#like some of them are definitely just there for the paycheck they don't care and wouldn't risk it

[chaethewriter]

You're dead to me [3]

dad!Jake Sully x human!daughter!reader

In which Jake Sully leaves his life on earth to settle down with the Omatikaya people as Toruk Makto. Having a family that consists of four kids with Neytiri, everything seems to work out just fine, but what if the past comes back for him? And his babygirl is right there in front of him?

warning: english isn't my first language, barely proofread, a lot of awkward tension cause Neytiri and humans + reader being in conflict, terrible na'vi sentence.

Word count: 3,8k

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A superior of you recommended you to Norm, a human scientist in an avatar body that went against the RDA a decade ago. He lives close to the war, which means close to the Omatikaya. This means you were going to face your father, the man you really didn't want to see. It wasn't that big of a shock to you when you were told that you were going to the front lines. You were always preached about for being one of the best warriors, you saw it coming. Both Raja and Seb were also ranked as one of the best warriors among your group, so it was fortunate you could at least be close to your friends if you were to break down. Yet you weren't planning to do that. Deep inside you yearned for him, wanting to jump into his arms the moment you see him and call him daddy again, but another side of you told you to keep quiet about it. Let him figure it out on his own. Act like you don't care and show him what you became. Was it the mature way? No, definitely not. But you threw your childhood away to become a warrior, being childish every now and then shouldn't hurt too much. And I mean, they had your files. The information of you potentially being Jake Sully's kid was out in the open for the higher-ranked to see, so whether he was interested enough in getting to know his soon-to-be acquaintances or not, the choice of figuring out you are his babygirl is really up to Jake Sully himself. It's not like he would notice it by looking at your face, your mask wasn't see-through and covered half of your face. Besides that, you look different than what you looked like over a decade ago. So here you were, in this helicopter with Raja and Seb on your way to the Omatikaya clan, adrenaline rushing through your veins as Raja kept her grip on your forearm.

Jake Sully held his wife in his arms as he begged her to accept the help that is supposed to get to home tree soon. Norm already told him weeks ago that the resistance was coming soon. He didn't know what he meant, unaware of the things that were happening on earth. He was explained how earth was in an uproar, divided into three groups: with the RDA, against the RDA, or being neutral. Information was leaked about the RDA's doings, how they were sending humans to Pandora to kill the natives. History repeats itself. From killing their own kind centuries ago to killing a different species on a different planet. Norm told him how he was in contact with a huge resistance party on planet earth, one that was open for it to directly take action, how they wanted to send their trained warriors to Pandora to end the wrongdoings of mankind and keep the RDA away or any human that was a potential enemy to Pandora and its nature. Young warriors that just finished their training, choosing to fight for someone else's freedom rather than living a safe life on earth. Safe as in not getting attacked then, because planet earth is definitely dying. Jake could appreciate this selfless decision, whether some may be in it for the paycheck or just an act of kindness, all of them were there to help. He was hoping Neytiri could see it like this too, they were here to help fight against their own kind. Jake's pleading eyes couldn't make Neytiri decline, so with a loud hiss she agreed, "fine, but I'm coming with you. If they make one wrong move I'm going to pierce an arrow through their skulls, ma Jake." Her tone sounded annoyed, but she couldn't help but lean into his touch.

Even though Neytiri agreed to accept help from the sky demons, she was against the idea to bring those demons directly to high camp. It was that feeling all over again, when Jake betrayed her and the RDA came to destroy their past home, home tree. She was scared for her people, for her children. Jake could understand where she was coming from and agreed with Norm through his throat microphone to meet at the lab instead. His children were listening from afar and Tuk jumped out of their hiding spot, much to Neteyam's, Loak's and Kiri's dismay. "Are we going on an adventure?", giggles left her lips as she jumped towards her mother, her arms wrapping around her waist. Her chin was pressed against her mom's hip as she looked up at her with sparkles in her eyes. Kiri smacked herself against the forehead as their little sibling ran towards her parents. The three got out of their hiding spot, Neteyam walking in front as he was ready to confront his father, "sir I-" he started, but was immediately cut off as Jake spoke over his voice, "Neteyam I need you to come with your mom and me. We are retrieving guests, sky people. This will be part of your Olo'eyktan training." Jake's tone was fierce as he spoke to his son, treating his own blood as nothing but a warrior. Neteyam pursed his lips as he nodded his hand in response, "yes sir." was all he had left to say. Loak groaned as he felt left out of the situation. He wanted to go on an adventure too, and spend time with his father. "What about me? Why can't I come?" He didn't hide the disappointment in his tone as he asked his questions, mainly directing them to his father. "I need you to stay here and take care of Kiri and Tuk." Kiri then decided to chime in on the conversation, planning to get more information on the current situation, "what is this all about dad? They're going to help us, but what are they exactly?" Jake sighed in response as he brought his hand to his forehead. It was no use hiding anything, they would get to know the truth eventually. So he just decided to tell them everything he knew from Norm.

Everything comes to light after all.

Jake Sully prepared himself for their departure. Hunter's knife strapped to his hip and his throat microphone attached as always, in case Loak gets into trouble yet again. "Ma Jake? Are you ready soon? My mother would like to see you as well before we do." Neytiri called from outside their family pod. "Almost almost, I'll get to her tent soon." Jake was frantically looking around the pod as he spoke. He was looking for his good luck charm. Childish one may call it, but it made him feel at ease during these stressful times. There it lay, the thing he was looking for, under one of the woven carpets. He picked the round charm up, holding it between his thumb and index finger as he tried to open the lock. His heart pounded into his throat as he did so, struggling to open it because of his much bigger hands. He was delusional, scared to lose it. He breathed out when he came face to face with your cute baby face, all smiling and giggling. "Thank Eywa," he mumbled to himself and tied to chain to the handle of his knife. When Jake Sully opened the flap that separated the inside of the pod from the outside world he came face to face with Neytiri, "Mo'at wants to see me?" She responded with a nod as her head nodded to the healer's tent, "she wanted to speak to you, she told me." He wondered what that could be about. He wasn't injured or suffering from any illnesses, so what could have possibly happened? Jake Sully nodded his head before speaking up, "I still don't think it's a good idea that you come." Neytiri crossed her arms at his words, "Ma Jake, I need to see what kind of people are about to enter my clan." And with that, she walked away. A sigh left his lips since he knew things would not turn out too well. He stepped towards Mo'at's tent. Time to find out why she needed him, as he entered the tent Mo'at was supposed to be at. "Ah, Jake Sully. I was awaiting you." She motioned for him to come in and he followed her order. He awkwardly stood next to her as she busied herself with her herbs, "Eywa has spoken to me. It has to do with you, Jake Sully." His ears twitched in curiosity, motioning for her to continue speaking. "You are about to be in a huge conflict. Hearts will break and tears will stream. You mustn't give up as Eywa has spoken to me this needs to happen for you to continue forward, so don't back down, Jake Sully." This just confused him, what conflict? Does this have to do with the arrival of the resistance? Is this about the RDA? But he doesn't dare ask, because he knows the Tsahik can't get into detail. His gaze is focused on the herbs the Tsahik is mixing up into medicines. Was it to distract herself from this conversation? He didn't know what else to say, but there is one thing he dared to ask, "when will this happen?"

"Way sooner than you will ever expect, Jake Sully."

"Your codename is Buttercup?" Norm looked at Seb in disbelief as the guy in question just shook his head, "I was forced, this is a crime." The three of you were talking about yourselves to Norm as Norm listened carefully. Raja giggled at the embarrassment of her friend, "so there used to be this cartoon I found in one of my great grandma's old boxes. It was called the Powerpuff girls. It is about three sisters that fight against crime and we needed codenames, so I forced (Y/N) and Seb to match with me." This made Norm realize how the three trained warriors in front of him were actually still kids at heart. Of course he knew that they were young, but this just showed how much they missed out on beings kids. You chuckled at the conversation and shrugged, "I mean, my codename is Blossom so it's not too bad, not like being a buff dude and getting called Buttercup. Raja's fits hers, bubbles. It fits her bubbly personality." Seb continued complaining about how it was two against one and that he couldn't escape from his codename being Buttercup. "We are here," Norm commented and you felt the nerves go through your body once again, your grip on your katana so hard your knuckles turned lighter. As the helicopter lowered, you looked outside the window and there you saw three blue figures standing next to one another close to a facility in the middle of the forest. There he was. Your dad. Standing all high and mighty and he was so tall. He looked so different, yet still the same. You noticed certain features that just made him look like your dad. You wished you were a little kid again. If it was little you in your place right now, she wouldn't have given a damn. Would've run up to him and told him who you were as you would have jumped into his arms. But you grew up, full of anger and pain. You pursed your lips as you watched him talk with his mate and son, silently wishing it was you there, by his side as he had a proud look on his face. You had an intense conflict within yourself. Why did you have to be such a tryhard? If you slacked off, you could have been chilling with the other warriors that were spread around the other forest clans. Yet, this was something to be proud of. You did this on your own, you should prove yourself to them, to him. But were you ready for this confrontation? All this inner dialogue made your head hurt. You had to stop fighting the thoughts in your head and focus, because you were getting lost in your thoughts a lot. That wasn't acceptable, not on a battlefield. Once the helicopter landed, Norm was the first to step out of the helicopter, followed by Seb, Raja and you. When the three of you stood in a line you were standing right in front of the Na'vi: Seb in front of Neteyam, Raja in front of Neytiri, and you in front of Jake Sully right in the middle. As if Eywa herself wanted this to happen, wanting the two of you to reconnect. He analyzes you from head to toe, his gaze burning into your skin making you push your mask further into your skin. You wanted to crawl into a cave right there and then.

"Oel Ngati Kameie," the three of you say in unison as you brought your hand towards your forehead, dropping it slowly to the height where your chest is at. The na'vi in front of you do the same na'vi greeting, before Jake Sully switched to English, "I, Jake Sully, Welcome you to Pandora, I can speak for everyone of the Omatikaya clan that we are very thankful for your arrival and your help." His English sounded rusty, but understandable when you haven't been using it for the past decade. Your eyebrows raise at his English, "we understand Na'vi. Pxoeng nolume Na'vi." You spoke to your dad through your mask and you could see the surprise on his face. It made you smile, he looked proud. Fortunately, the mask covered your mouth, otherwise, everyone could have seen your happy expression. Norm chimed into the conversation, "These three are the best warriors of their group. (Y/N), Seb and Raja, all scored fantastically on their physical exams. Six years ago, these warriors left just a few weeks before RDA's departure. We got a few weeks to plan out a raid against their new forces." Everyone nods in unison and you glance at your dad once again, locking eyes with him, since he was already looking at you.

Jake's eyes widen at that name. It was a name he didn't hear in so long. He thought of his babygirl, wondering what you could be doing right now. Did you graduate? Have a boyfriend? Girlfriend? Was he a grandfather? He got so overwhelmed at the thought of you. He missed you so much. His little girl, who is probably not so little now. Regret and guilt fuels his body as he remembers that he was the one to leave you and never return to earth. How he hoped to see your face again. Come and live here with him on Pandora, was that a selfish thought?

Norm took out a form and cleared his throat, making Jake Sully wake up from all his thoughts, "Jake, the warriors first need to do this checkup before they can get to work, resistance orders," he passes him the map with your files and your heart immediately dropped to your stomach. You knew he was about to get your last name eventually, but on the first day? You don't know if you can do that. "This was supposed to be my task, but I trust that you can do this, oh great Olo'eyktan? Max is researching something and he urgently needs my help with it." Great Norm, just great. Eywa, is this your doing? Because you would rather wish she takes you to her right this instant. "You can trust me with this, Norm." Jake flashes him a grin. "Don't lose it and I really mean that," Norm's gaze reaches the three of you once again, he almost looks worried, "I read the checkup, good luck, because as a scientist I could never." And to the lab he went.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Seb raised his eyebrows in concern and his eyes glanced at the map your father was holding. Neytiri has been quiet this entire time as well as Neteyam. Both were weary ever since they met you three, like mother, like son. Everyone could notice the tension, it would have made Jake's arm hair stand if he had any. "Okay, let's see what we have here.. Pretty.. gruesome.." Neteyam was looking over his dad's shoulder, frowning at all of them, "sir, is this normal for humans?" Again, you raise your eyebrows and you couldn't stop the next words you say from coming out of your mouth, "you call your father 'sir'? What is this, an army?" Raja widens her eyes, as well as Seb. Neytiri hisses your way in defense, Jake putting his arm out in front of her as to not make her pounce in you, but you don't flinch. You just looked at your father in disbelief at how he was treating his own son. It was awfully quiet as Jake didn't know what to reply. Your hard gaze on him made him feel something, guilt? Pain? He couldn't describe it, but he felt weird in some way. Luckily, Norm came back in his human body, clear mask on his face, "false alarm, he already got help from the other scientists and everything is go- what the hell happened here?" Norm could feel the tension in his bones as he watched the six of you. You were the first to speak up, "nothing is wrong here. So you will do our checkup right?" You walked towards your father, gripping the file map out of his hands and handing it over to Norm. Everyone's jaws drop to the ground and Neytiri drew her hunter's knife, "you sky demon I knew you couldn't be trusted! Such disrespectful behavior!" Jake takes a hold of his mate. They couldn't fight, not now. Neytiri needed to get out of here before blood was about to be drawn. "Ma Neytiri please, it's fine, could you please check up on Loak?" The tension was unbearable for Jake Sully. His eyes pleaded for himself to handle this. The grip on her knife loosened as she hissed again. Neteyam stepped towards his mother as his hand wrapped around hers, the one she was gripping the knife with, "mother please, please trust father." He himself had doubts about these humans, but it looked like his dad trusted them, so he should at least try right? As future Olo'eyktan. Looking into her son's eyes, she felt herself calm down as she lowered her knife, attaching it to her hip. She put her hand on Neteyam's cheek for a second before pulling her hand away. Once again, she threw a glance at you. "I'm watching you." She sent you a hiss as a warning and crept back into the forest. Great, you have a bad relationship with your dad's mate. Maybe this was for the best after all. Jake sighed, he shouldn't have taken Neytiri with him even after all her demands. With sky people she just met it was bound to go like this.

After that awkward ordeal, Neteyam led everyone to an open field in the forest. With your dad's gaze still lingering on your body, you decided to try and ignore it. Easier said than done. You yearned for your dad, but you couldn't give in. Neteyam and Jake stood to the side as the three of you started stretching in the conveniently open field that was formed into a circle. "The checkup is about strength, focus, and speed. You need to fight one vs one hand-to-hand combat battles against one another without masks on."

"Without masks?! Are they out of their mind?!"

"Do you expect an answer or?"

"No I don't!"

Seb and Raja continued their daily bickering as always, but your mind was completely somewhere else. Jake seemed to notice this, as he walked towards you. He had this urge to comfort you. Could it be, because you had the same name as his daughter on earth? Maybe, but maybe if he took care of you, he could feel at peace again. He sat on his knees and put his hand on your shoulder, making you look his way. "I'm sorry for my mate, she can be very protective of me," he softly spoke to you, "and I don't blame you, you woke up after 6 years and your entire life is upside down. I understand." You pursed your lips at his words. Why was he being so soft to you? You couldn't stand it, not when he spoke like that, reassuring you like that. You didn't reply, you just gave him the shoulder as you stepped away from his grip. This just made him even more confused as his chest hurt, did he do something wrong when he met you? Was he staring at you a little too long? Did his gaze offend you?

"We will do three rounds and in those three rounds, you need to put your enemy down for ten seconds to win."

"Let's dance then, shall we?"

And those words you spoke, felt awfully familiar to Jake Sully.

Neteyam Sully watched in awe as you fought the final round against Seb. Your mask was on the ground as you pounced on the much taller guy. He tried to lock your legs with his to make you lose your balance, which would have given him an advantage, but you punched him in the face with your fist, making his mouth open and gasp for air. In his moment of panic, you used it to knock him face-first into the dirty mossy ground, keeping his head on the floor as you twisted his arm. You sat right on his back as you used your knee on his neck to keep him down, the other weighing on his lower back and arm. You gasped for air as you saw blurry, listening to Norm count to ten was honestly something. It sounded like he counted to a hundred in slow motion. When he yelled the word ten, you quickly got off your friend, crawling towards your mask. Jake wanted to run up to you to help you, but Norm told him to stop and that this was what you were supposed to do in a real battle if it would ever happen that you lose your mask. You quickly took your mask in your hand and put it on your face with a shaky hand, gasping for the oxygen you needed. You coughed loudly as you sat on your knees with your hands on the ground. Jake rushed towards you and put his arm around you, rubbing your back with his free hand, "are you okay?" worry in his tone as he spoke. Your eyes widen at the familiar hug. The warmth of his arms as he used to hold onto you as you snuggled against him in your sleep. But you couldn't. You held onto his hand, letting the touch linger your skin before you pushed it away, "I'm good, yes." You stood up and walked towards Norm, not looking back at him once.

Just what was it with you?

And why did it hurt how you treated him?

A/N: I was lowkey insecure about posting this part 3 fr, idk if I liked it. I kept adding and adding details in the hope I would feel better about it, so here's a longer part than usual. Hope you enjoyed it. Pls tell me what you think. <3

taglist:

@hoodiepandaninja16 @l0v3e1i @neteyamforlife @noname2246 @littlelia007 @j0551 @navs-bhat @fyfy-world @hellok1ttycake @lwozy @n1ght5h4d3-24 @kahlowy @iloveavatar @farleyis @reguluscrystals @inomoikawa @bobojojoba69 @eternallyvenus @imakms @alice121804 @aimsro @carollise @jjkclub @onlytays @yeosxxx @dakotali @degenweeb @sunshinewwx @sassy-persona @ggeveryone99 @calums-betch @voniikg @jakesullys-bitch @answer-the-sirens @ilovebluesliens @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @crazy4books1 @kitkat1690 @iikatsukii @666yourmomdotcom @ssc7514 @nhloversblog @eatassskatefast12 @mizuki80 @makeup-stuff-and-such @ayanies @n3t3y4msm4t3 @tigresslily @innersuitcasehairdoscissors @mangolog

#jake sully x human!reader #jake sully x daughter!reader #dad! jake sully #jake sully #jake sully x reader #dad!jake sully x reader #dad!jake sully #dad!jake x daughter!reader #neteyam x sister!reader #lo'ak x sister!reader #sully family x reader #sully family #neteyam x reader #neteyam

[zooophagous]

Idk, I think you should definitely be open to how your clients want their tattoos. I wanted the one on my arm "upside down" because I'm the person who sees it, literally forever. Got a lot of shit from tattoo artists for it, and I don't regret it at all.

Be aware your vision of the piece is not your clients and being condescending about how you "know better" or whatever is a major turn off.

I'm glad you like your tattoo, but keep in mind certain designs just do look stupid. There's no gentle way to say it. If you have a wrap around half sleeve made up of black and grey shaded pine trees for example, if you put it on upside down its going to look upside down. It just is. You're gonna get funny looks because it's gonna look funny. Some simpler more iconic designs work no matter what direction they're in, but a really big piece should always have direction considered.

Artists also don't want to do it because clients become walking billboards for our work, and if we put something funny looking on you we now look like someone who doesn't care, who will just do whatever for a paycheck even if it's on a living human being, like someone without any consideration to the life they're changing forever.

I have to say too, I got all of my designs "for me" and all of them are "right side up," and I have never once had any trouble looking at them and making sense of them. It really matters much less than you think it does. Your brain is going to be able to read it no matter what, barring some kind of neurological deficit.

It does matter to the people looking at you though, and you can't control if people snicker about it.

If you don't care then you don't care, do what you want. But if you truly didn't care you also probably wouldn't get worried enough about the decision to want to spend time defending it.

[mixelation]

reborn au: sometimes tori should be allowed to win. as a little treat

iwa fails team 4, which is just funny. i was debating minato just promoting itachi bc he'd have the missions for it, but actually i think it'd be funnier if he went and took a formal exam in a way that somehow pre-empts deidara from doing it? idk how that could work, but i think it would be Fun if both deidara and itachi won the tournament in their exams, and for that they'd have to take them separately

(it might make more sense logistically if itachi was like "why do i care? i'm an ANBU captain. i already have the paycheck/security clearances" and then deidara solos the next exam and itachi is like ".....wait i can't let him win" and solos the NEXT one. but also i think the laws of the universe are such that itachi should advance first, because it would piss deidara off)

anyway the point is. tori applies for R&D immediately and spends all her free time slinking around & then complaining she's not allowed to do her own projects

minato after she's tried some insane manipulations to take over R&D: (squints at her) yeah, because you're a genin. just apply to be a chunin?

it has not once occurred to tori she could be promoted the regular way. she's used to just like.... infecting a space, like a fungus. and then people get used to her enough that she gets to do what she wants.

tori: what is rank to a fungus?

deidara: what the fuck are you talking about? just take the exam. you'll get a raise and then we can afford a nice ass apartment together

anyway tori signs up for the next chunin exam feeling extraordinarily like she's doing some sort of weird undercover mission. she's not a ninja in her mind, she just plays one on tv. then kushina is like "ohohoho so are you going to keep up the team reputation and win the tournament???" and tori is like ".....no?" but both deidara AND itachi make the same joke

tori: i think you're really overestimating me 8|

it's not that tori doesn't think she can't take on any task they might throw at a chunin, or that she won't pass. akatsuki had her doing missions as a civilian, okay, she can handle chaos and responsibility and the associated danger. she just never, ever picks "fight" as her first solution to a problem... and the chunin exam tournament is just a fight. there's no changing parameters or redefining your win condition to force the outcome in your favor. it's just.... a fight. which she's iffy at

kushina: oh, i get your problem. your baseline is whack

tori: no no, i'm pretty sure there's lots of thirteen year olds that could beat me up

kushina: do you know what makes a ninja good-- like, actually good? it's not being the strongest. it's being able to go up against someone who's stronger than you and winning anyway. and a lot of people won't ever be able to do that, but you definitely could

so tori goes and takes her exam and it turns out the average thirteen year old sucks!!! she wins easy!!!

tori: what the FUCK

then she goes home and is like "i won? i don't get it??" and two weeks later she's a special jounin* because minato wants her to have the associated permissions

minato: go on, go do fuinjutsu reearch to your heart's content

tori: ;^; i am going to make the MOST forbidden technique

minato: please don't

*special jounin in my mind is for people who have a specialized jounin-level skill but don't qualify for a full jounin promotion, because those people need increased security clearances and shit compared to a standard chunin. it's not EXACTLY a rank between chunin and jounin because there's a lot of variation in abilities within in it... like at this point tori would basically be an average chunin in terms of combat but also capable of making up s-rank techniques on the fly

#reborn au

[residentflamingo]

Little Things That Jihyo Loves About You 💕

The slow rise and fall of your chest while you’re sleeping

Your scent

When going on tour, she always has to bring a piece of your clothing that smells like you, or else she’ll get extremely homesick

Your smile

It's her absolute favorite thing in the world. When she's having a bad day, she always finds comfort in your smile.

It makes her have butterflies in her stomach, every. single. time. T-T

The way you slightly lift her up off the ground every time you hug her

Acting like a child at times (not in an immature way, but just letting out your inner child.)

"Honey what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm smoking!" you shouted; as you blew another long breath of hot air into the cold atmosphere, turning it into a "smoke-like" appearance. "Haha, look!"

Jihyo looked over at you and slowly shook her head with a small smile on her face. Meanwhile, you were still giggling over your childish act

She then walked over towards you and said, "Here let me try that too. I bet I can blow more air than you!" (Typical Jihyo, always being so competitive lol.)

Hyping her up while she's playing golf

When you call her God Jihyo

Texting her while she's at dance practice asking if she has drank enough water, or eaten lunch at all

Her favorite texts from you, are the ones she gets on tour that say "Text me when you get back to the hotel safely, okay? I love you, and have fun at dinner! ♡"

The way your cheeks turn red after she kisses you

When you guys watch tv together and you try your best to stay awake, even though you're absolutely exhausted

When you play with her nieces or nephews and make them laugh 🥹

Asking her to open a jar for you

When you try to pay the bill at dinner even though it's really expensive

"Here honey let me pay for the bill, I just got my paycheck yesterday."

"No, absolutely not. I make enough money for the both of us to be millionaires. Let me spoil you tonight."

"Absolutely not! You are not paying. I don't care if you're god damn Madonna or Prince, let me pay for it 😑."

(this is 100% in a joking kind of manner btw.)

Meanwhile, Jihyo is just dying laughing from the other side of the table, and appreciates how kind you were trying to be by paying the bill

Doing small acts of kindness towards strangers, and not expecting anything in return

She really admires you for that. Simply because, as some people get older, they tend to think more about themselves, and don't think about doing things for strangers anymore

So seeing you do those kinds of things really makes her happy that she found someone as kind as you

She definitely sees you as wifey material ;)

#twice headcanons #jihyo x reader #twice fanfic #jihyo x fem reader #jihyo twice #park jihyo #park jihyo x fem reader #twice park jihyo #park jihyo x reader #park jihyo twice #twice #twice x reader #twice x fem reader #jihyo x y/n #twice x you #twice x y/n #jihyo headcanons #park jihyo headcanons

[astraltrickster]

I feel like we're dealing with a bit of a catch-22 here.

On the one hand, I don't want to be buying tumblr merch and premium options to REWARD the garbage decisions they're making right now, and I know enough about how upper management at tech companies operates to know that they WILL see an influx of money right now as basically saying either "ohhhh, so they LIKE these changes" - or, if they actually listen to the staff members fielding feedback, "ohhhh, so THREATENING to make the user experience worse gets us money!"

On top of which, I don't want to encourage an OVERLY friendly relationship between the company and its userbase. Tumblr may be...by FAR the best we've got at its scale, despite the fact that they literally seem to be trying to hide that fact where they're not threatening to change it outright, but they are still a company. They're still inclined to make shitty decisions and lose touch with the userbase in the interest of Company Bullshit.

On the other hand...if we DON'T try to get them to at least break even, we're going to lose the site eventually, and possibly have some REALLY heinous shit go down in its death throes. Definitely not today or tomorrow. Maybe not for many years; it's hobbled along on life support via changing hands for many years already. But it will happen. They can fake it for a significant time if there's enough demand, enough hope - tumblr's not the only one pulling it off - but a company CAN'T go on forever when it's hemorrhaging money. Money doesn't become a nonissue when it's not YOUR paycheck.

I'm sick of the illusion that the internet is an immaterial, intangible thing...except when we're criticizing mining and energy usage and basically implying it shouldn't EXIST. It's not just a fake thing that exists in our phones and computers and the LITERAL ATMOSPHERIC clouds. Servers cost money to buy or rent, even when the software running on them is a buggy mess. Staff and contractors cost money to pay, even when the skeleton crew your company has is laughably insufficient for the scope of its services - we want them to expand staff to respond to tickets and improve their moderation system faster, well, with what money?? You want these improvements made with whose man-hours?? I wholeheartedly agree with most of the userbase that this Twitter-knockoff layout and some of their other stupid ideas lately are a huge waste of the ones they're paying for, but that doesn't mean they can redirect 1,000 man-hours from an ill-advised project and magically get a 10,000 man-hour project done!

Consider the moderation system. It's bad! It's biased! We've proven this! It's also mostly automated. What are our potential solutions here?

Go back to fully manual: Puts real human people through a PTSD meat grinder. For this to be done even REMOTELY ethically demands hazard pay, short hours, and the best mental health care coverage money can buy. Where are these human moderators getting paid from, let alone if they're going to be paid fairly?

Modify the software: ...they're already trying; retraining a whole system is easier said than done, especially in the very likely event that posts that are taken down by report-brigading innocuous content are feeding BACK into the system as "This Is What A Bad Post Looks Like." I'd love it if they could do it better and faster - but again, with what money?

Train their OWN software from the ground up: Requires EXPERT software engineers to build the framework AND a large human moderation crew in the short term to hit that "good post"/"bad post" button all day; refer to the problems with fully manual moderation. No one is quite sure how to bulletproof a moderation system against report-brigading in a way that won't ALSO deprioritize reports against content so heinous that everyone who sees it reports it. Once again - where is the money for all this labor coming from?

Every option is human labor that must be paid for. Every single possibility.

Anything else that needs doing? Fixing search? Human labor - money. Improving the bot filters to ban more bots and fewer real people? Humans have to do that - needs money!

So the money-seeking WILL continue until they're breaking even or better, or the site shuts down completely. Those are the two options. You cannot anti-capitalist Theory your way out of them. You can have your grand ideas for how things will work in a healthier, restructured economy, but that's not the point we're at. For now? Operating at a deficit = enshittification or shutdown. Those are the options. There is no third one. The level of hostility I see from some users against the very concept of tumblr BREAKING EVEN is absolutely absurd and completely detached from reality.

But what's the conclusion? Where do we go from here? Fuck, man, I have no fucking idea.

#tumblr wank

[deepsix-writing]

Fix You. Chapter 4 of 5.

After the events of Marble Hornets, Tim is left to pick up the pieces of what is left of his old life. One piece in particular threatens to slip from his fingers, but he is resolved to not repeat history.

(PREVIOUS CHAPTER) | (NEXT CHAPTER) | (BEGINNING)

…As it turned out, that cash might as well have been Tim's, because he ended up using it immediately. No, it wasn't something he was proud of, and no, it wasn't something he had planned on. The day that it had happened, it was just unavoidable.

It was the afternoon after he'd first 'found' the money that Tim had used it. He'd showered and gotten ready to drive downtown as usual, but when he put his keys in his old beater car's ignition, he was met with a concerning KR-CHNK. The only thing that had ended up being able to convince it out of his driveway was a tow-truck.

Engine issues. They were never cheap, especially when Tim's car had fallen into the state of disrepair it had. As it turned out, all those months of not taking care of himself had also applied to his car. Between paying for the tow truck, getting the engine fixed, and calling a cab to the repair shop, the stolen money was the only thing he had left to cover it all. Hell, by the time he made it back home that evening, he didn't even have enough to order takeout. Brian and him spent the evening scraping the back of the freezer for something to eat. Tim assured the man that he'd get his paycheck from the antique store the very next day. He still couldn't find it in himself to break the news to Brian that he hadn't actually found a job at all.

The thing was, Brian was so happy. Throughout the months they'd been reunited, that miracle of a man had been building his strength tenfold every day. He'd weaned himself off most of the painkillers (much to the doctor's amazement) and hadn't given the wheelchair a second glance when they returned it. He still needed the crutches, but he always spun it with a smile, saying it wouldn't be long before he didn't need them anymore. And even when the doctor corrected him and told him he may very well need some kind of mobility aid for the indefinite future, it rolled off his back like it was nothing.

"I'd look pretty badass with a cane, don't you think?"

Tim agreed one thousand percent. He definitely would. For that same reason, Tim readily volunteered funds to get him the most well-crafted, badass cane that money could afford, should that time come. He just needed to save up enough to follow through on that promise.

But now, now, he could get those funds. A week had passed since Tim had gotten the car fixed, and most afternoons from then on were all the same: completely unknown to him. The plus was that every evening, he came back to consciousness in his bathroom with a full wallet. His knuckles cycled through nearly every color of the rainbow, and the bills remained green.

"Those armoires must be hell to move around, huh." Brian motioned to Tim's hands one day when they were settled down at the couch, eating dinner. Tim was confused at first, and threw him a matching look.

"…Antique stores have a lot of those, don't they?"

"Oh," Tim fumbles, "Yeah. Lots of heavy furniture… we just call them dressers here, though." It's a piss-poor save, but he throws a pointed smirk Brian's way anyways. Brian rolls his eyes before finishing his food.

"Okay, Mr.Alabama."

It feels like he's leading a double life, the way Tim goes about his daily routine. At least, it did… but Tim didn't feel as bad about it anymore as he felt he should. When he came back to consciousness in the evenings, he didn't feel his heart wrench in his chest anymore. His muscles wouldn't tense. It felt awful to even admit to himself, but he almost felt...

Relieved.

As long as he looks the other way, Tim can pretend everything is fine. He can smile and act like there's nothing to worry about. He can laugh and say yes, that armoire was hell to move around. I'll be more careful next time.

Tim didn't have to worry about getting a job anymore. He didn't have to worry about how soul-sucking that would be anymore and he didn't have to worry about shitty coworkers anymore. The day just slipped by, like sand falling from his fingers. And he let it.

He could spend all his waking hours doing the only thing he ever cared about doing, now: being with Brian. Now, he had the energy to help the man with dinner. They watched old shows, went out in the backyard more, and talked deep into the night. With the steady income, they even had enough extra to spend a few evenings in Tuscaloosa, too. They got to go out for drinks once, just like Brian had promised they would months ago.

It wasn't like Tim was running around in the mask, anyways. They'd done more than burn the thing, he and Brian had smashed it to pieces! Whatever Tim was doing during the day, his face was attached. And if it was really that bad, what he was doing, he would have been arrested by now. So he had that going for him.

Brian found himself something to do during the day, too: a job at the grocery store just a short walk away from their house. Tim had driven him there at first, but it was only a few weeks before Brian insisted he could get there himself. The doctor had swapped out his old crutches for newer ones that he could balance with his forearms instead of armpits, and Brian was over the moon about it.

"I'll still take that cane, though, if the doctor ever clears me for it." Nothing but optimism in his tone.

He's trying to leave you, Tim had heard from the hallway the moment the door shut, and he was left alone. On days Brian was out of the house, he didn't bother going to 'work'.

"He's not. He just wants to feel useful. That's what he said." Tim frowns the thought away and goes to the kitchen to do the dishes instead. But he doesn't get to rinse off a single plate before he blacks out again.

When he came back to consciousness, Tim wasn't in his bathroom like he usually was. Instead of the yellow wash of his buzzing bathroom light, his shoulders were draped with cold dappled moonlight. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind and cicada calls filled his ears. An owl hooted in the distance. A chill clung to his body. He knew exactly where he was, and it brought dread bolting through his body as fast as lightning.

His footsteps pounded the earth in rhythm with his heart beat as he searched the moonlit park for a sign of a path, a walking trail, anything that might lead him out. Out, he needed out. This was his line, and it had been crossed. The blackouts he could handle, but only if he resurfaced in his home, in a sense of control. Here, there was nothing, nothing but him, nothing but gravel underfoot, nothing but night air against the thump of his racing heart. He needed to get home, he needed to run faster. Follow the gravel, leave the park.

This is madness. This isn't real. I can't repeat the doctors. I can't repeat any of it.

Tim runs and runs until the woods around him finally (and mercifully) thin out. The forest has surrendered him, but in its place grows a gaze he feels pinned to the back of his head. It burns holes into him. His slowed gait threatens to hasten once more as he turns to the city street that leads to his home, but right as he was about to turn to confront the eyeless stare following him, he blacked out again.

...And when he was back in his bathroom, just as he had wanted, he woke up in blood. So much blood. Looking in the bathroom mirror, it was more than he had ever seen before. It filled his nose, soured his mouth, washed his skin and clothes in shades of crimson he'd never before been able to fathom.

Then suddenly, a hand hooked itself onto his arm. A shadow moved over his vision.

You're a murderer, you know. The figure breathed, and the shadow lowered over his face.

In the mirror, he could see it: the mask, painted in just as much red as he was, pressed to his face by a pair of hands that trailed up to a smiling face with square glasses and a smirk.

Through and through… you're like an animal. Alex laughs, and the sound is grating and toxic. Rough as sandpaper, it scratches Tim's ears.

You can't change what you are.

"Stop!" Tim seethes at the face in the mirror, and before he can hold himself back, he winds his fist and pummels it into the mirror.

Then Tim wakes up. He's still in the bathroom, but Alex is gone, as is the mask, as is the gallons of blood. Everything was fine, save for his heart beating a mile a minute and a rapping on the door that was nearly as fast.

"Tim, Tim! Are you okay?" Brian's voice was urgent and concerned.

"Uh… Yeah… Yeah." Tim didn't even say it with enough conviction to persuade himself. He grimaced. Brian jiggled the doorknob from outside.

"Unlock the door?"

Tim did, but otherwise he felt frozen in place. Brian looked at Tim, then to the mirror. Then, so did Tim.

"…Shit." The mirror was still broken. The glass was completely fragmented; it diced up his reflection into neat portions. But Brian regarded it carefully. He didn't seem as phased.

"What happened?" It's something he asks as he shoulders past Tim to reach under the cabinet. He pulls out the first-aid kit. It's only then that Tim realizes his hand is bleeding. Crimson drips down onto the white laminate countertop from thick rivulets on his knuckles.

"…Shit," He repeats, and fumbles for words all the way through Brian's help. "I didn't mean to. I mean… I mean I did, but I didn't think… I didn't think it was…"

Brian wraps the last of a bandage around Tim's knuckles. He doesn't have to finish the thought for them both to know.

Real. He hadn't thought it was real.

Tim grimaces as he shows his thanks by putting up the first-aid kit himself. When Brian leaves and returns with a broom for the glass, Tim takes care of that himself, too. He stops meeting Brian's gaze when it starts to linger for a little too long. The man is thinking of something to say. Tim can tell.

"…When's the last time you took your–" It was another thought that didn't need to be finished.

"-I don't need those. It's been better, lately. It's been good."

"That's just begging for something bad to happen though, isn't it?"

Tim felt the exact opposite: like acknowledging the problem would mean admitting that there was one to begin with. But the sentiment didn't make it to his lips. "This was a… a one-off. Won't happen again."

Brian frowns. "Until it does. This isn't good, Tim. This isn't good."

Tim frowns too, and it sours into an ugly, upset grimace. "...Please don't make me do it, Brian. I can't… the last time I was on them, I-"

"This isn't like last time," Brian interrupts. "But I'm not gonna make you do anything. If you don't wanna take them, I can't stop you. But I also know they could help you. I can't stay and watch you crash and burn, Tim. I care about you too much for that."

What could Tim possibly say to argue? Brian always had him beat. The very next week, Brian came with him to a doctor's appointment not a block away from the rehabilitation center Tim had picked Brian up from what felt like an eternity ago. It was the last thing he'd wanted to do... but for Brian, he'd suck it up.

Turns out, the entire process hadn't been too bad. They ran a few blood tests (not his favorite), but most of the other clinical jargon they'd been able to pull out of an old file of his. By the end of the appointment, he'd already gotten a prescription. They told him to come back in a week to review how it was working for him.

By the morning, he was in his bathroom with a pill in one hand and a cup of water in the other. Brian had reminded him to take it when he'd heard the man stir from the couch. The door was closed behind him now, but Brian's encouragement still rang in his ears.

He takes a breath. Tim knows this will be the first of countless pills he has to take, and the little round tablet feels heavier than it should in his palm. His hand lowers from the weight, and presses itself against the stained laminate countertop.

He shouldn't be alive.

Tim sucks in a breath… Maybe I should have gotten these earlier.

…Or maybe I shouldn't have at all.

Tim's open palm turns into a fist. He sets the water on the counter.

Tim was still in control. He would have admitted something was wrong if he'd woken up covered in blood, but the thing was, he hadn't. That had been a hallucination. Tim knew that, now, and now that he knew, he wasn't going to let it get the better of him again. He only went along with getting the meds to ease Brian's mind. Tim didn't want him to move out. Not yet.

Brian was in a position where he could do that now, too. It was almost awful how much Tim hated that fact. Between his transition to the forearm crutches to holding down a stable job, it was completely feasible. Not comfortable by any means, but feasible. And it hadn't even been a year since he'd come out of the hospital.

How dare he. Tim's fist tightened. How dare he be so happy, so quickly, like none of it even happened. How dare he move on when I'm still wading through the wreckage.

He took a breath, realizing how insane his thoughts would sound if he dared put them into words. Sure, it was difficult to not resent the man after having bounced back from the grave and practically ascending to heaven right after. It was tough having to sit through the man's stories from his new job about his new coworker friends. Even more difficult was hearing about the woman he worked with and the smiles that came with her. The extra details Brian gave when he talked about her were like hot knives in Tim's skin. But he grit his teeth and smiled back. He told the man he was happy for him.

And he was. He wanted to be, at least. Tim sighed. He wanted to be happy, too…

Which was why he flushed the pill. If he stopped blacking out, it meant no more money. It meant less of his conscious hours being spent with Brian. It meant his old job all over again, it meant everything all over again. He couldn't do it.

What he could do was stay in control. It would be one hell of a balancing act, but that was how it needed to be. Tim vowed if he ever did wake up in blood, that was where he'd draw the line.

So every morning, another pill would go down the drain. And a week after he'd 'started' on them, he went back to the doctor's office. Alone. He'd insisted to Brian that he could handle it by himself, that he wanted to. He told the doctors that the dosages were fine, and before leaving the office, he conveniently forgot to schedule another appointment. He made it another two weeks before Brian started asking questions.

"How was your appointment yesterday?" They were both sitting at the dining table and looking at a stack of papers when it happened. Brian's tone was casual, but something about it seemed pointed.

"Fine."

"...You swapped the dates from Fridays to Thursdays, then?" Brian followed up.

Shit. Tim fidgeted. "Yeah. Fits my work schedule better."

"I thought you were only free on Fridays."

Tim's stare freezes on the paper he holds. He pretends he's so focused on it that he didn't hear Brian. But Brian continues.

"I want you to be honest with me, Tim."

I want to be, too. Tim thinks, but Brian isn't done. "I know you're not taking the meds. I get it. You're scared, whatever. I'm not mad about that."

Tim looks at him over the paper and over his bruised knuckles. A spark of hope ignites him.

"…I just don't get where the money's coming from." Brian admits, and the spark snuffs itself out. Tim's gaze solidifies on the table's wood grain. But Brian doesn't speak up again. It's Tim's turn to bat.

"It's… still a job. Pays the bills. What's it matter?"

"It matters to me. Because every day you're coming home all… I don't know. Roughed up. And you've been lying to me. Why?"

Tim lets the paper drift down to the table. He gives an exasperated shrug; even though he's had this conversation in his head a thousand times, his mouth can't keep up the pace. "Because it doesn't matter, okay? I'm getting money, I'm coming back in one piece, who cares if I know what I do to get it?"

Brian is the one who freezes next. "...You don't know how you get it, either."

"I misspoke." Tim lies. Brian sees right through.

"Why wouldn't you tell me that you're blacking out again? You don't think I'd wanna know that?"

"I didn't say that. Didn't think that. I just. I just…"

"-Didn't think I'd find out?"

"No. I know you're not dumb. Just…" Tim's exasperation doesn't aid his words. "...didn't wanna acknowledge it." Brian's gaze is intense on him.

"Well, you've got to, Tim."

"Says who?"

"It'll only get worse if you don't. You know that. You could be fucking hurting people, Tim."

"I know…"

Brian pauses. It's a horrific, weighty pause with the gravity of all the planets in the solar system put together. His next words are icy.

"...What do you mean, 'you know'?"

"I…" Words don't come to Tim any easier. His gaze trips on the table, and Brian's is trained on him like the dual barrel of a shotgun.

"-I mean I know, okay? But it's not like there's blood or anything."

"Are you kidding me, Tim?" Brian doesn't raise his voice, but it's obvious he wants to. "Look, I-"

"No. You look! I'm getting money! I don't have to work some shitass job with people I don't care about for eight awful hours a day and I don't have to worry about anything other than being here. It's a fucking blessing, Brian."

Brian deadpanned at Tim for a long, hard moment. Tim had never seen him like this before. The man shook his head, wordlessly, and got himself up to his feet with his crutches. He turned to leave.

"Brian-" Tim got up to his feet, too.

"No. I can't talk to you right now. You're not thinking straight."

That shotgun had just pummeled a round straight into his heart. "No! We can talk about this. Come back!" He darts forwards, and grabs one of Brian's crutches.

"I said no, Tim. Let go." His head is turned away from Tim. But Tim doesn't let go.

"It's not just random people you're hurting, Tim. It's me, too. And it's you."

"I'm happier than I've ever been, Brian. You're alive."

"Then I'm not happy. And you shouldn't be, either."

Tim lets go. But his gaze stays pinned to the man's back as he ambles down the hall and to the bedroom. He doesn't meet Tim's eye when he turns to lock the door behind himself.

The next day is full of strain between them. Brian only leaves the bedroom when he has to leave for work, and when he comes back, he shuts himself back inside.

'I'm moving out' are the next words Tim hears from the man. Tim was by the sink at the time; his back was turned, and he was getting ready to wash the small mountain of dishes on the counter. A layer of water sat in the sink, reflecting Tim's face as it turned to stone. He heard the rustle of a bag against Brian's side as he shifted his weight on his crutches.

"Why."

"You know why."

"How."

"...My old landlord. Got a friend to give me a ride. I'll be fine."

Tim knows he will, and for some reason, that boils the blood in his veins. It was probably that same coworker he'd been talking about before that was giving him a ride, too. Tim's stare melts a hole into the faucet. It leaks blood.

"...We can still hang out. I'll call. You need to take those meds, Tim. You can't live like this. You're the only one that can fix yourself."

Tim doesn't reply. He tries to ignore the stare fixed to his back.

"I'm leaving now, Tim."

Tim grips the sides of the sink. His head lowers, and his laser stare burns into the water. The face that he sees reflected in it smirks at him with square glasses. Crimson leeches into the water. He seethes.

"This is for the best." Brian continues.

Tim still says nothing.

"Tim."

"…You shouldn't be alive."

There's a heavy pause, but no response. Footsteps fade away from behind Tim, then he hears the door shut, then he hears a car pull out of his driveway.

Brian is gone. His fading footsteps rattle and repeat in Tim's mind. He grips the sides of the sink tighter, and his knuckles go white. A sick, festering feeling opens up like a feverish wound inside him, and suddenly, when he does wake up with real blood on his hands later that night, it's the last thing he could ever care about.

#marble hornets #writers on tumblr #brian thomas #fanfic #mh #tim wright

[starsstuddedsky]

hi hi hi! im a new follower but already so invested in "as a matter of fact". i think the storyline is amazing and i can't wait for more updates >< and my wish to your star is a fic of a love triangle b/w seungkwan, wonu and our girl y/n :) if you decide to accept this (totally cool if you don't) - i think a uni au would be nice with tons of fluff and angst. and you can decide who to end up with! thank you for reading this, your works are amazing and take care <33

Date #4

seungkwan x reader, wonwoo x reader

summary: Seungkwan and the crushing realization of having feelings for a friend

genre: angst, fluff, uni au

warnings: food mention, alcohol mention, swearing(?)

wc: 2.4k

a/n: hello!!! tysm for this request!! first of all, i'm sorry it took me so long to get to this, i was in a bit of a writing rut and also real life is so difficult.. that said i had a lot of fun writing this and i hope it isn't took different from what you imagined!! i'm not the biggest fan of love triangles (read: i despite them) so idk how this turned out.. pls pls enjoy &lt;/3

req masterlist | guidelines

Seungkwan has his apron on, tied behind his back in a bow (a skill he learned during the two months he survived working at Foot Locker). He chose all black, turtleneck tucked into his loose jeans, even digging out the sneakers he got (discount price) when he thought he was actually going to run every day. He shudders at the memory of wearing the Foot Locker uniform, thankful yet again to find a job at Soren’s. Close to campus, minimal dress code and iced Americanos whenever he wants them. Plus it rarely gets busy, so most of the time Seungkwan gets paid to read behind the counter. 

He drums his fingers on the counter, scanning the limited view of the sidewalk that the window provides. If only he could take down the giant poster, promoting some campus band, especially since the concert was two months ago. 

He smiles at the memory. Two months ago, the first of these little schemes. You wore your favorite jeans and the purple sweater, with the swirly patterns that Jihoon makes fun of for looking like obscene shapes. Seungkwan had to promise you that Jihoon was just being immature, and there were middle fingers and dicks absolutely nowhere on you. 

That was back when you still had faith in your dates. 

He can see two pairs of shoes underneath the poster, the Sketchers he got you (also discount price) and unfamiliar Nikes that are gray and worn down. Seungkwan is tempted to pour the cup of water already. 

Because of the cursed poster, he can’t see you until you’re opening the door, the little bell jingling softly. It’s still a fond noise to Seungkwan, a notice that customers have arrived and he’ll have to actually earn his paycheck. Jeonghan, the other barista, hates the noise, obvious by the way he drags his feet approaching the register. He shoots a glare at Seungkwan as he walks past, though he agreed to this at the start of the shift. 

“Welcome to Soren’s, how can I help you?” Jeonghan asks in a cheery voice. He stands straight and even though his back is to Seungkwan, he knows that the older boy is flashing a blindingly bright smile and perfectly covering his disdain for the job. 

From his stool on the corner, Seungkwan gets the perfect vantage point to judge your date. He’s tall, broad shoulders, wearing a loose navy blue sweater and brown corduroy pants. A point in his favor, definitely better than Failed Date #2 (Seungkwan still wants to know who let him go on a date in flip flops and board shorts). He has thick glasses, round frames that sit perfectly on the bridge of his nose, which is straight and looks like it’s never been broken (a step up from Failed Date #1, who managed to break his nose during the date). 

This date was set up by Jun (much more reputable than Mingyu by Seungkwan’s judgment). According to Jun, he met the dude in his freshman English class, and cited him as the sole reason Jun passed the class. “Certified genius” were the exact words he used to describe Jeon Wonwoo. 

You order first, though Seungkwan doesn’t need to listen to know what to make. He gets off the stool, hands moving without looking; he’s made your order so many times since he started working here, he could do it in his sleep. 

“I’ll take a caramel latte, iced,” Wonwoo says. His voice is smooth and deep, even Seungkwan feels his heart skip a beat. So far so good. He remembers a night where you were rather drunk and very rambly, and mentioned how you found deep voices attractive. 

Seungkwan doesn’t miss how Wonwoo pays without a word, passing his card to Jeonghan before you can say anything. Another point to the Date #4. Seungkwan has to actually pay attention to his job now, ignoring the faces Jeonghan is making at him. He pours the drinks carefully, making sure nothing sticky is left on the outside of your cup since apparently he got syrup on it last time. 

Seungkwan is proud of how quickly he finishes the drinks. He has gotten rather good at being a barista, though it feels arrogant to say. He sets them on the counter, calling out the order. You and Wonwoo stand at the same time, and your table is close enough for Seungkwan to hear the awkward laugh. 

“Why don’t we go together?” You say, gesturing for him to lead the way. Wonwoo nods, and even though his back is to you, he still smiles. Seungkwan feels a prickle in his stomach watching you two walk up together. You look good together, he realizes. 

You don’t look at him when you pick up your drink, muttering thank you under your breath. Seungkwan has to force himself to smile and nod at Wonwoo, who meets his eyes and thanks him, holding up his glass in a small toast. 

He watches you return to your table and decides it has to be a good sign that you are avoiding him. It must mean the date is going well, since you aren’t making faces at him or giving him the signal. 

You sit facing Wonwoo, though you’re also facing Seungkwan. He shifts the stool so that he can watch you out of the corner of his eye without outright staring. He’d hate to miss the signal like last time. 

The minutes drag by. Seungkwan can’t hear much from behind the bar, but can he see your face light up in that lovely smile that makes your cheekbones pop, see the way you lean into the table when Wonwoo is talking. And even when both your drinks are empty and the ice is melting, you don’t make any move to get up or give him the signal. 

Seungkwan sips on the cup of water before realizing he’s meant to spill it on you. He sets it down, realizing this means he has to resort to plan B. Even if you don’t look like you’re going to give the signal, he should stay ready. It’s his duty, as your friend. 

Friend. He frowns at the word. That is, by definition, his relationship to you, someone with whom there is mutual affection. He is affectionate to you, but watching someone else make you smile, for the first time he wonders if affection is all he feels. 

He ducks his head, wiping the counter down. These thoughts are dangerous, capacity-to-destroy-a-relationship level of dangerous. You’ve always been a precious friend to him, and he won’t throw it away because he maybe thinks he feels something. 

It’s true he’s thought of it before; the first time was in the library, when someone wanted to borrow a chair and mistakenly thought you were dating. It was a careless mistake but for a moment Seungkwan entertained the thought. It passed quickly, his essay on data ethics taking priority, but every once in a while he’ll be by your side and wonder what it would be like to be more than friends. Passing thoughts that vanish before they can destroy him. 

Seungkwan scrubs at the sink, waiting for this thought to pass, but it’s taken root in his stomach, twisting and turning. He has had one iced americano too many, and everything is a clouded mess. 

“What are you doing?” Jeonghan hisses from next to him. “That’s the wrong rag!” He snatches the rag from Seungkwan’s hand, tossing it in the back. Jeonghan shakes his head. “I trained you better than this. Sponges and orange rags only for cleaning the sinks!” 

“Sorry,” Seungkwan mutters, glancing back at you. 

“It’s going well this time,” Jeonghan says. Seungkwan turns to see that Jeonghan isn’t even trying to hide his snooping. He’d shove the older boy if he didn’t think it would get him fired. 

“Can’t you be subtle?” He whispers. 

“No fun,” Jeonghan says, craning his neck to try and get a better look at Wonwoo. 

“I never should have told you anything.” 

“Nonsense, I’m an integral part of this team,” Jeonghan says. “Plus you’re conducting this on company property, I have to make sure you don’t get us sued or anything.” 

“Since when have you cared about getting sued,” Seungkwan says, remembering last week when Jeonghan got into an argument with a customer. 

“I care about getting sued when my protégé can’t focus on his job because he’s too busy being overly invested in the love life of his friend.” 

“How noble.” Seungkwan dares to peek at you again. Is he imagining things? 

No, you’re definitely tucking your hair behind your ear with both hands, though you aren’t looking at him. Still, the signal is the signal. Seungkwan ignores Jeonghan, grabbing the mop bucket from the back. It’s time to prove his worth. 

The mop bucket clatters on the tiled floor, drowning out your conversation. Seungkwan decides it’s fate; he doesn’t need to know why you called for evacuation, he just needs to help get you out. 

So he trips. He doesn’t know how convincing he is, especially when he puts most of his effort into tipping the bucket of water over via mop handle. Unfortunately, as he falls, Seungkwan realizes two things. First, he miscalculates how much strength it would take to tip the bucket, and instead of knocking it over, he sends it flying into the air. Second, he thought the water was still clean but Jeonghan must have mopped before his shift started because the water flying into the air is very soapy and very dirty. 

Seungkwan falls flat on his back, mop handle clattering next to him. He squeezes his eyes and mouth shut as the water sprays all over. 

“Oh. My. God.” He hears your voice and opens his eyes slowly. You sit in the chair, hand over your mouth and Seungkwan realizes he didn’t just spray himself. 

“Are you okay?” Wonwoo asks. He stands, the chair kicking up mop water. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” He holds out a hand to Seungkwan, covered in mop water. Seungkwan tries to think of an excuse to say no but comes up with nothing, so he takes the other man’s hand and cringes when he notices the water on his glasses. 

Seungkwan has failed before, but never this exponentially terribly. 

“I’m fine.” Seungkwan says, unable to take his eyes off you. Why haven’t you gotten up yet? 

“You’re sort of…” Wonwoo points to his chest. Seungkwan groans. He’s covered in the mop water, seeping through the apron. It’s probably all over his face. 

“Here,” Jeonghan says, passing paper towels to you and Wonwoo. “I apologize for the clumsiness of my coworker, he’s new.” Jeonghan glares at Seungkwan, sticking a paper towel to his forehead. 

“I’m so sorry,” Seungkwan chokes out, reaching up to peel the paper towel off his face and use it to wipe off some of the water. Maybe Jeonghan will let him go home early, or, even better, follow through on one of his threats and toss Seungkwan in the dumpster behind the store. 

“It’s alright,” Wonwoo says. “Accidents happen, no harm no foul.” 

You say nothing, staring at Seungkwan. He feels so small when you look at him like that, frown creasing your brow, like you don’t understand why he would do something like this, like you don’t know him at all. 

“Sorry,” he mutters again. 

“It’s fine,” you finally say, though your smile isn’t very convincing. “We’re fine, right?” 

Wonwoo nods. “Absolutely fine, though I think I’ll have to wash this as soon as possible.” 

“Oh,” you say. “Right. Me too, I guess.” 

Wonwoo laughs. “I had fun, though.” Seungkwan knows that he should follow Jeonghan behind the counter but his feet are planted to the ground, stuck standing between you and Wonwoo listening to your very first successful blind date. Except you gave him the signal. Right? 

“I’d like to do this again,” Wonwoo continues, “though maybe with slightly less water involved.” He glances at Seungkwan, as if just realizing that he’s still standing there. Everything in him screams to run but he can’t get his legs to move. 

“Oh,” you say. You don’t look away from Wonwoo. “I… I think I’d like that too.” 

Seungkwan’s heart drops. He hates the feeling immediately, he knows that he should be happy that you’ve found someone and yet his stomach still twists. 

“Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you,” Wonwoo says. He smiles at you one last time before walking toward the door. Seungkwan watches him leave, sees the exact moment he pauses (one foot out the door) to get one last look at you. And then he’s gone.

“What the hell, Seungkwan?” you cry as soon as the door shuts. 

“You gave me the signal!” He says. He tucks invisible hair behind his ears with both hands. “Double tuck!” 

You frown, probably trying to remember whether you actually did it or not. But Seungkwan knows it doesn’t matter. He should have seen how happy you were. With Wonwoo. 

“I really am sorry,” he says, folding his arms. 

“It’s alright,” you say before he finishes talking. “He didn’t take it badly. Actually, he took it quite well.” You smile. “I think I could really like him.” 

Good, Seungkwan tries to say. Then, I’m happy for you. The words get stuck in his throat. And he knows why, the forbidden words lurking at the edge of his thoughts, the twisted sickness that has been growing for so long without his knowledge cannot be ignored anymore, not when it demands a name. Jealousy, the cruel monster. 

Jealousy because without realizing it, he stopped thinking of you as just a friend. It’s not fair to call you anything more, but Seungkwan can’t keep pretending that this is enough, that he doesn’t want to imagine more. He’s spent too long denying it that the floodgates have opened and can’t pretend like he doesn’t want to be the one making you smile, the one you call in the middle of the night because you had a bad dream, the one you call in the middle of the day just because. He wants to look at you and not feel guilty.

But he knows you’ve never looked at him like that, not when you keep going on these dates. So what now? He can tell you the truth, risk losing you completely. Or he can stand back and watch you inevitably fall in love with Wonwoo, or some other man that sweeps you off your feet. 

He stands before you, covered in mop water and sick to his stomach. And he makes a decision. 

a/n2: i'm sorry if anyone doesn't like this ending i just really hate love triangles,, feel free to believe whatever you want about what happens next

#🌟 stars galaxy #seungkwan x reader #boo seungkwan x reader #seungkwan #boo seungkwan #seventeen x reader #seventeen #svt #svt x reader #seventeen fluff #seventeen angst #seungkwan fluff #seungkwan angst #wonwoo #jeon wonwoo #wonwoo x reader #jeon wonwoo x reader #wonwoo fluff #wonwoo angst #requests #inbox 💌 #from—anon

[housewifediary]

can't go a couple of weeks without some rando preaching about how scary and awful it is to be apart of this community and others like it.

People are more valuable than paychecks, children deserve better than government run facilities. Let people raise them if they wish.

College never guarantees success. People deserve hope for other opportunities and definitions of success.

Stop telling mothers they aren't valuable for just being that.

it takes all kinds of women to make up this world, let the ones who want to parent, do so.

And finally, no one should marry someone who only values you for money, and can't be trusted to take care of the family period. You don't work to secure yourself when you're married. you work because it's what you want to do. Legally it's just as much as my income in my state at least. so stop worrying already.

#tradfem #mumblr #tradlr #traditional femininity #housewife #parenting

[petitprincess1]

I still find it ironic that with all the bashing and hate both the HH and HB criticals made about each respective shows characters and their actions they don't see to also bring up other adult show's (Well the ones that aren't universally hated like Velma.) characters and their own less the noble actions. Like how they want to bash Loona's skull in for how she treats Blitzo yet never bring up how bad it is that Homer strangles Bart on a daily basis in the Simpsons or how they make Stolas to be the next Hitler for his love life with Blitzo yet turn a blind eye to how Quagmire and Brian do worst lustful things in Family Guy. That's not also getting into how Hazbin Hotel gets panned for how Vaggie acts yet hardly brings up how South Park does MUCH more offensive representations on minorities. It'd be one thing if the Criticals also bring up how the other shows are bad because of it too but the fact that they're almost never brought up makes me wonder if in the end they just care more about taking shots at people they hate in a petty manner rather then actually wanting to help people who really are being tormented which ironically says more about them rather then Vivziepop.

Criticals love to say that shows like Family Guy and the rest get criticized too, but I don't think it's nearly as much as Hazbin/Helluva gets. It's definitely not as maliciously hated, imo. There definitely are infamous eps that get hated more so than others, but as a whole, I don't think people care that much.

Meanwhile, the moment Viv breathes, crits and antis MUST make some stupid comment. Viv can just post about being on vacation and people are wondering why she isn't working. As if she isn't allowed to take breaks because she's indie. Hell, I remember I saw a critical complain about Vivzie hiring, saying that she knows her fans will work for dirt cheap.

Like, damn, I didn't know that you were in charge of paychecks. What a small world we live in. 🙄 I mean, if there's any antis/crits that are taking Erin Frost's words over the many, many, many others that have spoken otherwise....then, please, try to convince me that what you guys are doing aren't solely fueled by hatred. I really would love to hear your excuses answers.

#hazbin hotel #helluva boss #vivziepop #ask answered #ok 2 rb

[eldritch-spouse]

what if the monster guys' obsession was weirdly chill and nonchalant about their situation? it's not even Stockholm syndrome, they just go along with whatever happens if it means living fairly comfortably.

Morell makes delicious food that they don't have to pay for, just be his lil piglet? alright, deal! all they could afford back home was frozen pre-cooked stuff, so this is definitely an upgrade. oh, humans are the main ingredient? this mushroom guy butchers and cooks humans to make these tasty-looking meals? okay, well...it still looks really, really good. and it's not like they'll ever escape from here unscathed, so...bon appétit, as people say. they'll deal with the morals of cannibalism some other day, if ever.

Nebul is a bit much at first but it does feel nice to be cared for, even if they're considered a pet. just follow his rules, be obedient, and it's actually not that bad. it beats having to worry every second if they'll get their paycheck in time to pay that month's rent and if they could even afford groceries after all the bills are paid. they'll be his pearl for as long as they never have to return to those worries ever again.

Santi is a lil bit difficult to keep up with, but they'll eventually build up enough stamina so they won't always feel like an overused wringed out towel. they don't mind being exhausted and tired afterwards cuz that's the whole point, but they would like to be at least a teensy bit coherent and not pass out immediately. they never had the time to romp around with other people, let alone have any sexual and/or romantic relationship. they had too many things to worry about to even think about a casual hook-up. now, they can understand why people have killed for sex. they don't mind Santi having clients cuz hey, it pays good money and they were never one to judge, just give them a heads-up if he decides to involve them in his next appointment.

Patches is so tempting to push around and bully, but they have enough in their heart to not be a total dick to him. he grows on them pretty quickly, actually. he's a bit of a weird freak but they figure out how to have fun with it in a way they'll both be having a good time by the end. they do have a few lines to not be crossed, but they will soften up if Patches continues to beg and whine so adorably. it feels nice to have someone like him around. they never had many people in their life, if any at all. they were lonely, yes, but they were too worried and strung-up to even humor the idea of companionship. they genuinely appreciate Patches's company and affection more than anyone else could ever understand.

wanted to write for a few more characters, but that's all the brain power i have for now.

[That's okay, don't worry!]

While that would definitely make their lives easier, it would also not satisfy them.

There are many yanderes out there that will simply be content to keep you some way or another, but most of them would prefer it if you returned their love at some point.

Apathy is unattractive, and even the most masochistic of the bunch, the most desperate, will not settle for it.

Morell loves that you'll accept and even seemingly find his meals appetizing, that you don't make a fuss about human hunting, but he would tolerate those things if it meant he could see a shred of genuine love for him in those eyes. This doesn't feel like a relationship to him yet, and he's getting antsy when you don't show signs of affection.

Nebul is satisfied with your level of immediate obedience, and he's glad that you already seem to enjoy in relying on others. But that's not enough. He would rather a clumsy or somewhat temperamental but dedicated pet, than a perfectly obedient and ambivalent servant.

Santi's so utterly disappointed. When he falls for you, feels love for the first time, he becomes addicted to it. For once, he's not just craving the next fuck or mere seduction games- He's yearning for a warm smile, for a loving kiss, for beautiful words and comforting touches. He wants to see his mania reflected in your eyes... But it's not there. You've resigned yourself, you're not in love. And it shatters him.

Patches knows he's pathetic, but he's trying so very hard. Maybe you do seem to appreciate him at choice moments, and he's so very glad, but that's just... You putting up with him. And that makes the dullahan feel fucking awful. Not even the blissful masochistic type of pain, just total heartbreak. Will he ever be enough? Will you ever genuinely come to love him? Or is he just a convenient loser hanging off the hems of your clothes?

#Patches oc #Nebul oc #Santi oc #Morell oc

[quiescentdestiny]

I'm just sitting here, thinking about the idea that one day, at some point. Some random ass teenager just got a job at Excites. They don't fucking care about exy. they really really don't. Their mom just told them they needed to get a job, or they'd get no perks, so they got the first retail job they could find, and it happened to be at the Exy Store.

Anyways, queue Neil and Kevin walking in, both (but especially Kevin) knowing full well that all the managers know him on a personal level at this point, cause not only is he Kevin fucking Day, but this is his go to store because it's the closest to Palmetto, and he's picky so Wymack just lets him do the shopping for the team. And it's not like Neil isn't infamous at this point, but for less sports related reasons and more.... well.

and this kid is just trying to make a paycheck, and accidentally ruining Kevin's day because he has no idea who either of them are, and frankly he doesn't care either. At some point, upon asking if he can help them, (which of course he cannot, cause Kevin definitely knows more about the layout of the damn store, let alone actual exy questions) he actually mentions that he doesn't even like sports, and really only likes baseball if he had to pick one. and Kevin just... cannot. he cannot fathom the idea that someone working at Excites doesn't like exy, like how could they betray him this way to hire someone who doesn't care at ALL?!?! where is the quality??? (and now Neil is mad too, not because they hired him, but because really? Baseball?! )

#aftg #neil josten #kevin day #all for the game #foxhole court #tfc #this is what happens when I don't get any sleep and decide to think too much about aftg at 3:45am

[spiderrrling]

I wish we knew more about Eddie and Wayne's relationship. We don't see much of Wayne, and we never see him and Eddie interact. And when we do see Wayne, he's definitely in shock. I just wonder what it was like for them before.

I have this idea that Eddie didn't paint his van any colors or add the corroded coffin logo to it just in case Wayne needed to use that car, so when he would go into town it wouldn't automatically link Eddie to Wayne and it might give him just a little bit of an easier time

I think they for sure didn't have it easy, Wayne gave up his room so that Eddie could have some level of privacy in his life, and they for sure seemed to live very paycheck to paycheck, but I still think they were happy on some level

I wish we would have gotten to see more of them, and gotten to see them together, Wayne really seems to care for Eddie and Eddie Wayne

#asks and answers #eddie munson #stranger things #wayne munson

[demonslayedher]

OK, so the upcoming adaptation of the Swordsmith Village arc has me in a chokehold, and as such, I've been thinking a lot about the village itself. I've been wondering- have there been any notable instances of whole villages devoted to Swordsmithing? And as a slight, more KNY tangent, how do you think Gyokko managed to locate the village wherein the story happens? (Definitely could have phrased that more elegantly, but whatevs)

Slight tangent? This like two different questions, Wyn, how sly! Just kidding. Before I get too distracted by SWORDS SWORDS SWORDS, I'm going to set aside the Gyokko question and say I have no idea, maybe Ufotable will give us something come April? Perhaps he's got spying methods through his pots, and one of his pots got sold along the route to the village? Perhaps he sent his fish to spy on the conversations between birds, or perhaps one of his fish got caught and eaten in the village? Perhaps while looking for the Blue Spider Lily, this was a totally accidental discovery? I handled this question in my Demon Sibling AU: Version Uzui as having used ninja abilities to spy on conversations between Kakushi and slayers and crows and used that to piece together a location. As for swords, instead of villages solely dedicated to sword production, what you often found was neighborhoods dedicated to a certain kind of product--pottery, textiles, oil, etc--and in the case of a town arising around, say, the construction of an emperor's tomb or a Sengoku era castle, what came first was the workers, and then the town to support the livelihood of the workers. For places that are still famous for sword production (or as the case usually is today, kitchen knife production), it was usually a certain part of town instead of the village a whole, or at least, that would be my guess. These craftsman ultimately were taking clients to make their paycheck however much it was that they cared about their craft, but in the case of Kimetsu no Yaiba, the swordsmiths live by a mission, and the village and Corp support them such that they can be single-mindedly devoted to their craft and not have want of economic prosperity. The whole village can and is be built around their work. And, to make a community around sword production, it typically involved masters of many different crafts--the tatara kiln master who produces the iron, the blacksmith who shapes the blade, the sword polisher, the sword engraver, the craftsman who fits a hilt to it, the craftsman who creates its sheath, and so on. We don't know if every swordsmith in KnY's village can do everything themselves (or perhaps likes doing everything themselves), but with each of them being such strike disciplines, some division of labor and specialization wouldn't surprise me.

Looking back in Japanese history for swordsmiths who produced any any sharp and pretty thing for killing humans as their clients liked, the famous spots various depending on the time period. For example, in the Heian era, the Awataguchi area (the far east end of Sanjo street) of Kyoto was the spot of town to go for finding a swordsmith, though swords produced by masters throughout the country still found their way to the capital too. Then as we move from Heian through Sengoku, the land of Bizen (modern day eastern Okayama Prefecture) was the top producer of swords in this era, and although Sagami (modern day Kanagawa Prefecture) wasn't as prolific, they had some super famous swords produced there. Mino (modern day Gifu Prefecture) didn't come onto the sword producing stage until later, but they supplied a lot of weapons to Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu's armies. Although these areas (and many more) become associated with sword production and their own respective styles and aesthetics, they were perhaps better known by the famous individual swordsmiths they produced.

Nowadays, these are considered the "Big Three" spots for Japanese blade production: Sakai City in Osaka Prefecture, Sanjo City in Niigata Prefecture, and Seki City in Gifu Prefecture. I've mentioned Seki on this blog before, as this is where LiSA is from, and I have personal connections there. I haven't been back since long before my KnY obsession, but I can't believe no one ever told me that part of the city's history and took me the museum! There's also a parade in which knife producers walk around and show off their handiwork, while talking about this with a coworker from another part of Gifu, it was as she was saying "it seems scary" that I was like "THAT SOUNDS AWESOME, I WANNA SEE THAT."

I'm also very partial to eastern Shimane Prefecture, not as much known for the sword production as the iron production. Nowdays, Okuiizumo is the only producer of tamagahane (iron ore of the right quality for Japanese swords), and nearby Yasugi is a major producer of high quality steel for everything from industrial use to kitchen blades. Part of what I really wanted to express in my write-up of sword production as it relates to Kimetsu no Yaiba was that you can't focus solely on the swordsmiths and their direct actions on shaping the blade; Japanese swords are product of nature and management of the finite raw materials directly contributes to the beauty of the final product. Even back in the Heian era, these materials would travel long distances to reach the famous hands of renown swordsmiths, and even after the shaping of the blades, they would still be passed around from craftsman to craftsman before reaching the hands of a master swordsman.

#SWORDS SWORDS SWORDS #KnY Nerdery #Gyokko #kinda

[eternitysoup]

As I write this, my stomach is killing me because I had to stay up late and drink a RedBull and eat some donuts. What was I thinking? Anyway, onto my thoughts this morning.

Frugality is a hard necessity to master. Or maybe I'm just stressing because it's the 1st of the month, and I'm paying off some debts while watching our paycheck shrink just hours after it hit the bank. The first thing we did was pay back my sister and our neighbor: $300 and $420, respectively. They are great lifelines for loans when we need them, and I don't want to jeopardize anything like that. Someone who will lend you a few hundred bucks until payday without interest is just indispensable in these times.

The second thing I did was pay off the phone bill entirely. I had been making half payments on it for a while, but it didn't stop them from cutting it off last week. So this paycheck, I doubled up and paid everything off, past due $108, and current due $118, so I don't owe anything more until May. Having a phone is very important, even if I never leave my house. Also saw a notice that they are raising their base prices on my bill. Fun.

The third bill to be taken care of this morning is the electric bill. I'm still so miffed that last month, TXU charged me $25 because they charged my empty debit card instead of using the checking account I know I had set up in their app. I blame them, but I probably missed a step or a button somewhere.

After paying the electric bill, I took care of the Xfinity bill for $144 since it was due on the 3rd anyway.

I sat down and started going over our monthly pet supply order from Chewy. The dog needs new supplements, and we have to buy different cat food this time since it seems like the little girl cat throws up with the current brand. We're switching from Iams to PurinaOne this month to see how it does, and it's also on sale for a good price.

Funny thing, while I was doing my Chewy order, it said, "Orders over $100 get a free $30 gift card," so I used the promo code, and it increased my total amount. They charged me more tax and also took away my other discounts for brand loyalty with our American Journey dog food. My order was $280 before the promo and $285 after it. I opted to keep the promo, though, because I'm still ahead $25 with how it all shakes out, and the gift card will definitely be used in May.

That just leaves rent for $897, four credit card payments of about $50 each, and various small subscriptions like Hulu ($9), PS Plus ($17), YouTube ($25), and my FFXIV subscription ($15). I'm also aiming to put $100 in savings. So that leaves about $557 for the month for food, household items, or anything else that may come up. I definitely don't want to spend that entire remainder if I don't have to.

Side note: Absolutely forgot we have to return the old comcast equipment, still. Some of that stuff has been in our closet a year.

#journal #my blog #blog #life #my journal #my stuff #my post #finance #financial #money stuff #budget

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Since all the fashion discourse is back I'm gonna throw in my lot on the partnerships. Alltogether I'm not surpised that these brands are keen on employing the power of fandom in the Asian markets as there's been a general sway to expand markets in the Asiapacific regions since around 2019ish, saturated markets in the West and all that. Also the extreme wealth gain in the upper 5% during the pandemic all creates more handholds for luxury goods consumption. Given that BTS is currently operating seperately it gives them great market opportunities to employ this big fandom very broadly, even if only 1% of the rich ARMY buy more of their goods, they might buy from more than one of these brands simply because of fanloyalty to each of the members etc, it's obviously very lucrative for them. One can tell by all the content I have already seen about stock going up, haul videos, and all that jazz from ARMY, who mostly prob know jackshit about these different fashion houses and their styles and really jsut do their usual dick measuring with "oh the prestigue brought to the label by x idols ambassadorship". Yeah that's cute, as if the idols also don't get a nice paycheck with all this. Ah marketing ploys. Well established luxury fashion brands like this know a money making opportunity when they see one. Now outside of all the economic value of all this I think the ambassadorship appointments are from a style point not bad this time around. I do feel that Yoongi seems to have stepped up his personal style recently and from the way Valentino cuts their silouette especially in this years collection suits him and his current style trajectory quite well. Yoongi wears it well, it doesn't wear him. That speaks volumes. Though in my overall opinion proper tailoring skills have been going out the window with these 'top' fashion brands for some years now, such bad structure, but you prob don't care about that. Dior seems to be going for a more relaxed and flowy soft and neural colour palette fit this year from what I've seen and with the more cozy feel that jimins clothes have been havin it might not be a bad fit. We shall see, dior can have some super iconic looks it might vibe well with Jimin. And then JHope with maybe continuing with LV, i think of all of them he is well suited for Lv, he has the right kind of fashion sense for the kind of designs they have going on recently. It might be whacky, but Hobi styles whacky well in his own style. Anyway, I apologise if this is boring to you all this has ignited the intersection of special interestTM categories Fashion, BTS + KPOP and Economic Marketing of my brain and it needed an outlet. To your joy or dismay it has manifested here. Be that as it may. Hang in there in the pits of fandom hell that ARMY is nowadays.

Now I'm wondering if you're the same anon who sent me asks in the past regarding the fashion discourse. Your perspective sounds familiar. Either way, thank you for this contribution. It's important to look at this development through various angles, and not from just a k-pop fan stand because it tends to miss a lot of points. Which I bet you're aware of as well, especially the reactions on social media.

As you said, this new tendency (which started at least a few years ago) to strike deals with K-pop idols and actors makes sense because of the Western luxury brands trying to penetrate other sectors and they're definitely bullish on certain Asian markets due to an economic boom happening in the last few decades, which lead to the rise of extreme wealth and the creation of an upper class that uses these luxury brands in order to establish their status. That's why the LV and BTS partnership was big as well when it happened.

I don't know what you think about the fan/consumer reaction in terms of which idols are chosen. I've also seen some complaints, albeit scarcely, of why is suddenly everyone getting an ambassadorship. To me, it looks like the fan mentality doesn't allow them or they're not keen of looking at it from a broader perspective, specifically as a marketing tool. There's this ridiculous "beef" between fandoms of which K-Pop idol is actually more suited for the brand, which one is able to generate more capital. Case in point, Jimin and Jisoo. What I believe the fandoms fails to understand is that each of these two, along with the other two Korean ambassadors, were chosen for specific purposes and demographics. Fans see it as competition, when in fact it makes more sense for the brands to expand as much as possible because each idol brings their own consumers. Of which most of them are millenials and gen z with a social media presence which in turn promote the brand through their hauls and twitter/IG posts. Also, the percentage of really rich Army may already be familiar with luxury brands as an established consumer, but I think that it will have an impact on middle class fans as well who will think of purchasing because of the name now associated with let's say, Dior. They may look for goods in a "lower" price range (think of the beauty and makeup products). Either way, it's a win for the brand and the brand ambassador, as I've said in a previous post. It's funny how everyone talks about Dior needing Jimin, but the guy will make a lot of money out of this deal as well. Him and the rest of the members with their respective deals.

In terms of style, as much as I also see it as highly relevant, I think it won't matter for the fan/consumer, for all the reasons stated above. The usual fan is too biased to care. They could say that it looks amazing on Jimin, but if it were on someone else, they might as well have a different opinion and would not make that item be sold out. But that's just a bit of a speculation on my part.

By looking at the W Korea photoshoot, the Dior collection does seem a good fit for Jimin. It will be interesting to see how it will pan out in the near future. And by the way, I do love good tailored clothes and I have too noticed how "out of fashion" that is lately. These talks don't bore me at all, I do care about all the aspects.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by. You're always welcome, I like your insights. Come back if you want after Jimin attends the Dior show tomorrow and tell me what you think. It's a pleasure having these conversations.

#bmt asks #jimin #jimin dior #kpop and fashion #luxury brands and kpop #bts #bts brand deals #fashion & marketing #kpop fandom #fashion anons

[astraltrickster]

"Why is Hollywood making all these pieces about how shitty rich people are do they not realize they're taking potshots at themselves lmao"

1) The CEOs who greenlight it don't give a shit, they know we're willing to pay for the catharsis, the dollar signs soothe the hit to their egos, and they don't see the sentiment as a threat when 1. they can then use that money to continue to lobby to make sure they're still untouchable and 2. the evil characters who are parallels to themselves are taken down in the most unrealistic, inimitable ways possible - usually by some lone big hero main character in a blaze of glory, rather than by a large organized bloc of too many people to name over lots of time and a process of metaphorical death by a thousand cuts in boring tiny moves.

2) Most of the people actually writing and producing these pieces...AREN'T actually taking potshots at themselves. Contrary to popular belief, most people in Hollywood aren't that rich. A-listers with megamansions and studio owners are outliers. Of course, the lead writers, the executive producers, the directors of the latest big hit, the people with their names on the posters and shit are definitely wealthier than you or me, but most of them could still be bankrupted by a badly-timed medical emergency in the US. They're not "buy off the city government so I can bulldoze this retirement community to expand my studio" rich, they're MAYBE a few steps above "oh good I can have nice things, take a vacation now and then, not have to worry TOO much about money in a NON-MEDICAL emergency, and maybe even retire more than 10 years before I expect to die!" "rich." Meanwhile, crew that aren't front and center are often in the same economic bracket as most of us, living paycheck to paycheck, and they often don't have employer-sponsored health insurance - it's either through a union, or out-of-pocket.

Of course, the aforementioned names on the posters are likely to be pretty out of touch with how dire things really can get, but most of them ARE still closer to absolute destitution than they are to being billionaires, and if they know it - if people in that position actually stop and reflect on how fucked up it is that 95+% of people do not have the "luxuries" they have of "being able to pay for their own health insurance if work dries up" or "being able to own a nice well-maintained home with enough room for their family and passions" or "going on a nice vacation now and then", if they stop and think about the implications of the fact that if you retire in the US with "just" a million dollars let alone less you'd better hope you die soon even though that kind of money is exactly as unattainable to the average person as it sounds if not more so - well, that's a REALLY good thing because most people DO care when they stop and think about that shit!

#media #serious tag