#which has gotten mixed results watching games

[onlyswan]

summary: in which alcohol plus k-drama is equals to your and jungkook’s tears.

> fluff / wc: 4k

> warnings: oc’s first attempt at becoming a pro bartender lmao they both drink alcohol!!, alchemy of souls spoilers!! (they watch the ending of part 2), mention of a stab and blood, they cry over character deaths together >:( (sike?) maybeee a little surprise bc jk is so in love y’all idk what else to say </3 💍

note: welcome to the result of my jungkook + aos brainrot. you can read more of inwhich!jk in glasses in this drabble. :D thank you anonie who sent this ask! + as always i’d appreciate it a lot if you lmk if you enjoyed mwamwa <3

—

“i miss my boyfriend.” you sigh dramatically as you slump over the dining table, popping a vodka-soaked cherry in your mouth.

despite being hopelessly in love, you and jungkook don’t necessarily feel obliged to spend every second of every day with each other. of course, it was different at the early stages of your relationship, when you had to cross oceans and move mountains to spend time together, even if it meant hugging for only ten minutes and parting ways again.

however, things changed when you started living under one roof. the burning passion of your love isn’t dying down, no. in fact, you would go as far as saying that it is growing more gracefully ardent. after all, there is no greater peace than knowing that at the end of the day, wherever the street signs and the unmarked paths may lead you to, you and jungkook choose to come home to each other’s arms. is this not the real honeymoon phase, as they like to call it?

he left early this sunday morning to attend a small reunion with his childhood friends in busan, while you spent the day reading a book and painting the numbers one to ten of the little paint by numbers kit you stumbled upon at the book store last week.

it’s a sunny day on an abundant island, with a lighthouse standing close to the edge. and maybe, just maybe, you regret ignoring the simple flower bouquet beside it because the details drawn on this canvas are the literal definition of tiny. you ended up feeling dizzy by afternoon because of the strain it caused to your fucked up vision.

to make matters worse, the doorbell rung at around 5pm, and a minute later you were already unboxing the basics cocktail set you ordered two days ago. it includes a 18- and 28-ounce shaker set, jigger that has a dual-side (ounce and two-ounce) pourers, strainer, muddler, and bar spoon.

to summarize what you’ve been doing with your life lately: you’re trying to explore the random things you’ve always been curious about, in hopes that they’ll help you find new hobbies and interests.

you thought about baking, but jungkook already does that, and quite frankly, you’re not at a place in your life where you have a high capacity for the patience it requires. mixing drinks, on the other hand, takes a relatively shorter time to do. and what makes it even more enticing is that you can take a shot whenever you mess up, as if you’re playing a drinking game.

there’s no better way to spend your sunday evening, right?

“baby, why the hell are all the alcohol outside of the cabinets?”

right… except you’re already intoxicated… and the world is spinning. you’re desperately yearning to hug jungkook, so he can make it stop, but you’re not even sure if he’s coming home or he’s staying over at his parent’s house for the night.

you react belatedly to the confused voice, lifting your head to squint at the man who grabbed a bottle of white wine from the cluttered countertop.

“hey, who are you? the bar is closed. put that down.”

he laughs lightheartedly when he realizes how drunk you’ve gotten. as he places it back down, the bottle clinks against the cold white stone. your heavy head collapses on top of your outstretched arm as he walks towards the opposite side of the dining table.

you open your eyes, one before the other, when you feel a presence hogging your space. a sheepish smile curves your lips as the beautiful face of your dear beloved greets you.

jungkook’s prescription glasses moves with his scrunched up nose as he grins at you playfully. “it’s the boyfriend you said you were missing.”

you reach out for him as soon as he finishes saying the sentence, silently asking to be embraced. slaves to your touch — his hands, which are resting on the sharp edge of the table and the top rail of your chair, eagerly slip down to encircle your waist.

you lazily lean your cheek on his shoulder, revelling in his welcoming body warmth. “why are you back early? aren’t you tired? you should’ve just rested at your house.”

“mhmm, i had to.” he hums, deep and raspy voice making his chest vibrate against yours. “we talked about marriage and all that jazz. i couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

with an airy huff, you pull away to glare up at him childishly. “i sure hope you’re not thinking about anybody else.”

he runs his tongue across his lips, unconsciously tugging at the silver lip ring with his teeth, but his loving smile stays. “you know that you’re the only one for me.”

“still! i like to hear it from you sometimes.” you giggle before taking a sip from a cold glass of cherry limeade, a refreshing treat you’ve been enjoying since before he arrived.

“vodka?”

“vodka.”

you swallow once more before handing him the glass, swaying your feet under the table as the delicious mixture of sweet and tart permeates your tongue.

“mhmm, wow!” he exclaims after taking a sip, tilting the glass a little bit to the side to look at the light red beverage with knitted eyebrows. “wait a minute- why is this so good?!”

you excitedly tug at the hem of his sweatshirt, begging for more pats on the head. “i had a lot of fun using the shaker.”

he lightly kicks out the chair to your right so he can take a seat, shrugging off the backpack full of clean clothes you packed for him last night incase he wanted to stay longer in busan.

“i did well with this one, right?”

he enthusiastically nods in response as he takes another gulp, chewing on the block of ice that also managed to slip inside his mouth. you melt into his affectionate touch when he cups your cheek with his delicate palm.

“maybe making drinks has been your specialty all along.”

you frown in disagreement. “i’m not sure. i made bloody mary before that one and i don’t know if i did something horribly wrong or it’s just supposed to taste that disgusting.”

amused laughter racks his body as he takes in the endearing sight of your genuinely downcast expression. you jut out your bottom lip in annoyance.

“it really tasted like poison! i got goosebumps!”

“shit, now i’m scared of you actually getting alcohol poisoning.” the back of your hand is rewarded with a sweet kiss by jungkook’s vodka-stained lips. the wide doe eyes behind his glasses meet yours curiously. “your hand smells like coffee.”

“oh- oh! the dalgona martini!” you rip your hand away from his to point at the martini glass standing at the very center of the dining table. “i just finished that. it should still be cold.”

he carefully slides the glass towards him to avoid spillage, fascinated lips forming a pout as he observes the thick portion of dalgona sitting on top of the mixed baileys and vodka. he didn’t even notice it at all because it’s almost the same color as the wood. has his vision gotten that bad?

“this looks yummy. you haven’t tried it yet?”

you shake your head, which you instantly regret because your vision blacks out momentarily. you swallow thickly as you attempt to blink away the shiny, swirly shapes dancing infront of your eyes.

“fuck, no. i already had classic martini, and mule. i’ll throw up.”

“jesus christ, baby. how many drinks did you try making?” jungkook finds himself so worried that he harshly takes off his glasses without reason, putting it aside on the table.

you giggle loudly at his reaction, using your folded arms as a pillow. “that’s all! i promise! besides, didn’t you drink with your friends, too?”

his face glows with uncontainable fondness at the mention of his friends.

“i was talking and laughing the whole time that i didn’t even finish half of my beer.”

your hazy eyes study his jovial and carefree features, and just like magic, they make your heart feel lighter inside your chest. heavens know that you wish for nothing more in the world than to see him this happy everyday.

“i’m so glad you had a great time, my love.”

“me too. i’ll tell you all about it when you’re sober and capable of memory retention.” he pokes fun at your drunken state as he picks up the glass of dalgona martini.

you roll your eyes before impatiently guiding the drink to his mouth. “just drink it already.”

“oing?” he blinks in disbelief, sipping on the glass again as if his tongue could’ve possibly fooled him the first time. ”i actually like this one more. i didn’t expect that.”

you abruptly perk up in your seat upon witnessing his candid review. “what? you’re joking!”

of course… you’re cursed. it had to be the one you hated making the most.

truth be told, you impulsively made the dalgona martini simply because it’s the only drink in the last online blog you found that you had the complete ingredients for.

you were obviously not prepared enough for this activity. but baileys, vodka, sugar, coffee, and water? yeah, any house would definitely have those.

then came your ridiculous dilemma: despite being intoxicated, you’re still terrified of using the electric whisker. and so, you had to do the whisking the hard way. to put it lightly, it was absolute hell. your arms and wrists are sore after shaking and whisking vigorously for the past three hours.

“it’s exactly what i needed after a long trip.” he moans. his shoulders spring up in delight as he licks off the foam around his lips, and you use your thumb to brush it away from the spots he missed.

jungkook grabs your hand before you could pull away, making you audibly gasp when he sucks at your thumb in his cold mouth. his insatiable tongue pokes the inside of his cheek after.

“uh- i think i tasted a hint of soap.”

“‘course you did. i just washed the dishes, you dummy.”

his pink lips part open as he processes your words, but he quickly brushes it off with a shrug. he noisily takes another sip from the glass.

“i can just clean it off my tongue with more martini.” he argues with a dimpled grin.

he grants you with a quick kiss, smudging the foam on his lips and transferring some of it to yours.

“ugh, you’re so sloppy!”

his laughter echoes in your home as he walks away. “i’m taking this with me to the bathtub!”

“don’t take an hour in there again.” you grumble out a complaint. “we need to watch alchemy of souls!”

—

“even if you decide to seal that door, i know how heartbreaking it will be for you, so it does not upset me so much.”

the flashback from four episodes ago confirms that it was foreshadowing this moment — park jin had sealed the door of jinyowon, a deep cave where relics are protected so they won’t unleash life-threatening dangers upon the world outside. lady jin and maidservant kim are stuck inside the collapsing sanctuary, holding back said relics from escaping… and the latter is none other than his wife-to-be.

jungkook anxiously bites the nails of his thumb and pinky finger, switching back and forth. the television screen reflects on the lens of his glasses as his eyes become shiny with tears.

“is this really the final episode? there’s no season three?”

“no, it ends tonight.” you reply in between embarrassing loud sobs, attention trained to the man mournfully calling out his lover’s name over and over again as he clutches her engagement ring to his chest.

the hot tears you fail to catch stream down to your temples, and then your boyfriend’s naked stomach. you’ve comfortably settled on the bed after finishing your nightly routines. your head is lying by the bottom of his ribcage, and that’s where the other edge of the cozy blanket enveloping the two of you rests. you grabbed a small portion of the cotton in a loose fist, and you’ve been keeping it close to wipe your tears with.

“oh my god, i can’t fucking do this. my head is being split open.”

you toss aside the remote control after pausing the episode, crawling to the nightstand to pop the painkiller in your mouth, which you prepared to be supposedly taken tomorrow morning. maybe you’ve sobered up a little, but the combination of the alcohol and the woeful crying have resulted to an agonizing migraine.

with his long and slender fingers, your boyfriend removes the hair that stuck to your tear-stained face before tenderly wiping your cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

“making my baby fucking cry, too. i need that son of a bitch jin mu to burn in hell.” he curses to release his pent-up anger from the past 29 episodes, referring to the main antagonist of the series. the harshness of his tone contrasts the gentle kiss that lingers at the corner of your lips.

after drinking water, you wipe away jungkook’s tears with tissue paper, gingerly dabbing at the sides of his nose as well. he has a very sensitive skin, and because tears do contain salt, they can cause slight irritation and stinging when he cries. it’s something he once quietly complained about in passing, but somehow, it stuck with you throughout the years.

“does it hurt a lot?” he worriedly caresses the back of your head.

you meekly nod in response.

“should we just watch the rest of it tomorrow then?”

“noooo.” you drag out the word, shifting on the bed to return to your previous position. “my pain is nothing to compared park jin’s pain. i must persevere.”

and just like that, your tired eyes begin to water again. jungkook chuckles, affectionately holding your face in his hands. he isn’t surprised to find your skin to be warmer than normal.

“aigoo, your eyes are so red. at least put your glasses back on.”

“fine.” you mumble in defeat as you pat around the mattress, looking for the glasses you haphazardly threw aside when your intense emotions started to take control over you.

his rosy cheeks rise like buns in an oven as he smiles. “i love it when we match.”

—

park jin stands before the greedy individuals who conspired to steal the foundation of jinyowon, the fire bird, which dries up the world when it is awakened. it will be used in a rain ritual to create another ice stone, a ball of energy similar to that of the sun or a star. and to point out the obvious, having it in your possession would mean becoming the most powerful being there is.

“evil always does what it wants without ever stopping. but why is it that virtue always needs to prove itself over and over again?”

“…yes. i do wish to save her. i would do anything to save her, even if it meant i would lose my sanity. but even so, i will stop you from getting what you want. not a single one of you has the right to laugh at me… and call me… a hypocrite.”

you feel jungkook shiver below you. he is immensely engrossed with the actor’s phenomenal performance, flawlessly depicting what ‘seething’ anger means. he puts his tattooed arm underneath his head to get a closer view of the subtitles. these have to be some of the best written lines he’s heard from this show so far, and he hopes to remember them by heart.

the two of you watched with bated breath when he starts fighting against several warriors, and then it happens… jin mu removes the barrier of the fire bird as a threat.

“oh, fuck you!” you kick your feet in annoyance.

park jin is forced to focus his energy on re-sealing the fire bird, leaving him vulnerable to the attacks of his merciless opponents.

“no, no, no.” jungkook chants under his breath, heart thundering with fear. “this can’t be happening.”

you know what is bound to happen. they did show three coffins at the end of episode nine. but denial denial denial is a stage of grief after all, and so, with a broken sob, you squeeze your eyes shut.

when your eyelids flutter open, a sword has already been driven through the center of his chest, and dark red blood uncontrollably spills from his mouth. jin mu spitefully pulls it out from behind before he weakly falls on the ground. jungkook stays quiet, it happens so fast but he feels suspended in time, while your horrified crying carries on.

you unwillingly remove your head from his chest before you can cry a river over his shirtless torso, opting to sit up beside him.

“bunch of cowards.” he couldn’t resist mocking as the group scrambles to leave the place before it completely burns down, jin mu taking re-sealed fire bird along with them.

park jin jolts awakes coughing up blood. he painfully forces himself to lie on his back, and the camera reveals that he’s been holding maidservant kim’s ring all along. with trembling hands, he puts the ring on himself. you cover your own mouth as you listen to his worn out sobs.

a look of love and admiration shines on his dull eyes, and you swear that he smiles softly, before his arms fall limp on the dusty ground.

is the moon watching? and the stars? have they ever witnessed something so gutwrenchingly tragic?

“he wore the ring on his pinky! and it didn’t even fit halfway!” your glasses is left abandoned beside you again as you finally allow yourself to weep freely.

seeing that you clearly need a break after that heartbreaking scene, jungkook pauses the episode.

“that’s so cute, but-” you hiccup. “this is so unfair. they were supposed to get married and have babies!”

“oh, baby. i know.” he coos softly, hugging your side and peppering your cheek with kisses. his own tears drip from his chin and he brushes them away with the back of his hand. “their souls will be together in after life though, don’t you think?”

you gradually grow quiet and calm at the thought he proposed, but- “i don’t think they can make babies there.”

“shit.” he chuckles as his forehead lands over your shoulder, glasses slightly sliding down his nosebridge. “you’re right.”

“this is too much. i can’t-” you blow your nose in sheets of tissue paper before throwing them in the bin you dragged next to the bed earlier. “it hurts so much. they just wanted a peaceful life together.”

the two of you grieve for the what if’s and what could’ve been’s. he can’t possibly think of anything more tragic than being forced in a position to choose between the love of your life and the humanity; only to end up perishing at the hands of the evil who made you do it.

and what did he have left? a lifetime’s worth of love to take with him to the grave, and whatever’s left of his pride and dignity? jungkook wouldn’t want any of those. he only wants you.

he lifts up his head, a small smile playing on his lips, swollen and cherry-colored from the nervous nibbles of his bunny teeth. “we’re crying like this and they’re not even the main characters.”

“need to sue the writers for emotional damages.” you groan, tense muscles slowly relaxing in your boyfriend’s embrace. “how many minutes left?”

“40 minutes.”

“i can’t even open my eyes anymore. sorry, babe. my head-”

it’s almost as if it’s been dunked underwater. the throbbing pain spreads numbing pressure from your temples to the back of your head.

“i told you we can finish it tomorrow. it’s fine.”

jungkook briefly leaves your side. the television screen turns black after he pulls out the plug. he throws away the crumpled tissue papers, and then he places your glasses on the safety of the nightstand.

“how cute… don’t fall asleep on me yet.” he fondly coos at your half-asleep figure. “you’re dehydrated. drink some water first.”

a straw pokes your lips. with your eyes shut closed, you hold onto his wrist to steady the tumbler as you take a long sip. by the time you let go, the water has reached the line indicating that there’s only three quarters of it left.

you softly fall back on your pillow with a ‘thump’, turning your back on him to face his empty side of the bed. he also drinks his share of the water before filling in the blank beside you.

he hums in acknowledgement when you pull at his arm to make it your personal pillow, leaving his own glasses on the nightstand as well before facing you.

you give him a small hazy smile, threading your fingers through his soft and luscious hair. “love your pretty and healthy hair.”

“i love you.” he whispers like a confession as he strokes the back of your head. “close your eyes now.”

“i love you, too.” with a peaceful sigh, you nuzzle your face against his chest. “jungkook?”

“hmmm?”

“were you happy today?”

a lump grows in his throat, bigger than the one he felt when he was browsing through engagement rings online. emerald cut, cushion cut, round cut. sapphire, ruby, diamond. size 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5… he was hanging on the thin line that separated excitement and anxiety. the two-hour train ride passed by like a radio song he didn’t pay attention to. but you don’t need to know about that. not right now.

he swallows it down, embracing you tighter. “i still am… happy. if i delete those scenes from my memory.”

“me too.” you mumble before succumbing to the void of darkness beneath your heavy eyelids.

—

between the alcohol and the coffee that he simultaneously drank, it looks like the latter won the upper hand. more than twenty minutes later, jungkook is still wide awake, overcome by his clamorous thoughts. the conversations he had with his friends echo in his mind, and he paces back and forth between your shared past and future. the future… there is no future if there is no you.

he closes his eyes, instructing himself to focus on the steady rise and fall of your chest instead of the things he cannot control.

he kisses the top of your head. “i love you so much.”

however, he won’t be able to sleep peacefully until he learns what happens next. he needs the closure because he would truly despise having a bad dream about them. after all, they didn’t show maidservant kim dying. there is a glowing firefly of hope he’s been enchanted to follow into the abyss of the night.

with careful movements, he wears his glasses and his wireless earbuds. he holds his phone using the arm you’re lying on, while his hand under the blanket absentmindedly rubs your back, palm smoothly running up and down the expanse of your skin.

his jaw slacks open only three minutes after he picked up where you left off. jang uk, the male lead of the show, reveals to those grieving infront of the three empty coffins that their loved ones did not pass away.

the following scene unveils park jin, alive yet unconscious on a bed, and maidservant kim who is holding his ring-clad hand, weeping for the traumatic night the two of them suffered.

jungkook chuckles in great relief, blinking away the tears from his glassy eyes.

“fuck, they’re alive.”

—

“fuck, they’re alive!” you almost choke on the haejangguk, a hangover soup, that you started to heartily eat not even two minutes ago. “i almost died crying last night and it turns out that they lied to me?!”

jungkook chooses to feign ignorance. he innocently watches the screen with his wide doe eyes, bunny teeth biting at the rim of his glass of white milk.

“wow, i’m speechless.“ he squeaks out. “how did they even get rescued?”

—

taglist! @alanniys @jjkeverlast @queenofdragonsandcats @yvesismywife @jeonqkooks-main @witchfqllen @virgogentlejk @rkie @jeonwiixard @monilyv @bermudaisy @takochelle @the1921-monsters @investedreader @seagulljk @yeow6n @yoonqkiss @hopeworldjimin @lllucere @unnatae @zqynmlk @bxbyyyjocelyn @zkdlllin @koostarcandy @tswisal1 @fragmentof-indifference @laylasbunbunny @jjk-jeongirl @cherishoshi @taexidriver @luaspersona @yn-lifeu @loveejkk @bloopkook @babyboo22 + send an ask / dm if you want to be added (or removed) :D

#jungkook #jungkook fluff #jungkook drabble #jungkook scenario #jungkook imagine #jungkook one shot #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook fic #jungkook fanfic #bts fluff #bts reaction #jungkook angst #jungkook smut

[open-hearth-rpg]

Engagement & Flashbacks: Great RPG Mechanics #RPGMechanics: Week Three

I have sat through hundreds of in-game planning sessions. There’s an objective, maybe specific, maybe general, maybe- god forbid- we’re discussing which objective we want to approach. These can be wonderful and interesting moments to explore character and role play to show what your PC values. They can be. But those are exceptions rather than the rule. I look back at the hours sunk into those which ended up in painful, circular, player-tension exacerbating, and time-consuming bad meetings.

My particular pet peeve from this is the player who listens and waits until someone has proposed a line of action and then says they don’t like it. They point out corner-case problems and wild possibilities which *could* make things collapse. But when pressed for fix suggestions or alternatives, they shrug their shoulders. I loathe them. I’ve seen many of them. Playing them at the ttrpg table made me that much more ready to flip out when people did this in actual work meetings in the real world.

Don’t get me wrong– I love it when a plan comes together. There’s few things more satisfying as a GM than to watch the players consider a problem, develop a solution, and reveal how their individual talents can save the day. But setting a planning session into motion is like lighting a stick of dynamite. Sometimes the players come together and manage to extinguish that fuse. More times the dynamite goes off and blows a hole in the session.

So that has long been an established problem that GMs have worked through, usually by degrees of heavy-handed riding the whip.

Blades in the Dark provided another solution and one, honestly, which completely changed my approach to this at every table I run. You have a job, a score, an objective. You can keep choosing that tight by filing down the number of options. Once you know generally what you want to do, you define the kind task and what’s your key element. Then we go to the engagement roll.

That roll is based on the challenge of the situation, the resources and information you have, and preparation (but only in the loosest sense). Good stuff gives you more dice, bad stuff takes away dice. You roll a pool of d6s and check the result. If the highest die is a six, we start the scene on the job with your characters in control. They’ve gotten past the easy layers and are in the more challenging part, but in a good spot. On a 4-5 it's more a mixed bag– you start out with some things at risk. You have to overcome a standard challenge right away. On a 1-3 we drop you in the shit. You’re in but things have gone wrong and the situation’s desperate.

But it's the other half of the system which completes this and makes things brilliant. Players can flashback to preparations they’ve made. They can improvise these on the fly. They can cost stress and require a test, but that’s dependent on how wild or impactful that prep is. Combining that with the flexible loadout system makes the players feel OK about rolling into a situation without having spent an hour working out all the possibilities.

And at least at my tables, the secret is that flashbacks don’t get done that often. Sometimes PCs will get jammed in a corner or a player will have a particularly clever concept. But Flashbacks IMHO provide a mental cushion for risk-adverse players. It’s the GM saying, “let’s get to playing, I’m not going to screw you over, and you’ll have the chance to pull cool stuff out.” And it works– and I promise you I use it in just about every game I run. We still do meetings and planning discussions, but I know I can wrap it up and move it to the play if that begins to look like it is going to blow up.

Side-note: Blades isn’t the first game to lean on flashbacks as a key element. I think that would be Leverage, which is an amazing ground-breaking game by a dynamite team of designers. It uses that to model the reveals of the TV shows it's based on. There may be others, but that’s the one I remember.

#ttrpg #rpg #rpg mechanics

[grimmmviewing]

S1E8: “Game Ogre”—B/C+ (Watched 2/29/24)

“No record of where he was born, no record of a family. It’s like this guy just fell out of the sky.” – Hank re. an ogre/giant (Got a, not exactly unhappy, groan from me!)

“Just the facts, right?” – Monroe to Nick/Hank re. the ownership of an important watch (Bonus points for Dragnet reference?)

Exactly how much silliness I find charming and at what point the goofiness should result in some sort of deduction for review purposes are questions I find myself thinking about a lot while watching Grimm. Even the episodes I’ve scored as “A”s have their Moments. And if I had to sum up my feelings about “Game Ogre” I would say that it starts as a fine enough monster of the week story but then, perhaps fittingly for an episode that prominently features a watch early on, it accumulates enough “complications” that it becomes genuinely interesting or noteworthy.

First—the central role of Oleg Stark, an ogre. I did love the very physical performance, which has a lot of stiff-bodied stomping around and grunting and growling. It had to have been fun to try to play that role and to try to make yourself seem as big, burly, and dense (in more than one sense) as possible. The way the camera frames this big boy and the way that shots of him getting physical are filmed and edited to make him feel as large and powerful as possible is just very entertaining. Definitely goofy, but also definitely fun in a C+ sort of way.

Another entertaining C-sort of goofy detail is how the initial murder victim is a judge, and we know that because he’s just got a gavel sitting out on his desk at home. It’s used in his murder to help suggest that the crime was personal, of course, but the placement is still such a ridiculous way to communicate the man’s profession, especially when you consider that we’re also explicitly told he’s a state judge when Sergeant Wu and his partner are investigating the scene of the break-in.

There are some similarly unnecessary-feeling, awkward quick flashbacks in the mix—back to Nick being brutalized by the ogre in his house and to the ogre-killing poison and gun in his trailer. Of course, one way of looking at these is as part of the TV series package: Commercials are a thing, and people come in late. You have to catch up the late-comers and maybe re-establish a sense of drama and of the critical details for folks after the ads. This is one of those things I struggle to identify as a positive or a negative in my subjective assessment since Grimm being so obviously What It Is is absolutely part of the charm and was part of what I wanted out of this whole experience.

And there are a couple of plot oddities here, too, like just how long it takes for someone (Wu) to put together the idea of using Hank as bait for the vengeance-seeking Oleg. Captain Renard going along with Hank to a suspect’s place probably shouldn’t feel weird, but it does since, as far as I remember, this is new behavior for him.

It’s the mounting “complications” that ultimately elevate the episode, though, because of their novelty. Actually seeing Nick kind of shaken and vulnerable after he’s hospitalized from Oleg’s attack offers a new emotional angle from which to view him. He hasn’t been this badly beaten by a Wesen before. Hank similarly gets pushed emotionally in this episode, and the exact nature of the strain on him ends up being a nice twist, with how he and the DA colluded to “lose” evidence that might have gotten reasonable doubt for Oleg at his trial years ago.

The trust that Nick places in Monroe, a Wesen, by revealing the trailer to him is very much understated and great for it. The fact that Monroe ends up being the one who has to put Oleg down is also a cool, interesting wrinkle. The focus on the .600 caliber “elephant gun” bullets that are over 100 years old in the final scene with Renard and Hank is just a delightful little bit of quirkiness and suspense. That the weapons from the trailer are actually deployed here is something I was glad to see. It certainly makes sense for Nick to use his service weapon rather than swinging around a sword or flail or something, but that armory has been essentially teased up to this point, and it was just good to see some of it put to use.

#nbc grimm #tv series #review #rewatch

[daffi-990]

Hi Daffi!!!

Tell me about your Fantasy AU!!!

Ahhh Fantasy AU .. my beloved .. that I really need to spend more time on 🥲

The summary for it is:

23 yr old Buck lives with his adoptive father, Bobby, in Los Angeles. One day his life is turned upside down when he’s attacked in the street by what he can only describe as a monster. He’s saved by an attractive stranger named Eddie, who apparently knows Bobby and claims they’re in danger.

He also claims Buck is a powerful mage from another world, and is prophesied to save it from an evil that has plagued it for the last 30 years.

I’ve written small bits and pieces of it, most of it spoilery haha

BUT!!

Your ask actually encouraged me to write the beginning of it! So here is something I whipped up this afternoon in the notes app of my phone ☺️

Buck has lived in LA his whole life and still isn’t used to how suffocating the city can feel. Most of the time he’s okay, happy to explore the city and partake of its nightlife now that he’s old enough to do so, but sometimes the city feels like a cage that he’s trapped in, far away from home. Which is ridiculous because LA is home. Except lately it doesn’t feel like it. The only place Buck is able to find some semblance of peace is out on the trails. When he’s out here away from the hustle and bustle of city life, he feels like he can breathe. The kind of breath that’s deep and expands your lungs to their full capacity. He feels alive out here among the tress, the soft sounds of nature a gentle melody that has the restlessness in his bones quieting down to a dull thrum. It’s why he tries to get out here as often as he can.

Bobby likes to come out here too, in fact the two of them used to come out here together every weekend and camp. They’d eat s’mores and gaze at the stars and spar with the swords Bobby owns. Buck still has no idea where he got them, but they’re the real deal. It took Buck a while to build up the strength to wield one, but once he did he adapted to its weight pretty quickly, favouring the heavy weapon over his foil and sabre.

Bobby had gotten him into fencing at a young age and Buck had instantly loved it. It was a positive outlet for him to work off his excess energy, plus it made him feel like Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. Along with fencing, Buck also learnt hand to hand combat through a mixed variety of martial arts, boxing and MMA being his favourite.

Bobby liked to test his skills on their camping trips, and despite being much older than Buck, the man could hold his own. It’s only been the last few years that Buck’s been able to beat him, and that’s probably because of the extra MMA lessons he’s been able to get with his staff discount at the gym.

Buck misses those weekends. They haven’t had one in a couple months now due to Buck’s new job. He has this weekend off though so maybe they can come out here again.

Buck checks his watch for the time. It’s almost 4pm which means he needs to start heading home to get ready for his shift at 6pm. He likes working the night shift at the gym, it’s usually pretty quiet with only the regulars coming in so Buck has a lot of free time to workout himself or just relax after he’s done all his usual jobs. Most of the time he just chills out behind the front desk and watches YouTube videos which almost always results in a YouTube spiral that sees him five videos deep into the subject of how to make your own cheese or something.

Thank you for the ask and the unintentional inspiration haha 😘

wip tag game list

#daffi writes #fantasy au #buddie wip #daffi gets mail #buddie fantasy au

[blysse-and-blunder]

In lieu of a travel journal

2am my-time, monday, july 24, 2023

Awake and giddy and trying to calm down after completing what I think may accidentally actually be a decent conference paper, a few short hours before I need to present it—some thoughts on the things that have kept me entertained and sane while on necessary breaks from writing! writing this on my phone so there’s no read-more, apologies.

reading

having a very good time alternating between after Sappho, selby wynn schwartz, and an angela carter short story collection called the bloody chamber. both very ~feminist~ but in ways that are subtly distinct—you can tell which came out in 2021 and which did not—but both so interesting. I think I may DNF this other unnamed spy-urban fantasy, unfortunately, which sucks because the premise was good, the execution is just very grating. assorted other libby holds include italo calvino’s the baron in the trees, ty @morrak and carmen maria machado’s in the dream house.

listening

yws gwynedd and the resulting welsh pop / rock mix on 24-hour lockdown repeat. it’s been extremely good to me, high energy, low engagement, except I’m also getting better at listening comprehension slowly but surely, there’s no downside. Stuck in my head currently, perpetually:

watching

the first episode of d20’s starstruck odyssey, which despite all the potential for getting bogged down in new mechanics and bad stats and dysfunctional team dynamics was really lovely? It is filling the sweet spot right between being in the mood for fantasy high and being in the mood for Neverafter, and plus I like! just getting to hear them play! I also watched the first few minutes of disn*y’s strange world on this airbnb’s d+ account, and will hopefully be able to go back—I was looking for something I could have on in the background and ended up getting interested, so, task failed successfully! I also watched, and slept through, amsterdam (2022) on a plane recently.

playing

fallow week. shoutout to the game I tried with friends a few weeks ago and forgot to mention, genesis noir, which was so gloriously atmospheric and moody and interesting, right up until it was slightly too buggy and/or unintuitive to get past the first fifteen minutes or so. though that could have been the fault of the internet connection, which had been slow that whole night and did crash immediately thereafter. we laughed ourselves to absolute fucking tears over gangbeasts again, afterwards. but I’m still thinking about the celestial noir vibes and hope to get back to this one soon.

making

fallow week! making plans and achieving them, making memories and taking pictures, making virtual friendships into realities. making more homecooked meals, hopefully, now that I have real kitchen access! making some professional connections??

working on

the last week has been all about either working on said paper, or getting a mental refresh by getting as far from it as possible. it’s been hard to get back into work mode after some of these full days off, but also, I did budget my time and I *did* put enough in, early and often, that by the time the eleventh hour came around it was possible to actually finish. i don’t think i could have gotten to this version, which i’m pleased with, with any less effort—but spending all day thurs at the library, working in the morning or an hour before bed, or between lunch and dinner tonight—and a lot of time the week prior—it all added up. it all contributed something. this is my memo to myself: the long boring slog leading up to the exhilarating last minute is just as necessary. it helped that I have other (dissertation-based) uses for every idea and sentence and quote I had to cut tonight, and I still think this paper is stronger without them.

#in lieu of a commonplace book #ilcb #weekly roundup #when I’ve slept and actually printed the paper #we’ll see how much I agree with tonight’s feelings of victory #does the rush of the last minute make up for the dread of the whole evening prior? much to consider #but as of tomorrow I can be a bit more relaxed! #and catch up on…gulp…email

[veryblushyswitch]

Dustin H ~ (tickle hcs) 🐢

(Side Note: I have not watched volume 2 yet, I’m watching it tonight with my family so there are no spoilers below and please no one comment spoilers)

*————————————————————————*

Lee:

*First of all- one of the greatest, smartest, funniest characters no debate. That isn’t to say other characters aren’t those traits I just love him a lot.

*He’s so adorable look at him!!! 🥺💖

*His laugh is pure happiness mixed with high pitched giggles. I could honestly listen to it for hours.

*Definitely gets tickled a lot by Steve and Lucas.

*Also you cannot tell me Suzie and Dustin didn’t have tickle fights at camp. She found out he was ticklish and has never let him live it down.

*When Steve first learned Dustin was ticklish, it was season 2 when Dustin couldn’t really go to anyone else and he was kind of on his own.

*He felt down so Steve was comforting him and Steve nudged his side resulting in a yelp from Dustin.

*This led to a one sided tickle fight which ended in a long hug. Steve would never verbally admit to anyone how affectionate he is with his kids, but he never tries to hide it.

*Lucas tickles him because they’ve always had a close bond and he mostly uses it against Dustin to get his way. In a playful way of course.

*There have been many DND games that have to do with tickle monsters which end in someone getting tickled if they lose. Dustin and Will are the main targets.

*I don’t know why but I feel like he’d have a really ticklish stomach and sides.

*Dustin also has really ticklish underarms and he’ll slam his arms to his sides whenever someone tickles him there. He won’t lift them until the person tickling him takes their hands away or someone physically pins his arms.

*Susceptible to air tickles but only by a few people. Steve, Susie, Lucas, and Will. Eventually Eddie because they get closer and Eddie finds out he’s ticklish.

*It only really works with those he’s close too and those who tend to tickle him a lot.

*Referring back to the stomach and sides, he lets out the happiest laughter when tickled there. You can tell how much fun he’s having and his eyes get all squinty when he’s laughing- 😭💖 I love him.

*Mike let it slip to Eddie during a Hellfire club meeting that Dustin is ticklish and welp. RIP Dustin.

*Eddie is a ruthless yet sweet ler, especially to his adopted freshman, and Dustin finds himself getting random pokes and tickles from Eddie almost every time they see each other.

*Pokes to his sides make him yelp and pokes to his stomach make him fold over in giggles.

~

Ler:

*Such a playful ler.

*Loves tickle fights and making his friends laugh. 💖

*Has gotten Steve back a couple times on his own, which got him wrecked afterwards. But he’s been able to get Steve back tenfold with the help of the other kids and/or Robin and Eddie.

*He also got exclusive info about his secret tickle spots from Nancy.

*Dustin + Steve = Playful Ler Duo

*Dustin + Eddie = Ruthless Ler Duo (mostly to Steve)

*Dustin will sneak knee squeezes to Steve to watch him jump. Of course Dustin can only get away with that when they’re in public.

*His main targets are Steve, Will, Lucas, Susie when they can see each other in person, and has occasionally tried to poke at Max when they’re all being playful.

*Mike and El tickle each other enough to where now Dustin feels he’d be crossing a boundary if he did it now. He used to tickle Mike a bit when they were younger but not so much now. Same with El when she first joined the gang and was getting used to physical contact.

*He says that Susie’s laugh is the best sound to ever exist. ✨ When they’re on the phone or talking over the large radio, Dustin will tease Susie by telling her how much he misses tickling her and seeing her laugh. Also how he’s gonna tickle her the next time they see each other.

*Then Susie teases him back and he gets all flustered and lee mood hits. Poor Dusty Bun.

*Dustin likes to let whoever he’s tickling move around instead of pinning them. In my opinion he’s a 50/50 switch so the chance of them retaliating is always fun for him.

*Pinning someone down is usually done when he’s tickling Steve with Eddie and Robin or there’s a group tickle fight. Some of the kids need to be held down or they’ll kick and punch.

*Overall, such a sweetheart and just wants to have fun and laugh with his friends and girlfriend. Loves being tickled by those he trusts and are closest too and adores being able to bring happiness to those around him with a few tickles.

~

Gosh I love that kid so much 😭💖💖💖 Same goes for Gaten as a person he’s so nice and funny and all around such an amazing person! Thanks for reading!

#tickle headcanons #tickle hcs #stranger things #stranger things tickle #stranger things tickle headcanons #stranger things tickle hcs #dustin #dustin henderson #lee dustin #ticklish dustin #ler dustin #live action #live action tickle #live action tickle headcanons #live action tickle hcs

[house-vestra]

fe17 thoughts (part 1)

first round of engage thoughts... i just beat chapter 17 but this is mostly about the firene gang so probably only spoilers for the early game

probably the worst FE in terms of line writing; ppl rag on fates for bad writing but mainly for plot holes/concept but i didn’t mind fe14 on a line level. there have certainly been more times during engage where the actual lines characters were given felt very amateurish.

in terms of characterization, i feel this game is probably the weakest as well. the character gimmicks are fine to me (none feel very egregious at this point) but i think the characters are hurt by how short the supports are. i think these are the shortest supports in an FE game? generally i feel like in FE, supports generally each contain a full story beat so a support chain will consist of 3 separate encounters, usually with at 1 or 2 reversals in there, but fe17 supports sometimes take all 3 levels to cover just one story beat (i.e. the b support picks up directly where the c support conversation left off, rather than being a new conversation resulting from the characters getting to know each other better). that gives the impression the characterization is much shallower than in other FE games. but i’m not convinced it... needed to be this way? there are moments where i feel like some characters DO have other things going on for them other than the 1 gimmick/character trait from their c-support.. i’ll revisit this when i’ve unlocked more a-supports i guess

like many people, i was taken aback by Alear’s design but I’ve mostly come around to it. I played M!Alear because he has less hair to look at. ppl have criticized the divine dragon thing being an excuse for protagonist worship but I don’t mind it; the game plays with how being worshipped is actually something uncomfortable for Alear and there’s a minor recurring theme about the nature of worship in Elyos which is a little juicy

mixed feelings on framme/clanne (i always want to write framme/cramme lol). probably least fav christmas cavs, which is a feat when alan/lance exist. i actually do think the Divine Dragon Fan Club is very funny... but i don’t like either of their designs and i feel like.... they’re annoying??

alfred is a wannabe himbo and i love that for him. it’s an interesting choice to give him that personality but make him look like That. i liked most of his supports; he is very funny.

reserving judgment of celine until i’ve gotten her later supports. she does talk about tea a lot but i sense she does have more going on; i like that she’s more canny and mature than a lot of kind younger sister types. i feel like a lot of the character supports are padded by polite pleasantries but celine sometimes cuts through the niceties in a way that suggests there’s more going on with her?? i will return to this point after i get more supports. i do like her design; she is cute and her big poofy dress is funny.

chloe is pretty. i think her thing with eating weird foods is funny as well, but the writers (possibly localizers, could be in the original jp context as well) missed the mark with calling the food “folk food.” it would be one thing if what she was eating was actually established in lore to be what commoners or regional peasants eat as a fact of the world. we do have a lot of noble characters who could be aghast by that. but we also have characters from poorer backgrounds and nobody eats what chloe is shown to be eating, so it doesn’t feel like honest world building when chloe lectures other characters about the authenticity of weird regional delicacies

(but it could have been funny if chloe could only cook weird things that no one else likes in the cafe)

louis’s thing with watching ppl is a little uncomfy for me but i could change my mind at some point. i do like his green eyes when he opens them, and i like that they do have him open them at times; that endears the character to me. i like that he’s a pushy big brother to zelkov

limited thoughts on boucheron; i do like his reactions to alfred and etie harassing him and he makes a good straight man to them. “those are my abs” from the etie support was great. his model does make it abundantly clear that the shoulders on the adult male model are too broad, so that’s distracting.

i actually like most of the firene gang on their own... but as a group they are too nice lol and it makes most of the conversations/supports in the early game feel kind of bland and samey.

ESPECIALLY QUEEN EVE; i feel like her design is very regal, proud, and borderline-could-be-a-bitch but then she just is a normal nice lady, so i was disappointed.

as a side note, to all the people (on reddit) who keep saying they wrote etie to be a buff bodybuilder but didn’t draw her as one... they didn’t write her to be a buff bodybuilder. they wrote her to aspire to be a buff bodybuilder, but she struggles to put on muscle like alfred does, read the words on the screen, i beg of you.

thought jean would be a stronger unit but he’s... not that good for me; i feel like... qi adepts aren’t good???? i don’t mind that he and anna are children but i have seen some criticism of their ages.

anna is cute. i have the same criticism of her as i do with all post-fe12 anna’s, which is that fe12 anna is best anna. the money thing is more toned down in engage, which i appreciate. she is so little. i think she has good growths but i haven’t noticed her being that good because mine is flimsy as paper.

gameplay-wise, the emblems are really fun. this is a new level of unit customization for Fire Emblem. class changing/skills were serviceable before but they required grinding and some level of commitment to them, whereas i’ve been swapping emblems on and off characters very liberally so the way i play each unit changes between battles. that is very neat.

edelgard/dimi/claude is my favorite emblem; fallen star is very good, atrocity is strong but less useful, raging storm is mostly not useful due to the cost but i’ve used it once. tiki is good as well as she’s strong; i’ve not noticed her increased growths having that much effect but could be because i swap her on and off people.

for base game emblems, i think probably... micaiah  > lyn > sigurd > byleth > celica > eirika > corrin > ike > lucina > leif > marth > roy

i haven’t used leif and roy that much so they could be better than i recall.

unit-wise, i don’t think i’ve noticed many stand outs for me? everyone is roughly usable, and i’ve trained everyone but clanne and vander (i’m in desperate need of more master seals)

everyone is saying you need to promote at level 10. THERE’S NOT ENOUGH MASTER SEALS TO DO THAT. i promoted everyone at level 20 and i still have people sitting there waiting for master seals.

speaking of not having enough of a resource, i’m also very poor. i upgraded all countries to level 2 to get their regional clothes but the level 3 is TOO EXPENSIVE. i have a lot of gold skirmishes but they’re rough to do bc they’re pretty high level and if i use my high level guys, those guys will level up, and then the skirmish level will INCREASE MORE. this is... like a punishment for sisyphus

they buffed armors so much that mages are really indispensable. hammers and armorslayers... do not work lol

i appreciate that they gave us lots of shiny staves to use, and pretty early too. i have not used them.

i guess alear is my strongest unit??? they’re pretty dodgy but didnt stop marni from ONE SHOTTING ME.

i’ll do brodia gang next; i have lots of thoughts on them. i’m recording these for future me’s reference, but i’m happy to hear other people’s thoughts too!

#m #fe17 #elyos #mine #i'm not finished w the game so could change my mind at some point #i wonder when the fe17 ao3 category will pop off #there's only 79 fics rn but i assume most ppl haven't gotten most of the content yet #my wager is it certainly won't get the readership 3h did but it should get several thousand like fe13 and fe14

[partly-cloudyskies]

So around late summer I decided that I Need A Hobby and like don't get me wrong I do enjoy writing I'mma keep doing it but aside from that and video games I don't have a lot going on and what I do have going on involves staring at a screen for bad amounts of time.

So I thought what if I do something that is expensive.

This is around the time I got back into Star Trek after ST Enterprise broke my interest in the franchise. Turns out Star Trek is good again. My dad was the one who had gotten me into it when I was a kid. And at that time I had gotten into another hobby that's right you already know what I'm talking about

gluing badly painted pieces of plastic together

Model making!

So I decide shit I'm due for a midlife crisis. All my models I made as a child were destroyed during a move let's repeat this mistake!

So I did.

I've been working on these since August and it's been fun! Defintely a highlight of becoming Old. It's a lot of thinking and patience and planning and being frustrated and watching one small mistake snowball into a disaster so as a writer I'm in my element. AND I spend a lot of money to glue tiny plastic bits together! The benefits speak for themselves.

So all this is to show what I've done so far.

My first model was the Grissom and, well, it's a first model. The colors are wrong the paint job is bad the decals are torn. But it's a small model and cheap too and that's why I started with it. A lot of good lessons, most of them about using the right tools for the job. Tempted to get another one just to contrast with what I've learned.

My next model was the larger Enterprise-A (these are all 1/1000 scale). At this point I had gotten an airbrush and also started using washes, which is where the black lines come from. An improvement! Still I was having trouble with assembly. Needed to learn how to fill and sand down gaps between parts. There are also painting errors but at least the brush strokes aren't so obvious and you'd need to look real close so whateva

So like, I said that I didn't much like Enterprise. Too much time spent on the time war, too much let's do space 9/11. But I do like the ship design and it was on sale so yeah. I think I improved on the assembly and filling. I wish I had spent more time accenting the ship by picking out more pieces in bronze. But really the whole thing is kind of ruined by the big damn decal that sits awkwardly on two knobs that causes the whole thing to wrinkle up. It's annoying. If I knew this would happen I would have cut out a space around the knobs so the decal could settle better. Like look at this.

Awful.

Anyway.

Just finished last night! The original Enterprise! I've gotten better at assembly and filling in gaps, but it's still not good. Lots of little gaps that I should have caught, but not as many as before. Plus this one I mixed paints to get the gray green hull color and I'm pretry happy with the result. Learning to dry fit parts to anticipate problems further down the line. But overall I'm pleased with how this came out. The original ship has a very simple design but it's intricate in places. I feel like you could paint a version that looks cel-shaded to look like the animated series version. idk might be fun.

I have long term plans. My sister sent me a model with an LED light kit for my bday. Not confident enough to tackle that yet but will get to it. Gonna continue to collect more versions of the Enterprise in the meantime, tho that's gonna be a whole thing. Wanna branch out into other model fields too. My sister asked me to do a couple miniatures for her ttrpg group and Iight try a gunpla at some point. We'll see!

#pcs puts pieces together #future updates will not be as bulky #but there will be future updates #i got my eye on a couple star wars models too #gonna be one of those people who have tiny things collections and i feel that's an improvement #star trek #models #yeah i'll use that tag fuck it

[gingermcl]

Coward means "one who lacks courage to meet danger or shrinks from the chance of being hurt," from Latin coda, popular dialect variant of cauda ""tail of an animal," which is of uncertain origin. De Vaan traces to PIE *kehu-d- "cleaved, separate”

I thought of cowered. Cower means “to crouch, squat, or kneel; to stoop or sink down, especially in fear or shame," probably from Middle Low German *kuren "lie in wait"

A coward will go to great lengths to avoid seeing someone who may hold them accountable. I think of movies where people see someone and they start crawling across the floor or people hiding when someone rings the doorbell. It’s not that they’re afraid of physical harm. Most of the time, they can’t handle the emotions that may arise during an interaction. A coward cannot be accountable because they are actually insecure in themselves and have a low self-worth. They depend on others to validate them and cannot handle someone potentially perceiving them as a bad person. So they start calling the other person all of the things that they actually feel about themselves in an effort to smear that persons reputation. This type of behavior is very easy to spot and see through Once you are aware of the pattern, and the best thing to do is walk away from someone who cannot take accountability. No amount of evidence or persuasion will ever calls them to emotionally mature. That has to come from within.

I thought of co ward. Ward means "to keep guard, watch, protect, preserve," from Proto-Germanic *wardon "to guard" from PIE *war-o-, suffixed form of root *wer- (3) "perceive, watch out for." A coward has gotten into a situation with someone else that has caused him to feel the need to keep guard or protect himself. A coward is somebody that cannot be accountable for his wrongs. He knows he did something terrible to someone that cannot face them to accept the potential consequences.

And I thought of Co-warred. War mens "large-scale military conflict," from French guerre "difficulty, dispute; hostility; fight, combat, war; from Proto-Germanic *werz-a- "to confuse, perplex" from PIE *wers- "to confuse, mix up".

War certainly can be confusing. Why exactly are we blowing these people up and thinking that we are allowed to do such horrible things in the name of war? Aren’t we all human beings equally? War propaganda tends to confuse the soul. Your soul knows we should not go around harming civilians in the name of war fueled by money. Soldiers are a ritual sacrifice to the sun. They are sol diers. They sold the self to the matrix system, and may potentially die as a ritual sacrifice to the sun. Would be better to come up with an alternate solution to violence. War and violence has not worked in the past. Especially when you have countries that are neutral because they’re actually fending both sides. All the world is a stage. violence is a low frequency activity, and we are not going ascend into higher conscious awareness or create a better existence, unless we do better. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing, but expecting different results. War isn’t working it’s time for something else. We need to end the insane cycle of violence and instead focus on empathy, love, and connection. We the people have to stop playing the divide and conquer game. The game ends when we stand up.

[misskasu]

We Got This! Misinformation Education Creation Activity

In my last blog post, I will explain a concept related to misinformation to a specific audience. Certainly! Here you go:

It's crucial that we, as members of Generation Z whom are in high school and college, can educate ourselves and others on the dangers of misinformation on TikTok. By doing so, we can empower ourselves to use the platform safely and responsibly and protect ourselves from harm.

As I mentioned in a prior paragraph in my blog post, when we teach young people how to recognize misinformation and tell the difference between fact and opinion, it feels like a game of cat and mouse. There is no need for despair because we have gotten to the root of the problem: excessive social media exposure with little or no regulation because of how fast Ticktok has grown:

when it comes to learning how quickly misinformation can spread worldwide and how fast it can find its way into people's minds, it is crucial to comprehend how quickly misinformation spreads.

In today's world, distinguishing between trustworthy and unreliable sources of information is vital. We can achieve this by promoting media literacy, enabling access to reliable sources, and teaching critical thinking skills. Let's become well-informed individuals who make sound decisions based on reliable information.

The key to avoiding misinformation is to search for it and verify it from reputable sources. It is also essential to think critically and question information online. Additionally, it is vital to be aware of sources' potential biases and be skeptical of claims and how you can stop it.

As a result of my research, I have come across some links that can help young people understand and navigate the world of misinformation. These resources will help young people make more informed decisions and become more media literate due to using them.

Here are some tips from the Washington Post for older kids who are coming of age. It was interesting to read the following quote in this article: "There's a flood of real, misleading, and fake breaking news and information online. Proceed with caution." This quote reminds me so much of any social media platform, including TikTok.

According to this article The TikTok algorithm is designed for doomscrolling," Volland says. "Being so overwhelmed by information volume makes distinguishing high- from low-quality content difficult. It can make us feel more anxious, and we should be cognizant of that for young people who spend so much time on the platform." As a result, it is critical to help young people develop the necessary thinking skills and understand how to identify false information.

It is scary that anyone with an internet connection can watch breaking news unfold in real-time, or at least some version. It's not uncommon for posts on social media to fly up faster than fact-checkers and moderators can keep up with, and they're often a mix of real and fake, out-of-context and propaganda. Current events are difficult to understand, which makes people need help to make informed decisions. Both social media sites and parents are responsible for moderating content to help kids from spreading false information, and Tictok is no different.

Volland finds it challenging to fight misinformation on TikTok due to its mysterious nature. However, in its current state, although it is a good platform for young users, it is a concern to them as it stands. Children's limited ability to sort accurate information from unwanted information impacts their mental health both positively and negatively. Nonetheless, at least they are doing something to let people know what is happening with #FactCheckYourFeed to support media literacy by putting up warning signs to let people know what's happening.

As a final point, we need to create an environment that allows people to feel comfortable discussing and debating different issues of view safely and comfortably. Teens are vulnerable to misinformation, which can lead to negative consequences such as spreading false information, eroding trust in institutions, and even causing physical harm. Protecting vulnerable populations and ensuring access to reliable information is very crucial. I hope you learned something new today and checked out the links above to help educate yourself and your peers.

Here is the workcited:

Kelly, Heather. “How to Avoid Falling for Misinformation, Fake AI Images on Social Media.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 22 May 2023, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/05/22/misinformation-ai-twitter-facebook-guide/.

Tamez-Robledo, Nadia. “For Teens (and Adults) Fighting Misinformation, Tiktok Is Still ‘uncharted Territory’ - Edsurge News.” EdSurge, EdSurge, 7 Dec. 2022, www.edsurge.com/news/2022-12-07-for-teens-and-adults-fighting-misinformation-tiktok-is-still-uncharted-territory.

“Tiktok Launches #factcheckyourfeed to Support Media Literacy.” Newsroom, TikTok, 16 Aug. 2019, newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/tiktok-launches-factcheckyourfeed-to-support-media-literacy.

[inkykeiji]

Hiya Clari I hope you are doing amazing 🥰

sorry for getting birthday months mixed up that is totally on me, embarrassed after I said I wouldn’t forget and I did so love that - I will not forget for future birthday well wishes

a Star Wars crochet kit sounds awesome like wtf i am totally going to keep my eye out on something like that - on the same note I did not realise you were a star wars fan !! I’ve been watching the obi-wan show on Disney plus and I would love to know your thoughts on it because personally I’ve been really enjoying it, I’m pretty sure it’s finished now but I haven’t seen the finale yet so I hope it’s good

I’ve recently bought some more classics because as a kid I didn’t not read enough classic books and now I am slacking, I bought pride and prejudice as well as Emma just to get some Austen on my shelf - currently I’m reading a book by Patrick Ness who is one of my absolute favourite authors, I read a lot of his books when I was younger and I feel like no matter what age I get to I will always love his writing <3

Been a bit crazy currently in my life since I’m moving into a new house for my next year at uni and I will not get over how stressful it is moving half my life across the country every few months but the house is nice so it’s worth it

Anyways how have you been? What have you been up to? Reading or watching anything good? I feel like I haven’t spoken to you in ages so I do apologise I didn’t realise how quickly the time was going - oH I also read your angsty touya-nii piece and omg that shit was so good I do love a bit of angst

Sorry I went off track - I do hope you’re doing well and taking care of yourself and enjoying some nice summer weather, I am not sure what the weather is like in Canada but currently in the Uk it’s pretty good <3

Sorry this has gotten pretty long so I’ll wrap it up now, sending all my love and hugs to you <333 -🍯

hi honey bb!! <33

AHAHA oh my gosh don’t even worry about it!! it’s totally fine <3

oh gosh it’s so adorable but i’m terrified to try and start it LMAO i’m so worried i’m going to be horrid at it!! and i know the only way to get better and improve obv is to practice and actually do it but aaaaaaaah (/▽＼) i am!!! star wars is actually like, the most important series/piece of media to me when it comes to comfort n stuff like that!! my sibling and i were super super into the prequels (and anakin/vader as a result) and we had so many star wars toys & video games that we played with constantly. so it’s just really important to me in a deeply personal way. star wars was there to comfort and distract us when things were going really bad at home, and that will always mean the world to me <3

omg!!!!! i just watched the finale last night and i LOVED IT!!! the series itself was more or less exactly what i expected it to be (which isn’t a bad thing!) and i really enjoyed it, especially since hayden + ewan and the prequel films were my introduction to the star wars world so like, again, they have a lot of sentimental meaning to me <3 so it was so lovely to see them return to the sw universe!!! vader is one of my all-time favourite villains/characters and has been the longest hyperfixation i’ve ever had in my entire life so just getting to see him again and knowing that hayden was (sometimes) behind the mask was such a treat!!! it was so, so, so deeply comforting i cannot even begin to put it into words <3 i love him a lot!!!

honestly, for the most part i hate what disney has done with star wars. i’ve said this before but after tros i left the theatre literally crying i was so upset. the mandalorian is incredible, but tbh ALL of that credit goes to the absolute genius of jon favreau. so aside from like, the mandalorian, the obi wan series, and rogue one, i try to stay away from the disney sw content just because i know it upsets me & i don’t want to subject myself to something that makes me sad! the best thing about fiction is that we can all have our own ‘personal’ canons, right? we get to decide what we include and exclude in those. so in clari land the sequel films simply Do Not Exist ahaha

omg so exciting!!!! i love austen’s work!!! ooh interesting! i’ve never read any of his work! but i hope you enjoy austen, you must tell me what you think after you finish reading some of her work!! <33

oh gosh that does sound extremely stressful >.< i’m sorry honeybun!! i moved a lot throughout my time at uni too but it was only across the city so i can’t even imagine the stress of across the country!! it’s good to hear that you like the house tho!! liking your living space is so important imo!!

i’ve been okay!! i’m currently reading something wicked this way comes, and still chipping away at wuthering heights, too!! hopefully tonight or tomorrow i’ll finally get around to watching the french dispatch, which i’m excited for!!! wes anderson is one of my all-time favourite directors and tbh it’s a disgrace that i still haven’t seen his most recent film aaah ._. please don’t apologize my friend, there’s no need for it!! life is busy!! i always appreciate a message from you, no matter how long it takes <3

oh thank you so much!!!! i’m so glad to hear you liked it!! <333 i had a ton of fun writing it, and i’m currently working on another small smutty touya-nii oneshot before dragging myself back to finish tag you’re it part two (my therapist is currently helping me overcome my perfectionism, slowly, which is what seems to be holding me back and giving me a ridiculous amount of anxiety surrounding tag you’re it. and it SUCKS because i absolutely love that story with all my heart, it is so special and personal to me and i so desperately want to share the rest of it with everyone :( but anyway i am working on it, slowly!). oooh we just had a heatwave over here, it’s finally passing!! i really want to go to our big amusement park (called canada’s wonderland!) soon!! <3

ah i love you so so much my sweet friend <3 please take care of yourself and remember to treat yourself with all of the love and kindness you treat me with, because you deserve it!! <333

#today i am really tired tbh #i've had a headache all day and idk why :(( #but anyway!!! always so wonderful to hear from you!! <3 #enjoy your day + your weekend and as always pls stay safe and hydrated!! <33 #🍯 anon #clari gets mail #letters to clari

[rankertopgoogle]

Washing Machines In Ghana

Clothing Shops in Ghana

 The intermixing of Western culture has changed Clothing Shops in Ghanaas it has changed men's, yet in an unassumingly fantastic way. In pre-pioneer times, women and men wore the stunningly conventional surface that took after the outfit of the obsolete Greeks and Romans. Regardless, while men have kept their standard surface unaltered, their womenfolk changed theirs in the nineteenth 100 years to a more genuine Victorian style of dress. The result has been that while the general Clothing Shops in Ghana man wears his remarkable Kente material unequivocally at certification affiliations and good times, his ideal embellishment and sisters can be tracked down in their surfaces, yet in less lavish surfaces, at work in their work areas or even on a shopping trip.

Pictures of Africans from before the trailblazer stretch of time propose that for standard reliably presence the two individuals wore essentially no pieces of clothing, and this is at this point the game plan in extra far away standard areas. This is reasonable in a warm drenched climate given that one is guarded from the sun by fitting skin pigmentation. Apparently the two sexual directions saved their essential Kente surfaces for great occasions like internment affiliations and amazing times. In any case, with the lack of the normal surface and its propensity to ceaselessly tumble from the left shoulder it could scarcely be portrayed as unassuming Clothing Shops in Ghana. To the Christian pastors who went with the colonizers the garments of women called for radical change.

Going before the farthest furthest reaches of the nineteenth hundred years, the standard women's material had been changed into a choice full length dress in the style of that period. Authoritatively when set up, its key improvement showed awesomely safeguarded to change. Configuration found explanation in the use of a wide mix of materials and in sort out twisting around yet in the last piece of the twentieth century a 'woman's surface' truly examined a Victorian style dress. In its everything viewed as gigantic and status further making improvement the woman's surface was correct now passed on utilizing a fundamentally vague tight loom Kente material used to make the typical man's surface.

The women's surfaces worn to internment helps all would all over be of an undefined red and dull veiling blend. The most raised status materials were correct now sewn from the confined bits of Kente material yet the growing expense of this perseveringly hand made material obliged basically less august women to substitute more sensible imported surfaces. Women's surfaces passed on utilizing stunning Java prints became standard wear for some, metropolitan inhabitants including even market mammies who meandered the city streets with their huge round smiles and monster round plate and high-stacked things essentially exceptional on their heads.

The woman's material passed on utilizing fundamental imported surface might have gotten full scale dress for metropolitan women were it not for the raised shortcoming of the 1970s and mid 1980s which compelled the two individuals to wear imported dead people's pieces of clothing. Oboroniwawu (the white individual has passed on) is imported by the most rich local area individuals from Europe in astounding stacks of mixed used attire. The get-togethers are opened and women carriers scramble for the best protected things in their line of business: pants, shirts, dresses, etc By giving past what might be everything viewed as expected the most valuable pieces of clothing watching out, Oboroniwawu obliged an essential number individuals to wear current Western dress and this affected women's clothing more than men's.

In the hour of Oboroniwawu, women, especially young people, could be tracked down in each style of Western dress. Jeans and T-shirts were for the most part worn by various people of people who held a fantastic figure, while the more evolved would all around pick free cotton dresses of various lengths or sweatshirts with long skirts. Clearly, styles changed a portion of the time, following models in Europe by the a few years taken for the pieces of clothing to be turned over and moved off the clarification shop. No chance of these garments was being sat back considering the way that by far most of them exuded an impression of being worn until they were blurred, battered and torn. Anything that the condition, they remained astoundingly stain free, possible as a result of underscored hand washing.

In the field of plan it is stunningly amazing for the layman to expect future models. By the start of the new thousand years, with the introduction of broadloom twisting around, sprinkle tone and Batik, little specialty attempts were beginning to pass on innovative new plans that could seed a close by style industry. From now onward, indefinitely, in any case, sensible, it will remain the beating of each Ghanaian, man and woman, to be seen at the Saturday internment relationship in the best Kente surface that they can make due.

 Visit for extra data:-

https://shopbeta.com.gh/item%20classification/other-classes/

[stateofsport211]

RG 2022 MS Qualies: 1st Time Doing Qualies Brackets!

📸 Draw PDF is from Roland Garros' official website, I am doing my bracket manually by annotating them on my tablet

I am a random fan that also enjoys Challengers/125s and ITFs, which I managed to at least observe throughout this almost first half of the season after ages of "just following names from ranks" (especially when I was in my teen years). When several people on my timeline did their qualifiers' prediction, I was motivated by it to do, instead, "why don't I give the whole bracket a try?"

As a result, I gave Roland Garros Men's Qualies a try to "make my own bracket." At least, while I am unsure myself "if I have enough knowledge of all of their games," I completely relied on my brief observations, and if I have ever watched them on a random occasion, I would definitely refer to them too. And thus, the adventure began.

There was actually my part of the thoughts saying that "If doing main draw brackets are too mainstream, then give qualies a shot. It could be really fun and chaotic!"

On the first day of qualies, I realized it all started to get chaotic. I remember I tried to "predict some upsets" for several reasons (including their form that I could observe), but it failed really miserably (at least, I remember "I really trusted" Hanfmann, and especially Clarke for "pulling the upset," but game-wise I understood why), especially in the second day of qualies where my bottom half started to fall apart. And it was worth the chaos.

I managed to only predict 4/16 qualifiers correctly (honorable mention to section 4, where in-form Pedro Cachin has just gotten the Lucky Loser spot despite being defeated by another in-form in Pavel Kotov in the final round of qualies).

There were 16 sections for the qualifying rounds (for the 16 qualifiers), and for this round-up, I am going to give several awards to my bracket: The Perfect Section and The Most Chaotic Award (yes, I love chaos to some extent and I love this chaotic energy in qualies too).

The Perfect Section

Among all 16 sections, I did not expect to have a completely perfect section from start to finish–let alone multiple. On this occasion, I would like to award The Perfect Section to these parts of my brackets:

Section 5: I literally relied on both my guts and brief observations of most players in this section. I started off by thinking of the current forms from the Challengers these past weeks (at least that's where I could figure out Ritschard and Ugo Carabelli and work from there), several of them also influencing those predictions on the top of my mind (Verdasco & Escobedo), and then I continued from the mix of them to think of a Q3 prediction (Ritschard vs. Ugo Carabelli). While some previews in my timeline really helped, without reflecting on the forms on top of my head, I did not think this section would be perfect.

Section 8: This section was "of my interest" because of a particular comeback (I thought Sela would really retire after AO 2022 Q1 until suddenly I saw him making it to the list using the protected ranking), however, what differed from the previous section was, I used the recent forms that I could remember on top of my head the most, thanks to following the Challengers held in the past month. This was where I started to pick in the order of Zapata Miralles, G. Elias, Jubb, and Nardi and it worked from there. Apparently, this ended up being another perfect section (something that I would not expect to happen in my shambolic qualies bracket).

Honorable Mention: Section 3. The way I thought in this section was similar to Section 8 by taking into account more recent forms that I could remember on top of my mind. Apart from one mistake (I thought Milojevic would advance instead of Gerasimov, for some reason), I was satisfied by this section–inclusive of Nuno Borges' main draw possibility (we will see what is going to happen from here, guys!).

The Most Chaotic Award

Recognizing the shambolic bottom half of my brackets due to "me trusting potential upsets too much," I would like to award Section 14 The Most Chaotic Award. Looking at the recent ones, I thought Kopriva could upset de Jong and carried on with Olivo (who apparently had a tight match vs. Liam Broady in Q1), understood what happened with Sock when peeking his live scores vs. Masur (I thought Sock would make it to Q2 thanks to a US Challenger, I forgot, was it Savannah or the one from the previous week in the US also?), and only got Blancaneaux right to Q2, who ended up making it to the Main Draw instead of Kopriva.

Of course, my bottom half brackets fell apart from there mostly (closely enough followed by Section 9 because of lots of upsets that I could only think of in the second guess after I "locked" my bracket, started from Hanfmann's early exit and went downhill from there), but hey, at least I had a chance to discover more from them throughout the four days, considering to observe them more when I can even!

Key Takeaways

Another thing that I also marked during the qualies-following journey is the potential main tour breakouts. While there were several names (that I predicted would qualify) that could potentially be a breakout for some reasons (including their current form, previous results that I could remember on top of my mind, and so on), there were also those that I have thought about their potential breakout for a long time, for example, Kubler (I remember discovering him somewhere in juniors during my teen years?), Gojo (thanks to Davis Cup 2021), Borges (thanks to pre-Estoril Challengers and beyond), or several that I noticed are possible along the way (like Varillas & Zeppieri for breakouts and Fratangelo, Gombos, and Ofner for comebacks).

Doing qualies brackets was truly a unique experience, especially for those who watched or followed Challengers/125s/ITFs (to some extent). It is beyond our comfort zone that usually does main draws, however, who knows we could start qualies bracket challenge from here when we can? We love the qualies chaotic energy and I live for this too. I might sound really extra (instead of doing literal 16 qualifiers' predictions, I did a whole bracket instead), but this is also how I had fun with "non-mainstream" brackets, at least!

Now let's see if my thoughts make sense regarding the potential breakouts. It's fun to discover them in your own way!

Until then, everyone!

Also: Stay tuned, I was thinking to do a write-up in relation to Challengers/125s when it is possible!

#atp tour #atp world tour #atp challenger #tennis updates #french open #french open 2022 #roland garros #roland garros 2022 #qualifiers #bracket challenge

[basketbrandy3]

3 Tricks About Minecraft Server You Wish You Knew Earlier Than

However permitting another payment processing service onto the iPhone might be a primary crack in Apple's argument that its strict App Store rules are constructed for the protection and trust of its customers. They didn't like having to put in another app retailer to get entry to some of their video games. Also, gamers have the possibility to build houses and retailer their treasures. That is definitely possible with Android, but there is not much incentive to utilizing a ready-made platform if studios nonetheless need to bend over backward to supply assist. However folks linked to the lawsuit don't suppose that'll occur, partially as a result of there isn't a lot middle floor between the two firms' arguments. Allowing you to communicate with individuals by Minecraft coding is a real benefit. In nowadays the quantity of people these who are fond of minecraft server, is great. Apple could decrease its cost processing fees, which it is already completed for subscription companies and builders who ring up less than $1 million in revenue every year. Some, however not all, of those iPad video games can be found as a part of Apple's gaming subscription service, Apple Arcade.

Djay 2 - Scratch your individual tunes, mix tracks, add results and extra with the most characteristic-packed DJ app for iPad. We have acquired you coated with a list of the 30 greatest iPad games for youths, with Apple's age ranking for every (scroll further down for video games for older kids, despite the fact that lots of the games rated age 4 and up can be enjoyable for youths of all ages). Nintendo would run into a similar app deficit with an Android-powered NX, and would possibly even face worse troubles rising its catalog. Epic even gave the initiative a name: Project Liberty. Up until last yr, Apple and Epic appeared to have a very good relationship. Though Epic sued both companies in response, the Challenge Liberty marketing marketing campaign was squarely geared toward Apple. Apple Arcade Within the infectiously cute game Sneaky Sasquatch, you will play just that: A sneaky sasquatch. Have you ever ever gotten tired of a recreation as a result of it is the same every time? 3. Respect the workers staff and those providing their time to maintain the server running easily. But this does not current a problem when you meet in a fantasy universe that permits you to hitch forces so you may reach a standard aim, it doesn't matter what you aim to realize as a workforce in the long run.

If you want to provide him (or her) an extreme makeover you can upload a new character skin. For youths who desire a battle expertise but aren't ready for something as intense as, say, Diablo, Minecraft Dungeons is plenty of pixelated enjoyable to play through. Read our Minecraft Dungeons assessment. Read our Tremendous Mario Maker 2 overview. Learn GameSpot's Super Mario Occasion review. Learn GameSpot's Overcooked 2 evaluate. Read GameSpot's Pikmin three Deluxe overview. Read our Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 overview. It's a space the place he can talk with us without having to read our physique language or facial expressions or make eye contact. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who's overseeing the case, has indicated she's closely learn the filings and discovered the technical sides of Apple's and Epic's arguments. And within the meantime, regulators, lawmakers and competitors shall be watching carefully to see how a lot Apple's and Epic's arguments could shape new approaches to antitrust.

Because the 360 version is so much newer there are only eight default pores and skin sorts, all with Steve's face at present. Not much on the survival facet of things here though, it's all sunshine and rainbows. Once built, the wild inventions in every Labo package have a ton of additional video games and things to tinker with and check out. System32 The minigames are more button- and controller-focused, which I choose if I haven't got loads of room to play. Minecraft might have more mods than another recreation in the marketplace. Alpha is set to happen "in just a few weeks," and there is a beta signup for the sport out there now. Now that real sports leagues are on hold, both of these franchises are glorious stops to play out the season nearly and problem your loved ones. You will need to information the Zoombinis out of the evil Bloats' clutches and residence to Zoombiniville. Sure, the massive dwell occasions like E3 and EVO had been cancelled, but gaming is an exercise enjoyed by most at house. About 4 years in the past, once i first started to tinker with coloured bins, I had this vision of dazzling the world with one radically totally different cell-based recreation after one other: first an arcade game like Cell, then a puzzle recreation, then an RTS, and someplace down the road an MMO.

#System32 #just another site

[seita]

in-game | kenma kozume (m.)

pairing: kenma/reader genre: angst, fluff, smut wordcount: 𝟸𝟼𝟶𝟸 tags: established relationship, gamer!kenma cw: neglectful behavior, crying, hurt/comfort, cuddling, riding, dirty talk, multiple orgasms, squirting, overstimulation, praise kink, dom!kenma.

+ note: self indulgent bc im a hurt/comfort whore and i was going thru some KENMA FEELINGS when i wrote this.

˖˖ summary: kenma’s been awfully neglectful lately, preoccupied with his video games. you eventually get fed up and he has to comfort you and fix the hurt he caused you.

⇦  back to navigation.

© all content belongs to seita 2020. do not repost or modify.

Your lovely boyfriend had been playing video games nonstop for days. It had gotten to the point that even your personal time together, curled up in bed before sleeping, had been infringed upon. Instead of him coming to bed with you to cuddle and talk, he was staying up and coming to bed after you fell asleep. You’d wake up to him already sitting in front of his computer or the TV resuming his gameplay when you woke up.

You got it was his job and he loved to play with every fiber of his being but you couldn’t help but feel...neglected. You tried to ignore the aching feeling in the pit of your chest when you greeted him good morning and only sometimes received a grunt in response. 

It was weighing heavily on you and you were saddened that he didn’t even notice your downed state. He also didn’t seem to miss your presence when you began to hide in different rooms away from him. 

It all came to a head one evening when you found yourself craving him. Craving like having his touch on your body, making you feel good and loved like you knew he did so well. Kenma didn’t have the biggest sex drive around and as a result it sort of caused your own to dim as well. But when either of you had the urge you usually had no problems going to the other to have it sorted. 

This time, however, you found yourself hesitating. 

There was no way he’d choose you over that video game right now.

So with a heavy heart you laid back in bed and slid your hand down your panties, shuddering when you felt your wet folds beneath your fingertips. 

You could hear Kenma’s video game through the thin walls of your shared apartment. It was distracting, knowing he was out there so close yet so far. It had been a long time since you had to get yourself off; you never needed to when you had the sweetest boyfriend ever living with you. 

After touching yourself for what felt like ages, you realized you were nowhere near orgasm and promptly gave up. The frustrations of being stuck horny mixed with your hurt over being neglected by your boyfriend finally bubbled over and you felt tears pricking at your eyes. You rolled over, stuffing your face into his pillow as you cried. It muffled your whimpers and wails, not that your boyfriend would notice anyway. 

Suddenly, you sat up and sniffled a bit. Something dawned on you as you sat there, listening to your boyfriend’s video game blast explosions through the walls. 

There was no reason for you to be made to feel like this. You had to step up and talk to him. Communication was always the most important thing in your relationship with Kenma. He was a quiet, introverted guy who kept 99% to himself. When you first started dating back in high school, you both made it completely clear that you needed to talk to  each other. 

Yet there you were, ignoring that rule you’d made with him. 

You crawled out of bed and wiped your eyes with the back of your hand as you stumbled out of the bedroom. 

Kenma was sitting on the couch, feet propped up on the wooden coffee table as he slouched back. His hair was in a messy bun, a bored expression on his face as he slammed his thumbs against the controller buttons. 

“Kenma,” you said, pausing in the doorway to the living room. 

He didn’t reply, making you huff and try again. You called his name louder, stepping into the room. Finally, he tore his eyes from the screen to cast a glance at you before immediately looking back to the screen. However, it only lasted a second before his head was jerking to look back at you with wide eyes. 

He sat up straighter, hitting pause on his game as he frowned up at you, “Have you been crying?”

You sigh and nod, stepping closer to him, fidgeting nervously with the hem of your shirt.

“Why?” he asked, the sincerity in his voice making your eyes tear up again.

Your bottom lip trembled as all the feelings you’ve been holding back flooded forth; “I just...really miss you lately, Kenma. You’ve been so...busy and I...just feel like you’ve forgotten me.”

His gaze softened as your words sunk in. He uttered your name, soft and sympathetic before reaching his hand out for you. You quickly slipped your fingers into his palm, letting him tug you into his lap. His arms wrapped around you, one hand cupping the back of your head as he pulled your face into his shoulder. You felt the tears you’d been holding back come forth as you heard him whisper soft apologies in your ear.

You didn’t say anything more, feeling yourself begin to doze, nestled in his lap as he rubbed his hand down your back. You sighed happily snuggling into him. The music to his game played in the background and you found yourself speaking; “you can play again.”

“A-Are you sure?” he asked, skeptical though he knew you were bound to doze off.

You nodded and closed your eyes, relaxing against him. You felt him shift as he grabbed the controller once more, settling back into the couch cushions before resuming his game. You quickly fell asleep to the feeling of the occasional kiss against your temple from him. 

When you woke up, it was from being gently jostled. Kenma quickly noticed you had awoken and he frowned, reaching over to tuck some hair behind your ear.

“Sorry…” he whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead.

“It’s okay,” you reply, sitting up, “How long was I out?”

He shook his head, “Like an hour or so.”

You rolled over and got out of bed, making Kenma frown before you disappeared into the bathroom. He went back to the living room to resume his game, sitting on the couch with his controller in his lap. When you came back from going pee, you paused to take a look at him. 

His bun was loose, hair falling prettily around his face. He had changed into a loose t-shirt that was too big so it fell off his shoulder, revealing his collarbones and an expanse of unmarked, pale skin. He wore a pair of soft sweatpants that he owned several colors of; they were his favorites. 

He looked up at you when you came in, patting his lap before holding his hand out for you.

“You’re tired, why don’t you go to sleep?” he asked, thumbing beneath your eyes, which were still a bit red from crying earlier.

“Wanna be with you,” you whisper, leaning forward to rest your head against his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispers resting his hand on your back before pressing a kiss to your head, “Take all the time you need.”

You smile, relishing in having his attention, even as you heard the game play on in the background. He occasionally pressed a kiss against you. 

Suddenly, the arousal you had been feeling came back to the forefront of your mind and you found yourself squirming in his lap. He grunted, brows coming together.

“Settle down, baby,” he mumbled, kissing your shoulder, eyes glued to the TV.

“Kenma…” you whimper, leaning back a bit, making sure to stay out of his way of the TV, “Can I…” he hummed, glancing at you for a second before looking back at the TV, “I really wanna ride you.”

He shuddered, nodding his head, “Go ahead, baby. Get me hard.”

You grin gleefully, and reach down to palm him, finding he’s already rapidly growing harder. Tugging at the elastic band of his sweats, he shifts a bit so you can pull his cock free, tucking the band beneath his balls. He sighs at the feeling of your hand wrapping around him to give his length a few squeezes. 

You pucker your lips and spit down on the head, using it to slick up his shaft to aid in your movements. Before long, hot puffs were coming from his lips and he was at full hardness. 

You sat up and yanked your panties down before tugging your shirt over your head. Completely, naked, Kenma sat back to admire your body with a low curse. 

Reaching beneath you, you gripped his cock to line him up at your entrance.

“Don’t hurt yourself, baby,” he whispered, glancing up at your through messy bangs, “Run and get the lube.”

“D-Don’t need it,” you whine, running the head between your folds. 

He hisses but hits pause, gripping your hip to stop you from sinking down with a pointed look, “Go get the lube, now.”

You pout but do as you’re told, crawling off his lap to rush to the bedroom. The bottle sits inside the bedside table on his side and you grab it quickly. 

When you return to the living room, he’s sitting as you left him, cock resting against his t-shirt, leaving a wet spot from where it steadily drools precum. 

“Here,” you grunt, crawling back into his lap, “I really don’t need it.”

“Why do you say that?” he asks, putting his controller down to take the bottle from your hands.

You watch, mouth open as he pours some into the palm of his hand. His hands were always so pretty; lithe fingers and prominent veins. He wraps his fist around his length and coats the smooth skin in the liquid. Using what was left on his fingers, he slides two fingers into your cunt. You grunt and grip his shoulders as he scissors his digits.

“You are wet,” he hummed, crooking his fingers to find your g-spot easily.

“T-Told you,” you pant, “I’ve been...wet for hours…”

“Why didn’t you just come and ask me?” he mumbled, frowning as he focuses on your fingers swallowing his fingers before he slowly adds a third.

“D-Didn’t think...oh, that you’d care,” you confess.

He shakes his head and pulls his fingers free, wiping them clean on his sweats before grabbing his controller.

“Don’t be stupid,” he mumbled, but you can hear the hurt in his voice at your words, “I’m always here, even if it doesn’t seem like I don’t because I’m being an ass.”

“Can I ride you now?” you ask, kissing your forehead.

“Take what you need, baby, I’m all yours,” his breathing stutters as you line him up with your entrance and begin sinking down, “That’s it...it’s all for you, make yourself feel good.”

You let out a slow breath as you sink down, taking his cock into your dripping walls. The stretch burns just a bit but it only feels pleasurable. Kenma sighs, biting his lip as his grip on the controller tightens as you squeeze him so perfectly. 

You do your best not to jostle him too much as you ride him, grinding against him so stimulate your clit. After being unable to cum earlier, you feel yourself getting closer to your first orgasm. Your movements stutter and you press your cheek to his shoulder, panting and whining as you work yourself over the edge.

“That’s it, use my cock, baby,” Kenma pants, throbbing within your spasming walls, “Cum for me.”

And you do. It’s a calm, slowly cresending orgasm that fades almost as quickly as it arrived. But still, it left you trembling in his lap. Taking a breather, you sit quietly with your eyes closed, his cock still buried inside you while you waited for the oversensitivity to pass. 

He let you, kissing your cheek and head as you came down, patiently waiting for you to do as you needed -- just as he promised. He was there for you right now, even though his eyes were on his game, his mind was concentrated on you and your sweet cunt wrapped around him. 

Before long, you were moving again, but this time you began bouncing. 

He groaned, leaning back as you expertly worked your hips so the tip prodded every sweet spot in your walls. You were dripping down his length, making a mess of his sweats but he truly couldn’t care less in that moment. He cursed under his breath, accidentally pressing a wrong button on his controller. 

“I’m cumming again!” you squeal, nails biting into his shoulders as you toss your head back and shudder, soaking his length in your cum. He hisses, hitting pause and tossing the controller to the other end of the couch. He grabs your hips and plants his feel on the floor, jackhammering his hips up while holding you stationary, “K-Kenma!”

“Cum again,” he groans, his own eyes rolling back. 

“F-Fuck!” you toss your arms around his shoulders and hug him tight as you cum again. Perhaps you never even came down from your second one. Regardless, you’re hurled into a third -- this one messier than before. 

You squirt, soaking his shirt and abdomen, “Good fucking girl, good girl.”

“Th-Thought you’d let me take what I need…” you pant, trembling as he moves your hips under his strong grip, working you through the aftershocks. 

He huffs out a laugh, head resting against the back of the couch, “Why let you take when I can give?”

You moan, head falling back when you ride him once more. Your body trembles in overstimulation but you just can’t get enough. He cups your breasts, pinching your nipples between his fingers as he stares up at you as if you were a goddess. Hell, to him, you were one. 

“I love you so much,” he confesses, gaze soft.

You meet his eyes and feel an overwhelming sense of love overcoming you. Leaning forward, you press your lips to his and pull him in for a deep, sweet kiss. 

He reciprocates naturally, cupping the back of your head.

“I love you more,” you reply, resting your forehead against his, “I love you more than anything, Kenma.”

“Shh, baby,” he coos, hearing the raw emotion bleeding into your voice, “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

You whimper, burying your face in his neck as you resume riding him. He holds you close, caressing your skin and whispering words of encouragement as you crest once again. This time, you take him with you. 

He spills into you, a heavy groan in your ear as he pumps his hot load into your spasming cunt. You both relax, your body trembling as tears trickle down your cheeks and you sniffle. He pulls you back so he can look at your face. He cups your cheeks and presses a kiss to your nose.

“I’m sorry, _____,” he whispers sincerely, “I never meant to make you feel like I didn’t care about you.”

“It’s okay now,” you whimper, snuggling into him, neither of you caring about his cum dripping from you cunt. His cock is soft now, but still sheathed within you and you have no plans of separating.

He reaches over to grab his controller again, feeling you sag against him as you begin to doze off. His thumbs work over the buttons and he relishes in the feeling of having you close, wondering how he had missed it for so long without realizing. 

The sight of you crying because you felt neglected still rang in his mind and he made a mental promise to the two of you that he would never make that mistake again -- no matter how into his games he became. 

#haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #kenma x reader #haikyuu smut #hq smut #kenma smut #kenma kozume x reader #kozume kenma x reader #afton.writes

[shepherds-of-haven]

In an alternate Blest where the Endarkened never returned thus there was never a need for the shepherds to form, what would the main cast be doing?🧐 Would any of their paths have crossed otherwise? For those who are not from Haven would they have any other reason to travel there?

Holy shit anon, this is such a great question that I've literally sat on it for six weeks thinking about it... Let's give this a try! 🤔💭

Beware! Heavy alpha build and overall spoilers below! Read at your own risk, or do not read if you haven't played the alpha fully!

Blade: well, if things had gone exactly the way they had, just without the need for the Shepherds in the mix, he'd be dead! But if we ignore that particular detail, he'd still be working as an assassin for the Ket Rebellion, and he'd probably be a colder, crueler person as a result of it. He would still be a frequent visitor to Haven, plotting you-know-what and taking on various jobs and assignments in the meantime; and he and Trouble were friends before the Shepherds were formed, so they'd still be merc buddies and occasional partners on bigger jobs where they'd need someone to watch their back! But they probably wouldn't be as close. He'd probably spend the rest of his life working as the tip of the spear for the Ket rebellion, the left hand and living weapon of his brother. It'd be an okay life, but he'd never truly be independent!

Trouble: he'd likely still be a mercenary or soldier-for-hire, sort of wandering around the Continent with Haven as his home base. For some reason, I could see him being talked into joining the Army of the Sun and becoming a military man once he was older and tired of the merc life; he'd probably like the order and structure and camaraderie of it for a time, but he'd clash with his superiors and the culture so much that he'd probably eventually wind up discharged! At that point, he'd probably leave it all behind and go West to start a new life... maybe he'd become the sheriff of some small town out there, or a farmer, or an airship mechanic in Lindell!

Tallys: she'd probably work as a hunter for hire, usually working for the farms out in the Sun's Embrace or guarding their livestock from wolves and predators, or possibly as a 'van guard for Elvish caravans. She volunteered at poorhouses and Elvish clinics in Ashtown before joining the Shepherds, so she'd probably still be doing that. I think her life would be a sort of haze of just... existing, looking for a purpose or some way to help people but feeling like it's all a bit futile. She'd probably do some self-destructive things to make her forget the emptiness inside of her, and if things reached a boiling point, perhaps she'd simply disappear into the wind one day...

Shery: hmmmm, this is an interesting question! Shery met up with the Shepherds because her parents sold her into an apprenticeship that she didn't want and she ran away, and by coincidence she happened to come across the group and Blade offered her a job as quartermaster because she was good at book-keeping. If that didn't happen, I don't know what would have happened to her?! She alludes in the game that she saw how prostitutes by the docks were living and was scared that that was the only option open to her if no one would hire her, but I like to think she would have found a job as like, a librarian or a bookshop clerk or a merchant's assistant. I almost feel like she could have somehow run into Riel and joined Merchants Guild as one of his assistants alongside Aerin! So I feel like she would have been okay, though her life would have been very quiet and domestic and humble, and unless she worked for Riel, she likely would have never earned enough to have more than a little dingy apartment all to herself (and some cats).

If things hadn't worked out so well, she likely would have returned home and faced her terrible parents, and probably would have lived under their thumbs for the rest of her life as atonement! :(

Riel: he'd still be master of Merchants Guild, and doing just fine! I think he'd just continue to garner wealth, power, and influence, and likely would have been made a minister or some sort of politician within the Consortium when he was older! Not sure yet if he would have taken that offer, though! If the Endarkened didn't exist, I wonder if Merchants Guild and Thieves Guild would have had any particular bone to pick with each other, as they largely ignored each other's existence... Chase's thieves typically targeted the aristocracy and the obscenely wealthy before the whole Black Sun thing, so they might never have crossed paths!

Chase: he'd still be master of Thieves Guild, also doing just fine! I can't really imagine anything about his life changing that much; he would have continued to steal, nettle, and harangue the denizens and criminal underworld of Haven until the ecosystem could no longer sustain it and the Thieves Guild would have to pack up and move elsewhere to elude capture (probably to Conte); or he would have developed such a monopoly on crime in Haven that he would have gotten bored of the power, handed control off to Ari and Kato, and peaced out to parts unknown... realistically, in that scenario, his luck would have to run out at some point, and he'd probably sleep with or double-cross the wrong person (probably both) and get himself into a corner he couldn't back out of alone...

Red: he'd still be Archmage of the Veiled Circle, and they probably would have remained at Capra for longer, since there wouldn't have been the Endarkened to draw attention to their activities as pointedly as Quiial did. Still, they would have had to leave to evade the Inquisitors eventually, and probably would have settled somewhere else; and Red probably would have passed off leadership of the Circle to someone else, maybe a promising instructor who joined later or Pan or someone. Basically when he'd felt he'd put in the time and wasn't abandoning the Circle to its fate, he'd leave and go off and do his Traveler stuff he'd always wanted to. But it'd be a lonelier, more solitary life, and his letters home or his jaunts back to the Circle would drop off as he became more and more engrossed in his research, and people would worry about him or his health, not having anyone to watch his back on the road. He has a 50/50 chance of marrying someone nice that his family set him up with after like a concerned intervention on their part, or he'd probably drop off the face of the earth and no one would know where he went!

Ayla: she'd still be working as a wilderness guide, taking rich people around on tours and guiding parties and caravans through dangerous stretches of wilderness. She would have gone to Haven to visit as a tourist, but probably wouldn't have stayed long; a handful of weeks, at the most. She'd spend her life scrapping, fighting to stay alive, and watching her own back, but it would be an empty life, pretty much devoid of meaningful connection or meaning. At some point she'd probably get fed up, return to Jalis, and launch a single-woman campaign against the warlords there, just because she could!

Briony: hmmm... okay, she'd still be in that shipwreck, but would slavers have found her if there was no gladiator arena, since there would be no Endarkened to have created it?? I feel like she would have woken up, still an amnesiac, and staggered to the nearest town eventually (which I think would have been Courtshore or one of its outlying, smaller towns/villages). After recovering a little, she probably would have put herself to work as a mercenary or as a street-fighter working for bets (so like a gladiator... but on the street!). She probably would have been taken in by a kind innkeeper or family and allowed to rent a small room with her bizarre story of not having a memory. Or she could have taken up something simpler, like working as a barmaid in the inn or something like that! She probably would have had a relatively happy, peaceful life once she got used to things and it all settled down... but given her proximity to the shipwreck, her past would have caught up to her way faster, and the fallout would have been... intense...

Lavinet: she'd still be in Lockwood, and the Elementals would still be an issue, since that wasn't tied to demonwork! What probably would have happened: things would have deteriorated, and the families of the besieged nobles in Lockwood would have grown impatient and would sent in their personal armies to deal with the situation, most likely without Lavinet's consent. The ensuing conflict would have been devastating, with the Elementals most likely winning. In response, the Autarchy would have mobilized the Army of the Sun and absolutely annihilated the Elementals--but Lockwood would have likely burned, caught in the crossfire. Lavinet would have to spend the rest of her life with that shadow looming over her, and while she'd still harbor ambitions to attend the Sun Court and rise in the ranks as a Sun Courtier, there would always be that stain on her reputation, or she wouldn't have been able to leave Lockwood, having to help it rebuild after its destruction. Or she would have gotten kidnapped by the Elementals far earlier and might have been killed then!

Halek: he would have stayed sol of the Reach, and I have no idea what would have happened... he probably would have married Moonsilk and just have been absolutely miserable... probably would have popped out a few kids and just... existed! Or maybe he might have run away and left Naolin holding the bag and become like a guilty drunkard in some random town, though it's hard to believe they wouldn't have tracked him down eventually...

#Shepherds of Haven #AU #no endarkened AU #idk how to tag this lol #long #long post #spoilers #heavy #extremely heavy #alpha build #alpha preview #all characters