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trolls-with-tails · 1 year ago

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Wanderer's Lullaby (The Black Falcon Sneak Peek)

By the time John Dory finished the last remainders of his chores for the day, a quick glance at the quietly ticking clock on the kitchen wall was enough to startle the revelation into him that the hour had long since dwindled away into the night.

Sloughing off the sticky, sudsy remnants of dish soap from his arms and hands under the warm water of the tap, the boy looked away from the clock, disturbed by how quickly time had slipped him by. Today had felt like a blur of bustling mechanically about, and when he tried to reach into the recesses of his mind to recall how exactly he went about the day, the voids in his memory that greeted him were…concerning, to say the least. But it certainly wasn’t unfamiliar; not at this point in his life.

In fact, ever since his band with his brothers accelerated in fame, so, too, did the weight of expectations and responsibilities grow heavier upon John Dory’s shoulders, and most days, it was enough to nearly bring him to the cusp of suffocating. Even so, he knew in his heart that he could not break, could not falter, lest he risk the foundations of everything his brothers deserved and more crumbling under their feet.

After all, John Dory was the eldest. His brothers’ protector. Their primary guardian when Grandma Rosiepuff’s health failed her and the cruel hand of fate tore their parents away from them. John Dory had to be everything for his family. John Dory had to be perfect, and nothing less.

The sound of distant laughter is what mercifully pulled him from the dark, downward spiral of his thoughts, and John Dory couldn’t help but smile, tired but fond all the same, as he tucked the last few plates back into the cabinet before padding lightly down the hallway, towards his brothers’ shared room. As he went along, he took a moment to study the many photographs hanging on the wall in frames of polished wood, and here, in the shadows cast by the night, laying out a shrouded veil over the world, captured moments of sweet family memories didn’t appear so innocent now, leering down at him through the darkness with unblinking eyes and unwavering smiles.

It wasn’t the first time John Dory wondered if he deserved to belong in these photographs, and he ducked his head low and continued his trek in uneasy silence, determined to not allow his head to cloud over again. He had his fill of enough stormy thoughts lately.

Passing by the shut door to Grandma Rosiepuff’s bedroom, where his keen ears could pick up on the muffled sound of her snoring softly away, the oldest BroZone member rounded the corner of the corridor, and, upon opening the door, was met with a sight beyond the threshold of the space he shared with his brothers that had him ready to tie all of his siblings into one big knot.

Leaning against the doorframe, John Dory planted a hand on his hip, his tail twitching by his ankles. “Anyone wanna tell me why you’re all up and out of bed, at twelve o’clock, on a school night?” Pausing to take in the fact that little Branch was in on the scheme and nowhere near his crib like he should be, he vehemently added, “And what in the name of music are you guys doing with Bitty B? I put him down for bed at eight!”

They were all clustered together around an unruly spread of colored paper, pencils, crayons, glue, and scissors, and a million thoughts as to what could possibly be so important about the setup that it had them long neglecting their bedtime flooded John Dory all at once. Did they procrastinate on a project and were now racing to make up for lost time? Was it a gift to the pretty girl that always waved and smiled at Spruce on the way to school? Or could it be they were working on a new album cover?

Before the questions could leave his mouth, Clay broke the ensuing silence with a groan, dropping the pair of scissors he’d been holding haphazardly against a pile of paper scraps. “Great. We’ve been busted, boys.”

“Only ‘cause you wouldn’t shut your big trap,” Spruce shot back, narrowing his eyes before returning to his task of diligently sprinkling glitter over swirls of glue, making a point of not looking his older brother in the eye and ignoring Clay’s indignant quailing.

Floyd, who was sitting with Branch in his lap, both of their cheeks decorated in a variety of colorful stickers, was the only one who had enough sense to look ashamed, sheepishly bouncing his giggling baby brother on his knee. “Sorry, JD. We were just…uh…” Wincing, he aimed a pleading glance in Clay’s direction, rewarded only with a mere shrug.

Spruce sighed, redirecting his focus from his work to sit back on his haunches and peel at a patch of drying glue on his palm. This time, he dared to meet the expectant gaze of BroZone’s eldest member, still leaning in the doorway and pinning them with his eyes like insects to a board, and there was resignation in the way his shoulders slumped and his ears drooped. “Alright, alright, guess it’s up to me to spill.” Steepling his fingers together in what JD assumed was an effort to save face, the purple-haired troll continued, “We were working on your present for tomorrow, Johnny.”

John Dory blinked slowly. A present? Tomorrow? For what? Brain spinning with questions, he was about to ask his brothers of such, when the epiphany struck him like a bolt of lightning.

His birthday was tomorrow.

By all the trolls, how could I forget that?

Remembering himself, John was quick to wipe away any traces of bewilderment from his expression, silently praying that none of his siblings spotted it. He had no doubt in his mind that his brothers would get on his case if they so much as suspected that his forgetfulness was attributed to his tendency to work himself to the bone, and the mere thought of his younger siblings catching a glimpse of the cracked, faulty John Dory that was behind the fortified wall of steel that was his confident, perfect persona was enough to send his stomach twisting into tight knots. It was not their job to shoulder their eldest brother’s problems; that burden was his and his alone, and he was determined to carry it with him into the grave and well into whatever afterlife was merciless enough to welcome him, so long as it meant that his beloved family never had to shed a tear in his favor. Enclosed by the Bergens at all times, there were more important, pressing matters worth crying about, and John Dory feeling a little overworked was not one of them, of this he was certain.

So on the flawless, impenetrable mask went, and John Dory straightened up from his spot against the doorframe and smiled like he knew the important date was coming up all along, like his memories and sense of time weren’t addled and misplaced from countless nights with little to no shut eye and numerous days spent tiring away at the grindstone of routine, of chipping away at his responsibilities until he’d dug himself somewhere deep and dark.

“You guys didn’t have to get me anything,” he insisted, but even so, his eyes couldn’t help but trail curiously over to what looked like a scrapbook on the floor, bound with black leather and white string and stuffed to the gills with vibrant paper. “Just making you all happy is enough of a birthday gift for me.”

Clay snorted. “Quit your babbling and take it, JD. I sustained battle scars over this.” He wiggled his bandaged fingers for emphasis.

“What Clay means to say,” Floyd cut in, but not before shooting the yellow-haired troll a meaningful glare, “is that while we know we didn’t have to give you anything for your birthday, we wanted to.” He offered his older brother a warm smile, which Branch giggled at, his small, pudgy hands reaching up to tug on the corners of his mouth.

Spruce nodded, a look in his eye that John Dory found himself nervous to fully interpret, something far too knowing and searching in that gaze of his. Was he catching on to his inner turmoil? By the trolls, JD internally pleaded that that was not the case, but his younger sibling continued to eye him in that strange, studying way before he addressed him next. “Exactly. You’ve been working really hard lately, and we wanted to give you something to show our appreciation.” Pausing to pick up a discarded bottle of glue from off the floor, he went on, “We were hoping to give it to you in the morning, but it turns out we weren’t as discreet about this as we thought. So, I guess we could add the last few details and give it to him now, right, guys?”

Clay and Floyd nodded in collective agreement, and it was the pink-haired troll who readjusted Branch in his lap and reached over him to make a grab for the scrapbook lying on the carpet, instructing John not to peek before adding the final finishing touches, the tip of his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth in concentration.

Once the present was declared complete and John Dory was allowed to open his eyes again, he watched as all of his brothers– minus Bitty B, who leisured in Floyd’s cradled arms and blew a raspberry at the eldest BroZone member when he looked his way– made to stand and approached him with Spruce at the head, holding out the leather-bound book with a sheepish tint to his cheeks.

“Happy birthday, JD,” his brothers chorused, softly so as to not rouse Grandma from her slumber down the hall.

Something inside John Dory’s chest swelled to the brim and tightened, but it was not the cold, prickly sensation of dread he had become so accustomed to. It was a warm, blooming feeling, one that spread in tingly ripples all throughout his arms, down to the tips of his fingers, and he swallowed hard so as to not choke on the intensity of it as he reached for his present with forcibly stilled hands.

I don’t deserve this, murmured the downtrodden voice in his head that he had endured for as long as he could remember, one not so easily quashed even after all these years of dealing with it, and such a feat continued to ring true as he looked down at the scrapbook in his grasp, crafted with every intention of being granted to him, of appreciating him, of him earning it. I just do what any other big sibling would do. It’s nothing special.

After all, why would John Dory, ever the imperfect troll, deserve any sort of praise, when it was his brothers who were shining examples of what perfection should be?

Still, for all his grievances, there was little keeping him from sweeping a tender hand down the scrapbook’s spine, quietly taking in the details that his brothers spent the night toiling away on, pouring every ounce of their blood, sweat, tears, and dedicated hearts into something they believed their older brother had earned. On the cover, using the stickers of themselves that were a part of their new merchandise line, cutesy decals of his brothers’ heads were lined up in a neat box formation, with himself being placed in the center. Spirals and zig-zags of glue shone with glitter all throughout, drawn neatly and artfully around each sticker, and John had to blink hard around the threat of tears in his eyes and braced himself as he opened the scrapbook.

The sight that greeted him beyond the cover was nearly enough to break the dam restraining the waterworks right then and there. Each page he leafed through not only had Clay’s neat handwriting, Floyd’s skilled doodles, and Spruce’s painstaking paper craftsmanship, it was filled to the brim with photos upon photos of the childhood memories they made together, even pictures predating the formation of BroZone.

The first time he held Spruce’s egg; Clay learning how to do a handstand; themselves and Grandma Rosiepuff posing by a snowman they’d rolled up and decorated together; a portrait of their parents smiling with their hands lovingly clasped together; Floyd gazing fondly at a sleeping Branch in his arms; himself and his brothers all dressed up for a fashion show that they put on for Grandma; Spruce and Clay out cold on the couch together after they challenged each other to a dance-off and both stubbornly refused to give in to the point of exhaustion… It was all here, the reason he woke up every morning to fight another day, the happy moments he poured every fiber of his being into to ensure they never ended, fitted together so carefully and lovingly in this scrapbook, and it was made with the belief that he deserved the thought and care put into it.

He blinked hard, and was barely given a moment to realize that a tear managed to slip through before he was being bombarded, finding himself encircled within the embrace of all of his brothers, the very people he would conquer the world for if the moment called for it.

“D’you like it?” Floyd was the first to speak, reaching up to brush away the stray teardrop rolling down his older brother’s cheek, his smile kind but nervous, as if he believed there was a universe where John Dory would reject something so precious, something so perfect.

“Do I like it?” John echoed incredulously, a wet chuckle escaping him against his better judgment. Drying his eyes with the back of his hand, he slung his arms around his siblings and pulled them in closer, hoping that the action alone could pour out every ounce of gratitude and love that the gift stirred within him, a swell of emotions that not even his lyrically-trained mind could put to words. “Guys, I love it! Gosh, it’s…it’s perfect. Thank you guys so, so much, this is already the best birthday ever!”

“Slow your roll there, pal,” Clay piped up from where he was nestled snugly against the older troll’s side, but the grin he wore betrayed his amusement, his eyes warm and fond. “The party barely even started!”

They lingered like that for what felt like ages, basking in each other’s company and the affectionate embrace that tied them together, and it was only when John Dory became aware of the ticking of the clock in the kitchen amidst the silence did he remember how late it was, his eyes flying open with a start.

“Again, thank you guys for the amazing birthday gift, but by all the trolls, have you seen what time it is?” JD quailed, regretfully wrangling himself out of the group hug to nudge his brothers in the directions of their respective beds. Thankfully, he was met with minimal protests for his prodding, as it quickly became apparent that spending their time working on an arts-and-crafts project instead of resting up for school was taking its toll, if the way they rubbed their drooping eyes and succumbed to long, exaggerated yawning fits was of any indication.

Clay clambered his way up onto the top bunk, and Spruce fell onto the mattress underneath John Dory’s, landing face-first onto his pillow.

Waiting until Floyd was seated at the edge of his bed to take Branch from his tiring arms, JD turned and was about to lay their baby brother down in his crib, when a hand catching him by the elbow halted him in his tracks. He blinked slowly and turned around to fix his younger brother with a curious stare, his intrigument only increasing when he was met with a bashful expression.

Realizing he now had the older troll’s attention, Floyd relinquished his hold on his brother’s arm in favor of picking at the tuft on his tail, diverting his gaze to the mess of art supplies scattered on the ground like it suddenly became the most interesting sight in the world. “Uh, I know I might be a little old for this, but I was thinking…” He hesitated, brows pinching in as he seemed to mull it over, until eventually, he decided whatever it was that he was going to say would be worth it and proceeded on, “D’you think you could sing that old lullaby you sometimes sing to Bitty B? You…you haven’t sung it in a while, and I miss it.”

Floyd’s soft-spoken words reached into John Dory’s chest with deceptively cruel talons and squeezed his heart without mercy, and it took all of his willpower to stifle the wince threatening to pull at his face. God, it had been a while, hadn't it? Foggy as his brain was nowadays, JD could still recall in perfect detail the nights he spent singing the very song Floyd wished to hear to all of his brothers, a melody passed down to him from his parents when he himself was a little tyke, one he continued to pay forward through his siblings in the hopes it would grant them the same sense of peace and security that it gave him. The realization that, in lieu of his ever-increasing duties, Branch was the most unfortunate out of his siblings to have heard the lullaby the least was nothing short of agonizing, for more often than not did John Dory find himself passing out as soon as his head hit the pillow lately. It didn’t occur to him until now that Branch might not be the only one missing out on the familiar song, too.

Some brother you are, that icy voice from before nagged at him again, and John Dory raced to prove it wrong. It was the least he could do after receiving a gift so special from his brothers; if anyone deserved everything they desired and more, it was his family, and the eldest member of BroZone was quick to hold up his end of the bargain.

“Of course I can,” JD replied with a too-bright smile, and before Floyd had a chance to read too far into it, he turned on the ball of his heel and padded past the messy floor– he’d wake up early to clean it up come the morning– towards the rocking chair that Grandma Rosiepuff would read stories to them from, sitting down and making sure Branch was settled securely in his arms. His eyelids felt as if they were being weighed down by lead, and his head felt heavier than a boulder, but despite his own exhaustion trying to drag him down into the depths with it, he persisted, determination to do right by his brothers guiding his voice into the soft, tranquil notes that his heart knew like the back of his hand.

“Wandering child of the earth, Do you know just how much you're worth? You have walked this path since your birth, You were destined for more…”

In an instant, Floyd’s sheepish demeanor melted away, his posture dissolving into something loose and relaxed as he allowed himself to settle against his mattress, wriggling his way under the covers and sinking into the pillow with a contented sigh.

“There are those who'll tell you you're wrong, They will try to silence your song, But right here is where you belong, So don't search anymore…”

Spruce didn’t move much even as the song started up, and for a moment, John Dory suspected that he had already fallen asleep, when the purple-haired troll proved him wrong by moving his head so he could watch the performance through heavily-lidded eyes, a pleased little smile curling his lip.

“You are the dawn of a new day that's waking, A masterpiece still in the making, The blue in an ocean of gray, You are right where you need to be, Poised to inspire and to succeed, You'll look back and you'll realize one day…”

Cradled securely in his older brother’s arms, Branch could only stare up at him in wide-eyed wonder for so long until sleep came to claim him, sticking his thumb into his mouth as his eyelids slid closed.

“In your eyes there is doubt, As you try to figure it out, But that's not what life is about, So have faith, there's a way. Though the world may try to define you, It can't take the light that's inside you, So don't you dare try to hide, Let your fears fade away…”

Out of the corner of his eye, John could see Clay peering at him drowsily over the edge of the top bunk, his head nodding off as he fought against the tempting pull of sleep in an effort to hear the rest of the song through. However, in the end, his body’s demands won out, and his head dropped heavily into his pillow. Still, JD carried on, something strangely cathartic about returning to a song long since left to collect dust.

Careful not to disturb Bitty B from his slumber, John Dory slowly rose up from the old rocking chair and inched lightly towards the crib, easing him down with a kiss pressed to his forehead for good measure.

Confident that all of his brothers were asleep by now, the teal-haired troll carried on to lay a kiss across the foreheads of each and every one of them, a ritual he never quite grew out of, even when the others themselves grew older. His heart warm and full for the first time in what must’ve been ages, JD flicked off the light and quietly crept up the ladder to his own bed, the final notes of the lullaby pouring out of him as he laid his weary body to rest, the scrapbook his brothers made for him carefully tucked away under the safety of his pillow.

“You are the dawn of a new day that's waking, A masterpiece still in the making, The blue in an ocean of gray, You are right where you need to be, Poised to inspire and to succeed, Soon you'll finally find your own way.”

Welcoming the darkness that greeted him from behind his eyelids, John Dory’s last thought before the shadowed veil of sleep wrapped around him flickered through his mind:

For as long as me and my brothers are together…we’re perfect.

(Song included is Wanderer's Lullaby by Adriana Figueroa)

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ms-primadonna · 8 days ago

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what are five things that make you happy? list them here then ask the last few people who reblogged something from you and spread some happiness and positivity <3

1. music. i honestly can't go a day without listening to music. it's basically a necessity. 💕🎧💕

2. cats. self-explanatory.

3. chocolate. i have a sweet tooth that can only be satisfied with chocolate.

4. fiction/stories. if im not consuming fictional media, i am creating (or daydreaming) it. books, movies, tv shows, comics, plays, etc... ✨️🤌✨️

5. sleep. nothing is better than sleep (and yet i've recently developed a habit of bedtime procrastination 😭)

tagged by @archeryqueen95 ✨️🫶✨️

tagging (no pressure): @lovekennedy @ladycamdens @caribaheine @singinprincess & anyone else who wants to play 💕

#tag game

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theflyingfeeling · 2 years ago

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Fourth Day of Gift-Giving: Four Flour Fails

Prompt: Their baking attempt ended up in a flour fight and with a small innocent puppy who now looked like a ghost dog

There is only one main character in this chapter and you all know who she is 🐶 Thanks for everyone who's read this story so far, I hope you've enjoyed it 🥺 The previous part can be found here 💕

Olli’s hair smelled of forest. Aleksi wasn’t sure how that was possible, but it did. He guessed it must have been because of the shampoo bottle Aleksi had seen in Olli’s bathroom, with a stylized drawing of pine twigs on the label, but part of him also wanted to believe it was some kind of magic, or that Olli was secretly a forest deity of some sort. Either way, Aleksi could not get enough of it, burying his nose in Olli’s curls over and over again, taking deep breaths to relish the sweet scent, all the while trying to resist the temptation of planting small kisses on the crown of Olli’s head. He thought they perhaps weren’t quite there yet, despite having gone way past innocent smooches weeks ago already.

For now, just lying in bed with Olli in his arms was more than enough. Aleksi still couldn’t make sense of what exactly had possessed him for him to be so bold at bedtime the night before, which, at last, had lead them to where they were now, but with Olli’s peaceful breaths tickling the sensitive skin on Aleksi’s neck, he was glad it had happened. It had been a shot in the dark, more or less, but it was the only chance he had had, since he had been foolish enough to ask Olli to share his bed with him; no doubt, Aleksi would have lost his mind for good if they had then just lied in the dark side by side, frozen in place, too anxious to hold each other close like they were supposed to, at least in Aleksi’s daydreams.

Indeed, Aleksi felt as if he was living one right now. Olli was like a daydream: soft and warm and incredible, and maybe just a little unreal.

“Mmmmmmmmhhh,” Olli hummed next to him and turned to lie on his back, forcing Aleksi to scoot closer if he wished to keep enjoying the foresty smell of Olli’s locks.

(He did.)

“Whatcha wanna do today?” Olli asked him, a hint of a smile in his tone.

Aleksi had to mentally browse through a collection of answers that were either too much and too sudden, all things considered, (‘could we just lie here like this the whole day, warm and comfortable and happy?’) or too vulgar (‘you’) before he decided on something he could actually say out loud.

“Just something simple I guess. We could cook together or–”

“What, do you not trust me to cook for you anymore?”

Aleksi muffled his giggles in Olli’s hair.

“Just an idea.”

They lazed around in Olli’s bed for a little longer, not really doing much but enjoying each other’s presence, which was a welcome change to the tension that had threatened to overtake Aleksi’s visit in the north. When they could no longer procrastinate starting off their day – preparing breakfast and taking Rilla out for her morning walkies – they got up and did exactly that, still not talking a whole lot, but at least Aleksi felt way more content with the silence between them this time around. He wondered if Olli felt the same, and perhaps he did, if Aleksi was to judge by the small smiles Olli kept giving him over the breakfast table or while they walked at a leisurely pace in the crisp morning weather that suddenly didn’t feel half as cold as it had the day before. Such was the power of Olli’s smile, Aleksi reckoned.

The noon was spent mostly entertaining Rilla, although Aleksi for one was also hugely entertained by watching Olli laugh at Rilla’s antics and blush just a little when he finally noticed Aleksi looking at him (Aleksi, on the other hand? why, Aleksi Kaunisvesi was beyond such things, and even if his cheeks did warm up when he was caught staring, it was solely because the frost outside had bitten his cheeks particularly severely). When Rilla grew tired of playing, she promptly made herself comfortable on Olli’s lap again, shamelessly taking advantage of this new-found source of attention, and Aleksi too couldn’t help but rest his head on Olli’s shoulder, now that he knew he wouldn’t flinch away.

“She’s the cutest,” Olli said quietly, looking down at Rilla, gently petting her fur.

“I know.” Aleksi scratched her behind her ear, earning a long, happy sigh as his reward, which filled his whole chest with bubbling love.

“I’d hate to disturb her though, but we need to go to the grocery store soon if we’re actually gonna cook something today. There’s nothing but the light in my fridge.”

Although it pained him to do so, Aleksi lifted his head from the crook of Olli’s neck where it fitted so well and sat up straight, taking out his phone.

“Could we just order some groceries in instead? It’s cold as fuck out there anyway, and sorry but I’m not sitting in that freezer of yours you call ‘a car’ until you have the A/C fixed.”

It wasn’t even the wittiest sample of Aleksi’s dry humour, but Olli giggled at it anyway, almost in stiches. As for Aleksi, he was hooked on the sound of Olli’s laughter, so he made a mental note of trying to crack as many stupid jokes as he could during his visit to hear it over and over and over again; often enough so that he could replay it in his head like his favourite record whenever he missed Olli too much.

~*~

There were certain pros and cons to online grocery shopping: on one hand, you never had to leave the comfort of your house if you were out of milk or happened to be craving some sweets but couldn’t for the life of you be bothered to stick your nose outside (especially if the temperature was roughly twenty degrees below zero). On one hand, it was very easy to order two whole cartons of eggs instead of one with just one slip of your finger.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with two dozen eggs, Aleksi?!”

Aleksi pursed his lips, feeling sorry for having accidentally caused a minor egg crisis in the Matela household by not having bothered to double-check their groceries order.

“We could bake a cake?”

“We did order a carton of whipping cream.” The look in Olli’s eyes told Aleksi he was already buying into his suggestion.

“Two cartons, actually."

(Yeah, maybe Aleksi could try being a little careful with the numbers next time.)

“And there are some berries in the freezer. A blueberry cake!”

And so the Great Egg Crisis was resolved and laughed about – at least until Aleksi saw the mess Olli was making as he measured the ingredients for the layer cake, brows furrowed as he studied the recipe they had found online. Aleksi would’ve helped, but he feared they would never eat dinner that night if he left Olli in charge of cooking the steaks. That was why he kept a subtle eye on Olli while seasoning the cutlets and another one on Rilla who kept scurrying by their feet begging for attention, but the second it was time for him to prepare the sauce – that is, the second he wasn’t looking – a hand appeared to wipe a white stripe on the side of his black t-shirt as if out of nowhere. However, judging by the colour of Olli’s hand and the menace in his eyes, it didn’t take long for Aleksi to figure out what he was about.

“The fuck?!”

Olli giggled and slapped his hand on Aleksi again, this time on his chest, leaving a white hand-shaped flour imprint on it. Seeing the evident surprise on Aleksi’s face had Olli almost bend over in chuckles at his masterful gag.

“You’re such a child,” Aleksi muttered, hardly convincingly, his own hand already in the flour bag. His revenge was successful, as in the next moment, the front of Olli’s sweater was all but covered in white.

“Hey!” Olli objected, as if he was the victim, but Aleksi was already preparing his next blow with a fist full of flour.

Breathless laughter and a whirling cloud of white filled Olli’s small kitchen. In the midst of it all, Aleksi couldn’t exactly tell when the flourfight turned into a match of standing wrestling, with Olli shrieking every time Aleksi tickled his sides, nor was he any longer aware of the state of the sauce he was supposed to be stirring, not to mention the steaks that should've been flipped minutes ago. After all, there were much pressuring tasks for him to tend to, such as smothering Olli’s perfect hair with potato flour and smudging some cocoa powder on his annoyingly pretty face. They paused their childish shenanigans only when Rilla’s surprised little squeak snapped them out of it.

“Ohhhh no, Rilla!” Aleksi was too full of endorphins to hide his amusement as he saw the state of poor Rilla, with half of the contents of a flour bowl tipped all over her. The rest were on the floor by their feet, staining their socks and pant legs.

“Poor little one,” he kept giggling, trying to shrug Rilla’s fur clean. “Olli, look what you did!”

“Me?! Sorry but I think it was your elbow that knocked that bowl down. I did nothing but defend myself!” Olli argued, a playful smile still on his lips, although his eyes were already growing a little worried as they took in the chaos they had created together.

“In any case, she’s gonna need a bath now. Come on girl, nawww, I’m so sorry!” Aleksi spoke to the the flour-covered dog, who still seemed a little clueless as to how she had ended up in the middle of a kitchen civil war. Then Aleksi picked her up in his arms and headed towards the bathroom; unlike Olli, he didn’t even dare inspect the state of the kitchen in too much detail yet. Instead, he nudged Olli to join them. “I’m gonna need your help with this one, she hates baths.”

~*~

If Aleksi wasn’t already completely taken by Olli, seeing how good he was with Rilla – who wasn’t the most easily befriendable of dogs, being a dachshund and all – made Aleksi swoon for the man. He already knew he was going to miss Olli terribly once they’d be apart again, just in general of course, but especially the next time he needed to give Rilla a sponging; to have an extra pair of hands distracting the dog from the bath crimes being committed against her sure made rinsing her fur a whole lot easier. In fact, it was all going so well that Aleksi may have showered her neck a little longer than necessary, just so he could listen to Olli’s babytalk at Rilla just a little longer and see how smitten Rilla was for him, wagging her little tail the entire time (which also never happened when Aleksi washed her).

“You’re such a good girl!” Aleksi praised her when giving her the final rubs from what Aleksi believed to be Olli’s softest towel. Then he sent her off to defiantly sulk in her dog bed, as she’d soon remember she was supposed to be cross with Aleksi for putting her through such devious torture.

“Oof,” Aleksi sighed as he stood up from the tiled floor of Olli’s bathroom, straightening his shirt that was still covered in flour, despite his efforts at swiping most of it off while giving Rilla a bath.

He had a strange feeling Olli was staring at him, so he looked up at his friend. Aleksi assumed they were mirror images of each other, with their stained clothes, dishevelled hair and blushed cheeks, but beside all that, he saw something different in Olli’s eyes; something that made Aleksi’s breath grow shallow with all the memories it stirred in him.

“You… you got a little something there,” Olli said, pointing at Aleksi’s cheek.

Aleksi had no means – nor intentions for that matter – to resist an old-time trick like that.

“Where?” he played along, urging Olli to go on.

And Olli did, closing the short distance between them, his eyes fixed on a spot near Aleksi’s lips.

Aleksi held his breath, afraid that any wrong action might result in them taking two steps back again instead of one forward.

“Right there,” Olli whispered and lifted his hand to Aleksi’s chin, swiping away an invisible spot off the corner of his lips before bringing them to his own.

#blind channel fanfiction #blind channel rpf #ollixallu #24 days of gift-giving by theflyingfeeling #<- a shortcut to this tag now also in my pinned post ✨#just a heads-up: the story will continue on the 6th! however i have something else planned for tomorrow so stay tuned 🖤#also: i've had an absolute bullshit day so can you pls give this chapter (or me) some extra love 🤧

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theuncharteddialogues · 5 months ago

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February 04, 2025

The Art of Doing Nothing

Elara: "You ever sit down to rest for just five minutes... and suddenly it’s three hours later, and you have no idea what happened?" 😶

Kai: "Oh, you mean time travel? Yeah, I’m familiar." ⏳

Elara: "It’s like one second I’m ‘just taking a break,’ and the next, I’m staring at the ceiling, contemplating life, fully aware I should be doing something but making no move to do it." 😵‍💫

Kai: "Ah, yes. The mental slideshow of all your responsibilities, playing in HD, but your body’s like, ‘Nah, we’re good.’" 🎞️

Elara: "And then guilt kicks in, but not enough to actually make me move. Just enough to make me feel bad about it." 🤡

Kai: "It’s a delicate balance—too much guilt, and you start working; too little, and you sleep. The sweet spot? That perfect level of self-loathing where you scroll endlessly but refuse to be productive." 📱

Elara: "Exactly! And suddenly, it’s bedtime, and I’m mad at myself for not using my time wisely. But do I change? No. The cycle repeats." 🙃

Kai: "A true master of the ancient art of Doing Nothing. Some say it’s laziness, but I call it ‘passive energy conservation.’" ⚡

Reflection:

I like to think of my ‘unplanned breaks’ as necessary. Not procrastination. Not laziness. Just... deep thinking. Reflecting. Conserving energy for when I actually need it. (Do I believe this? No. But it helps me sleep at night.) 😌✨

#theuncharteddialogues #self care #self love #self improvement #spilledink #poetsandwriters #poetry community #poems and quotes #mental health #eloquence #writeblr #writers #conversation #deep thoughts #deep thinking #doom scrolling #yeah whatever

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slutforsilverfoxes · 2 years ago

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APARNA I MISS YOU SO DEARLY QUEEN HOW ARE YOU 🥺🫶💖✨💐

ROME MY SWEET I was just catching up on the ankle saga 😩 How could it be so cruel to you? Causing pain? Discomfort? Inconvenience? For shame.

Overall, things are good in my world, just busy busy and missing you wonderful people :( and writing :( sm :(((

But here I am, revenge bedtime procrastinating to make time for myself to write 😤 Bc it makes me happy 😤 So there 😤

All that is to say I love U I miss U I hope U are well and I am giving your bitchass lil ankle many a kith 😚❤️‍🩹

#rome <3 #my fave <3 #pouring one out for your ankle 😔🍻#this was more of an update than you needed #but here we are #also the way in which my heart leaped seeing you use my NAME #i was nervy about having my name in my bio for school/professional reasons #but who's really looking for me on here eh?#and if they are... they're freaks too 👀

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presidentkamala · 9 months ago

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Been living/eating irresponsibly enough that i NEED to make a change; i'll keep all food/weight notes under a cut or a tw for anyone who doesn't need or want to see it.

Ws: Not becoming a demon at work, getting in 17k steps (thanks to an extremely energetic lunch break walking around the mall and then walking to dupont instead of just going to metro center; the wonders a beautiful day out will do), successfully showering before work AND lotioning, putting a load in the washing machine BEFORE work, and remembering to fill up my water bottle

Ls: could NOT get to sleep before at least 2 30 am mainly bc i was revenge bedtime procrastinating and also because i always tell myself "when i get up i'll do xyz and then go to sleep" and it starts to feel like a rule bc i dont WANT to do xyz and so i don't "have" to do it if i keep just rotting and scrolling and dont get up. I feel like i am CONSTANTLY having to relearn that i DON'T have to do xyz and i can just do x, or yz, or just z, etc. Woke up late again this morning w a pounding headache and had to skip breakfast and then my teabag ripped and it was gross trying to drink hot particle water so i had to dump out my tumbler before getting on the train. Then i was starving by the time i got to the office so i picked up a croissant and some mango juice and spent the rest of the day picking through freaking office candy even though i had successfully weaned myself off it months ago!!!! The real low point was getting green pringles at 4pm knowing i had delicious delicious real food waiting for me at home and no way to get to it.

Im just really struggling with cutting down the sugar in my diet and eating a regular, filling amount- even when i plan out my meals and snacks it feels like it doesn't matter i just find ways of getting these super salty, super sweet snacks so im trying to at least get some fiber involved by snacking on grapes, trail mix, etc

Need to brainstorm non-candy ways of coping with work stress while in the office but it feels like the only other thing i can come up with is walking as fast as possible away from my desk and getting away with a cheeky tumblr scroll WHICH ISNT ANY BETTER lmao

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heaven-s-black-box · 2 years ago

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Your Idiot- Mikayuu

Return to File- Event Masterlist

Recovery date: May 1st, 2020

Description: Highschool/ College AU

Notes: This is an entry from the Mikayuu 2020 bingo records. Click here for the next entry.

Word count: 337

Back to directory

“Okay, how do you spell “Piece”?” Mika asked.

Mika was sitting across from Yuu helping him study. They had an english test the next day and once again, Yuu hadn’t studied. It wasn’t even because he forgot, he just kept procrastinating. He’d been helping out at the orphanage near his house way more. Apparently it was where he was adopted from, so he helped out there in his spare time. Mika thought it was sweet, until he found that Yuu used it to procrastinate. So instead of being at the orphanage reading the kids bedtime stories, he was here studying with Mika. Not that either of them would complain, except maybe Mika. But that was only because his boyfriend was a moron.

Mika’s mom, Kruel, had given him snacks so Yuu had no excuse to run away. Mika brought all his books so if he forgot anything, he could borrow Mika’s. Guren, Yuu’s dad, had even dragged Yuu to the library. That was when Yuu actually realized he was not getting out of this. Not. at. all.

“P-e-s?”

“... You’re just pulling my leg now,” Mika deadpanned.

Yuu put his head on the table. It was muffled but Mika heard him say, “P-e...i-s? No wait! Peace!”

Mika sighed, “Wrong kind of peace, the first one was closer. What’s the rule?”

“Rule?” Yuu asked, looking up.

“Yes. There’s a rule that applies here. What is it?” Mika rested his chin on his hand.

“Uhh…”

“Come on,” he sighed, “get it right and I’ll give you a kiss.”

“Are you bribing me with kisses?”

“Is it working?”

Yuu looked thoughtful for a second, then broke out into a smile. “I before E except after C. Piece.”

Mika sat there dumbfound. “Really?”

“I believe you owe me a kiss?”

Mika sighed, “If you wanted a kiss you could have asked.” He leaned forward and kissed him.

When they pulled away, Yuu said, “Not as fun. And I really did just remember.”

“You’re an idiot,” Mika sighed.

“But I’m your idiot!”

#researcher s's recovery #seraph of the end #owari no seraph #mikayuu bingo 2020 #mikayuu #mikaela hyakuya #yuichiro hyakuya #fluff #oneshot #ons oneshot

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blacktreacle22 · 1 year ago

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Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! You are so so kind and sweet🥹🥰 @artists-ally

Last song I listened to: “Now I don’t need your love” by Lucky Love (just found out about him from a friend and dear lord!!!✨)

Last thing I read: a book written by one of the most amazing teachers I’ve ever had that explores her relationship with her mother, rough traslation “I can’t find you anywhere”

Last movie I watched: Pride and Prejudice (when am I not, really? Although, I haven’t had time to watch a movie in actual months 😱😭)

Last TV show: probably Young Royals

Last thing I googled: Google scholar (I think that just about sums up my life at this point)

Last thing I ate: Guacamole on toast with poached eggs 🥵

Sweet, salty or savoury: Sweet & salty is just something that ticks for me

Sleep: horrible, horrendous, so deep that I sleep through alarms and calls; totally needed, pushed back by my revenge bedtime procrastination tendencies 🤗

Currently reading: born to start ToG, cursed to read Academic papers

Tagging: @azrielhours @yearning-for-autumn @lalachat @illyrianbitch

PS: this is my first ever participation in this kind of thing on here so ofc I got overly emotional for being included🥹🫶🏻

Catch up tag

Thank you to the wonderful @tessabennet for the tag! <3

Last song I listened to: September Grass by James Taylor

Last thing I read: Just finished the Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles--whew it was good!

Last movie I watched: Tinkerbell and the Never Beast (my little sisters made me. It was...interesting)

Last tv show: Larkrise to Candleford (comfort rewatch)

Last thing I googled: "chinook dog" Which was very important research, of course

Last thing I ate: bagel sandwich!

Sweet, salty, or savory: Salty and savory pull slightly ahead

Sleep: ...yes? I approve?

Currently reading: I'm trying to decide on rereading Six of Crows or One Last Stop...

Gentle tags for @allofthebeanz @moodymelanist @its-tortle @bazkrekkers @booksandabeer @zenaidamacrouras1 and anyone else who'd like to share :)

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streetsandsodiumlights · 5 years ago

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my characters have such clear feelings and thoughts when i write but in real life my only feelings and thoughts are vague and incomprehensible. I can’t identify normal feelings like happiness or anxiety but my characters are describing deeply complicated and nuanced emotions and thinking about them in words that make sense.........

#personal #@ the person writing my life: can u be a little more specific when making me aware of my mood pls #i had to stop playing skyrim yesterday bc i got a feeling in the middle of the day that i couldnt understand at ALL and it was distracting #took me like a full hour to realize that it was andiety bc i remembered i needed to talk to someone about something #youd think with how anxious i get i’d be able to look at a feeling and say ‘yeah this is anxiety!’ but nope!!#i recognize these things not by how i feel but by how they make me act #behavior patterns just feel. easier to recognize. i can look at the way im acting and reverse engineer what caused it #much more easily than i can say ‘oh im lonely’ or something #meanwhile emotions are what i write about best lmao. i dont think it’s ironic either i think the way i experience emotion comes across #when i write about it. except that my characters also get to know what it is theyre feeling #sweet now that ive procrastinated writing thinking about this it’s bedtime

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give-soup-please · 3 years ago

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I guess this should be seen as a romantic prompt. The reader wants a weighted blanket but can't afford one. The narrator plans to buy them one as a gift, but being the touch starved dork that he is, decides that he wants to 'be' the weighted blanket and turns his physical form into that. The reader gets to enjoy a talking weighted blanket that sometimes can be convinced to read them bedtime stories and the narrator gets all of the snuggling he could ever want.

Narrator as a weighted blanket (romantic)

(oh sweet jesus, i’ve never wanted anything more in my life. Well done on the prompt. I’m not going to lie, this is the most fun one I’ve had in a while.)

You see a weighted blanket on sale, but even at a discount, it’s a bit more than you can spare right now. You put your wallet away with a soft swear. The narrator sees you’re unhappy. He wants to make you happy. Therefore, he must become your weighted blanket. Another victory for logic.

He approaches you about the idea. You stare at him incredulously. “Narrator, I- is it even possible for you to do something like that? I thought you were only limited to a human form.”

“Not at all, reader. You’ll find that the atoms and molecules that make up ‘me’ are quite flexible. I’m not bound by the traditional laws of physics. If you want me to become a weighted blanket, a weighted blanket I shall be.”

You are slightly embarrassed. “Are you sure you want to be in close contact with me like that?”

The narrator is flustered, but quickly pulls himself together. He can’t let you in on the secret that he would love to have the opportunity to hold you. “W-Well, it is quite the noble sacrifice to make, but for you, I’ll do it.”

You recline in bed, a little nervous, not sure what to expect. The narrator’s voice is gentle. “Are you ready?” You give him an affirmation, and a few inches above you, he starts to materialize.

He looks like smoke at first, then condenses into a cloud. You watch the fabric that’s ‘him’ weave itself into a blanket, and then it- he- settles on your skin. You shuffle around a bit, trying to get comfy, and then your muscles relax automatically. He’s slightly cool to the touch, and the weight feels so good.

“Oh, this is lovely!” The narrator says. You hum in agreement, anxiety melting away. Within a few minutes, you are completely relaxed, and the narrator can feel it in your muscles. You’ve turned into a puddle. He’s smug. You’re completely relaxed under his touch. How could he not be?

Sometimes, when the narrator talks, the blanket vibrates slightly, and you can feel it on your chest. It’s very soothing.

On occasion, on the sleepless nights, he’ll recite a story he’s memorized. Between the weight of the blanket and his voice, you sleep fairly quickly.

The narrator is in heaven. He gets extended contact with the person he loves most. He loves how you feel, when you wrap him around you. It’s like being the big spoon and the little spoon at the same time. It’s so satisfying to feel your muscles relax as you go to sleep. He’s doing that. He’s helping you.

He gets very passionate about you having a strict sleep schedule all of a sudden. He just wants what any partner wants, a dedicated eight hour cuddle session. That’s totally normal, he protests. (he’s a mega cuddle fiend, but he’ll never verbalize it.)

I like to imagine that sometimes, when you’re resistant to the idea of sleep, the narrator notices. Maybe you’re in the middle of a project, maybe it’s just procrastination. In cases like this, the narrator manipulates the physics engine he’s working with and chases you in his blanket form. It’s half hilarious, half terrifying as he floats after you down hallways. Of course, his voice is… Let’s just say, it has a very special tone to it.

“Come to bed, reader~” Meanwhile, you’re snickering and half heartedly tossing pillows at him.

He wraps you up tightly, saying “Gotcha!” With a triumph in his voice. “Now you have no choice but to rest.” You’re smiling. It’s all in good fun, of course.

Sometimes, this goes one step further. One day, he does this and you’re in a bit of a challenging mood. “I don’t care how comfortable you are, I’m not going to sleep.”

He replies, “Oh, please. If I so chose, I could have you knocked out in ten minutes.” Your grin is infectious. “Prove it.”

Between the weight and his expertly ranged voice, he manages it in eight. You’re pouty the next morning, but not in any serious way. It was nice to have someone who cared about you being well rested, whatever alternate reasons he had.

#the narrator x reader #the stanley parable #tsp narrator #headcanon #tsp #answered ask #stanley parable #narrator #tsp narrator x reader

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mashihope · 3 years ago

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❥ Bangchan as your boyfriend

I'm back! (For how long will it be? *insert Kevin's voice here* Nobody knows~) Today we are having as a guest (??) our favorite parental figure(?), Mr. Bangchan. The thing is, I have this friend who absolutely loves him (hi, sweetie, ily) and we end up talking a lot about this man, it doesn't matter what was the actual topic of the conversation, there will always be at least five (because he's fOive) times we say his name at random sentences that have nothing to do with the rest of the things we were talking about. (Wow, that was a hell of a sentence, watch me not being able to talk/write properly.) I don't think that gave too much context (probably zero), but what I tried to say back there is that we have this habit of putting him in random scenes. The most used by both of us is the boyfriend one, so I had the need to make this. This won't be good enough but, let's begin!

Ok, so, this man has a lot of archives and documents of unfinished projects on his laptop ("Like, mate, stop procrastinating." doesn't apply to him, apparently)... Being mostly songs about his feelings towards you.

It doesn't matter whether they are from before or after your relationship, or if they are good or bad feelings.

It's like a secret journal for him, his free therapy whenever he needs to sort out his tangled thoughts. He doesn't let the members know about their existence, and if they irrupt in the studio while he's recording, editing or playing any of them he would panic a lot.

Like the thing a lot of kids/teens do when their parents appear while they are doing/watching something they shouldn't on the computer and switch the tab or whatever.

Yeah, the other "tab" would most likely be something Felix-related (from fancams to edits made by Stay), "nice gifts to a x year old sister" ; "how to deal with noisy kids" ; "will i die from drinking too much coffee?" ; "how many sleep hours does an adult need?" ; "why are teens so weird these days?" google searchs or (for some reason) a JYP song.

If you are sitting on his lap, I can imagine him randomly playing with your hair, your ears/earrings or the strings of your jacket/hoodie.

He loves when you stay at the studio while he's working, even if you are quiet, you give him a lot of energy from the moment you open the door. He loves even more to have you sitting on his lap, this way he can give you quick glances and make sure you are okay.

What if you fall asleep? He would stop everything for a moment just to appreciate you for a while, with a sweet smile and heart-eyes. I can see him patting your hair gently enough to not wake you up and giving you a tiny little kiss on the forehead right after. His heart cannot take it anymore, you're too precious for (t)his world.

I don't see him being very into pda, maybe holding hands or giving each other kisses on the cheek/forehead, sometimes actual kisses on the lips.

But in private, omg, this man loves to kiss you at very random times, going from "cute and soft kisses" to "breathtaking and passionate kisses".

He would touch your lips because "They are soft." in the most innocent way, but after a few minutes this would lead somehow to a whole make out session.

Keeping this duality in mind, i see him being the type to bite your lips after a kiss, but also the type to kiss your forehead sweetly whenever he can.

I can imagine him pinning you against the wall, bitting his lip in a seductive way, just to get all shy a few seconds after doing that, letting you go while he covers his - now blushing - face.

He's 100% the type of person that takes care of you whenever you stay up past your usual bedtime and scolds you for messing up your sleep schedule even if he usually does it too.

Has this habit of putting his hands on your bare skin whenever they are cold. "See? It's cold outside. Let's cuddle instead."

One of his favorite things about being able to create music is asking the members for their opinion on something he's been making. He loves their various tastes and ways of thinking about it, from the melody to the meaning of the lyrics. All the parts of the song, actually.

His confidence and ego boost everytime they say good things about it, but when you do it...

Omg, he will be like a tiny and excited puppy, anxiously waiting to go outside for a while. He would be so happy, shaking his fists in excitement while giving you the biggest and brightest smiles. He would be so proud of himself.

"Going outside" would be finishing the actual song and release it. Well, maybe the thought of going outside the studio after too many hours in it too.

I feel like he's the most patient person you'll ever meet. He would be mesmerized by your voice whenever you're talking (he thinks it's very pretty!) and this would help a lot when you're telling him something. He would rest his chin on his hand while giving you little smiles (if he feels the need to) and nodding, waiting for you to end.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying again?" kind of moments would happen very often. Or "Hey, I got lost in those pretty eyes. Do you mind repeating that?"

Ah, but, what if he's in a clingy mood? His patience would fade away as soon as he sees or thinks about you. "Are you finished yet?", "Babe, please come cuddle with me" or "When are you coming back from work? I have a day off, let's spend it together."

His clingy mood consists of being giggly around you, wanting to cuddle all the time (even in summer, he doesn't care about that "hot weather and sweating" stuff, "Bullshit!"), being touchy (lots of skinship!), repeating your name again and again if you are doing something else ("Y/n, focus on me, please!" while pouting), being more shy and cute than usual, and lots of cheesy little talks.

Lots of conversations that go like: "Babe, did you have lunch/dinner?" "No, I kind of skipped it?" "HEY! STOP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW AND GO HAVE LUNCH/DINNER!" "...Honey, did you have it?" "...I-" "I knew it."

The type to say random pickup lines to you while he's trying to fight against the cringe... Spoiler, the cringe wins (always).

"Oh my god, why did I say that?!", "I can't believe I told you that with such a straight face...", "Ugh, what is wrong with me?!"

Going back to the clingy mood, I have mixed feelings now. I can see him getting playful at first, like, it's all laughs and random kisses on your face and/or neck and suddenly, boom, you got a hickey out of nowhere.

The next day you would see it on the mirror and be like "Where did that come from?" and he would get all shy and giggly again, "I don't know, there's a lot of mosquitoes out there, be careful."

Aaaand, I think that's it for now?? I'm pretty sure I'll make a second part of this at some point because I feel that I left behind some ideas. I know I'm forgetting something again. I'm always forgetting everything xd Am I going to apologize again for my lack of "sense making-structure"(?) skills? You know I will *sunglasses emoji* Sorry!

#kpop headcanon #stray kids headcanon #skz headcanon #stray kids bangchan headcanon #skz bangchan headcanon #stray kids bangchan #skz bangchan #bangchan #stray kids #skz

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