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#casey's shoes are very important to me
thatkoiboi · 8 months
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Part 4
First | Previous | Next
Casey's learning the meaning of family
This is a fan comic inspired by Cass' Apocalyptic Series and is just my own little fan art of how Donnie and Casey could have gotten closer!
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uglygreenjacket · 6 months
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"Your Royal Highness." Alex accentuated every syllable as Henry stopped dead like his feet were suddenly stuck in quicksand. "So good to see you again."
"Alex," Henry responded with a tight smile and a stiffness to his body that screamed he wanted to get away. And fast. "Stalking me to the lavatory is a new low, even for you."
"It's not like I went in," Alex defended, obviously neglecting to mention he'd thought about it, before he pivoted into more important matters. "Hey, quick question for you, would you care to comment on the fact that your brother's wedding cake is going to cost more than the average family makes in an entire year?"
Henry started to walk away, but Alex followed, barely able to catch his reply as Henry's legs were strong and fucking endless, his large stride causing Alex to have to take nearly two steps to Henry's one.
"I am very happy for Philip and Martha," Henry said, but there was no warmth in his voice.
"That wasn't the question," Alex replied as he continued to try and keep up with the annoyingly taller man.
"Well, it's my answer," Henry was still smiling, but there was ice in his tone that would have probably stopped most people from continuing.
But Alex wasn't most people.
"You say you're happy for your brother, but there's a rumor that you two don't get along well." Alex hadn't actually heard any such rumor, but considering how awful Philip seemed to be from their limited interactions, he felt like it was a safe thing to claim. "Is there any truth to that?"
"Philip and I are more than fine, thank you for your concern," Henry said tightly and Alex all but took that as a confirmation.
"And what about reports that you feel trapped in your position?" Alex asked, the question popping into his mind and out of his mouth before he could even think to stop it. "That you're being crushed by the monarchy–"
Henry whirled on him, causing Alex to nearly collide into his pectorals. "Do you ever stop?" he seethed, voice loud as his control seemed to slip.
There you are, Alex thought to himself, unable to stop the curl of his mouth. Both of them completely missed the fact that they were standing directly outside the press room, their eyes locked on each other, Henry's frustrated and Alex's bright with possibility.
"There is no truth to the rumors you speak of. I love my family and the life I lead with them. You have to stop this, Alex, I can't keep doing this with you," he snapped, voice still raised and he emphasized his point with a poke of his index finger into Alex's chest before turning away, one shiny, polished shoe hitting an unnoticed slippery floor.
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starlightshadowsworld · 9 months
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Son of Saki Part 1
Aka Casey raised by Shredder now in fanfic form.
Bask in its glory.
.
"Nice work everyone" Said Leo, watching the group sparr with a proud smile. It was hard not to be proud, everyone had come a long way.
April grinned, spinning her fan. "Aw man, I'm pumped." She said with a sigh. Leo looked at her with a smirk "Oh if your still rearing to go April, I could fight you?"
April immediately shook her head, feigning a yawn. "Oh would you look at that. Maybe next time?"
Everyone laughed, grabbing their things and themselves off the floor of the dojo.
"And just in time for Space Heros!" Said Leo with a giddy smile.
He hadn't picked the dojo time when Splinter would be watching his soaps... And so he could watch Space Heroes afterwards.
That would be preposterous.
... And also very much true.
Leo wasn't fooling anybody. Raph snorted "You have fun with that, I'm gonna go jam out. You coming with Casey?"
Casey shook his head.
"Sorry man, gonna have to take a raincheck. My games coming up and dad wants me back home early. We're gonna get some practice in."
Raph nodded, sad but accepting. "Wish I could watch, seeing Casey Jones in all his glory must be a sight." He grinned.
Casey grinned back "You know it!" He patted Raphs shoulder "I wish you could come too, Red will have to cheer loud enough for all of you."
April snorted "you bet I will, and I'm gonna be extra sneaky and see if I can record the match to show you guys after."
Casey lit up and hugged her "thanks April." She hugged him back. "Your welcome, I'll try my best. It'll be a miracle if we can hear anything over your dad."
Casey smiled fondly.
His dad always cheered the loudest.
"Well better put on a show worth watching, Jones." Said Donnie. "Yeah! I'm gonna get popcorn and everything" added Mikey excitedly.
Casey grinned, bowing "Casey Jones always delivers." He declared before bidding them all goodbye and heading out through the tunnels.
Casey made sure he wasn't spotted, his vigilante stuff was stuffed into his rucksack and he his skates changed to shoes.
He looked like any other kid wandering through New York's busy streets.
Casey snuck through alleys before climbing at top a building.
He removed a tile and jumped down, landing in a crouch.
"Superhero landing!" Cheered Karai, slow clapping. Casey smiled, bowing as some foot soilders went and fixed the tile.
"Must you do this every time?" Asks Saki, sitting on a chair and watching his son with an amused expression.
Casey pouted, making Karai laugh. "But you said it was cool." Saki chuckled "it is, but we have to keep fixing that same tile."
Karai grinned, conspiratorily "so what your saying is that we need to find different ways to sneak into the building."
Saki shakes his head, with the face of a man who has had this conversation far too many times.
"Why do we even have a front door if no ones going to use it?" He sighs.
He had decorated it himself.
"Dad, if we do than we'll be spotted." Says Casey. Saki shakes his head, pointing his finger to the ceiling.
"True stealth comes when you can enter the front door without being spotted. It's the one place you don't expect an imposter to use."
Casey thought about it, it made sense. Though they all knew it wouldn't happen.
"Now, onto more important matters. Wee have a game to prepare for do we not?" Said Saki, rising to his feet.
"Yup, against the Lincoln Lions." Said Casey, Karai snorted "I've seen them, you'll be fine."
Saki nodded, their was no doubt in his mind about that. "Obviously but it pays not be prepared." His kids followed him as they descended into the basement.
Which had been fashioned into an ice rink.
Casey strapped on his skates and his gear as a bunch of footbots appeared on the ice before him.
Some of his side and some on the other.
Headed by Karai who had grabbed one of his hockey sticks.
"You ready to lose, Casey!" Said Karai with a grin, she was wicked on skates but the ice was Casey's home.
Casey grinned, taking his place. His father was the referee, watching them both with a critical eye.
"Bring it on" He declared, putting his visor down and the game began.
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storiesofsvu · 1 year
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Heavy Hearts Ch 3
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Casey Novak x reader warnings: language, alcohol, smut. fyi: Casey's taglist is now above 50ppl, so I will be editing as I add to this post/other stories. if you get taken off it's likely that your url was spelled wrong, tumblr won't link it, you changed url's or simply you're not engaging with the work anymore. if you still want to be tagged, dm me to sort things out!
While you were getting ready you were incredibly thankful for the couple of coolers you had stashed in your dorm room to help you relax and unwind before meeting up with Casey. You didn’t go out or party much it just never appealed to you, even in college when everyone was running off to keggers and sorority nights you had minimal to no interest in behaving like an idiot, making out with a random in front of the entire party and definitely no desire to be puking in the bushes. You were sure some of that was due to your conditioning of proper appearances while growing up, despite having been introduced to wine, champagne and high end liquor early in your teenage years thanks to the prestigious family upbringing. You wanted to focus on school and making a name for yourself, especially one that wasn’t associated with your family name.
So tonight your C.D player ran through some of your favourites as you got ready, trying on a multitude of outfits until you found something that was absolutely perfect. You spent far too long on your hair and makeup, but again, didn’t want to disappoint. You were either on a sort of date with Casey tonight or had to prove that you could hold your own amongst her friend group, and both were incredibly important. With a loud swear you checked your clock, you needed to be downstairs in five, so what you’d accomplished by now would have to do. Making sure you had your ID, cash and keys shoved in pockets or cleavage, you shoved on some shoes and scurried down to the parking lot. There was no mistaking the car waiting for you, a loud playlist bumping through the night air, a squeal from Casey as the backdoor swung open,
“Oh my god you look amazing! Come on!”
It was clear you hadn’t been the only one pre-gaming tonight as Casey drug you into the backseat, barely giving you enough time to buckle up before the car peeled off through the streets. You were very quickly introduced to the rest of the group, sharing bright greetings, smiles and laughs, thankful that at least there was still some sense to be had, the driver assuring you she was sober and would remain so.
Things were in full swing by the time you got to the club, and when you did so, you noticed how everyone simply disappeared into the crowd, hell bent on their own agendas for the evening. And honestly, you weren’t complaining about being left alone with Casey, who turned to you with a wicked grin on that adorable face that nearly made your heart race.
“Drinks?” She offered nodding toward the bar.
“Please!” You laughed back, your cheeks heating at the way she grabbed your hand to lead you through the thick crowd until you arrived at the bar.
“Two vodka sodas!” She yelled over to the bartender who made them with a quick grin.
“How about some shots girls?” He asked and you laughed, glancing toward Casey and she prompted you to take the lead.
“Tequila!”
“I like the way you think!” He teased back, pouring out the shots, placing limes over the top of the glasses.
Casey took care of the first round before you could even blink, you swatted at her arm and insisted that next time was on you. Instead of protesting she simply picked up the tequila shot in a prompt to clink the glass with yours and down the liquor, so you did so, trying not to grimace at the way it burned down your throat. With a little shake of your head you laughed, passing the empty shot glasses back to the bar as you picked up your drinks, quickly sucking back at the alcohol.
The club was loud, coloured lights swaying through the space, strobing over the dance floor, music blasting through the entire bar. You were thankful that Casey didn’t instantly drag you out on the dance floor, the two of you staying off to the side as you surveyed the scene, occasionally remarking a thing or two to each other as you finished your drinks. Another round of drinks and shots, this time with a second shot option that was given on the house and you were nearly ready for action, starting to groove with the music, letting loose as you held your spots against the bar. As the alcohol coursed through your veins, warming your entire body, you were quick to find Casey tucking into the crook of your neck while she spoke so you could actually hear her, similarity, you’d pull her back to you, popping up on your toes to laugh a joke back into her ear. Finally the bartender slid another round of shots across the bar to the two of you on the house and with a million thank you’s you clinked your glasses together along with his before shooting them back.
Casey laughed softly when you grimaced at the taste of the liquor, pinching at your chin gently, pulling a playful scowl from you, “can’t handle your booze Vanderbilt?”
“Too fucking sweet.” You called back and she laughed once again.
The two of you picked up your fresh drinks and moved away from the bar, perching at a high top to survey the crowd and the vibe going on through the club while you finished your drinks. You found a couple of the friends you’d come with, two on the dance floor while the others were scattered around the space, drinking at the other bar or no doubt flirting with whomever they were talking to currently.
“Let’s go dance!” Casey nearly shrieked the alcohol soothing through her veins now, her confidence coming out, knowing that she could drag you out there.
With a little giggle you accepted the way her fingers linked within your own and she tugged you onto the dance floor. At first it was friendly, dancing with each other with laughs on your cheeks, enjoying the music, letting loose to the feeling. You let the music take over, smiles on your faces as you moved to the beat, jumping to the music and screaming along with the lyrics. Casey couldn’t help the way her hands found their way to your hips, guiding their movement closer to hers, testing the waters in the darkness of the club. To her surprise when the song became sultrier, you turned back in her arms, one of yours looping up behind her neck as your hips began to grind back against hers. She felt her breath catch in her throat, but didn’t stop, rocking her hips into you, tugging you tighter to her as your dancing became less movement and more grinding. Your head fell back against her shoulder, your free hand bringing hers tighter around you, nearly guiding it up your torso, daring her to cup your chest. Instead she took her chance, her lips tenderly meeting the burning skin of your neck, even over the music she felt you shudder, the low moan you let out vibrating through you. She pressed another kiss to your skin, her lips beginning to trail down your neck and her lips curved into a smirk when she felt your fingers tug into her hair. Her hands settled on your hips, nudging at you gently to turn you in her arms and you instinctively looped your arms around her shoulders, continuing to rock with the beat of the music. One of her arms wrapped around you, pulling you right to her, lips practically hovering over your own as you continued to dance. You couldn’t help but smirk, teasing her lightly as you leant in to speak into her ear,
“You getting shy on me now Novak?”
“Oh please!” She chuckled, the sound bringing goosebumps to your skin as you joined in on the laughter.
One of her hands came up, running along your cheek until it was cupping the back of your head, guiding your lips to hers until they met. There was the tiniest moment of hesitancy as you both relaxed into each other before your lips began to move with grace. You could feel the sparks flying through your body and surging straight into hers, dancing their way down into her stomach, both blooming the butterflies and soothing them in the same moment. The kiss deepened, Casey cautiously stepping backwards until the two of you were up against the wall in the corner of the dance floor instead of in the middle of it. There was fire behind the kiss, yet it was still so incredibly tender, the way Casey cupped your face, her thumb stroking across your skin ever so lightly, you weren’t sure if you’d ever felt this way while you kissed someone before, especially not during a first kiss. It was like you’d been waiting your whole life to kiss Casey without even realizing it and you were finally getting your one in a million chance.
Casey’s tongue delved into your mouth and you let out a sigh into the kiss, your tongue moving in rhythm with hers as she pulled you tighter to her. Her entire body was alight with a low burning fire, desire coursing through her veins as pleasure clouded her thoughts, the music invading her only sense left as she let herself get lost in you. She’d been wanting to kiss you for a while now, especially since she found out you were likely interested though she hadn’t been sure what her intentions were going to be. She figured there was nothing wrong with a college fling, friends with benefits while you focussed on classes and making it through the semesters. But the moment she met your lips she felt the surge within her, her heart suddenly racing and she knew that this was something so much more than that, that this kiss was beginning of many, many more. She’d heard so many stories about laying eyes on ‘the one’, about how the world would stop spinning the moment the first kiss happened but she’d never believed it was an actual thing until now.
You were at the point where you were so deep in the kiss you never wanted it to stop, but you knew that oxygen was also a very important part of life. Breathlessly you pulled an inch away, the lights strobing over the two of you in the club and you glanced up at her, both of you panting, lips parted, Casey’s eyes hooded as she gazed down at you, a small smile on both of your cheeks before you finally spoke.
“Any chance you wanna get out of here?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Casey grinned wickedly, ducking in to steal another kiss before her hand linked in yours and the two of you darted from the club in a small fit of laughter, hailing a cab back to campus.
*
You’d never been happier that your roommate was never home and you wouldn’t have to deal with potential interruptions as you and Casey barged through the door. It barely managed to get locked before hands were back roaming skin, tickling under hemlines, teasing to go further, leaving shivers in their paths. You let out a gasp into the kiss as her fingers pinched at your tits through your shirt before they sunk lower, tugging it off you and you shivered as her hands trailed over your bare skin.
Hands groped at each other, exploring the other person’s body while clothes were slowly dropped to the floor, Casey’s hands unclipped your bra, tossing it to the ground before you dropped onto the bed behind you and she let out a happy sigh of a laugh, eyes dragging over you.
“God you’re beautiful.”
“Stop.” You laughed, a flush taking over your cheeks and she shot you a wicked grin, her hands reaching behind her back to unclasp her own bra, letting it all fall off before she caged you to the bed, lips meeting yours in a fiery kiss. This one was deeper than the last, tongue delving into your mouth as her hands roamed your body. You moaned against her, your own hands grabbing at her ass, grinding her hips down against you and she whimpered into the kiss.
Every touch was full of sensitive fire, the way your fingers roamed over each other’s bodies, not leaving a single inch unexplored, the room filling with breathy moans and gasps. Both of you truly invested in making the other feel absolute and total pleasure, not wanting to waste a single opportunity while you had them here with you now. Fingers were replaced with mouths, alternating between the two and on each other until you had pulled peak after peak from each other. There was nothing but passion, adoration, attraction and heat pulsating through the room between your breaths until you were collapsed in the bed together, bodies shivering in aftershocks as you began to come down from your highs. There was absolutely no doubt in the world, or to either of you that this was exactly where you belonged, that this night had meant to happen. It wasn’t just by chance you’d ended up at the club together, it was a moment in your lives that some higher power had deemed destiny. Neither of you had ever experienced anything like it, your hearts fluttering in your chests, little laughs escaping your lips as you started to catch your breath. It was the blooming of an entirely new sensation neither of you had ever felt before and you knew it.
Casey laid on her back, her arm winding around you, pulling you to rest on her chest, her hand coming to play with her hair, pressing a kiss to your temple. Your eyes fluttered, doing their best to not fall asleep right away as your breathing started to regulate, feeling Casey’s heartbeat beginning to slow under your ear.
“I’m really glad you invited me out tonight.” You murmured, pressing a kiss into her skin.
“So am I.” She replied, her lips curving up into a smile as her hands ghosted over your body, “you want me to stay or…?”
“Stay. Please.”
“Then I’m not going anywhere.” She smiled again, kissing the top of you head and holding your tighter to her, finally letting her eyes shut, knowing you were happy and safe in her arms and she would be able to get a very decent night’s rest.
____________________
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paperstorm · 1 year
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Hello! I love following your stories and your posts. You always have such an interesting take on things!
I have a question that maybe controversial (that's why I'm on anon), so feel free to ignore this if you don't feel upto it.
I'm a cis, straight woman of relative economic privilege in a very traditional, conservative country. Which is to say, all of my interactions with and information about the LGBTQ+ community are from the internet. This sometimes is an issue because I end up learning the wrong things, where I think I'm being an ally but I'm just thinking things that are problematic in different ways.
I write a bit of fanfiction for other fandoms and I really enjoy watching 9-1-1LS. I have story ideas for Tarlos, but I'm not sure about the ethics of someone like me writing about a queer couple. Is it okay for me to do that? Or is it more respectful to just read and listen and learn? In case it's fine to write it, never having actually witnessed a queer couple's relationship, how do I write realistically without perpetuating problematic tropes that I've seen in Hollywood/TV/other fics?
(This might get long, I’m sorry followers, one day I’ll learn to shut up but not today and not about this)
I want to start by saying that ‘own voices’ started out as a good thing. It started with the purpose of allowing marginalized communities the space to tell their own stories, rather than prioritizing a white man pretending he knows what racism feels like when he doesn’t. It had really good intentions, and it’s still important to amplify the voices of people who are speaking from direct experience.
But because social media spaces are literally never capable of nuance, it pretty quickly turned into ‘you aren’t allowed to write or talk about things that you don’t have direct experience with’ and this is where it became a really harmful mentality. It has led to things like celebrities being forcibly outed (off the top of my head – Lee Pace, Kit Connor, Casey McQuiston, and Jameela Jamil, but I’m positive there are others) because the internet mob said ‘you can’t portray/write about queer characters if you aren’t queer! Publicly perform your sexuality for us or ELSE!’. On a much smaller scale, it led to me not including characters of colour in my stories for years, because tumblr and twitter told me I wasn’t allowed to.
These are not positive things. I saw a post once, years ago, that said something like ‘yes it’s important for POC to get to see characters who look like them as the hero of the story, but it’s equally important for people to see characters who don’t look like them as the hero of the story, because that’s how you learn empathy for people who are different than you’ and that has really stuck with me. It was not good that a teenager was forced to come out before he was ready a few months ago because twitter told him he was queerbaiting by just existing and living his life. It was not good that I went years excluding characters of colour from my stories. It was not good that I never tried to get into the headspace of someone like Sam Wilson or Nile Freeman or Yusuf al-Kaysani or Carlos Reyes or Marjan Marwani. We develop intense empathy for people who have vastly different experiences than us when we care about their lives and their stories and their struggles.
I showed this ask to my best friend who is also queer and he made a lot of good points in a series of very passionate texts but among them are these:
I would rather someone be open and wanting to explore a new community, perhaps occasionally stumbling over the wrong thing, but learning rather then sitting on the sideline like some kid outside of a candy store window.
I’m not interested in allies who are silent. Who haven’t put themselves in my shoes. Who don’t adore the parts of our community the way I do. I don’t give a FUCK about people who are just going to sit there and say “it’s not my place to speak/participate.” I want my allies in the thick of it. I want them saying I stand with you, vocally and I’ll only sit when you sit.
Quit making people treat marginalized groups like exclusive clubs. Everyone is welcome in my gay house
I know my family loves me because they are my family and I am of them. I need to know the rest of the world is going to let me in, too. I need to know that some successful author who has absolutely no stake in the game ALSO sees value in a queer voice in their story. I need to know I have a place in the world BEYOND the people who are accepting of me because they are like me.
So. All of this is a very long-winded way of saying please please PLEASE write and love and care about queer characters even if you, yourself are not queer. If you’re worried about getting something wrong or unintentionally writing something that is offensive, ask a queer person if they would be a sensitivity reader for your story before you post it. And be willing to accept the criticism if a person comes to you after and says ‘hey this was offensive’ (while also understanding that one queer person or one POC does not speak for the entire community, and that the concept of offense gets incredibly complicated sometimes). But write it. It is a wonderful, necessary thing when people care about communities that they are not a part of. In the immortal words of Mr. Bernie Sanders, when then question “Are you willing to fight for someone you don’t know?” is asked, the world gets infinitely better when the answer is yes.
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You Can't Just Piss in the Sewer PART 2
Summary Casey finds out about the sewer activities and decides to do something about it.
Word Count 785
Warnings None. It's just crack treated seriously.
Author's Note BEHOLD! The sequel no one asked for (including me)!
I have been haunted by this story ever since I made the first chapter. It was just supposed to be a oneshot but here we are. (I'm all done now though I prommy. It's out of my system)
The first chapter can be found here. And if you'd rather read the story on ao3, it can be found here.
✧⋆✧
A lot had happened to Casey Jones in the past year.
He had lost his job, met some teenage mutant ninja turtles, saved the world, got his job back…no big deal really.  This was just his life now.  Unfortunately, since it was supposed to be a secret, it left him with very few talking points when someone asked him what he had been up to lately.
Like right now, at his grandmother’s quarterly family dinner.
“Casey!” His grandmother exclaimed, ushering him over the threshold.  Her apartment was small and cozy as always, with the aroma of fresh cooked food permeating the space.  “Come in, come in – no, leave your shoes at the door.  What have you been up to, my boy?”
“Just the same old same old,” he replied, slipping out of his shoes.
“Oh, something exciting must have happened, you’ve got such an important job after all.  And we’re all very proud of you for not getting fired again.”  
I’m never gonna live that down, am I?   Inwardly sighing, he plastered on the most believable smile he could muster.  “Nope.  Nothing at all.  It’s been completely normal, average work days for the past year.”
She hummed.  “Shame.  Well, run along, everyone is in the living room right now.  I’ll be there in a minute.”
With that, the old woman scurried off, heading for the kitchen.  Casey took a deep breath before plunging into the crowded living room, which was filled to the brim with his immediate and extended family.  Grandma Jones’s dinner affairs were large, important events.  No one wanted to miss out.  Especially when doing so meant falling behind on family gossip.
A hand gripped his shoulder.  Spinning around, he found it was his Uncle, Greg.  “Hey, kid, I need to talk to you for a second.”  The man pulled him aside before he had a chance to respond, lowering his voice so the others wouldn’t hear.  “Listen Casey, I know what I’m about to say is nuts, and if your ma or pa heard it they’d throw me in the loony bin.  So this stays between us, y’hear?”
“Uh, sure.”  He wasn’t sure what his uncle was going on about, but he was one of the sanest, most truthful people he knew.  Whatever it was, it couldn’t be that bad.
Greg took a deep breath, pausing dramatically.  “I saw the Sewer Monsters.”
“The what?”
“The big green monsters that run around the sewers!”  He flung out his hands.  “I thought it was just an urban legend but…I saw them.  I was workin’, doin’ a safety check, when I found them pissin’ in the sewer like animals.”
Casey’s blood ran cold.  “What – what did they look like?”
“Like giant humanoid turtles.  And there was another one that looked like a rat!”
He gritted his teeth.  “You don’t say?”  I’m going to kill those idiots.
“Just…make sure to keep an eye out for them.  I don’t know how often they leave the sewer, but I don’t want them jumpin’ you on the job.”
“I’ll keep my guard up.”  He gave Greg a nod and soft pat on the arm before turning to leave.  “And thanks for telling me.”
Casey breathed out slowly through his nose, leveling his gaze with the four mutant turtles in front of him.  He was going to chew them out, yes, but he knew damn well they wouldn't listen if he wasn't at least moderately calm.
"You can't go around using the sewer as your own personal urinal."
Mikey snorted.  "I don't know if you've noticed, but it's a sewer, brah.  It's not like we're peeing behind trees or something."
"That's not the point-"  Movement from behind the line of turtles caught his eye.  It was a certain anthropomorphic rat trying to sneak off.  "Hey!  You're a part of this too."
Splinter froze for a few beats, narrowing his eyes before reluctantly rejoining the group.
“You can’t just piss in the sewer because it’s disgusting.   Donnie, you’re a genius with a high tech lab, but you don’t have a bathroom?! ”
“Well when you say it like that-”
“Wait–”  A thought had occurred to him.  “All those times you said I couldn’t use your bathroom because the toilet was clogged–”
“Was a lie.  Yes.  Try to keep up, Jones.”
He groaned, turning to leave and find himself a much more productive and relaxing use of his time.  “Alright, whatever.  Just get yourselves an actual bathroom.”
“Or what?” Raph piped up.
Casey could feel a smirk taking over his face as he pulled out his hidden trump card.  “I’ll tell April.”
The cacophony that rose up behind him as he left the sewer was music to his ears.
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twiststreet · 2 years
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Webtoons put fun, cute subway ads up for Lore Olympus, but comics’ Insecurity Brigades forced them to straight up 100% apologize because the ads were worded in cutesy ad speak, like every ad for everything ever...?  
“Why is this shoe ad telling me to do it?  A lot of people who go for jogs don’t have sexual partners or rhythm-- they can’t do it, sir.  Jogging is serious business-- we can not sanction your buffoonery,”  -- Comic Fans looking at the first Nike Ad.    
That’s crazy.  How are these people this insecure???  I mean, yes, the work is mostly pointless and unnecessary-to-a-complete-life-- which I think of as a virtue, but I can understand being insecure about that.  Also: all of their comics are being easily stolen and no one with the economic heft to address that is doing anything about that-- I can see how that’d make someone insecure.  And I mean: the no money thing.  Kind of a bummer.  
But being insecure about ad copy...?  AD COPY? On a subway ad someone’s probably going to pee on later...?  I don’t get it because I like the ad-- I just think it’s a funny thing to say.  “Side hustles!  Literature!  We’re having fun here at the end of history.  Wheee.”  -- Webtoons.  “No, we are not having fun-- we are suffering.  The despair never ends, and I have forgotten the face of my father.  Snakes!  Snakes!”-- America’s cartoonists.  I mean, calm down, Francis.    
And respectfully, these people can barely create comics-- Japanese comics kick the living shit out of them-- so why do they think they also know anything about marketing??? That is a complicated topic to know something about, but everybody in comics is an expert?  Really?!  If that were the case, wouldn’t American comics sell anywhere to anyone...?  I don’t think they do, so I’m having a hard time understanding what went wrong for these marketing super-geniuses.  Last I checked, if like a thousand people buy your comic, comics will put you in charge of their Midsommar festival-- you’re like the Midsommar dude who writes all the laws.  Nobody reads the fucking things, but everyone’s an expert on advertising now...?  I mean, I watched Mad Men too but all I really learned was that marketing and child care were best done drunk, which felt like wisdom but didn’t exactly make me any kind of expert.  
Mostly I just think it’s kind of funny people are picking this fight over Lore Olympus.  Isn’t that a romance???  I kinda think it’s okay for romances to have fun advertising-- I actually think romance readers are the most admirable readers, in terms of being able to laugh at themselves.  I was seriously no-joke at a fucking funeral for someone who died young yesterday, horribly tragic, just... a rough time... But the second person eulogizing them made a joke about how they were both secretly romance novel readers-- and everyone laughed along with them like “haha yessss good for you” nice laughs, it was very sweet.  I think advertising a romance by being like “we’re having a good time over here” ... doesn’t seem that strange to me!  I don’t think they advertised Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop by telling people about the tragic importance of subway safety for the LGBTQiA+ community.  Maybe they did, but I don’t think so.   
I mean, I’m not sure because again, I’m not fucking Don Draper over here-- I related a lot more to the guy on Mad Men who cuts off his nipples.  He was making points, if you think about it.  With a knife.  Knife points, some would say the best kinds of points there are.  Me. Knife salesmen. Your mom when she is kinky.  Et Tu, Brute?????
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ducknotinarow · 7 months
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[MM Rasey uwu]
"So, this is my place," Casey said, shutting the front door behind Raph once they entered, "Ma doesn't like shoes worn aroun' the house so yanno, take 'em off."
He'd rather his mother not find reason to dislike Raph off the bat; she was already pretty apprehensive about the whole mutant thing after all,
"Uh, bathroom under the stairs, kitchen at the end if ya hungry - but ma should only be a couple more hours; she knows you're stayin' for dinner so, yanno, won't be too long until food," Casey shrugs, soon grinning, "We can 'ave the livin' room an' play games until then."
Leading the way into the small, slightly crowded, living room, Casey soon found himself distracted by someone very important. Stepping away from Raph, he stood by the sofa, soon grabbing and lifting up a big ball of black fluff. Said black fluff soon moved though, ears twitching and a pair of large green eyes staring out. They yawned, meowing as Casey pulled the small creature into a hug, the cat clearly happy as she began to purr,
"Hey baby~ Did ya miss me?" He began to baby talk, seemingly forgetting he's not alone, "I missed you fluffball, yeah I did~"
He made little 'kissy' noises, the cat moving her head to bump her nose against his own, soon nuzzling in as she drooled onto his shoulder and purred loudly. Real loudly. He laughs, mostly to himself, before turning. Face went red, when he realises Raph witnessed all of that,
"Ahem, ignore that," Casey mutters, shifting the cat so she was being cradled, "This is Puck, she's my ol' lady," He pressed a kiss to her forehead, not caring for the fur that stuck to him, "She's a big cuddly fluffball - loves bein' held," Clearly, "I'm sure she'll probably climb onto ya lap the second she's used to ya."
| Muse Interaction
Donnie had fun bragging about be the first out the four of them having to go over to a friends house. And for a whole weekend at that, even if that meant that uh Yvonne? Right Yvonne. Don had be riding on the whole high ever since he came back, even if he had to have Yvonne come over to the lair with her folks to meet Splinter first just to make sure 'his son would be around good people'. He loved their dad course he dose but he can be so over the top even now. With them going to school he still gets so overly worried about the humans least he stopped waiting by the entrance of the lair everyday or texting and blowing up their phones if they were even a second late. Raphael didn't have to go through some a big party 'meet the parents' deal either just had to have Splinter meet Casey which didn't go that well. Splinter didn't mean to scare Casey after all but he did think Casey less of a threat knowing him just showing up is apparently enough to get him to faint.
Dork, He thinks as he smiles to himself following behind said dork now as they made their way to Casey place. Just to hang out nothing special or anything. Be great if his heart would get on the same page here. It was annoying enough to hear Donnie being brat over well everything between him and Casey, but at the same time who else was Raph gonna tell about everything between him and Casey? Other than his twin? Not that the brat could resist holding back and poking some fun and his slip ups here and there. Raph isn't sure if Don was doing it on purpose but he near about made this strike at Raphael's competitive nature. Seeing as Donnie was the first to go to a friends place, hell Donnie spent a whole weekend there and none of them got to forget it. Especially Raphael sometimes he regrets opening his beak to Donnie. But it was enough to get past his own nerves and get his feet to move when Casey invited him over.
Would he be this nervous if he was going over to just anyone's place? Or was this unique to Casey? Being alone together? had his heart racing fast in his shell.
"Play it cool Raphael" He mutters under his breath as they drew closer to Casey's place at last.
"So, this is my place,"
Stepping inside as Casey shut the door behind them. Let Raph sort of take his first glance around the place. There was a bit of a curiosity oh what Casey home was like considering Casey himself. The place looked well cared for but he's pretty sure that's more thanks to his mom.
"Ma doesn't like shoes worn aroun' the house so yanno, take 'em off."
"Hmm? Oh, 'ight." Raphael glanced down to his feet and nodded as he went and moved his left foot behind his right. Slightly holding down the heel of his shoe so his foot would pop right out before tugging his left one out next. "Dad's the same way. I'm not sure why it matters since we live in a sewer, though." He moves to follow behind Casey as they start to give him a feel of the layout of his place.
It's was kind of small, but for two people, it seemed like that would be enough space, really. Did make him wonder why he was only just Casey and his mom. Sure, it had only been his brothers and Splinter, but don't think that really apllied to humans? Hmm had Casey ever mentioned his Dad before actually? He hears about his mom an awful lot. And part of Raph more notes that to Casey clearly being a mama's boy himself. Mister rebeal he claimed to be couldn't bear to tract drit into his mom's home.
Why is he so cute? And what did it say about Raphael that he found that trait appealing? Casey really put his mind through the spin cycle of the washer.
"Uh, bathroom under the stairs, kitchen at the end if ya hungry - but ma should only be a couple more hours; she knows you're stayin' for dinner so, yanno, won't be too long until food,"
Raphael can't help how he smiles back in response to Casey own. "Nah 'm good coach got me on some carb diet, so I eat a lot at lunch now." Raphael idly mentions. He was curious what his mom would make though. Would it be more Candanian food? Made sense if she did Casey held on to anything strictly Canadian like it was his heritage after all.
It's Casey chances are they thought it was too.
"We can 'ave the livin' room an' play games until then."
"Yeah? Sweet I always beat my bros, maybe I can finally get some competition!" Raoh states as he slightly bumps Casey's arm with his elbow. Only slightly regreating the touch once his brain connected they had touched left to chuckle in the most embrassing way he had ever heard himself laugh? Was it even a laugh? A clearly awkward nervous one that wouldn't stop.
Casey seemed to take lead to his living room and Raph slammed his face into his hand as he followed in to the cramped space. Only peeking to look when he noticed Casey picking up something from the couch. He could even tell the back fur ball was actually living till her head lifted and ear twitched slightly. Catching his attention as it seemed to start moving.
"Hey baby~ Did ya miss me?"
Raph lofted a hand to his beak trying to keep from laugh as he bit at his bottom bill over the sound of Casey voice just now.
"I missed you fluffball, yeah I did~"
Watching the display of affection he swear no one would suspect Casey Jones was able to display towards the black cat. Little kossy sounds throw her ways as he nuzzled against her. The cat purring up a storm in response to Casey. Did have Raph's smile softening up at the sight. Till Casey recalled he wasn't alone turning to face Raphael and challenge him fir the who red suited most as thier fave was quick to flush red hot before they very lamely tried to cover up that slip up just now.
"Ahem, ignore that,"
"Yeah ain't happenin' tough guy." Raphael comments smirking yoward Casey to make it clear he wouldnt be living it down. As Raph walked over to get a better look at the cat, as Casey set her back down on to the couch. Raph smirk not really fading even as his attetuoned shifted to her. She was cute, like a piece of darkness came to life with how dark her fur was it just made her green eye pop against her fur. Uh green eyes could kind of pretty.
"This is Puck, she's my ol' lady,"
Shifting to look back at Casey as they couldn't seem to stop with the displays of affection. But biting his toung from teasing just now. Because well it was kind of sweet how affectionate Casey was with his cat, Puck. Raphael was going to make sure to remember her name.
"She's a big cuddly fluffball - loves bein' held,"
"An' you clearly love gettin' to cuddle her." He teases in good humor before he moves to crouch wanting a better look at her slightly smiling at the cat in front of him.
"I'm sure she'll probably climb onto ya lap the second she's used to ya."
Raphael just hopes she in the least tolerates him seeing hiw she means so much to Casey after all.
"Your really cute." Raphael states but before it can be assume he ment puck he looked up at Casey. "Pucks cute too."
Attetuon back to her as he wonders how best to approach a cat is it like a dog? He just holds his hand up seeing if she'll sniff him. "Know never really gotta see a cat up close before. Dads not much of fan an' Mikey's kinda of scared of 'em. Almost got nipped by one when we tots." He idly comments on wanting to try his luck at petting her. Only a little he didn't want to bother to much before standing back up. "I always thought they looked soft, kinda feel bad 'bout having to shoot cats away from home now. Don' think i ever saw a car as pretry as Puck though." He states with a slight shurg of his shoulders.
"Sooo wanna boot up the game so I can kick ya ass? Or ya gonna gush over ya baby more?" Smug little smirk tugging at the corner of his beak as he looks over to Casey now. "Cause statin' ta think the tough guy acts jus' ta cover fir soft ya are Jones." It's all clearly playful when he speaks to Casey. The flirting wasn't meant to be on purpose he just couldn't help it.
"Though gotta say I 'ike the soft side of ya too." There's a faint hint of red on his face when admit to that offering a slight smile Casey's way. "A lot."
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irish-urn · 1 year
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18. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? Also, any plans to continue your LWD rewatch? Hate that the episodes were taken off of YouTube.
OOOOOOH. Oh man. What an excellent question. I mean, I laugh about what I write all the time, soooo...
Okay, okay, so my FAVOURITE passage is from Extraction (Dental and Emotional): ...“Because you’re not in love with me.”
He frowns very deeply. “Am I stupid?” [I laughed for almost 15 minutes; my mom asked if I was okay because I was doing my breathless laugh and she thought I was having trouble breathing.]
Second is probably from Take Off Your Shoes Now (You're in the Right Place), and it's near the end when Derek and Casey are talking around their feelings: “Y’know,” he says finally. “Games… games can be really important. Like, to some people, they’re… everything.  I mean… look at the Olympics! People dedicate their whole lives to something some people might consider just a game—” [I... I just feel like I nailed Derek in this; he is saying that Casey is "everything" without actually saying it, and I just feel really proud of us both, tbh.]
And third place is probably from No White Flags (No Need to Be Afraid), chapter 6: “If it helps at all,” he says, his voice a little careful. “Sometimes I have to wait a long time before I get what I want.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Der… That’s called delayed gratification.” And she leans down the couple of inches of height difference caused by their seating arrangement, and almost touches his nose with hers. “And I hear that’s the kinky shit pornos are made of.” [I grin every time I read this, and I can just SEE Casey doing and saying this so very clearly.]
THANK YOU for the ask; and YES. I do plan on continuing my LWD re-watch; it's just that school finally finished, and both jobs are kinda INSANE right now as December moves later and later, and my brain goes from: I don't want to do anything ever to WRITE. WRITE DASEY NOW. I'm hoping things will settle soon though and I can pick it up again. Honestly, it not being on YouTube just makes it that much harder for me TO watch it because there are so many more steps now, so... (How dare they take it off; honestly??? What did we ever do to them? I doubt the movie is gonna be THAT good!!)
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qillmhi · 2 years
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How would the turtles react to you having a crush on them was so cute !! Do you think you do a Leo and Donnie one ? Also hope your doing ok 🥰
I got your order right here! I'm doing great thank you❤
How would the boys react to you having a crush on them?
Gender neutral!reader
Heres for Raph and Mikey
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Leonardo
It happened during a game of a drunk version of Truth or Dare.
The turtles are 21, and Splinter finally let the boys go loose.
Which in turn lead to Casey bringing in the Big boys' drink.
As the eldest and most responsible brother, he has a reputation of a strong foundation to uphold.
To be tough, reliable, sensitive and level headed at all times.
But today he decided to relax a bit and had himself a few shots.
It didn't taste as good as he expected. But it does have a somewhat pleasant burn that goes down his throat. Soon he had gotten pretty tipsy.
Not as much as the rest of you dumbasses though.
So far, Casey had his shoe tied on his head, Donnie was passed out drunk, April was out in the kitchen trying to get herself sober, while you were forced to chug down a whole shot glass of vinegar, and finally: Mikey and Raph had both ends of their masks braided together.
Leo was sober enough to not choose dare. Sure he had to admit some embarrassing stuff but at least he was fine.
"Aight! (Y/n)... truth orrrr.... truth..?" Mikey slurred.
Raph took a shot "You idiot that's the same thing!"
"Bruh. Tough choice." You giggled like a mad hatter. "I'd say... truth!"
"Ooohhhh I've been waiting for this!" Casey rubbed his hands together with an evil grin.
Fuck. You didn't like that look.
Mikey's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oh this sounds like its about to get juicy!" He giggled drunkly.
"Ehem, ehem!" Casey cleared his throat as if he was about to give an important speech "Tell me (Y/n)." He leaned closer "If you could fuck anyone here, who would it be?" He asked in the most cocky expression a human can ever muster.
Leo shot Casey a horrified look. He did not just ask that!
Mikey and Raph hooted. They were caught off guard by the question, but too drunk to care.
Leo opened his mouth to stop the game but you cut him off.
"Hmmmm.... I'd say...." You hummed "Leo."
Said leader did a double take. Did you just....?
Okay, he had to admit that you were a bit of a looker. He isn't going to lie about that.
Not that he's one to judge but he didn't think you saw him attractive in that way.
It was... honestly very flattering.
Casey raised an eyebrow "Leo?"
"Definetly, Leo yes." You nodded as if it was a normal conversation. "I'd totally fuck Leo."
Leo let out a choked gasp.
Raph snorted "Why Leo though? He's too stuck up!" Leo looked at Raph, incredibly offended.
"Nah man!" You dismissed Raph with a wave and leaned forward with a serious look on your face "Leo got that Daddy Dom vibes ya know?" You squinted your eyes like that 'aliens guy meme'.
Daddy what?!
"He is bossy, I agree." Mikey had taken on a broken noble British accent for some reason "I do presume he would act as such in the bedroom~?"
"Oh my gawd!!" Casey was basically dying.
The eldest brother's jaw dropped.
Excuse me?! He's right there!!
You continued "He's probably into some Bondage kink too." You said "If he isn't, he'd be strong enough to hold me down with those delicious muscles~!" You licked your lips.
"THATS ENOUGH!!" Leo shot up, with his face glowing bright red and started talking all the bottles from the table "YOU ALL HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK!! TIME TO GO SLEEP!!" Leo obnoxiously yelled, drowning out the disappointed groans and protests.
Casey ended up staying over, while Leo, Master Splinter and April had to take care of five idiots.
The discussion of the contents of that night were never brought up again.
Mostly because none of you remembered shit.
But Leo does.
He doesn't ask you if you remember what you said. He didn't wanna ruin any of your friendships.
But sometimes he thinks back to that time and couldn't help but feel flustered.
He definitely checks himself out in the mirror before coming out of his room from then on.
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Donatello
Do you know where there are some instances where you just gotta 'set the mood'?
For example: intercourse requires some form of foreplay to prepare both parties before they continue. Or first impressions require certain untold rules to ensure a decent platform when starting friendships.
Unfortunately, you aren't very aware of it.
You were a new addition to their little group. A fellow night rider vigilante of Casey and Raphael.
After going on a group of Foot ninjas to save the hot headed turtle, you earned Leo's respect. Raph told everyone about it and led to him introducing you to the whole fam.
"Goddamn Raphie! Who's the cutie with the duffie?"
But still, this was the first time he got to meet you.
A duffie?
"Uh... H-Hello?" It was more of a question than a greeting.
He looked around at what could be considered a "duffie". That was until he noticed his dufflebag.
What a minute...
He flusteredly pointed at himself "M-M-Me?!" Damn stuttering!
"You got it hot stuff." You winked.
Donatello shrieked and hid his face and avoided you for the rest of the night.
As someone who spent their entire life living in solidarity, he isn't used to getting such straightforward compliments.
If its not obvious yet, you're the incredibly bold type of person, not even having any sort of filter.
Which is why you're Raph's new bestfriend.
And being his brother's new bestfriend means you get to hang around in the lair.
Lots of cat calling.
"My Donnie-bunny~! I'm here!"
He couldn't handle being flustered around you so he spent a lot of time hiding away in his lab.
He would busy himself by working very loudly to drown out you laughing in the background.
Lots and lots of teasing.
One time he caught you staring, but instead of looking away like a normal person, you blew him a kiss.
Absolutely shameless!
He ran and locked himself in the lab while crumbled into a blushing mess on the floor.
His brothers are enjoying this whole shit show.
There was also this one time you manage to trap him against the wall.
Boi was pretty short and you were pretty tall so it was easy to get a clear view of this blushing panicky mess of a genius.
"You're not going anywhere this time~" you purred seductively.
His brain was having a meltdown.
"I-I-I uh.....!"
He passes out.
He somewhat got used to it after a while and started to come out a bit more and talk to you during missions, though he can't look you in the eye.
He still tends to scoot away from you but stays within your peripheral vision.
That or he unsuccessfully hides behind a pillar.
"Donnie! You cannot hide that fine ass from me!" You laughed like an evil villain when you spotted him hiding from you.
He panics "N-No? I'm just c-checking if this are i-is clean!"
It was infuriating how easily you can make him lose his cool.
That doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy your pampering.
Bringing him items from your uncle's workshop for him to use.
"Wow! It's still in great condition!" Donnie looked up at you with that adorable smile of his "How can I repay you?"
You thought about it for a bit and snapped your fingers with a wink "A date would suffice~" You suggested, wiggling your eyebrows.
Cue embarrassed screeching.
"S-Stop! I hate it when you do that!"
Look at his fucking face. He's definitely trying to suppress a smile.
"Awe~! Are you blushing?"
"N-No!"
"Awww you're so cute Donnie~!"
"S-Stop it please!"
Is the type of guy that jolts to the roof when you hug him from behind.
Don't do that when he's working tho.
He's not really the type that knows how to deal with someone who's got a crush on him.
Sometimes he feels really bad by not really giving a response to your affections and rude for running away so he would would often make some trinkets for you.
You often call them as Donnie's 'Declarations of love~!'.
And oddly enough... he doesn't correct you on that.
That olive green face of his turning into a burning red hue and squirming around the corner while mumbling excuses was just absolutely adorable!
You simply couldn't get enough!
And frankly? He is kind of enjoying your attention too.
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astroluvr · 3 years
Text
i was in a mob!tom mood, so i made a mob!tom blurb.
tw: pretty vague mentions of illness and violence & im pretty sure that's it.
not a long read
I hope u enjoy, requests r wide open and im more than happy to write for u!!
------------------
"casey, are you feeling any better?" you knocked on the door of your four year old's bedroom before stepping in.
toys scattered the floor and pages that illustrated you, her, and tom decorated her bubble gum pink walls. her entire room was princess themed, her entire life really, because tom had her convinced that she was a princess and not a soul could tell her otherwise.
"i want daddy." she whined, wiping her hair from her face with a pout.
"he's in a meeting, right now. can i call him for you later?"
she coughed and shook her head. you pressed your hand to her forehead and frowned when you felt her unwavering fever. tom left to take care of a very important deal the morning of and left you with a sick child in the vast mansion.
"please?"
meanwhile, tom was all the way on the the other side of london with a gun pointed at a man's head. it wasn't enough for tom to have him on the ledge of a skyscraper above roaring waters, he needed to terrorize the man.
"didn't i tell you to have my eighty grand by tuesday?"
"holland, you've got to understand-"
"it's fucking thursday. i understand that you don't have my fucking money, that's what i understand."
"i'll have it to you by sunday, i swear."
"do you take me for an idiot or something?" he scoffed. "i fucking-" he was cut off by the buzzing of his phone and his screen was filled by an image of you holding casey in a little basket when she was four months.
"tom?" one of his men called out when he walked to the car to answer the phone.
"baby, i'm busy right now." he said in a much gentler tone than his previous one.
"i know you are, but casey came down with something and she really wants to talk to you."
"put her on then."
"hello?" his little girl's voice filled the speaker and he tried to fight to uphold his demeanor.
"hey, princess. mum says you aren't feeling too hot."
"i do feel hot. i have a fever. mama, what's it?" she turned to ask you and you and tom both chuckled.
"102."
"102." she repeated and tom poured. "can you come home, please?"
"i'm coming home, right now." he promised, already planning on ordering a billion new tutus to make up for her illness.
after an exchange of a few words and an unexpected hand of mercy towards the man, tom raced home to his daughter.
"casey?" he whispered, walking into the room where you were laying beside her with her head tucked in your side.
"she's sleeping." you looked up at him and he softened. he was so soft for you two.
tom peeled off his hot suit jacket and shoes before sitting on her other side and leaving a kiss to the crown of her head and a peck on your lips.
"thank you for coming home. i know you were busy."
"never too busy for my girls."
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aliaslua · 3 years
Text
Right to live
Chapter 02 of my on going series: In broad daylight
Chapter summary: Michelangelo has a productive therapy session after his interview. April and Casey announce their wedding and in a jealousy crisis, Donatello has his first one-night-stand. Warning: This chapter contain light smut (mature, not explicit) if you're a minor please DON'T INTERACT. TW: Trauma mention (nothing too graphic or descriptive, but it does contain a short account of a panic attack).
Michelangelo started therapy after his first panic attack.
It was - maybe - the worst night of his life. At that point in time he didn’t even knew what a trigger was - and even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to identify or anticipate his reaction. If felt like he was dying in a literal, visceral sense. It was like having a bomb growing inside his shell, the beating counting down to a heart attack, he felt his lips cold, his head heavy and the touch of Donatello’s hand in his shoulders felt cold against his skin for the first time in his life. He could still remembers his brothers calling to him and his inhuman effort to look them in the eyes, just as he gazed into the house he grew up in and didn’t recognize the color of the new floor tiles.
The rest was a blur.
Dr. Miller was April’s last effort to persuade Leo and Raph that Mikey needed professional counseling. At this point, Mikey didn't have enough will to have a strong opinion on his treatment, he didn't have the will to do anything, really. All his days were spent sleeping by day and having terrible night anxiety, followed by an earth-shattering cry until morning, when he went back to sleep.  Despite their best effort to care for and protect the younger sibling, all of his brothers knew that he had become impossible to handle - and more important than that, his emotional and physical dependency got so intense that it was perfectly clear that there was nothing they could do: Michelangelo need help, professional help.
On the first day they entered Dr. Miller’s office, April had reassured everybody she had send the therapist recent photos of Mikey and explained all his possible triggers in detail. The clinic would open two hours early so that they could have privacy and that this first encounter would include Mikey, his brothers and Sara Miller only.
Mikey was so nervous he felt like this situation alone would end up triggering his next attack: his hands were sweaty, his chest heavy and the feeling in his stomach made him realize that maybe he would throw up all those recent pizza slices. When the door to her office opened, he felt an immediate relief upon looking at her.
Sara (as he would start calling her later) was a 67 years old black woman, wearing a knitted cardigan and a puffy ponytail. She looked at him with eyes free from any king of judgment: any kind of feeling at all, actually, it was very… neutral. After gazing at him and his brothers she had smiled lightly and then calmly said:
"Good morning. I am Dr. Miller. Are you Michelangelo?" Mikey just nodded " Welcome. Please, come in.”
So he did, on that Monday morning and all the next yet to come, for two years straight.
━━━━━━ • ✿ • ━━━━━━
“Did you see the interview?” Mikey asked just as he entered her office, not even worrying about greeting Sara.
“Yes I did.” She answered with the same peaceful deep voice, unbothered by the absence of a greet “You looked very handsome.”
“I sure did!” The mutant turtle seated at the large red sofa, his body melting in the comfortable cushions, he grabbed one of the small pillows behind him and held it tight against his chest “Ugh! It was so fun!”
Sara smiled. She always gave him a kind of smile that made Mikey feel like she was the perfect embodiment of a fairytale grandma and for the first time, Michelangelo actually considered she might actually be someone else’s grandmother.
“I am glad to hear that. Did you do the exercises he practiced?”
Mikey hummed “It helped. But what really made all difference was that Leo was there. And April. Oh, April is getting married!” He announced “She and Casey told us about the engagement just after we all saw the interview air. It was a great night.” He stopped for a minute and laid his head against the couch, focusing on the abstract painting that always caught his attention since the first day he sat there, he knew his voice let out a sadness he was trying to hide. He didn’t need to pretend there.
“It was… Weird, I guess… Like, I should be happy for them, right? Casey is a nice man, he treats her right, they already have a life together, an apartment with a huge TV and an aquarium… I can’t argue with that, right? Right?” Sara didn’t answer, Michelangelo laid his head completely on the couch, staring at the sealing “She was my first love…. Or something like it. I feel so attached to her and…” He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, trying to measure all the feelings filling his chest “...I think I… Should I feel happy for her? Because I felt… Huh, I felt betrayed.”
“Do you feel resentment?” Dr. Miller finally asked, gazing calmly at him.
“Yeah, I guess… I didn’t know what I expected... and I don’t want to marry April. Not anymore, I mean. She is like a sister to me. No! It’s more than that… She’s like… I- It just.. it was all so fast! Everything is so fast right now, and she decided to announce just as the interview ended and I felt so… I felt so overshadowed!”
“You felt it was your night.”
“It WAS my night. And I don’t mean to sound selfish, you know? I just… Wished they had waited.”
Sara looked at her patient making a conscious effort to avoid giving away her own feelings, the enormous man in front her had a gloomy expression and tired eyes.
“Mikey, is not the first time you mention feeling like this.”
“Like what?”
“ Overshadowed .” She quoted him.
“Yeah… I guess it's something I’ve been feeling for a while.”
“You mentioned once that you felt… Smushed, is the word you used.”
“Yeah. Smushed between my brothers.”
“Hmm” Sara nodded “What about that?”
“Well, you know about that… They are all special in their own way. Leo is the leader, Raph is the muscle, Donnie is the genius, I am the… Comic relief?”
“You sound like you are all characters of a cartoon.”
“We look like it!” Mikey said, humorous. Sara did her best  to contain a tiny smile that formed in her cheeks.
“Well, you are your own person, Mikey. You don’t have to fulfill an imaginary role you fantasized for yourself.”
“Yeah I feel like you’re always telling me that.” He sighed “What this has to do with April?”
“You were telling me about her engagement…”
“Yeah. It was crazy… I mean, me, Leo and Raph kept it together but Donnie just… Bolted.” A nervous laugh escaped him “She told the news and he just… Left. I guess it was too much for him. You know, April was the only person we knew for so long… It was only natural to fall for her, right? She’s so nice, kind, and after the expected first meeting shock she treated us with… Dignity is the world Master Splinter likes to use... But then we all grew out of it.”
A long silence followed before he complemented:
“I guess Donnie didn’t”
━━━━━━ • ✿ • ━━━━━━
Donatello felt his feet too tight against the leather shoe and considered for the third time on that evening that maybe this was a terrible idea.
Ignoring his own better judgement, he knocked.
Alicia Ellis awakened in him two utterly contradictory and madding feelings: disgust and lust.
Many times he had tried - and succeeded- at disguising the amount of attention he paid to her body, especially since the context they first met didn’t allowed for flirtatious endeavors and despite knowing his physical body was searching it’s hormonal peak, Donatello proud himself on being utterly respectful: an effort that he felt he was making alone. Ellis never even tried to hide her indiscreet wants, playing with their encounters just enough to not be considered harassment, but clear enough to not allow ambiguity. Was that even possible? Donnie asked himself. Did it even matter now?
He felt disgusted mostly towards himself, actually, knowing full well why he had come to her apartment after that eventful night, just as the women he thought he could win over announced her engagement to the man he honestly felt he could one day surpass - pathetic, he beat himself again, cringing at the mere fact he once imagined a possible future for them, together. What a pathetic, emotional, delusional monster you are, dreaming about the pretty girl that once held your hand… And now you surrender to your most selfish desire, luring this woman who will be stupid enough to let you in.
This is going to ruin you. Was the last thing he thought before she opened the door.
She was astonishingly beautiful, with her thick luxurious wavy hair and round plump figure, pressed against a tight outfit he didn’t have enough interest to notice in detail.
“Took you long enough.” She said in a malicious tone, grabbing him by his belt. The apartment was warm, had a delicious floral smell and it was lit in subtle yellow light that mimicked candles. It was sexy, inviting and terribly scary, just like her.
This is going to ruin me . The feeling echoed towards Donnie as he willfully closed the door behind him.
It wasn’t hard for him to understand why a woman like her would take interest in being with a man like him, the internet had allowed Donnie to have a very indiscreet access to the human world - especially since people seemed really comfortable in sharing online things they wouldn’t even tell a best friend - and he knew way before they even came out to the surface that most probably wouldn’t be difficult to find someone willing to share a bed with him. Alicia was just a part of a very niche - yet not so small as one may think - group.
The thought brought him a small relief and a strike of courage that he much needed at that moment.
“I didn’t think you would come.” She said, bringing two glasses of a clear-yellow liquid. What an inappropriate move to bring a glass of white wine to a young adult not-yet-of-age , his better judgment told him as he accepted the glass, but wasn’t he 21 yet? Yes, he was... Maybe it was just judgment.
“Me neither” He answered after a sigh, too honest for his own sake.
“What changed your mind?” She mischievously asked, crossing her legs in an angle that brushed against his knee.
Donatello considered for a minute to said the truth, my heart was broken and honestly I really want to have sex, how would she respond to that? Was there a polite way of saying it? Instead, he said: “I’ve decided to change my approach on things.”
“Oh, really?” She smiled honestly “...And how’s that gonna happen?”
I will take every opportunity that life gives me, irrespective of its consequences, “I’ll stop sabotaging my wants…” He turned his body a little bit in her direction, he had planned a second sentence to follow but it seemed like he had already said all she needed to hear.
She slid her knee between his legs to climb his lap, brushing the space between the buttons of his shirt lightly. How quickly she hopped on top of him and how quickly his body responded to the feel of her warm perfumed breath against his neck. “That’s great to hear.”
It wasn’t Donatello’s first kiss but the tension of feeling the soft lips of a woman he barely knew nothing about added to the oh-so-suggestive friction of her thighs against  his zipper made it an entirely new experience. If he granted himself a moment of reason, Donnie would most likely find her too hurried and eager - but again, what was his experience in this field? Wasn’t this how the encounter should go? What else was he expecting? Independent of what his reason may have considered, the friction of her palms against the now prominent bulge in his pants added to the delicious sounds coming from her throat made every single indecision go away.
He felt his head light and dizzy as their tongues danced against each other and the urge to feel relief made him bold. She answered the squeeze he gave her bottom with an audible moan that gave Donatello’s stomach a cold wave of shock along with the first visible stain in between his paints. She felt the thickness of his fluid against the fabric and smiled against his lips.
“Such a passionate… response.” She said in what sounded like a performative tone - well, she was a journalist.
He took her incentive and slide her tube dress above her ass, stoking it as he lowered his lips to her neck. Her skin was soft and the way it reacted to his mouth - the small flinches of her body and the building pressure between his legs could only compare to the amazing feeling of her silk soft thigh skin. She used her hands to guide his head further down, lowering the piece of garment herself, he instinctively took one of her nipples in his mouth, enjoying the contrast between the soft skin of her breasts and the beaded texture of her nipples.
When Alicia laid her body against him on the couch, he followed her moves and felt the soft pillow against his head, the discreet but unmistakable sound of his zipper being opened followed by her stocked gasp at his member followed by “Oh I’m gonna have fun tonight!”. Donatello held her waist closer to his own, trying to reach her lips again, wondering if he could say the same. The warmth between her legs and the delicious feeling that jolted through his body and she aligned him to her entry - and the irresistible pleasure of feeling his tip tease her plump lips - made him think that the most likely answer was yes .
...And what an unnecessary concern the wine proved to be: he didn’t even get to drink it.
━━━━━━ • ✿ • ━━━━━━
“...you know, Raph made a friend.” Mikey had stood on his feet and now looked through the squared window. He had a regular habit of standing up during the sessions, usually as they were reaching the middle of the appointment. Sara it wrote down anyway, before adding:
“Really?”
Mikey hummed “...It’s a complicated story - but he left to buy a bear, this old man didn’t want to sell it to him, so he got really angry, so someone threatened to call the police, so he started to freak out and then this… girl appeared!”  He was switching his body height between his legs “Clara. What a name! Heh- I don’t get to say that, huh? Well, her name was Clara and he said she looked like an anime version of a character from Fresh prince of bel air … Can you imagine?” He turned to look at her. Sara just nodded.
“Wanna hear some really crazy stuff? Raph told me that they were talking and she told him she saw my interview… and she said she was in love with me!” He offered his therapist an incredulous happy smile “ME! Can you believe it?”
Sara hummed and made another note.
“I know she was kidding, I don’t think she loves me. But saying it like this sounds like… Like I am a celebrity! Like she would like to know me… Like…”
“Like you have been seen.”
“HELL YEAH!” He exclaimed, sitting down on the couch again grabbing his trust-worthy pillow “... And that sucker didn’t even got her number…” A deep sigh followed silence. Very discreetly, Dr. Miller checked her watch.
“It doesn’t matter, really, it just made me realize… That I wished I had someone…”
More silence.
“-I know I already have someone, if that's what you’re gonna say… I know my brothers are my care net and that I have friends and confidants, and bla bla bla”.
“Well I wasn’t going to…” She said peacefully.
“ I want… A lover . Someone to be my special one. Someone to cherish and spoil and share my life with! Someone who can say they’re in love with me… For real.”
More deep silence.
“... And why don’t you?” She finally prompted. Michelangelo turned to look at her with a impatient expression:
“Are you kiddin’ me?”
“I am definitely not.”
“You can’t be that cynical!”
“I am not.”
“Sara…” He sighed uneasily “... not this again.” she heard pain in his words.
“You have the right to live, Mikey.” She gazed at him with the same kind eyes, letting her strong words get to him “...Just like anyone else.”
This time, that was an anxious silence. Michelangelo rubbed his hands together as if he was facing a cold storm “What if it happens again?”
“Then you will do what we practiced.” She waited for an answer that didn’t come “... Do you wanna remember it once again with me?”
He simply nodded.
“I am more…” She started.
“...than people perceive me.”
“I’ve the right…”
“...to occupy space.”
“No one…”
“No one can deny me my right to live.”
“That was great, Mikey.” Dr. Miller said kindly.
He squeezed the tears away from his eyes, not even realizing they were there. “...Yeah… Yeah, it was.”
━━━━━━ • ✿ • ━━━━━━
It was certainly.... Memorable , Donatello thought, staring at his brand new shoes as they made the path back to the lair. How was it again that he found himself in that situation? That sad looking, empty feeling, walk-of-shame. Oh, yeah, Alicia Ellis.
Something felt terrible wrong about that whole endeavor. He tried to think about the details, to analyze the facts: it has been clearly consensual, sober, communicative sex. So why did he feel like some part of him had been left behind in that apartment? Was it his clear shyness when they finally consumed the act or her generous overlook at his even clearer lack of experience? Had him fail his mission? Factually not! He performed… Fine - it was hard to measure, but she seemed pleased enough. He was also pleased… Physically, at least.
So why did he feel so… Empty?
He walked among the streets of New York without the concern his older brother seemed to carry. Donatello was always really good at not carrying - just as he was good at carrying too much . Oh, yes, his overthinking nature was still going to kill him, no matter how hard he tried to pretend like it didn’t matter at all.
Nothing mattered, everything mattered. What a contradictory and childish state of mind. Could he ever find balance? Would he ever be able to take risks and still be prudent? To be disappointed and not lose all faith? To love deeply and move over from it, stronger and ready to love again? Did he ever truly love her ?
He remembered her ring shining against the light, mocking his defeat. A zirconium, Casey Jones…  Can’t even buy her a real diamond . He muttered to himself and the night, kicking a small rock in the path.
The worst part, the real strike of the devil - was the fact that she looked immensely happy. Heartbreakingly happy. And there was nothing, nothing in this world that Donnie could think that could justify taking this away from her - not even the fantasy that she could be happier.
He took a deep breath and grabbed the keys in his pocket. That was no way out of it: we would have to get over her. At least now he knew that running away to unknown women’s homes was not a viable solution.
39 notes · View notes
dirtykpopsnaps · 3 years
Text
Soulmates — Kim Taehyung (soulmate au)
Tumblr media
Warnings: None
Contains: Cute soulmates!Tae and Y/N meeting each other
Requested: no
Words: 7, 395 (holy SHIT. I DID NOT EXPECT THIS TO BE SO LONG. But, uh...😳😅)
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The sunlight slowly makes it’s way into my room, spreading across the floor of my bedroom. The sound of my alarm is the first thing wake me up. Groaning softly, I pick up my phone and turn off the alarm, flopping back in bed. Sighing, I open my eyes and stare up at the ceiling. “Do I have to get up? Is work that important?” I ask myself. Finally, I let out another defeated sigh and climb out of bed, walking into the bathroom.
All around me, the house is quiet. I’m fairly sure that my family is asleep, other than one of my parents. I can hear someone down in the kitchen making breakfast. I go into the bathroom and close the door, turning toward the mirror. As soon as I catch sight of my reflection, my stomach drops and I groan loudly, dropping my face into my hands. “What. Is it. With. You. Dying. Your hair?!” I groan, pulling at my hair and cursing my soulmate. Normally, my hair is a nice, pretty Y/H/C. I like it like that. But, then...there’s my soulmate attachment.
You see, in this world, everyone has what is called a “soulmate attachment”. Some people see in black and white until they meet their soulmate. Other people see words that their soulmate writes on their skin. Some have the date that they’ll meet written at their wrist. Mine, on the other hand, is a hair color soulmate attachment. Since the day I was born, I’ve had a large stripe of hair that shows the color of my soulmate’s hair is. For a while, everything was normal. It was black and I liked it like that. Then, right around 2013 or 2014...it started changing every. other. month. At first, it was dirty blonde. That was okay. Then, it was a purpley-brown...I can deal with that. Then, one day, I woke up and it was bright. orange.
At this point, I should be used to it. My soulmate dyes his hair a lot, but...why such random colors? The weirdest day was when I woke up and, for whatever reason, it was half blonde, half pink. I nearly ripped the stripe of hair out. Now, at least the strip is a normal color. The strip of hair is a dark brown, verging slightly on black. I shake my head and sigh, pulling my fingers through my hair. “Just...Just why? I just wanna know why,” I sigh, deciding to ignore it and continue with my day.
Quickly, I go through my routine in the bathroom, then go back to my room. I pull on my work clothes, pulling my apron overtop of the plain t-shirt and work pants. The logo of the catering service I work for is splattered across the front of the apron. Once I’m ready, I head downstairs to grab some breakfast before I have to leave.
When I enter the kitchen, my mom looks over her shoulder and chuckles at me. “I see your soulmate is at it again,” she laughs. I roll my eyes, grabbing a plate from our cabinet.
“Ha ha, very funny. Yes. He dyed his hair again. And I swear I’m gonna murder him for putting me through this once I finally meet this guy,” I huff. Mom calmly tips some scrambled eggs onto my plate and I put my bread in the toaster. She just chuckles again, shaking her head.
“No, you won’t. You’ll be too in love as soon as you see him,” she smiles.
“Mhm, we’ll see how it plays out,” I say sarcastically.
I eat my breakfast calmly, thanking my soulmate silently for not dying his hair another strange color. My boss almost strangled me when I came into work with a stripe of bright blue hair about a year ago. I had to quickly explain that it was my soulmate attachment while trying to avoid his outstretched hands. I mean, there’s not much I can do about the fact that my soulmate dyes his hair weird colors. I’ve just gotta deal with it.
Calmly, I eat the food on my plate. When I’m finished, I drop my plate in the sink and hurriedly kiss my mom on the cheek. “Alright, I’m heading out. Tell Dad and Casey that I love them when they wake up,” I tell her, slipping on my work shoes.
“Will do, sweetheart. Have a good day. Hope this big job goes well!” She responds. I smile and thank her before grabbing my necessary things (ex: keys, phone, wallet, etc.), shoving them into my bag and hurrying out the door.
The drive into work is fairly easy. My work is located in a big building on Main Street and there’s literally no way to miss it. When I get there, I park in the employee’s lot out back and head inside. As always, the shop is very busy. Technically, I double as a caterer and baker. The bakery that I work at is very well known around our town and has won a bunch of awards. We’re always super busy, especially around holidays when the owner makes holiday themed snacks and treats. His peppermint peanut brittle is to *die* for.
I walk into the building and hang my bag on the hook, making sure that everything is there before I enter the bakery. I nod my head once and push open the double doors into the bakery. Already, workers are walking back and forth to give our orders. Several of the booths at the front of the shop are filled with chattering customers. At the cash register, the owner Eli (read like Ellie) turns to me. He smiles softly when he sees my hair. “I see you dyed your hair again,” he chuckles. I narrow my eyes and step up beside him to help with customers.
“The changing hair color is not my decision, El,” I remind him.
“Oh, I know. It’s just funny how frustrated it makes you,” he laughs. I roll my eyes and look at the customer before me.
The man before me is tall and lean with wide shoulders. His hair is hidden under a baseball cap, but I can just see the edges of sandy blonde-grey hair, cut short at the sides. He has a pair of dark sunglasses precariously perched on the edge of his nose. “How can I help you?” I ask sweetly, folding my hands.
“I’m here for a pick up for Kim? Should be a bunch of different bagels,” he tells me. He speaks perfect English, but there’s a slight accent to his voice that tells me he’s not from around here. I nod my head lightly and turn to look through the takeout orders.
Quickly, I’m able to find the large bag of bagels and hand it to him. “Also, I have a catering request set for today. Do I need to come pick that up, or...?” He trails off. I shake my head lightly.
“Oh, no, no. We’ll bring the catering to your event, but thank you for asking,” I smile. I carefully hand him the bag of bagels and make sure that he has a good hold on it before letting go. The man pays for the bagels and turns around, walking out onto the street silently. I watch him as he walks out, tilting my head to see him as he walks away. Eli comes turns to me and raises an eyebrow.
“Well, that was odd. It’s barely 8 in the morning and he was wearing sunglasses,” he points out.
“Yeah...that was a bit strange, but whatever. We need to work,” I say.
No customers are at my counter, so I begin filling the display case again. Eli has an odd way of forgetting to refill the display case at the end of the day. If I don’t do it, soon enough we won’t have a display of any of the baked goods or products that we have. When he sees me filling the case, Eli shoots me an apologetic smile and I just shake my head, laughing lightly.
For the most part, the morning is fairly normal. We get our regular customers coming in before work and even talk to some of them. I walk around the shop to clean off tables once customers leave. Eli and I have short conversations between customers, talking about random little things. Around 9:30, a few of the other workers come in. Eli pulls Garrett over and talks to him. “Okay, Garrett, you’re in charge for now. Y/N and I need to take some of the other workers and deliver to this catering gig, okay?” He says. Garrett nods his head and Eli shoots him a bright smile.
Soon after, Eli and I have gathered a small collection of the other workers, including some from the kitchen. Catering is always a big job, especially for our little bakery, and this was a *very* big catering job. As we all get into the delivery trucks, Eli explains that it’s for some sort of concert. A really popular group that’s been all around the world and have a stop here on their tour. However, it doesn’t fully settle in what he means until we pull up to the stadium where they’re playing. My jaw drops as I look around at everything. Although I’ve been to this stadium before for concerts, seeing it empty makes it seem so much bigger. Seats are scattered everywhere and rise up in a semi-circle around the center stage, which is also a lot bigger than I expected. All of it seems so ginormous.
As I look at the size of the stadium, Eli steps away. I see him walk up to a fidgety man holding a large list of some sort. He strikes up a short conversation with the man and, after a couple moments, the man gives him directions and points towards the large curtains hiding the backstage. Eli raises his hand in thanks and walks back over, leading me towards the catering trucks with a hand on my back. “So, what was that about?” I ask, looking up at him.
“Just asking where we should the baskets and plates. He said he wants them scattered around for the members of the group and the stagehands and such. Also said we should probably put a good amount of food in the dressing room,” he tells me. I nod my head, then a question pops into my mind.
“Hey, El? Who is this for? The stadium is so huge and I’m not even sure who we’re catering for,” I chuckle. He shoots me a kind smile.
“Like I said, they’re a pretty big group. B...B...B-something. I can’t quite remember. They’re a k-pop group,” he says. I nod my head lightly and we finally arrive back at the catering truck.
Without much talking between us, Eli and I begin to unpack the tables first. Obviously, we need the tables to be set up before we can start putting the food on them. The tables are foldable ones that you might use for a picnic, so Eli and I carry them back one by one. When we’re about to start setting them up, the man I saw Eli with comes backstage again. Eli explains that it’s the group’s manager. The manager directs us to set up the tables against a far wall that has minimal decorations. Eli and I start to set up the tables, making sure that they’re sturdy enough to hold all the food that will be placed on top.
After the tables, the tablesclothd are easy to put on. Just throw them over the tables and make sure that they hang nicely and you’re set. Finally, we start bringing in the food. From what I can see as we unpack the truck, it looks like these people ordered about everything that our shop makes, and several plates of each. There’s sandwiches and breads, bagels and rolls. There’s salads and fruit bowls, and even some of the sweets and confections that we’re known for. Slowly, we take back the plates one by one and set them on the tables.
After I’ve taken back about five plates and bowls of randomly assorted foods, Eli stops me from getting more. “Okay, Y/N, I want you to take these next foods back to the dressing room. Fair warning, you’re going to be taking back a lot of food. The manager said most of the food should be in the dressing room at the back of the stadium. There should be a sign on the door,” he tells me. Eli unpacks one of the large, catering carts and starts packing plates and bowls on top of it. When the cart can’t hold any more food and I’m worried I might not be able to push it, he stops and looks at me again. “You’ll still have to come back for more,” he says, biting his lip and looking at everything. I just wave him off lightly.
“I’ve got it, El. I can do this,” I reassure him.
Calmly, I ask directions to the dressing room and Eli points me in the right direction. Slowly as to make sure that nothing falls off of the cart, I make my way back to the dressing room. As I get further into the stadium, I see less and less people bustling around. I make my way down a corridor with posters of the groups that have played here hung up on the wall. At the very end of this hallway, a large door is closed and I can already hear talking behind it. On the door, a big sign reads “BTS”. Hmm...so, that’s their name.
Shrugging to myself, I twist the doorknob and open up the door. Inside, the room is even bigger than it looks from the outside. It’s absolutely *huge* and it’s a good thing that it is. The room is filled with racks of clothes, stacks of shoes, makeup chairs and vanity tables, and several other assortments of objects. Two couches are pressed against the wall and several people are seated atop them. All of the people in the room are guys, all apparently waiting for someone or something. “Can we help you?” Someone asks. I look up and instantly feel slightly more comforted for whatever reason. Standing up from the couch is the man from this morning, although he’s ditched his baseball cap and sunglasses.
For a few seconds, I just stare at him. “Uh, sorry, sorry. Catering?” I say, smiling nervously and gesturing to the cart. The man lets out a slight chuckle and nods his head.
“Um, yeah...I can see that,” he laughs. Looking around the room, I internally groan. There’s no tables set up back here. I shake my head at Eli’s forgetfulness and curse myself for not asking. “Is something wrong?” The man questions. I shake my head at him.
“Oh, no, just was a little dumb. I forgot to bring back some tables for the food and stuff, so...I’ll be back,” I say slowly.
Without hesitation, I turn back around and make my way back to the catering truck. Eli is still unpacking foods and he gives me a confused look when I come back with all the food still on the cart. “Eli...did you seriously forget to tell me that you hadn’t taken back tables yet?” I ask, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“Dang it, knew there was something I forgot,” he groans, snapping his fingers in annoyance. He starts pulling tables out of the truck again and I get another cart for the tables. When the cart is full, i put some tablecloths on top and push it back to the dressing room again.
This time, the walk to the dressing room doesn’t seem as long. I’m at the room again in no time and open the door, pushing the cart inside. All the boys are still gathered inside, but now there are a couple women, as well. Two of the men are seated in chairs and the women are applying makeup to their faces. I pay little attention to much else and start taking the tables off the cart. “Do you need some help?” Someone asks. I gasp loudly and throw my hands up, covering my face. Immediately after, I drop them and grab my heart.
“Oh, Lord, you just scared me half to death,” I laugh breathlessly, clutching at my chest. This new man is also fairly tall. Even with his t-shirt on, I can see bulging muscles all along his arms. I raise my eyebrows in surprise, but look up into his sweet, brown eyes again.
“Do you need some help?” He asks again, nodding towards the tables. I look at them then back up at him.
“I mean...it wouldn’t hurt, but aren’t you busy?” I ask in confusion. He shrugs off the question and takes some of the tables off of the cart.
“Hobi, Tae, some help?” The man asks.
Getting up from the couch, the two new men grumble softly. “You ask if she needs help and then expect us to help you, typical,” the one man, Tae, grumbles. The first man rolls his eyes lightly at them, but they all start helping me with the tables. I set up some of the tables and the help from the three men is very nice. Setting up all these tables by myself would have been interesting. When all the tables are set up, I set out the tablecloths and nod my head. “Okay, I will be back with the food cart in a second,” I tell them. The first man nods his head lightly and I shoot him a soft smile, leaving the room again.
Back and forth, I travel with the carts of food and confections. As soon as I entered the dressing room with the plates of sandwiches and fruit bowls, all the men got up and started grabbing food. I laugh lightly and make sure to remind myself to grab another few plates of sandwiches and maybe another bowl of fruit. I between my travels, I have small conversations with the group of men. They all seem rather nice and ask me random questions as I work, putting the food on the tables. I ask them a few questions in return. A little awkwardly, I do admit that I’ve never heard of them before, but they simply laugh off my awkwardness and say that it’s alright. “If you want to hear our music, all you have to do is look us up on YouTube,” Jimin, a man with light brown hair, tells me. I nod my head lightly at him.
“Alright. I need to go grab some more plates of food because, wow, you’ve already eaten most of the sandwiches and fruit, but I’ll be back. Why don’t you pick something for me to hear when I’m back?” I suggest. Jimin’s face lights up with an adorable smile.
“What do you wanna hear? We have a lot of music,” he says.
Leaning against the cart lightly, I look back at him. “Tell me some of the names,” I say.
“Well, there’s Life Goes On, Dynamite, Mikrokosmos, Boy With Luv,” he starts, listing off random names of different songs. Finally, I just decide on a random song that he mentioned.
“Why don’t you play...Idol? That sounds interesting,” I say. He nods his head once and immediately grabs his phone off the couch. I leave the room again and go back to the truck for more sandwich plates and fruit. Eli’s eyebrows shoot into his hairline when he sees me come back.
“More food?!” He asks in shock. I nod my head, giving him wide eyes.
“There’s seven of them, and they’ve eaten through most of the sandwiches and fruit,” I tell him. He immediately heads into the truck and gets me more plates and bowls. I put the plates and bowls onto the cart and take them back to the dressing room yet again.
When I arrive, I push open the door again and start putting the plates and bowls on the tables. Jimin jumps off the couch and trots over happily, holding his phone out to me. He taps on the video and it begins with the sounds of little bubbles. I giggle lightly at it and how adorable it seems. Jimin chuckles at my little giggle and leads me over to the couch. I sit on the floor in front of the couch and feel several of the members gather around me to watch.
To be honest, the video is very interesting. There’s lots of color and lots of things going on in the video. The music is a very upbeat and interesting song and I actually really like it. However, about a minute and a half through the song, my mouth goes completely dry. On the screen, the member Tae is playing around and singing and just having fun. However, it’s the color of his hair that made my mouth go dry. His hair is *half blonde, half pink*. Immediately I stop the video and stare up at them. “When was this? When did this video come out?” I ask, my voice shaking as my heart rate skyrockets. All of the members give me very confused looks, looking around at each other.
“Um...2018? Yeah, the later months of 2018,” Jimin nods, looking around at everyone else for confirmation. I stare down at the paused video, then up at them again.
“Has...has it seriously been that long?” I ask, my voice quiet in shock. They all give me slightly nervous looks.
“Been that long since...what?” Hobi asks.
“Who...who had the pink and blonde hair? Who is this?” I ask, pointing at the man on the paused screen, just to be sure that I’m right.
Slowly, Tae raises his hand, nervousness written all over his face. I look up at him in shock, almost too amazed to believe it. “I...wow...you’re...you’re my soulmate!” I say in amazement. Immediately, his eyebrows knit in confusion and they all look at me like I’m crazy. “No, no, I can prove it! Look, my hair! I have a hair color soulmate attachment,” I say, picking up the stripe of mismatch hair. All their eyes land on the stripe and they look between Tae and I in shock.
“And...you’re sure I’m your soulmate?” He asks, his voice soft and just as amazed as mine.
“I...how many people have blonde and pink hair at the same time?! But, my stripe of hair changes all the time. I started changing around 2013, maybe 2014 and every few months it changes colors,” I explain.
“What kind of colors has it been?” Namjoon, the man from the bakery this morning, asks calmly.
“Well...all sorts! It’s been purple, it’s been orange, it’s been this like minty green, it’s been blood red. Over a year ago, early April of 2019 I guess, I woke up and it was this bright blue!” I say, listing off just a few colors that it’s been. They all burst into laughter, watching as Tae’s face goes red and he joins their laughter.
“So, you don’t really dye your hair, do you?” He asks, moving aside his hair and letting a stripe of Y/H/C hair stick out a little further than the rest. I giggle lightly, smiling up at him widely.
“Well, honestly, I don’t have to! You dye your hair enough for both of us!” More fits of laughter follow this.
Then, a thought hits me and I lean back against the couch, laughing loudly. “Oh, my God, I’m so happy. I feel so...relieved,” I giggle.
“Relieved?” Tae laughs, his eyes lighting up with that bright smile.
“Yes, relieved! With how much you dye your hair, I was worried your hair was gonna be, like, completely dead! And, honestly, please rest up on the hair dying. You have no idea how many people have commented on it at my work,” I giggle. He throws his hand up in defense, laughing loudly.
“It’s not my fault, I swear! I have to do it for work and stuff,” he laughs. I shake my head at him, finally letting my laughter die down.
“Well, tell them to stop then! This thing has been a pain in the ass ever since you started dying your hair!” I say, pointing at the stripe again. Tae shakes his head at me, a large smile covering his face.
Suddenly, I hear a knock at the door. Namjoon walks over and opens it up, peering out. I hear some talking, then Namjoon pops his head back into the room. “Uh, Y/N? Someone’s here for you,” he says, looking back at me. He opens the door a little more and Eli sticks his head inside.
“Y/N, have you been here the whole time? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” He exclaims. I blush lightly, still unable to wipe the smile from my face.
“Sorry, sir. They’ve been having a little moment,” Jimin chuckles, looking between Tae and I. Eli knits his eyebrows together and I smile over at Tae, then look back at my boss.
“So, uh, Eli...meet my soulmate,” I giggle, gesturing towards Tae.
Jokingly, Tae strikes a silly pose and Eli just stares at him in shock, then looks back at me. “Oh, you’re kidding,” he laughs, a smile stretching across his face. I shake my head, smiling back at him.
“Nope, this is my soulmate!” I giggle excitedly. Eli smiles at him and walks up to Tae, shaking his hand happily.
“You’re a very lucky man,” Eli chuckles. Tae smiles brightly, looking at me again.
“I bet I am,” he says. I feel another blush stretching across my cheeks and hide my face in my hands, giggling.
“Well, I’m sorry, but I need to take her back to work,” Eli explains. Tae’s smile drops and he pouts adorably at Eli.
“Already?” He asks, sadness creeping into his voice. Eli nods his head softly.
“Afraid so. We still have to get back to the bakery and work a little before locking up.” Tae hangs his head, but then gets up from the couch and smiles again.
“I’ll walk you out,” he suggests.
Calmly, I stand up from the floor and say goodbye to all of the boys. “Well, it’s not *really* goodbye. You’ll be seeing us a lot more,” Hobi points out, smiling cheekily. I nod my head lightly.
“That I will,” I giggle. I hug all of the boys goodbye, then we finally leave the dressing room and make our way back to the catering truck. As we walk down the hall, Tae calmly slips his hand into mine and intertwines our fingers. I giggle again, leaning into his side happily. Eli just shakes his head at us, but he’s unable to wipe the smile from his face.
When we get to the catering truck, Tae lets go of my hand and pulls out his phone. I pull out mine, as well, knowing exactly what he’s doing. Quickly, we exchange numbers, then I slip my phone back into my pocket. “So...are you doing anything tonight?” He asks, looking down at me. I shake my head lightly at him. To be honest, my ‘plans’ had been to sit inside at my house and watch a movie or two, maybe binge a show with my family. A huge smile lights up his face. “Well, why don’t you come back for the concert tonight? I can get you backstage afterward and we can hang out and talk,” he suggests.
“You...You can do that so last minute?” I ask in surprise. He just shrugs his shoulders lightly.
“I’m pretty sure I can. I mean, you’re my soulmate, there has to be an exception,” he explains. I nod my head at him happily. I feel like my heart is absolutely soaring and yet it’s still beating wildly inside my chest.
“I’d really like that, Tae. I’ll be there,” I tell him.
“Awesome! Can’t wait to see you tonight,” he smiles. He reaches out and squeezes my hand once more before I get into the catering truck again.
Eli drives out of the stadium parking lot and back towards the bakery. At a red light, he looks towards me. “So...fun day, huh?” He chuckles. I nod my head happily, my hands folded in my lap.
“Uh, yeah...you could call it that,” I giggle, tucking the stripe of dark hair behind my ear.
“But...if I recall correctly, I thought you always said you would murder him once you found your soulmate,” he jokes. I blush again, hiding my face and laughing loudly.
“Don’t hold me to my word, Eli. He’s too cute to kill. I couldn’t do it,” I giggle. The rest of the ride back to the bakery is filled with bits of conversation and laughter. Eli makes me relay the whole story to how I found out.
Finally, we make it back to the bakery. We park the truck out back and head inside to finish with customers and then lock up. For the last hour or so of work, my mind is so full that I can’t think of anything but Tae. My whole body feels like it’s floating and I can barely even process what’s going on around me. I’m just so...happy! Whenever any of my co-workers try to talk to me, I can’t focus on what they’re asking me. Eventually, Eli has to jump in and explain that I’m a little out of it and he asks them what’s up. I’m still working with customers as much as I can, but it’s almost like my body is on autopilot and doing everything on it’s own. All I can think is ‘Tae. Tae. Tae. Tae.’ and about the concert tonight.
As we close up the shop, I quickly send a message to my mom and tell her about the concert tonight. I don’t need to wait long for a message back from her.
From Mom❤️🥰: That’s great, sweetheart! And of course you can go! But, as soon as you get back from the concert, I want to hear all about it. And you had better get a picture with that man!
To Mom❤️🥰: You know I will, mom😊 Love you and thanks!
I slip my phone into my back pocket again and finish cleaning off the tables around the bakery. When I’m done, I throw the cleaning rag into our collection of rags that need to be washed and find Eli again. “Okay, I’m gonna head out, El,” I tell him. He nods his head and looks over at me.
“I expect to hear all about how the concert and everything goes,” he says, pointing a finger at me. I salute him jokingly and head into the back to grab my bag off the hook.
I head out the back door and get into my car, driving home. As I drive, I try to clear my mind of Tae and think as clearly as possible. I really don’t need to end up in the hospital on the day that I *finally* met my soulmate. Although the drive home has always seemed really short, it feels like it takes forever today. It’s hard to keep my mind focused on driving and I keep finding myself slipping back into thinking of Tae and what he looks like.
After what feels like an *eternity*, I finally get home and climb out of my car. It seems that the rest of my family is already home, so I call out that I’m back. However, I don’t wait for a response and immediately run up to my room and start looking through my closet. Of course, when I finally meet my soulmate, he sees me in my gross work apron, plain t-shirt, and work pants. I want to make a good impression on him and the first thing he sees me in is my goddamn *work clothes* Ugh. I shift through my closet, looking for anything that could make a really cute outfit for the concert. I want him to see my true style, so I decide on something that’s fairly simple. The outfit consists of a black and white striped t-shirt, ripped black jeans, plain white shoes, and a faded jean jacket. I pull the outfit on and look in the mirror, nodding happily at my reflection. My hair is a little messy, but there’s not much I can do about that. My hair is *always* messy.
Suddenly, I hear a soft buzz from my work pants. I grab my phone out of my pocket and a smile stretches across my face.
From Tae😊: The concert starts around 8. You should probably be here around 6:30 or 7.
To Tae😊: Okay, thanks for telling me! Can’t wait to see you again!
Quickly, I check the time and sigh in relief. It’s only 5:30, so I walk downstairs and search around the kitchen for some food for dinner. I haven’t eaten since this morning and I’m absolutely starving.
As I search for food, I hear someone come up behind me. “So...what’s he like?” My mom asks, her voice full of giddiness. I spin around and smile widely at her.
“He’s absolutely amazing! He’s so sweet and adorable and cute and I literally had such a nice time, yet I barely even spoke to him until right before I had to leave,” I laugh.
“Well, do you have a picture?!” She squeals. I shake my head lightly, then correct myself.
“I don’t have one of us together, but he’s a part of the group that we were catering for today, so I could definitely find a photo of him online,” I say.
Quickly, I whip out my phone and go to the search engine, searching up ‘Tae BTS’. My phone immediately floods with results and I go to the pictures, picking one that looks really good. I pick this picture
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And turn my phone to my mom to show her. For a few seconds, she just looks at the picture, then she looks up at me in shock. “Oh, my gosh...” she says, her jaw hanging open.
“I know, right?! Isn’t he absolutely precious?!” I say excitedly, taking my phone back and putting it in my pocket. Mom pulls me into a big hug and squeals again.
“I’m so happy for you, sweetheart! This is amazing!” She says excitedly.
For the next hour or so, Mom and I talk excitedly about Tae. Since I have a bit of time, I tell her the story while I eat a small cup of mac and cheese. Yes, I know, not the greatest dinner, but it works, okay? She makes me tell her everything that happened and how exactly I knew he was my soulmate. I show her the music video of Idol and stop at the exact place that I had that day. She starts laughing as soon as she realizes what made me realize he was my soulmate. “Oh, my gosh, the pink and blonde hair,” she laughs. I smile, laughing along with her.
“Who knew that that hair color would be so helpful to me?” I giggle.
After a while, I check the time and nearly jump out of my seat. “Oh, I should be going! Tae said I should be there around 6:30,” I say. My mom hurried me out of the kitchen as I start grabbing my phone, keys, and license again. I shove the things into my bag from earlier and kiss Mom’s cheek lightly before I head out the door. On the drive to the stadium, my hands are shaking in excitement. It’s significantly harder to clear my mind again, but I’m able to make it to the stadium without a problem.
When I drive up, I’m not surprised to see the stadium entrances overflowing with fans. The atmosphere is so exciting and happy, and there’s chattering coming from every direction. As soon as I’m out of the car, I grab my bag and text Tae.
To Tae😊: What should I do? I’m here.
The response comes seconds later.
From Tae😊: I’ll send someone out to get you. Stand by the ticket checker and a security guard will come get and bring you to your seat.
Calmly, I read the message and walk towards the ticket checker’s booth. Just as I get to the booth, I see a large man dressed in all black come up to the booth, as well. He looks around for a few seconds before he spots me and gestures me forward. I come up to the booth and the guard shows the vendor my ticket. The vendor checks it and nods his head lightly, then the security guard ushers me forward. I’m shown into the stadium and taken through the crowds of people buying merchandise. I feel a bit upset that I can’t buy any myself, but then I’m reminded of why I’m here and my spirits soar again.
The guard leads me through the crowds of people and into the stadium seating. Slowly, we weave our way through the seats until we’re right at the edge of the stage. I have to crane my neck up to see the stage a bit, but I couldn’t care less. I thank the guard happily and sit down in the seat that the guard showed me. He nods his head once and walks backstage again. For a while, I just sit in my seat and wait as everyone slowly starts filing into their seats, as well. I feel my phone buzz and pick it up. It’s a message from Tae.
From Tae😊: Look at the left curtain😁
I lean to the side a bit so I can see the left curtain and smile widely when I see him poking his head out. He smiles widely at me and waves, and I return the gesture. However, as more people begin filling in the seats around me, I wave him off and he pops his head out of view again.
About half an hour later, everyone has filled their seats and we’re waiting for the concert to begin. To be honest...this has got to be one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. There’s so much going on and everyone is having so much fun. True, I get some judgmental side glances from the people in the seats around me, mostly because I obviously don’t have money like they do, but I don’t care. The music is great, the energy is high, and everything is amazing. My spirit soars again when Tae comes on stage and immediately makes eye contact with me. He shoots me a bright, energetic smile and, throughout the concert, he points me out to the other members. I get little smiles and waves from each of them throughout the concert, though it’s obvious that they’re trying not to bring too much attention to me. I also can’t help giggling to myself when the other members have to keep telling Tae to focus on the concert and not on me.
When the concert finally comes to an end and everyone starts packing up their merchandise and things, I stay in my seat. Again, I get some judgmental looks from the people around me and they roll their eyes, scoffing. However, no one mentions my odd behavior and just lets me go. Soon enough, I’m the only person left in the area. A few moments later, the same security guard who brought me here comes out from backstage again and leads me backstage with him. I’m lead backstage and we weave between workers bustling around and cleaning up the stage. He walks me up to the dressing room and opens the door, gesturing me inside.
Calmly, I thank him and send him a soft smile before entering. As soon as I enter the room, I’m tackled by something that is very large and sweaty. I’m nearly knocked right off my feet and I scrunch up my nose at the offensive smell. I don’t even have to think about who this could be. “Taaaae,” I whine, pushing him off, “go take a shower. You smell gross.” He scoffs at me, leaning back and giving me a mocking offended look.
“I want to shower you in love and attention, and you tell me to go shower. Rude,” he pouts.
“You literally just did an almost two hour show. You were dancing and singing under very bright lights. You are sweaty and you smell disgusting. Go shower!” I giggle, pouting toward what I assume is the bathroom door. He sticks out his tongue at me childishly and I repeat the gesture. Finally, he just sighs and turns around, walking towards the bathroom.
“But, as soon as I get out, we’re talking and cuddling, got it?” He says, pointing a finger at me.
“Got it. Cuddles and talking,” I repeat.
Tae heads into the bathroom and a few moments later, I hear a shower turn on. There’s a soft sigh from across the room. “Great...now we have two of Tae to deal with,” one member, Yoongi, sighs defeatedly. The other members chuckle lightly. I flash him a sweet smile and he just rolls his eyes. “I can’t say ‘no’ to him, and if it that says anything, I probably won’t be able to say ‘no’ to you, either,” he frowns.
“Oh, give up the fake annoyance, grandpa. You know you already love her,” Jimin jokes, pushing Yoongi’s shoulder lightly.
“Just because she’s just as adorable as him doesn’t mean I already love her,” he stares, crossing his arms. Jimin gives him a skeptical look and Yoongi sighs lightly.
“Fine, yes, okay. She’s just as adorable as him, and I probably already adore her. Let me hate that I can’t say ‘no’ to them for five minutes.”
“...if it’s any help, you’re pretty adorable, too,” I say, smiling cheekily at him. He narrows his eyes at me, huffing.
Calmly, I sit down on the couch and strike up a conversation with the other members. It’s only about 15 minutes later or so that Tae comes out of the shower. He has just a towel wrapped around his hips and my eyes nearly pop out of my head. GodDAMN am I lucky. His muscles are sculpted to perfection and my jaw nearly falls to the ground. My soulmate is a fucking Greek god, holy shit. The whole room fills with fits of laughter and I hide my face in my hands as it starts heating up again. Peeking through my fingers, I watch as Tae pulls on some clothes from a bag against the wall. The clothes are a simple, plain white t-shirt and some plaid pajama pants. Like, that’s a normal outfit, but also...good God, my soulmate is too hot. The t-shirt clings to his arms deliciously and the pajama pants stretch over his thick thighs. My mind almost short circuits as I look at him.
Thankfully, my mind is pulled away from those thoughts as that same heavy weight lays on top of me again. I laugh loudly, trying to shift underneath himself and yet still unable to breath. “Tae, I literally can’t breathe,” I laugh. He shifts his body more into the couch instead of me and I sigh, wrapping my arm over his shoulder. His wet hair is laid against the top of my breast bone, but I couldn’t care less. I lightly scratch my nails up and down his back. On the other end of the couch, someone makes a gagging noise and Tae just kicks his long legs in the direction of the noise. A loud “ouch!” follows the action and I giggle lightly, resting my chin on his head and closing my eyes. And that is how I spend the first night with my soulmate. About half an hour later, we’re woken up to head to the hotel they’re staying at, but I send a message to my mom and tell her that I’m staying the night with Tae. I do make it clear that nothing will happen, though, just cuddles and sleeping. Thankfully, she allows me to stay and that is where I stay the night...wrapped in my soulmate’s arms.
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Steven Soderbergh on ‘The Knick’ Coming to HBO Max and More – Rolling Stone
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Why did you want Clive Owen to play Thack?
He was the first person we approached. You need a movie star, somebody with that kind of watchability and gravitas. I knew him a little bit. He had a great reputation as a person and as a professional. He said yes immediately, and I told him, “I only need you for two years. We’re going to kill you at the end of Season Two.” We knew that already. He decided very quickly, and then we were shooting a little over four months after I took it to Michael Lombardo.
This was after True Detective, but before shows like Big Little Lies completely shattered the idea that movie stars won’t do TV. With the quick “yes,” I gather Clive wasn’t worried about that?
Didn’t seem that way, no. He was just looking at it as a part to play. And believed it was a great part, which I think it is. And it was really fun watching him do it. Our six-year plan was Seasons One and Two as you saw it. Seasons Three and Four were going to skip forward 50 years. It was going to be right after World War II, brand-new characters, brand-new cast. And Seasons Five and Six were going to be set five minutes into the future, with a mix of actors from the previous four seasons. I was really excited to do all of that.
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So what happened? Why did the show end after the Thack seasons?
A couple of things, none of which were within our control. The show did not do for Cinemax what it was intended to do, which was to help rebrand and draw new eyeballs to the channel. It didn’t do badly, but it was clear at the end of the second season that it wasn’t doing what we wanted it to do for that channel. So now it moves back to HBO [for consideration], and Michael Lombardo is gone, and they’ve already got their spend figured out, and it isn’t a small number to produce this show. So it just showed up at the wrong time at the wrong place. [Lombardo’s replacement] Casey Bloys had other priorities, very large priorities. We didn’t have the juice to make it happen. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. As much as we were the benefit of circumstances in getting it made, we then had it happen in reverse, where all the timing and situations worked against us.
What did you see in André Holland that made him the guy to play Dr. Edwards?
I just found him very charismatic in an unaffected way. I found him compelling as a person, not because he was trying to be, but because he just is compelling as a person. So he’s smart, attractive, talented, he’s got a great voice. I keep encouraging him to go make a lot of money doing voiceovers, because he’s got a fantastic voice. And he’s dedicated in the best sense of the word. And very soon after we started shooting Season One, I started talking to him about other stuff. He struck me as somebody who wasn’t sitting around waiting for the phone to ring, so I started up a conversation about what else he had going, and High Flying Bird developed from conversations we were having about black athletes and trying to come up with a good way to explore what it’s like to be an African-American athlete in one of the major sports in this country.
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The very first image we see on the show is Thack’s white leather shoes. Who came up with the idea for him to wear those, and to put them at the center of the opening shot?
That was Clive and [costume designer] Ellen Mirojnick. She pitched it to Clive, Clive loved it and brought it to me. He said, “If I’m going to be David Bowie, I’ve got to be David Bowie.” And I said, “Absolutely.” For me, it was a no-brainer that the first image had to be those shoes. It’s such a masterstroke. You almost can’t imagine the show without them. That’s how significant they are. When I fall into that philosophical debate about film versus digital, my whole position is that on the list of things that matter to an audience, the capture medium is near the bottom. This is a perfect example. For the viewer and for the show, generally speaking, the decision to have him wear those white shoes is more important than what we shot it on. That matters to the viewer. Those shoes matter. And it’s just an example of how the 20,000 questions you answer as a filmmaker all add up to something. That’s why having one person answering those questions, I think, yields a better product.
What do you remember of shooting that scene in the finale where Thack operates on himself?
We didn’t have many long days on the shoot, surprisingly enough. We usually averaged about nine or 10 hours a day. That was a long day, because there was a lot of stuff to do.  It was also, at the time, tinged with the understanding that we were nearing the end of this show experience. I had to be open to that possibility. I wanted it to continue, but I wasn’t sure it was going to. I totally understand how and why people get onto series that they want to keep doing. Showing up for Season Two and seeing the band back together, I just got a jolt of, “Oh, this is why people do seven years of a thing,” assuming they like the people around them, because it was like reuniting with your family. So as we were doing it, for me, it was like, “This is kind of it. This is going be the end.” But it was such a great way for him to go, you know. It was exciting at the same time. The whole thing was designed that way: two years, and he dies. And that ending with Algernon was also always contemplated with the implication that he would be exploring this new field of the talking cure.
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that-soccer-guru · 3 years
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Probably a little too early to ask but what are your predictions about who Vlatko has in mind for an Olympic roster & the 2023 WC roster vs. your own personal ideal olympic & WC roster?
Okay I'm going to lump this in with this ask because I'll be addressing some wild predictions here
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Vlatko has been trying a lot of things with his camps in a hell of a weird year, and it's worked out so far! Good prospects are getting senior call ups, the experienced players are also getting to guide the newbies, and he's developing some interesting strategies that separate him from the Jill Ellis era.
I'm not going to speculate too much on the WC roster because we don't know what players will be retiring from international duty/from the sport in general. I can think of a few whose replacements are reaching their peak so, it depends on how that ends up working out.
The Olympics though are around the corner and do leave me with a bit more speculation room so let's see. Don’t forget the problem with the Olympic roster is that teams are only allowed 18 players instead of the WC and other tournament’s 23. So, here we go (look for the bold if you want to skip my reasoning):
Goalkeepers (2): Naeher is definitely the undisputed number 1 but it does come down to who's going to be the alternate. AD's injury couldn't have come at a better time because well, nothing of note happened in 2020. I do think, and don't yell at me for it, that Ashlyn Harris is done in the NT. She's just too unpredictable and with the team being used to Naeher's more classic goalkeeping, she wouldn't make a good alternate. Plus Naeher doesn't need a security blanket anymore so, yeaaaah. I definitely think, if AD gets healthy in time for Jan camp, that it'll come down to her and Bledsoe. Campbell is great for PKs but I don't know that with roster limitations she'd be my pick, she reminds me too much of Ashlyn and I don’t love that shit. So I would end with: Alyssa Naeher and Adrianna Franch. With Audrey Bledsoe competing for that number 2 and Jane Campbell on standby in case of crazy injury happenstance. 
Defenders (6): as sad as it is for me to say it, Ali Krieger also seems to be on her way out of the NT too. Experience is important but the CB position has been pretty covered by Dahlkemper and Broon. If the roster had more room I would definitely pick her, but with only 18 spots it's hard to make that choice for a player that isn't International 90min fit. IF Kelley can stay healthy I'm sure she's a shoe-in. Sonnett, despite what other people might say, is a solid choice for me. She can play up the bounds like Dunn and KO do, can switch sides if needed, and would in my opinion be a better choice for RB than Midge (again with the midfielders becoming defenders bs from this fucking team). Tierna would also be a good choice if she can stay fit, which is the problem with more than one NT player. If you had to ask for my 6 it would be: Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlhemper, Kelley O’Hara, Emily Sonnett and Crystal Dunn. If O’Hara is injured I would have Midge Purce, Tierna Davidson and Casey Short as backups in that order (with Ali Krieger being the very last choice of backup I would bring)
Midfielders (6): There are some obvious shoe-ins here, Lindsey Horan and Sam Mewis. Assuming Rose can stay healthy she would also be a surefire midfielder for me, and if she does get injured and it’s not too serious she’d be a good late miunute sub (and we can all say that’s a toss-up with how often the poor kid is out with injuries). That leaves at least 3 spots where there’s a lot of what-ifs. Andi Sullivan has been out with an injury, again luckily in a year where not much happened, but I would still pick Julie Ertz over her. Christen Press would obviously be an easy choice, again assuming that the weird injury she picked up gets managed. Finally, I think that despite being a little older than some of the prospects, Kristie Mewis will earn herself that last spot IF she can keep the momentum she has going into Jan camp. I don’t see her slowing down so that might just pan out. Catarina Macario is a big IF, assuming that FIFA waives her waiting period, so she would be the person who would take Kmew’s spot, but I still think it would be a risky thing to bring in such a young player without any caps straight to an Olympics run. That would mean my midfield picks would end up with: Lindsey Horan, Sam Mewis, Rose Lavelle, Julie Ertz, Christen Press, Kristie Mewis. Backups: Andi Sullivan (my pick to go over Kristie if she’s healthy AND can match her momentum), Catarina Macario and Jaelin Howell would stay on standby in case of injury. 
Forwards (6): Alright we all know that, unless there’s a major catastrophe, an intervention from your Deity of choice, a career ending injury or a unplanned pregnancy (an impossibility for one of these 3), Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe will be on this roster. Tobin is also a pretty solid shoe-in for this roster, again barring something outside of everyone’s control. That leaves 2 spots. One of those is likely going to Lynn Williams, because as long as she can provide assists the way she’s been doing (If I’m not wrong she had the highest rate of assists this year), she’ll have a spot on this roster because speed and pass ability is high even if her individual opportunity success is NOT. The final spot is a bit up in the air for me, so bear with my reasoning for a second: Mal Pugh’s injury record sours her for me here. Unless she can come back super healthy and keep up with the team, I don’t see her in this roster. Assuming a spot is left open, and Vlatko can quit it with the defender shit, Midge Purce would fit really well here. She’s a great winger, she can play in the midfield, and kid has great stamina. That would also leave Sophia Smith as my final choice, with the same reasoning I had with Macario except for the waiting period thing. She’s really young, didn’t start on the right foot due to an injury, but would definitely benefit from international experience, and seems to be on the right path to healthy. My forward picks would end up in: Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath, Lynn Williams, Midge Purce (assuming Mal is still injured AND she’s not picked for the defense). That would leave: Mal Pugh and Sophia Smith on standby for injuries (with maybe someone like Ashley Hatch or Bethany Balcer in case Mal AND Sophia get injured, or Midge is picked for defense and more backups are needed).��
Now, don’t anyone get angry at me. That’s just the way I see things panning out and the way I think it might work out. Again this is barring injuries, things outside everyone’s control, retirements (which I don’t think will be announced unless there’s a career ending injury), how players are recovering from their injuries, and FIFA rulings on Macario’s waiting period. 
I HOPE THAT WAS THOROUGH ENOUGH ANON! PLEASE HIT ME WITH ANY DISAGREEMENTS (THOUGH NOT TOO HARD) OR COMMENTS ON THIS!
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marcholasmoth · 3 years
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OSRR: 2602
today was a long-ass day that started out alright and then went bleh and then was okay again and then went straight fucking downhill. after a meltdown and crying in public, it got better and i got to rest and do some math, and then we went to disney springs for a while and that was fun too. we had dinner at the indiana jones-themed restaurant, which was really good.
the bleh moment was when i realized that my flip flop broke. i had just sat down in my seat on the plane and it fucking broke. not happy. i also started to get a headache, so i grabbed my sweatshirt and wrapped it around my head and napped a little bit. i managed to macguyver a "solution" to the broken flip flop.
when we arrived in orlando, after getting off the plane, i realized i was missing the key off of my messenger bag that went to the lock on my suitcase, wherein my other pair of shoes was held. and then when we went to security to ask them to check the plane, they couldn't find it, so i tried taking the lock off with a cable trying to use its inertia against it and use weak points in the locks themselves to open it. but that didn't work. then we had the help desk for southwest come over and she asked me for my ID, which i couldn't find. it turns out i left it at the airport in manchester. at that point i just fucking couldn't. i snapped. i growled and sort of yelled and i hit the ground with my fist and i couldn't stop crying. they did, however, manage to get the lock off. but i say there for a while as i cooled down because i'm a fucking disaster. eventually i pulled myself together and we figured out how to handle the ID issue, so long story short, my aunt picked my license up from the office at the airport and is having it sent down here for me to have.
i sat next to casey on the bus ride to the hotel, and that was nice. we critiqued and observed and generally had a good time on the bus on our way here. and then we made it to the room, unpacked, ordered some stuff for groceries, and we ordered food to tide us over for a bit, so we got pizza and while they went out and grabbed it i stayed back and worked on my homework a little bit. i was able to get some done and understood, and the latter is more important than the former. wild.
after all of that, we went to disney springs, which is the free "downtown disney" place which is lots of fun but also a lot of walking and a lot of money. i ache. i bought a few pins. i anticipate getting others, too, but i also want to get gifts for people. so that's where i am.
it's a million degrees and a million percent timidity, but i've been taking a lot of nice pictures and i'm very excited to share them.
i talked to joel a little, including him worrying about me but also me kissing him gently on his cheek this morning before leaving. he's so precious.
i also updated FF on my day. told them i was a bit miserable but also that it got better. i'm grateful for that.
and now it's time to pass the fuck out
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