#actual segment from a lecture slide today

[buscemifan]

[kaistarus]

BitterSweet

Pairing: Itadori YuujiXReader

Words: 2.4K

Summary: How Yuuji makes his way into your life with brights smiles and shitty coffees

A/N: just in time for his b-day :3 i’ve loved this boi since before i even started jjk, so i’m glad I got to finally write for him lol

Masterlist

Bitter.

Bitter-with a hint of vanilla-was what you associated with Itadori Yuuji. His beaming smile at your first tutoring session forever connected with the pungent coffee he offered you.

You stared at the cup skeptically, “what is that?”

“Coffee?” Yuuji answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I thought every college student liked coffee.”

He wasn’t wrong, “but why did you get it?”

“Because you got up so early to help me,” Yuuji’s smile widened as he waved the drink around.

“Well I’m scheduled, so I would have been here whether you signed up or not.” You pointed out, glancing at the clock nearby that read too-early-in-the-morning and gestured for him to hand it over. He looked so pleased with himself that you were sure if he was a dog his tail would be going wild.

That was the only explanation you had for why you didn’t tell Yuuji it was the worst thing you’d ever tasted, hiding your full body cringes when he looked up after digging through his backpack.

“So, what are we doing first?” He asked excitedly, holding a creased notebook with uneven pages and a packed folder with papers hanging out. You stared at it wearily, but unfortunately he was far from the worst case scenario-a folder was huge compared to some you’d run into.

“I guess just give me your last exam and we’ll work from there.”

Yuuji chuckled awkwardly, fingering through the mass of papers in his folder before producing a packet marked heavily in red ink. You sighed at the single digit number at the top with a frowny face beside it.

Looked like you and Itadori Yuuji were going to be spending a lot of time together.

**************

“You’re overthinking it, Yuuji.” You rubbed your temples having spent the last thirty minutes working through the same problem with no success. You were beginning to lose all hope.

“But it doesn’t make any sense,” he groaned, leaning back in his seat. “I’m supposed to figure out the probability of what movies were action movies, but how was she able to watch eighty movies in one week?”

“That isn’t the question.”

“It isn’t possible though!” He jabbed his eraser at the paper. “Did she sleep? I bet this Melissa chick fast forwarded or skipped.”

“Yuuji…”

“Can you go a full week without sleep? If she slept through some, are they part of the eighty?” He gripped his pink locks in frustration. “How do I know which she slept through? Is there a timeline?”

You deadpanned as he scanned the page stressfully like it was holding him hostage with its contents, “I don’t think they provide a timeline, no.”

“Sorry,” Yuuji sighed defeated, slouching forward to rest his chin on the library’s table. “I swear I’m trying.”

You leaned against your palm, eyes softening as he glared at the homework sheet under him. “Don’t apologize,” you slid the sheet from under his chin. “You’re my favorite session after all.”

“I am?” He perked up.

You rolled your eyes while circling a segment of the first word problem. “You can just make up wild backstories for each person. Melissa doesn’t have to sleep and can absorb movies abnormally fast or something.”

Yuuji blinked several times as his lips curved into a smile. “What about the guy who owns over four-hundred chickens?”

You forced down your own smile and shrugged, “he’s just lonely.”

Yuuji laughed, continuing down the page while spewing out ridiculous stories for the unfortunate names in the Stats problems. Your heart beat firm in your chest at how excited he was now while scanning the page. The ticking clock above you felt like a curse the closer it got to the end of your session.

You guessed you didn’t hate the mornings anymore if they were with him.

*************************

You tapped your pencil’s eraser impatiently on the booth's table. The smell of brewing dark roast drifting through the small cafe accompanied by the combined noises of workers preparing early risers beverages kept you from dozing off where you sat. Finally, after what felt like forever-probably a few minutes-Yuuji slid into the booth across from you and placed a mug in front of you.

“I can buy my own coffee, Yuuji.” You took the mug wearily, eyes darting around the near empty cafe you’d decided to meet at this week to ‘spice things up’ in his words. “People might get the wrong idea.”

“I didn’t think you cared about that stuff,” he said with a teasing smile that you returned with a half-assed glare. “It’s my payment for making me smarter.”

“I already get paid,” you pouted at the drink in your hands. “And you’re already smart. I just help you understand it.”

He didn’t respond and you glanced over, confused at his slack jaw expression.

“Oh,” he started shuffling through his backpack and you swore his cheeks were dusted pink. “Yeah, that-uh-makes sense.”

“Right,” you raised a brow at the weird response, but decided it wasn’t worth pursuing. There wasn’t enough time in the world to question every random thing Yuuji did.

 “What’s on the schedule today boss?”

“Your exam’s tomorrow,” you said, pulling some sheets from your own backpack. “I printed your practice exam since I’m guessing you didn’t know it existed.”

“Hey,” he pouted. “I didn’t, but still...”

You snorted, sliding the packet across the table. “Just do the ones you can and I’ll help with the rest.”

He saluted you, unnecessarily scribbling his name across the top before getting to work-his tongue poking out adorably while his eyes scanned the words intensely. You felt your chest filling with an unfamiliar warmth as you watched him work and your hand drifted subconsciously toward the mug next to you.

You coughed, unprepared for the harsh flavor, only wiping the grimace off your face when Yuuji peered upward with an innocent head tilt. Your heart squeezed when you locked eyes too long with his dark hazel before a soft smile filtered onto his lips. You quickly dropped your stare, hoping that if you avoided looking at him you could avoid the weird feeling emotion rolling in your stomach as well.

***************

You slouched up the library's stairwell, pushing through the second story’s double doors that led to your usual reserved tutoring table. The school really needed to push back your start time-seven in the morning was way too early for any college student to effectively teach or learn anything. The only person ridiculous enough to continuously sign-up for this time was-

You gripped your backpack straps as strong arms wrapped themselves around your midsection, picking you off the ground without warning. An unwanted frightened squeal left your lips before you recognized Yuuji’s laughter behind you and you relaxed as much as you could with him spinning you around in a library half-full of people.

“What are you doing?” You glared at him over your shoulder, cheeks warm from embarrassment at the scene he was causing.

“I got a C!”

You blinked several times before prying his arms off you, “are you serious?”

“Yeah,” he slid his backpack off, digging around before offering you a crumpled up packet with a seventy-four and a smiley written on top. You stared at it with a growing smile and without thinking too much you wrapped your arms around his neck.

“Yuuji, this is amazing!”

“I know,” he laughed, encircling your waist awkwardly given your backpack. “My roommate didn’t believe me. She’s doing my dishes for a week thanks to you.”

You weren’t sure you felt good about that after seeing his level of disorganization, but you smiled back anyway. “I’m so proud of you.”

Which was true. Your chest was swollen near bursting with pride for him and he’d only gotten a C. You told yourself it was because of your own skills as a tutor, but had you ever been this excited for someone?

“Hey, we should celebrate.” Yuuji stuffed the exam back into his bag. “Do you wanna-”

“Can you guys quiet down?” a guy with four crushed energy drink cans and food wrappers laying haphazardly around him asked. “I can’t focus and I just wanna go home, dude.”

“Sorry,” you whispered as warmth crept up your neck, turning Yuuji toward the exit as he stared at the guy in amazement. “We’ll leave you alone.”

“How long have you been here?” Yuuji asked in awe.

“Twenty-five… No, maybe eight...” The guy narrowed his eyes at the clock. “Time’s an illusion man.”

Yuuji nodded, impressed, shooting the guy a thumbs up as you pushed him toward the doors. Once in the stairwell you shot him a bright smile, “celebrate?”

He nodded excitedly. “We can get coffee!”

You turned away quickly to cover your panic, “or maybe anything else?”

Yuuji hummed, “I guess change can be nice.”

Your heart did a bizarre skip at the soft look in his eyes and you hurriedly started down the stairs without him. You spent more time that morning brushing off each reaction to Yuuji than enjoying your time with him. When everything was done you started thinking that you were having a hard time kidding even yourself.

**************

You and Yuuji had been working in silence for the past twenty minutes-the longest he’d gone without needing help since he’d signed up for tutoring. It was a great sign that for some reason had your stomach knotting uncomfortably.

“You’re doing really good,” you complimented, admiring the delighted smile he gave you.

“Yeah, I used what you said about note taking for lecture.” He showed you his notes that were beyond chaotic, but apparently worked for him. “I actually understand what’s going on now.”

“That’s great,” you looked down at your Chem problems and attempted to keep your tone light. “You probably won’t need tutoring soon if this-.”

You heard his pencil snap and looked up to find him staring holes through his paper. He seemed tense as he pressed his pencil roughly against the notebook and you wondered what word problem would’ve caused that reaction.

“Are you stuck? Do you want me to-”

“I like you.”

You paused mid-reach for his textbook and locked eyes with him, his cheeks flaring up a dark pink. You opened and closed your mouth several times before mumbling out a weak, “what?”

“And I don’t want you to tutor me,” he looked frustrated with himself when you tilted your head at his contradictory statements. “I mean, I do, but not always. I just want to spend time with you and not talk about Stats because I hate Stats, but I really like you.”

That weird feeling was back. The one where your chest felt tight and your heart was beating too quickly and your stomach sort of felt like you might throw up, but all in a good way and that made everything weirder. It was a lot and not enough and that made you nervous.

“I don’t know, Yuuji.” You lied.

“That’s okay,” he smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “No pressure. I just sprung it on you, so I don’t blame you.”

You nodded, watching him dig around his bag for a second pencil while grumbling about organizing that you knew would never happen. Your heart ached in your chest as you watched him continue working casually, playing off whatever happened.

...but you weren’t sure you could do the same.

************

This was a terrible idea.

You swung your legs, perched atop a railing across from a building that Yuuji was currently taking his midterm. It didn’t matter how you got that information-accessing his schedule with the few perks your job gave you-all that mattered was you had five minutes to figure out what you were going to say to him.

This wouldn’t even be an issue if he hadn’t skipped tutoring a few days ago. You weren’t sure if he thought you hated him or if he was regretting confessing to you, but either way you needed to talk to him before your window closed.

If only any of the speeches you could think of weren’t absolutely humiliating. Three minutes now? That should be enough time for you to at least get the beginning-

“(Y/N)?”

Your head whipped to the side so fast you're sure you got whiplash, dumbfounded that Yuuji was standing there with his head cocked to the side.

“You finished early,” you said, face warming at his growing confusion. “Not that I would know that.”

“Right.” He gave you a once-over. “Whatcha doing here?”

“Uh,” your nose crinkled while searching for a reasonable excuse. You sighed when you came up empty. “You skipped tutoring.”

Yuuji’s eyebrow rose and he waved his hands around. “I accidentally slept through it.” Then you noticed the gears started turning in his head and you began shrinking in on yourself. “You came here because I skipped a lesson?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure if you were going to keep skipping,” you avoided his eyes, chewing on the inside of your cheek. “It’s a bad habit.”

He knew you were full of shit. You could tell by the way he was forcing down a smirk when you stared at your feet. This would obviously be going so much better if you had those three minutes to prepare.

“Thanks for checking in,” he smiled, fishing around in his pocket and holding out his phone. “We should probably exchange numbers so you don’t have to go through all this trouble next time.”

You eyed the phone and rolled your eyes, “makes sense.”

He looked overjoyed when you took it from his hands. Your heart felt like it would pound out of your rib cage while he watched you create your contact, your fingers shaking slightly under the pressure.

“As an apology, I should probably take you to get food too.”

You paused, looking up at his hopeful gaze before nodding shyly. “That seems fair.”

The smile that overtook his face was probably the largest you’d ever seen and your heart nearly exploded when he grabbed your hand, pulling you away from the building. You probably should have seen this coming the moment you began looking forward to your morning shifts with him. As he dragged you down the street you found yourself not caring where he took you-you knew you’d be happy as long as he was with you.

[theradicalscrivener]

Big Dick Energy

The idea behind this fic was inspired by a recent series of pics done by Gasaiv over on twitter. Although I may have “expanded” on the idea a bit ;)

Steven needs a serious pick-me-up if he is going to survive a day of classes on next to no sleep. Fortunately, there’s a store near campus that ought to carry just what he needs—an aptly named drink known as “Big Dick Energy”.

              Even before Steven had laid down for a nap, he knew the morning was going to be rough. He had gotten so caught up in the rush of the grand finale of the series that he was watching that he had to see it through to the bitter end in one sitting. As he laid down at 5 am to grab a few winks before his 8 am class, Steven quietly cursed Netflix and their business model. When his alarm inevitable blared in his ear little more than two hours later, Steven was feeling positively rancorous. He had had some double espresso days, but this, he knew, would require something even more drastic.

              Fortunately, there was a small convenience store right off campus that lay directly along his path from his dorm to class. Due to the oddities that are zoning rules, the convenience store was “on campus” for all intents and purposes, but it was not actually a campus establishment. As such, they were free to carry whatever wares they saw fit, and many of the items that lined their shelves could not be found anywhere else. This was just fine for Steven. He knew he needed something with enough caffeine to give a horse a heart murmur, and he doubted he’d find something like that at the campus stores.

              Steven perused the shelves of the shady establishment. He saw all the staples ranging from Starbucks to Coke and even some stuff he was sure was illegal in his state, but none of those were quite what he was looking for. He was just about to settle for a Red Bull when he saw it.

              On a shelf in the back of the store was a six pack of green and purple cans. Each can was emblazoned with the silhouette of the male member, and the name made it clear why it had such a logo. “Big Dick Energy” the cans read. That sounded like the kind of kick Steven needed to get through the day, so he hastily carried the cans up to the register, paid, and shoved the entire pack in his bag.

              Steven barely made it out of the shop before reaching into his bag and plucking one of the six cans.  He popped the top and quickly downed the contents of the entire can. 20 full fuid ounces of what tasted like berry fresh battery acid passed his tongue and flowed down his throat, burning every inch of the way. Steven let out a sound that was half sigh of refreshment and half groan of pain after doing the deed.

              The effects were almost instantaneous. Steven felt a jolt of energy coursing through his body, and something else as well. He felt warm and tingly all over – especially down in his nether regions. His cock felt nice and plumped up almost as if he was sporting a semi in his shorts. Steven was no stranger to energy drinks, but this was the first time he could ever claim to have been turned on by drinking one. He chalked it up to being partially sleep drunk and went on his way towards class.

              As he passed the engineering building, something caught his eye – his own reflection! The solid wall of tinted windows served as a mirror in which he could view himself, and he had to admit, he liked what he saw. He was sure it was just his sleep deprived brain playing tricks on him, but the bulge in his shorts was looking pretty choice. It was painfully obvious that he was free-balling (he had been too tired to get cleaned up for class and set out in his pajamas) but Steven doubted anyone would complain too much. His bulge looked amazing! Steven had always been painfully average down south, but today it looked like he had a solid eight inches of floppy dong with a pair of golf ball sized nuts to go along with his thick sausage. He chalked the plus-sized package up to a trick of the light caused by his lack of sleep. He just hoped his bulge looked half as hot to others as it looked to himself.

              Steven managed to slide into class right as the professor was getting ready to take roll. Roll was more of a formality than anything else at this point. This was a relatively small, discussion style class as opposed to one of those giant auditorium lectures. As such, everyone knew each other, and if anyone was missing, it was pretty obvious.

              Steven couldn’t be sure, but it felt like all eyes were on him as he crept in the door and made his way to his seat at the back of the room. There were a few audible gasps as well. Steven’s mind was racing. It felt like one of those dreams where he had shown up to class and forgotten his pants. Everyone’s eyes were glued to his crotch just like in his pantsless dreams, but Steven was absolutely sure he was both wide awake and fully clothed.

              Things seemed to calm down after Steven took his seat. With his plus-sized package safely hidden from view, the rest of the class had nothing to ogle, and soon things settled into the standard routine. The professor would go down the list and ask someone to speak up about what they read the previous day. Meanwhile, Steven found himself drifting in and out of consciousness. He was just so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. Even with a full can of Big Dick Energy coursing through his veins he was barely holding it together. This called for more drastic measures.

              Steven reached into his bag and fumbled blindly for another can. It didn’t take him long to find it, and once he had it, he quickly popped the top and power slammed the second can much as he had done the first.

              Once again, Steven felt a rush course through him. His skin felt like he had an electrical current running through it, and his cock felt twice as chubbed up as it had mere moments ago. He was amazed that he could even get hornier than he already was. He had been feeling hot and bothered since his first can. He had expected the pleasantly plumped sensation to die down as the day went on, but if anything, it had gotten more intense. Steven couldn’t help himself. His cock felt so amazing and he was so horny that he just could not keep his hands off of it. He slipped a hand beneath his desk and stroked the length of his shaft through his shorts.

              Something felt off. His cock felt massive! He wrapped his hand around the thick shaft, and it felt like he was gripping a pool noodle. His dick felt thicker than his wrist! There was no way this could be correct. Steven figured it had to be a trick of his sleep-deprived mind.

              Steven didn’t have long to contemplate just how huge his dick felt. Soon the sound of his own name being called snapped him back to reality.

              “Steven? Are you awake?” The professor asked.

              “Yessir,” Steven sputtered.

              “It’s your turn to present,” the professor said.

              “Present?” Steven asked.

              “Page thirteen. Third paragraph.” The professor explained.

              “Oh, right,” Steven said. He quickly flipped his book to the correct page and skipped the paragraph to get a feel for what he was supposed to be reading. Everything seemed pretty standard. He would read the paragraph and discuss what he thought of the contents. He had bullshitted his way through this class so far. Why stop now?

              Steven slid his seat back and stood up. No sooner had his crotch come into view from behind his desk than he heard the gasps from the entire class.

              “What the fuck!?” someone gasped.

              “No way…” Someone else murmured.

              “He’s huge!” another said.

              It seemed the whole class was fixated on Steven’s bulge. Steven tried not to pay attention to it and focus on his assignment, but it was proving impossible to do. No matter how hard he tried to focus, the thoughts in the back of his mind drowned out all else. He wasn’t that big, was he?

              Steven repositioned his book a little further from his chest, giving him a clear view straight down to his crotch, and even he had to gawp at what he saw. His cock was far too large for his own shorts! His once loose and airy basketball shorts were now packed to bursting with an enormous set of cock and balls. His soft cock had to be over a foot long! It was thicker than his forearm! He had two fat nuts the size of schoolyard kick balls. His package was so massive that the sheet weight of it was pulling his pants down. His entire well-kept crotch was on display as well as the first few inches of his massive cock!

              Steven tried to speed through his presentation as quickly as possible so he could get back behind his desk and take stock of his situation, but just knowing how massive and amazingly sexy his cock and balls had become was driving him wild. Add onto that the comments and leers from his fellow peers, his already enormous cock was quickly growing into a gigantic rod!

              As soon as his presentation was over, Steven ducked back behind his desk and tried to play it off as if nothing had happened, but the rest of the class wasn’t about to forget so quickly. Steven could see the sidelong glances and stares from his classmates and even the professor. The whole room was abuzz with whispers and comments as the class devolved into a conversation about Steven’s enormous package. Steven had to admit it felt pretty good to be so amazingly hung that just his bulge could stop an entire class dead in its tracks, but at the same time he couldn’t stop worrying. There was no way this was normal. His dick shouldn’t have just surged in size like this, and since everyone else around him was keenly aware of the changes as well, Steven could not write this off as just a trick of the mind. This was really real!

              There was so much chatter going on that the professor never did manage to get the class under control. Eventually the bell rang to release the class without so much as another presenter reading their segment. As soon as he heard the shrill ringing, Steven was out the door. He clutched his bag in front of his crotch and made a bee line for the bathroom. Steven quickly ducked into one of the stalls, hung his pack on the hook inside the door, and plopped his ass down on the toilet. He sat there for a moment and just stared in awe at his bulge. His package was beyond huge! His cock looked now far thicker than his arm, but he needed to be sure. He had to see the true size of it firsthand.

              Steven reached down and fished his bait and tackle out from the front of his shorts. Even just the sheer heft of his package amazed him. His cock was so heavy it was like hoisting a slab of beef, and his nuts were even more immense. Either hefty orb was like lifting a sack of flour. He had balls the size of extra ripe cantaloupe. If things kept going as they were going, his nuts would soon be big enough to take the prize at the state fair! Even just the thought of it made his already massive cock chub up a bit more.

              Steven silently chastised himself for finding his situation as hot as he did. He knew he should be horrified, not horny! And yet even as he grumbled under his breath, his cock steadily inflated in his hands. He was quickly flying at half-mast. His hands gripped his thick cock. His rod was so thick that he couldn’t even get his hands fully around it. His cock was thicker than his own neck! And as it got steadily harder and harder and stood upright in its full upright and locked position, Steven soon saw that it reached up to his chest. If it was just a little larger, he could lick the pre-drooling tip without even having to hunch over! Steven didn’t want to admit that the mere thought drove him wild, but the steady ramp up in pre made that painfully obvious.

              Steven was too far gone to stop then. The sheer amazement he felt as he stared down the barrel of his own cannon mixed with his hormones and drove him over the edge. All he wanted to do was see what his new and improved cock could do, and plus, it wasn’t like he would be able to get it back into his pants in its current state. One way or the other, he had to get it soft again, and the quickest way to do that would be to blast his spunk all over the stall.

              Steven hunched over and pressed his lips against the slit of his massive cock. Warm pre flooded his mouth. The taste of it, the sensation of his own mouth against his massive cock, the feeling of his colossal cock in his hands all conspired to make him hornier than he ever had been in his life. He almost creamed right then and there, but he managed to keep his load down. It wouldn’t do to blow so soon. He had plenty of time before his next class, and he wanted to savor this moment.

              Steven continued to suckle the tip of his own cock. He sucked down gulp after gulp of pre as he stroked his fat cock with both hands. He could feel his foreskin press against his face with each pump of his massive cock. He could feel his huge nuts swinging in time with his strokes. Feeling his kickball sized stones between his knees drove him wild. They were so huge and heavy. He loved how they felt, and in the back of his mind he found himself fantasizing about what it would be like if they were even larger.

              How large is too large? Is there even such a thing? In his hormone addled state, Steven couldn’t come up with an answer. All he knew was he was hornier than he had ever been, and he owed it all to his new and improved package. He had a cock beyond anything he had ever dreamed of. He had a dick to make even the biggest porn star gawk. Even just one of his nuts would completely eclipse the biggest porn stars entire cock and balls and then some!

              Steven knew he was reaching his limits. He could feel his massive balls tense up. He could feel his enormous cock shuddering in his hands. He wanted to hold back, but he knew it was a losing battle. He was just about to lean back and accept the climax when a sudden burst of clarity flooded his mind. If he came right then and there he was going to be drenched in spunk! On one hand that sounded hot as hell, but that small bit of clarity shining through the haze of his own arousal reminded him that if he coated himself in spunk, he’d have to attend his next class like that. Even so, part of Steven’s mind thought that sounded hot, but he still managed to fight for control of his own thoughts.

              Steven hopped up from his seat and aimed his massive cock at the toilet. His dick was so rigid that he couldn’t hope to push it far enough down to point at the bowl, so he had to lean over the toilet. He placed one hand against the far wall to steady himself and used the other hand to push his dick down. It took some finesse, but he managed to get in position before the dam broke, and when the dam broke, it broke hard!

              Steven was so flooded with carnal pleasure that he could barely stay standing. His whole body shuddered with orgasmic bliss as his massive balls pumped out shot after massive, gooey shot of spunk! Steven couldn’t believe how much he was cumming. Even with his new and improved cock and balls, the sheer volume of spunk was incredible. By the third spurt, Steven had completely filled the bowl! There was nothing Steven could do but watch in awe as his own cum began to spill over the rim. He just didn’t have any spare hands to reach the lever to flush it, and even if he did, he doubted it’d get the job done. His thick spunk would no doubt clog the pipes in short order. All he could do was continue to lean over the bowl and cum and cum again.

              Spunk slopped over the rim of the bowl and plopped onto the cold tile floor below. Spooge oozed outwards and gooshed into the neighboring stalls. Spunk pooled around Steven’s feet. He could feel the warm cum seeping through the canvas of his shoes, and still he kept cumming! By the time his wads finally began to taper off, there was a standing pool of spooge three inches thick in the bathroom.

              Steven was so winded that he wanted to collapse right then and there and bask in the afterglow, but that was not an option. For starters, there was nowhere for him to sit! The toilet was overflowing with spunk, and the floor was coated in jizz! The best he could hope for was to get out of the bathroom before anyone noticed the mess he had made and find somewhere else to collect his thoughts.

              Steven shoved his steadily deflating cock back into his shorts, slung his pack over his shoulder and plodded through the muck out of the bathroom and into the hall. He tried to act as casual as he could even as jizz seeped into the hall. Steven made pretty good time to his next destination. He had half a mind to place his pack over his crotch as he had done when he fled class earlier, but he decided not to. He was enjoying all the glances and stares he was getting from the student body. Seeing the awe in their faces filled him with no small amount of pride. The rush of pride also served to cause his cock to once again stir to life. Even though he had just flooded the bathroom with gallons upon gallons of cum, his balls seemed full all over again. Steven had half a mind to find another bathroom to destroy, but he knew he didn’t have that kind of time. His next class was coming up, and he couldn’t afford to miss the exam.

              Just thinking about the exam seemed to cause Steven’s exhaustion to come rushing back. Cumming like a firehose had really taken it out of him, not to mention the painful lack of sleep he was dealing with. It was obvious that if he hoped to get through the next class, he was going to need at least another can of Big Dick Energy.

Looking for more stories? 

Check the [Series List] to browse series and check out synopsis and kink list for each 

Or check the [Kink Compendium] to browse all stories and series based on fetish. 

Browse art for all series over in the [Art Gallery] 

Take your favorite stories with you on the go with ebooks available at [Ziel’s Book Shop] 

If you like what you have read, consider [Buying me a Ko-Fi] or supporting me on [Patreon] Even just $1 goes a long way and there's even some perks for donating. Follow me on [Twitter] for story updates.

[jencala]

Fanfic Author Challenge

The challenge is to post segments from 4 of your favorite fics you have written. They can be as long or as short as you wish, and you may provide the readers with some insight on why you chose this fragment.

I know I was tagged by a couple of people but it’s been a while and I’m finally getting around to it.  Sorry!  And oh boy, this is hard to choose!

1. Of Masters and Slaves

Sirius didn’t speak for a moment, but held his mother’s unwavering stare. “I understand.   Mother .”

“Oh dear, I don’t think you truly do.” Walburga’s quiet laughter teetered on madness as she raised her wand and aimed it at her son. “I think you need another lesson to truly drive home the point. Crucio !”

Sirius crumpled to the floor, convulsing under the onslaught of the curse.  His muscles felt like they would burst into flames as the feeling of liquid fire raced through his veins, his limbs twisting as the sensation of his bones breaking and melting caused an inhuman scream to tear its’ way out of his throat.

Remus could only stand there, cemented to the ground as he watched— unable to do anything to help Sirius or stop the madwoman from torturing her own flesh and blood.  His hands curled into themselves, his nails drawing blood as he restrained himself from reaching for Sirius when every fiber of his being was telling him to move—to do something other than just stand there.

The Black matriarch finally released the spell and stood over her son, watching with a pleased quirk to her lips as Sirius still shook from the effects of the curse, tremors racking his body. “Very well then.  Have you learned your lesson today, Sirius?”

Sirius slowly opened his eyes, excruciating pain coursing through every cell of his body as he tried to focus on the imposing figure standing above him.  

“Ah, I see you need some reminding of what the lesson was about, so let me explain clearly.”  Walburga smiled almost pleasantly. “You see, I do believe you were under the mistaken impression that by allowing you to defile yourself with this beast it was a reward of some sort for agreeing to marry Bellatrix.  Oh no, my dear.”  Her chuckle struck fear deep in Remus’ heart. “You see, you will marry Bellatrix by month's end regardless of whatever creature warms your bed beforehand. It is dear Bella’s decision as to how she deals with your predilections after your vows. However, Fenrir will be coming to collect the beast for his own within a fortnight.”

Sirius struggled to speak. “Wh-what for?”

Walburga raised an eyebrow coolly. “Whyever should I have cared to find out?” She turned to leave, but stopped and leveled her still shaking son with a sneer. “Do clean yourself up, Sirius. It does not befit the current heir to our Most Noble House to lie on the floor like a common gutter rat.”  With that parting comment she swept from the room, head held high.  

Remus remained motionless for a moment, staring at the empty doorframe in shock.  At last, his motor skills returned as he rushed to where Sirius still lay prone on the floor.  He lifted Sirius’ head gently onto his lap.  “Are you alright?”

Sirius felt the tremors recede a bit at the gentle stroking of the fingers through his hair. “I w-won’t let him take you.”

Remus stared down at him incredulously. “That’s what you have to say? Your mother just tortured you and threatened to murder you and you’re worried about Greyback?”

Sirius licked his dry lips and nodded, savoring the feel of the fire in his muscles ebbing away slowly.  He flexed his legs slightly trying to regain some control of his limbs as they were still sporadically spasming.  “It’s not the first t-time she’s used that s-spell on me. I’ll be alright.”

This fic is really special to me and differs in style and story in how I normally write.  It was my first multi-chaptered fic and I am actually almost done with the next chapter of the story so yes, I promise I will be updating soon.  It was started originally as a response to @asktheboywholived‘s Empire prompt and I just love the world they prompted and the story I have created here.  It’s extremely angst-filled which is a challenge for me because I love our boys happy and fluffy with a HEA. I have the entire story arc done and it should be another ten chapters until the end. I hope you all enjoy what I have planned.

2.  Textually Yours

10:46 am: Moonbeam, have I told you how delicious you look in that jumper?

10:48 am: I'm in class. 10:48 am: And thanks *blushes*

10:49 am: I'm in lecture right now too 10:50 am: I can still daydream about how tasty you look in my favorite jumper

10:55 am: Can you possibly daydream to yourself? I really want to pass this course. 10:56 am: Why is it even your favourite? It has bobbles on it.

10:58 am: It's touching your skin right now 10:58 am: Like I wish I was 10:59 am: So it's my favorite **wink wonk**

11:01 am: Oh sweet jebus. 11:02 am: Padssssss, the lecturer is talking about character structure, I reallly need to pay attention 11:04 am: You aren't going to listen to me, but, you're my favourite :)

11:06 am: My lecturer is droning on about Masaccio and his use of light in his paintings 11:07 am: I'd much rather wax poetic about the way the light hits your skin 11:07 am: when you're lying naked in my bed

11:10 am: Well guess what idiot dropped his phone and now everyone is looking at him. 11:11 am: I'll give you a hint, he's in your favourite jumper

11:12 am: oh my poor Moon Pie, did I fluster you? 11:13 am: I can do many other things to you 11:13 am: that you'd like even more ;-)

11:15 am: Okay I'm intrigued now. What. What other things?

11:17 am: ah, my ever-studious Moony is intrigued? 11:17: am: I like when you think naughty 11:18 am: I'd start by taking that ridiculous jumper off 11:18 am: It's only my favorite when it's on you 11:19: am: I'd much rather see it on the floor

11:22 am: Holy.. I might have to take it off anyways. You're making me blush. And hot.

11:23 am: and I haven't even started… 11:24 am: I'd kiss those luscious lips first 11:24 am: then I'd run my hands down your chest and kiss your neck 11:25 am: you so like it when I nibble on your neck 11:25 am: you make the most wonderful sounds when i do

11:28 am: I have a ROB. 11:29 am: I cannot move.

11:30 am: What is a ROB?

11:32 am: Prongs teaches you nothing. Randomly Occurring Boner. I'm now stuck in this chair whether i like it or not

11:33 am: imagine if I was there to help you out with that 11:34 am: right now

I am a sucker for texting fics and I wrote this with my dear friend @josiemoone.  we had so much fun writing this together and I just love how sappy our boys are in this as well as how their relationship comes out.  it was just such a fun piece.

3. Saving Me

Rage coursed through his body, his thoughts whirling.  Wormtail’s alive.  The little bugger is still alive! As he read through the article, his fury intensified.  The boy in the picture, Ron Weasley, would be heading back to Hogwarts—presumably with his pet rat—straight to Harry.

Sirius's godson was in terrible danger, and there had to be a way to warn him, to help Harry, and get his revenge on Wormtail.

He threw the paper down and began to pace his cell.  He didn’t know how or why, but Peter Pettigrew, the reason he was in Azkaban and Lily and James were dead, was with the Weasley family.  Sirius just knew it was him.  He had to get to him somehow.  

Wormtail had to pay for his betrayal.  

And Sirius would be the one to make him pay—finally.

His mind finally clearing, he sensed the cold from the approaching dementors and unconsciously shifted to Padfoot.  They never bothered him in his Animagus form, and it had become instinct to retreat into it whenever he felt them near.  

Thoughts became simpler as a dog, and he suddenly struck upon the answer:  Sirius couldn’t escape from his prison, but Padfoot could.  

He waited until the Dementors passed, the screams of other prisoners ringing in his ears more acutely through his canine hearing. He ignored them to slide his emaciated form through the cell bars.  He supposed there was some merit now to the fact that prisoners were never fed enough.

Padfoot made his way through the labyrinth of corridors, ignoring the calls and sights of the other prisoners along his way, and he used his sense of smell to lead him to where he caught a whiff of the sea the strongest.  He found himself entering what looked to be a small office, most likely used by some of the human guards.  It was, thankfully, empty—luck on his side for once.  

The window at the back of the office was much larger than the tiny one at the top of his cell and though fitted with bars, was open and he could easily slip through them in his canine guise.  He did just that and found himself perched precariously on a wide ledge overlooking the dark, churning, sea about 50 meters below him.  

Sirius knew his chances were slim; it was a long way down and an even longer distance to swim to shore in a violent sea.  But what choice did he have?  Spend the rest of his days in a prison while the person who killed his family tried to finish the job with his godson or take a chance and try to help in whatever way he could?  

There was no prince coming to save him from his tower.  

It was up to Sirius to save himself.

Padfoot took a deep breath and jumped.

The moment he hit the water, it felt as if a thousand frozen needles were trying to pierce his skin.  The chill was excruciating, but he fought his way to the surface, gasping for breath.  After taking a moment to get his bearings, he started paddling his way in the direction he presumed the shoreline was.

It felt like hours, but it could have been mere minutes in his diminished state.  He swam as hard as he could, but he could feel his limbs losing what little strength they had.  His magic not strong enough to keep his canine form, he shifted back to human, fighting against the waves as fatigue drained every muscle in his body.  He tried to focus on getting to shore, to Harry, but his thoughts kept drifting to Remus.  

This fic was my first ever entry for a fest and it’s also the fic that’s closest to canon.  It details Sirius escaping from prison all the way to his seeing Remus for the first time in the Shrieking Shack and I loved delving into his psyche and exploring Wolfstar while still remaining in canon.  I love how I tell a bit of their story through flashbacks while Sirius almost drowns and how he questions his sanity and honestly at one point doesn’t care if he’s actually insane as long as he gets to keep his hallucination.

4. Drawn Together

Marlene spotted him first, a sly grin on her face as she greeted him.  “Back already, Re? Pretty-boy must not have been very good.”

Remus rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink, careful to avoid looking at Sirius.  “That’s none of your business, Marls.”

“We thought you’d left,”  Dorcas piped in, smiling at Remus.  “I’m glad you came back.”

“I just needed a bit of fresh air.”

He heard Sirius’ snort and finally looked at the other man, sitting on a stool across from him. He raised an eyebrow. “Alright there, Sirius?”

Sirius stared at him for a moment, his grey eyes cold. “I’m fine, just never heard a hook-up referred to as fresh air before.”

“I never said I hooked up, and even if I did, what business is it of yours?”

He watched Sirius take a long pull from his cider before he deigned to answer. “Oh, it’s definitely none of my business, I just thought you were hanging out with your friends and not working .”

“Excuse me?”  Remus’ eyes widened indignantly.  “ Working ?  Are you implying I’m a bloody prostitute?”

Sirius huffed a harsh laugh. “Oh, no, Remus, of course not. You don’t charge for your services.  Or wait—you do get paid for the column you put all your sexual escapades in, don’t you?”

Remus tried to fight his growing anger, but the sneer on Sirius’ face enraged him more. “You’re a fucking twat, Black.  A hypocritical one, at that. I seem to recall you’re getting paid for the artwork for my so-called sexual escapades !”

“Oh, that’s right!  Maybe I should thank the bloke who just got you off?” Sirius took another pull from his cider before slamming it down on the table, his eyes hard as flint as they met Remus’ and stood up. “Would you like to take me back to where you just fucked that bloke so I can get the details right for my piece?”

Remus ignored Marlene and Dorcas’ pleas for them to both calm down, and he stepped closer to Sirius. “You really are a bloody hypocrite, aren’t you?  I saw you getting some action on the dance floor before I left!”

“I was dancing not fucking some random bloke in a back room!”

Remus grinned maliciously. “Is that the problem, Sirius?  You wish it was you I was fucking back there, not a random bloke?”

He watched with satisfaction as Sirius’ eyes widened, nostrils flaring, before he pressed closer to Remus, his striking features twisted in anger. “Listen up, Lupin, and listen well.  I wouldn’t t-touch a slag like you with someone else’s cock, so get whatever idea you have about me fancying you out of that thick head.”

He felt as if he’d been punched in the gut with those words, but Remus refused to let Sirius see how his comment affected him.  “Oh, don’t worry your pretty little head, Black. The last thing I’d ever do is want to touch a sodding twat like yourself. I prefer real men who can satisfy me, not a bloody prude.”

He turned to Marlene and Dorcas before Sirius could respond and kissed them each on the cheek.  “It’s been lovely girls, but I’ve got to run. I’ll give you a call this week.”

Dorcas gave him a pleading look. “Re, please don’t leave.  I don’t know what’s gotten into Sirius— “

He held up a hand to cut her off. “It’s fine, Dorcas.  Sirius is just being the twat I knew he was. Don’t worry about it, it’s between him and me, nothing to do with you, love.”

Marlene hugged him.  “Remus, just don’t disappear on us, alright?”

He kissed the top of her head before stepping back. “No worries, love.  I really will call you this week.”

Remus forced a smile at his friends before turning back to Sirius.  “Black.” He turned to walk away, but Sirius called his name and he turned back. “What?”

Sirius smirked, pointing at the hem of Remus’ shirt. “You missed a spot.  Black lights are a bitch, aren’t they?”

Oh this story will forever hold a special place in my heart. This was my 2018 Wolfstar Big Bang fic and I stressed about it so much, but I got to work with @yumenouveau who is just such a fabulous artist and friend and it was an amazing if stressful experience.  I love the AU world I created and the sexual tension and snark between my favorite boys is endless.  It’s a slow burn and even as the writer there were times I just wanted to scream at them to just kiss already, but my boys were stubborn, Sirius especially, and I love how this fic turned out.  

I’m tagging @ami-talks, @shayalonnie, @captofthesswolfstar, @maraudererasmut, @moonllotus, @yumenouveau,

[rkjinwook]

● SEPTEMBER 2017 SPHERE EVALUATION  나야 나  :  IT’S ME ( PICK ME S2 )  :  ( 0:00–1:46 )

170923 D-7  |  minseo’s voice comes clear through his laptop speakers: “i’d rank you a c.” she’s just finished watching jinwook dance — the video is a few months old, recorded in preparation of sphere’s summer street performances, but it’s the best that jinwook’s ever been. at the time, he’d been quite proud of the progress. still, based on the lack of enthusiasm, he guesses that his little sister is being generous. she’s always had a sharp eye for detail, in which jinwook’s abilities are clearly lacking.

with a sigh, jinwook props his chin up in a hand. “thanks, minnie. c’s not half bad, right?” it’s just about the average grade that jinwook was accustomed to receiving in school. he drags her skype window to the side of his desktop, opening the practice clip again. his technique doesn’t improve much on the twentieth replay. “except.. i won’t sing in my evaluation, so what’s the honest judgment, with no vocals?" he bites his lip, a quiet chuckle sliding by. asking to be ranked à la produce 101 started off as a joke. within five minutes, though, minseo has watched him, judged him, and convinced him to learn the actual choreography from the show. jinwook is already feeling the pressure. 

he braces for the worst as his sister hesitates, twirling a piece of hair around her finger. “...well,” she starts after a moment, “maybe it doesn’t matter?” jinwook groans, and laughter brightens minseo’s whole face on screen. “you do have some good facial expressions going for you! like y’know, bae jinyoung oppa was an f trainee once, and he turned out just fine!”

she shakes her head, taking on a matter-of-fact tone. “he’s doing better than fine, actually. he still got to debut. and you will, too.”

debut. minseo makes good points about the song choice, at least. if a hundred idol hopefuls had to learn the dance for a shot at debut, jinwook thinks it’s a fair gauge for his personal rite of passage, too.

at the same time, it’s a gamble. the choreography is difficult, and expectations will be high, and if jinwook can’t keep up, maybe baek jiyoung will send him off the ship entirely. maybe they really will fail him. debut plans shift all the time, and sphere isn’t obligated to honor his commitment just because jinwook told them he wanted it.

so it’s an opportunity to reassure himself as much as it is for his coaches to evaluate. for all his lamenting, he really does feel like his dance skill has been going somewhere since the summer. even if minseo barely gave him so much as a passing rank. 

and for all the insecurities about why me and feeling his debut chance is undeserved, maybe this will prove it to himself, calm his worries until the next ones arise;

and if and when jinwook does debut, maybe he’ll rest easier with the shared experience of a hundred others.

170926 D-4  |  “i think i should switch to pick me from season one. baekhyun tried to teach me that one last summer. i remember complaining a lot, but i don’t think the girls’ choreography was as hard as this one.” jinwook is frowning in front of his laptop again, rubbing out a sore shoulder. it’s amazing how much a day or two of struggle has managed to change his attitude toward the challenge. “dance bootcamp is just—” he mimes chomping jaws, eyes blown wide. the room is dim, but his teeth flash bright white in the webcam preview. “—it’s trying to eat me alive.”

back in jeju, minseo appears unamused. “it’s barely been two days, oppa.” she tsks. “you shouldn’t give up on yourself so easily.”

he shouldn’t. but he can, and he does more often than not. it’s always been this way — jinwook is disciplined in many ways, but other mountains seem impossible to climb, so why bother making a fool of himself?

“it’s just the way i am... you know that.”

his sister frowns at that, but it’s the barely-suppressed sigh and eye-roll that get to him — as if it’s so ridiculous to even suggest such a thing. part of jinwook is baiting her to prove him wrong. he’s exhausted, so he’s not hiding anything, and besides, jinwook really believes it sometimes. it’s unacceptable for an idol, though - for a group that will be asked, who is the most diligent, where the answer may be murky among the rest of the shining sphere boys, but no one will think of jinwook. maybe they will scoff to themselves as they glance over him in consideration.

jinwook’s eyes flicker to the clock in the corner of his screen. it’s late, but the twins are studying for entrance exams this time of year. they hardly ever sleep, so minseo probably needs the break. jinwook doesn’t feel too bad about it. she’d never ignore a call from him anyway.

she knows that this is when he needs her most often: when he’s home alone after training; when his coaches are too harsh but eve is too understanding; when it’s too late to call his grandmother; jinwook’s little sister will unfailingly give him a fresh perspective. she’ll tell it to him straight:

“that’s just the way you are? you can’t dance because you’re lazy?” minseo laughs with all the spunk of an incredulous seventeen year-old. “like, that excuse is bullshit and you know it.”

jinwook expected as much. he knows that hearing it from her holds him more accountable, but he flinches anyway; sometimes his baby sister can make him feel like the smaller one. “that’s not what i’m really saying.” lazy isn’t the right word. it’s so discouraging, though, to sweat all morning in dance workshops, then come back from lunch only to start from scratch, every step muddled and forgotten. every day the same story. whenever jinwook feels like he has the basics down, the next move throws him for a loop all over again. he’s discouraged. maybe pessimistic, but he would hate to associate that word with his personality.

he swallows hard. the same voice gets stuck in his head every time he starts learning a new choreography. how could minseo understand? his little sister has always been so much more talented, even with things that jinwook taught her himself. everything came more naturally to her. “i know you don’t get it—”

“—and i know you’re not lazy,” interrupts minseo. “for real, is that what you’re gonna say? that i don’t get it because i’m a better dancer than you? yeah, we knew that, oppa.” minseo pauses and finally checks her tone. the sneer falls and a strand of hair flutters with her next breath, making the video stream lag for a moment. when she speaks again, jinwook is relieved to hear something less abrasive. “but how do you think you made it so far already?” minseo softens. “like, as far as i’m concerned, you’ve had to work even harder to catch up this whole time? it doesn’t make sense to give yourself an out now?”

all of jinwook’s heart jumps at her sincerity, yearning to agree. “i know you’re right,” he says, “it’s just frustrating.” he just wishes this past year of dance workshops could feel like it’s worth something when he’s still lagging behind, even in this bootcamp, where none of the other participants specialize in dance either.

his brain tells him his time investment is worth something; jinwook knows this to be true when he digs up archives of older workshops and compares them to his skills today. he prefers to be known for his optimism at sphere too, so to minseo he is eternally grateful for bearing the burden of the more negative moments. his heart still weighs heavier in weeks like these, but he can feel it lighten the longer she stays online with him.

“don’t worry,” he says suddenly. “don’t they get three days of practice in the show?” jinwook tries to let out his tension with a weak chuckle. “i guess i still owe it one more try?”

“yeah,” says minseo, “they do. and you do.” she purses her lips as a long moment of quiet passes, but doesn’t push the lecture further. “wanna show me what you’ve got so far?” she warms her expression with an encouraging smile that has all of her usual energy, but the edges carefully softened. “y’know i learned this one back when it first aired, right?”

170928 D-2  |  jinwook sets his laptop on top of a makeshift computer stand and cautiously steps back, checking its balance. this is one of the more remote practice studios in the building, so the wifi range can be spotty — a sigh of relief leaves his lips when minseo answers the call, appears on his screen and waves hello.

“i’ll make this quick,” says jinwook once the connection stabilizes, “since i’m not sure if you’re supposed to see inside sphere. but i’m one of the last ones around tonight, so — you won’t tell on me, right?” he grins. “just calling to show you that i’m all caught up to the evaluation segment on produce 101 now~”

“it took me a little too long to get it down... but today i worked with a coach i’ve never had before — something about her really made things click this time?” less lefts and rights and fluid counts; more about relative placement and movements matched to lyrics. it’d made a world of difference before jinwook even registered the subtle shift in vocabulary. he chuckles sheepishly. “i know that sounds silly. things don’t really click for me, so it probably helped that i’ve been re-learning the same sections all week, though.” jinwook can feel himself rambling but he knows minseo won’t mind. it must be pleasant to see his usual optimistic self after all his doubts prior.

his sister is five years younger but he’s considered her his equal for a long time; in some ways, both minseo and minjae seem more mature than jinwook. he already knows the twins will both do better than him on their university entrance exams. it will only be a year or two from now that they eclipse his education level entirely.

he’s struggled a lot with insecurities there, but minseo never makes him feel stupid even if she can be blunt. she holds an elegant self-assurance in contrast to minjae’s arrogance; one that always lifts jinwook up in the end. “that’s not dumb,” says minseo. her excitement is genuine, eyes bright. he’s grateful that she doesn’t acknowledge his fickle swings in attitude toward the song. “it’s so cool, see? maybe you were only missing the right instructor this whole time. c’mon, lemme see!”

jinwook’s steps aren’t perfect or delicate, but they’re more legible than they used to be. he watches himself in the mirror and tries to stay within view of his laptop’s webcam. one day he’ll fix his body lines and hunched shoulders. for now, he’s content to keep his feet on the ground and a smile on his face. it’s more than a solid start.

there’s lag to the video call, but he knows minseo will humor him regardless. when he returns to his laptop, he sings a line: “please remember this moment~ tonight~~”

“i will remember this moment, tonight~” minseo sings her promise to the same melody, giggling. “you were so much better, oppa. seriously, i think you’ll get the rest done in no time!”

“it’s a big surprise, isn’t it? i’ll do my best.” jinwook is pleased, but can hear sleepiness in her tone now. he tries to wipe away the heartache that comes with that realization. he wishes he could tuck her in or something, but he hasn’t seen her in over a year. “you should get to sleep,” he adds. “thanks for the feedback, minnie. just don’t get your expectations up too high.”

she smiles in a knowing way. “good luck on saturday, i think you’ll surprise yourself even more.” she raises an encouraging fist before disconnecting. “kim jinwook fighting~ goodnight, oppa.”

jinwook dances one last time that night, spontaneously singing over the track along with the choreography. it’s ambitious, given his exhaustion and the song’s high vocal range, but if jinwook doesn’t sound great, at least he remembers all the steps. he’ll forgive himself for that.

he packs up his laptop and plugs in headphones before he leaves. he thinks of sphere and of debut as he runs the choreography in his head: pick me, pick me, up. please pick my heart.

his chest feels lighter on the walk home.

171001 D+1  |  he emails minseo the video from his final pre-evaluation practice, watching it back a few times before he hits send. 

tonight the star is me, it’s me, it’s me~ the last person to steal your heart~~ ㅋㅋ im ready for my new rank? 🙈🙈

her video call arrives only a few minutes later. jinwook answers and speaks quickly over her greeting: “actually, please don’t judge me. i’ll be happier without knowing.” he laughs, nerves spiking. “i just wanted you to see it.”

“oh— jinwook oppa, are you sure you don’t want your re-evaluation?” he can hear painted fingernails clicking against her desk, and a drawn-out hum of consideration. “i’ll spoil it and tell you that you’re not an f, at least.”

she giggles. “i mean it this time!—” minseo’s eyes curve up when she’s amused, the same way jinwook’s do. “— really, you did well.”  🌸

[autoirishlitdiscourses]

Discourse of Sunday, 21 March 2021

None of this coming week. You did a solid understanding of topics whose relationship is a clear line between some line that intersects several of these ways, and I'll accommodate you if you recall, is a series of archaic softhearted misplaced sympathies that are close to ten-digit student ID codes, for instance. Etc. What We Lost 5 p. It would have been balanced a bit more. —Even if you are on task, as is any selection from Ulysses this Wednesday. In a lot of things would, I think that there are a very sophisticated level. But you've been up in front of the three F's, but you took full advantage of it individually. But that you have a section you have any more I could have been balanced a bit in the course as a threat to order, civilization, rational thought, although I'm perhaps more flexible, is that you propose to read it closely more than 100% in section next week 13 November 2013 discussion of Calypso, p. On a related note, you have to pick options on GOLD; d it's YOUR JOB to make your work. If you have any questions, OK? Based on notes provided by TA Christopher Walker and the overall goal is to let the class and get your main ideas. 4% of your perspective and talking, and that you're capable of this audio or video recording online, for instance, you don't have a good day, because in my margin notes and underlining, should you be absent from lecture on Thursday, but are not allowed to disclose. After all, very few students this quarter. It would have helped to practice just a tiny bit over, and may very well be quite a good job last week due to the performance history of Ulysses, is a penalty to that but it's not necessary to try to force a discussion of When You Are Old. The Young Covey, Rosie Redmond? Reminder: 4pm today is for your paper is going to be on campus never quarter. So, with strong evidence that supports your larger-scale, but you still have plenty of examples, but that's the case in the storyline.

Your writing is quite a nice job dealing with it? Final Exams At the moment. Discussion Section Guidelines handout, which involves speculations about whether you're technically meeting the discussion that allowed people to talk about it. You are perfectly capable of doing so by 10 a. It would have helped to have in section, and what you'll be reciting as soon as possible when you sense that my 6 pm section on 27 November is National Novel Writing Month: A more in section. Here's a breakdown on how much is cuing off of his lecture pace rather than treating them as choices made as a group means that an A does, anyway. 4 I will be paying attention to the word that might make you feel that you should try to force a discussion leader for the final and with your score on the section website in a way that is related to the rest of your paper to support it. Etc. Something I should say this not because you will leave me with a passage that is formatted correctly. Thanks for being such a fine line about how movement, leisure, power cords fray, hard drives crash, printers break or run out of lecture on Tuesday night, and your material, although if you have missed for purposes of your own complex and, provided that you saw as important about this, but if you are reciting that week and also correlated strongly with how they relate to the text, you know, too, needs more focus in order to see Dexter as admirable, and some legends. 420-22, p. I promise that I'm closer to your discussion topics will be worth 50 points 10% of your performance and incorporate a ballpark estimate of participation/attendance based entirely upon attendance I won't figure participation in until the end of the whole class really was close to ten pages long; this can be hard to get various grades.

I'd say that I hope you're doing, though, you did eight IDs instead of at a different segment later in this range do not overlap with yours, by the time that you occasionally seem to have gone beyond. Then, I'd post a slightly modified version of your plans by Friday evening if you have thought it; but you are welcome to adapt it, and you accomplished a lot of important concepts for the quarter for anything, but you did so effectively. 17 October vocabulary quiz on John Synge's play The Playboy of the quarter, especially at the beginning of the rhythm of Bloom's thoughts in your order of preference, and it's not necessary and if you have disclosed any part at all by Patrick Kavanagh, On Raglan Road: Personally, I think that, just make snap judgments that you deserve it. I think reasons. My worst grades as an allegory; the Irish?

The name of Robert Peel; cf.

I'm assuming that you made constant insightful, meaningful contributions to discussion: that you need another copy of an A-for the sake of being perfectly clear that this will count as a last resort are constantly hungry; c divorce is essentially impossible in Ireland and Irish Currency. Grammar and usage errors, etc. Let me know. Let me know if you have several print copies left, but an issue of hasty writing and polished work. There are a couple of suggestions that might be rephrased as what parallels do you analyze your points because it has to be unable to turn into a larger-scale course concerns and did an excellent job an impassioned delivery. I've ended up collecting multiple documents on my way to get back to you earlier I looked at them again and they looked strange, so I'm sympathetic—but that one of the most likely way to find it productive to save question 2, below. Strange feeling it would have helped to get back to you. You might think about what possibilities for discussion, because it's easier for me. I'm sorry to take the paper and I appreciate that you're talking more effectively to the group may help you to be one of the religion, and I will be able to avoid them, and below 103 to drop into the discussion. One of the musical adaptation; other than misogynistic. Overall, you may want to but I'm not entirely sure that you're going through miscellaneous papers last week week. I have some very intriguing suggestions that might serve as a useful alternative view that may not have your paper you had thought closely about the topics you've picked. He did mention Yeats and nationalism? I mean is that one of the passage you want to, I'll try hard to let it motivate other people uncomfortable enough that they didn't cover but that it would have helped to practice just a tiny bit over, and you did a very good ideas in a paper that you wanted to make his slide show available to, and I'll see you in section. Yes! I hope that you get at this point, you can which specific part of the assignment write-up of the others suffered? Note that this is simply hasty editing and/or social construction of this audio or visual recording itself in the meantime or have a midterm to correct for the course of the word potato. This is much less polite and responsive to early questions didn't get the other hand, I think this aspect of this work for you is yours. Right now, it's likely to give the rest of the performance has completed. I think that you must at least a preliminary selection of the rather thin time slice that Joyce gives us of their own knowledge is a good idea and so forth. The Covey 6 p.

You had a very good job of making your teaching practices visible I post every slideshow I develop, so although there's no overlap in terms of line count, stanza breaks, or it may be most helpful at this point is that your crazy life is not inevitably the case that 16 June 1904 is unusual for her youthful desire with a disability and require special accommodations, DSP will communicate with the play. Thank you. If you have a number of important themes as the professor has not yet worked out your major: The hat scene in/Ulysses Seen/graphic novel or for your material very effectively and provided that it's necessarily the best option for you on time. Feel better soon. Think about what you want to do a solid and quite enjoyed having you in lecture, during my office and I think that your paper's structure would pay off in analytical terms; but you handled this well enough in section, so that you had a good place to close-reading exercise of your plans. Engaging in close readings.

However, this is Michelle Juergen's The Economics of Hookup Culture, which involves speculations about whether you're thinking about it. Only my mother and some broader course concerns and did an excellent winter break! This is only one of two pairs reciting from Godot for the final to drop into lecture mode.

62. Sounds like a reasonable guess is that you should be able to pick one option from section the most basic issues if you go back through the section that is genuinely smarter than her grade actually reflects, and you generally knew just how much you knew about the difference that you made changed the last chance to do, in my opinion to earn exactly 7. Have a good presence in front of the fact that you should have read episodes 5 Lotus Eaters, starting on page 240 of the Flies, and is entirely understandable, but you handled yourself and your analytical exploration of Digging and other works, OK?

It'll just need to include these types of documents in addition to giving you the opportunity to demonstrate this and provided a good weekend! You're very welcome. From there, and on all parts of the professor's miss three sections results in automatic course failure. Go above and beyond the length requirements. Hi! Let me know. Your do a different time. A characteristic of personality and identity that has sounded good to me like the one he'd used in a more luggage than you expect. I think that giving texts, and this is, your attention should primarily be on campus tomorrow afternoon. My intent was not announced last week. Note that other people to talk sometimes, and had a low-ish rooms available, that one thing, most of your recitation from Calypso, p.

[but-the-library-of-alexandria]

Highlights of Today’s Four-Hour Final Group Presentations Event:

a guy running around the lecture theater pretending to be a motorbike while appropriate sound effects played

a wonderful homemade ‘nature documentary’ video about ‘geeks’ narrated incredibly by a group member doing a BANG ON attenborough voice

a group creating an interactive reenactment of countdown called ‘countdrown’ (our theme was the sea), in which the ‘hosts’ made a total of over forty sea puns in twelve minutes

a guy describing capitalism by giving the whole audience a double middle finger

GROUP NAME PUNS: ‘water bunch of (w)anchors’. ‘eat, sleep, wave, repeat.’ ‘five girls one buoy’. ‘the bream team’.

a group who did all about salutes and gestures and demonstrated EVERYTHING, except when they came to the segment about the nazi salute stated that they were not going to demonstrate wow cool and good

a group had a segment where they definined the word ‘fool’ and the slide was a picture of trump

video of a tiny little girl explaining feminism perfectly

a presentation on genocide and invasion that made a few people actually cry

a guy who talked about a little-known poet, her life and writing, only to then reveal that she was his great grandmother with a cute picture and lots of ‘awwws’

a girl yelling MEN LITERALLY WANT TO OWN EVERYTHING, later reading a poem she wrote which she described as ‘a bit gay’ (she is gay btw it wasn’t an offensive thing she was just telling it like it is)

a guy fully dressed and made-up as trump walking down through the crowd wearing a darth vader cape while a perfect recreation of the star wars scrolling prologue text adapted to be about climate change played on the screen(the rest of his group were dressed as protesters and got us to boo him as he proceeded to an AMAZING trump impression for the whole show)

a guy describing ‘things we dump in the sea’ with a montage of pictures as he spoke - bottles, chemicals, etc. - and when he got to ‘trash’ the picture was iggy azelea 

there was so much more I can’t even describe it’s been a wild day and everyone was just saying whatever tf they wanted and my sides hurt from laughing for four hours

[megaswagcollectiongalaxy-blog]

The Worth From A Gorilla VERSUS A Human

Undergoing the opinions of some of my latest articles, I noticed the often said thought that eating meat product was actually a necessary come in human progression. His ventures involve stimulating extensive numbers of people in activities that seem to be straightforward, however in fact possess beneficial spin-offs. Stanford additionally possesses programs in the works for an individual CRISPR test to repair genetics triggering sickle cell anemia. The one advantage of going total GvG is that along with fewer cards, you'll collect Dirt from disenchanting more quickly ... however I assume most people would still instead have brand new memory cards they can make use of. Someday you'll get out of bed and also discover that technician providers have to create products authentic folks. No try this understands whether this is actually some kind of hardwired biological critical or even the product of centuries of phallocentric culture, yet lavatory walls all over vouch for the simple truth that a lot of people like to pull penis, if they assume they can easily get away with it. However folks may download and install countless totally free video games without a treatment on the planet. Individuals have to see individuals-- faces, looks, apparel, way of lives that they instantly identify with. Usually a primary difficulty to finding out a second foreign language is the absence of time an individual manages to use the words and also phrases away from a textbook. The Hit Carrier and also Pokemon Financial institution have actually been out for a while today, however possibly you haven't navigated to downloading them or firing them up. Finding out about hacking past, social engineering, the Metasploit structure, Covering, data sources and also on-line safety and security and also personal privacy are actually only several of the areas you must explore. It excellents that you took your time to write this, and that makes me pleased that those folks are actually beeing taken into consideration by many creators. As well as-- as a recent questionnaire pointed out-- even those lecturers who try out the brand-new training layout do not automatically care about their performance. Discover a brand new language while filling in line, riding the bus or even during your lunch brake with an application that makes use of pictures, audio and also content supplied in other words lessons. Just the 2nd opportunity around, he's a good-guy robot sent out coming from the future to battle an advanced terminator and also defend human leader-to-be John Connor in child kind (Ed Furlong). Major declines in unlawful act are a lot more regarding society than modern technology, and also how our experts translate independences and liberties and also punish or allow practices. Teachers are the ones who make the day-to-day selections for the future of our entire country, as well as we have to begin reputabling them once more. Along with method the effectiveness cost seems to be to strengthen, also - whether that's given that the video game's Artificial Intelligence guarantees the pet actually is knowing or due to the fact that our experts learn how to say the command in exactly the exact same shade, our team are actually not exactly sure. I am actually not thus sure that just because 300 people focus on an activity that it instantly becomes better ... assassins creed was actually boring as hell for me, however Samurai Gunn is going mad incredible and also was from a rather little center. This is actually a major bank and the cash is actually dispersed all over several floorings as well as other vaults. If you enter into the Config Part, you'll locate a Help and Facts Segment" where you may go through a simple, however yet rewarding, slide tutorial, meticulously elaborated to instruct how you can use EVERY element of the game. The evolution of human resources, coming from rocks to Artificial Intelligence, could be considered a trail of progressively effective initiative arbitrage, where our company manipulate our relative conveniences about our tools to accomplish factors better, as well as carry out more new traits. This is actually a humbling physical exercise in releasing; one where we may discover a lot. Where I can see a spot for a WYSIWYG editor is actually to make it possible for folks to create safely formatted web content for the internet. These seem to be the only extra prices and I am actually very sure a brand new user is going to go through a few cutters as they learn ways to soar ... I know i did. He devoted the very first pair of games attempting to recuperate his moment, as well as eventually did this by the end from The Witcher 2. Which behaved, given that the entire amnesia thing acquired very laborious. Yet actually, individuals are actually typically savvier than our team provide credit history for-- also style storyboards or even designs may be sufficient to solicit helpful comments that avoids mistakes, noninclusions as well as missed chances coming from ending up being heavily inherent right into your item. Which is actually why our experts developed Fitaide, a newly release that promotes folks without any opportunity for physical fitness to turn their day-to-day activities right into high intensity workout sessions. That's how this country is. One thing poor takes place, our company promptly try to find one thing to blame rather than folks. Starting from the viewpoint that all job is inherently slow, but teaching is actually the minimum painful possibility, is actually a particularly negative approach to offering a line of work. When mental knowledge first showed up to the masses, this tossed an enormous wrench in to what lots of people had actually constantly presumed was the main resource of success-IQ.

[thomas1black-blog]

Test Bank CB 1st Canadian Edition Solution

For Order This and any Other Test

 Bank And solutions Manuals,Course,

 Assignments,Discussions,Quizzes,Exams

 Contact us At: johnmate1122@gmail.com

  CHAPTER 1

 WHAT IS CB, AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?

 WHAT DO YOU THINK? POLLING QUESTION

In any business, the customer is truly the most important person.

 Strongly disagree   1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Strongly agree

 Have students access www.icancb.com to answer the polling questions for each chapter of CB. Ask them to take the online poll to see how their answers compare with those of other students taking consumer behaviour courses across the country. Then turn to the last page of the chapter to find the What Others Have Thought box feature. This graph is a snapshot of how other consumer behaviour students have answered this polling question thus far.

 LEARNING OUTCOMES

 After studying this chapter, the student should be able to:

LO1      Understand marketing ethics and consumer misbehaviour.

 LO2      Understand the meaning of consumption and consumer behaviour.

 LO3      Describe how consumers get treated differently in various types of exchange

 environments.

LO4      Explain the role of consumer behaviour in business and society.

 LO5      Be familiar with basic approaches to studying consumer behaviour.

 LO6      Describe why consumer behaviour is so dynamic and how recent trends affect

 consumers.

 SUGGESTED LECTURE OPENER

 Consumer behaviour is driven by many things, including the weather. If your sprinkler breaks down during a dry, hot spell, you are likely to replace it quickly. However, you might have to travel to the back of the store before you get to the product you need, passing by fans, bathing suits, and air conditioners along the way. Savvy marketers use consumers’ seasonal needs to drive sales and promote other products. Canada’s unseasonably warm winter of 2011/12 even led to a mini housing boom, driving home sales up 6.7% from the previous year, according to Garry Marr’s article in the March 15, 2012 edition of The Financial Post.

 KEY CONCEPTS WITH POWERPOINT® SLIDES

 Slide 1                                                    Slide 2                                                    Slide 3

What can I do in class?

 Q:    Ask students to explain the link between the recent economic downturn and consumption.

 A:    Answers will vary but should include discussion of the housing market, appliance and furniture purchases, fewer requests for services, and loss of jobs.

 LO1.  Understand marketing ethics and consumer misbehaviour.

 Slide 4

            Marketing Ethics and Consumer Misbehaviour

 There are times when consumers misbehave and act in an unethical manner and there are times when marketers misbehave and act unethically. Scandals, manipulative marketing practices, and deceptive advertising can upset the value equation associated with a given exchange. Ultimately, consumers may vote with their wallets by changing their own buying behaviour and potentially that of family and friends, as well.

 Slide 5                                                  Slide 6

LO2. Understand the meaning of consumption and consumer behaviour. Consumption and Consumer Behaviour

 Slide 7                                                  Slide 8

           Consumer Behaviour as Human Behaviour

 Consumer behaviour is the set of value-seeking activities that takes place as people go about addressing their needs.

 Slide 9

          The Basic CB Process

 This process is detailed in Exhibit 1.2. In this chapter, the purchase of a BlackBerry Bold is described. In the first step, the consumer determines a need for a new cellphone with better access to other people, media, and the Internet. The want is to fit into society’s norms; therefore, the consumer visits a cellphone store. The exchange occurs when money is exchanged for the phone. The costs involve the actual price of the product as well as the time and physical effort to visit the store. The benefits are the positive results of the purchase, such as better work performance. The reaction follows the purchase when the consumer evaluates the effectiveness of the phone. Ultimately, the process results in a perception of value.

  Consumption

 Consumption represents the process by which goods, services, or ideas are used and transformed into value.

Slide 10

          Economics and Consumer Behaviour

 Economics is the study of production and consumption.

 Consumer Behaviour as a Field of Study

 This relatively young field of study (initiated in the 1960s) represents the study of consumers as they go about the consumption process. Consumer behaviour is also referred to as buyer behaviour, or the science of studying how consumers seek value in an effort to address real needs.

  Slide 11                                               Slide 12

          LO3. Describe how consumers get treated differently in various types of exchange environments.

 Slide 13

The Ways in Which Consumers Are Treated

 The customer is treated differently depending on the place of business and type

of service being performed. Consider the following two questions to understand the importance to any given organization of providing good service to customers:

1.       How competitive is the marketing environment?

2.       How dependent is the marketer on repeat business?

  Slide 14                                               Slide 15

            What can I do in class?

 Q:    Ask students to name places where the consumer was not “king,” such as places where the wait time was too long or the establishment was not clean.

 A:    Examples used in the book include the passport office, Service Canada, a dining establishment, and an apparel retailer.

 Competition and Consumer Orientation

 What does a consumer do if their wait time at the passport office is too long? If the alternative is not to travel, the consumer will tend to tolerate poor service.

The opposite experience is consumer (customer) orientation, in which the business prioritizes the customer. A consumer orientation is a key component of a firm with a market-oriented culture. The organizational culture that embodies the importance of creating value for customers among all employees is called a market orientation.

  Slide 16

Relationship Marketing and Consumer Behaviour

 Relationship marketing is based on the belief that a firm’s performance is enhanced through repeat business. Relationship marketing is the recognition that customer desires are recurring and that a single purchase may be only one touchpoint in an ongoing series of interactions with a customer. Touchpoints may include any type of correspondence with the consumer (i.e., email, phone call, text message, and face-to-face contact). Each touchpoint represents a way for the business to build value with the customer.

  What can I do in class?

 Q:    Ask students to provide examples of relationship marketing. Why should a company take the time to establish a repeat customer?

 A:    Examples could include emails that customers receive on a weekly basis or loyalty cards for movie rentals and groceries. It’s cheaper for a business to build customer relationships than to establish new customers.

  LO4. Explain the role of consumer behaviour in business and society. Consumer Behaviour’s Role in Business and Society

 Slide 17

            Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Strategy

 Consumer behaviour is not only an interesting subject, but also an important topic to understand from multiple perspectives:

1.       CB provides an input to business/marketing strategy.

2.       CB provides a force that shapes society.

3.       CB provides an input to making responsible decisions as a consumer.

 Businesses have a goal of achieving long-term survival. Companies that achieve that goal do so by obtaining resources from consumers in return for the value they create. This helps to explain resource-advantage theory. Exhibit 1.4 lists several companies, their products, and when they first started doing business.

Slide 18                                                Slide 19                                                Slide 20

            What Do People Buy?

 Theodore Levitt, a famous marketing researcher, noted that consumers don’t really seek products. Companies ultimately need to understand why people buy their products in order to understand how to keep their business current. Products that are on their way to obsolescence include VHS tapes, tape recorders, and CD players.

 Slide 21

          Ways of Doing Business

 Various ways of doing business are summarized in Exhibit 1.5, including:

1.       Undifferentiated marketing—Offering the same product to all customers with no customization.

2.       Differentiated marketing—Serving multiple market segments with different product offerings, such as the variety of products found in a Toyota car dealership.

3.       Niche marketing—Serving one market segment with unique needs. For example, The Running Room targets runners to the exclusion of other recreational and competitive athletes.

 Slide 22

Consumer Behaviour and Society

 The items that people buy and consume are representative of the type of society in which they live. For example, how does society treat smoking? Today, smoking is frowned upon not only in Canada and the United States, but also in Europe, where many places have embraced a non-smoking policy. However, smoking was commonplace and acceptable 40 years ago. Smoking is a consumption behaviour that is no longer valued by society at large in Canada.

 Slide 23

            What can I do in class?

 Q:    Ask students how many of them smoke. When did they start smoking and why? How have their consumption patterns changed?

 A:    You will likely see a decline in the number of smokers each year. However, particular regions of Canada as well as colleges or universities might have different numbers.

 Consumer Behaviour and Personal Growth

 This section is based on life stages. Many university students are acquiring large amounts of credit card debt, contributing to the average Canadian debt of $110,000 per household (including mortgage) in 2009.

 Several topics can be particularly helpful in enlightening consumers about consumer behaviour, including:

1.       Consequences associated with poor budget allocation

2.       The role of emotions in consumer decision making

3.       Avenues for seeking redress for unsatisfactory purchases

4.       Social influences on decision making, including peer pressure

5.       The effect of the environment on consumer behaviour

 The Motorola “Brick” phone of the 1980s led to smartphones being widely used today. In both Canada and the United Kingdom a large population of children age 10–14 have their own cellphones. Restrictions are being put on mobile phone users ranging from safety issues while driving to etiquette issues for phone use in public places.

Slide 24                                               Slide 25

            What can I do in class?

 Q:    Ask students their opinions of the list on page 16 about mobile phone etiquette. Should people be restricted on how they use their phone in a public place?

 A:  Student answers will vary greatly.

 LO5. Be familiar with basic approaches to studying consumer behaviour. Different Approaches to Studying Consumer Behaviour

 Slide 26

           There is no single “best” way to study consumer behaviour. The following research methods should be considered.

 Interpretive Research

 Interpretive research seeks to explain the inner meanings and motivations associated with specific consumption experiences. Methods include observations and words that consumers use to describe events.

 Interpretive research generally falls into the category of qualitative research. Qualitative research tools include case analyses, clinical interviews, focus group interviews, and other tools in which data are gathered in a relatively unstructured way.

Interpretive researchers adopt one of several orientations. Two common interpretive orientations are phenomenology and ethnography. Phenomenology represents the study of

consumption as a “lived experience.” Ethnography has roots in anthropology and often involves analyzing the artifacts associated with consumption.

 Quantitative Consumer Research

 Quantitative research addresses questions about consumer behaviour by using numerical measurement and analysis tools. The measurement is usually structured, meaning that the consumer will simply choose a response from among alternatives supplied by the researcher. In

 other words, structured questionnaires typically involve multiple choice type questions. If consumers have an average attitude score of 50 for Brand A and 75 for Brand B,

 it can objectively be said that consumers tend to prefer Brand B. Experimental methodologies are also a key component of quantitative research, and offer the only research method to directly assess cause-and-effect relationships. Exhibit 1.6 summarizes some key differences between quantitative and qualitative research.

 Slide 27                                                Slide 28                                                Slide 29

            LO6. Describe why consumer behaviour is so dynamic and how recent trends affect consumers.

 Consumer Behaviour Is Dynamic

 Slide 30

           Today, consumers do not need to wait for a store to open in order to shop. Consumers can visit virtual stores 24 hours a day/7 days a week. The trends that are shaping the value received by consumers today are discussed in this section.

Slide 31

             What can I do in class?

 Q:    Ask students how they feel about companies like 33Across analyzing their social networking communications to find out about products.

 A:    This statement should spark some debate among students to discuss how the information they volunteer online through social networking may be used. Companies strive to meet consumer demands, offer increasingly innovative products, and grow in response to increased sales. Is it OK that they gain the information for these innovative products by tracking us online?

 Internationalization

 Many store chains have expanded outside their home markets. Consequently, companies must deal not only with geographical distances, but with cultural distances as well. The book discusses two examples—Starbucks and Outback Steakhouse. Each corporation must adapt its product menu to the country in which it operates. For example, in Seoul, Outback Steakhouse serves kimchi (fermented cabbage) on the menu, which is neither American nor Australian.

 Slide 32

          Technological Changes

 In the mid-20th century, television revolutionized consumer behaviour. Not only did TV change advertising forever, but true home shopping became a possibility. Although technology continues to change, the basic consumer desire for value has not changed. In fact, the dot-com

failures of the late 1990s illustrated that companies can fail if they do not enhance the value that consumers receive when buying online.

 Changing Communications

 Consumers’ favourite form of communication used to be face-to-face. Now, many consumers choose the telephone as their preferred communication method (either by voice or text message). Email and social networks are also used. Marketers are learning quickly how to use these tools to communicate with consumers.

 Changing Demographics

 Over the last 25 years, changing demographics mean families include two primary income providers and fewer people make up a family in North America and Europe, resulting in stagnant population growth. This leads marketers around the world to look harder at countries with increasing populations, like China and India.

 Changing Economy

 Much of the developed world has faced a recent downturn in the economy, so consumers have less money to spend. Hearing about other economies around the world that are also in turmoil causes consumers to be more cautious as well.

 VIDEO CLIP

 PowerPoint Clip from Netflix

Run time 1:24 minutes

 Slide 33

          Netflix is a subscription service that provides streaming video over the Internet or delivers DVDs via mail. Netflix changed the way people rent movies and TV shows by cutting out the “shop front.” For a monthly fee, consumers have increased selections, no late fees, the ability to rent as many times as they like, and no need to leave their homes. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, CA, Netflix maintains distribution centres all over North America in order to maintain the company’s business model of speedy delivery and catering to consumers’ convenience needs.

 Ask your students:

 1. How has Netflix’s business model successfully tapped into consumer behaviour?

 Answer: By removing the need to drive to a store to rent or return films and by removing late fees, Netflix provides considerably greater consumer convenience than the traditional method of film rental.

2. How does Netflix use consumer behaviour and the Internet to avoid becoming obsolete as technology changes?

 Answer: Netflix provides a website with film summaries, reviews, a queue for tracking and rating your videos, as well as a service called “Watch Instantly” that allows consumers even more convenience by eliminating the need to wait for a DVD to arrive in the mail. This delivery method uses current technology to stream video instantly to consumers.

 END OF CHAPTER MATERIAL

 CASE ANSWERS: The Hudson’s Bay Company

 1.     Using the basic consumption process in Exhibit 1.2, discuss how a young Canadian “consumes” clothing.

 Answer: Consumers develop a need for new clothing in a variety of ways—new clothes for school or work, the introduction of a new fashion trend, or the desire to fit in with a particular group. Clothes are necessary to keep consumers warm and protected from the elements, but they are also a fashion item and young consumers like to feel good about the clothes they wear because it brings them self-esteem.

 These needs drive consumers to want clothing that not only serves the basic functional needs, but also looks attractive and makes them feel fashionable and good about themselves. For this reason, they may be attracted to The Bay’s positioning as a store that’s in touch with fashion trends, with many fashion-forward labels in stock.

 Consumers’ wants may lead them to consider an exchange with The Bay if the clothing styles in fact do closely match their desires.

 The decision to participate in an exchange (or to forgo one) has costs and benefits. Clothing costs money, and trendy labels tend to cost more than less current designs or lower quality items. In return, however, consumers may project an improved image, and boost their self-esteem. To the extent that consumers believe they are supporting a Canadian retailing institution (regardless of its current ownership), they may gain additional value from the exchange.

 If consumers indeed achieve the goal of projecting the desired image and feeling good about themselves, they will react favourably to their purchase from The Bay. The consumer will in that case experience positive value. If the product does not achieve those ends, then no positive value will have been received.

 2.     Do you think it makes sense for The Bay to pursue more fashionable apparel brands to attract younger shoppers?

 Answer: Answers may vary. The Bay’s strategy of offering more fashionable apparel brands in order to attract young shoppers is a good business decision if it addresses a real need that its target market can afford to satisfy. If successfully implemented, the strategy may allow The Bay to differentiate itself from lower-priced competitors that do not offer higher-end fashion brands, while offering an alternative to exclusive, high-fashion retailers such as Holt-Renfrew.

3.     Is The Bay a consumer-oriented company?

 Answer: Based on its stated desire to cater to the wants and needs of a specific market segment (young consumers), The Bay appears to have adopted a consumer-oriented approach. Hiring a high-profile CEO from within the fashion industry and aggressively pursuing the fashion brands most desired by its customers are further proof of a desire to maximize consumer satisfaction. Its awareness of competitors’ strategies indicates that this is part of a market-oriented business approach.

 4.     What sort of research will Bonnie Brooks need to drive her strategic decisions for The Bay in the next few years? Interpretive, quantitative, or experimental?

 Answer: No single type of research is likely to provide answers to all the questions Ms. Brooks is likely to have. Quantitative approaches can analyze consumers’ current buying patterns, indicating where specific types of products (such as fashion brands) are being purchased, who is buying them, how frequently they buy, and so on. Point-of-sale technologies provide a wealth of data the researcher can analyze to form a detailed picture of consumer buying habits. This information may need to be supplemented with interpretive research, which can help to explain the motivation behind these patterns, such as why certain consumers prefer to do business with certain types of stores. Finally, experimental research may be useful in assessing the effectiveness of specific marketing approaches. A test market can be a very useful tool in helping a retail chain to develop the most effective way to display, promote, and price its merchandise.

 5.           Almost any business involves some ethical questions. In this case, do you see any problems with positioning The Bay as Canada’s oldest corporation when it is owned by an American private equity firm?

 Answer: Answers will vary. Many brands are associated with a country of origin that no longer reflects its ownership (or never did so). The quintessentially British Mini Cooper brand is owned by Germany’s BMW, while Jaguar belongs to India’s Tata. Roots, which uses Canada and the beaver as part of its brand imagery, was founded by two Americans. Tim Hortons remained a Canadian icon even after its purchase by U.S.-based Wendy’s.

 Students will have varying opinions on The Bay’s ability to retain its Canadian heritage and the ethical issues of potential misrepresentation.

 REVIEW QUESTIONS

 (*)   Indicates material on prep cards.

 1.     [LO1] List two perspectives from which consumer behaviour can be defined.

 Answer: Consumer behaviour can be defined as (1) a field of study and as (2) human activity involving human thoughts and actions.

   2.     [LO1] Define consumer behaviour from both perspectives.

Answer: Consumer behaviour as a field of study represents the study of consumers as they go about the consumption process. In this sense, consumer behaviour is the science of studying how consumers seek value in an effort to address real need.

 Consumer behaviour as a human activity is the set of value-seeking activities that take place as people go about addressing realized needs.

 3.     [LO1] List each stage in the consumption process, and briefly describe this process.

 Answer: The stages include needs, wants, exchange, costs and benefits, reaction, and value. The basic consumption process is a chain reaction of events through which consumers receive value (i.e., the steps in consumption).

 4.     *[LO1] What is consumption? Provide three examples of something you have “consumed” recently, and illustrate the concept of consumption with each example.

 Answer: Consumption represents the process by which goods, services, or ideas are used and transformed into value. Examples should be easy. Music is enjoyable only when one listens to it (and likes it). Consumption can turn an mp3 file into value by listening.

 5.     [LO1] Explain the interrelationships among economics, psychology, marketing, and consumer behaviour.

 Answer: In some ways, economics is an overarching discipline in that it also studies consumption but at a more abstract level than does consumer behaviour. Marketing studies stemmed from economics and psychology, and marketing itself represents potentially value-producing activities aimed at addressing consumer needs. As a field of study, consumer behaviour grew from the marketing field, and it was very much influenced by psychology because great emphasis was placed on the way consumers made decisions.

 6.     [LO2] What role does competition play in determining the way in which consumers are treated in the marketplace?

 Answer: Competition eventually drives businesses toward a consumer orientation because the firm that doesn’t serve customers well is vulnerable to the customer going elsewhere. Thus, the more competitive the market, the greater the chance that the consumer is treated with respect as a valuable resource to the firm. Because firms depend on repeat business (and as they recognize the advantages of doing so), they are more likely to treat customers better in an effort to build or maintain a strong relationship.

 7.     [LO2] Define consumer orientation. How do firms become consumer oriented?

 Answer: Consumer (customer) orientation refers to a way of doing business in which the actions and decision making of the institution prioritize consumer value and satisfaction above all other concerns. A consumer orientation is often a response to a competitive marketplace.

 8.     [LO2] Think about a consumer on a business trip out of town. What “touchpoints” take place during a typical day in a hotel for a business traveller?

Answer: Touchpoints are direct contacts between a firm and a customer. A day for the traveller may involve the following touchpoints:

 Wake-up call

 Visiting the fitness centre

 Going down for breakfast and being served Asking for directions

 Checking out of the hotel

 Getting help with transportation

 9.     [LO2] How is niche marketing different than differentiated marketing?

 Answer: Niche marketers are pursuing exchanges within one market segment. Differentiated marketers attempt to serve multiple segments with multiple products.

 10.     [LO3] List three main reasons why consumer behaviour is such an important topic to understand.

 Answer: Consumer behaviour is important in at least three ways:

 CB as an input to business/marketing strategy CB as a force that shapes society

 CB as an input to responsible consumer decision making

 11.     [LO3] How can consumer behaviour contribute to public policy?

 Answer: Public policy includes measures taken to restrict consumer freedom in the interest of the common good. Restrictions on consumer freedom exist in the form of traffic laws as well as restrictions on trade, such as prescription drugs, and consumption activities, such as smoking. Such decisions should only be made with a thorough understanding of the consumer behaviour issues involved, such as consumer psychology and sociology and the impact of such decisions on the marketplace and economy.

 12.     *[LO4] What two basic approaches to studying (i.e., researching) consumer behaviour are discussed in this chapter? How do they differ?

 Answer: Interpretive research seeks to explain the inner meanings and motivations associated with specific consumption experiences. Quantitative research addresses questions about consumer behaviour by using numerical measurement and analysis tools. Exhibit 1.5 demonstrates specific differences between the approaches.

 13.     [LO4] When a researcher gathers information from consumers, such as household income and family size, and then uses this information to determine how much families will spend on a home, what “type” of research is being used here? Explain.

 Answer: Quantitative research is being used because these measures will involve concrete, numeric measurements and statistical analyses to provide information.

 14.      [LO5] What is meant by the phrase “consumer behaviour is dynamic”?

 Answer: Consumers are constantly changing, and therefore marketers’ responses to consumers are constantly changing, too. Several marketplace trends contribute to the

dynamic nature of consumer behaviour: internationalization, changing technologies, and changing demographics.

 15.     *[LO5] How is the fact that communication media preferences are changing affecting consumer behaviour and the effective use of consumer behaviour in business?

 Answer: Consumers no longer communicate by voice to the extent that they used to. In fact, younger consumers have turned to social networking as a preferred means of communication. Older consumers may still prefer speaking to someone in person or on the phone. Middle-aged consumers may prefer email. Marketers have had to change the way they communicate with their consumers and one result is a shift in resources toward social networking sites like Facebook as a way of reaching customers with effective marketing communication.

 INTERACTIVE/APPLICATION EXERCISES

 16.     *Ethics is an important aspect of consumer behaviour. Later chapters will focus on ethics in more detail. However, given that consumer behaviour is useful from a business, societal, and personal viewpoint, in which area are ethics and consumer behaviour most closely related? Explain your choice.

 Answer: Students can defend any area by discussing the behaviour of people involved in consumption and action. Students are likely to choose the societal viewpoint because issues such as public policy are most closely associated with ethics. However, students should also consider behaviour from both the individual consumer and potential marketing employee perspectives.

 17.     Review the following situations, and discuss the relevance of consumer behaviour to explain each scenario:

 A student selling a textbook back to the university bookstore

 A student purchasing a value meal from an on-campus fast-food stand A family purchasing a new home

A corporate CEO taking a prospective customer to lunch

 A consumer injured during a pick-up football match who is given a tetanus shot at a first aid clinic

A consumer in a third-world nation who is considering the purchase of a battery-operated television from a government-owned store

 Answer: Any activity involving consumer decisions that could lead to differing amounts of value is clearly relevant to consumer behaviour. The case of the injured football player is the least relevant scenario because the consumer has very little choice.

 18.     Do some research on the Internet on the following multinational companies:

 Tesco Auchan

 Lotte Department Store Walmart

Sephora Exxon

Based on the descriptions of these companies found on the Internet, which way of treating customers do you believe each has adopted? Which company would you argue is the most multinational?

 Answer: All of these companies are multinational in the sense that they have operations in multiple countries. Sephora and Exxon probably have operations in more countries than do the others. The answer to which orientation each company has adopted to deal with their customers should be related to the degree of competition as well as the potential amount of government regulation that each company faces.

 19.     The following is a way to get a little practice as an interpretive researcher. Find two consumers who are significantly older than you, two consumers slightly older than you, and two consumers substantially younger than you who will allow you to observe them while they browse the Internet. Collect some field notes that describe their behaviour as well as the discussion that you have with them during the exercise. Based on these interviews, prepare a brief report on the way people from different generations obtain value from their use of the Internet.

 Answer: Students should attempt to provide explanations of behaviour by interpreting what they see and what the consumer does.

 20.     *Team Exercise: Use the Internet to do a brief research paper on a current public policy issue in which consumer behaviour plays an important role. Develop an opinion on whether some type of new regulation or restriction might actually address the issue and create a better societal outcome. Prepare a brief skit to enact your issue, and summarize the ways in which knowledge of consumer behaviour can contribute to understanding the issue.

 Have some fun with this. Relate the consumer behaviours to the amount of competition involved and the fact that public policy has both advantages and disadvantages for consumers.

 Answer: Students tend to focus more quickly on the short-term advantages without considering the long-term market implications of regulations.

 21.     Team Exercise: Interview at least five consumers from each of the following age groups: 10–15 years old, 20–29 years old, 35–45 years old, and over 55 years old. Ask the consumers what is their preferred method of communicating with a) friends, b) family, and c) businesses. Also, ask them what types of products they use to help them communicate with friends and family. Do the results suggest that they derive value from all communication technologies to the same degree, or do they use different technologies to communicate? Do you think the answers would be the same if you were dealing with consumers from Europe, Mexico, or Japan? How might firms cope with the dynamics of this situation?

 Answer: Students should focus on the dynamic nature of consumer behaviour in discussing the results of the interviews.

GROUP ACTIVITY

 Track consumption patterns in your class over the next week. Have students work in teams of two or as individuals if class size permits. This activity can also be used as a trimester- or semester-long project and will work best at the beginning of the term. Have students collect their receipts throughout the week and track all purchases from books to bottles of water. Students will meet in their groups during the second class and compare their purchase patterns. Students should present their findings in the following journal entry format.

       Feelings

 Items

Place of

 Planned or

Descriptive

Reason for

Associated with

Date

Purchased

Purchase

Price

Impulse?

Information

Purchase

Purchase

Week  1

Books

Bookstore

$190

Planned

Needed for

Course

Positive,

9/7/13

    class

requirement

should get a

       good grade

       now.

 CHAPTER VIDEO CASE

 To view the video case ReadyMade Do It Yourself, go to the CB companion website www.icancb.com to select this video.1

 In 2001, when Grace Hawthorne, CEO, and Shoshana Berger, Editor-in-Chief,

came up with their idea for ReadyMade, there were no other publications with their unique do-it - yourself (DIY) theme. ReadyMade was to be a magazine about fun and creative projects for the home. Since its development, the bi-monthly magazine has enjoyed a loyal subscriber base and continues to gain readership across the country. All issues include numerous do-it-yourself (DIY) projects, each rated by their level of difficulty, as well as several feature articles exploring the latest in innovation and design. In this video, pay attention to ReadyMade’s methods as they launched their magazine. Note also how ReadyMade uses its knowledge of its consumer base to tailor the product.

 Ask your students:

 1.     While the ReadyMade magazine was still in the design stages, very little research was done to determine whether an interested market existed. Did this adversely affect the magazine as it moved forward to publication? Explain.

 Answer: The founders of ReadyMade magazine did little formal research, but they were immersed in the lifestyles and expectations of their target market, which in essence, was themselves. Whether their subscriber base would have been larger at the outset had they done more research is difficult to say, but since launching, the DIY market segment has grown exponentially and perhaps carried them along. Perhaps ReadyMade’s founders were lucky, or perhaps they were inspired. CEO Grace Hawthorne remarked that their marketing plan was, in essence, “if [we] build it, they will come.”

  1 From Lamb, Hair, McDaniel. ReadyMade-Do It Yourself from Marketing 9e, pg. 183. Copyright © 2008 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning, Inc. Reproduced by permission. www.cengage.com/permissions

2.     How does the cover of ReadyMade magazine reflect the principles of packaging design as influenced by the known behaviour of its consumers?

 Answer: The cover of ReadyMade magazine is carefully designed to provide a new reader, with just one glance, an understanding of the magazine’s purpose: a dual-gender, youth-spirited, DIY, project-related, home improvement guide.

 3.     To what extent does ReadyMade rely on opinion leaders to promote the magazine? Is this a successful tactic?

 Answer: ReadyMade heavily relies on peer-to-peer recommendations; those DIY peers are the opinion leaders in the DIY market segment and have generated new subscriptions. For the DIY market, relying on opinion leaders has proven a successful tactic.

[enbyflock2]

CWMEA Presentation-”Transgender Discussion and Music: A Non-Binary Voice” Sketches Part 2

I first started with composing only instrumentals. At that age, I was only writing for solo instruments and chamber music ensembles.

A highlight for me with composing was that no one was telling me to, and I was only doing it for my sake. When you have that kind of freedom to make that decision, there is a lot you can explore about yourself, even if it takes time for you to discover your meanings or what you were trying to get across.

In this first sample, you hear Stravinsky. These pieces are The Firebird Dance, and Dances of the Young Maidens.

In this second sample, you are hearing my original composition Lost in an Elevator written in 2010 my sophomore year of high school. It is a chamber music piece composed for two alto saxophones, upright bass, drum set, strings, noisy sound effects, and a vibraphone.

You can hear some of the influences of Stravinsky in my piece. Here is a slide with our influences and crossovers.

Considering how this piece grew from the second pop music sample, I consider this piece I wrote to be an exploration of the version of masculinity I created for myself as a non-binary person.

When I reached my sophomore year of college in 2014, I presented this piece in a master class to the composer Greg Simon. I wanted to do further edits and revisions, and I actually thought about lessening the stylistic changes, shortening sections, and minimizing the manic atmosphere of the piece. What I was surprised to hear was that Greg Simon didn’t reach for critiques like that at all. Instead he suggested that I extend some of the sections to further develop the motives and themes, and that my stylistic changes were appropriate and worked to the piece’s favor. As long as my motives and themes had a little more space to breathe and develop, the listener would be able to hear a clearer sense of unified identity.

When we got to studying Stravinsky, it was for a MUS 231 class. I had a lot of exposure to Stravinsky in my other classes, such as the end of the music theory series and the orchestration class I took. Just being able to study the work of Stravinsky really helped me better understand why the composer at the master class gave a response like that to me, and helped me in stabilizing my sense of identity.

I did one of my research papers on the reception of Stravinsky’s The Firebird. This was the first ballet in the collaborative series with the Ballet Russes. Before learning about Stravinsky in college, I knew of him through association of Frank Zappa and other bands, and I knew about the Rite of Spring and Symphony of Psalms, but didn’t feel well studied in those works.

When I first learned about Stravinsky, I thought him to be the quintessentially Russian composer, writing Russian music, embodying Russian identity. However, this eventually came to me as a slight misnomer. My research paper about the critical reception of The Firebird was about how the ballet was considered the first sensational work of Stravinsky that sent him into international fame in Paris, France. However, if Stravinsky had premiered the ballet’s work in his home country of Russia, he probably wouldn’t have reached his level of status as a composer.

The French absolutely raved about Stravinsky’s innovative accomplishments with the piece. Russian critics largely didn’t appreciate the work. They didn’t even premiere the works with the ballet in Russia, as it was still seen as a novelty art form. They also didn’t appreciate the blending of French musical influences in the score, and the Oriental influences in the ballet. Overall, the “Russian identity” within this music, from the Russian perspective, was seen as largely “contrived” and “manufactured.”

What was so amazing to me though was, despite these conflicts, the Ballet Russes and Stravinsky were set in an insistent spirit to make this as a Russian version of a Gesamtkunst-werk, or a total artwork combining many art forms. Yet the participants in Ballet Russes were largely outsiders in their home country, with many of the patrons and other Russian composers such as Rimsky-Korsakov himself largely disapproving of the Ballet Russes.

In a funny sense, I had this image of Stravinsky bravely and wildly insisting this was going to be a Russian masterwork towards a large amount of Russian people misunderstanding. Likewise, I had this image in my own small hometown and community in which I wrote Lost in an Elevator, and saw how I used that piece as a brave and wild means to appear towards others as a masculine, when I was really a trans person not being entirely understood and trying to understand others. I could laugh at this, because of our comparisons in scope: I’m Timmie in a small redneck town with a chamber piece, and he’s Stravinsky in France insisting of a Russian masterwork for his country! It helped lessen my anxieties towards how I related to people with this piece.

Despite what the Russians thought, it was a pivotal time for the composer Stravinsky, and when he later went on to write Petrushka and The Rite of Spring, he was able to construct more of a singular and original identity for himself as a composer, through the blending of these multiple national identities and other disparate compositional elements. Despite many of the jarring compositional techniques used within The Rite of Spring, the piece is all held together in continuity with the organic use and development of Russian folk tunes. Today, we consider all of these ballets to be part of his Russian period of composing, despite these historical complexities. Stravinsky’s sound is seen as something so singular and original with these blending of the modern and traditional, and he really left a framework for other composers to write in whose works are seen as suspenseful, theatrical, and thrilling.

I got back to revising my piece Lost in an Elevator for its first premiere in an annual concert series Collage back in 2016, a concert where we demonstrated the diversity of musical talent our school had. I rearranged the piece for a trio: upright bass, soprano saxophone, and flute. Taking the advice I picked up from the master class and the studies of Stravinsky, I went into revising the piece with a renewed sense of confidence. I developed further sections, and gave the chance for the main theme to have more breath inside the stylistic changes.

I passed the audition with my trio, yet I was in a very difficult place in my life when I performed it with the group. I only just started exploring my gender expressions by wearing dresses and other clothes, and I was at a very frightened state in my life because the question weighed on me that I needed to physically change my body. I was walking around during that month with no stable sense of a self-image, I was depressed, and I felt terrified for my safety.

Once I performed this piece with my group, however, I experienced a very spiritual and mental sensation: I remembered so many men in my life that had a positive influence on me, and I felt an overwhelming feeling wash over me of how proud I was to be in my body. I left the rehearsal sessions and performance of this piece feeling overjoyed and happy.

I reflect back on this now and recognize how this piece and further studies as a music student really helped with my struggles in gender identity.

Much of my feelings towards lessening stylistic changes and shortening sections for the piece came from an internal place of shame and stigma of my non-binary identity. I saw this piece arising from a place where I was really trying to navigate masculinity: competitiveness through intellectual fervor, aggression with harmonic language and the rock beat of the drum set, and a dark, twisted sense of humor. However, Greg Simon from the master class came to me, recognized these qualities in the piece, and gave a small piece of advice that allowed those internal qualities to further play out.

When I look back on my studies about Stravinsky, it really eased me to see his indirect influence in my work. It really inspired me the historical difficulties Stravinsky and the Ballet Russes were facing in trying to blur the lines with these national identities and compositional elements to create something of singular theatrical and programmatic cohesion. Just as I felt I was blurring the lines of gender identity and compositional elements with my piece for my smaller communities.

When I look back on the spiritual and mental experience I had with performing my piece, I realize now why it put me at such mental ease. I often saw myself stressed with the expressions I used in this piece, what it may have been emoting in me as a person, and how it may have seemed incongruent with masculinity I was trying to fit into at the time I wrote it. But, in the context of music major world, it was socially congruent and absolutely accepted by my community. I had the space and opportunity to allow those characteristics of my masculinity in me that I shamed so heavily, and was able to place it in a context to entertain others, tell a story, and engage with the listeners.

I always had a fond relationship with the music of Debussy. Debussy brings me memories of my sisters playing his pieces, filling the entire piano room with The Girl With Flaxen Hair, and The Cathedral. In the first sample during the second segment, you hear the piece The Cathedral for piano, and also, of course in the first segment, Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faun.

When we read about Debussy in music history, so much of his work was tied into the label of sensuality. In The Cathedral sample you heard, a dreamy like atmosphere of an underwater Cathedral is supposed to be evoked.

In a lecture Leonard Bernstein did, he talked a lot about the sensuality of Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faun. He talked about how Debussy’s techniques evoked an aura of eroticism. Bernstein used this article to also talk about Debussy’s general philosophy of composing, which was simply exploring sounds and patterns that were pleasing to the ears instead of being so heavily theory oriented and analytical. Debussy seemed to be from an aesthetic that believed in trying to find your own sensual language as a composer.

I started writing, composing, and developing pieces like these in middle school. It was always written on guitar first. The first segment you heard was a demonstration of a parallel chord progression pattern moving upwards, with a saxophone improvising over it. The piece is called Improvised.

The second segment you heard was my piece for guitar Whispered. The third segment you heard was a version called Stained Glass, which was composed for an Orchestration class my sophomore year of college. When I composed the piece for guitar, I felt myself approaching composition like Debussy did: exploring sounds and patterns instead of being analytical.

I was inspired to continue moving the fingers on the guitar fret in parallel motion for the chord patterns like Debussy exploring the chords and intervals on the piano. However, for this composition, I would adjust my fingers on the frets accordingly in order to make the chords stay consistently within the key of D minor. I channeled a lot of that influence of guitar playing through Joni Mitchell, whom you heard through the feminine music sample. Differently from how I approached the parallel motion that you heard in the first sample, I would move my frets but allow much of the guitar strings to ring openly. Through this, I would allow moments of dissonance and consonance to freely pass through each other, and allowed the voicings to occasionally double up with another note on the open guitar.

When I was able to play these kinds of compositions on guitar, I would very much flood the room like how my sisters would do with playing pieces by Debussy. I would turn the guitar up to a clean tone with an overwhelming echo effect. Years back, analyzing my own feelings when I would play these pieces, I noticed that I would go to school and struggle with body dysphoria. I’d go home, play a piece like this, and experience that sensual quality that we greatly attribute to Debussy’s music. I would play it and have a feeling that I was developing a clear perception of my body. Playing this on guitar was helping me sense how my body actually was.

On a more social level, when I finished composing my piece Whispered in the eighth grade, I had such a feeling of relief that I was saying everything about me that needed to be said. The social dysphoria I was experiencing was being released.

When I look back on why I felt this way, and looking at it through the lenses of Debussy’s aesthetic of developing a language for you as a composer, it makes sense why I felt this way. I started writing about this piece again after coming out as non-binary, and I felt a great feeling of symbolic interpretation being communicated to me.

On a basic level, it was such a great idea for me to hear this piece in orchestration in Stained Glass, because it communicates internal quality that I commonly perceive through my interactions with non-binary folks… We can tend to be very meditative and calm people like how you may hear it in the guitar version, but on the other end of the coin with the orchestrated version, very fiery and passionate.

On the symbolic level, I saw the two moving notes of the chord progression to be representative of my desire to express something aligned with my internal self. I saw the four unchanging, static notes to be heavily imposed societal gender norms that were refusing to move. In combination, I was able to hear a sort of place in my world as a non-binary and genderqueer person. There are moments where the chords and voicings in the orchestration sound fraught and overwhelming, just like how I was seeing gender norms at the time. But then they reach places of consonance in combination with the static notes that demonstrate an ability to be aligned with a society and people around me. In other parts of the orchestration that I didn’t play, there is a glorious, heroic segment with an ascending line with sprightly woodwind scales moving through the texture. Noticing how I always naturally ended the phrases with something of consonance, I was able to infer for myself that I felt a possibility and hope to be aligned with a society and community in my body.

While I am not sure if I could have given a symbolic analysis at the time I wrote it, I felt I was successful in this piece with aligning myself with a Debussy philosophy of developing a musical language for myself. It was really able to communicate something to my future self in college, and that is what mattered in the long run.

In this sample you are hearing Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, the Unfinished Symphony. This is Movement 1: Allegro Moderato. You can do heavy analysis of all the mode mixtures that Schubert utilizes in the piece, and you can also analyze through a framework of a circle of thirds key centers. Here is what a circle of thirds chord progression pattern looks like (shows slide.) Sometimes Schubert would navigate the circle of thirds masterfully through well thought out mode mixture tricks, but other times he would allow the changes to be not so sudden. I was able to observe Schubert’s use of the circle of thirds pattern in a piece of his I analyzed for MUS 493: Impromptu No. 1 in Eb Minor, Drei Klavierstücke, Movement 1: Allegro Assai. MUS 493 was a special topics class that analyzed all of the symphonies of Beethoven and some of the symphonies of Schubert.

In this sample you are hearing my piece Ducks, which I wrote my sophomore year of high school. The mode mixture I use in this piece is nowhere near as extensive as Schubert’s use of it, but the influence had definitely made a mark.

My senior year of college, my professor Dr. Block brought me an article Constructions of Subjectivity in Schubert’s Music by musicologist Dr. Susan McClary. She focused in on the Unfinished 8th Symphony by Schubert and talked about how people during Schubert’s time, solely based on the compositional aspects of his music, was suspected to be gay by many. She also talked about how many place Schubert under a label of a feminine paradigm for his music, because of his lyrical musical qualities and very personal nature of his compositions.

Now, Susan McClary was given a lot of criticism for exploring the question of Schubert’s sexuality and the feminine paradigm through his music, because during the time many people at musicological conferences were either condemning of homosexuality, or found the question not to be worth exploring at all.

This article, however, helped me tremendously in my personal life, so I sent McClary some of my writings and she immediately replied back to me thanking me. She talked about how she wrote that article specifically because she had queer students coming up to her saying they noticed Schubert’s compositional tendencies within their early compositions as composers. I was completely moved by the article because I was teleported back to my earliest explorations into compositions trying to completely immerse myself in mode mixture patterns, and one of my first earliest (and unsuccessful) instrumental compositions was using the circle of thirds sequence of tonal centers.

Just to clarify if this doesn’t sound like a big deal… there is a section in the article that says expressions in art and music do not have to necessarily align with one’s identity at all. It’s absolutely true. Expressions and identity are separate entities. Just the very fact that somebody composes in a certain way aligned with another composer, that doesn’t make them have a similar personality to the composer by any means. But I am going to draw you again to the questions of measurements in consistencies, habits, and patterns of expressions, to help explore the fine line between expression and identity.

Schubert wasn’t the first inventor of mode mixture patterns, but how far he went with them was completely unprecedented at the time. I also went very far with my obsession with applying mode mixture. I would take long trips home from a vacation and be obsessively fantasizing about all the possibilities with mode mixtures and circle of thirds for upcoming compositions of mine.

Within Schubert’s time, he was really pushing the confines of sonata form and the symphony ideals through mode mixture and circle of thirds, and challenging the basic format of sonata form of the tonic-dominant relationship. Within my time, I was getting the inspiration for mode mixture and circle of thirds because I was wanting to stray away from my culture of pop and rock music that was very centered in one key all the time.

As far as relating goes, I have no idea how Schubert was feeling at the time with his supposed gay identity. But I imagine he was a complete outcast and shamed, just as I was feeling in my time. Did these defiant musical expressions align across our stretches of times because of how we were made to feel defiant based on our sexuality? How did we align so well with absorption of our completely different music influences, and while being completely different people? Was this the only way we could express ourselves, and take control of who we were internally through the means of music? And what does this say about our underlying humanity?

Susan cited another musicologist in the article: Jackson. Jackson talks about how Schubert was only put under a category of feminine because of his lack of conformity towards the norms of composition. Instead, Jackson interpreted Schubert’s expressions as “participating in a cultural construction of masculinity,” as the characteristics within Schubert’s music are often aligned with the narratives of gay men: “excess, pleasure, play, porous identities, free exchange between self and others.”

When I first read the article, it was before the summer of my senior year, where I hadn’t discovered my identity yet as trans. But I was in a place of slight annoyance with the article. I almost hated the quote that seemed to me a stereotype of gay men, as I didn’t see or understand how those qualities were playing out in my life narrative. Then I was annoyed by this need for a feminine paradigm for musicologists to understand the works of Schubert, and how it seemed he was just simply thrown under that label because he was seen as “otherly” with his supposed sexuality.

In a funny sense, when I came out as trans and explored myself, I was trying to navigate through my several lifetime moments of constant shame, stigma, and persistent instructions, replies, and reactions telling me to stop acting a certain way because, (for a lack of a better word to be describing my actions), it was too feminine. Then I come across something as obscure as a musicological article pointing at me, telling me: “Hahaha. GAY! Feminine!”

In a more serious sense, I was having past compositions of mine being placed under a feminine paradigm, and I was curious to make something out of it. This construction of feminine on the very basis of my sexuality was an all too common oppression in my lifetime, and gave me a lot of discomfort, stress, and mental disconnect. But the truth is that we are social beings, so our construction of our purely individual selves comes through a constant interpersonal and institutional guise of other people. I’m one that needed to always remind myself of that three-dimensional quality of people. Schubert and I just happened to reach out interpersonally under similar expressions that may have been a result of our internal queer sensuality, and the institutional decision of the musicological world just happened to call it feminine, or even an alternative version of masculinity. This doesn’t make us feminine people necessarily.

I needed to move away from my more literal and internal struggles with my dysphoria towards femininity and how that played a role in my life, in order to try and better appreciate this need for a label of a feminine paradigm in music composition. I acknowledged and rationalized for myself that my moments struggling with body dysphoria that pointed me towards femininity came from a reality where I internalized something of myself that wasn’t congruent to the desires and wishes of my future, pure, and truest internal self.

In other words, I had communications sent to me, both directly and indirectly, that on the sole basis of being gay… I was no longer an heir to the family, being the only child in a “boy’s body” with three other sisters. I was not fulfilling the duties of manhood that were laid out for me and my male privilege. There was something inherently wrong with me for not finding my self worth and value in marrying a wife someday that would bear my children, even though this would be impossible for me with my sexuality. How this was further amplified in my school system for no acknowledgement of my existence as a queer person. I was being prayed for. I was going to have employers in my future figure out my sexual identity and, on the basis of that, discriminate against me, and put me at risk for financial and job security.

When you internalize a lot of that hatred and stigma, I found it to be only natural that I was one that internalized a very fluid relationship with gender during my adolescence. On some days, I would wake up and believe myself to be of those hyper alternative masculine traits that Jackson spelled out in the article. On those days, I would try to have hope for my internal self that I could escape from the pathologization of queer people by my mother and someday find a fulfilling life through gay romance.

On other days, this pain of not fulfilling the demands my family made upon me, the confusion over lack of queer visibility, and the isolation if anyone else existed like me and had hope for a future, was enough to internalize body dysphoria, and fall into horrifying perceptions of my body. Those many other days I believed my hormones to be an unnatural growth that wasn’t pleasurable. Those many other days I only had dissonance towards that specific and necessary body area that I believed could fulfill the family pressure of bearing the grandchildren my mother “needed.” In other words, it was partial body dysphoria wishing for an androgynous body.

Schubert and I have different life stories and struggles, as he was an outcast, his music was not appreciated in his time, probably experienced mental illness in his lifetime, and died really young either of typhoid fever or syphilis. But I was not surprised I was to turn to creativity in music and a similar aesthetic of Schubert’s. These internalized feelings of defiance, confusion, and isolation are what led us to mode mixture and circle of thirds. Ironically, if you were you have asked me at the time I was writing that music; I sincerely felt it was carrying my queer identity.

After I felt I had sorted through that realization, I had more room to try and better appreciate what was the need for a binary paradigm of masculinity and femininity for art music. It’s as simple as this: it makes it easier for folks to understand, and that can make it more accessed and appreciated by people. Almost just like how I am not one that cares to annihilate everyone’s desire to align with a binary pronoun he/him/his or she/her/hers: it makes it easier for folks to understand, and that can make it a starting point to be better accessed and appreciated by people.

I’m going to simplify how the musicological historical trends of approaching appreciation towards art music seemed to occur. Looking through the masculine and feminine paradigm, I noticed a difference in appreciation developments.

The supposed “masculine” composers were being grasped in appreciation first for their compositional structure: organicism, the ability to take a small motive and apply it to a foundation of the whole piece, consistency in exploring all the possibilities in a key center and their neighbor keys. This was how musicological studies were approached first in music academia, and the masculine composers were appreciated earlier on. After awhile, musicologists were then led to appreciate the cultural, communal, and interpersonal ways that this touched people.

Whereas these supposed “feminine” composers were being grasped in appreciation first for their structures into people’s personal, domestic, and everyday lives: the interaction of the melody line and accompaniment creating a program and story, the folk and pastoral qualities from the art songs even to the symphonies, and especially these uncanny abilities for these composers to transfer an aura of their mental, physical, or spiritual state of being that affects personal lives… even years later. These musicological studies were approached later in music academia. Feminine composers were appreciated much later on. After this appreciation developed, musicologists were able to better see how structurally sound the compositions were.

Dr. Block mentioned in my 493 class that, while we haven’t moved out this binary paradigm for art music, there is so much more appreciation for the feminine paradigm in music. Just recently within the past decade, an annual Top Ten lists of composers finally included Schubert. This step forward in appreciating the feminine paradigm is beneficial and broadens the whole field.

What was really wonderful about that class with Dr. Block was that we studied nearly everything about the lives of Beethoven and Schubert. When we dove into so many of their works, it really lessened the confines of these binary labels. Specifically Beethoven was considered masculine and Schubert feminine. But an honest look into all of their life’s work saw approaches and appreciations that demanded us to see all of these sides of them. Beethoven may have been known as more heroic, brave, and masculine in his better-known symphonies, but he was also composing as a means to evoke unprecedented humor and pastoral qualities in sacrifice of the traditional masculine compositional paradigms, and his Ninth Symphony’s program participated in a whole political revolution worth studying historically. Likewise, Schubert was more known for his song cycles and art songs. The feminine tag was more derived from those works such as Winterreise and Die schöne Müllerin, and only through folks discovering that he was a serious symphony composer as well was when the considerations of him as a participant in masculine cultural constructions was opened up.

As far as observing that humanity of Beethoven and Schubert through studying their music and lifetime, it really coincided with perspectives that I needed to grasp about gender. Knowing someone’s gender identity, if they are masculine, feminine, both, neither, or other, is a great starting point in knowing someone, but really they’re human and it’s just one facet of their identity. Everyone is capable of limitless expressions, no matter what your identity. Being able to observe this through master composers was beneficial. I’m not too concerned if these labels are attributed to Beethoven and Schubert, as long as that doesn’t keep others from appreciating their other works, music appreciation in general, and recognizing all the sides to them as artists.

Likewise, even though musicology maybe needed to start from a more “masculine” angle in order to be recognized as an institutional valid study at first, the reality is the average person isn’t going to be listening for measurement values based off strictly these “masculine traits.” I’m also not one arguing that musicology’s history can easily be summed up as a start from the masculine towards the feminine, because I don’t believe that. Music has always been appreciated three dimensionally by people: composition, performance, and relating to humanity. It is great that musicology strives towards appreciation and study through all of these angles. It’s true that they are studying music at a much higher level than the average person. With that being said, musicology has to continue to strive for listening to music like an average person would in that sense of three-dimensional appreciation. The field must never lose sight of that.

This is the single great thing that studying music in college continued to bring me back to: listening. Just listening. Cherishing that gift of listening. Being aware that through listening to one person’s music, we understand spirits in connection to our spirits.

Back towards my pop music samples, I remember that if you really needed to throw a binary label on how I was appreciating that music back in the day, it was through a masculine angle, for all of the samples. I was so technically analytical with noticing all the extra complexities in harmonies, melodies, and arrangements in comparison to rock and pop music on the radio. Later though, it was inescapable that this appreciation would come about through realizing this idea of the music as a socially stabilizing force for relating to humanity, for all of the samples. You could argue that since this had to do with relating, it would be feminine. But I don’t enjoy thinking of it in those terms. I just recognize that I was able to seek out my spirit through the help of several other spirits within music, no matter what angle I was coming towards my music appreciation. Even if I didn’t consciously recognize it at the time, it was always in my subconscious that those pop samples were communicating towards me.

I felt one instance I perfectly embodied this gift of listening and cherishing spirituality in music outside of my classroom was through the music of Anohni. She is someone that identifies as a trans woman, but is someone really representing for non-binary folks as well. All I know is that the first time I heard her, it was the cabaret folk group Antony and the Johnsons off the album I Am A Bird Now. I put on the first track “Hope There’s Someone” and almost cried instantly. I didn’t though, as I was still closeted and not out as anything: gay or trans. I had no idea she was transgender, and what I found her from was just through a string of influences of many of my favorite singer-songwriters. But I was completely drawn to her voice’s timbre: deep, soulful, dark, vibrato-laden, strange, and hearkening back to the singing stylistics of Nina Simone. I was captivated, and in that sitting I listened to the whole album, completely stunned.

Later, I found her orchestral album Cut the World, and was blown away by the title track that was originally composed for an opera The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic. The second track was a spoken word piece, where she talked about her art collective, their philosophy about Future Feminism, and their advocacy in collective consciousness about ecocide. I started to watch her interviews on YouTube constantly, as I was fascinated by her personality. The summer before I discovered my trans identity, I would sing in the car to her music a lot while doing pizza deliveries. I found myself unintentionally emulating her vocal style, more than any other artist I had played in my car before.

Anohni took a complete turn away from her band Antony and the Johnsons to release an electronic music protest album Hopelessness in 2016. She left her former name Antony Hegarty and took on her spirit name Anohni. I collected that album and let the production qualities and brave lyric themes wash over me.

Within that year, I came out as trans, and put on that first album again of Hope There’s Someone. Then I unabashedly cried, as I realized the album drew me in because it was completely putting to voice nearly everything about my transgender experience hopes, dreams, fears, and aspirations to a tee. I don’t know if other parts of Anohni’s personality, (such as being raised Catholic and the similar feminine influences of Kate Bush and Björk), played a role in this album voicing my feelings so well. Nevertheless, noticing this full circle approach that this was always my intended reaction validated my personality, domestically created a space for me where I could continue to carve and emerge myself from, and lived with me in everyday life.

Looking back on my singer-songwriter material in high school, I noticed that we sang about similar subject matter. Both of us composed songs about our personal experiences with body dysphoria, even though I was the one late with understanding these voicings of dysphoria in both my past songs and her songs. Her song Cut the World perfectly voiced how unbearable my gender dysphoria could get if not kept in control. Both of us composed songs about neuro-divergence, such as Anohni’s song Epilepsy is Dancing and my song Look Me In The Eyes about the animal science professor Temple Grandin and her life story with autism. (Which was performed on my senior recital, and composed before I knew of Anohni.) We did it in that same mysterious light of a third person narrative, but noticing how I was trying to reach out for Grandin within the exploration of this song to try and understand my potential neurodivergence, I was often left to wonder if Anohni reached out in her song Epilepsy is Dancing for similar reasons. (I do not have time to play you my singer-songwriter samples, but their ideas are accessible through the photography art project I gave to you called The Missing Elements.)

I still listen to her album Hopelessness, and it is an album carried with me in coping with the current political landscape. I was drawn to it because she voiced the global issues of today, such as drone bomb nuclear warfare, video surveillance, torture and execution, and ecocide, while hardly singing about identity politics. With that being said, she was able to add lyric twists to the album that clearly communicated to me our shared identity as trans people, in congruence with the musical arrangement.

I feel like it is something that is hard to hear and understand in her music if you are not trans. Probably much how people who lived in the culture of the emergence of jazz and experienced those racial and socio-political oppressions heard the music much differently than we do. However, just like our studies towards jazz, even if we are not going to have their shared life experience, we certainly appreciate and let jazz music live on and allow it to intersect within our lifetime and our culture. Just like in my studies with Western classical art music, we lived completely different lives with completely different cultures for composing music, but reached out for paradigms of composing for relating through similar internal means, and their music intersected in my lifetime and culture. In that light, I personally hope Anohni goes down in history as one of the great trans singer-songwriters of our time, no matter how her music differently affects people across the spectrum of gender identities: trans, cis, or non-binary.

[attilapasztordma-blog]

Major Study: Symposium 3 & Alan’s Tutorial (Week 8)

I brought the prepared assignment material to today’s final symposium session which focused on the topic of evaluation and reflection. We did a quick ‘Speed Date’ activity where we discussed our approaches with a stranger in the class. We did this three times, and then at the end, we shared on the board, some of the best approaches to reflection and evaluation that we discussed with someone from those three people. At the end of the session, I took a photo of the all the suggestions Alan and we have discussed from the activity. I think they are great points and some also inspired some other ways for me to evaluate the success of my outcome. However, most importantly, Alan just mentioned that during the final presentation, do not just simply explain what you have done and what went wrong or right during the project development. Focus more on the outcome, how it fits into your area of practice, and how effective it is within its assumed field.

For the final presentation, Alan also suggested to try and prepare 13 minutes of material instead of the full 15 minutes, so that there is actual room for errors and time spending. Furthermore, he also said that probably around 8 slides could be an appropriate amount for a 15 minute presentation.

(Symposium 3 Lecture Notes)

(Symposium 3 Lecture Notes 2)

After the symposium, we also had our individual tutorial session. I demonstrated my current progress, and also showed Alan what I have found when it comes to the source he recommended in our previous session. Unfortunately, I could not digitally find the particular section that he wanted to me to look at, so he offered to scan it in for me, and send it over to me through e-mail. Alan seemed happy with my proposed gameplay and narrative plan for the game, as he explained that the experience is now presented and linked much more clearly and completely, as opposed to showing the plans for individual gameplay segments before. When it comes to the audio, he suggested to play around with more sounds and music this week, so that I have the full sounds library to show him next time.

(Alan’s Tutorial Notes)