#West Wing Weekly

[g-luztrash]

On my rewatch i finally finished the show! so here's my little tribute to commemorate my achievement

[kaboomi]

1.10 In Excelsis Deo

“Toby, if we start pulling strings like this don’t you think every homeless veteran will come out of the woodwork?”

“I can only hope so, sir.”

[sparklygraves]

I love Josh so much that I was kinda scared of listening to an interview with Bradley Whitford on TWW podcast, but turns out BRAD IS SO DEEPLY LOVELY WHAT THE HECK !!💞💞💞💞

[twwpress]

Weekly Press Briefing #97: April 28th - May 4th

Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing covers all things posted from April 28 - May 4, 2024. Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing!

Challenges/Prompts:

There are no open challenges or events on our radar this week. Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote or know of one we’re missing? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

This Week in Canon:

Welcome back to This Week in Canon, where we revisit moments in The West Wing that occurred on these dates during the show’s run.

Season 1, Episode 20: Mandatory Minimums aired on May 3, 2000.

Season 2, Episode 20: The Fall’s Gonna Kill You aired on May 2, 2001.

Season 3, Episode 18: Enemies Foreign and Domestic aired on May 1, 2002.

Season 4, Episode 21: Life on Mars aired on April 30, 2003.

Season 5, Episode 20: Talking Points aired on April 28, 2004.

Season 7, Episode 20: The Last Hurrah aired on April 30, 2006.

Photos/Videos:

Here’s what was posted from April 28 - May 4:

Allison Janney posted a promo video for Dule Hill’s new PBS show, The Expressway (and Bradley Whitford did too!). 

Allison Janney posted stills and video from the season finale of Palm Royale.

Amy Landecker posted a photo of herself and Brad with Luci Baines Johnson, former president Lyndon B. Johnson’s daughter, in Texas. 

Dule Hill posted photos of himself in D.C. advocating for the arts with The Creative Coalition. 

Josh Malina posted a photo of himself with his parents’ Omer counter. 

Josh Malina posted a clip of himself from The West Wing doing an unnecessary trick with a phone receiver. 

Marlee Matlin posted a photo of herself and her husband with their new granddaughter. 

Mary McCormack posted a fun fact from behind the scenes of The West Wing. 

Peter James Smith posted a photo of himself and the cast of Nora with Allison Janney and I, Tonya screenwriter Steven Rogers. 

Peter James Smith posted photos of himself and his castmates from the set of the play he’s in, Nora. 

Richard Schiff posted stills from The Good Doctor shouting out guest star (and his daughter) Ruby Kelley. 

Rob Lowe posted a photo of himself with horses while filming on location. 

Donna Moss Daily: April 28 | April 29 | April 30 | May 1 | May 2 | May 3 | May 4

Daily Josh Lyman: April 28 | April 29 | April 30 | May 1 | May 2 | May 3 | May 4

No Context BWhit: April 28 | April 29 | April 30 | May 1 | May 2 | May 3 | May 4

@twwarchive: April 29 | May 1 | May 3 | May 4

Fics:

Presenting your weekly roundup of fics posted in the tag for The West Wing on Archive of Our Own. 

Josh/Donna

Somebody loved by Shinyrosa | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

Fairytale Ending? by Tyrols | Not Rated | Josh Lymn/Donna Moss | In Progress

Other Pairings/Gen Fic

The Weight We Carry Is Love by piratequeenofgreenthings | Rated T | Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | In Progress

An Intriguing Variable by silasfinch for justdreaming88 | Ellie Bartlet/Original Female Character(s) | In Progress

The Race by Goochie0014 | Rated M | No Characters/Pairings Listed | Complete

Multiple Pairings

War & Peace by miabicicletta for krazykitkat, onekisstotakewithme | Rated T | Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Andrea Wyatt/Toby Ziegler, Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | In Progress

THE WEEKLY PRESS BRIEFING TEAM CAN BE REACHED VIA THE FOLLOWING METHODS:

Twitter: @TWWPress

Email: weeklypressbriefing@gmail.com

Feel free to let us know if we missed something, if you have an event you’d like us to promote, or if you have an item that you’d like included in the next briefing!

xx, What’s next?

[callixton]

fuck me i just remembered i wanted to run a tww pride thing for june and that is. not so far away

[holy-anxiety-batman]

West wing season two episode nine “Galileo” my fucking best friend. I love it when tww does space I love space I love how Sam Seaborn talks about space I love the stamp choosing plot I love the green bean plot I love the hope that space exploration instills in people I love the Galileo mission I love our space rovers I love space oh my god I need to look at more jwst pictures and have some water and watch west wing season two episode nine “Galileo”

[headbandsandflats]

“It was like A Chorus Line fucked Our Town.”

Bradley Whitford, talking about his Juilliard class meeting up 31 years later, on WTF with Marc Maron

[proverbialschoolmarm]

[zvaigzdelasas]

[AlJazeera is Qatari State Media]

[5:18 GMT - 7:52 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

[5:18 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

The leader of Hamas’s military wing says the group has launched a new operation against Israel. In a rare public statement, Mohammed Deif said that 5,000 rockets had been fired into Israel early Saturday to begin “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm”. Israel also reported an infiltration from Gaza. “We’ve decided to say enough is enough,” Deif said as he urged all Palestinians to confront Israel.[...]

[5:26 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Here are some more lines by the statement of Mohammed Deif, head of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas: “We have already warned the enemy before. The occupation committed hundreds of massacres against civilians. Hundreds of martyrs and wounded died this year due to the crimes of the occupation. “We announce the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, and we announce that the first strike, which targeted enemy positions, airports, and miltary fortifications, exceeded 5,000 missiles and shells.”[...]

[5:45 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

More than 5,000 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel in the first 20 minutes of the operation, Hamas’s armed wing has said. “We decided to put an end to all the crimes of the occupation (Israel), their time for rampaging without being held accountable is over,” the group said. Israel said it had activated its Iron Dome defence system.[...]]

[5:49 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

The Israeli army says it has declared a “state of readiness for war”.[...]

[5:50 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Saleh al-Arouri, deputy chief of Hamas in the occupied West Bank, has issued a call to arms.[...] “The West Bank is the final word in this battle, and it can open a clash with all the settlements in the West Bank. We call on our people to participate in the battle of Al-Aqsa Flood.”[...]

[5:53 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

The Israeli army says it has started an operation aimed at Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. “There are many pictures circulating on social media especially Palestinian Telegram channels showing Israeli soldiers in Gaza, but as captives,” Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem said.[...]

[6:05 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Videos circulating on social media have shown Palestinian fighters driving Israeli army vehicles into Gaza.

[6:06 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

“On the streets, we’ve also seen the military vehicles in Gaza with Palestinian youth in the vehicles roaming about the streets happily,” she said. “The Israeli response to all this is going to be different from other times because nothing that has come out of Gaza before has been this strong. This is a first in the history of Gaza, for soldiers to go into Israeli towns, hold armed confrontations,” she added.[...]

[6:09 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Rockets are still being launched from Gaza towards Israel. The sound of Israel’s Iron Dome defence system being activated in response can be heard.[...]

[6:12 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Hamas fighters have taken control of the police station in Israel’s Sderot and a number of people have been injured in a fire exchange, the Israel Broadcasting Authority has reported.[...]

[6:14 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Organisers of protests against the Israeli government’s judicial overhaul plan have cancelled their weekly demonstration scheduled for Saturday night.

“We stand with the residents of Israel and give full support to [the security forces],” the protest organisers said in a statement quoted by the Israeli media. They also called on the people who were planning to participate in the protest “to play their part to safeguard the security and health of the residents of Israel”.[…]

[6:18 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group has said it is “part of this battle”. “Our cadres stand alongside their brothers in Hamas, shoulder to shoulder, until victory,” a spokesperson said.[…]

[6:20 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Israeli Defence Minister Joav Gallant has approved the mobilisation of reservists, according to his office.[…]

[6:35 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Reporting from Beirut, Lebanon, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr says that Hamas’s call for others to join their operation against Israel could be interpreted as a reminder to Tel Aviv that if attacks against Gaza continue, there will be a response from other fronts.[...] “So far there has been no response from the armed groups in Lebanon. But what have we seen in the past? There has been coordination every time there is a flare-up, or heightened tension in Palestinian territories,” she added.[...]

[6:43 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Stephanie Hallett, the charge d’affaires at the US embassy in Jerusalem, has slammed the rocket attacks from Gaza against Israel. “I condemn the indiscriminate rocket fire by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians,” she said in a statement on social media platform X. “I am in contact with Israeli officials, and fully support Israel’s right to defend itself from such terrorist acts,” she added.[...]

[7:13 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Reporting from the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera’s Youmna ElSayed says that rockets are still being fired “very intensely” from the area. “We’ve seen pictures and videos of Israeli soldiers being killed and videos of Palestinian fighters celebrating around Israeli armed vehicles set on fire,” she said. “We also received a video showing two Israeli soldiers being captured. The video shows that the soldiers are alive and confrontations are still taking place inside those Israeli towns,” she added.[...]

[7:11 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Hundreds of residents in the Gaza Strip have fled their homes to move away from the border with Israel, an AFP correspondent has reported. Men, women and children were seen carrying blankets and food items as they left their homes, mostly in the northeastern part of the Palestinian territory, the reporter said.

[7:29 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Akiva Eldar, a columnist at the Israeli daily Haaretz, says the attack by Hamas should be a wake-up call for Israel. “You can’t go about normalising relations with Arab countries while also trying to expand into Palestinian territories,” he told Al Jazeera. “The image of status quo that you [Israel] can keep Gaza under blockade, you can keep expanding the settlements, and the Palestinian will sit back and say we approve your normalisation with the Gulf countries as long as workers from Gaza can make some money, isn’t going to work,” he added.[...]

[7:29 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

We now have the statement by Ismail Haniya, the head of Hamas’ political bureau[...]

“The enemy besieging Gaza has planned to surprise it and escalate the aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip, in addition to the settlement and aggression that continues every moment in the West Bank, which seeks to uproot our people and expel them from their land, and the crimes of the occupation against our people in the 1948s, as it stands behind all the killing and assassination operations there, and the occupation’s continuation of detaining our prisoners for decades, and reneging on agreements when he re-arrested those liberated from the swap deal. “For all of this, we are waging a battle of honour, resistance and dignity to defend Al-Aqsa, under the title that was announced by Brother Commander-in-Chief Abu Khaled Al-Deif, “Al-Aqsa Flood”. This flood began in Gaza and will extend to the West Bank and abroad, and every place where our people and nation are present.”[...]

[7:47 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Israeli ambassador to the US calls “the free world to unequivocally condemn” the attacks by Hamas and support Israel’s “right to self-defence”.[...]

[7:50 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

President of the European Council Charles Michel says “EU stands in solidarity with Israeli people”. “Strongly condemn the indiscriminate attacks launched against #Israel and its people this morning inflicting terror and violence against innocent citizens,” he wrote on Twitter.[...]

[7:52 GMT, 7 Oct 23]

Israeli army launches ‘Operation Iron Swords’ against the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip, in response to attacks from the territory. Israeli raids have started, as witnesses tell Reuters news agency that explosions are heard in the Gaza city.

[bunkoos-mole-enthusiast]

Weekly Jungkook Fanfic Recs

Some fine JK fics for your reading pleasure. 🔞 Please show your appreciation to all the wonderful authors :)

Over The Odds: Billionaire CEO Jungkook makes you an offer you’d be a fool to refuse.  https://jungk0oksthighs.tumblr.com/post/682441385035644928/over-the-odds-collection-completed-ceojungkook

Dungeons & Dick: Your DnD group meets weekly and this time your DM, who also happens to be your boyfriend, plans on killing one of your party members until you thwart his plan leaving him pissed off and embarrassed. But Jungkook is not so secret about how much it turns him on when all the others have left.  https://jungkookiebus.tumblr.com/post/190268088251/dungeons-and-dick-jjk

Just Friends: The transition from best friends to best friends with benefits is never easy, especially when there’s a daddy kink involved. https://kinktae.tumblr.com/post/172263702969/just-friends-m

Bitchin': The 80s were a time of choices. Which perm was right for you? What color neon would you wear next? None of these choices, however, were more questionable than a certain deal you made with Jeon Jungkook. https://kinktae.tumblr.com/post/185646704844/bitchin-m Blackjack: Bangtan is one of the most vicious mafia on the West Coast, only six members are known by name though, with a mysterious seventh member dubbed as "The Shadow". You become indebted to the worst of the worst - how to get out? https://kpopfanfictrash.tumblr.com/post/165138875526/blackjack-master-list Ember Burning: The dragon riders of Duret Ghal are known across the continent: fierce warrors who take to the skies on their winged beasts led by their king Jungkook. You are the last dragon queen of Ashya, ruler of a dying species able to transform from human to dragon. When a foe emerges threatening both kingdoms, you find yourself forced to broker a peace with your former enemy. https://kpopfanfictrash.tumblr.com/post/643137431841947648/ember-burning-m A Holiday Snowdown: The Inn On The Hill is in trouble, you need money and you need it fast. Namjoon proposes a weeklong social media blitz with celebrity guest Jeon Jungkook: two-time Olympic gold medalist, world-class snowboarder and the nation's sweetheart. You happen to have met Jungkook before and sincerely hoped you'd never see him again. https://kpopfanfictrash.tumblr.com/post/671401371365507072/a-holiday-snowdown-m Paralian: A very loose retelling of The Little Mermaid. Pirate x Merfolk au. https://kpopfanfictrash.tumblr.com/post/186345871706/paralian The Monogamy Diaries: Namjoon is getting married and somewhere between the laughter and drinks, everyone has the same realization: Jungkook has never been in a serious relationship. In the name of all that is holy it is decided to find Jeon Jungkook a girlfriend. https://kpopfanfictrash.tumblr.com/post/190709693371/the-monogamy-monologues Love To Hate: Your mother ropes you into a blind date with playboy billionaire Jeon Jungkook. He stands for everything you loathe about the world you left behind, but you can't deny the spark of attraction between you. Intrigued by the promise of mutual satisfaction, you agree to one night in bed… and quickly realize you're in far, far deeper than you ever intended. https://kpopfanfictrash.tumblr.com/post/661587797603401728/love-to-hate-master-list

[kaboomi]

Listening to West Wing Weekly and learning that Richard Schiff is actually an incredibly emotional, empathetic person who is literally almost crying thinking about In Excelsis Deo makes Toby’s character that much better honestly

[sparklygraves]

I’m listening to The West Wing Weekly podcast & discovering that a lot of the relationships (both romantic & otherwise) were a surprise. like, the plan was for Josh & Mandy to be a thing, but the chemistry just wasn’t there with the actors, & the character of Mandy just never quite worked in general. meanwhile, Donna, meant to be a super minor charac, burst forth in all her awesomeness.

I like how Aaron Sorkin paid attention to the magic of what was happening on set, & let go of his plans to write into the magic.

[twwpress]

Weekly Press Briefing #81

Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing covers all things posted from January 7 – January 13. Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing! 

Challenges/Prompts:

There are no open challenges/prompts that we know of this week. Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote or know of one we’re missing? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

This Week in Canon:

Welcome back to This Week in Canon, where we revisit moments in The West Wing that occurred on these dates during the show’s run.

Season 1, Episode 12: He Shall, From Time to Time aired on January 12, 2000.

Season 2, Episode 11: The Leadership Breakfast aired on January 10, 2001.

Season 3, Episode 10: H-Con 172 aired on January 9, 2002.

Season 4, Episode 12: Guns Not Butter aired on January 8, 2003.

Season 5, Episode 10: The Stormy Present aired on January 7, 2004.

Season 6, Episode 12: Opposition Research aired on January 12, 2005

Season 7, Episode 10: Running Mates aired on January 8, 2006.

Photos/Videos:

Here’s what was posted from January 7 - January 13:

Bradley Whitford posted promo for a memorial screening of Not Going Quietly, the documentary about Ady Barkan.

Dulé Hill posted photos of himself and his daughter Kennedy on a USO trip. 

Josh Malina posted an AI-altered photo of himself with wings sprouting from his head. 

Marlee Matlin posted a slideshow of herself and her husband having date night at The Academy’s Governors Awards. 

Marlee Matlin posted a video sharing one of her favorite tattoos and celebrating 37 years of sobriety. 

Melissa Fitzgerald posted promo for Modern Warrior live in LA on January 17. 

Rob Lowe posted photos with the guys from NFL on Fox from his new game show, The Floor. \

Rob Lowe posted a photo from the last table read of the second season of his Netflix show, Unstable. 

Rob Lowe posted a promo video for The Floor. 

Rob Lowe posted a photo of himself napping with his dog Daisy.

Rob Lowe posted a video of himself singing with Robert Downey Jr. as they get ready for his episode of Rob’s podcast.  

Donna Moss Daily: January 7 | January 8 | January 9 | January 10 | January 11 | January 12 | January 13

Daily Josh Lyman: January 7 | January 8 | January 9 | January 10 | January 11 | January 12 | January 13

No Context BWhit: January 7 | January 8 | January 9 | January 10 | January 11 | January 12 | January 13

@twwarchive: January 7 | January 8 | January 9 | January 10 | January 11 | January 12 | January 13

Edits/Artwork

#joshdonna: heart eyes by @nacejisbon [VIDEO EDIT] #joshdonna: options by @nacejisbon [VIDEO EDIT]

Editors’ Choice: 

This week, we’re recommending fics with a found family component to them! Be sure to share your favorites as well!

fathers and sons by rearviewmirror | Rated T | Zoey Bartlet/Charlie Young, Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet/Leo McGarry | Complete | “It’s good to be a little scared. Scared means you care. Caring means you’re gonna do great.” the way old friends do by mikaylawrites for swancharmings | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | They’ve formed a natural trio at events like these; they’re the in-laws, so to speak. While everyone else is getting up to their usual antics, they’re likely to be the ones quietly observing in the corner of the room, or convening in the kitchen to catch up on each other’s lives and sneaking food when Abbey isn’t looking. Donna, Toby, Charlie, and the chaotic people they love. breathe by jazzjo | Rated G | C.J. Cregg/Andrea Wyatt, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | She had never expected to see past her twenties, let alone this. She has her little brother and his family next door, music in all her days, and this family she's found in the midst of everything. Yes, she thinks, this is all she’ll ever need. now don’t lose your fight kid by sam_writes_fics | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | The night of the Illinois Primary. a glamorous invitation by jeaniecregg | Rated G | C. J. Cregg/Toby Ziegler | Complete | CJ joins Toby, Josh, and Sam for Thanksgiving. brothers in arms by hufflepuffhermione | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | “Do you have any siblings, Joshua?” the teacher asked. Have. Present tense. He worried the faux wood of the desk with his fingers, his head pounding as the teacher raised his voice with another “Joshua”. Josh finally allowed a strangled, “No,” to escape, and put his head down on the desk, because saying that two letter word meant that it was true, that he was now an only child. Josh Lyman was no longer a brother, and he didn’t know who he was anymore. Josh Lyman and how he reclaims the title of brother. if you’re looking for the girl of your dreams, she’s in brooklyn with me by starsontheceiling for TheBreakfastGenie | Rated G | C. J. Cregg & Josh Lyman (No Pairings Listed) Complete | “Why do you talk to me like this?” “Because you never had a big sister, and you need one.” Snapshots of CJ and Josh, over the years.

Stay tuned for our reblog with this week's fics!

[deathbecomesthem]

Flower

Continued here

Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader - we serenade him with a "lewd" song

90s Coffee House setting - 1.8K

+18 ONLY - Minors DNI

There are usually butterflies flapping tiny wings in your stomach when you’re under the stage lights. Not tonight. The heat of the bright yellowish light is warming your face. You feel on fire. The song is uncomplicated, short, and straight to the point. Your only desire tonight is to burn for him, to look into his eyes from across the small smoke-filled room and watch his eyes go wide when he hears the words. When he realizes they’re for him. This dance has gone on for too long, your feet are tired and your muscles are sore. Tonight, the record will scratch, signaling the end of the dance. Either he’ll leave the dance floor with you, or he’ll find his rhythm without you.

–

Eddie likes open mic night at the coffee house. 5 years ago, he would have scoffed at the idea, whiny folk singers and overpriced cups of coffee. Pretentious and fake, not as real as the metal and leather he dons. It took him a while to realize he has his own uniform to wear, and expectations that go along with it. That realization opened his mind to the idea that maybe, just maybe, there are multiple truths. Maybe someone with an acoustic guitar in a small coffee house could tell him something real and important. Especially after you, his best friend, started signing up for spots once a week. 

Since Eddie moved to the city, you’ve been his lifeline. Meeting you in the apartment courtyard that first week made him believe he could do it. He could make his own way. He could spread his wings in a new place where he didn’t walk around under a dark cloud of suspicion. The following year when you moved to a building on the west end of the city, the two of you still kept your weekly dinner and a movie night. Eddie loves you, and he supports you. You do the same for him. You’ve never told him about the fire in your gut that burns every time he’s close to you. He doesn’t know that when you’re lonely at night, you close your eyes and think of him while you touch yourself. The flannel Eddie thought was lost months ago is laying on your pillow. You sleep with it like it’s a safety blanket each night, always pushing away the thought that it was wrong.

Tonight will decide things. No more pretending. You’re doing it your way - dramatically and with a song.

–

Nerves start to bite at the back of your brain when you step up to the mic, guitar strapped around your back, and don’t see the signature dark brown curls in the back of the coffee shop. Eddie’s late, even though he knows you like the earlier time slots. You take a deep breath in your mouth, and exhale through your nose, releasing some of the heat that’s been building in your chest. You’re changing gears rapidly, adjusting your mindset to perform the Patty Griffin’s Let Him Fly when Eddie barges through the glass doors at the back of the shop. His mouth is a straight line of frustration, probably missed the train again. But he’s here now, and he gives you a little wave. You smirk and look out at the crowd in front of you. It’s a good turnout, and you clear your throat into the mic making the low murmurs quiet down. A wave of silence moves through them until you have dozens of eyes fixed on your form.

“Y'all should recognize this tune. Liz would say there are layers of meaning here, but I think maybe, just maybe, she was thinking about one person when she wrote it, for better or worse. I know I’ve got one person in mind tonight, even if he doesn’t think of me. It’s for you. Every layer. Always.”

It’s an introduction to a love song, and the audience is smiling back at you. They’re waiting to be serenaded by the woman in front of them. You see couples with hands in hands. A thrill runs through you at this. You wonder if your performance will result in fucking or fights between these matches. You wonder how many of them are on first dates, and you hold back a laugh. You let it thrum in the back of your throat. But you don’t look back at Eddie. Not yet. You wonder if he’ll understand. You wonder, for just a flash of a moment, if this is stupid. Oh well. 

You move your fingers against the strings, searching for the right sound. You let it loop around once without bringing your vocals in. That first time wasn’t quite there. You clock a couple of flashes of recognition in the crowd, and a smirk on the face of a woman sitting in a booth in the corner. You risk a sneak of a look at Eddie and see a wide smile on his face. Yeah, he knows the song. You’ve played it for him. It’s not his kind of music, but the two of you have talked about the context in the larger album. You’ve heard him guffaw at the provocative lyrics. You look away before you begin.

“Every time I see your face I get all wet between my legs

Every time you pass me by, I heave a sigh of pain.”

You hear a man clear his throat before you move on. Brown eyes are boring into your face, he’s searching your features. This is what he does at these performances. He lets himself see and see you. The first time, you felt like crumbling. You wanted to melt into the hardwood below your feet. But now, you know he’ll understand everything. He’s observant.

“Every time I see your face I think of things unpure, unchaste

I want to fuck you like a dog

I'll take you home and make you like it

Everything you ever wanted

Everything you ever thought of

Is everything I'll do to you

I'll fuck you and your minions, too”

You can hear Eddie giggling in the back of the coffee shop. The rest of the audience is silent. You sneak a peek in the back corner and see that the woman in the booth now has a full faced smile. She’s loving this. The men in the audience are quiet, outside of the occasional sound of them shifting in their seats. It’s time now. These next words have a target. The man in the back of the shop, all denim and leather. His elbow is casually resting on the counter behind him, and the only sound, other than the strumming of your guitar, is the screaming of the frothing wand behind him. He’s waiting for his drink to be made. Now, you hook him. You catch his eyes, and you see his smile falter. You hold him in your gaze and sing the words that are for him.

“Your face reminds me of a flower

Kind of like you're underwater

Hair's too long and in your eyes

Your lips a perfect "suck me" size

You act like you're fourteen years old

Everything you say is so obnoxious, funny, true and mean”

The only thing you’re thinking while you sing is, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. You know he feels it. The room shrinks. He’s not shocked, he’s intent. From where you are you can barely make it out, but his eyes are searching yours. He’s checking. He’s not just listening to the words, he’s hearing them. Provocative? Yes. But also, cutting and real.

“I want to be your blow job queen

You're probably shy and introspective

That's not part of my objective

I just want your fresh, young jimmy

Jamming, slamming, ramming in me

Every time I see your face I think of things unpure, unchaste”

More shifting legs. Soft murmurs. Eddie’s eyes are black. You see his nostrils flare. Your fingers are as steady as your gaze. You keep him in the space with you. He doesn’t take his eyes from you, not even when the barista pushes his drink to the end of the counter. Not even when they say his name. He is mesmerized, and you wonder if he’s angry. But you’ve got a song to finish. So you do that. You keep him there, and you say your words.

“I want to fuck you like a dog

I'll take you home and make you like it

Everything you ever wanted

Everything you ever thought of

Is everything I'll do to you

I'll fuck you till your dick is blue”

The applause is weak. It’s scattered. The only robust reaction is from your big fan in the corner. She lets out a little “whoop!” along with a standing ovation. It makes you giggle. You bow, as always, despite the less than warm response to the controversial and aggressive song. And then you risk a glance back to where you left Eddie. Your Eddie. The paper cup, most likely filled with dark roast coffee and a double shot of espresso, sits lonely on its spot on the counter. Untouched. You stand a little straighter. It’s ok. You scared him off. That was the real goal, and you knew that all along somewhere in the back of your mind. You’ll take your guitar to your apartment and head out to the bar at the corner of your block. Someone else can fill the empty space for at least a couple of hours.

The open mic supervisor, Keith, has a soy latte ready for you at the bar after you’ve got your guitar packed in its case. He’s not supposed to encourage “lewd music” during these events, but his boss doesn’t need to know. It is the 90s after all. Any disappointment you might be feeling is pushed down somewhere deep when you step out into the cool night air. You’re numb. It’s ok, it’s really ok. You rolled the dice and lost. It’s not the end of the world.

Illuminated by the dim lights at the back of the parking lot, you pull the handle to open the hatchback trunk of your beater car. You’re letting out a huff of air in frustration to mask the pain that’s begun to shred at your chest when it happens. You feel someone standing behind you, close enough to feel their body heat against your back. You can hear them breathing. You fight against the instinct to fight, because your nose is telling you who it is. You set your guitar case inside your car and still yourself. You wait. 

Eddie takes a step closer. One hand slinks around your waist, pulling you into him, the other moves along the side of your hip before gripping the outside of your thigh. A firm grip. You can feel him hard against the ass of your jeans. His nose brushes against the back of your ear, and he says on an exhale, “Goddamn you. You better be able to back up those words, because I’m aching for you.”

[blissfulip]

Dopamine

on AO3

Viktor x f!reader

Rating: Explicit

Tags: enemies to lovers, slow burn, angst, dubious science, mostly canon compliant, no use of y/n, chemist!reader, eventual smut, masturbation

Cw: Allusion to sexual themes, just general bickering on this one

Words: 1.8k

[A/N: I know this one took forever, sorry about that lmao, tags and content warnings to be updated in each chapter, updates weekly(ish). (also, let me know if you want to be tagged in fic updates!)]

Tags: @ihopeinevergetsoberr

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Chapter 5: Rise to the occasion

“Wait,Viktor—” You said, trying to catch up to him since he stormed out of the Hextech lab, “We can’t just walk back in there together as if nothing happened.”

“Nothing happened.”

“I’m talking about us doing something well-nigh against academy rules; they will ask questions.”

“Oh, eh—you go in first."

The opportunity to counter was stolen from you and substituted by the cold touch of Viktor’s hands upon your back, jostling your body effortlessly through the library door. He came in behind you shortly after, and you thought the interval in between both of you walking in was not long enough to make a dent in the opinion of everyone watching.

“The interval in between both of us walking in was not long enough to make a dent in the opinion of everyone watching.”

“No one gives a hoot about where we might have gone; stop concerning yourself with their opinion."

It was virtually an ambuscade. When you sat back right where your book had been left and Viktor was on the chair opposite you, a friend and a foe together in liue of curiosity came without a warning and joined you. Asher seemed increasingly more annoyed than Lara, whom you suspected was simply thirsty for some quality gossip.

“So… you snuck out together, where to?” She asked with a shit-eating grin creeping up across her face.

“The dorms.” You astonishingly managed to answer in unison.

“Whose?” Asher shot at you immediately after, not leaving any time for thinking.

“Listen you—” Viktor started, and you were sure his intentions were going to take him somewhere he’d regret, so you interjected.

“We just needed to get some of our work instruments; it's not a big deal,” you said awkwardly.

“I thought your dorm was on the west wing; why did you go together?” Lara questioned you (and correctly, alas).

“You know what they say: ‘you shouldn’t count your birds before you hit them with a stone’.” You said, in the most deadpan way you could find in you.

“She needed help choosing which one of the books would be better for the presentation she is planning, and I needed help carrying some of the heavier volumes. We…killed two birds with one stone.” He said, entirely unconvinced but long resigned.

“Right, and you accepted his help with your work?” Said Asher with a cynical eyebrow raise.

“Well, the arrogance, fear of public speaking, long-term sickly obsession with work, and his careless neglect of social cues make up for an almost tolerable knowledge of many useful subjects.”

Viktor looked at you with knitted brows, his mouth agape, as if he at some point had the intention of saying something but gave up on it as the hint of faint praise in your statement made him befuddled enough to not know what to say.

“Uh, fine, just let us know you’ll be out next time; we have to make the week one report for Heimerdinger, and you two were nowhere to be found for like an hour."

“We could’ve been here earlier, but as you are both aware, she is chronologically challenged.”

"Wha—we were running against the clock because someone had to stop by the restroom on our way back.” You said, the pitch of your voice was getting higher as the irritation grew.

“I wonder why.”

“I know why, and I don’t particularly understand why you are saying it like it was my fault.”

By that point, both Asher and Lara, after sharing a look of reproach with each other, had quietly stood up and gone back to their respective work tables, leaving the two of you to quarrel in private.

“I’m sure in hindsight you can see clearly that dragging me into a small closet was regrettably ill-advised; you have such a talent for slip-ups that one could almost think you do it on purpose.”

“You think I wanted you to rise to the occasion, on purpose?” You said in a slightly mocking tone.

“You are certainly taking the opportunity to rag on me because of it.”

“If I wanted to make fun of you for that, I would've done it on the way here, Viktor, and just so you know, if I wanted to be the cause of your late-afternoon wood, a cleaning closet wouldn’t be my choice of scenery.”

“Stop calling it those names; it’s horrid—in fact, just quit talking about it; it’s giving me a tension headache."

"Oh, I apologize. Am I being too silly about the thing that you just reminded me about? I’ll make sure to talk about you b-o-n-e-r more solemnly in the future."

“I’m sorry if I thought you’d be able to take things seriously; that wasn’t my intention.”

“I am. I can take things so seriously that I will go back to my work over there, where I don’t have to hear you sniffle every two seconds, the heel of your shoe clanking on the floor, and your pen clicking repeatedly.” You said with a sour expression as you removed his journals from your bag and walked over to the other side of the library.

“Choice of scenery; who does she think she is?" Viktor mumbled quietly to himself before noticing the unintentional clicking of his pen and quietly putting it down on the table with an almost imperceptible pout.

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

Both the second and third meetings, as well as the halfway report with Heimerdinger, went sufficiently well, with your own presentation already in the final stages. It had been a particularly lazy morning; your eyes had nearly not opened, pushed closed by the heavy lids of a sleepless night, and the burgeoning symptoms of what you suspected could turn into the flu, when you decided to skip the last meeting and give your speech the finishing touches in the comfort of your own bed.

Since everything had been finished and you figured everyone would assume you were sick or had other commitments, you didn't tell anybody, hoping your absence would be disregarded. You soon learned that was a misjudgment on your part when you heard someone knock on the door to your dorm room well into the afternoon.

 “I can’t believe you got sick too!” Lara said as soon as you cracked the door open.

“Too?”

“Cirian is terribly sick as well; there must be some sort of epidemic!”

“I’m sorry… who?” 

“Cirian, from Biology.” She said, absentmindedly, as she scrambled in the kitchen for something, “Where do you keep your mugs? I’ll brew you some tea.”

"Ah, yes, top left.” So that’s his name. “I’m quite alright, though; I just needed some rest.”

“That’s good to hear because Heimerdinger said you and Viktor would have to fill in for him.”

“You have to be kidding me.” You said throwing your body back on your bed dramatically.

“I thought you’d be ecstatic,” she said as she came back with two mugs and a puzzled expression, to which you responded with one to match. "Well, you’d have an excuse to spend more time with him.”

“And why on Heimerdinger’s fluffy mustache would I want that?”

"Well, you two are dating, no?”

"No, we’re fucking not. Where did you get that idea?”

“You’re pulling my leg now, come on." She said with a small chuckle, and when you did not laugh but looked at her with concern, she continued. “Well… He seemed to be quite into you that day you were at my place, and you were very flirty.”

“I was drunk!” You said trying to defend yourself and trying to ignore what she had said about him being into you; it wasn’t a thought you wanted to consider at that moment.

“Fair, but then, I thought all that banter you two have was just playful bickering.”

“It’s most certainly not; I despise him, and he hates me with a passion.”

“With a passion, alright.” She said with a cheeky smirk that she tried to hide by taking a sip of the tea.

“What do you know that I don’t?”

“I know something that neither of you do, apparently. But I  digress." She said, gulping the last bit of tea and leaving the mug on the sink before turning back to you. “I’d go talk to Heimerdinger before he leaves for the day, if I were you."

She left shortly after, leaving you to ruminate about more than one of the things that were said.  She couldn’t possibly be making any sense, could she? Perhaps you should have asked what she meant by Viktor being ‘into you’ that night, but then again, you had noticed a slight change in his physiognomy.

You weren’t as drunk as you claimed to be, and it was this small change—the blush all over his face when he saw you—that made you look at him through your eyelashes so suggestively. It was the small gasp hitched on his throat that made you swing your hips when you walked slowly to where he stood. It was his white knuckles and his fingers clasped together in a tight fist around his vest that made you lower your voice into a purr when you said his name. You wanted to provoke him; his reaction was so akin to one of fury that you relished the possibility of making him hate you more.

There was no reason to bend over the table to write, not in the way you did, at least. You just wanted to, although you still tried to convince yourself that it had the same motivations as everything else you had done that night.

If you didn't know of further proof that backed up Lara's theory (which she herself was unaware of), it would have been reasonable to conclude that she had made an unfortunate misinterpretation of the situation. You caught yourself grinning at the memory of it—how you had been enjoying the scent of Viktor’s perfume and the feeling of his chest pressing against you—even before you noticed what the proximity of your bodies was doing to him.

Raise to the occasion was such a good one; he really can’t appreciate a good joke.

”B-o-n-e-r” You spelled it out loud to yourself with a hearty chuckle.

And even after you did notice it, a smug little voice in your head was telling you to lean closer, to see how far you could take it before he either said something unspeakably rude to you or took it the opposite way, but you had to be circumspect. You were the picture of practicality, yet he still had the gall to get angry at you. 

My fault…ha. If I had been doing it on purpose, that closet would’ve become too small for what he’d want to do with—

You had to physically shake that thought away and remind yourself that regardless of how fun it was to mess with him, Viktor was still incredibly insufferable to work in the same vicinity as, let alone with, so it’d be better to talk to Heimerdinger and get this whole debacle sorted out.

You did, however, spend the entirety of the way there thinking about the scent of saffron and leather.

[yeahiwasintheshit]

It's irresponsible to blame all leftists for 2016. Hillary deserves a lot of the blame.

FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU for being stupid enough to STILL believe decades worth of right wing smear campaigns against her, and for not listening to people who told you explicitly that your dumb ass had plenty of time to convince people to NOT vote for her in the primaries, but you lost and the majority of the people wanted her to be the candidate, and it was then your responsibility to vote for her in the general anyway. because, as we told you then, if you vote for jillstein or not vote at all, than hillary loses. we were then stuck with trump, and we lost the supreme court, and had rights stripped away from us, and chaos ensued everyday for 4 years, and we are now stuck living through major historical events bi-weekly because we didnt stamp out this insane right wing trumpist conservative fervor we VERY MUCH warned you about. but you didnt care to listen to us. All because you didnt like hillary's pants suits or whatever bullshit you happily gobbled up from right wing conservative media. so fuck you very much and

👏TAKE 👏SOME 👏RESPON👏SIBILITY👏

if you are now older and wiser and have learned from your mistakes, we are still happy to have you. the only option is to vote for kamala (or whoever will be the candidate)... no jill stein, no rfk jr, no cornell west... no matter what state you are in, even if it’s blue. the time for a protest vote against the dems is over, and the only option to make a bold, popular vote landslide statement from coast to coast against maga conservatism by voting for all the democrats up and down the ballot.