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#this is super specific so I don’t expect a lot of notes but if you know you know
the-boy-meets-evil · 4 months
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a new home for the holidays | ljh
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(where you can't go home for the holidays and end up having a much better christmas than you expect.)
pairing: jihoon (woozi) x afab!reader genre: acquaintances to lovers, christmas!au | fluff & smut rating: explicit word count: 10.5k warnings: lots of mentions of christmas (including decorating, family, cooking, etc.), if the holidays are too much please skip this, mentions of family issues, reader can't go home for the holidays (and they actually like christmas), no gendered pronouns used for reader, mentions of past death (family member woozi mentions), woozi owns the house where reader rents a room but there are no power dynamics, explicit and implied smut, woozi is kinda grumpy, reader is super bummed about christmas, woozi ends up being a secret softie smut warnings: lots of kissing, thigh riding, nipple play, marking if you squint, slight begging, two ass slaps, oral (reader rec.), fingering (reader receiving), overstimulation, squirting, briefest handjob, unprotected sex (don't do this), implied aftercare, implied morning after sex
author's note: this is for @k-vanity's 25 tips for surviving the holidays and the final prompt is christmas. i don't really have anything to say for myself. this is not what i'm supposed to be writing and it kinda just happened. merry christmas (if you celebrate) and happy holidays. i've already had christmas dinner, so if you see any mistakes, blame it on the drinks.
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The holidays are your favorite time of year. Always have been. Nothing has really changed over the years. You moved away for work and fell in love with a new city. Now you just get to have twice the holiday cheer. You decorate your space in the house you live in with friends (and the grumpy house owner who’s resisted most of your attempts to be friends). Then, you go back to visit family when it gets closer to Christmas. It’s been a really great system. You’re just as excited this year as every other year.
Until your plans change. It’s only the day before you’re supposed to fly back home when your dad calls to let you know that he and your mom are sick. They know that you have a lot of post-Christmas plans (New Years, school work, and even a trip) and they don’t want to risk getting you sick as well. They insist that you can still come back, if you want, but warn you that they’ll have to keep their distance. You spend a lot of time thinking about it (read: talk it over exhaustively with your closest friends) before deciding that you’re just going to stay put for the holidays. You can plan another time to catch up with your family and have a time-shifted Christmas. After all, you think of the holidays as more of a feeling than a specific date on the calendar. You can find something to keep you busy for the 25th.
A couple of your friends invite you to come and spend Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with them, but you decline. You appreciate the sentiment, and really consider it in at least one case, but it just doesn’t feel right. Your family has so many traditions that it feels weird to consider dropping in on someone else’s. Besides, you won’t be alone in the house. (Even if Jihoon, who owns the house and rents out rooms, isn't always the friendliest. And doesn’t seem to enjoy Christmas at all.)
It’s four days before Christmas. You’re sitting in the living room aimlessly scrolling through your phone while you wait for Jun and Minghao to come downstairs. The three of you were all supposed to be heading to the airport together today, but now you’re just going to be driving them so they don’t have to pay for a ride. A sound makes you look up before you realize it’s not nearly enough noise for Jun, who can’t seem to go anywhere without being too loud. Instead, Jihoon only nods at you before he settles into an armchair on the other side of the room with a book. After a few minutes, you hear the telltale giggles of one of your best friends as he rushes down the stairs. Jun is through the door first, followed by an exasperated Minghao. Nevertheless, you see the signs he’s trying to fight his smile. You stand to meet them at the doorway.
“Bestie,” Jun signsongs when he reaches you. Throws his arms around you for good measure. “Are you sure you don’t want to come?” 
“Jun, for the last time, we were supposed to leave for the airport 45 minutes ago,” Minghao sighs. “There wouldn’t be time to pack.”
“Details, we’ve got plenty of time,” Jun waves off. 
“And last minute plane tickets are insane,” Minghao adds. 
“Less insane with a travel credit,” Jun supplies, undeterred. 
“Jun, please, we really need to leave,” Minghao begs.
“Are you not going home?” Jihoon asks. He’s so quiet when he moves that you didn’t even hear him stand up to join your group.
“Oh, no, I guess I forgot to let you know,” you start. You didn’t. Jihoon scares you a little. He’s nice enough and he’s great as a landlord, if you can even call him that, but you’re not really friends. 
“You don’t have to let me know,” he huffs out.
“I decided not to go home this year. Both my parents are sick and I don’t want to catch it too, so we’re timeshifting the holidays,” you say. 
“So it’s just you two in the house for Christmas,” Jun says brightly as he throws an arm around Jihoon. “Take good care of my bestie, okay?” 
“It’s fine, Jihoon, I’m not expecting you to do anything with me,” you say before he can even open his mouth. 
“But…” Jun starts and you turn him around before he can finish.
“Come on, before we give Hao an aneurysm. Do you need help getting your stuff outside?” you ask. 
“Bless you,” Minghao mutters as you’re wrangling your best friend out of the house.
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Once you’re back at the house, all you want to do is lay in your bed. It was a lot of work to pretend everything was fine while taking Jun and Minghao to the airport. Traffic was bad getting back, so you didn’t really have it in you to break down. Now that you’re home and in your room, the tears don’t come. It’s not who you are. It sucks that you’re not going home for the holidays, but it’s still the holidays and you can still make the most of it. Maybe. Somehow. 
Somewhere in the house, you hear a door close loudly. Probably just Jihoon since everyone else has left. For a moment, you consider going downstairs to see what he’s up to. But, again, you’re not really friends. Moving seems like too much effort, anyway. You flop back onto your bed and get comfortable. Wait until you’re hungry to actually leave your room to find something to eat. You’re probably going to need more groceries before Christmas, because you still want to make some of your favorites, but you probably have enough for something to eat tonight. When you walk into the kitchen, you smell something delicious. There’s a big pot on the stove with the burner on beneath it. 
You’re just about to lift the lid when Jihoon comes back into the kitchen. “Leave it.” 
“Oh, sorry!” you gasp, surprised by his appearance and unsure of the tone.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says. “I just don’t wanna fuck it up.” 
“That’s a big pot of soup,” you say.
“Yeah, I figured you might be hungry,” he says, like it’s the most logical thing in the world.
“Oh!” you say. 
“I mean, I don’t know if you like Chicken Ramen soup, it’s a little spicy, but I like it around this time of year,” Jihoon says. He looks a bit awkward and unsure.
“That sounds really nice, actually,” you admit. “You don’t mind sharing?” 
“No, I wanted to share,” he assures you. “It’ll be done soon.”
With a nod, you go to sit down at the kitchen table. The silence isn’t totally comfortable, but it’s not uncomfortable either. Not exactly. This is already shaping up to be the most time you’ve spent alone with him, if you end up eating together. It makes you wonder more about him. He seems really focused as he cleans up around the kitchen. His black hair is the longest you can remember seeing it, falling around his face as he leans over. It’s almost soft to watch him brush it out of his face. 
As you’re sitting there waiting for the soup to finish, you realize that you don’t know much about him at all. Even though you’ve lived in this house almost two years, he’s still very much a mystery. You know that the house has been in the family for a long time and he was the only one who was willing to take the project of managing it on. Or that’s what you think he said once. Someone, maybe a cousin or friend or something, thought he was a bit crazy for renting rooms out like this. But, it’s a massive house and he’s single. (There are 6 bedrooms, all with attached bathrooms, multiple living rooms, and an office that he uses for himself. The house is paid off so the rent goes towards things like property taxes, maintenance plans, and anything else that comes up.) You know he also produces music, though you’ve never heard any of it. Not that anyone has, he’s very private and doesn’t even share what name he produces under. 
It’s clear when he brings each of you a bowl of soup that he’s expecting the food to do the talking for him. It’s cute and also puzzling at the same time. How does someone who wants to speak through something like making soup have a successful career as a producer? You shake the thought away and make conversation yourself. Most of what you get are short answers, but it’s something. And you definitely learn more about him. He deflects a little when you ask about his family, prefers to turn it around so you can talk about yours. Which you don’t really mind, even if it’s a little sad to think you won’t get to see them.
“Hey, I was thinking I might go and see about getting more decorations for the house tomorrow. Is that okay?” you ask when you’re finished eating.
“You really like Christmas, don’t you?” 
It’s not really an answer, which makes you look up to find something of a smile on his face. Maybe a little teasing behind the smile. “Yeah, I just really like the joy of it all.”
“I don’t mind. There also might be some stuff in the attic that I can pull out,” he says as he stands to clear the dishes. 
“That would be better than braving the crazies,” you say.
“Come on, I’ll show you how to get up there,” he says. Doesn’t even check if you’re following him before leaving the kitchen.
You scramble to your feet to catch up to him. Truthfully, you didn’t even know the house had an attic. It isn’t surprising. It’s an old house, but still. This is just another small thing that you feel like helps you better unwrap the mystery of Lee Jihoon. Upstairs, he opens the closet and pulls out a hook to unlatch a door in the ceiling just outside of Minghao’s room. Huh. You’ve never even noticed it, not that you’re outside this room often. To your further surprise, Jihoon flicks on a switch and then climbs up the ladder into the attic. Once again, you follow close behind him. 
There are a lot of boxes in the attic, mostly labeled with names or rooms or both. You figure they probably belong to relatives. Or maybe past renters. In any case, it seems best to not bother asking. Especially since he’s making a beeline to one corner. You fight the urge to laugh. So much for thinking there were decorations up here. By the way he walks, you can tell he knows exactly where they are. It’s worth it, though, because there are about a dozen boxes with garlands, ornaments, wreaths, and other various knickknacks. Jihoon asks which of the boxes you might want and sighs when you say you want to bring them all down. Doesn’t argue, though, just tells you how to help him get them down. Even helps you get some of them downstairs.
“Guess we might need a tree,” he sighs when you get the last box out of the attic.
“Oh, I can find a fake one at the store or something. It’s no big deal,” you mumble out.
“I have to take care of something in the morning, then we can go pick one out,” he says without looking at you.
“Really?” It comes out nearly as a squeak. 
He rolls his eyes, which might discourage you if you hadn’t also caught the faintest smile. “Yeah, we might as well with all this stuff out of the attic.” 
You distinctly hear him mumbling something about the damn Christmas spirit as he walks away, leaving you to happily sort through boxes. Hope can be dangerous, especially around the holidays when your plans are interrupted. But, you can’t help it. You feel a little spark of hope.
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The house is quiet when you wake up. It’s hard to tell if Jihoon is around or not until you peek out into where you all park to see that his truck is missing. When you first met him, the truck surprised you. It’s not really flashy, or even new, for that matter, just an old, vintage Chevy that’s in completely perfect condition. It’s probably older than either of you, but you’d never know by how it looks. The more you get to know this man, the more the truck makes sense.
With the house empty, you can listen to music as loud as you want. You connect your phone to the speaker and Christmas music carries throughout the house in moments. Coffee in hand, you set out to get some of the decorations up while it’s just you. But, even with the music and the decorations, you’re feeling a little empty again. It’s not the same to be doing this all by yourself. You know, at least on some level, that you’re not totally alone. There’s also Jihoon and he isn’t going anywhere for the holidays. But, he obviously doesn’t like Christmas much if the lack of decorations or tree are anything to go by. Maybe you’re just a burden on him too.
Your phone dings and you look around for a minute before you find it on the table. The surprise of who’s texting you makes you unlock your phone right away.
Jihoon: Finished early and actually found a tree that works when I was driving home Jihoon: I hope that’s okay. I didn’t want it to be gone
There’s no explanation for the tears you’re blinking away. It’s not about picking out the tree. That part of Christmas hasn’t ever been an important part to you. Ever since you moved away, your parents got one before you flew in anyway. No, it’s more to do with the little you know about Jihoon and that truck. It’s almost like his child. He’s so careful about it. Somehow, Jun has managed to at least get to the point of being friends with him. Then again, Jun can wear anyone down. But, through Jun, you know how particular Jihoon can be about his truck. You distinctly remember Jun saying he wasn’t allowed to eat or drink in it (not that unusual) and that he had to brush off his shoes before getting in to avoid the dirt (a lot more unusual, especially someplace it snows). It probably doesn’t mean anything. It’s probably just your emotions about the change of holiday plans taking over. But, you’re overwhelmed that he’d pick up a tree and use his own truck.
You: oh, yeah! thanks! You: let me know you’re here and i’ll come help
The tree that Jihoon shows up with is completely perfect. Even still wrapped, you can tell that it’s going to be full. And that you’re going to have to work a little harder to get the branches to fall by Christmas. Not only did Jihoon use his truck to bring a tree back, he also has several bags of stuff, including a tree stand. It makes you wonder what he actually had to do this morning. It isn’t until you have to bring the tree in that you wonder how the hell you’re going to lift it into the house. That is, until Jihoon reaches through the branches and lifts up the tree. You try not to watch the way his muscles tense under his shirt. Fail miserably, actually, but he doesn’t seem to notice. He calls for you from the living room to help him fasten the tree into place. It’s a good thing, too, because you don’t really need to be dwelling on whether the guy who’s basically your landlord is hot or not. 
Once the tree is up, he makes an excuse about needing to get some work done and disappears off to his studio. It had actually been really fun, even if it was short, to have Jihoon around and sharing in the space. It feels a little empty again. But, there’s still plenty of decorating to do. So you get to work. You’re hoping that somewhere in the process of decorating, it’ll start to feel a little more like Christmas. You consider calling Jun to answer his texts. Unfortunately, he knows your tones of voice better than you do. There’s no way you’ll be able to hide being sad. You can just fire off a couple quick texts to tell him about the tree and about how you’re decorating now. 
An hour later, you’re kind of ready to give up. It’s just not going to feel like Christmas. Not when the joy and the sense of togetherness are missing. The second that you hear footsteps on the stairs, you wipe your eyes. The last thing you want is for Jihoon to see you crying. If he can tell, he doesn’t comment. Doesn’t say anything, actually. Just puts two bags down and starts sorting through ornaments, both old and clearly new. It’s the smallest gesture, yet you don’t feel so alone anymore. 
“Do you want to listen to some music?” he finally asks to break the silence.
“Yeah, I can get a playlist,” you answer and reach for your phone.
“I have some, too. I’m not heartless,” he says with a chuckle.
“I never said…” you start, only to stop when he rests a hand on your arm.
“I was joking,” he says. 
You’re not trying to be nosy, but you see him scroll through a few playlists while he’s looking for holiday music. “What were those?” 
Jihoon looks up at you, confused, before looking back down at his phone. “Oh, nothing. Just stuff I’m working on.” 
“I’d love to hear that,” you admit.
“What? The stuff that’s not done?” he asks, abandoning his search for a playlist.
“Well, yeah, but I meant the stuff you have finished,” you say.
“Oh, um, I don’t usually share that. I like to keep that separate,” he says awkwardly.
“It’s fine, I totally get it,” you say, brushing off any disappointment, and return to your focus on sorting through ornaments. 
“Fuck it, sure. I’ll let you listen to some,” he says. Your head whips up with a beaming smile. And you have no way of knowing that it makes his heart stutter.
“Really?” you ask.
“Yeah, but if you hate them, don’t tell me,” he warns. 
You hold out your pinky as a promise. Jihoon grumbles under his breath for a second before linking his pinky through yours as a promise. He scrolls back to one of the earlier playlists, keeps the name hidden from you, and hits play. The first song immediately puts you in a good mood. It’s upbeat and happy, full of good life advice. Just the type of thing you need right now. One song flows into the next and you’re smiling without even realizing it, singing along to songs that you can’t believe you know. Can’t believe this quiet man has so much talent. Can’t believe he works on such popular songs and still lives a simple life in a shared house with roommates that are way too loud.
It’s him that starts the conversation up again, seemingly unable to stop himself from asking for your thoughts. It’s the most animated you’ve ever seen him, asking for your opinions and talking about his process. The more you listen, the more he seems to have to say. At times, you’re not even sure that you hear what he’s saying. This animated side to him has you so entranced that you think you’d do anything to keep him speaking. Keep him smiling like this. 
The house feels a lot warmer now that you’re decorating together and talking about anything under the sun. Talking about music seems to have opened him up to talking about a lot of things. About his interests, books he’s reading, games he likes to play. You find there are actually a lot of those things that you have in common. You have similar taste in books and in games, even offer to lend some books to him. He makes you promise that it’ll be an even trade so that he feels better about it. 
When dinner time comes around, he suggests ordering delivery. You agree, but only on the condition that you can figure out a Christmas menu over dinner. That signature sigh and eye roll make another appearance, like he’s so exasperated by the process. It’s less effective now that you’re starting to know him better. A part of you thinks that it might even be an action reserved for people he cares about, even if that care is only small. But, you’re starting to learn how to play the game too. You pout at him and make your eyes as big as you can when you ask the second time. Before you can ask the third time, he relents and agrees. 
With your favorite food spread out in front of you, from a place he’s somehow never tried, you start to make a list of your favorite Christmas dishes. Thankfully, some of your favorite things seem to line up and otherwise, Jihoon doesn’t really mind what you have. Once, he reminds you that there are only two of you, so you don’t need to go overboard. You’re quick to point out that leftovers are great and that your housemates come back shortly after Christmas. Again, he finds himself giving in to what you want. 
You’re watching him clean up the boxes and considering your next question. “Can I ask you something?”
“You just did,” he points out, back still to you. 
It’s your turn to roll your eyes. “You’re such a dick.”
“Now is that any way to speak to your landlord?” he teases, finally turning around.
“That’s actually what I wanted to ask you,” you say.
“If you can call me a dick?” he wonders and you laugh.
“No,” you manage. “No. I wanted to know…well, you’re obviously successful. Why live in a house with so many loud housemates?” 
Jihoon looks thoughtful for a moment, turns around to continue throwing things out. You think he’s not going to answer when he comes to sit down across from you again. “I like the chaos. It's good for me. I don’t just mean because it inspires me. It does. But, it’s also good. I get a little in my head, if you haven’t noticed. I don’t always have the easiest time getting out. There’s always someone around here.” 
“You secretly like us,” you coo because you’re not sure what else to say.
“I regret telling you,” he says and huffs.
“I’m kidding, Ji. I really like living here, even if you scared me at first. It feels like a weird, dysfunctional family,” you say.
“Do I still?” he asks, oddly serious.
“What? Scare me?” 
“Yeah.”
“No, you don’t. I think you’re actually a lot softer than you want us to realize,” you say and watch his face. “Don’t worry, Ji, your secret’s safe with me.” 
“Is that nickname going to stick?” he wonders.
“That depends. Do you like it?” 
“Would it matter if I said no?” 
“Of course it would.” 
He looks away and clears his throat. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was a little shy or embarrassed. “I do like it.” 
“I’ll be sure to use it a lot, then,” you say. More tease, really. You’re curious to see how he reacts and you’re not disappointed. There’s a slight blush to his cheeks. If you could see his ears through his hair, you think those would be tinged red as well. 
It takes him a minute to regain his composure. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re exhausting?”
“How do you think I manage to keep up with Jun?” you fire back.
“He adores you, you know,” Jihoon says and it’s the softest you’ve seen him while talking about another person. 
“I’m glad because I adore him, too,” you say without even thinking about it. “Although, sometimes he acts like the brother I definitely never wanted.” 
Jihoon actually laughs at that, a real laugh, and the sound is so pretty. “The brother you never wanted. How does he feel about that?”
“Fine because I also tell him that sometimes he’s the brother I did want. So it evens out,” you reason.
“You see him like family?” he asks, an unplaceable emotion on his face.
“Yeah,” you answer immediately.
“Why didn’t you take his offer to go home with him for the holidays?” 
That’s not the question you’re expecting. It makes you frown a little. You had forgotten, just for a moment, that this year was different. “Oh, well, I don’t know. Jun is family to me and I do love him like he’s my brother. But, um, I guess it’s that he’s family to me. Not his family. I like them and they’re great, but it would feel like intruding to have accepted. Like I was someone they had to make feel welcome, a guest. Not someone who was actually part of everything.” 
“I get that,” he says. 
“Why do you stay here on Christmas?” you wonder, venturing further into knowing him.
His shoulders slump a little bit, like he’s not really happy with how this turned either. “I don’t really talk to a lot of my family anymore.” 
“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t…” you start and he waves you off.
“No, no, it’s fine. You asked me about being successful and still living here with housemates. I told you most of the story, but not all of it,” he admits. 
Without thinking about it, you get up from your chair to sit beside him. Put your hand on his arm to let him know that he doesn’t have to share this part of himself if he doesn’t want to or if he’s not ready. But, he insists he wants to share it with you now that you’ve also heard some of his music. His grandfather owned his house and got it from his grandfather before him. Jihoon had always been close to his grandparents. He was the only grandkid to come around and help them with things. His grandmother would try to teach him how to cook, even though he was never very good. She also taught him all sorts of games, that’s where he got a lot of that from. His grandfather taught him how to fix a car himself, how to fix things around the house, just how to be able to rely on yourself. They were the first ones that he told about wanting to make music and the first to encourage him even when the rest of the family thought it was stupid. They were the first ones to find out he’d gotten his first shot at just seventeen years old. They were the ones who taught him how to be careful with his money, to not blow it all because you never knew when the next shot would come. In the end, it wasn’t even old age that took them. A car accident on a snowy night took his grandmother. He lost his grandfather six months later from a broken heart. 
It’s hard to remember that time because they were everything to him. He hadn’t even realized that they had changed their Will. That they had rewritten it to leave everything to him. If he had known, he never would have accepted it. But, there was a letter, too, confirming his grandfather had been of sound mind when they changed it. It went on to say that Jihoon was the only one in the family that came around just because he wanted to. So, he was the only one they felt could care for their legacy after they were gone. Something like that, it brings out the worst in people. Jihoon’s family was no different. First, they all insisted that he should share it, that they were owed part of it by blood. And then, they started to realize that he had his own success already. That he was selling songs and working with more people. They didn’t know who, exactly, because he never told him his pseudonym for producing, but the final letter from his grandfather mentioned how proud they had been. It got even uglier from there. Family members he’d never spoken to came out of the woodwork asking for favors or saying he should help. He had the means to do it, by his own success and the inheritance. In the end, he wound up cutting most of them out unless they were able to understand that they weren’t entitled to something he earned. 
“So that’s why I stay here, it’s just easier,” he finishes.
You’re not even sure when you started crying, but you turn away to wipe your eyes. It’s not even your sadness. When you turn back, you find Jihoon looking closed-off. It breaks your heart all over again as you reach out to him. “Nobody should have to deal with that. What they did, what they put you through, it’s awful.” 
“We all have history, right?” he asks. “I just don’t like to share it because I don’t want to be questioning if people like me for me or for what I could do for them.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I still see you as a former grumpy cat, secret softie and my…” you start, but trail off, trying to find the right word.
“Landlord?” he suggests through a humorless laugh. It makes your eyes soften at him.
“No, friend,” you decide. 
“I just dumped a bunch of trauma on you and you wanna be my friend?” he asks, partly self-deprecating, partly hopeful.
“You don’t seem so bad,” you shrug. 
“I guess we’ll see,” he says softly.
The rest of the night is lighter, mostly with you trying to figure out more things he likes as subtly as possible. He laughs when you come downstairs with the presents you’re saving until Christmas to open because he can tell Jun’s right away. You don’t tell him that you’ve already ordered half a dozen small things that’ll be at the house by Christmas Eve so that you can wrap them all up for him. You just want to see his face.
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Two days before Christmas, you and Jihoon finish off the decorations and pick up groceries. Well, you’re the one who picks up groceries after insisting on splitting the bill. Jihoon has another mysterious errand that he has to run. Even though you really want to know, you decide to let him have his secrets. At least for now. You’re beginning to understand that he trusts you and he’ll tell you whatever it is when he’s ready, if it even has anything to do with you at all. 
When the morning of Christmas Eve dawns, you’re actually excited. The past few days have been a whirlwind, and you’re definitely not done, but the house feels like Christmas. Three days ago you never would have thought Jihoon was enough to bring that holiday joy into the house. Now, you’re so insanely thankful that he’s gone above and beyond. Without anyone else around, or any other distractions, it’s been like a crash course in getting to know each other. There’s so much more to him than you ever realized. 
The day passes in a haze of cooking, wrapping last minute presents, and laughter. Lots of laughter. You’ve heard Jihoon laugh more in the last couple days than in the entire time you’ve lived here. Not for the first time, you think it’s a wonderful sound and wish he’d laugh more. It’s easy to understand why he doesn’t, why he’s so guarded, but still. A person can dream. 
With all the food prepped and the tree perfectly decorated, you decide it’s time to put your additional presents underneath. Jihoon huffs when you say you just got him a few small things you thought he’d like, before returning with a handful of presents for you. Every fiber of your being wants to give him shit over it. But, it’s Christmas, so you just call a truce instead. And light up like a kid when he suggests starting a fire in the fireplace. 
“I’ll go make adult hot cocoa,” you tell him when he starts crumpling up old newspapers for the base of the fire.
“Adult hot cocoa?” he asks, face scrunched up like he’s adorably confused.
“Unless you just want the non-alcoholic version,” you offer.
“I’ll at least try it,” he concedes. His smile is soft when you squeal and run off to the kitchen. 
By the time you’ve melted the chocolate (because who uses a premade mix in a kitchen this nice?), Jihoon has the fire going and is sitting on the couch. You’re about to ask why he’s scrolling his phone when he presses a button and Christmas music softly starts playing through the speakers. You hand over his mug and watch as he takes a sip. Even if he tries to hide it, you can tell he loves it and your smile is victorious. Probably why he tries to hide it. 
You’re onto your second mug and asking Jihoon to find a blanket so that you can sit on the floor in front of the couch. It’s easier to stretch out closer to the fire. As is his way, he whines about how it’ll be too warm, even though you tell him he doesn’t have to sit with you. Still, he gets the blanket and plops down right next to you, so close that you’re almost touching. It only takes a couple minutes before he’s complaining that it’s really warm and then pulling off his sweatshirt. Your retort dies on your lips when you turn your head to the side and see the way the sweatshirt pulls his t-shirt up on the way. Or how muscular his arms look now that they’re exposed. You’re thankful that you look away before he catches you. 
It’s quiet between the two of you as you watch the flames dance in the fireplace. There’s only comfort now, unlike a few days ago. That strikes you. Has it only been a few days since this man was something of a stranger to you? It almost feels like a lifetime ago. When you turn your head to him, you find he’s already looking at you.
“Can I admit something?” you ask. 
“Course,” he says softly.
“I’m really glad I decided to stay here for Christmas,” you say, equally softly. You want to take a mental image of the smile that follows. 
“Can I admit something, too?” he asks. You only nod. “I’m really glad you did too. This is the best Christmas I’ve had in years and it’s still only Christmas Eve.” 
Before you can think better of it, you lean forward and kiss his cheek. Just for a second. Then you drop your head to his shoulder and let out a sigh. It’s the most content you’ve felt in a long time. Jihoon adjusts his arm, and you worry he doesn’t want your head on his shoulder, until he just moves it along the edge of the couch. It lets you lean against him easier, so you scoot a little closer and settle again. After another minute, he rests his head on top of yours. Without even seeming to realize it, his arm curls around your shoulder, holding you tight to him. It makes you acutely aware of his body next to yours. Moments ago, you were thinking that you could fall asleep like this. Now, you’re wide awake. 
He must sense some kind of change because he pulls his head up. “Are you okay?” 
His voice is so gentle, so full of concern. You wonder how he can sound so calm when your brain is overthinking everything. “Yeah, I just, I don’t know. Being close to you like this is really nice and not at all what I was expecting.” 
Jihoon reaches out to tilt your chin up so that he can look you in the eyes. “It doesn’t have to be something you’re not expecting. It is nice to be close to you like this.” 
That’s the other thing you can’t really believe has changed so much in a matter of days. This man is a walking contradiction in so many ways. Grumpy as a default, yet so incredibly soft. The most private person you’ve met, yet willing to share why he struggles with Christmas. Rough around the edges, yet also unfailingly kind. Constantly wearing oversized clothes, yet secretly really fit. Okay, maybe that’s not so much a contradiction as you checking him out. 
“What if I was open to it being more than just being close?” you venture.
“How much is in your adult hot cocoa?” he asks, with some obvious difficulty.
“Enough to make me a little more honest, maybe, but not even enough to get buzzed on,” you answer. 
“Then, I can say if you’re open to more than just being close, I really fucking want to kiss you,” he says. “I have all day.”
“Just all day?” you tease. He gives you an unimpressed look. “What are you waiting for?” 
“You to say it’s okay,” he says and leans closer to you. 
“It’s okay, Ji,” you whisper, lips already nearly touching. 
You’re expecting a soft kiss, are as prepared for that as you can be. And it starts off relatively soft, like he’s testing the waters. It quickly morphs into anything, but soft. It’s the kind of kiss that sets your entire body on fire. The kind of kiss that steals your breath and becomes the only thing you need. It’s steady and desperate, all at the same time. You’re not even sure how your hands find their way into his hair that curls along his neck. It’s even softer than you imagined it would be. 
“So, is this your move?” you ask, pulling away just long enough to catch your breath.
“What?” he asks. His lips are already a little swollen.
“Getting the fire going with a little music on in the background,” you tease.
“Trust me,” he begins, punctuating his words with featherlight kisses along your neck. “I’ve never gone to this much trouble for anyone and it definitely wasn’t to get here.” 
The confession is so honest. So serious. It’s completely at odds with your teasing. But, should you really expect anything else from Jihoon? He can tease with the best of them, for sure. The last few days he’s also shown that you bring out an honesty that surprises him. You’re not sure if you trust yourself to speak, so you just pull his face up to kiss him again. It’s kind of an uncomfortable position, leaning against the couch, but you’re also not really sure if you care. That is, you’re not sure you care until he turns to pull you into his lap. It’s a little awkward and you have to break the kiss to get settled. Once you’re settled, though, it’s much nicer to be straddled across him like this. Much easier to press your chest into his and keep tangling your fingers in his hair. Much easier for him to wrap his arms around you like he doesn’t want you to go anywhere. You want to tell him that there’s nowhere else in the world you’d rather be. 
As you kiss him, you let your hands wander down his arms. There’s a safety in being held by him. There’s a strength to him you really never realized, kind of quiet like he is, a little unassuming. The kind of strength that sneaks up on you when you’re not really expecting it. Not only does every part of your body respond to him, but your mind does too. It’s just safe. You’re not sure how you know, you just do. He’s the kind of person that you can really trust to see all of you and still accept you. It’s entirely too much to be feeling about someone this fast, so you push that aside. When you inch your bodies closer together, your core drags across him and sends an ache through you. You do it several more times, back and forth, craving that friction.
“Fuck,” he hisses out. 
“I’m sorry, is that too much?” you worry. Suddenly a little self-conscious that there’s been some kind of miscommunication. 
He grabs your chin and pulls you back to look into his eyes. “No. It’s never too much. I want whatever you’re willing to give me.” 
“But, you don’t know what I’m…” you start. His eyes are serious, intense. You’re burning up and it has nothing to do with the fire.
“Whatever you’re willing to give me, I’ll happily take it. Even if that means it doesn’t go past this,” he reassures you. 
“I think I want it all,” you whisper. 
“You think you do, or you actually do?” he asks. 
You study him for a moment, looking for signs that he’s going to hurry off or something. With one of his hands, he’s tracing patterns against your thigh through the material of your pants. Everything about him seems sincere. Everything seems steady. 
“I do.” 
It’s a different smile he gives you then, one that says he’s relieved, maybe even a little surprised. One that says he’s genuinely happy. But, most of all, one that says he just wants whatever the night turns into. 
“Let’s go upstairs, I don’t want you hurting your knees like this,” he says softly. 
You look over your shoulder at the fireplace and he follows your gaze. “We should…”
“I’ll take care of that, just go upstairs. To my room,” he says and you suppress a slight shudder at being told what to do. You kind of like that side of him. “Get comfortable, I’ll just be a minute.” 
You get off his lap, quietly thankful for his consideration of your knees and kiss him softly. It’s also easy to see that he’s giving you a little bit of time to be sure. To clear your head away from the tree and the fire and the holiday everything. It’s time you don’t need because you’re definitely sure. The second you step foot through his door, you realize that you’ve never been in his bedroom before. It’s beautifully decorated in a way that screams him. When you sit down on the edge of the bed, you sigh. It’s so comfortable. 
This part hasn’t ever been the easiest for you, the waiting for someone to come into the room and knowing what’s going to happen. But, you do know what’s happening and sitting there completely clothed seems silly. In the end, you settle for leaving your sleeveless shirt and underwear on, but taking everything else off, including your bra. You just have time to sit back against the bed when he walks through the door and closes it behind him. Force of habit, you assume, since there isn’t anyone else home. His eyes drink you in, scanning down your body and all your curves. It’s so immediately comfortable that you don’t have the urge to cover back up. 
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he utters and it makes you blush a little. “Has anyone ever told you that?” 
“Not in a while when I’ve been this undressed,” you answer quietly with your head down. 
You feel the bed dip and look up at him, sitting right in front of you. “That’s crazy. You’re one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever known.” 
“You’re so sweet,” you say with a smile.
“It’s what you deserve,” he says and gets back off the bed. 
It’s his turn to remove the layers, stopping when all he has are his boxer briefs. You fight back a gasp (and lose, as is evident by his smirk) when he takes off his shirt. What the fuck?
“Jihoon, what the fuck? Come here,” you request. He listens, but takes his time. When he’s within your reach, you run your fingers along his stomach. Trace each ab muscle like you can’t believe this is what’s been under the shirt the whole time. 
“I work about a bit,” he shrugs and you roll your eyes.
“A bit, he says,” you tease back.
“Can I get in the bed now? Or do I have to stay here?” he asks.
“You can get in bed, but I want to be in your lap again,” you state.
“Fine by me,” he readily agrees. 
There’s a weird sense of time with him. You could kiss him for hours, may just do that. It also feels like it’s only been seconds when you pull back to catch your breath. You delight in the way he hisses when you run your nails down his stomach. Yelp when he smacks your ass in response. But, it doesn’t stop you from doing it again, maybe just so you can get another smack. You tell him not to be too gentle with you and he groans. There’s still that little bit of clothing between you, though, and it’s hard to get the friction you need. 
It’s like he senses what you want, or maybe what you need, and he positions you over one of his thighs. Helps you move back and forth to find a rhythm. It gives you that friction that you’ve been craving. He peppers kisses all over, trying to find the places that you like. Lingers wherever gets the best noises out of you. All while you grind against his thigh. When you think it can’t get better, he pulls your shirt up over your head and casts it aside. He rolls one of your nipples between his fingers. The look on his face when you arch into his fingers is so satisfied. It makes him carry on while also kissing across your chest.
“Fuck, Ji, if I keep this up I’m gonna come on your thigh,” you whimper.
“So do it,” he answers.
“I can’t, that’s…” you start, cutting off when he sucks hard into the skin of your breast. “Fuck!” 
“That’s what?” he prompts, returning to your nipple.
“I can’t come just from this,” you mutter lamely. It makes you feel like a teenager. 
“Then I better help because I want you to make a mess,” he says. 
Before you can protest, he’s kissing you again. His thumb hooks into your underwear and rubs across your clit in time with you rocking. It’s too much all at once. Too much stimulation. Too close. Too different. It all works, though, because you’re coming undone in seconds. Making a mess of his thigh just like he wanted. Screaming out his name and thankful to know nobody else can hear you. You lean forward to rest your forehead against his, trying to steady your breathing. 
“That was so hot,” he whispers into the limited space between you.
“I’ve never gotten off like that before,” you admit. 
“I wonder if there’s anything else I can pull out of you for the first time,” he says. 
“Like what?” you wonder.
“I guess we’ll see,” he answers
“I think it’s time for me to take care of you,” you say.
He kisses you gently and pulls away. “Not yet.” 
“But,” you start, only to cut off when he flips the two of you over. 
The shock over being completely manhandled by Jihoon is all you register until you feel his fingers by your hips, tugging your ruined underwear down your legs. All you can do is watch as he kisses from your ankle all the way up your inner thigh and down the other side. When he pulls himself back up your body to settle between your legs, you shiver. Try to play it off as his breath against your cunt, still slick. You watch as he spreads your lips open so that he can lick into you. 
“Fuck, Ji,” you whine out. 
“Just relax, sweetheart,” he urges before diving into you again. 
You’re expecting it to be a little frenzied. Not that you’ve never enjoyed getting eaten out, but you just kind of see it as foreplay to get through. That was before Jihoon, apparently. He takes his time, carefully builds you up again. Has you begging for something more. Has you uttering phrases that don’t make any sense. Has you seeing stars in the darkness of the room. Has you feeling the loss when he removes his mouth.
“No, Ji, please,” you beg. “Your tongue feels so good.” 
“I know,” he says and then he’s kissing you. 
He keeps kissing you as he runs a finger through your wetness, once and then again. Keeps kissing you when he slides his finger inside of you. Nips at your lip when you moan at the addition of his second finger. You can feel how tightly you’re coiled from the build up with his tongue. The way he fucks his fingers into you, you know you won’t last long. It’s hard and fast and as desperate as you felt moments ago when you begged for him. He’s relentless, even when your walls grip his fingers and your toes start to curl. You come so hard on his finger that he actually has you squirting. And honestly, he’s got you blacking out a little bit too. 
“Jesus fucking christ,” you curse when he falls beside you. “Your fingers, your mouth, oh my god.” 
“I’d ask if it was good, but I think I know the answer,” he chuckles. 
You swat at his chest, but he catches your hand and presses a kiss to your knuckles. So tender that it takes the bite out of your next statement. “Fuck off.” 
“Your body is so amazing, I could watch you come every day and never get sick of it,” he admits. 
You prop yourself up on an elbow to look at him. He’s laying on his back, hand casually running over his already hard dick through his briefs. You move his hand and free him. There’s a hunger in his gaze as he watches you spit into your hand and start running it along his shaft. 
“Go slow,” he requests and you look at up at him. “Watching you is so hot that I’m a little wound up. And I still want to fuck you.” 
“Jihoon, you’ve already…” you start. 
“Please. You can take care of me anytime. I want to feel you around me,” he whispers. It’s not quite a beg, but it’s close. All you can do is nod okay. “I need to hear you.”
“Yes, Ji, I want you to fuck me,” you say. 
He rolls over on the bed to reach into the bedside table and rustles around for a minute. The sign before he rolls back over sounds bad. “I don’t have a condom. It’s, uh, well it’s been awhile.” 
“It’s okay,” you say.
“I guess maybe this will have to…” he starts.
“No, I mean it’s fine. I’m on birth control and it’s been awhile for me too, so it’s fine. I trust you,” you say, finding you do actually trust him. 
“Are you sure?” he checks.
“Fuck, yes, please. I don’t care that you’ve made me come twice already, please fuck me,” you insist and it works. He smiles and slides his briefs off. 
In another second, he’s positioning himself between your legs again. You lay back against the pillow behind your head and just look up at him, so impossibly fond. It’s too soon to be this fond. But, you see the same look in his eyes, so maybe you’re not alone. He lines himself up and drags his tip against your entrance. Opens the lube you hadn’t even noticed and takes it into his hand. He lets it warm up for a second before running his hand over his dick. Then, he’s back at your entrance and slowly pressing into you. He takes his time letting you adjust, watches your face for signs that it’s okay. He leans forward to kiss you and it’s so gentle you want to cry. 
You’re glad this is slow, that he’s taking his time. It’s not that you’re inexperienced, it’s just that you can’t remember the last time you felt this comfortable with anyone. You’re not sure you’ve ever known how nice it was to just look into someone’s eyes while you’re fucking. Not sure you’ve wanted to be this close. Jihoon’s body is pressed against yours as he thrusts into you, but it’s still not enough. You wrap your legs around his hips, run your fingers down his back, arch into him. Anything to meld your bodies together that much more. He’s not as vocal now, but you’re probably taking care of that for both of you. You can see all the things he wants to say in the eyes that stay trained on you. 
His thrusts start to get a little off rhythm and your moans become more broken. “Fuck, Ji, yes! Right there.”
“I’m gonna fucking come, oh my god,” he moans out. 
“Me too,” you whine. “Fuck, it’s too much.”
“Come for me, please, I need to feel you,” he very nearly begs. 
“Fuck, I’m coming!” you scream out. 
Your whole body shudders and you sort of register the praise coming from Jihoon. He follows right behind you, releasing into you. You can tell he’s trying to keep his weight off of you, but you pull him to just let go. Reluctantly, he settles his body down on top of yours. The weight is pleasant and being close to him is even better. After a moment, his breathing falls into line with yours. It’s several moments longer before he carefully pulls out of you and rolls to the side. 
“Wow,” he says. You can hear the smile in his voice.
“Yeah,” you agree. 
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It’s much later than usual for you by the time you wake up on Christmas morning. But, it had been late by the time you and Jihoon had gotten cleaned up and back in bed. Even later by the time you stopped wanting to talk while all cuddled up. When you wake up, you feel his chest pressed into your back and his arm draped across your body. The second you start to move, his arm tightens and he somehow pulls you closer to him. He presses kiss into your hair. 
“Merry Christmas,” he says, voice thick with sleep.
“Merry Christmas,” you answer. 
He adjusts behind you and you realize he’s a little hard again, pressing into your ass. Even though you know it’s not fair, you wiggle your ass against him. You’re more than a little surprised when he bucks, just once, into you in response. 
“Sorry, I’m sure you’re a little sore this morning,” he says, still hoarse. 
“Not so sore,” you answer, pressing back again.
“Don’t you want to see what’s under the tree?” he asks, the teasing clear in his voice.
You turn over so you’re facing him. “I think I’d rather unwrap this present first.”
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he groans. But, he pulls you against him all the same, clearly not opposed. 
Once you’re both showered again and dressed, you pad downstairs and straight into the kitchen to find Jihoon is already at the counter getting the coffee going. He looks so cute with his messy, wet hair, that you can’t help yourself. You have to come up and hug him from behind. Place a kiss between his shoulder blades and then rest your head. All he can do is just put a hand over yours. 
“What do you want for breakfast?” you ask when you pull away. 
“The cinnamon rolls you insisted we had to have,” he says like it’s obvious.
By the time you get those in the oven, he’s handing you a perfect cup of coffee, exactly the way you like it. It feels like neither of you can be physically separated. Hands finding each other as you move around the kitchen. Little kisses as you pass by. Just drawn together like magnets. Once the cinnamon rolls come out, and you add the extra icing that you insisted on, the two of you head to the living room. 
You think you were supposed to text or call Jun when you open his present, but you’re a little stuck on opening the things Jihoon got you at the last minute. He insists that you go first and open your presents so that he can see your reaction. The first couple are silly, but thoughtful. Just little things that show he’s actually been paying attention to you much longer than you realized. Not that he had some kind of crush or anything, just that he pays attention when people talk. When you think you’re done, he pulls out a small box. 
“I wanted you to open this last,” he says in response to your confused look. 
It’s a small box, very nicely wrapped. You open it to find a beautiful necklace, simple and stunning. Exactly the kind of thing you like to wear. But, exactly the type of thing you can’t accept. “JIhoon, it’s beautiful. But, you must know it’s too much. I can’t take this.” 
“I didn’t spend anything on it,” he assures you and slides closer so he can look down at it in the box. “It was my grandmother’s. And before you say you can’t take it again, she’d want someone to have it. She wanted to pass her jewelry on, but was so sick of our family. I think she’d really like you, so I want you to have it.”
“Thank you,” you say softly and lean forward to kiss him. 
Watching Jihoon open the little things that you got him is everything you hoped it would be. He’s so appreciative of each thing, even if they seem small to you. They’re all things he says he really needs. To him, that’s one of the best kinds of gifts because it shows that you’re listening. It shows that you want to make someone else’s life just a little easier. It nearly makes you emotional when he’s the one opening things. 
You want to stay curled up on the couch with Jihoon forever, watching stupid Christmas movies and invading his personal space. He grumbles a little at you clinging to him, but pouts the second you pull away. Sadly, you have to get up to start some of the cooking for Christmas dinner. Jihoon offers to help, knows you’re feeling a little sore, and you wave him off. Cooking at Christmas is one of your favorite things. You get your music going and don’t even register anything else. You don’t hear his footsteps or his voice talking to someone.
“Hey, Ji? Do you think I should make all the rolls? Probably, right?” you ask and turn around to see he’s standing in the doorway holding his phone up.
“Did my bestie just call you Ji?” a voice asks from the phone. 
“Uh, yeah,” Jihoon answers and closes the distance to you. He hands over the phone. “Jun was looking for you.”
“Oh, hi, Junie! How’s your parents’?” you ask. His eyes scan you and you look down too late. You’re not wearing your shirt, it’s one of Jihoon’s that you stole because it was more comfortable.
“Not as good as it is there, apparently,” Jun says with a giggle. 
“Oh, well, you see…” you start and Jun is cackling. 
“I’ll let you get back to cooking, but expect to have a long conversation when I’m home,” he says once he stops laughing.
“You sound like my parent,” you whine. 
“Just try and tell me there’s nothing to talk about,” Jun challenges and you look over at Jihoon sitting at the kitchen table. 
“I can’t,” you say, still looking at him.
“I knew it,” Jun says, triumphant. “Give the phone back to Ji…”
“You don’t get to call me that,” Jihoon chimes in.
“So much to talk about,” Jun repeats as you hand the phone back over. 
The rest of the afternoon passes too quickly. Jihoon stays in the kitchen with you when you have to cook and lounges on the couch with you watching movies when you’re waiting for things to finish. He helps wherever he can and genuinely seems to appreciate the effort that you’re taking. Well, he appreciates it almost as much as the dinner itself when you sit down to eat. Without question, it’s the best Christmas you can remember. It turns out that maybe you were right all along. Christmas wasn’t about presents or specific people or anything. It was about feeling joy and thankful and just a deep connection with whoever you were with. It makes you realize you do need to talk to Jihoon, though. 
After dinner, the two of you settle back on the couch with a glass of wine. His free hand traces patterns into your legs that are across his lap. “Hey, so about what Jun said…” 
“Jun is an idiot,” Jihoon brushes off.
“He is, but he also has a point. There’a a lot to talk about,” you say. He turns his head to look at you.
“I meant what I said last night, I’ll take whatever you want to give me,” he says and takes another sip of wine. 
“But, that’s so…I don’t know,” you start, searching for the words. 
He just shrugs like you’re talking about something so simple. Maybe you are. “I’m pretty open about things when I’m comfortable. I’m also kind of an all in or all out guy. I don’t know, that’s probably too much. I’m happy with whatever you’re comfortable giving me.” 
“You’re going to make me fall for you, Lee Jihoon,” you tease lightly. You’re also testing a little bit.
He smiles at you, that soft one that makes his eyes crinkle. “That doesn’t sound so bad to me.” 
“I guess it doesn’t,” you agree. 
“Thank you for being the best thing about Christmas in a long time,” he says. So honest. It’s so simple, too. 
“It’s been perfect,” you agree. “The only thing that could make it better is…”
“Snow,” he interrupts.
“Yeah,” you agree.
He shakes his head and points to the window. “No, it’s snowing.” 
You turn your head to follow his finger and see he’s right. Snow falls in light, beautiful swirls just outside the window. You can’t remember the last white Christmas you had, even living somewhere it snows. 
“Wow, this really is the perfect Christmas,” you whisper. 
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i hope you liked it. please reblog or leave a comment to let me know your thoughts 💕
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olderthannetfic · 4 months
Note
I have over 2000 bookmarks on ao3, so there are times when I want to read a fic, but don’t remember the title or author. And I read a lot of fics that has the same trope, (fix-it, secret reveal, enemies to lovers, etc.) so the summary and tags aren’t always enough for me to find that one specific fic.
Something I do is write a summary or just some major plots points in the notes. It’s been super helpful because I do reread a lot of fics.
My question is, is this considered rude to the author? Because I know a lot of authors expect to see a person’s thoughts on the fic if they check the notes, not a summary.
--
Bookmarks are not for the author.
Write whatever is useful to you and/or other readers in your bookmarks.
I do enjoy seeing how other people have bookmarked my work, but I'm basically snooping. Benignly. But still. That's the framework an author should look at it through.
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sigmoon · 5 months
Note
Hello! Do you have any Jouno hcs? I know you once mentioned him in one post that got deleted
Anyways, how are you doing? I hope your day is going well! ^_^
Jouno Headcanons // sfw + nsfw
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cw: dark content; dubcon/noncon, cnc, emotional manipulation, blackmail, prostitution, Jouno being a red flag. // mostly gen. neutral, except for one or two hcs.
author’s note: hi, nonnie! I’m doing okay, some things are stressful, others are going well, so it’s an up and down currently. But I’m happy that I managed to finish a request and answered some asks that have been piling up :) I hope you’re having a nice day.
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SFW
Jouno is that person who gets super pissed when there’s a crying baby in public, like on a train, and it just won’t stop wailing. He has to pull himself together to not give the baby that creepy glare of his, though he's probably the reason the baby started crying in the first place. He doesn't have a kind face.
You never know whether he likes or hates you. Whether you and him are coworkers or acquaintances, he’s either really polite and it’s hard to tell if he’s being genuinely nice or not, or he makes a lot of mean, sarcastic comments and you’d have no clue if that’s just his sense of humor and friendly teasing, or if he can’t stand you.
I have a feeling that animals don’t like him. For example, cats and dogs can be wary of people when they’re no good, and although Jouno might be able to deceive other people, it’s not uncommon that their pets seem uneasy and skeptical around him, not wanting to be touched or picked up by him.
I don’t think he would be particularly mean in a romantic relationship with someone he truly loves, and neither would he act like you're the biggest nuisance in the world. That treatment is reserved for people who have no value to him; if he loves you, he will not be sappy and over-the-top affectionate with you, especially not in public, but rather talk shit about people he doesn't like with you. If he asks you to brainstorm some insults with him, he’s head over heels in love with you.
Speaking of affection, he’s usually not the one who seeks it, but he never fails to be surprised when he notices how good it feels to be hugged, have his hair played with or his skin gently caressed by you. Due to his heightened senses, he tends to get overstimulated quickly, so you shouldn’t take it personally when he denies you physical contact. But overall, he likes how it feels and it’s not too rare that he’s the one to kiss you or hug you when you don’t expect it.
His alcohol tolerance is either ridiculously high or very low. He can either drink all night and not be hungover the next morning, or he’s already tipsy after one glass of wine.
I’m so sorry, but he’s the type of neighbor who takes a broom and knocks it against the ceiling when the neighbor in the apartment above him plays loud music after ten pm. It’s so embarrassing to witness, but he stands by it. His ears are sensitive and he hates it when people blast loud music. 
Jouno has a very complex and sophisticated skincare routine. See Patrick Bateman’s morning routine from American Psycho. That’s Jouno. 
Can’t fall asleep while cuddling. He’ll gladly cuddle with you in bed, but when he wants to sleep, he will curl up into an oddly specific position, a pillow between his thighs, one in his arms, and if the duvet isn’t neatly tucked around him in the way he wants it, he’ll get all grumpy and pouty, adjusting the bedding and blankets until he can fall asleep in peace.
Generally speaking, I think he experiences occasional sensory issues, dislikes specific textures and fabrics and finds certain noises relaxing and others drive him insane to the point where you could call it misophonia.
Talks in his sleep (and denies it).
Jouno is best friends with an elderly lady who lives in his apartment building. She’s always gushing over how handsome and well-mannered he is, but is shocked when he reveals to her that no, he does not have a wife and kids yet. He helps her up and down the stairs and she always brings him food when she makes too much for her to eat alone. Jouno can’t say no when it comes to her, he’s only really soft with her and his s/o if he has one.
NSFW
Jouno’s browsing history is concerning. If anyone, regardless of who that might be, discovers it, that person is as good as dead. He can’t have anyone know about the things he jerks off to, and having a liking for sadism is still the least fucked up thing about him.
He visits brothels from time to time or has a call girl come over and take care of his needs. It’s the most convenient option for him, and he does not have the time or any interest in pursuing a serious long-term relationship, due to his job. He seems kind of emotionally unavailable too, and even if he tried to date to find a long-term partner, I doubt that many potential partners would want to be in a relationship with him for too long. He’s a difficult person, and his sexual preferences tend to be pretty extreme, so he lacks compatibility with many people he would be interested in. Therefore, paying someone to sleep with him seems to be the best option for him. No attachment, no responsibilities, he has a high wage and can afford it, and it’s more likely that someone will let themselves be treated as harshly as he will treat them when they get paid for it.
Praise kink combined with degradation. Being praised while he ruins someone in bed is what turns him on the most. He lives for humiliation, too.
Not a nice headcanon, but I think Jouno regularly oversteps his partner’s boundaries. Firstly, to check if they will resist or not, wanting to know whether they might’ve changed their mind, and secondly, because he gets off on it. Violating their rules and going on with very dubious consent or no consent at all is a fantasy that excites him, though he will likely stop if his partner explicitly tells him to, or strongly resists. But he will be a dick about it, lowkey guilt-tripping them. However, he prefers CNC over non-con, mostly because of legal reasons. 
He would never, ever admit it, but being dominated by his partner is his deepest, darkest sexual secret. He’s so ashamed of it, but if you somehow managed to overpower him and took charge in the bedroom, after some resistance, Jouno would be a whiny, moaning mess underneath you. 
He takes lots of nudes of you, but not for himself. He has no use for visuals of your naked body, but they serve as potential blackmail so well. Tell someone he came in less than five minutes from you riding and simultaneously choking him, having him cry out your name like a needy whore, and he will leak your nudes. And in case you and him are going through a nasty breakup, Jouno will make sure you think twice about leaving him.
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stagkingswife · 20 days
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Take Notes Like Stag Part 3: Spell Lab Notes
Part 1: Spirit Encounters Part 2: Unrecorded Entity Note Taking Exercise I think I’ve said this somewhere before, I don’t know if it was here, or on Discord, I’m a huge believer in applying the scientific method to spell work.  I don’t believe that magic can be explained by science, or that it’s an extension of science.  But I do believe that an approach of  empirical observation, incremental variable adjustment, and repeat experimentation is a great way to develop a solid spell work practice.  This is how I figured out a lot of my own methods and personal magical paradigms - by testing something, making notes, changing a variable, and then  testing again - rinse and repeat.  There’s a lot to keep track of in that process though, particularly if you’re rinse and repeat step keeps repeating, so over the years I’ve developed a template of “lab notes” to keep track of my experiments.  Spell Friendly Name - A brief concise, yet descriptive title. • The idea of a “friendly name” is something I stole from my IT day job.  A lot of hardware devices come with their network name set as their serial number, or model number, or something like that.  Those sorts of names can be fine for a sys or network admin, but it’s not super helpful for a normal person - so it’s an important step up setting up that device to give it a name that is immediately recognizable and descriptive of its role on the network: Like HR Printer, or [Company Name] File Server. When you’re testing and workshopping spells it’s important to be able to distinguish them from one another in your notes. You don’t want a dozen pages in a row all titled “Prosperity Spell” but they’re all different spells.  Make sure your Friendly Names are descriptive, catchy, and above all stay consistent across your notes for subsequent re-casts. 
Date Cast - The day (and time if it matters to you) that you cast the spell • I’m not one for celestial or planetary magic, so I don’t care much about when I cast the spell for magical correspondence reasons.  I care mostly in relation to the next field - 
Time Frame/ ”Due Date” - When you expect the spell manifest result by. • I’m a big believer in setting yourself time frames for your spells - it’s much easier to tell if a spell has succeeded or failed if you have a due date for it.  So I mark my time frame as part of my notes, however I built it into my spell: two weeks, by the next rainfall, before the turn of the season, by an exact date.  Keeping this due date next to the date of casting helps me keep track of how long is left for the spell to work. Parameters for Success - What an ideal successful result looks like to you.  • We all know that sometimes spells manifest in funny ways that can still technically be called “successful”. You phrased the inscription of your prosperity spell as “looking for a windfall” only to get a bunch of free apples at the farm stand because they had a windstorm and have to get rid of all of the apples that fell?  Technically you got a windfall, but it wasn’t what you wanted.  So you recast the spell and this time phrase the inscription as, “you want to come into money.” Well this time a great aunt dies and leaves you an inheritance.  We all know these examples, I’m not saying anything new.  But I find that keeping track of exactly what I quantify as “success” helps me troubleshoot my spells.  Is my parameter of success for this theoretical prosperity spell specifically that I get a raise at work? Then I say it here.  Am I open to alternatives?  List them here.  Materials: Function - Your ingredients list: what role of each ingredient is in the spell • I vastly prefer to create my own spells, I find I can tinker and troubleshoot better with something I have written myself because I understand how everything is meant to work, and how it all works together.  I list out every single ingredient and what its job is in the spell, not just ingredients being used for magical correspondences.  I include lines like, “paper & pen (mundane): for the writing of inscription” or “mortar & pestle: for grinding herb blend.” But then I’ll also have lines like “Nettle: used here for personal association with emotion, a la Aunt Betty and her nettle tea,” referencing a personal magical association I have within my own paradigm.  This may be overkill for some people, but it keeps my spell work neat and organized and I never have to wonder what an ingredient is supposed to be doing when I want to recast a spell. 
Method: Function - Steps of the spell, written in order, with some form of annotation or commentary on what each step is supposed to achieve magically.  • This step of my note taking I get a little messy, to be honest.  It works best when I have different colored pens and have had time to pre-plan.  When these conditions have been met my notes look like code.  There will be a step written out, then on the next line ## and a color change to indicate the beginning of my comments.  If I didn’t pre-plan, I usually still have two different colored pens - even if it’s just black and blue, so I’ll write out my steps in order and rely on marginalia for my comments.  It’s not as organized, and my handwriting gets cramped and hard to read sometimes, but just like the ingredients lists I like to know not just what every step is doing, but why. 
Adjusted Variable(s)* - If you’re recasting a spell what have you changed from the last time and how do you expect that to affect your result. 
• If I cast a spell and am not happy with the results (maybe those parameters for success I noted earlier weren’t met to my satisfaction) I don’t go looking for a new spell, I troubleshoot.  I start making changes to spell and keeping track of the change in this field of my notes.  I note what exactly the change is:  Am I adding something, removing something, trying a different method, etc. Then I write down a hypothesis (remember that word from science class?) for how I think this adjustment will change how the spell manifests. *I leave this field blank or out of my note entirely if I’m taking notes for the first casting of a spell, or re-casting a “known good” spell (one that I know works exactly as is - usually because I’ve cast it before and already gone through the troubleshooting and refining process). Observed Manifestation - The counterpart to Parameters for Success, what actually happened as a result of the spell - to be left blank and filled out on or after the Time Frame/”Due Date” is up. • If these notes were a science class lab notebook, which they were 100% inspired by, this would be the results section.  What actually happened!?! Maybe nothing happened!  Write that here.  Maybe your prosperity a week and a half after you cast your prosperity spell your boss said you were killing it at work and that you were going to get a promotion! Maybe the spell totally backfired!  Be honest with yourself about your results, these notes are for you to build on.  I have pages and pages of notes where either nothing happened, or the results were just off from what I really wanted.  But I kept troubleshooting, and now I have a roster of spells that I am really confident in.  Adjustments for Next Cast:  If you have an idea for what you want to change next time, write it down now.  You won’t remember when you come back to it.   • I usually like to write up my results and then do some brainstorming for next time.  I try to only change one thing at a time, isolate the variable and all that, but I will often have several ideas for things that could improve the results, so I’ll brainstorm in this field and then highlight the one I want to try next somehow, either by underlining or marking with a star.  Then that option goes into the “Adjusted Variable” field for the next time. 
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lu-is-not-ok · 10 months
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Let’s talk about K Corp Hong Lu
Look. He got me. He got me bad. I can’t explain just how badly he got me. There is so much I want to dissect about him. So you know what?
This is going to be my first Identity Analysis. Fuck it we ball.
Before I get into it though, let me make myself clear: unlike E.G.O Analysis, I will not be taking Identity Analysis requests. This is because Identities inherently come with A Lot more content to analyse, and it’s not really something I’m willing to sit down and do at the whim of anyone and everyone. E.G.O Analyses already take me a while to do. I hope you guys can understand that.
With that out of the way, let’s get into it. Cue Game Theory intro or some shit.
Let’s start with the obvious, K Corp Hong Lu’s uptie story and his dialogue lines.
While his uptie story serves mostly to introduce more lore about Class 3 Excision Staff, it does provide some additional context to Hong Lu’s situation in this specific Mirror World.
To summarize, Class 3 Excision Staff are effectively K Corp branded super soldiers, whose main trait is nigh invulnerability due to extremely heavy dosage of K Corp ampules. However, this comes at a rather ironic cost - this same dosage could instantly kill them if something within their bodies changes just enough to make them no longer compatible, rendering them extremely fragile to even something as mundane as dreaming. As such, they have to be kept in complete stasis when not deployed, to ensure their state is constantly stable and so that they don’t accidentally get fucking gooped from thinking the wrong way.
Effectively, they are forced to not exist outside of their purpose, as trying to could lead to their death. They have no freedom by nature of what they are.
Besides that lore dump, we also learn some interesting things about Hong Lu in that Mirror World.
For one, it’s his family who got him into this job. Specifically, his grandmother directed him here, stating she wanted Hong Lu to see more of the City and experience new things. A rather... odd motivation for putting your grandson in a position that stays stuck in a tube in suspended animation 90% of the time.
This is something the scientist in charge of waking Hong Lu up doubts it as well, wondering if Excision staff truly is the right position if that’s what she actually wanted for Hong Lu. Hong Lu, for what it’s worth, doesn’t seem to actually care about her motivations, claiming he’s fine with his situation as long as he gets to have new experiences. Put a pin in that, I’ll try to remember to go back to this.
Another thing we learn is that Hong Lu seems to react oddly to being put into complete stasis. It’s noted that he doesn’t seem to suffer from any side-effects upon waking up from suspended animation, and that him being able to immediately talk up researchers for attention is in no way expected behavior. However the process is meant to work, it’s implied to not be as simple as pressing the pause and resume button on a person.
Likewise, it’s noted as odd that he seems refreshed upon being woken up, implying that, again, this is not how it’s supposed to work, as Class 3 Staff doesn’t seem to be able to “rest” in the traditional sense of the word.
In fact, there’s something weird about him that I myself noticed that doesn’t seem to be directly pointed out. Hong Lu notes that he feels extremely bored when not deployed, saying that relieving that boredom is his reason for constantly chatting up researchers whenever he’s woken.
The thing is... by all means, Hong Lu shouldn’t be feeling bored. Being put into suspended animation is outright stated to put one’s consciousness into stasis as well, as subconscious thoughts are one of the things that could destabilize one’s ampule compatibility. Hong Lu, by all means, should not be cognizant enough of his surroundings and time spent in stasis to be able to be aware of how unoccupied he is during that time.
While it could very well be just a figurative figure of speech he uses to carry his point across (as Hong Lu isn’t exactly the most honest person in any Mirror World), the fact that there is Something Clearly Off about how he experiences stasis means there very much could be something more to it.
There is a chance that odd trait of his could be connected to the SP restoration abilities of his alternate versions. While K Corp Hong Lu is the second Hong Lu to not have any mechanics tied to restoring SP (Kurokumo Hong Lu being the first), it’s not impossible that for him specifically, they translate into something not applicable to combat.
Could it be that whatever is able to keep most other Hong Lus’ Sanity up is what’s causing him to potentially stay semi-cognizant in stasis? It might be a stretch, but I feel like the fact that it’s something that’s partially pointed out to us means there’s something more to it.
It would certainly explain a lot of his oddities. Why he’s able to so quickly bounce back upon being woken, why he seems to actually rest when in stasis, and why he seems to be aware enough of his time spent there to feel bored. For whatever reason, his consciousness seems resistant enough to not let itself be fully put into suspended animation.
Remember how I mentioned how Class 3 Staff has no freedom because of the nature of what they are. Well, I think this applies even more for Hong Lu in this specific case. Because of something inherent to him, he can’t be put into full stasis. Whereas other Class 3 Staff are able to stay blissfully unaware of their time spent stuck in their glass coffins, Hong Lu can’t. He perceives it, whether he wants it or not. In a way, he’s even less free than those who already have no freedom.
When it comes to K Corp Hong Lu’s dialogue lines, there’s something I want to note about their delivery. It seems to me that, in general, his dialogue lines carry notably less energy than the dialogue lines of his other Identities. There are a lot more lines where his voice is lowered, or in some way faltering, compared to other Hong Lus.
While most of the actual content of his dialogue lines is hinting at info we learn through the uptie story, there is some interesting things to note.
One - Hong Lu feels like it’s been a very long time since he began his job at K Corp. Hearing about daytime makes him reminisce about how he used to drink at that time of the day, and being asked why he joined K Corp he notes how it feels like it’s been ages ago, and even seems to be slightly unsure about it in fact being his grandmother who sent him there. ...Just how long has he been working there?
Two - Hong Lu’s desperation. It’s clear Hong Lu much prefers actually doing his job to sitting in a glass tube for days on end - he expresses excitement at the idea of being deployed more often, and takes joy in being able to breathe fresh air after a long while. He’s also notably down when he realizes Dante won’t talk to him anymore. However, the one line that stood out to me the most here is his Ex-Clear victory line, where he hesitantly pleads to have just A Little Bit of free time before he has to go back into stasis.
Now, time for the Fun Part. Time to look at the Sin affinities and try to dissect what the fuck they mean on IDs.
Before we talk about what Sin affinities K Corp Hong Lu has, let’s talk about one he doesn’t have - Lust. The Sin representing actions done to indulge desires or seek personal fulfillment.
I feel like this is extremely important, as every other Hong Lu ID has some Lust affinity in one way or another, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this specific one lacks it.
As a quick recap: Kurokumo Hong Lu has Lust as his Skill 1, Tingtang Hong Lu and Liu Hong Lu both have Lust as their Skill 2, and Base Hong Lu has Lust as his Skill 3.
To briefly summarize what I think this all means for each Hong Lu without getting into full Sin affinity analysis for all of them:
Kurokumo Hong Lu’s Lust represents how his actions seem at first glance. He’s acting according to his own desires and whims, not caring to follow other people’s orders if he doesn’t want to.
Tingtang Hong Lu’s Lust presents as a slightly deeper motivation. He seeks out a dopamine rush at every opportunity he has, diving head first into gambling and murder just to satisfy his desires.
Liu Hong Lu’s Lust is similarly a deeper motivation. He likewise seeks to indulge himself, though in his case it’s him fully leaning into the comforts his rich family enables him to enjoy, like the incredibly expensive tea he seems to be obsessed with.
Base Hong Lu’s Lust is what I’d like to call his Core Sin. At their very core, Hong Lu’s actions are driven by his need to have his desires be satisfied, whether it’s his curiosity, his wish for comfort, or his need for attention. That’s the main driving force behind who he is and what he does.
As one can see, Lust is Incredibly Important to who Hong Lu is as a person in every Mirror World. So, what does this mean for K Corp Hong Lu?
It’s bad. It’s Bad? It’s really not good.
Because this means that in his current situation, K Corp Hong Lu does not care to have his needs satisfied. In fact, I don’t think he’s even in a position to be able to care about that. He’s reduced to only truly existing as a tool, a weapon for K Corp to use, and when he has no purpose to fulfill he’s put into stasis that doesn’t even seem to fully work on him.
How would he even begin to try to fulfill his desires in such a state? He’s barely able to resolve his own by-now-probably-chronic boredom, to the point he actually enjoys his job. Hong Lu, whose Mirror Identities consistently mention either not liking to do what other people tell them to do or simply finding it more tiring to do something as a job than doing the same thing off-the-clock? You’re telling me That Hong Lu is actually enjoying his job?
Can you see why this Identity has been fucking with me so much?
But oh wait, we’re not done. Oh hell no we’re not done. We actually have to analyze the Actual affinities K Corp Hong Lu has, cause hoo boy they tell a story.
The Affinity of an ID’s Skill 1 usually represents what Sin that Identity’s actions present as upon first glance. In this case, K Corp Hong Lu’s actions present as Pride, as actions done purely for their benefit while the consequences are ignored.
This, I think, fits what we know about him pretty well. He finds delight in deployment regardless of the harm he has to inflict as part of his job, simply because it provides momentary relief to his boredom. Likewise, one could interpret the action of becoming part of the Excision Staff as prideful. Hong Lu remains in his position for the sake of “new experiences” (and because Granny said so), all the while ignoring the way he suffers because of it.
The Affinity of an ID’s Skill 2 usually reflects a Sin corresponding to an Identity’s deeper motivation behind their actions. For K Corp Hong Lu, this is Gluttony, representing the motivation of hunger, whether in the form of hunger for survival or hunger for more.
In this case, I think we can firmly place K Corp Hong Lu on the Survival part of the Gluttony duality. As I laid out way earlier, Hong Lu here has no choice but to do as K Corp tells him, as otherwise he will literally die. There’s also a way we can interpret it as part of his motivation for joining K Corp in the first place. If his grandmother wanted him to work here, did he really have a choice, or would the consequences of disobeying be far worse than what he has to put up with in here?
Then, there’s Skill 3. I interpret the Affinity of an ID’s Skill 3 as the main driving force of that Identity, their Core Sin, so to speak. For K Corp Hong Lu, this is Sloth, the Sin of apathy, resignation, and inaction.
This, I think, is where K Corp Hong Lu’s deal is truly revealed. He is fully resigned to his fate as a Class 3 Staff. It no longer matters to him to do anything but follow orders without question, because what else does he have left? Staying half-asleep in a glass tube for the rest of his life? Dying? No wonder he’s finding delight in deployment, he has literally nothing else. The only reason he’s not outwardly hopeless is, well, because he’s Hong Lu. And a Hong Lu will try to smile through everything, no matter how badly it hurts.
I also think it’s important to note that there is only one other Hong Lu ID right now that shares K Corp Hong Lu’s Skill 3 Affinity - Kurokumo Hong Lu. This might seem weird, considering Kurokumo Hong Lu’s whole thing is being staunchly against being ordered around... Except this quickly falls apart when you actually look at his actions. Yes, he complains and doesn’t respect his superiors, but. He still follows orders. He’s still good at following orders. As much as he hates doing it, he has no choice but to do it. And so, he’s also just as resigned to his fate at his core as K Corp Hong Lu is.
Now, with all of that being said, there’s one more thing I want to talk about here. What does this mean for Base Hong Lu. Our Hong Lu.
While Dante’s Notes very directly point out that Mirror World versions can be nigh unrecognisable in personality to their Base counterparts, I think it’s a mistake to fully dismiss them.
I think, in one way or another, the alternate Identities of Sinners are meant to tell us something about the Sinner in question, whether by implying something that they may be hiding, or by paralleling the Sinner’s situation in a more symbolic manner.
Remember that part I said to put a pin in? How K Corp Hong Lu doesn’t care for his grandmother’s motivations for making him take this job, since he’s getting something out of it?
That. That feels extremely important to me.
While you could definitely make the argument that in general K Corp Hong Lu’s whole situation could be a symbolic parallel to how his family treats him as nothing but an object that ceases to matter once its purpose is fulfilled (which I think still applies as well by the way), I think there is something more important here.
The idea that as long as Hong Lu is being cared for by his family, as long as he benefits in some way from having to bear the pain, he will not question their motivations and goals.
In a way, we already knew that. We already knew from Base Hong Lu’s dialogue that he still views his family positively despite the abuse he very likely went through at their hands. However, I think K Corp Hong Lu’s attitude here further confirms that idea. That as long as his family shows Some form of love towards him, he won’t question how horrible they have been to him.
Because if they love him, there’s no way they’re Actually being that bad towards him, right?
...
God Canto 8 is gonna hit way too fucking hard for me and not even deep-diving into Hong Lu can prepare me for it.
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staytheword · 1 year
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LMLY (leave me loving you)
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lmly (leave me loving you) — short series masterlist status — complete [ back to general masterlist ]
this series (and this blog) are 18+ !! minors, please do not interact!! if you interact with my writing please have a profile picture and short bio indicating your age. it helps me make sure you are not a bot!!
• han jisung x female reader, other stray kids members are mentioned/featured, as well as other idols (very briefly).
• non idol au, rock band au. lots of banter and chaos. a little angst because I can't help it, but overall there is a good vibe. drinking, drug consumption (weed), strong language, smut. (nothing particular, specific warnings will be given on each part)
The Jack of Trades, a music venue owned by your best friend, is packed with a febrile audience. If the Trades normally hosts less known local artists, tonight a popular band on the rise, Side Effects, is performing. You're there for support, as you always are, not sure of what to expect from the performance. As you hang backstage, you make eye contact with their dummer, Han Jisung, and all it takes is a smile and a wink.
• author’s note: Hi everyone ♡ I finally gathered enough courage to announce the new series I've been working on. If you can't tell this is all super board's fault. I am blameless :) This will be a short series, of probably three "short" parts (7k each). Please let me know if it interests you and if you would like to be tagged! I'll try to post the first part soon! You'll find a small preview under the cut!! Thank you as always for your support, lots of love ♡
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• part one — thanks for the memories • part two — the kids aren't alright • part three — anywhere but home
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preview ↓
You decide to stay for a song, making yourself small backstage. The first notes of an electric guitar rips through the room, soon followed by a rhythmic beat on the drums. When the voices join the melody, you find yourself moving, tapping your feet on the floor. The song is catchy, reminding you of the music you listened to when you were a teenager - in a good way - and their voices blend in perfect harmony. 
Tank top guy, who you understand is the main singer and guitarist, stands at the center of the stage, belting a perfectly controlled high note in the microphone. To his right, the other guitarist smiles widely at the crowd, no longer looking nervous - and to the left, perfectly sporting the bad boy look with his leather jacket, the bassist does not even smirk. 
But really, it’s him you can’t look away from. Sitting at the drums, on the edge of his stool, slamming his sticks like a man possessed. He’s fast and aggressive, his face quickly dripping in sweat, his tongue slightly sticking out from between his teeth. In your entire life, you’ve never seen anyone play the drums like that. He’s probably barely visible behind the other members and the array of drums and cymbals in front of him, and yet he shines so bright you can’t take your eyes off him. 
You stand there as if struck by lightning for the rest of the song, and then for about half of the second. 
Who is that guy? 
You see the appeal. Four handsome guys with an insane amount of charisma bombarding really good music like they were born for it - of course they would be popular. Around you, the audience is dancing and singing, clearly having fun. You feel proud, and a little embarrassed that you didn’t give this band much attention before. They are good. 
You clap when the second song ends, listening attentively as they introduce themselves. The singer and leader is Chris. The other guitarist is Felix. At the bass is Minho, and behind the drums sits Jisung. 
You can’t help it - you stare at him. Jisung. He’s fidgeting like a child as Chris interacts with the crowd, happiness overflowing his eyes. He plays with his drumsticks like they’re the extensions of his fingers, which you don’t doubt is true. As Felix says something about an upcoming EP, Jisung leans down to drink some water, and as he looks up, your eyes meet.
He doesn’t react, and for a second you think he can’t actually see you in the dark - but then, he smiles. 
A heart-wrenching, life-altering smile. 
You can almost feel your legs wobble, but really, you are too shocked to move. You just stare back like an idiot until he looks away. 
How can a guy be so goddamn magnetic? 
The next song starts and you try to catch your breath. It’s hard to do so as he plays right next to you, the muscles of his arms tensed, his entire body jolting as he pounces on the drums. He’s still smiling, but he’s focused. You breathe out slowly. 
When you think you can watch him in peace, he turns his head for a second and winks at you. 
It’s the hottest thing you’ve ever seen. 
You take a step backwards, clearing your throat, and look around nervously. Hyunjin, standing beside you, laughs. You glare at him and he playfully winks at you. You make sure to give his arm a good slap before you head back towards the sound booth and Changbin, your legs a little shaky. 
You’ll watch the concert from a distance. 
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biocrafthero · 4 months
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An analysis of WKTD and HWBM in relation to psychology, Christianity, and oppression.
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Spoilers for almost all of We Know The Devil and parts of Heaven Will Be Mine (only stuff from when you play as Saturn tho that’s the only character I’ve played as so far)
This post is very much off the cuff so it is quite messy but I really needed to put my thoughts into words, I guess. Hopefully it makes sense, and sorry if there’s any errors!
vvv Analysis under the cut because this post is LONG vvv
Okay because when WKTD said “the devil is the shadow of man cast from the light of god” and when HWBM said that the Existential Threat was just a byproduct of the shadow of humanity cast from gravity (via humanity’s Culture) its like the enemy that humans want to fight is just themselves. The concept of the “shadow self” (also called the id, but I’ll be using shadow instead) in psychology refers to the parts of oneself that does not fully fit in with what society expects of them (Super-ego) and sometimes separately from the true self (Ego), typically leading to rejection of those aspects and self-conflict.
Now, please note that I haven’t 100%’d HWBM but I have 100%’d WKTD, and in that game the true ending results in the main trio all becoming devils and embracing those sides of themselves they’ve been running from for the entire game. The thing I quoted earlier is an actual line from the game said by god, the line following it being “the meaning of this phrase is that there is no devil.” Only through self-acceptance and helping each other alongside ourselves do we really reach the true ending to these stores.
While WKTD leans more towards individuals, HWBM puts more emphasis on the idea of the collective shadow; the story still focuses on individuals, yes, but is very much about the conflict between a humanity that is tearing itself apart over the things that don’t fit the collective image. The main conflicts of the story focuses a lot on that general unrest, and was initially the Existential Threat, but after that dissipated humanity still saw its own shadow, this time in itself. An email you can find in the game even says that “In abandoning Existential Threats to address the threats of our home, it will inevitably result in us turning to conflict between humans one more. And in turn, the Existential Threat will thrive.” The Existential Threat literally feeds on unrest and trauma, manifesting as paranoia and leading humanity to fight it, only for them to find that they were just fighting their own literal shadow.
It’s also important to note that HWBM briefly mentions that the Existential Threat is tangentially related to “their cousins on Earth, and even those are so weak kids with radios can take them out”. This, while it can easily be seen as a nod to WKTD for those who played it, the fact that the reference is super blatant (along with the mention of the Scout programs, likely referring to groups like the Summer Scouts from WKTD) leads me to believe that these two stories exist in roughly the same universe (or at least their worlds do, maybe not the characters present in the stories themselves existing at the same time*). This is for a very specific reason, and it has to do with the themes both of these games are tackling, regarding acceptance of the self, both on an individual and societal level, symbolized by the apple.
Both games reference the apple when talking about the idea of becoming something new, sometimes even beyond humanity. It’s about the embracing of the shadow and all the parts of yourself, seeing yourself as a whole being and accepting all of it. The joy and contentment brought upon yourself by finally letting go of all that repression and division, even if the world around you is going to perceive those parts as scary or ugly. Bad endings in these games are brought about by rejection of the self, which makes sense considering all the themes around queerness and transcending one’s humanity, so obviously and fittingly the true endings focus on healing oneself by accepting all of their aspects as part of the greater whole.
The apple in these stories, especially noticeable in its original thematic incarnation in WKTD, is in reference to the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden from the Bible. Man was forbidden from eating the fruit, but Eve (VERY important to note that the dev studio is named Worst Girls Games btw) is tempted by the serpent (was not originally the devil, but came to be in the New Testament) to eat the fruit, which they do and become aware of themselves. God banishes them from the garden for breaking this rule he set out for them, also punishing the snake in the process due to how it tempted Adam and Eve. This incident is referred to as the “original sin.”
What is interesting about this part of the Bible though is what God says at the end of Genesis 3, right before the banishment actually occurs: “And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.’” The specific wording of “become like one of us” in the context of the apple metaphors from the games from Worst Girls Games is super intriguing to me, mostly due to how the idea of becoming something new is super common throughout these stories—becoming the devil in WKTD, and becoming one’s Ship-Self in HWBM.
There’s also the framing of the serpent in these stories, as well. The serpent in modern Christianity is almost always depicted as the devil, tempting humanity away from God throughout almost the entire scripture. In the book of Revelation, the devil is said to have gone to direct war against God and fighting against his angels; “Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fight back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” These verses can easily be seen in parallel to WKTD, with how the devil forms are said to be unstable and her world more fickle than god’s, and how in HWBM the Ship-Selves are delicately maintained by the Lunar Gravity Well.
But here’s the thing: the framing of the devil in these stories puts it in the position of being correct, with humanity making the right choice to follow it. This may sound strange, almost like villain behavior, until you remember these games deal with themes regarding repression of the self under an oppressive society, which is why these societies tend to be characterized by Evangelical conservative Christianity. Under this lens, alongside the themes of queerness and transcending humanity (rising to the throne of god, in a way), everything begins to click into place. The idea of being forced to live a certain way by a society that hates parts of your very being is killing our main characters, and they want a way out. The personification of the Collective Unconscious (ex: the devil) gives them this out—even if it’s less concrete and stable than the known world (the light), the unknown world (the darkness) is what truly gives our characters the freedom they desire.
They cannot do this alone, however, as we see in the Bible further into the book of Revelation, when the devil is aided by a beast from the sea and a beast from the earth, all three of them holding one another up and emphasizing one another’s’ powers and authorities. This, of course, most likely is reflected in the games in the main trios we play as. While I am still unsure about specifics, I trust you guys enough to understand what I’m getting at here, even if my speculations are likely flimsy at best. Either way, the idea gets across—the true endings for the games can only be obtained if everyone supports one another properly.
The scripture states that the devil does not have long on earth to do what he wishes (“… [The devil] is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”), but that doesn’t stop him from trying at all. When it comes to the games, in WKTD the main trio stay in the cabin only for the night (player choices start at 7pm and the final one is at 1am, 2am onward being the ending you got, so choices go on for 6-7 in-universe hours), and in HWBM they have eight days to get back to earth before humanity declares them to be a threat. In both stories, our protagonists are all under strict time limits to do what they can in order to get the outcome they desire. As it’s said in WKTD, “the devil only ever gets one chance.”
Even though in the Bible the devil is ultimately defeated, in these games it’s the opposite. This is less about the theology they draw from and more having to do with undoing oppressive power structures through solidarity and community support while doing what you can to avoid infighting. Systems of hate and oppression are easily undone, which is why they put in so much work to scare you away from even trying to undo it and make you fall in line; resistance scares oppressors. Of course, resisting is not an easy task, but that’s just part of the work—they don’t call it a fight for no reason, after all.
Accepting all aspects of yourself and embracing that is the first small, yet very important step, to rejecting oppressive systems as a whole, and when society as a whole accepts what the system rejects, that system will inevitably fall, freeing those who are under it. Even though the world that comes after may be more uncertain and unstable that the last one, we still have each other to rely on and a foundation to build something greater and healthier than before.
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So, roughly and basically…
Super-ego = God = Culture
Ego = Humanity (consistent throughout both games)
Projection = Light = Gravity
Resistance = Radio = Ship-Self
Shadow (personified by Collective Unconscious) = The Devil = Existential Threat
Acceptance (of the Shadow) = Apple (consistent throughout both games), characterized by devil possession forms and Ship-Selves (Ship-Selves are dual natured like that, I think)
… Or something like that. I dunno, I’m not a psychologist.
Once again, I have seen all of WKTD, so I can say these things concretely about that story. However, I have not seen all of HWBM, so it more so feels like I’m making guesses as to what happens in that one, so just bear with me. I’ll be super hype if I’m correct in my theory/analysis.
*On this note, it is very amusing to me to imagine the WKTD trio as space mech pilots. The idea of the main cast of HWBM having to deal with devil possessions is also very fun :3
Sources for information + screenshots I’m referencing
Wikipedia: Shadow (psychology) (links throughout the article lead to other things I’ve mentioned like the Collective Unconscious)
Bible Gateway: Genesis 3, Revelation 12, Revelation 13 (New International Version)
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(from WKTD) (not my screenshot, stole this from my friend) (hi Ash <3) (platonic)
(I don’t have a screenshot of the line that comes afterwards or the line talking about the metaphorical apple in the epilogue of the true ending but I know they’re there. I have it in my brain. I’m too lazy to get a picture of it just trust me I know what I’m talking about trust)
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(from HWBM) (screenshots taken by me)
(I don’t have absolutely everything either just work with me here sorry)
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onedayimgonnasnap · 1 year
Note
How about dating hcs for Mephistopheles, and Raphael?
Obey Me Mephistopheles and Raphael Dating HCs
Disclaimer: These are just my HCs I don’t know much about these two.
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I believe that Mephistopheles right off the bat likes to put things on a higher shelf so you can ask him for help. His ego is immediately boosted when you’re asking your boyfriend for help.
He gets super embarrassed asking you for anything, when he wants attention or is super needy he doesn’t say anything but looks at you when he thinks you’re not looking. If you look back he immediately turns his head blushing red.
You’re gonna have to ask for affection. But when he’s used to it, he will ask you or grab your hand when you’re both alone and kiss your fingers. He feels comfort from
This.
Mephistopheles seems like he’d hate PDA but feels so threatened by Lucifer’s presence he’d super fast like Sonic grabs your hand, enterwining your fingers together. He’s blushing a lot, and looking down in floor.
Mephistopheles also gets jealous easily due to insecurity, he’s afraid deep inside that you’ll abandon him too and he when he’s having those moods he wants to be alone and will shield himself to protect himself emotionally.
It takes a lot of communication and boundaries for both of you to be strong together, you both like eachother but communication is greatly appreciated.
For dates Mephistopheles likes to invite you to ride his horse with him, he will have you sit on the front while he has his arms wrapped around your waist keeping you balanced.
He also invites you to all of his horse races and equestrian competitions. He likes to kiss you for good luck before each match.
He doesn’t like to tell you out loud but he leaves small notes for you telling you that he’s extremely proud of you and sometimes leaves notes that looks like origami flowers that you have to unfold.
Some common dates for you both will be picnics or activities like daily walks outside, he likes the deep talk while having these small walks it makes his day.
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For Raphael. At first he’s extremely closed off and stuff. You were first intimidated based on the brothers description of him being sadistic.
With the help of Luke introducing eachother you both slowly became friends then to lovers.
You were the first to confess, however Raphael who didn’t understand his feelings right away asked if you could wait and he eventually after a week accepted your feelings apologizing deeply.
He likes to stare at you sometimes, it’s not on purpose but he enjoys watching you be you. He finds you extremely charming and he gives off a small smile sometimes.
He is extremely overprotective of you, the moment he found out that some demons were being mean to you, you never saw them again and you earned a cringy Raphael.
He’s not overboard with PDA however he does like to lay his head on your shoulder and doesn’t see a big deal about it.
Sometimes he feels insecure about not understanding you a lot and from the advice from Leviathan; checks out romancé manga.
He basically takes the advice from the main leading males and applies it to himself and goes on forward.
He is dedicated to you, I feel like he’s not picky with your food. If your food taste like shit? He’s gobbling it up and leaving no crumbs on the plate. He likes Solomons food what do you expect?
He really likes listening to you talk about any of your hobbies, it’s really enjoyable for him to listen you be happy talking. He likes your voice, smile and laughter.
A specific date you guys would have is probably the movies, he wants to see more movies in general and enjoys watching them with you. He sometimes takes a glance at you every once in a while to get your reaction.
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archandshri · 3 months
Text
9th feb '24 - [arch] characters, interactions and emotion - making a mini webcomic
Gahhhh Shri this has been an absolutely crazy couple of weeks!!!! Hope you are doing well :)) First of all, WOW! You have a lot of goals, and I’m sure you’ll get them done! I’ve worked a lot on my graphic design during the process of making Winter Wellbeing. If you wanna see a blog post dedicated just to that, I can do so! It would be cool to compare notes on the approaches we take for graphic layouts. If you wanna share your knowledge of camera skills when you build that up that would be awesome 😭😭
It’s been a tough few weeks, art wise. I have been reflecting on my process, motivations to create, the ego and all the baggage that’s lumped into the creative process for me. It turns out there’s a lot. I took some space from my illustration practise (literally for a weekend!) and began to realise how dysfunctional it is. I’ve been writing a lot about that so there may be a larger piece of writing coming about that at some point (no promises!!)
But for now, let's talk about little successes!
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I’ve been playing with some characters for a while but I’d hit a bit of a block with the plot. I realised the expectation of having a finished project of high quality soon is unrealistic, and an unhealthy expectation to put on myself. I rarely give myself time to play with concepts for a long time and let the characters, plot and interactions evolve naturally. Maybe this in part came from sticking to the short university module turnaround. I noticed that that short turnaround was causing a lot of block, so I have decided to bench it as a comic for now and focus on using it as a playground - falling in love with the characters, creating stories and drawing them for fun. Maybe years down the line I’ll make them into a comic - we shall see! 
I *tried* to do hourly comics day this year and it didn’t quite work for me. I think I made 3 comics? And then got distracted with a bigger project that ended up taking a week or so to complete. Let’s have a look at it, shall we?
[you can find the full version here]
First of all, it’s based on an unfinished fanfiction I started a couple of months ago, which was mostly bad, but there was one nice scene that I liked and wanted to expand on. I started by having a look at the script I wrote and thumbnailing on the iPad. I’m away from home at the mo and usually would prefer to do most of my artwork traditionally, but because I don’t have access to a scanner, the whole process was digital this time. A lot of the pages got scrapped because the dialogue wasn’t necessary, and I’m not drawing pages that aren’t necessary.
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some more development screenshots
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I thought a lot about posing during the process, acting the scenes out in my mind and sometimes physically, really understanding the emotions of the characters, why they’re saying what they’re saying, their tone and how to convey that though their body language and expression (i find grian really annoying normally [affectionate] but I want this grian to step on me).
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Pearl was hard with this because she’s quite erratic and unpredictable in this series, so I wanted her to switch from raw explodey anger to playful jabs at Grian. I’m hoping this comes across as somewhat insane, rather than tonally off and inconsistent. I did super enjoy drawing her and her explosive nature though, especially in comparison to Grian’s coldness.
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I played with levels and monotone colour too - I’m not working with multiple colours much at the moment so I’m able to focus on things like values composition, characters and backgrounds. My skills limit the kind of stories I can tell currently, so I’m working to improve those foundations. Maybe when I’m back in the riso studio I can play with colours a little more.
Colours - despite the simple pallete it gets a bit nerdy here.I stuck to specific flat percentages for most of it - Pearl’s hair and Grians jumper are 60%, Grian’s hair and Pearl’s cloak are 20%. Then I added a 14% layer for shadows, using a ahrd blend eraser tool for highlights, making the images quite dark. I fill a layer with texture from Forystr’s riso brush for procreate, and turn it into a 40% opacity colour dodge layer. This gives it some much needed texture and makes the lighting feel low and nighttimecore. It also pushes the values to look really nice - I tend to be too scared to push them by myself.
I tried a few different colour layers to get a *vibe* but settled on a low percentage riso blue in a colour layer. All layers besides the riso blue are in a riso black, colour picked from a riso colour pallete. I learnt these tools - using percentages to get good values - from working with risograph. I really recommend having a look at these techniques and doing some monotone work. It's really improved by character designs, page layouts and compositions.
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That's all from me today, though I have had MANY other thoughts over the past two weeks about creating, but perhaps we'll dive into them another time. If you (or anyone else) has any questions, hit me up with a reblog or an ask and I will get right to it. Lovely to hear from you! Hope your art is going great too :)) Arch :)
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shaakyhaands · 10 months
Text
Imagine if the Bentley has the capacity to time travel like the car in Back to the Future.
There seems to be some timey-wimey tomfoolery that production is hinting at, with the “problems in the present and past” part of the description on Amazon. How do they access the past? If it’s simply something they can do because they’re celestial/occult beings, why haven’t they done so sooner?
My theory: Crowley is the only character we’ve seen manipulate exclusively time. Time and space are connected through space-time, and we’ve seen many characters manipulate space via objects appearing/disappearing, thus indicating they can at least manipulate space if not time as well, but that’s going into space science shit I only know from my astronomy hyperfixation days and I don’t expect the Good Omens production crew to use or adhere to said science—
Okay, let’s back up and start with what’s established, yeah?
The Given Information:
Crowley is the only character we’ve seen manipulate exclusively time. Specifically, he stopped it.
The Bentley is uniquely Crowley’s. It is imbued with Crowley’s demonic essence.
The Bentley plays exclusively Queen music.
My Theory:
Crowley can stop time on his own, but with the assistance of a focus, he can manipulate it even moreso— such as travel forward or backwards (or maybe even laterally? Inter dimensional road-trip, anyone?).
The Bentley is Crowley’s focus. A focus is something seen in fantasy/magical settings, it’s a device through which a spell caster channels their magic. Think Harry Potter’s wand, Gandalf’s staff, or miscellaneous magical artifacts.
Crowley is powerful, so he can do plenty of magic without a focus, as we’ve seen him do throughout the series. But traveling through time, that takes more magical energy than the usual miracle, more mana. So to travel through time, he has to use to summon that magical energy using the Bentley.
Side note: we’ve ALREADY seen the Bentley manipulate time!! The Bentley started playing Queen music before Freddy Mercury was even born!
Hypothesis: we will see Crowley travel through time using the Bentley.
Additional notes:
The jukebox in the pub also plays only a specific artist’s music. Specifically, it plays one song. If playing a specific type of music is linked to time traveling capacity, does that mean the jukebox can also manipulate time? If so, that makes it a focus, like the Bentley. If that’s the case, then who is its user?
The production staff are referencing Clue (the movie) a lot, which has already been picked up on by some fans. Why not reference Back to the Future, another classic?
Look, I hate to bring it up, but it’s way too pertinent to the topic and I’ve already dropped a “timey-wimey” on y’all— we been knew David Tennant played the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who. He’s also reprised the role of the Doctor recently. So maybe they’re doing a thing with him playing time traveling characters??
I’m super willing to be wrong about all of this, btw. But can you imagine??? If I was right??? Dude, I’d be so fucking psyched. Time traveling Bentley for the win, let’s fucking goooooo—
Edit: someone asked Neil if the jukebox was similar to the Bentley, what with the playing only specific music. To which, Neil responded that we were going to be learning more about the Bentley. I’d say finding out the Bentley can travel through time qualifies as “learning more”, no?
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reasonsforhope · 1 year
Text
A wild about post appears!
Me
Hey! Call me Cactus. They/them, late twenties. I also run Direct Action for Hope, for petitions/campaigns/protests that don’t fit on a good news blog, as well as my own takes and activism.
Queer, trans, disabled, white, USian, for context. (Please let me know if I accidentally post something offensive, btw! I promise I have like. an actual ability to take that kind of feedback gracefully and work to remedy the situation)
 Some Info about This Blog
Actual good news only!
No heartwarming stories that aren’t actually news. No stories that other sources THINK are heartwarming, but that are actually super depressing and dystopic!
All websites/sources are at least preliminarily vetted by me
If I don’t think a source and/or a news story I find is accurate or reliable enough, I find a new, better source with a new, better article
Relatedly, any links that have the url web.archive go to an Internet Archive copy of a paywalled article. Usually this is the LA Times, NY Times, or Washington Post. Not a weird suspicious link, I promise!
All posts are cited and dated at the end!
All posts should be tagged, including for major/common content warnings. I can’t promise that I won’t miss any warnings, but I am definitely keeping an eye on this
Filter the tag “not news” if you only want to see the news articles/posts
Feel free to send me articles to look at or submit posts! I’ll vet these before I feature them. That said, you might be waiting A While, because despite many efforts to the contrary I am the worst about checking/answering messages. Sorry about that
Posts are generally long because I have Many Words And Endless Details Disease. Hopefully the thoroughness and the bolded highlights make up for that
A couple people have asked me if I could share their donation posts, so I wanted to pin this up: I’m sorry, but unfortunately, I will not be sharing any donation posts, because I don’t have the time or skills to vet all of them and weed out any potential scams. If you’re struggling, please check out this post, which lists communities designed for donation posts and mutual aid. You’re much more likely to get help there than on tumblr. You can also find other mutual aid resource lists and wikis here, here, and here
If you’re struggling with depression or anxiety, especially around climate anxiety or climate grief, there’s a really, really thorough directory of crisis hotlines by country that you can find here. Seriously, they have so many countries I wouldn’t have expected them to list - try it, if it might help
Tip Jar
I put a lot of work and passion into this blog—and a not inconsiderable amount of time. Also, I’ve been too disabled to work much at all for most of the past year...rip. (but thankfully doing better now!) So, if you want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee!
Good News Source
You can find a comprehensive list of all the websites I’ve bookmarked as sources for this blog here!
Note about Gaza
I will be posting good news (as much good news as there can be in this sort of situation) about the ongoing genocide in Gaza, because one of the most important ways to help is to refuse to be silent. Palestinians in Gaza have asked us to please keep talking about it, that it really does help, so I’m going to listen.
And honestly, my disabilities significantly interfere with my ability to take irl action like going to protests, so using what platform I have here really is all the more important to me. (Though I am also setting a notif on my phone to remind me to call my representatives every few days, and I encourage you to do the same if feasible.)
All that said! It is completely legitimate to need a break from horrific news (a huge part of why I started this blog), and it’s also legitimate to say “I need to find out about this stuff Not from my tumblr dash.”
If news about the war/genocide (esp on social media specifically) is making you spiral and shit, then I genuinely encourage you to filter out these posts. I’m not judging. I have significant filters around what Israel/Palestine stuff I see on here myself, because I want to be very intentional about the times I do engage with it. (Which is every few days and via the Actual News.)
I’m committing to fact-checking this stuff before posting, fyi, even with reblogs.
So, tl;dr:
I will be posting about Palestine and Gaza
I will still only post good news, eg: about successful protests, aid reaching Gaza, progress toward ceasefire
I’ll only post actual, concrete news, not just Politicians Saying Words
If you need to not find about this shit from tumblr and/or my tumblr, then filter out the tags “Palestine” and “cw war”
If you don't want to see my posts on this blog about the Israel-Palestine War, then block the tags "Palestine" and "cw war"
if you need a break, then take a break
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mirobami · 2 years
Note
Could u do kakegurui girls with a s/o with thick thighs 🥹
↳ s/o with thick thighs
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❤ GENRE: fluff.
❤ CHARACTER(S): y. jabami, m. saotome, k. momobami, r. momobami, s. igarashi, m. ikishima, y. yumemite, r. yomozuki, i. sumeragi, m. inbami, t. totobami, m. honebami, s. warakubami, r. batsubami
❤ SYNOPSIS: in request!
❤ NOTE: hi hi! due to this being all of the girls, i decided to do one bullet point for each one, i hope you don’t mind. let’s go!
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━ JABAMI YUMEKO ;
She practically pulls you onto her lap whenever she can because she just wants to subtly feel your thighs hold you and if you deny because you’re worried about crushing her, she just says, “That’s fine!” Your biggest supporter in the ways that she shows so much love towards your thighs, probably kisses them a lot whenever she’s lying down on your lap
━ MARY SAOTOME ;
She’s definitely in awe, don’t mistake her glances for anything else, she’s only trying to discreetly look at your thighs; sometimes she’ll ask for you to sit on her lap so that she can look at them more, she loves them a lot and is giving you so many compliments whenever you’re wearing outfits that show off your thighs
━ KIRARI MOMOBAMI ;
Kirari actually makes an excuse that she needs to "study" them but she's just mesmerized by your thighs and constantly tries to give you clothes to show them off (please wear them, she gets super excited); wants you to sit on her lap constantly, she’ll even ask if you can sit on her lap during the council meetings
━ RIRIKA MOMOBAMI ;
She’s so shy about them, she won’t even look at them because they’re so pretty to her and she doesn’t want you thinking that she’s doing something wrong; definitely blushes a lot when you’re sitting with your legs crossed and she’s not even thinking wrong, she’s just wondering if there is any way to get you in this one skirt that she thinks would look great on you
━ SAYAKA IGARASHI ;
Surprise, you are now her pillow whenever she’s really tired, all you have to say is that she can sleep on your lap and boom, her head is on your lap and she’s drifting off to sleep; she likes sitting on your lap too and hug you, it’s her way of recharging
━ MIDARI IKISHIMA ;
Midari genuinely just loves you but she likes lying across your thighs and if you're not careful, she will bite them playfully or roughly, expect for there to be bite marks due to her, she’s always gleeful about this circumstance afterwards; she’s another one that will pull you on her lap and she will squish your thighs sometimes because she’s so in awe and thinks they’re squeezeable
━ YUMEMI YUMEMITE ;
Yumemi definitely loves your thighs especially since they can serve as pillows for her after a long day and she will sometimes vent to you as she lies on them; she also probably gives you specific outfits that just show your thighs off and she will take multiple pictures of you (yes, they are all on her homescreen and lockscreen)
━ RUNA YOMOZUKI ;
Runa is quite literally in love with your thighs, she always uses them as pillows whenever she’s gaming; sometimes, the election committee will find you on the same loveseat as her, only she’s resting her head on your thighs and she looks so smug about it too since she doesn’t let anyone else even remotely try to do that
━ ITSUKI SUMERAGI ;
Her nail addiction is one thing but the second you come into the picture, she’s so in love with you and your thighs are spectacular to her; consistently sends you outfit ideas, she’s manipulating you a little bit into wearing these outfits for her own viewing pleasure; sometimes she’ll squeeze your thigh when you’re sitting together
━ MIYO INBAMI ;
She also uses your lap as pillows but mostly, she likes sitting on your lap as she works on her own things, it’s her way of bonding with you; she’s more chill than the rest of them since she thinks your thighs are really pretty and nothing more, will not give you an outfits for you to wear
━ TERANO TOTOBAMI ;
Terano thinks that your thighs are fascinating, but unfortunately, since she’s always sitting down, she will never ask for you to let her sit on your lap, she’d rather just admire them; sometimes she asks you how many people have sat on your lap in one go, and secretly wishes that she could be one of those people
━ MIROSLAVA HONEBAMI ;
Does not say much about your thighs, but she’s over the moon about them; likes seeing you in thigh high boots if you ever wear them, same with slit thigh dresses; you two will sometimes sit on each other’s laps and it’s honestly the best feeling for both of you, you’re always so comfortable with each other
━ SUMIKA WARAKUBAMI ;
A massive fan of you wearing outfits that show your thighs off, she’s worse than everyone else who tries to give you clothes, she BUYS you an entire wardrobe of clothes she likes seeing you in; she thinks that the slit thigh dresses make you look incredible and if she ever takes you to a premiere of one of her movies, she pleads for you to wear them; one could say that her face is smug as she walks down the carpet with you
━ REI BATSUBAMI ;
She’s another one that uses your thighs as pillows because she needs to relax and if you stroke your hair as she’s lying down? She’s in heaven and she’s more in love with you, you don’t even have to do anything else, she’d do anything for you as long as you let her reset on your lap
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ryuichirou · 4 months
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About the "Sluttiest Tier List" ... What about Vargas, Crowley, Sam, Rollo, Fellow and Gidel?
Hoo boy let’s line these guys up next to a wall and judge their levels of slutness…
We haven’t seen the Fellow+Gidel event, so I can’t say anything about them. As for Vargas and Crowley, I’ll rate them, but it’ll be a bit difficult, because I just realised that I don’t imagine them as sexual beings at all for some reason. Especially Vargas, I guess in my head he is so focused on muscles and eggs that he doesn’t even care about anything horny… huh. What a wholesome man. But you know, scratch that, let’s imagine that he isn’t wholesome.
And Crowley, well, he definitely isn’t wholesome, he’s just the case of “do you really want to imagine him having sex”, and you know, it doesn’t matter because I’ll force you to.
I’ll also add Neige and Che’nya here as a bonus <3
Vargas
Promiscuity: 1; Flirtiness: 3; Sex-drive: 3; Kinkiness: 2
Total: 8
I feel like Vargas isn’t really open to the idea of sleeping with several partners, but he still might cheat. Or maaaaybe he would just consider sex to be a part of training, and in that case he we can bump his promiscuity meters to 5, because the more the merrier lol
He doesn’t think much about kinks, but there are certain preferences that just… naturally occur in him.
Crowley
Promiscuity: 3; Flirtiness: 1; Sex-drive: 3; Kinkiness: 5
Total: 12
I just think Crowley being super kinky is way too funny of a concept lol We don’t know this man’s secrets. And his secrets are that he is kinky, horny (whether he gets to have sex or not is a whole other story) and he could get in a flirty mood, but he is so bad at it so we can’t put him any higher than a 1.
Sam
Promiscuity: 3; Flirtiness: 4; Sex-drive: 2; Kinkiness: 2
Total: 11
Sam wouldn’t tie himself to just one person, I feel like he would consider it a waste. He is also quite a flirt when he is in a good mood. He is a charmer after all, and he loves enchanting people. But at the same time, I feel like he is not as into sex as he could be. Alluring others is more fun than having sex with them, I guess. Which doesn’t mean that Sam doesn’t have a kink or two…
Rollo
Promiscuity: 0; Flirtiness: 0; Sex-drive: 3; Kinkiness: 4
Total: 7
Aw look at you, Rollo, you were so close to being an absolute a perfect prude, but alas, deep inside that pious and righteous façade hides a masochistic boy hungry for attention. 😔 Sing a song about it.
Neige
Promiscuity: 0; Flirtiness: 1; Sex-drive: 2; Kinkiness: 2
Total: 5
Neige is that one celebrity that people would hate to even consider having sex with someone. Neige has to stay pure! Neige CAN’T HAVE SEX! (Although there definitely are horny Neige fans out there…)
In reality, Neige really is quite innocent, but he isn’t completely uninterested in sex. And since he can’t really express his natural desires in any way, and doesn’t really have anyone to talk about these things with (speaking to dwarves feels weird somehow…), whatever he suppresses just leads to him getting weird and very specific kinks. Neige doesn’t know how it works, but oh well!
Che’nya
Promiscuity: 5; Flirtiness: 5; Sex-drive: 5; Kinkiness: 5
Total: 20
Oh god, really? Do we have another one of those?
Che’nya does anything he wants whenever he wants, and even though he isn’t as aggressive in his advances as the Tweels, he is still quite horny. And when it comes to kinks, his are somewhat weird… sometimes it’s things that people wouldn’t even consider a kink, but he surely gets aroused by those. He probably does a lot of pervy stuff and uses his invisibility powers quite regularly lol
Well, we ended on a bit of a cursed note. Didn’t expect Che’nya to also get a 20, but this is the world we live in….
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the-unconquered-queen · 6 months
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I’ve been thinking about a Blades modern college AU a lot lately and I kinda wanna share my HCs of what I’d see everyone doing
(they’d be aged down just a little bit for this one and we’re gonna do a bit of mental gymnastics to believe they’d be at the same place and everything and finally I don’t think the modern AU lives the writers suggested are in-character, so this does not follow that)
Aerin & Baldur: The easiest one for me. In a modern AU I still usually see them being princes so both of them are sent to uni to get political science degrees, but Aerin, who is a massive nerd and also looks forward to the peace and quiet once Baldur graduates, double majors in chemistry, too. As a bonus note, Aerin spends a lot of time in the library studying for his classes, but Baldur (who I cannot reason being an academic underperformer in a modern AU since he does have all eyes on him and a reputation to maintain) is more the kind of student who seemingly does no studying whatsoever but still manages to do reasonably well in his classes. It pisses Aerin off to no end. Also, in no universe is Aerin working at Starbucks if you try to keep the adaptation close to canon because either he's super rich with no reason to work for $14 an hour OR he's in prison for plotting an assassination, no in-between.
Imtura: Maybe she’s also a princess in a modern AU, or at least she’s the daughter of a diplomat or someone with a prominent government position, like a president or PM. She’s also expected to study something that helps her follow in her mother’s footsteps, but she says fuck that and does as she pleases. Goes for something like kinesthetics and also takes up a bunch of sports.
Tyril: Sure, he could be a noble, but I’m also fond of the HC that he’s the heir of a major company, so I could see him being a business major. Possibly takes on a minor that lets him study poetry, too. He also seems like someone who'd even go on to do a Master's, Naturally, he’s a star student even though he ends up deciding that taking over the family business isn’t quite the future he wants.
Mal: Most likely the one that does not actually go to college. Will tell anyone it’s a scam. Makes me wonder if in a modern AU he’d be a tech wiz, since in the 21st century stealing is less about physical theft and more about hacking and scams, which obviously he only pulls on rich people and assholes. Someone bothering you? Hit him up and your problem’s all taken care of. But I really like the idea that a little farther down the line he enrolls in college to study social work, because Mal is still Mal and he still wants to help kids in need.
Nia: Without a doubt she is a theology major. She was raised in a very religious community so she’s always been steered in that direction, even though her views evolve and she does a lot of personal growth as she meets a lot of different people while she’s at college, she still views her faith as a key aspect of her and wants to share it with others the right way. I could also see her taking some first aid classes on the side or in her free time, not because she ever means to practice medicine or anything, but just because she thinks it’s important knowledge. Also, sorry to everyone who thinks she'd be a super preppy influencer, but Nia is def more along the lines of a repressed Mormon kid so irl she can be kind of hard to stomach for some people even though she is incredibly sweet.
Kade: You KNOW this man is a humanities major, maybe without focusing on a specific one so he can study literature, poetry, music, and everything he likes under that umbrella, even though he does lean toward literature. Is currently the only person who can compete with Aerin on most hours spent in the library (they probably both know all the librarians by name and each has to get shooed out at closing time). If he has any of those professors who insist their own interpretation of a piece is the only valid one, then Kade’s about to become their least favorite student because he WILL debate them any day.
MC: MC’s a fun one because everyone can HC something that fits their MC’s personality, either based on the story or just what they would like to see MC doing in the modern world, but some potential majors I’m fond of for a modern MC are zoology (beastmaster), chemistry (alchemy), linguistics (MC can be fluent in at least two animal languages in the book, you can’t tell me they wouldn't be brilliant as a linguist), anything in the medical field (medicine/healing), social work if they want to work with Mal, or even something to become an international diplomat down the line (diplomacy).
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cjsarchive · 29 days
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nothing specific, just would love some fluff from the boys :)
I ended up getting super indulgent when writing this:3. Hope you enjoy!
(Platonic)
Another Day-Incubi x Reader
After eating breakfast with the incubi, I began simply walking around the house, trying to pass time as they all separated to their own endeavors. I stopped walking when I heard some music playing as I walked past one of the rooms. I peered inside to see Erik in his room that he shared with James. He was playing a portable piano. He had a furrowed brow as he continually hit one note over and over. I gently knocked on the door.
He looked up at me and smiled, “Oh! Hello, princess. Come in.”
“Hey, Erik,” I said as I walked towards him, “What are you working on?”
“Ah, I'm just working on a song I recently came up with. I am however having a bit of trouble unfortunately.”
“Oh? How so?”
“I’m struggling to continue the song.” He sighed looking back down at the keys.
I thought for a moment, “Well, I don’t know much about the piano, but maybe I could try to help a bit? If that’s okay with you.”
Erik let out a gentle smile, “As generous as always, Princess.” He scooted over to make some space for me on the chair he was sitting on and I sat down beside him.
“Can I hear what you have so far?”
Erik nodded and began to play his piece. It was very calming. My eyes slowly fell closed and I focused on the music. That was until he suddenly hit a sour note and the song ended. He groaned.
“I don’t know how to continue from that part. I can’t get inspiration for it.”
“Well what gave you inspiration for the rest of the song?”
Erik chuckled, “When we all watched the sunset together the other day. That truly was beautiful.” Erik thought for a moment, “Can you tell me about a time in your life you thought was beautiful?”
“Yeah, sure.” I proceeded to tell him about one of the most beautiful moments of my life. I tried to go into as much detail as possible, hoping that will truly help him get the feel of it. Erik took some time to really visualize my words before he tried playing again. The note that was once sour flowed seamlessly. Erik was able to come up with a few more notes for his song as I watched. It was amazing to see him in his element like this.
Once Erik was finished, he smiled brightly, “Thank you, Princess. What would I do without you?” He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed my knuckles, “You truly are inspiring.”
I smiled, “You’re the artist, Erik. You’re the one that’s inspiring.”
I left Erik alone to finish his song in private. As I left his room, Matthew was walking past carrying a load of snacks.
“Oh, hey!” He smiled at me.
“Hey, Matthew. What are you about to do?”
“I was gonna go find something new to watch on tv. You wanna watch tv with me?”
“Sure!”
“Awesome!” He smiled his goofy grin at me, “Come on.” I followed Matthew to his and Damien’s room. We settled down onto Matthew’s bed and he laid out the snacks before looking to me, “You can have whatever you want! I don’t mind.”
I giggled slightly, “Thank you,” I said before taking some snacks for myself. “So, what were you thinking about watching?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. Nothing too serious. Are there any shows you recommend?” Matthew handed me the tv remote.
“Hm, I don’t really know either.” We both chuckled before I turned on the tv and started scrolling through channels. I stopped scrolling when I came across a channel playing Family Feud, “Have you seen this show?”
“Nope. What is it?”
“It’s a game show. The host is super funny. Definitely makes the show a whole lot better.”
“Let’s watch it then!” He smiled. I smiled in return and clicked play on the tv. We didn’t expect to get so into the show so quickly. We watched for at least a couple hours laughing at the host, the contestants, and ourselves as we tried to guess some of the answers as well. We both weren’t particularly good at guessing, which made everything even funnier. We were eventually interrupted by a knock on the door. Matthew told them to come in and in came James,
“Hello,” He greeted, “Lunch is ready whenever you’re ready to eat.”
“Alright, thanks, James!” I said as he gave us a warm smile and left the room. I turned back to Matthew, “Should we continue this another time?”
“For sure! This was so fun! It’s always awesome hanging out with you!” He beamed a bright smile at me.
I couldn’t help the slight blush that appeared on my face, “Thank you! That makes me so happy to hear.” I smiled back at him.
“It’s the truth!” I giggled and thanked him again before we both went down to eat lunch.
After lunch, I entered the living room to see Sam playing a shooter game on the big screen. He seemed focused on his game, so I simply sat down beside him on the couch and watched.
“Whaddup, doofus,” He said simply, not taking his eyes off the screen.
“Hey,” I said in return. We went back to sitting in silence as he finished this round.
“Damnit!” He cursed as he lost.
“What’s the objective of this game?”
“Get chests and take out other players.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah, pretty simple. You wanna join in?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. There’s a multiplayer mode.”
“Alright, I’ll play!” Sam passed me the second controller. I found the multiplayer mode and chose my weapon. Sam quickly gave me the rundown of the game and controls before we started our first match. I quickly realized it was not ‘pretty simple.’ I definitely was nowhere near as good as Sam was, it was almost embarrassing.
“Sam, where did you go?!” I exclaimed.
“I ran off already! Why didn’t you follow me?!”
“I got distracted, sorry!” He laughed at me as I quickly tried to catch up to him.
“Where are you?! I don’t know where I'm going! Ugh!” I shouted again as Sam guffawed at my frustration. I jokingly hit him on the shoulder.
“Alright, alright. Do you see that building in front of you?” He pointed at the screen, “I’m in there. Go there.”
“Okay, I’m going.” As I was headed towards the building, I was suddenly shot at and my character fell down and died. Sam didn’t even try to hold down his laughter.
“You got some terrible fucking spatial awareness, doofus!”
“Shut up,” I started to laugh as well. We continued playing for a while. Well, it was more of me dying repeatedly while Sam practically howled in laughter at me. I managed to kill myself with my own grenade at one point.
“Sam! Help! People are shooting at me!”
“Just shoot back, doofus!” But it was too late because I was already dead again. The round ended and I fell back on the couch in defeat.
“That was humiliating,” I joked. Sam fell back with me and reached over to ruffle my hair.
“Don’t worry about it. Hell, you’re way better at other things.” I smiled at his statement.
“Thanks.”
“Heh, no problem.” We simply just laid there for a while, enjoying being in each other’s presence.
“I did have fun, believe it or not,” I sighed contently.
“I did too,” Sam reached and playfully nipped at my cheek, “You’re really cool, doofus.”
“Heh, you’re cool too, Sam.”
Some time after playing video games with Sam, I went to get myself a snack from the kitchen. I found Damien in there, also fixing him something to eat.
“Hello,” He smiled as he greeted me.
“Hey, Damien. What are you making?”
“Just a sandwich,” He had the cheese, meat, and condiments out, “I just need the bread.” He went to the pantry and took a look around before slightly raising a brow, “I think we might be out of bread.”
“Already?” I had just bought some bread last week. Then I remembered that lately Matthew’s been obsessed with bread and butter. That would explain it. Damien chuckled.
“It’s fine. I’ll just make something else,” He said as he began putting the ingredients away..
“I can run and get some bread from the store real quick. You wanna come with?”
“Are you sure? Heh, I don’t need bread right this moment.”
“I know. I kinda wanna get out the house right now though. Besides, Matthew will probably be happy to have more bread as well.”
Damien giggled, “Very true. Alright, I’ll come with you.” We both quickly slipped on some sweaters and shoes and went out to my car. I drove us to the nearby corner store and we picked up some bread, along with some other stuff we needed while we were there. On our way back home, the sun was beginning to set, turning the sky beautiful shades of pink, orange and yellow. “Woah,” Damien looked out the window, “So beautiful. I’ll never get tired of sunsets.” I smiled at him. Seeing his amazement for something so seemingly minimal and common put a warm feeling in my heart. Damien blushed slightly and smiled back at me. I pulled into a park and parked the car.
“Come on, let’s get out and watch the sunset.”
Damien nodded to me before we both got out of the car and into the park. He found a bench facing the sunset and sat down, I guess I tend to forget how magical sunsets can be. They’re so common, It had gotten to the point I stopped really thinking about them. The boys definitely helped bring that magic back.
“Hey, can I see your phone for a moment?” Damien asked.
“Yeah sure,” I handed over my phone, not thinking about it too much, kinda lost in my thoughts at the sunset. I suddenly heard the sound of a picture being taken. I looked over at Damien to see he just took a photo of me.
“Sorry,” He gave a sheepish smile, “You just look so pretty in the glow of the sunset. See?” He showed me the photo he took. I was sure I was blushing right now. I chuckled, “Thanks for the compliment. And that’s a good picture of me, hehe.” I got the urge to take a photo of him as well. He smiled and handed me my phone back. I ended up taking quite a few photos.
“You’re so handsome,” I grinned.
He blushed, “Hehe, thank you!” We took some more photos, some together, as we continued to watch the sun set further into the sky. “Thanks for bringing me out with you. You are so amazing. We should do this more often!”
“Yeah, for sure!”
He chuckled, “We should probably head back. Dinner should be done soon.” Damien stood up off the bench and offered a hand to me to help me stand as well.
After dinner, I saw James going out to the garden. I followed him out, wondering what he could be doing out there at this time, “James?”
He turned to look at me, “Oh, hello, Miss.”
“Hey, whatcha doing?”
“Ah, I was about to start reading a novel I recently found.”
“Oh? What’s it about?”
James perked up a bit, noticeably excited to share his book with me, “It’s a mystery thriller. Someone was killed in a friend group of young adults, so they are trying to find the imposter in their group.”
“Ooh, that sounds interesting! Why read outside though?”
“I love the atmosphere of being in the garden. It’s very calming and, in my opinion, makes the perfect environment to read in.”
“That actually sounds really nice.”
“Indeed,” He chucked. James thought for a moment. “Miss, would you perhaps want to read this with me? I believe I saw another copy of this book in the library.”
“Yeah, why not?”
He smiled, “Wonderful.”
With our own copy of the book each, we sat down next to each other and began to read. Because of his ability, he was a fast reader. Especially fast in comparison to my slower pace. I noticed him catch himself and slow down, trying to accommodate me. I tried to quicken my pace.
“You don’t have to rush to catch up to me, Miss. I don’t mind rereading a few pages. I want you to enjoy the book to its fullest as well.”
I simply smiled, “As sweet as ever.” He merely chucked. We read about a quarter of the way into the book together, pointing out moments that stood out to us and annotating, hoping to solve the mystery in the book. I always loved having discussions with James. He always brought a great perspective to everything. Soon enough, I found myself yawning.
“I think this is a good place to wrap up,” James said softly, “You need your rest, Miss.”
“Can’t argue with that.” I took a moment to simply sit and wallow in the night breeze, “You’re right. Reading out here at night does make for a great atmosphere.”
“I’m glad you enjoy it as well, Miss. Though I must say, your presence made the experience much better.” I smiled and laid my head on his shoulder. We both sat for a while, admiring the night sky.
After, we both headed back in the house and up the stairs.
“Goodnight, James.”
“Goodnight, Miss. Have sweet dreams,” He smiled before we both seperated to our rooms.
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