#its kinda cool how we now have the ultimate answer to the question 'which is better digimon or pokemon' tho

[azaracyy]

one of my finished ych commissions. other finished artwork can be found here. the tailmon is based on the twitter meme / trend of tailmon with pikachu build

#brace yourself long tags of rambling ahead #so i tend to ask my commissioner's permit to post a watermarked smaller version of the art on twt #im a person of my word so im not gonna assume or much less abuse that to simply cross-post to every platform im in #this one is a bit special bc the commissioner is an old friend #tldr we were talking about life and career being the typical adults and they randomly went 'ok draw smth for me' and just... paid #so it's like.... a joke commission? but also not bc the pyment is real?? #but yeah they left the decision of what to draw to me. i suggested what i was thinking of drawing and they went #'do it. finish 2023 with a bang' lmaooo idk if this is banger enough but i clearly had a blast. record breaking fastest comm i've ever done #back in school i doodled pikachu everywhere like breathing so it helped #apparently im given the freedom to share the art however and wherever i like too so yeah bc this is a meme and it is best shared with ppl.. #its kinda cool how we now have the ultimate answer to the question 'which is better digimon or pokemon' tho #upon which im just gonna show this chonky polite tailmon #tailmon #gatomon #digimon #png #finished commission #dood you probably wont see this but ty for the random commission :'))

[catboybiologist]

heyo, sorry if this is a bit of an uncomfortable question, but I've been thinking about it for a while. I'm really curious to know the opinion of a biologist with more experience (especially a queer one hehe)

have you ever faced any pressure like, "who even cares about your research on these weird bugs?" (a bit of a generalization on entomology, though it also kind of applies to my general interest in pursuing zoology) or "you do know you won't be making much money, right?", as well as questions like, "why don't you go in medicine? a career as a doctor is more promising, researchers barely get paid anyway"

and if you did, how did you deal with it? i guess my impostor syndrome never fails to catch up to me ahah, but it would be good to know if there's someone like this as well

Sorry I took so long to get to this! There's no way to answer this briefly, I think.

Yes, all the time. It's the curse of anyone in basic science research. Luckily, for me, I don't think that pressure has come from anyone who actually matters. Academic influences, and even my parents are very supportive of my career path (my parents maybe not so much supportive as much as "pressuring", but that's a different story). From more distant family, online, family friends, and random people I meet everywhere? All the fucking time, and its very tiring.

There's two very different issues at hand in your ask, though. The financial aspect, and the level of respect and understanding people have for basic science in the first place.

As for the financial aspect… I'm sorry. The reality is that yeah, you're not gonna make much money. But you have to ask yourself whether that's a priority for you. You'll definetly make enough money to live on, but it won't be a glamorous amount. You genuinely have to love what you do, and that can be a bit rough. But there's nothing wrong with that. There's a lot of pressure to choose the highest paying careers, even when its past the point of increasing your means. Its okay not to care. But yeah, unfortunately, no one's getting rich in field work :/

For the other aspect… that is a huge disconnect between the general public and science, and one that I think manifests in a lot of ways beyond even what you're saying. The value of basic science research is twofold. The reason most people who are passionate about the subject get into research is for its own sake- the world is cool! To me, inquiry and curiosity are one of the most beautiful things about being human, and is worth it for the simple sake of expanding our range of knowledge as a society. It's like asking who cares about some dumb painting while looking at the Mona Lisa. But, to be blunt… some people just don't see that. Which brings us to the other aspect: unseen utility. Basic science research saves the world. And that's not really an exaggeration. The example I've given so many people recently is COVID vaccines. mRNA molecules being able to cause immune reactions was a "who cares" research problem a couple decades ago… and look at us now. Oftentimes its not so one-to-one, though. For ecology, the bulk quantity of ecology research contributes to our understanding that ultimately guides how we care for the world. While its sometimes difficult to see how "those weird bugs" contribute to public policy and understanding, but "those weird bugs" alongside "those weird plants" alongside "those weird fungi" alongside "those weird rats" and whatever else, together, contribute to the net understanding of what areas need to be protected, what ecosystems are at risk, what ecosystems threaten human existence if they collapse, and how best to protect all of those. Research matters.

I'm picking nits, but neither sounds like imposter syndrome to me. In fact, I think it's kinda the opposite. I think you'll fit in just fine with entomologists, or other scientists in zoology, ecology, evolutionary bio, or whereever. A lot of them have gone through exactly the same thing that you are, from their early career interactions with friends and family to their later career interactions with the public and outreach. So in a way, I think that's your solution as well. If you take the first leap into your field, either declaring a major, becoming involved in a particular research lab, volunteering, or whatever else, you're going to start surrounding yourself with people who have undergone the same external pressures that you're facing right now. They'll intrinsically understand the value of the type of research you wanna do, and they'll also understand that not everyone sees it that way.

But getting to that level is hard. It requires persistence. But you'll get there <3

[elflock-magician]

I'd like to request a fanfic of Ace x my oc

This is Azreal, he is infact a boy, and he's also the Ultimate Roller Skater. Azreal is fun to be around and is very empathetic and kind, he also is either super energetic or has no energy at all, there's no in between. Azreal is austic and has adhd, just thought I'd add that in. Azreal gets pretty attached to those who are smaller and weaker than him so he would definitely get attached to Ace, Azreal always feels as if it's his responsibility to protect and care for those weaker than himself, so that means Azreal feels he has to protect and care for Ace. Azreal also is knowledgeable is psychology so he would definitely be more than able to understand and help Ace.

Anyways, enough of Azreal, if I keep going I'll end up writing an essay about him lmao. I'd like for you to write a fluff fanfic but if you want to sprinkle in some angst and trauma stuff then 100% go for it, I'm always ready and willing for some angst. Also take your time, your writing is amazing, incredible even, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to complete it today. Complete it (or don't) whenever you want.

A/N - Thank you for the request!! Azreal and Ace are such a fun duo!! They so cute!!

Summary - Ace and Azreal skip class. But it leads to a more tender moment than either predicted.

-

A/N - this was written as non-despair AU but can be pre-KG if u want.

Ace and Azreal were almost polar opposites, and yet the two of them had become best friends. The two of them had desks right next to each other and were in a lot of classes together.

“Hey Azreal, didja do the homework?” Ace questioned and leaned over to whisper to Azreal. 

“Oh yeah! Course I did.” Azreal replied and took the papers out of his folder. “Gimmie that shit! The teacher is gonna kick my ass if I forget the homework again.” Ace whisper-shouted before grabbing the papers from Azreal and aggressively copied the answers down from Azreal’s page onto his empty page of homework.

“You forgot again?? Your grade is gonna drop harder than the sky if you keep that up!” Azreal commented. “Shut the fuck up, skater boy.” Ace grumbled. “Heh… Skater Boy, that’s kinda got a ring to it.” Azreal murmured in response. Ace continued aggressively scrawling the answers onto his homework, but a mischievous smile slowly made its way onto Azreals face. Azreal looked over at Ace. The thing with Ace and Azreals friendship is that they were the most chaotic duo out there. Azreal was generally a do-gooder, which made him liked by most of everyone, while nearly everyone thought Ace was a dirtbag. Ace got the two of them into problems 24/7 but Azreal always had the ability to talk them out of it. But Azreal wasn’t exactly immune to thinking up mischievous plans on his own. 

“Hey, Ace, let’s do Operation Cool Guys–” Azreal was cut off, “I told you not to call it that!” Ace interjected. “Pfft- whatever! Just, the plan where we skip class to the east bathroom. We gotta skip class today, it’s super important! Besides, I’ve already got the lesson plans memorized. I’ll fill you in later, just meet me in the bathroom in like, five minutes. I’m gonna go now so we don’t look sus. Kay?” He explained excitedly. “Alright. Fine. Whatever.” Ace agreed. 

“Yippiee!” Azreal called out happily.

And so, a few minutes passed. In that time, Azreal went to the school bathroom, where he was just loitering there until Ace arrived as well. Ace eventually got there too.

“Hey Ace!” Azreal greeted, making sure to not sneak up on Ace. He knew how it bothered him so he avoided doing it. 

“Hey. So what the fuck did you call me here for?” Ace questioned and leaned into the wall. “Well! I have a surprise for you.” Azreal began. Azreal smiled brightly before taking off his bag and digging through it. “One sec,” He added as he dug through his bag. Often times, Azreal found ways to defy the laws of physics, as he somehow fit way more than he should be able to in that bag. He had a computer, a bunch of folders, several books, one of those hand-held cameras, a music player, a pencil case, and plenty more in that bag. And Ace wouldn’t be surprised if Azreal casually took a whole bicycle out of there.

“Ah! Here it is!” Azreal called out before taking out a pair of roller skates. “They’re for you!” He exclaimed and held the pair out to Ace. “Roller skates?” Ace repeated. He couldn’t help but smile. “Shit dude! Hell yeah! I’m totally going to ram into someone with these!” Ace said almost evilly. Azreal practically squealed with excitement. 

“I knew you would love them! Now we’re twinning” He said and gestured down to the roller skates he was currently wearing. “You know~ there’s a reason why I’m telling you now. I say we go skating through the hallways while everyone else is in class.” Azreal suggested.

“Wait– we’re seriously skipping class to go skating?” Ace repeated.

“You’re always so busy after school because of your parents sending you to tutoring and stuff. So I figured I could bend the rules a little to get some quality time with my Ace-y boy.” Azreal explained before throwing his arm around Ace and smiling brightly. Ace had an almost uneasy expression. It seemed like he definitely wanted to, but was afraid of the consequences. Azreal was always unbelievably good at reading Ace. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’m not here to make you do anything like your parents do. We can always just go back to class–” “Fuck no!” Ace called out over Azreal, clearly opposed to the idea of going back to class. “But I’ve never done this before so you’d better help me.” He added. That was his way of saying ‘Azreal, hold my hand please.’ Azreal couldn’t help but chuckle. “Course! Oh gosh, I’m so excited!” Azreal called out and did a little twirl with his roller skates as Ace got on the ground and began putting on the roller skate given to him.

When Ace got the roller skates on, he clearly struggled to stand up straight. “Sh–Shit!” Ace called out as he hobbled and slipped around on the skates. “Don’t worry, I gotcha!” Azreal said and held Ace’s hand, helping to keep him steady. 

“You make this look way easier than it is…” Ace muttered as he started getting used to it.

“Eh, you’ll totally get the hang of it! No worries!” Azreal insisted and smiled. “Now c’mon! Class is only an hour long and we gotta get back before then.” He said and held Ace’s hand, gently taking him along with him as the two of them skated out of the bathroom and into the long hallways of the school. 

“So I just gotta… push off of this foot, then the other? And this is the break?” Ace asked and gestured to parts of the roller blades as he was pulled along by Azreal. Ace was definitely a little clunky about moving. “Basically, yeah!” Azreal replied and ran his hand along the wall as he rolled past. “Hey you ever hear that song Rolling Girl? That is literally us right now.” He said before pulling Ace closer. “I can’t believe I’m friends with a Hatsune Miku fan.” Ace murmured. Azreal giggled and smiled. 

“Hey hey! Let’s do one of those slow dances!” Azreal said before yanking Ace close to him. “WOah!” Ace called out as Azreal did such thing.

“A slow dance? You mean a waltz?” Ace questioned. “Basically!” Azreal replied as they rolled down the hallway and past several doors, that probably led to busy classrooms.

“Let me give it a shot,” Ace said and skated towards Azreal, taking his hand and vaguely twirling Azreal under his arm and then tilting him back. “That good?” Ace asked. Azreal blushed slightly,

“Wow Ace! I didn’t know you had rizz–” “SHUT UP.” Ace shouted and blushed in a flustered manner. Azreal giggled and smiled. 

“Mooooving around at the speed of sound!” Azreal sang the lyrics from that Sonic song as he skated ahead of Ace, happily bouncing around the hallway like a ping-pong ball. “Oh hey! That’s Ms.Janette’s room! She’s great.” Azreal commented offhandedly.

“HEY!” A voice suddenly called out. 

Ace’s head snapped in the direction of the voice. Azreal had a somewhat shocked face, where his eyes were wide, but his face was frozen in a smile. The voice had come from a teacher that had spotted them from down the hall. “Fuck.” Ace muttered blankly. 

“What are you two kids doing out of class?! And are those roller skates?” The teacher questioned angrily as they stormed at Ace and Azreal. “Okay now we gotta go!” Azreal called out before grabbing Ace’s hand and quickly skating as quickly down the hallway and away from the teacher as possible. The two of them turned the corner, as the teacher chased them, only making narrow room for escape. “Azreal! The fuck are we gonna do?!” Ace questioned. Azreal couldn’t find a response for a moment.

“Oh! Right here!” Azreal called out as he spotted a storage closet. He kicked the door open and yanked Ace inside, and quickly shut the door behind them. The two of them saw as the teacher ran past the door through the small window.

The two of them sighed in relief, completely out of breath. “Gosh… that was a close one.” Azreal said, breathing heavily. Ace held onto the wall to make sure he didn’t fall over, but Ace had a look of clear shock on his face. It was right then that a thought crossed his mind. Why was Azreal even helping Ace? He totally could have left Ace for dead back there, but… he didn’t. That confused Ace.

“This closet is pretty nice though.” Azreal murmured.

“I don’t get it.” Ace spat suddenly. “Why do you insist on helping me?” He questioned. Azreal seemed slightly caught-off-guard by that. “What do ya mean?” Azreal replied and tilted his head, a little confused. Ace continued speaking, “Everyone hates me. Our classmates, our teachers, and I don’t blame them. So why– is this just some sort of joke to you?!” He shouted, glaring at Azreal. “Nope.” Azreal replied. His expression slightly soured, though a bittersweet smile was still on his face. “Not at all.” He repeated. He went over to the corner of the small closet, leaning into it. “You know… someone has to look out for the little guy. In your mind, if your classmates hate you, if your teachers hate you, and if you hate you, then you have to know someone is on your side. So I’ll like you for you. And I’ll make you know it.” Azreal explained. Ace couldn’t help but be stunned. 

“I don’t get that. That’s stupid.” Ace spat and crossed his arms, evading his eyes from Azreal. “If you keep being like that– tch. This world is full of pieces of shit assholes who will take advantage of your kindness.” He stated. “Well then I guess I’d rather get hurt for trusting people than live being distrustful of potentially good people.” Azreal reasoned with a shrug. 

“You’ve made friends with rocks before, Azreal!” Ace called out. “So… Don’t go acting like I’m… important. I don’t want your pity.” Ace continued, his voice lowering slightly. “I don’t pity you. I guess I just… have empathy for you. And it helps me understand you.” Azreal paused before speaking again. “And… Well, your company is… special. I like you, Ace. You’re… nice.” Azreal said. Ace seemed surprised by that. “You… Think that?” Ace murmured.

“One hundred percent!” Azreal agreed and smiled. Ace fell silent for a few moments.

“I’m… sorry for yelling at you.” Ace suddenly murmured.

“ ‘S all right!” Azreal replied happily. Ace had a sad, almost pitiful look on his face. Azreal knew that Ace liked physical affection sometimes, but would get all flustered about asking for cuddles, so Azreal went ahead and took the initiative, pulling Ace into a tight hug. Life was so so bad, but so so good.

“...Thanks.” Ace murmured. “Tch, stupid skater boy…” Ace grumbled and blushed. Azreal smiled brightly and eventually let go of Ace.

“That nickname is seriously catchy.” Azreal muttered under his breath. 

“So, you think we still got a chance of a clean escape?” Ace asked. “There’s always a chance.” Azreal replied. “Alright. Well, fuck all, let’s go!” Ace called out.

And so, Ace and Azreal stepped out of the closet. They held each other's hand, escaping or not.

#danganronpa despair time #drdt #oc x canon #ace markey

[please-buckme]

Madripoor.

Bucky Barnes x fem!reader

Words: 2.3k

Warnings: smutty 18+, oral (m! Receiving), cursing, a lot of saliva

Summary: you meet Bucky at Sharon’s party.

The music thunderously blasts through the speakers as the party raged on. People grinding and kissing while their drinks splashed to the beat. The lights danced around the room, sprinkling around the party goers like confetti at a parade. And then there was you, totally drunk and having the time of your life.

The music ran through your body just like the alcohol you’d consumed. Madripoor was the place to be if you were looking for a good time, innocent or not so innocent. You found your way here after leaving home so many years ago. This was your place, you couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, especially after living here for so long. You’d die of boredom if you ever decided to leave.

Tonight you were at a fellow colleagues party; Sharon Carter. You ultimately came to do some business with her. She had something you wanted and you paid a hefty price to get it. Once you dealt with the matter at hand, you joined the party. Sharon danced and chatted with you but didn't have a drink herself. She told you she had business to attend to later.

Your eyesight was a little blurry when you scanned the crowd of people, but you suddenly had 20/20 vision when your eyes landed on them.

“Who are they?” You asked Sharon.

“Ah, the business I’m attending to later.” She smirked.

“Sharon!” You swatted her shoulder. “Good for you, girl.”

“Oh, God. No. Not like that. I mean, we have actual business to attend to later. You’re disgusting.” She scuffed, cringing at the idea of being with either man.

Your eyes locked with the icy blue ones that stared back at you, almost beakening you to come over. He smirked, his gaze roamed down your body, drinking in your features as you rubbed your thighs together.

“Mind if I introduce myself?” You ask, absentmindedly handing off your drink to Sharon.

“Um, sure. Go right ahead.”

The piercing blue eyes never left yours when you started walking across the dance floor to him.

“Hi.” He said flatly. You giggled, finding his grumpy demeanor kinda cute.

“Hi.” You say back, grabbing his hand. If you hadn’t lived in Madripoor for so long with all the crazy things that go on here daily, you would’ve been shocked to feel the cool metal of his hand against your palm. But you didn’t even flinch, if anything it made you want him more.

“What’s your name?” You asked, still shaking his hand.

“Ah, Winter Soldier.” He said nervously. “Yours?” “Summer Civilian.” Bucky grinned down at you, pausing the shaking of your hands and just held it there between the two of you.

“Ha ha.”

“Tell me your real name and I’ll tell you mine.” You challenge.

“I’m sort of in the middle of something- Ah, I’m undercover.” He released your hand to run his own through his hair anxiously.

“Your secret’s safe with me.” You challenge him again.

He leans in close to your ear, his hot breath fanning over your ear almost causes you to whimper, “I’m Bucky.”

You smile when he stands straight again, “I’m y/n.”“It’s nice to meet you, y/n.” He takes your hand and shakes it again.

“Same to you, Bucky.” You stand staring at one another until the other man breaks the sexual tension that’s blossoming against you and Bucky.

“I’m Sa- I mean Smiling Tiger.” He corrects.

You can’t help but to bust out laughing, “Smiling Tiger. You can’t be serious. That man is one of my biggest clients. I’m not buying that cover for one second. At least Bucky came up with a fake name.”

Bucky huffed out a laugh like sigh. The man claiming to be Smiling Tiger just rolled his eyes and walked away. You giggled staring down at your feet and back up to Bucky. He was gorgeous. He wore an all black suit that clung perfectly to his toned body. His large biceps were outlined to perfection and the pants he wore did his thighs a great justice. You wanted him and you wanted him now.

“Would you like to talk somewhere more.. private?” You asked, hanging your arms over his shoulders. You’d forgotten how drunk you were until you felt the weight of your arms on his shoulders. He didn’t seem to mind though.

“I- I shouldn’t. Like I said I’m in the middle of something right now. I have to stay where they can find me.” He gasps when your lips attach to his neck.

You smirk against his neck, “That’s fine. We can have fun right where we are.” One of your hands slides down his chest and past his toned stomach until your hand reaches its final destination on his crotch.

“Wow wow wow” he panicked and grabbed your wrist. “Are you crazy? We could get arrested for public indecency or something.”

You laughed hysterically, his innocence towards the situation made a warmth bubble up in your chest.

You lean in to him drunkenly as your fingers pad over his chest, “Bucky baby, this is Madripoor. Look around you. Everyone here is doing something that should be considered illegal. I could sink down to my knees and take you each by each in to my mouth and nobody would even blink.”

Bucky groaned at your words. You could tell he’d been deprived of sexual relations just by the way he reacted to your fingers dancing across his chest and the dirty words you spoke.

“Would you like that, Bucky? Would you like to watch me choke on your cock in front of all these people?” You ask. Your fingers made their way back down his body but found his hard cock this time. You gasped, “You would like that, dirty boy.”

“Goddammit” He cursed, pulling at your wrist again as he bulldozed through the crowd on the way to the bathroom. The door was locked when he smashed his way through. Two people had the same idea as you, they sat against the sink until Bucky ordered them to leave. With no hesitation, they ran through the now busted door. “So demanding.” You teased.

“On your fucking knees, Princess.” He ordered, latching the door.

You whimpered, “Yes, Sir.” You did as you were told, sitting on your knees in front of him while he unclasped his belt.

“You wanna suck my dick so bad,” he grunted, undoing the zipper and shimmying his pants down to his ankles. “Then you’re gonna. You're not coming up off that floor until I say. And when I’m done with your mouth, I’m gonna fuck that pretty little pussy of yours, you got that?”

“Oh, God. Yes.” You agree, pulling his underwear down his legs to release him. His cock spring free, slapping against his shirt.

Precum dripped from his tip and you whimpered. Bucky was larger than you’d expected, in length and girth. The veins of his cock pulsed in your hand when you started stroking him slowly. The tip was bright red and in need of release, which you had no problem in helping with that.

Once your lips closed around the tip, Bucky knitted his fingers into your hair and shoved his cock as far as he could down your throat. You gag as saliva collects in your mouth and runs down your chin. He pulls out and thrusts back in hard.

“This is what you want, right? To gag on my cock?” He grunts when you flick your tongue at his base. You just nod and gargle incoherent praise around him.

He starts with rough, slow thrusts, slamming in and out until your throat is nice and open for him. Then he fucks your face properly. You know by this point your makeup is completely ruined/gone due to the tears and drool running down your face.

At one point Bucky pulled out completely just to look at your fucked out state. His flesh hand roughly fingered your mouth, then smeared your own spit over your face.

“God, you’re so filthy.” He whimpered and then lined himself up with your mouth again, “You take me so well, Baby. Rub that pussy for me. Get it nice and ready for me.”

You moan against him and run your fingers over your wet folds. You insert one finger and whimper. You were soaked. Your wetness dripped down your thighs and onto the bathroom floor. You added another finger, hoping to stretch your walls enough for Bucky to glad right in. “Does it feel good, Baby?” He asked in a patronizing tone. You nodded, “Is your pussy ready for me now?”

He released you suddenly and your saliva dripped from his cock and your mouth to the floor. You’d already made such a mess of the bathroom and all you’d done was suck his cock.

“I asked you a question.”

“Yes, my pussy’s so ready for your cock.” You whine still stroking him.

He smirks down at you, grabbing your chin, “I’ll be the judge of that.” He lifts you from the floor with only his metal arm and carries you to the counter.

“Vibranium?” You ask.

“Yeah.” He answers confused as to how you’d know that.

“Nice.” You hustled for a living and vibranium was something everybody wanted. You were gonna get that arm somehow.

He sat you on the counter and positioned himself between your legs. You shimmied your dress up to your waist and lined him up to your entrance. Before he pushed in he grabbed your face and pulled you in for a bruising kiss. His lips felt warm and full against yours.

For a guy that was out of practice, his lips worked your mouth like his life depended on it. They were soft and inviting. His tongue roamed your mouth so delicately that you barely even noticed it was there. This was Bucky, the real Bucky.

He took your bottom lip between his teeth as he pushed his cock inside you. Both your moans filled the room as he bottomed out inside you. He entered you slowly before pulling out and slamming into you. You yelped when you felt him right at your hilt, the knot in your stomach twisting tighter and tighter.

“You're so deep, Bucky.” You whimpered.

“I know, Baby, I know. Just relax.” His thrusts were slower, helping you adjust. He praised you each time he bottomed out inside you, “You’re doing so good for me.” He’d say.

Once your walls relaxed around him, he picked up speed. He was holding back, you could tell, but was still pounding into you. Your hands wandered down to his ass as you coaxed him into going a little rough.

He got the hint immediately. He pulled out completely then slammed back in making your legs quiver. Then he pulled out again and flipped you over the sink. He reinserted himself and fucked you from behind. Somehow he felt even bigger in this position.

“Bucky-“ You moaned just before he brought his fingers down to your clit. “Yes- just like that. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

There was a mirror in front of you and he made eye contact with you the whole time he took you from behind.

Bucky owned you in this moment. He was marking you as his with his cock as he pounded into you. And by the way he rubbed at your clit, he was making sure you’d never find another man that fucked you like he did.

Your eyes clenched shut when the knot in your stomach was on the verge of snapping.

“Bucky, I’m- oh fuck.. I’m gonna cum.” You managed whimpered out.

“Cum for me. I’ve got you. Cum for me, Princess.” With that he picked up his pace just enough to push you over the edge. He pulled you up so your back was against his chest, driving his cock deeper inside you. You mewled as your climax peaked. Your walls clenched around him as your warm cum drenched his cock.

“That’s it, Baby. Oh, God, I can feel it, I can feel it. Give it all to me, Baby.” Bucky groaned and rubbed your clit a little more aggressively, making you jolt in his arms.

“You're gonna make me cum, too. Where do you want it?” He asks, still pounding into you.

“Let’s finish how we started, in my mouth.” He pulls out and you sink to the floor and insert him back into your mouth. You taste your wetness along with your cum as you suck him dry.

“That’s it. Just like that- fuck I’m cumming, Princess.” He groaned and stuttered his hips as he busted on your tongue. You hummed as his spend coated your tongue and throat. He had a unique taste. Cum usually didn't taste all that great but his did. He was salty and sweet, like salted caramel popcorn on Christmas.

He pulled out and collapsed on the floor next to you. You looked at each other, breathing hard and smiled.

“That was-“

“Incredible” You finished the sentence for him.

“Yeah” He chuckled.

“I guess you should get going. They’re probably looking for you by now.” You assured him.

“Yeah.” He repeated, “That was amazing, though. You were amazing. Thank you.”

You giggled, “Don't mention it.” You paused, locking eyes with each other for a moment until Bucky leaned in and kissed you again. The same softness from before that made you a little lightheaded. “Will I see you again?” You asked, breaking the kiss.

“Definitely.” He whispered, standing up now and tucking himself back into his pants.

“Good because next time that arm is mine.”

Bucky gave you a wide eyed look, “What?” He laughed.

“I want that arm, Bucky.”

He walked over towards, planting one final kiss to your lips. “You’ll get my arm, just not the way you're expecting.” He smirked before running out the bathroom door to look for the fake Smiling Tiger.

If Bucky did ever come back, you know you’ll never let him leave again.

Masterlist

Taglist: @haydens-moles @valkyrieofthehighfae @aurora-sweet @sebbystanlover-vk @youre-a-wallflower-charlie @nebulastarr @meegggoooo @skylerrae-solo @blondekel77 @notwithoutbarnes @gogolucky13 @buckysm3talarm @heavenlyseb @writersbuck @badassbuchanan @buckyownsmylife @buckysdolls @agent-catfish-kenobi @angelicbabydolll @yippikaiyaymotherfucker @seabassstanownsme

#bucky barnes #Bucky Barnes smut #bucky barnes fanfic #Bucky Barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader insert #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x y/n #tfatws #the falcon and the winter solider #tfatws fanfic #tfatws smut #tfatws fanfiction #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #bucky marvel #bucky barnes marvel #marvel cast #sebastian stan #sebastian stan characters #sebastian stan smut

[writingwithcolor]

Jewish and Muslim children of gods & biblical figures

hello! this blog has been an amazing help as a white, pagan writer and i just wanted to say thank you for that! 

i have a book i’ve been working on for about a year now, and the short summary is that it takes place in a world where if enough people believe in something existing, it does. from urban legends, cryptics, and religion.

the main story plot follows a group of teenagers who are the children of biblical figures (and later hellensism, since those are the religions i used to worship and now do), but several characters are different religions than that. i can’t believe it’s taken me so long to realize this, but isn’t it kinda… off? to have jewish and muslim characters be children of greek gods and biblical figures? i don’t want to completely erase that part of them, and its also stated in the story that the religions they believe in are true, also, but i’m neither muslim nor jewish, so i don’t want to just assume it’d be okay.

(also, for context, the plot causes such a diverse cast of characters. they are brought together because of they are their children, like percy jackson, i guess)

Here is a recent post that listed our concerns with inclusion of Jewish characters in settings where polytheism is literally true: Can Jewish authors write polytheistic settings?

One way I might fix the awkwardness of having the child of a "Greek god" convert to Judaism (lol backwards Chanukah?) is if, as in the linked post, the "gods" aren't actually on the same level of divinity as the entity in our prayers, but are just like, mortal superbeings that just happen to have way more power than regular humans. As for biblical figures, well, there are tons of Jewish biblical figures so if you want to write fanfiction about them that's legit, just do your research to make sure you're using Jewish interpretations about them that aren't filtered through Christian analysis. (And there are also Jewish characters in the New Testament.)

Honestly as a Jewish person I would not feel left out if I was not included in one of those polytheism-is-true stories. I may off-hand wonder where we fit into the worldbuilding, but that would be less distressing than some kind of depiction of being stubborn, wrongheaded, backward, and ignoring the reality in front of our faces, which is hard to avoid unless it's clear the gods are just, as I said, mortal superbeings and not literally divine and on the same level as HaShem. Which would be the other way of making me cool with it.

--Shira

Shira’s answer covers most of it for me, but I did want to come back to this part:

>>it takes place in a world where if enough people believe in something existing, it does.

There are a couple of things about this that don’t seem quite compatible with our theology, at least as I’ve been taught it.

First of all, this seems to be suggesting that Hashem was created by humans, through their belief? I don’t love that. I pray multiple times a day to the ‘Master of the universe, Who reigned before any form was created.’ Proposing a deity that exists simply because people believe in it doesn’t answer many of the questions that religions set out to deal with, such as ‘How did we get here?’ and ‘What does it all mean?’ And it’s fundamentally not the God I pray to.

Secondly, although this is pretty much what Shira already said, I want to point out again that monotheism and polytheism are obviously not compatible, unless you add certain caveats. Our prayers and other sacred texts repeatedly emphasise the ultimate Oneness of Hashem. Judaism just can’t be right in a world where Hellenism is also right, unless you go with the Greek gods being nothing more than humans with superpowers. In the post that Shira linked to, we already talked about including Jewish characters in polytheism-as-fact settings, and we highlighted the diversity of Jewish opinions on this (Shira and Dierdra: Yes, IF…; me: Pass, BUT…). I thought this was important to bring up again, because this sounds like an ‘all religions are true’ story and I wanted to highlight that these are not as inclusive as they may at first sound. They’re actually very difficult to pull off respectfully. Usually (not always), people who write that kind of story are the folks who have never had to fight for their beliefs or have them seen as anything other than the norm.

Finally, I’m curious about what this premise means for racism and other bigotries. Many people believe in a type of monster called a Jew who controls government and finance and kills babies for fun. Does that exist in your story, too? I’m not saying you can’t go ahead with this premise, but just something to think about: maybe there should be some checks and balances on the it’s believed = it’s true thing.

On another note, as Shira touched on, I was confused by this part:

>> to have jewish and muslim characters be children of greek gods and biblical figures?

According to our own traditions, we are the descendants of Biblical figures? I’m not sure what you thought would be off about that, but it would be kind of cool to see a character being singled out Percy Jackson style because they were a descendant of Yitzchak and Rivka – as long as it was well-researched and executed in line with how we view these figures.

--Shoshi

The Muslim portion of this character is open to followers. Muslim mods are not active at the time of this answer. We’ll recruiting for more mods; Muslim writers, feel free to apply anytime! https://forms.gle/qywJmrwcZj3E28nh8 

#Jewish #Muslim #supernatural beings #settings #worldbuilding #asks #submission

[hopeymchope]

How would you rank the 18 Class Trials from THH, DR2, and V3 from worst to best?

This is... virtually impossible for me, lol. Comparing the trials from each game to each other?

How about I just rank them within each game? That'll make it a little easier for me to deal with...

DR1

6) 5th. It's driven by lies and ultimately rushed to its end before the characters can draw any solid (pointless/meaningless) conclusions. So of course it's last for this game, and it’s probably last for the entire series as well. If there are any saving graces to this trial, it’s the surprise when your closest ally is willing to let our protagonist die... and that this trial contains the fake/bad ending route.

5) 3rd. Although the main culprit is pretty obvious from the jump, it requires some surprising twists to explain how everything got to be the way it turned out. But did I always find those twists plausible? Errrrm... not really. 

4) 2nd. Pretty good trial that's hurt for me by the fact that there'd barely be any need for a trial at all if a certain third party didn't dick around with the evidence for no reason. Also, the dual nature of Toko is an incredibly predictable reveal. Without those two aspects dragging it down, though, this could easily go higher.

3) 1st. Sure, the major hint given and, subsequently, the eventual culprit are pretty obvious, but this one establishes so much about how the trials work and how much the details you observe will matter that it’s still pretty fun that first time around. The initial surprise of the first victim makes for a great way to keep you invested in the trial experience. This trial is damn near iconic now, so it feels almost mandatory to respect it.

2) 6th. DR1 still has the best "final trial,” easily. SO MANY great reveals, and they all totally work for me. Nothing rings false or disappointing, and it also features Makoto finally coming into his own and taking the lead. I nearly labeled this my top pick for DR1, but...

1) 4th. It's easily the most emotionally dramatic/satisfying for me, and there’s something weirdly inspirational for me about Hina’s incredibly harsh stance during it. This one GOT ME IN THE FEELS, and in part that was because I saw so little of it coming. After the more predictable elements of the first and third trials, this felt like the writing was firing on all cylinders. 

DR2

6) 2nd. You have to accept a couple leaps of logic to make this trial keep flowing, and the fact that trial is ultimately reliant on someone noticing a candy that’s very small and hard to see while the person is also in a stressful situation and they are groggy from being drugged/asleep and it necessitates the person retaining this seemingly useless detail inside their brain .... that’s always bugged me.  The “escape route” conversation even retroactively raises questions about the first trial. Oof. On the upside, the reveals it brought us about Fuyuhiko and Peko were incredibly important, satisfying, and legit surprising turns. And it’s pretty cool how it’s basically a two-for-one combo trial because you have to solve the Twilight Syndrome case before you solve the current case. 

5) 3rd. Other people have pointed out the leaps of logic and missing pieces of this trial, but at the same time, the candlelight hanging is so intense and the ultimate reveal of the culprit is such a brutal turn that I have to give it some props. The culprit’s primary plan is ultimately one of the most ingenious in the series, IMO, and definitely one of the most twisted/fucked-up, which earns it some points. 

4) 4th. This is probably the single murder case in the franchise that I understood the absolute least about when entering the trial, for better or worse. On the one hand, that made it really fun to see the mystery gradually unfurl, but on the other hand, it made it tough for me to provide the right answers at certain points in the trial, leaving me fumbling. A big part of those issues was how it was initially hard for me to wrap my head around the nature of the funhouse via the provided 2D graphics... but once I eventually got there, I had to respect the creativity that went into devising such a “weapon.” Also, it can be hard to tolerate Komaeda in this trial. He’s even more of a know-it-all-but-reveal-none-of-it jackass than ever before, and his turn towards overt cruelty towards the others (and Hajime in particular) left me raging. The culprit reveal is good, but the motive does beg the question of why he didn’t just come forward from the jump.

3) 6th. There are a lot of great reveals in the final trial that totally reframe how you see the characters, and some of them are deliciously twisted. There’s also a ton of great dialogue provided, and in retrospect, it’s actually sort of neat to have one endgame mastermind reveal in this franchise that doesn’t involve the “They were hiding among us this whole time” trope. All that plus the surprise return of our surviving heroes from the first game! However, this is also where they officially reveal a core element of DR2 and its setting that I've never liked. This knocks the trial down a few pegs for me. Of course, by the time you reach the trial, I'm sure 99% of players have already figured that particular "twist" out. There’s adequate evidence to predict it in the first freaking chapter, and I know this because I DID predict it in the first chapter of my initial playthrough... which further hurts the supposed “reveal” of the island’s true nature when it comes around. 

2) 1st. Probably my favorite of the “first trials,” there are lot of components that go into this one. There’s a combination of two premeditated killers plus one spur-of-the-moment accidental victim, there’s a satisfying (though admittedly maybe too easy) reveal of the killer being one of the most unpleasant people to be around during the first chapter, and I really dig how audio became a very important component of the mystery due to the total blackout. This is also the part of the game where we learn just how twisted Komaeda really is, which is HUGE both in terms of its immediate shock factor for a total newcomer and in terms of its impact on the game as a whole. Of course, since it’s a “first trial,” it can’t be too complicated... but they still manage to confuse so many of us with “MEAT ON THE BONE” :P

1) 5th. Again, I will almost always give the most emotionally intense one the top slot. The “traitor reveal” is obviously THAT MOMENT in DR2. I also love how this one used the strange internal logic established early in the game RE: Komaeda’s luck to develop the eventual solution. And forcing us to make use of evidence gathered in multiple locations outside of the immediate site of the body/murder? That more complexity of that type that I see relevant to a trial, the more I appreciate it, and this one has loads of that stuff. Although I guess the investigation isn’t technically part of the trial itself... but it’s still very relevant to it. 

DRV3

6) 4th. I found this whole trial to be just... extremely predictable. Maybe it’s because I was so far into the series that I’d gotten used to its tricks by this point, but this was the most predictable trial for me since the first one in the first game. The whole looping/rollover map setup of the VR? Obvious. The murder weapon? Obvious. Our culprit’s ongoing confusion at everything discussed? Obvious. There were only a couple of points I didn’t have already figured out when I walked into the trial room, and those turned out to be basically irrelevant (such as the bottle of poison). The eventual motive is at least a surprise, but I also found it hard to accept that this culprit would really kill people over it. Overall: Super lame. 

5) 3rd. Another double murder trial, and once again one murder overshadows the other. The séance murder is definitely clever. Sure, you know the culprit pretty early on, but the methodology is the good part. However, the real fascinating one for me is the art lab “locked room” murder. Going into the trial, I couldn’t fathom how they were going to explain that one, and I found the answer both smart and satisfying. It’s funny to imagine how many times the culprit had to try that stunt with the lock before it actually worked, heh. This is probably the best of the three “double murder” mysteries in the series, but the trial isn’t as emotionally affecting as the 3rd trial in DR2 to me. Moreover, the trial loses points for the most infuriating Hangman’s Gambit of the series and especially for the motive reveal. When the killer’s motive can be boiled down to “they’re basically just a psycho serial killer,” it’s not very interesting.

4) 6th. The first part of the trial, which deals with re-assessing the first case? It’s pretty damn on-point. That leads to the mastermind reveal, which... isn’t great, really. It’s not a terribly interesting character to make the mastermind, they have no interesting motives or characterization to unevil, and they’re ultimately just a pawn behind another, off-screen group of masterminds. But then things get uproariously funny to me. The metatextual stuff is just so goddamn ridiculous. It’s frustrating and annoying how much of our not-mastermind’s explanation is clearly full of lies and half-truths that we’ll never have complete answers on, but that’s also part of what makes it all fascinating. We get to swap protagonists like four times! There’s a fake-out Game Over! These are really cool things. But it all leads down the road of our protagonist arguing that fiction does affect reality (yes, good), that fictional people can still matter (definitely) and that... fictional lives are equal in value to real ones? Uhhhhh slow down there, champ. That only works for YOUR universe, where fictional people can be made out of living, breathing individuals. But in light of the metatextual stuff you’re surrounded by, you kinda sound silly AF right now?

3)  2nd. Look, this is still incredibly irritating to me. Also, if you go down the alternate “lying” route at one point, you are forced to accept that these piranhas were somehow trained to only eat dead things, which is just... so deeply dumb.  But what is good is the entire ropeway conceit (which is a very significant part of the trial!) and the idea of the partition inside the tank. This was a murder with an elaborate, intelligent plan that is very well-executed. And the motive reveal? It’s one of the best in the series! I respect that stuff. (If I had the right to toss the execution in as part of the soup, I’d say that it’s also one of the series’ best. Let’s call it the icing on the cake.)

2) 1st. The writing that made this trial work is undeniably clever. The way the narration told us exactly what was happening without really telling us what was happening? It was a masterstroke of both great writing and perfect localization coming together. When it becomes clear during the trial what is about to happen, it’s a huge shock. The transition to another protagonist with the lights flickering out and back on is beautiful. Even the core concept of a protagonist who was willing to step up and try to kill the mastermind immediately is just deeply interesting. And obviously this one made my emotions run high. HOWEVER! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Kaede Akamatsu was a more interesting, unique, and compelling protagonist than Shuichi Saihara ever was. Ultimately, the protagonist-swap, no matter how well-written, was a mistake because they shifted us from a unique character with an interesting new perspective to a character who is, in many ways, “Makoto Naegi with even less self-esteem.” Yes, I know he has aspects that make him distinct as his own person, but there’s still just too much there that feels like we’ve done it before, and he never fully escapes from that. It feels like a massive waste and a huge missed opportunity to ditch Kaede like this. Now, if they had just done the protagonist swap in reverse — making us start out with Shuichi before flipping things over to Kaede — we could’ve had ourselves something amazing here.

1) 5th. I know I decided that I couldn’t rank all among each other, but if I did do that, I feel confident that the 5th trial in DRV3 would rank very high indeed. You go into the trial unable to even determine who the victim was due to the fact that two people are missing and there was nothing left of the body that spoke to an identity. Going into it, you naturally figure that one of the two missing parties has to be the victim and the other one is probably the culprit. But even with just two friggin’ suspects, the amount of turnabouts in the case that made me rethink all my assumptions was insane. Sure, the explanation for how the person inside the Exisal can maintain “character” is pretty damn thin, but once you get past that, I don’t think there’s a single false note in the trial. It even breaks unprecedented ground by continuing into another Non-Stop Debate after everyone has already voted. And of course, it culminates with a lot of intense emotion. Even the execution is emotionally satisfying! ..... although I’m not sure if I should count the execution as part of the trial, but hey, still. As far as Dangan trials go, the fifth one in DRV3 is basically a masterpiece.

#danganronpa #asks #danganronpa trials #drv3 #dr2 #dr1 #drv3 spoilers

[snaxpo]

fuck it bugsnax/s4m au notes

alternate title: i’m at that point in liking something where i have to combine it with everything else i’ve liked previously and today i’m making that everyone else’s problem. 

- base premise is a lil different! instead of being a journalist who was invited personally to the island by the expedition leader, you (or FK if you consider them a separate character from the player) are tasked with investigating the habitat, a budding commune on snaktooth island that may or may not be devolving into a cult. there’s just one teeny tiny problem - the commune’s leader and also your main suspect, boris habit, has been missing for weeks by the time you arrive. 

- now it’s a matter of gaining the inhabitants’ trust/getting them to come back to the habitat while hunting and subduing the bugsnax, who seem increasingly eager to launch themselves at inhabitants at quite literally dangerous speeds, in a battle of wits to keep your newfound companions fed while documenting the strange creatures. and of course, the question of just what happened to boris habit still lingers in the air. think like... talentless nana where the protag pretends to be all cute and unassuming (complete with flower motifs!) but really they’re there on Super Secret Spy Business. but of course there’s less murder. 

- oddly the bugsnax seem to have only become more aggressive after his disappearance. i’m sure it’s nothing. 

- yes everyone is still a grumpus

- there isn’t really an interview “mechanic” so much as it is a Lot of cozying up to everybody in pursuit of whatever information you can find on habit/potential group rituals/events that led to his disappearance; you get it by bits and pieces rather than a single structured interview. there is of course a lot more interactions between characters than there is in s4m’s base game bc thats like 60% of the appeal of bugsnax and i would be a fool not to think of it.

- time for ideas for specific characters! kamal is the vice-mayor of the habitat and has been habit’s right-hand grump for as long as any of the inhabitants can remember, despite their relationship becoming increasingly strained ever since their arrival on the island, and especially before habit’s disappearance. i imagine you still find him passed out but instead of collapsing from starvation he’s like "please.... toothpaste... a breath mint.... some pepto bismol. i’ve been able to taste my own breath for weeks." has been trying to divide his time between looking after the habitat and looking for habit himself (and also his best friend wallus) but the dispersal of the habitat has left him a tad Demoralized, to say the least.

- i feel like trencil would play a wambus-adjacent role in the sense that he's the one taking care of the sauce plants and also one of the first townspeople you meet. you convince to come back with you not necessarily bc he'd be able to continue farming in town but bc he would probably have an easier time looking for his daughter if he got some sleep first (but only if you look for her in his stead)

- gillis is like. a wannabe chandlo. makes you capture a bunch of snax that he Says he's gonna use to get stronger but eventually you find out he's been releasing them or keeping them in like lil makeshift pet houses bc he always takes one look at their big googly eyes and turns to mush. but EVERYONE'S eating them so naturally if they find out he's not they're gonna think he's some kinda wuss so he just pretends. 

- dallas keeps asking for sweet n colorful bugsnax to give to mirphy to impress her (sweetieflies, instabugs, etc etc.) but by some streak of bad luck they always end up being her least favorite. he tries to see if Maybe he can use them to make some new bugsnak-exclusive pigments, but like in canon they always end up turning into mush before he can get very far. mirphy meanwhile is far more interested in preserving them for a potential display, but similar to dallas, she never gets very far.

- i imagine the kid habiticians are like. a roving band of semi-feral children bc if anyone's gonna keep them in town it's definitely not kamal.

- i wanna do something with wallus SO BAD like you find him somewhere up in frosted peak but i have no idea what he would even DO its fucking killing me

- those are all the ideas i have For Now; s4m has more characters than bugsnax so there’s a lot to be done w/ them lmao. if i think of any more i’ll probably put it in another post or if anybody wants to spitball with me.......  👀

- and now we get to The Big Guns: habit.

- he was fun to work on w/ this au mostly bc despite being the rough equivalent of lizbert he’s a way different type of flawed leader than her; where liz is responsible to the point of martyring herself without a second thought and not thinking to delegate any tasks to the other snaxburg residents, which is what ultimately causes them to fall apart once she disappears, habit's deal is that he wants the position and appearance of an authority figure because it'll keep him safe, but he kind of sucks at taking responsibility for anything he does wrong because he’s spent most of his life acting according to what other people (namely his family) expect of him and being met with a negative reception no matter what, so he doesn’t really believe he has power over anything, including his own actions, despite being such a control freak for most of his own game. so his arc would need something that’s kind of antithetical to what liz had, wouldn’t it?

- so what i got so far is that au habit was tryin to covertly start a bugsnax cult bc he sees being asborbed by the snax as a sort of ascension and was eventually planning to have everyone be absorbed; it’s important to note however that bc information on bugsnax is so obscure he doesn’t actually 100% know how absorption works so tl;dr: habit became the bugsnax monarch willingly and then 5 seconds later he was like "oh no wait this fucking sucks. what have i done. shit. fuck."

- unable to cope with the realization that he was once again forced to act in accordance to someone (or in this case something) else's desires, he shuts down emotionally, becoming an empty husk of a grumpus while the bugsnax above run rampant thanks to the extra fuel and absolutely no restrictions until the Big Climax when habit is finally moved to take back control of the snax and by proxy Take Some Fucking Responsibility for knowingly luring people to cthulhu island. however this does leave the obvious question of if he was such an empty shell for most of the game why didn’t they just. eat him.

- the answer i eventually landed on was that his self-preservation instincts were still kicking on a subconscious level and during the aforementioned climax he eventually realizes that he does not in fact want to die, he just doesn’t want to keep living the way he is now (as part of an ancient hivemind beyond his understanding) or the way he was before (you know.)

- also fun fact: i was thinking about what his monarch body would be based off of bc the snakdragon, while cool as shit, didn’t feel right for him, and then i remembered that blooming onions exist. i imagine he’s in the middle acting as the flower’s “stigma”

- as for endings i’m thinking like. in the neutral ending kamal joins habit but its left ambiguous whether or not they'll ever be able to leave the island or if this is even a permanent solution (call that the paw in unloveable paw ending). in the good ending you bust habit outta his queen body after fending off enough bugsnax together and it’s super gross bc the undersnax as a whole is super gross but hey at least everyone’s leaving alive. i don’t know what a bad ending entails except most if not all of the cast is dead and habit is left alone on the island surrounded by reminders of his spectacular failure.

- hell i can even think of a sequel hook for the good ending like in canon bugsnax; some time after the ending/credits you ask habit just Where did he get the information on bugsnax that led to him being like “you could make a religion out of this” and the screen fades to black before you hear his answer. there.

- its almost midnight.

#text post #bugsnax #smile for me #smile for me game #s4m #bugsnax spoilers #au

[wonglix]

➺ sɴᴇᴀᴋʏ

⤷ staff!y/n x boyfriend!hyunjae

⤷ it’s not easy dating an idol, the sneaking around taking a toll on both of you. unfortunately for you, hyunjae isn’t only your boyfriend, but you also work with him - which makes sneaking around even harder. stress and the secretive manner of your relationship prove to be a lot for you handle when you forget a really important date.

⤷ fluff, lil’ angst

⤷ 1.3k words

you loved hyunjae with all your heart, but sometimes you wished that your relationship was just a little simpler; that you maybe met under different circumstances that wouldn't require you to hide your relationship, to sneak around behind everyone's backs. it's already tough dating an idol, but it's even more stressful to work with hyunjae every single day while pretending you're nothing more than coworkers; nothing more than an idol and their staff.

the numbers of times you were almost caught exchanging small pecks backstage were too many to count; the glances you kept giving each other getting you almost in trouble way too many times. it's nice being able to work with your boyfriend, if only you didn't have to smile and pretend that all the people hitting on him weren't making you upset sometimes. at this point, you want nothing more than to be able to be open about your relationship; at least being able to tell the company without fear of getting fired.

since you're both working in the same industry, you're both aware that time is precious and that stress is a constant factor of your relationship - making the few normal dates you have ever the more special. unfortunately, fights and arguments stemming from stress and missing each other are somewhat common, both of you being too busy to keep up a regular date-schedule.

you're currently talking through the boys' schedule with their managers when you catch hyunjae waiting for you from the corner of your eye. he's staring intently at you, impatience written all over his face while waiting for you. you wave your hand at him dismissively, hopefully making him understand that this will take a little longer. you can see him huff and puff while he turns to walk away, a small smile threatening to creep its way onto your face.

the meeting took a bit longer than you expected, a small bubble of guilt rising in your chest for making hyunjae wait for so long. rushing to the practice room, you're surprised to find that hyunjae wasn't there with some of the other members. younghoon sees you in the mirror and gestures for you to come in; sangyeon, jacob, sunwoo and changmin all turning to look at you.

"hey y/n! hyunjae already went home if you're looking for him.." younghoon said, a somewhat dejected look on his face. the confusion on your face was evident and ultimately was what made sangyeon tell you about the talk they had with your boyfriend earlier.

"huyunjae was kinda...upset earlier, y/n. he really looked forward to spending the day with you today, so when the meeting suddenly came up, he got upset and just went home to cool off." you looked between them with furrowed brows, shaking your head a bit at sangyeon's words.

"we hadn't planned anything for today, though? i get that he wants to spend time with me, but we didn't make plans for today, so i don't understand why he's so upset. i wasn't the one who called for a last-minute meeting, you know?" you could feel yourself getting a bit heated; thinking that hyunjae was overreacting and dragging the others into this mess for no apparent reason.

the silence that followed was almost deafening until jacob asked a simple question, "do you know what day today is, y/n?" confusion took over your features once more, blurting out a simple "friday?" that would've made the boys laugh if it weren't for the current situation.

"and what date?" changmin probed, all of them waiting for a look of realisation to wash over your face. pulling out your phone you glance at the date on your display, "today's the twenty-......twenty-third? today's the twenty-third?!" the frown on your face was replaced by the shocked look of realisation the boys have been waiting for, all of them nodding silently.

you let out a humourless laugh, refusing to believe that you forgot a date this important, "there's no way today's the twenty-thrid, right? i would never forget, i wouldn't..." the fake confidence vanished with every word, your lip quivering at the end of your sentence.

"you did forget, y/n. but instead of beating yourself up about it here, you better go see your boyfriend to celebrate whatever is left of your anniversary," you would nag at sunwoo for his bluntness under every other circumstance; right now you could only muster a small nod though, hurrying out of the practice room while hastily waving goodbye to the boys. you couldn't help the tears that were welling up in your eyes, the stress and regret making your emotions act up.

you tried calling your boyfriend multiple times while on your way to the dorm, all to no avail - he wasn't picking up and you weren't even blaming him. you could only imagine how sad he must be; not only did you wave him off like that but now it's also abundantly clear that you forgot your anniversary. hyunjae wasn't the only one looking forward to it, you too were excited to spend the day with him and do all the stuff you had planned - picnic date, excessive cuddling, exchanging little gifts.

reaching the dorm, you stopped before knocking, taking a shaky breath to calm you down a bit. finally having worked up the courage to knock you do just that - once, twice, thrice. nothing. you knock again, the door flying open this time before you were able to knock twice. you're met with eric's displeased face, his brows furrowed.

"in his room," was the only thing he blurted out before he went back into the living room, leaving you standing in the doorway. maybe you'll scold eric for being rude later. maybe.

rushing to take your shoes and coat off you hurry to hyunjae's room, knocking on his door softly. he didn't answer, so you knocked again, "baby, it's me. i'm sorry, please let me in." it was silent for a bit until you heard the door unlock, though he didn't open it. slowly opening the door, you're met with your sulking boyfriend, sitting on his bed and playing on his phone.

slowly walking over to him, you sit down beside him, just looking at him for a bit. it's clear that he's upset, but he seems to be more sad than mad or angry. sighing you cautiously take his hand in yours, a small smile on your lips when he doesn't pull away. lifting his hand to your lips, you press a few soft kisses to his knuckles before you start speaking, "i'm sorry baby. i didn't mean to forget, but it's just been so much work lately. i'm happy you and the boys are getting the attention you deserve, but it's making my life a lot harder." hyunjae lets out a dry laugh at that, the smile on your face growing at the sound.

"you know i love you baby, and i was looking forward to it just as much as you were. i promise we'll celebrate, alright? just a bit later than planned. a belated anniversary, if you will." hyunjae finally turns to look you in the eyes, a small sigh leaving his lips.

"it's alright, i know how hard you work. i was just so excited to finally have a day just for us, you know?" nodding you lean forward a bit, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "i know baby, but we’ll catch up on it. how about we get some midnight snacks, and you stay the night at my place? i still have to give you your gift, you know."

he thinks about it a bit, his grip on your hand tightening a bit. "can i pick a movie?" you nod, a small giggle leaving your lips; hyunjae smiling at the sound. he leans forward a presses a chaste kiss to your lips, murmuring a little "happy anniversary, dork." against your lips. you nuzzle into his neck, wrapping your arms around his torso. "i promise i’ll make it up to you, jae."

#the boyz #the boyz fluff #the boyz hyunjae #the boyz scenarios #the boyz angst #the boyz drabbles #the boyz x reader #the boyz fanfic #the boyz au #the boyz imagines #the boyz oneshots #the boyz reactions #hyunjae #hyunjae fluff #hyunjae imagines #hyunjae scenarios #hyunjae angst #hyunjae x reader #hyunjae fanfic #hyunjae oneshot

[dismuch47]

ADVANCED SETTINGS (Part 4)

And finished. Free... I’m FINALLY free! To write small drabbles that don’t consume like longer ones! Lots of fun had on this, though. Haven’t dabbled in smut for a long time. I enjoy it’s challenge, but I wouldn’t say I prefer it. I can never write smut just for smut’s sake. There always have to be a challenge and/or lead-up... and that can be exhausting... or I put all the love and effort into that and feel spent before the sexy bit and I’m just... stuck. Ah well. My personal writing hang-ups...

Advanced Settings: Wanda and Vision find there is more to iron out in making their relationship “work”. Rated Explicit. No little eyes please. 

There was a new humor to the hotel room, a lightness, compared to the tensity which the two occupants had previously tiptoed around. Now, however, it was rather hard for the two to keep their hands from one another. Wanda finally broke away first, taking charge, insisting on breakfast to “fuel up,” and then disappeared into the bathroom for a considerable amount of time. Vision was rolling in the squeaky food cart when she re-emerged. The noisey wheels halted as he admired the view.

She had brushed out her hair and it hung in soft, billowy auburn waves. Her face had been renewed with a brisk cleansing, and just a hint of concealer and gloss to give her skin a glow that Vision could see even without them. She had reclaimed the hotel bathrobe, but it was open and sagged around her shoulders as she posed in the doorframe…revealing a black bra and panty set that showcased her toned and ample feminine assets. It wasn’t frilly, but it was most affective in it’s function.

“Costume change.” Wanda said, feeling pretty damned delicious… and pretty satisfied that her synthezoid boyfriend couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. She stalked towards him, playfully twirling the robe belt in her hand. If only she had some black pumps to complete the seductive ensemble… Wanda picked up an apple, cleared her throat to continue the conversation that had been conducted through the closed door. “To answer your previous question, no. I didn’t know that would happen like that. That we could connect and you feel MY physical sensations. The mindstone was the conduit…I just…pushed my will alittle harder.” She winced a little, biting her lower lip. “Maybe I should have asked first.”

“It was indeed perplexing, in the beginning.” Vision retorted, closing the gap between them. “But I am considerably appreciative that you did so. I am ever in awe of your capabilities and strength…” He reached to embrace her, lowering his face to hers for another consuming kiss… but she brought the apple to her lips quicker and sauntered away from his grasp. He blinked, but gave a small grin as she circled the cart, pretending to be more interested with its contents.

“Eating.” She took a juicy bite of the fruit, making approving noises.

“Wanda…”  

Was the synthezoid actually getting… a little impatient? That was new and thrilling to Wanda. “Then I don’t suppose you would mind us exploring that connection for more of your… sensory education? For science, of course.”

“Naturally.”

“Naturally.” She returned his sly grin. “Maybe explain your hypothesis again.” He opened his mouth to answer. “While you remove your clothing.” She tilted her head at him. “And slowly. No phasing.” She sank her teeth in for another crisp bite.

This was certainly a new side of Wanda. She was exponentially more excited for the possibility of Vision’s capacity to participate in pleasure from their intimacies. Though it be through atypical means. He started with the top button of his blue dress shirt, single handed. “Our connection, via the mind stone, grants me access to feel your body’s organic sensory design, emotionally… and physically. First hand.” His shirt fell away from his chest, sliding down his maroon and vibranium striated arms. This was clearly a show for Wanda’s benefit, but it did give him validation to see her touch her skin and flap her hair to cool her perspiring neck. She faltered in the action as she saw his hands migrate down his stomach to his belt. “I believe that by observing your mental perspective and carnal responses, I may be able to calibrate and script my own genuine… outputs.” He unzipped the front of his pants. “Learning physical intuition, rather than imitation. Would that please you, Wanda?”

She was nodding mindlessly, until she came to herself again. “Y-yes. Yes. It would.” She put her apple down. “How about you?”

He cocked his head at her. “I believe I have already expressed my compliance to this experiment.”

“Vis I know, I just…” Wanda sighed and went to him, taking his hands from his clothing and sitting him down on the edge of the bed. She dropped the seduction act. “I just remember my first time. And I know this technically isn’t your first time, outwardly, but there’s just so much…” In a flurry of vague hand gestures, she lost her train of thought with all she was trying to help him understand. Rather badly. She let out another sigh. “There’s vulnerability and a lack of control… which can be liberating…but also kinda scary at first. I just don’t want you to be overwhelmed and not tell me. Because you want me to be happy.”

Vision brushed some of her hair back behind her ear in a comforting motion. Touched at her concern, recalling the complete feeling of her love he had been engulfed in not 50 minutes prior. “I am… eager… to endeavor this with you, Wanda. Nothing makes me feel more human than testing the capabilities of this synthetic form.” He met her eyes. “But you will have to accept that such enthusiasm is over-shadowed by my desire to please you. It’s become a bit of cornerstone in me, actually.” His soft smile was cautious, as he tried to read her expression. “Is… is that alright?”

She smiled back and held his strong chin. “Yes.” She gave him a peck on his cheek. “I know the feeling.” She rose to her feet, shedding the plush robe completely and tossing it to a nearby winged-back chair. “But I think I’d still feel better if you at least had… I don’t know… a safe word? In case you need a moment.”

The synthezoid arched a brow at her insistence. Vision was familiar with the concept of a “safe word”… usually attributed to more aggressive erotic acts. With costumes and props to aid in stimulation. It was data he had once sifted through briefly out of curiosity, but ultimately pushed aside with disinterest. A safe word was usually a common, non-sexual noun with possible sentimental significance. He looked down at his hands in his lap for a moment.

“How about… Paprika?” he offered.

Wanda failed at suppressing a dimpled grin. “Okay. ‘Paprika’ it is. Use it if you need to.” She saw that his unfastened pants were still on. “Now take those off.”

He grimaced at the reminder, but obeyed. “I understand there is a pace to sensuality… and I am more than content to comply… but as we both know that this is leading to coitus, should we not perhaps just-“

Wanda’s index finger pressed to the mind stone, surging her essence into him, drawing him into herself. Her heart a steady but enthralling rhythm, pumping heat to her centers… just by looking at him. Vision saw through her eyes, that roved over his body and how it delighted her. The curves and dips of his thick neck and shoulders, the swell of his pectorals, down the ridges of his abdominals, the dip of his shallow navel, and though his green briefs  still denied her access to his groin, Vision’s sculpted thighs more than atoned for the censorship. His body was perfectly compiled for her pleasure, not just battle.

She lustfully schemed where she would kiss, cup, bite, suck, grind and ride to elicit pleasure noises from him. She became wet just thinking about hearing him articulate his ecstasy for the first time… the anticipation of it all such delectable torture…

Vision gave a soft gasp as Wanda withdrew her touch from the gem. He had to catch himself from falling back into the bed, but then slowly lowered himself to his elbows, reeling from the contact.

Wanda drank in the sight of his body stretched out like an offering, thighs parted wider than they had been before. She scrunched her nose, noticing his breathless response to the connection. “Sorry, Vis. I… I should probably warn you before I do that.”

The synthezoid observed his own heaving body, incredulous at it’s power over Wanda’s mind. Of course he had known she could be visually aroused by him, but knowing was quite different from feeling it. His blood pulsed with his excited core, while trillions of laced circuitry signaled to recreate the stimulation that his mind had just learned. It became a state without reprieve, though it needed it. The wanting.

“Vision?”

He glanced up at Wanda speechless, his enlightened eyes tracing her pleasing, creamy curves and swells… feeling increasing wanting, or was it hunger, for them to be at the mercy of his tireless administrations. Mesmerized with the idea of her climaxing as she was with him. Vision’s gaze rested on Wanda’s thighs, knowing their throb and heat… and feeling it in his own.

She looked down at him splayed out on the bed, not responding to her call. “Paprika?” She asked.

Vision’s eyes slowly blinked and met hers, posture no longer a startled reaction… but an invitation.

“Not even close.” He murmured.

Wanda smirked at his lusty retort, whether he realized it sounded so or not, and crawled into a straddle position across his lap. She finally rewarded him with a kiss, lowering her head down to his, her hair a russet curtain around their faces. He knew and could authentically reciprocate this part. Very well. His head tilted to the side as their lips opened to each other, giving and taking. Wanda made soft noises, pleased with the new-found urgency of his lips and tongue. Vision reached up to bury his maroon digits in her silky hair, pulling her down with him as he reclined back into the mattress.

“I’m… I’m gonna…” Wanda breathed between kisses. She slid her hand back up towards the mind stone. Vision gave a nod to acknowledge her warning, but his head still fell back with the sheer force of their fusing. His, HER, lips were swollen with use…a fascinatingly tiring and addicting state. He responded with more use of that moist, delicate flesh, only to hear himself softly moan with her.

More. She wanted more. And he wanted more.

Wanda tossed her head back, exposing access to her neck as the synthezoid meticulously worked his way down from her jawline. He found the hollow dip of her clavicle, giving an experimental lick. A pleasurable shudder made its way down Wanda’s spine, and she cradled Vision’s head as she felt him inhale sharply, experiencing the response for himself.

Graceful hands skimmed up her back and around to the ample front, under the swell of breast. Vision’s thumbs gently circled the soft flesh, until he discovered the arousal he was eliciting in her. Wanda licked her lips and pursed them firm to keep from making more undignified noises… but as the circles widened with urgency and eschewed her bra away from the mounds…

“Vision….” Wanda pleaded. The heaving of his chest raised her up and down visibly. She propped herself up with her free hand, for stability, but gave a flick of her wrist before placing it on the bed. Scarlet energy aggressively unhooked the back of her bra.

“Thank you, darling…” Vision breathed, seizing the offending braw and tossing it away from them, before latching boldly to a breast. Wanda gasped, swearing she could hear him do the same against her taunt skin. A couple of times, her hand nearly lost it’s placement on the stone upon Vision’s head, but he didn’t waver in his enthusiasm.

She hummed her rapture, toes curling. Everything felt like new. For the first time. To have her lover finally able to feel the joy that he gave her every time they came together. She gasped when he sat up abruptly, fearing that it was all too overwhelming and reprieve was needed… but was instantly relieved to feel his hand roving down her tight stomach.

Vision’s investigation of Wanda’s neurological feedback led him to further questions that had no answers, at least not that words or data could supply. Very frustrating for the logical being, yet the curiosity of bodily excitement far out-weighted any perplexity that would prevent him from continuing exploration. He bent forward, lingering between the smooth valley of Wanda’s chest, as she arched her back. He felt her spine stretch and arch back, appreciating not only her flexibility… but the conundrum of being in a vulnerable and compromising position, completely at one’s mercy. The tenderness and trust an aphrodisiac.

The butterflies in Wanda’s stomach, fluttering downward felt like they were his own. Vision chased them with one hand while the other steadied, and kneaded, at a pert flank. The motion encouraged an involuntary buck and rhythm from her hips. One that the synthezoid felt in his being as well. She needed release. Immediately VIsion’s assuring touch was at her moist entrance for service. His thighs twitched to feel the complete gridlock of nerves flaring up with pleasure at the firm contact to her womanhood. He let out a gasp with her.

Wanda suddenly straightened, colliding back into him, forcing his head up to look at her. Their connection severed.

“No… not like that. Not for your first time…” Wanda insisted, flushed and light-headed. She kissed his nose, and down to his lips, wet and consuming. She pushed him back into the bedding. She ran her hands down his neck, following his reflective patterning, and over the pectoral muscles of his chest.

Vision’s breath hitched as she lingered there, stroking, circling, and pinching at the maroon surface exposed beneath the vibranium plating. True that he didn’t have the responsive peaks that his girlfriend had, but their exploring had challenged his body to interpret the sensitivity and to replicate. It wasn’t exactly the same as a human’s organic response, but it was originally and genuinely his. He sighed, a leg flexing in response to his processor’s messaging as Wanda nipped at the area. It swarmed coding within him… and then faded to a docile buzzing as her contact left him.

He realized he must have been lost in his processing, as Wanda was now smiling down at him, expression of serene wonderment upon her face. She reached down and placed a hand on his cheek, thumb caressing his parted lips. Vision gently grasped her wrist, turning out her palm so he could kiss the tender flesh. Those hands… that could make a being like him feel so alive. With soul.

Loved.

Wanda grinned assuredly, slipping her hand from his grasp. Down her hands caressed over angled abdominals, relishing the rise and fall of his stomach, down to the defined V that was still partially concealed by his green briefs. As if a mind-reader himself, Vision phased through the obstructive material. The human arched her brow and began shedding her last bit of clothing too… though much more ungracefully.

“Yeah, I can’t do that…” she grunted. She grimaced… then giggled into his chest as she freed herself from the panties, eventually holding them in the air victoriously, then tossing them to the floor.

Vision chuckled down at her silly smile as he brushed her disheveled hair from her face. But the playful curve of her smile faded, overcome with desire. She kissed him again, nearly missing his lips in her haste. He readied himself, a process that even Wanda couldn’t exactly help him fully experience… lacking the precise equipment herself… but that was no matter. Her urgency spurred on his own into a frenzy. She lined herself up with him, up on her knees, hand spread against his chest.

“Vis…”

“Yes. I understand.” He didn’t fully. On the cusp of understanding, really… but it seemed the right thing to say. “I want you too, Wanda.” Completely true.

This seemed to quell Wanda’s hesitancy, as she reached up once more to the golden infinity stone embedded in her lover’s forehead. Vision arched, unprepared for the intensity as Wanda lowered herself upon him. She moaned loudly, the feel of his fullness within her long overdue. She rolled her hips, forward, and back, and forward even further before receding back, like a sensual ocean tide. Vision’s hands grasped at her waist, at first just to hold on to something, but they eventually slid closer to her pelvis to oblige the erotic friction. He pushed up when she moved forward, giving her the stretch and fullnesss she craved, and down to collide into her swollen apex as she rocked back.

But she nearly lost it when she heard Vision emit a hesitant rumble, soft and throaty. One that usually came out when contemplating intellectual disputes and his conclusions were challenged… but then it bled into a wanton groan. It came again…

This was much more than pleasant buzzing and mysterious sensations to be explored leisurely. These were profound currents that the synthezoid was trying to wade through, and he feared being completely swept away. He clutched at Wanda’s hand upon his chest, desperate for her navigation. He saw the familiarity and comfort of her glowing shores but was alarmed by the utter digital cosmos within himself, meteors darting in brilliant, angular patterns. They seared their way down his body, not painfully. The opposite of pain, but still rather unnerving. Or rather... unknown.

Vision’s other hand shot above him to seize the top of the headboard, only vaguely aware that he had begun to levitate from the mattress. Between Wanda’s blindingly rapid pace, their energies mightily infused, and Vision’s system trying to prevent from overloading… both failed to notice.

Wanda was close, trying her best to keep her hand glued to the stone, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. She tried to slow, tried to savor for Vision’s sake, but the spasms seized her fiercely. Which Vision’s inter-workings had the impossible task to comprehend. Brilliantly burning surges quivered along their angular paths… only to deviate free, melding into each other and trickling down… hot… liquid gold.

The synthezoid convulsed with pleasure, his grunt tinged with digital glitch. Wanda’s awareness came back to her as she heard a splintering crack.

And then the world fell beneath them.

Or rather they dropped from five feet in the air, back onto the bed. Which of course broke in two under Vision’s dense weight.

Wanda squeaked with the impact, and covered her mouth in shock. She shot a glance up to her boyfriend, who looked just as startled as she did… only he was holding a bit of headboard that he had broken off before the plunge.  

“Oh dear…” he breathed. “Uh…’paprika?’”

***

Despite Vision’s unconsolable guilt of the property damage he had done, feeling that he had broken the hotel’s trust and rooming agreements, Wanda was able to remedy the furniture rather promptly. Her hands glowed red, collecting every piece and splinter, restoring the bed-frame back to it’s former, structural integrity. It took a few minutes of coaxing to convince the synthezoid that it could hold him without collapsing, but now he laid upon it, sheet wrapped around around his waist. Wanda was picking at the now cold breakfast foods, clad in the robe… which she was seriously considering stealing.

“She said…what?” Vision rolled to his side, propping his head up with his hand to regard Wanda. “Well that is…”

“I know. I was upset for you.” Wanda seethed, feeling her former upset from the previous day’s tasteless conversation. She stabbed at the muffin on her plate. “It was so… so…”

“Fascinating, actually.” Vision interjected. He regarded her reaction. “Well, at least I was contemplated amongst my team at all. Not favorably, I’ll grant you… but at least I was enough apart of the tribe, if you will, to be appraised for my humanity…or lack of. I find that oddly comforting.”

Wanda shook her head. “You’re too good for your own good, Vis.”

He cocked his head at her. “Well… they are off crammed in some shack, contemplating my sexual capacity while I’m here making love to the most exquisite woman on the planet, breaking beds.” Vision grinned slyly. “It’s hard to wallow with such margins in my favor, Wanda.”

The woman smiled deeply, dropping the wounded muffin completely. “Is it me, or are you more audacious than before?”

Vision rumbled in his throat. “Mmmm… audacious. I love it when you speak deliciously so…” He adjusted himself to a kneeling position while Wanda crawled towards him. “You know, darling, I think my system is finished with its recalibrating.”

“Oh?” Wanda slipped her arms around his broad shoulders.

“Settings adjusted. Scripts fine-tuned…”

“Hmmmm…” She brought her face teasingly close to his.

“I think a second go would prove to be… rather enjoyable. And less destructive, of course.”

“Of course.” She mimicked, before planting her lips against his.

They took their time, with hands entwined, gentle kisses and tender smiles. Glittering, scarlet waves below skies of emerald nebulas and golden comets. Only a thin veil of skin and vibranium keeping the soulmates from melding into each other completely.

#scarletvision #wandavision #wanda maximoff #vision #advanced settings #fanfiction #FOR THE FANDOM #ready to move on from this #there was going to be more #I just got burnt out #hopefully that didn't come through in the pacing #I wanted to include wanda seeing Vision the way he sees her #dinner and a picture by a bridge #more vaguely described sexy timez #and then a goodbye at the trainstation #but NO #I'M DONE #MOVING ON #I just love these soulmates SO MUCH

[edwad]

man i have been a marxist for a few years now but recently in the past month or so after finding out about value-form theory, reading you and some other people's stuff and listening to heinrich lectures its like... god has everything ive known just been kinda wrong. like a lot of the way ive read marx has been refuted in a way that seems more correct i guess and on one hand its cool that im learning more but also it feels kinda depressing that so much of the theory i have been exposed to is 1/2

kinda just wrong. like where do i go from here? how do we ever even abolish the value form, is it just waiting for a crisis or what? sorry if this ask seems overstepping LMAO its just a kinda shocking realisation listening to ur podcast & going down that rabbit hole has sent me to i guess? i probably just need to read more about this all 2/2

this is also how it felt for me at first tbh, not just in disappointment about the amount of time i spent on stuff i no longer agree with, but also money on books etc that no longer really interested me lol. the good thing is that at the end of the day i think this is probably the best way to get into these kinds of critical/heterodox approaches because it gives you an idea of what they're pushing away from and you can sorta verify that stuff for yourself based on your own knowledge of the traditional interpretations. it'd likely be different and maybe less convincing if you started with something like heinrich's capital intro (which i've always said serves as more of an intervention into the literature rather than working as a proper introduction, at least for english audiences) and simply received its claims about worldview marxism etc without really knowing anything about what that means or why it's important. so i get your frustration (happened to me too) but i think this is probably the best way for this sorta thing to happen tbh.

as for the political project, i think it still obviously needs to be a communist one, just with stricter parameters and a stronger sense of what we won't allow through the door, a negative bar which has to be cleared. unfortunately i'm not sure there are concrete political implications which develop out of so-called "value-form theory" (which is a very, very broad camp) in terms of what we ought to do now or next, but i don't see this as a weakness. it's a better critique/understanding of the system we're in and the limits we're up against, not a ready-made revolutionary program. i know heinrich got some pushback for ultimately concluding as much in his red may talk on the political implications of form analysis (he said very little to answer this question in a way that satisfied viewers because they seemed to expect a positive proposal rather than negative critique, which i'm not convinced the analysis can or should be used for).

this is one reason why we're seeing a huge growth in "VFT" supporters among various tendencies. some of the earliest and most important writings on these topics were from leninists (rubin is a case-in-point, heterodox maoist/maoish thinkers like bettelheim, trots and post-trotskyists like chris arthur), anarchists/autonomists (holloway, bonefeld, open marxism as a whole really), etc etc etc. we've certainly passed the point in the anglo world where for a few years it seemed that to be interested in an analysis of the value-form meant that you were an endnotes reader. the political question is still an open-ended one, and people are certainly developing more sophisticated communisms out of the pairing of existing political projects with newer readings of marx, so there's not an easy answer to the "what should we do" question. that's still very much for us to figure out and work at, same as it always was. but at least we can be more careful in our tactics and prescriptions! and that's a good thing.

anyway yeah keep reading/listening/watching/etc! and feel free to reach out for book recs or if you have any other questions about this stuff.

[amimons]

Miraculous Sweet-ember (Sept. 22nd)

September 22nd: Heroes’ Day (Catalyst & Mayura)

Catalyst kicks off our two part season 2 finale (a very incredible season finale I should note.) We finally see the moment where Gabriel Agreste enacts Nathalie to help with his evil schemes. The plan is grand, so big that it involves akumatizing multiple citizens at once through Catalyst, Nathalie’s akumatized form. With her to enhance his powers he is able to become Scarlet Moth and send out dozens of scarlet butterflies which can create and army of akumas to do his bidding. A brand new scenario our heroes have never faced before. In order to create an army he must first make multiple people feel emotional distress all at the same time so he can akumatized them. 

The way this is gone about was kinda jaw dropping. With Lila making her way back into the picture this episode, he targets her so he can use her to become Volpina once more. She willingly helps Hawkmoth due to her bad blood with Ladybug and creates the perfect illusion to shake Paris to its core. Volpina makes Paris witness the downfall of Ladybug and Chat Noir with an akumatized Ladybug trying to obtain Chat’s miraculous for Hawkmoth. Although we know it was a fake battle it was hard not to get wrapped up in an evil version of Ladybug working to take down her own partner. What was even more shocking was when mirage bug used mirage Chat’s cataclysm against himself, turning him to dust. Just seeing that imaginary was crazy and one of the best moments from this half of the finale. Hawkmoth’s plan worked perfectly and many of Paris’ citizens were experience intense emotions at the sight of this event. With Hawkmoth creating the ultimate army Ladybug and Chat Noir had to gather all hands on deck. We finally get the core five super team coming together for a battle. 

Mayura is when we finally get to see just what is the deal with the peacock miraculous in the Agreste mansion. This episode is packed with so many good plot points and character arcs that it would a shame not to cover them all. So for this one I must do a bulleted list. 

The Core five fighting side by side finally 

Carapace trying to help Rena Rouge overcome Dark Cupid’s arrow from taking over her to prevent her from being akumatized 

Chloe trying her hardest to help Ladybug even when her parents get involved in the fight 

Ladynoir having to escape to the sewers and charge up their kwamis leading to Adrien saying the most powerful piece of dialogue ever (you and me against the world) 

Just seeing them out of their supersuits as Adrien and Marinette talking to each other as Ladybug and Chat Noir - its super cool visual 

Them jumping off a ledge to land in the water, without a word they both trusted each other not to look at their destransformed selves (and both did have their eyes closed)

 Ladybug’s lucky charm being an empty miraculous box and walking up to Hawkmoth demanding he hands it over (and even tried to convince him to fight for good) 

Defeating Scarlet Moth and having our lost heroes rejoined the fight for a now one on five fight against Hawkmoth

CARAPACE THROWING HIS SHIELD IN HAWKMOTH’S FACE!

Marinette’s class helping her throw that picnic she promised 

oh and as if I could forget Adrien’s speech to Marinette and how she is their every day Ladybug 

oh oh oh and Marinette gathering the courage to run up to Adrien and KISS HIM ON THE CHEEK (cue Adrien’s soft smile at Marinette) 

Mayura’s chilling introduction was extremely significant. She is now an ally to Hawkmoth and can make him an even bigger threat. Just seeing Gabriel’s reaction to her using the Peacock miraculous alone was kinda frightening.  We learned there was a cost to wielding the peacock miraculous. It was corrupted and negatively impacts the holder’s health. This gave us answers as well as more questions. The connection between Emilie Agreste’s disappearance/coma state was finally forming around the peacock. The mystery behind the Agreste family and the miraculous is an on going discovery and one of the most interesting plot points in the series. 

About Sweet-ember:

For the month of September I wanted to spread some positivity and praise Miraculous Ladybug on the things I’ve appreciated/enjoyed from the show.

Everyday I’m going to select one particular moment, event, theme, etc. from an episode of Miraculous and shared what I liked from that episode. Each post will discuss 2-3 episodes (from season 1-3; 78 episodes in total).

Whether its something big or small there is something positive that I can take away from every single episode of Miraculous.

Please feel free to add a moment from these particular episodes that you loved to this post as well!

Salt towards the show, characters, ships will not be tolerated!

Sweet-ember posts

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]

[18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31]

#miraculous ladybug #ml sugar #ml sweet-ember #heroes' day #Catalyst #Mayura #mine

[evolsinner]

⊱┊7

with the moment past {definitely not mentally}, i make my way to the lounge.

“hey, rosé?”

i see him seated on a 3 seat sofa.

a, i hope he didn’t see the way i shaved my hair down there into a love heart... b, he def saw my boobies!!

“y~yes, mr killian?”

“you hungry or something? i can order you some pizza.”

hell, i’m famished, can’t remember the last time i ate.

“no, aha…”

“you sure?”

“actually, yeah, i am, a little... sorry if that’s an inconvenience.”

“no, not at all! don’t be silly. i’m starving.”

i restrict a smile.

“here,” he shifts to the side, patting the middle seat, “make yourself comfortable. i’ll order some now.”

i place his hoody on the armrest and sit on the other end instead; don’t have it in me to sit right next to him. we would be like idk touching and whatnot. amongst the remote and his wallet, he grabs his phone from the middle seat, dialling a number.

“pineapple on pizza?” he faces me, holding the phone to his ear.

i fucking love pineapple on pizza.

“100%,” i reply confidently.

he grins.

i have just found my soulmate.

i admire how laid back he looks: his white untucked dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal thick veins and a dark tan, tie tossed on the table. is this how every male teacher looks after work?

‘cause, yummy!

“takeaway. one large vegetarian and one large hawaiian...with extra pineapple, please,” sir glances at me adorably. “cheers, sweetheart,” he hangs up after giving his number and address for the order. “should be here in 40 mins,” he informs me, “catch,” and tosses the remote at me. “pick a movie. make it a good one. i’m gonna go freshen up quickly.”

can i come?

-ˋˏ ༻🍷༺ ˎˊ-

i struggle to find a goddamn movie!

sir’s phone vibrates and i look across at it. why does that thing be buzzing and ringing all the time? i mean... hmm… i lean all the way back, peeping down the hallway. i listen to see if the shower is still on.

🚿pshhshhshhshhshhshh

oh good, it’s still on. i sneakily pick up his orange google pixel 4 xl mobile phone. okay, let’s see, what’s his passcode? says his pin contains at least four digits. hmm...

1 2 3 4

incorrect pin entered

4 3 2 1

incorrect pin entered

6 9 6 9

incorrect pin entered

his birth year, maybe?

1 9 8 1

incorrect pin entered

it’s definitely mine, then.

2 0 0 0

try again in 30 seconds

fuck, what is it?!

now i’m adamant.

a while later, i listen for the shower again. no sound. fuck me! i also haven’t even picked a movie yet! i grasp the remote and quickly flip through the movies. in ‘newly added’ a film that goes by the name ‘barefoot’ {2014} appears. this’ll do. i haphazardly click on it, put his phone back in the middle seat and swiftly bring my knees up on the sofa.

bathroom door opens and mr killian returns, setting himself down.

and ohhhh boy, oh jesus h. christ, he is wearing grey sweatpants. grey. sweatpants. oh my goddddddd!!!!

🎵dun da daaaaa! dunda dunda da dun dadada oo oo oooooo dun da da

i cringe, really should have skipped the first 10 mins or something.

sir looks at me with an amused expression, “just started?”

i nod, embarrassed.

then he cracks up a little, “how long did it take for you to pick a film?”

“i paused it, was waiting for you.”

“yeah?”

“yeah.”

“alrighty then,” he slumps down, letting me get away with the white lie. “this better be good or else you’re held accountable.”

the professional teacher’s vibe is disappearing and transforming into a perky one.

he’s wearing a loose t~shirt with long sleeves and it’s even rolled up. his hair is damp and floppy, making him so much more attractive. he runs his hands through it, flipping it back as the stray droplets of water roll down his neck. i would gladly lick them off for him if he doesn’t mind...

“why’s my phone locked for 60 minutes?”

“huh?” i snap out of my daydream.

“my phone, why’s it locked?”

*ding dong.*

“maybe...you put the wrong password in?”

“pretty sure i didn’t, and you’re the only other person in this house, no?”

*ding dong!*

“aha..ha,” i giggle nervously.

“does it look like i’m laughing?” he asks me condescendingly.

my smile disappears.

*ding dong! ding dong! ding dong! ding dong!*

“ight, i’m coming!!” sir shouts, grabbing his wallet. “..jesus christ, break my damn doorbell, will you..” he mutters under his breath angrily.

bit hot...

-ˋˏ ༻🍷༺ ˎˊ-

i only ate 2 slices of pizza so i wouldn’t look like a fat bitch in front of sir. he, however, didn’t even eat any. so much for being ‘starving’. he was just casually watching me eat. i could feel his eyes on me each time i took a bite and the odd olive or pineapple went rolling down into my lap. it was so awkward!

we’re halfway through the movie and i felt the need to say something because jay, the character, was such a jerk.

“i mean, it’s actually rather heartbreaking. daisy was locked away for most of, if not, her whole life. and now she is finally free, finally able to experience the pleasures of the real world. she put all of her trust in him and he abandoned her. that’s so not cool.”

as i’m analysing the film, i feel his eyes analysing me.

“well, you can’t blame him,” sir counterattacks. “jay had his own life, his own problems to deal with. she was just another added problem to that.”

“then he should’ve led her back to the hospital again instead of taking her on this joyride purely for his own greed.”

“remember, she chose to take part.”

“he was being selfish.”

“he was lending her a hand.”

“which is what ultimately made her fall in love with him in the first place,” i state like a full stop.

sir’s whole face just speaks wow. “so why didn’t you do my analysis homework then, huh?”

“because it’s boring,” i look him boldly in the eyes, his slicked back hair has me feelin’ oozy and woozy.

“oh, it’s boring?” he emphasises, raising his eyebrows. “is that so?”

“yup,” i purse my lips.

“what was it again?” he grabs my arm, pulling me into his lap. “‘boring’, did you say?”

i’m trying to escape and he’s trying to hold me still. gradually, our laughter dies out and we become aware, so much more aware.

“got some on your mouth,” he says in the heat of the moment, running his thumb over my bottom lip.

there was definitely no pizza sauce or whatever on my mouth, but i play my part. somehow, his thumb finds its way inside my mouth and i instinctively wrap my tongue around it. his green eyes glimmer like shiny marbles as he watches me

suck

on his

thumb.

i feel pressure underneath me, something building up in stiffness. i shift his hand away, glancing down and then back up again. his marble eyes, they just look at me. look through me.

no way in hell did i imagine this moment to actually happen. i mean, most of us girls had these insane crushes on teachers, but never did i think it’d unravel like this.

he firmly places his hand on my lower backside and pushes me closer to himself. “what, you scared now?” he whispers, dominance combined with confidence, topped off with lust.

i gulp, trying to sound brave, “and why would i be scared?”

“you should be,” he replies.

i am lost for words. this kind of intimidation is seductive. all i wanna do is kiss him! though i won’t make the same mistake of glancing at his lips twice.

he speaks in a soft tone, “has anyone ever told you how captivating your~”

“my eyes are?” i finish his cliché line off for him.

“...your lips,” he corrects, casting his gaze down at them.

i bite my bottom lip, flustered for acting like a smartass.

“you know, on some occasions, i’ve noticed that you bite your lip when you’re nervous. it’s cute,” he grins, “i like it more than i should,” and waits patiently for me to fall into his devilish trap.

believe me when i say i’m trying goddamn hard to not sink my teeth into my flesh! which is why i replace it with a mere innocent gulp.

“but on most occasions, you gulp,” he says as i’m gulping.

he removes the hair from my neck.

i get hella anxious, hella aroused so i..

“nuh~uh,” he shakes his head and pulls my bottom lip down with the pad of his thumb. “‘nough biting from you, sweetheart. those are mine to bite now.”

am i dreaming right now?

i try to reposition myself by moving a little back so that i’m not directly on him. as i do this, his erection rubs further into me and i slightly moan kinda too evidently. my eyes open super wide and i instantly shut my mouth. it surprises me that it doesn’t faze him one bit.

“your t~t~thing is p~poking me..” i gesture with my eyes to his manhood.

his orbs shine like someone has stabbed an apocalyptic emerald sunset multiple times. it’s glorifying. magical. the stuff dreams are made from. and instead, he pushes me further down onto his sculpture. he leans his head in, his mouth millimetres away from mine.

“and do you like it?” he questions seriously.

our noses touch, our lips brush...

“answer the question.”

“yes,” i squeak. “i like it.”

i try to remain as calm as possible, but it’s impossible due to the nerves causing havoc inside me, particularly the nerves between my thighs. i don’t know what to focus on. that mouth? his eyes? or down below...

“may i let something be known, luv?” sir requests politely.

i nod.

“i can see your tits...through that shirt...” he whispers sexily.

my breath hitches up.

kiss me! why won’t he kiss me? just fucking kiss me! shit, it’s impossible not to look. i give in and look at his lips. the corners curve slightly into a wayward grin. i see... he wants me to initiate it.

welp, sorry, no can do, mister.

he literally places my bottom lip between his teeth and lightly tugs at it, his breaths hitting my mouth like rose petals. this act is enormously enticing, but i know he’s teasing me.

my turn.

i purposely grind in his lap and he suppresses a hoarse groan. then he scoffs. very conceited. he’s so gonna lose. i keep my lips impossibly close to his for when he forfeits which should be right about...now.

he shakes his head smugly.

i frown, pouting.

he half~smiles adorably.

fine, i have a better idea. one he doesn’t see cumming coming.

i lift away the waistband of my borrowed sweatpants and grip his hand. his body automatically tenses up. i can feel him getting harder from just the thoughts i’m giving him. i bring his hand closer to me. he’s losing and it’s hella entertaining to watch.

unexpectedly, a phone goes off and i jump in fright. i rapidly get off him and he returns to his usual, rigid ways. he aggressively clears his throat before answering that stupid device.

whilst pacing up and down and holding his forehead, he stares at me intently like i’m that fucking maths problem again!

#poetry #romance #love #student #teacher #teacher x student #funny #story #short story #mature

[cheolbooluvr]

look wonwoo is just very friend shaped imo and i love that for him? like i would love him as a pal he looks like such a fun guy to chill with and ive always thought he'd be the perfect person to have late night chats with...

hehe i'll do my best! i can unfortunately have a bad attn span with reading things (my to read list... actually straight up my to watch/to read/to play list is horrendously large and will never be defeated 😔) but i wanted to check out your stuff since its always neat to see what other creatives on here are up to! also i had a feeling but i think that definitely also added to it i think! when you are writing for a friend and have that kind of sweet (and a little bit of a 😈) intent by it it does have an impact on the story in a good way! and up to u hehe! what kind of y/ns or mcs in your stories do you tend to go for?

hoshi is a VERY good answer and i commend your fighting taste HAHA. he always seems like he's having a riot when seungkwan is about to dropkick him too, so he does seem very fun to fight!!!! also seungkwan is a lovely person to be like! in general i actually don't know a lot of boo stans so it did make me happy to find out you're one!!!!

and yes 100% hahaha. i would fight minghao and i want it to be an epic battle, like I'm talking we are bound by fate to fight on a rickety bridge that goes from one end of a volcano to another fight. or i guess if it has to be mundane he just looks like he'd be fun to get into a lot of like... fake arguments with you know? mingyu (like if u told me that the tallest, and one of the most conventially attractive guys in seventeen was the butt monkey... I would not have believed u) and hoshi (I pretty much agree with everything you've said) are other options but mainly I am focused on fighting minghao hahaha

ok so another question (or sets of questions, rather) I'm always curious about... how long have you been a carat, what had u tip into caratdom, and... who was ur first bias?

(honestly its inconsistent in general but it is very strange that desktop seems to still have a word limit and u gotta squeeze everything into one paragraph which... tbh makes me a little insane like I tend to be the type to write a lot djdhskdjdhd... which... I am a little apologetic for HAHA)

- 😺 carat anon

yes!! i agree i feel like wonwoo would be a great friend to just hang out w and have deep talks but also just be silly w!! i think he and i would def have been friends post-hs.

ahhh dw and plz don't feel pressured to read anything haha i totally feel you, my list of to read/watch is suuuuuper long as well D: you said "other creatives" so can i ask what kind of creator you are?? you don't have to tell me if that will spoil anything tho!

mmm to answer your question, my mcs tend to be similar to me LOL or like versions of me i wish i was irl (idk if that makes any sense). usually kinda cool, bit of a klutz, that kind of vibe! but now i'm wondering if i should start branching out.... 🤔

i AM a boosadan and a proud one at that 😌 seungkwan is truly the ultimate bestie vibes, i know we would get along so well if we ever met bc we're so similar in so many ways!

omg fighting minghao over a volcano :o you're insane!! but awesome!! that sounds so freaking epic plz lemme just watch from a helicopter!! also mingyu a butt monkey sdtcvjjdswtkl LOL that's so funny plz 🤧

i actually only became a carat last year on left and right day (june 22?) what's funny is that my friend started stanning svt the same time i started stanning sf9 last march, so she would send me pics of dk and i was like aight cool i'm only gonna stan sf9 okay. but then she kept spamming me content and told me to watch svt play mafia (don't lie 1) and so i put it off. eventually i got around to it, and then just started watching gose in the bg until i realized it was FUNNY (omg who would have guessed). also somewhere before that, i learned all the members for her lol!!

my first bias was actually seungkwan! and it was in boo's past life destiny that i decided he was the one for me. but my bias wreckers have changed and been so volatile that i made a bias tracker for that asfdfgjkikl

what abt you? who was your first bias vs now? bias wreckers? how long have you been a carat? :o

#cheolbooluvr asks #🐱 carat anon #carat anon event 💎

[mybiasisexo]

Oh, Brother

Genre: Angst | Fluff | College!au 

Pairing: Kai x Reader

Length: 7.5k

Warning: Unfinished | Language | Love Triangle (I know, but hear me out!!)

Summary: You’ve finally started college and are getting the full freshman year teen romcom experience and it’s not as great as you though it would be, but a certain ballerina (ballerino? I googled it and its ballerino in Italian [quote unquote] but in French they are a danseur and im rambling) might be the calmness you’ve been needing...that is until you meet his brother....

Author’s Note: I plan on turning this into a scenario??? Question marks cause idk if I want to turn it into a chaptered fic instead??? Anyways I wrote this back in like 2014 so its kinda dated but it is what it is yall. 

MASTERLIST

credit

With the arrival of the bell came the flood.

You got caught in it. Dragged into the depths of the sea that was the main hall. You grunted and fought against the current, as students barged their way past you, slamming roughly against your shoulders as you clutched onto your books for dear life.

It seemed never-ending, it actually felt like you were moving backwards as more and more people rushed, trying in vain to arrive to their next class on time.

You didn’t think that college would be like this.

You thought it would be peaceful and calm, like a pond or a small lake.

Not the damn sea during a hurricane.

It was probably because it was the first day, and everyone was still trying to catch their bearings. Or because this hall was seriously the most used and classes held up to two hundred people. Whatever the reason, you felt a sudden panic attack crawling up your throat like a corpse clawing out of the grave. You knew that very soon you would lose it, and so you began to count in your head to calm yourself down.

“I…2…3…4—” push “—5…6—” shove “—7…..8….9….”

Before you could lose your cool, you broke the surface and felt the cold wind snap deliciously against your damp face. You closed your eyes and sighed with relief as you realized that you had won.

You battled against the human sea and you beat it victoriously.

But could you deal with that every other day?

You shuddered as the thought hit you and decided to ignore it for the meantime. You had to admit, despite that near death journey you had just trekked, your first day as a college student wasn’t as bad as you—and your parents, not to mention your little sister—had imagined. Today was Monday, and on Mondays, you had three classes: English 1102, Math 1143, and Introduction to Art.

You had just left the math department and now had a couple hours to kill before your last class.

You decided to call your best friend, Suho, and see if he had escaped his side of campus.

“Hello?” He answered happily—did he have any other emotion?

“I nearly died just now. This hallway is lethal, I don’t know if I’ll make it.”

“Well, I’m glad you made it out alive. When does your next class start?”

“In two hours. Wanna get lunch?”

“Absolutely, I’m starving. Meet me at the Student Union building?”

“Okay, see you then.” You hung up and tried your hardest to recall just where exactly the Student Union building was located.

Nearly twenty minutes later, you stumbled upon the holy land. You found Suho almost immediately and rushed over to his table.

“What took you so long?” He wondered, munching on a fry.

You plopped down in the seat across from him and let out an exhausted breath, “I forgot how to get here. I had to backtrack like four different times.”

He sighed, “You could have called me, I would have helped you.”

“I’m aware,” you dismissed, stealing a fry from his tray. He frowned, but didn’t do anything to stop you from stealing another one.

“It’s the first day, and I’m already beat,” you muttered after you had returned to the table after leaving him briefly to buy a cold sandwich, a bag of salty chips, and a bottle of green tea.

“And it’s not even over yet,” Suho reminded you with a smile on his face.

“Can you not? I don’t want to think about that just yet.”

“At least it’s art. You can unwind in your last class. My last class is Physics, there is no unwinding in physics.”

“You’re smart, you can literally handle anything.”

He cocked his head to the side and studied you. Once he caught your attention, you stuck your tongue out at him and drained your drink, smacking your lips obnoxiously when you were done.

“it’s a wonder we’re even friends,” he mused aloud around his sandwich.

You shrugged, “you still have time to run.”

He grinned, not missing a beat, “I wouldn’t even dream of it.”

You held out your semi-empty plastic bottle, “I’ll drink to that.”

He chuckled and lifted his own soda can, your drinks clinking exotically together, confirming your status as best friends for life.

Which Suho was. The two of you had known each other since you were five. Your fathers were childhood friends that lost contact after college, but somehow—when the two of you were five—reunited and stuck to each other like glue. Even opening their own music store together. Kim Junmyeon, who was lovingly addressed as Suho, and you grew up at the music store, learning how to play different instruments as well as the ropes to owning a business, and the chemistry between your fathers ultimately rubbed off onto you, causing yet another family-like bond.

“You are taking piano, aren’t you?” You asked him a few minutes later.

His attitude shifted instantly as his smile faltered a tad. It was barely noticeable, but you could read this young man in front of you like a book.

“Junmyeon,” You said warningly, using his real name to show how serious you were.

He sighed, “I want to. I just… so much is already on my plate, and I didn’t want to burden my parents with another credit and…”

“And you just didn’t want to,” You finished for him. You lowered your voice, “I thought you liked music.”

“Of course I do, but that’s something our fathers love. Music is their dream, not ours.”

You pouted. He was right, even you weren’t taking any classes related to music, but you were still planning on practicing the viola on your own time. Music was in your blood, it was just as unavoidable as Suho. You didn’t know what life would be like without it, and quite frankly, you didn’t want a life without it.

Suho adored music more than you did. When his father first taught him how to play the piano, he had to be forcefully removed from the bench. There was nowhere else he would rather be, and as he grew, so did his talent. He was so talented, that he won many competitions, and even wrote compositions for many popular songs heard on the radio today.

He was a prodigy.

You? Well, you just liked to play. You were nowhere near as good as Suho, despite the many things he had told you, and you knew that and was fine with it. For you, it didn’t matter if you won or lost, as long as you got to play. You learned how to play the guitar, clarinet, drums, and even the piano, but nothing called to you like the viola. It was an extension of yourself, and Suho once said that when you played, people could tell you transported into a different realm. You were in your own little universe, and would only return once the piece was finished.

“It can be both, couldn’t it? You play so well…” You could tell Suho felt uncomfortable and would rather not discuss the matter anymore, so you just let your sentence carry. Instead, talking about everything else and nothing for the rest of your time together. “Well, my class is about to start in ten minutes. Luckily, I know where the art building is. I’ve only been going there since I was twelve.”

You tried to laugh, but got nothing out of Suho. His smile still plastered on his face, but his eyes dull as he pulled himself up and collected your trash, throwing it in the trashcan and following you out into the crisp fall air.

The art building was very hard to miss. It was one of the bigger buildings because the college you attended focused mostly on the arts, and was painted a bright blue, while every other building was a tan brick color.

“Paint me something nice, alright?” Suho said once you both stopped outside the doors of the building.

You rolled your eyes, “You know I suck at painting, Su, I’m more of a charcoal person.”

He shrugged, “I still want a painting. Charcoal is so boring.”

You smacked his shoulder, “go. Before I lose my temper.”

He laughed and held his arms up in surrender, “We wouldn’t want that now would we?”

He sauntered away and left you to stare up at the intimidating building. Hesitantly, you pried the glass door open and scuttled into the structure. Noise overwhelmed you. You could hear many people tuning their instruments, and the noise of a teacher counting and the soft thud of footsteps. If you listened harder, you could faintly make out people singing.

It was beautiful.

The cacophony of sound settled around you in a somewhat numbing hum, beckoning you to walk even deeper within the building. Almost all the doors were open and you peered into each one, loving everything that you saw. A chubby boy wailing away on his trombone. A lanky boy with a mop top and a short thick girl with glasses singing a duet. What appeared to be an African dance class. A trio practicing on their violins. A boy twirling about in an empty dance room.

You paused once you glanced inside the dance room. He was doing barrel turns across the room, and when he reached the end, he pirouetted for what seemed like a long time, stopping smoothly with one foot resting in back of him and his arms held out in the perfect stance.

He was breathing hard as he dropped his position and ran his fingers through his dark hair, dragging the strands away from his face, only for them to return. He must have felt your stare, because he suddenly swiveled his head to meet you eyes.

He was gorgeous, to put it simply. He had slightly tan skin and perfectly shaped almond brown eyes and a straight nose, and lips that seemed to be the center of his face. He looked almost ethereal as he attempted to catch his breath and sweat slid alluringly down his lean frame and his eyes remained on you.

“Lost?” He asked. His tone wasn’t mocking, simply curious.

His voice was just as lovely as his features. You shook your head, “Just looking around.”

He walked up to the mirror where a drawstring backpack laid, and pulled a small towel out of it, wrapping it around his neck, “class starts pretty soon, doesn’t it? You might be late,”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s so easy to get distracted in this building. There’s so much going on.”

“First day?” He asked with an understanding nod of his head.

You returned the nod with a rushed one of your own, “I’m in sensory overload at the moment.”

“Happens to all of us.”

He turned around and headed back to the corner of the room. You stared at his retreating frame for a moment and then decided it was time to leave. “See you around then.”

He turned his head so that you could see the outline of his nose and raised a hand, “see you.”

You had to forcefully remove yourself from the doorway, and practically run to your classroom, making it in with thirty seconds to spare.

~*~

After your last class was finished, you headed over to the dorms.

You still could not believe you were actually living on your own, away from your parents and sister. And as you stepped into your new home, you couldn’t help but grin.

It was small, but cozy. With a living room that held a couch, there was one bedroom that your roommate and you would be sharing and you got your own bathroom which was nice.

You noticed that your bedroom door was open and you could faintly make out a voice coming from within. It appeared your roommate was in. You hadn’t met her yet, and was nervous. Would you like her? Would she like you? You carefully tiptoed towards the door and paused in the threshold. She was singing under her breath and it was beautiful. The words did not sound very familiar to you, but her voice was so lovely, you found myself creating notes to accompany her with in you head.

Finally, you grew the courage to gently knock on the wall and peek your head in.

She was sitting at a white vanity she must had brought with her, and was clipping something into her jaw length black hair. She spun around quickly, startled.

Once you were facing each other, you carefully examined the other. She was gorgeous, but seemed a bit rebellious with her black lace clothing and scruffy boots. With the light from the window on her hair, you spotted green and blue highlights in it. Her eyes were covered in kohl and her lips were set in a hard line, but you noticed the tips curled slightly in a mischievous grin.

After your slight stare down, she held out her hand, “Park Sunyoung. But I go by Luna.”

You smiled and marched in to shake her hand and introduced yourself as well.

“Like what I’ve done with the place?” She smirked, spinning around to face the mirror again.

The room was placed in such a way that each half was your own. Her side was crowded. The white walls were covered with posters. You spotted both movies and boy and girl groups respectively. She had a purple fluffy mat on the wooden floor, and clothes were strung there and about. She also placed a flat screen television on a dresser that she pushed in the middle of a wall so that it was between your beds.

You glanced at your side, You had only put sheets on your bed, leaned your viola case against the wall, and tossed your suitcases on your bed. It was—and would still be once you finished unpacking—bare compared to hers.

You nodded your head, “you just moved in?”

She nodded her head also. “Bout to grab a bite to eat. Wanna come?”

You bit your lip. You wanted to unpack and maybe practice your instrument for a while, but the need to make friends overwhelmed you, especially a girlfriend. “Sure.”

You watched as Luna hopped off her chair and grabbed a black homburg hat before snatching your wrist and dragging you out of your room.

You entered the cafeteria five minutes later, the building was bustling with life and you couldn’t help but to search around, looking at your fellow schoolmates.

There were a bunch of different stores to choose from, and after watching Luna tap her chin while glaring at each station, you both finally decide on Chinese. You grabbed your plates and then Luna pulled out her phone, dialing a number before she pressed it to her ear.

“Yah! Where are you?” She laughed. Your eyes widened. You were not planning on meeting other people. “I can’t see you! Oh! By the taco station? Mmm… Okay, on my way.” She hung up and glanced at you, tilting her head in the direction she was heading before walking off. You quickly tried to match her pace. You arrived at a round table with seven chairs and two girls sitting there in comfortable silence.

“Hey!” Luna sang as she pulled a chair next to one of them, you quickly followed suite.

The girl next to Luna had brown hair that she had cut really short, a pixie cut. While the girl beside her had straight black hair that cascaded down her body. The one with the pixie cut was sporting a guy tank top and khakis while the one beside her was wearing a black and white stripped dress and blood red lipstick.

“Who’s the stranger?” The girl next to Luna asked, studying you.

“This is my roommate,” Luna beamed with pride and you smiled shyly as she introduced you. “This is my cousin Victoria and our friend, Amber.”

“Nice to meet you,” you greeted.

“Are you a freshman like Luna?” Amber asked, giving you her full attention.

You nodded, “what grade are you in?”

“We’re both juniors,” Victoria supplied, taking a giant bite of her food.

“So… how was your first day?” Amber asked Luna, who rolled her eyes.

“Fine. I guess. All I had were generals today. I can’t wait till my fun classes begin.”

“Are you, by any chance, in choir?” You asked.

She stared at you with wide eyes, “oh god, no! What makes you think that!?”

“Well,” you began nervously. “I heard you singing when I entered the room…”

“Oh~~” The three nodded.

“I do love singing,” Luna informed somewhat sheepishly. “I just…”

“She just doesn’t like to do things when told to do them.” A girl who just walked up to the table finished for Luna, pulling the chair next to Victoria out and unceremoniously plopping down. She was tall and skinny and had long blonde hair. Just like Luna, she was wearing dark clothes and makeup, her expression unimpressed.

Another girl who was the polar opposite took a seat beside her. She had reddish-brown hair that went down to her collarbones and was wearing a pink skirt and shirt and a genuine bright smile. She instantly reminded you of Suho.

“Shut up, Krystal,” Luna barked.

“Make me,” the Krystal girl retorted, sticking her tongue out.

“Choir is just so stuffy,” Luna defended herself. “You have to sing three octaves higher than you normally do, have to wear hideous outfits, and have to move your mouth like this,” she began to open and close her mouth in a way that resembled a fish. “It’s horrible.”

“Plus, she never goes to class, so she’d probably get dropped,” Krystal grinned wickedly at Luna.

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?!” The two began to bicker, and you locked eyes with the bright girl next to Krystal who was looking at you.

“What is your name?” She asked. You told her and asked for hers in return. “I’m Sulli. Sorry about my friends. They tend to not have manners.”

“I heard that!” Krystal screeched and smacked Sulli’s shoulder, causing her to wince. She then turned her gaze to you. “I’m not that bad, really. I’m Krystal, by the way.”

You introduced yourself to her and she boldly held out her hand for you to shake. Her hand was very soft.

“Are you a freshman?” She asked and you nodded your head. “Cool. So are Sulli and me. Are you Luna’s roommate?”

“Yes she is, so can you stop asking so many questions?” Luna asked, exasperated.

Krystal shrugged, sniffing a cup of fruit, “just curious. I’m surprised you’d invite her along. I know how much you hate new people.”

“I don’t—”

“YES YOU DO!” The four interrupted Luna, causing the whole table to laugh.

“You all suck,” Luna pouted, but a smile tugged on her lips.

“Welcome to our crew,” Victoria said to me, holding up a bottle of apple juice. You lifted your own drink and you all chugged the liquid.

It tasted like a long friendship.

~*~

Back in your room, all unpacked and exhausted, you laid on your bed. Luna was taking her last class of the day, which was at eight, and she wasn’t very excited about that, so you had the place to yourself. You wanted to play your viola, but was so tired, you couldn’t budge.

Vibrating caught your attention and you groaned as you felt around for your phone. Once found, you answered it without bothering to check caller I.D.

“I take it you’ve already eaten?” Suho asked you from the other end.

You grinned, “What makes you so sure?”

“Because you aren’t harassing me about how you will die any second if you don’t get any food in you soon.”

You sighed, “You know me so well.”

“That’s why I hold the title of best friend.”

“Sorry. Are you hungry?”

“Kind of.”

“Did you just finish your last class?”

He was silent for a second, “no. I, uh, finished it a while ago.”

“Well why didn’t you call me then?”

“I was…distracted. Come down. I’m at your dorm.”

“But, Suho!”

“You shouldn’t have unpacked all at once. That’s your fault. Hurry!”

He hung up and you had no choice but to get your lazy butt up and head downstairs.

He was outside the building, leaning against the cool brick.

“What is the rush?” You asked once you spotted him.

“It’s the first week of school, there is so much we could do!”

“Like…?”

“Like visit the art building and watch people.”

Your eyes brightened and you hurriedly pushed Suho, he laughed at your eagerness and you headed over to your favorite building.

“I should have brought my instrument,” you pouted as the doors opened.

Suho shook his head and you entered the first room you found.

There were a couple kids acting in this one. You watched for a minute, but you both knew which rooms you wanted to really be at.

“Let’s just go to the music room,” You ordered. You started running down the familiar halls, eager to enter the one room you had been in over the years.

Suho continued walking, and you wondered if it was because he didn’t want to go to this room after all.

You entered the room and took a deep breath, smiling widely as you were surrounded by all the instruments. You were in the string room, and you bowed to the professor before heading over to decide which instrument to play.

There were a few kids there in a small circle with guitars on laps, so you picked up an acoustic guitar and joined them.

You quietly tuned your instrument as two of the other boys were playing off each other. The music was very bluesy and you nodded along as they continued.

All music stopped and you heard a few gasps. Suho must have entered. You turned to verify his presence and tried not to laugh at his awkward smile. He hated the attention. Anybody who considered themselves piano players knew who Suho was, and anybody in this area who was aware of music knew who he was as well. He was kind of a big deal.

“Please, continue,” Suho said, motioning for the two boys to play. They stared at him instead, either too nervous or starstruck. With a sigh, you held your guitar on your lap and began to play a song you had made up a few years ago. The people around the room blinked over at you, distracted from Suho, which you knew he was grateful. You felt him sit down beside you, but you ignored him and continued playing. Your fingers gliding confidently over the strings.

“You think she’s good at this,” You heard Suho say. “You should see her play the viola.”

You missed a note and lost your train of thought as laughter bubbled up your throat.

“Please stop, Suho,” you chuckled, finishing the song quickly. Once you were done, everyone in the room applauded and you bowed your thanks and Suho and you sat silently and listened to the others play for a while.

“Should we go now?” he whispered in your ear after about twenty minutes and you nodded. You both got up and bowed to everyone before heading out.

“That was nice,” you grinned up at your best friend, his hands in his pockets and his smile somewhat strained.

“Uh… yeah, nice…”

You laughed, “You hated every waking minute of it.”

“No!” He quickly defended. “I just… you know I hate it when people treat me like that.”

“Like a celebrity?”

He sighed, “I hate that word.”

“But, I mean, you kind of are a celebrity, Suho.”

He groaned and covered his face with his hands, “don’t say that!”

You laughed again and dragged him out of the hall. On your way out, you passed the dance room, and you glanced into the empty room. You were somewhat disappointed to see how lifeless it was in there compared to earlier today….

~*~

Your first week went by smoothly. You hung out quite a bit with Luna and her friends and only got lost once. Suho and your schedules did not align very well, and you rarely got to see each other, which frustrated both of you, but you made time—as little as it was—to hang out at least once a day.

It was Monday again, and after a semi stressful weekend, you were looking forward to another week of college.

Your alarm went off and you chuckled as Luna groaned and tossed in her bed, “turn that off!”

She threw a pillow in your direction and you turned the alarm off,  and with a whispered ‘goodbye’ you left for your first class.

After your math class ended, and you had once again fought against the ten o’clock rush, you decided to head over to the art building early to goof off for a bit and kill time.

You found yourself pausing in front of that damned dance room again. The door was closed, but you could hear the faint thud of bass coming from the speakers within, and you just knew that man from last week was in there. After a bit of hesitation, you finally pried the door open.

He was there alright. Wearing cut offs and a black wife beater. He was stretching on the center of the floor, leaning against one leg as the music played on. When he lifted his upper body he noticed you, “you’re back.”

You couldn’t tell if he was happy or annoyed by the fact, but you smiled at him anyway, “I told you I’d see you later.”

He laughed once under his breath and shook his head faintly.

“Mind if I watch?”

He opened his mouth, but didn’t say anything.

You deflated, “or…not.”

As you began taking a step back he let out a breath, “no! Wait.”

You glanced at him expectantly and he sighed, “You can stay if you want.”

You beamed and came all the way into the room, closing the door solidly behind you. You sat against the mirror and pulled your legs up to your chin.

“It’s nothing much,” the beautiful boy began. “I’m just going to be doing some stretches and going over some routines….”

“That’s fine,” You encouraged and he paused before nodding his head self-consciously.  

After fifteen minutes of warming up, he began to dance. You knew he was not going full out, but even still he was captivating. He moved effortlessly, almost as if he were bored, and he made every move seem easy, although you knew it was anything but.

At one moment he attempted a leap, but couldn’t land right. He groaned with frustration, “I can’t get this jump right.”

You perked up, with him talking for the first time in thirty minutes. He was standing in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips, eyeing himself in the mirror.

“I don’t even know why it is so difficult for me, but I just can’t get it. The teacher told me I was landing too hard but what does that even mean?”

You blinked at him and were silent for a moment. Finally you worked up the courage to speak, “may—maybe you can demonstrate it again? I’ll watch and see if I can spot the problem?”

His eyes flickered to yours questioningly, “you dance?”

“Uh… no, but I’m sure I’d notice if you weren’t landing right.”

He thought about it for a second, but must have seen there was no harm in it because he shrugged and started the music up again.

You watched him as he twirled around the room before going for the leap. He was flawless in the air, but once his foot came down, he was a stumbling mess. He had to hold his arms out to catch his balance and you figured out the problem.

“You’re not distributing your weight properly,” You informed him once he was at a standstill. “You put all your weight on the leg you’re landing on when you need to put it on both.”

“How do I go about doing that?” He asked, twirling the lid off of his water and chugging half the bottle.

“As soon as your foot touches the ground, stretch out your back leg and lift your arms higher.”

The dancer’s eyes wandered above him for a minute, probably imagining the actions he had to take, and then he put his water down and started the music again.

When it got to the troubling leap, you held your breath. He was up, up, up and then he came down. His foot touched the floor and he seemed to spring higher as he flexed his legs and raised his arms, not even wobbling.

“Perfect landing,” you breathed with a grin as he continued on with the choreography. You couldn’t help but to notice how dazzling his face looked graced with that triumphant smile that seemed nearly blinding.

He was now going all out, as if he were performing on a stage, and your heart was in your throat.

You had seen a lot of beautiful things. Watching your father play the trombone, watching Suho play the piano, listening to one of your friends, Yuri, sing, but this fellow in front of you took passion to another level.

Tears began to obstruct your vision as you watched him reach towards the heavens with every jump. Every flex of a muscle seemed to be a part of a story only he knew how to tell, but the story was magnificent and you could not look away.

It ended with him pirouetting before landing on one knee, an arm stretched towards you.

The music ended and the only thing that could be heard was his hard breathing.

“That… that was beautiful.” Beautiful could not cover base to how life altering watching him perform was. He was beyond that, he was something no word could yet define.

“Thank you,” he grinned and bowed humbly.

“No, I’m… I’m serious. I don’t think I have ever seen anything that passionate before in my entire life, and my father lives and breathes music. You are truly talented.”

You watched him bite his lip and scratch the back of his head before repeating, “thank you.”

“No, thank you,” That sounded so cheesy out loud, but you really wanted to thank him for showing you that. You wiped away the tears that had fallen from your eyes and laughed at yourself, “I swear I don’t usually cry watching people dance. Only if I’m moved enough.”

“I moved you?” He asked. You noticed the teasing tone in his voice, but also surprise, as if he didn’t believe he was that good.

“To tears,” You confirmed, holding your hands out to show him the salty wetness on them.

“Thank you,” he repeated yet again, and you blinked up at him.

“For what?”

“For helping me with that turn. Also for letting me know just how good I am. Sometimes you need other people besides those who are always telling you to realize your potential, you know?”

“Absolutely. I definitely understand. I remember when I was first learning how to play the viola, and my father was constantly telling me how good I was, but I felt like I wasn’t adequate. It took my best friend to finally make me realize that maybe I was worthy of the instrument.”

The sweaty ballerina just stared at you for a moment, and you grew embarrassed. Were you talking too much? You were definitely talking too much. This is why you only had two friends growing up.

“You can come watch me practice whenever you want,” he suddenly allowed. His smile grew at your shocked expression. “I realize now I enjoy the company, and you can probably help me on some things. So… whenever you want, if I’m here, don’t be shy.”

He said all of that without even glancing at you, but you could tell the sincerity in his voice. Plus, you found it endearing how he dug the ground with his toes.

It was your turn to repeat yourself, “thank you.”

~*~

You ran all the way to your dorm after art, eager to get this off your chest.

You felt kind of bad that Suho wasn’t the person you wanted to talk to about the matter, but this was strictly a girl thing, and you knew he wouldn’t understand.

“Luna!” You practically screeched when you finally slammed the door to your bedroom open, scaring the living daylights out of your roommate.

“Jesus!” she cried, throwing the magazine she was peacefully reading on her bed onto the floor. “What’s gotten into you?!”

“I’m in like,” You breathed, falling unto your bed with a longing sigh.

“In like?” she questioned.

“Yes. With a beautiful ballerina.”

“Ballerina?”

“It’s a guy,” you clarified, rising up to meet Luna’s gaze. She was grinning from ear to ear, leaning in closer.

“Well, spill it!”

You told her about the mystery dancer who just so happened to be drop dead gorgeous and wanted your company.

“Wow, that is so romantic! What is his name? Maybe I know him.”

“It’s…” Your smile melted off with the realization that you in fact had no name for the face you most definitely would be dreaming of later tonight.

“You don’t know?” Luna’s eyes widened and than she gasped, “that’s even more romantic! It’s like Cinderella! Does he know yours?”

You shook your head and she threw a pillow up in the air. It hit the ceiling before landing on the floor behind her, next to her long forgotten magazine. “Oh my god! The two of you are so mysterious! That is so hot.”

You couldn’t help but giggle. You’ve grown quite close to Luna this past week; she was someone you really needed in your life.

“You have to keep me posted on the development on your unfolding love story. And don’t forget who was there in the beginning when you have to pick a maid of honor for your wedding!”

“Oh, I will def keep you up to date.”

~*~

Sadly, there was nothing to report back to Luna.

Classes started to add pressure the rest of the week, and you were so swamped in schoolwork, that you had no time to eat a normal meal, let alone watch someone dance for a couple hours. you even had a test in art!

When Friday came around, all you wanted to do was relax, but Suho had other plans for you.

“Come on! We haven’t seen each other all week! I miss my bestie!”

“I miss you too, but I’m so tired,”  you complained, rolling around in your bed for affect.

“We are all tired, we’re college students.”

“Why can’t you hang out with your roommate? I’m sure he will keep you company.”

“He is hanging out with me. I’m trying to expose you to more people,” You could hear the annoyance in his voice.

“I don’t need more friends. You’re like five friends put together!”

“Please,” Suho whimpered, muttering your name softly. You tensed, knowing what he was doing. “We haven’t seen one another in five days and I just really need my best friend right now. Is that a crime? Is wanting to see you such a bad thing?”

He sighed when you remained silent, “fine. I won’t bother you anymore. Take your nap and be a loser for all your life, but don’t call me when you finally want to settle down, because I would have moved on with a new bestie by then.”

“Fine!” You cried, hopping off your bed. “Jesus, Suho! I’ll hang out with you, damn!”

He chuckled and you heard a muffled ‘works every time’ before he was back in your ear, “you have ten minutes. Dress really cute, we’re going somewhere fun. You better be waiting for us when we get there.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” You hung up before he could guilt you into doing something else you didn’t want to do and slumped over to your closet.

Suho’s definition of really cute was a scary concept, and it made you wonder where he was dragging you. He loved heels and thigh highs. You always joked and told him he was a subtle pervert, and he would reply by simply shrugging, tilting his head to get a good view of the girl he had his eye on at the time.

You groaned and yanked the clothes you knew he was already picturing in his head before getting ready.

Six minutes later, you were standing outside the dorms in a thin pink dress, black tights, chunky black heels, and a glare.

True to his word, Suho was in front of the dorms ten minutes after your call ended. He stepped out of the passenger side of a very expensive looking black car, dressed in dark jeans and a sky blue button down, and you knew that you were dressed accordingly.

His grin grew into a full-blown smile as he took you in, “you never disappoint.”

“Shut up, you perv,” You retaliated. He just laughed, continuing walking up to you. Once you were right in front of each other, he pulled you into a hug and you soon felt a tugging at your hair.

Suho pulled away with a satisfied grin, “you look prettier with your hair down.”

“What is this?” You snapped, as he ruffled your brown hair that he had released from the ponytail you had it in seconds ago. “Are you trying to hook me up with someone?”

“I might be, but I just want you to have fun tonight. You have to dress good to feel good.”

“I mean, I guess?” You let him drag you over to the car. He opened the backseat door for you and helped you get in before crawling back to the front. There were two males sitting to your left, both incredibly handsome and one behind the wheel.

Suho called you and you glanced at him, really nervous. You usually felt at ease around the opposite sex, but Suho made you dress up, and it made you self-conscious, especially since all the men in the car were good looking.

Not as fine as your little ballerina, you thought suddenly, and you felt your cheeks heat up. They definitely weren’t that pleasing to the eyes.

You blinked, quickly focusing back at Suho. He had his hand on the driver’s shoulder, “This is my roommate, Kris, and those two sitting next to you are Kim Jongdae and Do Kyungsoo.”

“Nice to meet you,” you said, nodding towards them. They all nodded in return and you zoomed off to some unknown place.

“Jongdae and Kyungsoo are singers,” Suho informed as you continued driving. “And Kris here is an actor. They all have scholarships and are top of their classes.”

“Why must you talk us up like this?” The one furthest to the window whined. He had a cute voice and a cat like curve to his lips that you couldn’t help but stare at.

“It’s alright,” you began. “It’s in his nature. He’s like a proud father.”

“This girl right here,” he started, and you rolled your eyes. “Is one of the best viola players in the country, if not the continent! She also draws, plays other instruments, and sings.”

You shook your head rapidly, “please do not tell professional singers that I sing, Suho. That’s embarrassing.”

He simply shrugged, “how many times have you sung the lyrics to my compositions?”

“I’m not sure anymore, Suho,” you sighed, your gaze flickering to the singers beside you. They looked intrigued, and you wanted to shrink.

“Exactly, because it’s been too many times to count. If it had been up to me, I would have given you the songs to record. I write them for you anyway.”

“Gross,” you cried, kicking his seat. Sometimes he said things that made it seem as if you were closer than you actually were. It was a habit you were trying to get him out of.

It was around ten when Kris—who had been silent throughout the entire ride there—pulled into a karaoke bar.

“Damn,” you muttered under your breath. Suho was toying with you the entire ride there, the bastard.

“What was that?” The smaller boy beside you, Kyungsoo, asked. His voice was deeper than you had thought it would be at first glance and his wide eyes and plump lips made him seem older than you would have originally thought, more mature.

“I should have known we would be singing,” you said a bit louder to him, although you pushed your knee deep into the back of Suho’s seat.

“And drinking,” the guy near the window, Jongdae, winked at you playfully and you sighed with both content and relief, because he was really cute and you really needed a drink.

“Good,” you breathed as you all headed out.

You followed the guys into the bar, and was led into probably the biggest room you had ever seen in one of these places. It was already filled with about six other people, both male and female.

You felt pressure on your arm and lips at your ear. “Don’t be afraid to make friends, and maybe even get a bit touchy if you want,” Suho winked at you and you grimaced. What was up with him today?

There were only two other girls in the room, and you quickly ran to sit beside them, introducing yourself quickly. They were Hyeri and Hyorin. There was a guy singing a Super Junior song, and he was really good. You just sat silently as everyone got comfortable. Jongdae soon appeared with around four huge bottles of liquor, while Kyungsoo scuttled behind him with shot glasses.

“Whose ready to turn up!” Jongdae’s high-pitched voice rang loudly over the commotion of the room, and everyone—including yourself—cheered. Jongdae and another boy who you weren’t acquainted with poured the shots, while Kyungsoo handed them out. You were the last one to receive a glass, and he sat beside you with a shy smile. You returned it and waited for one of the shorter boys in the room to give the toast speech, “to freshman! To the beginning of the rest of our lives!”

You all held your glasses up high before tilting your heads back and downing the liquid fire with grimaces and coughs.

Liquor made you friendly, to put it simply. It also made you extremely confident, yet also very uncoordinated. You took six more shots of the strongest stuff Jongdae had to offer, and before you knew it, you were singing a duet with one of the boys named Byun Baekhyun. It was an intense balled, and you acted the part, even pressing against each other, his arm around your waist while one of your hands were on his cheek as you both shared his microphone.

You gathered hoots and hollers and you just laughed and laughed when the song ended. He gave you a wink and carried you off the small platform, making you sit on his lap back on the couch.

“You’re fun,” He yelled into your ear, his voice deep enough for you to feel warm from the compliment.

“You give good speeches,” you replied, remembering him giving the toast earlier.

“You sing very well,” he countered.

“Well… you’re very handsome.”

His smile was a million watts.

~*~

(Another lil snippet that I haven’t even gotten to plot wise but I had a Vision™ and wrote it down before I forgot, to give you better insight on what I'm trying to do here haha)

“Jongin….”

“Oh no, silly girl, I’m not Jongin,” his eyes remained piercing into your soul as he pushed a chunk of your hair back behind your ear just to whisper, “I’m Kai.”

You blinked up at him, “who?”

“Kai,” he clarified. “Jongin’s twin brother.”

It was silent for a moment and then you burst out laughing, pushing his shoulder. He looked at you stunned, “stop playing, Jongin. What kind of joke is this?”

He raised an eyebrow, “It’s not a joke, plus, Jongin’s sense of humor wouldn’t allow him to play such a prank. Maybe when we were younger and used to switch classes for the day, but ever since college, all that boy’s focused on is the art.”

“The art?”

“Dancing.”

“Oh… oh!” Your eyes widened as you remembered asking Jongin about his hiphop routine. Your eyes flashed up to the Jongin in front of you, “you were the one doing the hiphop routine!”

He smirked and nodded boldly, “That I was.”

“Shit, you’re telling the truth.”

“Duh. I’m not a liar. But, it seems like Jongin might be…..”

#kai scenarios #kai scenario #exo scenario #exo scenarios #kai drabble #kai drabbles #exo drabbles #exo drabble #kai oneshot #kai oneshots #exo oneshot #exo oneshots #kai

[noddytheornithopod]

Okay, now that I’ve gotten all the Bad Batch controversies out of the way... I can finally talk about the actual damn episode properly.

Like I said on my whitewashing post, overall I liked it, but I am kinda hesitant for reasons I explained there. I now want to focus on the actual story itself on its terms, and see how I feel about that. Apologies if I jump all over the place.

Probably my biggest issue narrative wise was that I felt some of the stuff around Crosshair was a bit contrived. Like, I was fine with him going full GOOD SOLDIERS FOLLOW ORDERS and all that, my issue is that I feel like the others took a while to realise he was following Order 66. Like, Tech even says he can’t be certain their mutations entirely screwed up their programming, with the camera even cutting to Crosshair. And like, before that Crosshair is berating Hunter for letting Caleb escape. When Tech said what he did, I feel like Hunter should’ve probably said something like “that must be why Crosshair tried to kill the Jedi”. Granted, it probably would’ve then led to questions like why Crosshair’s genetics let his chip work and not the others (something that isn’t answered, but it’s not something I felt that needed to, different genetics affect things in different ways we can’t always predict), but like, when they’re on Onderon and Crosshair’s like “yeah let’s shoot literal child refugees”, I feel like they shouldn’t have just conflicted with him, they should’ve outright wondered if he was falling for his programming. It doesn’t break the episode for me and I guess they probably just assumed Crosshair was being his usual dickish self, but I guess that also is a reminder that this is the second time we’ve seen him, so we don’t know if he’d normally be up for killing innocents if a mission requires it (since TBB are still given missions, their thing is they just do them the wrong way). It’s just like, you’d think at least Tech would make some comment about it. As Saw said, he’s supposed to be the smart one lol.

On the topic of inhibitor chips, I was surprised that Crosshair’s was only partly working. I guess it’s because he still had a level of personality to him? The more you know, I guess.

I do think the Bad Batch work better here as many have said, I guess probably because they’re the focus of the story so they have more room to show who they are and nuances to that. My favourite is probably Tech, I tend to gravitate to the nerd characters in things. Shame he has to look so fucking white for being a clone of a brown man though. :/ Kinda like Wrecker too, even with the issues HE has too. Great, even in my main comments my issues with them are popping up. :v

On that note... I do appreciate the idea behind the Bad Batch, being clones who turned out different and it’s about accepting and embracing your differences. It’s just in execution, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Like, it could be a commentary on things like ableism, but thing is, these characters are basically superpowered (if people weren’t fixated on bashing women they don’t like and were equal in their vitriol, you could EASILY call the Bad Batch a bunch of Gary Stus). It’s one of those things where a sci-fi/fantasy allegory is well intentioned but because of things that don’t apply to our reality, the allegory kinda falls apart. Like yes, “be nice to people different to you” is one thing, but it does lowkey feel a bit like “they’re judged because they’re better than everyone else, those stinkin regs are just jealous”. Well no jealousy is shown in the episode, in fact a normal clone calls them defects... which is weird because even if yes TECHNICALLY they are, they’re basically presented as turning out different, but those differences are things that are beneficial to them, and not impairments. I guess I feel like the message would be stronger if they actually had major weaknesses, aka why they’re “defective”, but their strengths are something they excel at so much they’re allowed to serve (which I GUESS was the idea, but we don’t know what made them defective originally and what got their mutations enhanced). And yes, you can infer things like Wrecker being “dumb” (which has its own issues, and even then he’s still competent enough on a battlefield, honestly he might even be more just impatient and impulsive and thus can’t sit still to learn more complex things), but yeah. It’s kind of a mixed message here, I appreciate what they’re going for, but like many fictional allegories, it kinda falls apart and it’s also presented in a very individualistic way.

Okay let me say something positive: AZI-3 IS BACK! I assume he got memory wiped so he wouldn’t have any memory of Fives, but I really liked him in the Order 66 arc of The Clone Wars so I was happy to see him again. Well, until he was hit with that stun blast. I hope he’s okay and able to be repaired!

Echo’s attack with his probe arm thing is pretty cool. It was also cool seeing how he was integrating into the Bad Batch. I also theorised he was most likely to be immune to the inhibitor chip out of the group, because while I felt the Kaminoans wouldn’t overlook inhibitor chips in even mutated clones (they do explain that they kept them around because they were always successful at what they do despite their unorthodox tactics), I had a feeling that the Techno Union putting all those cybernetics in his head maybe screwed with or even removed the chips. Get the poor guy some skin colour though.

I have also seen some people bring up the potential issue of ableism with Echo given he’s an amputee with prosthetics, but I don’t have much to comment on in that regard. But yeah, using disabled bodies for shock value and it being seen as a measure of humanity like in The Bad Batch arc of TCW is a trope I could really do without.

I’m liking Omega so far. She’s definitely got a different vibe to other kid characters we’ve gotten in these shows, probably because she was raised on Kamino. Also appreciate that her voice actor is New Zealander too (she’s not Maori which would’ve been the ideal, but was born to Indonesian Chinese parents). Her curiosity makes a lot of sense, she’s not just mischievous because kid. Was nice to see Hunter open up to her too.

I’m intrigued to see where they take Crosshair. IDK why his genetics allowed his chip to still work, but it’s nice to see at least one of the Bad Batch follow Order 66. I guess they decided against it for more (as much as I’d liked to have seen it) because Order 66 doesn’t just make clones decide to kill Jedi, it basically removes any level of humanity and personality they may have developed and makes them basically stormtroopers. That, and well they want our heroes of the show to be the Bad Batch, and that can’t work if they’re now the goody two shoes batch.

On the topic of Crosshair, my favourite scene in the episode was actually when Omega talks to him. She tries to empathise with him, and whether she’s just naturally intuitive or is Force sensitive in some way, she can tell that Crosshair despite everything seems to be struggling, and it’s ultimately beyond his control that he’s like this now. And then he’s off to get his chip working at full capacity and is now a full on Imperial, RIP.

Also yeah, I’m on team “Omega is Force sensitive”. It’s possible she just has some heightened abilities because she’s an enhanced clone, but the way they framed her firing the blaster especially just screamed Force sensitivity to me.

On the topic of inhibitor chips, Crosshair proves that it’s possible to make them stronger, so it does potentially mean that if members of the Bad Batch are captured, their chips could be dialed up to make them loyal Imperials. I guess one could also wonder if they could be slow for the effects to come into play for some of them, so some maybe slowly turn later on? I doubt they will go that route because they probably want to keep all our heroes around, but it’s something, especially if they eventually conclude they have to remove their chips to be safe.

Seeing Saw in the first episode was surprising but also pretty cool, especially with how the model is transitioning from his Clone Wars appearance into Forrest Whittaker. Love how he sees right through Palpatine’s bullshit, especially when he makes that jab at Tech that seems to be a bit of a blow to his ego, lol. Some have wondered why he’s so chill here, but you have to remember this is early days Saw. He’s still cautious, but he’s not paranoid and overly violent. The way some of those refugees reacted to the clones does make it seem like there’s already Imperial forces occupying Onderon (well, they’re literally out in the forest at a camp). Mainly bring that up because I have to wonder how much time has passed, and how quickly Imperial forces showed up to Onderon.

Seeing Tarkin be a dick is always glorious. He just goes everywhere and KNOWS he’s in charge, lol. It was also interesting how even if he’s feeling like he’s ready to abandon clone forces, he sees potential with Clone Force 99 if they can follow Imperial doctrine.

The Kaminoans also seem distrustful of the Empire, not because they’re against it but because they want to keep their current deal. Maybe if Tarkin heard them out the Empire would have a better army, lol. Taun We from AOTC even cameoes. I do wonder what’s eventually going to happen though, given the clones are obviously abandoned in the end, I wonder how the Kaminoans are going to take it.

Also, Nala Se is back. Yeah, THAT Nala Se. Wonder what she’s doing with Omega as her medical assistant, lol. Oh yeah, she also stopped the doors and let the Bad Batch escape. I have no idea what she’s planning, but I feel like she’s being shady, given not only the Fives stuff but also because despite having a fondness for Omega she does seem like she’s very controlling of her (after all, she’s just property to her), hence why Omega wants to get out and be with the Bad Batch.

Okay, I think that’s everything I wanted to say? But yeah, have a lot of reservations, but still curious to see where this goes despite that.

#tbb spoilers #sw spoilers #the bad batch #star wars

[ultimaterealmofchaos]

what are your honest thought about your muse’s canon? [all your dr canons :3 ]

the source!! (accepting!!)

all of my dr canons???? holy shit here we go

starting with our favorite ultimate musician ibuki: first off???? we all know how i feel about ibuki. she’s my absolute favorite sdr2 character, and i’m about 99.9% sure she’s my favorite danganronpa character overall. but of course, i have a few criticisms. not about her specifically, i don’t think, i think she’s fine, but like... how the game handled her??? okay so i’ve seen a lot of criticism online about her (and this is probably my own fault for going to the danganronpa subreddit), saying that she’s annoying, she adds nothing to the story, there’s no reason for her existence, etc. and honestly that isn’t a problem that’s specific to ibuki. it’s made pretty clear if you really look at it that she only exists to end up dead, which i think is a real problem with the writing of the series overall. and since all my muses end up dead in some form here, that’s a common criticism that i’m going to point out right here right now and never again in this post. but ibuki herself suffers from that she’s incredibly surface-level with only a deeper side underneath if you choose to pursue it. and like. obviously i’m not asking for her to be the deepest character in the lore, that’s not what she is, and obviously she’s... not written to be the smartest character at all, but i wish they had done her a little differently, and not hidden all her insightfulness in free time events. because. she’s smart. she doesn’t see herself as smart, but she is. and i wish they’d shown that more. and honestly??? you are telling me that she is the ultimate musician, yet nobody in her class likes her music?! that many people in there and not a single soul actually likes it??? chunsoft you’re fuckin’ playing with me here and i don’t like it. come on. make up your damn minds. ffs.

also why’d she have to die that’s some bullshit. she was cool af and i’m still salt about it. 

this is going to get long and ridiculous bc i have so many of them so i’m hiding the rest under a cut.

next up is sakura!!! i actually think sakura was done quite well, honestly. granted, it was the first game, so i don’t think any of us saw the twist with her coming, but it was done really well! and her eventual death definitely suited her character. i never thought she’d be one to kill anyone, and i was glad that i was proven right, even though i was really upset with her death (just like i was with just about every other one lmao). from a meta standpoint, i really like how they took the tough-girl-who-even-looks-”manly” thing and sorta turned it on its head a bit (like, i’m not going to lie, i legit thought she was a guy at first who just happened to be wearing a girl’s school uniform and i think just about everyone does). her relationship with hina that built over the course of the game was something that was needed for her, imo, as it helps us as players sort of humanize her a bit and not just see her as this massive devastating block of muscle. i like how they managed to portray that even if she’s stoic as fuck on the outside, she really cares about everyone in her class, and that’s just shown by her death itself. they even managed to convey a sort of degree of softness with her, as shown by her relationship with hina and how hina was just about the only one that wasn’t initially scared shitless of her. idk man dr1 really did its characterization really well for danganronpa and they never really got that right again, did they? it’s a shame, really.

next up is our favorite bitch. junko enoshima. dear. god. i love her so much, and i love to hate her so much. the way she acts, the way she uses mukuro for her own gain, the way she switches personalities on the drop of a hat, the way she pretty much thought all this shit up on her own (with mukuro as well i’m assuming but let’s be real here it was honestly all her)... she’s a fucking unapologetic bastard and we love her for it. honestly i always look forward to playing a danganronpa game i haven’t already played because i’m dying to see how they’re shoehorning her in. because. it’s not dr without her. i’m sorry. it’s just not. sometimes villains are villains just because. they don’t have to have a deep backstory as to why they’re the way they are, and junko is a wonderful example of that. i love her. i’m biased. i love her sm.

next is miu. oh, dear, sweet miu. she’s the fanservicey character who makes things sometimes. that’s it. there’s one of these in every game. and you know what? having a fanservicey character is fine. to me, anyway. you do you, guys. but honestly i find miu kind of insulting in a way. no, not because she’s vulgar as fuck; guys, i am vulgar as fuck, especially after having a couple drinks, okay, i can sympathize in a way with her. no, what i’m insulted by is that they had the audacity to make her the ultimate inventor, and then fuckin’ reduce her to swearing, sex jokes, and vulgarity. like. inventors are smart as fuck. ya kinda need to be in order to invent things, right? especially doing it as consistently as she does. i mean, fuck, she provided whole things for the plot, for fuck’s sake. and they still reduce her to a dumb blonde who’s obsessed with kiibo and sexual innuendos. come on. do better. let’s go. she can still keep her vulgar tendencies, just.... god, i don’t even know how to fix her, but i hate her characterization even though overall i still like her quite a lot. learn to write women, you fucks; how did you get it more right in dr1 than in v3. and we’re not gonna even talk about the canonical ending because i see that differently than most people and it has nothing to do with what i’m talking about, which is what we see in 95% of the game. 

next: our favorite bug boy gonta. it should be no secret that i love gonta. i love him. so much. the only character that is second to my love for gonta is korekiyo. i love korekiyo so much too. but this isn’t about him. it’s about gonta. again, we are bending the trope of big-character-is-terrifying and i really appreciate that in gonta’s case. like with sakura. ahaha. what can i say, i’m really weak for that sort of thing, i guess. but he suffers from the same shallowness that miu and even ibuki does. they tried to give him some more depth, but i don’t think it really worked. and like. come on. a guy who was raised by wolves for years and doesn’t really know how to interact with people now being in a killing game with a bunch of them???? shit, there’s so much you can do with that!! but no. we didn’t go there. much like we didn’t go there for everyone who wasn’t shuichi, kaito, maki, or kokichi. (ok shuichi gets a pass but you know.) idk man it’s probably because i didn’t do everyone’s free time events because there’s literally no way to do so, but i’m kind of salty about how v3 just treated its characters. all of them have potential. it just wasn’t reached. at all. unless it was the main four. they all deserve better. 

lastly, we have mikan. and boy. do i have a lot to say about mikan. so, going into this, i want to say that i am an abuse victim. there, it’s out in the open. so, knowing that... some stuff about her makes sense. especially when you consider that she, too, is an abuse victim. and others. just. do not. she deserved better. she deserved so much better. and what made me the most incensed about this is her goddamn anniversary outfit. they only saw and used mikan as fanservice. why would you use an abuse victim as fucking fanservice i’m gonna fuckin’ riot. like. she’s traumatized as fuck. her despair disease shit makes a lot of sense, don’t get me wrong. it’s suitable for her that things happened the way they did with that. but for fuck’s sake. “oh haha look at that mikan fell again, face down ass up that’s the way she likes to--” stop. she deserves better. i’m mad about it. it’s not funny. stop doing mikan so fuckin’ dirty, you assholes. i’m taking her and i’m making her better. so fuck you.

anyway that’s it :3 i’m sorry this turned out to be so long aslkdjfal. i hope i answered the question sufficiently enough :333

#ooc: it's! karla! #we're popular! ~ questions #munday answers #death mention tw #abuse mention tw #long post tw #willofcausality