#ik you didn’t say anything about that and you probably understood what I mean without me having to explain it like this

[star-mum]

"comfort for what? HAVING A BODY" you continue to be fucking iconic. like that entire rant had me CLAPPING but that part in particular was just oOOOOMF. that was it so like.... Gar x fat reader where Gar hugs her and his instincts go feral because feeling someone with extra fat on their body ignites his breeding kink?? like his animal brain is like "this is a wife. this is a wife who will bear your children and do it well. this is a plump, healthy body for your children. you're gonna fuck her brains out" and he gets a raging boner in what is supposed to be an innocent hug and has to excuse himself and wants to die of embarrassment and the reader is like INTRIGUED by him from that moment on but then he keeps dodging her and avoiding her because of his personal embarrassment

(set during s2 with a reader who is physically affectionate for no reason and would just give him a random hug)

thoughts?

I had to actually take a break when the words “breeding kink” showed up— LIKE THE GENIUS OF THAT ??? AND ABSOLUTELY HE WOULD AAAAAAAAAAA

Me reading this:

So,,, uhm things got a bit out of hand skskks and I talked way to much as usual so,,,

OKAY— so yes to everything you just said !! I can just SEE everyone’s in one the common areas (maybe a post training snack or breakfast, let’s say breakfast 🥴) and Gar’s standing with his back to the door talking to the rest of the group as the coffee machine does it’s thing and reader just walks up to them, greets everyone good morning and hugs Gar from the back, maybe rests her head either on his arm/shoulder so she can join the conversation OR on his back cause she’s just so tired and he just MALFUNCTIONS !!!

Everyone is still in pijamas and she’s not really wearing a bra, so he can feel her chest pressed up against him and hOMEBOY’S DOING FUCKING BREATHING EXERCISES IN HIS HEAD TO CALM HIMSELF DOWN !!! Whoever he was talking to — probs Rachel — goes “you,,, okay dude ?? you look,,, very intense in the face” and he freaks out, not thinking on an excuse quick enough and just BOUNCES “what?! 😧 Uhh yeah yeah im good,,, i just have to,,, i have to go now”

Also not to, once again, pull up my brazilian card BUT we have a habit of greeting people with a hug and a kiss on the cheek — it can be a real like kiss on the cheek or that like fake one sksksk where you touch the side of their face with your face and make a kiss noise KSKSKS most common to do that actually — my friends and I see each other every night in college but we still greet each other like that every time and less cause it’s the “polite thing to do” and more cause its a way to show we like each other and we’re close

SO— in my head, reader — who’s me cause,,,, who the hell else would she be sksksks — does that every morning. It’s a habit !! And when she asked the team if it would make them uncomfortable, to greet them like that, they said no !! So everyone’s getting a hug when she sees them, specially like the ones who don’t live in the tower the whole time !

And that’s fun in TWO different ways CAUSE

1. Gar really likes it and gets all weird about it later, cause the more times he gets turned on by her touching, the more innocent touches start making it happen too

2. POSSESSIVE ANIMAL INSTINCT BABY !!!! I hate — not really — to bring them into this BUT i feel like the ones who’d make Gar the more jealous of are -> Jason and Hank (stop rolling your eyes I have a nom biased explanation KSKSKSKS)

Jason is more of a logical jealousy, he’s hot, he’s their age AND he’s a major flirt/fuck boy sksksk even if it’s in jest or a friendly flirting when Reader hugs him or touches him, he’s still gonna say some bullshit like “i know im hot babe, but you really gotta stop touching me like in front of everyone” or “can’t keep your hands off me huh?” I desire him carnally

Hank is more of a — Absolutely One Sided — physical/animal instinct thing for suuuure. Like out of all the guys, he’s definitely an the closest thing we have to a Natural Alpha, he’s big, he’s strong, he’s agressive and dominant (not sexually but how he holds himself around other ppl) and Gar would just FEEL some sort of anger and jealousy when he sees Reader giving Hank any type of attention, even tho he KNOWS nothing’s ever going to happen (cause 1. Hanks not a fucking predator and 2. He’s very clearly with Dawn) — it definitely would NOT help if Reader let slip something about finding Hank hot/attractive, during a forced teens game night maybe? KSSKKSKS

She’d know RIGHT AWAY something’s off with Gar — cause she swears she saw his eyes turn green after a particularly Fuck Boy-ish quip got Jason a little slap on his arm/chest — he’s both avoiding her like the plague but also ALWAYS standing very close to her in social situations — on the off chance she holds onto him — so she’d up the antee completely -> push him til he breaks

And oh boy does he ever 🥵 Breeding Kink Gar is just supreme, I am not sorry

like I have personally a very clear stance about not wanting kids AND not wanting to experience pregnancy BUT IN FICTION ????? GIVE ME THE BREEDING KINK !! GIVE ME THE GETTING MARRIED AND HAVING KIDS !! THERE IS NO CONSEQUENCES TO MY ACTIONS !!!! LETS FUCKING GOOOO

[tiredcrystal]

NOOO IM NOT

i just had to express I wasn’t hostile (the emojis)

no no I know you know I had a name, I just thought since I’m trans you thought I maybe like others still hadn’t decided on one and changed it sometimes, I just meant I had my irl name before I started tumblr.

Oh yeah about the blog followers, I forgot to answer before bc I didn’t have much time.

I wondered because I sometimes thought you and Sho and possibly a lot others probably sometimes thought I had way more than I had.

I had 300 - 350 in the end, right now it has about 384 or something I think.

And actually, you were my first ever anon. When Sho asked if there was another space for one more, it first occured to me I think, that maybe you think I’m way bigger than I am, but you two were my only regular anons I ever had.

also don’t worry about it, the phrase wasn’t immature or anything.

ooh that’s interesting! I just guessed you weren’t from europe or america and felt like it was an asian country, also bc I was sure you had a different time zone, but that makes sense, too. It’s a smaller difference than I expected, then!

Oh wow I managed to hold up 2 days without making a fool of myself! And now I've done it... I knew I was doing suspiciously good...

FORGIVE ME I'M DUMB I COMPLETELY FORGOT U COULD CHANGE UR NAME BECAUSE IT'S NOT A THING HERE SORRY SORRY

From what I understood (which isn't much bcs my brain is the size of a peanut) you changed names even befoore starting Tumblr and for the sake of anonymity you want a new code name you like but you still haven't found one good enough?? I hope I'm right pls

Also I get wanting an online name! You don't have to justify it at all, it should be the norm. I know I've never used my real name on any account nothing's that safe anymore snif

But since I managed to guess very close (imagine ur name being Julius the third), that just means your name does suit you irl! The amount of variations I have thought of tho, is insane it could be Ran, Julien, Philip, Alexandre, Lumiere lol (these are just for fun ik you don't wanna say your real name so do ignore them if they make you uncomfortable but I wanna say, you could just use a distorted version of your name as an online one like add a few letters or take some off, you could like it since it will feel familiar)

LOL wdym hostile all you had to say was "I'm soda. Follow me." And I would be "say less chef let's go☝" So I guess then neither one of us will use emojis... I shall volunteer as tribute 😔

That's actually impressive, 300 followers isn't something easy on Tumblr so congrats! Can't believe I was friends with a Tumblr celebrity all along... Jokes aside, it's an honor to be your first ever anon! And whatever the number of followers you had, it doesn't make you any less deserving of anons! We had fun being ur regular anons and that's all that matters.

Yeep I think we have the same timezone after all lol. Maybe you thought so because my sleep schedule is, concerning to say the least. But since Europe is like right above Africa, the time zone is exactly the same with 90℅ of Europe unless you're from east east Europe like Romania or Greece still it would be a 2 hours difference so, wow..

[whatdoyouwanttobecalled-1]

I've been seeing a lot of posts about this all over social media, and while the majority of them are fine and just people expressing their opinions, a lot of people from both sides of the argument have been saying some really inexcusable stuff (such as telling people on the opposing side to off themselves, etc) and it's really pissing me off. Pls everyone idc if you agree w me or not but at least try to be mature and respectful when engaging in these conversations bc the goal is learning, understanding, tolerance, and cooperation (working together to find solutions to problems that will benefit all of us). So here's my stance on the issue, and feel free to reply, ask questions, or dm me and start a conversation regardless of your veiws. Just be nice! Here's my opinions, based off my own personal experience:

To start off: pansexuality is not inherently biphobic and/or transphobic

Yes, there are pansexuals who are biphobic, and yes they harm the transgender community in that sense. This is because generally pansexuals who are biphobic say they bisexuals are transphobic and essentially invalidate binary trans people's identity as a man or woman by saying that bisexuals are only attracted to cis men and cis women, not trans people. However, the majority of pansexual people do not think this way. Personally (and most of the pansexuals as talked to agree w me), I do not believe that bisexuality is transphobic. Why? Trans women are women, and trans men are men. If you will not date a trans person simply bc they are trans, then you're transphobic, but that has absolutely nothing to do w your sexuality. My own and most people's understanding of bisexuality (and the definition you get if you Google it, and the definition that most bisexuals will give you), is that bisexuality means attraction to 2 or more genders (which yes, could mean all), with a preference. With. A. Preference. I identified as bi to myself for years, and came out as bi for almost a year, never feeling as if the label fully fit me or that I was fully understood by the community bc there is always sm emphasis on the fact that bisexuals have a preference, while I never have. I don't think anyone is less than anyone else for having a preference, or better than anyone else for not having a preference. Pansexuality simply allows me to be apart of a smaller more specific community that fully understands my experience w attraction. I also know that bisexuality can be used as an umbrella term for anyone attracted to 2+ genders, but in the same way that it's not biphobic for lesbians to prefer to date other lesbians bc of their shared experience, I like having a smaller community that specifically experiences attraction in the same way that I do. I've also seen a lot of people talking about how people seem to think that bisexuals only care about sex, and that pansexuals think theyre better bc they're uwu innocent babies. I'm not entirely sure I'm not on the ace spectrum somewhere but lemme tell you that does not make me any less of a whore. No one is better than anyone else for how much or little they think about or enjoy sex.

2nd; bisexuality is not inherently transphobic.

Yes, there are bisexuals who are transphobic, but this is not the majority of the community. Most bi people consider trans women to be real women (which they are) and trans men to be real men (which they are). I will say it again; if you won't date someone just bc they're trans, you are transphobic, but that has nothing to do w your sexuality. As for non binary people, yes, bisexuality includes them too. Bisexuality is not inherently transphobic.

3rd; all mspec labels are fucking valid.

Whether you identify as bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, or polysexual, you are valid. You can use bisexuality as an umbrella term if that's what you're most comfortable w, or if the definition perfectly describes your relationship w attraction then that's cool too. If you feel that pansexuality, omnisexuality, or polysexuality better describes you and you enjoy having a smaller more specific community to fully relate to, guess what, that's also cool. No one is better than anyone else, and while there are members of every community who feel that they are, they do not represent everyone.

4th; panphobia/omniphobia/polyphobia only comes from the mspec community, if it comes from outside, it's probably biphobia

Let me explain; there is no problem that comes from people who are not attracted to multiple genders that everyone on this spectrum doesn't face. Bisexuality is a spectrum that we all fall on, an umbrella term that we all fit under. This means that unless it's coming from a person or group on this spectrum, it's probably biphobia you're facing. There are 2 types of biphobia: the biphobia that comes from mspecs, and the biphobia that comes from people who aren't on the spectrum of bisexuality. The biphobia that comes from inside is only against people who identify as bisexual, and the biphobia that comes from outside is against anyone who is attracted to multiple genders. I'm not saying there aren't a few instances of people who arent mspec targeting a specific group and not every mspec identity, but most of the time, if it's from the outside, it's classified as biphobia, bc that includes all of us.

In conclusion, this is what the mspec sexualities are and some of my final thoughts;

Bisexuality = attraction to 2+ genders with or without a preference. It can be used as an umbrella term by the whole mspec community, or as a specific label on it's own. It includes trans and non binary people, and is not a transphobic label. There are transphobic bisexuals, but the fact that they are transphobic and the fact that they are bisexual are not related in any way. They are not more or less than any other mspec identity, or sexuality in general.

Pansexuality = attraction to all genders without a preference. It is not biphobic and/or transphobic. There are biphobic and/or transphobic pansexuals but the fact that they are biphobic and/or transphobic is not related to their pansexuality. Many people who identify as bisexual describe their attraction in the same way as pansexuals. This is 100% valid as bisexuality can be used as an umbrella term and the label you identify w is all about your comfort. They are not more or less than any other mspec identity or sexuality in general.

Omnisexuality = attraction to all genders w a preference. It is not biphobic and/or transphobic. There are biphobic and/or transphobic omnisexuals but the fact that they are biphobic and/or transphobic is not related to their omnisexuality. Many people who identify as bisexual describe their attraction in the same way as omnisexuals. This is 100% valid as bisexuality can be used as an umbrella term and the label you identify w is all about your comfort. They are not more or less than any other mspec identity or sexuality in general.

Polysexuality = attraction to more than 2, but not all genders. It is not biphobic and/or transphobic. There are biphobic and/or transphobic polysexuals but the fact that they are biphobic and/or transphobic is not related to their polysexuality. Many people who identify as bisexual describe their attraction in the same way as polysexuals. This is 100% valid as bisexuality can be used as an umbrella term and the label you identify w is all about your comfort. They are not more or less than any other mspec identity or sexuality in general.

Honestly, I think we all get enough hate from inside and outside the lgbtqia+ community and we need to stick together and have each others backs. It's not the microlabels that are causing problems, it's the exclusionists. Invalidating eo's experiences and saying that biphobia is a bigger problem, panphobia is a bigger problem, omniphobia is a bigger problem, or polyphobia is a bigger problem, isn't gonna help anyone or solve anything. We can have slightly different experiences and still relate and support eo. Also, even if you have a problem w a specific label, pls just ask your questions genuinely, and try to understand the opposing side. Just have a mature conversation. If you're too young or immature to do that then you probably shouldn't be on social media. Calling eo names and telling eo to off ourselves isn't helping anything and there is no excuse for it. I've always loved the lgbtqia+ community for it's love and acceptance, but the more active I become within the community itself, the more I realise how toxic it can be. Sometimes I'm genuinely embarrassed to part of this community. Especially when it's grown adults acting like children that is causing the problems. Pls do better. Thank you for your time, thank you for reading, I love you, have a nice day!!!

Also I just want to add that ik there are more mspec identities than this, and you're all so valid. These are just the sexualities that ik enough about to give a proper statement on and the ones I've seen mentioned in this discourse the most. I'm actively trying to learn more about the mspec identities I mentioned, and those that I didn't. Pls feel free to give me any info on any sexuality (doesn't even have to be mspec I just want to learn more so I can be good ally for everyone), or ask me any questions about my own sexuality, and pls let me know if there is anything I should add or any misinformation in this post (I will not be including blatant blankphobia against any mspec identity so don't even try it bitches)

[mewberii]

Streamer!Scaramouche AU

i feel like he’d be one of the biggest streamers on his platform- probably one of those that everyone has heard of even if they’re not into watching livestreams and all

but between those who do know who he is, they either love him or hate him. no in-between

it’s kind of understandable because his attitude is not suited/can be handled by anyone

he’s brutally honest even when his opinion may be seen as rude (to him he’s just saying the truth so he doesn’t mind if people get offended)

of course he doesn’t try to be rude on purpose but i mean it as in he’ll say what he thinks

imagine he’s playing a game and he doesn’t like a certain mechanic, or he isn’t enjoying the story;

he won’t say the game is bad but he’ll openly say he doesn’t like it/it’s not for him. it makes him seem strict but tbh he’s not that hard to please and even when he complains about one or two things he still enjoys the game

he usually gives every game a chance even when from what he’s seen it doesn’t sound like a game he’ll like. if he turns out to be right he just won’t play it again and if he’s wrong he’s a little too prideful to admit he spoke a little too fast but in the end he will admit the game is good or he’s having fun

probably the kind that just knows so much about all games and all the creators and all the game-making engines and is up to date with every single news of everything video-game + streaming-related,,, how does he do it, i don’t know,,,,

and also since he’s so popular he probably gets packages from game developers with limited edition stuff or merch from different games soooo often

and he placed the ones from his favorite games in his setup room and it looks INCREDIBLE he has so much stuff

he did a room tour stream once talking about all he has, where he got everything, from his monitor to every complement of his computer and like,,,,, the cost of his setup,,,,,,, some people already know they’ll never be able to afford that in their entire life

and he already had a great setup before he even became big as a streamer so people can already guess he’s fairly rich 

also i feel like he would have started his career as a streamer without using a facecam and even like that, he already managed to get very popular because of his professional commentary of game dynamics/playability + you can tell that he’s passionate about this and also he’s very funny without even trying??

he says some stuff so casually that he doesn’t realise how funny it is

probs showed his face after he hit a very important milestone

he never considered showing his face that important but he understood why people would want to see his reactions when playing games (even tho he warned them he’s not the most expressive/dramatique person in the world and they know by now) and would want to put a face to the person who entertains them so much with his streams

and when he does show his face people go absolutely cRAZY BECAUSE he is crazy good looking (if you don’t think he’s good looking i’m sorry for your eyesight. jk i’m sorry in general i just really love him)

some people who didn’t watch his streams will even check them out because of that but literally if you come for the visuals only you won’t stay for long because as i said not anyone can handle his personality

if he sees people being superficial about him too much instead of paying attention to what’s happening in the stream, he will immediately turn the subs mode on in the chat (if he didn’t have it on already)

being rude, being disrespectful/saying discriminating stuff or anything of that sort won’t be tolerated and anyone who does it will be banned instantly

without even interrupting what he was saying before he saw the comment, he’ll just type the ban to whoever said that and go on

and his mods do the exact same. they are just as strict as him

if it ever got too much of course he wouldn’t be afraid to speak up about it and tell his chat to stop that behaviour or else, as they should already know, he won’t be afraid of banning them even if they’ve been subscribed for months or years

ANYWAYS

why do i feel like he has a super organised chat— as in instead of spamming 5 emotes per comment they all send just one and it looks so tidy and perfect

literally other streamers would be jealous of how not-messy his chat is even when he has thousands and thousands and thousands of viewers all the time

also i have this idea that maybe any of his fans would have designed him as a genshin character (which would be the design of the scaramouche we know (?))

and the little pop-ups (i don’t know the name in english rIP) thingies that show up to notify when someone subscribed or donated would be lil chibi art of that design

it’d be really cool

and since i also doodled what a stream of his could look like (i’ll show it in the future when i’m done!!) i thought that way it’d be more recognisable that the streamer is scaramouche

99% of the people who have seen him irl found him too intimidating to go ask him for a picture or tell him anything

he’s not a huge fan of taking pictures anyway + is more on the introverted/reserved side but he wouldn’t mind if someone went up to him (if he’s not busy with something) to tell him something or say they enjoy his streams

i feel like in a couple occasions he would have played a game with some subscribers and he’d like to tease them speaking with his usual tone and face (in case they’re watching the stream as they talk) so they think he’s serious

“did you watch my 12 hour stream the other day?”  -scaramouche

“ah,,,, i-” -the sub

“think well of what you’re going to answer.” -scaramouche

“i-i couldn’t watch the whole thing,,,” -the sub

“ah, is that so…?” -scaramouche 

he’ll pretend to sound disappointed but at one point he just can’t help but smirk and hold in a chuckle before telling them he’s not serious

(he literally doesn’t know how the hell he survived that stream himself because he isn’t one to stream for that long)

i feel like deep inside people who know him would know he wouldn’t say such things seriously/wouldn’t be disappointed in anyone for not watching every single minute of his streams or not even all his streams

but he says all that so seriously that it’s,,, intimidating and they’re lowkey like “god but what if he’s not joking-”

he’d play games with the other streamers sometimes but i feel like most of the type he’d play more single-player games

it’d be so funny if he plays among us with others and for example one of those others it’s childe

both of them would always be suspecting of the other first/bickering, especially scaramouche

and if one game turns out they’re both the impostors… people would know right away

like, if any of them tried to defend the other, everyone else would be like “!?! what is this? scaramouche and childe defending each other? scary”

they’d vote one of them (maybe scaramouche) out because they started guessing + saying proof of how both of them could be the impostors (but the biggest proof is them not coming for each other’s throats sNKJFNGKJS)

scaramouche would have to resist the urge to S C R E A M

needless to say he doesn’t like when he has to be impostor with childe

and unfortunately for him, fate makes it happen considerably often

i feel like at least one time scaramouche would kill next to childe and then report it and literally blame childe

and childe would be like ?!?!?!?!?? WHAT- NO- (struggles bc his brain instinct is to say ‘it was you!’ but they’re both the impostors??? how-)

and then they’d eject childe,,, and then people wouldn’t suspect of scaramouche for most of the game because ? why would he- blame his partner---

well he did it with no regrets and at the end when they all found out they found it very funny (except for childe, but even he ended up laughing in the end because what a mean strategy sjkfhdsgkj)

i have this feeling that even though they bicker so much and for any strangers it’d seem like they hate each other, when scaramouche does play online games, many times it’d be with childe?

ik they aren’t supposed to get along but for the sake of it being a modern au i don’t want bad vibes between any of the characters pls-

and everyone enjoys their dynamic and those streams always get a ton of viewers sjfhdsgkj and i’m sure both their chats would be good friends (most likely one’s fans would also be a fan of the other too)

very very very rarely (because he prefers just playing and talking while playing) he’d do streams where he doesn’t play anything but just talks with the chat, watches videos that they send him, looks at the fanart they make, just talks about games,,,,

it’d be super chill and the perfect streams for people to be doing homework/work/play games/draw or do basically anything while they listen to his stream in the background

he’d also be answering some of people’s questions about him or about his favorite games, or if he’s playing this new game that came out earlier this week,,,

“will you play ‘it takes two’ with childe?” -someone in the chat

“absolutely not. i won’t play a co-op game with him”

not even 5 days later, tweet from childe saying “streaming in 30 minutes! Scaramouche and I will be playing It Takes Two on my ch---”

anyways this will be all!! (for now?) i obviously knew genshin before this but, yesterday i could finally start playing it myself! so i feel like if not now, soon i will also write headcanons of him playing genshin! i don’t take requests but if you guys have any ideas or anything you want to say about this AU, send me an ask!! i’d love to talk about this and about genshin in general!

also, i was very inspired to write this by @baeshijima​ ! so thank you very much to her for her wonderful streamer AUs and if anyone reading this hasn’t read hers already, go check them out!! they’re amazing!!

[onewithnomightypowers]

Old Habits

pairing: Tom Holland x fem!reader

summary: Old habits come back when you meet an ex lover after a long time. Conversations feel like you never stopped talking to them. Sometimes you have to see them one last time to say goodbye like you mean it but most of the time it doesn’t go as planned.

warning: drinking

words: 2.1k

a/n: could be read as part 2 of last kiss but is a stand alone. got a bit poetic at the end. hope you guys like it. and as always, love reading your opinions/reactions. also asks are open. (gif not mine)

masterlist 

'@tomholland2013 posted a story'

'@tomholland2013 posted a story'

 She picked up her phone to open Instagram. Yes, Y/N still had notifications on for his account even after they were broken up for months. Classic Tom. 

 He posted two of the same picture on his story. No one understood how that would happen almost every time, not even the people working at Instagram to whom they contacted about the glitch.

 Tom had his hair slicked back, standing in a white t-shirt next to Harry, his brother, giving a million-dollar smile. They were holding a clapperboard together. There was text on the picture too, 'day 1 let's go!!' She smiled to herself. Just because they weren't together doesn't mean that she wasn't allowed to feel happy for his achievements. Even though she wishes to know all these big things from Tom himself she is, unfortunately, left here, watching a small part of his life flash in front of her for less than thirty seconds.

 "Are you listening?" Hope, Y/N's date said.

 "Yeah, I'm sorry. You were saying?" Y/N placed the phone back where it was resting, next to the cold wine bottle.

 "You seem distant," they said.

 When she 'met' Hope (she only really met them 30 minutes ago), Y/N wasn't looking for love, just sex, and that is what online dating specializes in. She hoped Hope knew what they were signing up for, sexual intimacy and nothing else.

 "It doesn't matter does, does it? We both know what we are here for. Why not just cut the chase," Y/N replied.

--

It was early in the morning, the sun had yet to shine in its full glory. Y/N could only think of the first time she stayed over at Tom's old apartment but then she turned her head only to find Hope's naked body next to her. Her heartbeat accelerated with the realization that he was not hers anymore. Being in a foreign environment didn't help her growing anxiety, twisting and turning her intestines.

 It's been four months, her feelings for Tom refuse to quit on her because she knows she could never quit on them, on him, even if he has. He probably has already found someone else in Canada, she thought. She didn't want him anymore but she still needed him, one last time just to teach her stupid heart how to say goodbye.

 Y/N wore her clothes and picked up her shoes, going on a trail to find Hope's door to get out before they wake up. Climbing down the stairs, she took out her phone from the back pocket of her jeans.

 '5 new messages from Sam' 7 hours ago

Sam: hey

Sam: ik it's late

Sam: I am going for a run tmr morning @6

Sam: do you wanna come?

Sam: will go to the new coffee house near my house after that

 Y/N texted him back

Y/N: I'll meet you at the coffee place

Sam: come fast. already here

--

Sam and Y/N were standing in the queue to place their orders. “You look especially shitty today,” Sam said, running his right hand through his sweaty hair.

“I haven’t been home yet,” Y/N reasoned her appearance.

 His mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. The person in front of them left the queue, they moved towards the counter. “One hazelnut latte, double shot with skimmed milk,” Y/N gave her order.

 “And you?” the cashier’s question directed to Sam.

 “I’ll have a matcha latte with oat milk”

 Sam turned to Y/N, “Harrison got me on matcha, and now I can’t go back to coffee”

 They paid their dues and moved over to the barista counter to collect their order.

 “So, what were you doing last night?” Sam inquired.

 “I was on a date, it isn't a big deal though. Just had some needs to take care of”

 “Oh, was it any good?”

 “It was fine. I was distracted the whole time. Saw Tom’s story about halfway into the bottle of merlot. Couldn’t stop thinking about him”

 “Seems…sad. But you know Tom is coming back for the Christmas weekend, I think. He might attend Harrison’s Christmas eve party”

 “One hazelnut latte and one matcha latte,” someone behind the counter screamed.

 “That’s us,” Sam raised his voice.

--

Harrison had a bucket inside his house, under a sign that said 'drop your tracking devices here' with an arrow pointing to the bucket. Y/N dropped her phone on a pile of roughly fourteen others. Debating whether to see Tom's face was something she wanted or not made her late and not very fashionably.

 The house was decorated with empty liquor bottles along with red and green streamers from one wall to another. Everyone was drunk in their best dress. There were no signs of Tom yet. Y/N took a deep breath, walking towards the kitchen to get herself some liquid courage to help her socialize.

 The kitchen was rather scarcely populated. Empty glasses were lined up next to the sink. Are they clean or used? Bending down, Y/N opened the refrigerator to see if Harrison had any chilled wine. No luck. "Hey," a familiar voice was heard.

 She looked up at the familiar stranger.

 "Hey Tom," she smiled. The refrigerator light falling on Y/N made her blush visible.

She grabbed a half-cut lemon placed in the egg tray.

 “How have you been?" Tom asked leaning back on the kitchen counter, observing her movements.

 Y/N walked towards the sink to grab herself a crystal glass hoping for it to be clean. "Just busy with work these days"

 "I heard you got a job at Condé Nast, is that true?" he took a sip from his beer.

 "Well, you heard right. You are looking at their new senior brand manager for digital", she said proudly.

 Tom hugged her from the side she was holding a knife to cut the lemon for her gin and tonic. "That's great darling! You always wanted to work there"

 Darling. The butterflies in her stomach were fluttering like the first time she met Tom.

 "I saw your story the other day. You started filming your script, right?" she dropped the lemon in the glass.  

 "Yup, it was a long time coming," he grabbed the knife she was using and washed it without even knowing. He was so used to Y/N never washing utensils after using them and, he would always have to clean up after her.

 "Congrats on that babe!" The word 'babe' just slipped out of practice.

 Y/N grabbed a Bombay Sapphire standing still on the marble slab. The blue of the bottle shinning even in the dim-lit room.

 "I missed you," Y/N made eye contact, screwing the cap back on. A long, silent pause.

 I miss you too, so very much

 She cleared her throat, "so, how long are you staying?"

 "Going back Monday morning"

 She opened a can of tonic water.

 "Are you seeing someone?" Tom asked.

 "Wouldn't you wanna know" a smirk on her face grew. "I've been out on few dates, nothing serious. What about you?"

 "Met this girl online, dated for a bit but, she wanted something I couldn't give to her"

 Y/N scoffed, "did she have a foot fetish or something?"

 "No, Y/N. She wanted love, not my feet" they both laughed.

 "On that topic..." Tom calmed himself, "...I was listening to this song a few weeks ago and, there was this line, 'the smell of your hair reminds me of her feet' and it made me think of you"

 "I reckon," she took a sip of her gin and tonic.

 "No, seriously, I really related to that line. No matter how many people I hook up with, it will be hard to find the type of intimacy I shared with you. I still relate to it"

 "I hate going on walks alone and having faceless dreams," Y/N blurted, lacking a proper reaction.

 "You're still the face of all my fantasies," Tom confessed.

 None of them knew what to say next. Anything they thought of saying now included walking over the blurry line of exes to lovers.

 "You look pretty"

 "Classic me, had a glow up after getting my heartbroken"

 "You always looked this pretty. You are beautiful," Tom assured her. The 'heartbroken part did not sit well with him. He already felt guilty for taking a job across the pond which was a great opportunity for him to grow but was only possible by severing his ties with Y/N.  

 --

It had just started snowing on Boxing Day. Tom was alone in his cold home, boiling a pot of ramen noodles. He took out his phone and snapped a picture of the burning stove with the pot on top.

Tom: *attached photo*

Tom: I come back after months and my family leaves me alone with no food

Y/N: you should add a poached egg

Tom: Thanks. I shall.

Tom: I think I made too much ramen for me

Tom: do you wanna come over and share?

 Her indecision was visible by the coming and going of the gray dots. Then finally, Tom could tame his anxiety by her simple reply.

 Y/N: sure.

--

There was a loud knock on the door. Tom put two bowls of hot ramen on the dining table and went to open the door. Behind the door, Y/N was standing with her hands inside her brown checker coat. There was dust of snow sitting on her shoulders. Her braided hair was made by the most anxious hands in town.

 The door opened and, Tom’s hands flew to take Y/N in his arms. They hugged like little kids hug their parents after being away from each other, for them, an eternity. It did feel like an eternity to them too but, they hadn’t forgotten each other’s touch.

 “I parked my car at the church, couldn’t find any spot here ‘cause of the snow," she pulled out.

 “The snow seems to be gaining momentum.”

 Y/N hummed in agreement. She took off her coat and hung it in the Holland’s coat closet.

 “Come on, the ramen is getting cold,” she followed tom into the kitchen.

 They sat adjacent on the wooden table in comfortable silence. Tom used chopsticks and, Y/N used a fork. Only the occasional noodles falling in the broth were heard, along with the gushing of wind.

 “It’s really spicy for me,” Tom said.

 “Yeah, I can see your ears turning red.”

She still remembers 

 Y/N raised her hand to cover her mouth while yawning.

 “Since you made the food, I’ll do the dishes,” she got up, grabbed their bowls, and walked over to the sink.

 Wearing the gloves, she turned to Tom, “it was quite tasty”.

 Tom gave her a smile.

 She spread the soap on the dishes and turned the tap on. Tom pushed his chair back to get up.

 “Have you made any friends at your new job,” he jumped and sat on the counter next to Y/N.

 “Yeah, sort of. Kyara works there too so, I have just made her friends my friends,” she washed his chopsticks.

 “That’s good. Have you talked to Emily after the wedding? She told me they are planning on adopting.”

 “They invited me over for dinner when they got the approval from the agency. Kyara made this amazing Hyderabadi biryani, it was her mum’s recipe so, it was obviously better than the restaurant”

 “God! You and your love for Indian food”

 Y/N removed her gloves, “I should go. Thanks for the ramen, by the way”

 “Are you sure you can go out in this weather?”

 “Yeah I think," she started walking out of the kitchen.

 Tom grabbed her hand. “Stay”, his voice was like cotton.

 Y/N turned and made contact with his pleading eyes. She moved closer to him. “Please”, he said. They both were inching in to lock their desperate lips.

--

Y/N did not notice when she had fallen asleep talking to Tom. Their naked bodies were covered by the white comforter. Her eyes slowly opened to a boy with brown eyes and messy hair looking at her.

 “I like it when you sleep. I love watching you sleep”

 She chuckled. “That’s a bit creepy, don’t you think?” She had a sleepy voice.

 “You look so serene, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I could stare at you for eons”

 “But love, I'm only here till the snow settles,” she caressed his cheeks.

“Then the cold shall frost our limbs," he leaned in to kiss her.

tags: @elios-timotea​

[wosoimagines]

The Secret Is Out - Jill Roord/Reader

prompt: hi um could you maybe just maybe do a jill roord x reader where the reader plays for arsenal and the uswnt and they win the world cup and no one knows they’re dating and the r or jill accidentally like do something? idk if that makes sense but if you dont want to that’s perfectly fine! hope you are doing well! all love. Okay, look. There are some Dutch translations here. I don’t know if they’re right because I used google translate. If they are wrong and you speak Dutch, please tell me so I can fix them.

warnings: None.

words: 1919

(Y/N) POV

I cheered as soon as the final whistle blew. I had finally done it. I had finally won my first World Cup. After being one of the last players passed over during the 2015 World Cup, it felt amazing to win now in 2019 and to be such a big reason as to why we won.

Although I was happy, there was a part of me that knew that I had ruined a World Cup run for one of the most important people in my life. I immediately looked to search for the Dutch woman who had stole my heart. My smile fell a little at the heartbroken look on her face.

I caught her eye and she smiled at me. I went to move toward her, but before I could, someone had jumped on my back cheering. I wasn’t surprised that it was Sonnett. Lindsey, of course, joined where Sonnett was and Mal and Rose weren’t far behind her. 

Jill shook her head and it did hurt a little that she didn’t want me to join her. But I understood. My team wanted to celebrate and Jill probably just wanted to be with her teammates right now. I glanced to see how Danielle and Viv were as well as Sari. I wasn’t surprised when I watched Jill go join Viv. I knew that the two of them were really close.

Lindsey managed to wrangle Sonnett off my back just before Rose and Mal threw confetti on top of me. I grinned at them as I shook my head to get the few that stuck to my head off of me. I was a little surprised that it was Tierna who had dragged me back to where the team was celebrating on the pitch. I wasn’t too surprised when Christen and Tobin immediately joined me considering that they were my team moms.

We eventually were given our medals and I was a little surprised to find that I had won the bronze boot along with the bronze ball. I had taken a picture of the awards with Megan and Alex since they both won awards as well. I couldn’t help it as my attention was drawn to Jill. I was able to eventually hand my awards off so that they would make it back to the hotel.

Christen and Tobin had stopped me when I moved to go over to Jill. They both congratulated me and I had thanked them. I knew that I would never be the player I was without them taking me under their wing and helping me. I eventually was able to get past them and to the Dutch midfielder that I had been trying to get to.

“Hey,” I softly said.

Jill smiled at me even through her tears. I immediately hugged her. Jill held on tightly to me. The past two months had been hard for both of us to be so close to each other but not able to see each other.

“I’m proud of you,” Jill mumbled into my neck. I pulled back from her and smiled at her. “I’m really proud. I want your jersey.”

“You want to swap?”

The fact that Jill wanted to swap our jerseys even though they would end up at my apartment in London soon enough confused me. Everyone knew that Jill had signed with Arsenal, and while a lot of her stuff was at the apartment, we didn’t have time to unpack it before the two of us had left for the World Cup.

“No, I just want your jersey eventually,” Jill shook her head. I still wasn’t sure what she wanted it for.

“It’s probably going to smell like alcohol after tonight,” I chuckled. I knew that my jersey was probably going to get soaked in alcohol as soon as we entered the locker room.

“(Y/N)!”

I glanced over my shoulder to see Sonnett running toward me with a grin and a white jersey in her hand. Sonnett stopped beside Jill and I before holding the jersey out to me.

“Dude, they got us these cool jerseys,” Sonnett immediately started to say. I knew that if I didn’t get her to leave soon then I wouldn’t get to talk to Jill until after we left the arena. “There’s one for all of us.”

“Cool,” I said as I took the jersey. I glanced at Jill who looked ready to leave.

“Ik bel je later,” Jill muttered causing me to grab on her wrist. (I will call you later.)

“Nee wacht. Geef me een moment om van haar af te komen,” I said causing Sonnett to look surprised at the fact that I knew Dutch. Jill looked surprised that I was willing to get rid of my teammate. (No, wait. Give me just a moment to get rid of her.)

“Can you make sure that there’s some actual beer saved for me to drink and not to just spray around everywhere?” I asked Sonnett.

The defender immediately perked at the mention of beer. Sonnett nodded before rushing off to make sure we had beer to drink. I turned back to Jill before pulling my game jersey off.

“Here, this way I can’t lose it cause you know I lose everything,” I said. Jill chuckled a little at the before taking the jersey from me. 

I saw Jill’s eyes wander down to my waist and she smiled at the new tattoo that I had. I hadn’t shown her yet due to the fact that I had gotten it just after Jill had left to join her own national team and I wanted Jill to see it in person rather than as a picture.

“You actually got it,” Jill whispered.

“Yeah, I did,” I nodded. Jill touched the tattoo and lightly traced it. “Your handwriting and all. I figured it was appropriate since you were the one who started to call me Schatje.” (Little treasure.)

I pulled the jersey Sonnett had given me over my head. I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone from my team was going to come to drag me away. I wasn’t too surprised that Christen and Tobin were headed my way, but I was surprised by the fact that the whole team was headed here. I looked back at Jill.

“I know we said we didn’t want to go public with our relationship until we got into a groove with both of us being at Arsenal, but my teammates got their kisses from their partners and, it’s been a while-”

I couldn’t finish what I was saying because Jill had pulled me closer to her. I immediately kissed the Dutch player back when I felt her lips crash into mine. I ignored the cheers and shouts behind me, but apparently Jill didn’t because she pulled back not long after. Jill glanced behind me before giving me a kiss by my ear.

“Go join your teammates. I have a room for us at a different hotel where we can have our own little party after you guys get done.”

My jaw slacked but I didn’t have time to say anything to Jill because she had already turned and ran to join her own teammates. I felt someone sling their arm around my shoulder.

“Way to get some, (Y/N),” Ash cheered right in my ear. I wasn’t too surprised that Ali slapped the back of Ash’s head causing the goalie to grumble and rub the back of her head. 

“Hey, Roord!” I called out. Jill turned around to look at me. “Ik hou van je, lieverd.” (I love you, sweetheart.)

“Ik hou ook van je.” (I love you too.)

“Oi, (Y/N)! What about me?”

I shook my head at Danielle. She often teased me over the past two years whenever Jill would call me since we were in different countries. But Danielle had been ready to throw hands for me many times during our matches for Arsenal. 

“Je bent zo behoeftig,” I complained. Danielle threw a glare at me and I laughed at her. “Ik hou ook van jou, kleine krijger.” (You’re so needy. I love you as well, little warrior.)

Danielle smirked at that and I saw her turn to brag about it to Jill. I only shook my head at them before turning to my teammates. I swiped the beer from Kelley’s hand before she could drink from it. Before the older defender could do anything, Christen and Tobin had already moved to my sides probably to talk to me about the relationship I had with Jill. I couldn’t help but smile as I told them about the Dutch woman who had stolen my heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I grinned as Jill came out of the bathroom. I was already dressed since I was having to leave today to head to the US for our celebration. Jill was going to take her time, however, since her team wouldn’t be flying out until much later. Jill was dressed in one of my oversized shirts and a pair of shorts.

“What are you smiling about?”

“How lucky I am,” I said as I stood up from the foot of the bed. “I mean, I just won the World Cup and the woman I want to spend the rest of my life is still here even though she’s the one I had to beat to win the World Cup.”

“You want to spend the rest of your life with me?”

“I mean, yeah, why wouldn’t I?” I furrowed my brow in confusion. “Jill, I’ve been dating you for 3 years now. If I didn’t seriously see us together for the rest of my life, then I wouldn’t still be with you. One day, I’m going to marry you.”

“I also can’t believe you would think that I would leave you because you beat me for the World Cup,” Jill shook her head. She pressed a kiss to my lips. “I can’t wait for you to make me yours forever.”

I grinned as I wrapped my arms around her waist. I wished we could stay like this forever. But sadly we couldn’t. I did have a plane to catch soon.

“I’ll see you in London?”

“Of course you will,” Jill nodded. Jill pulled back from me before digging through her bag. “I have something for you. I was going to wait until we got back to London, but I might as well give it to you now.”

I took the little black box from her and smiled. I opened the box and chuckled when I saw the ring. The ring was a simple silver band with a designed etched into it. I slid the ring onto my finger before pulling my own small black box from my bag.

“I kind of got you one too,” I said as Jill took the box from me. “We were shopping for a ring for Tobin to give to Christen and I wanted to do something special for you. I’m not asking you to marry me, but this is a promise that I will marry you one day.”

Jill grinned before she kissed me. I smiled when she pulled back.

“I’ll see you in London, okay?”

The Dutch woman gave me one last kiss before I grabbed my bags and headed out of the room. I gave her a small wave just before I closed the door behind me. I couldn’t wait for the celebrations to be over and to be on a plane back to London.

[httpsaiki]

Hi. Sry to bother you but I saw requests were open. Could I maybe get a Kusuo x male reader? They are on a date and maybe Kusuo is a little more laid back and soft. His friends catch him with this very sweet boy and are kinda confused. It’s revealed that they are dating and his friends are kinda ???? cause they didn’t really know Saiki was gay? Ik this is bad but I just love my husband and wanna read abt all his dumbass friends trying to wrap their heads around Saiki being a soft and caring boyfriend (and him being with such a soft and caring boyfriend). Pls no pressure and you can ignore this of course. Have an amazing day/night!

Hi! You are most certainly not bothering me, and this is anything but bad, it's so damn adorable!!! I really hope this is good, it was so so much fun to write and I loved that idea so much. I apologize if this was a bit overboard or not really what you wanted! And, hey, nothing wrong with wanting to see Saiki being soft, I mean, don’t we all? You have an amazing day or night yourself! Thank you so so much for this request!

----

Reader is male! This is very cute! No warnings.

WC: 1473

Italics are Kusuo “speaking” aka telepathy.

In which the reader and Kusuo go on a cute date, but the nuisances stumble upon them, forcing Kusuo to introduce his boyfriend.

—————————————————–

“Kusuo! I’m here!” You yelled out into his house. You’d received a telepathic message that said nothing more than Come over from your boyfriend. Interested, you were quick to arrive at his house, feeling free to just let yourself in. You opened the door looking for him, walking into the house. 

“There you are!” You exclaimed, happily running towards him. Kusuo was quick to open his arms, pulling you in for a hug with a small smile. You were rather lucky, being the only person to ever see him this sweet and soft. The two of you hugged for a short time, neither one wanting to let go. It had been merely two days since you’d last gotten a chance to see each other, but it felt like an eternity. Separating from the hug, you looked up at Kusuo, your smile growing. You stared at him for a bit, before opening your mouth to speak.

“So what did you need?” You said, a more serious expression replacing your previous smile. Kusuo froze at your question, clearly not sure how to answer. 

“...Nothing. I just missed you.” He reluctantly replied, trying to hide his face without making it obvious he was even the slightest bit flustered. As your smile came back, you had an idea.

“Kuu! Let’s go somewhere!”

“Where are you thinking?” An ironic question - as he knew exactly where you wanted to take him. All you did was smile, grab his hand, and make your way downstairs. Off to the park, it was! After a quick stop in the kitchen to pack some lunch boxes, you and your boyfriend were out the door. 

Sitting hand in hand, casually eating your lunches and chatting, you and Kusuo were quite happy on your date. It was perfect out, there was a nice light breeze and it was far from too hot out. Kusuo was calm and relaxed, which was a rare occurrence. He usually looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and it probably wasn’t an obscene guess to assume he really did. 

Despite that, you enjoyed being like this. It was so nice to see Kusuo relax, and you knew he appreciated the chance for peace and quiet. You’d made sure he put his ring on before sitting down so that he could truly enjoy it with you. Even if that meant less talking from him, he hated actually speaking - you really didn't mind, he was able to relax. Besides, he loved listening to you talk to him anyway. Kusuo’s eyes were closed as he rested his head on your shoulder. Lunch was long finished and you were telling him about something silly that happened at school the other day. It was so clear how badly he needed this, and you were more than happy to oblige.

Suddenly, that was all ruined as his shoulders tensed up, and his head lifted off your shoulder. You heard it too.

“Hey, pal!” 

Nendou. Great.

“Hey look, it’s Saiki! Oh- who’s that he's with?” Teruhashi? Was she here too? You’d heard all about his so-called friends, but never met them as Kusuo “didn’t want you to suffer from their stupid”. You adjusted your hand that was holding Kusuo’s, carefully moving so that his ring would come off but you wouldn’t have to let go. You could tell having them here without being able to read their thoughts was a stressful experience for him.

Kusuo let out a sigh, now being able to identify who had come up behind him. He counted three, recognizing the thoughts of Nendou, Teruhashi, and Kaidou. This was not preferable. He was in no way prepared for them to meet his boyfriend, he hadn’t even told them he had one. He felt your thumb rubbing circles on his hand in comfort. He may act like he doesn’t like his friends, but you knew he was scared they wouldn’t accept him nonetheless. Despite being able to read their thoughts, it was still anxiety-inducing for him to actually have to tell them.

Teruhashi was first to take note of how relaxed he looked (despite his current internal struggle), and your hands being interlocked together. She was highly observant, after all. You were sitting close enough to him that your arms were touching. Was her conclusion really correct?

“Saiki? Is that… Are you...?” She trailed off, not sure if she should continue or not.

Kaidou picked up where she left off, “You have a boyfriend?”. He said as he pointed towards your hands, still tightly locked together. 

Kusuo looked over to you, where you simply nodded to him, silently letting him know it’s okay to continue. He sighed, was he really ready? Oh well. No avoiding it now. 

“Yes. I’m gay. And… Y/N. His name is Y/N.” He stood up to face them as he spoke, pulling you with him. You extended your other hand out to shake each of his friends' hands, politely introducing yourself to each of them.

All of his friends were focused on how close the two of you seemed. They saw already how happy you made Kusuo, and they were all prepared to support him no matter what. They had no idea he was gay but were delighted that he now trusted them enough to tell them. What they couldn’t believe was how sweet he was being? They saw before, he was all cuddled up to you? Never had any of them imagined Kusuo could be so soft towards someone. He seemed really attached to you, and they’d never seen him more relaxed nor this content. It was clear Kusuo wanted to be near you - something none of them had ever seen from him before. It was something he would likely never admit out loud, but it was made clear by his actions and his body language around you. It was a strange sight to see but in the best possible way. 

Even more, you seemed way too sweet to be with someone like Kusuo. You had a large smile painted on your face the entire time, and it seemed like on the surface you were polar opposites. They just didn’t expect you to be Kusuo’s type. They were really learning a lot about him today, huh? Somehow they unanimously agreed they’d never expected someone like you to be with him, but needless to say, if Kusuo of all people liked you, you had to be pretty great.

“Well,” Teruhashi started, “we’d better leave you to enjoy your date. Have fun!” She spoke, walking away with the two others as not to impose. As they left, the group discussed what they’d just discovered. They were shocked. But overall they were excited for you both, although still, a tad bit surprised both at Kusuo having a boyfriend and his entirely different demeanor. 

“I don’t believe it,” Kaidou spoke in a tone of pure confusion, “Saiki can show emotion?” The rest of the group laughed a bit, clearly, he was kidding, although they did agree with him. It seemed Nendou hadn’t understood the situation, he was even more confused than Teruhashi and Kaidou. None of them could quite comprehend what they’d seen but were rather happy about having learned of a new side to their pink-haired friend.

After Kusuo’s friends left, it was decided that it was time to go home. That had been pretty emotionally draining for Kusuo, and it was better to give him a chance to rest. Once the picnic was packed, you walked back to his house, still hand in hand (Kusuo not-so-secretly preferred it that way).

Once back at his house, you made your way up to his room. Kusuo looked up at you, tears in his eyes. You pulled him in so that his head was resting on your chest and you wrapped your arms around him. Worried, you pet his hair and let him let his feelings out.

“They… accepted me. Y/N, they accepted us.” You’d never seen Kusuo smile so wide.

“Of course they did Kusuo, they do genuinely like you.”

Kusuo let out a small sniffle. You could tell just how much their acceptance meant to him. He started moving towards his bed, that whole ordeal was tiring. He needed a nap. You started gathering your things, getting ready to leave so that he could sleep in peace when you felt your hand being grabbed.

“Stay. Please?”

“Of course.”

You laid down beside him, allowing him to roll over and be close to you. As Kusuo dozed off, you continued to pet his hair, planting a small kiss on the top of his head every now and then. You both stayed like that the rest of the night, you eventually dozing off as well. It had been one of the best dates you’d ever had.

[zodiyack]

Hey! 👋 are you able to do a Damon Salvatore x reader where the reader is new to mystic falls and she becomes friends with Elena ,Bonnie and Caroline and when Damon first meets her he’s all shy and flustered and Stefan noticed how Damon is acting and they help him ask her out? If not that’s okay ik you have lots of requests and you’re super busy 😊💕

It’s alright! Thank you for requesting, love 💕

Imagine under the cut!! Fem!Reader

Big Bad Vampire, Flustered

As soon as you meet the gang, all but Damon are accepting. You confess to the girls that you think he doesn’t particularly like you, as your first meeting didn’t go as well as it did with the others. He seemed to watch you intensely but when you went to talk to him, he didn’t say much. It was like he was waiting for you to finish so he could leave the conversation but Bonnie pointed out that his waiting indicated that he wasn’t entirely ignoring her.

They brought it up to the brothers and it became a new “thing”. With you around, they tried to ease your worry but in private, jokes were cracked. Stefan poked fun at him about it whenever he teased Stefan about anything else.

“So, how’s it going with Elena? Still boring?”

“Oh...I dunno, how’s it going with Y/n? Still nonexistent?”

Your relationship with the vampire grew a little, and you considered that progress. He would exchange greetings with you and give you a full sentence at least once a day. The first time he’d done so, he told you your outfit was dope, to which Caroline threw her fork at him and told him to go away. Elena had to explain Caroline’s disliking of Damon to you, but all it did was make you more curious of Damon.

You wanted to know more about him and if he wasn’t going to talk to you, whether you tried or not, you would resort to asking Stefan. He groaned when you first asked him, “My brother is many things, but the only person who considers them good is himself.” It quenched your curiosity just as much as Elena’s explanation of Caroline and Damon’s beef.

However, you weren’t the only one with a fascination. Damon acted odd whenever you were around or brought up in conversations. Caroline hated him, but she hated the tension that could blossom into a beautiful romance if it wasn’t ignored even more.

“We have to do something about it!”

“Like what?” Stefan crossed his arms and furrowed his brows. Almost everyone never understood anything Caroline said, but he agreed with her main point. Y/n and Damon needed to have some of cupid’s work. Or in this case, the help of two vampires who have amplified feelings and probably would never have done this...well, Stefan probably wouldn’t have, Caroline on the other hand-

“We need to find a way to get them to talk and,” she shook her hands violently, “ya know, confess their feelings?!”

“But how do we know Y/n likes Damon?”

“Stefan.” She glared at him like it was obvious. “For Pete’s sake, she asks all of us about him constantly and smiles more when he’s around.”

“Perhaps she’s just not used to him being around? I mean, that makes sense-”

Caroline narrowed her eyes menacingly. “Don’t you dare ruin my cupid moment.”

Then it was solved. Damon had already confirmed his fancying of you without even knowing it. “I know you like Y/n,” Caroline blurted from the couch.

“Hah. Sure you do. I don’t like her, I don’t even talk to her.”

“Because you like her.”

“No, because I...well I don’t talk to her. Period.”

“Damon,” She sat up, “you’re either an idiot or just really really empty.”

“I’ll go with empty.”

“So you are in love with her?” Caroline mumbled, lying back down slowly. Damon didn’t respond but Caroline knew he was still there. Smiling victoriously, she dropped the conversation and began her planning after Damon finally left with a mutter in range of her vampire-hearing.

“Nu-uh.” Caroline pouted at Damon. He’d turned down the fifteenth and final suit she’d bought. “No way you’re making me wear that.”

“Alright, I’ve got... What are you doing?”

She looked at Stefan with straight lips and wide eyes. “He won’t wear a suit! Make him or else I will! I swear,” she grunted as she put the clothing back on the hanger aggressively, “if I bought these suits for nothing-”

“That.”

The two turned to face what Damon was referencing. A black leather jacket hung in Caroline’s closet looking unused and wasted. She turned back to him with confusion replacing her anger.

“You want me to ask Y/n out, I choose what I wear, and I wear that jacket or it’s a no.”

So there he is, standing in front of you with a smirk, dawning the very jacket he demanded. He’d asked you out, you said yes, and now you were waiting for Caroline’s mom to return. When the two gave Damon choices for a location, he picked an empty theatre and Caroline asked her mom to clear out the movie you wanted.

You curl into Damon’s side during the beginning of the movie, his arm over your shoulder. You feel the material of his leather coat even when he adjusts until the cold gets to you and he strips out of the jacket and puts it over your shoulders. Only lucky you two never noticed Caroline and Stefan watching from the projector-room and eventually high-fiving each other, the two cupids decided it was a job well done.

Damon does worry, though, for their next subjects...

Tags: @matth1w, @redspaceace-writes, @fandom-puff, @darling-i-read-it, @simonsbluee, @thewarriorprincessxo, @sebastianstanslefteyebrow, @jenepleurepasbaby, @dpaccione

[c-vs-the-world]

for a sad prompt or idea(if it’s not you’re style or not comfortable you don’t have to do it)

Tim who’s been stressing and stuggling with his place in the batfam after Bruce came back. Like he and Dick never talked about the whole replacing Tim with Damian and calling him crazy. Like Tim who’s tired of being bullied by Damian, called replacement and Pretender by Dick, not getting acknowledged like his brothers by Bruce. Tim just sad realizing no one cares about him and this isn’t home anymore. So he goes back to Drake Manor and no one notices. Like Tim goes back to his empty childhood home sad and something happens and the family realizes that they didn’t treat Tim right and they feel guilty....idk just sum sad Tim and guilty batfam

I hope you like this, I tried my best and ik I kinda did a lazy ending but hey, it's self indulgent.

Tim was getting tired of it all. 

Tim was tired of it all. 

At first, he understood. It can be hard to come into a new setting with a bunch of people you feel the need to compete with, so he understood where Damian was. 

He understood that at times, Dick's humor was weird. He didn't mean anything by it. 

He understood everyone being busy and the entire family being chaos incarnate. 

He didn't understand why he was being ignored. It was like he never existed. His siblings, once loud and inclusive, had now kept to their own groups within the family, none of which included Tim. 

Duke was nice, but it was kind of hard to hang out with someone who was feeling sympathetic for him and his loneliness. It's not pity, he had to remind himself. 

He tried hanging out with them, he really did. He tried to ask Dick about his police work, which ended in Dick being reminded of police paper-work that he had yet to finish. He tried going to Jason only to get a scoff and a 

"yeah right, go bother someone else, replacement."

He didn't want to even bother with Damian, knowing that the boy would just glare at him and insult him. So he went to Cass & Stephanie, who promptly kicked him out because they were having a "private girl moment", aka talking shit about everyone and everything. He didn't have the energy to do that today anyway. 

The next person he went to was Bruce, busy as always. 

"Hey Bruce?"

"Hm?"

"Can you help me with some CEO stuff?"

"......Sorry, Tim. I'm really busy with this paperwork, but I'll help you later, okay?"

".........yeah. Okay."

He would've helped Alfred cook, but that was the only personal time he got away from this mess of a family. Alfred deserved his personal time. 

After about two days of "No, Tim", and "Go away, Tim", or "Sorry, Tim, not right now", he was done. He went upstairs. Grabbed his bags, packed them, and walked down the stairs. 

'This is their last chance,' he thought to himself, walking just a little bit slower in hopes that someone, anyone, would notice and say "Tim, stop!", "Tim, don't leave!", "We love you, Tim!". But alas, no such luck. He reached the front doors without so much as a "Hey!". 

So he left. We walked down the ridiculously long road, down the ridiculously long street, and back to the beginning of his life. His nightmarish, sad, apparently lonely, life. 

Drake Manor. Cold and empty as always, but at least he didn't have to pretend to be alone. He actually was alone, now. Fuck. 

It took two days for Bruce to sit down at dinner and ask, 

"Where's Tim?"

This of course started a panic. Searching the manor from top to bottom, looking around town, asking his school friends about him. Nobody found anything. Just as Jason grabbed his helmet, wanting to go interrogate someone who wouldn't even know where his brother was, Dick's eyebrows shot up and he gasped. 

"What?!"

".....Drake Manor." Bruce nodded sadly, 

"He's probably there. Let's go."

They found him, they talked, Tim yelled, a lot of people cried, and they ended the long night with an even longer hug. They each said they were sorry and Bruce told him he would never be ignored again. 

'That therapy sounds pretty good right about now.' Tim though as he walked back to Wayne Manor, family surrounding him on all sides. 

[violetwolfraven]

Touch x5

No one asked for this but y’all can’t stop me. Basically 3 people who experience the Newsies habits involving physical touch, (and why specific individuals touch each other) 1 who is reintroduced to it, and 1 who completely misreads what it means.

Warnings: Uh... period-typical homophobia/internalized homophobia, referenced physical abuse, PTSD, brief mentions of injuries I guess?

...

x1

Les thought the atmosphere that was created by most or all of the Manhattan Newsies (plus a couple of Brooklyn boys, occasionally) was exciting.

He’d always had friends back in school, but his old buddies weren’t like this. They didn’t randomly jump up against a building to vault off it and do a backflip just to hear the cheers and laughter of their friends. They didn’t check each other over carefully whenever someone was hurt. They didn’t take a second to stop and ask if you were okay if you did anything that indicated you might be sad.

But mostly, Les’s old friends didn’t touch each other as much as his new ones did.

Back in school, it had always been ‘hands to yourself,’ except when they were playing tag or football. But with the Newsies, it was a constant stream of friendly touches. Les was always getting his hair ruffled or his shoulder squeezed or his arm punched in a friendly way and he loved it. He even loved the way one Newsie would take his hat off so another could slap him with theirs if he said something stupid.

Les was well aware that in school, it wasn’t that way because... well, that would be weird. You didn’t just sling your arm around your friend for an entire conversation or jump on their back and cling there until there was a risk of falling over just to surprise them. You just didn’t.

But you did with the Newsies. You didn’t question it. You just did.

Les thought it might be about the way everyone reacted after the strike, when everyone was in pain and those who were in a little less were helping those who were in a little more. Les vaguely remembered Race rubbing his arms to try to calm him down and flicking his nose in a friendly manner before quickly setting his broken wrist with a stick and some stray strips of fabric and telling him not to take it out of the sling until it didn’t hurt anymore, plus a day, just to be safe.

And after he was okay—well, not crying anymore and more okay than a lot of others were—Les noticed how even when all of them were covered in cuts and bruises that would probably just hurt more if touched, the stream of physical contact didn’t end. No, it just got a little more gentle, taking away the fearful adrenaline and helping everyone feel safe.

Kid Blink still leaned against Mush’s knee despite his bruises, sitting in front of the crate the other boy was on. Les knew that the only people around to see in the alley all the Newsies were clumped together in between some dumpsters as they patched each other up enough to move back to the Lodging House were each other, but that didn’t make it any less surprising when Mush stopped stroking Blink’s hair and leaned down to kiss the top of his head.

Les knew even most of the other Newsies didn’t touch each other that way, so he guessed maybe ‘best friends’ wasn’t a term that applied well to the pair.

Well, confusing as that may be, Les didn’t see how it could be anything but natural in a group that made each other feel safe even while most of them were hurt.

...

x2

Sarah knew not a lot of girls sold newspapers, and sometimes she asked Davey to go grab her papes to avoid the Delancey brothers’ comments, but she certainly enjoyed this more than her old factory job, and besides, now there was room to make friends.

All of Davey’s new friends were fun, but at first Sarah thought they were a bit handsy, with the way someone was always clapping her on the back or bumping her shoulder or grabbing her hand just to squeeze it before running off to their spot. But then she figured out that they acted like that with everyone, and they always stopped if she asked them to, and it wasn’t just because she was a girl around their age.

It took some getting used to, but Sarah eventually found it just another part of her day. It became routine; block Jack’s hand before he could mess up her hair, let Mike and Ike adjust her form when they teach her some self defense, throw her arm around Jojo to stop girls from flirting with him so he doesn’t get uncomfortable... it was easy. Physical contact was written in everything the Newsies did. It was as essential as breathing.

And then there was Katherine, and Katherine didn’t have as much time to hang around the group, but she’d joined it around the same time Sarah did, and was just as new at all of this.

Katherine’s red hair shined in the sun and her hands were always gentle when she helped a little one patch up a scraped knee and Sarah really wanted to hold her hand but she wasn’t sure if Katherine would be okay with that, with how the reporter often brushed away Jack’s and Romeo’s touches as annoying.

And since Sarah spent practically every day with the Newsies, she knew their gossip better than Katherine could. She knew that several pairs of them were... more than friendly, even being the same gender, and while it wasn’t safe, the group didn’t care. Sarah had no intention of telling anyone that she was attracted to girls, but she was. She understood what they felt but didn’t know if Katherine would even want to be her friend if she knew.

But then one day, Katherine was hanging around the girls’ corner of the Lodging House, where Sniper and Smalls slept and had a couple spare blankets to drape down from the top bunk so the boys couldn’t see them change, and Sarah found out that the reporter didn’t mind at all.

Sniper was leaning upside down over the edge of the bunk, trying to win a bet and shoot a can set up on one of the boy’s beds, when Smalls very suddenly kissed her, making her miss her shot, though Sarah noted that Sniper didn’t seem to mind that much, just content to keep doing what they were doing.

Katherine’s only reaction was to roll her eyes and smile, swatting Smalls with a newspaper and complaining that she’d cheated. And when the short brunette fell backwards next to Sarah sitting on the next bunk over, Sarah was glad that it was acceptable to reach over and squeeze Smalls tightly in her excitement.

...

x3

When Katherine first started hanging out with the Newsies, she’d figured out pretty quick that touch was their love language, and not even in a romantic way, for the most part. Touching each other was how they made sure each other were okay and how they showed their brotherly bond. It was beautiful to Katherine, if very different from how Bill, Darcy, and all the other men she’d grown up with expressed affection.

For the Newsies, it was the most natural thing in the world to celebrate a good headline by grabbing the nearest friend and dancing a messy little do-si-do, or to huddle together on a cold day. Not a one of them bothered with social conventions that men weren’t supposed to show affection, and definitely not by touching each other constantly.

But that was how the Newsies worked, and Katherine couldn’t say she was sorry that they adopted her effortlessly, incorporating her into their existing friendship like she’d always belonged there.

Katherine liked waking up early to meet them at the gates for a bit of hangout time before work started. She liked meeting Davey halfway for a one-armed hug, or dodging Jack and Romeo’s joke-flirting only to let them clasp her shoulder in greeting, or making up a new secret handshake with Race because they both forgot the one they made last time.

Actually, it was through Race that Katherine learned how some of the touches between certain Newsies weren’t just about friendship.

She was meeting him over at Sheepshead, since supposedly he had a scoop on one of the trainers sabotaging other people’s horses, though Katherine was a little skeptical about if he’d actually found anything or was just over-dramatizing things.

She’d turned a corner to the place under the stands where Race usually was when he took a break from selling, only to find not only her good friend Racetrack Higgins, but Spot Conlon, and well... even for the Newsies, being pinned against a wall while someone kissed you senseless wasn’t a platonic gesture.

The two jumped apart the second they saw Katherine, and Race tried to say that it wasn’t what it looked like, but Katherine assured them that she wasn’t going to tell anyone, but wanted to know if the Newsies were okay with that kind of thing; being in a relationship with someone of the same gender.

Race was puzzled, but responded that, yes, the fellas were fine with it, and that various combinations of their group had courted at one point or another, with several pairs currently together. Spot chimed in to report that even a few inter-borough relationships happened, his and Race’s being one of them.

That fact known, Katherine felt absolutely no guilt when Medda put on a special show after hours just for the Newsies as a one-time thing, and Katherine put her arm around Sarah near the beginning of it, the two of them more or less cuddling for the duration of the show. And she definitely wasn’t complaining when a love song came on, and Sarah gently turned her face up so her lips could meet Katherine’s.

Somehow, the fact that Jack had seen and told pretty much everyone didn’t embarrass Katherine too much. Or maybe she just enjoyed the playful camaraderie of her friends coming up to congratulate her with a handshake or a slap on the arm.

...

x4

Crutchie had always known that his friendship with the other Newsies worked differently than a lot of friendships, but he’d never really registered how differently until he was forced to go without it.

In the Refuge, there was no Jack helping him get down a ladder, or Romeo offering a one-armed hug as a good morning, or Finch ruffling his hair when he predicted the weather. Even being new, Crutchie noticed the sore absense of any kind of positive contact between anyone. Even boys who claimed to be friends never touched unless they absolutely had to.

No, contact was limited to Snyder and the guards giving a beating, or someone roughly shoving their way down the hallway because they judged those in front of them too slow, or a hard slap against a limb to try to jostle for more space on the bed or get someone’s foot out of their face.

The only remotely positive interactions Crutchie got were sympathetic grimaces from a boy who saw his bruises, or an only slightly grumpy hand handing him his crutch, but those things were not even close to what he was used to and not nearly enough after years of nearly constant friendly contact from boys he considered his brothers.

Then Crutchie was released, and he got back that contact he’d been hanging onto the memory of, but somehow it wasn’t how he remembered it. He suddenly couldn’t let Race throw an arm around his shoulder to greet him in the morning. He couldn’t accept a double-hug from Mike and Ike when there was a good headline or keep from flinching when Jack tried to make sure he didn’t fall on the way down from the Penthouse.

Crutchie didn’t understand. He’d spent his time in the Refuge missing this and now he could barely take any of it? It didn’t make sense.

When he tried to explain to Jack, the older boy just smiled sadly and nodded in understanding. He said that he’d gone through that when he first got out; not being able to let anyone touch him for a while. Jack still couldn’t handle people touching his left shoulder unexpectedly, but they all had little triggers like that. Random touches or tones of voice paired with specific words that couldn’t be used. Crutchie just didn’t understand why he seemed to be triggered by practically everything.

But Jack said to give it time. To let this get better with time and just try to be patient with himself.

And slowly, with help from the other Newsies, all of whom were willing to do whatever they had to do to help as best they could, Crutchie did get better.

Maybe not all of his scars could completely heal with time, but Crutchie was getting better. Now, when Davey patted his shoulder before they parted ways selling or Romeo leaned up against him while dramatically describing his latest failed romantic venture, most touch could feel as normal as it had before he’d gotten taken.

...

x5

Davey had noticed the Newsies as very physically connected people even before he’d been one of them. That was to say he’d noticed them playing around, putting each other in headlocks and even one guy casually riding on another’s shoulders from the first morning he’d started selling.

And as much as Davey enjoyed this dynamic once he started getting included in it and got used to someone always touching him, it made it that much more painful, knowing that a certain friend of his touched everyone he cared about like that.

Davey had never fallen in love before, so he kind of missed that he did at first, before realizing that what he was feeling for one of the Newsies was everything he’d read in books that involved love. From thinking about him constantly to getting butterflies whenever he saw his smile, Davey couldn’t deny that he felt something more than simple friendship.

Unfortunately, Jack Kelly happened to be a boy, which made him completely unattainable, even if it made Davey felt like sparks were flying every time he touched him, and he had to remind himself that it didn’t mean a thing.

It didn’t mean anything that Jack practically picked Davey up in his excitement when there was a really good headline and he hugged him and spun around. It didn’t mean anything when he grabbed Davey’s face to check him for injuries after they got out of a fight. It didn’t mean anything when there weren’t any spare chairs in Jacobis and Jack chose Davey’s lap instead of the table.

After all, he’d seen Race hug Spot much tighter when he got excited. Sniper always looked that worried when she checked Smalls over after a fight. Kid Blink sat on Mush’s lap even when there were free seats.

And it wasn’t like Albert didn’t kiss Finch on the cheek some mornings before mock saluting when they went off on separate selling routes, or laugh loudly when the taller boy sometimes pulled him back to whisper something in his ear while keeping one hand on Albert’s waist.

All that was to be expected of Newsie friendships. None of it was weird with them because... well, it just wasn’t. The fact that he loved those friendships so much was why Davey could absolutely not tell anyone that he’d fallen for his best friend. They would never understand. The others would hate him if they found out, not that Davey could blame them. Guys weren’t supposed to love other guys. Davey knew that, so as long as nobody ever found out, those friendly touches and friendships wouldn’t change and Davey would never lose them, right?

Wrong, apparently.

It wasn’t common that the entire group wasn’t together after a day of selling, but when one of those days came, Jack was painting a backdrop for Medda, and the rest of them were hanging out in the Lodging House, Davey personally watching Race beat everyone at poker.

“So, when is Jack getting back?”

It’d been an innocent question. Fair, for a best friend. Davey didn’t think anyone would suspect anything.

Instead, Race turned around to give Davey a smirk, “Why? Only been a few hours since sellin’ time! Missin’ ya boyfriend already?”

“What? My—“ Davey sputtered, “Jack is not my— why would you think—?”

“Please,” Spot said nonchalantly, “As if we all couldn’t see how you’se been crushin’ on him since day one.”

Davey’s breathing sped up as he realized what they were saying. They knew. They all knew.

“Whoa, Davey, are you okay?” Mush’s voice asked, sounding far away.

Davey couldn’t breath. He was going to lose them all. He didn’t have any other friends and now he was going to lose the ones he had. Everything felt like too much, from the press of the bedpost where he was gripping it probably too tight to the others voices, all overlapping and sounding too loud and too far away all at once. Davey sucked in breath as fast as he could but it didn’t seem to be enough. He still couldn’t breath. He couldn’t get enough air.

One voice cut through it all.

“Whoa, whoa, what’s wrong? Davey! Davey, are you okay?”

Davey flinched away from Jack’s touch, and the other boy stopped trying to grab his shoulders, his hands hovering halfway between Davey sitting on the bed and Jack crouching in front of him.

“Davey, I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to, but you need to try to breath, okay? Just take a deep breath with me. In... and out.”

Davey did his best, breathing in and out as Jack instructed, slowly managing to come down from his panic.

Jack looked around accusingly at the fellas, “Alright, who did this? What did alls you’se do?”

“We didn’t do anything!” Spot protested.

“Spot mentioned things ‘bout Davey bein’ queer,” Smalls said.

“Smalls!”

“What? I tells the truth, unlike you!”

Jack looked back at Davey, and found that the other boy wouldn’t look him in the eye. Why would he? Davey certainly didn’t want to look at the boy he loved whilst getting kicked out of the friend group.

“Don’t worry about it,” Davey mumbled, “If it’s okay with you, Les’ll keep selling, but I’m sure I can find other work.”

“What are you...” Jack seemed to realize something, “Dave, can I touch you?”

Davey was surprised he wanted to, but nodded.

Causing even more surprise, Jack didn’t put his hand on Davey’s arm or hand. Instead, he grabbed the taller boy’s chin gently and forced Davey to look at him.

“Dave, what do you see when you look over there?”

Davey looked where Jack was gesturing with the hand that hadn’t moved to Davey’s shoulder. He didn’t understand, but he looked.

Blink was sitting in the poker circle, on Mush’s lap as he leaned back against the other boy’s chest, somehow neither of them having looked at each other’s cards.

Smalls was on a bunk behind them, laying back with her head close to where Sniper was sitting, who was softly smiling as she stroked Smalls’s hair. Smalls was playing, but Sniper wasn’t.

Race had his legs tossed across Spot’s, and he occasionally leaned over to try to get a look at his cards, though the King of Brooklyn always pushed him back with a fond smile.

Finch was playing as a team with Albert as they didn’t have enough cards for everyone, and the latter was between the former’s legs as Finch rested his chin on top of Albert’s hair.

Katherine wasn’t playing poker, but she was perched on a bunk nearby, sitting very close to Sarah, who was looking at Davey like he was stupid for some reason.

Sarah only gave him that look when she was genuinely frustrated with him, and Davey stared his twin down, not sure what she was trying to get at, here as they tried to communicate with just their facial expressions.

“Uh, what’s going on there?” Jack asked.

“It’s a twin thing,” Mike answered.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Ike agreed.

Davey gave up trying to get whatever Sarah was trying to communicate and turned back to Jack.

“What am I looking at?”

Jack made a small noise of disbelief, “You really don’t see it?”

“See what?”

Jack huffed and dragged his hands through his hair, “So, why do you think we wouldn’t want to be friends with you anymore?”

“Because I’m... I like boys,” Davey admitted, “Why would you want to be friends with someone like that? You’re all such close friends, and—“

“You think we’re all friends?” Albert asked, sounding disbelieving.

“Of course you are. Why else would you be—“

“Davey,” Mush cut him off gently, “That’s not... we aren’t...” he made a frustrated noise, “I don’t do this with my friends.”

Davey was fairly certain his brain short-circuited out of surprise as Mush leaned down and full-on kissed Blink on the lips. Sniper wolf-whistled, but other than that, nobody had really any reaction.

As they separated, Blink shrugged with a smile, “He does that with me, though.”

Suddenly, a lot of things made a lot more sense, and Davey wondered how he’d never seen it before. Even Sarah... oh, God, how had he never noticed?

“Yeah, we don’t much care if ya like Jack’s ass,” Spot summed up.

Davey froze. He’d just accepted that the fellas were okay with him liking boys, but that didn’t mean he wanted Jack to know he liked him.

Especially since... especially since even if Jack didn’t care, he’d been with Katherine a while back, and Sarah for a bit afterwards. He liked girls. He wasn’t one of the ones like Davey.

But Jack just stifled a laugh, “You like my ass?”

“I wouldn’t put it like that,” Davey mumbled, “But yeah, I... I have feelings for you. I have for a long time. And it’s okay that you don’t feel the same.”

Davey made a point not to meet Jack’s eyes. He didn’t want to know what the other boy’s expression was, because even if he wasn’t disgusted by Davey liking boys, he might be by Davey liking him specifically, and even if he wasn’t, he might feel guilty for rejecting him, and Davey didn’t want him to hurt like that or at all and—

“Why would you think I don’t feel the same?”

Jack’s words were soft in a way Davey had never heard before, and gentle in a way that he had never expected to have meant for him.

Davey looked up in surprise, meeting Jack’s eyes and finding that his expression was gentle and almost... loving?

“You were with Katherine,” Davey stuttered, “And... and Sarah. You like girls.”

He was finding it very hard to think as Jack ever so slowly leaned closer, laughing lightly.

“And that means I can’t like boys?”

“Well...” Davey’s brain melted as Jack leaned his forehead against his own, the gentle pressure sending fireworks through his mind.

“It just so happens, I like you a lot, too,” Jack said quietly, “And in case you still don’t get it...”

Jack pressed a small kiss to Davey’s lips and Davey felt warmth pass through him in a flash.

“I love you, Davey Jacobs.”

Davey took a shaky breath, not quite believing his ears, but responding anyway.

“And I love you, too, Jack Kelly.”

This time, Davey kissed him first, and he certainly didn’t feel Jack protesting as the shorter boy kissed him back.

It wasn’t until Sniper wolf-whistled that Davey remembered there were other people in the room. He hid his face in Jack’s shoulder as the room full of their friends actually applauded.

“Okay, okay!” Jack called, waving his hands around for emphasis, “You’se can collect ya bets now, but leave me and my boy alone, hear? We’ll be in my Penthouse if anyone needs me.”

As they left the room, several Newsies clapped Davey on the shoulders or ruffled his hair in encouragement, all calling out their congratulations.

Yeah, Davey decided that in a sea of friendly touches and a few more than friendly touches, he was happy.

[throwingideasatthewall]

Clone Wars     Shadow      Warriors

            Seas 4

Oh    this-   just    screams      edgy        ...   Whelp

So is Jar      Jar an     adult,       now,?            (Asking because before his    characteri         zation was force of nature to child

Now he    seems to have his own    personality.

Which is fine   if you want to change some details for the sake of a    better story,      (Or to simply      explore         a new       angle,).    Aesthetic

     Just.            need to make sure I’m holding them to the right standard,

    Okay,

   That-         was    relatively     adult,

  Mm

   Um.

   I

 Aight        .           .       Well-

   Wait 

    Did they just call Jar Jar     away from      Cou-ncil-

    .         I mean they are clearly    trying       which          is   some thing       I do       give credit   for-

   Though                The             Tone              Is            Robot-                 Ic-

       (Though that might be int-         entional since it seems to be hinting that this lady is practicing some kind of         mind tricks on him

   (Aka, he’s doing it         under           tox, because we don’t do suspension of choice in     dra-         mat         ic       Me-     -dia,

 S’up

 What?

  I-

  -

   H-elp

Screw my own   accou-   -ntability     -      See that was the correct   -amount of   emotion-

.        Okay        -         Right-

  Sus-       (pic)

    No one noticed the obvious people right there?

  Like not even      Mr. sus         there?

[or are they just so    kind that it’s like   oh yeah we were just talking hate speech     but go right ahead?

Logic?

 There

  Yeah    some shit is definitely going on,

   For sake of argument*     sake, i’m just going to assume that his reaction to      toxic    behavior

*Account     ability-

 Any way

  I-

  I’m still      going to try,

  Despite  you clearly saying you want understood

   Because assumed authority        - and assuming you know better than a person about themselves

     Is totally ok-

     - In this         society

-[Cries        in       sad    “accountability,”     -of-      war,        ]

  Whelp,

  In-    flue-     n      -c      e

 Still an  adult-

  Okay-

 Imagine    it was just a normal necklace     and he pulled that shit-

[Ok for the sake of argument I’m going to assume the necklace is symbolism for toxic influence,

  Being around it         enabling]

  It-         -       His voice voice dropped like         - 6 octaves

     Also I swear if they try to   excuse him      for his actions-

     No

    Mind over matter     -Okay, so they’re not excusing him for his   -actions,

   Me-          an         -       OK so it’s not naturally evil it    just comes down to the users      so that dude was still totally responsible,

  Didn’t    change    - much

    -     Ha-Ha

  Actual     gas     -lighting”

    Also     persuade,            -             Okay,     good not excusing him       from his actions,      -      Thing

The   gaslighting goes deep      -      Also isn’t the Darkside supposed to be      negative over involvement?      -       Aight-         -       -           A-lone

  Oh yeah that’s a great idea let’s just let the  dude that just got gaslighted and completely fell forward go back into the person who did it,

 👍

     Genius     

    (This Jedi Council is fucking                  brilliant)

     Gas-       Light-         Ing

(Note;      Confronting the gas lighter is never the way       to do it       (Inter-             Gen-)          (Excluding accountability of the abuser     (Gen-break           Venting Pro-      Ced- u        re)

 [as you’re usually too angry     to let them get a word in edgewise        And remain;           in control)

  With inter- gen productivity,         They are possibly given       five warnings before         Being          Kick        ed-]

   For the sake of argu-       ment as well       as simplicity-

    We’re stick       -ing with        bas-         ic-

    If someone’s acting toxic        with you, you         reflect and you don’t have to         hang out with anyone         you don’t want to,

    Logic

   This dude      is very clearly making it obvious that    he’s willing to listen to this person,

 And, enabling

“Cl-”

See he’s gaslighting him again      because   he thinks he can get away with it,

With no   accoun-       tability-

 (Or the small bit      this society      believes      in     which is    jail,”

Wr-

Oh!

 Is he a     Gungan      Jedi?

  Also,

  You Don’t  

    SAY!

(The repeated Gaslighter      who has shown multiple times to be     toxic,       Was toxic,    (And prepared to use any means to      subvert the         will? 

Prize  for the  most   in  competent      Je      di

 Like,        Serious-         (Really had to put those two    accoun  t-      ability- cells      to good -    use-”

(For   matting       issue-)

  The writer just saving us the effort of him coming downstairs -all feckin- weird, and the   obvious    “should’ve seen that coming,     “

   ?             ha-ha

    What?

Oh yeah       no the creepy magical stuff wasn’t enough of a      fecking clue in-

  Appar-

   Whelp-

  He   snapped out of that quick-

  Like didn’t even need a      reverse- mind trick

   Good for      him-

   And - actual-     nar-    rative-        -

   Whelp,

   Wreck-ing      -house

       Okay, but how do you think this is going to look to the general public like two Jedi,( very good at persuasion -    mind tricks’ -just showed up, now they’re leader and said Jedi are wreck-ing one of their minster’s houses-  

     One who could’ve     feign-           ed lack of support for the        war

     Like if this is a     set up-  

 the chips-      are about to fall,

 Da-

Okay, seriously how obviously evil,    was this person?

Like we have a weird creepy room,     The robots apparently hanging from the    chandelier    (eck)         And      the knife

   Like if this person      ever-       went-   through a checkpoint

   Also,        Oh-

    That-

   (That     really        does not      look good,)

    Bo-ss

   Yeah,       she clearly has    medical experience,

 (Also yeah    that’s really going to make it    better-”

 Oh yeah the    senator was      seen trying to clean up the      evidence-

    Well the Jedi ran out     full sword’s- a blazing

    (Instead of you know the       Senator chasing after him,         While the peacekeeper stayed behind and tried to        tend to the person,]

   Great     -        -       Or    Not-

Well- tensions    just got raised,

  Of,

 Ai.     Ght, 

 Whelp,

(Okay, no way he’s totally not dead      but sure-)

 A-i-

  -

 Whe-

   That-       sucks-          -         Un-     Con-cious

    That-   doesn’t tell me anything else-

   Like;        Critical      condition?

   D-usk

   Li-terally       no one else?

    (Like don’t get me wrong I’ve been a pretty big Jar-jar fan ever since the change-)

   But really, the Senator, the person that spends the most time away from your - planet

   That’s the person,     they trust the most?

  Ai-

  Hm-

Oh yeah just put on the deadly leaders hat-

   The rese-mblance-

   Not really?

   I mean all humans technically    look the same-

  But-

 Pretty sure Jar jar is a lot      scrawn-         thin        -er

    Also if they’re not going to listen to him as him       they’re not going to listen to him      as he pretends to be their (dead) leader

Also, please don’t go with the      liar revealed plot,

    Yeah no, they have completely different kind of light.   tones,

     The face structure-

    Co-mpletely         different-

     -

   Nope

 -Dead

 Di-ssent

  Agree

   I-

   OK yeah I’m just gonna go over the fact, that as previously state,  I am not a huge fan of the liar revealed plot-

    -or lying

  (No because it’s- unrealistic-    - or there’s anything wrong with it

  -people do lie

     -maybe because of how overdone and             poorly done it’s been,

             -With the liar getting off Scott free without any                  weight

               But I really don’t like this               plot-

-And    the   skip    button    maybe   used     ad-     nausuem-   -

       [Well- shit       [for reference; I was using the skip button ad nausuem when I randomly stopped at the part      with    Greivous

        Things just got a whole lot worse]

         [Tumblr             Refresh]       -

   Any        Way,

   Aww,     That’s kind of nice the    friendship and reliance       the dude has on      Other-        Half            -         Yes        ‘Boss       Leoni’        when someone gets         tox         you leave-        - In a      - relation          ship-  

      Also yeah he’s definitely not       ‘Boss         Leoni’            -            He would’ve stayed and tried to take the    tox

 (Aka Jar-jar is less ena-     bling, les-        tox-     And     Doesn’t       Take        It        For          Much        More.            Than            He            Has               To,

        (He’s   les   -s

      Dyfun.  -c)

      Okay

       Good            Job     -     Also - yeah   how’d you manage that         -         That-

Didn’t get   car   ried up the chain of   com-     mand-        -            Then again Gri-   evous has shown to be a pretty   shit boss.     -      So I can’t blame these guys    for being like yeah compl-      ete stranger     I will totally      take a nap       -right    ,now-         -      You        kinda      have      sticks-        -    [The rain is   really    nice,]

[is this the first time we’ve seen them use active     particle effects      for the camera?

  Either way       it’s really        nice            -

Oh,

They’re    

electric     sticks,

That makes   sense

[- bet     ter      for      Figh     t-      In-       g-

Stop one     1v1     -ing-        It

    I

  W-h

   Again this is what happens when you 1v1 it    and    don’t assume accountability-     - -   

 [Don’t fight a metal cyborg with metal sticks when you’re not prepared to take it, full way,)

   I-

  [I feel like this is supposed to be some    big build up but they only shared like one scene where dude was completely silent,]

  Like,

   Sacr-ifice

    Die to take someone out with you

[Great

  Now

   Ouch]

   Are   they actually going to kill off      grievous because this isn’t look-ing    too    - good      -         Shit-

 Dude-      is still not dead-       -       How?        -          Whelp-           -          Oh,    hey      where the fuck    did you come      from,

 I-           Ack.      Br-u-      Tal

W-el

 -       Un         -         M           -              Plan-

“ damn it        he messed up the       script-,           -Pal   - patine

     Cap-

    Prison   break-

   Also yeah     that’s probably like        a vacation    for him-

 Given     how toxic these assholes     are           -            Ex- change           -           Damn             Ship      per-

      Also screw the 150 or how many other                 sena   -tors        -       Only     Amidala           -      matters          -          A-       ight-     -      Also, dude knows where everyone’s      lair,      Is,

 Like he pissed off Grievous with    -his

 Now he’s just chilling in this      dude’s    sipping earl gray       Or-      Some        Shit-

  Him

  Okay

 Getting a little    ahead of yourself     episode-       -       O k

    I

   Hearing this,  Skywalker doesn’t immediately run back      shout        -ing      nope-        - -       Because, to my knowledge the speaking at      room volume,

  Not    whispering        and the distance        isn’t enough to      -explain it             -            Ai          -   -           Wel-             -      There goes one        min-ion-             -             Droids are apparently    expensive enough to      chastise    Grievous          over-

  But sen-tient - beings are        a dime’     a ‘dozen-

    (Also    gaslighter’s.     don’t give a shit about        you     dear,       God,

  The Painful     dramatic-        irony-

 *tra-      gic-      Wh-      -Oa

 Ai     -     Ri-

  An

  Wh-     -elp,

   You know if it wasn’t for the exposure     earl-        ier   

I would assume they would think that the Jedi was just killing all their Im-por-        tant- elected officials

     Why?

     Wh-at

    He’s right.    -         But dude- that’s pretty      ham fisted-

   I mean-

  How many episodes          (and       possibly        seasons-)      do we have to            go-            - -     Anakin-       is a dick    to lanterns-       -        Also the random theme of the     bots-      coming out of nowhere-    continues-       -     St     -op-          -        Wh-       elp-

    .

    ?         (He          live?)

      I-

      ?

  Good           Play-

     Ah-

    To-

       Oh, yeah,       He’s alive we’re not going to bring that up in any      mention-able way?

      Ike

    Wh     e     l-      p

     Oh           -     That was   -nice-

   You deceived everyone and lied to all          our people,  you’ll make a great      leader,

   Or a great council/    committee leader considering that they do have an open position          ,            Best

I like that they had one bad ass fall and had it replace-d by Dooku being particularly bad-ass       -          In his      place-

In the trade off near the end really speaks to the     frag-ility of war

   I thought-

   It was pretty al-right    Though it really did seem like     - they were trying to build up to something but the structure unfortunately        just didn’t support it,

   Which is unfortunate because they do seem like      bits- that could’ve been nice

   Like Jar-jar being a constant       peacekeeper-

   The underwater        nations-

     Wars be-           tween          - Those               Dude’s

   And that    general guy      -        Who seems to be like he was supposed to be this     - really big deal

 [probably intended to do something      massive in the previous       arcs,]

    But, here,    all he did was that one scene,

    [Would’ve worked better if he was like this Re-       Public Gen-       Er          Al-

    To the      shark guy-

     And Akbar,

     Was just like the resident         enforcer-

     Or something to do with the       prince

    I think it would’ve really worked better with the concept of        ‘being taken’        under,               As well that possibly being a good contrast between     Jar Jar         binks          And        Char-        If Jar- jar got promoted-        With Char being eager at first but then realizing he just         can’t-          And Jar- Jar being reluctant at first but realizing he      can-

   [Note; assumed authority is bad,         Just- some people are better at using it for venting         than others)

   Nope boomers vs throw-         it-back, boom-

       I-

     And it really did feel like this episode       -should’ve been the split one 

   Nearing the end- it started to feel like the 1st-       part of a second ep-

    Which is fine

    Just cut-        of-

   Episode all around being al-right, with just several parts that didn’t make quite sense including the emphasis on the general for that one scene,

[the-monkeies-girl]

ik you're probably sick of all the Billy related asks but "i think i'm in love with you" and "you're... beautiful" with Billy Joel?? thank you so much for all the 💯 content ☺️

Title: Just the Way You Are.

Pairing: Billy Joel x Reader.

Rating: K. ( Super Fluff ).

You were never going to get used to the quiet glow of a concert after party. The never ending drinks, the chatter of people you could never imagine rubbing shoulders with normally, music playing more or less for background noise for most of the people there could barely understand what they were saying due to their eardrums being blown out from the concert an hour ago. You gazed at Billy across the room talking to a leggy blond and from the flushed look on his face, the shimmer in his eyes, he was enjoying himself as the beer in his hand pressed against his lips and he took a drink. For some odd reason, that seemed more than appealing than it should have as you swallowed, the hard socket in your throat stopping you from properly breathing. Perhaps you were just a bit tipsy, you thought to yourself and smiled when he looked over and caught eyes with you. That’s what it was. You were just tipsy and you were sure if your attention was on anyone else, you would admire them. Admire the way that they smiled, the way that they laughed or how they leaned against the wall so non-nonchalantly while speaking seamlessly. Billy seemed to be doing everything so effortlessly, and after playing for nearly two hours with such amazing energy that you found it astounding how he was even standing. Standing so cutely… His shoulders scrunched in, giving the appearance that he was smaller than he was, much like he did when he was playing piano. You loved that he did that. 

You bit your bottom lip and laughed under your breath. Yeah, he was standing cutely. Talking to a leggy blond. No, no, you thought to yourself, the smile on your face dropping slightly as you placed your empty wine glass on the table to your left. He was definitely flirting at this point, you knew Billy well enough to tell. After all, he was your best friend. There were things about him that you only knew from this friendship. And, there were things only he knew about you. There was something strange stirring in your chest at that fact as you turned on your heel slowly, finally letting your eyes leave Billy to find some solace in a more quiet room. A room with less people, you figured as you trailed down the hallway. There was a bathroom, but there were two people doing unspeakable things in there with the door slightly ajar. A bedroom to the left, thankfully empty but it wasn’t going to stay that way from the look of a certain couple in the living room corner. And to the right. You peeped your head in, scanning the room with a grand piano placed delicately in the middle for the sake of acoustics. Perfect.

You took a deep breath in and trotted to the piano and sat on the bench. Some peace and quiet, you smiled to yourself and let your fingers scan across the keys. Not hard enough for any sound to vibrate. You liked these parties and you were thankful that Billy invited you out, but there was something lonesome about the fact that you were left on your own to mingle with people you didn’t know so often. It was moments like this were you had to remember that Bill was known now, he was a singer, a pianist, a great talent with a name that people were aware of and you were just… Well, you were you. Plucking your finger against Middle C, you pressed it multiple times. Times were changing, you hated to admit that. It felt like inevitably, you were going to lose Billy without even… Having him. Your eyebrows furrowed at that strange thought. He was your best friend. Nothing was going to change that. There was no sense in being sad and mope about it, but at this point, you could have attributed that to being slightly tipsy. Yeah! You were just irrationally thinking because you had one…. One glass of wine. 

“(Name)?”

Perking your head up, you looked at the door, the look of curiosity seemingly evident on your face as Billy gave you an equally strange before it turned into a smile. 

“Oh, thank god, I thought ya left me for good this time.” Billy said, holding his beer by the neck of the bottle. “I saw you walk this way and wondered if you were going to the bedroom to pass out. Just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Oh, I’m not drunk enough for that.” You joked and looked back down at the piano keys, suddenly and sharply aware that it was only the two of you in the room as the door came sweeping shut, pattering of feet against the ground before his beer was placed on the top of the piano and he rested beside you on the bench. “Get tired of that gal with the…?” You gestured towards your chest, implying something that Billy understood right away with a scoff and a more than bashful smile, his hand waving in dismissal.

“There’s more to it than that, (Name). Stimulating conversation, for example.” His hand sat on the piano keys, beside yours so your hands were rubbing against one another. “A connection, I guess.”

“Didn’t feel anything?” You question and tilted your head to the side. “Ain’t that a shame, Bill.”

“No,” That was a simple answer, “She was nice, just not what I was looking for.”

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re too picky.” You joked, watching as his hand began playing a small, mindless tune that meant nothing to him but could if he put some effort behind a melody. “What are you looking for?”Billy shrugged as a small smile rolled against his face as you began playing Middle C rhythmically to what his left hand was playing.

 “Sometimes I wonder the same thing. I’ve got slight fame, sure. That could get me anyone, right? Even if I’m a sorta funny lookin’ guy.” The New York accent really seemed to pop out as he said that, right hand picking up his beer and taking a quick swig. “I at least got talent.”

“I wouldn’t say… that….” It was your turn to shrug. “I think you’re well… Billy, you’re…���

“You’re…. Beautiful.” That wasn’t a question as if he were trying to guess what you were trying to articulate. It was a statement and you felt the quietness rush over the two of you in a small wave followed by one that was slightly bigger upon realization of what Billy had said to you. “I-I mean beautifully—- Beautiful….”

“Thank you.” You blurted out and laughed nervously, standing up quickly. Perhaps, too quickly as you stumbled and put your hands against the keys, causing a rather loud noise that must have sounded amusing to anyone listening at the door. It could have been mistaken for something else, something much more thrilling and exciting than not so graciously taking a compliment from your best friend. “I’m uh…”

“I think you’re beautiful.” Billy finally said that in confidence, putting his hand down on the keys and despite this being a close movement to your previous hand resting down, the sound that illuminating from his sounded perfect as if it was meant to be played that way. It lingered for a a few seconds as his hand rested. “You’re what— I mean, this is…” He gestured awkwardly between the two of you, his beautiful eyes falling to look at his lap because it seemed as if he were too afraid to look you in the eye any longer. Weird, Billy thought, usually alcohol gave him that boost to be more forthcoming but now… He was too afraid, nervous of what you were going to say. “I can’t deny that there isn’t something I feel towards you—”

“Billy, I—”

“We’e been friends for so long, right? Years. Imagine us going for something more, ya know? Even if you wanted that… Even if I wanted it….” You do, you idiot, his mind was screaming at him as he balled his hands before relaxing them. Damn nerves. “Other girls are just….” He tilted his head to the side, his hair seemingly bouncing with that movement, “I can’t get over it. Over this,” That gesture between the two of you returned, “I think I’m in love with you….”

“Are all New York men this thick?” You whispered to him and laughed. Billy’s eyes widened at that. Were you… Insulting him? Oh god, you were rejecting him. It had to be otherwise you wouldn’t be laughing about it. He felt obligated to laugh as well, his lips curling to the left. 

“We’re not thick, just a bit muddy.” Billy swallowed down his pride, “Can we forget this happened then? Go back to normal. Best friends, right? I’ll write a song about this and we’ll laugh about it later in life.”

“How about thick mud?” You sat down beside him again, reeling from the fact that this was even happening. “Why’re you telling me this now? How long…”

“God, too long.” Billy’s voice was soft and upon looking at him, you saw how solemn he looked. “Maybe… A year now…” A year…. It’s been a year since ‘The Stranger’ was released. Since the two of you caught eyes at the release party and you felt an intense shift between the two of you that was going to linger and build into this. This moment in time where Billy was looking at you with those puppy dog eyes flushed with eyelashes, finally admitting to something that had been a dance for a year. “I know it sounds crazy…. But, I think I’m in love with you…”

A/N: Thanks for reading! Reblogs and likes are appreciated! More Billy Joel to come! - Miss Em. 

[elftwink]

Hi!! I’m trying to get into DMing and I was wondering if you could help me with were to start or if you have any tips that you’ve picked up yourself over your time asa dm? Thank you so much for your time and I hope you’re doing well!! 💙🤟

oh absolutely i love talking about dming and pretending i’m on talk shows where my methods of doing things are interesting. Also this is very long but generally speaking the main points are about communicating with players (eg making sure everyone has fun and wants to come back as priority #1), designing a session (by lying to your players and giving them to illusion of a wide sprawling world while not creating that much work for you), and the rule of cool. i’ve bolded it so it’s easier to navigate but also like. sorry i just like to talk a lot lol. anyway i hope this is helpful. 

I think when you’re just starting out the first thing on your mind should be communicating with players. Running a session 0 to lay down house rules (even if you don’t have any, you should use it to ask players what they do and don’t wanna see, to introduce their character, to make sure you know what kind of content your players will and won’t like, etc. plus, house rules are implemented to solve problems which means you will almost certainly have a house rule or two after the first few sessions), checking in with players to see that they’re still having fun (even just like, noticing if someone is bored), figuring out which players are comfortable with roleplay, etc. This is mostly learned via experience and will vary between groups so there’s not a lot of specifics other than just to stay on your toes but the two things I will say in specific is:

1) learn to recognize your own mistakes and bad calls and apologize for them asap. you’ll def make them cos everyone does and that’s just being a person making judgement calls, but it’s usually easy to resolve if you apologize and make a note for next time. 

& 2) if a player is being disruptive or annoying (breaking rules, constantly arguing your judgements, ruining roleplay, metagaming 24/7 etc), don’t be afraid to out of character be like “hey. cut that out right now”. the third time a player says they kill an npc for no reason, you don’t have to let them roll for it. you can just say “no dude if you kill all the npcs the story can’t progress and besides, i and the other players are here to play dnd.” although like, unless it’s really severe, probably just text them after the fact. it’s easier and also you don’t run the risk of embarrassing or shaming them in front of their friends, because that’s not the goal— you just want the disruptive behaviour to stop

if your whole party is being ‘disruptive’ in the same way though (eg all of them constantly start bar fights), that might just be how they want to play, in which case you may just have to adapt. if it’s really screwing up your adventure or annoying you, talk to the party, but you will generally have a much easier time designing to your players goals than you will trying to make them play to yours

the other main thing is learning to move sets. by which i mean it’s important that players aren’t railroaded and that they feel like they have a bunch of options even when they definitely don’t because listen. no one has time for that. most dms are not professionals and we don’t actually have time to account for every possible story arc that could ever happen, especially because someone will definitely come up with something you never would have thought of in a million years

instead you want to rely on false choices and moving sets. false choices are stuff like asking your players if they want to go left or right knowing that no matter which way they pick they’re going to encounter some goblins. doesn’t really matter. even if you had prepared a second encounter, they never would have seen it— they only experience a linear version of a dungeon crawl. so you only have to write a linear version. as long as they feel like they could have had a second option that they chose not to take, you’re in the clear. that being said, generally only do this with minor choices; huge choices should absolutely impact the storyline drastically. it’s just that with small things, the illusion of choice is going to work about the same and will cause you way less stress

moving sets is stuff like: you planned for the players to talk to the innkeeper and learn about the mystery. but then they don’t go to the inn. they’re not interested in the inn no matter how many hints you drop. your choices here are either drop ooc and say “look, the plot hook is in the inn” (which tbh, i’ve done, and it works if you don’t do it often and your players are willing to give you a break, but if you don’t have to do it, don’t) OR you can decide to make the vital npc a blacksmith instead, or a town guard, or whoever else the party is going to encounter in the next two minutes. playing dnd is constantly moving things around so the party encounters vital information when they decide to do whatever they want. it’s also good to keep in mind that it’s probably not on purpose, and even if your hints seem obvious to you, it’s because you read or wrote the whole adventure already. to your players, the town hall and the inn are both equally important. they have no idea you didn’t prepare anything for the town hall, and it’s your job to just pretend you knew what was going on the whole time. i have npcgenerator.com open during sessions just in case the players start talking to random people

finally i live and die by the rule of cool as much as humanly possible, and most people have said it better than me but generally speaking, coolness always supersedes rules and rolls and everything else. player wants to do some dope shit that doesn’t quite work with the spell description? just let them. you’re designing a dungeon and think of something interesting that breaks a mechanic? do it anyway. your boss was accidentally unbalanced and the fight is going to be over in 20 seconds (either by tpk or by the party wiping the board) but you know it would be much more fun to have the dramatic battle you saw in your head? lie about the rolls, the enemy’s health, its attack bonus, its abilities. player figures out the big twist like 5 sessions earlier than you planned? reward them and be ready to think on your toes. as long as you’re prioritizing the players’ fun and them thinking the session is cool, you’re probably fine

generally like, players want things to feel fair, they want it to be cool, and they want that without sacrificing the stakes and the feeling that their character could die, that they could loose horribly, because it’s the risk that makes it feel cool and like a victory. sometimes you have to manufacture that risk or mitigate it so that you preserve that feeling of fairness, and you mostly have to do it where the players can’t see. 

tl;dr i know this is a lot but generally it all comes back to having fun and remembering to work with your players, not against them. you are in charge of a lot but you’re still just another player at the table. you throw obstacles at them not to beat them, but because it’s fun to see the obstacles be overcome. players are okay with losing as long as it doesn’t feel like they’re losing just so you can win. they should feel (and it should be) that that was just the risk they took, and that they understood that risk, and that they feel like how you decided the result was fair. ik i said this already but it’s that risk that makes it fun in the first place, and sometimes to maintain that sense of risk, the players have to lose. 

anyway. i hope this was helpful, and good luck in DMing! if all else fails, you can just randomly roll some dice and try to look like you know what is going on, because that works probably way more than it should. people are already assuming you know what’s going on, so all you have to do is not correct them

[spooky-skz]

(4/9) Stray Kids as Apple Employees AU

okay, ik what you’re gonna say.

“wtf mari, why apple employees?”

honestly, i don’t have a good reason.

i literally came out of my shower and was like, “pffft, they’d make funny apple employees,” then this AU was born.

i might continue this, i might not. depends on my itty bitty brain when it comes up with content.

i also sort of wanna do a stray kids as baristas at starbucks but idk

anYWAYS let’s do it.

CHAN!

aaaaah our beloved leader is the technical support advisor who basically helps people with troubleshooting.

he’s the dude you contact when your stupid device isn’t doing what you want it to but you’re….calling from home.

he always has his headset on him. (fyi, it’s a headphone thingy with a mic attached to it.)

Like alWAYS

woojin asked him once why he literally wore it like his life depended on it.

probably because it did

his response was simple, “so i can take calls and help customers while making sure jeongin doesn’t burn the store down at the same time.”  （︶︿︶）

woojin didn’t ask any further questions bc he understood all too well.       ( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°)

(don’t worry, i’ll explain later.)

chan was super good at his job lmao.

he effortlessly engaged with people, explaining step by step solutions with patience and had an approach tailored to each individual customer.

papa steve jobs would be v proud indeed

he had difficult responsibilities too bro

imagine getting yelled at for a whole day by people you didn’t even know, because they were angry at a device you didn’t even mAKE-

when they say, ‘patience is a virtue,’ they rlly mean:

pATIENCE

IS

A FUCKIN

VIRTUE

ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ bc most people would probably grow annoyed after the other person in the phone line keep shouting & blaming.

but not chan. no. no.

he’d be tolerant with the customer, and continue to provide the best customer service possible. ╮(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)╭

… i mean… unless the person was getting too aggressive for his liking, then he’d just remove the headpiece, scroll through the company website, and wait till the person has cooled down before proceeding to help them with a positive attitude. (꒪ཀ꒪)

Hyunjin

his job title is literally, ‘Genius,’

i kid you not. i looked this shit up.

jeongin thought it was a legit at first

like they all joined the company at different times but jeongin was the last to hop on the apple train.

hyunjin’s name on the schedule board would be beside the word, ‘genius,’ and for like… two whole months, jeongin thought hyunjin was the mastermind behind the whole apple operation

i cannot tell you how many times hyunjin was approached by jeongin with a problem that he didn’t have the knowledge to help with

luckily, seungmin was feeling nice and explained that, ‘genius,’ was just the name of hyunjin’s job.

why?

seungmin didn’t know either

okay  baCK TO HYUNJIN!! his job is to quickly diagnose product issues on the spot, explain what’s wrong with the device to the customer. after determining whether repairs can be done or a replacement is needed, he’d offer solutions to help get users up and running again.

now don’t get me wrong, hyunjin loved his job bc he liked helping people and fixing devices bUT!!!!

after working in the same store for almost a year, these group of girls would literally be there every w e e k e n d to get “help,” from him.

he was flattered and all about the female audience but it was getting stale.

some girls would breAK their devices on purpose just to have an excuse to talk to him.

the convo’s they’d try to initiate wasn’t even about the faulty device anymore.

this rlly bothered him bc it took his time away from helping ACTUAL customers.

eventually, chan banned them from coming in to disrupt the peace of the store and to protect hyunjin from their beady eyes and weirdness.

jeongin mostly came to hyunjin for help with something (bc he knew the older dude wouldn’t tell chan)

& these two doods would try to fix the problem together!! hopefully before chan finds out about the problem bc

oof

then mr. advisor would be streSSED AF and

they’d get a scolding from mother!woojin

Jeongin

our bby boy is the technical specialist who helps people get started with using their devices.

gets excited with you when you get your new phone or computer.

knows all the tips and tricks on getting the most out of your device

is especially patient with the elderly and first-time users.

he knows!! that technology is difficult to understand and work around when you’re barely starting out so he’ll take as long as necessary to help someone understand how the phone or laptop works.

but...

y’all…

don’t let this boi anywhere a fire hazard area

i mean, he doesn’t mean to start fires

they just...happen???

like, they have this small employee mini kitchen in the upstairs breakroom (literally the whole 2nd floor could be a one bedroom apartment)

and of course when there’s a kitchen, there has to be SNACKS!!!

and jeongin was hungry during his shift.

so he goes up during the non-busy hours of the day to get himself some fud

(✿◠‿◠) a growing boi needs his nutrients!!

chan had left briefly for a coffee run, woojin was downstairs trying to fix a malfunctioning monitor. the other boys were either sick, out for lunch, or hadn’t clocked in yet.

jeongin put in a bag of popcorn in the microwave, and checked the box for instructions

it said, “for 5,000 watt microwave = 2 min. for 500 watt microwave = 4 min.”

he checked the microwave and it was 1,000 watt :-)

uhhh he didn’t really know at what time to put it in as so…

he typed in 3 min.

he didn’t mind having some burnt popcorn bc hey!! he just wanted to eat something.

he took a seat in front of felix’s computers and started scrolling through the security tapes in hopes of finding one funny footage of a customer.

:-) it started smelling like smoke for some odd reason.

mmm yep that was the smell of smoke for sure.

wonder where that’s coming from?

he thought.

he turned around to look for the source, and

HOLY SHIT THE MICROWAVE WAS ON FIRE

the panic in his body went from 0% to 100% real quick.

jeongin couldn’t just turn off the damned heating machine bc it was in flames, but he just couldn’t let it continue to get bigger and bigger.

he grabbed the pitcher of lemonade at the table and yEET that juice all over the microwave.

it did like minimal help.

he could hear chan entering the store, calling for woojin to help him bring the cups upstairs to the break room

oh no

he was in the break room.

he grabbed a wash cloth from the sink and began smACKIN at the flames

cue the parents walking in.

chan: (.•̵̑⌓•̵̑)

woojin: ༼ ༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ༽

without wasting another second, woojin yanked jeongin away from the fire bc it was starting to get really big and he could have gotten hurt ( ˘︹˘)

while chan got the fire extinguisher from beside the fridge

was that always there? jeongin asked himself

and chan used it to stop the fire.

poor bby jeongin got a massive scolding from both parents and told him to be more cautious next time.

then they all cleaned up the mess before the rush of people came in the shop!!

the next day, the other boys walked in to woojin spraying the SHIT outta this air freshener all over the break room bc it reaked of burnt popcorn & metal.

windows were all open to the smell out and the beloved microwave was nowhere to be seen.

chan was sipping on his morning cup of coffee when minho asked what happened.

“jeongin nearly burned the store down so there’s no more microwave.”

“oh. okay.”

Felix

ahhh okay so his job isn’t anything tech related really, except for when he watches people through his cams

he was the security guard of the store uwu

he has so far prevented 7 fights from happening and 6 of those 7 were between minho and seungmin lmao.

he was the perfect man for this job bc on the outside, his face is like:  (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

but when he’s upset or angry, mr. security guard mode is activated  (ง’̀-‘́)ง so he has to remove people from the premises.

he uses his SCARY voice when dealing with overly aggressive people and it usually does the trick when he asks them to leave

but when lil kids are just so excited and curious about the devices, he uses his soft uwu voice to converse with them about their day or what they’re doing in school

overall the cutest & dependable guard ever!!! 11/10

once changbin kept trying to fiddle with felix’s computer and he was like, “bro.. you’ve been trying to guess my password for like 2 hours. it’s not yngbok01.”

and changbin was soooo frustrated with this and he looked at felix like   (ﾉಥ益ಥ）ﾉ ┻━┻ “PLS JUST SIGN IN!!”

a smirk was on the guard’s face as he asked why he should.

changbin looked defeated and finally said, “i was locking up the store last thursday and was doing my own version of karaoke and i… tripped on the cords, and my jeans ripped open as i fell. If that blackmailer minho gets his hands on that footage, i’m dONE FOR—”

felix nearly toppled over from laughing so much as he watched the clip of what happened while changbin was visibly on edge, looking for any sign that minho was in the room

he still deleted the clip tho bc he’s a good friend  

( 。・_・。)人(。・_・。 )

[seventeen-imagines-reactions]

Bang Chan as your boyfriend

Henlo trying new stuff rn hope y’all like it ^^  my ask box is open so feel free to request! 

******

Boyfriend! Bang Chan

How you met:

you were at a convenience store after spending your day in the library

you had to study for upcoming exams and write a bunch of essays

but you still had some way ahead and wanted to grab a quick snack and coffee

Bang Chan saw you struggling with the coffee in one and your textbook plus snacks in your other hand

he quickly offered help and placed your things on a table 

Chan wanted to leave as he saw the classes the textbooks were for 

“Oh, chemistry. Is that your major in uni?” He quickly asked, not sure if he came of as weird

“No, thank god it’s not. I’m just taking additional classes to see what I’m interested in. Chemistry might not be it.” You answered, laughing because you knew how much you hated it. 

Chan couldn’t help but notice that you were struggling. “I mean... I really liked chemistry and I know some ways to understand and memorize things.-” at this point he kept looking at the time and his phone. “-here’s my kakaotalk-ID, just text me when you need help.” 

He quickly wrote it down, grabbing one of your pens and your book and ran off, probably because he was late for something

Normally you wouldn’t react to actions like this, but the fact that he didn’t even give you a number made you believe that he really just wanted to help *

At home, you kept thinking wether or not you should text him. You really needed help but you also at least wanted to say “thank you”

You gave in after an hour of thinking. “Hey, thank you for your help today. And for offering your help in chemistry. My name is Y/N by the way.” 

How you started dating:

after months and months of meeting and getting lessons from him you finally amitted to yourself, that you fell for him head to toe

you started talking to him and getting his help from then on and he now was your close friend

you knew his intention wasn’t bad so you were comfortable around him

not all of your days passed with studying of course

you met up at the dorm to watch movies or he invited you to the studio

he liked having you around as well

one day, or let’s say evening, he called you to the studio which wasn’t new for you

but this time he seemed really off, he didn’t focus on any conversation or even his music

he kept accidentally deleting files and forgot to record even

so you felt the need to ask what was happening

“You know... I wanted to tell you something. But I keep thinking that you might get my intial intention wrong. I want to say this before telling you. I really didn’t think about anything other than helping you the first day we met. Really. Y/N I think I have... stronger feelings for you than just friendship.” 

He caught you off guard but you couldn’t help but smile for the first few seconds

“Y/N if you don’t talk right now I think I might pass out.” 

“I feel the same way for you, Channie.” 

Also you will have to deal with really bad chemistry jokes 

because that’s how you met

and the chemisty between you was right yk

The first I love you:

kinda obvious who said it first right

a couple days into being a couple, none of you said “I love you” yet

but it didn’t seem like a problem anyway

so you were with chan again, this time at the dorm

cuddled into many blankets on the couch watching a movie while the others were sleeping

at one point you were so tired you just leaned into chan and closed your eyes

“Y/N?” he asked checking if you were still awake

you were, but you were just too tired to answer. So he just thought you were sleeping

he chuckled a little and slightly nuzzled his face into your hair

his hug got tighter and you now were closer to him

“I love you” he said, while giving you a slight kiss on top of your head

the next day, when you woke up next to him you just smiled at him

“I forgot to tell you something before sleeping.” “What?” “I love you too.” 

The first kiss:

okay the sweetest thing ever

neither chan nor you are necessarily old fashioned

but you wanted your first kiss to be special and both of you knew that without even mentioning it

there were pecks and all types of sweet kisses but not the first kiss

the day was kind of a rough day for both of you, he was drained from all the comeback stages and you - again - were busy with uni

so there wasn’t a whole bunch of talking 

Chan came back really late and saw you still sitting at your desk trying to finish stuff until the deadline

“Don’t you want to sleep love?” he asked while getting ready for bed

“I think I just sleep now, too. I’ll be ready soon.” 

While you were changing clothes and washing your face etc, you did a little bit of small talk

it was the only conversation you had these days and you could tell how tired he was even now

“Can I do something for you chan? Tea, pillows I don’t know. It hurts seeing you like this.” You tried to offer as much help as possible, seeing him completely exhausted and too tired to even talk made you feel bad

“Hm... only one thing comes to mind.” Chan sat himself straight up, held your hands and pulled you down so you were sitting right next to him facing his face

with a really tired but genuine smile he caressed your cheeks and slowly cupped your face

at this time you understood what was happeing but being so close to him made you blush like crazy even now

the second, that parted your face with his felt like and eternity 

and that eternity later his lips finally met yours and in that moment you felt all the weight fall of your shoulders

you heart started beating like crazy and your face felt like fire but nothing could break this moment

you melted into chan’s touch it felt like, as if you weren’t able to part 

Chan slowly pulled back his face, leaving only little space, to breathe. He smiled at you, really shyly 

“I feel way better now.” He said before meeting your lips again, not in the slightest way aggressive maybe even sweeter and more passionate this time (I do definitely hate myself)

*what I meant by that:

Giving someone your number just feels like a „smart“ way of being like „hey I lost my number can I have yours lol“

Like ik not everyone is the same but that doesn’t feel safe neither do I think Chan would risk that

If you don’t know what Kakaotalk is. I would say basically it’s like any other messenger app but it’s really known in korea (prolly because it’s korean) and you can use both ID and number. The person only knowing your ID cannot necessarily see ur number

[vicandsade]

1941-12-08 - The Bottom Buffet Drawer

1941-12-08 - The Bottom Buffet Drawer

[See additional commentary at The Crazy World of Vic and Sade]

[hear the episode here or here]

Every house needs a junk drawer. Unfortunately, Sade would prefer that the bottom buffet drawer not be that. 

As a person who likes things to be organized in a certain way, I can sympathize with Sade’s intense disapproval here. Things have places where they belong and don’t belong, and those places are not always as obvious to the other people in the house or workplace as you think they are. It’s especially vexing that this has happened once before. You’d think Vic and Rush would have learned their lesson the first time. Their claiming not to remember putting those items in the drawer: lies, or pure absentmindedness? We can’t know for sure. But I would like to point out how ready Vic is to throw Rush under the bus in these situations -- it’s happened before. Whenever Sade is angry with both Vic and Rush, Rush always comes out looking a little better!

Transcript

————–

ANNOUNCER: Well sir, it’s late afternoon as we enter the small house halfway up in the next block now, and here in the living room we find Mr. Victor Gook, his son Mr. Rush Gook, and Sade’s amiable Uncle Fletcher. The gentlemen have just this moment arrived and they’re removing hats and overcoats. Listen.

FLETCHER: Guess Sadie’s not home.

RUSH: Probably upstairs or down cellar. The back door was unlocked. Mom very seldom even goes across the alley to Mis’ Harris’ without lockin’ the back door.

FLETCHER: Fine. Likely she’s off Christmas shoppin’.

SADE: [off] Yes? You, Rush?

VIC: [calls] Hidey-hi hodey-ho.

SADE: [off] I’ll be right down.

VIC: Take everybody’s hats and coats out in the hallway, why don’tcha, George?

RUSH: Okay. You can be gettin’ the cards outta the library table drawer.

FLETCHER: I’m only gonna play a couple hands or so, Vic. Sit down long enough to take the chill outta my bones.

VIC: Anything you say.

FLETCHER: I better let Sadie know I’m not stayin’ for supper. Otherwise she might--

SADE: [up] You here too, huh, Uncle Fletcher?

VIC: Greetings, Dr. Sleetch.

FLETCHER: I couldn’t stay for supper even if I was invited. My landlady Mis’ Keller’s fixin’ special turnip greens this evenin’. No, I’ll play a hand or two of rummy, and step on home.

SADE: You here too, huh, Uncle Fletcher?

FLETCHER: Hello, Sadie. [mischievous] These scalawags told me you were off downtown Christmas shopping.

SADE: [not amused] Did they?

FLETCHER: Yeah.

RUSH: [up] I suggest we deal everybody ten cards just like you do in two-handed rummy. That way the game lasts longer, and there’s more chances--

FLETCHER: What’s the idea tellin’ me your mother was off downtown Christmas shoppin’, Rush?

RUSH: [laughs]  I never told ya that.

FLETCHER: You take boys, they enjoy a game.

SADE: Don’t bother there for a minute, Vic.

VIC: What?

SADE: I say don’t bother fixin’ up your rummies there for a minute.  I’ve got something to show you.

VIC: Something to show me?

SADE: Yes. You too, Willy. Come out in the dinin’ room.

RUSH: What for?

SADE: [quietly] You’ll see. We’re goin’ out in the dining room a little bit, Uncle Fletcher. Siddown and make yourself comfortable.

FLETCHER: I’m not stayin’ for supper, Sadie.

SADE: You’re welcome to.

FLETCHER: Mighty nice of you to insist, but like I just got through tellin’ what’s-his-name, I promised Mis’ Keller I’d come home and eat turnip greens she’s fixin’ special.

SADE: Uh-huh.

FLETCHER: The way it was, I bumped into Vic just now comin’ from the office, and Rush comin’ from Tatman’s Vacant Lot. They said why didn’t I stop in for a while and get warm and play a hand or two of rummy. I decided fine.

SADE: Uh-huh. 

FLETCHER: Thought I’d better get understood right away, though, I wasn’t stayin’ for supper.

SADE: Mm-hmm.

FLETCHER: [chuckling] Then Rush told me you were off downtown Christmas shopping!

RUSH: I never told ya any such a thing!

FLETCHER: Yes. I understand boys enjoy a joke.

SADE: Come out in the dining room, you two fellas. I’m sure Uncle Fletcher’ll excuse ya for a minute or so.

VIC: What’s out in the dinin’ room?

SADE: Come along.

VIC: After you, Charlie.

RUSH: Oh.

SADE: Shame company has to be present to see this.

VIC: See what?

SADE: If I’d realized I had two little babies in the house instead of two great, big men I’d have bought myself a padlock.

VIC: [laughs] Well, I got no idea what you’re talkin’ about, kiddo.

SADE: I wouldn’t laugh.

FLETCHER: [off] Where’s everybody goin’?

SADE: [calls] They’ll be right back. [to RUSH] Will ya open this bottom buffet drawer, please?

RUSH: Sure.

SADE: This happened once before. A long time ago. I thought then I’d made everything clear. Looks like I didn’t.

RUSH: Are you referrin’ to the occasion when--

SADE: I asked you to open the bottom buffet drawer. Just gonna stand there?

RUSH: [annoyed] Only a civilized question--

SADE: Open the bottom buffet drawer. 

RUSH: Oh. 

FLETCHER: [off] I’m not stayin’ for supper, you know, Sadie.

SADE: [calls] Just siddown and be comfortable a minute, Uncle Fletcher.

FLETCHER: [off] I made a commitment with my landlady Mis’ Keller I’d be home eatin’ special turnip greens. She mentioned at the dinner table this noon she was makin’ ...[continues talking in background]

VIC: Overshoes, by George! So that’s where they’ve been! Do you remember the other day me searchin’ high and low for them overshoes--

SADE: [accusingly] Yes, your overshoes, by George, so that’s where they’ve been!

VIC: Well, I don’t recall ever puttin’ my overshoes in--

SADE: What’s the matter with him in there? [calls] All right, just a second, Uncle Fletcher!

FLETCHER: [off] Well, I better be on deck to eat them special turnip greens!

RUSH: [chuckles] Uncle Fletcher’s a great fella--

SADE: Did you notice this?

RUSH: [pleased] Well! My first baseman’s glove! I woulda bet forty dollars I’d carelessly left that first baseman’s glove in Tatman’s Vacant Lot last summer! I woulda bet fifty dollars--

SADE: Do either one of you fellas remember how I cried and wept and yelled when I discovered you’d used this bottom buffet drawer to keep your trash in before?

VIC: About those overshoes, Sadie, I plead complete innocence. It’s a mystery to me how they ever--

SADE: You plead complete innocence about this?

VIC: Uh -- what?

SADE: This!

VIC: Why, isn’t that...

SADE: [voice shaking] Yes, it is! It’s the rotten, old, dirty, rusty, rotten horseshoe you brought home from Ike Kneesuffer’s basement!

VIC: That’s the horseshoe Ike presented me with. I won six games in a row with it and made seven ringers in succession. Let’s see, was it early last September that I...

SADE: What is it doin’ in the bottom drawer of my buffet?

VIC: Darned if I know! Rush, have you been takin’ liberties with my personal possessions and secretin’ them in Mama’s--

RUSH: [indignant] I have not! 

FLETCHER: [up] What’s everybody doin’ in the dining room?

SADE: I don’t open this bottom buffet drawer, ever. It’s where I keep my NICE things. My best washrags and doilies and tablecloths and napkins. And you fellas knew! You just couldn’ta forgot that other time when this happened.

FLETCHER: What’s everybody doing in the dining room?

SADE: It’s by accident I opened the drawer this afternoon. Needed a place to put that little handkerchief Dottie Brainfeeble sent me. Opened the drawer and like to have fainted. Rush, how about that ice skate?

RUSH: I’ve been lookin’ at that ice skate with considerable interest. It’s not my ice skate.

SADE: It’s not your ice skate?

RUSH: It’s not my own, personal ice skate, no. I mean by that I never purchased the ice skate. As a matter of strict, downright fact, I found that ice skate layin’ in the middle of Center Street way last summer. I remember sayin’ to myself at the time it certainly was a peculiar season to come across an ice skate with the thermometer at 90 degrees in the shade...

SADE: Did you put the ice skate in the drawer, there?

RUSH: I’m just tryin’ to recollect if I did or not.

SADE: You’ll notice it’s stickin’ into the fancy table runner Mis’ Stembottom bought in Chicago and give me for my birthday and I considered it too nice to use. 

RUSH: Well, I’m rackin’ my brains, but I can’t seem to recollect placin’ that particular ice skate in that particular bottom drawer...

[telephone rings]

VIC: [seeing an escape] Uh, telephone’s ringin’!

RUSH: Telephone’s ringin’!

VIC: I’ll get it!

RUSH: I’ll get it!

VIC: No, it’s probably Ike Kneesuffer.

RUSH: It’s probably Bluetooth Johnson.

VIC: I’ll get it!

SADE: I’LL get it. You fellas stay right here.

FLETCHER: What’s everybody doin’ in the dining room?

SADE: I’m sorry you had to be a witness to this, Uncle Fletcher.

FLETCHER: Fine. 

VIC: [turning on RUSH] What’s the idea pilin’ ice skates on top of your mother’s table scarves? 

RUSH: I don’t even recall doin’ it.

VIC: Ha! Likely story!

RUSH: As far as that goes, what’s the idea pilin’ horseshoes on top of Mom’s table scarves? 

VIC: Are you all of a sudden the district attorney, the judge, and a stern old man? I’m not responsible to YOU for my actions, my friend.

RUSH: Oh.

FLETCHER: Sadie’s vexed?

VIC: What?

FLETCHER: Sadie vexed over somethin’, is she?

VIC: Yeah.

FLETCHER: Fine. No, you take ladies, they’ll get vexed. Remember Phil Wisher there in Sterling?

VIC: Uh-uh.

FLETCHER: Wore cap, socks, shirt, necktie, underwear, pants, coat, and vest all made outta the same material?

VIC: No.

FLETCHER: Later died?

VIC: No.

FLETCHER: Phil Wisher married a woman and that woman got vexed on her wedding day and stayed vexed for twenty-seven years. Phil never made her mad on purpose at all. All he done was say, “Who’s that funny-lookin’ chump with the whiskers?” Just happened to be his wife’s father. Wife got vexed and stayed vexed. Never a day passed but what she couldn’t jump up from the breakfast table and say, “I suppose you’re wonderin’ who that funny-lookin’ chump with the whiskers is!”

VIC: [chuckles quietly]

SADE: [up] What’s just terrible, terrible, terrible funny?

VIC: Uncle Fletcher just told an amusing anecdote. It was about a--

SADE: Shame Uncle Fletcher had to be a witness to this.

FLETCHER: [miles away] Yes! No, Phil Wisher’s wife got vexed and stayed vexed.

VIC: Who was it on the phone, Sade?

SADE: Mis’ Trogle.

VIC: Nobody for me?

SADE: I said it was Mis’ Trogle. No, I never open this bottom buffet drawer myself. I feel like it sometimes, but I hesitate to. See, everything is arranged so careful. Every washrag, table runner, napkin, and doily folded and patted down to perfection. I don’t like to dig around and take chances on disarranging stuff I’ve labored over.

VIC:  If I may murmur one little word in my own defense, I’d like to--

SADE: No such scruples in you fellas, though. Ice skates, overshoes, old newspapers, baseball mitts and screwdrivers! These easy slippers are your property, aren’t they, Rush?

RUSH: I can explain exactly how they happen to be there.

SADE: Can you? Tell us. Oughta be interesting.

RUSH: Well sir, one evenin’ some weeks ago I was studyin’ algebra in my pajamas. The doorbell rang, and it was Mr. and Mis’ Heddles stoppin’ past for a few minutes on their way home from the picture show. “Rush,” you said, “run upstairs and put on your clothes.” I run upstairs and put on my clothes, and come down again, and--

SADE: This is a long, dull, tiresome story, don’t you think, Uncle Fletcher?

FLETCHER: Beg pardon, Sadie?

SADE: [chuckles] Don’t you think it’s kind of a long, tiresome story Rush is tellin’?

FLETCHER: Yes! Yes it is. Reminds me of Sid Teepers there in Belvedere.

SADE: Did Sid Teepers there in Belvedere pile dirty old junk on top of his mother’s loveliest linen things?

FLETCHER: Yes. Sid Teepers married a woman twenty-four years old.

RUSH: [giggles] How old was Sid?

SADE: This is hardly any time for you to snort and smirk and titter, Rush.

FLETCHER: Sid Teepers married a woman twenty-four years old.

VIC: How old was Sid?

SADE: Or you, either. 

VIC: Oh.

FLETCHER: Sadie?

SADE: Yes?

FLETCHER: Sid Teepers married a woman twenty-four years old.

SADE: [giving in] How old was Sid?

FLETCHER: Twenty-six. Sid Teepers was twenty-six years old when he got married. Started takin’ violin lessons. Took violin lessons every Sunday afternoon up until the time he was fifty-seven, and at the end of that time, wasn’t able to play a single tune.

RUSH: What was the matter?

FLETCHER: Fine.

RUSH: Why couldn’t he play a single tune after all them lessons?

FLETCHER: He played scales. He liked scales, so he played scales. Ask Sid to slop out his fiddle and play ya a selection, he’d play ya a scale. Holler for an encore, he played another scale. He played scales as good as any violin player around. But he got monotonous after an evening.

SADE: Gettin’ back to the buffet drawer.

FLETCHER: Yes.

SADE: Is this gonna happen again?

VIC and RUSH: No.

SADE: You know what takes place.

VIC and RUSH: [guilty murmur]

SADE: You’ll come dashin’ in the house with your ice skates and your overshoes and your baseball mitts, and wanna get ‘em out of sight. And won’t go to the trouble of liftin’ your little finger to find a suitable place. This bottom buffet drawer is close and handy. Ya simply yank it open--

[telephone rings]

VIC: Uh, telephone’s ringin’.

RUSH: Telephone’s ringin’!

VIC: I’ll get it.

RUSH: I’ll get it!

VIC: I’m positive it’s Ike Kneesuffer. 

RUSH: I’m positive it’s Bluetooth Johnson.

VIC: I’ll get it.

RUSH: I’ll get it!

SADE: [tired] Why don’tcha both go get it.

VIC and RUSH: What?

SADE: Why don’tcha both go get it. 

VIC and RUSH: Oh...

FLETCHER: I hafta go home for supper, you know, Sadie.

SADE: Sorry you can’t stay.

FLETCHER: Mis’ Keller’s preparin’ special turnip greens this evening.

SADE: Uh-huh.

FLETCHER: Vic and Rush vexed, are they?

SADE: [chuckles] No...I’m the one that’s vexed.

FLETCHER: Fine.

SADE: Just look at my bottom buffet drawer...

FLETCHER: [approvingly] Yes!

SADE: And it’ll happen again.

FLETCHER: Oh, sure.

SADE: It’ll happen again.

FLETCHER: Remember J.L. Dunsplot there in Dixon?

SADE: No.

FLETCHER: Was right-handed up to the time he was twenty-nine, and turned left-handed overnight?

SADE: No.

FLETCHER: J.L. Dunsplot married a woman thirty-three years old.

SADE: Uh...how old was he?

FLETCHER: Thirty-seven.

ANNOUNCER: Well, neighbor, so end’s the day’s visit at that small house halfway up in the next block. But seems like something’s always going on at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Gook. I’ll be waiting there to open the door for you when you drop in on Vic and Sade the next time.