#I’m too swag so this is like my way to send you a friend request

[kissmyaft]

You can’t tell me Wolf wouldn’t force someone to make up like that. (Wolf definitely crawled out of Ohio and ended up In Florida in that picture)

anyway, your local Yautja memer is back on his bs.

@kazumiabi (Wolf being a rizzly bear fr)

@howlingmoonaite (TAGGING YOU TOO BECAUSE YOU’RE AMAZING psst read the tags)

[am-imagines]

Experience. Alex Morgan Imagine.

This was suppossed to be a short and sweet Imagine as per this anon request:  Is it alright for me to request something? Anyways: reader and Alex are together but the team except for Kelley (being the best friend of r) doesn’t know. Kelley and r are such good friends the others (and maybe the fans) start to tease them about being a couple. Obviously Alex doesn’t like that and gets jealous/possessive and probably spills the secret by accident? 

But this isn’t exactly short. It was a trip to write and one I truly enjoyed so I hope all of you do too. I apologize for any and all mistakes, those are only mine.

Words: 3332

Warnings: Swearing.

“Get a room, lovebirds!”

“Go eat a bird, Lavelle,” you say with a glare before resuming your conversation with Kelley.

Every single time someone implies you and O’Hara are together, it rubs you the wrong way. There’s nothing wrong with Kelley, she’s your best friend since the moment you met her, but there was never an attraction between you two. Maybe it irks you because you’ve told the team so a thousand times, but they keep pushing it no matter what you do.

“Come on! It’s time for you to accept it. We’re not gonna judge.”

Moving Kell’s legs from your lap, you get up. You’re just not in the mood to deal with them right now. The teasing could have been considered funny at the beginning, and maybe it would still be if you weren’t in love with someone else; someone trying really hard not to snap at Rose and Sonnett at the time.

Practice ended a few minutes ago, but you were talking with Kelley and were in no rush. Now, you gather your things; ready to head back to the hotel and hide from the team. Your conversation with Kelley will have to wait: which sucks because you’re in the middle of a really important conversation and the planning of a super secret surprise.

“Talk to you later, Kells.”

You spare a longing look at your girlfriend but can’t do much more without the rest of the girls knowing. Both of you had agreed to keep the relationship a secret until you felt ready.

“Y/N, wait!” Kelley calls and catches up to you after grabbing her bag.

“Why is it so hard for you to accept your feelings?”

By then it doesn’t matter who asked that. They’ve been pushing you for so long that the last drop makes you snap. The whole situation frustrates you to no end because it’s not the team anymore. The fans have theories about your secret romance with Kelley, and the press is starting to bring attention to it on every interview.

You know these sort of things were bound to happen since you’re a public figure. That’s exactly why you decided to keep your relationship hidden. But it makes you wonder how they can interpret the looks you share with your best friend as love, and yet ignore the way you look at one of the team’s captains.

There are things you cannot hide no matter how hard you try.

“Because there are no feelings between us!” You practically shout. “We’re friends. She’s my best friend, and yes, I love Kelley O’Hara but not in the way you all assume. I’m tired of this; of the way none of you listen! And I’m done: done with this and all of you.”

You leave without another word and Kelley follows closely. The way you two act around each other might not help what they think, but she knows you better than anyone else. She has had your back since the first day, and you have hers.

By then, you don’t know how the world doesn’t know the truth yet. It’s not like you’re tired of waiting or regretting the secrecy of your ongoing romance, but everyone is too stubborn or too damn oblivious to see the truth.

Your relationship with Alex Morgan has been a secret for little over a year, but as soon as someone flirts with you, Alex intercedes. When the press started questioning Kelley about the nature of her relationship with you, Alex made a point of being as close to you as possible for all of them to see. She almost kissed you after the match with France, and Kelley jumped towards both of you to cover the cameras.

Loving her is the best and greater thing you’ve ever done.

But you wish the rest of the world could let you be. Even if you were in a relationship with Kelley, or felt something else for the defense, you wish they could allow you the time to come to terms with your feelings at your own pace.

It’s too much to ask from the press; even from the fans. But you expected more from the women you consider family by now.

“I’m sorry,” Kelley says when you leave them behind.

That infuriates you even more because it’s not her fault.

She’s the only one that knows the truth since your love for Alex was nothing more than a crush. She was there to witness the beginning of your relationship and gave the shovel talk to Alex and then to you. She has kept your secrets and respected your wishes for privacy.

That’s probably why the entire world thinks there’s something else going on. Apparently, you can’t just be close friends anymore.

“No! It’s not your fault.”

You pull her into a hug and she laughs before poking your sides until you join her. She holds you for another moment; waiting patiently for the anger to fade away before relenting her embrace. She knows you too well, damn it.

“Call her. Pretty sure she needs it as much as you do after that fiasco. Then, you and I are gonna finish all the preparations. I’m pretty sure it’ll blown Janice off her socks. Only you could be that cheesy, Y/N. I’m telling you.”

“We’re in France, Kelley!” You say while spinning around with your arms extended. “We have to live it up to the city of love!”

“Yeah, yeah.” She responds shaking her head, although you can see her smiling. “Hurry up and make your call or I’m leaving you stranded on the Eiffel Tower.”

“You love me too much for that.”

Still, you get your phone to ring Alex.

The conversation is short lived; she’s trapped with the guys as they keep discussing your love life and you can detect a hint of anger as she tells them to shut up. You barely manage to tell her where you’re going; or close enough as to not spoil the surprise, and the time you will be back. The call ends with you telling her how much you love her and her tone softens when she whispers I love you too.

Everything goes as according to plan as it can afterwards. When you make it back to the hotel you almost ditch Kelley in your effort to make it to the room you share with Alex. It’s not like your best friend takes offense; she’s the one sending you off when the elevator finally reaches your floor.

Alex exits the bathroom just as you enter the room and your gaze falls on her perfect figure. She’s wearing one of your oversized sweatshirts and her hair is still wet from her shower.

It’s a beautiful sight and you almost choke on air.

“Hi!” You exclaim still breathless.

“Hello yourself,” Alex answers with an amused smirk. “Welcome back.”

She knows exactly what she’s doing when she closes the distance with an extra swag on her hips. You can’t move as she approaches you and her arms sneak around your waist. Alex pulls you closer until space is non-existent between her body and yours.

A second later her lips are on yours.

You know Alex better than anyone, and as soon as she kisses you, you know exactly how she feels. You don’t think she truly realizes her own jealousy, but the hunger in that kiss is a clear sign.

Alex is not always this desperate when jealous, because she knows what drives you crazy. She knows that the possessive flare here and there can make you putty in her hands and she can be rough when she knows you crave it.

This time, she’s trying to make a claim.

A subtle tilt of her head and your lips part for her. She nibbles your bottom lip before deepening the kiss; making it sensual in a way you can fully explain. It makes you shiver and your knees go weak. Thankfully her arms are holding you up.

You’re hers and Alex Morgan doesn’t take it well when people think otherwise.

The agreement you had changed nothing. Sure, neither of you is completely ready to come out to the public yet, but that doesn’t mean anyone else can have you.

When the kiss ends, you’re a little bit out of it. That’s the effect Alex has on you.

“I’m sorry.”

Alex would never apologize for a kiss like that and immediately you know that’s not the reason behind her words. You see the truth in her eyes when she rests her forehead against yours; you see the love and adoration, but also find traces of longing and heartache.

“We’re in this together, Al. None of this is your fault, and no matter how much I’d like the rumors to stop, I love having you all to myself.”

You’ve been able to explore and grow your relationship without the press trying to get in between or the world offering unwanted opinions. The main focus was always on your career rather than your love life, and your value wasn’t suddenly attached to the person were dating.

Every single moment shared with Alex is a gift. And you treasure every single one.

“I wanted to tell them the truth this morning,” she confesses. “I wanted to leave with you instead of Kelley. I know they care and want you to be happy. I wanted to tell them that you already are, with me.”

“Maybe it’s time to tell them.”

“Maybe.”

You’re in the middle of the world cup; about the face England in the semis. It’s not the right time, and both of you know it. But still, there’s only so much you can handle.

***

You won the match against England and Alex scored on her birthday. A mix of happiness, excitement and adrenaline are still running through your body when you’re called aside for an interview. You can barely focus on the reporter in front of you for a couple of minutes.

“Y/N, congratulations on the win. Great game today.”

“Thanks. We’re really excited to be on the final. We’ve fought so hard to be where we are.”

“Is it the excitement of the World Cup that made you finally come clean on your relationship with Kelley O’Hara?”

That cuts right through your dazed state and you stare at the reporter blankly.

“What?”

“This morning a video invaded all social media where it’s clear you two are more than friends. What do you have to say to all the fans that suspected already? Do you think it’s wise to prioritize a relationship when you’re aren’t champions yet?”

Your mind can’t even process half his questions as you shake your head trying to stop the claims. Where the hell did they hear that? You can’t even mutter a word before Ash steps in, tells him the interview is over and guides you to the locker room.

There’s a chorus of apologies and regretful looks that explain absolutely nothing. Alex is pacing from one side to another; anger clear in her eyes as Kelley tries to calm her down.

“Okay, what’s going on?”

That stops them all but Alex.

“Show her.”

A tablet is on your hands a second later with a video already playing. You can see pictures taken the day before as you explored France with your best friend.

 “Many people have speculated about an ongoing romance between members of the USWNT: Kelley O’Hara and a fan favorite: Y/N. The rumors started months ago but have resurfaced when the pair was seen around the city of lights without the rest of the team. It would seem they truly can’t resist the magic of the city.”

There’s a short video of you saying almost the same thing to Kelley after you left practice, but of course everything that was related to Alex is missing. Either they decided to cut it out, or whoever recorded you only captured a piece of that conversation.

“No, no.”

  “The apparent couple never made an official declaration, but what can contradict this?”

You don’t expect to hear your own voice and the first word is enough for you to know the rest of that sentence.

“She’s my best friend, and yes, I love Kelley O’Hara…”

Your voice trails off and you pause the video. This seems like a really bad joke; one with the worst timing. It’s not like Alex is having the happiest of birthdays, and you don’t blame her one bit.

You don’t even have a chance to talk to her for the rest of the day. Her family is there to celebrate her birthday, while paparazzi swam the hotel in hopes of capturing a moment of you and Kelley together. You can’t even go for a walk with your best friend, and your girlfriend doesn’t have a moment alone.

You wait and cheer at her party; not wanting to ruin her special day even more, but the surprise you had planned is ruined. There are cameras waiting for you to come out of the hotel, and they won’t stop following you.

Kelley sends you a text at midnight when the party is already winding down. No, it’s not safe to come out yet. With her text, your heart finally breaks. You’re not even sure how you manage to keep it together; smiling even when Alex notices something’s wrong.

Of course she notices. She has been trying to reach you since you were in the locker room, but the team kept apologizing and asking if you were okay. The press had swarmed her about the victory and her celebration.

The little things kept getting in her way, and her frustration is obvious by the end of the night.

Only when her arms are around you while you lay in bed, you break. You’re breathing is ragged as you try not to cry. It’s something stupid, you try to tell yourself so, but the surprise was important to you. You wanted the day to be special, perfect even. You can’t help but feel like everything is your fault and before you know it, the tears fall.

“Y/N, love...please don’t cry.”

She cups your face; worry clear on blue eyes but you can’t really stop.

“I had a surprise for you, Al. I wanted to take you to this vegan restaurant Kell helped me find. Then we’d visit the Eiffel Tower and watch the city and then see the lights. And I...”

You choke then because you can’t exactly tell her you planned to propose.

“We can still do that tomorrow,” she says. “We can do everything you planned and pretend today didn’t happen.”

She’s trying to comfort her and you pretend to believe her. You bury your face in her neck as she keeps talking about the many things you can do and how nothing has changed. But you know the press will not leave you alone. You know the final is days away and time is the last thing you’ll have. Jill won’t let you escape and your only chance was Alex’s birthday.

You know it, and so does she. Her breath comes uneven and you feel the way she’s struggling to talk. You don’t see the tears slowly rolling down her face, but you know they’re there. When silence feels the room, you’re still holding each other.

“I love you, Alex.”

“I love you too, Y/N.”

For now, all you can do is keep holding on.

***

The most stressful week of your life ends up in the best way possible as the whistle ends the match. The USWNT raises and conquers the top of the world for the fourth time.

You’re the world champions and you’re not even sure how to celebrate. It’s an emotional moment and you want to cry. You look around to find an armful of Kelley O’Hara jumping to your arms and you laugh with her. Tobin and Ali join the celebration before the whole team is huddled together; everyone cheering and sporting wide grins.

Your eyes meet Alex and she opens her arms for you. Without a single moment of hesitation, you leave the rest of the group and jump into her embrace.

“We did it!” You say with a laugh. “We won the world cup.”

There’s a moment of charged tension between the two of you, and there’s nothing you want to do more than lean down and kiss her. For a split second you don’t care about the cameras following your every move. You don’t care about the rumors spreading like wildfire. None of that can reach you when you’re on top of the world.

Alex licks her lips and nods. She’s ready; just like you.

But then Pinoe and Allie are running towards you.

The moment -along with the spell-, is broken and you can only smile coyly at your girlfriend. The champion shirts are distributed as the trophy ceremony gets set up.

Everyone is too happy to think clearly, the conversations are a mix of broken words and sounds of excitement. And then Kelley goes to the stands to kiss her girlfriend, JJ does the same with her husband, and bit by bit everyone flows to their loved ones.

You hold Alex; press your forehead against hers while cupping her ridiculously attractive face. And then, without allowing the world another chance to stop you, you kiss her.

The noise of the stadium stops and your heartbeat is all you can hear. It happens every time you kiss Alex, but this is a completely different experience. That moment is the greatest of your life. You won the world cup with an incredible team behind you, and Alex by your side.

The World Cup is officially over while the rest of your life is about to begin.

“Marry me,” you say when you break apart.

“What?”

There’s an incredulous look on Alex’s face even when she’s still smiling. There’s no doubt she heard you, but maybe a proposal on the middle of the field is not what she expected.

“Hey, lovebirds!”

That word would drive you crazy if Kelley wasn’t the one saying it, alas, you give your best friend an exasperated look because you’re kinda in the middle of something. And yet, when she throws a particular box your way, it’s obvious she knows you better than anyone.

With a chuckle, you kneel down in front of Alex and open the black box to reveal the ring.

“Alex Morgan, winning the world cup,” you still can’t believe you actually managed to pull it off, “wouldn’t have been the same without you by my side. This could easily be a perfect day, but there’s one thing that could make it even better, and that’s knowing that you’ll be by my side for the rest of our lives. Would you marry me?”

“Yes.”

She pulls you back to your feet and into a kiss with one swift movement and she doesn’t stop kissing you until you have to go up and lift the cup. When she holds it above her head, the ring shines under the stadium lights and you’re not quite sure which achievement makes you prouder.

You dreamed your whole life of that moment...and now you’re also a World Champion.

Uh, who would have thought?

***

“Hey, lovebirds!”

You glare at Rose, Mal and Kelley. They’ve been overusing that word for what feels like months when in reality it’s been just a couple of hours.

“Say that one more time and I’m kicking you three off this plane.”

“You wouldn’t do that!” Kelley protests. “I’m your best friend.”

“Don’t worry, pretty sure there’s a parachute somewhere.”

You turn back to the livestream where you and Kelley cleared the rumors and well...if the whole proposal wasn’t obvious, you and Alex came out as a couple.

“So, yeah...Kelley O’Hara is my best friend and I love her even when she’s a pain in the ass.”

“Hey!”

[yoon-kooks]

With Love and No Regrets💋 2

Pairing: ??? x Reader, Taehyung x Reader (this chapter)

Genre: Angst, Handwritten!AU, inspired by TATBILB

Summary: Seven stories, seven regrets, seven letters… to all the boys you may or may not still think about…

Word Count: 2.8k

Parts: Prologue // 1 // 1.5 // 2 // 2.5 // 3 // 

Warnings: none

A/N: hands up if you remember your first crush ever 😔✊

Fifth grade might’ve been your prime. You were a whopping ten years old, all the kindergarteners looked up to you as their senior, multiple boys in your class had their eye on you, and you developed your first crush. His name was Kim Taehyung.

Unlike Jungkook who you had met in kindergarten, the existence of Kim Taehyung was unknown to you until fifth grade came around. And boy did he hit you like a truck.

Taehyung was cute. Perhaps one of the cutest boys in your class, up there with Kim Namjoon and Jung Hoseok. And sure, you would’ve loved for fate aka your teacher to seat you right next to him for the entire school year. But the truth is, fate wasn’t always so kind. Because Taehyung always somehow ended up on the opposite side of the room from you.

But why leave everything up to fate? You weren’t that passive when it came to love—at least not at age ten. So you found another way to connect with the boy.

One stormy October morning, you discovered a common interest between Taehyung and yourself. Rainy days were always your favorite because your class was blessed with some free time in the school’s computer lab during recess. After all, you were the type that opted to stay behind a screen instead of facing things head on.

“Ahin, how are you level 77 already?” you asked your best friend as you glanced back and forth between her level 77 mage and your level 32 bandit on the computer screen. Her character had a lot more swag with the sunglasses and shit compared to your basic ass character with the default clothes.

“That’s because my screen time isn’t limited to one hour a day like you,” Ahin shrugged. “At this rate, you’ll be a noob forever, Y/N. Taehyung’s gonna over-level you soon.”

“Taehyung plays StapleMory, too?” You were intrigued because StapleMory was already your favorite MMORPG, but with the addition of a cute boy thrown into the mix, you’d have to beg your mother for an extra hour of play time.

“Yeah, he started playing a few weeks ago and he’s only a few levels behind you.”

“What’s his username? I wanna add him to my friend list.”

“Why? Are you in love with him or something?”

“What? No, of course not.” You didn’t have a crush on him just yet. You didn’t even know what a crush felt like.

“Well I don’t know his username either,” Ahin said. “I just heard him talking about it with Hoseok. Try asking them instead.”

You’d only made the smallest of small talk with Taehyung in the first month back from summer break, so you didn’t know him well enough to casually start a conversation with him at recess without it feeling a little forced. On the other hand, you did have an already established acquaintance with Hoseok thanks to summer school a few years back.

You peered down at the pair of boys several computers down from where you sat, locked onto your target, and rolled your chair over in that direction. When you caught a glimpse of familiar character sprites on their screens, you knew what to do.

“You play StapleMory, too, Hoseok?” The character on his screen was a heavily armored warrior holding a long blue spear.

“Y-you play too, Y/N?” He looked shocked. Shocked but not upset. Though maybe if you both had put two and two together sooner, you could’ve advanced your acquaintanceship with him beyond summer school.

“Yeah, and Ahin plays too.”

“I play too,” Taehyung jumped in. Contrary to his natural handsomeness, his character was on the ugly side equipped with a bow and arrows. “Well I just started, so I’m only level 30.”

“Oh, so you’re still just a noob,” you laughed as if being two levels higher than him was anything to boast about.

“Well what level are you then?”

“Higher than you.” You really should not have had that smug look on your face, but you did.

Taehyung narrowed his eyes at you. It was a challenge. “What’s your username? I’ll add you.”

“YoungHinata.”

“Is that some kind of Naruto reference or something?”

“Yeah, duh.” You didn’t know. It wasn’t your username.

After typing the username in, Taehyung’s jaw dropped. “Level 77? That’s… impressive. You already have your third job advancement?”

You wanted to psych him out a little, not impress him. Clearly that didn’t work out, so you abort. “Nah, I’m just kidding. That’s Ahin’s character.”

“Haha very funny. I guess I’ll add her then, not you.” Taehyung sent Ahin a virtual friend request right in front of your eyes. “Unless you wanna tell me your username.”

Were you feeling threatened? No. But did you want Taehyung to be your friend? Yes.

“It’s… TacoCat98.” You admit you were self-conscious about the name, and you would’ve picked something a little wittier like TacoBelle if you’d known you’d be playing with a cute boy. But nobody could’ve predicted that.

“Seriously?” Taehyung laughed at your username as he typed it in. He had no right to clown you when his own username was something as simple Vante, and you totally did not get the reference if there was one. And he only stopped laughing once he saw your character. “You called me a noob when you’re only like two levels above me? Noob.”

“It doesn’t matter! I’m still higher than you, so ha!” You got the last laugh, but not the last say.

“Not for long, Y/N… Not for long.” The confidence in Taehyung’s voice was admirable with a hint of flirtiness, but you wouldn’t let him get the best of you. Or so you thought.

-

It had quickly become a regular thing for you to hop online after school with either Ahin, Hoseok and Taehyung, or just Taehyung. Your mother was pleasantly surprised to see you zipping through your homework with newfound motivation, and she even granted you an extra hour of screen time to reward your excelling academics. Little did she know that your motivation had everything to do with a boy.

With that valuable extra hour of play time, you did everything in your power to stay ahead of Taehyung. You grinded, took on quests, asked Ahin for advice on the best equips and places to train, and you did so without a minute to waste. The only time you took a break from leveling up your character was when a certain notification popped up on your screen.

[Vante has logged in!]

[Vante sent you a message!]

Vante: hi Y/N >:)

TacoCat98: why r u sending me a mean face? :P

Vante: freedom of speech?

TacoCat98: ok?

Vante: come train with me :(

TacoCat98: where r u now?

Vante: where the fire boars are

TacoCat98: kk

You might’ve been in the middle of a jump quest that you’d have to restart later, but you were willing to forfeit some good EXP in exchange for time with Taehyung. The two of you were close enough in level where it’d be mutually beneficial to train together on the same map anyway. So you hustled over to the fire boars.

As soon as you walked through the portal to where Taehyung said he was, you witnessed a hoard of flaming pigs chasing an ugly green-haired archer. Rather than extending a hand to help the boy out of danger, you take pleasure in watching him struggle to find safety on a nearby platform.

“why didnt u help me????” A speech bubble appeared over Taehyung’s character. “i almost died!!”

“i didnt wanna kiss you,” you typed, with a very embarrassing typo. “i meant KS you… not kiss you lol”

“r u sure that was a typo?” Taehyung changed his character’s facial expression to a hmm face.

“KISS wouldnt have made sense in that context!!” K.S. was the abbreviation of kill steal, which was when someone (often a noob like Taehyung) is trying to kill a monster but then a higher level player passes by and instantly kills the monster as a form of mockery. Kiss, on the other hand, meant something very different.

“right…”

“RIGHT.” You made your character flail around in the air like a kid having a tantrum before jumping down to release all your awkward energy out on the fire boars. “can we just train now??”

You sent Taehyung a request to join your party, and he accepted it, but he remained right where he was instead of joining you on the battle grounds.

“or we could just talk,” he typed. That not only surprised you, but also meant something to you. It meant he’d rather spend time chatting with you over leveling up his character. You were more important to him than the game itself.

You jumped back up to the safe platform and faced Taehyung’s character. “we could.”

You didn't know if he was just luring you away from training so he could sneak past you in levels as soon as you logged off, but maybe it didn’t matter. You only had two hours a day to do whatever you wanted on the computer, and Taehyung was what made your time feel well-spent.

And if he ended up surpassing you in levels as a result of that, you’d lose bragging rights and that hold over him, but something in you wanted to believe he wouldn’t leave your noob ass behind.

-

For a solid year, you never grew bored of Taehyung and his antics. Even in the classroom, it became apparent that you two were no strangers. You teased him about his new haircuts, he teased you by shouting “TacoCat98” across the school yard, and you both exchanged ugly faces as you passed by each others’ desks. All of that was innocent and cute, though the more intimate stuff remained online.

You can’t remember the exact moment you first acknowledged your feelings for Taehyung because it was your very first crush and you had no way of recognizing the signs. For a while, you assumed your first crush would be Namjoon because he had all the stunning physical qualities you thought you wanted in a boyfriend. But with Taehyung, it was something else that you couldn’t quite comprehend. All you knew was that he made your day a little brighter. And you found yourself thinking about him. A lot.

But nothing could’ve made you realize your crush more than when he asked you about it right after graduation.

Vante: hey

TacoCat98: hey

Vante: do you like anyone?

It was your chance—the golden opportunity. You wanted to scream “YES, IT’S YOU” through your computer. But on the off chance that he didn’t feel the same way, you wanted to save yourself from a potential rejection. You told yourself you’d only confess to him if you felt 100% confident that he felt the same way. Despite having a gut feeling that that might’ve been the case, you needed more answers.

TacoCat98: lol why r u asking?

Vante: bc u know how my group of guys had a talk after the grad ceremony?

TacoCat98: umm no? and yall arent “guys” yet btw. youre still boys lolol

Vante: whatever -_-

Vante: anyway

Vante: the BOYS had a talk about who we liked in our class

Vante: so i know who likes u

Someone liked you? That was definitely news to you. No one (to your knowledge) ever had a crush on you in your ten years of life. Naturally, you were curious as a kitten as to who it was, and if it was in fact Taehyung himself. Or maybe he was just bluffing. If that were the case, you were going to bluff back.

TacoCat98: well i know who likes u too :P

Vante: who?

For some reason, your dumbass didn’t anticipate him asking you to spill the tea. Especially not when you were alluding to your own crush on him.

TacoCat98: u tell me first and then ill tell u

Because how romantic would that be if the feeling was mutual and realized on the online platform where it had all begun to bloom?

Vante: hoseok

TacoCat98: wat

Vante: hoseok said he likes u

Vante: ok next

You needed a long minute to comprehend what had happened. Hoseok liked you? Hoseok? Hoseok didn’t even know you the way Taehyung did. You rarely even spoke to him outside of when he’d play StapleMory with you and Taehyung. So how was it possible for Jung Hoseok to develop a crush on you out of nothing? Spoiler alert: It wasn’t possible. But you didn’t know that at the time.

Vante: so… who likes me?

An idiot liked Taehyung. And that idiot was you. But after he didn’t confess to you like you had hoped, there was no way you’d confess either.

TacoCat98: actually i promised to keep that a secret

Vante: but u said u would tell me >:(

TacoCat98: well im srry!!

TacoCat98: it’s not like you were sharing your OWN crush, so why r u so mad lol

TacoCat98: hoseok probably wanted to keep that a secret but u told me anyway

Vante: true

Vante: dont tell him i told u >.<

TacoCat98: ok i wont

Vante: good

Vante: now back to the original question… tell me who u like

TacoCat98: i dont like anyone lol

Vante: seriously…

TacoCat98: really i dont lol

Vante: everyone has a crush

TacoCat98: and your crush is…?

Vante: ahin

He typed it without hesitation, not a sliver of doubt. He confidently told you about his crush on your best friend as if that information wasn’t going to get back to her. Maybe he intended for you to tell Ahin so he wouldn’t have to confess himself. Or maybe he just wanted to make you jealous. The latter was what he accomplished.

As a friend, you loved Ahin and envied her for how easily she got along with the boys in your class. Just as her StapleMory character outshined yours, she had the same effect at school. It honestly didn’t surprise you that Taehyung chose her over you. You had just hoped and envisioned that this time it was you.

TacoCat98: AHIN!!! can i tell u something?

YoungHinata: sure lol

TacoCat98: i like tae

YoungHinata: omg

YoungHinata: really????

YoungHinata: u should tell him!!

YoungHinata: he always acts like he likes u too

TacoCat98: i dont think he likes me like that

YoungHinata: y tho???

TacoCat98: i just have a feeling :(

YoungHinata: well youll never know for sure unless u confess to him

TacoCat98: nah im fine with him never knowing

TacoCat98: i just wanted to get it off my chest so i told u instead of him lol

-

After elementary school ended and middle school started, you were more thankful than ever that you and Taehyung had established an online friendship. You wouldn’t have otherwise known he attended the same middle school because you had zero classes with him in sixth grade and literally never saw him on campus. You owed a lot to the online platform for all the opportunities it provided you with in chatting with your crush. At the same time, a relationship built upon online engagements had its limits.

[Vante has logged in!]

TacoCat98: hihihi

Vante: i havent seen your face around these parts in a while

TacoCat98: blame my teachers >:(

TacoCat98: more hw = less staplemory

Vante: same

Vante: dont u think it’s weird tho

TacoCat98: whats weird?

Vante: how we talk on here but not irl

TacoCat98: i guess we never see each other at school anymore

There were a million better ways to respond to Taehyung’s comment, but that’s how you chose to respond. You had every opportunity to say, “hey let’s meet up at lunch tomorrow” or “wanna get milk tea after school?” But you were too dense to realize what he wanted out of that conversation. You took it more as a subtle breakup like “we can’t be friends anymore because things are awkward now irl.” After all, you were on the wrong side of an unrequited love, and it was almost inevitable that he’d develop other crushes on his new classmates who outclassed you.

It was only after you both quit StapleMory later that year and left your friendship to die in cyberspace that you heard a rumor floating around regarding you and Taehyung. One of your new middle school friends said Taehyung had asked her if it was true that you had a crush on him.

How did Taehyung know about that? And why did he even care? He was supposed to like Ahin. He told you himself that he liked Ahin. If you were his crush, he would’ve told you. He should’ve told you. Because you were fully convinced he no longer cared about his little gamer friend when there were plenty of prettier kids to pursue. And whether or not it was the truth, you took it to heart, despite all the other signs that had said otherwise.

So, no. The rumor wasn't true. You didn’t have a crush on him. Not anymore.

[steviemae]

southern bell // sp

requested by @ginger-swag-rapunzel: Could you pleeeasepleaseplease write a sweet pea x reader where she moved to Riverdale from the south? And she gets made fun of for her accent and saying yall and ain't? 🙏🙏🙏

The gravel crunched with every step you took as you wondered around the street of your new home in the town of Riverdale. It was the weekend so you don’t start school and really meet anyone until monday so you decided to spend your time exploring and getting the know the town a little. You crossed over some train tracks, finding more gravel roads but this side of town seemed to be a bit more run down. Growing curious you continued walking, taking in all of the trailers you walked past and the tiny stores that looked just about close to shutting down.

“What’re you doing on this side of town?” someone called from behind her.

“Just going for a stroll. You mind?” you asked as you turned around and saw a couple of kids your age standing their with their chests puffed out and their leather jackets covering their top half. You mentally rolled your eyes at their tough act they were putting on but they didn’t scare  you.

“This is Serpent Country. Go back to the Northside where you belong.” the one who spoke earlier said nodding towards the other side of the tracks.

“And how do you know i belong on that side of the tracks? How do you know i’m even from here?” you challenged crossing your arms over your chest.

“Judging by your accent, we know you’re not. But you definitely didn’t just move to the Southside. We don’t want any trouble, but others might so your best bet would be to mosey on back to the Northside.” the pink haired one said.

“Mosey, huh? Making fun of my accent, pinky?” you said taking a step towards her.

“Making fun of my hair, hick?” she countered taking a step towards you as well.

“Alright, enough. She’s new which means she's just getting to know the town. Walking around isn’t hurting anybody.” the tall one spoke grabbing the pink haired girls arm and pulling her back.

“Yeah well picking fights isn’t gonna get her anywhere.” the pink haired girl said tugging her arm out of the boys grasp.

“I believe you picked that fight, Frenchy.”

“Who the hell is Frenchy?” the shorter boy asked confused.

“The beauty school dropout in Grease.” you and the girl spoke at the same time.

“Don’t worry. I ain’t starting trouble, just walking around town. Though there doesn’t seem to be much to look at here.” you looked around at the worn down buildings one last time before shrugging your shoulders, “catch y’all another time. This was fun, let’s do it again sometime.” you joked sending them a fake salute before walking back home.

“Southern bell is gonna get in a lot of trouble around here if she keeps that up.” the two boys rolled their eyes at their friend before walking into the bar.

--

Monday rolled around and of course, the first people you bump into were none other than the three stooges you met over the weekend.

“Larry. Curly. Moe. Nice seeing you again.” you greeted the three with a half wave and an amused smirk on your face,” though i didn’t expect you to come to school on this side of town.”

“Yeah well, we have no choice. Southside high got shut down and this was the closest school to transfer too. Don’t think we’re your friends just because we’re the only familiar faces.” Pinky said. You let out a scoffed laugh before turning and walking down the hall towards the office.

“Definitely not what i was thinking. Have a great day, y’all.” you waved behind you.

Finally reaching the office, you were greeted by a very perky blonde.

“Well, you’re the happiest person i’ve met in this town so far, names y/n.” you said holding you hand out for her to shake.

“I’m Betty. I’m gonna be giving you the grand tour and i’ll introduce you to my friends before class starts so you have some familiar faces to greet you!” she said with a huge smile.

“Alright, let’s get down to it then.” you said happily.

As you walked through the halls, Betty told you the story behind some of the photos and the history. You stopped her when you saw the group you somehow keep bumping into.

“Who are they?” you asked nodding over towards them.

“Those are some of the Southside Serpent members. Toni is the one with pink hair, Sweet Pea is the tall one and Fangs is the other guy. They’re friends with my boyfriend who is also a Southside Serpent.”

“You run with a gang?” you asked shocked, taking in her appearance.

“They’re not what you’re thinking,” she chuckled, “come on, i’ll introduce you.” the two of you walked into the lounge where everyone sat. They sent you a warm smile, all of them except the pink haired girl.

“Guys, this is y/n. She just moved here from the south.” Betty introduced.

“Like we couldn’t tell from her accent.” Toni rolled her eyes.

“She hasn’t even spoke, Toni.” Jughead said giving her a confused look.

“She walked through Southside thinking she owned the place the other. We’ve met.”

“Toni, you have weird way of explaining it. I simply crossed the tracks as i was exploring. If i remember correctly, you and your goons started making threats about it being ‘Serpent country’” you said putting your hands up to make quotation marks in the air.

“I like her accent.” Sweet Pea stated sending you a closed lipped smile.

“You like her accent because she’s hot.” Toni fired back.

“And you only hate her because she gave you attitude back.” Fangs deadpanned.

“Y’all are one dramatic group.” you said as you moved to sit down next to Betty on the couch.

“That’s gonna take some getting used to.” a boy with carrot colored hair spoke, “i’m Archie.” he said giving you a smile.

“And i’m Veronica!” the girl with black hair who sat perched on his lap said also offering you a smile.

“So, Sweet Pea. Do you actually like my accent or was your highlighter friend right?” you asked sending him a smirk.

“Girls got balls, i like it.” someone said from behind you.

“Be quiet Reggie, i wanna hear all of this.” a girl clad in all red shushed him.

“All of the above.” Sweet Pea said with a shrug.

“Uh huh, so what’re you gonna do about it?” you asked.

“Guess i’m gonna ask for you number and then take you to pop’s after school” he said with a slight smirk toying at the corner of his lips.

[gohyuck]

Sleepovers with NCT Dream

anon asked: Am I allowed to request sleepover/slumber parties with NCT Dream? Just somethin cute n fluffy

okay so i’m not sure if this is like each individual member or with the group as a whole so i did...both? 

uh for each of them the other members aren’t present because just...assume that the specific member kicked them out for the night or they dont wanna bother member/reader haha

under the cut

mark

“fight me mark lee”

you regret the words like...as soon as they leave you because the moment you finish your sentence you get a face full of pillow

youd forgotten your clothes in the excitement of being able to sleepover at your boyfriend’s so long story short you’re decked out in one of his thinner t-shirts and a pair of his sweatpants

moments before disaster (aka The Pillow) struck you’d been chilling out on the couch and you both were pigging out just watching tv or something 

then mark decided to s t e a l a c h i p f r o m y o u r b o w l 

you couldn’t just TAKE THAT 

so yeah you mouth off and then get pillowed in the face and after the initial shock wears off you kinda just calmly get up and walk slowly towards the kitchen counter to put your food away so it doesnt spill

all the while mark is shaking in his boots the fear is BUILDING

because hes going over the scenarios of what you might do next in his head he doesnt notice you discretely picking up a pillow

he does feel it tho when you hit him upside the head with it

W A R ensues its like... Armageddon 

until you pin mark down because hes laughing way too hard to fight back

“cry uncle” “NEVER” tickles him once “uNCLE”

he calls for a truce and you give him one with a warning about stealing food and hes like ok fine ill get my own chips next time and you guys resume watching the movie

his arms around you and youre just using him as a headrest/backrest and its overall a really soft time tbh

mark is really comfortable tbh

and you guys have been dating for a while (dream’s parents) so it’s just like a normal date, practically

its just really chill like you guys dont do much other than marathon movies and pillow fight and pig out 

and make small talk 

and steal kisses

playing random games like ispy or something just seems like a mark thing

planning future hang outs and dates lol

“hey on our next date im taking you out to dinner” “and a movie” “you bet” “mark i was kiddi-” “its my treat”

it gets late fast though (time flies when you’re having fun) and you notice this and look over to say that maybe you guys should sleep only to find your bf knocked out on the other side of the couch

again

you cant help but smile at the sight

he’s so overworked, you don’t have the heart to wake him up

instead you turn off the tv, put up all the foodstuffs and clean the area quickly, put the pillows up and lay a pillow out on the ground by the couch and find a blanket and then turn off the lights before lying down

when mark wakes up the next morning he wakes up before you and sighs before stepping over you lightly to brush and stuff and to pour cereal for the two of you (hes not even going to TRY to cook)

once you wake up hes like “why didnt you wake me i wouldve taken the floor” and youre just like “yeah thats why i didnt wake you” and he just shakes his head because he cant argue with you and honestly hes

kinda touched, just a little

you have to leave all too soon but you dont go before getting a goodbye kiss and a promise to have another sleepover very soon

just....soft..soft times

renjun

board game central

hes just 

head in the game lolol (dont kill me for that joke)

monopoly? clue? sorry? you name it he’s got it like...this boy doesn’t play when it comes to board games

no pun intended

the first half of the night is just you guys playing random board games as best you can with just two people

and then he brings out the chess board

that’s when it gets bumpin tbh

by bumpin i mean you and your boyfriend nearly wring each others throats during the match...but with your minds...because neither of you are speaking you’re THAT concentrated

it’s.....2 hours long

and in the end you guys have to call a draw and like you sit back and just stare at each other blinking and eventually renjun speaks

and his voice is hoarse because neither of you have spoken in a while and the first thing he says (very matter-of-factly, too) is “i’m going to flip the board now”

and you just go “go ahead” hoarsely as well because you’re just in mild shock that nobody won that intense ass match

he flips the board and looks up and stares at you and you stare back and suddenly the two of you are crying of laughter like

majorly uncontrollable you’re just rolling on the floor wheezing 

after you both calm down renjun goes to the kitchen to find something to eat and he’s like “it’s 1 in the morning oh my god we haven’t even eaten dinner what the heck” and that sends you into another fit of laughter

“wait but we still have to have like a pillow fight and watch dumb romcoms and horrors and stuff we have so much to do and so little time” “renjun we don’t have to do all the cliche sleepover stuff” “ok but consider this: itll be fun” “its like ass thirty in the morning though/??” “are you saying we cant do it because if so now we HAVE to do it” “...you get the pillows i’ll get the popcorn put the worst movie you can find into the dvd player”

after a few movies its like 5: 30 am and the two of you are still awake

“are you still up” “no are you” “no”

neither of you wants to be the first to fall asleep

competitive couple af

you guys start a two person game of truth or dare and it ends up getting mushy because for a truth renjun asks you like how you knew you wanted to date him

and you get serious and stuff (which he didn’t foresee he expected an answer like “well you look like moomin and like....i love moomin”) and you come at him with like “when i started noticing that your eyes sparkle when you sing and just how happy you make other people and how you love what you do and how-”

he attacks you with a massive hug because oh my god you’re so sweet he’s getting a cavity 

“i like you a lot, you know”  “i’d hope so i just ate like 90% of your snack stash renjun”  “i take that back”

you guys are still awake when mark comes back to the dorm

when he gets out of the shower, however, is a different story - you and renjun are dead asleep while sitting on the couch, awkwardly wrapped around each other

a photoshoot courtesy of mark’s phone camera ensues

(mark goes to sleep to ice cubes in his pillow that night, courtesy of you and renjun)

jeno

king of planning 

like he mentally knows everything that can and will go wrong and stuff and knows where the extra pillows and blankets are and is aware of what you’re gonna wanna do and just...he Knows

the first thing you guys do when you get to the dorm is bake brownies 

he makes sure to take videos of the whole process and send them to the other members

jeno: guess what yall are missing out on ;) jisung: i hate this family

the kind of bf to try to feed you the brownies and get the food literally everywhere but your mouth

for as put together as he is you guys end up having brownies and ice cream for dinner lol neither of you can be bothered to cook dinner

“babe should we order out” “i mean you can if you want to” “...but jenoooo that means getting up and getting to my phone” “that’s what i thought”

has a cache of games and movies and shows 

“take your pick”

you guys end up playing random card games like ERS or blackjack for a while 

it honestly is never boring tho because you and jeno are just so comfortable with each other every moment is great no matter what you’re doing

i feel like jeno’s the kind of guy to call his SO a bunch of cute nicknames like he just wants you to know how cute he thinks you are and he does that thru nicknames

“love...” “babe...” “sweetheart...”

after a while though you run out of card games to play and jeno’s about to suggest watching something on tv when he sees your expression

“...what’s on your mind” “...we could mess with your members a little...” “prank calls?” “you know me so well”

within an hour the two of you have convinced yuta that aliens are real and can use cellphones and gotten taeyong to believe that “swag” is a polish swear word and that donghyuck needs to be punished whenever he says it

and jaemin thinks he’s being relentlessly contacted by clowns from a circus in the next town over who think that he’s stolen their tiny car

you guys pass more time just talking and stuff 

and putting on songs and dancing to them it’s Good Fun

he makes you take his bed and sleeps on the floor in a sleeping bag 

you feel awful about it though so when you’re sure he asleep you go find the other sleeping bag and take your pillow and sleep beside him on the floor

he’s super shook when he wakes up but when he realizes that you didn’t want him to be lonely on the floor his smile is as bright as the sun

texts his friends for help on how to cook a nice breakfast

jeno: yo does anyone know how to make breakfast haechan: yeah jeno: cool what are the directions haechan: i didn’t say i’d give them to you

by this time you’re awake and just like “ok let me handle breakfast” 

the two of you just end up eating plain rice and eggs (because you aren’t confident in your kitchen skills) and giggling over the crappy pictures you’re taking of each other eating 

all in all the perfect date/sleepover

haechan

the moment you walk in the first thing that happens is that haechan pulls you into a hug

the second thing that happens is he holds you at an arm’s length, looks you straight in the eyes, and goes “we have to make a pillow fort”

you 100% agree it’s a necessity 

after putting your bag down on the kitchen he basically drags you to the living room 

the couch gets pushed back against the wall, the coffee table is moved to the side and chairs are moved back so there’s just a big floorspace directly in front of the tv 

“let’s use four chairs as like pillars to hold up the blankets and bring all our food, phones, everything in so we don’t have to leave the fort the whole night” “i like the way you think.. we should go out some time, get to know each other better” “hyuck we’re dating”

i feel like haechan’s the type to be reserved with pda and stick to handholding (only sometimes, even then) because he’s embarrassed around the other members because they like teasing y’all

BUT when you guys are alone he’s totally different 

like after the fort is finished and there are blankets above your heads and you’re both changed into makeshift pjs (just shorts and shirts tbh) and theres pillows around the fort’s perimeter and the tv is on he’ll like

grab whatever you’re currently eating and hold it up and whenever you lean over to reach it he’ll just lean back or move it just out of your reach again

“give it backkkk” “only if you kiss me” “...honestly i was going to do that anyways but now that you’re asking i don’t want to”

leaning into him and him closing his eyes because he expects a kiss and his arm naturally lowering lolol you grab the food and move back without even a peck on the cheek

a pouty haechan emerges

he wont talk to you again unless you kiss him and youre like ugh this big baby

but you dont wanna spend the whole night conversationless so you comply and he pulls you in

suddenly yall are rolling around in the fort laughing and having a play fight just cute af tbh

“hey hyuck we have approximately 9 hours before the other guys come back and i have to go and we have to sleep sometime so we basically have 3 hours to pull some amazing prank” “not to worry, sweetheart - i already have an idea”

and thats when you two set about to turn literally everything upside down in everyone’s rooms 

it takes forever because he puts music on while you guys are working and you both end up ballroom dancing to michael jackson

once its done neither of you can breathe from laughing so hard 

he makes a really quick dinner and the two of you eat it in the fort

while trading stories from the past couple weeks

“so you’re telling me she just...drank the entire cup of coffee after pouring two monster energies into it” “yeah she straight up chugged it i was in AWE”

all of this is done facing each other while holding hands on one side and eating with the other

“hey is that my shirt” “might be? i just found it in my drawers” “it’s definitely mine” “no wonder it’s so soft”

you guys fall asleep really late (or early, depending on how you look at it) because you spend so much time just TALKING

there’s 80s movies playing on the tv in the background

you fall asleep on your pillow but wake up like sideways using haechan’s chest as a footrest or something just...weird sleep position couple

the two of you wake up to confused exclamations from the other members

“hey maybe we should eat breakfast somewhere else so they don’t kill us for the upside downness” “get your keys i’ll grab money” 

jaemin

buys a telescope just for your sleepover

“what’s the point of having a roof if you can’t climb on top of it and stargaze”

has you go up the stairs to the roof first so he can keep a steady hand on your back since the stairs are narrow

you guys have to make like three trips up and down from the roof before settling down

the first trip you guys set the telescope and blankets up and you go down because you need to go back and bring the food up

the second time is because you have to bring pillows up

the third time is because jaemin forgets his phone oops

its still kind of light out when you guys get up on the roof so you pass time by taking selfies and talking and stuff

its cold af outside and youre freezing despite your jacket so jaemin bundles the both of you up in a blanket (or 4) 

“so the best time to watch the meteor shower is between midnight and dawn but we can just look at other cool spacey stuff before then” “why would i look at other stars when the brightest star is right in front of me” “that’s the cheesiest thing i’ve ever heard i’m breaking up with you” “aw jaemin you know you love me”

you have to stop him from trying to eat what is essentially just a whole bunch of tomatoes in rice paper in one bite

jaemin forgets to bring games up to the roof and hes too lazy to go downstairs and get anything

youre not bored anyways tho

once it gets darker you guys start pointing out some cool stars and constellations

“babe it’s orion’s belt” “nana look at that star, it looks so bright!” “almost as bright as you” “i already said that about you earlier, try again”

play fighting over the telescope

he lets you look first though

when the meteor shower starts you’re both in serious awe

“can you believe that we’re so small and just..tiny and pliable and insignificant in this universe and there are huge things like meteors just streaking through this vast space of nothingness and just wow” “i’m just glad i exist at the same time as you” “jaemin that’s...that’s not even corny or anything that’s just super cute i can’t even make fun of you for it” “it’s true, though”

both of you forget to take videos of the shower

because you’re just enthralled with the fact that the literal sky is like...on fire and shit

jaemin the type to press chaste kisses to your cheek and pull you ever closer to him at random intervals

Soft BF Alert

eating dinner while watching

he points at like every meteor and is like “look at it goooo”

“gotta go fast” “jae if it was possible to literally delete somebody i’d do that right now...blocked” “you love me”

sings under his breath and you record a vid of him doing it without him knowing because its so cute and just...hes so good at singing youre shook

once it starts getting really late and youre yawning and stuff hes like ok maybe we should go downstairs and sleep

it takes two trips to get everything back down to the dorm rip 

at least jaemin doesnt forget his phone this time

once you guys get back neither of you can decide who gets the bed

“you can have it babe i sleep here everyday” “no way i cant do that to you, ill take the floor i practically live here its like home”

its wayyy too late to argue tho you both end up sharing the bed

overall an amazing date like???? meteor shower AND a sleepover with your bf in one night?

thats one successful night

chenle 

theres an unspoken meme war between the two of you

like nobody really mentions it its there...looming...constantly...

meme war as in you guys constantly taken ABSOLUTELY HORRENDOUS pictures of each other and use them as reaction images

throughout the night each of you take/send pics of each other to the other dream members 

“we should cuddle” “ok how do i know youre not gonna like...lick me or something for a picture of my expression” “you...well you dont but-”

you convince him to watch the ouija movies that are out

he makes it through them but like...

chenle’s either screaming throughout the whole movie or totally shell shocked and you’re just lol @ him

“this isn’t even that scary” “speak for yourself” “i am - come out from under the blanket babe i swear it’s not that scary”

after the movies he’s like “im never letting you choose what to do ever again ever” and you get him saying it on video for the Jokes

its his turn to choose

his immediate response is karaoke

chenle sets everything up for it while you order in dinner because lbr neither of you are looking up the directions to anything with cooking 

he screams directly into the mic while youre on the phone to test it

(and takes a pic of your eyes going wide and you jumping a little bit)

“is everything alright on your side” “yeah just ...make that three orders of chicken im gonna be eating my woes away tonight”

chenle gets out the hoverboard and tries to teach you the dance moves to chewing gum

that quickly stops because you fall onto him

twice

within a span of four and a half minutes

nobodys there to roast though so you guys laugh as hard as you want

a lot of screaming

you love his laugh its so bright and happy just!!! wow

ngl since you started dating him his laugh kind of influenced yours so you laugh a lot louder than you did before chenle

when your food comes in youre too busy screaming lyrics to a song to get the door so chenle grabs the food

and tips the deliveryboy even more than he usually would 

“you’re going to scare away the neighbors with that singing” “i’m surprised people still live here after you moved in chenle, dolphin sounding little-”

eating on the floor while facing each other

“close your mouth while chewing” “ok hon but to tell me that you spoke while eating” “listen, zhong chenle-”

having a staring contest 

loser has to wash dishes

spoiler alert: you lose because he starts smiling and you cant stare straight at him when he smiles without smiling back and blinking really hard its like looking straight at the actual sun

hes super loving and cuddly so while youre washing dishes chenle backhugs you instead of cleaning up the karaoke equipment

“yah you’re sidetracking me” “we should dance instead of being boring and washing dishes like an old married couple” “you can dance while i’m being productive”

he does just that - tries to sidetrack you EVEN MORE by dancing ridiculously while you try to wash dishes 

ends up in a soap and water fight 

i feel like chenle would sleep a little earlier than the other guys so when youre done cleaning up your (late) dinner and hes done mopping the floor of the remnants of soap hes like maybe we should sleep

you agree because its almost like 1 am and youre tired too

pulling out a big family size sleeping bag in the middle of the living room floor and finding pillows

putting on light instrumental sleep music

waking up to chenle taking like a million pictures of your terrible bedhead and sending them to all of his friends

chenle’s just so fun to be around alfskjdk

jisung

ngl i feel like the night would start off just a little bit awk with jisung

like not awkward to where no conversation is being made awkward just more like small talk while sitting a good foot away from each other on the couch and friends is running on the tv in the background awkward 

you get tired of that really fast tho

bc you and jisung have been best friends for a g e s it shouldnt be like this

so you bean him with a throw pillow

straight upside the head like hes an alarm clock that wont shut up

it takes him a second to react but once he does its chaos 

he hits you back with like twice as much speed and power

suddenly both of you are on the floor fending for yourselves while trying to attack the other

you fight valiantly but hes just

so dang tall that eventually he grabs the weaponized pillow right out of your hand and holds it way high above your head

“checkmate” “...oh shut up :/”

after that though its a lot more comfortable like you settle into your usual pattern of relentlessly teasing each other

“lets put on mickey mouse cartoons jisung you’ll be able to relate” “are you even tall enough to see the tv” “not everyone can be a beansprout”

jisung pops popcorn for the movies and instead of eating it while watching the movie the two of you just throw kernels at each other and laugh at how dumb the other looks with popcorn in their hair

after a while jisung’s like “we should go out back there’s like... a singular tree and some grass and we can just chill” and you’re like well that’s new in the city so it’s a good opportunity so you agree

bringing a needle and thread outside so you can sew together flower crowns of leaves, grass, and dandelions

jisung leans against the tree while watching you make a mildly lopsided crown 

he cant help but laugh when you put it on his head

“hold on im gonna take a picture” “do i look like a beautiful princess” “like a model, jisung, the prettiest princess ever” “will you be the frog to my princess?” “that’s the worst pick up line i’ve ever heard i’m considering taking back my flower crown”

you almost go inside after that but jisung’s like wait what about a flower crown for you

and you’re like oh i forgot i wasn’t really focusing on making one for myself haha

so jisung takes the needle and thread and makes you one

it’s not as pretty as the one that’s on his head but itll do

taking like 20 selfies together with the flower crowns before going back inside

after that he teaches you some of the nct dances

including stuff from the other subunits

“can you teach me taeil-ssi’s cheerleader dance from paju” “...this lesson is over”

jisung making rice and meat for dinner

you fry vegetables and try your hardest not to make anything explode

afterwards you’re lying down on the couch and he’s on the floor below you

the lights are out and its been a while since theyve been off

youre halfway asleep when

“i know youre my best friend but i think i want to date you”

aaaaand youre wide awake again

“wait, jisung, what?” “i thouGHT YOU WERE ASLEEP OH NO” “did i hear you correctly???” “im so sorry i’ll-” “i like you too you absolute idiot oh my god i cant believe neither of us said anything i-” “-move to cuba and change my name you’ll never have to hear from me again-” “-we are SO DUMB wow okay well we have to get together now its the next logical step-” “-and i’ll cut all connection off and. wait. wait, you like me back?” “-and. dude wait have you not been listening to me at all?? yes??”

and that kids is how you and jisung end up together

jisung texts all of his members before you both really do go to sleep (after an awkward hug and a massive bout of embarrassed laughter) that he finally confessed

you wake up to 89 texts and 2 missed calls 

“taeyong says i have to keep you safe and make sure you eat three square meals a day” “is it disrespectful if i block my hyung and surrogate mother”

!! youre dating park jisung congr a t s

ALL OF NCT DREAM

you open the door immediately to hug bombardment by chenle and jaemin

mark closes it behind you (and shrugs apologetically) considering you cant because youre sandwiched in between the two other members

the first thing all of you do is eat because haechan’s made dinner (with, as jeno keeps reminding everyone, jeno’s help)

hc: all he did was heat the water jn: but it was necessary and helpful, wasn’t it

the second order of business is to push everything out of the way in the living room so the floorspace is entirely open

there are, after all, eight people there and its getting tight on the chairs 

everyones just like eliminate the seating options and thats best - then everyone will just have to sit on the floor 

you: so whats next rj: lets play monopoly everyone, collectively: NO mk: i still have nightmares from last time

jisung suggests twister and everyone (foolishly) agrees

jaemin calls out the colors and limbs and soon you find your left arm reaching over chenle’s right leg and your legs trapped under jisung’s torso

hc, monotonously but muffled as his face is somewhere under renjun’s right armpit: wow this is so wild

after that ends badly (mark nearly suffocates from jeno’s left foot being literally in his mouth) everyone agrees on never taking a suggestion from jisung again (including jisung) 

you suggest a movie marathon and everyone throws pillows at you because that’s “basic”

jm: what about truth or dare jn: wow nana that’s actually a good idea jm: im going to ignore your tone and take it as a compliment anyways

truth or dare quickly causes everyone to become absolute messes because stuff like this happens -

you: renjun, truth or dare rj: truth you: so if you had to gently caress anyone here’s bellybutton, whose bellybutton would it be rj: i

mark and haechan and chenle can each barely breathe because theyre laughing too hard

meanwhile renjun’s mentally going through his brain files of everyone’s bellybuttons and ruing the day he was born, not necessarily in that order

jeno’s videotaping the entire game for future blackmail

hc: jisung if everyone here was a redwood tree who would you set on fire js: you hc: you..you couldnt have hesitated? for even just a secon d

jn: chenle go out in the street and yodel cl: you didnt even ask me truth or d- jn: do it

by the time truth or dare ends its pretty late but youre all way too hopped up on each others embarrassment and general having fun with friends to sleep

cl: karaoke? hc: karaoke. you: maybe karaoke will be our always

the noise level grows like exponentially once karaoke comes on

and it was already pretty freaking loud to start out with

mark’s halfway through a particularly soulful rendition of eminem’s lose yourself when you take a look at the clock

you: guys its almost 3 in the morning jm: sleep is for the WEAK js: chenle’s been knocked out for at least a half hour jm: exactly

mark and jeno move chenle onto the couch and put a blanket over him while you, haechan, and renjun set up sleeping bags and pillow and blankets on the living room floor 

jaemin and jisung turn the music off and make sure the kitchen and everything is clean (and twister is put away)

you turn off the lights and lie down in the bag between mark and renjun

you: we should do this another time jm: minus the twister everyone: minus the twister

jeno wakes you up by stepping on your stomach the next morning while trying to escape renjun and his Pillow of Wrath

the pillow fight’s a little late but hey

8 am is better late than never

a quick breakfast is had while everyone takes turns brushing/showering/changing and it hits 10 am quicker than expected

everyones sad when you have to go back home but!! you all had fun and thats what counts

youre not surprised when mark texts the group chat later about hanging out again soon

[pocket-sized-astro]

Small students in a giant school

“Yinnie! It has been a while since I have said anything, I hope you are doing well❤️ Anyway I am in class right now and I just thought about pocket Astro at school, can you do a imagine were they went to school with you? If you are taking requests anyway and haven't done this already, if you have you can ignore this. I think it would be so cute ^^ ~ cutie pie anon”

I’m always taking requests my dear ! I don’t get enough requests to turn them down so you can send as many as you want ~

“Woah, this place is so big !”

“You’re right, it’s bigger than my former school. From your tiny height it must look gigantesque”

Your tiny friends all look around them impressed as you walk through your school. All except pocket Sanha who just brags to his hyungs.

“He, I’ve been there many times already ~”

“I bet y/n is a top class student, the most intelligent one !”

“And the most popular one too !”

Pocket Moonbin obviously becomes his possessive self at the thought of boys revolving around you all day.

“What ?! Looks like I’ll have a lot of work here..”

“Binnie stop it”

“Rocky-ah, I’ll need your help this time”

“Leave it to me ! We’ll protect y/n from those big guys together”

“Like I said, stop it !”

Ignoring the boys’ antics you enter your classroom and join your friends who immediately coo at the sight of more tiny cuties. Then a classmate hesitantly comes to you and asks to copy a part of your essay. This time pocket Eunwoo is the one changing attitude as he goes full mom mode on.

“Hey, how dare you ask such a thing ? Do it yourself or don’t do it and just assume it ! You have to be more responsible, school is important for your future. It helps you grow up well and hard work is always rewarded so-”

“Eunwoo calm down, you’re scaring him… It’s ok, I didn’t do it either anyways.”

“What ?! Y/n, you’re neglecting school now ? I knew I shouldn’t have stopped helping you... I wasn’t very helpful but at least you were doing your homework”

“Don’t overreact, I’m not neglecting school. I just forgot to do this essay this time because you guys kept distracting me”

“Hum, y/n ?”

“What is it, Jinjin ? Don’t deny the fact that you all seek for my attention 24 hours a day”

“That’s not it. Just… your classmates are staring at us. And they’re kind of scary…”

This is only then that you notice everyone in the room -even your teacher who just came in-  is turned towards you, their mouth wide open.

“Y/n… what are those ??”

“They are so tiny !”

“They’re moving ! Are they really alive ?”

“Kyah, so cute ! I want one too”

The pocket boys get scared by all that attention, everyone hiding behind their leader.

“Aw, one of them is protecting the others ! They’re so cute, can I keep one ?”

“Why him thought ? He seems to be the smallest of them all”

“... Jinjin-hyung, I think they like us. They’re smiling the same way y/n does when we act cute”

“I think so too… We should verify it, Sanha show them some aegyo !”

Pocket Sanha shyly walks towards the spectators then executes his signature aegyo, making all the girls coo and fake fainting. The boys melt on the spot, but they’re too “manly” to admit such a thing.

The class is now long forgotten as the small stars have fun with their new fans. Pocket Mj, Jinjin, Moonbin and Rocky don’t miss a chance to show off their talents while Sanha and Eunwoo let people get impressed by their cuteness or beauty. 

“This boy is much more pretty than I am… I want to be jealous but he looks so innocent, I can’t”

“Look at this one ! He keeps spinning around, how cute is that”

“I’m not cute ! I’m swag... *spins again and makes a pose* Rocky SWAAAG”

“Aw so cute ! I wanna bring him home ~”

“No ! I’m not cute ! I am-”

Pocket Rocky lets out an exasperate sigh then dramatically falls on his knees, making everyone laugh.

~

“Hey y/n, we had a lot of fun today. Can we come back again ?“

“And can we bring our own lunch too ? The food there isn’t as good as yours”

“Ok, if you promise not to disturb the lesson this time. My first class got postponed because of you guys”

“Promise ! But you have to promise you’ll do your homework seriously from now on”

You chuckle at pocket Eunwoo’s motherly words as you wait for your bus home. The boys are all seated either on your shoulders or in your pockets and excitedly chat about today’s experience.

[in2itauthor]

BOYFRIEND

Originally posted by JiinSungho You’ve been in a relationship with Jinsub for about a year and your big anniversary is up. And it’s not any day, but White Day of all days. But since he got schedule he might not make it which makes you sad since it’s a big thing for you. What should you do? Just do something for yourself or tell him how you really want to see him that day? Genre: FLUFF Words: 2309 Pairing: Jinsub | Reader Authors Note: Sorry for an late update. Just moved back home, so it’s been tough. This was requested. Don’t hesitate to request!

”Y/N.. I know ignoring you was wrong of me. It’s just that I don’t like you being with others”

”What do you mean Jinsub?” you ask while looking at him quite annoyed by his change of attitude.

”I.. Aish.. don’t you get it?”

”Get what?”

He gives out a loud sigh and looks away quite irritated by my answer.

”I..” he bite his tongue while shaking a little. ”.. like you”

You look at him with a surprised face after hearing his words. It’s repeating over and over in your head, and you feel yourself staring right into his beautiful eyes.

”Yo…You… what?”

”Don’t make me repeat myself” he says while scratching his neck embarrassed.

”I.. I like you too Jinsub”

You wake up by your phones vibration. You look at the display and roll your eyes while putting it to your ear. You’re one of those people who get moody when someone wakes them up. You hate talking to people in the morning, and you hate people trying to get your attention too, like your boyfriend Kim Jinsub. You’re not a morning person, and he’s not either. But ever since he debuted, he’s been calling you every single morning. Especially if it’s an event where you’re going to attend. You might be his girlfriend, but you’re also his fan. You attend the events that his band has, like fansigns or concerts. But he doesn’t give you a ticket or anything, you have to go the the stores to by an album and attend the lottery just like any other fan.

”Yes?”

”Y/N you’re up?” a dark voice asks while making shivers going through your body. You gulp by the voice.

”Yes I am.. Why?” you ask while looking at the wall where a small poster of IN2IT shows their faces.

”I’m just wondering. I miss you”

”I miss you too”

”Ahh I have to go, back to practice” he says and ends the call before letting you say goodbye. You give out a small sigh while looking at the poster.

”Kim Jinsub.. Our anniversary is tomorrow.. And you don’t remember, don’t you?” you ask while staring at his face. You turn your face towards the window that shows a blue sky. You walk over to the calendar and mark today before looking at tomorrow’s date.

14th of March, White day. You turn your face towards the small letter on top ”1st Anniversary <3”. You smile a little while looking at the picture of you and your boyfriend kissing.

”Back to work” you say to your reflection in the window. You put on some clothes before leaving your room.

You walk out of the door with your backpack and camera which is hanging on your side. You run towards the bus in a hurry while looking at the clock on your phone at the same time.

”Y/N!!! Ruuuuuun! The bus is getting closer” Y/F screams from the bus stop. You wave your hand in a ”I’m coming” sign. You jump on the bus right before it leaves and you breathe in a fast pace.

”I’m so excited!! We’re going to meet IN2IT today” she squeals making everyone looking at her in disgrace. She’s the only friend who knows about you and Jinsub, but don’t care. She hasn’t even asked about meeting him which makes you happy, since that was the first thing you expected.

”Y/F/N I have to tell you something” you say looking scared.

Y/F/N turns her face towards you while smiling big because of her hot chocolate that she just got. She sees your face and shows a concerned look.

”Has something happened? Tell me..”

”Promise me that you won’t scream or tell anyone, okay?” you say while staring at the table.

”You know me”

”Me and Jinsub…” you say. You stay quiet for some seconds.

”Are dating?” she asks. You nod your head while biting your lip because of fear. It becomes quiet for a while, but suddenly she burts out laughing. You look at her surprised.

”I’m not stupid.. I’ve seen how he looks at you! And you react differently when we talk about him” she says while smiling. She drinks some of her chocolate.

”You’re not surprised?”

”No, it’s ok! I’m happy that you told me.. Now we can fangirl him even more” she says while making a cute face. You nod your head while smiling. She is a good friend after all.

Walking into the shopping center makes you confused once again. The guys decided this time to have their fan sign in a shopping center. Full of people and your social phobia is getting tested. And why COEX of all malls in Seoul? It’s like walking and walking without finding the right place. Y/F walks towards the place and picks a nice place to sit even though both of you are going up on stage this time.

”We can wait here! Do you want Milk Tea or something?” she asks. You nod your head and looks at her with an excitement.

She walks away and you take out your phone and takes a photo at the stage. You send the picture to him.

You: I’m early..

Jinsub: Are you going up on stage today?

You: Nooooooo

Jinsub: I have a bad day today. I want to hold your hand.. :-(

You: hmm.. maybe tomorrow? Jinsub: Oh.. If I could. I have schedule all day. But some other day :* You: .. yeah

You look down at your shaking hands and bite your lip to hold back your tears. He forgot, he forgot your anniversary. You see your friend walking towards you with two Black Milk Tea and all you can think of while giving her the sweetest smile you own is how you’re going to stay by yourself tomorrow.

”What’s up Y/N?”

”Eh?” you ask while pretending that you’re fine. She gives you the ”Who do you think I am?” look.

”He won’t be able to celebrate our anniversary tomorrow.. That’s what keeps bugging me”

”Oh.. well you rather get used to it.. It’s not meant in a negative way or anything like that. It’s just that he’s an kpop artist, so his life is completely different now”

”I know.. ” you say while looking at your hands. She gives you a hug and not far after that it’s time for you to get your seat and to get everything ready.

The clock goes from 2pm to 5pm and the fan sign is starting. The guys are walking up on stage saying their Hello and then it’s time to sit down and start with the first row. You look at your hand trying to think out something to say. You look at every member and see Isaac looking at you. He waves his hand and suddenly you see Jinsub looking at you too. You look at him and then at Isaac again.

”Third row” a girl says walking towards the stage. ”Wait here”

You look at the members and a slight of nervous feeling is spreading in your body. You look around before it’s your turn. Talking to Jiahn makes you calm as always. Jiahn became a good friend of your during BOYS24. He was a support through exams and finals. Something about him always helped you.

”Relax Y/N.. It’s going to be alright! You seem nervous today” he says while holding your hand. You smile towards him and nod your head.

”I’m having a rough day I guess”

”Ey.. remember that you’re strong like fire” he says before Isaac drags you away. You laugh at him before moving towards Isaac who’s looking at you with his big eyes.

”SWAG” he squeals. You laugh at him while talking about how frogs make babies. It may be a rather absurd subject, but it was fun. After talking to Inho and Inpyo, it’s finally Jinsubs turn. You move towards him and meet his eyes which is completely drawn to you.  You smile towards him.

”Hi”

”Hi.. how are you?” he asks

”Okay, how are you?”

”Okay. I’ve missed you” he says with a low voice. You blush and look at him with a shy face.

”I missed you too”

”I’ll call you later, okay?” You nod your head.

After taking yourselves to the subway, it’s finally time to get home and sleep. You wanted to walk Y/F home. But after her stubborn way of saying no, you’re on your way home alone. As soon as you get home you crash into bed and miss the call from Jinsub.

Your phone starts vibrating and you take it without opening your eyes and answer.

”Mmh Jinsub?”

”I need your help.” a girl voice says, Y/F.

” Y/F… What’s up?”

”Help.. Come to ***” the call ends. You jump out of your bed expecting the worst case scenario. You ignore the changing clothes and run out of your home down to the road and catch a cab. You try to get in touch with her again, but no answer.

”We’re here miss” the driver says. You pay and walk out of your car seeing the building where Jinsub made it. Where he got told that he was going to debut. Olympic Hall in Olympic Park

You walk towards the door with a worried expression thinking about what you’re going to see. But why was she here at this hour and how? You walk into the big hall and yell her name. But it’s quiet until you hear music. Music that is playing inside the arena. You open the door and walk into the big arena. You see something on the stage and you walk up on it and see a letter.

Dear Y/N! It’s me Y/F/N. I’m sorry for lying to you about this situation. Please don’t be angry at me. I was just trying to help you with everything. You must be confused, but let me tell you.  This was a setup for you to come here and meet someone you love. Someone you cherish with all you heart. Someone you long for every second of the day.  It’s after 12pm which means it’s White Day, and we all know what that means. So Y/N, enjoy this moment! I Love You Your Bestiiee

You look at the letter and feel your stomach ache a little after reading about the date. A song starts playing behind your back and you turn around facing him. Kim Jinsub, your wonderful boyfriend.

”Welcome” he says looking at you. The denim pants and the shirt looks amazing, while I’m here in pyjamas.

”Uhm.. Hi.. uhm sorry for the clothes”

”It’s okay. It’s perfect..Surprised?”

”I’m amazed.. You said tha…” he cuts you off.

”I don’t either. But it’s important for you and for me.. So i had to rearrange my schedule with the day so i could get a little bit of time with you. Do you like it? You look around facing beautiful light decorations, roses on the stage and a picnic ready. You look at him and nod your head slowly showing happy tears.

”It’s perfect Jinsub”

”I’m sorry for being a bad boyfriend”

”What do you mean? You’re perfect”

”No.. I’m always busy, and then I call you on hours that bothers you and act like some parent”

”Jinsub.. You’re perfect. I’m not bothered by you calling at early mornings. The thing I’m bothered by is your way of thinking of yourself as an failure which is completely untrue.

He walks towards you putting his hand on your cheek while staring at your eyes. You smile and gives him a hug. The smell of Jinsub is a smell of love and peace. It’s like he’s everything you’ve ever asked for. Something you want near forever.

”Do you know how much I love you?” you ask.

”Hmm a bit?”

”More than anything else. You’re my everything. So thank you. Thank you for celebrating this day together with me”

”Ofc my princess. ”

He takes your hand and walk towards the blanket on the stage floor. You sit down looking at the candles which is everywhere. He takes his guitar in his hand and stars to play for you. You listen and feed him with chocolate strawberrys.

”So this is the place where I made it”

”No.. You made it long time ago”

”But you know how I mean”

”Yeah.. ”

”This is the place where I kissed you infront of your best friend for the first time” he says while laughing. You laugh with him and think back. You smile towards him and stare at his brown dark eyes which is full of mysterious thoughts.

”Jinsub”

”Mh?”

”I love you”

”I love you too”

”I’m never leaving your side.”

”And I’m never leaving yours. You fought with the wind and you’re still here being with me.

”Together with you is my favorite place to be.” you say looking into his eyes. He smiles before giving you a romantic kiss.

”Oh btw.. I have something for you..” he says giving you a box. You look at him surprised and slowly open the box. You see a note.

I don’t need paradise because I found you. I don’t need dreams because I already have you. - Jinsub

You take the note smiling at it before seeing couple rings inside. You stare at it before looking up at Jinsub, seeing his big smile. You scream before throwing yourself at him. He laughs before taking the box away from you taking your ring out.

”Really? You really want this?” you ask.

”As I said. You’re all I need” He smiles.

”And you’re all I want”

[firewarrior117]

The Witch and the Tambourine, Part 2

Part 2 of Fiona’s journey with a troupe of drow caravaneers!

Revealing her tambourine to once be the belonging of a legendary Caravaneer, The Troupe leader, Tulio asks Fiona to travel and perform with them for a while. Fiona gladly accepts, with Akimoto and Vayle Accompanying her along the way. surprising to them, Fiona has a natural rhythm with music and dance. But what talents will her friends bring with them?

(Speranza, Imperial City, Market District)

*The Caravan has parked itself in a large back alley near the Market district, a scenic view of the ocean can be seen from the Balcony near the Caravan*

Akimoto: *Chomping on a Meat Skewer* ...

Vayle: Aaaah...Lovely! *dresses herself in a Black and Purple Caravaneer’s Costume, She holds onto the skirt lightly, than releases giving a quick twirl as it spins along with her!* I was hoping I’d get a chance to wear this again!

Akimoto: *Raises eyebrow, watching the skirt move with her* You know, just because we’re traveling with Caravaneers doesn’t mean we gotta dress like them....

Vayle: *Striking a pose, still modeling herself in the costume!* Nonsense! i think it’s a brilliant idea! besides, we’ll be traveling all over Vitaria, correct?

Akimoto:...Yeah?

Vayle: So for all we know, our travels could bring us to lands where our enemies lurk! And should they see us, someone could get paranoid and give false information! And we’d not only be putting ourselves in danger, but the Caravaneers in danger as well!

Akimoto: *Blink!*...Ah Hell! I didn’t think of that...

Vayle: Exactly! *Gives him a stack of clean caravaneer clothing!* so go put these on!

Akimoto: Wait! What?

Vayle: I made you a costume as well. It’d probably be in your best interest to put it on!

Akimoto: You made me a Skirt?!

Vayle: *Glares at him!* It’s a MALE Costume, imbecile! I think you’ll find it to be very masculine! especially for one of your tastes.

Akimoto: *Groan* Alright! Alright! I don’t like bright colored crap, but whatever...It’ll do! *Goes behind a curtain to change into the costume!*

Vayle: *Sigh*...There’s just no pleasing you, is there Akimoto?

Akimoto: *from behind the curtain* Well, you make a good point on wearing disguises for the trip! But do the colors gotta be so bright? Crap like this makes you stick out like a sore thumb in battle!

Vayle: We’re not going into battle! We’re performing for the masses!

Tulio: Well...actually...we might see one or two battles along the way to our destinations...Vitaria is a dangerous place after all.

Akimoto: Yeah! See? *Walks out, wearing the full costume!* I don’t exactly see myself getting the jump on enemies dressed like THIS!

Vayle: But it looks so good on you! I feel its the perfect outfit for enemies to see before we take them down!

Akimoto: Yeah...Death by color! What a horrible way to go...

Tulio: Ha! I think that is a good look for you as well, Sir Akimoto! I think you’ll fit in with us quite well on the road!

Sarisa: I’ll say! You look very Handsome in Caravaneer garments!

Fareeha: Oh man! Look at his muscles, Sarisa~! *Giggles!*

Akimoto:...Tulio, a request? Keep those girls away from me while we’re traveling...

Tulio: Hahahaha! No promises, my friend...Those girls are quite the flirts when it comes to boys...

*Fiona walks out from the Caravan, her costume making a faint jingle*

Vayle:...*GASP!* Oh my god...*Smiling brightly!*

Akimoto: Heh...Not bad...

Fiona: *Walks out, dressed in a white and Blue Caravaneer costume!* Well...?*Smiles up at them bashfully* H-how do look...?

Vayle: Absolutely BEAUTIFUL, Fiona!

Tulio: Simply STUNNING, Little Sister! That outfits suits you very well!

Fiona: Really? *Red face!* Thank you! I hope our audience likes it as well!

Tulio: I’m sure they won’t be able to take there eyes off you, Fiona! Which begs the question...*hands on shoulders!* Are you ready? We’ll be starting our show in the market place very soon!

Fiona: *Smiles, nodding her head!* Mmhmm! I’m ready!

Tulio: *Thumbs up!* foarte bine! Let’s DO THIS!

*The Caravaneers walk out onto the stage prepared for them in the market, preparing themselves for the show!*

Tulio: Alright...What about you two? got any talents you’d like to share with Speranza? Can you dance, Lady Vayle?

Vayle: Aha...Well, nothing compared to the dances you perform. The Only dances I know are Waltzing and Flamenco!

Akimoto: *Raises Eyebrow at her*...You know the Flamenco?

Vayle: Every Noble in Speranza knows the Flamenco!

Tulio: Hmmm...Well, I don’t want to leave you two out! Can you play instruments?

Vayle: I can play Violin!

Tulio: *GASP!* You...YOU CAN?! *Gives a big smile!* THAT’S PERFECT! We’ve been wanting a Violin player in our shows!

Akimoto: I don’t exactly dance...So I can’t really bring much...I’ll just bodyguard and watch for troublemakers!

Tulio: Are you sure? I’m sure we can find something for you to do!

Akimoto: It’s cool! Just consider me show security!

Tulio: *Shrugs* Alright...If that’s what you want, Sir Akimoto!

*The troupe takes the stage, preparing there places and there acts as they ready themselves for there Speranza Audience!*

Tulio: ...*Raises out hands!* LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! We are the Luminous Stars Caravan Troupe! And we have come to brighten up your day and bring you the joyous song, dance, and Talent of the caravaneers!

*Several Speranzites clap and cheer, others starring in intrigue!*

Miguel: *Turns to Vayle with a smile!* you ready, Lady Vayle?

Vayle: *Bow drawn on the strings* Of course!

*The Band begins playing a highly catchy and upbeat tune!*

Fiona: *Phew*...Okay...

Sarisa: Don’t worry, Little sister! Just close your eyes...and feel the rhythm...

*A Familiar voice echoes in Fiona’s head as she says that...*

“Just close your eyes...let the rhythm possess you...let it flow through your body!”

Fiona:...*Closes her eyes*...Right...*Smiles, Gives a look at her Tambourine, then begins to raise it to the sky!*

*The three girls begin moving in sync with the music, there bodies, tambourines, and Skirts dancing to the tune played by the Troupe’s band! the audience begins to cheer them on loudly! Whistling and clapping to the rhythm themselves! And across from them...*

Raziel: *giving a pile of drakes to a comic shop owner!* Here...this should about cover the damages they did...Again, I Apologize for my idiot friends here...

Merchant: As long they don’t come near my shop again, we won’t have a problem...

Vent: Oh come on! This guy’s a dick! He deserves to have his crap stolen!

Krystal: Yeah! He exploits the poor and makes them steal collector’s issue comics and Collectibles for him!

Merchant: CAN IT, STREET RAT!

Krystal: YOU CAN’T LIE TO THE PEOPLE OF SPERANZA FOREVER, SCUM! YOUR CRIMES WILL BE EXPOSED EVENTUALLY!

Merchant: Pah...Says the THIEF...*Angrily��storms back into his store!*

Raziel: *Groan!* One day...can we go ONE DAY without ether of you pulling some stupid stunt that almost sends you both to jail?!

Krystal: Those are stolen goods, Raz! he’s gonna get what’s coming to him sooner or later!

Raziel: Well, you shoulda done it at night when he wasn’t at the store! Not in the middle of Broad daylight while he’s using the bathroom!

Vent: I almost walked out with some cool swag, too! Stolen or not, I wasn’t gonna pay 200 drakes for something I can get for 70 on Armorzone!

Krystal: *!* Oh, Hey! The Caravaneers are in town! Aaaaw, that blue haired girl with em’s cute! She kinda looks like-...*!!!*...Wait...

Raziel: Yeah! Great! Street Performers! Don’t change the subject, Krystal! You guys costed me a lot of Drakes because of tha-*!!!*...What the hell?! Is that...?

*The Group joins the crowd watching Fiona dance with Tulio’s Daughters as Vayle plays with the band members!*

Krystal: *Whistles* Girl’s got moves...

Vent: Heh...Fiona ain’t the ones I’m starring at!

*the Girls continue to dance, the audience cheers growing louder with each movement!*

Vayle: *Playing her Violin with the band, smiling with joy at Fiona* ...

*With a final twirl and a jingling of there Tambourines, the girls strike different poses, stopping at the final beat of the song!*

Fiona: *Phew*...*Phew*...*Phew*...

*The Audiences roars in praise, clapping, cheering, and whistling for the performers!*

Krystal: *Claps!* WOOO! WAY TO SHAKE THOSE HIPS, FIONA!!!

Vent: *Whistles!* HEY! ARE YOUR FRIENDS SINGLE?!

Raziel: *Smiles at Fiona, giving her a thumbs up!*

Fiona: ...*Blinks!*...*phew*...*Smiles back, returning the Tumbs up to Raziel!*...

Fareeha: You did great, Little Sister!

Sarisa: Come on! Let’s take a bow!

*The Girls all take a bow to the audience, Curtsying and bowing there heads in thanks!*

Akimoto: Hehehehe...Not bad at all, Fiona.

*After a performance given by the sword brothers, and a duet performed by the sisters, the Caravaneers return to the Caravan, packing up with supplies for the journey on the road!*

Raziel: So, you guys are gonna be traveling with these Caravaneers for a while...?

Vayle: They’re a very nice bunch! besides, we’re doing this to support Fiona! She holds caravaneers very dear to her heart.

Akimoto: *Shrugs* They said there would be pay, so that’s good enough for me! We shouldn’t be gone for more than a couple of weeks!

Tulio: Oh yes! They’ll be back before you even know it, my friend! Rest assured! We won’t any harm come to our Little Sister!

Raziel: *Raises eyebrow!* “Little Sister”...?

Vayle: That’s what they’ve been calling Fiona.

Raziel: Huh...

Vent: I don’t know! I don’t see anything interesting happening traveling with a bunch of Gypsies...

*The Caravaneers all gasp in horror at Vent!*

Fiona: *Glare!* VENT!

Vent: What? What?!

Tulio: Boys! Mother! Calm down, please! Put your weapons down! *Ahem!*...Erm...Sir...We Caravaneers find it very offensive when others call us Gypsies...Please refrain from using that word to describe us...

Fiona: Seriously! That’s almost as offensive as humans calling demons...Well...You know!

Vent: *!* Ah...Alright. My bad!

Akimoto: Ether way, be sure to let Gramps know I’m gonna be Traveling with Vayle and Fiona! I’d rather he didn’t send search parties to come looking for me again...

Krystal: No worries! We’ll tell him the minute we see him!

Raziel: You sure you’re gonna be alright, kid? You don’t need me to go with you or anything?

Fiona: it’s okay, Raziel! I’ll be fine! I got Lady Vayle, Akimoto, and a whole Caravan full of talented performers and magi ready for anything that comes our way!

Raziel: Huh...Alright! Stay safe out there!

Vayle: We shouldn’t be gone too long! but if anything happens, I’ll send word immediately!

Tulio: Your friends are in good hands, everyone! You have nothing to fear! Now...LET US BE OFF! to the next town!

Fiona: Erm...None of our stops are gonna be in White Reef, right?

Tulio: Oh! Oh No! No! No! No! No! Absolutely NOT! We’re not even allowed 30 feet near White reef without them chasing us off! Damn bigots...

Fiona: *Phew* Okay, good...I was worried about that...

*The Caravaneers finish loading up, preparing there long journey across Vitaria as they begin traveling down the road outside the city!*

Krystal: *Waves!* STAY SAFE, GUYS! COME BACK SOON!

Vent: HAVE FUN JINGLING YOUR TAMBOURINES OR WHATEVER!

*The three wave back at them, sitting comfortably inside the caravan with the other family members*

Vayle: *Phew* Well, this is going to be an interesting journey...I’ve never traveled with a Caravaneer troupe before...

Akimoto: Raz and I Traveled with one for an escort mission once. This ain’t too different from the other one...

Fiona: *Starring down at her Tambourine*...*Looks out the window at the Speranza frontier*...

Tulio: *Looks down at the Tambourine, then up at Fiona with a smile*...She was a good woman!

Fiona: *Turns to him!* Hm...?

Tulio: That Tambourine was one of Esmeralda’s greatest treasures! She cherished more than anything in the world!

Fiona:...

Tulio: in my personal opinion... *Smiles!* ...It couldn’t be in better hands!

Fiona: *!* *looks at the tambourine sadly, then up at Tulio with a smile!* Thank you, Tulio...That’s very kind of you to say...

Tulio: *Nods* Of course! You’re family, little Sister! We’re here if you have any questions...

Fiona:*nods to him in agreement, then continues to look down at the Tambourine* ...Hmmm...Family...*Stares at the Tambourine, her hand placed on the center*...

*The Caravan continues down the path, making way toward a small farming community down in Southern Speranza!*

To be continued in part 3!

[solasulad]

Bad Boys Are No Good.

You said no interest

Said you found a better climax

You said he swagged out

If you leave it’s like a shot to the back

Through the nose of a barrel

For you don’t want to go

But you leave, it’s like nothing.

Well.

Look again how I played myself.

Hair was supposed to message me Wednesday night too hook up but didn’t reply back. I felt some type of way with that, woke up feeling my self esteem lowering every time i unlocked my phone to a no message.. He then made plans with me for Friday night @ 9pm.. but texted me 30 minutes before 9 to tell me his little bro got into an accident with the car.. so I believe it? I don’t know.. he also told me his dad once got into an accident a while back, but it’s whatever. This hassles too much.

Messaged has every day since Monday nights face time.. but barely got any conversation from him. Just straight R’s and voice mails.

Been messaging Mo’de & keeping a convo with him. It’s been alright but just so fake like I’m holding on to him because of the time I invested into him. Reality is; we aren’t good together but I’m scared to be alone.

Now it’s Friday night going on Saturday morning 4am.

At work just trying to stay awake smoking.

I was visited by Micheal a coworker who’s working at another site downtown.

So he gives me that usual lecture on not smoking he’s alright just so aggressive with his religion throwing it down my throat.

He left me sitting outside near the building.

There I am just sitting outside of the building wearing a grey XL puma hoodie and my uniform pants drinking my red bull to stay awake. Micheal leaves then a minute later I get approached by a tall skinny guy with braces asking me if I’m okay. I tell him yeah I am just working on break. He the sits down asks for my name then guesses my background. He’s from the same country as Has also a new comer... continues a convo with him about how he moved to the city and what he wants to do in the city. He then calls for his friend to come over.. smh the cute one but also short.. :( they both talk to me we joke and laugh mean while the skinny ones complimenting me. He takes down my number and then requests me to add him on insta. Continues to compliment me and how I’m working than partying on a Friday night. They leave and I’m left with thinking wow.

Skinny ones w/e other guys cute.. but wow...

just being approached like that, & im actually trying with Has now? How I called his phone twice and got voice mail once and a hang up the other time.. how he only replied back to my text when I sent him a message in my language... wow. Should I just leave it? Cause I clearly am not sending any more messages unless it’s a you dead? Message if I’m feeling lonely.. but... I could just drop it all together and have him run to me when he wants.. this continuing that endless cycle. Don’t want to be open to him when he comes creeping back into my life. I want him to at least know he can’t just creep in when he feels like it. That’s something I can’t go back to again.

Either way being approached by those guys or not, I shouldn’t be trying so hard for acceptance like damn. All together I’m just going back to hide under my rock until I feel like expressing my emotions to the world.

[bloojayoolie]

Advice, Being Alone, and Anaconda: Melipastel Mar 4 6pm Hey everyone! If you haven't yet and you'd like to, join our sub Discord! Movie should be on tonight, after stream! Live near PAX East? PAX East this year will be from Apr 5 8, 2018 in Boston, MA. Ill be there likely Friday and Saturday, so keep an eye out in Discord for a meetup announcement! Would love to meet you! To access the discord chat just connect your Twitch account by going to User Settings > Connections and Meli Empire should come up! -If you'd like to add my Snapchat please reply to this with your Snapchat username (: Only will current subs be kept added on my snap! (Do NOT send out my snap to others, I block/ignore all outside requests I receive. ) -For the Steam group: http://ift.tt/2FyUaTN Send Melipastel a friend request on Steam and then reply back here with your steam name and Ill add you! Also will be adding people on Battle.net and Origin! Please reply back with your username! (don't forget the # afterwards!) Mar 5 2am Oops maybe I should have checked my inbox haha. I feel pretty stupid now Um I can hang out in discord if you want but I really don't like to involve myself too much in that sort of thing. I'm also actually a little shy when it comes to talking to random people over the internet I'm actually a little unclear on what snapchat is, I don't use social media often so l don't really have any use for that Steam I could add you but I don't see the point, my battle.net is I've been a huge Blizzard fan all my life and while I think their glory days are behind them I play overwatch and hearthstone occasionally I may or may not live near PAX East ) Mar 6 8pm You know I realized something about twitch. It's great that steamers are free to choose the game they want to play. Viewers, however, are free choose whether or not to watch that game. Neither side has to always like the decision of the other, but there does always have to be mutual respect. I think it's important that this is understood in order for steamers and viewers to coexist in peace It's a funny coincidence because l think what I said carries over to real life relationships as well. Realizing that you don't always get exactly what you want from other people and understanding there are boundaries that need to be respected in every type of relationship besides possibly the parent/child relationship is an important part of being a mature adult. One doesn't always have to like it, but that's no one else's problem but one's own. Being able to handle your own disappointment and frustration when that happens to me is an important part of being a man. That doesn't mean dissent will never be expressed in a respectful way however. I'll be playing Overwatch for half an hour starting at 9:00pm over the next three days. I would welcome company for all, some, or even none of that time No voice chat 0 UB Mar 9 1amBlock Meli Just in case vou're having last minute doubts This really isn't a big deal. You know me a lot better than you did a month ago and you have a lot more information. I mean I could talk about what a nice guy I am and how I couldn't make this stuff up (both of which are true) but I don't do that because it means nothing if you don't trust me, which has to be a decision that comes from you Relax. And come play a bit of Overwatch. You probably haven't even stopped to notice how much the situation has changed. I think if you trust what you feel about this situation you'll realize there's absolutely nothing to be worried about David Mar 9 7am I must have misread something Meli. I feel pretty disappointed and also confused. And also kind of like an idiot If you'd like me to leave you alone I will and you could have just said so at any time Mar 9 11am Melissa I think vou are looking to get some sort of reaction out of me. If you are looking for anger, it takes a hell of a lot to get me angry. And when I do get angry I handle it. I'm not going to belabor this point too much further (mature adult, etc) but hopefully by now you have some evidence to see that these are more than just words. Me making a scene in your chat is probably going to be your best answer as to the type of thing I do when I'm "angry But I'm not too happy with you right now! ee asthou ·you oo me upon wat cons er d to be our rt date. I understand why you did it but that doesnt change the fact that you did it. I'm not going to go back on anything I said previously my emotions are my own to deal with but your actions are yours to take ownership of. And I think vou owe me an apologv I took stimulant medication for my ADD before I got on and Ive been up all night as a result. Regardless, I will get over what I feel in time but an apology would accelerate that process. I also think it's time this conversation evolved from one-sided twitch messages and the interaction in your channel. So I'm definitely ready for that in case it wasn't clear already. Mar 10 7pm You wanna just talk already? I mean this has been fun and we can keep doing this hidden communication stuff but we should move on at some point. I'm willing to do voice chat soon, I just wanted you to trust me without it and I feel as though you more or less do. I'm also over what happened the other day so it's cool 血 Mar 10 7pm I mean what do you think is going to happen if you respond to one of these messages? Do you think Ill take off a mask and transform into some hideous monster you cant get away from? This isn't a binding contract and it's not like you're selling your soul to the devil or something. We're talking anyway. I'm just asking to switch the medium Alright Ill stop messaging you for now but think about it. Mar 10 8pm Ok LAST THING I'll say The whole it's your decision" thing was about you making a decision to trust me and you wanting a relationship with me other than me being your fan or a viewer. I wanted to be very clear with you about the type of relationship I wanted to have with you right away. And you've already made a decision about that, maybe without realizing it. Talking to me directly, outside of your channel, is now just a formality. I do think you more or less trust me. And ldo think I'm a lot more to vou than a fan or a viewer But again I'm not trying to force you to do anything you dont want to. I am just providing you with information to consider OKAY. Bye 血 Mar 11 3pm I was cracking up about that this morning by myself Not because the idea of disrespecting you or something is funny but imagine if that's what this was all about for me, with that music playing ('if it's meant to be then it's meant to be" etc). If that's the "type of relationship" I was talking about. I was dying Which made me want to clarify something when I rip on fortnite and stuff it's 100% playful. I have a sarcastic sense of humor and I don't really mean any of it. That's probably very hard to detect through text, especially if you're used to guys like me being assholes. Which is what separates me from them... I'm a nice quy AND I have confidence. Because my confidence is real and it comes from knowing who I am and having a very firm grip on reality and my place in it. It isn't "swag" or egotism or some nonsense like that and it doesn't come from putting other people down. That's why I'm different and I hope that clears up any concerns you might have I know I keep messaging you but I just can't wait to talk. I'll try to keep a lid on it for the rest of the day, I think you should be spending it with your father anyway 血 about 24 hours ago Hey Meli This is a picture of me that was taken a few years back. I wear glasses most of the time now and Ive probably forgotten how to snowboard. I didn't really want to send you a selfie or something so l asked my Dad and this is the picture he thought I should send so I took his advice (unsolicited selfie link) about 21 hours ago I don't have a lot of recent pictures but if you need a picture of me with a timestamp I'll do it now, let me know [Not OC] Twitch Streamer invites her fans to join her discord, Nice Guy takes it as a personal invitation

[sentrava]

13 Questions NOT to Ask a Travel Writer

Writing about writing—how cliché, right? And yet, if I learned anything over this past decade of living, it’s that people love a good industry post. And I’m all about giving the people what they want, which today just happens to be a compilation of commonly asked questions not to ask a travel writer.

It never fails when I’m meeting someone for the first time and they find out what I do for a living a firing squad of inquiries is forthcoming. I can almost predict how the interrogation is going to go down: “what’s your favorite country?” “I’m going to Jamaica soon, what should I do there?” and “Can I have your job?”

Just for fun, I put the question out there in one of my think tanks of fellow veteran travel writers to see what nettled other writers; the feedback was off-the-chain, some of it hilarious, others OMG-inducing. Below, with the permission of each writer mentioned, I’ve included a few of my favorites.

(Note that this is a bit tongue-in-cheek. We all love what we do and fully realize it’s a bit of an enigma to many. So take this post with a grain of salt. And if you have asked me any of the below questions before, no, you will not be struck from my Christmas card mailing list.)

“What’s your favorite country?”

Assumedly, most of us have been to dozens of countries—for me, it’s somewhere over 120, last I counted. Could you pick one child you prefer over the other, one city you can’t live without, one food you’d eat every day for the rest of your life? That’s the equivalent to asking what my favorite country is. Similarly, many writers noted cringing when being asked how many countries they’d visited; personally, I’m not a passport stamp-counter, but I have been interviewed for publications before where I was made to tally up everywhere I’ve been, so I have a general sense of the range I’ve visited.

Instead, ask this: Be specific. Say, “I’m a fan of adventure and I like warmer destinations. I don’t want to fly more than four hours from my home base. Do you have a country recommendation for me based on those parameters?” To which, I would say, “YES, ABSOLUTELY,” then ramble on about Portugal/South Africa/Grenada, depending on where you live. I’m not a mind-reader, and I can’t suss out your budget, your travel style, your hobbies if you don’t tell me.

“I’m going to X destination. Do you have any tips?”

Well, first of all, that’s pretty vague. Secondly, if it’s somewhere I’ve been, it’s highly likely I’ve blogged about, which is why I’ve spent hours of my life organizing my content and building out a destinations page that makes it easy for you to find said posts by the country or the state. Start there! It’s also likely that if I have any tips at all, I’ve shared them via this free resource—I promise, I don’t squirrel away my best bits in the back of my mind; on most subjects, I’m an open book. If your question isn’t answered, be a tad bit more specific. I’m more than happy to answer requests for travel tips, so long as it doesn’t take me hours of research to do it.

Instead, ask this: “I’m going to Scotland, and I know you’ve blogged about it ad nauseam. I read all your posts on planning a road trip to the Highlands and was wondering if you think three days is enough to see the major sights?” I love a good to-the-point question that I can respond to instantly, and bonus points for you for having already done the research and read the posts I have contributed on the topic.

“You haven’t been to Thailand?!? How have you not been to Thailand?”

Well, I don’t know. It’s never been that high on my list, every travel blogger from here to Timbuktu has covered it extensively, not to mention, it’s hella far from where I live. I looked at visiting a friend there this winter, and while flights weren’t bad (around $1000 round-trip), it was going to be a logistical nightmare—a minimum of 30 hours in transit each way. That means, I’m going to need to stay two to three weeks to feel like it’s worth the trip. At this point in my career, I don’t have two to three weeks to spare as we’re booked on back-to-back projects constantly (it’s a good problem to have). The good news is that when (if?) I retire someday, I’ll have plenty of unexplored territory to conquer!

Instead, ask this: “Is there anywhere you’re dying to go that you haven’t been already?” To which, I’d say: “Absolutely! So many places. Just a few off the top of my head: Thailand, Indonesia, Palau, Greenland, the list goes on.” And there are plenty of places I’m dying to go back to for a second, third, fourth visit, as well (see: India, Vietnam, Cambodia, most of the world). It is a bit insulting, though, when someone feigns offense that I haven’t been somewhere—people, it’s a huge world, and I’m not in any big rush to see it! In an ideal world, I’d adopt the slow travel mentality and take a few months in each place I visited (but again, see: have a career, a house, a dog).

“So … how much do you make as a travel writer?”

I was surprised how many in my secret travel writing group said this is a common question they receive (the nerve of some people!). One fellow travel writer told me: “The boldness of questions like ‘so how much do you make as a travel writer?’ is very irritating. I walked out of a business one time because the CEO started his presentation with ‘since you don’t make much money, I’m sorry to disappoint that we won’t be providing swag.'” Look, unless you are my spouse or my accountant, stay out of my finances, please. I’ve gotten variations from PR folks I know who just assume that freelance writer = makes peanuts (or maybe they’re projecting their own paltry salary onto us? … I’m not quite sure). That’s not necessarily true. Those of us who were smart and have been in the game for quite some time have likely diversified into other ventures—corporate copywriting, project management, consulting—that can be rather lucrative. Check out how my writing/photography idol Lola Akinmade Åkerström does it here.

Instead, ask this: Nothing. There’s nothing you should ask instead of this, as you don’t broach the subject of money with any professional. One question I don’t mind getting, however, is something a bit pointed like: “There’s no denying that working in media has taken a hit over the past decades as publications have shuttered and rates have dropped significantly. You’ve clearly weathered the storm. What’s been your key to survival?”

“What do you do when you aren’t traveling?”

“WRITE. What else?” exclaimed one of my freelance pals, exasperated by having to answer this all the time. Sure, the travel is the glamorous part (but it’s not all glamor … if only I could take you along for a true peek behind the curtain!), but the majority of time when I’m not on the road, I’m pounding on my keyboard in long 16-hour-a-day stretches trying to meet existing deadlines, and do all the normal admin stuff that accompanies running your own business. And yes, there are plenty of days I never get out of my pajamas (unless to go to the gym), and my personal hygiene definitely takes a hit. #RoadWarriorProblemsYall

Instead, ask this: “Wow, that must be exhausting being on the road all the time. Do you ever get down time? What do you most look forward to when you’re not on the road?” For me, I’d answer: “having a routine. Traveling so often can make it hard to keep a steady sleep cycle, and my fitness activity suffers. When I’m home, I try to develop good habits and a daily routine that starts with a workout before I’m seated at my desk for a long 12- to 14-hour day of writing.”

“That’s a real job?”

Yep. Just like being a surgeon or a weather analyst or a circus performer is a real job, so is travel writing. In this day and age when newspapers are virtually non-existent and magazines are filling their pages with thinly-veiled advertisements, many of us have ventured into more tourism marketing kinds of content projects. I’d say a solid half of my friends and acquaintances still have zero clue what I do (nor do they ask, tbh) and assume that the blog is my job (and sure it’s a part of it, but more like 30 percent of the overall work we do).

Instead, say this: “That sounds like a very cool gig! It’s no doubt a lot of work, too. How did you get into such a profession?” I’m always more than happy to share my trajectory from newspaper journalist and sports marketer to entertainment reporter to, much later, travel writer.

“Wow … you mean you, like, get to travel for FREE?!?”

I mean, free is relative—and let’s revert back to the previous question and remind you that this is a job. If your firm were to send you to Vegas for a week for a conference to collect CE hours, would they expect you to foot the bill? Unlikely. But just like you incur out-of-pocket expenses, so do we. And because the majority of us are freelance, we have no one to reimburse us (and if you’re on a magazine assignment, your per diem is paltry at best). So, plenty of costs like airport parking, meals, all tips and bar bills do, in fact, come out of our overall paycheck, which isn’t awesome.

Instead, ask this: I’ve got nothing.

“Oh, you’re always on vacation!”

Ha! This is one of those questions us writers just smile, nod and internally sigh about. Do we have jobs that look enviable from the outside and are, no doubt, far more fulfilling than sitting in a neon-lit cubicle? Absolutely. Do we have to hustle our asses off, put in long 16-hour days no matter if we’re in our home offices or on the road? Also, true. And that beach shot you saw on our Instagram? Was probably something we walked out onto a balcony to snap in between site visits and interviews to do our job of content marketing and researching the destination, not necessarily what we were doing all day. There have been plenty of assignments I’ve gone on to tropical destinations where I didn’t put on a bathing suit or step out onto the sand once. (I know, I know, it still beats being in an office, and I agree.)

Plus, just because we’re on assignment in one destination doesn’t mean that deadlines for other publications or client work just waits for us to return home; while traveling, I’m constantly looking for a coffee shop with reliable WiFi to pop into midday or between meetings to put out a client fire or two. If you’re going to run your own business, you have to be accessible at all times, so unless I’m in a small town where there’s no cell service (Lord help us all because then the panic attacks really ensue!), I’m likely checking my email on my phone every 15 minutes or so. Not to mention, destinations really want to get the most out of their money and, thus, often don’t leave us much free time at all when we’re on the road, so often I’ll finally get to my hotel room at 10pm for the first time all day, only to pound away on my keyboard filing copy until 2am, then wake up at 6 and start that cycle all over again. TL;DR this career is not for those who need eight hours of sleep a night.

Instead, ask this: “If you were traveling for vacation and not for work, where would you go?” People always seem surprised that despite my far-flung travels to Borneo, Rwanda, Brazil and beyond, I prefer Florida’s own Gulf Coast for all my leisure travels. When I’m not on assignment, I want the most relaxing place I can reach in the least amount of time. No need to kill my coveted time off on a long-haul flight. Or best of all, I stay home in that gorgeous Victorian I rarely get to see!

“Do you need an assistant to carry your baggage?”

“If I could afford someone to be my sherpa and otherwise share the experience, I probably would,” travel writer Terry Ward and mom to two babies under 2 tells me. “But I’d also probably ask my husband, dad or sister first. It’s like a script. I get this question all the time.” We get it; you’re (kinda)(maybe)(probably) joking about wanting to tag along, but it’s a question we collectively get so often, the humor has worn off. It’s definitely in good fun, but I also sometimes wonder if those who ask such things genuinely think that a writer a) can dictate the terms of an assignment and b) is presented with a bottomless expense fund covered by the publication. Rather the opposite; you’d be surprised how many bills that we have to cover on our own! And even if we’re paying for a meal to do a restaurant review that we’re not being reimbursed for and it is technically considered a write-off, we can still only write off half. As for traveling with a plus-one, I’m grateful to have created a business with my partner that enables us to travel together more often than not, but this has been a shift that just took place in the past 18 months as we ventured into bigger destination marketing projects and I stopped taking on so many low-paying print gigs.

Instead, ask this: “Do you always travel solo? Wow, that must be a hard life. Do your partner or children ever get to go with you? It must be so hard to be away from them so much!”

“Your husband lets you travel alone?”

I’ve gotten this one plenty of times in the past, and Florida-based travel writer Susan B. Barnes says little irks her more. “First off, anyone who has met me for one slight moment knows that no one—NO ONE —’lets’ me do anything. I don’t ask permission to do my job, nor would my husband ever expect me to. He knows me.” Ditto. I don’t think you go into an independent career like travel writing and marry someone who doesn’t support your dream.

Instead, say this: “It must be hard to sustain relationships when you’re on the road so much—it’s almost like you’re in a long-distance relationship part of the time. What’s the key to balancing your job with your marriage?” Basically anything other than implying a husband has ownership over his wife works in this case.

“Who looks after your children when you’re away?”

“Um, their perfectly capable father,” retorts Canadian writer Lola Augustine Brown. “This pisses me off so much. I’m often tempted to say, ‘oh I just leave the TV on and give them a big bag of Cheetos.’” I’ve noticed several of my friends who travel a lot for work get the mom guilt. Being childless, it’s obviously not a question I get, but it is interesting how even in the 21st century when most moms and dads I know work full time, the mother is still expected to be the primary caretaker. And no doubt, it would be very tough to be a single parent and a travel writer (or like us, a dog mom without family nearby to care for Ella when we’re on the road). But for those married (or with a partner) and children, it seems obvious that the non-traveling parent would be the one to stay home with the little ones.

Instead, say this: “You’re a mom, right? Your kids must have so many cool adventures under their belts! How often do they get to go with you? And how admirable that you sometimes are able to travel far and wide with your whole family.” Or ask specific tips a traveling mom (or dad) might be able to share on how you could travel more with your own children.

“So, can you write a story about me/my business?”

Nope, sorry. It doesn’t work that way. Those of us still in the print game report to editors who report to other editors, and so on and so forth. Print space is a commodity, and much of the game now (at least in magazines) is pay-to-play. So, no, no, no, I can’t help you by landing a story in a national magazine about your business, though I wish I could! Getting press for small businesses is like the equivalent of a runner’s high for writers, but sadly, the media just doesn’t make it that easy anymore (which is why many of us started blogs a long time ago: so we could control the conversation about topics that matter to us most).

Instead, say this: “Do you have any advice on how my [name the kind of business] company can get more exposure? What are some marketing tips you could share for getting the word out?” Granted, I might tell you to hire someone with experience on this side of your business, but I a) would possibly have a referral for you and b) might also have some social media tips you could incorporate on your own.

“I want to be a travel writer, will you help me?”

This is a loaded question. First things first: I LOVE helping people (see: previous question). I’m a natural connector, and if “connecting others” were a love language, it would no doubt be mine. I host not-for-profit networking meet-ups every month in Nashville, as I’ve been doing for more than four years. I mentor many young writers, speak at high schools and colleges whenever I’m asked, and occasionally run writing workshops. And when someone writes me and says, “I’ve been to journalism school, I’m interning at X publication, and I really want to get into travel writing,” then follows that with specific questions, I almost always respond.

But (and here it comes), the people asking for help becoming a travel writer are usually ones who have not put in any work, have zero experience writing or working in any form of media, and are often in other established careers and travel writing just sounds like “a fun thing to do” to kill the time. The quickest way to insult a travel writer is by saying, “I love traveling, and I’m not bad at writing—how hard can it be? Maybe I could be a travel writer, too.” This is what gets under the skin of other travel writers, those like me who held three (unpaid) internships at a time and worked retail to make ends meet. Those who took puny assignments for years (or decades) before landing a coveted byline in a Conde Nast Traveler or Travel + Leisure. Those who are still scraping to get by in times when publications are assigning more web content than ever and paying less than they ever have. What makes one writer more successful than the next may not necessarily be the writing skills, but rather work ethic and business sense.

You want to be a travel writer? Great. Put in the work. Get an editor coffee. Intern your little butt off. Start pitching smaller publications, then when you’ve had success there, move up to regional pubs and, later on, your dream titles. Then, when you’ve had skin in the game or at least proven you’re serious, only then do you write your idol (or the closest travel writer you know). But be polite, keep it short, have specific questions ready and by all means, DO NOT start by asking: “can I pick your brain?”

Instead, say this: “I’ve always been interested in pursuing travel writing and actually have a background in [insert related field]. Do you offer consulting services or could you point me toward a class I might take or any other resources you find useful?” This is the way to get an answer from a busy writer juggling deadlines, editors and the daily hustle.

**********

I feel like I have to reiterate this once more, because the Internet is full of trolls and someone out there will no doubt take offense to the previous 3,000 words: I do really love what I do; all of us who weighed in on this topic do. And as I was riffing with the other travel writers I interviewed, we all agreed upon one thing: We have enviable jobs and are sure others in equally enviable positions get comparable questions, too. So if you do ask one of the above, we’ll likely let it slide, answer the questions as succinctly as possible, then move onto more important things (like asking you about yourself! after all, we are journalists … we care a lot more about interrogating our subject than we do droning on about our own boring lives).

Fellow travel writers, what have I left off? And those of you in other careers, what questions do you despise hearing about your own job? Educate the rest of us so we don’t make comparable faux pas!

  PIN IT HERE

13 Questions NOT to Ask a Travel Writer published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS