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welcometomyoasis · 6 months

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How seventeen would react to your joints cracking

Synopsis: when you're stretching and your joints start to crack, the members of seventeen have very different reactions. svt x gn! reader | humour, fluff | approx. 1280 words | Warning: suggestive content?, cracking of joints

In the process of stretching, your joints start to crack. When your boyfriend hears this, he…

Stares in horror

Soonyoung, Dokyeom, Mingyu, Seungkwan

The sudden series of “pop” sounds startled Soonyoung. It’s not that he is surprised that your joints crack, it’s the loud sound that surprises him. His hands definitely shoot up to clutch his heart and he stares at you with wide eyes as if he has seen a ghost. Probably pouts and whines about how much you scared him. Please compensate him by giving him lots of kisses and cuddles to calm him down.

Dokyeom has heard the cracking of joints before, especially when Seungcheol and Jeonghan stretch before practice. But it is the first time that he has heard your joints crack. He screeches in surprise when he hears your joints. Runs around the house in a fake panic. YOUR JOINTS CRACK TOO? HIS BABY? YOU AREN’T EVEN THAT OLD? Just let him be, he’ll tire himself out screaming his dramatic head off.

Everything about the whole experience scares this poor baby. First, Mingyu gets shocked when he hears the “pops”. Then, he is genuinely horrified to learn that it came from you. Like are you haunted? When he is satisfied you are not haunted, he fixates on the fact that your joints cracked in the first place. Is that normal? Are you hurt? In a mix of fascination, worry and horror, Mingyu continues to watch you as you stretch. You may need to rub his back as he recounts the whole experience later on.

Unlike the other 3, he knows that there is nothing wrong with your joints cracking. You aren’t hurt. But he knows that the crack happens when the pressure builds up from sitting down or being in one position for too long. Seungkwan is horrified to know that you were sitting hunched over for hours without moving. Definitely nags at you after, saying that you need to take better care of yourself. He will make a mental note to check in on you more often after that.

Is genuinely concerned

Junhui, Wonwoo, Jihoon, Vernon

It’s not the first time that your joints have cracked, but it seems to be happening a lot more frequently as of late. Junhui also knows that you have been overworking yourself lately. You spend more hours cooped up at home, hunched over a computer doing your work than going out. He’s worried that overall, your body will give out soon because you’re so tired. He definitely makes sure to drag you outside for a break every now and then. Just so you can stretch your body (and spend some time with him).

Wonwoo is no stranger to joints being cracked. As an enthusiastic gamer, he has experienced his fair share of aches from sitting down to play games for a long period of time. He knows that in the long run, it is not good for your body because of the pressure it places on your tailbone and neck. He advises you to do more stretching and probably pays for you to go for a full body massage to relax the tension in your body.

“Pop” sounds = pain. Or at least that’s what Jihoon thinks. He immediately springs up from his chair when he hears your joints crack and asks if you are okay. When you assure him you are fine and that your body is just very stiff, he nods in understanding. Your wellbeing is the most important thing to him. So, he makes sure to be around when you stretch just in case you pull a muscle or really dislocate a joint. He’s ready to help and even reads up on how to stretch safely.

Honestly? Vernon doesn’t really know where the “pop” comes from. He might think that something around the house broke so he gets up to look for it. When he hears it again and realises that the sound came from you, his eyebrows furrow in concern. He wonders if you are okay and listens out for cries of pain. He doesn’t voice out his concerns but his stare definitely intensifies. You have to reassure him that you are okay. He will only go back to Vernoning when he is satisfied you aren’t in pain.

Teases you

Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Joshua, Minghao, Chan

After hearing your joints crack, Seungcheol realises you are stretching and decides to watch you for a while. (1) He wants to admire the way you look because he thinks you are the most attractive person ever. (2) He wants to tease you over your joints cracking as payback. When you watch him stretch before practice, you always can’t help but tease him that he might be getting too old for this. So now that the tables are turned, he is not letting this golden opportunity go away.

Jeonghan immediately laughs at you and teases that you are getting old. Will 100% call you an elderly person and ask if you need him to buy you a walking stick. It could go one of two ways. You either laugh along with him because Jeonghan literally sounds like an old man when he coughs and moves since his joints crack too. And you end up stretching together to see whose joints crack more. OR, you start to whine and sulk because you genuinely feel achy all over. If this is what happens, Jeonghan will stop all his teasing and try to hit your achy body with his fists as a way of massaging you. It doesn’t really help but it’s the thought that counts.

Joshua’s eyes would widen and he just stares at you for a while before bursting into giggles that your joints crack. He probably finds you so adorable stretching. Like a little bunny that just woke up, and Joshua ADORES bunnies. At the same time, he will fuss over you. When you tell him that your joints are really achy, he will light up some scented candles, whip out his scent oils, and ask you to lie down so he can try to massage you. Surprisingly, he does a pretty good job, and you feel a lot better after that. Although, you can’t quite tell who enjoyed the process more.

As someone who does meditation and stretches often, Minghao is prepared for just this occasion. When he hears your joints make cracking sounds, he does tease you that you haven’t been stretching in the way that he taught you. Perhaps because he is not there to do it with you? Still, he is already unrolling his yoga mats and helping you on it so he can guide you through some of the stretches that he thinks will help you. He makes sure to teach you how to do it safely so you can do all the stretches when he is not around. He might even suggest that you go to see a chiropractor to get your joints checked out, just in case.

Chan would also take the opportunity to tease you. He will say that you are getting old. He prides himself with his warm up and warm down stretching routines so he will proudly try to show you what he does. He’s doing great. Until his joints crack as well, making you both burst into laughter. You will end up on the floor clutching your stomachs laughing. Somehow, that helps to loosen the tension in your body and you feel much better. Chan will probably also look into couple stretches that you can do together. It’s definitely for your sake to help your achy body. There is definitely no other reason… Definitely…

taglist: @weird-bookworm @wonijinjin @babyleostuff

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avocado-writing · 29 days

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Hey there I hope you’re having a wonderful day, could I make a request for bg3? I’d like to request the crew with a noble barbarian tav, kind of like Godfrey from Elden ring. Normally they are very regal, eloquent, and in control, they might even think they are some knight until they finally let loose. Whether it’s their s/o in danger or a challenging battle, they just go to town, very ‘I have give thee courtesy enough!’.

oh anon, you're very kind to think that I'm a competent enough gamer to have played elden ring. writing these scenarios as if they're seeing you go into a rage for the first time!

Astarion

Very much an 'oh. oh! oh...' moment for him.

Doesn't want to confess that he's attracted to the way you go feral, but anyone looking at him during battle will see how he is affected.

He already thought you were charming with your eloquence and courtly mannerisms, but this drives him wild. The idea you had this potential thrumming through your veins this whole time is delicious.

He can smell the blood pumping through your veins as you rage and does something for him. If you're together, expect a visit from him that night.

Gale

Loves to engage you in long, thoughtful conversations over tea every night. Did not expect this side to you.

At first he thinks some untowards magic has been cast on you, but then he sees how in control you are even when you're letting loose.

Is flustered and flattered when you make sure he's safe in battle, using your rage to protect his body with yours.

Afterwards when you check he's okay he has to try and hide how much he's blushing as he stammers out an affirmative. Asks you lots of questions about the nature of your rage. Can't stop staring at you when you're in battle...

Wyll

Lets out a little "oh, my!" when you first rage in front of him.

A bit gobsmacked but jumps back into action, quickly helping you fend off whatever enemies have caused your ire.

Is over it remarkably quickly, and takes it in his stride - in camp the two of you discuss court and your respective times in it, laughing at tales of long gone social faux-pas...

And on the battlefield you are a machine cutting down everything in your wake as he uses finesse to dispatch your foes. He thinks you are night and day... but that you are wonderful.

Karlach

Sees you rage for the first time and she lets out a "FUCK YEAH!"

Drops into a rage by your side and the two of you absolutely decimate the battlefield. The gang of mercenaries who came for you never knew what hit them.

After you wipe your brow with an embroidered handkerchief from your pocket and offer her a spare, which she takes and uses (completely destroying it in the process with soot from her engine)

Geeks out with you every day about raging. The two of you discuss battle tecniques and play-wrestle, which more often than not brings down half the camp. She loves it. She thinks you're perfect.

Lae'zel

Never really gave you the time of day before now. She found your elegant manner irritating. Why use honeyed words when you can cut straight to the point?

But then, oh, she sees you rage, and she is enamoured.

That night demands that you tell her why you never said that you could fight like that. You have an argument saying you never felt the need to... it goes on until the two of you calm down and end up sitting well into the night discussing how you grew up as warriors.

She has a respect for you from then on, confident you can look after yourself on the battlefield. More often than not she watches you fight with an appreciative eye.

Shadowheart

Oh, she's thrilled. We know she likes barbarians anyway (see her thirsty dialogue about Karlach) so when you rage in front of her?

She just stares for a bit. It's all she's able to do.

When that staring leaves her vulnerable to attack and you come and defend her, oh, she's gone. She has such a crush on you. If she had one before, it's doubled.

You're always the first one she comes to check on after battle. She likes to lay her hands on your bicep as she's healing you, perhaps feeling the muscle a bit more than is necessary. Her cheeks are always bright pink.

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mxdarling · 29 days

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[“put that down! you’ll hurt yourself with that.” / “you’re so pretty when you smile.”]

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅• •❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

ೃ⁀➷: summary: idia bought a new multiplayer game, and he wants to play it with his player one, you.

ೃ⁀➷: word count: 2.3k (2334)

ೃ⁀➷: reference/Inspiration: playlist

ೃ⁀➷: event: [200 followers event]

[author's note:] JDJDKD MORE IDIA CONTENT WOOHOOO this was supposed to be his belated birthday gift from me but uhh cough cough writer block hit me like a bitch soo.. didn't finish before new years, and it's now like- 4 months late??? anyways, thank you anon for requesting idia with dialogue #3 and #7!! my last yandere idia work had him a little creepy so i made him cute this time loll i hope it's to your satisfaction anon!

[warnings:] lowercase, yandere behavior, more fluff than yandere, established relationship, reader is a gamer, cuddling, kisses, reader is ticklish, poor explanation of game mechanics, mentions of fear for judgement, reader is portrayed as a crybaby, one paragraph mentions idia being a creep, game is a rip-off of minecraft (fantasy version), toxic teammates.

[note:] If there is anything else triggering here that I didn’t list in the warnings section, please tell me. i don’t condone this type of behavior, this is merely just for entertaining purposes and some sort of coping mechanism for me. if you continue to read beyond this point, ignoring my warnings, i am not responsible for your actions from here on out.

[GN reader]

IDIA SHROUD seemed to be in a good mood today, at least according to what you've seen so far. probably because his latest purchase is the cause of his being in such an upbeat mood. not that you're complaining; it was rather cute seeing him all excited and giddy when he found a new game to play. it's like a whole new, different side of him comes out whenever he starts to ramble about the features of the game and why he should absolutely play it right now. of course, as his player one, you're automatically going to be the first person he's going to play with. not that you mind, really. playing with idia was always a fun experience; it reminded you a lot of how you would spend your free time back in your world.

(those days of laziness, those days of unproductivity where you did nothing but lay down on your bed and do nothing—no school work to do, no club activities to do, no studying for an upcoming exam—just pure idleness. then when you're bored, you could just use your phone, PC, or iPad to entertain you as the day goes by, playing nonstop until late hours in the evening. god, you miss those days.)

you often wondered what genre of video games this new world had to offer. you knew that it wouldn't be so different from your own world, but you weren't sure just how many of your friends were affiliated with gaming entertainment. out of fear that judgement would be placed upon you if you shared this interest of yours, your love for video games has been hidden—so to find someone else (with that someone else being idia) that likes video games and is very well versed in them is a dream come true. it was a long process to get him to play with you, let alone consider you a friend and not try to avoid you every 2 seconds—still, it was a feat you were proud of because now you get to experience many, many different sides of idia that you would have never known 9 months ago.

(you once heard idia curse like at least twenty times in one breathe when one of his teammates was being shitty and a prick, he sounded so angry and scary that you backed into a corner to avoid getting burnt by his scorching, bright red hair that grew the more angrier he got. the only reason he stopped was when he heard quiet sobs in the corner of his room and turned around away from his computer to see you huddled in the corner of his room. quickly he went over there, completely abandoning his game and comforting you. he hates seeing his cute prefect cry, especially because of him, he's not the great at comforting but when he hugged you so tightly, your quiet sobs turned into silence. right then and there he swore to never be the reason you're crying and when you do, he'll be right there with you.)

you are currently cross-sitting in his very comfy bed, watching as idia set up two controllers and plugged in the PCs to turn them on (you're still surprised he's got more than 2 PCs, which, if you really think about it, his family background makes it make sense). after waiting for the PCs to turn on, he then connects the controllers to the PCs and opens up the game on both screens. you would insist on helping him set up, but due to you literally being isekai'd into this unknown world of twisted wonderland, you aren't too familiar with many things besides the whole magic stuff—plus, you aren't too keen on breaking any of idia's stuff because of your lack of knowledge on how to do technology.

(technology in general is so extremely confusing, you would argue wholeheartedly all day and all night, and idia would agree with you and low-key flex on how knowledgeable he is in the field of technology, just to impress you and show how reliable he is. secretly, he likes it when he's useful to you.)

"sorry! it took a while to set up..." in slightly shaking hands, he hands over the controller to you while holding the other in his free hand. he looked rather nervous when he faced you to give the controller, like he's worried he wasted your time waiting for him. it reminded you of a puppy looking up to its owner apologetically when they did something wrong, so cute, you thought, adorable even, you added.

"haha! it's okay! you didn't take that long anyway." you gave him a reassuring look, a soft smile, and bright eyes, showing him that you weren't bothered by having to wait a bit as he set up for you two to play.

both screens show the in-game loading screen, and the bar quickly fills up due to the fast internet speed (one you're quite envious of). slowly it fades to the starting screen, where a big text is bouncing 'tap to start' in both of your faces. Idia presses to start immediately, wanting to get into gameplay as fast as he can while you take a moment to admire the visual aspects and effects of the game in silent awe. you always had a thing for the visual stuff that was shown in-game. by slowly pressing the button on your control, you enter the game and begin a fantastical journey with idia.

“put that down! you’ll hurt yourself with that.” he says worriedly as he watches you damage your avatar's HP bar this early in gameplay. usually he gets really annoyed when he plays with noobs and normies; they stink at comprehending basic knowledge, do dumb things in-game, ask too many questions, and ruin the whole gameplay experience for him. 'ugh, how annoying.' is his usual reaction to such—of course he wouldn't think of that towards you! never ever would he ever think this way towards you; even if you do things noobs and normies usually do, he can't bring himself to be annoyed—you were too cute in his eyes. he would never admit this to your face, though, and he still gets red just at the thought of him thinking you are cute. It's true though; don't get him wrong, but... the embarrassment that comes with thinking about these thoughts is just too much for his poor little heart! honestly, he's for sure that one day you'll be the death of him, does he care though? not really; in fact, he would probably love that.

(he blushes so hard whenever he thinks of you in his clothes; it's the way your natural scent clings onto his shirts, the way his shirts made you even cuter than you already are—one of the only reasons he doesn't wash his clothes immediately because he wants to savor your smell to memory. he's a creep, yes, but he's one devoted creep.)

"whoops! sorry didn't see that, haha..." nervously laughing at your mistake, you eat whatever consumable you have in your inventory to try and restore as much health as you lost. as your avatar munches on the food in its hand, from the corner of your screen, you can see idia's avatar walking towards you. once it's near enough to your avatar, you can see the animation of a bunch of items being dropped and your inventory picking up due to the proximity between the items and your avatar. you opened your inventory, curious about what he just gave you since it looked like quite a lot of items, and confused about why he was giving you so many items in the first place. your eyes widen in shock as the items he's given you are one stack of steak, every weapon in-game (sword, axe, pickaxe, shovel, hoe), but in steel, and a full set of steel armor.

your mouth continues to gape open as you put on the armor set on your avatar. how did he get so much stuff this fast? it hasn't even been an hour yet! "where.. did you get so much stuff!?" you ask naively, following idia around as you don't want to get lost, die, and lose all your stuff. "stole half of those from villages, some from mining, and a few from trading" he says so casually as he continues to walk in an unknown direction, like this was a regular thing for him, not to mention this was a hard difficulty! he's playing this game like it's not easy mode! "could've gotten more if it weren't for those stingy mobs..." furrowing his eyebrows, he let out a small huff of frustration, pressing slightly harder on the buttons on his controller, not noticing how your mouth dropped down even further at his passing comment. as she presses on, walking in an unknown direction, you're hit with the hundredth reminder that he's on a whole other level than you when it comes to gaming.

three hours in, and you guys decided to play on public servers, where you'll get to play different game modes other than the usual story and survival modes. once the two of you picked a game to play, the room quickly filled with laughter, shouting, incoherent grumbling, screams of terror, and many more in between. you two decided to save a team game as last since idia wasn't enthusiastic about playing together with other players because he just wanted to play with you, and there was an underlying fear that you would encounter toxic teammates. but since you were practically begging him to just try it at least once, he couldn't help but give in to your pleas.

it was fun, he supposed. it wasn't as annoying or infuriating as he thought it would be, but he still had to keep up not making really snarky remarks when certain players were interacting with you. he'd hate to have you see such a mean, ugly, and disgusting side of him. other than that, it was an okay experience. he thinks it would've been better if it was just him and you on a team; wouldn't it be kind of romantic? you and him against everyone else?

then what he feared most would happen actually happened. suddenly some fucking jerk is screaming insults at you for not being good enough, and before that teammate got two more words in, he exploded on them. curses upon curses spit out his mouth in rapid speed, and the voices of that said teammate slowly but surely die down as their ego and pride go down with them. in the midst of anger and chaos between him and the teammate, you could feel tears building up inside you; everything around you started to blur, and the sounds that filled your ears were starting to get tuned out. you couldn't even hear that idia stopped screaming curses, turned off both PCs, and went to take the controller from your hand, lift you up into his lap, and slowly wrap his arms around you.

once he had you fully in his grasp, he tightened his grip, making sure not to let you get away from him. he wasn't good at words, especially when trying to comfort someone, but seeing you cry was making him cry too. he did, after all, swear to always be with you when you cry. raising one of his hands, he placed it at the back of your head and gently pushed towards his neck. then his hand went down to rub your back, up and down, up and down, at a slow pace. letting you cry it all out in peace while also letting you know he's there with you.

a few minutes have passed, and your sobs have gone silent. your eyes have become droopy and sleepy, and it feels almost impossible to keep them open. suddenly, a hand lifts your chin, and you feel a pair of lips come into contact with your forehead. it wasn't like a quick kiss; no, the kiss lasted for at least a few seconds before pulling away. even then, upon pulling away, you feel another kiss on your cheek, this time a little quicker than the forehead kiss. then another kiss on your other cheek, then another on your nose, another on your jawline, another on your earlobes, and finally, his lips hovered over your own lips.

you could feel the hesitation when he let out a nervous breath; the thought of your lips on his always sends him into an electrifying and drunken daze. he can't think straight when he's this close to you, but even then, it gives him an unusual feeling of contentment and confidence. the luck he has to be able to snag such an adorable, cute, amazing, and beautiful person like you in his life. he almost can't believe it. swallowing his own nervousness for your comfort, he presses against your soft lips delicately. soon after making physical contact with your lips, he feels a smile form on your face—a small smile, yet it was enough for him. any smile from you is enough for him, because seeing you happy is the best view he could ever lay his eyes on.

feeling out of breath, he's the first to let go but also the first to frown at the loss of touch. i want to stay like this forever, he thought as he watched you emit a giggle after the kiss. fire burns brightly in his heart, and he starts to wonder if you being the death of him will really come true. his cheeks burn that ever-warm red that he knows you've seen many, many times before, but he can't help it. when you pull him into a world through rose-tinted glasses, no way could he be immune to such an effect.

"i really can’t take it when you cry like that… smile for me, alright? you’re so pretty when you smile."

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅• •❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

PLEASE DO NOT COPY, REPOST, SHARE, TRANSLATE OR REUPLOAD ANY OF MY WORKS TO OTHER SITES WITHOUT MY PERMISSION + REBLOGS AND COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED.

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rubra-wav · 2 months

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do you think vox would play videogames,, do you think you'd be able to play videogames on him,, and if you could, what would it be like for him?

OMG imagine you're playing some game on his screen, and you ask him if he can get closer because you can't see the game properly, he complains but gets closer anyway, you say he's still too far, he gets pissy and insults your eyesight because he's already close enough, so you take the matter into your own hands and pull him into your lap‼️ then the game crashes because he gets flustered

sorry for the ramble but i've been thinking abt this for SO long 😭

- 💫

Vox x reader: 'Frontseat gaming' oneshot

A/N Reader is playing Stardew Valley bc I say so (it is peak)

Vox would 100% be the type of gamer to just go "You're bad" at every step and bully you when you fail, and I will not hear anything less

Cw: SFW, gn!reader, just vox getting seriously flustered (we love to see it), romantic/crush reader

Here's me also just kinda discussing more onto this topic but not in drabble form.

- Your little character entered the mines, you frantically switching between squares as you fought monsters flying at you from every direction.

- ...Then you promptly died because you couldn't see properly.

- You inhaled deeply in irritation as you watched 3000 gold empty from your wallet, pressing a hand to your forehead before looking somewhat in annoyance at the demon in front of you.

- "Could you move closer, please? I can't see properly when you're that far away, man." You complained.

- Vox had snickered when you died, then did so again as you asked that.

- "I'm literally a metre away from you, and you 'can't see properly'? Just admit you're.. how do you say it?" Vox pretends to think as his mouth and eyes and brows appear overlayed over your house. He snaps his fingers, then raises his brows with a smug look down at you. "Fucking coping at this point."

- It was very rare of an opportunity for Vox to allow someone to play anything on his screen. He thought it would be a somewhat entertaining opportunity, however (him getting to have you stare at him in concentration for a prolonged period of time and having the excuse to stare right back at you)

- The plug-in process for your keyboard and mouse was a little awkward, to say the least, but it went off without a hitch apart from that.

- You grumble out curses at him and shuffle closer to him when it's clear he's not moving his ass to be a bitch about it, about 2 feet in between you now.

- Vox's face disappears again with one last condescending 'mhmmm' and leaves you to continue.

- It's better, and you can see more, but you once again are met with a death screen with even more of a loss then last time.

- "Goddammit!" You yell, smacking your keyboard not hard enough to damage it but hard enough for the buttons to mash loudly under your fist. Vox laughs loudly, shoulders shaking as he tries to contain himself.

- "You're so fucking bad, how are you this bad at the cute little farming game, (name)?" He teases you, sharp smile coming into sight over the death screen.

- "Shut the hell up, Vox! I still can't see jackshit. Come closer!" You demand, which in turn has Vox's laughing mouth fall into a frown, eyes coming back into sight with a clearly irritated expression.

- "It's not my fucking fault your eyes are that shit. Don't you fucking talk to me like tha-"

- His scolding and eye getting ready for hypnosis is interrupted as you angrily grumble, leaning forward to grip his hips and pull him closer.

- Vox's face starts to heat up, him stuttering out in disbelief as a sound similar to fans turning on to cool a computer slowly cracks to life as Vox suddenly finds himself pulled into your lap, either one of his legs resting splayed out behind your back.

- "There. Now I can see just fine." You sigh out with relief, concentration now on your face as your hands gently wrap around either side of his monitor to pull it down to face towards you.

- You notice his surprised expression glitching out finally and feel the way his screen has heated up massively under your hands.

- ...Then watch as there's promptly an error message with a loud 'dun!' sound.

- "Oh shi-!" You snort, poking his screen a couple of times. "Earth to Boxhead~" you sing out, and then you're met with a very flustered Vox once again coming back to his senses.

- "Fucking stop that!" He swats your hand poking him continuously away lightly, prompting you to once again laugh.

- It's silent for a couple of seconds outside of you laughing at his sour expression, face now just normal outside of the bright blue blush across his cheeks resembling a heart monitor beating with what was undeniably his own heart's current slowing frantic rate.

- After calming down a bit, Vox hesitantly does something that surprises even himself.

- He wraps his legs around your waist to bring himself closer to you.

- It was your turn to blush now as his face was just barely inches from yours, your gamer rage wearing off into embarrassment at realising the position you had pulled him into.

- "There," Vox's voice is lower than usual, more unsure than you've ever heard him you think. "Can you see me clearly now?"

- You somewhat get the feeling that he's not exactly talking about your game being displayed on his screen with the way his red eyes look down at you, blue pupils rather large under half lidded eyes.

- You gulp, then force a laugh. "Y-yeah. This is good, thanks." You shakily pick up your mouse again and begin pressing at the keyboard now next to you two.

- Your mind isn't exactly on the game as his eyes and mouth once again flicker off the display to show just your game, and you once again die.

- "See? You're just bad."

- "Shut up!"

Me when I set up a literally perfect kiss scene and then don't give it to my readers

Masterlist

#vox #vox headcanons #vox x reader #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin hotel #💫 anon #i was supposed to also get around to WSB chapter 2 today but DIDNT because of NEW IDEA 😭

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former-leftist-jew · 4 months

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i’m a little anxious to send this not on anon but i saw one of your posts where a comment mentioned jewish conversion and you seemed to support it. my boyfriend is jewish and i would like to convert to judaism but a lot of the research i’ve done says that you can’t convert, you have to be born into it since it’s an ethno-religion. i know everyone has different beliefs about this but i worry i won’t be accepted

Hello tyblackthornsheadphones, welcome!

"my boyfriend is jewish and i would like to convert to judaism"

Oooh! Mozel tov! I'm always so happy to meet new people who want to join the Jewish community! <3

"a lot of the research i’ve done says that you can’t convert, you have to be born into it since it’s an ethno-religion"

Oh dear, I'm so sorry to hear that! D: There's so much misinformation being passed around online. :( Thankfully, I'm happy to report that those sources are incorrect: It IS possible to convert to Judaism. ^_^

Like any group, though, how friendly any given Jew is to potential Jewish converts depends on the individual and/or the group they belong in. Just as there's elitism and gatekeeping in every group of people ever (like high school cliques and video game circles--"you're not a REAL gamer unless X"), unfortunately you'll also find some snobbery, elitism, and gatekeeping in Judaism. :(

Though I think Rabbi Friedman has a very loving and accepting view of Jews by conversion. ^_^

youtube

The way I see it, the differing experiences of a "Jew-by-birth vs a Jew-by-conversion" can be comparable to an American citizen who was just born on American soil vs an American immigrant who had to go through a long and rigorous bureaucratic process to become an American citizen--they have to learn everything there is to know about American history, presidents, laws, customs, the legal system; spend a "probational period" living in America to become a naturalized citizen, etc.

(The Jewish religion used to be very conversion friendly, but that came to an end when Christianity and Islam became huge world powers who outlawed the Jewish community "tempting" good Christians or Muslims away from the One True Faith.

Jewish identity also used to be passed down from father to children in ancient times--as you'll see in the Torah--but that was changed by Hillel the Elder during the tyrannical reign of King Herod--yes, THAT King Herod! Hillel did this partly to give the children of Jewish mothers who were abandoned by their non-Jewish fathers a place in Jewish society, and he did this partly as a big old political "fuck you!" to King Herod, whose father was only nominally Jewish and his mother was a foreign gentile woman.)

Chabad is an Orthodox Jewish organization.

And here's a link from a Reform Judaism POV. ^_^

In my experience, Reform Jewish synagogues and organizations tend to be more accepting of and friendly to Jewish converts. (Though it's not universal! Sadly, there are snobs everywhere. D:)

So if I were you, I would just start with checking out some books on Judaism from your local library, attend Friday night or Saturday morning Shabbat services with your boyfriend (that's usually a time when non-Jewish guests attend).

If your local college has a Hillel or Chabad Jewish student organization, I would visit that too! They usually host fun events that are free and open to to all, especially students who're just interested in connecting with other Jewish students, and learning about Jewish identity. ^_^

In the meantime, I'd just take time to study and learn about Jewish history and culture just for fun.

I think Sam Aranow's "Jewish History" Youtube series is a very entertaining way to learn about Jewish history, from ancient to modern.

youtube

Unfortunately I have to go to work now, but if you have ANY other questions, please reach out to me! I LOVE sharing knowledge and resources about Judaism, especially to potential converts who show a genuine interest and curiosity.

(Jewish culture can be, in my opinion, not as accepting and welcoming of potential Jewish converts as they should be, and I want to make up the difference. ^_^ )

#jumblr #judaism #jewblr #jewish #jewish convert #jewish conversion #welcome to judaism!#we're happy to have you ^_^#jewish history #jewish culture #jewish positivity #jewish joy #jewish tumblr #am yisrael chai

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ruthlesslistener · 1 year

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it's WILD to me that people call Osiris dumb and whatnot because he instinctually tried to talk to sagira. did they forget that this man has had almost no time at all to grieve??? like since he was able to literally exist as a person again it's been nonstop stress and work. he still hasn't been given the proper time to grieve

Anon you're talking about gamers who thought Saint and Osiris were brothers despite being gay from the very start, their ability to comprehend emotion other than rage and inflated ego is nonexistant.

A big facet of grief that is extremely difficult to work over is expecting a loved one to be there when they simply aren't anymore, and that aspect takes a while to get used to. I lost my pet rabbit to old age in October, and even knowing that her death was near and having time to process it, I still expect her to be there waiting for me to come home even now. For someone like Osiris, who had Sagira by his side literally as long as he could remember for centuries, shaking that instinct of reaching for her isn't going to go away anytime soon, especially since her death was so sudden and the wound is still so fresh and raw.

That's a nuance of emotion that most gamers with no brain activity other than 'git gud so I can scream at players who aren't' wouldn't be able to even come close to comprehending

#destiny 2 #anon #reply #there also could be the fact that osiris is a gay middle eastern man so hes less relatable but #considering how they reacted to caydes death #i think they're just too dumb even for that

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death-stranded · 1 month

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i’ve been double-teamed by both @nihil-ism & @demonrunningwild to post 5 things that make me happy. (that’s one thing to add to the list 😏)

i did one of these recently but i cant even remember what i put on it so i’ll try give a bit more insight to my answers:

coffee

there may be a caffeine addiction at play here but coffee honestly just makes me happy. i’m not fussy about what kind, but i prefer them strong, hot, and black as my damaged wee heart 🖤

and i love being a total homo with a tasty ice coffee (especially because i hate the sun and hot weather.)

there are elements of grounding techniques from the taste, smell and sensations that i learned during therapy that i think contribute to the overall experience for me.

(also when i’m feeling self destructive i love pushing myself over the edge with caffeine anxiety attacks, but i don’t think that’s very ‘happy’ lol.)

video games

i’ve been such a gamer since i was a child and as i’ve grown up i’ve found myself using these experiences as a way of processing things i’m dealing with. i love good storytelling and also overcoming challenges and problem solving.

i typically tend to play 3 main genres: survival horror, fantasy/rpg, and souls-like action-rpgs.

i love scary things and the sense of achievement i get from surviving my way through a horror game, i always find these characters more relatable because of the ordeals they’re facing.

i get really emotional playing huge fantasy games set in incredible worlds, and i love the archetype of light versus dark - which is why my faves are mainly from the final fantasy franchise, with casts of wonderful characters fighting together against otherwordly adversaries.

the reason i love souls-like games is because of the beauty in the stories, lore, and world design, but also the intense difficulty level, forcing you to keep trying over and over until you finally succeed. i once saw a youtube video where someone spoke about how dark souls helped them battle their depression and it really spoke to me too.

my bf

we’ve been together over 10 years now, which is a lifetime away from my unstable love life during my teens-early 20s, with several bfs, more awful first-dates than i can remember, and more one night stands than i even want to try and remember 🤣

we’re very different people and i used to struggle with this in the beginning, but over the long term we’ve given eachother some parts of what we’re each missing. i’ve changed so much during our relationship and he has been the right partner to keep me grounded during some extremely difficult personal development. i’ve engaged with treatment for my mental illnesses, now over 1.5ys sober, become more responsible, and learned to take better care of myself in general. i like having someone who i can take of, to work on improving myself so i can bring more happiness to his life too, and we really work together to try and make things a bit easier on us both.

even after 10+ years i still struggle with those ‘frantic fears or abandonment (real or imagined)’ on an almost daily basis, but our life together has helped me to find some kind of manageable stability.

autumn

my favourite time of year, mainly because i don’t like sunshine and warm weather. winter is nice but i don’t enjoy christmas so i find it all quite stressful.

autumn is the right balance for me because i love dressing in layers, and it’s the right colour palette for me with reds, blacks, and dark oranges. i love chunky knitwear, plaid shirts, scarves, and big black boots.

i also love all the seasonal coffees and things that show up, and i loooove halloween.

people around me always seem to be depressed when summer is over, but i know i’ve always felt different to average people and i feel more at home when the weather is colder, darker, are more uncertain. i hate summer, so i’m usually depressed during those months haha.

butt stuff

alright, i was gonna try keep it wholesome but honestly this is just me, and it’s a serious answer lol.

i’m really self-conscious about my body but i feel confident and powerful when it comes to my butt 😅🥹 i love cute underwear that enhances my features haha.

when i was younger i used sex as a replacement for self-esteem, to try and make people like me, but there are still things from those times that i carry into a healthier relationship today.

on a much, much more serious note, i like the agency i get from being in control of my body (and what goes into it lol.)

i’m also not an athletic person but i’ve set myself goals and challenges to overcome in different ways 🥴

i have a bit of a collector mentality, at one point in time i had like 40-50 or so toys, but i’ve de-cluttered down to a single drawer of dildos and a toolbox of other items.

but like, i have such variety for my different moods that it actually does make me happy. you could say i’m finding more creative ways to fill that black-hole void in my heart 😏 i love my cute comfy small plugs for video gaming days, my bigger boys for when i have too much energy, my really big boys for when i’m up for a challenge, the escapism of a fantasy/monster dildo, and i always feel like a good boy when i’m wagging my tail plug 🐶

thanks for tagging me cuties 😘 i hope i didn’t gross anyone out 🥹

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fellreennw · 1 month

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this is my first time writing so i hope you enjoy

Title: SkillScape Chronicles: Journey of the Life Skiller

Episode 1: "The Gamer's Odyssey"

In the heart of a bustling metropolis, nestled amidst towering skyscrapers and bustling streets, lies Fellreen's cozy home. His humble dwelling serves as a sanctuary amidst the chaos of urban life, offering him a haven where he can find solace and respite after long days spent navigating the hustle and bustle of the city.

Stepping into his dimly lit room, adorned with posters of his favorite video games, Fellreen feels a sense of calm wash over him. The soft glow of his computer screen casts a warm light across the space, beckoning him to indulge in his favorite pastime.

With a fervor unmatched, he settles into his well-worn gaming chair, the familiar hum of his computer filling the room as he navigates to his favorite virtual realm – SkillScape. In this digital universe, hunting, farming, woodworking, and alchemy are not just mundane tasks, but the very essence of life itself.

As he immerses himself in the immersive landscapes and vibrant communities of SkillScape, Fellreen loses himself in the thrill of the game. With each click of his mouse and press of a button, he becomes a master of his own destiny, forging his path through the virtual wilderness with unmatched skill and determination.

But little does he know, his ordinary gaming session is about to take a fantastical turn. Unbeknownst to him, the lines between reality and fantasy are about to blur, as a mysterious force begins to stir within the depths of SkillScape, beckoning him towards a destiny he never could have imagined.

With the click of a button, Fellreen embarks on a journey that will take him beyond the confines of his mundane existence, into a world of adventure, magic, and endless possibilities. And as he delves deeper into the mysteries of SkillScape, he will discover that his true journey is only just beginning.

As Fellreen delves deeper into the intricacies of the virtual forests of SkillScape, his senses are overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the digital wilderness. The rustling of leaves, the gentle sway of branches, and the distant call of unseen creatures create an immersive experience unlike anything he's ever encountered.

Lost in the beauty of the virtual world, Fellreen's concentration is suddenly shattered by a blinding light that floods the screen. With a startled gasp, he shields his eyes, instinctively recoiling from the unexpected brightness.

When the brilliance finally fades, Fellreen slowly lowers his hands, his heart pounding with a mix of excitement and confusion. Blinking rapidly, he takes in his surroundings, his mind struggling to process the surreal scene before him.

Gone is the familiar glow of his computer screen, replaced instead by the breathtaking vista of a lush, verdant landscape. Towering trees loom overhead, their branches reaching towards the azure sky in a silent embrace. The air is alive with the melodious symphony of chirping birds and rustling leaves, a cacophony of nature's harmonious melodies.

Stunned and disoriented, Fellreen takes hesitant steps forward, his gaze sweeping over the unfamiliar terrain. Every detail is rendered with stunning realism, from the dappling sunlight filtering through the canopy to the delicate flutter of butterfly wings.

With each breath, he can feel the crisp freshness of the air filling his lungs, the earthy scent of loamy soil mingling with the sweet fragrance of wildflowers. It's as if he's been transported into a world of pure, unadulterated beauty, where the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur into insignificance.

As the initial shock begins to ebb away, a sense of exhilaration courses through Fellreen's veins. He realizes with growing excitement that he has been inexplicably transported into the very world he had been exploring through his computer screen – the world of SkillScape.

As Fellreen stands in awe of his surroundings, a profound stillness descends upon the forest, broken only by the resonant voice that reverberates through the trees like a gentle breeze.

"I am the Guardian of SkillScape," the voice intones, its timbre deep and resonant yet imbued with a sense of serene power. "Welcome, traveler, to this sacred realm."

Fellreen's heart skips a beat as he listens, his senses tingling with a mixture of apprehension and wonder. There's an undeniable aura of authority surrounding the Guardian's words, yet beneath its commanding tone lies an unmistakable sense of peace and tranquility.

"You have been chosen for a momentous task," the Guardian continues, its voice echoing through the forest with a sense of solemnity. "But I must warn you, traveler, of the looming threat that shadows this land."

Fellreen's brow furrows in concern as he listens intently, the weight of the Guardian's words sinking in.

"A dark force has arisen in SkillScape – the demon army," the Guardian explains, its voice tinged with solemnity. "Driven by malevolence and thirst for power, they seek to enslave all of mankind, plunging this realm into eternal darkness."

Fellreen's heart clenches with a sense of dread as he realizes the gravity of the situation. The fate of SkillScape hangs in the balance, and the lives of its inhabitants are at stake.

"Please, traveler," the Guardian implores, its voice softening with urgency. "I beseech you to lend your aid to the people of this world. They look to you as their champion, their beacon of hope in these dark times."

With determination burning in his chest, Fellreen nods solemnly, a newfound resolve coursing through his veins.

"I will do whatever it takes to protect this realm and its people," he vows, his voice firm with conviction.

Moved by Fellreen's resolve, the Guardian extends a hand, offering him a choice of magical weapons to aid him in his quest. Fellreen takes a moment to consider, his mind racing with possibilities.

Drawing upon his experience in the game, Fellreen selects a yumi, a traditional Japanese bow, and a katana, a symbol of honor and strength. With these weapons in hand, he feels a surge of confidence, ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead.

And so, with the Guardian's words echoing in his ears and his chosen weapons at his side, Fellreen sets forth into the unknown, his heart filled with determination and courage. For in this enchanted forest, where the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur into insignificance, the fate of SkillScape rests in his hands, and he will stop at nothing to ensure that light triumphs over darkness.

if you like this follow and like this post if i get 5 likes i will post episode 2 and follow my twitch and you tube thank you for reading my heartfelt work.

#anime #creative writing #small streamer #first time

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ash-arts-a-thing · 3 months

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So, I followed the scent of angst and ended up finding ur trollshock au, LOVIN IT so far!

Had to look up what bioshock was and its context and characters since I’m not a gamer, but I am still a bit confused bout the whole situation. U don’t have to, but do u think u could give a brief rundown of what’s going on?

Thank you!!! I’m glad you’re liking it!! I hope to do more for it soon!!

Where do I start? I haven’t gotten a comeplete timeline from begining to end, so some things aren’t difinitive, but I can give you run downs on a couple things.

Sorry this got kinda long, I’ll put it under a read more, if you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to ask!

John Dory and his parents were invited to move to Rapture for their scientific knowledge, which works for them because morally their parents are extremely bankrupt so they can get away with anything down there. JD was aiming to get into the music industry, he’s a great song writer (not naming them though) and he’s ace with a guitar, but their parents managed to talk him out of it. They claimed his entertainment skills would be put to better use by demonstrating plasmids and tonics, of course back then they weren’t comepletely aware of the side effects excessive and heavy use could do to somebody both physically and mentally.

So for a while JD was the face and name of plasmid use, his favourites being Enrage and Incinerate. The first side effects he had were horrible migraines so he uses a pair of tinted goggles to try to avoid bright lights, and around this time he’d been told they would be having another baby soon. JD, excited at the thought of being a big brother, recorded a few songs for them via audio diary and one in particular being written specifically for his sibling.

Not long after Bruce was hatched the effects of constantly destroying and rewriting his dna finally caught up to him and they quickly pulled JD from any sort of spotlight and practically erased his existance, claiming that he had to be sent back to the surface for business reasons. In reality they signed him off to the new Protector Program, Bruce was signed to the Little Sister (Brother) Program. Any male subject they tried to use for the LSP hasn’t worked, but they managed to make it work ask long as Bruce was paired JD and ONLY JD.

Unfortunately the slug they planted into Bruce had the side effect to make him age incredibly fast and while they saw it as a benefit at first, since the rest of the children in the Program were 5-6 years old, but by the end of year 3 he had the looks and mental capacity of a 30 year old. He was not happy to say the least, since he’d been put through multiple experiments to try to slow the process before he reached his ‘30s’.

They went through the same thing with the rest of the brothers, slowly perfecting the aging problem with each one before getting it right with Branch. Each brother also still has their slug in their bodies, leaving them with the residual effects they caused when they were LB, but they don’t know how long they’ll last since Clay and Floyd don’t get Adam unlike Bruce.

B, C, and F, are desperately trying to get to Branch without hurting JD or causing his body to shut down from Branch being taken from him. Floyd quickly became reckless in his attempts and constantly takes mortal damage. Bruce is trying to keep Clay and Floyd safe even forbidding them from using Plasmids and Tonics so they don’t destroy their bodies or minds. Clay is constantly torn between his two brothers, wanting them to just be a family, but knowing trying to seperate Branch and John Dory safely will most likely be impossible.

John Dory still has some part of him left, doing little things to keep his personality like the way he’s still a showmen when he uses plasmids, he’ll hum along to any of the songs he’s written if they’re played through a diary. When he hums you can hear the barest undertone of his regular voice mixed with the guttural voice of the Big Daddy’s, it’s very comforting actually. So he’s aware, but sometimes he isn’t.

Viva and Poppy were also put through the PP and LSP, Viva forcefully put through rapid aging to fit the role of a Big Sister and Poppy put through the conditioning. Viva is fully aware of everything happening around the city and does her best to keep Poppy as safe as possible. Viva and JD have a steady protector relationship due to the friendship through Poppy and Branch.

Viva also ocassionally tries to keep the other brothers informed of what’s happening around the city when she isn’t watching the kids. Her and Clay are very close, being friends before they’re conditioning and experiments took over their lives comepltely and eventually forming a romantic relationship. Viva, at first, is not happy with the way Bruce conducts things, thinking that he just wants to kill JD and be done with it until she see how he reacts to one of his brothers old recordings.

Thier goal is to make it out of Rapture, together, as a family. There are three endings, haven’t decided which would be canon, but I’m running off the ideas from B2.

The Good Ending: everybody makes it out alive and in one piece, John Dory is able to get the same treatment as Sigma in the canon games, getting freed from the conditioning and his suit so he can live a… ‘normal’ life with his family. They probably all get a big house together and help take care of Poppy and Branch as they attend school and shit and Bruce gets some help for the mental state he’d be in after the genetic issues.

The Neutral Ending: John Dory dies in order to save his brothers and the sisters. Viva would extract JD’s Adam and distribute it amongst his brothers so they’d all have a piece of him, kinda like a shoulder angel type of deal. It’s unknown if they’d all stay together.

The Bad Ending: John Dory and Bruce both die, the conditioning would end up being too much for JD to fight against and comepletely lose who he’d use to be, causing him to lash out at the rest of them. Bruce at this time would also feel his sanity slipping, using what consciousness he has left to protect them all from JD, leading them both to their deaths. When the rest finally make it to the surface they all break off, Floyd taking Branch, Clay going solo, and Viva taking Poppy with her.

#not art #anon #TrollShock AU #trolls #Bioshock AU

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seacee16 · 8 months

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when petals fall | bangchan

bangchan x original female character

warnings: mention of anxiety, panic attacks, death, angst, and grief

What happens when the stars cross the threads of two strangers trying their hardest to get through life? When an unconscious detour leads Chan into the path of a girl trying to escape the memories that haunt her mind? When strangers become friends, and friends try not to become something more?

next chapter

!! Full story on ao3 !!

ch. 1 ~ when paths cross

1:08am.

When the sky is the darkest shade of ebony and the midnight hustle and bustle of the city has passed its peak. A time for students and insomniacs. For heavy gamers and clubbing youth. And the time for those stuck in the production process of yet another song.

Tired eyes stared up at screens too bright for the dimly lit room, with a heartbeat of bars playing repetitively through the speakers laid out on the desk in front of the exhausted singer. A limp hand reached up and brushed pale blonde hair away from eyes rimmed red with exhaustion. Chan had been stuck on the same melody for the last 3 hours now. Every drop and chime were placed where they had once seemed perfect, but now everything sounded wrong and the tune made his skin crawl in annoyance. He let out a strangled groan, covering both eyes with his hands. Why couldn't he get it right?

This wasn't the first time he had been stuck like this. He was no stranger to late nights in the empty company buildings, with nothing but the faint buzz of recording equipment and his haunting melody to busy his mind. However, most nights were successful. He was skilled at getting out of the lyrical slumps he so often found himself in when no one was around. So why was it suddenly so hard to hear the very melody he had created without cringing?

Defeated, the man decided that it was time to surrender. He would no doubt be in the small studio all night if he continued to try, but all that would get him is a bad headache and no further progress. Chan stood from his seat, wincing at the pain that shot through his stiff back as it straightened. His eyes fluttered up to his laptop screen one last time in hope of having a spontaneous musical epiphany.

All he got was silence.

With a heavy sigh, he lowered the screen of his laptop, gathered his belongings and left the small room. The sound of sluggish footsteps ricocheted off the walls of long, empty passageways. A wave of vibrations was felt right above his stomach, in the weighted pocket of his oversized black hoodie. Chan retrieved his phone. A freckled face stared back up at him from just above the "answer call" icon. He swiped his thumb over the little green circle and raised the device to his ear, never slowing his stride.

"You're up late," Chan spoke into the speaker, a sliver of concern present in his voice. His members left the company hours before him. While it wasn't unusual for one of them to be up at this hour, their recently packed schedule made sure that they were all tired out by midnight. Well, all except for one.

"I could say the same about you." A low chuckle followed. The leader rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm on my way back to the dorm right now. Don't wait up, we have a busy day tomorrow." Felix hummed on the other side of the call, no doubt not believing the elder's words. "I really am this time."

"Okay, I believe you," he mused.

"Are the rest of the kids asleep?" It was first nature to him to think about his team. A soft 'yes' was heard in his side, followed by the rustle of cabinet doors and clanging metal. A smile made its way to Chan's face. "You were baking?"

Felix replied, "Yep. And I'm packing these brownies up as soon as they've cooled, so you better get here soon if you want one."

The call ended soon after, the mention of brownies adding urgency to Chan's steps. That and the desire to get in two of three hours of sleeps before their early morning.

The warm night air brushed his exposed cheekbones as he stepped out into the street. While his mask covered up a good portion of his face, he couldn't help but smile at the soft caress of the breeze after being confined in his small studio for hours on end. With the fresh air only getting sweeter by the second, the young male dismissed the driver on call and decided to take the long way home. The scenic route.

And so, bag slung over his shoulder and hands tucked deep into his pockets, he began to walk. The night surrounding him was relatively quiet, the only noise coming from the rare car passing by. Chan passed many sights. Bars raging with loud music and hints of seduction. Convenience stores brought to life by hungover men and women looking for a cure to their own over-indulgence. With every person he passed, he couldn’t help but find their story in their eyes and skin, how they walked and breathed and just were. In that sense, the night city of Seoul was but a bookshelf of novella, the country a library, and the world a singular archive spanning over hectares and history.

He passed by a dark store, closed for the night. It was easy to spot a familiar octet of faces behind the glass, each smiling brighter than the next. No matter how many people knew their name and cheered them on, Chan would never not feel small besides the towering city skyline. How different was he really to any of the strangers passing him tonight? His story was published for the world to follow, every sequel and spin-off to come.

With the reminder of his seven brothers fresh in his mind, the leader noticed that he had fallen into a daze and lost track of where he had been going. The sudden view of the Han River was what snapped Chan out of his daze completely. A mumbled string of curses fell from his lips. He had wandered too far on his detour home. Felix was bound to keep the brownies away from him now. With a soft huff, Chan made a move to turn back, but stopped when he noticed movement among the darkness. A little distance away, on a recreational patch of land right beside the river was a figure, moving around as fluidly as the body of water besides them. Looking around, not a single soul could be seen. All except for Chan and the stranger dancing in the dark. Intrigued, Chan couldn't help but make his way closer to the dancer. The opaque shine of a nearby streetlight did little to expose the person's identity from so far away, but the dull fluorescence gave away waves of dark hair and slender limbs clad in loose clothing. Another few steps closer and Chan could faintly hear a familiar melody, no doubt playing from a device belonging to the stranger. He could just make out the soft guitar of "Tenerife Sea".

Unaware of his presence, the stranger continued to dance. Long, flowing movements that made her limbs seem almost infinite. And even in the darkness, a broad smile could be seen crinkling the corners of closed eyes. She looked happy. Peaceful. Oblivious to her one-man audience. Until she wasn't.

Chan felt his breath hitch in his throat as his eyes met hers. He couldn't tell the colour of them, but the light that they held was enough to pull him closer. Just not physically. Embarrassed to have been caught staring, Chan dipped his head, his hair sheltering him from her gaze. He prayed that he hadn’t made the stranger uncomfortable. He gave himself a mental kick to the shin.

Great job, Christopher. She'll definitely leave now.

Only, she didn't. Her smile grew a little more on one end, burying her amused eyes in thin crescents. When Chan finally dared to lift his gaze, she was looking right back at him. This time, he willed himself to hold eye contact. Why? He didn't know.

After a moment, the girl resumed her dance. The only evidence of her acknowledging his presence were the quick flashes of eye contact as she turned. The smile never left her face, even when Chan took a couple more steps towards her.

Now close enough to be heard, Chan took a deep breath and said, "uhm, hello. I apologize if I interrupted you, o-or made you uncomfortable in anyway. It wasn't my intention to stare."

Her response didn't come from her lips, but her eyes. They latched onto him once more, a flicker of curiosity hidden deep within them. All the while, her dancing never ceased, only slowed so that she could focus on him more.

In another attempt, he continued, "Should you really be out here alone? It’s dangerous, especially when it’s this dark out."

"Dangerous?" She ponders, a teasing grin following her first words. "And who would I need to be protected from, exactly? Oddly handsome men who lurk in the shadows to watch strange girl’s dance?"

"Exactly, it's da-" Chan cut himself off, realizing with wide eyes what she had been referring to. The lack of artificial lighting hid his red tipped ears well, but the soft laugh heard from her direction proved otherwise. "You were referring to me, weren't you?"

She hummed a short 'yes'. "Handsome and smart. You must have all of the strangers you meet falling at your very feet." Finally, her movements ceased. All except for the quick rise and fall of her chest, heavy breaths filling the silence.

Now that she had stilled, Chan was able to see her clearly. Her dark hair reached her collarbone in swift ripples of earthy tones, all framing a rounded face littered in the faintest of stars - much like that of his best friend. He watched as a delicate hand reached up to tuck stray strands behind her ear, revealing an array of symmetrically placed studs.

"I don’t really meet many strangers," he told her honestly.

The stranger bent down to pick her phone up off the grass, sliding it into her pocket. Chan couldn't see any other belonging nearby, and came to the conclusion that her phone was all she had with her.

"Is it because you don't get out much, or because you choose to just watch them from afar?" She asked, seeming to be enjoying playing with him.

He allowed himself an awkward chuckle before replying, "trust me, I get out plenty." This caused the girl's eyebrows to shoot up. Chan rushed to correct himself, waving his hands around frantically. "Not that it’s because if the second reason either! Its neither of them."

Her lips pulled up at the corners. "You don't owe me an explanation." She reached up to pull the top layer of her hair up into a loose ponytail, giving Chan a better view of her face. "Besides," she went on. "I was just stalling while I planned my escape."

"No wait, don't leave," Chan called after her with a sinking heart. He hadn't meant to make her leave. She looked back at him over one shoulder. "I didn’t mean to bother you. You were here first. I'll go, you stay." With an apologetic smile and a small bow, Chan began his trek in the opposite direction. However, a light voice stopped him.

"Why did you come out here tonight?" He turned back to look at her. She had both hands tucked into the pockets of her sweatpants; no expression found on her face.

"What?"

"I come out here most nights. I've never seen you before. So, again, why did you come out here tonight?" Chan fiddled with the drawstrings of his hoodie. Her eyes stayed focused on him as he looked down at the ground. He finally met her gaze.

"I'm not sure, honestly. I had all the intention of heading home, but I decided to take a longer route. To help clear my head, help with the slump I've been in today. I didn’t even mean to stray so far, but I don’t know, somehow I ended up here."

The girl remained silent for a while. She seemed to be contemplating, thinking about what to say next. In the end, her words surprised him.

“Stay with me.”

“Excuse me?”

“The best way to get out of a work slump is to forget about the very thing that is troubling you. That way, when you return to the issue at hand, you’re more likely to approach it with a fresh mindset.” Her smile was enough to convince him to stay. “So, stay. You can just sit and forget for a while, and me – well, who am I to say no to company?”

Chan stared at her.

"Unless you have to get home?"

For some reason Chan found himself shaking his head immediately, eager to stay with the girl he had just met. Felix would no doubt have his head on a stake when he found out, but that would be a worry for later.

She gave him a curt nod, walking towards the river. But not before finally introducing herself.

"I'm Sakura, by the way. Sakura Itõ."

Sakura. He knew her name.

"I'm Chan."

"I know who you are," she responded with a coy smile.

The smile on his face dropped, and so did his stomach. Their entire interaction so far had led him to believe that she was oblivious to his status. There had been something refreshing about the thought of meeting someone who didn’t have any expectations of him. Chan was suddenly sceptic about her offer.

“But,” she added, presumably noticing the change in his expression, “for tonight, let’s pretend that I don’t.” Sakura took a few steps backwards towards the river, her smile still on her face. “It’s nice to meet you, Chan.”

Chan followed after her as they made their way towards the river’s edge. There was a sudden nip to the early morning air, causing him to pull his hood far over his head. Neither of the two said a word as they walked, and only stopped once they could feel the uneven sand under their shoes. The skyline in front of them resembled an ebony canvas speckled with flecks of silver and stars. Towering lights stretched upwards to touch the heavens, while its mirrored image lay scattered in ripples in the water below. Each reflecting beam seemed to descend into the dark river, as if trying to graze its freezing depths. With an infinite number of stars decorating both dark sky and river, the atmosphere remained luminous and calm.

When they finally reached the shore, Sakura spoke. “So, Chan, what do you do for a living?”

She couldn’t help but laugh at the crazed look that found his face. His mouth fell open ever so slightly, brows furrowed in the space above the strong bridge of his nose. She must have seemed insane to him. They were both painfully aware of Chan’s occupation. It was impossible not to be when living in Seoul.

“Was that meant to be rhetorical?” He asked. She shook her head. She was seriously asking.

“I don’t know who you are, remember? Its most common to ask someone about their career when getting to know them.”

“I suppose.” He eyed the girl curiously. “I work in the music industry.”

“That’s a little vague, don’t you think? Do you produce music? Are you a performer? Do you clean the studios and make sure the trashcans are always empty?”

Chan couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her response. This reaction earned a soft chuckle on her end, causing his shoulders to relax.

“I guess you could say I’m a performer. And I produce music too, for the group that I am in.” He watched as her mouth formed an ‘o’, raw interest spread across her face. He felt the base of his neck itch. “But I’d prefer not to talk about work right now.”

Sakura nodded. “Aah, so that’s the slump you’re in. Got it. No talk about your work.”

The pair came to a stop closer to the water and sat down. Chan felt the coarse sand scratch against his palms as he lowered himself, wiping his hands off on his pants to get rid of any remaining grains. Sakura sat to his right, with crossed legs and her body facing the water. The distant city lights dusted her face in a cool blue glow. The effect made her dark eyes look like deep whirl pools, her freckles a school of shadowy creatures lurking under blue tones. However, despite the hue, she gave off a warm aura that rid Chan of any cold he had once felt.

“What about you?” He found himself asking.

“I have a temporary job as an art teacher.”

“Why temporary, if you don’t mind me asking?” She smiled at his polite tone. He is exactly like I thought he would be.

“It wouldn’t be smart to take on a permanent job in a city I’m bound to leave anyway,” she told him, dragging her fingers through the sand. Sakura turned to look at him, finding his eyes already on her.

“So, you plan on moving away?”

She shrugged. “The more accurate statement would be that I plan on moving back. As much as I love it here, home is in Japan.”

Sakura Itõ.

Of course, she’s Japanese. Chan wanted to kick himself for not realizing it sooner. It was easy to tell from her name and the long, narrow shape of her eyes, but her fluency was so close to perfect that he hadn’t even noticed.

“If you live in Japan, and you plan on moving back there, why come in the first place? Since you took up a job here, you couldn’t have come for a vacation period. Nobody works on their vacation.” The side-glance she gave him screamed ‘that’s ironic coming from you’. He looked away, embarrassed to have been caught out so obviously. Chan knew that he was guilty of working on his designated off time, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to give his members the glory they deserved after all that they have been through. He wanted to give their fans more stages to be proud of. He wanted to make every soul who had doubted them for even a fraction of a second realize how wrong they had been. And if that came at a cost of late nights and little breaks, then he was willing to take it.

“I have my reasons,” was all she uttered before standing up and walking closer to the water. There she crouched down, submerging both hands into the river. The immediate cold caused her nerves to freeze, every part of her mind telling her to pull back. But then came the warmth, and all was fine once more.

“I guess I’m not the only one who’s in a slump about something.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a slump,” she responded, hands still dangling in the cool water. “Just something I’m trying my hardest to avoid for the time being.”

“Work?” Chan asked.

“Family,” she responded, touching her wrist.

The pair fell quiet at her answer.

Chan cleared his throat before backtracking to their previous conversation topic. “So, you studied art?”

Sakura stood up from her place at the water’s edge and faced Chan, her head dipping to one side. “I never said that.”

“You said that you’re an art teacher. I could only assume that that meant you studied art.”

“Actually, no. Art is more of a hobby for me; it’s not something I really tried to pursue professionally. Which is why I am only working temporarily and all of my students are about as tall as my hip,” she explained.

“So, you didn’t study?”

She took her previous seat beside him in the sand, but positioned herself to face him. Chan mirrored her movement. “I actually just completed a degree in nature conservation.” She brushed her damp hands along the length of her pants as she spoke. “I left home as soon as my final exams were over. So, now I’m here, taking a year to figure out what happens next.”

A small ‘aah’ was heard from the male. Then, silence took over once more.

Sakura looked over at Chan, observing the way his dark clothing hung from his broad frame. The familiar messy curls she knew he wore were hidden beneath his thick hood. Her eyes drifted down to his face, which was now angled towards the skyline. His eyes – reflecting the shimmers of the river surface – stared at the water. They were void of emotion. Silent.

“You’re not much of a talker,” Sakura mentioned.

Chan looked back at her, his hood tipping forward over his eyes as he shifted. He corrected the material, and said, “Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.”

Her eyebrow peaked. “I thought you were trying to forget about everything on your mind?”

He let out a nervous laugh, pushing the hood back off his head to run a hand through his hair. It was of the lightest shades of sunlight, blonde and slightly luminous under the moon's rays; fluffy and curling at the tip of each lock. “I’m not doing too great at forgetting, am I?”

Sakura agreed with him, eyes still focused on his natural hair.

“Do you have a favourite film?”

Her eyes finally left his head, dropping to the pair of eyes that were not focused on her. She tilted her head, eyebrows furrowed just above the bridge of her nose, causing a minute wrinkle in the space between.

“Is this you trying to not think about work?” she asked bluntly, chuckling when she was met with an embarrassed nod from the male. “I do.”

Chan looked back at her blankly, waiting for her to give her answer.

“Le Petit Prince.”

“’The Little Prince’? That’s your favourite movie?” Sakura nodded.

“It’s a good movie,” she argued with a simple shrug. “Lots of good messages for a supposed children’s animation. It’s my comfort movie.”

Chan thought back, trying to remember what he could about the storyline. He had seen it once before with one of his members, but nothing came to mind besides an image of a rose and a little fox. Surely each character had a bigger story, but he couldn’t seem to remember any of them.

“What about you? Do you have a favourite?”

“I don’t think I have one specific favourite, there’s a few that I don’t mind watching repeatedly, like Deadpool. But I guess ‘Inception’?”

“The one with Leonardo DiCaprio?”

“That’s the one.”

A wave of heat spread across Sakura’s cheeks. “Can’t say I’ve ever gotten around to watching it.”

Chan’s eyes widened.

“You’re joking.”

“I am not,” she responded with a head shake.

“You have to watch it some time. It’s seriously amazing, a piece of pure cinematic genius. Both the storyline and the cinematography. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching it.”

“What’s it about?”

And so, she watched as the boy spoke about the film's plot, going into great depth without spoiling anything. His hands would wave around and make motions to aid in his explanation of the way the advanced CGI made the city skyline fold in on itself, and how each character had one item that kept them tethered to the real world. Sakura lost focus on his explanation halfway through it, but hadn’t the heart to tell him that it was because she couldn’t stop admiring the sheer calm his face held as he spoke. It was a sight she had never seen before. His skin was void of any tense wrinkles, and the corner of his mouth would twitch upwards in an almost-smile whenever he would stop to think of how he could explain a particular scene without giving too much away.

“Well, after that rant, I kind of have to watch it,” she teased, knowing full well that she would find the film online as soon as she found the time.

His gaze dropped to the grass they sat on, smiling down. “You don’t have to watch it.”

“But I will anyway.”

Chan’s smile widened. He wasn’t sure why, but knowing that she would take his recommendation excited him. Suddenly, he wanted to know what she would think about it. Which part would be her favourite. If she would spend hours looking for explanations to certain scenes to calm her mind, the same way he had when he first watched the movie.

It was that moment that Chan caught a glimpse of the dark screen of the phone laying on the ground between them. White numbers illuminated the black background, drawing in his attention immediately.

3:47am.

It dawned on him that he would have to leave soon. They had an early practice scheduled for later in the morning and Chan didn’t want to let any of the members down by missing it.

Once again, his eyes fell on the girl. She was watching him quietly, as if trying to figure out the very thoughts swimming around in his head. But when his eyes fluttered back down, she seemed to understand. A content smile formed on her face.

Chan stood up slowly. “I should leave. Fe- I mean my roommate will kill me if I don’t get any sleep again.”

“Again?” Sakura questioned, the slightest hint of worry in her eyes.

“As if you don’t know,” he teased.

She smiled, and a soft ‘touché’ fell from her lips in response.

Chan looked at her. It had been nice to forget about his world for a while, but reality had begun to set in. He had stayed out with a complete stranger in the earliest hours of the morning. While he was sure that they had been completely alone the entire time, he couldn’t afford to be naïve and believe that this wouldn’t get out. He couldn’t risk his group’s image like that.

“Listen, I-”

“I won’t tell anyone, Christopher. Your secret is safe with me,” Sakura promised with a genuine smile on her face. Her eyes were honest. Maybe he could trust her after all. Chan nodded, offering a quick bow before walking away. However, he didn’t make it very far before a thought popped into his mind. Her turned around, surprised to see her still watching him from where they had sat.

“You called me Christopher,” he said, fighting the urge to grin.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. “You should get back to your members. The night is almost over.”

And just like that, he watched as she walked back towards the cold water. When she was just a shadow in the distance, Chan began the journey to his destination. Only, it wasn’t the one he originally had in mind.

#stray kids #bang chan #lee know #hyunjin #hwang hyunjin #lee felix #felix #han jisung #seo changbin #changbin #seungmin #i.n #jeongin #fanfic #angst #fluff #comfort

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rawliverandgoronspice · 11 months

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Hello.

You and gay-jesus-probably have successfully made me question everything with your view that Tears of the Kingdom is imperialist propaganda, so that's been fun.

Anyway, I decided to share this discussion with the Zelda fans on reddit, and perhaps unsurprisingly, a lot of them disagreed. Here is what they said (I'm Alarming_Afternoon44):

So what do you think? Have I and all these other people just been duped by the game's manipulative framing? Or do they actually have a point?

And if you'd rather not answer this, or would prefer if I censored the usernames, just tell me and I'll delete this.

Hey! Thanks a lot for reaching out, and I'm glad it made you think stuff through!!

Honestly, as I mentioned in this post, I am not super interested about in-world conversations about who oppresses who, because what can be assessed from the game is super vague and more vibes-based than evidence-based. Within the text, of course that the Good Zonais are good and the Bad Ganondorf is bad! But that's my whole point! The narrative has been deliberately crafted so that the zonais and Rauru (and Hyrule) are as blameless as possible (and it's not doing a great job at it overall to be frank; we would not be having these conversations about how offputting it all feels for a non-zero number of people if it did do a great job). More importantly, I want to focus on what sort of real-life narrative it all parallels. Because people make stories, and people live in the real world.

Not going after everyone's throat here, gamedev is hard and the hydras that are AAA game production do end up doing super weird stuff, especially since the thematic ramifications are absolutely never prioritized (and it's also always the same kind of people who make the final calls and push out what can and can't be talked about also). And as fans, we tend to have trouble stepping outside the lens of lore and take a look at the bigger picture sometimes; not as an attack on any individual part of that decision-making process but to just pause, stop, and question our standards, our priorities and the kind of reality (or skewing of reality) the stories we tell each other reflect.

Again: do we want to take videogames seriously or not? If we do, then we need to accept they are a vehicle for ideology, just like any other artform. And sometimes, you push out questionable ideology, sometimes without meaning to, because you didn't unpack your own biases as you did. And it's even fine to do it, nobody is perfect, a 300+ people team spread over 6 years certainly will not be that. But that it wasn't prioritized is, in my opinion, a problem. As a narrative designer, I want games (at least the narrative side) to be held to a higher standard than this. It's literally my job to work with the industry so it can hold itself to higher standards of quality --so the whole TotK situation is quite frustrating to witness from a very pragmatic, work perspective where I already spend my days trying to convince people that things mean things. I have a vested interest here in not having the companies I work for being given a free pass by gamers to do literally whatever as long as it's fun, especially when we're talking about a billion-dollars company suing its own fans left and right for any perceived slight. Nintendo are not underdogs here. It's fine to point out they cut corners and maybe promoted messy ideologies, voluntarily or not.

So long story short: no I don't believe anyone here has a point in regards to what I think is actually important, which is why these choices were made in the first place. If you look at an imperialist text expecting the text to tell you that it's imperialist instead of recognizing a framing used for propaganda by yourself, you're never gonna find any imperialist text ever, obviously not!! I'm sorry if I sound a little gngngn here, but I don't know why audiences have, at large, this feeling that lore and story beat decisions materialize themselves already formed and without any human bias, meddling, intervention, internal politics or approximations (it seems that people can only conceptualize this part if they have actual names to attach to the story, but without clear authors it's like there are no authors and so no bias, which is... a very strange bias in itself). I can promise you that it does not work that way in practice: every narrative department on every big game is a battlefield --some nicer than others, but all of them very emotionally draining either way.

So yeah, I guess that on these grounds, I disagree with every point raised here. Sorry Reddit :/

But thank you for the ask and sorry if I didn't go more into details as to why. The big Why I Dislike Rauru Post and the Gerudo Post might have some more specific rebuttals, but I am not super interested in debating small detail stuff tbh. I feel like it's no use if the frame of reference isn't being understood in the first place.

#totk spoilers #totk #totk critical #thoughts #asks #yeah I just disagree with a lot of these in general but I just don't feel like going through them one by one sorry ;_;#feel like I'm starting to repeat myself #especially for a game I liked okay but will definitively not revisit in the long run #tho @ the last redditor: yes thank you for proving my point because do you actually know about afghanistan's recent history :))#like... who funded the mujahideens' war not so long ago :))))) and for what purpose :)))))))))#everything said by that redditor is 100% far right propaganda it's not even a little bit anything else it's textbook applied imperialism #it's.... yeah how do you want to have these sorts of conversations when the real life parallels are unackowledged #I don't know it's just.... so frustrating to me that so many people have such a hard time to unpack external influences in media #or do not know how to pull apart thematic framings from in-world fluff #sorry if I sound a little dry but it's just... it's all a bit tiring honestly #I'm glad this made you reconsider things! or that you took the time to read stuff through even!! thank you!!!#and thanks for compiling the whole thing!!#I feel like it's a good way of showcasing well... the narrative doing a good job at defending itself #but not disputing that the entire framing is deeply flawed #at least in my opinion

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