#[ it doesn't matter if we already have stuff lined up-- it doesn't matter if i already owe you something (then you'll get /two/ things!) ]

[lafragolina]

just kill me

[orchideae]

Starter call! Yep, you saw correctly. I've been making progress in my drafts, and I realized since it was mentioned the other day that I function a little better under pressure, so, yes.

These will be a little shorter (and I'm going to be a little strict with myself on that so that I actually get them written), so expect roughly a paragraph and if it stems from an idea that we've spoken about in plotting or whatnot, then it might be a little longer. But generally, they will be shorter starters that knowing me, will become lengthier threads as the replies progress! This is also welcome to non-Genshin blogs, but then please remember that I do not have any verses outside of Yelan's game canon, and so I'll be looking at your Genshin verses!

[ave661]

Post about art-theft, AI and tracing of my render:

Unfortunately, one of my renders I made a year ago, was traced, copied, edited by AI by "brothers in arms" store and now sold as a merch aimed towards CoD fandom. They are currently sending this out to various cosplayers asking them to promote it.

As someone who is affected by this, I have to speak up about it.

(post about it on twt & insta)

I found out about it by accident when I saw promoted post on my insta feed. When I started talking about it in my stories, this store sent me a private message saying they had been working on this design for weeks and had never heard of me so they definitely didn't steal anything, and offered me free stuff. When I disagreed with them and sent them files comparing our works, they stopped replying to me, so I continued talking about it again on my insta. Only when my followers started leaving comments under their post saying this is wrong, they decided to continue discussion on the next day.

2. They mentioned that they could have been inspired by some pictures they found on the internet and showed me their "first sketch" of design… which was made by AI.

3. During the conversation, they mentioned that their artist could have based his work on a picture he found on the Internet, but he defended himself by saying that they might not have known it was mine. But even if they didn't know about me, even if they found some fanart on the Internet - it doesn't mean you can copy something detail by detail and sell it as your own. What is most important here, their offer to solve the problem was to give me credits in their design. IF they worked hard on it, why would they want to give me credits? My offer was to remove it.

4. Why do I mention that it could have been done by AI? because many lines are unfinished and a lot of details don't make sense.

5. Below is a comparison of my render that I published on March 18, 2023 with their first sketch they showed me, which apparently they drew themselves:

I am saying this so that the CoD community, which is very large, will be aware of this, because there are many people who have already bought it and after my insta story, they felt bad and said they want return it because they don't want to support art theft.

It's not just about me anymore - it could have happened to anyone who creates fanart and share it on the Internet just for fun. One day someone may use it for their own profit without us being aware of it. It doesn't matter if it's a 3D render or a drawing. All artists in this (or any other) fandom do not deserve to experience such thing, and we need to speak out about it to prevent it from happening in the future.

Reposting fanart is, as this example shows, dangerous and hurtful, so please respect artists and don’t do this. Especially on pinterest.

Their only proposal and offer to give me credits for the work they traced is something I will never agree to.

[luveline]

𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 | 𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐫

when internet trolls poke fun at your appearance while working on a case, hotch is there to make you feel better. fem!reader, 3k

tw cyberbullying, poor eating habits, criminal minds typical violence

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

You're not a media liaison or anything close, but with JJ off for maternity leave and Penelope in Quantico, there's a face needed for the press announcement on TV, and you offer to step in. 

You aren't particularly eager to do it, but Hotch doesn't have the time or wherewithal and such a high intensity case, not while Spencer is at half-mast, migraines rendering him ineffective and stubborn. You're trying to keep the ship sailing smoothly, doing your part of the profiling while juggling media and supporting the police sergeant that's heading the tip line.

You're not expecting to become a joke. After a red-eye, three sleepless nights trying to find a missing woman in Oklahoma —the domestic violence capital— and a full day without something to eat, you're aware you don't look your best, but you aren't sure what that has to do with your missing person. 

The FBI — fugly bitches International. #FindDanaLangley

Damn, are they not letting those agents sleep or what? She looks terrible ! 

she should be less worried about Dana Langley and more concerned with the dead woman in the mirror, ew 

hope theu find her just so they stop putting this creature on TV #FindDanaLangley

"Well," you murmur, wondering if it would be inappropriate to burst into tears, "these aren't especially helpful." 

Derek looks at you, his gaze measured, and you know he's not sure how to react to you or what's happening. He settles on his usual loving encouragement, because he's a very good friend. 

"Don't listen to all that," he says, throwing his arm around your shoulder, "those trolls wouldn't know beautiful if it hit them in the face. But we could always try it?" 

You sink into his hold, needing the reassurance even if you wish you didn't. "No hitting," you say, covering your mouth to hide a large and possibly fugly yawn. Your head is racing with regurgitated insults. "It doesn't matter, Derek. Promise. We have bigger stuff to deal with." 

The door opens and Hotch and Emily step inside, Rossi just behind them. You're thinking Hotch is going to agree with your sentiment, no time for comfort when a woman's life is at stake, so you move away from Morgan to sit in front of your laptop again. 

"Is something wrong?" Hotch asks. 

You meet his eyes just long enough to smile at him. "Nothing. What did Amandla have to say?" 

Emily retells the alibi of Dana's ex-girlfriend and is clearly suspicious but without proof, you're forced as a team to move on to the next lead. Spencer returns shortly afterward and you try to brainstorm your next step. 

It's Penelope that pulls through. "You asked me to cross reference the neighbours at Dana's previous address with people crossing state lines, right, after that one guy ended up being kinda icky? Well I did that, and nothing came up, which was–" 

"Garcia," Hotch interrupts. 

"Right. Long story short, one of the neighbours recently had an extreme falling out with Icky Guy after a years long friendship, his name is Justin Mantova, he has extreme PTSD with documented episodes of confused aggression, and he's been seen coming in and out of a storage unit in Paseo Storage Solutions for the past four days." 

"Address?" Hotch asks. 

"Already sent to your phones." 

"Thank you, Pen," you say. 

"Just go catch the bad guy, pretty girl," she says. 

Ah, so she's seen the tweets too. You frown rather than smile, reminded again of what's been said and wishing you could be anywhere else. 

You get your wish and forget all about personal grievances for a while, concerned with the safe location and extraction of Dana Langley. The operation is clean, and she's hurt but has a great chance at a full recovery. It's quick, it's professional. 

You're falling asleep in the SUV on the way back. Hotch at the wheel, Spencer in the backseat, you rub your eyes from the passenger side and try not to look suspiciously morose, but it's impossible. Hotch is too good at his job. 

"Are you sure everything's okay?" he asks. With Spencer's window open and the wind whipping, it's hard to hear him. 

"Hm?" 

"Is everything okay?" 

"I'm just tired." You don't look at him. It's rude of you, but if what they've said is true —you'd seen the photographs, and you looked tired, sure, but you still looked like you. "Just tired," you say again. You snap your mouth closed when your voice wobbles. 

Hotch is regularly too sweet on you. Most of the team say it's a crush. Emily calls it 'character development. Whatever it is, he's nice to you. He warmed up to you near immediately when you first joined the team, and he's been as welcoming months later as he was in your first week. 

Maybe he feels sorry for me, you think, submerging yourself inch by inch into self pity. 

The three of you regroup with the others at the police station to pen immediate recounts of what happened before you can forget, tying up loose ends. 

Finally you're able to go back to the hotel. Another half an hour and you're in the lobby.

"We'll go home in the morning. Nine AM flight, meet in the lobby at eight thirty," Hotch says. "Get some rest." 

You disband. They've squeezed you in all over the place, and you're lucky enough to be next to the elevator on the second floor. Hotch is the third floor, and everyone else the sixth, so you say goodbye to your colleagues and exit the elevator, stepping onto the second floor with a parting smile.

You can't know it, but Hotch notices the way your smile falls before the doors have well and truly closed. Your shoulders slump in defeat. 

You trudge into your room and don't bother turning on the lights. The door closes behind you and the mask you'd been holding up starts to crack. You put your laptop in the closet despite temptation to boot it up, knowing no good can come of looking at the tip hashtag again. 

You head into the bathroom to pee, and you're confronted with your appearance as you wash your hands. 

You stare at yourself. 

You look tired. 

Tears well as you look at yourself. You're not those things those people said. You're pretty, and when you smile everyone knows it. There's nothing so beautiful as a smile. You can't summon one, but you know it's the truth. 

Or, it should be. 

A single tear falls down your cheek, quickly followed by a second, and a third from the other eye. You ignore them, tracing the line of your bottom lip, the texture of your skin on your cheeks, the slight sunken effect of your under eyes. 

A knock makes you flinch. "Fuck," you say, wiping your cheek with the back of a hand, twisting on the spot like looking into your room might reveal whoever it is at the door. Probably one of your team. "Hello?" you call. 

"It's me. It's Hotch. I know it's after hours, but I wanted to speak with you."

Whatever reassurance he has to give might actually make this all much worse. You don't want any pity from anybody, you just want today to be over. Still, you wiggle your toes into the plush hotel carpeting, debating only for a moment about the pros and cons of pretending to be asleep. 

"Hey," you say, opening the door. You wipe your eyes and hope he takes it for a tired gesture rather than a method of hiding the glassy sheen at your waterline. "Hi, Hotch, how are you feeling?" 

"Fine. Tired. Thank you for asking." 

"Do you want to come in?" you ask. 

"Please." 

Hotch follows you into your room. There's an armchair across from the bed next to a desk and an old TV sitting atop it. Your suitcase is still open on your bed, your pyjamas crumpled in the shell. You close it before Hotch can see. That's another thing to add to your list: being a slob. 

"It's very clean in here," he says. 

You startle. "What?" 

"It's clean, considering how long we've been here. Have you ever seen Spencer's room at the end of a case?" he asks. 

"No, is it bad?" 

"It's like a paper hurricane."

You look down at your knees, hyper aware of his gaze on your face, tired of feeling uneasy in your skin. 

"I wanted to say thank you for doing the press release yesterday. You did an amazing job. It's something to be proud of." 

Of course he's talking about the press release, the one thing you need to not think about. 

"Did Derek tell you?" you ask. 

"Tell me what?" he asks, voice sharpening.

You look up. Hotch is a picture of concern, professionalism slightly off centre. 

"Nothing." 

"Something's been bothering you. Something Derek should've told me, I'm guessing." 

You chew over your words. "Uh. Hotch, it's really nothing, it's a hiccup. The press release, I…" You really don't want to have to say it. The words get stuck at the back of your throat.

He leans forward. "What?" 

"I looked sick. On TV. I looked really unwell, and it– it actually–" Why are you stammering? What's wrong with you? You laugh and it's not your laugh but it's better than your nonsense stuttering. "Sorry. On the press release, I didn't look my best, and it was a hot topic. That's what I thought Derek told you about. But I don't need anyone feeling sorry for me, Hotch." 

"I don't feel sorry for you." 

You wince, "No, of course not." 

"Two seconds," he says, putting his hand forward in the air between you. "A hot topic? I don't understand." He looks genuinely apologetic. 

"The tip line got clogged up with comments about my appearance," you say. You phrase it as a professional error rather than the embarrassing event it represents in your personal life.

His lips curl downward. "Saying you looked tired." 

"Saying I looked unagreeable." 

"As a friend," he says, tone softening, "could you tell me what they said?" 

Heat blooms in your cheeks and behind your eyes, your throat aching as you scratch at a nonexistent itch in the crook of your elbow. "Um. Well, there was a lot of them, and they weren't all about me, but the ones I saw, they seemed to think I needed more sleep. That I–" 

Hitch rarely interrupts, but something in your voice must impel him. "What did they say?" he asks again. 

"That I looked like a creature. That they hoped Miss Langley would be found, so that they didn't have to see my face on TV again. Hotch," you say, your throat sounding as tight as it feels, "it was pretty bad, but it really doesn't matter." 

"I think it matters if it's upset you," he says. 

He has the warmest voice when he wants it to be, so dulcet, almost melodic. You'd think it was a practised phrase, but he speaks freely. 

"It didn't," you lie. 

Pointless in your line of work and automatic anyways. Hotch doesn't deny you the safety of your untruth, but he doesn't entertain it, either. 

"You're beautiful when you're tired," he says. 

You don't mean to, but you hold your breath. The silence that follows his remark is deafening. 

"You're beautiful," he says, again, as though you could've missed it the first time. "Regrettably, you're very tired, but you don't look any less pretty. Don't think what was sent in to the tip line has any merit." 

"Are you saying that as my friend or my boss?" you ask. It's meant to be a joke that lightens the mood. 

"Neither," Hotch says.

You gawp, and then falter. "Why…" 

Hotch is close enough to offer a hand, and you're feeling stupid enough to take it. He squeezes tenderly, looking you straight in the eye. "I'm sorry about what's being said. I had no idea. We can pull the video, and the tipline should stop now Dana's been found, but it doesn't erase what's already happened. I'm so sorry. It's not right, and it's not fair." 

"It's a hard job, right?" you ask.

His hand is so so big, and not as soft as you'd pictured. It doesn't make a difference, not when he's touching you like you might shatter. 

"That's not the job," he says.

"It's silly to care, though. About what other people think." 

"I hope you care about what I think. The merit of an opinion comes from the person, and the relationship you have with them. Anyone who knew you would know that you're beautiful." 

"Inside that counts," you say, not fully comforted, but trying to give him an out. 

"You're beautiful on the outside," he says, giving your hand a small shake. "You're an amazing woman, of course. But I, for one, enjoyed seeing your face on TV."

You try not to smile too hard, directing your gaze at your joined hands lest he get a read on you.

Hotch must know how you feel about him. He'd be an awful profiler if he didn't. You fawn when you're around him even now, months down the line from your very first meeting when you were sure your heart would ricochet from your chest, the intensity of your instant crush like nothing you'd felt, not even as a schoolgirl. He'd been tall, striking, classically handsome and completely unaware of the fact. Now he's sitting across from you and he doesn't seem so tall, nor so striking. His caring side shines like a gem. It's blinding, and it really does make you feel better. 

"I cried in the bathroom," you confess, rubbing your thumb against his in minute, near imperceptible circles. "I wish it didn't matter to me, how I looked. I know I was doing something important, and there wasn't time to freshen up. Maybe I should've just asked somebody else." 

"You did it perfectly. You were perfect. No one else could have delivered the profile to the public that professionally, and that astutely." 

Hotch stands up, and you don't know what to do. You decide to look up at him just as he takes your face into his hands. 

"No crying in bathrooms, okay? It would… it breaks my heart thinking about it. You come to me."  

Such a dramatic statement, yet Hoch lays it out like it's an unquestionable truth. No bravado, only a sincerity that makes your throat hurt. His frown slides back into place as his palms warm your cheeks. 

"You're so busy, I could never," you say, shaking your head. 

"Time and place, sure, but. I will always try to make time for you. I hope you know that by now." 

You nod dazedly. Hotch's hands drag with a pressure down to your neck, your shoulders, leaving tingling skin in their wake. He looks at you and time stretches, a few seconds pulled out of order. It's his closeness, and his affectionate, empathetic smile. 

You nod again. 

He relaxes. 

"Try and get some rest, okay? You need to take care of yourself. I know it's hard to ignore how you feel, I know today was hard, but you're one of the strongest people I've ever met. I have faith in you." He gives your shoulder a final squeeze. "Are you alright?" 

"Yeah," you say. It comes out much more quietly than intended.

"Rest, honey. Call me if you're upset again. I mean it." 

He smooths your cheek with the back of his forefinger and you wonder if this is some weird fantasy. Hotch makes for the door, and you know for sure it's real when he says, "And no more caffeine tonight." 

"No more caffeine," you agree. 

He doesn't realise he's twice as bad as a coffee. Your heart races all by itself, his phantom touch on your cheek. 

—

"Hi, beautiful," Derek says. 

"There's the girl of the hour," Rossi says. 

You roll your arm in a bow, eyes stinging from the bright lobby lights but otherwise quite happy. Hotch called you beautiful last night. Hotch called you honey. People on the Internet who have nothing better to do thought you looked gross, but Hotch thinks you're pretty. It's hard to focus on the negative with a positive that good. 

"Good morning, my favourite boys," you say sweetly. 

Spencer looks up from his book. "Hey." 

"You didn't say hello," you say, "you excluded yourself." 

Spencer frowns and goes back to his book. You offer him a mini cookie from your pocket and he perks up, better when you whisper, "You know you're my favourite, Reid." 

"We all know that's a lie," Emily says, rolling her small suitcase to your left and nearly trampling your foot. 

"Unfortunately so," Rossi agrees. 

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." 

"Hotch looks chipper this morning, doesn't he?" Derek asks, nodding. You follow his nod too quickly and give yourself away, earning a scattered round of laughter from your tired team. "Got you."

"Laugh it up," you say. You're on a high that can't be killed, even with their collective teasing. 

"Why are we laughing?" Hotch asks from behind you. 

You jump half out of your skin. 

"We were laughing at Y/N's swift observational skills, but we spoke too soon," Emily says.

Hotch takes a moment to smile at you. "Hey, you look a little more rested. Feeling better?" 

A flush rises to your cheeks. "Much," you say, sounding foreign to your own ears. 

Hotch gives a pleased nod and clasps your shoulder gently before manoeuvring around you. "Let me go see where JJ is." 

He walks around the lobby corner and into the hotel restaurant. You have your face in your hands before he's gone, harassed by quiet whistles and giggling. 

"She's so embarrassed!" Rossi cheers, like a proud dad. "How hopeless, young love." 

"Someone please shut him up," you beg, rubbing your aching eyes. It's an excuse to hide your smile a moment longer. 

"Are you still tired?" Spencer asks. "You look tired."

"She does not," Derek says severely. 

You raise your head with a smile. Tired or not, Hotch thinks you're beautiful. He liked seeing you on TV. You lavish the memory.

"I'm genuinely exhausted," you say eventually, a smile stretching from cheek to cheek as you stand tall again.

"I want whatever kind of tired you're feeling," JJ says as she arrives, Hotch a step behind her. 

You meet his eyes. You think he might not acknowledge what's been said between you —it wasn't strictly professional to have held your face in his hands like that, after all— and the beginnings of disappointment creep in, until he stands at your side, his fingertips brushing yours. It cannot be accidental. 

"She wears it well, doesn't she?" he asks the group. He gives no time for an answer. "Everyone ready?" 

You practically vibrate your way to the SUV. Not a bad case, as they go. 

 ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

thank you for reading, so much! I hope you enjoyed! if you did and you have the time, please consider reblogging cos it makes me happy <3

[systemadministratorclu]

Y'all, I just HAD to share this, because holy shit.

A little background first:

I run the drive-thru cash register window at a fast food joint. One of the shittiest jobs there is because some of the rudest/stupidest people on the planet come through the drive-thru, and one must have near superhuman patience to deal with it. That said, there are customers who come regularly and are not hard to deal with at all. And then there are some-very few and far between-that restore your faith in humanity a little every time they come.

This is about one such customer.

This guy comes every day at about the same time with his grandson (6 years old when this started, recently turned 7) and gets the exact same thing every time. To the point where now either I see their car or I hear the guy say his name (whichever happens first) and I'm already ringing them up. Because of this, the kid now thinks I have weirdly specific psychic powers, and has said he prefers coming to the place when I'm there. He's also decided I'm the best employee this place has. The granddad talks to me like I'm a human, they're always smiling and happy to see me (which means a lot in this line of work, let me tell you) and even on my shittiest days, they've managed to make me smile. I genuinely look forward to seeing these people every day.

Recently, grandson was hella excited to tell me he had a birthday coming up. Reminded me every day "my birthday's coming!" as most 6yo kids do.

Maybe I was feeling a little holiday spirit or something, but one day after work, I went to the Dollar Tree near the restaurant. I picked out a kid's birthday card and a Christmas card. I wrote a message in the Christmas one about what I just explained above, thanking them for bringing some joy to my days, because y'know what? People need to hear that shit. Especially in today's world. And I wanted them to know how much this meant to me. I wrote a little joke in the birthday card about not forgetting the day. Then I looked in my wallet, saw I had a $10 and a $1, and stuck the $10 in the birthday card. Addressed the birthday card to the kid and the Christmas one to kid and grandpa. I give the cards to them on their normal drive-thru visit. They are of course surprised (kid starts yelling "thank you" even though he hasn't gotten to open it yet) but thankful. Then the line moves on.

Fast forward to today.

I see the car come in but I don't start ringing the order up, because it's WAY early for them. I give my usual greeting, then I hear a woman's voice, so I think it's someone in the same kind of car. But when she asks "is this Hal?" I then realize it's the kid's mother, whom he has told all about me and who has come through with him before.

I say yes, and she tells me she's not here to order anything, just to see me, since kid and granddad are sick. I tell her to come on to the window, she does, and hands me a card and a nicely wrapped gift. I asked her to tell them hi for me, she said she would and then the line moved.

I got off on lunch break and opened card and gift.

I was not prepared. At all.

This is the gift...

...the card (no writing on the front).....

.....and the typed note inside the card that actually brought tears to my eyes.

......I'm still not over this. I will be thinking about how this went on for OVER HALF A FUCKING YEAR and I had no idea.

This is the kind of stuff that makes this shitty job worth it. People like this....We need more of in this world. I'm going to hold onto that note so when I feel like shit or I don't matter, I can look at it and know there's a kid out there who I am so important to that he got his dad to write a whole-ass letter, to some random stranger he only knows through his son, inviting me to their fucking house. I'm tearing up again as I write this, just thinking about it.

If that doesn't say "you matter", idk what does.

(And yes, I will go at some point, because how can I not? I'm not gonna dash this kid's hopes and make myself look like an enormous asshole. This is the RL version of being handed a toy phone and told it's ringing)

[skelliko]

I was wondering if u could do these headcannons? Baji and kazutora with a gf that has a more mellow personality, is soft-spoken (like reallllyyyyyy soft-spoken it's like she's almost whispering but when she needs to get stuff done she gets stuff DONE🗣️) and is almost never smiling, sort of like a resting face 24/7

Idk I think it's funny if u see a raging delinquent and next to him is his gf who looks and acts like she'd never hurt a fly

๑-context: soft spoken s/o

๑-featuring: kazutora, baji

°- Kazutora Hanemiya

• to other people he may seem hard to handle, a little too rough with sharp corners, and overall a handful. however that's far from the truth with you, you bring out the best of him due to your calm demeanor making him to be completely tame, kept in line and be the opposite of what others see in him. however not everyone knows of that side of him so comparing the two of you is an ongoing thing.

• he never knew he needed someone like you until now, and neither did anyone expect kazutora to get a girlfriend as cute and sweet as you are. it's like putting a tiger and a mouse next to each other. most were expecting a break up soon enough but that 'soon' hasn't happened nor do you both seem to show any signs which made people to surface up some false information

• you're always someone that he can go to for advice due to your sweet heart and overtime your positivity has grown onto him that he has tried to think the same way you do, but no matter how hard he tries there's always something else whispering in his ear that isn't you, leading to him needing your shoulder to lean on and give him those certain steps. sure he was quite hesitant on asking for help at the start but overtime he's overcame that and instead is now gotten into a habit of asking for help all the time.

• if it's not already obvious, you're a safe space for him. physically he gets tired easily when you two are relaxed together but that's not cause of him being bored but rather it's cause you give that warm comfort of security for him which makes him all eepy.

• when you're together he tends to keep his gang life separate with you, he tries to be more mannered and patient around you and doesn't do anything reckless even in public (even tho everyone manages to still get his temper up) the most he tends to do that gets you somewhat involved is when he's talking about his day that happens to includes his delinquency or if he gets an injury and you help patch him up, but other than that your out of the dangerous picture.

• he's noticed you not smile all that much and sure it sometimes makes him secretly question if you're getting bored of him which results him in being a little distant almost as if to protect himself from getting hurt by you, but that all quickly stops in the end when he remembers that even when you both first met you didn't seem to be full of smiles which then makes him to come back to you in an instant and lie about why be was absent, he didn't want to say the truth.

• but he tends to smile for you in your place. if you're sharing some good news then he'll smile on your behalf, when you're complimented by someone he also smiles and he even does a little look over at you, however after that look over at you he then looks at the person and his smile seems to be a little more intimidating than before, but we overlook that, it's the thought that counts.

• your voice is soooooothinnnng, soothing for him and whenever you're both cuddling he starts the most random, long winded conversation or asks you to talk about your recent fixation that way he gets to feel all at ease and his stressed out heart can finally have a feel of relaxation.

• when others found out about you and kazutora, they were a little intimidated to walk past you in case Kazu would take offence to that, and we know that bro can be ruthless over the smallest of things. they'll either ignore you and try their best to avoid you or try and be really nice to you but those don't last long.

°- Keisuke Baji

• with Baji I reckon it's a little different since with his close friends they know what Baji's like therefore they know he can be respectful and possibly be a good boyfriend for someone but it's mostly his other set of behaviours and decisions mixing with yours that get a little questions to surface up, such as how is it still compatible where We've got two complete different personalities?

• when people first saw you and him together they were all shocked, baffled even about how someone like you would want to go for someone like him, I mean are we talking about the Same Baji Keisuke here? the guy that punches random people just cause he's mad and set a car on fire once cause he was hungry? while you're over there next to him with the most sweetest demeanour that seems like you would feel bad about putting a stuffed animal back onto the shelf after you held it in your arms for a few seconds. but hey! opposites can attract.

• you tend to speak softly no matter who with, but Baji only ever has gentle eyes for you. it's obvious to compare how he looks at others with sharp and almost glaring eyes, but with you his eyes gain a certain light that makes them seem less intense. not to mention that Baji had no interest in dating in the first place but when you came around that clearly changed and thats tells everyone a lot about what kind of affect you have on him. you're pretty much like an angle that came down with light.

• he tends to sometimes tease you just to try and see if he can get you to smile, he's noticed how little you do and it's not exactly a bother to him but he still aims to see that smile of yours anyway. even if it means to raise your cheeks with his fingers if that's the only way you'd come close to smiling. though there were a few times when he saw you crack a small smile and Baji's heart stammered in excitement and shock from finally being able to see it.

• when you want stuff done, you certainly get it done. doesn't matter what it is, you don't even ask Baji for any help either and he ends up finding out in his own way. such as reorganizing your room, scooting your table on the other side or switching up your posters and lifting up some heavy stuff to move around, when Baji came over and saw the switch up along with hearing that you didn't get any help he was amazed. more than amazed actually, shows that you have a heck of a lot of determination and not one to be taken lightly.

• if you say something that he may have not heard he takes 2 or 3 seconds to process your words in his mind, that way he doesn't need to ask to repeat yourself but when he does ask you to repeat yourself he asks almost gently aware that you probably get asked to raise your voice a little on a daily basis

• when he does a delinquent act that he probably shouldn't have in front of you he tends to do a little toothy smirk knowing that you'd probably scold him for it afterwards, he can't help but find it amusing when you tell him off, but he also finds it adorable you speaking back to him.

• oh he's protective of you, not in an obsessive sort of way but just as an overall 'touch her and you die' sort of way, he's made sure that his gang members don't come near you so that there's no sort of potential danger for you. and if he finds out that someone has, then he makes sure that there was a good enough reason for that, and if not then a certain action would need to be taken place cause clearly they didn't understand the first time. but with Baji's close friends he's chill with them talking to you, just not too close.

• he's gentle with you as you are gentle with him but when it comes to departing hugs he always does a little tight squeeze at the end

 ♡---

[gimmethosedaddymilkers]

I Still Love You.

Okay, hi, yes, I am real, I do exist haha, anyway, I'm suffering in college but I miss writing for my cowboy so I'm gonna try to do some magic with this prompt from the lovely @photo1030 about our cowboy and us getting into a fight, the first fight, after they start dating.

SO

Let us start!

Warnings: Arguing obviously, swearing, Arthur feeling bad, you feeling bad, female reader, possibly 18+ themes. Modern Arthur AU

Definitely maybe projecting a little bit of myself into Y/N here but we aren't gonna mention that.

Also don't you dare make fun of me I haven't wrote much recently so my noggin doesn't work, all I know is homework

You scoffed, continuing to wash the dishes in your sink as you listen to Arthur rambling on, trying to make you 'see reason' as he put it.

Usually you couldn't find a single thing wrong with Arthur. For the most part he was the perfect man. Of course, he had his flaws, as all humans do, but you guys had NEVER had a fight before, but lately...you couldn't help but fume at him.

He was just....You loved him, and you loved being around him and typically nothing about him bothered you but....

You couldn't help it.

He was just so damn...Stubborn! All the time!

No matter what, he always had to be right. Doesn't matter exactly what it's about, but he has to be right, even if it's something that YOU know more about.

"Jus' listen to me Darlin', it'll be so much easier for us to do this if we jus'-"

"I told you Arthur, that's not it, that's not gonna work!"

You sigh and turn around, leaning on the lip of the sink, your arms crossed as you look at him.

"You know, JUST as much as I do, that if we want to move in together at some point that we should invest in a place for BOTH of us, not just me moving in with you or you moving in with me."

"It'll save us money if you jus' move in with me-"

"And it'll save our relationship if I don't feel like I'm a visitor in a place that I didn't purchase. That's YOUR apartment, with YOUR decorations, YOUR pots and pans, YOUR shower curtains, EVERYTHING is yours, and even if I brought some of my stuff in, it's not MY place or OUR place-"

"So now our relationship needs savin'?"

He snorts and copies your body language, crossing his own arms as he stares down at you.

"You livin' with me, regardless as to if it's at your house or my apartment is the same as us buyin' a place together, and our relationship is just fine, it don't NEED savin'. At least I didn't think it did until ya said that."

"Oh my god, you are such a stubborn jackass."

You grind your teeth, standing up straight.

"It doesn't need saving, not YET. Arthur, a place of our own, together, would be better for the both of us, and you KNOW that."

"We would save much more money if we just moved in to one of the places we ALREADY own-"

"That wouldn't be OURS-"

"We would MAKE it OURS darlin'-"

"Arthur, why can't you understand-"

"Why can't YOU understand, I'm tryin' to save us money in the long run, money we can use to save up and buy a house later down the line, when we need one."

"Jesus, Arthur! How am I supposed to even move in with you in the first place when all you can do is try to prove you're right about everything all the damn time!"

You throw your hands up in defeat.

"You just have to always, always, always be right, don't you? You can't just understand or accept that someone else MIGHT be right!"

"You know damn well that ain't true!"

Arthur stands straight himself, putting his hands on his hips.

"I ain't tryin' to prove shit!,"

He pokes you in the chest, right under your collarbone

"I'm TRYIN' to make things easier on us! I'm tryin' to do somethin' good for the woman I love, but clearly you ain't very appreciative about it!"

"I would be, if you didn't always have to be so damn pushy, always 'oh well actually we should do this its smarter' shut UP Arthur, shut UP. It's not always your way or the highway!"

You smack his hand away, scowling at him as he shakes his hand and puts it back on his hip.

"You know how awful, how fucking stupid you make me feel, all the time!? Even when I'm RIGHT, you make me feel stupid because there's always some other way that we can do things that you always deem 'better'. What is it? You just don't like the fact that I can do things? That SOMETIMES, I have good ideas?"

"What? What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"You know what I'm talking about-"

"I don't!"

He groans in frustration and moves to your fridge, opening it to get a beer out.

"Oh, and you're gonna help yourself to my drinks too, right? That I paid for?"

"This ain't even yours! I bought these, I brought 'em over for me when I visit! You don't even like this brand, hell you drink them fuckin' fruity drinks, the what....the Smirnoff or whatever the fuck it is."

He pops the bottle cap off.

"'Sides, what's the matter? You ain't never been upset about sharin' with me before."

"It's not the point!"

You groan and move past him into the living room.

"The point is Arthur, you always have to be right. Always. You make me feel like an idiot. Even if I know something more than you. Hell you'd tell me I was wrong if I was talking about what I majored in, in college."

"Oh I would not-"

He states, following you into the living room.

"You just did it again! Just there!"

"I ain't doin' shit!"

"AND AGAIN!"

Arthur gives a huff and puts his drink down on the coffee table, pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand.

"Look, Darlin', all I'm sayin' is, if we make a budget and live together at my place, or at yours, we can save up money, and EVENTUALLY get a place together. a NICE place. A GOOD place, that's big enough for us, and what I HOPE is eventually our family."

"Why can't we buy a place that's already a good place?"

"You have to have MONEY Y/N!"

Arthur closes his eyes briefly, and crosses his arms again.

"Christ, Y/N do you ever fucking listen?"

"Oh like you're any better-"

"I am!"

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you!"

The two of you stare at one another, fuming, both of you clenching your jaws.

"Get out."

You murmur softly.

"Get out and go home."

"Really? You're gonna kick me out?"

"Yes, go!"

Arthur stares at you for a moment, and then moves around the couch and takes a seat, kicking his feet up on the coffee table after grabbing his beer.

"No. Not until we talk this through. I ain't lettin' either one of us walk away angry."

You angrily groan and turn away from him, going to your bedroom. You slam the door shut behind you and lock it.

You take the time to breathe, putting your hands through your hair, trying to keep yourself from being too angry.

You move to your bed and take a seat, letting yourself think.

Granted, yes, neither of you had been extremely awful to one another, but you had said some pretty mean things, and after sitting there for about twenty minutes you started to spiral.

That was a dick move of you. A dick move of him too but...what if....

You shouldn't have said anything like that to him, calling him a stubborn jackass, telling him to fuck off, you shouldn't have said those things.

You think it over more and more, and the longer you think about it, the guiltier you feel.

Accusing him of taking your food, when you always share your stuff with him anyway, intentionally starting a fight basically.

Its another ten minutes of thinking about how you'd yelled at him, and then you can't take it.

You unlock your door and come out to find Arthur still on the couch, his arms crossed as he looks up at you.

"You done throwin' a temper tantrum, Y/N?"

You go to speak and surprisingly you find yourself choked up.

"I'm...I...I'm sorry, Arthur I..."

You can feel yourself beginning to tear up and you try to wipe your eyes without it being too obvious, but Arthur was able to see it clearly.

"Woah, hey-"

He's quick to get up and move to you, taking your face in his hands.

"Whatchu cryin' for Darlin'? It ain't that big a deal, it's jus' a spat, that's all..."

He keeps his voice hushed, doing his best to try and soothe you.

You just can't help but feel...absurdly guilty, and all the sudden, worried.

"You aren't gonna run away from me, are you?"

You question, looking up at him.

"You aren't gonna leave me?"

"What? What on earth, no!"

He pulls you closer, bringing your head to his chest, wrapping an arm around your head.

"Jesus, Sweetheart no, I'm not leavin' you, it ain't that big a deal, it ain't that bad...it was just a little spat, an argument, couples have 'em all the time...."

He murmurs, and quietly kisses the top of your head.

"I shouldn't have called you a jackass, and I shouldn't have told you to fuck off, and I'm sorry-"

You ramble on, hugging yourself tightly to him.

"I'm really happy you want me to move in with you, I want to move in with you, I love you, I don't mean anything, I don't want you to back out of it, I don't wanna push you away-"

"Darlin', Y/N, please, calm down, okay, sit with me."

He gently guides you to the couch and sits with you, still holding you close to him.

"Sweetheart, I'm not breaking up with you, you haven't pushed me away, and you certainly aren't gonna cause me to back out."

He chuckles quietly and kisses your head again.

"It's just a little argument. That's all it is, that's it. It's nothin' to break us up over. Couples have fights all the time, it's alright."

"I know..."

You breathe out quietly, his voice was certainly soothing you.

Pulling away from him, you look up at him.

"I am sorry though, I am. I shouldn't have said those things....We should talk, seriously talk, take a minute, and CALMLY talk about the whole housing thing we want to do, I don't wanna argue about it anymore..."

"Sweetheart, it's okay, really it is."

He smiles and takes your hand.

"We can sit and talk, that's okay, but you don't have to apologize, I do. Alright? You're right, I tend to try and prove I'm right, and that ain't fair....So we'll talk, okay?"

He smiles at you, and he brushes some of your hair away from your face, looking you in the eyes as he does. That little smile of his is always enough to make your heart melt, and in this case it does plenty to soothe those worries that had so easily snuck up on you.

"Honey, it's alright...really, I mean that."

You nod and breathe quietly.

"I am still sorry Arthur."

"So am I, but I promise...nothing bad is gonna happen between us, okay, nothing."

He smiles.

"Well, good things will." He adds, and chuckles quietly. "We'll sit down and talk, and for tonight-"

He moves, and puts his finger under your chin, making you look up at him.

"I'm gonna take care of you, alright? I'm gonna make sure, you have a good time tonight, we'll have a movie night, and I will make dinner, you're favorite even."

You can't help but chuckle and lean in, kissing him softly.

"Thank you, thank you Arthur, I love you so much and I'm so...so sorry again."

"Stop sayin' sorry, okay? We're both idiots."

That makes you chuckle, and you lean your head against his shoulder, scooting closer.

It was a good feeling, knowing that if you had further arguments, which, you would, as couples do, you could work things out....that he wasn't going to abandon you.

He's a good man, and you...are good too.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Struggling with Setting and Plot

[Ask edited for length]

enzoid23 asked: I can easily make characters/relationships but the setting and plot are difficult for me. I like stories where characters are stuck together in a new place and have to learn to accept it or find a way to escape, which is a basic concept, but I can't figure out how to do it. I'm trying my to avoid copying other stories but I'm not sure where to draw the line between that and inspiration either. There's too many gaps, such as the how and the where and how many characters. I keep throwing in as much stuff as i can whether it fits or not, like a Mary Sue, but it's plot instead of a character.

First, since you asked about copying vs inspiration, start by reading these posts:

Taking Inspiration from Another Story’s Premise Similarities vs Plagiarism Plagiarism vs Reference vs Inspiration Hopefully that will help you get comfortable with borrowing ideas from other sources but making them into something new and unique to you.

Next, being able to come up with characters is great, but unless those characters are rooted in a particular setting or situation, it doesn't help much with world building and plot. And while some writers can find a plot within a setting, I think for most writers its easier to start with the plot, and once you have the beginnings of a premise, it's not too hard to expand a plot from there. As luck would have it, you already have the beginnings of a premise:

People get stuck together in a new place and have to learn to accept it or find a way to escape.

Now we can look at that and start asking questions. Perhaps the easiest question to start with is "do they learn to accept it, or do they find a way to escape?" Which one? Because those are two very different goals. Choosing one and eliminating the other tightens up your premise:

People get stuck together in a new place and have to learn to accept it.

All right... I think the next logical question is who gets stuck together in a place? Is it two people? Three people? Five people? Twenty-six people? One-hundred people? You don't even have to figure out the exact number right now, but just knowing whether this story is about two people, a few people, a small group of people, a bigger group of people, or a huge group of people is going to really narrow things down.

A small group of people get stuck together in a new place and have to learn to accept it.

Okay... where do they get stuck and how? Let's brainstorm... are these modern day boaters, or a misfit bunch of 18th century buccaneers, who become castaways on a remote island? Are they a group of students whose project gets them sucked into another dimension? Are they far-future astronauts who get stranded on an isolated planet? Keep going...

A small group of students get sucked into another dimension and stranded when their science project goes wrong.

Ahoy, there! A PREMISE!!!

Now you can start brainstorming the specific details... who are these students? Middle school/equivalent? High school/equivalent? University? Graduate school? Where and when is their school located? 1926 Chicago? 1980s London? 2077 Kinshasa? 1926 Shanghai?

A small group of middle school students in 1980's London get sucked into another dimension and stranded when their science project goes wrong.

Time to start world building and brainstorming this alternate dimension. Is it going to be an alternate version of our dimension? Will it be a dimension that's similar to a past time/place on Earth? Will this dimension be like a futuristic city? Will it be something fantastical like a place that feels like an alien city, or like Blade Runner meets Ready Player One? Are there other people in this dimension? Or is this group completely on their own?

Now you can start to think about a conflict... what is the problem that must be resolved by the end of the story? Is it simply a matter of figuring out how to survive in this new place? Are they immediately captured by some faction or army or group, and they must escape, or convince someone that they're not dangerous, or win their freedom somehow? What is the specific goal they work toward in order to reach this resolution? What steps must they achieve? Who or what places obstacles in their path, and what obstacles?

Once you know all of this, you can figure out the nitty-gritty details like how many characters, who each one is specifically, and what their role in the story will be. You can look at various structure templates (like Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, Larry Brooks Story Structure, Dramatica, etc.) for guidance... just don't feel like you have to stick to it exactly. You can also read through posts on my Plot & Story Structure master list for more help with plotting.

I hope this post gets you over the hump, though! ♥

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[bbina]

"what are you doing here?"

wonbin stifles in his laughter seeing you all alone in the same restaurant he was at. it was valentines day and since he had no one but himself, he decides to take himself out on a date (totally not because he was moping in his dorm that he couldn't score a single date, no definitely not that)

you roll your eyes, crossing your arms. you just had to run into him at the restaurant your date told you to go to.

"obviously i'm on a date? can't you see that?" you grumbled, turning away to look at the empty seat in front of you. your date was late that it had you a little worried

wonbin bursts out laughing at the mention of your "date"

"you have a date? how much did you pay them?" he cackles, lowkey feeling jealous that you even scored one. not that he wanted to ask you in case you didn't have a date. no he didn't want that. he'd never. or does he?

feeling irritated with just his presence, you slam your hands against the table. he stops laughing as he gets startled at your outburst

"how about you? what are you doing here? didn't think you'd be the type to celebrate this corny day" you raise an eyebrow at the boy in front of you. what was he doing here anyway, you think he'd probably had a line of people asking him out for valentines day but you didn't think you'd see him all alone

wonbin scoffs, "for your information, i told my friends i'd go on this stupid double date with them." he lies. he wasn't just gonna admit out loud that he was bitchless on the most romantic day of the year. he'd probably never hear the end of it coming from you

you hum, totally not buying it. it was almost physically impossible for wonbin to go out on a double date that his "friend" asked him to. park wonbin on double dates? there was just no way

"and you're telling me all this because..?" you stare at wonbin who looks like he was at a loss for words. he rapidly shakes his head as he composes himself

"it doesn't matter. now back to you, where's your date at?" it was his turn to pester you

you purse your lips shut as you pick up your phone to bombard your date for tonight. he wasn't even replying to your messages, despite him asking you out. you checked the time to see he was already 30 minutes late to your appointment. it's safe to say that you were stood up

wonbin picks up on your silence and lets out a chuckle

"you've been teasing me all this time just for you to get stood up?" he taunts. internally cheering that your date didn't show up. this could be his chance to have a date with you

"..."

you keep silent after that, feeling the embarrassment creep up your veins. with a sigh, you start to gather your stuff before wonbin invites himself to your table.

"you're lucky i'm hungry." wonbin muses, picking up the menu in front of you as he scans through it

"what are you doing..?"

wonbin peeks at you through the menu, a gummy smile on his lips, "on a date"

the way he said that was so smooth that it gave you whiplash. there was no way in hell that wonbin suddenly had this effect on you

"i thought you were on a double date? what happened to that?" you asked, raising an eyebrow at the now blushing boy in front of you

"... i lied. i had no date" he confesses, dropping the menu down the table. you laugh at his demise, forgetting that you also got stood up.

"you're no in position to laugh at me! you got stood up so that makes us even" wonbin points out. now no one's laughing. you awkwardly cough in response to his truthful accusation

"whatever" you huff, snatching the menu off the table to start ordering.

"well it's a good thing i arrived, no?" wonbin says smugly that it makes you want to pull your hair out.

"i hate you" you grumbled, feeling defeated over the whole thing. you just wanted to get this night over with even if it had to be with your sworn enemy

"the feeling is mutual" he coos, teasing you. "i know we started on the wrong foot but just this once i want us to try again"

"what do you mean?"

"let's reintroduce ourselves" wonbin proposes

you think this valentines day craze is getting to his head because what did he mean by that? you've known him since middle school being in the same sport as him and since then you've become enemies. he has always pestered you and vice versa. at one point you two have claimed that you were sworn enemies but look at you now

"i'll start" wonbin says, "i'm wonbin" he reintroduces himself again. you still didn't understand where this was going but since you had nothing to lose, you play along

"i'm y/n.."

"hi y/n, would you like to go out on a date with me?"

'he's definitely lost it' you think to yourself. you start laughing like crazy, "give me your plug. i need some of that too after tonight"

wonbin frowns at your comment. why can't you take him seriously

"i'm serious!"

"i'm serious too. seriously wonbin, what the fuck's gotten into you?"

you think this was way below the belt. it's not nice to get your feelings played and to think wonbin was pulling shit like this is making you genuinely upset

wonbin sighs, "fine. i'm sorry. i know i've been an asshole to you all this time but it's because i didn't know how to talk to you so let me make it up to you after all those years. please?"

you sat there staring at wonbin for who knows how long. trying to process what he was trying to say. what you're getting is that wonbin wants to start things fresh with you

"i had the longest crush on you and i actually can't believe you still haven't noticed after all these years" wonbin murmurs, feeling small with the way you've gone silent. maybe he shouldn't have dropped the bomb so casually with the way your eyes have widened

"what?"

"whoops. secret's out" wonbin holds his hands out

you actually cannot believe what the fuck is happening. first you got stood up, then you unexpectedly meet wonbin at the same restaurant, now you're hearing him say things you thought you'd never hear from him

"you call all those teasing and tormenting, flirting?" you ask bewildered, making sure you heard him right the first time. there was actually no way in hell that all this time, wonbin has a crush on you

wonbin simply shrugs, "it is in my books"

"you're unbelievable, park wonbin" you breathe, in disbelief over the turn of events

"you still haven't answered my question yet!" he protests. your answer is all he needs and if you say no then he'll never bother you again

with an irritated sigh and a pinch of your nose bridge later, you defeatedly say yes

"fine! i'll go on this date with you. you have one chance to prove all that yapping you just did" you turn away from wonbin to hide the small blush dusted on your cheeks

wonbin smiles and looks down at his lap. "you won't regret it. i promise"

"i better not!"

"can we order now i'm starving and i know you haven't ordered anything in the past hour"

"you paying?"

"a man should never make his lady pay" he waggles his eyebrows suggestively before calling out for a waiter. with an unexpected turn of events, this valentines day will be something worth remembering

permanent taglist: @callanton @fxckingshame

[ddejavvu]

can i request telling aaron you are not the type of person to get married or have kids because of some childhood stuff. maybe him trying to convince you it doesnt matter but you fighting him and saying that its all he’s wanted. sorry for the specificity, just going through an awakening.

You've always had this sinking feeling that you and Aaron aren't right for each other in the long run. It's bliss now, cuddled up on the couch for a movie night or bent over the kitchen counter when you've got the house to yourselves, but when your mind starts moving beyond date nights and sex-capades, you panic.

You're not the marriage type. A long relationship doesn't bother you, but the label, the spectacle, the permanence of it all unnerves you. It's an issue that's stemmed from your young years, and it hasn't gone away yet. Kids are even worse to think about; at least, having your own. Aaron's son is a sweetheart, and you have no problem making him lunches or tucking him in with a story at night, but the thought of having one of your own makes you want to flee.

Unfortunately, you think that's exactly what Aaron wants with you.

The conversation starts with an innocent, but inappropriate question from Jack, "Daddy, when are you and Y/N getting married?". And you foresee it ending in a breakup, which is why your chest is tight and your breathing is shallow while Aaron rubs your back. You're sitting on the bed, faced away from him, outwardly closed-off, but he's still comforting you.

"Sweetheart," His deep voice hums, "He didn't mean anything by it. He doesn't understand how the world works, he thinks anyone who's dating has to be married. He asked JJ's niece when she's getting married to her boyfriend, they're sixteen."

"It's not his fault," You mutter, "It's mine."

"Well that's not true," Aaron wants to scold you, but he refrains, "It's not your fault you don't want to be married."

"But it's not your fault you do, either."

"I'd love to marry you," Aaron answers honestly, "But not if you don't want to. I'd also love to date you, to live with you, to love you regardless of our marital status. Marriage isn't the dream, you are."

"I don't want kids, either." You remind him, your back still turned. "Jack is sweet. But I don't want to have one myself."

"That's alright," Aaron agrees without hesitation, "I don't need another one."

"Dammit, Aaron," You snap, moving away from his touch, "Why are you doing this? Why are you sacrificing your wants like this?"

"I'm not sacrificing anything," He frowns, watching as you retreat towards the bay window in your shared bedroom, "If this wasn't worth it for me, I wouldn't be here. But you are worth it."

"You want to be married," You inform him, pinching the bridge of your nose between two fingers, "You want kids. Hello, that's exactly what you did with Haley!"

"Haley is exactly why I don't care if we're married with kids," He huffs, "Our marriage certificate didn't stop that bullet. Jack wasn't enough to convince Foyet to spare her. People die, and terrible things happen, and if you don't love people while they're here, you may never get to again. Sweetheart, I don't love you because I want to get married to you. I don't love you because I want to have kids with you. I love you because you're you, and I want to love you forever. I don't care if we get married. I don't care if we have kids. I just care that I get to love you while I still can."

You speak through the tears that have blossomed on your water line, "But don't you still want that stuff? Even if you don't need it?"

"Honey," He says, like he's exasperated with you, "I don't care. I have Jack already, I don't need you to force yourself to have a kid with me if you don't want one. And marriage isn't a requirement for love. Marriage is- it's a piece of paper, sweetheart. A legal title. I don't need one of those, I don't need another kid, all I need is you. All I want is you."

"What if you change your mind?" You sniffle, and as your shoulders deflate, his arms wrap around your waist.

"I don't think I will," His chest presses to your back, and his lips brush against the shell of your ear. He’d kiss it if if was a less sensual place, but he doesn’t want you to think he’s making any moves. Not now, not when you’re just barely starting to lean into his embrace.

“But if I do, we’ll discuss it, and you’ll know. Okay? I won’t keep it a secret.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.” He nods, nestling his cheek flush to yours, “You’re what I want, sweetheart.”

[luvring]

COVE RELATIONSHIP HCS

gn!reader | tbh i thought i alrdy did this but i guess not.? cove hcs r hard bc i can't remember what is literally Just Canon. this is long as hell so if he doesn't win that poll i'm gonna be very disappointed in u all /lh

he instinctively offers you the last seat on the bus. if you want him to sit down it's a little fight /lh. the both of you staring at the other, nodding toward the seat. "i don't need to sit down. we walked a lot, you must be tired." "we walked the same amount so you'd be the same amount of tired." etc etc

he'll sit down if you stand in front of him.. one time a lady commented on how cute you two were and (after thanking her) he flushed and rested his head against your stomach, fiddling with the hem of your shirt to hide how giddy he was

he also instinctively gets your favourite snacks while you're out shopping btw

can't walk around any mall or market without you in mind. we know this but really imagine cove walking into stores he probably wouldn't have otherwise just to see if they had something for you. him calling a store to check when they'd have something in stock again so he could surprise you. him debating between two shirts/charms/etc for like 10 minutes because he wants to make sure he gets the best one

cove texting you to tell you about about a new fish he found. or telling you about what fish you'd both be. constantly thinking of you whenever said fish is mentioned and, to strangers, randomly lighting up at its name

you text cove a pick-up line and get left on read for like 5-10 minutes while he 1) recovers and 2) looks for one to send back

asking cove to kiss where you got hurt as a joke and him doing it. and then kissing you again. and then kissing you on the LIPS!

you make a little charm bracelet that says something silly like "best bf <3" "i love u <3" etc etc and he just doesn't take it off. makes one for you too. do not ask how long he was standing in the same michaels aisle trying to pick the perfect beads/charms...

you visit him at work except you actually meet his coworkers and everyone already at least knows your name.

he Makes Sure he's the first one to tell you happy birthday. Always. will say it at midnight and when you wake up in the morning. it's a minute to midnight and he is Staring at the clock as the seconds tick away.

^ he puts sooo much thought into your gifts and celebration... if you Do have a party, he still makes sure to have time together alone afterward :-( asks if you had a good time and gets all happy when you thank him... he tells you it's the least he could do for you

walks in on you watching a show and asks what it's about and suddenly it's 2 hours later, you're both caught up, and he's tense because your favourite character is collecting death flags and he's worried for everyone involved right now . at least if the character dies he's already prepared to comfort you

cove when asked what he thinks the most romantic song is says the song you picked for your first dance. when asked Why he thinks so, he goes red but explains, eyes flickering over to you and a soft smile on his lips

carries your bag whenever you ask. does not matter if it's a backpack or tote bag or shaped like a chicken (something i really want) like Don't worry about it

makes a playlist with your favourite songs to play in the car so no matter where you're going, he hopes you have a good start to your day/trip

cove asks what song you're playing/humming and if you mention it's onw of your favourites, he goes out of his way to listen to it and at least sort of know the lyrics

when you move in together he's stuck in a constant happy state because he keeps looking over at things and realizing You're Living Together. you're unpacking boxes with YOUR stuff you will both cook in that kitchen you will go shopping together for decor for YOUR place he's going to SLEEP and WAKE UP to you EVERY morning

and you tease him about how you were already seeing each other every day before this and he's like well, yeah, but this is different.

supports you with all your hobbies/interests.... helping you look for a new bookshelf to keep your books/collectibles.... listening to you explain the complexities and tragedy of your favourite character/ship.... offering his opinions when asked,, he's not sure how much you should trust him, especially if he has no experience with it, but he's always a little happier after you thank him with a smile

remembers the names of people who've done you wrong. will block you from sight if you're at an event and see them and asks if you're alright or want to go somewhere else

cove always offers to help you study and quiz you if you have an exam coming up. you can also count on him to make sure you aren't stressing yourself out or sleeping too late. and then, no matter how you feel coming out of the exam, he will always make sure to treat you to something to say good job :-)

Your guy to go to if you're feeling sad or anxious. he'll do whatever you'd like/he knows would help ... taking care of your share of the chores without being asked, cuddle you for a couple hours, shower you with praise and reassurance, take you out on a date, etc

always interested in hearing what happened at an event he didn't accompany you to! even if it was just a hangout with friends, he'll listen to you recount jokes and things that happened. if it was a bigger event, he'll listen As he helps you wind down from a long day

if you have a small business, cove will actually order things himself during shop openings. as if all your stock isn't a couple rooms over and he doesn't help you pack orders. the both of you celebrate your first sale, big achievements, etc ^___^

basically literally canon but hides his face in the crook of your neck when he's feeling shy . but like (re)imagine having been in a relationship for months, years, and you kiss him in the morning like you always do but for some reason he's feeling particularly shy about it . or you just Smile at him and he's like .!!!!!!

cove will stare at you with a lovesick look on his face while you aren't looking. doesn't even realize he's doing it, he just really loves you. friends point this out to you afterward because it's so cute

he's not good at taking photos but he sure will try. like if you mention wanting more candid photos, he'll remember and try to take some. many may be questionable but there's some really good ones !! he keeps a folder of them/photos of you both and looks at it randomly :-)

cove asking your parents how to cook some of your favourite meals the way you enjoy them to surprise you..

he would do so well on those couple challenges where he's asked questions about you. your birthday? child's play. your favourite restaurant and go-to order? easy money. what your favourite field trip was when you were little kids? he was literally there.

you must at some point get a version of this seal video like... also omg. seeing the mermaids at the aquarium. genuinely so impressed and brings up the idea of a secret underwater world again

ideas i could/will write if cove wins and will NEVER write if he doesn't 🤌🔥🔥✍️

cove doing that trend where you cover him in lipstick stains and he's looking at you with heart eyes GRAAAAHH!!!

you askingfor money and him saying okay before actually asking what for

trying out pet names on him

smth about getting ready for a fancy event together and him helping you. like.. adjusting your tie / zipping up the back of your dress .... Grah!

? nsft hcs except i'm still at least waiting for the patreon bonus story

random texts because i adore our life but i do not text like that unfortunately.! i would be like WAAAHHH!! i'd be like GBRHABAAH ?!?!?!?!?# i'd be like goodnight ^____^ <3 <3 <3 <3 >___< see u Tomorrow love of my life <3 <3 <3 (/j)

cove-centric event where all i do is cove related reqs/drabblrs GOD BLESS COVE NATION!

@lordbugs @xfangirl-trashx @fifteenshadesofpinkk @lotus-sukimono @bakugosgrenade @vhenis @anime-ships-gay @dreamtydraw @lost-lonnie @cvhenia @mitskiologist

[khruschevshoe]

OFMD Critique: Finales, Writing Backwards, and the Importance of Building Relationships

Continuing on the rambling meta bc it turns out there are a couple of people that responded well to my initial thoughts...

Am I the only one that felt like the OFMD Season 2 finale suffered from the exact same problem as the Game of Thrones or the How I Met Your Mother Season finales? Well, not exactly the same, but lemme explain.

The treatment of Izzy Hands in Season 2 of OFMD feels like when they sat down to write this season, they wrote his death scene first (for whatever reasons that might be, though likely for the sake of Ed's arc- we're not going to address my feelings on THAT rn), THEN backfilled his arc for the rest of the season based on that, but then didn't rewrite his death scene to address the stuff that organically happened when writing the rest of the season.

Like, for example, I've seen plenty of people point out that the deathbed apology from Izzy to Ed doesn't really work (I fed your darkness) both in regards to the sheer imbalance of damage shown onscreen between Ed and Izzy, but also doesn't work as a "putting Blackbeard behind us" scene when Izzy figuratively (and literally, if you count him as part of the group with the cannonball) killed his half of Blackbeard in the storm scene in 2x2, with whatever parts lingering in him killed with the unicorn scene in 2x4. After this point, his arc and his focus has very, very little to do with Blackbeard or hell, Ed in general besides the couple of comments made to Ed and Stede that cement that Izzy is happy that Ed moved on and found someone that makes him happy.

Izzy's arc has left Blackbeard behind already. He has already hit the emotional beat that the finale wants to retread.

And then the other part of his deathbed comments to Ed- "the crew loves you, Ed"- makes no sense from the Ed side of things. The show built up an arc for Izzy that would make people care when he died, but that arc was literally about the crew literally putting aside their differences/fear/distrust of each other to help, support, and accept Izzy as their figurehead, their protector, their friend, their recovery, their family, their (insert positive symbolism/metaphor for all of the VARIOUS implied flirtations here).

What did they have with Ed? Other than his moments with Stede and Fang, what relationships were built up before Izzy's death? Calypso's birthday included no scenes of the crew interacting with Ed other than the short Archie/Ed/Stede convo at the beginning. We get none of him talking to them when prepping for the party. He spends 2x7 and 2x8 with Stede, only having scenes with Stede, never building anything with the crew.

THE LAST SUBSTANTIAL INTERACTION ED HAS WITH THE CREW BEFORE IZZY DIES IS THE "INFLUENCER APOLOGY" IN 2X5 (other than with Fang in the boat). Holy shit, I didn't even realize that until I got to this point in the meta. I had realized that something felt wrong/off about the "the crew loves you line," but I thought that it was because 2x1-2x3 cast such a long shadow on the rest of the season that it was impossible to escape. No, there were cracks in the back half of the season as well.

All of which is to say: if you have to kill Izzy (which you really, really don't, btw, it makes little sense in a show where pretty much every character has survived a near death experience with nary a scratch, but for the sake of hypothetical), there is a way you can pull it off: you have the crew at Izzy's side as he dies instead of Ed. You have their relationship with Izzy at the forefront, because their relationship is the one that matters at this point in the narrative. You have Izzy die trying to save one of them, not by random gunshot.

And then after Izzy dies, you finally give the crew their agency back. You let Izzy's death be the last straw in THEIR arcs. You let them tell Ed that they cannot allow him to stay on the ship after everything. You let them tell him that they are putting their foot down, and he can go retire if he wants, but they will not let him destroy this crew anymore.

(Or, you know, you can have all of that with a death SCARE instead of an actual death, and allow Izzy to sail off into the sunset as a first mate instead of as a dead body. Because that would suit the tone of the show and the story better.)

But I have the feeling that point B (Izzy dying/his death scene) was the thing that was decided on first, and so the budget crunch/other factors may have led the writers into making the same mistake as so many before them have: writing point A out organically, and then failing to change Point B when it no longer fit the story they had written.

[lostbetweenvampiresandmusic]

Hello, could you write a story about the reader working in a small shop on boardwalk?

Pizzeria, cafeteria, hotdogs stand or something similar.

Dwayne goes there every day to see y/n. The boys are teasing him about it because he's buying stuff he doesn't like just to see y/n.

Y/n is perhaps scared of him because he doesn't talk much and just stares most of the times they see each other. But also has a crush on him, because i think it's obvious why xd.

I'm definitely not low-key in love with this idea? Absolutely not. No. (Hope you like this!💜)

Also, my requests are still open, so feel free to send me an ask :)

-----------------------------

If Laddie hadn't been begging for an ice cream cone, he would have never entered the shop. The Ice Dream was a brand-new store selling all kinds of frozen treats. The outside was painted in a bright yellow pastel colour - that probably looked lovely during the day, but was a rather ugly colour by night - and the inside was also a bright, pastel coloured fever dream. Definitely not a store Dwayne would have thought of entering of his own. But Laddie had asked, and he would do anything to make the kid happy.

"Hi, what can I get -" You stood behind the counter, starting cheerful but slowing down when you saw who entered. You didn't know who it was, but damn- he was hot. "You...?"

"Can I have a strawberry and a chocolate scoop?"

Only now did you notice the kid walking behind the man, who silently nodded. As you made the order, adding a bit of sprinkles after being asked, you noticed that he was staring at you. With a shy smile, you handed the young boy his ice cream before turning to the man. "Can I get you anything?"

He shook his head. "I'm good."

After he paid, he left the store, listening to Laddie exclaim that this was the best ice cream he ever had. Dwayne smiled, but couldn't help but think about the ice cream seller. They were cute, kind - and somehow, no matter what he did, he couldn't get them out of his head. So the next day, he went back to the store, taking Laddie along as an excuse.

"What's your favourite flavour?" Laddie asked you as he looked at the dozens of flavours, ready to be scooped.

"Blueberry," you answered, "but this orange lemon ice cream is also really good."

"Can I have those then?"

You smiled and nodded, once again noticing how the man - whose name you didn't know - was looking at you. Today, he looked kinder and a bit more approachable than the day before, but not by much. He was still rather intimidating. "You sure you don't want anything?" You asked, but he had already paid and left the store. You waved at the boy as he left, seeing the man smile. You sighed - he was really pretty. And scary.

The next day, Marko had picked up on Dwaynes plan of going to the Ice Dream again.

"What, do they sell bloodfavoured ice cream or something?"

"Nah, he just likes the one working there, right?"

"So?" Dwayne looked at Marko and Paul, shrugging. "It's not any of your business."

"It is when you're crushing on them." David piped in, causing Dwayne to sigh. "I don't have a crush. There's just something intriguing about them."

"Sounds like a crush to me."

The others agreed. Dwayne shook his head as he went to the store. This time, Laddie had just given him an order ("Please bring me the bluest and greenest ice cream they have?") while he waited in line for the carousel.

You looked up as the bell above the door rinkled. "Your kid must really love ice cream," you said with a smile as you wiped the counter. "What can I get you tonight?"

Dwayne gave his order, and you quickly made it for him. "That will be two fifty. Or," you shyly smiled, "we can do one fifty and a name?"

"Dwayne." He said, taking the cone, giving you one last, very intense look, and leaving after dropping five dollars on the counter. You hadn't even had the time to give him your name. But, you knew his. Dwayne. You hated to admit it to yourself, but you spent half your day just looking at the door, hoping he'd come in again. Luckily, for you, he did. Just never during the day.

In the days that followed, he showed up practically every night. Sometimes, with Laddie, sometimes without. Every time, he'd buy a cone - and you were certain that he'd never tasted a single bit of ice cream. Either Laddie ate it or some of the other guys he hung out with. So, after a week, you decided to confront him.

"Hey, I've got a question for you," you smiled as he entered the store.

"Hm?"

"Just tell me if I am right or not. I think you don't like ice cream. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"So, why do you come here every night?"

He was quiet for a moment before answering.

"To see you."

[bemusedlybespectacled]

Minor tangent but I have seen a specific criticism of OFMD multiple times that's along the lines of "the problem was the first three episodes being too dark and gritty instead of being our fluffy kind gay show."

And I strongly disagree with that criticism.

Like, Season 1 already had its dark and gritty moments. It was never 100% fluffy. Everything Ed does at the end of 1x10 (throwing Lucius overboard, cutting off Izzy's toe, marooning the crew, and kidnapping Jim and Frenchie) is the most obvious example, but there are others: Stede's experiences as a child, Ed's abusive father, Jim's family's murder. All of them are shown to still be affected years later in a way that impacts how they interact with other people, which is why it's emotionally satisfying when they find love despite it.

Addressing the events of the S1 finale in the first couple of episodes of S2 was vital. It solidifies just how devastated Ed is and how that devastation has affected everyone else, both negatively and positively, for a given value of "positive" (the Kraken crew is clearly closer as a result of their shared trauma). The scenes showing how being part of Stede's crew changed them for the better (talking to and hugging Izzy, Jim telling Fang the wooden boy story with the voices, etc.) were absolutely necessary and arguably the strongest parts of the show, and I don't think we would have had that if the stakes weren't so high. "Ed is a bit mopey sometimes, but it's not that bad!" just doesn't have the same oomph.

Had they pulled a Last Jedi and started 2x01 by throwing away all that build up from 1x10 and making a joke about it, it would have been a poorer show. The times when darker things were treated as a joke (Lucius' experience after being thrown overboard), flat-out ignored (Stede's fairly obvious anxiety disorder), or blown past because of time constraints (Ed getting voted off the ship and then reinstated as part of the crew within a day) were when the show was weakest.

The problem, of course, is that once you've acknowledged that impact, you need to keep acknowledging it. It needs to continue having an impact. And you can't do that if you don't have the time to explore it because you need to skip ahead to the part where everything's fine now.

I'm not saying that they needed to fully shift gears and stop being a comedy entirely. I think S1 threaded the needle pretty well in terms of balancing the conflict with humor. Like, Ed has a breakdown in the bathtub over murdering his father and what a horrible person he is and his plan to kill Stede, and none of that is a joke; the joke is when Stede checks to make sure Ed isn't going to kill him. The sad stuff can be taken seriously and we can still have humor to break the tension! We can do it! We have the technology!

But you can't have a serious thing happen for the sake of growth and then hand wave it away later when it's inconvenient. And you definitely can't introduce ways to break that tension (surprise, Stede is alive because he used This One Weird Trick!) and then not use it when it's inconvenient (surprise, Izzy is alive because he– oh, wait, no, he's dying for realsies).

The issue wasn't the show having dark and gritty bits at all. The issue was the lack of time for those dark and gritty bits to do their fucking job: being a catalyst for personal and relationship growth in a way that actually matters to and affects the story.

[matan4il]

hey sorry if this is disrespectful as a non-jew but ive been reading up on stuff and thinking about i/p and.

War is synonymous with mass death. There has not been a single war in the history of mankind that has not resulted in suffering. Even Sun Tsu, in his 25-century old The Art of War, emphasized the importance of peace and of nonviolent resolutions. so i really do not understand the watermelon-fixated dumbasses who cheered on the oct. 7 massacre then decried Israel's self defense as genocide. this is the "globalized intifada" they've been clamouring for. this is *exactly* what you're asking for when you cheer on hamas and their genocidal buddies. sorry that yank school never taught you that war is bad but this is how reality works. the real pro-palestine stance would be staunchly against hamas.

Hi Nonnie!

I'm not gonna lie, whenever I think about war, the one sentence that gets stuck in my head is, "war is hell." It is death, destruction, mayhem, and cruelty that has no bounds, even when it's not committed on purpose. Even the most justified of wars. I think one of the reasons we all keep going back to WWII is because it was simultaneously maybe the most justified war ever, literally fought to stop a fascist regime and its dictatorial partners from expanding their conquests of more and more land, occupying more and more people, bringing about more and more suffering (including the most extreme case of genocide in human history), and yet at the same time, it was also the single bloodiest conflict ever, and the war itself was cruel and brutal, certainly when we talk about acts committed by the Nazis and their collaborators, but on occasion there were atrocities committed by the allied soldiers, too (not to the same degree, and not as a part of their government's policy, but my point is that even fighters who are in battle for the best of reasons, as the allied soldiers were, have some among them, who commit terrible crimes. In part, because war blurs the lines of normal reality and morality).

And I'm saying all of this, because I truly believe that we, as human beings, should always aspire to avoid war whenever possible. I would have given EVERYTHING I could in order to stop Oct 7 from happening. Because the second that the massacre started, that's when this war began, and so many innocent lives were doomed, along with the terrorists. From the POV of what is internationally accepted as an act of war, Hamas firing 4,000 rockets into Israel in one day qualifies. Hamas breaching Israel's border and invading it with thousands of armed fighters qualifies. And without a doubt, Hamas committing the biggest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, while intentionally targeting civilians, and compounding the horror of so many deaths, with the rape and beheading and torture and abuse and then kidnapping of even more victims, it beyond qualifies as an act of war. In fact, on August 25, 2023 (a month and a half before the massacre), Hamas senior Saleh al-Arouri explicitly said in an Arabic interview that IT IS THEIR GOAL to, that THEY WANT to, start a "total war" with Israel.

Once Hamas made and executed that choice, it doesn't matter how much and how many Israelis may aspire to avoid war. We were already in one. We should always aspire to avoid war, but we also have to recognize that sometimes, the choice simply isn't in our hands. It wasn't in the hands of the British on Sep 1, 1939. And it wasn't in ours on Oct 7, 2023.

And the thing is that war IS hell. Like I said, the massacre of Oct 7 was already war. Which means, it was already hell. Certainly for its victims, but it also was already a hell that every Israeli will carry with them for decades to come. And if we don't want ANOTHER war, if we don't want ANOTHER HELL, then we have to be sure that Hamas, those who chose to start this war, will pay for it in such a way that they can't start another one, and so that others will be deterred from starting one, too (I'm thinking mainly of Hezbollah and Iran, but all Islamists need to see a western democracy not backing down from defending itself in a war it did not choose).

THAT is the meaning behind the ancient Latin phrase, "Si vis pacem, para bellum." If you want peace, prepare for war. It's the understanding that sometimes, for the sake of peace in the long run, you have to be prepared to fight in the near future.

(remember in 2014, as the pope released doves in a symbolic gesture of hoping for peace in Ukraine, and they ended up being attacked?)

I want peace. I have always wanted peace. I was the ridiculous kid, who had a "peace diary" where I wrote every day about how much I wanted peace, and how I hoped it was coming. I'm not writing that diary anymore, but I still want it, and I still believe that one day, we WILL have peace.

But it's not going to happen as long as there are extremists on Israel's borders, who still believe they can genocide us a second time, and are willing to start a war to achieve that. When they give up on that "dream," when they finally see that it will always fail, and in the process, they will suffer hell along with us to such a degree that it just won't be worth it, that's when we'll have real peace. That's when both Israelis and Palestinians will finally be safe from the threat of another hell being unleased on us. We'll have real peace, not the kind made to get something from the other side, but because both sides want peace over war for themselves (that's what the crucial mistake of the "land for peace" formula was IMO. It should be "peace for peace." With agreed land concessions, obviously. But it should be clear that the big prize both sides get is peace itself, and not that one side is doing the other a favor, and giving it peace in exchange for something material, because that kind of peace is an abstract concept, that can be withdrawn at any moment when it's not something the "giver" values for themselves. That's what happened with the Oslo accords, the PLO got territories, self rule and international legitimization, then as admitted by Imad Faluji, the Palestinian Communications Minister, Yasser Arafat planned the launch of the violent riots and wave of terrorist attacks known as the second intifada once he concluded he got as many material prizes out of the accords as he could).

On a side note, when the total number of people killed on both sides during the two intifadas was in the thousands, and the injured in the tens of thousands, IDK how anyone can claim that the call to "globalize the intifada" is anything other than a call for violence and death. The fact that this chant is coming from the same crowd that claims to be pro-peace when they demand a ceasefire now is truly deranged, and can only be rightly addressed with memes...

Sorry for the length, I guess it's still hard to process the inability of people to understand that sometimes, we don't want a war, but we do grasp that we have to fight one, even at the cost of possibly our own life or the lives of those dearest to us, even when it's bloody and nasty and hell, and civilian casualties are impossible to avoid thanks to Hamas' choice of using Gazans as human shields. I'm not sure if this helped, but I hope it somehow did! xoxox

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[zmediaoutlet]

"So how was it?" Dean says.

Sam squints at him. Crazy-bright day, light reflecting off every car, bouncing back from the license plate frame on the Buick in front of them. "How was what?"

He gets a significant look but then there's a honk and Dean waves irritably at the guy behind them, moves forward a half car-length like that means something. Sam said they should've just taken 87 instead of the state highway, but apparently that wouldn't have been as good a drive, so here they are, bumper to bumper. Some accident they can't see up ahead.

"Dean," Sam says, when they're essentially parked again. "How was what?"

Dean stretches back, knees spread wide around the steering wheel. "Uh, let's see," he says, and sucks his lower lip like he's really thinking. "The tonsil hockey? The tongue tango? The vertical v-grab—"

"You're the worst," Sam says, loudly, and Dean grins whitely out at the traffic. Relaxed. Probably more relaxed now that Sam feels blood rising in his cheeks, like he really did something. The dick. They roll forward another few feet and Sam braces his elbow on the open window, looking out at the growing green, the budding trees. Springtime in upstate New York, not the worst it could be.

"Sarah seemed like she'd be good at it," Dean says. Sam rolls his eyes, smacks vaguely to his left, catches leather jacket. Dean swats his hand away. "Hey, that ain't a dig. I admire a chick who'll really go for it. And, buddy, the way she was looking at you."

Sometimes it's like he thinks Sam's blind. Like, the only reason is that he doesn't notice. He sucks the inside of his cheek, squints out at the random field out past the highway. Cows, in the distance. "She was good at it," he says, finally. Soft where it counted, confident in the way that a lot of gorgeous girls are. Curving into his body but not limp or just opening her mouth for it and waiting for him to be done. Her tongue tasted like earl grey tea. He can taste it now, and rubs his fingers over his mouth.

Dean's been quiet, letting off the brake and rolling forward a carlength at a time. "You want to…" he starts, but what goes there? They weren't going to stay. They never were. Even an extra day didn't make sense, because what was going to happen—Sam taking the open invite, letting himself try, knowing that in the motel across town Dean was cooling his heels with motel porn and a takeout pizza, waiting for Sam to shoot his load so they'd be ready to pack up and leave the state? No, that wasn't going to happen. Not fair to Sarah, no matter if Sam explained the score, and it wasn't fair to Sam, and it wasn't fair, either, to…

More honking, somewhere behind them. They check the rearview at the same time, annoyed, and Dean mutters, "Like that helps?"

Sam turns on his side of the bench, putting his back to the window. Dean glances at him and then looks back out at the cars, frowning. "What do you think I'm missing?" Sam says. "With this stuff. Perfume? Long hair?"

"Perfume I can do, but I draw the line at wearing a wig for you," Dean says. Sam huffs and Dean glances over at him again, smiling. Kind of smiling anyway. "Not trying to—to be weird about it, or pick a fight or anything, Sammy. I just know you wanted…" He shakes his head, slouches back on the bench with two fingers hooked low on the steering wheel. "I don't want you to be—missing anything. I know, we got a job, and it's important. I'm not, like, trying to get you to move into a two-bedroom in New Paltz. I just don't want you to hate this any more than you do already."

Traffic judders to a halt again. Sam nods, looks out at the blinding chrome. His eyes smart. He sniffs, and drags his hand over his face, and then leans over the bench seat and gets his hand on Dean's jaw and turns his face and kisses him. Dean's lips startle open and Sam closes his eyes and licks in, pressing deep, Dean's hand gripping his jacket and Dean's breath filling his mouth. Coffee, salt. Sam tips so his forehead's against Dean's, their noses brushing. "Don't worry about what I'm missing," Sam says.

Dean's knuckles against his chest. He breathes in, shaky.

Honking. Dean takes a quick deep breath and pulls back, doesn't look at Sam. Traffic opening maybe, a little, ahead. They slide forward a car-length and then another. "Might make it to Allentown before dark after all," he says. His ear's pink. Sam sits back into the corner of the bench and smiles at the side of his head. "Shut up," Dean says, and Sam smiles out the window instead, the grown-grass verge starting to blur as they pick up speed. He wasn't going to say a thing.