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#not based on a tiktok but something so much worse
puppyguppy · 16 days
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You cough and wave dust away from your face, eyes watering as you fish for the folded up letter you’d previously shoved into your back pocket. The man that’d picked you up from the bus stop was kind, but you couldn’t tell which was older; him, or the spluttering truck he drove. It made for difficult, hardly held conversation. Not because you’re shy or weren’t curious, but because the truck had been loud, and the man a bit hard of hearing. He’d had a warm smile as he waved goodbye to you though, tinged with a little red. However, before you could ask, or even so much as thank the guy, his truck was off down the road, kicking up dirt.
His barely held together tailgate read, in bold but faded white letters, “Plus Ultra!” When you can see and breathe clearly again, you unfold the paper in your hands and double check the address you’d been given. You’d been to the property before, of course, but a long, long time ago. Honestly, it felt like a lifetime ago – your childhood. Even then, you can’t really remember the place beyond a couple of random, core memories. Like falling asleep on both the way there and the way back, safe and comfortable, lulled unconscious by the quiet conversation of your parents and the rhythmic rocking of the car. You could’ve made more memories there – here. You’d been invited well into your teen years, for holidays and summer breaks and special occasions. And it’s not that you didn’t love your aunt, the one who used to live here; her and her ‘best friend’ though everyone in the family knew better. You still love her, love them. Hard not to with just how crazy they could be – like the two of them buying a farm out in the middle of nowhere, and thinking they could keep up with it. They’d done surprisingly well, up until randomly deciding to travel the world before permanently settling down. You’re pretty sure they eloped. You’re like, ninety-nine percent positive that they’re currently on their honeymoon. Just best friend things. You probably could’ve been closer to them, if you’d just given them the chance. But, you were young. You had classes and friends and hobbies at the time that you’d just considered too cool to pass up. Now all gone, for one reason or another, which is why you’re even here. Why you’d reached out to your aunt in the first place. It was the perfect opportunity. They’d more or less left the property abandoned, and you were in desperate need of an escape. A reset. That all depends on that more or less, though. Apparently, your aunt had hired a farmhand at some point. And, said farmhand still lived there. Here. Not in the house or anything, but in his own little trailer, supposedly. Parked somewhere rather permanently on the property. In the letter, your aunt had described him as ‘a bit standoffish’ but with ‘a heart of gold’. Then followed that up by saying that if you didn’t like him, well. ‘Tough shit. Leave.’ Whether you liked him or not didn’t really matter. You didn’t come here to make friends. You didn’t come here to get to know anyone else other than yourself. So, you figure, as long as he stays out of your way, you’ll do your best to stay out of his. Which… Ends up being almost eerily easy.
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were--ralph · 4 months
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why exactly do you dislike generative art so much? i know its been misused by some folks, but like, why blame a tool because it gets used by shitty people? Why not just... blame the people who are shitty? I mean this in genuinely good faith, you seem like a pretty nice guy normally, but i guess it just makes me confused how... severe? your reactions are sometimes to it. There's a lot of nuance to conversation about it, and by folks a lot smarter than I (I suggest checking out the Are We Art Yet or "AWAY" group! They've got a lot on their page about the ethical use of Image generation software by individuals, and it really helped explain some things I was confused about). I know on my end, it made me think about why I personally was so reactive about Who was allowed to make art and How/Why. Again, all this in good faith, and I'm not asking you to like, Explain yourself or anything- If you just read this and decide to delete it instead of answering, all good! I just hope maybe you'll look into *why* some people advocate for generative software as strongly as they do, and listen to what they have to say about things -🦜
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if Ai genuinely generated its own content I wouldn't have as much of a problem with it, however what Ai currently does is scrape other people's art, collect it, and then build something based off of others stolen works without crediting them. It's like. stealing other peoples art, mashing it together, then saying "this is mine i can not only profit of it but i can use it to cut costs in other industries.
this is more evident by people not "making" art but instead using prompts. Its like going to McDonalds and saying "Burger. Big, Juicy, etc, etc" then instead of a worker making the burger it uses an algorithm to build a burger based off of several restaurant's recepies.
example
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the left is AI art, the right is one of the artists (Lindong) who it pulled the art style from. it's literally mass producing someone's artstyle by taking their art then using an algorithm to rebuild it in any context. this is even more apparent when you see ai art also tries to recreate artists watermarks and generally blends them together making it unintelligible.
Aside from that theres a lot of other ethical problems with it including generating pretty awful content, including but not limited to cp. It also uses a lot of processing power and apparently water? I haven't caught up on the newer developements i've been depressed about it tbh
Then aside from those, studios are leaning towards Ai generation to replace having to pay people. I've seen professional voice actors complain on twitter that they haven't gotten as much work since ai voice generation started, artists are being cut down and replaced by ai art then having the remaining artists fix any errors in the ai art.
Even beyond those things are the potential for misinformation. Here's an experiment: Which of these two are ai generated?
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ready?
These two are both entirely ai generated. I have no idea if they're real people, but in a few months you could ai generate a Biden sex scandal, you could generate politics in whatever situation you want, you can generate popular streamers nude, whatever. and worse yet is ai generated video is already being developed and it doesn't look bad.
I posted on this already but as of right now it only needs one clear frame of a body and it can generate motion. yeah there are issues but it's been like two years since ai development started being taken seriously and we've gotten to this point already. within another two years it'll be close to perfected. There was even tests done with tiktokers and it works. it just fucking works.
There is genuinely not one upside to ai art. at all. it's theft, it's harming peoples lives, its harming the environment, its cutting jobs back and hurting the economy, it's invading peoples privacy, its making pedophilia accessible, and more. it's a plague and there's no vaccine for it. And all because people don't want to take a year to learn anatomy.
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mindfulstudyquest · 1 month
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“ dopamine detox ,, and why you should delete all your social media right now
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"just five more minutes" and then you end up scrolling on instagram or tiktok for hours. i know that feeling. even if you know rationally that focusing on the really important things ( such as studying, working, learning from books or whatever ) is much healthier for you and your future, you can't help it.
you know that start studying for the exam you have next week will benefit you much more in the long run, but you still prefer watching tiktoks and scrolling on instagram. you could say that is pretty obvious: one activity is easy, and doesn't require much effort, whereas the other one is difficult and implies that you are focused.
but it's actually like this? so then why some people manage to be consistent in studying, or working, or exercising? they simply just have more motivation than you? and how can you start having the same motivation as them?
to answer this question, we have to take a look to a very important molecule produced by our brain: dopamine.
dopamine is often considered a pleasure molecule, but it's a false belief. dopamine is actually the molecule that makes us desire things, and it's that desire that gives us the motivation to complete every kind of task. for example, your brain doesn't release dopamine while you're eating a cheesburger, it releases it while you're going to mcdonald's to buy it, because you anticipate that the food will make you feel good, even if it actually makes you feel worse.
to your brain, it doesn't matter if the high-dopamine-activity is damaging to you.
your brain organizes priorities based off how much dopamine is expecting to get:
if an activity releases too little dopamine, you won't have the motivation to accomplish it.
if an activity releases a lot of dopamine you'll be motivated to do it, and repeat it over and over
so, which activities releases dopamine? basically, any activity where you can get an immediate potential reward releases an high amount of dopamine. but if you know that there's not an immediate reward invoved ( such as in studying, where the reward is in the long run ) your brain will not expect to release much of it and you'll be less motivated to do that task.
nearly everything releases some amount of dopamine, even drinking water when you're thirsty, but the highest amount of it is released when you're getting a reward randomly, for example while playing on a slot machine. even if you loose money, you eventually expect to get a bigger reward.
therefore it is not so surprising that the most additive social networks ( tiktok, instagram, pinterest ) are designed as slot machines. you don't know what the next post or video will be, but you expect something great, so your brain releases a large amount of dopamine.
in today's society our brains are overloaded with stimuli that induce an unnatural production of dopamine ( scrolling on social media, playing video games, watching internet pornograhy, etc. ).
it's frightening that people don't know how harmful this lifestyle is: our bodies have a biological sistem called homeostasis, which means that our bodies keep the internal physical and chemical conditions at a balanced level, whenever an imbalance occurs, our bodies adapt to it, for example, when it's very hot our body temperature rises and we start sweating to cool down.
but homeostasis manifests through tolerance too. for example, someone who hardly ever drinks alchool will be tipsy after one beer, on the other hand, someone who drinks alchool on a regular basis will need two, three, four beers in order to get drunk, because their body has developed a tolerance to it. it's not much different with dopamine.
so if you get used to large amounts of dopamine, you won't be able to do the things that you did before, because they don't produce as much dopamine and it's more difficult to motivate yourself to do them. once your dopamine tolerance gets too high, you are no longer able to enjoy low dopamine activities.
as if you were a drug addict, there's only one way to get out of it: you have to perform a dopamine detox. you have to avoid all high dopamine activities in order to allow your body to adjust to a normal level of dopamine production and start finding motivation again in the things that improve your personal growth.
it's not easy, you will be nervous and frustrated, maybe you won't make it through a full day without social media, but day by day it will get better and better, and eventually you'll be able to appreciate small things again.
imagine that you're eating your favorite food - for example, chocolate cake - every single day. after a while, chocolate cake doesn't taste good as before, even if it's literally the same cake. on the other hand, if you eat it once a month, it will taste great, because it's not something you've gotten used to.
this is exactly what dopamine detox does. be safe guys, and start recovering now.
[ source: https://youtu.be/9QiE-M1LrZk ]
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bunnyteetharry · 5 months
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When you know, you know
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summary: y/n was always scared to end up like her parents and harry changed that for her
warnings: none?
pairing: husband!arry x wife!reader
Inspo from this tiktok
————⋆ ˚。⋆୨୧˚⋆ ˚。⋆ —————⋆ ˚。⋆୨୧˚⋆ ˚。⋆ —————⋆ ˚。⋆
Ever since she was younger
Y/n has always been afraid of who she will end up with at the end, she didn’t always think this way. It started when she suddenly started to wake up to screaming, or when one of her parents would set her aside and talk badly about the other.
Even before, she’s never seen them do something or say something nice about the other
You always questioned if they truly loved each other once upon a time or they just stayed to stay
Once her parents had gotten the divorce, that’s when the fear got worse, she wanted to love and be loved by someone like she read in the books
She wanted to feel how obsessed you can be with someone when you deeply love them
Not having to worry about the worse
It’s not she didn’t know that not every relationship if perfect from how she witnessed her parents relationship.
She just wished and hoped too much that it got in the way of finding someone
That’s until she met Harry
He was a breathe of fresh air, it was the first time she let go of her worries and just let things happen without a second thought
It’s cliche but, somehow she knew it was going to be him since their second date, but she wouldn’t dare to tell Harry that due to how inflamed his ego would get
But when it really, truly hit her, they had been together for 5 years and had just married
They were in the backyard with a group of their friends just hanging out and catching up with each other from the busy week
She was leaned over the outdoor bar talking with her longterm friend Gracie and her husband was sitting across from them with Harry in the middle of the year on the lounge chairs with others as well
They were talking about how they’ve never seen Harry drink or smoke or bitterly anything that came to his as an obsession
“So?” Michael itched on “So what?” Harry smiled as he took a sip of his water “What are you obsessed with then, there has to be something that you crave”
He thought for a second before smiling and pointing towards Y/n and said “The only thing I’ve ever been addicted to is that one right there”
At that moment y/n felt her chest fill, trying so hard not to tear up and pretend she didn’t hear him, Harry had always had a hard time expressing his feelings so him saying things like that, especially infant of people, brought her so much warmth inside.
Once everyone had gathered inside, they were the only two left
Margaret by Lana del Rey was playing softly in the background as they swayed slowly
“I love you” she whispered gently against his lips, he smiled and pulled her closer to him “Do you now” he rubbed his nose against her cheek “You’re annoying” y/n gently pushed him away before he pulled her back in “I love you more baby” he mumbled against her lips, kissing her softly.
a/n: sobbed for hours after watching that tiktok I had to write something about it, kinda based on me (ish), but anyways enjoy!
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shootingmorningstar · 1 month
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Was inspired by bambygourl’s fanart and a TikTok I saw. Dressing up as Roger and Jessica Rabbit for a costume party with Lucifer. I think he’d be all pouty and grumpy about dressing up as such a silly character and not a suave charming character. Especially since he’d take a look at the white button up, red trousers with suspenders, and blue bow tie with yellow polka-dots and see it as a fashion nightmare XD. And don’t get him started on the bunny ears and tail. Tho his mood is sufficiently uplifted when he sees the reader dressed up as Jessica Rabbit. Low cut red dress with a slit and all. Just imagine pulling on his suspenders or bow tie for a kiss, getting lipstick on his mouth and face, and cooing over how adorable and handsome her honey-bunny is.
I've been meaning to get to this request ever since I saw it because it is just so good. I'm definitely biased for anything Lucifer related but god this is just so cute. Anon, your brain is outstanding. I love pouty Lucifer. If you still have that tiktok on hand or ever come across it again, do you think you could send it my way .ᐣ
You didn't include what kind of request you wanted though, and my default is HCs -- but I couldn't help but throw in a little drabble based on them, too. Or, at least I intended it to be a drabble .ᐣ It got away from me, haha.
⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀Lucifer and Female Reader Dressing
⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Up As Roger and Jessica Rabbit ~
Lucifer is initially thrilled when you bring up wanting to attend a famous yearly costume party in Pride with him. A chance to show you off sounds amazing, and he's great with costumes. Just the thought of you two matching is enough to get him excited.
You seemed just as excited as he was -- in fact, he was even more excited when you told him you'd already had something in mind .ᐟ He's pestering you to tell him just what the costumes were as soon as the plan leaves your lips, but much to his displeasure, you refuse, saying you want to keep it a surprise.
You'd even managed to resist the very strongest puppy-dog eyes and pout. Impressive. He usually succeeds in getting his way with that one -- who could ever say no to that face .ᐣ Having exhausted his options, he sighs his defeat.
Well, nearly exhausted his options. He was entirely too ready to pretend that you'd won and snoop through your closet the second you walked away. Apparently his quick glance at said closet had given him away though, and with a quick deadpan stare alongside a scary sounding ❛ don't you dare. ❜ has his feet rooted to the floor.
Did his poker face really suck so bad .ᐣ He's definitely practicing it in the mirror later.
Ultimately, though, he trusts you completely and your choice in matching outfits is no exception, so he allows it to drop for now. There's still a few more days until the party, but that time could be spent much more productively by your side rather than whining about clothing.
That is, until the day of the party comes around and you bring out his outfit. You'd never seen Lucifer's jaw drop quite like that before and it takes iron will to stop yourself from giggling at his present state.
He doesn't understand the reference. Lucifer regrets his past decision to give humanity free will. It's obvious, even if he never seems to say it outright. He had given out such a precious gift and so much of humanity chose to abuse it, to be nothing but cruel. Looking at sinners and by extension humanity is just a terrible reminder of what he'd done, so he prefers to avoid it whenever possible. This quite often includes the media of the living realm -- he's never even heard about the movie, forget seeing it.
So without the full context, all he knows is that you've just handed him an absolutely atrocious outfit -- and to make it worse, you expect him to go out in it .ᐣ Seriously, he whinges, red overalls with a blue bow .ᐣ Rabbit ears .ᐣ And to make it worse, you won't even show him your outfit until he gets dressed .ᐟ He can't believe you're laughing.
He sounds completely and totally ridiculous, in your defense. Seriously, has he seen his regular outfit .ᐣ He looks absolutely stunning, sure -- but he also looks like he walked right out of a circus.
It says a lot, though, that despite the complete and total pity party he's currently throwing himself, he's beginning to shuffle into the costume anyway. He's grumbling the whole way, but the fact that he just doesn't have it in him to say no to you warms your heart.
You had been so, so eager about this party, and the way your eyes had shined like stars when you told him had long since burned itself into his heart.
wc ; 1.2k
His seemingly endless complaints had tapered off ever so slightly when you shimmied his grasp off of the ruby red suspenders sagging unbuttoned over his chest. By the time you take the fabric into your own hands his protests faded to little more than a mumble under his breath, and with the very first snap of a button in place under your gentle touch he'd quieted completely. Where a look of exasperation had reflected off his face seconds prior, in its place now is that of silent awe, his gaze trained on your every action. The gesture of intimacy is enough to leave Lucifer somewhat choked up, his heart still not used to receiving such acts of adoration and kindness. You tie the cornflower blue fabric adorned with tiny yellow spots into a bow to accentuate the costume and cover his hands briefly with your own as you slip the gloves onto his fingers.
Not twenty minutes had passed, and he finds his attitude regarding the ensemble shifting with every second you take to assist him into it. Each and every part of it looks ridiculous at best, but the thought of you picking it out solely for him has him warming up to the idea.
Declaring your work complete, you raise your grasp ever so slightly, palms holding each of his cheeks close, your thumbs rubbing soft little circles below his eyes. Your affections are sufficient only when finished with a kiss placed on his forehead. ❛ I'm going to go get dressed, okay .ᐣ No peeking. I promise I'll be right back. ❜
The way his wrists on instinct dart out to catch yours to bring you close to him again as you pull back nearly got you. He's extended his lips in a pout once more. You hate to leave him quite so sad looking but you know he'll appreciate what you have planned enough for it to be worth it.
Bathroom door shutting closed behind you, there's the smallest bit of lingering regret that he can't help you to get dressed like you had for him. The outfit itself takes you barely a few moments to slip into -- it's the makeup that requires precision, time and effort. His pacing around the bedroom is audible, impatient steps sounding into stomps, the sounds causing you to choke on a laugh. You need a steady hand for your eyeshadow and that's hard to maintain during an act quite as cute as this.
Nonetheless, your look is finished within half an hour and therefore Lucifer is put out of his misery. It's not a second after the door clicks open that his attention is caught, snapped to the light peaking out of the doorway. Stepping into the small hallway, your eyes are met with his own -- and the way his pupils widen as soon as he gets a glance of your dress makes both your efforts and his complaining worthwhile. His gaze takes you in from top to bottom, each detail enchanting him further. The dress so perfectly hugging your curves is crimson to match him and absolutely breathtaking -- and are you walking towards him .ᐣ Your strut does well to accentuate the slit stitched into the leg, your thigh tantalizing in its display.
Finally reclaiming your place beside him, one of your fingers reaches out, finding purchase under his chin -- and when you tilt his head up you swear you saw his eyes flash red. ❛ Hello, my darling husband, ❜ you coo, sending his already overloaded brain into a frenzy. Husband . . .ᐣ You wanted . . .ᐣ With him, really . . .ᐣ And although he's beginning to put the pieces together and clue in that such a term of endearment was part of your match, you seemed so happy to say it. He snaps his focus back onto just how stunning you look tonight, but the idea has firmly implanted itself into the depths of his mind.
Back into the present time, his hands have begun to roam -- he wants to commit every detail of you to memory, and that includes the feeling of your dresses fabric under his fingertips. His grasp is met with your own, for it's not long before you're pulling the straps of his suspenders, tugging him forward into a kiss. By the time he's recovered from his surprise enough to reciprocate, though, you're already beginning to pull away. He chases your lips with a whine but you've already moved on, pressing a kiss first to his cheek and then to his forehead. It's only when you offer him a small compact mirror does he understand -- each of your kisses has left behind a little bit of the lipstick you oh so painstakingly applied. Your marks on his face have left him entranced, desperately craving more.
A gasp rips itself from those same cherry red lips in surprise -- you weren't expecting him to summon forth his tail, much less wrap it around your midsection and use it to bring you closer. ❛ Kiss me again, ❜ He pleads, desperate and breathy. ❛ Anything for my honey bunny, ❜ you chime, matching the mark on his left cheek with one on the right. ❛ You just look so cute, ❜ between each kiss is another offering of praise and compliments, the blush left in your wake matching excellently. ❛ Who's my handsome bunny .ᐣ ❜
Your multitude of kisses has left Lucifer stunned and looking nothing short of angelic -- even more so than usual. You're fully intending on giving him several more, leaning in to do just that when the wall mounted clock besides you chimes a new hours arrival, alerting you to the time. ❛ Oh, dear. I'm very sorry, Mr. Rabbit, but I'm afraid we simply must be going. We don't want to be late, do we .ᐣ ❜
Fixing your lipstick takes all of a few seconds, leaving you free to grab a makeup wipe off the pouch resting atop your vanity and wipe all of the stains you'd adorned his face with away. A snap of his wrist catches yours just inches from his face, however, halting your plans in their tracks. Confused, you look to him for an explanation, a soft ❛ leave them. please .ᐣ ❜ being all he offers you. ❛ You're going to go to the party like this, love .ᐣ ❜ to which he nods sagely. He can't bear to part with them -- not when the lipstick marks are yours, not when they declare proudly that he is yours.
❛ If you say so, honey. ❜ You can't deny that the prospect leaves your heart fluttering. A grand, golden portal appears with a simple snap of his fingers and he takes your arm, now linked with his own in an attempt to usher you forward. He can't wait to show you off, to watch as other demons eyes glow green as they stare his way. You stay still, though, prompting him to look back at you with an air of confusion. It's then that you lean close, whispering ❛ be a good bunny and there will be more where that came from. too bad we'll have to wait until we come home, hmm .ᐣ ❜
Suddenly Lucifer can't wait for this party to be over.
I still can't believe I'd originally intended this to be 100 words and it ended up over a thousand. I can't help it, I'm so weak for anything Lucifer related. I'm half tempted to write an absolutely filthy post party part 2. If there's enough demand for it .ᐣ I just might.
As always, let me know what you think .ᐣ Hearing back from you guys keeps me motivated ~
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karliiiis · 4 months
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this post is inspired by themaskedace on tiktok, specifically this video <3 all credit goes to them. check them out, they’re amazing (:
tw: angst! mention of death
~ you fell for simon riley. but the loss of his previous partner haunts the both of you until it’s too late.
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you met simon a few months after transferring bases. you first knew him as ghost, the most intimidating guy in the 141. the guy who never took that damn skull mask off. there wasn’t much to know about him. sure, word spreads fast around base but it was like no one knew anything about him, except for one thing. you had heard her name several times when walking by gossiping recruits. saw her face in a picture of the 141 standing next to ghost. it didn’t take you long to find out the full story. she was ghost’s lover. tragically lost during a mission. her name flew around base like a secret, like everyone was scared to speak her name aloud. you should’ve known why.
ghost was assigned as your lt. he was in charge of your training. it was clear he was experienced and his high rank was no mistake. he was skilled, but he was quiet. your only interactions with him were during training through small critiques or commands. it wasn’t until a few months later that changed. he had approached you during a night out with the team. it surprised you a bit, staring up at the man as he asked you simple questions about yourself, swirling the whiskey around in a glass too small for his hand. you exchanged gentle smiles, small blushes and laughs. he had even invited you out the next day at a small restaurant. he was charming and treated you well. your connection with ghost grew into something more. you were always by his side around base and people knew you were together, even if you didn’t make it official.
months went by and he slowly let you in. you knew how he took his tea in the morning, how he liked his eggs. you knew his favorite color, the way he softly snored when he slept. you eventually moved in with him on base. mornings off were spent in bed together, limbs intertwined and secrets spilling out of your lips. evenings were spent cooking together, his arms always secured around your waist as you smiled up at him. and nights were spent sleeping in each others arms, a comfortable silence holding both of you.
you didn’t know where it went wrong. it was hard to tell. it always was with simon. you felt him slipping through your fingers little by little. he was beginning to become distant and you tried everything to stop it. you noticed it in small things. he wouldn’t come home at the same time anymore, staying out later and later as the days went by. you spent more mornings waking up alone in bed, his side no longer filled with the warmth of his presence. you cooked dinner alone, simon either somewhere else or in another room. he didn’t hold you anymore, he barely even looked at you. and deep down you knew why. you knew it was her. but you so desperately wanted to convince yourself you were wrong. maybe it wasn’t her, maybe you could fix it, maybe you could fix him.
but you couldn’t. things got worse. simon was never home anymore and when he was, he was drunk or simply avoiding you at all costs. when you tried reaching out to him, he pushed you away. always telling you “not now,” “i don’t want to talk,” “just drop it.” the man you loved was gone, but you so badly wanted to bring him back. conversations were turned into arguments. no more soft secrets were shared between you two. he wasn’t yours anymore.
you had grown tired of loving a man who wasn’t there anymore. but you wanted to try one more time. simon sat on the couch as you spoke to him with hurt lacing your words. you couldn’t even tell if he was listening to you anymore.
“this isn’t the end, there are other things that can give your life meaning, simon” you pleaded hoping he’d look at you, just once, just one more time.
“like what? you?” he spat finally looking at you. but you weren’t met with the loving eyes you fell in love with. no, they were empty, almost filled with distaste at the sight of you. he raised his eyebrows as he spoke, as if you giving him meaning in life was a joke to him. and it broke you.
you were silent for a moment. feeling tears prick your eyes. you were tired of fighting for a man who was already gone. “this is the part where you apologize,” you sighed. but you knew he wouldn’t. he had no reason to anymore.
he spoke sternly, no emotion, no hint of love you so desperately wanted to find. “this is the part where you leave.”
you bit you lip, turning away from him and grabbing your things to put into a bag. “fine, simon. i can’t watch you do this to yourself anymore.”
“oh it’s too difficult for you, is it?” he said sarcastically watching you pack your things.
you turn to him, tears falling down your face. your voice shakes with anger, sadness, pain. “yes, it is. it breaks my heart to see you this way.”
he rolls his eyes, looking away from you. “oh don’t pity me.”
“i’m not pitying you.”
he stands suddenly, hands balling into fists at his side. “you care so much, don’t you?” he yells. you can hear the anger, the pain in his voice. but it’s not for you, no. it’s for her. and it always has been. he was never ready to let her go, never ready to start with someone new. and it was clear to you now, in this moment. he wasn’t your simon.
with one final glance at him, you give him a smile. it’s a smile with a million different meanings. a smile on the good memories you shared with him. a smile of sadness for losing the man you fell in love with. a smile of anger for the pain he dragged you along into. a smile of acceptance that he never was yours. and a smile of compassion. for hoping that the man before you could find peace, could let himself heal from the pain of losing the one he truly loved.
you could feel the tears falling down your face, the vision of simon blurring before you. but maybe that was good, maybe seeing him clearly would’ve stopped you from leaving. but you knew you had to. “goodbye, simon” you whispered, turning away from him and walking out the door.
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dudadragneel · 1 month
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And I'm back!
I hope you'll enjoy it!
This fic is based on a TikTok I saw!
THE ONLY HYUNG
Idols tend to receive tons of gifts from fans to the point where the companies issue a statement that they won't be accepting any more. But that also has to do with their safety, you never know what a sasaeng can do.
One day, Chan and Lee Know decided to go live to open some of the gifts they had recently received.
They had managed to get the staff away so they could be a little more carefree during the live, but still paying attention to what they said.
They enjoyed opening up all the presents and fan letters, some even made them tear up.
It was all going well until things unexpectedly took a turn for the worse. Before going live they had lunch and since eating Lee Know was feeling bloated, as if he ate a serving for three people.
As they went on he kept on taking his hand to his stomach and rubbing it in useless attempts to calm it down. But he kept his composure, as much as he could, the last thing he wanted was to get sick live.
Chan had picked up on Lee Know's obvious discomfort and placed a hand on his thighs, trying to comfort him without saying anything.
Lee Know tried his best to focus on his hyung's touch and the presents, but eventually, it got too much. His stomach was churning and his head started to hurt as well.
Before he even noticed he had lowered his head so it was now resting on his hand and Chan immediately stopped everything he was doing and turned his attention to Lee Know.
- hyung...I feel sick...
Chan got closer to him and started massaging his nape. He knew that if Lee Know admitted to feeling unwell, it meant it was really bad.
The staff that was monitoring the live from another room, had gone to the room where they were but before they could get in, Chan glared at them, and a single nod made them leave. He knew Lee Know wouldn't want attention right now.
- Do you want some water?
- No...I feel nauseous...
He said, bringing his hand to his stomach one more time and letting out a sigh. Chan grabbed Lee Know's hand and started rubbing it with his thumb.
- Do you wanna go to the bathroom?
- hm...I want to throw up...
- Let's go. Hyung will help you.
Chan placed his arms under Lee Know's and helped him up, being in a standing position was not something his stomach had agreed to so he lurched forward suppressing a gag with his hand.
- Hang on just a little more, okay?
He embraced his dongsaeng and guided him to the bathroom and into one of the stalls, locking the door behind them.
Usually, Lee Know would rather deal with this on his own but he acted like a dongsaeng when he was with Chan. The difference in how he acts is huge.
Lee Know bent over, hands on the edges for support, and started gagging unproductively.
He kept on rocking back and forth, spitting out saliva and retching, but whatever it was that made him feel like that was not coming up.
Chan was rubbing his back up and down, with the softest expression on his face.
- hyung...
Lee Know whined.
- I know it hurts... it'll be over soon.
Lee Know squeezed his eyes when his stomach cramped badly making him gag unproductively again.
Chan took his chance to help his dongsaeng by gently rubbing his abdomen in a circular motion.
Lee Know retched a few times before a wet burp triggered his sensitive stomach, bringing up partially digested food. Chan could swear he saw chunks of what was Lee Know's lunch from earlier and grimaced at the gross sight.
His stomach did not give him a break and before he could even breathe, it sent up a thicker stream of putrid vomit immediately followed by another making the poor boy go red from the effort and sway forward.
Chan tightened his hold on Lee Know so that the boy wouldn't fall and used his other hand to rub Lee Know's chest, trying to comfort the sick boy.
- Agh...
Lee Know groaned at the discomfort he was feeling before another bout of vomit gushed out with a wet burp, arching his back.
- You're doing good. Get everything out. It must have been the lunch. You'll feel better when it's all out of your system.
Lee Know spat out thick saliva and then his stomach gave him a break. But now his head was throbbing from the ordeal and he felt a little dizzy, like someone was squeezing his head.
- Minho-ah? Do you think you're done?
- Hyung...I need to sit down...
- Are you feeling dizzy?
- hm...
Lee Know just nodded swallowing hard. Chan carefully guided him so he was now sitting down on the floor. Thank God for the ridiculously clean bathrooms of the company.
The younger boy was kind of in a daze with how things went south in a matter of minutes, so Chan stepped up to keep on helping him, getting some toilet paper to wipe Lee Know's mouth.
- Thanks hyung...
- How are you feeling?
Chan asked sitting beside Lee Know who was resting his head on his hand again and kept on rubbing his back reassuringly.
- Sick...my stomach is churning and now my head hurts...
- Do you want to move to the studio?
- No... I feel like I'll throw up again...
- Okay. We'll stay here then. I'll be right here with you.
Chan reassured, grabbing Lee Know's hand and squeezing it.
- Agh..
Lee Know winced again...
- What is it?
- My head is throbbing....Hyung...can I rest my head on your hand?
- Of course.
Chan couldn't deny that he was taken aback by the sudden request, Lee Know being this vulnerable was a rare sight, one that was mostly only shown to Chan.
Lee Know rested his head on his hyung's hand, allowing the whole weight to be held by Chan. The pressure against his forehead miraculously helped with the throbbing pain.
Even so, Chan kept rubbing Lee Know's back, and for a while, the young boy seemed to have calmed down.
- Minho-ah, were you feeling like this before?
- Only after lunch...my stomach felt too full...
- I think it might've been the lunch.
The young boy was still resting his head on his hyung's hand when he started shivering a bit. Chan could feel Lee Know's forehead was starting to feel hot and that was an indicator that this wasn't a case of food not sitting well, it was most likely food poisoning.
- It's cold in here...
- I think you're starting to run a fever, Minho-ah. I'm pretty sure this is food poisoning.
- Great.
Lee Know said, clearly getting mad at the situation. He hated feeling sick, weak, and vulnerable but he felt safe to feel like this when he was with Chan.
The chills just wouldn't stop and his stomach was determined to get everything out.
It cramped badly again making him gag, startling Chan a bit, who was still holding the boy's head.
- Hyung...I'm gonna be sick...
He said weakly gagging again on his hand and failing to contain a bit of liquid that escaped his mouth but thankfully hit the floor and didn't get on his clothes. He already felt too weak so Chan had to help him to the toilet, holding his forehead and keeping the boy's hair away from his eyes.
Lee Know didn't even have time to think before his stomach contracted making more vomit rush up his throat. The thick wave that came out still had chunks of food, given that he had just eaten, and it triggered another wave that was followed by another one leaving him breathless.
- You're really not okay.
Chan said, somewhat impressed by how quickly his symptoms worsened, which meant that Lee Know's immune system was not in good condition.
The older boy kept on rubbing Lee Know's back and then moved to his chest when he choked, the bout that followed made food come out of his nose as well.
Fuck. He cursed inside, today just wasn't his day, and if it was really food poisoning, then this suffering would last a few days.
He straightened his back and took a deep breath in, trying to control his body, but gagged a few times before he was over the toilet one more time retching up what felt like it was yesterday's dinner.
After this bout he was dry heaving, just barely bringing up thick saliva and bile. Chan decided to flush the toilet before the stench and sight triggered Lee Know's stomach again.
- Grab my hand.
Chan offered but he didn't even need to, as Lee Know did that immediately, trying to take deep breaths to control the nausea that persisted.
- Come on, breathe with me, just like what we did that day.
Lee Know was still squeezing Chan's hand as he was guided through the breathing exercise. A few minutes after, he was more calm.
- Better?
- Yeah...
- Do you feel like you're gonna puke again?
- No...not now at least.
- Do you wanna move to the studio?
- Yeah...hyung, can you help me up? I feel dizzy...
- Sure, come on.
Chan placed his arms under Lee Know's again and lifted him, most of the boy's weight being held by his hyung.
- Let's rinse your mouth first.
While Lee Know did that, Chan wiped the sweat off his damp forehead and only then noticed that Lee Know's face was already pretty flushed because of the fever.
And the dancer couldn't deny, his whole body ached because of the fever, even Chan's hold on him hurt.
The oldest carefully guided Lee Know to his studio and lay him on the couch, covering his shivering body with a blanket and leaving a bin nearby.
- Minho-ah, hyung will go tell the manager what happened and see what we'll do okay?
- Yes...
When Chan got to the practice room, he was met with worried eyes, that were clearly asking what happened without saying a word.
- Chan-hyung, where were you?
- You were doing a live with Lee Know hyung, right?
- Yeah. Kids, gather here. Lee Know got sick, he probably has food poisoning. He threw up a couple of times and he's running a fever.
- Where is he?
- I took him to my studio, that's the place where he'd get more privacy.
At that time, their manager came into the room and upon noticing one member missing went straight to the gathered group.
- What happened? Where Lee Know-ssi?
- He got sick during the live. He threw up a few times and he's running a fever. I'm guessing it's food poisoning. Should we take him to the hospital?
- Going to the hospital can be a hassle, especially because of the possibility of encountering fans and god forbid, saesengs. Let's take him home and see if we can make him stay hydrated and fed, if in two days he doesn't manage to keep anything down, well take him.
- Okay.
- Since you have no official schedules, if you want to you can go home as well kids.
- I think Lee Know-hyung would want to keep his privacy for a while. We'll go have lunch and go back home later.
- Okay then.
The manager said, leaving the room to inform the other staff about the situation.
- Kids, can you gather Lee Know's thing for me? I'll go check on him.
- Yes, hyung.
Chan promptly left the room, worried about the sick dongsaeng in his studio. Opening the door, he found Lee Knows hunched over the couch spilling more of his stomach's content into the bin.
He went to his side, sitting on the edge of the couch, repeating the same process from earlier, holding his forehead and rubbing his back, and noticing that the fever had worsened, he could feel the heat through Lee Know's clothes.
- Hyung...it hurts...
- I know... we'll take you home in a few minutes okay?
- Okay.
- Can I dispose of this? Or are you gonna vomit again?
- I feel empty...but the nausea is still here...
- Okay.
Chan went to the bathroom and quickly returned.
- The boys gathered your things, the managed will take us home.
Lee Know stood out his arms so Chan could help him sit up and then waited a few seconds to see if he would throw up again.
- You good?
- Yeah...
- Want me to carry you?
Lee Know's face which was already red due to the fever had gotten even more red.
- Uhm...
He hummed in agreement, head down a little embarrassed. Chan just smiled fondly, even though Lee Know couldn't see.
The leader positioned himself kneeling in front of Lee Know so he could climb on his back, wrapping his arms around his hyun and burying his face.
Chan walked out of his studio and was greeted by their manager holding Lee Know's bag and a big coat which he used to cover Lee Know who was still shivering.
Thankfully their van was parked in the garage so no chance of paparazzi.
Chan settled Minho inside the car and sat beside him, pulling his head so it was resting on his shoulder.
- Manager-nim, do we have a plastic bag?
- I think we do, hold on.
The manager looked inside the glove box and found a plastic bag from one of the many grocery shopping he did with the kids, and handed it to Chan.
- If you feel sick, just let me know okay?
- hmm...
Lee Know just hummed, his fever making him sleepy and dizzy. Chan offered his hand for the sick boy to hold and he did it without hesitation. And again Chan was surprised by how hot he felt, it was high enough to mess with his breathing, and they didn't have a thermometer in the studio so he had no idea how high it was.
A few minutes into the ride home, Lee Know felt increasingly nauseous, burping wetly from time to time. Then he felt something creeping up his chest, a foul taste in his mouth.
He squeezed Chan's hand as he began to swallow convulsively, not wanting to throw up in front of their manager.
- Are you feeling nauseous again?
Lee Know just nodded, swallowing hard and then suppressing a gag, his stomach clearly mad at him for trying to swallow it down.
- Don't hold it in, Minho-ah. He's seen us sick before.
Chan reassured, not letting go of Lee Know's hand and putting the bag under his chin.
The boy helplessly ducked his head closer to the bag just in time for a wet burp to bring up a wave of putrid liquid hitting the bag. Lee Know kept squeezing Chan's hand, that was the only thing keeping him sane and grounded at the moment. Another queasy burp brought up another mouthful of vomit, and by now both he and Chan were thinking he was vomiting everything he ate during the week.
- We're almost there Lee Know-ssi.
Lee Know Just spat out some thick saliva and then just leaned his whole weight on Chan, who was holding the dirty bag, wanting to get rid of it as soon as possible, before the stench filled the car.
When they arrived at the dorms, the manager quickly got out of the car and went to Chan's side to get the bag and dispose of it.
- Minho-ah. We're home.
Chan said softly, caressing the sick boy's arm in an attempt to wake him up. Lee Know was barely conscious but he managed to move so he was sitting on the edge of the car's seat for Chan to pick him up.
- Here we go. Are you okay? Do you feel nauseous?
- No...
- Okay, I'll start moving then.
The manager carried their stuff while Chan carried a flushed face Lee Know, who also looked a little pale.
Entering the dorm, Chan sat Lee Know on the couch and the manager put their things in their bedrooms.
- Call me if you need anything, okay? I'll leave you two alone. Get better soon, Lee Know-ssi.
- Thanks, hyung.
Lee Know said before ducking his head and looking between his knees, he brought a hand to his stomach and sighed. Chan had gone to the bedroom to get Lee Know a fresh set of clothes and a thermometer.
- Let me take your temperature and then I'll help you take a bath, okay?
- yes...
Just as Chan suspected, the fever was really high 38.8°C.
- Minho-ah, we need to cool you down and we need to try to take some medicine, okay?
Just the thought of having to take a pill and most likely taste it was enough to trigger his stomach.
- hyung...
Lee Know called grabbing Chan's arm for dear life.
- bathroom...
He already felt something coming up his throat so he didn't manage to say a proper sentence.
- Come on.
Chan promptly helped his dongsaeng up, grabbed the change of clothes, and rushed to the bathroom with him.
Lee Know went straight to the toilet, vomit spewing out without much control and getting on the edges and the floor.
- Don't worry about that, hyung will clean it up.
Chan reassured placing the clothes on the sink and then going to Lee Know's side to rub his back and his chest for the nth time that day. Chan was scared at how much content was still coming out after the few rounds from earlier, he was getting afraid they'd have to take him to the hospital. As the oldest hyung, he just wanted his dongsaeng's well-being but avoiding the hospital is something everyone wanted.
As Lee Know continued to puke his guts out, Chan prepared his bath.
When he was done, Chan helped him out of his sweaty clothes and helped him into the shower, thankfully they had a bathtub because Lee Know was in no state to keep standing.
- Minho-ah, do you want hyung to wash your hair?
- please...
All this cuteness and vulnerability just showed how awful he was feeling. Chan carefully washed his hair and hoped the bath would help reduce his fever.
- Thanks, hyung
- Don't mention it. I'll let you take your bath now but I'll stay here just in case.
Lee Know slowly washed himself, the water hitting his skin making him wince from how much it stung. What usually would be a means to relax, today was almost a torture session.
When he was done, he surprisingly asked Chan for help getting dressed, and so his hyung did. He was now clean, wearing comfortable clothes and completely drained of his batteries.
- Come on, let's get you to bed. Do you feel like you're vomit again?
- No...not now...I'm tired...
- I know, let's go.
Chan cooed, wrapping his arms around Lee Know and guiding him to his bedroom. Since Lee Know shared a bedroom with another member, Chan thought it would be better for the young boy to sleep in his bedroom. That way he could keep an eye on him, and Lee Know could be more comfortable since he didn't like to show this side to the others.
Lee Know lay down on his hyung's bed and was promptly covered with a blanket by him.
- I will get you an antiemetic first and see how you'll hold up, okay? You need to put something in your stomach, water, a sports drink, soup. I'll be right back.
The poor boy's fever was so high, it was tearing up his eyes, and his head was still throbbing. He just sunk into the pillow and closed his eyes to ease some of the pain until Chan came back.
- Minho-ah. Here take these and let's wait.
- Hyung...my head is still throbbing...
- I'll sim the lights for you. let's see if the antiemetics work, then you'll try to eat something so I can give you painkillers, okay?
- Yes...
Chan stayed with Lee Know in the bedroom and within a few minutes the medication seemed to have worked.
- Do you think you can stomach some soup? Or bread? It might help better than soup actually.
- Bread...
He answered weakly, eyes half open.
Chan came back with a few slices of bread and gave them to Lee Know, who hesitantly took it.
- Just a few bites okay?
The older boy helped Lee Know to sit up on the bed, he was wearing a black hoodie and was half-covered with a blanket. Lee Know was fairly muscular but to Chan, at that moment, he looked so tiny.
He sat at the edge of the bed and stayed with Lee Know while the poor boy took small bites and slowly ate the slices.
- How do you feel? Nauseous?
- No...feels settled...for now.
- That's good.
Chan set the tray aside and placed his hand on Lee Know's forehead.
- It's still high. Let me check it.
The thermometer showed almost the same temperature from earlier, 38.5°C.
- it's still pretty high. Do you think you can stomach some pills?
- Yes...
- Take them with a sports drink, that way you won't feel the taste.
Chan quickly left and came back with the medication and the drinks. Lee Know took them and gagged but managed to swallow it. They waited a few seconds to see if he'd vomit but it didn't happen.
Lee Know was falling asleep even while sitting, so Chan carefully laid him down on the bed, placed an ice pack on his forehead, and covered him before leaving the room to eat something and get a mattress.
Then he was met with the rest of the kids who had just returned home.
- Hyung! How's Lee Know-hyung?
- He threw up again but after taking some medication, he managed to eat something. He was pretty tired so he's asleep now. He'll stay in my room for the time being, okay?
- Okay hyung.
- Let's just keep quiet. I don't want to wake him up.
They all had dinner, took a shower, and then went to do their own stuff but before telling Chan to tell Lee Know they wished he gets better soon.
Chan entered the bedroom and found Lee Know still asleep, his breathing was a bit off but it was due to the fever. He hoped the sick boy would sleep well through the night, but those prayers were not heard.
Chan checked on Lee Know one more time before going to bed himself but was woken up after 1h or so.
Lee Know was sleeping rather peacefully when his stomach decided to remind him he was going through a food poisoning process.
It started churning again, in complete turmoil making Lee Know toss and turn on the bed but no position was comfortable enough. He lay on his back and squeezed his hands in an attempt to control the urge to vomit.
It didn't work, he turned to his side and that must've been the worst decision he made that day. As soon as he turned his stomach jumped shooting up its contents way too fast, Lee Know rushed out of the room, hand covering his mouth so he wouldn't make a mess on the floor, that would be too humiliating.
He got to the bathroom, hurriedly closing the door behind him and bending over the toilet as a stream of bread mixed with stomach juice gushed out, immediately followed by another bout.
The motion of getting up so quickly and being bent over made him feel really dizzy, so before he could actually fall, he managed to sit down next to the toilet. His stomach was cramping badly, sending queasy burps repeatedly but not actually making him vomit, even though he felt like there were still things to come out.
He was starting to feel even more miserable than before, and he was sure his fever spiked again, even his clothes were hurting his skin.
He sat for a few seconds on the floor not sure of what to do, then he noticed his phone inside his hoodie pocket.
- Hyung. Can you come to the bathroom? Just need to know you're here.
Chan was already half awake when he got the message.
- Be right there.
He got up and made his way to the bathroom, but he didn't go in. He respected Lee Know's request of just being close, if the sick boy needed him inside with him, he'd say.
He sat by the door and gently ordered one of the members who had woken up to use the other bathroom, wanting to secure Lee Know's privacy as much as he could.
Chan kept hearing Lee Know retching over the toilet but never heard anything splashing in the water and he thought that maybe Lee Know had nothing else in his stomach.
But a few minutes later, he got another message.
- Hyung...come in, please...
Chan got up and politely knocked on the door, letting Lee Know know he was coming in.
Chan's heart dropped to his stomach when he saw Lee Know's state. His face was bright red from the fever that was obviously higher than before, he was sitting next to the toilet holding his stomach and with a pained expression on his face.
The leader locked the door behind him and walked up to Lee Know, grabbing his hand and feeling the heat of his skin.
- Minho-ah...
- hyung...it hurts...
Lee Know said, tears swelling up in his eyes. Chan immediately pulled him into an embrace, allowing him to break down if he needed to. It was a rare occurrence to see Lee Know cry, so whenever he needed to, Chan was always there to provide him the safe space he so much needed.
Lee Know broke down into sobs from frustration, pain, and embarrassment. Chan tightened his grip around him, gently rocking him from side to side, rubbing his back.
- It's okay. Hyung's got you.
When Lee Know finally calmed down, he kept looking down, still embarrassed by everything that was happening.
- hyung...I've been trying...but nothing's coming up...and it hurts so bad...
- Do you want hyung to help you?
- hmm.
Lee Know nodded shyly, hating to admit he was desperate for a comforting touch.
He leaned over the toilet, his stomach still cramping but only making him dry-heave and nothing came up.
Chan was by his side and rested his hand on Lee Know's abdomen and it felt heavenly for the sick boy. Because of his scar, Lee Know wasn't too comfortable with people touching his abdomen, but right now he really needed that.
- Can I press on it a bit? I think it'll help bring something up.
- please...
Lee Know pleaded, clearly done with how awful he felt, he was accepting every and any help.
Chan first started rubbing circles to soothe some of the pain and gently pressed the middle, earning a wince from Lee Know.
- I'm sorry...but it'll be over soon.
The motion seemed to be working as Lee Know started burping wetly and for a while, gagging unproductively.
Chan proceeded to press on his stomach until Lee Know retched wetly and a thick stream of putrid pale brown liquid hit the toilet water with a sickening sound, followed by another harsher one, leaving Lee Know breathless.
He coughed a few times because something got stuck in his throat, and Chan changed his approach to run his chest again as well as his back providing some comfort in the middle of the ordeal.
Another wet cough brought up small chunks of food mixing with the mess inside the bowl.
Lee Know scooted away from the toilet for a while, allowing Chan to flush it and get rid of the unsettling sight. He grabbed a few napkins to clean Lee Know's mouth and pulled the poor sick boy into his embrace so he could try to relax for a bit.
- I'm sorry hyung...
- You don't need to apologize.
- But I took over your room and now I can't even let you sleep...
- It's not your fault, Minho-yah. You had no idea you'd get food poisoning.
- What about the others?
- I made sure they'd stay away from the bathroom and my room, at least for now. I know you don't like much attention when you're sick.
- Thanks...I feel dizzy...
- It's because of the fever. Let me check your temperature again.
Chan took the thermometer from the cabinet and put it under Lee Know's arm.
- 39.1°C. It spiked.
It was obvious his fever got higher, he was looking red as a tomato, even his breathing felt hot, and despite wearing sweatpants and a hoodie he couldn't stop shivering.
- Minho-yah. Do you wanna take another shower? Or do you think you can stomach a fever reducer? If we don't get your temperature down, we'll have to go to the hospital.
As if on cue, Lee Know's stomach shot up what felt like it was the last of its contents barely giving him time to reach the toilet bowl, thankfully Chan helped him, otherwise he'd soil his clothes. The older boy gave him a glass of water so he could rinse his mouth and helped him brush his teeth.
- Thanks hyung...
- So, what do you wanna do?
- I don't wanna take another shower...my skin hurts every time something touches me.
- Then we'll try the pill again. Let's go back to the bedroom.
Chan offered a hand but Lee Know was far too exhausted to get up on his own, let alone walk.
- Come here, hyung will help you.
He put his arms under Lee Know's and carefully helped him to his feet but his legs almost instantly gave up on him.
- I'll carry you, okay?
- hmm.
Lee Know was in no state to protest, and honestly, he didn't want to. His hyung's presence and touch helped him more than Chan could imagine.
Chan hugged Lee Know and gently lifted him, one arm around his waist and the other around his legs. The image of a father carrying a son, that's how one would describe it.
He walked slowly to the bedroom, being extremely careful to not upset Lee Know's stomach, which seemed to have calmed down for a while.
He settled Lee Know on the bed and looked for a clean shirt and hoodie.
- Let's get you changed up. You sweat too much, your clothes are soaked.
Chan helped Lee know out of his hoodie and shirt and before putting on the clean ones, he wiped Lee Know's upper body, then helped him put on the new set.
- Can we take the medication now?
- Hmm
- Here, take one antiemetic and wait for a bit. Then take the fever reducer and another antiemetic.
Lee Know hesitantly took the pills from Chan's hand and contemplated for a bit, clearly afraid of vomiting again. He didn't want that, his whole body hurt because of the strain and the fever, and his throat was hurting as well, to the point his voice was raspy.
- Trust hyung, okay? You can keep it down, I know you can.
Chan reassured grabbing Lee Know's hand and started rubbing circular patterns.
Just like before, the first sip of water with the pill made him gag, but he managed to take everything.
Both he and Chan stayed sitting on the bed, waiting until Lee Know felt safe enough to lie down.
- How are you feeling? Still nauseous?
- just a bit...
- Do you wanna lay down?
- Yeah.
He lay down and Chan covered him, then lay down on the mattress next to the bed.
- Hyung...
He heard a soft whiny voice coming from above, it was Lee Know standing out his hand, after moving to the edge of the bed.
- What is it?
- Can you hold my hand?
- Of course.
Chan grabbed Lee Know's hand and just held it until he fell asleep. But he didn't let go, he knew Lee Know needed that, so he found a way of sleeping while holding his hand.
Thankfully, the medication seemed to have worked, at least for the night, because Lee Know slept until morning without any other incidents during the night.
When Chan woke up the first thing he did was check Lee Know's temperature.
- 38°C. It went down a bit, thank god.
He said quietly. Since Lee Know was in deep sleep, Chan quietly left the room to get breakfast and see the other kids.
- Good morning, hyung.
- Good morning kinds.
- How's Lee Know-hyung?
- He's still asleep. He managed to keep a few pills down yesterday, so his fever went down a bit, but it's still high.
- And you, hyung? How are you doing?
- I'm okay. He's got food poisoning, so I think we are all in the clear.
- Aren't you tired? We know you. We know you didn't get enough sleep.
- I'm doing good, kids. Don't worry about me. My concern now is getting Lee Know better.
Chan said walking to the kitchen to prepare something for him and a soup or some toast for Lee Know.
When he got back to the bedroom he found Lee Know sitting on the bed but still covered with the blanket, eyes puffy and face still red.
- Good morning.
- Good morning hyung...
Lee Know answered, voice raspy and weak, signs of a rough night.
- How are you feeling?
- Tired...
- And your stomach?
- A little nauseous but not that much...and a bit hungry.
- I made you some food. Wanna give it a try? There's soup and some toast.
- Can I try both?
- Sure, but don't force it. Take as long as you need. Want me to turn on the TV?
- Yeah.
Just like the previous night, Chan stayed in the bedroom with Lee Know as the boy slowly ate his meal. He then took the medications again and sunk into the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
Chan left the room one more time and was met with six kids demanding him to rest. They knew Chan always took care of them, no matter what and he wouldn't say anything even if he was too tired.
- Hyung. You need to rest as well. We'll take turns.
- Thanks kids.
Chan said opening his arms to give all of them a big hug.
With that settled, Jisung was the first one to stay with Lee Know, the sick boy accepted cuddles from him and they helped him stay calm and asleep.
And just like they said, everyone took turns to stay with Lee Know and help him whenever he got sick the following days. They were some tiring 5 days for all of them, with Lee Know vomiting a few times during the day and night and his fever refusing to go lower than 37.5°C.
When the ordeal was over, they were all tired but relieved to see their dancer back to full health. Lee Know being one to not show his weak side to many, had to let go of his pride in order to get better, and deep inside he was grateful to all of them, especially his only hyung.
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judithhhh · 4 months
Text
spanish (one-shot)
jude x gf! reader
summary : in which jude has a girlfriend who can't speak spanish at all, just like him
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When Jude told you about his transfer to Real Madrid, you were totally thrilled at the thought of moving to Spain with him. The two of you looked for a nice home to install in and were fully ready to start this new chapter of your lives together. There was one thing that you forgot to think about though ; you and Jude were absolute shit at spanish. No matter how hard you tried to get used to the new language, no progress was made. This meant that the first few months in Madrid were desastrous apart from Jude's incredible debut at the club. Something simple as doing groceries or driving to a new place became a whole challenge for the both of you. Adding to that, there was the fact that the media and his fans found the fact that you were the worse spanish speakers La Liga had seen in a while absolutely hilarious. You couldn't even count how many clips of you two trying to talk with interviewers or with fans ended up on twitter.
Jude had gotten most of the backlash though. Not only his fans but also his teammates loved to make fun of him for his incompetence in the language. You, a much more private person, had not been seen on social media or out in public as much, meaning that the few clips of your disastrous attempts of speaking spanish were with Jude and not alone. You often made fun of Jude, saying that he was the most lost one, using the excuses that you had taken a few spanish classes back in secondary school so you were obviously better than him. This feeling that you could speak better quickly went away though, when an extremely amusing video of you, and only you, found its way on twitter and tiktok.
The video taking place at the Golden Boy awards, you were dressed in a beautiful black dress and was smiling widely at the camera. The interviewer first asked you questions in english about your opinion on Jude's accomplishments and more about the teams you liked ect... The interview took another turn when someone else came and started asking you questions in the unfamiliar language. Basing yourself on some classes that you took a good five years ago, you responded in the same language and, obviously, it was a shit show. Your sentences didn't add up, you used words in english or french and pretended like they were correct by saying them in a spanish accent, or you just said words, that everyone was pretty sure, never existed. At one moment, the camera panned to the spanish interviewer that looked like he was using every inches of his brain to not laugh in your face. That, of course, made Jude's fans laugh even harder.
You were not aware of this video, and of how shit your spanish was, until Jude came home, one day, yelling your name. You ran downstairs, happy to see him after his training but was greeted by the sight of your boyfriend in tears in front of his phone. You took a step closer to him and your worries went away when you realize he was actually crying laughing.
"What's so funny Jude?"
The boy tried to compose himself but could barely form a sentence in between his fits of laughter.
"You haven't seen the video?"
"What video..?"
He turned his phone around, showing you the interview. Mortified, you couldn't talk or move and just stood there flustered.
"Ain't no way... It can't be that bad babe what the fuck."
"Oh yeahhhh, it's that bad" The boy said looking everything but sorry for you. The fucker was enjoying this.
"You regret making fun of me now huh?"
"I don't regret shit Jude, leave me alone"
"Aww come onnn, don't be mad now"
You ignored him, walking up the stairs and sitting down on your shared bed. Jude was quick to follow you sitting against the headboard before putting you on his lap, facing him. His hands around your waist, he squeezed it as he began talking.
"You know it wasn't that horrible. You're English, people understand that you don't know spanish that well..."
"It doesn't matter baby. Did you see that oh my god, I was like a toddler was trying to speak."
"Well, maybe a little bit"
You groaned, burying your head in his shoulder as the boy started laughing histerically again. The two of you stayed there for a while until Jude composed himself. Taking a deep breath, he looked at you in the eyes before smiling softly.
"You know I love you right?"
"Yeah I know, I love you too"
"Even though you're shit at spanish"
"SHUT UP!"
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saltofmercury · 1 year
Note
HII! so i saw this tiktok and it was an insecure konig cosplay and it was a scenario where someone pulled his mask off in front of everyone and y/n so i was wondering if you can write that or something similar but where y/n comforts him about it, they confess their feelings for each other and it’s just pure fluff🤍🤍 of course if you feel comfortable writing it🤍
btw the sound goes like “she pulled off my tag in front of everyone, she basically made a total fool out of me and the worst part is, she did it in front of ben.”
”Watch your left maus!”
His voice had come into your walkie, you turned around, seeking the piece of shit trying to hide from you. You pulled your gun out, but König had already got him. The man limped forward, blood gushing out of his head, then was picked up, stabbed multiple times by him.
By the time you reached him, he had crinkles in his eyes, looking at you.
“You’re too slow maus!”
“I could’ve got him, but you like the gore”
A soft, breathless laugh.
“I think you would be dead if not for me.”
Since KorTac joined the team, you had been very thankful to the big guy that had your back on missions. There had been two missions where your group and KorTac had to get along in order to complete the final mission both of you had been sent on.
Gaz and Soap did not agree on your friendship, claiming that the Austrian had other motives. But he was respectful if not overprotective on the field. They couldn’t deny that. Actually they were pretty happy that he had covered you, and they could get to business not worried about their partner.
You two had developed a friendship in the gym— you, complimenting him on how much he benched. Gym dates happened every afternoon, him helping you with your upper body strength, and you learning more about his life.
“I was in Jagdkommando at 17, I think our training is a little worse than yours” he was telling you about the rigorous training he had gone through, being specially selected among many, many men. It was fun getting to know him, sooner or later it would be one of your last missions together and you don’t think he would keep in touch with you.
You hated to admit it, but you had developed a small crush on the guy. He was mysterious, funny, and overall just a good person. He had been hiding this person underneath his height and mask.
He had his sweet moments like the time you were passing through Switzerland and you had told him about the game you played as a child, and in this game people in Switzerland had the best chocolate. The way he saw your eyes light up describing the chocolate in the story made his heart yearn, but he knew Swiss chocolate was not the best.
He was about to miss the boarding plane, when you saw him charging down the aisle, waving at you, and then checking in. He was out of breath, held up a golden package, beautifully wrapped with gold, green, and pink ribbon.
“I got you something.”
The entire plane ride to the base, you two had indulged in the chocolates on the plane, laughing at how ridiculous it was that he got you chocolates. But part of your heart melted because he made that trip to entertain the idea that had bloomed in your head as a child.
Soap had told you, “You hangout with this guy all day but you’ve got no idea what he looks like under that mask.”
It didn’t matter to you, it was just something you didn’t want to pry. Ghost had his mask on. Once you told Soap that, he laid off a bit. Realizing that it would be hypocritical for him to even keep pressing the issue.
There was a time you had asked him about the mask.
“König, why do you wear it everywhere?”
“It’s for the sunburn, maus”
“It’s a raggedy t-shirt on your head, maus”
“Would you prefer I look like Ghost? Shall I buy a skull mask too?”
You two laughed at each other, and you simply dropped it.
There was nothing more to share.
*
Walking through a jungle, König, Gaz, Soap, and yourself had been dropped off looking for your next target.
You had a bad feeling about this mission. Darkness filled the pit of your stomach, knowing something was lurking around the corner.
Something hit the floor, before all four of you realized what it was.
“Grenade!”
König had pulled you up, running at full speed , before crashing down a couple feet and on protecting you.
The wind was knocked out of you, but you got up. König was nowhere near you. Gaz had run up to you, checking if you were alright.
“Where’s König?”
*
Tied up and held hostage, you recognized his build from far away. You let Soap know you found him. He was slumped, sitting on the floor, his mask was gone. He had been knocked out. You went to wake him up, untying the rope around his hands wondering who could possibly take him down.
“König? Wake up, we gotta get outta here.”
He had been in and out of it, and you searched for something to try and cover him up.
He mumbled something about the room across the hall. Sure enough, Gaz had walked across the hall and taken down the fuckers hiding and waiting for you.
By the time he had woken up, he realized there was nothing covering his face. Wide eyed and vulnerable in front of Soap, Gaz, and you.
You had held out your hand towards him, as a sign to get going, but he didn’t budge. He stood up on his own, walked ahead of everyone and boarded the humvee.
What the fuck?
*
Five days had passed, he returned, pissed and distant from you. You couldn’t understand why. Was he upset that you rescued him this time? You had tried to go to his room, tried to find him at the gym, but there was no luck. You resorted to walking the track.
You had walked and walked the track attempting to clear your mind. What did you do wrong? Out of the corner of your eye you spotted him, he was jogging in place, and stretching his legs.
You ran towards him, trying to push him on the floor.
“What the hell?”
“You’re just going to ignore me?”
“I’m not ignoring you, I’m doing things”
“Our gym dates? Our checker games? What the hell is going on with you?”
You had tears in your eyes, “Is it because I saved your life? Are you THAT prideful?”
He had looked at you, clearly defeated.
“Those fuckers pulled my mask off. I’m not upset at you, or angry with you, I’m angry that they caught me off guard and they revealed my face.”
“It doesn’t seem like a big deal to you, but that was—“
He stopped for a second and didn’t look towards you. He huffed, made eye contact with you,
“You wouldn’t get it.”
“You don’t have to talk about it. But at least, don’t hate me for it.”
He looked at you, his eyes widened behind the mask.
“Schatz I don’t hate you, I’m glad you saved me. I just wished it was under better circumstances that you saw my face.”
You poked your cheek with your tongue, trying to prevent yourself from spilling your feelings.
“Mask or no mask, I just wanted to spend time with you.”
He peered down at you, you could see the confusion in his eyes, his low self esteem eating away at his thoughts.
“You don’t care that you saw my face?”
“No”
You walked up to him standing on your tiptoes, pulling the hem of the mask up, getting underneath it. You softly placed a kiss on his chin.
He grabbed a hold of your waist, surrounding you with his mask, and kissed you deeply underneath it. He pulls back, but you’re not leaving the darkness of his mask.
He looks at your eyes through the small eye holes he’s ripped out.
“Lets stay here for a bit...Underneath my mask.”
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puppyguppy · 7 months
Text
The teacher's lounge is blissfully quiet and seemingly empty when the door shuts and locks with a click behind you. There's no one sitting at the computers, the couches are unoccupied, and the coffee machine is still and cold. You'd come in search of a reprieve, and can't help but sigh and sag with relief upon finding it.
Sometimes the teacher's lounge is just as bad as anywhere else.
Just as bad as the classrooms, the cafeteria, the gymnasiums. Just as bad as the library, the courtyard, the hallways. Just as bad as the bathrooms.
You love your job, you really do.
But sometimes you wonder if you shouldn't have sough employment elsewhere. Maybe at a more normal highschool. Or, maybe even for a lower grade. Maybe one before quirks start manifesting in most children. Not that quirks are a problem.
It's just that, when combined with big dreams and budding hormones, it tends to be a bit...much.
You don't know how the rest of the staff does it.
Granted, almost every other staff member is also a Pro-Hero. Which isn't to say teaching is any easier for any of them, but they sure do seem to handle the stress of it a whole lot better than you can. Do. Ever will. And all you are is an assistant.
Then again, you are Aizawa's assistant.
And his class is...it's something else.
Which is why you've gone and run off to the teacher's lounge. You adore the kids, you really do! For the most part! As much as you can, anyways. Considering none of them are really yours and they're constantly making Aizawa's life, and subsequentially your life, something close to a living hell.
You've considered resigning. You know there's an ample amount of other schools that would probably happily scoop you up. And, maybe if it was earlier in the year, you would have. But, that was before...
Oh.
Well.
That was before you met the puffy, yellow, man-sized lump apparently hiding behind one of the couches. Aizawa.
Or, here, behind closed doors, Shouta.
Sometimes.
It's not a surprise to see him there.
Not in the lounge, or on the floor, with his favorite sleeping bag zipped all the way up to his heavy and slightly bruised eyes closed. He practically lives in the lounge; spends more time in here than the classroom or his own apartment. He's obviously squeezing a nap in, for as long and deep as he can. And you can tell he's asleep, really asleep, because his mouth is just slightly open.
After working with him for as long as you have, which really isn't long, but long enough -- you know that when he sleeps, he breathes in through his mouth and out through his nose. Like even when unconscious, he's subconsciously still trying to meditate. Trying to relax.
Trying to do the same thing you are.
It's precious.
And a little pathetic, but you know better than to ever admit that out loud.
You teeter on your feet for a second, while he continues to sleep and split his breathing. You think that maybe you should leave, that maybe you'll get lucky and find some other pocket of tranquility somewhere. You don't want to pop this one. But, he hasn't woken up yet, so you figure it's probably safe to stay. It's not like you're going to make a whole lot of noise, anyway -- sitting on the couch and filling out some forms. One part of your job is keeping track of each individual student's quirk record; obvious strengths, weaknesses, growths, injuries, incidents. It's exhausting work, but work better done by you, so that Shouta can actually work with those kids and their quirks.
When you pick a spot on a sofa, Shouta doesn't even twitch. And when you pluck the pen from behind your ear and start scrawling away, the sound of scratching ink is barely any louder than his own breathing. Feeling confident that you won't wake him up, you settle into your work.
Anyone else coming into the lounge is, sadly, out of your control.
You get through updating about three forms when the sound of shifting fabric snags your attention. You peer around the couch across from you, just far enough to see that yes, Shouta is still sleeping, he's just moved around a bit. You hold your breath, and watch as a wrinkle that formed in his nose slowly soothes itself away. The zipper of his sleeping bag now runs down the length of the front of his body, instead of the side. You reckon it's more comfortable that way, and you wonder if he's dreaming. And if so, what he's dreaming about.
It's a curiosity that's often hard to quell, since that's your thing after all. Your quirk. The reason you even landed the job that you did. You can see people's dreams, and then project them. Furthermore, you can sometimes even influence them, with a strong bond and some practice. You aren't anything close to a qualified therapist or counselor, but...heroes suffer nightmares. Every single one of them. And, the idea is that - the hope is that -- you can help them. With that. Their bad dreams. Their nightmares. Their night terrors. Prevent sleep paralysis and insomnia and panic attacks. You haven't tried yet, not with a single student, but you'd had to prove yourself to Principal Nezu during your interview. He'd been impressed and pleased.
And Shouta had been intrigued.
For now, you've just been working as an assistant, and building rapport with the students. After all, the stronger and healthier the bond, the more you'll be able to help. And you want to help, you do. Even if you don't necessarily...like using your quirk. It always feels like an invasion of privacy, even with blatant permission and consent. People can't help what they dream. Sometimes they want to know, and you have to figure out how to tell them. Sometimes you don't want to tell them. Sometimes they don't ask, and it's better that they forget, which they usually do.
You, on the other hand?
You never forget.
At least not quickly.
Not without a drink or two and a damn good distraction.
Does Shouta suffer nightmares? Surely he does. But, you hope that on the rare occasion he actually reaches REM, like he might be reaching now, that he doesn't. If he dreams at all, you hope it's a good dream. But, what would a good dream look like for him?
...cats, probably. Lots and lots of cats. And having a body that was more blood than caffeine. Or, maybe having the body of a cat. Maybe a good dream for Shouta involved some fur and a long tail and a good sunny spot to soak in. You laugh silently as you picture it. Yeah, you could see that.
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stormblessed95 · 3 months
Note
Hi Stormblessed (dope name btw),
Don't know if this is the best place for this essay or the right time but I need to word-vomit this out, or I'm gonna be a JK-style spaced out zombie all day.
It's a truth universally acknowledged that a big part of the fandom tends to mis-characterize the members based on edits, fanfics and out-of-context clips. Something probably mostly to do with how social media platforms have been pushing for these short videos over the last few years. Why watch 300 hours of original content (some of which is behind a paywall) if you can get the gist of it (you think) from TikToks?
My particular point has to do with how that allows for the narrative (aka made up shit) especially around Jimin to grow. All of the members get that treatment, the maknaes worse due to their popularity, but due to how a big part of Army are also tkk shippers, Jimin is the one who's portrayal often skews more negative. The others' perceptions just are neutral or fantastical in a sense that they're more like badly written male leads. Don't get me wrong, solos throwing around bs is nothing singular to him but no one gets accused (said completely seriously btw) of sleeping his way into BTS or the release of his album.
After I saw this vitriol for the first time I had to actually sit down because wtf.
And then I started wondering why that is, and came to the conclusion that it is:
(Internalized) misogyny and sexism
Blatant homophobia
Jimin is the member the most obviously in tune of his femininity. He hasn't subscribed to gender norms for a decade at least, and once his hyper-masculine-esque persona from the debut days was dismissed, he ventured further. (That isn't to dismiss the growth they all have shown in that area.)
But antis, akgaes, Solos and shippers take that femininity and apply every stereotype and misogynistic idea to JM.
Traits they f.e. hate:
He is openly flirty with many people (members especially)
He is very physical, and touch is arguably one of his love languages and go-to way of comforting smn
He is pretty af and knows it
He's sensual and sexy and knows it
He's cute
He's sweet (aka a good fucking human)
But why does that make "them" hate him so much?
Because they have been taught that these traits in women (like themselves) are bad. What makes it worse, however, is that the men around JM all know these things to be true, acknowledge them as true and compliment him on them. In the case of JK (since this is about Jikook at the end of the day):
He loves flirty JM despite sometimes not knowing how to handle him (ehem the 'shameless convo'). He flirts back (fe the whole live where he was in bed begging for JM to come over)
Tkkers and such love pulling the "JK hates it" card. Which is nonsense, considering how he seeks JM's comfort when he's down (esp during concerts), actively cuddles JM (In The Soop) and never uses all his big muscles to shove JM but rather to just carry him around. Compare that to the jokingly disgusted face Yoongi pulls when Tae tries to hold his hand, and it becomes glaringly obvious that no one who says the members dislike touching each other has a leg to stand on. Calling it harassment goes so far beyond any line of sanity...
JK - like all of BTS - acknowledges that Jimin's beauty is simply out of this world. They are regularly stunned by his appearance
Just gonna point to JK's reaction to Filter, Blood Sweat & Tears, Black Swan, and Set Me Free pt 2 here. JK calls JM sexy so often it's hilarious
* inserts clip of absolutely WHIPPED JK after JM cutely punches him during that performance of Boy With Luv *. Also we know that "cute" his JK's type as he himself admitted.
Jimin has been Jungkook's comfort person for so long, and with such depth that he dedicated a whole trip and video to him. They care for each other so deeply that the only logical conclusion was to go to the military together.
Aka: he is all that they hate in the girls/women in their normal life so they can't do nothing but tear him down. They envy how comfortable he seems in his own skin, how easily he goes from sexy to cute, how loved he is by those around him. On top of that is how gay people are still perceived and treated by a lot of countries around the world. No matter what they say, being an army and shipping men doesn't make you automatically an ally and non-homophobic.
They treat Jimin like they would most likely treat the lgtbqia+ people in real life: something to be careful of, someone dishonest and slutty.
They conflate everything they hate about themselves and gay people and * boom * out come frankly terrifying tweets, fanfics and shit.
Contrast that with how these very same people fetishize the relationship between Tae and Jungkook - either viewing them like men who watch p_rn involving two women, or a self-insert with how little character they have - and that's the state of the army shipping community. They could be Barbie dolls getting smashed together and you wouldn't know the difference.
I'm not saying Jikookers are better in that, but the language they tend to use is incredibly different.
---
That was a lot.
To end on a sweet note: I saw a quote on Twitter "If you want to find out what someone fears losing, look at what they photograph."
And...well. that just screams Jikook
Hi! Thank you, I like my name too 🥰
And yeah, basically I agree. I think there is more to it as well, but that a lot of it could be boiled down to all this. And yeah, jikookers are just as guilty of this too, but not always in the same way. Sometimes in a way that is more fetishizing but is just as harmful. Take it from someone who has seen it all in my inbox from people who feel safe on anon 😂😂
Thanks for sharing! And your quote at the end is SOOOOO cute!
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cherryredstars · 8 months
Note
CHERRYYY!! OMG LOOK
so I found this silly little tiktok while I was scrolling and...
https://www.tiktok.com/@__av.enue/video/7263884206076448001
I just wanted to ask if you could write something based on that?? 🤭
Idk much about writing so I'll just leave the rest to you and give you that
Thank you and have a good day/night!! :D
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Warnings: Military AU, Talks of Death, Mentions of Abandonment, Slight Mentions with gn!reader
Summary: What if Miguel joined the military?
A/N: That tik tok is so!!!!!! I loved it!!! Made it more military than COD based because I didn’t want to steal those ideas!
Word Count: 1.1K (Edited)
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Miguel never wanted to join the military. Gabriel was the one who had enlisted, and he loved it. He would come to visit Miguel while on leave and tell his big brother about his war stories and comrades. He would gush about the dreams he had to be part of a more elite squad and have a higher position. Gabriel would constantly hint at Miguel that he would be a great fit for the military with his love for rules and his large physique. Miguel would always brush it off, more content in his current work as a geneticist. 
The day he had woken up to a knock on his door will always haunt him. He was dressed in nothing but basketball shorts, hair still messy from sleep when he opened the door to find two dressed soldiers at his doorstep. They held grim, stoic expressions as a folded flag rested in their arms. Miguel’s grip on the doorknob tightened as they recited the rehearsed lines spoken when they had to report a death to a family. Miguel had tuned them out, staring past them until their mouths stopped moving. He wordlessly took the flag from them and closed the door with a nod. Later that night, Miguel drank an entire bottle of bourbon in the dark of his living room, furniture and objects shattered on the floor around him. 
A few weeks later, Miguel enlisted for the same branch Gabriel was in. He had finished boot camp at the top of his platoon, earning him an E-3 rank. Right after, he had started his AIT, choosing to study as a specialist for nuclear, chemical, and biological threats. With his former science background, he was able to do well. After graduation, he got a few days of break before he was assigned to a unit. 
It was slow for him to make friends, more focused on trying to work his way up and complete his brother’s goals. But eventually, he was able to warm up the slightest bit and found camaraderie among his fellow soldiers. 
It was hard for him to see some of his friends die in the field. No matter how many times it happened, it never got easier for him to deal with it. Sometimes, he questioned why Gabriel would want to live a life like this, why Miguel even bothered to make friends with people who are more destined to die than to live. But, the longer he stayed in the military the more he realized that no one wants to actually end up dead. That, the thought of throwing your life away gets easier when you know you aren’t dying alone. That, if you do end up dying, there will be people who hold onto your memory. Someone who will hold the pain for you and tell your story. He hopes someone shares his story in the same way he shares Gabriel’s when he dies. 
During one of his leaves, he had a drunken one night stand. He forgets about it, thinking nothing of it as he leaves for duty again. It only comes to bite him in the ass when he returns on leave again, finding out he got her pregnant. He doesn’t want kids. Not when he’s in the military and he spends more time on duty than in his own home.  How was he supposed to be a father if he’s forced to be a soldier first? What’s even worse, once the baby is born (a daughter he affectionately names Gabriella after his brother), her mother ups and leaves. He had no idea what to do, a now single father who won’t be able to be there during the crucial years of his daughter’s life. He ends up letting a military friend’s wife take care of her when he has to leave for duty, he later hires a nanny once Gabriella gets older. 
During another one of his leaves, he meets you. Between the military and taking care of his daughter, he finds little room for you at first. But eventually, a date happens. And that turns into more dates until you’re living in his home taking care of his daughter while he’s away. It brings him the greatest amount of joy when he comes back home, and among the civilian families, you and Gabriella stand waving excitedly for him. 
Both of his dog tags stay at home. The first tag, he had given to Gabriella to hold on to when she was younger. He had held on to the other one before he had given it to you. He has to hide his smile every time he looks towards the dining room table to see you and Gabriella, eating happily with matching tags around your necks. In return, a folded and sun damaged photo of Gabriella and you are tucked into his breast pocket, right over his heart. 
After having Gabriella and dating you, his fear of dying has increased. It pains him to think he would leave behind the two greatest people the world has ever gifted him with. The thought of you or Gabriella opening the door, just like he did years ago, to find someone holding a flag out as a shitty apology haunts him. In his nightmares, Gabriella hears the knock and opens the door. You come walking behind her, scolding her for opening the door for strangers. But, the words turn into sobs as two men (the same ones that showed up at his door for Gabriel) give you the same death speech and hand you a blood-stained flag. His dream always ends with Gabriella asking, “Do you think they’re Papa’s friends? Maybe they know when he’s coming home.”
Despite his fear, he always makes it home. He gets achievements and awards for his military work. He gets promoted to higher ranks, becomes part of that elite squad Gabriel always talked about. Gets the title that should have been Gabriel’s instead of Miguel’s.
He stays in the military for the full 20 years that are required if he wants retirement benefits. When those twenty years are up, he happily goes home to the both of you, knowing the threats of not coming home are gone. He spends the rest of his life working as a geneticist again, coming home to the loves of his life at the same time every day. 
Every year, on the day those soldiers come to Miguel’s door, he goes down to visit Gabriel’s grave. He sets down a fresh bouquet of flowers and sits there catching his brother up on what he missed since his last visit. And each year, Miguel thanks Gabriel for the family he found because of his years in the military. He thanks Gabriel for being the reason he now has you and Gabriella waiting for him at home. When he leaves the cemetery, he always has his hands shoved in his pockets, clutching onto a pair of dog tags that have his last name engraved on them, but aren’t his.
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I apologize if I used any terms wrong or if things aren’t accurate. Despite coming from a military family, I have no idea what I’m talking about and everything was creative liberty or looked up.
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transmutationisms · 2 months
Note
been thinking it for a while but it is both an interesting and frightening thing to see more and more people in their 20s who are usually self-professed hard-leftist progressives get more and more into emotionally-driven, kneejerk 'takes' about how everything new to them is bad and evil and 'this generation' (usually people younger than them who they seem to base all their opinions on from some teens dumb tiktoks they see) is stupid and doomed and the world/'our culture' is constantly degenerating, etc. many of the people who think of themselves as radical leftists are coming out with more and more barely-formed, incoherent and emotionally-driven reactionary ideas, and respond to any criticism of these ideas with defensive appeals to disgust or a general sense of 'everyone just knows this is bad!', bypassing needing to think over their own ideas or articulate the reasons they hold them entirely in favor of reactive outrage.
it feels to me like were watching in real-time how many of us will progressively turn into reactionary liberals or right-wingers - something many of these people have observed in older people, in their parents, but believe will simply not happen to them on account of having good intentions and progressive views, which they think means they dont need to watch themselves for impulsive, reactionary thinking, and even that their kneejerk reaction to anything is automatically the correct one because they themselves are already inherently good. of course it starts with generally inconsequential takes, its not like saying 'the tiles are ugly' automatically makes you a right-winger, but i reckon the festering of such modes of thinking shows the cracks in the foundation of many peoples professed political and social beliefs.
point being, i think there certainly are discussions to be had about the ways architecture - both as a tool that serves a material need and a form of art - changes, and what we may be losing to capitalist priorities on that front, but if the only argument people are making are "its ugly and degenerates our once beautiful culture" and their defense to anyone addressing how that sounds ends at "well its still ugly!", im thinking that kind of reactionary opinion-forming is going to seep into other, more important matters sooner than they may think. sorry for the long ask!
yeah i mean i definitely don't think this is a new problem or a generational one, it's just liberal idealism, but yes this is exactly why this type of aesthetic discourse irritates me so much lol. like i've said this before in regards to clothing but aesthetic signifiers gain their meaning in a social context and conditionally. if your analysis is "it's ugly and therefore bad" you're not only attenuating an actual read of what's being signified and why, you're also just veering directly into the most boring ass "everything is worse now and change threatens me" conservatism. the idea that ugliness and beauty are not transhistorical or transcendental truths should ideally be like, a starting point to both questioning other socially mediated constructs and to then moving toward a theory of asethetics as products of social discourses and economic conditions but instead people just cannot ever fucking resist yelling about how much beige or concrete or whatever the fuck is "soulless" or "lacks artistry" agabshxhsg it's so fucking cornball. get over yourself
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neonswitchhouse · 7 months
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Pop Culture Witchcraft and the Importance of Being Cringe
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Cringe has become a bit a loaded word nowadays, being at first a word to describe feelings of second-hand embarrassment, arguably from failings to impress others or to raise one's social capital. Think for example failed motorsports stunts, falling into pools with a tray full of fruity drinks or even worse; someone trying to impress a crush by molding themselves into someone they only think the other party would like via baseless assumptions. Your body recoils, seeing a dirt biker tumble down the course. Your stomach sinks, watching someone plunge into the shallow end of the water. You squirm watching someone try to convince their crush to go out with the facade they made. That I would describe as "empathetic cringe"; a reaction based on witnessing something you do not wish upon yourself like physical harm or embarrassment.
The modern definition of cringe however, is a different beast entirely.
Using the Urban Dictionary meaning as defined by user Screech McGee, "Before the internet trolls changed the meaning of this word, "cringe" was a verb used to express embarrassment or disgust. Now, this word is mostly used to define something that you dislike or do not understand. Internet trolls use this word as an insult towards people in fandoms, with bad grammar, or both combined. Trolls also use this word to describe memes on some occasions."
Doing a quick search on YouTube or Tiktok for "cringe" gives you an array of oddities to the average eye; people dressed in rainbow-colored wolf fursuits, teens expressing their love and attachment for their favorite anime character, or perhaps someone outwardly displaying behaviors considered aneurotypical. They fall outside societal norms and standards of behavior. They aren't perceived as "normal or acceptable" to the standards set by white-cis-het-able bodied-neurotypical persons and communities.
But in it, the furries, the fandom-lovers, and even the "neurospicys" are harming none. They're doing what they want.
Sounds kinda familiar doesn't it?
Lets loop around to what you're probably reading this rant for; the witchy reasons.
Witchcraft as a practice, is already an outsider to most societies, especially to those predominated shaped by Protestant Christian beliefs. It's already something outside the norms. Even back during the hey-day of reality tv shows like Wife Swap, those who weren't considered Christian or followed more "earth-based" religions and lifestyles were presented as the butt of the joke. And while witchcraft and non-Christian beliefs as a whole have becoming more popular nowadays, it's still considered something outside the norm or in the minority of persons identifying themselves as witches and pagans voluntarily.
So we're already ticking one "cringe" box according to societal norms
Chaos Magic as a whole is based on using belief as a tool or as a fuel source to workings to enact change or bring it about to oneself or to the environment around them as a whole. Hence the whole "nothing is true, everything is permitted" thing in that there's no one strict set of rules to make something work.
Pop Culture Witchcraft and Pop Culture Paganism deriving from chaos magic, while with several theories as to how it works, the crux is in "belief", in energy fueled into something or even someone.
Going off the egregoric model, egregores are formed and fed by the energy (ie: belief) fueled into them. This is where fandom comes into play. Fandom is fueled by passion, by love, by admiration, by forming community around shared likes, interests, or even dislikes. Fandoms are funnels for that collective energy, passion, creativity, etc.
And to some, pouring in so much joy, passion, fervor, and creativity can be seen as something out of their grasp of understanding; something that they're the outsider to and not the main target audience of. It's "not made for them". Therefore it's deemed as "cringe" underneath that definition.
But why deprive oneself of joy just for the approval of others?
Why force oneself to conform to arbitrary rules and norms?
As long as your joys and passions affect only yourself and do not harm others directly, why shield it from view?
To get the most out of a pop culture practice, it's good to have it based on what you're passionate about; what you're well-versed in. What gives you that fuel or belief. What brings you joy and makes you want to pursue things even further.
So be cringe, be passionate, be able to go on a dang unprompted 20minute rant about the lore to your favorite failed RPG series. Be able to show a whole dang portfolio of your self-insert smooching your favorite character on the cheek. Be absolutely, unapologetically passionate about something and see what happens. See what happens when you drop the worries of how others perceive you.
So stay safe, have fun, be cringe, be free, stay spooky.
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This is primarily aimed at Security Breach fans in particular, not FNAF fans as a whole.
You all are so damn toxic sometimes.
Even worse is that people are just being mean to Monty fans right now
"Don’t get all angry because your favorite wasn't in the game," and I don't think they get that he’s the ONLY one not to be in the game.
I hate being a fan of Monty cause we had to deal with the Glamrock Bonnie fans harassing anything to do with Monty on Tiktok or Twitter. "MONTY KILLED BONNIE!"
FOR FUCK SAKES THIS SERIES HAS A LITERAL CHILD SERIAL KILLER WHO ABUSED HIS CHILDREN! WHY IS THE ANIMATRONIC ALLIGATOR WHO MIGHT. LET ME REPEAT THAT. MIGHT HAVE KILLED ANOTHER ANIMATRONIC MET WITH THE SAME ENERGY AS SAYING SOMEONE SIMPS FOR DAHMER?
Not only that, Monty fans have been playing each game hoping Steelwool will treat him better. Expand on his character a bit more. Instead his negative personality traits and "evilness" being played up more and more cause Steelwool and Scott saw some people hate him, and thought it wasn't enough.
In Ruin there's not one moment Cassie shows any concern for him. It's that Monty thing, it hurts to look at. Than they made him just the worst off of the trio, and fucking killed him.
Now even in a game he rightfully should appear in. He's the ONLY one cut.
Monty fans get the short end of the stick.
We are harrassed by fans
Our boy is treated worse and worse each game. Physically, mentally, and even in narrative.
Now, he’s just fucking gone with little fanfare.
Its like why are you obsessed?
Honestly, because Monty speaks to me. This is mostly head canon, but based on how he acts.
I used to have really bad anger issues in elemantary and middle school. Even worse, I had to deal with a mentally abusive teacher telling me I wouldn't amount to anything. I was bullied relentlessly because they knew that when I reacted with my outburst class would be delayed. I even lived in the same neighborhood as them so I couldn't escape. It got so bad I attempted suicide. What saved me was after so long of being harrased, after so long of people only judging me based on what they heard. Never defending me. Someone finaly went to the principal and told them to look at my bullies before I reacted. Suddenly, the bullying stopped. What's sad is, it's not like I didn't try. I went to the principal and guidance counselor every dat. In the end to them I was that punk kid who would snap at any moment. Not a person.
With Monty I see someone who was like me. With anger issues because he hates himself as much as he thinks everyone hates him. I wonder if in universe he's constantly reminded he's not Bonnie. He sees fans clamoring to see Freddy while ignoring him. People always bring up the Missing message and his Arcade game to judge him. Then seemingly forget about the message that states he will skip shows to be over Monty Golf. You know the same shows he apparently killed Bonnie to appear in. What I see is someone who needs to work on his anger issues and get better, but isn't evil. They're dealing with the fact that one day their anger got the better of them, and they did something they couldn't take back. Something that I think many people with mental health problems can relate too.
My anger issues didn't just get me bullied. I was an embarrassment to my parents. I hurt people I loved. I was violent. I didn't hurt anyone, but I threw books and flipped tables. I was in this loop of feeling like everyone hated me because of my anger issues, and that only made things worse and worse. Even now I have a hard time loving myself.
That's why Monty means so much to me. I saw someone who was like me. I saw someone with anger issues but was more than that if people gave them the chance.
All I wanted was to see Monty one last time before he was retired when the new band is announced.
I couldn't even get that.
Before you make fun of me, this is what a comfort character is. I'm sure there are fans who relate to Roxy’s insecurities. Who have an eating disorder and feel for Chica. Who felt lonely and wanted attention like Sun. Who lost a loved one like Freddy.
I just wanted people to understand why this is just more than "my favorite didn't make it" for some people
I really hope Steelwool sees how much people really love Monty and not only put him in HW2 fully. They also treat him better
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cherrybeartoast · 4 months
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୨୧ a Cherry Song Series ୨୧ As Loved By The Aces Series Navigation
A series of individual-member centred stories based on songs by my favourite indie band, The Aces, portraying different love stories, emotions and people.
Pairing: Minho x GN!Reader
Genre: Angst, friends to lovers
Warnings: Minho is kind of an ass, miscommunications, crying, mentions of nightmares, anxiety and panic attacks
Series playlist: Spotify
★ Track 2: M.H - Attention
I'm tired of tearing you apart, know your heart has had enough, it's obvious, you're starved for affection, and you need more, and you need more, you need more attention
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“Do you want a pudding?”
You didn’t reply, staring into space from where you were sprawled across the couch. Minho shrugged, picking his own up and rifling around the drawer for a spoon.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” you stated.
Minho stopped in his tracks, the spoon he’d grabbed clattering onto the tiled kitchen floor almost comically, a stark contrast to the emotionless look on your face.
“What do you mean?” Minho picked up his spoon and ran a hand through his hair, walking towards where you were lying on the sofa. He moved to sit beside you, then thought better of it. He sat on the floor, looking up at you the way Soonie did when he wanted attention.
A tear rolled down your cheek, startling the both of you. 
“You’ve been out of the house before I wake up and you’re tired and go straight to bed when you get home. Half the time you don’t even spend the night here. Felix’s joking about staying over here when you’re at theirs, so he can get a nice bed and some quiet to himself while you pay the rent.”
Minho’s breath caught in his chest. “I didn’t mean to-”
“Yeah, well, maybe it's subconscious, or some shit. It’s not fair, though. I’m your best friend, and your roommate. I’m still doing your fucking laundry for you while you’re gone, even though you’re not here to cook for me, like our deal was. It’s so cold and quiet at night, and my nightmares have been worse. You know they get worse when you’re not here, Minho.”
He did know. He knew all of it. He knew what he was doing, he knew it was hurting you.
But why did he keep letting himself drift from you?
He knew why he did that, too.
“Well, if you’re not gonna talk to me, I’m going to bed. Enjoy your fucking pudding, Lee Minho. Turn the lights off when you’re done, and hang up your own laundry. I’m done.” You stood up, storming off to your bedroom, slamming the door.
He’d fucked it all up.
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Three hours later, still in the same position on the living room floor, Minho heard crying.
It was quiet, and sounded muffled, which could’ve been the door, sure, but he was certain it was because you were trying to conceal it. Maybe the work of a pillow or your fluffy blanket, the one his cats were almost always perched on. He knew why.
The reason you’d found a roommate in the first place was because of your nightmares. You couldn’t sleep most nights, interrupted every few hours by vivid thoughts, a tight chest, and tears streaming down your face. Thoughts that wouldn’t fade, no matter how many TikToks you watched, how many cups of tea you sipped. Minho was your best friend, and he knew. He offered to move in. He comforted you at night.
He sacrificed a peaceful apartment on his own with his cats, enjoying his own company. He did it all for you, although he’d protest that it wasn’t a sacrifice at all.
But recently, since he’d been away so much, your sleep had been worse. In fact, you were pretty sure you were running on negative hours of sleep at this point. The worst part was, he wasn’t even busy. He just found excuses to be out of the house, out of your sight.
Minho knocked on your door.
“Are you fully dressed? Say something if you need to like, put something on.”
You didn’t reply, trying to suppress the hiccups that were slipping out of your throat.
“Alright, I’m coming in-oh, God.”
He’d never seen you cry like this before. Your cheeks were puffy and red, eyes glistening, still trickling with tears. Your breaths were uneven and shallow. He wanted to scoop you up and kiss every single part of you, even after the tears stopped, and then hold you forever.
“It’s not…a…nightmare,” you whispered between gasps. “I know…what…you’re thinking.”
“What's the matter then, baby?” Minho sat down beside you, rubbing circles into your cheek softly. He felt the way your cheeks burned at the nickname, biting back a smile.
“Missed you. I’m not good at being angry…I’m just sad. I can’t sleep, and I don’t want to rely on you so much…it’s not fair to you, and I feel bad-”
“Who said it’s not fair?”
“Well, I just thought-”
“I offered to move in with you. I knew what I was signing up for. I’m not sick of you, Y/N.”
You swallowed. “I thought you were fed up. That’s why you…kept avoiding me.”
“God, no. I preferred it when you were angry and blaming me earlier, Y/N, it made me feel less of an asshole, weirdly. I just…my feelings towards you have been a lot lately, and I didn’t want to overwhelm you.”
“That sounds like a very polite way of saying ‘Wow Y/N, you’re driving me fucking insane and I don’t want to be near you’,” you pouted. “Just tell me what’s going on, Minho.”
“I like you.”
Your heart thumped so hard you were sure he could hear it. Your hand moved on its own, pulling him down beside you. He landed awkwardly, then shuffled his limbs so he was leaning on his elbows, face above yours, eyes locked.
“I like you too,” you whispered. “That’s why I was scared I’d lost you for good.”
“I thought I’d lost you too, when you yelled at me earlier. You don’t usually cuss so much, baby, it scared me.”
“You called me that earlier. I like it.”
“Yeah? I’ll keep calling you that, baby, as long as you slap the shit out of me if I ever so much as ignore you again. I’m here, you know that right? No matter what. I’ll always be a friend.” he paused, biting his lip, not wanting to push further.
“Definitely not as a friend. You can’t just confess like that and play it off. No, say it properly,” you scolded, scrunching your nose playfully.
Minho rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance, but you didn’t miss the way his ears turned pink. “I’ll always be a friend, roommate, the best pasta chef in the univers-”
“Lee Minho.”
“-and yours.”
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