#I was rly disappointed i hoped i would be able to get some food or get to stay in a night to see how it was like

[sleepdeprivedweeblol]

If you see any random Si lore drop in my tags feel free to ignore it!

[mundungs]

ϟ.  → robert sheehan : genderfluid : he/they/she : dealer of illicit objects and substances : the raven by the alan parsons project ϟ  did you see mundungus fletcher ? you know ,  31 year old halfblood who was formally in ravenclaw. some say dung can be quite furtive but are known to be unreliable. they are aligned with the order .  maybe that’s why they remind me of naming stray cats, flicking a lighter over and over again, falling asleep on the subway. ϟ 

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ciannán o’donnell is a flighty man, one of many relationships and flings and little loyalty, and so his affair with maeve fletcher does not last long. when she tells him she is pregnant, he moves on to a different woman, and maeve has her son alone, with her sister on her side. and thus, mundungus is born (and giving an arguably atrocious name).

he grows up with his mum – a halfblooded witch and by far his favourite person in the world – in limerick, attending muggle school there. he knew who his dad was, but wasn’t quite sure how to feel about — his father is a criminal, a prominent member of the irish mob. 

he meets his dad for the first time at age seven, and was nothing but impressed. his dad showered him with gifts, his mum watching with a furious look on her face but biting her tongue. that moment was a switch for mundungus; he felt the need to impress his dad. he stole some sweets from a store on his way home from school a week later, fished some pennies out of the pockets of his classmates a few months later. when he phoned his dad to tell him, his laugh was warm and filled with life. his relationship with his dad got better as his behaviour got worse. the thrill of stealing, of doing stuff he wasn’t supposed to, lit him not only on fire because it was exciting, but also because he knew his dad would adore it. 

but ciannan, a flighty man, pushes and pulls. and so mundungus was fed disappointment by his father, liking love off a shiny knife rather than a spoon ( silver or plastic, what the fuck does it matter ). details omitted, long story made short: his dad sucks and his mother tries, but mundungus is pulled towards that what smells of danger.

DRUGS MENT. at hogwarts, dung is sorted into ravenclaw. not at all the booksmart type, he falls more into the chaotic-creativity, random-bursts-of-wanting-to-learn-everything-about-something type of ravenclaw. there’s two worlds, then: the muggle world, where he slowly dips his water further in criminal waters, and the wizarding one, where he’s chaotic and messy but a student. when he grows older, these overlap: dung starts selling some of his dad’s weed at hogwarts, and soon gains a reputation of being able to get people less-than-legal shit. 

not getting high off your own supply is not a sentiment he agrees with. not then, not later, not now. dung is fun, always in for a party and willing to supply the goods to throw it. if some rich purebloods lose a few galleons at said party, well, it sure isn’t him! END OF TW

he graduates with two newts, in herbology and potions, failing his dada and charms exams. he’s not an academic.

falling into the family business after graduation is easy. mundungus is attracted by the criminal underworld, both that of muggle ireland and that of the wizarding world. knockturn alley was a place frequented in teenage years, but now becomes more his place. he makes connections, exchanges strange potion recipes for other things. makes an odd wager on a bunch of stolen brass scales and turns a profit. 

a career is not something that interests him; he is more interested in bending rules and making quick money. thievery, selling illegal shit, heists, fraud, fuck-all. mundungus is not limited by one descriptor, one kind of criminality. he just does what he wants and hopes to make a good penny.

but then he almost gets sent to azkaban over some, in his frank opinion, bullshit. it’s dumbledore who talks the wizengamot out of it, saddling dung up with some community service and persuading him towards the order. he’s twenty three. the war is still fresh. he has no interest in it, but he owes the old man. fine.

mundungus does vehemently oppose blood purity and any kind of discriminatory ideals, an anarchist in his very bones, but he is also cowardly. to side with self-proclaimed rebels is not in his blood and yet it’s where he ends up, bringing shady ties to the underworld to the table and a sheer ability to sneak around and fuck the law. and maybe, amidst the ranks of the order, dung finds something he’s not very familiar with: a large family. and dung? well, he’s the stoner, gay, super-fucking-chaotic cousin.

personality

if jesper fahey and kaz brekker had a child, it would be dung. 

other character parallels: fezco ( euphoria ), boris ( the goldfinch ), doug judy ( b99 ), jason mendoza ( the good place ), chris miles ( skins ),  nick miller ( new girl ), creed bratton ( the office ), scott lang ( marvel ), lillian ( unbreakable kimmy schmidt )

technically he’s homeless. he’s got a bedroom at his ma’s place, has a ton of squatter connects in the muggle scene and couch surfes aplenty, but dung doesn’t rent a place. why? landlords are evil. he could afford a place, just doesn’t see the point. life’s better with some adventure.

appears very neutral in public as it’s beneficial to his role in the order??? 

.... tortured artist. writes poetry and loves to draw and paint. 

tattooed the fuck up. some are his own designs.

can usually be spotted wearing The Coat, a rly expensive, vintage long coat that he once stole of a pureblood. he’s enlarged the pockets with some handy spellwork and pretty much carries everything he owes in there, like his produce and his money and his second pair of shoes and his art supplies and probably some random trash. 

loves animals. he loves stray cats especially <3 they are his kin. 

an anarchist. a bit of a punk. a deep idealist with a cowardly heart so constantly betraying himself (and sometimes others?)

queer! enby! genderfluid! i used he/him pronouns throughout this intro but dung truly doesn’t give a damn what u use. loves to dress up in feminine clothes. 

has a ton of aliases, lol, the most important one being marigold fincher. 

cusses too fuckin much to be healthy :/

oh no he is a big sad insecure kid deep inside :/ dont tell anyone how embarrassing!!!! shhhh!! it’s a secret.

quick connection ideas

victim. wow please. if your character is rich. let me steal from u. pick ur pockets. break into ur house. get some of ur stuff and drop it on the black market. 

customer. dung sells. whatever u need. drugs. weird magical things. ask and ye shall receive. his prices are whack but he does deliver <3

pal. party friends! order friends! random encounter friends! dung has a trashmouth and loves to talk pls let him chat u up and u will never be rid of him <3

couch. he couch surfs. a lot. if ur character trusts dung enough to let him into their home (which they shouldnt) then pls let him sleep over for a night. he will leave a strangely expensive necklace on ur kitchen table as a thank u. or wilted flowers. no in between.

skeptic. ur char is in the order and thinks dung is a liability and maybe they have a point. a point mundungus would rather not face :)

dmle bitches. dung hates anyone authoritative but esp the coppers at the ministry (hit wix & aurors) (yea he calls them coppers sorry he doesnt respect them enough to call them aurors <3). give me that doug judy/jake peralta dynamic. or just someone in the dmle who is like ... sigh this guy again??? 

fwb/one night stand/fling/etc. he’s a bit slutty <333 give him some ppl he’s hooked up with / will hook up with.

[tbhstudying]

hi! i'm starting a blog and a ytb channel and I'm thinking about starting a small business along with it, what advices would you have to be successful in it and maybe make it a full time job? I've been following you for a while I absolutely love you and your content you're very inspiring thank you :))

honestly idk how helpful it’ll be bc i def don’t see my yt as a full-time job if u know what i mean? i see it more of a hobby rather than a job + i wouldn’t even make minimum wage off it :(  here’s what i’ve got tho

the financial side of things

you likely won’t be making money off the first day or the first month or maybe even the first year. yt has a minimum sub count before you can monetize and a minimum revenue before they pay you, and that’s before you even begin to make enough money to cover minimum wage or basic living expenses. like, i don’t want to sound mean or discourage people from making yt channels, but absolutely do not approach it with the expectation that you’re going to make yourself rich with it. you’re only going to disappoint yourself. i think i got paid after like 2 or 3 years lol 

keep very good track of your paychecks and expenses for taxes + be very, very aware of the tax requirements for 1. youtube and 2. your small business. if you don’t keep good records, you’re going to have a hellish time later on, and if you don’t file taxes at all, you’re going to have the IRS hunting you down like a wild tiger in the wilderness.

you’re also going to have to learn how to budget very well, especially if you plan on making this a full-time job. money from social media work is sporadic. some months will be good, other months will be bad. make sure you’re going to be able to pay the basic expenses like food, rent, bills, etc. try not to get into credit card debt that you can’t pay off. 

^^ actually, this bit is p applicable to anyone. 

if ur just starting out, u don’t need to invest in the most expensive stuff. invest in better equipment when you have the 1. skills developed for it and 2. when you have the following for it. i still use my iphone to film tbh.

the other side of things

i have no idea what you plan to be doing for your blog or your youtube or your business, but whatever it is, figure out a consistent style and niche for yourself, upload consistently, and take advantage of the algorithms.

i kinda just dick around with this honestly bc this is my hobby rather than a business, but if i were to rly convert my thing into a business, i’d probably focus more on consistent branding and consistent production and perhaps even look into management. 

anyhow there’s that, hope it helped?

[lavenderlight]

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, 40 >:)

Ahdgkhh okay here we go!!!

1: Which TES games have you played?

All 5 main series games, ESO, and Blades!

2: Favorite TES game?

Oblivion........ like the other games have traits I like more, but also cons. Like... if I had to pick a game to just play with only the Unofficial Patch, it’d be that one.

3: When and how you got into TES? I was at a game store with my brother and we saw Oblivion with all these award “amazing game” stickers on it on clearance. So picked it up. I wasn’t impressed right away (remember picking dark elf tho) so put it down. My bro played it and said “omg you have to get out of the tutorial dungeon that sucks but the rest of the game is so good!” So I made a bosmer and did and there rest is history. TES has been a special interest of mine and a big comfort series for a decade now!  4: Favorite race Bosmer! Dunmer are a close second though. Thanks Morrowind. 5: Favorite province Valenwood........... love it............ Cyrodiil too because I’m basic. 6: Favorite character Ahdjgh hard to pick because there are so many! Off the top of my head, Dagoth Ur/Voryn Dagoth, Indoril Nerevar (what a shock, I know), Serana Volkihar, Glarthir, The Adoring Fan (don’t @ me), The Jemane Brothers, Marcurio, really all the characters from ESO’s main quest and the ending side quests who help you 😭😭. 7. Favorite faction

Thieves’ Guild, minus Skyrim’s. Skyrim’s Thieves’ Guild was awful eww.

8: Which province you would like to live in

If the lore and history and stuff weren’t a thing, Summerset because it’s aesthetic and has nice beaches. Realistically, probs Cyrodiil because I’m basic and I like how it’s a melting pot of various races and cultures!

As much as I love Valenwood, wouldn’t be able to handle the Green Pact

9: Which deity/deities would you worship?

Dibella - because I like how she’s the divine for the arts, and actual true love and beauty in the world (feel like she’s the divine most likely to say gay rights and trans rights). That vibes with me.

Makes me sad that both in the games and in the fandom, she’s reduced to “ha ha slutty sex goddess”. 

10: Favorite Divine

Dibella because see above.

11: Favorite Daedric Prince

Oh boy... hajdg I love Daedra (except Molag Bal - eww)!!! So it’s hard to pick. Just rapid fire listing some favs: Sheogorath, Meridia, Azura, Barbas (does he count?), Hircine... 

12: Favorite enemy

Dagoth Ur

13: Favorite dungeon

Hmmm, I feel like I’m forgetting some, but I enjoyed Nocturnal’s trial dungeon in Skyrim because I like sneaking and it was all based on that.

14. You have awakened and you are a Cliff Racer. What do you do?

Hunt and kill anyone who dares to step outside Seyda Neen lol

15: What would you do if you contracted vampirism?

C u r e

16: What would you do if you contracted lycanthropy?

C u r e

17: Are there any characters you have crushes on?

Not rly because I’m ace.

 If so, who?

18: Favorite Great House

The Sixth House. The Tribe Unmourned. The-

Honestly all of them are whack and have... issues. When I played Morrowind, I didn’t join any of them lol. Telvanni is at least entertaining and very out there which makes them cool. So I guess them?

19: Favorite TES music

Ahaha... I sold my soul to Jeremy Soule... I have so so many... :’)

“The Road Most Travelled”, “Peaceful Waters”, “Stilt Sunrise”,  “Auri-El’s Ascension”, “Sunrise of Flutes”, “Harvest Dawn”, “All’s Well” “The Streets of Whiterun”, “Secunda” (this is one of my all time favourite video game songs!), “Sovngarde”, “One They Fear”

Then from ESO which has other composers too: “Northpoint Nocturne”, “Moth, Butterfly, and Torchbug”, and “Grazelands Dawn” (mostly because it’s a remix of “The Road Most Travelled” 🥺)

Oh, and this song from the Morrowind dlc because the remaster of “Nerevar Rising” from 2:54 onward. (which how could I forget “Nerevar Rising”? Ugh it gives me feels! The Oblivion and Skyrim main themes are very near and dear to me too)

Also really enjoyed this song from Clockwork City - captures the melancholy vibe and I like the clock noises in it.

20: In your opinion, what is the scariest thing in TES?

I can’t stand spiders so anytime anything having to do with them shows up... I play with mods that remove them and in ESO,  I have a list of dungeons and places to avoid. If I have to do one, I make someone go with me and kill them for me lol.

The Lighthouse Quest in Skyrim was also mega spooky. As for lore, soul trapping and the Soul Cairn really freaks me out! I can’t bring myself to use soul trapping because it bothers me :( I headcanon that when a soul gem runs out of charge, the soul is freed because it’s the only way I can sleep at nigh leave me alone lol 21: Favorite main quest Morrowind, hands down. I will infodump and discuss that game’s plot forever. 22: Favorite side quest

I really like the Daedric Shrine quests, they’re always fun. Also love the silly little short quests like in Morrowind when you have to help the guy get his pants back, or in ESO where you gotta find the lost dog in Valenwood and pet it.

Oblivion has loads of side quests I loved... the missing dunmer painter, Hackdirt, that quest with the ladies who are killing men, the Floating Bowl quest... the mystery at Chorrol Castle....

23: Most frustrating experience in a TES game

I get mad any time the sneaking mechanics in ESO don’t work like the main games. Because I always play an archer-thief lol.

That one fabricant machine puzzle in Tribunal.... oh man........ I had to look it up.

And also the final boss for Clockwork City was annoying. Don’t go to the Clockwork City!

24: Funniest experience in a TES game

Other than moments intended to be funny, I sometimes laugh whenever I miss a jump and end up dying from fall damage. It’s so ridiculous.

Dagoth Ur’s “What are you doing?!” when you first attack the Heart always gets a chuckle out of me too. He sounds so... upset and disappointed in you? Lol

25: Most badass moment in a TES game

The ending to ESO’s main quest was a rly big power fantasy moment for me.

Also more mundane, but I felt really cool and powerful when I got to the point in Morrowind where I could one shot kill cliff racers lol

26: Saddest experience in a TES game

The ESO side quest, “The Soul-Meld Mage” in Coldharbour. After that one, I had to step away for a bit.... man. It hurt my heart and I still feel so bad. That was a case in the game where I really felt impacted by how cruel and awful Molag Bal is. Like I *knew* but that quest played with my emotions and made it personal.

27: Favorite area/region

Valenwood from ESO. I spend all my time there, and sometimes go to Summerset or Vvardenfell lol.

28: Least favorite character

Vivec.

Also don’t like Maven-Black Briar. :I

29: In-game food item you want to eat the most

Sweetroll! 

Also this one recipe for a beef dish I found in Valenwood sounded good.  Maybe also the Sunrise Souffle mentioned in Skyrim?

30: If you could try skooma, would you?

No. Don’t do drugs, kids.

31: If you had the skills and resources to do a perfect cosplay of any TES character who would it be?

Probs Serana

32: Have you read any of the novels?

No, but I’ve been thinking about it!

33: Favorite class to play

Thief, or a thief-similar class like agent or rogue.

34: Which type of magic would you most like using?

Alteration seems the most useful for everyday life lol. But illusion would be fun.

35: Favorite weapon

I use bows all the time!

36: Favorite spell

Levitate from Morrowind - it’s so much fun to use!

37: Favorite artifact

Nerevar’s Moon-And-Star Ring. It’s cute lol and I like the lore behind it!

Also enjoy the Wabbajack because of how silly it is, and Dibella’s Brush of Truepaint.

38: You have awakened to find you’re in Tamriel. How do you react?

Because yeah I love TES but also the world of it is scary with gods and monsters constantly trying to kill you lol

39: Thoughts on ESO so far

I really enjoy the world and writing! But I’m still cranky over some moments where it’s an MMO and not a normal TES game :I

I also hate that we can’t have NPC companions.  You really gonna give me a clockwork nix-hound named Snuffler and not let me travel with him? For shame.

40: Character you’d most like to hang out with

Nerevar, because I’m very awkward and shy and bad at peopleing and I would hope he could teach me how to improve lol.

But to actually hang out and chill, Marcurio would be pretty fun lol

[katedoesntexist]

Stay-at-home journal 2/6/21

Yesterday:

Work, super demoralizing, everything bad

Put together bookshelf

Made omurice bc we're running low on food

Put books away and drank cherry ginger beer

Finished another fic chapter

Played a little guitar

Today:

Clean up kitchen

Kind of just want to chill during the day

Maybe play some zootr

Prob should do some work at night

Start fic epilogue

Free space:

The bookshelf is disappointingly kind of low quality. I knew it would be bc it came from one of the chinese companies that steals photos of the original item and sells you a knock off. But i chanced it bc i guess shelves are just crazy expensive (this "cheap" one was $80), and at least i can return it to the store. The part im most worried about is that the piece of the shelf taking the weight of all the books is only attached by glue and small nails. It could easily just fall apart w enough weight. But i put my books on it anyway and hopefully itll be alright. I like the shape and depth of the shelf bc it fits my small reading room (closet) and also holds a good amount of stuff. I guess if it comes apart we can mod it to fix it. I just ugh didnt want to spend over $100 on this. Maybe i wouldve been better making it myself from scratch.

Speaking of, I've been toying w the idea of buying a jigsaw. Of course the blades would have to be project specific, but might be fun.

Writing is going surprisingly well. Im having fun. Its not a slog. I mean, it is an energy and time drain, but i feel good abt it. The direction these chapters went rly veered away from the outline, but i like that it falls into place better. It makes me feel like theres an alternate reality out there where the outline events did take place. Anyway, i actually cant wait to post and see ppls reactions. I haven't felt this hopeful abt sharing a fan work in like half a yr.

So we finally broke down and looked up one thing in the spoiler log, and it unblocked the game in a way that i could just skip two major dungeons and go to the boss right now. Its kind of idk disappointing? Like, the item weve been trying to get this whole time to unlock a bunch more content is finally in our hands, but we realized we didn't actually need all that other content. Not sure if we should play it just for 100% completion, but big sigh. We're at the end. And i have a rly hard time ending things. Ive spoken abt this before, but its like if i dont finish it will guarantee the characters and events are in a stasis. And they will always be there right where i left them. Forever gearing up to fight the boss, optimism and courage in their heart. I get this way with games and books. I dont want the adventure to end, and its more comforting to me to think that everyone is still out there doing their thing. Stories ending are like death. Not in a bad way bc death is natural and normal. But its still comes w loss.

Had some weird dreams. One was a row of bamboo lockers and some teachers had gone in them unbeknownst to each other, but the one on the end trapped you if you went in bc idk it was supposed to catch a criminal. Another part i was camping and saw a chimpanzee in the trees. I walked out to a railing (i was on some kind of decking) and watched him. He pointed and told me there were wolves in the area, and i was like oh shit thanks. I got in the cab of the truck and closed both doors just in time to avoid the wolves. I rolled down the window and a large bird outside told me there were dead animals on the roof of the truck that attracted the wolves, and I wouldn't be able to leave. There werent keys. I had to warn my dad who had gone out hunting for the day, but he hadnt brought his cell phone bc there wouldn't be reception in the woods.

[casually-inlove]

aah i agree im vry disappointed in this chapter ! like its good like usual, but its kind of a let down after the last 5 chapters... ht rly exposed himself minutes before, and comedy aside, MGS answered him by ignoring him, and then saying "were not friends, were not as close as you think we are". it must have been hurtful for HT, its basically a rejection of recognizing HT vulnerabilities. and its totally In character for MGS to say this, so im not disappointed by it 1/?

i mean HT lay his heart down for Mo to see and theyve known each other for 15 DAYS, its too soon for anybody and especially for Mo who have mistrust problems to respond in the same way ? so running away and deflecting the declaration is cool, i wasnt excepting a "ill never abandon u!!" lol. but then HT being cool with this rejection and having a slapstick comedy just after doesnt feel right. mb show HT swallowing and being disheartened, and then put his usual facade and only then have comedy 2/?

would have been good, bc we would have known "oh ht is actually hurt by MGS reaction but doesnt know how to say it, so he plays it cool and change the subject bc hes still not at ease with being vulnerable". a realistic situation would have been "ht tried to be vulnerable but it was too soon, too much for mo who rejected him, so it confirmed ht biased thinking that showing vulnerabilities is bad and it will prevent ht to be vulnerable in front of someone in the near future". 3/?

i mean it could have been a nice although sad conclusion for this mini-arc, especially since ht have been grieving (?) his mother just this morning. a little step back, and then smth else happen and cause ht to crack completely but then mo is able to respond present and its a step forward. ok im daydreaming but that would have been climatic lol. instead this..ah i dont know i feel cheated, i know its ox' work but still haha ! like when they do an abrupt change of scene after an emotional page 4/

its a trick ox use often and after 300 chapters it feels old n cheap. when u engage in a emotional scene, u cant just do "oops i change my mind!!" and put slapstick comedy or ignore totally what just happened and dont have a progression. u have to stay on this road : u cant put traumatizing backgrounds and mafia affairs and mature problems (kidnapping, mother being threatening into prostitution,etc) n just.. not stick with it and making ur characters not traumatized by it and just 'lol comedy'.

sry im kind of monopolizing ur askbox lol, i guess im kind of frustrated ! it just the last chapters were so good and it was a while since ox use this cheap trick of not going through an emotional scene that i kind of forgot how terrible they were at handling transition between drama and comedy. theyre a good artist all in all (or i wouldnt be this disappointed!!), but they have this failing in their writing an it drives me nuts each time lmao. haa i hope next chapter will be better...5/5

Hell yeah, DEFINITELY, that sums up my thoughts. Also, you don't have to apologize, it was an interesting read and I can tell that you feel strongly about it. While I can’t say that I’m flat-out disappointed, as I wrote in my original post, I’m definitely feeling lukewarm and indifferent about the recent ch.

OX touched upon a few serious matters a couple of chapters before: namely She Li’s fucked up goading and the way it unsettled He Tian -- unsettled in no joking manner as follows from his reaction. Then we get He Tian swearing to beat up anyone who dares bully Mo, and the whole profound monologue from the previous chapter. Just as you say, He Tian truly laid himself bare there. One could argue that He Tian listed the reasons he was enamoured with Mo, or one could argue that he subtly commented on the milieu he grew up in, or one can even read it as He Tian admitting/reflecting on his flaws out loud. There are many ways to construe this scene, each of them is extremely meaningful. Not to mention it took HT visible effort to say these things out loud.

The problem which both you and I noticed is that OX left this mini-arc/mini-subplot unresolved. Instead, they abruptly switched to comedic relief. Much like you, I wasn’t expecting a big reaction from Mo -- no grand verbal declarations at very least. What I expected was a panel (maybe a close up of Mo’s face as I mentioned in my original post) that indicated he actually HEARD what HT told him, that it gave Mo some food for thought. 

As you mention, Mo getting disconcerted and doing the tsun-tsun escape is fairly in character for him. Still, a panel like this would have been very welcome to emphasize his confusion and to justify him not gracing the other boy with an answer, ignoring HT showing his underbelly (which is something that doesn't come easy for him, as we readers know). Okay, sure, OX handled it differently this chapter -- we get Mo silently running away and blurting out the first comeback he could think of. No problem. It works to show that HT’s words had an effect on him, albeit it’s much less pronounced, than, say, the Aquarium scene -- again one would have to wonder why: HT’s “don’t abandon me” is just as strong, if not stronger, than “I’m afraid you’ll forget me”, so it follows that Mo should have been just as affected.

The problem is the way an emotionally charged moment quickly fizzled out into comedy. As you said, Mo blurting out “we are not friends, we are not familiar enough, so I don’t care what you think (of me)!” SHOULD have hit HT harder. Just minutes before we had HT being genuinely disturbed by the idea of someone looking to intentionally hurt Mo, seeking physical comfort, being disquieted by the idea of getting abandoned and losing someone he likes, confessing that he admires the other boy -- yet when Mo utters yet another curt rejection of sorts, we are not shown HT’s reaction, which, logically, should have been there. 

And all of that emotional build-up is cheapened by an accidental dick slap comedy. 

Indeed, showing HT being hurt (disquieted? deflated?) and then putting on a cool guy mask, and ONLY then switching to a slapstick humour would have been more appropriate. It wouldn’t have taken a big or an overly dramatic scene either -- just, IDK, show HT’s eyes widening, or his throat clicking, or his posture slumping, anything to indicate that Mo’s words affected him -- that the whole thing mattered to him. Otherwise, it leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth: “so Imma confess to the person I like and swear to protect them and beg them to put up with me -- oh! forget anything serious that I said, Imma touch some dick now”. While I don't have an issue with comedy coming into focus again, I do wish it hadn't been this abrupt. Had there been a better transition between these scenes, there wouldn't be this "lol jk" vibe that I’m getting.

So yeah, I, too, feel a little cheated. OX certainly has an issue with drama-comedy transitions, which are sort of hit-and-miss for me. Sometimes they work well to alleviate the grave mood, other times they appear to be out of place. The recent chapter is the latter case. Dangling a possibility of climatic resolution for the subplot and then intentionally subverting it just doesn’t work in favour of the plot here. It cheapened the emotional part and made the comedy feel much less fun for me. Of course, no one says that writing is an easy task. Plenty of mangakas, for instance, work with writers to strengthen their script and plots, so it’s challenging when a single person is responsible for both drawing and planning the story. OX is undoubtedly doing a tremendous job. Still, I wish they wouldn’t stick to using the old trick this monastically because it's becoming a trite writing device and works against them on occasion. It’s totally fine to keep the comic light-hearted yet it’s not good to ignore the needed dramatic development.

[96xie]

2019

a whole summary of this difficult year

2019 was full of unexpected good and bad surprises along with lessons and experiences.

january

spent good time with mocha, wayo and brian

had such a good time with guildies from our game

met up with some other ppl from the same game and didnt feel too good bc i was never good with crowds and/or groups that were already well established

tried tinder for the first time because i thought it would be nice to put myself out there for once

feburary

continued my tinder journey and actually had fun with it. it was pretty scary at the same time because it was such a new experience talking to other people and to have them notice you? because i always knew and felt that i wasnt really the desirable one.

actually hooked up with a guy from last months meetup and hung out twice. thought it was going somewhere because he, too, showed signs to progress further ((was wrong because he lied and showed red flags later))

one major red sign to me: no response after genuinely saying thank you for rides and dinner. im the type of person who always says thank you because im honestly grateful for the little and big things. he basically shrugged it off.

also, a huge liar. yah, big no

i brought him to my friends birthday bc they and himself wanted to meet each other, it was fun while it lasted but stuff happened

towards the end of the month, i cut my ties off with him for being awfully mean to me and also cut ties with my “friends” for having really bad assumptions of me.

i was frustrated with myself at that time bc his cats gave me a bad breakout and i felt super ugly. also i wasnt sad over him, but over the fact that i let myself be treated like a second option. eventually i learned that it was good that i didnt let things go further and that i only deserve the very best.

even though i was hurt, i thought it was a good experience, esp since i havent really been in the “dating game” for years. like it was a just a small step to putting myself out there once again

a week later after that a classmate asked me out and got tons of compliments from him and wondered “the universe really works in crazy ways”

march

met some cool people through the same mobile game on a discord server and they were much better than the first group.

also met this really funny dude in the same group. like he was so fun to talk to and he understood my dumb lingo

remember when my classmate asked me out on a date? it turned out a bit weird. but considering this was my first date in YEARS i thought it was a cool experience. got some carne asada fries outta him

i had the dude i was talking to call me so i could leave the date tho LOL ((he helped me lots, esp how to deal with awkward situations with my classmate. also at this point, i really liked talking to him but i wasnt rly sure if i wanted to date other guys bc i had been hurt previously)

this month was pretty much dedicating most of my time talking to him and i enjoyed it alot

also went to pubs for the first time to hangout with my coworkers. such an interesting place

april

tried rollerskating for the first time ever, ended up with a bunch of bruises but it was cool!

also tried 7leaves for the first time and instantly fell in love with mungbean

also went clubbing in sf with my friends and it was such a fun time like i had SO much fun

i got auctioned off of SAD! that phase was just a crazy ride. while there was many that dm’d me, there was only one special person that i only replied to and continued to talk to him on a daily basis

((honestly, i was scared that i was taking things a bit further with him because a part of me was like “are you ready for this?” and “have you really recovered from that guy?” or “can you give this guy your all?” just alot of overthinking))

spent 4/20 at sf with my friends, and overall had a GREAT time. took too many hits and drank so ya gorl was crossfaded. not sure if i wanna do tht again tho

unfortunately woke up with a swollen face and it lasted for a LONG time.

may

so my face is still swollen, still bad, red as a tomato and at this point i was really hesitant to meet up with the guy ive been talking to. i mean!! my skin was SO bad. i felt like i was gonna make a fool out of myself by scaring him away

but,,,, he was still willing to see me despite my appearance and : ( he was so accepting and typing this makes my heart ache bc he is SUCH a good man : (

i met up with the guy towards the end of the month in sj and first thing he does when i walk up to him is give me this great warm hug and so many smooches !!!!!!! like my heart is melting

eventually we became official !!! he got us an airbnb for the night and we jus spent time cuddling on the bed and honestly i : ( i like him so much

june

my birthday wasnt rly that like “wow” it was actually kinda annoying

my bf flew up to sf where we met up, explored the city and slept the night in at an airbnb. next day went to oakland where i introduced my friends to him!

went to my first festival with several with my friends, including ppl from our same guild from our game and it was SO fun

rolled for the first time and it was SUCH an experience. redosed like twice and ended up hallucinating which is something ill def not do again

also i really wished my bf was with me at that time : ( while i had an extremely fun time, i wish i shared that moment with him : (

july

went to vegas for my cousins 22nd bday. shit was wild

also rolled there.

also threw up for the very first time

a fight broke out at the club and that shit was fuckgin CRAZY and it was RIGHT next to our table

also used alot of my money for the whole trip in which nobody really told me about so …. i was like ok.. fuck …

also my skin was still bad during these past months so it was pretty hard masking it

like really hard. with someone with terrible eczema, its just extremely hard to hide it

august

bf flew to sac!!! he met my mom for the first time and we explored the city and stuff

and went on an ikea date! and! honestly i just really loved spending time with him :c

we also spent time with my friends! they came over also! and ate some fuckgin bomb ass waffles

and then took bus down to la to meetup with some friends from our guild towards the end of the month!

it was pretty nice to be able to stay with my bf in his apartment !!!!!

also some scalding tea but thats rly for another time

to make it super short tho: our friend that we’ve known much longer than the girl he met (less than 3 months) dropped our friendship SO quick lol

september

cousin bonding @ beach, too cold for tht doe

towards the end of the month, my bf flew me down!!! so i spent the weekend with him and like always, only had a good time with him!

AND ALWAYS EATING GOOD FOOD!

october

during this fall semester, i took online classes and one of them was a 8week class. there was a topic about mental health and how we can take care of ourselves better and i just thought it was such an important thing to cover. i feel like its not talked about enough

november

spent thanksgiving with my family down in morgan hill and ate good food! honey ham has a special place in my heart.

went black friday shopping first at walmart, lowkey disappointed in myself because i was bummed out the apple watches were sold out. the materialistic part of me jumped out oof

slept at my cousins then went to the mall! didnt get anything besides really good bulgogi fries. i hated going into stores tho cuz everything was literally crowded. hated it !!!!!!!

went to a small festival in sacramento with my friends at the end of the month and this time is 7 of us (than the usual 5)! it was sososo fun.

also took my coworker with me, it was actually amusing to see bc our group were all asian and he’s the only tall white guy

made hotpot at home and we also went out for milktea and waffles again! sooo good.

december

flew down to see my bf again and only had a good time! went to this garden with beautiful lights and ! ugh! SO pretty!

cried in his bed before my flight back, cried on the plane, cried at home and cried before i slept. i miss him

also racked up alot of hours so i could pay for my tuition and my family’s bills. kinda sucks bc im pretty tired but i gotta do what do i gotta do.

christmas was a bit lonely bc my mom went to the philippines and i dont rly talk to my brother but my kuya came the next day and we ate n watched stuff

overall, it was a whacky year. but im so glad to have met ed. he means SO much to me. a part of me was so hesitant to date him because i mean, he’s man with his life set. i dont have a car, im still in school, i have this part time job where im giving my mom all my paychecks and which the only money im keeping is just my tips (not much), i still have issues with myself and other conflicts and honestly theres much to do, learn and grow from. but he’s so supportive, understanding and loving and i love and appreciate him from the bottom of my heart. most of the time i wonder if im doing and if im being enough for him. i worry about that alot but he’s so patient with me. i laugh alot when im with him and i feel so happy.

did i mention that we are long distance? him being in la and me in sacramento. so the only thing thats connecting us is facetime. maybe once every two months will i see him in person but yep. when i had my first panic attack, i really wanted him right next to me. at that moment i felt even more sad because of course you’re gonna want you’re significant other during a moment like that. but anyways, i always miss him and i always want him next to me and i always love him. i want to hurry up and get my education done with so i can be with him. not to sound like omg im so madly infatuated with him type of thing tho. he’s someone who understands me and knows how to love me.

i hope 2020 treats me well despite all the challenges ahead of me.

[atrophymyheart]

so im fine to use my tags if im going through my browser (which, currently I am). so tagged posts are likely sent from my computer and untagged ones from my phone. 

but aside from that

Weight Rant

I’m back up to 114lbs. I’m so disappointed in myself, but more importantly I don’t understand where this is coming from??? I’m hardly eating anything. Please don’t tell me I’ve hit my starving weight limit. That would mean I’d have to continuously exercise and I’m just so tired

Wait actually I might know where it came from

So basically yesterday I had an allergic reaction + asthma attack (I had to get put on oxygen, yadayadayada, all the fun stuff ANYWAYS)

the food part comes afterwards, where I was essentially able to skip dinner that night (because I was abt to pass out from taking 2 benadryl, and im super susceptible to medicinal side effects) and go to sleep. But the next morning -- today, that is -- my parents are hovering over me and ensuring that I eat.

sorry my brain is dying and nothing is happening in chronological order anymore #adhd ;-;

anyways im still not my thinspo self :/ 

i have to suck it in to have a flat stomach, and for me its just rly triggering w/ my body dysmorphia

(again, im not fat shaming, this is strictly a personal issue and i love anybody else’s body to death, I adore looking at those of you w/ curves im a lot jealous, )

so anyways thats how my january is going

also i need more ed blogs that are active january 2022. while its incredibly heartening to see that some of the blogs I follow are in recovery /g, I’m not there yet and I need more active blogs to follow. Also some of them might be getting t-worded so I’m not entirely sure

time to follow more tags in order to get a more active feed

also have a good day all of you lovelies. genuinely, I hope you do.

[justkpopstuffinmyhead]

Yongguk - The reason I live is you ♥

Member: BAP’s Bang Yongguk

Pairing: Idol!Yongguk X Female!Reader

Genre: Smut, Angst, Happy end

Warnings: Fighting, smut

Words: 2,275

Summary: You don’t fight. But this time you do. And it seems like making up involves a lot more, than just talking,

A/N: Y’all are thirsty. I’m not rly happy with this (’cause let’s face it I’m bad at writing smut [because i don’t eally know what’s too much to handle])but i hope I didn’t murder your request too much @perfectly-sarcastic ♥

You don’t fight. Don’t get me wrong, Yongguk and you definitely argue sometimes but you never really fight. One of you always hits the emergency break, avoiding the worst. Tonight, though, is different. Yongguk came home, exhausted by a hard day at work, his anxiety grabbing onto the edges of his consciousness – and you could feel it.

So you did your best, preparing his favorite dinner, which he left untouched. Massaging his tense shoulders, only to be pushed away rather ungentle. You then decided that it might be better for you to go to your shared bedroom to relax a bit, maybe read a book. The quiet toddle of your naked feet could be heart throughout the quiet apartment, so when a deep sigh suddenly accompanied them, you almost stopped walking - almost, because you were sure that Yongguk didn’t want to see you right now. Although your feelings were hurt, you understood that maybe, he just needed to relax a bit and be on his own. Calm down and then he would return to being the cuddly, soft Yongguk you know.

“This is how you thank me for bringing home money? For buying the apartment?” It’s barely 10 minutes later that Yongguk walks through the door. You’re curled up in the middle of your bed, pillows all around you, and a romantic book in your hand. “What do you mean?” you close the book carefully, after putting a piece of paper between the pages as a bookmark. You heard of people bending the pages to remember where they are, but in your eyes, they are monsters. “I’m in a bad mood and you just decide to curl up and read? To leave me alone? I bought this apartment! I pay for your clothes! Our food!” You feel yourself become defensive. You cross your arms over your chest and look at him with rage. “First, I cooked your favorite food and tried to massage you. When you didn’t eat the food and pushed me away I thought that you just want to be on your own for a while. Calm down.” You take a deep breath in order to remain calm. “And second. . . I go to work as well. I might not be an idol, but I work from seven in the morning to four or five in the afternoon. I earn money as well. I never asked you to buy my stuff, but you always insist that you love buying my stuff.” You know that you are by now bright read in your face.

You never wanted him to buy your clothes, your food, pay for your dates. The fact that he holds this against you now hurts and angers you. “Well I didn’t want to be alone! I wanted you to just be by my side and hold me. But you would never understand me. You don’t understand how I feel.” He turned around and angrily walked towards the door, making you jump out of bed and follow him. “Where are you going?” You demanded to know when he put on his warm jacked and slipped into his shoes. “I don’t know, probably some pub. Maybe I’ll find someone who will understand me.” You look at him in shock, his words like a slap in the face. Tears are filling your eyes, threatening to spill as you look at him in disappointment. “If you step through this door I won’t be here when you return.” His implication of possibly cheating on you – something he would never do, you know that – hit you really hard. He hesitates and turns around to see your eyes filled with tears. Your breath is going hard and when he realizes how you could interpret his words, his eyes widen. “Y/N. You think I’d. . .” He raises his hand, reaching out for you but you just step back, your eyes fixed onto the wooden floor next to your feet. “You think I’d cheat on you?” He steps right in front of you and takes your face into his hands, lifting it, so your eyes meet his. “People do stupid stuff when they are angry and drunk. I don’t think you’d do it but. . . You made it sound like that and you are so angry.” You feel yourself shake; your eyes are searching the room for somewhere to look other than his eyes. “Babe. . .”

He’s at a loss of words, so he only presses his lips against yours, which surprises you, so it takes you a second to respond. This second makes Yongguks heart race in fear and his kiss becomes more desperate. You respond to his kiss and his hands wander to your hips, lifting you up to wrap your legs around his middle. You  fumble with his thick jacket, struggling to take it off, when he starts carrying you to your bed. “Shoes.” You say in a scolding manner as you hear his soles against the floor. He smiles into the kiss and kicks the shoes off and carries you to your bedroom where he drops you onto the bed. Your eyes look up at him and you feel the love for him spill over, washing away all the doubt that tried to creep into your heart and brain, replacing it with a warm feeling. A stray tear runs down your cheek and Yongguk bows down to you, his lips catching it and moving to your ear, leaving a soft, damp trail behind. “Don’t cry. I will never leave you. I’ll make sure you remember.” He presses you into the pillows you left on the bed and runs his full, soft lips over your jawline, down to your collarbone, where he gently sucks on the tender flesh, making you moan softly. “I hate that you doubted me.” He says as he proudly examines the lovebite he left behind. “Yongguk. Don’t beat yourself up over it. ” You say and look down at him. “I will make you remember.” There is a fire in his eyes and you know that he won’t be soft or gentle tonight. You will be dusted with small, purple circles, because Yongguk likes to mark you as his when he is rough. Your legs wrap themselves around his hip and you can feel his erection against you already wet core

All the anger is just gone and replaced by passion. “This has to go.” He whispers, staring at the shirt you are wearing – one of his - and he doesn’t take the time to take it off you but rust rips it in half. You gasp and he presses his lips to you now exposed nipple – you already took your bra off when you came home because it’s just too uncomfortable. Yongguks arms wrap around your waist as you arch your back and he lifts you up, removing the fabric and throwing it across the room. You feel the mattress beneath your body again and shiver as his left hand makes its way to your exposed nipple, working on it, carefully tugging it and massaging it, bringing you pleasure. When he is finally satisfied, he kisses down to your pyjamabottoms – a pair of shorts with animated cats printed all over them, but they are so short, that they are barely worth mentioning. He leaves behind a trail of hickeys and then swiftly takes off your shorts, leaving you no time to adjust to the cold that suddenly hits your wet core, because his warm lips immediately replace the fabric. You feel is tongue slide over your clit, massaging it, making you moan his name. “Yongguk please fuck me.” you gasp when he slides one finger in, but you know that he is not planning on letting you cum immediately. Yongguk is in a playful mood, which often results in you begging him to let you cum.

He drives you so close to your orgasm, but right when you are about to grasp it, let go of everything, his mouth disappears and his fingers follow. “Yongguk” You whimper and he kisses you softly, letting you taste yourself on his lips. “I don’t want you to cum like this. I want to be inside you. . ” You look at him and are still able to see the pain in his eyes. It’s hidden in a faraway corner of his mind, but not far enough. He takes off his clothes himself, his eyes not leaving you and when he is finally naked, he enters you completely in one, swift thrust. You gasp for air, needing time to adjust to his size, but he doesn’t give you any time, he just starts to move fluently inside you, your moans could be heard throughout the entire apartment, and when you finally cum, he joins you. He softly pants next to your ear and keeps moving – something that almost feels painful in due to how sensitive you feel after an orgasm. The two of you keep going and when he collapses next to you, you curl into him seeking his warmth because the cold air of your bedroom is resulting in goosebumps spreading all over your exposed skin. Yongguk quickly wraps the two of you up in one of your blankets, pressing kisses all over your face. “I love you” he whispers and you just make an agreeing noise, because you are too exhausted. Your upper body is covered in purple marks, you feel sore between your legs and your muscles are exhausted. “Sleep, babe.” Yongguk instructs and you agree, falling asleep almost instantly, only to be woken up by a nightmare a few hours later.

The bedroom is dark and quiet except for your breathing. The dream felt so real and after your argument with Yongguk it hit really close to home. You can barely remember what happened, but you know that it was related to the argument the two of you had and you remember seeing Yongguk with a woman in your bed. Tears run down your cheek and you sit up to walk to the bathroom and calm yourself down. Unfortunately the strong arms are so tightly wrapped around your body, that Yongguk wakes up as soon as you move. “It’s not time to wake up babe.” His rough sleepy voice would usually make you melt into a puddle, but now it  makes you shiver and drives tears  to your eyes, because the thought of one day, waking up without him, breaks you. “Babe?” Yongguk is immediately wide awake and sits up, looking at your face, illuminated by the dim light of the alarm clocks on your night stands – two, because the two of you wake up at different times – and presses you into his body. It happened before – you, waking up due to nightmares after having arguments, but this is the worst is has ever been. “Nightmare?” Yongguk whispers and you nod into his chest. You start seeking his touch and straddle him, kissing his lips and running your hands into his hair. Yongguk kisses you back softly and quickly detaches his lips from yours, rubbing his nose against yours. “Are you sore?” he asks, nuzzling your neck softly. You nod and press your body into him, sneaking your fingers between the two of you and touch his soft member. “Not when you are sore.” He says softly. It’s something he made up in his mind. He wouldn’t sleep with you when you were sore. “Please” you beg and keep massaging his now erected member as you press your lips to his. His walls crumble and you feel it, resulting in you raising your hips to align his erection with your entrance and you lowered yourself onto him, carefully moving on him. Yongguk moans and showers every part of your body he could reach with kisses, whispering how much he loves you. When the two of you cum, you lay back down and fall back asleep.

“Babe, wake up.” You open your eyes and see Yongguk in a pair of snug boxer shorts. You stretch and look at your alarm clock. It’s Saturday and you are off work, but usually Yongguk should have left for the studio two hours ago. “Why are you here?” you look at Yongguk and see that he is your big, cuddly bear again. “I didn’t want to leave you. Not after tonight. Not after what happened yesterday.” He looks away, clearly ashamed by what he said last night. “I ran you a bath. While you’re in there I’ll go and get breakfast.” He brushes your hair out of your face. “You could just wait and I’d make breakfast” He shakes his head and kisses you. “I already showered and told them to prepare it. I’ll go get dressed and get it now.” You stand up and flinch because of the sore feeling between your legs. “Take your time.” He says and takes a pair of pants as soon as you entered the bathroom. You saw roses everywhere and lower yourself into the warm bathtub, wincing when the warm water hits your sensitive core and the pain makes you remember what he did to you last night, making you blush. You stay in the tub for half an hour and then wash your hair and body, then dry yourself off and dress yourself. “Babe?” Yongguk calls as he enters the apartment. You walk down the hallway while drying your hair. He raises multiple bags and smiles at you with his huge, gummy smile.

You don’t fight. Usually, but this time, you did. However, this fight wouldn’t break you. It only made you relationship stronger.

A/N:Do you guys know that some of my titles are lyrics translated into English? without consulting google, can anyone guess where this title is from?

[d3ndroica]

Big Apple 8

Part 1     Part 2      Part 3     Part 4     Part 5     Part 6      Part 7

Friday morning, Madge headed to work with an extra spring in her step. Maybe because it was Friday and there was an afternoon holiday party at work. Or maybe because she had weekend plans with Gale. There was a constant fluttering in the pit of her stomach, half anticipation and half anxiety. In the morning she threw herself into the minutiae of lab work. She had a quick meeting over lunch confirming the expected schedule for the holidays - Madge had a few days off including Christmas. The lab’s holiday party was a casual thing starting at 2pm. Madge had finished most of her lab work in the morning, and as she checked email her mind wandered. Saturday dinner with Gale loomed in her mind. A Date! Okay, maybe a date. They hadn’t really specified, but Madge was feeling optimistic.

To help distract herself from the inevitable overthinking, Madge texted with Thom. He had been super grumpy since his show ended and she figured she could kill two birds with one stone, cheering him up and distracting herself. She convinced him she would come to his place for dinner and a movie or something. He only agreed because it was “totally gross” out and he had practically no disposable income, but at least he agreed.

The holiday party was, well, a bit awkward. Even though she’d done a few happy hours, having the bosses and other people she didn’t know put a damper on the party spirit. But there was wine and free food and a group gift exchange in which Madge scored a new travel mug and coffee shop gift card, so it wasn’t all bad.

She showed up at Thom’s after work with frozen pizza and ice cream. As usual, Thom proved to be an excellent distraction from whatever was on her mind. They watched a stupid comedy and made snarky comments through the whole thing. When the movie was over Thom switched over to Real Housewives and before Madge realized how late it was, she was half asleep on the couch, so she just stayed the night. Saturday was cold but clear. Madge was bundled up on the subway, reading a book on her way home when she got Gale’s message. She had to fish for the phone from her coat pocket and take off her gloves to unlock it. Gale 10:51am can’t make it tonight something came up sorry :(

Madge 10:54am OK. Everything OK?

Gale 10:55am Yeah OK. rain check?

Madge 10:57am Yeah np

Except, of course, it was a problem. Why, she wondered. He hadn’t explained, and she hadn’t asked, but it felt like rejection. Something came up, which could mean anything at all, or nothing. The idea of a rain check was little consolation.

Madge tried to make new plans. Well, she texted Rue about doing something, but Rue had a performance. She’d be free on Monday, so Madge agreed to meet up then. Madge also emailed Delly a sad diatribe about men being stupid, but mostly she felt like the stupid one. Ugh. So she wound up spending Saturday night doing laundry, watching Sex and the City streaming online, and getting drunk on cheap wine. She glared at her phone but did not text him. She’d decided that since he had canceled the plans she’d initiated, it was up to him to re-engage. Sunday she finished her holiday shopping. Delly called to commiserate about their lack of dating lives. That evening, Madge called her dad, catching him up on work and the city - everything except Gale. She didn’t talk about her dating life with family if she could avoid it. Her dad spent about 20 minutes describing the latest episode of Midsomer Murders he’d seen, practically scene by scene, except he kept mixing up which characters were which, so Madge was left with a  bizarre muddle of people who may have been blackmailing and/or sleeping with each other.

Monday rolled around all too quickly. Madge felt forlorn, a cold dreary Monday and still nothing from Gale. She had a busy day scheduled in the lab, prepping her new cell cultures. She was determined to be sure everything was pristine this time around. As she was breaking for lunch, she ran into another lab tech, Vinayak, whom she’d chatted with at the holiday party. He was watching some viral video a student had made for their biology class about cell reproduction processes - Madge had to appreciate it, it mentioned apoptosis! She got sucked into a short conversation with him and some other coworkers about it and other biomed social media. When she finally got back to her desk she checked her phone and found a series of messages waiting. Rue had messaged with a suggestion for a dive bar to meet at before the movie. And Gale had texted. Finally. Gale 11:23am hey

Gale 11:29am you free tonight?

Madge 12:41pm Sorry :( have plans Been stuck in the lab Maybe tomorrow?

Madge sighed. The more she thought about it, she realized she was angry at him. Did he think Monday night plans were just as good as Saturday? And why was it always the same day, couldn’t he make plans a few days out, give her some warning? She hadn’t really thought about it before but now it occurred to her that he had only ever made plans on the same day with her - never in advance. She wasn’t sure if that was supposed to tell her something about him - or about her. And he was mostly MIA on weekends which seemed, if anything, not promising. The whole things left her feeling grumpy. She was happy that she had enough of a life to not be at his beck and call (not a fair accounting but whatever, she still considered herself new to the city and for once she had plans so she could at least feel good about that). She was also annoyed that she wouldn’t see him.

Still, she was determined to have fun tonight, meeting up with Rue to see the latest Wonder Woman movie. Returning to the lab after lunch, Madge struggled to get through all the steps of the day’s protocol. After a hectic afternoon, Madge managed to be only a little late meeting Rue at a dive bar, just in time to take advantage of the cheap (and weak) happy hour specials before the movie. Madge barely even had time to look at her phone. They talked about the holidays - Rue’s shows were scheduled throughout so she would be in town working through all the holidays. She asked about Madge’s work. Madge started explaining her day, but gave up when she saw Rue’s blank look. They moved onto other topics before walking to the theater. The movie was entertaining, and they made vague promises of getting together again soon before each heading home.

Gale 1:03pm tomorrow should be ok I have a meeting til 5 then free

Madge 6:20pm Sounds good. I should be able to get off early tomorrow

Gale 6:41pm U up for morningside? Could eat nearby?

Madge 10:34pm ok Any ideas? Or just meet at subway stn?

Gale 10:39pm sure just meet 116th st subway @ 6?

Madge 10:50pm Soudns good ….so I just did the thing where I turned on the computer and started scanning the exact same feeds I’ve been looking at on my phone 😩😫

Gale 10:52pm 😆 home now?

Madge 10:54pm 👣🍿🎵

Gale 10:59pm long day?

Madge 11:04pm soo long It was hard But good, you know?

Gale  11:06pm you know i said day not date right? you didn’t send a going home with someone emoji

Madge smirked at her phone.

Madge 11:07pm You think if I were with long hard & good I would be on my phone?

Gale 11:08pm well good isn’t mindblowing so it depends if you want 🍆 or 💏

Madge 11:09pm It can’t be both? (Unless you’re accusing me of ethnic cleansing bc those people are weirdly yellow)

Gale 11:09pm  ok you’re alone so want to explain what was long, hard, and good for you today? inquiring minds want to know 😉

Madge 11:10pm Just another busy day curing cancer ;-)

Gale 11:11pm I heard it’s more complicated than that

Madge 11:12pm Well that’s what makes it so hard

Gale 11:14pm lol, guess i have to give you that one sounds stimulating 😎

Madge 11:16pm So - how was your day?

Gale 11:17pm well not as long or hard as yours 😉

Madge 11:18pm Well It’s not about the length of your day but what you do with it ;-) 

Gale 11:20pm 🙊 I’ll try to remember that looking forward to 2moro

Madge 11:21pm Me 2 :)

Gale 11:22pm 👍

Madge hesitated, typed, it’s a date, and told herself to press send. She wavered. She wanted him to say it was a date. Why couldn’t he say that? She knew he could see that she’d been typing. She deleted the words she’d written.

Madge 11:25pm my long day is catching up with me  See you tomorrow

Gale 11:26pm goodnight Madge set down her phone and thought about what she would wear the next day. She took a shower, washed and dried her hair. She pulled on comfy flannel pajamas and laid down for bed. And laid there. Awake.

Madge 12:13am Hi

Thom 12:15am Yo

Madge 12:16am Seeing GH tomorrow

Thom 12:17am 👍🔥  r u 2 DTF

Madge 12:18am NO We’re not even dating

Thom 12:19am nedn fuck him then u’ll know

Madge 12:21am Can you be serious for one minute? We’re supposed to go to morningside park Is that a terrible idea?

Thom 12:22am u rly worried?

Madge 12:23am I barely know him and we’re going for a nighttime stroll in a strange park. If this were a horror movie I’d be saying how dumb I was

Thom 12:24am STOP UR NOT IN A MOVIE anw he’s mr consent 100% ggg

Madge laughed out loud at that - mostly at herself. She didn’t even know where that had come from but Thom as usual managed to calm her while bordering on TMI.

Madge 12:25am lol Sorry

Thom 12:26am npgf now go 2 bed b ;)

Tuesday morning she opted for a shorter workout than usual, allowing some extra time to prepare for that night. She could not even pretend she thought this was going to be casual. She was still a little annoyed at him, but having a little advance warning was better than none. She could at least pick out her outfit knowing she’d see him.

She wondered what would happen. She knew she could be in for a big disappointment, but she couldn’t help hope. As distracted as she was, work was helpful for keeping her occupied. She was still determined to get the labwork right. She managed to push most of the thoughts of Gale to the side as she peered into her microscope to observe her lab cultures.

They sent a few texts midday, not much more than confirming the night’s plans. Before she knew where the time had gone, it was 6pm and she was packed with a thousand other strangers on the train, protecting her small allotment of breathing room from the other jostling passengers, speeding towards … something. She came through the turnstiles and he was there. Leaning on the wall, head bent down toward his phone, his eyes were skimming the turnstiles. For her. Her heart beat a little faster. How long had it been? He looked good. He was clean shaven; he wore a beanie with a Knicks logo pulled down low over his head.

Was this happening? She ran her fingers through her hair and walked over. Gale smiled when he saw her and tucked his phone into a pocket. His “hi” was warm. Madge’s mind chased the question whether it was a friendly warm or something more. If she had been hoping for time to stop, it didn’t - their eyes met for a moment and then suddenly he was adjusting his scarf and leading her toward the subway exit far too quickly.

She had done a cursory web search to see what food was nearby. Maybe Gale had too, or maybe he just knew the neighborhood. As they left the station he said, “Well, there’s seafood, a beer garden, or middle eastern right on the corner. There’s other stuff nearby. What are you in the mood for?”

“How about middle eastern?” she suggested. “I haven’t had a good falafel in ages.” Madge had already checked out their website.

“Falafel?” From his dubious tone, she guessed it wasn’t what he’d expected her to choose. 

“Is that okay?” She quirked up an eyebrow and looked at him. She had assumed he would be okay with his own list.

“Sure,” he agreed, seeming amused.

They quickly spotted the middle eastern cafe across the street, with a cute storefront. Gale took that extra stride as they approached the door and held it open for her. As he stepped through after her, Madge rubbed her hands in the warmth of the cafe.

They were led to a small table along the wall, and quickly shed their coats and scarves. They sat, Madge facing the inner restaurant and Gale facing the window, coats draped over chairs. Sitting across from each other, Gale asked Madge about her day. Whether real or imagined, the gleam in his eye led her thoughts directly to the long and hard convo … Shit, was he trying to be dirty or was it just her? It was going to be harder to keep her head clear with him right here in front of her. Madge saw the waiter coming to fill their water glasses and opened her menu as if to remind herself where they were. She was sure her cheeks flushed as she rambled something about her workday. When she asked about his day, Gale talked briefly about work, about working through bugs in their code, and a customer who kept changing their priorities.  

The menu choices looked pretty standard by Madge’s experience. They decided to share the appetizer sampler which included hummus, baba ghanoush, grape leaves and the like. Madge added falafel; Gale picked chicken shawarma. It wasn’t long before they’d put in their order with the young waiter.

Soon after the drinks arrived Gale asked, “So when are you going home for Christmas?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah,” she said. “Not til next week, my flight is Tuesday. I hope the weather doesn’t mess up my flights or anything. I’m just going for a few days - visit my dad and see a few friends. You?”

Gale shook his head. “Still need to get tickets. I’m going, I just don’t know the details yet.”

“Really? Isn’t it kind of late for that?”

“Well, I’m just catching a train. I’ll figure it out this week.”

Madge shook her head, amazed at how cavalier he was about leaving Christmas travel details to the last minute. “What about work?” she asked. As odd as it seemed, he had to know what he was doing; unlike her, he had done this before. He had lived here a lot longer than her.

“I took some time off,” he shrugged. “And i can work remotely if i need to.”

“Must be nice,” she answered.

Talking about Christmas plans led to talking about family. Gale talked about his more than she expected - two college aged brothers she had trouble keeping straight, and a twelve year old sister. He seemed extremely protective and fond of them. The waiter came and went, bringing appetizers and main courses. Gale asked about her family and hometown, things she usually didn’t talk much about.

She told him about her dad’s obsession with British crime dramas. ”We always watch a few when I’m home, except half the time he falls asleep in the middle, so I don’t know what the point is,” she laughed.

One side of Gale’s mouth twisted up in a half smile and their gazes held. “What do you do if he falls asleep?” He popped the last stuffed grape leaf into his mouth.

Madge shrugged. “I still watch it. I mean, by then I’m usually hooked anyway.”

“Are you sure he’s the one who’s obsessed?” he asked with a smirk.

They dawdled over the last crumbs on their plates until Madge asked the passing waiter for the bill. Turning back to Gale she asked, “So how far is Morningside from here?”

“A couple blocks. But we don’t have to go tonight,” Gale hedged.

“No I want to,” Madge countered. “I mean, that was the plan right? And a walk would be nice.”

“Okay, then,” Gale agreed, but he didn’t seem as enthusiastic as Madge had expected. A little doubt worried her thoughts.

After Madge paid the bill, they pulled their coats on and headed for the street. “Thanks for dinner,” Gale said.

“Well I did owe you,” she answered. “But you’re welcome.”

Outside the sky was that strange shade of purple caused by orange city lights reflecting off the dark clouds overhead. The streetlights lit their way down 116th street to the park. Madge shivered against the cold and pulled her gloves on as they walked.

“We could do the park another time,” Gale offered. “If it’s too cold.”

“Shut up,” Madge said, eyeing the darkness ahead of them. “I’ll be fine once we’re walking.”

Other than her toes, because her boots that could both look good and can handle walking were not well insulated, and her nose, she did warm quickly. She kept her hands in her pockets,mostly because Gale’s hands were in his pockets. Now that they were on their way, Gale seemed relaxed.             

As they approached the park, Madge’s uncertainty grew. She felt her awareness of the dark shadows ramping up and her heartbeat picking up the pace.

“Do you do this a lot?” she asked.

“No,” he admitted with a grin. A jogger with a dog passed by.  

“I’m all for trying new things but are you sure this is safe? Because it seems kinda crazy. And I would really like to not wake up dead in a ditch somewhere tomorrow.”

“Trust me, we’ll be fine,” he shrugged off her concern. “Give it a chance and if you want to leave, just say so and we’ll leave. Buddy system, remember?” On her own, Madge thought the buddy system sounded awfully platonic, but somehow he made it sound flirtatious.

“Right,” she said.

There weren’t many people around, just a few figures here and there who all appeared to be on their way somewhere. Gale headed to the left when they entered the park. There were street lamps here and there providing pools of light enough to follow the path easily. You could see the buildings on either side of the park, the ones to the west towering over them from the top of a steep and tree-covered hillside. They walked together past the dog run where a few stragglers were still chasing each other. Their owners stood off to one side, chatting to pass the time while watching the dogs. Gale raised an arm in a friendly gesture; one of the dog walkers reciprocated. When they reached a fork in the path, they turned further into the park and north again. 

Other than being dark off the path, the park seemed fairly innocuous. Madge’s nerves began to calm down. “So is this your favorite park?” she asked. 

Gale shook his head. “Nah. It’s too small. But I like it. It feels homey.”

“Homey?” Madge was dubious. 

“Well, yeah. You’ve got playgrounds and b-ball hoops, baseball fields, the dog walk. You’ll have to see it in the daylight sometime,” Gale said.

Madge pursed her lips, annoyed.

Gale must have realized it.  “Sorry I bailed on Saturday,” he said quietly.

“Uh-huh,” Madge replied, noncommittal. The silence stretched between them as she debated whether to ask more. Her mouth was dry. “So … what happened?”

With a rueful sigh Gale answered, “um, well. It’s not a good story. My roommate Jimmy had stomach flu last week. As in, literally immediately after we talked about getting together, he starts puking his guts out. And doesn’t stop. I was kind of hoping it was just food poisoning or something. But then it hit Carlo on Saturday morning. I figured I was next.”

“Oh,” Madge said, wrinkling her nose and, to be honest, trying not to laugh.

“It wasn’t pretty,” he added. “I basically spent the weekend watching sports in my room and cleaning everything in the apartment. I figured if we came Saturday I’d ruin it by getting sick. Or something. It didn’t matter - I never got sick, but still - guess I got lucky. They’re both fine now, anyway.”

“Oh, that’s good,” she agreed. “So ...  um. Why didn’t you say so?”

“Sorry,” he sighed. “It’s not exactly, you know, a pleasant image. I was going to email you … but I don’t have your email. So that plan kinda fell apart.”

“Oh,” she said. “Well I’m glad you’re okay. And at least we’re here now.” She was mostly relieved that it was a decent reason. Still, if she had only known, the last few days would have been easier, at least. But, complaining now seemed silly -she felt immature, and didn’t want him to know she’d felt so insecure and jealous over it. She had no right to feel those things.

“Yeah, we are,” Gale agreed, his mouth curving into a smile as he looked back at her - she hadn’t even realized she’d slowed down. He reached out a hand to her. “C’mon, then.”  She took it, feeling his heat through the fingers of her gloves.

Up ahead there was water on their left, between the hillside - no, the cliff - and the path. Madge eyed the water as they walked. She joked, “My roommate knows where I am and who I’m with. So, you know, you can forget about any plans you had to slash my throat and toss my body in the water.” The cliff face across the water looked imposing in the dark, a hulking shadow.

“What?” Gale shook his head. “Wow that would make me the worst buddy ever.”

“I’m just saying, logically, it’s a bad idea,” she argued, trying to sound matter of fact.

“Oh, thanks,” Gale answered. “Is that supposed to make me feel better? I think you’ve been watching too many crime dramas with your dad. And come on,  Slash your throat? Seems unnecessarily messy.”

She laughed.

“Besides this is no place to dump a body. It’s not THAT remote,” he scoffed.

“Oh, thanks, that’s comforting,” she answered, still laughing.

“Well when you said you were afraid to go in city parks alone in the dark I had no idea you would accuse me of being a knife-wielding maniac.”

“I never said maniac,” she protested.

“It was implied. If you can’t trust your buddy who can you trust?”

“I trust you,” She grumbled. “But -”

“But what?”

“You want to talk about implications, how about this? What are the implications of me being alone with you in a strange park at night. I want to see the park and I’m sure it’s great but it’s really not why I’m here. If you want to be buddies that’s fine, but -”

He cut her off, saying, “I thought it would be romantic.”

“What?”

“The park. I thought it would be romantic. A walk through the park, moonlight, holding hands.“

Madge stepped in close. She tilted her face to his and kissed him. Her lips moved against his, soft and slow. He responded, and she felt his arms wrap around her.

She smiled against his lips.

“Romantic, huh?”

[sunshineystilinski]

My Star Player

Pairing: Aaron Burr x Reader

Warnings: i can’t remember if i cursed or not. i’m not rly sure lmao

Prompt: you’re in love with the star basketball player, who happens to be your neighbor. what happens when you two hang out?

Word Count: 2,426

HUGE thank you to @psychedemigod who helped me with this idea. i appreciate it fren.

masterlist

You scrolled through your phone, liking the occasional photo on instagram. As you began to type out a tweet, your phone dinged, signalling a text came through.

From: burr(ito), 3:21pm

Hey I have a dilemma

To: burr(ito), 3:21pm

god, what is it this time?

From: burr(ito), 3:22pm

Jeez you make it sound like I have so many problems.

To: burr(ito), 3:22pm

it’s cause ya do

From: burr(ito), 3:23pm

Whatever. So you know how I’m on the basketball team?

To: burr(ito), 3:24pm

how could i forget? at least once a week the whole team comes over to your house and keeps the whole neighborhood up

From: burr(ito), 3:25pm

Wowza, someone’s salty. Not the point, we were supposed to have a team bonding dinner thingy and there's more people then coming then there normally is, and there’s not enough room at my house. But, I know for a fact that you have this HUGE dinning room that could fit all of us. And your parents are away on a work trip ;)

To: burr(ito), 3:26pm

your point is??

From: burr(ito), 3:26pm

Can we all come party at your house? We have the food and everything, we just need more room. Pleaseeee? I would do it for you.

To: burr(ito), 3:27pm

ugh fine. but you owe me!!

From: burr(ito), 3:27pm

Thank you Y/N!! You’re a lifesaver!

You groaned, realizing you had to change out of your sweats.

You put on black leggings and your favorite t-shirt, trying to look somewhat decent. You put a brush through your tangled hair and threw on some (desperately needed) makeup. You assumed you had some time before they came, so you called up your best friend.

“Y/N?” She answered, confused.

“Eliza, code red.” You grumbled.

“What the hell is code red?”

“Aaron’s coming over.” You explained.

“Holy crap, really? Are you two gonna get it on?”

“Shush your face.” You shouted, a laugh coming from the other side of the call.

“Whatever you say. You two are in loveeeee.” She sang. You rolled your eyes, continuing on with the conversation.

“I hate you.”

“You love me.” She corrected.

“Sure. But you do know he’d never date me, right?”

“I call bull.”

“Nope, I’m positive. I don’t have any classes with him, and I only have his number because of that project in 8th grade.”

“He’s lived next to you since you were in diapers.”

“Yet he has no idea I exist.”

“Sure he does. He knows you have a giant table.”

“Thanks, Eliza. Very re-assuring.”

“I mean, isn’t the only reason you know him that well is because you basically learned his every move?”

Your doorbell chimed, signaling the boys were here.

“HEY LOOK THEY’RE HERE GOTTA GO BYE.”

“BELEAF IN YOURSELF, (Y/N)!”

You half walked, half ran, down the stairs, opening your front door. There stood eleven people, anxiously waiting to come in. Each one held some sort of food.

Burr stood towards the front, a shy smile on his lips.

“Can we come in?” He questioned, causing you to gesture for them to come in. They filed in one by one, each giving you some sort of greeting.

The last ones to enter were Laurens, Mulligan, Lafayette, and Hamilton. You were good friends with the four, so each gave you a hug as they stepped in.

Burr came back once everyone arranged the food and took a seat.

“I’m sure you know everyone but I’ll point to who’s who. At the head seat is Coach Washington, and on his right is Hamilton, and his left Jefferson. Next to Hamilton is Laurens, Mulligan, Lafayette, and Philip, our little manager. On Jefferson’s side is Madison, and Reynolds. Finally, Adams, our assistant coach, is opposite of Coach.” He explained, pointing to each member of the team. Each one waved, besides Reynolds, who winked.

Once Burr finished speaking, everyone began to dig in, taking food left and right. You took a seat next to Reynolds, and Burr joined you on your left. You gave him a bright smile, making him blush. You grabbed some food, filling your plate up easily.

Burr tried to reach over to grab some asparagus, but brushed your chest along the way. You muffled a shout of surprise, and Burr glanced at you, concerned. You gave him a shaky smile, but your face felt like it was on fire. He noticed where his arm was, snapping it back. Everyone glanced your way, but you two played it off quickly.

Everyone turned back to their own conversations, you and Burr sitting in awkward silence.

“Um, I’m, uh, sorry about that.” He choked out, averting your gaze.

“It’s, uh, fine.” You faked a smile before returning your food.

You stole a few glances at Burr, wishing to say something but afraid to say the wrong thing. You talked to a few of the boys about random things, from plants to how stupid Alex was.

“Y/N, are you coming to our game this weekend?” Jefferson questioned, looking your way.

“I don’t think so.” You answered quickly, causing a multitude of sighs.

“You have to go! It’s championships.” John whined.

“It’ll be fun.” Reynolds smirked, causing you to almost gag. Hercules reached across the table and slapped his shoulder. Philip’s eyes widened like the sun. He choked on the food in his mouth, in shock of the conversation in front of him. For extra measure, John threw mashed potatoes his way. Reynolds almost tackled him down, but Madison held him back.

Alex coughed, bringing the conversation back to the game.

“Mon cher ami, you will regret it if you do not go.” Lafayette pouted, giving you puppy eyes.

Burr remained silent, continuing to eat his chicken. You sighed, but quickly rolled your eyes at Lafayette to hide your disappointment.

The end of the night came quickly and before you knew it the boys were leaving. You wanted a chance to talk to Aaron, but he was out the door as soon as everyone got up. The boys all gave you some sort of a good bye, whether it was a tight hug or a kiss on the cheek (Reynolds gave you a full on kiss. You’re pretty sure Alex punched him in the face once they left.)

John stayed back, wanting to speak with you.

“Hey, you okay?” He questioned, tilting his head.

“Um, yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” You stuttered, trying to cover your nervousness but ultimately failing.

“Y/N, I know you. What’s up?” He rose his eyebrows.

“Nothing.”

“Okay, stop playing dumb. I’m trying to get you to admit your feelings for Aaron, and you’re not helping.” He rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed with you.

“What do you mean?” Your voice cracked.

“I swear to God, Y/N. I can march over to his house right now and drag his ass back here?” He suggested, making you grab his arm.

“Fine.” You mumbled, giving up.

“What was that?”

“I like him!” You shouted, probably waking up the whole neighborhood.

“I. Knew. It.” He smirked, nudging your shoulder.

“And what do you suppose I do?” You let your arms fall to your side, showing defeat.

“Tell him.”

“Are you fucking serious? Have you lost your mind?” You pushed him, causing him to sigh.

“Communication is key.” He suggested, before turning around to a beeping car. “Alas, my ride calls. Adios.” John blew you a kiss and walked away, leaving you speechless.

“Liza’, I am not just showing up to their game. That would be creepy.” You commented, pulling a brush through your hair.

“They said they want you there!” She shouted through the phone.

“They were just saying that.”

“Aaron probably wants to there.” You could imagine the smirk on her face.

“He doesn’t know I exist, remember?” You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“Y/N, we all know he loves you. Just admi-” Your doorbell rang, interrupting the Schuyler sister.

“I’ve gotta go. And no, not to the game. Someone’s at the door.” You blew her a kiss through the phone, and she did the same. You ended the call and hopped down the stairs, answering the ringing bell.

There faced Burr, all dressed up in your school’s basketball uniform.

“Aaron?” You smiled, tilting your head. Why was he here?

“Hey Y/N.” He gave you a sheepish grin, his face red.

“What’s up? Are you okay? Pre-game jitters?” You questioned, confused as hell as to why he was here and not at his game.

“I can’t focus.” He stepped into your house and put a hand on his head.

“Burr, what’s going through that mind of yours?” You put a hand on his shoulder, trying to gain his attention. He turned around to face you, his eyes bright.

“I’m nervous.” He sighed. You shook your head and let out a hearty laugh.

“Aaron, you’re an amazing basketball player. Don’t stress so much.”

“Y/N, god. I just, sometimes I swear.” He mumbled, shaking his head.

“Aaron, what? Spit it out.” You commented, grasping his hand as he paced back and forth. His gaze shifted from the ground to meet your eyes. You turned away for a moment to check the time, but you felt Aaron’s grip on your wrist. You turned your head to be greeted by his lips.

His hands rushed to your cheeks, pulling you closer than before. His kisses were rough as he was desperate for more. His lips were full of passion, sending you into a state of pure bliss. You grabbed his shirt, balling the cloth in your fists. Before you knew it, you both were out of breath but still, wanting more. You were the first to pull away, panting. You rested your forehead against his, meeting his gaze.

“I’ve been trying to get you to realize that I’m in love with you for the past, what, year? You’re really oblivious.” He reveals, kissing your forehead.

Wh-what?” You stutter.

“You heard me.”

“You’re in love with me? I didn’t even know you noticed me.” You whisper, hoping he wouldn’t hear you.

“How could anyone not notice you? God, Y/N, you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. You’re so intelligent, kind, and so perfect.” He captures your lips in a kiss, pulling you even closer. You kissed him back, your lips revealing more emotions than any word could ever express. Much to your dismay, he pulled away quickly.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to resist you if we take this even further. Remember, I’ve got a game to get to.” He intertwined your hand with his, tugging you outside.

“Aaron! I have no makeup on, and I’m not wearing my nice leggings, and my hairs a me-” He kissed you yet again, cutting off your words.

“You’re beautiful. Don’t stress.” He assures you, bringing you to his car.

“Whatever you say.”

You rolled up to your school, hand-in-hand with Aaron. He kissed the palm of your hand one last time before entering the building.

As soon as you walked through those doors, the boys hollered.

“Get it, Burr!”

“You finally got some!”

“WOOOP”

“Burr, we knew you could do it!”

“Get some!”

You laughed at the boys, not at all surprised by their reactions. You saw Aaron blush, matching your fiery red cheeks. He released his grip on your hand to go warm up with his team. He blew you a kiss before shooting around on the court. You noticed Lauren’s smug look on his face . He smirked and mouthed the words “I told you so”. You rolled your eyes and found a seat in the midst of the crowd of your fellow students.

During the game, Aaron had seemed to gain a new set of confidence. He was draining every shot and making precise passes. By halftime, he scored more than half of the team’s points. They were ahead by five baskets, thanks to Aaron.

He looked your way as they shot around, warming up for the next half. You waved, a bright smile dancing on your lips. He waved back, grinning as he did so.

A ball flew his way, hitting his face. You immediately shot up from your seat, racing to his side.

You enveloped him in a tight hug, peppering kisses all over his face. The boys around you clearly found this amusing, as you could hear their “aws” and muffled laughter.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He laughed, pulling the two of you up.

“Don’t scare me like that, you dumbass!” You shoved him a little, shooting him a glare. He pouted, giving you a quick kiss before you returned to your seat

The rest of the game ran smoothly. He scored a bunch more, to have you cheering each point. But somehow, the other team caught up to your boys. The game was tied, leaving everyone on the edge of their seats.

There was ten seconds left in the game as Aaron went up for a layup. He missed the shot, but was fouled by someone on the other team.

He had two shots to win it all.

He dribbled a little bit, preparing for his shot. He released the ball. You watched it intently, praying it would go in. The ball hit the edge of the rim, bouncing it out. You sighed, hoping he would make the next one.

He looked your way quickly before returning his focus back to the game.

He repeated exactly  what he did with the last shot, lining up the ball with the hoop. He shot the ball almost perfectly. It bounced a little bit around the rim before falling in. The buzzer went off, signaling the end of the game. You cheered as the boys lifted Aaron in the air, bright smiles on all their faces.

He found your eyes and cheered. You ran to his side as soon as they let him down. He pulled you in a hug, kissing your cheek.

“I love you. It’s only been like three hours, but I can’t wait any longer.” He whispered. You gasped before responding.

“I love you too.” You responded. Clearly, you were too loud because the boy’s all around you awed.

“Shut it.” Burr shouted before returning to you.

“My star player.” You smirked.

“Your star player?” He questioned, holding back a laugh.

“Mhm. No one else can have you. You’re all mine.”

“I like the sound of that.” He kissed you one last time, the crowds cheers still surrounding you.

He was all yours.

A/N: hey guys!! this is kinda sucky cause i wrote in like one day but hopefully you enjoyed!!

[coreytravelogue]

April 22, 2019 - Los Angeles, California

My first trip of 2019 is now under my belt, this year it was Los Angeles though I feel like I should say it was Disneyland because for the great majority of me and my girlfriend’s time here in LA was in Disneyland.

LA is a interesting place for me because unlike so many other places outside of Canada I have been to LA the most but for the most part outside of Disneyland I barely have any other experience and even then being in Disneyland again this time nearly felt like it was the first time. I recall being in LA at least four of five times maybe more.

First time I came here was around the time Toon Town opened, I vaguely remember most of what happened during that time outside of a couple of things.

One that is most prominent in my mind was getting hit in the head with Prince John’s tail and going head first into the rail. I also lost my first tooth at Knott’s Berry farm. Splash Mountain became my favourite ride immediately.

I think I went back a couple of years later, it must have been when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 came out because I remember seeing that movie in the theatre there. Also remember staying at the Castle Inn which had great pizza and a awesome arcade where I played Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker all the the time when we were at the hotel and not at a theme park.

Next time I remember going was in the mid 90s with my cousin where we went on all the typical rides again but the most prominent memories was Medieval Times and showing that my dad was bad at directions at least when he was drunk.

Just now I remember another time I went to LA in 1999, I bought lots of anime on VHS. This was a solo trip with me and my dad. The last time after that was 2002 as a grad present for me, I only remember not being able to walk a lot during that time due to hurting my ankles. I had to be carted around by my dad.

So I guess that means prior to this trip I had been to LA 5 times.

It had been 17 years or so since I had been here in LA, the reason this time was for my girlfriend whom had never been to Disneyland was is a Disney fan. Not going to lie that this trip was completely selfless, I myself had been wanting to go back to Disneyland for sometime it’s only that other places interested me more than here in LA.

LA has always been like a easy pick for me, almost too easy. A place I know I could go anytime and not have to worry too much about. It’s cheaper (cheaper than flying anywhere else in Canada for the most part) and the stuff that can be done there is always aplenty I mean in again we spent most of our time in Disneyland this time, we could have spent a full week here and only scratch the surface. It’s just a place I feel I can go anytime I want, why go when there are so many other places I could go. However being that it had been 17 years I guess I was due.

We left Thursday morning and flew to Edmonton; I was able to save more than 100 dollars having this transfer even though it made no sense and added a needless two hours to the travel time. Nonetheless we arrived in LA and proceeded to head downtown.

The plan was to spend all of Thursday with me Jayne hating places so we could focus the entirety of our time in Disneyland maybe. Well Friday, Saturday and half of Sunday at first because we thought we may meet up with my cousin Lori and hang out but that didn’t wind up happening.

I always knew LA was huge and it is but I completely under estimated how big it was. What I was expecting was that transit was going to suck and it sort of did. While transit was cheap getting to downtown from LAX was slow and lethargic. I think it took about an hour and a half to get there where I think if we ubered it it would have been 30 minutes. It was annoying and I feel like it cut into our time quite a bit.

The first stop was LA Live/Staples Centre where I hoped to Jayne hat a whole lot of statues but only got two commentators and one hockey player. Every other player was set too high or their head was too big or both. I really hate when they make statues with big heads and are elevated; I get why they do it but it does annoy me.

With that done we proceeded to get groceries but I think was a mistake at least for me as I bought a lot of junk food but getting groceries did save us a lot of money since Disney food was and remains insanely expensive.

With groceries and bellies full we realized we had very little time to explore the rest of downtown to Jayne hat things which really irritated me. I did not want to leave downtown without Jayne hatting Bruce Lee. Almost an hour and a half later due to fucking around with the inconsistency of google maps and infrequency of transit we got to the statue as the sun went down and guess what? You guessed it Bruce Lee was elevated and his head was too big. Not only that but he was barricaded which was even worse to me meaning we completely wasted time getting there.

Now done with transit we decided to try Uber for the first time. Uber from here on out became our mode of transportation but it was almost the most expensive expense of our trip as the cost of traveling from downtown to our Airbnb, the multiple times going to and from Disneyland and getting to LAX wound up costing about as much as it cost for the place I stayed in Airbnb. That became another lesson I had to learn for this trip. When I go Airbnb I have tended tot rly and find places around the 50 dollar range and be a super host. This time I feel like while we saved money versus paying in our blood in hotels. Next time I will pay more for my stay as long as it is closer to where the place I am going to be is because LA transit sucks shit and Uber is very expensive; efficient but expensive.

After a 60 minute Uber ride to our house we settled in. The place wound up being a little bit more ran downtown than I thought but it was clean and it suited me needs at least, I don’t think it did for my girlfriend.

The next day we left very early to grab some more stuff from a grocery. I needed sunscreen because the airport rejected what I had as being too big. I bought what I thought was the most cost effective while still healthiest sun screen I could find but instead got a half assed sun screen.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday was all a bit of a marathon from morning to night. Much of it was a bit of a blur but I will say Disneyland has gotten much better since I was last there, bigger, better and far more efficient. On the first time I had brought a book and a gameboy expecting to be in lineups north of 40 minutes but most of the time the wait time was at most 30 minutes long. All thanks to the fast pass system, nearly ingenious and it allowed us to get on all the rides, most of all the rides within one full day. Friday was spent going n all the rides we could and Saturday because the day we got the rest and go on the ones we liked again.

Splash Mountain is still my favourite ride, it has never lost its charm in my opinion. My girlfriend took a liking to the Jungle Cruise due to the amount of puns and dark humour on that trip. Haunted Mansion and Pirates were also favourites of hers. Space Mountain was still fun and the new Star Tours was a big improvement from the previous versions I had been on.

The biggest disappointment to me was the Matterhorn Bobsleds ride, that ride was almost always full for the times we were there but when we got on it it was rather tame to me. I guess I can say the same for a few other rides but that one the most. I don’t understand how that one is so popular. Tried currios for the first time and dug those.

Sunday came and it was time for going to the California Adventure, a side of Disneyland that I had never been to. The park was nice but felt small compared to Disneyland, I know this will change in time but coming here after spending two days in Disneyland felt smaller. It takes two days to get the most out of Disneyland, California Adventure can be done in a day easy. I know this will change but for the time I thought was was sort of disappointing. We came in at the right time because they have a food and drink celebration going were they were showing off California’s signature food, wine and one of my favourite things.....beer.

I was very thankful for this because I did not have any time to buy beer for my time here and most of places I did look all did not have a great selection. That being said the beer I had here wasn’t to scream home about but it wasn’t bad either. I know my girlfriend didn’t appreciate me wanting to get drunk so I tried to keep it to the a flight and 3 pints. So she only had to deal with a tipsy me for about 2 hours before I was back to my ‘normal’ self.

We got through most of the rides and did some at least twice by the midway part of the day and spent much of the day just relaxing in while singing Disney songs to ourselves.

The best rides were easily the guardians of the galaxy ride, the bear rapids ride and the Toy Story shoot em up game.i can’t wait till the Marvel side comes around, I can only imagine how good those will be.

So here we are now, it is Monday and we are at LAX at least for the next ten minutes as we will board in 10. I will probably complete my entry either at home or in Edmonton.

So how can I review LA, I feel like this review should be an asterisk because we didn’t seen much or any of LA in this trip just Disneyland with that being said this is my review.

I will start with the transit, you know I have been to a lot of big cities; Istanbul, Toronto, Montreal, Paris, London, Vancouver, Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam and so on. They all got pretty good transit or at least affective. I know last year I shat on Toronto for their transit being confusing and not user friendly it was able to get around where you needed in an effective matter if you knew how to use it. LA I think fails at this almost purposefully. Yeah you can get to certain places with transit here but the time it takes with the transit here versus Uber or whatever you would choose Uber or taxi easily. The transit is not effective at all. You would think a city of this place’s size and the amount of money it takes it it should be able to have a awesome transit or at least and effective one but it sucks.

If we did not take a uber it would have taken 3 hours or more to get from Orange County/Disneyland area to LAX where an Uber got us there in a little over an hour. You would think there would be transit options available to get you to Disneyland or others but it doesn’t. With that I give the transit in this city 1/4 only because they do have it and you can bike around but this city is very much so a car city and seems to not want to change.

The next two grades I will put an asterisk on because I don’t feel I got the full just of either of them. One is the food, we didn’t get to try California food outside of a no meat ball sub for me and my girlfriend. Outside of that we ate cheap grocery food to save money. Looking at the city it looks like it has plenty of options but I didn’t get to see any of them. With all that I will give them 1/3 but again with a asterisk. There looks like there was options we just couldn’t afford them at this given the Canadian dollar sucks right now.

Next is beer which again is with an asterisk, if not for trying beer at California Adventure I would have had no experience with Cali beer. Of the beer I tried I will say they know how to make lagers but that is about it. Their beer was nothing to scream home about but not bad either. Next time I come I will try to experience more of what LA has if my girlfriend would let me. For now I give LA 1/2 of a C.

Now for the good parts of the review first being vibe; city had a great vibe. Where I think LA could learn a lot from Amsterdam, London and Paris when it comes to transit I do think they could learn a lot from LA when it comes to hospitality. Whenever we looked lost there was always a stranger who came to help us, every under driver was nice to us and every Disneyland employee was great to us despite what we have heard about how badly paid they are. We were treated with respect and kindness and that is all one an ask and that was enough for me to give them a full C.

Lastly and should go as to no surprise was stuff to do. It should go without saying but I do not know how anyone could get bored in LA. I have been to plenty big cities before and usually after 3 or four full days of the big ones you feel like you got the gist of the place. We spent 3.5 full days in LA and we barely saw anything while we still did quite a lot.i think it would take at least a full week to see enough of LA where one could say they have seen the bare minimum. Look if you are looking for history and culture this city may not be for you but if you are looking for fun for people of all ages this city really cannot be beat in that regard.i feel like this city deserves two full Cs when it comes to stuff to do because they got much compared to everyone else it is not even fair.

So far now LA’s grade is 3 1/12 if I know my fractions without help but it will more than likely get higher when I return to try more of their beer and food. With LA its weaknesses is mainly transit in my opinion, outside of that the city is a cool place.

LA is a great place to visit but I would never want to stay here; too hot, too big and I don’t want to live in the USA anyway. That being said I am already strongly considering visiting LA again maybe soon. I mean getting flights to LA is vastly cheaper than anywhere else and it is very easy to go to compared to other places in the world place I haven’t fully explored LA yet. Next time however it will be Universal Studios, Knott’s Berry Farm and downtown LA. Yeah....will need maybe two more trips down here to get the gist of this city.

This trip was needed after the last four months of working my tail off the last while and I will need it as I will be going back to working my ass off back in Vancouver too. Next month will be the city I regret missing out on last year and one city I haven’t been to since Superman died. Next month comes Yellowknife and Kelowna, after that I do not know but I won’t stop there.

Till then shazbot nanu nanu.