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oftenderweapons · 4 years

Text

The Studio — Hoseok

Pairing: Hoseok x reader (nicknamed Giggles)

Wordcount: 9.6k words

Genre: (lots of) smut, angst, final fluff

Rating: 18+

Hello cuties! Welcome back! I had assumed I would be done with Hobi’s piece in the studio quite soon, however it took me some extra hours. Writing it was extremely difficult! Let me remind you that this is NSFW, so minors, please do not read or interact.

PSA — If you’re interested, I was thinking of making a taglist, so you’ll receive a note on your activity feed whenever I publish a new piece (since I know sometimes app notifications do not work). Also, in the next two or three weeks I’ll be busy with university, so I don’t think I’ll be able to write full one-shots. This means I’ll be posting small drabbles that will help me lay the groundwork for all the filth I’ve been storing away from you (and that I’ve hinted in the masterlist). The polls will stay open and you’ll be able to vote for next prompt, however it will take me a while before I start writing again according to your requests.

This piece is a one shot and it takes place in some indefinite future in the official timeline, shortly after him and Giggles have moved in together (quick reminder, Giggles is the nickname he has given the reader, however if you want to know how I imagined her, you can find her headcanons here).

Synopsis: Giggles has been a little uncomfortable after she has moved into his apartment, mostly because his job has kept him from going back home. After a week of struggle, she heads to Hoseok’s studio to grab her man with the help of special weapons.

DESCRIPTION AND TRIGGER WARNINGS: angst at the beginning, reader is upset and cries. Other than that, this is filthy. NSFW, contains several BDSM themes, such as domination (Dom!reader, Switch!Hoseok and a fluffy dose of vanilla sex because I needed to cleanse my soul), rope bondage (wrists), blindfold, sensation play and mild impact play (flogger, hinted riding crop and tickler), pretty intense edging, teasing, oral sex and masturbation (both male and female receiving), squirting, MULTIPLE ROUNDS (it’s Hoseok, come on!). Emotionally challenging: Hoseok feels guilty as hell, reader is quite angry, but they’re both lovesick puppies by the end of it. Special warning: one bratty Jimin appears at the end of the piece.

Word count: 9.6k

Here is my masterlist! Enjoy!!!

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A lowfi mix came from behind Hoseok’s door. He was probably just chilling as he worked on something else. It wasn’t uncommon for him to listen to random stuff as he looked for inspiration, especially since he was currently trying to work with a more old school R’n’B vibe. He had a new artist he wanted to collaborate with and this new genre was becoming increasingly challenging, especially since he wanted it to have that early Two-thousand flow, reminding him of that time he had started venturing into Western hip hop, thinking about dates and girls and teenage crushes.

The bag felt a bit heavier on your shoulder now that the music showed you his mindset. This could turn into a very one-of-a-kind type of night.

You knocked at the door. The music turned down a notch, as if he wasn’t quite sure he had heard right.

Hesitantly, shutting your eyes tight, you knocked harder before pressing your hand to your chest, curling around it in fear. Hoseok could be harsh when interrupted: though he usually realised and apologised, seeing him mildly disappointed always gave you a chill down your spine, and not the good one.

His shadow appeared from behind the opaque glass door.

The door unlocked and opened. “Hey, hello there.” His expression was blank for a second before he realised you were quite neutral, as if trying to square yourself before seeing him.

Something caved in your chest. He had deep, dark circles under his eyes. “Hi.”

“Are you coming in?” He asked.

“I only wanted to ask when you’re coming back home.” You said, your lip slightly trembling.

He blinked.

“I’ve texted you and called you, but you didn’t reply.”

He blinked twice. “What time is it?”

You exhaled and made to turn around and walk away.

“Giggles.” He called, chasing after you and catching you in his arms, backhugging you. “Baby.”

“No. I’m done with baby and all of that. I’m fucking done.” Tears started falling. Your plan had gone to hell. All your mental briefings and getting yourself in the right mindset were useless by now. The bag made you feel twice as frustrated. “I am tired, Hoseok.”

That made him feel like a scolded puppy. You had never uses that tone with him, never used his full name while scolding him.

“I am tired.” Now that your first tear was spilled, all the others came out without any control. “I am exhausted.”

He pressed you harder into him. “I promise it will end soon.” He smiled as he saw you turn and hide into him.

“I am tired of your promises. You made me move in and then disappeared for a week straight. I don’t know where I can put my stuff, I had to handle transport, to talk with my landlord, to do everything by myself. And I’ve been doing double shifts all week. I am raw with exhaustion and I’ve had absolutely zero support.” You sobbed, pressing your pointer finger into his chest, before laying your punch against his breastbone, angry and tired and accusing. “You were supposed to be my certainty but you gave me fucking nothing.” He flinched when he heard you swore. You never swear at him. The fact that you’ve done it twice in the same argument spoke volumes about how angry you were. “You were supposed to give me certainties. But you don’t even answer to my texts.” You punched him weakly. “I hate you so much.”

Now he was worried. Heavily worried. Anxious. “Let’s get in the studio, ____. Come on, love.”

“I don’t want to come in.”

He shook his head, tipping your chin back. “I said, come in.”

“You don’t get to order me around, Hoseok. Not like this. I’ve been doing everything you’ve asked me. I’ve been saying ‘yes, sir’ to every single one of your requests and look where that brought me.” You shoved your face away, out of his grasp.

He cupped your face with both hands. “Look at me.” He ordered. He tried again, softening his voice, panicking as you strongly opposed. “Look at me, little bird.”

You obeyed. It was the fucking nickname’s fault.

“Come in with me. I want to talk about this, make up for my mistakes.” He dried your tears with his thumbs. “I want you to tell me how to fix this. What you want me to do.” He combed your hair back with gentle fingers. “You say I keep ordering you around, and that has made you unhappy. I want to turn the tables. Let you order me what to do.” He started taking tiny steps backwards, toward his door, waddling with you in your arms. “This is the last time I beg you to do what I’ve asked you, for tonight. After this you’re absolutely free, Giggles. It’s all up to you, but please, let’s talk it out in my studio.”

You sniffled. “Okay.”

“Thank you.” He smiled weakly.

You followed him.

The studio was clad in soft lights, the bass of the song making the air in the room feel like a warm, inviting, sultry cocoon. He moved to the desk, making the music nothing but a quiet whisper. “Let’s sit on the sofa over there, yeah?” He sat down and patted the cushion beside him.

Reluctantly, you sat down, removing your jacket and placing the bag beside you, on the floor.

“I made a mistake. I didn’t support you. I am sorry. I’ve been busy with my job but that is not an excuse, nor a good reason to disappear while you’re struggling.” He admitted.

“I’ve been sleeping in that bed alone for a week. It was heartbreaking.” You said with a furrowed brow and a pout. “It hurt so much that sadness became anger.”

He combed his hair with his hands. “I fucked up.”

“You did.” You confirmed. “I can handle a bit of loneliness. I’ve been alone for a long time. But that hurts inside your house.”

“It’s our house now.” He argued, deeply unhappy.

“Is it now?” You accused.

You saw his expression turn hurtful. “Are you going to leave?” He said, afraid that that would be his punishment. He knew there would be a price to pay, he just hoped it wouldn’t cost him his whole happiness with you.

“I can’t handle it now. Plus I don’t have much choice. It’s either there or my parents but I can’t move out of the city and do double shifts at work.” You said. “I’m stuck here because I trusted you. Because I gave up all my alternatives for you. You told me to trust you, that I could count on you. What am I going to do now?”

You looked so broken. He felt his eyes well with tears. His voice came out shaky. “Tell me what to do. Anything.”

“You’re gonna do what you want anyways.” You said, a bit hostile.

“No. Please, can you tell me what to do?” He tried to hold your hand. You let him.

“I want you home tonight.” You said, naming your price.

“Okay.” He felt ready to do anything. If you asked him to fly all the way to Paris and bring a box of macarons, champagne and fresh red roses, he would simply whip his phone out and look for the next flight. Fuck, he would teach himself how to fly a plane if need be.

“I want you home every night for the next week. I want dinner together.” You said, punching your index finger into your thigh. “You can use your home studio after dinner, I don’t care, you can stay up all night, but I swear if I have to fall asleep one more night alone in that damn bed, I’m going to gut you.”

“Okay.” He hadn’t come back home because he knew that having you around would mean getting no work done, as he much preferred giving you attention and laying down with you, watching a movie or putting to good use that big bed of his.

“And I want cuddles.”

“Yes, love.”

“Daily cuddles.”

He smiled as you contested like a child. “Yes, little bird.”

“And I want sex at least once a week for the next month.” You said, knowing that you could have much better than that, but you were aiming at the bare minimum.

“Once a week?” He asked, a bit dumbfounded.

“At least.”

That had him nodding. “Can do.”

“Pinkie promise.”

He smiled wider, hooking his pinkie with yours. “Pinkie promise.” As you pressed your thumbs together, sealing the deal, he brought your hand to his lips, kissing your knuckles. “What now? Can I hug you?”

“No. Go lock the door.” He looked at you dubious.

“Lock it.” You repeated.

He stood up and obeyed. “Now what?”

The negotiation had set you back into your original path. You had come for revenge and you were ready to execute it. “On your chair.” He was going to see how it feels to be powerless. Lost. Alone.

His heartbeat started increasing. He wanted to see where your plan was going to take him. He sat on his chair. “Here.”

“Close your eyes.” Your voice shook a little. You cleared it and said again: “Close your eyes, now.”

He bit his lip. He was getting turned on. A part of himself asked him how sick he must be for this, but he followed your lead, closing his eyes and laying his hands on the armrests. “Are you going to punish me?”

You shook your head before realising that he couldn’t see your movements. “I am going to do as I please.”

He snickered.

“Quiet.” You warned quietly.

He licked his lips and regained his composure. “Sorry.”

You bent and opened the bag. You found your first bundle and started unraveling it, walking back and forth in front of the sofa, stopping with your back to him.

“Take off your clothes.”

“Really?” He asked, incredulous.

“Do I look like I am joking?” You replied from over your shoulder.

“Okay.” He undressed quickly, letting his clothes fall to the floor. “Do you want me to...”

“Quiet.” You repeated.

He closed his eyes and bent his head down. He was naked on the chair, unsurprised by his own erection.

You took a few steps towards him. As soon as you reached him, you gave him further instructions. “Do not open your eyes. I am going to touch you but if you open your eyes, you won’t like the consequences.”

“Wait.” Hoseok murmured. “How are you feeling now?”

You stopped. “What do you mean?”

“Are you angry at me?” Hoseok asked, his voice meek, hesitant, unhappy. “I’ve never seen you like this. I’m worried.”

You couldn’t do this to him. You couldn’t tie him up and torture him to tears, break him like that. Even though you really wanted to.

“I’m angry a bit, yes.” You replied. You exhaled, waiting in silence.

“I don’t think we should be doing this, then.” He suggested quietly. “I’ll be honest. You’re scaring me a little.”

You placed the rope on top of the desk, out of his angle of vision. “Open your eyes”, you said, placing your hands on his cheeks. His stare met yours. “What if I tell you my plans and you tell me if you’re okay with it?”

He pressed his face against your belly, kissing it. “I’m so sorry.” He nuzzled into your shirt. “I feel so bad.”

You moved your hands from his cheeks to his hair. “This is how I’m helping you with your guilt.” You massaged his shoulders. “I want to take care of you. You must have been so stressed here.”

“I’m the one at fault. I should be the one taking care of you.” He said with big puppy eyes. He looked up at you with his chin propped against your stomach.

“You can take care of me by letting me take the lead. Right now I need to feel like I can control something.” You traced his lips with your thumb, your index finger tracing the ridge of his nose with its lovely curve.

“Then control me.” He said, puckering his lips around your thumb.

“Are you still scared of me?” You asked.

“I’m scared of you going too far or pushing myself too far to please you.” He confessed. “But it’s something unconscious. I know I can trust you.”

“Still, I could tell you my plans.” You suggested sweetly.

“I trust you.”

“You don’t have to do stuff you don’t feel like doing just to please me.” You reminded him politely.

“That’s why we have safewords. When I don’t feel good I’ll use them.” He said, matter-of-factly. “They’re not there only for you.” He smiled.

You were quite curious about how his nakedness seemed to unfaze him. But then again, after more than a year together, at this point nakedness in front of each other felt natural.

“Don’t push yourself just to please me.” You scolded him.

“I won’t. If I don’t feel good, we stop and I’ll make love to you.” He stated plainly.

You thought about it. After all this time you knew Hoseok’s limits and insecurities. “Okay.”

“Okay.” He settled back into his chair, his hands gripping the armrests. He closed his eyes. “I’m ready.”

His chest was so skinny. It felt like staring at a hummingbird. “Are you keeping your eyes closed or would you like a blindfold?”

He smiled. “Kinky.” He breathed out. He paused. “Blindfold.”

You smirked and grabbed it from your backpocket. You already knew he would have chosen to wear it. “I will touch you now Hoseok. Let’s see if you can recognise it.” You stretched towards the rope on his table, keeping it rolled up and brushing it gently against his face.

“Oh.” He rubbed his cheek against it, pressing his lips and then parting them to use his tongue. “I’m getting tied up, aren’t I?” He asked.

“Would you like to?” You asked. Blindfolded and tied up was always a daring combination. You had first done it for his birthday, but back then you hadn’t intended to overstimulate him to tears. That time you had simply used your advantage to give him the ride of his life, physically restraining him from taking control and straining himself to please you. The bondage technique had helped you keep him still long enough to relax. After almost literally sucking him dry, you had managed to ride him, watch him come apart for the fourth time and see him fall asleep like a kid at your side, not a care in the world. It had been a wildly satisfying experience.

“Are you going to use me like last time?” He asked, eyes still closed but his hands reaching out for you.

“Not really.” You commented. “I was thinking of something… softer? So to say.” You bit your lip. He couldn’t see your devious smile anyway.

“I’m interested.” He said, blindly running his hands down your thighs. “Tell me what to do.”

Clutching the rope between your thighs, you used one hand to comb his hair and trace the lovely lines of his face. “I’ll put the blindfold on you now, Hoseok. Is that okay, handsome?”

“Yes.�� He said, his cheeks twitching with a small smile.

Putting a blindfold on someone else is a lot more difficult than it seems, however you managed to press the wide silken mask against his eyes, hooking the elastic band with your fingers and slipping it behind his head. “Is it safe?”

“Yes, Giggles.” He replied, turning his head in an attempt to kiss your wrist. You noticed the gesture and offered him your hand, brushing the back of it against his cheek. He managed to press his lips to your knuckles. “I love you.”

You bent down and let your lips hover over his. “Can you feel me?”

“So close.” He whispered. Sometimes he had this sixth sense, like his body — so used to perceive himself in time and space while dancing — had this special sensibility to closeness. Depriving him of sight made it look even more supernatural. It made you feel like he could perceive you spiritually. It felt religious. Metaphysical. You had missed this connection and you had been craving it for a while.

“Can you kiss me, Hoseok?”

He licked your lips in reply, his mouth hanging open, his lower lip brushing against yours so sensually that you envelopped it in yours, sucking.

He moaned, your eyes closing as you felt your body reach another level of arousal. It felt extraordinary. It felt like you were making love to your own body through his nakedness and arousal. Feeling this wanted, exploiting this bond between the two of you, the way your body mirrored his sensations, it was stronger than anything you had ever experienced.

You let go of his lip. “I’m gonna start tying you up now. This is the right moment to stop me, bub.”

“Keep going.” He said, his voice slightly gravelly.

“Okay.” You moved around the chair, studying how to use your prop smartly.

You noticed two thin metal tubes connecting the headrest to the back of the chair. Interesting. You unravelled your bundle of rope and found the middle quickly thanks to the mark placed there.

You remembered Hoseok coming back home with a big box, placing it on top of the coffee table as you were chilling on the sofa. “I want it cut, marked and hemmed by nine o’ clock.” He had said, voice dark, as he offered you a sewing kit and a fabric meter. “You’ll find instructions in the box.” He kissed your head as you sat on the floor and opened the box, dumbfounded. “I can’t use it tonight, but I’ll reward you if you do a good job.” Inside there was one entire spool of rope: the tag read “a hundred meters - pure cotton”. You spent the rest of the evening attending to your chore. Once you were done, you went knocking at Hoseok’s door. He spent the rest of the night repaying you for your fine accomplishment.

“Can you place your hands on your nape” You asked, noticing that he did so immediately.

“Thank you.” You chirped as you started tying him up, placing two fingers between his skin and the rope to make sure you didn't tighten too much. The position was delicate since his blood circulation could be affected by his forearms being upside down, tying the knot too tight would inevitably mean worsening the situation.

Once his wrists were safely secured to the small steel tube, you checked on him. “Is it good, bubs? Too tight?”

“I'm good, thank you, Giggles.” He replied.

“I’m going to grab my bag quickly. I’ll be a few steps away for a couple seconds, bubs.” You said, making sure that he didn’t panic as you stepped away.

A sultry, suggestive song came on, a slow Nineties hip hop track. It was inspirational, especially as you picked up your bag and placed it on top of his desk, near you and his chair, making sure that you wouldn’t need to leave him alone for longer than a couple seconds. Any person with a sliver of common sense would understand it is an awfully bad idea to leave someone bound, blindfolded and unguarded.

You stood in front of him with your hands behind your back and bent to his ear. “I’m here.” You murmured before standing up and dragging your nails down his neck and chest, stopping right at his stomach without neglecting his nipples, circling around them a couple times. He looked delicious, his cock hard and leaking on his lower abs. You observed the twitching of his slim shaft, the lovely curve of it, the taunting pink of his tip glimmering with wetness.

Teasingly, biting your lip, you gathered some of his precum on your fingertip, his lips parting with a purring sound.

“Giggles, please.” He whined.

You smiled as he exhaled, his mouth hanging open, and you deviously slipped your fingertip past his lips.

“Can you taste how turned on you are, Hobi?” You murmured, pressing your digit against his tongue.

He bit down playfully before twirling the tip of his tongue around your finger.

Giggling, you removed it.

“Does it tickle?” He asked.

You licked your lip. “Maybe.”

He shook his head just as you punished his disrespect with a gentle slap on his cheek. “You’re in no position to play games, Hoseok.”

He regained his composure. “Sorry.”

You shook your head yourself, standing up and moving behind him. His sides were vulnerable with his hands tied up and behind his head. You started thinking how you could use this against him. For now you simply decided that his inner forearms were normally sensitive enough to be a good starting point. He always started from your inner forearms. Drawing lines and twirls with your nails, you saw him shiver, his mouth gaping.

“You’ve moved.” He murmured, his fingers wiggling as he searched for contact, giving up once he noticed there was no chance. Daring and playful, you tickled his palms, moving so quickly that he didn’t manage to grab you.

His inner upper arm was even more sensitive, however touching it would mean that he would probably be able to touch you back. You could use something to reach out. You stood back, circling around the chair. It was a lot more complicated now. You had thought that seeing him like this would immediately tell you what you wanted to do to him. You had packed a variety of supplies in case sudden inspiration struck you, but now your lack of planning and your excess of toys confused you even more.

You had him naked and tied up to a quite limiting armchair. You knew your goal was to stimulate him as much as possible, listen to his pretty whines and watch him grow more and more desperate. Get him turned on out of his mind. Surprise him.

Kneeling, you patted his knees with your palms. “Open up.”

He inched his hips forward, his torso slouching against the back of the chair, his thighs parting further. “More?” He asked.

“Perfect.” You said, kissing his knees.

“Oh, you’re gonna do it like the other time?” He asked, bucking his hips up and slouching further. “You wanna blow me?”

You smiled, sending a cold breath running up his inner thigh.

His moan followed like a tide, like sunlight chasing the horizon at sunset.

You mirrored the gesture on the other leg, satisfied with the effect you had just elicited. “Do you want me to?” You asked, referring to his proposition.

“Your choice, Giggles.” He murmured, his reply melting into a ‘fuck, yeah’ as you licked up his thigh.

He could imagine your bubblegum pink tongue against the pale skin of his inner leg, your eyelids fluttering closed as you brought your tongue closer to his cock.

He had the softest baby hair on his inner leg. You wondered how it could be so thin and soft. Once you reached his crotch, you parted your mouth from his skin, your hot breath fanning on the sensitive head of his cock. Making sure that your hair was out of the way, you kissed the skin of his abdomen following the shadow that his sex projected on his belly. The point was that of being that close but not touching him.

It turned a bit more difficult when his hips jerked in an attempt to connect his cock with your lips while you sucked a love bite right on top of where his tip was laying. You moved back. “Stay still, Hoseok. Don’t make me tie up your legs too.” You warned. He huffed out a strained breath and shivered as you continued your trip down the other side with small kisses, finally licking down the other thigh, sitting back on your heels and placing a sweet peck on his knee. Now that his whole crotch area, thighs and abs were wet, blowing cold air all over him was even more fun, your lips directing your breath on different parts, making him try to escape your evil attentions.

“Giggles, you’re so bad.” He mewled, a tiny, desperate laugh underlining his sentence.

Your hands reached the base of his feet, your nails dragging against the natural crease at the center of his foot.

“It tickles.” He said, his legs jumping up as he tried to escape that sensorial torture.

“No touching you there?” You asked, eyebrows curving upwards in wonder. “Okay.”

He planted his feet firmly on the base of his office chair. “Please.” He said.

“It’s okay, Hobi.” You replied sweetly. His dancer feet were too sensitive for that and you’d rather avoid him moving too much and possibly falling from the chair. “How are you feeling?” You asked, standing up. You were at a crossroad. From his answer depended the rest of the evening.

“I’m doing great. This feels incredible, Giggles.” He smiled, complimenting you.

“Are you down for a level up?” You asked.

He nodded. “I’m curious.”

“Choose a number from one to three.” You asked him, your voice bubbly.

“What is it?” He asked. He was afraid of the consequences. Was it going to be the number of times he was allowed to cum? Or maybe something else?

“Just a game, Hobi. Choose a number.” You repeated.

A bit hesitant he said: “Two.” He said. Like us, he thought. He kept the idea to himself, thinking it cheesy. Plus two was halfway. Nothing bad can happen if you stay halfway, right?

You raised your eyebrows and considered cheating. He would never know. You had really prepared three toys and numbered them, however, out of the three objects you had prepared, number two was the one that scared you the most, convincing yourself to pack it just in case he flipped and took the lead. Hoseok could be extremely powerful with that tool in hand and it was probably your favourite accessory for him to use on you.

Unfortunately — or maybe very fortunately — it was you who had to control it tonight.

With quite some courage, you pushed your hand into the bag, finding the handle and gripping it tight as you extracted the black leather device from the bag. The tails of the flogger met your skin gently, caressing it with their delicate, velvety touch. Each tail was made of suede, giving a special feel to the touch. He had never openly admitted how expensive it was, but you knew it was a lot.

As your dominant hand held the handle, the other toyed with the tails, gripping them and wrapping them around your fist; looking at Hoseok, you started thinking where to start.

Easy.

His inner arms were there, pale, slender and so sensitive. “Can you feel me?” You asked, bending down, your breath tickling the free skin of his wrists.

“Yes.” He commented. “Behind my back. You’re so close but I can’t reach you.” He whined, struggling a little against the rope.

“Are your hands okay? Is the knot too tight?” You checked.

He breathed out. “Yes, I’m okay. Thank you.” He stilled on the chair since he realised he couldn’t touch you.

“My pleasure, Hoseok.” You replied, spurring him on a little. “Would you like me to tell you what’s the number you chose?”

He thought about it, but he realised that most of the arousal he was experiencing was because of the complete unexpectedness of each sensation. “Surprise me.”

You smiled, running the butt of the handle against his upper arm, teasing the top of his armpit. He shivered adorably, the sensation making his arm tingle with goosebumps.

“How does it feel?” You asked, curious.

“Wicked. But also interesting.” He replied, shivering again as you repeated the gesture on the other side. “Very sensitive.”

“Can you guess what it is?” You asked, gripping the flogger from where the tails met the handle, leaving the underside of the shaft free to press against his lips. He sniffed it. “Leather.” He sniffed some more. “Your hand lotion. Is it the handle of something?” He asked, dragging his cheek against it.

In the meanwhile you made sure that the tails were wrapped tight around your fist so that they wouldn’t give you away. “Maybe.” You replied, removing the object from his face and unwrapping the suede straps from your other palm, keeping the toy away from him. You trapped all the tails back, leaving only one out. That’s how to start.

Hoseok, momentarily blinded, kept thinking of what the object could possibly be. “Is the number connected to what you’re using now?”

“Yes. Each number meant a toy. I’m using number two right now.” You said, letting that single string drag from the small hollow between his collarbones down to his belly button. Your small hand struggled around the instrument, however your nerves helped you keep a tight grip.

“You have more than one?” He asked, moaning as the tail tickled the base of his cock. “What the hell is it?” He said, thrusting his hips upward. “Fuck, please.” He murmured, as you teased his balls. You grinned. “It’s the riding crop, uh? You love that one.” He murmured, just as you moved your hand far from his body, letting the tails fall free before snapping your wrist, making the strings swish.

Hoseok listened to the noise attentively, however the background music kept him from properly identifying the sound. “Is it something we have used before?”

You hit your palm again, softly, knowing that the hip hop track was going to make the toy unrecognisable. As you stood in front of his face, you leaned down and snapped it once more, making sure that he would feel the air move as the tails slapped your hand. Doing it this delicately made it feel almost pleasurable against your skin.

“Yes, we’ve used it before.”

You stood up again, letting the tails hang low. Noticing his length dripping in wetness, you snapped the toy once more against your palm, still far from his skin, simply producing an air current.

“Dammit, please, I just wanna cum.” He cried out.

“Guess my toy and I’ll reward you.” You teased.

He whimpered. “Come on, we’ve tried at least twenty together.” He lamented. “And you’ve given me so little.”

“Then let me give you more.” You giggled, This time you took a deep breath. Courage. You wanted him to hear it for real, not the caressing sweeps, but the harsh, punishing ones he usually delivered. Maybe those would sound more familiar. Exhaling, you hit your clothed thigh. You moaned: it could feel so sweet in your own hand, when you could control it and with the barrier of your jeans.

“It’s leather, I’m sure.” He commented.

You snapped once more, your cunt clenching, wetness making you feel uncomfortable between your thighs as you noticed him flinch at the sound. “Are you sure it’s leather, Hoseok?”

When he heard the third smack, he went insane. It felt unreal to be there, to wait for a hit that wouldn’t come, or even worse to be deep in thought, so close to the answer, but to be brought back to reality with the swishing and clicking sound of whatever it was you were holding. “If you say it like that, I’m not sure.”

Grinning, you let the tails hover over his skin, tickling the air around them, charging his skin with goosebumps. He felt electric. “Is this helping you?” You asked, letting the suede skim his skin.

“Oh. So you’re using my weapons against me...” He wondered just as your free hand cupped his balls, squeezing them gently. He was being too cocky anyway. His following moan decisively toned down his arrogance.

“Sorry.” He whined. “Please.” He moaned while your hand pushed the flogger away, your torso bending forward as you stretched to lick the tip of his cock, collecting the hot droplet of cum he had just spilled. “____, I’m begging, please.”

“Please what?” You murmured against his abdomen.

As he began talking you sucked the smooth head of his dick into your mouth, listening to him stammering and moaning in an attempt to speak. With a sweet stutter he cried out. “Wanna cum. Please.”

You released his sex. “You know the rules. Guess the toy and I’ll let you cum. Don’t make me say it again.” You stood straight and moved the flogger back between his legs, the tails teasing his inner thighs. “How come you haven’t recognised it yet?” You teased.

“It’s a tickler.” He moaned. “The one with the feathers.” He huffed out, just as you caught once more the tails in your palm, wrapping them around your hand and moving your grip, freeing the butt of the handle.

“No, love. I’m sorry.” You said, feigning discontent, but secretly grinning.

He cried out. “Oh, come on, what is it!” He growled, his voice sliding into a whimper as you sucked one of his balls into your mouth.

“Fuck it, Giggles. Please.”

He had said ‘please’ at least four times tonight, that you remembered. Maybe even more. You sucked harder.

“Love your mouth, baby,” he rambled, his sanity long forgotten in the unpredictable events of the evening. He felt his guts tightening, his abs clenching. “So good. Shit.”

As you spotted the telltale pulsing in your mouth, you let go of him.

“No, please. Please.” He begged. It was your favourite word on your lips. When he begged. When he begged to lick you, to let him make you squirt, to slap your delicate breasts, to fuck your mouth, to change position ‘just one more time’, to let him ram into you for the third, fourth ride even if you were tired and overstimulated, your brains only capable of telling him yes because you were too fucked out, too greedy, too in love with him to ever deny him.

“You made a dumb guess, Hobi. How can a tickler make that sound? You heard the smack, before, didn’t you.” You pressed the butt of the toy against his shaft, delicately, dragging it up and down in a very upsetting imitation of a handjob.

He keened as several drops of cum bubbled up from his slit and dribbled down his cock.

“You’re so turned on, uh?” You snickered, teasing him ruthlessly. “You’re barely coherent.”

He couldn’t wrap his head around how his sweet, sparkly, submissive Giggles, the love of his life, the apple of his eye, his precious jewel could turn into such a sadistic, cruel creature.

He had probably ruined you.

He was almost glad. Proud of you.

“Giggles, love. Please, have mercy, baby. You can’t hurt me. You love me.” He murmured, trying to convince himself.

You let him breathe, moving the handle away from his sensitive sex.

“I love you. That’s why I need you to recognise the toy.” You cooed. “You’ve heard how it sounds, and felt how it feels. You can do it, bubs.” You bent to his mouth, letting your lips linger over his.

“It swishes and smashes, but it’s a dry, light smash. Not a paddle. Not a tickler, and not a riding crop either. It’s either a cat-o-nine-tales or a flogger.” He murmured.

“Good boy.” You praised him. “What is it, then Hoseok?”

He felt insane. The moment he realised it was one of the two, he started imagining you holding one, getting even more turned on at the thought. “Use it on me.” He asked. “Please.” He could almost see you, your small figure, your tiny hands wrapped around the thick leather base, the cute flinch on your face as you whipped the tails against your thigh. “Use it on me.” He wished he could see you for real. He just needed you to do it once, to be comfortable to eventually do it again, someday — possibly within the next month — to see you actually use the flogger on him. He felt like going insane.

You frowned. You weren’t skilled enough for using it like that.

Whipping yourself over your clothes was one thing, but hitting him? Naked? Tied up? No. You told him.

“I can’t, Hoseok.”

“Please.” He cried out. “I trust you.” He said, quietly reassuring you. “Place me so that the front of my thigh is free, and direct the blow across my thigh, towards the outer side.”

You breathed a couple times. “Okay.”

“Thank you.” He cried out in relief.

Following his directions, you placed him correctly on the chair, his thigh hanging midair. With your back to him, you murmured quietly “Ready?”

He simply breathed out a ‘yes’.

His cry was immediate. “Oh god, Giggles. Fuck.” You had been heavy handed, still he hadn’t perceived the bite of the small silver balls that his cat-o-nine-tales sported. “Flogger.” He moaned. “Wanna cum, please.”

You immediately dropped the flogger on top of his table. “That’s right, bubs. You’ve been a very good boy.”

He pushed his hips upward. “Your mouth, please.” He begged. “Inside.” He sobbed.

You undressed quickly, your shirt coming off in a second and your jeans following right after. With only your panties on, you kneeled on the floor, not quite making yourself noticed.

“Where are you?” He cried out. “Giggles?”

“Here.” You called. “Between your legs.” You kissed his knee. “You look beautiful, Hoseok. So damn beautiful.” Your mouth climbed up towards his lap, quick and practical, your tongue drawing a line of saliva up his thigh. “I’ll give you thirty seconds. If you don’t cum at that, I’ll stand up, take off your blindfold and touch myself while your hands are tied. Got it?”

He whimpered.

“Got it?” You asked again.

“Yes, Giggles.” He replied, as composedly as possible.

“Good.” You said, before swallowing him.

He groaned, pushing his hips up towards your face. His chair rolled back a bit, but thankfully you grabbed the armrests and managed to secure it.

With wicked intentions you pulled him out, rolling the chair away so that the back sticked to the edge of his desk, keeping it from moving. “Count to thirty for me, Hoseok.”

You didn’t give him time to reply, sinking back onto him.

“One,” he whimpered as you used your hands to stroke the parts you couldn’t take into your mouth.

“Oh, two.” He groaned, pushing some more. You pinched his thigh, reprimanding him for his thrust.

He jumped at that before he cried out a three, panting heavily. “I’m gonna cum.”

Again you pinched.

“Three.” He said with a shrill.

By the count of nine, his hips got impatient, thrusting into you some more, but — lucky him — you felt merciful and disregarded his disobedience as you started to bob your head, before hearing him breathe louder and faster. “That’s it. Giggles, fuck. Love it. So good. Love you.” He managed to babble before he came apart.

You simply stayed there, eyes rimmed with tears, holding your breath as his cum kept spilling inside you. It took him five or six shots before he stilled, empty and spent. Oxygen felt like a blessing once you pulled him out, his tip resting on your tongue. Both your and his breathing were heavy and rushed as you removed your head from his lap and tested it against his thigh.

“Wanna see you, Giggles.” He murmured, his voice hoarse after all the moaning and growling and panting. “Take off the blindfold, baby.” He asked, ready to take control. You were the one who needed attention right now.

“Just a minute.” You murmured, nuzzling your cheek against his leg and closing your eyes.

“Now, Giggles.” He ordered with some urgency.

With a deep sigh, you stood on your knees, stretching towards his face to take off the silk band from his eyes. It took a couple attempts because you couldn't reach perfectly, however you finally managed to uncover him, his eyes immediately focusing on you.

“Hello, little bird.” He said, his tone already sporting that sardonic, telltale undertone. He was going for revenge.

A fearful wave rolled down your spine.

“Hi, Hoseok.” You replied, a bit hazed.

“Can you untie me, little bird? Please?” He asked, but his plea didn't hold the previous submission. This was simply a polite request. “I know you’re tired, pretty thing. Just untie me, I’ll take care of you, I promise, angel.” He said, spotting the way you looked at him like a scared wild animal. “I can’t even cuddle you right now.” He wiggled his wrists. “It hurts like hell to see you this vulnerable and not being allowed to cuddle you, little bird.” His voice expressed affection now, his mood completely changed after he had seen you: the discomfort of your treatment was still fresh but he couldn’t bring himself to torture you back after seeing you curled up between his legs.

You kissed his thigh a little helplessly before whining as you stood up.

“That’s my good girl.” He praised you with a quiet voice.

Undoing the knot was extremely easy. You liked using knots that were simple to undo once you released the safety hook — a reasonable amount of rope strategically tucked into the knot that once tugged simply makes the rope fall to the ground. Hoseok was usually reasonable enough not to untie himself, which meant you could still untie him easily even when your body was tired and your mind felt fuzzy.

When the rope fell to the ground, Hoseok stood still, holding position. Once he jammed a knot because he moved too early and you sulked at him for a week because he made you cut the rope into three unusable lengths. “May I?” He asked.

“Yes.” You confirmed.

He immediately turned the chair so that he was facing you. His arms wrapped around your middle, hugging you tight as you stood between his legs.

“You’ve been so good, Giggles. You’ve been perfect, little bird.” He pulled you into him, making you sit on his lap. “How are you feeling, dove?”

“A bit unsettled.” You admitted. “Strange.”

“What got into you?” He asked, smiling as he stroked your cheek. “You were devilish, pretty thing.”

“I don’t know. I think I was inspired.” You admitted, sinking into his neck, nuzzling into the curve below his ear.

“How did you feel with the flogger?” He asked, caressing your spine gently. He felt soft for you. To hell with revenge, he’d much rather make love to you. Show you all his appreciation for the scene you had staged, your spirit of initiative and the courage you had displayed in taking the lead with the flogger.

“I liked it. It felt new and strange.” You admitted, your arms connecting behind his neck, your hand combing the hair at his nape. “It felt different from when you do it.”

He chuckled. “Yes.”

“It’s not just the role reversal. I felt more confident because I called the shots. I manoeuvred it, so it didn’t feel like I was waiting for it to hurt. The excitement was different.” You kissed his jaw.

Hoseok turned, using his bangs to tickle your cheek. You giggled meekly. “It’s all about having the power to do the unexpected. See how far the other person allows you to go.” He kissed your neck. “I like using it on you because you’re always so soft afterwards. You’re super needy and cuddly and I like assisting you like that.” His hand moved to your side, caressing you reassuringly before his hand ventured under the waistband of your panties, rubbing your ass. “And seeing how far you let me go with the scene makes me see how much you trust me and love me. It’s hot but also cute and affectionate.” He pulled his hand out, dragging it up, skimming your side and cupping your breast, his skilled fingers toying with your nipple. “Do you want me to take care of you?” He asked, his index finger hooking under your chin and pushing your face up, to look at him.

You looked up at him from under your lashes, pouting and giving him the best impression of puppy eyes.

He smiled at you. “What?” He said, with a small chuckle, booping your nose.

“I want your mouth.” You said, biting your lip.

“Where.” He asked, rubbing your tummy, his fingertips toying with the waistband of your panties.

You looked down at your crotch, licking your lip and rolling your eyes coquettishly. “Down there, sir?”

He laughed and bent to your ear, nibbling on your earlobe. “Want me to eat you out, little bird?” He snarled and bit your round, fluffy cheek. “Eat you alive?” He asked, holding you tight as he repeatedly sunk his teeth on the fat covering your cheekbone. “Such a naughty girl!” He said, tickling your sides.

Your laugh bubbled up your throat, exploding in a fit of giggles.

“That’s it. The most beautiful sound on the face of earth.” He calmed down once he noticed your short breath. “I love you, ____.” He reminded you.

You smiled so wide your eyes closed. “I love you too.” You stretched your neck to reach his mouth. His lips parted for you, the tip of his tongue drawing the seam of your lips as you disclosed them for him. The kiss was demanding, as usual. The hard, teasing strokes he delivered with the tip of his tongue gave way to a tango of thrusts and twirls, a mind blowing game of flight and chase, small clashing of teeth and sucking bruises onto each other’s lips. You didn’t even know how much time had passed before he gripped your waist, pushing you up. “Stand, little bird.” He murmured softly.

Carefully, you rose to your feet, making sure that your knees didn’t give out below you. His fingers hooked into the sides of your panties. He immediately spotted the wet patch on your grey cotton. “Cute penguin print.” He commented. “Very cute.” He said, his finger moving to toy with the drenched fabric, exposing you. He slid down the chair, kneeling. You took half a step back, only to meet the hard edge of his desk. He had cornered you. You only managed to press your palms into the desk, making sure not to knock anything over or accidentally ruin any equipment.

“Right leg on my shoulder, little dove.” He ordered, his eyes zeroing in on you with a predatory gleam.

You obeyed. Not that you had much choice.

“You’re so wet, Giggles. You enjoyed torturing me this much?” He asked, licking the gusset of your panties. “So nasty.”

“You sounded so good.” You commented, one hand combing his hair back and subtly pushing his mouth against you. “And you tasted even better.”

“These are too cute to rip.” He said, looking at your panties. “I need them off, dove.”

He helped your leg down, immediately dragging the garment down your legs. “Fuck, you’re so drenched.” He growled, noticing the tendrils of arousal sticking your labia together as he placed your leg back on his shoulder. His right arm, free to move, immediately bent so that his hand could spread your wetness all along your slit, before his index and middle finger sank into you, immediately meeting your sweet spot.

“Oh God! Hoseok, please!” One of your hands parted from the table, grabbing his hair.

“Does it feel good?” He asked, crooking his fingers in a come-hither motion. You knew what he wanted to do.

“I’m gonna make a mess, Hobi.” You warned him before a wanton mewl left your lips, betraying you.

“So, do you like it?” He asked again, rubbing his fingers and stretching you out.

“Yes, sir.” You moaned, trying to meet his mouth with your hips. Oh, how the tables have turned.

“You’re about to like it even more, little bird. Hold on tight.” He warned before latching his mouth onto your clit and beginning to torture it with the hard flicks of his tongue. His eyes met yours and you knew he was really going for it. He had that look that meant challenge. You abandoned yourself to your fate.

“Hoseok. Dammit.” You hoped your leg would hold you up because both your hands rushed to his head, pressing it against your cunt. The arm holding your leg moved upwards, sustaining your lower back.

The shift was immediate, the inner sense of burning and the distinct sensations of your inner walls clenching out of your control warning you of what was about to happen. “Hoseok.” You called simply as that overwhelming tide took you under. Your eyes clenched tight, your lower leg quivering dangerously as your orgasm invested him. You knew you had likely squirted over him, especially for the wetness running down your leg. You just hoped there wasn’t a small pool of liquid on his floor.

“That’s it, Giggles. Fucking phenomenal.” He praised you as you gently pulled his mouth away from your clit. He kissed your mound chastely before helping your leg down.

“Did I mess up?” You asked, immediately checking for damage.

“Nothing that a few tissues can’t fix.” He said, standing in front of you, stretching behind you to grab a roll of paper, tearing some and kneeling again, drying up the small puddle. Next he dried your inner thigh. “Are you freaking out?” He asked, knowing that squirting always unsettled you a little.

“The normal amount.” You replied, combing his hair as he looked up at you, collecting all the paper towels and throwing them in the bin.

As he stood again, you felt his hard on against your tummy. “Can you do it standing or do you wanna sit?” He asked, hugging you.

“Your choice. I can handle it.” You replied, still a bit hazy with your previous orgasm.

“Turn.” He murmured, spinning you around with his hands on your waist, your hand moving to press his palm against the small of your back, bending you forward a little. “Like this?” He asked.

“Yes, sir.” You replied.

He bent to your ear. “No need to call me ‘sir’, dove. I’m making love to you.” He said, gently dragging the head of his cock against your folds before slipping in. Once he was halfway in, your mouth open in a silent cry, he pulled out, only to move back in all the way with one smooth stroke.

“Hobi, sweet lord.” You purred, leaning on your elbows, as he started pounding into you. He simply grabbed you under your armpits, pressing his palms against your breasts and pushing you back up, making the angle so right and so intense you thought you would explode again there and then.

However, after a few minutes he simply growled and exited you, pushing you up and turning you around, again. Facing him, you could now see the dark lines forming on his thigh from the flogger, and right on top of that the slim indentation of his abdomen, adorned by his glistening, wet, hard cock.

He let you drink him in with your hungry eyes before tipping your chin up, to make your gazes connect. With his eyes on yours, scorching and demanding, he slipped back inside you, enjoying how your eyelids fluttered at the sense of fullness you were experimenting. The hammering restarted immediately, your hand gripping his shoulders, your nails sinking in. In reply, his strong, veiny palm curled around your outer thigh, pushing your leg up and around his waist.

“Touch yourself. I need you to cum.” He said, making small effort into ordering you, keeping his focus on his ramming.

And you made an even smaller effort into obeying, the hard, filling sensation of him inside you was so satisfying that a few circles on your clit was all it took for your head to crash into his shoulder, suppressing a loud moan by biting into his neck. Still, the bite, the vibrations of your whimpers against his throat, your nails sinking into him and your kegels squeezing him brought him to a mind-blowing orgasm. And he went on, even as you called his name like a litany, a sob interrupting you every now and then as you panted.

He took himself half a minute of stillness. “Can you do another?” He asked, both his hands gripping your ass as he picked you up. “Missionary on the sofa. Just one, I promise.” He said, already walking you to his black leather couch.

You nodded, wordless and brainless, simply hissing when the cold material met your back. “Sorry. I know, cold.” He said, caressing your face. “Ready?” He asked.

Again you nodded, looking at him with a pout. He bent down to kiss your lips. “I love you.” He said.

He said it so often. It was his favourite thing to say, mostly because you would offer him your sweetest smile and your eyes would sparkle with surprise and arousal, just like the first time he had confessed to you. Just like the first time he had bound your wrists on top of your head, kissing all the way down your body, showing you how much adoration his body and his mind could muster.

As he sank into you, you cried out his name tenderly.

“I’ve got you, little dove.” He said, cradling your head in the crook of his arm. “My pretty little bird.” He stroked your cheek with his thumb, drawing the shape of your lips. “I’ll be home, in our bed tonight.” He slipped his thumb into your mouth, wetting it. “I’ll make you so happy, Giggles.” He removed it, bringing it to your clit, delicately rubbing circles into your skin. “It’s all I wanna do.” He pressed his lips restlessly to your mouth and chest, your eyes following his movements in slow motion. You were so far gone you even doubted the sensation between your legs when you felt a new tightness ready to snap.

“Close.” You mouthed somewhere on his chest or neck or shoulder. It felt like slow dancing in a dark room. Except he was inside you and the rocking motion relaxed you so completely that you simply let go, not even listening to him saying to hold on, to make it last a second more, to focus on him.

You simply smiled as pleasure took over, Hoseok himself falling on top of you as his hips lost their pattern and let go of any semblance of control and tempo. His mouth pressed into your nipple as he moaned in release.

You both felt like dead bodies afterwards, laying there empty, spent, completely lost. You could have died without a bother. You could have kept existing without a bother, your bodies resting and waking in an endless cycle, the same way day and night follow each other. You were one thing, one entity, not even one body — any relation to material substance was momentarily suspended.

“Giggles.” He checked in on you. “Baby, we should go home, uh? I don’t have stuff to spoil you here, dove.” He said with a worried note.

Your eyelids fluttered open.

“There she is. Hello, sunshine.” He said, trying to fix your hair. “Let me fix the room before we go, yes?”

You smiled. “Let me help.” You said, only half convinced.

He tutted. “No, sweetie. You lay there and I fix this.” He slipped out of you, standing up slowly, a little clumsily. He immediately went to his desk grabbing his cup of water and sinking a corner of his t-shirt, dabbing at his face and chest, then down at his crotch. Next, he walked towards you, using another wet corner to clean you up. “There.” He said, kissing your knee once he was done. Next he dressed you, manoeuvring your body to slip your clothes on. With a bottle of generic cleanser randomly laying on his drawer, he made sure that no stain remained on the floor where he had eaten you out. Standing in his boxers, he rolled the rope back in a tight coil, placing it back into the bag, together with the flogger, making a mental note to clean it once he arrived home. He didn’t even check what you had packed. He was impatient to shower and cuddle with you at home. Your shared home.

Slipping on his sweater, he looked around, checking for potential hints of what had happened. He shrugged once he saw none. He shut down his computer, checking for the other devices to be off too. Finally, he spritzed some of his cologne on himself and the room. “Okay. We’re good, Giggles. Let’s go.”

You groaned before sitting up and waiting for him to offer you his hand to help you up. “That playlist was pretty bomb.” You said. “We should keep it for our wild nights.”

“I’m using it for my next collab.” He replied, closing down the studio and slipping his shoes on. You did the same at his side. “Maybe you will enjoy my song.” He said, winking at you.

“Oh, hi guys! What are you doing here?” Jimin chirped behind you.

Hoseok raised his eyebrows. “Hi. You’re here late.”

“Just passing by.” Jimin said. “Forgot my laptop.” He shook his head. “Hello, Giggles!” He said to you.

It felt ridiculous how all the boys used the nicknames for you and the other girlfriends. Still, it didn’t bother you, since it reminded you of your bond with Hoseok, but also of that familiarity within the group. “Hi Jimin!” You chirped, a little nervous at the possibility of him knowing what had happened in Hoseok’s studio.

“Well, goodnight!” Jimin said sweetly. “I assume you won’t be at the dorms tonight.”

Hoseok tutted. “I’ll be staying with Giggles. She moved in.” He said with a happy tone.

“I’m happy for you. However I hope you won’t be walking out with that tickler hanging out of the bag.” He winked with a teasing remark. “Enjoy it.” He trotted off.

Standing beside Hoseok, you blushed all the way to the tip of your ears.

Hoseok snickered. “Brat.”

Well, he was Princess’ problem now, anyway.

#bts smut #bangtan smut #bts fic #bts scenario #jung hoseok #jhope #hoseok smut #hoseok one shot #hoseok scenario #hoseok x reader #hoseok fan fiction

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lalunaunita · 5 years

Text

Lovesong - an Adrinette AU

I participated in the Left to Write Summer Santa fic exchange this year, and this is my work for @hari-writes. You can find it here and there’s an accompanying Spotify playlist (SFW) here.

Rating: General

Summary: In this AU, Gabriel Agreste becomes reclusive after his wife’s disappearance, but does not seek out the Miraculous or become Hawkmoth. Adrien Agreste finds himself bouncing around a silent mansion with fewer and fewer opportunities to leave. He channels his emotions and frustrations into music, sharing the tracks online under an alias. His biggest fan is a listener named SewSweets, who in real life is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. As time passes and Adrien’s song collection grows, Marinette’s feelings for the mysterious composer do as well. But will she ever find a way to meet him?

Adrien looked dubiously at the gray coating the sky outside his window. A few fat raindrops pitter-pattered on the glass and confirmed his suspicions. The outdoor photoshoot schedule for the afternoon would be canceled. He grimaced. He'd really been looking forward to getting out of the mansion, even if was only for work. He flopped down onto his couch and sighed. The only thing left on his list for today was piano practice. He eyed the piano over the edge of the couch. Nathalie had left a new sonata on the piano bench; he was supposed to start working on it today and share progress with his dad tonight.

Might as well get started, he thought, but he didn't move. Instead, he grabbed his cell phone from the coffee table in front of the couch and tapped a quick text.

How's school?

A reply pinged back almost immediately. Ugh, boring. You better get over here. Did you enroll yet?

Adrien didn't bother to type an answer. He and Chloe both knew it was wishful thinking. Dredging up a sigh from the bottom of his soul, Adrien got to his feet and slouched over to the piano. He swiped the sheet music off the bench, sat down, and turned on the narrow lamp above the music stand. He studied the paper in front of him for a few minutes, then settled it above the keyboard and got started.

He had to admit that playing piano was something he enjoyed. Adrien let himself get caught up in the complexity of the piece, until one particularly difficult spot caused him to play the wrong chord. Wait, was that the wrong chord? he asked himself. He tracked back to the spot and played it again. Oh, yeah, technically it was. But his chord hadn't sounded sour or out of place. In fact, it was unusually pretty.

He played the chord again as an arpeggio, drawing each note out in succession until they gave him goosebumps. Wow. He took two of the notes down low with his left hand, and played a made-up melody with his right. Adrien glanced at the sheet music and bit his lip. He should be practicing the piece, but he didn't want to forget his chord. In fact, the whole melody wasn't bad, especially as his left hand set a gentle rhythm. He played it, over and over. It felt like it was building to something. He switched chords and felt a sensation akin to a slap in the face. Ouch, no. That was definitely not right. He pressed two or three more chords down, feeling his way into the music, and smiled when the sound reached his ears. That was more like it!

The rest of impromptu piece flowed easily. It wasn't classical, obviously; his dad would frown on it. It wasn't a blaring pop song from a modeling gig either. Realization hit him: the song was his. He'd created this song. Excitement electrified his arms, making his fingers nearly nerveless. Should he... should he share it with Father? No. Chloe, maybe? No, not yet.

He played it through again—there were some subtle changes as he felt his way through the piece, but he genuinely liked it. Adrien pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the voice recorder app. The quality would probably suck, but at least he wouldn't forget his own song. He played it through into the app twice and saved the file.

Nathalie poked her head in the door just as he was locking his phone screen.

"It's sounding good, Adrien," she complimented.

Adrien smiled nervously. Nathalie wouldn't know J.S. Bach from a pounding jackhammer; she always said he sounded good.

"Thanks, Nathalie. Hey, I had an idea. Sometimes I record myself to check tempo and stuff like that—it helps me improve. Do you think I could get a microphone? Or maybe even an electric keyboard? Those play directly into digital files you can put on the computer. Not to replace the real piano or anything—I know Father insists on the grand piano. It would help a lot, though. Please?" Adrien lifted his eyebrows in his most subtle version of puppy dog eyes.

Nathalie might not know music, but she knew manipulation. He kept the pleading look on his face to an absolute minimum as her lips thinned in thought. Stay polite, keep eye contact, he counseled himself as he held his breath.

"I'll ask your father. Finish up what you're doing; dinner is in half an hour," Nathalie replied.

Adrien let out a huge sigh around a smile as his door closed softly behind her. Yes!

---

Marinette groaned and threw herself backward in her office chair, toes trailing as it rolled across her bedroom floor.

“What’s bugging you?” Alya asked, glancing up from her perch on the chaise lounge.

“I can’t find anything good to listen to while I sew. This is supposed to be our work-on-projects day, and you’re all set with your laptop and earbuds and a million ideas to research, but I’ve run out of music,” complained Marinette.

Alya smiled and shook her head. “It’s not that big of a deal. We can find you something. Did you sign up for BirdieMuse like Nino suggested? He said a lot of independent musicians are uploading music there. It’s getting popular.”

“Oh, I did! I forgot about that.” Marinette rolled back over to her desk and clicked her mouse.

The music sharing app loaded up and colorful album covers paraded across her computer screen. Several artists had simple profile pictures in place of professional photographs; Marinette assumed those must be more amateur artists.

“I don’t even know what I like today. My brain is being difficult,” Marinette muttered as Alya came over to stare at the screen with her.

“Try an alphabetical listing. Can’t hurt.” Alya shrugged.

Marinette scrolled back and forth, looking for a name that sounded interesting. The word Fashion caught her eye in the listing for F and she stopped to take a closer look. FashionForte, located in Paris, France, had submitted five tracks in the past month. Well, if this person liked fashion and design as much as Marinette did, then the music would be good, right? The profile picture featured a black cat with green eyes. She decided to chance it.

A sweetly somber piano tune swelled as Marinette adjusted her speakers, filling her room with sound. The girls looked at each other, eyes widening.

“Wow,” they said in unison.

The melody sent a little thrill through Marinette.

“Seriously good call,” she said as Alya returned to the chaise. The pair put FashionForte’s tracks on a loop and settled down to work.

Alya left around dinnertime, leaving Marinette alone in her room. She finally turned off the mellow piano music she'd let play all afternoon. Curious, she clicked on FashionForte's profile. Other than the picture of the black cat and the location of Paris, France, there weren't many details. The Artist Summary read: Just a guy who likes music. Each song had a space next to the title entry for artist notes, but they were all empty. Oooookay, thought Marinette. Her cursor hovered over the Comment box for the page. Why not? She clicked it and started typing.

Hi FF! I'm SewSweets and I live in Paris, too. I love your songs—they inspired me today as I was working. I hope you'll post more! Have a great day.

Satisfied, Marinette sent the message. She remembered to subscribe to FashionForte at the last second, then closed the app and headed downstairs to eat with her parents.

The next morning was Sunday and Marinette relished the chance to sleep in. She finally opened her eyes when soft sunshine filtered down through her skylight. Weightless dust motes danced through beams of light as Marinette laid under her comforter. She groggily counted up things she wanted to do with her day. With a yawn and a stretch, she pulled herself upright and knuckled sleep out of her eyes.

Once she was down the stairs of her loft, Marinette sat down at her desk and wiggled her mouse. An icon in the corner of her screen caught her attention. An update from BirdieMuse? She opened it and found that FashionForte had uploaded a new song. For the first time, the notes section had an entry.

"This is the first song I wrote. I've been working on it for a while and it's finally ready to share. Hope you like it."

The note didn't mention Marinette personally, but somehow she felt like the recipient. She clicked the track title: In the Rain. From the opening chords to the build of the melody, Marinette found herself lost in a swirl of emotions as the short track played. It didn't sound so much like rain coming down as it did the quiet drops that fell from the eaves outside her window. She closed her eyes against the sun streaming in, letting a gentle melancholy settle over her as the song evoked memories of gray days. An image rose in her mind of long fingers pressing piano keys as a rainstorm raged outside. The face of the person in her mind was just a blur, but she could see the confident hands that created a beautiful melody. The piece concluded and Marinette opened her eyes.

She went back to the comment she’d left for FashionForte. Her single statement from yesterday sat there with no response. Nonetheless, she typed one in the new song’s comment box.

In the Rain is beautiful. I like it the best out of all your songs. It's the first one you wrote? You are very talented. Hope you have a nice Sunday.

Marinette backed out to FashionForte’s artist page and played the six tracks on repeat as she got dressed. She grinned. It felt like she’d added a new gem to her collection.

---

Adrien thumbed open the notification from BirdieMuse on his phone. SewSweets had left another comment. Well, he had one fan at least. Probably a retired matron with a candy habit that enjoyed quilting. Nonetheless, now that he’d started writing, he didn’t plan to stop. Nathalie had really come through. Adrien had a keyboard that recorded directly to his computer and a great pair of headphones, so no one in the house could even hear him playing wrong notes and trying out chords. He was keeping up his classical practice too, so he’d probably doubled the amount of time he played piano over the last month.

His dad would almost certainly frown on Adrien writing and sharing music. Adrien had deliberately kept his profile vague so it couldn’t be traced back to him. Even if Nathalie or Chloe or someone he knew came across the BirdieMuse account, which was unlikely, they’d never have a clue. And ultimately, the extra practice was paying off. Adrien could see the tiny approving twitch of a smile on Father’s face when he came in to hear Adrien’s musical progress every week. Now, if only music could solve all his other problems…

Adrien had made a couple of attempts to go to Chloe’s school, but he hadn’t yet made it to the door. Nathalie and the Gorilla were always hot on his trail in his father’s gray sedan, waiting for him at the steps of Francois Dupont. He had no choice but to turn back to the mansion or make a scene, and he definitely wasn’t going to embarrass his father by making a scene on a school sidewalk. He stopped texting Chloe about enrolling after Nathalie and the Gorilla foiled the second attempt. It wasn’t fair to get Chloe’s hopes up. If he accomplished sneaking into Francois Dupont, it would have to be a surprise.

Adrien sighed and sat up. He was perched on the stairs outside the front door of the mansion, taking in the nice weather while doing homework. He wiggled his feet in his sneakers and tapped his soles against the marble. The part of Paris he could see outside the mansion gates was quiet on a Sunday morning. He slapped his textbook closed and tucked his pencil behind his ear, grinning. He couldn't deny it. SewSweets' kind words made him want to get back to the piano. He looked at the comment one more time, then headed up to his room.

---

A month after discovering FashionForte, Marinette was still hooked on his music. He'd changed his profile picture—a single eye, peridot with darker flecks of emerald at the edges of the iris. He'd built a small following too, but never replied to any of the comments. He seemed content just to drop beauty on them every other week. Marinette left a comment on every single song, except for one entitled "Chloe". She tried not to let her nemesis make her biased against the song, she really did. But the tune was as irritating and bossy as the Chloe she knew—full of pecky, short notes. Marinette eventually dropped it from her playlist altogether.

She worked on projects as she listened and daydreamed about the composer. Maybe he was... only about eighteen or so, like, older than her—but not too much older. Maybe he had a beard! Mmm, no, she wasn't ready for a beard. Maybe he had black hair like the cat in his old picture. Marinette knew it was silly, but she couldn't deny she wanted to know more about FashionForte. She worried she was wasting daydreams on a forty-something recluse, stuck up in a tower in a ritzy part of Paris. Nah. The songs felt younger than that. She thought they did, anyway.

Marinette's phone rang and she leaned over to see Alya's face on the caller ID. She swiped the video call open.

"So, how is the hat going?" asked Alya.

"I'm almost done, but I forgot to grab a feather for the brim! I have a little bit of embroidery to finish up for the hat band and then I guess I'll head back to the Trocadero—there were lots of pigeons there earlier." Marinette let her tongue slip to one side of her mouth as she concentrated.

Alya shook her head on the phone screen, curls bouncing. "I'll get the feather. I want to meet you at the school and watch you win this competition. It'll be great for the school blog. And you're about to meet your fashion icon! I'm going to get pictures of you melting into a puddle."

Marinette frowned, but both girls dissolved into giggles.

"I'll do my best to keep it together. I really don't want to embarrass myself, Alya." Anxiety rose up in Marinette's chest and she shook her cramped hands out.

"Chill, girl, you won't. You know I was kidding. And I'll be right next to you the whole time. You're going to do awesome," Alya replied confidently.

Marinette felt some of her tightness ease as she looked at the honest belief on her best friend's face. "Thanks, Alya."

"No problem. I'll see you in half an hour, and I'll bring the feather." Alya broke the connection and Marinette bent her head to get a closer look at the hat band.

Half an hour later, Marinette raced down from her room, tossed a goodbye to her parents, and crossed the street to her school. She was nervous about participating in Gabriel Agreste's derby hat competition, but her feather-based design really was good and she was proud of the work she'd put in. Mr. Agreste had a son around Marinette's age who would wear the winning hat, so he'd likely be there too. Chloe was gaga over the boy, always telling everyone that she was friends with him, but no one had ever seen them hang out. Marinette rolled her eyes. Adrien Agreste looked nice enough in the magazine photos she'd seen of him, but Marinette knew looks could be deceiving. If he was anything like Chloe, he’d be a bratty, entitled nightmare.

She rushed into the open doors and saw Alya waiting, feather in hand. Marinette skidded to a stop in the courtyard.

"Where have you been?" Alya hissed. "They're about to start."

Marinette took the feather and tucked it in. "You got the perfect one. Let's go!"

The girls crossed to the center of the courtyard where several podiums had been erected. She set her hat down delicately on the last open podium, then looked at the competition. There were several good designs, but Alya elbowed her sharply and pointed. Marinette hissed in anger. Chloe and Sabrina stood next to a very familiar-looking derby hat, smug smiles on their faces.

"She stole my design!" whispered Marinette.

Alya's eyes were wide as she nodded. Marinette mulled over whether to say anything or simply wait. Chloe didn't know it, but she was too clever for her own good. Marinette could easily prove ownership, and she didn’t even need to go get her sketchbook to do it. Better to wait until the judging was complete, she decided. If she said anything now, it might disqualify them both or bias Mr. Agreste’s judging. Speaking of, where was he?

Marinette turned away from her cheating competition and looked around. A tall woman with a red streak in her dark hair stood next to Mr. Damocles, primly clutching a tablet. Next to her stood the famous Adrien Agreste. He was tan and good-looking, but didn't seem inclined to smile. He's probably too good for us, thought Marinette, eyeing him up and down.

"Where is Mr. Agreste?" Mr. Damocles asked, his bushy eyebrows furrowing.

Adrien shifted his feet uncomfortably as the woman held up her tablet. Gabriel Agreste's face appeared on the screen, looking perfectly coiffed.

"I’m here," he replied.

Marinette and Alya exchanged glances. He was only looking at the hats through a camera? He wasn’t at the school himself? Crestfallen, Marinette sighed. So much for meeting her fashion hero in person.

"Nathalie, please take me to the hats. I would like to see them from every angle," Gabriel Agreste intoned from the tablet.

"Yes, sir," said Nathalie.

Adrien followed them, rubbing his elbow. Marinette watched as he waved at Chloe, who wiggled her fingers with a saccharine smile on her face. Marinette hoped Adrien didn't get a say in which hat was chosen. Apparently he was friends with Chloe, and Marinette knew she'd use every advantage she could.

They walked around three hats before coming to Marinette’s podium. She had to stifle a smile at Alya’s antsy fidgeting. Marinette could feel her own heart beating a mile a minute, but she tried to keep the emotion off of her face. It was time to act professional.

Nathalie stopped, holding the tablet so that Mr. Agreste was eye level with Marinette’s hat.

“And this is, uh, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Mr. Damocles said, peering down at a note card in his hand.

“Hello, Marinette,” Nathalie and Mr. Agreste said in unison.

“Hello,” said Adrien, holding out one hand with a shy smile.

Marinette blinked. Adrien Agreste's green eyes were electrifying in person. And they seemed familiar, somehow. She must have seen him in more magazines than she'd realized. She shook his hand numbly, recovering from the disappointment of his father's absence.

“Hello,” she said back, managing little more than a whisper.

Alya stared hard at Marinette for a beat before holding her own hand out to shake. “Hi, I’m Alya Cesaire, reporter for the school blog. I’m here to write an article on the winning hat.”

Adrien let go of Marinette’s hand, politely reaching for Alya’s in turn. The spell was broken. Marinette shook her head a little to clear it.

“Tell us about your hat, Miss,” prompted Mr. Agreste.

Marinette picked up her hat with shaking hands, but spoke clearly. “Everything on my derby hat is handmade, from the embroidery, to the weaving of the band, to the stitching on the brim. All done by myself.”

She showed off the features of the hat with a little flourish, then set it back on the podium. Adrien, Mr. Damocles, and Nathalie walked away to the next hat.

“Nice job, Marinette,” Alya whispered, “but what are you going to do about Chloe?”

“Just wait,” Marinette replied, keeping her voice low.

“Is this a joke?” They heard Mr. Agreste ask as he viewed Chloe’s hat.

The tablet swung to Marinette and Alya, then back to Chloe and Sabrina. Chloe timed her waterworks perfectly.

“How could you, Marinette? You stole my design? It’s scandalous!” she wailed as Sabrina patted her arm. Mr. Agreste’s eyes took on a sympathetic cast as he watched the scene unfold.

Time to step in before this goes too far, Marinette thought. She came forward into the camera’s view.

“Mr. Agreste? I’m sorry about the situation, but I can prove that this derby hat is my original design,” she declared, holding her hat with care.

“Oh, really? Go ahead,” he replied.

“There’s a special design element that only the true designer knows about. I signed mine,” she said.

Marinette turned her hat upside down and displayed the gold embroidery in the light. It spelled out Marinette in neat cursive, fanciful enough to be mistaken for embellishment.

The group startled as Chloe’s podium fell over onto the floor. She ran off without another word, still sobbing. Sabrina stood like a deer in headlights until they turned their attention back to Marinette and her derby hat.

So dramatic, Marinette thought, rolling her eyes.

“You certainly have the laboring hands of a hat maker, Marinette,” Mr. Agreste said. “Congratulations. You win the contest.”

His lips scrunched in what Marinette imagined was meant to be a smile, and then the tablet went dark.

Marinette stared at it for a moment, unsure whether her ears had heard correctly. Alya’s whoop of delight brought her back to reality.

“Congratulations, Marinette!” she enthused.

“Congratulations!” Nathalie and Mr. Damocles echoed.

“Congratulations, Marinette. I had a feeling you would win,” Adrien said, coming closer.

“Oh, uh, you did? Wait, aren’t you friends with Chloe?” Marinette asked, puzzled.

Adrien let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, um we’ve known each other since we were kids. I’m sorry she tried to steal your design. So dramatic.”

Marinette smiled at his unconscious echo of her thoughts. Adrien Agreste was actually pretty nice. Too bad he wasn’t attending Francois Dupont like Chloe always insisted he would.

“So where do you go to school?” she asked curiously, but Nathalie stepped in before Adrien could answer.

“It’s time to leave. Miss Dupain-Cheng, we’ll send a courier to your home to pick up the hat in three days. Is that alright?” she asked.

Marinette could tell Nathalie was taking her ‘yes’ for granted. She didn’t even look up from her tablet.

“S-sure. Sounds great,” Marinette agreed, taken aback at the woman’s brisk manner.

They exchanged information. Nathalie swept Adrien out of the school so quickly that Marinette could almost believe the entire experience was a dream—until she saw Alya snapping photos of her derby hat. Marinette packed it up carefully in its hat box, inner elation making every movement a delight.

“I really won!” Marinette laughed to herself.

She thought she’d feel drained, but her mind came up with new project ideas all the way home from school. She grabbed her sketchbook and opened up Birdiemuse on her computer. Marinette navigated to her FashionForte playlist. She had a particular song in mind, an energetic anthem that always got her blood pumping. She typed a new comment on the track.

Today was a huge victory, FF, she began. I’m gonna play Bounce Out Of Here full blast and shake the walls! Thanks for always inspiring me.

Marinette grinned and sent the message, not caring whether FashionForte read it or not. The bubbly, fast paced tune she put on turned her empty bedroom into a victory celebration. She cranked the volume on her speakers and spun around and around in her chair, giggling like a little kid.

---

Adrien was on his final round of Mecha Strike 3 when his phone pinged. He recognized the sound—Birdiemuse had its own tone. He smiled as he fired at his opponent; it was probably SewSweets with something about his latest song. She never took long to listen and make a new comment. He was still smiling after reading her words about Bounce Out of Here. Adrien had gained a decent following in the past months, but SewSweets was definitely his biggest fan. She commented on everything with the exception of his song for Chloe. The absence of text revealed how she felt far more than a negative review, he thought sardonically. Finished with his game, he turned over his cell phone to check the messages.

The smile dropped from his face when he saw SewSweets’ newest comment. She’d gone back to one of his earliest tracks, entitled Solo. Adrien had written it just after his father cancelled a trip to the coast. The days of sun and time with his dad had been replaced with Adrien’s same old lonely view of Paris while his father worked day and night on next fall’s fashion line. Adrien’s disappointment had spilled across the keyboard with a sad, slow melody complemented by quiet minor chords for the left hand.

I think I really screwed up, FF. I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t want to be all alone again. nm, goodnight.

Brow furrowed, Adrien read the comment three times. This was nothing like the ebullient SewSweets he’d gotten used to. She felt alone? He clicked on her profile and opened a direct message.

Hey, are you okay?

He left the dialogue open for a few seconds, not really expecting a response. Surprised, he noticed three dots illuminate the bottom of the screen. SewSweets was typing!

Hey, FF. Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry I bothered you. Had a fight with my best friend. It’s no big deal, really.

Oh, Adrien replied. Well, I’m here if you want to talk.

The dialogue box stayed empty for a few moments.

Thanks. I didn’t know whether you even read my comments, came the hesitant reply.

Oh yeah, every single one! Honestly, I would have stopped composing months ago if you didn’t comment on everything, Adrien typed.

Wow, really? SewSweets replied.

I sort of started by accident, and I didn’t know if my songs were any good.

I’m no music critic, but I really like them. As I’ve said before, lol.

Adrien grinned, a blush creeping up his cheeks. Thank you again anyway! So, what was this fight about?

Honestly, I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll call her tomorrow and work it out. Hey, how old are you?

14. How old are you?

That’s cool. I’m 13. How are you so good at piano at 14??

...lots of practice?

Okay, fair enough.

Adrien chatted with SewSweets for about half an hour, a half-smile tugging at his lips the whole time. He found out that she did, in fact, like sewing and wanted to design clothes. If only there were some way he could introduce her to his father! But that would never work out. He had no intention of telling SewSweets anything about himself that could reveal his identity. Making a new friend was awesome, though. In hindsight, he couldn’t remember why he decided not to respond to the comments on his page. Adrien yawned, ending on a happy sigh. It was late and he was tired.

---

Marinette harrumphed to herself and scrunched down into her movie theatre seat. She and Alya had quickly patched things up the day after their fight. They’d even made plans to go see an old movie on the big screen—one that starred Gabriel Agreste’s wife, Emilie. Unfortunately, now Alya had to babysit her sisters according to the text on Marinette’s phone. Marinette sighed. She hated going to the movies alone.

She looked around and realized she was going to be much more alone than she’d anticipated. There was exactly one other person in the theatre—someone down front, with blond hair.

The previews wouldn’t start for another ten minutes, so Marinette took out her phone to pass the time. She saw a new message from FashionForte and opened it eagerly.

Hope you have a great day! It read.

Marinette felt her heart warm. She tapped a response.

So far, so good. I’m at the movies, but my friend had to bail. It’ll be fun anyway. Her phone plinked as the message sent.

Down below, the blond shifted as a chime sounded quietly. Marinette tsked to herself.

They both needed to silence their phones, but they still had a few minutes. She couldn’t see his screen from her vantage point, but he was clearly typing.

Her phone chimed as a response from FF came in.

Nice! That sounds fun. I’m at the movies, too. Not something current, though. Old romance; I know that’s uncool, but I don’t care.

Marinette stifled a giggle. If only he knew. I’m sure you’re plenty cool, she teased. Friends hanging around your piano, just tripping over themselves to hear your latest composition.

She hit send, and heard the blond’s phone chime again a moment later. The person chuckled as they read the screen. Well, that was weird. Wait—FashionForte… was at an old movie? Texting her? Marinette’s suspicion grew as she watched the blond type, then heard her phone chime.

She opened the message.

Ha, whatever. I’m by myself, too. Needed to get out of the house.

The butterflies percolating in Marinette’s stomach plummeted. She stood up, just as the lights darkened. Crap! She had to know anyway. She stumbled down her row, thankful no one else was seated. Uncertain, she stopped at the row behind the blond and crept along, touching each seat she passed in the near dark.

The theatre’s corny “silence your phone, please” film was playing as she found the seat she wanted and leaned forward.

“Excuse me,” she hissed in a loud stage whisper.

The blond—close to her age, she noticed—looked up, startled.

“Are you—” she started, but he interrupted.

“Adrien Agreste. Yes, I am. Do you mind, though? I’m trying to watch this movie.” He turned back to the screen.

Marinette blinked, taken aback. It was Adrien! She felt her cheeks warm. How embarrassing. There was no way Gabriel Agreste’s son could be FashionForte.

“That’s not what I was going to ask,” she mumbled, sitting abruptly in the seat behind him.

Marinette tried to let go of her disappointment and bewilderment as the previews started. Adrien hadn’t recognized her in the dark, and to be fair, they’d only met once. It was possible he’d already forgotten about her. Oh, and clearly he was at the movie to watch his mother on screen, which explained his curt response. Marinette decided she shouldn’t take it personally.

She looked glumly at the preview reel for the theatre’s summer classics series. She’d been mistaken. But something sparked when she looked down at her typed but unsent message to FF. One eyebrow cocked, she hit send.

Adrien Agreste’s phone pinged instantaneously. Too excited to be embarrassed, she held her breath and leaned in as he lifted his phone. She could clearly see the notification that a message from SewSweets was unread.

Marinette fell back against her theatre seat, sucker punched. It was true! Adrien Agreste was FashionForte, a teen pianist and composer whose beautiful melodies accompanied her on her darkest and brightest days. That the heart of the artist was clothed in such a handsome facade was almost inconsequential. No, not inconsequential. It was the final nail in the coffin. She realized she’d been nursing a quiet crush on her new online friend, impeded only by his anonymity and the possibility he wasn’t who he said he was. Now the truth hit her like a wave of fuzzy soda bubbles all the way to her fingers and toes. Marinette took a deep breath, collecting herself.

She reached out a hand to touch his shoulder, movie or no movie, when the screen went dark in front of them. She looked up, only to find the view had been blocked by a mountainous unit of a man. Alarm flared in her stomach and she shrank back into her padded seat. The man’s bushy brows were drawn low and his lips made a frowning half-circle of displeasure. Marinette could almost see smoke issuing from his nostrils.

“Oh,” Adrien muttered as he gazed up and up at the human tree trunk standing in front of them. “It’s you.”

He sighed with a bone-weariness that confused Marinette. Shouldn’t they be screaming in terror? Maybe fleeing? Instead, Adrien meekly put his phone away and stood.

Wordless, the man gestured for Adrien to precede him from the theatre. Adrien shuffled along with his head bowed. With one last, longing look at the movie screen, he was gone.

Marinette stayed rooted to her seat, mind awhirl with all that she’d discovered. She tried to watch the film, but she couldn’t concentrate on it at all. Shaking her head in disbelief, she left the theatre as well and ran straight to Alya’s apartment.

Alya answered frantic knocking to find a wild-eyed Marinette on the other side of the door. Her best friend rushed in and threw herself down on the couch, interrupting the game the twins were playing. Surprised, Alya shut the door and turned back toward the living room.

“Marinette! I thought you were at the theatre.”

Chest heaving, Marinette dramatically threw her arm over her face. “Alya, I met FashionForte at the movie!”

“Whaaa?! How do you know?” Alya rushed to sit beside her.

“We were messaging before the movie started. I saw his phone with my name on it. My username, I mean! 100% positive proof. And Alya,” her voice dropped to a screech-whisper, “it’s Adrien Agreste!!”

“Who’s Adrien Agreste?” Etta asked.

“Snack time! Let’s get you two set up in the kitchen,” Alya announced.

Two snacks and a modicum of privacy later, Alya and Marinette regrouped in the living room, heads close together.

“So FashionForte is definitely Adrien Agreste? Wow, he’s one talented guy. I wonder what else he can do.” Alya had her phone out in moments.

The pair read an interview and bio that listed modeling, fencing, and piano as his main activities, as well as Chinese language studies.

“How can this possibly be the same guy I traded Mecha Strike jokes with the other day?” wondered Marinette.

“Hmmm. Well, as a reporter, you learn that the printed word isn’t always the full view of a person. It’s more important to remember that when you read bad things about someone, but in this case, Mr. Perfect is clearly also into video games. A shame that didn’t make it into the article.” Alya grinned and tossed her auburn hair.

Marinette groaned and closed her eyes. “Alya, what do I do? Do I play it cool? Do I tell him online? I have to meet him—or well, not meet him, I’ve already done that—but I have to get to know him. I was trying to deny it, but I was totally falling for him before I even knew he had a face. I mean, before I knew what his face looked like! And now he’s totally handsome, and that’s great—or is it worse?—and ugh, what do I do, Alya?”

Alya’s grin grew wider. “Wait, you’re crushing on him? How did I not notice this?”

Marinette opened her eyes and shrugged. “There was no point in mentioning it. He didn’t even message with me until you and I fought a couple weeks back. I think he felt sorry for me. But yeah, I was kinda um… romanticizing him from his music? Just being silly. And now he’s real and kinda awesome.”

“He was always real, but I get what you mean.” Alya tapped her finger against her chin. “Wait a minute. This is the same guy Chloe is always gushing about. Doesn’t he want to come to our school or something? And he was kind of okay at the hat competition, too.”

“Yeah, he was, wasn’t he? I never trust Chloe to be in possession of the facts, but that’s right—she’s talked constantly this year about whether he’ll show up, and then he never does. Do you think he’s been trying to enroll? What would stop him?” Puzzled, Marinette rested her chin on her hands.

Alya held her phone outward so Marinette could see. “Um, he literally has a song titled “I Wish I Were at School”. I think Chloe might be right—just this once.”

Marinette wrinkled her nose. “I thought that title was a joke.”

With a gasp, Alya clapped both hands to her mouth. She stood and grabbed Marinette by the shoulders, dragging her up from the couch. “Girl, I just figured out what we’re going to do! Here, listen to this…”

---

Adrien sidled up to the exterior stairs of Francois Dupont, looking in every direction at once for Nathalie or the Gorilla to appear. Nervous, he rubbed his hands together and mounted the staircase. Other kids were funneling into the entrance alongside him and for once, he wasn’t the center of anyone’s attention. He wasn’t sure if that felt good or not. Chin tucked down into his collar, he crossed the stone threshold.

Made it! He thought, releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He darted to the right of the main doors and pressed himself against the wall. A final peek outside revealed none of his father’s employees. Had he really—finally—gotten away with it?

Adrien whipped out his phone and fired off a message. I'm inside the doors. I don't think they followed me.

That's great! SewSweets messaged back. I'm really proud of you, FF. Do you know which classroom you're supposed to go to?

Mme. Bustier, he replied. That was Chloe's class.

Then get going!

Adrien put the phone away, but as he stepped forward a girl with auburn hair and glasses took notice of him.

"Hey! Aren't you Adrien Agreste, the famous teen model?

Adrien backed away from her, but a boy nearby with a red hat and glasses perked up.

"Did you say Adrien Agreste? Here at Francois Dupont?"

The pair advanced toward him. He glanced at a staircase nearby, unsure where to go. A tiny blonde girl and a willowy brunette with streaks of purple in her hair stood up from a bench.

"Adrien? Really?"

"Wow!"

Adrien turned to bolt. If word got out this soon, he'd be back at the mansion within the hour! He started up the stairs, but a hand grabbed his upper arm. A girl with pigtails yanked him along behind her, away from the growing crowd.

"Locker room! Quick!" she hissed.

They ducked into the locker room and found it fortuitously empty.

"Thanks," Adrien huffed. "I only just walked in the door and I don't know my classroom or anything yet."

"No problem, FF. I've got your back."

They stood in silence, Adrien taking a moment to get his breath and the girl just staring him down. Something felt off to Adrien. He shouldn't—wait. She hadn't called him Adrien. She hadn't called him a name at all, at least, not one that anyone knew. He looked at the girl with dawning realization.

"SewSweets?" He asked in disbelief.

She tried to keep a straight face, but her lips gave a funny little wriggle and she burst out laughing.

"I'm so sorry, FF—I mean Adrien! That look was priceless."

"What is going on? You go here? To this school, with Chloe?" Adrien looked all around the room, but the two of them were still the only ones inside.

The girl grimaced at the name, but nodded. "Yeah, I know her."

"How did you know this was where I meant when I said school? Wait, how do you even know who I am?" Adrien found his head spinning a little and he sat down on a nearby bench. SewSweets sat next to him, concern threading the little wrinkle in her brow.

“Let’s start with the movies…” she said.

The pigtailed girl gave him a run down of recognizing him, then inexplicably blushed as she explained how she’d figured out he wanted to go to school and encouraged him to chat about it in Birdiemuse. In hindsight, his wish to join other teens at school wasn’t exactly a mystery, he had to admit. He noticed two of the kids from the courtyard poke their heads in around the time she was done explaining that they hadn’t actually mobbed him— it had been a set-up.

“So once you figured out who I was, it wasn’t too difficult to steer me toward another attempt at coming to Francois Dupont,” he stated, looking at her with new eyes.

The girl blushed even brighter and nodded her head, scrunching her eyes closed.

“I-I should apologize, Adrien. It wasn’t fair of me to push you to come here, but I didn’t know how else I could finally really meet you. I just want to be friends, online and in real life.”

Adrien stared at the small teen next to him. She looked so sweet and innocent. Who could believe such a calculating mind hid behind her pleasant facade? The girl nervously clutched her hands in her lap. She let go when Adrien threw back his head and laughed.

“I needed the push. Coming here is what I wanted! You just coordinated the timing, that’s all. And—hold on, what’s your name?”

“Marinette.”

“Marinette,” Adrien replied, smiling around the word. “I remember now. You won the hat competition. And stood up to Chloe in the process! Yeah, I suppose I can’t actually be surprised at what you can pull off when you set your mind to it.”

He grinned at her and was rewarded with a small smile, but Marinette wouldn’t meet his eyes. He dipped his head low, bringing his face close to hers.

“After the way you’ve encouraged me and been there for me, Marinette, I could never call you just a friend. Thank you.”

For the first time, the girl lifted her bright blue eyes and Adrien could see her worry drain away. She smiled and he couldn’t help but reach forward for a hug. Marinette hugged him back, arms wrapped around his ribs. Her hair smelled unusually sweet, like sugar. SewSweets, he thought, privately amused at the connection.

“C’mon, Friend, let’s go to class,” she suggested once they’d separated.

Adrien followed her out of the locker room, feeling the flutter of butterflies in his stomach. He took a deep breath to calm his racing thoughts and heart. No, Marinette was definitely more than just a friend.

#adrinette #llu writes #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #miraculous ladybug fanfiction

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gryffindorcls · 5 years

Text

Please Tell Me I’m Awake Right Now

(Part 6)

The feeling of having Marinette’s hand in his own made Adrien’s heart soar. She didn’t just give him butterflies--no, she ignited fireworks inside him. It was like every cell in his body wanted to celebrate her closeness.

When they were apart, a dull, empty ache permeated his being. His heart felt so full when she was near, and here she was...with him! He still hoped that this wasn’t all just a dream.

He absentmindedly stroked her knuckles with his thumb. Marinette hummed happily and rested her head against the window. The glow of the midday sun cast a halo of light around her raven hair as she wistfully gazed at the passing scenery. Adrien looked lovingly at his girlfriend, and he felt his heart thump loudly in his chest.

“You’re so beautiful,” he stated reverently.

Marinette whipped her head in his direction. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was slightly agape. She released a quick breath, and her mouth curled into a petite smile. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked down at her hands. The evolution of her reaction made more fireworks explode inside the lovesick boy.

“I still can’t believe that you’re saying those words to me,” she said looking up through her long eyelashes, “I’ve always dreamed of having you look at me like that.”

“My lady, you are radiant, and I have always been looking. You just haven’t noticed until now. Even when you were Marinette I couldn’t help but notice your beauty,” he smiled.

“Really?”

“The way you always blushed and stuttered...I found it endearing. I just didn’t realize that I was feeling love for both Marinette and Ladybug. I didn’t think I could be in love with two people at the same time, so I kept pushing any feelings for other girls out of my head. I loved Ladybug so much it hurt. It made me blind, but everything is crystal clear now. I will never take you for granted again. We’ve danced around each other for far too long. I am going to cherish every moment I get to spend with you. You are the light in the dimly lit world that I’ve been living in for years. When I look at you, I can finally understand why people write love songs.”

Marinette breathlessly whispered, “Oh my…”

Tears welled in her eyes, and she hid her smile with one of her hands. He slid closer to her and cupped his hands on her cheeks. She removed the hand from her face and moved it to gently stroke the hair on the back of his head. He wiped away a stray tear and leaned in closely.

“I will never stop reminding you of how incredible you are,” he said softly while moving to rest his forehead on hers.

Marinette closed the space between them and her lips landed on his. Adrien passionately returned the kiss making sure his actions conveyed what mere words could not. Language had limits, but the love he felt for his lady knew no bounds.

As the car came to a stop, they slowly ended their kiss. Both teens sported wide, toothy smiles.

“I think we have arrived at our first stop, my lady,” Adrien noted.

“Lead the way, good sir,” she responded adoringly.

Adrien hopped out first and rounded the vehicle. He stood up straight as he opened the cabin door and held out a hand for Marinette. She placed her hand in his, and he guided her out onto the sidewalk. They locked arms and walked towards a small cafe.

Before reaching their destination, Marinette halted in front of the window of an upscale boutique. The store appeared to sell various clothes and accessories in many different styles. The featured display hosted an array of sparkling and colorful jewelry.

She unhooked her arm from Adrien’s and peered into the store. Missing her warmth, Adrien stood next to Marinette and put his arm on the small of her back. She instinctively moved closer to him all while keeping her eyes fixed on the window display.

“Would you like to go inside?” Adrien asked.

“No,” Marinette answered quietly, “I’m just looking.”

“What caught your eye?”

She pointed to several charm bracelets that were draped over a mannequin hand. “I’ve always loved the idea of charm bracelets. They’re memories that you can collect and wear.”

“I’ve never thought of them that way,” he said thoughtfully.

“I think that your clothing and accessories should be a reflection of you. What you put on your body should tell your story, and charm bracelets kind of embody that...well, at least they do for me.”

“No, I definitely understand what you’re trying to say. I may not live and breathe fashion like you, but I do share a house with someone who does. My father says that the clothes I wear and the poses I do during photo shoots need to convey a message to the people who look at the pictures.”

Marinette hummed in agreement. She then fell quiet while keeping eyes locked on the bracelets in the window.

Adrien broke the silence. “Do you have a charm bracelet?”

“No I don’t,” Marinette added with a sigh, “I plan on getting one someday, but for now I don’t mind just looking. We can go in a minute. You haven’t had much to eat today. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“I don’t mind looking, Princess. Take as long as you’d like,” Adrien grinned reassuringly.

Marinette squealed suddenly. “Look! There’s a hamster one!”

Adrien laughed. Her excitement filled him with warmth. “Are you sure you don’t want to go inside?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she affirmed, “I couldn’t afford anything in that store even if I wanted to buy something...AND whenever I go into stores like that, the salespeople always just follow me around and ask me if I need help. I know it’s because they don’t trust teenagers who are walking around their store, but it makes me feel a little uncomfortable.”

“I can’t say I’ve ever had that happen to me.”

“That’s because you’re Adrien Agreste.”

“Yeah...that’s true.”

“Everyone in Paris knows who you are.”

“That is also true.”

“And you’re rich.”

Adrien shook his head. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to go shopping with you then.”

Marinette turned her head away from the window and locked eyes with him. She smiled sweetly, and he felt his heart melt.

“You would really go shopping with me?”

“My lady, I would go to the ends of the Earth for you. I think I can handle a few shopping trips. Besides, it would be nice to go shopping with someone other than Chloe.”

They shuddered in unison and laughed.

Marinette turned and put her arms around Adrien’s midsection. “That would be nice, kitty. I’d really like to do that with you sometime.”

Adrien reached out his hands and pulled her close. “Does this mean I get a second date?”

She nodded. “And a third, and a fourth, and a fifth.”

He smiled and nuzzled his nose against hers. Marinette planted a chaste kiss on his lips, and he felt his legs go weak.

She pulled away and looked him in the eyes. “Alright, Chaton. You have not been taking care of yourself today. How about we get you some food?”

Adrien laced his fingers between hers. “That would be lovely, my lady. I’m paw-sitivly famished. Shall we?”

Marinette gently bumped her body into his arm and released a small, breathy laugh.

“We shall. I’ve waited for fur-ever for this moment,” she said grinning.

“You made a pun! And a cat pun, too!” Adrien beamed while holding open the cafe door for his girlfriend, “I thought you didn’t really like puns.”

Marinette walked through the door and took Adrien’s hand again. “No, I actually kind of like puns. It’s your timing that needs work.”

“So...that means?”

“It means that maybe we should hold off on the puns and flirting when there’s an Akuma around. I care about you, and I want you focused so you don’t get hurt.”

“That makes sense. Sorry if I ever seemed like I was just fooling around. Being Chat Noir just makes me so excited, and then seeing you just brought out a whole new side of me.”

“Oh, Chaton. You know the reason I say this stuff is because I care about you right?”

“And I care about mew,” he said while turning his head and nuzzling her temple with his nose.

“Silly kitty,” she laughed.

He pulled his face away, placed his fingers under her chin, and turned her head towards his own. Their eyes met.

“I’m never going to stop protecting you though,” he said with more seriousness.

“I know,” she responded, “but like I said before...please just try to be more careful.”

He closed the gap between them and left a light, feathery kiss on her lips. It was his unspoken agreement to her--his promise to work on looking out for himself even if he was protecting her from harm. Even though conversations regarding their superhero partnership would surface again in the future, at this moment, nothing more needed to be said. For the rest of the day, he was ready to focus on their blossoming relationship.

CLICK!

The sound of a phone camera caused them to pull away from each other. Upon looking up, the couple saw two girls giggling behind their phones.

“It’s Adrien Agreste,” one of the girls whispered loudly to the other.

“I know,” the other one responded, “I can’t believe he kissed someone! Who is she?”

The two girls continued to smile and talk excitedly in hushed tones as they walked out of the cafe. Adrien paled.

“Oh, no,” he mumbled.

“That’s going to show up on Instagram, isn’t it?” Marinette asked worriedly.

“Yeah, probably,” he groaned.

She took his hand and gave it a light squeeze. “It’s okay. You told me that if I could handle Alya, then I could handle your Instagram followers.”

Adrien smirked. “True, but I was hoping to keep you from my fans for just a little bit longer. I’m selfish...I wanted you all to myself.”

“What about your dad?” Marinette winced.

“I was going to tell him tonight anyway. I still have a pretty good feeling, but we’ll see. Let’s just hope that this doesn’t mess things up. He doesn’t exactly like rumors about me spreading around. This might make him mad”

“Well, that won’t do. Let’s not let it become a rumor then.”

“What do you mean?”

Marinette grinned, pulled up her phone, and opened the camera app. She turned on selfie mode and said, “Smile!”

“Oh, you really are the smartest princess in all the land!” Adrien exclaimed.

He moved closer to her in the frame. Seconds before she took the picture, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. The resulting image showcased a rosy-cheeked Adrien and a giggling Marinette.

“This is the cutest picture I’ve ever seen,” he declared.

“Are you sure you’re not biased?” Marinette questioned teasingly.

“Nope,” Adrien wiggled his eyebrows, “Could you send me that picture?”

It took a few minutes for him to create the post. The caption he wrote simply stated, “You’re my happy place”. He tagged Marinette and sent the image off into cyberspace.

Adrien sighed. “Okay, it’s done.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Look, it was going to happen sooner or later. Now, come on! Let’s go get some food. I’m starving!”

The two teens walked up to the counter hand in hand and ordered. After some protesting from Marinette, Adrien paid for the meal. The couple then proceeded to walk over to a table and wait for their food to arrive.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Marinette pouted.

Adrien shot her a confused look. “Do what?”

“Pay for me.”

“My lady, please let me spoil you. I’ve always wanted to shower my girlfriend with gifts...and now I have one. I have all this money, and spending some of it on you seems pretty worthwhile to me.”

Marinette softened her expression. “Okay, Chaton.”

Adrien perked up.

“Just don’t go too overboard.” She finished her statement by bopping the tip of his nose with her finger.

“I will not make promises that I can’t keep,” he smiled.

“Adrien…”

“Please?”

Marinette huffed playfully. “Fine.”

Adrien’s smile brightened. “Changing subjects...I have a question for you.”

Marinette rested her head in her hands. “And I may have an answer.”

“Why did you get so excited about the hamster charm in the store window?”

“Oh, it’s silly.”

“Try me, my lady.”

Marinette bit her lip. “Uhm...I’ve always wanted a hamster. I kind of have this dream of getting one with you actually.”

He stared at her with wide eyes. “That’s adorable.”

“Really?”

“And also really quite funny.”

“How so?”

“Well, as it turns out, I’ve also always wanted to get a hamster...with you.”

Marinette put her hand over her mouth with her hand, lowered her head, and giggled softly. Adrien scootched his chair closer to hers.

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I guess that means you’re my soulmate.”

Marinette blushed furiously and covered her face with both hands. “You can’t just say stuff like that to me in public!”

“And not have the opportunity to watch you blush,” he laughed, “no way!”

Marinette groaned, and Adrien snaked his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, and he squeezed her tighter.

“Ugh!” she exclaimed, “You’re so mean!”

“But you still love me,” he teased.

“No.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I do.”

Adrien tenderly kissed the top of her head causing Marinette to giggle again.

After several minutes, the server brought their food to the table, and the pair happily chatted and ate their much-needed meal. Happiness radiated off of both teens.

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by Adrien’s ringtone. He groaned and looked at the caller ID on his phone. His eyes became wide when he saw who was calling.

“It’s my dad,” he said with disbelief, “He never calls. It’s usually Nathalie or my bodyguard.”

“Well, pick it up!” Marinette said with urgency.

Adrien pressed the answer button. “Hello, father. Excuse me for one moment.”

He covered the receiver with his hand and turned to Marinette.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, “I’m going to take this outside. Will you be okay?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine. I’m Ladybug...remember? Now go.” She shooed him with her hands.

Adrien smiled and quickly walked outside the cafe. He took a deep breath and moved the phone to his ear.

“Sorry, father,” he began, “I had to move somewhere quiet.”

“Why is there a girl on your Instagram page?” his father asked without greeting him.

“I was actually planning on talking to you about that tonight. Did Nathalie speak to you about arranging a meeting?”

“Yes, she did. You seem to be having an interesting day,” Gabriel stated with undetectable emotion.

Adrien cringed. He hoped he wasn’t in trouble, and he really hoped that his father wouldn’t make him come home.

“Yes, father. I am,” he said politely.

“Is there anything I need to be worried about,” his father questioned.

“No, sir.”

“Fine. We will discuss it when you come home later.”

“Does that mean I can stay out?”

“Yes, Adrien. Like I said, we will talk later.”

Adrien gasped with excitement. “Thank you!”

An audible sigh could be heard on the other line. “Goodbye, Adrien.”

“Bye, father. Thank you again!”

The line disconnected, and Adrien tried to contain his excitement. If his father was letting him stay out, then he probably wasn’t angry. He was still nervous about talking to his father, but he still had hope that it would go well. Nonetheless, he knew that no matter the outcome, he would defend his lady. Marinette was far too important for him to let his father do anything drastic.

Adrien looked at his surroundings before turning in the direction of the cafe. His eyes landed on the charms in the window display. An idea popped into his head, and he grinned.

“Surely my lady won’t mind waiting for a few extra minutes,” he thought as he pushed open the store’s door and walked into the boutique.

<—Previous Next—>

AO3

Fanfiction.net

#Please Tell Me I'm Awake Right Now #part 6 #adrien x marinette #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #adrienette #fanfiction #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fic #ao3 #ao3 adrienette #ao3 fanfic

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jindoelf · 4 years

Text

191106 LYSN chat -Hyuk

Hyukjae's chatting event thread- random & INCOMPLETE:

At first, he was like How to read all these (chat msgs from fans) cos it was really fast going. Then he said he wanted to greet first and then How do we do this, my eyes hurt, why do you guys have so much to say. Then ok first-

-of all, I'm at home. Then he said he ate ramen w/ chungyang pepper, scallion & egg. Then he said the msgs were coming in crazily so we looked crazy😂 He said he couldnt read anything other than ㅋㅋㅋ then when he asked if we were curious about anything, we were like Your face -

-then he said Selca? I havent washed my face yet. Wait. How to upload? Then he uploaded one while he was doing a v sign. Then he was like See i'm not an idiot. He said he only wears pajamas when sleeping so by the time he wakes up, he changes to something else already.

He said he didnt have work today & he woke up aroud 12nn then was just lying down for 1hr then he did the laundry. He said he's good at doing laundry and washing dishes and if we get married to him then he'll do the housechores and we just need to stay beside him😘 then he said he -

to do the dishes topless but when he started living alone, his noona gifted him an apron. Then I think some fans msged like he should do topless then Hyuk was like Why would I do that now 변 태 야 //😂 He said he needed to type the word with spaces cos it was banned in the app-

-then "If that word is banned then arent you all prohibited to enter here from the start" 😂😂 then he asked if there were minors in the chat. He asked us our age and someone answered 3y/o. So he said There are kids here so we should only say nice words. Then later on he said he-

-would have liked to read all our msgs, "Why do I only have 2 eyes"😂 Then after some time, the talk was about travels. He said that he walks a lot when traveling. He liked planning his travels but he also liked those free style ones like hop on any bus, etc. But he said that we-

--cant do the free style one cos we will get lost unlike him whos a high level traveler😂 Then he said Paris is his top fave then Kyoto Japan then Santorini Greece. He said that Greece is a rly beautiful place and the food are delicious too. Then hed like to go to back to Croatia-

********

Hyukjae has gone missing for a while ..

Around 4:15pm kst, Hyuk told us that he'd upload a tennisgong selca then he has gone missing after that. After a while, Manager started chatting us that Hyuk got connectivity issues(maybe after going out of-

-the app to find a selca) Then Manager said that Hyuk was rly giving in effort to get back into the chat. He kept on trying & u know, twas already 4:15- he was supposed to be done at 4pm anyway. It wud hav been ok if he didnt come back cos of the issue but he still did & stayed😭

Chat messages from 3:40pm~

(Incomplete and random again)

He asked us if he should really be ending the chat at 4pm. And if he should ask (them) if we could extend. Then "I have a (salon) treatment appointment at 5pm, then pilates at 6pm. I can still do the chat --

-while getting treatment but I have to do pilates. Everyone, dont you have work?"

Some fans answered theyre on leave/half day off so he was like "because of this??? Dont lie kekeke."

"Who said (she) resigned kekeke"

"Ok so what should we talk about now. What are you curious of?"-

-So different answers were coming in crazily so he was like "Wait. Try to have a unified answer kekeke I'll write down everything that I see first - encore, fabric softener, earrings, (concert) directing, birthday party, etc etc)"

Re earrings- he said that he got some ear --

-- infection so he wont be wearing them for a while.

Re directing, he said that he watches concerts/performances of others when he has time and try to learn from them. He also watches a lot of videos & takes down notes. Then "But the hardest part is that I have big ambitions. And

- yet I have to think about the costs first." He also said that it's different for each country- the equipment, conditions, etc. Then "the saddest part of it all is that I cant watch the shows that I'm directing"😭💙 then he said he'll try directing a lot of other artists' --

- (concerts) next year. As for SJ, he already has a lot of (ideas) in mind- things that he wants to do. And said that above all, the most important thing is that the fans get to enjoy (the show).

Re birthday party- he said that he'll do it but they have to see the schedule first-

-by then in order to decide on the date. Then he said "but it's too small, right? Ill try to think of other ideas/options" Then it was 4pm already. He asked if there was anyone who needs to go so he could say goodbye to them first. Then he asked for another topic that we wanted-

-to talk about and said that his phone was already hot. Then someone said Solo album. He said that TBH, he has no desire of having a solo album, he likes doing the group stuff. Then "there's also D&E, if I still do solo album then ill be really busy kekeke" --to be continued--

(thepoppedcherry)

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as-everything-should-be · 5 years

Text

Meaning: one who heals

Pair: Gabriel x female OC

Fandom: Good Omens

Music inspo: lover is a day - cuco

Warnings: none? I think?

Words: 926

Notes: please listen to that song, it's great. Gabriel is too much fun to write, he's so unaware of stuff. If you want a part 2, tell me ^.^

Also: I didn't edit this

Part 2

`..to grow more accustomed to Earth's traditions and human behavior..` Gabriel couldn't believe his eyes, he was being reprimanded for a little slip up with human customs. Unbelievable! Anyone could have made that mistake, that note from Michael was totally uncalled for, who knew that saying to a human that their relative went to Hell would cause such a fuss? 'It was an honest mistake' Gabriel kept repeating himself 'any angel could have made it', still, he was doubting that more and more by the minute.

It's false to say that Gabriel hated this planet, it was more similar to the feeling humans themselves feel while looking down on a small insect, he felt more… disgusted.

Gabriel thought that, even if he hated to admit it, the one being that could help him through his stay would be his fellow angel Aziraphale who was blissfully unaware of the storm that was about to attack his poor bookshop. "Aziraphale!" he shouted as soon as he entered the store "Oh, Aziraphale!" he sing-songed, trying to catch his attention while also disturbing everybody else. "Gabriel!" a panicked shout catched his attention "Please, follow me in the back so we can talk more privately" once they were in the back Zira flaunted his best fake smile "To what do I owe this.." he paused, searching for the right words "..unexpected visit". The archangel didn't answer, too intent on miracling up a small notebook "Ok, so Heaven told me that I'm too out of touch with humans and that could cause problems on missions bla bla bla, so they sent me down here to catch up" he had a careless attitude that Aziraphale kept finding oddly unsettling. Zira was confused "And you came to me for..?" Gabriel looked up from his notebook "So that you can teach me" he had expression on his face, almost as if he was explaining the simpliest thing and the other party kept not understanding, even though it was actually the other way round.

Aziraphale tried to explain to Gabriel the bases of human customs, he really tried, but the archangel always seemed to pick up the useless parts in the wrong way. At the end he kind of just gave up and hoped that he didn't cause too many disasters on his path.

Altea was getting ready to go out, she didn't know where they would have ended up that night, so she picked something confortable, for every occasion. She drove to the bookshop, where she knew she would have found Aziraphale and Crowley. She smiled thinking about the pair, they were the only people she had, being a nephilim and all made life boring and lonely. Being a nephilim meant being immortal, which could start to be quite lonesome after a couple of centuries. To watch all of your friends die is heartbreaking, but watching your lovers die.. that breaks you in half, that is why Altea decided she would have never had contact with mortals ever again. Then she met them.

It was 1953 and she was staying in Paris to enjoy the cheerful post-war vibes that were still lingering. She decided to spend the afternoon in a great patisserie right around the corner (they made great crêpes) and there she met them. They were arguing about Shakespeare and something that happened in 1585. She sashayed in her sky blue swing dress to a stool right next to the demon, who was watching her out of the corner of his eye.

As she was sipping her milkshake she was listening in in the conversation "Shakespeare didn't like men! I would have noticed!" the angel said, which made the demon roll his golden eyes behind the sunglasses. "He hit on you a thousand times and you still didn't notice" he pointed out, the angel started muttering about ambiguos comments when she decided to chime in "I had a threesome with him and Marlowe before Shakespeare married Anne" she was mindlessly turning her straw in the glass. The 2 beings were stunned, they didn't expect her to understand what they were saying, let alone be immortal. With that input they started talking and sharing stories, for then to become fast friends.

When she arrived at the shop she saw Crowley laying over a couch, waiting for Aziraphale. "Where's Zira?" she asked, looking around, the demon shook his head "Dunno" he said, she rolled her eyes and quietly snuck in the back. Upon hearing some voices she decided to get closer.

"You talked about dating and I got these 'apps' on my 'phone', but everybody ignores me right after a couple of messages?" Gabriel was confused, he did not get why, nor how humans could be so simple, yet so complicated.

Meanwhile, Aziraphale was in his own personal nightmare. Reading those texts was torture. 'Hello, female human, I would very much like to meet you and maybe mate if you want' ..hellfire didn't sound so bad in that moment.

Altea was confused and very, very worried for his best friend, so she decided to chime in (once again) in the situation "Zira? We're waiting for you, you coming?", Aziraphale looked grateful.

Gabriel, on the other side of the room, on the other hand, looked starstruck. To him, she was perfect, black hair falling in her face in soft curves, brown eyes that looked as if they held all the secrets and all the answers of this world and of the universe itself. Her soft skin reminded him of God's cherubs, perfect while they strum their harps. If Altea noticed that he was staring, she didn't show it, a gesture that the archangel appreciated deeply. He was always so sure of himself and of his actions, but in front of her he forgot the world around him.

Of one thing he was sure, though, she had to be his.

#good omens #ineffable husbands #gabriel #oc #gabriel x oc #gabriel good omens #female oc

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footmantravelagency · 3 years

Text

5 Reasons Why You Need A Travel Agent - More Than Ever

Want to rent a villa in Tuscany and do it on your own? It’s simple. Just type “Villa Rentals Tuscany” into Google, then wade through the four and a half million responses - most of which look the same, whether they are good or bad, legit or bogus. Spend just 10 seconds each vetting sites, and you’ll be done in a year and a half - and still won’t have rented anything.

Good luck with that - or even with much simpler planning, like searches for “straightforward” airfares. The major search sites routinely leave out flights (lots of them) and even entire airlines. A lot of the flights they do show are ones you don’t want, starting with “basic economy” fares that hit you with tons of restrictions and fees, so the price you see isn’t the one you end up paying, along with connections way too short or way too long, ones that no responsible travel agent would let you book.

Travel agents are even more important to luxury travelers, who ironically often think they know a lot about travel and rely on their own misguided sense of expertise. But while a good agent is so vital that it is simply foolish to plan a high-end trip on your own without one, they can also help travelers of all budgets.

The reality is that while it was widely predicted that the internet was going to kill off travel agents when digital tools were placed at every traveler’s disposal, that just hasn’t happened, for several good reasons.

Shannon Compton Game writes on money saving travel tips and budget travel for Outside Magazine, not the publication I’d expect to praise travel agents over DIY. But last year she wrote a column about his subject and opened with, “I’m a big fan of travel agents, even though I could technically book all my trips through websites and apps.” She then listed the specific pros of using an agent: “They can find crazy deals”; “They will be your advocate”; “They’ll take care of the little things”; “They’re true experts” and “They don’t usually cost extra.”

True, true, true, true and true. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

I have been writing on travel and related tips for over a quarter of a century. I’m an expert on the subject, and I get interviewed and publicly speak about it. Do I sometimes use a travel agent? Absolutely. When friends ask for travel advice, and they do, all the time, one of the first suggestions I always make is to get a good travel agent. My tech savviest friends use travel advisors, and so does every major corporation - because it is the smart thing to do.

“Yes, the travel landscape is changing,” said Chad Clark, principal of Chad Clark Travel Ventures in Phoenix, an expert I have known for years. “Information overload, thousands of new hotels on the scene, all sorts of new cruise ships, passport and visa issues, weather, transit strikes, political unrest, natural disasters, travel insurance, travel providers going out of business, it’s never ending. How does one navigate all of this? To avoid the travel landmines that lay in front of you, you need to get a great travel advisor! You’ll be glad you did. After all, do you cut your own hair?” Good question, but his metaphor is a little off because you pay someone to cut your hair, while a good travel advisor can often save you money.

I wrote a feature about this topic here at Forbes eight years ago, and I still get thank you comments from people who took my advice. A lot has changed in those eight years, and a lot has not, so if anything, there are more reasons than ever to use a travel agent (for the record, good travel agents prefer to be called travel advisors, or sometimes travel consultants, and those are both totally accurate, but since most people still think of the industry in terms of travel agents, I’m mixing and matching).

Clark explained it to me this way, “Travel agents are a thing of the past - they primarily booked tickets and beds. Travel advisors have taken on a much more complex role - part psychologist, life coach, executive producer, concierge, fixer, dream maker, and ‘Blink Blink’ genie, with the multitude of services that they provide.”

Whatever you call them, I could go on and on about all the reason to use one, but here are the 5 biggies.

Emergencies: This is the one most applicable to the average occasional travel. Stuff happens, and whether you believe in climate change or not (spoiler alert, it’s real), big weather events have become more commonplace, widespread and unpredictable, and sooner or later Mother Nature is going to bite you when flying. But there are plenty of non-weather events disrupting flights, cruises, trains and destinations, from civil unrest to volcanic eruptions to disease outbreaks to massive wildfires to labor strikes. And just about every year you read about an airline that went bust and shut down suddenly, stranding all its passengers. Just a week ago I traveled with owner of a large New York based travel agency who has been in the business for 40 years, and he told me they recently stopped selling their customers tickets on Norwegian because the airline has had too many cancellations and became, in their view, unreliable. But cheap flights still show up in internet searches, and you probably would not know anything about it without expert advice.

Anything that causes cancelled flights (or cruises, etc.) means hassles, but the people who get through this process the most smoothly and the ones who get rebooked first and get the few available seats out of Dodge are usually the ones who used a travel agent. It’s that simple. First off, you actually have someone to call, versus long lines at banks of airport phones masquerading as “help desks.” But good agencies are constantly monitoring their clients’ flights and they usually know about your problem before you do - and often have a resolution before you even call them. They also have direct access to airline GDS (global distribution system) and don’t have to wait on long phones holds to get ticketing changes made. It’s worth noting that according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, nearly two percent of all domestic flights were canceled in 2019, a significant increase from the previous year and the highest rate since 2014. Midway through the year, MSNBC reported that passengers were being bumped from flights - involuntarily - at a rate three times higher than a year earlier.

I’ve known Anne Scully for years, and as the President of high-powered Virginia-based agency McCabe World Travel, she is perennially ranked one of the world’s best travel agents, sits on advisory boards of major luxury hotel brands and cruise lines, and is an industry legend. She told me that, “Anyone who travels should have the clout of a top travel advisor in their pocket. To start, if the client’s flight is cancelled while they are waiting for take-off they could have us rebook and protect their journey before they depart the plane. No waiting behind 300 other passengers! We can have clients met at the plane door at a large number of airports worldwide and whisked through customs, either on to their tight connecting flight or simply faster to baggage claim - where they are given help with their luggage. Most clients don’t even know that service exists, but they only need to use it once to always request it on their itineraries.”

Expertise: No one knows everything about travel, no matter how deeply they are involved in the industry. I am an expert on ski travel, and I know the ins and outs of every major luxury ski hotel in this country. So, I wouldn’t call a travel agent to help me choose a ski hotel. But I know nothing about the hotel scene in Manilla or Sri Lanka. Some travelers cheat their way around this by sticking to brands like Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton wherever the go, but in many tourism hotbeds like Fez, Morocco, all the best hotels are ones you have likely never heard of. This is where a travel advisor’s knowledge cannot be beat. And while even the best travel agent can’t know everything either, the good agencies parcel things up, so they have a safari expert, a cruise expert, a honeymoon expert, and so on, and they all work together.

Walter Brownell first escorted 10 guests to Europe in 1887, and 133 years later, Brownell Travel has 150 advisors. Sorry, but there’s no amount of research you can do or number of travel magazines you can read that can match that kind of institutional experience and collective expertise. That’s the knowledge base you want. Let’s go back to the 4.5 million villa hits - any good travel advisor will be able to tell you off the top of their head who you should be renting your villa in Tuscany from - and why. That just saved you eighteen months, and probably got you a better house.

Chad Clark believes travelers should, “Experience the extraordinary, not once in a lifetime, but every time!” and to showcase the knowledge base advisors bring to the table, he created a program he calls “Chad Clark Certified,” personally giving his stamp of approval to special hotels, restaurants, tours and experiences around the world. To date he’s certified nearly 700 different things his clients (or you) can reliably consider doing.

It is important to remember that these advantages are not just for luxury travelers. Good travel advisors do not just know what the best hotel is, they know what the best hotel is for you and your budget and can help you find the right fit. As we will see shortly, they can also save you a lot of money, no matter what style you travel in.

VIP Connections: Whether you are trying to book space at a coveted 8-villa safari lodge in Africa or get a room in a top Paris hotel during Fashion Week, most hoteliers keep emergency inventory and guess who gets it? The travel advisors they have known for years who book a lot of guests and send them a lot of business. It works this way with lots of things in the travel industry, from hard to get dinner reservations to the resort’s best ski instructor to a city’s top art expert as a private museum guide. Anytime there is scarcity, there is no substitute for personal connections, and the best agents have built these over years or decades. Plus we are living in the age of “experiential travel,” and good advisors create one of kind experiences most people would never have imagined in the first place.

“I had a client touring Russia who not only played piano well, but also took lessons from one of the best teachers in New York,” said Anne McCabe. “As a surprise, I arranged for him to visit the apartment of the great Russian composer Nicolai Rimsky Korsakov, and the curator invited him to play the composer’s piano, while his teacher listened over the phone his wife was holding. You cannot create those WOW moments if you do not get to know who your clients are, and what would make their holiday most special.” You also need to know the curator. Try booking that on TripAdvisor.

“This is a key point,” stressed Clark. “Travel advisors provide our clients with access: access to people, places, and experiences that could never be replicated, much less imagined. A great travel advisor has invested time and relationships in creating their ‘black book’ of contacts and relationships, so that when their clients travel, they are treated as a VIPs, not just a credit card number.” In my experience, everyone likes being treated like a VIP.

Seemingly simple things often annoy even the most seasoned travelers, but these irritants can be smoothed out by good advisors. One biggie is having your room ready to check in when arriving in Europe early in the morning after an exhausting overnight flight. I’ve seen lots of travelers, including myself, told to go walk around for hours and come back at two or three in the afternoon, even at the finest hotels. Do you think they tell that to Anne Scully and her peers?

Another one of the most frustrating recurring problems I hear in the industry - even at the top luxury hotels - is a notorious refusal to guarantee connecting rooms in advance for families booking multiple rooms (and paying a lot for them). But when your travel agent books hundreds of room nights with a hotel each year, the GM (or sales manager) will move heaven and earth to give that agent’s client - you - guaranteed connecting rooms. For the same price. Often with a room upgrade. And late check out. And a free food and beverage credit.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Extras: When you get more than you expected for the same price, that’s a great deal, and with travel advisors this happens all the time. The cruise industry is a perfect example of very large inventories that fluctuate in supply and demand each week, with a large audience of repeat customers who cruise again and again for years. The cruise lines do not want to lose the loyalty of those customers - or the agents who steer hundreds of them each year to particular brands. Yet it basically costs the line no more to have you stay in a deluxe suite than a basic room if that suite is available, and with the size of today’s ships, it often is. But who gets these upgrades? Advisors. Professionals who specialize in cruises have enormous volume clout and are legendary for routinely getting clients one or two class stateroom upgrades, free shore excursions, onboard credits and all sorts of things - for the same exact price you pay going direct. I would never book a cruise without using a travel advisor - it’s just foolish.

But it’s not just cruises.

“In an age of automation, it may come as a surprise that many of our new clients skew on the more tech-savvy side, and come to SmartFlyer for the first time seeking guidance on their honeymoon,” Michael Holtz, founder of extremely successful global travel agency SmartFlyer told me. “The millennial generation specifically may have seen their parents use a travel advisor, but don’t feel like they need one - until they are deep in the spiral of research. By shifting gears to planning with an expert, they feel liberated from the immense pressure of choosing the ‘best’ resort - because we’re cutting through the noise of all the conflicting opinions they’re seeing online. Our team has actually been to the properties first-hand - not to mention has personal relationships with the General Managers. For example, we just had a couple fly to Canouan, a remote island in the Caribbean that they had no idea even existed before we recommended it. When they arrived at the Mandarin Oriental, the GM double upgraded them thanks to SmartFlyer’s close relationship with the property. At the end of the day, it’s all about personal relationships translating into exceptional experiences for our clients.”

One of the biggest shortcuts to freebies and extras is Virtuoso, a network of top tier travel agencies, most in the luxury realm. While agencies belonging to Virtuoso are independent and free to recommend and book anything they want - and often do because they have strong opinions - the network has specific relationships with over 1,800 travel partners (cruise, tours, airlines and 1,400 individual hotels in 100+ countries) with which it negotiates exclusive (and contractually obligated) benefits. Why are travel suppliers so eager to work with agencies and advisors that belong to Virtuoso (advisors can join by invitation-only based on their track records)? Because last year Virtuoso members booked $26.4 billion in travel for their clients.

So in addition to the extras for personal connections you can get via people like Michael Holtz knowing the GM, anyone who books through a Virtuoso agency gets automatic perks like complimentary daily breakfast, room upgrades, early check-in, late check-out, complimentary airport transfers, spa credits and so on (specifics vary by hotel). According to Virtuoso, just the hotel benefits are valued at an average of over $500 per stay. Complimentary cruise benefits can be even bigger.

But having covered the luxury travel space for years, it seems that virtually every top advisor and agency I come across, the ones my friends, family and colleagues recommend, belongs to Virtuoso, as do all of the agencies mentioned in this piece besides the one in Travel Leaders. I just visited an amazing new luxury hotel in Italy, and they were quick to boast about having been admitted as preferred Virtuoso property - to them it was a mark of quality like earning a Michelin-star.

“The thing I love about Virtuoso is not just the quality of the advisors, but the strength of the entire network and the supplier partners they use around the world,” said travel writer, award-winning broadcaster and author Michael Patrick Shiels. “I decided to do this segment on running with the bulls in Pamplona and I had never been to Spain, so a Virtuoso advisor connected me with Made For Spain and Portugal, a partner ground supplier that does all the behind the scenes magic. They know everyone and totally set up an amazing itinerary and I ran with the bulls. In Italy, Virtuoso has an amazing local company called IC (Italian Connection) Bellagio that is totally wired into all the kinds of local things travelers say they want these days, special experiences, the best restaurants, art tours of private villas. When you ask your Virtuosos agent to plan a trip to Tuscany, it’s not just them, they have all this expert support behind them, down to the micro level. I’ve been all around the world, and before the first time I worked with Virtuoso I didn’t think I needed a travel agent’s help - now I can’t imagine not using one for anything complicated or specialized.”

Air: If you are trying to buy the cheapest round-trip economy ticket from New York to Dallas, even the best advisors probably can’t get it for less than you can buy it online, though you still have to deal with all the pitfalls of the online travel sites and you will lose the safety net advisors provide when things go wrong. But in a couple of other cases, buying your air through an agent can actually save you money, or miles, or both.

One case is when you are buying premium class tickets, Business, First or some of the even higher new classes. I have an extremely tech savvy friend in San Francisco who wanted to fly First class to Hawaii for his honeymoon, and even though he could afford it, he was shocked how much the airlines wanted. I suggested he call McCabe World Travel, and he was mystified how they could purchase the exact same tickets for about two thousand dollars less -each - than the best price he could find online, by calling the airline, or through the American Express Platinum Card travel desk. I don’t care how rich you are, if you can get the same tickets and pocket four thousand dollars that’s a good deal - plus you get all the peace of mind that comes with the advisor’s safety net. Not surprisingly, years later he still uses McCabe for all his travel. Consider this: the agency has three advisors in its air travel department who do nothing else, among its roughly 50 affiliated advisors.

When it comes to using miles, or miles and money, or just paying to fly in pricier premium classes, you might have trouble believing the miracles these specialists can work. As Largay’s Klimak told me, “I was working with a couple last year traveling to Australia and New Zealand for their dream cruise. They wanted to use frequent flyer miles, and I knew that they also had Dubai on their Wanderlist. I was able to change their flights from Business class on Qantas to First Class on Emirates - for half the mileage. We were also able to add a stopover with a wonderful desert and shopping experience in Dubai, checking two destinations off their list for a fraction of the cost.”

I use SmartFlyer for tricky tickets. Despite its name, it is a well-known, full-service luxury travel agency that does everything from safaris to cruises, but where they are better than just about everyone else is creative ticketing. I hear endless complaints from frequent fliers about the difficulty using miles, but I have found that is not the case - if you use a mileage and ticketing expert. I did a story on skiing in Japan, and SmartFlyer was able to get me to Tokyo in Business Class and back in First for $1,500 and 100,000 United miles. This was less than a third of the miles United directly quoted me for the same trip when I called the MileagePlus Elite desk, and I ended up getting more than three times the dollars per mile that most experts value frequent flier miles at.

On another trip recent trip to Bali, SmartFlyer found me flights on Cathay Pacific - one of the world’s best airlines - in Premium Economy to Hong Kong and then the five hour leg to Bali in Business class, for less than Cathy was selling the trip on its site just in Premium Economy the whole way. It just doesn’t seem possible, but it is, real tickets, same airline, better seats, less money. I don’t know how they do it, and frankly I don’t care, but if you know who to call this happens all the time (if you are not a client of SmartFlyer booking your vacation or business trip, they will charge you a fee to do the legwork and find you great deals on premium and mileage tickets, but in almost every case I’ve seen, it still saves you money).

“In terms of value, what we can do is unparalleled to anything clients will find elsewhere,” SmartFlyer’s Holtz told me. “Our negotiated air contracts, along with our in-depth knowledge of the carriers and actual aircraft, means we can advise travelers how to reach their destination at the best possible price and in the most comfortable configuration. Sometimes, this means hundreds of dollars in savings per ticket.” Or more.

Better Trips! At the end of the day this is the bottom line, the big win you get with a good travel advisor. They know more than you do, they are better connected, they have access to benefits you can’t get yourself, and they can match and often beat any prices you find. They plan a better trip and then provide a safety net. Having a top travel agent can make you an instant VIP, certainly will save you time and hassle, and quite possibly money.

Amanda Foshee is an advisor at Brownell Travel, and she summed it up nicely: “What everyone needs these days is more time and less stress, and that’s what we’re here for. Travel advisors take the overwhelming amount of information out there and distill it into the key points that apply to you - the best hotel/destination/tour for your interests, your budget, and your time frame. A client shared that going through all the information online to plan a trip would be a second full-time job for her, and I told her that’s why it’s my full-time job instead!”

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acaemia · 3 years

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Hiii! You are studying IR, right? Could you please recommend me some sites in English language which you consider useful for your studies? Sites where I can read about current international questions, global challenges? I only know some news sites but if there are sites (or shorter books) that contain short analises or anything like that would be so helpful. Thank you and have a nice day! :))

Hello Darling Anon! ~

Sorta! :)) I’m taking up International Studies, which is like a fraternal twin of IR? IS (at least in my uni) is a lot more general compared to IR which delves deeper into diplomacy. (As in if u wanna be a Diplomat vibes.) I spent the last three years studying theories, tactics (lack of a better term but like the soft power + foreign policy shit I see it as manipulation styles LOL), and the European Union (I major in European Studies). Just need to point that out in case it matters(??)

Could you please recommend me some sites in English language which you consider useful for your studies? Sites where I can read about current international questions, global challenges?

For research papers, I rely on credible journals I find through google or the databases my university provides for us. My uni is a research university so students have access to a lot of journal databases. You should check ur uni’s website to see what student perks you have. You might have full access to JSTOR! Make ur tuition worth it HAHA. JSTOR is a classic but I find stuff over at Emerald Insight too.

For current events, news sites are definitely your friend. My professors would sometimes assign supplementary articles for us. They get their shit from Reuters, The Atlantic and Global Asia to name a few. Maybe that can be a good place to start in terms of current events/run-downs on certain issues.

I don’t go to these sites myself (like on my own volition) but back when I tried to be updated on news, I downloaded this app called Press Reader which gave me access to different magazines and newspapers so that could also be another option! I just checked and apparently it’s free but I know it was paid back then so yay? (I got it for free bc of my uni).

Press Reader gives you access (this sounds like a skillshare ad HAHAH) to a lot of different media from many places and that can really help you develop your critical thinking skills + see different perspectives on the same issue. This is a skill which is very important for us IS/IR students. (NGL everyone should have this skill! We should be able to look at different sources and then come to conclusions on our own/see patterns).

...sites (or shorter books) that contain short analises or anything like that would be so helpful

In terms of books, the only book I can swear by is Global Politics by Andrew Heywood. It’s not short but the font is big?? I found it online freshman year so if you need it I think I can try making a dropbox for it? You can mosey over to libgen.io (free pdfs!) though. I bet it’s there. I got a physical copy from Amazon (I invested since I know it would be useful) and the information on there was useful for my other classes. It has a lot of general IS stuff like the basic theories (realism, liberalism bleh bleh), history, and notable people. Definitely a good source for foundational information which you can build on in your essays or use as a source!!

Unsolicited Advice

Can I just say!! You’re so cool for being interested like this and I wish you nothing but the best fellow IS IS baby.mp3 <3

I’m not sure what year you are so you might know this already? But since I’m already talking about stuff useful for my personal studies I’ll just thrown in this part LOL.

I think the most important thing an IR/IS student should know is how to analyze information. Especially since we write a lot of essays. Honestly IS to me is just professional overthinking but make it nerdy somehow?? You need to know how to apply what u learned to what u see playing out in the international arena. Analytical skills are really important! Some assignments I got required us to read three journal articles then write a cohesive piece about it. Sometimes, we have to watch videos then answer guide questions. This is where regular reading and healthy media consumption comes in.

Best part is: You can practice analyzing content using any kind of material. It doesn’t have to be international affairs stuff!

Do you watch people like dangelowallace, tiffanyferg or even those tea channels (lol) on Youtube? There’s a massive rise of analytical content the past few years and I think you can study the way these people break down drama/internet lore. What makes their video so interesting? How does everything connect? How do they organize their content?

There’s a reason why these videos gain millions of views. They make issues accessible and neat but they make it so interesting at the same time. You can also read fashion magazines since they also have articles which analyze style or talk about a specific piece.

Honorable mentions: Buzzfeed Unsolved, Storytime Mukbhangs, Kennie JD’s Bad movies and a beat, Crime stories youtubers, etc.

Alternatively, watch your favorite movies and take time to think about why you liked it! Do a character analysis! Watch video essays about your favorite movies/shows on Youtube!! It’s nice to just chill and watch these stuff but at times, try being an active watcher and take note of their reporting style. Talk to your friends about shows you watched. Gather their insights and come up with your own. Analyze popular memes! (Why do spongebob memes have a gorilla grip on gen z??? Why is the white girl dance so freeing? — ngl I do have an opinion about this phenomenon as an asian who “dances like a white girl” but this is so long already HAHAH)

here are a couple of videos:

Mina Le (Fashion) -- In this video, Mina breaks down the wardrobe of Emily in Paris and how the choices weren’t so good in terms of the storyline. Emily is seen in designer clothing but her character never shows interest or awareness regarding fashion. (this is jus one point she talks about) For viewers who aren’t into fashion or something, they might not notice this detail at all! But since Mina is viewing this show from a fashion perspective, she was able to pick up these details and connect it to the bigger picture.

It’s the same for IS. We look at things through different perspectives and from there we can make sense of certain decisions or events! We deal with a lot of problem solving and above all else, we study events so we can understand them. People like Mina Le are perfect examples of good researchers!! They just study different things but its all the same.

ModernGurlz (Fashion/Contemp Stuff) -- This video dissects the style of the characters in Mean Girls and how it says so much about the personality of each girl. For Cady, she has a lot of different styles and it really reflects how her character changes throughout the movie. It helps as a visual guide for us viewers but her clothes tell a story too.

For IS, Every decision made in the International Arena is important. Everything tells a story. Small actions can say so much about the bigger picture so its important for us to pick up on details the way ModernGurlz did so we can explain developments of a certain issue. (Like how Cady started with very conservative style, then she met the Plastics and that changed her and led her to wearing more revealing clothing, then that gets stripped away because of the plot learns her lesson blah blah and she goes back to slightly relaxed clothes combined with revealing clothes aka her true self i guess).

If you’re not into fashion, you can just analyze whatever ur interested in! These are just some videos I enjoy watching. :)) Astrology is another cool practice! I started getting into astrology and it requires a lot of analysis. It’s fun so it doesnt feel like a chore.

Final Word (HAHSDHF SORRY THIS IS SO DRAMATIC)

I honestly don’t study or read about international affairs unless I happen to chance upon it. The most helpful things for me aren’t even related to IS. HHH I watch and read a lot of different content and I think that helped me so much with this course!

I love memes a lot and I usually plug them in a lot of conversations. I guess I use that skill when it comes to my homework in IS when they ask us to talk about a certain topic? I can think of stuff that might be able to connect i guess??? IDK KSDHFKSHD IDK IF any of this makes sense im sorry I just like talking about stuff shdkfhasd. If these tips don’t apply, let it fly. <3 You just need to find your own way of learning.

I hope that these links can help you tho! Thank you so much for reaching out, it means a lot. Send another ask if u need more help and thank you for your well wishes. Stay safe and take care my luv <3

#ask pia #sorry I geeked out

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obliviousoso · 7 years

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1- 150 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

@silent-of-spirit I bet you thought I wouldn’t do it but I didCX Under the cut for sheer length

1.Who was the last person you held hands with?

My date-mate Michael

2. Are you outgoing or shy?

Shy generally but I have myoutgoing moments

3. Who are you looking forward to seeing?

My friends from DVC when I swoopthrough during my spring break

4. Are you easy to get along with?

I’d like to think so, I hope so, I’mgonna go with yes.

5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you?

I would hope at least one of themwould yeah.

6. What kind of people are you attracted to?

In general? Nice ones, nerdy ones,ones with passion and smiles and stories, people who make me feel good, peoplewho share my interest and also share their interests with me, creative people,really anyone who might bring positivity into my life and also people who Ifeel like could use some positivity. Speaking physically? I dig guys who aretaller than me, I’m weak for bara’s but also like trim figures. Gals of anyheight are great and curves and squishy tummies are so so nice. I also have hada thing for blonds since early childhood. But honestly everyone’s lovely andregardless of how you look if our personalities vibe I will probably fall inlove with you.

7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now?

Well I’m presently in one now so Ihope that’s still a thing two months from now. And I mean who knows, maybe Iwill be in another relationship too but I think I can pretty confidently answerthis question as yes to at least one relationship.

8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind?

My friend Calvin cause I miss himand we need to hang, my friend Mark because I’m doodling his oc right now andthinkin about hairstyles for that, Michael cause I’m watching Rooster teeth asI write this and I associate that with him.

9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?

Not at all.

10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?

My mum I think? Or Julia? My brainis bad at specific times and I had two convos pretty close to one another. It’sone of those.

11. What does the most recent text that you sent say?

“That sounds like an exasperatedconductor XD”

12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now?

In no particular order:

Paris by the Chain Smokers

Satisfied from Hamilton

Waiting For Love by Avicii

Get Better by the Bleachers (my all-timefave 100% of the time)

Waving Through a Window by CalebHyles

13. Do you like it when people play with your hair?

God yes

14. Do you believe in luck and miracles?

Miracles more than luck but yes

15. What good thing happened this summer?

This last summer? I got a jobselling cheese at farmers markets with my friend and got to go to cool placesand meet cool people.

16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

Last person I smooched was my mumand I will probably smooch her again before bed so yea, all the kisses forever~I love my mommy =3

17. Do you think there is life on other planets?

Yep, not planets close to us butsomewhere out there there’s gotta be.

18. Do you still talk to your first crush?

Nope, he disappeared to themysterious land of Florida.

19. Do you like bubble baths?

Yep~

20. Do you like your neighbors?

I’ve spoken to them once that Ican recall so I don’t really have an opinion.

21. What are you bad habits?

Procrastination, I rip my hair outsometimes, I’ve got shit study habits, I write fanfiction in class instead ofnotes, I’ve got a lot of bad habits but these are the ones that popped intomind first.

22. Where would you like to travel?

Everywhere? Is that an option?Japan and England are at the top of that list since I have friends there,looking at one of those for study abroad. Egypt also for friend reasons. TheNetherlands, Switzerland, France (just so I can remember going this time xp),Australia, the bottom of the ocean, space, other dimensions. I just wanna goman, just wanna go wherever.

23. Do you have trust issues?

Kind of?? I don’t worry aboutstuff like cheating and things but I have trouble trusting that people actuallylike me without ulterior motives or that they’re not just hanging around me tobe nice. I tend to feel like I’ve trapped people into friendships andrelationships with me so I’m always waiting for them to get tired of acting andend things :

24. Favorite part of your daily routine?

It’s a tie between my morningshower and the part of my day where I whip my bra off and know it’s staying offfor the rest of the day.

25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with?

Generally I’m pretty happy with mybody actually but I guess if I’ve gotta pick something I’d say my hair becauseit takes so much effort to keep it up how I actually want to and I generallyjust don’t have the spoons for it so it’s very rare that I’m actually all theway happy with how it looks and/or feels.

26. What do you do when you wake up?

Lay in bed for five more minuteschecking various apps and psyching myself up for the day. Also say “I know” to my screaming kitty cat as he demands breakfast and pets.

27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker?

Neither? Honestly I really don’tcare, feel like I’d look weird with lighter skin though so I guess I wouldn’tmind a tan. Mostly I wish I didn’t scar so easily xp

28. Who are you most comfortable around?

My mum, Amber, Julia, Caitlyn, Calvin,Nafisa, Sheridan (this is the list of friends I’m 100% sure don’t hate me.)

29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up?

Nope, but I’ve had one straight uptell me he dated me because he felt sorry for me.

30. Do you ever want to get married?

Definitely!

31. If your hair long enough for a pony tail?

Might be when it’s straight, haven’ttried in a while.

32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with?

Misha Collins and his wifeVictoria Vantoch, Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness

33. Spell your name with your chin.

Lauujrfededn (first name was goingso well and then it just went blah xp)

Oobliviojusolsdo (tumblr handle wenta little better???)

34. Do you play sports? What sports?

Not by choice but I was made tojoin the basketball team in middle school.

35. Would you rather live without TV or music?

36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them?

Most of my life is unrequitedcrushes.

37. What do you say during awkward silences?

Generally nothing because I’mafraid to break them.

38. Describe your dream girl/guy?

Someone who’s as excited about meas I am about them, because I’ve found in past relationships that I tend to be waymore invested in the other person than they are in me. Someone who’s fine with meshowing love often and wants to show it in equal measure. Someone who is my bestfriend as much as they’re my lover, who has inside jokes with me and storiesand just loves to be with me and I love to be with them and we go on adventuresor sit around and either way its great because we’re great and we make each otherhappy. And also someone I can be unhappy with, someone I can cry in front ofand not worry about running them away, someone I don’t have to hold back with,someone I’m not scared to say “I need attention” to, because that’s honestlyone of the hardest, scariest things for me to say so I never say it and end upfeeling neglected. I just want people I can be happy with and honest withbecause a lot of what I’ve learned to do in relationships is lie about how I amand what I want so that I bend around what I think the other person wants fromme. I guess mostly my dream partner is someone I’m 100% comfortable and honest with.Extra points if they love dragon age.

39. What are your favorite stores to shop in?

Daiso is my snackfood and school supplydestination, Forever 21 is where most of my summertime clothes are from, I alsolove the bioware and Bethesda online stores, and Boxlunch is pretty cool too~

40. What do you want to do after high school college?

I honestly have no fuckin clueanymore. I’m thinking maybe join the Peace Corps if I stay on the politicalscience track. Honestly it’s more likely I’ll just keep working my jobs andmaybe look for another one to add to the stack. I’ve got no idea where my lifeis going xp

41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

Depends on what they did. Somethings you just gotta walk away from. The world can give them a second chancewith someone else, you gotta take care of yourself.

42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean?

If we’re alone and I’m quiet I’mvery comfortable and enjoying our time together. If I’m with oodles of peopleand being extremely quiet I am veryuncomfortable and/or self conscious and probably trying not to panic or cry.

43. Do you smile at strangers?

Usually. I like to see othersmile.

44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?

Why not both? If I’ve gotta choseI guess I chose the ocean because I’ve wanted to explore it longer than I’ve wantedto visit space.

45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

Needing to pee usually. Or my catscreaming at me for breakfast.

46. What are you paranoid about?

That everyone I love actuallyhates me and that they’re all disappointed in me. That I’m actually a horrible,toxic person dragging everyone down, that if I let slip for even a few momentsthat my mental illness is acting up everyone will abandon me. That something horriblemight happen to my mum when she’s out of my sight. Mostly I’m a great bigbundle of abandonment issues.

47. Have you ever been high?

Yep, got a funny story about myfirst experience with edibles if anyone wants to hear.

48. Have you ever been drunk?

Also yep, though only twice so farin my life. I dislike it immensely and generally avoid drinking very much.

49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about?

Not that I can think of.

50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore?

Pullover hoodie? Purple. Zip uphoodie? Blue and yellow.

51. Ever wished you were someone else?

God yes

52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself?

My brain and the fact that it’s adepressed, traumatized mess.

53. Favourite makeup brand?

… The cheap one??? I don’t makeupvery much, generally just buy cheap stuff or get gifted things.

54. Favourite store?

I’m gonna go with Daiso for thisone.

55. Favourite blog?

More than one cause I do what I want!Also alphabetically~ Also I can untag ya’ll if you want XD

@crispsauce datemate/beautifulfriend

@despondent-dulcet beautifulfriend

@galaga-senpai beautiful friend

Reapers-carino (too shy to tagthem properly) Awesome Overwatch writer

@silent-of-spirit beautiful friend/fantasticwriter

@trollfishprince beautiful friend

Xreader (also too shy to tag themproperly) Awsome Overwatch writer

56. Favourite colour?

Purple, specifically lavender

57. Favourite food?

Sushi, especiallythings with salmon or yellowtail

58. Last thing you ate?

Chicken Katsu

59. First thing you ate this morning?

Sweetbread thing I got at Daiso

60. Ever won a competition? For what?

Not on my own that I can recall.My group did win the skit competition at Jack and Jill’s teen conference in2011 I think it was.

61. Been suspended/expelled? For what?

Nope

62. Been arrested? For what?

Also nope

63. Ever been in love?

Several times. Tends notto work out.

64. Tell us the story of your first kiss?

I was at my first girlfriend’shouse and we were hanging out in her room talking on the phone with my other friend that Ihad a crush on and who would later become the boyfriend who told me he dated mebecause he felt sorry for me. We were teasing him about something and it endedup on the subject of kissing and in the middle of me talking about somethingshe just kind of leaned over and kissed me. It was nice. She tasted like thehomemade peach ice cream we’d had after dinner.

65. Are you hungry right now?

God no. I ate way too much today.

66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends?

The friends I have on tumblr arereal friends and I love them the same as anyone else~

67. Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook

68. Twitter or Tumblr?

Tumblr

69. Are you watching tv right now?

I have youtube on my tv in thebackground. I am not invested.

70. Names of your bestfriends?

Amber, Caitlyn, Julia,Calvin, Sheridan, Nafisa (it’s that same list of friends I’m sure don’t hateme.)

71. Craving something? What?

Emotional validation, a sense of purpose,milk tea.

72. What colour are your towels?

Many

72. How many pillows do you sleep with?

One head pillow one body pillow

73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?

Yes, Molly the bear and Ducky thepencil case duck.

74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have?

I’m gonna say 100. There’s atleast 30 in my room right now and then all the ones I ever had growing up invarious storage slots in this house and our house in the south.

75. Favourite animal?

Cows on land Jellyfish in the sea

76. What colour is your underwear?

Black with red trim and HelloKitty on my butt

77. Chocolate or Vanilla?

Vanilla

78. Favourite ice cream flavour?

Rose

79. What colour shirt are you wearing?

Grey with grey text

80. What colour pants?

Invisible (aka none)

81. Favourite tv show?

It’s between Gallivant and StevenUniverse

82. Favourite movie?

I’ve got a lot but Big Fish or Spyare probs at the top right now

83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2?

Mean Girls

84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street?

Hmmmm 21 Jump Street

85. Favourite character from Mean Girls?

Gretchen

86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo?

Bruce

87. First person you talked to today?

Michael

88. Last person you talked to today?

Mum

89. Name a person you hate?

Our present POTUS

90. Name a person you love?

My mum

91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now?

Our present POTUS

92. In a fight with someone?

Not that I’m aware of

93. How many sweatpants do you have?

Like six????

94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have?

At least 20

95. Last movie you watched?

Saw Kong Skull Island with mumlast Sunday. It was fun.

96. Favourite actress?

I really like Melissa McCarthy andalso Danai Gurira

97. Favourite actor?

Hugh Jackman and also Alan Rickman

98. Do you tan a lot?

Not on purpose but it happensevery summer without fail.

99. Have any pets?

My precious baby Simba!

100. How are you feeling?

Physically exhausted, mentallyfine

101. Do you type fast?

I’d like to think so

102. Do you regret anything from your past?

Most things.

103. Can you spell well?

Nope but spellcheck saves the day.

104. Do you miss anyone from your past?

Lots of people.

105. Ever been to a bonfire party?

At least three

106. Ever broken someone’s heart?

If I have they didn’t tell me

107. Have you ever been on a horse?

Only once but yes~

108. What should you be doing?

Drawing Mark’s character.

109. Is something irritating you right now?

Not really

110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt?

Several times.

111. Do you have trust issues?

Wasn’t this a question earlier? Ithink so. Check above and if not hit me up cx

112. Who was the last person you cried in front of?

Michael I think.

113. What was your childhood nickname?

Daddy called me Coolio because ofmy braids XD

114. Have you ever been out of your province/state?

Yeppers

115. Do you play the Wii?

Can’t find the damn wiimote butyes

116. Are you listening to music right now?

Nope, Markiplier

117. Do you like chicken noodle soup?

Who doesn’t???

118. Do you like Chinese food?

Yes~

119. Favourite book?

Triple tie between 1984, Brave NewWorld, and the Giver

120. Are you afraid of the dark?

Yes

121. Are you mean?

I try not to be. I hope not.

122. Is cheating ever okay?

Only in noncompetitive videogames, like using the motherload cheat in the Sims. Otherwise don’t do it.

123. Can you keep white shoes clean?

Jesus no, I’m the family disgrace.

124. Do you believe in love at first sight?

Lust maybe but love takes time

125. Do you believe in true love?

Indeed I do. Though I also believeit’s not limited to one person.

126. Are you currently bored?

Nah, pretty entertained by doingthis whole thing.

127. What makes you happy?

My friends, dragon age, my cat,music, anime, rooster teeth, video games, writing, tasty food

128. Would you change your name?

Nah, I like the name my parentspicked for me~

129. What your zodiac sign?

Virgo but I was supposed to be a Capricorn

130. Do you like subway?

Like the sub shop? I don’t gothere on my own but if someone brings me food from there I’ll eat it. If youmean subway trains I like Bart (bay area rapid transit for anyone who doesn’tknow) just fine. Though I often consider how dirty everything probably is.

131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?

That would probably be Calvin?? We’vealready determined that we’re too much like siblings to ever date and I don’tthink that feeling will change on my end at least so I’d probably let him knowthat and hopefully continue things as usual. No use in making things weird.

132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?

Once again I’m pretty sure Ianswered this already??? Deja’vu??? How do you spell that?

133. Favourite lyrics right now?

We are one of a kind irreplaceable

How did I get so blind and socynical

If there’s love in this life we’reunstoppable

No we can’t be defeated

Waiting for Love - Avicii

134. Can you count to one million?

I do not have the patience but Iprobably have the ability.

135. Dumbest lie you ever told?

I told my mom the cat broke thehorn on her tiny unicorn statue when there was literally no way the cat couldhave reached it or broken it in the way I did.

136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed?

Open a crack for the cat or elsehe cries and pulls at the carpet

137. How tall are you?

5’4

138. Curly or Straight hair?

Mine is curly I like either onothers.

139. Brunette or Blonde?

Mine’s brown black I also likeeither on others.

140. Summer or Winter?

Summer forever please.

141. Night or Day?

Give me day, eternal light!

142. Favourite month

February has my favorite holidaybut I think I’ll go with July because weather.

143. Are you a vegetarian?

Nope, tried once and that’s how Ifound out I’m anemic.

144. Dark, milk or white chocolate?

White, dark, milk in that order.

145. Tea or Coffee?

Tea, coffee gives me tummy achesand anxiety

146. Was today a good day?

I think so, yes~

147. Mars or Snickers?

Snickers, even though I’m mildly allergicto peanuts.

148. What’s your favourite quote?

That’s a good ass question. Ithink I’ll go with:

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goeson.” Robert Frost

149. Do you believe in ghosts?

Yep

150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the firstline

“And he said unto them, Let theLord be so with you as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; forevil is before you.” Exodus 11:10

Ho shit, done! Congrats if you made it through this behemoth, you now know a bunch of useless things about me XD

#ask oso #ask meme #i can't believe I answered all 150 questions #add one more and I've got the original pokedex #this was actually pretty fun #about me #about oso

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kubo-is-a-goddess · 7 years

Text

CASTLE ON THE HILL

In case you don't know, my name is Sophie. Instead of shit posting and reposting stuff, I'm gonna post some of my actual stuff on here. Lately I've been writing a four part songfic short in wattpad. And I AN idea came up that maybe I should post the first part here? I'm so bad at notes so I'll just cut it short. This isn't fully edited yet and they're all pretty confusing. Just ignore the imperfections that are on here and read the story. I just wanna know how this story will impact readers. If people like it, then I'll continue. But if they don,t then I'll stop. Anyway here it is for reals now. CASTLE ON THE HILL "Are you sure you're going to be alright here by yourself?" I asked my girlfriend as I held her shoulder from behind her as she was sitting on the couch by herself. Oddly she was tense. "Uh huh." She nodded as she kissed my cheek then rubbed the lipstick off from it. "I will. Sheesh. You'll be late!" "Right right!" I say laughing, but she didn't return it. I frown and head towards that door. "Bye love." "You too!" She replied back and that made me smile. Today was a special day since I was going back home to attend a reunion back in Wales. It's been so long since I've last been in Wales. I moved to Paris to study law and I haven't been able to go back due to my busy schedules. When I got a job here I became busier and had no time at all. I felt really bad for my girlfriend, Manoi, too since I barely had time with her. I get to have breaks from time to time, but it was for short periods of time. And now my boss actually let me have a day off for three days which was a perfect time mum and dad to hold a family reunion. I was out in the street and I hailed a cab, and I was on my way to the airport. "Where to?" The cab driver said in French. "The airport please." I replied back. Then I checked my pocket for my phone and it wasn't there. "Oh hold on! I forgot my phone." "Sure thing." The cab driver said in a slight irritated tone. I stepped out of the cab and hurried my way back to the apartment. I basically ran my way up there and when I got there I opened the door. "Hey Manoi have you see—" I cut myself off when I saw her half naked on the couch, except another man was on top of her. "ASA!" She exclaimed, not doing a thing and the man (also half naked) just looked at me. I was frozen in shock and unable to compensate the horrid scene in front of me. My legs were stuck it's place and my eyes could barely dart away. "I thought you were at the airport!?" She said in a shocked and irritated tone. *Oh wow. Weren't you supposed to say 'I can explain!' Or something?' Unfortunately I couldn't get any words out of my mouth. I finally had control over my body and looked at the table that was beside the door and there I saw my phone. "Goodbye Manoi." I forced myself before slamming the door shut. I looked down, tears forcing it's way out. I clenched my fist out of anger until I couldn't take it and eventually just punched the door, leaving a whole. When I pulled out my hand, I saw Manoi's shocked and angered expression. I paled and then just stormed off. I made my way back to the street and I was so glad that the cab was still there. I half expected Manoi to go after to me. But when she didn't, I realized how much she didn,t really care for me. "Drive." I said in a stern voice and he did. I bet he saw my teary eyes face and just didn't talk. A few hours later due to goddamn traffic, I made it to the airport. I took my luggage from the trunk and hurried my way to the boarding area. *shit!* I almost missed my flight! A few minutes of checking and I finally boarded the plane. There I found my seat and took lots of deep breaths. *I haven't listened to music since forever.* I pulled out my phone and opened my Spotify. I remembered I had a premium because I gifted Manoi a premium for her birthday. She said she wanted to be able to listen to music while she worked in the office. She wanted to play a playlist she made just for the two us. I made my own Spotify account and she used mine too, but since she played music often, I gave her way and didn't listen to that much music. I saw the playlist named "OURS ❤️️❤️️." I went to the main settings in the website and logged out my Spotify and then changed my password so that she won't be able to log in. I went back to the app eventually and deleted the stupid playlist she made for us. I went through my old playlist that I listened to when I was still in law school. It consisted mostly of Nirvana. I played it and what came up was "All Apologies" by Nirvana in their "In Utero" album. Then I went to my photo's and deleted thousands of my pictures that consisted of us together. Tears where streaming down face and I wiped away furiously. I did that for a good amount of time until my eyes hurt and I fell asleep. *** "Monsieur" A muffled voice went through my ears. "Monsieur!" Then suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder startling me. I looked around and then I saw a flight attendant who wore an impatient and worried face. "It's time to get off the plane now, Monsieur." She said in a heavily accented voice. "Bien sûr..." I said shifting on my seat. "Merci." "Pas de quoi." The Attendant smiled and walked off. I looked back to see if she looked annoyed or anything, but she just went on and woke up all the other passenger who fell asleep during the landing. I stood up and got my luggage south of the carrier and went on. *** I took a cab to my house which was near the castle on the hill. As I watched the rolling fields, I see how much everything changed yet they stayed in the same place. *I wonder if it's the same with my family.* I got a call from my mom and instantly I answered it. "Hello." I say as welcoming possible. "Asa, deary!" Mum rambled. "I would've called while you were readying or boarding, but the signal is really bad here! How are you, darling? Did you land safe?" "Yes mum I did." I laughed. Her voice deafening. "In fact I'm on cab going there to the house now." "Oh that's great dear!" She practically shouted. "Your brother's and relatives are excited to see you!" "Mum, don't shout at the phone, I can hear you perfectly." I laughed again. Well I couldn't get mad at her I just got here. "Oh! I'm sorry dear, I couldn't get my way around this telephone thing." She said her voice lower this time. "Was I shouting again?" "No mum, you're good." "Oh that's splendid!" And she started shouting again. I decided to just suck it up. "By the way! The phone I'm using right now is the phone you bought me actually." "Really, mum? Well... do you like it?" I asked as I shifted in my seat, then suddenly the car jumped making me hit my head on the front seat. This means we're near. "Sorry, chap." The driver said and I just smiled painfully while rubbing my head. "It's wonderful darling! Although there are some problems that I can't get my way through." She kept on rambling. "Dear... maybe I'll show it to you when you arrive." "Actually, mum, I'm almost there, just a couple more blocks." I smiled, even those she can't see. "Really? I'm so excited! I can't wait to see my Asa boy at my door!" I could sense the smile in her voice. "Oh dear... I should probably hang up then since I want to talk to you in person!" "Alright, mum." I laughed. "I love you dear!" "Love you too, mum." Then I hung up. The car started to slow down and pull up right at our house. Our house was quite simple and yet quiet old as well. It had a second floor and at least eight windows; it was made with old cement and stone and the roof was an orangey-red clay tile roof, the house used to be pristine in condition, but the sides seem to have grown some ivy growing on the wall. It wasn't much of a problem since it won't go through the walls, although it looks nice, I should probably help mum and dad trim them down. The car started to slow down and pull up right at our house. Our house was quite simple and yet quiet old as well. It had a second floor and at least eight windows; it was made with old cement and stone and the roof was an orangey-red clay tile roof, the house used to be pristine in condition, but the sides seem to have grown some ivy growing on the wall. It wasn't much of a problem since it won't go through the walls, although it looks nice, I should probably help mum and dad trim them down. I made it to the door but before I could even knock, the door flew open and mum greeted me with a big proud sigh and a big hug. "Asa, dear!" She beamed while she squeezed me then let go to have a look. "My goodness! Look how handsome you became!" "And look how beautiful my mother stayed." I complimented and she raised her eyebrow. "Of course!" She joked and made a model pose. "I've worked all these years so that I'm kept on shape you know!" Then she let out her famous cackling laugh while slight slapping my arm. "63 years old and I'm still young!" She saw my bags and let out a deep smiling sigh. "Do you need help with those dear?" "No, thank you, mum. I've got it." I said with a smile. "Right! You're a man now, you have muscle." Then she let out another cackling laugh and went inside. "Alright Asa, meet everyone." I followed suit and in a blink of an eye, I was swarmed with a sea of relatives and cousins and friends I haven't seen in years. Everyone greeted me accordingly and some seemed forced and not caring but some who really knew me and watched me grow up were excited and were surprised by how much I've grown. It was nice to have this much warmth around me when I saw my girlfriend about to have sex with someone else on my couch yesterday. Mostly the cousins greeted me first then came my brothers. The eldest, Jerry, came up and noggied me down. "Looks like you're not a shorty anymore Asa!" He laughed as I struggled from his grip. "Great to see—" I wiggled away from his grasped and fixed my jacket. "—you too, Jerry." Then the second eldest, William, who also came a long way, greeted me in a orderly manner. "Nice to see you again, Ace." He said as she shook my hand and pulled me into a quick hug. "Nice to see you too, Will." I greeted. "How is it in Russia, by the way?" "Really cold and not enough sun." He laughed, I laughed too. "It's great to be home. The weather is much worse there than here. I like the suit by the way." I looked down at myself and I didn't realize that I was wearing my work clothes. "Oh, yeah, um..." "Did you come from the court or something?" He asked jokingly and lightly punched my arm. "Kidding. It's great you're here." "Alright, William, it's my turn!" I recognized that pushy voice from anywhere. "Would you mind waiting till we end our conversation?" William complained looking back at our one and only sister. "Well, I say your conversation has ended." Sophie had said to William and he rolled his eyes in return. Sophie stuck her tongue out then turn to me with wide arms. "Asa!" "Is that my big sister?" I said also with open arms. "Of course it is!" She shouted jokingly. "Oh! And look!" She showed off her hand right on her ring finger was a gleaming ring with a diamond on it. "I'M GETTING MARRIED!" "Sophia! I'm so happy for you!" I exclaimed and brought her into a big hug. "How long have you been engaged?" "About three months already." She smiled a wide and toothy smile. Her eyes seemed to sparkle and she glowed. *At least she's happy.* "Who's the lucky guy?" I asked some more, then a guy with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes; he had a prominent jawline and was as tall as I am. He stood beside Sophie and then put an arm around her. "That..." He looked at my sister with a proud and very in love smile. Sophie returned the look and seemed like she was eager to kiss him on the cheek. "...Would be me. I'm Thomas, it's great to finally meet you." He looked back at me and extended an arm. I took it gladly. "Asa." I said plainly, presenting a warm smile. "Of course, Sophie here kept talking about you since she heard news about you staying for three days." Upon him saying that, my eyebrows were raised as I was curious to how much information she had shared to her fiancé. Sophie and laughed. "Don't worry, Ace! I didn't tell him about the time you got stuck on the toilet when you were seven." Then she gave an evil smile. "Sophie!" I exclaimed in embarrassment. So that was all my siblings, I, landing in the category as the youngest amongst all. Our conversation went on, but in the end I stood silent because of me constantly zoning out. It was hard to feel completely happy and active when a picture of your ex cheating on you stuck to your head. I remember the first time Manoi met my parents. I invited mum and dad to Paris and we had dinner together in our apartment. My parents stayed in Paris for three days as well. I was supposed to bring them sight seeing, but I had to go to court that time so I asked Manoi to bring them sight seeing. After that I didn't even get to say goodbye or bring them back to the airport. I would like to know what happened...

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iwillnotchangemymind · 7 years

Text

Get To Know Me Questions

1. What is your full name?

Julia .......... . I don’t wanna write my full name out :(

2. What is your nickname?

Ju or Jul

3. What is your zodiac sign?

Scorpio

4. What is your favorite book series?

Harry Potter, Throne of glass and TID.

5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts?

NO ghosts, but aliens.

6. Who is your favorite author?

John Green

7. What is your favorite radio station?

RIX FM

8. What is your favorite flavor of anything?

Chocolate

9. What word would you use often to describe something great or wonderful?

lovely

10. What is your current favorite song?

Heaven - Troye Sivan

11. What is your favorite word?

Härligt

12. What was the last song you listened to?

Easy for u - Valentina

13. What TV show would you recommend for everybody to watch?

Sherlock!!!

14. What is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down?

The lion king

15. Do you play video games?’

nahh

16. What is your biggest fear?

Isolation

17. What is your best quality, in your opinion?

Listening, I listen and understand.

18. What is your worst quality, in your opinion?

I’m really really stubborn :/

19. Do you like cats or dogs better?

Dogs

20. What is your favorite season?

of what show? sorry... Summer :)

21. Are you in a relationship?

22. What is something you miss from your childhood?

Not having responsibilities

23. Who is your best friend?

Her name is Ebba, she’s the one I an rant to about anything and laugh about everything with.

24. What is your eye color?

Green/gray kind of

25. What is your hair color?

dark blond

26. Who is someone you love?

My mother

27. Who is someone you trust?

My best friend :)

28. Who is someone you think about often?

Rupert Grint, does anyone know what he’s up to?

29. Are you currently excited about/for something?

Jacob Bixenman :))))

30. What is your biggest obsession?

BOOKS!

31. What was your favorite TV show as a child?

Bolibompa

32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone?

My father

33. Are you superstitious?

34. Do you have any unusual phobias?

I am really terrified of arm-wrestling. Uhh I really really hate it!

35. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it?

Behind

36. What is your favorite hobby?

Reading :)

37. What was the last book you read?

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

38. What was the last movie you watched?

The circle

39. What musical instruments do you play, if any?

Bass

40. What is your favorite animal?

Birds

41. What are your top 5 favorite Tumblr blogs that you follow?

Ohh noo, way too hard!

42. What superpower do you wish you had?

I wanna be able to fly!

43. When and where do you feel most at peace?

At home at night, or at practice with my friends.

44. What makes you smile?

My friends

45. What sports do you play, if any?

Uhm, I do circus? and gymnastics

46. What is your favorite drink?

oh’boy!

47. When was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody?

Today! I wrote a happy-birthday card today.

48. Are you afraid of heights?

No, I’m afraid of falling. Ugh, cliche :/

49. What is your biggest pet peeve?

Biting my nails...

50. Have you ever been to a concert?

Oh yes! the last one was Troye Sivan’s. I really loved it!

51. Are you vegan/vegetarian?

Only sometimes, like, for breakfast.

52. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A pink cat princess

53. What fictional world would you like to live in?

J.K Rowling’s, I wanna live in a world of magic

54. What is something you worry about?

My grades, the people at school, my depressed friend, my old grand-parents and me, I’m worried about me.

55. Are you scared of the dark?

No, I like the dark. I like to be out at night. It gives the world some perspective.

56. Do you like to sing?

57. Have you ever skipped school?

yes... I went on a train and did not come back until after that week-end :)

58. What is your favorite place on the planet?

My room

59. Where would you like to live?

In England, lose to Hyde park.

60. Do you have any pets?

No :(

61. Are you more of an early bird or a night owl?

Noght owl, I’m writing this at 2 am

62. Do you like sunrises or sunsets better?

Sunrises, but I only ever see them in winter when the sun rises late.

63. Do you know how to drive?

Not yes!

64. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones?

Headphones

65. Have you ever had braces?

66. What is your favorite genre of music?

Pop/dream pop

67. Who is your hero?

My old teacher

68. Do you read comic books?

No, not really

69. What makes you the most angry?

Humans

70. Do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book?

A real book. I wanna smell and feel the paper!

71. What is your favorite subject in school?

Right now it’s Swedish, it used to be History but now we have a new teacher...

72. Do you have any siblings?

An older brother

73. What was the last thing you bought?

A sandwich

74. How tall are you?

165cm

75. Can you cook?

Pretty good

76. What are three things that you love?

Food, reading and to work on projects!

77. What are three things that you hate?

Humans, people and some classmates

78. Do you have more female friends or more male friends?

Female

79. What is your sexual orientation?

I don’t know, nothing or everything

80. Where do you currently live?

Just outside Gothenburg, Sweden

81. Who was the last person you texted?

A friend, she sent me a meme about Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

82. When was the last time you cried?

Like the last time I did math

83. Who is your favorite YouTuber?

John Green

84. Do you like to take selfies?

Yeah, kind of

85. What is your favorite app?

Instagram

86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like?

Pretty close, but I still don’t wanna talk about awkward stuff with them

87. What is your favorite foreign accent?

Scottish, tho it’s hard too understand

88. What is a place that you’ve never been to, but you want to visit?

Paris

89. What is your favorite number?

90. Can you juggle?

Yes

91. Are you religious?

God no.

92. Do you find outer space of the deep ocean to be more interesting?

Outer space, but both are terrifying

93. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil?

No, sometimes maybe

94. Are you allergic to anything?

Nopp

95. Can you curl your tongue?

Yes

96. Can you wiggle your ears?

97. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something?

Almost never, ugh I hate it and I know i’m bad for that

98. Do you prefer the forest or the beach?

The beach

99. What is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you?

Point your toes

100. Are you a good liar?

Yes

101. What is your Hogwarts House?

I’m a proud Gryffindor

102. Do you talk to yourself?

Yepp, I mean who will read this?

103. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Introvert :/

104. Do you keep a journal/diary?

no, I should tho

105. Do you believe in second chances?

Yes, for some people

106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do?

See what was in it, if there is a license or ID I would just contact the person.

107. Do you believe that people are capable of change?

Yes, I’ve seen my friends turn in to other persons.

108. Are you ticklish?

Ughh yes

109. Have you ever been on a plane?

Yepp

110. Do you have any piercings?

No, only earrings. Maybe I should get a nosering?

111. What fictional character do you wish was real?

William Herondale and Jace Herondale/Lightwood/Wayland.

112. Do you have any tattoos?

Nopp

113. What is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far?

I don’t know, it’s a difficult question.

114. Do you believe in karma?

Barley

115. Do you wear glasses or contacts?

No, I would like too own a pair of stylish glasses.

116. Do you want children?

Not right now

117. Who is the smartest person you know?

My friend Vera, she has good grades and she knows how people work...

118. What is your most embarrassing memory?

Ohh god, I can’t! Al those embarrassing memories! Recently a hot boy commented on a privet conversation and we just ...XD... Noop awkward

119. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter?

Not really but kind of, on a school night we went to a midnight premier on the cinema.

120. What color are most of you clothes?

Blue/gray

121. Do you like adventures?

Yes!!

122. Have you ever been on TV?

I have! I were once in a commercial for a new Arena.

123. How old are you?

124. What is your favorite quote?

“Did Brother Zachariah just steal our cat?“ - Cassandra Clare, City of Heavenly fire.

125. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods?

sweet

#get to know me

1 note · View note

jindoelf · 4 years

Text

191106 LYSN chat -Hyuk

Hyukjae's chatting event thread- random & INCOMPLETE:

********

Hyukjae has gone missing for a while ..

Chat messages from 3:40pm~

(Incomplete and random again)

-while getting treatment but I have to do pilates. Everyone, dont you have work?"

Some fans answered theyre on leave/half day off so he was like "because of this??? Dont lie kekeke."

"Who said (she) resigned kekeke"

"Ok so what should we talk about now. What are you curious of?"-

Re earrings- he said that he got some ear --

-- infection so he wont be wearing them for a while.

- (concerts) next year. As for SJ, he already has a lot of (ideas) in mind- things that he wants to do. And said that above all, the most important thing is that the fans get to enjoy (the show).

Re birthday party- he said that he'll do it but they have to see the schedule first-

(thepoppedcherry)

2 notes · View notes

topicprinter · 5 years

Link

Hey - Pat from StarterStory.com here with another interview.Today's interview is with Mack McConnell of Taster’s Club, a brand that sells craft spirits enthusiast membership.Some stats:Product: Craft spirits enthusiast membership.Revenue/mo: $270,000Started: October 2012Location: Brooklyn, NYFounders: 1Employees: 3Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?Hey! I’m Mack McConnell, founder of Taster’s Club, a subscription service for people who are curious to learn about and taste amazing craft spirits. Each month we send our members the most interesting spirits we can get our hands on and teach them all about it.We originally started with just whiskey, but we’ve since expanded into 12 different tracks: whiskey, bourbon, scotch, tequila, rum, gin, vodka, wine or “stock the bar” (includes all the above). Regardless of what track a member chooses, what makes us special is not only that we source the best stuff from under-represented, amazing craft distillers across the world, but that we teach our members all about these spirits to give them the 360° experience of what they’re drinking.I started Taster’s Club back in 2012, alone, from my room in San Francisco. I’ll never forget the feeling of getting that first subscriber, realizing that this idea might have legs. We’ve been lucky to have grown to share what we do with more and more people.The business has come so far but we still run a very lean team comprised of independent contractors (equivalent of 3 full-timers) and we’re doing about $270K/month in revenue. We’re just excited to keep doing what we love, sharing what we love with anyone who will give it a try.imageWhat's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?Back in 2012, I was living in San Francisco, working at a big tech company and got the bug to launch a business that aligns with my passions. At the same time, I was getting fascinated with craft spirits from across the world and also became obsessed with reading and learning about them.As I kept on buying/trying new stuff, it became obvious that the process of discovering spirits is old and boring; most people go to the store and probably pick out whatever it is they had last (or, even worse, something they saw a commercial for!). I wanted to create a way for people to get spirits that was more exciting, convenient and encourages discovery. I was getting stoked about this stuff and I wanted to bring people along with me.Taster’s Club got its first subscriber in its first month; I was thrilled. I knew what I was trying to do might have legs but had to do it as a side-hustle. I moved to Paris, was working as a developer at a startup and was able to quit and work on it full-time around Taster’s Club’s first birthday.This was mostly possible at the time because I was a bit of a swiss army knife, able to do most things on my own (web/app development, operations, design, operations, sales, marketing, negotiating with suppliers, etc..), except warehousing/shipping.Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.Because alcohol is so heavily regulated, we had no choice but to work with third party, licensed warehouse/shippers to work within certain states, which conveniently answered some key questions upfront (dropship or hold inventory?).We began with select shippers only in select states. We were able to find them simply by figuring out who the leading e-commerce sites were working with.Finding a reliable means of serving customers in all 50 states has been a challenge from the start. Shipping alcohol directly to consumers requires a special kind of business license, and in many cases requires you to have a unique license for each state you’d like to serve. The “strictness” of regulations also varies widely from state-to-state, which means that trying to fulfill orders at scale would be a tedious, manual process if we took everything on ourselves. This made the decision between self-fulfillment and drop-shipping very simple.It was going to be prohibitively complicated and expensive to fulfill orders ourselves within the boundaries of the law, so we decided to work with third party vendors who were already licensed, insured, and willing to order, hold, and ship products on our behalf.To find these partners, we researched the current e-commerce sites that were delivering alcohol to their customers and reverse-engineered which states they were shipping to and how they were fulfilling orders.( Note: These sites were basically online catalogs where customers could buy one-off bottles, not a subscription model like we had in mind.)We started with one or two fulfillment partners and just a handful of “states served” and then expanded out as our revenue and customer base grew. As our transaction volume increased, so did our likelihood of landing new partnerships and getting more beneficial pricing terms.We had some of the early challenges were around consistency of customer experience and planning. We were essentially responsible for the customer experience, but it was being administered by various, distributed retailers. For example, sometimes the bottle we needed would be available at retailer A, but we needed it at retailer B, etc.. Or we would run out of our custom boxes (which were expensive when we were small!) at one retailer but didn’t plan properly at the other because of unplanned demand. We just didn’t have the resources to handle the complexity (was just me back then!), so our solution was just to put all customers on one monthly schedule, so everyone would get shipments on the same day every month, even if that means waiting 3 weeks to get your first shipment. It serendipitously worked out: customers didn’t mind, I were able to plan inventory more intelligently and focus on growing the business.Bottles broken in transit, late arrivals, missed delivery attempts (signature required for shipment!), etc. are part of the struggle. Every “fire” requires extra effort to put out because we have to be the middleman between the customer and the retailer operating behind the scenes.The bottles we were sending members early on were easy to choose because – being a huge spirits fan – I just took people through a list of my personal favorites. Making the educational material that accompanied each bottle was cinch because most of it was stuff I (being a spirits geek) already knew. Remember, I was really just making a service that I would have wanted to find a year prior.Describe the process of launching the business.imageOur first website was based off a Wordpress template built for restaurant menus I was able to sort of edit to look close enough to what I imagined, making plenty of design sacrifices to launch fast and on the cheap.A happy accident was that because we had to work with distributed retailers, we were able to make it so we didn’t need to buy product upfront, just according to orders that came in. So, the business literally required no capital to start, aside from the cost of the URL and Wordpress template. The business has continued that way, funded from its own profit.An important lesson I learned is that launching fast and lean was important because it allowed us to be the first to market (now there’s over 50 alcohol-related subscription services), let us define the category and gave important early lessons.Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?What really worked for us is to stick to our mission: getting people excited about craft spirits. Just like any business, we made a million small decisions along the way, and to our credit, I think we did a good job at staying focused on the impact we were trying to bring to our members.With respect to growth , we’ve found some success with paid advertising, social media, content marketing, and email.Our general recommendation is to segment your audience and speak directly to their specific needs/interests. You might be surprised to learn that vodka aficionados are very different from whiskey connoisseurs in both language and behavior. Tailoring our message to specific audiences has dramatically increased engagement.Some of the segments we have created include: club type (Ex: whiskey, vodka, rum, etc.), active members, past members, self-purchasers, gift givers, gift recipients, non-members, new members (first 45 days), and recently cancelled members (last 7 days).We also have the ability to create new segments on the fly using information stored in our member database. For example, if there is a snowstorm forecasted to pummel the Northeast, we can pull all active members in the affected states and let them know that their shipment will likely be delayed due to inclement weather.Customer segmentation is a huge advantage for us because it allows us to personalize our email marketing to address the specific context and needs of an individual member. Where most ecommerce stores would just push out an “email blast” to their entire list around Christmas, we’re able to say something like this instead:“Hey John* ,*Christmas is right around the corner...can you believe it?!Last year you bought Jane Smith* a* 6-month subscription* to our* Whiskey of the Month* club. It looks like the subscription ran out in June, but we thought she might have loved it so much that she would enjoy getting it again this year.*If you’re still looking for the perfect gift, we’ve got an active promotion going on that will save you $15 off your first bottle when you start or renew a gift subscription.Interested? Click here to cross Jane* off your Christmas list.”*Each of those bolded phrases is an area that can be automatically tailored to the recipient based on the information we have in our customer database. That means we write a single email template and our marketing software does all of the personalization for us.Now, which campaign do you think gets more opens, click, and conversions? The generic “shotgun blast” email template that delivers the same message to everybody or the highly targeted, timely, contextual pitches that we’re using?HINT: It’s not the first one.Another recent win for us was layering in an abandoned cart sequence. It took half a day to set up, gets a 43% open rate and almost a 5% conversion rate. Free money!By far, our best growth tactic is providing an outstanding customer experience, from the order process to receiving their first bottle to the unlikely event of needing to contact support. Word of mouth referrals are extremely powerful and we earn them every day by going above and beyond for our members.The bulk of our traffic comes from organic search, which is the result of years of just “showing up,” building relationships, and publishing great content that people in our target audience actually want to read and share. Thanks to our content strategy and our PR efforts, we hold the top rank(s) for several high traffic keywords that have a specific purchase intent, which means that we get a fair amount of qualified site visitors that actually have a strong likelihood of converting to members.We also get a substantial amount of traffic from high profile referral sources like Esquire Magazine, The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, and Whiskey Advocate. This is often a spotlight feature of our product offering or inclusion in a “Best Gifts for _____” piece. The latter is an especially nice opportunity, because most publications will update these from year-to-year and carry over the best ideas, so we end up seeing a regular bump in traffic around the same time each year.Paid advertising (search and social media) rounds out our biggest traffic sources, but it’s a much smaller piece of the pie. We don’t typically invest a lot in advertising outside of holiday seasons and special events, because we haven’t needed the extra boost.To make sure that our traffic continues to increase year over year, we’re doubling down on the things that are working (Ex: blogging, on-page optimization, and PR) while also exploring new channels like influencer marketing, sponsorships, and affiliate programs.With respect to retention , our focus on the customer experience helps with that as well. Our members renew their subscriptions at a high rate because we prioritize reliable service and helpful support every step of the way.We have also tried to turn new members into repeat purchasers by launching a members-only bottle shop where they can buy additional bottles of their favorite past selections. These one-off sales are a growing part of our total revenue and help us liquidate any excess inventory.Finally, we try to layer in stories and real-world experiences wherever possible. We publish spotlights of featured distilleries and do a deep dive into their history and processes. Here are a few examples we published for Cotswolds Distillery, Cleveland Whiskey, and Laws Whiskey House.When customers get to know the people behind the product, whether that’s Taster’s Club itself or the producers of the spirits we select, there is a natural connection that starts to form and makes them less likely to churn.How are you doing today and what does the future look like?We’re profitable and 100% of our sales are done through our online store.We serve thousands of members each month in every state except Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Utah.We start processing orders on the 1st of the month and have an internal goal of getting everyone a “bottle in hand” by the 15th of the month.We have a team comprised of marketing, member happiness, operations, and editorial staff. James Sowers is running the company these days and is doing an amazing job.We recently launched a new wine club just in time for Mother’s Day 2019 (LINK) and have a list of other clubs/regions we’d like to grow into over the long term.Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?We really benefited from a couple of intersecting trends when we were getting started: subscription services and craft spirits. We were really in the right place at the right time.Regarding partnerships, one of the best decisions we’ve made is to partner with the craft distillers we love most. We’ve been able to make countless collaborations with distilleries, so Taster’s Club members often get bottles that are only available through our club. It’s been a great source of acquisition for people to know that we are the only places some of these collaboration releases are available.A lesson I learned was not building a robust team fast enough. We eventually got there, but it took me a few years when we frankly could have done it sooner. In the meantime, I was driving myself crazy doing everything from web development to customer service to sales to operations. I frankly had a lot of burnout around year 4 I had to recover from. It was such a game changer for the business when we hired Andrew, our amazing Director of Operations.What platform/tools do you use for your business?Website: Custom, Ruby on RailsMember Shop: Shopify, Back In StockBlog: WordpressPayments/Subscription Management: StripeOrder/Inventory Management: MailParserEmail Marketing: Customer.ioReferral Campaign: iReferSocial Media: RecurpostPayment Recovery:** **ProfitWell RetainCustomer Support: HelpScoutCustomer Happiness: AskNicelyProcess Automation: ZapierWhat have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?My mom is my biggest single inspiration in entrepreneurship. I’ve watched her do some amazing stuff, most recently found and run her non-profit Let It Be Us to increase adoption in the foster care population in Illinois.She taught me to do things that are important and to stay focused on them. Aside from her I try to surround myself with people that inspire me and can act as a sounding board, entrepreneurs and people with other diverse experiences.Other than people, my favorite book for entrepreneurs is The Four Steps to the Epiphany, which helps demystify the process of finding product market fit.Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?Do the thing you can’t stop thinking about.Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.Have separation between you and your project. If it fails, it doesn’t mean you failed. This is the mindset that makes it easy to try again.Even under tight constraints (day job, family etc…) don’t underestimate the impact of focused, continuous work, even done a little at a time, every night for a year.Where can we go to learn more?TastersClub.comFacebook.com/tastersclubtwitter.com/tastersclubhttps://www.instagram.com/tastersclub/If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!Liked this text interview? Check out the full interview with photos, tools, books, and other data.For more interviews, check out r/starter_story - I post new stories there daily.Interested in sharing your own story? Send me a PM

#/r/entrepreneur #reddit

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