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sofasoap · 8 months

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Lastochka AU - Strange blind date

Pairing : Nikolai x F!Reader ( OC/Mini MacTavish)

Summary: One and only time you want to twist Gaz's neck off.

AU to my Lastochka series

WARNING: Mature Theme. Crack Fic. I repeat. Crack fic. don’t take it so seriously. Swearing, alcohol use, innuendos.

A/N : part 2!!! I don't know. Thanks to @siilvan for bouncing and plotting the story with me, and @nrdmssgs post inspired me.

masterlist

“Oh Crap.” Gaz quickly flicks his eyes towards his phone, looking at the caller ID flashing up on the screen. He knew the time had come. He threw his controller towards Soap as he grabbed his phone, he mumbled, “Wish me luck.”

“Why?” Soap stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth as he took over the controller and the game.

“Someone is going to kill me.” With that parting word and look of confusion on Soap’s face, Gaz quickly darted out of the common room and into the corridor.

“KYLE GARRICK!!!” Quickly pull his phone away from him, ears ringing from you screaming down the phone.

“DID YOU REALISE WHO YOU SET ME UP WITH FOR THE DATE?!!!”

“Come on, trust me on this!” Gaz pleads.

Throwing the last bit of your clothes into the washing machine, you swap the phone onto the other side of your shoulder as you put the powders into the washing compartment, “Last few times you said this, it turned into disaster.”

“Well, not all of them ended in disaster??”

“Well, how about that IT guy? He was nice enough wasn’t he?” Gaz said meekly.

“How about that girl you set me up with in London?” You huffed as you slammed the machine door closed and set it to wash. “She was only using me to try to get close to Johnny!”

Oh you felt an off vibe from that girl the moment you sat down. She wouldn’t shut up about Johnny, and she practically ignored you when he came to pick you up at the end of the date, eyes all glued on him.

“He was nice , yes, but to be honest? Too nice and bland.” you sighed. You felt bad for that guy. There were moments of good conversation, but there was no chemistry there. You ended up introducing him to your mate instead, and now they are happily together. You two stayed as friends.

“Alright, trust me on this one really.” he emphasised on the word trust.

“I am having a very hard time trusting your judgement on people’s character now.” You sighed. For someone who is in such a elite task force and the only person in his batch to endure both physical and mental torture simulation? He is really crap at seeing through people’s true character.

“Price knows him personally, so you know he is a good quality sort. I guarantee you he will treat you nicely.” Gaz reassures you.

And you let Gaz talk you into it. Again.

“He will come and pick you up. I’ll send you the details! Don’t worry, I already warned him of all your likes and dislikes.” You really don’t like that conspiring tone he has in his voice. He is up to something. You know your friend.

Standing right in front of your apartment, all nicely dressed up, you begin to wonder what this person is like?Is he young? Or older? Does he live in this part of the world as well?

A black car suddenly pulls out as your mind was clouded with dark thoughts, you snapped back into reality as you heard it honking at you.

Price knows him, so there is a high chance of him being in the military? You seriously don’t think Price has much of a social life outside work. To be honest, dating a military man wasn’t on top of your list. You have enough heartaches sending your brother and friends off on mission all the time and not knowing in what state they will return. Walking out of the gate, or being rolled off the plane in a body bag.

Hum. somehow it looks very familiar. Too familiar.You narrowed your eyes with suspicion.

A dark slicked back hair man with an aviator stepped out from the driver side of the car, with a huge smirk on his face.

Fuck.

“Hello Lastochka, we have met again.” Pulling down his aviator, “You look very beautiful.” he commented casually.

“Why are you here?! Are you stalking me?” Stepping back from the kerb, ignoring his compliment, you questioned him alarmingly.. Maybe it’s time to move house, or find a new job. Or maybe you need to move countries. Or go underground.

Nikolai’s lip turned down, feigning a hurt expression on his face. “Come on, not happy to see me?” he lamented.

“I don’t need to see you today. I am waiting for someone to pick me up.” You wave your hand dismissively, trying to be as polite as possible.” Now can you please move along.”

Nikolai blinked a few times, slight surprise and amusement on his face. “ What are you talking about? I am here to pick you up for your date.”

Ok, he is definitely stalking you. “How do you know I have a date?”

“I know your date very well, let’s just say.” That cryptic smile on his face again.

You already started plotting all sort of different ways to torture or kill Gaz in your mind.

“How?”

Putting his hand over his heart, winking, “I am your date, my little bird.”

He chuckled as he observed the different expressions flashing across your face.

“Don’t blame Gaz or Price for this. I asked them first.”

Nikolai walked around the other side of the car, he opened the passenger side door, bowing like a butler as he urged you into the car. You feel like de javu, you have no choice but sighed and gave up on resisting, and slid into the car.

Ok, add Captain Price onto the hit list as well. At this moment you are beyond care that he is your brother’s superior or someone who you look up to almost as a life mentor.

After a short drive and parking his car, you had a good look. He brought you to the riverside boardwalk, a nice part of the city centre where your new colleagues had mentioned about when you ask them what and where are places to explore in this city.

“I booked a table at a bistro on the side of the river, they serve really good local food. Gaz mentioned you haven’t had a chance to try out the local cuisine?” he smiled down at you warmly.

Shaking your head to answer his question, “Been too busy with moving house and thrown straight into work. I haven’t had time to really check out this area yet.”

Holding his hand out, waiting for you to accept his invitation. You gulped. Is this really a good idea?

“You’ll love the food there. Come. We still have a bit of time before the restaurant opens. Let’s take a walk along the river?”

Before you can register, your arm is already out stretched, he gently takes your hand into his large callous hand. So warm. So… safe?Taking a peek at his side profile as both of you stroll down the walkway. A face etch and hardened with traces of battle and wars, you noted. A tired fatigue hidden behind the wall of resoluteness. A look you are too familiar with. Your heart actually aches at the thought. Aching for him.

“Now, along this river.. Is where the civil war started.” pointing towards the far side of the river, “ they tried to land a helicopter there, but ended up crashing it.” he sighed. “A pity. It was quite a nice one too.”

He pulls you in closer to him, carefully shielding you from the large group walking towards you, crowding the walkway, leaving limited space to pass through.

You can feel the heat radiating through his body, hint of leathery musk and sandalwood smell of his cologne and familiar whiff of cigar you often smell on Price. You instinctively lean in even closer to him. Wanting to smell him more. Feel him more.

It feels very intimate. Almost.. romantic?

Ok. scratch that. The romantic level suddenly dropped below negative.

The rest of the walk was dotted with anecdotes of historical facts of the city, occasionally him pointing out good spots to hang out or to avoid.

Dinner was full of surprises too. True to Gaz’s word, he already knows what your likes and dislikes are, and ever being the gentleman, pulls the chair out for you, lets you decide on the food, the drinks, and makes small suggestions here and there.

When you flick your eyes at him, silently asking for help when the waiter starts speaking in a local dialect which you haven’t quite got the hang of, he slides in to help, without pushing in and overtaking the whole situation.

He let you lead the conversation during dinner. Letting you ask him all the questions. Almost all the questions.

This man is officially a bigger flirt than Johnny. You declared.

Probing him carefully, “Nikolai isn’t your real name, is it?”

“Why would you want to know?” Taking a sip of his grappa, he leaned slightly forward, closer to you, “So you can call out my name… in private?”

“In your dreams.” tapping your fingers on the table, “First date is still in progress. We haven’t even decided on a second date yet.” you scoffed, face heating up slightly with embarrassment.

Cocking his eyebrow, “Oh? Already thinking about the future?”

“I am a planner. I like to think ahead.” He wants to be a tease? So can you.

His smile broadens as you banter with him. Why does he look so pleased?

At the end of the night,he walked you to your door, making sure you got in safely. This is where you two part ways for the evening. But not before he grabbed one of your hands carefully, cupping your face with another, gently caressing your cheek with a thumb. He murmured a few words in Russian, voice too low for you to catch anything. Looking into your eyes with his deep brown orbs, he brings up your hand, lip lingering on your knuckle for a few seconds, and finally giving it a soft kiss, and bid you goodnight.

Leaving you standing there, stunned. And burning like a furnace.

Holy heaven. You are NOT falling for this charismatic man already. No. You are NOT.

“You set me up with HIM! The guy who threw you out of the helo and nearly killed you!” You screamed again.

“Well I am still alive…?”

“.... it was actually nice.” you admitted, begrudgingly. “He wants to take me on a second date.”

“And he nearly killed me by driving like a maniac!” you slump into bed, haven’t bothered to change out of your dress.

“You lived? Didn’t you? And you got to work on time.” He laughed. “So, are you going to tell me how the date went?”

“Did you say yes?”

You bit your lip. “Um…..”

“Ah,come Lastochka, let me take you on a helicopter ride and show you around this beautiful city! Don’t worry, You will be nicely secured with a seat belt. I promise I won’t throw you out of the cockpit like I did to Gaz”

Lord have mercy, why did you agree to this second date?

Tag list:

@homicidal-slvt@nrdmssgs@siilvan@roosterr

@preciouslittlecreature@floral-force@jynxmirage@gamergirlbonestaskforce141riot

@glitterypirateduck

@whydoilikewhump

@alypink

@liyanahelena

@caramlizedtomatos

@ashwasherelol

@okayyadriana

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buraidragon · 1 year

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Hey. Hey come get some more Cephalon Cy food. Fresh batch of assorted thoughts below.

-Cy is very tactile. He works faster if he can literally get his hands on things. This is why even before getting his void specter skill thing, in his chunk of the weave if there were files to process, they were manifested as fake paper. Despite being a brain-computer, feeling things still lets him work just a bit faster due to how hardwired touching things are in his uploaded neurons.

-Cy enjoys alcohol, beer and mead specifically. The Yvo clan had a particular beer brew they made that helped with scurvy due to adding in citrus juices. The mead? Well, that’s something Ordis’ clan used to drink. Seeing as he’s now dating that man, he’s grown to enjoy it as well. (Added bonus of it being far easier to simulate in a datascape than beer, for some reason.)

-When it comes to food, Cy doesn’t really have any preferences. At least he says he doesn’t. Really, this man treats any meat from ‘land animals’ as a fancy feast. Give him a hamburger and he’ll savor it. Give him some grilled salmon and that’s disappearing very quickly. And despite being fond of them, Cy will eat reptiles. He just offers them a silent thanks first, for providing sustenance. Well, he doesn’t eat reptiles nowadays as he technically doesn’t need to eat, but when he had to, he would.

-Gives gruff affection if he likes you. You want wild pats on the head for doing a good job and no words of encouragement? Too bad, that’s what you’re getting from him. If you’re too tall for easy head pats, you’re getting a hand on the shoulder and a nod of acknowledgement. -When looking human, Cy is almost always in an unofficial uniform reflecting the fact he technically leads the Tenno Navy. Boots practical for standing hours on end, long, durable pants, and a black turtleneck shirt that’s missing an arm as it’s tricky to get tight fabric to sit right over an Atlas Prime arm. He does wear a coat, best described as some Admiral’s Coat/Duster Jacket hybrid that sometimes has a left sleeve, other times doesn’t. Whatever Cy feels more like at the time of it’s creation. It’s a light grey, with accents of gleaming Tenno steel-grey and an old pattern that vaguely looks like crashing waves. On his back between his shoulders is the Tenno Shield-looking sigil, in metallic dark grey.

-He has a resting “Tired of the world’s shit” face. And he shows almost all of his emotions in his eyes. He is prone to half-smiles and smirks, though. And again, if there is a snake nearby, his entire face lights up like a small collection of floodlights. (Ditto his kids/Ordis/rest of his family/staff he obviously likes and has mutual respect with.)

-Cy is also surprisingly pale for someone who spent his live on the seas. This is due to Uranus’ distance from the sun. When alive, after he arrived to Lua, this man was constantly sunburnt until he managed to get his hands on the good sunscreen. As a Cephalon he doesn’t burn anymore, but his void specter is subjected to lobster-red burns if he stays in extreme heat for too long. On the plus side, after he cools himself off from such a burn, he does get a nice tan that lasts only until his temperature averages out around 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Remember how I said this idiot will overwork himself? Glace once found him force-passed out for a maintenance cycle in their Railjack once. Being the gremlin they are, Glace promptly doodled on his face as he was currently manifested, dragged him to their quarters, and buried him in their small army of floofs and other soft things. They promptly dug their way to his side afterwards and conked out next to him.

-Before Glace had realized “Oh good Cube Dad and Pyramid Uncle are finally dating.” They were sorely tempted to find away to code in handcuffs that could make the two stuck to each other in datascapes. My Tenno is a gremlin and I will not be ashamed of that.

#Warframe #Warframe Tag #been on a roll the past few days.#So much mental pyramid rotation #Now if only I could remember what the fuck my WF Rp blog collective login here was....

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gaeasun · 2 years

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Rant to me about Twitch. Just do it.

Oh boy ok you’re asking for it.

under the cut because this got long :3

I don’t understand Star Wars dates too well but Twitch was about 8 1/2 years old/17 when he was sent out right before Umbara. Which would have made him maybe eleven when the Jedi first came to Kamino. Twitch has a natural caring and empathy for his brothers, so he was selected for medical training. The rest of his brothers were trained as typical grunt infantry, but they were all pretty close. Even though Kamino was terrible, Twitch was a bright sunshiny smiley kiddo. The kind that would randomly pick up a flower (if there were flowers on Kamino) and give it to you because it was pretty. All smiles and giggles and laughter.

As the war went on more and more medics were needed, at a higher rate than other clones, so Twitch’s training was fast-tracked. While medics still got basic weapons and combat training, as deployment came closer and closer it got pushed aside in favor of more medic things. A lot of this included flash-training. Flash training was a method of “teaching” in which information was directly uploaded into a person’s brain, and was commonly and cannily used on Kamino because it was technically efficient. No muscle memory yet, but all the bare and raw information. As clone casualties increased and training time decreased for each generation, I’m thinking that flash training got more and more common. I’m assuming there were laws or general standards of how long it was healthy to use flash training for, and I’m assuming the Kaminoans disregarded these and pushed it to the limits of how long they could do it without frying anyones mind. So lots of Twitch’s medical knowledge is from flash training, and his last year or so was doing rounds in the medical labs and turning knowledge into experience.

Twitch actually hated flash training so much because he was definitely among the groups pushed to the limit on how long they could stand the training for and each time it left him feeling awful. His batch mates didn’t understand much as they had more training simulations and less flash training, but nights after were definitely spent in compiles if they could, or if they couldn’t someone would sneak into his pod and bring his pillow and blanket. Safe to safe when Twitch currently has nightmares, they’re one of the big three subjects (others being Umbara and The Nightmare) and was very very happy to learn flash training wasn’t a thing in other places.

Also Twitch isn’t actually very good at combat. His blaster scores are just above the cutoff, and he managed to pass his combat drills by reading his opponent’s body language instead of being any good at fighting himself. On the field he much prefers to be giving medical aid rather than helping with the shooting. He’s not objectively bad, he’s still an enhanced soldier, but by clone standards he’s not the best.

There’s only one of Twitch’s batch mates I have partially developed, and that’s his closest vod Ruckus. If Ruckus had made it past Umbara, he would have been part of that Hevy 🤝Hardcase🤝Wrecker group that loves heavy weaponry and explosions. Ruckus is hyperactive and Twitch is inattentive so they get got each other very well.

When I say Twitch was sent right before Umbara I mean this was his first battle. Unlike say Dogma and Tup, who had enough fighting experience to earn them paint. Twitch and his batch were shiny as could be, and a little underprepared in general with their cutoff training time. Umbara was difficult for even the veterans. Twitch was a bit safer than the others since he wasn’t infantry, so he made it out relatively unharmed. His batch mates weren’t so luckily and died one by one throughout the campaign, which absolutely shattered Twitch’s heart. What kept him from spiraling was the attention of Fives, sent his way after Kix realized what happened and figured Twitch could use some comfort from someone who understood. Twitch and Fives formed a tight bond and Fives convinced Rex to transfer him into their little group, where he naturally became the kih’vod of the squad and loved by all. With his batch mates dead he lost some of his outgoing cheer and became more reserved, but with new brothers who love him and he loves right back he managed to hang on to his optimism.

Twitch wasn’t really given enough time to specialize in a field of medicine but after helping out with some of the clones that needed ongoing physical therapy (somewhat uncommon on Kamino because they didn’t really tolerate any recovery that would take longer than a few weeks and would increase costs) he found he absolutely loved the hands on approach to helping his brothers heal and feel better. His natural empathy and people-skills is very helpful in putting frustrated brothers in pain at ease. In any AU where the war ends Twitch takes classes and gets certified as an official Physical Therapist. When Echo comes back he personally helps him with his exercises and scar management.

One of my favorite aus with twitch isn’t even mine lol, but belongs to ao3 Fulcrum55 who with my permission included Twitch in their fic. Twitch is a relatively new character, but he’s now permanently five years old (in human years not clone years and now without the accelerated aging) because of experiments done by the Empire on essence transfers using clones. But since being given a new body, he became force-sensitive and now that sense of intuition is increased ten-fold. Because of the strong bond he had with Fives, he was able to reach out to him (because Fives now also has the Force and is maybe twelve-ish and training to become a Jedi) and get rescued from the Empire. Once rescued he was officially adopted by Rex. Actually-Force-sensitive Twitch is something I’ve always wanted to explore and in this au he just knows things at this point I think he can practically hear the Force.

#twitch my beloved #ty ty will always take the opportunity to rant about Twitch beloved

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dreamii-yume · 3 years

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not a request but, Idia seems like the type to make a hentai game based on his darling correct? so he uses that as a base to have experience to woo his darling. but now as he tries it irl, he's confused it worked in the game. so why is the darling crying? is there a glitch somewhere? thoughts?

It all started when he thought that you looked like a character from an anime he watched once. He was a fond of the character so, he couldn’t help but to observe you more than he should, hiding his excitement throughout. There, he found out that you don’t just share a similar appearance but a similar personality as well, the perfect embodiment of that character. Idia almost thought that you were some kind of base for that character, cosplaying even, but you were from another world, weren’t you? Could it be that you’re actually that character and just got reincarnated into his world without knowing that you’re an anime character yourself!?

Reverse Isekai, was it? A twist in that overused genre where the fictional character is the one who gets to be trasported to the normal world. Idia was there on the peak of its popularity, reading all the manga, novels that he can find, watching all the anime adaptations along the way. Then the premise just gets redone over and over again that it slowly became boring. Even if they add twists here and there, it still ended up the same.

But now comes you, a real person that got transported into his world! A person who just happens to look and act like the character from one of his beloved shows! You can’t blame him for being this intrigued by your existence! Because how can he not!? This is an otaku’s dream coming true right here!

And best of all...You have his favorite character archetype! How awesome is that!?

Before he knew it, he was all over you. Well, not really...Since he was too shy to actually talk to you, and all he was just doing is either hide behind that tablet of his and a wall at least five meters away. He had already embraced the joys of being a loner and is practically a master of running away from social gatherings or talking in general, but now that it came to this, it became a double-edged sword.

Ortho said to just build up the courage to talk to you if he so badly wants to and he does. He really, really wants to talk to you, at least once...Or twice...Or thrice- The point is that he really wants to. But as supportive as the little brother of his is, he makes it sound so easy. Of course, someone who doesn’t know jackshit about making friends would never be able to master that skill that easily. He cringes at the thought of doing so without any experience, you’d probably see him as another creepy otaku.

Then, it came to him...A thought that proves that he was actually the genius that everyone claims him to be.

Experience. Of course! He’ll just have to gain experience so he can level up! With that, he can conquer your route doing just that! And what better way to do this than to combine it with something what he’s well-experienced with?

So, he started working. His fingers worked on the holographic keyboard faster than he’d ever been, creating a dating simulator game in less than three days. Ortho himself was surprised to see his usually unmotivated and borderline depressed brother having this intense look in his eyes. Idia barely ate or sleep during all of that, but he doesn’t care, what matters is that he finished it.

He finished the game that can finally help himself out, a dating simulator with only one character to focus on. A character who’s basically a spitting image of you and named after you, he even sneaked in some voice lines that he secretly recorded you saying. Idia had observed you longer to know what to write in the game script, which choices you would make, which words you would say, there was even different sprites and assets of you, depending on your emotions! Though, his hand seems to have slipped and before he knew it, he had already hired some Top-tier doujinshi artists to draw some Not-Safe-For-Work CGs of you for some Not-Safe-For-Work scenes. Yeah...He thought so far ahead that it just kinda turned into...Those kinds of simulation games.

But he regrets nothing.

...Other than the fact that he should probably keep this game away from Ortho as much as possible.

Anyway, it was probably one of the games that he took his sweet time with. Even though it was a game that he himself created, it was like he had developed some form of amnesia and was marvelled at his first time playing such masterpiece. All the twists and events left him in awe, squealing at every single CG when your character goes as little as holding his in-game character’s hand. The more...special scenes had him gulping down his own saliva as a physical reaction, the moans and groans that he recorded from you was when you were stretching in the morning, or when you’re startled or exercising, and yet, it fits so well with each sex scene. His face flushed and his pants felt so tight as he read through the dialogue box, his hand later slipping underneath them just so he could relieve his excitement.

“(Y/N)...Hehe, (Y/N)...♡” He blissfully moans as his hand goes up and down his cock, biting his blue lip in anticipation. Sweat was dripping down his forehead and his flaming hair burned a brighter blue, expressing his excitement. His imagination was going ballistic, imagining your own tightness around him as he slid in and out of your slick insides. The closer the scene reached its climax, the faster his hands became, determine to release at the same time as your character. “Haa...(Y/N)~♡ It feels so good...So good...Haha...”

With a satisfied moan, his own strings of semen shoots against his screen, perfectly coming just in time as your character appears, all flushed and exhausted. Idia let out a sigh, calming down from his high with a few strokes here and there to make sure of a satisfying release.

“Haa...Idia-kun, I love you ♡”

That was his favorite dialogue, no matter how many times he replayed this scene, it never fails to arouse him, making him all warm on the inside. A huge blush covered his cheeks as he smirked, slowly building up into an unhinged chuckle. He brushed his hands down the tainted screen, smudging his cum even more as he imagined it as your face. “Aah...Me too...I love you too, (Y/N)~” He whispered, shivering in excitement. “Aw...I can’t wait to have you for real...Wait for a little while, ‘kay? Hehe...”

This plan was a success and certainly helped him gain the confidence and experience that he needed to finally talk to you properly. Memorizing all the available scenarios and route he can go to, he just felt like he can do just about anything right now. With all these knowledge in mind, you surely won’t be weirded out and things wouldn’t be as awkward as he had already formulated a full conversation on his head. A bad end flag was still left arise, but it was placed so low that Idia can’t just spend another batch of his precious time with it, nothing would go wrong if he just do what he practiced, right? For that reason alone, his birthday was coming up and for the first time in forever, he could use a party as an excuse to talk to you. It doesn’t matter who comes anyway, he’ll have Ortho to accommodate them, Idia’s main focus should only be directed at you.

Plus, if he was going to confess on his birthday, then that’s just a major advantage! Plenty of stuff happens when it’s your own character’s birthday in any game, developers becomes extra generous with the drop rates in gachas, they give you more game currency to spend, and extra scenarios with your favorite characters! Sometimes even free stuff of your choice! This would definitely put his chance rate well above what he expected, it’s you after all!

“Happy birthday, Idia-senpai. I brought this gift for you, I hope you like it.” Ah, there it is, his goddess’ voice echoing through the walls. You said that you were going to conduct a birthday interview with him which got his heart beating like crazy. W-Were you going to start the confession event here!? With all these people!? That’s too daring! Though, that’s really charming of you, and a part of him actually wanted that to happen so he could finally point his fingers to these losers-

But no, unfortunately, he doesn’t have that much confidence to give and so, he ended up having to push you somewhere more secluded. Somewhere more...private. Like his room for example- that’s a good place, right~? Nobody can interrupt this interview that way and...and they can do play all sorts of games right after too...That’s fun, isn’t it!?

The interview was surprisingly fun, although it really just consisted of him ranting to you all about his interests. He ended up spilling all facts about his favorite idol group, games, and movies, his big mouth going off on a tangent once again because of that one question. This wasn’t exactly part of the plan, he was planning to give off a smooth vibe to it but he guessed he was just a tad bit under-level for that. Anyway, you ended gracing him with an adorable giggle so, it doesn’t really affect his motives! He’ll still conquer your route like he did with the game!

A few more questions about his favorite and least favorite food comes, Idia couldn’t help but be impatient. When were you going to activate the scenario, huh? The love confession event, it was the one question that he was waiting for. His heart was ready, his body was ready, his everything was ready...So, why were you standing up with a satisfied look on your face? Aren’t you forgetting something here?

“And that concludes our Birthday Celebration Interview! Idia-senpai, thank you for answering all my-“ Idia’s heart skipped a beat as his hands automatically grabbed your hand and pulled you down, rather aggressively.

“W-Wait! Wait, wait, waitwaitwait-“ Idia stumbled over his words, his face flushed as he stared at you with a crooked but nervous smile. “U-Um...! T-There something else...That I want to tell y-you...”

Oh, no...This was that one scenario in the extreme difficulty mode of the game, where you’re not triggering the confession event at all. You’re probably so conflicted with your emotions that he has to do it himself as the main character. It’s not the original route that he’s going for, but it’s fine, he has the script of this mode in memory too, he should be able to pull it off...That’s weird though, he never remembered activating anything to play in this difficulty...Whatever, real life really is something else, isn’t it?

You were surprised and quite honestly, bothered at his sudden outburst but that’s fine. You were the same in the game too, he just had to take control of the situation. “I-I...” He gathered the words in his head, his face heating up than it ever did before.

“(Y-Y/N)...I like- No...” He stammered as he tries his best to form a nervous smile, his heart was beating so fast but that’s not really something new. “...I love you, (Y/N)...”

Idia heard a slight gasp from you but delusions took over his mind before logic can come bursting through, rendering him practically heart-eyed at the situation. He was distracted, but he still waited for your response even if he was already a hundred percent convinced that his confession was a success. It has to be, he had already seen this exact scenario in the game for a millionth time. “...D-Do you...love me too, (Y/N)...?” He fiddled with the tip of his burning hair, leaning close to you as he knows that it’s a special skill that increases his success rate up to at least twenty percent. “...You l-love me too, don’t you~? Hehe...♡”

Yes. You’re going to say yes. You always had said yes in the game as there was absolutely no reason for you to say otherwise. Everything that happened before this went according to plan, he followed every route, said the correct dialogue choices, so there’s no way that he can fuck this one up. He had definitely conquered your route for real this time!

“Ah...” But he had to wonder though, why were you averting your eyes for? That’s cute, but you don’t have to be shy...Just say that you love him too, he can hardly wait! “Idia-senpai...”

“...I’m sorry.”

Idia blinked, his body freezing on its spot as you bowed in front of him so respectfully. Your mouth began to move to deliver more words of explanation for him to understand, but he just couldn’t hear anything else anymore.

What did you say? You’re...sorry? Haha...For what though? That’s weird, that’s not what you were supposed to say, even if this was set in extra hard mode. He did everything correctly so, no matter what difficulty he’s in, you should be able to accept his confession every time.

...Is it a bug in the system? A glitch that he didn’t see?

You called out to him once again, you called out his name and upon looking up, he could only see your face. So full of concern and pity, but no signs of falling in love whatsover. No...You shouldn’t be looking at him like that, what the hell just happened?

This is all wrong...!

Before Idia could even properly process anything, he had found himself on top of you, both frustration and anger building up inside him. His hand, albeit really shaky, had found itself a dangerous clasp around your neck and your expression suddenly turned white. You’re struggling underneath him, like a deer caught by a hunter, kicking and scratching his arms away. But you were scared, he could tell by that look in your eyes, he could easily squeeze your neck in this position after all.

“I-Idia-senpai...!” He heard you call out but your voice just bounced off his ears, he was too distracted by his own shock. This was not in any of the scenarios that he formulated inside his mind, and he created thousands, for Hades’ sake! His breathing became unstable as he began to hyperventilate, sweating immensely as he tries to wreck his brain for whatever the hell he was supposed to do in this scenario. This wasn’t how the game continues after a confession event! Was he too inexperience or under-level to conquer your route? Did he miss a side quest from you or something? What did he do wrong? Was it the lack of gifts of affection? Normally, you were supposed to say that you love him too, embrace him before the two of you share a kiss and-

...A kiss?

Oh...Oh, that’s right! Maybe this is where the code got rewritten and that the kiss should come first now? Maybe your character was taking a different turn, you were probably shifting to other character types to accommodate your new-found feelings...You’re being a Tsundere, aren’t you~? So cute, but you don’t have to push him away though, he’ll keep coming back to you anyways.

...And so, in hopes of desperation, that’s exactly what he did, he leaned down at you as he smashed his lips onto yours. You widened your eyes with a muffled scream coming out of you, but Idia kept your mouth busy as it is. He was on cloud-nine, enjoying your soft lips against his chapped ones so much so that he just instinctively started grinding his hips against yours. You were starting to panic, but that’s fine, that’s a normal reaction. Both in real life and in-game.

By the time that he finished selfishly sucking up your lips, ultimately creating a little bruise on the side, he pulled away with a string of saliva connecting both your tongues together. Idia giggled to himself, the feeling of your lips and tongue was still lingering on his that he can’t help but be hungry for more. However, looking back at you, he blinked as tears suddenly began to stream down your cheeks. Your chest heaving up and down as small hiccups comes out of your every sob.

It made him panic slightly at first, but then remembered a scenario like this once in the game...Though, it wasn’t a scenario as drastic as this one, that he’ll admit. “A-Ah, you shouldn’t cry...” He tried comforting, letting go of your neck and wiping your tears away with a nervous smile. “Y-You’re not supposed to cry after a c-confession event, it’s not in your file...”

You flinched at his touch. “S-Stop, please...L-Let me go...” You whimpered, lifting your arms up to try and shield yourself away from him. “I-I won’t tell anyone, I-I swear-!”

Idia’s hand twitched, quickly covering your mouth as a nervous rection so that he wouldn’t hear the words that he doesn’t want to hear anymore. He felt scared to touch you now, seeing how defensive you got, his little angel’s crying and it’s all because of him. Your words certainly impacted him, but he shook his head instead, he has to keep himself from looking down.

“...You shouldn’t say that either, that’s not in your script.” He said with a bit of stricter tone onto it, attempting to show you how capable he can really be. He grabbed your wrist and forced your hands open, revealing your terrified expression. “Don’t worry...It’s just a little twist on the story, I’m sure. I just have to restart the system, right...?”

“I-I’ll fix you up soon enough, H-Honey~” You watched him with eyes slowly widening in realization and terror as he started to untie his tie, to remove the birthday outfit that he clearly dislikes. You were frozen, you can’t move, not like you could do much with someone as big as Idia straddling above your stomach but you were left immobile with fear. His use of love words sounds extremely clumsy and Idia himself cringes at the sound of it coming from his own mouth but he’s enthusiastic. That doesn’t make it any less terrifying for you at all.

The game’s not finish yet. It’s just as he expected, there was a little glitch that needs a little fixing. It was the cause of a scenario as unreasonable as this one to appear. But it’s fine. He can fix it all up, he can fix you all up and when he’s done with that, he’ll definitely conquer your route for real this time.

After all, there’s no game that he can’t finish, that would be a shame to his Otaku title! It doesn’t matter if it’s his birthday, he’s going to work all night to fix this very unpleasant glitch in you. What a pain~ Idia wonders what kind of price he’ll get from you after this.

...Not that he’s going to complain anytime soon lol

Idia has the personality of an ugly bastard. Just saying *cough*

#twisted wonderland #yandere twisted wonderland #yandere #idia shroud #yandere idia shroud #Birthday Crumbs

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i-willstealyourtoes · 3 years

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All you need to know about me

Requests: Closed

Status: VERY busy

Inbox: 4

Masterpost

(🔔) Progress post on my requests

Fandoms I write for:

Green means I'm confident, orange is semi-confident, red means not confident (I'll attempt all on the list though) + Franchises/Fandoms ranked in order of confidence

Main:

- PAYDAY 2 w/ ALL heisters (semi-excluding Ethan/Hila), Bain, specials (cops), Vlad, Twitch, Bile and Locke(?)

- TF2 w/ ALL the mercs, Miss Pauling, Zhanna, Saxton Hale

- Star Wars: Clone Wars w/ ALL of the 501st, Cody, Waxer, Boil

- Star Wars: Rebels w/ Ezra, Kanan, Zeb, Sabine, Hera, Rex, Ahsoka, Kallus

- The Bad Batch w/ Hunter, Crosshair, Tech, Wrecker, Echo, Omega (PLATONIC ONLY YOU FUCK), Phee, Gregor, Mayday, Howzer, Riyo Chuchi

Others:

- Undertale (no AUs) w/ Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Toriel, Asgore, Mettaton (NEO), BurgerPants, Napstablook, (W.D) Gaster (my int.), Frisk + Chara + Asriel (all platonic + my int.), Grillby (my int.)

- HLVRAI w/ Gordon, Benrey, Tommy, Bubby, Dr Coomer, G-man

- Sleeping Dogs w/ Wei, Jackie, Winston, Conroy, Ricky

- Ghosts (BBC) w/ Thomas, Julian, Kitty, The Captain, Fanny

Others Pt.2:

(The ones I'm the least confident in/know less about)

- Sons of the Forest w/ Kelvin, Virginia

- (OG) Ninjago w/ ALL the (OG) ninjas

- Minecraft: Story Mode w/ Lukas, Jesse, Petra, Axel, Olivia, (old) Order of the Stone

- Henry Stickmin Collection w/ Charles, Henry, Ellie

- Yandere Simulator w/ Ayano, Ryoba, Budo, Taro, Umeji, the Journalist

- Detroit: Become Human w/ Connor, Ralph, Markus, Kara, Gavin, Simon and Daniel

- Faith: The Unholy Trinity w/ John Ward, Father Garcia, Lisa

Rules/what I do(n't) do:

Green is yes, orange is yes (but I'm not too confident in it), red is no

- Canon x reader

- Angst, fluff, lime

- Romantic or platonic parings (please specify for platonic pairs)

- Suicide, SH, mentions of abuse/racism/homophobia/transphobia (NOT FROM THE CHARACTER/READER + NOT DEPICTED AS POSITIVE (ex of a good req: how would (character) defend against racism), death, light gore

- Headcanons/bullet-points

- Monogamy, polyamory (please specify if you want a polyam relationship)

- Match-ups

- Pregnacy fics (I'm not a fan of them but I can try)

- Song/lyric fics (also not a fan but I could still do it)

- Oneshots/multiparters (very unlikely for me)

- Smut

- Canon x Canon (unless it's Canon x reader x Canon)

- Canon x OC / OC x Reader / OC x OC

- Abuse (sexual/domestic) from the character (I accept the situation in which the character accidentally hurts s/o)

- Non-con

- Pedophilia/MAP-behaviour

- Extreme gore (guts, organs)

- Emeto (other illnesses are fine)

My style of writing:

- I prefer to be quite informal with my writing, often including jokes and personal comments in the pieces I make

- I also like putting text colour, italics, bold and small letters since I feel like that adds more character to the piece

- If you don't indicate (in x reader fics) what stage of the relationship the reader is in with the character(s), I will automatically assume they are already dating

- There is currently no character limit, but don't go silly with it lol (10 is probably a good amount but it depends)

Extra:

- Send me '🌱' to send feedback on something (ex: '🌱 - I enjoyed this part, but I think next time you should...)

- Send me '💭' to ask a question (ex: '💭 - What's your favourite show?')

- Send me '🎵' to ask for a song that represents one of the characters in the list above (ex: '🎵 - Song for Dallas?')

This helps me recognise things faster and answer quicker!

Please respect the fact I am only one student with not a ton of free time to write all the time. I also experience blocks in creativity like everyone else, so don't be mad if your request takes a while to come out.

THE PUNISHMENT FOR SENDING IN A REQUEST AFTER I'VE CLOSED MY INBOX IS A SHORTER PIECE!!

Psst... here's a secret link hehe

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ironmandeficiency · 3 years

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day two: captain hearth & achilles

get ready for day two!! these guardsmen have a lot of sweet & a lot of sad in their stories, so buckle up y’all. these two boys do have ships w other oc’s, so if you wanna know more i’ll gladly share (and there’s probs a ton that i’m missing so 🤷🏻‍♀️)

crane, jamie, & crow belong to my dear friend @capricornrabies and the art was done by @persaloodles

playlists: captain hearth and achilles & skadia

fics: home (achilles x reader), you’re just harder to see than most (achilles x skadia)

trigger warning: suicide, civvie-initiated violence against the cg, character death

literally so kind and he actually has brain cells

known for giving bomb ass hugs

has flame tattoos that start on his wrists (where two black bands w/ a brick-like patterning make circlets) and go up toward his elbows

will never hesitate to help someone else in need no matter how it affects him

named for the goddess hestia, of home and the hearth partly bc his hugs make ppl yearn for a home they never had

his callsign is “fire” in asl (spreading hands into fives and w palms facing you, bringing hands upward and wiggling fingers slightly)

doesn’t understand why ppl love him so much but doesn’t question it

best friends w crane and will give him habitats for crane’s bugs after extensive research over what they need

can naturally cook SOOO WELL, like no one even knows how bc the longnecks sure af didn’t teach him. crane will sneak him ingredients sometimes and snoop will send follow-along videos for recipes he thinks hearth should try, typically including snoop’s senator friend

didn’t talk to thire for a week after he insulted hearth’s cooking

knitted who a scarf with the colors of several battalions and since then, began to knit care packages to be sent to his brothers on the front lines (blankets, scarves, gloves, etc.). was able to enlist the help of morticus to lighten the load and when the 501st is on leave, they like to knit together and talk shit abt their bros

was accidentally pranked by crow and it had disastrous results. hearth was trying to get fox some dinner and when he opened the door to fox’s office, where the glitter was rigged, hearth was covered in red glitter and a perfectly good bowl of soup was ruined

adopted angry boy achilles and when he noticed achilles intentionally trying to get himself killed, had yelled in anger for the first time

hearth calling achilles on his shit is the one time people see hearth angry about anything bc normally he’s the most loving dude

hearth, being named for hestia, normally the “flames” of his personality are akin to a soothing fireplace made to comfort and chase the chill away, but his anger is a wildfire that no one thus far has been able to control. you have to let hearth deal with his anger on his own until he’s able to quell it down, man doesn’t know what power he holds when angry bc he just doesn’t use that emotion hardly ever

but back to achilles diving into danger and hearth calling him on it

hearth feels incredibly guilty abt yelling afterwards and tries to find achilles to apologize, but it was too late

man ended up holding his vod’ika as he died, glad that achilles wasn’t suffering anymore but miserable bc he failed good brother

used to have long crimson hair he’d let achilles braid when the latter was coming down from his fits of anger or depression. after achilles died, he kept it trimmed to a regulation buzz. still keeps hairties on his wrist as if he still needs to tie it up bc it’s muscle memory to put them on in the mornings

you see hearth and think he would immediately be attracted to the softer and kinder people the world has to offer but no

this man is head over heels for the far angrier, blunt, and nearly indifferent jamie (belongs to @capricornrabies also). she’s a police captain w the coruscant police and has a reputation for being grumpy

jamie has cybernetics/prosthetics (hand, and eye at the minimum), and sometimes they malfunction, that’s just what they do. he learns quick the ins and outs of taking care of someone w/ prosthetics and is super gentle

soft dom (and a sprinkle of brat tamer) vibes

jamie has a younger sister named jacob (you’ll learn abt her later) and they’ve been thru hell. jamie’s prosthetics/cybernetics were punishments from handlers for not performing to their standards (think of smth akin to hydra & the winter soldier program, that kind of cruelty).

jacob and jamie were born into poverty in the lower levels of coruscant, so when a program to have steady employment came up in exchange for genetic testing they took it

she is very mistrusting but it comes out more in rash anger and being an ass

when she sees her sister start to become more domestic, jamie is upset but then does the exact same thing with hearth

was like a big sister to achilles bc big sister instinct told her to protect this soft angry bean

jamie is a very avid practiced of the tough love and it’s useful when hearth needs to be reminded to get out of his head

achilles

inspired by the song “achilles come down” by gang of youths (OWW)

was basically adopted by hearth when he joined the guard and had no idea what to do abt it

was too used to being the one to take care of his brothers, being the oldest of his batch back on kamino. but after one brother died in a training simulation & two were decommissioned, he lost hope and isolated himself from his kih’vod until they were all stationed somewhere he wasn’t and he couldn’t worry

has really bad anxiety & hearth would let him braid his hair to come down from attacks. it was very soothing to both parties & hearth personally liked the braiding the best when achilles did it

don’t let his outbursts fool you he is an absolutely precious and loving soul. would give the shirt off his back to someone in need

very shy when it comes to romance. wants what’s best for his s/o and dates are the few times where he feels truly safe to open up and be happy

this sweet boy gets to show off all that sugar sweetness w skadia, who belongs to @roseofalderaan . embraces her culture, shows her what it’s like to truly love, the whole nine yards.

skadia has wings and they’re his favorite thing ever. he’ll run his hands thru them, help her preen. absolutely adores it when she cages him in w them

they loved to dance together, typically something soft and slow where they could hold each other as close as possible and get lost in the moment

after being in the guard for a few years, he was disillusioned and angry with life bc he saw how clones were treated & that nothing was done about it, both on kamino and coruscant

tried to do things abt it himself but they always backfired, thus resulting in him getting demerits and beat up by civvies

hearth would be the first one contacted when he limped back into the barracks and was always walked to the medbay by his ori’vod (sometimes letting achilles rest most/all of his weight on him as they walked/limped)

one of these times, he tried to call out a merchant for being racist against clones but got jumped. from there, had started to intentionally endanger himself on missions

stopped listening to orders and would charge into bad situations with the intent to get himself killed

hearth is the one to call him on his shit. achilles ends up feeling incredibly guilty for making his ori’vod angry and in his guilt/anger, left and provoked the merchant from before. the merchant killed him and hearth was only seconds too late

in short this absolute angel deserved more than he got

#blue jay’s boys #achilles x reader #clone trooper achilles #clone trooper hearth #captain hearth #swtcw #clone oc #clone oc x reader

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scattered-imagination · 5 years

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Erasermic Headcannons

Some erasermic headcannons that I have been playing around with!

Majority of these apply to cannon BNHA universe~

Hizashi nicknames for Shouta: Starlight; Kitten; Sleepy Prince; My Dark Knight; Cupcake; Dearest; Hubbie; love of my life; my heartbeat;-> hizashi is very open about calling shouta nicknames. But the first three nicknames are special, and often used when Hizashi si being privately affecionate.

Shoutas nicknames for Hizashi: Sunshine; My Light; Songbird-> Shouta is very private about nicknames for Hizashi since the other means so much to him, his nicknames for the blonde are intimate. He does call Hizashi "Zashi" and "Mic" often in public, and sometimes a "Love" will slip out when around trusted people.

Hizashi & Shouta have 4 cats! Mochi-> she was Shoutas first cat after graduation. a rescue, Light Gray, a very good judge of character. Melody-> an orange Maine Coon that Hizashi found near his radio station, she loves it when Hizashi hums. BlackJack-> a black Japanese bobtail cat; he loves causing chaos and trying to steal food as it cooks. King-> sphinx cat; calm and always has a regal look on his face as if he is judging you. Loves wearing sweaters

Hizashi is actually allergic to cats! He takes allergy medication when it flares and gets allergy shots once a week. He loves cats but he loves how they calm shouta down and how shouta let's all his walls down around their fuzzy children.

Shouta isn't a bad cook necessarily... but after the "Ramen Incident" Hizashi has banned him from cooking alone. Any shouta cooking time has to be supervised by him or one of the kids. Shouta feels slightly offended that Hizashi trusts the kids in the kitchen more than his own husband

Hizashi & Shouta adopted Eri and shinsou almost immediately. Hizashi was not willing to let either child enter the foster care system, shocking the police officer who suggested it by screaming no and dragging the children back home. Shouta explained that they would be fostering the kids until the adoption papers went through. (As soon as they could Hizashi and Shouta became foster parents)

Shouta hates sharing Hizashis cooking with anyone besides their kids, even with their close friends. He loves watching his husband relax as he cooks, humming and brimming with confidence.

Shouta, whenever he can, listens to Hizashis radio show. Hes not a huge music fan, but listening to his husband passionate rambles settles something in him.

Hizashi loves listening to Shouts complain about class 1A, cause he can see the underlying love and worry he has for this new batch of students.

Shoutas ultimate weakness is head massages/head scratches. Whenever Hizashi wants his husband to sleep, he just lays the others head in his lap and gently massages his head and hums a soft song.

Shouta gets Hizashi to sleep by literally octopus cuddling him. Hizashi loves the heat and being held close, and almost immediately drops off into sleep. That's why he tends to keep an eye on Shouta when he wants to pull an all nighter.

Pertaining to above. This then becomes a game between the two where Hizashi jumps to a standing position, working on papers and running away from Shouta as the other tries to sneakily get close to his husband.

Hizashi's favorite song to sing to his husband is -> Say You Wont Let Go by James Arthur

Shoutas favorite song to dance to with his husband is -> You Are the Reason by Callum Scott

True colors by Anna Kendrick & Justin Timberlake is another song they love to dance to, and the one song Hizashi can convince Shouta to sing with him.

Shoutas Theme Song: Angel with a Shotgun by The Cab

Hizashi's Theme Song: Speechless by Naomi Scott

Their wedding song: Can't Help Falling in Love with You by Haley Reinhart (originally by Elvis Presely).

Nemuri was Shoutas Maid of Honor, and Kan was Hizashis best man, Tensei officiated the very small wedding ((he declared he was going to do it and called dibs!)). Hizashi wore a white suit with a red handkerchief, Shouta wore a black suit with a yellow handkerchief.

Hizashi and Shouta started crushing on each other from the first day they met. They started tentatively dating their third year, and got more serious when they moved in with one another.

Hizashi asked Shouta out; Shouta was the one to propose to Hizashi

Hizashi has a silver wedding band he wears on his middle finger; on the inside Shouta has "My Sunshine" engraved on it.

Shouta has a golden wedding band he wears on a chain around his neck; on the inside HIzashi has "My Starlight" engraved on it.

They dont wear their wedding rings in obvious places to prevent villains finding out about their relationship and using it against them.

Shouta and Hizashi earned the name Shout & Mute during a training simulation where they were teamed up and won the simulation.

Shouta still has nightmares from USJ, and whenever he wakes up, Hizashi is there. The blonde never touches Shouta until the other fully wakes up, as Shouta doesnt deal well with touch during times of distress. Once coherent Hizashi will softly hug Shouta and ramble about the events of the day to clear shoutas thoughts and mind, running his hands gently through the others hair.

Hizashi has bouts of insecurity and self-doubts, seeing himself as bad and useless (something that his bio parents and the foster system beat into him). Shouta can see when this happens, with how Hizashi starts biting his nails and fidgeting. In times like this, shouta pulls Hizashi close and whispers love and validation to the other.

Shouta will give public displays of affection if it means making Hizashi smile and cheer up

Hizashi respects Shoutas need for space and privacy, and will never bring a plus one to events or parties. He tells people that he has his husband with him in spirit, not wanting to replace shouta with anyone.

Shouta loves spicy food, while Hizashi hates it. But when they adopted Shinsou and Eri...both children took after his sleepy prince and adore anything spicy and full of heat. So Hizashi spent a whole weekend testing spicy recipes on his family.

And that is Part 1 for now!

Let me know if theres any aspect of my erasermic headcannons you would like to know more about! Send an ask, a comment, reblog! I love you all my listeners!

KEEP SHINING BRIGHT!

#young erasermic #erasermic plotbunnies #married erasermic #erasermic #eraserhead #present mic #mha hizashi #aizawa x hizashi #yamada hizashi #bnha hizashi #young aizawa #bnha aizawa #aizawa shouta #erasermic headcanon

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selemina · 4 years

Note

(Hewwo I finished reading everything and sending some asks to your DM!) I noticed another character you mentioned that I haven't asked about, I think his name's Bow? Ya snuck in a buncha art at the bottom of the Mave post! He looks really cool! And huge!

Ah yes! :D Bow!

Mister Bow “friendly fire” bow. :)

Arcane archer Firbolg at your service. ;)

So Bow is a member of the Old hunt : essentially a faction in the Fey Wilds that hunts things down. They whole culture is the hunt! And their leader, The Huntsman, is a close friend. :) Bow was initially a normal firbolg from the material plane, belonging to a long line of diplomats. However, being raised firbolg AND diplomat didn’t leave much room for outbursts of emotions, or even any expression of feelings that wasn’t positive and measured. His whole family also had an intense sense of duty, to the point of continuing to try to stop a war, even when two of their members had been killed in the attempt already. Those losses prompted Bow’s parents to push his education up faster, and he was expected to be able to take up an adult’s job when he was barely more than a teen... So as soon as he realized they would keep trying, keep getting killed, and possibly drag him down with them, he fled the house, rejected all of his noble education, and looked for an escape into the fey wilds. Bitter and spiteful, he started battling the wild life on his own, needing to prove to the world that he was stronger than that, and a fierce survivor. Ultimately, he came upon a Hunter Deer.

Now this is not a race that actually exists I don’t think, since I came up with the idea of it, but I like to believe in a place full of deception like the Wilds, there HAS to be hunters desguising as prey. And when people see antlers, they think “oh, it’s a skittish herbivore, no need to be prudent!” WRONG! Hunter deers appear non-threatening, and even like to act as sick or hurt prey, to lure other predators nearby. They then gore and eat them, making for a gruesome reminder to not underestimate ANYTHING in the Fey Wilds. Turns out Bow knew about those, and decided to beat one at its own game, as hunter deers are considered very dangerous to hunt, especially alone (proving his worth and all that...) He made it look like he was hurt and stuck somewhere, defenseless, and waited for the deer to aproach to go straight for the jugular. After a fierce battle, he finally managed to beat the thing, and as he was cutting meat and fur, thinking about what proof to bring with him, he got irresistibly drawn to the antlers... And compeled by the Wilds’ magic, jammed them into his own skull. The antlers fused to his bones, becoming a part of him, giving him this unexpected look for a firbolg. He now also has the voice of the hunter deer in his mind now and again... They get along just fine, Bow’s ability to simulate weakness echoing with the deer’s natural hunting methods.

Bow then showed up, uninvited and unexpected, to the Huntsman’s bonfire, to demand to join the Old Hunt. Usually, joining the hunt was a selection process, not a matter of spontaneous application. Never the less, seeing his antlers and the determined look on the firbolg’s face, the Huntsman agree to let him have a trial : get hunted like prey, by his own hunters and wolves, and if he survived he was qualified enough to join. Thankfully used to being the underdog, and to playing prey, Bow managed by the skin of his teeth to win against those unfair odds, becoming one of the youngest people to join the old hunt. A few decades later, and he was now known as the Huntsman’s best marksman. :)

And then one day on patrol, he and the boys found a very lost Oso’var. The inquisitor had accidentally sliped into the Wilds, so they brought him back to camp. Recognizing him as another kind of hunter (remember, EXALT hunts down dangerous mages and cults), they offered him shelter and guided him back to PSI. In the meantime, the Huntsman decided PsI actually needed more hands to resolve their trouble.... and his secret boyfriend, a member of Echo Squad named Aerie, could use some assistance too. So he sent Bow over with a new batch of soldiers from around the world! :)

Bow immediately started flirting. XD It was half because he was interested, half to appear like a goofus so people would underestimate him (as is his way of doing things). But one of the members actually started reciprocating : Darkroot, a member of the Wild Hunt (where the Old Hunt looks for recruits usually), a dryad that also favored the bow, actually favored the Bow. XD They started dating, and honestly it turned adorable fast... Although Darkroot often seemed distracted. Eventually, after a mission that landed Bow in the med bay for once, she used a spell to extract knowledge from him without him knowing ; including the Huntsman’s true name, that he had heard on accident one day. Needless to say, knowing the true name of a titled Fey is DANGEROUS. Darkroot was ultimately uncovered as a manipulated, blackmailed victim of the council’s devil representative : Zariel. She had preyed on Darkroot when she was weak, and gotten her to do things for her, including gathering information on the old hunt. The Huntsman’s true name was an absolute jackpot for her...

That was very devastating for Bow : he is VERY loyal to the Huntsman, that he considers as both his boss and his friend, and being the one giving up his true name, even without knowing and against his will, was bad enough. But hearing that Darkroot did it, under pressure, and that she originally only approached him for the knowledge was harder to swallow... Still, with both of their feelings having developped so much, he decided not to blame her, and to work with her to clear her name, as she had been manipulated. He took some extra precautions to make sure he could get an edge on Zariel should she decide to act, and to have a failsafe in case he was to die himself...

Recently we had the very fun opportunity to face a mirror that projected doubles of people from “corrected” timelines : worlds in which the main traumatic events in people’s lives had never happened, allowing them to florish freely. Needless to say, Bow was NOT thrilled to see his diplomat self casually walk onto the field and mind-control people, him included. Trusn out THIS “bow” still used his old name, and was actually so successful that he managed to stop the war his family had been trying to fight ; stopping the creation of the great rift, the big event that forced the world to stop the war, taking a horrible amount of lives. Before this very session, nobody in game had heard of his past as a diplomat before the war, but with the urgency of the situation, nobody reacted... XD Although I had ideas of him possibly being sent on mission near his old hometown, and his family recognizing him, and trying to civilize him again... It did not go well, in my mind. XD

He really does NOT want to see his family again, he is still pissed hundreds of years later, he does NOT want to have anything to do with any of them! XD And do NOT put him in a perfectly tailored suit, he WILL rip it to pieces because it reminds him of his impossibly restraining youth!

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acuitilabslondon · 3 years

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BRIM Dispute, Dunning and Collection Management. Role of Acuiti Labs

What is SAP BRIM?

SAP BRIM, also commonly known SAP Billing and Revenue Innovation Management is nothing but a high-volume usage-based solution that’s sole purpose is to ease complex billing an invoicing process and simplify the entire process for the businesses. It improves the flow of selling and re-selling of products and services and sharing revenue in the most appropriate way.

SAP BRIM (Billing & Revenue Innovation Management) – Process Overview

Here are the few steps that can help you in understanding the complete process of SAP BRIM –

1. Define Service Products and Bundles: During the first step, along with defining the product, product relationships such as cross-and up-sell is also identified. Then further comes bundling of any services & products followed by configuration process based on the requirement of the customers. There can also be Reuse of rate plans for different products

2. Contract Creation and Management: Next in the process comes the contract creation part where order decomposition and Contract lifecycle management in initiated.

3. Mediation and Rating: Third step in the process is responsible for managing high volume, real time and batch mediation and rating. All the metering, balance management and splitting of debits and/or credits are carried out in this step of SAP BRIM Process.

4. Billing and Invoicing: Not only simple but also in very effective manner the summarization is done, a special attention is given so that there is no loss of detail. Required Billing and Payment Statement support, Reverse-and-rerate process support is provided during this step.

5. Accounts and Receivable: This is the final step of the process and here the receivables management dunning & collections payment handling is done. Line-item Dispute Management Credit Management are also the part of this final step.

What is Dunning and Collection Management? How can SAP be the best choice?

Dunning is the process of methodically communicating with customers to ensure the collection of receivables

During this process notices are sent to the customer with overdue items, requesting payment of the outstanding amount by a specified date

SAP BRIM leverage the concept of Business Rules framework to identity the appropriate collection step (action) as per latest parameters of the customer account.

Features of using SAP Dunning

· Configure multiple collection step for the Collection Strategy.

· Tailored treatment for different segments of customer

· Running Champion-Challenger – Multiple strategy running in parallel

· Success Valuation of each strategy, each action for continuous refinement of strategies

· Dunning history and traceability of all actions to overdue items

· Automatic interest/charge calculation & posting in the run

· Customer specific activities based on pre-defined function modules like integration with 3rd party debt collection agencies

· Mass reversal of dunning runs including dunning activities

· Simulation in production before any major in strategy being deployed

Collection Management – Significant way to reduce the time spent in collections from customers

By using collection management software it becomes easy for the organizations and the individual to manage, control, and align the entire collection flow.

Buying and spending a lot on software like CRM or ERP for bringing in more leads and get those closed quickly is fine but not on the cost of ignoring the remaining part of the process. Rest of the process that comes after the contract has been signed or the product has been delivered, where to close the loop you have to collect the money that is owed to you. The process of collecting the money isn’t as easy at it seems and requires a lot of time and efforts.

Opting for a collection management software to streamline this process has turned to be really beneficial and time saving by a lot of businesses today. Here are a few benefits that a lot of companies have already realized by using collection management software –

Faster Payments – The organizations that are already using collection management software receives the payment 20% faster when

compared to the organizations that are still following traditional way and using the manual systems.

Better and Accurate Cash Forecasting – A typical collection system often fails when it comes to cash-forecasting but while you use a collection management software, your team will be given the advantage of tracking the expected payments along with providing a statistical cash forecast. Companies can easily get details about the expected payments that can be further utilized for confirming the statistical cash forecast for more accurate cash flow management.

Increased fresh/unused credit lines – A collection management software is very useful in identifying unused or fresh credit lines and get details of the lower-risk customers. Once these customers are identifies, you can help them in buying more products and services from your company. The receivable end of the collection management software helps in getting a holistic view of complete accounts receivable process so that you can have a clear idea about how improved and systematic credit management is positively impacting the future sales of your company.

Become trusted receivable with better borrowing position – Every organization requires capital for better growth and future improvement. Having said that, it is not an easy job for many companies. When you choose to borrow money for capital improvement, banks thoroughly calculate and review your receivable as in to determine what amount of money can be provided to you and on what interest rate. The organizations that are using collection management software mostly have healthier accounts receivable and are considered qualified for larger amounts from the banks that too at minimal interest rate. Lower interest rate can help the companies in getting huge potential savings over the course of each loan.

Highly reduced bad debts – The organizations that use collection management software systems typically cut down bad debt by 15-25% as these software successfully identifies and resolves any disputes very quickly and prevents them from aging to the point where they’re uncollectable.

Better reporting and analysis – Use of collection management software makes it highly feasible for organizations to get better reports that are pre-configured, consists of labels, catalogue, templates, checklists etc. CMS ensures that data can be easily exported in a variety of useful formats.

Acuiti Labs – SAP Consulting Firm

Acuiti Labs is an SAP silver partner with specific focus on Lead to Cash processes including SAP Billing (BRIM) and SAP CX Sales Cloud. We are a consulting firm with proven expertise in delivering successful SAP Billing (BRIM) based transformations. With Big four consulting experience of delivering digital transformation programmes using SAP and other enterprise applications, we also have strong open source technology capability to deliver projects end to end with AI, IoT, Big Data, Mobile & Cloud technologies.

Advantages of choosing Acuiti Labs

Supporting various clients in Postal, Utilities & Telcom in their Debt Transformation journeys

European & US Experience

• Team of consultants with Big Four consulting experience.

• Delivering solutions to US, EMEA clients

Full Range of Services

• Delivering in the new age of digital transformation by providing a wide range of business and technical capabilities.

Relationships and People

• Partnership with our clients and maintaining a strong relationship is of utmost importance to the firm. We always go the extra mile

Teams based in UK & India

• Creating value through a mix of cost effectiveness and exceptional talent pool by leveraging geographical advantages

Flexible Delivery Models

• Providing multiple options of engagement and resource mix to ensure exceptional quality whilst allowing clients to maintain control

Acuiti Labs – We are an advanced BRIM competency centre because we offer:

· BRIM Solution Architecture

· Subscription Order Management (SOM)

· Convergent Mediation

· Convergent invoicing and FICA

· Convergent Charging

· BRIM Technical, FIORI & Integration

#sapbrim #dunning #collectionmanagement

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fivesx4 · 2 years

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‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ BAD BATCH DATING GAME ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Because we're getting closer to May and the Bad Batch folks are starting to appear again the closer we get to possibly hearing Season 2 news. I wanted to just put it out there for people who might not know yet, that I'm currently working on a Bad Batch dating simulator!

There is a playable Demo avaliable HERE

If you would like to follow the development of the game as well as meeting other Bad Batch fans you're free to join my 18+ discord

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mysocialfox458 · 3 years

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Sims 4 Cc Tracker Mac

Apple Cc Sims 4

Sims 4 Cc Tracker Zerbu

Sims 4 Corrupt Cc Tracker

Download tens of thousands of free premium quality creations and custom content for The Sims, Sims 4, Sims 3 games - no login required and updated daily. Always check for updated mods after a Sims 4 Patch/Update; at the Mods Tracker on which ones are broken or now updated. Also EA Forums do a regular post for tutorials, mod usage & broken mods/cc. I use Sims 4 Studio for batch fixes it solves a lot of problems in bulk (but not all.) Also available for Mac.

The new chapter in the Sims story

This title has been a cultural phenomenon since 2000, when the first installment was released. The game crossed demographics, and everyone became a fan of the series. Now it’s on its fourth outing; how has the series held up?

From baby steps to retirement

The greatest micro simulation game is back. Sims 4 has big shoes to fill. Is this sequel up to the task?

The premise is the same: create your avatar, build your dream house, fall in love, watch your children grow - choose your life. As ever, there’s a lot that you can buy for your Sims, from stove tops to guitars and everything in between. You can share creations of your with other players online, and the detail work that’s gone into some of the objects in this game is incredible.

But you could be forgiven for thinking that there should be more in Sims 4 than there were in any of the previous games. Sadly, this is not the case.

There’s no swimming. You can’t make pools and you can’t toss your Sims in, remove the ladders, and wait for them to doggy-paddle themselves into an early grave. That was one of the most iconic things about the franchise up until now and it’s a curious thing to remove. The whole point of the game is to have complete control over the life of the Sim, so why take any of that control away from the player?

The avatars are now much more competent than they were in the last game. You don’t have to babysit them all the time, and while that might be good for some, it still takes away the player’s control.

While the game looks good and runs pretty well, it doesn’t really make up for the issues here. The loading screens take forever when you first start the game. This is a legendary trait of any Maxis game, but this time it’s really something else. If that weren’t enough, the most critical visual component in the game is broken: the camera. How can this be? Did the developers not playtest the game? Do they not realize the camera is broken?

It’s frustrating, because the team and Maxis / EA could have had a smash-hit here. But modern corporate practices are probably responsible for the underwhelming game that is The Sims 4.

Where can you run this program?

You can run this game on Mac OS and Windows computers.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes; in fact, The Sims 3 can offer you a better experience. If you’re looking for other Maxis sim titles, try any of the SimCity games.

Our take

While The Sims 4 does little to improve upon the groundwork laid by its predecessors, it’s still a fun game at its heart. The customization and in-game object shopping could take you hours alone, but it feels like this game is being purposefully left empty. Considering that the franchise has always banked on the expansion packs to turn an extra profit, that could be the reason it feels so bare.

Should you download it?

Yes. Despite its flaws, Sims 4 could be fun, and it might be more enjoyable if you haven’t played any of the previous games.

Highs

Good graphics

Attention to detail

Online sharing

Lows

Less content than previous entries

Camera issues

Long loading screens

The Sims 4for Mac

This tutorial deals specifically with fixing Create-a-Sim items. For a way to fix the CC chairs that broke with The Sims 4 in March 2021, read this article.

If you play with Sims 4 mods or CC, then you are probably familiar with the hellish visions of Sims being transformed into punctuation marks that look like they have crawled out from the underworld. (PS: Wouldn’t an underworld pack in The Sims 4 be awesome?).

Moving on. We love using Sims 4 custom content. That’s not hating on EA or The Sims 4 team, there’s just so much gorgeous stuff available. And bunk beds. There are functional Sims 4 CC bunk beds.

Apple Cc Sims 4

The problem with Sims 4 CC is that sometimes it can break. Mods and CC break with updates or sometimes you download them in a broken state. It can be quite traumatising to see the Punctuated Sims from Hell appear.

That question mark slapped in the middle of their virtual foreheads will make you question your life decisions and haunt your dreams.

If you are a bit of a Sims 4 custom content hoarder, then it can feel like a real struggle to figure out which CC is broken.

We have all had that moment where we get so fed up with broken Sims 4 CC that we just go and delete the whole mods folder and start over. Once that recycle bin has been emptied, regret follows instantly.

But there is an easier and far less traumatic way to fix broken CC in The Sims 4. It works best for Create a Sims (CAS) content that’s broken, but you can also use it to get rid of Build/Buy custom content that’s broken or that you no longer use or simply don’t like the look of.

It is also a great way to find any custom content that might be missing from your game. This is useful if you have downloaded some Sims households, lots or objects that do not show up in your game.

Best way to fix broken or bad CC in The Sims 4

To easily fix broken or bad custom content in The Sims 4, you will need to use the Sims 4 Tray Importer from L’Univers Sims. It’s a completely free download and it is safe to use. You can download The Sims 4 Tray Importer from the official website over here.

This little application is life changing for Sims 4 players who use a lot of CC. If you have a bad batch of broke custom content, it can help you clean things up in no time.

Once you have installed The Sims 4 Tray Importer (which runs separately to your Sims game), you will be able to quickly delete any broken CC whenever you want. It can even help you clean up your library if it has gotten a bit full.

To get started, you will have to save a household in The Sims 4 with Sims dressed in the broken custom content.

Don’t worry about how they look. They’re not going for a fashion show, they are going into the bin. Do you care what your garbage looks like before you chuck it out? Yeah, didn’t think so.

How to use The Sims 4 Tray Importer to fix broken CC: Step by step

As mentioned already, save your broken Sims to your library to get rid of CAS CC that is broken. If you are trying to delete build/buy CC, then save a room or lot.

We find it is quite useful to have a “delete me” room next to every build, so that we can easily put objects into it we want to delete later. For this example, we will only deal with broken CAS CC in The Sims 4.

You can access all the households, lots and rooms in your library through The Sims 4 Tray Importer. You can refine accordingly using the filters shown here.

Here is a household of ours. For our American readers, this is the national rugby team of South Africa. Well, our version of some of them anyway. For our English readers: Do you remember the 2019 Rugby World Cup?

Once you have found the offending family (they will show up like the zombies from CAS, or you can name the family “broken” or “delete this” to make it easier).

If you want to just get rid of a household, room or lot without also deleting the CC, you can switch over to the files tab. Highlight the files and right click.

Then select the “Show containing folder” option. Your Tray folder will open with the files highlighted. You can just hit delete in the folder and the files bell be deleted.

To get rid of broken Sims 4 Custom Content or find missing CC by using TS4TI, switch over to the CC tab on the application.

You will see a list of all the CC in use for that household, room or lot. Any missing mods or CC will show up highlighted in red like in the screenshot below.

If you want to find the missing CC, right-click and use the “Find on Google” option. Note: Some users recently reported that there are issues with this option showing up. If you are having problems, refer to the TS4TI support forum. There could be an issue with your firewall blocking access or you might be running an out of date version, or other similar issues. It is best to check with the app’s developers for troubleshooting. If the option is there, a browser tab will open and you will find the websites where the CC is hosted. You can then download it and add it to your mods folder. This is quite useful to help find missing meshes.

If you simply want to get rid of the bad or broken CC, click over to the CC tab, select the items and right click to open your Sims 4 mods folder by using the “show in folder” option (like you did with the household/lot/room files earlier).

Sims 4 Cc Tracker Zerbu

If you select more than one item of Sims 4 CC to delete, several windows will open up with the selected items highlighted in your mods folder. You can just delete them one-by-one by going through each window and hitting delete.

Sims 4 Corrupt Cc Tracker

And that’s it. This easy way to find and delete broken or bad CC in The Sims 4 works for rooms, lots and CAS items. If you found this tutorial helpful, sign up to our Sims 4 newsletter over here or check out the rest of our Sims 4 content here.

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jim-reid · 6 years

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The Jesus and Mary Chain

Kurt B. Reighley / Pulse 06.1998

Not quite the gothic Archies If Jim Reid truly is "Happy When It Rains," as the Jesus and Mary Chain sang on 1987's Darklands, he should feel right at home in Seattle. But there's always been more to Jim and his brother William than trenchcoates and downturned mouths. "To understand anybody in a band, your personality has to be condensed into a cartoon character," Jim sighs. No wonder William avoids interviews completely now. Being perpetually tagged as dour depressives might confound any artist. "That is part of what we're about," the singer concedes, "but only a small part. But it's the part that makes sense to a lot of people." Sitting in the conference room of Seattle's Sub Pop Records, the band's new label, Jim seems remarkably content ... even as he squints in the bright afternoon sunlight. After an extended period of silence from the historically prolific band, the Scottish siblings have confidently returned to the fray with Munki, their first studio album since 1994's Stoned & Dethroned. The record's 17 tracks hit every variant of the Chain's patented Beach-Boys-on-street-drugs sound to date, plus a few fresh ones like "Perfume," a duet with William's former sweetheart, Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star. The moods of Munki encompass the melancholy of Darklands and the furor of 1989's Automatic with equal aplomb, but Jim insists the diversity wasn't deliberate. "There's a thread that runs through every album," he says in a thick brogue. "A record reflects the personalities of the people that made it," adding that the emotional intention on each song may vary, but the impetus to enter the studio never has. "The driving force to make a record - that enthusiasm, that spark - always returns. "If ever it becomes too easy to do what we're doing artistically, that'll be it," he adds. For Jim and William, that essential spark first ignited in the mid-'80s, when the siblings themselves were choking with disgust on most music they heard. "The only contemporary bands we were into [were] the Birthday Party and the Cramps. But there just wasn't enough of it. You want to go out and buy a record, but there are no records you can go out and buy. "Why don't people make records like this?" he says they asked time and time again. "This" eventually turned out to be Psychocandy, their blistering 1985 debut, a Whitman's sampler of sarcasm and sensitivity, drenched in feedback and guitar squalls. Singles like "Never Understand" and "Just Like Honey" taught a fresh batch of kids they didn't have to sit by idly and let bad music happen. Inexperience was no obstacle, and that remains true today. "I find the hardest bit is when you know in your head what you want from a song, but don't know how to get it out," observes longtime rhythm guitarist Ben Lurie; i.e., if you want a jackhammer on a track, go out and procure one from a road crew. "Don't get a guitar and try to simulate it." "Or don't think, 'I can't do that, because you can't do that and be in a rock'n'roll band,'" adds Jim. "There are no rules. The objective is to make a record that you feel good about, totally." "I feel sorry for these people who listen to Van Halen records and think, 'that's rock'n'roll,'" says Jim. "Any fool can be taught to play guitar or how to use a drum kit." But as the J&MC credo goes, you don't have to play music to make music. All you need is imagination. "When you don't know what you're doing, sometimes something really unique can come out of it," he adds. "To most guitar players, Robert Johnson probably can't play," he concludes. "But it was always coming from his soul." For the Jesus and Mary Chain, intensity trumps virtuosity any day. "I can't get the link between Robert Johnson and Eric Clapton. To me, it's like [the difference between] Grace Kelly and a hooker."

#interview

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wineanddinosaur · 3 years

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Next Round: Crafthouse Cocktails Co-Founders Matt Lindner and Charles Joly on the Origins of RTD Cocktails

Airing between regular episodes of the VinePair Podcast, “Next Round” explores the ideas and innovations that are helping drinks businesses adapt in a time of unprecedented change. As the coronavirus crisis continues and new challenges arise, VP Pro is in your corner, supporting the drinks community for all the rounds to come. If you have a story or perspective to share, email us at [email protected].

In this episode of “Next Round,” host Adam Teeter sits down with co-founders of Crafthouse Cocktails Matt Lindner and Charles Joly. Throughout the pandemic, the BevAlc space has done everything in its power to move into the world of RTD cocktails. Nevertheless, when Joly and Lindner set out to launch Crafthouse in 2011, well-made, ready-to-serve cocktails were a hard sell.

With decades of experience between them, the co-founders began this project after sharing their cocktail recipes with regulars. Eventually, they realized there was a larger audience thirsty for convenient, specially crafted cocktails, launching their brand in the hopes of providing real cocktails that could be consumed with no hassle — or bar knowledge — required.

Many advised them against using the quality ingredients they saw necessary, but Joly and Lindner stuck to their guns. They refused shortcuts and partnered with spirits brands they believed in to ensure their products stood the test of time. Now, they can celebrate that hard work and share their craft cocktails with people around the country.

Listen online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Or check out the conversation here

Adam: From Brooklyn, New York, I’m Adam Teeter, and this is a VinePair “Next Round” conversation. We’re bringing you these conversations between our regular podcast episodes in order to give a fuller picture of what’s going on in the alcohol beverage industry. Today, I’m joined by Matt Lindner and Charles Joly, founders of Crafthouse. Guys, thanks so much for joining me.

Matt: Thanks for having us.

Charles: Yeah, thanks for having us.

A: So, before we get into everything I want to get into —because I’m really excited to have you guys on, especially given what’s happening in the world of cocktails right now — can you give the listeners and myself a little bit of background on who you are and who Crafthouse Cocktails is?

M: Sure I can, I’ll get started. This is Matt. So my background for the last 30 years, which dates me a bit, has been in the restaurant hospitality world, mostly in Chicago, where I started a little neighborhood bar and grill called Bird’s Nest. From there, I expanded out, meeting Charles in 1999. He and I continued to develop different concepts again in and around Chicago. Cans Bar and Canteen was one, and several others. In 2007, we started a place called The Drawing Room, which was a classic and craft cocktail bar where the idea of Crafthouse stemmed from when we were doing that classic cocktail before a lot of people nationally were — of course, in New York and San Francisco and out there maybe in Chicago. And so we have been lifelong in the hospitality industry. And this was a natural transition to go into Crafthouse.

A: Very cool. Charles?.

C: Yeah. So I too have been in the hospitality industry my entire adult life. And, I started, as many do, on accident in this business in my very early 20s and have done just about every job that you can imagine in it. I was a busboy for one day actually, before I got moved up to barback, and then I barbacked for several years before I earned a spot behind the bar and worked my way up to manager and then became the operations director of a bar group that Matt was a partner in. And I just fell in love with the energy of it. And then when we opened the Drawing Room in ‘07, as Matt had mentioned, there was no cocktail movement happening in Chicago to really speak of. It was a bit of great timing and happy accidents and being in the right place at the right time with the right work ethic. And also my finding a real niche and my love in the industry, which combined both the energy and the hospitality with cocktails and starting to research and learn about all these classic cocktails and the history behind them — using fresh ingredients, working with chefs to inspire my cocktail creations.

A: Interesting. So from there, how is Crafthouse born, and what gives you guys the idea to start this company?

M: Yeah Charles, you want to talk about this scenario?

C: Yeah, I could pick that up. It happened truly organically. I know you hear that all the time. People are always talking about “Oh we want things to happen organically.” But this really did, we did not start a bottle cocktail company with the idea of, “The next big business plan.” It was because we knew about entertaining. We knew about making cocktails delicious. And we saw a need for it from our guests at the bar, at the Drawing Room. I recall a moment that really, was seemingly mundane at the time but was pretty pivotal in that our hostess comes over to me behind the bar mid-shift and is like, “oh, hey, you have a call. And she has the phone. And I quote, “You handed me the phone in the middle of a shift and like it was, primetime, on a Friday night at like 9:30, ten o’clock. And it was one of our regulars whom I had given a recipe to for a cocktail on our menu. And we always would share the recipes with people if they had asked, happy to walk them through step by step. And she said, we’re having a party, we’re trying to make this cocktail. It’s just not coming out the way it does in the bar. And it just spurred the question, “Can we make cocktails for people with the same ingredients, the same integrity that we do in our craft cocktail bar so they don’t need to do this when they’re at home?” I love to teach people to make cocktails. I love to empower people to make drinks on their own, I think people should explore that. But at the end of the day, it’s not their job to understand the perfect balance. It’s not their job to understand exactly what spirit to reach for and to get it right every time, it’s my career, it’s Matt’s career. So we can take out some of that guesswork. And so we got to work with it, and crafthouse was born in a moment like that.

M: I think one of the things too, up late after a shift, talking about the idea of it — when we started talking, it was a lot about just what Charles is saying. There’s so many situations where people don’t have time or the ability, or they somehow mess up the balance at home to do a well-crafted cocktail. But then as we talked about it, we’re like there’s so many other scenarios where people would want a well-crafted cocktail. It’s just not even available to them. And we talk about the airlines or concerts or different hotel in-room type service, different places where because they don’t have the time needed to construct a well-crafted cocktail, or they don’t have the ability, and our eyes lit up like, wow, there really is, even though it originated from the idea that at home when people want one, this gives them an option. And we really realized that the space is so much bigger than what we initially even envisioned.

A: So questions for you guys. So what year was this?

M: Oh, boy, this was like nine years ago. At least nine years ago, we started talking about it.

A: So, we’ll get to “now” hopefully in a little bit, RTD or RTS or however the industry is choosing to call them are kind of “the rage” right? But at that point, no one’s really doing them. You would go to Europe and see this. But I think a lot of people thought that they were illegal in the U.S. How did you figure out how to do cocktails to-go? What was in your process? Obviously you had this idea of like, “Okay, we have these customers we give the recipes to and they’re not loving how those recipes are coming out at home. They want our help.” How did you then go from that point to “We have a product on the shelf.” What research did you do? Who did you partner with in order to make that happen? Because like I said, if you had come to me in 2011, even though I was a cocktail enthusiast, I would have told you that I thought that RTDs were illegal in the U.S.

C: I think our biggest challenge, not not that we thought it was necessarily illegal. We were just told it couldn’t be done. We couldn’t use real juice, and we couldn’t use real ingredients. We had to be an elevated “SkinnyGirl” or something. Where it’s going to be something that mimics the flavor of a cocktail, as opposed to being just a true cocktail. So for us, that was the biggest challenge, like we know this can be done. We know you can make an authentic cocktail and put it in a bottle. And we worked with somebody that was heavily involved in the wine industry, obviously, as wine is a real juice that’s preserved, and working with them and understanding different techniques of how to best keep the integrity of the cocktail. But we were told constantly it just won’t be shelf-stable. It just can’t be done. You can’t develop a cocktail like that. It won’t taste the same. So definitely a lot of naysayers, but we were just super committed to the idea that it actually could be done.

M: Yeah, there’s no shortage of prepared “something” in a bottle on the shelf at that time. But the bar was absurdly low, with bad Margarita mixes or cloying cocktails, as Matt said, that simulated a cocktail but were nowhere near close to what you could get, if you were to come to a bar. So I think that’s the deal. All these people are approaching it from a manufacturing standpoint. We were approaching it from a bartender standpoint. “Okay, I know I can make one cocktail delicious right in front of my guests. I know I can have a party or an event or do a charity event and batch up a thousand cocktails and make them delicious still.” So what’s it going to take to make it stable, to make ten thousand of these and put them in a bottle without screwing with the ingredients, without putting anything in the bottle that we weren’t going to be proud to talk about? So it was expensive to do. It was difficult to find a facility that would bottle for us that wanted to go that route, because there wasn’t a lot of precedent for what we were doing. And so we are going through some uncharted paths to get to where we are today.

C: And I mean, we were definitely a real pain in the a** to work with. We started at a facility up outside of Montreal, a little hard cider facility. So, again, had experience with the juice. But man, we made a mess of their plant trying not to filter the ginger and do everything the way — and it was often suggested to us, “Well, hey, you could just do this. This will be cheaper, easier, quicker.” And our response would always be like, “That’s not what we’re doing.” You’re still not necessarily understanding the fact that we’re doing the cocktail the same way we would do it behind the bar. It can be done. So we may have burned a few bridges along the way, but people just weren’t worth seeing our vision fully. But at the end of the day, it was achieved.

A: So, yes, the question there, which I think is really interesting, I would assume that at that point in time you were being told by people, “Oh, there’s other people, like Smirnoff is getting away with this, with just malt” right? They’re making basically a malt beverage that people think is a cocktail. Was that one thing that was offered to you guys, and you just said no immediately?

C: Every shortcut that you can imagine was offered to us. It was. And it is, even to this day. And now it’s maybe just changed in the last year or two, because honestly, we helped to set the precedent when no one could wrap their head around it. They couldn’t wrap their heads around why we would want to make simple syrup and not use corn syrup. They couldn’t wrap their head around why we wanted to bring in real citrus into the mix and not use citric acid — there’s not a gram of citric acid in any of our products. It was “Why would you want to use a spirit of that quality? Nobody is going to be able to tell the difference. The average drinker is not going to be able to tell the difference”. Well, it’s like that’s not who we are, you know? And from day one, Matt was super on board with this. And it was like, hey, Charles, the cocktails are your area of expertise. You have final say on flavor profiles, on ingredients, and then we’ll figure out a way to make it make sense from a business aspect and move from there.

A: One of the things I’m curious about first, before we get into the spirits, is I have heard from certain people who’ve also tried to do cocktails to-go is how hard citrus is to do. What is it that makes citrus difficult? Is it it just as you guys were saying, it doesn’t stay shelf-stable as long, or there could be issues with citrus inside the packaging? Like why is it that everyone has this belief that citrus is so difficult when it comes to doing canned cocktails?

C: I mean, it has to do with, first and foremost the balance of the cocktail, getting it to taste right. Nothing is going to be quite like citrus that I squeezed for you fresh that shift and right in front of you. That being said, you have to worry about preservation issues. You have to worry about real world stuff like microbial issues that might happen. It’s the same thing if you can something at home and you’re using a Mason jar, making sure that those jars are clean and sterilized and all that, so that works for any sort of product that’s going to go out to the masses as well. And yeah, and expense, I think was a big part of it, as well. People were like, well, citric acid is real cheap. So it’s a mix of why wouldn’t you mix a powder and water together, as opposed to buying, shipping, storing, dealing with a product that can be volatile, but what else would we use? It just didn’t work. There’s no question from our standpoint that that was the route to go.

A: So in terms of the spirits, one of the things I’ve noticed with trying the products is some of the products you actually do label what spirit is inside of it. So a lot of the rum you label is Plantation. Are those partnerships you guys have created? Like how does that also go about when you guys are sourcing the spirits for all these different cocktails you’re making?

C: Absolutely. The spirits are the foundation of any cocktail, your base spirit, whatever you may be using, your gin, your rum, your tequila, and so forth. So it was also important to us from day one to have integrity. If your foundation is not rock solid than anything else we do to it is just going to be a bit wobbly as you move forward, and so we didn’t cut corners. And I think it’s part of our decades in the business. We had a lot of relationships, and those partnerships happened really organically. At that time I was working at The Aviary in Chicago, which is in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago, and C H Distillery had just opened up — great small boutique distillery. It had just opened up shop like three quarters of a mile from us. So, of course, we popped by to see what was going on there. Their products were amazing. They were distilling — they still are distilling — vodka from grain, milling grain in-house. Nobody does that. Everybody buys a GMS and then re-distills. These guys are doing it from scratch, super high integrity. So we’re like, “Hey, we’re going to need vodka and gin. Would you guys want to sell us some?” And they were very cool and also ambitious, and creative and we were like, “yeah let’s find a way to work together.” So the same thing happened with Plantation. We just launched rum cocktails for the first time about a year ago or so. And I happened to have a relationship through the cocktail world with the folks from Pierre Ferrand Cognac and Plantation Rums and sent an email. And we’re like, “Hey, Alexander, we’re doing this project”. And he’s like “Yes I’ve heard about it. I think it’s great. Your cocktails have integrity.” And you know they value their rums and have super high standards for everything they’re doing. So it was a real compliment for me and for Crafthouse that brands like that would want to work for us. They’re not selling their rums to everyone. And they’re the products that I would often use behind my bar. So it was important to me for every spirit in our cocktails to be something that I would want to drink myself and serve to you separately if they were not in a Crafthouse cocktail. And that said, the profiles of each of the drinks are not the most adventurous cocktails in the sense of, they’re complex, but they’re not ultra challenging. They’re still familiar flavors. So If I want to change my vodka or my gin, that can happen. The cocktail is not going to fall apart. There are more than one tool for the job. But yeah, we have great spirit partners right now. I’ve been down to the distillery that produces our tequila in Jalisco. Our whiskey right now comes out of Traverse City in Michigan. So it’s cool stuff. I mean, you can go to the store and buy bottles of individual spirits for almost everything that we have in our cocktails.

M: Yeah, we go back and forth about putting the logos. Traverse City Whiskey are great friends of ours. I can’t really see us using another bourbon. But as Charles stated, the Gold Rush can be made with a variety of different bourbons. I think one of the things that we talk about is, we have to make large runs, and cans and everything. So, let’s just say we put the CH logo on, which we go back and forth on if we’re going to or not, and then another partnership arises where it would be a different vodka. We’ve got all these cans that don’t necessarily have the logos, so we just bounce back and forth and back and forth again. We love all of our partners and we had personal relationships with them before we had business relationships. But, it’s one of those things that we just don’t know. We don’t know if we should be putting the logos on or not.

C: And Crafthouse is still a growing brand. And we are introducing the world to Crafhouse as a brand. And we’re an independent brand. It’s myself and Matt and about six other people that run this entire company that has a pretty far reach now across the U.S, for a ragtag group of folks. So we are still introducing Crafthouse as a name to cocktail enthusiasts around the country. And so we don’t want to confuse them. “Is this a CH product? Is this a Plantation product?” These are partners that we are using in the batches as they’re marked. So I’m proud to do so.

A: So another question for you guys, one of the things I think that was really cool is you put these in a bag and box, which to me makes a lot of sense. It can be in the fridge, every night when you get home, you can have that Moscow Mule. How long have you been doing that for and obviously I’ve seen a few people start to do it as well. But when did you start doing it?

M: We’ve been talking about this as an idea for a couple of years. And it took us that long to get it all rolling exactly the way we want to. We’re a premium product. We’ve always known that the one seven five format in the ready to drink category has always dominated. Obviously, the individual formats, with the hard seltzers and whatnot have leveled it out. But we always thought the large format was the way to go. We just didn’t know how to do it in a premium fashion. And then when we started digging in more and more and then with more and more acceptance of the wine bag in the box we were like, “you know what? I think we can do this in a bag that’s going to really give it that premium presentation.” Again, exactly as you’re saying, you put it in the fridge. You’ve got the tap to serve yourself a fresh cocktail nightly or however often. It stays good. There’s zero light. It’s seal-packed. So, again, there’s not a preservation problem. And we just launched in Illinois at Vinny’s, and in Colorado here in several locations, just a matter of a few weeks ago. And the initial response has been pretty awesome. So we’re actually, within the next two or three weeks, going to be expanding to our Smoky Margarita and our Pineapple Daiquiri. So we’ll end up having four different cocktails in a one seven five box.

A: That’s awesome.

C: I think that we’ve seen that happen with wine, with the bag and box format. And so, even corks and wine and screw caps, there was a time when people thought that you couldn’t have a screw cap. That diminished the wine’s appeal. So it’ll be interesting, perhaps. We don’t we don’t mind having another path with the cocktails in a box, either.

A: Well, guys, this has been really fascinating to learn about your story and how Crafthouse Cocktails has evolved since you started doing it in 2011, which is insane to think about. You are national now, correct?

M: I think we are nearing national. By the end of the first quarter of next year, we’ll be in about 35 states.

A: And can people also purchase them through the website, or is it just retailers at this point?

M: Because we are spirit-based, there are some retailers that have the shipping capabilities that you could find off of our website. Not all states allow spirits to be shipped into them. But if you do go to our website, yeah, several of our retail partners do have the ability to ship across state lines.

A: Amazing. Well, guys, this has been a really great conversation. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me, chat with me about Crafthouse. I’ve tried them and thought that they were delicious. I really loved the Rum Old Fashioned. So yeah, cheers to you and what you guys are doing, and I encourage everyone listening to go out and try it because it’s a really awesome product. I think you were at the forefront of something that’s going to be really huge in the next few years.

C: Thank you so much, Adam. We appreciate your time. Thanks for having us, and cheers. And I hope everyone can raise a glass together soon. And until then, give us a look, check us out at Drink Crafthouse, and feel free, if you send us a note through Instagram or our website, it comes right to me or Matt.

A: Awesome thanks, guys.

Thanks so much for listening to the VinePair Podcast. If you enjoy listening to us every week, please leave us a review or rating on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever it is that you get your podcasts. It really helps everyone else discover the show. Now, for the credits. VinePair is produced and hosted by Zach Geballe, Erica Duecy and me: Adam Teeter. Our engineer is Nick Patri and Keith Beavers. I’d also like to give a special shout-out to my VinePair co-founder Josh Malin and the rest of the VinePair team for their support. Thanks so much for listening and we’ll see you again right here next week.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity

The article Next Round: Crafthouse Cocktails Co-Founders Matt Lindner and Charles Joly on the Origins of RTD Cocktails appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/next-round-crafthouse-cocktails/

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adoringdo · 7 years

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EXO Theory Pt.6 - RF_05 = the Beginning of the War?

I literally am so tired, mostly because I just woke up (like 8:30 am when I started this haha) and EXO has a new thing out I see and like...where do I begin? Holy crap!

<<– First Part | <- Previous Part | * Theory Masterpost

Sequence of Events:

MAMA/History/What Is Love - Miracles in December - Romantic Universe - KoKoBop - MAMA 2016 VCR - (Parallel Universe) - Lucky One - Overdose - Love Me Right - Wolf/Growl - Lotto - Coming Over - Pathcodes/Call Me Baby - Monster - Sing For You - For Life - Parallel Universe - RF_05 - The Eclipse - MAMA 2016 Performance

First, let’s go through this new clip in order, pointing out the important parts, imo! The clip starts with the subtitle [Past Data], followed by “Booting System RF_05 // RF-05 System Activated” and then the weird door opens.

This really reminded me of this bit from KoKoBop though:

(Ignore the choppyness of this gif I made it for different reason before!) However, I think both of these clips are representing the Red Eye. In the top one, from today’s clip, it literally has a red centre, and in the KKB one it has a red outside, but also fades into the imprint of a light that always reminds me of a hospital light (like in surgery) which always makes me think of Lucky One even though there’s actually no scene like that in the MV. Anyway, I think this is representative of the Red Eye, the Red Forces that have them trapped, I think the name RF_05 = Red Forces_05... the 05 could be relating back to 2005 when Sooman allegedly started working on this theory? Or it could be the 5th batch of EXO Members? There’s a few possibilities, I guess!

The video then begins to list the members. Starting with Chanyeol. While Chanyeol is on the screen, the voice overlays “Activation Success Engage First Combat on EXO Planet #1795″. I was super confused about this number for a while, until I suddenly just thought maybe it’s the date of the comeback? 17[0]9[0]5 - 5th of September? It’s the only thing that makes any sense to me, personally. I don’t think this is the First Combat ever on EXO Planet, because obvs not, but I do think this can be linked to my theory in Part 5 where I talk about the Sepia toned flashbacks.

The Red Forces have been running simulations for years about memories on EXO Planet, memories of the EXO Members together, and this new activation is no different. It is still very much a test, just something different happens this time.

Next in the sequence is Suho. It says “Acquisition of Targets' Power Orbs Complete” which is pretty self explanatory, but then it gets interesting.

When D.O is on screen the voice reads “Failure to Obtain Target's Power Orb of Light”. I do not think this is a coincidence. Nor do I think that it’s a coincidence that Soo is the only member in this video we see with a visible injury on his face.

Obviously, the Power Orb of Light belongs to Baek and we see the outcome of this sentence later in the video. But D.O is meant to be the main Guardian of EXO K’s half of the Tree of Life in my theory, and that means he is Baekhyun’s Guardian. So, them failing to obtain Baek’s Power Orb is pretty substantial, right? And is the scratch on his face a result of this conflict to get rid of Baek’s Power Orb?

I don’t think I ever actually started writing my ideas about D.O and injury in the MVs (at least I don’t remember doing so) but I always thought it was a little bit weird that we never actually see Kyungsoo getting hurt in them. Even in Monster, Lotto and that, we see him with injuries, sure, but not obtaining them in the first place. In fact, the only time we do see this is in the Growl/Wolf Drama MV when Lu (with red vision.................!) hurls him across the room.

So, yeah sure in this RF-05 clip we didn’t see Soo get the injury, but it’s still important that he’s the only one who even has one here! At least imo! And I think it’s very connected to Baekhyun!

Also, is it just me that thinks the symbols on the orbs look different to how they looked back in the MAMA MV? Cause Soo’s used to be:

Yet now I think it looks kind of wolf like...?

But returning to the order. Next up is Sehun, Chen, Xiu. “System Filing for Danger. Warning. [Sehun]. // Data Updating [while on Chen] Initiating Development of // 'DISTORTION' with Power Orbs [while on Xiumin] Development Complete.” What I take from this, is that the system is rerouting with the new information that they don’t have Baek’s power orb, it is distorting the members into...

“Press switch to degenerate target into 2D combat.“ I think it’s cool that Kai’s symbol looks like a key hole. Because Kai really is the key to this part. Degenerating the members in 2D combat really links them up to the whole comic book theme we’ve been getting since KKB and those photocards! Not to mention in the last clip when the parallel members themselves were reading the comics of the EXO Members. Kai’s teleportation, which means he’s the key to transporting between worlds, between planes.

One of the things I thought was interesting about this, was that Baek was in the middle of the big picture on the right, and that his power orb is in another square (in Kai’s in fact!), and that on the back on Baek’s power card, it says ‘The War’. I just really think this is highlighting Baek’s overall importance. He is the central role in all this.

Quickly going back to an earlier part, but I always thought was odd though was that instead of trying to reach his orb like all the other members, instead D.O, if I’m not mistaken, is holding a gun and is aiming it to shoot at Baek’s power orb. I think this could be how Baekhyun’s orb is missing, and why D.O has the scratch on his face. The only thing ambiguous to me, is the motive for this? Why would Soo want to destroy Baekhyun’s power orb. Well, I have an idea.

The final line in this whole clip “Apply switch with orb to activate all modes of RF_05.” The degeneration is activated through use of the orbs, and without his orb Baekhyun likely can’t be degenerated right? Is this a good or a bad thing? Honestly, I’m leading towards bad. I really think this is just focusing so much attention on to Baekhyun, and not in a good way. This is blatantly letting the Red Forces know exactly who and what Baekhyun is, in the long run. We haven’t seen Baek use his power really since KKB (in my sequence of events), except briefly in his Pathcode. And this is for a reason, to not bring attention to who he is, really. Even if Baekhyun doesn’t know it consciously. Even if none of the members don’t know it consciously, which is what I think, they know to keep Baekhyun hidden. Except then why did Soo do this?

I have two theories for this. Though they could link up really. Anyway, remember in Monster we have that very clear ‘Baekhyun is a traitor’ motif up until the very end.

I’ve gone into why I’m sure Soo thinks Baek’s a traitor in a lot of detail before, but I’m coming back to Monster because it’s the most obvious one, and close to his RF_05 part of the story. Kyungsoo may never have been convinced over this scene, of Baekhyun revealing to have saved them. At this point, all the members know they’re trapped, in this dream state, this parallel plane, under the watchful eye of the Red Forces, and that everything they do is kind of predetermined. If the Red Forces exert enough control over the members to even insinuate so strongly that one of them could be a traitor, they could also have enough control to fool them into believing he’s been saving them all along.

Although I do believe that the end of the Monster MV could have greater meaning, that Baekhyun really will be the true saviour of EXO (in the War), I also think Kyungsoo could remain suspicious of Baekhyun even after this moment. And that forces him to shoot the orb and stop him betraying them in the later entrapments - this new 2D one for example.

Another thought I had is that Soo was doing this to protect Baekhyun, and I do think this is more likely actually. He could still think he’s a traitor and the previous point could all be applicable, but along with that, Soo knows he has to keep Baek safe even if he is betraying them.

Either way, this is the onset of the War. Why? Because the Red Forces know that Soo made a controlling power move here by breaking Baekhyun’s orb. And they know it’s for a reason. This will not be ignored by them, and now they have a greater influence by having separated Baekhyun truly from the rest of the members (excepting Lay.. which is important)!

Also they said this comeback meant war so... yeah...

I’m interested to see what happens in the MV and to see whether any of this still stands to reason.

-> Next Part

#EXO #Kpop #EXO Theory #Baekhyun #D.O #Kai #EXO Text #Long Post

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