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longitudinalwaveme · 4 years ago

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Nitpicking Articles About Flash Rogues

Here’s some mistakes I found in Internet articles about the Rogues.

Article #1:

1. The Rogues did not make their first appearance in Flash #130.

It’s an understandable mistake, given that five of them are on the cover, but really the only Rogue to do anything of note was the Mirror Master. The other Rogues’ appearances were just Mirror Master’s lawyer (whom he hypnotized) impersonating them. Their actual first appearance as a group was Flash #155.

2. This one is really minor, but it’s Heat Wave, not Heatwave.

3. I think it’s a bit misleading to say that Captain Cold is the most powerful of the Rogues. He is powerful, no doubt, but Mirror Master and Weather Wizard have a considerably broader and more versatile range of powers than he does. Pied Piper and the Top are probably also more powerful than he is.

4. This is another minor mistake, but the party in Flash Vol.2 #19 was celebrating Captain Cold’s release from the Suicide Squad, not really his retirement.

Article #2:

1. I wouldn’t describe the Rainbow Raider as the least powerful of the Rogues. He’s a bit of a doofus, but his ability to manipulate both light and emotions is quite impressive and would be an extremely potent weapon in the hands of someone other than Roy. By the logic this list is using, Weather Wizard should be much lower on the list than he is. While he uses his powers more effectively than Roy usually does, he doesn’t use his powers to nearly the extent that he could if he put more effort into them.

2. There is NO WAY that Roscoe should be listed as the second least powerful Rogue. He’s not just a master inventor who created an atomic bomb all by himself, he’s a telekinetic telepath with super speed who can also return from the dead via possession. Surely he should at least crack the top ten.

3. Being a contortionist is impressive. Not sure how it makes Ragdoll more powerful than Roy or Roscoe, though.

4. Golden Glider is confusing; I’d accept her being ranked fairly low in terms of raw power if we were just looking at her Pre-Flashpoint self. But since the picture of her is from the New 52, when she gained the power of astral projection. With that power, she seems like she should be a bit higher on the list than #17.

5. “Still, she makes the list for being an iconic villain who, when partnered with her protective older brother, turned out to be fairly competent all things considered.” Lisa was competent all on her own, thank you very much.

6. Considering Piper has canonically blown up a planet with his flute, #16 seems quite low. Even if we disregard that feat because it was from Countdown, he’s still pulled off some really impressive feats that makes me feel like he should be a lot further up the list.

7. “His powers are pretty insane considering their potential for assassinations and surprise attacks, but he ranks fairly low on the list because he can’t really stay a villain long enough to be effective.” This list isn’t ranking the most dangerous villains, just the most powerful ones. Reforming doesn’t make him less powerful!

8. I really like James, and his inventing prowess shouldn’t be understated. That being said, there is NO WAY he’s more powerful than post-Flashpoint Lisa, Hartley, or Roscoe. He’s probably not even as powerful as Roy!

9. “After being tricked into helping the demon Neron and smooth talking his way out of hell, the Trickster fully succumbed to psychosis, becoming a goofy, rambling personality, accentuated by being brainwashed by the Top.” ????? When did this happen? What are you talking about, article?

10. “After getting his nose broken three times in the course of a day by Batwoman, Deathstroke, and Batman, Trickster sacrificed himself to save Piper. And how did Piper thank him? By dragging his body through the desert before finally cutting the hand off his corpse.” What was Piper supposed to do? He was on the run from people who wanted to kill him and he almost died!

11. #14 seems like an appropriate slot for Cicada, all things considered. I’m still pretty sure he’s not more powerful than Roscoe or Piper, though.

12. Double Down should not be higher on the list than Roscoe or Roy or Piper (or Trickster or Lisa or Cicada, for that matter.)

13. Capt. Boomerang is a talented, skilled fighter. That being said, he is not more powerful than Roscoe. Or Piper. Or Roy. Or even James and Lisa, really.

14. Heat Wave as number 11 is fine. I still don’ t think he should be higher than Roscoe or Piper, though.

15. “Wow, the character Heat Wave has not aged well. So much so that the CW’s Arrowverse has actively kept the character from having any perceivable depth because the little intrigue there is to mine from him is from a bygone era best left in the past.” ???? Stop being mean to Mick, article. He’s a great character!

16. Magenta as #10 is fine. In fact, I would be okay with her being a little higher, all things considered.

17. “Long after breaking up with Wally West, Frankie Kane developed her magnetic powers quite suddenly and accidentally killed her entire family as a result. Understandably confused and terrified, she was quickly folded into Cicada’s cult where she became a lieutenant with the moniker, Magenta.” Frances’ powers developed before she even started dating Wally, let alone before she broke up with him. Also, it wasn’t like she immediately joined Cicada’s cult after Wally’s broke up with her. There was like a decade that passed between those two events, and Frances made several appearances in the intervening years. She also didn’t get her code name from Cicada.

18. WHY IS ABRA KADABRA ONLY AT #9????

19. “Originally debuting under the moniker of Mister Element, Albert Desmond adopted his better-known name after finding the legendary Philosopher’s Stone and gained the ability to transmute materials. The problem was that Albert Desmond wasn’t actually Doctor Alchemist and never was. Turns out the entire time he was a villain, it was as an alternate personality called Alvin Desmond, who is also his celestial, astral twin. And if the concept of a split-personality metahuman who can turn one substance into another with a fantastic macguffin sounds familiar, it’s because Doctor Alchemy is basically Firestorm except as a disheveled gremlin of a villain.Though that’s fairly impressive in its own right, but his true claim to fame actually comes from the CW Flash show, where he was played by Harry Potter’s Tom Felton and reimagined as psychic entity that remembered the Flashpoint timeline that Barry had accidentally created. His power was updated from simple transmutation to metaphysically crossing timestreams, allowing him to grant super human abilities to people who had them in Flashpoint, including the CW version of Wally West. Though he’s ultimately put down by a coalition of Flash’s crew, the ability to transcend time itself basically made him a veritable god. Pity only the CW could see the character’s potential for it.” No, article. Just no. First, CW Alchemy was considerably more boring than his comic counterpart. And he’s not Dr. Alchemist, he’s Dr. Alchemy! (That being said, Dr. Alchemy deserves to at least be at #8 on the list, so I don’t really have a problem with his ranking.) They also don’t describe the Albert/Alvin situation quite right, but that’s really confusing, so I can’t really blame them for that.

20. “Well part of it is that his main goal hasn’t changed much since his first appearance: to devolve humanity back into apes, no doubt a novelty in the early '60s, but kinda boring today. The other reason? Turns out that Grodd has failed in this endeavor at least 18 times, a failing record among Flash’s villains.” How many comics with Grodd in them has the writer of this article actually read? Because I can think of at least four storylines off the top of my head where Grodd has a goal other than turning people into gorillas. Also, the fact that he’s failed in his attempts to do this doesn’t make him any less powerful; Joker and Lex Luthor also fail in most of their schemes. It’s what comes of being a comic book villains. That being said, Grodd being #7 on the list is appropriate (although I might personally rank him a bit higher.)

21. Captain Cold is cool. I like him a lot. But even if we give him his New 52 ice powers, does he really deserve to be #6 on the list? Also, there’s no way he’s more powerful than Abra Kadabra, Dr. Alchemy, or Grodd. Or the Top.

22. No complaints with the Mirror Masters collectively sharing the #5 spot, or with Shade being at #4.

23. Weather Wizard is really powerful; him being in the #3 slot isn’t too inappropriate. Though I’m not sure if he’s really more powerful than Abra Kadabra (who should really have been much higher than #9).

24. Why is Godspeed specifically at #2? True, he’s a speedster, and speedsters are VERY powerful, but there are a number of other villains with super speed who I think are faster than he is. I also would argue that he might be less powerful than Abra Kadabra, Shade, the Weather Wizard, and the Mirror Masters, given that he’s not really all that experienced with his powers.

25. Eobard Thawne is really, really, REALLY powerful. I would argue that Abra Kadabra might be more powerful than he is, but otherwise he definitely outclasses the other villains on this list.

26. And where’s Hunter Zolomon, anyway? He should definitely be on this list, and no lower than #2.

#flash rogues #dc comics

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chameleonsallinvermillion · 4 years ago

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153 Questions for Americans

Listen, as far as I am concerned, America is a place where movies are set. I know you’re all real but you don’t feel quite real, you know. Somebody actually grew up in New York? Impossible - that only exists on TV. I have questions. And somewhere out there, there is an American bored enough to answer them. Or at least some of them.

I feel I should clarify that none of these are loaded questions. I’m asking these with no agenda other than burning curiosity. There’s no judgement or meanness behind them. I’m sorry that I sound incredibly stupid.

1) Do you think of yourselves as American, or does your state come first?

2) Where does the generic American accent come from? The one most people in movies have? Is it Californian, cos that’s where movies tend to be made? That’s my current working theory.

3) Is it true that you don’t have egg cups?

4) Is it normal to live in one state all your life and never go to another, even for a visit, or would that be weird?

5) Are all school buses really yellow, like in movies? 5b) Why? Are they all owned by the same company or do different groups keep identical yellow buses for this one purpose?

6) Do you have semi-detached houses in America? They’re never in movies.

^^ These houses! Where two houses are mirror images of each other and share a joining wall. Do you have those?

7) Turkey is your classic Thanksgiving meat, I think? So what’s your classic Christmas meat?

8) There must be an insane number of colleges/universities in a country that size. How do you narrow down your choices? Do most people stay in their home state?

9) Are school sports really as big of a deal as movies make them out to be?

10) How do you decide if your school is an obsessed-with-basketball school or an obsessed-with-football school? Is it regional? Have movies exaggerated this binary too much and I’ve got the wrong idea?

11) Are there any girls’ sports teams at schools or is it basically just cheerleading?

12) What is a pep rally and also why is a pep rally? Who goes to them?

13) Do cheerleaders wear their uniforms around school casually like they do on TV? Wouldn’t a sports uniform need to be taken off post-training for cleanliness reasons? Do they only wear it before training to save the trouble of getting changed?

14) Does the average American family own a gun or are they not as widespread as it is made to seem? Is that regional too?

15) How similar is the culture between, say, Montana and New Mexico? Do they feel like the same country?

16) Do you get sheriffs in cities or is it only out in the middle of nowhere? What’s the difference between a sheriff and a police captain?

17) Is prom as big of a deal in real life as it is in movies?

18) Are prom queens a real thing and, if so, how do they work? Are there duties involved or is it just wearing a tiara for a night? Can anyone be voted in or is there a pre-prom shortlist? Do you have to apply?

19) What is stereotypically American, from the perspective of an American? I know what the stereotypes are over here, but how do you stereotype yourselves?

20) Why does Alabama have a reputation for incest? Is there a historical basis or do people just not like Alabama very much?

21) Is it true that you don’t have roundabouts, or do you just not have as many / don’t have them everywhere? (You might call them something else - the little islands in a crossroads that you have to circle round)

22) If you were asked to name European cities, what would be the first ones you would name?

Clarification: If somebody asked me to name American cities, my brain would immediately go: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago. By the time it had thought of those, it would already be saying: Las Vegas, Washington DC, New Orleans, San Francisco. Then, Detroit, Miami, Seattle, Boston, Baltimore. After that, I would have to actively stop and think of another one. So, if somebody just says ‘European cities - go!’ what does your brain immediately leap to?

23) Are those gigantic supermarkets (superstores???) standard across the country? What do the big brands (Walmart?? Target?????) look like in cities? Are they still that huge?

24) Do the big grocery brands have specific personalities/reputations? What are they? Which one do middle class people look down on, for example?

25) Is deep-frying everything something you really do or is it more of a regional delicacy / special occasion type deal?

26) Do the states that are more “famous” (California, and the like) feel more or less American because of it? Are you a cultural beacon, or are you an independent entity shackled down to the rest of them?

27) Do the states that often get ignored (Montana?? Iowa?????) feel more or less American because of it? Does your isolation make you separate, or are you bound together into a greater whole?

28) I get that different states have different laws. So say one state said you could get a driving license without having to take a test, but the next state insisted on standardised testing. Would a license issued by the first state still be valid in the second state? Could you cross the border to the state with easier specifications just to get a license?

29) Which universities / colleges are really the ones with good reputations? Obviously, places like Harvard and Yale are world-famous but I don’t really know any others unless a character in a movie is aspiring to one. Which are the names that command respect amongst real people?

30) Is the average American’s knowledge of geography or history beyond the US as poor as it is commonly described? Or is that more of a joke and the average person is perfectly well-informed, with a few outliers?

31) Are those red cups in party scenes a convenient movie prop, because they’ve become the stereotype of “oh, that cup has alcohol in it” or something, or are they actually used that universally? 31b) If they are that ubiquitous, what happens when red is the colour of the enemy sports team? That seems like something people would care about.

32) Do you really recite the pledge of allegiance at school every day? If yes, is it done sincerely or just because it’s tradition?

33) Are flags as popular a décor choice as popular media seems to suggest?

34) Which state has the reputation for having the most attractive / sexiest people from it, or the people you would most want to date? Why? (I’m assuming this won’t be fully universal, but there are definite stereotypes of ‘guys from this region aren’t the romantic sort’ and ‘girls from this region are easy’ in other countries so you must have something)

35) What kind of cheeses do you have? This probably sounds insane, or possibly a little patronising, but whenever you see cheese in an American context, it tends to be those little plastic squares that look like linoleum flooring. Yet Americans are really into putting cheese in everything, so there must be other types. But I couldn’t name a single type of cheese off the top of my head as being a known American cheese. So what are the standard cheeses of an American household?

36) Is that “biscuits and gravy” thing that people sometimes post pictures of when talking about the difference in biscuits across the Atlantic actually a thing people eat? On what occasion? And if that’s gravy, what do you call the stuff you pour on meat and potatoes? Are they both gravy?

37) Do young people really hang around at shopping malls all weekend, or is that a movie thing?

38) Do Americans eat custard? I’ve never heard an American mention custard.

39) If you had to pick an area of the country that is “where rich city folk go to pretend to get back to nature despite being afraid of dirt” where would it be? Or does every state have their own bit where people from their own cities go to buy big old houses and complain about phone reception?

40) Why do Americans still talk about themselves as being, for example, “a quarter Welsh, a sixth Irish, a bit Swedish, but mostly German”? I don’t mean the people whose parents moved there, but the people who have been there for generations. Do you really feel connected to the cultures/countries your ancestors were from? Is “American” more of a circumstance than an identity?

41) Is Easter a widespread secular event in America or purely religious-based? What would a typical Easter celebration involve? Do you have the fruit cake and funny hats, like we do?

42) If you had to pick one song already in existence to be your new national anthem, what would it be and why?

43) I know that it is possible to be made to repeat a grade, possibly several times, if you don’t get the required exam results. How common is that? Does it happen a lot, or is it more of a threat to hold over kids?

44) Are there limits on how early you can legally drop out of school, or could a child stop attending at any age? For example, where I grew up it would be illegal to leave school before the age of sixteen but movies seem to imply you can drop-out earlier in the US.

45) What is homecoming? Who is coming home, and where from?

46) What is a more important social event: prom, or homecoming?

47) Can anybody attend homecoming, even the freshmen? I have this vague idea sports has something to do with it and it would seem logical that some freshmen play sports but how does that work logistically?

48) Does homecoming also have a queen? Do she and the prom queen compete in some way? Which one outranks the other?

49) Are there buses in America? Other than the school bus or the occasional long-distance coach, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bus in American media. Does a standard public-transport bus system exist? Is it only in some places?

50) Why are trains not a more popular mode of long-distance travel in America? Or are they but it doesn’t make for as dramatic a movie scene as a desperate non-stop road trip?

51) Are freshmen and sophomores really called that? Is it colloquial, or would you see it on official paperwork?

52) Do teenagers get to choose which subjects they study to exam level at high school, or does everybody have to take a final exam in everything?

53) Are places like Puerto Rico, or American Samoa, thought of as extensions of the country? Do they seem American to mainland Americans?

54) Does Alaska ever feel left out, being up there on its own?

56) Teen novels seem to suggest there’s an endless succession of school dances in high schools. Spring dances, winter balls, proms, homecoming, ladies’ choice dances… Is that true? If so, do people really care about them or is non-attendance no big deal?

57) Is Halloween as big an event as movies suggest, or was Hocus Pocus not representative?

58) Sometimes from the outside, it seems that we know more about what’s going on with American foreign policy than Americans do. Does it seem that way, as Americans, about other countries? That you’re getting information that is not being shared with their citizens?

59) Do Americans really like British accents that much, or is that just a small but vocal handful on the internet? Do different foreign accents go in and out of fashion?

60) What is the whole deal with white shoes and Labour Day? Or was that just a line in Legally Blonde?

61) Do American teenagers really have sex in cars a lot or is that a movie thing?

62) Do American teenagers really sneak out of the house at night a lot, especially via the window, or is that also a movie thing?

63) Are people as blasé about tornados as they seem or is that bravado? Are tornados really that common that people can just shrug about them and carry on with their day?

64) What age are the majority of people when they are learning to drive? Not what age can they legally learn; what age do most people actually learn.

65) How many of the things you might call an American stereotype really only apply to one specific region?

66) Are taxicabs yellow everywhere or is that just a New York thing?

67) Are Sweet Sixteen celebrations a real thing? What happens at one? Is it just a particularly impressive birthday party or are there specific traditions?

68) Are sororities and fraternities as common or as important to college life as movies make them out to be?

69) Why would somebody join a sorority or a fraternity? What’s the point? (I know the phrasing of that sounds critical but I really don’t mean it like that. I just do not have the cultural context to understand what they’re actually for.)

70) So, I know that the price you have on price labels isn’t the price you pay because of tax being a secret. I see you talk about this a lot. Does this mean the amount you’re asked for at the end is always a surprise, or are you all really good at mental arithmetic? Is calculating tax something you learn at school?

71) Do Americans generally have a good opinion of their fellow Americans?

72) Is New York the only place theatre really gets a chance to go big? That can’t possibly be true, it’s a massive continent, there must be incredible actors and writers and stuff hanging out somewhere in South Dakota or something. Is this why the people in Glee were so fixated on living in New York?

73) The garbage-eating drains you have in kitchen sinks…where do they lead to? Can you put anything down them?

74) Which parts of America are the parts other Americans go on vacation? Is it different to where foreigners want to visit?

75) Do any American schools have school houses or is that absolutely not a thing at all?

76) Do American schools have a system of merits or house points or some other way of giving a positive score for good behaviour that adds up to something eventually? Or is good behaviour expected and therefore not given special recognition?

77) What actually is a hall monitor, and is it a position people respect or aspire to?

78) Is it as common for people to drive themselves and their friends to school as movies make out? How is there parking space for that many students with their own cars?

79) How did the town in Footloose have the power to ban dancing? Do individual towns have that much control over their laws and citizens? Does every town council get to make decisions that huge?

80) Are big house parties the most common place for teenagers to get drunk and hook up? It seems like that in movies but surely that would be inefficient? You’d have to keep waiting for somebody’s parents to leave town.

81) What is the deal with Americans hating France? Is that a real thing or was it just a throwaway joke in enough media for me to think it’s a real thing?

82) Why do people not live in national parks?

83) Which states actually count as “The South” and which ones are officially “The North”? Because it doesn’t seem like the line is just drawn across the middle.

84) Whenever you see Americans talking about candy on the internet, it’s always the same six or seven items. Are those just the big favourites and there are lots of other candy types around the place that don’t get a place on personality quizzes, or are there really only a handful of familiar items that are widespread? Do different states have different candy?

85) Which sport is most central to American identity? I’d assume it was one of the three (baseball, basketball, American football) but is one of them more important than the others?

86) Are all your prisons out in the middle of the desert or something?

87) There’s this sort of mythology around an American idea of just getting a plot of land and building your home on it and making it your own, with an implication that you can grab anywhere and do whatever you like with it. Are planning laws that relaxed, or is that more something you could do in the 1800s that has taken up a place in cultural mythology?

88) When kids are hanging out in someone’s yard or an empty lot on a summer day, what game or sport would they be most likely to be playing? It feels like American football, for example, wouldn’t be very good for that, and it’s hard to improvise a net for basketball.

89) Is it strange to live in a large city that nevertheless is virtually unknown nationwide because all the attention goes to the enormous cities? Or are these places known nationwide and it’s just internationally that they get forgotten?

90) How far from somewhere would you have to be to consider yourself in the middle of nowhere?

91) How localised are things like local news or local tv? Is it every state? Every county? Every major town and its surroundings?

92) Does national television have to take place at different times regionally because of time zones?

93) Is there a reason why American recipes measure everything in cups, even the things that it doesn’t make sense to put in a cup e.g. solid items that don’t fill the space so could vary in cup-filling volume? A cup full of butter is a different thing if the butter is in blocks to if it is poured in, as it were, to fill to the edges completely. Is there a trick to it?

94) Is marching band the only kind of band you have at schools? Is there no orchestra? Swing band? Concert ensemble?

95) Why do you have marching bands at schools? Where are they marching to? Do you have a lot of parades?

96) If you had to choose one (non-reality) TV show that best represents what life is actually like in America, what would you pick?

97) What is spirit week? Is it important? Do people take it seriously? I think it might be something that happens at schools but beyond that, I have no idea.

98) How big is a school locker? Apparently big enough to fit a person in but are they standing comfortably or curled into a tiny ball? If it were person-height, wouldn’t it have shelves in it? Does the victim go on a shelf?

99) When you dress up for Halloween, can you be anything? I mean, could a kid going trick or treating conceivably wear any costume at all? It doesn’t have to be spooky?

100) On a similar note, in movies there are always wild packs of children roving around on Halloween, filling the streets with their trick-or-treating. It’s crowded. Kids are running everywhere. There’s a gang knocking on every door. Is that movie magic or is Halloween really like an unofficial street party?

101) Do you have half-term holidays? I assume you wouldn’t call them that. Mid-semester break, maybe? You know. The week off in the middle.

102) Do you have days when you don’t have to go to work or school that aren’t for a special celebration? Just…days when the country stops working? Or, at least, most of it because cafés would always be open on that sort of day.

103) Which is the bigger deal: Thanksgiving, or the Fourth of July?

104) How diverse is the landscape in any given state? If you take, say, Ohio, does it all look like roughly the same place all the way through or are there lots of different landscapes going on? I feel like there should be, but there’s still this very typical image of what Ohio is.

105) Do people care about what clothes they wear to school or does the fact that everybody sees everybody every day mean that it all stops mattering?

106) What makes something a diner rather than a café, a restaurant, or whatever else? What defines a diner?

107) What is the one, singular, most significant place in the USA? (I realise this could be controversial)

108) What would you, as an American, say was the best thing America has ever done, or the most important contribution it has made to the world? There’s no need to be coy here, I’m not asking for a fully-analysed unbiased dissertation on the subject, I just want to know what people are thinking. A person, an invention, an action…whatever takes your fancy.

109) How does a state fair work? Is it really a fair for the whole state? Wouldn’t it have to be the size of a city for that? Does all of that get taken down at the end of the week and packed away, or do bits stay standing?

110) Are music festivals an upper class thing? Coachella seems to be an upper class thing but, then, I don’t really know what Coachella is, only that celebrities are there. Are there other music festivals of significance?

111) When Americans say things like “We drove from New York to California last weekend, didn’t even stop to sleep, no big deal”, is there an element of bravado to that or is it completely genuine? I get that you drive long distances very casually but is there a point where those distances do become a big deal and a serious trip, you just pretend they don’t to mess with non-Americans?

112) Is summer camp a normal thing for people to do, or is it something the minority of people send their kids to but it makes for a convenient movie setting so we see it a disproportionate amount?

113) Is a maths summer camp a thing or was that a joke in one book I read once? What would you even do at a maths summer camp?

114) Is standing just inside the entrance of a shop and yelling a greeting at anyone who walks in a real job or is that a movie joke I don’t have the context to understand? If it is a job, is that the whole job or are you expected to do other things at the same time?

115) Okay, the thing about the gap between the door and the wall in a bathroom stall. Is that as widespread as people say? I mean, is it everywhere? If so, there simply has to be a reason for it, it’s too weird otherwise, so does anybody out there know what’s going on with that?

116) What actually is Kool-Aid? Is it true that you can drink it and use it as hair dye?

117) What is an American Girl Doll? It seems to be a big deal but I can’t really figure it out. Is it just a brand of doll or is there more to it?

118) Are the indicator lights on your cars officially called blinkers or is that more of a colloquial thing? Or not a thing at all? Would they be called that on your driving test? In a car manual?

119) What actually is a GPA? What is it based on? And what counts as a good one?

120) Is pancakes for breakfast a normal thing or a special occasion thing?

121) What are cooties? I feel like I ought to know this, it comes up so often in various bits of media, but I’ve never actually figured out what it means.

122) Is going to a pumpkin patch and just hanging out a real thing? Do you take pumpkins home with you? How about when you go apple picking? Are all these cutesy autumn activities a normal thing to do or is it just in romantic comedies?

123) How do school qualifications work? Are the exams you take at the end of high school, when you’re eighteen or whatever, the only ones that count if you’re looking to get a job? Or are there, sort of, mid-high-school exams that could also count towards something? Is it just “high school” then “degree” or are there other levels, is what I’m trying to ask.

124) What is making out? By which I mean, what makes something “making out” rather than just kissing? Where’s that line drawn?

125) I understand that school newspapers are a thing. But do people pay to buy them? Other students? What kind of things do you write about in a school paper?

126) How does seeing the doctor work? Do you book an appointment with a local practitioner? Are there clinics? Does everybody wait until it’s an emergency? They don’t see doctors on TV unless they’re dying.

127) In Glee, they had slushie machines in the school. Which were used as weapons of bullying. Is that real? Are you allowed slushie machines?

128) Why is the president addressed as “Mr President”? Is there some historic reason? It seems odd to me, like calling somebody Mr Shopkeeper or Mr Insurance-Salesman. Is it because it is so clearly not a peerage title and that was important when America began? That’s my working theory based on no history whatsoever.

129) I understand that tipping servers at a restaurant and so on is very, very important but does that extend to other jobs? Do you tip postmen, for example, when they deliver your mail? Or shop assistants for bagging up groceries for you?

130) Is a school mascot a) a real thing and b) a position of prestige?

131) How do Girl Scout cookies work? Do the Girl Scouts make them themselves from secret recipes? Is it just a cookie company they happen to have a good relationship with for bake sales? It seems important but I can’t unravel the mystery.

132) What’s Delaware like? No stories ever seem to be set there. Nobody ever really mentions it. What goes on in Delaware?

133) Somebody mentioned something called “color guard” once, which I think is something that happens at schools, but I don’t know what it was or whether they were messing with me. I’ve never knowingly seen it in a teen movie. Tell me about color guards. It sounds so fake. What are they guarding?

134) I know that legal drinking age is twenty-one, but what age would you say the average person started drinking? I don’t mean “had a glass of wine at a family dinner” but I also don’t mean “drank to black-out”. Just…drank socially with the aim of getting at least tipsy.

135) I can already tell that this is a silly question but what is under the bleachers? People seem to have clandestine meetings there a lot, but I thought bleachers were just benches. How do you get under them, and what is there once you do? Is hooking up there something people do in real life?

136) How small is a small town? Is it based on population or more on facilities e.g. if it has a certain number of basic shops, it becomes a normal-sized town?

137) Movies seem to think that being involved in music or theatre at school is deeply uncool. This is so contrary to my own experience at school, that I have to ask whether it is true or not? If so, is there a reason why or is it just one of those adolescent mysteries?

138) Does everybody have those netting screens over their windows or is that only in regions prone to, say, mosquitos?

139) Do small towns tend to have their own little tiny high schools or do the students have a long commute every morning to a bigger high school elsewhere? How far is considered acceptable/normal to travel to get to school?

140) When it comes to prom, is it considered really important to get a date or do lots of people turn up alone / with friends? If you do have to have a one-on-one date, is it usually romantic or is it acceptable just to pair up with a friend? Movies are very intense about this and I’m not sure the portrayal is accurate.

141) Do most schools have big theatre auditoriums with fully-functional stages and raked seating, or is that just High School Musical?

142) Is sex ed really as poor as people joke about it being, on average? Is abstinence education the norm, or is it rarer but we hear about it a lot because it’s so controversial?

143) Are chastity clubs at schools a real thing? If so, why, when almost all students must be underage? I mean, I know people are having underage sex but why make a club about obeying the law? I don’t mean for this to sound all judgemental, I’m just really lacking the cultural background to make sense of this.

144) Which is the most popular state, the one the fewest number of people hate? Is there even one that is universally well-liked?

145) Would you normally refer to your country as “America” or “the US” or “the USA” or, I don’t know, some other variation? It seems pretty interchangeable but is there a preference?

146) Is the “no outside food in the movie theatre” rule as rigorously enforced everywhere as general media would suggest? TV shows make it seem pretty militant but they might be exaggerating for comic effect.

147) Is kindergarten a part of the compulsory school system or is it more of an optional pre-elementary-school step that only some people attend? What do you do in a kindergarten?

148) What makes somebody a redneck? Is it just a catch-all for the rural poor or is there something more specific behind it?

149) Why is spring break supposedly this wild party time? What makes that a more suitable time for crazy shenanigans than, say, the autumn? Or July?

150) What is the difference between college and community college?

151) If you could pick one place to add as a new state, where would you choose?

152) If you had to get rid of one state, which one would you kick out of the union?

153) What is a letterman jacket for and why is it called a letterman jacket?

154) Washington DC. How does it work? I understand that it’s not a state, but if it’s not a state in a federal system, who governs it? Who runs the schools? And if the big elections are held by every state collecting their votes, figuring out the majority, then passing that on or whatever, how does Washington DC vote? Do they have people in the electoral college, whatever that turns out to be? What is going on there? Do real people actually live in DC or is it just politicians / people who serve politicians?

If you’ve actually read this far and have even the slightest intention of answering any of these questions, you are a true angel and I love you. I’m sorry they’re not divided up into thematic groups or anything like that. I’ve been collecting this list for a few years now and I thought I might as well just ask at this point.

#somebody has to be bored enough for this #please #america #americans #questions

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ragazza-paradiso · 4 years ago

Text

my eurovision 2021 ranking (before rehearsals)

hey!! 🤍 i’ll try to keep this short & sweet (and bear in mind some of these are subject to change & depend on my mood) but this is my rough ranking of this year’s entries based solely on the studio cuts <3

dislike:

39. 🇩🇪 jendrik - i don’t feel hate: i knew this would be my last place since i first heard it. he seems like a nice guy but this type of music is just. not for me? in fact i don’t think i’ve ever even managed to make it all the way through since my first listen :/

38. 🇱🇻 samanta tina - the moon is rising: i love love LOVE samanta & think she is an absolute gem but this song & me simply do not go together. that being said i appreciate both her voice & the message

37. 🇵🇱 rafał - the ride: while this is slightly catchy & seems to be an ear worm for me, i cannot take this song seriously. rafał looks ridiculous in those sunglasses in the music video. the lyrics are awful too

neither like nor dislike:

36. 🇦🇱 anxhela peristeri - karma: this is very strange because usually i am the no. 1 fan of ethnic influenced ballads at eurovision, but i just do not get this one. i can definitely see the appeal but it’s not for me

35. 🇲🇰 vasil - here i stand: i think his voice is great however the song doesn’t do much for me. i find it quite forgettable & think he was definitely capable of giving us something better which is a shame

34. 🇫🇮 blind channel - dark side: i enjoyed this quite a bit when it first came out but it’s quickly slid down my ratings. the lyrics are too edgy for me & it’s a throwback to a genre of music that i don’t really enjoy anyway. but i can appreciate that it sticks out & does something different

33. 🇨🇿 benny cristo - omaga: i was a massive fan of kemama last year & while i liked this upon first listen, i have to say its far too generic to really stick out after a while. plus some of the lyrics are a bit creepy lol. having said that i think seeing him perform it live could definitely change my opinion

32. 🇸🇪 tusse - voices: another year, another generic well produced pop song from sweden. should we be surprised anymore? it’s okay, i don’t hate it, but i’m struggling to find anything i like about it. plus the lyrics are the most “eurovision cliche lyrics” i’ve ever heard

31. 🇬🇧 james newman - embers: okay while this is ranked relatively low, i have to say this is better than anything we’ve sent since 2017. it’s a nice song, i enjoy it when it’s on, but i don’t have an urge to play it, if that makes sense?

30. 🇲🇹 destiny - je me casse: i know this is probably blasphemy but i just do not understand the hype around this song. destiny has a great voice but i don’t see how this song sticks out in anyway that it’s the favourite to win? it’s another one that i won’t skip but i won’t seek out to listen to

29. 🇦🇹 vincent bueno - amen: i do enjoy this, but i wish it just had a bit more oomph. the lyrics for the verses are good but the chorus is just lacking something. i do think this could be a dark horse to qualify though

28. 🇸🇮 ana soklič - amen: i just realised the two amens are right next to each other on my ranking lol. anyway, this is only so high because of her amazing voice. the song doesn’t really do anything for me, but you have to appreciate that level of talent

27. 🇺🇦 go_a - shum: this is one i know i’ll appreciate more live, but i just can’t get into the studio version. plus i really liked solovey last year so this one seems worse in comparison

26. 🇲🇩 natalia gordienko - sugar: this is good but i think all “dream team” songs are a little bit dated nowadays. however saying that i love the music video & moldova always improve live

25. 🇵🇹 the black mamba - love is on my side: this has been a big grower. it’s not a favourite, but i think it definitely has its niche, and i can appreciate that

24. 🇳🇱 jeangu macrooy - birth of a new age: grow was in my top 5 last year, so it was always gonna be hard for jeangu to deliver something as good. this has grown on me, but i’m still not 100% on board

like:

23. 🇳🇴 tix - fallen angel: i didn’t like this at first because i was so heartbroken that keiino didn’t win the national selection, but i’ve gotten over it now lol. it’s cheesy but in a good way, i think this act doesn’t take itself too seriously either which makes it more enjoyable

22. 🇸🇲 senhit ft flo rida - adrenalina: it’s fun, catchy, even has a surprise verse from flo rida! probably san marino’s 3rd best entry ever (justice for complice & crisalide 💔)

21. 🇨🇾 elena tsagrinou - el diablo: it’s just a very good pop song. i’m not in love with it but it’s of a very good quality (well. apart from the lyrics). i’m sure the staging will improve it even more

20. 🇬🇷 stefania - super girl: greece is one of my biggest growers from last year, i think this is a MUCH better song than supergirl was. i’m really rooting for stefania

19. 🇪🇪 uku suviste - the lucky one: this has been such a big grower, it’s insane. i can recognise it’s not the best song but i just really like it for some reason.

18. 🇪🇸 blas cantó - voy a quedarme: i’m a sucker for native language ballads, and this is a pretty standard one, but it’s good to me. blas seems like a real sweetheart too, which helps :)

17. 🇨🇭 gjon’s tears - tout l’univers: this is another one of those songs that i really should love, and while i like it, i can’t really connect with it. gjon’s entry last year was my second favourite, and unfortunately this doesn’t scratch the same itch that did, it’s still a very good song & i completely understand why it’s one of the favourites to win

16. 🇧🇪 hooverphonic - the wrong place: i really don’t like hooverphonic as a band (actually it’s mostly alex callier that i dislike) but this is just a good song. i am still upset that luka didn’t get to go to eurovision though :/

15. 🇮🇪 lesley roy - maps: another massive grower! i much prefer this to her song last year. i really hope ireland can get their shit together & give this song the staging it deserves

14. 🇦🇿 efendi - mata hari: this is basically a carbon copy of cleopatra, and i guess i liked that so i like this. however i will say it has dropped in my ranking a bit. i’m ranking this solely on the song, efendi herself is a different matter & i’m not really educated enough on what’s happening in azerbaijan/armenia to comment but from what i’ve seen it’s not the best, let’s say

13. 🇱🇹 the roop - discoteque: i prefer on fire from last year, but this is definitely not a bad effort. i can’t see it as a contender for the win though. another one i will probably enjoy much more live

12. 🇷🇴 roxen - amnesia: i really like the message of this song. i just wish she would work on her english pronunciation, but that’s a minor complaint. but i really like roxen as an artist

love:

11. 🇷🇸 hurricane - loco loco: i love girl groups, and this is no exception. vocally they’re really good, i love that it’s in serbian, & i also just really love sanja vučić lol

10. 🇭🇷 albina - tick tock: i wish this was fully in croatian, but i think it’s a great song regardless. i loved her performance at dora so hopefully they’ll do something similar/even better at esc

9. 🇧🇬 victoria - growing up is getting old: i preferred tears getting sober from last year but this is still really good. the lyrics are some of my favourite of this year, they really resonate with me. victoria is a really interesting artist & i’m really glad she got introduced to me through esc

8. 🇮🇱 eden alene - set me free: the revamp has made this move like 20 places up in my ranking lol. she is so talented & i just hope they have a good staging concept!

7. 🇮🇸 daði og gagnamagnið - 10 years: think about things was good but i think this is even better! i love the retro influences & the lyrics are so sweet

6. 🇬🇪 tornike kipiani - you: i might be one of the only people who adores this song. the lyrics paint such a clear picture of a simple, strong love. and i think it’s quiet but powerful at the right moments. i know i will be heartbroken when this doesn’t qualify :(

5. 🇫🇷 barbara pravi - voilà: i played this too much & ruined it for myself, but i love it again now. very authentically french but without overdoing it (cough 2017 staging cough), just a beautiful song

4. 🇮🇹 måneskin - zitti e buoni: i’m not a massive rock fan, but a song like this i just vibe with. it’s just so good. italy is always either my no. 1 or in my top 5 since they returned (apart from 2012 & 2014) and they’ve done it again. this is definitely a contender to win

3. 🇦🇺 montaigne - technicolour: this song is eclectic but i love it. i didn’t like don’t break me, but this is so much better, and so much more authentic to montaigne as an artist. i know it’s divisive, but i’m on the side that loves it

2. 🇩🇰 fyr og flamme - øve os på hinanden: this is just so fun. i love the 80s vibe, the performance at the national selection was simple but still very engaging. this is one i will play for many years after the contest

1. 🇷🇺 manizha - russian woman: where do i even start. native language, ethnic influenced sound, important message, charismatic performer. this song is amazing. and i’m so glad i’ve found manizha to listen to!

so that’s it!! if anyone wants to chat about their thoughts please message me!! 🤍

#esc 2021

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blouisparadise · 5 years ago

Photo

As requested, here is the latest portion of our established relationship fic rec list. This list contains several sequels, which would require you to read the first fic where the relationship isn’t established yet first, but there are also plenty of other fics here that you can read as standalones.

And if you missed them, you can find part one here and part two here of our establish relationship rec lists here. Happy reading!

1) Blue Eyes, Black Jeans, Lighters, Candy | Explicit | 3629 words

Harry is in Madrid and Louis had a hard week.

2) Til You Get What You Want | Explicit | 5119 words

Sometimes Harry is still too big for Louis to take. He wants him anyway.

3) At The End Of My Rope | Mature | 5608 words

The one where they go to Crete and Harry is definitely hiding something.

4) Just Stop Your Crying (It’s a Sign of the Times) | Explicit | 5864 words

My own imagining of the inspiration for Sign of the Times. Featuring boys in love, even after all this time.

5) I’m Addicted To You | Explicit | 6167 words | Sequel

They don't get to do what Louis wants until a couple of weeks later, after being knee-deep in work and trying to cover everything that has to do with the topic. They agree on everything Louis would like to experiment with, and Harry agrees mostly on everything. It's not extreme per say, but not having to touch Louis during it, it feels a little too extreme for Harry nonetheless.

At first, he had complained about not wanting to do it because to him it felt that the most important thing of their sex life is when they get to touch each other and transmit each electric, thunder-like feeling they perceive in moments like that. Louis, on the other hand, had pouted, exclaiming that sometimes one had to step out of their comfort zone to experience new things. He had promised that in the first moment Harry would feel uncomfortable or lost in what they were doing he would immediately stop.

6) Snow Sweet | Mature | 7111 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic.

Christmas On Stylish Apples Orchard, A Slice/Bite of Life.

7) Shackles (I Just Want to Praise You) | Explicit | 7562 words

“I’ll take care of you, Louis,” Harry says. “If that’s what you want.”

Louis almost wants to laugh. Here they are, sitting on the floor in the middle of a shitty film set, dozens of people milling around less than a hundred feet away from them. Louis can hear the director ordering the other production assistants around as the other extras chat nervously amongst themselves. Louis’ fingertips are nearly numb from his arms being stuck in the same position for ages, and yet this is the best he has felt in ages.

“Yeah, I want that,” he breathes. “Want you to take care of me.”

8) Here In The Dark Is Where New Worlds Are Born | Explicit | 7573 words

Harry is a demon and Louis is his eternal mate.

9) Raised on Rhythm and Blues | Explicit | 8034 words

Note: This fic has mentions of BH.

“That look on your face makes me think you’re not cooking me spaghetti fast enough,” Louis announces as he walks back into the kitchen. Harry knows exactly where Zoe gets her habits from.

“Cooking for my two beautiful and insanely intelligent children, not for the weird bloke that sleeps in my bed and eats all my food,” Harry answers, tilting his head and wondering if he should add more sauce.

10) Keep These Memories For Ourselves | Explicit | 9593 words

Harry's a professional photographer and he can never keep his mind off of different ways he can take pictures of Louis. Louis can be a bit camera shy, but Harry finds a way to build up his confidence and get him to relax in front of the lens. Louis discovers just how much the camera loves him.

11) Tattooed Heart | Explicit | 10035 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic.

“Is that fucking real?”

Harry grins. “Feel for yourself.”

A curious hand comes to trace over Harry’s chest, sighing in awe. “Harry.”

He watches him as he does it and wishes he had a camera on him, because the sight of Louis’ dainty hand caressing the beautiful L written in intricate cursive right over Harry’s heart has to be the single greatest thing he’s ever seen.

“Like it?” he asks.

“Harry,” Louis repeats, suddenly digging his thumb into the skin as if it was going to disappear at any second—it wasn’t, something Harry’s tattoo artist made sure of. “That’s—that’s permanent.”

“You’re permanent,” Harry replies, simple as can be.

12) The Sweat On Your Skin | Explicit | 11014 words

Louis is certain there's no better way to come down from a post-gym high than a naked romp in the bed with his favorite workout partner.

13) Easily | Explicit | 13588 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic.

Years later, Harry and Louis are as strong as ever and more than ready to take the next step in the story of their lives. It gets a little weird, a little confusing, but at the end of the day, it is as easy as can be.

14) Gay Happy Meetings (When Friends Come To Call) | Mature | 13951 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic.

"Happy Christmas Eve, BooBear!"

Louis jolted awake to find Niall inches away from his face.

Louis rubbed his groggy eyes and looked around the room. He verified that, yes, he was in fact in Harry's bedroom, where he had been sleeping ninety percent of the time over the past three weeks. So why the fuck was Niall in here?

"I don't understand," Louis grumbled.

Niall shrugged. "It woke you up, didn't it?"

"There are other methods of waking someone up, Niall," Harry said as he walked into the room carrying a tray of food. It smelled like pancakes.

Louis gave a grateful smile and sat up, Harry gently placing the tray of food down in front of Louis. His alpha was the best.

15) The Seed Inside You, Baby, Do You Feel It Growin’ | Explicit | 14796 words

Louis really wants Harry to get him pregnant.

16) Monsters At Home | Explicit | 21566 words

High School!AU. Everyone's eyes are on Harry, the beautiful, charming new student. Harry's only got eyes for the school golden boy: football captain Louis Tomlinson, whose homophobic father complicates matters a bit.

17) Like A Bastard On The Burning Sea | Not Rated | 22181 words

AU: Harry breaks Louis, Louis breaks everything.

18) The Dream That You Wish | Explicit | 23929 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic.

FBI Special Agent Harry Styles struggles with a case that involves him at a personal level. Louis adjusts to his new life and continues his on-going struggle with his psychic abilities and what they entail.

19) The Pink Album | Not Rated | 31039 words

A love seven years in the making, inspired by Harry's debut album.

20) Eventide Intrigue | Explicit | 40275 words

Perrie casually asks to paint Louis' nails one night when she, Louis, Harry, and Zayn are all hanging out together. Louis is unsure about but finds himself going along with it.

Louis soon realizes he really loves the way the nail polish looks on him. It makes him feel pretty and delicate. He can't stop running his thumbs over the smooth glossy surface of his nails.

But these feeling don't come without a flood of insecurity and anxiety. Harry of course is as supportive as ever, but Louis soon finds himself needing more.

21) Wouldn’t Ever Want Anybody Else | Explicit | 40555 words

Note: The sequel to this fic is #25 on this list.

Louis and Harry’s relationship has fairly recently turned sexual, and Louis’ bodily insecurities get in the way of something that he really wants. Meanwhile, Zayn and Liam deal with coming out as a couple to the band.

22) Show Me Life Like I've Never Seen | Mature | 42953 words

Louis never expected to leave the small art studio three blocks down from his job with anything besides the painting he caught a glimpse of and simply couldn't forget.

23) Into The Midnight Sun | Explicit | 63253 words

It's 1983, Harry embarks on his first world tour and Louis is a budding actor in LA. Life spent apart isn't easily adjustable, but somehow they make it work.

24) I Only Ever Want You | Explicit | 180079 words

Note: This fic is the second part in a series. The first fic in the series is #23 on this list.

Louis and Harry's relationship goes through a series of changes while Liam and Zayn discover new things about themselves, as well.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

#bottom louis #top harry #established relationship #larry #fic recs #blp fic recs #blp

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serraphima · 5 years ago

Note

All. 85. Of. Them.

done and without any whining jay >:3c

1. Are looks important in a relationship? yes but not very

2. Are relationships ever worth it? yes

3. Are you a virgin? no

4. Are you in a relationship? yes, three actually

5. Are you in love? yes i am

6. Are you single this year? no

7. Can you commit to one person? i actually cannot, is why im poly

8. Describe your crush shes amazing, super smart, is making a robot, another one is super amazing at games and super adorable, and one is insanely creative and hosts a panel

9. Describe your perfect mate - tall, strong, dork, amazing, and willing to put up with me

10. Do you believe in love at first sight? yes, also lust at first sight

11. Do you ever want to get married? yes

12. Do you forgive betrayal? i do not

13. Do you get jealous easily? very much so

14. Do you have a crush on anyone? yes

15. Do you have any piercings? yes i have 8

16. Do you have any tattoos? not yet

17. Do you like kissing in public? i love it

20. Do you shower every day? i try to, sady im not good at remembering

21. Do you think someone has feelings for you? i hope so

22. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now? see previous

23. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat? already done

24. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years? i hope so

25. Do you want to be in a relationship this year? i think 3 is my limit

26. Has anyone told you they don’t want to ever lose you? i believe so?

27. Has someone ever written a song or poem for you? i think so

28. Have you ever been cheated on? yes

29. Have you ever cheated on someone? yes

30. Have you ever considered plastic surgery? If so, what would you change about your body? get my junk changed

31. Have you ever cried over a guy/girl? yes

32. Have you ever experienced unrequited love? yes

33. Have you ever had sex with a man? yes

34. Have you ever had sex with a woman? tried, wound up crying bc of sudden wave of dysphoria and at this point too scared to try again as i am

35. Have you ever kissed someone older than you? yes

36. Have you ever liked one of your best friends? yes

37. Have you ever liked someone who your friends hated? this one girl in high school

38. Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to? not really

39. Have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have? yes

40. Have you ever written a song or poem for someone? i wrote a story for liv last year

41. Have you had sex so far this year? tried to

42. How long can you just kiss until your hands start to wander? its not long

43. How long was your longest relationship? coming up on 2 years

44. How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had? 1 boyfriend, 6 girlfriends

45. How many people did you kiss in 2012/2013? none

46. How many times did you have sex last year? sadly none

47. How old are you? 22

48. If the person you like says they like someone else, what would you say? oh

49. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, what is your favorite thing about him/her? i cant pick a single thing i like about them bc theyre all so amazing i have a hard time

50. If your first true love knocked on your door with apology and presents, would you accept? no, she lead me on

51. Is there a boy/girl who you would do absolutely everything for? yes

52. Is there anyone you’ve given up on? Why? myself multiple times since i think im a defective leech and a burden on society

53. Is there someone mad because you’re dating/talking to the person you are? not to my knowledge

54. Is there someone you will never forget? the first dude who fucked me

55. Share a relationship story. i told an ex i might be ace and she stopped talking to me

56. State 8 facts about your body - 1 i hate it 2 i have good legs 3 i have a nice ass 4 i have scars on my thighs 5 i no longer have a gallbladder 6 my stomach is out to get me 7 my head almost always hurts 8 i cant tell what color my eyes are

57. Things you want to say to an ex - fuck you

58. What are five ways to win your heart? 1 be nice to me 2 love me 3 hold me 4 fuck me into submission 5 be willing to hold me when im having a bad episode

59. What do you look like? (Post a picture!)

60. What is the biggest age difference between you and any of your partners? i think maybe 2 years

61. What is the first thing you notice in someone? eyes and voice

62. What is the sexiest thing someone could ever do for/to you? besides fuck me into oblivion so im theirs forever?

63. What is your definition of “having sex”? dick or dick-like thing in hole that isnt a mouth or urethra or nose or ear

64. What is your definition of cheating? hooking up with someone without permission

65. What is your favourite foreplay routine? give head

66. What is your favourite roleplay? i dont really roleplay in the bedroom

67. What is your idea of the perfect date? we spend the whole day together

68. What is your sexual orientation? currently i think im bisexual homoromantic but its always in flux and could change

69. What turns you off? being a dick or a nazi or a pedo or a trump supporting alt right weirdo

70. What turns you on? well if youre ever near me you can find out for yourself

71. What was your kinkiest wet dream? being passed around like a doll between a group of people until i pass out

72. What words do you like to hear during sex? oh fuck yes. im simple

73. What’s something sweet you’d like someone to do for you? hold me

74. What’s the most superficial characteristic you look for? what hand someone is dominant with

75. What’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for you? i had an ex buy me a pyrrha cosplay, i dont wear it bc it reminds me of what i did to him and it brings a whole lot of dysphoria

76. What’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for someone? make them cum?

77. What’s your opinion on age differences in relationships? so long as they arent super big like 20 years or if one person is still a teen im fine with them

78. What’s your dirtiest secret? if you call me a good girl or good kitten ill do anything you want

79. When was the last time you felt jealous? Why? i feel jealous anytime i see a cute girl bc i want to look like them

80. When was the last time you told someone you loved them? a few minutes ago

81. Who are five people you find attractive? my girls (theres 3) anne hathaway, janelle monae, laura jane grace, and shawn spencer from psych

82. Who is the last person you hugged? fuck if i know

83. Who was your first kiss with? a girlfriend i had in high school

84. Why did your last relationship fail? ngl i misread this and thought it said a relationship, i didnt love her, i did my best to try to but i couldnt and i didnt want to hurt her anymore by pretending i could

85. Would you ever date someone off of the Internet? i am currently dating 3 people online

#userwordandpassname

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vtmusicomp · 5 years ago

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That Day

I’ve been doing mostly upbeat posts about our time together chronologically up to this point, but since this is glioblastoma day (at least the senate says so!) I wanted to go out of order and share what happened on that fateful day. It really all started in December of 2016. Grant had the flu. It was also around this time he told me he was having slight memory issues; specifically, that he would see people at work who weren’t a regular part of his team and he couldn’t remember their names. I admit to thinking nothing of this – he was turning 45 in January, and I teased him that he was having problems remembering things because of his advanced age. Sometimes I have trouble remembering things I could easily have recalled in my 20s, and I thought it was the same. Here’s a picture of us at BART in San Bruno from that time, on our way to see Primus at the Fox Theatre in Oakland, CA - NYE 2016.

A few days into the new year, he started feeling bad again. He went to urgent care and they told him he was probably just having lingering flu symptoms. He took a couple extra days off work to rest and seemed to get better. I had scheduled time off on 1/19/17 and 1/20/17 to get an outpatient procedure done for my sinuses, so I was recuperating through the weekend and feeling mildly sorry for myself. Saturday 1/21/17 we went to IKEA because I was restless and we were still trying to add a couple small pieces for our condo we’d just bought in May. We went across the street for mid-day ablutions/a snack; I was talking to him about something inane, and he told me to hold on a minute. Then we just sat there in silence…after maybe couple minutes I asked him what was wrong, and he said he didn’t know. The way he described it was he got confused and needed a moment, but then he was himself again. It was such a short blip in the day that I didn’t think too much of it.

Sunday 1/22/17 we went to the mall in Woodland Hills to get birthday gifts for Naomi. While I was purchasing something, Grant went to get coffee from a kiosk. When I was done, I found him waiting for his drink. He told me he had a hard time ordering his coffee, that it took longer than it should and he had gotten confused. There was a lot of noise and activity in that section of the mall – there were children running around and parents yelling, also a couple dogs, in addition to the noise of the coffee kiosk itself – so I could see why that might have been distracting. Again, I didn’t pick up on anything out of the ordinary. We went home and relaxed for a couple hours, but I wanted to try this gastropub in Sherman Oaks we read about online. This picture is from his 45th birthday, on 1/8/17 at Chris and Anne’s house.

Dinner time rolled around and I decided to drive because I chose the place. Usually, he liked to drive us to dinner but we reversed roles that night – and it’s provident we did. I was turning to get on the freeway, and talking to him, when he again told me to hold on a minute. That minute stretched out into the entire length of the drive. At first, I thought maybe he was tired - he had been battling that flu and also had mentioned to me at some point over the weekend that his stomach hurt. I changed my mind and told him since he wasn’t feeling well, we shouldn’t be going out to some random bar we’d never been to before. I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go, but we were coming up on the exit to Van Nuys Blvd, so I got off and headed towards the Mendocino Farms next to Guitar Center in Sherman Oaks.

At this point, Grant had said nothing to me for a while, and I started asking him questions. I wanted to know what his stomach felt like – did he feel like he was going to throw up, was it a dull pain, was it localized in some area? I was thinking maybe he needed to get his appendix taken out or something. He would only grunt at me, which got me thinking maybe he was annoyed with me for asking him so many questions, so I shut up. I confess to being a little annoyed myself that he wasn’t communicating with me (I wish I could take that feeling back). Mendocino Farms is part of a larger structure with a parking garage and a couple different restaurants. I parked and asked him again if everything was ok. He got so frustrated he started talking to me, only what he was saying didn’t make any sense. He was using vowels and consonants but it was all gibberish.

Initially, I couldn’t figure out what was going on, because what was coming out of his mouth sounded so close to actual words, I thought my hearing was the problem. I didn’t always take good care of my ears in the early years of playing in a band; maybe I was losing my hearing. I told him I didn’t know what he was trying to say and asked him to repeat it. I asked if he was talking about the restaurant but he couldn’t tell me. He tried to get out of the car anyway, with the intention of going in to order something, but I stopped him.

I want to describe what this felt like but I’m not sure I have the right words. I got a chill that went right through my body. My head felt just a little faint and I couldn’t quite focus. I wondered if he was having a stroke, but his face didn’t look like it was drooping and he was able to operate all his limbs just fine. We sat there for only a few seconds more and I told him I thought maybe we should go to urgent care. I took Woodman to the Kaiser in Panorama City; it was dark out, raining and cold. The whole drive, he kept talking gibberish to me; and I kept telling him I didn’t understand him but that was ok. Every now and then he’d pepper an actual word in there, which made me think he was making sense and it was just me who couldn’t understand. So, I’d apologize and ask him to repeat himself, he’d respond, I would say I didn’t get it, and so on. It was a loop that went around and around.

When we got there, we went to urgent care first – my default. He had progressed to being able to put some words together – we were at half words, half gibberish. Of course, the intake desk at urgent care told us we should go to the emergency room. The ER is across a driveway in a separate building, so we walked over there in the rain under my umbrella. Someone was waiting to take us back – the urgent care folks had called ahead. Then it was this whirl of activity – four nurses and a doctor getting his vital signs, drawing blood, asking him questions he couldn’t answer because he still couldn’t quite talk. They took him for a CT scan about five minutes after we arrived, and then he was back in his ER bay ten minutes later. The whole time, a lady was screaming in the next room, and hilariously, I felt like I was in a horror film. I mean, turns out we both were, we just didn’t know it yet.

At first, they wouldn’t tell us what was wrong. Panorama City Kaiser doesn’t have neurology, so we did a video conference with the neurologist at the Sunset Kaiser – this was Dr. Guzman, and he would eventually become Grant’s neuro-oncologist. He asked Grant to identify pictures on a laminated sheet. Grant was able to get some of them right, but he couldn’t tell the doc what a cactus was, or a feather, or a chair. By this time, Grant was able to talk again, albeit not confidently, but he could at least form sentences and tell me things. I sent a text to Grant’s sister Kim, telling her what was going on and asking her to help me relay this to his parents, Larry and Connie. Shortly after that I was in touch with Connie, messaging her the little I knew about what was happening. She told us they were coming out first thing the next day and requested we keep them updated in the interim, no matter how late.

After the neuro guy was done, the ER nurses told Grant he was being transferred to the Sunset Kaiser. I was so confused by this point, and also so hungry, that I wanted to know if they’d let me pull up to the ER door so Grant wouldn’t have to walk back to the parking lot. No, Val, they’re transporting him by ambulance (duh). I wanted to ride with him, but I also didn’t want to leave the car behind in case we needed something, so I ended up following them on the freeway. The guy drove 55 the whole way – I’m sure the people behind us were thrilled! I could see the paramedics talking to Grant in the back of the ambulance. Later I learned this is when Grant learned there was a mass on the CT scan and that’s why he was being admitted.

When we got to Sunset, I figured it was going to take a bit before they got Grant settled; my phone was dying and my stomach was grumbling so I went to the Rite Aid on the corner of Hollywood and Vermont. I am never going to that Rite Aid again because I don’t want those memories. I bought the cheapest phone charger I could find and bag of Chex Mix, then I went to the hospital. Kim texted she was on her way and asked if we needed anything, but I wasn’t sure what to say. I found Grant in the ICU on the 6th floor just by the elevator. He was talking and laughing with the nurse. At this point he’d gotten most of his words back and was able to tell me what the paramedic told him. Even though I know he was worried about what they’d found on the scan, he was also feeling better because he was able to communicate again. He asked me to call Alicia and let her know what was happening – it was 11pm by then and I had to leave a voicemail. That’s probably the worst voicemail I’ve ever left a person. One last picture, this one of the first evening we went out after his surgery, wearing a hat Carrie knitted for him.

The week that followed was insanity – but I’m going to stop here for now. I hope this isn’t too much information; I know we told some of this story to different people in fits and starts, and I’m happy to be able to share it fully. He didn’t really want people to know much of what happened when it was happening, but he was so brave it’s almost not fair to NOT share it. He did so incredibly well; his will to keep going stayed strong despite all the challenges, and it remains inspirational to me. A better role model could not exist for this horrid disease. Thank you for reading.

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hobslobster · 6 years ago

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04/17

aka, the day the world was blessed with maru ( @dionysusynoid ) - the coolest cat around. happy birthday you wonderful human being! today you turn 22, which is special because the next time you’ll be a double digit age where both the numbers are the same is 33 - a whole ass 10 years away - so savour this coming year! i know that things are shitty and messed up right now (i don’t know what other way i could possibly put it) but i’m hoping for the nth time that you know you don’t have to feel shitty and messed up alone. i’m here for you just like you’re always here for me. your whole world might be shaking really hard and fast, but i can keep you grounded (or at least provide relief if you want to vent). in light of your 22nd birthday, i’ve decided to name 22 things i love about you, so here goes!

you say you aren’t beautiful and it’s all camera angles, but even when you send me meme-y pictures of you, you still manage to look refreshingly beautiful. it’s a gift, being able to take someone’s breath away THAT fast, so use it wisely queen.

i like how no matter what the problem is or whose it is, you delve deep and help them thoroughly, it says a lot about your character and is one of the reasons i look up to you.

you’re a pARTY person and i’m absolutely Not so when you tell me you go out and drink and have fun and shit it makes me happy by association and it’s just really nice knowing you’re happy.

i love saori. completely unrelated but i do.

there’s maturity in the way you carry yourself (can’t relate lmao).

you’re really smart??? bitch what??? you’re telling me you’re a science whiz AND a math whiz AND you can help me out with my french work from time to time AND you’re informed of political issues AND who KNOWS what else like does ur back hurt from carrying the intellectual community??

you got opinions and you’re not afraid to state them. plus you can actually support them so!! we love an outspoken queen!!

you consider things from everyone’s point of view, like - you’re open-minded? but that’s not rEALLY what i’m trying to say. although you are open-minded. just, you don’t seem like you’d jump to support one side of the story because you’re the type to hear everyone out and decide?

you genuinely, truly love bts - not a surprise considering what they’ve done for you. but it’s just nice to see u loving them with all ur heart and making gifs and other content. it’s real and it’s you.

you’re fucking FUNNY. go do some STAND UP COMEDY WHY ARE U ON TUMBLR. when we first started talking it felt like i was dying of laughter every single time u said Anything, like you’re really that perfect blend of smart and millennial humour!

you love hard and you love deep.

i mean i’m pretty sure ur taste in music is gr8.

three words: unapologetic attention hoe. me too bitch, me too.

you’re insanely talented!! you can sINg like an angel?? your voice is smooth and sweet and it’s lovely to listen to!! also, i think you told me once that you can dance? can’t confirm it but if so, you’re really out here keeping all this talent to yourself huh.

you have a wide range of interests! kpop isn’t your personality slkdjfldsakj. i feel like being a stan kind of strips you of any other aspects of your identity because you get so invested and hyperfixated on the band(s) you like but you manage to have a lot of different interests and i appreciate that!

it’s selfish to put something about Us in what is supposed to be a little letter for You but i genuinely love and appreciate the fact that you haven’t let our relationship kind of fall flat. there was a time when i didn’t really wanna reach out to anyone a few months ago. i wanted to cut all my ties and just like stop. socializing. idk why but then we talked and i was kind of reminded of why i keep my friends around. we don’t talk often, but when we do it’s never as if we drifted apart or anything. and i feel like i have u to thank for that.

you’re SMALL. lkdsjflkjads being petite is an adorable trait i wouldn’t associate with someone with as big of a personality as yours. it’s cute tho, if we ever meet you’ll make a good arm rest.

your wheeze laugh. only heard it like twice but it changed my life. it sounds like when i get something stuck in my throat and i’m trying to breathe BUT imagine it 10x cuter and that’s how it be.

when you’re feeling yourself and are super confident and post selfies!! the mari fandom wants more!! give us the content we deserve. that glow on ur cheeks isn’t highlighter it’s happiness and we’re living!!!

you like me and i like validation so there we are.

you’re a phoenix. things get really fucking bad sometimes, but i’ve seen you get back on your feet every. single. time. it may not be for long, or with much strength, but you find a way to pull yourself out of your own head and i think that’s really, truly worthy of respect.

you’re just a good person with a warm heart and i love you to the edge of the infinitely expanding universe and back - which, if you think about it, means i love you more and more with every round trip!

xoxo

#nyxs

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tide-pod-swiftie · 6 years ago

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So. This is super random but I was listening to the first TS album and it honestly brought me back.

I was 9 years old, my room was princess themed handpainted by my mom. It looked like I was the princess in the tower, a castle in the distance. It was very purple, even my cd player was purple. But that’s beside the point.

My mom came home from target one day and showed me the cd (likely having already listened to it because thats what moms do.) she thought I would like it so she picked it up for me to listen to. 9 year old me was only acquainted with Disney and what my mother played on the radio so this was like the biggest thing to me, like I remember feeling super grown up because this was MY cd and to me there was this super pretty girl on the cover that reminded me of a princess with a huge mane of blonde curly hair with butterflies around her. Basically Taylor Swift was already the best thing ever and I hadn’t even turned on my cd player yet.

I didn’t know who Tim McGraw was but I wanted to, my 9 year old self didn’t know what it was like to be so mad at a boy like in Picture to Burn but I knew all the lyrics, A Place in This World became an anthem of mine as I got older and life got hard. Our Song became the kind of love I knew I wanted when grew up.

Taylor quickly became someone for me to look up to.

Fast forward and im 11 years old. Its 2008 and my mom and I go to target playing Taylor Swift the entire way there, theres a new album my favorite singer has new music and the first thing I do when I get it is put it in the car cd player to listen to on our way home.

And just like that. I had a new love to asipre to, I wanted it to be like Fearless and Love Story, my mom loved The Best Day so much it made her cry. Later on when kids got mean Change joined A Place in This World.

Then there was the Fearless tour. It was 2010 and we traveled to go see it having missed the show in my hometown for reasons I no longer remember. Mom and I made a it a girls trip. We stayed at the hilton and apparently so did either Taylor herself or somone who worked with her did too because in the parking lot was her tour bus. My mom made me stand in front of it for a photo while I was VERY concerned with disrupting anyone who might be inside (I mean a world tour must be tiring right? I didn’t want to impose.)

Also 2010, speak now. I had a new love I wanted to find one day in Mine and Enchanted. Long Live and Mean were added to my 13 year old selfs anthums. My mother and I listened to Taylor on her ipod in the car on the way to school.

Fast forward to 2012 and Im a 15 year old goth kid who has a love for both heavy metal and country as well as a slew of other music. Its no longer ‘cool’ to love Taylor Swift and lucky me, I wasnt cool anyways nor did I want to be. Red came out and it was a totally different sound than what I had ever heard from my favorite singer before, I had met a boy who made me understand picture to burn and 15 (altho ill never admit it out loud) because frankly he sucked and I was way too good for him. But I was dancing around my practically all black room in my all black clothes to State of Grace and We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. The Moment I Knew still makes my mother and I sad because no girl should have to feel that way. 22 gave me another new thing to look forward to. Strangely enough I wanted a love a bit like Stay Stay Stay.

Oh my god it 2015, im 17 turning 18 graduating highschool (still goth. still not cool. Still a Swiftie.) but I’m moving to new york, im making a playlist my life is just about to REALLY begin.

I sit on the plane by my mom, not entirely sure what I have gotten myself into, moving across the country. The year before around the time I decided my future destination 1989 came out and im listening to Welcome To New York on repeat in my seat, mentally prepared for those heartbeats under coats, Shake It Off had long since become another anthum for me along with New Romantics. I havent found love, but I want one like You Are In Love.

Its 2017, Im still in New York. Its long since become my home Im not always as dramatically dark as I was when I was 15 but its still there. I had JUST made an instagram in December of 2016 because frankly Im still not a fan of social media...but Taylor Swift is on instagram and I still love her. Taylors instagram went dark. I was BEYOND excited feeling my esthetic come out FINALLY people would stop being shocked that I love Taylor because girl is gonna make them all see she’s a powerhouse.

Look What You Made Me Do arrives and I am LIVING this era. Im buying up merch and playing it on repeat. When ticketmaster tells me i can score a place in line by watching videos, I have them playing 24/7 I haven’t been to a TS tour since I was a kid. time was always in my way. NOT THIS TIME! I wouldn’t allow it. My mom and I text endlessly about her new album. Mums favorite is New Years Day and I struggle to choose but land on I Did Something Bad. I want a love like King of My Heart and Delicate. She agrees that yes we should certainly go to the concert together, it’s exactly a month after my 21st birthday and Taylor has always been our thing.

July 21st, my mom and I go to New Jersy, VIP passes around our necks (her birthday gift to me) im in a snakeskin miniskirt and the concert is POURING rain. Its. Friggin. Magic. Were screaming all the lyrics and dancing around, not even realizing how soaked we are.

Its 2019 now, Im turning 22 this year, and obviously my birthday playlist holds that song in several places. ME! Has just been released. I joined tumblr this year to theorize with my fellow Swifties and Twitter to get updates from Taylor. I bought something pastel to wear for the first time in years and am slowly figuring out how to add it to my all dark wardrobe.

I wonder what my 9 year old self would say if she knew that I was here 13 years later informing my mother that we needed to go to another concert. If she knew the girl with all that curly hair on her CD would become her role model through life.

I have never believed in idolizing people because we are human and all make mistakes but Taylor Swift is the closest I have ever gotten to one.

I feel like although there’s an age gap, I grew up with her (mentally) her music in my head for the majority of my life making me want to be a better person and putting a smile on my face.

This isn’t something she will ever read, hell I would be surprised if anyone ever does because its long af and no one has time for this. But honestly I felt like it was worth putting out there because not many people ever get past simply screaming ‘OMG TAYLOR I LOVE YOU!!’

I just wanted to explain why on the off chance, she or someone else would see it and think ‘huh me too.’ Or put a smile on their face.

So basically, thank you @taylorswift for helping make me the person I am today and being there for me via song when lifes been hard as I grew up.

I love you not because of the insane theories and crazy detailed performances (although those are fun) but because you never let your fans forget that they are loved and that we all mean the world to you, because you have helped so many young girls find their place in this world.

#taylor swift #taylornation #swifties #taylor swift fan #i love you tay tay #thank you taylor swift

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imdifferentshadesofpurple · 6 years ago

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50 questions tag.

tagged by the darling @katdefbeom

1. What takes too much of your time?

oh god, so many things lol.

2. What makes your day better?

could be anything really. an amazing cup of iced coffee. my dog doing something weird. time with my brother. wonderful weather. shopping with my parents. just depends.

3. What’s the best thing that happened to you today?

the guy at starbucks said he liked my hair. it’s a slow day lol.

4. What fictional place would you like to go to?

cassandra clare’s mortal instruments world.

5. Are you good at giving advice?

i think so? i try to be.

6. Do you have any mental illness?

no, not really.

7. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis?

negative.

8. What musician inspired you the most?

when i was younger, andrew mcmahon -- the frontman for jack’s mannequin. he had leukemia and beat it and that gave me hope because my grandmother had it too at the time.

9. Have you ever fallen in love?

yes, i fall in love on the daily lol.

10. What’s your dream date?

can’t say i have one. i used to as a kid but now i think just time with someone i really care about is a good start.

11. What do others notice about you?

that i’m insanely quiet.

12. What is an annoying habit you have?

oh god, procrastination. i try guys but it’s hard to shake lol.

13. Do you still talk to your first love?

oh no no no.

14. How many ex’s do you have?

not very many. barely any really.

15. How many songs are in your playlist?

alot. let’s just go with that. i listen to alot of music.

16. What instruments can you play?

i used to be able to play the piano and the flute.

17. Who do you have the most pictures of?

my dog and mark tuan.

18. Where would you like to go before you die?

lots of places. all over the world. i love traveling.

19. What is your zodiac?

cancer.

20. Do you relate to it?

ohhhh yeah.

21. What is happiness to you?

my family and friends. living a good life.

22. Are you going through anything right now?

aren’t we all? lol. yeah, a little somethig but it’ll be alright.

23. What’s the worst decision you’ve ever made?

a lie i told when i was younger to try and protect myself. i was afraid and it seemed like the best decision.

24. What’s your favourite store?

barnes and noble.

25. What’s your opinion on abortion?

it’s your choice, it’s your body. and sometimes you’re not ready to be a parent. but i also think that it’s not the baby’s fault. it’s a human life. if you’re not ready, there are parents out there that are and they deserve a chance to give a good life to your child.

26. Do you keep a bucket list?

yeah, it’s not long lol.

27. Do you have a favourite album?

i listen to alot of music, and i mean alot. but i tend to go back to jjp’s verse 2 and bear mccreary’s season 2 soundtrack for outlander.

28. What do you want for your birthday?

i’d love a trip. i’m not sure where yet because my birthday is smack in the middle of summer but i’ll figure it out lol.

29. What are most people’s first impression of you?

uh, i’m not sure. back in high school, one guy told me he thought i was a bitch at first lol because i’m introverted and i rock the resting bitch face well. but then he said he got to know me and found out i was really down to earth and one of the “coolest chicks i know” which was nice. i think people just tend to find me unapproachable because i guess i don’t look friendly enough. i don’t bite, promise.

30. What age do you seem according to most people?

no one’s every guessed an age too far off from whatever my current age is/was.

31. Where do you keep your phone while you’re sleeping?

charging across the room.

32. what word do you say the most?

“what the frack?” which is not a word i know.

33. What’s the oldest age you would date?

four years older is my limit.

34. What’s the youngest age you would date?

a year younger or else idk, i think i’d feel uncomfortable.

35. What job/career do most people say would suit you?

honestly i’ve had people tell me i’d be well suited in something art related. a classmate told me she could really see me running a nice little cafe.

36. What’s your favourite music genre?

i don’t have one. like i’ve mentioned, lots of music.

37. If you could live in any country in the world, where would it be?

i’m kosher where i am but i love traveling so i’d rather just do that and come back home.

38. What is your current favourite song?

85% by loote feat. gnash & she’s fine by heize

39. How long have you had this blog for?

oof i believe since ‘12

40. What are you excited for?

i need to buy a plane ticket (stress level high because i’m trying to figure out a schedule) but if it all works out, blackpink in los angeles in like two weeks.

41. Are you a better talker or listener?

listener. though my brother says i talk alot whoops.

42. What is the last productive thing you did?

tested out four cake recipes. no joke.

43. What do you want for Christmas?

find me in november and ask lol.

44. What class do you get the best grades in?

usually english or history.

45. On a scale of 1-10, how are you feeling right now?

7.5

46. What can you see yourself doing in 10 years?

no idea. hopefully traveling. a successful career. a special someone.

47. When did you first get your heartbreak?

my grandmother passing away when i was in the sixth grade. no breakup hurt as much as that.

48. At what age do you want to get married?

i wanted to be married and have kids by 30. that’s not gonna happen i don’t think lol so i don’t know really. whenever God decides it’s time.

49. What career did you want to have as a child?

a ballerina.

50. What do you crave right now?

the weekend. my best friend’s baby shower is on saturday.

tagging: @yeoldontknow @parkhabits @sapphirebluemt @got7-markjinson @pepiygs (optional as always!)

#personal tag #50 questions tag

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northofsomewhererp · 6 years ago

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Your Name, Age (17+), & Timezone: Meg, 22 oof, EST

Your Birthday: January 13th

Jaemin Moon turned 20 years old on September 1st. He’s a freshman at Rosewood University. His faceclaim is Jeongguk Jeon.

Admin Note: We love shy shady so much because shy shady is beautiful. Like, wowza. (I’m still in awe of you.) Welcome back!

Bio (10+ sentences, include brief history, personality, potential plots):

Although he was born and raised in America, Jaemin’s traditional beliefs shine through in his very Korean upbringing. Both of his parents escaped North Korea after their recklessness got his mother pregnant out of wedlock, something very frowned upon in the North. They were in search of a better life, and after many trials, safely arrived in America where they planned to expand their family. As much as they like to pretend they’re perfect and that everything is peachy keen, spending the majority of your life in a conservative country, under a communist government certainly changes your views on the world. And in a place like America, where diversity is celebrated and welcomed, there was an adjustment period. Even so, Yongsun and Taeyong maintained a lot of disturbing beliefs, which they passed down onto their son. Jaemin’s first memory of sexual attraction, now buried so deep within himself that he’s forgotten it, was watching a Korean drama with his father. The main actor was so handsome, so much so that he’d let it slip. After that, he got heavily reprimanded, then locked away in his room. “Man shall not lay with man”, those words echoed in his mind, he repeated them through quiet sobs like a mantra, hoping that maybe he’d start believing them someday. And he did. Now having just turned 20 years old, Jaemin is at a crossroads. He lives two entirely different lives, unbeknownst to his parents. To them, he’s the picture perfect son. He was that kid that was enrolled in almost every extra curricular activity at school, his many talents and hardworking attitude earning him the respect of his parents. He’s currently studying to become a doctor, at his father’s request, and keeping a very clean image to them. He’s polite, calm and collected. But the moment he’s out of sight, the true Min shines; snarky, loudmouth and competitive. Those are just a few words to describe the boy. Drugs and partying are a day-to-day occurrence for him. With his very flawed vision of the world, Jaemin’s made a lot of enemies in his lifetime. He’s hated by most, feared by some. He’s bitter, ready to snap at any moment for any reason, and to be quite frank, he doesn’t know why. He’s repressed his sexuality troubles so far down within himself that he doesn’t even know why he’s angry anymore, why he craves to fight and to scream all the time. But the truth, the one he’s forced himself to forget and the one he’ll forever deny, is that he’s gay. Jaemin’s entire life is a lie, and this lie is swallowing him whole bit by bit, slowly extinguishing his inner light. The question remains, how long will it take for Jaemin to look in the mirror and see himself for who he truly is?

Activity (1-10): 5

Have you read the rules?: removed

Would you like to be paired with a buddy to have character connections with (For new applicants)? uhh, no, not specifically. but when and IF (big if) i’m accepted, i have a plot bunnies page that i incite anyone to peek at and create connections uwu

In the event that you leave, can we keep your biography for future use? no, he’s my special son uwu Any comments/questions?: idek if you will have me back at all, if you want me at all. but i missed this place and i just figured “hey, i don’t have anything to lose by giving it a try.” can you believe i first joined this rp when i was seventeen? that’s insane. i hope i’ve grown as an rper since then but that’s probably false.

also huh, i guess i’ll add a few notes about my son here bc it’s surprisingly difficult to accurately depict a bitter, closeted gay man being homophobic but like internally and deep down being an okay person, it’s hard to make that point come across in a bio. the whole theme of this character will be development, so yes he would be an asshole to start with but yanno.

Sample( 2+ paragraphs): TRIGGER WARNING: homophobia, violence, slight nsfw-ish.

“Come on, Minie… just give me a taste”, the voice was distorted, but Jaemin distinctively felt someone push against him even in his alcoholic daze. His shirt lightly hiked up his hip, skin colliding to skin, simmering hot and so wrong… yet so right. The biting cold of the bathroom mirror contrasted so beautifully with the warmth of the hands crawling across his torso. His breathing was heavy, reduced to pants as lips forced their way against the column of his neck. He bit his lip, trying to muffle down a moan that threatened to burst out of him. Sitting on the countertop, Min’s hands wrapped themselves around whoever the fuck this was kissing him, any shame he would’ve had in a sober state completely jumping out the window.

The truth was, his parents could think he was a goody two shoes all they liked, their perfect son. But Jaemin himself didn’t know in how many women’s beds he found himself in weekly, in a similar drunken haze. He wasn’t about to suddenly develop a semblance of scruple over a woman he most likely wouldn’t remember in the morning, and neither would she. Moon only started getting antsy when he realized how strong those hands were… how pungent this person’s scent was, clinging to his sweltering skin. Men’s cologne. His breath got stuck in his throat, hands shoving blindly forward until the man stumbled backwards, falling in the tub with a grunt.

Jaemin’s eyes were wide open, darting around the room as if looking for a sign to tell him this wasn’t real, this was a dream. He felt sick to his stomach, covering his mouth as if he’d just been violated. “What the hell is your problem, man?” The other guy stood up, rubbing his head where he’d hit it against the edge of the tub.

“Don’t fucking talk to me, fag”, Jaemin’s words were venomous, he almost spat them at this other, innocent man, leaving him speechless, but only for a short moment.

“Fag? Who the fuck you calling a fag, dumbass?” The man got physical, pushing Jaemin right back. “You dragged me into this bathroom, you rubbed your perky little ass on my dick and you’re still fully torqued!” He nodded towards Moon’s crotch, making him cover it almost immediately.

“You must h- have me mistaken for someone else, I… No, I didn’t…” Jaemin trailed off, his gaze blanking out as he tried to recall the events of tonight. He recalled drinking, drinking plenty, laughing with his friends. He remembers… a voice whispering sweetly in the crook of his ear. This wasn’t happening. Even better; this never happened.

His heart was pounding through his skull, sending shockwaves of pain through his nerves. Jaemin coiled up, letting himself fall to his knees as he groaned in agony. “H- Hey… hey are you alr-” The boy didn’t have time to even try to comfort and help Jaemin that he threw himself at him fist first, his screaming getting louder and louder the more his knuckles connected to any part of the other man he could reach. “P- Please! Please stop, I… I- I won’t tell anyone, I just… please don’t hurt me.”

It wasn’t until this boy was curled up on the ground, tears spilling freely from his eyes with a busted lip and with blood dripping from his own knuckles that Jaemin snapped out of it, blinking slow and hard. He stared at what he’d done, his little heart still hammering against his ribcage as he backed up against the bathroom door, eyes never leaving his victim. He patted the surface, desperately searching for the handle, which he quickly found, turned and pulled the door open to escape.

The music was blaring, deafening even. But he couldn’t hear a sound. All he could hear were the sweet nothings this man murmured in his ear, followed by his cries of pain when he rammed into him full force. Bodies pushed up and down against him as he made his way to the crowd, what a crummy party this was, Jaemin regretted even showing up. With a shaky hand, he poured himself another drink when he reached whoever’s kitchen this was. He gulped it all in one go, leaning against the counter and throwing his head back, waiting for the sweet tingle of intoxication to wash away those awful memories.

#rp #roleplay #original character #submission #tw: homophobia #Accepted #acceptance

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masonjar828 · 6 years ago

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So this is in response to an ask me thing I reblogged. Thanks @kylorenpunk for once again making me do them all 😂 but I ain’t no quitter so let’s begin shall we.

1. Selfie; as seen above

2. What would you name your future kids?; If I could have sole control of naming my kids, I’d go with Zephyr for a girl and Red Nalloh for a boy. I always liked the word zephyr and I like the palindrome name that would come from naming my son that.

3. Do I miss anyone?; I recently moved to the west coast and left a lot of close friends behind so I miss each of them every day.

4. What am I looking forward to?; I recently interviewed for a job I’m pretty excited about so I’m really looking forward to hearing new news from them!

5. Is there anyone who can make me smile?; Legit anyone who ever says or does a kind thing to me I will think about from time to time with a little grin.

6. Is it hard for me to get over someone?; I don’t have too much experience needing to do so but I feel like it takes me a normal amount of time to get back on the level after being with someone 😂😅

7. What was my life like last year?; I was a senior in college man...life was a ball of stress and sleep deprevation for months.

8. Have I ever cried from annoyance?; Not really. It honestly takes a lot to make me cry usually. BUT! Show me something with heartwarming feels and a tear or two will always come.

9. Who did I last see in person?; My aunt while we were watching a movie.

10. Am I good at hiding my feelings?; Maybe? I feel like I am but I also know my poker face is garbage so I could be suckish at hiding my feelings too haha.

11. Am I listening to music right now?; Yes! The new Greatest Showman Reimagined album and it’s utterly amazing!

12. What is something I want right now?; I want more than anything rn to hear back from some job somewhere because I’m so in need of a post-college job 😂😅

13. How to I feel right now?; Bit of a headache and fairly tired but overall pretty happy! Listening to the rain outside helps.

14. When was the last time someone of the opposite sex hugged me?; About 20min ago when I said goodnight to my aunt lol.

15. Personality description; I feel the best way to describe my personality is a hyperactive ball of music and useless facts who usually does anything to help my friends, usually at the expense of my sanity at times 😂

16. Have I ever wanted to tell someone something but I didn’t?; There was a time where I desperately wanted to take a risk of telling one of my closest friends just how I truly felt about her but didn’t because I didn’t want to risk ruining the friendship that meant too much to me.

17. Opinion on insecurities; They are a thing everyone experiences and should never be judged on, but I do feel like the only way to truly become better as a person is to actively work to identify and try to work on overcoming or coming to terms with them.

18. Do I miss how things were a year ago?; The constant stress, absolutely not. The friends I got to see daily and never get to see and rarely talk to anymore, all the goddamn time.

19. Have I ever been to New York?; State, yes. City, also yes. Went this past summer to see Hamilton live and my god it was one of the best shows I’ve ever experienced! ☺️

20. Favorite song at the moment?; Hardest question in the world to ask me since I listen to and love so many so songs at once. The one currently stuck in my head is Zac Brown Bands version of From Now On from the Greatest Showman Reimagined soundtrack.

21. Age and birthday; 22 and August 28th

22. Description of crush; No crushes at the current moment but I usually like women a tad shorter than me, with amazing eyes, and a personality that is fun and nerdy so we can make stupid puns and jokes to each other.

23. Fears; Only one real one and it’ll always be snakes. Fuck those venomous and scaly bastards.

24. Height; Like 5’9”-5’10”ish I think?

25. Role model; My dad for sure. He is one of the most loving and caring people I know who can be outright terrifying if he needs to be.

26. Idols; I’m not really the type to idolize anyone tbh 😅 I feel like idolization can be a tad unhealthy.

27. Things I hate; The thing I hate most in the world (apart from snakes, fuck snakes) would have to be the sound of silence (not the song I love the song). Silence weirds me the hell out and I’m not about it.

28. I’ll love you if...; I’ll basically love you if you just show you genuinely care for me and have my best interest at heart. If you do that I’ll basically fight for you til the very end.

29. Favorite films; Star Wars for a series, Airplane! for a individual movie.

30. Favorite tv shows; Brooklynn 99 is my current binge. Others tend to be Star Trek: Next Generation, Cosmos (think this is considered tv), Friends, Avatar, The Last Airbender, etc lol.

31. 3 random facts; About me I’m guessing? I can solve a Rubik’s cube in about 30sec. I can sing the lyrics to literally each and every track from the Hamilton soundtrack. And I can bake recipe for cookies I’ve had friends literally fight over blindfolded if I have the ingredients all lined out first.

32. Are my friends mainly girls or guys?; Girls mostly. Guys tend to annoy the hell out of me most of the time. Even my best friend in the world can annoy the shit out of me fairly easily 😂😅

33. Something I want to learn; How to play literally any instrument. At all. I have wanted to learn for ages but I am just not good with instruments at all.

34. Most embarrassing moment; I tend to repress my embarrassing moments a lot so the first one that comes to mind is when I was talking shit about a professors godawful and stupid teaching method after being given a test he taught us like 30% of and turning around to see him 10ft away and definitely hearing what I said 😐

35. Favorite subject; Any math or chemistry really. #chemicalengineeringlife

36. 3 dreams I want to fulfill; Fairly easy I think. Find success in an area near my family so I can stay close with them after years of being unable to. Find a partner who I can be happy with the rest of my life. And be financially stable to never need to stress about living day to day.

37. Favorite actor/actress; Actor I think Chris Pratt. Actress Anna Kendrick.

38. Favorite comedian; John Mulaney without hesitation.

39. Favorite sport; Tennis. Can’t play it for years and not love it.

40. Favorite memory; Ooh hard one. I think it would have to be the time my family went camping to a place in the middle of Nowhere, Nevada when I was younger and I was able to see each and every star in the sky like I had never been able to before. It made me start to love space and science as a whole looking into that beautiful endless abyss.

41. Favorite book; Hate this because I love reading so so much and it’s like having to choose a favorite child. I think the one I most often reread would have to be The Hobbit though.

42. Favorite song ever; Bohemian Rhapsody I would guess counts the most since it’s the one I will always go back to and enjoy. (Also if you haven’t seen Bohemian Rhapsody the movie yet it’s insanely entertaining and I recommend it hard)

43. Age I get mistaken for; With the beard grown out some age definitely mid-20s, without the beard I’ve been called 18 or younger multiple occasions.

44. How I found out about my idol; See idol question above.

45. What my last text message says; “Goodnight”, sent to a friend I was talking to as they were very close to passing out.

46. Turn ons; If you’re able to engage with me on an intellectual level and be able to just be fun and goofy with me.

47. Turn offs; Trump supporters, Naxi sympathizers, and people who refuse to accept scientific evidence for things like vaccines and climate change.

48. Where I want to be right now; In bed, which luckily I am! 😝

49. Favorite picture of my idol; See idol question above.

50. Starsign; Virgo I believe.

51. Something I’m talented at; Random useless fact storage to be used at bar trivia nights.

52. 5 things that make me happy; Being with family, listening to good music, reading a good book, baking something delicious, and long drives with deep talks with friends.

53. Something worrying me at the moment; Not getting the nice job I interviewed for after the interview going as awesome as it did.

54. Tumblr friends; I have a few friends who have tumblrs like @kylorenpunk, @thepunmaster3000, and @be-inspirational-to-others. Though any mutuals I have I would love to become more friendly with so please feel free to send me a message sometime 😂😋

55. Favorite food; Probably chicken Alfredo I think.

56. Favorite animasl; Dolphins and tortoises 🐬🐢

57. Description of best friend; Tall dude with a short trimmed beard. Musically talented in basically any instrument I can think of. Movie lover to the point of almost insanity. Funny dude who also calls me out on my extremely dumb jokes and puns all the goddamn time.

58. Why I joined tumblr; I was told about it by a friend when I needed to vent a lot and she had me make one. Vented very rarely but enjoyed the weirdness of the site.

59. Ask me anything you want (I’m guessing for who asked me this); @kylorenpunk, why the hell do you make me always do all of these? 😂😅 I don’t mind but lord does it take forever to type all this junk out.

#ask post #lots of answers #selfie #for the first time on this site I think #mutuals #feel free to message me sometime #just not these questions again #😅

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themjinterviews-blog · 6 years ago

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16. shake ya ass, watch ya self.

1.) applesauce or pudding?

Situational… If I’m eating ham or pork chops, I’d chose applesauce. If I want dessert I’d choose puddin'.

2.) what was your initial reaction when you first realized that your parents had to have had sex to have you?

My parents are asexual robots who found me in a dumpster and took me in as their own.

3.) if you could create ANY mix-up or mythical animal and have it be brought to life, what would it be?

I’d create a combination of Kanye West + a Hyppogriff from Harry Potter.

4.) what kind of bread do you prefer?

Potato bread, multi-grain, muffins of the English kind.

5.) describe a moment that is a prominent memory, but didn’t have a strong impact on your life.

How purple and wide the sky looks at dusk on a rural farm highway in northern North Dakota.

6.) what is the quote/lyric that you relate to most?

I have quotes for every occasion and situation in life. I’ll spare you the tedium.

7.) if there was one problem/issue you could wipe off the face of the earth, what would it be?

Childhood abuse. Kids should never have to be subjected to that shit, kids can’t psychologically fix themselves.

8.) do you think everyone in our lives serves a purpose, or are some people just there?

If we choose to find and see a purpose, yes. The truth of the matter is, kiddos, that shit happens randomly…for no actual reason…and it’s up to us and only us to connect the dots into whatever picture we want to see.

9.) Favorite knock-knock/cheesy joke?

This one is fun to do when walking around the neighborhood. Simply go up to the front door and yell: Knock....Knock… (Whose there?) County Sheriff's department! Open up we have a warrant!

10.) how do you feel about getting your picture taken?

If I can somehow manage to not look like a disheveled fuck when it’s taken.

11.) most embarrassing poster you’ve ever owned?

Wasn’t really a poster-child. Pun intended.

12.) what are the 3 worst movies of all time?

Just flip to whatever channel Hallmark or Lifetime is on your TV…I’m sure you'll find them without trouble.

13.) when was the last time you were in a public setting and a stranger annoyed you?

It’s usually an inevitable side effect of leaving the house. I get that they may not be in a hurry and I get that they can’t read my mind but I always find myself wishing I could yell “MOVE A LITTLE FUCKING FASTER OR AT LEAST SCOOT YOUR INDECISIVE ASS AND YOUR GIGANTIC, OVERPRICED BABY STROLLER OUT OF THE GODDAMN CENTER OF THE AISLE” without feeling like a dick.

14.) what is a quirk you find cute in a significant other?

Someone who also enjoys messing with people and being weird for no reason.

15.) if you could make a guest appearance in ANY show, which one would you choose?

Impractical Jokers, SVU, The Good Place, Future Man.

16.) who do you think is the most underrated comedian?

Not knowledgeable enough about comedians to have an opinion about this. Sry!

17.) based on your personality, what do you think your spirit animal is?

Squirrel. I used to have a pet rescued wild squirrel. We were pretty much twinsies.

18.) color combination that you hate?

Yellow and red. There is no valid excuse for dressing like Ronald McDonald, ever.

19.) what is your favorite childhood memory?

It’s a tie between Adirondack vacations and Grandma and Grandpa’s Poconos house.

20.) what cartoon character do you most resonate with?

Eliza Thornberry. Cause she drives around in a cool RV and wanders around talking to local wildlife. I dig it.

21.) what game do you never lose at?

I’m pretty good at Cards Against Humanity and Apples2Apples sorts of games. They’re like 98% human psychology & all about reading other people.

22.) what does your dream home look like?

I don’t know or care. Any house would be a dream house because I would make it so.

23.) Honestly, do you love your family, like them, dislike them, or hate them?

I love them.

24.) pettiest argument you’ve ever been in?

You don’t even want to know. Until you like spend 48 hours trying to argue reason with a psychotically delusional person you have no idea.

25.) what is your favorite day of the week?

There's no difference for me. I don’t have a typical weekday schedule.

26.) Do you feel offended by swear words?

No. “Swear words” are like more than half of my vocabulary.

27.) Stupidest dare you’ve ever done?

Didn’t really fuck around with truth or dare.

28.) Did your parents ever compare you to your siblings or cousins growing up? Did that affect the way things turned out?

I’m the oldest child, beeeeeyotch. I set the bar pretty low though…you’re WELCOME Christie and Steven.

29.) You get to be any person in the world for a whole week. Who do you choose?

Just stay me, thanks though.

30.) one food you hate that should be destroyed at all costs?

Cottage cheese. Why does it exist??

31.) What is your favorite past time for each of the four seasons?

My hobbies don’t fluctuate much.

32.) what is something that will always make you laugh?

Impractical Jokers & Ridiculousness.

33.) what does your pet look like?

He's a “cockeranian” aka mix between a Pomeranian and a Cocker Spaniel aka cute as fuck.

34.) describe your favorite outfit.

My paint splatter jeans, long tunic, plain tee & boots.

35.) at what age did you learn to drive?

18?

36.) What is something that you own which you know you probably shouldn’t?

I have a machete. No idea how to use it.

37.) last thing you made with your own 2 hands?

Rice with teriyaki sauce.

38.) Favorite time of day?

Dusk… or like, early evening. Especially in the summer.

39.) Do you believe in ghosts, spirits, or any kind of afterlife?

Honestly, I wish I could say that I did. I feel like it’s closed-minded *not* to believe, but my brain is insanely skeptical and logical and refuses to be sold on the idea of it.

40.) if you had been voted for a ‘superlative’ in your last yearbook (class clown, laziest, most likely to become president, etc) what would you have been voted?

Most Likely to Live like a Gypsy?

41.) do you still own a landline phone?

Nope!

42.) scariest storm you’ve ever had in your town?

There was a really bad snow storm my family and I got stuck in on the way back from one of my jobs. The fire department had to rescue us

43.)skill you wish you had?

I wish I could sing better…I’m too inhibited and self-conscious about it.

44.) what is something you wish you could talk more about, but don’t for fear of what other people would say?

What is this constant obsession with others opinions about us? Most of the time, they’re vocalizing their opinion for self-interested reasons (ie: to appear concerned or to be up on the latest gossip). Their opinions are not concrete, universal, permanent or even accurately true.

#survey #about me #questionaire #random

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welllpthisishappening · 6 years ago

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Sticking to the Color Scheme

There was hair in his face. And sparkles on his nails. And posters in his locker, hand-drawn masterpieces that they’d probably put in frames at some point.

But for right now, Killian was simply content to hold onto his kid and make bets about games and listen to the regular scouting report. And, maybe, eventually make out with his wife in some corner of the Garden they hadn’t made out in yet. He wasn’t sure there many of those left.

Rating: A great, big pile of pre-game fluff. Word Count: 7.5 and everyone talking over each other. AN: I’ve mentioned a few times that I love TJ Oshie on here (there’s a reason Killian took all those shootout shots in The PyeongChang Triple) and a few months ago he did an interview with his nails painted because, well, his daughter painted his nails. So, that’s like the most Killian Jones thing to ever happen. And I was like, I’m going to write that. This is the last season, so age updates: Matt’s eight, Peggy’s five, Roland is 17, Henry’s 22, Dylan is nine. Also on Ao3 if that’s how you roll and all Blue Line one shot updates coming on Sundays.

“Not a word.” “I said no words, Cap.” “You were thinking them.”

“I was not. I was considering thinking them, but then I decided I’d rather not die before we could possibly clinch the East and that’d ruin whatever fairy tale we’re running with here.”

Killian glanced over his shoulder, stuffing his gloves into the corner of his locker and there wasn’t really that much room in his locker. There wasn’t really much hockey equipment in his locker. There were, however, several photos and hand-drawn pictures and the most recent one was leaving a trail of sparkles across the entire locker room.

“Fairy tale,” Killian echoed. “Isn’t that a little sentimental for you, Scarlet?” Will shrugged, stretching his legs out and propping his feet up on the lowest shelf. “Is it not? You take your option, your kids are painfully adorable and, suddenly, we’re rolling through some kind of postseason script that’ll probably inspire a movie at some point.”

“You’ve put a lot of thought into this.” “I’ve put the appropriate amount of thought into this. And you better put up your sign or Pegs is going to be really disappointed.” Killian hummed, far too aware of his five-year-old daughter’s decorating tendencies and the letters that he was, at least, ninety-eight percent positive Emma had sketched at some point the night before.

“She made one for Rook too,” Will continued, eyes darting towards Killian when he was forced to use stick tape to press the piece of paper into one of the few open corners of his locker. “It was the most goddamn adorable thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Wait backtrack a second, have you seen my kids before I have? Is that weird?” “It’s definitely weird, but they like me more and Dr. J wanted to discuss strategy on the PK. He’s got a lot of thoughts about forechecking.” Killian scoffed, something that felt like pride blooming in the center of his chest. “That’s because he’s frustrated we’re not scoring at least ten goals a game. How did you happen to see my kids before I saw my kids?”

“We just went over this, Cap. And because Gina told them they had, approximately, five minutes before Robin had to go on air and Pegs made him a good luck sign too. Although I think he got a different color scheme than we did. Something that was going to match his tie.”

“How could she possibly know what color tie he was going to wear?”

“Seriously you can’t figure out that string of communication on your own?” Will asked and Killian didn’t blink when he twisted, met with an expression somewhere between amused and all-knowing and they were probably going to get glitter on the ice.

“Ok, try and keep up,” Will grinned. “Ruby and Emma drew those letters last night at the restaurant, Rol helped outline them because, naturally they needed to be outlined, Matt thought everything should be blue, Pegs disagreed, Gina heard, promised to find out what color it should be and texted Emma when they got home. Locksley followed up with photo evidence so Pegs could make sure she picked the closest color while we were at morning skate and then went to the MSG studios when, as previously mentioned, Gina told them they could.”

“That wasn’t really that complicated,” Killian said and Will groaned, rolling his head when he made some sort of rude gesture that wasn’t quite as endearing as color coordinated artwork. “So they went across the street then?” “I thought you just said it wasn’t complicated.” “Don’t be an ass.” Will chuckled, shaking his hand out of his glove and running it over his face, the smile there genuine, like everything was, well, sparkly. And color coordinated. With well-outlined block letters and personalized pre-game messages.

God, maybe they were some kind of fairy tale.

“Holy shit,” Killian gasped, jerking towards Will and earning a pair of incredibly well-rolled eyes for his outburst. “When?” “You’re going to need to be more specific, Cap.” “When did this happen?” Will hummed in the back of his throat, squeezing one eye closed and his nails weren’t quite as perfectly colored as Killian’s, but there were still bits of blue and sparkles and they were going to inspire several different headlines if anyone saw. “Uhhhhh not last night, but the night before?” “Why are you spending so much time with my kids?” “We did this already,” Will chuckled, tugging his hand out of Killian’s grasp and shoving against his shoulder. “They like me better. And you were still here when I got uptown, probably doing something vaguely Captain-esque…” “I was on that hockey show Locksley does post-game.” “How many shows is Locksley on?” Killian shrugged, but the answer might have actually been six and Regina had outdone herself in the last few seasons.

They were all going to be set for life – with bright blue, sparkly nails.

“I feel like I should be insulted that Locksley isn’t inviting me on his shows too,” Will continued, leaning over to lace up his skates. “Whatever. I’ll score a hatty, your kids will love me more and then Locksley will have to acknowledge me.” “You realize how insane that sounds?” “Yes.” “Oh, huh,” Killian blinked. “That was not the answer I thought I was going to get. I was sure there was going to be way more banter.”

Will flashed a grin, glancing around the locker room when it started to fill up – new kids and more veterans and far more laughter than there probably should have been, all things considered, but they could clinch the East that night and things were vaguely fairy tale and, over the last few years, the New York Rangers locker room had become some kind of never-ending parade of absolutely adorable.

“I’m here to keep you on your toes, Cap,” Will muttered, pushing off his bench and catching a close-to-flying Dylan Havfrue around the waist. “Control your limbs, little man.” Dylan did not, in fact, control his limbs, laughter sounding impossibly loud even with the other footsteps approaching. Killian turned just in time for a flash of green eyes and dark hair and several incredibly potent limbs to fling themselves at him, arms wrapped tightly around his neck and a knee finding its way into his spleen.

He assumed it was his spleen.

He also assumed it was bruised.

“Daddy, daddy, daddy,” Peggy shouted and he could feel her smile when she buried her face into the crook of his neck. “Did you like your sign?” Killian tried to keep the hair out of his mouth when he answered, but that was a lost cause and he was too busy catching Emma’s eye from the other side of the room. She bit her lip lightly, trying to stop herself from smiling too wide and that was kind of a lost cause too.

She had a walkie-talkie in her hand and she looked a little tired, but that was par for the playoff course and there were Rangerstown posters everywhere.

Killian was, at least, ninety-six percent positive she’d hung half of them herself.

She’d still been in Chase Square when he walked out of the MSG Network studio across the street two nights before – balanced precariously on a vaguely rickety ladder with both Merida and Ruby spotting her. And he wasn’t really sure what had happened, but it felt like something in his brain had short-circuited and he nearly got hit by four different cabs when he ran across 7th Avenue.

Ruby didn’t appreciate that.

But it hadn’t really mattered because he was him and Emma smiled as soon as she saw him, sitting on the top step of the ladder like that wasn’t even more precarious than standing on it.

They made out in the backseat of the cab uptown – after he’d helped her hang the signs.

“Cap,” Phillip muttered, kicking at his ankles when it became incredibly obvious Peggy did not appreciate being ignored. “What’s happening with your face?” Killian blinked, trying to come up with an appropriate answer to that question, particularly when one of his kids was hanging off him and the other – decked in head to toe Rangers gear – was tucked under Phillip’s arm with an expectant look on his face that felt oddly familiar.

Emma smiled.

“He’s probably thinking about all the ladders he’s got to save people from,” she said.

“That was dangerous, Swan.” “Ruby and Merida were there.” “That does not make me feel much better,” Killian argued and Peggy moved again, a different knee finding its way into one of his kidneys. And several different ribs. He was going to be bruised before he even got on the ice.

It was worth it.

He might have been the most melodramatic part of the fairy tale. He hoped they didn’t put that in the inevitable film adaption.

“What exactly are we missing?” Phillip asked, directing Matt further into the locker room until they were both sitting on the same bench. And Phillip’s locker had a considerable amount of hand-drawn art on it as well.

“I had to hang signs before you guys could clinch and because you cold clinch and apparently the ladder was too rickety,” Emma explained.

“Had to or decided to?” “That’s not the question you should be asking.”

Phillip chuckled, glancing meaningfully Will’s direction. He nodded seriously, lower lip jutted out and Killian felt the smile on his face when he noticed the slight flush on Emma’s cheek. “Yuh huh,” Phillip grinned. “So, like, on a scale of one to ten how much did Cap freak when he found out? Actually, you know what, you don’t have to answer that. I don’t want to embarrass Cap in front of your kids.”

“You are playing with fire, Rook,” Killian growled, the vaguely ancient nickname working its way into the threat.

Phillip’s smile widened. “So what you’re really saying is like...a fifteen?”

“You want to get the puck at all or no?” “Please, you need me. And that other kid is nothing.”

“You’re only saying that because you’re pissed he’s breaking your record,” Ruby said, appearing out of seemingly nowhere with a clipboard in hand and a pen behind her ear. “And as a follow-up to that, where’s your kid, Rook?” “Ok, I have not been a rookie in nearly a decade,” Phillip sighed. “We were literally just talking about a rookie. Go bother him, Lucas.” Ruby narrowed her eyes and it looked like she grew several feet while she stared at Phillip, his lips pulled behind his teeth and Killian didn’t think he imagined the way his arm tightened around Matt. “You want to rephrase your official statement?” she asked. “Because that one was pretty shitty, honestly. Don’t let him touch the puck the entire first period, Cap.” “See, that’s that what I’m saying,” Killian said. “But seriously, Phillip, where is your kid?”

“If I say I’m not entirely sure does that make me the world’s worst father? Because I’m like only seventy-six percent positive that they’re here.”

“They are,” Emma said. “Reese’s told me she saw Aurora with someone who she assumed was Aurora’s mom and dad and an incredibly adorable kid wearing your jersey heading up to the team suite when they got here.” Phillip hummed, doing something that looked like an attempt at a wink. Ruby nearly cackled. “Oh thanks, Em,” he said. “That was definitely them. You can tell Mary Margaret her assumptions were correct.” “Good news,” Ruby mumbled. “You know what happens sometimes when you assume."

Emma glared at her. “Don’t you have something better to do than make sweeping allusions to vaguely antiquated curses in front of kids?”

“They didn’t even notice,” Ruby reasoned. She pressed a kiss to the top of Matt’s hair, laughing loudly his grumbled c’mon Ru. “Don’t be like that mini-Jones. You get on TV when you were across the street?” Matt shook his head, kicking his feet out and the banter was a strange pre-game routine they’d all fallen into. “No, there wasn’t enough time.” “You want me to beat up Locksley for you?” “Lucas,” Killian snapped, at the same time Emma yelled “Rubes” and Will was going to do permanent damage to his shoulders if he kept laughing while trying to make sure Dylan Havfrue didn’t end up on the floor in the middle of the New York Rangers locker room.

Merida shouted something on the walkie-talking again, something about fans and cheering and an appearance from Rangers legend Robin Locksley before puck drop.

“Oh God, did she honestly just call him a legend?” Will groaned. “Don’t let Gina hear that, she’s going to change his business cards if she knows that’s what we’re referring to him as.” “Why are you all being so difficult about this?” Emma asked, eyes flashing towards Killian and it wasn’t easy to balance Peggy when he held his arm out towards her. She moved anyway, letting her head rest against the front of his pads.

“I’m not being difficult. I'm being...practical. It’s so much work to redo business cards. Isn’t that right, Lucas?” “I was not in charge of my own business cards,” Ruby answered evenly. “I have several different assistants for that. Because I’m way more important than any of you.” “And modest too,” Phillip muttered. Ruby glared again, but he was already holding up one hand and shaking his head. “Don’t do it again, Lucas. I’m going to score at least once and assist on someone else’s goal. Two points, at least, so I can impress my kid.” “And his in-laws,” Emma added. “That’s neither here nor there.”

“Right, right, of course. Totally not part of the plan.”

“Hey, Em,” Will cut in, wincing when Dylan inadvertently elbowed him in the ear. “How many shows is Locksley on? Cap didn’t know.” Emma twisted, glancing up at him from underneath her eyelashes and, more than a decade later, that was just as distracting as ever, a few hours before puck drop. “You really don’t know?” she asked.

“It’s a lot, right?” “Four?” Ruby asked, gaze flitting around the room and they really needed to get dressed soon. Killian assumed Ruby had something vaguely vice-presidential to do. He hoped Mr. and Mrs. Vankald got along with Phillip’s in-laws in the team suite.

“It’s got to be more than four,” Killian said. “Six. A round half dozen because Gina is crazy. Don’t repeat that,” he added, mostly into Peggy’s hair. “I don’t want to get yelled at later.”

Phillip shook his head. “No, no, it’s not six. That’s insane. Who’d have time for six shows?” “Gina would make time.” “I mean that’s a fair assumption,” Ruby grinned. “But, not to repeat myself, you know what happens when you assume, Cap.” “Oh my God,” Emma groaned, fingers tapping absentmindedly on the back of Killian’s hand. “Count them. He does MSG-150, plus the post and pre-game stuff.” “You can’t count post and pre as different shows. That’s all part of the game broadcast. And MSG-150 is just part of the intermission same thing.” “Agreed,” Will said. “Anything game related only counts as one.” “That’s just because you don’t want it to be a lot numbers,” Emma pointed out. “Sounds like you’re a little threatened.”

Will tilted his head, eyebrows pulled low and Killian didn’t have to see her to know Emma was smiling. And he nearly dropped Peggy when he moved, earning another bruise for his efforts, brushing his lips over the top of her head.

The entire locker room groaned – including that other, incredibly fast rookie and both of Killian's kids.

“Hey,” Killian said, eyeing Matt with something he hoped was vaguely fatherly and not how much he wanted to make out with Emma pre-game. He didn’t really care about the number of shows Robin was inexplicably on anymore. “None of that.” Matt nodded, a twist to his lips and a flash in his eyes and he’d gotten very good at perfecting that very particular response.

“It’s three,” he said.

“What?” “Uncle Robin is on three shows. If you’re following Ru’s rules and saying that the game stuff only counts as one.” “How do you know that?” “I watch TV,” Matt shrugged. “He does the game stuff and The Hockey Show and Aunt Gina got him that fancy Locked In thing.” “That fancy Locked In thing,” Phillip echoed, working another shrug out of Matt and Killian was fairly sure there were cameras working into the locker room too. Mulan was probably on some kind of pre-game, photo gallery quest.

“Gina talked to someone in production, got them to agree to use the name Locked In for the show that used to be the coach’s show,” Emma explained. “There was a lot of discussion, a lot of debate, Gina glared at people. The usual.” Phillip nodded in understanding, but Killian mumbled don’t repeat that either in Peggy’s hair and Gina was going to murder all of them at the restaurant later that night.

Her nails were probably blue too.

“It’s only three shows,” Matt mumbled, like he’d won some kind of argument or settled some kind of debate and he probably practiced shrugging in the mirror as well.

And Killian didn’t know who laughed louder – Ruby or Phillip or even Emma, twisting into his side with both her arms wrapped around his middle.

It made his pads dig into his shoulders and the small of his back and he didn’t say anything, just hid his smile in the mixture of both Emma and Peggy’s hair.

“You’re definitely the smartest one, mini-Jones,” Ruby said, brushing far too long hair out of Matt’s eyes and tugging lightly on the front of his jersey. “Thanks for agreeing with me.” Matt muttered something that sounded like yeah, sure, but the tips of his ears had gone red and he couldn’t seem to meet anyone’s gaze, avoiding Killian’s expectant stare and possibly proud smile and Phillip was still laughing.

“Man, it’s like looking in a mirror,” Will said, hitching Dylan further up his shoulders and Killian hoped Ariel wasn’t anywhere nearby. She would yell.

“You know that doesn’t make any sense at all, right?” Emma laughed. She pulled her head away from Killian, lips still curled into a smile and he tapped his thumb on the back of her wrist – just over her laces and her nails were a slightly different shade of blue than Killian’s or Will’s.

“I think you got a few more sparkles than I did, Swan,” Killian said, nodding towards her hand. “When did you have time for that?” “We were all very well scheduled. She had a whole plan.” “For real?” Emma nodded, a camera shutter clicking a few feet away and if any of this ended up online Killian was going to break several sticks and a few whiteboards just to prove a point. “I expect a few more sparkles next time ok, little love?” he asked, somehow managing to get into Peggy’s gaze and she practically beamed in response.

“Only if you win,” Peggy said and it might have been ok if the internet got official documentation of that moment because it might have been the greatest moment and Killian was only slightly certain his heart hadn’t exploded out of his chest.

Will looked a little stunned, Ruby squeezing her eyes closed and she was absolutely on the verge of tears, but Emma’s walkie talkie made noise and they all jumped, Merida’s muttered voice sounding only vaguely stressed.

That was a step up from normal. Killian assumed it was because they’d hung the signs two nights before.

“Although,” Emma continued, brushing away Peggy’s hair from Killian’s face, “you are kind of right, Scarlet. It’s eerily similar to Killian.” “It’s the eyebrow thing,” Phillip said. He rested his head on top of Matt’s shoulder, working a not-so-quiet groan out of the kid and Killian felt a surge of affection that might get him to score his own hat trick and maybe he should have challenged Will to some kind of pre-game bet.

Will chuckled and he couldn’t sit down with Dylan hanging off his shoulder, but he could, at least, lean back and Peggy made some kind of strangled sound when he nearly ripped one of her latest works of art.

“Uncle Will,” she shouted, directly into Killian’s ear and both he and Emma mumbled some kind of reprimand under their breath. It didn’t make a difference.

There was art to protect.

“Sorry, sorry, Pegs,” Will said quickly. “The art is totally fine. I promise, kid.” She nodded enthusiastically, eyes wide and still just a bit cautious and Will grabbed more tape, some kind of precautionary measure against the creative inclinations of a five-year-old who had taken over an entire professional hockey team.

“Daddy,” she said, yanking on his pads and nearly strangling him in the process. “You never said.” Killian blinked, trying to make sure his throat hadn’t collapsed in the last four seconds and Emma answered for him. “Said what, babe?” “His sign!” “Oh, right, right, right. You know, we worked very hard on tracing those letters last night,” Emma said, glancing back at Killian and he was going to show up the rookie. He had his priorities straight. “And there was some debate about the color scheme.” “Blue is generally a safe bet,” Killian muttered. He shifted Peggy to his other side, dimly aware of several assistant coaches shouting and a few more camera clicks and they needed to go play a hockey game. “And I love the sign, Peg. You did a fantastic job.”

She smiled at him, peppering the side of his face with kisses and Killian’s entire being felt like it was going to explode – several varieties of emotions and most of them were just synonyms of happiness.

“You and Uncle Will and Rook got different ones!” Killian’s eyes flickered towards Emma – she shook her head in response, an unspoken she was determined that had basically become the subhead of Margaret Elsa Jones’ life at that point.

And no one was very good at saying no to her.

He assumed Peggy was the reason they’d been let on the set across the street before Robin was slated to do fan events and three shows in one.

“We’re totally going to win now, Pegs,” Phillip said.

Matt nearly screamed. “Don’t jinx it!” “Oh my God, it is like a mini-Cap. It’s so weird. Listen, Matt, you’ve got to do me a favor and when you play, you can’t pick twenty too, ok? Pick another number.” “Don’t pick Rook’s number, Dr. J,” Will mumbled, kicking lightly at Matt’s ankles and working a laugh out of him. “Plus seventy-six is way better. Looks good when you’re checking.” “Oh my God, Scarlet,” Killian sighed.

“We going to bet on something or what, Cap?”

“What do you want to bet on?”

Will shrugged, tilting his head and keeping an arm around Dylan. “I feel like you should get to pick since you’re just going to lose, so…” “Ok, that’s rude.” “Well, Rook claimed he was going to get at least two points, so I expect three points from you, Cap. At least.” “Three,” Killian repeated. “That’s it?”

Will gasped, nearly falling backwards off the bench when he tried to point and laugh at the same time and Killian probably would have made fun of that if he didn’t realize they were being filmed and he could hear Robin’s voice moving through the locker room.

“Awfully confident,” Emma muttered, lacing her fingers through Killian’s free hand.

Killian hummed, pressing another kiss to her hair, but Matt didn’t groan when he moved towards them. He slammed into Emma’s side, though, never quite as good on the ground as he was on ice and stopping was still a distinct work in progress.

“Three is easy,” Matt said. “Just get in front of the net, Dad.” “Yeah, Cap,” Phillip nodded. “Just get in front of the net. We’ll do the rest. And I really want to make sure Scarlet loses.” “Ok, that’s rude,” Will hissed.

Robin – and his video entourage – arrived in front of them before Killian could come up with some witty retort, pushing cameras into their faces and his tie was incredibly red.

“What the hell is this?” Killian asked, tugging on fabric and Robin couldn’t swat at his hands quickly enough. “A power tie? This is the wrong color entirely.” “Get out of here, Cap. And stop swearing in front of your kids.” “You just came at a totally inopportune time, Locksley. What are you doing here? Don’t you have a TV show to do?” “What do you think I’m doing? This is pre-game stuff.” “Part one of three,” Ruby muttered, waving a dismissive hand when Robin muttered what under his breath. “Don’t listen to them, Locksley. Scarlet, finish your terms.” “Terms,” Robin shouted. “What the hell? Guys, it’s not cool if you leave me out of the bets.” “Locksley you are a retired hockey player,” Killian pointed out. “A legend. If you will. And stop swearing in front of my kids.” “Who said that? The legend thing, not swearing in front of your kids. Hey guys, long time no see. Peg, the guys at the station put your picture up on set.” Peggy let out a noise between a scream and a gasp, trying to climb up and down Killian at the same time. “Really?” “I wouldn’t lie to you, kid. You’ve got to make one for Rol though. He’s super jealous of your dad’s nails.”

“Can we get back to the point, please?” Will asked. “Pegs, you’ve done a great job with the art, they should let you redecorate the Garden and wherever Rol is--” “--The national team training center, Scarlet, don’t act like you don’t know that.” “Whatever, whatever. I want at least three points, Cap and if I don’t get three points, then I get to take the lead in post.” “We do post in front of our lockers later,” Phillip muttered, but it didn’t make any difference and Ruby was already demanding to know what the hell that means.

Will widened his eyes in wait, pointing meaningfully towards both Peggy and Matt, like he was reminding Killian that his kids were standing there would make some kind of difference. As if he weren’t already far more competitive than a normal, healthy person should be.

“Yeah, that’s totally fair,” Killian said. “Game on or whatever.” “Oh God, I can’t believe you just said that out loud. You get that on camera, Locksley? I want that documented for posterity so we can show it when they inevitably retire Cap’s number and the league wants hysterical videos during the inevitable ceremony.”

“You’ve put way too much thought into this,” Robin said. “Why are you thinking about Cap’s retirement ceremony? Mini-Jones is going to wear his number anyway. Obviously.” “Obviously,” Emma repeated softly, just loud enough for Killian to hear it and maybe they could find a corner of the Garden they hadn’t made out in yet.

Matt’s ears were red. Again.

They were absolutely going to clinch the East.

Will nodded, tugging Dylan along with him when he took a step into Killian’s space and Robin directed the cameras towards them. “Game on,” he said.

Robin made Will repeat the whole thing on camera – something about good for the fans and the internet – but it gave Killian a chance to shift the weight of the five-year-old still clinging to his side and direct the eight-year-old with bright red ears towards the door of the locker room and Emma had turned her walkie-talkie off at some point.

And they were, really, overflowing with traditions now, but this one might have been Killian’s favorite and he was kind of a giant sap.

“Alright,” he said, not surprised when Peggy found a way to drape herself horizontally over his shoulders. “Scouting report.” He saw Emma’s smile out of the corner of his eye, twisting the ring around her neck, and Killian couldn’t quite remember when it started exactly – probably somewhere around the time that Matt could open his eyes.

It was definitely before he could form cognizant sentences.

Emma claimed it was playing favorites again, something about how he’d gotten used to the sound of games before he was even born, and Killian probably wouldn’t have ever admitted how much that made his pulse pick up. She absolutely knew anyway.

And the websites backed her up.

It became a trend that first season after Matt was born – hours spent on the couch in their apartment and the couch in Emma’s office and it was some kind of mutual comfort thing, Matt resting on his chest with a team-provided tablet in his hand and film in the background, mumbling a steady stream of commentary and explanations into an infant’s ear.

They kept doing it with Peggy – partly because it really did seem to help both Jones kids sleep and partly because Matt resolutely refused to stop learning how hockey worked once he could form cognizant sentences – and there probably weren’t any two kids in the continental United States who knew more about the game than the Jones kids.

They watched film and dissected game play and gave Killian a scouting report before every game. It was tradition.

“The Devils block a ton of shots,” Matt started. “You won’t be able to do much from the point because they’re going to get into the lanes.”

Killian nodded. “You were pretty adamant about getting in front of the net.” “I know.” “And?” “And what? Score and beat Uncle Will in the bet.” “You’ve made it sound awfully easy,” Killian said. “Their defense doesn’t give up many goals. It’s top in the Metro or something.”

“Yeah, but not on the PK. They’re garbage on the PK. Uncle Liam said a lot of stuff about them in Norwegian and... “Hey,” Killian interrupted sharply and Matt’s eyes widened when he realized what he’d almost said. “Tell Uncle Liam to stop being such a bad influence.”

“He’s not wrong.” “Yeah, I don’t care.” Emma couldn’t quite mask her laugh, doing a pretty awful job of turning it into a sound that even resembled a cough. She tugged on the back of Peggy’s jersey, trying to pull her off Killian’s shoulders, but that was, apparently, a bigger challenge than getting into the zone against the Devils.

“Something to add, Swan?” Killian asked, ruffling Matt’s hair when he groaned as loudly as he possibly could.

She shook her head. “Absolutely nothing. Just, you know, that maybe you might have mumbled a few pointed words that weren’t in the English language during the last game against the Devils and now you’re--” He didn’t let her finish, which really wasn’t the best plan when both of their kids were standing there and they were in the middle of the hallway, which more than a decade later was still some kind of trend, and Killian really did have to finish getting dressed. He didn’t really care. He was going to kiss his wife and he could feel her smile when his lips found hers, the hint of laughter lingering in the minimal amount of air between them when one of her fingers hooked around a clasp in his pads.

“You’re a menace,” Emma mumbled, resting her forehead on his.

“Nah, a distraction at best.” “I have stuff to do.” “I have a game to play.” “Yours might be more important.” “Equal footing, love,” Killian argued and it wasn’t much of an argument because it was a bunch of absurdly sentimental, fairy-tale type of truth.

Until Matt groaned again and someone called for Killian from the locker room and they really did have things to do. Emma kissed him again before she pulled away.

“Screen ‘em,” Peggy yelled, her own laughter nearly louder than her game-time suggestions when Killian tugged her down. Her words weren’t quite words when he flipped her over, Emma rolling her eyes and that was a bit of a tradition too. The light in the hallway seemed to reflect off the sparkles on his nails. “Daddy, daddy, you’ve got to screen ‘em and then you can score!”

“Oh, yeah?” “Yeah!” “Like, at least, three goals,” Matt added, a smile on his face and belief in his words and Killian barely heard Ariel’s screech when she jogged down the hallway.

“Cap, what the hell? God, jeez, sorry Matt, sorry Pegs.’ “Relax, Red, we’re fine,” Killian promised. “And you might want to refocus your frustration for Scarlet because I’m pretty sure he’s bench-pressing your kid in there.” “Are you kidding me?”

“Tattle tale,” Emma muttered, smile still on her face and ring still pinched between her fingers.

Killian made a dismissive noise, certain the smirk almost worked as soon as Emma tugged her lower lip in between her teeth. “Just reporting the facts, Swan.” “God, you’re the most annoying hockey star in the history of the world,” Ariel mumbled. The words lost a bit of their edge when she started making faces at Peggy, though, slinging an arm around Matt. Her nails were painted too. “You going to score, Cap?” “Obviously.” “Ok, there’s no need to be quite so certain about it.” “Confidence is key, Red. Stop trying to undermine my father-type lessons.” “Jeez, laying it on almost too thick, don’t you think?” “He’s a giant sap, that’s why,” Emma said, a quiet hum of agreement from Ariel. “I mean, don’t get me wrong it’s cute, but that’s totally what it is.” Matt stuck his tongue out when he nearly growled in the middle of the hallway, Peggy far too busy giggling to be impressed by her parent’s continued and inevitable flirting in Madison Square Garden hallways.

Ariel rolled his eyes. “Nice nails, Cap.” “It’s good luck,” he shrugged. “Are yours a different color?” “Nah, they’re still blue, but we had to pool resources when Pegs decided she was going to take over the entire team, you know.”

“Ah, yeah, that makes total sense.” “I think the person behind the counter at Duane Reade thought we were planning something almost nefarious, honestly. Gina and I had to buy, like, fifteen different shades of blue.”

Killian blinked, surprise settling over him and it probably shouldn’t have, particularly when Peggy smiled, twisting back onto her feet. There was hair in her face.

Fairy tale. Or whatever.

Someone called for him again and it probably wouldn’t have been a very good lesson to be late for his own game.

“C’mon guys,” Emma said, tugging Peggy back to her side. “We’ve got to get back upstairs before we make sure Uncle Robin does something vaguely legendary outside.”

He was expecting the kiss, knew it was coming and they’d already kind of made out several times already, but Killian was still kind of greedy and absurdly happy and everyone’s nails were bright blue.

“I love you,” he muttered and maybe Peggy learned how to giggle from Emma.

“I love you too. Score some goals, ok?”

They won.

Easily.

By four goals, which wasn’t really all that surprising because Matt was right and the Devils PK was exceptionally shitty, and the new coach didn’t break nearly as many whiteboards as Arthur had, but that was neither here nor there because they’d won and Killian scored and assisted on Phillip’s second goal and they won.

He didn’t, however, win the bet.

He was only slightly frustrated by that.

And that was the biggest lie he’d told since he promised he was done after his second contract extension ended because he really, really hated losing and hated losing to Will even more, even when it was a stupid bet that didn’t really mean much of anything.

“It was a close call, Cap,” Will said, making sure to nod as sarcastically as he possibly could. Killian’s phone was already ringing a few inches above his head, no doubt some incredibly pointed opinions from Liam about those turnovers in the neutral zone and the way that one check looked.

He ignored his phone.

And Will.

There were already cameras by the time he got to his locker, reporters and recorders and that one guy from Newsday who still used a pad of paper because he didn’t trust technology and Killian’s hair was still slightly damp from the shower.

And, honestly, he should have realized exactly what Will had been planning from the get-go, should have known that he’d probably teamed up with Robin as soon as Killian left the locker room, but he could feel his eyes widen as soon as he heard the voices and Peggy leapt into his lap before he’d taken a full breath.

“Hi,” she shouted, standing on his legs and tugging on the fabric on his shoulders, a precarious balancing act that was also a bit painful.

That one check had totally fucked up his right thigh.

“Hey, love,” Killian mumbled. “What are you doing here? I thought you were upstairs with Mom and M’s and Uncle David.” “Mom had to work and Ru brought us down here because Uncle Will said we could be on TV!”

“Wait, what?”

“What part of that was confusing, Cap?” Will called from the other side of the room. “I told you I was going to control post and this is how I wanted post to go.”

Matt was already talking – giving a detailed description of the Devil’s penalty kill and how important it was to wrap up the series with a strong showing like that and Killian was fairly sure he’d heard the phrase Cup run several times in quick succession.

“Hey,” Robin cut in, leaning around one of the cameras and tugging the microphone away from Matt. “No jinx.” Matt didn’t look particularly impressed. “We’re totally going to win.” “We’ve got to get you some more media training. You can’t say that kind of stuff on the post-game.” “Rol would!”

“Ah, he’s got you there, Locksley,” Phillip laughed, his own kid in his arms and Dylan a few feet away and they were all going to end up on several different backpages for whatever stunt they were currently pulling.

It’d be some kind of incredibly heartwarming scene in the movie.

“Yeah, that’s probably true,” Robin admitted. “And this is, like, full circle or something from the first Cup run.” “Can you say that, Locksley?” Killian asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be less biased now that you’re some fancy TV guy?” “Ok, I am not a fancy TV guy. I am a normal TV guy.” “Eh, how many shows do you currently have?” Robin made a less-than-mature hand gesture behind his back, careful to avoid the cameras and the reporters and Killian had to push his face into his daughter’s hair to make sure his own laugh didn’t draw too much attention.

“Shut up, Cap,” Robin muttered and none of it was very professional, but none of them had ever been very professional and they all had painfully adorable kids who wanted to talk about hockey and scoring opportunities on the MSG post-game show.

“Eloquent. No wonder they put you on forty-seven TV shows.”

“You should have been able to get four points in a four-oh game.” “You want me to get points on every goal we have?” Killian asked, flashing a grin at Peggy when she moved her hands to the front of his shirt.

“Eh, I’m just going off of previously emotional moments in the highlight reel of your career.” “That didn’t sound all that sincere.” “And that rhymed,” Will pointed out, shrugging when Killian narrowed his eyes. “Don’t do that, Cap. This is the easiest post I’ve ever done. Dr. J is some kind of hockey soothsayer because you and Emma are obsessed with this game and force-fed him those aforementioned highlight reels for the last eight years.”

“Trust me, no one force-fed anything.” “That’s probably true, actually. Whatever. I hope this becomes a thing. What do you think, Locksley? Viewership through the roof?”

“Either that or some incredibly pointed columns in several different tabloids.”

Killian scoffed when he noticed the vaguely scandalized look on several different reporter’s faces and Peggy appeared to be answering a few questions of her own.

“What are you doing, little love?” he asked, but she didn’t hear him, or was, possibly, ignoring him, staring straight into the closest camera like she’d been waiting her whole life to stage a presser after the final game of the regular season.

“Good luck,” Peggy said and it clearly wasn’t the first time she’d said those two specific words.

A reporter smiled, Robin laughing under his breath, but several other reporters looked slightly frustrated and Ruby was going to have some kind of metaphorical field day writing that particular release.

“You have to argue against it, Cap?”

Killian arched an eyebrow, holding onto his kid a bit tighter out of instinct and the reporter widened his eyes when he didn’t answer immediately. “I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about,” he said, winking at Peggy when she twisted back against him.

“It’s a pretty good color for all of you,” the reporter continued. They were talking about the goddamn nail polish.

Of course they were.

“No, no argument,” Killian shook his head. Will made some kind of absurd noise at the word, but Killian didn’t look away from the throng of reporters around his locker and he was old enough that he didn’t quite care what they printed about him anymore.

And the nail polish had absolutely been good luck – even if he hadn’t won the bet.

“No?” That question came from a different reporter and Killian shook his head before the two letters were finished and Will was still making noise, Phillip shouting a slightly muffled argument when he was forced to play jungle gym for his kid.

Phillip definitely had blue nails too.

“How many times are we going to do this?” Killian asked. “Did you want the sparkles too, is that what the issue is?”

“That’s totally what it is,” Will agreed. “Hey, hey, Michael, if you ask Pegs, I bet she’ll do your nails before we start this Cup run.”

Peggy nodded enthusiastically and Killian wasn’t sure if his heart exploded or, simply, grew forty-six sizes, but it had been that kind of day and she was already talking about different shades of blue on one hand.

“We won,” she said said again. “Good luck and Daddy scored and Rook scored and now we’re going to win a Cup!” “No jinx,” half the locker room yelled at the same time Matt shouted “I told you!”

Killian smiled when the reporters couldn't come up with another question, a flash of blonde hair leaning against the open doorway of the locker room with Ruby draped over her back.

“You can quote her on that if you want,” he said, eyes darting Emma’s direction. “And when you inevitably write your sidebar on all of this, make sure you point out how well done everyone’s nails are even after the game ended, ok? That’s a sign of a true professional.”

The headline wasn’t all that creative the next morning – Littlest Jones Guarantees Blueshirts Look Good Ahead of Cup Run – but it was almost complementary and it was difficult for Killian to be frustrated when he was too busy getting his nails redone before the start of the Cup Finals. They used extra sparkes for the first game at the Garden.

And, years later, with another Cup run ahead of them and a different Jones wearing the number twenty on center ice at the Garden, Peggy almost looked nervous, eyes ducked and voice quiet, when she asked Killian.

“For good luck?” she whispered

He felt the smile inch across his face, something sentimental and emotional and maybe the fairy tale hadn’t ever really ended – just moved to a different generation and he would have bet Will and Phillip and Robin that there was a hand drawn sign in Matt’s locker already.

“What’s the name of that color, little love?” “Dad.” “Old habits,” Killian muttered and Peggy rolled her eyes, nearly jumping the few feet between them and swinging her legs over his. “C’mon, I bet it’s got a good name.”

“Front page worthy.” “You’re kidding.” “I wouldn’t joke about something as serious as no-jinx nail polish.” “Good alliteration.”

Peggy hummed, smile tugging on her lips and her smile looked exactly like Emma’s. The eyebrow thing, however, was all him. “The glitter is called set in stone.” “There’s glitter too?” “There’s no point if there isn’t glitter.” “Ah, of course,” Killian laughed, shifting so he didn’t end up with a foot in several different internal organs. “Alright, no time like the present, huh?” Peggy rolled her eyes at the cliché, but that was another old habit and they were a team full of traditions and family and she muttered the scouting report under her breath while she worked, promising as long as MD doesn’t crash into the boards too often, it’ll be fine.

It was – good and great and goddamn historic and every single one of them had bright blue nails when the Rangers won another Stanley Cup.

As tradition dictated.

#cs ff #captain swan #captain swan ff #captain swan fic #cs #blue line one shots #i looked up nail polish names for this story #so rest assured it's been properly researched

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blouisparadise · 6 years ago

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As promised, here the continuing rec list of fics where Louis is called pet names. Part one can be found here, and when it’s out, part three will also be linked here. Happy reading!

1) Tie You Up and Make Me Scream | Explicit | 2166 words

AU where Harry teases Louis and it becomes a game until they cant handle it anymore and escape to have tent sex while the rest of the boys are in the other tents.

2) Feel The Need | Explicit | 4898 words

Louis and Harry attend Liam's Halloween party. Risky Business ensues.

3) Just Stop Your Crying (It’s A Sign Of The Times) | Explicit | 5864 words

My own imagining of the inspiration for Sign of the Times. Featuring boys in love, even after all this time.

4) We’ll Stumble Through Heaven | Explicit | 6504 words

Louis likes to be a good boy for his alpha.

5) Raised on Rhythm and Blues | Explicit | 8034 words

“That look on your face makes me think you’re not cooking me spaghetti fast enough,” Louis announces as he walks back into the kitchen. Harry knows exactly where Zoe gets her habits from.

6) Forever, Uninterrupted | Explicit | 8578 words

Harry finds a mysterious picture in Louis' bag one night and drives himself crazy over it. It's definitely not what he thinks.

7) Spice Up Your Life | Explicit | 9501 words

After a conversation with his Uni friends, Harry worries that his relationship with Louis has lost it's spark.

8) Infinitely All For Me | Explicit | 10630 words

The Alpha Louis' been betrothed to since he was 14 has finally come of age and Louis' been delivered to his home.

9) Keep Holding Me This Way | Explicit | 13747 words

An English grad student, a frat jock, and an unimpressed rich boy walk into a bar. No one walks out.

10) Let’s Take the World By Storm | Explicit | 14656 words

Harry lifts his head off Louis' chest to look at Louis' face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

“I don’t know, but our sex life feels a bit boring, ‘sall,” Louis says, completely avoiding eye contact.

“Boring.” Harry says flatly. He doesn’t say anything more, and Louis looks up to see that Harry seems to be mulling it over.

“Yeah, boring," Louis says, and keeps talking before Harry can pipe up. “I mean, think about it. We’ve been dating since X Factor, and now things are starting to drag a bit. We don’t even have the time for handjobs anymore, much less actual sex.”

11) The Seed Inside You, Baby, Do You Feel It Growin’ | Explicit | 14793 words

Louis really wants Harry to get him pregnant.

12) Oops, Baby, I Love You (In That Order) | Explicit | 25344 words

The minute Louis Tomlinson decides he don’t need no man to start a family, Harry Styles literally falls into his arms.

13) Another Day Gettin’ Into Trouble | Explicit | 25619 words

Harry’s drunk when the idea occurs to him. He’s also a pop star, so sometimes his drunk ideas turn into actual things instead of just ideas. The clone-a-willy kit is one of them.

In Harry’s defense, when he first thinks about it his intention is just to buy the kit and give it to Louis to make his own dildo with, because that’s what he wants anyway, right? To have a penis filling him up?

Then he realizes that it would be weird if Louis made a copy of his own dick to fuck himself with. It’d be super weird. Louis fucking himself? That’s a weird idea. Harry’s pretty sure Louis wouldn’t like that.

Clearly the only solution here is to use his own dick for the mold.

14) Force of Nature | Mature | 25672 words

Louis is a shy, young musician who doesn't want to go to Harvard.

Harry is a confident, second year athlete who likes to have a good time.

When their paths cross while their families are vacationing at the same lake resort, what begins as a summer of fun becomes a defining journey that might just change everything.

15) Up To No Good | Explicit | 26525 words | Sequel 1 | Sequel 2

Harry doesn’t think of himself as a womanizer, not at all. Sure, he enjoys sex, enjoys how women feel underneath him, and by some people’s standards he has sex with quite a lot of people, but that’s no reason to tell him that he can’t have a female PA anymore.

It’s especially no excuse for giving him a male PA who’s possibly the most gorgeous boy in the world who won’t even let Harry look at him for too long.

Sometimes Harry hates his life.

16) Always Come Back To You | Explicit | 28862 words

“I’ll do it,” Harry offers brightly. No one even blinks. “I’ll do it?”

Louis sighs irritably. “Shut up,” he orders, tossing a pillow in the general direction of Harry’s face. This is a terrible time for jokes, especially Harry’s lame, old people ones.

Not that it was an old people joke. Just that most of the time Harry’s jokes consist of knock-knocks or terrible puns. The type of jokes old people like, Louis’ pretty sure. His nan always finds them hilarious when Harry tells her one.

Harry bats the pillow out of the air without even blinking. “Be reasonable, Lou,” he says in his most reasonable voice.

Louis is perfectly reasonable, thank you very much, and he’s also frustrated and upset and tired and he really wants to punch something. Maybe he should have held on to that pillow a little longer.

“You’re not gonna fucking do it,” he snaps. “That’s the last thing I need.”

17) Blind From This Sweet, Sweet Craving | Explicit | 31170 words

"So, I guess we'll go?" Louis asks later, when Harry has calmed down and eaten his weight in Chinese food. He plays with this chopsticks, spearing another piece of chicken and pops it in his mouth. "I mean, I wouldn't mind. We could make it an adventure."

Harry observes him, watches him seated across from him on their old living room carpet, with a container of food on his lap. He's fidgeting, avoiding meeting Harry's gaze–he probably knows that Harry's mad at him for ruining the one chance they had to get out of this situation. And he's not wrong, Harry is definitely very mad. Harry wants to strangle him and castrate him and smack him upside the head.

But he's also Harry's best friend, and despite everything, despite all the fuck-ups and the plot twists and everything just not playing out the way it should, he'd still rather be stuck in this situation with Louis than any of the other boys. He's got Harry's back, and in a weird, abstract way, he knows they'll be able to get out of this situation, together.

Harry sighs. "We're going," he says resignedly, his shoulders slumping.

Oh well. There are definitely worse ways to spend the weekend than pretending to be engaged to his best friend.

18) Cupid’s Chokehold | Explicit | 35326 words

Louis is a Cupid who tries to match up Niall and Harry. It doesn't work out as planned.

19) Mark My Word (We Gon’ Be Alright) | Explicit | 35524 words

"He’s always known that there would come a time when Harry would bond with some beautiful, quiet omega, and they would have lots of curly-haired pups and live happily ever after.

Knowing it and living it are two very different things, though. Watching the object of your affection desperately search for a mate and completely disregard you as an option is all sorts of painful, but it is what it is, and Louis is just going to have to learn to live with that."

20) Who Would’ve Thought | Explicit | 44275 words | Companion Fic

The idea doesn’t come to Louis until they’ve been at the bungalow for a couple of days. Harry has no idea that he’s going to pop a knot. He’s been living his life with the expectation that he’s going to be a beta, and Louis isn’t going to tell him otherwise.

Louis is an omega, though, and most omegas want to be filled up with a knot, fucked the way their bodies are made to be fucked, and Louis is no different. In ten years he wants to have an alpha waiting for him at home who will hold him down and fuck him exactly the way Louis wants to be fucked without worrying that they’re going to expect him to stay at home, open a joint bank account, raise a litter of babies, cook and clean and, most importantly, be submissive. For that to happen Louis needs an entirely different kind of alpha.

And so the plan is born.

21) Tangled Up In You | Explicit | 45152 words

Harry blinks once. And blinks again. And says, his voice dangerous: “Niall, did you get me a mail-order bride?”

Because what the actual fuck. It kind of looks like Niall’s just purchased a person. For Harry.

Niall blinks back at him for a few moments, before throwing his head back and howling with laughter. Harry throws a pillow at him. Hard. “No, what the fuck, Harry.”

“A prostitute then?” Harry also doesn't want a prostitute.

“Of course not!”

“A stripper?”

“No!”

Damn, he’s running out of ideas. He settles for launching another pillow at Niall’s head. Niall bats it away easily, still laughing. “Stop!”

“What did you get me, then?!” Niall must hear the tinge of hysteria in his voice, because he’s pulling himself together, trying to stop himself from laughing.

There’s still a big grin on his face, though, when he says, “I got you a professional cuddler.”

A professional…what. “What?”

22) Nobody Does It Like You | Not Rated | 58820 words

Louis isn't looking for a home, but he finds one in Harry.

23) Tug-Of-War | Explicit | 63000 words

Louis' husband dies suddenly and he is left with nothing. Well, not really nothing. He has Harry. And a St. Bernard puppy named Link, whom his late husband left behind for him. Louis takes care of Link and Harry takes care of Louis. Everything is okay until suddenly, it isn't.

24) Why Can’t It Be Like That | Explicit | 63567 words

A fashion AU with a royal twist, where Louis doesn't need a stylist, Harry's thrilled to have a real life Barbie doll, and they're both very wrong about each other.

25) Perfect Storm | Explicit | 80230 words

What do you do when your best friend asks you and your (now) ex to be the best men at his destination wedding? You can either tell him the truth, tell him you’re not together anymore, and deal with the consequences, or you can pretend you’re still together and roll with it, just pray you don’t spiral. Fake it ‘til you make it. You know, for the sake of the wedding.

Harry and Louis choose the latter.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

#bottom louis #top harry #fic recs #blp fic recs #blp

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