#also accidentally switched it to traditional but whatever

[spacecravat]

based on this

[devildomwriter]

Dirty Alphabet: Simeon

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

He is the king of aftercare. He’s very gentle with you. He’s cute as well, with lots of blushing and gentle pecks, making sure you’re alright and aren’t hurt anywhere. Any accidental bruises caused by his natural strength he will immediately heal. He’ll run you a nice warm shower as he cleans up the bedroom and then he’ll clean himself up or join you in the shower and help you scrub clean.

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Simeon isn’t a self-conscious person but he doesn’t focus much on his physique either. If he had to choose something he likes about himself he’d say his muscular abs or whatever part of himself you praise the most.

When it comes to you he really loves to play with your chest (no matter the size) he loves playing with your nipples and gently kissing and massaging your chest. It’s not that he’s most sexually attracted to it, he just simply loves it.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum, basically)

Simeon genuinely and strictly believes that sex is for reproduction and to avoid getting into trouble for having sex he will always release inside you and as much as he can. He feels lewd for you to take his cum into your mouth but he won’t stop you if that’s what you want.

When it comes to your cum he likes to take it in his mouth as he kisses and licks you gently.

D = Dirty secret (Pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Despite being an angel he has a small corruption kink. It’s a part of himself he tries to hide for the sake of keeping his job but when you’re squirming beneath him he gets a sly grin and wants to hear you beg him for more. He may let this slip out on occasion but usually, he keeps this side to himself.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

None previously. As an angel, it’s forbidden. The fact you are partially angel and not completely human is the reason he’s been granted permission to live with you and fulfill your human “needs”

Of course, he was worried at first but it was as if he’d done it a million times before. As a mostly all-knowing angel, he knows exactly how humans do things, what makes them happiest, their complete anatomy and physiology, etc. so it definitely does not appear like he has no experience.

F = Favorite position (This goes without saying)

Missionary. Considering that biblically this is the only one allowed, it’s his favorite. He does experiment with other positions but he loves the traditional aspect of the missionary position. Of course, he’s also willing to have this flipped on him and be the one beneath you, he becomes a blushing mess when you take control like this.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Simeon is somewhat serious in the moment, he wants to make sure he’s doing things satisfactorily and is big on communicating your desires and his desires as well as what he’s about to do and wants to do. Once you have more of a rhythm he’ll make small light-hearted comments and jokes as you enjoy yourselves.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Angelically well-groomed if that makes sense. Not a hair out of place, not too long, not especially curly, etc.

If you have any preferences in this matter then be sure to let him know because he won’t mind switching things up to fit your tastes.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

He’s very romantic. He’s praising you, guiding you along, leaving kisses on every inch of your body that he adores with all his being. Sex with Simeon leaves no room for any insecurity, embarrassment, or shame of any sort. No matter how sexually intense it may get there is not a moment you will forget he is doing this to express his love.

J = Jack off (Masturbation headcanon)

He doesn’t. He considers it shameful and a pointless temptation. Before you, he never had moments where he felt the need to pleasure himself and now should he get that feeling he turns to you or waits patiently until he can get to you.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

As much as he tries to hide it he is a bit of a sadist. In no way would he hurt you but he derives pleasure from you begging for him, calling him your master, he wants you to always need him. When he gets jealous it will show in the bed, he will be a tiny bit rougher than usual, and you might hear a growl or snarl as he behaves more instinctually than consciously.

L = Location (Favorite places to do the do)

Simeon prefers the bed in the privacy of your room. He finds couches and desks and almost anywhere else to be very uncomfortable. He’d rather completely spread you out and hear the bed creaking as he grinds into you. He’d much prefer to see you entangled in the sheets, trying to hide your face in a pillow, scrambling for something to hold onto as he has his way.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

You do, more than anything else. When you’re being extra sweet and attentive he feels a stronger urge to get as physically close as you can.

When you’re being a badass, showing off a new powerful spell, or keeping the brothers in line he gets a little horny. He likes seeing you act powerfully knowing how easily you’ll give him control in the bed.

Every once in a while seeing that power makes him want you to use it on him and act dominantly.

N = No (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

Anything that’ll hurt you or expose you he will absolutely not do. He also won’t play out fantasies involving unforgivable sins like r***. It goes without saying anything involving his father or mocking him in any way is also off the table.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He much prefers to give. He doesn’t see much of a point in receiving it as he feels it would be a waste of his seed. He does however love your warmth spilling into his mouth as he massages you with his fingers and tongue.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Simeon is slow and sensual for the most part. He likes to take his time to warm you up and whisper in your ear. When it comes to actually thrusting he isn’t too fast but he doesn’t draw it out unless he’s in the mood to tease you. The only time he’d be described as fast is when he is jealous and has a harder time reigning himself in as he claims you.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He’s not a fan of quickies as he finds it difficult to find a comfortable way to do so. If you opt for the bed then he’s likely to draw it out and take his time as you’re far too tempting to be over and done with in a few minutes or less.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

He’s okay with some risks as long as his job isn’t at risk. He’s willing to experiment with positions and maybe change locations if he finds a suitable spot where you’re sure to be comfortable. As far as risks go he won’t even leave a window cracked or the door unlocked, not out of fear of himself being caught but because he absolutely won’t risk anyone else getting to see you the way that he gets to.

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

He is among the warriors of the celestial realm, the archangels. However, there hasn’t been much war lately so he isn’t building up stamina like he used to and mostly works in his chair writing. Regardless, his angelic healing (stamina included), and superior physique to humans means that compared to you his stamina can be overwhelming especially if he gets really into it.

T = Toys (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

They don’t exist in the celestial realm, he certainly wasn’t buying one in the Devildom, and he’d immediately be spotted in the human world by a brother if he tried to purchase one, not that he even wanted to.

If you have any he may use one on you just to see how it works and if it helps build you up faster for him. But for the most part, he rejects the idea of toys and prefers to do things the natural way.

U = Unfair (How much they like to tease)

He does enjoy the slight teasing. While he’s most concerned with your satisfaction, he also enjoys seeing you squirming and blushing and enjoys overstimulating you or making you wait for his hands and especially his dick. He doesn’t do this often but he does have a playful side to him that brings his teasing out on occasion.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Simeon finds it embarrassing but he’s rather loud only because he’s not used to making such sounds and how to hold them back. He also notices how much you seem to enjoy it so he doesn’t try to hide his moans completely but they are still always louder than he thinks they will be.

Aside from moans, he may emit a soft whimper or low growl every once in a while depending on exactly what it is you’re doing.

W = Wild card (A random headcanon for the character)

His wings pop out when he gets really turned on, much to his embarrassment, not to mention the irony of a horny angel.

X = X-ray (Let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Simeon was once the highest-ranking angel he was extremely powerful and as an archangel, a race of warrior angels, he is still in good shape physically. He has a muscular chest that remains rather smooth and somewhat muscular arms. His ass isn’t firm but not overly plump and his dick is perfect. As a near-perfect being, he was made to appear his best for humans, even in reproductive terms so his dick is considered very large in the human world. As a being who can also shapeshift into a human from his natural angel form if he is too big for you, he can use magic to adjust himself accordingly.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

Ever since he was allowed to be with you, it’s been fairly regular. He doesn’t see sex as something he absolutely needs but more as a way to spend time with you and make you happy (it pleases him as well) if he ever feels an urge and it’s a good time he will approach you but if it’s in the middle of school or an inconvenient time he can suppress his desires and meditate to lower his sex drive until he can have you in his arms.

Z = Zzz (How quickly they fall asleep afterward)

Fairly quickly. While he may appear forever youthful he is on the older side and as an author is mostly sedentary in his work life. He uses most of all of his stamina for you so when he knows he can relax he will immediately fall asleep, even more quickly if he has you to cuddle close to him.

[freeuselandonorris]

oscar and traditional protocol based d/s? Please tell me more i will give u whatever u want

SEND ME ALL YOUR MONEY and i’ll spend it on lando merch

jk i’m a cheap date, especially where kinky headcanons are concerned.

so this is something i’ve been fiddling with for a while — obviously a lot of my landoscar fics feature oscar topping and generally being quite authoritative with lando, so it kind of bubbled away in my subconscious for a while there. you see it quite a lot in monday actually, even though that’s by far one of my tamer fics kink-wise — the scene where he makes lando switch his phone off before they have sex in particular.

anywayyyy long story short i always had this vague thing of like, yeah the way people talk about oscar makes him sound like he’d be a fucking incredible Dom: patient, calm under pressure, able to use feedback constructively, even-tempered with a ruthless streak, communicates clearly…hello!! plus all the usual unhinged driver behaviours of being prone to extreme monomania, hyper-disciplined, generally understanding of the value of pain to generate pleasure…it’s all there!!

THEN @glasscushion slid into my inbox last week with a particular headcanon that i shall not share because i am VERY HOPEFUL (hint fucking hint) she will one day write it but it led to a discussion about a) the dearth of proper trad D/s in fic and b) oscar’s suitability for the role of D.

bonus addendum because it relates to an earlier ask: the only properly D/s fic i have written (although the mick/toto omorashi fic also kinda fits the bill) is also for my ultimate rarepair, mitch evans/james barclay (the team principal of jaguar formula e), which is the only fic in existence for that pairing. this was all fine until I accidentally got myself into a situation where i had to have a brief and highly unexpected conversation with james barclay last year.

thanks anon 😘

[rocknrollsalad]

STWG Daily Prompt - Accidental Confessions (3/7) clarkson

In something of a new tradition, Wayne was down at the bar chatting with Scott Clarke. Wayne had been switched to days despite his complaining. Work was work and they didn’t take his pay down to day rate so there was little to complain about but Wayne liked the night shift better. 

After work, he got to go out for drinks, which he hadn’t done in years and stumbled upon Hawkins Jr. High’s best science teacher also drinking alone. At first, it was a commiseration of the…fun Eddie put them both through during those wonderful tween years but it turned into other subjects. It also turned into staying later and later.

From there it turned into sharing a family recipe, fixing a broken tail light, and even skipping the bar and having a dinner at the Mexican place across the street. In Wayne’s defense, he was starving in a way mushy fries and peanuts wouldn’t cure and Scott was willing. It wasn’t anything to make a fuss over. 

Though if ever there was a case for making a fuss, Wayne’s want to spend time with Scott might have been exhibit A. Anything that becomes more exciting than getting a drink after a long day is, well, a problem. This was a major problem. One bad enough they’d gone other places. 

Were they kids it’d be called a crush. Wayne wasn’t sure what it was called at his age but he was certain it was something that needed to be ignored. He didn’t give in to crushes as a kid, he certainly wasn’t going to now. Instead, he found himself not applying to get back on night shifts and spending his evenings in a bar. 

Scott kept showing up. That was a good thing. Maybe they could spend years sitting at this table, Scott talking about space or time travel or the shit his students said and Wayne listening like any of it made sense. Like he wasn’t thriving off watching the passion the other brought to nearly any subject. 

Even better when he helped Wayne understand. The man was meant to teach, there was no other profession for him, and never once did he make Wayne feel like an idiot for not knowing something. He’d explain and if the explanation didn’t work, he’d explain that too. Scott entertained every question Wayne had with joy and a “Great question!” every time. 

When Wayne talked about the Colts, Scott mixed up football with baseball (and one time basketball). He didn’t understand or care that they were better when they were a Baltimore team but he listened like he did. 

It was a good thing they had going and the thing they were enjoying when Eddie burst into the bar and sat himself at their table, head in his hands. Wayne recognized the look, something melodramatic was bubbling over. If ever there was a time for silent communication it was now, Scott needed to leave. Save himself. 

“I need a drink,” Eddie declared. 

“You know where the bar is, boy,” Wayne answered, earning a groan of despair. 

Scott looked across the table to check in with Wayne. There was too much to say but Wayne shook his head and sighed. No things weren’t okay. This wasn’t going to be fun. Also, don’t go buy him a drink, he has his own money. 

Snatching the pack of cigarettes off the table, Wayne took one and then slid the pack to Eddie. The lighter followed the same path and Wayne pushed the ashtray between them. 

“I’m not getting any younger, what’s going on?” Wayne gave Eddie the excuse to start talking.

“I’m sure your uncle means we’re here to help you with whatever is going on, Eddie,” Scott chimed in. 

“No he doesn’t,” Wayne answered with a chuckle. 

Kind and supportive was great. It was one of the things Wayne kind of liked about Scott but it wasn’t Wayne’s parenting style. Sometimes Eddie needed the shove, Wayne knew what he was doing and maybe it wasn’t what the textbooks said but they never studied a kid like Eddie. 

There’s a long stretch of silence before Eddie asks “How do you know if someone likes you and they aren’t just being nice?” 

Wayne lets out a long sigh, eyes wide, he doesn’t know how to answer this question. Before he has a chance to ask Eddie what makes him think Wayne’s qualified to help with this, Scott answered. Must be a teacher thing but Wayne’s a bit grateful. 

“It’s kind of hard, huh? A lot of the same stuff applies but it’s the small stuff. It’s not bringing over a whole thing of soda but making sure they bring your favorite. Hell, it’s knowing your favorite. It’s coming out to a place that isn’t their normal hangout night after night just to spend time with you. Or learning about something because you’re into it because they want to be able to have better conversations and common interests.” 

Sitting up a little straighter, Wayne watches Scott make eye contact with the table. He said too much and made it too obvious, and Wayne couldn’t be happier. He takes a drag of the cigarette and lets Eddie respond. 

“Like they’re paying attention,” Eddie said, clearly running through every interaction he’d had with whoever was causing this stress. 

“Who was that quarterback you were talking about?” Wayne asked, hushed and leaning forward. Like that stopped Eddie from hearing. 

Scott takes a second before saying, “Jack Trudeau?” 

The quarterback for Wayne’s team. It hadn’t said much before but after that little speech, it screamed out so much that Scott wasn’t saying. Wayne sat back in his seat, feeling a bit too smug for the embarrassment still radiating off the man sitting opposite. 

Eddie and Scott continued to compare notes, Wayne was ready to kick him out of the bar. Or leave with Scott. Instead, he waited. The conversation after Eddie was out of their hair would be worth it. Wayne no longer doubted that. A conversation he never thought would never come so he didn’t mind waiting a little longer. 

[quietmarie]

Anyone can program (yes, even you)

"Programming is easy"

I saw some variations of this statement shared around the site recently, always in good intentions of course, but it got me thinking.

Is that really true?

Well it certainly isn't hard in the way some developers would want to make you believe. A great skill bestowed only upon the greatest of minds, they're the ones making the world work. You better be thankful.

That is just elitist gibberish. If anyone ever tells you that programmers are "special people" in that way, or tries to sell you on the idea of "real" programmers that are somehow better than the rest, you can safely walk in the other direction. They have nothing of value to tell you.

But I think the answer is more complicated than a simple "Yes, programming is easy" too. In all honesty, I don't think it's an easy thing to "just pick up" at all. It can be very unintuitive at first to wrap your head around just how to tell a computer to solve certain problems.

One person in the codeblr Discord server likened it to cooking. That's a skill that can be very hard, but it's also something that everyone can learn. Anyone can cook. And anyone can program.

I really mean that. No need to be good at maths, to know what a bit is or whatever it is people told you you need. You're not too old to learn it either, or too young for that matter. If you want to start programming (and you can read this post), you already have everything you need. You can write your first little programs today!

One of the cool things about programming is that you can just fuck around and try lots of stuff, and it's fine. Realistically, the worst thing that can happen is that it doesn't work the way you imagined. But you'll never accidentally trigger the fire alarm or burn your house down, so feel free to just try a bunch of stuff.

"Okay I want to learn programming now, what do I do?"

That's awesome, I love the enthusiasm! As much as I'd love to just give you a resource and tell you to build a thing, you still have to make a choice what you want to learn first. The options I'd recommend are:

Scratch: A visual education tool. The main advantage is that you don't have to worry about the exact words you need to write down, you can just think about the structure of your program. The way it works is that you drag and drop program elements to be executed when they should be. You can relatively quickly learn to make cute little games in it. The downside is that this isn't really a "professional" programming language, so, while learning from Scratch will give you the basics that apply to most languages and will make switching to another language easier, you're still gonna have to switch sooner or later. Start here: https://scratch.mit.edu/

Python: The classic choice. Python is a very widely used, flexible programming language that is suited for beginners. It is what I would recommend if you want to skip right to or move on from Scratch to a more flexible language. https://automatetheboringstuff.com/ is your starting point, but there's also a longer list of resources here if you want to check that out at some point.

HTML/CSS/JavaScript: The web path. HTML and CSS are for creating the look of websites, and JavaScript is for the interactive elements. For example, if you ever played a game in your browser, that was probably written in JS. Since HTML and CSS are just for defining how the website should look, they're different from traditional programming languages, and you won't be able to write programs in them, that's what JS is for. You have to know HTML before you learn CSS, but otherwise the order in which you learn these is up to you. Your JavaScript resource is https://javascript.info/, and for HTML and CSS you can check out https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Getting_started_with_the_web.

I put some starting out resources here, but they're really just that - they're for starting out. You don't have to stick to them. If you find another path that suits you better, or if you want to get sidetracked with another resource or project, go for it! Your path doesn't have to be linear at all, and there's no "correct" way to learn things.

One of the most important things you'll want to do is talk to developers when you struggle. The journey is going to be frustrating at times, so search out beginner-friendly coding communities on Discord or wherever you're comfortable. The codeblr community certainly tends to be beginner-friendly and kind. My DMs and asks are also open on here.

[tophattrio]

TOP HAT TRIO ARCHIVES: Part 1

Warden: Look at all this lovely art of us! We could fill a museum! Professor: There's so much it seems like we can't keep up... Once-ler: ..... Y'kno what guys? I'm gonna take a break...

((A small fraction of my old old old trio art, most of which has never seen the light of tumblr (under the cut)! None of this is colored. Some of this is pre-blog or just... REALLY early-era Trio art, so some of it is... dated. Also, as indicated by the top, this is part 1. Meaning there will probably be more, LOL...))

((I hope it's okay if I ramble some fun facts in the middle of this!))

We're gonna start off with this silly lil doodle of the lads! This was drawn during the era where I did my silly crossover drawings, before I mustered the courage to turn them into an askblog.

Based on the date, I must've drawn this next one while I was in the process of actually making the blog... potentially their original "profile" images? Or just a doodle I did to get me hyped...

As you can see, all the drawings so far are pencil and ink... that's because (if I remember correctly) this is when I was VERY new to computer tablets! I felt more confident in my traditional art so I would slap quick colors onto the back of a bunch of ink-drawn replies and make minor adjustments with the tablet. I remember being hesitant to switch to a fully digital style since I felt the sketchiness was almost part of the style of trio? But I've come to accept change is good! Everything post-Greed M!A is all (or mostly) digitally lined (with the occasional trad sketch), but if you look closely at the trio in this (and many other) early-day responses, you can definitely see the pencil marks!

Unposted Thneedville High Trio!!! I was SO obsessed with the Once-ler Askblog AU's back in the Once-ler Fandom's hayday... they were a lot of fun to observe on the side and I wanted to be part of that in my small way, but unfortunately, I was a coward so I never did LOL... I'm thinking this was drawn in February or March 2013...

And, something I drew on the same page, Truffula Flu Trio!!!! I think I briefly thought about making it (and thneedville high) a sideblog but I felt like I couldn't commit for multiple reasons: (1) AU hype was dying down a little, (2) It was a bit too serious a concept for Trio; I wanted to keep them lighthearted and silly (covers bad end with a hand). And (3) I was still doubting whether or not my blog counted as a Once-ler blog (being only 1/3 once-ler) and whether I was valid to participate in events. Eventually I got over that fear when I joined Camp Weehawken and participated in the fandom revival of 2015, but the fear was definitely there at the very beginning and I hesitated to jump in on some stuff because of it!!

These were some of my earliest (unanswered) asks! I think for a while I thought I accidentally deleted the Pinkie Pie one, but it mysteriously came back one day?? I don't plan to finish these but might as well get some closure since I already drew them. I had to look up which troll typing was the one being used here so I might be wrong, I know nothing about homestuck except chapter 1 and 2 and whatever I osmosis from my mutuals LOL...

Peacock was drawn before I knew anything about Skullgirls...... within the past few years I recently watched her gameplay/storyline! She's defs a fun character. Trio are probs neutral about her. I'm not confident enough to do anything major with her, but I would love to cameo her more!

I got a few asks / M!A's about genderbent versions of the trio back in early 2013 and these were my doodles for that. The designs were based off of different designs floating around tumblr at the time that I liked. I'm not interested in doing this M!A anymore, but the dresses are cute!

Some glasses shenanigans I never posted for some reason?? (For reference: (1) (2) (3) (4).) It's silly stuff like this that make me realize Trio!Professor is a little bit like "Cheerful Mystery" Professor but like... waaaaay more tame HAHA (I never read the manga back then because I was upset they made Layton OOC, but from what I've seen he's... a lot more chaotic there). Which, ykno, good chance explains why Trio!Professor stays sane around Once-ler and Warden and their wacky selves.

Some wardlers and layclaires!! Also a few super old things I doodled out for Lovestruck M!A part 2 (including warden being a perv and oncie being flustered and confused, LMAO) but... idk if I have the energy to commit to it at the moment... partially bc thinking about getting an influx of shippy-type asks gets me overwhelmed and idk if I can commit to another magic anon all my magic anons manage to kill the blog somehow 😭, but ykno... saving the anons in my inbox in case I change my mind... Love these guys dearly regardless,,, <3

Some doodles of Layton and his rivals!! I think someone sent a small "Descole takes over the blog" M!A (hence the itty bitty chibi head LMAOO) but (again) I don't have the energy to commit to anything but vanilla THT right now. I still thought the idea was fun enough to draw out and anticipate in advance! If I change my mind y'all will know about it...

My first drawing of Wilson from Don't Starve!! I didn't even play Don't Starve at the time, but I wanted to do research if I was going to properly execute the magic anon and I fell in love with him immediately. Unfortunately he (and his game) became my new brainrot and I still feel really bad about that LAUGHS, but hey! Was worth it! Maybe someday I'll redo trio mods for DST...

I may have him cameo again, but potentially after his character update in Don't Starve Together eventually drops, of course, :3 chants give us lore lore loRE LORE-

Aaaaaand that's all I'm gonna show for now... until next time everyone!

PART 1 (you are here!) || PART 2 (TBA) || PART 3 (TBA) || …

[onetruelurker]

Harp Facts for Reference

the likelihood this will reach anyone is nil, but for reference to anyone who wants to draw or write about someone playing a western harp:

High Points

the harp rests on your RIGHT shoulder

the column faces away from you

the left hand plays the low/long strings and the right hand plays the high/short strings (typically)

unless you are playing a traditional wire-strung celtic harp (and maybe Paraguayan harps? not clear on this), the nails are short because you do not play with your nails and long nails give a really unpleasant buzz

correct hand position is palms facing the strings, thumbs up

you do not play with the pinky

Playing while sitting in a chair with arms is annoying as fuck because it interferes with your elbows moving

unless you're doing an effect you pluck in the middle of the string

This got REALLY long, so more under the cut.

Parts of a Harp/How a Harp Works

A harp is composed of individual strings tuned to a specific note (the number of strings varies), like the white keys on a piano, but upright. The strings resonate off a soundboard, which is a thin piece of wood. Shorter strings are higher notes, longer strings are lower notes. The soundboard is attached to a hollow body (there are holes in the back, that's how you change strings). The strings stretch between the neck and the soundboard and are under high tension. The front piece is called the column, and in a pedal harp it has a mechanical component in it. In a traditional western harp (aka folk harp, aka lever harp), the column is purely structural. The column faces away from you as you play.

In its most basic form, the harp has no mechanism to change between keys without re-tuning the strings to the appropriate accidentals (sharps or flats). This is a huge pain in the ass, and harpists have come up with two major ways to get around it: pedals and levers.

Types of Harp

Pedal Harp

Most western orchestral music which includes a harp is written for the pedal harp, which has 7 pedals at the base (one for each note in the western music scale, A-G). Pedals are for changing the notes from flat to natural to sharp, so it lets you play in any key and shift keys while you're playing. This is a relatively new innovation - the modern pedal harp came on to the scene around 1800.

The column of a pedal harp needs to be straight because the mechanism which allows the pedals to shift the string tension and change the pitch runs through it.

Pedal harps are heavy. They usually have 47 strings. People who play pedal harps (not me lol) have dolly carts to carry and position them. Pedal harps are more portable than a piano but less portable than most other musical instruments. They are VERY expensive and always cost >$10k (usually more like $15-20k) because of the complexity of the pedal mechanism, but can be much, much more depending on the wood and decoration.

Folk/Lever Harp

This is a folk or lever harp (mine, in fact! it's a 34-string Rees Mariposa that I love with my whole heart. please ignore the cat food in the back). The lever harp is capable of playing accidentals by flipping up the lever on the neck, which adds the exact change in tension needed to turn the string from a flat to a natural or from a natural to a sharp. This is obviously less nimble than the pedal system, since you have to take a hand out of playing commission for a second to flip a lever, but on the other hand you can switch just one string instead of all A strings or whatever. You also don't have to retune if you want to play a piece in a different key. They're very suited to playing Celtic traditional music.

Lever harps come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny 20-string lap harps to almost the size of a pedal harp, though I haven't seen any models that are bigger than 40 strings (mine has 34). They're generally much lighter and usually more portable than pedal harps. They're also much less expensive, and good ones generally live in the $2k-8k range. Definitely still a hefty chunk of change, but much less than a pedal harp.

Playing a Harp

The lever and pedal harp have very similar technique with the exception of pedal stuff for pedal harps (I don't play pedal harp so I can't comment on that). In general, the harp is tipped back and rests on the right shoulder. Most of the weight of a harp is in the base, so this isn't heavy or uncomfortable and tbh I love the feeling of the music resonating through my shoulder and body.

Pop quiz: the harp rests on what shoulder?

....

The RIGHT SHOULDER

For some reason this is wrong in like 90% of art which features a harpist. If you learn nothing about the harp from this, learn that the harp rests on the right shoulder, and I will be happy.

The right hand typically plays the melody on the higher strings and the left hand plays accompaniment on lower strings, just like the piano. You pluck strings with the flesh of the fingers, not with the nails (except in traditional wire-strung Celtic harps, which will shred your fingers, and I think Paraguayan harpists might play with the nails) or a pick. You usually need short nails as a harpist because nails + harp string = awful buzzy noise. As one can imagine, harpists have mad calluses. Harpists do not use the pinky because it's too short to reach the strings reliably.

When you play, you have your palms facing the strings and slightly tilted toward the floor, and the thumbs are up. The elbows are usually up so you have a smooth line from your elbow to your wrist (and not get wrist tendonitis). The right arm can rest lightly on the body of the harp unless you're playing on the highest strings.

You pluck in the middle of the string because it has the nicest resonance, unless you're doing an effect called près de la table (close to the soundboard), where you play right where the strings attach to the soundboard. This sounds like a guitar.

Harps have HELLA resonance, especially the lower strings, which will pretty much ring forever. You often need to actively muffle strings you don't want to be making noise anymore.

Because the wrist and forearm move together and the elbows kinda stick out, playing in a chair with armrests ranges from "really goddamn annoying" to "not possible."

Other Stuff

If you look at photos of harps, you will see some red strings and some black or blue strings. C strings are red, and F strings are blue or black. These are not training wheels, these are a visual indicator of the note. They're standard and are used by everyone from little kids playing Twinkle Twinkle (which is not a good harp tune, for the record) to professionals.

Low strings are wrapped in wire.

Fun fact, some lever harp makers make double or even triple (the Welsh are wild) strung harps which have multiple sets of strings either in parallel or crossing over. They are very cool looking and I'd love to learn to play one someday.

Harps are pretty delicate like all wood instruments. They get out of tune if you look at them wrong, and because you tune every string separately you spend a LOT of time tuning. I should probably be tuning right now.

[boomboxboi]

Pretty random ask but...The Bucci gang playing an rpg?

Have a nice day :)

Bucci Gang RPG Styles!!

Are y’all ready for my weird RPG game plugs up in here???? Also lol whoops some aren’t really RPG but LISTENNNNN also I may make like 27383939 variations of this in the futureeeee

Bruno Bucciarati

He would be really into Ciel Fledge: Daughter Raising Simulator RPG.

He would be the absolute BEST parent, too.

A good balance of strict but gentle parenting.

Oh, you want him to play a traditional style RPG?

He would play anything similar to a paladin role.

And always goes Chaotic Good.

Justice will be had!

But- he prefers RPG games that focus more on aspects of raising things.

Also loves farming & fishing simulators.

Has only ONE save file.

Leone Abbacchio

Fallout New Vegas.

He likes the idea of the world having nuclear fallout.

He has about three ongoing games at any time.

Says he’ll try different styles but always ends up playing the same type of character.

He tried Oblivion, once.

Chose High Elf.

He has High Elf energy.

And solely uses necromancy magic.

It’s funny to kill someone and then make them fight for you.

Would play Sword of the Necromancer but he sucks at dungeon crawlers.

Lawful Evil is his play style.

Using the rules set in place to screw over NPC’s makes his day.

Pannacotta Fugo

Really big into MMORGP’s and strategy JRPG’s.

If he plays open world RPG’s, like Skyrim, Fallout, Witcher, etc, he sets very strict rules for what his characters can and cannot do per play through.

Orc Main on World of Warcraft.

Orc Main whenever he can.

Hands down has a whole other persona when playing MMORPG’s.

Very in character.

Multiple characters.

Multiple saves.

JRPG strategies also make his brain tickle.

Likes Eternal Sonata because the setup for it is unique.

Wide range of moral alignments.

Just depends on his character.

Will KILL you if you override any of his saves.

Looking at YOU, Narancia.

Narancia Ghirga

Chaotic Evil.

Plays Fable.

The original one, though.

Will steal everything he can.

Also if dialogue in games allows it, he will always lie and cheat.

Also really likes farming simulators and RPG’s that allow romance.

A real casanova.

Also spends forever if customizing his characters is an option to make them look like him.

Never understands game mechanics so he just does whatever he wants to do and deals with the consequences.

Does not use the level up trees in games because it’s too complicated to understand.

Asks Fugo to do the level ups for him.

Accidentally saves over Fugo’s files.

Also really likes Dragon Age because the romance aspects and companion interactions bring him joy.

Guido Mista

Also really LOVES Dragon Age.

Chaotic Evil or Chaotic Good.

Loves romance options in any game.

A few saves but he never revisits old saves.

Also super into games like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and other similar games.

Backed Chef RPG per Giorno’s suggestion and is very stoked for its release.

Loves spending time in level up trees and is very particular on how his characters are built.

Morrigan simp.

Alistair simp.

Saves over Fugo’s files and blames Narancia, sometimes.

Plays My Time at Portia and is obsessed with being a master builder.

Switches between romancing Ginger and Gust because he CAN.

Giorno Giovanna

Spends all money on backing games on Kickstarter.

Always recommends those games to the others.

Bruno, Fugo, and Guido love the recommendations.

Abbacchio refuses.

Narancia just finds that he cannot wait that long for a game to be released.

Chaotic Good.

Neutral Good.

Sometimes Lawful Good to a scary extent.

All of his characters that have customization options never look like him.

Rarely deviates his play style.

Does not care for romance options in games.

100% completionist.

All side quests are completed.

Trish Una

Very big into MMORPG’s.

But does not tell ANYONE.

Actually a pro at them.

Loves Asheron’s Call and World of Warcraft.

Big into the marketplaces and selling stuff she farms.

Surface level, she only presents as someone who likes Stardew Valley.

Huge into JRPG’s like Avalon Code, Eternal Sonata, and Luminous Arc 2.

Unique game mechanics make her very excited.

Also loves romance options.

But plays as True Neutral on most occasions.

May have found out what realm Fugo plays on and secretly goes on to harass him.

Finds Fugo’s online personas to be hilarious.

[vitusxaydin]

Task #10: Get Bold

Responses below the cut!

WHERE DO THEY FIT IN

financial / class status: wealthy | (upper) middle class | poor

grew up: wealthy | (lower) middle class | poor

health / wellness: fit/healthy | moderate | disabled | ill

education: below high school | high school | college | beyond

legalities: clean record | has a record | trouble / prison

town status: local | new in town | somewhere in between

lives: downtown | suburbs | coast | countryside

FAMILY LIFE

parents: alive | deceased | unknown

came to be: blood | adopted | other

siblings: multiple siblings | one sibling | only child

extended family: large (aunts, uncles, cousins) | small | none [they're almost ALL overseas in Turkiye, though, so he doesn't see them often]

children: none | has children | wants children

relationship status: single | complicated | taken

if single: looking | not looking | whatever happens

pets: no pets | has pets | wants pets

PERSONALITY STUFF

extroverted | introverted | somewhere in between

organized | disorganized | somewhere in between

close minded | open minded | somewhere in between

calm | anxious | somewhere in between

easy to get along with | not so much | somewhere in between

cautious | reckless | somewhere in between

patient | impatient | somewhere in between

outspoken | reserved | somewhere in between

leader | follower | somewhere in between

empathetic | careless | somewhere in between

optimistic | pessimistic | somewhere in between

traditional | modern | somewhere in between

hard-working | lazy | somewhere in between

cultured | uncultured | somewhere in between

BELIEFS AND IDEALS

are they: religious | agnostic | atheist

do they believe in ghosts / spirits: yes | no | unsure

the afterlife: yes | no | unsure

reincarnation: yes | no | unsure

aliens: yes | no | unsure

astrology: yes | no | unsure

fate: yes | no | unsure

political alignment: conservative | liberal | independent | other

are they: pro-choice | anti-abortion | unsure

are they: pro-death penalty | anti-death penalty | unsure

are they: pro-euthanasia | anti-euthanasia | unsure

are they: pro-legalized drugs | anti-legalized drugs | unsure

SEX, ROMANCE & RELATIONSHIPS

sexuality scale: allosexual | in between | asexual | other

romantic scale: allromantic | in between | aromantic | other

experience: virgin | very little | moderate | experienced

number of partners: 0 | 1-5 | 5-10 | 10-25 | 25+ [after a decade escorting, this number is probably well past 100]

number of relationships: 0 | 1-5 | 10-25 | 25+ [this man accidentally goes through romantic relationships like he's trying clothes on at the mall]

preferred partners: men | women | any gender | other | none [adores men but, emotionally speaking, he tends to connect more easily with women and non-binary folks]

relationships: monogamous | polyamorous | other | none [he's in denial about this still. who gon' tell him?]

with others: relationship person | casual sex | other | none [any chance to connect is a good time!]

in bed: traditional sex | adventurous | kinks/fetishes | other [he has a blast with kink; he specialized in shibari and sensory play when he was an escort. his work aside, he's naturally vers & a switch—the most "down for whatever" dude I've ever made, truly. BUT he also doesn't like going without vanilla sex for long stretches of time, and he's happy to adapt to whatever partners are comfortable with]

ABILITIES AND SKILLS

cooking: good | in between | bad [master chef over here has about a million cookbooks and handwritten recipes in his house. food is one of his favorite love languages]

cleaning: good | in between | bad

musical ability: good | in between | bad

artistic skills: good | in between | bad

driving: good | in between | bad

athleticism: good | in between | bad

swimming: good | in between | bad

horseback riding: good | in between | bad

fishing / hunting: good | in between | bad

gardening: good | in between | bad

communication: good | in between | bad [very good at opening the space to talk about things, but sometimes very bad at finding his own words along the way]

handiness: good | in between | bad

handwriting: good | in between | bad

technology: good | in between | bad

HABITS, GOOD & BAD

alcohol: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never

smoking: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never

pot/weed: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never

drugs: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never [he tries to steer clear of blow but caves from time to time when he's stressed. he mostly sticks to hallucinogens when he wants to have some fun]

shopping: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never

gambling: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never

sex: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never

[theory-chicken]

Debut Trailer 1: Choose-Chosen

For some reason tumblr has an image limit on posts (?) so i will be linking all the images

I know it sucks and is annoying but i don't want to make multiple parts for all the different pictures i want to use

We were desperate in our desire to transform.

Into vampires?

Its shown in the children of Vamfield webtoon that they didn't know they were vampires when they were being raised in the orphanage but once they found out they wanted to use their powers and become more powerful

This could also mean they just want to succeed irl but whatever lmao

We believed that there lay dreams unknown.

Because every path is stained with tears.

We keep our fists fiercely clenched,

Nothing to say lol (*´ ˘ `*)

not knowing it to be a blessing or a curse,

AYY BLESSED-CURSED

That's all

lest we loose what we hold in our hands

They are afraid of loosing something?

This line + two previous say they are holding onto something because they are afraid to loose it

What? I honestly have no idea \_(._.)_/

Blood-red moonlight blazes

🤔

Why red? [Images]

Unquenchable thirst flares with fury.

*sighs*

*cracks knuckles*

The unquenchable thirst is obviously for blood bc ya know vAmPiReS

Assuming the "flares with fury" means they suddenly have bloodlust and not that it only comes up when there mad it follows children of Vamfield again [Images]

When jungwon (jakah) is accidentally cut they go vampire mode

The others look up to us in veneration

Veneration:noun; great respect; reverence. "the traditional veneration of saints"

🧐🤔

Who's looking up to them?

As far as we know there the only vampires that are "human like" if that's what you would call it

and we look upon them with envy.

The others look up to them, they envy the others

Who are the others?

Normal people?

Why do we desire what we cannot aquire?

Ohoo got a little rhyming going on there i see

Okay but so many questions

What do they desire?

WHO ARE THE OTHERS?

Why must we walk along an endless line?

Oh boy

Here comes all the walk the line and manifesto stuff

Many of their intros and outros talk about this "line" that they are forced to walk on

I always think of it as the social norms and them wanting to break out of it to create their own "line"

This most likely is relating to their irl thing where they want to connect with engenes and forge their own path

But im not sure what it has to do with lore?

It does show up later in the outro for day one and in manifesto but im not sure what its significance is

Maybe its a sign there switching worlds or something because im like 91.3% sure carnival takes place in some sort of a flipped world

Idk tho tell me your thoughts i guess

At dawn, the sun rises to menace and bless our fleshy selves.

Hmmmm...

Well we know they can be in the sun...

Or can they? [Images]

This still confuses me lmao because i was pretty sure they could go out in the sun?

Well i hope your ready for the actual video part of this because that was just the words part😀

(im not going crazy thinking about doing this for every song)

(definitely)

Throughout the whole thing there's words on the screen that have a hyphen connecting them

I think this is alluding to their later comebacks with hyphens ex: drunk-dazed, blessed-cursed, tamed-dashed

Some of them, like drunk-dazed, are synonyms or just go together well

Others, like blessed-cursed, dont

Trainee-Artist

Failure-Success

Im guessing this is just irl stuff

Given-Taken

Yey our first thing we know *applause*

Blood-Light

...

And it suddenly takes a dark turn

Us-The Others

Again, not a clue who the others are but we do know they are the opposites of eachother

Mortal-Immortal

🤔

If your wondering why this sounds familiar its bc they have a song called mortal on orange blood

Is this a hint to a new song?

Probably not

😔

These words also align with the words jake is saying btw.

There's a lot of shots of forest or just trees in general and i don't know if they were just going for effect but i think the only other time a forest appears in their mvs is in tamed-dashed bc they come out of it

Also the orphanage where they were raised was surrounded by a forest which might have been the one they come out of in tamed-dashed but idk

There's so much more going on now that we have the new webtoon😭 (everybody say thank you to hybe)

Anyways i have one more thing to say because it caught my eye

At 0:25-0:28 there's this shot of a hand and it looks so familiar but for the life of me i cannot figure out why😭

I have a hunch i remembered it from dark blood era but i watched the trailer and i couldn't find anything

If anyone else thinks it looks familiar PLEASE tell me where you think its from because i cant be the only one ;･_･)

This took an obnoxiously long time...

Likes, comments, and reblogs are much appreciated ⌯' ▾ '⌯

[hardstraykidshours]

skz: sub vs. dom

pairing: ot8 stray kids x gn!reader (maybe a little afab w the riding comment)

genre: smut, headcanon, 18+ (minors dni)

length: 751

warnings: omg where do i begin profanity, dom!skz, sub!skz, dom!reader, sub!reader, switch!skz, switch!reader, spanking, bondage, spitting, edging, praising, rough sex, brat, brat tamer, degredation, overstimulation, oral (m. receiving), suggestive/sexual content, nsfw 18+ (minors dni)

chan

chan is most definitely a soft dom. he loves to be in control, but he will always take such good care of. best leader even in the bedroom. he’s going to tie you up and spank your ass, but it will always be followed by loooooooots of praising, “you’re doing so good,” “you look so beautiful,” “you take me so well,” etc. you will not be able to convince him to sub for you. he’ll try it once for like five minutes but will quickly realize that giving up control stresses him out too much. also he's low key a pleasure dom - he doesn’t consider it a truly successful night if you haven’t come at least 3 times.

minho

minho is a hard dom with soft dom tendencies. he will not be making love, he only fucks. and he fucks hard. but, he’s not just going to just be straight up mean to you. he will tie you up, spit on you, spank you, rail you so hard you can’t walk, and edge you until you’re borderline crying, but you have safe words and safe signs that he is always watchful for and very respectful of. also, he’s going to degrade you heavily, but it will be sprinkled with just enough praise that you know he doesn’t actually mean it. and anytime you feel like playing it risky and try to do anything remotely dominant, his brat tamer side is coming out to play. good thing you enjoy being punished.

changbin

this man is a switch, but not for the traditional reasons. he’s such an experimentalist that he couldn’t care less whether he’s subbing or domming when trying something new. you want him to blindfold and gag you before laying you over his desk and fucking you senseless? he’s ready. you want to handcuff him to the headboard and see if you can make him come from just playing with his nipples? he can’t wait to try it. if you’re down, he’s down. hopefully on each other.

hyunjin

he is the whiniest, most pathetic sub 99% of the time. he will be a total pillow princess if you let him. he wants you to turn him into a begging, whimpering mess, and then ride him senseless. the only exception is when he’s had a really bad day at work. then he’s domming you so hard you will definitely be crying at some point. whether that be from overstimulation, him throat fucking you, or because he’s been edging you for so long you think you might break, there will be tears at some point (but don’t worry it’s entirely consensual, and he’s always gently wiping your tears away, so you know he loves you).

jisung

jisung is a switch in the purest sense of the word. how he is and what he does in bed is based entirely on his mood. he’s tying you up, you're tying him up, you’re making love, you’re fucking hard, and sometimes all of the above in the same night. he’s a really big fan of just letting whatever feels right for the moment happen. really goes with the flow.

felix

he is most definitely a sub. if you ask him to dom, he will try his best because he wants to make you happy, but it’s not his strong suit. he’s actually a surprisingly good dom, but it’s so out of character for him that he’s almost always switching back to sub accidentally after a few minutes. you’re okay with it though because you love watching him writhe beneath you the little bit of role reversal you get is enough to scratch the itch you have to get dommed.

seungmin

seungmin is a dom, verbally so. very degradation heavy, borderline mean at times (but never quite that far, he’s really good at knowing when he’s going to cross the line). he alwaysssss praises you lots at the end. when you’re in bed and he tells you to do something, he expects you to just do it - no complaints, no questions asked. and you always do. he’s not a brat tamer, just a pure dom.

jeongin

he’s domming most of the time. this stems from his need to prove something, because he’s the youngest. maknae does love to be on top. once he’s with a partner for a while and gets comfortable with them, he’ll start to sub and learn more. still leans more dom heavy, but does enjoy being a brat every now and again.

[thefrontofmymind]

Hi there! I’m responding to your post about wanting to write some Eddie fluff! I would love to see something where Eddie works at a record store and he’s giving music recommendations to the reader and he accidentally ignores other customers because he’s so focused on curating the perfect mix for the reader.

Thank you! Hope you’re having a lovely day 💕💕

Eddie Munson Music Store Headcanons

a/n: hello lovely nonny! i hope you're having a great day too! this is very haphazardly put together but idk I like it bc it's pure fluff <33

- okay so switching it up I’m saying YOU work at a record store bc let’s be honest, he already has an income lmao

- so I imagine you work at a music store maybe like a town over since Hawkins isn’t that crazy big,,, so over the Summer he decides to go because he heard its a good store

- And the SECOND he steps foot into the store and sees you, man is head over heels

- when he’s browsing through all the records and cassettes and stuff (I’m imagining there’s like band t shirts and posters and stuff as well, at least there is at my local record store) and keeps quickly looking at you but doesn’t want to get caught

- and like he’s so nervous the whole time and he’s basically suffocating because he can’t breathe steady–it would be even worse if he was the only customer in the store but that the lord he isn’t and you’re too preoccupied with other customers to really take a lot of notice of him

- so i reckon he doesn’t buy anything the first time he goes there because he chickens out and worries you won’t like his music taste lmao

- but then he comes in the next week and just buys an Iron Maiden shirt, and then the next week he gets an Exodus cassette (he was rung up by your coworker, but he did spy that you took notice of the purchase as you strolled past, putting out new stock or whatever)

- it wasn’t until the third week when he comes in that he actually has the courage to strike up a conversation with you, and if he wasn’t in love before, he definitely was now

- you guys just agree on everything and you click instantly,,,, you also very much take a liking to him

- and after a while it becomes tradition, every week or so, he’d come in and look through the collection you’d put aside for him; your manager gets pissed because you’re ‘hoarding stock’ but you continue, arguing, “he always buys something! It’s not for nothing!”

- it starts to get to the end of the summer and he realises he won’t have as much time to drive out every week to see you, not to mention the fact that his room is now STACKED with cassettes and new posters from your store

- so after he buys a new Venom shirt, he asks if you would want to come to his band’s gig that week, and of course you say yes,,,, and mans gets so giddy and smiley

- even gives you a hug when he leaves and tells you he’s excited to see you–”I’ll dedicate all our songs to you, hey?”

- so technically your first date was a Corroded Coffin gig, but it was so worth it when after he finished playing he practically leaped off the stage to smother you in a bear hug, asking what you thought of them–you loved it

- he offers to drive you home, you try to refuse because it’s way too far but he insists. so during the drive you guys talk about his band and what he wants to do with it in the future,,, like you talk for about an hour all the way to your house

- and he even walks you up to your front door (!!) and you give him a goodnight kiss and tell him to phone you when he gets back to his trailer so you know he got home safely

[unforth]

So, English-Speaking Danmei Fandoms, You Want to Support Authors... (New Shiny Print Book Purchasing Edition!)

...and, so do I, I still do, just as I did when I made my "dumb white English-more-or-less-only speaking person figures out how to use JJWXC" post (here). But, it's harder now - because a lot of our faves have now been censored/removed by JJWXC. BUT, that doesn't mean we can't still support the authors. I'd been meaning to take some time and figure how out exactly to do that, and now...I have...so here we go, I'm gonna tell you how, or at least, tell you what I did, and we can pray together that our books actually arrive in however long it's currently taking things to ship from Taiwan.

Here goes...

First, I used this post by minmoyu to figure out where to buy my books from. Initially, I wanted to go with a Chinese source, despite censorship issues, because books printed in China are in simplified Chinese, and unlike when I wrote my JJWXC post in June, I've now been studying simplified Chinese for like an hour a day for more than 2 months, so I theoretically could someday read a book I buy. However, after poking at Taobao for almost 20 minutes, I gave up and switched to a Taiwanese source, because I think I can probably figure out traditional Chinese more easily than I can figure out signing up for Taobao (I'm only, like 60% kidding).

I ended up going with Book TW, because minmoyu's guide made it sound pretty easy to use, with a good selection, and good support for international purchasing (I'm in the US). I strongly recommend you use an online translator. I do a LOT of copying-and-pasting into Google translate's Chinese-to-English. If you just go to Google and search "chinese to english dictionary" you should be able to do quick looking up straight from the search results. You'll also probably want a currency converter. xe.com works well. If you're in the US like me, you'll be looking at conversions from TWD (Taiwan New Dollar) to USD. Most of these books, when they're not special editions or box sets, seem to run around 300 TWD, which is about $10 US.

Alright! You've got the book store. You've got a translator. You've got a currency thingy. Now you need books! You'll need the book title and/or author, in Chinese, to search. The website also doesn't 't care if you put in simplified or traditional - you'll get the same results. (But all volumes here are in traditional, as far as I know, so if that makes a difference to you, be prepared).

Here are (in simplified) most of the titles that JJWXC has censored. These ones, I've searched for you and linked, though there are often multiple editions so you might want to do your own searching.

Author: 墨香铜臭 (Mo Xiang Tong Chou/MXTX). MXTX has written three books; all have been removed from JJWXC, and they're all available in print on Books TW.

人渣反派自救系统 (Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong/Scum Villain's Self Saving System). There are three volumes; they're labeled as "starting, middle, and end" or "over, middle, under," it doesn't translate that well sorry I'm still new and bad at this. Anyway, here they are: 上 (start) | 中 (middle) | 下 (end).

魔道祖师 (Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation). There are like four different editions listed, and my ability to figure out how they're different was nil. One is definitely a special edition which is uncensored and appears to be a box set/all the volumes in one. That one is here. It's also available in four volumes, which is what I bought, except I have no idea what I'm doing so I accidentally only bought three, oops. (In my defense when I translated parts of it, it literally said "in three parts." But still. I can read numbers. I shouldn't have made this mistake, sigh.) But, whatever, I'm buying it in English too and life goes on. So, here are those four volumes - the last is marked as 18+ so is presumably uncensored, or at least not heavily censored. 一 (one) | 二 (two) | 三 (three) | 四 (four)

天官赐福 (Tian Guan Ci Fu/Heaven Official's Blessing). I actually didn't do anything with TGCF since I already had bought it on JJWXC, and even though that's now locked I just am too broke for...any of this...much less buying titles duplicative (especially since I've pre-ordered all three MXTX English translations). But at a glance, there's a couple options. The main book appears to be in four parts, or you can buy a set that includes 1 and 2, and a second set with 3 and 4, and those ones are fancy and include some pretty looking merch, too. It's cheaper to just buy the four separately than to get the two fancy box sets but if you can afford them, they look damn pretty. Censorship shouldn't be an issue, since TGCF isn't explicit. 一 (one) | 二 (two) | 三 (three) | 四 (four)

Author: 肉包不吃肉 (Roubao Buchi Rou/Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat). Meatbun has finished...two books I think? and is working on a third? Regardless, Yuwu isn't locked on JJWXC yet, and it isn't available for sale on Books TW anyway. Erha IS, or at least, as far as I can tell, it is...

海棠微雨共歸途 (Haitang Weiyu Gong Guitu). Hey, I hear you saying, that doesn't say 二哈和他的白猫师尊 (Erha he Ta de Baimao Shizun). Yeah, I was confused too, but I've googled a bunch and as far as I can tell, YES, this is correct - like, the edition here was available from Shandian-go, and the translation of the summary talks about Chu Wanning and stuff. So, it was printed with a different name. I'm also profoundly unsure if this is the whole book. Considering that TGCF is like a third shorter, and is four volumes, it seems surreal to me that 2ha could be in only two volumes, but I can't find any evidence that there's more, so. That's where it's at. If this isn't the whole book, the later volumes haven't been published yet. Volumes: 一 (one) | 二 (two). I'd also guess it's censored, though hell if I know how to check that (hey, you were warned this was a guide by a dumb white person who doesn't speak hardly any Chinese, you're getting what you paid for, information and guide wise...the best I can really tell you is, I was satisfied enough that I bought them based on what information I COULD figure out. Whether you do the same is up to you.)

Author: Priest (...is Priest, if you search with English letters, you'll find them). Priest is an incredibly prolific author. I'm not going to list all their works here, just the ones I was personally interested in - today I was in the market for TYK and SPL primarily.

天涯客 (Tian Ya Ke/Faraway Wanderers). If it's available, I sure couldn't find it (remember how I have no idea what I'm doing?).

镇魂 (Zhenhun/Guardian). I already have Guardian from JJWXC, and as I've mentioned, can't afford duplicates, but here it is! The original isn't explicit (I'd call it mature, sex is talked about but not described in detail) so I would guess this isn't censored, but I'm not sure.

杀破狼 (Sha Po Lang/apparently it translates to "Kill the Wolf" - so says Google anyway, I know lang is wolf but the rest is beyond me - but I never see anyone translate it? I always just see it referred to Sha Po Lang or SPL). I don't know much about SPL but some friends and I are planning to try reading it together in Chinese to improve our skills, so I wanted to get it, and also 'cause it's been removed by JJWXC, and fuck censorship. I have no idea if the original is explicit, but it's in a pretty-looking box set and I bought it so I guess I'll find out. SPL is here.

If a title you want to buy in print isn't listed here, you'll need to find the Chinese title and/or author yourself (I recommend searching with both, personally). novelupdates.com is my personal go-to for finding out alternative names and such. To search, you'll want to go to the search bar, put the text in, and limit your search by going to the second option down - the first is "everything," so it searches the whole website, and you'll get a lot of not-helpful results. The second is "books," though I have no idea why cause that's not how I've learned to say books. But, that's what google says it means, so... yeah. Here's an example of a search not on the above (it's Thousand Autumns by Meng Xi Shi, because I'm an idiot and realized while writing this that I hadn't bought it and I have Regrets):

Put in the book title (in this case, 千秋) and author (in this case, 夢溪石) - it lists a whole bunch of auto-complete options, which might help you if you're struggling, just look for the one that matches what you want. And, in the other drop down menu, pick the second one down, and then hit the magnifying glass, and ta-da, you'll get results. The results for this don't look all fancy-pants, cause 18+, but you'll be able to see the title, and checking the next in the location I've circled below can help you double check you've found the right author - like, just make sure it matches the name of the author you were searching for.

You'll want to be careful to make sure you get all the volumes (for example, Qianqiu has 4 volumes).

Okay, so now you've found the book you want, what do you do? Buy it, of course!

The lighter orange button on the right with a picture of a cart is (shock) the one that lets you add it to your cart. And you'll see up top, the cart icon, and the 0 next to it. Add it to your cart and the number next to the 0 will now say one! WHAT MAGIC!

Now, go visit your cart. But, when you try to open it, you'll see - you can't even look at it without making an account. If you have an account, awesome, log in - if not, you'll need to pick the circled one.

One of the cool things about Books TW? They put in the Chinese for each item, and ALSO the English, when you go to make an account! So, the next window you reach looks like this:

(I personally chose gender: none, delightedly.)

Fill this out with your info. You do NOT need to do either of the check boxes at the bottom - they're NOT "have you read the terms..." they're "do you want our e-mails?" - and then click the yellow button. It loads a little weird - it, like, doesn't seem to "take?" or at least it didn't when I did this - but once you've done it, if you go back to that previous page and put in your username, password, and verification code (you'll probably need a new code, cause the old one will have timed out - that link right next to the code box will get you a new one) and hit the big green log in button, you'll be able to get in. And then there's your cart!

(and my real name, oops...oh well, it wasn't actually a secret...)

Next, when you're ready to pay, scroll down and you'll see three buttons:

You want the MIDDLE ONE, not the yellow one. The middle one is "overseas check out," whereas the yellow one is specifically for domestic purchases. When you click that, it opens a pop up. I have no idea what the pop up says, I just clicked the top one again (it says overseas check out, also) and hoped, and it seemed to work right. It opens up a list of purchase options:

The top one is "use your credit card," so it's probably what most folks want (you can use Visa, Mastercard, or JCB), but you might also want the bottom one, which uses ATM code information? I'm not positive; I used the first one. Click the bubble; you will NOT be asked for your credit card info yet. Scroll down, you'll be asked next for your personal information. I've labeled the fields in this screen cap:

When you've put in the info, click the yellow button I circled. I glanced at the drop down menu of countries; it looks like most of the world is there, so you're probably okay most places in the world, if you want to order and aren't in the US.

The next page confirms your cart and address. This is the stage where shipping is calculated, so pay attention - it's expensive. For example, just for SPL...

The shipping is about equal to half-again the price of the book: the SPL box set is $25 US, and shipping it is about $15. If you want to be able to guesstimate your shipping cost ahead of time, I'd suggest adding 50% to of the price of the books to your pre-shipping total - like, my personal purchase was just under $100 US, just the books, and the shipping was just over $50.

Once you've wept for your bank account and recovered from sticker shock, you're ready to proceed. There's a check box below your address, you'll need to check it - I'm not putting a screen cap cause I've hit Tumblr's image limit, but it's a "you've read the ToS" confirmation.

You'll want to hit the yellow button again; I'm NOT going to do that, cause I'm not making another purchase and didn't think to take screen caps my first time through. But, you'll get a pop up - it says a lot of Chinese and has a scary count down but don't worry, it's just a "you'll be redirected to a payment page in x seconds" page. After that, you'll be prompted to enter your credit card information; that page has Chinese and English labels, so it was quite easy to use, and then you'll get asked if you want to get charged as your local currency or in TWD (it only matters if you think your bank will give you a better exchange rate than the one they're suggesting). After that, I personally had to ALSO do a confirmation with my bank, and get a verification code and enter that - whether you need to do that will presumably depend on your banks security. Finally, once all the payment confirmations were done, I was routed to a "congratulations on your purchase!" page, and...that's it!

YOU'VE BOUGHT YOUR DANMEI!!

ARE YOU EXCITED? (I'm so fucking excited for mine omg.)

Anyway, I screwed up and didn't buy Qianqiu or MDZS vol. 1, so I guess I'm gonna have to plan another order for sometime...maybe I'll do another guide, if it might actually be helpful. I dunno. I'm just fumbling my way through all this, and hoping that my willingness to fumble will make other people feel a little more confident fumbling also. We get so much joy from these books; buying them - especially the ones with no currently slated English translations - seems like the least we can do, if we can afford it. JJWXC has made it impossible for us to buy them online, but that doesn't mean we can't still buy the books.

I spent $150 today, and I'm getting MDZS, SVSSS, SPL, and 2ha. On a per-volume basis, my final cost was $15 per book (if SPL is only 2 volumes, anyway, I don't actually know). Considering how much nice editions of Western titles cost on Amazon or at a bookstore, that's a ridiculously reasonable price, and it INCLUDES the shipping. So, really, if you can afford it at all, it's not over-priced at all, and would be even less if shipping were cheaper. It's also cheaper, per-volume, than the English translations will be/are.

Basically: This is entirely doable, English-speaking fandom. So, no more excuses for not doing it, if you have the money.

SUPPORT AUTHORS!!!! DO THE THING!!!!!

[phoenixyfriend]

SW Suddenly-Omegaverse AU: Surrogacy, Worldbuilding, Obi-Mom

Truly the main irony of all this is that everyone considers Obi-Wan the Better Omega but Anakin is the one who's actually 👀👀👀 about pregnancy

Obi-Wan: I have the deepest respect for those who do it, but the idea of growing another person inside of me is weird and gross, no, thank you.

Meanwhile Anakin is like. Immediate baby fever. Someone actually approaches him like "hey... there are forms you can fill out to request an exception for pregnancy, and like... regulations" because he's that obvious about it.

I assume that if they've got safety nets for accidental pregnancies, then they're probably aware that there are people who want to do it on purpose? I feel like in an omegaverse where 'biological imperative to procreate' can be so much more intense, then maybe there's old precedent that stuck around even after suppressants got most of those hormones under better control.

Bit torn. Just know I want Anakin to Make Baby.

"Anakin, what are you--" "Do you think offering to be someone's surrogate would be acceptable to the council as a way to be pregnant without getting attached." "...what." "They'd probably accept that as a way to practice not getting attached, right?" "N...no, that's not... what?"

Anakin approaching Bail and Breha and being like “Do you... still want a kid? I would provide a kid. Do you want one here*?”

* in this dimension

Great way to give up the baby as a parent because he'd still be able to see them once in a while but also like... it's not HIS kid, technically. He can be a cool uncle who happened to give birth, which is distant enough to not be 'attached,' but close enough that his Tatooine-raised 'must ensure family is safe whenever possible' background doesn't flip out. It helps that 'Core World Royalty' is like... a top-tier family to be raised in.

(It would have to be post-war because he probably shouldn’t be risking his life while very pregnant. He needs to be reminded of that sometimes.)

Bail/Breha is an alpha/alpha relationship and while a pregnancy is still possible,* it’s a whole lot more difficult, and that's on top of Breha's canon medical issues that resulted in her heart and lungs getting replaced.

* AFAB alphas can get pregnant, and AMAB omegas can inseminate, but the success rate on that angle is much lower than the 'traditional' alpha/omega roles, as is any attempt at reproduction outside rut/heat. They're low-fertility overall for the non-dominant aspect of their reproductive system, which... ha, Anakin and Obi-Wan try to get explanations for why the senary system works the way it does, but it's a very longform history lesson that comes down to 'idk this got cemented so long ago that nobody really knows why anymore.'

AKA "why do you title these roles male omega and female alpha instead of intersex omega and intersex alpha since both parties have both genitals."

ANYWAY

Anakin: I want to make babies. But I don't want to get kicked out of the order. But I don't want to give up my own babies for adoption. But I can't keep my own babies if I want to stay a Jedi. So basically I want to have someone else's babies? Anakin: ...wait shit that's just surrogacy.

Anakin, calling up Obi-Wan: Hey are the Organas still struggling to have a kid? Obi-Wan: ...not really your business. Anakin: You're friends with Bail again though, right? Obi-Wan: I am, but-- Anakin: Do you think they'd want me to be a surrogate? Obi-Wan: What.

I can't decide if it's funnier for the Order to be like "I mean... technically there's no rules against this?" or if this is a precedent set by at least three omegas every generation because that's just how a/b/o manifested for omegas in a biological and cultural sense.

Bail: Wait, your former apprentice is... volunteering... to be our surrogate. Obi-Wan, exhausted: Yes. Bail: He barely knows us. Obi-Wan: He respects you and you're the closest people he knows that want a child and would be good parents. Bail: And he's just... volunteering? Obi-Wan: Yes. Also, you did say your primary worry was that a surrogate might be targeted for assassination and you couldn't ask someone to risk that, right? Anakin is very much able to avoid assassins, and would be staying primarily in the Temple anyway. Very safe, and not particularly scared of assassins in the first place. Bail: Your words say you approve, but your tone says otherwise. Obi-Wan: Anakin considers me his father. I'm not old enough to be a grandparent. Bail: Ah.

Anakin is a surrogate and enjoys it and everything is fine and then like a year later he's accidentally pregnant with his own and Rex's kid, and nobody knows how to ask if it's actually an accident.

A suggestion from @gelpenss:

OH MAN i.... have to drive home. But I just had a thought about like. I always want to poke at Betas in A/B/O like are they “normal” or different from our standard or.... but ANYWAY assuming they have a pheromonal thing I just think it would be neat if betas had the ability to be the Bucket of Cold Water. Like if caught early enough, and with the caveat it’s not permanent, a beta could arrest a rut or heat in its tracks until a more ideal time. Like. They aren’t birth control. But they are the remind me later button.

Okay done driving I am Returned to bring up why I brought up betas and it’s this: well okay 1. It plays nice with a popular but inaccurate dog breeding urban legend that female dogs will like, delay heat cycles? so that the bitches above them in pack hierarchy have first choice of mate selection. And I think in omegaverse it would be cool if that was a Bio Fact, and also historically enforced by the third designation. 2. It gives me an excuse to have betas have the Most Sensitive sense of smell because it’s their “job” to pick up on things before they go too far to be put on pause. 3. I’m just thinkin ‘bout a beta clone [...] just hovering around Obi-Wan because they found out how much stress his heat cycle causes and they’re like “okay cool I will help make sure it does Not”

I want to like a/b/o verses but betas niggle at me. I want to give them a hat and a Function that woulda helped before modern medicine.

I'm not sure how I feel about betas being able to delay heats, but I do like the idea of them having a more sensitive sense of pheromone smell than most. Most aliens assume it's omegas with the best sense of smell, and betas with the worst, but it's more complicated than that because they all specialize: Alphas are actually less attuned to pheromone smells, but more attuned to things that were useful back when humans were still a hunter-gatherer species. Omegas tend to be heightened towards danger smells like fire or aggression, and pheromones relating to children/care. Betas, as suggested above, are very sensitive to pheromone changes relating to mood and behavior of the community around them.

I like the idea that betas were historically the ones that ended up taking care children, unmated omegas, and so on during people's heats and ruts, because they kept their heads about themselves long enough to do things like cook and clean while someone was reeking of hormones. The checks and balances work out that betas may have lower fertility, but it makes them better able to support the network around them.

It works in with humanity's general collective history of thriving the most when working as a community.

Given that I decided that this is Jangobi, the clones might all subconsciously view Obi-Wan as Mom. Not intentionally, but, you know... Obi-Wan the not-evil stepmother. He doesn't know how he got into this situation, but he sure is here, and he sure as hell doesn't know how to get out.

Obi-Wan "I don't need to get pregnant, I have three million stepchildren" Kenobi

I definitely love "clones all want to make Obi-Wan's heats less stressful" but like in a different way from Whatever The Fuck Anakin's Got Going On.

Obi-Wan using the force to dull the pain in a Shiny's broken leg while the medic works on it and the Shiny just mumbles "Thanks mom" and everyone gets very embarrassed and pretends it didn't happen.

But then it happens again. And again.

Obi-Wan asks for an explanation from Cody and gets a halting response that, since Jango is technically their father, and his scent has been all over Obi-Wan recently... and Obi-Wan puts in a lot of effort to take care of them all.......

Anakin overhears the clones calling Obi-Wan "mom" and just. The most judgmental eyebrow raise.... Mostly in the sense of "You never let me call you dad" "Thought you said you weren't anyone's parent." "Hey, hey, Obi-Wan. What the fuck."

BOBA. BOBA ABSOLUTELY CALLS OBI-WAN MOM WHENEVER POSSIBLE. IT'S DEEPLY FRUSTRATING.

Obi-Wan eventually manages to admit that he's uncomfortable with it at minimum because of the gendering the word has for him, can they at least use the neutral 'buir' instead?

Word spreads like fire, takes like two days max for everyone to switch.

(Anakin demands cuddles as compensation for not getting to call Obi-Wan any true parental term for years.)

[non-bionical-mecha-dude]

Can you do a platonic Yandere big mama

Normally I don't do Yanderes, but considering this is my first request, and her personality is kinda Yandere, I WILL! ALSO THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING! Also, I can't tell if you mean Headcannons, or like an actual one shot, so I will do Headcannons, if you preferred a short story, then you can ask again and I will write it!

Warnings: mentions of yandere tendencies, kidnapping mentions (not to the reader), mentions of spiders, and Big Mama being Big Mama

~🕷️Yandere Platonic! Big Mama 🕷️~

She absolutely loves your company, and often times will request that you sit with her to watch her Battle Nexus

Gives you cute little nicknames like "sugar plum," "my little jitter bug" and other things, some people think it's romantic, but you know she only means it as friends 😊

Often will chose little matching outfits with you to wear when she has to present herself at her Battle Nexus, she can't expect the both of you not to be dressed your absolute best you know?

She can spot you out of any crowd

Often times she can have a tinsy winsy bit of a jealousy problem when others try to hang out with you

Often times bringing an exuse up or calling you over so you can spend more time with her

If she ever figures out that someone is insulting you or hurting you...guess who just got kidnapped and added to her Battle Nexus! And you get front row seats 😊

Often times has her little hench men watching over you to make sure no one hurts you

Over time, you start to pick up on her speaking habits and start to accidentally say "fizzy winkle," "fantastical," "Doodly do," ect. She finds this absolutely adorable and giggles about it when you don't realize what you said

Will often drink tea with you when you talk about your day with her

Tried to teach you how to walk in heels like her, and you almost fell, you both laughed

If you have glasses, she switched glasses with you one day out of bordem and you both laughed because your glasses look funny on her and her glasses look funny on you

She enjoys long walks with you because you two get to talk

She feels comfortable enough around you, that she'll just casually turn her cloaking broach off around you, sure it freaked you out at first, but over time, you got used to her around you

(as seen by her and past Lou Jitsu watching movies together in the series) She loves sitting on the couch and watching movies and series with you, she doesn't care what series or movie it is, as long as you have popcorn and jammies on, she's good

Once you saw her eat a bug Infront of you, and it spooked the shit out of you, now she does it just to mess with you

Although she doesn't have a liking for humans, sometimes when you bring her back a human food, or tell her about a human tradition or something, she fascinated about it, not because of the thing itself, she's fascinated about how much you care about this thing

She enjoys you ranting about whatever, she just enjoys being around you in general, so anything you talk about fascinates her, she could listen to you talk for hours

Sometimes she'll just lean next to you and complain about some person she had to deal with at the Battle Nexus or at her hotel and you like to listen to her while you sit next to her

While you share facts about humans to her, she likes to share facts and history about Yokai as well, teaching you about how long their history expanded, their customs, and their traditions

Whenever she's upset or frustrated, her henchmen/butler's often run to you because they know you're the only one who can calm her down

She enjoys going to places and dancing with you, spinning and dancing to the music is one her favorite things, so sharing it with you, and even dancing with you brightens her entire week.

She enjoys running her fingers through your hair, she even finds herself doing it without thinking, and she always has an exuse for it. "Oh! Woopsie Doopsie! There appeared to be something in your hair, but don't you worry, I got it out"

I hope you enjoyed this

[yuzukult]

acquitted love || sjn & reader

title: acquitted love pairing: johnny suh x reader genre: fluff, angst, co-workers!au, lawyer!au, one-sided enemies to lovers word count: 8.7k warnings: some language/cursing, brief mentions of sex but there's no actual discussions or explicit conversations of the topic, but generally pg-13 prompt: you absolutely hate johnny suh. but when your boss pairs you two up together for one of the highest profile cases, you’re left working close with your enemy but he doesn’t seem to think that way of you. a/n: tada!! i wrote this for the @/ficscafe fic exchange event!! so @urlocalnctstan​ , hope you enjoy this !! i tried to write it according to what you put as your preferences, but honestly T_T it was so hard bc i was just not getting any ideas!! hopefully this is something you’d like :D enjoy !!

“God, isn’t he just… so attractive?”

Along with a click on your tongue, you feign a hit in Hyeri’s direction, whose reflexes have gotten so much faster in the past couple years of knowing you and it shows when she cowers underneath your arm. She gifts you that not-so-apologetic smile, full of mischievousness because she knows no matter how annoying she can be, you’ll still love her nonetheless.

“Why do you keep talking about Johnny? You know he’s banned as a topic of our conversations.”

Hyeri rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her white frilled blouse. You know that she doesn’t actually inhabit any romantic feelings for Johnny, but she has a problem of thinking without the usage of her brain when she sees a hot guy.

Not that you think Johnny is hot.

No.

“Come on, you can’t tell me you don’t think he’s at least an ounce of smokin’ hot.” She’s unraveled her arms by now, poking your shoulder incessantly to grasp onto your attention as you're tapping on the buttons of the copier machine. “I bet if you asked him out, he’d say yes.”

You briefly glare at Hyeri. “You realize that he and I don’t get along, right? He keeps finding stupid loopholes in the system to win his cases. He thinks with his heart, not his head, and sometimes, with whatever that thing was in his pants.” And, not to mention that he walks out the court with that big grin stretched from cheek to cheek, giving the ‘good news’ to your well-respected boss (who you desperately seek the approval of but that’s a different story for another time). And every single time, she gives him that nod of appreciation, that ‘nod of approval’ if you will, when it should be given to you and not to some asshole who fucks his way to victory.

“But he’s so hot—”

You narrow your eyes at your friend, and with a stern voice, you call out, “Hyeri.”

She shrugs. “Honestly, though, he’s hella smart. He’s got a job here, and works under your boss. It’s Park, Kim & Associates—notice how Park is first, because she’s a fucking genius. She only picks the intelligent ones to work under her. Why do you think I’m still working for Mr. Kim?”

Park Seohyun and Kim Gonghyun—one of the biggest lawyers in the region, decided to join together to build their own law firm from the ground up. They were both highly respected in their field; Kim Gonghyun spent years of his life being mentored by one of the most famous judges, and as for Park Seohyun, she was, simply put, admirable because of the obstacles she has overcome to make her dreams of working in law to be real. Being a woman, young, and beautiful, she’s had her fair share of encounters with people who disregard her potential, that is until she met Gonghyun—who, admittingly is an old man who seems like he’d be traditional, sexist, even, but he proves to also make people realize how wrong they are with their impression of him.

But, as Mr. Kim is getting older, he’s gotten a bit… lazy.

In fact, he’s been slacking so much that he’s gotten a new rep in the office—if he was your direct supervisor, or your supervisor was under him, you were on the side of the office where all the easier, uncomplicated cases were assigned. Which meant that there was a slight possibility that your talents and skills weren’t as sharp and exceptional as you thought they were.

And well, Hyeri works directly underneath Mr. Kim.

Hyeri doesn’t want a heavy workload, despite the fact that there’s a plethora of files on her desk, stacked up one onto another as tall as her PC tower, and they were all open and closed cases—needless to say that she didn’t mind it.

“Okay, but you got offered a position under Seohyun. Do you really think you’re not wasting your potential?”

Hyeri scoffs. “Never. At least, not now. I’m still in my twenties, I’d like to enjoy my youth while I can, for your information.”

You quirk a brow. “And does any of that pertain fucking Johnny? The hot guy, so you claim?”

She immediately has her hand covering your mouth and you scowl. “Shhhhh, he works here!”

You bite the flesh of her hand and Hyeri instantly retracts. “You think I don’t know my archenemy works here? He sits directly across from my office—I get the best view of the guy and I’m not even one of his fangirls.”

“You’re not gonna be one of those girls who claim they’re different because they don’t like him but then end up falling for him anyway… are you?”

Your hand goes up and Hyeri crouches down.

“Stop it.”

“Seriously though! It’s the classic e2l love story,” she has her hands gesturing in front of her like she’s making an imaginary rainbow, “Two lawyers, constantly butting heads, accept each other’s differences and learn to love—“

“The fuck is an ‘e2l’?”

“Enemies to lovers.”

“Are you high? Stop spitting nonsense.” This time, you’re waving the stack of papers that finish printing in front of her face. “Meet me for lunch later. But if you keep talking about my archenemy and I falling in love, you can kiss a free meal goodbye.”

Hyeri gasps.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Maybe. Just maybe, Hyeri might be a tiny smidge right when she says Johnny is handsome. Just a bit though, because she can’t get credit for something like that.

He’s dyed his hair this shade of brunette that sort of reminds you of roasted chestnuts on a cold, winter day, sitting inside of a cooker outside of your childhood home, baking along with some sweet potatoes your mom had gotten from a farmer’s market nearby. Johnny has this focused gaze attached to the screen of his monitor; there’s a dip in the fronts of his brows, lips tightened into a straight line, and constant switching back and forth from the computer while taking notes down in a book that’s laid open in front of him.

You wonder what’s running through his mind, or well, you’re more interested in what files he has sprawled out on top of his desk.

Truthfully, if it hadn’t been obvious enough, you weren’t quite a fan of Johnny Suh and it’s mostly due to his work ethic. He’d been notorious for his reputation of sleeping around—especially with the opposing side—so it’s hard to convince yourself that he didn’t win the case because of his actual capabilities, but it’s because he pulled some strings.

And Johnny doesn’t put much effort into denying it either.

Albeit deep down, you were a teeny bit envious of his confidence. He struts around the courtroom with ease, and when he presents his position, there’s no staggering in his voice—it’s always crisp and clean, weighted with nothing but credence, and never straying from his initial perspective. It’s never a lack of poise, it’s consistently the look he goes for; from the hand gestures and the furrowed brows, to the rhetorical questions in the end of certain statements that has the speculators and jury sitting at the edge of their seat, Johnny had a talent for performing in the courtroom, but that doesn’t mean anything when the way he gets to the success isn’t ethical.

Just at that moment, his eyes lift from the screen and meet yours.

There isn’t any hesitation when you scramble to grab the remote controller, and the shades drop over the windows instantaneously.

“Fuck,” you mutter underneath your breath, tossing the remote onto your desk and shaking your hands after. What if he thought you were admiring him? Maybe he didn’t see. Yeah. It was for a brief second, and with how close your offices were to each other, it would be common to accidentally lock eyes… right?

Interrupting your thoughts, the office phone rings and it nearly startles the living soul out of you. But before you reach for it, your head tilts to the side curiously because the extension number is familiar—it’s Park Seohyun’s, your boss.

What could she be calling for?

You don’t remember fucking something up—but to be fair, half the times, you never really know if you’ve actually fucked up until someone with steaming ears and a crimson face comes storming in. So… did you do something good? Again, you don’t think that’s right either, because other people would’ve made comments about it.

Deciding to swallow your nerves, you pick up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey!” Seohyun never fails to be bubbly, and you could never mimic her energy. You definitely had to be born with that kind of enthusiasm. “I have a favor. Hop into my office.”

Leaned back in her leather swivel chair, she had her fingers laced with each other while resting over her stomach. Johnny stands beside you (and you do your best to not look directly at him, especially after that weird staring thing), and you both feel like kids being lectured by parents from how still you are. Her office is huge, probably the size of both yours and Johnny’s combined; with ceiling to floor windows, cases of books that line the perimeter, not to mention the humongous ass couch that practically covers the other half of the room, and her desk was so wide, you estimate about four monitors would fit on there with still additional space for work. That wasn’t even the best part—the view of the city looks almost like a generic lockscreen of a Windows computer, and you’re not even sure why she goes home at night when she basically has a penthouse here.

“As you know, I have a favor.”

“Right,” Johnny retorts, mostly as a filler in the awkward silence. “So… what’s the favor?”

She pulls a box from her purse; square, black and made from a leather material with a lock pad stitched into it, something you’ve never seen before, and she slides the passcode in, then it pops the lid open. A key (a… very small one) sits in the velvety cushion, with nothing else occupying the space with it, and it looks comical. She uses this to open the very top drawer of her desk, and as she pulls using the handle, there’s another box inside, but this time, metal instead of leather, but still black.

What the fuck?

It seems Johnny shares the same thoughts, because he sneaks a glance over at you.

“You see,” Seohyun begins, pressing on the digital keys of the box until there’s a beep at the end and the case hisses open. “There’s a lot of security for this. Which means you understand the importance of it.”

Then, she picks up four manila envelopes and lies on the surface of her wooden top desk. “I have a family emergency to attend to this upcoming week. I’m boarding a flight tonight. So I’m leaving the Hwang v. Yoon case to the two of you.”

“Fuck—”

“The what?”

You and Johnny are sputtering out of shock. The Hwang v. Yoon case is the biggest case that the firm is involved in currently, and the only people involved in it have been Seohyun and Gonghyun. It’s been on every social media platform you could think of; from Facebook to Twitter, TikTok to Instagram—there’s even this weird website for emo/grunge teens or strange kids that like writing fanfic called Tumblr, and whatever that is, it’s discussed on there too.

“What about Gonghyun?”

Seohyun scoffs, closing the drawer and dropping the key back into her special box. Where do you even get a box like that? “He can’t handle this alone. So I’m kicking him off until I come back. I thought about letting the two of you work with him, but his ego is so inflated, it’ll get in the way of our chances of winning. It’s easier if it was just me and him, but seeing that things at home aren’t well, I’m going to need you two to step up to the plate.”

The room goes quiet. The only sounds you hear are the muffled noises of a typical bustling office outside the thick walls of Seohyun’s office, and at first, excitement rushes through your blood because Seohyun thought of you taking over a special, high profile case.

Albeit, another realization gets soaked up, and it’s that Johnny also came to mind, and that because it’s such an important case, the two of you would be… working… many… hours… together.

Maybe you should back out of it—but then again, this is such a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Imagine winning this— it wouldn’t be good for just the law firm, it’d be good for you too. Your name, in articles on these big fancy news websites, perhaps even on new channels, talking about how you, this amazing lawyer, won the Hwang v. Yoon case.

But then you’re snapped back into reality when Johnny leans over to take the envelopes from Seohyun.

If your name is on those platforms, so is Johnny’s.

God, this guy just ruins everything, doesn’t he?

“We’ll take care of it, Seohyun. You can trust us,” he says assuringly, a smile tugging on each corner of his lips with that dazzling gaze. “We’ll be at our best.”

Kiss ass.

If you had the option, you wouldn’t be spending your Saturday night here at work, in one of those conference rooms with a long table in the middle, a big projector that displays on the wall, and a random black leather loveseat couch that lines the one corner in case there’s too many occupants.

Especially since the person who’s accompanying you is Johnny Suh.

There’s probably a lot of people who would kill to be in your position (Hyeri being one of them), but you dread it. Not to be that person, but what’s so special about him anyway? What? He’s tall, has some muscles, long luscious hair that he can slick back with that sultry stare—wait, what?

“Alright, moving on…” From what? You guys just started? It’d been clear with Seohyun that the mornings would be dedicated to other cases, but nights would be considered overtime and where you’d zoom in your focus on Ms. Hwang’s justice. “Let’s take a look at the facts here.”

Johnny slips off his blazer, hanging it on the back of one of the chairs as you’re seated in another, leaning back comfortably with an arm resting on the table. He loosens the first few buttons of his dress shirt before folding up the sleeves, and that’s when you notice a little thing in the inner crook of his elbow—is that a fucking sunflower? Is that what he uses to reel girls in? That he’s soft enough to have a pretty little flower etched onto his gentle, silky and supple—

“Okay,” he says, interjecting into your thoughts with a laser pointer in his hand. He taps on the space bar of his laptop that mirrors what’s on his screen, but then, that’s when you realize what’s on the slides.

There’s a collage of pictures, mostly street, casually walking themed ones, but the common factor was that they were of Yoon Changmin, the man you guys were up against. They were all paparazzi-like photos, which begs the question, how did he get pics like this, and why did he get them?

“What’s the point of this?” you ask, voice laced with nothing but suspicion.

“We gotta get into the mind of the enemy.” You wanna get into the mind of your enemy, too.

You gesture to the one image of Changmin with an arm around his girlfriend and a finger up his nose. “Seems like he’s trying to reach inside of his head instead of us. These are just everyday pictures, Johnny. What’s that going to do for us?”

“Well,” he begins, turning to look at the wall of ‘evidence’. “You see—wait, holy shit.”

Freezing in the midst of reaching for your coffee, your head jolts in the direction of your partner. “What? What is it?”

“Holy shit,” he exclaims, “Hoooooooooly shit. Why didn’t I see this before? This changes everything.”

Furrowing your brows, you’ve given up getting your drink and dropped your hands onto the table. “Tell me, what is it?”

“This is a game changer.”

“Johnny,” you call out sternly, and his eyes link with yours before he instantly points to a particular picture with his red laser pointer.

“Look at that.” There’s pride saturated in his words, but when you look at what he’s indicating, your body slouches in disappointment.

Why the hell was he directing your attention onto Changmin’s thighs? Surely, there’s no denying that they were attractive—you recall that his alibi was at the gym that very night of the crime.

“What? He’s guilty for showing off his toothpick legs?” They were lean, you never said they were muscular.

“No,” he retorts, slightly irritated by your response as he rolls his eyes. “Look at his pants.”

“Okay…”

“They’re jean shorts.”

There’s a pregnant pause, but the expression on your face is so loud it can’t be hidden.

Johnny continues, “That’s a fashion crime.” He says it as if it’s an obvious fact known by many. “Not to mention that it’s fucking raw hem. He should be arrested.”

Suddenly, your opinion of him thinking too much with his heart dissipates because it seems like he’s thinking out of his ass instead. Did he win those cases out of pity? How did this guy even pass the bar? How about law school? How the hell did he even get into law school?

“I don’t think—”

“Listen, alright, just hear me out,” he’s got the palms of his hands resting flat on the surface of the table, doing his best to gain your full undivided attention. “Only assholes wear jean shorts. They flaunt that shit around like they own the place, but they’re horrendous pieces of clothing that should not be on a male’s body. I don’t care what you say, what your opinion is, because that is a fact.”

Puffing your cheeks, you feel at a loss. If Johnny is who you had to get this done, it feels like you’re not going to be finding much evidence any time soon.

“Okay, if… if that’s how you want to play it, then show me the evidence—other than those 2012 cut off denim shorts.”

He reaches over to hit his space bar again, then with a wink and a slide change, he leans closer to you and says with that deep, honeyed voice, “Gladly.”

You hate admitting when you’re wrong.

Ironically, you concede and will confess when you actually are, but it doesn’t mean that you enjoy it. For example, when Hyeri claims that the intern Mark had a crush on you, you quickly waved her off, stating something along the lines of, “I’m too intimidating; there’s better chances of him being scared of me than ever finding me attractive.” And then a week later, you owed Hyeri free lunch at that hip ramen place downtown because Mark had approached your desk that very morning with a bouquet of red roses flowers for you, a cheeky grin glued to his face with pools of hearts in his eyes, and ready to ask you on a date because it was the day after his internship had ended. Naturally, it wasn’t fun rejecting that poor college boy.

But, you won’t say you find Johnny interesting or handsome. Or that there’s potential when it came to possibly (just barely the slightest smidge) that you’d ever consider asking Johnny out. He’s your enemy here, you’ve mentioned that a multitude of times, and you stand firm on that very declaration, despite the fact that sometimes when he gets too close, your breath gets caught in your throat and you feel like you can’t get whatever’s lodged in out.

Albeit it’s not the whole “you guys are gonna end up together” comment that Hyeri makes and resulting in you denying it afterwards, it’s that Johnny might… be a decent lawyer.

He’s not the best one you’ve seen; the stupid revelation he had on the first day working on the case about the jean shorts is evidence for it, but it’s the days following that were slowly changing your perspective on him.

When you said, “He thinks too much with his heart more than with his head,” it was 100% correct.

When meeting with potential witnesses, you recognized that Johnny empathizes with people often; when they cry and start panicking from being overwhelmed, he's quick on his feet to put an arm around them, share reassuring words, and have them back to normal in record’s time.

And, well… you? You’re the one making them cry in the first place.

You don’t want to fully take the blame for being the cause of their tears, but people need to hear what’s happening, and the very detail that they can’t even handle this information probably means they’re not worthwhile as a key witness.

Johnny, of course, thinks otherwise.

He believes that these people should have a voice (although you’ve alluded that they might be more useless than helpful), and putting them on the stand with Yoon Changmin there would change the view of the jury to supporting Hwang Naeri.

“Listen, if we get these people to sign the form, we’d get witnesses and it’ll help Naeri,” Johnny claims, frantically moving his arms annoyingly as he talks, trying his best to express the gravity of the situation, “and maybe, maybe, money wouldn’t be how Changmin wins, but how he loses. We can’t have another person with jean shorts walking on the streets of our city like this—they deserve to go to prison.”

You scrunch up your nose. “Why does this always revert back to the jean shorts?”

“It always has to do with jean shorts,” he snaps back matter-of-factly. “Any straight guy wearing jean shorts with that much goddamn confidence has done some wrong in their lives.”

“Right, but I’m pretty sure that the crimes he did are mainly the reason why he’s being prosecuted against.”

“Jean shorts are the windows to the soul.”

“I’m almost 100% sure that eyes are the windows to the soul, but whatever. If you genuinely believe that the women we met today would benefit our case, then… okay. Let’s bring them to the stand.”

On the contrary to you, Johnny doesn’t have a hard time convincing witnesses to testify. You see the way that he works; those kind eyes directed at the participants, the pools of chocolate were sweet, saturated in nothing but tenderness and warmth, then he does that weird thing where he reaches for their hands and cups them before the words that escapes from his lips are enough to swoon them to stand in front of a courtroom.

Maybe, just maybe, there’s a method to his so-called madness.

Aggression and bluntness don’t work, it seems, because when you’re the one attempting to convince these people to go against the man that had done them wrong, they’re less willing to do it. Something about ‘moving on,’ and ‘not wanting to relive those memories again,’ but if it was you, you’d want justice. Then again, not everyone is like you, and not everyone thinks like you, and spending this abundance of time with Johnny is slowly getting you to ease into that perspective.

So… the initial impression you had of him may have been wrong.

And maybe, just maybe, you’re developing some feelings for him, just as Hyeri predicted.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

His abrupt personal question is enough to have the coffee spill into your mouth to slide down the ‘wrong throat’ because you’re choking, hand on your chest as you’re tackling to regain your breath again and Johnny only stares in disbelief, blinking blankly. “Are… are you okay?”

You glare at him through a hooded gaze. “Well,” you clear your throat once more. “Now, I am.”

“Cool.” He nods, retracting his hand so he could rub your back soothingly, deciding it’s best to stay away. “Are you going to answer my question?”

Quirking a brow, your head tilts slightly in puzzlement. “Why are you asking this?”

Johnny shrugs. “Isn’t it weird that we’ve hung out with each other for a whole week—stayed here for nights and we both don’t know anything about each other?”

Tapping your fingers against the wooden top table, you sigh. Maybe he’s got a point; after all, “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer,” right?

“No, I’m single.”

Johnny’s face suddenly brightens, ears perked, and his body straightens its posture in his seat at this revelation. “Oh, uh, I didn’t know that. You seemed busy in your personal life, so I, uh… was just wondering.” He looked anxious, but you couldn’t pinpoint why. “I, um, I’m single too, by the way, in case you’re wondering.” You weren’t.

The plethora of cardboard and plastic boxes scattered across the table was a representation of the night. It’s been long, exhausting, and messy, mostly because it’s a Friday night, the hearing was on Monday, and the two of you were nowhere near close to having enough to present to the court. In fear of disappointing Seohyun, the two of you agreed to stay over the office for the weekend to cram work for the case. There’s no denying that the atmosphere is weirder on the weekends, especially since, well, no one really comes here on the weekends. Johnny had to use the bathroom earlier and ran into the cleaning lady and she nearly shit her pants because she didn’t think anyone was here, so she had music blasting in her headphones.

Johnny is… interesting. He makes you laugh—or well, want to laugh, but you don’t give him that sense of satisfaction—and he’s smart but in his own weird way. He’s not like the other lawyers you’ve met, or any of the law students you attended University with because he’s more lighthearted and free-spirited than the rest, taking life in strides instead of just overwhelming himself in the abundance of stress that work brings.

He’s entirely the opposite of you.

And maybe you could learn something from the guy, but there’s something in you that brews hatred toward him. Possibility that you resent how easy he makes being a lawyer seem when you’re struggling in your day-to-day life to make things work.

But it’s way too fucking hard when he’s just… like that.

Despite all of that, he’s very generous and kind toward you. On rough days, he delivers your coffee order, the one you always get because he remembers what you asked the intern to get for you the last time, and he’s good at identifying when you’re just having that kind of day. You eventually learn he has a photographic memory (fucking show off), so when he saw that crumpled napkin with scribbles of what you want in that dumb intern’s hand, it wasn’t hard to remember. Which, by the way, is how he’s able to get into the most prestigious school for undergrad, manage to pass the bar so easily, and get into law school effortlessly.

And knowing this information sort of angers you more.

You know this isn’t his fault—he’s been blessed with a trait that people desire, one that you also yearn for, but the lucky ones get handed a lot of things in life. You wonder if he’s the type of guy who wins girls easily after matching with them on dating sites because of this stupid ass ‘photographic memory.’ Does he sleep with them right after? Does it ever get serious?

You shrug your shoulders and shake your head. You shouldn’t even let these strange thoughts haunt you, especially when you don’t even like him.

He’s a spoiled brat who gets everything handed to him on a silver platter.

So you’re left counting the remaining days until the trial so you don’t ever have to work with Johnny Suh this closely again.

Okay, well, it’s evident that bad luck is glued to your side because after you win the Hwang v. Yoon case for your law firm with that asshole, Seohyun is so impressed. So goddamn impressed that she insists that all the high profile cases are to be given to both you and Johnny.

To work as a team.

Together.

Jesus, this is Hell for you.

Surely, the promotion and raise that came along with it was definitely a plus, but it has you wondering if it’s even worth it. He’s been your unspoken enemy since the first day, and although you think you’re pretty forthright about your hatred for this guy, he can’t seem to read social cues.

When you’re pushing the double doors into the conference room the two of you often spend working on cases in, you expect Johnny to be ready for another day. But strangely enough, Johnny doesn’t have his laptop out or any of the notebooks sprawled across the table.

“Um,” you slide the strap of your bag off your shoulder and onto the spare chair. “Did you come late or something?”

He takes in a deep breath like he’s been holding back something. “We need to talk.”

There’s worry inscribed into his features; from the crease in between his brows, to his pursed lips, and eyes soaked in concern, almost like he’s got bad news to share and it has your stomach in knots. Was it that the case was thrown out? It couldn’t be, right? You both worked hard, presented your stance to the point that the jury and the judge were in awe with your findings. Sure, you had to cover Johnny’s mouth right before he was about to go off in a tangent about jean shorts, but overall, it was a good win, a hard one to go back on and pull out the wrongs of it. So what was it?

“I’m quitting our partnership.”

You blink. “What?”

He gestures to the room with his hands as if there’s anything out to reference. “This thing. Our work. The big profile cases. The famous stuff. I told Seohyun that I won’t be doing it anymore and she can revoke the promotion and the raise.”

You’re still not catching on. “… Why?” Was it something you did? Yeah, you weren’t a big fan of Johnny either, but were you so bad that he decided to not go through with the raise because of you?

“Because,” he pushes his blazer back, hands sliding into the front pockets of his navy blue trousers. “There’s a policy put into place. Those who are on the same cases cannot have any personal relations with each other that extend past friendships.”

“We’re not even friends?” With confusion written across your face, your head tilts to the side. “I’m not… I’m not catching on here.”

“I like you.”

Startled, the words you want to say are stolen out of your mouth. You’re left with a mixture of perturbation and bewilderment, uncertain where to go from there because Johnny asked for the removal of both a promotion and additional money that could be so good for his career… and it’s all because he has a crush on you?

“You quit the best thing that could’ve happened to you because you like me?”

“Yeah,” Johnny states calmly, sucking in his cheeks for a brief moment. “Ain’t that romantic?”

You scoff. “No. Absolutely not. You’re insane! Why would you do yourself dirty like that? Use your head, Johnny, you’re constantly thinking with that stupid heart of yours, and hate to break it to you, but it won’t get you anywhere.” Combing your hair with your fingers, you let out a sigh. “Go ask Seohyun for the position back. Say you made a mistake and—”

“I’m not asking her for the position back.”

Johnny doesn’t make any sense to you. “What? Why wouldn’t you do that?

“Because,” he laughs in disbelief, not because he thinks you’re funny. “I’m not going to force myself to work with a girl that I keep falling for. That’s self-inflicting, you realize that, right? You’re amazing, but you can seriously be so dense sometimes.”

“I’m dense? You just told one of the best law firms in the city that you don’t want to work on the important cases anymore because you have a stupid crush on your partner!”

“If we were on a team with more people, maybe it’d be different. But it’s just us two. You think I won’t fall any harder? That’s not easy. Every time I see you working, I swear I could be hopelessly in love with you one day.”

Your heart stops for a second.

This is Johnny Suh you were talking about here. One of the claimed best lawyers in your office, one of the most intelligent people that Hyeri has ever met, and Seohyun evidently backs this up because she’s given him so much recognition for his work. He’s the guy who worked with you to win the Hwang v. Yoon case, he’s the one who brought up the stupid jean shorts that seemed so far-fetched at the time, but they were a crucial detail everyone missed—it so happened that when Changmin bought those dumb shorts, there was evidence of at least one of his crimes in that store from the security cameras.

Any cis-gendered male who wears jean shorts can’t be trusted, according to Johnny.

And candidly speaking? You couldn’t even deny that. Your past two ex-boyfriends both wore jean shorts and the one cheated on you and the other one was caught money laundering.

“Listen,” he begins, interrupting your foggy thoughts. “I’m not asking you to tell me you like me back. I’m telling you because you should know, and that I can’t go on any further without letting you know. I’ll, uh, be in my office. Seohyun said she’d find a replacement for me.”

Hyeri is his replacement.

She’s great company and does a good job of helping you with whatever you need, but that was just it. Hyeri followed you, she never led with you, just as Johnny does. Agreeing with everything you say, mindlessly trailing behind everything you do—Hyeri was smart, but she couldn’t figure out how to think for herself when it came to these bigger cases because she’s never been given such a responsibility. But you couldn’t even blame her because it’s what she was told to do under Gonghyun.

“You said that you think Maeri snatched the bracelet?”

“No, I said if you watched the security video that the jewelry store submitted, it clearly shows that Maeri snatched the bracelet. Not that I ‘think.’ The proof is right there, Hyeri.”

She nods, resuming back to her work on the computer. Truthfully, Hyeri felt more like an assistant than a co-worker, someone to bounce ideas off of and to see from a different perspective. And as much as you hated Johnny, he had decent points. He had ways of making you put yourself into the shoes of people you never thought you were; although the guy was obnoxious, at least he actually was… good at his job.

Deciding you can’t take it anymore when Hyeri asks for the tenth time that hour about your beliefs rather than her own, you abruptly stand from your seat.

“Where are you going?”

“Out,” you reply shortly. “I’ll be back.”

It was just a spontaneous thought. It’s after hours, and although there are some people who stay behind to get some work done, you had your doubts that Johnny would still be here. He seems to have a better grip on that work/life balance thing people talked about (unlike yourself), but it didn’t hurt to check his office, right?

It’s a good thing you went with it. Because right across from yours, there’s Johnny.

There’s one single lamp that shines over the tabletop of his desk, and the other sources of light in his office are from his computer screen and the ones from the city skyline from behind him. It has him seemingly angelic like this, so serene, calm, and collected, only focused on what’s laid out in front of him. The sun has gone down, people have gone home, but Johnny remains, hardworking as always, despite your previous observations that he’s a lazy, unprofessional guy who gets everything handed down to him.

With a knock on his glass door, he flinches, head raising up and eyes meeting yours.

Were his eyes always this sparkly?

Opening the door, Johnny drops the pen in his hand and crosses his arms before leaning back in his seat. “What’s up?”

“You’re here late,” you state the obvious, and Johnny only nods in return, without a rebuttal in sight. “You aren’t normally here late. At least, before the Hwang v. Yoon case.”

“Yeah, you’re right. But Seohyun dropped something on my desk this morning. Wanted to work on it. What brings you here?”

Inhaling in a deep breath of courage, your hands bundle up into a fist by your side. “Please come back.”

Johnny raises a brow. “What?”

“Come back,” you reiterate, this time, it’s less tense and releases with ease. Caving in isn’t usually this effortless to you, but something about Johnny makes you feel… comfortable enough.“Come back and work with me again. Yes, I’m not supportive of how you do things—”

“Then let’s go out on a date.”

You freeze. Legs rooted into the floors of Johnny’s office, you’re left immobile and diffident on how to react next. It wasn’t what you were expecting, although you weren’t quite sure what you were hoping to anticipate, but it most definitely was not this.

“I—”

“I said my terms,” he retorts, shutting the book in front of him before shuffling up from his seat. He’s leaving, you realize, and Johnny’s ready to head home for the night and you’re not sure if you could handle an entire weekend with Hyeri here. “And, I meant what I said. One date, and if it really doesn’t work out, I’ll stay on the case.”

Chewing on your bottom lip anxiously, the next words that come out are out of character for you. “And… what if it does?”

A soft smile tugs from each corner of his mouth. “Then we’ll figure it out from there. Promise.”

This is… awkward. It shouldn’t be, but yet somehow, it remains awkward.

You’ve spent weeks with Johnny before, and those moments were in a room, in the middle of the night, and alone. Hours and hours were dedicated to work, yes, but it was just the two of you and nobody else.

So why is it so weird being in a five Michelin star restaurant with him?

Maybe it’s the atmosphere. The dim lights, the white clothed tables in lieu of the scratched up wooden one back at the law firm, and instead of leather seats, there’s a neutral beige chaise cushion for the dining chair, slightly less comfortable because it doesn’t recline like the one in your office. Instead of an array of photos and evidence disseminated in front of you, there’s a laminated menu with a multitude of options of what to have for dinner.

Johnny gets the steak with mashed potatoes and string beans, and you order something similar but seared salmon for the main protein. The waitress offers wine, babbling on about the age of the red, where the vineyard is located, and the dryness to sweetness—to be honest, you could care less; you’d rather have gin and sprite with a squirt of lime. A couple glasses of that and you can almost guarantee that the night would end with a deep slumber.

Oddly enough, Johnny seems nervous. Ever since he pulled up in his midnight black Audi in front of your apartment complex, he’s been acting strange. He keeps wiping his sweaty palms off the material of his trousers, occasionally swiping off the droplets that fall on the side of his face.

“Are you… okay?” you suddenly ask, adjusting your dress in your seat. Deciding to go with a black silk dress with a slit up the leg and your hair let down, it’s not a look you often sport but since you’re going on a date (one you haven’t been on in quite some time), you figured it would be nice to at least play the part.

“I’m, uh, honestly, I’ve never really asked a girl out before.”

You quirk a brow curiously. “What? You’re telling me you never asked a girl out before?”

He lets out a bashful laugh with a faint nod, making an attempt to swallow his nerves after. “Honestly, I’ve always been asked out and not the other way around. Not to sound like that guy, but I never really had to put effort into trying for girls. They kind of just…”

“—Throw themselves at you?”

He beams. “Yeah! Like that. I don’t really know how to react half the time, but it makes the whole dating scene a little bit easier.” Geez, he called you dense, but he’s over here acting clueless.

Either way, it feels like whatever opinion you had about Johnny remained true. He never had to try when it came to the dating scene, and you could only imagine what that means for work and the relationships he has with the women in your career field.

“Mm, does that usually happen with work too?”

Befuddled, Johnny leans back in his chair. “What do you mean by that?”

With a shrug of your shoulders, you’re poking the meat of your salmon that falls off easily. After the first initial bite, the fish practically melts on impact when it touches the tip of your tongue, smooth like butter and bursting with flavor that couldn’t be described by any common person because it wouldn’t do the salmon justice. Johnny seemed to put a lot into this date, and you’re left pondering what the point of this was. Did he actually like you, or was he trying to get into your head? “Just seems like you get a lot of special treatment.”

“Are you jealous?”

“In what way?” you snap back.

“Are you jealous of me because I’m getting this so-called special treatment that you think I’ve always had, or were you jealous of the girls that seemingly got my attention?”

You’re left without anything to say.

It was a good observation he made because truthfully, you never saw it like that.

In actuality, you often saw Johnny as your rival. He climbed the ladder in the field with ease, and it wasn’t hard to quickly blame his success on the fact that he was a guy in a male dominated industry, but the fact that there’s a possible interpretation for your hatred may be from these feelings you might’ve been harboring for him this entire time… that can’t be it… right?

“I mean, look at where you are now,” you begin, trying to defend yourself. It can’t be true that the reason you’ve been bitter about Johnny was because of the girls that got his attention, and one of them not being you. “You got a high position from—”

“—From hard work,” Johnny interjects with his brows furrowed. “I didn’t get to where I was because I slept around, if that’s what you’re insinuating. I knew you sort of always hated me, but I’ve always admired you. I like your work ethic, I like your style, even though we’re both on opposite spectrums, I like the way you think and I wanted to know what it was like being partners with you. Getting to be on that case with you showed me more than just who you were as a lawyer, but who you were as a person. I like you, but I’m trying to put my finger on why you hate me so much.”

“So you noticed.” Sucking in your cheeks, your eyes trail elsewhere—from the fork that lays beside your plate, to the glass filled halfway with wine, to the little candle that sits in between the two of you that flickers the way he has your heart when he expresses once more how he feels about you.

“Yeah, of course I noticed. If you like someone, it’s kind to miss details like that about them. So… you really hated me because you thought I slept my way to the top, huh?”

“I mean…” shoulders dropping in exasperation, you run your fingers through your disheveled hair. “All those rumors—”

“Again, they’re just rumors. I worked hard to get here, you know. And I’m kind of offended that you thought of me that way.”

You scoff. “They’re rumors, Johnny, it’s kind of hard to ignore all the office gossip when that’s all you hear. Plus, it wasn’t hard to believe either, with the whole flirtatious act whenever you encounter anyone who’s breathing and has a vagina.”

“I wasn’t flirting.”

“You need a book for dummies that elaborates on what’s flirting or not, because Johnny Suh, whatever it is you do with your body language in front of that chick who sits by the front door.”

“You mean Siwoo? The pregnant one who’s married to her highschool sweetheart? Also, how do you not know our receptionist’s name?”

You throw your arms into the air. “How am I supposed to know her name?”

He tilts his head to the side, genuinely baffled. “Do you… not talk to anyone outside of Hyeri?”

Your silence answers his question.

“I… honestly, I don’t know if I should be offended or if I should be honored. You think I didn’t earn anything that I have now, you think that everything I have was handed to me. On one hand, it’s flattering that you think my looks and my bedroom skills could do that but at the same time… I’m offended because you think I’m incapable.”

“I never said you were incapable—”

“But you implied it.”

Hands falling onto your lap, it’s your turn to gulp. His words come shooting at you, but you’re without a shield to protect yourself, and with the new experience of working with Johnny, there comes the realization at times that Johnny is a hard worker. There are some things that he says and does that aren’t like the people you’ve encountered, and being put on new cases with Hyeri only proved it. He’s thoughtful in the sense that whenever you’d bring up your stance on something, he challenges you with what the defense might counter.

Johnny makes you want to be better. Not just against him, but to brush off the dust on your skills and enter into the battlefield of a courtroom to showcase them.

“Well, if you’re staying silent, I just want to say that I tried,” the crinkle in between your brows makes another appearance because Johnny is great at leaving you stunned and confused. “I really like you. I love how your head works, and I wanna be with someone like that but I also can’t be with someone who doesn’t respect me.”

Why is it that when you’re in that conference room with him, you’re not afraid and never running out of things to say, but now you’re empty handed?

“I’ll pay for dinner. Grab you an Uber. I honestly thought I could overlook those things, and maybe your perspective for me has changed, but I could see it on your face. It’s the same.”

After that date with Johnny, his life turns back to normal.

Yours? Not so much.

Candidly speaking, part of you missed working with Johnny. You were wrong about him, so wrong, and even when you wanted to apologize at the dinner for what you thought of him, the pride in you was like a vicious plague that blackened your insides, preventing you from ever saying those words.

Oftentimes, you’d still be able to sneak a glimpse of him in his office with that same look on his face—full of concentration and nothing else in his mind other than the task at hand.

The cases you have with Hyeri entail a head like Johnny’s. Someone who could question you, to protest against your stance when there could be flaws in it. It feels like deja vu each time you think about it, each time you open a new case file and Hyeri sits there, perched in that seat beside yours, eyes sparkling with what you have in mind next, instead of what she has going on in hers.

Although you’ve tried convincing yourself that maybe, just maybe, what you feel for Johnny is purely professional but when you see him standing by the water cooler with a couple of your coworkers, eyes mimicking the moon crescents in the skies, replicating the ways his lips curl in elation—it was beginning hard to believe that it was all platonic feelings.

So maybe you should be bold for once. Pull off that exterior that displays you as someone who isn’t just independent and assiduous, but someone who’s stubborn and aggressive in getting what they want—and not in a good way.

This time, you’ll show it in a good way.

Or at least, you’ll try.

Johnny is a routine kind-of-guy—he grabs an iced americano every morning at the coffee shop downstairs at the edge of the street, he does his daily 11:00AM drop-by at the water cooler to refill his Hydroflask (which was his prized possession, by the way), and parked in the same exact spot in the parking garage of your building, despite there being an abundance of places he could choose.

That’s why you decide to stand by his car after work that day. Bouncing on the balls of your feet, hands shaking because it’s your turn to feel anxious. That blazer that once fit so comfortably in the morning suddenly feels tight and hot in the afternoon, and the weather hasn’t even changed. Your bag slung over your shoulder weighs ten times heavier than an hour ago, and you can’t stop your jaw from tightening.

Before your thoughts could spiral off all the possibilities of what the outcome may be when you tell Johnny how you feel, he’s already standing there, feet away from you with that dip in the fronts of his brows that you want to smoothen out the crinkles of with the pad of your thumb.

“Hi,” you greet, faint and peculiarly different from your other approaches. “Um, I just… was waiting for you.”

“Hey,” Johnny says back, the first few buttons of his shirt already unraveled, his blazer hung over his forearm and the sleeves are rolled up. “I see that. What’s up with you?”

“Um,” your leg was jittery, hard to control so you spat everything you had to say out as fast as you could before he could see right through you. “I just wanted to apologize. For everything. You’re admirable, kind, and I wish I inhabited those same characteristics you have. I think professionally, you’ve got great ideas, one that could be implemented into mine and what we did together for that case was just… yeah. We could do something big if we put our heads together.”

Johnny nods in agreement. The relationship between you two work-wise was obvious, he knew that much. “And what about… outside of that?”

“I like you,” you choked, barely getting the words out. “More than just coworkers, um, I guess, more than friends but I’m not really sure since you walked out on our first date,” inhaling in a deep breath of courage, you continue on, “and I don’t know how you feel now after I’m standing before you like this, asking for another chance and that I’m sorry.”

He stares at you blankly, and it leaves you unsure whether or not he accepts your apology. “You know why we ended that date early.”

“Well,” you start again, “can we… start over and try again? I promise I won’t tempt you to end the date early this time.”

And with that, there’s the signature smile that Johnny sports that swoons girls, makes their knees weak, and heart clench but this time… it’s just for you.

“I’d really like that.”