#ok well this was made for wednesday but repost. so.

[jetlaggingbehind]

them :]

[moni-logues]

Early Riser

Pairing: Jungkook x reader (gn) Genre: smut, pwp Rating: 18 (oral sex, male receiving; somnophilia) Word count: 1001

Summary: It's JK's birthday and you want even his first waking moment to be a great one

AN: it's a repost! because it's been a while!! because I definitely did not completely forget all about them lmao just some short, sweet smut for your Wednesday evening; you are welcome!

*** Your hand rummages under your pillow to turn off your silent, vibrating alarm clock. You groan inwardly as you check the time: 6am. The things you do for this man. You would never usually wake this early, but Jungkook has to get up early for work – on his birthday of all days – so sacrifices must be made. You turn your head to check that the alarm hasn’t woken him as well, but he looks deep asleep. You praise the lord that he’s sleeping on his back… This would’ve been difficult if you’d woken up and found him on his stomach! A special treat for a very special boy.

You sit up carefully so as not to disturb him and gently, gingerly pulled back the covers from him. Counting your blessings that the mattress is memory foam, and therefore less bouncy, you straddle him and shuffle downwards, taking his boxers with you.

When JK first asked you about what you were about to do, you were surprised at how shy he was. He wasn’t sure how you’d react (or if you’d be up for it), but when you first tried it, he came so hard, he almost had your eye out. That alone would’ve encouraged you, but the truth is he needn’t have hesitated to ask you at all: you love doing it. You’d do it far more often if you weren’t worried about it losing its novelty. You reserve it for special occasions only – ok and some mornings where you just wake up out of your mind horny and can’t resist.

You make sure your hands are warm before picking up his flaccid member. You rub the tip with one hand and massage his balls with the other before taking it into your mouth. You focus on the head, flicking your eyes upwards to catch when he wakes. After a minute or two, he’s still barely hard and his mouth has dropped open. He must be deeply, deeply asleep. You moan with him in your mouth, taking in his whole length. You shuffle a little less carefully, trying to bring him up to a slightly shallower sleep so that at least his body is conscious if not his mind. As soon as you feel his cock twitch, you know you’ve got him. He hardens quickly and moans quietly, but still asleep. Now you’re working with the right equipment, you hit your stride. This is actually your favourite part: the anticipation of the moment when he wakes and realises what’s happening, the split second of surprise followed by a smug, satisfied grin as he stretches and then sinks back into the mattress, sighing happily.

He’s hot and hard and you’re loving the taste of him. You run a hand up and down his shaft and shift your attention to his balls. You envelop one in your mouth and gently suck as your hand gently squeezes his tip. You switch to the other and then run your tongue up the base of his manhood. You can feel him stirring as you flick your tongue across his eye and back. You keep your eyes focused on his face, waiting for the moment.

And there it is. A small mouth opened in surprise and then a triumphant grin. He flings his arms out to either side and stretches, then takes a hand and tangles it in your hair.

“Have I told you today that I love you?” he asks, a little breathlessly.

You rise slightly and grin at him.

“Not yet,” you answer, looking at him expectantly. You wait for him to do so before continuing. He frowns at you in mock annoyance and whines.

“Fine, fine, I love you! I love you! Please… keep going…”

You gladly return to work. You can feel yourself getting hot, hotter than hot. Getting him off gets you off like you didn’t know it ever could. You moan as you take him deeper and deeper, your eyes never leaving his. He’s a watcher and you are, too. You love to see him come undone: the frowns of pleasure that pass across his face like clouds, the widening of his eyes as you hit a sweet spot accompanying small gasps, the sweat that moistens the hair around the edge of his face, curling and sticking to his brow. He gets quieter and quieter as he gets closer to the edge, his moans and groans disappearing as he loses himself in his own world of ecstasy. His breath catches in his throat and you feel his muscles tense beneath you. You work a little faster, hollow your cheeks, and take him as deep as you can.

“Yes…” The word barely escapes his lips, caught up in a gasp as he fights his need to come and come now. He wants this to last as long as it can but he’s not sure he can hold out much longer. He’s panting and his hips rise involuntarily, bucking into your mouth. You can feel the vein in his shaft pulse and you keep steady, knowing it’ll be any second now. If waking up to a blowjob is Jungkook’s favourite thing, his second favourite is watching himself come into your open mouth. You’ve got the timing down to an art and you open wide, your tongue resting against the underside of his tip as he cries out. You catch it all on your waiting tongue and swallow lasciviously. You suck his tip like a lollipop as he groans, breathing heavily, muscles loose and limbs lying heavily on the bed. His eyes, barely open, watch you lick up every drop of his white honey and he grins. You trail kisses up his stomach and chest and neck before giving him a big, sloppy kiss on the mouth.

“Happy birthday, baby.”

He wraps his arms around you and presses little kisses all over your face. Still breathless, he asks

“Have I told you today that I love you?” with a chuckle.

[enidtendo64]

I just finished Wednesday today and I'm full on the wenclair ship!!!! so I'm glad to have seen your art just as I'm done lmao. if you read wenclair fics do you have any recommendations?

OOOOH Okay nice nice!!!

I'm so sorry this is so late but I hope you still want some recs, bc I def got some for you! I tried to keep these pretty succinct and not too many bc a lot of these are pretty long reads but these are some of my fav Wenclair fics to read and reread! I made sure to put different types/genres of fics in here too so there's a diverse list of flavors on here! Most will be complete but I'll throw in some WIPs i've been keeping an eye on!

If We Make It Through December by overnights: If you love FLUFF and Enid interacting with the Addams Fam! A wenclair STAPLE tbh, fake dating, Enid being invited to the Addams Mansion, and CHRISTMAS fic all in one! The dynamics between the Addams and Enid are always sweet, and Wednesday and Enid just teeter on that close friendship to oh, maybe it's love??? thing and it's so sweet to see. It's just very lovely and wholesome! A great execution of that 'fake dating but oops you were in love all along haha' trope!

Magus et Lupus by wigglewyrms: Ok like I had to rep one of my pals in here but in my defense this is genuinely so good and one of my favorite wenclair fics before we even became friends! It's a fun fantasy Wenclair with dialogue that's just so fun and snappy and witty! You're gonna have fun reading their conversations and then you're gonna get caught up into the world and the story! The plot is very fun and the end is a very fun payoff! I think I might have overused the word fun a lot for this fic but like that's just what this fic is--It's entertaining, it's engaging, and it makes you feel like you're having fun reading wanting to know what's next or what's this person gonna say or etc. It's a fic you read and you feel good! 100% Recommend! I even drew art for it if you're interested (which I should honestly repost on here soon)

I'd recommend their other stuff too-- Stubborn, Single Minded, and Obsessive is great if you like the slasher horror genre with a dash of Addams Family Values Lore, and their most recent one that's a WIP, When The Moon Shines Red is a very fun fic focused on Enid's werewolfisms but dangerous, with a very sweet friendship to relationship evolution between Enid and Wednesday!

i know the end by thriftedstars: If you're an angst lover like I am, you're gonna LOOOOVE this! A sort of groundhog's day type of fic, it focuses on the day of the last episode of the first season--Enid, Wednesday, Tyler, Crackstone, all that entails in that night. It's a really fun read just to know what happens next and how Enid gets out of the situation but also to see the girls' relationship grow in this terrible situation. Lots of emotion! Listen sometimes you just need the hurt for the ending to be sweeter! Recommend wholeheartedly!

curtain call by hanjisgirlfriend: on the complete opposite side of the last fic, Curtain Call is an enemies to friends to lovers Wenclair that does an amazing job of capturing that kind of high school love story kind of vibe but like also a dash of youthful nostalgia. It gives me the same vibe of like, if I was listening to the Kids album by Mac Miller--They're kids and they're friends and they're growing up and they're growing up together. I HIGHLY recommend as well, like it genuinely makes my heart lighter thinking about how sweet this is.

raven in the den, wolf in the nest by Barbara_Lazuli: So you might be familiar with the author's name--Artist, Comic maker, Writer, literally what CAN'T she do!!! This fic is another fake dating fic but a different flavor from the first one! This one really dives into both Enid and Wednesday's relationships with their mothers, as well as the building feelings they already have for each other. Their bond in this fic is nothing short of sweet and heartwarming, and I genuinely think this is one of the best fics in the tag! Just got so much substance! Also all the Addams family media references and the Loona refs-- like Barb if you read this you're a champ for making Wednesday play Sonatine and also listen to Hula Hoop and just for making this in general????? Seriously how are you so talented bro

queen of the night by heyfools: Look, a flower shop AU hits okay? And this? THIS HITS. Wednesday is an owner of a flower shop, Enid needs a job, and we know where this is going. But man the way you get to know both characters a little more--their histories, traumas, likes and dislikes and their personalities beyond "appropriately polite cowoke" (well, polite for Enid, not so much Wednesday at first) it's soooooo good! You have a journey along with the characters and you really get invested in their relationship! A great read, especially if you wanna read something like in the afternoon light with a nice lemonade maybe, or like just a very relaxing fun read!

Forged in Blood by RiseAboveTheAshes_203: Okay so this one is a HEAVY HITTER! We're getting into the big bois! It's a 100k fic about Wednesday and Enid basically dealing with the consequences of Enid becoming a blood wolf-- and bro you are seated, belted, strapped into the ride every step because PHEWWWW what a RIDE! It has really interesting lore building upon werewolf society in the show and also witchery and magic from the Addams family. And all of that is great and amazing but the real star of this is just Wednesday and Enid being Wednesday and Enid--they are DEVOTED to each other! Even if they don't quite understand the full means of it yet, and if it gets them in trouble sometimes. It's amazing to see their relationship grow and them understand what they truly mean to one another and it's a captivating love story that also happens to have fun world building for the show and amazing moments that just leave you so tense to know what happens next! I was so tuned in when this was still a WIP I remember refreshing the tag every lunch time for a while for a chapter I was HOOKED, and I'm sure you will be too!

A Kidnapping By Any Other Name by Ravenmoon33: So bear with me this is gonna be a long one; Ok! So this is the other WIP I've put in here (aside from When The Moon Shines Red) and let me tell you--this fic changed my life fr. Some TLDR lore about it tho--the version I linked above there is a revised version! They have an old version they still have up on their account and honestly I also HIGHLY recommend that version too bc it had me in bed giggling kicking my feet like ROMANCE. ROMANCE WAS MADE in these ao3 walls!!! (The flower scene???? No spoilers if you know you know but OOOOOOOOGGHHHH I would not shut up about it for WEEKS Im so sorry to my friends and my poor gf) but I also highly recommend the new version as well! If you've read the first version and are keeping up with the new version, the new things are also so good and you can tell the author is so locked in and excited with what they've added and what they've changed, I honestly recommend both;

So onto what it's actually about-- Enid is "kidnapped" by Wednesday and is "forced" to stay at her best friend's mansion for the summer. And you know what happens? LORE. So much worldbuilding on Addams family lore like it's AMAZING!!! You read about new characters the family past and what it means for Wednesday and Enid, and if that's not enough, there's also the MYSTERY aspect too because Weds and Enid will have to deep dive into that lore to figure out a problem in the present and it's so much FUN to like try to figure out how things go together! I love that aspect of both the versions so much that it's only rivaled by my immense love of how everyone's relationships are written! Enid's relationships with the other members of the Addams fam, especially Morticia, is so healing and heartwarming, and we see Wednesday's different dynamics with her family and how Enid affects her and helps her grow and you see those relationships with her family members grow because of it! And of course, the obvious, Wednesday and Enid basically having a love story for the ages cause JESUS, this is ROMANCE. Wednesday BIG FUCKING ROMANTIC Addams!!! It's amazing omg I wanna say more but I also don't bc I don't wanna spoil but I absolutely cannot rec it enough, even if it stays unfinished it will still be genuinely one of the best wenclair fics for me.

Tumultuous Waters: Wednesday Season Two by KrackenoftheDeep: So we're here at the last one. I didn't really list these fics out in specific order but I did save this specific one for last bc I genuinely think this is my favorite Wednesday fic. This is like a full ass season 2! It's a telling of how season 2 could happen, continuing from season 1 and picking up the ball the first season threw with stuff about the Morning Song cult, a deeper dive of Crackstone and Goody, more worldbuilding about the outcasts and the school, and best of all-- THE Wednesday and Enid dynamic that to me would be so fucking ideal for season 2 if Timothy Burton wasn't a COWARRD!!! /j /maybe

The growth Enid and Wednesday have in this fic, along with the exploration of the other characters, more investigations not just by Wednesday but also the other nightshade members helping and getting involved as well! You really get to feel so many things for these characters, and all of that pays off in one of the most satisfying endings for me in a fic like the author really fucking knocked this out of the park I felt like giving a standing ovation!

I genuinely don't think the Wednesday writers could like, live up to this. At least for me, it's that good. This is everything I've ever wanted for a Wednesday s2 honestly and I honestly, HONESTLY could not recommend this enough.

And after you read this, you can follow along the author's sequel to this fic, The Infinite Black Sea: Wednesday Season 3. Again, also highly recommend! A new mystery afoot!!!

I'm so sorry I didn't expect this to get super long but sometimes you just gotta give tens where tens are deserved!!! There are so many more great wenclair fics out there that deserve a reading and loving, like I know the tag can look a little scary sometimes but seriously there's some great gems there underneath all the scary stuff lol

These are just some of my personal favs, and honestly thank you to all the authors here yall are doing God's work fr!!!

[andydrysdalerogers]

Yours Submissively ~ Communication

Steve Rogers X OFC Isabella Davis

Summary: Five Years after the events of Civil War, Steve Rogers has moved on from avenging and has started his own business, Grant Inc. He has a secret that would turn his world upside down. And he's good at keep that secret. Until he meets the woman with violet eyes that could bring him to his knees. Now his mission is to make her, his. But she is the key that could bring the world into balance... or chaos.

And she has no idea.

Series Warnings: slow burn at the beginning, smut, angst, sexual themes of BDSM, dom/sub dynamics, kidnapping, loss of virginity, (and a bunch of others that will come up)

A/N: the taglist is open!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Previous: Consideration

Series Masterlist ~ Main Masterlist

Wednesday came and Belle arrived home after her late class.  All she wanted was a shower and some food.  Lila wasn’t home, having gone on a date with Bucky.  She sighed as she looked over her mail.  A letter caught her eye. “Manhattan School of the Arts” it said.  She trembled as she opened the envelope. 

Dear Miss Davis,  Thank you for sending us your resume and school records.  Pending receiving your state credentials, we are pleased to offer you a position as a teacher for our First-Grade students.  Training would begin in June and the school year would start August 1st.  We offer our congratulations on your pending graduation and look forward to working with you in June.  Sincerely,  Headmaster David Zolinski Manhattan School of the Arts

Belle couldn’t believe it.  She did it.  She was finally a teacher.  She snapped a photo and sent it to Lilia. 

B: I did it! L: Congrats! Celebrate Friday? B: Can’t this weekend L: Why? B: With Steve L: even better celebration. TTYL? B: Say hi to Bucky for me L: He says congrats. 

Belle wanted to celebrate.  She sent the same photo to Steve. 

SR: Congratulations B: Thank you SR: We’ll celebrate on Friday B: OK

She was deflated.  She hoped for more.  She quietly made dinner and sat watching a cooking show when she heard the doorbell.  She opened her door and was surprised by Steve.  “What are you doing here?”

“I realized that you just had a major life accomplishment and that Lila wouldn’t be here.  You should be able to celebrate in the moment.”  He held up a bottle of Prosecco and a paper bag. 

“Are you allowed out by yourself?”

“I have security.  They are downstairs.”

“Bucky approved?”

He chuckled.  “Bucky approved.  Can I come in?”

“Oh shit, sorry.  Yes of course.”  Steve walked in a deposited a kiss as he passed.  Belle felt her head start to swim from lack of breathing.  “Umm, let me grab some glasses.” 

Steve noticed the uneaten plate on the coffee table. “You haven’t eaten?”

“I just got home from school.” 

“It’s late.” 

“Yeah, it’s the only time for this particular lab.  And it was rough.” 

“How so?” 

“Had to find a new lab partner.” 

“Why?” Belle hesitated. “Isabella, tell me,” he ordered. 

“Because my old partner is Scott.  And we’re not talking right now.” 

“You spoke to him about Saturday.” 

“I did.  And he said some things that upset me so I told him I wouldn’t speak to him unless he apologized.  Which he hasn’t done.  So, I asked MJ to be my partner.” 

“MJ?”

“Michelle Jones.  She is Peter’s fiancé.” 

“You have a few friends.  I didn’t know that.” 

“Yeah, just the six of us. Well, you and Bucky can be added, I guess. I mean if we are friends. Wait. I mean, I don’t mean we’re not friends I just mean…” She stopped.  “How long are you going to let me ramble?”

“I don’t know.  It’s cute when you do it.” He laughed.  “We’re friends Isabella.” 

“Just friends.”  She sighed and took a bite of her now cold food. 

“Isabella?”

“Sorry, I’m just working through it.” 

Steve cleared his throat and tried to change the subject.  “So, I brought you a dessert.”  He revealed two slices of cheesecake. 

“I love cheesecake.  Thanks.”  She tried to smile but it wouldn’t reach her eyes. 

“Isabella, talk to me.”

“Why are you here?  If you don’t want this type of relationship, why are you here?” Steve went to reach for her hands and she pulled away. “No.  I want an answer.” 

“I do want a relationship, just not a romantic hearts and flowers type of relationship.  But you’re right.  We do need to be friends for the type of relationship I want to work.  You have to be able to talk to me and you don’t right now.” 

“I don’t?  I told you about this.” She held up the letter. 

“But it’s the first time you’ve ever done it.  Please Belle, I’m trying.” 

“I don’t know if I can do this.” 

“What?”

“Be like this.  Submissive.” 

“Its not just that. We will spend time together when we are together on the weekends.  Just try.” 

“One weekend?”

“One weekend. That’s all I ask.” 

“Does it have to be this weekend?  I have to start studying for finals.” 

“When are finals?”

“Two weeks. Graduation is in three weeks.” 

“Ok, two weeks then.” Steve took a bite of his dessert to let the room calm.  “I have to ask, I need a date for a benefit on Saturday.  I would like to ask if you would be my date.”

“I thought…”

“As friends, Isabella.  Just as friends.  I don’t expect anything else.” 

“I don’t have a dress or anything.” 

“Tell you what, this weekend, stay with me and we can get to know each other more.  I’ll take care of everything else.  No more, no less.” 

“Like a sleepover.  So we can gossip in our pjs?”  Belle quirked a smile. 

Steve chuckled and shook his head.  “Whatever you want.  Movies, pizza, the works. I just want to be with you for now. I want you to trust me.” 

Belle could see the honesty in his eyes.  “Ok.  This weekend.  Sleepover. And a benefit. No big deal.” 

Belle walked into her new office area in Stark Tower on Friday with a small overnight bag.  She was stuffing it under her desk when Tony approached.  “Going somewhere?”

“What?  I mean, excuse me?”

Tony chuckled.  “The bag Belle.  I’ve never seen you with such a large bag.”

“Oh.”  She looked at the bag.  She knew Steve said he would take care of everything but she just wanted to make sure she was prepared.  “I’m going to stay with a friend for the weekend.” 

Tony furrowed his brow.  “Doesn’t seem like a lot of stuff.” 

“Yeah,” Belle scrambled.  “I’ve stayed there before and have stuff there.  No need to add to my drawer there.”  She laughed at her excuse. 

“Boyfriend?”

“Excuse me?”

“Is the friend you are staying with a boyfriend?”  Tony was on high alert. 

“No, just a friend.”  Belle fidgeted and cleared her throat, uncomfortable with where the line of questioning was going.  “Did you need anything Mr. Stark?” 

“No Belle.  Just get started with the usual.  Need to go through my schedule in a few.” 

“Ok, no problem.”  Belle turned on her computer to get to work.  A new email popped in her inbox.

From: srogers@grantinc.com To: idavis@starkindustries.com   Subject: Personal Pick-Up Service Isabella, I look forward to our weekend together.  Bucky and I will be by to get you.  What time? Steven Rogers CEO, Grant Industries. 

Belle tried to keep calm. She knew Steve had infinite resources and it wasn’t like her email was a top government secret.  It was just unusual to see it without knowing where he got it.  She calmly typed out a reply to the super soldier CEO. 

From: idavis@starkindustries.com To: srogers@grantinc.com Subject RE: Personal Pick-Up Service My, to have the CEO of a major corporation in the palm of my hand.  I am done at 6PM.  I’m looking forward to our weekend as well.  See you later. xx Isabella Davis Intern to Tony Stark President, Stark Industries

Steve read her response and laughed.  She did have him in the palm of her hand, and he would gladly let her live there.  Wednesday was interesting.  He learned so much about Isabella in just a few hours.  Whether she realized it or not, she ate the same way with all of her food, needed to taste all the flavors at the same time.  

She always played with her hair, rearranging it several times until it was in a knot on the top of her head.  The way she slept very peacefully.  She had fallen asleep against him, and he very gently picked her up and placed her in her room. He covered her up and pressed his lips on her forehead before he left.  He took her keys to lock the apartment and then slipped them into the mail slot.  He sent a message to Bucky to tell Lila about them. 

As he made his way downstairs, Clint held the door open for him.  “Cap.” 

“Barton.  Thanks for doing this on such short notice.” 

“Not a problem Steve.” Clint closed the car door and climbed in the driver seat.  “Is she ok?”

“I believe so.” 

That night stayed on Steve’s mind along with their first night together. Bucky wasn’t super happy that Steve had gone out but at least he had Clint with him. 

The end of the day came quickly and Steve and Bucky headed to the Stark Tower. “So Punk, are you ready to have your life taken over by a girl?” Bucky snickered. 

“Show some respect Jerk. She already took over and you know it.” 

“Why are you making such a big effort Steve?  She really worth it?”

“Yes, she is.  Is Lila worth it?”

“Ok fair.  I’ve just never seen you this way before.  Not with the other girls, not with Sharon or…”

“Don’t say her name.” Steve clenched his jaw. He didn’t need the reminder. 

Bucky looked contrite.  “I’m sorry pal.” 

Steve counted to ten, needing to relax before he saw Isabella.  His girl. Just her name became a talisman for him.  “Its ok Bucky,” he finally said.  He looked him in the eye.  “She’s different.  She challenges me.  She has something that none of them, including …” he swallowed.  “None of them had it.” 

“This won’t be the usual contract, will it?”

“I don’t know.  The next two weekends will be the test.” 

“Understood.”  Bucky glanced at the entrance and jumped out of the car.  Steve followed his gaze and saw Belle with her bag.  He opened the door just as he heard her say thank you to Bucky when he took the bag. 

“I thought I told you I would take care of everything this weekend.” He kissed her cheek and took her hand.  He guided her to the open door and she slip in. 

“I know, but I wanted to bring some things that give me comfort. You know, for my room.”  Belle looked down at her fingers.

Steve caressed her cheek, “My Belle, don’t be embarrassed.  I didn’t mean you couldn’t bring anything.  Forgive me if that’s what you thought.”

She looked up and smiled.  Steve was dazzled. “Thank you, Steve.  Its just some of my favorites that I have extra.  I thought I could leave them there.” 

“That is a wonderful idea.  You know I would have bought you anything you wanted.” 

“I know.  But some things cannot be purchased.” 

“Really?”

“A stuffed bunny that my parents left me?”  She raised her eyebrow. 

“Fair enough. I thought we could head to dinner.  Casual, nothing formal.” 

“Sounds good.”  

Bucky drove them to Brooklyn, to a little mom and pop restaurant.  Belle smiled. She jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped and ran into the restaurant.  Steve and Bucky exchanged a look before Steve exited the vehicle. He walked in to see Belle being embraced by an older woman.  Steve cleared his throat. Belle looked over to Steve.   

She turned to look at the older woman and spoke in flawless Italian. “Mamma sono Steve. Mi ha portato qui per un appuntamento a cena.” (Mom this is Steve. He brought me here for a date.) She smiled, “Steve, this Mamma Maria Capolini.  She runs the restaurant.”

Signora,(Ma’am) Steve greets her with a handshake.  The lady takes his hand and inspects him.  She doesn’t say a word but after a moment, she reached up to Steve’s face and kisses both cheeks. She lets him go, kiss Belle on the forehead and heads to the back.

Belle takes Steve’s hand and heads to a table in the back.  “She approved of you. This is my favorite Italian restaurant in the entire city.”

“You know her.   Well.” 

Belle blushed.  “Dad and I would eat here at least once a week.  Momma, she taught me to cook and I learned Italian.” 

“That’s beautiful. I wanted to bring you to somewhere with the best Italian besides going to Italy itself.”

Momma appeared again with some anti pasta and bread.  She looked at Belle. “Vino?”

“Grazie.” She came back a moment later and filled two glasses with red wine. 

“Isabella, tell me more. What secrets do you have?” Steve took her hand from across the table. 

“Not many more, I guess.  I speak Italian, obviously, Spanish, French and English.  My dad wanted me to well versed. I stopped before I got to German and Japanese because I only wanted the romantic languages.”  Belle flushed, forgetting to filter her words. 

“That is very sweet.”  Mamma appeared again with two plates of pasta. “Buon Appetito.” 

“Grazie,” Steve replied, and they ate.  Steve enjoyed the little noises Belle would make as she ate. “Isabella, did you want to talk about this weekend?” Belle stopped and looked up at Steve.  She swallowed her bite and nodded.  “So tonight, after dinner, I thought we could go back to my place and just talk, get to know each other.  Saturday, I would love to take you shopping and lunch before the charity event in the evening.  On Sunday, brunch out on the waterfront.  Does that sound ok?”

“Sounds like fun.  But you don’t have to take me shopping.” 

“I want to.” 

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

“You always have a choice.” Steve looked sad.  “I just want to make you feel special.” 

“I already do, Steve.  You don’t have to spend money on me to prove that.” Belle smiled. “I just like spending time with you.”  She studied Steve’s face.  “But if it makes you happy, shopping it is.” 

He gave her a dazzling smile. “Thank you, Belle.” 

They finished the meal and headed back to Manhattan.  Belle wondered what exactly had she gotten herself into. 

NEXT

Taglist:

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@jennmurawski13-writes

@firephotogrl74

@tinkerbelle67

@before-we-get-started

@bunnyforhim

@alexakeyloveloki

@amiquette

[annas-hair-donut]

[image: a purple banner with the words Work in Progress Wednesday in a cursive font]Work in Progress WednesdayCreators: work on or post something from your WIP. This is your weekly reminder to get something down on paper (real or virtual). It’s also a chance to share your progress with your followers and give them a sneak peek of what’s to come!Fans: leave a comment on an unfinished fic and let the writer know how much you love it. Reblog an artist’s sketch and let them know you can’t wait to see the final product. Send someone an ask cheering them on!Feel free to repost this image!

Tagging @thefamilybruno; @annaofthenorthernlights; @glassslippers-n-cowboyboots @keeshya6

Coming off of Smut Week I needed a little break before getting back into The Refugees gear! So here's some fluffy angst from my upcoming (approx. 10 chapter) fic "Head Over Feet" (Yes, like the Alanis song!) about HR!Anna Quinn, CFO!Kristoff Boreman, and female!Hans AKA Gianna West who all work at Elsa's gaming company Frozen Fractals. I hope you like it!

Rated T; this excerpt about 1300 words of Kristanna goodness from chapter 1

Kristoff pinched the bridge of his nose and whined, “You just need to be more responsible. There’s a budget and you need to stick to it.”

Gianna’s words echoed in her brain, and Anna took a closer appraisal of Kristoff than she ever had. 

Even though the office was casual, as Anna understood most offices in the gaming industry were, Kristoff wore an expensive, dark gray suit, maybe five years old, with a cheap black tie every day. His shoes were never scuffed or untied, and there was never a single hair out of place from his slicked back hair. 

His face was always so smooth, freshly shaved, and the fresh scent of Barbasol lingered every time he left her office, meaning he never used aftershave or cologne. Though his eyes were bright brown and deep like wells, they were old and weary, and the area around them was sunken and dark, likely from too much worry and not enough sleep. His shoulders were strong and broad enough to hold up the world so they did.

Anna tuned out the rest of what Kristoff said, focusing on how heartbreaking it was that he put so much time and effort into keeping his life in order, but he ultimately had no control over the things that really mattered. Eventually her eyes settled on the small and barely there freckles over the bridge of his nose, which she’d never noticed before.

As he placed two sets of index and middle fingers, nails so short he could have bitten them to the nub, at the corners of her desk and leaned over, it occurred to Anna that she was one of those things in his life that he couldn’t control. She created chaos and made his life more complicated, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it. She was just one more thing on top of the giant pile of things that raised his blood pressure.

Kristoff was just a person, and he was hurting.

“I’m sorry, Kristoff, I didn’t realize I was going over the budget again,” she said patiently and sincerely. She made sure his eyes caught her gaze before continuing. “Do you mind explaining how it works, because I don’t think I understand. And I don’t want to keep messing it up.”

Anna had just opened her heart to him a little, and it was pounding, hoping that her words meant something to him. Either he would be the decent sort of man she thought he was, or he’d have an even bigger tantrum and make her feel so much worse than she ever had since starting at Frozen Fractals. The last thing she wanted was to cry in front of him, but she felt an unwelcome dampness at the corners of her eyes.

He snapped upright, one hand to his hip while the other hand went to his chin. “Tomorrow morning ok? I have to leave early to get my kids.”

Anna smiled patiently, despite how much she’d gloat over this victory with Gianna later. “I have interviews starting at 9:00. Will 8:00 work?”

The corners of Kristoff’s mouth lifted so slightly Anna almost missed them, and his voice softened into something that felt a little like a tease. “Yeah. I usually get here by 7:00, anyway.”

He did? Even 8:00 was hard for Anna. She could easily stay up to 4:00, but waking up early was something different entirely.

She probably wouldn't get home until very late that night, in fact, or very early in the morning. She bit her lip and thought that whatever she did that night, she couldn't even be a second late for their meeting. If she were, he’d lose all respect for her and he’d never stop yelling and she’d forever feel bad for all of his future blood pressure issues. There was too much at stake to screw this up. 

Feeling better about things after Kristoff stopped yelling, having made a new friend so easily, and having purchased the very last dress available at the store—which just so happened to be her size—Anna felt ready for whatever came next.  Then she spent way too much time on her hair and make-up, but she looked perfect, she thought. Gianna was probably going to have smokey eyes sexy enough for a model, while Anna would have classic and flawlessly exaggerated cat-eyes, just as gorgeous if not as cool. Gianna would probably wear her hair poker straight and slightly damp looking, but Anna’s hair would be plaited into an elaborate but romantic French braid that would make Daenerys proud.

She kept reminding herself that she wasn’t actually going to find the one tonight, but the one tonight, but she tidied her apartment just in case. If some random guy was coming home with her just to sleep with her, she shouldn’t have cared about what her apartment looked like. But, wasn’t there always a chance that fate would give her what she wanted most in life: someone she could love with her entire being? She braced herself for an exciting adventure, then she landed on the side of a cliff.

“Oh, excuse me.”

Anna was a split second away from telling Gianna to take a rain check because the chest Anna had just collided into could just as easily have been the one right now as it could be the one. If she could just turn her head and listen for its heartbeat…

“Anna?”

She lifted her gaze to Kristoff’s wide, blinking eyes, searching for an answer. He looked at Anna for a moment, too, as though not sure what to say either.

“Kristoff? Hi! Do you live here or something?” She tried to be casual about it as she quickly backed away, but he completely took her off guard. 

“Yeah. It’s so close-”

“-to the office,” Anna helped him finish the sentence.

He rubbed the back of his neck, and Anna blushed at the way his forehead wrinkled though his eyes seemed so relaxed, even relieved.

“I’m sorry!” Kristoff said suddenly. “You’re on your way out. I didn’t mean to hold you up or anything.”

“You’re fine,” Anna said with a small shrug. “I’m just meeting up with a friend for drinks.”

“Drinks?” he coughed, betraying his discomfort. Anna smiled slightly when she caught him fighting against checking his watch.

“Are you just getting home from work?” she asked. It was nearly 9:00 pm and he was still wearing his suit, though his tie was loosened and the top button of his shirt was undone, revealing just a hint of light brown hairs curling to escape their jail.

He finally looked at her again, a little color in his cheeks, “No, my son had a basketball game. They lost, but he scored a few points.”

Anna didn’t tell him that she was sure he was good at basketball, too. Nor did she mention the way  his voice hummed with pride at the mention of his son. “It must have been really nice having you there cheering him on and seeing how well he did, even though the team lost.”

“Yup,” Kristoff said, uncomfortably, and the reality of his situation set in. He was coming home late, alone, after seeing his son. Because his son didn’t live with him. Suddenly, Anna understood the toll being separated from his wife took on him. He was separated from his kids, too. 

“Well, I’m in 6E if you ever need anything,” Anna offered.

Kristoff smiled awkwardly, and pointed, “So, 8:00 then?”

Anna raised her eyebrows and smiled. “Night, Kristoff!” she said as she walked away.

Anna turned her head towards him just as she got to the front door and he folded his arms. “8F.”

Anna gave him a nod and a small wave, and waited until she was a block away before allowing her smile grow to its full potential and letting out a small giggle.

[bellaireland1981]

Snow Days

Summary: Snow days allow time to slow down and for you and your husband to have some much needed uninterrupted time together. 

Pairings: Chris Evans x Wife!Reader

Warnings: None.. absolutely pure fluff! 

WC: 1074  (I managed to keep it short for once!)

A/N: I do NOT give permission to copy, repost, or translate my work on any site. Reblogs are ALWAYS welcome. I do not know Chris, I do not have any ties to him or anyone on his team/family. Tag list is open! Send a message if you’d like to be added! 

You made it home just as the snow was starting to fall. They were predicting one of the worst blizzards in years, so the school district you taught in had already called a snow day for the next two days. Since it was already Wednesday, you now had an impromptu four-day weekend.

“Chris, I’m home!” you called, walking into your shared home, immediately slipping off your shoes and hanging up your coat.

“Hey Sweetheart,” he answered, coming into the kitchen, Dodger trotting happily behind him. “Were the roads still ok?”

“Yes, they were fine.” you confirmed. “If we need anything from the store, we should go sooner rather than later though.”

You slipped your arms around his waist, his own hands moving to cup your face and pull you towards him; his lips dropped a soft kiss onto your own.

“I ran out earlier today and got some groceries. I didn’t want to risk the weather getting worse later on.” he answered. “I got us stuff to make smores, some hot chocolate, and restocked the ice cream.”

“I love you,” you chuckled. “Did you also pick up real food too? We cannot live on smores and hot cocoa.”

“I love you too,” he replied. “And for your information, I did pick up food for meals too.”

“I have to say, I’m really looking forward to being snowed in with you and Dodger.” You smile, knowing the time will be well spent. “Some much needed time alone before you have to leave for filming.”

“Me too, Sweetheart.” he responded. “Go change into something comfy, I’ll get dinner ready.”

You reach up and kiss him before heading to your shared room to change out of your work clothes. You opt for one of Chris’ hoodies paired with leggings. You pull your hair up into a messy bun before making your way back to the living room. Dodger pops up from his bed and hops onto the couch next to you, wanting cuddles.

“Such a good boy, aren’t you Dodge?” you croon to him, gently scratching his ears.

“Already stealing my snow day cuddle buddy, huh?” Chris teases walking in from the kitchen. “Dinner is in the oven.”

“Thank you for cooking tonight, Baby.” you replied, scooting over on the couch to allow room for Chris. He settled in behind you and pulled you back to rest against him then wrapped his arms around you.

“Of course,” he began, “I’m not a gourmet chef by any stretch of the imagination, but I can definitely make a simple dinner for my beautiful wife.”

“I don���t doubt your cooking skills in the least, my love.” You assured him, “If all else fails, I have complete faith in your ability to order out.”

“Life as a bachelor prepared me well.” he joked. “I actually called Ma and asked for a food proof dinner plan though.”

“Do you have any interviews or meetings lined up for the next few days?” you inquired, never knowing if something would pop up on his calendar.

“Nope.” he replied, popping the ‘p’ on the end, “I called Meghan and asked for an uninterrupted few days with my wife. She was more than happy to make it happen.”

“I love you, Chris.” you said, falling even deeper in love with your husband. “I really don’t know how I got so lucky.”

“I love you too, Honey.” He smiled before dropping a kiss on your head. “I’m the lucky one, because you said ‘yes’ to going on that first date with me… and then kept saying ‘yes’ to all the dates after that!”

“You made a pretty convincing case for yourself.” you recall. “You were too cute to say ‘no’ to.”

The two of you sat enjoying the peace and quiet, apart from the gentle snores from Dodger until it was time to eat dinner. Afterwards you snuggled in bed watching movies. You loved that you were able to enjoy every moment of it without worrying about having to set an alarm for the morning.

“I love these moments…” you whispered, lightly tracing patterns over his bare chest with your fingers. “When we can just block out the world and live in our own bubble.”

“Me too.” he uttered, turning his head to drop a kiss on the top of your head. “How about tomorrow, we build a blanket fort and hide out until the storm passes?”

“That sounds perfect.” You smiled up at him, “We can bring a laptop in and watch movies, eat our snacks and drink cocoa.”

“Then once the storm passes, we can try to shovel out and go steal the kids to take them sledding,” he added.

“You’re such an amazing uncle,”  you said, your heart melting at how much he genuinely loved to be with his nephews and niece. “I can’t wait to watch you play in the snow with our kids one day.”

He turned so you were laying on your back, propping himself up so he was hovering above you, looking down at you with eyes full of love. He gently pushed a stray piece of hair from your face, before kissing you softly.

“How about now?” he asked quietly, pulling back so he could look into your eyes.

“You want to try for a baby?” you questioned in return, your heart filling with hope. You’ve been ready for awhile, but Chris has been busy with several projects and you didn’t want to add pressure to him.

“Yes.” he replied. “If you’re ready. I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything though. We’ve got plenty of time.”

“Chris, I’d love to start our family.” you remarked, blinking back tears, “I’m more than ready.”

“So we can add baby making to the agenda during our snow days?” he asked, smiling down at you.

“Most definitely!” you agreed, wrapping your arms around his neck, your fingers lacing through his hair, “You have impeccable timing, Husband… turns out, this week just so happens to be the best week for baby making.”

True to his word, you spent the next few days building a blanket fort, snacking, watching movies and working on making a human sibling for Dodger. Once the snow cleared you took a break for fresh air and played in the snow with the kids. You knew life would once again be hectic and you’d be back to juggling crazy schedules but for now everything was right in your world.

Tag List:  @waywardodysseys @denisemarieangelina @nickysurfer28 @fluffymisha97 @crazylittlereader2474 @hockeychick10 @kelbabyblue @jennmurawski13 @patzammit @arabescapr @ronniemikaelson @thevelvetseries @learning-howto-be-myselfx3 @itsmycorneroftheinternet @memoriesat30 

[writercole]

Over My Head

A/N: I couldn’t leave well enough alone after that Dean smut. You guys picked up on the hint of angst so I expanded on it. Don’t worry, though. There’s some fluff, too. (this is an AU, don’t copy or repost my works, don’t be a dick. Heed any warnings) Text at the end: Reader is italicized, Dean’s is bolded.

Warnings: Umm. Alluding to a traumatic event? This is Dean’s POV so we don’t know what the event is but it could trigger someone nonetheless.

Credit: @firefly-graphics​ for the divider; @cajunquandary​, @thinkinghardhardlythinking​, and @that-one-gay-girl​ for continued support and love and proofing the story. GIF credit below the gif.

Series Masterlist | Previous

Dean’s POV

I have no idea what’s happening to me. I’m disappointed when she leaves in the middle of the night. Or maybe it’s early in the morning. Either way, she isn’t in my bed when I wake up. I know it’s the agreement we made, but I’m pretty sure I’m so far past our agreement that her sleeping over is the least of my worries.

She wasn’t answering my calls. I don’t think I did anything to piss her off. I can be a dumbass, though.

I finally heard back from her on Tuesday. She apologized, but wouldn’t tell me what was going on. It’s not like we were exclusive, so I had no right to feel the pangs of jealousy that I did. I knew she had been with someone else. My heart sank and a pit formed in my stomach.

We talked for a few minutes before I asked her to join me for dinner on Wednesday. Well, I asked if I could take her out on a date. I swear I heard her smile when she accepted. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking. I can’t help but get my hopes up though. 

I told her I’d pick her up at seven. Gave me some time to get things together. I texted her around three to confirm everything was still good. She responded back that she was excited. That’s a good thing, right?

I was completely distracted all day Wednesday by the date I had planned. By the time I had clocked out, I had gotten maybe an hour’s worth of work done. Good thing I work for myself. 

At five to seven, I pulled up in her driveway. I’m nervous as hell, but I suck it up and walk to her door. I knock and she answers after a few seconds. She looks absolutely beautiful. Simple jeans and a black sweater. “You look...wow.”

I get a genuine smile for that. She grabs her purse and we head to the car. I have everything tucked away in the trunk for our date, so she isn’t really suspicious until I start driving out of town. She keeps quiet, though. Until I turn down a dirt road between two groves of trees. It’s a well kept secret that I own the property. It’s adjacent to the property my house sits on. Between several groves of oak and pine trees, nestled in the middle of a meadow, sits a tranquil lake with a gazebo and pier. 

Once the trees open up to the meadow, I see her face light up from the corner of my eye. I stop the car and look over at her, only to see the brightest smile on her face. She wasn’t expecting this. I can see that. I return her smile and step out of the car, moving around to open the door for her before going to grab the date supplies from the trunk.

While she admired the lake at night, I set up the blanket and spread out the food and beers. I tucked the extra blankets behind me with the basket then joined her to watch the moonlight dancing on the water. I walked to stand beside her for a moment, just admiring the view. Ok, I was staring at her. Sue me.

“Let’s eat,” I said with a gesture behind me. 

“Oh, Dean! This is amazing. The lake, the picnic. Everything,” she gushed. She turned and walked to the blanket, eyes trying to take everything in. “Is that…did you make us burgers?” I just shrugged. 

I got another one of those beautiful smiles as we settled down and grabbed our food. She moaned when she took the first bite. The sound made my dick twitch. It made me want to make her make those sounds all the time. In any way I can.

After we finished eating, I picked up the remnants and stowed them in the basket. I laid down on the blanket, with her joining me. Close enough to feel each other’s body heat but not quite touching. We just looked at the stars in a comfortable silence. I worked up the courage to brush my fingers against hers. When she jerked away, it hurt. 

I felt her turn her head towards me so I met her gaze. There was regret in it. My heart sank lower. How had I misread everything? I can’t believe I had been so stupid.

“Dean, I-” she started.

I couldn’t bear to hear it. I cut her off. “It’s okay. I’m sorry I misjudged this.” I sat up and started packing things up. “I’ll just get you home.”

“Dean, you didn’t -”

“I’m pretty sure I did. You don’t have to try and spare me -”

“Are you going to let me finish a statement or are you going to just assume what I’m trying to say?” 

Well, that got me to shut up. I turned around to her glistening eyes and soft smile. “I’m sorry. You were saying?”

“What I was trying to say was that this weekend was difficult for me. Some things happened and I’m still a little nervous about sudden and unexpected movements.” Her gaze dropped to her feet and she shuffled them a little. I heard her sniffle and my heart broke into a million pieces.

“Y/N. Look at me.” She lifted her gaze to my face. “First, I’m not expecting anything. I didn’t ask you out on an actual date just to try to buy my way into your bed again.” When she nodded her head, I could see tears brimming. She was trying her hardest to stop them from falling. “Will you tell me what happened?”

She shook her head violently. “No. I can’t. It’s too...it’s too raw.” The tears started falling then. Whatever had happened, it truly affected her. 

I held my arms open and she stepped into them, allowing me to hold her. I can’t deny that my heart soared a bit. It wasn’t me she jerked away from. I held her tight and let her cry it out. Selfishly, I hoped this moment never ended.

“I got you, sweetheart. It’s going to be okay.” I tried using a soothing voice as I stroked her hair. I must have gotten the point across since she started to calm down. She wrapped her arms around my waist and we just sat there a few beats before she pulled back. God, even with tear stains on her face, she was beautiful. 

I reached up and dried her tears. She closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. I left my hand on the side of her face until she opened her eyes and looked up at me. 

“I will never push you to do anything you don’t want to do. I will never hurt you.” I brushed her cheekbone with my thumb and looked deep into her eyes. “Whatever happened this weekend will never happen again.” I could see the relief in her eyes. I wanted to kiss her so badly. But I resisted because this...this thing that happened, I refused to make it worse or mess up what we could have. 

“Come on, let’s start heading back,” I told her, kissing her forehead. I started to turn away to pick up the blankets and basket, but she grabbed my wrist to stop me.

“Thank you, Dean, for understanding.” She said. I could see the sincerity in her face. To my surprise, and if I’m being honest, utter delight, she placed a kiss on my cheek, lingering there just a second longer than necessary. I think the shock registered on my face because she just smiled and let go of my hand to help with the basket. 

I gathered up the blankets and stood, catching a glimpse of her grinning over her shoulder at me as she walked to Baby’s trunk. I was struck by how that simple act made my heart skip a beat and my stomach do flips. We loaded the items in the trunk and climbed in the car. I noticed she was a little closer this time and I laid my arm across the seat. She actually scooted closer and rested her head on my shoulder on the short drive to her house. 

I parked the car and jogged around to help her out, offering my arm to walk her to her door. She accepted and leaned against me while we walked. We stopped at her door and faced each other.

“Thank you for coming out with me tonight, Y/N,” I said with a smile.

“Thank you for taking me out. I really had a great time. Maybe we can do this again? Say, Friday?” I could hear the hope in her voice. I hated to crush it.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I already have plans for Friday.” I could see her face fall slightly so I quickly offered “But I’m free on Saturday. How about this time I let you plan?”

“Really? That sounds great. I’ll text you with the details.” She giggled before closing the distance and placing another kiss on my cheek. She didn’t step far back. I took that as a hint and wrapped my arm around her waist, placing my hand on her cheek. I moved in slowly, allowing her to stop me if she wanted. She didn’t, she met me halfway. 

Her lips were as soft as I remembered them being. I kept it short because I knew if I let it go any longer, I wouldn’t stop. It took us both a second to return to reality. I loosened my grip and stepped away smiling. 

“Good night, Dean,” she said, unlocking her door and opening it to step in.

“Good night, sweetheart.” I waited until she closed the door before moving off her porch. My phone pinged with a text before I made it to the car. My heart leapt when I saw it was from her. 

> Saturday. 6:00. Dress comfy. See you then. 

< You got it, sweetheart. 

I definitely was in over my head.

Next

A/N Post: I hope you guys enjoyed that! There’s some more coming, it’s just taking a bit to get through this section. My brain is distracted. 

​

[unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin]

Hi the Tyler Breeze anon I figured since he was in wwe once you might know him but that's ok can I get the request instead with Chuck Taylor

AN- Don't worry about it! Hope you like this one.

Summary- Your daughter Lexie is two months old, therefore will not remember anything for Halloween. Chuck is not hearing it.

————————————————————

"Babe! What about this one?" I looked up from my phone to see Chuck holding a princess kids costume. We had been at the store for a good hour at this point, and Lexie was sound asleep in her stroller. ""It says it's for a 3 year old Chuck, it's not going to fit her." I pointed out. He cursed under his breath before putting it back and continuing to look. I sighed turning my phone off and checking to make sure Lexie was still asleep before walking over to him. ""Chuck, she's only two months old. She won't remember any of this. Besides, your not going to find any costumes that fit her." I said wrapping my arms around him.

""It's her first Halloween. I want it to be perfect." He insisted as he looked through the costumes. ""What about this one?" He asked showing me a little poodle costume. It was meant for babys, and was well insulated to keep them warm. I shook my head knowing he wasn't going to let it go.

""Find, but you have to get her ready." I said giving in making him smile. While we were out I got some stuff for dinner and candy for tomorrow night before we left.

As we drove Lexie started crying in the back. ""Babe, can you pull over so I can try and calm her down? I'll just get in the back seat." I asked looking at Chuck. He nodded and pulled of to the side so I could get out and climb in the back.

""Baby girl, what's wrong?" I said in a baby voice looking over at her in her car seat. She reached up for me trying to grab at me a bit. ""It doesn't smell like you need a new dipper. Are you hungry? It's about that time." I said more to myself as I reached into the dipper bag for a pacifier. She took is for a few minutes before spitting it out and crying again.

As we pulled up to the house I saw an extra car in the driveway. ""Babe, was Orange having someone over?" I asked as we got out. I walked around the car and got the car seat out with a screaming Lexie in it.

""Not That I know of- You head inside. I can get the bags." He said opening the trunk. I walked towards the house and opened the door sighing as I kicked off my shoes. Lexie was till crying as I ground.

""Give me a sec baby girl." I sighed bending down to unbuckle her. I could tell it was time for her to eat because I was getting a bit full, and needed to breast feed. I bounced her a bit as I walked towards the living room. ""Orange! Is someone here?!" I called out. As I walked into the living room I saw Orange leaning against the wall, with both Cody and Brandi standing there.

""Oh! Um, hi." I said greeting them. Brandi immediately rushed over with her arms open. ""Can I hold her?" She asked speaking loudly to be heard over Lexie's cry's.

""Of course. She been a bit fussy today." I said passing her over. A lot of people would be hesitant to give their baby to someone, but I've known the Rhodes a long time. I had even been trained but Dusty and he had been like a dad to me.

""Oh that's fine!" She said cradling her close to her own body. I turned my attention to Cody smiling a bit.

""What are you guys doing here?" I asked giving him a hug.

""Well, the invitations to our yearly Halloween part got lost in the mail. We figured we would invite you personally instead of a text." He explained.

""As great as that is every year, Chuck is persistent that this Halloween will be the best for Lexie."

""And it will be!" I jumped lightly as Chuck came up behind me, and arm wrapping around me.

""Well we wanted to let you know. We weren't sure with the new baby." He said shrugging.

""No it was nice. Orange might go-" we all locked of at him who just shrugged "-but ya. We probably won't." Chuck said. ""Well, you guys are welcome to stay, but I do need to take Lexie and feed her." I said looking over at Brandi. She handed Lexie over and smiled at me.

""We'll get out of your hair now. If you end up dressing Lexie up send us a picture.” Brandi said smiling as she pulled Cody away. Both me and Chuck turned to look at Orange.

  “Why didn’t you tell us they were here?” Chuck asked frowning a bit. “A little warning would have been nice.”

  Orange shrugged making Chuck sigh but I was to worried think about Cody and Brandi. “I wasn’t rude was I? I fell like I made them think that had to leave right away.” I said frowning.

  “What? No, they understand.” Chuck said kissing my forehead. “Go feed her, I can make dinner tonight.”

  “Thank you.” I said a big smile on my face as I headed upstairs to Lexie’s nursery. She was still to little to sleep in there alone, but it was ready when she could. I got set up and let Lexie start nursing. I smiled looking over at a corner of the room where five handprints were. When we were painting the room Chuck had accidentally set his hand in the wall, and I thought it was cute so I put mine there as well. When Orange and Trent saw it the insisted they needed there’s on there as well. And when Lexie was born we added hers.

  As she ate I opened my phone to scroll though Instagram. I saw someone had reposted a picture of me, Chuck, Orange, and Trent at the Halloween party last year. Me and Chuck were dressed as Gomez and Morticia from the Adams family, while Trent was Pugsley and Orange had been Wednesday. The four of us were known in the wrestling community for our costumes, and people would send us ideas and such. I sighed putting my phone down and looking down at my baby girl, there would be no dress up like that this year.

  “Momma loves you so much baby, but I already miss Halloween. I’m sure you’ll love it as much as me and daddy when you get bigger, but for the first few years I’ll miss it.” I said, just barely above a whisper. “Your daddy’s so good at making an amazing Halloween, he want you to have the best even though you won’t remember.” She started to fuss again showing she was done. I quickly burped her and cleaned us both up before heading downstairs.

—————————————————————

  “Trent!?” I yelled as I ran around downstairs. There were trick or treaters showing up and I couldn’t find the candy anywhere.

  “What!”

  “Where is the cans y we bought!?”

  “Um.... should be on the counter by the coffee pot.” He yelled back. He was upstairs getting Lexie ready. I found it and ripped the bag open dumping it into a bowl. I rushed to the front door and pulled it open. There was a little boy in a Superman costume.

  “Trick or treat!”

  “Hey buddy! Nice costume.” I said bending down and holding out the bowl. He grabbed one and ran off yelling out a thank you. I closed the door leaning against it a bit. My head felt like it was being hit with a hammer, it had since tho moment I got up today. Lexie hadn’t slept well and I had been up half the night.

  I started walking towards the stairs slowly but froze as the room began to spin. “He babe, do you- shit are you ok?” Trent asked rushing down the stairs to where I was standing a death grip on the railing.

  “The rooms spinning..” I whispered . He lead me over to the couch and sat me down, holding me tight to his chest.

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing really.” I said shrugging. “Lexie didn’t sleep well last night , and my head hurt all day.” I explained.

  “Why didn’t you say something? I could have help ya little more, Orange could have helped to.” He said making me sigh.

  “I don’t know. I thought it would go away, boy was I wrong.” I joked making him chuckle a bit.

  “Hey, I’m here for Or age and Lexi- is this a bad time?” We both looked up to see Trent standing in the door way.

  “No man, your fin-“

  “What do you mean here for orange and Lexie?” I asked confused.

  “Oh! Chuck hasn’t told you!” Trent said looking guilty. I looked back to Chuck with a frown.

  “Last night I ran upstairs to ask you something, and heard you talking to Lexie. You clearly want to have a fun Halloween, so I called Trent to make a plan. Him and Orange were going to babysit and I was going to take you to Cody’s party.” He explained making frown even more.

  “But you wanted to do something fun with Lex-“

   “I have plenty of more Halloween’s in the future, besides you were right, she won’t remember anything anyways.” He said. “All though I don’t think we should go I’d your not feeling great.”

  “I can still take the two of them. You guys can just chill here.” Trent offered, still standing in the entrance to the room.

  “Are you sure? Lexie can be a handful.” I said looking to him.

  “Don’t worry, I have Orange, I’m sure we can figure it out.” He said. Just then Orange came down the stairs with Lexie, her dipper bag, and a duffel.

  “Hey man.” He said when he saw Trent. He looked over at us, raising and eyebrow just barely. “We still doing the plan?”

  “Ya. All though me and Y/n are staying here. Just a night in together.” Chuck explained.

  “Be careful. A night in together is the reason you need us to babysit.” Trent said taking the duffle from Orange making me blush a bit.

  “Just get out of here.” Chuck said waving hand at them as though dismissing them. After they left I got a few blankets as well as the remote, while Chuck went to make popcorn. My phone was going of like crazy asking what we did for Halloween, and I decided to do a little video on Instagram.

  “Everyone’s asking what we did for Halloween this year.... no we didn’t dress Lexie up or ourselves. Lexie is with Orange and Trent for the night, and me and Chuck are having a night in. We need the rest as having a newborn is hard work. Hope y’all aren’t to disappointed.” I ended it and posted just as Chuck walked in with a plater in hand with two cups on in and popcorn.

  “You ready for a scary movie marathon?” He asked looking down at me as he handed me one of the cups. I could see this it had got chocolate in it.

  “Course I am. We haven’t done this on Halloween I years.” I said smiling.

  “Well, I don’t care if we’re at a party, watching movies, or trick or treating with Lexie, it will be perfect.”

  “It will.” I agreed.

[vrainsweek]

VRAINS WEEKS “LINK-14″ - Daily Prompts 2019

Hello again Minna-saaaaaaan!

How are yooou? Did you miss me? Did you miss the 2 weeks we were talking about Vrains and Vrains only? Yes I missed them, too. =D So I sat down and started thinking about the prompts for these year’s Vrains Weeks. But first a little information! As some of you remember I asked for another name for the Vrains Weeks because...”Vrains Weeks” sounds too normal and kinda boring even if any of you understand what they are. (I had a minute I wanted to call them Double Week but that was even worse.) So I asked around if you guys have an idea how to call them and actually... One person had the perfect idea! So first let me introduce to you the new name of the Vrains Weeks:

Link-14 (Weeks)

And I think it fits. 2 Weeks have 14 days and everyone in the Vrains fandom knows what you mean when you say “Link-”. My special thanks for this name go to @mythicalartisttm Thank you so so much, my brain never ever would have thought this way!

Thank you! Danke! ありがとう！ 

Before we start with the newest Vrains Prompts for 2019 let’s take a look at the rules again (So noone can say they didn’t read or find them!)

NO Bashing of ANY content! That means no BASHING or INSULTING over any Headcanons, Theories, Shippings, Works and and and.

NO NSFW. Sexual and / or Gore content or similar for some people in a fandom are exciting ofc but since I can’t control the age of this blog’s followers I have to keep this free for minors. Also I hope this will keep triggers away from some followers.

NO Copying, Stealing or Reposting of other people’s work! Not even with credits! This is unfair and really NOT a way to show YOUR content. Also you hurt the real artist with this and we don’t want and don’t need this. YouTube Videos musiclinks or similar for special topics for a day are excluded as long as credits such as the directlink are included. (Please contact me if someone reposted your art over the #vrainsweek or #VRLINK14 tag)

Don’t forget! If you break one of those rules you will be banned from VRAINS WEEKS! Also I want to inform you that every content is allowed as long as it doesn’t break the rules. Drawings, Cosplay, Theories, AUs, everything aslong as it fits with the topic!

About the tag you have to use to find your work you can use 2 tags now:

You can still stick with the #vrainsweek  from last year or use #VRLINK14 

I will look at both of them to check your guys’ works. Just don’t forget to tag! Ok, here we go! Ready for the 2019 prompts?

Monday (15th July 2019)

“Favorite Headcanon” To start the Link-14 weeks let’s begin with something easy. Show me your most favorite Headcanon you had so far after 2 years of Vrains. Draw something, describe it, whatever you like! It doesn’t matter if this headcanon is old or brand new just show us you always wanted to show all of us!

Tuesday (16th July 2019)

“Androids” Wouldn’t it be great if we see the Other Ignis as Andoids as well? Or even Yusaku and the others? I wonder how they survive in the real world? Do they eat like normal humans? Will they ever feel tired? How would the Ignis look like? Aaaah so many questions~

Wednesday (17th July 2019)

“Happy Hot Dog Day!” Of course the newest LINK-14 Week again is the same date as the National Hot Dog Day as well! And again you can do whatever you like aslong as it includes a Hot Dog (I am sorry if it sounds a bit NSFW But I DON’T MEAN IT THAT WAY ///)

Thursday (18th July 2019)

“Babies”

Last year we had a prompt which I wanted you to put our favorite characters into adults. This time let’s go back in time and show them as little kids and babies.

I think Vrains has too less of some past shots from when our favorites where small and cute, let’s change that!

Friday (19th July 2019)

“Memories”

Thinking of the past can be beautiful but also pretty cruel. We all know that everyone of us thinks of the past knowing that it made us what we are today. So do Yusaku and the others. They think of the past and appreciate every memory they have no matter if they are hurt- or beautiful.

Saturday (20th July 2019)

“Gaming Champs”

Ok ok so... I played some League of Legends a while ago and suddenly I thought: “How would Yusaku look like as a LoL champ?” I went too far and even thought about his skills but hey! Wouldn’t that be a great prompt as well? If you guys are actually gaming something why don’t you put Yusaku or Ryoken or whoever you like into a game? No matter if it’s an MMO or something like Super Mario or Sims 4 or whatever you like. Maybe...I will design Yusaku as a LoL champ as well *laughs*

Sunday (21st July 2019)

“Vacations” We all are soo thirsty for a beach episode but it looks like we never get it...sadly ... *cries* BUT That’s why the LINK-14 Week is here for so let’s get the boys and girls into some sweet vacations! They really REALLY need a break! It doesn’t have to be the sea, send them wherever you want them to be. Another place, another country, wherever you like!

Monday (22nd July 2019)

“What if?” What if Ryoken / Revolver never was able to save the children from the Lost incident?

Tuesday (23rd July 2019)

“Share some music”

Music is my way to happiness I always say. What are the songs you relate the most to when you think of Vrains? It can be anything, songs to some AUs or to a special character or shipping or a scene you liked the most.

You can share Spotify playlists or YouTube Links or just the title and singers of the songs (Please don’t upload music files).

If you want you can use this prompt as well to show some relating from Vrains characters to music (For example Hanois as a band)

Wednesday (24th July 2019)

“Me when I watch VRAINS”

I am curious and maybe this prompt is a bit stupid but Vrains and the LINK-14 week only works with the people who actually watch Vrains. And I want to give you a “stage” cause you matter a lot! What do you look like when you watch VRAINS? (Describe it or draw it or even take a photo of it haha)

Thursday (25th July 2019)

“VRAINS goes Hollywood” So I have two tasks and whatever you like more is what you gonna do: Drawers: Redraw a movie cover / movie poster from whatever movie with Vrains characters. Writers: Take a scene of a movie you love and rewrite that scene with Vrains characters. Those movies can be anything (Disney, Marvel, Ghibli or other Animes, Romance movies or Hunger Games stuff) as long as they still fit with the LINK-14 Rules.

Friday (26th July 2019)

“VRAINS Manga”

I don’t know how long we will wait till we finally get a VRAINS Manga But we all have a lot of imaginations of how it will be. So share!

Saturday (27th July 2019)

“Happy Birthday!”

Imagine it’s Yusaku’s birthday. No other comments needed just be creative ;D

Sunday (28th July 2019)

“???” This day will be a surprise. Just wait till 28th July to see what’s up.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER!! DON’T FORGET TO TAG YOUR POSTS WITH #vrainsweek or #VRLINK14!!!!!!

See ya in July Minna-san!!

Choco

Note: I got the render pic of Yusaku for the header from here: LINK ME

[epacer]

Classmates

Yale Strom, Class of 1975 and Elizabeth Schwartz

‘National treasure’ Yale Strom to be featured at 26th annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival

When Yale Strom had his big musical and cultural epiphany while attending San Diego State University, the door that opened for him — figuratively, if not literally — was slammed in his face less than two hours later.

Experiencing both in rapid-fire succession irrevocably changed the life of this acclaimed maverick.

Strom had already earned degrees from SDSU in American Studies and Furniture Design. His musical epiphany inspired him to quickly abandon his plans to attend law school. Instead, he spent a year crisscrossing Eastern Europe as a backpack-toting violinist and amateur cultural ethnographer.

The Mission Hills resident has since become an award-winning performer, composer, photographer, documentary filmmaker, author and playwright. One of this country’s foremost scholars on Jewish klezmer music, which originated in Eastern Europe in the 17th century, Strom has performed around much of the world, played at the White House for President Obama and written a symphony.

Between May 26 and July 11, he will be featured in three performances during the 26th annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival, including two with his wife, noted singer Elizabeth Schwartz. The festival is the latest chapter in Strom’s career, which traces its roots to the almost concurrent opening and slamming of that figurative door.

“Yale went to a concert here by The Big Jewish Band and he had never heard a live klezmer group before,” recalled longtime friend and collaborator Todd Salovey, who is the Associate Artistic Director of the San Diego Repertory Theatre and has overseen the Lipinsky festival since its inception.

“Yale was mesmerized. At the end of the concert, he asked if he could join The Big Jewish Band. The leader, (San Diego Symphony cellist) Ron Robboy, said: ‘Don’t call us, we’ll call you’!”

Strom remembers this memorable encounter with Robboy, now a friend, as if it took place last week, not 38 years ago.

“It was March 1981 and The Big Jewish Band was playing downtown at Sushi (Performance & Visual Art),” Strom said. “Ron didn’t welcome me with open arms when I asked to join, but he did me a big favor. I went home, and said: ‘OK, I’m not going to join this band, so I’ll form my own!’ Then I went to the library and dug into the archives.

“At the end of the summer of 1981, I bought a one-way ticket to Vienna, Austria. I thought I would go to Europe for a few months. I stayed a year.”

Storm traveled through Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria and Soviet Ukraine. He spoke Yiddish and some Swedish.

But it was music — and his four-stringed instrument, specifically — that enabled him to open doors and communicate with Eastern European Jews wherever he went. He learned first-hand about klezmer music and about the struggles and triumphs of Jews in countries where the horrors sowed by World War II remain palpable.

‘The language of our hearts’

“I often say that Yiddish is the language or our minds, and the violin is the language of our hearts,” Strom said.

“I was able to make myself understood in Europe. But the key for me is that I was doing ethnography — and I didn’t even know the word at the time. I just did it from my gut.”

Strom is now one of the foremost ethnographers on klezmer and an authority on the Roma music favored by European gypsies. Since 2006, he has been a professor at SDSU, where he serves as artist-in-residence in the Jewish Studies program and teaches classes in the school’s history and anthropology departments.

He has written a dozen books and made nine documentaries. His latest film, 2018’s “American Socialist: The Life and Times of Victor Debs,” profiles a pioneering World War I protester. Strom also composed and arranged all of the music for the film, which features a folk and Americana soundtrack.

More recently, he and internationally celebrated San Diego jazz saxophonist Charles McPherson were commissioned to compose separate pieces of music for San Diego Ballet’s “Song of Songs.” It debuts May 24-26 at downtown’s Lyceum Theatre. The May 26 performance will kick off this year’s Lipinsky festival.

“To share the bill with Charles McPherson is quite the honor,” Strom said. “I’ve been a follower of his musical genius for years. So to be part of this ballet with him is something I am very proud of.”

Strom’s multifaceted talents and devotion to his craft are a matter of record. Yet, even some of his closest friends and collaborators — including bassist, composer and arranger Jeff Pekarek — note that his success was hardly a given.

“No, it wasn’t,” said Pekarek, who befriended Strom when both were students at Crawford High School. They have been musical partners since they started playing bluegrass together in the 1970s.

“Being a musician is hard,” Pekarek said. “Being an independent filmmaker is hard. I don’t think anything Yale has done has been less than hard, because it’s all been uphill. I’m pleased and proud to be his friend. But it wasn’t like there was a big breakthrough moment that made me say: ‘Oh, here comes the sun, breaking out through the clouds for Yale’!”

With or without a breakthrough moment, Strom’ has worked at a seemingly nonstop pace. He is so busy that his wife, Elizabeth, half-jokes: “if I didn’t work with Yale, I wouldn’t see him that often.”

Growing more serious, she said: “Before I met Yale, I was a film executive in Hollywood and worked with a lot of creative people, especially writers. I think you can be honest, in a kind of polite way. But people ask your opinion because they want their work to be as good as possible. With Yale, I’m kind of the in-house singer, editor and producer.”

Schwartz will sing with Strom at two of this year’s Lipinsky festival performances, both as a member of his band, Hot Pstromi.

“Elizabeth is a really terrific collaborator and a great artist in her own right,” said San Diego Repertory Theatre veteran Salovey. He has featured Strom and Schwartz in the festival’s annual Klezmer Summit concert for the past 18 years.

“What’s also fun about Yale and Elizabeth working together is they don’t always agree; they have different perspectives and they are not afraid to share them with each other,” Salovey said.

“I think Yale is a national treasure. There are very few people in the U.S. today who have as broad a knowledge of music history and the people who have created the Jewish music of the last 100 years. He’s a bridge between the music of Eastern Europe, before World War II, and music today.”

Strom and Schwartz have a 21-year-old daughter, Tallulah, who is a senior in cultural and social anthropology at UC San Diego.

Beginning Wednesday, Strom will be in Czechoslovakia to teach his anthropology class, Music & Culture, to SDSU students in Prague. After that, he and Elizabeth will resume work on their next film documentary, “Recordially Yours,” which profiles recently deceased San Diego music legend Lou Curtiss.

“I like to have one or two projects to work on, as well as being a husband, father and teacher,” Strom said. “And I’ll play at weddings, Bar Mitzvahs and parties. They’re fun to do and bring pleasure to others.” *Reposted article from the UT by George Varga of May 18, 2019

[aspiestvmusings]

Random Wednesday Thought: #1

“overheard” conversations on social media site: 

poster 1: Hi, I saw you (re) posted that (fandom) edit/pic*. I posted it (first), can you please give me some credit. 

poster 2: OK, if you want to, but I did not take the pic from your account.  Honestly. 

poster 1: (aka the plot twist) Well, I found the image on *enter search engine or social media site name here” and posted it on my account before you made your post, so obviously you got the pic from my account, and reposted without giving credit/linking to source (aka me). #ohtheirony #dothesepeoplenotgettheironyofitall 

ME, A VIEWER OF THIS “SHOW” (that airs basically weekly, if you just bother to check in): I. CANNOT. EVEN. & OH, THE IRONY... 

* the images in question are usually: 

BTS photos originally posted by cast & crew of the film/tv show, 

screencaptures taken from some screencap archive 

fandom edits originally posted by an edit maker on some other site...that people find when “googling” and never bother to look up the source or link to the original either way... 

[flauntpage]

Down Goes Brown Grab Bag: Crosby's Injury, Playoff Outrage, And The Draft Lottery

(Editor's note: Welcome to Sean McIndoe's weekly grab bag, where he writes on a variety of NHL topics. You can follow him on Twitter. Check out the Biscuits podcast with Sean and Dave Lozo as they discuss the events of the week.)

Three stars of comedy

The third star: This Predators fan—We'll get to the whole P.K. Subban dancing controversy in a bit, but let's just say that Nashville fans get it.

It

— Preds Warmup Signs (@PredsSigns) April 30, 2017

In related news, the Rangers can do stuff like this in the warmup and apparently nobody cares.

The second star: Chris Pratt—OK, technically, this is from three years ago. But Pratt just reposted it on Twitter recently, and it was the first time I'd ever seen it, so we're grandfathering it in.

Sudden Death really is just about the greatest movie ever made. We broke down the mascot fight in the YouTube section four years back, but that's not really enough. We should probably do another scene from that movie some time soon. Hmmm...

The first star: Taylor Hall—Apparently he listens to the podcast.

Officially adding

— Taylor Hall (@hallsy09) April 30, 2017

My favorite part of that joke is that it's still only the second funniest lottery-related tweet of Hall's career, trailing this one from two years ago.

Outrage of the week

We're three weeks into the playoffs, and you know what that means. We've reached outrage overflow mode, that inevitable point in the postseason where everyone is on edge and there's so much happening that our capacity to rationally discuss anything just disappears completely. We're going to have to break out the lightning round this week.

The issue: Sidney Crosby has another concussion after an ugly collision with Matt Niskanen, one that was helped along by a nasty Alexander Ovechkin slash.

The outrage: The play was dirty!

Is it justified: Seeing Crosby down and out like that was awful, just about the worst-case scenario for any hockey fan. It doesn't matter who you cheer for—hell, even if you're a Capitals fan—you don't want to see the league's most important player out with another head injury.

That said, the play itself was anything but black-and-white. I'm pretty sure I've watched it hundreds of times so far, and I'm still not sure if it was dirty. I didn't like the Ovechkin slash, which should have been at least two minutes. But Penguins fans just finished spending the last few weeks telling us that a hard slash on a puck-carrier is a hockey play, so that outrage only goes so far. The Niskanen half was the tough one, and I still see a player realizing that a falling opponent is about to crash into him and putting his hands up to protect himself.

Not everyone agrees. Maybe Niskanen really did sense an opportunity to target Crosby's head. But I'm still not sure, and I lean towards it ultimately being careless and maybe even reckless, but not dirty.

The issue: The Department of Player Safety didn't suspend Niskanen, or even hold a hearing.

The outrage: The DoPS never suspends anyone during the playoffs!

Is it justified: We've been over this before. If you want tougher sentences during the playoffs, have the GMs and owner instruct the DoPS to call it that way. But based on the standards that have been established over the years, it's no surprise that Niskanen didn't get anything beyond the game he'd already missed as a result of being ejected. It would have been unusual if he had.

The issue: Pittsburgh reporter Rob Rossi challenged Washington coach Barry Trotz about the play, wrote a column accusing the Capitals of intentionally targeting Crosby, and then made the media rounds to push the theory.

The outrage: That take is nuts. Let's spend the next two days talking about it!

Is it justified: The accusation about Capitals players planning Crosby's demise was out of bounds, especially in a post-Todd Bertuzzi league. He was widely criticized and mocked, and rightly so. Rossi's done some good work over the years, but there's no defending that take.

That said, as Elliotte Friedman pointed out this week, this seems to be the direction that a lot of sports journalism is headed. Lots of people wrote measured, thoughtful takes on the Crosby injury. If you ended up talking about Rossi instead, well, that tells you all you need to know. Attention is the currency of today's media, and now more than ever, you get what you pay for.

The issue: Nick Bonino drew a crucial penalty on Wednesday by embellishing a high-stick from T.J. Oshie.

The outrage: Hockey fans hate this stuff.

Is it justified: Sure, but the problem is that this is how the game works now, diving and embellishment works. There's a good chance you get the call. Every now and then, you'll get called for faking, but most of the time the ref will still take the other guy too. Unless you're completely obvious, they'll almost never take just the diver. Lots of players do this stuff, Oshie included.

Could the league fix it? Not totally, although encouraging refs to just take one guy more often would help. So suggest cranking up the post-game fines—drop five figures on someone who pulls a Bonino and at least a few guys might think twice. But you can never get rid of this stuff entirely, short of making everything open to review. And it's hard to think anyone wants even more reviews.

The issue: There aren't enough bathrooms in the new Edmonton arena and now their media want everyone to start peeing in the sinks.

The outrage: That's... wait, what?

Is it justified: Yeah, I don't get this one either. Let's just keep moving.

The issue: Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs says he doesn't think the NHL will go to the Olympics because it's not worth the effort for "the four people that watch it".

The outrage: The NHL really does hate its fans.

Is it justified: I'm sure the league's key television partner was thrilled to hear Jacobs trash-talking the viewership potential of an event it pays billions to broadcast. Just a thought, but the NHL might want to ease up on side-eying anyone else's ratings. But it was certainly interesting to see an owner as influential as Jacobs say "I don't think it's going to happen" about something we've already been told definitely won't happen. Gosh, it's almost as if the league is still posturing here.

The issue: P.K. Subban danced during a warmup and Mike Milbury called him a clown.

The outrage: Nobody likes Mike Milbury.

Is it justified: The clown take was terrible and pretty much everyone knows it, including Milbury, who backed off the comments fairly quickly. The NHL needs a lot of things, but more lectures from the fun police isn't on the list. Here's hoping Subban dances all the way to the Stanley Cup final.

The issue: This is too much outrage.

The outrage: Seriously, we're all exhausted.

Is it justified: Pace yourself, we still have five weeks of this stuff to go.

Obscure former player of the week

Earlier this week, Ottawa's Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored four goals in a game, becoming only the 12th player to do so in the last 30 years. So who's the most obscure player in that group? Well... it's probably Pageau, to be honest. But it seems a little early to hand him those honors, so let's go with Tony Hrkac.

Hrkac was taken in the second round of the 1984 entry draft when the Blues decided to show up for a change. He made his NHL debut in 1987, and played part of three seasons with St. Louis before being traded to the Nordiques. That would be the first of many moves over the course of his career; he'd go on to be traded six times, sign five free agent deals, get claimed on waivers once and be picked in the 1998 expansion draft.

All in all, he played for nine NHL teams over his career, despite spending several years in the IHL in the mid-90s. He appeared in his last NHL game for the Thrashers in 2003, although he continued playing off and on in the minors until 2010.

There are two things most fans of the era remember about Tony Hrkac. First, his last name was pronounced "hur-kuss", so everyone called him "the Hrkac Circus". And more importantly, he had one of the best playoff games ever as a rookie in 1988. That night, in game five of their first-round series, Hrkac lit up Chicago's Darren Pang for four goals including a short-handed winner in a 6-5 Blues win.

Hrkac's four-goal playoff game was the first that the NHL had seen in almost 24... hours. Buffalo's John Tucker had done it the night before against Boston. But the feat wouldn't be matched again for 12 whole days, when Mark Johnson pulled it off against the Capitals. What can I tell you, the late-80s were fun.

Be It Resolved

Saturday's draft lottery resulted in three longshots moving into the top three picks, including the Flyers, who had the 13th worst record but will pick second. Meanwhile, terrible teams like the Avalanche and Canucks and the expansion Golden Knights all dropped way down.

Is that fair? Not really. The lottery is kind of a mess. But if that's news to you, then you haven't been paying attention over the years. And you can't start complaining now just because your team was the one that got screwed.

First things first: We shouldn't even have a lottery. There's a far better system for determining draft order while still weighting everything in favor of the worst teams. It's called the Gold Plan, I've written about it a ton, and you're probably sick of me mentioning it. But it's roughly a million times fairer than random ping pong ball drawings, and a lot more exciting to boot. If you're not already on board, now's a good time to join us.

But let's assume that the league wants to keep a lottery system. After all, this is the NHL, the league where everything is fine and nothing should ever change. If you want to keep the ping pong balls and the weighted odds, then sometimes, the longshots will win. That's a feature, not a bug.

This whole thing is classic NHL. Design a system that we all know could result in a specific scenario; appear to be totally fine with that possibility; wait until that scenario inevitably plays out; then demand the system be changed because the thing you always knew might happen finally did.

We already did it with the Connor McDavid lottery a few years ago, when the Oilers won for a third time and everyone complained even though we knew Edmonton had decent odds going in. We did it with the skate-in-the-crease rule that everyone insisted was just fine right up until it showed up on a Cup-winning goal, at which point it was immediately scrapped. We're doing it right now with the offside review and puck-over-glass, badly implemented rules that won't be changed until they cost some team a playoff series. Which they absolutely will. We just need to wait long enough.

Should teams like the Avalanche have better odds? Maybe. Should teams like the Flyers have any odds at all? Maybe not. But these were all questions to be asking before Saturday's drawing. If you didn't have a problem with the system then but do now, you're either being disingenuous or you don't understand how probabilities work.

Either way, it would be nice for this league and its fans to want to solve a problem in advance for once, instead of slipping into knee-jerk reaction mode whenever the inevitable happens.

Classic YouTube clip breakdown

So the Washington Capitals are peppering the Penguins with shots, but can't score because Marc-Andre Fleury is playing like some sort of mid-90s action hero. You know what other Penguins' goalie played like a mid-90s action hero?

Oh hell yeah.

If you're not familiar with Sudden Death, you should a.) acknowledge that you have fundamentally failed as a person somewhere along the line and b.) head over to this excellent SB Nation tribute. But if you need the short version: The Blackhawks and Penguins are facing each other in game seven of the Stanley Cup final, terrorists are trying to blow up the arena, and Jean Claude Van Damme is here to karate fight everyone in the building.

At this point, we're well into the move. We've already seen Luc Robitaille swear and Van Damme use a supersoaker full of lighter fluid to end a dude, but have not yet seen a helicopter crash at center ice.

Also, Van Damme has already killed the Penguins' mascot with a dishwasher. Have I mentioned this is the greatest movie ever made? It totally is.

So at this point, we're late in the game and the Blackhawks are leading. Even worse, Penguins' starting goalie Brad Tolliver has left the game with the flu. Fun fact: Tolliver was played by former Penguin Jay Caufield, even though Caufield wasn't a goalie. I'm starting to think this movie might not be very realistic, you guys.

Van Damme has stolen Tolliver's uniform because of reasons, and he returns to the game. Well, he returns to the bench, where he sits in the middle of all the players, the way goalies do. His coach comes over and orders his unhealthy player back onto the ice, because this was 1995.

By the way, the two announcers are the Penguins' real life duo of Mike Lange and Paul Steigerwald. I love that Mike "Scratch My Back With a Hacksaw" Lange has his own IMDB page.

Brad Tolliver wasn't a real player. But as we hear from the arena announcer, the guy he's replacing is: It's Ken Wregget, playing himself. This game is going to end with the arena getting blown up by a helicopter, making it the second biggest hockey-related disaster Wregget has ever been a part of, behind the 1984-85 Maple Leafs.

"I don't know what he did back in the locker room." Uh, he has the flu, guys. I'm pretty sure we can narrow it down to a couple of options.

We get an extended sequence of Van Damme trying to figure out where to look and how to stand while praying the puck won't come near him, aka "the Brian Elliott". He eventually responds to a breakaway by charging out and flipping his opponent into the air, which is completely ridiculous because only a psychopath would ever do that.

"He hit his head on the ice... he hit it so hard his kids will be born dizzy." In the modern remake, this is the point where the concussion spotters will call down and the movie will end.

Tony Amonte gets his second breakaway of the shift because apparently the Penguins are being coached by Jared Bednar. Still woozy from his brain injury, Van Damme drops down and makes a highlight reel glove save. In what stands as easily the worst part of the movie, his Penguins teammates celebrate by raising their sticks in the air like they just scored. This is so stupid that I'm amazed The Love Guru didn't think of it.

This is the point where our clip ends, but it's not the end of Van Damme's goaltending adventures. He realizes that he can't save the world if he's stuck on the ice, so he does the only reasonable thing: Grabs a random Blackhawks player and sucker punches him to start a line brawl. Because the script writers have never actually seen playoff hockey, this results in the referees actually giving him a penalty, getting him out of the game and back into the terrorist-murdering business.

Sudden Death came out in December 1995, because the world had been good and deserved a Christmas present. It made several billion of dollars and won every Academy Award, but ushered in the Dead Puck Era of the NHL because the league's goalies now had access to Jean Claude Van Damme game film while coaches started focusing on defending the neutral zone in case a helicopter crashed there.

There have been 20 Stanley Cup finals since this movie came out, and the Blackhawks and Penguins have combined to win 25% of them. You do the math.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at nhlgrabbag@gmail.com.

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