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davenporttf · 1 year

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MLB Secrets: Alex

I'm going to let you in on two secrets I've been holding close my entire life: I'm gay, and I have a superpower. One of those is not that big of a deal except in a sports environment, and the other makes me sounds like I'm crazy. I don't know how to describe it, but I noticed growing up I was able to manipulate others to be a different version of themselves. All it took was wishing for it to happen in my mind and it would become their reality.

Now, I'm the first baseman for the local AAA team, the Blue Pirates. I've never used my superpower to get ahead in sports. That would be crossing a line. But I have been feeling pretty sexually repressed these days, and I think I'm overdue for some fun.

Today was a long day for the team. We lost the game in a landslide, and everyone was feeling like crap. The whole team left the locker room except for my buddy, Dylan, and I. Dylan is our center outfielder and we hang occasionally. I haven't told anyone on my team that I'm gay, and consequently I don't date really for fear of being seen. Today I could use a mood booster though.

Dylan was talking to me about his recent fishing trip when I started to wish for him to be a horny power bottom. He stopped talking suddenly as if his brain was recalculating. When he snapped out of it, he looked at me with a hunger in his eyes.

"You thinking what I'm thinking big boy?" I said with a smirk.

"I'm thinking you need to pitch me your best game, sexy" he said as he turned around and brushed his ass against my throbbing 8 inch cock. I wrapped my bat against his chest and pushed him into me as I brought my lips to his.

Fuck, he tasted so good. His stubble brushed against mine and I could feel him move his ass up and down around my cock. I could spend all day teasing him but the thought of being caught was becoming too much.

"Let's take this back to my place." I suggested. His face was telling me he wanted me to fuck him here and now, but he quickly threw on his shirt and grabbed his bag. "I'll drive sexy" he said smiling.

We made our way to his truck and I jumped in to the passenger side. It was a 10 minute drive to my place from the fields but I couldn't wait to get the party started. I looked at him and wished for him to be flooded with overactive balls and a large cock. He squirmed in pleasure as his balls dropped and his legs spread out to allow them room. I then ducked down to unbutton his baseball pants and let his now 9 inch cock out. It was go time! I took his giant cock into my mouth as he tried to maintain control of the road.

I sucked and twirled my head around his head and tasted the salty precum from his dick. His balls were working overtime and he had a constant flow of pre coming out. I bobbed up and down and sucked with the energy of a DL gay in need of a dick. Dylan moaned as he felt himself getting close. I went for the finisher and took his whole cock into my throat. "OH FUCKKKK" he screamed as his jizz erupted into my throat. I felt his cock pulsate as shot after shot of what had to be the biggest load I've ever taken shot into my mouth. I brought my head up as Dylan regained control of the truck smiling at me. "Fuck, bro. We need to get to your house quick."

We pulled into my driveway and rushed inside. Dylan walked into my room and plopped onto my bed. "Let's see what you got"

He smelled rank from the game and I took no time to dive into worshiping his body. I pressed his socks against my face and licked his feet from heel to toes. I could taste all the hours of sweat from the game we just played. I gripped the bottom of his stirrup socks with my teeth, and snapped them back against his sole. The snap made him wiggle in pleasure and anticipation. "Stop teasing me, big boy!"

I crawled forward to start kissing his inner thighs. I looked at him and met his eyes. "You have an extremely sensitive hole and cheeks." I thought, and watched as he squirmed side to side.

"Fuck, dude. I need you inside me!" Dylan said breathlessly. I unbuckled and brought his pants down to his ankles. Flipping him over, I pulled him up on all fours.

"Anything for the team" I said as I pushed my throbbing cock into his hungry hole. Dylan bursted out in a loud moan, "Oooooh Fuckk!" He was precumming in his jock as I thrusted into him. My thighs clapping against his sensitive ass was heaven for me but ecstasy for Dylan. His hole gripped on my cock bringing me to the edge. I grabbed his hips and did one last deep thrust into him. I exploded into his ass, breeding him like the bottom bitch his life had become. He could resume his normal life tomorrow, but tonight he was my boytoy.

#gay tf #mental change #straight to gay #gay jock #socks #jock #sock worship

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happyphotographyforfashion · 1 year

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Fourteen years later, I throw pitches in my deep blue No. 2 Yankees complete Official Little League Baseball uniform

(even stirrups).

Seasoned enough at Age 12 to overhand hardball at same age body, much earlier:

In my first Official Little League Baseball season, I sometimes played outfielder, then in red, the No. 3 of Cardinals baseball diamond uniform.

What famous running back,

comes to mind on; three n two?

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roebuckinthethicket · 5 years

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#vida blue #baseball #oakland a's #oakland athletics #stirrups #pitchers

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ducktracy · 5 years

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145. boulevardier from the bronx (1936)

release date: october 10th, 1936

series: merrie melodies

director: friz freleng

starring: berneice hansell (emily)

the first cartoon to use merrily we roll along as the theme song for merrie melodies! eventually, this would be the only indicator in discerning the difference between cartoons in the looney tunes series and cartoons in the merrie melodies. even then, a few looney tunes shorts have gotten a blue ribbon release, which uses merrily we roll along as the theme song, further skewing any difference. this would be the theme song for merrie melodies all the way until 1964. quite a momentous occasion! plot wise: emily from let it be me makes a reappearance, falling for star baseball pitcher dizzy dan (a play on star pitcher dizzy dean.) her sweetie, claude, (the pitcher for hickville) is none too pleased, and seeks to settle the argument in a good old game of baseball.

an underscore of the title song opens the cartoon, accompanied by a cluster of banners and pennants. one in particular advertises an upcoming baseball game in hickville, welcoming a rooster by the name of dizzy dan, who will be pitching for the chicago giants. the faraway drone of a train whistle serves as a signal to an expectant homecoming band, and they launch into an exuberant rendition of “it looks like a big night tonight”. the train hurtles right past them, without taking any note—quite the impressive overlay of the train rushing past. a cloud of smoke fills the frame and the music halts.

the train is at a standstill, hissing and exuding black smoke just a bit ahead of the station. so, of course, the villagers push the train station along to the train ITSELF. another impressive overlay, especially for 1936. fanfare resumes, and we go inside the cabin to see dizzy dan gleefully looking out the window at his adoring fans. he swaggers along, posing at the end of the caboose, met with applause and cheers. off to the side, emily the hen and her (presumed) boyfriend admire the spectacle from afar. emily is clearly smitten—“isn’t he handsome?” her boyfriend thinks otherwise, scoffing “awwww.” dismissively while she giggles.

dizzy dan asserts he has quite the inflated ego, turning around to show off the back of his jersey. “THE GREAT DIZZY DAN” blinks on and off in pompous neon lettering. with that, dan orders “okay, maestro! strike up the band!” and launches into a talk-song rendition of “boulevardier from the bronx”, a song that would be used in a handful of warner bros cartoons (such as in frank tashlin’s porky the fireman.) the animation is amusing, with interludes such as a man blowing into a trombone, his hat flying off in accompaniment, or the lettering on a drum bouncing off with each hit. even more amusing is dan himself kicking at the ground and clucking like a feral rooster—in case you didn’t know what species he was! emily swoons from the sidelines, her boyfriend shooting steely glares at her and dizzy dan. all in all, an amusing song number.

finally, the fated event arrives as we fade in to the baseball field. a pig shouts through a megaphone “for today’s game, giants vs. hickville! pitching for hickville: claude!” claude, emily’s gangly, hayseed, envious rooster boyfriend is met with a wave of noise... booing. a hilarious contrast as claude rakes in the glory, shaking his hands until realizing the clamor isn’t a positive one. the pig announcer then introduces dizzy dan, whose status is so gilded and precious that his sacred pitching arm is safely propped up on a pillow, carried by a little duck assistant. “play ball!”

the diamond is filled as everyone assumes their positions, with dan contentedly tossing the baseball in his hand. turning his hat around first, the catcher, a turtle, turns his shell around 180 degrees to substitute as protective padding, garbling a string of incomprehensible encouragements to dan. a measly little mr. magoo type pig is up to bat. dizzy assures his fans that he’ll “strike em all out!”, and with that he goes for the pitch, whirling his arm at bewildering speeds (accompanied fittingly by the sound of a jet plane warming up). he throws the pitch, the catcher managing to catch it as he’s propelled into the backstop—a gag that would be reused to a much higher degree in freleng’s classic hit baseball bugs. to remedy his throbbing, burning hand, the pitcher soaks his injury in a nearby bucket filled with water, steam hissing at the initial contact.

second pitch plays out the same as the first, reusing the animation. strike two. this time, for the third pitch, the catcher holds a pipe bent in a U shape. the ball hurtles into one end and pops out of the other, landing right back in dizzy dan’s clutches as the third strike is made. a victorious, obnoxious rooster cackle from dan. the giants are beating hickville (not by much), with one point per inning, the game in the second inning. what a riveting game! 

now, hayseed claude is up to pitch against the mean giants, who are much more competent on the field than hickville’s team. claude pitches to a wiener dog, which contorts his body in a sideways U as the ball whizzes right past him, nearly taking him out. a ball—the batter isn’t too pleased, (no pun intended) barking “hey! be careful!” another pitch, and the batter hits it. there’s some nice, floaty animation as claude runs backwards, repeatedly calling “i got it! i got it! i got it!” in a dopey, hayseed voice. instead of one ball returning to the ground, a brief shower of baseballs rains on claude. a bit of an incoherent gag, but coherent enough to get the general gist across. the wiener dog runs across the field, elongating his body and contracting it with each turn as his legs catch up to him. a home run, much to the befuddlement of claude.

elsewhere, dizzy dan is off to the side, flirting with emily, stroking her chin and ogling at her while she giggles in the stands. he swaggers to the batting plate, posing nonchalantly and leaning against his bat, waiting for claude to pitch. the ball whizzes by, right into the catcher’s mitt while dan doesn’t move a muscle. another ball whizzes by, another strike. emily calls “ooh, you better hit it!” from the stands, but dan shrugs her off. “that’s alright! i only need one ball!” this time, he finally assumes the batting position, and most definitely hits the ball with the final pitch. the ball rockets straight into claude, propelling him across the field, right into the backstop.

dan has his own personal cheering section as emily cries “run! run! run!” dan’s in no hurry. “i got lotsa time,” he drawls dismissively. claude is positively fed up with dan’s attitude, and throws the ball back to the catcher. an interesting layout as the ball flies IN from the audience and to the catcher, dan zipping around the diamond like it’s nothing. safe. another victorious cackle.

what a high score. just riveting! neck and neck! at the final inning. the giants are in a staggering lead of 3-0. claude is up to bat, glaring daggers against his cocky mortal foe. dan reassures him “now i’ll strike ya out so you can go home!” he gives his famous whirlwind pitch, and the ball soars right past dan, the impact causing a tremendous gust of wind to blow across the field. the next scene is wonderfully structured: “now i’ll show ya my slow ball!” carl stalling’s score does wonders as a slow, slurred rendition of “boulevardier of the bronx” accompanies dan throwing his pitch in slow motion, the ball lazily floating through the air, creeping towards claude. even greater is when claude swings his bat wildly as the ball approaches, a flurry of activity contested with such a slow moving ball—and he still misses.

stakes are high with the final pitch of the game. dan anticipates and gives one final whirlwind throw... and claude hits it. a jaunty accompaniment of “in the stirrups” as claude darts home, the crowd going wild. final score: 3-4, hickville. claude is showered in hats being thrown off the field, with him waving his own as a dejected dizzy dan trudges up to him in defeat. the cartoon ends as claude laughs in dan’s face, doing the same obnoxious cackle that dan had been taunting the entire short.

a decent cartoon, but not much above that. freleng’s best baseball cartoon (and one of his best cartoons in general) would be baseball bugs, released 10 years later in 1946. there definitely are some similarities, such as the backstop gags, but baseball bugs certainly possesses a lot more energy and wit than this cartoon. with that said, though, this is a good cartoon for its time. catchy music, decent animation, good voice acting, but it’s nothing particularly thrilling. not bad, though! i’d maybe do a one-time watch. i don’t regret watching it, but i think this was enough for me.

link!

#lt #boulevardier from the bronx #reviews #long post #freleng

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gregarnott · 2 years

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I started playing ball when I was four years old. I got some trophies, and I pitched some good games. But I couldn’t tell you the final score of any game I ever played. I just can’t remember. But I can remember my dad making me run laps when I didn’t hustle and my mom buying me some blue stirrups when I made the PAL all-star team. I remember riding my bike to 7-11 to buy Doritos and Coke in a glass bottle with my best friends Adam, Bryan, and Todd. Skinning up my knees and elbows during a Saturday morning three-flights-up game; I was bloody and so proud that I played hard. Drinking water out of the spigot outside the dugout during games, I remember that too. As I get older, I realize that it’s not the actual game that matters, but the time spent with friends and the daily adventures of growing up and getting older. Baseball is such a good catalyst for enjoying life.

We didn’t know it was the good old days. It’s a bittersweet feeling to realize that the little things ended up being the most important. We were all gonna go somewhere big when we got older. But it turns out we were already there.

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sockdreams · 6 years

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Socks Through Time: History of Top-Stripes

If you've been paying attention to fashion trends for 2018, you may have noticed that top-striped styles are currently a must-have. Being the nerds and amateur historians that we are, we decided to look into the history of this look, and the results were both surprising, and reassuring.

But what is surprising about the history of top-stripes? Well, in this day and age we tend to associate the look with sporty styles, and for most of the 20th century that's really what a top-striped sock was: athletic. However, in our research we were excited to find some super-elegant top striped stockings, such as this beautiful "clocked" style (for more info on clocking, see one of our previous blogs, Historical Costuming Part 2!) from the late 17th century.

Image under public domain, sourced from metmuseum.org, a Gift of Henri-Marcel Cadgene, 1955

Here the top stripes appear to tie the gold clocked design into the overall composition of the stocking, and may also serve to provide a reinforced/more textured area for era-appropriate ribbon garters to grip, since the blue body of the stocking would have been a fine silk. This is really just an assumption on our part, but we think it's safe to say that these were not intended for athletic wear.

The earliest appearance of something like top-striped athletic socks that our internet sleuthing skills could unearth happens in the 1910's, which seems to be about the time that sports teams began adopting them as uniform socks. Interestingly, the two or three stripes on these styles weren't placed at the very tops of the socks, but when you look at the way the members of the 1912 West Point football team (can you spot the former US President in their line-up?) wear pants that come to just below their knees, overlapping with the tops of the socks, it begins to make sense. In this context, the stripes are about as high up as you can see on the sock, creating the illusion of "true" top-stripes. On the other hand, the North Carolina Tarheels Men's Basketball team of 1911 wore shorts, which gives us a better look at their socks!

West Point Football Team, 1912. Public Domain via wikimedia commons.

North Carolina Tarheels Men's Basketball Team, 1911. Public domain via wikimedia commons.

But American Football is not the only football at play here, and the top-striped sporty sock style was definitely not confined to the 1910's! Enter Dick, Kerr's Ladies Football Club of Lancashire, England! This team was wildly popular from 1917 until 1965, when women's teams were banned by the Football Association, supposedly because women were too delicate to play sports, but most likely in reality because the women's games regularly outsold the men's games that were held on the same days. While we don't have photographic evidence of every iteration of their uniforms, we have got these lovely photos of their team from the early 1920's sporting thick, ribbed black socks with top stripes, not unlike our Sporty Stripe OTKs!

Dick, Kerr's Ladies F. C., 1921. Photo is US public domain, via wikipedia.

For a better look at those nice thick turn-cuff socks, we present you with this (incidentally adorable) photo of the team captains kissing.

The team captains, 1920. Public domain, via wikimedia commons.

Now, some of you sports enthusiasts might be wondering about a certain other ballgame with a long history of sock-related superstition, as well as multiple teams named after socks. If that wasn't enough hints, we're talking about baseball! Though the earliest uniforms used solid colored socks, by the 1930's these sporty little details had worked their way into baseball uniforms too! As you can see from this photo of the American League's 1937 All-Star players, different teams used different numbers of stripes, while the Yankee's stuck with solids (maybe because they're already wearing pinstriped uniforms). Of course the Red Sox are the sock-themed team, so it makes perfect sense that their socks would have the most stripes!

From left to right Lou Gehrig, Joe Cronin, Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Charlie Gehringer, Jimmie Foxx, and Hank Greenberg. Image sourced via Library of Congress, Harris & Ewing photograph collection.

Taking a closer look at the above image, you might also notice that those socks are lacking certain socky features... things like heels and toes. It appears that these were a sort of stirruped over-sock, which covered the white socks that you can see peeping out of their shoes. While we weren't able to find much information about this particular feature in our researching, our best guess is that this allowed for consecutive wears of the uniform "socks" without washings in-between, as the more generic foot-covering under-socks could be traded out for clean pairs each day -- it's the same reasoning behind this author's love of our Long Cuffable Scrunchable Leg Warmers. It's like my favorite socks, but I can wear them every day for weeks without washing them!

But ball sports weren't the only sports to get in on this trend! What about puck sports? You know, hockey! Introducing the Preston Rivulettes of Canada! We were delighted to discover photos of this women's hockey team in what looks like something akin to our Super Long Ribbed Leg Warmers, only with sporty stripes! Now, like the early rugby socks we looked at, the stripes aren't at the top of the sock (or sock-like garment), but their sparseness is what gives them that distinctly sporty look. Somehow two stripes just looks more aerodynamic than a whole sockful of stripes!

Preston Rivulettes Postcard, 1940. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Now let's get back to football. Or is it soccer? You know -- the one with the spherical ball! Foot(spherical)ball is by far the most popular sport internationally, and like any sport their fans are passionate. We mention this only as framing for the following image, because we want you to really feel the excitement of the moment captured! The year is 1966, and Club Atlético Peñarol of Uruguay has just won the Copa Libertadores de América -- the premier South American football club tournament. Though Peñarol had won the first two editions of the tournament in 1960 and '61, this was their big comeback after other teams took the title in 1962 - '65. You can tell from the spirit of the photo that this was a big moment for the team, as they run across the field celebrating. Possibly even more exciting is the fact that they appear to be wearing almost the exact same socks as the Dick, Kerr's Ladies Football Club circa 1921! To our minds, this firmly places the top striped athletic sock is the Classics category, along with the Doric column.

Club Atlético Peñarol's 1966 Copa Libertadores victory. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

And because we just can't get enough of those groovy soccer uniforms, it's time we took a look at what's been lauded as one of the most attractive uniform designs in football history, belonging to the Peru National Football Team. The white jerseys with red horizontal "sashes" are designed to reference games played between schools, in which both teams would wear white shirts with a removable colored sash, to easily distinguish team members. The uniform also features white socks with red top-stripes, to match.

Peru 1970 National Football Team. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

You may have noticed that the era we most associate with top striped socks is the 1960's and especially the 1970's. Another big trend that emerged at around the same time, and which coexisted beautifully with the aforementioned socks, was skating. Roller skating had already been around since 1760, and in a way it was roller skates that gave birth to the first skateboards in the late 1940's, which consisted of wooden planks with added roller skate wheels. The early 70's saw the invention of polyurethane wheels, which made for a smoother ride, better traction, and generally a more enjoyable experience. This precipitated a sudden rise in popularity for skating, and brought us the iconically 1970's skater fashions that we know and love today!

From the first Tokyo Bombers: Yasuko Sasaki, Tiger forest, Yumiko Horii, Rikki Endo, Kazuo Kono, Keiko Ayabe, Mickey Kakuda. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

For whatever reason, we found it next to impossible to find public domain photos of 1970's skateboarders, so while we aren't able to post the great photos we looked at here, we're happy to link you to them! We were really into this collection of Los Angeles skateboarders by photographer Hugh Holland. You can also find some interesting background information on how the skateboarding trend was influenced by a severe drought!

House Brand Top-Stripes

At last we have arrived at the point in our Sock Journal where we show you what we've got! Options for recreating this ultra-sporty look are luckily quite plentiful, so let's start out with some of our house brand options! While we only have two top-striped styles in our Dreamer Socks line, they're some heavy hitters! With 12 different colorways and 28 inch top-stretch, our Dreamer Americana Thigh Highs have rocketed into our top sellers! At a more classic length, the Retro Sport Socks come in three sporty colorways -- depending on your favorite team, we might even have your colors!

Dreamer Americana Thigh Highs * Retro Sport Socks

Our DreaM Stockings line includes a pretty great variety of top-striped styles, some of which are particularly good for that thicker, vintage vibe. Some are even authentically tube socks!

Dreamy Striped Over the Knee Tube Socks * Dreamy Knee High Tube Socks * Top Striped Over the Knee Tube Socks

The Skater Stripes (which are discontinued, so get yours while the getting's good!) and Sorcerer Socks are very similar beasts, only the skater stripes are a cotton blend and come in more stripe variations, while the Sorcerer Socks are nylon and feature colors for the Hogwarts houses.

Skater Stripes * Sorcerer Socks

The Skater Stripes are being phased out in favor of some of the newer options we now carry, including the taller, ribbed Sporty Stripe Over the Knee Socks, which I previously mentioned are a pretty good match for those 1920's soccer uniform socks.

Sporty Stripe Over the Knee Socks

The final styles on our tour of house brand top stripes combine two of our favorite things: marled yarn and top-stripes! If you've been following our company over the years, you may have noticed our obsession with marled socks. There was an era when we couldn't find any marled yarns and had no marled socks (after years of carrying O Marleds - the precursor to our M45s and Confetti M45s, which are made on the same machines the O Marleds used to be knitted on) but we found ways of getting around that issue, which is what happens when you're utterly determined to have your favorite pattern. We think the marriage of these two patterns is a match made in heaven!

Top-Striped Marled Slouch Socks * Top-Striped Marled Scrunchable Socks

Other Suppliers's Top-Stripes

Of course we also carry lots of top striped styles from our other suppliers! For instance, most Gumball Poodle socks, which are made in the classic "cheer sock" style, come with top stripes, but some go above and beyond, incorporating the top stripe into the design, or in the case of their PRINCESS socks, turning it into a crown.

PRINCESS Knee Highs * Stormy Weather Over the Knee Socks * Bored AF Crews

Stance is another supplier that features a lot of top-stripes, and it's not too surprising given that their styles are geared towards skateboarders and surfers! We enjoy the way they mix it up with wild patterns from time to time, too!

Durango Midcalves * Mega Babe Crews * Me Vs. You Kids' Crews

Another supplier that tends to surprise us with their top-stripes is Leg Avenue. Their offerings tend more towards the hosiery and lingerie end of the spectrum, and yet they manage to work some elegant top stripes into that wheelhouse, which is appropriately "full circle" given that we started out with those fancy 17th century stockings!

Sheer Stockings with Striped Tops * Over the Rainbow Thigh High * Lurex Anklets

Of course we have plenty of other top-striped options, but to feature all of them would make for a very long blog indeed. Instead, we encourage you to check out the entire top-striped collection, because there's a reason this look never seems to go out of fashion. As a style that has been around for centuries, top-stripes are truly timeless.

#fashion #history #socks #sports #stripes #sport socks #top-stripes #hockey #football #soccer #american football #roller skating #skate boarding #sfw

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that-wimpy-cowboy-doll · 6 years

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don’t you wanna save this dirty little damsel?

For the Steve Rogers 100th Birthday Celebration created by the lovely @mee2themoo :D

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Darcy Lewis

Overall Rating: Explicit

Chapter: 2 of 3 Read chapter one here or AO3

Summary:

It started with a simple question in Tony’s lab. And it ended up in a small town strip club, where nobody recognizes four Avengers in civilian clothes sitting in the back. Needless to say, even when he was in the ice, Steve has never had a more uncomfortable birthday. But amidst the smoke, the lights, and the skintight red, white, and blue, one Darcy Lewis is out to start some literal and figurative fireworks.

For the Steve Rogers 100th Birthday Celebration :)Title comes from Natalia Kills’s “Problem.” Prompts included: Fireworks, Baseball, Small Town, and Red, White, and Blue.

“I thought you said you wanted some, and I quote, ‘fine quality dining.’”

Steve’s tone was one of amusement, low over the sound of clinking utensils and dull chatter at the local Denny’s. Darcy smiled and swirled her French fries around in the small glob of ketchup on her plate before popping them into her mouth.

“Yeah. They make a mean Bacon Gouda Burger.” She dusted her salty fingers on her napkin, then pulled her jacket a little tighter around her. They kept the Denny’s in the little podunk town pretty damn cold, so that when it was summertime that initial walk in the doors was refreshing, but by the time you were sitting for more than ten minutes, you needed to run outside into the heat and humidity to get your jacket out of the car. “So level with me, Captain Steve. Why am I here with you right now?”

“Because you agreed to come?” She raised her eyebrows, unconvinced. He set down his Coke. “Fine. I asked you to come out with me because I think you’re an interesting girl. You had this...well, this look in your eyes. And when I was back in that club, I got to looking at the other girls and…” He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. “...they had this look in their eye like they were ashamed. And you didn’t.”

He didn’t know what he’d expected for her to do or say in response to that, but it certainly wasn’t for her to purse her lips, raise her eyebrows, and completely break eye contact with him.

Shit. “Did I say something wrong?”

She inhaled deeply and exhaled equally deeply, looking back up at him.

“Look, dude. I know you’ve only been back in the world for the last, what, eight, ten years? And in those eight-to-ten years, you’ve been shacked up in Avengers-land dealing with aliens and dictators and crazies of all shapes and sizes.” She paused to sip from her soda. “But, like, the whole ‘you’re different from other girls’ thing? Went outta style a looong time ago.” She was running her fingernails over the tabletop, brushing over the nicks and ridges. “We all do it for our own reasons. Just because my reasons might be different from the next girl’s doesn’t mean I’m any better than her.”

Steve could feel the blood filling his face. God I’m a fucking idiot. But she was still sitting there, though looking thoroughly unimpressed, picking at her cheeseburger and her French fries.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...I didn’t mean to be insensitive.” He pushed a lump of syrupy pancake across his plate, listening to the small screech his fork made across the porcelain. “But you asked why I wanted you to come out with me. And I guess the best way I can put it is that I liked how you talked to me and I liked how you seemed so confident. And I’m not always that way.” This seemed to soften her, judging by the gentle smile that rose to her lips when he said this. “So why did you agree to come out with me?”

The gentle smile turned brighter, easing some of the tension in Steve’s chest. He realized he’d been holding his breath, and exhaled softly through his nose.

“Well, for one thing, you’re pretty hot, and I’d be an idiot to say no to a date with Captain America.” She grinned. “And I’ll admit, part of me is wondering if I can’t double-cross you into going to my baby brother’s baseball game with me tonight so we can watch the fireworks after and make sure he doesn’t get into any nonsense. But, honestly, you seem very sweet. And I guess I wanna get to know Steve, not Cap.” She took a big bite of her burger, and some of the juice from the meat dripped onto her plate. “Plus, a burger with you kicks the shit out of stripping any day, to be honest.”

He smiled back at her, finally letting himself ease into his seat. He took a bite of the pancakes, now long soggy from soaking in maple syrup on his plate.

“A burger with you kicks the shit out of sitting in a strip club any day. Now, about that baseball game…”

*****

It had been a long while since he’d smelled freshly cut grass and the crisp dirt of a baseball diamond. In fact, the last time he’d smelled a baseball diamond had been before the serum, when he’d wheezed his way up to the Dodgers stadium with Bucky after school and whiffing the field had brought him into a coughing fit under the bleachers. Bucky’d made off with a strawberry blonde in a skirt that was a little tight around the hips for three innings, and Steve had watched Al Lopez fire an out at a stolen second base over the best corn dog he’d ever had.

This time, though, Darcy had pulled a couple of camping chairs out of the trunk of her little sedan and had propped them up on the other side of the third base line, just outside left field. Most of the people in the bleachers were decked in the stars and stripes, and the boys on the field wore star-spangled stirrups in celebration of the holiday. The air was still fairly thick with East Coast humidity, and the sky had begun to glow golden as the sun started going down. As the boys entered inning four, Steve was starting to think that Tony had done him a favor.

“So would it be a douchebag move to ask you why you do the whole club thing? Even if it’s out of curiosity?” He tilted his sunglasses to dim the glare glinting off one of the stadium lights. Darcy edged her chair closer to his, letting her arm brush comfortably against him.

“Because I grew up here, and every teacher I’ve ever had, almost every adult I’ve ever known never wanted to take me seriously.” She leaned forward, slipping her hair into a ponytail at the top of her head. “I did fine in school, but they always told me I wasn’t really smart enough to make up for my smart mouth.” She plucked a Gatorade out of the cooler at her side and handed it to Steve before grabbing one for herself. “I went off to college for a bit, got my B.A. in sociology, shacked up with my parents for a bit...then when I moved out I thought people’d finally take me seriously.”

“But they didn’t?”

“Nope.” She let the p pop satisfyingly at the end of her lips. “My folks kicked Taylor out not long after, so he’s been living with me for the last year and a half.” Steve opened his mouth to voice some kind of sympathy, but she shook her head, meeting his eyes through her own pair of shades. “No, don’t be sorry. He’s my best friend and he’s way better off with me than he was with them.”

“I’m glad you’ve got each other, then.”

“Soon as he graduates next year, we’re getting the hell out of this dumbass town.” She breathed it out in a sigh, fingering a loose strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail. Without thinking, Steve reached over to tuck it behind her ear. Darcy glanced up at him, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“Any idea where you want to go?” He didn’t move his hand.

“Far from here.” Her voice had turned soft. Her lips were so close, so pink, and the curve of her Cupid’s bow so gentle that Steve was beginning to think that if he leaned over just a hint, if he caught them against his just so, they might just cast a spell on him, and she might just own him forever. “Steve, I’m - ”

“THATABABY, LEWIS!” screamed out the coach at the third base line, jumping up and down, and around the bases flew a tall, gangly teenage boy, his helmet bouncing with every step. He’d rounded second and slid into third by the time the center fielder was able to return the ball to the infield. Darcy had leapt to her feet and was clapping furiously, then cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed for him.

“Yeah, Taylor!” she cheered, flashing him a thumbs up when he turned to face her from third base. He flashed her the same, and in that brief moment that Steve had been able to catch a glimpse of him, he could count the freckles on the kid’s face, he could see the chip in the kid’s third tooth from the middle, but nothing shone more from Taylor Lewis than how excited he was to see his big sister.

Steve couldn’t help the smile that clung to his lips as he clapped along. When Darcy scooted her chair closer to him again, settling into it and into the arm that had somehow found its way around her, she couldn’t help smiling either.

The game ended in the seventh inning with a score of 4-0 to the Rangers, Taylor’s team. After the obligatory coaches’ talk in the outfield, the boys cleaned up and Taylor came bounding from the dugout grinning from ear to ear.

“Holy shit. Holy shit, Darce, how’d you line this up?” He reached for Steve’s hand immediately, grasped it firmly and shook hard. “Great to meet you, Mr. Steve, I’d call you Mr. Rogers, but, you know, he’s a whole ‘nother ballpark.”

“You’re babbling, Tay. And watch the language around my friends, okay?” She elbowed him playfully in the side before reaching around for a hug, unfazed by the dirt caking his jersey.

“Captain America is your friend?” he asked incredulously, looking from one to the other, and though Steve had almost doubted it was possible, smiled even bigger. “No way, I gotta tell Jamie - ”

“Tay,” Darcy chided, folding her arms over her chest. “Nobody knows he’s down here. Give the guy a break, I’m sure he doesn’t want to sign autographs and take pictures with everyone on his birthday.”

“It’s your birthday? Dude, happy birthday! How old are you in, like, people time? ‘Cause you’ve got one of those faces, you know? Where you might be, like twenty-nine, but you could also be, like thirty-five, and it probably doesn’t make that much of a difference as you get older, plus you’re like, super-serumed up, and - ” He reached out, as if his hand was moving of its own accord, and let his fingertips brush against Steve’s chest, and for an amusing moment Steve was reminded of the way that Peggy had done the same thing about seventy years ago, and suddenly it made sense as to why he and Darcy had a strained relationship with their parents. “ - gosh, man, it’s so great to meet you.”

“Great to meet you, too, Taylor. That was a nice triple out there, by the way. You’ve got a good swing.”

Taylor’s face lit up, and it was as though Babe Ruth himself had clapped him on the shoulder and said the words to him. He shook Steve’s hand again before blushing furiously, looking back and forth between him and Darcy.

“Hey, uh, kiddo, look who’s here.” Darcy nudged him again, then pointed to a cream-colored truck that was pulling into the dirt parking lot, shiny red rims rolling through the dust. If it was possible, Taylor’s smile grew even brighter, and as though he totally forgot about Steve, he patted Darcy on the back and bolted for the truck, tossing his batbag into the back and hopping into the passenger seat.

“Who’s that?” Steve nodded at the pickup, folding his arms over his chest.

“His boyfriend.” A hand had popped out of the driver’s window, wagging at Darcy, who waved back. “Jamie’s a good kid. I’m glad they’ve got each other out here. I’d kick his ass for not coming out for Taylor’s game earlier, but he works a lot.”

“So young?”

Darcy shrugged, combing her fingers through her hair. “Got a kid sister and his mom’s sick. He takes care of ‘em. Like I said, he’s a good kid.” The last curve of the sun had finally descended below the horizon, and the brilliant gold of the sky was fading into deep crimson, then purple. Darcy plopped back into her chair, pulled a thick blanket out of her tote bag, and slung it across her shoulders. “Come sit with me.”

He took his place beside her, letting her drape the blanket around the both of them, huddling closer to share heat. Which Steve was sure he wasn’t short on, considering how close she was, the lavender in her hair drifting toward him.

His arm was around her again, and he wasn’t sure what possessed him to say it, but then he was telling her, “You know, this is the best birthday I’ve had in a really long time.” In a voice softer than he’d used in a long time. The kind of voice he used to reserve for Peggy…

“I’m glad I could be part of it,” she mumbled, leaning so that the side of her head pressed to his shoulder. “I’m gonna need to kiss a lot of ass for playing hooky, but it’s been worth it.” Her voice was soft, too, the words tumbling out of her mouth like a song that Steve had never heard.

“Maybe I could come around here more often. I could take you for some more fine quality dining.” She’d let her hand wander to his forearm, and her fingers were circling a spot on his wrist, and Steve was certain the goosebumps that sprouted up there had nothing to do with the slowly cooling night.

“I’d like that. I’d really like that.”

They sat in comfortable silence as the chirping of the cicadas rose in the distance. Darcy would turn every so often to glance over her shoulder at the cream-colored truck, and each time would nestle closer to Steve’s side afterward. Not long after the sky turned inky black, dotted with clusters of stars and galaxies, the park officials started setting off fireworks. Bursts of red exploded in the sky, then white, shimmering off into oblivion when they burned out. The sparks blew every color of the rainbow, but Steve was finding it more and more difficult to concentrate on the sky. It was like gravity itself had pulled Darcy to his side, and gravity itself was pulling his face toward hers.

He kissed her under a shower of purple, funnily enough, and her lips were even softer than he’d imagined. As the night grew darker and the sparks above them grew brighter, Steve held Darcy close, feeling her fingers thread through his hair, his own hands gently cradling the curve of her neck.

And as the sky lit up red, white, and blue, Steve was thinking that maybe, just maybe, he’d have to thank Tony when he got back.

#darcy lewis x steve rogers #wintershieldshock #steve rogers 100th birthday #steve rogers #fanfic #happy 4th of july #darcy lewis

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10point-must · 3 years

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My Dad Turns 80 - 11.04.21

My Dad turned 80 recently and we came across some of his old baseball jerseys + photos from his playing days in Cincinnati in the 1950s. I realize this is a boxing gear blog and not a baseball uniform blog, but you’re on my site -- you’ll get baseball today and you’ll like it.

The above pic is from his time playing for what we believe was an 18 or 19 & under team sponsored by Bond Hill Sport & Marine in the late 1950s. This team won the city championship, beating a team anchored by the great Roger Staubach, who played catcher when he wasn’t focused on football. Anyway - what you miss from the black & white photo above is the great red stirrups contrasting with the navy blue and white top - fortunately we found a color pic:

Around the same time he played on another team called Indian Hill (a town situated about 10 miles from the Bond Hill neighborhood). A more straightforward uni here:

And a Chief Wahoo-ish logo along the left sleeve, which would of course be out of favor today:

These unis were manufactured by Post MFG Co., based in New York City:

We also came across his little league uniform, sponsored by Solomon’s Deli:

My dad is bottom row, third from left. His dad is top row, second from right. This team went on to be runners-up for all of the 12 & under teams in Cincinnati.

Great red-blue color scheme here:

I find it fairly amusing that Solomon’s Deli decided to abbreviate Deli to “Del.” Interestingly, no numbers on these jerseys.

The jersey’s were manufactured by Okrent’s, a local shop in Cincinnati:

Not a lot of information exists, although it appears Okrent’s Men & Boys Shop is no longer operating. There was a well known Okrent’s Furniture Company in Cincinnati, but unclear if it was related. In any event, I was able to find this 1949 Cincinnati Examiner ad for Okrent’s:

Happy Birthday Dad!

Respect.

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azdmathings · 11 months

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You want to Start Next Game? I suggest you start with these!

#socks #guys in socks #sock play #cocky boys #sock worship #cocky jock #sports socks #stirrups socks #blue sock #white socks #baseball socks #baseball pants #baseball player #baseball cap

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baseballfavo · 4 years

Photo

+%^#@ TCK Elite Baseball Knee High Stirrup Socks (D, 7in) Baby Blue, White, Red https://ift.tt/34LBOdR

#baseball

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timmyrx2000 · 7 years

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Dipper Steps Up: Chapter 2

Chapter Index: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

Chapter 2

Thursday morning Mabel and Dipper stepped off the bus with six minutes to go until the homeroom bell—but instead of reporting to the classroom, Mabel went barreling through the crowded halls, out the back door, and to the gym. Dipper had no idea of what she was up to.

Until she burst into homeroom exactly five seconds before the bell rang, thrust her arms up in the air in a Rocky-at-the-top-of-the-steps pose, and shouted, "Announcement! My brother Dipper made the baseball team! And my boyfriend Chuck Taylor is gonna be team captain!"

Immediately the students as one person greeted her news flash with a thunderous round of complete apathy. These are high-school freshmen we're talking about here.

The bell rang, and Mabel slipped into her desk beside Dipper. "You didn't have to do that!" he whispered in a fierce undertone.

"Yeah, I did! Wait'll lunch! Then everybody will know!"

The teacher took attendance, passed out the lunch menus—you were supposed to pick out which of two entrées you wanted, plus beverage and sides, but it was sort of Chinese-menu style, pick one from Column A, two from Column B, and one from Column C and so on, and Mabel complained that was unfair. She had been checking everything, though so far, she had been served the first entrée, the first two sides, and the first beverage she'd checked.

Dipper said that was what she deserved, but Mabel maintained she was educating her palate, which needed it, since she still had an obsession with trying to eat everything from chalk to wood shavings, just on an experimental basis.

After roll call, they watched the ten-minute video feed from the office, run by students (Mabel dearly wanted to audition and land an anchor spot, but you couldn't until you'd been in school for one full term and carried an A average). The sports announcer said only, "The baseball roster for JV has been posted in the gym," and Mabel jumped up yelling, "That's my brother he's talking about!"

Maybe it was fortunate that their home-room teacher, Miss Othmayer, was only a few years from retirement and also, as she had said while introducing herself on the first day, the daughter of a couple who met at Woodstock, wherever that was. Whatever, she seemed very easy-going and accepting.

That afternoon Dipper learned that he would have practice twice a week during the fall, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. High-school baseball season began in February, so after Christmas they'd step up their practice days and would play every other Friday or Saturday—and sometimes two weeks in a row. To his surprise, Dipper's position, at least to begin with, would be second baseman. Well, second-string second baseman. Maybe he'd get to play a few innings. The guys socialized a little, and Dipper got to know some of them.

The JV was light on sophomores that year—just four out of sixteen. One was Xavier Eager, first-string catcher, a guy whose grandparents had come from the Phillippines and who was a good-humored, joke-cracking boy even shorter than Dipper. Everybody called him "X-Man." "Hi-Ho" was the first-string center fielder. Dipper had to ask Chuck Taylor about his real name, because the big, gangly redhead—a little like Wendy Corduroy's big brother, but a heck of a lot slimmer—was somebody everyone already knew, and he'd earned his nickname by his greeting to everybody else: "Hi-ho, Dipperino!" He was really Gordon Hathaway. Chuck himself, first-string pitcher, was the third sophomore, and the last was Wyatt Wilson, called "Dub" because, Dipper learned, he said everything double and was pessimistic: "We got a lousy team this year, guys. We got a lousy team."

All the other twelve, including Dipper, were freshmen. After some uncomfortable hesitation, Dipper finally confessed that his first name was Mason. X-Man thought about that and said, "So we'll call you Bricklayer!"

Chuck came to the rescue: "Nah, he's got a good nickname already. He's Dipper."

And that was that.

They did batting and fielding practice that day. Dipper didn't get a chance to shine as second-baseman, but he did catch two infield fly balls, and he assisted in the practice's one and only double-play, fielding a grounder to his left, stepping on second, and firing the ball to Mike Monahan at first for the play. That earned him some congratulations.

His mom picked him up after practice, and Mabel—who'd caught the bus—waited to jump him at home: "How'd you do? How was Chuck? Did he say anything about me? Did he miss me? I'm gonna watch next Tuesday! What should I wear? Does he have a favorite color?"

"Whoa!" Dipper said. "Look, don't get too far ahead of yourself! You're not his girlfriend!"

"Yes, I am!" she said. "He just doesn't know it yet. He had a girlfriend last year, but back in the summer her dad got a job as a computer systems expert with Disney World, and she and her family moved three thousand miles away to Orlando, Florida! He's ripe for the picking, Brobro! What's that?"

Dipper held up the sheet of paper. "List of equipment I need to get. I'm just planning on the minimum. This will be expensive."

She yanked the paper from his hand. "Leave it to Mabel!"

And he suspected that he would have to.

Mr. Pines, much to Dipper's surprise, reacted with Mabel-level enthusiasm to the news that Dipper was the newest member of the high-school team. Mabel confiscated his list of supplies.

Then on Friday night she went online and began to read up on what the really stylish baseball player would be wearing that season and she added to the list . . . and added to the list . . . and added to the list. By the time she finished, she had more than doubled the length of the initial handout.

That was why, the following Saturday morning—without bothering to tell Dipper—Dad and Mabel snuck away to Bayside Mall, where the big MegaSports store was. "It'll be fun surprising him!" Mabel told her father. "We'll make him look sharp, and that'll really impress Chu—I mean Coach Waylund! This'll guarantee that he gets off the bench more!"

"I'm not so sure about that," Dad told her, smiling. "But like chicken soup for a broken leg, it couldn't hurt!"

So they parked in the sprawling lot and made their way into the mall and to the huge two-level sports store. "Oh, boy!" Mabel said as they stood in the wide first-floor entrance, her eyes sparking at the sight of thousands of square feet of brightly colored merchandise from anoraks to Z-straps and everything in between. "Get out your credit card, Dad! We're going shopping!"

The first thing on the list was "Athletic cup." Mabel got a little bit indignant when she found the display. "How's anybody supposed to drink out of that thing?" she said. "Let's get a bigger one! With a handle! And that won't even stand straight on a table! It'd spill!"

"Um, it's not really for drinking," her dad told her. "And it's sort of personal, so if you want to go look for some of the other stuff on the list, I'll pick up this and the underwear."

But Mabel tagged along, and when she saw how the cup would fit into a pocket in the underwear, she said, "Oh! My mistake!" But then she wanted to know, "How come the shorts are so long? They should be called longs!"

"Princess, these are called sliding shorts. Dipper may need to slide into base," Dad explained. "These give a little protection against getting your legs scraped up. I'll get him a couple of pairs, and a cup for each one."

The school would furnish the basic uniform, but getting a higher-quality jersey and pants was optional, as long as the design was the standard Piedmont one (which the store stocked), and Mabel took advantage of that, picking out two blue-pinstriped light-gray splitter jerseys with Dipper's name and number on the back in dark blue:

PINES

Those had to be embroidered and wouldn't be ready for a week, but Mabel forged ahead. She added a couple of pairs of boot-cut game pants and a Navy-blue baseball cap with the team logo and name printed on it in gold. And batting gloves. And a batting helmet. And long-sleeved undershirts. And stirrup socks (the clerk said, "These are what give a player the look of a real pro.") And a pricey stick of Midnight Big League Eyeblack ("Makeup for hunks!" she exclaimed). And enough to cause Dad to start to experience sticker shock.

Mabel wanted to buy an extremely expensive pair of cleated baseball shoes, but Dad finally drew the line. "Dipper will have to come in for those," he said firmly. "The fit's important. He has to try them on."

"I can do that for him!" Mabel objected. "We have twin feet!"

"Not close enough," Dad insisted. "Shoes are pretty personal. And anyway, those are red, black, and gray, and the list says black and white."

It was a bit of a battle, but in the end Mabel surrendered and had to content herself with the couple of hundred dollars' worth of equipment they had rounded up so far. Ah, but then the biggest purchase of all—

"This is a beautiful glove!" Mabel yelled. "Let's buy it for Dipper!"

"Um, no," Dad said. "For three good reasons. First, it costs over four hundred dollars. Second, this one is for an adult. Third, it's a catcher's mitt."

"But he deserves the best!"

"He needs a glove that will fit, and one that suits his position," Dad said firmly. "Here you can help. Your hands are really about the same size as his. Let's look at infielder gloves. Now, for second base, he'll need a pretty shallow glove, I-web, single-post."

Mabel tilted her head. "I have no idea what any of that means."

"It means one like one of these," Dad said, showing her a display of infielder gloves. "Let's try this one."

Mabel happily tried on gloves until they settled on an eleven-inch one as being about the right size for Dipper. It cost only a tenth of what Mabel's first suggestion did, so Dad looked relieved when the clerk finally rang up the purchase—though he did have to swallow hard before signing the credit-card receipt.

Dipper opened all the packages with widening eyes and an expression that fluttered between surprise and shock. "Dad!" he said. "I don't mean to go into baseball as a career!"

"Get dressed get dressed get dressed!" Mabel yelled.

He had to give in. He felt silly in his new baseball uniform (though he wore the practice jersey the coach had handed out, since the real one wouldn't be ready for a while). With the stiff glove on his left hand—"You'll have to break it in," his dad explained—he stood in the backyard and let Mabel talk him into posing as though he were about to catch a fly ball. She took a couple of photos, wasn't satisfied, and ran into the house.

"OK," she said, "stand still! Warpaint!"

Well—eyeblack ideally should be applied in short stripes beneath the eyes. It really isn't necessary to add tiger stripes and whiskers, but Mabel did.

And, of course, that was the photo that she decided to post on Peoplebook for all the world to see.

Dipper began to dread going to school next Monday morning. . . .

To Be Continued

Note from the Authors: This was just an idea I had but the one who really worked his magic and wrote almost all of this is none other than BillEase. He’s an amazing author who usually hangs out at fanfiction.net. Don��t pass up on a chance to check out his stuff. This guy is AMAZING. He wrote the story, I just gave the plot.

#gravity falls #baseball #gf #dipper pines #mabel pines #au #mabel and dipper #fanfic #pines twins #Dipper Steps Up #Chapter 2

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