#haven't posted since actually being on campus!!
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in your head, on your mind // Jordan Li x Reader, Part 1
i know i haven't posted in like a year, and this is a huge shift from my usual writing, but i cannot express how jordan li has captured my heart and soul. this is definitely going to be a good number of parts, and will also definitely have some smut in there.
word count: 1912
previous part // next part
The Lamplighter School of Crimefighting is your home away from home on the GodU campus. Being Professor Caldwin’s TA is almost a full-time job, and in addition to classes and training and homework, most days you are in Caldwin’s office more than your own dorm room. Not that you mind, really. It’s the sort of job that will really set you up later in life - Caldwin knows everyone - and anything is better than listening to your roommate try and go viral on TikTok for the 30,000th time. And Caldwin’s a nice guy, in his own way.
“L/N.” The gruff call from his actual office resounds over the little foyer your desk sits in.
Scooting back from your seat, you get up and walk the few steps between your desk and the doorway, hovering at the frame. “Professor?”
Caldwin sits at his own desk - a big, antique wooden thing that’s probably older than anything else in this building - hunched over in front of a desktop computer that’s far too sleek looking for the desk it sits on. Frustration radiates out from him like rays of the sun. Stupid fucking computer… swear they make these things difficult for people my age on purpose… snippets of his thoughts play in your mind without prompting - your superpower passively picking up his most prominent feelings. Of course, if you wanted, you could really focus and read his mind fully (even talk to him telepathically), but that was a boundary you’d promised yourself you wouldn’t cross. He is your professor - and boss - after all.
Peering over the top of his glasses, Caldwin blinks at you, gathering a stack of papers to his left. “Bring these over to Brink, will you? If he’s busy you can just leave them with his TA, it’s nothing classified.”
You step into his Caldwin’s office fully, and take the stack of papers from him. It’s a hefty thing, so you tuck it under your arm. “Will do.”
“And while you’re out and about, get me another cup of coffee from the staff room. Two sugars-”
“Two sugars, two pumps of hazelnut, one splash of cream.” You say, already heading out the door. You’ve had his coffee order down since he hired you at the beginning of your sophomore year. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Thank you.” Gonna take a hammer to this stupid fucking-
His thoughts cut off abruptly as you walk out of range, heading into the halls of the Crimefighting building. Students fill the space, coming and going from classes, sitting in the chairs near the floor to ceiling windows busy on their laptops, loitering around as they chat with their friends. You purposefully focus on your own goal - Brink’s office, and then the staff break room to make Caldwin another coffee - to force the cacophony of thoughts down. The audible chatter, in addition to the telepathic noise, would have been enough to make you scream a few years ago, but classes at GodU have lived up to your expectations - they’re hard, but worth it, to get your power under control.
Brink’s office is across the building from Caldwin’s, a more luxurious room with lots of natural light and a good view of the campus green. You’d only really ever been in there on Caldwin’s instructions - Brink had only been your professor once, your freshman year, and you’d been too scared of his reputation to actually go to his office hours. Still, it was easy to find, and when you tried the door, it was open.
The foyer of Brink’s office is much larger than the space in Caldwin’s and you find yourself a little jealous - it would be nice to sit at a desk here. You look first to the doors leading into his actual office, and find them closed. You turn to the figure sitting at the desk, and ask, “Is Brink busy right now? I have papers from Caldwin for him.”
The girl at the desk - pretty, with stark black hair that just reached her jaw and big brown doe eyes - just stares at you for a moment before responding. “Yeah, he’s on a call, actually.” Her voice is smooth, a little deep, and not what you expected at all.
“Oh, alright, I can just-” You start, only to be interrupted by a wave of lust.
Goddamn. Smash. The things I wouldn’t do to get between those legs… wow. Those legs. How have I not run into YOU before? I mean really, surely I would have noticed the hottest person alive on campus - especially here, in my goddamn department. Fuck.
Whatever you were expecting, it wasn’t that. You balk. “Um. Sorry. Yeah, it’s not anything classified so Caldwin said I could just leave it with you,” You untuck the stack from under your arm and pass it towards Brink’s TA. Her fingers brush over yours as she takes it, and for a split second, you can feel just how much you were affecting her - the wave of horniness hit you like a bus. The feeling lingers as you take your hand away, and you’re unable to tell if it’s leftover from her or your own reaction. Maybe a bit of both.
She sets the papers down on her desk beside her without looking, too busy smiling at you. “I’m Jordan, by the way.” She says. “I take it your Caldwin’s TA?”
“Yeah.” You say. “Y/N.”
Y/N. That’s a nice name. Very screamable.
You fight the urge to do anything but smile. Just looking at her, you would have never guessed such wanton thoughts would come from such a tiny girl, but never judge a book by its cover, right?
“Nice to meet you Jordan.” You continue, careful to keep your voice steady, even. Casual. Not like you can hear every piece of want cross her mind.
I bet you’d sound good screaming my name. I need to stop - I don’t even know you. I need to get laid, my god. Down tremendous and I JUST learned your name.
The image of you and Jordan together - tangled up in unfamiliar bedsheets, Jordan’s mouth latched onto your neck as you moaned in pleasure - crosses Jordan’s mind, and yours by extent. For, as she said, having just met you, it was a surprisingly good imaginary version of yourself. Though, she is looking right at you. It would be hard to get any details wrong when you were standing right there.
Would you let me? Maybe if I was in the other form-
Before you had time to wonder what that meant, she’s changing before your eyes, rearranging skin and bone until an entirely different person is sitting at the desk. A man - taller, broader, but just as pretty and with the same big brown eyes. Your surprise must have shown on your face, because Jordan laughs, a smile stretching across their face.
“Sorry.” They say, leaning forward to rest their elbows against the desk. “It’s just that I have two faces, so I didn’t want you to get confused if some random dude was waving at you cause I forgot you only met me as a girl.”
“That’s a pretty cool power.” You say, and then, with your mind, “And a pretty good reason to show it off. I mean, for something you came up with on the fly anyway.”
You watch their eyes widen as they realize that you’re in their head, and then their cheeks flush red as they remember what they were thinking about not moments before. “So you’ve just been hearing-?”
“Yeah.” You say..
“I am so sorry-” They start, shifting back into their female form.
“No, it’s okay.” You say, a laugh on the edge of your lips. “I promise it’s fine, I mean, you didn’t know I was listening in and it’s your thoughts you can’t like, help it. And it’s not the first time-”
I bet, looking like that. Fuck. Pretend I didn’t think that. I’m sorry. Jordan buries their head in their hands with a groan. “Sorry.”
You let out a full laugh at that. “It’s okay, I promise. Please don’t beat yourself up about it, it’s fine. It’s flattering, if anything. I mean, you’re pretty good looking yourself. Not that you’re only hot, I mean - I’m sure you’re nice too.” You pause. “That came out a little wrong.”
Jordan smiles. “It’s okay. I mean, you basically get a free pass to do whatever you want to be since I’ve been…” They trail off. In their mind, …objectifying you. I’d let you do whatever you wanted to me anyway, but… fuck. Sorry.
You smile again. “It’s okay. Promise.” You lean forward across the desk a little, getting closer without getting too close - you have just met after all. The smell of smokey cologne fills your nose, and causes more butterflies to swirl in your stomach. They really are hot. “You wanna know a secret?”
Jordan leans in too. “Sure.”
“Most guys, when they figure out that I can hear them lusting after me, aren't even apologetic.” You say. “So it’s sweet that you are. Charming, even.” It’s true - which is why you don’t usually bother playing into people’s lustful thoughts, but Jordan…
Okay. Okay, it’s not a big deal, it’s fine. “Would you want to hang out?” Jordan says, a little rushed, like they’d been waiting for an opportunity. “Sometime? We could train, or something…” Please say yes. You don’t have to say yes. I really want you to though.
You think about it for a moment. You don't usually say yes to these kinds of questions, especially after hearing the person's ulterior motives, but… Jordan seems nice, nice enough to genuinely feel bad about their thoughts once they realized you could hear them. And they are hot, objectively, in both forms.
“Yeah, I’d be down to hang out.” You say, reaching into the pocket of your jeans to pull out your phone. “Can I-?”
“Yes. Yeah.” Jordan pulls their own phone out clumsily, handing it to you.
You put your number in with a smile, and take the liberty to add a little emoji heart at the end of your name before you hand it back to them. “Should I text you, or are you going to text me?”
I don’t think I could stop myself if I tried. “I’ll text you.” Jordan says, glancing down at their phone. “A heart?”
“You don’t think so?”
No, no. No it’s great, I'm never going to change it. “A little fast, no?” They say.
You smile, and inject your voice into their head. Liar. I’ll see you later Jordan.
Before they can say anything else, you turn and leave, throwing one last glance at them over your shoulder. They don’t even try to pretend that they aren’t staring.
Butterflies swarm your stomach as you make your way back through the halls. You can’t remember the last time being in someone’s head made you like them more rather than less, but Jordan… sweet, apologetic Jordan. It’s exciting, in a way, knowing what they were thinking about you, and knowing that despite the fact that you know, they still want to hang out. You check your phone, even though it’s not even been a minute since you left. Sure enough, a text-
what are you doing tmrw from like 2-4
You type out your reply: hanging out w u probably
You almost forget to get Caldwin’s coffee on the way back.
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𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬. | 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐨’𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫
Tags: enemies to lovers, college au, smut, 18+, slow burn,
Synopsis: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single, brooding man in possession of a good future in genetics, must be in want of a girlfriend.
Or at least a fake one to get his family off his back.
(college au & fake dating trope ft my favourite grumpy man who doesn't fall first but ends up falling harder. ouch.)
Taglist: @oharasfilipinawife @palesatan @yougavemeyourheartyouknow @amelialysm @crimin4llyins4ne @strawberryjuice9 @beezusvreeland @faretheeoscar
series | previous chapter | next chapter
chapter 3: war and anything but peace
“Are you still upset by that review?” Lyla prompts, chewing her morning toast loudly in front of you.
You groan aloud in response to her comment, auditory proof that if it wasn’t obvious enough by your body language and mood for the past forty eight hours, yes, you were still pissed.
That bastard almost cost you your job. Your very first job in fact since you had made it to college and he had almost made you lose it.
“I swear if I see him around on campus today, there’s no promise that I’ll stop myself from drop-kicking him.” you warn in a low tone as you peer into the fridge searching for something to eat.
Your shoulders drop in disappointment as the bare white corners of the refrigerators grimly greet you and your hungry stomach, guess you’ll just have to go grocery shopping later.
But for now you think that you can settle on an omelette to satisfy your needs. You take what you need and head over to the counter to prepare your breakfast.
The meeting on customer etiquette wasn’t too bad. Steve was…nice about it in a slightly condescending way. You just wished that you were given a chance to explain yourself from your own perspective, to try and prove that you weren’t actually trying to be rude.
Although, an upside of the meeting was that you’re now being taught on how to use the machines properly in the cafe.
“He almost cost me my job, Ly’.“ you note to your roommate, cracking two eggs into a bowl before whisking.
“Ah see, key word: almost.” She points out gleefully. “From an optimistic point of view, you still have your job right?”
You huff as you whisk, muttering. “Barely.” Your motions fastened quickly, gripping the whisk tightly. The thought of him proudly posting that comment makes you want to rage and you do so, letting your anger out on the current task of whisking eggs.
You groan aloud again, pouring the beaten eggs into the pan. “I just still can’t believe he did that to me. He barely fucking knows me.”
“Mhmm, like you’ve been saying for the past two days.”
“He’s publicly humiliated me, and now the whole campus knows that I’m the shitty barista at the cafe.”
“Not everyone–” Lyla quips up, a light smile drawn over her lips. “No one reads google reviews, if he really wanted to hurt you he’d go on yelp.” she snorts.
“Lyla, that’s not funny.” you deadpan, turning to face her.
She raises her hands, seated at the table. “Okay, okay, it’s not like I’ll give him any ideas, I haven't even met the guy myself.”
“It’s hard to miss him.” you mutter under your breath, specifically referring to his height.
“What was that?” Lyla posed, not hearing your response.
“Nothing, nothing, m’sorry I just…it was really embarrassing having to be talked down to by my manager about not doing my job properly, like it was so condescending. If I mess up one more time, then I thinkI’m gone for good Ly’. Even MJ was surprised to hear me come back.”
“Maybe you should get revenge.” Lyla notes, finishing up the last of her toast.
“What? Like murder him?”
“Woah, woah, hey there missy I wasn’t thinking about going that–“
“I was joking Lyla.”
A silence creeps in between the two of you, the sound of the eggs frying and Lyla’s crunch of toast being the only sounds in the room. As the scent of the omelette rose in the kitchen, you let yourself get carried away by your thoughts. Only a little bit. You know you said that you wouldn’t think about it anymore but you just can’t stop thinking about wrapping your hand around his large, veiny…
“I think you’re burning your omelet.” Lyla interrupts suddenly and as a result forces you to unconsciously squeak out your ongoing thoughts.
“Neck!” you say aloud.
“What?”
“What?” you repeat after her, dazed and confused.
“I said I think you’re burning your breakfast, babe.”
“Oh shit—”
/
Following your public mishap, you’ve returned to work. Eager to start over on a new leaf. MJ shows you all the basic tricks and shortcuts needed for the job which you note step by step in your head.
It goes smoothly, once you clock in. You make sure to smile at every customer, greet them with a cheerful tone, and try hard to put in all of your efforts to make up for what happened last week. So far it looks like no one really knows about the bad review online and you loosen up at the thought.
Lyla was right, you think. You had absolutely nothing to worry about.
MJ agrees too, praising you a few hours into your shift. “You’ve seemed to handle it well. Most people would have crumbled for good after having a talk with Steve.” You nod eagerly at her words, your eyes brightening up slightly.
“Have you thought about what you’ll do if he comes in again?” She asks, referencing back to your crude insult directed at him.
Sure, you had thought about a way to get revenge. In fact you had compiled a list of ways to get him to delete the review, that’s the only way that you’ll truly be able to move on from the situation.
Hesitating, you think about your answer before you speak, choosing from the list of possible methods to convince him.
“I’ll kill him with kindness.” you say, smiling before you hand the next customer a drink.
MJ hums. “And if that doesn’t work?”
“Then I’ll make him regret it.”
That’s all you get the chance to say before the devil himself walks into the cafe. MJ gives you a nudge, signaling you to get back to the till and take his order. This is the first time you’ve seen him since you’ve found out about the review.
Pulling on a fake smile and exaggerating your cheerful tone, you greet the tall and brooding customer in front of you.
“Good morning, what would you like today?” you greet, an eager smile on your face.
Miguel cocks up a brow, peering down at you. You don’t seem bothered in the slightest. He wonders if you’ve even read the comment yet.
“Coffee, milk, no sugar.” His face remains deadpan. You hum lightly, tapping his order into the till. You watch him pay, swiping his card without a second glance.
“I’ll bring it right over for you.”
MJ prepares his order for him whilst you get through the rest of the queue.
Just like before, you walk over to his table, isolated from the rest of the people in the cafe. You figure that he’s a loner in general and judging by his behavior, it’s not hard to see why.
“The nerve that you have.” you murmur, practically placing down his coffee with aggression. So much so that the hot liquid overspills on the table.
“Excuse me?” He frowns, his brows furrowed deeply, creating a crease.
Awh. He’s playing innocent.
“Your review. I saw it.”
He takes a moment before speaking again, his frown now switching back to a sort of smug face.“I was wondering if you saw that.” He mumbles. “What’d you think about it?”
That smile. That goddamn smile. You think you picked up his eyes lighting up just as the pure mention of the review. What a sadistic man.
You hold back a smirk as his eyes meet yours. They’re playful, teasing. He barely knows who you are yet plays into the temptation of learning how to push your buttons.
You batter your eyelashes on purpose, remembering to stick to your method of kindness.
“Anything else I can get for you, Miguel?”
His name slips easily from your mouth in a sultry tone. You weren’t really expecting that to come out of you and judging by the way that Miguel’s eyes widened slightly, you think that he wasn’t expecting it either. He sort of likes the way you make his name sound like that.
“Nope I’m good for now, nena. Pretty good service today, maybe last week was a fluke.”
“Maybe it was.” you say and suddenly your hopes are raised. Here’s your chance.
“Perhaps my service is good enough to take down the review now?” you propose, a smile printed across your face falsely. You take out a tissue from the metal box on his table and lean down to wipe away the split remnants of his coffee.
Your face is so close to his, you can practically feel his eyes bore into your skull as you wipe his table clean.
Miguel is so focused on you that he doesn’t even notice the words slipping from his lips. “I’ll think about it.”
“Really?” You glance up, now eye-level with him as you’re half bent over the table. Miguel leans closer to you, his face just a few centimeters away from yours. Your stomach fills with anxiety and apprehension but you’re not really sure why. His eyes never leave yours and you’re fighting every single muscle in your body to keep your own latched onto his own brown and intimidating eyes.
Miguel hums lowly, his voice low and rough as he whispers. “But you’re gonna have to try better than that if you want the review taken down, nena. I can practically smell the desperation from you. It’s…sad.”
Right there and then you swore that you have never wanted to kick a guy in the balls. His cocky attitude, the way that he looks down at you when he stands from his table,
You take a deep breath, shutting your eyes. You stand up fully, crumpling the paper tissue in your hand. “Fine. Keep your stupid review.”
“What?”
“Keep it up. You’ll regret it.”
Miguel snorts, clearly judging you. “Should I be scared?”
“I dunno’…should you?” you say, tilting your head. This time you’re not afraid to keep eye contact with him. He doesn't scare you and you shouldn't let him know how intimidated you are by him.
The two of you observe each other for a few seconds, waiting to see who’ll back down first. Your fists are clenched by your sides, your body and mind screaming at you to look away.
And unfortunately, you give in to your natural instincts.
Miguel opens his mouth to say something to you, probably something to tease you even more until his phone buzzes in his pocket. He immediately pulls it out and reads an incoming message that’s popped up on his home screen.
That frown that you once saw at the beginning of the conversation had now returned. This time his expression seemed a little more…unsettled.
“I gotta go.” He says abruptly, before downing his latte. Your eyes can't help but notice the way that his Adam apple moves as he drinks the beverage, causing the uneasy tension to return back to your stomach… again.
“You should get back to work.” He mutters, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Don’t keep the queue waiting because then you’ll actually start living up to the review y’know?”
You’re quick to open your mouth to voice back a quick-witted reply when MJ calls out your name. You turn back to see her glancing over at you from the coffee machines.
“Hey! A little help here?”
Your shoulders sag at the thought of leaving your task unaccomplished. Shuffling away from his table, you move back to your station, entirely missing the way that Miguel turns back to look at you before he leaves.
Looks like he wins this one.
For now.
You - Nil
Miguel - 1
lmk if you would like to be tagged! tysm for reading <3
#angel writes#under no circumstances fic#miguel ohara x reader#miguel o'hara x reader#miguel o'hara atsv#atsv x reader#spiderman atsv#atsv headcanons#atsv miguel#miguel x reader#miguel o'hara
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I absolutely looooveee the College!Mingyu series
It’s just so adorable. Mingyu being a cute college classmate(?) who flirts with you and is on good terms with your dad just puts me in the feel!!!
Brb *gonna re-read all the drabbles again*
going to send you more into a spiral and say
things college!mingyu has done that has us kicking and giggling (and i haven't written but def think he does):
- goes out with college!oc's dad for sunday morning golf bc he genuinely enjoys the man's company and yeah maybe he also uses this time to hear about stories about college!oc when she was younger
- spends hours on end tutoring college!oc in math and science bc it's her weakest subject while it's his strongest
- he gave college!oc a ride to the store once and she adjusted the front seat to her preference and since then he hasn't allowed anyone to change the position of the seat bc "that's how y/n likes it. leave it alone."
- pretends to miss a shot after saying "y/n this one is for you"
- college!oc asked him to grab her an energy drink from the campus store once bc she was already at the library saving their seats and since then he never showed up to their study dates without her fav energy drink
- college!oc's mom loves mingyu so much that whenever oc comes home her mom makes her pack extra home cooked meals for mingyu
- mingyu is aware that many girls drool over him and he also knows college!oc doesn't put up with his bullshit so he reassures her (even if they aren't dating and def JUST friends) by "hard launching her" on his stories. bc wtf is soft launching anyways?? that's the love of his life here watch 8 stories of off guard vids he took of college!oc goofing off with him
- during their study sessions, college!oc made a habit of doodling on his post-it pads. what she doesn't know is that he has all of them saved and kept safe in the top drawer of his desk. the very first one is saved inside his phone case
- first to like and comment on all of oc's post. "you ate queen." "omg so slay" "first!" he's just copying how her friends comment. he also has her on notifs so he can always be the first.
........ guys this brain rot is so bad why is this an actual group project with all of us like i love this for us lmfao
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AITA for not having a job despite having time for it?
🍏🥝🍏🥝 <- to keep track of this when it posts,
My family really loves talking about me(20) when they think I'm not listening. I've heard them on multiple occasions say that I need a job and that I should just start working part-time while I'm going to college. The issue with that is that while other people can do both pretty decently, I dont feel like I'm capable of doing both part time and college without one of them suffering a lot because of the other.
My family is pretty financially stable, and the fees I owe never go over 900 dollars and sometimes I even make my own money off of commissions to help pay for things. I actually did have an actual job during my classes for a while filing things and remote video editing work (for the same job) but one of my family members worked with me there as my boss and I decided to quit after they decided to ask if my mom would've rather died than had me after I told him she called trans people abominations (I am trans, I'm only out to that family member and my brother). I haven't found a consistent thing to do to earn money since but I've been trying really hard to advertise my commissions since then.
The part where I feel really guilty though is the fact that I've been going to a community college for almost 3 years now (with my family supporting me money wise) and know I'm only going to come out with a one year certificate because of how fucked my schedule got in my first year. I didn't meet some prerequisites , and despite the course I wanted being a 2 year degree it was worth almost 80 credits, which felt insane as I went into it. 5 classes a term, some 5 minutes after the other, all based on pouring hours and hours into artsy projects (video, audio, 3d modelling, painting, 2d animation, ect...). I broke down within my third term after I started failing some of my classes. I was still trying for my 2 year degree up until 2023 where I decided that getting a certificate that was similar and getting a job after would probably be better for me at this point rather than spending ANOTHER 2 years struggling OR straight up giving up and dropping out with nothing.
I'm also home a lot when I'm not in class (I'm only taking 2-3 classes a term now). I do little things sometimes like take out the trash and pull dishes from out the washer and so on but it's all only when no one is home because the place where things generally need to be cleaned up is all in our very small kitchen AND the fact that I'm scared of them poking fun at me for "finally doing something for once" because it makes me feel terrible when they do. I end up chilling out in my room completing work and desperately finding work arounds for projects to only ever really need done in my room or on campus- generally anywhere that's not going to worry my grandma too much.
I've told my family that their teasing doesn't make me feel good but it just gets responded with "that's just how we show love!" when I know it doesn't have to be that way! My boyfriend teases me pretty often but the difference is that he actually listens to me when I tell him something he said didn't feel very good to me and we talk it through, and then he doesn't make that joke again or i feel better after knowing the context of it!!! A lot of my family members will bicker until another one ends up crying and it's horrible to watch how petty and bitter everyone can be.
Don't really know what else to write, AITA guys? I know I could be doing a lot more around the house instead of working but I'm scared of being touched (my aunt randomly spanked me as hard as she could one time last year) and scared of more mean comments being thrown my way. I already have a plan to leave this home and have been open about it to them, but I don't want to rush it if I don't have to and want to spend a few years saving money up so that I'm not in a horrible situation if things go awry.
What are these acronyms?
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2023 Captain America/Iron Man Reverse Bang Masterlist
After months filled with creativity being crafted into fanworks, this year's Reverse Bang is finished! Thank you to all of our fantastic participants—congratulations on posting, and we hope you had a great time working together, whether this was your first Cap-IM RBB or not!
Here’s the final list of our 11 fantastic artwork entries and their accompanying works, all created specifically for this event. Enjoy exploring the new Stevetony content, and remember to show your appreciation through kudos, comments and sharing if you haven't already!
Mind the warnings for each individual work on their AO3 page, please.
Masterlist under the cut
Honesty is the best policy by BladeoftheNebula and Hkandi (Gen, MCU, art and 7549 words) ★ Team Masterpost
Steve's friends are throwing a Valentine's party and want to set Steve up with a date there, as he's one of the few single ones in their circle. Stubborn as he is, he decides to put in some effort himself and puts a tragically honest flier up on campus, not actually believing anyone will reply. Imagine his surprise when someone actually does!
For What Good is a Man by Perlmutt and ATOASTBW (E, MCU, art and 15,921 words) ★ Team Masterpost
It's Tony 58th birthday, but despite it being his special day, he's filled with uncharacteristic self-doubt. Luckily, he had his friends and family to cheer him up.
In particular, his husband was more than happy to prove his love for him, in more ways than one
just like binary stars by Fluffypanda and ArabellaAM (Gen, MCU, art and 16,105 words) ★ Team Masterpost
Tony's kingdom has been at war with the northern barbarians since even before he was born. When his men finally capture one of them, Tony's ready for everything: he's ready to learn their language, to get all the information he can about them and to finally win this war.
But falling in love with one of them? That's the one thing he wasn't ready for.
Not Part of the Plan by KappaMairi/Askafroa and AvengersNewB (T, MCU, art and 9001 words) ★ Team Masterpost
Omega Tony was not planning to go against the plan: to mate with Tiberius Stone, take care of his alpha's needs, to remember at all times that he was just an omega.
Tony was not planning to fall in love and yet, somehow, Steve Rogers happened to him.
Only Paintings in the Building by ironycap, BladeoftheNebula and Neverever (T, MCU, art and 5,885 words) ★ Team Masterpost
His life would be a lot easier if he could just stick to painting other things. Landscapes for example. Landscapes were nice.
But then again landscapes didn’t have that glint in their eye, or that body that had been built from hard engineering and years of trying to do good. They didn’t have that inherent charm and good looks that won them Sexiest Man of the Year four times.
By comparison, landscapes were a joke.
Steve causes himself a whole heap of trouble when he starts to paint pictures of Tony.
Push by ralsbecket (T, MCU, art) ★ Team Masterpost
remember to remember me by xWinterDreamsx (T, MCU, 5267 words)
“Look at me. Look at me.”
Tony looked. He looked and he felt, for a moment, that this can’t have been the first time he got lost in those blue eyes. It felt familiar, in a way he didn’t understand.
Reaching Out For Your Hope_ART! by KakushiMiko (Not Rated, MCU, Art) ★ Team Masterpost
Reaching Out For Your Hope by Becci_chan (T, MCU, 10,569 words)
Steve knew Tony could see and sense everything about him, but Steve had no idea what was going on in Tony’s head. He just hoped he got his point across. He wanted to help as well. Maybe they could support each other, have each other’s back in case of a fight.
Safe Haven by zappedbysnow and Gottalovev (M, MCU/Avengers Assemble, art and 20,868 words) ★ Team Masterpost
It's been three months since the Battle of New York. Four since Steve woke up in the future. Everything is still too fast, too bright, too glib. And then, as if it wasn't enough, Steve is dragged through a portal into an alternate universe. Other Him is happy, though, and that feels like hope.
Soar the skies, scorch the lands, build a halo of stars and lightning- ART! by KakushiMiko (Not Rated, MCU, Art) ★ Team Masterpost
Soar the skies, scorch the lands, build a halo of stars and lightning by Shipperslist (T, MCU, 14,770 words)
Crown Prince Anthony Stark does not want to be a king, and even less he wants to be Bound to a Guardian in some supposedly magical ritual. Turns out that he likes being the victim even less and…well. The Binding might not be so bad after all.
The Starkphone Sex Tapes by jetblackfeeling/wingheads (E, MCU, art) ★ Team Masterpost
The Starkphone Sex Tapes by purpleicedteas (E, MCU, 5563 words)
Steve finds porn too unrealistic to watch.
Tony gives him a helping hand. And mouth.
unravel by jetblackfeeling/wingheads (E, 616, art) ★ Team Masterpost
Spill into my hands by Missy_dee811 (E, 616, 7811 words)
As always, a flirt.
“It’s nice to see you, Tony,” he said.
Tony smiled. “You, too, Cap,” he said.
(Thor, Steve, and Tony agree to restart the Avengers. All is going well until there's a misunderstanding and Steve has to come to terms with the feelings he has for Tony and what they'll mean for them, and the team, going forward.)
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Wild Kratts - Fish Out of Water Review [Spoilers]
April is finally here, and with it, three new episodes have been released on the PBS Kids Video App ahead of their release. At the time I'm posting this, it is midnight and the one hour special "Our Blue and Green World" is yet to air on televison and streaming, so I will get to that when I get to that. Given that I have already reviewed No Name Dream and Backpack the Camel, I'll give a review to this episode as well. Spoiler warning and opinions ahead under the cut
First New York, then Hawaii, and now a goddamn University on the list of areas I would never expect these guys to film. Bros are everywhere.
As someone who is about to graduate high school, I feel IMMENSELY jealous of the college students who saw the motherfucking Kratt Brothers filming an episode on campus. I can already begin to see the floods of social media posts bragging about this on Tumblr and Twitter threads.
Ok I feel bad for being a bit salty earlier, I actually think it's really sweet how these people outside of the show can share their interests and expertise in biology and physics to help children educate. The entire live-action opening where they study the locomotion of mudskippers is honestly really sweet, and we haven't even gotten to our main animal yet!
God these are such cute animals. But beyond that, the term "fish out of water" could not be a more fitting title. They have joints like we do, can adapt to different environments, and can swim and climb like we can. This is probably my favorite live action segment because of how well structured the clips and movements are and just how fun it is seeing these little blorbs move around the place.
I should talk about how it took us half a decade to see a mudskipper on the show, and 13 years overall to get a focus episode, but so far, up to a great start and definitely worth waiting (for the most part).
Oh so is it like the Hermit Crab episode where in all of the official releases they leave out the determiner but in the actual episode it's there? This has no overall bearing on the episode but I just felt the need to point it out.
I should check off on my S7 bingo card about seeing the old inventions again because holy shit it's been almost a decade since we saw the Butterflier XT
Also can anyone identify those butterflies? I know for a FACT that those motherfuckers aren't monarchs because of their patterns (the only pattern variation in butterflies is sex-linked, and while I'm aware they live in Asia, this again, does not look like a match) but they also aren't viceroys because they lack the line around their wings. I only ask this to bring up my next point.
I thought the Butterfly Disc we saw in Season 1 was specifically programmed based off of Monarch Butterflies. But as established (until proven wrong), these are not monarch butterflies. So unless Aviva retrofitted or reprogrammed the disc to be multi-familial, as in they can touch any butterfly regardless of classification and activate accordingly (like with the Crocodile, Dragonfly, and Gecko Discs), the activation should not work. I only ask this because while it seems miniscule, Chris' decision to bring out the disc is what sets off the plot - It's what causes him to loose the discs in the butterfly swarm, so I feel like, while not a critique, it's a legitimate question as to the direct programming of the discs vs. the animals used to activate.
Man, Zach wasn't even in this episode and somehow they STILL lose their discs? (Actually, I am pleasantly surprised that they didn't take the opportunity to have this be a Zach-related episode).
You think they'd put a tracker on the collection or encode a chip the actual discs so that they wouldn't get lost this easily. This again, sounds like a nitpick, but earlier seasons set up a firewall for the Creature Power Discs and a tracking device/rocket-device on the Creature Power Suits and gloves because of how frequent these types of contingiences are, so there's really no excuse for this.
(Suck my ass PBS Kids Video App, I'm still able to get high quality snips even with your bullshit formatting!!!)
They really went all out with the "other-wordly" vibe that the mudskippers' territory gave off. Once again, we waited two years for this to be put to animation and to see come air.
I've made enough jokes around these situations in the show, so I think we'd all benefit if I just changed the subject: That front-facing mudskipper is fucking hilarious.
*Martin's voice* - Slimy Skin-breathers!
Okay, but I actually did not know that. At all. Even 10 years later, this show is still teaching me new things about animals in the most beautfully unexpected ways. This is one of the many reasons I will never give up on the show.
[Unexpected angst in bagging area - Also, with the inclusion of No Name Dream, which will air two days before this episode, that brings our Krangstt quota to #2]
Okay so I really like the set-up here, and it genuinely was a surprise seeing Jimmy angst in this episode as a subplot in a series that rarely operates on A-plots and B-plots (unless you count the villains' schemes which are usually just A^2 plots) like most shows. And as someone who legitimately was going through rough times (S7 was actually one of my few reasons to keep going), I heavily related to Jimmy. So yeah, a Jimmy angst episode? Can totally buy. What I'm not gonna buy is how they execute it with the ending, because that and the implications.... yikes...
C'mon! "Mudspitter" was right there! Right there!
Ok, here is where my main problem with this episode's subplot is. If I could boil it down to one word, it would be: Incomplete. Jimmy feeling inadequate based on an observation he made is one thing. Him immediately leaving afterwards on a whim moments after said observation is completely another and doesn't align that well.
Like, this would only work if Jimmy had attempted to be a fish "IN" water. If he tried to help Aviva and Koki with the data-research and inventing, but he failed, and they politely turned him down. Or if there was any basis as to why he suddenly disregards his piloting skills or teleporting, whether he doesn't care or doesn't think them to be enough for him to fit in. Like, he wants to be in on the action because some part of him doesn't feel like sitting around by the teleporter is enough. What I'm saying is, there is no pathos. I personally find it to be relatable, but on a narrative level, it doesn't work. I know the "character feeling left out so they leave" thing is cliche'd, but there's a reason it's a cliche, and that's because it follows a lot of writing beats that this particular episode doesn't, so on top of being cliche'd as fuck to begin with, it feels very awkward. And this is going to be apparent both here and in this episode's climax (which I also do not have many kind words for,) so I had to use my allotted time to talk about why this doesn't work.
Could... could they not call him on his Creaturepod? Could the brothers not call him on his Pod? Did he even have his Creaturepod?? Again, there are so many plot-holes in this B-story that could've easily been written around with a change of dialogue or scenery. Have Jimmy's Creaturepod be shown left lying around which makes them realize they have no way of getting him back to the teleporter in time. Jimmy would have no reason to even bring his Creaturepod on his adventure, so that just raises even more questions. Like, this isn't an active diss on the writers, but I think there should've been more proof-reading of the script since this is a massive oversight.
I think now is the time for me to bring up this question I've had for years now; How exactly does the teleporter work? In several episodes, we've seen that there is a coordinate code in the teleporter that allows it to be sent to the target. Koki's "the communication queen" as Aviva puts it, so she'd likely be able to triangulate the brothers' location. So I'm not sure why the show presents this as a struggle for Koki. This isn't the only example, so I won't hold it against the episode, (they have this be the case specifically to emphasize the point that they need Jimmy, which I can forgive) but it's another piece of lore that I should probably theorize about lmao.
Also
YOU HAVE LITERALLY TELPORTED THE CREATURE POWER DISCS FOUR TIMES.
TWO OF THOSE TIMES BEING IN A ROW.
AND ONE OF THEM WAS FOUR EPISODES AGO IN THIS EXACT SAME SEASON.
This whole episode spent the past five minutes making its main characters look incredibly idiotic for the sake of its B plot.
Once again, this episode's spitting facts that I didn't even know.
This is actually a neat seguay, having the brothers figure out the abilities of the mudskippers while exercising their own cool abilities. It feels really natural, and again, is an inventive way to show off the locomotive abilities of the mudskipper.
I feel like this falls very well between "accurate enough to be admirable" and "uncanny." I can (maybe on my deathbed) get used to this suit's design (though I'm partly glad Chris doesn't activate it because spoilers, he doesn't).
I've given this subplot a lot of flack, but credit where it's due, even with its misses, it does hit with the emotional beats.
Very conflicted on this:
On one hand, Jimmy actually taking the initiative to miniaturize is pretty ballsy. The show, despite not being serialized, does develop its characters in a way that you can sense a clear difference of them when you compare the modern seasons to the earlier ones. And this can be seen as a positive development for Jimmy, since it's his "Creature Adventure."
On the other hand.... back to what I was saying about consistency. Why did Jimmy bring the miniaturizer?? What was his prompting?? Was he planning on shrinking himself down the whole time? Like, he left his friends for god knows how much time and is now out of nowhere shrinking himself down to fish size because he feels inadequate? Uhm, Jimmy, ever heard the idea of therapy?
Also, again, very weird presentation of the episode. They don't at all put any attention to Jimmy's coms and whether or not he has them, (which would easily solve a bigger issue of why he's not contacted), yet they have him carry the Miniaturizer with him. Now, the latter is plot-relevant, but so could've been something about the Creaturepod.
This [from what I interpret] gets Jimmy out of his slump, making his "scientific discovery." Not realizing that his job of piloting and teleporting are equally important. Again, this is structured poorly. I like what they were going for, but it shouldn't have been the only thing that altered the trajectory of this subplot. Again, he can teleport discs to the brothers and pilot and while those are mentioned later on, it's not something he comes to himself in an "oh shit" moment. So this just feels unearned and weird. I really hate how harsh I am, since it's a Jimmy centric episode and it was the #1 requested thing on all the chat-boards during the hiatus, but this is one of those things where it has to be done right if at all. This isn't done right, and the fact that it takes up 50% of the episode just... ugh.
You can't tell it through screenshots but with the way Aviva says it and the scene cutting to her and Koki laughing at it, I'm 98% inclined that this was a specific innuendo, and ngl, I kinda laughed too.
Oh look, it's Kenge's cousin! [For you Lion Guard fans that also recognize Wild Kratts] - [I was inclined to make a reference to Jessie, but that felt in bad taste considering y'know]
Ok, but that has to be an Asian water monitor. Correct me if I'm wrong. What I'm definitely not wrong about is that their bites contain venom; To a human it's not lethal, however to small prey, including mudskippers, or anything around that size, it's lights out. So yeah, Chris and Martin are fucked.
Ok this line is absolutely badass.
Also, grey?? Grey?? I thought Jimmy's signature color was orange/yellow? Or red with the implication of the tail episode? Great, now there's another color that'll be in the debates for his future Creature Power Suit.
Once again, this arc feels weirdly put together. This notion comes up specifically at the climax when it should come up beforehand as Jimmy realizes his worth. Because otherwise, it gives the implication that he knew this all along and yet still felt like a fish out of water, which doesn't mesh together properly (it could, if the episode actually tried to do so which it didn't).
The episode, Sea Otter Swim, does this plot so much better. We see Jimmy's doubts, and we see how he overcomes said doubts in a way that is presented clear to the audience, and the climax where he actually realizes what he's capable of feels earned. This is not earned. So even though I am rooting for him to win, this whole thing just feels messy.
So is nobody gonna ask why Jimmy left his post? Is Jimmy not gonna tell everyone why he left, or at the very least ask why nobody bothered to call for him? Is nobody going to at least let Jimmy know that he can't just... abandon his post without warning because of the fact that they need him? Is Jimmy not going to come to that conclusion himself? Is anything in this episode gonna be earned??
This entire ending feels like an ass-pull: First off, Jimmy and the brothers had enough time to head back to the miniaturizer and then the Tortuga, and in none of that time, did Jimmy ever give them the Power Discs? Why? Yes, it was for the sake of the fake-out defeat/joke, but was there any reason why Jimmy just kept the thing hidden waiting to give it to the brothers?
The entire emotional climax to this episode is basically everyone putting Jimmy on a pedestal. It's unsatisfying because there wasn't any acknowledgement or follow up to Jimmy's conflict at the beginning, nor is the lesson learned in the right way, and the conclusion just overreacts by hyping up Jimmy instead of just having a reasonable "We're a team!" thing, or through any self-actualization of his good qualities that Koki pointed out. None of it, friggin' none of this is earned! Now it comes across as Jimmy being uncharacterstically boastful and cocky and the others just kissing his arse. That's probably not the intent but it was the result.
That is actually like, so fucking cool. I have massive respect for all of these people, like legitimately (also, considerning that's the exact opposite of what Zach does on an ethics scale, I find that really interesting). But beyond that, I think this episode has the best live action segments ever, they are so ingenuitive. I could easily see someone at my high school showing a clip of this episode in robotics' or biology class.
CONCLUSION:
PROS:
The live action segments.
The info dumps about the mudskippers.
The Kratt Brother's adventure with the mudskippers.
The animation
The background music (a lot of which is recycled from earlier seasons)
CONS:
Everything else (specifically the B plot). I feel like the writers wanted to give Jimmy his own storyline, either out of interest or seeing how popular the character was in chat-boards, but they didn't know how to do it so they just went through the motions without really connecting anything at all, so it's a lot harder relating to the exact conflicts in some cases, and you feel disatisfied by the cimax. It reminds me of what they did with Vitani in the Lion Guard finale, a case of giving this one character the spotlight, but hitting all of the wrong marks that does the character and the audience a disservice and leaves a bitter taste in the viewer's mouth by the end credits.
This is the first episode this season that has made me cringe, primarily off of its premise, not just a particular scene, a dated pop culture reference, or a weird-looking Power Suit. It is the first to make me cringe because of its story, which again, the B-plot takes up 50% of the episode, so it's constantly in your face. It's definitely not bad, not hateable bad, and it's far too early in the season to call it the worst, and there are definitely worse episodes out there, ones that have aired and ones that probably will inevitably air, but I can safely say, thus far, it's the one Wild Kratts episode that I enjoy, but only to an extent. The live action segments were by far the only thing that I got extremely engaged in, but other than that, and the other pros, it's not that good.
Final Ranking: 6/10: Above Average, but Needed Improvement.
#wild kratts#wild kratts spoilers#wk s7#wild kratts season 7#wild kratts season 7 spoilers#spoilers#review#wk#chris kratt#martin kratt#2d martin kratt#2d chris kratt#wild kratts martin#wild kratts chris#fish out of water#if you like this episode it's fine I won't sue you#I just think a rewrite of this episode would've saved a lot.#Like a lot a lot#Now I'm very reluctant on the idea of Jimmy having a Creature Power Suit#They had a subplot based entirely around him and they fucked it up#So I really really want them to know the importance of quality when doing this. I'm probably alone on how I feel about the writing of Jimmy#But they'd break the fandom if they ever pulled that storyline the way they did here lmao
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Locations in Sapporo
things in my personal life has calmed down somewhat for the time being so I figured I'd write up an easy lore post that I completely forgot I could make so here we are
I wanted to list some common locations found in Sapporo as featured in Vocal Android! I haven't actually talked about the setting too much and while I'm kinda bad at designing locations, I figured I could at least talk about them a little
But, yeah, I'll do my best to explain, so some lore under the cut?
Crypton Laboratories HQ/Crypton Towers: The place where the CVs live and where Meiko and Kaito work. A huge white, gray, and cyan building shaped like a C if you look at it from above, it's home to Crypton's various research labs. The building has floors entirely dedicated to be Miku, the twins and Luka's living spaces, and they each have their own color-coded rooms and living areas. There's a recording and dance studio in the building for the CVs to do their idol work and music playing, as well as a virtual reality training room. There's also the CVs' very own superhero base of sorts, which Gumi helped design, and allows the crew to oversee the city in case danger makes itself known (it's also a convenient place to hang out and take a nap). There's also a sizeable garage below the building, where Rin keeps the road roller.
Kenmochi Academy High School: Miku, Rin and Len's school. A large, clean campus made of three V-shaped buildings with their points pointing towards each other and hexagon-shaped windows. A pretty high-bar school with a lot of recent technology, it's one of the more popular and well-known high schools in town (and thus, an excellent candidate for Meiko's goal of having the CVs interact with humans their age). It is headed by Principal Sasaki. (Current Student List: Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin and Len, Kobayashi Matcha, Masaoka Azuki, Yumemi Nemu, Hibiki Lui, Akira Kano/Arsloid, Otomachi Una, Sato Sasara, Suzuki Tsudumi, Kokone Aime, Kizuna Akari, Futaba Minato, Hoshino Ichika, Tenma Saki, Hinomori Shiho, Mochizuki Honami, Koharu Rikka (formerly), Suzune Ring)
Ichikawa Academy High School: Gumi's school, a high school on the eastern side of the city. It's a more "normal" high school, less flashy than Kenmochi and looking more typical, but still has a few good programs to its name, including its science program (which Gumi tries to participate in). (Current Student List: Megumi "Gumi" Nakashima, Kotonoha Akane and Aoi, Tohoku Zunko, Gahata Meiji, Kamishiro Rui, Kusanagi Nene, Tenma Tsukasa, AiSuu, Tsuina-chan)
Utahako Elementary School: The local elementary school a block or two away from Kenmochi. It's a modest little elementary school, having been newly refurbished from an older building. Many of the students that go there end up graduating to Kenmochi later. Kiyoteru teaches here. (Current Student List: Kaai Yuki, Oliver Twitchell, Rana, Macne Petit, Tohoku Kiritan, Otomachi Unagi, Ryuuto Nakashima)
The Macne Cafe: A fresh-looking little internet cafe that sits in the town plaza and is the CVs' favorite hangout spot. Established by the Macne Family, it's become slowly but surely known around town for its delicious green apple cheesecake and desserts. Nana has been trying various ways to spread their customer base further.
The V5: A swanky nightclub and bar that is also in the plaza, run by four friends: Amy, Chris, Kaori and Ken. Many of the adult characters come there to drink and chat a bit.
UTAU Studios: A record label company and radio studio stationed in the industry hub of town, notable for its large staff and loooong list of talents. The studio runs a daily radio broadcast that's fairly popular, and their top talent is Namine Ritsu (or it was, anyway).
Sapporo University: The local college. A bit of an older building since it's been there basically forever compared to a lot of the rest of futuristic city. Has a small, colorful dormitory community next to it where students stay. (Current Student List: Galaco, Po-uta, Tsurumaki Maki, Shirosaki Yuudai; Utatane Piko isn't a student but he lives there)
Kamukura Shrine: A humble shrine that's only a little ways away from the beach, and is where most of the cast goes for holiday celebrations (such as New Years). It's headed by Kigashima Sourin and his protégés, Kurono Takehiro, Wakamatsu Akashi, Aoyama Ryuusei and Shirakami Koutarou, who are training to be proper priests. They also have their shrine maiden, a fussy teenage girl named Lumi who claims to be a jellyfish kami from the sea. Her antics tend to bring a lot of visitors.
SEKAI Auditorium: A venue a few blocks away from Crypton HQ and the main place where Miku and friends perform locally. Very spacious and known to host tons of acts, including smaller ones like local bands, singers and theater shows. Also functions as a sort of convention center at times. However, it's tendency to get raided by supervillains (mostly in pursuit of Miku and co.) has given it a bit of a weird reputation.
The Nebula: A recently-established nightclub in the plaza run by American DJ CYBER DIVA (and her partner CYBER SONGMAN), who is also the headlining act of the place. Used to have a bit of a rivalry with Miku, but they're both over it. Gets a lot of younger customers than the ones at the V5.
Dr. Momone's House: A modern house in a quiet neighborhood next to the industrial part of town where Dr. Momone, Momo and Defoko live. Their neighbors consist of Yufu (who lives down the lane), Eru (who lives at the far end of the lane), Tsukishiro Hakupo and his servant bot Kunishiki (who live next door) and Sensei.
Gumi's Apartment: Gumi, Gakupo and Ryuuto's small apartment in a building not too far from Crypton HQ. Not the nicest apartment that ever was, but it's homey.
Gin no Hana: A old-fashioned restaurant that has reasonable business and is popular due to the comfy atmosphere. Managed by Ginsaki and his wife, Koharu.
The Old Soul Theater: An old theater in town that's mainly still in the city for the sake of preservation, but still has small plays and acts now and again. Has been turned into an acting school of sorts by Miriam Stocks, a theater connoisseur.
Ruko's candy shop: A hole-in-the-wall shop in an alleyway managed by Yokune Ruko, where they sell candy, snacks and cheap cups of drip coffee. Totally not shady in the slightest. Is almost constantly out of coffee-flavored hard candy because Ruko keeps eating it.
Meiko's apartment: Meiko's home, a simple apartment in a simple complex where she crashes after a long day at the lab. The CVs have never been to it.
There's probably more than this but yeah :>
#vocal android verse#finally posts this after this has been in my drafts for like. half a year#but here!! lore!!! kinda.
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2024 UPDATE (OFFICIAL)
Hey, everyone. Longtime no talk. Despite being weirdly active on this account, I haven't really made any textposts since high school. So I've decided to fix this by giving a gigantic update post about my very busy 2023. If you're new and don't know anything about me, or knew me as a teen and are wondering what I'm up to now: buckle up.
TL;DR:
Dropped out of art school.
Released an award-nominated(???) dating sim, ValiDate.
Killed the Golden Girls Take Manhattan DX.
Conquered Jaw Explosion Disease.
Hung out with some friends.
(Also, a lot of NDA shit that I can’t talk about.)
ART-SCHOOL DROPOUT
From 2021 to 2022, I was attending a prestigious and overly-expensive art school for their (brand new!) game design program. When I first graduated from high school, this college was my dream choice, and coming off the success of my early game dev career, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to polish my skills while I kept working on the side. My first commercial game was still in development, but we were feeling comfortable, and I felt like getting greedy.
Pride before the fall. Full Icarus mode. You know how it goes.
The school itself was…alright. Satellite campus, mid-pandemic, hybrid learning. Close enough to commute comfortably, classes just long enough for masks to not give me a headache, and the handful of remote courses helped keep my medical problems at bay. Problems that the school was a little unequipped to help with, though the disability office did their best. I had to drop a class because my body, at the time, couldn’t handle eight hours of classes without some Crazy Side Effects.
(Keep in mind that every class was, minimum, four hours. And I had to take at least five a semester. Each class also saw me make an entire game from scratch. My body was already at its limit.)
If you knew me in high school, you’re probably waiting for the shoe to drop: I was, famously, the worst at academics. Never did homework, rarely finished projects, slept through first period at least once a week. Surprise, though: I was fucking great at this. My GPA doubled. Turns out that going to school for a discipline you already have a career in, and are kinda obsessed with, kinda does wonders for you. Unfortunately, I picked the worst time to care about school, since my commercial game’s release was the same exact night that my five school games were due.
TL;DR, I didn’t sleep for a week, almost fucked both up, and got burnout so bad that I couldn’t do anything for a calendar year. So I dropped out! Now, about a year of job hunting later (the game’s industry is imploding right now, and the only studios that considered me were… questionable, to say the least), the expensive art school wants me back. So badly. Turns out the whole school is so broke and understaffed right now that they’re basically chomping at the bit for that tuition money. Got a week to decide. Jury’s still out.
VALIDATE POST-MORTEM
So, if you couldn’t tell from the above section, we released a game in 2022! I was supposed to write a post-mortem for it, but… burnout from the above, combined with general “post-release depression,” and I didn’t feel like touching it.
Part of me still doesn’t!
Yet I kinda think the feeling of me not wanting to talk about ValiDate is still worth discussing, so here we go:
For those of you that aren’t aware, I was a head dev on ValiDate, a dating sim that released in 2022. Volume 1 (of 3) did, anyway.
Did a lot of music, did a lot of writing, created some characters people really care about, created some characters people really want to fuck, made a couple Tweets that my boss hated, got accused of being reverse racist a few times. It was truly one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of my life. And, yes, we’re still working on Vol. 2 behind the scenes.
That’s actually the reason why it’s kinda hard to talk about Vol. 1!
It was my first commercial game, my first publicly released game, and I think there’s always gonna be a… natural embarrassment toward your first “real” project. Combine that with my natural “if you stare at me for too long, I will kill myself” tendencies, and the game’s release was a special type of torture. It’s one thing to watch people play through a game that you poured your blood, sweat, and tears into, knowing full well that they might hate it (or just misunderstand it), but shit gets so much worse when you know that you could have done better.
It’s a very special kind of psychological torture to have creative decisions you feel were mistakes, things you half-assed because of burnout or deadlines, or things you did wrong because you just didn’t know any better! The embarrassment was overwhelming, so I just… dipped for a while. Didn’t watch gameplay or read reviews, didn’t do much of anything.
Took me a while to realize that me being embarrassed about the project isn’t because ValiDate was bad or anything. I was embarrassed because it was an incredible learning opportunity for me. The amount that I picked up on game design, community management, leadership, marketing, pitching, porting, etc. in two years is more than any school could teach you in four. Volume 1 was a game made by amateurs, still wet behind the ears, trying to build something from grassroots.
But Volume 2 is a game-ass game.
And having done all the work we have on Vol. 2 (which, while I can’t talk about it publicly, is a lot!), looking back at our first release feels like… revisiting your awkward middle school photos. Sometimes it’s hard to not feel contempt for who you were when your biggest struggle was becoming, but learning to choke down that shame? It taught me to feel grateful for the you of yesterday, who clawed their way through uncertainty so that you, today, can stand on sturdier ground. Growing up is embarrassing, and it turns out you keep doing it well into your twenties! Sucks.
For the past few days, Dani and I have been watching a Twitch streamer play through Volume 1. We’ve been so deep in planning for the future that we figured, hey, may as well revisit the past. Detached from all that embarrassment of becoming, I gotta admit: we made a fun little dating sim. People like it. Hell, I like it. Sure, I know all of its flaws and shortcuts, and I have my fair share of critiques… but fact of the matter is, if I have a problem with something, I can just fix it.
Admittedly, In the past, that attitude of mine has actually been more of a problem than a solution. “I can fix this myself!” is all fine and good when you’re a solo dev trying to throw something together, but it turns out taking on excess responsibility in a collaborative setting is a way to make shit suck for you and your team. During the Kickstarter demo era, I was literally on every team besides art. Writing, programming, music, I got my fingers in all those pies. It was fun to me, and more importantly, it was sustainable.
Until it wasn’t.
Volume 1 coinciding with my tenure at [art school], using a (finicky and, frankly, shitty) new game engine, being much larger in scope, introducing minigames (which, surprise, I was team lead on)... I pretty much killed myself trying to get it all done. Honestly, I blame half of our day-one bugfixes on me specifically. Every single one of them was an oversight made because I was pulling the classic “I’m unmedicated so crunching is the only way I can feel alive” type shit.
Except for the OST. That one sucked because art school sucks all the joy out of creating.
Happy to say that our workflow for Volume 2 has been much more sustainable for me, even if I’ve officially broken my “no art” rule for it. Yeah, turns out I’m finally making use of that animation major. Sucks.
Self reflection over. Except for one last note:
If you’ve followed ValiDate, played our demo, donated to the Kickstarter, replied to our Tweets, played our second demo, bought our game, or just talked about us to a friend… I am so, so grateful. Beyond what words could possibly describe. It’s been my dream for as long as I can remember become a game developer, and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you guys. Vd8 wasn’t what I expected the cornerstone of my career to be, but honestly? I couldn’t have asked for a better one. We have Vriska in our game. How many people can possibly say that?
And to those of you still waiting for Volume 2:
You haven’t seen anything yet.
GAYMING AWARDS
Speaking of ValiDate… Did you hear we were nominated for some Gayming Awards last year? We were!
Three other head Vd8 devs (Dani: Production, Alexis: Art, Cam: Code) flew out to beautiful New York City for the award show last March, which was actually our first time actually meeting up IRL. Really funny how I’ve known Dani since I was fifteen, but here we were, a decade later, finally meeting face to face. She’s so much taller in person. I’m still taller, but barely.
Meeting up with internet friends is one thing (and more on that later!), but meeting up with internet coworkers? It’s interesting. This was the first moment that ValiDate felt “real,” seeing as it was suddenly important enough to give us comp’d flights and a hotel room, but more than that: the people I’ve been working with for years exist? We’re all hanging out together? We’re wandering through Manhattan all day? We’re eating the most disgusting food at Junior’s in Times Square? We’re trying to figure out what this mystery liquid is? How much did this food cost again? (Seriously, my onion rings were 90% dough and 10% onion.)
While I won’t bore you with the minutiae—I think my friends would prefer the privacy anyway—the entire trip to NYC was fun, exhausting, and a dream-come-true.
Except for that goddamn award show. Jesus CHRIST, what a trainwreck.
No, I’m not saying that just because we lost. We did lose, though. (Personally, I was fine with it, but I also had to travel the least distance to get there. So…) I’m saying that because the entire Gayming Awards industrial complex was, uh, kinda busted this year?
So imagine, you’re us: bunch of twenty-somethings on your Sex and the City shit. Big award show tonight, formal attire. We’re talking high heels, long dresses, full suits, the whole nine yards. Now what do you do in Manhattan? Walk. Sure, we weren’t walking in formal attire the entire time, but it was still a good five blocks to the award center where—wait, what do you mean they relocated the ceremony? The hall they rented is closed for mysterious reasons? Where the hell are we doing the award show?
If you answered “the drag bar where the afterparty was supposed to take place,” congrats, here’s $20. Way further away from our hotel, which meant more walking, and also a way smaller venue with a lot less… formality, let’s say. But we’re young gay people, we don’t care about formalities, who gives a shit! As long as it can seat all of us, then—oh there’s no seating. Ohhhh. Oh! Okay.
I’ll admit, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. There were a handful of couches, VIPs only. Realizing quickly that, oh shit, we’re VIPs, we managed to snag some front-seat couches before any of the pesky old people could. (We’re young! We deserve to sit! You’ve had your entire lives to sit, established games industry people! Let the new generation have a turn!) Unfortunately, when I got up to cash in my free-drink voucher, my seat was stolen by some white lady.
So I sat on the floor.
March 2023. You, sitting at home, have decided to tune into the Gayming Awards “live” on Twitch, curious to see what Britain’s premiere gayming magazine had to say about, uh, esports.
This is important to you.
Fortunately, this year you’re watching a decently shot and scripted award show filmed in a (noticeably claustrophobic) little bar, complete with charming presenters (many of whom are local drag queens) and a myriad of corporate sponsors. You can hardly tell that the entire show was uprooted and moved hours prior!
Yet, for some reason, whenever the cameras cut to the audience… There’s some large man, right in front of the crowd, slumped down on the floor as if he’s bleeding out. With every award given, his clapping grows weaker. The more the camera cuts to him, the more life drains from his body, as if his existence itself is anathema to “gayming.”
Imagine, for a moment, that this man is nominated for an award.
Imagine that he, after a lifetime of potassium deficiency, has been teetering on the edge of a Charlie Horse Reckoning for hours.
Imagine that the microsecond that his game’s name is called as a nominee, the Reckoning begins.
Now imagine a world where he wins that award.
A world where he is forced to stand—from his corpse’s rightful place on the ground!—in front of his peers and superiors, pretending as if he’s not afflicted with a life-ending muscle cramp.
So, yeah. I was pretty fine with losing.
Later, we ditched the “afterparty” to drink at Applebees. (Turns out “green tea shots” don’t have any green tea in ‘em?)
EULOGY FOR THE GOLDEN GIRLS TAKE MANHATTAN DX
Big announcement! I was a team lead on The Golden Girls Take Manhattan DX, a certified Tumblr Gold™ fan-project (by the immortal Grawly) about the eponymous Gold Girls in a Persona-esque parody game!
Slightly bigger announcement! The game got cancelled. Sorry.
Feels a little weird talking about this, since the year-ish I spent working on the game passed in the blink of an eye, and I’m not going to lie and say that I was an instrumental piece of the team or whatever. I was lucky enough to lead a very talented team, and to play with some very fun devtools, but the game was definitely more important to me than I was to it. (Grawly, if by some off-chance you’re reading this, please click off now. You can peek back in at the Jaw Explosion Disease subheader. I promise I’m very nice and respectful.)
I was in high school when I was first made aware of TGGTMDX. My friend group was very into Persona (in the pre-P5 days), and one of our favorite video subgenres was “videogame UI on top of sitcom scenes.” It didn’t take us long to stumble onto early-build footage of TGGTMDX on Tumblr, and what spawned was a years-long fascination. I’d even consider it one of my many… game dev awakenings? The idea that the only thing stopping me from making “American Persona”—one of my many white whales—was commitment to the bit. Just one of the many things that fueled my teenaged suicidal overconfidence.
Speaking of suicidal overconfidence, about a decade later, I was invited to work on the game! Coming fresh off ValiDate, I was desperate for a chance to make a real portfolio piece (visual novels, while popular, will never get you a job), and this sort of opportunity only presents itself once in a lifetime. Fulfilling a teenage dream while furthering your career? What could possibly go wrong!
That makes it seem like there was some explosive drama behind the scenes that ruined everything. Sorry to say that most game cancellations aren’t that exciting, and that this game’s death was by a thousand microscopic cuts. Most of which are not my place to talk about: this game wasn’t my baby, and cancelling it wasn’t my choice to make! Many people worked on this for much, much longer than I even knew how to code, and they deserve to have their feelings prioritized. Whenever that post mortem gets published, I’ll be the first to reblog it, trust me.
Instead, I’d prefer to talk a little about this as being my first real “loss” as a game dev. Certainly not my first project to go under, and I’ve had my fair share of shelved prototypes, but something about this cancellation was… different. Working on your dream project is all fun and games until you feel partially responsible for it dying, y’know? It felt Sisyphean at a point, like trying to dig a hole in the sand with a pitchfork. I would work at the game, and work at the game, but nothing I did felt like it made a dent.
Part of me knew I wasn’t giving it my all, between the school-based burnout (above), jaw explosion disease (below), and ValiDate (omnipresent), it’s not like I could’ve afforded to put more of myself into it. Besides, I was literally a team lead, half my job was telling other people what to do. But the spectre of “you’re not doing enough” was hard to shake. Even when all these other responsibilities ebbed and I could afford to give this game my all, the difference felt minimal.
We spend a lot of time pitying Sisyphus for having to push that boulder uphill over and over, but none of us ask ourselves “could we even move that big fucking rock in the first place?” Apparently, I couldn’t.
I wasn’t the only one that felt that way, it turned out. In fact, pretty much all the friends I made on the project felt the same. If there’s any “real” reason why the project got cancelled, it’s that. No big falling out, Disney didn’t give us a cease and desist, no secret rebrand going on in the background. Just a bunch of lads getting sick of pushing a boulder. Hell, Grawly’s been doing it for a decade. Let him rest.
Not too much rest, though: we’re already working on a different game together (Date Knight: check it out if you haven’t!), and some of us ex-Golden Girls devs have some ideas for what else we can cook up.
For money, this time.
JAW EXPLOSION DISEASE
Probably the biggest “development” of 2023 was my sudden horrible nerve pain in July, which started as a sinus infection on the left side of my face, and soon became a horrific jaw pain. Long after my sinus infection healed, the jaw pain remained, which is a pretty bad hand to draw when a considerable portion of your day is spent “talking,” or “eating.” So, for the back half of 2023, I didn’t do much of either.
Instead, I had to take a considerable amount of ibuprofen, visit one doctor, three dentists, two hospitals, and four oral surgeons to figure out what the hell is wrong with me. The dentists discovered an exposed nerve, caused by wisdom tooth removal complications (sick!), the oral surgeons went “okay, we can fix that,” got me all numbed up. But it turns out that my left jaw is immune to local anesthesia! Thinking this was an infection, they kept putting me on antibiotics over and over in the hopes that it’d suddenly work. Took a note from my childhood dentist explaining that, “no, he’s always been like this” to find a surgeon willing to put me all the way under. (And then, the first time they tried, I woke up in the middle anyway! I got a full refund on the copay, at least.)
Ultimately, I found a very nice surgeon in December that treated me same-day, and did it perfectly, but the damage to my liver from all that ibuprofen was… bad. But it turns out that livers just… regenerate naturally? So, give it a few months, I’ll be at 100%. Hopefully.
OOMFCON
Hilariously, six months after we met up for the Gayming Awards, Dani and Alexis found their way back to NYC for a little combination meet-up/vacation we affectionately titled “Oomfcon 2023.” This time, with bonus friends! Our entire friend server, whose name I’ve been advised not to post publicly, had rented an AirBnB for anyone willing to drop everything and go to Brooklyn.
It took about a year of planning (mostly by Alexis) to get us all out there, but Jesus Christ, it actually worked.
Admittedly I’m a bit hesitant to talk at length about “taking a vacation”—even though I’m already… from here?—but it really was the highlight of my year. First for actually happening, when most friend groups I’ve had would have written the idea off as a pipedream, but mostly for being a really good time. A lot of walking, a lot of talking, a lot of drinking, a lot of dining. (This was during Jaw Explosion Disease, so you can imagine how my body took most of that.)
To Dani, Alexis, Miles, Haven, Grim, Xtine, and Ty: thanks for coming up here! The city is a lot more boring without you guys in it. I promise to have less health issues when we do this again!
And to everyone else outside the groupchat that I met and bored with my job hunt stories: Nice meeting you guys! Sorry that fate decided every single one of you is forced to keep in touch with me. (And I didn’t even get the shitty corporate job!)
#save.#this is a lot longer than i wanted it to be; but i had a lot to say.#turns out i actually have a lot of tumblr followers. so. time to actually engage with them.
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heyy i was wondering, since we already know Cam really likes music (especially kpop), if we could know what the other characters' taste in music is like? mostly how often they listen to it, what genres they like and whatnot. just out of curiosity :)
and what about movie genres? we know Deja and MC often watch movies together while Deja paints her nails, but does she care for the genre? and everyone else?
really loved the demo, i can't wait to see how the game develops. thank you and everyone who's working on this game for all your hard work 🫶
D'aww thank you for the kind words! Motivation up up!
Music Tastes
Haha now for your ask, we actually have a scene for players in the extended demo regarding this! It's a bit of a spoiler in the context of the scene's theme so I won't disclose it quite yet (sorryyyy gotta wait for the extended demo first ahdakldh) but I can say this:
Elio and Cameron often listen to music. For Cameron, it's because it's one of their favorite pastimes. Plus, in their opinion, music makes the commute to and from campus faster.
Elio on the other hand listens to music a lot because of the dance team. Anddd because he's dabbled a bit with playing (if others haven't seen the previous post yet, he's our guy with a ton of skills so he actually knows how to play a couple of instruments).
Though they've got their reasons, Cameron's definitely coming out on top with the highest stats on their Spotify wrap.
Third would be Reynah and actually you don't get to learn about her favorite type of music since she's not in the scene so I will disclose her favs! She's big on old school music, early late 1980's and early 1990's! Anything goes within that time frame, hip-hop, pop, rock, ballads, etc.. She does listen to modern music, but she's got a couple of fond memories of her parents playing older tunes during car rides so they've stuck with her.
Deja, Percy, and Jamie have their favorites of course but their numbers don't come as close to the other three.
Speaking of music, we curated some playlists about the cast! Some players already came across the playlists on our art director's Spotify that is catered to the idea of them, so songs that give off Cameron, Deja, etc. energy. And I actually got to work on making playlists about the music they'd listen to.
You can listen to the first since it's public. This is what the some of the dev team members listen to for the Keyframes vibes when we're working! And you can check out their page for specific cast members. But I'll share the ones about their music taste when I get them done!
Movies/Media Taste
Oh movies is a cute thought!
Unfortunately, Deja doesn't care to watch movies, hence why she opts to do her nails during it. She's got a habit of looking things up ahead of time as well so "watching" isn't something she likes to do. That being said, she likes mystery genres or things that she can think about-- because the twists and themes are still interesting to her even if she spoils it for herself lol
Cameron's got their favorites when they're by themself but they're big on anything and everything with company! Ghibli movies are a good thing to shout to get their attention (they've seen Ponyo like too many times to count haha). Cringey stuff are a safe and hilarious genre for them to put on when they crash at your place, too.
But since MC is a part of their dynamic trio, a lot of what Deja and Cameron watch is ultimately shaped by MC's likes too! Since Deja doesn't have too much of an opinion and Cameron's down to watch anything, your likes are their likes! Granted they'll tell you if it's reallyyyy bad because that's what friends are for lol
Reynah's not too big on films either- but in the way that she just doesn't watch them by herself. Usually, it's other people inviting her to watch one, and she's always happy to tag along and share any opinions about the viewing (they're usually in good light if not critical). That being said, she does have her favorites! It's just hard to say she likes one genre when she hasn't seen everything and she's found gems across multiple genres.
Reynah, at some point probably: I love Night at the Museum, does that mean I like fantasy or comedy the best? Nope!
For the guysssss, you can expect foreign movies (Japanese, Thai, and Euro movies are often exchanged since they've got their favorites from childhood), and romcoms and early '00-'10 movies. The latter is because they firmly believe that's the best era of movies. Home Alone, Lord of the Rings, 27 Dresses, The Last Holiday, etc, etc.
Percy, at one point: They just don't make 'em like they used to.
Elio, shaking his head solemnly: Kids these days won't get to know true movie magic.
Jamie tilts his head: Sorry, what's High School Musical?
P & E: WHAT
Aha yeah, Jamie didn't grow up watching the same things they did. He knows some of them like LOTR but that's just because it's a big franchise. Before his roommates educated him on early American romcoms and feel good movies (which included an HSM marathon and the entire soundtrack on repeat at their place), Jamie stuck to the classics/big names- things that have left a mark in cinema history like the Godfather and the Breakfast Club.
That kind of media is actually what he, Deja, and Reynah bond over. It's the symbolism or the overarching theme that tends to keep their interests so they'll have discussions about it if it comes up. Ah, and, horror. All three of them are completely unbothered by it as a genre and boy are there plenty to talk about the human psyche and behavior there.
If I had to summarize everything:
Jamie, Deja, and Reynah like films that invoke thought. Especially as people who don't often watch movies.
Meanwhile, Cameron, Percy, and Elio are all for the ones that evoke emotion. It's a good movie if they cry. It's a good movie if they're shouting at the screen. It's fantastic film if they get to do both!
Other things about movies for them:
Percy won't watch any horror- nope don't even think about asking him to.
Elio will look at a stunt or a choreography in a film and attempt it himself at least once.
Jamie is the first in his seat with a bowl of popcorn when the guys are doing their movie nights. He also has a sour view of Howl from Howl's Moving Castle since some people have said he looks like the character.
Cameron would suggest repeats a lot during your movie nights- their favorites are their favorites for a reason.
Deja rarely reacts to movies- but she will never recover from Grave of the Fireflies.
Reynah, freshman year, had been invited to 18 different playtimes at the town's cinema over the course of two months and, yes, she saw all of them.
~*~*~*~
And that's it! Wah, my responses are getting longer and longer... haha you guys let me know if I'm ever dumping too much about our cast and I'll hold back. But thanks for the lovely ask!
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So the way cities are designed is nasty and not really good for anybody. Do you have any resources or ideas on how this can actually, realistically change? I mean, we can't just tear down cities and rebuild them better. Is the way forward just adding more beneficial stuff to the existing, less-than-ideal cities, and then building the new cities with people and nature in mind?
Hey!
Yknow, I thought I had a tag for this, but either I forgot what tag it was or things just haven't come out of queue yet because I'm not seeing much on my blog. I feel like I've seen specific posts about making things more accessible--I tend to see this line of thought be referred to as Walkable Cities or Accessible Cities--but I can't think of any off the top of my head at the moment.
To the best of my understanding, as someone who isn't a city planner or anything along those lines, I would think the solution would be along what you suggested; adding more beneficial structures--which may include rebuilding certain things/sections but I don't thiiiink would involve the entire demolition of a building--to preexisting cities and then building the new cities with these principles in mind.
What needs to be changed will be on different levels depending on how old the city is, how it was planned out before, and whats causing issues vs what needs to be improved. There's definitely a lot of talk about needing more bike lanes and sidewalks in the US, and how sparsely everything is placed in a lot of cities without a way to really access them. I think the closest I've ever been to being in a truly walkable city was my college campus, and not only was that not the whole city but just the campus, but I also didn't really have the leg strength to walk or bike the wholething. Even still, things were close enough together that walking or biking was feasible for a lot of people--and there was a robust bus system that was free for students as long as they had an ID (though most drivers didn't ID people who looked like students, or if you were being picked up on campus).
From there I guess I'd love if something similar was implemented in other places. Free (or at least very low cost, but preferrably free) and robust bus systems, bike lanes, wide sidewalks, and things made in more of a 'hub' kind of planning instead of having everything super spaced out. With lots of green spaces interspersed throughout, like small but frequent parks that people can go to hang out with lots of benches and flowers and such. Maybe a lot of the housing set-ups would be sort of like apartments on top of stores? Close to campus, there was a mini Target and several other stores in a plaza-like block that actually all had 5 levels of apartments on top of them--you needed a special key fob to get into the elevators to access them, so it wasn't like anyone going to Target could end up at your apartment door. This could be a good way to have more structures in less space, in a way? Granted, I never lived in those units, so IDK if the quality of life was different in any way...
I feel like I've seen videos and posts discussing how one city started slowly phasing things in and out to become increasingly more walkable over the years? Maybe in Spain or something? I can't find it at the moment, however. From what I remember, they started slowly phasing cars out of certain areas of the town, instead adding more bike lanes and plazas and benches and housing until eventually basically everything was accessible by walking, biking, or taking a transit system.
I've touched this point already, but I feel that transit systems would be one of the most important parts of making a city truly accessible--but that the transit system may look different depending on where you are. New York, for example, has the subway system that from what I know (I've never taken the New York Subway I haven't been there since I was 8) is extremely efficient in getting people around--could likely use some improvements, but is definitely a good model to look at. For places where subways aren't suitable--I know Florida would deal with lots of flooding issues, trying to dig and implement a subway system--an increasingly robust bus system or even something like a monorail system like my city (sort of) has would be excellent.
Now there's definitely something to said about accessibility into buildings itself. Sometimes ramps are constructed improperly, so those would need to be fixed. I can also see there being issues with doorways and stairs and such in older buildings--though even in those cases, many buildings get revamped with elevators and wider entrances. There's probably tons of other accessibility issues that I don't even realize, because though I try to keep these things in mind, I do ultimately live life as an abled person right now.
Though another point I do also remember being brought up is the height of landscaping, especially near crosswalks and such, causing problems with accessibility for children, shorter people, the elderly, etc. Also that trailing, low-hanging plants can also cause issues by getting stuck in wheelchairs and such. These would also have to be kept in mind when considering green spaces and accessibility.
This post is getting long and ultimately I don't really know what I'm talking about in the slightest. But I do hope this was at least a little helpful!
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A Life Update
Hey everybody. For a majority of you, this post isn't going to matter so feel free to carry on. If you're new uh... Well hi. Nice to meet you! If you're returning, hey! It's been a while, huh?
My sudden absences seemed to have worried some people, so I thought I'd give a little update and kind of how I forsee this blog going forward. For starters, I'm alive! And in fairly good health all things considered. No need to worry there. I'm actually in school again, going for my master's in a place that I really love. Campus life is a little lonely, but I'm following my passion regardless.
Upon my extended break from this blog, I kind of realized that it got way too big, way too quickly, for me at least... I never started it looking to make a big audience, I just really loved the game and wanted to share my ideas with other people who liked it too. I wasn't ready or even built for the kind of pressure maintaining a blog with so many eyes on it would put on me. I'm an introvert, practically a recluse, it was and still is my very first blog/social media/anything. Interactions are... hard for me.
All of that being said, it seems to me like the fandom has calmed down quite a bit now and I think I may start trying to write again. The OM world has so many rich opportunities for world building and I do still want to write my own works one day... I had to take few months off from the game when it inexplicably broke on me, but since then I have come back to it and I'm still playing. I do so more conservatively now, but I haven't lost any love for it. It's just a cozy time for me.
Updates to the blog will be far more sporadic then they were in days past. I am back in school, after all. I think at this point, it'll be healthiest for me if I only post whenever the inspiration happens to strike me. That way I can keep up with my studies and keep things at an arms length unlike before.
I'm sorry if I've worried you, it wasn't my intention. But thanks for all of the concern I've seen and I hope that I can continue to write here and maybe other places too in the future. 🙂
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It's a fairly busy week, and this kind of thing always helps me stay on-task - here's the day in a nutshell.
7am: Wake up (groggily) - I've found that I like having extra time in the morning, especially early in the week. Cuddles with Clara the cat, a little yoga (I have accumulated enough broken bones and scars that being totally sedentary means my whole body promptly turns to stone), shower, a nice breakfast and coffee while I catch up on work e-mails. A scientist from Switzerland who wants to do a two-year postdoc with me has sent me a document summarizing the research ideas we discussed at our last meeting! It's very neat stuff, and we're going to be putting together an application in the summer to get the full two years funded externally.
9am: Dry hair and set off to work! Manage to catch the 9:20 bus and have a chill commute to campus. Check e-mail again on my way into the building and realize our facilities manager has responded to an earlier e-mail, so I detour to his machine shop and chat a bit about the issue (I'm teaching an instrumentation class this quarter, and one of my students has been having trouble with her datalogger). He gives me a new USB cord, so I jog upstairs to try it out - no luck, just empty com ports and error messages galore :(. I also check out some of the hardware, but there are no suggestively bent pins or anything to give clues as to what's happening, and it looks like the console has stopped remote readings altogether. At a bit of a loss, I send him an update and head down to the lounge to get some hot water for my tea, then sit upstairs and quickly skim through the slides for today's lecture, which I haven't actually seen since last year. While I'm doing that, our facilities manager comes up with a fresh new datalogger and offers to configure it for me while I'm in class!
10:30am: Class goes well! We talk about some fun topics that are near and dear to my heart, and while everyone is a little on the shy and less-talkative side today, two different people are brave enough to confirm they got the right answer for the in-class exercise. Early on, the facilities manager comes in with the fresh datalogger, and I hand it off to the relieved student. Hopefully this does the trick! I get through my slides a few minutes early (probably because of the aforementioned quietness), which gives me time before my next meeting to quickly post grades for the students who gave an in-class presentation on Friday, as well as to link to the cloud recording of today's lecture.
11:30am: Research meeting! A colleague and I are co-advising an undergraduate research intern on a project we're seeking funding for (and have just hired a graduate student onto). She's progressing really nicely and just had a couple questions about a polar stereographic projection she was working on ("Is it meant to look that weird?" "Yes, absolutely."). We got her pointed in the right direction for the next couple of weeks, then raided my candy bowl and hung around a couple minutes chatting about how her classes are going. As she and my colleague leave, I see a message from the student with the troublesome datalogger confirming that the new one works! Whew. I send the victorious news to our facilities manager, with my endless thanks. The meeting wrapped up quickly, so I have time to munch on a protein bar (I usually pack a lunch, but I know I'm going out for a big dinner tonight) and enjoy my tea.
I'm a little nervous about a class I'm teaching next quarter - it's a really specialized grad-level class and if it gets fewer than 5 students, it gets canceled. Currently nobody is registered at all. On my colleague's advice, I put together an e-mail to all the grad students to let them know what the course has to offer.
I still have some time before my next calendar item, so I jump into the early stages of a scientific journal review due on Friday. It's a bit of an annoying process - it was originally rejected, and I got brought onto the resubmission when it was a long-ass paper plus 100 pages of replies to reviewers, and now we've made it through TWO MORE ROUNDS of reviews, so it's basically just a giant novel-sized mess of people yelling at each other. But it's gonna get done!
Just as I'm getting into the swing of things, two of my students pop by and stand in the hallway giggling nervously. Apparently they can't find their TA for another class and have a question about class material, so they figured they'd ask me instead - I gently redirect them to, you know, the professor of that course. "Yeah, but we're scared of him," they say, and I try not to die laughing with the knowledge that his wife is in the office next door to me hearing all this. Mixed feelings on this one - on the one hand, I'm glad my students see me as someone they can come to with questions. On the other, it's a time crunch on me that my old-white-dude colleagues don't have to contend with. They eventually head off in search of their professor while I go upstairs for...
12:30pm: Forecast briefing! We have weekly meetings for a national weather forecasting competition we're all in - it involves issuing 4 forecasts a week. I'm... okay at it (usually in the top quarter of competitors, at least beating the models), but we have some RIDICULOUSLY talented forecasters in our group. Today's briefing is entertaining enough, and we all squabble over where we want to forecast next week (the ~1000 participants vote on the city).
1:30pm: Research meeting! This one is with my most junior graduate student, who's a bit overwhelmed with coursework (the first year of our Master's degree is 9 extremely difficult courses before they finally get to do research full-time). We talk through it a bit and he asks for my advice on project/time management, so we chat about pomodoros, the Star Trek Scotty method (always give yourself a buffer and act as though things are going to take more time than they really will), and not writing the entire day off if you wind up doing nothing all morning - you can still hit a reset switch and have a busy afternoon if you need to. Just generally "be kind to yourself, because in the end the self-imposed guilt of not finishing something will stop you from progressing more than anything else." We also talk organizing code and avoiding hard-coding even when it makes the initial time investment much higher. It's a good chat, ending with some restaurant recommendations when he finds out I'm heading to his hometown this weekend! We wrap up early with some specific goals for the next couple weeks, and, after sending in my forecasts for the day, I get back to my review. I also order 5 lbs of candy to refill my candy bowls. It's been that kind of quarter. An e-mail comes in from a student interested in my course and asking for more info! She confirms she's probably going to take it, after consulting with her advisor. Heard from another colleague that she's got one student interested - two down, three to go!
2:30pm: Research meeting! How obvious is it that I like to front-load my week with meetings? This one's with a freshman undergraduate student who's started working with me as a research assistant on a new project... except the project we were originally going to work on together is going very very slowly (our collaborators at a different university are dragging their heels). He met with my PhD student a while back and got really interested in his work, and he apparently knows more than enough coding to be able to follow along, so I went ahead and got him access to 300,000 core hours and 1,000 GPU hours on a national supercomputer to do some exploratory data analysis. As you do. Tragically, the initial project also only works on PCs, and he's a Mac user, so that's another reason to pull him off one project and onto the other. Alas. The project he can't do is a SUPER appealing project to me (very repetitive, boring work that requires little brain-power - please let me do this from time to time!), so I might participate for the heck of it. Meeting ends a little early, so it's back to the review.
3:30pm: We're hiring! It's a dual hire with another department, so it's been a bit fraught, but the grueling two-day interviews roll on. This is number 3/5, so we're getting into the swing of things, and it's time to go attend the public seminar portion of the interview for this candidate. He is... absolutely astonishing on paper, like a once-in-a-generation kind of mind, so I'm already excited to see his talk. We'd be incredibly lucky to have him, although I'm not entirely clear on why he's leaving a super prestigious professorship two years in. I didn't get to schedule a one-on-one meeting with him since he has to leave earlier than expected tomorrow, but I'll be joining him for dinner tonight. The talk goes quite well, although I hear the students buzzing over whether he's genuinely collaborating or just doing the tech-bro thing of coming in and claiming to solve all our problems... Plenty to think about at dinner tonight. I believe this will be what the kids call a vibe check. (We also have a chalk talk tomorrow where he'll present his work to just the faculty + postdocs, so more chances there!)
5pm: Got some time to kill before heading over to dinner at 5:45. I was originally going to do some work, but my brain is a little fried at this point and I may just zone out and scroll for an hour. More tea! That'll solve everything.
5:45pm: Meeting a colleague to go grab the candidate and Uber over to the restaurant together - I love this place! Lots of good food, and plenty of non-alcoholic cocktails and veggie/vegan/gluten-free options, so an ideal spot to bring a guest speaker or faculty candidate. He was very pleasant to chat with and really knew his stuff despite having just had an exhausting day. Good food, good chats all around. Home by 9:30pm, phew.
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Gaulcienne my beloved! What do you have cooking for them? Also super curious about the time bomb challenge one, if you want to answer that instead! Thank you!!!
I've already answered the Gaulcienne ask (here if anyone missed it), so here's the time bomb challenge wip!
So, this one is based on an actual subreddit (r/timebombchallenge) where people post clues for strangers to find everything from naked pictures of themselves to a chance to have sex. Basically Hob (u/hunter-hob) is going to end up racing another user (u/-the-magus-) to crack the clues to get the chance to enact Dream’s (u/hunted-dream) rape fantasy. It might be a bit dark for some people but it’s entirely consensual and exactly what Dream wants.
My inspo for the pics that Dream posted in his first challenge is from @awalkonthewildside who is absolutely gorgeous and my headcanon for Dream in lingerie.
Since I’ve only written 1k of initial setup with a fair bit of exposition explaining how it works, you may as well have the lot (and since it's a wip, it's still got at least one 'XXXXX' where I haven't found the right word yet):
Hob settles onto the sofa and opens his laptop, his favourite subreddit loading automatically. To most people he’s a respectable member of the local community, someone trustworthy and reliable, someone they could turn to if they felt bullied or harassed on campus, so he carefully keeps his online persona well hidden. He spends a lot of his time outside his studies on various kink forums, most of them dealing with real-world consequences that most kinksters would shy away from.
One of his favourites is on his screen right now. The subreddit r/timebombchallenge, where users risk having their naked photos and explicit videos found by hunters like Hob, either physical flash drives to be located after a real world treasure hunt, or an online drive to be unlocked if the hunter can unravel a series of clues. Or, for those who need even more risky behaviours – some users promise to submit to a physical punishment for losing the challenge.
Hob’s eyes light up when he recognises the username at the top of the screen. He knows exactly what user u/hunted-dream looks like, can still picture the slow, sensual striptease he’d unlocked from his first time bomb challenge. u/hunted-dream had slipped open a black chiffon robe, revealing smooth, pale, unblemished skin, decorated with delicate jade green lingerie and elegant stockings. He’d stroked long, clever fingers over himself, teasing at the edges of the barely-there garments, before turning and snapping the garter straps against his lean arse. There had been more photographs too, all artfully shot, as u/hunted-dream bent and stretched and posed, teasing Hob with his lithe body and XXXXX bendiness. One of Hob’s favourites had been a frontal shot, revealing u/hunted-dream’s soft cock and hairless balls encased in a lace bodysuit. The man was clearly intelligent too – one of the most challenging puzzles Hob had seen on the subreddit yet, and one that had actually had him having to research online to complete at least one of them.
Hob scans the title on the latest post - [27M] [Red] [Hybrid] (online/mobile/ticket)
The title is unusual. Age and gender, obviously. Red means that this time, real, actual, life-ruining information is up for grabs. Full-on blackmail material, the kind that could destroy careers and relationships. u/hunted-dream is definitely escalating since his previous sharing of ‘green’ rated tasteful nudes and arty videos. The part that most catches Hob’s attention though, is the categorisation of the type of hunt on offer. ‘Online’ was usually just a series of shortened weblinks to decipher, resulting in a link to a private photo cache to download. ‘Mobile’ meant that it was a physical hunt, with a flash drive of pictures and information being carried around on the user’s person. In this case, Hob guesses that he’ll have to follow online clues to work out u/hunted-dream’s physical location to challenge him for the drive. The part that has him leaning forward in anticipation though, is the word ‘ticket’. That’s where things are going to get really interesting. A ticket was a different kind of reward. An extra level of control that the hunter can win. Most likely, it’s going to be an offer of sex. Hob clicks the post and reads on.
Hello, r/timebombchallenge.
I hope you enjoyed my first challenge. Only two of you made it through my maze of puzzles – I wonder if more of you will make it if the stakes are somewhat higher?
This time, as well as the online clues, you’ll need to come and find me, if you can. Once you’ve caught me, you get to claim your prize. For most of you, that would be the flash drive containing my ID, my employment details, and my family’s contact information, as well as a series of explicit videos showing my full face as well as using a series of toys that will leave no one in doubt of my proclivities. For some of you, those braver and more honest about your desires than the rest – maybe you’ll get to make your dreams come true.
The rest of the message… the rest of the message is in Greek. Because of course it is! Of course this fucker who’d had him researching Latin poetry to access photos that barely counted as soft-core porn expects him to be able to read Greek for this next challenge. Hob grins and shakes his head as he copies and pastes the rest of the text into Google Translate. He has the whole weekend free, and he’s more than willing to travel if it means getting his hands on that cocktease of a twink. He hits enter on the webpage, only to find that apparently u/hunted-dream has posted half a page of absolute gibberish.
Can’t be that easy, can it Hobsie?, he asks himself as he pastes the text into another document. If he’s honest, the pictures are only half of the appeal of this particular user. He’s always been attracted to intelligence and humour over just looks, and that this guy shares his kinks as well? This is the most fun Hob’s had in ages. u/hunted-dream is an arrogant brat by the tone of his messages across the whole of reddit, and Hob’s just itching to truly put him in his place.
o0O0o
Three hours later and Hob’s only cracked the first two parts of the code. The Greek text had turned out to be transliterated Latin, a section from Ovid’s Metamorphoses of all things. Hob’s Latin is rusty, but once he knew what he was looking at he’d managed to get the first weblink, which teased him with another arty nude photograph and this time, a series of numbers. Hob had groaned at that – as a PhD candidate in early modern history, he was at least familiar with Ovid who’d still been influential at that time, but anything with numbers or a hint of mathematics always threatened to bring him out in hives. Fortunately, it wasn’t a mathematical code but a cipher hiding a passage from Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus.
#wip ask game#nsft#cw rape fantasy#cw rape#dreamling#dream of the endless#morpheus#hob gadling#the sandman#mallory's miscellany
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Re that post about Kenzaburo Oe, you mentioned the term 1968 kids, talking about him and Hayao Miyazaki, how would describe that group? I get the gist of a certain kind of utopian artist from that generation, but I haven't heard it before, wondered if there was any other traits/anyone else you'd put in that group?
Definitely worthy of a fuller write-up, and I wish I had a concrete "unifying" source for all this, but Japan had a rapidly growing leftwing radical movement in the 1960's. The Anpo protests, a huge series of demonstrations against the US-Japan Security Treaty (which gave the US military bases in Japan) from 1959-1960 were the launching point, and they built on growing movements of unionization, environmental activism, and anti-militarism. It culminated in the 1968 seizure of much of the campus of the University of Tokyo by the 'Zenkyōtō' student activist faction, which was part of a global wave of student activism in 1968.
And like in so many places, 1968 was this movement's high water mark - they were awash in factionalism, police broke up their occupation, and support for them plummeted in the face of the violence they both initiated and recieved. In the 1960's members of these factions thought that they could seize political power, change the state, all that jazz. By the 1970's that dream was dead.
Most political-style artists were part of this movement, and shaped by that break - as political opportunity faded, they saw in their art a way to express their concerns, visions, etc that the political system would not. Since I am an anime person, this is where a lot of leaders of 70's and 80's anime would emerge from. Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata were both animators at Toei Animation during this time, got heavily involved in the union efforts there - Miyazaki was the union's general secretary in 1964 - and were avowed Marxists. Mamoru Oshii was similarly active, participating in the Shinjuku Riot over the Vietnam War and identifying as Trotskyist-Left. There is an entire genre of Japanese cinema called New Wave which was part of and shaped by this movement - director Shūji Terayama would be a notable for films like 1971's Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets, which I will mention because its creators included theatre director and music composer J. A. Caesar (real name Takaaki Terahara) who composed the soundtrack for Revolutionary Girl Utena, for the anime connection. There are of course hundreds more I could name.
I think their themes are well known - what united them as a 'movement' was A: they all mutually saw themselves that way, and B: they are the last generation to believe that their art could truly change minds. Miyazaki is making Nausicaa because he actually thinks it will turn people away from techno-fetishization, stuff like that. Creators after that make works about society, but they don't view them the same, their ambitions are different - insight vs activism, or reform vs revolution. Of course these creators will age and change - Oshii for example did so, he would famously criticize Miyazaki of being a typical "Anpo man" in feeling like his films were responsible for society and the world, saying such responsibility was itself a form of fascism (its Oshii, he says shit like this all the time). In his criticism you can see the identity of the 1968 generation reflected back.
They were more-or-less wrong, of course - art can change things, but not that much, and it turns out politics is way more complicated then their visions could contain. But I respect their conviction dearly and find the art they made to have something irreplacable due to that conviction, so its worth remembering.
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Come Back to Me (Yandere!Kyojuro x Reader)
Commission for @iloveyouforinfinitykyojuro
Warning: This writing contains manipulative behavior, creepy behavior and toxic relationships. Read with caution if any of these themes are triggering.
This takes place in a Modern!AU where both Kyojuro and reader are students in college.
Soft, pink petals delicately drifted down to the ground, the wind was softly blowing through your hair as you stared up at the sky, waiting for Kyojuro to show up.
He'd texted you earlier asking if you could meet him under the sakura tree in the middle of campus and you agreed. You loved hanging out with Kyojuro, he always made you laugh and told the best stories. It was a nice addition to your day.
"(Y/N)!"
You turned towards the sound and smiled brightly at the firehead, "Kyojuro! What's up? You said you needed to tell me something important?" You hoped it wasn't anything bad.
His smile brightened even more, "Yes, actually. I've got something to confess!"
You nodded, gesturing for him to go on.
More sakura petals continued to snow around you both as Kyojuro stepped up to you, gently taking your hand with warm eyes, "(Y/N)..." He paused for a moment, "I love you! I've loved you since we first met freshman year! Please tell me you feel the same!"
"Ohh, Kyojuro..." Your tone made his smile fade ever so slightly and as much as it hurt to see his smile begin to fade, you felt that you needed to tell him, "Kyojuro, I'm sorry. I don't feel the same way. I'm in love with someone else and we've been talking for more than two months now."
The firehead put on a forced smile, trying not to seem heartbroken that the rumors of you being interested in Akaza were true. But it was no matter, he'd fix that soon enough, "It's okay, (Y/N). I hope I didn't make things awkward between us."
You shrugged with an uncertain smile, "A little," You admitted honestly, "But that's okay! I hope you find someone soon enough, though!"
You both chatted for a while longer before you had to leave to go to class.
As you waved goodbye, Rengoku smiled as his plan ran through his head.
You'd be coming back soon enough.
"Akaza!"
The black-haired man turned around with a big smile, setting his weights down, "Kyo! I haven't seen you for a hot minute man! What's up?"
"There's a house party going on this Friday, I was wondering if you wanted to come? There's a new friend of mine that I want you to meet."
He nodded after some thought, "Sure, man, what's their name? Do they go to school here?"
"Her name is Koyuki, she just joined at the beginning of the spring semester. I thought that you guys might hit it off." Kyojuro explained, showing a picture from her Insta page.
At Akaza's gobsmacked expression, he knew he'd already had the cat in the bag.
"Y-Yeah, man, I'll definitely be there."
You glanced down at your phone, unbelieving.
All those months of talking to Akaza just down the drain and he didn't even bother to say anything to you. The fucker had decided to ghost you instead and block you from all his social medias.
You only found out about him being with Koyuki because one of your mutuals posted of picture of them together, congratulating their 'cute relationship'.
Tears welled in your eyes as you looked through the comments, all commenting or congratulating the relationship.
It was like you'd never existed.
There was a knock on your door and you begrudgingly opened it to see Kyojuro. He looked worried.
"(Y/N), I saw Akaza's post about... nevermind, are you okay?"
More tears welled in your eyes as you shook your head and Kyojuro could feel the happiness welling inside him. You were heartbroken and you had no one else to fix it except him; your boyfriend.
"Kyojuro... I'm so sorry that I rejected you that day..." You whimpered sadly, "I-I should've realized that Akaza didn't love me the same way you do..." You glanced down at the ground with shame.
The tears began to drip down and you stepped closer to Kyojuro's frame, "C-can you forgive me?"
He smiled, opening his arms and squeezing you tight as you cried into his chest, "Of course I can."
#yandere demon slayer#yandere scenario#yandere anime#yandere kimetsu no yaiba#yandere kyojuro rengoku#kyojuro rengoku#kyojuro rengoku x reader#yandere x y/n
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Kissing Lesson
Ship: Changbin x Older Fem reader. (Ft. Chan)
Word count: 1,814
Fluff, college au, best friends "sister"
Warnings: kissing, mentions of broken bones, nbk reader.
A/N: I've been really busy lately so sorry I haven't posted anything. This idea was based off a dream I had. The last bit is the dream. Anyways enjoy the random mentions of other idols, and the dynamic between reader and Chan (platonic). As always any comments are appreciated.
Ever since Chan walked through the door with my younger brother, Jungkook, when they were 8, Chan had always been there. Between him and Jungkook, they always had my back; stepping up when I needed them or in making my life complete hell. The three of us became inseparable after the day I saved the two of them from complete humiliation in middle school. Best friends, despite the good and bad. When Jungkook went to study abroad, Chan stepped in as my "brother".
When Chan decided to attend the same university I was attending I tried to help him get the lay of the land. However by the end of his first semester he knew twice the amount of people I did on campus. Gathering quite the assortment of friends. Including two friends who named themselves 3racha. Creating their own space in the small music scene around campus.
He was there when I broke my ankle after stepping into a hole after one of my classes. He quickly took me to the hospital, and held my hand as they set it and put a cast on it. I smiled as he seemed to take the step towards being a kind brother figure. However the next week he released footage on the university's social media of me on the meds at the hospital. Effectively ruining any chance I had on dating on campus. Chan was always there, good and bad.
When I graduated Chan threw a party for me, everyone in attendance was kind, however few I felt were actually there for me. Changbin, who was one of 3racha kept me company at that party, and the parties that I attended afterwards. I always felt a small spark but being as he was even younger than Chan, and was one of Chan's best friends I never felt I could cross that line.
As I progressed in my career working a hybrid schedule in the office and at home I made friends in the office. Chan was still my brother, and my confidant. However it was nice to have girls to chat with.
The company went all out in a celebration for our manager who brought in the most sales in over ten years. They rented out a 5 star restaurant, and had an open bar. I always tend to forget how much certain drinks affect my inhibitions. The thoughts I'd been harboring for over a year came into my mind. In hindsight I should've known not to ask Chan for help. However, drunken-stupor me, and sober me rarely see eye to eye.
"So, when are you coming over for your lesson?" His voice mocked, as I answered the phone.
"Chan, I already told you. What I messaged you over the weekend was a mistake" I sighed as I placed him on speaker phone and continued working. I had ten minutes left of my work day, I just wanted to finish this project.
"Please. It's not a crime to ask for help." The laughter in his voice barely concealed. "Especially when I know you have no experience in the field."
"How do you know I have no experience!" I huffed, as I tried to focus on the screen.
"Kissing Namjoon at your 16th birthday party doesn't count. You barely caught the corner of his lips. Plus, you tell me everything." I could practically hear his smirk. "So when do we start your lesson?" He chuckled.
"I swear to God Chan, drop it! I drank too much at my company party! It was a mistake, a drunken mistake." I gritted my teeth as I quickly saved my project. Not wanting a keyboard smash to ruin my hard work. I just felt grateful that today was one of my work from home days.
"Most people hook up with friends when drunk. Not text their best friend saying you wished you knew how to kiss because Changbins lips 'always look so kissable'" He said dreamily before laughing. I took a deep breath and pushed myself away from my desk. I'd have to call it a day.
"Ugh! I hate you. Let me survive in peace." I groaned.
"Are you sure you don't want to die in the peace of Changbins lips against yours?" He teased, paraphrasing one of the many texts.
"Chan, if you don't stop I will tell everyone what happened on your first day of middle school." The threat was met with silence. I finally felt like I had the upper hand.
"I swear I'm just messing with you." Panic lacing his words. "Seriously though, I'd be more than willing to help you learn about kissing. You've got to learn somehow."
"Why did God curse me with you?" I asked, as I looked towards the ceiling he chuckled in return.
"Not sure if it was God or just Jungkook. Just come over in an hour."
"I hate you." I muttered as I stood and grabbed my phone.
"Of course you do" I could hear his smirk before the line went dead.
—---
Chan stood there smirking, leaning against his kitchen counter, as I jumped up on the wobbly bar stool. The small wall behind me gave us some privacy from his two nosey roommates, Han and Felix.
"So, tell me. How long have you been wanting to kiss Binnie's plush lips?"
"Chan I swear if you say something like that again, I will spread every detail about how Kook and you both-" he cut my threat off.
"Fine, fine, fine, I will stop." He held up his hands in surrender. "May I ask one thing?" He raised a brow.
"One thing" I crossed my arms, as I leveled my gaze.
"I knew you liked Bin, I've seen the flirtatious looks. Why have you not made a move?"
"Because," I sighed as I looked up at the ceiling, then back at my best friend. "Because, I've seen the girls that crowd you guys after any of your gigs. The girls he drapes his arms around. Don't get me started on how his Ex was. He's out of my league." I placed my head in my hands. "I'm nothing like his usual type. Plus you two work together, have classes together, you're really good friends. You've likely told him every embarrassing thing I've ever done."
"That's not true, you are way better than his Ex. You are an amazing woman, I'd say you're out of his league." I heard him say as he placed his arm around my shoulders. "Also i haven't told him all of the stories" i looked at him as he gave me a comforting squeeze. "I've only told him the funny ones" he joked, and I shook my head.
"Look, can we just drop this? I'll even buy pizza and lava cake if you just let it go." I hopped off the stool.
"As much as I like the bribe. I feel it my duty to help you." He placed his hands on my shoulders, and I sighed.
"Fine. So tell me, what is the first thing I need to know?" I shook his hands off.
"Well first, kissing should really only be done between two consenting parties" He placed a hand on my cheek. "Second you should be prepared for the kiss" He pulled out lip balm from his pocket and put some on his lips.
"Woah, Chan. I don't want to kiss you." I pushed him away, and he chuckled.
"How else will you learn?"
"How about you just tell me what to do and I'll figure it out myself." He shook his head softly, and rolled his eyes.
"How about this? I need to know what I'm working with. So I can coach properly. So come over and show me how you would kiss Changbin. Pretend I'm him" he closed his eyes and stood there.
I took a deep breath. It's just Chan, I'm comfortable with Chan this should be fine. I took a few steps towards him. I could feel his breath as I leaned closer. This feels so wrong, he's like a brother to me.
My lips met his, and he didn't move. Was I supposed to move? I tried to picture myself as the protagonist in one of the many books I'd read. I tilted my head and moved my lips. He still didn't move and I broke away. I glared at him in a huff.
"What the hell Chan. You didn't even do anything." I threw my hands up, and he laughed.
"Well I had to see what I needed to coach you on." He laughed.
"Was it that bad?" His expression told me everything. I wasn't good.
"Just try it again"
So I did. I went in and he just stood there. No movement yet again. In fact he seemed to be tucking his lips between his teeth. As I broke away I shoved him. He shrugged.
"You are so infuriating Chan! I just wanted some advice. This was your stupid idea!"
"Well, I didn't want to kiss you." He found a spot to lean against the counter again.
"I didn't want to kiss you either! So why did you tell me to pretend you were Changbin, and how I would kiss him! You're making me feel like a fool!" Hot tears threatened my eyes. The sound of someone clearing their throat made me look towards the doorway to the living room.
"So, noona. Mind telling me why you didn't just come ask me for a kiss" Changbin asked, the corner of his lips creeping upwards. My eyes grew wide, as I floundered for words.
"Bin, I thought I told you to come in here when I said 'pretend I'm him'." Chan shook his head. I looked between the two.
"Wait, you were here the whole time!" I felt my cheeks heat up.
"Well I was with Chan on Saturday when he got your messages. I figured I could maybe help you with the lesson myself." Changbin smirked, as he looked towards the ground then back at me.
"You couldn't have stopped me before I kissed my best friend?" I placed my hands on my hips.
"Well I didn't kiss back so I don't think it counts" Chan chimed in.
"Well how about I help with your lesson? I've been trying to get Chan's approval before I even tried anything with you." Changbin stepped forward, and the world seemed to melt around us.
"Why get his approval?" I asked, my eyes darting from his eyes to his lips.
"Because, you're practically his sister. I didn't want any bad blood between us." He was so close, his breath intermingled with mine.
I felt like my brain was malfunctioning. I thought back to any thoughts about kissing, and all I came up with was, "May I kiss you?"
Changbin chuckled slightly. "Anytime you want" He mumbled, then our lips connected.
#changbin imagines#stray kids fluff#skz fluff#stray kids imagines#stray kids changbin#changbin x reader#stray kids college au#stray kids fan fiction#changbin fluff#platonic Chan
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