#HYAW day 2

[sazanes]

Day 2 - Throwback/Pizza - Kiss the cook ❤

Guess who learned how to make pizza? Now Steve has a rival in the kitchen 😎 Will Hayden put pineapple on pizza one day? 🤔

Thank you @lizzybeth1986 @haydenyoungappreciationweek 💚

[haydenyoungappreciationweek]

It's now Day 2 of Hayden Young Appreciation Week 2024! Can't wait to see what you all have in store!!

We have two themes in store for today. One of them is Throwback! Bring out all your good old creative work featuring Hayden, and if you want you can even tell us about your process of creating it!! 😁

Our other theme is an old favourite - Pizza! We all know about the Great Potential Battle that could have sprung up between Steve and Hayden over pineapples on pizza 😂 But you can also explore this theme in other ways and we look forward to your interpretations!!

Any work is welcome – fics, art, edits, moodboards, interactive media, headcanons, meta, even screenshots of your favourite scenes! Our only requirements are that the works are original (nothing AI generated), and they center Hayden and present a positive depiction of them.

It is not necessary to put up your works only on the day of the theme – you can always put it up later. We will also be keeping a bonus week in case you’re not able to complete it during the week itself (till Oct 10th).

Please be sure to do the following when tagging your posts for HYAW 2023:

1. Use the tags #haydenyoungappreciationweek, and #HYAW, along with the day/theme you made the work for (#HYAW Day 1, #HYAW Day 2 etc).

2. Tag @haydenyoungappreciationweek, and hosts @sazanes and @lizzybeth1986 in your posts so we can access them easier!

FAN CONTENT BLOGS are the lifeline of our fandoms, esp for books that have long been over yet still have a strong fanbase. Many of them are hosting some incredible events that we highly encourage you to participate in if you feel so inclined!!

@choicesficwriterscreations – Accepts fic and art (no AI). Read up on their roster of events and guidelines here!

@choicesmonthlychallenge – Accepts fic and art. We’re almost at the end of September but can still give in entries for the “Royal Academy” event (run by @choicescommunityevents and @ladylamrian) currently hosted – particularly Day 29! You could also participate in Picktober for next month!

@choicesholidays – Mostly fic and art. Currently no events, but be on the lookout for announcements!

@choicesprompts – Mostly fic. There are a variety of events for the next three months! There is Smutember, Flufftober and Angstgiving.

@choicespride – All content welcome as long as it features LGBTQ+ pairings and themes! Currently no events.

Happy Hayden Young Appreciation Week, everyone!!

[lizzybeth1986]

Saffron Sugar, Turmeric Spice

Book: Perfect Match

Pairings: f!Hayden x poly m!MC (Basil Park), f!Hayden x f!OC (Nilukshi Sigera). Implied Sloane x MC.

Summary: Sage and Basil have been in an open relationship since that moonlit chat in Berlin. He's a free agent - so is she. It's an arrangement she's grown to love...but is Sage ready to to fall in love with more than one person?

Word Count: 3,720 words

Note: I mention a comet named "Comet Hasegawa" in the second part of the fic. This is a fictional comet modelled on Comet Nishimura (C/2023 P1) which was spotted this month and won't be seen for another 400+ years.

Old Fashioned Ice Cream, the sign reads, a fairly-large four leaf clover gracing the right corner. Mashti Malone's is practically an institution here in LA - with its pastel interiors and its quaint, old-world charm and the heady, rich, floral scents of Persian bastani. Sage can't resist taking in a deep breath everytime she enters this place. Although today...today she does it less for the pleasure of all these sweet scents, and more about keeping herself calm.

It feels like only yesterday that Basil brought her here for the first time, two years ago. To will away a bit of their nervousness about catching hold of Winona Johnson, he'd said.

And it did help. Every fear they'd had that she would laugh in their face, would throw them out, would never even listen...all of it melted away when the delightful coldness of French Lavender ice cream hit her tongue. Basil had playfully swiped a tiny spoonful of his orange blossom scoop on her nose. You could almost taste the promise of so, so many honeyed nighttime kisses in their laughter that day.

Mashti Malone has been their most-visited place in LA, ever since. Sometimes with the Candy Bombs (Damien, Alana and Khaan still grimace collectively at the name), sometimes with Sloane and Kim. But more often than not, it's just the two of them. Her spending an extra three minutes at the counter, taking in the rainbow-range of colours and gleefully tasting samples; him sitting back on his chair to watch her, ice cream sandwich in hand and a twinkle in his eye.

This is a place Sage never tires of exploring, and she always leaves it with a different flavour. It was Persian cucumber the last time, a burst of freshness that soothed and invigorated her sense all at once. And before that, the crystal glow of rice noodles against creamy, rose-scented vanilla, their signature faludeh. And way before that, the treacly unctuousness of date ice cream, so rich she had to take a full pint home.

Basil's order has always remained the same. Bastani Sonnati, offered to him the minute he shows his face at the door. From time to time they take bites of each other's ice creams; the smell of saffron and rosewater is familiar, and divine. This man sticks to his favourites - a principle he applies only to food, Sage thinks to herself, giggling quietly.

Today she finds herself in need, desperately, of the sunny-hued comfort of Basil's bastani. She wants to crack the wafers of the sandwich open, watching as the ice cream stretches and pulls apart. She wants to breathe in the floral scents of rose and saffron, feel the pistachios break in a satisfying crunch between her teeth. At this point when she wants to tell Basil her wish to explore the unknown, she finds herself seeking the comfort of the familiar. So she orders her own Bastani Sonnati.

"Baby," There's a teasing fondness in Basil's tone, as if he knows she has something in her mind that she's struggling to tell. "Something's up. You haven't said a word since we've got here."

Warmth creeps up her neck. Basil knows her too well for a man she's been dating for just two years.

"Um." Sage begins, fake-clearing her throat, " remember that time you and Sloane went to DC to visit Kim, and I took up that rock climbing tour at The Gunks?"

Basil grins. "Yeah...six months ago, right?" She nods as he continues to speak, finishing off the last of his wafers. "That may have been the first time I heard you gushing about Dr Madison Eckhart, but it sure as hell wasn't the last."

She smiles and mock-punches him on the arm, shaking her head as he steals a bite of her bastani sandwich. "You would, too, if you'd seen her normally sweet mouth come up with the most creative ways to shade a cocky guy," Sage tells him, giggling at the memory before she mimics Dr Eckhart's lilting but remarkably steely voice, "Get your head out of your armpits and listen to what I'm saying for once, Greg you asshole!"

For a minute, she almost forgets what she was intending to say, simply basking in their shared laughter. But then the strongest memory she has of that excursion resurfaces - silken brown hair whipping around a weatherbeaten face...almost like a reel in her head that she has watched too long on loop - and the warmth climbs up her neck again.

"So...uh. I met someone there."

"Oh?"

Basil tilts his head slightly, his eyebrows raised in an expression of mild interest. She searches his face for any traces of doubt, or judgement, or jealousy, and finds nothing but curiosity and...a brief flash of excitement? Either he's a very good actor or what she's clearly about to say doesn't sound as transgressive to him as it has to her.

She's been worried that he'd ask her - like he did two years before when she'd moved to her own flat - if her feelings for him have changed. Whether she's lost interest. Basil has identified himself as polyamorous for years, and she and Sloane have had his version of "The Talk" more times than they could collectively count. Don't be ashamed of wanting to be with other people. Openness is key. Honesty is key.

Back then they'd listened carefully, sincerely, but neither understood why any of that needed to apply to them. Sage and Sloane will always love Basil - for all he is and for all they've learned from him - but personally, they could never envision any sort of future with anyone else. And that was fine.

But now Sloane has started to show a sliver of interest in Alana, and as for herself...well.

"Earth to Sage." Sage can barely hear Basil's soft, laughing voice over the clamor of her own thoughts. It sounds like heaven, now more than ever.

All through this little trip, Sage had taken care. Touches. Kisses. The nicknames they use only on each other. An admission like the one she's making today could be taken the wrong way...and never, never, not even in a million years - not even after they are dust particles and rusted metal beneath six feet of earth - would she want Basil to ever believe the impossible. That her love for him would stop.

She puts what remains of her ice cream sandwich down, and steals a glance at him. Crinkles of laughter around his eyes, a corner of his mouth tugged upwards. A corner she will always want to kiss.

So he does know. He does trust her.

"There's a picture of her from that trip," Sage says, biting back her own smile, "You wanna see?"

"Mmm," he puts a hand over hers. "but let's get home first."

The trip back to Nadia's friend's place takes fifteen minutes but feels like hours, and they both drop with a thud on the couch rather than actually sit.

Sage has to slide the lockscreen upwards to unlock her phone. They both share a secret smile: the picture on the lockscreen is a silhouette of two people kissing, against the backdrop of a moon so abnormally large and golden that you would assume it was photoshopped in, if you didn't know what supermoons were. Only they (and Sloane, who gleefully clicked this picture just minutes before Sage took a similar one of her and Basil) know that it was real, that it was taken last year, that it's them. In this cozy, slightly messy sitting room - much like the one they own at home - Basil's hand moves from the small of Sage's back to cup her shoulders, and his head leans against hers.

The picture she shows him doesn't seem like much: a young woman, long brown hair loosely tied back, her dusky skin taking on a golden glow from the light of the afternoon sun. She's still wearing her climbing gear, her helmet on the rock beside her, her smile both tired and full of mischief. It reminds Sage of the very first time she looked at the woman - windswept hair whipping around her face before she tied it up and put on her helmet - and fell head over heels in love.

Sage had felt the gut punch of that realization the minute their eyes met - knew it was love with a terrifying certainty that was at once not at all like the way she fell for Basil, but also exactly like that.

Basil studies Sage's face for longer than he looks at the picture, his smile soft and knowing. "What's her name?" he asks as she flips through her gallery in search of other pictures, lacing the fingers of her other hand with his own.

"Nilukshi," She finds what she's looking for - a picture of the both of them against the backdrop of a stage. Sage sitting over a crate strumming guitar, Nilukshi singing, her hands spread out and her feet apart, her face a portrait of pure joy. Even here, in this quiet, cozy living-room sofa, far from the chaos of that stage, Sage relives the moment she realized they were both auditioning for the same play, just two weeks after that excursion. How their eyes locked for several skips of a heartbeat once they were done. "Small scale production for Rent. We were jamming on Seasons of Love backstage."

He chuckles. "Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes...how do you measure, measure a year." His voice is pitch perfect, as usual, and Sage has to bite back the urge to finish the verse with "Measure in love, sweet love". This is not the right time for an impromptu acapella.

But he turns serious a minute later, adjusts himself slightly to face Sage. His brows furrow in that way they do when he asks a question they both know will have answers that scare the shit out of you. "Does she know you're..."

"Yeah. I told her about Eros. It...didn't go as badly as I thought."

He sighs in relief. "Does she know about us?"

"Yep." It was funny how that was the harder conversation to have. Nilukshi's face had been studiously blank when Sage told her about her boyfriend, her hands shoved deep into her pockets. At least for the first five minutes. But the words "open relationship" loosened her up for some reason, and suddenly her gorgeous, long, artist's fingers were stretched out in front of her, eyes laser-focusing on them as if checking out her brand new manicure was the most important task in the world. Cool, she'd said, her voice almost squeaky, cool.

Basil's other hand lightly rubs her arm, encouraging Sage to sink into his embrace. "Did you only realise you wanted to date her now?"

She shakes her head, flushing. "I wanted to believe it was just a crush, not gonna lie. I just didn't think having my feelings returned was possible till now."

He frowns, almost like he's going to say it isn't like you to lack confidence in your charms, Sage. "Why not?"

Sage sighs, slowly inching forward and kissing a corner of his mouth. She looks down, training her gaze over their fingers tangled together.

It hasn't been easy, reliving the last five months of pining and awkwardness and just...the tendency to get ten times clumsier in Nilukshi's presence. Or reliving the last five months of tension and worry and (maybe misplaced) guilt, hoping against hope that she wasn't doing her relationship with Basil an injustice by getting even one step of this revelation wrong. But she'd still do it all over again - for him and for Nilu. For the two people who own her whole heart, the one that doesn't even physically exist in her body.

"Didn't think she'd be interested. Thought it would be a thing I'd tell myself to get over at some point. I'd have told you straightaway the moment I thought I stood a chance." Her eyes are darker and more shadowed as she raises them to meet his. "I did okay...didn't I?"

She feels the rumble of soft laughter from against her as he pulls her closer. "Oh honey. You did better than just okay." Sage sighs softly against his mouth as he draws her closer. "You were perfect."

His hands cup her face, his nose nudges softly against her own, making her giggle. The flavour of the ice cream they'd just shared half an hour ago lingers on his tongue. A bouquet of saffron and rose and clotted cream, coating her palate and making her feel like she is lying on a bed of flowers, sunlight streaming in rays of butter-yellow down her hair.

--

Two weeks later

Nilukshi is here before time at Brooklyn Bridge Park: binoculars, mat, amateur astronomy 101 booklet, backup garbage bags and snacks at hand. Chose tonight because of the new moon, she whispers excitedly. Even in the pitch dark, Sage can see her eyes light up as she approaches.

Comet Hasegawa is best seen in the early hours before dawn, where the sky is dark and unfettered by the thick veil of New York smog, preferably with no moonlight to obscure the intense glow of the stars. It was discovered only last month, by the Japanese scientist it was named after, and they have just this month to capture it in its full, emerald-green glory. This Saturday is the last time it will appear in the night sky. It'll take another 500 years for anyone on Earth to ever catch sight of it again.

Sage knows this because Sloane told her. Because Sage and Basil may have joined her in her backyard stargazing sessions, her trips to the planetarium, taken turns gazing into her humble home telescope just for the smile that lights up her face afterwards...but somewhere along the line they started to look forward to stargazing. Cherish it. Treasure it. It had become their thing.

Nilukshi had stared blankly at Sage the first time she'd yapped on and on about space - something stupidly jargon-y bullshit about Mercury's greatest elongation and seeing Jupiter at opposition. It got so embarrassingly obvious that she was confusing her crush that she'd apologized and backed away, whispering to herself since when did you become such a fucking nerd, Sage!

Nilukshi knows the basics. Orion. Meteor Showers. Total solar eclipses that make the sun look like an enlarged diamond ring; a nighttime sky at noon. She's the kind that would sit out even the major astronomical events because she's so used to city skylines veiled in smog. She, of all people, wouldn't have the time to squint at the night sky searching for constellations and planets.

And...and she set this up. Probably looked up this month's (maybe even this year's) calendar of astronomical events on Google, checked out amateur stargazing clubs, did her research, figured out the perfect timings, the perfect place, even the perfect gear. Chose a suitably dark night where they would need only binoculars. Sage has been through enough of these kinds of trips to know how much work goes into one like this.

And the way she sneaks glances at Sage, from underneath those impossibly long eyelashes of hers, you could tell that the success of every minute of this picnic will hinge on what Sage's own face gives away.

Nilukshi did this. For her. Dove headlong into this...this thing that she barely knew much about before they met, for her.

Goddamit. It should be criminal for that hum beneath her skin - the one that usually tells her that everything in her body is in tip-top shape - to keep running this...this normally. Not when her brain and her soul and her (mechanical) heart feel so out of whack.

Ignorant of the way Sage's thoughts are running riot, Nilukshi rummages through her backpack, not stopping until she takes out a ziplock bag filled with crispy, yellow, star-shaped snacks.

"Koki," her teeth gleam in the darkness. "Amma made these for me when she came over to visit last week."

Sage nods. She remembers Mrs Sigera from the first time she'd come with Nilukshi to the backstage area of the theatre, meeting the cast, clicking poloroids of them all on her cute pink FujiFilm. Sage can almost imagine Nilukshi's features maturing out to look exactly like her mother's when she reaches that age - warm brown skin with faint lines showing, fine crinkles around those wonderful brown eyes, streaks of grey peppering her dark wild hair. She shouldn't hunger for that sight the way she does now - the way she did when she first imagined Basil and Sloane and herself, rocking gently on armchairs, their wizened gnarled hands on her still-youthful ones, watching sunsets - but she does. She does. She wants all of those images to combine and become the truth of her future.

The rice cookies break apart in a satisfying crunch against her teeth, before dissolving into a sweet-savoury blend of coconut milk, and turmeric, with the slightest hint of red chili. The turmeric is perhaps the most prominent flavour - peppery and bright, slightly bitter and earthy and balanced out perfectly with a bit of sugar. If she were to guess, it's the turmeric that gives the koki its distinctive yellow glow, pretty much the way saffron stains Basil's favourite bastani this exact golden hue.

They sit together in a silence that feels both comforting and way too heavy, pretending to focus instead on the emerald glow of Comet Hasegawa, Earth's guest for only a few days before it disappears for another half-millennium. Sage points to the constellation of Leo it passes across; they both smile, recalling the surprise birthday party Dr Eckhart and her team threw, mid-August, for Nilukshi at their rock climbing gym. The comet looks like a streak of glow-in-the-dark phosphorus paint, brushed against the canvas of the sky.

Nilukshi has packed more food than that - maybe too much for this trip - but it's the kokis Sage keeps coming back to, their sweet-saltiness and that mild nuttiness that likely comes from the sesame seeds hidden beneath the surface. She eats slowly, conscious of Nilukshi's expectant gaze.

"Man," Sage whispers, "I could eat my body weight in these, they're so good. Don't tell your mom."

Nilukshi tears her gaze away from her, swallowing as she gazes again at the comet. "Amma only makes them for special people in our lives...and we don't have that many. She'd be pissed if I gave those kokis to anyone else..."

If Sage had any ability to think before she said that, it disappears completely when she hears what Nilukshi says next. "...if I didn't give them to the girl I've fallen so hard for." Fuck. Fuck. Holy shit. She'd been hoping and wishing and terrified of this moment and now it's... "The girl I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Nilukshi says the last one in a terrified whisper. She looks down now, at the grass. Her fingers tremble as they fiddle with a loose thread on the mat.

"Since when?" Sage can barely breathe.

"Since the minute Dr Eckhart dragged Greg Jones' arrogant, trip-sabotaging ass, and then someone let out a belly-laugh that made me think it was the sweetest sound I'd ever heard."

Slowly, swayingly, as if they're both in a dream, Sage inches herself towards her, whispering her name like it's a prayer. Balances herself on her knees, cupping her left cheek, making her look up so Sage can bask in the mixture of desire and fear in her eyes. Her fingers have combed through Nilukshi's hair often enough in her dreams that their softness against her fingertips feels like coming home. Sage feels Nilu's breaths turn shallow as she traces a line of kisses, from temple to jawline to corner of mouth, before covering lips thinner than her own. But the moment Sage's tongue brushes hers, Nilu sighs and almost sinks into her. As she is ready to be absorbed into the pores of Sage's skin, if that's what it takes to get closer.

On Nilukshi's tongue she tastes the creaminess of coconut milk and the slightest dusting of sugar, the light heat of the chili powder and the welcome, golden bitterness of turmeric. She tastes like heaven.

Sage can't bear to move away - even as their lips part - so she keeps her forehead against Nilukshi's and her hands buried in her hair.

"You too?" Nilukshi breathes.

"Goddamit, Nilu. Since the minute we met."

"What about..." Nilukshi flushes and looks away.

Sage understands perfectly, smiles softly at her. "Basil knows. He'd probably cuss me out if I didn't stop moping over you and actually do something about it. I bet he'll get along with your mom like a house on fire."

Nilukshi lets out a watery giggle, then gasps as they stop talking altogether. They kiss again, and again, and again, moaning as Nilukshi catches Sage's lower lip with her teeth, as Sage grabs fistfuls of her dress so she won't fall over.

In the sky above them, Comet Hasegawa is close to completing its journey across the constellation of Leo, ready to continue its path across the universe and out of the solar system. Neither Sage, nor Nilukshi, nor any of the people Sage has loved or will ever love in the future, will see such a sight again in their lifetime.

In their minds, that comet has already passed, already streaked its way through their orbit and faded in relevance. All that remains is starlight and quick gasps and hushed kisses and the taste of spicy-sweet kokis.

Tomorrow, Sage promises herself. She and Nilukshi will need to talk, once this afterglow has faded and they have to think about the reality of their situation.

This is a first for Nilukshi, just as the relationship with Basil had been a first for her. Like Sage, there are going to be things that will scare Nilu. And like Basil, Sage will need to take on the lead a bit. Will need to ask the right questions, say the right words to reassure her, read her body language and listen to her voice and understand at least a little of what Nilukshi's boundaries are. Will need to ease her into the realization that as long as they're honest, as long as they trust each other...this will be okay. They will be okay.

Sage breathes in the smell of fresh grass and rice-coconut cookies, smiles at the stray thought of Basil looking at her, with that proud grin, raising his mug of coffee to her like he's making a toast. Baby, you did perfect.

Tomorrow, Sage promises herself, as the comet they came to watch slowly inches its way, half-seen, out of their orbit. There will be other starlit nights, other fantastic things to see and experience together. They will have so much of tomorrow left to savour.

For tonight, the kisses they share will be magic enough.

--

References:

Basil is my polyam MC, and he dates everyone in the group. Sloane and Sage, too, wind up having other relationships and the three of them live together in the current timeline of this fic. Sage is the Adventurer Hayden (Mysterious, Rebellious, Humourous and Impulsive) but she sometimes showcases opposing traits due to the Double Ripple Effect.

Mashti Malone - A Persian ice cream shop, v popular in LA. I used this video about them as a reference

Bastani - Iranian ice cream which is golden and made with saffron, rosewater and pistachios. Bastani Sonnati is the same, sandwiched between wafers.

Faludeh - A traditional Iranian cold dessert similar to a sorbet. It consists of thin vermicelli-sized noodles made from starch in a semi-frozen syrup containing sugar and rose water.

Koki - An all-time favorite Sri Lankan deep-fried snack made specially during festivals such as Sinhalese and Tamil new year, weddings, and ceremonies. The basic Kokis batter is made of rice flour, salt, turmeric powder, and coconut milk.

Sage's lockscreen in this fic (of Basil and Sage's silhouettes against a supermoon), is a reference to the next fic I'm writing, Harvest Moon

Yes the Dr Eckhart I mention here as the rock climbing professional trainer is Madison from The Freshman. I HC that she went on to do her PhD in Volcanology and runs adventurer courses. 😄

Tagging @choicesficwriterscreations for FoTW, and @choicesseptemberchallenge2023 for Day 14: Poloroid Picture/Clicking special photos of S/O(s) and @choicespride for Bisexual Awareness Week

Tagging @haydenyoungappreciationweek and @sazanes for HYAW 2023 for Day 2: Relationships

[choicesfrog]

Day 2 - Friendships/Relationships/Family

I decided to go with Indigo's (my Hayden) future family. She and my MC Dez adopt two daughters Opal first, and then Maia. Opal was around two when they adopted her, and a few years later they adopted Maia who was a baby at the time. Indigo and Dez are both open to adopting another child in the future.

The whole gang is considered family, and they get together when they can. Nadia, Steve, and their kids, Sloane (who's dating another Park cousin), Damien, Alana, Khaan, Hamza (who was thrilled to have more playmates). Of course there are visits to see Kim, who considers Indigo to be a second daughter to her and with Dez's family as well. There's lots of love to go around.

As a family, their home base is Indigo's apartment (Dez moved in a little before they got married), but they spend a lot of time traveling and take the girls with them, so they can experience new places.

@haydenyoungappreciationweek @lizzybeth1986 @sazanes

[lizzybeth1986]

@rosepetals1 I love this so much 😂😂😂 Our wordy, angsty, detail-oriented android!!!

*over the phone* Hayden: I put a little note in your bag to tell you I love you.

MC: *opens bag* Hayden, this is a 10-page letter

@haydenyoungappreciationweek

[cassiopeiacorvus]

content masterlist

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choices mcs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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bloodbound

death rattle

the royal romance

a lesson in sources

the royal couple: 20 years later

headcanons/prompts/appreciation weeks

bloodbound

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perfect match

hayden young appreciation day 2022

hyaw 2020: day 1

nadia park appreciation day 2023

sloane washington appreciation week 2023: day 1 day 3

swaw 2022: day 1 day 4

the royal romance

hana lee appreciation week 2024: day 1

hlaw 2023: day 2

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[sidbridgecomedy]

Getting Heckled

One of the most frustrating aspects of stand-up comedy is the perception among audience members that heckling is welcome or even “improves the show”.

I once invited someone to come see me at the Funny Bone and her response was “I don’t know - I really need to brush up on my heckling before I go to another comedy show.”

Heckling has been depicted as part of stand-up in movies and on TV shows - often times with the heckler being the hero! (Looking at you, Nutty Professor)

As a comic it can be maddening. Nobody is standing over my dentist’s shoulder shouting “You scale like a bitch! And why are you wearing crocs?!” But somehow, without fail, some idiot will show up at a comedy show and try to grab his or her 15 minutes of fame.

This topic has been written on hundreds of times by comics way more successful then me, but I’m still giving you my take because it’s my blog, and maybe I’ll have a thought or two you might find helpful.

So... what does one do?

With hecklers, there isn’t a definite answer. As a comedian, you need to know your own strengths and utilize them to your advantage. If you’re good at thinking on your feet - if you trust your instincts, follow them.

In my opinion, the most important part of managing hecklers is minimizing their theft of your time. You’re the one being paid (hopefully) to make people laugh on that stage and you should protect every second of that time as best you can. If a heckler can’t be straight-up ignored, my goal is to shut them down as quickly and sharply as possible and then immediately drawing the audience’s attention away from them.

Grab the first thought that comes to your brain, fire that thought at the heckler like it’s a crossbow dart, then dive right back into your planned set, shifting yourself to part of the stage where the heckler isn’t facing and engaging the audience on the other side of the room. That’s the best case scenario. 

Of course, we don’t always get the best case. If the heckler keeps going, make a quick plan - you can give them three strikes - that means, do the crossbow dart technique twice, then on the third strike, don’t be afraid to get more explicit. Tell them bluntly to shut up and be prepared to call the staff over to reinforce your threat.

Again, everyone should respond according to his or her own gifts. If you’re naturally awesome at crowd work and you don’t mind diverting from your set to ruin a heckler, then go for it. If you’re a rookie at crowd work, I guarantee engaging the heckler will end in disaster.

Here’s a rundown of other techniques and their pros/cons:

1. Completely ignore the heckler - This can be effective because it denies the heckler the attention he wants, but some of these people are relentless, and your set could suffer if the audience is half paying attention to you and half to the heckler.

2. Insult the living s**t our of the heckler - This can shut the heckler up and get a huge positive response from the audience when you call someone out for being a douche. However, size the heckler up first - I’ve seen comics get assaulted because a heckler couldn’t take an insult. Also be really sure the audience will agree. If the heckler has any angle that may garner sympathy, be careful as the audience may turn on you.

3. Call the bouncer/Tell them to leave - This will likely fix the problem, but it may take a while for staff to negotiate with the person - and the heckler may get a second chance if he promises to stop. If there is no bouncer, you’re going to have to take time away dealing with it - either way, the interruption to your set will be significant.

4. Let them talk - Ok, don’t do this. Sometimes it might seem tempting because the heckler might actually be funny, or you might want to let the heckler prove he’s a huge idiot conclusively to the crowd. Don’t give away your time, no matter how tempting it is.

It’s also important to understand why someone is heckling. I already covered the ethos of the heckler - many people believe that it’s okay to talk back and it’s fun to become part of the show. All we can do is spread the word as best we can to combat this. That means the host - especially at a bar show or an open mic show - should lay the law down with the crowd explicitly before the show starts, and again during the show if the crowd isn’t listening or new people show up.

Sometimes people heckle for other reasons:

1. They don’t want to be there and they just want to chat with their friends while the show is going on.

2. They can’t stop checking their cell phones.

3. They are trying to get a waiter’s attention.

4. They came as a group for a party.

5. They underestimated their alcohol tolerance and can’t control themselves.

6. You said something that really pissed them off.

Most of those things you don’t have control over. Sometimes we do comedy at bars and the patrons weren’t expecting a show. Telling them they can’t talk to their friends and they have to listen to your jokes could actually be ruining their evening, leaving them feeling entitled to ruin yours.

A drunk can’t be reasoned with and can be difficult to control. A party is all about the person whose birthday it is (or whatever) - they want to be the star of their own evening and you should do your best not to take that away from them. The club makes money off of serving food and drinks, so it’s also important to be patient with someone shouting for a waiter.

As far as pissing people off, you do have a responsibility to read the room. If you tell a joke where Democrats are the good guys and the room clams up or boos, don’t tell another joke like that. Unless you’re super advanced and really good at making people laugh at stuff they disagree with (I’ve seen people who can do this and it’s amazing), don’t keep antagonizing the people who are supposed to laugh at your jokes. People get belligerent over things like religion and politics. Be ready to change gears if you don’t want to get yelled at or attacked.

Heckling most frustrates me at my open mic shows. Most headliners and features have experience dealing with it. Open mic comics, on the other hand, often don’t have the benefit of experience and they get very, very little time. Taking away 30 seconds to shut down a heckler could mean the loss of a big portion of their set time to an idiot. If you’re trying to work on material at an open mic, resist the temptation to break from your plan to address the heckler. Hopefully the staff or the host will be there to quietly confront the heckler off stage to try and minimize the impact on your set. If you really, really want to respond, just understand that it’s going to be your whole set. I know when I’m open mic host, it’s rare that I have the extra time to give out an extra minute or two to a comic who surrendered his time to a heckler.

Also, if you brought a big group of friends to see you at an open mic show, take a few minutes to make sure they know that heckling is bad. If they hear it from you in addition to the host, they will be more likely to listen.

If you’re a non-comic and you’re reading this, PLEASE DON’T HECKLE. Please tell your friends not to heckle. And please know that if you heckle, you’re a douche. If you heckle at an open mic show, you’re the worst person in the world and you shouldn’t be allowed to consume live entertainment. 

We’re a long way away from world peace and unity, but if one person pledges never to heckle a comedy show, we’ve taken a big step closer.

As a postscript, here are a few personal heckler stories:

1. My very first guest set at Cozzy’s was on a show with Darryl Rhoades and Dan Whitehurst (to this day, two of my favorite people to work with - Always there with excellent feedback and they bring tons of energy to the stage). A woman got super drunk and her laugh was the most bizarre thing I have ever heard. After I told a joke, I had to wait for her to finish shouting her laugh at the top of her lungs - HYEW HYAW HYEY HYEW - HYEW YOU FUNNY! HYAW HYAW!!! I was still a rookie, so I did the best I could - I picked my pace up, leaving less time between jokes for the laughter, and moved my focus to the side of the room where she wasn’t. The staff quieted this woman numerous times, and Darryl and Dan each dealt with it in their own way. Darryl did call her out on stage and it was pretty hilarious, and when the staff offered to kick her out, he told them to let her stay - gutsy and courteous!

2. This is one I actually use as part of my set - a woman showed up and signed up for open mic night. She was obnoxious. Her set was terrible. And she spent the evening running her mouth and doing lewd things. I finally had to draw the line when she exposed herself in the club and asked the bartender to close her tab. She really did try to confront me - she happened to be of Arab descent and accused me of kicking her out because I was Jewish. My comic friends really did form a human wall (ask Derek Williams. He was part of the wall) while the bartender kicked her out. While she was outside, she exposed herself to the comics again, just the lower part this time. Good times.

3. An extremely drunk redneck showed up at open mic and signed up as “Fisherman.” I think Jounte Ferguson taped his set if you want to watch it. It was an open mic train wreck on a level you only see once every few years. He also heckled constantly, and I went over to him several times to try and shut him up (politely). One of those times, he grabbed my arm and held on for a while to give me an earful about how he’s a fisherman or something. I don’t know. I just wanted to get away. I wasn’t able to get him out of the bar that night, and I actually ended up staying behind a while to make sure he had left before I ventured into the parking lot. 

4. I was closing Sunday Funnies at Cozzy’s once, and I brought a group of friends. One of my friends heckled a joke and I went into automatic heckler mode and shut him down just as quickly and decisively as I would have done with a regular audience member. Then it hit me that I had just shut my friend down from on stage, so I added a quick “There goes a friendship” after I did it, which actually lead to a really big laugh and no hard feelings. 

5. I was doing a set at my own open mic, and a couple was sitting at stage left. They had been talking to each other and ignoring the entire show. I decided to see how oblivious they were - I have a joke that picks a couple in the crowd and focuses on them. I picked that couple and did they joke while they were ignoring me *as if they weren’t ignoring me*. The further I went, the louder the laughs got as this poor couple didn’t realize they were being singled out through the entire joke. They later apologized profusely for their behavior and enjoyed the rest of the show.

[sazanes]

Day 2 - Friendship/Relationships/Family

Thank You! 🥰 @haydenyoungappreciationweek @lizzybeth1986 @sazanes

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | End🥰

Music Sheet - Joe Hisaishi _ Hana-Bi

[sazanes]

Love love love this art🥰

Indescribable

My first venture into the world of Perfect Match. This word has intrigued me as much as it did to Hayden. After the dust settles down, I imagine Hayden taking efforts to work upon her inefficiency to understand the art world.

Nadia was there to hold her hands and help her comprehend the complexities of this form of expression. And heres the result, an amateur painting by Hayden titled "Indescribable."

This art work is for the @haydenyoungappreciationweek Thank you @lizzybeth1986 for pushing me out of my deep slumber. The events you host always lead to some positive outcome.

I don't know who all are interested in this but tagging Lizzy and @dcbbw who always recommend this book. I finally read it girl, and I agree with you, it's different, it's interesting, it's beautiful.

And how can I forget the wonderful co host @sazanes . Thank you!

@choicesficwriterscreations

[haydenyoungappreciationweek]

What a wonderful response we got for Day 1!! We went down memory lane with a lot of beautiful fic and art, and explored the "Indescribable" theme through (ironically!!) both art and music 🤓

We're now on Day 2 of our Hayden Young Week, and 3 days away from their birthday. Today's theme focuses on the people close to Hayden.

Their Friendships...people who have stood by Hayden through thick and thin, and who are valued by them.

Their Relationships - all the wonderful ways Hayden loves their partners and gives their all to them.

The Family - You could include anything! Their relationship with Sloane's mom Kim, any future children they may have...even their found family!

Any content is welcome - fic, art, meta, edit, moodboards, icons, headcanons...even simple screenshots of your favourite Hayden scene!! Our only requirement is that the content is original (no AI generated content pls!), the piece centers Hayden, and shows them in a positive light. You don't necessarily have to put up your work for the theme on the exact same day - you can always put it up later as long as you tag it for the day you meant for.

We will also be keeping a buffer week in case people are unable to finish the works during the week. You can also put up WIPs in case it doesn't get finished on time!!

Be sure to do the following when you make for posts for HYAW:

1. Use the tags #haydenyoungappreciationweek and #HYAW in your tags, along with the day you made the post for (HYAW Day 1, HYAW Day 2 etc).

2. Tag @haydenyoungappreciationweek, and hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes in your posts so we don't miss your content!

FAN CONTENT BLOGS regularly promote fandom content, and run some amazing weeks too! If you'd like to join in on some during HYAW, we would highly recommend these:

@choicesficwriterscreations - Fanfic and art welcome! They also have an LGBTQ archive so if you have any fics that highlight Hayden's queer identity, definitely let them know!! Here's a full list of the events they run!

@choicesmonthlychallenge, @choicesseptemberchallenge2023 and @choicesoctober - All content welcome! They have some amazing prompts for Sept and Oct.

@choicespride - Any and all content welcome, as long as it focuses on queer characters and themes! They are currently running their Bisexual Awareness Week.

@choicesflashfics - Primarily fanfic under 2500 words. They give you prompts every week.

@choicesholidays - All content welcome! They are currently running their Halloween themed Festival of Fears Month.

@choicesprompts - Primarily fanfic focused. Currently they are running their Smutember event.

Do check these out! We hope to see more lovely Hayden content tomorrow and all through this week! 💖💖💖

Have a great Hayden Young Appreciation Week, everyone!!

[lizzybeth1986]

Headcanon: The Park-Young Kids!

(FCs for Hazel and Iris:

Hazel Park - Justine Skye

Iris Young - Jung Ryeo-Won)

Unlike my other f!Haydens, Sage and Zinnia, Iris has a relationship with only Hazel. I'm currently trying to plan what families look like for the other two, but managed to plan it for this couple earlier!

Hazel sells her flat some months after the triumph over Eros, moving in with Iris - over time she begins to see Iris' flat more as home over her own. They get married a year into their relationship, and Hazel has their first child, Violet, over a year and a half after that. Lavender joins the fold three years after that. Hazel got references from Kim for clinics when the two started planning a family.

I'll probably add to this as I get more ideas!!

Violet Park-Young

(FC: Sydney Park)

- Everybody thinks Hazel came up with the name, with her passion for purple, but it was really Iris 😄

- Violet is part Jamacian (from Hazel) and part Korean (from the donor).

- Loves to dance. Showed enthusiasm for ballet classes as a kid but fave styles as an adult include lyrical hip-hop, aeriel silk and contemporary.

- Had a bit of an emo phase as a teen, with a real taste for dark, grungy fashion. Iris is almost tempted to take her on a trip to Harajuku.

- Obviously goes into choreography as an adult and ends up owning her own studio.

Lavender Park-Young

(FC: Jordan-Amanda Hall)

- Begs Iris to teach her piano when she's eight. Eventually finds she likes violin better...Iris has no difficulty teaching her that either 😄

- Lavender was named as an affectionate nod to Sloane, because it is her favourite scent. Sloane's own twins are one year older than her.

- Ran a "hair salon" as a kid, which mainly meant she threw paint on Mom Iris's hair and called it "hair colouring".

- Loves to cosplay and go to conventions.

- Goes into music production as an adult.

Family HCs:

- Iris and Hazel insist on regular family outings, no matter how busy they all are. They take the kids along to their stargazing road trips with Nana Kim (yes, she is their Nana too).

- The family also goes to Dolores Park every time they visit San Fran.

- "Efforts are greater than gold stars" is practically Iris' motto as a mom. Hazel's is basically "Just do it". Like Nike.

- PTA meetings make Iris nervous but she will never miss them, and Hazel is always by her side.

- The Park-Young sisters are very close to Sloane's twins, Artemis and Orion. Khaan's son Hamza has basically positioned himself the protective older brother of the entire kid group 😎 (which also includes Nadia and Steve's five children). They all love him but also love to troll the everloving shit out of him.

[lizzybeth1986]

WIP - Apology: Take Two.

(Zinnia Young - Chloë Grace Moretz

Damien/Dames - Chayenne)

What to Expect:

- Sequel to Placeholder Apology!

- It's Damien this time.

- Zinnia looking at a CAPTCHA and going "well I feel attacked now 😑"

- Takes place in Tokyo, after Zinnia and Hawthorne's (MC) Harajuku date, and then later during the week in Indonesia.

- How does Zinnia ACTUALLY feel about Dames? 🤔

Tagging @haydenyoungappreciationweek and @sazanes for HYAW Day 2: Friendships

[haydenyoungappreciationweek]

(this amazing poster was made by the brilliant @sazanes!!)

It's our third year of the Hayden Young Appreciation Week!! (or fourth, if you include our one-day HYAD celebration in 2022 😄)

Hayden Young will always have a special place in our hearts, because they were first character that we (hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes) ever ran an appreciation week for, back in 2020! Now 4 years later, we still experience the same love, passion and joy this character brings, with so many other players!!

Hayden's birthday is around the corner, and as usual, we hope to celebrate it in style! We hope you can join us.

HYAW 2024 will happen from Sept 25th-29th, and we have a range of great topics you can choose for your pieces:

Day 1 - Sept 25 - Character Appreciation/Vacation

Day 2 - Sept 26 - Throwback/Pizza

Day 3 - Sept 27 - Soul/Changes

Day 4 - Sept 28 - Relationships/Psyche

Day 5 - Sept 29 - Happy Birthday Hayden!!

Any form of creative, original work is welcome - fic, art, meta, edits, moodboards, interactive media, headcanons...even screenshots of your favourite Hayden moments! The only rules are that they show a positive depiction of Hayden, and that the works center Hayden as a character. We will also accept WIPs and it is not necessary for the pieces to be put up only on the day of the theme. We also have a specific day for throwback pieces where you can share older stuff and even take us through the process of creating it if you like (here's an ask list that may help!)

Make sure you tag @haydenyoungappreciationweek, as well as hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes in your content. It would also be helpful if you used #haydenyoungappreciationweek and #HYAW in your tags!

For inspiration, you can always refer to our previous years' masterlist: HYAW 2020 | HYAD 2022 | HYAW 2023.

Various fan content blogs have helped us immensely in promoting the events, and run a range of amazing events themselves!! Check them out here: @choicesficwriterscreations, @choicesmonthlychallenge, @choicespride, @choicesprompts, @choicesholidays, @wordwarriors, @choicescommunityevents. If there are any other Choices fan content/appreciation blogs you'd like us to give a shoutout to, do let us know!

We have a month to go before we enter HYAW 2024, and we'd love to get signal boosts from the fandom! If you know any Hayden stans who would love to participate/consume content, do tag them too!

Hope to see you all at the end of September, to celebrate Hayden's birthday!! ❤️❤️

✅✅signal boosts will be much appreciated!!✅✅

[haydenyoungappreciationweek]

Welcome to our third edition of the Hayden Young Appreciation Week! We started this way back in 2020, during the lockdown, and it's been a blast spreading our love for this amazing character ever since!!

Hayden is the heart and soul of Perfect Match - their tenacity, their unwavering love and their deep questions about life and identity make the story so much more interesting and nuanced.

For Day 1, we have two themes for you to try. One is of course Character Appreciation, where you can appreciate practically anything about Hayden!

There is also Vacation as a theme! We all know that PM as a story has its characters travelling around the world, either to get away from Eros or to plan their next move. Hayden, in particular, seems to thrive in different settings, exploring different cultures - even more so if their MC chooses the polyglot skill for them!

Any work is welcome – fics, art, edits, moodboards, interactive media, headcanons, meta, even screenshots of your favourite scenes! Our only requirements are that the works are original (nothing AI generated), and they center Hayden and present a positive depiction of them.

It is not necessary to put up your works only on the day of the theme – you can always put it up later. We will also be keeping a buffer week in case you’re not able to complete it during the week itself (till Oct 10th).

Please be sure to do the following when tagging your posts for HYAW 2023:

1. Use the tags #haydenyoungappreciationweek, and #HYAW, along with the day/theme you made the work for (#HYAW Day 1, #HYAW Day 2 etc).

2. Tag @haydenyoungappreciationweek, and hosts @sazanes and @lizzybeth1986 in your posts so we can access them easier!

FAN CONTENT BLOGS are the lifeline of our fandoms, esp for books that have long been over yet still have a strong fanbase. Many of them are hosting some incredible events that we highly encourage you to participate in if you feel so inclined!!

@choicesficwriterscreations - Accepts fic and art (no AI). Read up on their roster of events and guidelines here!

@choicesmonthlychallenge - Accepts fic and art. We're almost at the end of September but can still give in entries for the "Royal Academy" event (run by @choicescommunityevents and @ladylamrian) currently hosted - particularly Day 29! You could also participate in Picktober for next month!

@choicesholidays - Mostly fic and art. Currently no events, but be on the lookout for announcements!

@choicesprompts - Mostly fic. There are a variety of events for the next three months! There is Smutember, Flufftober and Angstgiving.

@choicespride - All content welcome as long as it features LGBTQ+ pairings and themes! Currently no events.

Hope you have plenty of fun with Hayden content today. Let's make Hayden's birthday special! 😃😃

Happy Hayden Young Appreciation Week, everyone!!

[haydenyoungappreciationweek]

(Note from @lizzybeth1986: As mentioned yesterday, I'll be putting up the announcement for Day 4 (Relationships/) tomorrow! But you can still send across entries for it today if you'd prefer to)

We're moving towards the end of our appreciation week for Hayden! And today will be particularly exciting, because it's Hayden's birthday!!

In Book 2, Chapter 9, we find out from Sloane that Hayden was powered on 29th September, and therefore that date is considered their birthday. Khaan even points out their 'Libran' characteristics when speaking about their core personality!

So really this day is open to interpret Hayden's birthday and how they will celebrate it, any way you like!

Any work is welcome – fics, art, edits, moodboards, interactive media, headcanons, meta, even screenshots of your favourite scenes! Our only requirements are that the works are original (nothing AI generated), and they center Hayden and present a positive depiction of them.

It is not necessary to put up your works only on the day of the theme – you can always put it up later. We will also be keeping a buffer week in case you’re not able to complete it during the week itself (till Oct 10th).

Please be sure to do the following when tagging your posts for HYAW 2023:

1. Use the tags #haydenyoungappreciationweek, and #HYAW, along with the day/theme you made the work for (#HYAW Day 1, #HYAW Day 2 etc).

2. Tag @haydenyoungappreciationweek, and hosts @sazanes and @lizzybeth1986 in your posts so we can access them easier!

FAN CONTENT BLOGS are the lifeline of our fandoms, esp for books that have long been over yet still have a strong fanbase. Many of them are hosting some incredible events that we highly encourage you to participate in if you feel so inclined!!

@choicesficwriterscreations – Accepts fic and art (no AI). Read up on their roster of events and guidelines here! (the moderator is @liaromancewriter)

@choicesmonthlychallenge – Accepts fic and art. We’re almost at the end of September but can still give in entries for the “Royal Academy” event (run by @choicescommunityevents and @ladylamrian) currently hosted – particularly Day 29 (that's today!!) You could also participate in Picktober for next month! (run by @lovealexhunt)

@choicesholidays – Mostly fic and art. Currently no events, but be on the lookout for announcements!

@choicesprompts – Mostly fic. There are a variety of events for the next three months! There is Smutember, Flufftober and Angstgiving (both Holidays and Prompts are run by @angelasscribbles)

@choicespride – All content welcome as long as it features LGBTQ+ pairings and themes! Currently no events but October promises to be an exciting one here!

Happy birthday Hayden Young!! 🥳🎉

[haydenyoungappreciationweek]

(this gorgeous poster is the handiwork of our amazing host @sazanes!!)

Welcome to our second edition of the Hayden Young Appreciation Week! (or third, if we count the birthday celebration we hosted for them last year).

We weren't able to do a full-fledged week last year, because of clashes with other AWs, but this year we're back in full force to celebrate this amazing character!! 🥳

The event will run for five days, from Sept 25th to Sept 29th. In addition, we will be giving a bonus week for anyone who couldn't complete their works during the week but would still like to contribute. Keep in mind that we accept not just completed works but WIPs too. These are the themes for the days:

Day 1 - Sept 25th - Throwback/Indescribable

Day 2 - Sept 26th - Friendship/Relationships/Family

Day 3 - Sept 27th - Pizza/Road Trip

Day 4 - Sept 28th - Identity/Pets

Day 5 - Sept 29th - Happy Birthday Hayden!

Any form of creative, original work is welcome - fic, art, meta, edits, moodboards, interactive media, headcanons...even screenshots of your favourite Hayden moments! The only rules are that they show a positive depiction of Hayden, and that the works center Hayden as a character. We will also accept WIPs and it is not necessary for the pieces to be put up only on the day of the theme. We also have a specific day for throwback pieces where you can share older stuff and even take us through the process of creating it if you like (here's an ask list that may help!)

Make sure you tag @haydenyoungappreciationweek, as well as hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes in your content. It would also be helpful if you used #haydenyoungappreciationweek and #HYAW in your tags!

For inspiration, you can check out our past HYAW masterlists: HYAW 2020 and HYAD 2022!

Various fan content blogs have helped us immensely in promoting the events, and run a range of amazing events themselves!! Check them out here: @choicesficwriterscreations, @choicesmonthlychallenge, @choicespride, @choicesprompts, @choicesholidays, @choicesflashfics. If there are any other Choices fan content/appreciation blogs you'd like us to give a shoutout to, do let us know!

We have over a month and a half to go before we enter HYAW 2023, and we'd love to get signal boosts from the fandom! If you know any Hayden stans who would love to participate/consume content, do tag them too!

Hope to see you all at the end of September, to celebrate Hayden's birthday!! ❤️❤️

✅✅signal boosts will be much appreciated!!✅✅