#ESPECIALLY five potatoes high

[spineless-lobster]

The fact that the cbs airing of bbc ghosts cut all the iconic jokes like five potatoes high, bagsy her room, and answer the question damn your eyes just for extra ad time is the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard

It’s like cutting an angels wings what the fuck is wrong with you?!

[maybe-moonchild]

CH4 𓆣 James Potter x Slytherin Reader summary: the first match of the season arrives and you receive the last name 'POTTER'. wc: 6.3k ⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ ☾ ﾟ

The first Saturday in November arrived and you were so nervous that you couldn’t eat breakfast. 

You’d barely been able to sleep either, having arrived at the dining hall earlier than necessary. Every nervous drum of your fingers against the table did nothing to calm your nerves. Absentmindedly pushing your eggs around your plate did nothing for your appetite to return.

Lance was in the same boat like usual, always a bundle of anxieties before each game. He was the picture of overthinking. His leg bounced before you finally nudged it with your knee. When you quit, Keith quit without a second thought. He’d been the Slytherin seeker, having spent the past five years going head to head with Lance to go after the snitch. 

“This is weird, huh?” Keith sighed as he slipped into the seat across from you. The two of you shared a grimace while Lance barely hummed in response. “I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t playing on game day.”

“First game. Fifth year,” Lance droned. “You had detention.”

Pausing from reaching over our friend, Keith considered that before shrugging. That checked out, you hadn’t won that game which had been a massive disappointment for your house. 

“Sounds like you’ll be catching a lot more snitches this year,” he teased and dropped eggs on his plate.

Lance mumbled something in Spanish. The only thing you could make out was something like ‘bite me’.

You nudged Lance's plate in his direction to get his attention. “Stop freaking out. They have a new Slytherin seeker. How good can they be?”

The Gryffindor shot you a flat look, “You’re  literally freaking out too.”

“So?” You scowled. “Different reasons.”

Keith tossed a breakfast potato at both of your heads to divert the tension. It was a weird morning and the last thing anyone needed was more weight hanging over the results of the match. 

“You,” he pointed at Lance, “Stop spiraling. I helped with tryouts last year, unless our house has been harboring a secret quidditch star, you're fine. They were all awful.”

Your smug look vanished when it was your turn to be pointed at. “You, also stop spiraling. If Gryffindor loses, Kaston never even needs to know you were involved. There. Now pass me the bacon.”

It didn’t take long for Remus and Peter to join you, soon followed by the other star players, Sirius and James. You were holding it together but every second that ticked closer to the start of the game just made the dam of panic harder to contain. 

“I’ll make sure to send a bludger directly into Kastons face,” Sirius winked as he slipped between Remus and Lance.

“Focus on the plays Black.”

James chuckled as he squeezed to sit beside you, nearly spilling Peter’s orange juice to make room. "Now, now, Padfoot," he said with a grin. "We want to win this match fair and square. No need to stoop to Kaston's level."

The atmosphere at the Gryffindor table was buzzing with excitement and anticipation. The first game of the season was always a big deal, and this one especially so, with the tension between Gryffindor and Slytherin running high this year.

Somehow, the act of Remus elbowing Sirius in the side looked incidental. “Don’t get disqualified in the first game of the season. You already know how thin of ice you're on already with McGonagall.”

“Watch it you tosser,” he muttered around a mouthful of breakfast. 

“Oh my god, please don’t get disqualified,” you groaned, covering your face in your hands. Someone clapped you on the shoulder but you didn’t bother to look up. “Why am I so nervous? I never got this nervous the past six years and I’m not even playing.”

“Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to catch the snitch in the first five seconds since I’m no longer up against Keith,” Lance joked, grinning at the bored looking Slytherin at his side, donned in his jersey. Keith always got Lance’s good sweaters considering he hoarded most of them the entire year. 

You were content enough to watch the game in the red and gold scarf, paired with the matching mittens. 

James tried to give you a reassuring smile, hoping to ease your worries. When you still hadn’t looked up, he sighed and lifted your head with one hand. "We'll do fine," he said, his tone comforting, yet determined. "We have practiced our asses off, and we know all of Kaston's tricks."

He knew this game was important to you. To him it was maybe even more personal than just... house pride.

“Now shush and eat something so you don’t make yourself sick. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

You held his gaze, glowering under his cheerful watch. James just leaned over you, his arm grazing yours as he dropped your favorite muffin on your plate. Letting him win, you picked up your muffin in defeat in the hopes that his good luck would continue and translate to the score.

“If I wasn’t so desperate for you to win,  I’d hope your karma comes in the form of a quaffle to the head,” you grumbled back,voice lacking any real bite.

“Here, I’ll hand feed you. Hand me your fork.”

“Taking it back. I hope you win and get a quaffle to the head.”

Eventually the players needed to head down to the locker rooms to get ready to warm up. The groups said their goodbyes, exchanging words of encouragement before splitting up. 

You joined the players, no one batting much of an eye that you were hanging around after you’d been doing it the past two months. 

“Kastons aim is better when he has the chance to be still. Odds are, if he’s not stopped, he’ll hit the bludger at the closest player, specifically to his left,” I rambled, going over what I could for the hundredth time in the past few days. “Simmons is faster when going up and to the right. When going to goal, aim down and left. Oh! And-”

James listened to you intently, his expression focused as he tied his shoes and pulled on his jersey. He knew how important this information was for the upcoming game, but at some point, what was done was done. There was no more drilling and studying that could be done besides applying everything he knew. 

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he glanced over at you, "I got it, I got it," he assured you, a hint of playful teasing in his tone. "I've got it down, don't worry."

He stood up and stretched, turning to face you fully. At some point over the past two months, his physical touch no longer felt foreign, his hands coming to grasp your shoulders until you relaxed. 

James smiled at you, eyebrow cocked as he waited for you to crack. It only took a few seconds before you folded, finding it impossible to do anything but bite down on your lip in semblance of remaining stoic. But James knew he had you when he grinned proudly. 

It was hard not to believe in him when he looked so damn sure of himself. 

Despite how obnoxious you’d always found him, you actually enjoyed spending the past few weeks scheming and strategizing. 

And as much as you hated Elias Kaston- which you did vehemently with a white hot passion- if he hadn’t ran you off the Slytherin quidditch team… well, you wouldn’t be standing there, face inches from James’s very pretty one. 

You liked being there. 

Seemingly satisfied that you were no longer about to fly off the handle, he stepped back to continue getting ready for the match. The match you had to believe he was going to successfully lead his team to win.

“I know. I know that. You’re… you’re great.” When you realized what you’d said, your eyes widened and you stuttered to correct yourself. “At quidditch. You’re great at quidditch and you’ll be fine.”

Damn it, the damage was already done. James couldn't help but grin as you corrected yourself, a mischievous glint flickering in his eyes. 

"What was that? You think I'm great? Sorry, did I hear that right? You did use the word great, yeah?" 

At the realization you’d just made his ego swell before your eyes, you hang your head in defeat. 

“Oh, I'm never going to hear the end of this,” you groaned under your breath, arms folding over your chest as you leaned back against the locker. 

Sirius grinned as he passed, “Oh you are certainly not.” You scowled when he clapped you on the shoulder. The two boys exchanged nods, Sirius first as if giving his friend the okay to do something. You were a bit too distracted taking a breath to calm your nerves that were threatening to bubble up again. 

Most of the team had either already slipped oJames reached for his bag, rummaging around for a moment before pulling out the extra jersey. He held it up, presenting it to you as he stood up from the bench.

"Here," he offered, his eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint. "You better wear this and cheer extra loud for me. A good luck charm for us." 

out of the locker room and onto the pitch, the space growing quieter but the sound rising as students filled the stands. That was your cue to find the rest of the group and take your seat. 

James took a breath and reached for his bag, rummaging around for a moment. "Here," he offered, his eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint. You barely managed to catch it as you held it up, inspecting it with furrowed brows.

It was his spare jersey. The shirt was the exact same as yours had once been, aside from the red and gold material and the name POTTER stitched on the back. You’d barely registered what it was before looking up to see James already back towards the door.

"You better wear this and cheer extra loud for me. A good luck charm for us." 

“Why?” you blurted out. All you received in response was a shrug, cheeky grin and a wink before he was gone, the curtains of the tent flapping closed behind him. That was it; he was gone and it was just you and his jersey remaining in the locker room. 

That was totally on purpose. 

You scoffed, mouth falling open in disbelief. “That asshole.”

For a while, you couldn’t bring yourself to do anything but stare at. The material was familiar in your hands, making you frown as you studied it like it would make everything make sense. 

If you put it on, you were accepting something. You just didn’t know what that was. That was what scared you. Putting on this jersey wasn’t the same as throwing on one of Lance’s generic sweaters in support of the Gryffindors.

You wouldn’t just be supporting their house; you would be supporting James Potter specifically. You would be broadcasting that support right on your back. 

Not wearing it… well, it would be rude not  to wear it…

You were quick to strip off Lance’s scarf and toss it into his locker, slipping James’s jersey over your head. Maybe if you somehow did it fast enough, it wouldn’t have happened by your own doing. Like magic. 

Finding Peter, Remus and Keith in the sea of red took longer than you anticipated. It was a struggle to track their faces through the giddy students nearly bouncing in their seats. You pushed through to join them, ignoring their shared and knowing looks as you took your seat.

You had maybe three, whole seconds of peace. 

Keith grinned, his smirk widening as he studied the jersey you were wearing. "What's this? Trying to show some Gryffindor pride?" He teased playfully, bumping your shoulder with his own.

“Shut it.” You didn’t even turn in his direction, focusing up at the players warming up around the pitch. 

“Just saying.”

“You also ‘just said’ that there was something particularly softer about Lance’s sweaters-” your mumble was cut off by a playful swat of your head but you didn’t miss the pink flooding Keith's cheeks. 

“He doesn’t use magic to wash his clothes, they are softer.”

“Yeah, yeah.” You waved a dismissive hand in his direction, your eyes narrowing in Kastons direction when you saw him flying around. “I get it. I’m a real cheerleader.”

Remus, who was sitting on your other side, raised an eyebrow. While he said nothing, you knew he had something to say. Whatever it was, he kept it to himself and pretended to be very interested in the players above your heads. 

“Well, we are happy to have you in the stands with us today,” Peter said warmly as he leaned forward, flashing you a smile that you returned wholeheartedly. 

Watching the place you had once been spent all of your free time hurt, but not as badly as you’d anticipated it to. There was a flash of a moment that your eyes stung, throat constricting around the fact that your time playing quidditch had come to an end. As quickly as it came, it was gone; because it was okay. 

You’d get over it, you really would. That was clear now. 

You also had more fun with quidditch the past two months than you had the past six years. No one had undermined your abilities or ideas, your efforts were appreciated, taken into play. It just felt right. While you were a good player, maybe you were a better coach when you had a receptive team. 

James hovered in the center, running over your notes and information in his head as he accounted for all of the Slytherin players. His teammates worked on practice drills, warming up and exuding tenacity. 

The sight of you wearing his jersey caused a wide grin to spread across his face, and he fought hard to keep his focus on warming up and not swooning. The knowledge that you were proudly donning his jersey to watch him play had his heart racing with adrenaline.

Sirius' laughter rang out from where he was circling, slowing to a stop beside James. "You know, you’re  probably going to be insufferable after the game," he teased, his eyes glinting with amusement.

James couldn't help himself. He smirked up at Sirius, his eyes gleaming with a fire that couldn't be contained. "Oh, absolutely, Pads. I'll be riding this high for weeks. No, months. I'll ride this high for months."

A wry smile tugged at Sirius’s lips. "Months, eh?" He asked, arching an eyebrow playfully. "Are you sure it'll be months and not years?"

"Probably," James agreed with a nod, his cocky grin widening. He glanced down, his gaze resting on your form once again. Your eyes darted around the players, making it clear you were running plays through your own head like James was doing himself. Occasionally, you’d lean over and murmur something to Keith, directing him towards a Slytherin player with a nod of your head. 

James could get used to his name stretched across your back and he wasn’t even scared of that thought anymore. 

Gryffindor played with a ferocity and focus they had never played with before. Their plays were clean, flight patterns direct and intentional as the Slytherins struggled to catch up. They didn’t even know what hit them. Every move they made was calculated, as if they knew exactly what would happen next. Which they kinda did, thanks to you. 

James was unstoppable, relentless as he flew around the pitch, scoring goal after goal

Kaston's frustration was evident on his face and in his flying, his anger growing and making his bludger hits erratic. He lost control on where he was sending them and they rarely met their mark. 

You cheered. You cheered with every goal, cupping your hands around your mouth to yell with the crowd. The energy was electric and you were not disappointed at the experience. 

You couldn’t place the exact Kaston figured it out. At some point he had, likely when he saw you repping ‘Potter’ on your back and realized that all of Slytherin’s tactics had spread to their rival team. Which was why Sirius had to block three bludgers that Kaston had tried to hit into the stands, another attempt to take your head off and you weren’t even playing. 

No one seemed to notice that it was intentional aside from you and your friends around you. The game had become ruthless and fierce, with every score against Kaston sending a wave of pride and excitement through the crowd. The tension was palpable, the atmosphere charged with the intensity that was building between the players.

You were on the edge of your metaphorical seat when Lance and the new Slytherin seeker caught sight of the snitch. Given the score, 130 to 40, you expected the fight to catch the snitch would be more intense given it normally was between Keith and Lance. 

But no, Lance left him in the dust; easily weaving through the game in pursuit. 

And then, the moment you had all been waiting for – Lance finally caught it. The crowd went wild, cheering and screaming as the Gryffindor team surged forward, celebrating their victory. Your section erupted in celebration, the energy infectious as they all stood to cheer and yell in celebration.

You nearly lost your footing when Remus, Keith and Peter slung their arms over your shoulders, their whoops and hollers making you laugh. 

He had done it- well the entire team worked for the win- but James was the one that delivered his promise. He led his team to victory, kept his end of the deal to humiliate Kaston and his team after what they had done. They swarmed their captain, clapping for themselves and their performance. 

James, grinning brightly on his broom, shoving his dark hair off of his forehead and clapping his team on the back, had never looked more like the sun. 

There was a collective wince from the crowd when Kaston slammed right into James on their descent. You gasped as the force of the impact sent both boys tumbling to the ground. It didn’t stop there as Kaston and James grappled in the grass, their limbs twisting in a dangerous dance as both fought to regain control.

Your eyes were wide, completely taken aback at the blatant violence from your old teammate. Remus didn’t miss a beat, shoving at your shoulder to get you to move. 

“Go. Go. Go,” Remus urged and you moved, pushing Keith forward who complied. The four of you shoved through the crowd and down down the stands, all of the students starting to cheer or boo depending on their hoped outcome of the fight. 

By the time you got down there, fists were flying. 

Everyone was yelling as you jogged over, both teams adding fuel to the fire as they circled the altercation. Sirius was not attempting to hold James back, instead chest to chest with Alder as they shoved at each other. Lance was shouting to calm the two of them down but no one seemed to be listening. 

You slowed to a stop, hands flying to cover your mouth at the sight of James; his usual happy go lucky demeanor something else entirely. He was nearly unrecognizable, grappling on his back before managing to get the upper hand. 

Keith intervened first, like always, to run and step between Lance and Alder. Remus was moving forward in an instant, focusing on yanking Sirius back to keep the violence from spreading. You just stood there, unable to move. It wasn’t like you could really help at this moment.

Kaston's eyes were filled with fury as threw James off of him and onto the grass. "You think you've won," he spat, his voice laced with anger. "You think she's won this game for you. But you've got another thing coming."

"You think you can get away with that?" James shouted, his voice echoing across the field. "You'll pay for last year you Git!”

He moved fast, launching himself at the Slytherin captain with a violent intensity. A sickening crack echoed through the silence as his fist connected with Kastons’ jaw, sending him stumbling backwards with a pained cry. Your hands flew to cover your mouth in shock, unable to move from your spot beside a wide eyed Peter. 

Kaston roared in pain and anger, launching himself into the fight with a feral growl. He pounced forward, landing a hard punch of his own into James’s nose with a satisfying crack.

"You think you're above me, Potter," he growled, hatred seeping into every word. "But you're just a lucky prat with a pretty face. And she-“

James stumbled back from the intensity of the hit, his teeth gritted as the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. Anger flared through him like wildfire, his vision tinted red as he launched himself at Kaston once more. 

"Shut. Up," James growled, his breath coming in quick, shallow gasps of air. His nostrils flared as he wiped his bloody nose on his forearm, his expression filled with rage. "Don't you dare mention her," he snarled. "Do you know what I'm going to do to you, you filthy rat?"

Sirius and Remus were trying to separate the two, but they weren't having much luck. Sirius pulled at James, trying his best to pry him off of Kaston. "James, snap out of it!" As Dumbledore and McGonagall, followed by Slughorn, crossed the field in a concerned hurry, you were at least thankful that no one was swinging anymore. 

Lance helped keep James at bay with the others. You were hardly surprised that Keith was trying to keep Kaston back, only because he didn’t have to be gentle with the asshole. 

Tension seemed to be dying down, the fire in their eyes starting to diminish as their flared nostrils turned to panted breaths. You were stunned and maybe you shouldn't have been considering Kaston tended to speak with violence. 

Kaston managed to make note of you, his eyes finding your place in the crowd. 

“Enjoy the mudblood, blood-traitor.” His sneer revealed his red tinged teeth before he spit near your feet. 

You sucked in a breath, stiffening at the word like it had delivered a blow to your own face. It set James off again, the boys stopping him mid lunge from landing another blow. 

"You don't get to speak to her like that," James seethed, his voice low and dangerous. He felt a fire surging through him, his teeth gritted, his fists clenched so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

But Remus held him back firmly, his eyes dark with anger. "Prongs, enough," he said, his voice low but stern. "You need to calm down."

“What on Earth- Potter! Mr. Kaston,” McGonagall shrieked, her voice cutting through the chaos. All of the spectators in the crowd barely quieted themselves but the players on the field were happy to fall still. “Enough! Both of you, to your locker rooms now!”

James’s shoulders heaved up and down but, without tearing his eyes away from Kaston, he let his friends tug at him until his feet moved. 

From the pursed lips and set stance of your professor, she clearly was livid, containing her emotions until she unleashed them later. Most likely that rage would be directed at Kaston because he had thrown the first punch and called you something no one should ever be called. 

“Both of you will report to my office immediately after you are presentable.”

It seemed Slughorn was in agreement as he curtly nodded, looking flabbergasted at the behavior of the new quidditch captain he’d picked for the Slytherin house. As if on cue, he caught your eye. Slughorn frowned and you looked towards the ground. It wasn’t like things couldn’t be pieced together now; why you’d turned down his offer to resume your position as captain for a second year after being so successful. 

If you could lift your head up, then you would've seen the matching frowns on Dumbledore’s and McGonagall’s faces, the two of them likely putting together the same events. 

The two groups retreated as they were told. Despite spending the past hour standing out in the November chill, you were hot all over. You watched James’s back, watched his head turn and he caught your eye. Instantly, the fire in his eyes seemed to dim immediately at the sight of your distress. 

James’s blood still boiled with anger and anger consumed him, but he forced himself to look away. He didn't want to see the look on your face – he didn't want to see the disappointment or disgust. He couldn't bear it.

And then he was gone, successfully shoved through the curtains of the Gryffindor locker room by Remus. 

“What the hell just happened?” you breathed out, eyes trained on the spot he had just disappeared. Only Peter remained at your side, the other boys having followed James to follow McGonagall orders. 

"Bloody hell," Peter muttered under his breath. "James went mad. I’ve never seen him so angry before."

Now that the show was over, the students' excitement began to settle, their interest no longer obtained as they trickled out of the stands. You glanced at the professors speaking in hushed tones as they huddled together. As soon as you made eye contact with McGonagall, it was clear that you were a part of their conversation. 

So you nudged Peter and nodded towards the exit. “Come on. Let’s head back and wait for them.”

It was almost an hour before Lance and Keith spilled into the Gryffindor dorm room, sans one James Potter. You and Peter had opted to sit on the beds in quiet- well you were quiet- quiet and appreciative of Peter filling the silence in an attempt to brighten the mood. 

They informed you that after James’s cool down, he’d gone off to have a stern talking to with McGonagall before being sent to the infirmary. It was clear by your fidgeting that you were dying to go there to see him.

You weren’t sure whether you wanted to hit him yourself or-

Oh. 

Oh.

Clearly you must’ve been more shaken up than you had thought if… kissing him… had been… instinctual…

That was weird.

Waiting around became too much after two minutes but no one seemed surprised when you shoved off the bed and out of the room. You had to remind yourself not to run through the halls, especially when the occasional student passing by glanced in your direction. The need to see him, see that he was okay and why he didn’t stop fighting him and ask him why you felt so overwhelmingly concerned for his stupid well being- you just needed to see him. 

You might've over compensated with your enthusiasm, shoving open the infirmary door a bit harder than you intended. You almost stumbled into the room, catching yourself before actually tripping. When you looked up, there were three pairs of eyes already on you. 

James sat up straighter immediately, his eyes wide in anticipation of your presence. His jersey had been exchanged for a dark colored sweater and jeans. That served as a reminder that you were still clad in his own jersey, the sleeves rolled up so you didn’t drown in its size. All traces of blood had been wiped from his face, his perfectly messy hair indicative that he’d showered before Madam Pomfrey cared for his injuries. 

There was little evidence of the fight at all. Aside from the faint bruises on his cheek, jaw, and nose that were already healing. You still were impressed with the magic of healing in the wizarding world.  

“Hi,” you said lamely.

Sirius had to look down in an effort to not laugh, receiving a subtle kick from Remus to shut up. 

James couldn't help but feel a tinge of anxiety as you took in his injuries, feeling self-conscious as your eyes studied his face. He still was unable to look away as he tried to guess what was running through your mind.

Perhaps you were disappointed or even disgusted at his behavior. 

“Hi,” James returned just as breathlessly. 

The boys exchanged a look before getting to their feet. If your presence wasn’t enough of a sign to leave you alone, then the long stare the two of you shared only solidified that their presence was unnecessary. Their movement in your peripheral finally made you look away and clear your throat. 

“Hey.” You greeted them again as you approached the bed just to break the quiet. 

“Hey, hey, hey! Look who it is!” Sirius called out, a beaming grin crossing his face at the sight of you. "The mastermind behind our win!”

From across the room, Remus raised an eyebrow and glanced at James, giving him a knowing look. He missed it entirely since he was too busy staring at you. Sirius' eyes twinkled with mirth as he greeted you with a mock salute to break the ice.

You shook your head, “No. That was all you guys. Congratulations. You played really well, cleanest game in a while.”

“Cleanest game I’d seen. Well, up until Kaston got his blood all over the field-”

“Padfoot, out. Now.” Remus just groaned silently, ensuring you and James that they would see you later as he pulled a pouting Sirius out of the infirmary. 

For the past hour, you hadn’t been able to get your brain to shut off. Memories had been playing on a loop, plaguing your mind with images of James’s head snapping back or the glob of blood tinged spit landing in the grass at your feet. 

But now, standing there in front of him, you couldn’t think of a single thing to say. 

You expelled all of the air from your cheeks just so there was sound before dropping down on the edge of the bed. A sudden urge to reach out and touch him shot through your nerves, insisting that you brush the hair from his forehead, to trace his split lip with your fingertip. Purple ebbed along his knuckles, matching the purple on the bridge of his nose under the frames of his glasses. 

“I think this was proof enough that you truly are the most dramatic person I’ve ever met.”

His shoulders sagged in relief, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips, despite the pain that still coursed through him. He let out a soft chuckle, his eyes shining with warmth. You did the same, peeking up at him from your lashes to confirm some of the tension had broken. 

Your quiet voices carried along the stone, the empty infirmary lacking any audience. Kaston must’ve been recovering separately to prevent any more altercation. 

"What can I say," he shrugged, an easy grin spreading across his face, "if I'm going to get myself into trouble, I at least want to make it memorable."

“Oh, I’m aware.” You leaned over him to pick the half melted ice pack up from the table, tossing it between your hands absentmindedly. “How much detention did you get?”

"Oh, you know me, just a week's worth. Got an earful of it from Minnie.” He reached over and snatched the ice pack from your hands and placed it back on his shoulder, wincing at the cold. “Just her usual ‘hitting is wrong even if deserved’ and ‘leaning more on your back leg will land a harder hit’.”

There was more damage hidden under his sweater, the sling on the end table was evidence of that. You grimaced at the sight, guilt tugging the smile on your face into a frown. He’d really gotten hurt at the end of the match, hitting and getting hit in front of the entire school. 

You looked down and sighed, “Sorry. This shouldn’t have happened. That was… oh god… that was bad and you shouldn’t be sitting here like this.”

James shook his head instantly, looking somber as he scooted down the bed to sit next to you. 

“Hey, don’t apologize. I wanted to hit him, and he deserves it, honestly. He’s a prick. I should’ve done it before."

His hip brushed your lower back as he settled closer. your breath would’ve caught in your throat but you were too distracted by him reaching out to touch your chin. You let him nudge your head in his direction, reluctantly meeting his eye, unable to look away. 

“Can’t say I’m not jealous,” you snorted softly. “I’ve been itching to hit him since first year.”

Not trusting yourself, you kept your hands clasped together in your lap, attempting to suppress the urge to touch him back.

"Jealous? No need to be. I'd be happy to lend you my services any time. Just say the word, and I'll hold him down so you can land a hit or two.”

And then he smiled. 

Your stomach did that thing, a flipping sensation that you always associated with nose diving on your broom. Pulling up at the last second kept you from smashing every bone in your body. The risk only made the thrill more intense the longer you could go before giving in. 

Right then, you were well aware that you were horribly and irrevocably fucked.

James' hand didn’t fall away when you looked down at the comforter. He only secured the home of his touch on your face, cupping your jaw with the faintest of touches. 

“Congratulations, by the way,” you said after a long second, voice softening unsurely under his stare. 

"For what? The fight or the win?" he asked, ducking his head to try and meet your eye. James got quieter as he found it harder to bite down his smile. "For being so great?" 

You rolled your eyes but the flat look you tried to give him was far too fond to do any damage. All it did was make you aware of how close the two of you were. 

“All three. It was great,” I breathed out, leaning into his hand as we sat side by side on the edge of the infirmary bed. “It was really great.”

"Not as great as seeing you in my jersey." His hand on your cheek grew firmer as he allowed himself to feel the warmth of your skin against his fingertips.

Your head was beginning to spin, thoughts tangled in a dizzying mess of questions and desires. But amid the chaos, one thing remained clear: you enjoyed being with him, more than you ever had thought possible.

James Potter had an ego the size of a lake, but a heart to match.

James’s leg dangled off the edge of the infirm bed, the toe on his hightop grazing your own. The other was tucked under him, adding more contact between his shin and your thigh. The two of you had spent the past two months bumping elbows, his chest brushing against your back when he’d lean from behind you to read something over your shoulder. 

At the beginning of the year, his touch made you tense, you’d hold your breath until the moment passed. Along the way, it stopped feeling like your heart was thrown off the top of the astronomy tower as you formed a routine together. 

This was different. This was intentional. 

You wondered if he could feel how hot your face was under his palm. It was almost embarrassing, how you felt like one of the first year girls that would giggle with their friends as he ran past. It would’ve been embarrassing if it didn’t feel so good. So you leaned your head into his hand.

“You make no sense. It’s like, anytime I think I have you figured out, I realize I have you all wrong, again.”

With a cocky grin, he leaned in towards you, his face mere inches from yours. "Ah, but that's what makes me interesting, isn’t it?" he teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Keeps you on your toes, keeps you guessing. I'm a complete mystery. I don't even understand myself sometimes." 

You scoffed and he leaned a bit closer, the warmth of his breath now brushing against your cheek. "But isn't that what makes me so fascinating?”

“I still think the most fascinating thing about you is how you manage to get your massive head in the air with your broom,” you murmured.

“Oh, you thought my head was big before? Just wait until you see how big it is after I do this.”

James closed the distance, his mouth finding yours with ease. His thumb slid under your chin to tilt your head back, allowing him to lean further over you. 

You’d had your fair share of kisses over the past few years, but none had ever felt like this. This was like drinking liquid luck until you got sick. You gripped his collar, pulling yourself closer and he was happy to wrap an arm around your waist to tug you closer. 

Every sense was heightened, the touch of his mouth sending your mind spiraling. Everything faded away, the world narrowing down to the feeling of his tongue swiping your bottom lip, the slight weight of his hand resting against the side of your neck, the sound of your own uneven breaths.

This was what it must have been like to taste the sun. It was like laying under an open window and basking in the early morning light on the first day of summer. Tangling your hands in his hair was like growing roots into the earth as it orbited around the sun.

You were burning alive and nothing had ever felt better. 

The two of you pulled back after what felt like both an eternity and no time at all, your breathing ragged and eyes wide. You searched his face for any sign of dislike and were ecstatic when you couldn’t even imagine what that would like on his face. 

Not when the two of you were breaking into smiles. 

If you had thought James Potter glowed before, now he was blinding.

“Yeah,” he drew out and brushed your hair behind your ear. “I’m about to be insufferable now that I’ve finally done that.”

quid pro quo master list here

[zyettemoon1800]

Thomas Hewitt going to a cook out

Right off the bat, he is really nervous AF.

He has only ever met your mom and grandma and while they were both very nice and open to him, he is not sure the rest of your family will be the same way. Especially the men and children.

Though he is not a talkative fellow, you understand through this body language that he is nervous and uncomfortable with going to the cookout.

However, you assured him that everything would be okay and between your mom, Grandma, and you no one would mess with him and stay.

Though that made him feel a little better, he still had his doubts about it, but he decided to do it for you.

You both still had a bunch of time before the event started so you decided to cook one of Thomas's favorite side oven baked macaroni and cheese to bring to the event.

Of course you let him be the taste tester and even made a big pan that could stay at home for y'all to eat later. While it was cooling off, you pulled him to the shower and washed up and got dressed. He does still like to cover his face, but instead of a hot leather mask, you were about to find a black face mask that is breathable and somehow makes him even sexier.

He still is trying to figure out what kind of clothing he likes since he usually wore the same thing when he was living with his family, so he usually just lets you pick out his fit.

On the way out, he grabbed the macaroni and cheese and put it on his lap so it wouldn't get tossed around when you're driving.

The closer y'all got to your mom's house, the more he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He has dealt with many people making fun of him because of his face and size and he just doesn't want to go back to that again.

When y'all made it to the house there were already a bunch of people there and they all looked at you both as y'all got out of the car. As everyone stared at you two, you softly grabbed his hand and led him into the house where your mom and grandma were.

They greeted him with open arms as you took the food out of Tommy's hand and put it with the others. Afterward, you headed back outside to introduce him to your other family and friends.

Thomas was very nervous and hesitant as you introduced him, but all of his fears went away when everyone greeted him with open arms or high fives.

Most of the younger kids wanted Thomas to pick them open or play some games with them which he happily did.

Some of your family wondered why he didn't talk and you just told them that he has speaking problems so you both mostly use sign language.

This interested a small number of people and they also wanted Tommy to teach them some signal language. Which he was also okay with.

For a while, he sat in a chair with a bunch of children and some adults surrounding him as he taught them whatever word they wanted to know.

When it was time to eat, your grandma made Tommy two plates full of fried chicken, mac and cheese, collared greens, loaded mashed potatoes, candy yams, black-eyed peas, and to top it off a tall glass of sweet tea. As you also got your plate and began to take Tommy to another room so he could eat in peace, your younger family members wanted to eat with you both and started to whine when you said "Maybe next time".

As they kept whining, your mother was able to calm them down and make up a little story about why they couldn't eat with the two of you and that he would play with them after we were all done eating.

After y'all were done eating, he helped clean up before he was dragged away by the kids to go back and play whatever they wanted. It is easy to say that Tommy had a good time with your family and wishes to go back soon.

When it was time for you two to leave, your grandma fixed him a bunch of leftovers and gave him a kiss on the cheek before sending you both on your way.

[thesirensims]

The Bikini Bottom Legacy

Hi Guys! Oooooo🎙️🎶🎵🎼🧜🏽‍♀️! My name is SirenSims & I have been thinking for a long while about a legacy challenge that I could create that was a bit different from the other challenges I have been seeing. So I thought about the personalities of the Spongebob Squarepants Characters, and so The Bikini Bottom Legacy was formed! There are a ton of personalities to play with in the Sims 3. So this Legacy will help you discover those and have some juicy Storylines to keep it engaging! It was hard to pick just 10 archetypes, and some of these features I’ve never used before so I’m excited to try this out! 

If you decide to do this, tag me thesirensims or bikinibottomlegacy so I can see! And feel free to let me know what you think. This is my first challenge so if there are things I could do differently/better let me know!

Important! - This Challenge is not Basegame only, if you find a way to convert it to Basegame or to the Sims 2, Please tag me! I would love to see that! Also, This Challenge is Story Driven to help it not get boring fast. So try to stick to the required storylines as needed. And please do not use the money or needs Cheats in this challenge if you can manage ( Makes it more fun IMO) <3

And without further ado, the challenge.

Generation 1 - SpongeBob Squarepants

You have a heart of gold and just want to make others happy with your Cooking! Your Family raised you to be positive, helpful & friendly (even to your detriment!). Moving into a new town you bring light, laughter, and good food. You bought a two-story tiny house for you and your feline friend (Cat with any G name you want). You made two best friends, one Grumpy and one Lazy ( Make them in CAS or find sims with those traits in town). By the time you reach level 6 or 7 seven of your Culinary Career, you feel like spreading your love by extending your family. So you adopt a kid-aged sim ( Easily Impressed & Couch Potatoe Trait required). At this point you know everyone in town & go out whenever you are invited (despite the inconvenience). You have a lot of experiences on your belt and you boast a jellyfish you caught yourself and a few different Butterfly Species you collected on days off (atleast 3 types). You end your life as a wise Chef that people can't help but love!

Traits Needed - (You can use This mod to add more traits if you want, or just choose 5. Natural cook and childish being required.) Natural Cook, Childish, Cat Person, Easily Impressed, Good, Workaholic, Neat, Lucky.

Lifetime Wish - Celebrated Five Star Chef

Career Needed - Culinary (Specifically a Dinner, not the Bistro)

Recommended Town - Any European World You like or Monte Vista.

Aesthetic Color - Yellow (Pastel, Golden, Sunshine, etc...)

Create A Sim Addons - Freckles and or Moles. Bunny or Buck Teeth (Using Sliders and Teeth CC). Blonde hair with any race of sim. Blue Eyes. Uniform for Everyday Outfit (Colored in red, white, and khaki brown). Sim's name must start with Sv or Sp (Otherwise call them a Variant of Bob or Bobbie).

Favorite Food - Burgers (Obviously LOL)

Favorite Music - Island Life

Zodiac Sign - Sagittarius

Voice Pitch - High (Male or Female)

Charity - Give up to $5,000 to charity.

Starter Money - $1,500 (After Decorating or just struggling with bare necessities)

Romance - Meet a Mermaid or Scientist and marry them.

Pet Goal - Become Best Friends with Cat.

Heir - Adopt a sims of child age.

Get up to level 4 or up to 7 in Martial arts skill.

Max the Chef Skill and Charisma Skill.

Brighten 10 Sims day.

Generation 2 - Patrick Star

You have a soft place in your heart for your parents. Especially the one that adopted you, because life was hard before you met them. You only moved out of their home after you became an adult since you were so comfy. You miss their cooking and how they accepted you for who you are. But since they passed, it's been hard to look at the walls of bright yellow memories. You move into a tiny house or apartment because you don't require a lot to live comfortably. People expect a lot from you, however, you don't have the same work ethic as your parents. You start off as a Day Spa attendant for the perks and to help others relax and have a good time. You go to clubs every weekend and get sloshed. You even have a one night-stand or three. As a hobby, you love to fish (Maybe you could do it for money one day). You just want to relax and live free. Can you survive on a reckless low-maintenance lifestyle?

Traits Needed - Couch Potatoe, Childish, Easily Impressed, Party-Animal, Slob, Absent-Minded, Heavy Sleeper or Angler.

Lifetime Wish - Master Romancer or Presenting the Perfect Private Aquarium.

Career Needed - You can either become a self-employed fisherman or Only work in Part-time Jobs (Specifically the Spa Career).

Recommended Town - Any Island or City World You Like, or Pleasant View

Aesthetic Color - Pink ( Pastel, Hot pink, Rose Gold, etc...)

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must have a few Moles and maybe even a scar. Give sim Pink Hair. Sim must have a fat or thick body type due to years of eating a lot. Beach style or Beach theme party outfit for Everyday wear. Have a piercing or two and tattoos once you become a teen/adult. Sim`s name must start with Pat (Can also be a variant of Patrick or Patricia).

Favorite Food - Tri Tip Steak

Favorite Music - Beach Party

Zodiac Sign - Aquarius

Romance - Have some one-night stands.

Heir - A baby you had because of a one night. (Must have the traits - Grumpy and Artistic)

Charity - Give up to $2,500 to charity in honor of Last Gen Founder.

Catch 3 different Types of Butterflies.

Throw at least 3 Successful Parties.

Visit Parents grave once a week to mourn.

Brighten 5 sims day.

Generation 3 - Squidward Tentacles

Your Parent was definitely not strict, but they gave you so much freedom that you ended up resenting them and the rest of the town. Their lack of attentiveness caused you to fall off a slide and break your nose, as a preteen, so you had to get it fixed. However, a mishap occurred at the plastic surgeon that made your nose a little longer than normal. You had to move to the City where people are as rude and isolated as you are. One thing that you do thank your parents for is their overbearing but consistent support of your love for Painting and music. Once settled in the new City you make one friend who is so positive you don't see them very often (On Purpose!). You also make an enemy on the first day that infuriates and intrigues you at the same time. Your Dream is to be a composer for Movies, but you`ll be happy just making a living in the arts in general. You hate Butterflies and Jellyfish cause they remind you of your Parent, but you do get a pet and name it after your Parent. (Maybe you do miss them). Hopefully, a life of semi-solitude will fulfill you and help you live your dreams.

Traits Needed - Grumpy, Loner, Artistic, Dislikes Children, Hot Headed, Snob.

Lifetime Wish - Master of Arts or Rockstar

Career Need - Hit Movie Composer or Self-Employed Artist.

Recommended Town - Any City town you want or Bridgeport.

Aesthetic Color - Irish Green (Light green, Pastel, soft green hue, etc...)

Create A Sim Addons - Give Sim a longer Nose. Allow the sim to have a grunge aesthetic with brown and green colors. Sims' hair can also be colored or highlighted a shade of green. Sim can have a nose piercing and one to two tattoos.

Favorite Food - Philly Cheesesteak

Favorite Music - Classical

Zodiac Sign - Aries

Romance - Enemies to lovers (You can have a love child or get married and have a baby accidentally)

Heir - An accidental baby (Must have traits - Frugal and Mooch)

Max any instrument skill in the slowest time possible (Reach lvl 10 as an elder!)

Reach at least Lvl 6 in Cooking skill.

Join or start a band and host at least 1 SUCCESFUL performance (Getting over 100-300 Simoleans in tips)

Heckle at least 5 different sims.

Generation 4 - Eugene H. Krabs

Even though your Parent did not plan for you, you still had an okay childhood. To make up for the distant Parenting you grew an attachment to the idea of Financial stability. Your parent loved their dream more than providing for the family. You plan to never make that mistake! You are brilliant at selling things and decided to move to an island. This was a strategic move to sell more modern things to natives who live in older comfort. You have a love for food like your grandparents that caused you to sell muffins and lemonade in your childhood. Now as an adult, you are considering being either a Restauranteer or Hotel Mogul. You will use anyone for a quick buck, causing you to sell out your best childhood friend, making them a lifelong nemesis. Despite your success, you feel lonely and have love hidden in your heart that you want to share. So you adopt a girl toddler that looks nothing like you. You shower her with love and even a bit of your money (Through kicking and screaming!). At the apex of your career and wealth, you feel a hole in your heart only a warm body could fill. You meet a sim that makes you feel romantic and alive, you spend some time wooing them. And although it didn't work out, you can look back on your life and say you loved every bit of it.

Traits Needed - Born Salesman, Frugal, Mooch, Ambitious, Natural Cook, Lucky

Lifetime Wish - Swimming in Cash or Resort Empire

Career Need - Self-Employed Resort Owner, or Own The Bistro & Diner

Recommended Town - Any Island World you Like or Isla Paradiso

Aesthetic Color - Green

Create A Sim Addons - Sim has a pudge due to eating well when they made meals. Sim must dye their hair red by Young Adulthood. Sim must wear a suit with blue colors.

Favorite Food - Waffles

Favorite Music - Electronica

Zodiac Sign - Libra

Romance - Fall for someone Older ( One Life State Above Yours - Adult or Elder)

Heir - An adopted Toddler (Must have Traits - Snob & Dramatic)

Mooch over 100 Simoleans from one sim.

Reach Cooking lvl 10.

Only shop with Coupons.

Never buy anything over 300 Simoleans.

Generation 5 - Pearl Krabs

You loved your childhood and your Single parent. You love the life that you were afforded and you have no desire to give it up. You are a bit of a brat, but that's only because you're a star (Obviously). You plan to make it big in the movies and keep up the family legacy by keeping up the money. So of course you move back to the city of dreams your grandparents used to live in. However, that might be hard considering your eclectic taste in decore and cars. Hopefully, a high-paying profession will make up for your purchases. Despite your Big Features, you`re attractive to most sims around, and you take advantage of this by starting an affair with a wealthy celeb. Hey don't judge, we only mess with sims that impress us. Maybe we will settle down with that same sim one day, or maybe another (😉). During your 7th year as an actress (Level 7), you remember your Parent and what they did for you. So in a moment of passion, you adopted a smart kid and funded their dreams the way your Parent did for you.

Traits Needed - Snob, Dramatic, Schmoozer, Star Quality, Irresistible, Great Kisser

Lifetime Wish - Lifestyle of The Rich & Famous or Superstar Actor

Career Need - Actor or Socialite (Find Socialite Career Here)

Recommended Town - Any City World you Like or Anne Arbor

Aesthetic Color - Hot Pink

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must have Blonde hair despite race. Sim must have some big features and a shapely body type. Must wear Girly pink dresses. Sim must have blue eyes and bangs.

Favorite Food - Lobster Thermidor

Favorite Music - Pop

Zodiac Sign - Leo

Romance - Have an Affair with Married Celebrity. Marry a Celebrity (It can be the one you had an affair with if you like)

Heir - Adopt a child sim. (Must have Traits - Genius & Computer Whiz)

Befriend at least 4 Celebrity sims.

Have one Scandal.

Dance on table at the Club at least once.

Generation 6 - Sandy Cheeks

You love your Mother for how she supported your dreams. It gave you a leg up in school and allowed you to have some fun while studying in University, You have a logical yet fun spirit that leads you to make the world better using science. You have the spirit of your great-greatx2 grandparent. This pushes you to help others and make advances to make others' lives easier. You have a love of your body that was shared with your mom. However, you take to a different place by learning Martial arts. You gain a high level in that skill during a trip to China. China is where you also find the love of your life (another martial artist) and bring them home with you after a small wedding ceremony in their community. As you advance in your Career as a scientist, you feel further fulfilled by teaching sims martial arts on the side. You cap off your life (aka level 7 of the science career) by making your own offspring. You have a plant-sim baby. This decision will change the lives of others down the line. Was this unnatural child a mistake?

Traits Needed - Handy, Eccentric, Disciplined, Genius, Computer Whiz, Green Thumb

Lifetime Wish - Scientific Specialist or Martial Arts Master

Career Need - Science

Recommended Town - Any Town World or Riverview

Aesthetic Color - Lilac

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must have light brown hair. Light brown eyes. Sim should have buck teeth (which can be simulated using sliders and bunny teeth cc). Sim if a woman must be slim thicc (Small waist, medium boobs, big butt). Sim can wear glasses if you want to show their intelligence that way.

Favorite Food - Grilled Cheese

Favorite Music - Geek Rock

Zodiac Sign - Virgo

Romance - A martial artist from China ( Have a whirlwind romance that ends in marriage before the trip ends).

Heir - Plant-Sim (Must have traits - Evil & Bot Fan)

Max the science skill.

Make your Imaginary friend real.

Have a collection of animals. (Turtles, and other small pets)

Max the Martial Arts Skill.

Max the Yoga & Meditation Skill (Here is the Yoga Mod)

Generation 7 - Sheldon J. Plankton

You lived in a level of solitude, as your hero parents were not into your brand of social interaction (Klepto and Mean Spirited behavior). Even though you were pretty smart, you still felt the need to take things that weren`t yours. Despite all of this, you somehow managed to be a scientific prodigy like your mom. You had a childhood friend that you had a bad betrayal from, and that sim became your nemesis for life. This betrayal made it hard for you to make friends. You decided to go to University online to hone your skills. After you graduate, you leave home and find a new job to reinvent yourself. So you join the Criminal career so you can become The Emperor of Evil. There's always been an emptiness in your soul that you fill with machines so you won't be alone. In the end, you live life with a robot who loves you and start a makeshift family from that union.

Traits Needed - Kleptomaniac, Evil, Computer Whiz, Eccentric, Bot Fan

Lifetime Wish - Emperor of Evil or More Than A Machine

Career Need - Criminal

Recommended Town -Any Country Town or Lunar Lakes ( You do not have to move for this gen)

Aesthetic Color - Green

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must keep a lean or skinny physique. You can use plant-sim skin and detail replacements. This sim can wear glasses if you like. Sim can wear shades of grey with either a suit or overalls (You decide their aesthetic)

Favorite Food - Hamburger

Favorite Music - Digitunes

Zodiac Sign - Cancer

Romance - Fall in Love with the Sim Bot you plan to make Sentient. ( Call simbot Karen)

Heir - Baby you had with Karen. (Must have Traits - Neurotic & Handy)

Steal candy from a baby.

Burn down a home.

Steal from at least 2 Homes.

Build the Perfect Simbot.

Generation 8 - Mrs. Puff

Growing up with an Evil parent and a stressed robotic mom didn't help the anxiety you were born with. You always had the uncomfortable feeling that something was going wrong. You helped yourself destress with food, which made you gain a plumb physique. To help you pass the time you gained an obsession with cars. Your evil parent was a mechanical genius and you learned to drive at a young age. You even knew how to fix vehicles as well. However, above all else, you have a knack for home decor and design. you became used to homes as you stayed inside often as a kid to avoid danger. It was your dream to become an interior designer. You find love unexpectedly with a younger wealthy sim. You have a love child by that sim. That boy was born brave and took care of you until you found inner strength.

Traits Needed - Neurotic, Unstable, Hopeless Romantic, Vehicle Enthusiastic, Handy, Frugal.

Lifetime Wish - Home Design Hotshot

Career Need - Interior Designer

Recommended Town - Any Comfy World You Like or Strawberry Acres (you do not have to move for this gen)

Aesthetic Color - Aqua

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must have a bigger body type (Not fit). Sim must have Platinum blonde Hair despite race. Sim must have Hazel eyes. Sim can wear an academia-style outfit with red blue and white color patterns.

Favorite Food - Cobbler

Favorite Music - Soul

Zodiac Sign - Capricorn

Romance - Get into a Relationship with a Wealthy Sim (Get pregnant from this relationship)

Heir - Baby Boy (Must have Traits - Brave & Loves to Swim)

Max the Handiness Skill.

Freak out on at least 2 Sims.

Build one Car.

Own 3 Cars apart from the one you built.

Make all appliances in your home unbreakable.

Generation 9 - Larry The Lobster

You didn't have much of a childhood, since you spent most of your time protecting your worrying Mother. You were a nice kid who never made friends until you were a young adult. You are all about helping people with their fitness and helping them have safe fun at the beach. So your best path was becoming a lifeguard. One day you get abducted by an alien (Do you become pregnant? Do you keep it?). This experience causes you to take life more seriously and makes you want to protect people even more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alternate Option; Instead of Alien pregnancy and a possible love story. You can find love with a mermaid sim.

Traits Needed - Athletic, Brave, Loves to Swim, Daredevil, Charisma, Good

Lifetime Wish - Perfect Mind/ Perfect Body or Seaside Savior

Career Need - Lifeguard

Recommended Town - Any Beach / Island World or Sunlit Tides

Aesthetic Color - Red

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must have Red hair and Green eyes. Sim must have an athletic build. Sim can have freckles. Sim can have a Scar or two. Sim must have Beach type of Attire for every day wear (For males an open shirt, for girls a crocheted top)

Favorite Food - Stu Surprise

Favorite Music - Hip Hop

Zodiac Sign - Scorpio

Romance - Fall in love with Alien or Mer Sim. (Have a half-alien or mermaid sim baby)

Heir - A Female Occult Sim (Preferably a mermaid, but it can be alien too). (Must have Traits - Adventurous and Shy)

Save at least 10 Sims (5 if you're trying to speed up the Challenge)

Break up with 2 Sims before Settling Down.

Host 3 Epic Parties. (Can be any type of Party)

Generation 10 - Princess Mindy

You grew up in a warm and loving home with a great father who believed in you and protected you. He emboldened you to follow your dreams. Now you want to travel the world and document it with your trusty camera. You have always loved taking pictures and having new experiences, even though you are shy. You want to break out of your shell and become a brave explorer. You are also a good person who always gains bravery from being able to help people. Maybe you will find love during your adventures. And if not who cares!! You`re In love with The Journey Anyway!

Traits Needed - Adventurous, Lucky, Photographer`s Eye, Shy, Good

Lifetime Wish - Seasoned Traveler or Grand Explorer

Career Need - Self Employed Photographer or Monarch (Find Monarch Career Mod Here)

Recommended Town - Any World you Like or Sunset Valley

Aesthetic Color - Turquoise

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must wear glasses. Sim must have Short Black hair. Sim can wear a girly top and a long jeans skirt.

Favorite Food - Kelp

Favorite Music - Island Life

Zodiac Sign - Pisces

Romance - Do whatever feels right to Finish your story!

Max the Photography Skill.

Collect 3 Butterflies (2 must be RARE)

Befriend 1 rich Sim.

Reach at least to lvl 6 or 7 of Model Skill.

[usnatarchives]

A Culinary Journey Through Presidential History 🥪🍰🍽

Delving into the culinary history of the White House is a fascinating exploration of taste and tradition. This article embarks on a delicious journey through time, highlighting five remarkable recipes from the kitchens of past U.S. Presidents and First Ladies. These recipes not only offer a taste of history but also reflect the diverse palates and influences that have graced the Presidential table.

Bess Truman's Bing Cherry Mold

Bess Truman, known for her skill and style in the kitchen, contributed a variety of recipes that satisfied many. Among these, the Bing Cherry Mold stands out. This dessert, a perfect blend of sweetness and texture, reflects the simplicity and elegance of the Truman era. Truman had specific dietary preferences, famously disliking onions, and maintaining a healthy diet, but this dessert was a family favorite, indicating a balance between health and indulgence.

Rosalynn Carter's Plains Cheese Ring

Rosalynn Carter's Plains Cheese Ring is a savory delight that hails from the Southern culinary tradition. This cheese appetizer, named after the Carter's hometown in Georgia, is a testament to Rosalynn's commitment to bringing a touch of home to the White House. Its rich, creamy texture paired with the tang of sharp cheddar and the sweetness of strawberry preserves, offers a unique and memorable flavor experience.

Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies

First Lady Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookies are a testament to her Texas roots. These chunky, flavorful cookies, packed with oats, nuts, coconut, and chocolate chips, offer a hearty taste of the American Southwest. They were notably a part of her husband's Presidential campaign, symbolizing warmth and hospitality.

Dwight D. Eisenhower's Apple Pie

President Eisenhower was not only a leader but also an enthusiastic cook, particularly known for his apple pie. His version of this classic American dessert is said to be a delightful mix of sweetness and spice encased in a perfectly flaky crust. This pie represents Eisenhower's love for simple, home-cooked meals, a contrast to his high-profile public life.

Gerald Ford's Red Flannel Hash

Gerald Ford's Red Flannel Hash is a colorful, comforting dish that combines cooked beets, potatoes, and corned beef. This dish, with its vibrant red hue and hearty ingredients, is a nod to Ford's Midwestern roots and a symbol of the simple, wholesome American fare.

www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0126/1489765.pdf

Exploring these recipes is not just about the flavors and ingredients; it's a journey through the different eras of American history, each dish telling a story of the time and the people in the White House. From the elegance of Bess Truman's desserts to the rustic charm of Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies, these recipes offer a delectable glimpse into the nation's past, one plate at a time.

Read more:

[probablyasocialecologist]

Scientists have uncovered the Amazon’s earliest and largest example of farm-based city-like settlements high in the foothills of the Ecuadorian Andes. The thousands of mounds, plazas, terraces, roads and agricultural fields — revealed for the first time in their fullest extent by airborne laser scans — necessitate a rethinking of just how complex ancient civilizations of the Amazon may have been, researchers report in the Jan. 12 Science. Over the last decade or so, the use of light detection and ranging, or lidar, in archaeology has led to significant discoveries in tropical climates, where ancient settlements often lay obscured beneath dense jungle (SN: 12/4/23). In 2018, researchers released scans of remnants of Mayan settlements in Guatemala, followed by Olmec ruins in Mexico in 2021 and Casarabe sites in the Bolivian Amazon in 2022, all which have been revealed to be metropolitan-like settlements filled with complex infrastructure (SN: 9/27/18; SN: 1/6/23; SN: 5/25/22). “It’s a gold rush scenario, especially for the Americas and the Amazon,” says Christopher Fisher, an archaeologist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins who has scanned sites throughout the Americas but was not involved in the new research. “Scientists are demonstrating conclusively that there were a lot more people in these areas, and that they significantly modified the landscape,” he says. “This is a paradigm shift in our thinking about how extensively people occupied these areas.”

[...]

Beneath the tree canopy was a massive network of roughly 6,000 mounds — once homes and community spaces — clustered into 15 settlements and connected by an intricate road system. The lidar data also revealed that the open spaces between settlements were in fact agricultural fields that had been drained to grow crops such as maize, beans, sweet potatoes and yucca. Within the settlements, the researchers found tiered gardens that would have kept some food closer at hand. Put together, the results show that the valley wasn’t simply a series of small villages linked by roads, but “an entirely human-engineered landscape” built by skilled urban planners, Rostain says. Dating from several sites suggests the area was inhabited for roughly 2,000 years beginning around 500 B.C. by at least five different cultural groups. A next step will be to calculate how many people might have lived there.

[strangerxperv]

Random Eddie Munson HeadCanons

Some are NSFW so minors don't interact

Eddie is openly pansexual when it comes to sex but demisexual for relationships.

He likes sex and believes that people bring different things to the table.

Relationships are difficult for him and I think he has low-key commitment issues.

So he takes relationships pretty slowly because he wants to know you (or Steve...and?).

Eddie wants to be sure his heart won't be broken because he's honestly a romantic.

If you want a serious relationship with him I suggest not jumping into bed with him.

Become his friend first and slowly begin to flirt, let tension build.

Eddie has intrusive thoughts and if he trusts you then they become your thoughts too.

"Hey, babe? When you think of me being a mechanic what pops into your head?"

If you answer "Hot" or "Strong hands" you will have a smug man for the rest of the day.

"Will you join me in the show? I just realized we haven't had shower sex in awhile and I'm hard as fuck." This is said while you're in the middle of styling your head for bed.

His intrusive thoughts range from innocent, random, to dangerous.

One time I decided to make a baked potato without holes in the microwave (he knew what he was doing). Now he's buying a new one.

His last year only high school is when you meet because you are his tutor.

You get to see all sides of Eddie that most are privy to.

You see the proud, depressed, defeated, eager, happy, and sappy sides of him. And eventually you see the side of him that loves you.

Your relationship with him is slow and at one point it's complicated. You go from friend to best friend and then to best friends with tension. He's not proud of the next step: best friends with benefits.

At this point you're practically a couple but he's not ready to admit it. Everyone thinks of you guys as a couple, most everyone. Busy if someone asks you two you both say, "no" and sometimes "just really close best friends."

It's one of those events that Jason has the balls to say, "Good. Guess that means I can take you out some time. How's this Friday at five?"

Who are you to say no? Especially when Eddie is within earshot.

Agreeing to the date causes a huge fight between you and Eddie that lasts the rest of the week.

It's Thursday when he coldly asks if you're coming to his place Friday night.

"You know I can't. I have a date." Slam your car door closed to drive away.

But he stops you, "No, you don't. I told him you aren't coming cause you'll be too busy cuming on my dick."

His words make your jaw unhinge with surprise before sputtering out, "You can't just say that! What if someone hears you saying something like that when we aren't even together? They'll think I'm a slut!"

Eddie grins and leans in close as his lips ghost along your ear to your lips. "Don't care. You're mine."

And that's all you need to hear. It takes a few months of going steady for him to actually call you his girlfriend.

Until then it's: baby doll, his girl, my nerd, and (you guessed it) his slut.

He hates sleeping alone and even when you were benefits you slept over, except for that one week. He drives you to work, your place, his place, basically wherever he can.

I head canon this man to be very clingy in a relationship.

Eddie is a switch with the right person but I think he's leaning hard Dom for reader.

When you were his tutor he convinced you to pay his correct answers with a small kiss.

He has you help him when he's training to become a licensed mechanic. The only difference is that you're sat on his dick when quizzing him.

Every right answer you HAVE to give him a kiss, an innocent kiss, a soft lil peck on the lips.

Near the end of this session he's unbelievably throbbing and softly thrusting up into you every so often. But don't think for a moment you're the dominant one while on top.

He might be the one whimpering under you but if you act up, it's your ass.

Seriously, he will fuck your ass and spank you at the same time.

If you want to hear more about this Eddie please let me know!

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

S/O n skelly but S/O has separation anxiety and is always worried about the skellys safety

Undertale Sans - Well luckily for you, Sans is a couch potato and doesn't like going outside for long periods so it's not that hard to guess where he is. Sans is happy in his little neighborhood so if he's not home there's a high chance he's visiting Toriel across the street. He loves texting as well so he's updating you every five minutes when he has to leave.

Undertale Papyrus - Fate got confused and instead of giving you a skeleton who can calm down your separation anxiety, it gives you a skeleton with separation anxiety as well... Papyrus is happy when he's around his S/O, he really doesn't like to leave them alone and can be a little stress when they are away for too long. So yeah, there's no way you don't leave without telling the other where you are every two minutes or so. Papyrus usually video calls his S/O so they can still see him.

Underswap Sans - He's probably not the best match as Blue is never home and has little patience. He hates having to tell you where he is going all the time and it would annoy him a little to know you're stressing at home waiting for his return. That would probably not work.

Underswap Papyrus - He has social anxiety so going outside is not exactly his favorite hobby. He's very fine just staying home, and he doesn't like to stay away from his S/O anyway. He teaches you how to soul-locate him in the rare times he has to leave so you know he's always there even when he's not physically here.

Underfell Sans - It's going to take a few times of you completely freaking out because he disappeared for hours for him to actually get the message that he has to text you so you know he's alive. The first few times, he doesn't answer his phone for almost two days lol. He's not a phone guy, so he still needs to get used to it.

Underfell Papyrus - That's really good for his ego as Edge loves to play the knight in shining armor. He's showing off a lot to show you he's completely able to defend himself and that if someone should fear to die, it's literally everyone else, not him. You're a bit comforted by that. Nothing bad can happen!

Horrortale Sans - Clearly not a good match. With his memory problems, Oak can randomly disappear for DAYS and then comes back like nothing happened. Don't worry though, you're not alone in this as Willow is at least freaking out as much as you are when he's doing this.

Horrortale Papyrus - He has a strong separation anxiety as well and really doesn't like to be apart of his S/O for too long, as he relies a lot on his S/O. Willow hates especially being all alone when he's going in town, because of all the people staring at him. He feels safer at home, cuddling in bed.

Swapfell Sans - Even if he doesn't show it much, Nox is very anxious as well when he has to leave his S/O, because of a few traumatic events that happened to people he cared about Underground, and what happened with Chara obviously. He's still scared he might come home one day and find them dead, so yeah, he perfectly understands you might think the same (he still thinks he might die as well working for Toriel, one of these days :D). He's texting you several times a day during his shifts and calls you when he's on break, just to be sure.

Swapfell Papyrus - Definitely not a good match either. Rus has two brain cells and all of them are focusing on his next pranks. He completely forgets to tell his S/O when he's leaving and even less where, so you have long anxious days waiting for him... When he's even returning, Rus has a bad habit of squatting other people's places to sleep. So yeah, he would definitely not help your anxiety.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He finds it insulting that you might think he's not coming back because something bad happened. Have you seen him? What the hell do you want to happen to him? He's the one scaring dangers off, not the other way. It's annoying him a little, but he might resign to text you if he sees it's really something you don't like.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He prefers not going anywhere if it means you're not coming with him so that's fine. Coffee hates leaving the house in the first place, and he's anxious when he doesn't see you for two minutes. He's clinging to you, that way you never have to wonder where he is ever again lmao.

[gortash-did-nothing-wrong]

Warnings: pregnancy, childbirth, other men being useless while Enver calls them pathetic

Whenever Enver's wife gives birth to one of their children, he has a tradition he adheres to.

Once he's certain his wife is safe, patched up, cleaned, fed, and content, he takes their newest child on a walk around the estate. He starts outside, walking with his cane in on hand, his spawn cradled in his opposite arm. He narrates as he walks, giving a tour of the grounds to the newborn. He shows them the water fountain, the horse stables, the gardens, the orchard, even the livestock. Hell then walk them around inside, showing them every room. He'll have the servants line up to all be introduced to the newest Gortash, especially the small team of nannies he employs to watch his brood. He lets the staff coo and leer, but not hold his child. Not yet. Their siblings get to first.

He'll walk up the stairs with a little difficulty, his cane is a bit of a hindrance here. He proceeds to the play room where his gaggle of children usually resides. He orders them all to be quiet, to sit calmly and wait their turn for the baby. They usually don't obey.

Squabbles break out over who gets to hold the new sibling first, and he often sighs, too tired to argue. Eventually all of his children have their turn holding their newest playmate. They coo over them, demand to know their name, and some even try to gift the baby a few of their toys as a birthday gift. Enver can't help but watch, lovingly, as his children somewhat get along. It's a far cry from his childhood of hunger and fighting for resources. They openly share everything they have, knowing that they can just have more. New clothes, more toys, extra food at any time. Even their parents' attention isn't squabbled over much. He and his wife do their best to ensure all of their children are given bonding time and attention. His biweekly homeschool lessons on artificing and maintenance skills definitely held make sure his children don't feel ignored or neglected.

Soon though, the tour ends in the birthing room where it began. His wife is typically done with her post-birth nap, and ready to breastfeed. He carries their child back to her, relinquishing them to her affections. Not one to be idle, he spends this time making sure she eats and drinks as well. He's always had a strong policy of his wife eating whatever she wants after a childbirth, even if he has to hunt down game, skin and dress it himself and roat is over a spit for her. That's never been necessary, as their kitchen staff is quite good, able to cater to the whims of children and hormonal mothers easily. Enver himself enjoys the occasional prime rib and potatoes, something the chef is a master at preparing.

After their first child was born, his wife ate nothing but fried chicken for three days, groaning at every bite and sweating it was the food of the gods as Enver contemplated how many chickens she was eating per day. When he wondered that aloud, however, a pillow was thrown at him.

Their second child had his wife craving sushi her entire pregnancy, and the second the child popped out, his exhausted wife snapped at him to get her a tray of salmon and eel sushi. He went a step further, and had one of those wooden boat trays brought to her room, loaded with various rolls and roes. She had smiled for five hours straight, and he had ridden that high for weeks.

Every pregnancy was a bit different, and each post birth meal was different as well. Once it was nothing but pork belly and pork ribs. Another time all she wanted was cheese and fruit. The last time was odder to him still, when she craved nothing more than cucumber sandwiches and lemon water.

He indulged her every whim of course, he considered it his main job. After a birth, the nannies priority was to take care of his offspring, and Enver's job was to take care of his wife. She sometimes recalled these moments, stating that he acted like he wanted to outdo himself each and every time. "You know, most noble men don't even see their wives the day she gives birth. They just lock themselves away in their offices, get drunk, and then stumble down a day or two later to meet their new baby."

Enver couldn't help his scowl. "I'd be ashamed to ever show my face to you again if I did that."

His wife smiled, her eyes fawning over him. "I tell the other lady's at my book club about you. I'm the envy of all of court. They all swoon over tales of you making me tea, and drawing me a bath. I told them you occasionally wash my hair for me after I give birth, and they couldn't believe it."

Enver snorted, trying to hide his immense satisfaction. "I wish other men would give a bit more care to these things. I want to compete properly, damn it, they're making it too easy."

[fordpinesthemanyouare]

Ford x Fem!Reader

Math Assistant Pt. 2

Summary: Ford needs a math assistant and you just so happen to have a phd in applied mathematics, you are meeting Ford for an interview.

Warnings: Age gap?

A/N: Im nervy to post this one, but here it is. Dont hate the player…

<3: @potato-painter

—————

Y/n pulled up to the old diner in her beater car, the car that pulled them through a plethora of different colleges. Sitting in the driver seat, approximately 15 minutes earlier than the agreed time, she took in the scenery around her. The enormous red wood trees growing like a wall all around her in every direction, the Oregon wood’s would always be a special place in her journey, especially now that they have led her here. This small town known as Gravity Falls, in search of some type of summer work while not in school. Her car is packed with a few boxes in the back seat, keeping her belongings light as she travels from place to place. She pulled down the visor in the car and flips open the mirror, double checking her makeup isn't out of place for the interview. She genuinely had no idea what to expect, since, well the job listing was seriously vague. The free housing included in the deal certainly pulled her towards the listing, even if it only provided some other small details including large letters stating “All other questions will be answered at interview!”. She needed to have an applied mathematics degree, well, it was an easy enough feat for herself considering the Ph.D under her belt. She felt fairly confident in herself at the very least, she thought. Even if she wasn’t confident about anything else she knew she had her experience to go forth with, and hey telling people you have a Phd in anything usually impresses them.

She waited impatiently in the car until there were only five minutes left, in which she grabbed her purse and jacket and got out of the car. The Oregon sun warmed her skin in the early days of May. “Before the last spring showers” she mumbled to herself lightly as she walked up to the diner, familiar with Oregon’s tendency to tease summer every other day in May. She pushed open the door and cast her gaze across the diner, not that she knew who or what to expect. As the waitress calls out a hello, her gaze met with someone else’s who was also looking towards the entrance. The back lighting of the lazy May sun came shining through the windows, absolutely highlighting his strong features. His silvery hair and glasses met your gaze and she smiled at the handsome man. Older maybe, but still incredibly handsome with a strong jawline and nose. She walked a step towards him, since he was the only person in the room who seemingly was looking for someone, and he hadn't taken his gaze off hers yet.

As she stepped further into the dining area she turned to the waitress, breaking her gaze with the handsome stranger, who was standing behind the counter, “Excuse me, but did you happen to know if there was someone holding an interview here? I might be a few minutes early…” She quickly looked down to the Casio watch on her wrist checking that she was indeed four minutes early.

The stranger from before stood up, he walked over to her after overhearing her question to the waitress. He practically towered over her when he stood before her; she didn’t realize how tall he was sitting down. Extending his hand he said, “Hello, I’m Stanford Pines. I am the one you were to meet for the interview”. She took his hand without a second thought, and introduced herself to him. Her mind quickly noted his grasp on her hand was… different, but quickly moved on from the thought. She gave the waitress a nod before Stanford walked back towards the booth he had previously been sitting at. She took her seat, not without of course awkwardly scoot-jumping into the old booths. Once settled, she was a little surprised at how high the seats were for an older diner, he sat in the seat with ease as if he had been here a lot.

“It's nice to meet you Stanford, I was wondering who I would possibly be meeting. Your listing was incredibly vague.” She said with a light smile. He gave a tight smile in response before starting, “Well, I kept it intentionally vague due to the confidential nature of the work, I’ve recently discovered something that might take some time before I can start openly speaking about it.” As he finished, the same waitress came up to take both orders. She now noticed that one of her eyes was shut closed, but paid no mind to the matter. She ordered a coffee just how she likes it and Ford ordered black coffee. She quickly left and returned with two cups and her pot, filling both cups with the coffee and gesturing to the packs of creamer and sugar on the table. Ford and Y/n thanked her, before she headed back behind the counter.

“I see, that makes sense and I had figured as much”, she agreed, nodding. “I have worked on some case sensitive projects before but nothing to this measure. I was brought in for some consulting on a government funding issue but this seems a lot more interesting than accounting errors.” She grabbed a few packets, and mixed them together in her cup before quickly taking a sip. She really had started to notice just how handsome her interviewer was, she felt the need to find something to do with her hands.

Ford listened to her words, making strong eye contact with her and he had to admit, Stan was right, she really was a “looker”. The moment she had walked in through the doors he had silently hoped she was his interview for the day. However, you were in fact his potential candidate for the position by your asking of Lazy Susan. He snapped back into his mind, needing to maintain professionalism, despite in the corners of his mind Stanley’s words kept fluttering around. He was looking at her as she spoke, his mind began to take in even more features he failed to notice as she walked in through the door. His mind betraying his virtue for professionality as he took in her voice, it sounded tenfold clearer in person rather than their short conversation on the phone.

She had bright beautiful eyes that were deep and alluring, it felt like she had grabbed him and forced him to look deep in her eyes. Along with that, her hair framed her face in just the right angles, showing off her lips and cheekbones perfectly. She had some light freckles on her face and he noticed each one as she continued to speak about some funding errors. He caught himself staring, silently cursing Stanley for putting the thought into his mind, just as she was finishing her words. “So what are some things I can expect from this position?” She decided to ask at the beat of silence after she spoke.

Ford looked down at his coffee cup and grabbed the handle and took a sip before beginning, “I am looking for someone who can work on a plethora of different kinds of equations for the next few months. I expect I would only need assistance over the summer while my family comes to visit. I am trying to balance work and spending time with them this summer. Which is where someone like you would come in, and help keep up with the mounting pile of work while I can move forward with my discoveries and being with my family.” He finished off looking down again at his coffee cup, desperately feeling like he needed the quick pick up. He had been working through the night until he looked at the clock and realized the interview was only an hour away and decided to head there early.

After taking his sip he moved some of the pages of equations he had been working on before she walked in to be in front of her while saying, “Most of these are complex linear equations, along with different types of ruled equations being applied to this side of the page.” Pointing gently to the left side of the page. She reviewed the paper, picking it up and looking over the work he had begun on the page. A moment of silence fell on the table as Ford allowed Y/n to look over the work, not without looking at her some more. Her features pulled him to look as she stared down at the sheet in concentration, her brow slightly furrowed as her eyes raced from left to right. She set the page in front of herself on the table, before reaching into her purse and pulled out a small zipper pencil case. She unzipped it on the table, pulling out a red pen before circling a few things under the printed equation, flipping it towards him. She pointed with the pen several small circles along his own penciled work as she spoke, “Although you were close you made some simple mistakes… I take it you're tired?” As she said it, she looked him in the eyes now much closer than before and had noticed his heavy eyebags. She certainly could tell Stanford knew how to do the equations from his work, however the said work was sloppy, unorganized, and some of it was just the wrong numbers written. Although he looked utterly exhausted, the five o’clock shadow he was sporting that ran down his neck slightly accentuating his Adam's apple and jaw, made him look all the more ruggedly handsome. His strewn hair from running his hands through it so much, definitely didn't help either. She pushed the thoughts away, as he took the sheet from her to raise his eyebrows at some of the markings she made on the sheet.

“I didn’t realize I had so many mistakes…” he drifted off in almost shock, his eyes widening at his simple rudimentary mistakes, but he realized how tired he must have looked if his assistant was already noticing. “Assistant?” He thought to himself, still eyeing the paper, he was already calling her his assistant even though they had barely gotten through the interview.

She chuckled softly a look of understanding in her eyes as they met once again, she started “When I was getting my Ph.D, I did the same thing: stay up all day and all night to work on my research, but I take it your not necessarily getting your Phd are you?”

He smiled softly at that, the memories of his tireless and seemingly endless Phd nights researching and studying popping into his mind, it was not too far off from his current state. Ford set the paper with his work and now her corrections in the middle of the table, he met her gaze, “Ah, not this time around, the project you'd be assisting me with is something that has yet to be discovered. I'm hoping to perfect it and fully come to an understanding of it, however I don't feel entirely comfortable telling you exactly what it is until you've begun your work for me. However, I have several folders ready for you to look through when the time comes to start. That way you'll be caught up to speed when you begin.” She nodded again, understanding, “I get it, sometimes you need to make sure everything's right before shouting to the whole world that you've discovered something. Whatever it is, if this is what the general workload would look like I'd be able to do this with my eyes closed.” She gave him a confident smile, hoping that this really was it, her eyes going over the page in the middle of the table once again to make sure she understood. She had spent years doing these equations for practice, before finally becoming able to pick her choice of final research for her doctorate program.

As she was looking at the equations, they both reached for their respective mugs synchronously. The movement pulled her eyes from the page in the middle and to his large hand grabbing the handle, when she noticed that his hand was not only just large, but had an extra finger as well. Her gaze involuntarily locked onto his hand before she could think of how rude it was to stare, he noticed her noticing. His skin grew a little hot under the gaze on his hands, he could never expect what someone was going to say about the extra fingers, so before she could make a comment about it, he decided to move forward,

“This is what the majority of the work will look like, it will be a lot of recording the answers as well, but I’m sure you're comfortable with that as well given your resume.” Y/n pulled her gaze back up to his eyes and gave him a small apologetic smile as he turned to pick up a different sheet from under his few journals and folders stuffed with papers, her resume. “I was surprised to see that you had graduated only a month ago, with a masters in statistics as well. What brought you to the University of Oregon?” Ford was attempting to keep the interview questions off of his hands, and he did want to know more about her, only because they were to be working together of course.

She smiled at her accomplishment feeling good at the subtle praise and grateful she didn't have to apologize for clearly ogling his hands, “I have been traveling with my education since high school, applying to more colleges as I continue to move around. I usually move to wherever I can get the highest paid scholarship, and this year it happened to be Oregon. Last year I finished my last bachelors in Colorado.”

He nodded in understanding, he was impressed that Stanley was able to find someone with this much education history online. He figured him and not many other people in the world were interested in pursuing education as much as he was. He figured that perhaps this was not the time to bring up the fact he had 12 PhDs, “Well congratulations on your graduation, are you planning to return to school for the fall?”

Y/n smiled and sipped some more coffee, not long after setting the cup down on the table, Lazy Susan was back quickly refilling both of their cups, turning away again to tend to the other patrons.

“Thanks I appreciate it, I haven’t decided yet. I've sent my applications already, back in January to return to continue my masters for another PhD. I cast out a wide net of places to study at, but whoever will accept me is up for chance.” She looked out the window, eyeing ‘ol’ reliable’ in the parking lot. “I usually don’t plan very concretely…” She looked back at Stanford and smiled, “That's how I ended up here from your listing, another thing that drew me to it happened to be the free housing included with the deal. What does this arrangement look like?” She was reaching for more creamer to pour into her second cup of coffee as she spoke.

“We have a small storage closet that we've turned into a small bedroom, you're welcome to stay there during the work period. I also mentioned my family coming to visit, my teenage great niece and nephew. They will mostly bother me, so you might see them in the work area or around the house a lot. My twin brother lives in the household as well, and he’ll be taking care of them primarily. The living arrangement is optional and wouldn't be docked from the pay.” He cringed a little internally at the last statement, he knew that the pay wasn’t… great. He made sure that Stanley included how much it would be in the listing, so he wouldn't have to mention the low wages in person. Hopefully the complimentary housing would be able to make up for the low wages he thought warily.

Y/n sipped her coffee away, draining the second cup dangerously low again she set the cup down and nodded. She thought for a moment looking into her coffee cup, thinking about the options she had infront of her. She could take this opportunity, enjoy the nature of this small town for the summer and get out of the classroom, or she could drive her car to a new destination and see what awaits there. Y/n looked back up at Stanford and nodded again with a smile, “That seems that that would work just fine, did you happen to have space to park a car there for a while too?” She’d grown accustomed to having to search for parking, but if she was going to stay long term, she'd like to know the peace of not having to worry about broken windows in the morning. Ford nodded and said they had a parking lot, which was strange to her. A parking lot in front of a house seemed odd, but she brushed off the thought figuring she would see it eventually.

The two finished several more cups of coffee over discussing more insights of the job and her education, Lazy Susan having to brew more coffee than she had anticipated. Ford had asked when she had finished cup number four, feeling full of caffeine, “When would you be available to start?”.

Her gaze flicked out the window once again at her car full of her belongings, she had planned to either camp in the woods for the night or find a motel in town. She didn’t know anything about starting dates before she had arrived, so prepared to start very soon after. She turned her attention back to the handsome man in front of her, it suddenly dawning in the back of her mind that she would now be living with the man seated across from her.

“I could start today actually.”

————

[alexrose000]

Diet. Workouts. Lifestyle

We are now entering a period wherein we adopt the culture of South Korean artists, especially their food, exercises, clothes, dramas, and music.

Have you ever wondered why K-pop idols and actors are so skinny?

K-idols and actors balance and are strict with their lifestyles, including their workouts and food intakes.

Who wouldn't like to be as skinny as them? Let's start to be fit before the year ends.

First, be determined to workout once or twice a week at your convenience for thirty minutes to one hour. There are a lot of workout exercises on YouTube right now; you just have to do them and make a choice on which exercise is best for you. For me, cardio workouts standing I usually do once a week. First year of pandemic, usually I do workouts every day. Yeah, I was satisfied. In two weeks, I did achieve abs and became skinnier. Some of us hit the gym to become fit, which is also good.

But let's see how K-pop idols and actors do their workouts. As they said, before you make your debut in a group, you must undergo a series of training sessions in proper exercise, diet, singing, dancing, etc. Let's focus on their workout.

4th Generation Le Sserafim workout routine: 100 jumping jacks, 4x25 burpees, 2x10 jump squats (holding ears), 1 song plank crawl, 2x10 plank up and down, 2x10 plank twist, and 75 crunches

Girls Generation leg workout routine: 15 thigh hovers, 20 squats, 10 side planks, 20 inner thigh lifts, 15 hip kicks, 15 high knees, 10 lunges, and 19 hip raises

Blackpink Jennie Kim does pilates exercise for one to two hours for five days in a week. This helps to be flexible, strengthen, and tone the body.

BTS’s Jungkook Workout Routine: Knowing Jk, he does boxing exercises in his Weverse Live, but he also does 20 squats, 20 pushups, 20 jump squats, 20 pike pushups, 10 planks, 20 mountain climbers, 15 burpees, 20 crunches, 20 leg raises, and 20 Superman’s exercises to achieve his amazing toned body.

Exercise has advantages; it helps our brains improve, helps us manage our weight, strengthens our bones and muscles, improves our daily activities, and has a low disease risk (don't abuse it too much because it may also have a great risk in our body).

Second is food. Who doesn't like food? Do you know kpop idols and actors are forbidden from eating condiments, sweets, fried chicken, tteokbokki, pastry, ice cream, noodles, hamburgers, and jokbal before they debut as artists because they need to have a slim or skinny figure? They undergo really strict diets.

In the Philippines, there are a lot of fast food chains and restaurants opening from time to time.

Salt is usually what we put in our food, but have you heard that if we intake too much salt, there is a bad risk to the body? Salt intake in excess can be associated with disease, weight gain, and much more, but for us Filipinos, we can't remove it from our foods. We are fond of eating noodles, junk foods, fast foods, and restaurants. I read a lot of articles about how some salty foods can cause swelling. Sweets can gain us weight, and articles show they tend to give us acne or pimples. As per my experience, I am very observant about it. Back when I was in high school, I loved eating sweets like chocolates, candies, and much more, which gave me acne on my face and on my back. In time, I stopped eating chocolate, any sweets, and milk too. It slowly disappears, but then again, consult a physician for more information. Meat is really delicious, but the fatty part is no good if eaten too much, especially if you are really on a diet. The breadings, sauces, and ingredients we put on them are sometimes bad for our health. chicken, preferably the breast part for those on a diet.

Let's see how K-pop artists eat.

For IU, apple, sweet potato, and protein shake for a day

Suzy Bae ate one chicken breast and a banana for breakfast and drank a glass of milk. For lunch, she ate brown rice and a small vegetable salad. She finished the day with two sweet potatoes.

Blackpink Jennie's low-sodium (salt) diet, detox juices, and salad with avocado

That’s why they could lose weight in a short period of time. Remember to drink water.

I'm not saying it is bad, but in moderation, did you know that home-cooked food is still the best for me because we can control it on our own? Eating vegetables and fruits can also help us in our diet, but it really depends on a person's lifestyle and diet. There are a lot of apps now that you could try to help us plan our meals and exercises. We just need the determination within ourselves.

Wait for Part 2! for a more extensive how-to diet

[fryuteih]

I'm Into Older Guys!

Na Kamden x Reader

High School AU where reader is into older guys to the dismay of Kamden, who's in the same grade.

Note: The writing in this post probably sucks so read at your own discretion if you hate bad writing ✍️. (First work too & it's too many words long)

----

It was a well-known fact to those who spent time with you, that you took an interest to older males. Your friends, most especially, knew this.

Said friends would often find themselves stuck, listening to your banters about how this celebrity in his late 30's had the "most beautiful" jawline, how this senior from photography club was so "passionate" about his craft, how this upperclassmen looked at you with the "dreamiest" eyes a bit too long in the school cafeteria, and so on. Your banters were, to put it, "over excessive and delusional" in the words of your best friend named "Keita".

"Can you shut your delulu-ness for 1 second?" Keita exasperatingly whisper-screams infront of you.

Currently, Keita, Kamden, Jay and you were seated at the school cafeteria. The four of you often spent breaks together and had frequent hangouts or study sessions after school. So, it was no suprise that the lot of you were currently seated together during lunch.

"No! Look behind you! He literally is shooting me love-eyes!" You whisper-scream back, trying to make a point.

"I think he's shooting love-eyes at Karina" Jay pipes up from beside you, gesturing behind him with his eyes.

"Exactly! You're just a delusional idiot" Keita happily claps and gives Jay an affirming shoulder pat.

"Hey, I'm not taking sides, ok? I'm just saying what I think is happening."

"You guys are just haters, for real. Kamden, tell them he's shooting love-eyes at me!" You expectantly waited for Kamden who was beside Keita, to prove them wrong.

In response, Kamden sighs tiredly and rubs his forehead with his unoccupied hand. The boy was quiet up until this point as he was trying to eat in peace, and so, was tuning out to your group's banter. He was especially skilled in zoning out, but somehow, he couldn't whenever you were talking. You were assertive and loud when you wanted to and it was difficult to ignore, right now was a prime example.

"Well..?"

"Leave me out of this" He whispers solemnly

"Look you made him sad!" Keita points at Kamden with a mouth full of food

"One: Gross, Two: I didn't mean to!"

"Awwww, Kamden are you sad? C'mere" Jay tries to comfort his friend by attempting to hug him, arms outstretched towards the boy infront of him and upper body leaning forward. Leading your hand to forcefully stop him by the stomach in an attempt to avoid the tray of food infront of him splattering on his shirt. Kamden instinctively rejects Jay's efforts with his body and seemingly had lost his appetite, dropping his utensils down.

"Jay can you stop? You're making a scene." You try to mediate the situation as people started side-eyeing at Jay and his antics.

"This wouldn't have happened.." Keita takes a big bite of food "..if you weren't delusional over older guys way out of your league." He finishes with a mouth full of food

You grimace at the boy infront of you "One: You're actually disgusting, you need to stop that. Two: Are you trying to make a point?"

"Yeah, stop making everyone uncomfortable over your addiction on ancient men and start going for guys age-appropriate."

"Please, a mere one to three, sometimes even five year age-gap isn't that bad." You were going to continue your tangent, already opening your mouth to say the next words, but was soon interrupted.

"You should start eating, lunch is going to end soon and you've barely touched your food." Kamden says before you could continue talking

"I didn't know their salad was going to be this bland." You defend, still restraining Jay "Anyway, back to what I was"

"Here, you like potatoes right?" Kamden nudges his tray of food containing an already one-fourth eaten dish with some potatoes on it towards you "Next time, think about what you're going to eat thoughtfully."

"I-" You were going to reject the offer, guilty that the boy was giving you his food out of pity, but was once again interrupted

"I lost my appetite anyways, it's better to not waste it." Kamden shuts you down

You accept the offer, taking Kamden's tray of food with your hand that wasn't restraining the persistent Jay, "If you change your mind and still want to eat, I can buy you food later after class."

"Whatever, eat already." Kamden says while Keita shoots him a look, raising one eyebrow

You sweetly smile at the boy that offered you food and start eating, then you refocus your attention to Keita, "Anyway, age doesn't define whether or not their out of my league."

"Nahhh, anyone older than you is too mature for your kid attitude." Keita argues, yet again with a mouth full of food "If you don't want to be a kid, maybe stop your obsession over older guys for a bit, yeah?"

"I'm not gonna change my standards just because you're a hater, besides, why should the world care when I'm not hurting anyone."

Kamden scoffs, seemingly at your statement which makes Keita howl in laughter causing him to choke on his food. You laugh, trying to muffle your laughter with your hand as Kamden stares at you, head resting on his right hand. On the other hand, this makes Jay stop his incessant attempts to hug Kamden and transfer his attention to patting Keita's back profusely.

You were about to go off at Keita about how karma had bit him, patting his back lightly as you were shaking from laughing too hard, but his continuous choking was starting to become concerning. Too concerning that people were full-blown staring at your table now. Too much concerning that the Kamden who usually ignored your group's antics had started hoisting Keita up to get him to the clinic, putting one of the boy's arms around his shoulders. Most concerning when Keita had started spitting out his food. You started to wrap Keita's other arm around your shoulders and helped Kamden lead Keita to the clinic. Jay trailed behind the three of you, telling reassuring statements to Keita while the on-goers you lot passed by stared at the predicament and Keita, well, continued letting out the most gruesome choking sounds.

Once the group reached the clinic, the nurse quickly ushered Keita to sit on a bed. The nurse then made Keita lean forward and gave him the loudest back blows you've ever heard. The boy almost had his eyes gauging out but it wasn't for naught as the food he was choking on, went out from his esophagus.

"Rest here for a while boy." Keita was one step ahead of the nurse, moving his body to lay sideways on the bed. The nurse then looked at Kamden, Jay and you, "The bell rung a few minutes ago, all of you go now, I'll give you an excuse slip for being late to class. The youth should really learn first-aid" The nurse whispers the last part

You all comply with the nurse, taking your slips and bidding farewell to the silent Keita. Walking down the hall together, you finally reach the intersection where you would part ways with Kamden and Jay who had class in the other hallway.

"Jay go ahead without me, I need to buy water" Kamden says pointing to the hallway you were going

"Isn't there a vending machine with water there? Why waste the time, you might get in trouble for being too late" You question pointing to the hallway where Jay and Kamden's class was.

"I don't like the water there, it tastes fishy." Kamden scrunched his face while waving at Jay to go.

"Alright, you're dead meat to Ms. Lee tho. Enjoy walking together while I walk in loneliness" Jay bids farewell, shooting Kamden a look, eyes squinting.

"You should bring your tumbler next time to save on money." You direct to Kamden as the two of you walked down the hallway.

"Hey [name]"

"Hi Kamden"

"Don't feel guilty about what happened, Keita was bound to choke on his food these days"

You chuckle, "Yeah, I can't help it tho. He did keep talking because I kept talking to him."

He chuckles back, "That's how you always are, huh?.. Besides, this'll probably stop him from talking with his mouth full."

The both of you stop at the vending machine. Kamden raises his eyebrow at you.

"It wont hurt waiting for you a while, yeah?" You say

Kamden smiles, buying two bottles of water. He offers you the other one, "Here you didn't drink water after eating, right?"

"Oh right, how much is a bottle of water again?"

"No need to pay me, it's a hassle if you give me money now."

"You already gave me your lunch, I don't want to use you that much." You say guiltily

"Come on, we're going to be even later now. Just take it, you said that you would treat me after school, yeah?"

You reluctantly take the bottle of water from Kamden, "I'll remind you everyday from now on to bring your water bottle"

Kamden silently nods and waves goodbye at you, walking fastly to his class. You don't think much of what he did and paced to your classroom, thinking heavily on what Keita had said to you.

-------

Once classes were dismissed for the day, you rushed to the clinic, thinking that Keita would still be there. Just like what you had thought, he was there, sleeping soundly.

You sat down on the chair beside the bed where Keita laid. A few seconds passed and you watched as Keita's breathing pattern started to slow down. You panic and guiltily reminisce about what Keita had said to you earlier at lunch that had led to him choking. Was it really that bad that you liked older guys? Keita did just want what was best for you, because who would he pester if you weren't fine? Jay would only get too apologetic whenever someone was bothering him for whatever reason and Kamden would only avoid someone annoying him. You felt the same way about Keita, he was your good friend that you could always rely on to not hold grudges for something idiotic. Keita wouldn't necessarily forgive but he would get back at you, it was a mutual friendship.

Your thoughts then wandered to times you and Keita spent together.

------

"Keita! Look, look!!" You excitedly brought your phone up to your best friend's face

"Okay, okay! Be glad you're my only friend right now" Keita mumbles "What? A 50-year old man's profiting off a concert?"

"One: He's 37 years old. Two: let's go together! He's going here."

Keita thinks for a second, "Admit it, dogs are better"

"Cats are superior"

Keita sighs at your stuborness and then thinks for another second, "You're lucky I like his music, otherwise I wouldn't agree."

"So you're going?" You excitedly ask

"Yeah, it'd be cool to actually see an artist in action. Besides, I want to see how he's attracting so many people."

"One: Omg omg you're actually agreeing. Two: He has a jawline that can slice a person in two."

"That's weird"

You decide not to argue with Keita as he had already agreed to go with you and might take his word on it back if you provoked him. You were going to show Keita in real-life anyways how handsome this male artist was and how influential his career must be with all the fans at the concert as evidence. An experienced artist like him knew the ways of life and used that to uplift his career, it was admirable to you and so was his jawline.

When the concert was finished, to put it, Keita officially was a fan with you as the both of you blasted his music on the way home.

---------

You stood at the front door of your best friend's house. After pestering Keita to let you visit, he finally let down. Was there an ulterior motive for wanting to visit? Yes. What was it? Well, you rung the doorbell to Keita's residence and only a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal Matthew who was smiling so very brightly. Matthew was Keita's older brother by 3 years and that meant 3 years older than you.

"Oh hey [name]! So nice to meet you, Keita said that you were coming!"

"O-oh yeah, nice to meet you too" You bowed at him, hiding the crimson rising to your face

"Yahhh, no need for formalities around me! It makes me feel old." Matthew ruffles your hair "Come in, come in!"

Matthew leads you to their living room where Keita was residing. Keita looks at you with an unpleasant look and pats the space beside him on the couch repeatedly and loudly.

"Be nicer to your friend, Keita!" Matthew playfully berates "Their a guest!"

"Yeah, yeah, stop shouting. You'll make my ears bleed."

"Be nicer to your older brother" You pipe in

"Don't tell me what to do, guest!"

Matthew laughs at the two of you, "I'll prepare drinks for the both of you! You like iced tea, [name]?" He looks at you

"Ofcourse! Anything will do haha" You smile

"Great! I'll get that prepared!" Matthew pats your back lightly and sets off to the kitchen

You sit down next to Keita as he stares at you in disgust, "Try not to drool over my brother challenge" He whispers

"Your brother is so cool, I can't believe you two are related." You whisper back

"I'm actually going to curse you out, be happy I even let you in here."

"Gosh, your brother is handsome and well-kept." You continue whispering as Keita deepens his disgusted stare, "So well-mannered and kind, he even asked if I liked Iced tea."

"Iced tea is all we have, idiot."

You shoot him a look, "Try being like your brother and maybe you'll get someone to look at you."

"DANG OKAY"

"Hope you guys are having fun!" Matthew comes in with two iced teas. It couldn't be helped but to notice his smile. His smile that showed so much of his pearly whites, it felt illegal to see premium content for free. The way that he sets two coasters for the iced teas so that the table wouldn't get wet was so endearing, his mother must have thought him well. The way that he told you and Keita to enjoy your time at their home made you think of how he must be such a caring brother and person overall. After finishing drinking your refreshments, he refused your help to clean up, one could only imagine how he must be a person of service.

Let's just say that Keita was even more reluctant to invite you over again.

-----

It was a Friday and classes were dismissed, but unfortunately, club time was scheduled so students couldn't go home yet. Well, it was unfortunate for most but not for you. Why? Club time was a time to see the person you joined the club for.

"Hurry up Keita!!"

"Damn be patient for one second, he probably isn't there yet!"

"Well I can't risk wasting a second to see him"

"Ok dang!" Keita huffs as he quickly shoves his things into his bag.

The two of you set off to your club room as you shared the same club, photography club, to be exact. As you reached the club room, a second-year classroom, it was already set in groups meaning that every four desks were put together to face one another. You hurried to sit at the group table upfront while Keita followed you. Both of you sat, facing one another.

"Remind me why I even joined."

"Because the club president is always open to share his limitless expertise on photography." You matter-a-factly say

"Well, well, well, don't we have two early-birds here."

You turned around towards the entrance door to see Park Hanbin, a senior and the club president, in all of his glory. He struts towards the front of the classroom and sits on the teacher's desk, "Don't mind me here, let's wait for the others to come. Go do whatever you kids do these days."

You try to subtlety stare at the blue-haired man who was looking at his camera's gallery, he was chic and never afraid to make a statement hence the blue hair. A confident man was so appealing as they would hold themselves in a manner that is sharp and takes your attention in a fraction of a second.

Keita couldn't help but roll his eyes at you and the situation he was in. It seemed as if his eyes would roll out of his eyes until two people approached your table.

"Uhm hey are these seats available or are you guys saving it for other people?" A boy with brown hair questions the two of you, behind him was another boy with black hair seemingly trying not to look at the both of you.

"Those seats are free, you can sit with us if that's what you intend." Keita answers for the both of you as you were to occupied admiring the club president still on his camera.

"Awesome! Thanks!" The brunette ushers the other boy to sit beside you and then sits beside Keita, "Oh, my name's Jay by the way and my friend over here is Kamden!"

"Eyy, I'm Keita and that over there is [name]. I wouldnt blame you if you forget their name, their pretty irrelevant." Keita smiles warmly at Jay and Kamden

"I think they're pretty cool.." Kamden murmurs side-eyeing you

"Really?" Keita looked like the whole world was upside down

"Ohh yeah! I think [name] is pretty cool too! Me and Kamden think everyone's cool!" Jay tries to laugh it off

"You guys sure are enthusiastic.. I like that!" Keita says enthusiastically to which Jay smiles widely to

More people started pouring in and soon Park Hanbin started to lecture the people in the classroom about types of photography. He shows his own examples of the type of photography he was explaining, be it shadows, clouds, and the lot.

A person listening to him could see how passionate he was about photography and what he was doing. The way he led the class on photography was exemplary and showed off the authority he had in the matter which was so very intriguing to you.

While you stared at Hanbin, Kamden stared at your focused state. Your eyes didn't waver from Hanbin at all and your hand jot down notes so quickly about what the club president was lecturing. Your dedication was entertaining compared to the long and never-ending talks of Hanbin.

Soon, another bell rung, signaling that club time was over but Park Hanbin didn't let anyone go yet. He had already locked the exit door prior and was guarding the entrance door. He had the key to exit door and was tauntingly showcasing it on the palm of his hand. His wit was applaudable to you and you didn't mind doing overtime unlike the others who were waiting to go home.

Once Hanbin had actually finished his lecture and dismissed the class, he didn't forget to tell everyone that he was free for any questions anytime. You couldn't help but sigh, you were enthralled at how the boy was willing to sacrifice so much time on photography.

"We should definitely hang out together sometime!" Keita finger-guns Jay and Kamden

"Yo, that'd be awesome! You love that idea dont you, Kamden?" Jay wiggles his eyebrows

"If it's alright with [name]"

"Eh, don't worry about them. Hey, [name]!" Keita calls for your attention

"Y-yeah?" You say caught off-guard by your day-dreaming

"Y-y-y-yeah" Keita mocks you

"Not cool" Kamden says while Jay laughs and pats Kamden on the back, seemingly trying to play what Kamden said as a joke.

"Because I'm a nice person who's considerate of others' feelings, I would like to ask you if it'd be alright to hang out with these fine gentlemen." Keita shows off Jay and Kamden

You roll your eyes and finally get a good look at the two boys whom you didn't pay much attention to earlier. You pointed at Kamden, shaking your index finger. He was familiar and you were trying to remember where you knew him from. Kamden starts to fidget with his hands under the weight of your stare.

"Leave the poor man alone, [name]. I'm your only friend, don't scare off potential other friends."

"N-no, it's alright." Kamden's face starts to turn slightly red and the pace of his fidgeting hands quicken.

You suddenly snap your fingers, "You were my classmate once, yeah?" You excitedly ask after remembering

"Oh, yeah" Kamden cooly says, stopping his hands from fidgeting.

"Great! You know each other, let's hang out!" Jay excitedly claps, jumping up and down.

"Yeah, you guys totally made that boring lecture fun." Keita smiles

"You wouldn't be saying that if you listened." You defend your club president.

"I did try to, but I couldn't because it was boring." Keita shows you a thumbs-down.

"I thought it was fun" Kamden says monotonously

"Ofcourse you found it fun" Jay wiggles his eyebrows

------

"[name]" A gruff voice calls out to you

You look over to Keita and see him awake

"Whew, you're alive" You jokingly whisper, though a part of you wasn't really joking.

"I've been awake for a while now" Keita admits to you

"Oh"

"And I've been thinking that I should just let you be on your love for older guys."

"Yah, let's not talk about that for now." You say not wanting to feel even more guilty.

"I can actually hook you up with an older guy, you know?"

"What? I said let's not talk about that right now."

"You were born on 2001, right"

"Same year as you" You say, giving up and soaking in your guilt.

"You know Kamden was born in the year 2000."

"He's in the year level as us though? Our year is only filled with people born in 2001 to 2002, as far as I know."

"Yeah he and his twin were placed in our grade level during first grade, for some reason, probably enrolled late."

"Oh"

"He always acted older than us, no?"

"Oh"

"I could help you guys get together"

"Oh"

"Did I mention that he was the older twin?"

"Oh"

You sat in silence as Keita kept talking. You didn't know that Kamden was older than you, you always assumed you were the same age.

"Keita, you're awake! You wouldn't believe how mad Ms. Lee was at Kamden!" Jay threw himself at Keita

"Hey" You jumped slightly on your seat as Kamden placed his hand on your shoulder, "I just said hey, no need to be scared." Keita chuckles lowly at you, his Adam's apple moving ever so slightly.

Was Kamden's voice this deep? Did Kamden have eudermic hands all this time? Why is Kamden looking at you so intensely?

"Did you drink the water I gave you?"

You could only nod. This make Kamden tilt his head at you and scrunch his eyebrows together. He looked like a lost cat, you thought. His eyes were sparkling like a cat's. His hair was fluffy like cat's fur. His pink pout resembled a cat's smile when its purs.

"Yo Kamden, what's your type?" Keita loudly asks for the boy's attention, holding Jay in his arms

"Hey, hey?" Jay questions, smiling and wiggling his eyebrows like he always does

"Why?" Kamden plainly asks

"Oh you know.." Keita ponders for a short while, "Someone might be interested in you and I happen to be their helper."

"Well, they shouldn't really change themselves for me if that's the case."

Was Kamden always thoughtful? You asked yourself, and then your thoughts started to spiral. Did Kamden ever care for other people? Was Kamden always this considerate of others? Now that you thought about it, Kamden always acted more mature than the average person your age.

"It's club time right?" Keita asks and everyone turned to look at you expectantly. That included Kamden, who was now looking back at you.

Unknowingly you had been staring at Kamden but you didn't break your gaze as he reciprocated your stare. His eyes were intriguing, a really dark brown that was almost black. It was under small lids and small eyelashes and over slightly dark eyebags. Kamden always took his studies seriously, it wasn't a secret to you that he didn't want to be overtaken by his twin brother, hence, why he worked hard. Kamden always worked hard, you remembered how he would always be awake at late hours of the night. Citing the times you would message him during those late hours and he would always respond, under the reason that he was awake because of an assignement or studying. Now that you thought about it, Kamden was always available for you, when either Jay was asleep or Keita was ignoring you, Kamden always answered whatever idiocracy or academic question you had. His attentiveness towards you had made you more motivated as his his constant help made an assignment easier, a sad moment less sad, and a day happier. You could always rely on Kamden to be there for you, always.

"Earth to [name]" Keita mimics an echo, repeating your name repeatedly and each time in a softer volume all the while smirking

"Oh yeah what is it?" You snap out of your trance and look over to Keita

"I said, isn't it club right now?"

"Ohh yeahh" You suddenly remembered

"So, I can't go and I need someone to bring me home because my mom can't pick me up" Keita smugly says

"Maybe [name] can bring you home." Jay suggests as he quickly brings his index finger to Keita's mouth to sush him and quickly retracts it, seemingly trying to stop Keita from refusing his suggestion.

"No, club is important to [name]. I can bring you home." Kamden refutes Jay's suggestion

Kamden really is thoughtful, you thought.

Kamden's statement seemingly makes Jay and Keita smile knowingly at each other, "You know what? I remembered that I left my house key in Jay's locker. Jay should bring me home."

"Oh yeah, right, totally. Kamden and [name], you guys go to club without us, I'll bring Keita home." Jay says gesturing the both of his hands for the both of you to go.

"Alright" Kamden looks suspiciously at the pair and gently pulls on your forearm, signaling for the both of you to go, "You don't want to be anymore late, yeah?"

Kamden really was well-mannered, you remembered how he would always touch you gently whenever needed. You also remembered how he would always remind you of things whether it'd be to take care of yourself or of other things, Kamden was always so put-together, "Yeah".

--------

"Well, well, well, I'd never thought the two of you would be late." Park Hanbin's voice booms in the middle of his lecture as he sees Kamden and [name] entering from the front door, "Especially this late"

"Apologies, our friend wanted to see us at the clinic before going home. Keita and Jay won't be present." Kamden says quickly to Hanbin

"Ahh, yes, yes, I guess one of you youngsters was the one who choked earlier lunch." Hanbin clasps his hands together, "Well, hurry up and get seated, I'll excuse your tardiness today. Try not to get in any more trouble, kay? [name], right?"

Kamden nods for you as you seemed to be pre-occupied being in a daze and softly grabs your wrist to lead you to the unoccupied seats at the back.

Once the two of you were seated, Kamden found difficulty in letting you wrist go. Sure, the two of you had frequent physical contact but it led for the boy to yearn for more. You were warm on days that he wanted warmth and you were cold on days that he wanted to cool down. Simply holding you for a few seconds wasn't enough.

But Kamden had to have boundaries, he didn't want to make you uncomfortable, that was what he didn't want to do the most. So, he lets go of you. He stares at you longingly, you were looking down at your desk, so he couldn't necessarilly see your face well. It didn't matter though as he remembers your face well, already having memorized you from his moments with you, moments where you were afar, and moments in his imagination.

Whether you were frowning, smiling or resting, Kamden found his eyes at ease in making you the default to look at. When your face rests, Kamden rests, making looking at you an easy job that paid in time seeing you, a better pay was almost non-existent. When your face frowns, Kamden worries. He doesn't frown incase it would lower your spirits down, rather, he tries to cheer you up indirectly, whether it'd be buying you drinks or taking care of measly tasks for you. When he knows what's making you frown or when you tell him yourself, he's more than motivated to give you small words of encouragement. When your face smiles, Kamden tries not to smile. It's almost impossible but he manages everytime to hold his smile in. He's the happiest when you smile genuinely because it's what makes you happy.

Kamden wants to be happy. That's what a normal person wants.

So, he started talking with Park Hanbin a while ago. He asked for an opportunity to see the upperclassmen in the guise that he wanted extra photography lessons. The ulterior motive was to get the older boy to take an interest in you. In the so called "extra photography lessons", he would slip in a good word or two about you. After the lesson, he would ask for another one, continuing his act of making you look good infront of Hanbin. It wasn't hard as he would just list down the things he liked about you. When he would take pictures of clouds, he would tell Hanbin how you were imaginative and creative, how you frequently said how a cloud resembled a persian cat you once owned named "Grill", no matter how far from the truth the cloud was. When Hanbin would tell him to change his shutter speed, Kamden would relay how you would always explain the different shutter speeds to him for different outputs, saying how diligent of a club member of the photography club you were and how you would always listen to Hanbin's lectures.

Soon enough, he didn't have to try and involve you in the lessons as Hanbin would now be the one to frequently ask questions about you. Hanbin was well-mannered, passionate and most importantly, older than you.

That's what you had always wanted in a partner, the two of you would be a good match, you would be happy. Kamden would always think about you being happy. That would make him happy.

Kamden reminisces the older times

-----------

It was a sunny day, much to everyone's luck from a certain class in 4th grade. It was this class' class field trip day to an aquarium. Kamden wouldn't lie, he was happy to spend time with his friends socializing for once. So, he looked forward for the field trip.

On the bus ride to the aquarium, obnoxious noise resounded from the back. Kamden looks back and sees the infamous group of boys from his class who were known to be free-loaders on group assignments and obnoxious in general.

Unfortunately, Kamden was groupmates for school projects with one of the boys from that group. What was worse was that he was the group leader and had just enough of the free-loading boy. This led to Kamden snitching to his teacher about how the boy had never contributed anything and pleading for fair treatment. Kamden could only surmise that the teacher had a talking-to with the boy as the boy was unusually less-vulgar around him, it made him uneasy. This uneasiness wasn't reduced in any way as he would be almost sure that he'd hear his name every now and then whenever the group of obnoxious boys talked with each other.

Once the bus dropped off the class at the aquarium, the field trip went smoothly. Kamden was having fun with his friends, pointing at sharks and unique sea creatures along the way. That was until a bucket of ice cream was splattered across the hallway they were walking on. The culprit? The group of obnoxious free-loading boys, though some of the boys were missing and that included Kamden's free-loading groupmate.

"Oh no. Hey Kamden fetch us a mop would ya? You're the tallest after all." One of the obnoxious boys smugly asks

"Why should he? You guys made that mess." Kamden turns his head to see that you were the one to defend him.

"Well Mrs. Ban sure would stop this field trip if she found out that we made a mess, that's her nature. Doesn't matter who did it, everyone will face the consequence." One of the obnoxious boys seethed, "Let's not waste time, shall we? The sooner you get this cleaned, the more chance that Mrs. Ban won't find out."

You looked like you were going to say something back but Kamden wanted to get this over with, "Alright, I'll get a mop." Kamden turns to the other direction to set out for the cleaning supplies.

Kamden remembers that an aquarium staff had instructed the class to clean up after any mess they made and mapped out where the cleaning supplies were.

"So you're just going to follow me?" Kamden awkwardly side-eyes you

"I thought that maybe the mop might be too big or heavy for you to carry alone."

"Oh" He dryly says

"Where's Mrs. Ban anyway, isn't she supposed to watch over us?" You try to make conversation

"Yeah.." Kamden really didn't know how to respond to you

The two of you walked in silence, Kamden never really interacted with you in class and never bumped into you in past school years, so, it was akward to talk to you now. Kamden and you further set out to the cleaning supplies and then reached the echinoderms part of the aquarium. The aquarium became quiet. He guessed that no one found echinoderms interesting. Though, that silence was quickly shattered,

"Well if it isn't the snitch, Kamden." His free loading groupmate tauntingly says, "The snitch Kamden, fell right into my trap."

The other missing members of the obnoxious group laugh, revealing themselves.

"And now, he's gonna pay for being a snitch." The obnoxious boys crack their knuckles while Kamden is paralyzed, not knowing what to do. He was outnumbered, but so he thought.

"Did you know that starfishes are part of echinoderms." You say matter-a-factly rather than questioning, "Starfishes unlike their organism name aren't actually fishes, they don't have gills, scales, or fins like a normal fish, and also have no blood."

You continue your banter, not letting anyone interrupt you by raising you tone of voice whenever someone did try. Kamden stares at and listens to you. He never really saw this side of you, you were loud and guarding when needed to, he guessed. The more he listened to you, the more he assumes that you were passionate about certain things, like starfishes, he guessed. Though he was confused at your sudden banter, he couldn't really complain, as it was preventing him from being beaten up. Soon enough, your banters were becoming interesting to him.

"Starfish are actually edible and safe to consume but certain species are poisonous and dangerous, so, be careful on what kind of starfish you eat. That's how my cat died." You suddenly halt your banter.

Kamden snaps out of his trance and looks to where the group of obnoxious boys were. They weren't there anymore.

"Seemed like you scared them off." Kamden tries to awkwardly joke with you, "Oh uh, sorry about your cat."

----------

"Hey Kamden, what club should we join?" Jay excitedly shakes Kamden, "There's so many options"

As Jay jumps up and down, Kamden stares at you and Keita who were conversing, just infront of him and Jay. It was club opening day, wherein multiple booths of each club were placed in the school field, to let students to choose their clubs and for club officers to recruit people into their clubs. Though it was noisy and there were a lot of people passing by, he could still hear your's and Keita's conversation.

"You're joining photography club for a singular guy?" Keita asks in disbelief

"Well, that singular guy is extremely talented."

"Extremely talented at scaring and boreing people away."

"You don't have to join me, I'm not changing my mind." You cross your arms, "Besides, I'm not hurting anyone by my own choice."

Keita groans, "You do know that you're my only friend right now, can you be a little lenient?"

"I'm joining photography club."

Jay seems to catch on to what Kamden was distracted by, "Heyy, you're staring at them again"

"Huh, oh what, no."

"Hmmm sure, what's their name by the way?"

"[name]"

"So you were staring at them! No less eavesdropping!"

Kamden's eyes widen, "Lower your voice, would you?"

"Photography club, huh. I heard the club president is scary but I guess their adamant on joining."

"Their always passionate on what they like."

Jay wiggles his eyebrows at Kamden who has not stopped staring at you, "You know what? I kinda want to join the photography club, Kamden."

---------

"Here" Kamden gives you a drink

"What is this for?"

"Nothing, I just thought to give you some."

"You keep buying me drinks, I'm starting to feel guilty."

"You always feel guilty when you shouldn't. Besides, you buy me food a lot of the time, don't you remember?"

"I guess.."

Kamden sits beside you on the bench. Silence sets in, the both of you don't hang out much alone without Keita and Jay. It just so happened that you and Keita fought, and Jay went off to cool Keita down.

"Do you and Jay fight alot?" You break the silence

"I ignore him alot but Jay isn't the type to argue."

"Do you argue?"

"Not really, arguing is tiring." Kamden pats your back gently, "Though, it's normal to fight. It happens when you care enough for something or someone."

You stay silent, sipping on the drink Kamden gave you.

"Not to say I don't care for Jay." Kamden laughs awkwardly, "It's just that people have different ways of showing how they care for things."

"I get what your saying now, you can stop being uncomfortable. Sorry I involved you guys." You take a sip of your drink, "You know, you sound like a 70-year old guy sometimes."

"So you're into me?" Kamden joke

You laugh and clutch your stomach, not being able to stop laughing. Kamden chuckles, your smile was enticing. It was serene and alleviated the stress he was currently going through. He then realizes that it was always like that, his problems seemed to be solved whenever you were around, even if you just simply smiled. What you did to him was amazing.

"You know, I started liking older guys since I was a kid." You said in between laughs, "There was this teenager who worked at the zoo my family frequented at and he would always entertain the kids. He was handsome, confident but well-mannered, would cheer up any kid crying, and would slip a piece of candy every now and then. He'd tell me facts about wildlife, but he was especially passionate about sea animals, more specifically, starfishes. He said they were the easiest to look after. His words influenced me so much that I would beg my family to buy me a starfish but they found it weird. One day the guy asked me if I wanted to look after something for him. I said yes because I wanted to impress him and so, he gave me a white fluffy cat. My family was mad because they'd thought that I stole an animal from the zoo. So, they took me and the cat back to the zoo, only to find out that the cat wasn't part of the zoo's care and that the guy that gave me the cat quit the day of. My family decided that I should just keep the cat. I don't really remember much of what happened during that time but a thought always stuck to me, I'm going to marry a guy just like him."

Kamden listened to you intensely throughout your talk.

"I'm sorry, I probably bored you to death" you chuckle

"No, no. I like hearing whatever you have to say." It was true, he always did, and he always wants to hear you. He always wants to see you, he always wants to be close to you, but he wasn't your type. So, Kamden tries ever so slightly to not smile at you, afraid that he might want you more. He didn't want to reach a point where he would try to take you, try to ruin your dreams of marrying an older guy.

-------

Kamden stares at you, you were still looking down at your table. He couldn't deny the fact that he didn't want you, he loved you. Wanting you was superficial, he didn't want to claim or force you to be there with him 24/7, he just wanted you happy. He realized that when he started setting you and Hanbin together. If he wanted you, he wouldn't be doing what he did. Who didn't want you to be happy though? Your face was too loveable, your eyes yearned for passion, your lips creased to spread melodies of joy, and you were staring back at him.

Kamden gets caught off guard, how long have you been staring back at him?

"And that's it for today! You're all dismissed, except you, [name], can you stay for a bit?" Park Hanbin disrupts Kamden's thoughts.

This was it. Kamden thought. He gently pats your shoulder and gives you a thumbs up. You look confusedly at him.

"Good luck" Kamden whispers to you, subtly pointing at Hanbin with his thumb.

As he starts to walk towards the door, you stand up to follow him but he stops you at your place, "Don't ruin this for me" he whispers to you and quickly exits the scene.

--------

It was 4 A.M. in the morning, Kamden had trouble sleeping. "How were you doing?" Circled in his mind a lot. He didn't reply to any messages Jay and Keita sent him, asking him how his time with you went. Infact, he had turned his phone off as soon as he reached his bed from school.

"Ding"

A notification went off on his phone. It was you. He only had his notifications on for you. He rushed to open his phone.

"Can you come to that Cafe next to school tomorrow? 12PM? I'm nervous. Bring your tumbler by the way"

Before he rushed to respond to you, he saw a text message from Hanbin that was sent earlier at 6PM.

"Hey, hey, hey, Kamden! tha cafe nxt to the schol tmrrw @12PM!!!"

Hanbin had asked you out on a date. You were probably nervous so he responds to your text message to agree to be the third-wheel.

"Yeah. Goodluck. Dont be nervous, I'll be there :)" Kamden responds only to you. He waits for your reply that doesn't come.

--------

11:00AM, Kamden was one hour early. Due to the lack of sleep, he had forgotten his phone but somehow remembered to bring his water bottle.

11:30AM, You arrive, Kamden doesn't make himself known, to try and not disrupt any momentum on your date with Hanbin.

12:00PM, Hanbin was supposed to arrive by now, maybe he was just a little late. You start texting away on your phone.

12:30PM, Hanbin still hadn't arrived, Kamden started to get angry. He would've texted Hanbin himself asking where was he but he didn't have his phone with him.

1:00PM, It seemed like you were stood up, so you left the cafe.

Kamden couldn't express how angry he was, you? Were stood up? Kamden thought that Hanbin was a man, a man good enough for you. But he assumed wrong. He was angry at himself for assuming so wrong, for letting you get stood up. He follows you out the cafe.

"Hey, [name]! I'm sorry, I didn't know he would be that type of guy." He says catching up to you

"Oh, there you are. Where were you?" You ask seemingly upset at Kamden

"I was in the cafe, I didn't want to interrupt your date with Hanbin but he never showed up." Kamden sighs "I'm so sorry [name]"

"Date? I just texted you to meet me at the Cafe at 12. What do you mean date with Hanbin?" You ask, growing frustrated.

"Oh, you weren't going on a date with Hanbin?" Kamden looks confusedly at you, infamously tilting his head.

"No! I just wanted to talk with you, what made you think that?"

"Oh well you guys talked alone yesterday, so I thought.."

"So you thought what? Look, I just wanted to talk to you. I don't know how you reached to that conclusion." You look away at Kamden, too frustrated.

"I'm sorry it's just that I was trying to make Hanbin like you by telling him nice things about you and that's why I thought he asked you out on a date yesterday." Kamden confesses to you

"What?" You look back at Kamden

Kamden stays silent, accepting his fate that you were going to end your friendship right then and there.

"So, you were just trying to set us together?" You gulp down on your words, "So, you don't like me?"

Kamden's eyes widen, "I like you! No, I love you! Wait, where? I love you a lot. Where did you hear that, love?" Once he ended his sentence, he wanted to end his life. Why would he say it like that?

"So, you like me?" You confusedly ask

"I love you" He couldn't stop his mouth from opening and releasing awkward things out in the wild

"I love you too then."

Kamden doesn't believe your words, "What about Hanbin?"

"Hanbin? He told me that you liked me alot. He said that you wouldn't stop talking about me."

"Oh"

"I love you" You smile awkwardly at Kamden

Kamden puts his hands on either sides of your shoulders, "I was born on June 9, 2001, emphasis on 2001, the same year as you. I'm not any older than you are."

"Oh really?" You weren't surprised anymore that Keita would lie to you, "That doesn't change anything though. I love you." You smile awkwardly yet again at Kamden.

"Why though?" Kamden raises his voice, bringing his hands up to the nape of your neck, "I'm not older than you, like that guy from the zoo."

"You remembered." You say not surprised, "That's why I love you."

Your answer was vague but Kamden understood you, he always did, "You know I'm the younger twin right?" He asks in disbelief, bringing his hands up from your nape to cup your face.

"I love you."

Kamden doesn't say it back but he does bring your faces closer to one another. Close enough that his lips touched yours.

_______

This story has reached to its end. I don't know whether or not Kamden is the younger twin or not, I pulled it out of my ass. A lot of what I wrote was pulled out from my ass. If you saw that Chainsaw Man reference, you didn't. I'm sorry if you read all of that and found it underwhelming or not good in general. I tried my best. I might make a ZB1 x reader fiction story, might. Thank you for spending your time reading.

------

[soobjvn]

TULIPS 🌷⁎︎° ✳︎ CHAPTER 27 : “ mission success (pt. 2) ,, ( smau + written )

— cw: none afaik!

[ prev. ✧︎ toc. ✧︎ next. ]

THE GROUP HAD been walking around the park for another two-ish hours after getting off quickcoaster, stopping at every cliche game tent and taking every possible photo op. as the sky turned from light blue to vibrant pinks and oranges, the mood continued to lift. especially between yn and yeonjun.

“what do you mean you’re scared of butterflies? they’re like the least scary things ever.” the two had fallen behind the group, walking so closely any passerby was sure to perceive them as a couple. truthfully, yeonjun had totally done this on purpose. he’d watched a few guys give yn ogling looks, and had to do something to show she was off limits. or, she would be soon; wishful thinking on his part.

“no, no, jun. you’re so wrong. have you ever seen a magnified picture of them? if aliens are real, they’ve already infiltrated our planet, and are flying RIGHT above us.” he laughed at how passionately she spoke about her irrational fear of butterflies, and, as he’d learned, all bugs. “well don’t just stare at me like i’m crazy.” but his gaze was certainly not filled with judgement.

“i dunno, yn, you definitely sound a bit crazy right now. aliens?”

“whatever, you’re scared of roller coasters.”

“okay, that’s just, like, not even comparable in the slightest,” yeonjun scoffed. “the cart could totally fly off the tracks or something. but what’s a butterfly gonna do, huh?” yn was prepared to spit out another sassy response, when yunjin called out to the pair.

“hey, do you guys wanna get some funnel cake?”

“um, duh!” yn ran off to join the rest of the group, leaving yeonjun to smile at her in adoration. taehyun paused to let yeonjun catch up to him.

“you doin’ alright?” taehyun put a hand on his shoulder as they began walking. “well, i know you’re doing more than alright. how bad is it, i guess i should ask.”

“definitely more than alright. and yeah, it is pretty bad, tae.”

“look,” taehyun began, sighing. “i know i act all… i dunno, like i’m uninterested in your guys’ relationship. because, well, listening to your cousin flirt is gross. but i do really care about and want the best for you both, genuinely.” taehyun offered a small smile which yeonjun reciprocated.

“wow, that was beautiful, taehyun, i could cry.” taehyun rolled his eyes when yeonjun wiped a fake tear from his eye.

“but, yn’s my family. if you hurt her i will put instant mashed potatoes in your front lawn.”

“i live in a dorm, but i get the sentiment,” yeonjun said, grinning.

“whatever.”

“i think i’m gonna tell her tonight.” he watched taehyun’s eyes widen in shock, but he hummed in affirmation.

“you have my blessing.”

“yn… she likes me too, right?” taehyun grinned at the pleading look in yeonjun’s eyes.

“well there definitely wasn’t another guy, as i tried to tell you, idiot.“

“yeah, yeah, i get that now.”

“but you should tell her. she might feel the same. or not. dunno.”

“i hate you, you know that?” taehyun laughed, and the two walked towards the group when yn impatiently called out their names.

“c’mon, we want funnel cake!” she and beomgyu stared up with childlike excitement at the menu of sugary treats. “ok, i’ll get the regular, gyu, you get the one with chocolate drizzle, aaand,” she turned to face yeonjun, pointing to him commandingly. “you get the strawberry one. then we can all share.”

“yes ma’am,” yeonjun saluted.

“love it.” beomgyu reciprocated her eagerness excitedly. “yeonjun’s paying!”

“hello?” yeonjun crossed his arms, ready to protest, but he stopped when his eyes fell on yn. “um yeah, sure. whatever.”

“thanks, man.” beomgyu held up a hand to high-five yeonjun, but put it down when yeonjun didn’t reciprocate the gesture. “buzzkill. anyways, you and yn can save our spot in line. yn, i’m actually gonna go sit with the others! yeonjun will order mine for me.” he winked as he walked to sit at the picnic bench where the others were seated, where the boys attentively tuned in to whatever gossip yunjin and winter were rambling about.

“thanks for buying, jun!” yn said as yeonjun stood next to her in line. “still a gentleman.” he didn’t have time to reply, though, as it was their turn in line. yeonjun repeated the order yn had recited, handing his card to the cashier.

“you guys are a cute couple,” the cashier said when she handed them their order, a bright smile on her face. “young love. ah, i miss it.”

“oh, we’re not-“

“thanks!” yeonjun cut her off, an innocent grin on his lips. “love to treat my girl.” he gave yn a pat on her head as she looked up at him, confusion painted on her face. the lady was also visibly confused by their conflicting answers.

“seems like you two need to have a conversation…” yeonjun laughed when yn put her head in her hands. “well, have a nice night, sort-of-couple.”

“thank you,” yn quickly said, grabbing the bag of food and escaping the uncomfortable conversation as fast as possible.

“um, what was that about?” yn asked, walking towards the bench their friends had been sitting at.

“just felt like teasing you. you’re cute when you’re all flustered like that.” yeonjun ruffled her hair, leaving yn’s face even redder.

“freak,” she muttered.

“you really aren’t good at whispering, yn.”

“wait, where’d they go?”

“hm?” he turned his attention from yn to the empty bench, which they were both certain their friends had been gathered around only minutes before. “oh. weird… group bathroom trip?” he shrugged.

yn pulled out her phone to send a text to their group chat, but realized it was unnecessary as she read the text yunjin sent her.

those sneaky bitches.

clearly they’d planned this out well, as all of her friends’ locations were disabled. yeonjun was right: they truly were determined to get them to talk.

yeonjun had seemingly received a similar text, looking up from his phone to yn. “guess we’re on our own for a bit. um… what d’you wanna do?”

yn smirked as she looked at the line for quickcoaster, which was significantly shorter than the first time they rode it.

“oh no. no, no, no. the first time was bad enough yn.”

“shh, i have an idea!”

“oh god.”

“i’ll give you 20 dollars if you don’t scream the whole ride.” she smirked, putting her hands on her hips.

“yup, goodbye.” he turned to walk away, but yn swiftly grabbed his hand and he turned back around.

“you can do it! you already know where all of the drops are and what they feel like. and, i won’t make you pay me if you lose. it’s a win-win situation!”

“uh, what’s the other win?”

“junnie, pleaseeee,” she dragged out, yeonjun’s heart melting at the nickname. “i don’t wanna ride it again on my own.” he sighed in defeat. he truly was incapable of saying no to her.

“fine.”

“yay!” she kept her hand in his, dragging him behind her as they got in the line.

she’s totally gonna be the death of me. quite literally.

IT WAS AN hour later, and yeonjun and yn sat on a park bench, a seat that gave them a perfect view of the sky as it was placed at the egde of the fair, no attractions present to block the sight. it was well past 9 now, and the sky was dotted with stars.

after riding quickcoaster again (and yn, to her shock, losing 20 dollars), the two had played a number of fair games, took a few pictures at a photo booth, and spent an unnecessary amount of money buying matching bubble guns.

but now, they were completely out of energy. they had sent the group their location and were told they were on the way, so they decided to sit and wait.

yn sat with her legs curled up to her chest, trying her best to keep her eyes open. yeonjun had won a plush for himself at the claw machine — which he named yeonjun junior in “retaliation,” he said, for the time they were at the market and yn had criticized the name — and yn was resting her head on it.

“this was fun, yeonjun,” she said after a moment of comfortable silence. “why are we so stupid?” he laughed, realizing she was talking about the whole tweet miscommunication situation.

“we really are. i can’t believe you were so jealous you ignored me for five days.”

“hey, you were jealous too. you could’ve texted first.” his heartbeat quickened at the use of “too.” he watched her eyes widen as she realized her slip-up. “i mean—“

“oh so you admit it? you were jealous?”

“whatever.” yn turned her head away from him. yeonjun grinned, using his finger to turn her chin, forcing her to face him. she parted her lips slightly, her eyes sparkling with bewilderment. the thoughts going through her head were scattered and indescribable. but in short, she was totally whipped.

“yeonjun—“

“don’t you know?” she swallowed, using any strength she had left in her to form a coherent response.

“d-don’t i know what, jun?”

“that you’re the only one i wa—“

“oh, there they are!” yeonjun dropped his hand and the two turned their heads towards the sound. beomgyu. “mmm, i can smell my funnel cake from here.”

yeonjun was seriously gonna murder this kid.

“hey guys!” kai waved. “sorry, we got a bit lost.” he giggled, and yunjin took a seat next to yn.

“yup. big fair here,” yunjin added, wrapping an arm around yn’s shoulder. she leaned in to her ear.

“i need full details, yn. the second we’re home.” yn couldn’t hide the smile forming, but it quickly faded when she realized what could have happened had she and yeonjun not been interrupted.

“i think we call it quits. not sure what you two did, but i’m exhausted,” soobin said, yawning.

“yup. good idea. beomgyu, let’s go, yeah? i’ll walk with you!” beomgyu stopped stuffing his face, getting the idea this was much more than a friendly stroll. he cleared his throat and closed the box.

“um, yeah, for sure.” yeonjun stood up, walking in the direction of the parking lot with his arm around beomgyu’s shoulder. soobin trailed behind, resembling a tired father. yn laughed thinking about the scolding yeonjun was going to give beomgyu.

“yeah, you definitely had a good night,” jay said, grabbing the car keys from his pocket as the group approached the car.

“i really did.”

“mission success!” kai cheered from the passenger seat.

the cashier lady was definitely right. she and yeonjun desperately needed to have a conversation.

TAGLIST 🌷@bangchansbae @raehyun-byeoll @yyawnjun @junhuicosmo @n034sy @wintertxt @fanfangying1304 @crystal-jellies @gyuszie @lightprincess-world @hyuneyeon @tocupid @cookiehaos @222brainrot @choi-beomgyulvr @hyehae @yunwonie @you-make-skz-stay @mrsyawnzzn (bold couldn’t be tagged)

— pssst, feel free to use my asks / comment here if you’d like to be added to the tag list <3

A/N 🌷 are we… actually getting somewhere…

[peterlorres21stcentury]

I was going through some past emails and I found this post from my old Yahoo group

On Feb. 6, the "Old Movie Section" blog posted this "tintype" of Peter, written by Sidney Skolsky, taken from a book titled "Tintypes". Peter was working on "Crime and Punishment" at the time:

<<<< 11/27/1935 HCN Tintypes By Sidney Skolsky

Peter Lorre is in his dressing room. It generally takes him an hour to dress for his role in Crime and Punishment. He does this slowly, intentionally. He believes it aids him to portray the character.

He goes on the set and stands in for himself. He is one of the few big actors who do this. He poses under the hot lights while director von Sternberg arranges them and the camera. He does this because von Sternberg, who is particular about lighting a scene and an actor, asks him to do it. It means hard work for him, but he admires von Sternberg.

While on the set he has a favorite drink, a mixture of raspberry syrup and water. He makes everyone sample it. While making a flicker he doesn't eat much. His lunch consists merely of sliced fresh fruit, usually peaches.

He walks about, whether it be in the studio or in a restaurant, much in the same manner as he did in M. People who have seen him in this great flicker are scared when they first see him in person. He knows this and is greatly amused by it.

It was his excellent performance in M which got him a contract with Columbia. Before coming to America, he signed to play in the flicker, The Man Who Knew Too Much, to learn to speak English. He is good at languages and was quite adept at English in six weeks. He spoke better English in the latter reels of The Man Who Knew Too Much than he did in the beginning.

He was born in the village of Rosenberg, Hungary, on June 26, 1904. It was after he completed high school that he ran away from home to become an actor. In one early theatrical job he was given a three- line part. After the rehearsals the lines were taken away from him because he overacted. The director said he would be a standout by merely walking across the stage.

He is five feet 5 inches tall, weighs 160 pounds, has brown prominent eyes, brown hair, and rosy cheeks. A strange villain.

He speaks in a low, confidential voice which cannot be heard very far away. At the studio he will visit different offices. He amuses friends by acting and making faces. When telling a story he acts out all the characters.

He is a mild, pleasant person. He has a house at Santa Monica to which he invites his few friends for breakfast or dinner. He prefers to test by himself in his garden here. He seldom barks. He is not a visitor to the Hollywood gay places.

He enjoys watching tennis and football. His favorite sport is wrestling. He attends the bouts regularly. He once waited until after a match to ask Man Mountain Dean for an autograph.

He is married to Cecilie Lvovsky, an actress. They met when they were both appearing in the German play, "The Candidate," and were married when they met again in London. He was making a flicker. They were married during a lunch hour, and Lorre was in the make-up he used in The Man Who Knew Too Much. They haven't any nicknames for each other.

He makes charcoal sketches, landscapes and portraits, and is a good artist for his own amusement. He likes to listen to classical music. He detests bright red fingernail polish on women.

He insists that if he did not have to act, he would not. Acting, he says, is a child's profession for a grown up. "But," he slyly adds, "I love it."

When he isn't working he relishes a big meal. He likes Hungarian goulash and is especially fond of new potatoes in cream. He will talk about food and give a lecture on why a certain salami is better than another type of salami.

He is not at all particular about clothes. He doesn't try or pretend to be fashionable. He always carries plenty of baggage, most of which he never uses. He claims it looks good when you're traveling.

He likes cold showers and actually takes them.

He seldom carries money with him. Often he has run into a shop to buy a package of cigarets [sic], has found himself without a penny, and has had to write out a check for 15 cents. He sleeps alone in a twin bed. He wears pajamas, and on warm nights he wears only the jacket. He always reads himself to sleep.

He has a clause in his contract. Each day before work he is allowed to run into Boris Karloff's dressing room and frighten him.

[kingmagnificoofrosas]

love seeing the dad side of our king. It’s heart warming and slightly funny to see him panic a bit -owl

Hi owl! How are you? It's good to see you!

Oh, I know right? Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming though. ... Especially if you're his assistant whom he considers his little sister and you get sick often, so you're babied 24/7 ... *feel my nose tickle* Uh oh ... hheeee ACHOO!!! *sniff* stupid grasses ...

Again?? Julie! This is the fourth time-

Hayfever! Mags, hayfev-

Fever?? Are you sure? You have a fever?

N- Mags! No! I said, hayfev-

Let me check! *feels my forehead*

Mags ...

Any pain? Tummy ache?

No.

Dizzy? Nauseous? Headache?

No ...

*lifts my arm* Any rashes?

No! Mags, I'm fine!

Poor child! Have you taken the vitamin mixture I've made for you?

I have. *gently removes myself from the inspecting* Are you done dadding?

*sighs*

Oh come on! No. Don't look at me like that! *sighs as well* Alright, you big softy! *hugs him* Thank you! Thank you for caring so much! *gives you a glance while hugging*

Here. *hands me an apple*

Uh ... 🍎

Eat!

Thank you ... but I'm not hungr-

Eat! It's good for you! And speaking of hayfever- *takes out a little glass bottle with a dark greenish liquid*

OH! *flinches* Is that ...? EW no! No no! No no no no! Heck no! I'm not drinking that stuff anymore! I'll vomit!

Medicine isn't supposed to taste like candy, it's supposed to help! I've put some more honey in this time.

NO! *runs down the podium and hides behind you*

Oh, are we running away, yes? You know who'll win if I come down.

*Hides behind you even more* 😰 Please?

Be reasonable and take your medicine.

I don't need it!

I'm not having this discussion, Julie!

But I tell you! I don't need it! I'm healthy again! I'm taking my vitamins!

I'll give you five seconds or I'll come down. You got sick too often recently.

Magnifico, please!

1 ...

No! I'll tell Myrah!

2 ...

I do feel so much better! Really! There is no need for me to take-

3 ...

*Panics* You're playing! You're not gonna force me to take this disgusting-

4 ...

I'll eat five apples! And I'll drink tea!

5 ...

*squeee* 😱

*comes down the podium*

*take off running across the court yard, Magnifico chasing after me in dangerous speed* AAAAAAAaaaaahhh! *almost run over Asha and a few other citizens*

Woah! Hey! Wha - *turns to look after the king chasing his assistant like a cheetah its prey*

*dive for the stairs that lead up to the upper corridors and run past more citizens, who stumble to the side with surprised gasps*

*reaches his hand out to grab me*

*hurry down the other side and towards the fountain*

*grumbles* .... *hurls himself over the railing with ease and lands back on his feet gracefully, cutting of my way before continuing to come after me* Stop running! You know you stand no chance against me!

Never! *hurries into the fountain and clings to the middle pillar*

You think water's gonna stop me? 🤨

Crap! 😨 *almost slips in the water and keeps running further down the outter court yard.

Enough of this! *takes up speed*

*I feel myself getting yanked backwards, two strong hands grabbing me firmly. I let out a high pitched screech, kicking and flailing my arms, desperately trying to free myself*

Will you stop squirming and take your medicine!

No! You cannot force me! Let me go!

I'm not gonna have you get another flu this month! Just take the medicine!

Take it yourself! *try to push myself away from him* Somebody help me!

You can have this the easy or the hard way!

*keeps trying to push his arms away and slip away from his hold but his grip is like iron*

You're making this unnecessarily hard for yourself!

[ some citizens gather to watch the scenario ]

Unhand me! *struggles*

You want the hard way? Fine! *flings me over his back like a sack of potatos* I'll tie you to a chair if I have to!

Myrah! Asha! Owl! Anyone! Help me! This stuff has garlic and ginger and onions mixed together with bitter herbs and it tastes like death! I don't want to take this stuff! Please!!! *drumm my fists on his back* Let me down! Magnifico please! Please let me down! I gonna do anything!

No. *carries me back towards the castle entrance* Stop hitting my back, this won't do anything!

Magnifico pleaseeeee!

No!

Myrah!!! Help me! Tell him to let me go!

I'm sorry, but he's right. Just take the medicine and you're good!

Asha! Do something!

🫢 ...

🐐 What is going on?

🐈‍⬛ Ohhh! This's gonna be good!

Traitors!!!

Is he really going to force her to take that garlic-onion stuff?

Wait and watch! 😉

*puts me down* Jonathan, Carl, hold her for a second. I'm back in a moment. This won't take long.

*whimper* Jonathan! You cannot allow this! Let me run and tell Magnifico .... err ... tell him I stomped on your foot or something! I'll bring you your favourtie chocolate later!

Sorry kiddo. But an order is an order.

Oh come on! Carl-

*shakes head*

You are SO mean! Both of you! This is torture! Is this even legal?

*comes back*

*starts sweating*

Now, Julie- remember Wilbert?

Th- the tarantula? 😱

Yes, exactly. *takes out his hand from below his cape, revealing the big black hairy spider*

Wilbert is very eager to say hello to you and greet you with a kiss to your shoulder. But you can also take your medicine and refuse to say hello to Wilbert. Your decission.

You're bluffing! 😅 You know I'm scared of spiders.

I'm simply looking our for you, my dear. I don't take you getting sick lightly. You're sensitive to viruses and I am able to take precautions. Now, be reasonable. Wilbert or the medicine?

You wouldn't!

*holds the spider closer*

😱 EEEEEEEAAAAA! OK OK OK! *rips the bottle out of his other hand and gulps it down. Shaking all over* Hurgh! 🤢

Jonathan - 🥺 sorry kiddo

Carl - 🤭

There! *pats my back* Well done!

I gonna puke ... *gags* 🤢

*hands me some water and a big strawberry* Why not like this from the start?

You .... are .... SO mean!

You're welcome. *winks* Don't forget, the second portion is this afternoon and the last before dinner.

*goes pale* 😵

*grins and turns* Myrah, my darling, let's get ready for our trip!

*whispers* I'm sorry sweety, *pats my shoulder* You can do this!

😮‍💨 meh

Weeell ... at least he considers you his little sister. That is great, isn't it? 😅

Yippee ...

Jonathan *hands me two more glass bottles of that green liquid* cheers kid.

😑 ... *aggressivly bites into the strawberry*

😅 ....

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Thoughts after finishing a re-watch of Taskmaster season 2:

- You can see this a lot throughout seasons 1 and 2, that in the early season they had a lot more time for the tasks. The average seemed to be an hour, while these days 20 minutes would be a long time. I can why there would be very good budgetary reasons to shorten the timeframe once they were doing 10 episodes instead of 5 or 6, if they gave them an hour for each task they’d be there forever. But still, an hour is enough time for the contestants to come up with some cool stuff that just can’t be done in 20 minutes. I enjoyed watching that.

- I still think Impress the Mayor is one of the best tasks in Taskmaster history. I see why they don’t do stuff with the general public anymore (like high fiving a 55-year-old in season 1, and season 2 had a bit of that with ordering a pizza), but I think they should bring on more authority figures and make Taskmaster people entertain them. I don’t think they’ve done that since with someone of that stature, and actually, it’s been a long time since they’ve brought in an outside person of any stature (ie. the woman they had find things in common with in season 6, the guy they cheered up in season 7, Rosalind the nightmare, even Fred). Those are fun.

- The was a very potato-heavy season, even by Taskmaster standards. The potato throw. The potato bridge. The cat named Patatas. The potato live task. The bandstand potato team task. The stop motion potato team task. That’s a lot of potatoes for a five-episode season.

- On the subject of the bandstand potato team task, it was jarring to see them bring in Josh, as they’ve now more firmly established the rules of Taskmaster and they don’t include just throwing in ex-contestants to make a team task fairer.

- I had it in my head, for some reason, that season 2 was slightly better than season 1. On a re-watch, I’d say it was the other way around. Season 2 was very good, but season 1 hit some highs it couldn’t quite match. Possibly due to the cast not seeming to get along quite as well.

- Every time I have to do one of those “prove you’re a human” things that ask me to click on every picture with a bridge, I mutter the Greg Davies quote “Sometimes you don’t see bridges” under my breath. It was fun to see that one in context again.

- I also have a kid at work who likes to name farm animals, so sometimes I sing Old McDonald to him. Every time I do, I picture Joe Wilkinson standing there in his suit looking blank, and I sing the song in his disinterested voice, and the kid giggles, it’s great.

- Jon Richardson is, as I’ve said before, absolutely right to be upset that he got robbed of a season victory by one live task in which it was possible to get fifteen actual points, especially when the scoring system wasn’t made particularly clear in the instructions. Having said that, I am please that Katherine Ryan has given us Canada’s 100% winning record on UK Taskmaster (with Mae Martin).

- The good old bandstand. I like the increasingly elaborate sets, but the bandstand was fun. Someone on Reddit posted a map recently that shows how you can walk from the Taskmaster house to the Taskmaster bandstand in about half an hour, I have saved that map and intend to do that walk when I go to London this summer. Along the Thames and see if I can catch sight of Tim Key’s ice block.

- The task where they threw groceries across the river, was also very strong. Richard Osman just fucking going for it with all his might to launch a shopping cart into the water is one of my favourite shots of Taskmaster, for similar reasons to Romesh Ranganathan throwing the watermelon on the floor. I like watching people really go for things. Richard Osman eating that egg with no hesitation whatsoever and then casually picking up his tea and walking away like a movie star was pretty fucking cool too. God Richard Osman is cool.

- I now think of Joe Wilkinson’s ass whenever I see a pineapple, so that’s a fun effect Taskmaster has had on my life.

- I don’t often think of Jon Richardson doing the four one-minute tasks when I think of tasks that have been set just for one person. But I should, because that was a lot of fun. I like how they upped the ante a bit from the previous season with Josh just doing it on his own, getting others involved in setting the tasks. That was very funny. Also, the makeup tutorial one reminded me of a particularly intense/harrowing bit from the Russell Howard/Jon Richardson BBC 6 Music Show, and Jon looked quite upset while doing it, I think Katherine Ryan may have inadvertently given Jon some flashbacks.

- I said after episode 1 that Katherine Ryan was really funny in that episode, I think she may have remained the most consistently funny contestant throughout the season. The perfect mix of confidence and ability to laugh at herself.

- The final live task was excellent.

- I see why they didn't keep making them buy gifts for Greg for 17 seasons straight, but I think they should bring that one back in some future season, just once, as a treat.