#coincidentally right near another election

[mobliterated]

I implore you all to not get all of your political news from this website and other social media only

[antis0cial23]

The Pride of the Navy

Chapter 4: The Grand Canyon

Summary: Test simulations and tested friendships headline the show

Warnings: Cursing, insults

Another obscenely long shower was on Quinlan’s to-do list. Partially due to Quin waking up unbearably early even before her alarm, and partially that even after sleeping for eight solid hours, Quin still felt as tired as she did leaving base the previous day. The hot water flicked down her back as her shoulders screamed at her for the two hundred pushups she was forced to do. After what felt like an hour, she got out and went on with her morning routine, finally grabbing her silver aviators before leaving her front door, jumping into her impala.

Quinlan was in her car, no music playing for the fact it required too much energy to even listen to. After the end of training yesterday, she and Phoenix walked together toward their cars in silence, each other being there just to know that whatever the fresh hell they just went through, they weren’t alone. That’s when they both overheard none other than Hangman, with an accompanying Coyote, near the Top Gun graduates' photos, point out a familiar name. Except it wasn’t under the grad class of twenty-ten but under the class of nineteen-eighty-six.

“Bradshaw. As I live and breathe.” The signature ‘Jake “Hangman” Seresin’ smirk plastered on his face. Quinlan knew exactly who he was pointing at, all blood feeling like it drained from her limbs. Although Quin elected to ignore what she had heard she hoped, silently praying, Hangman would be a gentleman for once in his life and ignore the history he stared at. But hope could only go so far, and she knew whatever Hangman had just learned wasn’t going to end well.

Quinlan walked into base, parked closer to hangar 7 than the previous day, and accidentally right next to the iconic antique Bronco of Bradley Bradshaw. Coincidentally, totally. Seeing about half of the aviators seated, Quin took the same spot she was in before, but only Bob behind her so far.

“How’d you sleep, Bobby boy?” Quin tried not to portray her tiredness so obviously through her tone of voice, but damn, it was hard. Bob just tilted his head at the new nickname.

“Like I was dead. But apparently not dead enough to feel rested.” Quin agreed with every word. That was the deepest she’d slept since probably she was born, but dear god did she need more sleep. Phoenix sauntered into the hangar, looking convincingly rested, even suspiciously so. She glanced at Rooster, whose head was resting against his desk, arms limp at his sides since before Quin had walked in and sat down. Quin had an amused look while staring at the obviously sleep-deprived man, matching Phoenix, and Bob. Only difference? Quin spoke before she could stop herself.

“D’ya sleep well, sport?” At such a depressing-looking sight, Quinlan couldn’t help herself as she spoke, voice overflowing with sarcasm. What did she get in return? A shocked look from Bob, an amused headshake from Phoenix, and an earth-shattering glare from Rooster, which confirmed the thought that if he wasn’t so tired, Quin would most certainly be dead.

Maverick had walked through the doors and Rooster wanted to either punch someone, cry, or leave. Given none of those was an option without mostly severe consequences, he sat up, tried to look like he didn’t want to commit murder of the third degree, and stared at the screen ahead. Maverick assessed the group, looking almost just as sleep-deprived as them. The screen lit up, with bright digital lights saying, ‘TIME ON TARGET -3:00:00’.

“Time…” Maverick nodded his head towards the screen, “is your greatest enemy.” Quin shared a quiet sigh with Phoenix, and the lesson was off.

“Phase one of the mission will be a low-level ingress attacking in two plane teams.” Maverick pointed to the new map layout on the screen, a canyon colored by green lines, a warped grid showing the depth. “You’ll fly along this narrow canyon to your target.” A quiet ‘what the fuck’ left Quin’s mouth, Rooster barely nodding in response.

“Radar-guided surface-to-air missiles defend the area. These SAMs… they’re lethal. But they were designed to protect the skies above, not the canyon below.” Maverick saw the nerves on every pilot in front of him, knowing he’d be in the same position if he was the student instead of the teacher.

“That’s because the enemy knows no one is insane- “An interjection from none other than Quin, “Or stupid.” “Enough to try and fly below them.” Maverick gave the two a look, what that look meant, Rooster nor Quinlan could decipher.

“That’s exactly what I’m gonna train you to do.” Looking more widely at that class, versus the two pilots in the front row, Maverick continued with mission details.

“On the day, your altitude will be one hundred feet, maximum.” Yep, it was confirmed, this was gonna be a suicide mission.

“You exceed this altitude, radar will spot you, and you’re dead.” The nonchalant tone in his voice truly unsettled every flier’s thoughts. Someone wasn’t coming back.

“Your air speed will be six hundred sixty knots. Maximum. Time to target, two and a half minutes. That’s because fifth-generation fighters wait at an air base nearby. In a head-to-head with these planes in your F-18s… Again, you’re dead. That’s why you need to get in, hit your target, and be gone before these planes even have a chance of catching you.” Good Lord, Jesus Christ above, or whoever the fuck resided in the heavens, needed to bless this mission personally at this point. But Maverick wasn’t done talking.

“This makes time your greatest adversary. You’ll fly a route in your NAV system that simulates the canyon. The faster you navigate this canyon, the harder it will be to stay under the radar of these enemy SAMs.” Not a single one of them was ready for this. Not even the flying legend, Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, himself.

“The tighter the turns, the more intensely the force of gravity on your body multiplies. Compressing your lungs, forcing the blood from your brain, impairing your judgment, and reaction time.” That much they all knew, but what they didn’t, is just how many times this mission would induce that bone-crushing weight.

“For this training; max ceiling three hundred feet. Time to target, three minutes. Good luck.” And boy, oh, boy, did they need it. Gathering themselves on the way to the locker rooms, the chosen twelve could only hope to grasp the importance of this mission. Quinlan followed the majority, her, and Bob lagging towards the back of the group. Some of the pilots looked as ready as ever, insert Hangman here, and some looked ready to shit themselves, example, Fritz. Phoenix and Quin separated from the mass amounts of testosterone, going to the female locker room.

“Cas…” Neither Phoenix nor Quin were people who easily showed emotion, but with one word Quin knew they had the same thought. Neither of them was ready for what was to come. Training was one thing, but the ever-looming mission date was another.

“Cas. Do you honestly think half of us can do this? We are all cocky motherfuckers but saying and actually doing are two very, very different things.” Not many saw it, but Natasha Trace worried about anything and everything. After all, it wasn’t just her in her plane she had to worry about. Another human being, in this case Robert Floyd, trusted her with their life. Trusting her to bring them back to their family, safe and all in one piece. And that is why Quinlan opted to fly solo. Making sure she didn’t die was enough, looking after a second life? No, thank you.

“Nix, you are one of the best pilots I know, and so are most of these other guys. If anyone can fly this mission successfully, it's one of us.” In her head, Quin had already been analyzing everyone’s flight habits, seeing who would, and subsequently wouldn’t, make the cut. But flying a new course with new parameters? Every previous thought went into the trash.

“Come on, Nix. We gotta get back to the hangar.” On the outside, Quinlan was calm and collected, but inside? She felt like a cat-five hurricane ready to decimate the coast. Swirling in circles of intense emotion, the deep corner of her mind that housed her unseen feelings taking a beating like rough waves on the rocks, the bottle of containment slowly crumbling. And those were the last words Quin spoke before Phoenix was up in the air with Coyote. All the aviators were gathered in the small green room, gathered around the radio. Some sat on stools, some leaning on the bar-like counter, but all intently listening to the plane comms.

“Time to target is one minute thirty, we are two seconds behind, increase to four eighty knots.” Bob’s voice, always sounding somehow mathematical, sounded, the for the first time since pre-flight check.

“We gotta move, Coyote!” Phoenix urged, earning confirmation from the single pilot, only to be followed by Phoenix’s curse. Quinlan looked around the room at the other aviators, masking her worry to analyze the others. Rooster, standing as far away from her as he possibly could, clenched his jaw as his eyebrows furrowed. Hangman looked as disinterested as possible, a few of the others showing small indications of worry just like Rooster. Next up, was Payback and Fanboy, ever so unluckily accompanied by Hangman. All huddled once more around the radio, Quin and Bob shared a concerned look, because who could possibly fathom what shit the resident cocky pilot Lieutenant Seresin was going to pull.

“Hangman, ease up! The canyon is getting tighter-“Payback, a talented pilot but nonetheless flying with Hangman, spoke worriedly with the strain evident in his voice.

“Negative, Payback. Increase your speed.” The smirk could almost be seen through the comms. Quin just knew his pearl-white teeth were glinting in the sun’s glare, at the expense of his fellow pilot.

“Of fucking course.” A disappointed but expectant sigh left Quin’s mouth after she heard Bob speak, many of the other fliers nodded in agreement, or gave small words of similar thought. Rooster just clenched his fist, the anger seeping into his hazel eyes. If asked, Quinlan would contest the fact she studied his every move, but old habits die hard. After another few seconds of Payback and Fanboy yelling at the resident asshole to slow down, they slammed into the imaginary canyon wall, signifying the end of their run. Up next? Quinlan, Omaha, and Fritz. Well, here they went.

“Cas, good luck.” Bob gave a curt nod, his hand squeezing her shoulder. Phoenix nodded, even Rooster sparing her a quick glance. That was new… But alas, off she went, her plane engine revving to life with the force equivalent to Zeus’ tantrums.

“Y’all boys ready?” Quin was confident in her flying abilities, but this course was probably nothing any Navy fighter pilot had flown. She was just lucky if she made it to target. To her? Didn’t matter how long it took. Quinlan squeezed the mismatched dog tags in her pocket, those being her good luck charm. And so, they reached the start of the course.

“Your time starts now.” Maverick’s voice spoke in their ears, confirming the time was ticking. Each corner she turned, the weight on her lungs increased, and the blood in her head did the opposite.

“Cas! We are ten seconds behind schedule, we are running out of time! Increase speed to five hundred knots!” Omaha spoke with a tone of concern, but time didn’t matter right now. At least, not to Quin.

“Negative increase, Omaha! We can make up time elsewhere, canyon’s getting tighter!” Her tone was firm, no room for re-negotiation. Once Quin’s mind was made, it was hard to change. With less and less space, it felt like the wings on her plane were scratching the imaginary walls of the canyon. Surprisingly, it was possible to feel claustrophobic on an imaginary track and Quinlan felt it.

“Casper, you’re slowing down! Oh, fuck!” Fritz’s voice rang in Quin’s ears. They had gone above the max ceiling.

“God damnit!” The curse slipped quickly from Quin’s lips, her quiet demeanor crumbling in seconds. By the time Quin made it back to the green room, Rooster was up in the air. Quin was beyond frustrated, purely with herself. She was the reason her wingman was dead. She unconsciously slowed down. Hypothetically, Fritz and Omaha were dead. Her fault. A hand rested on her shoulder, the figure behind her.

“You did good Cas, made it the farthest out of all of us.” Bob’s words of reassurance did absolutely nothing for her frustration but were apricated anyways. Bob received a small nod, one of acknowledgement but nothing more, and he returned to his spot next to Phoenix. Rooster was getting told to increase his speed, just like Quin was told, except, he was double the time Quinlan was behind by. In the corner, Hangman huffed a short laugh,

“Looks like we got two slow pokes on our team.” A few of the other cocky pilots chuckled with Hangman, imitating the way he said two like fucked up parrots.

“Zip it, flyboy. Hope your wingmen enjoy being dead for the sake of your ignorance.” Quin sneered, her voice like poison. Quin was normally quiet, saying a few sarcastic phrases here and there, mainly her bell necklace being her voice, giving away her head shakes and movements, but not today. Today she was pissed, at herself mainly, and was in absolutely no mood to take Hangman’s shit.

“Ooo, did I hit a nerve, kitten?” The smirk still rested on his face, well that was until Quinlan lunged. Thankfully, for Hangman’s sake at least, both Phoenix and Bob restrained her shoulders, and Hangman’s now deemed bodyguard, Coyote, stood in front of the pilot.

“The kitty has claws…” The smirk gone, but a small smile in its place still irked Quinlan to no end, but Phoenix spoke before she could.

“Another word, and I stop holding her back.” By now everyone had stopped paying attention to the radio, not realizing Rooster had made it to target, even if it was a minute late. Nor did anyone hear Captain Mitchell open the door to the green room, seeing the room separated.

“What the hell happened.” Maverick demanded, more confused than anything else.

“An egotistical asshole with a mouth even more full of shit than his daddy’s ass kissing list.” Hangman’s eyes widened, nostrils flaring in anger. He usually didn’t care what people said to him, but discounting what he had to do to get where he was? That made him angry. Even Phoenix was surprised when those words left Quin’s mouth, even if they did without her thinking, and if Rooster had heard it he would be too.

“Both of you, cool it. Before you two decide to commit murder, we need to go through critiques.” That was all Maverick could muster, given he had absolutely no fucking clue how to handle them.

“I’m cool of you’re cool, Kitty.” And the smirk was back. Hangman had moved closer to Quinlan’s face, her anger dissipating inwardly to pure fatigue. The nickname was one Phoenix’s old wizzo used to all her, because of her collar like necklace, but hearing it leave Hangman’s mouth, she was deeply angered.

“Watch it, Bagman. I bite.” Quinlan snapped her jaw up, biting air, her teeth clacking together. Hangman exhaled through his nose, and Quin was the first to leave the room, Bob and Phoenix hot on her heels, walking passed a slightly shocked Mav in the process. Once far enough away from the others the burning question was asked.

“What in the hell was that!” Quinlan couldn’t tell if Phoenix was upset, impressed, or both. Quin shrugged.

“Got tired of Hangman talking shit, ts’all.” Quin lied through her teeth, having taken her frustration out of the suspiciously ken doll like aviator and with that, Phoenix knew that was all she was getting from Quin. With a concerned glance at Bob, the three continued back to the hangar for their so-called flight critiques. Once back, Rooster was already in his seat, having gone straight there. As more of them filed in, he felt like he missed something. Especially once he saw Hangman glaring at the back of Quin’s head. Turning back towards Phoenix and Bob, Rooster asked them a question.

“What the fuck did I miss…?” His confusion, yet inability to consider asking the quiet pilot next to him made Phoenix roll her eyes.

“Not now, Rooster. Why don’t you ask Cas later.” Her tone was clipped, words short, not looking forward for what was to come.

“Now for your critiques…” Mav walked up the center isle from behind them all, and this right here, was the absolute last thing every single aviator in the hangar needed at that moment. But they didn’t ever get to choose what they needed; the Navy made those choices for them.

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

Masterlist

Last Chapter< >Next Chapter

Tag List

@aki-ham

@florencediet

[anthonybialy]

Loud About Hush Money

Taking is the Democratic form of profiting.  There’s no other way to run a business, at least that legalized grifters can imagines.  They’re not mean like your bosses, other than how they do the same by law.  The only important employment is their own, and let’s classify their workdays as unproductive.  Politicians must only endure a performance evaluation every couple years.  They expect you to keep them in office because it’s more fun than working.  Revelry will continue as long as bucks keep flowing.  The party’s finally nearing its conclusion.

The pushy party can afford to be so generous because of a generous benefactor.  If you want to maximize contributions, make them compulsory.  Thanks to withholding, most donors don’t even realize how generous they are.

Bribes for votes are shameless in blatancy, which is another sign market incentives work.  Coercion really helps those who need to keep others on their side without making a convincing case or being able to create anything worth trading.

Limp government goons inadvertently illustrate their foes are right while showing why they’re so wrong.  Every Democrat is a corrupt sheriff with a councilman in his pocket.  Entice voters with profits seized from those who back candidates calling for workers to keep what they earn.  The self-proclaimed selfless get away with it because they can, which also helpfully illustrates how they implement their very caring philosophy.

Hypocrisy is just the start.  Elected autocrats see themselves as fighters of corruption as they embody it, which is surely the only time they’re full of it.  Expanding power to the point where they can negate it with a nod is also coincidentally the reason they’re so eager to make crime legal, aside from serving as an indirect perk to their constituency.

Those who can’t create a solid image rely on projection.  Democrats habitually act in the same shameful way they accuse private entities of conducting themselves, with the difference being you can’t choose a different government without a decent amount of hassle.  Knowing you can’t shop elsewhere is part of the privilege of constructing a loving administration that has control over every life aspect.

It’s best to use bills yoinked from others, as your own is so expensive.  Buying support with cash seized from the successful is the primary way of leveling society.  The presumption that everyone should have the same works with ice cream, so why change kindergarten thinking?  The ideal amount is more than whatever you have now.

Wealth transfers are necessary if all funds have been assigned.  You unfairly claim salaries reflect value created, but that cruelly leads to some people having more than others.  True motivators have to convince voters that they’re useless.  Breaking down self-esteem is how Democrats inspire.  Someone stole from you so proficiently that you didn’t even notice.  No, they don’t mean the government.

Student loans are seen as anything but.  College is a time for learning that words don’t mean anything, which is one sort of lesson to retain.  The expectation of entitlement may not be the healthiest major.  There’s no point in arguing with people who think you’re selfish for not wanting to give what you’ve earned to those who haven’t.

Outrage at the expectation that they should pay for things defines liberalism.  Take the costliness of allegedly free tuition.  Panhandling graduates got amazing training, at least according to them.  It should be easy to pay off what’s borrowed with 120 credits of solid training.

Pretending not paying for something will help the economy is the ultimate case of not seeing both sides.  The practical implications of closed-mindedness lead to dismissing prosperity via, say, exchanging goods and services for dollars.  Alleged beneficiaries save so much by not paying for groceries, which can be spent to stimulate an economy where many things are unaffordable for mysterious reasons.  Shoplifting must be making life permanently prosperous.

Walking around money ensures getting out the vote.  Claim to help the poor to make winking less obvious.  Inflation is the only downside for the ripoff artists and upside for those outraged.  Currency has gone from worth less to worthless.  

Trying to befriend those who hate them is a sick habit of the psychologically gullible.  They simply must convince everyone they’re cool.  Iran took their lunch money and got them to beg to come over for dinner.  Enabling villainy is just one more reason to not pay ransoms.  The inability to see obvious consequences is inherent to their ideology.  Anyone who saw what comes next wouldn’t be a liberal.  

Trying to get global supervillains to behave with perks is a rather obvious test which the White House fails.  It took an invasion of Israel to show how Iran spends their allowance on terror rockets, which the executive branch naturally still doesn’t grasp.  Joe Biden’s flunkies are more than willing to accept excuses about how lunatic mullahs can’t spend what they have yet to receive.  Meanwhile, the world’s substitute teachers put America nearly $35 freaking trillion in debt.

A time-honored tradition features no honor.  Redistribution constitutes politics at its oldest and by no coincidence worst.  An entire outlook based on taking from one party and giving it to others is framed as the epitome of high-minded decency, which is true aside from how its theft that demotivates all involved.

Class warfare builds society.  Motivating their base coincidentally conforms with claiming they’re trying to help.  It’s an unfinished sentence, as they want to help stay in office.

[gigglyramblings]

Extraordinary Attorney Woo & Representation

Okay so I first wrote this as a reply to another Tumblr user but I thought I would make to it into a post expanding on my thoughts on this subject and share it because I think it's something that needs to be said.

I don't know if I'm stepping out of bounds by saying this but I feel like I should still say it.  First I'm not autistic but I am physically disabled.  And I think we should have realistic expectations when expecting media to portray minorities. 

Like  I can name so many instances where a physically disabled character was not portrayed by an actor who is actually physically disabled and if I held that against that piece of media I would have less representation then I already have.

Yes I understand that is empowering for us to see those in our fellow communities portray these characters however I feel like it's a bit much to expect that right out of the gate.  We have to start somewhere and from everything that I've seen from this drama this seems like a near-perfect starting point because you can feel the drama's sincerity towards the subject. 

Also I really didn't want to bring this up but I feel like it is a valid point, don't forget this is Korea like it's not that progressive.  For example, they literally elected a president who is staunchly anti-feminist so it feels like a bit of a miracle that a drama like this could even be made with this much care put into it.

And before anyone that reads this thinks I'm bashing Korea I'm not. Hollywood isn't much better like I literally pointed out above. Perhaps a more pertinent example would be actor Freddie Highmore who plays an autistic doctor in the award-winning television series The Good Doctor which coincidentally is also adopted from a kdrama of the same name and I'm pretty sure Freddie Highmore himself isn't autistic.

I'm not trying to start anything or get into a fight. I think it is completely valid to hold the fact that an autistic actress isn't playing the role against this drama. However I think it's ultimately it is a little counterproductive to completely dismiss this drama or refuse to watch it solely due to this fact; as positive activism on these issues have to start somewhere and more often than not they won't have a perfect start but if we keep demanding a perfect start it may never get started because few things in life are ever perfect.

I hope I didn't overstep my bounds or offend anyone in the autistic community in anyway because that's certainly not my intention I just wanted to share my perspective as someone who is not apart of the autistic community but is a minority.

Also because I am not autistic I have been trying my best to read and take into account the opinions of actual autistics who are watching this drama. I feel like this post is really relevant in this case as an actual autistic viewer voices their opinion on the issue of representation. I have obtained their permission to share.

Lastly, I hope people don't completely write off this drama because someone that knows someone who is autistic says this is not a accurate or great portrayal of autistic individuals. Please remember autistic individuals aren't a monolith and most importantly it's always best to go to a primary source for information when possible and is definitely possible in this case as there are tons of autistic people sharing their opinions on this show. I'm not saying that relatives or friends of autistic people can't have an opinion about the show or that somehow their opinions are invalid I'm simply saying please don't let their voices overpower the voices of actual autistics.

Speaking personally I know I would be pretty annoyed if someone went to my mom or my brother or my sister asking about what it's like to have a disability because they don't have actual lived experience they may know more than a random person off the street but it's still not the same and if you take their word as gospel you're not being a good ally.

Seriously if you want to know what it's like to live as a member of a certain community simply ask them. They have their own voices allow them to use it.

[mystic-sky]

✨part 1 here ✨

Satoru’s only been in love once. Though it wasn’t with you, it wasn’t long before he met you either. The summer before he graduated high school he fell into a deep infatuation with someone. 

He was always a fast guy, even during his earlier youth- having lost his virginity in his sophomore year. He was a curious one, and he had the looks and the charm to scoop as many women as he chose. But he did give love a try with her. She was spunky, but shy at the same time. Outspoken, and he’d never forget how she kissed him first. She scooped him off his feet, somehow wrapping him around her finger- until she got bored. Gradually, there were no more late night phone calls, no more study dates and sneaking out together. She no longer responded immediately to his text messages, and casually rescheduled plans on short notice. Satoru had never been out right rejected before. But his nonchalant attitude lead him to adapt, and just reciprocate everything she had been doing. 

And in came his ex best friend, Suguru, who he no longer spoke to for external reasons.

He couldn’t go anywhere in school without witnessing or hearing the two laughing amongst one another or watching them hold hands. He felt nauseous every time he saw him wrap his arms around her; her sickening smile and her eyes sparkled just for him.

Senior year felt way too long. In the end, she left the both of them high and dry for an American University after graduation. But Satoru saw it as a lesson of sorts. He didn’t think all women were the same, but he certainly didn’t leave himself open to disappointment after this.

And that’s why he wasn’t the least bit surprised when he saw Suguru pressing his lips to your knuckles in the cafe you both first met in.

“Snake,” Satoru muttered under his breath.

He had no plans to walk inside the establishment at all, until he saw your cheery smile over the head of the brunette on his arm through the window. He shifted his gaze towards the source of your happiness, feeling that same sickening feeling from 3 years prior. 

He needed something sweet to rid the awful taste on his tongue. He took the brunette girl on his arm with him, offering to buy her a sweet drink. She happily obliged, simply ecstatic to be in his highly esteemed presence.

He imagined you didn’t even know who Suguru was, or what kinds of things he was capable of. But who was he to try and inform you? The both of you had split long before, and the last thing he needed was you thinking he actually cared about you. 

But he couldn’t stop looking at you. His heart swelled as he remembered when you both first met. It wasn’t even in lecture the way he had convinced you prior- oh no, long before that. It had been in sophomore year of college, the semester before you signed up for the political science course. 

He saw you in the college office, discussing electives you’d possibly be into with your counselor and one of your friends. He thought you were a cute, timid little thing. He gave himself a project, figuring he’d plant the seed and flirt with you in the near future when he had less women in his current line up. He could tell you were a busy one, rushing out of the office just as quickly as you came in. He didn’t even get a chance to make conversation with you. 

He signed up for a political science class, realizing just how low the probability of him ending up in the same class as you was. One semester later, he remembers chanting God is good as you sit idly in the middle of the lecture room when he arrives. 

The seats around you are taken, and he regrets being late on the first day. At least he had 2 hours to admire you from a distance. 

Your friends had came to get you as soon as class ended, making him miss his opportunity again to talk to you. The week after, you showed up late to class. Satoru being Satoru, it was impossible for him to keep empty seats beside himself due to his popularity. He watched you climb the steps and sit all the way in the back, far behind him. You had stayed to talk with the professor after class as a result. And unfortunately, his entourage of women couldn’t be kept waiting. That week he cut them all off. It was getting too difficult to maintain so many relationships along with his multiple sexual partners.

 A part of him thought having multiple partners and women around just wasn’t worth it. He grew tired of having multiple personalities around him. One sexual partner would be the most convenient. He didn’t even care if people thought he was dating that one specific person- as long as people left him alone. To rid himself of his options when he hadn’t even found a new contender for himself yet is what leeched at his brain. He might of been a bit of a sex addict. But there was also a part of him that was sure you’d be into him. All he had to do was try.

The third week you were absent. He almost lost his shit. He never saw you around campus ever, and he didn’t even know your name. This was getting a bit ridiculous.

Then, seemingly God sent, did he happen upon you in the university’s local cafe. He hadn’t known how long you’d been there since he had been studying himself towards the back.

You had gotten up and had been staring out the glass at the rain. A golden opportunity, he thought.

He packed his things, tossing his bag over his shoulder and umbrella in hand. Smoothly, he stood in the same space by the window. You were dazed, in your own little world, barely noticing his presence. He heard you speak,

“I guess I should sit back down,” you muttered quietly. She’s really not paying me any mind, he thought.

“Man, you don’t have an umbrella? That sucks.” He finally spoke, earning a startled look from you. He continued to stare straightforward towards the window pane. 

“Yeah, I know.” You say, sighing to yourself. He could see the slight blush in your cheeks through the corner of his sunglasses. 

“It says the rain is going to stop within the hour on the weather app.” He said, scrolling and tapping away at his phone. “You goin’ to the train station?”

“Oh, yeah.” You say shyly. He watched you nervously tucked some hair behind your ears before he looked straight ahead at the rain.

He also noticed you couldn’t stop stealing glances at him through the corner of his eye.

“Like what you see?”

You blinked at him repeatedly, earning a cocky chuckle from his end.

“Wanna walk with me?” He asked, peering down at you. He assumed it was too forward because he couldn’t read the look on your face after that. Just a series of blinks and a continuous puzzled stare. 

“I don’t even know you.” You said bluntly, and he felt that you meant it disrespectfully.

“Not yet.” He said slyly. “But I’ve seen you around campus a lot.”

Though that wasn’t true, he couldn’t possible tell you that he had been secretly admiring you every Wednesday for almost three weeks now either.

He watched you put a finger towards your chin before speaking.

“Professor Edamura’s class right?”

“Bingo.” He grinned.

“There’s like 120 people in that lecture.” You only took a guess, considering that was your largest class. 

“Yeah. But I think you’re the cutest.” He could’ve been smoother about it. But he was anxious to make his introduction. Only seeing you on Wednesdays sucked. This way, he could make sure you’d be thinking of him for a little while until you saw him again. 

Whose the mysterious tall guy with the white hair, or at least that’s how he thought you’d be thinking of him in his head.

“Thank you,” you say, squeezing your arms around your book and pressing it towards your chest. 

“Oh look, the rain is stopping.” He says, leaning forward, nose nearly pressing against the glass.

“Well, see you Wednesday.” He smiled a cheeky smile, before walking off. He felt you watching him stride down the street, and that’s how he wanted it to be.

Days later, Satoru was sure to be on time to class. He finally got a chance to sit beside you, offering you a wink and a smile. He could feel how shy you were, choosing not to make much conversation with you during the two hours of lecture. 

Luck was on his side yet again, considering he got paired with you for a group project. He offered to meet at his house, fixing up a group chat for the five of you. The other girls in the group talked over you while you made project plans before class ended. He was highly aware that they were trying their hardest to flirt with him, completely unphased by your presence. He felt bad that he couldn’t even really get close to you without other women somehow ruining things yet again. At least he learned your name and got your phone number. 

The next day, and also the night before the meet up, he texted you privately outside the group chat. 

He remembers checking his phone a few minutes later, seeing you’d left him on read. He realized he probably shouldn’t have been so forward. He chuckled at himself before tossing his phone on the bed and going to sleep.

You arrived somewhat early to his apartment, greeting him quietly before he told you to make yourself comfortable. It didn’t take long for the other three to text the group chat explaining that something had coincidentally came up, leaving you all alone with him. There you sat on the floor of his living room, not looking all that pleased to be in his presence. 

“Guess it’s just the two of us,” he chuckled. 

“Don’t look so happy about it.” He watched you roll your eyes.

“I can’t help it,” he says, sitting across from you on a different floor pillow. “I won’t lie. I had been thinking of asking you on a date. I didn’t think I’d get so lucky.”

“And did you text the other girls in our group the same thing the night before?” You say, nonchalantly opening your book. You didn’t even look his way. Your response threw him off.  Why were you acting like you hated him?

“No, they’re incredibly annoying.” He sighed genuinely, hoping he could change your outlook on him even a little.

“You’re pretty cool though. Kind of bummed you didn’t text me back.” He addressed. It sort of ticked him off that you didn’t respond to him. 

“Because I know what you’re up to.” You say, scribbling away in your notes.

“And what might that be?” He takes off his shades, putting them on the glass coffee table. He loved to play with the girls like this; acting so oblivious to his obvious intentions. 

“I’m not going to fall in love with you. I don’t have time for that.” You firmly set your pencil down, looking at him. He was taken aback. He’s intrigued and wants to poke at you some more.

“I don’t exactly want you to.” He chuckled. You looked at him before speaking again.

“So what do you want from me?” You say, placing your palm in your hand and leaning forward a bit to look at him directly. He thought the way you furrowed your brows at him was precious. He was fully aware you were being serious but he thought you were too cute.

“I said I wanted to take you on a date.” He laughs. “Get to know you a bit, but ultimately take you to bed at the end of the night, if you don’t mind. You can decline, I just wanted to show you a good time.”

Satoru may have been a downright whore up until now, but one thing he did manage to do was not lie to any of the women he dealt with. He never made false promises, and he never ever told women he would eventually commit to them. He hated when people tried to hold him emotionally accountable for things. He was typically clear to everyone about what he wanted from the beginning. Anyone who got their heart broken afterwards couldn’t say shit to him. 

“Sure,” you say calmly, to his surprise. You shift yourself around the table, right beside his body.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously,” you took hold of his jaw, delicately planting a kiss. He had no idea you were so confident. It had been so long since someone had kissed him first so forwardly and so passionately. For the first time in a long time he was mesmerized, feeling the summer before senior year of high school all over again on his living room floor. Your lips were incredibly soft and pillowy. He was already hard, wondering just what your sex was like if you kissed him like this.

You shifted over his body, straddling him against the bottom of the sofa. You’d give him exactly what he wanted.

“You better be good at this, or don’t even bother looking at me after we finish this project.” You break from his lips. His eyes widened a bit, staring deeply into yours before speaking. 

“Oh princess, I don’t ever disappoint.” He smirked. He lifted both your bodies off the ground. He sucked in your lips, kissing you firmly as he brought you to his bedroom. 

That night, he gave you the best sex of your entire life. He wasn’t lying about not disappointing you.

Sex with you was more than a memorable experience to him. The both of you had formed this bond having had done it so many times in one semester. You never pried or asked him about his personal life. You never hinted at wanting more than what he was already giving you. He would notice when you were stressed and life would occasionally beat you up. He lent you his ear, hoping to ease you the best he could. This kept up for almost a year, and he genuinely thought you’d get tired of the agreement by now. But here you were still, being exactly what he wanted you to be. You never smothered him, and that made him want to spoil you. 

He didn’t know how to communicate that unless it was while he had sex with you. You told him not to buy you gifts. Maybe he could treat you to dinner but you were keen on keeping things minimal. 

The most intimate moment you both had was probably the night before you both had ended it all.

He hadn’t seen you all week, and took you to dinner before bringing you home to bed like he always did. He wanted nothing more than your skin against his own. The warmth you gave him was intoxicating yet somehow endearing. He couldn’t dare fall in love with you, but his sex told you otherwise.

“Fuck, I missed you.”

Your entire head was hot from the whisper he made into your ear. He knew he shouldn’t have said it like that. The way your sweet and dazed eyes looked up at him- he knew it was starting to fuck with you. You let out a moan as he filled you up completely, grinding your sex towards him from underneath.

“It looks like you missed me too,” he chuckled. He could never forget the sounds your slimy cunt made every time he inserted himself into you. He knew you couldn’t lie to him even if you tried— your body wouldn’t let you.

He heard you moan back how much you missed him too, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him close. This was getting bad and he knew that. But he never had someone hold him like that before- like they loved him. 

“I know baby,” he placed sweet kisses against your face and neck, “I know.”

This memory echoes in his brain as he watched Suguru play with your fingers at your table. He orders his drink, and the dame beside him is talking a thousand miles per minute but he doesn’t hear thing. He somehow tunes out the entire establishment, only focusing on you and the dark haired bastard right in front of you. 

She moves on quickly, he thought. He was thankful he had his signature dark shades on so he could stare at you as much as he wanted. 

Were you both just talking? Did Suguru establish the same friends with benefits situation with you? Or... was he your boyfriend? 

It felt like it was just yesterday you were telling him how much you missed him, how much you needed him. 

Satoru then remembered the bullshit speech you gave him once about how you didn’t have time to fall in love. 

So what the fuck was this?

He knew he could’ve handled the split so much better. But he was scared. He didn’t trust you. He didn’t want to find out if you were capable of hurting him. Were you that fickle? He knew he was one to talk, but he’d never forget the look you gave him that night- like you were in love with him.

But that was only two months ago. He watched the both of you get up, and pack your things. The nostalgic yet sick feeling from earlier grew tenfold in his stomach as he watched you and Suguru join hands. He watched him press a long sweet kiss against your forehead before tilting your chin up to his gaze. Suguru whispered something to you, obviously making you blush and stare at the floor. He presses another kiss to your forehead before leading you out of the cafe. 

Satoru’s chest felt tight, and he hadn’t felt this way in years. Such a green feeling, but mostly terrified that he might’ve been in love with you. 

Just how was he supposed to get you back?

✨part 3 here ✨

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment against President Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Soon, the U.S. House will almost certainly vote to pass those two articles. And then things move to the U.S. Senate, where things seem just as inevitable: The GOP-led Senate will block Trump’s removal.

But it’s worth explaining exactly why we think the Senate won’t vote to remove Trump. So let’s break down the vote among all 100 senators — we expect a mostly party-line vote, but there are actually a number of different incentives at work beneath the surface. (Remember that a two-thirds majority — at least 67 votes — is needed to remove Trump.)

Let’s start with the Democrats.

Almost certain to vote for removal: 44 Democrats

Trump’s removal is supported by a plurality of Americans (48 percent) and more than 80 percent of Democrats. So if you’re the typical Democratic senator, who represents a blue-leaning state, the safe and obvious vote is for Trump’s removal. And that’s without even considering the strong evidence that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate the Bidens in exchange for a White House meeting and military aid.

It’s hard for me to see even Democrats who like to emphasize their bipartisanship — Chris Coons of Delaware, for example — or those up for reelection in 2020 in blue-tinged swing states — Gary Peters of Michigan, Tina Smith of Minnesota — voting against impeachment. Impeachment is popular enough among Democratic voters that any Democratic senator in a state that’s not solidly red would have serious electoral problems voting against it.

Swing votes based on centrism: 2 Democrats

There are two Democrats, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who are not up for re-election in 2020 but who might still vote against removal.

Sinema, who was elected last November, is known to be fairly centrist and comfortable bucking her party. She was one of only three Democrats who backed the confirmation of William Barr to be attorney general, for example. Manchin is friendly with Trump and voted for Barr and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The West Virginian has taken the same position as the Trump White House on key votes about 31 percent of the time in the current Congress, making him the chamber’s most Trump-aligned Democrat. Sinema is No. 2, backing the president’s position 21 percent of the time.

In terms of partisan lean,1 Arizona leans red, and West Virginia is super conservative. But I doubt electoral considerations matter that much to either Manchin nor Sinema — they aren’t up for reelection until 2024, when Trump’s impeachment will likely be a distant memory.

So I would bet that both Manchin and Sinema vote against Trump’s removal, preserving their brands as separate from the broader Democratic Party.

Swing vote based on electoral considerations: 1 Democrat

Like Manchin and Sinema, Doug Jones of Alabama also voted for Barr. Unlike Manchin and Sinema, Jones is up for re-election in 2020. My read on Jones is that he’s not that personally centrist; instead, he seems to be trying to figure out how to stay in his seat in pro-Trump Alabama. Jones has taken Trump’s position on 18 percent of Senate votes in the current Congress, making him the third-most Trump-aligned Democrat, after Manchin and Sinema. But relative to Alabama’s politics, Jones ranks behind only Jon Tester of Montana in bucking his state’s pro-Trump preferences.

My starting assumption is that Jones will vote against Trump’s removal, hoping that the vote helps his re-election bid. But he could also decide that Trump’s behavior is too extreme to condone and back removal — electoral consequences be damned. Or perhaps Jones votes for Trump’s removal both because he opposes the president’s conduct but also because the Alabama Democrat sees little chance of winning reelection anyway and is basically auditioning for a spot in the next Democratic president’s cabinet. (In 2016, presidential and U.S. Senate voting were highly correlated — no U.S. Senate candidate won in a state where his or her party’s presidential nominee lost. It’s hard to imagine the Democratic presidential nominee winning in Alabama in 2020, so Jones seems like an underdog.)

So that’s at least 44 votes for removal just among Democrats, and as many as 47. The removal of Trump would need another 20-23 votes. Those would have to come from among the chamber’s 53 Republicans, which means removal is 20 to 23 votes short.

At least right now, I don’t think any Republican is likely to vote for Trump’s removal. My guess is that lots of Republicans privately disapprove of Trump’s Ukraine moves. But GOP senators face significant pressure not to publically break with Trump if they want to maintain their standing within the party and not annoy GOP voters who they need to win primaries and general elections.

Still, there are some gradations among the likely no’s. Let’s go through the GOP blocs, from the most likely to the least likely to vote for Trump’s removal.

Trump-skeptical, limited electoral considerations: 2 Republicans

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah are among the most Trump-skeptical Republicans in Congress, with the Utah senator, in particular, occasionally bashing the president very sharply. Neither has too much to worry about electorally — Murkowski isn’t up for re-election until 2022, and Romney not until 2024. Trump isn’t super popular in Utah, and the state’s Republicans knew they were supporting someone who was not particularly pro-Trump when they nominated Romney in 2018. Murkowski lost a GOP primary in 2010 and then won the general election as a write-in candidate, so she probably isn’t that afraid of breaking with the party, either.

That said, only 8 percent of Republican voters support impeachment. Chiding some of Trump’s more outlandish comments is one thing; supporting the removal of a president with such strong support within your party is something else.

Trump-skeptical, significant electoral considerations: 2 Republicans

Cory Gardner of Colorado and Susan Collins of Maine are both up for reelection in 2020 in Democratic-leaning states. Both have a history of breaking with Trump. They were part of a group of Republicans who publicly said they would not vote for Trump in the run-up to the 2016 election, for example. And Collins, in particular, has remained fairly critical of the president since he came into office. So there are some reasons to think that both could support the president’s removal.

That said, there was some evidence that Republican congressional candidates who broke with Trump in 2016 did worse than those who remained supportive of him, in part because those candidates lost some support from Trump-aligned voters. Perhaps Collins and Gardner would gain support from more centrist, Romney-Clinton voters if they backed Trump’s removal, making up for any losses among conservatives. But that’s a risky bet. Both need Republican voters in the general election.

Also, voting for removal has the potential to result in an organized campaign to defeat Collins or Gardner in their respective GOP primaries. The deadlines to file for the Senate in Colorado and Maine are in mid-March. That’s not a ton of time for a challenger to ramp up a campaign, since the Senate is likely to vote on impeachment sometime in January. But I think it would be fairly easy for even an obscure Republican to find support among GOP activists and donors if he or she were running against a GOP incumbent who had voted for Trump’s removal. And in Maine, there is a very prominent, pro-Trump Republican maywho I think would challenge Collins the moment she voted for Trump’s removal, ex-Gov. Paul LePage.

In short, for Collins and Gardner, the safest electoral route is to oppose removal.

Trump-skeptical, huge electoral considerations: 1 Republican

Ben Sasse of Nebraska was among Trump’s most vocal GOP critics during the president’s first two years in office. But as Sasse’s 2020 re-election bid has neared, the Nebraska senator has changed course — not quite embracing Trump but not going out of his way to emphasize their disagreements either. Not coincidentally, Sasse already has a primary challenger arguing that he is too anti-Trump.

If Sasse voted to remove Trump, I think he would be defeated in Nebraska’s May 12 primary. So I don’t think his vote is in much in question.

Pro-Trump, retiring (no electoral pressure): 4 Republicans

This group includes Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Pat Roberts of Kansas.2

If Trump was truly in danger of being removed, you’d expect to see the first signs of it in this group. I think Alexander, in particular, would be a part of any such movement. He’s conservative on policy, but more of an old-school-style Republican (think Bob Dole) in terms of temperament. He’s not particularly close to the president.

Similarly, Burr, Enzi and Roberts have no particular loyalty to Trump and no political reason to be wary of supporting his removal. That said, all four are long-time, loyal party members. It’s just really hard to see them breaking with the party’s president on this kind of vote.

Pro-Trump, with significant electoral considerations: 4 Republicans

This group of Republicans — John Cornyn of Texas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Martha McSally of Arizona, Thom Tillis of North Carolina — has a lot in common with the previous group (neither particularly anti-Trump nor especially pro-Trump), except they’re all up for reelection in 2020 in relatively swingy states. In other words, this is a bit of a complicated vote for them.

The safest course — and the one I would expect all four to take — is to oppose Trump’s removal, therefore preventing a major primary challenge and ensuring Republican voters in their states are strongly behind them for the 2020 general election. That said, for all four, voting against Trump’s removal ties their political prospects even closer to the president’s. If 2020 is an anti-Trump wave year, I think it’s possible that Democrats win Senate seats in Arizona, Iowa, North Carolina and/or Texas — the same Senate-presidential vote alignment that is likely to doom Jones in Alabama would also doom some of these members.

But let’s pause here for a moment. Imagine that everyone in the groups listed so far voted for impeachment. (Again, I don’t think that’s at all likely, but let’s just pretend.) That would still give removal “just” 60 votes — seven short of the required number. That makes this next group of Republicans essentially the deciders in the impeachment process.

Pro-Trump but looking at the polls: 32 Republicans

This is a big group; I’d include: John Barrasso of Wyoming, Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman of Arkansas, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Ted Cruz of Texas, Steve Daines of Montana, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Josh Hawley of Missouri, John Hoeven of North Dakota, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rob Portman of Ohio, Jim Risch of Idaho, Marco Rubio of Florida, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Richard Shelby of Alabama, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, John Thune of South Dakota, Todd Young of Indiana, Roger Wicker of Mississippi.

And at first glance, you not might think these members should be in the same group. After all, Graham has been one of Trump’s strongest defenders amid the Ukraine scandal, while some of these senators — Lee and Paul in particular — have fairly low Trump scores and occasionally break with the president on policy. But what ties all these senators together is that they are generally Republicans who rose to power pre-Trump. That means they are probably more interested in preserving the GOP and their own electoral standing than defending Trump himself. And none of them are up for reelection in 2020 in swing states, so they are probably looking more at the broader landscape for Republicans than their own reelection prospects.

I don’t see them breaking with Trump unless it’s very politically expedient. Let’s say, at some point, 75 percent of Americans support Trump’s removal, including 35 or 40 percent of Republicans. This is the bloc of Republicans that I think would go to the White House and urge Trump to step down. They would be the most potent messengers in such a situation — they rarely attack Trump and so can’t be written off as “Never-Trumpers,” as the president’s allies have cast Romney. More importantly, if this group broke with Trump, there would be the numbers to actually remove him from office. (Again, though, that all seems very unlikely right now.)

Always Trumpers: 8 Republicans

These Republicans — Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia3 and Rick Scott of Florida — either rose to power post-Trump or are closely allied with the president on immigration issues in particular (Cotton and Perdue). I don’t think they will ever, ever break with the president. If Trump’s political standing worsens, Loeffler and Perdue would be making a somewhat risky move in sticking by him because they represent swingy Georgia (and both are on the ballot in 2020), but I still don’t see any circumstances in which they break with the president. Or, put slightly more cautiously, this group of Republicans would be Trump’s last defenders.

There are a lot of competing incentives at work in the Senate regarding impeachment. The way it all shakes out, however, is that the removal vote is at about 56-44 in Trump’s favor. That could, of course, change based on additional evidence emerging, public opinion shifting and Republican senators changing their minds. But right now, it’s just hard to see the Senate trial of Trump taking place with any real chance that 67 senators will support removing him from office.

[chiseler]

Israel and the Far-Right American Left

Presidential elections are, for the most part, psychic events. Chimeras. Deceptions. Or, as Noam Chomsky calls them, “personalized quadrennial extravaganzas.” But Chomskyites are often puzzled to hear their anarchist role model, one election cycle after another, touting the mainstream Democrat.

So why does Chomsky, with a saddened, syllable-dragging and demoralized voice, encourage voters to participate in their own exclusion – i.e., the electoral process? His under-read Goals and Visions holds some answers. The essay, dating back to Dr. Chomsky’s heyday, makes a beautiful (and deeply counter-intuitive) case for anarchists supporting strong centralized government in the near term.

Voting is a provisional bulwark against absolute corporate tyranny, which must, so the argument goes, be defeated first – I’m not persuaded that Chomsky’s theory illuminates his latest White House hopeful, Bernie Sanders. If, as Chomsky argues, our American Democracy is some terrifying variety show, beamed into politically atomized brains, then certainly he's able to see the emperor has no clothes here. That is, Bernie (pardon the image): a butt naked cipher. I recently asked the MIT linguist a simple question.

"What has Bernie Sanders ever done to help Palestine?"

For years, international activists have been putting Palestinian dignity at the center of their program. And Chomsky's laconic response — "Not much" — won't surprise them. No stranger to equivocation where BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) is concerned, I hoped to tease out whatever nuances might have created this strange contradiction on the American Left, in essence to answer my own query: "How can otherwise principled boycott supporters drop the ball and say 'oops' as historical Palestine experiences a genocide?"

If that word frightens you, you're in good company: Bernie Sanders, Noam Chomsky, and even Norman Finkelstein refuse it — despite a growing chorus that includes Israeli historian Ilan Pappé, who coined “incremental genocide” to define The Holy Land's occupation/annexation/extermination agenda. I'm sitting here in Brooklyn firing off emails in a chair designed by Ray and Charles Eames (so, please, don't call me an "armchair activist") — criticizing figures in my own personal pantheon.

Forgive me for what I do.

Stoop shouldered, he gazes out over his audience like a tortoise, half as old as time, in vain and reflexive search of the shell he left behind somewhere. Now, wouldn’t it be wonderful if this self-styled socialist were running for President? Sure, but Senator Bernie Sanders’ deportment and general appearance constitute a sadly instructive, big old honkin’ “tell” – only chumps and chuckleheads could possibly miss it. Outward displays of Hard Leftism fall away whenever Bernie aids and abets the Democratic Party in strange, stentorian Brooklynese.

Remember that solemn promise he made at the outset of his 2016 campaign not to run as an independent? And another obvious tip-off: pledging support for the Party’s foreknown nominee — i.e., the Monsanto shillaber with whom Sanders was so nauseatingly flirtatious. I keep these facts firmly in mind as I await honest responses to my pestering missives. Critical of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, Noam Chomsky also fails to advance any feasible alternatives.

Nor, by his own admission, has Bernie lifted a finger: "He’s moved towards support for Palestinian rights, more so than any other candidate, but he’s focusing on domestic policy." To wit, Bernie "knows very well that any word on the topic will let loose the familiar and cynical litany of ‘anti-Semitism’." But isn't it even more "cynical" to suggest, as Chomsky does, that ordinary citizens be held to a higher standard than his pick for US President? Some of us risk opprobrium, and worse, every day because party politics are obtuse to suffering in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders exploits disaffected voters by herding them back into the Democratic Party fold, under a primary assumption about their malleability, laziness and glib call for “revolution.” Though he claims to be a serious socialist, he actively supports a murderous wingnut Zionism. Take his resounding stamp of approval on “Operation Protective Edge,” which killed over 550 Palestinian children in 2014, serving Israel’s long-term agenda of land grabs, water theft, indefinite detention... a nigh endless atrocities list which includes the systematic torture of little kids (see UNICEF's Children in Israeli Military Detention, available as a PDF online).

I next decided to bother Chomsky’s old friend and political ally Dr. Norman Finkelstein, son of two Holocaust survivors and decades-long champion of the Palestinian cause. In recent years, Finkelstein has become something of a pariah on the Left thanks to his anti-BDS stance: "I think Bernie should be let alone in the primary to focus on his domestic agenda." This was getting monotonous.

Finkelstein unintentionally loops back to his mentor's essay, Goals and Visions, torpedoing its thesis as our half-assed interview progresses — acknowledging, for instance, that if Bernie couldn’t tax Jeff Bezos, and instead funded New Deal economics with attempted military cuts: “It could literally trigger a coup plot.” Responding to that same question, Chomsky answers with a devastating blow to his own theory: "Even if he were elected — a long shot — he would not be able to do much without a supportive Congress — an even longer shot.”

In plain language, Sanders and the rest of Congress are tied to the defense industry. So what about Uncle Noam’s (imagined) boundary line — the one supposedly separating captains of industry from democratically elected representatives? It’s a sham, though possibly a well-meaning one, like some avuncular bedtime story offered in lieu of reality-based hope.

Genocide kind of rubs me the wrong way.

I’m not sure there’s anything particularly “revolutionary” about pulling a bloodstained lever for state-sponsored carnage in slow motion. But, hell, that’s just my opinion. So let’s listen to Bernie himself — the old Bernie, who spoke a modicum of truth about our so-called electoral options. "Essentially, it's my view that the leadership of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are tied to big-money interests and that neither of these parties will ever represent the people in this country that are demanding the real changes that have to take place."

It’s axiomatic that we don’t launch revolutions in the ballot box. And yet, here we have Sanders fans, crowding around a Smurf with dyspepsia as if he were Big Bill Haywood. To his followers, I’d say: If you’re counting on some latter-day Dem to save you from capitalism’s war-mongering and general rapaciousness, then listen to Bernie’s earlier, slightly less dishonest incarnation. “You don’t change the system from within the Democratic Party.” Now there’s a sentiment I can agree with.

Bernie’s sheep-dogging dovetails with his oft-stated support for pugnacious Israel, since both positions coincidentally strengthen Monsanto. The agribusiness colossus, known mainly for genetically modified crops, produced Agent Orange during America’s illegal assault on Vietnam, and now makes white phosphorous doted on by the Holy Land and that (surprise!) melts human flesh. Israel routinely and, yes, illegally drops the stuff on civilians in Gaza, since... well, a bunch of Arabs live there... Go ahead and Google the images – if you can stomach them – of civilian “collateral damage” roasted by Bernie and his newfound Democrat pals.

Who needs an American Left that parses us into a hopeless corner of complicity with the ghouls over at Monsanto; or into an equally occult alliance with Bernie Sanders’ favorite arms manufacturers at Lockheed Martin: death-peddlers spanning generations which, to the surprise of no one, have their own rollicking relationship to The Holy Land’s psychopathic ethno-nationalism. The same corporations profiting on Israel’s crimes are destroying the biosphere. So what's an impressionable, idealistic soul to do? It's either make common cause with an artlessly compromised left, or enter a nihilistic hellscape populated by the likes of Ben Shapiro, or Dr. Jordan Peterson. Some choice.

Israeli talking points, a species of American PR industry-calibrated blather and Labor Day Telethon sanctimony, relentlessly fuse democracy and religious statehood – two distinct conditions which will never mesh -- into grotesque synonyms. But as of this writing, 97% of the water in Gaza is contaminated; electricity has been cut to 4 hours per day; Israeli courts convict 99.74% of Palestinian defendants (not that many people are guilty); 85% of Israel’s “security fence” (The Apartheid Wall) is on land rightfully and legally belonging to the people of Palestine.

Standing opposed to it all -- and indeed ridiculed by America's preeminent professional anti-Zionist, Dr. Norman Finkelstein, whose sole income these days derives from working the college lecture circuit where he finds himself harangued night after night by 20 year old corn-fed Methodist William Henry Harrison High School Irgun-wannabes, for daring to suggest that the state of Israel might possibly have its own problem with mass-murder -- the amateurs in BDS, wielding the kind of principled Internationalist vision which helped bring down Apartheid in South Africa, chase one last hope.

It is a movement which has become beautifully amorphous, internalized by artists who refuse to perform in Tel Aviv, or inspiring students to tell the truth. Again. Finally. Without fear. Meanwhile, courageous young people within Israel are choosing prison and the death of their social lives over a collusion so easily embraced, and even sought, throughout the rest of the industrialized world. In a Land of Soldiers and unceasing bloodshed, this requires the kind of backbone and resolve that once inspired folk tales.

Ahed Tamimi, to whom this editorial is dedicated 

by Daniel Riccuito

Special thanks to R.J. Lambert

[ritchiepage2001newaccount]

#CorpMedia #Idiocracy #Oligarchs #MegaBanks vs #Union #Occupy #NoDAPL #BLM #SDF #DACA #Humanity

Women at the front: the Cherán rebellion

http://diarioepoca.com/946394/las-mujeres-al-frente-la-rebelion-de-cheran/

Noting that in many parts of the world these peoples can not enjoy fundamental human rights to the same degree as the rest of the population of the States in which they live and that their laws, values, customs and perspectives have often suffered erosion ... Convention 169 ILO.

On the occasion of commemorating International Women's Day hours ago, there was recognition of all of them who were the main protagonists of the Cheran rebellion and today are the driving force of the community.

Cherán, is a small indigenous community that is geographically located in the P'ukuminturhu region of the P'urhépecha plateau of the State of Michoacán in Mexico, which throughout its history was the protagonist of disputes with other indigenous communities mainly due to limits. territorial.

On April 15, 2011, would mark for life to its inhabitants when the community was organized behind the women and decided to stop the illegal overexploitation of natural resources, rose against the narco-state that governed Michoacan that did not stop bringing corruption and death. The reason, -according to Lorena Ojeda Dávila-, that triggered this reaction of the women was that the people designated as "narcotalamontes" ventured into an area of ​​the forest where there is a spring named La Cofradía, around which grow the oldest trees of the community. For Cheranenses, this area and its natural environment represent central and irreplaceable elements of its subsistence and its cosmovision, for which the attack against them was intolerable. The women armed themselves with courage, marked the halt to the vehicles and retained their drivers, supposedly originally from the communities of Santa Cruz Tanaco and Capacuaro, who have been accused by the Cheranenses of being employed as loggers for the benefit of a crime cell organized in the region as of 2007. Immediately after, ringing the bells of the Temple of Calvary, the community was summoned to congregate in the plaza, while the vehicles of the loggers were burning. There were moments of very strong tension, as some people suggested a lynching of the offenders, which the majority of the population rejected, and rather, they chose to keep the detainees moored near the church.

The first times, after the rebellion of April 15, 2011, the community was organized, appointed a General Coordination of a provisional nature (press commission, the neighborhood committee, the food commission, the political liaison commission and a commission of vigilance). The people of Cherán had an enemy in common, coincidentally they were the political parties, which have spent their lives lying to the people and bringing death and corruption. In the Assembly, the originals decided to go beyond the pure proclamation and embarked on the political path of recognition of self-determination supported by international legislation, such as ILO Convention 169 and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Cheran wanted to choose its authorities with the customs and traditions that their ancestors transmitted to them, without intervention of the petulant and decadent Occidentalism, the original ones wanted to return to the path of peace and democracy.

Velázquez indicates that Cheran's spokesmen have expressed that they were subjected to extortion, kidnappings, rapes, "uprisings," assassinations, as well as the immoderate exploitation of their natural resources, mainly of the forest, of which the forestry authorities estimate that in the last ten years more than 80% of surface was lost, corresponding to more than 20,000 hectares [1].

In those times of resistance a historical element would return from the past to give solutions to the present. The campfire, Parhankua, parhangua, parhauakpekua, is the institution of dialogue par excellence: making a fire where it is possible to hear the language of fire, fire speaks in many tones and illuminates the future in an endless dialogue. The campfire is a political institution where issues of importance to the community are debated without the parasitic intervention of political parties.

The foundation for the rebellion in Cheran to be strong enough to resist the attacks of the Mexican political system and organized crime was ethnic solidarity and the construction of community consensus. To achieve the highest degree of consensus it is sufficient that all parties can perceive that their points of view have been sufficiently taken into account in any proposed scheme of future action or coexistence. Likewise, consensus does not mean, in general, total agreement. First, consensus presupposes an original position of diversity. As problems do not always polarize opinion in totally antagonistic lines, dialogue can work, for example, by filing out chants, to reach compromises that are acceptable to all or, at least, not unacceptable to anyone. In addition, where there is willingness to consent, dialogue can lead to a voluntary suspension of disagreement, making possible agreed actions without necessarily mediating the agreement between conceptions [2].

The first K'eri Jánaskaticha or Greater Council of Government arrived in the year 2012, when the Congress of Michoacán formally named the municipal council, previously elected in community assemblies and truly democratic by the inhabitants.

In September 2015, another twelve people, including women, those who were the architects or driving force of that April 15, 2011 that became the most important political process of the millennium in Mexico, were ratified by the assembly as authorities of the village, currently make up the Tsimáni K'eri Jánaskaticha Second Major Government Council with mandate from 2015 to 2018, the new elders k'ericha or k'eris were elected with the same system, the campfire, Los k'eris maintain that their system of government it is collective, based on a system of non-hierarchical circular organization.

It is incredible the coincidences that communities like Cherán have with cities or communities in the interior of Argentina, the common enemy is always the political system led by political parties that spread poverty, death and corruption in everything they touch. It would not be bad to imitate those communities that assume their history and rise up against injustice, deciding that the construction of their destiny is communitarian, democratic and dialogical.

[1] Velázquez, Jurhámuti. Lessons learned by girls and boys from a social movement: The case of bonfires in the Cherán community. Bachelor thesis in Psychology. Michoacana University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo, 2014. Printed.

[2] Coria García, Carlos A. Ficción, on a possible political representation, p. 66. (2019)

[lakeblutomski]

so some updates um it's on the mob

i know who it was that's sending some message now it was a blonde male from the basketball and also another was his favorite restaurant an italian place landini brothers the waiter person there who one day i saw had tattoos don't know if that's real but those conspirators and things upset about and the mafia um education popularity

also the other person the georgia roommate parts about that one was someone was i think didn't follow the elephant republican side effects all the all the way to the bottom and backed out and another mentor figures sex thoughts so peoples life purposes and holes in stories or ejaculation

lots of people still trying to keep tabs on me the local alexandrians like someone now trying to off the um person who allegedly is crazy and witness protection program so pimps bookies um my dad and his career so not brando someone else and different people i know i can point out of a crowd their off base bullying (thus always to tyrants va or other personalities that if i thought i'd know who it was)

snitching um scanned 3 magazines um things people weren't familiar with and passionate love affairs teachers lessons um synopsis peoples secrecy missing people the drug business um

the school people so that whole thing sort of lumped as les miserables despite i think a rumor was actual legitamite french had eaten bodily fluids and my citizenship over there um cousin and masturbation secret rooms muslims um

so what's out there um not really offended or well i guess that's not me so moving on um the hbo sopranos and peoples attrition to um secrecy the senator these characters in the plot mario puzo the god father or um still pointlessness it's not real it's as the georgian even said and found out it's a lie

so um misled um old personalities it's the same people it's the same earth coincidentally you don't really um leave the familiarity online predators and plots on the sex schemes um the next door website and being denied service um back to va and things that'll happen as that is dealt with in reality so me um think tomorrow should go okay mostly i'd rather do this then the other stuff due to last times lessons

peoples um education formatted to outrageous cockameeny things like murders prostitutes drug addiction um divorces misled reenlistment

coincidentally another was the oh fbi watchlist actually works for me but it was that oh my entertainment career was destroyed but i am ok sort of um oh all these true things i said that turn out to be completely true so like things i even predict or notice such as i was going to do a here's who the people notifying me are list of them and their motives all of that stuff but then you can't really do much

so there's my i believe jewish roommate from vcu and the intro to someone who had the same name as dexter there's that

there's the person i labeled muslim from maybe isa before the close with sports bets

um there's the thai guitarist who was violent and showed drug systems distribution

there's the artist with the road bike and all of them

there's the new yorkers further about the it was crime syndicates or representatives

my brother and me trying to not have him get into messy things

saw mccusker the other day his i image outrageous career

the west potomac

an example of the true story i see i am at anita's and say that here's what i think this is it's drugs rockstars um transgenders then am reminded there's the coheed and cambria taking back sunday miami tour on a cruise ship

so this one um the big release with the prequelle to the sopranos is ramping up other times things ramp up new school year anniversaries sometimes secretive um election day other changes

so the jewish ghetto and the term is about um hidden societies the amish um oh trafficking births and the city lens on that there's like the yankees or those companies maggiano's is over here

peoples kids going missing um that's some music history is a tangent but um your profession and your passion for fun um love affairs the term was trap lords for getting somehow incriminated

i think a cop family kid both may be going closer towards the std i deemed broken needles so that being hogging sex and then replies to that um other things spokesperson tattoos their lost and getting losed in the crime worlds with the badge as as stated knowing people parents um wills and that trying to agitate and mislead see the story of insurance or the holocaust or others fixed stalking

the doctor maybe mistaken but maybe he is a social worked power on how people will get cornered or dead ends see third eye blind their hit single semi charmed life

ok so different lots of the west potomac's that clothes look affiliation from the veterans affairs off post from fort belvoir and blasting on civilians um a university brand law things followers

the anonymous computer gang one focal point a personality in school others um even unknowns but some if paying attention knowing it like hackers met or which one

mil attempted lifers um benefits arrivals presentation

ok so the drug world a manager teeth missing and pharmacy people the food and drug reps like jansen or dr hines and me getting mostly blessed from them sit here tell what i saw then everythings ironed out and provided for and don't raise the alarms little checkpoints so the term a made man

um who to listen to now there's like shoe box stops on that like don't click that it'll show up and you'll so hearing damage in the neighborhood um the usmc childhood person and all the people branched off from that

ok so the adultery part don't get upset and my parents business so there was other parts tax collectors that's a movie too but people in government so that mentality um sex breaks how that works spirit breaking um different factions arts and education alternatives the record store and others calling but ironies and foolishness

the married so my parents provided for the future um the beneficiary people the school so peoples teaching lesson on that get him pussy you get reward and certificate and people pursuing hiv

um the person from this site that'd be other richmonders um publishers and asians category um inherent vice pynchon defectors

so the cops or which one is it now knowing which local personality the sports gamers with the mortgage clouts those people swinging through um

over here no one showing up to um well there's the cleaners reports so told about a popular middle school person and different branches from that the caverns (rhymes with taverns) and that's like the beatles

tearjerkers from others someone might be gay and eating bodily fluids and lots of people outsourcing schools favors vandalism jumping someone um wild stuff

carrier pigeons the leader the name movie references and um hmm georgian life that like no not near the potomac river something about that as a comfort the reagan airport um the land locked part nebraska others crazy out landish quests

sex tourism here um higher roads and maybe rewards coincidentally

porn changes not interracial and um hanger ons

so getting flattered the sicilian

so the professor his getting me and working together that'd be him and a dwarf (references to books on deciphering and telephone a galaxy) so them typing up a home made gift for me and other things penis guitar um public opinions

grand dad looked mostly okay getting skeletony skeletal um get him out of the keeping place for now heard of hospital for dehydration assume that's actually his two kids who live with him bullying him like head games from their background but so hmm see some of these old timers just keep on going getting the right kick on

so the birchmere club thought haven't been as often little hearing issue but there's a personality there who maybe mistaken i openly we talked about lgbtq that explanation so them um the cool cop who'll show you your way everything high strung think when i was in restaurants pees tips so what's the new music um kingston trio vinyl in my case

showing up for what and the muslims that handled so iraq afghanistan jerusalem like crazy veteran stories more than just a black hat with a caregiver seated going somewhere the turbo

harrisonburg so hearsay um sex addiction drug dealers game zones um vices vices so peoples short cuts a restaurant what common knowledge and directions will tell you as in my case 'cop outs' don't always work also fault finding that now

saw the stones later this like bad ass dangerous turtle thing in head like also british things humor um national geographic a big rollins head the um discipline and some of these song bird stories at dc a nickname was song bird mccain

the blacks vietnam um smokers

people infusing sex with games and other unoffensive details

my blood pressure cuff

calm and relaxed there's some doctors the maybe not retirement circuit so active duties um the reward they got for their effort sex gains and freedoms um then drug scripts the pharmacy that legal and head ache frustration free

so others a painting um american claude monet blonde blue eyes um the other games workshop mcfarlane not as much facebook but um maybe second veteran not generation but va gi bill voc rehabers um each person corner the gays um asian food um high octane and the nfl um each of these then the high traffick time how forgetful

sex

so banned books and others things um words um usages exhale america

ok so thought the real time was sort of not possible though i continued and also it was the other things insurance modesty explaining the guy instead of bill gill um popeye's um over here different map and cool cars um attitude or misleading um

did also thing despite it was very viewed i clicked to see how many two nephew visiting weekly maids

drama going on um the moles in tradoc and apparent back breakers injection knock out drills um phases so new lifes abandoning others um grossness as a weapon unemployment throughout um not annoying transgender um drunkenness inebriated highs um the ivy leaguers and the libraries and effects of purchases

youtube online publishers um companies sites a cafe caffeine um old memories of rare limited edition entertainment

so the story soon movie survey

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Louisiana students (AP) After nearly 18 months of pandemic-caused schooling delays, Louisiana was just getting ready to welcome students back with open arms when Hurricane Ida struck the state. Over 150,000 students are now out of school again thanks to the storm, and with test scores steadily declining, parents are concerned for more than a few reasons. Given the devastation left behind by the hurricane, many parents were hoping for their children to have somewhere to go to escape the heat or ruined homes they were left with. Nearly half of the students are expected to return to classes later this week, but the rest are still in limbo, unsure how long the recovery will take. In some areas, temporary or makeshift classrooms will need to be set up, but even if that can be accomplished, the students may not be able to get to them. With many left unable to go back to their homes, students without power or running water are going to struggle to make it to their classrooms.

Biden Declassifies Secret FBI Report Detailing Saudi Nationals’ Connections To 9/11 (NPR) The Biden administration has declassified a 16-page FBI report tying 9/11 hijackers to Saudi nationals living in the United States. The document, written in 2016, summarized an FBI investigation into those ties called Operation ENCORE. The partially redacted report shows a closer relationship than had been previously known between two Saudis in particular—including one with diplomatic status—and some of the hijackers. Families of the 9/11 victims have long sought after the report, which painted a starkly different portrait than the one described by the 9/11 Commission Report in 2004. While the report does not draw any direct links between hijackers and the Saudi Arabian government as a whole, Jim Kreindler, who represents many of the families suing Saudi Arabia, said the report validates the arguments they have made in the case. “This document, together with the public evidence gathered to date, provides a blueprint for how al-Qaida operated inside the U.S.,” he said, “with the active, knowing support of the Saudi government.” The Saudi government has long maintained that any connections between Saudi nationals and the hijackers were coincidental.

The U.S. Senate returns (1440) The U.S. Senate reconvenes today following its August recess, with President Joe Biden’s signature agenda item, a $3.5 trillion spending plan that would expand the social safety net and invest billions in climate programs, still facing roadblocks. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, a key vote in a divided Senate, spoke out on Sunday against the level of spending and suggested lawmakers adopt a slower approach than the Sept. 27 deadline advocated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Two women campaign to become France’s 1st female president (AP) Two French politicians kicked off their presidential campaigns Sunday, seeking to become France’s first female leader in next year’s spring election. The far-right National Rally party’s Marine Le Pen and Paris’ Socialist mayor, Anne Hidalgo, both launched their presidential platforms in widely expected moves. They join a burgeoning list of challengers to centrist President Emmanuel Macron. This includes battles among multiple potential candidates on the right—including another female politician Valerie Pecresse—and among the Greens. Macron, 43, has not yet announced his reelection bid but is expected to do so.

Pope, in Slovakia, warns European countries against being self-centred (Reuters) Pope Francis warned against too much focus on individual rights and culture wars at the expense of the common good on Monday during a visit to Slovakia amid increased nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiment across eastern Europe. The 84-year-old Francis, looking fit, is making his first trip since undergoing intestinal surgery in July. Asked by a reporter on Monday how he felt, he joked: “Still alive.” On the first papal visit to Slovakia since 2003, Francis returned to a theme he had touched on during a stopover on Sunday in Hungary on how nations should avoid a selfish, defensive mentality, as he recalled the region’s communist past. “In these lands, until just a few decades ago, a single thought system (communism) stifled freedom. Today another single thought system is emptying freedom of meaning, reducing progress to profit and rights only to individual needs,” Francis said. “Our Christian way of looking at others refuses to see them as a burden or a problem, but rather as brothers and sisters to be helped and protected,” he said on Monday.

Hi-tech Zapad-2021 (Reuters) The “Zapad-2021” war games is a joint military drill between Russia and Belarus, which has alarmed Ukraine and some NATO countries due to the inclusion of sites near the European Union’s borders. Reports from the defense ministry have stated that Russia unveiled new combat robots and tactical vehicles on the second day of the active main phase of the war games. According to Russian news agencies, troops used Platform-M combat robots, which are controlled remotely and armed with grenade launchers and a machine gun. New Sarmat-2 tactical vehicles were also seen. President Vladimir Putin denies the drills are directed against any foreign power and says they are sensible given increased NATO activity near Russia’s borders and those of its allies.

Chinese city with coronavirus outbreak stops buses, trains (AP) A city in southern China that is trying to contain a coronavirus outbreak told the public Sunday not to leave town, suspended bus and train service and closed cinemas, bars and other facilities. Anyone who needs to leave Putian, a city of 2.9 million people in Fujian province south of Shanghai, for an essential trip must have proof of a negative coronavirus test within the past 48 hours, the city government announced. China declared the coronavirus under control in early 2020 but has suffered outbreaks of the more contagious delta variant. Authorities say most cases are traced to travelers arriving from Russia, Myanmar and other countries. In Putian, 19 new infections that were believed to have been acquired locally were reported in the 24 hours through midnight Saturday, according to the National Health Commission.

North Korea Reports Long Range Cruise Missile Test as Arms Race Intensifies (NYT) North Korea said on Monday it​ had successfully launched newly developed long-range cruise missiles, its first missile test in six months and a new indication that an arms race between North and South Korea was heating up on the Korean Peninsula. In the tests that took place on Saturday and Sunday, the North Korean missiles hit targets 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away after flying more than two hours, said the North’s official Korean Central News Agency. The missiles changed their trajectories and made circles before hitting their targets, it said. A series of resolutions from the United Nations Security Council banned North Korea from developing or testing ballistic missiles, but not cruise missiles. The latest tests showed that North Korea continued to improve its arsenal of missiles while nuclear disarmament talks with the United States remained stalled.

Taliban: Women can study in gender-segregated universities (AP) Women in Afghanistan can continue to study in universities, including at post-graduate levels, but classrooms will be gender-segregated and Islamic dress is compulsory, the Taliban government’s new higher education minister said Sunday. The world has been watching closely to see to what extent the Taliban might act differently from their first time in power, in the late 1990s. During that era, girls and women were denied an education, and were excluded from public life. The Taliban have suggested they have changed, including in their attitudes toward women. However, women have been banned from sports and the Taliban have used violence in recent days against women protesters demanding equal rights.

Israel hits Hamas targets in Gaza in response to rocket fire (AP) Israeli aircraft struck a series of targets in the Gaza Strip early Monday in response to rocket launches out of the Hamas-ruled territory. It was the third consecutive night of fighting between the two sides, even as Israel’s foreign minister sought to dangle incentives for calm. Tensions have risen after last week’s escape from an Israeli prison by six Palestinian inmates, as well as struggling efforts by Egypt to broker a long-term cease-fire in the wake of an 11-day war last May. The Israeli military reported three separate rocket launches late Sunday and early Monday, saying at least two of them were intercepted by its rocket defenses. In response, it said it attacked a number of Hamas targets. There were no reports of casualties on either side.

Nigeria says 75 abducted children released amid army crackdown (Reuters) Seventy-five children who were kidnapped from their school in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara State have been released after their abductors came under pressure from a military crackdown, a state official said on Monday. More than 1,100 children have been seized since December last year. Authorities say they were abducted by heavily armed gangs of bandits seeking ransoms.

[thotyssey]

On Point With: Jill Sobule

Jill Sobule, an acclaimed singer / songwriter, is known for a school of musicianship that’s pretty rare these days: story songs about the lives of other people, factual or fictional. One such song about a suburban lesbian courtship--1995′s “I Kissed a Girl” (long before that OTHER song of the same name)--was a massive radio and MTV hit, and remains one of the very few queer anthems to reach a global audience. Since then, she’s pioneered the use of crowdfunding as a way to finance her critically acclaimed music, she maintains a rabid cult following and collaborates with legends... and she’s become a surprising fixture at the East Village’s eclectic Club Cumming. In fact, she’ll be traveling with the talent from that venue for a set in Fire Island very soon... and she’s got all the deets for us!

Thotyssey: Jill, hello and thanks so much for talking to us today! So, are you officially a New Yorker these days?

Jill Sobule: I just moved back to the NYC after 10 years in LA.  I’m so very happy. I belong here.

Did you experience Pride this past weekend at all? I not only went to Pride, but wore a blue skirt with LED lights and Pride edition Doc Martins. And, I went into the old Cubby Hole (which is now Henrietta Hudson) for the first time since 1987, when I cocktailed for a month there. I walked in and they were playing “I’m Coming Out.” Some things don’t change.

This is a crazy time for gay rights... and for the rights of women, all minorities, and all impoverished groups. In many ways it looks like we are going backwards as a country. Are weird / scary times “good” for singer-songwriters as far as inspiration goes, or is it too overwhelming and distracting? Well, I have always been an “activist” singer-songwriter. But this shit is off the charts now: with SCOTUS, more shootings, the motherfucking Trump party, etc. Yes, sadly it is a fertile time for the creative juices to flow. That just sounded gross, by the way! But it is also a time when folks, who wouldn’t normally be penning a protest song, are waking up and using their talents for the resistance. You wrote a great song “Our America Back” shortly after Trump’s election, where you ponder what his voter fanbase means exactly when they claim they want that. Does it surprise you that we don’t have a larger protest song movement happening now? Are we too cynical? I think more and more music folk are waking up, like I said. Even a few brave souls in country music. Still, pop music is sadly lacking. 

Although much of your songwriting is personal or political, you are best known for writing story-songs about characters, or from other people’s points of view (especially on your 2000 album Pink Pearl). We don’t see too much of that in singer / songwriters today, although certainly in the 60s and 70s that was more common. What inspired your approach to writing songs that way? Yes, I was very much influenced by the singer-songwriters of the 60s and 70s: Joni, Dylan, John Prince, etc. And the Beatles story songs, like “She’s Leaving Home” or “Eleanor Rigby.” I like stories. When I start a song--so many write with the hook or chorus first--but I start with the very first verse, like I am writing a short story. There is a lot of smart humor in your music. I love “Lucy at the Gym,” equal parts funny and sad, where you ponder what might have happened to this woman who you used to see at the gym all the time.  Do you often find yourself wondering about, and being inspired by, the possible lives of strangers? Oh yes, my life is not always that interesting. I am a great voyeur. I sometimes play this game in my head on the subway (especially if my phone is dead and I have nothing to read) where I take a couple of riders and imagine what they do, who they are. I write a story.

Do you often get asked by people who know you--or maybe even people who don’t--if a song you’ve written was about them? Yes, and it’s like “You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you.” Another story song of yours was the huge 1995 hit “I Kissed a Girl” from your self-titled breakthrough album, which people from my generation will always respect as the REAL “I Kissed a Girl.” Were you relieved in a way when Katy Perry *ahem* coincidentally used that as the title for her own 2008 breakout hit… meaning, you didn’t have to be the ”I Kissed a Girl” girl anymore? “I Kissed a Girl” was such a mixed blessing. I was, and am, so proud of it; that it was one of the first queer pop songs to make the charts. Yet, that was all I was known for. When Katy came out with hers, I was like all, “Hey, I’m the Kissed a Girl girl!”

“Supermodel” was another big hit from that album, which appeared on the Clueless soundtrack. You’ve since had a bunch of your songs show up on movies and TV shows… is that always cool, or does it sometimes seem like weird choices were made as far as matching your songs to scenes?

It’s always great to have your songs in TV or in a movie. Sometimes that’s the only way anyone will ever hear you. Would you ever go the Cyndi Lauper route and create an original Broadway musical, if that opportunity presented itself? Your storytelling style would lend itself to that enormously.

Well, I have done a few musicals. A musical called Times Square was put on by NYU  this last Winter. I put music to the original 1970s Broadway play, Yentl (not the Babs version, by the way). It’s had several productions. And now...I’ve been commissioned to write a one-woman show called #Fuck7thGrade.

Your 2009 album California Years was paid for entirely by crowdfunding, via contributions of fans and benefactors in exchange for perks like being credited in liner notes, attending private concerts by you or even being allowed to sing on some tracks. This was considered to be a nutty, extreme way of doing things then... but you proved it could be hugely successful, and now everybody’s doing it. Is crowdfunding in music basically here to stay at this point? Crowdfunding is probably essential now. No one (unless you are the top .01%) makes any money on music. It’s all streaming. No one buys music anymore. So it seems that touring and crowdfunding are the only ways to survive. By the way, I’m doing a lot of house concerts. They are great for both artists and fans. Do you think this movement to get consumers to stream all their music, as opposed to downloading it, will create further distance between music and music lovers? I was just thinking about that as I was going over the credits on my upcoming record. I put in a lot of time listing all the lyrics, musicians and thank yous. As a kid, I poured over the credits. I knew all the session players. I knew Jim Keltner played on both Paul and John (Beatles) records. That’s why I hired him (also, hopefully, to get lots of stories). Nowadays, no one cares about how a song was written or created. Or if they do, you can’t find it. 

How did you get mixed up in the crazy world of nightlife impresario Daniel Nardicio, and one of his main bases of operations Club Cumming?  Oh, I’ve known Daniel for a long time. We were actually in some goofy movie together (very bit parts). Lately, we’ve been hanging out. Love him and Club Cumming. What’s it like performing in that space?  It attracts so many different scenes and people. Vanessa Williams just did a pop-up performance there! I know! It’s a total rarity. One night, there will be a guy who paints portraits with his penis, and later their will be a serious singer-songwriter. But, it’s always good.

In July, Club Cumming will be paying a week-long visit to That Other Queer Haven, Fire Island! Many of the Club’s favorite performers will be doing versions of their shows at the Cherry Grove Community Center from July 6th through the 12th. 

You’ll be part of the takeover on two dates: Saturday the 7th for “The Women of Club Cumming” where you will join the likes of Club Cumming gals Ellia J. Garlands, Catherine Cohen and Daphne Always. And then the following night, you’ll be back performing a solo set. Have you ever done Fire Island before? A couple of years ago, I played at a Daniel event. I can’t wait to come back. I’m gonna stay too, a couple of extra days. It’s a good time! I’m gonna have a good time!

Congrats on the praise in Rolling Stone of your latest single “Island of Lost Things.” And I know you’re always performing somewhere... where else can we find you in the near future?

I’m playing the Rubin Museum on Friday, July 6th.

Excellent! In closing: If you were to write a song from Melania Trump’s perspective, would it be sympathetic or not? 

I go back and forth. But since the coat incident, she is either such a tool, or the biggest idiot ever. So now…no sympathy. Unlike Laura Bush, whom I secretly had a minor crush on.

Thank you so much, Jill!

Check Thotyssey’s calendar for upcoming area appearances of Jill Sobule. Follow Jill on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, iTunes and her website. 

On Point Archives

[byunnct]

new years fireworks [jaehyun nct]

pairing: jung jaehyun x reader

summary: college!au. it seems you become jaehyun’s new year’s resolution

a/n: in celebration of me having no plans for nye, here is a poorly written nye party with jae!!

When you think of New Year’s Eve, you usually end up thinking of a New Year’s kiss not long after.

Whether it’s a stranger, friend, close friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, person, it’s an exciting tradition that you think is valued too much, but is a fun idea nonetheless. With that kiss to welcome the year in mind, there’s students everywhere chatting up strangers in hopes they will have someone to kiss at midnight. It’s entertaining to watch people both succeed and fail and how they deal with it. You’ve watched the same boy get rejected three times now. He’s not losing hope, though.

You wish you had his confidence and perseverance. Maybe then you could get over that damned Jung Jaehyun.

The tall, handsome, very pale bread-looking schmuck has ruined your life since the day you met him. You’re still angry that he had such an effect on you the first time you met, rendering you to short, quiet sentences and a furiously beating heart. He’s a person whose always had attention from everyone – whether it be romantically, platonically or just to appreciate his God-like appearance. You’d maybe go as far as to say he’s the heartthrob of your college, drawing people in with his good looks and keeping them with a personality to die for. Jaehyun’s popularity is undeniable, and you’ve witnessed confessions to him on several occasions and had to watch disheartened classmates awkwardly scuffle away after being rejected.

Your best friend, Johnny, who coincidentally is how you’re more familiar with Jaehyun than the average person, always tells you to give Jaehyun a chance because “you two would get along so well!” but in some weird, backward defence mechanism, instead of befriending him, making things easier for Johnny (as he always complains), you find yourself avoiding him at all costs.

No casual ‘hello’s in passing, no small talk if you’re behind him in the line at the coffee shop, no associating with Jaehyun in any way especially if someone comes to you with the idea that “since you know Johnny..”, and definitely no meeting up with Johnny when you know they’ve been in the same lecture or even in the same proximity.

Better safe than sorry, you tell yourself. Keep a good distance.

In hindsight, you think it’s because you’re so focussed on Jaehyun in your head that you don’t realise the real thing is in front of you, waving a too good looking hand, looking confused but still with a smirk on his lips. He says your name (it sounds beautiful) and his smirk softens, “I thought you were ignoring me for a second,”

“Ah, sorry, must be the alcohol.” You smile. You’re lying, you’ve had two sips of whatever is in your cup, but you’re panicking a little and you’re unsure of how to act or of what Jaehyun wants.

“It’s cool,” He moves to stand next to you against the wall and takes a sip of his drink, “How’re you enjoying the party?”

You take a deep breath in, “As far as I’m aware no one’s thrown up yet, and to me that means everything is going swell so far.”

You notice Jaehyun laughs a little too much at your response and then glances around the room. “Yeah, let’s hope neither of us are around when all of that goes down.”

With a nod, as casually as you can you ask, “So who did you come with?”

“Just me.” He smiles.

You expected that he had come with someone, anyone, whether it was friend or love interest or at least Mark, a boy in the lower year who is adored across campus, but before you can question it Jaehyun is speaking again.

“I’m here for someone, though. Not with, for. I’m keeping an eye out for them.” He looks strangely smug and stares directly into your eyes.

Jealousy flares inside of you. His words hurt more than you’d like to admit, the fact that he’s here for someone that isn’t you but is here talking to you, wasting time before the one he’s waiting for arrives, and then you feel angry because he seems smug after breaking your heart, even though he has no idea he’s done such a thing. You still blame him.

“Oh,” You say, stepping away, preparing to leave, “Well I hope you find them.”

You turn and begin to leave but there’s slim fingers wrapping around your arm and Jaehyun has grabbed your wrist.

“Let’s go outside and talk,” He says gently.

You really don’t want to but at the same time you really want to. You’re conflicted and confused, you want to leave the party and never look back and pretend this encounter never happened, but you also want to go outside with Jung Jaehyun, the person you refuse to believe you’re crushing on but totally are, and use this rare opportunity to get closer to him. You stare at him and curse under your breath; you can’t say no to his face when it looks so angelic.

Good looking people have it so easy.

When you walk into the backyard there’s a large pool that’s surrounded by wooden loungers, enough to seat at least the college’s sports team. The trees and bushes have been decorated in celebration of New Year’s Eve, fairy lights of mainly white and a blue hue strewn across the leaves of the bushes and branches of the trees. There’s some leftover Christmas decorations still dotted around and you make a mental note to buy yourself a light-up snowman next year. Even with the misplaced Christmas décor, the garden looks.. romantic.

Jaehyun directs you to one of the loungers by the pool and when you sit you expect him to take the lounger next to you, but the entire chair shifts slightly when Jaehyun places himself right next to you, arm pressed against yours.

He asks you about New Year’s resolutions and you tell him something simple off the top of your head, something to do with experiencing firsts, and you feel your cheeks burn when he responds, “I bet you’ll do that easily!” with a warm, wide smile. In return you ask him if he has any and he smiles cryptically and says, “Nothing special. Keep my grades up, that kind of stuff. I’d like to get closer to certain people.”

You’re worried of what the reaction would be if you pried about who he was talking about, so you elect to not bother asking. There’s a part of you that doesn’t want to know anyway, since you’re sure you are not one of the people he’d like to get closer to.

You talk for a while, and you think everything’s going just fine when Jaehyun suddenly says, “You don’t like me very much, do you?”

You laugh nervously, startled, “What? Of course I like you-”

“Johnny already told me.”

You sigh, “Johnny.”

You’re not entirely sure what Johnny could’ve said, it’s not like you’ve said anything too offensive or stand-offish regarding Jaehyun. You prefer to avoid the topic of the boy altogether, purposely not saying anything when he’s mentioned or brought up in conversation.

Jaehyun, however, isn’t really offended by the ‘rumour’ that you don’t like him. Johnny’s said a lot about you, mainly good since Johnny’s just a good guy, and when it comes to you and Jaehyun all Johnny’s said is, “Y/N doesn’t really say anything about you.” Which Jaehyun thinks is a little worse than you bad-mouthing him behind his back. The real feelings of dislike come from how you avoid him, how you obviously withdraw yourself from a conversation if he’s brought up, and how you think he doesn’t notice, but Johnny is a common interest for you two - he plans to use this to his advantage so he can talk to you for longer.

“Yeah,” Jaehyun giggles, “He’s a special one, right?”

You look exhausted as you say, “He stood up and did his parrot impression for the entire party earlier.”

Before he can respond, people start flooding out of the backdoor of the house, stumbling into the garden and accidentally spilling some of their drinks onto the grass. Some are chanting some song or ritual, and others are shouting something about how the countdown will begin after fireworks.

“Maybe we should move away from the pool,” Jaehyun mumbles. As you walk towards a tree near the back, you can feel Jaehyun’s hand hovering around your waist and a voice in your head whispers about how’d nice it’d be if he just.. moved a little closer so he was touching you.

The backyard becomes so crowded it looks as if you’re part of an audience for a show. You’re completely surrounded and it makes you feel somewhat helpless, like if you wanted to walk away from Jaehyun now you wouldn’t be able to. Whatever happened, you would have to deal with it and the consequences. Maybe you should’ve left when you had the chance.

At one point, a particularly drunk girl comes staggering through the crowd and pushes you slightly, causing you to take a step back into Jaehyun who is right behind you. Instinctively Jaehyun gently puts his hands on your waist, stabilising you. He’s so close you can feel his hard chest against your back and he mumbles a quiet, “are you okay?” directly into your ear. You twitch slightly and curse him in your mind; you swear he purposely sounds breathy as he speaks just to cause the colour in your cheeks.

The fireworks are finally let off, shooting into the air and it’s a beautiful sight with a mixture of colours that complement each other in the night sky. You flinch a couple of times from the loud bangs and Jaehyun gives a little chuckle every time from behind you, causing his chest to rumble and you feel it - it’s so nice and warm you want to scream.

Then the countdown to the New Year begins.

Everyone around you starts shouting numbers, couples already coming together to look at one another as the clock ticks down. Jaehyun pinches your side slightly, saying, “Y/N,” and turns you around to face him.

The look on his face makes your heart speed up too fast for your liking. He looks nervous, as if he’s not sure what to say or do, but he’s smiling so his dimples show and his cheeks are bunched up and make his eyes smaller. Despite the nervousness, there’s also a look of warmth and anticipation on his face. It’s endearing.

Just as the countdown reaches zero, Jaehyun moves his arms to wrap around your waist and he softly asks, “Can I kiss you?”

Instead of answering you lean up, wrap your arms around his neck and place your lips onto his. Everyone starts cheering and even though you know everyone is cheering because it’s the New Year, you can’t help but feel like everyone is cheering for you and Jaehyun because you’ve been wanting this for so long (and Jaehyun has too).

You decide there and then that 2018 will be a year of firsts, 2018 will be different, and that’s solidified by the sparkle in Jaehyun’s eyes when he looks at you after you pull away.

[franklyshipping]

Happy New Year ~ An Ego Fanfiction

Word Count: 28, 758

Characters:….fuckin….everyone.

SFW. With romantic, platonic, and familial relationships…..and of course, tickling.

———————————————————————————————————–

This is to wish everybody out there, a happy new year. I love you all.

Now…..where to begin. A place of warmth I think, to introduce you to our tale. This is to be an observation of a family on New Year’s Eve. A rather obscure family, I grant you, who have certainly had their many ups and downs; but a true family gets through it all, which they have. There are multiple scenes and scenarios and events to occur this evening so I advise you to be patient and take your time as you, like me, observe them and see them unfold in all their beauty. Ah, I think the first is about to occur…..walk with me.

They have the loveliest living space, split into three to make the whole ground space seem more homely and connected; I think it works. Here we are at the west side, I think it would be characterised as “the main living area”. The floor is a beautifully plain and simple white tile, and it's like this because of how this household has a particular preference for its bold and unique furnishings; most likely to adhere to the styles of its inhabitants. It’s a nice sentiment, since I think we both know how…..unsavoury, other households can be. At first glance though you may think me a liar, since the two couches here are rather plain in themselves as they rest in light beiges and browns; their cushions were of similarly gentle hues, being light blues and yellows. These dim palettes were necessary however, due to the vivacity of those who resided and nestled in their warm havens.

For instance, sat together on the beige and yellow furnishings were two esteemed gentlemen. Dr Iplier and the Host. The couple were contently nestled, leaning gently upon one another. The latter hummed a gentle melody, which soothed and swept through the gentle chatter that was all around them, whilst the former listened and lazily inspected the sandwich that he held. The doctor was still feeling inherently festive, thus meaning that his article of nourishment had copious amounts of turkey scraps, as well as a light relish. It also happened to be his third of the evening, but he didn’t really care; he was bold like that.

Perpendicular to that gentle sight lay another, in quite a literal sense now that I think about it. A magician and his enhanced companion. This particular couple were rather more……strewn, than neatly nestled, but were still perfectly content. Marvin was half-upright at one end of their couch, his legs lay across the extent of the furniture, all the while Jackie-Boy Man was…..on top of him. He was on his back, lying on his magician’s legs as his head rested in said man’s lap; neither man could complain however. The hero was smiling with relaxed joy since Marvin had decided to nestle his hands in his hair, and was constantly carding through the locks and massaging his scalp with a beautiful gentleness. Marvin, too, was in heaven. The feeling of Jackie’s hair was smooth and calming between his fingers, and the close proximity that they shared made Marvin sigh and hum; he could feeling his chest and general core getting warmer with every passing second.

However, this was not all. For in Marvin’s other hand, he held a sandwich that was practically identical to that of the doctor’s; they both had truly excellent festive tastes. Marvin was so convinced of this fact, that he couldn’t help but ramble about it to the man in his lap; having copious amounts of food and beverages that your body and mind aren’t used to, can often lead to such rambly giddiness. Not that Jackie minded, quite the opposite really.

‘You just can’t beat it, it is THE most festive choice of food that you could possibly get! You’d think turkey sandwiches would only appear in brand ads or cheesy seasonal movies, but no! They actually happen! Isn’t it awesome?’

Jackie couldn’t keep the smile off his face at the entire situation. His boyfriend. His intelligent, sane, and magically gifted boyfriend…..was ranting about his love for a sandwich. A…..goddamn…..sandwich. Only on the eve of a fresh year could such randomness have been brought to the surface.

‘Oh yeah, it’s totally awesome!’

Jackie grinned as Marvin smiled happily at his agreement and enthusiasm, and Jackie couldn’t help but feel joyful at how excited Marvin was at such a small thing. Whenever Marvin was happy, so was Jackie; now, it could just be coincidental couple-y instinct….but on New Year’s Eve, I don’t think you can deny the magic in the air. Suddenly however, Marvin furrowed his eyebrows with a small gasp.

‘Wait! You haven’t even tried one before!’

…..they had never even touched on this kind of topic of conversation before, so Jackie wasn’t even going to question how Marvin knew this; he put it down to voodoo. He smiled up at Marvin with a minute shrug.

‘Mmm….it’s not THAT important though….’

Marvin let out another gasp. Whether it was genuine, or had the intent of being comical, it still made Jackie let out a few gentle giggles. Marvin’s mouth was agape and his eyebrows had risen so much that they had actually risen above the edge of his mask, a truly rare occurrence; Jackie’s grin was wide as Marvin spoke with heavy indignance.

‘Of COURSE it’s that important! It’s the lifeblood of our festive culture!’

Jackie raised an eyebrow.

‘The lifeblood of our festive culture…..is a sandwich?’

Jackie was trying to repress more intense fits of giggles from erupting as Marvin nodded, with intense vigour and enthusiasm might I add.

'Yes! Look, just try it and I guarantee that you will be enlightened…..’

Marvin’s hand suddenly shifted as it hovered the sandwich right above Jackie’s head, which made the latter giggle wholeheartedly as he shook his head with a wide smile.

'Ihi don’t want toho be enlightened by aha sandwihich!’

Jackie immediately started to try and push Marvin’s sandwich bearing hand away, but the magician was determined. He grinned at Jackie’s attempts to bat him away as he kept trying to lower the sandwich towards his face.

'Accept your fate hero!’

Jackie felt his cheeks pinken at the nickname as he continued shaking his head, continuing to try and resist his boyfriend’s goofy attempts to feed him.

'Neheheveeeeer!’

Jackie donned his heroic demeanour as he and Marvin batted at one another playfully, whilst also get progressively more covered in breadcrumbs; oops. well at least they could wait until next year before they had to hoover it…..ahem. Whilst that tussle was occurring however, it seems that so was another; except this tussle was more of a verbal spar. If we return to the second couch in the room we would happen across Dr Iplier, an esteemed medical professional with a multitude of PhD’s…..administering “puppy eyes”. Because he too had undertaken the difficult task of convincing his significant other…..to partake in the consumption of a turkey sandwich. The doctor was well practised when it came to convincing the Host…..primarily because he elected to try and be as cute and adorable as he possibly could without embarrassing himself.

'Pleeeeeease? Just one little bite?’

The Host’s lips were twitching in an effort not to smile at Iplier’s utter childishness and silliness. The Host knew how petty and silly it all was, and yet he couldn’t help but love it when Iplier made it his mission to try and convince him to do something. It mean that the Host could bask in the doctor’s unmatched cuteness.

'The doctor’s attempts at “puppy eyes” do not sway the Host’s opinion.’

Iplier pouted, meaning that the Host had to repress a small chuckle as he mentally sighed; what on earth did he do to deserve this stunning man in his life? Iplier was inching closer to him and had decided to rest his chin on the Host’s shoulder as he gazed at him with an innocent, longing expression.

'Pleeeease? I might cry if you don’t…..’

The Host had to nibble his lip to stop a giggle coming forth as Iplier trailed off with a tone of moroseness, his eyes were actually glazing a little…..but internally, Iplier was fighting the urge to stop his façade and just smush the sandwich into the Host’s face there and then. But Iplier figured that the Host wouldn’t thank him for that, so he refrained. Iplier looked at the Host hopefully as said man turned his head towards him with a small smile.

'The doctor’s tears would only end up hindering his stunning complexion…..’

Iplier felt his cheeks heating up……goddammit with the Host and his smooth talking compliments;…..oh who was he kidding, Iplier loved them. He deepened his pout though, leaning into the Host more as he softened his voice.

'I might cry on everything you hold most dear….’

Iplier thought for a moment that he’d struck gold when the Host turned to him fully, but the man only smiled wider with a hint of mischief as he uttered.

'The doctor would only then be crying on himself.’

Iplier blushed. And I mean he properly blushed, his cheeks only got redder and redder as the Host let his triumphant grin roam free; I think it was relatively safe to say that he was pleased with himself.

'You sir…..do not play fair.’

The Host chuckled at the doctor’s faked tone of seriousness and dejectedness, whilst Iplier himself let out a little huff of air as his eyes scanned his boyfriend’s acute smugness.

'The Host never does, darling.’

The Host was wholly prideful, completely under the impression that he had been victorious since he sensed that Iplier’s mind had begun to wander. The doctor let his gaze flick round, glancing to the ground near him where the one and only Robbie was sat; the zombie was happily playing with some turkey bones…..at least, Iplier assumed that’s where they’d originated. He was about to voice his curiosity, when a sudden frantic voice cut through the air; it very nearly made him jump.

'Waitwaitwait NOHO! Thahat’s nahahat fahahair!’

Iplier perked up at the sound of Jackie’s frantic pleas, and he felt a fond smile develop as he witnessed the sight of Marvin using one of his hands to scratch over the hero’s belly with the most tickly intentions. His other hand was elevated, and purposefully grasping his sandwich as Marvin kept trying to inch it closer to Jackie’s face. Said man was conflicted between stopping the edible onslaught, and stopping the onslaught at his tummy; as a result, his hands were batting out randomly as he spluttered and cackled.

'MAHAHAHARVY PLEHEHEHEASE! DOHOHON’T DOHOHO IHIHIT!!’

Iplier chuckled when he saw Marvin smirk and cock his head, the determination and mischief seemed to just eradiate from him…..and the doctor could almost feel those emotions beginning to bubble up in himself too. All the while the magician cooed.

'Awwww, is da ickle hero too tickliiiiish? Maaaaybe if he surrendered, he wouldn’t have to go through this VILLAINOUS torture…..’

Jackie squealed as Marvin’s hand roamed more, reaching further up his torso to pinch and prod at his ribcage. This ended up bringing forth a few rather loud snorts, thus making Jackie-Boy Man’s cheeks heat up to practically match his own licra get-up.

'YOHOHOU’RE AHA MEHEHEHANIHIE!!’

Jackie wailed as he tried clamping his arms down to deflect Marvin’s evil rib scratches, but it did nothing to hinder the magician’s efforts; Marvin narrowed his eyes behind his mask as he donned a sudden gleam of intimidation.

'First you reject my sandwich, and now you have the audacity to insult me? Oh you are so asking for it….’

Jackie’s eyes widened as Marvin’s attacking hand suddenly shot up to reach his neck and ears…..and the poor hero was lost. He was a squeaky, snorting, hysterical mess as Marvin’s fingertips teased behind his ears and down the sides of his unprotected neck. Iplier, who was still only observing, scrunched his own shoulders in empathy as shrill laughter penetrated the air.

'NAHAHAHAHAHA!! NAHAHAHAT THEHEHEHEHERE!!!’

Marvin was having the time of his life, his smile was wide and evil and…..frankly, magnificent. It was one of his favourite hobbies to reduce poor Jackie to a blushing, blubbering mess; he could never resist the temptation.

'Poor heroooo…..so ticklish and completely at my mercy….’

As Marvin teased, Iplier suddenly felt something. Not just a shiver of empathy, but also a small light-bulb moment; a moment…..of inspiration. He looked to the other couple for a few more moments more, before turning back and fixing his gaze upon the Host. Said man had also been observing the scene with heavy empathy for Jackie, but at Iplier’s very sudden attention switch, he tensed. The Host hoped to god that Iplier wasn’t planning what he thought he was planning.

'Why so tense sweetheart?’

Butterflies rose in the Host’s tummy at Iplier’s innocent query; oh no. The Host could feel the mischief and utter giddiness swooping from Iplier in waves, and he only tensed more as he replied.

Th-the Host hadn’t realised he had b-been tense……’

Iplier grinned gradually. He knew that the Host knew what was in store for him……and the doctor loved how that foreknowledge flustered the crap out of him, and he hadn’t even had to lift a finger. Yet.

'Aw babe, maybe a snack will help you relax?’

The pair of them had to bite back sniggers as Iplier maintained his innocent façade, all the while the Host was trying to think of something…..anything he could say that would dissuade the doctor from his new goal. He could think of nothing, so he settled for weak protesting; at least it would allow him to mentally prepare…..somewhat.

'The Host doubts that very much…..’

Iplier grinned wider as he shuffled and sat up on the couch……sandwich in one hand, whilst the other was already twitching and itching to get to work.

'Well, I’m a doctor…..I know what’s best. So either, you can accept my treatment offer, or I may have to resort to alternative methods.’

The Host gulped a little, and flinched when Iplier’s spare hand started to walk itself over his shirt covered tummy. Iplier’s fingers were delicate and almost exploratory, as their owner gazed at the Host with an expectant expression. the Host inhaled, before mumbling.

'Th-the Host w-wihill not accept y-yohour treatment.’

There was a brief moment of silence between them, before Iplier’s fingers suddenly curled over the Host’s belly; just as Iplier’s lips curled into a devious smirk.

'Oh….we’ll see about that.’

The Host was immediately encased in giggles as he tried to squirm away from Iplier’s deviously gentle attack. His fingers had decided to roam and skitter underneath the Host’s shirt so that they could tease his wonderfully sensitive tummy and waistline; the Host cheeks by this point also held a gentle, rosy hue.

'Th-thihihis ihisn’t aha cehertifihied medicahal treheheheatmehent!!’

The Host squeaked as his hands rushed to cover his face, which was pure adorableness in itself since this reflected how he in fact made no move to stop his devious doctor. Iplier let himself relax as his fingers scratched and scraped, and he relished in the giggles and flinches and little bucks that he drew out. The doctor also took the opportunity to don a serious, and intimidating façade of his own; I did say he’d been inspired.

'I hope you’re not questioning my credibility as a doctor…..that would be incredibly unwise….’

The Host’s cheeks continued to burn as he shivered at Iplier’s words, all the while he still wriggled and let out a train of squeaky giggles that showed no sign of dying down.

'B-buhuhuhut ihihit’s nahahat aha treheatmehent!! Ihihi ohonly speheheak the truhuhuth!!’

The Host tried to insist with a shred of seriousness, but he only succeeded in whining giddily as he tried to keep breathing steady……but let’s face it, he was completely gone by this point. His switched speech perspective only cemented that fact. Iplier though…..he was feeling far more determined. He shifted his body so that he was lying on his front on the Host’s legs so his head was above his belly; Iplier’s hand stayed nestled under his shirt so he could keep his boyfriend in his stunning giggle fit.

'Oh Host……oh my sweet, sweet Host.’

Iplier’s delicate muttering kept the Host on edge as he nibbled his lip and tried to perceive what was going to happen…..but he had no focus; to be fair though, in this particular scenario the Host found that he preferred it that way. Iplier smiled widely.

'First, you reject my treatment…..and now you have the utter gall to disrespect my medical position? You are so in for it…..’

Iplier’s tone shifted to that of a deep growl as his words trailed off, making the Host whimper and shake his head as he smiled widely and nervously. Because now, Iplier’s previously tickling hand had moved so that it could force the Host’s shirt up so that the majority of the Host’s torso was exposed.Iplier took a moment to observe the Host’s belly, rising and falling with his jittery breaths, but Iplier soon refocused as he rested his roughly stubbled chin upon it. There was a pause…….before Iplier smirked and leant down to begin roughly nuzzling aaaall over every piece of exposed skin he could reach.

'NAHAHAHAHAHA!! NOHOHOHO NUHUHUZZLIHING!!’

Iplier chuckled satisfactorily at the Host’s reaction, both he and the Host knew how ticklish his torso could be……especially when it was subjected to the doctor’s rough, scratchy stubble. Iplier tutted with a smirk.

'You know you’ve only brought this on yourself……god what an adoooorable ticklish thing you aaaare!’

Iplier cooed as he purposefully brushed over the Host’s navel, which earnt him snorts and bucks galore as the Host’s cheeks burned with his embarrassment.

'NAHAHAHA!! AHA SAHANDWIHICH DOHOESN’T WARRAHANT THIHIS TOHORTUHUHURE!!’

The Host gasped for air amidst his laughter as he bucked and wriggled, his voice many octaves higher than usual which was just so precious in itself. I must say……in that moment the room was alive. The Host’s laughter seemed to mix with Jackie’s squealing hysteria in a unique way, in a way that you could say made them compliment one another; in a rather frantic, and desperate melody. It was clear to see that they were both close to giving in to their tormentors, then again, we all knew that that was an inevitability. Both Iplier and Marvin could see it. Iplier chuckled gently amidst his intense nuzzling whilst also including a few cheeky nibbles into his torturous mix.

'Torture? Wow, I must have really underestimated how ticklish you are…..’

Iplier trailed off as he purred and decided to nibble and nip sloppily at the flesh, which made the Host cry out and wail desperately.

'AHHHHHHH NAHAHAT THAHAHAT!!!’

The Host shrieked, making Iplier pause for a moment. The doctor was almost euphoric with feelings of mischief that coursed through him, but he was still a good man at heart. He took a moment to glance over to their neighbours, and smiled at the sight of Jackie’s red-faced hysteria; caused only by a few flutters and squeezes at his collar bones…….hm, interesting spot. The doctor turned back to the Host, with a wide grin on his face as he spoke.

'You seem quite desperate darling……so let me offer you, a choice.’

The Host gulped as he continued to grin nervously, Iplier’s pause certainly made the whole anticipatory aspect worse. Iplier smirked at his silence, so he filled it.

'Either you eat some of this sandwich…..or I eat you.’

The Host’s breath got caught in his throat at Iplier’s words, and a sharp chill went down his spine as said man grinned ferally and began to inch closer and closer toedge of the Host’s navel. Now the Host was a strong individual, make no mistake…..but even he had limits.

'O-ohokay okay! J-juhust don’t do it, I-I’ll dihie!’

There was a moment of silence before Iplier let out a train of light chuckles, and he reared up and away from the Host’s torso so he could lean and peck him on the lips.

'For once, I can definately say that that won’t happen.’

The Host let out a few tittery giggles as he began to catch his breath and sink into the couch, all the while a certain hero was close to finally conceding himself. Poor Jackie. Such an unorthodox place to be sensitive, the collar and shoulders. Every squeeze and pinch sent shocks and jumps through his neck and ears whilst his spine tingled constantly. His shoulders were scrunched, but the rest of him seemed to be frozen as he threw his head back in wild mirth.

'PLEHEHEHEASE!!! MAHAHAHARVY!!!’

Marvin couldn’t help but feel a bit bad, despite how much fun he was having. The magician still however, couldn’t believe his luck at the discovery of this new, and deliciously sensitive, spot on his boyfriend’s body. He couldn’t wait to exploit it in the future, because he knew that now……this beautiful venture was coming to a close.

'Come on baby, you know what I wanna heeeear!’

Marvin sing-songed…..and at last, the great Jackie-Boy Man had to cave in, before he completely lost his sanity.

'OHOHOHOKAHAHAY!!! IHIHI’LL EHEHEHEHEA-!!!’

His voice cracked as he fell into silent laughter, his face was red and tears were threatening to escape his shining eyes as he thrashed beneath Marvin. Said man immediatly withdrew his hand, observing for a few moments before whispering in a soft tone. The fact that Jackie hadn’t even managed to finish his statement made Marvin worry about whether he’d gone too far.

'Are…….are you okay?’

Marvin gazed at Jackie tentatively as the latter gasped for air as he too gazed at the other, but a large smile stayed plastered on his lips as he gave a weak thumbs up.

'Ohof course……Ihi’m a superhero!’

Marvin giggled as Jackie grinned enthusiastically, and without another word Marvin refocused on the sandwich that he, miraculously, still held. He tore off a small chuck and went to put it in Jackie’s mouth; yes, he was going to feed his boyfriend food, it’s romantic and beautifully soppy so deal with it. Jackie certainly didn’t complain as he ate, he needed to replenish his energy somehow; and the sandwich actually tasted pretty damn good. The Host’s need was similar, he needed energy so that he could refocus his mind……so it made sense for Iplier to feed him too, rather than him feeding himself. It was a rather uniquely synced scene. After a few minutes, both the Host and Jackie were back to their old selves and even shared a nod between each other; they had both suffered, and been rewarded. Marvin and Iplier shared a smirk too, they’d both been victorious. The whole thing was about to return back to normal……until the Host felt something strong. An emotion. An emotion of……dejectedness, and sadness. It was at that point that the Host remembered. Robbie.

'Hey…..babe are you okay?’

The Host faced his doctor at the sound of his caring words, and Marvin and Jackie both diverted their attentions to the Host too. Mild curiosity encompassed them as the Host took a light breath and mumbled.

’……Robbie.’

———————————————————————————————————–

The four of them suddenly turned to look at the space before them, where the small zombie sat cross-legged on his striped rug of alternating purples. His head had shot up at the sound of his name, and then he proceeded to shrink down a bit as he felt everyone’s attention on him. The poor boy was a little nervous……and indeed, dejected. He loved that his friends were happy, he loved it so much because that he was always surrounded by love and happiness and pure, joyous commitment. And yet…..he was never really part of that love, so it sometimes left him wondering whether people had any kind of love for him at all. Robbie nibbled his lip as he hugged his knees to his chest, eyes flicking between the four men as he mumbled.

’…….why is everyone staring at Robbie?’

His small voice seemed to pirouette through the room, holding tones of nervousness and innocent, curious abandonment. Iplier, Jackie and Marvin stayed silent as they looked to the Host, thus encouraging Robbie to do the same as said man tilted his head.

'The Host perceives that Robbie……feels left out…..’

The Host was deciphering his perceptions carefully, whilst Robbie hastened to shake his head and offer a weak smile.

'No no! Robbie is happy and fine! Robbie is not left out of anything!’

He convinced no-one, and the attention reverted back to the Host as he muttered, sighing as little bubbles of fondness fizzled in his chest.

'Robbie thinks that, because we are in love with one another……we don’t have enough love for him.’

The other three let out little, sad individual gasps as Robbie hastily looked to the floor whilst nibbling his lip, his grey fingers fiddling with one another gently. It felt strange to hear his own thoughts and feelings being spoken aloud by someone else……and the Host was about to say something more until Iplier lightly touched his forearm. The doctor gave him a glance which caused the Host to close his mouth slowly, a small understanding smile rising up as Iplier withdrew from him. The doctor slid from their couch onto the ground, and slowly shuffled towards Robbie until he was sat next to him; Iplier was cross-legged on the rug as he peered at him with gentleness in his demeanour.

'Robbie, we may be in love with each other, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love you.’

Robbie knawed on his lip as he tried to process Iplier’s words, and yet the poor guy still couldn’t seem to get his head around it.

'But……Robbie doesn’t understand? If Doctor Ippy and Marvy give all their love to Hosty and Jackie…..then they won’t have any more for Robbie.’

Iplier felt his heart melt at the words, the poor guy still didn’t understand. The doctor tried to rack his brains, and was about to try and explain it in a relatively simple way, but then another voice joined the fray.

'Hey Robbie……no-one ever really runs out of love. Love is more of a feeling, and it isn’t really something that can be made into an amount.’

Iplier felt himself smile as he saw that Marvin had also decided to shuffle forth, and was sat half-hugging his knees at Robbie’s other side. Iplier decided to let the magician do the talking…..the doctor figured that Marvin had the scenario solved. Robbie had already perked up by a small fraction, and his head was tilted slightly in Marvin’s direction and you could see a small shine behind his eyes; his brain was working hard……and understanding.

'So……everyone always has enough?’

Robbie’s voice was still a little quiet, but Marvin could see that Robbie was really trying here……and was close to succeeding. The magician smiled gently, his hazel eyes glinting softly as he kept his voice low and clear.

'Mhm. Always. Yes…..I do love Jackie with all my heart and I’m pretty sure that the doc does with the Host-…..’

Iplier smiled widely,and let out a small chuckle when he saw the Host’s cheeks go a little pink; as did the neighbouring hero’s, even though his eyelids were beginning to droop.

’-but, that’s a different type of love, so you never have to worry about us not loving you. The love we have for you is unique, because it’s for you.’

Marvin couldn’t help but feel ever so slightly pleased with himself, not only had he caused a genuine smile of joy to rise on Robbie’s lips…..but he’d in fact managed to cause it in the most poetic way possible. Marvin grinned as Robbie looked up to him fully, eyes bright and voice jittery with the force of his happiness.

'Do you really love Robbie? Like really really with honesty?!’

Marvin grinned wider as Iplier chuckled, and Robbie turned to him upon hearing the sound; Iplier smile fondly as he stated.

'Of course we do! You’re too adorable not to love!’

Iplier decided to sneakily flutter his fingers under Robbie’s chin, and felt his heart melt more when the zombie squeaked and let out a few gentle giggles. Also, even though Marvin only observed…..his heart melted too.

'Noho tihihickles doccy!’

Robbie said with a wide smile as he scrunched his shoulders and gently batted at Iplier’s hands, all the while Iplier and Marvin shared a brief glance; it only lasted for a few seconds but it held a very important, and mischievous, conversation. Iplier looked back to Robbie with a sly smile.

'But why not? We wanna hear more of your cute giggles!’

Iplier wiggled his fingers teasingly in the air as Robbie continued to giggle, whilst ever so slowly inching away from where the doctor was sat. Luckily though, Marvin was on hand to hinder any escape attempts; Robbie jumped when Marvin suddenly shuffled behind him.

'You’re not trying to escape are you?’

Marvin whispered as he gently wrapped his arms around Robbie’s torso, which made him squeak rather adorably; Marvin manoeuvred so that he could gently move Robbie so that he lay on the floor with his head in the magician’s lap. All the while, the zombie was looking up at Marvin with wide, nervous eyes as he squeaked.

'R-Robbie is too ticklish! H-he has t-to get away!’

Marvin’s grin morphed into a gentle smirk as he delicately held Robbie’s forearms as he struggled…..but he knew that there was no escape. Iplier smiled widely at the pair of them, but particularly at Robbie whose innocence and undimmed cuteness was still a constant wonder to behold. The doctor raised a teasing eyebrow as he got on his knees, leaning over with an air of intimidation as he went to perch on Robbie’s shins.

'Awww, “too ticklish” are we? Oh you poor thing…..’

Robbie’s smile widened as he shivered, watching Iplier with nervous curiosity….but his squeaky giggles bubbled up again as he felt Marvin raise his arms above his head, and the magician smirked widely as Iplier resumed wiggling his fingers in the air.

'Noho noooo n-not fair fahair on Robbie! Nohot fair!’

Robbie could feel the anticipation building, especially when Marvin’s teasy whispers reached his ears.

'Uh ohhhh, they’re getting closeeer…..they’re coming to get yoooou…..’

Robbie giggled harder as his gaze became fixed on Iplier’s fingers, the owner of which just couldn’t resist the temptation any longer. His hands shot forth to scratch and flutter in Robbie’s hollows, and the reaction was beyond perfect.

'NAHAHAHA IHIT’S SOHO TIHIHIHICKLY!!’

Robbie’s laughter was high-pitched, raspy as well as bubbly as it flowed from him, all the while he started to toss his head; he really hadn’t been kidding about his sensitivity.

'Awwwww what a ticklish little zombie you are!’

Iplier commented, which caused an embarrassed whine to come forth as the zombie hastened to look away from the doctor; he didn’t know how, but the teasing just seemed to make Robbie feel even more ticklish! Marvin meanwhile grinned as he observed, keeping his grasp on Robbie’s arms as he looked down at him.

'It’s “so tickly” is it? Well we never would have figured that out!’

Marvin smirked when Iplier let out a spluttered laugh of his own before rolling his eyes and refocusing. His fingers now trailed, and occasionally prodded, up and down Robbie’s sides which earned them even more brilliant responses. 

'Nahahaha noho pohokihies! Pohohokihies ahare bahahad!!’

Robbie yipped and flinched and jumped at Iplier’s sporadic, unpredictable movements, all the while gentle tinges of lilac appeared on his cheeks. Iplier grinned as he kept up that particular method, glancing at Marvin who smirked and leant down to whisper in Robbie’s ear.

'Awww do da ickle pokies tickle? Are they tickly? Coochie coochie coooo……’

Marvin purposefully cooed in the most childish tone that he could muster, and his efforts were definitely rewarded when the lilac on Robbie’s cheeks got darker and darker with every passing moment. Robbie scrunched his shoulders as he giggled frantically, Marvin’s mere whispers giving him chills and sending tickly shivers through his system.

'Ihihihit tihihihihickles sohohoho bahadly!! Yohohohou’re bohohoth meheheanihihies!!’

Robbie wailed with a small squeal, which only made Marvin and Iplier smirk at each other; god this was way too much fun.

'Oh if you think this is mean, you are in for a biiiiiiig surprise…..’

Iplier chuckled darkly as he sent Robbie a feral grin, all the while his fingertips moved downwards so as to tease Robbie’s delicate waistline and hips; the poor guy was cackling a bucking within milliseconds.

'NAHHHHH! ROHOHOHOBBIHIE DOHOESN’T DEHESEHEHEHERVE MEHEHEAN THIHIHINGS!!’

Robbie wailed as he writhed about, looking up with intense hopefulness at Marvin, who did have to admit that his pleading expression almost swayed him. Almost, that is. Marvin grinned as he locked eyes with Robbie, and as Iplier rubbed and massaged the bowels of Robbie’s hips, the magician spoke teasingly.

'It’s not mean if you’re enjoying every second of it.’

Robbie’s eyes widened as his cheeks darkened to the most stunning violet, all the while he cackled and bucked at Iplier’s torture. Said man’s smirk had widened at Marvin’s words, he looked to the magician with hints of amusement in his eyes.

'Well pointed out Marvin.’

Marvin snickered at Iplier’s tone as Robbie continued to screech and shake beneath them due to the maliciousness that Iplier was still bestowing on his poor hips.

'DOHOHOHON’T POHOHOHOINT OHOHOHOUT!! PLEHEHEHEHEASE!!!’

The pair of smirking gentlemen looked down upon their victim as they chuckled gently, Iplier deciding to let up on his hips and just administer lazy, absent pokes to Robbie’s thighs. This kept him encased in squeaky giggles as Marvin taunted in his evil baby voice.

'Awwww why not? Does it make da ickle zombie all embawaaassed?' 

Robbie let out a flustered whine as his violet cheeks shone out like beacons of pure, undead mirth.

'Yeheheheheeees! Rohohobbihie cahan’t tahake ahanymohohore!!’

Marvin smiled down at the giggly man, internally rejoicing at how they’d succeeded in getting rid of any kind of moroseness that might have been festering. It was better than any spell Marvin knew, and it was better than any vaccine that Iplier knew of. The doctor grinned as he relented his poking and shuffled off Robbie’s legs, thus allowing the zombie to curl up as he recovered with his hearty blush.

'Hmm…..we’ll have mercy on you for now…..’

Iplier sent him a sly grin which made Robbie shiver and giggle again, which only melted the doctor’s already liquefied heart even more. Iplier watched as Marvin slung an arm round Robbie’s shoulders, smiling at him widely as he half-embraced him.

'Not feelin’ left out anymore zomboy?’

Robbie giggled at the nickname, before looking to the magician with wide and happy eyes as he replied with a bubbly voice.

'Rohobbie is the opposite of left out! He is….’

Robbie furrowed his eyebrows as Marvin and Iplier waited fir his words with a light curiosity; soon he grinned and clapped his hands together.

'Right in!’

As the zombie giggled Marvin and Iplier shared a glance of mutual agreement. This is the cutest person in existence. End of. The doctor raised an eyebrow as he mumbled.

'Well you can’t argue with that.’

Marvin snickered, and was about to say something more until out of the corner of his eye he spotted that Robbie had let out a yawn; his eyes were dropping more than normal, which showed that he was moments away from dropping off into slumber.

Hey Robbie, do you want us to take you to bed?’

Robbie lazily shook his head as he slowly decided to lie back down on the soft, thick warm rug; he mumbled lightly.

'Nuh uh, Robbie dun wanna miss new days…..’

Iplier and Marvin smiled fondly as Iplier swept some of the zombie’s unruly fringe from his face, whilst speaking in a low, melodious tone.

'Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you don’t miss it.’

It seemed that that was all that Robbie needed to hear, because after he smiled and let out a happy hum…..he just went out like a light. Marvin was impressed, and so was Iplier; but there were quite a few hints of envy mixed in.

'God….to be able to drop off like that….’

Iplier muttered, which made Marvin smile and gently mumble in response.

'Oh to be young, and not feel insomnia’s keen sting.’

Iplier withheld a light snigger as Marvin grinned, both of them looking upon Robbie’s slumbering form briefly before Iplier decided to spare a glance to the couch from which he’d shuffled; he grinned with a light sigh when he saw the Host…..sleeping.

'Oh my god…..’

It wasn’t an exclamation, just a phrase of appreciation and happy awe from Iplier, which made Marvin grin and turn to look upon his hero…..who was also in deep slumber.

'Marv did you do some voodoo crap?’

Marvin repressed a stream of giggles as he turned to Iplier with a wide smile, eyes sparkling as they lightly rolled.

'Nohot this time…..’

The both smiled and quietly laughed, whilst also subconsciously agreeing to let the rest of their group reside in the land of nod for the time being neither of them had the heart to even consider trying to rouse them. It was like an unspoken rule. So the magician and the doctor simply whispered together, the medical man raising his curiosity as to what Marvin’s “magical core” was, from a medical perspective; Marvin was elated to explain. And now, I think, we can leave them to it……as we go onwards.

———————————————————————————————————–

We really don’t have far to go, a mere metre in fact only separates the aforementioned scene with the next that’s going to unfold. Now let me tell you…..this is going to be simply divine. Literally. For as we slowly approach, crossing from lilac and violet to a more lime and grassy ground…..here we have two angels. One is in fact more obvious since it features in his name; Angelicsepticeye, or just simply Angel, which is more than befitting. The second, was of equal purity and heavenly status; known as Lightiplier, or Light. This is again immensely appropriate, for when you are in his presence there is always a hint of a glow about the man; an aura of sorts. Light was always known to be wonderfully calm and serene, like an image of still, natural water; but not like that of a statue. He was reserved, but had no difficulty in terms of lack of emotion. He felt many things, primarily his love for Angel took precedence….but this had fractionally been replaced by hints of annoyance; not entirely serious annoyance, but it was still there.

This was as a result of his loving, kind…..playful, boyfriend Angel; who had taken to passing the time by flicking one of his feathers over Light’s nose and other facial features, with a slightly childish cheekiness.

'Is this…..necessary?’

Light queried through partially gritted teeth as the bronze feather flicked under his nose, making him have to repress a sneeze. They both lay on their soft rug, two light salmon cushions behind their heads as their bodies rested rather unceremoniously, with limbs quite haphazard; but they were very comfy. Angel nibbled his lip, his turquoise eyes went to meet with Light’s hazel ones.

'Nooo…..but ihit’s funny seeing you scrunch…..’

Light furrowed his eyebrows with a gentle sigh, Angel’s child-like nature never ceased to bamboozle him at every turn; Light shook his face again, and ended up reflexively screwing his face up.

'Well I can’t help it, as well you know…..’

Angel let out a small giggle at Light’s tone, particularly at the gentle annoyance….which was actually what Angel reeeeally enjoyed coaxing out. Now, don’t go thinking he’d actually plucked himself and caused himself pain in order to acquire his soft tool. The two beings had wings you see, Angel’s were bronze whilst Light’s were more of a white-gold; and on occasion, light moulting could occur. Such of which had happened for Angel on this particular day, so he simply took advantage of what his body provided; and it was very effective.

'Ihit’s still fuhunny, you look lihike you smelt something reheeeeally bahad…..’

Angel giggled again as he flicked the tip of the feather over Light’s cheeks, making him scrunch more as he narrowed his eyes at his giddy partner.

'Oh really? My involuntary expressions amuse you do they?’

Angel still giggled, but felt a chill go down his spine which subsequently made his winged appendages shiver by a fraction; which light noticed as Angel mumbled.

'Y-Yeheah….th-they do.’

Angel could already feel himself shrinking under Light’s gaze, and the former let out a surprised gasp when Light suddenly took his wrist in a gentle, but inescapable, hold. Light plucked the feather from Angel’s fingers and twirled it between his own, a smile growing as he looked back to his cheeky angel.

'Hmmmm….well in that case, I wonder what your expressions will be?’

Angel’s breath caught in his throat at Light’s words, and he found himself frozen in nerves when Light suddenly rolled over so that he lay on top of him……trapping him. Angel let out a little yip when Light suddenly Light brought both his arms above his head, holding his wrists together with one hand; whilst the other was free to manipulate the long, stiff feather in what ever way he saw fit. Light could feel his excitement brimming.

'L-Light, b-baby you don’t have t-to do this…..’

Angel squeaked, tinges of pink already appearing on his cheeks. Light smirked deftly, eyes glinting mischievously as he decided to trail the feather down the sides of Angel’s slender, sensitive neck.

'I know I don’t have to…..but I really, really want to.’

Angel shivered as he let out a high-pitched squeak, cheeks properly blazing as he burst into mouse-like giggles; his head tossed and turned as he protested.

'Ohononono ohoho nohohohoooo…..’

Light let out a gentle chuckle as the feathery fibres teased every inch of skin, going at a slow pace of up and down and up and down….it was evilly methodical.

'Now, now, don’t be too loud…..wouldn’t want to disturb anyone now would we?’

Angel let out a quiet whimper as he nibbled his lip in an attempt to muffle himself, he most certainly didn’t want to be responsible for disturbing the slumbers of a zombie, writer AND superhero; and yet, the adorable sounds found a way to bounce forth from his lips.

'B-Buhut Ihi cahahahan’t hehelp ihihihit!’

Light chuckled at Angel’s whining, and decided to lean do so his lips brushed the shell of his ear; it meant that Angel shivered even before Light’s whispering started.

'That’s not my problem sweetheart…..tickle tickle tickle…..’

He cooed in a breathy whisper before he purred and placed nuzzly kisses at that side of Angel’s neck, whilst the feather kept teasing the other side, as well as Angel’s sensitive ear. Angel meanwhile was in torturous hell as he wriggled and giggled constantly, his eyes wide with his mirth and embarrassment as his face began to screw up.

'Bahahahahaby dohohohohon’t sahahahay ihihihihit!’

Light snickered into Angel’s ear as he kept on with his chaste kisses, all the while he slowly moved the feather from Angel’s neck and let it hover in the air.

'Don’t say what? Tickle? It’s only a word darling, what harm can it do?

Through Angel’s giggling he let out a tiny whimper at Light’s ruthless teasing…..Angel was now really realising that he was in for it. This was proven further when he felt the soft, devious flick of the feather at the centre of his waistline; he yelped and bucked fractionally. The fact that he hadn’t even noticed it move just flustered him more; his focus at the moment was just non-existent.

'Ihihihit’s ahan EHEVIHIL wohohord!’

Angel squealed as he flinched and bucked, the soft feather teasing the taut skin at his waist as Light continued his sloppy onslaught at his neck; the gentle teases were almost worse than hysteria could ever be. Light chuckled at Angel’s words as he hummed.

'Well I think it’s a lovely word…..tickle…..it just rolls off the tongue.’

Light flicked his tongue over the shell of Angel’s ear, making his squeak as his cheeks became fully and irreversible crimson.

'Nahahahahaha sh-shuhuhuhut uhuhuhup!!’

Light paused, internally elated at how Angel’s words opened up so many delectable opportunities as he decided to rear up and fix the man beneath him with a hard gaze; he spoke in a low growl.

'You really love to cross the line……don’t you?’

Angel gasped as he giggled residually, little whimpers escaping him as he struggled to find his voice.

'I-Ihi…….n-noho I-I…..’

Angel trailed off as Light raised a sceptical eyebrow, before smirking and deciding to place a chaste kiss on his lips; he couldn’t help it, the temptation was too alluring. Angel was taken by surprise and thus put into even more of a daze as Light withdrew, looking down into Angel’s eyes.

'Naughty little teasers like you…..ought to be severely punished.’

Angel couldn’t deny how intimidated he felt, as well as how strongly the giddy excitement had built up within him. His mouth was slightly agape amidst his speechlessness, which Light chuckled at as he manoeuvred so he used both his hands to pin Angel’s arms tight above his head; but there was still an element of comfort. Light shuffled more so he could get comfortable on Angel’s thighs as said man’s gaze flicked between him, and the feather he’d just discarded. Angel’s curiosity reawakened his vocal chords.

'Uh…..what a-are you gonna d-do?’

Light smiled fondly at Angel’s stammers as he finally settled, before allowing a broad smirk to rise as his downy wings bristled and came to the forefront…..Angel’s eyes widened. Oh no. Not this.

'I……am going to tickle you in the way that I know, will completely destroy you. And keep you in the intense, flustered mirthful state that you deserve.' 

Angel visibly shuddered as he yipped, eyes fixed upon the soft plumes of feathers that were approaching him at a teasingly slow pace. But eventually they began to sneak under his shirt, brushing his waist, belly and navel with evil delicacy.

'Ohohononohoho n-nahat thihis ahanything buhut thihihis!!’

Angel struggled to try and move is arms, but Light had him perfectly restrained; so Angel had no choice but to endure what was coming for him…..which honestly, was how he liked it.

'Sorry to break it to you…..but this is what you’re getting. And you’re going to love every, single, second of it.’

Light’s words melted in his ears as the wingtips snuck up further. They swept and dragged up his sides and fluttered and stroked at his ribcage, making Angel let out a few brief cackles.

'NAHAHA IHI’LL DOHO AHANYTHIHING!! AHANYTHING!!’

Light chuckled at his boyfriend’s pleas as his devious tools finally came to their destination, aka. Angel’s extremely sensitive, and vulnerable underarms; which, just so happened to be very susceptible to gentle sensations. Angel let out a loud squeal as Light cocked his head and cooed.

'Oh you divine little thing…..it’s too late now.’

The feathers were so soft and precise as they slowly dragged up and down inside Angels hollows, teasing the exposed areas relentless as Angel succumbed…..and was broken. Now, when I say “broken” I don’t mean hysterical, or begging with tears in his eyes and lungs fighting for their sanity; I mean that his composure, his mentality of defiance and coherency…..was destroyed.

'N-nohohoho b-bahaby…..n-nahahat th-theheheeere….’

Angel was shivering with his head thrown back, his mouth stretched into a wide smile as he giggled, whined and mewled at the sensations; essentially, he was becoming mush.

'Ohhh yes here….I know how much you just adore being tickled here. I know how much you just crave to let go and surrender to the tickly, and teasy bliss that I give you.’

Light spoke in a dimmed voice, a low tone that was meant for Angel’s ears only as he watched said man with love and fond awe. The way Angel’s body just shivered with innocent, joyful delight as it was teased….it was a wonder to behold, an experience one might say. Light’s expression was soft as he let his wings do the work, all the while he simply observed, amused at how Angel could barely look at him for even a second.

’D-dohohohon’t s-sahay th-thohohose thihihihings…..’

Angel whispered bashfully as his cheeks burned like crimson fire, his mind whirring and processing Light’s words as they seemed to contribute to his utterly ravished state. Light knew this of course, and his smile widened as he leant to whisper in Angel’s ear.

'Why? Does saying out loud make it worse? Does it make it feel more real?’

Angel gulped as a chill went down his spine, but it was quickly replaced by warmth as fond, affectionate kisses took the place of Angel’s whispers. His lips were soft and delicate, and worked in sync with the movement of the feathers; with each long drag came a lengthy kiss. Angel was just in utter bliss, he didn’t even think as he replied.

'Yehehehes…..ihit m-mahakes ihit wohohorse b-buhut I l-lohove ihihit…..’

Light felt his heart beat faster, very nearly out of his chest at Angels’ words; he couldn’t articulate how happy it made him feel when he got confirmation that he’d made Angel happy. The concept of bringing someone else real joy and satisfaction really made Light feel….indescribably amazing.

'It makes me feel so happy when….you say that you love it. Because I love you, so so much….’

At Light’s meaningful words, Angel blinked a few times; despite his immeasurably ravished state, when he heard those words come from Light’s lips he could never have failed to respond.

'Ihi lohohove yohou toho…..’

Light let out a little giggle as Angel’s eyes flicked up to his, with intense bashfulness encasing them; they held each others’ gaze for a moment before neither could hold back the urge to kiss. Light and Angel loved to kiss, they loved how the act was so intimate and unique, and yet so innocent; it could hold so much. Like now, it held their giddiness and adoration for one another; Angel giggled into Light’s lips as said man’s wings withdrew from his underarms, tracing down the rest of his torso before they moved back completely.

’…..th-thahank you….’

Light grinned widely at Angel’s mumbling and pecked his forehead lovingly. He still held his wrists however, so he decided to slowly bring them down so that he could place chaste kisses on the pale knuckles of his angel. Before long, Angel had shuffled to nestle into Light’s chest as Light draped an arm over his waist, and covered him protectively with one of his wings. They were encompassed, and together in peace and love. You really could say that they were a picture of divinity, and what everyone should aspire to be. No matter who you are, what you may, or may not, believe in…..peace and love are the ultimatums of our world; so lets achieve it. I think we will tonight, eventually; come, let us amble on.

———————————————————————————————————–

That really was quite profound, and beautiful to behold….so this will perhaps be a slight transition; I’ll take you in slowly. We’re moving from the “main” living area to the aptly named “middle” living area. There’s no furniture as such, but it’s a nice open spot for when people might want to amalgamate; which was why it had been strategically chosen for the most important part of the evening. The New Year Countdown. Mounted on the wall was a HUGE HD television, with many wires extending from it that were all most likely extremely complex and important in some way; however, there were also some decorative lights surrounding it which twinkled and really complimented it. Those were courtesy of Oliver, who was incredibly proud of his contribution as he watched his three brothers tinker and fiddle with the set-up. Alongside him was Crank, who was also being extremely helpful by making comments on symmetry and aesthetic, which the other three Googles really appreciated.

'Perhaps if you actually assisted personally, the task would be completed to the appropriate level of satisfaction?’

Google Red commented with a fractionally raised eyebrow, looking between the two bystanders who both only shrugged with gentle grins. Oliver giggled a little.

'But you’re waaaaay better at actually setting stuff up and organising things! It’s literally your thing!’

Googles Green and Blue, or as they were known by Oli and Crank, Greeny and Bluey, rolled their eyes as Red’s (or Strawby’s) bashfulness crept up at Oli’s words; compliments were the one thing that even threw him off his stride.

'Th-that is n-not the p-point…..’

Crank and Oliver shared a giggly glance at Red’s hitched voice, and Green let out a gentle sigh; honestly, the utter childishness of the two of them seriously astounded him at times.

'You both still have a responsibility here, you need to contribute in some way.’

Crank let out a light gasp, which spurred Oliver to giggle and bring his hands up to cover his mouth, all the while Green just folded his arms and amusedly observed Crank’s affronted response.

'We HAVE contributed! Oliver has literally formulated and executed the prime aesthetic factors associated with the task….’

Green couldn’t help but grin lightly at the boy’s bubbly insistence, and he flicked his eyes to Blue who snickered and decided to observe the interaction.

’…..and I’ve been giving relevant direction, without having sat down for aaaaages!’

Crank finished resolutely, and Oliver tried to set his own expression to a similarly serious one…..but his giggles only hindered that particular objective. Green shook his head at Crank with a light laugh before his eyes flicked to Oliver in his giggly state; he couldn’t help it, he couldn’t NOT focus on the adorable sight. Blue meanwhile, focused on Crank, stepping forward and standing in front of him with an expression of fake sympathy.

'Oh poor you, you must be so exhausted…..from your lack of effort.’

Crank couldn’t help but grin widely as Blue’s eyes shone with his sarcasm and deviance; Blue was so glad that he had this fifth brother, especially given how much emotion he had bursting at the seams.

'You know what? I am actually, I think I’ll just take a seat down here….’

Without further ado Crank just decided to plop onto the floor, or rather the beautifully haphazard rug that covered the majority of the area. Hints of ocean, forest, sun and morning sky came together with a slightly…..rusty, aged hue overlaying it; binding it together. Crank wriggled to get comfy as Blue looked down at him, meanwhile Red and Green had also abandoned their tasks in order to convince their sunshine brother to also contribute to the challenge at hand; but at Crank’s actions, he couldn’t help but copy him with a boyish grin and a light giggle. The three Googles standing glanced at one another, and their respective irises began to shine as their lips twitched; and they came to a respective decision. Blue smiled deftly, tilting his head down at Crank as he spoke.

'You will contribute.’

Crank giggled gently, folding his arms with a defiant smirk as Oliver did the same in response to his two other brothers. Crank voiced them both.

'What if we refuse?’

Honestly, Crank was surprised at his own words, especially given how his confidence and defiance were diminishing with every passing second that Blue looked at him. The droid’s eyes seemed to shine brighter by his words, as if they’d motivated him in some way. Oliver had been observing his other two brothers, whose eyes had done the same……which sent a chill down his spine. Oliver knew what this meant. When any of the Googles’ eyes shone collectively, it meant that they were silently communicating with one another. Oliver fidgeted impatiently as Crank observed with nervous anticipation. After a few more moments, their eyes returned to their normal shines and hues; Blue turned to Green and Red with a small grin before he went back to looking down at Crank.

'Then…..we shall simply force you to.’

'NOHO! WAIT WAIT DON’T DO THIHIHIS!’

Crank jumped and paled at the sound of Oli’s desperate voice, and the sight he saw made him gulp and shiver. Red and Green had pounced on him. Green had perched on Oliver’s thighs and had his fingers rigorously scratching in his hollows, all the while Red had his arms pinned above his head; he had no way to escape. Blue smirked at Crank’s wide-eyed distractedness and used it to his advantage, this meant he as able to tackle the boy down onto the rug and start rapidly squeezing his sides and abdomen.

'NAHA! Bluhuehey nohoho noho tihihicklihihing!’

Crank exclaimed with a loud squeal, immediately descending into wild giggles as he thrashed at Blue’s touch; Blue had copied Green’s position, it was an excellent vantage point for ease of accessibility. The two in fact glanced at each other, grinning deviously before returning to their respective victims.

'But tickling is such and excellent method of persuasion, particularly for people like you and Oliver who are perfectly susceptible to it….’

Blue trailed off with a small chuckle as Crank’s hands frantically batted at his; which had decided to switch from squeezes to scratches at Crank’s sides; it transpired that they were a far more effective technique for that area.

'NAHAHAHA C'MOHONHON!! THIHIS IHIS MEHEHEHEAN!!’

Crank wailed, his cheeks were already a wonderful navy hue amidst his scrunched face; his head meanwhile, tossed about rapidly in his mirth. Blue chuckled as his hands delved under Crank’s black hoodie and t-shirt, thus making him shriek and hit out more whilst Blue got accessed his bare skin; his scratches and pinches roamed up and down Crank’s sides and ribs as he spoke nonchalantly.

'I must disagree, I think this is most adequate and appropriate for your transgression-’

'STAHAP WIHITH THE FAHANCY PAHANTS WOHOHOHORDS!!’

Google Blue snickered as Crank wriggled and shoved at his hands fruitlessly, and he rolled his eyes whilst reiterating his phrasing.

'Essentially, it’s not mean because you deserve it for being so lazy and cheeky’ which brings me to my next point actually…..’

Crank screeched and cackled as Blue’s fingers rubbed his ribcage in slow, teasing circles as the droid himself maintained a cool, calm exterior; even though internally he was elated at the whole scenario….as were his brothers. Well, two of them at least.

'Awwww coochie coo Oli!’

'Who’s got a ticklish tummy? Oh wait…..it’s you!’

Green and Red giggled and snickered to themselves as they teased their younger brother with perfectly calculated, devious synchronicity; being at the mercies of BOTH of them was really taking its toll on poor Oliver.

'YOHOHOU MEHEHANIHIES! DOHOHON’T TEHEASE IHIT’S NAHAHAT FAHAHAIR!’

Oliver squirmed and squealed, tugging at his arms in vain as Red smirked down at him, keeping his hold firm. Green meanwhile chuckled as his fingertips rapidly scratched at Oliver’s bare and quivering tummy which, as you can probably tell, was extremely ticklish. At Oliver’s words, Red narrowed his eyes at him and spoke in a slight growl.

'Well that was rude, I think it’s about time our little brother learnt some manners.’

Red sent Green a devious smirk, which the latter copied as his fingers splayed, curling and uncurling over Oliver’s sides and ribs whilst he muttered.

'I couldn’t agree more…..’

Oliver’s eyes widened as he let out a little whimper amidst his frantic and breathless giggles, his torso jerking from side to side all the while.

'N-nohohoho Greheheeny! S-Strahahawby Ihi’m sahaharry!! Dohohon’t tihickle mehe mohohore!!’

Oliver whined nervously through his giggling, flicking his eyes between his brothers hopefully as they both hummed…..but then they shared another glance where their irises shone. So…..after a few anticipatory seconds, their smirks returned and Oliver gulped when they looked down at him.

'Now…..is it just me, or did he just say “tickle me more”?’

Red spoke slowly and gently, his smile was a small, one as he looked across to his equally devious brother. Green’s emerald irises glinted as they flicked down to fix upon Oliver, who was beginning to frantically shake his head; Green grinned.

'That’s exactly what I heard!’

Olive was already giggling as he tugged at his arms and spoke in a pleading, high-pitched tone.

'Nonononohoho Ihi didn’t mehean it lihike that, you knohow I didn’t!!’

Oliver’s cheeks bore a lemon flush from his mirth and his utter embarrassment, all the while Green looked back to Red with an expression of innocent thoughtfulness.

'Honestly…..I think it’s our duty, as brothers, to make sure our little Oliver is happy.’

Green’s grin was widening, and Red’s lips too stretched as he listened to his sibling’s words with interest, as well as joy due to the mischief that they held; Red decided to dim his own voice, joining i teasingly.

'And having been provided with a method that he so clearly desires, it would be…..cruel of us to not utilise this information…..’

'Strawby plehease! D-dohon’t d-do this t-to me guys!’

Oliver’s words came out amidst squeaks and whimpers as he realised the state of his predicament, whilst Green smiled and both his siblings. Siblings…..he loved that words. Green’s mainframe refocused on the task at hand however, and he smirked as he nodded to Red who then shifted so that Oliver’s arms were pinned under his knees; and now, he had two hands free. Those hands appeared in Oli’s eye-line for a moment, before they disappeared and began their descent. Oliver’s smile seemed to glow as he squirmed, his breath leaving him in titters as he tensed…..he had no idea where he was going to be attacked next. Which was, in his opinion, rather cruel indeed. Green observed Oliver, his gaze raking over his shivery anticipation, his flushed cheeks, and his overall demeanour of joy……Green only had one thought in that moment. Thank, whoever is applicable, for the existence of emotions.

'Gotcha!’

Green was brought out of his thoughts by Red’s exclamation and Oliver’s following squeal.

'Nahahaha gehet awahahay frohom thehehere!!’

Oliver wailed as he tossed and turned his head, because Red’s fingertips had started to haphazardly flick and flutter at his neck and ears; thus causing some rather wondrous reactions. Green grinned as he leant forward teasingly.

'Having fuuuun? This is too adorable, especially since this is meant to be a punishment for your childish laziness…..’

Green snickered as Oliver screwed his face up through his giggles and light groupings of snorts, who would have known that such gentle touches could cause such amazing responses? Well, it seemed that Google Blue was aware of this fact. He was in fact working rather in sync with his brothers, as in he had also decided upon a gentle and teasing approach for his victim. Crank was encased in embarrassed giggles as he flinched and yipped, since Blue’s nimble fingertips occupied themselves by tracing round his hips and over his waistline; the taunting delicacy had awakened Crank’s nervous system, which meant that it was rather agonising for him.

'Bluhuhuehehey…….th-thihis ihis ehehevihihiiil!’

Crank’s smile was wide and his eyes were screwed shut as he squeaked and bucked, his giggles plagued with random yelps as Blue worked methodically and without mercy. Said Google had a sly smile on his lips as he observed every reaction, documenting and cataloging as much as possible; for future reference, of course.

'Oh I think we both know that this is perfectly justified, particularly due to your……incessently cheeky defiance.’

Blue’s tone was light and taunty and it only made Crank grin wider, because let it be known; Crank is a cheeky little shit, simple. He decided to open his eyes fractionally, which he immediatly regretted when he saw Blue’s expression of devious satisfaction.

'Buhuhut thahat’s who Ihi ahahaham!’

Crank retorted, but then swiftly squealed when Blue’s fingertips swept over his waist; he probed and scratched over the sensitive skin which made Crank emit a whiny wail. Google raised an amused eyebrow.

'Oh I’m aware of that, but that doesn’t mean you’re exempt from giving an apology……speaking of which…..’

Crank giggled and sniggered heartily, he knew Google was going to get to the point sooner or later; Blue fixed him with an expectant stare as he halted his torment for a moment.

’……I haven’t yet heard and apology from you. Would you care to rectify that?’

Even though the teasy tickling had halted, Crank was still encased in bubbly giggles…..because he knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet. He took a few light breaths as he gently tried to tug at his arms, which Google had pinned under his knees; he’d found Crank’s physical resistance to be somewhat of a hinderance. Google stared patiently, looking at Crank as he seemed to think……but then he smiled. It was small, and childish, and was accompanied back a small shake of his head.

’……..n-nohope…….’

Blue blinked a few times, tilting his head as Crank with a curious smile as he observed him in his jittery state.

'Nope? So you mean to tell me…….that you DON’T intend to apologise?’

Crank felt himself gulp and shrink under Google’s amused stare as he knawed at his lip, all the while Google moved his hands from his torso and held them behind him. For the moment at least. After a few seconds, Crank whispered in a high-pitched voice.

’…..th-that’s r-right…..’

Crank cursed his frailty as Google let out a small hum, before he grinned and put his plan into action. His fingertips fell and hovered gently atop Crank’s thighs, which made Crank’s eyes widen as his whole body tensed.

'Are you……quite sure, that you want to stay with that decision?’

Blue’s fingertips had begun to lightly tap, trail, and seemingly walk themselves further down Crank’s legs; inching closer to where his knees were situated. They were half-bent,a sign of Crank’s nerves.

’……mhm….p-pretty suhure…..’

Crank knew what was coming, he knew how diabolical it was going to be…..but he didn’t care; he would be defiant till the last. With no exception. Google Blue smirked a little, not only from his amusement but also because of how he was constantly surprised by Crank. He knew he was going to lose, and yet he was going to face his consequences despite having the option to avoid them; it confused Google to no end……which he loved.

'Reeeeally?’

Google spoke with a light coo to his voice, making Crank yip and turn his head away as he carried on giggling in anticipation…..which also meant that he couldn’t bring himself to reply. Google snickered, knowing that Crank’s silence wouldn’t last.

'Well then….. you leave me no choice. Good luck.’

He was so deft and merciless, and Crank’s eyes bugged out of their sockets as he tried to comprehend the rapid scratching and scribbling at the backs of his knees. Google smirked as Crank’s frantic shrieks filled his ears.

'NAHAHAHAHAHA FAHAHACK!!! NAHAHAHAT THEHEHEHERE!!!’

Crank was bucking and thrashing and tugging at his limbs as his lungs worked to give him air, it was like being electrocuted; he’d never felt a sensation like it before. Google kept up his method as he peered down at Crank, eyes gleaming with the satisfaction and knowledge of his impending victory.

'But I think this is the ideal place for me to work. I know it’s going to get me exactly what I want.’

As Google’s triumphant words filled his ears, Crank continued to wail as he squeezed his eyes shut; he couldn’t bare to look at that embodiment of smugness any longer. However, others had decided to observe.

'O-oho gohod…..’

Oliver was one of them, even amidst his own gentle torture his found himself transfixed by Crank’s hysteria; just seeing him be reduced to that sort of a mess sent a shudder through his system. A shudder, that his two similarly observing siblings, had picked up on. Red and Green shared a glance, and they didn’t even need to use their private connection to communicate; Red spoke first, looking down at Oliver with rapt excitement.

'Y'know, I think that it’s about time that you apologised. It’s clear that your little comrade is close to breaking……so you might as well give up now.’

From his position on Oli’s legs, Green grinned at Red’s amazing tease as Oliver gulped and looked away from them; his hard-drive was focused on Crank’s screeching laughter. Due to how his focus had diverted from his brothers, this then spurred them to use the opportunity of Oliver’s distractedness. Green leaned over Oli carefully, making his voice clear.

'And now you ignore us…..you deserve to have this apology forced from you.’

Oliver blinked a few times as he picked up on his brother’s abruptness, and looked to him hurriedly; but he didn’t get a chance to look for long, because Green had begun to shuffle away. In seconds he was sat on Oliver’s ankles, facing his bare feet; Oliver felt a lot more motivated to speak all of a sudden.

'W-wahait I-I didn’t m-mehean to! I-I’m sorry!’

Oliver let out a small whimper as his gaze flicked to Red, whose demeanour did hold hints of sympathy; but it became wholly mischief as he spoke, whilst Green smirked and positioned his fingertips.

'Mmm, I don’t think you’re sorry yet…..but you will be.’

At Red’s words, Green suddenly became relentless. His blunt nails were perfect for scraping up and down Oliver’s taut soles and arches, as well as scratches at the heels and balls of his sensitive feet. Oliver hadn’t bothered trying to hold back his high-pitched scream as he, like Crank, descended into mirthful hysteria.

'AHAHAHAHAAHHH!!! NAHAHAHAT MY FEHEHEHEET!!!’

Oliver was already gasping as his wide smile threatened to burst his cheeks and dimples, his back arching in response to the sensations as he tugged at his limbs with all his might; but he didn’t get the result he desired. Red and Green were perfectly content with their findings though.

'Awwww coochie coochie coo! Look at these ticklish tootsies!’

'God it must tickle so bad……but is it enough to make you apologise properly?’

Their teases just seemed to support and bounce off one another, and Oliver’s cheeks seemed to darken even more as he wailed.

'NOHOHOHO MOHOHOHOHORE!!!’

His wailing didn’t stop Green however as his movenents shifted so he was fluttering and flicking at Oli’s toes, which elicited some marvellous yelps through his laughter. Red still had his arms pinned, but he’d moved them from under his knees so he could hold them carefully; so there was a constant reassurance of safety in place. I have to say that at this point, there had never been a more utterly vibrant scene. An array of colourful people, drawing out an array of vibrant reactions; all amidst an array of encapsulating, charming decoration and atmosphere. It’s quite the marvel, I think you’ll agree. It was at this point too, that they all seemed to draw together; the three “tormenting” brothers grinning deftly at one another. They were connected in their deviousness and their determination to extract what they wanted. Then, there were the two brothers who were twins in their unbridled mirth, interlinked with empathy and dwindling resolve. The first to cry out was Oliver though, he just couldn’t take anymore.

'OHOHOHOHOKAHAHAHAY!!! PLEHEHEHEHEHE!!! SAHAHAHAHARRY!!!’

His new incoherency was enough of an indicator, thus spurring Green’s fingers to halt and withdraw as Red too allowed for mercy. Oliver’s limbs were free as he hastened to encase himself amidst breathy, residual giggling; all the while he looked upon Crank, who too was about to give into the inevitable.

'Can I expect a coherent apology if I grant you mercy?’

Google Blue commented with a smile as he pinched and probed at Crank’s kneecaps, all the while their owner writhed with tears on his cheeks; thankfully, he managed to muster the energy to nod.

'YEHEHEHEHEHEHE PLEHEHEHEHEHE!!!’

Blue hummed, his smile becoming more smug as his fingertips softened and gradually rose away from their battlefield as Crank gasped and gulped; Blue shuffled off him, thus meaning that he too was free. Both his legs seemed to tingle as his breathing returned to normal, and his rusty, oceanic orbs flicked to Blue’s, shining, sapphire ones. The latter’s smile dimmed to a more delicate one.

'Are you……recovered?’

Crank let out a huffed laugh through his nose as he sat up and nodded, all the while Oliver was doing the same. Red and Green had embraced him, without failing to include a playful ruffle of his hair before pulling him to his feet with wide grins. Crank smiled at the scene, and so jumped when a hand suddenly came into his eye-line; Blue’s hand. It was accompanied with a grin and a small eye sparkle, and Crank felt himself match that grin as he accepted the assistance.

'Good, I need you on cable disentanglement; you too Oliver.’

Crank turned to the sunshine eyed droid, who let out a light giggle as he was given two pats on the back and a small shove before Green and Red went back to their own tasks. Oliver shuffled next to Crank before looking to Blue and giving him a mock salute.

'On it!’

Blue sighed, rolling his eyes as he decided to briefly observe them; they both slowly sank to the floor where they began fiddling with bundles of cables, conversation immediately flying between them. Google didn’t know what they discussed, but when words left Oli’s mouth they seemed to make his eyes light up, and when Crank replied his voice seemed to buzz with happy enthusiasm. That’s what you hope for, I think. The concept of siblings is a mystery to me, but I think I understand the basis. The relationship between siblings is more than family. It is trust, and avid joy, and playfulness and respect all rolled into one. You know each other, because it’s like you’ll all part of the same puzzle, and when you’re all together you are just…..a masterpiece.

———————————————————————————————————-

God isn’t it amazing to just have fun and play around? I think you can agree with me, given what we just witnessed; so lets move on to some more of that particular joy. I guess, this is somewhat of a “side” living area? I don’t know about you, but there’s something about it that just gives it an aura of seclusion. Perhaps it’s the yonder fireplace, they always bring so much to a room don’t they? Anyway, we’ll get to that soon. For now, I spy another piece of furniture, except this couch is a rather sultry, olive green with mintish hued cushions; it’s not an especially catching colour scheme, but it doesn’t need to be. It adds a sense of calm, especially due to its inhabitants being rather bold in character; namely, Chase Brody and Dr Henrik Von Schneeplestein. The prince of deft trick-shots and the patron of the emergency room; quite the match in fact, since here they are romantic in relations.

Relating back to fun, these two were certainly engaging in some in the form of charades; aka when one person uses actions to act out a chosen word or phrase, and the other or others have to guess what it is. Despite its perceived generic nature, it can really be quite hilarious.

'OH! Is it a space vormhole?’

Schneeple exclaimed as he clapped his hands, eyes bright with the hope of being correct…..but alas not as Chase shook his head. Chase was ready to admit that he was at his wit’s end, because of the fact that Schneeple was the WORST guesser in the history of charades. Chase sighed, eyes fluttering shut for a moment as he sighed.

'Okay…..lets try this again.’

Chase took a deep breath, then repeated his miming. He mimicked a cube-like object, after which he motioned opening a door, putting something in, closing it, pushing buttons, and then some kind of circling or rotating motion occurring. In case you didn’t pick it up from that, the object here is a washing machine. Chase didn’t know how much more he could simplify it because there was LITERALLY nothing else it could be; so how his dear, sweet Henrik had managed to get “wormhole”, “spinning plates” and “record player” Chase would never know. Now, participating is certainly fun, but watching was just as good too; which was what a certain gentleman was doing, sat cross-legged on the yellow, green and orange rug. His name was Dapper, and let me tell you, he was most certainly very dapper. With a jet black twirlable moustache, a topping bowler hat, and gentlemanly attire from the 1920’s he was the epitome of spiffing smartness.

Another quirk of this man was that he was mute, but he still made other noises like hums of content or hiccups of joy; it was just words that eluded him. However, he was in fact one of the loveliest people spend time with, since his flashcards and sign language made communication as easy and regular vocalisation. For now though, he just smiled and hugged his knees as he watched the doctor’s thoughtful expression.

'Hmmmm……hypnotism?’

Chase let out a loud groan as he grasped the peak of his cap in frustration, whilst Schneeple humphed with a pout as he raised his arms in exasperation.

'Vell vhat is it? Put me out of my misery!’

Chase shook his head in defeat as he spoke in a tone of overly dejected despair.

'Babe…..it was a washing machine.’

The utter exhausted, desperation that flickered in Chase’s voice made Dapper grin and let out a quiet giggle as Schneeple furrowed his eyebrows; he was clearly dissatisfied.

'How vos zat a vashing machine?! Your arms vere making vortexes!’

Schneeple exclaimed as he proceeded to wave his arms about in a mock impression of Chase, to which said man reacted with light indignance as he folded his arms across his chest.

'My miming was perfect and you know it! You’re just salty cuz you’re shit at guessing.’

Schneeple’s mouth dropped open, making Dapper giggle again as Chase grinned widely; teasing Henrik was so much damn fun.

'How dare you! I am not ze shit von here!’

Schneeple’s shoulders moved as he spoke, almost seeming to shimmy with the force of his sass and insistence as he also folded his arms; his lips were pursed, not from annoyance, but from his strong attempt not to smile and burst out laughing. Chase meanwhile, didn’t bother to hide his mirth as he snickered and stuck his tongue out.

'Oh c'mon just admit your crappiness! It’s not like you can hide it since it’s constantly plain to see…..’

Chase sniggered as Schneeple’s mouth opened wider at his rude cheekiness, and he was clearly about to give Chase a piece of his mind…..before a little, giggly cough caught their attention. Dapper had tried to clamp a hand over his mouth to stop the noise escaping, but alas he was too late…..Now he was forced with the couple’s full attention, particularly Schneeple’s as he was the first to speak.

'Vell it seems zat somevone has ze giggles! Did ve miss something amusing?’

Dapper felt himself grinning and letting out more little giggles as he flicked his eyes between Schneeple and Chase, both of whom looked to him expectantly. Schneeple’s eyebrows were raised and Chase’s lips bore a curious grin as Dapper slowly moved his hands from his face, quickly using them to sign.

“Chase is right, your guessing is really bad.”

As they both interpreted him, Schneeple ended up pursing his lips tighter with narrowing, steely eyes as Chase let out a spluttery guffaw. Dapper looked between them, and Chase soon recovered…..but he let out a gently exaggerated gasp before he spoke. 

'Well now that’s kinda mean!’

'I find myself agreeing vith you….’

Schneeple’s words were consecutive after Chase’s, and Dapper found himself being bamboozled, in particular by Chase. He cocked his head and wiggled his moustache in thought before hurriedly signing again.

“But I’m only agreeing with Chase, he said it first not me!”

Chase and the good doctor shared a glance as they interpreted the confused, and now slightly nervous, man; they both nodded to each other before they turned back to Dapper, and Chase spoke first with a sly smile.

'Ah, but I’m an exception! I’m allowed to say those things; but if someone else says those things then it’s just……so rude!’

Dapper fidgeted a little, nibbling his lip as he listened intently…..but he found himself picking up on the playfulness that laced Chase’s voice. He didn’t have time to analyse further however, since Schneeple’s voice made him jump and snap his attention to him.

'So rude indeed…..’

Schneeple trailed off, and felt a threatening smile make his lips twitch as he slowly leant forward on the couch; he bore a rather determined expression. Dapper knew it was playful, but both men’s movements and tones of voice sent  a light chill down his spine as his own smile was maintained; his fingers were a flurry in the air.

“I didn’t mean to be rude! I swear it I swear it!”

Dapper’s eyes were wide as Schneeple leant even further forward, and he gulped when Schneeple seemed to analyse him……before a playful glare took centre stage on his features.

'Hm……I’m not sure if I believe you…..’

Dapper fidgeted as the doctor rose from his seat and towered over him, pausing momentarily as he folded his arms.

'If I recall, you seemed razer enthusiasteec, and happy, vhilst you vere insulting me.’

Schneeple’s sky blue irises darted over the nervous man as his lips seemed to twist and quirk……alright, perhaps Dapper had quite enjoyed teasing Schneeple. A little bit. Said man bore a sneaky smile as his partner let out a curious hum as he stood, and inched next to Dapper as he looked down at him. Glee was dancing in Chase’s eyes, and he knew that it was slightly mean of him and Schneeple to do this; to tease Dapper like this. Then again, Chase decided that technically Dapper had brought it on himself…..that was a good enough excuse right?

'Yeah I noticed that…..makes ya feel good to be cheeky does it?’

Schneeple grinned at Chase’s words as Dapper hurriedly shook his head, his hands practically waving themselves about in their frantic energy; but even through his nerves, there was a small smile on Dapper’s lips. His signing was still as insistent as ever though.

“No no no! I wasn’t being cheeky I wasn’t!”

Dapper gulped and inched back when Schneeple suddenly dropped down onto his knees, they were at the same level now; Dapper could see his eyes twinkling with mischievous intent.

'Oh is zat so? If zat is truly ze case…..zen vhat is vith zis little smile? Hm?’

Schneeple tapped his fore-finger to Dapper’s cheek, or rather his dimple which had surfaced from his nervous smile; said smile widened as Dapper tried to look to the side so he could hide it, but he only ended up being faced with Chase who had also dropped to his level. His demeanour was equally as devious as he commented.

'I gotta agree, if that ain’t a cheeky smile then I don’t know what is!’

Dapper hurried to look down into his lap, to avoid their teasing gazes as a light, rosy flush appeared on his cheeks; just from the sheer, giddy embarrassment that he felt. As this occurred, his hands stayed still since they were too busy fidgeting with one another; Chase and Schneeple grinned at one another before Schneeple decided to aim a light poke to Dapper’s ribcage.

'Excuse me, ve expect you attention! Particularly vhen ve are trying to teach you some manners!’

At the brief poke, Dapper’s entire form seemed to indeed, snap to attention as his posture straightened and a little yip left his lips. Oh no. They wouldn’t…..would they? Dapper looked to the couple, whose eyes were shining with collective glee; Chase spoke up.

'Ooooh! It looks like that got his attention, if we wanna keep it then we shouldn’t let up!’

Chase snickered when Dapper started to shake his head, his smile morphing into an anticipatory grin; Schneeple let out an exaggerated gasp, and he could feel his fingers twitching in excitement.

'Vhat an excellent idea darling!’

Chase grinned with a happy gasp, deciding to worm his wiggling fingers into Dapper’s other side, all the while he looked to Schneeple with fond adoration.

'Awwww, thanks hun!’

As Schneeple and Chase exchanged their gentle flirtations, poor Dapper was just giggling frantically as he tried to bat at them and shuffle away on his tush; but his two captors quickly refocused themselves.

'Ah ah ah! Ve didn’t say you could leave mister cheeky chappy!’

Schneeple reprimanded with a light smirk as Chase hastened to grab Dapper’s shins so he could lightly, and playfully, drag him back between them. Dapper squeaked with wide eyes as he wriggled, but the poor guy had been taken off guard; instead of being sat up, he was now lying on the vibrant rug. If only he’d had some better balance. He looked between the pair of them nervously as the rosy dusting on his cheeks darkened…..particularly as a result of the doctor’s nickname for him; it had given him quite a few butterflies. Those were soon accompanied by shocks and tickly waves as Chase used both hands to work on one side of his torso.

'Tickle tickle tickle! Awwww, is Dappy a bit ticklish?’

The baby talk made Dapper let out a little wail as he tried to bat at Chase’s hands, which were kneading into his fleshy sides and protruding ribs; his squeaks and cackles were wonderfully sporadic, much like his defensive movements. Chase grinned down at the man, and couldn’t help but 'aww’ internally; he was so cute. His significant other was doing the same, and Schneeple’s and Chase’s gazes met through their shared adoration. Schneeple smiled before he hummed and lifted his hands into the air. 

'Hm, you still have not even tried to give me ze apology zat I deserve……so I think some more tickles are in order!’

Dapper gasped as he shook his head wildly, the sensations at ONE side of his body were already evilly torturous…..he could barely imagine what it would be like to feel even more tickling on top of that. Unluckily for him, he wouldn’t have to imagine for much longer.

'What an awesome diagnosis!’

Chase exclaimed, which made Schneeple chuckle as his raised fingers wriggled in the air…..before going to descend upon their targets. Yes targets…..plural. Poor Dapper. Not only did he have Chase’s nimble fingertips methodically scratching at his ribcage, making him cackle and squirm; now he had fingers fluttering under his chin and at his neck whilst a hand poked and pinched one of his thighs.

'Oh my love, zese compliments vill be ze death of me!’

Okay. Teasing had been diabolically bad, but pure nonchalance was just evil. Dapper was squealing and snorting as he was attacked from all sides. His shoulders were scrunched, his arms flailed, his legs kicked and his torso writhed; an unsympathetic person would call it the perfect workout regime. Chase glanced at the red faced man just long enough for him to relent on his torso, but only so he could fix his hair with one hand and use the other to scratch at the other side of Dapper’s neck; he sighed at the loud squeal, and he looked to Schneeple with a grin.

'Well you deserve them! Especially for being such a good doctor I mean, you diagnosed Dappy perfectly!’

Schneeple giggled a little as Chase chuckled, their fingertips dragging up and down Dapper’s neck and scratching behind his ears with stunning synchronicity; Schneeple’s other hand still kept up its haphazard onslaught at his thigh. At each pinch, Dapper’s whole leg would jerk away as the man himself let out a magnificent snort. Meanwhile, his squeaky giggling was continuous as he scrunched his shoulders and covered his face with his hands; the poor thing was so embarrassed. Schneeple’s tone of voice dimmed a little as he spoke.

'Even zough you’re trying to hide zat cheeky smile, zat doesn’t mean you’re punishment is over!’

Dapper’s grin was made inexplicably wider under his palms as he whined and thrashed about, with little tears of mirth reaching the corners of his eyes as he suddenly gasped. The sensations…..had gone.

Dapper was frozen with uncertainty, his hands still covering his face as his body tensed and he strained his ears; hoping to pick up anything that could give him a clue as to what might be about to happen next. He knawed his bottom lip, and his chocolate brown eyes blinked and flicked about; he considered peeking through his fingers…..but he was way too nervous. He jumped when he heard shuffling from either side of him, and he felt himself flush at the sound of a light chuckle. Dapper wondered how he’d even gotten to this point, but he didn’t have much time to think. Chase and Schneeple had been smiling at each other, and it only took a couple of actions and motions for them to formulate their finale together. Surprisingly, Schneeple had no difficulty interpreting anything…..huh.

They’d shuffled themselves, Chase was on his knees and leaning over Dapper’s upper-body as Schneeple knelt by his legs; arms raised with hands poised in the shapes of claws. They looked down at the tense, motionless man for a moment, and the couple smiled as a collective realisation swept through them. Dapper was still, unmoving…..and not even trying to escape his impending doom. Schneeple and Chase agreed…..this guy was too damn cute not to tickle.

'Surprise!’

They both yelled simultaneously as they dove in. Chase nestled his face into Dapper’s neck so he could nuzzle and blow raucously loud raspberries. At the same time, Schneeple’s hands had gotten to work with pinching and squeezing up and down Dapper’s thighs and knees; making sure not to miss any inch of ticklish flesh.

'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!’

If you required an audio definition of a shriek, then this would be beyond perfect. Dapper laughed like a madman as snorts and squeals forced themselves from him, all the while his body writhed and his face contorted with his unbridled hysteria. Chase took the opportunity to coo into Dapper’s ear as he took a breath. 

'Coochie coochie coooo! We’ve got you nooooow!’

Chase emitted an exaggerated evil laugh as he administered his raspberries in frantic little bursts, and combined with the scratchiness of his facial hair, this kept Dapper squealing wildly. Said man’s hands had stayed rooted on his face to hide his crimson cheeks, which burned more at Chase’s words as Dapper whined too. For someone who avoided all words, he could still be remarkably and beautifully vocal. Schneeple smirked at the sound of Chase’s tease as he kept up his own assault and spoke in a low, taunting purr.

'Awwww vhat a sensitive leetle baby you are! Chase darling, ve simply must keep him!’

Dapper snorted and squeaked as he kicked his legs and tried to just generally curl up, he didn’t have the strength nor the motivation to fight back as he heard them both giggle to themselves.

'Agreed!’

At Chase’s response, Dapper felt himself smile even wider, and he wasn’t quite certain as to why. Wait…..yes he was. The reason his smile was so large and joyful was because of how safe Dapper felt, and that safety…..stemmed from the knowledge that he was looked after. It’s an indescribable feeling, to know for certain that you are wanted. Dapper had that feeling…..and he loved it. Amidst his profound thinking, he hadn’t even noticed how his tormentors had slowed down more and more. He peeked through his fingers, and at first he saw Chase who was grinning as he leant up from his neck.

'Ya still with us Dappy?’

Dapper was still letting out a stream of giggles as he breathed deeply, slowly letting one hand leave his face so he could rub his neck; those residual tingles were giving him chills. He looked to Chase and slowly nodded, letting the rest of his face be uncovered as he used his other hand to help him sit up.

'You had better be! I still vant my apology…..’

Schneeple exclaimed with a mock glare, which Dapper giggled at as he brought his knees to his chest; Schneeple had long since retracted his hands, but there were so many ghostly sensations. The nervous system was an evil, evil thing. Dapper smiled embarrassedly at Schneeple as he slowly raised his hands, and the latter smiled as he interpreted.

“I am sorry, honest! And only just alive…..”

Chase snickered at the last part as Dapper went back to hugging his knees and gazing at Schneeple; the doctor didn’t hesitate to chuckle and nudge his shoulder.

'Ah I forgive you! You vere wrongly influenced after all…..’

Schneeple trailed off as he sent Chase a smirk, to which Chase responded with a stuck out tongue and a playful sneer. Dapper let out a gentle sigh as the two men came close to him again, mainly so they could discuss what game to play next; but Dapper had something else on his mind. As do I. I said at the very beginning that this overall tale is about a family….I should have made that plural. This conglomeration of people are like microcosms in the macrocosm of their main family. A macrocosm is “the big”, the overall world or reality; a microcosm is like a mini-copy of that world, inside it. That’s what Schneeple, Chase and Dapper are. A small family, inside an even bigger family; either way it’s family, and that’s pretty awesome.

———————————————————————————————————–

That was a nice thing to discuss. Discussions in general can be quite nice can’t they? Just to be able to properly ramble and have people agree with or add to you point of view, is seriously nice and fulfilling. As we pull away from our microcosm, we can now find a rather wonderful discussion. A discussion revolving around love and passion, which to the untrained eye would probably be labelled as obsession; but I think we all know better. The crackling fireplace set the warmth and the atmosphere for such a chat, and the dark pink and magenta rug only added to the comfort that Walter Warfstache and Yandereplier shared. Yandere had always thought that no-one could ever match the passion that they had for their Senpai; Yandere was passion, and passion was Yandere. Until they met Walter. The dark-pink moustached man’s love and dedication to melons was a wonder for Yandere to hear, because it meant they weren’t alone when it came to feeling so much emotion for something. It was the same for Walter.

He’d been degraded and mocked for his passion, and even he himself had labelled himself as abnormal until he encountered Yandere. Their vim and vigour sparked him, and it brought the man so much joy to hear the youth and the passion that engulfed them. It was an experience.

'Senpai is my everything, there is nothing I wouldn’t do…..they have a control, but it’s a control that I want them to have…..’

Yandere’s deep, onyx eyes gazed at the embers in the fireplace as they mumbled softly, clearly in deep thought about the person that they held most dear. Walter bore a light smile, the intensity surrounding Yandere was engulfing and drawing him in, making him want to hear more as he cocked his head.

'Your dedication is marvellous, it won’t be long before your Senpai is head over heels for you.’

Yandere felt their chest swell with pride as they turned to Walter with a wide, gracious smile. Walter smiled more wholeheartedly, because he meant it; Walter wasn’t the kind to say something to appease someone else, and Yandere knew that.

'Oh I know! Hardly anything stands in my way, I’ve been very thorough….’

Walter felt himself grin at Yandere’s light reference to their, not entirely legal, exploits and adventures; to be perfectly honest, Walter was still in awe over how exactly they’d managed to achieve some of them. 

'Indeed, your extra-curricular activities are wondrous to hear about…..’

Yandere grinned a let out a small, bashful giggle at the playfulness in Walter’s voice; they smoothed down their top and their neckerchief as Walter chuckled lightly, managing to catch sight of the bashfulness.

'I mean it! Don’t go getting modest now Yan!’

Yandere let out another giggle as Walter raised one of his eyebrows, his grin was wide and cheeky as Yandere narrowed their eyes fractionally.

'As if I would even consider being such a thing.’

Walter snickered with a light sigh as he observed Yandere turn to face the fire again, lights and sparks flickering in their eyes as they inspected the flames with intent interest. Walter meanwhile, just looked at them. He took in their expression, and how gentle it seemed when Yandere was relaxed. It wasn’t just their face that was like this either, since their entire form was lightly slumped and reflected their calm demeanour; it made Walter wonder how someone who seemed so innocent could carry out such acts of brashness.

'What? What is it?’

Walter was pulled from his thoughts when Yandere spoke softly and with a hint if uncertainty; Walter hadn’t realised he’d been staring at Yandere for a little while, and he proceeded to smile with a shrug.

'It’s just…..you strike me as so innocent, and I cannot even begin to picture you murdering someone.’

Yandere furrowed their eyebrows, straightening their back as they replied, with a small glimmer of indignance in their tone.

'Well looks can be deceiving, I am definitely not innocent…..’

Yandere trailed off as they gently folded their arms at their chest, expression set resolutely as Walter tried to dim down his wide grin; Yandere was trying way too hard. Walter couldn’t blame them though, especially due to who they have to live up to. Walter still grinned though, letting out a small hum as he muttered underneath Yandere’s curious scrutiny.

'Alright, perhaps not innocent……I think adorable is a hell of a lot more accurate.’

Yandere blinked rapidly, letting out a little splutter as they observed how Walter’s tone had a teasing edge; the former pursed their lips as they replied immediately.

'I am not adorable, in ANY way!’

Walter chuckled at Yandere’s insistence as he saw their lips twitch in their pursed state, which ended up in their expression looking rather like a pout. Yandere held their head up high as they awaited Walter’s response, admittedly with a hint of trepidation.

'Mm…..well I think you are! That little pout of your just speaks for itself!’

Yandere felt their cheeks heat up with rapid embarrassment as they observed Walter’s taunting smirk……which only sent more blood to their cheeks as they fidgeted.

'Sh-shut up……’

Yandere’s mind was too jumbled to make a proper retort, so they just decided to mumble and shuffle so they had their back to him; arms still folded at their chest as Walter snickered.

'Awww, you’re not going to sulk are you?’

Yandere twisted their lips in thought, before deciding to remain insistently silent; this only made Walter’s eyes gleam as his grin morphed into a smirk. Little did Yandere know that Walter was used to dealing with the silent treatment in the form of when he and his brother were younger; Wilford had perfected it before he’d even learnt to walk. Walter shuffled closer to Yandere, who tensed as they strained their ears.

'Silence eh? Hm……would you like to know why that is a reeeally bad idea?’

At Walter’s light tone, a shiver went down Yandere’s spine; and their voice came out as a whisper, since they felt compelled to respond.

’……wh-why?’

Yandere didn’t have time to curse their stammer before Walter leant in behind them; moustache twitching as his lips curled into a devious sneer.

'Rule one. Never…….ignore……a Warfstache.’

Yandere gulped as Walter’s words fluttered and echoed in their ears, and they jumped harshly when Walter’s broad arms snaked round their midriff and pulled them into his lap. Yan was so taken aback that their arms flailed, eyes widening as they found themselves looking up at Walter; since they now lay in his lap. Walter let out a small chuckle as Yandere hurried to stammer.

'Wh-what the hell? L-let me g-go…..I-I’m warning you!’

They tried to strengthen their voice, but they only partially succeeded which made Walter chuckle more; Yandere was so cute when they were trying so hard, ironically, to be the exact opposite. Walter leant over them, his face directly over theirs as he whispered.

'You’re warning me? Well now how intriguing…..what is it that you intend to do if I don’t release you?’

Walter raised an eyebrow as Yandere went to open their mouth, but their confidence was stuck along with their voice as they averted their eyes; cheeks going pinker from embarrassment.

’……..I-I……..u-uhm……..’

Their speechlessness made it extremely difficult for Walter not to “aww” out loud as he observed them. He waited a few moments before he spoke, his voice was laced with a teasing tone that could make anyone shudder.

'That’s what I thought. I think it’s about time that someone showed you your place……’

Yandere blinked a few times as their nerves built up, their eyes were fixed on Walter as he suddenly took Yandere’s wrists in one hand and held them at their chest; Walter snickered at Yandere’s silence, and decided to just get the shown on the road.

’……which is, that even though you’re strong……it doesn’t stop you being indisputably adorable.’

Yandere to barely begin to think of a retort before a squeaky gasp left their lips; both their smile and their eyes widened…..they really should have been keeping a watch on Walter’s free hand. Because now, it had descended  and started scratching all over Yandere’s top covered tummy. Oh dear.

'N-nohoho! Y-yohou gehet a-awahahahahay!’

Yandere tried to exclaim, but giggles overran their voice-box as they squirmed and tugged at their wrists; but Walter’s grip was unwavering. Yandere was totally at his mercy.

'Look at you still trying to give commands! It’s just so adooooorable!’

Walter cooed as he pinched the areas of light tummy pudge, which made Yandere squawk and yelp haphazardly whilst blushing darker at the teasing; they tried to muster up a glare.

'Nohoho ihit ihisn’t! Ihit ihisn’t dahammihihit!’

Walter let out a disbelieving hum, sniggering as he prodded Yan’s light abdominals; relishing in the sharp inhales, and the failure to repress squeals. Walter loved their insistence more than anything though, it gave him so much to play with.

'Oh but it is……look already at how your resolve has fizzled away, leaving you in such a bubbly and cute state-’

'Sh-shuhut uhuhup oho g-gahad shuhut uhuuuup!’

Yandere interrupted with a whine as they could no longer hold back their squeaks and giggle fits, their body jumping and flinching at the cheeky sporadity; Walter narrowed his eyes a little.

'Honestly, I try to compliment you and THAT’S how you treat me? This really has been a looong time coming for you……’

Walter’s tone lowered into a purr as he tutted, thus properly turning Yandere’s cheeks crimson as their struggles increased; and yet they weren’t extremely desperate, as of yet. Yandere’s eyes were wide as they followed Walter, who had started to lean down towards their ear as if they were about to whisper; Yandere had other ideas though.

'Nohoho ihit hahasn’t! Yohou’re juhust tryihing tohoo hard toho be scahahary!’

Yandere insisted as they tried to crane their neck away, with Walter still approaching them. But at their words, Walter stopped. His breaths were slow, and Yandere nibbled their lip as he felt them flutter around his neck and collar……and it got worse when Walter spoke.

'So defiant……and yet so unwise. You’re only bringing this on yourself Yan, just so you know.’

Yandere shivered with a light gulp, but then squealed harshly as Walter leant down to bury his face in their neck; he nuzzled and growled deeply as he still holding their wrists and kept them captive on his lap; you could tell, he had experience.

'NAHAHAT THEHEHERE! OHO GAHAD NOHOHOOOO!’

Yandere tried to scrunch their shoulders, but they couldn’t escape it. The nibbling was bad enough, but with the added feature of Walter’s moustache brushing every inch of sensitive skin they had……well, it made them a cackling mess.

'Yes heeeere…….mmm, you’re aaaall mine to snack on and tickle tickle tickle…..’

Walter growled and snarled which sent extra vibrations through Yandere’s system, as well as contributing to their widespread blush; Yandere couldn’t even fight against the teasing anymore. Walter nipped down Yan’s neck, and even administered a brief one to their collar bone; and was amazed to hear a screech.

'NONONOHOHOHO FUHUHUHUCK!!’

Yandere gasped and thrashed, tugging at their arms in vain as they heard Walter chuckle; they knew they were in for it now.

'Oooooh, what an intriguing spot…….this means I have even more to devour!’

Walter smirked as Yandere frantically shook their head and threw it back in their mirth, and a near-mad smile was stretched across their face as Walter continued his devious work. He substituted nibbles for raspberries though, all along the delicate bones; Yandere, as you can imagine, was extremely grateful.

'AHAHAHAAAHHH YOHOU CAHAHAHAAAN’T!!’

Walter chuckled, grinning as he looked up to Yandere for a moment; his voice was deep, sharp, and inherently mischievous.

'Oh but I can. And I am. And I will continue unless you admit the plain and simple fact…..’

Through his speech, the hand of Walter’s that had been on Yandere’s tummy had resumed giving out little scratches and pokes; Tummy, sides, navel, waist, it was most efficient. Yandere was encased in high-pitched cackles as they attempted a reply.

’….n-nohohohohohoo……’

Their voice was whimpery, and Walter externally disregarded their words, smirking as he whispered with beautifully taunting intent.

’…..that you, are unquestionably cute.’

Yandere was yelping and squirming and shivering as they endured Walter’s tingle-inducing words, as well as the tickly touches……which had now moved to their thighs. Walter’s fingers effectively splayed and pinched, making Yandere cry out as they breathlessly rambled and cackled.

'IHI’LL NEHEVER SAHAY IHIHIHIT!!’

Walter raised an eyebrow, rolling his eyes as he began to lean back into Yandere’s neck.

'Oho we’ll see…..’

However, said victim stopped him in his tracks with a wild cry.

'OHO GOD NOT THE BACKS! NOT THE BACKS!!!’

Walter paused, lips curling into a curious smirk as he rose up and away from Yandere’s neck; he glanced down to where his fingertips had swept and started to curl at the backs of Yandere’s thighs. Walter flicked his eyes to Yandere, who gulped as Walter lightened his voice.

'Ohhh…..now what do we have here?’

Yandere had no time to speak before they were being rolled off Walter’s lap so they were lying on their front on the rug; the immediatly hastened to start crawling away…..but a weight on their shins hindered that. Yandere could hear their own heart beating frantically as Walter hummed.

'Hey, look I know you want to impress your Senpai; but……this skirt? Sheesh Yan…..’

Yandere spluttered and let out a stream of embarrassed giggles as Walter chuckled at them, before looking back to the area of importance. It just so happened that the lengths of Yandere’s skirt and stockings allowed their thighs to be bare, but not so bare for any contact to be miscontrude or potentially leading to discomfort. Yandere mumbled, cheeks red with their blush.

’D-dohon’t do th-this……n-nohot there……’

Yandere cursed their weak voice as they tensed and clenched their fists, meanwhile Walter spoke in an airy tone that was filled to the brim with a taunting aura.

'If you don’t want to go through this, then you know what to say…….this is your last chance…..’

At Walter’s teasing command, Yandere let out a little gasp as their brain tried to work and process everything at an impossible speed. Yandere was so torn. Do they sacrifice their pride…..or their sanity? After a few seconds, Yandere let out a light giggle as they realised…..they’d lost their sanity long ago.

'I-I will not s-say it. Ever.’

The stammers were still there, which made Walter grin amidst his surprise at Yandere’s defiance; actually, who was he kidding. Walter had not only anticipated this, but he’d also hoped for it.

'Fine, your funeral Yan!’

Walter chuckled as he set to work, letting his fingertips scratch and dance over the backs over their thighs with an intense ruthlessness; Yandere meanwhile……had unleashed their inner banshee.

'NAHAHAHAHA!!! WAHAHAHAHAL!!!’

Yandere’s eyes were nearly bugging out of their sockets as Yan screeched and banged their fists on the foor; they wailed and gasped as Walter let out a few gentle laughs. This was like a spectator sport.

'Come now Yan, you know you can’t take this……’

Walter’s tease was stunningly malevolent, and Yandere felt it melt in their ears; it was all they could focus on amidst their hysteria and crimson visage.

'NOHOHOHOHO MOHOHOHOHOHORE!!!’

Yandere was squealing as tears pricked at the corners of their eyes, especially since Walter was now squeezing the sensitive flesh; tsunami waves of ticklishness were forced through Yandere’s poor, poor system. Walter liked to think that he was a merciful man, but his need for victory always took precedence.

'Two. Little. Words.’

He punctuated each word with pinches to just above the backs of Yan’s knees……which rendered them utterly broken.

'AHAHAHAHAHHHHH!!! IHIHIHI’M CUHUHUHUHUTE!!!’

Yandere’s eyes were squeezed shut as they heard Walter hum contentedly, and he mumbled to Yandere with a grin.

'Yes. Yes you are.’

Walter chuckled when Yandere let out another desperate shriek.

'IHIHIHI’LL DOHOHO AHANYTHIHIHIHIHI!!!’

Yandere’s partial incoherency and serious desperation spurred Walter to relent; he smiled as he shuffled off from Yandere’s legs. The owner of said limbs just lay there as Walter peered at them.

'Anything huh? Well first of all, breath.’

Yandere grinned widely with a breathy giggle, and their eyes were fixed on Walter as he guided them to inhale and exhale well; after a few minutes, Yandere’s sanity……well some of it, was restored. They let Walter help them to sit up on the rug as they muttered.

'Th-thahat…..was diabolical.’

Yandere almost sounded like they were in disbelief, which showed how the intensity had reallly been……and experience. Walter’s eyes lit up as he snickered, and gently pulled Yandere into his chest so they could nestle in as he replied.

'Thank you, I endeavour to try my best. Just like you.’

Yandere inhaled lightly, an amazed smile staying rooted in place as Walter grinned…..and decided to introduce melons into the conversation. Yandere listened intently, and was fascinated by Walter’s tales and how his passions seemed to mirror’s theirs. It is honestly a delight, when you find that you have something in common with someone. That is indisputable. But, when that something is a thing that’s profound, like the love or passion you feel, then it’s really special. That sort of connection is beautiful, just like sparks from a fire.

———————————————————————————————————–

We’re doing well, we’re over half-way I think. Now we have another little wander, into another room in fact.  The kitchen here is a few metres away with cabinets and utilities that are essential, and otherwise boring. The part we’re faced with is much nicer and more interesting, since its main feature is a beech-wood dining table and chairs that is laden with a plethora of savoury snacks. Courtesy of a number of gentlemen, whose haphazard and unique personalities are key for such a task. Those people of course, are Bingiplier and The Jims.

'Jim do you have the cashews?’

'The cashews Jim?’

'Yes the cashews Jim.’

'Yes Jim, I just put them between the roasted peanuts and salted pretzels.’

'Ah, very good Jim! Nice arrangement!’

'Why thank you Jim!’

……..yes, that is how the conversation went and is in fact how the majority of the conversations between the Jims go. If I’m to be more specific, these two Jims are reporters; so it’s understandable that speed and efficiency are a part of their characters. Meanwhile, as bowls and platters were being shifted, we have Bing. He snickered as his burnt, orange eyes flicked between them both; he’d be completely content to just watch the pair of them. You’d never be bored. Although, he felt the need to contribute.

'Uh, guys?’

The Jims turned to him , eyes gently blinking as they both smiled and cocked their heads.

'Yes Bing?’

The spoke in sync, which Bing shook off since it was a constant occurrence.

'We uh, need breadsticks.’

Both their eyes seemed to widen before they burst into rapid fire conversing, commenting and generally rambling. Bing grinned as he watched them, leaning his hip on the side of the table.

'Oh the breadsticks!’

'Yes the breadsticks!’

'Fantastic Bing!’

'Yes Bing, you are a marvel!’

'This is why you’re better than Google!’

'Oh definitely!’

Bing felt himself start giggling, and so went to cover his mouth as the Jims shot off to the cupboards to search for their forgotten snack; not even waiting for Bing to reply. Not that he would have been able to since he was too damn stunned by what they said……I mean, wow. Bing shook his head and looked over the array of food, and he could feel his system becoming jittery with the thought of actually tucking in. Even though a being like Bing didn’t need food, he still reeeeally loved it. He flicked his eyes to the Jims, and they were both occupied…..so Bing figured that this was his chance. His hand shot forth to the bowl of cashews where he swiped a handful and shoved them in his mouth, and Bing smiled as he shut his eyes momentarily as he crunched and relished in their taste; dammit, now he was just even more hungry. But he didn’t want to risk exposure. He brushed his hand on the back of his jeans…..just as the Jims turned around; and they didn’t hesitate to comment curiously.

'Bing why are you brushing your buttocks?’

'Do they itch?’

'Is it a nervous tick?’

'It would be a rather strange nervous tick……’

'You could talk to Dr Iplier!’

Bing felt himself grin and splutter as he waved his hands at them both, repressing a few giggles.

'Nah guys, my jeans were just kinda creased…..I don’t have a habit of nervous butt brushing.’

'Ohhhhh…..’

Both Jims sighed in sync as they smiled, immediately going back to food arrangement as Bing let out a gentle sigh; dear god, he bet that even the Host wouldn’t be able to predict half the things that the Jims came up with. That did make them unique and special though. Bing went back to observing, despite how he was starting to get gradually more and more bored…..as well as hungry. Bing’s stomach was yearning for more, and Bing was having to fight the urge to salivate at a constant rate as even more crisps were brought out; oh the temptations.

'Ah, remember the doritos for Anti, we want a happy glitch on our hands Jim.’

'Well said Jim, do we use regular cool or tangy cheese flavour?’

'Hm……both, just to be safe Jim.’

And now Bing could smell doritos, dear god this was actual torture. Bing thought for a moment, then sighed as he internally decided; f*** it.

'Uh, what about celery sticks? We don’t want an unhappy edgelord either.’

Bing’s voice was slightly higher than usual, but the Jims didn’t notice even as they looked to him; their expressions were resolute as they agreed.

'We definitely don’t want that, do we Jim?’

'Certainly not Jim; although I find it ironic that the most bitter snack is consumed by the most bitter person in existence.’

'I must agree Jim, one would have thought he didn’t need any more bitterness on his person.’

Bing fought the urge to burst out laughing as the Jims went to the fridge, the way that their playful jabs at Dark bounced off of each other was just stunning; but now, Bing hastened to claim his prize…..and he did it successfully. Bing had a satisfied smile on his face as he went to brush off his hand again…..but then he looked back to the other two men in the room; Bing’s eyes widened when he saw one of the Jims, specifically the reporter in silver, staring at him. Oddly enough though, he had a small smile in place.

'Jim…..we have a traitor in our midst.’

Bing gulped as the other Jim, in blue, turned to his twin with interest in his eyes, before looking to Bing; he however didn’t get a chance to speak, since Bing’s babbling filled the room. He was clearly trying to excuse his actions.

'H-hey guys, look i-it was only two handfuls of nuts, and I’m super hungry! I haven’t eaten since like 6pm!’

Bing looked to them both, fingers fidgeting as the Jims listened; but Bing noted that BOTH of them were smiling gently now. Jim silver started off their train of statements.

'It’s not about the nuts themselves, it’s the principle.’

'You went behind our backs Bing.’

'Your intentions may have been innocent…’

'But this is a betrayal of trust.’

'Betrayal deserves punishment.’

Bing was hurriedly trying to keep up, and it was only thanks to his software that he managed to actually register anything. By that point though…..it was too late; Bing’s fate was sealed in the form of two reporters…..smiling, and approaching at speed.

'W-woah h-hey c'mon, you don’t need to do this! We c-can ju-AH!’

Bing had been backing away with hands lightly raised, his lips twitching from his nerves as the Jims had been pacing towards him; they had been going slowly…..but then had suddenly lunged forward and brought him to the floor. Jim blue held his wrists as Bing fell to the floor on his back, thankfully on the fluffy rug rather than the tiles. Jim silver had sat next to him as he seemed to smile wider.

'It’s too late for you Bing, if only you’d managed to restrain yourself…..’

'At least now we can do it for you!’

Jim blue let out a small snicker as he kept his hold secure on Bing’s wrists, even as he tugged; said man’s gaze flicked between them both, he gulped and wriggled in anticipation. What did they plan to do? Jim silver had rolled up his sleeves, and his words had been spoken clearly and serenely; despite his calm tone though, Bing could tell that he was excited.

'Wh-what are y-you gonna do?’

Bing’s voice was high and quiet, and the Jims seemed to become elated at the sound of it; Jim silver started off.

'Since your stomach has been vying for attention…..’

'Then we might as well help it from the outside!’

Bing was confused for a moment…..but then he yipped, and the confusion dissipated in favour of embarrassment and impending giddiness. Jim silver’s hands had started to prod and probe Bing’s tummy, slipping under his vest to get to the bare skin.

'Nononohohohoho! Dohon’t doho thihis oho gahahad Ihi’m sahaharry!’

Bing was already giggling as he tugged at his wrists, but Jim blue still held tight as he smiled to his twin; there was a strong inference of deviousness as he began their next spiel.

'Oh but we forgave you instantly!’

'We’re only helping your tummy!’

'By giving it the attention it clearly wants, right Jim?’

'Exactly! And it looks like my probing is doing well!’

Bing was quickly being reduced to a snorting, squeaking mess as his tummy was scratched and pinched by Jim silver’s nimble fingers; even through the light torment though, Bing could see their poorly disguised mischief.

'Nohohoho ihit ihisn’t! Yohou’re bohoth lyihing fihibbehehehers!!’

Both Jims let out little, surprised gasps as they looked to one another, seemingly stunned; Bing, as a result, started to regret his words as both Jims looked back down at him.

'Fibbers?! Well that’s rude!’

'We are no such thing, right Jim?’

'Damn right Jim! Goodness, I have never been so offended!’

'Nor I Jim!’

Through their conversation, Bing’s giggling had morphed into cackles veeeeery quickly as Jim silver’s fingers had spontaneously shot up to his ribs; the pads of his fingers massaged the bones as Bing thrashed about.

'WAHAHAIT WAHAIT NOHOHO! FAHACK IHIHI’M SAHAHAHARRY!!’

Jim silver snickered as he watched Bing with mischievous curiosity, and Jim blue did just the same. Bing’s wild reactions just, the whole concept of tickling intrigued them actually; the Jims loved it. They loved seeing how it could destroy the stubborn, wipe away the morose, enhance the smallest flicker of joy, and get rid of any tension that a person may be burdened with. The Jims also loved when they had an excuse to administer it, like with Bing. So they figured they’d make the most of it.

'We said we’d already forgiven you! Goodness, what a reaction!’

'Just from some very simple actions too…..’

The pair of them paused, and even through his hysterical cackling Bing could sense that there was something coming; and he had no way to fight back. Jim blue spoke again, very slowly.

'It does make me wonder if other areas would elicit such responses…..’

'I wondered the same thing Jim!’

'Perhaps we should pay attention to some other spots, just so they don’t feel left out!’

'Excellent idea Jim! And we wouldn’t want to be accused of favouritism…..’

As Jim silver trailed off, his fingertips trailed away from their torment at Bing’s ribs; their owner was left gasping and in a giggly daze as his eyes widened. Ohhhh he really was screwed; if only he’d managed to control his need for nuts.

'F-Fuhuhuhuck guys plehehehease! Nohowhehere ehehelse…..’

Bing then trailed off with a rather pitiful whine as he squirmed, since Jim silver’s fingertips were absently trailing round his sides and even near the droid’s back; at least, as far as his fingers could worm themselves. The Jims chuckled melodiously.

'But why Bing? Surely the rest of you deserves some care?’

'Come on Bing, let us be kind…..’

Bing was giggling as his cheeks burned a rusty, tangerine colour; all because of how flustered he was….the Jims were seriously good with their nonchalant teasing. Bing was so unfocused, that he didn’t resist when Jim blue shifted so he could pin Bing’s arms under his knees, thus stretching them above his head. This mean that Jim blue now had both hands free, poor Bing.

'Sh-shihihit…..b-buhut t-…..tihihicklihing ihis tohorturohohous!!’

Bing’s eyes were wide as he looked between his two captors pleadingly, but he found the butterflies in his tummy flutter incessantly when the pair smirked at him. Despite them being the same, their expressions still had light differences. Jim blue’s smirk was wide, cheeky and extremely boyish; whereas Jim silver’s was thinner, and had a distinct aura of mischief. They contrasted beautifully as Bing’s nervous system braced itself, all the while the Jims spoke.

'But Bing, don’t you get it?’

'That’s what makes it more fun!’

As soon as Jim silver’s words had left his lips, both Jims had started their tickly work. Jim blue’s fingertips had lowered and started endlessly fluttering at Bing’s neck and ears; such poor, delicate areas.

'Nahahahahaha! Nahahahat fohor mehehehe!!’

Bing had squealed and now tossed his head about, grinning from ear to ear as Jim blue snickered down at him. Jim silver meanwhile, was also gentle, since he was engaging in a more exploratory venture. His fingertips roamed over Bing’s sides, ribs, tummy, waist…..basically anywhere that could be considered remotely sensitive; all the while the Jims spoke brightly.

'Oh don’t lie to us Bing! We can see how happy you are!’

'Yeah Bing! You know you’re loving our tickles!’

The matter-of-fact way in which they spoke only embarrassed Bing more as his torso squirmed and flinched, and Bing was just entirely encased by giddy joy.

'Dohohohon’t pohoint ihit ohohout yohou pohohoopehers!!’

The Jims each raised an eyebrow in shock as they kept up their gentleness……they couldn’t believe that Bing had actually admitted it, without them even having to ask him to! Although, when they looked upon his shivery, flustered form they realised that any sense of focus had just simply flown away. Jim blue kept flicking and tracing Bing’s ears to keep him giggling and yelping. whilst Jim silver stayed absent as he mumbled.

'But we must…..such an adorable truth can’t be hidden away…..’

'Precisely! Such cuteness in general should never be repressed Bing, and I’m surprised that no-one else has discovered this sooner!’

Bing had no choice but to squeeze his eyes shut as he shook his head even faster, which the Jims chuckled at with strong fondness. Bing was moments away from actually fighting back with some moderately focused words…..but that was not to be.

'NONONO NOT THERE OHO GAD IHI’LL DIE!!!’

Bing very nearly shrieked as he felt Jim silver’s fingertips brush over his hipbones. Now, I know you’re probably thinking that this is an area that will coax out some hysteria; that is incorrect. Bing felt so frantic because this spot…..would melt him beyond belief. The Jims were inherently curious, so they didn’t stop themselves.

'Oh really?’

'I doubt that very much, don’t you Jim?’

'I do indeed Jim…..’

Bing whimpered a little, but soon let out a weak cry as Jim silver’s thumbs started to rub the bones in slow, teasing circles. Both Jims watched with glee as Bing shivered and arched his back, giggling deeply as he let out little hums.

'Ohoho….g-gahahahad…..nahat heheheeeere…..’

As each second passed by, Bing could feel himself turning into mushy putty at the Jims’ focused work; his hips were being given ample attention, and his neck and ears were tickled with the lightest, most evil precision. The Jims…..were actually in awe.; they were amazed at how Bing just melted.

'But Bing, this seems to have a really relaxing effect on you…..’

'A melting effect, correct Jim?’

'Indeed Jim. And since you’ve succumbed so easily, it would be mean of us to deny you this…..’

The words barely registered in Bing’s circuits as he wriggled, his head rolling back as a gentle, lazy smile stayed etched on his face. The tingles and waves that were shooting through Bing’s system were…..indescribable. The area seemed to be some sort of nerve hotspot, which as you can see was highly convenient for his current captors.

'Mmm…..g-guys c'mohohohoooon…..Ihi cahahahan’t…..’

The Jims could see that Bing was reaching his limit, but they did take a few moments to relish in Bing’s state and demeanour…..because it was stunning. His body, relaxed, his smile open and joyous along with his glinting orange eyes and blazing burnt cheeks. The Jims shared a glance…..before they then relented.

'In that case, we shall grant you mercy…..on this occasion.’

'Indeed, but you should watch yourself in the future Bing…..’

'You never know who might pounce!’

As Bing regained his breath, he giggled and sighed in relief as fingers were retracted and the ability to use limbs was restored. Bing hugged his body tightly as he averted his gaze from their smirking faces; he was still so embarrassed.

'Sh-shuhush…..’

At Bing’s muffled mumble, the Jims let out a collective snicker; and they also decided something. They both stood, and Bing could hear shuffling before he jumped, since a bowl had been shoved in front of his face. A bowl…..containing cashews. Bing flicked his eyes up, and grinned at the sight of the Jims; they had deviance dancing in their eyes, and kindness prancing in their hearts. Bing accepted the bowl…..and tucked in. Hugging his knees on a rug, a few metres away from where there were tasks to be carried out. However, Bing and the Jims knew something. It’s not really a task if it’s something you want to do…..because then it becomes a privilege.

———————————————————————————————————–

When observing Bing, the phrase “working hard or hardly working” came to mind; I bring this up, because the first half of this phrase certainly applies to a certain man at the moment. We’re going to have to wander a bit, through a few corridors, but eventually we reach our destination. This is one of my favourite rooms, since it mixes work and play so to speak. With its crescent shaped desk with ample technology, and the gargantuan couch-bed hued with contrasting pinks gives the room a wholesome feel. When you have quite a work centred life, it’s important to have something comfy to fall back on when you take your much needed and deserved breaks. Wilford Warfstache, one of the two who used this room, knew and understood that. Bim Trimmer however…..did not. Bim was at the desk, rifling through e-mails and countless drafts of scripts needed for the new year; the guy never knew when to stop.

Wilford knew this. The vibrant man was on the path that we’d just come from, going down corridors with the intent of hauling Bim’s workaholic ass out of that room so they could celebrate the eve of a new year of shenanigans; those are his words, just to clarify. He bounded through the door, entering loudly as per; Bim merely rolled his eyes as he stayed focused on the screen before him, he knew why Wilford was here.

'Trimmer, shift it! That’s an order!’

Wilford exclaimed with fists on his hips, his expression set resolutely as he stared at the back of Bim’s head; and when Bim didn’t immediately respond Wilford stalked forward. Bim saw him partially in the reflection of the monitor, and smiled weakly with a sigh.

'Look, we both know how much needs to be done…..you deserve to have fun tonight babes, just leave me to it and it’ll get done quicker.’

Wilford twisted his lips at Bim’s light tone…..it’s clear that some of his own stubbornness had rubbed off on his work-obsessed boyfriend. Wilford knew that Bim meant well, he always did, but this was New Year’s Eve dammit! This was the WORLD’S exception! Wilford huffed, his bottom lip sticking out as he paced closer to Bim so he was standing right behind him; he let out a childish whine.

'But how am I meant to have fun if you’re not with meeee?’

Bim smiled a little wider at his tone, all the while he clicked through spreadsheets whilst mumbling softly.

'You’ll find a way sweetie, you always do….’

Wilford was the definition of dissatisfied, and a little annoyed too; did Bim really not want to spend time with him? It was a special occasion too. Wilford was silent, which unfortunately meant that his mind has started to…..work on overdrive. I suffer from this sometimes, overthinking. When something is said, or if the way it’s said seems even fractionally different then my brain can just spin and wind together scenarios and eventualities that are completely horrible and unrealistic; but my mind will convince me that they’re entirely rational. Wilford was doing this. Bim didn’t want to spend time with him on New Year’s Eve, so did that mean he didn’t want to spend time with him at all? Was Bim going off him? Did Bim find his need for company and attention annoying and tedious? Wilford swallowed harshly, fidgeting with his fingers as he whispered.

'Bim……please.’

Bim immediately caught Wilford’s change in tone; previously he’d been excited, and wonderfully bombastic as he usually was…..but now he seemed to sound almost upset. Bim whirled round in his chair, and he felt a jolt in his stomach as he saw Wilford’s form slump and his energy die out; Bim cautiously whispered.

'Hey…..hey Wilfy, it’s okay…..’

Wilford stayed still, looking down at his feet as Bim rose from his seat; he only had to take a single step before he was right in front of him. Bim nibbled his lip nervously as he raised his hand and placed it under Wilford’s jaw, and he tilted it up so they could look at each other properly; that was when Bim realised…..this meant a lot to Wilford. And Bim would be lying if he said it didn’t mean a lot to him too.

’S-sorry I uh, heh, I just wanted to….y'know……h-have the New Year with you……’

Wilford tripped over his words a little as he hugged his middle, all the while his eyes flicked about nervously and with uncertainty. However, that jitteriness did die down a little when he felt Bim’s thumb run over his jawline, softly and in a gently soothing manner; it gave Wilford the confidence to look at Bim who was smiling lightly.

'Sweetheart…..I’d be a madman if I decided to spend tonight doing anything else.’

Wilford blinked a few times as Bim’s words sunk in, but then he felt warmth bubble in his chest as Bim leant forward and kissed his lips softly. Bim was slow as he smiled, deciding to pull Wilford’s suspenders so he stumbled fractionally; Wilford’s cheeks were tinged pink as they kissed for what seemed like a rather long while, but they eventually pulled away slowly. Bim felt himself grin lightly.

'I’m sorry for being a work obsessed idiot.’

Wilford let out a little sigh, rolling his eyes a little as he mumbled with a small smile; his paranoia had dissipated and flaked away like the weak thing it was.

'Well you can’t help being a dedicated, talented individual…..’

Bim gasped with a smile as he placed a hand on his chest, usually compliments like this would fluster him; tonight however, Bim was filled with bold joy.

'Oh Wilford…..oh how you make my heart a'flutter!’

Wilford grinned and let out a giggle, using a hand to cover his mouth as Bim drew back and performed a light twirl; Wilford shook his head at him……dear god he was so perfect.

'Oh my gohod shut up ya goofus!’

At Wilford’s reaction Bim grinned, shuffling forward to give a little boop to the man’s pink cheek. Wilford only smiled more as he batted Bim’s hands away, but didn’t protest when Bim’s arms snaked round his waist to hold him close.

'Now THAT is more like it! We are not leaving this room until that little smile stays put!’

Bim’s own smile was cheeky as he saw Wilford’s cheeks get pinker, god he loved it when he got the chance to be the flusterer; Wilford’s reactions were just the most precious things in existence. Wilford was indeed flustered, but that didn’t mean that his defiant nature had been dimmed. Bim observed Wilford as he looked to him, and the man’s gentle grin suddenly morphed into a small, childish pout. Bim raised an eyebrow.

'Ohh……that’s how it’s going to be is it?’

Wilford knawed on his bottom lip as he averted his eyes, desperately repressing his smile as Bim’s only developed into a stunning, gentle smirk. He was elated. Bim relished in the light shiver that Wilford exhibited as he pulled him closer, watching carefully as the man mumbled delicately.

'Mhm…..’

Wilford’s heart was already beating faster…..and he could have sworn that it had stopped when Bim suddenly giggled.

'Oh I am gonna have so much fun forcing you!’

Wilford’s eyes widened as he squeaked, since Bim had swept him into a bridal hold in a flash as he bounded to the heavily draped couch; Wilford gasped as he was dropped as Bim’s weight settled on his thighs. The sight of Bim gazing down at him…..wholly handsome and mischievous; it gave Wilford the most glorious butterflies.

'Oh no……..’

Wilford’s words were barely audible, but Bim’s heard them and smirked wider as a result. He leant over Wilford, giggling again as he pecked his lips and whispered.

'I bet you’re sooooo jittery, because you know what I’m gonna dooooo…..’

Bim’s quiet words held a hint of a coo as his hands shifted to trail up and down Wilford’s sides, just to gently warm him up for what was to come. Lets be honest, Wilford was never going to not smile. His lips only twitched for a second before he was grinning widely, with giggles spewing from his lips as he squirmed.

'B-Bihimmy noho tihihicklihing!’

Bim let out a content hum, his tummy bubbling at the nickname as he relished in Wilford’s giggly state; he loved it when he was like this, especially when it was all from Bim’s touch. It was made even better by the fact that Wilford didn’t fight back, or even try to; he just loved it way too much.

'But you loooove the tickling! You love it when my hands are all over you…..’

Wilford spluttered and blushed at Bim’s lowered tone, giggling even harder as Bim’s fingertips snuck under his shirt to scratch at his tummy and waist. Bim’s eyes were glittering as he watched Wilford hurriedly go to cover his burning cheeks.

'Ohohoho my gahad yohou cheheeky bahastahahard!’

Wilford’s smile was wide, just like his bright brown eyes that were alight with his mirth and embarrassment. At Wilford’s words, Bim narrowed his eyes and grasped the beautiful opportunity that they offered; he lunged to bury his face into Wilford’s neck, nuzzling and growling as he properly dug into his belly.

'What the hell did you just call me? You wanna repeat that for me sweet-cheeks?’

Wilford squealed and writhed as he burst into bubbly cackles, he was gasping and squeaking as his words tumbled out like a landslide.

'NONONOHOHOHO IHI’M SAHARRY IHI’M SAHARRY IHI DIHIDN’T MEHEAN IHIHIT!’

Bim chuckled as he kept up his rapid nuzzling, grinning as he kissed and nipped at a little spot under Wilford’s ear which got him to snort magnificently; that’s the thing about being in a couple…..you know every single damn spot.

'You better not have meant it…..or there would have been seeeerious consequences.’

Wilford shivered as his cheeks went properly crimson, god the verbal teasing combined with Bim’s damn teasing lips was going to be the utter death of him. Bim placed a sloppy kiss on Wilford’s ear before he reared up to look over his handiwork, and he was more than satisfied with the handsome rapscallion that greeted his eyes. Wilford was a beautiful mess, with hair mussed and smile wide and unencumbered as he mumbled.

'Ohoho….g-gohohod yohou meheanihie…..’

Well now…..Bim spied another opportunity. He let out a purposefully loud sigh as all of his movements stilled, and it only took Wilford a few moments to realise what he’d said; he looked up to Bim with wide eyes as he hurried to stammer.

'A-ah no, I didn’t me-’

'Quiet.’

Bim’s voice was low, and bore a tone of command that it never usually had; Wilford bit back his words, gulping as Bim’s eyes became narrowed and fixed upon him. You wouldn’t think that Bim, sweet, innocent little Bim could be remotely intimidating; but with his soft, well thought out words…..he could send many a chill through your system. Bim started to tut, words flowing out slowly.

'I don’t think I have ever met anyone, more deserving of punishment than you. You’re asking for it every time you open up that rude, little mouth…..’

As Bim spoke, he’d reached to run his thumb across Wilford’s bottom lip, as Wilford simply gazed up at him; transfixed and agape, with his heart beating faster in nerves and anticipation. Wilford’s blush was blazing like a beacon too, just hearing Bim talk about…..the “p’ 'word made him shiver; oh god, what was he going to do to him? Wilford let out a little gasp as both of Bim’s hands moved, his fingertips grazing down Wilford’s sides.

'B-bahaby…….Ihi’m sohorreheheee…..’

Wilford’s whimpery giggles made Bim smirk wider, and the sight of Wilford squirming beneath him meant that Bim was insanely elated; and he let out a light chuckle when Wilford flinched…..Bim had found his hips.

'Let’s be honest Wilford…..you’re really not.’

Wilford could only let out a wild screech as Bim’s thumbs suddenly dug into the bowels of his hips, speedily rubbing and massaging the bundles of nerves as Wilford bucked and cackled like a complete and utter madman.

'AHAHAHAHAHA FAHAHAHAAAACK!! NAHAHAT THEHEHEHEHERE!!’

Wilford, it’s safe to say, was in ticklish agony. His eyes were squeezed shut as loud, rapid squeals pierced through his loud laughter; you could say that this was a particularly bad spot for poor Wilford. Bim snickered and giggled, he couldn’t keep up that intimidating act for long; he was too damn goofy.

'Coochie coochie coo! Awwww look who’s a ticklish little baby!’

Bim cooed as he kept his touch firm, whilst Wilford threw his head back amidst his wailing. He was shaking as his hands bashed the sofa haphazardly and indeed violently, his poor body had no idea of how to defend itself, mainly because internally, Wilford had no desire to stop Bim. At all.

'DOHOHOHOHN’T CAHALL MEHE THAHAHAHAAAAT!!!’

Bim felt his heart flutter at Wilford’s whine, and he as he kept up his torturous work so he could coo all the more.

'I’ll call you what I want thank you! Because you’re aaaaall mine!’

Wilford was gasping with tears in his eyes as his tummy bubbled with flustered butterflies, as well as tingles and bursts emanating from his hyper sensitive hips. The man let out a loud cry, since he was approaching his limit.

'PLEHEHEHEHEHE!!! IHIHIHIHI CAHAHAHAHAN’T!!!’

The desperation in Wilford’s voice rang loud, and Bim smiled at him fondly as he carefully slowed his rubbing movements; his hands swept away as Wilford breathed deeply whilst his eyes fluttered open and shut. Bim stayed perched on his thighs, looking down at him with a soft gaze.

'God…..I love how ticklish you are.’

Bim bore a wide smile as Wilford giggled lightly, nibbling his lip as he averted his gaze; his words were a little mumble.

’…..m-me tohoo…..’

Wilford was still blushing, it was at the point where it was questionable whether his cheeks would ever return to normal; but then again, a blushing Wilford Warfstache is a beautiful sight. Bim would certainly insist. Said man smiled and leant down, kissing Wilford softly and deeply as Wilford emitted a giggly hum. After a few moments of that sweetness though, Bim let out a slightly surprised squeak as Wilford let out a surge of energy so he could sit up; Wilford deepened the kiss too as Bim grinned happily. When they withdrew, Wilford wore a gentle smirk as he whispered.

'Shall we?’

Their eyes were locked as Bim nodded, but then let out a yelp when Wilford suddenly lifted him up; the moustached man stood with Bim in his arms as said man giggles came out bubbly.

'Oho gohosh WilfORD!’

The reason why Bim’s voice has suddenly become raised, was because of how Wilford literally sprinted from the room. Now…..Bim wouldn’t go as far to say that he was fearful for his life, because he wasn’t. He never could be with Wilford. Even though the goofily yelled words ’'ONWARDS TO 2018!’ echoed down the corridors, you have to admit; it was ever so slightly profound.

———————————————————————————————————–

Time to continue on to something similarly profound, we shall have to traverse a few more corridors but we eventually will arrive; at a bedroom in fact. I’m going to tell a certain number of you to hush your lewd minds, I’m sure you know who you are. Anyhow, as with before there is only one gentleman here at present, Darkiplier to be precise. He was sat, perched at the foot of a lavish king-sized bed; it was formed with some kind of sleek wood, mahogany perhaps. The sheets though, were a light green with the duvet accommodating a darker, forested hue. We all know that that’s not Dark’s personal colour of preference, but when it comes to his boyfriend; it’s the colour that Antisepticeye rather loves. So Dark had to admit…..it was indeed lovely.

Dark smiled at the thought of his significant other, sighing as he absently stared at an opposing wall. He was deep in reflection. This past year had been…..a lot. And although he knew that spending tonight with everyone else was the right thing, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be surrounded by people; he wondered if it might be best…..for him to take a step back. Let them have their time, and he his privacy.

'DARKY BABY?! WHERE ARE YA?!’

Dark slowly grinned…..oh how unrealistic that prospect was. Dark straightened up as he looked to the doorway, and let out a gentle chuckle as Anti flew into the room; he was smiling like a maniac with his body glitching non-stop and rapidly…..god he was wondrous to behold when he was excited.

'There ya are! I was worried you’d bailed on me!’

Dark chuckled again as Anti approached, but Dark’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes…..which Anti immediately picked up on as he cocked his head at his boyfriend. Anti sighed internally. He’d known that this was going to happen. This year had been a damn hectic and profound one, so it made sense that during the transition to the next…..he didn’t want to be under any obligations in public. Dark looked to him, he could tell that Anti knew.

’…..would it be so bad if I did bail?’

Dark’s voice was gentle as he fiddled with the cuffs of his shirt, all the while he gazed at Anti with real genuinity in his eyes. Anti smiled a little, he could see that Dark was encased in his profound bubble. So…..Anti did what he always did with a stray bubble; he popped it.

'Yes! Absolutely!’

Dark blinked a few times as Anti plopped down next to him, his smile widening as Dark raised an eyebrow fractionally.

'Oh? And why is that?’

Dark’s eyes sparkled a little, despite his earlier reluctance still fizzling away a bit…..he was curious to hear his boyfriend’s attempts at persuading him. He was not to be disappointed, since Anti grinned and swiftly clapped his hands together.

'Well, first off! Bing and the Jims have taken the trouble to put celery sticks with all the snacks, juuuust for you and your need for bitterness!’

Dark felt himself grinning despite himself, and his eyebrow rose further at Anti; said man smirked, he knew he was getting somewhere. Especially when Dark mumbled.

’…..go on.’

Anti smirked wider at that point. His gaze raked over Dark’s face as he spoke more, and Anti’s voice lowered into a small purr at this next little part.

'Secondly, when that clock strikes midnight I wanna snog the crap out of ya. I wanna make out in front of everyone so everyone knows who we are, and that we’re together.’

Dark’s grin faltered as a wave of bashfulness ran through him, and he averted his eyes for a moment as Anti’s cheeky giggle filled his ears; Dark cleared his throat a little as he fiddled with his fingers.

'Well, ahem, that uh….that sounds…..particularly inviting….’

Anti’s eyes lit up at the sound of Dark’s fragmented speech, and his grin was impossibly wide as he shuffled closer to him by a few inches; proximity, Anti knew, made Dark easier to convince.

'Is that a yeeeees? Oh and just so ya know, even if you do say no to me…..I can still make you come with me.’

Anti’s voice was a murmur amidst his speech, and the man let out a crackly laugh when Dark seemed to tense; but Dark still looked to Anti disbelievingly.

'Can you indeed? I don’t deny that you have many talents, Anti dearest, but I don’t think you’re quite capable of that.’

Dark felt himself smirking, since his regular confidence had risen up and reared its head; mainly because of how Anti’s words had rather sounded like…..a challenge. At Dark’s demeanour, Anti’s smirk effortlessly matched his. It was wide, toothy, and devious.

'Oh but I am…..trust me.’

Anti didn’t bother being patient anymore, he never could hold himself back when it came to getting his hands on Dark; and believe me when I say, Anti intended to get very hands on with his cocky boyfriend. Anti had taken Dark by his shirt collar and pushed him so that Dark was now fully lying on the bed; you could say that Dark was rather taken aback.

'Wh-what the hell Anti?! Y-you…..dare to manhandle me?’

Dark growled lightly as he squirmed, all the while Anti simply crawled on top of him. Dark’s gaze was curious, analytical…..and nervous. Anti was lying on him now, and Dark’s arms lay limp at his sides as he became partially transfixed, looking up at Anti.

'Oh I’m going to do a lot more than that…..’

Anti was so…..enthusiastic. Dark observed how his eyes seemed to shine and flick about, and the rest of him was just as restless; particularly his hands. They flinched and curled and tapped out in the air; and suddenly, Dark could feel the apprehension pooling in his tummy; and Anti must have read his mind. Because now…..a slow, careful hand had wormed its way between them so it could roam over Dark’s belly; the fingertips scratched over the thin shirt Dark wore, that offered no protection. Dark’s eyes widened…..fuck.

'O-oho n-no…. A-Antihi d-don’t yohou d-dahahare…..’

Dark’s voice had fallen into a much quieter resonance, and the man himself was fighting a smile even though his voice had already betrayed him. He should have known. Only Anti was bold enough and mischievous enough to do this to him; said man snickered as he purred.

'Oh but I must dare, since no-one else will…..and besides, I do love making a mess of you.’

Dark’s smile had broken free as yippy, sporadic giggles and huffs of air left his lips; Dark was squirming as well as being utterly tense, with his arms frozen at his sides. Yes. You may read into that. At Anti’s words…..Dark’s cheeks started to play their role too.

'Y-yohohou cheheeky dihihihick! Ihihi’ll m-mahahake yohohou regrehet thihihihis!’

Anti giggled at Dark’s words and his new-born flush, all the while his fingers explored and snuck under Dark’s shirt so they could scratch at his sensitive waistline. That earned Anti a few bucks as he replied with a sneer.

'What? Right now? When you’re all giggly and defenceless? I think not Darky…..’

Dark squealed a few times, tossing his head as he tried to ignore the teasing sensations…..but alas, by this point it was all he could really comprehend.

'Fuhuhuhuck yohohohou!!’

Anti let out a deep, fake gasp as he lowered his voice considerably; he sent Dark a light wink as he purred.

'Such filthy language…..what a dirty little boy you are.’

Dark’s breath got caught in his throat, but it was soon released as a loud squeal flew from him and Dark descended into squeaky cackles. Anti was smirking, glad that he’d decided to spontaneously scratch and pinch Dark’s thighs, which thrashed in response to the touches.

'NAHAHAHAHAHA IHI’M NAHAHAHAHAT!!’

Anti raised an eyebrow as Dark tossed his head frantically, and his face was screwed up as he blushed and laughed; meanwhile, Anti’s reply was beautifully sarcastic.

'Aren’t you? Well that disgraceful language kinda suggests otherwise babe…..’

Dark could only wail and cry out as he tugged at his legs, whilst his fists stayed balled up and tensely motionless; however, this contrasted rather heavily with the rest of him. At this point Anti decided to, ahem, up the ante; in a manner of speaking. So he leant down with a feral grin, before nuzzling and nibbling at Dark’s tender, exposed waistline.

'NONONONOHOHOHOHOHO!! NOHO FAHAHAHAHAHACE!!’

Anti giggled against Dark’s waist, which only made Dark squeak and laugh more as Anti just disregarded his words entirely; he smirked as he growled, using his hands to hold Dark’s hips to stop him moving as he mumbled.

'Mmmmm…..what tasty prey….I think I’ll definitely keep you aaaaall to myself!’

Dark gasped and yelped as his ability to wriggle was destroyed, and he threw his head back as he shrieked; Anti’s damn facial hair and lips and teeth…..were reducing him to a mess. It was made worse by the fact that Anti had pushed his shirt up way past his ribs…..he’d never been more exposed.

'PLEHEHEHEHEASE!! IHI CAHAN’T TAHAHAKE IHIT THEHEHEHEHEEERE!!’

Dark’s desperation in that moment had unearthed itself as Dark’s hands suddenly rushed forward to push Anti’s head away roughly; dear god…..Dark was encased in breathless anticipation. Anti meanwhile, let out a slightly evil chuckle as he looked up; and without any hesitation…..he caught Dark’s wrists in his hands.

'Oh dear…..can little Darkipoo not take the tickles on his tuuuuum?’

As Anti leant up and away from Dark’s lower torso, wrists still in hand, he gazed at Dark who spoke weakly and breathily.

'Sh-shuhuhuhut uhuhuhuuup…..i-ihit wahas s-soho ehevihil….’

Anti couldn’t hold back his giggles at the sound of Dark’s whimpery flusteredness. It made Anti happy to no end to see Dark become undone so innocently, and rather handsomely. Anti was still for a few moments, before he started shifting.

'Oh, evil was it? Was it truly…..diabolical?’

Anti whispered as he pinned Dark’s arms to his sides, and then shuffled himself a few inches so that he could look properly into Dark’s eyes, whilst hovering his head over Dark’s torso. Dark meanwhile only gulped, and nodded hesitantly as he whispered back.

’…..mhmmm…..’

Anti pouted, pulling a faked look of sympathy as he gazed into Dark’s glittering, rusty orbs; Anti’s sympathy soon dissipated however, in favour of a demeanour of boyish deviance.

'Huh…..well if you can’t take it there, then I can’t wait to see what happens when I dooooo…..THIS!’

Dark screamed. No joke. It all happened so fast, in a mere blink of an eye. Anti had descended and had forcefully brushed and nuzzled all over Dark’s ribs…..aka the man’s kill spot; oh…..poor, poor Dark.

'AHHHHHHH FAHAHAHACK NAHAHAHAHAAAAA AHAHANTIHIHIHI!!!’

Anti cackled as he growled, letting his scruffy facial hair scratch over Dark’s bottom-most ribs; the glitched man relished in Dark’s hysteria as he kept up the torture. The fact that Dark was just so unbearably ticklish…….just made Anti’s year.

'Awwwww tickle tickle tickle! Can’t you take it baby?’

Dark wailed with a deep blush writhing about as he threw his head back in his wild, unbridled mirth. Honestly, no he most certainly could NOT take it! Although…..that didn’t mean that Dark wasn’t loving it. Especially with Anti’s teasing words in the mix, Dark was awash with waves of ticklishness and bubbles of reckless, embarrassing abandonment. That didn’t halt his protests though.

'PLEHEHEHEHEHEEEEASE!!! NOHOHOHO MOHOHOHOOORE!!’

Anti hummed, grinning widely as he pulled a thoughtful expression, as if he was considering Dark’s words most seriously. This is rather hard to believe, especially since Anti had taken to nibbling just below Dark’s bottom ribs so his ears could feast on Dark’s desperate squeals.

'Mmmm, I shoooould probably relent…..’

Dark let out a gasp and shudder of relief when Anti’s scratchy, rough torment ceased and transitioned into light kisses which helped melt away the previous torment.

'Mmmhmhm…..yeheah prohobahably…..’

Dark mumbled, but then his heart faltered when he realised what he’d said; the breath got stuck in his throat as he flicked his gaze down to Anti. However…..there wasn’t any teasing mockery there, the smile was wide but it was genuine; and adoring. Purely adoring and in awe. In the space of a second, Anti’s hands had slid from Dark’s wrists, and the man himself had leant so he could kiss Dark’s lips softly, smiling all the while as Dark responded passionately with a slightly bashful grin. Dark reached up to cup Anti’s jaw as he sat up, forcing Anti back who let out a surprised giggle; Dark withdrew with a light smirk as Anti mumbled.

'Can you stop being so perfect please…..’

Dark chuckled, smirking widely at Anti who giggled again when Dark spoke in a low purr.

'Unfortunately, what you ask for is impossible.’

Anti grinned when Dark leant in to kiss him this time, but with a hint of cheekiness since he nipped Anti’s bottom lip with a chuckle; Anti shot him a playful glare as he shuffled off Dark’s legs, allowing him to sit up fully and run a hand through his hair whilst Anti then got to his feet.

'Vain bastard…..’

Anti smirked when Dark let out a loud chuckle as he too stood, straightening his shirt with a quirk of his eyebrow and a teasing air to his voice.

'Goading glitch.’

Anti froze. He immediately looked down the floor, fiddling with his t-shirt as Dark let a out a satisfied hum; it always was the case with Anti. His number one go-to method to get the torture he wanted…..give it to someone else first, so they’ll be sure to get revenge. Dark thought it was commendable, and frankly brave. Dark paced towards Anti, smiling deftly as he wrapped an arm round the man’s waist, and Anti looked up to him with a light grin. There was one more peck on the lips before they headed off. Yeah…..this past year has been a damn fucking profound one, but that does NOT mean that the next one can’t start with a bang.

———————————————————————————————————–

I have some good news, and some bad news. The good news is that it’s almost New Years Eve! There’s not long to go now before the celebrations really start, and I can say with solid assurance that there is going to be a party like no other. However, that does bring forth the bad news. We’re almost done in terms of the scenes that we’re to observe tonight. Don’t worry though…..there’s still a little bit to come. Now, you’ll require a bit of your memory for this; do you remember the area where our lovely set of Google brothers and their cranky sibling were setting up the countdown? I think you do. Well surprise, we’re back there now, but we are not to linger. Now, there is a wonderful HD TV up there, as you know, so we are going to turn our back on it and walk straight ahead; there are a pair of double doors which open out to a stunning, grey-stone balcony. It has of course been adorned with fairy lights, we can once again thank dear Oliver for that. Our attention however, should be on the man leaning and looking out across the barely visible landscape.

The man in 20’s era attire sighed, smiling weakly as he let the surprisingly warm air brush his face and hands. Mayor Damien was…..content. Don’t ask how he could be there, he just was. He existed, rather perfectly, in the world and on that balcony….and he was the happiest he’d ever been. Although, his smile wasn’t too wide; he still had his decorum. He was so serene and composed, to be honest it was the sort of scene you’d depict in an oil painting; the sort that would bring silence among a group. It was nice. However……some might say it was plain, or lacking a dash of colour. So it is rather convenient then, that a sudden presence approaching Damien from behind was certain to provide that…..much needed, splash of vibrancy. Damien let out a little gasp when he felt two arms snake around his waist, and a chin rest on his shoulder; a low voice whispered teasingly.

'Well now…..what’s a handsome gent like you doin all alone?’

Damien felt himself smiling wider as he was lightly spun, and he came face to face with a teasing, moustached fiend. Or rather, his teasing moustached fiend.

'Oh nothing…..just waiting for the right person to come along and, sweep me off my feet.’

Damien’s voice was gentle, and it made Colonel William chuckle as he pulled his dear mayor closer. His hat had been discarded a little while ago, but his conglomeration of glasses remained and framed his face, as well as his growing smirk. The Colonel’s jet black moustache wiggled as the man spoke in his gently dramatized tone of voice.

'My dear sir…..I must gladly inform you, that your wait is over.’

Damien couldn’t help but let out a giggle as The Colonel leant in and swiftly connected their lips, letting out a low hum as he ran his hands up and down Damien’s back soothingly and adoringly. Damien’s eyes had fluttered shut as he smiled into the kiss, letting one of his hands gently roam into the Colonel’s hair whilst the other remained at the small of his back. It was a beautiful moment, it really was. Despite that fact that Damien was letting out little giggles, which amused the Colonel greatly as he pulled away with a curious smile.

'Someone’s a little giggle monster, do my affections amuse you?’

Damien was trying to withhold his wide grin as he looked to the floor, and he cleared his throat as he tried to put forth his answer in the least embarrassing way possible; alas, Damien found that there was only one way to word it…..and it made him stammer rather adorably.

'I-It…..your damned moustache t-tickles…..’

The Colonel raised an eyebrow before he smiled wider, his gaze raking over Damien’s evidently flustered state; the Colonel swiftly chuckled and elected to lean in and whisper in Damien’s ear, purposely brushing his moustache over the other man’s neck.

'Is that so? Does that mean that this…..tickles?’

The Colonel’s voice had lowered into a purr as he gently brushed his facial hair, whilst Damien squeaked and hurriedly to cover his mouth as well as squirm away. He soon realised though, that with The Colonel’s arms around his waist, he had no way to escape; his words came out rather quickly, and at a much higher pitch than normal.

'W-Wihihill! Nohohot h-hehehere!’

Damien’s giggles were gentle, and the Colonel grinned as he pulled Damien tightly into his chest so he couldn’t get away. Damien was ever so embarrassed already, mainly at the concept of someone possibly seeing them, and seeing him like this; as you can imagine, the Colonel knew of this. That didn’t mean he was going to relent though, how could he possibly want to miss out on hearing his darling’s sweet giggles? So he decided to move his nuzzling to the shell of Damien’ ear.

'Not on your neck? Very well…..how about on your cute little ears, hm?’

Damien let out a loud squeal as he pushed at the Colonel’s chest, gasping as he tried to shake his head; the man was just awash with sensitive spots, and they both knew it. Not only that, but the Colonel’s chuckling sent many a chill down Damien’s spine as he whined.

'Dohohohon’t doho thihihis toho meheheheeee!’

Damien’s smile was impossibly wide by this point, courtesy of the rapid tingles and bolts shooting through his system as provided by the dear Colonel. Said man pulled away briefly, eyes shining with glee as he gazed upon he flustered man in his arms; goodness, he really was a handsome devil. The Colonel smirked as Damien looked up at him nervously, and the former leant in so he could whisper.

'Oh but my dear Damien….how could I possibly resist?’

Damien’s eyes widened as he suddenly felt the Colonel’s hands sneakily go to scratch and knead his sides, almost making him double over as he spluttered and cackled.

'OHOHOHOHO GOHOHOHOD NOHOHOHOHOOOO!!’

Damien twisted and writhed, but he couldn’t escape the mischievous Colonel who still held him to his chest, whilst managing to reach under his tailored jacket and shirt so he could scratch Damien’s bare sides. The Colonel was relishing in Damien’s reactions, but as he looked at him he couldn’t help but feel that his cheeks were missing a little something.

'Coochie coochie coooo! You are quite the ticklish one aren’t you my dear?’

And there it was, a stunning rose flush blossomed on Damien’s cheeks as he hurried to cover his face; that damned teasing was just uncalled for! The Colonel was just elated, any opportunity to see his dear Damien finally let loose was a moment to be revered.

'TAHAHAHAKE AHA WIHIHILD GUEHEHEHEHESS!!’

The Colonel snickered, and his voice came out in a light purr as one of his hands decide to attack Damien’s tummy; which was infinitely more sensitive.

'Quite sassy too, perhaps you should reign in that little attitude of yours…..’

Damien was very nearly breathless as he laughter spewed from him, because alas his poor tummy was his kryptonite; and the Colonel knew how to render him defeated in a heartbeat. The Colonel’s fingertips roughly scratched the pudge they found, but were delicate over his waistline and round his navel; when they circled that little area, Damien was a squeaking and snorting mess. At the Colonel’s words, his blush darkened to a crimson as he hurriedly looked away fro im…..and yet; there was a spark. A spark of defiance.

'OHOHOHOHR WHAHAHAHAHAT?!’

The Colonel was heavily taken aback, and yet rather proud. He let his smirk dim into a light smile as he suddenly withdrew his devious fingers, making Damien gasp and breath deeply in surprise; the man’s stomach was bubbling with anticipation…..oh lord what had he done? Damien nibbled his lip nervously as he suddenly felt the Colonel’s hand cup his jaw, and tilt his face up so they were looking at one another. Damien’s gaze was fixed on the Colonel as he whispered.

'Or…..I shall be forced to discipline you!’

Damien’s heart almost leapt out of his chest, the Colonel just moved so quickly. The Colonel had leant forward to kiss Damien passionately, not only to catch him off guard but also because those lips were so damn inviting; he couldn’t help himself. Whilst Damien was caught up however, the Colonel suddenly knocked Damien off his feet so that he could hold him in a bridal position; this made Damien squeal and ramble rather frantically.

'OH MY GOHOD WILL P-PUHUT ME DOWN!’

The Colonel chuckled, smirking deftly when Damien’s arms hurried to wrap round his neck as he tensed; god he was just too cute and too delicate for his own good. The Colonel looked down at him, feeling immensely satisfied at the sight of the nerves flickering in Damien’s eyes; he spoke in a gruff voice, almost bordering a growl which made Damien shiver and gulp.

'You don’t get to give orders here…..and now, it’s time for your punishment…..’

Damien was ever so jittery, since his mind was whirring away and trying to think of what the Colonel could possibly intend; however, the Colonel’s trait of impatience meant that Damien didn’t wait for long. The Colonel leant down and immediately buried his face under Damien’s crumpled shirt, which already got him giggling frantically; but then…..he screamed.

'AAHHHHHHHH NAHAHAHAHAHAHA NAHAHAT THEHEHEHEEEERE!!!’

The Colonel smirked as he roughly nuzzled and nibbled the rim of Damien’s navel, his moustache rubbing and tickling as he growled and made some rather goofy eating noises.

'Mmmm what a taaaaasty maaaaayor…..nomnomnomnooommm…..’

Damien shrieked as he tried to thrash, but he could barely even wriggle in the Colonel’s arms; and he couldn’t risk fighting back in case he made the Colonel let go of him! At least, that’s what Damien told himself.

'NAHAHAHAHAHA DOHOHOHON’T EHEHEHEEAT MEHEHEHEEEE!!!’

The Colonel had to hold back a stream of chuckling at Damien’s words, dear god it should be illegal to be this adorable. Damien meanwhile was screeching desperately as he heard the Colonel hum into his belly. 

'Perhaps I shall relent……if you say sorry for being such a sassy lassy!’

Lets just say…..Damien’s words shot out faster than a .220 Swift bullet. The Colonel was proud.

'IHI’M SORRY I’M SAHAHARRY PLEHEHEEEEASE!!!’

The Colonel smirked, letting out a light giggle as he stilled his torturous movements; he glanced at Damien who had wide eyes as his chest rose and fell slowly. They were silent for a few moments, but eventually Damien straightened up a little and cleared his throat; well, that was certainly an experience.

’…..y-you shouldn’t behe allowed t-to be so good ahat that…..’

The Colonel raised an eyebrow as he let out a light laugh, which made Damien avert his gaze bashfully; the Colonel decided to administer a final little peck to Damien’s belly button before he muttered lowly.

'You know me Damien, I live to exceed expectations…..’

Damien giggled lightly as he felt the Colonel lower him back to his feet, he wobbled for a second before he hurriedly fixed his shirt and jacket; he was still blushing wildly, which the Colonel was most happy about. The Colonel watched Damien fix himself up; it was true that the Colonel liked it when his decorum  was gone and he was a flushed mess…..but he couldn’t deny how damn fine he looked when he was smart. Damien was a fine figure, in more ways than one. Said gent looked up, and smiled a little embarrassedly when he saw the Colonel looking; he mumbled gently.

'You always do my dear…..’

The Colonel smiled, with a hint of bashfulness of his own as Damien leant forward and pecked him on the lips; the Colonel swiftly grinned and offered Damien his arm.

'Shall we Damien?’

Said man giggled lightly, and didn’t hesitate to curl his arm around the Colonel’s; he held the man’s forearm as he whispered.

'We shall, William.’

With that they stepped forward and through…..joining the rest. I would go into a profound explanation, but I think that movement presents enough by itself…..don’t you?

———————————————————————————————————–

Everyone is here, all together. Twenty six unique, vibrant beings all here in common cause; to celebrate, to have fun, and to holler to the skies ’'Bring it on 2018!”. It’s stunning, it really is.. There was no single person counting down, and that was because no-one is more important or influential than the other; and that is the honest truth. Everyone’s eyes flicked between one another and the digital projected clock. 5 seconds.

4 seconds.

3 seconds.

2 seconds.

1 second.

Then it came. A raucous cheer, a chorus of voices crying out to the world; Happy New Year. Yes, people may say it a lot in the build up, but when it comes to the actual moment it is said so much louder, and heard by so many more people. That’s because when you say it, when you really say it…..you mean it. You want everyone to have a happy forthcoming year, because it’s what everyone deserves.

We cannot forget though, that after the compulsory cheer we have our kisses; these traditions are rather more wonderful when you find yourself writing about them. The magician and the hero. The two feathered forms from heaven. The good doctor and the man of talents. The man of endless sight and the man of healing. The vibrant fiend and the tranquil nurturer. The haphazard and the suave, in perfect equilibrium. Then there’s the leader and his armed protector.

Such sweet scenes of affection are certainly something to behold, but let us not forget the others.The Google brothers and their rusted sibling wrapped in each others’ arms; a standing array of colour, with intangible bonds a’ plenty. Then there’s the rest, who can make up the perfect microcosm. Walter, arms wide and homely for the one of passion, the man who speaks in hands, the most precious reflection of the undead, the twins of drama and the browser who’s honestly more buff than buffering. No-one here is alone, you can count on that.

Now, despite our great gathering there may yet be a few others scattered elsewhere; you needn’t worry though, because they are no less happy. There’s a man, finally content with his son. There’s a shining hero…..who finally got the woman he deserved.. There’s a king, safe and nestled with his kingdom. A simple toymaker, safe and happy with his creations. A hunter, embraced by our world’s nature. Now I’m sure there’s more, but even if I am unable to credit their existence; remember, they’re safe and happy. How can I be certain? It’s New Year’s Eve, I like to think sadness takes a break. As will I.

Before they go off and rage on caffeine and un-needed food, I just want to say thank you. Thank you. To everyone. Because everyone deserves to be thanked, for one reason or another. So I think all that’s left to say is…..2018, give us what you’ve got.

The End.

———————————————————————————————————–

I really hope you guys like this and I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to know what you all think of it! love yous xx

[notesonnewyork]

Absurd New York #91: Quotes by Trump Edition

In a world of slogans and soundbites, a brand jingle here and a sales pitch there, with oxymoronic pairings and definitions-be-damned, where search engine optimization is more sought after than content, and “liking” what’s written or uttered more lauded than actually comprehending it, are we becoming more anesthetized to words? Is the overload of all these things making us lazy and less willing to be critical of what passes before us? If so, isn’t that frightening? For all those who have the ability, and all those who still value language, the answer is emphatically YES.

In perhaps the most poignant part of Roger Waters’ current Us + Them Tour, Waters forces the issue. Near the end of Pink Floyd’s “Pigs (Three Different Ones),” the show’s massive LED screens flash a few of the things Donald Trump has said around the arena. Whether you care about Trump or not, whether you remember what he’s composed for public consumption or not, no matter: You’re challenged to think. You’re tasked with understanding his words and considering what they mean. Any maybe, just maybe, being detached from the image he cultivates for a moment you’ll be able to take a true measure of the man. Let’s give it a try.

----

“Im not schmuck. Even if the world goes to hell in a handbasket, I won’t lose a penny.” 

On March 12, 1989, a piece by Glenn Plaskin appeared in the Chicago Tribune. The headline was “Trump: The People’s Billionaire.” Under the subheading “Tiny Trumps,” Plaskin wrote that “For R and R, in between tending to the little Trumps...Daddy raids corporations.” Also, having convinced banks and other investors to lend him money on the strength of his name alone--they gave him “instant credit” lines because they thought he had “unlimited collateral”--Trump went about building the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City for $725 million and purchasing the Plaza Hotel on Central Park South for $400 million. In reality, though, he only spent $50 million of his own money to buy the Taj. The remaining $675 million was “financed with uncollateralized junk bonds.” As far as the Plaza went, most of that $400 million was “borrowed.” 

As Trump “reflected” during the interview, Plaskin recorded his words: “I’m not a schmuck. Even if the world goes to hell in a handbasket, I won’t lose a penny.” And he wouldn’t. When Trump bankrupted the Taj in 1991 and the Plaza too in 1992, he wasn’t left holding the worthless bonds or losing income from missed interest payments, his investors were. As far as the economic losses that got passed down to his employees, well, they weren’t his problem either. None of them did any damage to his bank account. 

“A nation without borders is not a nation at all. We must have a wall.”

Trump first tweeted it out on July 14, 2015, and then again on July 28th as an attack on Jeb Bush, one of his then opponents in the Republican presidential primary. He’d double down with it again on September 17, 2016, only this time he including the hashtag “#AmericaFirst.” After being elected president, Trump decided to make his Twitter decree a cornerstone of national security policy. “Mexico will pay for the wall!” he tweeted. Of course it will, that’s why he’s spent the past year and a half trying to cajole Congress into giving him the funds. 

So aside from sounding like Pink, the megalomaniac protagonist of Pink Floyd’s album “The Wall”--who, coincidentally, also wanted to barricade himself off from the rest of the world--what gives with Trump’s definition of what makes a nation? If you peruse the nearest map, you’d notice plenty of boundaries drawn around land masses across the globe. Don’t those markings designate countries? Is Canada, for example, somehow less a country because it hasn’t defined its sovereignty with a magnificent wall on the United States’ northern border?

“It’s freezing and snowing in New York--we need global warming!”

Although Trump has offered variations on this theme over the years, the original appeared via Twitter on November 7, 2012. Back then, the high temperature in New York was 41 degrees fahrenheit and the low 34. Sounds like just another pre-winter day in the Northeast, right? 

Well, according to the folks at Custom Weather, not exactly. From 1985 to 2015, the average November day posted a high of 54 and a low of 41. Now, granted that particular November 7th was colder than normal, but it’s not as if the recorded high were zero and the low -15 as Trump would have had Twitter believe. Besides, his conclusion was wrong anyway. Given that November 7th’s readings were outliers, perhaps they were actually the predicted effect of a climate in flux. If so, he needn’t have clamored for global warming at all. It had already arrived. 

“I was down there and I watched our police and our fireman, down on 7-Eleven, down at the World Trade Center, right after it came down.”

On April 18, 2016, that’s what Trump said at a presidential campaign stop at the First Niagara Center--today’s KeyBank Center--in Buffalo, NY. Yes, he inexplicably confused 9-11 with the Japanese-based chain store, sure, and didn’t bother to correct his mistake, but the core of what he proclaimed wasn’t true anyway. 

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Trump actually called into the live broadcast on WWOR-TV Fox 5 Local News. (Although the station’s antenna was destroyed with the Twin Towers, its signal was being transmitted by other conduits.) He told anchors Alan Marcus and Brenda Blackmon that he saw the tragedy unfold from his apartment in Trump Tower at 5th Avenue and 56th Street--several miles from ground zero. Moreover, when Marcus asked “Did you have any damage, or did you--what’s happened down there?” he replied:

“40 Wall Street [a 71-story building he owned under the guise of “40 Wall Street, LLC”] actually was the second tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and it was actually, before the World Trade Center, was the tallest--and then, when they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second tallest. And now it’s the tallest.”

Despite the horrific circumstances, he apparently couldn't resist promoting his interests. He even threw in an extra hyperbole. According to city property records, the 66-story building at 70 Pine Street--formerly known as the American International Building and the Cities Service Building--was actually 25 feet higher than his 40 Wall Street at the time. And still is. 

Now 40 Wall Street didn’t suffer any damage in the terrorist attack, but the Trump Organization still applied for a $150,000 grant being offered to help small businesses in the aftermath. Known as World Trade Center Business Recovery Grants, they were given to businesses in Lower Manhattan with less than $8 million in annual revenue. However, in spite of generating $16.8 million that year, 40 Wall Street was still awarded a grant by the Empire State Development Corporation. 

“You know, it really doesn’t matter what the media write as long as you’ve got a young, and beautiful piece of ass.”

While researching a story printed in the May 1991 edition of Esquire called “Donald Trump Gets Small,” Harry Hurt III was expertly entertained by the man himself. Trump took him on a VIP tour of the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City and that apparently had the desired effect. When Hurt began his story, he scribed, “Given the kind of year he has had, Donald J. Trump might be forgiven a little ego candy.” What? Even then, the media seemed unfazed by what was happening under his shiny veneer. 

At the time, the very casino Trump was showing to Hurt, the Taj Mahal, was going bankrupt. The Trump Castle, another Atlantic City casino, was destined for a similar fate until his father forestalled the inevitable. In December 1990, Fred Trump bought $3 million worth of chips at the Castle and left them in the casino cage so his son could use them pay off a bond payment on the property. Meanwhile, as Ivana Trump argued for more money from their divorce settlement, Marla Maples, the woman with whom Trump committed adultery while married to Ivana, was “pressuring him to propose in the wake of his highly publicized dalliance with model Rowanne Brewer.” But all that was seemingly of little consequence. Hurt remarked:

“One might think that the chill breath of potential collapse and enough tacky publicity to shame Pia Zadora might have taken the swagger out of Donald J. Trump. One would be wrong.

‘You know,’ [Trump] muses philosophically as we return to our ringside seats [in the Taj Mahal for the Ray Mercer-Frabcesci Damiani heavyweight fight], “it really doesn’t matter what they write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.

‘But,’ he adds after a pause that suggests this is a distinction with a difference, ‘she’s got to be young and beautiful.’”

In other words, he’d never be held accountable by the media, by investors, by anyone if he could razzle-dazzle them with the women he attracted. Case and point: Hurt’s profile reads like a breezy apology for the economic havoc Trump was soon to unleash on Atlantic City. Something like “Give him a break, he’s too nice a guy to punish. After all, he gave me ringside seats, a few fun girls, and a comped penthouse suite for the night.”

-----

So how did you do? Did you measure the man by his words, or were you dumbfounded again by the show?

-----

(With Roger Waters and company at Barclays Center. Photos by Riff Chorusriff. Reading the Trump quotes pulled and projected under the watchful eye of Waters’ creative director/set designer Sean Evans. You can view more of Evans’ ingenuity on Instagram @deadskinboy. September 12, 2017.)

[biancamlopez-blog]

Relationships.

Welcome to my first blog post! 

The relationships we forge with others and the strength of them define who we are. I am passionate about every important relationship I create with others, and am thankful for everyone I have crossed paths with. The following are the relationships I have in my life, in no particular order of importance.

God

My relationship with God and my faith have wavered in the past because of some dark places that I have been in, which will be explored here briefly and in great length in another post. If you know me or follow me through social platforms, you know that I am currently prepping for a bikini competition this July and I’ve turned to the Lord for strength, will, and perseverance. His will be done in every part of my life and I trust in Him completely for the plan he has for my life. 

My Father

My father is a former Marine, former police officer, and former immigration officer, so he’s always been a man of strong character and great physical strength. My dad was sooooo hard on me growing up. I used to hate how my friends had certain privileges that I didn’t during my childhood and adolescence, such as staying out late, going certain places, or doing certain things. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to appreciate the values he’s instilled in me. He taught me how to work hard, give my all in everything I pursue, and now that I’ve become independent, he is now teaching me the ropes about how to be a successful woman. My dad is the ultimate example of the type of man I want to be with someday. He’s provided, protected, and professed his love and commitment to my mother, my brother and myself and I admire him to no end.

My Mother

My mother and I could not be more opposite from each other. We carry ourselves differently, have staunch political differences, and can sometimes drive each other a little crazy! But one thing I know for sure is that she is always there to lend a helping hand with any pickle I may find myself in. She helped me tremendously with my bout of depression about a year and a half ago and I would be lost without her, maybe not even alive. My mom has overcome some personal obstacles of hers with such perseverance and I’m immensely proud to call her mom.

My Brother

My brother David and I are six and a half years apart. He was in fifth grade when I was senior in high school. It’s really difficult to form a close bond with someone that far apart in age with when you’re both young, especially being of the opposite sex, but I am happy that as he’s gotten a little older, we’ve gotten closer. I am excited to see what kind of man he will become and am proud of the young man he already is. He’ll be moving to San Marcos in the fall for school and I’m stoked to see him more often!

My Best Friends  

I have three best friends: Vicki, Alexis, and Natasha, all of which, not coincidentally, were my college roommates at some point. I lived with Vicki from January 2011-August 2013, Alexis from August 2013-August 2014, and Natasha from January 2016-present. Each of them are my best friends for different reasons. Vicki was my first roommate I ever had. She and I were randomly paired up at the Dobie Center, a private dorm across the street from the UT Austin campus. She was there for me through my formative times while I was adjusting to moving away from my hometown and has always been a great shoulder to cry on, a friend to get shitfaced at frat parties with, and vent to. I know this also may sound strange, but being from Laredo, a city with a 90% Latinx population, she taught me a lot about being friends with people outside my race as she is White. Moving to Austin in 2011 was a definite culture shock and having a friend with a difference perspective through the lens race helped me adjust. She’s also woke AF; she’s so dope. 

Alexis and I met each other when she subleased from an ex-boyfriend that I was planning on living with (thank GOD that didn’t happen). Alexis was also the first friend I told that I had gotten kicked out of school for my grades (something I will share more about in another post). Alexis is the person I told some of my deepest, darkest secrets to and she has done the same with me. We’ve never judged each other, have always helped each other, and been there for each other. She’s an AMAZING listener. I had the pleasure of taking an elective class with her called Capital Punishment in America my last semester at UT  and it was awesome to see her in a thought provoking setting and learning more about her perspective on complicated issues. She’s living in Dallas, TX now climbing up the corporate ladder and I’m proud to call her my best friend. She has one of the purest hearts I’ve ever seen and that’s hard to find nowadays. 

Natasha and I were roommates at good ol’ Town Lake Student Apartments when I subleased from her former roommate that had just graduated. She is the little, big sister in my life. She’s twenty-one and I’m twenty-six and I swear, I look up to that girl. She graduated college at twenty (whaaaaaat), is financially, spiritually, and emotionally independent, and is the most responsible person I know. She keeps me in check. She kicks my ass when I need it. She pushes me to be the best person I can be in every facet of life. Besides my father, I don’t think I admire anyone more than I admire her. We pick each other’s brains all the time and she’s not your typical barely-legal girl. She’s more successful than some of the bums I’ve dated! Ha!

You go to college to meet your bridesmaids y’all, not your husband.

Jose Angel

I have a male best friend too! His name is Angel and we’ve known each other since we were five years old. How many people can say they’ve been friends for almost twenty-two years? We grew up together and weren’t super close the whole time I’ve known him, but in the last five years we’ve grown extremely close and he sets me straight as well. He helps me with boy probs, financial advice, and just life in general. He lives in Houston, TX and I really wish I could see him more often than I do. Every time I visit him in Houston he’s always down to do whatever I want to do. I am very lucky to have a good hearted, male friend that is near and dear to my heart. 

My Not-As Close Friends

I try to live my life with the purest intentions in my heart, and I feel that I have lots of close and not-so-close friends, acquaintances and supporters from afar because of this. Just know, especially with this bikini prep that I’m on, I appreciate all of your support and kindness. Know that I am always there to lend an ear, a helping hand, ANYTHING (within reason). I love meeting and connecting with new people so don't hesitate to reach out. Let’s be fraaaans :)

My Exes

I do not communicate with two of my four ex boyfriends. The ones I do talk to or have talked to are my high school boyfriend, who I haven’t heard from in years and is just a Facebook friend, and one other. I’ve been through some pretty traumatic shit in past relationships, some a little too deep to share here, but I wish them all the best and all the success in the world in every aspect of their lives. Despite the turmoil I’ve been through, I’ve loved, lost, and will continue to love deeply. I've been lied to, cheated on, broken up with the day before my birthday, been left the day before Valentine’s Day, been emotionally and mentally abused, but I honestly believe in love, and the man who I end up with will be an incredibly lucky man. I’ve loved the wrong men fiercely, imagine how great I can be and how I can love the right man?

My Current Relationship Status

I am seeing someone, but it is in the very early stages of getting to know each other; we’ve recently reconnected. I met him a few years ago when I was definitely not ready to pursue a relationship with anyone else besides my most recent ex, who I was broken up with at the time. We shall see! Like I said, I trust the plan God has for my life. 

MYSELF

Besides my relationship with God, this is the most important relationship I have, the one I have with myself. I’m learning to love myself more and more everyday. I have a newfound or resurfaced confidence again since I started my fat loss journey. I learn something new about myself almost every day! I still don’t have it all figured out, but that’s the beauty of life. Always moving forward.

I wear my heart on my sleeve and I am honest to every person I come to meet. What you see is what you get. I don’t play games, I don’t have malicious intentions. I am an open book. Get to know me :)

[cksmart-world]

The completely unnecessary news analysis

by Christopher Smart

Aug. 4, 2020

LAZY AMERICAN WORKERS AND THE SHRINKING ECONOMY

Just because the economy fell further last quarter than at any time in our history is no cause for concern. No problem, we'll just send the kids back to school and voilà, the economy will bounce back like a pregnant pole vaulter. As we know from Republican senators, lazy Americans are sitting at home playing video games like Mortal Kombat and Dungeons & Dragons because they get $600 a week for free. All we have to do is stop these ridiculous handouts of taxpayer money and like kids jonesing for a sugar high those laggards will go right back to work at jobs that don't exist anymore. We know American workers are lazy because over the past 40 years, their wages adjusted for inflation have remained flat, even while the GDP — the nation's wealth — tripled. With the rising costs of healthcare, housing and education, American workers now make little more than half of what they earned in 1980, requiring two breadwinners for each household. And each of them is working longer hours than ever, as they accumulate more and more debt. Isn't it time they pull themselves up by their bootstraps, just like U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell. They know how the cows eat the cabbage.

HERBERT & COX: UTAH'S DYNAMIC COVID DUO

If President Trump wants kids back in school, then Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox can easily contort best practices to make it happen. All Americans, including Utahns, should wear a mask to guard against spreading coronavirus — but only if they feel like it, according to Utah's Dynamic Duo. You see, it's a freedom issue. If you don't want to wear pants, for example, nobody should say otherwise. It's called 'freedom.' But we digress. There is just too much fuss about keeping kids and teachers safe. Students can go to school even if they’ve been directly exposed to Covid-19, according to the Utah Department of Health. (Update: As of Aug. 6, Batman and Robin backed off this dictum after being hit by an avalanche of you-know-what.) Kids are sweet, young things who would never knowingly bring the virus back to their parents and grandparents. And, coincidentally, when they go to school their parents can go back to work, unless they have jobs at a restaurant, bar, any retail store, the airlines, any type of transportation, most venues of entertainment, the hotel industry, any tourist-related industry... This is why we elected Batman and no doubt have already chosen his heir apparent — Robin: Because when it comes to comic book characters, they're just so... so incredible. Holy communicability, Batman.

BAN TIKTOK AND ELECTIONS

If you haven't seen Sarah Cooper do her hilarious Trump imitations on TikTok, you have not lived. She takes us beyond the orange mask to see just how shallow and overreaching the mind of this man really is. Cooper gained prominence after she mimed the president's press conference where he surmised that injecting household disinfectants might stop Covid-19. No surprise, Cooper has gotten under Trump's skin and he now huffs that he will ban TikTok. In April, Trump said he had “total authority” to tell governors when they could open their states after coronavirus lock downs. “When someone is president they have total authority,” Trump said. It didn't go over so well. The governors suggested he check the U.S. Constitution. The president's recent strained proposal to delay the election didn't win accolades either. The co-founder of the powerful conservative Federalist Society, Steven Calabresi, said Trump should be tossed out on his head. "Until recently, I had taken as political hyperbole the Democrats' assertion that President Trump is a fascist," he wrote. "But this is fascistic and is itself grounds for the president's immediate impeachment again..." Well, you know what they say about someone who is digging himself into a hole. But the staff here at Smart Bomb along with Wilson and the band don't mind at all if Trump keeps on digging.

Post script — Well, here we are in the Dog Days of the Pandemic. This is when Sirius the “Dog Star,” located in the constellation Canis Major, is the brightest star in the sky; and when the Covid-19 pandemic has reached its greatest infection rate. Among the reasons we are toast, of course, is because large segments of America refuse to wear masks or observe social distancing on account of it's a conspiracy to take away our guns and other freedoms, like endless partying. Here's a Fun Fact: In 1918 and 1919, according to The New York Times, when bars, saloons, restaurants, theaters and schools closed as the “Spanish flu” epidemic raced across the nation, masks became a symbol of government overreach, inspiring protests, petitions and defiant bare-face gatherings. When it was over, 650,000 Americans were dead. To this point we've had 155,000 deaths and counting. But chin up, things could get better. Look at Canada where the virus is under control and life is near normal. You see, Canadians believe it's their obligation to their countrymen to wear masks. In contrast to Americans, they endeavor to go along and get along. Here is a for instance: How do you get 100 Canadians out of a swimming pool? Just ask. Now think what might happen if you told 100 Americans to get out of the pool. 'Nuff said.

OK, Wilson, we've made it through another week of the Trumpovirus and folks are looking for any distraction to keep their sanity. What do you and the guys in the band have for us lazy American workers as we lay about in our hammocks drinking beer:

You get up every morning From your alarm clock's warning Take the 8: 15 into the city There's a whistle up above And people pushin', people shovin' And the girls who try to look pretty And if your train's on time You can get to work by nine And start your slaving job to get your pay If you ever get annoyed Look at me I'm self-employed I love to work at nothing all day And I'll be... Taking care of business every day Taking care of business every way I've been taking care of business, it's all mine Taking care of business and working overtime

(Taking Care of Business — Bachman and Turner Overdrive)