#and Caleb is like: no but I won't say no to sharing. I'm not the jealous type

[innytoes]

3 sentence prompt! Bullriding au reggie ship of your choice! (Saw that vid you RBed and couldn’t resist)

(Listen this video is inspired and we all deserve to see Reggie doing it. Special thanks to @anotherfantom who created this AU in their tags and then let me spitball about it for a few hours.)

Reggie's move to the Big City hadn't really been planned. The plan had been to stay in town and help Meemaw and Pops on the farm and save up for college. But well, after he and the Johnson boy were caught making out in the Johnson's hayloft, it had been strongly suggested to Meemaw that maybe Reggie get out of town.

(He'd heard later that Johnny Johnson had sworn up and down it had been a one-time, drunken mistake. He'd enrolled in the army the next day, disappearing almost as fast as Reggie had. He wasn't sure what stung more: the denial of all the sweet words whispered in the dead of night, or the fact that Johnny was throwing his life away in the exact way he'd admitted to Reggie he'd been afraid of. And for what?)

He'd been so lonely those first weeks. Getting a low-paying job (or several) hadn't been particularly hard. He made enough to rent out some nice old lady's attic. She thought his 'yes ma'ams' and country accent were charming. And every week, after her Sunday dinner with her family, Reggie would come home from his late shift at the gas station to find a bunch of leftovers in the fridge with his name on it.

He actually found the place through his second job as a delivery driver. When he drove onto the street with all the rainbow flags, it felt like something of a dream. He was already making plans to go back as soon as he had a night off, but then he stepped in the door.

It was like something out of Reggie's dreams: a country themed gay bar. Wood floors, wood paneling, a big wooden bar with leather-covered stools. And in the middle of the room, opposite of a beautiful dance floor, was a giant mechanical bull.

With an incredibly attractive man, well, riding it. Slowly, sensually, rocking his hips in time with the movements of the bull and the music. And all Reggie could do was stand and gape, clutching the package in his hands.

"Can I help you?" A voice from behind the bar called. "We don't actually open until six..."

"Oh!" Reggie flinched. "Um, package for a Caleb Covington?" He turned to the bartender, who was also unfairly handsome. He had kind eyes and he looked very... firm under that denim shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and oh god, he was glad the bar didn't have many lights on, so maybe his blush wouldn't be so obvious.

The handsome bartender smiled and nodded over to the bull. "That's that show-off over there. Caleb! Package for you!" The man dismounted the bull in a fluent and mind-searingly hot move, and sauntered over. He looked Reggie up and down, and Reggie really wished the delivery uniform wasn't a pair of dorky shorts and a polo.

"I'll sign for that," Caleb said, and was Reggie just imagining it, or did it sound like he didn't mean the package?

So of course, after that, the second he had a night off, he went back. And again. And again, until he was recognised as a regular by all the other regulars. And of course, by Caleb and Ray.

His normal Wednesday night off was a pretty chill time at the bar. Which suited Reggie just fine, because when things were slow, Caleb wouldn't just do his scheduled show, he'd sometimes get on the bull just to show off.

And of course Reggie had to master the bull as well. He was pretty good at the fast settings they had, where the goal was to stay on as long as possible. He was actually number four on the board now, and he'd won a sparkly cowboy hat for making it into the top ten. But the slow setting... well, he was getting there. And it had lead to a lot of free drinks.

Except there were really only two people he really hoped would notice him. And they did. There were a lot of lingering looks and even some touches. Ray always let him in early, let him practice on the bull without paying, watched him with intense eyes from behind the bar. Caleb gave him all kinds of pointers, showing him how to move his body. That time Caleb joined him on the bull, Reggie nearly creamed his pants, it was so hot.

But neither of them made a move, and Reggie wasn't about to go wreck their marriage or anything. Flirting was one thing, but actually trying to kiss one of them? Ask them out? What if they got offended and said no? This place was the closest thing he had to home, to a community. He couldn't mess that up.

He was sulking his way through his third free coca-cola of the night (Ray was always very kind about telling people Reggie didn't drink, refusing to serve him anything he wasn't comfortable with. Instead of cocktails, he got a lot of free cokes, or sometimes even some bar nachos), watching Caleb on the mechanical bull, when another regular dropped a bombshell.

"What do you mean, wreck their marriage?" Fuego asked him. "Ray and Caleb aren't married. They dated like ten years ago, decided they'd be better off as friends, and that was that."

"But they-"

"Sound exactly like an old married couple?" Dante, Fuego's husband finished for him. Reggie nodded. Even when they bickered, there was an undercurrent of affection that reminded Reggie of his Meemaw and Pops. "Yeah, they actually sound more like a couple now than they did when they were actually dating."

"Sooo," Reggie said slowly. "You think I have a shot?"

"Kid, the only reason either of them haven't ravished you behind the bar is because you always leave before closing," Dante said, laughing when Fuego smacked his shoulder.

Oh. He did usually leave around midnight because he had an early shift the next day.

Maybe tomorrow he could call in sick.

He knocked back the last of his coke like it was a shot, squared his shoulder, and sauntered back up to the bull, waiting for it to turn the right way to hop on, wrapping his legs over Caleb's to keep hold. The man looked surprised, yeah, but his hands immediately settled on Reggie's hips, leaning forward to keep his balance.

"Hi," Reggie said, cheekily stealing Caleb's cowboy hat and putting it on. The answering smirk was enough to nearly make him fall off the bull.

"Hello," Caleb said, tugging him closer.

Oh, he was definitely staying until after closing tonight.

[websterss]

THE DEVIL WEARS CONVERSE — LUKE PATTERSON

SUMMARY: If there's one thing Caleb is scared of it's the color red and the devil.

WARNING(S): angst, some fluff, implications of smut, some making out

WORD COUNT: 3,604

PAIRING: Luke Patterson x fem!Reader

A/N: I hope you enjoy it! Feedback is always welcomed! This was one fic I lost when I made a new blog and was reposting my works.

MASTERLIST

You had caught Luke's eye as soon as he stepped out onto the floor. Many people flaunting and going amidst their night caught his attention. He felt that he and the guys were a little underdressed for the fancy club, but it had been your appearance alone that had you catching their eyes like flies. They were drawn to you in particular. Luke most of all, couldn't sway where his sights were directed towards.

"Hey boys, I'll be right back." He made to move past Reggie, his hand on his chest in passing but was stopped when Willie intersected him. Luke looked down at the hand that Willie pressed against his chest. He scoffed in amusement. "Where's the fire?"

"N-Nowhere, but there could be. I wouldn't recommend it. Not her. Y/n isn't someone you just go up and talk to." Willie's face fell with fear.

"Oh yeah, why's that? Is she important or something?" Luke laughed, but Willie wasn't finding Luke's advances towards you hilarious. "She off-bounds?"

"Yea- Yeah, she is in fact," Willie said nervously. After taking notice of Willie's shift in tone when he spoke of you, Luke's eyebrows furrowed with curiosity.

"What are you getting at, Willie? You seem protective." Luke questioned as he put two and two together. He was almost certain that Alex was Willie's crush, he didn't take him to swing both ways or had he simply misread him, that and the way he reacted just now…it seemed unprecedented. "I thought you liked Alex?" Luke crossed his arms.

"I do- It's not like that. Just- Just promise me you won't approach her. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you guys." Willie pleads.

Luke couldn't help but raise a brow, Willie was acting like she was some sort of monster. "A heartbreaker then, that's okay Willie. I've had my fair share of girls like her." He smiled boyishly. He reached up to slap Willie on his upper arm in reassurance. "Nothing's going to happen." Luke shrugged off Willie. Willie was being dramatic. The interest of doing something irrational intrigued him like a child who was told to not play with fire.

"Luke, I mean it. She's not even a regular. You won't see her that much. She's only ever here on business."

"Only ever here for business, huh?" Luke repeated curiously with an eyebrow up. "Then why can't I talk to her? What's gonna happen, Willie?" Luke wasn't one for following orders, that was not in his nature. He couldn't stand being told what not to do, it only made him crave what he wasn't meant to have or do even more. So, it was no mistake that Willie had made one just now. This little curiosity of Luke's was going to get the best of him. The way Willie made it sound like you did some kind of illicit activity intrigued him even more. "What, does she work for the mob or something?" He said half-jokingly with a brow lift. It was only natural to be enticed by a beautiful woman whom people were being tight-lipped about, it only made you seem more interesting and willing to know more about in his books.

"N-Nothing good." He muttered softly. "Why don't I show you guys to your table?"

"Yes, please!" Alex raised a finger, eager to move past Willie's sudden fear-stricken face.

"You guys go ahead. I'll be right back." Luke finally did move past Reggie and began making his way over to you.

"Luke, I wouldn't!" Willie exclaimed.

"I'm just gonna say hi." He turned to walk backwards as he faced him with a cheeky smile. Then turned as he approached the empty bar, beside you and the bartender giving you your drinks with shaky hands. That had him raising his brows with interest.

-

"Hi Marcus, long time no see." You flashed the man with a sweet smirk. Marcus's smile fell upon the realization you were sitting before the bar. He stopped cleaning the glass in his hands letting it fall to the ground with a smash. He winced at the sound of it breaking. He remained composed as your smile didn't let up. You were the mere image of innocence, you conjured up the identity of a teenage girl this time around. Last year you looked older, dressed up as a woman in a black dress, but this by far was his least favorite one on you, your childlike nature and appearance was scaring him shitless. Your soul was pure rotten, you by no means represented youth and innocence.

"Y/n." He dipped his head in greetings.

"I see Caleb still keeps you around." You tilted your head.

Because he knows I can keep you tranquil. He wanted to say but opted not to. "I'm the only one who can make a dirty cocktail." He lets out nervously.

"That you can, sweetie. Though I'm more in the mood for something sweet tonight, like you." You poke his sternum. Your sweet angelic laughter unsettles him, but he laughs along with you. Knowing Caleb would have his soul again if he made you angry.

"Perhaps a living soul?" He offered with a timid smile.

"Hell no, Lucifer knows I deal with too many of them back home as it is. Why on earth would I waste my time on one tonight? Though you do have a fair amount of them tonight..." You hum surveying the floor. You turned back to the bar. "How about a slushy, make it strong, and fruity." You order.

"So you're not here to collect a soul?"

"I have other matters to tend to Marcus. I've been getting screwed over you see. My bargain with your showman has not been followed down to the last letter, and I am not happy Marcus." You sigh. "I mean how stupid does Caleb peg me? Stealing souls from me." Your laughter darkens with every word that escapes you. "I am a woman of business, and I don't see my need to be tethered to one so insidious. You understand, Marcus?"

Marcus nods furiously. "Where's Willie? As of now, he's my new eyes and ears. Caleb still has his soul right? Of course, he does that's how he controls you all. If this gets out to Caleb sweetie, I'll be the one to devour that pure soul of yours." You raise a brow in question gesturing to his chest. Marcus nods and snaps his fingers. Your requested drink appearing before you. You raised the glass to your lips and let your shoulders drop. "This is why I love you, Marcus."

"Am I no longer your eyes and ears?"

"No." You could see Marcus's disappointment flash in his eyes. "You've been upgraded to my personal assistant."

Marcus felt honored. "Oh wow. Does this mean I don't have to be behind the bar anymore?"

"Only when we come to the club, but other than that..." You snap your fingers nonchalantly. Caleb's stupid stamp floated off of Marcus's wrist. The poor man looked as though he'd cry.

He did.

"Consider it a gift, sweetie. That's all you're gonna get...really." You shrug. You didn't like getting too sentimental with others. Marcus palmed his mouth. Covering it to muffle his cries. You looked around hopefully no one was watching the scene unfold before you. You shrink in your stool and take another sip of your drink. You took another gulp of your drink, enjoying the flavor it had, it was indeed what you had asked for.

"Marcus." You called his name softly when the tears finally stopped flowing. "Look at me." Marcus's head raised and eyes widened with fear once again. "Stop, please."

"S-Sorry. I'm good, I'm good." You nodded with him, your eyes widened with concern. "Thank you..." He muttered softly.

"Sure." You laughed out nervously wanting his hands off you. “Marcus.” You spoke sternly this time which brought him to pay attention and made him stop touching you. “How about another drink, yeah.” You shifted the mood, hoping to reassure him by taking his mind off of being freed by you. "Surprise me this time."

"Yes- Yes, right away." He composed himself as best he could and began to make your new drink.

Luke's gaze was fixated on the bartender's shaky hands, having caught the last of your conversation with him before he grew close. It was something that caught his attention to no end. A burning hole in his brain as he wondered why you had such an effect on people, good and bad. He wanted to know more about you. So he sat on the stool right beside you.

He turned towards you; his hands were resting on the counter, as he tapped along to the melody playing throughout the club. Luke's gaze met yours, raising a brow as he took notice that you were eyeing him. It made him a little self-conscious, but he hid that fact with an amused smirk.

"Nice shoes." His grin brightened. "I'm more of a vans guy myself but I think it's time I make a drastic brand change." Luke turned in the stool, next to the very pretty girl, who looked completely out of place. Your leather jacket and dark blue denim, not to mention your incredibly red shoes, didn't fit the club's dress code.

You peered over the glass in your hand. Your eyes narrowed curiously at the curly-haired stranger who unashamedly sat in the vacant seat next to yours. Surely he had to be pulling your hair. When you saw no falter in his charming smile, you played along. Hoping to amuse the poor lad unaware of the person you were, of your identity. Most would cower at the sight of you but his lack of knowledge told you all you needed to. He was clueless...and a pretty sight. You set your drink down and smirk, turning your full self towards him.

"Thanks. I had them dyed with the blood of the damned." You stuck your leg out, tilting your head in admiration of your shoes.

Your brows pinched closer together upon his laugh. You were confused by his reaction, what had been so funny? You were being your most sincere.

He snickered again, trying hard not to laugh, in fear of offending you. He let out another brief laugh, trying his best not to lose it. It was the way your words so casually rolled off your tongue that got him. He smirked. "Damned you say. Does that mean that you had to damn them yourself or were they already damned and you just decided to take advantage of the opportunity." He joked around, though curiosity filled his mind as he wondered what your answer would be. He sure wasn't expecting your sweet angelic tune that escaped you as a response. Your head fell back. Marcus stilled, looking at the new stranger who caused such a reaction from you and then at you. Was this a stroke you were having and he was completely unaware? He opted to join in, his fake laughs weren't noticed by you luckily.

He eyed Luke as though he put the moon in the sky. He got you to laugh. Completely unheard of.

Luke felt satisfied. His grin widened as he softly joined in on your bubbled display of joy. "I mean they do make killer shoes. I kind of want some now." He shrugged with half interest.

Marcus finally released a stifled laugh. The poor man was holding it in, not knowing where you two would take the conversation. "I can't say I've ever had the urge to wear shoes made of human blood," He spoke in an attempt to keep the energy at bay.

"Well," Luke started, "they're rather fashionable, right? I mean, I know leather clothing is still in style, you're perfectly on top of that trend already." He joked back casually. You felt something strange in your chest as he raked his eyes up and down your entirety. "All I'd be missing is the shoes..." He bit his lip.

"Yeah?" You looked back at him amused. "You want a pair?"

"Why not?" He entertained the idea.

"What is happening?" Marcus mouthed in shock.

What was happening indeed? Didn't he know who you were? His lack of fear was the most shocking part of this whole interaction. Surely he wasn't one of Caleb's newest edition of collected ghosts. Another soul he had taken, or made Willie lure him in to take it while he's blindsighted by the pretty picture Caleb paints for him. For once you wanted to lay your claim on a soul. To rub it in Caleb's face for stealing your portion of the bargain. You extended your hand out to him and asked him what any wise girl would do. You asked for his name.

"I'm Luke." He took your hand gently. Unaware of the marking you placed under his skin. Your bargains, your markings, were more subtle than Caleb's, where he wanted to show them off, you kept yours hidden behind a mere handshake. Along with the idea of never actually telling them you had done so.

"Pleasure." Your grip on his hand remained firm and tight as your eyes searched his own. You could already envision Caleb brewing with envy once he sees you and Luke engaging in a friendly, and dare you say romantic conversation. Luke didn't appear to know the full truth of what was going on. He appeared to be so blindly curious and unaware. So you went ahead and lit a spark to that curiosity as you pressed a finger to the back of his hand, caressing the length of it.

"Luke," you said slowly, testing it out. The name sounded nice; it rolled off your tongue perfectly. Luke, Luke, Luke. He would be your plaything for tonight, perhaps another time as well should you choose to extend that privilege. You felt a tinge of regret for marking a soul as pure as his, you could feel his warmth the second he sat down, but that was soon washed away with his charming grin; it made you want to make him break his moral barriers all the more. He seemed so different from the others, he was your next perfect leverage on Caleb. "I'm Y/n." You leaned forward, Luke's eyes falling in a daze at your sultry voice and doe eyes.

"Y/n..." He breathed out, mesmerized.

"Marcus I want a private space." You turned to the poor lad who was still stunned that this one guy alone was able to sweeten you down like honey. Get on your good side in the blink of an eye. "Now!"

-

Willie had paced back and forth, going over what he would say to Caleb as he waited for him at the bottom steps of his dressing room. When the man of the hour finally descended the steps Willied perked up.

"Oh hey um, Caleb." He smiled. "I brought those ghosts I met, um it's still cool they're here right?"

"Of course William! I even reserved a special table for them." Caleb shrugged him off nonchalantly.

"Woah! Uh alright, um thank you!" Willie reeled back, not expecting him to do something so nice.

"No, no, thank you!" Caleb sipped at his tea and watched as Willie made his way to leave but turned the wrong way.

"That way!" Willie laughed as he turned to go in the right direction this time.

"Hey William, while I have you here. Make sure to let me know when Y/n has arrived. I need at least half an hour to ready myself before her arrival."

"Oh, Y/n? She's already here." Willie shook his head confused, hadn't he known?

Certainly not, it appeared.

"What!" Caleb screeched, making Willie to flinch. The cup in his hands clattered onto the steps. Willie shrunk in on himself as Caleb berated him. "You useless monkey, why do I even keep you around? Oh my god, I'm not even dressed. Quick go make sure she gets everything she wants. Hopefully not my soul...Whatever she wants give it to her. A lifer's soul, it's hers. I don't care. I need to go look presentable. Go!" Willie straightened out as he walked away from Caleb's dressing room with haste. Caleb ordered staff to make sure you remained in a good mood. He was late, you had been earlier than expected and he was about to lose his shit.

-

When Caleb dispersed from the dancers and band, you had rolled your eyes as he made his entrance past the golden curtain.

He gulped nervously when his eyes danced back and forth between you sitting back on the sofa, and Luke kissing down your neck like a lovesick puppy. You hadn't stopped his attack on your skin. Caleb straightened out, clearly his throat to make his presence known.

"I don't like being kept waiting, Caleb, I have better things to do." Your voice broke in soft breaths as Luke found your sweet spot.

"Y/n, nice to have you back my sweet. We've missed your presence at the club and I-"

"Don't patronize me, ghost." You rolled your head back against the cushion.

"Ah, I see you've found our special guest of the night." He laughed nervously. "Have we bored you already, the night has only just begun." Caleb was thankful he didn't have to find you in a much more compromising situation. As he watched your hand run through Luke’s hair, a pang of emotion rose in him, jealousy? Anger? Regret? He felt his emotions bubble over as he watched Luke's lips meet your collarbones, his hands running down your back to your waist. Caleb bit his lip to keep an audible curse from escaping his lips.

You smirked, he was lucky that Luke wasn't getting too ahead of himself, but seeing how things were playing out at the moment it wouldn't take much for Luke to slip. Your attention turned back to him once Luke's lips had moved elsewhere on your body.

"Caleb, how stupid do you think I am?" Your question had caught him off guard.

He was speechless for a few moments before he regained his composure. He laughed a bit in your face. "Y/n, it's obvious," He took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "He's a soul I promise to you in our deal. I got two more waiting on you out on the floor."

Luke's head dropped lower to your chest, his kisses stooping lower down your blouse. Caleb's eyes narrowed at the sight.

"Luke's already mine." You sigh in contentment. "I meant about the souls you’re taking for yourself, Caleb."

"What of them?" Caleb's face remained emotionless. He kept his arms crossed while your head was nuzzled into Luke's neck, you were barely holding on to the conversation while your chest had been preoccupied with Luke's hot breaths. His hands slide up and down your body.

"You can't even deny you've broken our bargain." You reminded him, your mind clouded with the sensation of his kisses. "You know what happens when people cross me, Caleb." You giggled as your breath hitched with every word spoken. You placed a hand over Luke's curls to stop him from continuing his kisses down your torso, his lips rested on your chest instead.

"Surely, we can work something out." He begins softly.

"I don't think so." You spoke plainly, your eyes finally focusing on Caleb. Your hands placed on the back of the sofa, you were feeling a bit confident and sassy, something Caleb hadn't seen for a good while, not with him at least. You sit up causing Luke to fall off you. You grip his chin gently and turn his face towards Caleb. You watch as the ghost shrinks back into the shell of the man that he is as Luke's gorgeous brown eyes flash red at him.

You staked your claim on him. "You touch the other two, and this all goes away." You gesture to the room, to the entirety of the club. "I’m going to need Willie's soul by the strike of midnight. Poor thing needs a break from you seeing as you can't do your job properly. He's mine until I say so. You understand, Caleb." You recline back into the cushion.

"Yes ma'am." He nods, feeling like a child being scolded.

"You can see yourself out now. It's like you said; the night is only getting started." Your angelic laugh is one for his nightmares. Not to mention your red eyes. You hold his gaze as you push down on Luke's curls, his body sinking to the carpet before you. "You might not want to stay around for this next part Caleb. Wouldn't want to traumatize you as it is." Caleb gasps and turns in place of the sound of your zipper being pulled.

Caleb's jaw went slack. His head tilted to the side. He tried hard to hide his surprise, but he wasn't sure what he should have said in this occurrence. "Right… I will be leaving. Enjoy yourselves." He uttered stiffly. Caleb retreated out of the room.

Luke's warm hands gripped your thighs, squeezing them slightly. His lips moved back up to your neck. His fingertips trailed lightly along your collarbone, his breath hot, you could feel his blood rushing. Once you were sure Caleb was out of earshot you pulled Luke up by the collar of his shirt.

"What's wrong?" Luke's dazed-out look had you feeling a smidge of guilt. "I thought we were having fun?" He breathed out a laugh as he tried to lean in to kiss you.

"It's not that kind of business, baby. Another time." You gripped his chin and sweetly placed a kiss on his lips. 

[kfaem]

drunk thoughts - Zayne Li (LNDS)

pairing: Zayne x Mc genre: fluff, comedy, suggestive-ish (mostly inappropriate comments), some angst if you squint (it's implied that caleb and grandma are dead), domestic cw: established relationship, drinking, she really wants to get into zayne's pants lol, she's hungover in the morning authors note: it's late an i am really tired but got motivation to write so here we are. unedited mess. fun fact about me, I don't get hung over anymore :)

It would be a lie to say Zayne was shocked when his phone rang at the late time 2:36 AM, his lover's name appearing on his screen. Zayne had grown familiar with the Saturday night calls after a mission, her colleagues were always hosting post-mission dinners, which almost always involved alcohol. Zayne glanced at the clock, figuring that the night at the hospital had been slow enough to allow him to slip away just to make sure his girlfriend gets home safe.

Greyson wraps his knuckles on the door, announcing that his girlfriend's colleague was on the line saying she needs a ride home and won't get into the cab they called for her. He sighed, slipping off his glasses and setting them down beside his computer.

"I hope you won't mind my absence, I have to make sure she gets home safely." Zayne hung up his lab coat and grabbed his normal jacket, glancing outside at the freezing cold rain slamming down from the sky. "I shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Go ahead, not like we don't have enough help here anyways." Greyson nodded at him with a knowing smile, leaving the door open behind him knowing the other doctor would follow soon after.

He would be lying if he said her behaviour didn't worry him. The frequent Saturday late night's and the drinking. But he also knew life hadn't quite exactly been kind to her.

Zayne pulled up outside of the bar, spotting a familiar tall blond male and Tara, who were both struggling to keep his girlfriend from running off somewhere. "Oh thank god you're here Zayne, she kept insisting that she knew her limit and just... kept going. I tried to stop her but it... obviously didn't work." Tara chuckled awkwardly.

MC's eyes lit up at the sight of her tall, handsome boyfriend and she rushed over, throwing her arms around him. "You didn't forget about me!" He sighed as she nuzzled her red flushed cheeks against his chest, continuing to blab about how much she missed him. "Mmm, someone tried hitting on me and I told them that my big scary boyfriend would hurt them if they tried anything."

Tara met Zayne's eyes, nodding in confirmation at the girl's claims. "He was kinda scary- real big and muscley, I was actually kinda scared but I knew you'd be here to protect me if I needed help." Zayne frowned, petting her hair comfortingly. "Can we go home now? I wanna sleep..."

"Thank you guys for taking care of her, I'm sure she'll share her appreciation with you both in the morning."

"It's no problem." Xavier nodded.

The ride home was surprisingly quiet, he figured the drunken girl had fallen asleep pretty quickly. That was until they drove past her old apartment. "Y'know..." she slurred. "Hm?" Zayne hummed in acknowledgment. "Even though my old place was nice, I'm glad you asked me to live with you... I feel so much happier having you with me."

"I'm glad." The corner of his mouth lifted, sneaking a glance at her glossy eyes, flushed face, and pouty lips. "We're almost home, are you alright with me getting you ready for bed?"

"We've had sex Zayne, I don' care what you do." She lazily looked at him, lips curled into a smile. "As long as 's you."

He coughed at her brazenness and refocused on the road. "You're always so forward when you drink, it's as if you took a truth serum."

"Mmm, I don' need a truth serum when it comes to you." She let out a deep, content sigh, turning almost on her side to look at him fully. "Zayne?"

"Yes my love?"

"I love you. A lot. Like, way too much. I dunno what I would do without you." Her hand found it's way onto his shoulder, where she allowed her fingers to wander. "You're all I really got left." She mumbled. "I can't wait to get old with you."

"Anyway..." she hummed, mood shifting completely, "we don't get to see each other as often anymore. I don't remember our last date night." As she pouted, he smiled slightly. The memory fondly reappearing in his mind.

"Last Sunday we went for a picnic at that lake a few miles out, a goose stole your sandwich and you pouted for almost the entire day. After that, we went to an older style arcade where we played some games from our childhood and won... three plushies, one of which now sits in my office next to a photo of you."

"How do you remember all of that so perfectly?"

"Because I cherish every moment we spend together." Upon realizing that she likely wouldn't remember much of this, he decided to stop. "There, we're home."

He held back a chuckle as she fumbled with the door handle, failing to open it for a long enough time that he found his way around to pick her up out of the passenger seat. "I could've gotten that!"

"Right, that's why I had to grab you."

"Hmph!" Even with her arm wrapped around his neck and her face cuddled into his chest, she found a way to complain.

He felt her eyes on him the entire walk over to the elevator, a smirk found it's way over his face. "Is there something you wish to say, my aurora?"

"Hmm...no, you're just reallllllly pretty... I wanna kiss you..." He sighed, his thumb caressed her thigh. "Mmm, do you wanna kiss me too doctor?"

"Not when you're like this, no." Zayne fumbled for the elevator button, trying to keep her steady in case she slipped out of his grasp. "If you can remember this tomorrow, I'll gladly kiss you after you've cleaned up."

"You're no fun, y'know that right?"

The elevator dinged as it reached their floor and luckily, she seemed so focused on staring at his face that she stopped trying to make advances on him. "Shit..." he mumbled, reaching their door and realizing that his keycard was in his back pocket. "I have to set you down now, can you stand?"

"Mhmm, I'm not a baby deer, I can take care of myself!" She said this with a childish pout that had him chuckling. "What's so funny?"

With the door open, he quickly went to pick her up again, but much to his dismay, she rushed inside. As if she was on ice, she slipped, falling into the table next to the door. "Alright, that's enough..." He swept her up, not letting her squirming deter him from getting her to their room. "I'm going to change you now, is that okay?" She stared at him with big doe eyes, as if none of his words made it out of his mouth. "MC?"

Her gaze lowered to his lips and back up to his eyes, a knowing look came over her eyes. "I...really want you right now."

"As I said earlier, if you can remember this tomorrow, I'll consider humoring you."

"'m not that drunk though, please babe? It's been so long..."

"I already said no, now I am going to ask again, is it alright if I change your clothes?"

Her lip stuck out in a childish pout, clearly upset that she was turned down yet again. "Mhm, go ahead."

After a rough fifteen minutes and very much struggling, she was out of her clothes and into her pajamas, and now laying down on their bed. "You...didn't win, but I'm tired now...'m gonna go t' sleep now..."

"Of course I didn't, go to sleep my love, I'll see you in the morning."

Zayne gently shut the bedroom door behind him as he left the room, letting out a deep sigh as the chaos was finally over.

She woke up with a pounding headache, her body aching all over. Her hand felt around the bed, searching for the familiar heat that she craved. But it was cold. She opened one of her eyes, blinking away the sleep and pain at the bright sunlight that flooded the room. "Ughhh, did I get hit by a truck or something?" MC mumbled, pushing herself up.

"No, but you did drink far too much." Zayne's calm voice reminded her that she was at home, thankfully, and she was safe. "Not to mention, you apparently got into some trouble prior to me showing up to rescue you."

She racked her brain searching for memories from last night, bits and pieces coming to her in a embarrassing rush. "Gods...please tell me I wasn't too bad."

"Aside from trying to sleep with me and talking a bunch of nonsense, I can't say you were... too bad. Just mildly inappropriate." Finally he set a glass of water down, followed by him holding two painkillers up to her mouth. "Open."

Her throat was sore, likely from a night of shouting and reckless drinking, but the water felt nice. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I drank so much this time."

"You're fine, but I do recommend checking with Tara to see if there's anything you may need to apologize for." Zayne brushed a piece of loose hair away from her face. "Don't worry too much, just rest today. I made breakfast, would you like to come out to eat or should I bring it here for you?"

"I'll come out."

"Alright, I'll meet you out there."

[fandom-discussions-with-avery]

Huntl0w isn't good and that's why

A general compilation of all the problems that do not allow me to treat Huntl0w at least neutrally:

1. Distortion of characters. Do you remember Hunter from the beginning of season 2? And that's it, he is no longer with you. Now he is not a soldier who has been training all his life, he is a cute awkward blushing boy who can't do anything without his boss girlfriend. And do you remember Willow, a kind soul who uses her powers only against enemies? Forget, she'll drive a new acquaintance into the ground and won't let him go. They are trying to forcibly fit them into the girlboss x malewife dynamic, and for this they have to change their characters.

2. Lack of chemistry. The same problem as Lumity: all romantic interactions are embarrassments and red cheeks. But if the girls had a Grom dance and more time together, then Huntl0w has nothing.

3. Willow's attitude. She treats him the same way she treats all her other friends right up to the moment when he saved her with the help of the power of the Flapjack. I'm sure the writers didn't do it on purpose, but it turned out that way - Willow fell in love with Hunter only after he stopped being magically disabled. Or in gratitude for the rescue. One is no better than the other.

4. Hunter's awkwardness. The guy has known her for the fourth year, three of which they are clearly together, but still confused as the first time. He's obviously uncomfortable with her. But who is he comfortable with? With Luz and Gus! It is with Luz that he shares secrets, she understands him like no one else. With Gus, Hunter found the best common language, common interests, and in general they are on the same wavelength. Willow and Hunter don't have either. They were able to prescribe normal interaction with everyone except the love interest, and it's so fucked up.

5. The uselessness for the plot. They don't bring anything, even the very parallel with Caleb and Evelyn is ignored. It feels like they got together just to "pair every character" (except for Gus, of course, Gus is our black best friend, he doesn't deserve our attention).

6. Willow is Hunter's authority figure. There is nothing wrong with the fact that a girl can be a leader in a relationship. But when a guy just starts separating from his uncle, whom he considered an authority all his life, and immediately falls in love with a girl who commands him... This is a very bad parallel. Hunter just changed his boss. TOH is not so deep to develop this topic, and it don’t have enough time, so this is definitely a minus for them.

7. Lack of development. Yes, the series was cut. And now you say that this justifies everything. And I will say that it only makes it worse. Already knowing that the series would be shortened, Dana and co pushed a new love line, which "developed" behind the scenes, did nothing for the plot, but spoiled the characters' characters (as if Amity alone was not enough for us).

8. Hunter is the second Caleb. Yes, Hunter's arc has come to the same place where it began. This applies to a lesser extent to Huntlow, it is rather a sin of the plot itself, but in total with the rest of the problems it becomes no less infuriating.

In conclusion, I can say that this ship is definitely not problematic, it's just bad. No one is forbidden to love them, but they should understend why people may not like Huntl0w.

Maybe I'll write the same thing with Lumity, but I'm not sure.

[pollyna]

Tom is fifty-one when he enters a tattoo parlour for the first time. He says "Hello, I'm here to fix an appointment for a tattoo", showing the girl behind the desk two pictures of a robot. He walks out, ten minutes later, with $100 of deposit left behind and an appointment for two weeks from that moment.

(To be there at that time, he has to reschedule half of the meetings and the hirings that day so that his secretary looks at him like he lost his mind for the rest of the day.)

(At the tattoo patrol, Mindy signs the appointment as "Tom the hot dilf", Caleb laughs, "So you want this one?" and Mindy answers, "If you don't let me tattoo him, I'm going to make sure you're not available that day." All smiles and sunshine

(Mindy can be scary when she wants.)

It's Wednesday, and Tom is early, but what's new about that? Mindy is already waiting for him, a cup of coffee between her hands while she explains her ideas for the tattoos he showed her.

"What's the story behind this?" she asks, while she starts tracing the lines on Tom's body.

"I'm-" Tom starts before stopping once and then a second time.

"Sorry, I'm noisy. Don't feel like you have to share." She smiles, biting the inside of her cheek, trying not to blush too much.

"No, it's not a problem. I'm not very used to talking about this stuff with strangers," he answers a couple of seconds later, making a strange expression when the needles trace over a particularly sensitive area on his skin. "I'm in the Navy, and I'm gay. I thought that the Navy would have been my whole life, with nothing behind it, and if something was not surely the family I wanted, then something happened, and I got the whole package: a husband and baby. We were watching the iron giant when he presented me with the papers to legally become his dad. A little after that, he walked out our door, and I hadn't seen him for ten years. And now I'm in a position comfortable enough to get a tattoo because the only person who's going to ask me to strip when I'm at work is my doctor, and I know him for long enough; he won't rattle me out," he finishes, laughing softly. "I hope—I know getting inked won't solve the situation, but I hope my boy will like it whenever he sees it."

Mindy has to stop working to pick up a couple of tissues for Tom and herself.

"I'm sure he is going to love it."

"I really hope so; I really do."

(Mindy gives a brownie to Tom with all the instructions on how to take care of the tattoo, and she gets to give him a hug too, just before he walks out of the shop. When Tom hugs her back, she thinks the guy, whoever he is, must have been the luckiest son of a bitch because her dad never gave him such a food hug.

Three years later, a tall, curly guy walks in, followed by a man she is sure she has already seen somewhere.

"Tom!" She smiles. "It's unfair how you got even hotter since the last time I saw you," she says, all cheeky and smiley.

A man behind Tom, whom she hadn't noticed before, laughs. "Yeah, Tom, you get unfairly hot for sure," he says, looking at the man, batting his long eyelashes, and smiling all sweetly at him.

"Please, dads, not here too," the taller guy says, a hand already covering his face. "Can you guys stop flirting for two seconds? Please?"

"To be fair, I would flirt with him too, and even more openly, if he were my husband," Mindy answers. "So you're the kid?"

"Yeah," he says, a hand flying to his pocket. "I would like to take an appointment to have this tattooed."

He says this, showing her a drawing of a bolt.

"I have a spot now, if you want. One client cancelled their appointment yesterday."

The guy smiles at her before turning to the two men. "You don't have to stick around; I can take a cab home after."

"Nah, baby goose, we will get cosy on the couch and wait for you," the short man answers before taking Tom's hand in his and turning towards the couch.

"See you later, baby goose," Tom adds, a hand on his cheek. "We're going where you left us."

The guy smiles softly, almost a little lost. "I see you later than, papa."

The last thing Mindy sees before closing the door behind them is Tom kissing the other man's forehead while his hands rest over the place Mindy tattooed Tom years ago.

[nico00235]

. . . . . ╰──╮THE ULTIMATE SPICYNOODLES PLAYLIST: by @nico00235 ˚ ♡ ⋆｡˚

Due to the recent events of my ask-box i decided to share my spicynoodles songs that i usually listen when drawing, writing about these two, so, enjoy! ^^ (also, thanks for the anon who started to make suggestions, i love you, whoever you are)

. . . . .

An enemies to lovers playlist, spicynoodles inspired

Afraid - The Neighbourhood

Monster - Dev

I Can´t Decide - Scissor Sisters

R U Mine? - Artic Monkeys

Criminal - Britney spears

I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE - Manneskin

Bad Romance - Halestorm cover

Irresistible - Fall Out Boy

Feelings - Maroon 5

Kiss with a Fist - Florence and the machine

Maniac - Conan Gray

『好きって言って』 - ONE -

Bad idea - girl in red

Best worst mistake - If/then

Not Another Song About Love - Hollywood Ending

Can´t Remember To Forget You - Shakira

Dumb - Eva

King - Conan Gray

Crave You - Flight Facilities

On My Mind - Ellie Goulding

Staring - Tipling Rock

Your Stupid Face - Kaden Mackay

I Won't say I'm in Love - Caleb Hyles Cover

Don't You Dare (Make Me Fall in Love With You) - Kaden Mackay

I Hear a Symphony - Cody Fry

Fire on Fire - Sam Smith

Dinner & Diatribes - Hozier

I Was Made For Lovin' You - Kiss

Golden - Harry Styles

Death Of A Bachelor - Panic! At The Disco

Soul On Fire - Mystery Skulls

Talk too much - Coin

Chit Chat - Beach Weather

Lucky Strike - Maroon 5

I Like Me Better - Lauv

When I´m With You - Mystery Skulls

Burnin´ Love - Elvis Presley

Wolf - Beach Weather

Beautiful Now - Zedd

Met a Girl - Tarune

Also, if you want to listen the whole playlist, i made it in youtube, it´s right here

<33

[thisnightissparkling089]

What are your top... let's go top 5 Chenford moments ever?

Oooh, ever??

Alright, let's see here.

Number 1: I have to go with 5x12 because, well, need I say more? Kidding, of course I'll say more!

The passion, the heat, "but we're so good at arguing" "I know, but I'm hoping we're good at certain other things as well." "You wanna find out right now?" "Yeah."

🥵🥵

It was straight out of fanfiction, and I ate up every bit of it!!

Number 2: 1x01, where it all began. But specifically, their first shift together in the shop. "I'VE JUST BEEN SHOT, WHERE ARE YOU, BOOT????"

The very first ✨️Tim Test✨️ Lucy had no idea what hit her or how to react, it was wild, chaotic, and hilarious knowing this would be the first of many Tim Tests.

Number 3: 2x11 DOD...😭😭😭 the most epic episode in all six seasons. Feral Tim is EVERYTHING. "I am responsible for a life!" 😭

How it's Tim that finds her, digging for her with his bare hands, pulling her out of that barrel, holding her against his chest. It still gives me chills!

Number 4: 2x17 The moment they share during the stakeout where Lucy is pretending to talk to Rachel on the phone because she needs to talk things out and knows Tim won't do it with her. "Why would you even care what I think? The last time I gave you romantic advice, I pushed you toward Caleb, and you almost died." It's at that moment that we realize Tim is still holding on to the guilt and responsibility he feels and it gives Lucy the opportunity to tell him once and for all that what happened wasn't his fault and he couldn't have seen it coming. We know Lopez tells him this during the search, but Tim needed to hear it from Lucy as well❤️

Number 5: 4x01, the will they won't they moment they share at Tim's house. For the longest time, I had wished they'd hooked up that night, and Wesley hadn't called. There was such raw emotion there, and I truly believe they both needed a physical release and escape from their grief. The way they held each other's gaze for a moment after pulling apart, ugh😩 and to think we still didn't see them become a couple for like another 30 some episodes!

This was tough, but much appreciated Sarah, thank you!!

[captainmera]

This is a weird or maybe nonsensical one, has Caleb ever seen or faced a Wendigo?

Out of respect for the Mohegan tribe of the Pequot people in Connecticut, I stay away from using terms like wen**go and sk**walk** in my fanfic.

Adding a read more so I don't clog up people's feed. 🙇

I'm not native American. It would be unwise of me to dig into things I dont have a greater understanding of. Especially when it involves things that marginalised people are still believing in and practising spiritually.

Although I research extensively; I'm not flawless in my execution. But in my years of interest in native culture, history, and contemporary issues - I have learned that those two words are often misused for shock value in stories. I don't want to contribute to that.

There is a wide smörgårdsbord of other native folklore that can be used that won't bring further mysticism onto a still existing and practising group of people, though.

If youre interested in finding out more, Here's one of my favourite channels on the topic!

https://youtube.com/@NavajoTraditionalTeachings?si=PSIL9Z7ZRiA9JZvG

Now, these are mainly from a Navajo perspective, but the various nations and tribes do share a lot of them.

I prefer when my sources are directly from first hand. Thankfully, there are a lot of YouTube channels like these now that make it easier.

I've bought books when I was younger that was written by outsiders looking in, and they're not always that good - I understand the irony, as I am probably in the same boat as them here (being an interested outsider, that is). But I think, what I've learned from those authors mistakes, academically speaking, are two things:

1) Be aware that you are speaking as a secondary source of information and that you are biased as an outsider. Remind people of this, and admit when you don't know something rather than start guessing.

2) Have respect. They are not some mystical group of people that once was. They are still here and practising their beliefs.

There's nothing wrong with including representation, and doing your best to be accurate and respectable about it, but the way I see it is that - do your best and don't let your ego get the best of you.

Yes, it would be fun to write Caleb encountaring dark forces of Pequot folklore, or dip into a Demon Realm lens of what those lores """really""" are (aka from the boiling isles) - but that's incredibly dismissive of the spiritual beliefs of those tribes.

I try to tread cautiously there. And so should you.

It's nice to have fun, but sometimes it's more important to be respectful. I'm against anything that snubs creativity, but if you think this limits you, then you're not seeing the opportunity for what it is. Force yourself to find something new and a bit more respectfully inclusive.

In my caleb fanfic, I've included a Mohegan man by the name Nashoba. Now, instead of using Nashoba as yet another overused trope of making a native person a mystical guide for a white guy - he's instead just some guy Caleb admires (bisexual panic, that is). So there's historical accuracy, including native people in a town like Gravesfield, without making it all about the "mysticism" of a tribe.

I also discovered that Gravesfield is pretty much based on Hartford, Wethersfield Connecticut:

So I'm getting most of my information from the official historical society website and the Pequot historical museum website. Amongst other academic sites.

*shrug*

Long story short, there are cooler and less disrespectful folklore to write about than that one in particular.

Not saying you're being disrespectful, I know you weren't. I'm just providing what I know and my reasoning why I wouldn't.

[cagedchoices]

The dash has been in a fairly spicy mood this weekend, and I feel that but I'm really more in the mood where I just wanna be soft and affectionate about my ships for a minute, so I thought I would share some of Caleb's favorite things about his partners. Under the cut because I don't shut up ever lmao

@killjoysanonymous — MAEVE MILLAY

He loves how sharp-witted Maeve is and her sense of humor which typically falls on the dry, sarcastic, and sometimes a bit morbid side. Caleb doesn't get to joke around a ton as he takes things so seriously most of the time, but when he does get to joke, it's usually very similar so their humor pairs well together.

He admires her motherly, nurturing side—the part of her that will do anything for the ones she loves, and her resilience as a survivor who has to do exactly that just for an un-guaranteed chance to one day be reunited with her daughter.

He loves her looks, which...yes I know as a host she's designed to look hot because she's built specifically to gratify human desires, but you'd be amazed how quickly all of that becomes an afterthought to Caleb when he spends time around her and doesn't overthink it. And anyways we have AUs where Maeve is human and equally as hot so really. It doesn't matter. His favorite features of hers in particular are her smile, her eyes, her hands, and her voice. He really likes saying her name out loud too.

Caleb genuinely just loves spending time with her. It doesn't matter what they're doing or where they are, he just wants to be there with Maeve.

@timerevolt — LULU WARREN

The first thing that ever came to mind was her looks! I think because the first time we decided to ship together all started with Caleb and Lulu matching on Tinder. Lulu's photos had such a dreamy vibe surrounding them that he was drawn to the idea of who she might be. But even in AUs where they meet in-person first, he's just taken with how pretty she is.

Her positivity and optimism. Despite being through some fucked up, traumatic things in her life and carrying a dark side that she knows she can trust Caleb with, Lulu strives to spread kindness and happiness to others by maintaining a cheerful outlook on life.

Her free-spiritedness. Lulu likes to keep things light and she doesn't really let labels or status define who she is or what she's capable of. Caleb adores this about her, but it's also kind of the main factor that prevents him from telling Lulu he's in love with her sometimes, because he worries she won't be happy if she ends up tied down in a relationship with him. It comes as a real shock to Caleb when Lulu willingly chooses to leave her old gig as a circus performer or a burlesque dancer just to move in with him and expresses the desire to adopt a dog, get married and have babies with him because as it turns out, she is happy in a relationship.

Her baking/cooking skills. I think rarely a day goes by where Lulu isn't making something good to eat. Whether it's born out of pure joy for the love of the hobby or done as stress relief to take her mind off of trouble, she's usually there with a fresh plate of brookies to brighten anyone's day.

Her resourcefulness. Okay, so the fact that she often combs through garbage cans and dumpsters looking for things to repurpose is an aspect of it that does gross Caleb out a bit, but just look at how happy Lulu gets whenever she finds something she wouldn't have without scavenging. Occasionally they probably do have a stern moment of Caleb going "Babe, I can buy you some of these things. You don't have to go dumpster diving." and Lulu "But baby it's free this way—" but overall, he thinks the idea of Lulu taking something someone else threw away and fixing it or making it into something new that she can use is actually very romantic.

@walkswastes — OPHELIA

These two are pretty new and just starting to figure each other out, and I feel like there's some things that feel similar to Lulu—free spirit, optimism— but the very first thing that really struck Caleb about Ophelia is the way she pushes his boundaries a little further than he'd normally go with them! She's very flirty and forward, and sometimes he doesn't really know what to do with that so he just locks up. But so far with her he's been a bit braver and more confident than he normally is.

[thelovetheystole]

It's really positive if that they have finally made a set for the second Mill flat. As you know by now, I was afraid Aaron was going to eventually move in at the pub again 😅

But this means they plan for Aaron to have his own story outside of being there to support Chas. We are going to see him at home, which in extension means he won't be alone there.

Of course that means we can see him with Eve more and he can have Mack and even Ethan over (not that they cared last time) but... It can also mean... you know.

Also, when Aaron said to Vinny that maybe he liked the memories, I completely blanked on the fact that the second flat probably looks the same as it did when they first did it up. Which actually means it's plausible it holds more memories of Robert than I originally thought. (I'm thinking Robert was way more involved in the decorating than, say, Liv.) I'm petty like that. Hopefully Caleb has left that flat as it was.

Trying not to get carried away thinking of the opportunity of seeing Robron together in a new home setting, without sharing the space with a teenager or anyone else for that matter. (Seb is fine.) We never got to have that during their whole time on the show. Ok, starting to get carried away, lol.

[mac-lilly]

BTTMW2 Recap - Day 2:

I'm sorry for all the spelling and grammatical mistakes; I typed this on my tablet so auto-correct keeps "correcting" my words.

JATP ending:

So, in the M&G Kenny made us pinky swear that we won't disclose anything JATP-related we talked about. Nothing has changed, though: The show remains cancelled (no season 2; no movie)

Neither during the M&G nor the panel they talked about a tour.

Kenny is still very angry at Netflix because of it

But he's working on new projects and is very excited about them

During the panel, a fan asked about the ending and Kenny refused to give an official answer. Instead he let Madi, Owen, and Jeremy talk about how they imagined the end:

Madi: No ending

Jeremy: Every Phantom gets the ending that they needed as individuals, not as a band. Maybe one coming back to life while others cross over

Owen (joke answer): Alex and Willie move up and become the main ship. The show gets renamed and focuses on them building a family

Owen (real answer): They move on and meet Julie's mom

JATP in general:

They were asked about with whom (character-wise) they'd like to be friends with: Jeremy with Reggie, Kenny with Willie and Alex.

Favorite quotes/moments:

Madi: Wake up

Owen: When he was breaking character by smiling when they left the HGC and Reggie/Jeremy imitates Caleb

Jeremy: "I think they can't see us." "I wish I couldn't see you."

Sacha: I got the music

(Charlie's answer was just ... 🤣 He wasn't very serios about it)

Same when he was asked about his favorite dynamic in the show: The trio Dante, Fuego, and Alex

Owen is so grateful for the project as it was his first time acting as an adult and Kenny, Jeremy, and Charlie helped him a lot

They want to be friends forever. Their friendship is very important for them.

Even though the Orpheum Tour (All the billboards around the globe with "save JATP") didn't get us what we wanted, it left an impact. According to Kenny, many people in the film industry were impressed. And the cast is so grateful about it.

JATP cast fun facts and my unrelated rambling/experience:

Kenny likes Charlie so much because he reminds him of a character he used to play in a musical that set him free and inspired him to become evolve from an actor to a director

Charlie's tattoo "Raison d'être" that he has on his wrist is written in Kenny's handwriting as he inspired it and there's an entire story behind it why this statement is so important to Kenny ... it included raisin bread

Kenny is so inspiring as a person. When he talks about his passion he's just so encouraging. There was so much energy in the room

Charlie liked the wolf on my shirt which is weird cause it was actually a fox.

Mission accomplished: I spoke German to Owen

I wore my "Ghosted" shirt for the Sunset Curve Trio. Jeremy approved. (Btw, I love how this photo turned out.)

Got the "Stand Tall" pose photo. Was great. But I was to short to reach Owen's hand. 🤣

Can't say it enough: They are just incredibly nice and down-to-earth people. All of them -- not just the JATP cast. They really wanted to make you feel comfortable around them.

The autographs for Charlie, Owen, Jeremy, Madi, and Mitchell took so long caused because they really talked to their fans and wanted to know so many things. (Unfortunately, that's also why some people didn't get autographs because they were running out of time.)

Also big shout-out to all the fans who were there. Just as nice as the cast

DreamIt on the other hand: Well, most of the staff tried to be helpful. But the lack of information in English was just not funny. (French people really living up to their reputation, I'm afraid.)

I'm on the selfie 🤣:

I will rant about DreamIt in detail later.

So that's most of the stuff I remember from day 2. Maybe I add some other stuff later as I don't remember much from the closing ceremony. But I recorded it. So can check (and even share it if sb is interested)

[kindred-sims]

Part 1/2

TW: Emotional abuse, verbal abuse

"Josephine dear, so good to see you again!"

It was Cora who spoke first, plastering on that same fake, saccharine smile that Jo had become so accustomed to seeing in the little amount of time she'd spent in her father's home. As for her father himself, he wore that typical disapproving look, looking at his daughter with feigned interest.

"My goodness, it certainly has been a while," Cora chirped on, as Jo continued to stand there in shock. "And just look at you, all flushed with motherly glow! How have you been, dear?"

"I--I'm fine?" Jo tried not to stumble over her words, but it wasn't exactly easy, especially with Papa standing right there. As expected, he scoffed at her and her few words, placing both hands on his hips.

"Fine? Is that all you have to say for yourself, young lady?" he scolded. "After your step-mother and I came all this way too, I must say I expected better from you."

"Oh--no, no I'm sorry--" Jo felt herself shrink, as if she were five years old again and being reprimanded for accidentally spilling her milk at the dinner table.

"I just--I wasn't expecting you, either of you--please, won't you come inside?"

It wasn't what she wanted to say nor offer, but it was what was expected of her. Much as she was unprepared for this sudden visit, it wasn't in her nature to turn away guests, no matter who they were. Grandmother had always said to be charitable to everyone, even if you didn't think they deserved it.

Fortunately, Jo found a brief escape in excusing herself to make dinner, leaving Cora and Papa to settle in the parlor. Caleb had come in a few minutes later and while just as surprised, had been his natural, welcoming self, trying to make small talk and the like.

He'd tried to carry it over to the dinner table, but Jo made no such efforts. She remained mostly quiet as she picked at her food, content to let Caleb do all the talking.

"I do apologize for us dropping in unannounced like this," Papa's harsh demeanor had dropped since they'd all sat down, and he sounded quite casual as he spoke. All a ruse, Jo knew him better than that.

"We meant to pen a response to your letter, but as soon as we found out about the baby, I'm afraid we couldn't quite help ourselves. Certainly you can't fault a man for wanting to meet his first grandchild, can you?"

"Oh, of course not, sir. That's perfectly understandable," Poor Caleb, he was trying so hard to remain polite.

"Yes indeed, such an exciting time in any man's life," Sterling continued on, as if he hadn't heard Caleb at all. "Tell me, where is my grandson now? You've not mentioned him once since we all sat down and I'm not sure I can stand to wait much longer."

Jo felt dismay come over her as she looked up at her father, and beside her, Caleb had gone quiet.

"...your granddaughter is upstairs, asleep." She was the one to respond, despite her hand shaking as she lifted her fork. "I'll fetch her whenever she wakes up."

Sterling raised an eyebrow at Jo, a flash of something unreadable in his eyes.

"...I see."

The rest of the dinner was spent in silence, Sterling and Cora shortly returned to the parlor with Caleb afterward. Soon after, Jo arrived with Carrie, who lay half-awake in her arms, blinking sleepily.

"Papa...Cora," Jo spoke cautiously, entering the room with great reluctance. "This is Caroline...Caroline Harriet. Your granddaughter."

"We call her Carrie," Caleb added, trying his best to smile despite the growing tension in the room.

Sterling said nothing, barely paying the baby any mind. Meanwhile Cora seemed thrilled and was practically gushing from her seat.

"Oh my, well isn't she a precious little thing!" she exclaimed. "Isn't she precious, Sterling?"

But Papa didn't share the same sentiment, remaining unimpressed from where he sat. The sight made Jo's heart sink.

"I didn't come here for a granddaughter. I came here for a grandson," he said bluntly, his words causing further pain in her heart. "Why weren't we informed it was a girl?"

"That would be my fault sir," Caleb was quick to step in. "Jo was still recovering and was unable to write the letter, so she had me do it. I...well, I'm afraid my vocabulary is very limited compared to hers. I really thought I'd said the baby was a girl, I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't give me a grandson!" Papa snapped. Beside him, Cora tensed, looking visibly uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Dearest, please, this is nothing to be upset over, can't you just--"

"No, Cora, I cannot!" He shot a glare to Jo, who'd gone entirely still. "And you! Must you continue to be a disappointment? It wasn't enough that you had to be born a girl, must you continue to mock me further by not giving me a grandson? God, you can't do anything right, can you!"

Jo felt her throat swell, unable to respond as she held Carrie close, trying to shield her from her grandfather's terrible, loud words. This wasn't fair, this was just awful! Everything had been so perfect, she should've known it would all come to an end sooner or later. Maybe he was right to say she was a failure, maybe he was right to--

"Mr. Blythe! How dare you!"

To Jo's surprise, Caleb had shouted. He'd shouted.

And he was angry.

No, not just angry. He was furious.

Jo didn't think she'd ever seen him this way before, nor had she ever thought him capable. He was always so gentle, not even the most uncooperative animal could make him upset.

This, it seemed, had been the thing to finally set him over the edge.

[coraniaid]

Fic asks: 1 (for Coexist), 5, 18, 21

1. Share a song that makes you think of [fic title]

This is a bit too on the nose, I guess (especially if you know the name of the album it's from), but I'll go with Our Song by The xx:

I had a playlist for Coexist that I listened to a lot while writing it, even though it's hard to explain now exactly what some of the songs on it had to do with the actual story. This was one of the first things on it.

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write?

Too many, I suspect.

I really do want to get the Season 7 fic I keep talking about written, though it's been a bit of a struggle so far. It feels like there are a lot of Season 7 rewrites out there, but I think I have some fun ideas that I haven't seen done anywhere before.

It's also ... I guess not quite a Season 7 rewrite, in the way my Season 3 rewrite is? It's not going to be engaging with canon in quite the same way. It won't really follow canon S7 very closely at all, actually, simply because I don't really like the canon version of Season 7 (and I certainly don't want to write any Caleb). It's more meant to be a different way the show could have gone after Season 6, I suppose. So in some ways it feels more ambitious than my Season 3 rewrite, though hopefully it will at least be shorter.

I mean, if and when it actually exists.

(I realize this is arguably the exact opposite of an answer to your question, but the truth is that I don't think I have any ideas I've completely given up on yet.)

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

Oh, this is hard.

Not something I can claim as original in any way, but I love finding excuses to have Buffy or Faith say some variant of the "there's my girl" line from Consequences.

Not a single line -- I think in general I try to write in paragraphs rather than sentences, if that makes any sense? -- but sticking to Coexist I'm rather fond of the frozen lake metaphor in "Catalysts" and (being very vague to avoid spoilers) the last couple of paragraphs of both "No Trouble At All" and "The Price".

And I like writing dialogue for characters who have very distinct voices: Anya or Giles or the Mayor are the ones that come to mind first. All three of them have lines in Coexist that I'm quite happy with, for various reasons.

But if I had to pick a single favorite line I think that a short bit of introspection from the prologue of Coexist -- "I was in love, she thinks, and is surprised by how little it hurts" -- was the point where I thought that, okay, maybe this story is going somewhere.

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

Already answered this one here.

[all-pacas]

Are you comfortable saying what characters and what about the characterization you disagreed with? Just curious!

I don't want to get too specific because I'm not trying to do any kind of call out post! But it was a sort of situation where a specific character is highly whitewashed and can do no wrong, no matter how understandable or even welcome that would be. It's frustrating writing, not just because it's annoying to read about characters who can and are not allowed to Do Anything Wrong, but also because it's not human.

I'm a huge proponent in messy characters. People making mistakes, making assumptions, saying or doing the wrong thing. Good, well-meaning people who make mistakes, or get upset in the heat of the moment. Especially because they can and absolutely do exist with good or "paragon" characters! It adds so much more depth and interest and relatability! I love positive traits taken to the point of flaws! It's my crack!

And here's the tangent that's made me decide to answer this ask: I. Fucking. Love. That. So here's some very random examples of Good People and Characters with Positive Traits that can be flaws:

PETER PARKER. Amazing Spider-Man's semi-recent Sin's Past arc directly discussed this. Peter has a hero complex; he IS a hero. He compulsively needs and wants to save everyone, explicitly due to his own guilt complexes. It also makes him controlling. He will or won't allow help, will or won't share information. He keeps things to himself, he refuses to share, he intentionally keeps people out of the loop. He wants to save everyone. He thinks he knows how to do it. He dismisses and pushes friends away. He is a great hero and often a shitty friend.

CRITROLE, my guys Caleb and Nott. Best friends, they love one another, they are ultra found family. About halfway through the campaign, Nott begins to struggle with her personal issues, openly and obviously (Xhorhass and Flaskgate). Caleb cares for her a lot. He wants what is best for her. Instead of talking to her about her problems or calling her out on her recent recklessly dangerous behavior, he refuses to talk to her at all. He enables her, an alcoholic, with alcohol. It isn't that he wants her self-harming or in danger, it's because he loves her and can't bring himself to call her out or bring himself into conflict. He Fucks Up.

ALOY Zero Dawn. Another heroic type, she spends about half her time refusing friendship, help, companions, all of it. Her catchphrase is "I'm faster alone." She saves the world and skips the victory party. She's too busy. She has too much on her plate. She hurts her friends. They tell her this. She pushes them away. It isn't because she doesn't want friends -- she's actually a fairly warm person -- or even because she's so anti-social. She has the best of motives and reasons, and she is still a bad friend. She is cold. She is unkind. She is quite cruel to [SEQUEL GAME SPOILER CHARACTER], who we AND she knows does not deserve it, but she sees too much of herself in this person and lashes out. We know why she does it. It's still a dick move. We still love Aloy.

(you might think I'd include current hyperfixation smoothbrain vampire on this list. i cannot. he is an asshole on purpose. his minimal goodness is in spite of this, not because of it.)

I'm not for a second going to pretend that I'm a great writer worth bragging about. But it's something I like to do too. My current OC Tav lady is passive and easy-going. This is a flaw. She isn't passive and easy going because she's okay with shit, but because she feels like she can't and has no right to complain. If you give someone a Trait, follow it to its logical end. How is it good? How is it bad?

It isn't that "these characters are flawed" is some plot twist, it isn't that "characters having flaws" is news. It's that in all three examples, these are characters whose positive traits (heroism, love for another) have the side effect of hurting others. These are characters who are sympathetic (Aloy is isolated, Aloy lashes out for understandable reasons) but still make mistakes (being mean to someone who doesn't deserve it).

In the fanfic I was ranting about, there is neither. The person does not make mistakes, does not take their heroic, story-specific flawlessness into this direction. When arguing, they have the moral high ground, but also the flawless composure to not be rude or hurtful or controlling or a little bit rude in making their points. The other characters fall over themselves to apologize, to understand, to feel sorry for opposing them. It isn't just that they have no flaws (a subjective phrase), it's that the universe twists and conforms to them. There are no consequences, no stakes. They are the sun at the center of the universe. And I vastly prefer messy heroes.

[jaggedwolf]

pll rewatch 2x01-2x03

new season, a forced separation, an unexplained greenhouse set

the introduction of one Dr Anne Sullivan. Shares a name with Helen Keller's instructor for no discernible reason, she is played by an actor known to the contemporaneous recappers I've been reading, because more than one of them go "Oh, it's Annabeth Gish!"

She was in 27 episodes of The X-Files and 6 episodes of The West Wings, both shows I'd expect TV recappers to have watched

Another sleepover, featuring the liars revolting against the strength of Spencer's coffee

They don't even get to have coffee because all non-military and non-Tom parents are assembled to tell the girls (1) yeah we think you're making shit up (2) you have to go to grief counseling because you are too obsessed with your friend's death

Our 2010s suburban teenagers are like we don't want to go therapy because we are not crazy (note: Spencer and Hanna are most negative on this topic)

Emily is traumatizing herself by rewatching the Jenna-Toby video, and then gets traumatized by Pam letting a broker go "get rid of all personality from this room asap". Pam work on your scheduling

Spencer on one couch while her parents + Melissa are on the opposite: will this framing ever change?

I'm just saying, in the supposedly unlikely event your daughter and her friends aren't lying...she almost fucking died! Give her a little comfort!

Caleb's apology is very good sad boy, but more than that or Hanna not getting back with him, what I enjoy in this early season era is that there is no secret noble motivation. He did a shitty thing for selfish reasons, because he dismissed everyone involved as rich pretty girls, it isn't more complicated than that and doesn't need to be

Spencer trying on sexy(?) shirts for Toby when it's like. The dude's hair has gotten worse and you know he just put on a random t-shirt and jeans. Also he won't care.

Anw the show has remembered that Toby and Emily are friends. would love for them to be able to hang out without a Spencer motivator, but you know, custody's been transferred

It is a sweet scene, I like Toby immediately taking out his knife and Emily going :0 and Toby going it's okay, I've already gotten my teen carpenter upgrades, I will fix it up (and he does, as we see in the background later)

only Ezra comment is that they painted on his abs LOL please that man does not go to the gym

Jar of Hearts plays as all the girls are really emo about Sullivan-endorsed and parent-enforced separation between them. love that they are so distraught by this

and Spencer freaking out so badly once she hears a sound outside. Spencer :(

I say "parent-enforced" very loosely because all four girls sneak out at night to meet at a greenhouse. It's a great-looking set but where is this greenhouse whose is this greenhouse why is this greenhouse. Is this a public property. Did they break into the local botanical gardens.

It's probably abandoned. Classic.

Okay later episodes show them constantly passing Alison's house when leaving the greenhouse. Do Spencer's parents own a greenhouse nearby.

Emily should be more upset about her laptop being wiped, beyond the videos, like that's all her shit!!!

okay i guess Emily doesn't use her laptop that much, I am projecting

very funny to me that the first Emily/Samara scene this season is at a swim meet. does Paige notice this or is she too busy going insane because there is a scout here and her dad is going well there's the scout too bad you aren't anchor huh

Probably she does not notice because she is laser-focused on swimming and in her "ignore Emily unless we are literally doing a relay together" era. Good/bad for her

Sorry you will continue to get my theories on what Paige is up to when not on-screen. Until I crack and fic it.

Random break-ins happen, reported by Pam. god 2024 pam would be on NextDoor huh

A ring camera would solve a lot of problems in rosewood

Toby is the saddest unemployed boy in the world and Spencer would like to be his sugar mommy. 100% believe Spencer would be good at that

Honestly who cares if she lost Melissa's ring, Melissa sucks, so does Ian, the Hastings can easily afford another ring.

Spencer saying "I wanted to say it first" in response to Toby's ILU and still not saying "I love you too"....Spencer will Win even at love

Aria got fucking shoved into that lamp holy hell, forget her wrist her torso probably should get iced

Samara and Emily have a conversation about first girlfriends

Samara is already kind of boring, I'm surprised they don't kiss in this episode

There's a flashback where Spencer and Emily were going to have a sleepover before Ali crashed. i should be commenting something intelligent about this being the rare chink in Ali's armor, instead i want to know everything about flashback-era Spemily sleepovers

Look it's rare evidence of the liars having individual friendships back then, and they are quite cute in their little sleepover outfits of Spencer's pajamas and Emily's hoodie

Spencer is so fragile-looking when she asks Melissa if she'd protect her....oh Spencer, I'm glad you have Toby and his abs right now

I am also glad you have nightmares where you discuss theories with your friends at the movie theatre while a black-and-white horror film plays. Going to count this as Emily influence

Emily tells her mom it's Paige calling when the landline rings and Pam goes sure and moves on, and like, I have so many questions. obviously the Fields and the McCullers know each other from the swimming but last time Pam saw Paige's dad, he was being a real dick.

has Emily told her mom that Paige isn't a real dick, was Pam at home when Paige came over in 1x20? many possibilities, given that Pam is not confused or disturbed by the phone call claim

Emily you could have said any random swim teammate

I still really like the Aria-Jenna scene, that Aria's forced to listen to what Jenna lost and that Jenna is tricked into revealing this vulnerability to one of the liars - very pretty lighting here too

Hanna's plot is kinda whatever to me these episodes, it's her parents flirting, Mona, Lucas

I like that she and Lucas are friends again already, but I am doubtful of her strategy in getting Lucas a date. love him and Caleb being bros though, I wonder what Caleb wanted from the hardware store

When A was petting the dog all I could think was that in a darker show, A would've snapped that dog's neck at the end of it...

Pam talks to Emily about her sexuality again after looking at Emily's kid stuff and that makes Emily tear up the forged letter - I forgot that Pam brings it up of her own accord here, and it is nice that don't have it be and all settled thing after yelling at Nick McCullers

was distracted in the whole car scene about the forged letter because (1) is this the first hanna-aria-emily scene we get where it's not because spencer is off somewhere else getting almost murdered? (2) hanna somehow thinks emily's forgery skills can get her into harvard. hanna wants emily to re-use a stamp from an old letter she has. hanna what the hell

[utilitycaster]

I wanted to ask you cause you tend to cut straight to the chase and I am not sure if I'm blowing things out of proportion but I've noticed lately that imodna shippers have a tendency to erase Laudna's agency. I noticed it first with the Ashton conversation where they babied her as if she couldn't and didn't handle Ashton as she wanted to but then I saw a post earlier that painted Laudna as an oblivious idiot who didn't seem to understand Imogen has been flirting with her this whole time even though Laudna has noticed in the past when others flirt with her.

But I feel like that might just be my opinion that Laudna's attitude towards Imogen is a lot like Jester's to Caleb and Beau coloring my opinion. She's not interested in a relationship, so she's not viewing the interactions as flirting vs friendship rather than she's just too dumb to understand what Imogen wants from her.

Hi anon,

Funny you should ask because I see your "they erase Laudna's agency" and add "they also erase Imogen's agency"; discussed at length here. That covers the Ashton discussion in broad strokes; I'd also add that Marisha and Taliesin excel at playing characters who challenge each other and get into arguments (think Percy and Keyleth, or Beau and Molly) and every single campaign, a bunch of dumb people are like "I hate Taliesin's character, why doesn't everyone lie down and do everything Marisha's character says all the time, this definitely will serve her characters well and won't make them flat and terrible"* and this is just yet another entry.

As for the flirting...it's complicated. I do happen to think Imogen is more romantically interested in Laudna than Laudna is in Imogen, but that's just somewhere between a headcanon and a hunch, and I don't necessarily know if Laudna isn't interested. But also I think the issue is that neither of them have actually said anything that would not fit a close platonic friendship nor is inconsistent with standard D&D found family trope. They've been living together and sharing rooms or beds since the start of the campaign. Nothing has changed in terms of the closeness of their relationship since they first appeared in episode 1. The flirting people are referring to simply does not exist. Laudna and Imogen haven't noticed it because it's literally not happening.

*yes I know I vocally don't like Molly, but his weird belligerent friendship with Beau was perhaps my favorite thing about him.