#and with all these stupid assignments i don't even have the goddamn time to study

[verystressedcollegestudent]

im just so fucking done

[whumpshaped]

Cliche whump trope: Character insisting they're fine, they aren't sick at all, they can do this important work / go on the mission / keep studying for the important test... until they start to go hazy, babbling incoherently as they slowly slump to the floor...

-- @oliversrarebooks

oh this is good. and i know the perfect silly boy for it

masterlist

tw carewhumper, blackmail mention, dubcon stripping

"This is stupid."

Nate gave Bryce a mildly annoyed look, as much as he could muster while being sick as a dog. "It's your fault."

"Well, I'm telling you to stop and lie down. This is dumb, you're not learning any of this shit while you can barely keep your eyes open." Bryce picked up the textbook and read a couple of lines to himself, and Nate was way too exhausted to try and snatch it back. All he did was lay his head down on the table and let out a displeased little whimper. "Yeah, no way. Tell me a single thing you remember from this page you just read through."

"It doesn't matter," he mumbled. "Midterm's tomorrow. I don't have time. Give me my book, please."

"Nate, you need to rest."

Of course he was going to be insufferable about it. Nate sighed and pushed himself up from the desk, losing his balance the minute he stood on his own two feet. He grabbed onto Bryce for support, for once grateful that the guy was strong. "Sorry," he said softly, reaching for the book that Bryce was holding above his head like he was a child. "But I need that, okay? I'll rest after the midterm. I swear."

"That's the thing, though... you can't. Remember that assignment I told you to keep in mind? You need to rest now so you'll feel better by the time you need to work on that."

Nate wanted to argue. He wanted to accuse Bryce of somehow getting him sick on purpose, as if it wasn't the result of the constant and intense workload. He wanted to cry about Bryce not even letting him work on his own things anymore. But all he could do was slump against that goddamn demon, almost passing out altogether.

Bryce caught him without a second thought, grumbling about how hot his entire body felt even through the clothes. "You're so stupid. It's not even my fault this time. This is all you." He put down the book and picked him up, barely eliciting a response. "You won't even yell at me for that? That's bad, Nate."

"I'll take a nap..." he murmured. "An hour... two..."

"You're taking a long nap, dude. A very long one, probably."

Nate was only half-conscious by the time Bryce set him down on the bed. He distantly felt himself be undressed, but after several post-party incidents like that, he wasn't that bothered anymore. What did it matter? One more or one less photo to blackmail him with, it didn't really change the situation.

"I'm taking the textbook," Bryce said as he tucked him in, and he could only nod. He barely heard him. "You should really take better care of yourself. What will I do with a dead pet nerd?"

"Huh..?"

"Nothing, Nate. Just sleep."

~

taglist: @whumpsday @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @the-scrapegoat @hidden-dreamland @whumpterful-beeeeee

[softwebss]

Hi! Can you write somethinh with MJ confessing to fem reader? Or gender neutral, don't make difference

accident-prone . michelle jones

♡ synopsis: mj fixes you up after a mishap in gym class, and she accidentally confesses to you // gender neutral reader

♡ warnings: fluff, mentions of bruising, first aid, injury + a bit of swearing, a suggestive reference at the end

♡ a/n: oml anon I'm so sorry for posting this SO late skldwffga :((( I've been really busy w exams and studying for midterms so I didn't find the inspiration or time to even start!!! but I hope you like it <3

"you're such a dumbass," mj smirked, teaching you how to do the math problem you were stuggling in properly. Honestly, you studied barely anything. the complications of the formula were bugging you, and you really didn't want to fail in your midterms. "tell me something I don't know!" you groaned, scribbling the wrong answer and writing the correct one. "WATCH OUT!" mj shouted out of the blue. you looked up from your notebook, puzzled. BANG! The sheer impact of the basketball made your head fizz, and you felt your brain bang against your head. it all went black, and the last thing you heard was a muffled yell from mj. studying in the basketball court was not a good idea. "THE FUCK WAS THAT, BRAD?!" mj was on extreme stress. her crush, the literal love of her life just got smacked in the head with a basketball. great, wasn't it? she just tried warning you, but damnit your slow reaction time just ruined it all. mj had everything she wanted, you and her having some sweet alone time, finishing up some math assignments like usual. she finally mustered the courage up to make a move, because your oblivious self didn't have a clue. or so she thought. mj shoved the door behind her, carrying her bookbag inside the room. there you were, sprawled across the sofa, with a bruised forehead. you dozed peacefully, and she smiled at the way you slept, careless of who or what was around you. the sudden slam of the door made you shuffle a bit. mj froze in her place, afraid of what you might do or say. yeahhhh, she did just technically kidnap you, you could say that. it wasn't that bad. your eyes fluttered open, and the might thing that you spotted was the grey blanket laid onto you. you groaned, rubbing the previously hit area. mj smiled at your cuteness. it was absolutely heart wrenching to her. "what the fuck happened," you groaned. mj plopped the bag on a nearby couch and leant downwards to fetch something from a fridge. "you, my friend, just got hit in the head with a baskeball," she mumbled, clearing the fridge out to find her ice pack.

"I DID WHAT?"

"courtesy of Brad Davis, of course," she added. you smacked yourself in the forehead to emphasis the stupidity you just heard. that made the ringing in your head even worse.

"aha!" she announced, carrying the ice pack towards you. your breath hitched at the sight of her care towards you. mj caressed your head and told you to lean back.

"love, if you keep moving your head I won't be able to fix it up, and there will be a gigantic bruise," mj cooed. you stiffened, crooning your neck toward her. "l-love?" you choked.

"DUMB, DUMB!" she cut off, looking sideways, trying to advert your eyes. "I MEANT DUMB- HAHA-" she nervously laughed, holding the ice pack against you. did she... did she just call you love? the slip of tongue was so absent minded of her. she mentally facepalmed. mj tried to distract you by further examined your injury, trying to soothe the pain. you looked her in the eyes and noticed the beauty of them. how could you not have noticed that before? she looked you and sighed relentlessly. your eyes were closed now, soothed by her touch. the ice pack made the bruise go halfway away. she, on the other hand, thought you were asleep. but you felt her gaze on you, and the sheer care that she showed for you made you just melt. "I love you so goddamn much," you breathed out unconsiously. it was a whisper, but it meant the world to her. when she heard you, she leant down and grabbed your collar.

"WHA-" you exclaimed at the sudden gesture, as she pulled you in and kissed you. it wasn't a big deal, your biggest crush just kissed you, you told yourself.

but honestly? it meant the fucking world. the tenderness of her soft lips against yours, the touch of her skin creeping up on her. an arm snaked around your waist, and you ran a hand through her hair. the feeling of electric shocks ran through you.

a ball of warmness mixed with flurries of anxious butterflies churned in your stomach. "you're so accident-prone" she grinned, pulling away from you, the sensation still electrifying you. and lets just say, that day ended with the both of you on top of each other, doing something you probably weren't supposed to do

[quidcumque]

Humungous praise to Bob Tabor of "C# Fundamentals for Absolute Beginners" - he's teaching this like I taught Latin. Like you SHOULD teach a language, ie taking small chunks at a time, oversimplifying to introduce ideas (but letting you know it's oversimplified), LIBERAL EXAMPLES, and frequent review. I've wanted to learn coding for years, but I'd fizzle out in frustration after a self-study session or two because fuckers would list out every data type (with REMARKABLY insufficient explanation of the differences), then slam me with the linguistic equivalent of "if Aster has four apples and Frank has nine, what is the projected yield of a mature apple tree?"

Like fuck me okay so the int type stores whole numbers from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 which is a whole fucking bunch of numbers but then the LONG type has uhhhhhhhhh a lot more commas in it and I can't even remember what the FIRST LESSON PRACTICE CHALLENGE was but I remember googling four different concepts and frowning a lot

Bob ain't doing that. He took two separate videos to 1) create your first C# program and then 2) UNDERSTAND your first C# program. By the time I finished the video after that, "Understanding Data Types and Variables", I only have two data types and the ability to read and write via console

BUT

Goddamn, I actually understand some shit now. No, I don't REALLY know why there's four different data types just for numbers, but it doesn't matter because he told me I don't need to worry about that shit right now. What I can grok though is that the Class Library is a giant building of books that I don't have to keep in my house. Those books have all the shit I'd have to do by hand if it wasn't stored in the book. If I type Console.WriteLine it's like saying "hey go to the Console book and get me the shit from the WriteLine chapter." I get that, and I like that. I technically know that the period between is called a "member accessor" but that's not useful to me yet so who cares

OH! AND! Variables are kinda like buckets, right? They hold stuff for you to get at later. Different buckets are better for holding different kinds of stuff (data types), and you gotta label them to find the right bucket again later. So you declare a variable to say you need such-and-such size bucket and you're going to call it such-and-such. Then you assign stuff to the variable-bucket. You can use that label later to retrieve that stuff, for whatever use.

But wait there's more. You got operators which help you work the info. I only know = and + right now, but they're pretty fuckin common sense at the moment. Which is great, because then I'll be comfy with the idea of them by the time we get to the weird ones. Naming conventions are pretty damn important, because 1) C# is case sensitive and 2) there's a fuckton of text and your eyes are going to bleed so do the things that help prevent eye bleed (like camelCasing your bucket names). Leading straight into the last point, which is that programs get stupid long, so Initialization squishes the Declaration/Assignment steps into one line. Fewer lines equals less eye bleed + less carpal tunnel, and we're all good with that

So, like, I don't fully know what methods are, or classes, or what tf static/void/args/etc are for, but I now ABSOLUTELY trust that I will learn them and I won't be mad at everything in the process.

[playmiya]

OH NO! HE DOESN'T HATE ME?

pairing: trafalgar law x fem!reader genre: college au!, one sided rivalry, fluff & attempts at humour warnings: alcohol, mentions of needles note: sorry if law is a bit ooc i just made him a lil flirty heh synopsis: he is trafalgar law, your mortal enemy. why is he so.. goddamn attractive?

you don't know what attracted them to you, but they would just be so dumb that it made you laugh sometimes. maybe they felt smarter being within 5 feet of you? maybe they hoped that you'd do their homework? whatever it was, you never really figured it out since you never reciprocated their feelings.

all throughout high school, you'd find yourself surrounded by boys. wait, that's a misleading statement. of the limited males who would interact with you (you being the class nerd), they would be silly, stupid little airheads of guys (the type your anime-obsessed friend would call "total babygirls").

that was because you were too busy acing all your subjects so you could get into that prestigious "good college" that you had wanted to go to since 6th grade. go girl! you were a booked, busy and slaying girlboss all throughout highschool. (that was what you'd like to say to yourself. the reality was that you were a bit of an overachieving nerd.)

cut to the said, prestigious "good college", that you ended up getting into, and by god, were you truly a booked, busy and slaying girlboss in here. since everyone was mostly a nerd anyways, nobody bullied you or cringed away from you when you were trying to make conversation because well, everyone was more or less the same. you were excelling in kicking ass in your course, though.

college life was great to you. you finally had a (somewhat) ragtag friend group you fit into, one with people who actually got your back and who you trust, you studied subjects that you're genuinely interested in and you're enjoying. you scoff at stories of burnt out college students who cried their way to a degree and were basically fuelled by ramen.

that is, until you met trafalgar law in your course. after skipping the first week due to unknown reasons, he waltzes into class looking like a sleep deprived homeless guy, one that you mentally dismiss as another one of the stoners that hang around by the skatepark.

boy, were you wrong. it was almost laughable at how this guy suddenly took up your space in the class - the student who always had his their together, all the notes taken, all the assignments handed in (early!), all their essays completed - and worst of all, he didn't even look like he made an effort!

and so, a rivalry was born. seeing your name under laws for the first couple of tests was irksome, and you attributed it to luck, but when this pattern repeated itself, with barely a mark's difference, you took it personally. especially when you saw him smirking at the marksheet with his hair all tousled and golden eyes-

what the fuck, woman, pull yourself together!

anyways, you so hate trafalgar law.

"i mean, who does he think he is?", you grumble angrily through bites of your chicken sandwich to your business major friend, nami, who was counting bills in her hand from her "small business" she runs on campus.

"this is the third time this week you're having a meltdown over him. how do you even know that he reciprocates this ... mutual hatred or whatever?", she asks, absently waving her hand.

"he does!," you wail, banging your head on the table. after writing your (stellar, if you do say so yourself) essay for this week's advanced biology class, only to see it fall short by one mark to law's essay, you're ready to crumble into a pool of despair. and chicken sandwiches.

"with what evidence? i mean, the poor guy doesn't even talk outside of class," nami replies skeptically.

"evidence? in terms of evidence ... er... we have no evidence. hey! how do you know how he's like outside of class, though?", you retort quickly.

"get over him, girl, let's take shots," nami announces, folding the wad of notes and tucking it into the pocket of her jeans. seeing your teary face and silence, she sighs.

"this is the part where you're supposed to say: and i was like, i'm down. you really aren't used to failure, right?", she asks, and you shake your head.

despite your somewhat lonely and silly highschool life, you were never second best. to anyone, in anything. so this disruption caused by stupid fucking trafalgar law and his stupid fucking god given good physique - you mean, his irritable personality - is a new thing to handle for you. i mean, for fuck's sakes, you were on the national scholars list!

"we need to get your mind off these things. come for a party with me for once, get out of your little ratpack apartment," she whines, and you inhale. maybe doing shots and having a little bit of fun would help you get your mind off your academics.

"okay," you whisper, wiping the corner of your mouth with a napkin.

"for real?", she whoops, little stars appearing in her eyes. "yeah, sure, why the hell not. as long as it's not a frat party!", you sigh.

"it's not! it's at luffy's place at 10, okay?", she calls, and you sweatdrop. 10? that's when you usually start your nightly rewatch of suits that you end up falling asleep to.

... okay, maybe you do need to get out there and have some fun.

the clothes you're wearing qualify as cute and short and quite flimsy. not a good thing for a party where everyone's practically bouncing off the walls with alcohol and hormones. thankfully, you're sitting with robin and zoro, who choose to just sexily brood in a corner instead of engaging in the usual party haberdashery.

unlike zoro and robin, you can't get bitches through sexy brooding because you're incapable of it, as usopp pointed out, something you took offence to. you're perfectly capable of sexy, smouldering looks, you protest.

"hey, y/n! why do you look constipated?", yamato asks, slinging a shoulder over your frame as his bulky body hangs over yours, reeking of cheap beer.

"constipated? man, i really was trying to go for the sexy mysterious hot girl vibe," you whine defeatedly as yamato chuckles.

"if anyone's giving the sexy constipated vibe other than those two," he motions towards zoro and robin, who were sipping their red solo cups and chatting (and looking classy while doing it!)," it's that guy," he motions towards a man who just walked through the door.

"huh. can't see him very well. what's his name?", you ask, as you observe him stroll over to the limited bar and pick up a drink. he's wearing all-black, and with the already dimmed lights, you can't figure out who it is.

"why don't we go find out?", yamato says happily, dragging you towards him through the sweaty crowd of people.

"what?", you squeal, pulling the hem of your dress down as he obliviously trundles on. "what if i don't want to find out?", you yelp, as you shoot a quick wave to nami across the room, along with mouthing the words help me. she just grins and gives you a thumbs up.

"loosen up, y/n! i'm just introducing you to a totally random hot dude," yamato states as you approach the bar. you're directly behind the guy now, and he has stunningly broad shoulders, if you do say so yourself. however, you see a familiar creep of black ink up his neck and the usual subtly flashy gold earrings, and you feel your throat go dry.

there's a feigned cough that's heard when he turns around to face the two of you as yamato continues grinning obliviously.

"totally random hot dude? could you be any louder?", trafalgar law asks irritably as yamato gulps.

trafalgar law, your arch nemesis at this party? catching you lacking and calling him hot? the heavens were really against you today ....

... but then again, it really was difficult to not call him hot when his sleeves were halfway rolled up, with his forearms exposing dark swirls of ink that he's got tattooed almost everywhere, or with that gold link chain that peeks out from the two undone buttons of his black linen shirt.

yeah, your throat's still definitely dry.

"sorry, man. i'm yamato, luffy's roommate. nice to meet ya!", yamato says quickly, sticking his hand out. law takes it hesitantly and shakes it, but surprisingly his eyes are on you?

you're not one to back down to a silly little man's stare, so you stare right back, even if it's weirdly awkward.

the intensity of his gaze makes you squirm, and if you can feel it, yamato definitely can. "i'm gonna go now," he squeaks, skittling away before even introducing you.

you, your mortal enemy and a jock that just abandoned you stand in front of a bar that only serves shitty beer. the start of a bad joke, you think.

after law decides that enough time's been spent having a staring contest with you, he blinks and offers you a drink.

"y/n, right? you're in my advanced biology class?", he asks, as you appreciatively accept the drink.

"and general chemistry. and biochemistry and physics," you add sheepishly. "i think we're in the same course!", you chirp, surprised at the fact that he doesn't even remember you. what the fuck, man? was he trying to be cool.

"yeah, that's probably it. sorry i didn't remember," he says cooly, and you double take. one, was his voice always so attractive. so low and composed? two, why was he apologising? apologising's practically admitting defeat!

"i wasn't here for the first week or so, it'll take me a while to remember people. but you'll stick with me," he says with a small grin, and you can't help but feel hot all over. you'll stick with me? that's not something very academic rival-y to say.

wait, was he flirting with you?

"uh, thanks," you respond intelligently. "so, lit party, huh?", you change the topic quickly, trying to shake off your previous thoughs.

he emits a low, rich, chuckle.

" 's okay, i suppose. i just got dragged here by luffy," he says. "i don't like going out that much," he explains.

"yeah, luffy has that effect on people. so does nami," you add, laughing slightly. law hums, gazing off into the crowd. what is this? you're holding civil conversation with him?

"it's good that i came, though. wouldn't have met some interesting people otherwise. i might have regretted that," he speaks slowly, his eyes back on you again. interesting people? is he talking about you?

"are you calling me interesting?", you ask bluntly (the alcohol is getting to you.)

"i don't know. are you interesting, y/n?", he asks, to which you pause, opening your mouth. "i think you are," he laughs, seeing your dumbfounded expression. you didn't expect him to reciprocate your honesty.

"um. that's nice of you. thanks. do you, maybe want to get some fresh air? i can't stand the smell of sweat anymore," you sigh, and law's lips curve upwards into that of a smile.

"sure. thought you'd never ask," he replies. hand on the small of your back, he gently guides you through the sea of gyrating, drunk bodies to the door. he opens it for you, and you feel a little twinge of a butterfly at the bottom of your stomach when you finally step out onto the street.

i thought you wouldn't say yes, you think to yourself.

"woah! and this one?", you ask, pointing to the inner side of his forearm.

it is approximately 3:36 AM, and you are sitting in a convienience store happily eating double chocolate chip ice cream and asking trafalgar law (your academic enemy) about the meaning of his tattoos.

or as law likes to think of it, it is 3:36 AM and he is sitting with a beautiful, funny girl who is eating double chocolate chip ice cream and asking about the meaning of his tattoos.

"this was like a week or two ago when i got really drunk and luffy dared me to get one while taking shots," he laughed, staring down at the dragon that adorned the center of his sleeve, with its blue scales. "it hurt like a bitch," he grimaces, remembering how he actually screamed during the outline.

"it looks really good, though," you say softly, enraptured by it. your eyes look like they're brimming over with stars (not something someone would usually say in a crappy college 24x7 where the aircon doesn't work, but god, law really thinks you're just something else).

ever since he saw you at that party, hell, even in class when you'd get up and talk, he was so awed by your confidence and how prepared you were to answer almost anything. you were so put together, witty and charming, it was kind of hard for him to not crush on you.

so yes, he was trying to act kind of douchey and cool when he pretended like he didn't know you at the party.

"you can touch it if you want," he offers, straightening his arm towards you.

"really? it won't hurt, right?", you ask, soft concern lacing your voice.

"nah, it healed a while ago. don't worry 'bout it," he said, and you tentatively raise a palm and rest it on the tattoo. the lines still feel bold to him, and he ignores the slight sting he feels when your nails graze over the color.

"i've always wanted to get a tattoo," you smile to yourself, admiring his.

"but i've kinda always been scared of the pain," you add, laughing. "i mean, yeah, it does hurt," law finds himself saying.

"but it's worth it. tattoos help you remember things ...... worth remembering," he finishes, tone low as he looks at you.

you swallow. shit, did he make you feel awkward? is he coming off as too much? i mean, sanji did tell him that he should be honest and straight up, but that's sanji -

"you should take me sometime. to get a tattoo, for moral support, y'know?", you grin.

"yeah. let's do it sometime," he replies, the thought strangely comforting.

"i gotta choose a design, first. i want something small," you muse to yourself, wiping your fingers on the paper napkin.

"i have an idea," law offers, and you hum.

"a heart," he declares, raising his own arm to show the one on his wrist.

you kiss him. it's slow, and really unexpected and spontaneous, but what the hell? he can't just say that and not expect you to kiss him? you pull away and the first thing you do is apologise. too bad it never escapes your lips, since the next thing he does is pull you back onto him.

© prodlaw 2022 ♡ reblogs & feedback are appreciated! requests are open

[skzluvs]

Crimson Roses 🥀; Kim Seungmin

Genre: Vampire Au! College Au! Angst; Fluff?

Warnings: Mentions of blood, Mild swearing

Word count: 3.6K

A/N: It was supposed to be a quick little drabble and became a whole ass fic. All I have to say is vampire concept seungmin HOT

He observed you from the corner of his eye.

There you were sitting on the first row with your materials spread out on the desk, taking notes as your life depended upon it.

He knew how interested you were on all those past events, on the ones we tend to call history because they change the course of living.

He found himself lost on your endearing figure. On the way you tried to blow the hair falling on your face but failing during the process, frowning at the distracting tingling sensation on your forehead. He smiled to himself wishing he could be the one that could brush your hair away softly.

But that was impossible.You were definitely too kind

And He... He was just a simple evil creature that had lived longed enough to know that falling for a mortal would be nothing more than a death sentence

An a crucifix to his heart.

The voice of his professor interrupted Seungmin's thoughts.

"Before you leave, we are getting closer to the end of the semester Which means you'll be assigned a project that is worth half of your final grade, It'll be a partner assignment and you will have a week to turn it in" He informed to all the students. The classroom exploded with all source of complaints from everyone who was not happy to say the least at the sudden notice.

"Are we allowed to pick our partners" You asked raising your hand. It's not like you had someone you already wanted to work with in mind; more like you could absolutely take advantage of this opportunity to pair up with Lee Minho. He was the top of your class, partnering up with him would undoubtedly mean securing that grade. And you needed that.

"Unfortunately for all of you I've already decided on that" He replied raising a list with names on it.

He began to call one by one, making the teammates move around to sit together by their announced partner. You were tapping your foot impatiently. This assignment played a crucial part on your final grade therefore you were scared your partner would not contribute enough for you to get a passing score.

" Y/L/N Y/N and Kim Seungmin" He said handing you a piece of paper with the prompt and expectations written on the back of it.

You lifted your head, getting rid of the air you had been holding on your lungs. Your eyes scanning the room. Making eye contact with him for a second, his eyes staring directly at your soul. You turned around quickly; a rosy blush spread over your cheeks.

You knew nothing about Kim Seungmin, besides he was drop dead gorgeous. He had this mysterious aura that was attractive. He was certainly not the bad boy type; He was more reserved, only hanged out with his close group of friends.

Who you had to admit they were all extremely cool.

Seungmin almost lost his bunkers when you were assigned as his partner for that stupid historical events project.

He knew everything about history. He lived through it; from the renaissance to the post modern movement. Seungmin had been around for at least 1000 years.

To say that living for so long had become nothing less but boring would be an euphemism. Because it was. He had gained experience and power through the decades. But it was no longer exciting.

Until he found you. You were the one who acted magnetically with his heart an undeniable attraction that made him stay for the first time. Seungmin was known for being playful. Never sticked around for long because he found humans despicable. He was not too fond of them. But his perspective changed completely the day he first saw you.

It was probably because you were not human like. With an overwhelming beauty and high manners. In all of the years he had lived on earth, he never met such a sublime soul like yours. So Breathtaking and admirable.

You stood up from your chair with a panting breathing walking through the aisle, all the way to the back to his usual seat. You were more than nervous; Seungmin's presence truly intimidated you.

You sat next to him and offered him a smile. Hoping the atmosphere between you two wouldn't be as awkward.

You expected him to be quiet most of the time as you was trying to come up with ideas for the project. However it was the total opposite he kept on engaging on the conversation. It felt comfortable how he carefully listened to you and instantly agreed with your opinion. Surprisingly he knew so much about the topic; more than you ever imagined as the few times you spared a glaze at him during class he seemed to be doing everything but paying attention.

After discussing your main subtopics you decided it was enough work for one day, and decided to set a schedule to work on the other parts of the project outside of school.

" We need to meet up to work on the presentation" You said looking through the papers to were holding on your hands.

He looked at you with adoring eyes. You looked so cute when you were concentrated.

"Definitely, where do you want to meet at?" He asked you smiling.

" What do you think about the coffee shop down the street? I can bring my computer so we can do it digitally unless you are old fashioned and prefer to work on a poster we can do research on the library" you said shrugging your shoulders.

" Y/N you did not just called me a boomer"

" I mean if the term fits you then" you said laughing.

" Back in my days, youngsters were respectful towards their elders" He said in a grandpa like voice.

" We are the same age!!!" You yelled at him unable to control yourself from laughing at his impersonation.

Or at least that's what you think; He said to himself.

" We are supposed to deliver history through this project don't you think Y/N I say we should do it the right way"

" You are right everyone is probably going to go down the easy road but we are smarter" You said getting excited; reaching your hand to high Five him. "Great minds think alike"

" I can assure you we are going to beat Minho's and Jisung's project"

You had to acknowledge Seungmin and yourself made an amazing dynamic duo. You were content at the selection of your partner and definitely had to thank the professor for it. Because you two clicked with such effortlessness.

The bell ranged and you had to say your goodbyes to go into your next class.

You were standing by the door ready to leave but you turned around quickly to yell at Seungmin.

" I'll meet you at 5 inside the library and you better be on time boomer" you said with a playful smirk

Wanting to mess with him; gaining a loud laugh from your partner. pretending to act offended crossing his arms.

Seungmin went to the library earlier than the time you had set. He rushed his way there, right before excusing himself from his group of friends who were going to hangout after class.

He wanted to pick up a few books for you; he thought you would find them interesting.

He scanned the aisles, holding with one hand a pair of hard cover books that were just as dusty as the coffin where he used to sleep in, during the counter reformation.

He sat at a table and laid the books, shifting uncontrollably in his seat, from time to time, observing the clock, waiting for you to come through those doors.

Hell, you were fucking late. And you regretted taking that extra time looking through your closet; trying to find something decent to wear. Is not like you were to meet Seungmin for a date, it was a simple study session; however for some reason you wanted to look presentable. He always looked good no matter what. Which was totally unfair.With that leather jacket and fitting tight pants that made him long taller. Your mind wondered for a second. And you began to question yourself if you were starting to develop a small crush on the pale boy.

You were walking as fast as your feet allowed you. Through the hallways, your high heel boots were making loud noises every time you took a step forward. The dress you wore lifted a couple of times due to the wind. Your hair was probably entangled from running the couple of blocks from your apartment back to campus. Your shoe selection had definitely became a nightmare to your now bruised feet.

Your hands were sweaty and you had to remind yourself. " Y/N this is not a date once again you are just stuck with him for the project stop being delusional" you said trying to calm down. Taking a deep breath before pulling the door to enter the library.

You tried to fix yourself before spotting Seungmin sitting on the back. He smiled with relief at your sight. You couldn't be more awkward by sending him an effusive wave. " What's all this" you asked pointing at the pile of books laying on the edge of the table. "Just some research materials" He said.

" We are going to be here for a while then..." you said jokingly lifting a book from the stack. Leaving at least 10 more underneath.

" I don't mind as long as our project comes out good" He replied to you brushing his head to the side.

What he actually meant was that he didn't mind as long as he could spend the most time with you as possible. He didn't even gave a single care about the goddamn project, all he wanted was your company.

You two began to read the old books; most of them focused on events that happened during the 17th and 18th century.

Seungmin was almost falling asleep when you suddenly jumped in excitement next to him.

" Look Seungmin!" you said and began to quote the reading out loud "On the baroque era there were myths about vampires who attacked its victims during the night draining their blood as a food source."

" Let me see" He said taking the book in his hands. Reading word for word and For his surprised It had to be a fucking article about undead creatures specifically Vampires. How lucky seungmin got with that one. "You don't believe on those things do you Y/N" He asked curiously awaiting for your response.

" I mean; I do believe that there could be creature such as vampires out there. I just don't believe in all those tails you know, the ones that over romanticized or demoralized their existence. In my opinion vampires are not blood-thirsting bats. If they do consume blood it must be because it's their only food source they can't fight against those Instincts. It'll be like going against natural selection. They do what they can to survive"

Seungmin was more than pleased at your explanation. He couldn't contained himself from looking you with sparkling eyes and a huge smile plastered on his lips.

It made him happy that you weren't into that cliché bullshit like Bella and Edward type of fantasy. That even if you didn't knew the whole spectrum you still had a pretty clear understanding of his lineage.

Your words made his heart warm. He did an introspection on the reasons why he liked you so much; to begin with you were understanding like no other, you never judged anyone based off looks, you spent your time getting to know them first, smiling kindly at everyone and never seeking for recognition but always helping out of selflessness.

In Seungmin's eyes you were all he always wanted a person so pure like you was impracticable to find somewhere else. He thanked for the timing being right for him to meet you, because after all these years living in vain, you were the only one and he was glad he waited everlastingly to be with you right now, in this moment. He will treasure it forever in his heart.

The weeks passed by and Seungmin and you got to finish the project, a perfect chronological detailed poster that contained every important event through history. Your presentation was to say the least the best one among all your classmates even Lee Minho's and Han Jisung's was not even half as good as yours. Your grade boosted quickly with that perfect score.

And you had to give most of the credit to Seungmin he provided most of the facts you were utterly impressed at his range of understanding history so well. It was as he knew better than all those books you spent hours reading. You called him a true intellectual.

The things with Seungmin changed after the project. You could say you got closer to him than to any other person.

Your friendship with him began to shift towards a completely different direction the morning he came early holding a white rose, on its stem a little note wrapped around it.

He still remembers the blush that covered all your face when he handed it to you. You were truly speechless. You almost cried at the middle of the classroom due to the poem he had handwritten for you.

" Your fragrance just as sweet as the one the roses give off when they're cover in dew

Blissful sight at the sunshine caressing your filaments

You're the flower I carefully picked out from the field

The only untarnished one

You natural beauty worthy of being preserved

I’ll water your roots everyday just tell me you’ll stay with me even if the rain overflows our pot "

From that day onwards. He gifted you a white rose every single day and you never knew why. But you loved it so much. You made a bouquet with all of them and kept them safe in a vessel displayed as a centerpiece on your kitchen table.

He truly believed white represented your purity

It was a shame he had to stain your soul

That he tinted the petals scarlet.

It was dark outside on a night where the ‘blood’ moon eclipse appeared in the skies. And in the shadows there was something that challenged Seungmin's own instinct.

It was part of his nature.

How he was able to smell the candid scent of your blood despite the distance

It was endearing almost hypnotizing for him.

A battle for self control.

Where he wanted to paint white roses with the deepest red.

Seungmin called you during midnight you answered without hesitation as his name appeared brightening your phone screen.

Heaving breathing's was all you were able to hear through the other line.

“Min is everything okay? Why are you out of breath I'm getting worried” it was unusual for him to call you at this hour, your heartbeats began to increase at his response. “Can we meet now? I'm on my way to your apartment” His voice was low. You never heard seungmin talk like that with such desperation. It sent shivers down your spine.

“Of course but tell me did you got in so kind of trouble” You asked with a preoccupied tone.

“I'll explain everything to you once I get there” He said hanging up immediately.

He was scared at the mere thought of you finding out

He wouldn't be able to handle the terrifying look on your face at the sight of his fangs.

He always lived with ease in between humans

He had adapted himself into their characters creating the perfect facade. He did it all for you.

Going back to this college life was definitely not his style but you made him stay. Life finally made sense the moment he saw you and now he had to reveal his true identity because you didn’t deserved to be lied to. No matter the outcome. He would have to face it.

When he reached you apartment his pale face was almost translucent. He gathered all his courage to knock on your door.

You rushed rapidly opening the door; with worry eating you inside. The first thing you noticed was how dark his eyes were, his pupils were almost completely dilated.

You quickly wrapped him into a hug. You didn’t knew what was going on but you were here for him regardless. You were always going to be there.

“Let's take a walk” He said out of nowhere. Intertwining his hand with yours and leading you outside.

It was dark and the moon was shining brighter than ever before. You walked through the streets without certain direction just enjoying each other’s presence.

Your reassuring smile seemed to calmed Seungmin down.

“I have something to say to you, but before I do you need to know that I like you, that I've been in love with you since I first saw you and that what I'm about to say doesn't change a thing” He said stopping your tracks, your face almost collapsing into his chest. You were standing face to face with him.

“I like you too seungmin... “ You couldn't think properly because there was something else behind it, something that could change your feelings towards him. The true reason behind his so blunt sudden confession.

You knew Seungmin. He wasn't the type that seeks for trouble that's why you just couldn't wrap your head around what exactly was he hiding from you.

“I- I am a vampire” He stared at you with bloodshot eyes while letting his fangs slowly come down his teeth. He lowered his head frightened at your reaction.

You were in a state of shock. Rubbing your eyes multiple times at the sight in front of you because it was truly unbelievable.

You had to regain your posture before speaking again. You were experiencing a difficulty at making your words exist your mouth.

“That doesn't change anything seungmin, I might be going crazy, Fuck. You just said a vampire. I love you nonetheless because I fell for Kim Seungmin. I don't care if you are a vampire, a demon, a demigod, I'm in love with you because you are you. And now that you know that I reciprocate your feelings something tells me this comes at a higher price” You said breathless.

“It does Y/N we cant be together I have instincts that can't be controlled... it's getting harder everyday not wanting to you know” Not even able to finish his own sentence because it was embarrassing enough.

“Bite me?” You said lifting his chin from the ground “look at me... Min you want to bite my neck?” You asked straightforward.

“Yes” He said in an inaudible tone.

“What does that mean, what happened if you actually do it, do the things I read from the article are actually true” You asked biting your own bottom lip until you savored the metal flavor of your own blood. The one seungmin desired to have a taste from.

“No Y/N. I could never do that you. You are just too beautiful and flawless you don't deserve to get ruined by me”

“Stop treating me like I can't take my own decisions seungmin I know exactly what I want” You snapped back at him.

“You don't know what you are talking about is way more than just transforming you'll have to serve to the underworld in perpetuity”

“You have been alone long enough seungmin let me stay by your side. I want to immortalize this love

And be with you for the rest of the eternity”

“Just bite me seungmin I beg you” you implore to him, decisively pleading eyes.

You wanted this like you never wanted something else more in your whole entire life.

That’s all it took for Seungmin’s body to wash over lust. He places his mouth in between the crock of your neck trailing soft teasing kisses along the way. Right until he found that sweet perfect spot. The one that drove you completely insane.

You let out an agonizing scream. Filled with both pain and pleasure at the same time, when his teeth was incrusted without a warning sign tugging at your sensitive skin. He savored every single drop of blood that instantly began to drip from the laceration down your neck.

You began to convulse. Your body shaking and veins popping out from your skin. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head almost unconsciously.

Your soul transforming into pure immorality and immortality. Reaching an inexplicable climax that threw you over the edge. An overwhelming feeling that carried iniquitous power.

When you came back still too fragile to stand with your own feet. You were no longer a human being. Your fangs and sinful eyes and ghostly complexion gave out for finalizing the end of your transition.

Seungmin carried you in his back. You were now forever his. While he took you back to the apartment you dared to ask him something that had been lingering on your mind.

“So all your friends are vampires as well” You said intrigued.

“ Yes all of them” He said clearly laughing at your weird unexpected question.

“Even Jeongin!?” You couldn’t believe the cutest student could possible be a vampire.

“ Even Jeongin” He responded making you gasp in a shocking manner.

“ How... He’s like the most adorable thing on earth I don’t understand” you said whispering in disbelief.

“You mean on hell he’s good at pretending but that kid is nothing but pure evil”

Kissing your forehead and whipping your sweat, you looked exhausted but yet still beautiful as always. He laid you down on your bed. Playing with your hair. He would take care of you as he promised with all those flowers he once gave you.

That were no longer white but crimson roses.

[jojobeaner]

This was supposed to become Raunch Pike... But it became Soft Pike instead...

Wrote this a few days ago but never posted it because I suck. That and I wonder how many people really care.

I love my soft dark boys...

This was supposed to become trashy raunch... Buuuuuut... Mike ruined the moment...

----------

‘You’re fucking kidding me…’ Pete muttered under his breath, staring at the screen of his cellphone. Staring at the heart emojis and stupid idiotic sticker of a sparkling bat.

Why.

-Fine then- he replied back eventually. -Meet out back after you’re done your stupid class and we'll--

He didn't want to finish typing out that respond and just quickly hit ‘send’. He could feel his stomach lurch, and shook himself.

All he got sent back was a handful of heart emojis that started to take up his screen.

This better be fucking worth it.

‘Has it really been that long? You're that desperate?’ A voice inside Pete's head was snide and full of distaste. Another voice was more practical. ‘Just… do this. Have some mediocre sex. Get it out of your system. And move on.’

That was the plan.

---

After classes ended for the day, Mike found Pete out back smoking in the alley between the trades building and the main building, hunched over in on himself with a hand in his pocket and the other fidgeting with the cigarette.

The vampire smiled, hefting his backpack further up his shoulder and reached out a fingerless gloved hand to pluck the cigarette from the redhead's lips.

That got the goths attention and he glared up at the taller boy. “Excuse me?!”

“Hello! I hope you weren’t waiting too long for me Peter!”

Violet eyes narrowed. Too happy, this boy's smile was too wide and his voice was too loud. He snatched the cigarette back from the stupid dumb vampire before he did something stupid like throw it out. “Give that back.” Another long drag of nicotine. “And shut the hell up. Come with me.”

With that he turned and started heading off the school property. He didn't need to look behind him to know the other was trailing after him like a puppy. That's just what had been happening lately.

“Sorry I didn't skip last class with you Peter… but I really need to ace that midterm per se… You know how it is…” was he still rambling?

Pete sneered. “I dont actually. Aren't you like top of your class already anyway?”

“Maybe? But… I study. I do my best.”

“Waste of time…” like this conversation was. “Thought I told you to be quiet.”

“S-sorry…! I'm just… nervous?” Mike’s laugh was stilted, definitely full of nervous energy, but cute. Pete groaned.

He hated this.

Mike's long legs had no problems catching up to Pete and in no time they were walking side by side in an almost uncomfortable stifling silence. A quick glance over at the dark haired boy confirmed that he was nervously chewing on his bottom lip and holding onto the straps of his backpack tightly… as if trying to hold himself back from doing something.

Something stupid he bet.

“C'mon” Pete's voice was quiet, but he jerked his head over in the direction of where he lived. “It's just a few more minutes this way…”

Green eyes and violet eyes met, and Pete suddenly felt those butterflies again. And he tried his best to squish every single one of them with the heel of his shoe.

“O-okay.” Mike's voice was equally soft, and Pete watched his throat as he swallowed. He wanted to just close the gap, kiss that stupid fanged mouth that was already a little swollen…

Instead Pete pulled another cigarette from the carton in his pocket.

---

“Nobody's home? Your parents…?”

Pete scoffed as he unlocked the door of the trailer and reached out a hand to pull Mike into his home. He didnt think about how warm the leather of the gloves Mike wore was, or how their fingers instantly slotted together perfectly. He swallowed back everything and tugged the boy forward. “No one's ever home. It's fine. We have the place to ourselves. C’mon. Eyes forward.”

He pulled the vampire along the small space towards the back of the trailer where his bedroom was and slid the door open, almost pushing the other boy inside.

Mike stumbled inside, reaching out to try and find something to grab onto to halt his fall. The room was dark, illuminated only by the natural light in the hallway. The one small window in the room was blacked out with a heavy black sheet.

“Stay here. I'll be right back. Don't… touch anything.”

And Pete was gone.

---

In the darkness Mike started to panic. What was he doing?? Annie told him right away that this was a baaaad idea… He remembered that clearly.

*

“He wants to what? No. No way. This is so bad.”

Mike didn't really understand what was so bad. Sure it was… sudden? And… they were barely even a thing. Just a speck of what might be a relationship if given time but…

Pete had propositioned him. For sex. Bluntly… in true Pete fashion, over a text message.

“This is classic ‘he just wants to bang you and leave you’ territory you know that right?” Annie's voice was a loud whisper. They were in class after all, and she didn't want anyone to overhear.

Luckily the lecture was over and they were just working on their assignments… that's why he checked his phone in the first place, it made a bell chime noise that was just for Pete's messages…

Bang him and leave him? “Peter can't get rid of me that easily.” He was confident in that. Pete may try and push him away, but he also knew that it was the goths defensive reflexes that did that. He was well aware of the walls the other built up. But he was also learning how to slowly take them down.

Mike was patient. He was resilient. He could bide his time. He wouldn't give up.

Annie looked skeptical. “You're really going to do this? It's so sketchy.”

"I'll think about it.” Mike gave a noncommittal shrug, smiling mysteriously, but inside his heart was racing. There was no way he was going to let this chance slip through his fingers… He'd been fantasizing about something like this for so long… and now that it was in front of him… he felt like being a little reckless with his heart.

Pete was worth it.

*

The light from the hallway helped him find the bed, and he sat down on the low mattress, feeling the coarse texture of the wool blanket under him. Mike frowned. That would have to go.

Twisting his body, he pulled the rough blanket off. The blanket underneath that was still… less than his ideal, but passable… he knew he was used to his own bed with its silk sheets…

He made a plan of getting Pete something nice and soft as a gift. The boy deserved something luxurious.

That was when he saw the little bulbs of christmas lights stapled to the wall… a whole string of them… the plug over near the pillows. He reached over to plug them in and the small space erupted in a warm red, blue, green glow… Mike gasped. It felt magical.

With more light he picked out more of the room: a small desk that was mostly covered in books, cds and notebooks, probably filled with Pete's handwriting… an acoustic guitar was propped against the wall, and there was some small different piles of grey and black clothing on the floor. Mike smiled warmly. This was a place where Pete could be himself… and in the warm glow of the little lights, he fell back onto the mattress, and couldn't help but inhale the musky, smokey scent that could only belong to Pete. He could die happily in this place.

--

And that was the image Pete came back to… his bedroom illuminated by his soft lights… and Mike almost just curled up on his bed, booted feet still respectfully hanging off the edge onto the floor.

This isn't turning out how he had planned at all. Pete wanted to scream. But he also wanted to curl up right beside that boy laying so peacefully on his bed… dark hair splayed on the pillow, smile gracing those soft soft looking lips.

The door to his bedroom slid shut with a ‘whumpth’ and Mike startled, opening his eyes. He didn't realize he had drifted off and started his apology but suddenly there was a ‘thump’ and a warm body curling up beside his.

“We're not cuddling. We're just taking a nap. You better not say a goddamn thing Skittle Factory.”

Mike could only nod. Pete's violet eyes were intense and he couldn't help but get lost in the way they glowed in the multicoloured light.

Pete's stare softened and he closed his eyes. “I told you not to touch anything…”

"C-can I touch you?”

A soft sigh filled the quiet of the small room, “stop asking already and just… just do it.”

Long arms slid around Pete's waist then, pulling his body up closer to Mike's and though he half-heartedly grumbled… it wasn't long before the two dozed off in each others arms

[wholeworldbroken]

PART 1)  Net Neutrality, Hypernormalization, The Dinosaur Who Swindled Natural Selection & Prospered... AND... The Healthy Benefits Of Paranoid Delusional Psychosis.

TV is a dinosaur sinking into the tar. All those once giant networks are scrambling to survive just a little longer in this technological age that left them behind before they noticed. That Netflix model is alot bigger deal than it's given credit for. It's what reshaped HULU until it went legitimate. It's why there's an HBOGO, STARZ, SHOWTIME, etc. app that all outperform their parent networks.

The power of ON-DEMAND blew Amazon up from a more Wal-Marty version of eBay to the titan it is now. Disney is gearing up to yank all Star Wars, Marvel, Indiana Jones, etc. properties from Netflix to add to their own upcoming streaming channel. Even the underdogs that only Netflix could make into giant hits: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, The Defenders and The Punisher (not so much IronFist) are being carted over to the new Disney service without so much as a "thank you for making this possible" to Netflix.

CBS launched theirs earlier this year with the added ammo of the most expensive Star Trek series to date, Discovery, being only available through their site. We'll probably see about 10 new changeovers this coming year. Comcast, Verizon and Slime-Warner know that we'll pay $8 here, $10 there for the convenience of catching all that exclusive content completely at our lesiure, always waiting as soon as we feel like tapping that PLAY button.

So, the dinosaur is slowly inching across the quicksand, dragging its rip-off cable model over to the internet, embracing the technology of the future while still thriving off the scams of the past. Even Youtube, which was kind of a revolution in independent, DIY content creators and previously muted voices now given a somewhat worldwide platform, finding an audience without having to bow to the old media gatekeepers

(the Merv Griffins, Johnny Carsons, Entertainment Tonights, Morning Shows, blah, blah, blah, who were able to get rich off the young, hopefuls kissing the asses of whoever would help them be seen, LONG before any of the actual talent was consistently turning a profit. Completely self -regenerating. You can burn up the lump of coal till it's all disintegrated, but the machine ALWAYS got fresh coal being shoveled in the fire, baby)

... is now flooded with Jimmy Kimmel, SNL, Paramount, Disney studios, which seems like normal that those sketches, clips, movie trailers would end up archived on youtube...

until you consider that youtubers are paid through Google Adsense, and receive a monetary amount per video play featuring ads that are part of the program. The success and general public hunger for these independent creators has multiplied the number of young, self-made millionaires over the last 10 years. So, in come the dinosaurs, dragging that dirty-old-bag of crooked-old-ways with them.

Now you got NBC, uploading individual sketches from SNL, a television show that makes its revenue from tv ads & endorsements, each video cashing in on adsense profits seperately, rivaling the numbers from the original airing of the whole episode. Jimmy Fallon, Dr. Phil... practically EVERYbody is clawing & scratching for that youtube money all the kids were syphoning away from them. Whatever.

Big, ugly business, but still business. Dog eat dog & all that.

But what about commercials? Who the fuck clicks on the new TIDE ad showing up in their youtube feed? SOMEbody, cause it's got, like, a bajillion clicks. Are companies drafting interns to generate views and cash in on adsense? Hey, I'm paranoid, but if stupid old ME thought of it...

So, you seen the new Star Wars trailer? Shit, EACH newer version, starting with the teaser? How many did you see on youtube? ...and when you click that movie COMMERCIAL, like magic, you gotta sit through a goddamn COMMERCIAL before you can watch the COMMERCIAL you voluntarily chose to endure. Shit. I'll be DAMNED if, half the time, the ad that comes up isn't another trailer for another movie, usually from a whole other studio. Think Disney/StarWars minds you got a sneak taste of GrownUps 3 while you were waiting to drool all over a 30-second montage of disjointed scenes arranged to grease the dollar bills out of your wallet come Christmas time? `</pre> They just got paid by Adam Sandler's scam of a company for you to wait out the 5 seconds to click away from his bullshit and get up in them Star Wars guts... several million times... by an unrelated company willing to pay the opponent team for the luxury of dropping a commercial on the front of their commercial... leading to Disney (only an example. This is some across the board shit) making millions off a commercial designed to set up an installment in a franchise that will bring them automatic billions. <pre>` It's Terry Gilliam level absurdity that we've indoctrinated ourselves, as a species, to accept as "successful business practices", as we dream of one day carving our very own little chunk of the abstract money scheme balogna. I don't pretend to have a better, more functional answer than: try to resist as much of the barrage as you can, of huckster salesmen who have studied the best psychological methods of Stockholming your oblivious ass into not only continuing to prop up their pyramid scheme and perpetuating their boss's greedy manipulation of the entire world by way of its set-up-to-fail economic machinations `</pre> but ALSO, to constantly strengthen your faith in the infallible logic of those same machinations with a passion that is prepared to DESTROY any anomalous dissenters, selfish enough to be randomly fertilized and born into their designated gangsign annotated factions dividing up larger, further established, gangsign brandishing nation-states, yet still possessing the ingratious self-serving personality defect of introspection, empathy & existential contemplation. ** incoming** __VOICE__OF__GREAT__MACHINATION__LEADER,__STIFFY__O'FOOFYSKINS______ <pre>` "The enemy is all around and they hate your way of life. They whisper corruption into the ears of our unsuspecting younger generations. They bombard you with an agenda of moral codes & ideals in direct conflict to the ones you were taught. If you love the random patch of land you literally had more of a chance to be born outside of than in `</pre> and you're not some kind of infidel, basking in the luxuries provided by your assigned locale while remaining unwilling to offer up your mortal life to assure its continuation, then you already know that the RIGHT thing to do, the divine purpose you feel pumping through your heart, is stand tall & be ready to hoist your team's flag should it fall. The enemy wants to see you fail so that it can pillage its way to the holy finish line which was divinely entitled to YOU and the rest of the good guys. It preaches demoralizing propaganda designed to weaken your resolve & raise doubt toward your righteous goals. It knows ways to steal the food from your family's table... even steal your established identity and celebrate its wicked victories by splurging on the fruit sewed by YOUR noble labors. This is your preconceived understanding of the truth. There are higher levels of truth that only pertain to you as part of a bigger picture, but you need not concern yourself with such perplexing pokings & proddings into the corners of your manufactured reality. Take comfort in the ebb & flow of a pristine, global bureaucracy that, on the surface, appears to malfunction as a chaotic dumpster fire of social upheaval, random acts of blatantly hateful terrorism and increasingly violent natural disasters reminding each & every one of us that we are vulnerable and the only shelter comes from the sinister embrace of the leaders we ourselves chose to govern us, simply because that is the way the world has worked for much longer than our insignificant participation would justify constructing a new means of stability. Best not to stress over such uncontrollable details. GREEN has always meant GO. RED has always signified a mandatory STOP. ...And that proverbial cheese at the end of the maze, ever taunting the entire roster of teams? It's laced with the affectionate tongue-kiss of cyanide, the ultimate reward for any group that is able to pull ahead of the hordes and slamdunk their Nerf football into the victory bonfire. IT'S MILLER TIME... Because being on the winning team isn't what's important: WHAT COUNTS IS THAT YOUR TEAM DESTROYED AS MUCH OF THE OPPOSITION'S LIFE & LIVELIHOOD AS WAS POSSIBLE." <pre>` Over moral posturings? Over indignant evildoings? In a race to prove to the creator that your team is comprised of his chosen people and is ready to accept the role as His Holy Assassins? Over the truth behind 9/11? Over the ongoing argument concerning the actual SHAPE of the planet & the legitimacy of the very science we thought we understood, but very well may have been meticulously devised to support our indoctrinated "understanding" of a globe-shaped world, hurling through space in a cosmic dance with the star, SOL, spinning on an axis that brings it around 360° every 24 hours and marking the outlines of our 24 hour day... 7 day week... our 12 month year... An indoctrination so effective, most of us never once stop to entertain the notion that, at its essence, the concept of time in this manner, the 7 day work week (uncannily similar to the 7 days required to create the world), the weather defining 12 months adhered to by the Gregorian calendar could very logically, and historically likely, be an immeasurable, blanket imprisonment of individual human perceptions, compressing the infinite possibilities of each reality into a much more predictable & controllable number. Wrangling in those erratic, chaos-prone, possible realities that could ultimately crash the entire capitalist cabal so dependent on limiting the imaginations & therefore, the entire concept of the fabric of reality & the universe across an entire planet's population. Outrageous, right? Borderline psychotic levels of paranoia, layered with simple, obnoxious denial and a shot or 2 of worst-case-scenario gullibility, YEARS worth of nonsensical research into the ravings of like-minded lunatics whose infectious delusions have consistently contributed to the disenfranchisement and downfall of multiple promising, yet dangerously curious intellects dating all the way back to the first significant population booms & those resultant social structures that merely sought to stifle the all too common, human urge to casually rape & kill each other on the slightest of whims. When viewed in THAT light, maybe that original intent wasn't so awful. Maybe somebody just had to think of something, like, QUICK.

WE INTERRUPT THIS LITERATAL ILLUSTRATION OF AN IMPLODING BRAIN'S LAST, DESPERATE GRASP AT UNDERSTANDING TO BRING YOU THIS TEMPORARILY DEBILITATING ANXIETY ATTACK...