#why is the materials in the song straw?

[normal-newt]

Hate when is a "there's a hole in my bucket" situation.

Bucket has a hole in it. Need materials to fix bucket. Need an axe to get materials. Need (wet) stone to sharpen axe. Need water to wet the stone. Need a bucket to get the water. Bucket has a fucking hole in it. Whole problem turns into a circle, no clear place to start.

Know if single problem in circle was fixed, would be able to work through the rest. But these problems more complicated than "ask to borrow neighbor's bucket".

[madwomansapologist]

a helping hand | nami

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synopsis: Luffy should've know better than being so close to the edge of the ship. Of course he would fall, it was just a matter of time. After you saved him, getting soaked and shivering from the salty water, Nami was so kind to help you get into a hot bath. You just didn't expect her to keep you company. Or to insist on washing your skin for you. [2.4K]

warnings: smut. dubcon. voyeurism. groping. masturbation. fingering. manipulation. dumbification. nudity. body massage. tw: use of 'good girl'. soft dom!nami. yandere!nami? female!reader.

Humming an old song, you walked around the Going Merry deck gathering your scattered materials. You asked Zoro a zillion times to not touch your things but don't matter how much he tries to be blasé: Zoro has a weak point for shining things.

You dropped all the metal pieces on your construction table, and separated everything into piles that looked disorganized but made perfect sense to you.

Still humming, you grabbed your screwdriver and went back to work on your recent project. Explosives are easy to make, but your crew isn't exactly in a position to waste a lot of gunpowder. Just unscrew the right parts, gather the remaining gunpowder from the stray bullets on the deck, connect the right wires and that's it! Usopp will get so happy!

"I need opinions", Sanji entered your room without knocking on the door. He put a dish in front of you, something that smelled so good you didn't even thought about complaining.

You took the silver spoon from him, and you felt how soft the cake was when you cut it. You couldn't help but to close your eyes, enjoying the moment. "You said you needed compliments?"

Sanji almost held your new creation, but the thought of getting his hands dirty convinced him of doing otherwise. "You always know what to say, sweetheart."

"And you al-"

The sound of something heavy falling shut you up. You looked around, fearing that one of the bombs had fallen off your desk, but there was nothing wrong. Then you heard the excruciating scream.

"Luffy", you both said in sintony.

When you both made to the deck, nothing was there. You ran to the other side, but it was just as desolate. "Is everything fine?"

You came back to Sanji, you saw him starring at the ocean. You did the same thing, supporting your body on a rope, and saw. The straw hat was floating.

"Luffy!" Sanji yeled, but received no answers. "Luffy!"

"Why all that noise?" Zoro get out of his room, his wristband resting on top of his three katanas.

"I'm sorry for disturbing your beauty sleep but Luffy fell in the fucking ocean", Sanji started to prepare a floater, working on a strong knot.

Zoro walked towards the boat's ropes, and you kept on looking at the ocean. If you know Luffy well — and you do —, then his hat fell and he didn't thought twice before jumping. You stared at the floating hat, waiting to see a sign of him.

When his hand appeared, a loud gasp stretched your throat. You looked around. Both men were doing the best they could but it wasn't fast enough. So you did the only thing you knew would stop Luffy from drowning.

You dived.

The water was so cold you almost screamed, but you had a better goal in mind. Luffy, even not being able of entering the salty water, would've done the same for you or any of the crew. He wouldn't hesitate. And you can't be weak when your captain is in danger.

You went up to breathe and check where the hat was. Sanji and Zoro shouted, but you were in no condition to hear them. You dived again, this time towards the straw hat.

Luffy struggled, trying to swim upwards, but his body was so heavy. He saw his hands, the sun shining beyond the sea barrier, his hat in the distance. It became difficult to keep his eyes open. His breath had run out so long ago. Desperate, Luffy tried to stretch again.

Something grabbed him, and Luffy tried to fought. He was so lucky for not having the strenght to fight a dove at the moment, because when the thing pulled him to the surface Luffy could finally breath again.

He coughed until all the water inside his lungs were back in the sea. Luffy held onto you. That was the first time you saw him so vulnerable. So in need of help.

"I am here", you tried to calm him down. You put his hat on his head. "I am here, captain."

Your body ached, but you held him and made sure his head wasn't near the sea. Every muscle burned inside of you. They dropped the floater, you put it around Luffy's body. Zoro hoisted him up, you could hear Usopp helping.

When it came down again, you held onto it and let them help you. All your members were shaking, everything was so cold.

Zoro held you and helped you stand on the Going Merry. He was so strong, and yet so gentle. Zoro can try to hide it, but you know his heart is his best quality. Your legs betrayed you when he let you go, but Usopp grabbed you before you could hit the ground.

He helped you sat on the deck, right beside where Luffy layed down. You mirrorred him, facing the sky. You let the breeze invade your lungs, the sky hurt your eyelids, seagulls sang in the distance. Freedom. Absolute freedom. Just like Luffy promissed you.

You breath in, letting the air relax your muscles. A shadow covered you, probably a cloud floating in the atmosphere, the sun couldn't aim you anymore. "You're fine?"

"Are you some kind of hero?" Even with your eyes closed you were still able to see Luffy's smile. "An angel?"

You laughed. It hurted, but it was the kind of pain that don't really matter. "You were drowning."

"I'm talking about my straw hat. You saved it", you heard Luffy sitting. His spirit was back already. Good. Really good. "And she even called me captain!"

"Don't get used to it", you heard Nami. You blinked, trying to expel the salty water from your eyes. Just then you realized that it was her shadow that protect you from the sun. Kneeling by your side, Nami's concern was almost palpable. "You both could've died."

You gave her a beaming smile. "I'm not that easy to kill."

"Me neither!" Luffy jumped from the floor and get on his feet. "Still brand new."

"Annoyingly resilient", Sanji murmured to himself. He approached, another shade preventing the sun from bothering you, and extended his hand. "What a crew!"

Nami pushed his hand away, and extended hers. "Do you think you can walk, brave girl?" Sanji rolled his eyes and followed Luffy, probably to offer him food.

You grabbed her hand, and without effort Nami managed to lift you up. For a moment you felt like you were going to fall, gravity playing tricks on your perception, but Nami held you by the shoulders. You melt between her hands.

"Are you fine?" Nami asked. Her fingers carressed you soggy skin. She squeezed your arm, her warm hands contrasting your icy body. "Do you think you can take a bath?"

"I can't get back to work stinking of fish, can I? Don't worry, I can take care of myself."

"I know. You just don't need to."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⋆✦⋆ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Leaning against the wall, you watched Nami preparing your bath. She boiled water, filled the bathtub, and now balanced the temperature with cold water. The way she was so exact, careful, made you smile.

She put her hand on the water. "Perfect", Nami murmured to herself. She turned to you, drying her hand on a towel. "Come here."

You were shivering, the clothes weighing you down. The closer you get, the more you felt how hot the water really was. You dipped your hand into the bathtub, an involuntary moan escaped your mouth. "Perfect. Thank you, Nami."

Nami walked away from the bathtub, taking the buckets with her. She placed them at the back of the bath area, and walked to the door. "Take off your clothes," Nami said. You heard the door being locked. "That way the water will cool down."

"Why are you still here?"

"I've told you. I will take care of you", Nami crossed her arms, walking slowly towards you. "Do you need help with you clothes?"

"No, I..." You held your wet clothes, the temperature of your body suddenly increasing. "I would rather not do this in front of you."

"Oh, I get it now", Nami smiled to you as if it was just a normal conversation. "We are girls. There's no need to be shy. Here, let me help you."

Nami touched the hem of your blouse. You tried to pull away, but she pulled you closer. Your chest collided with hers. "It's okay," she began to pull the soaked fabric up. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course", it was true. You trusted your life to her before, and you would do it again. You would've died for Luffy early if it was needed, and you would do the same for her. "You know that."

"Then let me help you, huh?" Nami purred against your ear. "Can you do that for me?"

You stopped fighting back. Nami gave your cheek a delicate kiss. "Good girl."

Nami pulled your shirt up, the sticky wet fabric giving you goosebumps as she slid it across your skin. She threw it on the floor, and admired you. You tried to cover your breasts, but Nami held your wrists. "No need to be embarrassed. You're beautiful."

Without being able to answer her, you just watched her kneel in front of you. She undid the buttons on your shorts and pulled them down. You leaned on her shoulders to take them off, Nami smiled at your gesture. She discarded it like the blouse, and rested her hands on your thigh.

"Don't you feel better now?" Her fingers played with the seam of your panties. You closed your legs. "Without all that wet, heavy clothing. Don't you think I did the right thing?"

“I guess so”, you swallowed. When you felt her fingers pulling your panties, the movement so slow it bordered on torture, you closed your eyes tightly. "Nami, I..."

"Open your eyes."

You did as she said. Now naked, you just wanted to hide yourself. Nami smiled at you, her eyes shining. "Enter the water."

You turned to get into the bath, and you did it so quickly it was almost inhuman. Up to your chin in the water, you heard her approaching. She sat on the tube, and grabbed you by your chin. "Feeling good?"

You looked up at her and nodded. "Great", she said. Nami wet the soap and rubbed it on her hand. "Now I'm going to make you feel even better."

She started with your hands. Nami massaged them with so much devotion, so much care, that you almost forgot your shame. The affection rose to your arms. You felt the soap penetrating your skin, taking away the smell of salt. Her hands smooth out the knots in your muscles. When she focused on your shoulders it was impossible not to close your eyes. "Feels so good."

When her hands caressed your breasts, a part of you didn't want to complain or pull away. A part of you asked you to stay there, quiet, and let Nami do whatever she wanted. She always knew what was best for you. And that was the voice you heard.

She squeezed them lightly, slid her fingers through them, pinched your nipples. Nami soaped them, massaged them, worshiped them.

As she dropped her hands, you couldn't help but complain. "Patience, brave girl," Nami scratched your thighs. "Open your legs for me."

And you did as she asked you.

Her fingers ran down your thighs, squeezed your waist, played with your skin. Then they approached the hottest point on your body. The point that seemed to vibrate, boil under the water. You shivered when her finger touched your lips.

Nami's other hand went up your body, her nails scratching your skin, and ended up grabbing your hair. Your head fell back, exposing your neck, and Nami slid her nose against your damp skin. "My girl is so sensitive", she licked the junction of your neck and shoulder.

With her tongue working on your neck, playing with your sensitive skin, her fingers circled your lips. Your nerves screamed under her fingers, your mouth wouldn't stay closed. Nami could turn you over, smear you, twist you: you wouldn't complain.

Her thumb pressed against your clit, the bone slamming into your stiff nerve at an excruciating pace. Nami let go of your hair and moved her hand down to your breasts, playing with your sensitive nipples. You moaned, blurrs glowing in your closed eyelids, and you rolled your hips against her fingers.

Without needing to hear you ask, without even warning you, Nami penetrated you with two fingers. The sounds you made became louder, more needy, and with each movement of your fingers inside you, your body became hotter. You smiled, so immersed in the pleasure that you didn't even notice the lewd way Nami was looking at you.

She curled her fingers. The pressure massaging your walls became too much, and you grabbed her fist. "N-Nami, I..."

"Do it again", Nami bit your neck. She increased the speed of her fingers. As she thrust her fingers into you, her palm bumped against your clit. A shameful sound escaped your pussy. It was so good. So, so good. "Moan my name."

"Nami", you did as she demanded. It was impossible to say anything other than her name. Your moans were so loud, so shameful, you wouldn't think it was impossible for everyone on deck to hear you. But you didn't care. You didn't care about anything. "Don't stop."

Then Nami opened her fingers. She became even more brutal, her hand went back to your hair. She grabbed it tightly, almost really hurting you.

It started as a numbing wave. It passed through your pussy, up your belly, reached your breasts. All your limbs became useless, your mouth hung open, your eyes closed. And when the wave reached your head, you were already unable to breathe. You could only tremble against her fingers.

You squirmed, and it was Nami who kept you sitting down. She continued to fuck you, to torture your clit, to hurt your head. And when you became an empty doll, your mind blank and your body tired, Nami stopped. She didn't take her fingers out of you, feeling the way you still squeezed her. Tender kisses reached your cheeks.

You were the one who initiated the kiss. It was sloppy, you were too weak to do it any other way. You held her by the neck, trembling hands clinging to her soft skin. "Join me."

Nami smiled against your mouth. She stood up, still bent over to continue the kiss. "It will overflow."

"Do you care?"

She didn't.

if you enjoyed, please reblog! i promise it makes a difference ♡

@ madwomansapologist.tumblr.

[googleitlol]

This is a crack fic I wrote for a friend, be warned of the somewhat sexual content and the test to your sanity this may bring. I am so sorry. @tottybeanlove

Geno's Oreo

Geno stretches as he strolls into his kitchen, already in his muffin-themed pyjamas for the night. They are made from a sultry lilac silk that have been altered by one of Geno’s husbands, the pyjamas littered in muffins with little butter-berets and cute little faces. The muffins themselves are made of a cheap felt material, stapled to the shirt and pyjama pants.

The world’s #1 hater’s day has been a long one. Geno just finished up his 15 hour shift at Walmart; he counted a total of 8 lost children, 23 Karens, and 16 arguments between spouses in aisle 9 that resulted in divorce today. Thankfully, the day is now over and he can enjoy some rest at home. It’s a good thing he bought a special treat for himself earlier in the week.

Crouching down to a kitchen cupboard Geno knows is stocked with the the most mouth-watering of snacks, he opens it to find– the fuck? Where are they? He could have sworn he put them here, they were the first item on his grocery list yesterday! Geno even used his Super-Kawaii-Deluxe-Employee Discount of 0.05% off at Walmart. They haven’t even been opened yet, where could they have gone?

“Looking for something, Butter Muffin?”

Geno looks up to see his husband, the Six-Eared Macaque, perching atop the fridge like the gargoyle he is, a lazy grin on his face as he watches his precious Grass rise to his feet. “Why the fuck are you on the fridge??” Geno frowns, looking his smexy lover up and down with contempt.

Mahogany shrugs. “So your short-ass wouldn’t be able to reach me, Short-Ass.” Geno rolls his eyes over his lover’s antics. The two often teased one another with hateful words and unbridled rage, though they both knew their words were a simple mask over their uncontrollable lust for one another. Their other husband, Sun Wukong, would be having a good show tonight in bed. He also ordained their marriage, but that isn’t too important now. Not when Geno notices what’s in Macadamias’ hands. “Are– Are you eating my fucking oreos?!”

Macintosh glances down at the stack of oreos in his arms, and uses his tail to subtly brush away a few crumbs nestled in the corner of his mouth. They roll down his velvety fur, intricately weaving between each strand before landing on the top of the fridge. “…I didn’t see your name on them.”

“My name was on the fucking box!” Geno growls, and Macromole has to hold back from biting his soft, plump lips in reaction to the unadulterated attraction he feels in the moment. He has to remember that he won’t be able to do anything too visceral tonight, not while he carries his Snart-Fiffer’s unborn child.

Macho-Libre hums, his voice low and sensual. ���I don’t see the box around here, Pookie-Stick, do you?”

“You took them out of the box!”

“You didn’t write your name on each individual one.”

“I shouldn’t have to, they’re supposed to stay in the fucking box!” Geno shouts, and Bear-Mace simply shrugs in reply before plopping a thick double-stuffed oreo in his mouth.

That’s the final straw, and before the One-Eyed Macrame can hear what’s about to happen, his lovely Oil Cheeks leaps up at him with the raw athletic power of Simone Biles jumping over Shaq. Geno manages to snatch Macrophage’s tail and yank it with him as he falls to the ground. Machinable barely has time to latch onto the fridge in order to stop himself from falling, his horde of cream-filled cookies scattering over the appliance and bouncing onto the floor where many of them break more violently than Bane breaking Batman’s back.

Geno clings to his hubby-zubby’s tail, and while his grip is strong (as Macaroni already knows), it isn’t strong enough for when the half-blind Shadow the Hedgehog begins whipping it back and forth in an attempt to shake him off, much like that one Taylor Swift song (Shake it Off is Taylor Swift, right?)

The shaking of his fat dumpy is enough to send his Kitten Whisker’s into orbit. However, seeing as they are both inside, Geno flies into the wall instead. The entire side of their kitchen snap, crackles, and crumples onto what one might consider a honey badger in human form, burying them in debris.

Mallory hops down from his safe-haven and rushes to what might have just become a crime scene. “Ranch? Are you okay, Biscuit Fart?”

A head pops out from the crumbled remains of the wall, much like the bulge in Macrofossil’s pants. “No, you threw me into a fucking wall!”

“Yeah, but like, are you hurt?” Macarena asks while turning away to start collecting whatever unbroken oreos he can find on the ground. After all, the five-second rule is still a thing fifteen seconds after food touches the floor.

Geno gives his lover a baffled look, half-wondering if he in-fact was more of a dumb-ass than he already believed him to be. “I CAN’T GET UP! THE FUCKING WALL CAVED IN ON ME!!!”

Macrobiotic’s ultra-hot-seductive voice makes a return as he hums, though it’s a borderline moan. Why would he be moaning at this? I don’t know, he’s a little fucked up. “Hmm… you should probably stay there, then. You don’t wanna move around too much and pull something, my Cutey-Hangnail-Toilet-Seat.”

“Screw you, jackass!” Geno seethes as Minnesota disappears into his own shadow before popping up beside his lover.

“I love you too, my Hubby-Wubby-Bubba-Boo.” He swoons before attempting to feed his Vanilla Wafer an oreo. However, his precious Parmesan refuses to eat it. Instead the creampie-sandwich sits on Geno’s face, over his air-tight sealed lips. Michegan really wants to devour those lips.

He refrains from doing so, instead stacking a few more oreos on his Sugar-Snot’s mouth before sharing a look of longing with him. Mariana-Trench looks at Sriracha-Sprinkler with a look of utter desire and lust while Geno himself glares with a look of unfiltered hatred. Truly, a match for the ages.

A wild Sun Wukong appears!

“Hey it’s me, Wukong!” He declares, not even taking steps into the kitchen. He just sort of slides into frame, I’m losing my sanity and this is becoming low budget.

Geno isn’t losing his sanity, he’s just tired of everyone’s shit. “SHUT THE FUCK UP, WUKONG!”

Both Wukong and Mac Miller gasp, a single diamond of a tear falling gracefully from the Great Sage’s face. “How could you?! I love you, Geno-Senpai!” He declares, dramatically placing a heartbroken hand over his chest while giving his lover the most chihuahua of puppy-dog eyes.

“If you love me, you’d get me back my goddamn oreos.” Geno scoffs, and the Monkey King looks between his lover, his other lover, and the oreos in his other lover’s gloves (Glove-rs? Donald Glover? Is this America?)

Due to the lack of budget, Wukong slides towards BigMac– the name he uses in bed– and robotically takes an oreo like the npc he is. He then places the oreo on top of the stack that is already on Geno’s face.

Trapped beneath the rubble of the wall, he can only glare at his husbands while plotting their murder (second murder, in Macaque’s case) “Jesus fucking Christ.”

In steps Jesus Christ, not sliding because the Son of the Holy Father is not constrained to simple things like budget. “You called?”

[lily-blue]

13 reasons why | reason no.12: they care about their customers' health

☆ characters: barista!seokmin & uni student!you (Dahee - ‘99 liner) ☆ genre: coffee shop au, slice of (uni) life ☆ summary: after a failed mock-test makes you realise that you aren’t ready for your midterms, you do everything you can to cram the curriculum before your exams; even if it means consuming too much sugar and caffeine that Seokmin simply can’t turn a blind eye to ☆ words: 8,7k ☆ taglist: @dat-town​​

➼ chapter index

You were the first person in your family who had gotten into university or decided to pursue any kind of higher education, really, once they received their high school diploma. Hence, the pressure to perform exceptionally had been huge from the moment you had submitted your application. Not because your mom and dad were the typical Asian parents who tried to live their life through their children, demanding success where they had failed, but because most - if not all - of your extended family members thought that the money your parents spent on your education was a waste. And they never failed to bring the issue up during birthday celebrations and other family gatherings that for some reason none of you were allowed to skip. Feeling too young and powerless each and every time, your good grades were your only weapons with which you could shut them up.

However, recently, you had gotten pretty immersed in your new hobby, which obviously had a negative effect on your studies. It had started out innocently: about a year ago, this lovely coffee shop you and a few of your university friends frequented had thrown a free open mic night and you had performed an original song. Obviously, the lyrics had been heartfelt albeit amateur, the beats hadn’t always blended together nicely and your singing voice had never been trained, but you had enjoyed every second of the show and the audience’s supportive reaction. The staff had also been super nice, hence you hadn’t hesitated to sign up for the next occasion. And the occasion right after. If you had wanted to be honest, there couldn’t have been more than two events throughout the year that you hadn’t attended. You loved writing and singing your own songs too much.

Your improvement was undeniable, but it had taken a lot of effort and time, which you didn’t always have. Or more like… You shouldn’t have had if you had still taken your studies as seriously as you had done at the beginning.

In your defence, you hadn’t noticed how far behind you had fallen in your theory class until your professor had given you all a mock test two weeks before midterms and you had gotten back your results five days before your actual exam. You had scored twelve points out of fifty. Yet, even with the proof on your desk that served both as a reminder and a motivator, even a day later when your initial shock should have died down, you still couldn’t believe how miserably you had failed.

You let out a groan as you flipped another page of your notebook, trying to find those notes that could have helped you understand the slides on your laptop to no avail.

Why had you thought it had been a good idea to draw musical notes and treble clefs in your Theories of Applied Chemistry notebook? At least, the half-finished lyrics made some sense; you could never know when inspiration hit.

Trying not to mull over the horrible life choices you had made in the past few months four days before your midterm exams, you turned another page and sighed. You reached out to your cup with your eyes on your messy handwriting and took the paper straw between your lips, resisting the urge to chew on the soft material between two sips. This action wasn’t as de-stressing anymore since plastic straws had become a public enemy. You would have rather not had the paper melt in your mouth quicker from your saliva.

The unmistakable sound of the end of your straw meeting an empty cup genuinely surprised you even though, in the back of your head, you knew you had been in the coffee shop the whole day and it must have been over an hour since your last order. Cramming and not falling asleep from how boring these theories were didn’t fit into the same sentence without caffeine.

It would have been easier to raise your voice and ask for a refill like you had done numerous times already that day, but your body could have used some exercise, so you decided to stand up and walk towards the end of the line in front of the counter. This way, you could also take a look at their pastries and sandwiches, soothing your hunger past your usual lunch time. You had been so focused on your useless notes, you hadn’t even noticed you had unintentionally skipped your favourite meal of the day.

The line in Coffee Carat was a bit longer than usual as it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon when many locals spent their time in cute coffee shops whether with friends, potential lovers or partners. For a brief second, you let yourself wonder when you would have the time to go on lovely coffee dates with a guy who awoke butterflies in your tummy, but you pushed it aside way before it was your turn to order. You didn’t have time for relationships. Your hobby had already taken up a lot of your non-existent free time and look where that had gotten you.

‘Excuse me, miss. What can I get for you?’ The barista behind the counter cleared his throat, making you realise that it might not have been the first time he tried to get your attention. Still, the smile on his face looked genuine, hence you pushed your slowly growing anxiety down and offered him an equally honest albeit tight-lipped grin. It was the best you could do under pressure.

(One of the customers behind your back made sure that you knew that unlike the barista, he wasn’t paid to be patient. Jerk.)

‘I’d like to have a Vanilla Sweet Cream cold brew and two pieces of ChocoLate,’ you pointed at the chocolatey cupcakes behind the glass display, smiling as you skimmed through all the creative names they had for their sweets. It was just another thing you liked in this particular coffee shop.

One could have said that staying at the same place that had caused your demise was stupid, but you really liked the atmosphere of Coffee Carat, and the small stage in the corner actually kept you motivated: looking at the equipment, you knew exactly what you might have needed to give up on if you hadn’t put yourself together. You would have rather never sung again then let your family members roast your dear parents for paying for your university just so you could fail your classes.

You really hoped things wouldn’t have gone that far, though.

‘If you do not mind my suggestion, let me recommend you one of our decaffeinated drinks instead or something with less sugar and caffeine. I could not help but notice that this is your sixth cup today and while it is none of my business, consuming so much…’

Although the barista’s voice was gentle and he used formal language, his lengthy analysis on your coffee consumption made you feel as though you were at one of your obligatory family gatherings, hence you zoned out for a second.

‘...they are both very delicious. What do you think?’ His question reached you in an unstable state of mind, your head full of memories of your aunt Yeojin comparing your future career options with your Chemical engineering degree to those who worked at Olive Young. Like you would only be able to sell perfumes and scented body lotions with the knowledge you were trying to acquire while you were a university student.

‘I think your boss wouldn’t be too happy to hear about you refusing to give your customer what she ordered and getting all personal with her,’ you spat, a tad dramatic even to your own ears, but it was already too late. The words were out of your mouth and they weren’t kind. No, they were nasty like you were one of those entitled Karens you liked to laugh at when you were watching Youtube videos.

‘Actually, I am pretty confident that Seungcheol hyung would also refuse to give you your sixth cup of cold brew in less than six hours,’ the barista insisted, and you pressed your lips together to avoid saying something you most probably would have regretted the next second. Especially because you liked chilling and studying at Coffee Carat and you loved performing your songs on their open mic nights. If this Seokmin guy had been on a “hyung-dongsaeng” basis with his boss, you should have tried to refrain from getting on his nerves.

So you cleared your throat and softened your voice, determined to save what could still have been saved after your bitchy comment.

‘Look, I appreciate your concern and your boss’ concern, too, it’s touching, seriously. But next week is midterms week and I really need to shove months of skipped lessons into my brain this weekend if I want to be able to study for my other tests as well,’ you pleaded, and it should have been ridiculous, how you needed to beg for that vanilla-flavoured cold brew you had just ordered when it was one of the more pricey items on their menu. Shouldn’t they have been happy that you were willing to pay for it six times on the same day? (Another life choice you were most likely going to regret in the near future.)

‘Well, I’m also a uni—,’

‘Dude, can you just shut up and do your job? Give her her freaking coffee and let us move on with our lives. I don’t have all day,’ the same jerk from before spoke up, leaning closer to the counter and simultaneously invading your personal space by putting one of his palms on the wooden surface.

You were about to remind this impatient dude of public manners when the look on Seokmin’s face filled your throat with guilt, rendering you speechless. He looked so defeated, you had this inner urge to apologise for this whole scene your actions had created and ask if he had been still okay with preparing you one of the low-caffeinated drinks on their menu, but it was too late. He sucked it up and nodded with an obviously forced smile. Then, he turned his back to you and started to make your cold brew.

The entire time you were staring at the barista’s back, there was this teeny-tiny voice inside of your head, nagging you to apologise, but a part of you also felt that saying sorry might have made things more awkward and you hated the thought of making the situation worse. Therefore, you shut up and swallowed your own discomfort in order to help everyone forget this unnecessary ordeal easier.

‘Thank you,’ you mumbled under your nose when you eventually put your hands on the tray that had your coffee and chocolate cupcakes, then slid the small amount of change you had gotten back into the tip jar they had next to the cash register. You usually didn’t entertain the tipping culture even at diners where the food was otherworldly because it wasn’t part of your culture, but this money went for the events they organised in the coffee shop - including the yearly charity gift exchange in December -, so it did make you feel a tad better.

Though, you were relatively under the weather during the rest of your stay at the homey café. You kept stealing guilty glances at the busy barista and at one point you became so distracted by the self-blaming thoughts in your head that you ended up going home hours before closing time, which had been your initial plan for the day.

You would have liked to say that your shame kept you away from Coffee Carat until the next open mic night, but the atmosphere at the coffee shop was perfect for studying and a lot more motivating than your dorm room or the school library could have ever been. Therefore, after a more or less relaxing good night sleep, you gave yourself a peptalk in your tiny bathroom and left the building before your roommate woke up.

You took a seat in one of the corners half an hour after opening and started your day with a big cup of Coconut cold brew and a chicken-mayo-tuna sandwich that was closely the best sandwich you had ever tasted in your entire life. You had three whole PPTs to relearn that day and while the amount didn’t sound too draining at first hearing, each one had at least thirty slides, so you knew there was another long day ahead of you.

Taking a sip from your drink, you let out a content hum and opened the first document. It was useless stressing over inevitable inconveniences, so you decided to get down to work. The less you pondered over the seemingly impossible task ahead of you, the easier it became to concentrate on your studies. If you had learned anything since you had started university, it would have been how taking one step at a time worked best for you. You got overwhelmed so easily whenever your focus was on how much more you needed to do instead of just working through your endless to-dos slowly yet steadily.

Three hours and close to forty slides later, you decided to take your first study break and ordered yourself a slice of well-deserved mango cheesecake along with your third cup of caffeine-infused refreshment. Since you hadn’t seen the barista from the day before when you had arrived early in the morning you didn’t think too much into how unhealthy your order was until someone put them on your table and you took a quick sip from your drink. It was subtle, but it tasted sweeter; upon close inspection, it also looked a shade darker than it had done the first two times.

The furrow between your brows deepened as you took another tentative sip. It took you a few seconds to realise what the problem was. Though, the realisation did hit you the moment your eyes met the barista who had served you.

‘Look, if I fall asleep over my laptop and fail my exam, not only me, but both of my parents will be dragged through the mud at every family gathering for at least a decade, so please, for the love of God, bring me the cold brew that I ordered,’ you begged, a little dramatic and a year ago, when your grades had been a lot better, you might have called the barista out on caring about your health a bit too much (or maybe on taking an interest in you), but right now you weren’t so entertained by his behaviour. Sure, too much caffeine was bad for you, it wasn’t like you hadn’t known it before he had mentioned it the day before, but it was only for one week. You only had to pull through this one week and then… Then, you could have come up with a better study method than cramming at the last minute and drowning yourself in a dangerous amount of cold brew.

Agrr. Why was this guy so difficult? It was only your third cup that day, and you hadn’t had that much of a hard time falling asleep last night. These should have meant something!

‘I obviously don’t know too much about your situation…’ Seokmin started, tentative with the way he chose each and every word as though he could sense that it was a very sensitive topic for you and you weren’t just throwing around big words to justify your obsession with these drinks. You gulped and didn’t cut him off, which he clearly took as encouragement, because his smile turned from solemn to caring. ‘But I’m also a university student. I’m currently doing my masters, so I know how these weeks can be. Especially when you care about your performance.’

Stealing a glance at the black screen of your laptop, suddenly you felt like your break was taking too long even though you knew it wasn’t true. You had been working hard in the past three hours and you couldn’t have pushed aside your studies a mere ten minutes ago. Still, the reminder of how much more you needed to force into your schedule today if you wanted to score high on your tests made you more anxious than anything. You had no idea where this conversation was going, but you didn’t like it one bit.

You wanted to tell him to get to the point and leave you alone. You also wanted to get a new drink, but you demanded neither. Mostly, because you felt like the latter was a waste of your breath and the former would have sounded like something your aunt Yeojin would have said and that thought alone unnerved you a lot. You just wanted to be left alone.

You put your empty hand on your keyboard and pushed a random button. The screen with the second PPT on came back to life immediately.

‘What I’m trying to say is… there are better and more effective ways to study last minute,’ the barista said and you sighed, disappointed with the way your coffee’s sweet taste lingered in your mouth. You liked sweets. You believed that consuming sugar kept you energised, but it was still off-putting. Most probably because it wasn’t what you had wanted to reward yourself with and only a few were cool enough to like these kinds of unexpected surprises. You definitely weren’t one of those go-with-the-flow girlies. Especially when you considered how much money you had left at Coffee Carat in the last twenty-four hours.

‘This is what’s working for me,’ you retorted half-heartedly, with one eye already on the next slide about LCP theory. ‘I don’t have time for experiments.’

You were harsh, you didn’t need to be a genius to be self-aware, but every word that had left your mouth was true. The last weekend before midterms wasn’t the most ideal time to find those study methods that worked best for you. You had to push through these upcoming days with what was familiar and most importantly, with what was working for you.

‘I could help with that. Not to brag, but I’m pretty awesome at time management, too,’ Seokmin said with his full chest, which kind of made it sound like bragging, but you didn’t call him out on that. Instead, you cut off a bite from your mango cheesecake with your fork and lifted it in front of your slightly parted lips.

You slid your gaze from your laptop to the barista as you pulled the dessert off the cutlery.

‘I have seven exams next week. It’s too late to chance tactics,’ you claimed, overly sure in yourself. What he was offering you might have helped in the long run, taking he was telling the truth and wasn’t exaggerating, but you had too much on your plate at that moment to even play with the thought of considering it. ‘Knowing myself, I’ll order some more in an hour or so. Please, make sure to prepare my drink correctly.’

Inwardly, you were proud of how calm your request sounded despite the unwanted attention this barista was constantly giving you that weekend. He was nice, you had to give that to him. Your mother would have definitely liked him for looking out for you even after you had refused to listen to him (and not just because she preferred green tea over coffee every hour of the day), but at that moment, a knight in shining armour was the last thing you needed. It didn’t matter that he was handsome.

Where that last thought came from, you had no idea, but you quickly shook it off. Whether he was easy on the eye with his sharp nose, puppy eyes and that lovely mole on his cheek didn’t matter. Your studies did.

Hearing the barista’s defeated sigh, you fought the urge to praise him for finally getting the memo. You would have liked to think that you were a nice person and it was only your nerves being on the edge that turned you into such a menace. You would have also liked to think that Seokmin was partly at fault. He was too nosey for his own good.

Whether he was so pushy with other customers, too, you didn’t dwell on it. These details had no significance to you, because they could have only led you to massive overthinking and the capacity of your brain was already close to its limit. Ligand close packing theory; you had to focus on ligand close packing theory.

An hour and a half later you were still very much awake when you got the low-caffeinated version of your beloved coffee and a sugar-free croissant on the side; however, close to eight in the evening, when your eyes became way too heavy to keep them open without some extra help, you welcomed the espresso on the house with a satisfied smile on your face. As you were taking one small sip after the other while hovering over your notes, you noticed that cutting back on your daily coffee intake helped with its effectiveness a tiny bit. Not that you would have ever said that out aloud.

You refused to say that out aloud.

You had one written exam on Monday because you had taken Western European business and management as one of your electives that semester,  and you were happy to start with such an easy, computer-based exam as the instant results - you scored 95 points out of 100 - gave a huge boost to your confidence. You felt almost invincible as you waltzed into Coffee Carat around two with your laptop and your notes for tomorrow’s oral exams.

‘I’d like to have a decaf vanilla latte and three of those Unstoppaballs,’ you said as soon as it was your turn in front of the counter, your mouth watering at the sight of the white chocolate and orange flavoured balls.

‘No cold brew this time?’ Seokmin’s sassy question was more shocked than teasing, and you just shrugged with a hidden smile in the corner of your mouth. You still didn’t feel like you could admit that sometimes less was more, but your order could have been taken as a white flag, so did you really need to spell your surrender out to him to understand? Nah, he wasn’t stupid. Pushy? Hell the freaking yes. But not stupid.

Based on what you had seen of him since you had become a regular at Coffee Carat, he could pick up on social cues just fine as well. 

‘I’m feeling energised today,’ you decided to entertain him a little while you were looking for your wallet in your backpack and received your order with the same, subtle smile on your face before you took a seat at one of the empty tables in the back where you could study in relative peace. Sure, you couldn’t have made people stop talking around you like in the uni library just because you were sitting in the corner, but you preferred the light background noise to the silence anyway. It helped you concentrate; whereas, your thoughts were usually all over the place when you had nothing to shut out.

Doing a silly little dance on your chair as you were waiting for your laptop to turn on, you allowed yourself one sneaky glance from above your shoulder at the barista, who was busy preparing the next customer’s drink, then fished your notebooks out of your backpack and got down to work. If you could successfully answer all three questions at the end of each one of your slides by eight, you would have two extra hours to prepare for your Theory of Applied Chemistry test on Wednesday. Not an easily achievable goal per se, but you wouldn’t have called it impossible, either.

Dead set on your goal for that afternoon, you had already worked through two third of your notes when your stomach gently reminded you that you needed more fuel to keep up the good work. However, before you could have finished up the quiz you were using to test how much of the lesson you remembered, someone placed a Chocolate latte and a banana cupcake between your laptop and your abandoned tray.

‘I didn’t order these,’ the words were out of your mouth before your brain could have made the assumption that both the drink and the snack were on the house, because things like that never happened to you. Sure, you were pleasant to look at in a gentle, less outstanding way if your parents and friends’ opinion was anything to go by, but in today’s society it was rare to approach someone just because. Meeting strangers was easier online, and most people still met their future significant other through friends. 

You shook your head when you realised you were overthinking it. A future significant other? What were you thinking?

‘I know,’ Seokmin gave you a sunny smile, his cheeks a tad rose-tinted close to his ears. ‘I was just thinking… So, you are doing so good so far without deliberately poisoning yourself. What else could deserve a reward if not that,’ the barista semi-asked, semi-exclaimed with a soft giggle, making you feel less offended than you had been when the word “poison” had fallen from his lips. Tsk, as if a week’s worth of excessive amounts of coffee had ever killed anyone. He was such a drama queen material, it was laughable.

‘Thanks?’ You tried to show your gratitude without making it sound like you were suspecting him of doing something inappropriate, like spitting into your chocolate latte because you had been talking to him from such a high horse the last two times you had crossed paths. ‘Isn’t it too much sugar, though?’ You raised a brow while you reached out for the drink.

You put the straw between your lips and took a huge gulp from the latte. It tasted delicious, a lot less sweet and a little colder than you had initially thought. Neither of these two was a real complaint, though.

You didn’t expect the genuine laugh that Seokmin gave you when your unintentionally sassy question registered in his brain. And you anticipated it less when your lips curved upwards due to how dorky he looked with his crescent moon eyes, all thirty-two of his teeth more or less on display.

‘I made sure to get you one of our new, sugar-free cupcakes. And the sweetest thing in your latte is the chocolate itself. A mix of cocoa powder and melted chocolate actually,’ he said, his smile not wavering as he added: ‘I do like to think that I’m a man of my word, so no, it’s not too much sugar. I wouldn’t do that after all that scolding,’ he reassured you as he lifted his hand to his neck and scratched the sensitive skin under his ear a couple of times.

‘It does sound less hypocritical now that I heard your explanation,’ you agreed with a soft hum, offering him a bite from your cupcake that he declined with a light shake of his head.

You were contemplating whether you should have A) asked him what you could have helped him with as he was clearly stalling by your table, B) said thank you for the freebies once again before the silence could have stretched too long or C) reminded him that your midterms took an entire week, hence you still had a lot of studying to do that afternoon.

In the end, due to your indecisiveness, it was Seokmin who broke the silence first.

‘I actually have something for you. Let me grab it real quick, it’s in the changing room,’ he said, and before you could have objected or even acknowledged his words, he was on his way to the staff only area.

Since you had read many YA books when you had been in elementary and high school, you had a couple of ideas of what could have been going on, but all of your groundless fantasies failed you when the barista rushed back to you and your gaze finally fell upon an ordinary albeit new-looking notebook. Confused, you looked up at Seokmin with deep furrows on your forehead and between your eyebrows.

‘What’s this?’

‘Study materials,’ he stated, like it should have been obvious. You reached out for the blue notebook with half-curiosity, half-scepticism and skimmed through the first couple of pages. There weren’t many texts in it, but the pages that were filled were filled with an unexpectedly beautiful handwriting. ‘You said you don’t have time for experiments, so I made sure to pick the most effective study methods for your exams.’

‘You made this for me?’ You asked, and in any other situation, you might have felt stupid for asking about something so obvious, but at that moment you were incapable of forming any other sentence. He had mentioned it earlier that he was also a university student, which meant that his midterms were either around the corner or at the same time as yours. He was also working at Coffee Carat in his free periods, which left him with less free time than most students in your program had.

Yet, he had put great effort into searching for healthier studying methods for you: an almost complete stranger with non-existent coffee addiction. His thoughtfulness, albeit unnecessary, pulled on your heartstrings.

‘Yeah. I think you should start with the Feynman Technique even if you don’t have anyone to talk to, because that works for the majority of people and we wouldn’t want you to lose time on techniques that might not work for you during your exam week, but I made lists of pros and cons at the end of each technique with a short summary, so you can choose whichever you like, obviously,’ he rambled as he stepped beside you and leaned a tad more into your personal space, so he could flip the pages of the notebook in your hands, showing you what he was talking about.

You especially liked the little drawings around the pros and cons lists. 

‘I…’ you cleared your throat, looking for the right words. ‘I don’t know what to say.’

Seokmin offered you an understanding smile and upon realising how close his face was to yours, he straightened his back and took a step further from your chair. Or so you assumed because you didn’t want to think of the possibility that he might have put distance between the two due to your gaze unintentionally falling on his lips. Nah. You had not done that, you had just not.

Had you?

‘You don’t have to say anything. I just hope it’s helpful, and that I didn’t cross any boundary. Again,’ he assured you at the same moment a female barista called for his name from behind the counter.

Seokmin snapped his head in the petite girl’s direction, then looked back at you and the blue notebook in your hands. With a smile, he bowed slightly, urging you with his eyes to go back to your latte and studies.

‘Hwaiting!’ 

The cute, balled up fists the barista gave you left you speechless.

And as determined as you were to not waste any time that afternoon, so that you could have some extra hours to prepare for your Theories of Applied Chemistry exam, as badly you had lost track of time after your conversation with Seokmin. You were aware that it hadn’t been his intention to burst your serene bubble, but you couldn’t help yourself. You just had to see every page, study every study method he had picked for you before you would have gone back to your notes.

This was how you had royally messed up your study schedule once again. Just when you had gotten on the right track after long weeks of procrastination. A shame, really. You were kind of disappointed in yourself when around closing time, you eventually left the coffee shop.

So to say, you were surprised when you got back your test results and you managed to score at least a B on each one of your exams would have been an understatement. You were beyond speechless and absolutely thrilled at the same time. It was almost overwhelming.

It was also most definitely the result of both your hard work and Seokmin’s help with finding the right studying technique, because those endless slides you needed to work your way through had become much easier and faster to memorise after you had started to explain the topics to your rabbit plushie in the simplest way possible. You had also adjusted the famous Pomodoro Technique to your own aims and needs and had taken a ten-minute-break after every fifty minutes of cramming/studying. It had been intense, but it had been worth the back pain and the temporary sleep deprivation.

Since most of your professors had opted for paper-based written exams, it had taken a whole week to get your grades, but that meant that the day you heard back from your results, you were more or less back to normal: you drank only one cup of coffee every morning and ate less sugary goods despite how much you loved their taste. You also tried to sleep at least seven hours each night after you had spent the previous weekend in bed (safe for those inevitable occasions when you had needed to eat, drink and use the bathroom). Long story short, you had enough energy to take a small detour on your way home, visiting Coffee Carat with one purpose in mind.

You wanted to thank Seokmin and maybe brag a little about your academic achievements.

Practically vibrating once you realised that the barista was indeed working, you waited for your turn in front of the counter impatiently yet respectfully. You had already shown this guy your shameful Karen side; you didn’t want to remind him of how you could be on your worse days. Especially not on a fantastic day when nothing should have been able to ruin your mood, not even the long line at your favourite coffee shop.

‘Hi,’ you greeted the barista immediately, your happy smile wider than he might have ever seen, which should have been a warning sign to tone it down a little; however, you were too thrilled to act like a normal human being with a healthy amount of inhibition.

Luckily, instead of looking at you weirdly, Seokmin decided to match your vibe. 

‘Hi there. Are we having a good day today?’ He inquired despite the smaller crowd behind your back. ‘What can I get for you?’

‘An ice chocolate, please, and a mango-peanut butter sandwich,’ you ordered and waited until he reached for the metal tong to grab your sandwich before you casually added: ‘By the way, I passed each one of my exams with flying colours. Your notes helped a lot. Thank you.’

And just like that, the easy part was out in the open. However, it was only a tiny part of the real reason you had come to the shop on a day when you had no classes to study for, no open mic night to sing at and no friend to hang out with. Obviously, your gratitude was bigger than a few nice words.

‘I’m happy to hear that. I could tell you were working really hard,’ he praised you, making you feel not only better in your skin, but more confident as well. Therefore, even though you had had the perfect plan (giving him your number by writing it on the napkin you would get), you simply blurted it out:

‘Do you want to grab some food together after your shift ends?’

You didn’t take it into consideration how flirty it might have sounded until the word actually fell from your lips and one of the customers gasped behind your back. That, completed with the shocked look on Seokmin’s face, gave you a reality check.

You cleared your throat and made a poor attempt at concealing your embarrassment with a forced chuckle.

‘I mean, to celebrate. The food is obviously on me, but I don’t expect anything in return. It’s just a friendly hangout, two university students bonding over their exams and such… Yeah, no biggie. Just some street food if you like street food…’ your ramble went on and on, losing its sense because come on! Which Korean didn’t like street food? You were so ridiculous.

‘I like street food,’ Seokmin cut you off with the most adorable, amused smile while he put your sandwich on a tray and started to work on your drink.

You pressed your lips together, cheeks heating up in embarrassment and gratitude. So he was down for it, that was good. That was awesome.

‘And I finish at six, which means…’ He looked at the clock on the wall, moving his lips a bit, indicating that he was counting under his nose. ‘In one hour and thirteen minutes. Is that okay with you?’

The best thing in post-midterms week was that most of your professors turned their classes into a huge discussion about your typical errors, therefore you didn’t have any or had very little homework. Thus, you had, for once, all the time in the world.

‘Sure. I’ll be sitting there, catching up on some Thai series,’ you informed him, and quickly paid for your order before you took the tray and walked up to your usual spot, in the corner of the customer area.

Your little celebration with Seokmin had been more than nice. You enjoyed talking with him a lot more than you had anticipated actually, because initially you had thought you wouldn’t have had many topics to talk about besides school and coffee. 

How wrong you had been!

The guy was wonderful. He had matched your excited energy about the smallest wonders in life such as bumping into a random kpop concert in the street, sung his heart out with you when the trainee-looking teens covered songs you both liked, hadn’t made any comment when your eyes had craved the food more than your tummy and even eaten your leftovers like MVPs did instead of telling you to stop buying new stuff when you still had food in your hands. Your wallet might not have been particularly happy about this habit of yours, but your heart had fluttered throughout that night. Seokmin was amazing.

An amazing friend, and someone you could have pictured falling in love with with time.

And that was the main reason why you encouraged the slowly building bond between the two of you instead of taking a step back. You texted him at the most random times of the day about the most random things you saw, you listened to him when he needed an outsider’s opinion instead of someone’s from their enormous friend group and slowly became an active part of his everyday life. 

That was why it didn’t surprise you when during the next open mic night at the coffee shop, he walked up to you before your performance to wish you good luck and took it upon himself to give you the first compliments as soon as you walked back to your table, enjoying the rest of the show.

‘The bridge came out very nicely, I wouldn’t have guessed you were still struggling with it on Monday if you hadn’t told me,’ he offered you his most brilliant smile, taking a seat by your table and sliding a slice of cinnamon cheesecake towards you right after.

You cut a biteful off it with your fork and lifted the first bite in front of his mouth. Smiling, he leaned in to take it, but instead of wrapping his lips around the sweets, he took your wrist in his hand and redirected the cutlery, so it would be facing you. After a snort, you dived in for the dessert with an amused eye roll and completely destroyed it.

‘Thanks,’ you mumbled with your mouth full of cake. ‘For both,’ you added as you wiped your lips clean with the back of your hand and stubbornly offered the second bite to the boy. As much as he liked to point out that he could eat and drink at his workplace for free, you also liked to emphasise the fact that it could only be free to you too if he had taken at least one bite or sip. It put your mind at ease.

Getting a shy smile instead of a response, you finished the slice in relative silence, because neither of you wanted to disrespect the artist on stage with a full on conversation, then you let Seokmin go as he had to finish his shift and help the others with packing up the equipment before he clocked out for real. Usually, his shift ended around six when he was taking the afternoon shift - sometimes sooner when he couldn’t work full-time due to his classes -, but one of his coworkers, Minghao, had gotten sick this morning, hence he had promised to stay an extra hour and help with the event. His reasoning? He would have checked your new song out anyway.

‘Wanna grab dinner with me tonight?’ You asked him when he jogged back to your table half an hour later in his street clothes, the light shade of pink on his cheeks deepening more because of his hard work than because of your question. After all, it had been two weeks since your first dinner together, so he had had plenty of time to get used to your more relaxed behaviour.

You were a whole other person when you weren’t constantly on edge because of your poor grades and the mental image of the disappointed look on your parents’ face didn’t haunt you. You were a friendly person. Not as extroverted as Seokmin and nowhere near as funny as his friend, Kwon Soonyoung, but nevertheless a pleasant company.

‘Sure. It’s on me tonight. I want you to try my favourite dumpling shop,’ he agreed easily, waiting for you to pack your stuff comfortably before he took your tote bag from you.

Your heart fluttered when the boy even held the door for you on your way out despite his noisy friends’ hollering.

If you had been a regular at Coffee Carat before, you basically moved into the building once your friendship with Seokmin turned into a crush. Not necessarily because the barista felt the same way about you, but because as soon as you had acknowledged your feelings, texting with him daily hadn’t been enough. You needed to see his face, the way his eyes lit up at the smallest wonders of the world - such as the little girl with the adorable pigtails who dared to pick a fight with Seokmin’s lawyer friend because of a joke he made about Joshua, or the first piece of perfectly baked chocolate brownie -, the way he smiled at every customer even when they were rude and entitled and of course, the way he looked at you when you chose a less extreme drink for your second coffee of the day than your go-to cold brew.

You had fallen too deep.

And yet, you made absolutely no attempt at getting out of the hole or pulling the guy down as well, at the bottom of the pit. Instead, you busied yourself with your notes as you always did and chose to concentrate on your upcoming finals. There were two more weeks before the first exam; however, this time you wanted to be more organised and prepared. 

‘Hey there, how is it going?’ Seokmin’s question reached you before his steps came to a halt at your table; the ease he pulled the chair next to you out for himself doing funny things to your heart.

After a quick glance at the clock on your toolbar, you realised that it was already time for his lunch break, which meant you had been at the shop for almost four hours. You shouldn’t have taken as many breaks as you had allowed yourself that morning. You still had so much to go over according to your new study schedule, argh.

‘I think I overestimated myself,’ you confessed with an inaudible sigh, pushing your plate with your leftover cupcakes on it towards the barista despite the food container in his hands. You had bought more than you could eat with him in mind, as the blueberry cupcakes always sold out within an hour, and you knew he loved them a lot.

‘How so?’ He inquired while he reached out for a cupcake, shoving it into his mouth with a content hum before he even opened his home-packed lunch. In the back of your head you wondered whether he could cook or it was someone else who had made it for him, but you quickly pushed that thought aside. It didn’t matter. You knew for a fact that he was single, so whether it was one of his friends or someone who might have had a soft spot for him just like you did shouldn’t have concerned you at all.

You refused to let the possibility make you bitter when he deliberately spent his lunch break with you.

‘I put too many things on my to-do list for today. I barely finished one third of it and it’s past one already,’ you decided to focus on your conversation, pouting slightly as you took a sip from your cold lemonade. It was more sour than you preferred, but you had wanted to give it a try when you had seen the recommendation on the counter.

‘You still have weeks, though, right?’ He inquired, his worry only evident in his voice due to how familiar you had grown with his habits in the past few weeks. If it hadn’t been for that time when you had accidentally knocked the porcelain plate off your table and reached out for the broken pieces on instinct, you wouldn’t have been able to tell just how serious Seokmin’s question was.

He was anxious on your behalf, worried that you might not have had enough time to revise without pulling those awful all-nighters most university students did. That you might have had to break your promise and go back to your old habits to make more free time where there wasn’t any.

‘Two. I know I can make it, it’s just… I’m a little distracted today. I overestimated myself, that’s it,’ you were quick to reassure him, refusing to turn back to your laptop like you had done so the first couple of times the barista had invaded your personal space during your studying sessions. Back then, you had thought he was annoying, but nowadays labelling his persistence cute sounded more fitting.

He made your heart flutter.

‘Does that mean you might have the time to go on a week-long vacation with my friends and me after exam week? No retakes?’ He diverted the topic smoothly, making you let out a scoff somewhere between an actual scoff and a chuckle.

‘Hopefully. But aren’t all of your friends in a relationship? Why would you want us to be the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth wheel in the group?’ You teased, even though you had never spent enough time with his friends and their significant others to know how they acted around other people. Were they into PDA? Were they comfortable with intimacy only in private? As far as you could tell, Soonyoung was the only one who couldn’t keep his hands to himself when his girlfriend was around, and Eunseo rarely left her own shop during open hours.

‘If you ask me, Joshua and his new girl might not even last until our finals week. Anyhow, everyone having a partner is exactly why I want you to come with us,’ he explained between two bites, finally opening the baby blue food container and diving into the homemade kimbap rolls. They looked appetising.

‘Oh? So I’d be your partner?’ You teased him further, genuinely enjoying the fact that you could get more information about how he felt about you without acting suspicious. It worked out perfectly for you, hence you would have been stupid to let an opportunity this amazing go just because you were lowkey afraid of him getting the wrong (correct) idea and head on rejecting you. ‘Shouldn’t you have asked me out on a date first?’

If you wanted to be honest, you were unsure where your overflowing confidence was coming from, but it wasn’t like you were a coward in the first place. It was just new that you showed any interest in someone, and based on how movies and dramas portrayed young love, you kind of expected to be more insecure about the truth. Still, here you were, raising your brow at Seokmin in challenge as though it wouldn’t have hurt if he had laughed in your face.

The choking sound that escaped the boy’s mouth pushed your heart into a slight palpitation, but he put himself together before you could have reached out to him and patted his back a couple of times to help him spit out the food that stuck in his throat. 

‘I mean…’ he started once he gulped down a huge amount of water from a water bottle you hadn’t even noticed before, too distracted by his home packed lunch. 

Seokmin’s beautiful eyes were red and shone with unshed tears as he looked at your face, the subtle smile on his lips almost bashful even without him lifting his hand to his nape to scratch it out of embarrassment.

‘I was planning to ask you out after your finals, so I wouldn’t distract you unintentionally, but for some reason Hoshi hyung is in charge of the reservations and he wants to know whether you come or not,’ he explained under one breath, pointing towards the edge of the counter that was closer to the staff only area.

Despite your unhealthily high heart rate, you turned your head towards the direction the boy was showing you and there he was… Kwon Soonyoung in all his glory, staring at the two of you with his phone in his hand like he was about to record your interaction in any minute. You furrowed your eyebrows when your eyes met and he wiggled his eyebrows. Weird.

‘He said he would ask you himself if I didn’t man up and I just… You might not believe it, but he would totally do something like that, and I didn’t want you to hear it from him that I have had this embarrassing crush on you since our first open mic night and…’

You were speechless; meanwhile, Seokmin kept rambling, repeating bits and bobs of his cute and most probably accidental confession here and there. He told you how touching he had found your first song, how he had doubted for a very long time that someone like you could still be single, and how the closer he had gotten to you, the more afraid he had been to lose your friendship.

You were speechless, and he wasn’t.

Unsure where it would have been appropriate to cut him off, you decided to take control over the situation quite literally and took Seokmin’s hand in yours. Then, the combination of the firmest gentle squeeze you could manage and your sweet, encouraging smile did the trick: the world quieted down around you with the barista’s mouth hanging open.

‘Would you like to grab some food with me after your shift? This time, as a date,’ you asked, enjoying the confidence that came with knowing exactly how Seokmin felt about you. The lack of fear of rejection was deliberating.

And so was the eager ‘Yes’ that followed your question not even a second later.

Giving another squeeze to the boy’s hand, you stole a glance at the deeply invested Soonyoung by the counter and made a mental note to thank him for his unintentional match-making before the two of you left the coffee shop that afternoon.

He deserved your gratitude, all the praises and maybe, a free brownie, too, for turning the likely impossible possible for you.

➼ next reason

[rdhadastroke]

So this straw-masked dumbass decided to do a thing and share some personal tips about writing fanfiction/writing someone else's character/writing in general!

Please keep in mind that I am a hobbyist writer, not a professional! These are just suggestions/things that help me that may or may not work for you, please feel free to correct me or add your own anecdotes :)

Tips for getting ready to write:

Make sure that you're in an environment where you can concentrate.

Whether that be in a quiet room, a chatty café, or blasting your eardrums out with music, whatever gets you in the groove is good. Not everybody can focus in the same environment, so your choice of surroundings for when you right aren't going to be the same as everyone else's. I (personally) listen to long video essays, my current favorite song on loop, or a playlist about the story/characters.

Clear a space for where you want to write.

Clear the space of excess clutter and keep only what you need. If what you need to write is a lot, that's fine! Having too much going on at once in your writing space can overwhelm and/or distract you. I know from personal experience.

Have all of your materials at hand.

Character sheets, previous stories, note paper to jot down ideas, rough environment & scene sketches... Whatever references and tools you need, keep them with you! Also, keep a glass of water or some other drink nearby. Hydrate or diedrate, my friends.

Make sure that you won't be interrupted while you're writing.

This may not be an option for those of you living with your parents or a roommate, but it's ideal for your creative flow to go undisturbed, uninterrupted, and unwatched. Is your father really watching you write your fanfic? No, probably not, considering that he's snoring. But it still feels weird to write when he's sitting in his armchair right behind you. No, I am not projecting my experience onto the reader under the cover of an absurd joke, why would you say that?

Now that setup is out of the way, let's go over some actual writing stuff:

Always, always, always block out what you want to write before you actually write it.

By "block out", I mean give a basic summary of the events you want to take place in that chapter or segment. I usually do this event-by-event because I struggle to carry on a story without an outline, but you can do it by chapter or by paragraph if you'd like. Make jokes in your mini-summaries, and phrase things in wacky ways (that convey things to you effectively)! You don't have to be too serious about it. After all, if you're in a lil silly goofy mood, you can get an epic sentence like this:

If you get stuck on a part of a story, move on and save it for later.

If you're anything like me, you understand the screaming, crying, pissing, pants-shittingly frustrating experience of not knowing how to describe something or figure out what should be said next. As angering as it is, it's okay. Just write a mini block-in for what you want to happen, want to describe, or the general tone of what you want to be said. Or use a keyword that you can Ctrl+F for to finish those pesky scenes when you're ready. If your writing software can do it (I have no clue if any one program does this, I only use Google Docs), mark the spot for review to return to it later. If you're one of those frighteningly powerful people who write stories by hand, highlight it and paste what you want to go there over it once you're ready. If you aren't familiar with this infuriating part of writing, you're a lucky bastard and I envy you immensely.

If you have writer's block, there are 8 potential strategies (that I can provide) you can use to alleviate it.

These are NOT surefire fixes for writer's block and are EXTREMELY subjective and results will vary from person to person, but they can potentially help you.

Read a book. Sometimes reading how another author writes (dialogue, scenery, figurative language, etc.) can help you get a better grasp of what you want to write, and how you want to write it. You might even get inspired to make a different story, which bleeds into the next point.

Work on/start a different story. (This isn't always the best way to get out of writer's block, so if you can't get a word down, this probably won't help.) Sometimes changing what you're working on can free up the ink clogged in your pen, for lack of a better phrase, and give you an, "aha!" moment.

Eat and drink something. Brains don't work when they don't have fuel, so feed your machine. Frequent maintenance keeps an engine running smooth, so occasionally get a snack and make sure to keep hydrated.

Take a walk and get some fresh air, and touch some grass for the love of god. Jokes aside, getting your body moving can excite your brain into working and clear some brain fog, since exercise gives your brain a dose of serotonin. As silly as it sounds, sitting in the sun and touching some grass can actually make you feel nice and rejuvenated, it helps me a lot. Even if you don't go outside, moving around is a good way to give your brain a break.

Talk to a friend and get their input. Their ideas can get you through a tough spot and inspire you to get writing again.

Look at pretty pictures and distract yourself from what you're doing. I have pictures of art pieces and doodles I like hanging in front of the desk where I write, and losing myself in pretty stuff helps me work through what I'm struggling with.

Jot down notes by hand on what you're trying to do. Planning things out on pen and paper, despite being tedious, imprints information in your mind and can be useful to your writing needs

If you're writing a fanfiction, look at the source material. Chances are, there's something there that could help you along.

If you don't have the motivation to write anything, don't.

This isn't the best advice for someone who's on a time limit, but works wonders for passion projects and fun stories. Very few do their best work when they force themselves to do it. Besides, there's no point in having a hobby if you don't get joy out of it and overly stress over it.

Writing someone else's character? No problemo, here's some fanfic help:

Always look at the source material, and don't be shy to explore new territory with the character.

It's important to stay true to the personality of a character when you're writing someone else's creation, but don't be afraid to throw in some headcanons and artistic flair. Remember, there's a difference between writing a character unrealistically (pertaining to personality, likes, interests, and universe/world/time period) and changing the circumstances of the original story. Characters are people too, and people react differently to the same thing depending on the world around them. A character may not have [x] trait if [y] event never happened, likewise [y] event never would have happened if this character didn't have [x] trait. Take into consideration the people around the character, as well, as they can also affect what the character does and how they develop. Change up small events in the original source material's story to get a different story and a different reaction out of the character. Experiment, and have fun! It's your story, write it your way!

That's all the advice I have for now, and I hope I was helpful! :)))

[delusionaid]

Headcanon: Wriothesley edition #54r - Christmas (ramble)

I have a cold and my brain is clogged so this meta has no structure or punchline, I'd apologize but I'm not even sorry. I bolded things for curious yet lazy readers like myself.

I SAW A CHRISTMAS TREE AND PRESENTS ON OFFICIAL ART therefore Christmas (or its Teyvat equivalent) exists in Fontaine (and Mondstadt) until proven otherwise so that's what I'll use in my writing because I love Christmas. Thank you for coming to my TE/D Talk.

That being said, most things that follow are NOT EXACTLY CHIPPER so if you're looking for a fun uplifting Christmas meta, please move along <;.<

The way Wriothesley perceives Christmas nowadays is strongly influenced by how he experienced it growing up. I hc that nowadays he likes it - he's not over the moon about it, but he likes the atmosphere, he likes getting gifts for the few people he considers friends, he likes the way the city is decorated and even the special holiday menu that's free for everyone at the coupon cafeteria. Sigewinne's special Christmas Shake not so much, but that's a different story..

I imagine the cafeteria to be decorated for Christmas. They have a tree (a real one, so it smells nice) with ornaments that are (by now) mostly created by inmates over the years, from all sorts of materials, such as straw stars, paper angels, tiny wooden toys and figurines, glass ornaments and lights. (I'm personally not a fan of super kitschy trees, but I leave it up to your imagination how colorful or sparkly the tree looks ;) )

There's also garlands and Christmas lights that give the whole area a warm and welcoming atmosphere that Wriothesley appreciates especially. Why?? Stay tuned!

There are no decorations inside Wriothesley's office or bedroom. He doesn't object to Sigewinne or anyone else bringing him decorations or putting them up, but he doesn't put in the effort of doing it himself. He's firmly seated in an oddly indifferent mindset after dreaming of all things Christmas during a time when he couldn't have it and then suddenly having the opportunity to get everything he wants but no longer needing its magic because of how fundamentally his life changed in general. It's bittersweet, in a way, when by the time your wishes come within reach you've forgotten how to dream. But he's not broken up about it.

Growing up the "family" Wriothesley lived with did "celebrate" Christmas but it wasn't much of a celebration at all. Their "parents" recognized the date and the traditions surrounding it being a thing, but there were no presents for the children, no special decorations aside from a wreath at their door and no special meal on Christmas Eve. No songs were sung nor did they ever go to any of the manifold events taking place in Fontaine during this time of the year. For a number of years Wriothesley didn't even know other families would celebrate a certain way, but once he heard of it and learned more about it he began to harbor a wish to experience it some day. Of course neither he or any of his siblings dared to ask it of their parents.

Things hardly improved after Wriothesley ran away and lived in the streets. He had no money and no real place to live, often went to sleep hungry and cold. There were no presents for him, no games and no Christmas meals, but he did enjoy walking through the city and looking at the way the shops and streets were decorated, figuring - in a way - these decorations were for him, too. Out of all the decorations the lights were always his favorites. They made the whole street look enchanted, like little fairies dancing around the trees and buildings, and when it snowed and everything was covered in a clean white blanket they sparkled like the ocean in the moonlight. Sometimes he would close his eyes a little bit until all he could see was a sea of blurry lights and imagine them to emit a bit of warmth for him.

On occasion he would see little groups of people sing carols in the streets and get the songs stuck in his head for days to come, never learning the words to them.

Although he likes the aspect of giving and receiving gifts and decorating to get the festive spirit, what he likes most about Christmas is the concept of getting together with loved ones and appreciating them. He was all for the opportunity for a Christmas celebration at the Meropide, figuring that no one who wanted company on that night should be alone or go hungry. At the same time, of course, nobody is forced to attend.

In some ways Christmas is a reminder of things Wriothesley doesn't have - and never will - but at the same time it is also a reminder of all the people he does have in his life, whatever their connection to him may be. As such it remains a bittersweet holidays but one he looks forward to with definite joy, regardless.

Tl;dr bla bla Christmas lights, pls make Wrio a hot chocolate.

[imliterallyjustablackgirl]

"About the Blogger" meme

Thank u sm for tag @happylikeasadsong

Star Sign(s): Virgo sun, Cancer rising and Aries Moon - * ratata, in the ghettooo*

Favorite Holidays: Christmas and New Years, I just love little lights and the snow in the trees and to be reminded that makeup is just make up by the Canadian wind, while I get bitch slapped like I owes it money, ahhh, canadian's winter. I loveeee Christmas songs, I get so excited when it'ssss timmmee ( Mariah is it you). I dream for the day were I get to put lil socks like in movies with name and everything. Might even stitch them myself uwu. We don't do it, but maybe one day, family on my own.

Last Meal: As like my last meal if I d i e or - I ate a burned sandwich, I did it to myself. Me and myself are not talking right now, the sandwich was the last straw for today. It had two large meatballs in a subway wanna be bread - could have been great- I'm getting emotional all over again.

Current Favorite Musician: Brown noise 10 hrs- no wait - Rap orchestra - that's like the current thing I'm listening to right now. Mostly Metro's concert rap Orchestra. But Tanarelle, forever my love. Sade, for sure.

Last Music Listened To: * sigh - go look at the last edit I watched** 1975- about you, the snippet of Holt singing. Last Movie Watched: Bottoms - Lmao- THEEE GAYYYZZZ

Last TV Show Watched: Craig of the Creek - Rick and Morty, Bob's burgers, I watch Bob's burgers alot.

Last Book/Fic Finished: Now why did you have to do me like dat.

Last Book/Fic Abandoned: W A W Abandoned? I Do Not Abandoned My Kids. They just live inside my head until one day a smell, a sound,or an idea reminds me that they exist, or I write them on a piece of paper and forget about it OR they live inside my notes pads. Let's not speak about myout-of-wedlockk Skyrock- Wattpat and Fanfiction.net, children, they are not mine, you cannot prove it. Where is the paternity test?

Currently Reading: Y'all posts, like it's bedtime stories. Curry's fanfictions - honestly I read most of y'all updated or not fanfiction, I was on A3O Sydcarmy tags when there was barely two pages, so ouf - thank you to y'all my loves :* truly. I would lie if I said now I have too much windows open I'm confusing the timelines and fanfic. - Seasons of Sydney by shewalksoverme I am waiting for them to update. I am not handling it well, sadly *sighs*

Last Thing Researched for Art/Writing/Hyperfixation: Canada's woods, slightly make me sounds like a serial killer but HOW would you write a werewolf Carmy,huh!? I lived there most of my life, thought it would help me get a better writing experience, yet I've been too busy to continue and now I'm alarmeling aware that we have coyotes. Great ;-;

Favorite Online Fandom Memory: I have alot but I watched the last episode of Stranger Things with my friends last year. S8 of TVD, feeling like a last survivor of some sort, trauma lol - The Howl House - the finality, it healed my inner child to see a queer neurodivergent kid being understood by her mom, kick ass and be happy lol.

Favorite Old Fandom You Wish Would Drag You Back In/Have A Resurgence: Amphibia- it's such a cute and layered cartoon. OMG - I ALMOST FORGOT - CENTAURWORLD. It deserves the praise. It deserves to be acknowledged, the bad guy changed my perception of so many things.

Favorite Thing You Enjoy That Never Had an Active or Big "Fandom" but You Wish It Did: I wish (His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass) when I tell you, that this fantasy world has haunted me, because of how good it was for little girl me, argh! I would watch it all over again, I wish it had a bigger fanbase - if you love Christmas-

Tempting Project You're Trying to Rein In/Don't Have Time For:

Listen - Projects are not the issue, it's the follow-through, I'm gonna try writing mini-stories to keep my mind engaged. I'll manipulate myself into work - Also I keep losing password to things so, yeah- My fic started: Under the moon- I will this week updated it- I want to write more one-shots, more smut for sure- I am interested in exploring differents fronts of any characters. Shit, I might even a Bob's Burgers fanfic. You can't stop me, you're not my mom- that I know of :O I would like @currymanganese to do it @angelica4equity You don't have to, but like... an ant somewhere might die cauz of it so, idk- do u wanna be an ant murdereww? Yeah, that's what i thought

[scottelkartwork]

ARTWORK

Anselm Kiefer

Sulamith, 1983

Margarethe, 1981

Wölundlied (Wayland's Song), 1982

Melancholia, 1990-91

Daath, 1990

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

This cavernous interior is modeled on the fascist Hall of Soldiers, with its series of dark arches receding toward a flickering flame. Originally a symbol of remembrance for fallen defenders of National Socialism, the fire here suggests destruction and honors the persecuted. To further underscore the competing perspectives of perpetrator and victim, Kiefer inscribed this canvas with the name "Sulamith," a reference to the ashen-haired Jewish woman in Paul Celan's poem

"Death Fugue" (1948). He also created a painting (on view at left) named for her Aryan counterpart, Margarethe, who is described in the same verse.

Tendrils of golden straw alight with painted flames dance across the gray canvas. These slender bundles of hay allude to the blond hair of the female Aryan ideal-Margarethe-in "Death Fugue" (1948), a poem written by Paul Celan, who had been interned in a National Socialist labor camp during World War II.

The volatile combination of symbols and materials suggests such oppositions as violence and fragility, destruction and renewal. This work's counterpart, Sulamith, is on view at right.

The lead wing suspended at the center of this work is a reference to the Norse myth of Wayland-a blacksmith who was captured by a king and escaped by forging his own wings. Though the wing here suggests freedom and transcendence, it is also burdened by its own weight and the conditions of gravity.

Resting forlornly on the ground with an ash-filled polyhedron on its wing, this sculpture refers to Melancholia, a well-known engraving of the same title by German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). Like the fallen angel in Dürer's work, this lead airplane seems to carry all the weight and sorrows of the world.

While its form suggests the promise of freedom and flight, Kiefer's sculpture is infused with the knowledge of technology's dark side, including the violent role aircraft played in the bombing campaigns of World War II.

Daath is a Hebrew word for knowledge and a key concept in the kabbalistic tradition of Jewish thought.

Like the seemingly endless bridge depicted in this painting, it is understood as a passage through a dark and ineffable void, with the potential for human consciousness to unite with the divine. Commenting on his engagement with religion, Kiefer has remarked,

"I'm interested in reconstructing symbols. It's about connecting with an older knowledge and trying to discover continuities in why we search for heaven."

What I connect with��

It feels like I’ve been making work like this all my life. Especially after my time in New York, I made massive textured beige works. These are incredible. I need to research the use of lead here because it seems significant.

[sasster]

maelia 🌙🙉🌪️✂️

🌙 MOON - what is your oc's greatest wish? how far are they willing to go for it?

This one is actually really hard for me because I just really don’t see him was someone who wantsanything. He’s content with his lot in life. People leave him alone, his work is what it is, and he gets to go back planet side to be with his partners in peace.

Like.. Are there things that he’d probably like to be better? Yeah, he’d want that stuff with Mallum to have never gone down the way that it did and he’d want Redivi to explode for ever and he’d want Emarra to have never existed probably because that guy is just fucking. Annoying to him.

But those aren’t like GREATEST WISH material. He’s happy. He loves his life.

He means it when he says he doesn’t want for anything.

🙉 HEAR-NO-EVIL - what is the worse thing your oc could hear from someone?

Oh the way the words of others have VERY LITTLE effect on him is CRAZY.  I don’t think there’s anyone that anyone could say that would like hurt him or even make him look at them in anyway

Maelia is a MAN OF ACTION. He does not care what you think or what you say. He wants to see what you DO.

🌪️ TORNADO - what is the biggest change you've ever made to them? how have they changed from their original version

Okay, you’re never gonna believe this. Maelia was supposed to be like.. A villain. Is he a good guy? No, he’s not like.. One of my heroes. But he has evolved into this guy that just…

He does good things and he does bad things, and he doesn’t let the bad things define him because god why would he? Actions are real and tangible things, not this notion of good people bad people grey people or anything like that.

SO HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE EVIL, like actually evil. Like toxic boyfriend to Lazali, fucked up boss. ALL OF THAT.

I need to redo his playlist so bad because it has all these evil songs on it.

And his muse just was like

“Nah, lets do this instead”

✂️ SCISSORS - what is the "last straw" for them to cut someone out of their life? how easily do they let go of people?

Maelia has cut people out of his life for the crime of just being a little bit annoying. Once you stop being someone that he enjoys being around, why the hell would he keep you there? At least as far as personal relationships go.

Professionally, he can’t really get away with that to an extent. But he has killed annoying coworkers.

You’ve seen what he’s done to Emarra

It takes very little for him to be like “Alright fuck you, moving on.”

Emoji Asks

[annsillsomething]

here comes episode 7 in which… nothing actually happened

but I have some comments

1. volcanic eruption

pyroclastic flow destroys everything in its path

there is no way those Númenóreans, southerners and Galadriel could have survived

if not the temperature (which can be around 200°C-700°C or 390-1300°F) then asphyxiation (from volcanic gases and ashes) would have killed them

let’s assume that orcs and that Adar guy are ok with it, we know that orcs lived in Mordor so that’s probably fine (with a stretch though)

but humans can’t survive it

nope, not possible

oh, just another tiny piece of basic knowledge that the writers lack

what a surprise

2. Celeborn

I was literally screaming for a minute

what the actual fuck

I promised not to compare the rings of power to the books but it was too much for me

don’t get me wrong I made peace with the fact that there are going to be deviations from the canon (that was hard but I really did)

my problem with Celeborn’s alleged death is that it was done only to make Galadriel a lone warrior with tragic past and no attachments (I already have a problem with her character in this series because no matter how many tragic details they add she’s still painfully shallow)

so actually this part is not about Celeborn but about Galadriel again

the writers are trying so hard to make her interesting

but she is just a Mary Sue here

« Why do you keep fighting? » — « Because I cannot stop »

that’s like saying « we don’t know ourselves, we just need a cool girl warrior »

« killing » (I dont believe he’s actually dead, they are not that bold) her husband was the last straw for me

3. Míriel’s blindness

that was funny

because she said that nobody could know

and then starts wearing a blindfold

how was she going to explain that?

« oh, I’m not blind I’m just training to be a Jedi! »

logic of this series amazes me more and more

4. Balrog

is he just sitting in the cave?

not somewhere deep underground but right where most of the mithril is?

I thought the dwarves were supposed to extract mithril for some time before they got to the Balrog

but apparently not

honestly, I think this whole drama about mithril is ridiculous

it was just a really cool material, extremely light and durable, it wasn’t that magic and didn’t have any healing properties

but ok, let’s let them pretend to be good storytellers

I can say more

but that would be just nitpicking, let’s save the poison for the last episode of this season

by the way, I’m glad Nori and Poppy returned in this episode

I like these girls and their songs, my heart can rest when they are on the screen

[christian-perspectives]

A New Life With Christ

In your mind what is one of the best things about Christianity? Besides the fact that we can spend eternity with the Lord. Right now we can also experience a new life in Christ. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.  2 Corinthians 5:15 Who did Jesus die for? The Apostle Paul didn’t say that Christ died for them “all,” even though He did. Instead, he made his statement more specific. He said Christ died for every “one.”  There was a popular song back in the late '60s called “One is the Loneliest Number.” Its verse starts by saying “one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do.” Check out this free eBook related to having a new life in Christ. That statement especially rings true when a person goes through life without Christ. Even while standing in the middle of a room full of people, they can experience loneliness.  Those in Christ, however, can always depend on the “one” who gives them new life. Isaiah told us that the Lord goes far beyond being just a presence within us. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 Listen to what the Psalmist said about those who might tend to feel all alone. These couple of verses definitely refer to Christians who have new life in Christ. Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. Psalm 68:5-6

Prejudging Others

With that said, how often do you categorize or classify people in your minds? In other words, how often do you prejudge someone because of their past or present situations? The next verse in 2 Corinthians 5 says the following about the way Paul had previously judged others. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. 2 Corinthians 5:16 In the rest of that verse, Paul went on to tell us why his views changed. It happen when his view of Jesus changed. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 2 Corinthians 5:16 He continued by reinforcing his position. Paul wanted to make sure that everyone knew they qualified for a new life with Christ. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Those With New Life in Christ will Stand in Judgment

We know that Christ died for each “one” of us and has given us each new life. With that in mind verse 10 goes on to say that Christians will stand before the Lord for judgment. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. 2 Corinthians 5:10 This is not referring to salvation. You will not go to the Judgment Seat of Christ unless you are living this new life in Him. Paul then compared our works to a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. And those works will go through the fire. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 Review Let’s review how you as a Christian can receive encouragement through what you have just read. - Christ died so you can have new life. - You are never alone when the Lord is a part of your life. - You have the same opportunities in Jesus as those you feel inferior to. - Those who seem inferior to you also have the same opportunities that you do. - The Lord will reward you for your works that survive the fire. His presence in your life is a great positive. Therefore rejoice because he told us that he will never leave us nor forsake us. He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. So, “ONE” doesn’t have to be a lonely number in your life. Especially when you focus on the “ONE” who can change your life.  In fact, Christ is the “ONE” who will give you new life. Lord, thank you that your son Jesus Christ died so we can have new life. We know our new life helps us never feel like we are alone again. Check out these posts related on the benefits of living a new life with Christ. - Enjoy Life To The Fullest - Living The New Life - Enjoying The Benefits Of Living A Godly Life - God's Plans For Your Life Are Good And Encouraging - 7 Reasons to Celebrate our Life in Christ - How To Know God's Perfect Will For Your Life Read the full article

[irkimatsu]

Caught up on Hazbin Hotel! It's a fun ride! I don't have nearly enough words for it - there's someone in my circle way, way better at that when it comes to this - but I did want to ramble a little bit:

-Charlie. CHARLIE. I am about 60% here for Charlie. You could have told me nothing about this show besides "the Princess of Hell is basically a shoujo protagonist" and you would have gotten me from there. Is my love for Charlie proof of my namby-pamby hippie ways of love and kindness and forgiveness? Probably! But it's fine. I love Charlie. I want to know her dreams of redemption are possible. (Sometimes I really need to know that you really can be redeemed no matter how badly you've fucked up...)

-I'm also really loving Husk. How much is the personality and how much is the character design? No clue. (I'm a furry, baby~) He's a good straight man, though, and someone that most of this hotel's residents are gonna need, especially Angel. Glad I'm not the only one on the Husk/Angel train, looking forward to where that's going

-Sir Pentious is a pathetic baby man and I love pathetic baby men. (My main fandom is still an anime about six pathetic baby men, after all.) While there's other characters I care more about as a whole, I fully expect to be laughing my shit off every time this guy's on screen. Idiot. <3

-God damn the music is good, just as I expected after years of Helluva Boss. Standouts so far are "Poison" (obviously, even though that scene fucking hurt to watch - which isn't a complaint, it did what it was supposed to); "Stayed Gone" (Vox is such a petty bitch and damn do I see why a friend of mine favors Alastor, he's effective as hell); and "Loser Baby" (maybe because I literally just watched it and boarded the Husk/Angel train, but hey, it was fun, and a desperately needed cleanser after "Poison". You know "Poison" was rough when a cheerful song about how much your lives suck is a cleanser.) There hasn't been a dud yet, though! Gonna have to loop the soundtrack to commit everything to memory, though that might wait until the whole season's out. Don't want to not give later songs a fair shake because I was too busy looping the earlier ones.

-If I have to complain a little, I do admit to being lost on some things, and I don't know how much of that is "I'm supposed to be lost, they'll explain later", "I'm dumb and didn't absorb things properly", or "that was explained in side materials". I hope most of it is those first two and not the third - side materials are fun, but I do think the show should be able to stand on its own. Even with the pilot - is that on Amazon? I don't know because I watched the show, um, elsewhere. I have my doubts about it, though, since so much changed between the pilot and the main show, as it tends to happen with pilots. If it's not, that does feel like a bit of a problem, since I think this show has its best chance of success if someone sees it turns up in their recommended section, knows nothing about it but thinks it looks cool, and tunes in there. Treats for the dedicated fans are great, but continuity lockout makes it hard for newbies to care, and I'd rather this didn't turn into "well you're not a real fan because you didn't read all the side comics and blog posts". No elitism, please! Let people who don't live on the Internet enjoy the funny demon show, too!

-Twitter is annoying and my engagement with this show in public will probably be slim-to-zero because this show's hatedom is one of the most obnoxious I've seen in a long time. It's fine to hate the show, obviously, but god, all the reaching for straws to prove that everyone who watches this show is evil and supports all the crime in the world. It's okay, you don't have to like the violent Hell show where people say fuck. It's not for everyone. You don't need to prove you're better than everyone else for not liking it. It's fine, love, it's fine. Of course there's stuff to criticize, every show can be critiqued, but "it's gross for Niffty to make sex jokes because she's tiny"? Go away with that shit.

I hope at least some of this was coherent. Looking forward to more!

[8bitscarlet]

The Family Burden

Summary: You never knew that something as small as a ring could weigh so heavily. And looking at Wanda, you know that you don't want her to bear that weight.

Pairing: Wanda x Reader

Genre/Warnings: Fluff (mild cussing)

Word Count: 4.9k

A/N: Part 3 to Family Christmas Party! And what was supposed to be three parts is now four. But that's it, no more extending this story, it's gotta finish 😂! Happy Reading!

*please do not repost or translate my material or claim as yours. reblogs, comments and likes are always appreciated!*

_____________________________________

Something soft smacks you in the face, the red fruit leaving a sweet taste behind on your lips. Focusing your eyes back to the world, you realize you’ve been staring at the neon sign beckoning customers to come inside for who knows how long. Clearing your throat, you swing your vision towards two pairs of eyes staring straight at you.

“Oy! Earth to Y/N!” Bucky snatches the cherry on top of Steve’s milkshake and throws it at your face. You watch it bounce next to other one he tossed, wiping away the sticky substance it left on your face as he continues,

“Your girlfriend’s looking for you,”

Your eyes perk up at the mere mention of Wanda as you glance over your shoulder to try and catch her on her route through the diner, “What?”

There’s chuckling from the two next to you and you feel your jaw clench as you realize why.

“Yeah and they’re still ‘fake’ dating,”

Steve chokes on his milkshake, no doubt watching the way Bucky bats his eyelashes and makes kissing faces at your divided attention. You grumble to yourself, thinking about tossing the milkshake on both of them but a puffy, baby blue dress comes from around the corner as you see those shining, red heels. Grinning to yourself, you remember the way she nearly melted to the floor when she felt the cushion in the custom shoes you got her for her birthday.

Turning, you glare at Bucky as he slinks back into the booth. Swallowing his tongue before he can start the infamous “K-I-S-S-I-N-G” song, you let out a grunt as you warn him to keep his mouth shut. You stand up as you wipe the remnant of the cherry on your cheek, grabbing Bucky’s shoulder with a vice grip as you point a finger at Steve,

“Shut it! You know that’s-,”

“Hey!” your head shoots up as you watch that baby blue dress and clicking heels march across the linoleum floor, “Behave!”

You sigh when those green eyes snap to you as she picks up her empty tray watching you try to play off your innocence with a grin. Watching her work behind the counter, you see how each of her movements is just second nature as her eyes practically stay glued to you.

You had paid her enough money that she never had to work another day at college but Wanda told you it wasn’t about the money. You can still hear her laugh when she saw the confusion on your face. The softness in her eyes as she explained she’d known the owners since she started college. She wasn’t going to leave them high and dry. There weren’t many people willing to put on a dumb costume when it wasn’t Halloween and that's when you realized your life wasn't for her.

Holding up a hand, you raise your brows as you make a crossing motion over your heart. Silently promising that you'll behave and you see the way her lips twitch upwards, capturing your attention away from the quiet snickers next to you. She nods, carrying away her tray as you watch to make sure she leaves before you glare behind you.

Bucky’s eyes quickly avert from yours as he finds interest in scooping up the whipped cream from his milkshake. Slumping back into the booth, you tie knots with the straw wrapper as you feel the pressure of eyes on you.

“What’re you gonna do about the crests?” Bucky tests the waters carefully, clenching his jaw when you look up at him.

“More importantly, what’s your father going to do?” Steve casually flips through the mini jukebox on the table, reading the list of songs, “I mean, there wasn’t even a prenup.”

Groaning, you knock your head against the table as you wish that you could just let out a yell, “You know, if it wasn’t for you two, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Ohhh,” Bucky says with a little giggles, “They used ‘we’.”

You stomp hard on his foot, choking a laugh at how his knee jumps up straight into the table. The drinks clatter at the violent hit and Steve lets out a laugh, watching the pain on Bucky’s face as he bites against his lip to keep from cussing in front of the kids. Steve leans forward, filling in for Bucky’s quips as you spin around the cherries in your coke.

“Hey, if it wasn’t for us two assholes,” Steve’s brows raise as you finally meet his stare, “You’d never have met Wanda.”

Shaking your head, a scoff leaves you as you throw your lump of a straw wrapper into his water, “Yeah and she’d never have met me. We both would’ve been better off.”

Heels falter next to you as you feel the heat in your face grow, your jaw clenching as you wish you could swallow your words. Turning your head slowly, you see the glance she shares with Bucky as they try to silently communicate about what just happened. Her green eyes find yours and her strained smile fills her face, she’s working.

“Alright you hoodlums. The usual for you,” her pencil softly jabs into your arm, biting your tongue as she quickly looks away from you, “The meatloaf for Steve and…” Wanda taps the pencil against her chin as she studies Bucky’s face, “The bacon double.”

Bucky’s brows raise, swaying his head side to side.

“You’re right. It’s Tuesday, the chicken pot pie.”

Before she leaves and you can take the mini jukebox and smash it against your head, she leans against the table towards you. Staring up at her, you watch the way her eyes study you as if they’re searching for something.

“Extra cherries in your cherry coke?”

You nod with a grin, “For the love of god. Yes, please.”

She smiles, tapping your face with her pencil as her skirt billows out with a sharp turn to make her way towards the kitchen. You groan as you watch her walk away and turn your attention to the two in front of you.

“What?” you snap, knowing they no doubt have something to say about that little interaction with each other.

“Your usual?” Bucky talks as he tries to drink the thick milkshake, “What’s that, a make out session back in the kitchen?”

Resisting the urge to slam your foot into his shin this time, you snatch up the carefully stacked coins that Steve had been working on. You slide out of the booth and make your way over to the jukebox, murmuring about how annoying Bucky's been as you look at the list Steve had made for his queue of songs.

Flipping through the cards, you jam the button combinations roughly as you see a long list of love songs. Grumbling as you put in the next set of coins, baby blue comes waltzing up next to you and soon you’re entrapped by the smell of sweet lavender that breaks through the overpowering diner smell.

“They giving you a hard time again?” Wanda cocks her head slightly, eyes flashing over to the table where the two are no doubt whispering about something.

You smirk but let out a lengthy sigh, unable to hide the stress that weighs down on your chest, “Nothing I can’t handle.”

Wanda hums, standing closer to you and filling your body with a soft electricity that only wants her closer. Her delicate finger taps along the glass and you grin, nodding quietly as you see her favorite song on the card you just flipped to. As you type in the code, Wanda gently smooths out the front of her dress,

“It’s about the crests than?”

Glancing up at her, all you can do is clench your jaw as you start to run down your long list of ways all this could blow up in the worst possible way.

“Play Yakety Yak!” Steve shouts out, thankfully saving you from having to talk about the crests.

As you try to find this last song, flipping through the cards over and over again as your eyes skim the titles, a cold hand rests on yours. The soft touch reminding you to let out the breath you’ve been holding in. As her thumb caresses your knuckles, you glance over to Wanda.

“We can talk about it when I’m done here? I close, so I’ve got the place to myself.”

You nod, tapping your fingers against your waist, “I’ll figure out a way to get these numbskulls out of here.”

Wanda’s fingers wrap around yours and the electricity growing into a jolt that shoots through your chest as she squeezes your hand tenderly, “We’ll figure this out, alright?” As her words leave her mouth, she leans forward to press a soft kiss against your cheek.

There’s an explosion of catcalls from Bucky and Steve as Wanda simply chuckles and wipes away the lipstick imprint she left on your skin. Each swipe of her finger leaving behind a burning trail.

“Behave!” Wanda shouts, putting her towel back in her apron, “I’m not filling up those shakes anymore!”

“Sorry Wands!” Steve shouts out to her, sliding his hand through his hair as he glances to his nearly empty glass in worry.

“Sorry babe!” Bucky follows, a slight grin on his mouth as he looks to catch your reaction at the nickname he always calls her.

You clench your jaw and give a mocking smile his way as you mutter to Wanda, “I’m gonna kill him.”

Wanda chuckles as you slowly start to walk towards the table, “Don’t be jealous.”

But as the words leave her mouth, you watch shock cover every inch of her face. You follow her eyes as the bell to the front of the diner rings out and you sigh, rubbing your forehead as you see the blonde walk inside.

“This feels like a group meeting, doesn’t it?” you ask, watching as Wanda shoots a death glare to Natasha.

She doesn’t dare follow you back to the table that her best friend has slid into as she grabs an empty tray, giving a quiet nod as she quickly makes her escape and leaves you to the hell in front of you.

___________________

The cold metal you once held is now warmed with the amount of time you’ve been spinning the rings in your fingers. Watching how the light catches on the emerald gem and glimmers through the diamonds surrounding it. Sighing, you run your finger along the family crest inside of the band and feel the dull pain in your shoulders growing.

Your legs swing, trying to find a way to release the stress as you sit on top of the counter. Listening to Wanda's quiet hums as she, already changed out of her costume, finishes her closing tasks next to you and the rest of the gang finishes off the pies.

“This is crazy, right? Like legally insane?” Nat sips on her glass of milk, deciding on her next slice of pie as you glance over at Wanda.

Wanda nods as she finishes signing off on the papers, “It hasn’t even been a year. I mean not that we’re actually,” her voice catches as she looks to you, green eyes glancing down at the matching gem in your hand.

The silence thickens, forks quietly scraping against plates as you try to figure out what Wanda is thinking. Watching how the wrinkles between her brows deepen, taking in a deep breath before she looks up to your eyes. As they catch yours, you can see the worry in them as she tries to play it off with a soft grin.

“Right, no.” You clear your throat as you place down the rings and wipe your hands down your thighs, “They’ve been trying a long time to settle me down. Just another thing to check off for the business.”

Bucky groans, “Business this. Business that. Screw the business.”

You glance over at him and see him nod as he knows what you’re going to say, the same thing you’ve been saying for years,

“You know I can’t. Besides, if someone didn’t go to the Bi-Weekly gardening parties, my mother would still hate you.” You raise your brows teasingly as Wanda rolls her eyes, remembering the look on your face when you walked into the house and saw her in that large garden hat having afternoon tea.

“Your mother’s gonna be heartbroken when you two ‘breakup’, Y/N. Probably adopt Wanda,”

You clench your jaw at Bucky’s nonchalant words as he stacks the plates and hands them off to Nat as she walks towards the kitchen, catching the glance Wanda shares with her. No one says a word as plates clink in the kitchen and Nat’s voice echoes out through the empty diner,

“Speaking of business, didn’t you tell Steve you were going to help him? Circle back to something?”

Nat pokes her head around the corner, raising her brows at Bucky as he groans and glances down at the time. She throws the towel she used to dry her hands at him and waves for him to follow her. Wanda stands to corral them out the door and promptly lock it behind them, her hand running along your arm as she walks past you.

A shiver runs through your body, catching the eyes of Bucky and he turns to tease you but Natasha is faster. Pushing him to keep him walking towards the door as she asks him about this client he was complaining about all week. You silently thank her for volunteering to listen to him complain for the next two hours, granting you and Wanda time to talk.

As you hear Bucky’s voice start to grow in his complaints, you chuckle quietly as you hop off of the counter and make your way back to the jukebox. You can hear Wanda teasing him, laughter following her words as you stare down at the vinyls. The bell rings again but you don’t turn around, you know who it is.

You feel Wanda’s arms rest on your hunched shoulders as you lean against the machine, her chin resting on your shoulder. Feeling her breath run along your skin, you carefully try to keep your own breathing calm, trying to ignore the comfort you feel from the touch.

“Hey,” she whispers as you feel the goosebumps spread on your skin, listening as you give a simple hum that you’re listening to her, “We should be total assholes and get engaged at the wedding.”

You snort, peeking over at her and seeing the way she watches you. Careful stares as she knows that your laugh is halfhearted, still lost in your thoughts. Her hand pats your face, leaving a sharp sting as she pulls a real chuckle from you and turn your head to look at her.

“What’re you thinking?”

Sighing, you cross your arms and lean against the jukebox as she stands in front of you, “Just take the money and go, Wands.”

“This again?” she rolls her eyes, looking a little offended that you’re telling her to quit after she’s told you no over and over again.

You can’t take that no though, you have to fight against it with everything you have. This life isn’t meant for her. To be restricted to a life that’s only meant to supplement yours, the rest of her life will be faking happiness and trudging through boring, after boring garden party.

“Wanda, we can’t keep doing this. I mean come on, if you put this on,” you stomp over to the counter and snatch up the small band that weighs as much as the sun, “You put this on and your life is over. Besides, this isn’t real. That’s gotta be a sin if you put this on right?”

Her brows clench at your attempt to joke, “Is this because of the other night?”

You feel a cold wave roll through your body, your breath catching in your throat as you quickly shake your head, “What? No! Jesus,” you sigh, running your hands down your face as you remember.

_____________

You dragged your feet along the floor as you read through a presentation you missed at the office. Swiping through the boring slides with charts and numbers you’d already memorized, you wished you were anywhere but here.

You told people you weren’t going into the office but your reasoning was different for everyone. For now you were working from home for the month, but that meant cramming yourself with constant work to not think about the looming date of your third cousin once removed’s wedding.

Glancing up to take a break from the numbers, you saw the screen of your phone light up with another message. You had turned off the vibration a week ago when Wanda kept trying to get ahold of you. You should’ve just put her on mute, but you didn’t want to miss if something happened to her.

For now, you just kept silent as she kept asking how your board meetings were going. Those simple questions turned into attempts to interrogate you because you weren’t giving more than a few words to answer her. Never letting her know that you were doing all of this to try and push her away. Get her to finally give up on this whole charade.

As you tapped your pen against the pile of papers you had on the table, you heard your front door squeak open and stabbed the tip into the pile. Stepping quietly to the corner, you peered around and squinted to try and make out who it was in the bright sunlight. Keys jingled in the quiet air and you felt your heart jump into your throat as you saw the way they walked, recognizing them before you even saw their face.

With a sigh, you stepped out into the hallway and tried to casually spin the pen between your shaking fingers. Both of you froze when your eyes found each other and you quickly felt yourself catch your breath.

“So, you are alive,” Wanda snapped at you, as she dropped her purse on the floor and stomped up to you. As she glanced towards your kitchen, she saw the pile of dishes you still needed to wash. You knew she realized that you hadn't let anyone in here, not even the maids.

“When did I give you a key?” you asked, genuinely unable to remember.

Wanda looked like she wanted to give you the beating of a lifetime but she took a deep breath, “Fourth of July. You were drunk and lost your key. We had to break in.”

You hummed, leaning against your table as you carefully watched her. She waited for you to say something. To explain this, to explain your sneaking around and why you had lied all that time. And each second that passed she grew more and more impatient.

“How’d you get past security?”

That wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

Wanda ran her hands down her face, “You know, I don’t know what social skills you failed to learn from your nanny but it’s kind of rude to lie to people!”

You averted your eyes from her, felt a heavy weight in your chest when you heard the pain in her voice. You nodded quietly, “I’m sorry.”

“Are you?” she snapped, “What are you sorry about? Ignoring all of my calls for two weeks? Lying about going on a business conference? Forcing Bucky to cover for your ass?”

“I mean, I’m technically working a business conference.”

She shook her head, “You can’t just run off like that on me! What is wrong with you?”

“I get it!” you snapped at her, immediately taking in a deep breath when Wanda closed her mouth, “I messed up. But you wouldn’t listen to me to pack up and leave!”

Wanda blinked blankly at you for a second, gathering her thoughts at what you were telling before she let out a scoff, “So you thought ignoring me would make me listen? My god, I swear Y/N. You have the thickest skull of anyone I know.”

You sighed, “Knew I should’ve gotten that name change.”

“Really? You’re going to make jokes right now?” Wanda stepped towards you but hesitated from reaching out, “You’re avoiding this because you don’t want to listen to me. I said I’m sticking through this with you. Why don’t you believe me?”

You shook your head, crossed arms as you turned to find something to do on your laptop. Believing that you could still push her away. Instead, you felt her stand next to you. Wanda slid her arms along the table as she turned to look at you and waited for you to look her way and see her.

“Hey, talk to me. Conduct a conversation. Don’t leave me behind, Y/N.”

You closed the laptop as Wanda’s hand rested on the lid. Her thumb caressed along your wrist as you just shook your head, “You really think if we get ‘married’ you’re going to be able to go to graduate school? If you stay with me, I am taking those dreams from you and I’m not doing that. You…” you took a deep breath as you looked into those green eyes, “You deserve better. You’re too good of a person for this life.”

“Right,” she scoffed, “A good person. Almost ruined this whole thing.”

You watched her for a moment, saw the way she spun the rings on her fingers and chewed on her lip. As she looked up, you saw the guilt in her eyes,

“I kissed Bucky.”

What felt like a punch straight into your chest nearly knocked the breath from your lungs. You staggered a bit as you grabbed the chair in front of you and tried to shake off the surprise on your face.

“You what?!” you stuttered out, feeling a tightening in your stomach, a nausea that you knew you shouldn’t be feeling. Wanda crunched her face tightly as you turned away from her to find something to occupy your hands with.

Wanda called out to you, “I know! I kept asking questions about you and what’s Bucky’s only way to fix things or distract?”

You stopped halfway towards the kitchen, halfway turning to face her as you muttered along with her, “Go drinking.”

Wanda nodded and you continued on your journey, “We went out. Got way too drunk and I… I was mad. At you.’

You shook your head, “Guess it’s a good thing that we’re not dating.”

“Y/N.”

You held up your hand as she tried to walk up to you, “He won’t say anything. No one will know. You can stop talking about it.”

“Y/N, I didn’t-,” she tried to reach out to keep you near but she didn’t need to, you weren’t moving anywhere. Your eyes fell down to her lips for a moment, thinking about all of the fake kisses the two of you had shared and wondered why you felt so angry that Bucky might’ve gotten a real one.

“How was it?”

“What?” Wanda gasped, but you didn’t say anything. You just watched her, a smirk on your face as she slowly realized you were teasing, “He has really chapped lips. Really not great. All talk really.”

You hummed, “You really got that lonely without me?”

She shoved you away as you let out a laugh, “You don’t kiss any better.”

You rolled your eyes as you continued into the kitchen, opening the fridge as you reached in for the drinks you had bought for Wanda. Holding it up as you peeked around the door, you watched her excited nod at the sight of it, “I’m working under pressure when I’m kissing you. You know all the eyes, holding up the family name.”

“Right, everything to blame but yourself.” She grabbed the can you held but you didn’t give in, giving a slight yank to keep it in your grasp. She chuckled as she followed the pull and called your bluff, growing closer to you.

“You don’t believe me?” you chuckled, “Think I’m lying?”

“I think… that I need to get you a How to Kiss book for your birthday?”

“Ouch,” you whispered with a grin, “Come on. If I prove that I am indeed the master of masters when it comes to this, you take the money and leave.”

“And if you’re not a master?”

You shrugged, “You take the money and leave.”

Wanda smiled, stepped forward and pressed her hand against your chest, “You positive?”

You shuddered at the touch and watched the smirk on her face as she noticed. But you tried to hold your bluff, stepping closer to her as you listened to her pull in a tight breath. Before she could toe the line again, there was a loud slam from the door and you quickly jumped from Wanda.

“Wanda knows you lied and - oh shit!” Bucky skid to a stop, practically out of breath as he watched Wanda give him a small wave, “She’s already here. Hi, babe.”

You stood there, arms crossed in front of your chest as you raised your brows at him. He sighed as he saw the look on your face, you already knew what he did. In silence, he yanked off his jacket and tossing it towards the couch as he fell on it and turned on the tv. You groaned, knowing that he wasn’t going anywhere. As you glanced to Wanda making her way to the couch, she gave a little smirk but you couldn’t look away from her curious gaze.

________________

You hold out the ring to Wanda, “This isn’t just marriage. This is holiday parties, annual family photos, magazine interviews about you staying home and taking care of the kids and seeing me off to work. Hell, this is probably standing at my side when I make a run for governor.”

“Is that what you want?” she asks, taking slow steps towards you and watching the slack in your jaw.

Shaking your head as you pull in a tight breath, you straighten your shoulders, “It’s what this crest means.”

“Is that what you want?”

Clenching your hand tightly, you drop the act, “I just need you at that wedding with me.”

Wanda nods, carefully taking the ring from your clenched fist as she runs her fingers down yours. She turns the rings over and over with her fingers, eyes glancing up to you as she feels your heavy stare,

“Do you need me to wear this?”

It would surely make your mother happy, no doubt she’s been gossiping about the two of you to all of her friends and to all of your aunts. But you can’t even begin to imagine the explosion that will happen when your father sees her hand, tension through the night until the two of you are at each other’s throats in a side library. You hold out your hand and watch as Wanda places the ring carefully back into your palm. You close your fingers gently around it, her fingers skimming yours and sending a jolt through your chest,

“Maybe if we’re assholes, we’ll be disowned from the family forever.”

Wanda grins, seeing the smile on your face, “That won’t get you out of wearing a cummerbund for the wedding, by the way."

You groan, you had been trying all month to forget about wearing that stupid sash, “Why do you hate me?”

“If I hated you, I’d tell your mother we’re getting eloped. Hey,” Wanda squeezes your shoulder as she goes to grab her bag, “You need to practice your kissing again?”

You click your tongue as you whip around to see her teasing grin, “You better not have told Nat about that.”

Wanda’s eyes widen quickly, kneeling down to triple check that she has the huge dress inside of the bag. She doesn’t say a word as she carefully rearranges her heels around her dress and quietly hums, ignoring the obvious mistake she made.

“No, that’s fine. I’ll just tell her that when you finally drove my car, you sneezed, knocked your head on the horn and scraped the mailbox.”

The bag smacks against the ground as she glares at you, “I’ll her about the night you ripped your suit pants and you had on bright yellow underwear that said-”

You were already on the move, knowing exactly what story she was going to put back out into the universe. You fall onto your knee and slap your hand over her mouth.

“Alright! They probably put listening devices in here, don’t embarrass me.”

Wanda chuckles as you lift your hand from her mouth, leaning forward to zip up her bag but stopping as she realizes you’re in the way. Your breaths mesh together as you stare at each other, your hand gripping onto her bag as you hear Wanda slowly zipping closer to your fingers, trying to keep your eyes locked to hers.

She pulls in a slow breath and you stop breathing when her eyes drop quickly, “I had Bucky steal your cummberbund. Can’t pretend to forget it.”

“I hate you,” you whisper to her as you stand up and shove the rings back into your pocket as you wait for Wanda by the door.

“Sounds like we’re on the right track for getting married. Family tradition, right?”

You grin, “You want to grab some donuts in the morning before our flight tomorrow? My treat?”

She gasps, following you out the door with keys jingling in her hands, "And risk not fitting into my dress? Obviously.”

Tapping your knuckles against the door, you follow Wanda to her car and try to remember her donut orders as you get lost in her smile.

_______________________Part 4

Taglist: @iliketozoneout@rooskaya-yelena@yeeterthekeeper@women-am-i-right@marie45019@raincloudtoyoursunshine@olsensnpm@yeetus-thyself@hello-mtf@royalityofmultifandom@nfatale05@cyberbonesworld@madamevirgo@when-wolves-howl@pnsteblnme@witchmaximoffs@harleyswanda@yuhloversxx@chaekhan@chasethemoon@dopeyouth@temptationsbrew@evenbeingcrazy1998@tastefulsecrets@marvelwomen-simp@nuianced-tck-enby@tastetherambeau@xxromanoffxx@laaurrel@likefirenrain@nicomcu@sweet12sorrow@daenerys713@simplysimping999@wankydanvers@kasekina@sxfwap@cherrybubblesandvodka@ailenepuff@talia-alianovna@b-5by5@jjstar9898@i-need-somebody-else @atlas-nex@fortunatelynerdylight @stealth-kittyy@fxckmiup @therunawaykind

[spockandawe]

Mm..... I am fascinated both by the way that Xue Yang sees A-Qing run when Xiao Xingchen is getting ready to fight him (so even if he’s unaware of how much she knows, he knows she’s aware her favorite person is taking a stand against him), but also... After things go to shit and Xue Yang is like ‘no, no, i can fix this,’ and gets ready bring back Xiao Xingchen, he cleans up the whole house, including putting new straw down in A-Qing’s coffin bed.

That is so interesting. And the more I think about it, the more interesting the whole situation is. Did he think she was going to come back eventually? Doesn’t seem like a completely unreasonable thought, because she’s very bold, and she cares a lot about Xiao Xingchen, so maybe she would at least come back to check on him. But... did Xue Yang think he could convince her that this was the same Xiao Xingchen as ever? That seems like a stretch, plenty of people are aware that she’s extremely clever and quick on her feet, blindness or no. Was he expecting to control Xiao Xingchen, and convince her that way? But--

Fine, intricate patterns were carved onto the two nails, which were clearly of extraordinary origin.

Those were the nails in Wen Ning’s head, and it’s mentioned that the ones Song Lan has are smaller and made of a different material, but did he just... have those on hand? It’s not impossible, but he didn’t have a spirit-trapping pouch on hand, which seems like a pretty basic tool. And would they give him enough control that he could force Xiao Xingchen to act and converse like nothing at all was wrong? Would they give him enough control to force Xiao Xingchen to give a convincing explanation for what happened, that would set her mind at ease? Even if he thinks she’s totally ignorant of who he is, he knows she was spooked bad and is fast to be suspicious of him.

Was it an act, to convince a woken-up Xiao Xingchen that everything was okay actually, even if A-Qing was missing? But this is a “rare burst” of diligence, it’s not typical Xue Yang behavior. Was he planning to kill A-Qing too, as soon as she showed her face, and keep her around as a biddable fierce corpse to make Xiao Xingchen happy? But if she was a fierce corpse, why would having fresh straw in her bed matter?

Now, this is all very much speculation about what a character with a nonstandard perspective on life (and death!) is privately thinking, where everything we see is filtered through two characters who are very hostile to him, at an extremely emotionally intense time for all of them. From the first time I read this, I loved the idea of Xue Yang trying to set the stage for a return to peaceful domesticity, in the face of mounting.... everything. But as I return to the book especially, I get the increasing feeling that he’s much more rattled than he wants to let on (I won’t rehash old posts about the way his conversation with xiao xingchen deteriorates), and the things that he does while waiting for Xiao Xingchen to wake up are equal parts a stubborn insistence that things will return to normal, and a self-soothing gesture to help him settle down and reassure himself that they will return to normal.

[bisexualhobi]

I just watched the vlive with subs today and Hobi saying he's lost 5kg just because he hasn't had time(?) to eat and him saying he hasn't been sleeping well, because work and private life aren't staying separate right now, because there's so much to check like?!?!?!? I know comeback season is stressful if it's with a group or a solo and I know Hobi is a perfectionist and wants to make sure everything is going smoothly, but it looks like he's is literally doing everything by himself. Give the man a proper team that supports him. Idk, I could of course be wrong and he just wants to be part of everything and it's all his choice, but I'm not sure if I believe that option.

I don't believe it for a second. this is CLEARLY the result of a rushed timeline where hybe shoved this album release date onto him without asking. they probably said "you already got your songs from the mixtape we never let you put out right? well now it's coming out as a full album here's five dollars you got three months now GO" like I am NOT buying any of this for a second

their solo albums are a sloppy and rushed decision that screams of shareholder panic and grasping at straws to keep the fandom subdued after the hiatus was decided. and of course hoseok got the short end of the stick since he was probably the only one with enough songs for a solo album ready to go (besides namgi but they are not soloist performer material).

why do you think jungkook et al have been so quiet lately? they're probably locked up in the studio cranking out enough songs to put an album together for when their time comes.

hoseok is clearly under a lot of stress. he has not been eating he has not been sleeping and that tells me he had a VERY limited amount of time and resources to put this album together.

the fucking mediocre album rollout with a COMPLETE lack of proper promotion from hybe and the lack of an actual album along w no radio support means that hybe is letting him do this on his own while they reap the benefits bc they KNOW armys will come through to support this no matter how shitty and mediocre the promotion and quality of the product is.

and knowing hoseok I know he is taking everything in stride. as always. never wanting to complain. never wanting to have fans worry about him. always grateful for the scraps he gets and trying to look on the bright side - and when things don't go as planned or something fails he will only blame himself. not the company not his team or his fans. only himself is to blame and he carries that burden in silence because that's the type of person hoseok is. a humble and self critical person that can only give bc all he cares about at the end of the day is being a good performer. and that means never letting the public see you struggle

[lowkeyorloki]

Grace Period

Loki is utterly in love with you, despite of- or maybe because of- your status as a mortal. But he’s built differently than you. You both need time to adjust to that.

~

There’s a lot that Loki needs to change about himself. It’s not something he acknowledges to warrant pity. It’s a fact; everyone needs to change at some point.

That point, for Loki, comes when he meets you. In all your Midgardian beauty, fragile and eager and so so small. 

Loki loves you the moment he lays eyes on you. He’ll keep you safe, from every being that’s ever lived. 

Including himself.

~

The difference between you two is obvious. Horribly so. 

Loki is stitching up a gash on your arm- it’s nowhere near the worst wound Loki’s ever seen, not in terms of severity. 

But it’s on you, and because of that, it damn near shatters Loki’s heart. He’s trying so hard to make it better for you, take away the pain quickly as possible.

His strength is too much, for the needle, the thread, your skin. Loki isn’t used to such materials, and he makes it worse, ripping your arm even more than the original blade. You let out a whimper, biting back tears for Loki’s own sake.

He rushes you to the hospital, the very place he wanted to avoid in the first place. Loki holds your hand the whole procedure, but won’t look at you for the rest of the night.

He doesn’t think he deserves to. In the back of his mind, Loki pledges to become used to his new home even faster.

~

It’s not just the physicality of Midgard that Loki hasn’t adjusted to yet. There’s a cruelty here, one that wasn’t found on Asgard. Not so easily, at least.

Loki is getting more out of his relationship with you, he’s sure of it. It’s you, you that gets the pushback. After all, if one were to listen to tabloid headlines, it’s you who is the one begging the world to forgive the murderer of New York.

The newspapers run horrible stories about you both, but somehow, the insults are aimed at you. Your motivations, your looks, your supposed betrayal of the human race, any and everything that can be criticized is. The other mortals grasp at straws, desperate to bring you down. Loki could never, and will never, understand why. 

You’re so strong. But even someone as brave as you has to crumble at some point.

You cry into Loki’s chest, melt into his comforting touch as his hands roam your body, trying to calm you. Distract you, at the very least.

Loki is seething. On Asgard, this would be solved and put to rest with a battle of wits or weapons.

But here on Earth, Loki does not have that opportunity. So he just holds you, feeling useless.

Feeling like he’s failing you.

~

There are certain things Loki begins to find quaint. Perhaps even charming.

He likes it when you paint your nails black and rake them down his bare chest. He likes it when you get excited for holiday-themed coffee cups in the winter. He loves seeing you in bed, atop thickly knit blankets instead of silks and satins. His heart swells when you find the perfect song on the radio, tapping your thumbs on the steering wheel in tandem with the beat. Loki is learning, ever so slowly, that things do not have to be complicated to be beautiful, or even heartfelt. 

~

You’re angelic, and ethereal, and you shine too bright for Earth. You could be standing next to the sun itself, and it would still be you that caught Loki’s eye. 

Your words are sweet like honey, even when you stutter. You’re as graceful as swan, even when Loki has to grab you before you fall and hit the ground. 

Again, you shine too bright for Earth.

But the longer Loki stays here, the longer he lives with you...

The more he likes the contrast.