddle. He apologizes for causing them trouble, but Ace scolds their dorm leader for thinking he can order Cater + Trey to stop him and Deuce from trying to pull him from the darkness and then going missing for a while. And now Riddle thinks he can resolve things with a simple “sorry”? There’s so much more to say!

UHHHHHH Ace starts bawling and the seniors comfort him 💦 Riddle praises Adeuce for getting their UMs. Cater says Ace must be jealous that Trey comforyed Ortho earlier??? AcE wHInES THAT THE SENIORS ShOULD LOvE hiM AnD DEUCE Ghe mOst 😭 Bro… you chose now to unleash all of your brat energy…

LOL Ace wishes Riddle learned how to comfort people instead of magic engineering… He gives Riddle’s apology 30 points.

Riddle confirms he is one month older than Ace. The seniors say Riddle is an underclassman too and start being all “aww you guys are so cute!”

Mmm so after the battles, the participants are transported to a virtual infirmary space to recover.

chzjsvejdhoawjn Idia didn’t wake the teachers first because they’d just be annoying??? 😭 Not sure if I understood that part correctly.

Azul worries that they’re violating the other dreamers’ privacies by peering into their dreams via the STORY function of the app. He then decides he should peek anyway because the dreams may contain weaknesses and secrets he can take advantage of. Idia calls Octa away for their battle map before he can.

Oh, there’s a specialist mage known as a… Returner?? They can use long range transfer magic, even being able to transfer a large number of people across long distances. Sebek realizes that humans and fae can work together to minimize damage from Malleus’s magic.

They’re able to intercept the magearm!! Either Silver’s blessing, S.T.Y.X. begins to process it into weapons for Silver and Sebek to use.

Kalim casually asks Jamil how he’s doing 😭 (since his cheeks were swollen from Kalim punching him)… He mentions that he thinks Jamil and Azul are very similar (which Jamil is insulted by) and that he even though his dream!Jamil was fun, it wasn’t the real Jamil. “It was like looking into a mirror.” Kalim admits that even though some people cannot be friends (wow, character development for him??), it is those differences that make the world an interesting place. He prefers that kind of world.

Jamil agrees with Kalim. Jewels are called jewels and not stones because they’re hard to get. He’s sure that jewels are formed through hardship… a lot of heat and pressure.

LOL???? Kalim says it’s great they were able to make up. “Hah? When did we make up?” — Jamil, #1 Kalim Hater (Kalim also tries to plead with Malleus to stop this and make up, but of course that doesn’t work.)

Idia’s getting overwhelmed managing everything. Have no fear!! Ortho comes in with Ignihyde Mobs A, B, and C, who provide backup with their technical know-how!

LMxnhdsjafTahwj Leona’s chomping at the bit to beat up Malleus 😭 Later on, Ortho says he's so impressed with his group's teamwork, which Leona brushes off. sdhasbyofayil IDIA GETS MAD AT LEONA FOR BRUSHING OFF ORTHO'S HEARTFELT PRAISE

S.T.Y.X. finishes processing the mystium! They create the Sword of Truth and Shield of Virtue, as well as Harmonia Frame/Armor. When equipped, the armor will change into the shape that best suits its pilot.

The sword is given to Silver and the shield to Sebek. It’s the opposite of their stances in their Dorm Uniform cards—Silver is standing defensively but Sebek is standing offensively, yet the items they are granted are the reverse.

There’s a battery in the item(s???) that will allow them to fire off a powerful beam, but it is limited to 2 uses.

A dragon’s horns store magical energy and amplify power…? So you have to be careful with those. Apparently it is the horns that affect the weather, which is why Malleus’s mood alters it.

They think they can take Malleus out just by grazing the corner of his horns? So accuracy is important. Silver and Sebek will train in a virtual space to prepare.

Silver and Sebek say farewell to Yuu and Grim. Silver wants to be able to meet them again when he wakes up 😭 AWWWWW

Idia and Ortho go off to have their battle map with Malleus. WaH ORTHO 🥺 He says he and Idia were able to have an adventure at NRC… the same thing he promised when they were kids…

OH MY GOD WTF 💀

Idia uses his UM to open Tartarus and summon his own Phantom army to help him fight Malleus and his army of darkness. Phantom!Ortho rises up too??!!!?!! AND GE GOES BUMBBUMBUMB 😭 and compliments robo!Ortho’s new gear, calling it cute… 🥰

I can't believe all three Shroud brothers came together for this... INCLUDING THE DEAD ONE

Malleus keeps pushing his agenda and Idia counters by saying he hates having others impose their views on him. Does Malleus realize it yet? He’s a ruler of evil, not of good.

AHHHHHH crap OTL Malleus rescinds his blessing (because he finally realizes Idia and co. are only able to stand up to him because of dream hacking. But in the real world, they’re only a smidgen of his strength—so now he’s removing the thons and taking this fight into the real world.

THAT’S WHERE THIS UPDATE ENDS…

I did not think they would stretch the final fight out to be THIS long, but lo and behold, Twst proved me wrong 💀 Again, not a fan of this pacing but I understand what the thought process behind it probably was ("we need to show everyone working together, everyone needs their time to shine!"). I especially felt that Heartslabyul's segment was way too long, but perhaps that's a byproduct of how many members there are there??

asdilbyailbyraiyorqo3iyrt3768ot3aegoffwOI I THINK I SPEAK FOR ALL OF US WHEN I SAY MY MIND WAS BLOWN WHEN I SAW IDIA'S "CHEAT TOOL" WAS TWISTED WONDERLAND ITSELF 💀 To use the design of a mobile gacha game to contain the Big Bad, as well as to summon the heroes to save the day... That's so meta??? I just have no words for this other than that, I've been stunned into silence. How very fitting for the otaku to use THIS as his oh-so-clever solution 💦💦💦

Even though I want more than anything for book 7 to just END already, I will say that I liked how minor characters are being pulled into this fight as well. We have tons of support from the Shroud parents and S.T.Y.X. staff, Ortho going to fetch the NRC staff (I assume they will be appearing later?), other family members pitching in (Maleficia, Baur, OG!Ortho), and even RANDOM MOB STUDENTS. As a mob student appreciator, you cannot believe how much I love that for them. It feels like everyone genuinely plays an important role in this story, not just the main cast of NRC.

The highlight for me as definitely the Shroud brothers reunion. HJBDSBYIAFIS I KNOW IT'S JSUT A DREAM AND OG!ORTHO CAN'T ACTUALLY RISE FROM THE DEAD WHENEVER HE LIKES IRL BUT I LOVE THE IDEA OF WANTING TO STRIKE DOWN A MAN SO BAD YOU DEFY THE LAWS OF LIFE AND DEATH TO DO IT. He gets along so well with robo!Ortho and has a mischievously cute side to him 😭

This update makes mystium and its properties relevant again (it was mentioned like once in the beginning of book 7). It's so cool that what was Lilia's weapon of war back then is now reborn into a world-saving sword and shield for his disciples to use. It feels like a dad passing on his family heirloom to the next generation.

Speaking of Lilia???? Surely he'll rejoin us next time, right????? RIGHT??????? ?? ?? ??? ? Maybe with the staff??? And since the thorns have retreated... maybe we'll even get backup from RSA students and mages from other countries (since this is an international incident now)??????? ???? ? WILL ALL OF TWISTED WONDERLAND COME TOGETHER TO COLLECTIVELY KICK MALLEUS'S ASS...

UUUUUUUUUUGGHGHHHHHHHH H HHH H HHHHH HH H HH OTL *rakes hands over my face* My stomach's clenching in anticipation for the conclusion, but I'm not even sure if next time will even wrap everything up 💦 How will it go…? The 10th can’t come soon enough…

[alexanderlightweight]

Your writing has made me come to love Wednesdays!

I've been thinking about when Alec had to raincheck Magnus on that date to wrangle Clary, the "playing hard to get, i do like a challenge" scene.

What if Magnus called again and got rainchecked again and instead of going with it he decided to magically ground Jace, Izzy, Clary, and Simon so he could whisk Alec away.

I too love Wednesdays because of the writing and have missed it so i'm hopeful that it will return to that feeling soon.

i had quite a bit of fun with the new verse this prompt inspired especially because I think season one malec just desperately deserved some time to get to know each other without constant interruptions before valentine returned and the shadowworld exploded and alec's parents returned and took away

i firmly believe that if Alec and Magnus had actually gone on a date or just spent some real uninterrupted time getting to know each other (not drinks and an exhausted night spent after sharing energy because of an emergency) Alec would never have taken his parents 'arranged marriage bullshit'. the minute Alec gets a taste of what actually being with Magnus and the happiness he could have is like there's no going back for him.

Also Alec is Tired and most of that is the fact he can't trust anyone to stay put.

the precipice of duty

-

Magnus blinks down at the now blank phone in his hand.  

This goes beyond playing hard-to-get and has entered the realm of ‘outside interference’.  Something that Magnus never allows when going after what he wants, especially when what he wants is someone.

He rearranges his schedule with a wave of his hands, sending out a flurry of fire messages as he snaps away his clothes and steps into his massive wardrobe.  Despite trying to appeal to Alexander in a softer way, Magnus thinks that perhaps it led to letting himself be misunderstood by others.  Hardly a crime yet unacceptable when it gives people the assumption of power in a game where they are nothing more than pawns between Magnus and his prize.

This is the third time that Alexander has agreed to go out with him only to cancel before they can even meet.  Each time, Alexander’s voice is more distracted, chipped away at with both guilt from canceling and exhaustion, as if in a mere span of days he’s been drained of energy.

It’s ludicrous and not something Magnus will stand for.

Do they expect him to keep helping when the benefits are only for themselves? Magnus is in this for one very specific reason and that is to woo his handsome shadowhunter.

The shirt he picks is a sleek abyssal black, embroidered with golden thread to match the buttons and pattern of the dark storm-blue coat he adds.  It flares when he walks and while the pants and shoes may be less of a statement, the black demon leather of his trousers and the sharp cut of his bone tipped boots are equally complementary and ominous.  

It’s a far cry from the softer look he’d presented Alexander with just days before, but it’s who Magnus is and pretending otherwise has never led to anything good.

Instead of looking overwhelmed or annoyed at Magnus’ arrival and presence, Alexander looks awed.  There is a reverence to his gaze as he drinks the entirety of Magnus in that threatens to undo Magnus’ tenuous self-control.  Perhaps Magnus has been overthinking Alexander’s interest to him this entire time.  Instead of attempting to flesh out what would hold Alexander’s interest, perhaps he should have just remembered the fact that their very first meeting — rushed though it was — had left Alexander speechless and stuttering at a mere introduction to Magnus.

Alexander leads Magnus away from the control room where everyone is very much out of control. There’s defeat in the slump of his shoulders as he again apologizes for canceling, the reason once again that despite promising to stay put, his siblings take off after a reckless Clary time and time again.

“And what if I laid a ward keeping them from leaving the Institute for a minimum of seventy-two hours?” Magnus offers, laying his hand on Alexander’s arm with a daring squeeze to the well-defined muscles of an archer.

“You would do that?” Alexander leans into Magnus’ touch as he asks not in doubt of Magnus’ abilities but incredulous that he’d offer.  

“I would insist upon it.  As much as I’d love to whisk you away for a meal across the world this instance, it’s clear you haven’t gotten any real sleep for days.” Magnus isn’t expecting to be as worried as he is but Alexander responds so sweetly to true concern and interest that he lets go of the instincts he’s been holding back.

There’s a moment where Alexander’s face falls, just a little before his serious expression wipes it away and Magnus has an idea, even as Alexander looks warily back at the control room he’d left the troublemakers constantly keeping Alexander from Magnus.

“And yet, if I leave you here I feel as if you won’t be any more rested by nightfall.”  It’s bold, but boldness seems to work well with Alexander — as long as he follows it with sincerity — and Magnus makes sure no one is around them even as his fingers cup Alexander’s jaw and his thumb brushes over the arch of his cheek. “Come back with me?”

“Come back with you, just so I can rest?” Alexander seems confused, as if the idea of Magnus  — of anyone truly — just wanting to ease the weary tension weighing him down is difficult to comprehend. 

“Just for sleep.” Magnus promises and he smirks and leans closer, “as much as I’d love for more, you need rest Alexander. One without constant interruptions.”

Magnus pulls his hand away and insead extends his palm out, a gentle and unassuming gesture for an offer that if Alexander takes, will change both of their lives.

There will be no turning back after this.  

As exhausted as he is, Alec is clearly conscious of the fact that taking Magnus up on his offer is a choice not hastily made.  To put himself in Magnus’ protection, to sleep in his lair for even just a day, is placing himself under the authority and protection of the High Warlock of Brooklyn.

It will be a declaration that even if secret, cannot be unmade.

Cool, calloused fingers take his own and Alexander takes his hand with an expression far calmer than the racing pulse beneath Magnus’ touch.

“I’ll send a message with my orders then.”

“You don’t need anything before we go?” Magnus asks before he can bite the question back, he doesn’t want to give Alexander any chance to change his mind.

There’s a moment where Alexander considers it but then he looks back again to the control room and shakes his head.  

“If you’re willing to go through all this trouble, I imagine you’re willing to help me with whatever I’ll need.”

Willing is putting it lightly, Magnus thinks to himself as he begins layering the ward that will let him finally have uninterrupted time with Alexander.

Knowing that Alexander will end up using Magnus’ own personal products and clothing is an extra gift that fills Magnus with glee.

This entire excursion is going far better than he thought it would.

Magnus had rearranged the loft before leaving and he’s glad he did as they passed through the portal and into the casually comfortable study Magnus had set up.

Alexander pulls his hand free and Magnus would have grabbed it back except Alec has messages to write and orders to give.  Instead Magnus distracts himself by snapping away his jacket and boots and rolling up his sleeves as he summons a book and a drink to the table he’d set up earlier.

Alexander’s face seems leaner than the last time they spoke and Magnus frowns and tugs at Alexander’s jacket the second he turns off his phone and slips it into his pocket. It’s easy to pull it off and then throw it and the phone it carries to the side.  If it slips away into a magical pocket then Magnus will just summon it back later, once a good amount of time has passed.

“When was the last time you ate?”

“I’ve been mostly using nourishment runes,” Alexander admits and he wrinkles his nose in agreement at Magnus’ admonishing look. “I do know they’re not healthy or maintainable but they’re better than nothing. Half time I normally use to eat, rest and do extra work is being taken up by the sudden flood of demonic and Circle activity and everything else is consumed by the Institute's current and main complication.”

“Clary.” 

“Yes.” Alexander sighs and rubs at his forehead as if to wipe away the thought of her.

“A nap first then, before something to eat.”

“Our dinner and drinks that I keep missing?” 

“Oh no, this is merely preparation for our outing together, darling.” Magnus feels daring as the pet name slides easily off his tongue. “A little slumber to give you some ease then a meal, shower and a true rest cycle.  Only then will I be satisfied that I'll have your full attention during our date.”

Instead of Magnus summoning a new room or leading Alexander to his own bed, he sits at the couch he’d enhanced earlier.  It’s magically comfortable in a way that eases aches and pains rather than adds to them.

“Indulge me?” He asks, offering his hand and Alexander’s brow arches in bemusement as he toes off his heavy hunting boots.  

“This is what you consider indulgence after everything you’ve given me?”

“Even if someone else has been bold enough to offer their lap and lair to you, I doubt you’d have accepted.  Is it so strange that I want what no one else has been given?.” It’s both a taunt and a test, because Magnus wants to know if he’s right.  If Alexander feels the strange connection that ties them together in ways deeper than Magnus can yet comprehend.

Magnus’ answer is Alexander’s startled but quiet laugh, the amusement that peeks through his exhaustion and instead of sitting down next to Magnus he lets himself lay down.  There’s a quick moment of hesitation before his cheek presses against Magnus’ thigh and the back of Alexander’s head tucks against Magnus' belly. 

“Do you trust me enough to sleep, Alexander?” 

Magnus boldly runs his fingers through Alexander’s hair and feels the hitch of his breath against Magnus’ thigh from the caress. 

Magnus’ answer to his teasing is in the way Alexander melts into him, a tired nod causing his cheek to rub against Magnus’ pants as sleep claims his coherency at last.

-

sleeping in front of something, trusting enough and lowering your guard is a huge deal. Magnus is absolutely thrilled and taking no chances in making sure Alexander will be coming back to him for rest and safety again and again

[dennisboobs]

dennis' anger is just insanely real to me and that's why i am soooo annoyed by the way people are reacting to dtamhd. i'm autistic and the progression of his emotions throughout the episode reminded me so much of meltdowns i've had where it's a combination of a lot of emotions but it all just comes out as angry-sad. to me that was a huge "dennis has big feelings" moment. i know people wanted him to cry and i wouldn't have objected to that but i honestly prefer the way it was done in the episode. it felt so real and raw which made me feel a lot more emotionally connected to it.

first of all: yeah, me too, anon. i almost never cry, but if i do it's out of frustration specifically re: being misunderstood/misrepresented and feeling like no one is listening to me. which. haha. but,

the episode doesn't just give you anger, he IS crying.

to me, this is huge. huge huge huge. this is not dennis feeling anger. this is dennis feeling serenity. calm. ocean waves and the wind tousling his hair.

is it not more impactful that dennis, who has spent the entire episode up to this point yelling in frustration about things he is aware are beyond his (and his fellow victims of the system's) control, finally faces the source of all his problems and subvert expectations entirely? for him to be gentle and merciful and to experience human connection after a day of inconveniences caused by unfeeling, unsympathetic technology? that is what glenn's conclusion was when he told this story on the podcast. and here he is, silently crying, knowing that without saying a word - just a nod - he understands, and is understood. despite all of the minor inconveniences, the anger that has been building up has dissipated, he's now standing at the beach, where he'd meant to be all along, listening to his heart. this is a moment of self acceptance. that the system (his physical body) may be flawed, but he still chooses to pull his heart free from the "pressure cooker" it's been stuck in, and with his hand he crushes it into a diamond. making something of the stress it's been under.

and it works. he manages to subdue his rage. he comes back happy.

it's a massive development that dennis is now able to calm himself down (SPECIFICALLY to be there for the gang when they need him), and it's deeply, deeply relatable as someone who has struggled with anger issues that have hurt others as much as they hurt me.

but i simply do not think dennis needs the same kind of emotional breakdown and release that mac and charlie did in their respective "big moment" episodes. and i think everyone forgets about dennis' double life (perhaps willingly) but to me this was the PERFECT "big moment" for him. subtle. quiet. peace that he normally does not get to feel or experience with the rage lying dormant under the surface.

mac is repressed, hypermasculine, and needs to be seen as being strong. for him to allow himself to break down and cry to a physical representation of his femininity true nature, to be held in a maternal figure's arms and have her comfort him is what mac needs.

dennis breaks down and cries in plenty of other episodes. mac does not. like mac, dennis' conflict is internal, but "hot's a storm", as he puts it. not a thunderstorm. but a storm of fists. hitting you in the chest so hard you think your heart's gonna stop. this is him remedying that. so that he can continue to be useful to the gang, to be needed, wanted, and thus have a purpose to fulfill. because dennis' number one fear is everyone leaving him behind once they've begun to view him as as inadequate.

[storm-flyer]

Continuing my rewatch of Dragons: Riders of Berk, with episode 3, "Animal House"

I have a vague inkling of a dragon shelter or something, but that's all I remember. Might not even be the right episode.

- 'Here on berk, we made peace with the dragons... There's one slight problem. We forgot to tell the animals' oops

- 🌟Mulch and Bucket🌟

- Astrid, that is playing dirty! Excellent.

- 'So it's gonna be like that, huh?' 'I have no idea what you are talking about.' these two-

- Toothless and stormfly are the real MVPs

- 'Besides, who ever heard or predicting weather with a bucket? That's what chicken bones and goose feet are for!'

- 'It took as weeks just to dig mildew out!' 'And the rest of our lives to wonder why we bothered.' ah you guys love the grumpy annoying old man, don't deny it

- Gothi!!!

- 'How are you so sure? Was it the chicken bones? Goose feet?' 'She says she could hear bucket screaming from way up here!'

- 'He's looked angry since the day I was born. But I'm sure there's no connection' 💀

- 'We're in the middle of winter. Devastating winter isn't meant to start for another month!' you know, if berk is as cold as hiccup acts like it is, more people should have long sleeves

- 'The dragons look scary, but they're just big, scaly reptiles!' thanks astrid

- These are the most durable sheep I've ever seen

- 'How's bucket doing?' 'Look at 'im, he usually loves a wheelbarrow ride!'

- 'You know what I'm learning from this? Chickens are really, well. Chicken' the guy who revolutionised zoology, everyone

- 'A terrible terror laid one [an egg] last week!' there is no way a terrible terror laid an egg that big. Not would it need to. Adult terrible terrors are smaller than that thing.

- Where the fuck even are they right now? The dragon academy is not this far from the great hall. There's certainly not a massive great empty field between them, or at least I didn't think there was. Have I massively misunderstood Berk's layout? Yeah, probably.

- 'Astrid, will you talk some sense into him- No no no, not you too!' gobber has not learnt yet, but these guys are all idiots together.

- 'Hey sheep, this way! Baaa, baa, baaa- It's working!' fishlegs I love you

- 'You try herding chickens with a dragon that doesn't listen to you!'

- 'I got the yaks!' 'Put me down! Now!'

- 'Do I look like a yak to you?' clearly, yes

- I'm now tearing up over a sheep walking towards some dragons. This show is a masterpiece.

- that was a dragon shelter, so I'm taking the point

There was no reason for that episode to be so emotional. And yet.

Onwards!

[xurkitreeking]

i realized i never posted this

i drew it for my final project for year 12 art

the original was higher quality but i had to crush it cuz it was massive

i drew it on A3 paper (297mm x 420mm/11.6" x 16.5") with micron pens then colored it digitally

it's about having ADHD and the constant, spiritic thoughts all trying to "grab" my attention. it's not meant to be sad or represent being overstimulated, it's meant to be joyful and exited, the me i would be if it were socially acceptable.

i'm a very quiet person, but i think that's only because it wasn't socially acceptable for me to be loud growing up. it was impolite and annoying.

now i don't know how to be loud

i want to go on a rant about the lore of FNAF and explain all the undertale AUs to someone, i want it so bad, it would feel so good

but i don't know how to

the thought of being misunderstood is so terrifying to me

i can never find the right words, they come out too slow, i think too hard about it, then the conversation moves on and i can't bring myself to interrupt somebody or be assertive

i can't let myself just explain something poorly so it just goes unsaid

this artwork is about a world i would feel free to be loud and scream about how much i love something and sound like an absolute idiot

these should be the original resolution

[almacambiondaughterofsaleos]

Mean girl Charlie magne au

She and Helsa are close friend since kindergarden. Charlie Is hyperfeminine think of Barbie sharpay Evans and Elle woods. She didn't care about sinner or hellborn. Charlie never date Seviathan she only took him because she need prom date but never got into relationship with him. She mention her idea to helsa about making a fancy hotel and Helsa liked that idea. Now since Charlie kinda suck planning something so she just hired a random sinner she found vaggie to be her hotel manager. She's also met with angel dust famous A-LIST sinner celebrity. Angel dust is most famous for being an actor how he got Scout to be an actor. Well originally he work as a prostitute but quickly changed to stripper then after a few years he work as porn star. He was interested at acting so he pursuit then stop becoming porn star. He quite famous for being flirtatious and he was also a drag queen too. He starring in different movie tv show and advertisement. Helsa who have been following angel dust career hired him to be a brand ambassador for the hotel. Charlie who aware of angel dust but not a big fan and when she met with vaggie she just straight up hired her without any question. Vaggie who need money just take it, one day they received news that Adam the first man is coming to hell. She didn't care but after Adam met with them insulting both. Charlie start having massive grudge against Adam not just what he done to her childhood friend but also to both of her parents. They was about to trick Adam with fake ticket of lilith concert but instead Adam get thrown into hell for his obnoxious behavior. They pretended to care about Adam situasion they took him into the hotel. Charlie give him a lot food to keep him busy. Helsa she decided to hired other staff for the hotel there she found about alastor. She talk about the benefit so alastor interested and join in. He brought along niffty and husk. Helsa also hear about cherri bomb another A-list sinner celebrity. Charlie let Adam acting obnoxious so with that all of the staff hated him, then helsa whisper them they should pull a prank to Adam. They all agreed. First with cherri bomb she intentionally put bomb in Adam room, then with angel dust flirting with him non stop, alastor he make Adam can't sleep. Vaggie pretended to be clumsy as much possible to annoy him. Niffty terorizing Adam. It's Charlie turn she becoming the therapist for Adam. There Adam talk about his issue and venting about Lucifer & Lilith. Adam Didn't know he was secretly recorded by helsa. Vaggie didn't feel bad angel dust kinda feel bad alastor well he just enjoy the entertainment helsa laugh her ass off niffty just fullfilled with her bad boy fantasy who's misunderstood husk just drink cherri bomb just found Adam to be annoying

Cool.

[confusedgoblin]

Mílotale: a shitty summary explanation

SO

As we know (nobody knows I’m talking to myself) I have an au called mílotale that has- never been elaborated on ever

IM GONNA DO THAT (even though this is a sandbox that I am sitting in digging holes)

The main players:

This story revolves around the lives of Aether and Nyx. They are this au’s Dream and Nightmare.

Unlike typical dreamtale, in this au, both Aether and Nyx ate their respective apples in the incident. They are also very close despite still having massive disputes over the aus they travel to for their respective “jobs”.

Aether had made it his goal to eliminate any “unnecessary” negativity from aus to prevent them from becoming like his brother: corrupted by negativity. Unfortunately, his way of going about this involves eliminating the emotion from those he helps all together. Doing so by using a drug-like mist that he produces from his soul. It causes those afflicted by it to lose any sense of danger, fear or sadness (like himself). He sees it as making those he affects happier, whilst in reality it makes them reckless, chasing after a dangerous high that they can never truly replicate leading to dangerous behavior that would easily lead to the harm of the afflicted.

Nyx is the opposite. He made it his goal to impose negativity on the inhabitants of aus to keep them from becoming corrupted by their positivity like his brother. He does so by invading the dreams of the inhabitants and infecting their mind with devastating sadness. He may also wrought senseless destruction to the cities with the goal of plummeting their inhabitants into depression. It depends on how he finds himself wanting to hurt an au that day. Though he doesn’t typically express it, he does find enjoyment from destroying aus as he does which is one of the reasons he fights against his brother when they meet in aus that are not their own. It’s for the thrill of a fight.

Hhhh getting off topic but let’s keep going- I promise this is relevant to the plot (ಥ﹏ಥ)

There are also the watchers. This au’s ink and error (Janus and Perses respectively).

They watch over the aus to guide them through their stories and prevent them from falling off course. Unfortunately, they misunderstood their respective roles.

Janus found it his goal to explore every possibility that an au could have be they pacifistic, genocidal, or something completely irrelevant to the aus typical pathway. He wants to see everything that could possibly happen, creating timeline after timeline for his own entertainment and exploration. He frequently bickers and fights with Perses over how aus should be handled. Depending on the timeline, either Aether or Nyx would be strongly against their handling’s. Or, they will work together to complete their respective goals. The twins can create completely different timelines that would not happen otherwise after all.

Perses on the other hand, wants the aus to be completely straightforward. One ending for one au. He destroys as many branching timelines as he can, leaving only what he sees to be the best ending for aus. This depending on how he views the story and not what would be ideal for the inhabitants. He is mostly indifferent to the twins and finds the fact that they do easily branch the timelines to be both disturbing and annoying.

Then there are the wanderers. A group of monsters who were lucky enough to see the strings that connect the aus as their timelines were destroyed. They walk the threads going from au to au as they search for a place to permanently stay. They are led by Blue and Geno (Jorilde and Gloreth). Wanderers who have been traveling for years and have yet to find an au that would properly meld with their presence. Following them are Cross, Red, Killer, Dust, Horror, Stretch and Fellswap Undyne (Cruz, Azim, Macabre, Cinis, Famis, Vilem, Veda). People come and go from Jorilde’s group, but these are the ones that have been around the longest. They are also joined by fresh (Loki) at times of only to keep him from causing problems.

Then there is Loki. He is a wildcard who cannot be tracked by the watchers nor the twins due to his lack of emotions and a story. He uses this to allow himself to cause problems for his own false entertainment. He is found as amusing by both Nyx and Janus, however Perses and Aether hate him quite strongly.

The story:

As stated before, this story follows the twins. It traverses their journey to heal and start to become more competent at their jobs. Through this they befriend the wanderers and begin to show the watchers their true jobs. The multiverse is in need of great healing because it’s guardians have all taken their jobs in the wrong direction. This healing is aided by the wanderers (Cinis specifically in Aether’s case) so they can properly realize what they are doing wrong and improve. Of course, they are hardheaded and stuck in their ways, refusing to grow much at a time unless they are hit in the head with the consequences of their actions.

So yeah- that’s the thing

I’ll post a Google doc on their personalities and further into their goals with this eventually, along with links to their refs as I make them and figure out how to link things- (working solely on mobile here- and zero technological knowledge) BUT YEAH

IF YOU READ THIS FAR? THANKS LMFAO YOURE GREAT

[catcrescent]

The New TMNT Mutant Mayham Got Me Thinking About Why I Like the Turtles

So, I finished watching the latest movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and it got me thinking about what it is that I like about the franchise. Although, not necessarily because I liked the movie. In fact, I found it kind of difficult to watch at points and I was having trouble understanding why at first. It had really good animation and really good voice actors, and I really liked the third act where a bunch of New Yorkers worked together to help the turtles take down the massive monster.

But I found myself not really enjoying it as a standalone movie and I really didn't find a lot that I liked as a TMNT fan. Consider this post as my way of trying to understand this.

The first way I'd like to think about this movie is as something on its own, regardless of the franchise it represents. After all, TMNT has had a lot of different interpretations with different flavors, so, what did this one have to offer? As I mentioned, really good animation and voice acting...but also a LOT of pop culture references and gross out humor. This franchise is not new to this kind of thing, but I was noticing that a lot of scenes would spend about 1-2 minutes every 5 minutes on drawing out a joke that seemed to reiterate "teenagers are cringy and gross". Perhaps the arguement could be made that, the film is labeled as a comedy, so it is excusable, but I don't quite agree with that. Comedy that is well-written is not simply a long string of goofiness; it's a punchline. A punch is something that needs to be planned and well-timed, and rapid punches can only be done effectively with focus and endurance, otherwise, it turns into a less effective equivalent of flailing your hand trying to slap someone, in which it is more annoying than impactful. There's not a lot of moments or jokes that stand out because a lot of them blurred together for me.

The heart of the message is important for any story. Each iteration of the Turtles seems to tie into the idea of trying to deal with how impressionable teenagers are, including Mutant Mayhem. With this recent film, the turtles are obsessed with earning a name for themsleves because they feel outcasted. It was interesting of a concept because this kind of thing was actually explored in the 1990 turtles movie, where the Shredder was recruiting teenagers throughout New York who felt misunderstood and convincing them that the only way they could live freely was to take from others. One of the human characters was a teenager who was following Shredder at first, but he changed his mind after Splinter and the turtles convinced him that there was no honor or true happiness in that path. The turtles were the role models in that situation, though the 2011 TMNT cartoon was an instance where the turtles had to learn hard lessons that helped them grow. Technically, Mutant Mayhem addresses this by saying the turtles needed to be confident in themselves and trust others, since trusting April and choosing to help her when her bike got stolen was what ultimately led her to doing a news report to convince New York to help them. The message is there, but it just felt muddled. In the first episode of the 2011 TMNT show, they saw April get kidnapped and failed to save her, Splinter makes a comment that the turtles will have to wait until next year to go outside again (though, I personally believe Splinter was just pretending to be dismissive of April's fate so as to spur the turtles) and Donnie responds "You didn't see into her eyes. The way she looked at me. Helpless. She needed my...our help." It's a small moment in a short episode, but it's a clear moment of empathy, even with very slight but subtle humor woven in, but not enough that distracts from the seriousness of the situation. Mutant Mayhem had chances to do this, like when Mikey thought Mando Gecko was buried under rubble but it turned out to just be his severed tail. It was a funny reveal, but I think it would have been more effective if there had even been a few seconds to show Mikey's panic and maybe even scratching at the rubble to allow for a moment of seriousness, that would have actually made the punchline hit more effectively.

In terms of the message, of having the turtles and other mutants feel like outcasts, I do feel like this particular story has been told a lot in movies nowadays (though I don't want to blame the movie for that, it's simply the current trend) but I do think there are movies where this kind of story has been told better. As far as films I look to as a personal golden standard, I think of the Iron Giant, who had to prove himself a hero by choosing not to be a weapon, but there are more recent films I think tackled this well, such as the Bad Guys, which had anthropormorphic animals trying to redefine their cultural stereotyping and personal beliefs about themselves as bad guys by choosing to do good. Technically, Mutant Mayhem does this same story, but I think it lacked a moment of respect for its message. And I don't think it's fair to comedy and storytelling to say "It's a comedy, it doesn't need to take itself seriously" because, for example, Bad Guys is technically a comedy too yet still manages to stirke a balance of comedy and character conflicts that showed you can have fun in the bad times, but mistakes do still have consequences. Mutant Mayhem had small moments like this, but it lacked a confidence in itself.

I think lack of confidence in itself was what I felt most with this movie. That was the main theme between the turtles and April, and technicallly that did get resolved as they worked together with the New York populace, though it all felt like a side story to Splinter's arc about not trusting humans. In a way, the turtles never quite got their big stand-out moment in their own movie. I guess that was the point of this movie, where the turtles aren't supposed to be important, since trying to attain that is what got them in trouble. It all technically works narratively, but I still had a hard time feeling satisfied.

Admittedly, perhaps some of this comes from my history with TMNT. One of my favorite Turtles media is the 1990 movie with a close second being the 2011 Nick cartoon, though I didn't get around to all of the other propteries, I still tried to stay informed. By the end of Mutant Mayhem, I was thinking about these other versions and trying to remember what I enjoyed about them so much and I really do enjoy those past versions. But I wanted to be cautious about not liking Mutant Mayhem just for interpreting things differently, since doing something different doesn't make it bad, but I think it still needs to be done well in order for the changes to work.

When dealing with so many iterations, it may not be fair to compare Mutant Mayhem to those before it, but I do wonder at what kind of identity that it offered of its own. As mentioned, these turtles lacked confidence in themselves and leaned very heavily on their jokes, to the point that I had trouble telling them apart personality wise. Even the old 80's cartoon was very careful in making the turtles distinct in how they reacted to situations despite their identical designs (like you could always rely on Raph making a snappy comment). Even with the other mutants, I liked that they were given the opprotunity to befriend the turtles, but they all blended together character-wise as well, since their motivations were all the same with only minor differences in how they behaved. For the turtles, things like Leo's over-responsibility and crush on April or Ralph's glee for violence felt more like sidenotes, and I'll try to explain why. Throughout Mutant Mayhem for instance, Ralph's anger was a running joke, saying he had anger issues...but I never got the sense he was angry. He was actually quite happy all the time and never took anything seriously, he just so happened to really like punching things and Splinter even lost his temper more than Ralph. A lot of the movie was like this, in telling things but not really showing it. And I think showing the personality traits rather than telling has been done well in the past. This is where I think it would be best to make comparisons: In other iterations, like the 1990 film, Ralph's anger is more apparent because we got to see how it resulted in him losing more than one fight he tried to do alone and almost dying, how he had to learn to manage his anger to help his brothers. In the TMNT 2011 cartoon, Ralph had a mean-streak, which caused problems with Mikey not feeling secure, but they would eventually work it through, and it was clear that Ralph's anger just stemmed from his immense passion for things, which sometimes led him to befriending pets or being the most empathetic of others in certain situations.

There were a variety of changes to the turtle's with their personality and backstory. As mentioned, change isn't bad but it should be done with a clear vision and executed well, especially when dealing with such a long-running franchise. I wasn't sure what to think of Leo's crush on April, in part because it didn't really have an impact on the story (as the turtles would have likely retrieved her stolen bike regardless--and if the only reason they helped April was because of Leo's crush then I think it reflects poorly on the turtles. One might argue Donnie had a crush on April before they went to save her in the 2011 TMNT cartoon but I think it was clear that Donnie's crush in the first episode was treated more as a fun joke and he expressed wanting to save her because they were the only ones who could help her and had a responsibility to). The other thing with Leo's crush in Mutant Mayhem was that it felt like it didn't add to the experience, not really being treated as a joke or committed to being explored like with TMNT's Donnie, and it didn't feel like Leo and April were given moments to even get chemistry. There were a lot of little decisions like this that made it feel added on rather than woven in. Other changes involving the backstory had a bigger impact on my experience and it relates to the fight scenes.

A lot of these past versions delivered when it came to the fight scenes, even the the live action 1990 movie. Part of the appreciation for it I felt like had to do with the fact that the turtles, no matter how young and fun-loving, do still have a level of seriousness for their craft. Mutant Mayhem had fights, but they kind of went by fast. There was some cool editing but not really a lot of moments that stood out. They largely felt like street fights, something chaotic and just scrambling to hit something. The only time I can really play back a fight in my head was also the one time it felt like a ninja was fighting, when Splinter was saving the turtles, but even that felt a little off, I think because of this Splinter's backstory. I might be biased in saying this, but I found myself missing the backstory of Splinter being either a pet of Hamato Yoshi or even the man himself, as it gave more creedance to the turtle's ninjustu. Even the Rise of the TMNT, which was before this movie and considered one of the more comedic of the recent iterations, still had Splinter originate as an honorable master of martial arts who got turned into a rat and raised the turtles to protect them. It was comedically portrayed but still faithful. It was to my surprise that the 1990 live action film was actually very faithful to the original comic adaption, in which Splinter was a pet rat who was close to Hamato and had a grudge against Shredder. Either backstory works I think because it has a level of believability. The only time I had heard of the turtles being trained by self-defense books was from the Micheal Bay 2011 movie. It is a goofy explanation, and it could work, but I'm not sure if Mutant Mayhem managed to make it work, as I feel it didn't quite work in the 2011 film either. It's not to say that Splinter has to be a martial arts master, but I feel like him and turtles learning ninjitsu from a legitimate source then gives more respect to ninjitsu. There's no sense of history and it makes it feel like, if Splinter found a book on boxing, then they could have just as likely become the Teenage Mutant Boxer Turtles and calling themselves ninja was just a means to an end.

I suppose all this to say, Mutant Mayhem was not a bad movie, but it is not one I would recommend, as I feel there are other films and even other Turtles media that can provide more refined versions of what this movie wanted to offer. I appreciate anyone who read to the end of this and allowing me to share my thoughts. Have an excellent day.

[kaittalkstoomuch]

so i’m officially writing an eddie x oc fic. i know about time but also i was trying to have courage! so, over the past few months i’ve thought of the characters and who’s central to them. the main characters being the love interest of eddie and eddie, i was just thinking of which characters would be so heavily involved in their life. it may need some work but here we go!

CHARACTERS

ROXANNE “ROXIE” HENDERSON

Dustin’s older sister. Eddie’s girlfriend of a year and over. She is in Nancy and Robins year. Best friends with Robin, she also used to be best friends with Nancy until Steve came along. Has abandonment issues due to her and Dustin’s father leaving. Is kind of close to Claudia up until Claudia misunderstands Eddie much like Hawkins does. She wants to protect Eddie and Dustin. Eddie wants to protect her at all times. She knows of the Upside Down but not all of it.

The story will be told mainly in her POV, with some chapters in Eddie’s. kind of reminiscent of Stevie Nicks.

EDDIE MUNSON

The very eccentric and misunderstood metalhead who fell head over heels for Roxie when he first seen her, only falling harder. Is like an older brother to Dustin due to his relationship with Roxie. Is so afraid of losing the one he loves most, knowing her past. Wants to protect everyone. He and Roxie are known as the King and Queen of the Hellfire Club. ‘86 baby.

DUSTIN HENDERSON

Roxie’s younger brother. He is extremely close to Eddie due to his sister dating him. Roxie is very protective of Dustin especially after their father left and they moved to Hawkins when Dustin was 4 and Roxie was 10. He loves Roxie and Eddie together. He is also the one who revealed the Upside Down to Roxie due to a situation with Dart.

ROBIN BUCKLEY

Roxie’s best friend. Roxie knows Robin is lesbian and that Robin loves Vicky. Robin and Roxie have been best friends since freshman year of high school. Roxie would frequent Scoops Ahoy to visit her best friend and annoy Steve. Robin is very supportive of Rox and Eddie and would know when something is wrong in their relationship. Is the reasoning for Nancy and Roxie to reconcile after the strain.

NANCY WHEELER

Roxie’s former best friend. They were best friends when The Hendersons moved to Hawkins. They had a strain during their sophomore year of high school due to Steve drawing a wedge in between them and Barb’s unfortunate death. Robin will somehow bring them back together as the best friends as they once were, revealing the truth behind their separation.

JASON CARVER

A self centered jock who had a massive crush on Roxie prior to getting with Chrissy. Absolutely despises Eddie. Roxie can’t stand him and his actions, especially the way he treats Chrissy. He has revenge on the mind.

STEVE HARRINGTON

Roxie’s frenemy. Roxie feels totally indifferent with him. Almost a love hate situation. Steve doesn’t understand why Rox has so much thoughts about him, oblivious to the strain between her and Nancy.

CHRISSY CUNNINGHAM

A struggling cheerleader who is murdered by Vecna. Eddie is blamed for her murder, which Roxie knows automatically he wouldn’t do such a thing. Roxie does not hate Chrissy, she feels bad for her due to being with Jason. Roxie would definitely want to avenge her death with Eddie.

i’m sure i’ll add more but that’s all i can think of! prologue coming soon babes! 🖤♥️💋

ps. it’ll also be on ao3!

[nero-neptune]

@chaoticgremelin tldr- his hypocrisy, cowardice, and audacity (too many words under the cut)

it's really all down to framing. who does the show consider “good” or “bad”, “irredeemable” or not, and why. it’s a kid’s show, i get that, fine, but i still had an issue with this (albeit not as fleshed-out) as a kid. far more imperialists (banished or not) are allowed this abundance of nuance (the whole fire nation, really), but certain characters who are victims of the fire nation and respond to said imperialism “badly” are just Evil or Crazy or Bad, full stop. (actually, as i write this, i think i have a problem with how the show depicts the earth kingdom compared to the other nations, but that’s a different conversation and something i'd have to think more about. something annoys me about it tho, but that could just be a Me problem).

ig my biggest gripe with iroh is less to do with him as a character (i mean, it does apply to him as a character too) and more to do with the way he’s Constantly put on such high pedestal, considered this paradigm of wisdom, when he’s a coward (and not for the reason he’s called a coward in the show). also a hypocrite. to me. and God Forbid anyone talk negatively about him. i think “leaves from the vine” was flawless PR.

a lot of my dislike probably stems back to his “no, she’s crazy and she needs to go down” line about azula, which bothered me years ago back when i really and truly didn’t even like azula. younger me was like “that was kinda mean” lol. and, sure, you could see that as “she’s on the side of the enemy and we need to treat her that way for the time being” or whatever, but it’s not like he ever genuinely reaches out to her, uncle to niece, any other time. iirc, he never in-show refers to azula with the word “niece”, only uses such familial terms for his nephew. this 50something year old man essentially writes off this 14 year old girl as some unapproachable problem child so unlike his poor, sweet, misunderstood zuko. man's always got his blinders on when it comes to azula. and i think the way he judges her in general is Massively hypocritical bc they’re So Damn Similar, it’s downright ridiculous. like to the point it annoys me (and I could accept it as a simple character flaw– maybe he sees himself in her and it repulses him– if not for the way the show frames him as practically saintly, pretty much Always in the right, something they double down on in LoK). both iroh and azula were the favorites of their fathers, both notably more powerful than their sibling. they’re both Very eccentric in a way that others find strange. they’re both good at lying, both skilled strategists, both very ambitious (at least iroh was until his son died). idk what iroh’s personality was like in his younger years (outside of joking about burning ba sing se to the ground), but i imagine he was just as fiercely loyal to the fire nation as azula was in the show. i bet he was a ruthless asshole back in his heyday (i regularly see people talk about how iroh was more-or-less always a good guy inside (and ozai was always mostly bad), but we don’t know that lol, we Do know he thought war was funny which is sooo azula-like). people can bring up how kind of a mentor he is Now (only took him a handful of decades), but laying siege to ba sing se for Six Hundred Days for the Glory of the Fire Nation (and i’m sure there was a high number of pointless fire nation soldier casualties) is arguably more of an azula thing than a zuko thing (remember why zuko got his scar). hell, azula’s the one who finally did what iroh failed to. they’re so damn alike.

if there’s Anyone who could possibly understand the pressure of being the Golden Child, all the royal expectations (maybe even do anything to avoid being treated like the black sheep sibling), it’s iroh. but even in the crossroads of destiny (i know, i know, that episode was about zuko), there’s a moment where azula Very briefly addresses iroh, but iroh 1) doesn’t address azula and 2) is all like “remember how much your sister sucks”. fair enough azula can be the worst, but she’s 14. iroh’s all “redemption this” and “redemption that”, you’d think he’d direct a Smidgen of that energy towards azula, like, Once (if anyone can get through to her, you’d think it’d be the old man giving advice to damn near everybody, and that old man is a lot like her). but nooo. and maybe he’s going about it in a “i wouldn’t have been receptive to my words in her shoes”, but he doesn’t even Try. lazy as hell, compared to how he never stops trying to help zuko.

(i actually think i started caring about azula more the more i've started to dislike iroh. literally Nobody is in her corner, not even the jolly old uncle and she’s 14 wtf)

as for him being a coward: i get that he was sad about his son dying. “leaves from the vine”, and all that. he has every right to grieve. however. where is his sense of personal responsibility? he finally recognizes the war as something Bad (now that it actually hurt him), but not to the point he felt enough conviction to Actually try to end the war prior to “uncle, do you realize what this means!!” (and even then, idk, i'd argue not until season 2). like bro was Chilling, drinking tea, Dragging His Feet, getting “spiritual” and shit. taking time to become more worldly in a world his nation is doing so much damage to. the war is out of sight and, thus, out of mind. it’s not like he’s Fully part of the fire nation royal family or anything. and if he was That bothered by ozai stealing the throne out from under him, was trying to take the throne back (royal people Love usurping) Too unbecoming? compared to the War? i think in book 3, he tells zuko that he doesn’t think he’d win in a fight against ozai (doubt.jpg). this man was the Dragon of the West. and even if a number of people in the fire nation thought he was weak for abandoning the siege and deferred to whatever ozai claimed azulon said on his deathbed re: the line of succession, is the unbearable shame of bad PR (fratricide) worse than the war that took your son?

like, he could’ve tried to pick up the pace by offering to be aang’s firebending teacher much earlier on (the gaang warmed up to him Long before they warmed up to zuko). but he didn’t do that either. he’d rather pass that responsibility onto his traumatized teenage nephew bc *shrugs*. sorry, zuko, you’ve gotta fight your crazy sister. nah, i can’t fight my crazy brother tho bc it’d make me look bad and i’d Totally lose and looking bad is worse than doing the right thing.

@foolhearteyes oddly enough, i have less of an issue with all his murder and imperialism (ok that sounds bad lol. yes, i have a problem with that In General, but i'm taking it at the level of severity that the show places on it. which...varies. it's weird. some things are inexcusable and other, equally bad things, are brushed over. and i'm sure other people have gone into this in a better way than i can, but anyway). i have more of an issue that the show goes “war (and murder and imperialism etc) is Bad. the people who do these things, however complicated and grey they are, were Wrong. heck, Some People are plain evil no matter what! does this apply to iroh? uhhhhhh......iroh’s the best! we all love iroh! we, the narrative, will never challenge him on Anything”

basically, i’m not even “anti-iroh”, but he’s one of the most annoying examples of an “untouchable” character. anyone who criticizes him (or criticizes the way the show writes him) is wrong and a hater who doesn’t think people can change (that’s an argument i see a lot, that anyone who dislikes iroh dislikes (off-screen!) character development, apparently). when, no, i just think it should be okay to say he’s Not All That, and that actions have consequences. and the ba sing se tea shop is still pretty fucked up i think!

also, beyond his hypocrisy and cowardice is his Audacity. it’s canon that the rough rhinos served under general iroh (during his Dragon of the West Era) and, up until they tried to capture iroh and zuko, iroh still spoke highly of them (ignore the atrocities). and later iroh (and, lbr, most people in the atla fandom) sees no issue with him having his little tea shop in a city he laid siege to for almost 2 years. but God Forbid jet freaks the fuck out over it. and what Really burns my ass is that iroh calls jet “confused” (for being angry and right, mind you) bc jet, whether iroh knows the specifics or not (and, honestly, i doubt he could be bothered learning), lost his home and his parents to the same rough rhinos (in canon). the very same rough rhinos that iroh had been buddy-buddy with and still spoke highly of (iroh was still fully Dragoning in the West at this time). compare this to the episode where katara confronts the solider who killed her mother. he acts ashamed of his actions (in a very pathetic way), but even if he didn’t – the show validates her anger and pain, and the audience sees where she’s coming from. she isn’t shown to be foolish or confused. compare this to jet’s confrontation with zuko and iroh. he’s painted as paranoid and a problem, behavior that is Still seen as a joke today. sure, he doesn’t directly confront the actual rough rhinos. yeah, he’s being kind of a dick about it. but his fear and anger towards them is just him being ~~CrAzY~~ and in the wrong (and all he knew about them were that they were firebenders in a place that was meant to safe from the fire nation, i can’t imagine how he’d react if he knew that was the actual Dragon of the West and the Fire Nation Prince). and then the show punishes him for this by killing him on-screen.

which goes back to my problem with the show’s framing of characters. who’s allowed nuance and understanding and who gets punished for reacting to oppression “wrong”? nevermind the fact iroh attacked that very city for well over a year, is likely responsible for the deaths of Who Knows how many ba sing se citizens, nothing in canon goes “that’s kinda fucked up” to that whole situation (except for jet, but both canon and the fandom put him in the wrong). and i do think it’s fucked up. but iroh’s Such a Great Guy and makes Great Tea and gives Great Advice, so we can ignore all that.

on that note- the older i get, the more i really dislike iroh

[weenwrites]

Could you write scenarios where tfp Megatron, Optimus, and Predaking meet a kitsune/nine-tailed fox reader who is constantly sleeping but the reason is because they see the future in their dreams

Caught Up In The Future

Pairing - Romantic Category - Headcanons Trigger Warnings - None

Ween says:"Half-way through writing I just realized I misread your request and I wrote something angsty with the reader as an S/O instead. I was considering scraping the entire work and rewriting it, but I couldn't think of anything interesting, so I hope this is fine instead. I'm sorry for the slip-up!"

Predaking let out a low, annoyed growl, bothered by all the commotion outside the ship. The buzzing saws, the screeching of metal, the back and forth lumbering of vehicons who were helping one another haul heavy metal scraps to and fro—all of it was getting on the predacon’s nerves. So with a huffy growl, he shifted positions and covered his head with his massive, scaly claws before curling up tighter, as if that would help him in any way, which it didn’t.

Out of the corner of his bright, flaxen optics, he caught sight of Y/N, sitting just meters away from him with their eyes closed, legs folded, and tails tapping against the floor. At least he wasn’t the only one annoyed by all the commotion outside, he thought.

And while he’d usually be upset that they were being disturbed as well, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t happy to see them awake. He hardly sees them awake from day to day, and while he was free to wake them whenever he pleased, he felt—he wasn’t sure how to put it into words. It was the idea that he had to wake them up in order to spend time with them and speak with them, rather than them choosing to spend time with him that upset him greatly. Even when they began “dating”, they rarely spent much time together which upset him even more.

As his claws began to curl and his tail began to beat against the metal floor, Y/N opened their eyes and cast him a glance.

“You’re upset.” They said.

He growled, proving their suspicions correct. His plates suddenly hissed and began shifting as he transformed into his rootmode.

“Wanna chat about it, big guy?”

“Why do you choose to rest so long?”

"Ah, so it's not just the noise that's bothering you," they shrugged, “I’m an organism that needs a lot of sleep, I’m not as efficient as—“

“You have misunderstood me.” He interjected.

“Hm?”

“You sleep to see into the future, but of what use is the future if you are not there to experience it yourself?”

“I am experiencing it,” they replied casually, “I’m experiencing it through my dreams.”

“That is not the same as in the flesh.”

“Guess we have differing ideas of what’s ‘experiencing it’ and what isn’t.” They remarked, "and besides, that way I can tell you what happens next before you experience it."

"That is all you talk to me of." He grumbled.

The two paused for a moment.

“I recall that you mentioned the realities you witness through your dreams are ones without you.” He began again, “I do not understand why you would wish to continue viewing such realities. Why waste your time with such menial visions when you could relish in the present with me?”

Y/N turned to fully meet Predaking’s gaze—the once prideful and cocky look in his optics had faded and given way to a confused and hurt look, veiled by an attempt to look indifferent.

“Am I of any importance to you?” He questioned.

“Well of course you are.”

“Then why do I not feel that you are being sincere?” He rumbled.

“I understand that my recent actions aren’t really supporting what I have to say, but I promise that you are important to me,” they urged, “I’m sorry, Predaking, that I’ve been spending too much time sleeping rather than being around you. I promise you that after today I’ll try my best to do better for you and for us.”

He didn’t look completely convinced, but, a small sliver of hope was seen in his optics.

“How about we spend some time together? Right now? We could go out for a walk,” They offered, “if you aren’t busy?”

“That… Would be pleasant.” He replied, scooping them up into his hands before drawing himself to full height.

“Yeah, it beats staying in a noisy ship.” They added on the way out the door—

Well, that's how he hoped it could turn out, but reality was always more disappointing than his hopeful fantasies. He couldn't tell them, not now, not while they still slept away—contrary to his imaginary version of them—left completely undisturbed by all the noise outside unlike he was.

With a low growl, he stood up and sauntered out of the habsuite. A nice change of scenery would relieve him from all the annoying noise, with or without their company.

[jeremy-hillary-boob]

in retrospect I'm kind of fascinated by the way michael lindsay-hogg misunderstood the beatles while making this mess. like yes, he's the most punchable person on screen at any given time; whenever he opens his mouth he says something that feels custom-designed to slam into their most specific and deeply-held insecurities, and his ego ensures that he doesn't listen to them at all. but the nature of his failure is so perfectly representative of what's always wrong with public perceptions of the beatles, and it's so interesting when you remember that he is also the director of some classic uhh... mclennon fanfiction, I guess? that's not exactly right, but I don't know how else to characterize the movie "two of us," which was made in 2000 and is frankly the only beatles biopic I've ever really liked. the fact that this smarmy kid who missed the point so hard while making "let it be" managed to nail it while directing this fix-it fic later is enthralling, honestly.

because the problem that he keeps running into is a question of scale and what it is that makes the beatles good. he's very invested in this concept of having them out in an ancient amphitheater in the desert and doing these sweeping overhead shots with a giant audience. he's so married to this idea that he ignores the band repeatedly telling him that they aren't willing to do that, because they won't travel and aren't all that comfortable with a big audience in the first place. it's not even that he keeps pushing for this because they're saying no without offering an alternative; the boys suggest perfectly good concepts, but a lot of things the they ask for are small. they want to do a show in a club, or a dance hall, or the studio. they keep telling him they want close and intimate, and he keeps saying no, we need Huge and Sweeping and Universal!

related to this, probably the moment that most makes me want to yell "fuck you" at the screen is when linda offers an opinion and says, "I'm speaking as a fan!" and MLH snottily replies that he is also a fan, and a bigger fan than she is. it's mostly an annoying comment because of how breathtakingly patronizing and self-important it is. but the underlying insinuation is that he Gets It in a way she does not - his feelings are the justified worship of the larger-than-life music gods, while hers are supposedly just piddly little personal affection for quirky, imperfect human beings who happen to be making something notable.

the adolescent hubris and misogyny of these two issues aside, you can see that his problem is that he thinks they're good because they're big, rather than big because they're good. he's bought into the marketing contrivance of the past few years that the beatles represent some kind of platonic ideal of universal love that's the same for everyone and everything, and that any portrayal of them should therefore be massive and all-encompassing. but he's mistaking the packaging for what's inside it, which is four oddballs who have spent the last decade fueled in large part by their deeply personal attachment to one another and wonky charisma that makes audiences want to connect with them. they're not prophets or wizards; they're a close-knit club band who have a taste for novelty and have been set loose on the fancy recording equipment. MLH is blinded by the glamour that's been painted over them, though, so he doesn't see that the strange, sometimes ugly little love that keeps them chugging along is more important to who they are than the perfect and global significance he imagines them having.

which is what makes me marvel at "two of us," because it operates on the absolute reverse of that mistake. so much of what makes it work is that it happens on a teeny tiny scale. most of the movie has fictional john and fictional paul as the only characters on screen, and nearly all the action is them talking to each other. if there are other speaking characters present, there's a sense of discomfort or comedic awkwardness - john and paul are initially tense in each other's presence, but at the same time are the only people either of them are comfortable with. they seem protected in their solitude, which is a hell of a contrast to how exposed and cornered the real beatles seem in the twickenham footage from let it be/get back. the whole story is a bittersweet bit of wish fulfillment about two people mending a complicated friendship, because the magic was never that they were larger than life, it was that they were human-sized all along, and that was more special than idealized caricatures of rock stars could have ever been. it took him 30 years, but this guy did eventually figure out what he did wrong and try again. I don't know, I think it's neat.

(I do think linda should have gotten a free swing at him, though.)

[fairycosmos]

i saw a tweet a few days ago where the person was like it's so weird how offended and uncomfortable people get when they're around someone who's quiet and doesn't like talking. then I saw someone reply to it saying it's annoying having to carry the conversation and I just sat their thinking ??? WHO said we want you to carry the conversation 😭 like I am a quiet person but I talk when I have something to say. if whatever conversation we're having interests me you would be able to tell and wouldn't have to struggle to "carry it". the way people just feel entitled to other people's time and energy is so funny

my goshhh i cant believe im walking around this misunderstood by peopleeee just bc im quiet like man i get it but i also don't get it at all! 😭 like do they realise theyre projecting that expectation onto us and that we don't feel as uncomfortable with the silence or with the lack of conversation as they do......like ofc everyones different and i know this varies massively and i knowww it's like everyones different of course and i know different things are uncomfortable to different people but why can't we all relax for real. i wish everything felt like when youre hanging out with a friend watching tv or youtube not sayin much but cool with that lmfao. i just don't get why people get so offended over it like ??? OK if i have something to contribute i'll contribute. if not, that's coool. i'm not mad i don't need the conversation carried i just wanna breathe alright! lol i get you entirely. x

[xxxrubytuesdayxxx]

“What are you doing in my bed?”

Hongjoong x Reader

Genre: Fluffy angst and a bit of smut towards the end

Word Count: 7,294

Concept: Kim Hongjoong doesn’t want to be a virgin anymore and he’s determined to get his way, even if it involves sneaking into your bedroom between tasks. 

Credits to a few prompt-lists I found trawling the internet, but I lost the links, I’m sorry :( If you recognise any, please let me know and I will do proper credits x

Masterlist

“This was a terrible, terrible idea,” you think to yourself, as you survey the ‘damage’ in the dorm. Oh there’s nothing wrong with the state of the rooms - it’s the state of the boys themselves. Because of course what the company set up as a cooking and eating game for a V Live descended into a drinking game the minute the main staff left. Yet it’s actually surprisingly easy to chase the younger ones off to bed. Which just leaves the eldest two: long-legged, sweet but slightly tipsy Seonghwa and their petite, treacherously-pretty but definitely-plastered leader Hong-Joong. Sizing up the levels of intoxication and seniority, You decide to tackle the slightly younger leader first. 

“Bed, Hong-Joong!” you attempt, mustering up what you hope is a convincing ‘eomma’ vibe. Apparently you’re not very convincing though because he just squeals and bats you away.

“Ani! I’m leader! No bed!” he objects. “Anyway, I’m want to annoy Seonghwa first,” he announces, in endearingly grammatically-incorrect English, complete with a mischievous smile, before darting out of your reach and perching himself on the arm of the couch to watch his hyung record a ‘cute’ wake-up message for ATINY.

“I will show you the cute version,” Seonghwa tells his leader dutifully, cue card in hand, before turning towards the one waiting camera.

“Ani, I don’t want to see!!” wails Hong-Joong dramatically, collapsing off the arm of the couch onto the seat itself in apparent agony, with his eyes squeezed shut. “Argh! Jebal!” he yells, clearly determined to be a massive brat about poor Seonghwa’s task. He then proceeds to make ridiculous high-pitched noises while Seonghwa reads his message out, until Seonghwa cuts him off with a soft reprimand, knowing only he can use banmal with his leader: “Ah, keep quiet.” Hong-Joong obediently stops making noises, but then smirks unrepentantly when the older boy laughs at himself and stops the reading before screaming in frustration, himself, at the difficulty of his recording, making the now-quiet Hong-Joong snicker. 

“Argh! I can’t do this!” Seonghwa laments. Noting that Hong-Joong has calmed down, he decides to ask him for some feedback on the instructions:

“What’s the difference between sexy and sensuous?” This gets Hong-Joong’s attention. 

“Sexy? Ah, you don’t know?” he replies, springing up off the couch with drunken bravado, ready to show his hyung how it’s done. He staggers over to a very confused Seonghwa, who looks like he doesn’t know whether to laugh or worry.

“Sexy is...just...you see it…” he babbles meaninglessly. “This is sexy, this is sexy. If it’s sensuous...when you see it…” then gives him a somewhat-mystifying rendition of ‘sexy’ and mumbles "that's what I mean" before drifting out of the room and towards the stairs to their bedrooms, singing to himself. Seonghwa just stares after him, at a loss, then returns to his recording in peace. You give the older boy an encouraging smile, figuring he’s probably still sober enough to get himself up to bed, and then venture up to check on Hong-Joong. Only he’s not in his bedroom. 

Sighing to yourself, you check the other boys’ rooms but then have to conclude that he’s in the bathroom, and there’s not much you can do there, except knock and call out to him if he’s still not out in ten minutes. So you head to your room, intending to get changed and prepare for bed. Only when you swing the door open, Hong-Joong is sprawled on his back, still fully dressed, in your bed - under the covers. You clear your throat pointedly.

“Excuse me, Hong-Joong? What are you doing in my bed?” you ask him, exasperatedly.

“I will try to seduce you, noona,” he tells you, in his adorably-accented, slightly off-kilter English, lovely long eyelashes fluttering coyly, as he sits up.

“Wha-I mean what…?” you stammer, assuming he’s just got his words tangled again. “Seduce?” You’re desperately trying to think of a plausible alternative, but your mind is drawing a blank from panic. Admittedly nothing innocent fits this scenario.

“Eung - yuhokhaeyo,” he affirms, nodding cutely. 

“Um...you’re drunk, sweetheart,” you tell him, sitting tentatively by his side and patting his shoulder soothingly. You want to have misinterpreted him nearly as much as you want to take him up on his offer, but, despite his avowed attempt to ‘tempt’ you, in Korean parlance, you resist. He pouts a little and flings himself back onto his back, eyes fluttering shut again.

“Chwihaji anassoyo~~” [I’m not drunk] he whines, before switching back to English, frustrated at being misunderstood, as he sees it. “I just want...have sex with someone," he tries. 

“Probably not the best time to have sex, really,” you point out, biting your lip to stop yourself from laughing, as you don’t want to embarrass him or indeed give yourself away. He sits up suddenly, opens his eyes and fixes you with an intense stare. You falter, blush and lower your own eyes, but he puts a finger under your chin and gently lifts your face to look in your eyes.

“Will you...reconsider...if I am...sober?” he asks you, carefully, still in English.

“I don’t...I mean it’s probably not a great idea, tiger,” you caution him. “Wait though...are you...what are you saying...exactly?” you correct yourself, suddenly noticing that his cheeks are flushed almost the same shade as his strawberry-bangs and his eyes are avidly studying your duvet. He hums nervously, smoothing the duvet with his hand, but doesn’t answer or even look up at you. The realization hits you as all the pieces come together. “Chyeonyo-ye-yo?” [Are you a virgin?] you ask him softly, not wanting to embarrass him either way. He nods shyly, keeping his head and eyes down and pulling at a loose thread on the duvet as his cheeks flush even hotter.

“Wow...I mean...wow,” you falter. “I’m sorry honey, I really didn’t know,” you reassure him, slipping your hand under his, on the cover, with your palm facing up. After a moment, his fingers curl tentatively around your hand and you feel a shiver of desire run through you. “Well...um...maybe we can wait until you’ve sobered up and then we can try and find you...I mean find a way to help you get...um...erm...laid,” you finish awkwardly, feeling like his innocence is being violated by the very thought of it. But then you remember he was the one who asked, so perhaps he’s not that innocent - at least of lustful thoughts.

“Laid?” he asks you now, reigniting your reluctance to contact one of the professionals the company usually engages for this kind of service.

“Er...laid is a slang term for...for um…” you stall.

“Sex?” Hong-Joong chirps brightly, looking pleased with himself and finally catching your eye, now that he feels he has something to be pleased with himself about - his English ability.

“Yeah, sex,” you admit reluctantly. “Look, Joong, are you sure about this?” you ask him.

“Ne,” he whispers, leaning towards you expectantly and closing his eyes again.

“Wow! No, no, no!” you deter him, hurriedly, gently moving him back against the headboard of your bed. “No, I meant are you sure you want me to find someone to have sex with you?” He pouts and opens his eyes - this time holding your gaze.

“I want,” he hesitates, checking your eyes, “to...to?” You nod, assuming he’s just checking his grammar. “I want to have sex with you, noona. Right now,” he tells you firmly, nodding for emphasis. You’re already shaking your head, but you stand up and pull him up with you to add some weight to your refusal of this proposal.

“No. You’re not losing your virginity when you’ve been drinking and might regret it tomorrow - or possibly not even remember it, from the looks of you,” you tease him gently. “C’mon - come back to your room and get some sleep.” He shakes his head vehemently, tossing his hair petulantly and stamps his foot.

“Kiseu-haejwo~~” [Kiss me] he whines, stubbornly refusing to move when you tug at his arm.

“It’s not happening, honey,” you sigh.

“But you call me honey,” he persists, tossing his hair away from his eyes to wink at you provocatively, and sticking his tongue out for good measure.

“Yeah. I did,” you admit, sighing again at his persistence. “But it’s just a general term of endearment, like...sweetheart.”

“Call me jagiya,” he flirts, deliberately fluttering his amazing eyelashes at you.

“Kim Hong-Joong!” you warn him in a furious whisper. He ignores you, quickly grabs your chin in both of his hands and presses his lips to yours before you can stop him. Startled, you just let him kiss you, until he teases your lips open and slips his tongue into your mouth.

“No-no-no-no-no! Bad, bad, boy!” you tell him firmly, pushing him away with both hands. He just giggles and tries again, but this time you’re ready for him and put your hand against his chest to keep him back. “Right. Bed! Right now...go!” you stammer, fumbling your words as you try to stop yourself from shaking...or wanting to feel his lips on yours again. He smirks, grabs you around the waist this time and slams you up against the wall to kiss you again. This time with no prelude, just straight up making out. You hesitate for a fraction of a second, but then push him away again.

He stops but only to lick his own lip experimentally. “Mm...you taste like fucking candy,” he teases you, with another wink, moving back in for the kill.

“What are you doing?!” you demand, stopping him again. “Behave! You’ll get me fired!”

“I won’t!” he pouts.

“You most certainly will,” you correct him. “If there was a camera in my room, I’d be packing my bags already.”

“Really?” he asks, looking genuinely worried this time. You nod fervently. “Staff have to sign contracts as well, you know,” you explain. “I’m sorry, honey. Look, let’s get you back to your room before the others start looking for you to finish that mission, okay?  He gives you a resentful, sulky look, but obediently exits your room, where you hear his dainty footsteps padding across to his bedroom and his door open and close, just before Seonghwa comes up the stairs looking for him. Trying not to panic at how close that was, you peel your clothes off and start to prepare for bed. 

*************************************************

So you really shouldn’t be surprised when he endeavours to make your job incredibly difficult the next day. Seems, contrary to the saying, hell hath no fury like a kpop idol scorned. Worse, you already have to explain the day’s schedule to eight boys in various stages of hangover hell. Fortunately, in most cases it’s more a matter of keeping them awake and attentive, but Hong-Joong’s idea of revenge is yelling things and making distracting noises throughout the entire meeting. By the time you’re on the last round of explanations and he starts to object, you throw caution to the wind and slap your hand straight over his pretty mouth.

“If you interrupt me one more time, Hong-Joong, so help me God...” you warn him, through clenched teeth. He watches you fake-innocently over your hand, while the others come around long enough to snicker conspiratorially at the sight of their leader being chastised. You remove your hand, but continue giving him a warning look, then finish explaining the schedule and shoo them all into hair and makeup, overriding their pleading cries of ‘feeling sick’ and ‘wanting to go back to bed’ with the reminder that they got themselves into this mess, and that tomorrow is a free day, so they only need to keep it together for the rest of today before they’ll win a break. 

They’re filing dutifully out of the cars, having had the luxury of a camera-less ride to the studio, Hong-Joong looking very pleased with his freshly-dyed bright blue bangs, when San and Wooyoung decide to accost you.

“What is it, Wooyoung?” you ask, eyeing a grinning San off suspiciously.

“Hong-Joong-hyung is want to have sex with you, noona” the younger boy informs you smugly, in halting English. San nods sagely, confirming this apparently hot tip. You close your eyes and sigh exasperatedly, trying not to show them that either a) you know this or b) you’re equally problematically attracted to their leader.

“Okay even if he did...which I doubt,” you begin, keeping your voice calm with difficulty. “Why on earth would he tell you two that?” you ask.

“He tell all members,” San updates you gleefully, before reverting to Korean to elaborate: “We were sharing TMI facts for games.”

“Great. That’s great,” you tell them sarcastically. “And on what planet does he think that information would be an appropriate TMI to share?”

“Oh he doesn’t...he was just really intoxicated by then,” Wooyoung giggles.

“This just gets better and better,” you marvel.

“Are you going to yell at him again, noona?” Wooyoung asks you, trying to contain his obvious glee. San watches seemingly impassively, but you can see the anticipation in his eyes. You narrow your own.

“So how do I know you two aren’t just making this up for a prank? Or to get your leader in more trouble?” you ask, pretending to be suspicious.

“Ask the others,” San shrugs. “Or ask him.” This throws you and they can sense it, which understandably deepens their curiosity and makes you panic.

"Fine. Tell him to come see me once you're done with the radio slot," you tell them, attempting to call their bluff. 

It doesn't quite go according to plan though. You’re just thinking you've maybe impressed the gravity of the situation on Ateez's leader when he interrupts you with characteristic sass, but careful to stick to jondaemal: “Noona, jebal geuman malhago kiseuhae julraeyo?” [Noona, would you please stop talking and kiss me?]. Thank God you were prescient enough to talk to him alone. You stare at him open-mouthed.

“You...what...did you hear anything I just said!?” you demand. He nods, cutely, swinging his shoulders with his hands clasped together in front of him to complete the innocent look, and shoots you a come-hither look, through his eyelashes.

“So um...if you heard me, did you understand me?” you check, wishing your Korean was more fluent for situations like this.

“Yes, I understand,” he murmurs in English, his voice husky. 

“So why…” you try, with another sigh. “Why did you still ask for a kiss?” He shrugs, pouts, pushes the toe of his boot into the leg of the couch he’s standing beside then flops heavily into it with a deeply wounded sigh. You follow suit, seating yourself on the other couch. Hong-Joong keeps his head lowered and stays silent, occasionally adjusting his eyelashes with his pointer finger until you have to ask, against your better judgment, but you feel bad for rejecting him:

“Gwaenchanaeyo, Joong?” 

He sniffs disconsolately, plays with his eyelashes again, and shakes his head with a little hiccoughing sob. Well now you feel really bad, but this is a no-win situation.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you, sweetheart,” you try, softening your voice. He nods, quickly, acknowledging your words, but swipes at his eyes with the back of his hand. You hold back a sigh of exasperation, and move to sit by him on his couch, tentatively placing your hand on his shoulder.

“Come on, Joong - don’t be like that,” you plead. “These aren’t my rules. But even if there weren’t rules...you’re so young. Don’t you want your first time to be with someone else your age. Who maybe can share the...the experience with you?” You try not to picture how it will more likely go if you arrange something for him, but push the thought away, pretending to yourself that the company can somehow make it romantic for him.

“Ani,” he sulks, head still lowered and blueberry bubblegum bangs spilling over his face. “I want you to kiss me.” He finally lifts his head and fixes you with his big, dark eyes. “Jebal,” he begs, voice breaking a little. “Only once, then I stop asking,” he bargains, in English, picking up on the subtle change in your expression. You sigh, close your eyes, and put your head in your hands, steeling yourself. You can feel Hong-Joong’s eyes on you. You can almost feel his heart thumping in his chest as he waits nervously for an answer.

“Okay,” you agree reluctantly, knowing in your heart of hearts that, despite his words, it won’t stop here. “On one condition. You are not to tell anybody ever.” He nods obediently, eyes sparkling with anticipation. “Okay then...Where am I kissing you?” 

He is already facing you in anticipation, his hands neatly on his thighs and his eyes shut so you can see those glorious eyelashes resting on his cheeks. The tiniest tracks of his tears stain his pretty face, and his lips are parted, ready for his requested kiss. But he opens his eyes at the question, confused.

“Right here,” he tells you, cocking his head to the side. You laugh softly.

“No. Where on yourself do you want to be kissed?” you amend.

“Oh…” he is a little flustered by the question. “On…” he touches his lips. “On my mouth,” he requests. You smile at his innocence. 

“Okay. Close your eyes again,” you tell him. He does so obediently and you lean across to kiss him softly, but sensuously, letting him slip his tongue into your mouth, and tangle it with yours. He wraps his arms around your waist, and you twine yours around his neck, turning your head on the side to allow him to sate his appetite on you. You only stop him, gently, when his hands sneak around towards your chest.

“There you go,” you murmur, extricating yourself reluctantly from his embrace. “Happy?” 

“Yes,” he breathes, but he looks distinctly the opposite. “Noona? I...I have to go,” he tells you. You’re a bit taken aback, but you nod to him and let him up and he darts out of the room without a backwards glance. ‘Oh boy - this is gonna be fun’ you think to yourself, before leaving the little studio lounge to go round the other boys up.

You leave Hong-Joong until last, to give him some privacy to sort out his presumably mixed emotions, but it gets to the point that you really need them all in the cars, so you have to resort to checking the private recording booths, though you can’t imagine why he would be in one of them without booking it, and of course the bathrooms - which you plan to leave until absolute last. You ask the others if they’ve seen him, but they all shrug at you innocently. Finally Yeosang remembers that he saw their leader go upstairs to the sleeping pods. Thanking him exasperatedly, you jog up the stairs and then enter the space quietly, knowing that idols use it to recuperate between scheduled events. Most of the pods seem to be empty though, and it’s only when your ears adjust that you hear Hong-Joong’s voice and feel your cheeks flush. 

At least he’s not sleeping, you reason, so you won’t have to wake him, but the sharp little intakes of breath and the quiet moans you hear make you think waking him would be infinitely less trouble. Still...if he’s with someone, at least now you won’t have to find him a date. You slide the door across, preparing yourself to chastise him at least a little, for form’s sake, but he’s alone. And boy, does he look guilty when he catches your eye. After a brief deer-caught-in-headlights moment, he freaks out completely, squeals loudly and throws himself commando-style off the further side of the little camp-bed, re-emerging adorably with the top of his face peeping over the mattress at you. 

“Hong-Joong?! Are you alright?" you laugh.  He nods and gives you cute v-fingers over his eyes and a mischievous smile. "Erm, good...what were you...wait were you just getting yourself off?” you ask him, the words spilling from your lips before you can stop yourself and wishing he didn’t look quite so delectable - kneeling up on his shins, chest heaving, with his hair dishevelled, lips just parted and eyes at half-mast and his arms awkwardly crossed across his crotch.

“U-uh...no...I was just…” he stammers, deeply unconvincingly, despite the tinkling sound of the buckle of his jeans belt dangling against the side of his leg.

“Okay, so the second car is leaving and you need to get yourself down there quick smart before it leaves without you,” you tell him, choosing to leave the subject.

“Or…?” he asks you, a little panicked. You hesitate, not wanting to give him any ideas. But it’s going to be just as awkward if you make him come downstairs with you right now. 

"Or we'll have to arrange another way to get you home," you concede. "Look, just...fix yourself up. I'll work something out and come back for you. "

***********************************************

So this is the series of racy events that leads to you finding yourself in the back of a taxicab on the way back to the dorm from Hongdae, slightly the worse for the soju, with an endearingly tipsy Hong-Joong’s pretty head in your lap, using all your self-control to ignore the tantalizing effect of the incredibly illicit kisses that he is bestowing on your stockinged thighs whilst he’s meant to be ‘resting’.

“Joong, stop it! I’m warning you,” you chastise him for probably the twelfth time since you’ve clambered into this cab together. “I cannot believe you talked the staff into having me chaperone you for a night out on the town.” You don’t add that neither you nor they would have gone along with this if they’d had any idea whatsoever of his intentions. But lucky for him, you obviously weren’t going to tell on him and you gather the other boys had his back as well. Now however, you’re not entirely sure the scope for gossip won’t kill them.

Thank God, the taxi makes it back to the dorm before he can test you any further, and you jump out of the backseat to pay the driver, before helping Hong-Joong out and guiding him inside and up to his bedroom, where he spins around in a sort of pirouette before flinging himself onto his bed with a cute giggle.

“I look pretty today, don’t I, noona?” he checks with you, preening a little. 

“Very pretty,” you assure him, careful to keep the tone of your voice neutral. 

“No, you’re teasing me, noona~~” he whines. “Say it properly that I look pretty.” He shakes his head, making his long, silver earrings dance and jump.

“You look pretty, Hong-Joong-oppa~,” you tell him, with an aegyo flourish, before rolling your eyes teasingly at him and he laughs, loudly, with his hand in front of his mouth, then hits you playfully, in that adorable fashion he has. You give up on any pretence that he’s not dangerously close to getting his way, what with your guard being down and the soju still buzzing through you.

“Are you trying to turn me on, or are you really just that oblivious?” you ask him, wryly. His eyes go wide, unsure if he’s just understood you correctly.

“Mwo?” he chirrups.

“You heard me,” you purr, leaning forward to kiss him lingeringly. He responds immediately, arms coming around you to pull you against him and lips moving against yours eagerly, before you feel his tongue searching for yours. You kiss for a while, but when he lays down and pulls you over on top of him, you stop him.

“Okay, okay,” you laugh. “I think we need to stop now, before someone gets hurt.” You stand up reluctantly, and give him what you plan to be one last kiss, tugging at his bottom lip gently with your teeth, before you pull away. He clings to you, kissing your jawline and then your neck, but you extricate yourself and stand up, making his face fall and his pretty smile merge into a pout.

“Wae, noona~?” he sulks, cute.

“Did you honestly think your devious little plot would work?” you tease him. “Whatever happened to ‘I won’t ask anymore once I get one kiss,’ hmm? You’ve had way more than one kiss, Joong...it’s time to move on back to reality now,” you tell him, sadly, turning to go. He sighs his defeat, letting his shoulders sink and making you wish fervently that you could just hold him and make him feel all better. You honestly can’t think of a reason that one of the professionals the company can hire for him will make him feel any more of a man than you could right now. And just as you’re mulling it over, reluctant to take your final leave, he lets his gaze rake you from head to foot, winks provocatively, and then bites his lip with a little ‘c'mere’ tilt of his chin.

“Did you just look me up and down and then bite your lip?” you ask him, rhetorically.  “‘Cause, you know what? If you did, then, fuck the rules. We’re having sex. Right now.” This time he manages not to give himself away completely, but his eyebrows go up and he swallows hard. He rearranges himself nervously on the bed as you check his door, making sure it’s locked. When you turn your attention back to Hong-Joong, you almost have second thoughts. He has arranged himself carefully, so that his shirt is open half-way to his waist, exposing most of his chest but artfully concealing his nipples, and he's leaning back on his hands, legs stretched out in front of him to give you the best possible view. His head is tilted, eyes lowered, and his slender neck looks impossibly delicate, wrapped in a black silk choker. He smiles bewitchingly and dares a look up through his lashes when you walk over to him and sit on the edge of his bed. 

“Are you sure you want to do this, Hong-ssi?” you ask him softly.

“Yes!” he tells you firmly.

“Really?” you confirm. “Because you seem...maybe a little shy?” you try gently, putting your hand on his to try and help him relax.

“I have a little...little nervous,” he explains, bravely, in English, showing you with his fingers pinched together how ‘little’ the little bit of nervousness is.

“Oh - ginjanghaessoyo?” you check, in Korean. He nods quickly, blushing. You put your hand on his cheek and give him a light kiss. “Well, you don’t need to be. I promise I’ll look after you. And I’m sure you’ll do great for your first time. Still good?” Another nod. “Now, remember just tell me anytime if you want to stop, okay?” you instruct him. “I won’t be annoyed.”

“Okay,” he says with a bright smile.

“And you don’t need to be shy about making noise either, okay? If it feels good, you let me know and I will do the same. It makes it more fun,” you add, with a wink. He giggles, bites his lip and then nods again. “Now c’mere, you sexy little thing,” you tell him, hooking your arm around his waist to pull him closer, and kissing him lingeringly. He moans softly into your mouth and you reward him by deepening the kiss and letting your other hand stray inside his open shirt to play with one of his nipples. He gasps and then moans again, his lips still attached to yours and his tongue exploring your mouth with swiftly-growing passion. You keep kissing him, but press him back onto the bed properly, so that you can straddle his thighs. 

“Where do you want me to kiss you next?” you ask him, unbuttoning his shirt the rest of the way, and pulling it open, so that you can stroke his naked chest.

“Odiena,” [everywhere] he begs, writhing impatiently under your touch and tossing his head on the pillows in an agony of anticipation. You laugh softly.

“I can’t kiss you everywhere at once,” you object. “Give me a clue...” You let one hand stray back to his nipples, making him arc his back, then you let your other hand deliberately brush the front of his pants, making him buck his hips up to press himself against your fingers.

“Seems like you’re having trouble deciding,” you tease him, letting your lower hand run the length of his still-clothed erection but bending your head towards his chest. You don’t let him get away with it that easily though, swerving at the last second to whisper into his ear:

“Why don’t you show me what you were doing in that booth upstairs this afternoon?”

“I...I wasn’t…” he stammers, blushing and nervously playing with his eyelashes.

“You were though, weren’t you?” you say. “That’s why you ran off when I kissed you. Do you have any idea how much catching you like that turned me on?”

“Oh jinjja?” he asks, surprised, but clearly flattered.

“Mmhm,” you assure him. “C’mon...let me see your jaji...I mean it feels pretty sexy,” you tell him, curling your fingers around the outline of it through his jeans. “Besides, do you honestly think I’ve been able to concentrate on anything all day while you’ve been teasing me while looking like a whole snack with this new hair?” you ask him, undoing his belt and jeans as you speak. He giggles, then self-consciously pushes his bangs back from his face and gives you another of his very pretty smiles but then hisses through his teeth and moans softly as you release his erection from his boxer-briefs and start to stroke him.

“But it’s you who tease me now, noona,” he complains, kissing you until you’re frantic for him. “You make fun by saying me all this things,” he elaborates, his breath getting more and more shallow as you speed up your strokes and his hips follow along by instinct, a thin trickle of precum leaking from his tip and making him groan helplessly.

“I’m not teasing you, babe,” you reassure him. “Every time you’ve caught my eye today, every time you’ve shown off these lovely assets of yours,” you stop caressing his cock to run your fingers longingly over his lips, then along his clavicle and then down over his hip, making him arc into your touch again… “I’ve wanted you more and more. But I’ve known that despite every inch of me aching for you, I’m not allowed to have you. You got teased by the others for saying you look pretty today? Well I think that you look not just pretty but also hot and very sexy. But I’m not supposed to tell you that. I’m not even supposed to think that,” you murmur, running your tongue over his bottom lip and eliciting a needy whine from deep in his throat. “But I don’t care anymore, Hong-Joong-ah...I want you so badly.” You kiss him again and he responds eagerly, but chastely, making you melt at his angelic sweetness. 

After a moment, you reach for his cock again and start to pump your hand up and down it, but he flinches, so you pull back straight away, noting that his cheeks are aflame with blushes.

“Would you like to stop?” you check with him, keeping your voice soft and gentle.

“Ani, ani,” he stammers, waving his hand to show he just needs to catch his breath. “I just worry that I...will make a mess everywhere...too soon,” he attempts to explain.

“Oh! You’re worried you’re going to cum soon?” you check. He nods, embarrassed. “That’s okay, jagi…” you tell him. “We can slow down for a little while if you like?” He nods again, quickly this time, smiling at you sweetly when you deliberately use the term he had asked you for earlier. You let him fix himself up and then curl into your arms against the pillows with his head on your chest. You lay together quietly for a little while, kissing occasionally, as you play idly with his blueberry-bangs. 

You’re just starting to count your blessings, thinking he’s actually drifting off to sleep after all and you can escape, leaving both his pride and his virginity intact, as his limbs start to feel heavier and his breathing slows towards sleeping pace. But then, just as you begin to gently disentangle yourself, he hooks your leg with his to stop you escaping, rolls over to press his hips against yours and then kisses you rather too passionately. You give in straight away this time, kissing him back with a ferocity to rival his own, and wrapping your legs up around his waist.

He pulls away a little, clearly unsure how to proceed, and kneels up between your legs to watch you, biting his lip again, but this time with a truly unconscious innocence of how sexy he looks. He tilts his head on the side, and then cautiously runs his hands up your sides, apparently not daring to do more. You smile at him and nod discreetly, but he just blushes again and clears his throat nervously.

“It’s okay, Hong-ssi,” you reassure him. “I won’t bite, and I’m not going to stop you anymore tonight. Just follow your instincts. You look like you maybe want to undress me?” you suggest. “Go on then, go ahead.” You smile again, trying to put him at ease, then raise your hand to his cheek and sit up to kiss him messily. You feel him smile and then his hands come up to peel the straps of your top off your shoulders and down your arms.

“Mmm…” you murmur against his lips, shifting to allow him to undo the front of your top, then wriggling a little to help him remove the whole thing, so that you’re kissing him in only your bra and skirt. “Mmff...keep going, jagiya,” you encourage him, lifting his hand back up to your bra straps. You let him struggle with your bra while you get to work on removing his shirt properly and undoing his jeans again. You know you could help him, but you kind of sense it’s better to let him make any mistakes that he’s going to make now, while he’s in a safe environment where he won’t be judged if he’s not perfect at everything. He makes a cute little frustrated noise as he tries to figure out the clasp, but then another pleased noise when he manages to get your bra off, but you pretend not to notice and just let him have his moment, sliding the garment off, then pulling you into his arms again, against his naked chest. 

You kiss the tip of his nose, then tease his jeans carefully off his hips and down his thighs, letting him kick and yank them the rest of the way off until he’s kneeling on his bed in front of you, blushing but eager, in only his boxer briefs. You lean across and start to tease kisses from his knee, working your way up his thigh towards his thinly-veiled erection.

“Oh, jebal~,” he begs you, trying to move his leg so that you will come higher. 

“Jebal? Mwo, jebal?” you murmur, wanting him to say it. “What do you want me to do?”

“Kiss...kiss,” he breathes, still in a pleading voice.

“Kiss? I’m already kissing…” you tease him, tickling his skin with your tongue now, and allowing your lips to dance ever nearer to the bottom leg-line of his panties. He moans, much louder now, and you let your other hand dip into his waistband to just barely skim the silky head of his cock. His moans intensify and he slams his head inadvertently back against the headboard of his bed, startling you a little, but not as much as he startles himself. He winces then rubs the back of his head with his hand and gives you a slightly hurt look.

“Yah, noona~” he whines. “You know what I’m mean. I want you to please...put my...my [he gives up and opts for the Korean when he can’t think of the English] je jaji...into your mouth,” he explains in a pouting almost-aegyo tone. You kinda want to tease him a little longer, but frankly you can never resist him when he talks in pout, even when the stakes are this high. And, judging by his sparkling eyes, he knows it too.

Trying not to hurt him, you pull his boxer-briefs carefully away from his erection and lick his shaft from balls to tip like an icecream. He shudders and another long, low moan escapes his body as his hands clutch his bedsheets. You raise your head to take him in your mouth, gently moving one of his hands to place it on the back of your head and indicating he should let you know how fast he needs you to go. Arcing into you, he presses his hand against the back of your head, needing you to speed up, which you do, using your free hand to hold him steady and being careful to keep your teeth behind your lips. After an interval of his pretty moans and your jaw starting to feel it, his hips dance, and he swears under his breath, in Korean.

“Wait-stop-stop!” he yelps, trying to pull away, but it’s too late and his voice trembles into another prolonged groan as you taste his warm jizz flooding your tongue. “Oh, shibal, mianhamnida,” [fuck, sorry] he stammers, mortified. You ignore his sweet objections and lick him clean, then pull him down by your side and let him cuddle shyly into you with his face turned into the crook of your neck.

“Noona?” he asks, squeezing your waist with his arm.

“What is it, Joong?” you murmur sleepily, the soju finally settling in your veins.

“Please stay here with me?” he requests. You sigh, afraid to tell him.

“No, no - that’s too much, doll,” you try to cushion the blow with a finger under his chin and a soft kiss on his lips. “I have to go back to my room, now that the damage is done.”

“But you say...well...we are going to have sex,” he pouts.

“And we did, you little minx,” you tell him, but he is already shaking his head, cheeky.

“Ani. I still am...virgin,” he corrects you defiantly, pleased with himself for remembering the English word. 

“You’re still? Wow...you’re really going to go for the literal definition, are you?,” you laugh quietly at his sass. “Well, you may find you need to recharge a little first,” you sigh, giving in. He veritably purrs at this update and you see a devilish grin slip across his lips, though he keeps his eyes tightly squeezed shut, making you marvel anew at his beautiful eyelashes, by this stage of the evening innocent of eyelash-curlers or mascara, yet still works of art in themselves. 

You cuddle up together for another small interval, but this time you realize that you must have drifted off to sleep yourself, when you open your eyes to find the sun peeking over the horizon outside. You smile to yourself when you notice Hong-Joong slumbering sweetly, completely naked in your arms, but you’re not sure how to disentangle yourself without waking him again. You manage to edge yourself out of his embrace, get your top back on and locate your bra but when you turn to give him one last longing look, he is propped up on one arm, eyes blearily open and watching you resentfully. He opens his mouth to say something and you swiftly close the distance between the two of you, to put a finger to his lips.

“You trick me,” he whispers fiercely. You try not to laugh at his indignant tone.

“I didn't, sweetheart! I fell asleep, same as you,” you defend yourself.

“So we have sex now?” he asks you, yawning and covering his mouth politely. You shake your head at him with amused incredulity.

“We can’t now,” you tell him. “There’s no way people won’t find out. It’s morning.” He just shrugs and tries to pull your skirt off.

“I don’t care,” he informs you cheekily, switching to an attempt to remove your top when you intervene with his attempt to remove your skirt. “If we are...balli-balli...[quickly - if you go fast] then we not wake members,” he bargains.

“Okay, okay! My gosh, you’re persistent,” you marvel, drawing him into your arms and kissing him. He deepens the kiss, tugging at your lip with his teeth in the sweetest punishment as his hands work quickly to remove the rest of your clothes.

“Hey - where’s that shy boy from last night?” you tease him, but he just sticks his tongue out at you and taps your legs, making you spread them so that he can climb between them. He’s all masterful confidence until you feel his erection tickling the inside of your thighs and he pauses, on his hands and knees, looking at you nervously. You run your hands along his body and down onto his hips and pull him forward.

“Ah - there’s our shy boy! It’s okay, jagi,” you reassure him, wrapping your legs up around him and lifting your hips to meet him. He kisses you under the jawline, and lets his hands stray towards your chest, so you drop your hand down to guide his cock to rest against your already-wet folds, then give your hips a little thrust so that he slips in. He gasps and thrusts his own hips instinctively, then you grab them and pull him the rest of the way forward, simultaneously eliciting a jagged moan from his lips and sighing with relief yourself, as he slides right up inside you, making you call out his name. He moans your name back to you, then finally starts to rock his hips back and forward, his breath coming hotter and faster against your neck as his moans get louder and more urgent.

“Aigoh! Ai-ai-yuh...uh! Aiohhohh!” he vocalizes shamelessly as he gets more and more caught up in your lovemaking, until he appears to have forgotten his surroundings. You surrender to him completely, kissing and caressing every part of him that you can reach.

“Oh-uh...pokbalhaga naol got gatayo~” [I feel like I’m going to explode] he confesses as his hips start to reach jackhammer speed.

“Oh, jinjja?” you gasp. He moans in the affirmative into your neck. “Do it, jagi. Cum inside me!” you gasp. His hands force you to speed up to his pace and his lovely voice climbs high enough to definitely have caught the attention of the other members. 

“Oh shib!” he groans, his lips parted and his eyes at half-mast in a perfect mask of sexual gratification. “Oh...oh ne...oh fuck...Do you think…” he pants out “they can...hear us?”

“Yes we can!” hollers WooYoung from behind the wall, his voice indicating that he’s been wanting to object since the beginning of this latest tryst. “Please stop already! We’re happy for you hyung but honestly, we’re trying to sleep too, you know?!” he elaborates. Shaking your head at WooYoung’s lack of tact, you grab Hong-Joong’s sexy, taut ass in your hands, kiss him fiercely on the lips and lift your hips to a higher angle, letting him penetrate you even further. His hips do a final dance and you feel him cum up inside you, before collapsing next to you on his back, chest heaving and one arm flung across his face, while the other pulls you close.

“Better?” you ask him, cuddling against his side.

“Mmm....ne...much better,” he affirms, sighing contentedly. 

[bojackhorsemanobviously]

OOC:// I hope this is okay, but I've kinda been itching to say that the therapist bojack/ cartman and related threads that I've come across are so cool in concept and really well written on both sides! I definitely enjoy SP for what it is, but something about that dynamic kinda makes me wish it could be more story/ character arc driven like in BJH's storytelling. I don't think SP would ever go in a direction like that (without it ending horribly, especially for cartman), so it has been cool to see that explored.

Also, I'm not entirely sure how to put this into words, but I kinda like how you don't seem to put characters through behind-the-scenes reception arcs via headcanons before writing them. If they canonically have struggled with things or have negative traits, your characters aren't so reformed that those things won't come up or be a problem again. It seems like you stay really true to the idea that characters have the complexity to say and do inexcusable things, but still not have to be written as a story antagonist 100% of the time because of that. It's definitely more interesting when characters don't have to either be watered down into sweethearts, or get completely vilified and live on the fringes of society with no positive connections.

Thank you! The amazing write of bojack horsman definitely helped with how i write him obviously (: I just like the idea of him having people around to care about him and vice versa as the show kinda ended rather bittersweet with him losing diane ): , though i love the message of accountability and how suicide is not the desirable outcome. people that think it would be better are so not understanding why bojack fans relate toe him i tell ya it aint due to how he treated sarah lynn/penny but more so depression/mother issues /a desire to belive you can be better even after being awful. The idea of bojack being anyone's therapist to cartman to me felt very bizzare even though it was my idea but i thought it be fun. I think on n some level it felt like he would hate the idea but when he's doing well, the advice he has for friends is rather decent mainly in s6 with dianes depression. and being a kids therapist would only work in south park really where they don't care at all about kids security. its def been fun to have him react to the insanity .. he spent his life wanting to be in a sitcom and when hes in one that happens to have mass murderor eric cartman its just too much man he can't cope xd. I find the idea of writing characters as perfect saints or devils to be massively boring, a trend i've eyed in other fandoms example azula has been treated as a misunderstood poor woobie who did nothing wrong ever and abusive ursa/iroh are to blame for her shengaians .. and it drives me crazy. ive also heard tales of zuzos woobification that come off as to me as imperfect victims with anger issues are unloveable if we don't remove their flaws. its very jarring to see angry charactres get turned into soft meowmeows. the south park fandom itself struggles to deal with Stan, Kyle and Butters, even Kenny being less than perfect. Stan being a shitty boyfriend? OOC. Butters being sexist OOC.. despite it being a real occuring trait of his for many many seasons.. as well as his own violent temper issues due to all the abuse he endures but cartman? not being evil and caring for his friends thats OOC.. its a real annoying problem in fandoms something I have zero desire to embrace. I love bojack due to his flaws, not inspite of em flaws make characters more empathiic, if you remove em they become stale and boring.

It's definitely more interesting when characters don't have to either be watered down into sweethearts, or get completely vilified and live on the fringes of society with no positive connections. Yes I agree its why the ending while it made me cry it was nice to see bojack still have friends like Todd/ Mr. Peanutbutter/ aquaintess with PC .. tho I think Mr. PB is prob his best friend now.. even if hes still obessed with whoever erica is.. I feel the show also left open the possibilites that even if he did relaspe, he could always get better.. as Todd says. which is a better message than fools thinking ole bobo should have stayed dead, that would have been so much more damaging to fans of the show.. and a terrible terrible ending. so while i wish diane/him stayed buds at least he has a few friends and isn't.. dead...

thanks for the ask (: