#ch: joy pham

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Social media: Neil Sadecki & Joy Pham 🎭

Extras

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I have been wanting to send you this ask especially with the fact we have a whole ex in the game but I keep forgetting.

So here goes. Please take your time with it but omg I'll love if you answer it.

Hello!! Okay so what would the ROs reaction be to MC being asked out in front of them..? (crushing stage vs. relationship stage)

Oooh, I love this question 🤌🤌 ok, soooo-

C

Crushing - Excusing themself to feel annoyed (both at themself, at MC and at the third person) alone, but acting like everything is fine (actually, everyone notices they're jealous). Especially if they're exes, it's weird for C to see MC flirting/being romantic with someone else – still, they’d rather try and suffer in silence than give MC a reason to think they care that much.

Relationship - Openly annoyed (at the other person) and not bothering trying to hide it. Let MC choose how they'd rather deal with this, but stay the whole time by their side and look at the person like "😐 seriously? Are you kidding me? How do you flirt with someone without even knowing if they're taken?".

Neil

Crushing - Watching the scene unfold. Neil gets it, honestly. He knows MC is interesting and understands why people would be drawn to them (like he is). Still, no matter if MC agrees or not to go out, Neil would force himself to stop ignoring his (obvious) feelings and finally think about whether he wants this to be something more.

Relationship - Neil had ex-partners flirting with other people just to try and get a reaction out of him before, so… yeah. He would freeze in place and brace himself for the same outcome, expecting MC to engage with it. When they don't, he feels bad for thinking they would and maybe (unconsciously) distances himself for the rest of the day thinking of how to make it up for them.

Joy

Crushing (as fwb or friends only) - Teases MC for having so many admirers and, if MC rejects the person, also for breaking hearts. Deep down, she is a bit jealous (and, like with C, some people can tell), but doesn't feel entitled to tell MC how to live their life.

Relationship - When they're official, Joy doesn't feel like she has a reason to be jealous anymore, as MC already chose to commit to her. Would still have a humorous approach to it, either telling MC what a catch they are and/or asking the other person where they (Joy, MC and them) are going for the date.

Spencer

Crushing - At first, they're impressed at how bold the person is for asking MC out so confidently without knowing what their answer will be. They would leave before hearing the answer and be jealous later, trying to decide whether to ask MC about the date or pretend they don't even remember it happened (it's all they've been thinking about all day).

Relationship - Comparing themself to the person ­🤠 convinced that MC deserves better than them 🤠 probably feeling weird and distant for the rest of the week (at least early in the relationship).

A

Crushing - Changing the subject or dragging MC out of there before they can answer, saying it's because 'you didn't want to see their disappointed face when you said no'. If they're already on the friendly side of things, A would also find any activity that they could do together without calling it a date.

Relationship - Staying beside MC, looking very smug, like 'You tell them, baby ­☝️'. If they're feeling particularly flirty/playful that day, A would be like ‘Oh, they were cute and so into you. Your partner must be really amazing. 😏'.

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please, share with us your post-divorce headcanons about the RO’s 🙏🏽🙏🏽 The people (me) live for the angst

Typical recently divorced look | Joy, Neil

Physically the same | C, Spencer

Post-divorce glow | A

It changes on whether they have kids, who initiated it, if there were any affairs (please don't cheat on my babies), but let's go with a simple scenario where the MC is the one who filled for divorce, no cheating, simply done with the marriage 👇👇👇

C — Again?! They would be embarassed for giving it a second chance no matter how many years they've spent together, and initially just their parents (after a few 'where are you two going to visit? why haven't MC answered my calls?') and (really) close friends know. C is a hopeless romantic and they had that "we found our way back to each other, we're meant to be" mind about the MC. So frustated about the situation. Acts indifferent towards their ex-spouse, but they feel... lost. They didn't saw an ending coming, but they understand that now there's no way back and would be really pissed if MC asked for one.

Neil — Feels torn inside, thinks he is hiding it just fine but actually looks like a mess to everyone else. Saw it coming, but believed the relationship could still be saved. Wouldn't ask to get back together, but would be willing to accept even if their "back together" is actually the "one last mistake with my ex before i move on" for MC (but he feels pathetic afterwards). Would throw himself at every other aspect of his life after the initial glooming — Work? Enters classes, writes during the night, start three new projects. (If they have) Kids? He already was an involved father and now he is 2x. Same with friends and his siblings. Can't be sad if you don't have time to think about it 😌

Joy — She is shocked at first, can't really articulate anything to say. I think she runs away afterwards and goes to her parents or a close friend's house and simply cries for a while. Has a good cry maybe for the first few days. Says she is fine being just friends if that's what MC wants and doesn't distance herself (she should), acts like it's all fine (it isn't) and even jokes about the situation (laughing through the pain). A part of her still thinks they could work again, and she gives herself false hope for a while.

Spencer — Made peace with that during their marriage, actually. Spencer felt like something shifted between them and was expecting the end for a few months by the time it comes. Every day was a little, like, 'was that our last kiss? is it too late for us to create happy memories?' for them. Nostalgic for something that hadn't ended yet. I guess they tried to save the relationship at the start (planning better dates, being their best self), but ended up frustated when it didn't work and made it worse. Yeah. Spencer is the RO who takes the divorce better.

A — Some days sad, but mostly spiteful. Once they hear the word 'divorce', it's over for good. Maybe there's a short lived argument between them. Either MC leaves their home, or A does, but they're not spending another second together after A says what they need to. Tells MC that anything they might have to discuss further can be said directly to A's lawyers. Blocks MC everywhere — unless they have kids, then they answer only the necessary and tries to put on a good front for the kids' sake. Wouldn't come back together, wouldn't want to be friends.

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Today I offer you 🤲 me trying to figure out the girls' styles.

Some examples I got for Cassandra:

For Joy:

And for Ameera:

Part 2 | Part 3

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Who are the big spoons and who are the little spoons out of the ROs?

I guess they're okay either way depending on the day -- but what they usually are...

Big spoons | Joy, Neil, Spencer

Little spoons | C, A

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ROs playlists 💐 (in progress)

C. Ralph

Neil Sadecki

Joy Pham

Spencer Caetano

A. Bhandari

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Any of the ROs if you romance them and Joy at the same time 😌

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#7 for all RO's?

#7: What would you (mun) yell in the middle of a crowd to find them? What would their best friend and/or romantic partner yell?

I changed it a little to what the person (MC, in this case) could do.

C: Announce a new thrifting place. One of C's favorite things about the city is how many thrifting and antique stores are there.

Neil: Find or pretend to be someone selling desserts. Neil likes anything sweet.

Joy: Just stand next to a tour guide. Joy loooves tours and is drawn to crowds of tourists.

Spencer: Offer a free class. Any class. Baking? Drums? Anything, Spencer is in.

A: I don't think they wouldn't get lost. Probably would be behind MC in silence, then hear MC saying that they got lost and be like "Me? I'm right here??" out of nowhere like a ghost.

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How about “Do they give tough love or gentle love most often? Which do they prefer to receive?” For all the ROs?

So tempted to answer that all of them should receive gentle love because they're my babies but okay 😔😔

Again, from this list!

(answers under the cut)

C: At first, gives tough love, but ends up going with gentle love. They're soft-hearted, okay? // To receive: C prefers gentle love.

Neil: Unlike what people think, Neil prefers to give gentle love, probably more times than he should. // To receive: Used to tough love. Doesn't know which one he prefers.

Joy: Gives tough love most of the time, but has her (rare?) gentle love moments. // To receive: Both. More used to gentle love, tho.

Spencer: Gives gentle love. Tried to give tough love sometimes, but it doesn't fit their style (unless there's a Reason 👀). // To receive: Tough love, actually. Spencer feels like sometimes they need a wake up call.

A: Surprising absolutely no one, A prefers to give people their tough love and has only used gentle love in some pretty specific occasions. // To receive: Tough love. They're fine with honesty and bluntness.

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have the ROs ever been in love? how much experience do they have in romantic relationships?

also, i think you mentioned that you know which characters would be interested in one night stands and which ones wouldn't... can you tell us? 👀

hope you're doing well! so excited for your IF!!

Hellooo.

Really good ask! I was thinking about it just this week (and all of the weeks before).

Okay, okay. One thing at a time. 👇👇

I think C was in love once (twice if MC is their ex). They had short (two? three?) relationships in college, but C didn't feel the same most times and I believe they just ended things after noticing the other person was more involved than they were. They felt bad about it.

I mentioned before that Neil has crushes all the time and, yeah, he does. He doesn't fall in love that easily, but he has a few relationships on his back already. Maybe... four? Five? His first love at 16/17 is the one he would say he felt the strongest about until now.

Joy fell in love once during college and it lasted for a good amount of time, but they broke up a while ago. She doesn't fall that easily, but I think Joy has experienced different kinds of relationships, like long-distance, situationships. She has a solid idea what works or not for her.

Spencer almost fell in love, but they didn't actually dated and it will probably be a topic in the IF. Pretty much a "the one who got away" situation for them and they tried to stay friends, but things are kinda weird now. Spencer isn't really used to relationships, they tend not to notice when people are seriously interested in them.

A fell in love once when they were in their teens, but it didn't work. They stayed friends for a while and just recently stopped talking. I think A had other person who they liked, but nothing too serious. They had a "looking for something casual" phase last year, but it's over now.

Now about the one night stands...

Spoilers...?

Spencer, Joy and Neil would totally do it.

The thing is: Joy is fine being casual fwb, especially if her and MC get along while they're acting and hanging out together. Neil and Spencer... wouldn't do it again.

Not saying that having a one night stand locks anyone out of their routes!! No!!

The three of them just have different ideas of what "casual" means.

I'm doing well, thanks for asking!! A bit of stress over college, but nothing unusual here.

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Hey fend I have a bone to pick with you!

I looked at the pintrest boards and although I love Em and Spencer is still and always will be life! (Good job on the boards btw you did well! Yay!! Go you! ♥️)

Also will you consider making a list of the Ros fav movies or fav plays for me plus why they love em... pretty pleasseee 💜

but

HEY! Don't distract me!!!!!

Why are you out here making side characters hot??? Kwan, Saint and Anton have no fucking logical reason to be that attractive. My eyes are ruined now. 🙄😭 thanks for that 😑

Sorry not sorry for making hot side characters 😌 (and you maybe be able to kissy kiss with Anton, who knows what the future holds)

BUT sorry sorry sorry for the delay on the ask.

Here it goes.

C

I think C looves Sci-Fi and fantasy movies, like Star Wars and Interstellar (also, they're definitely watching Dune 2), but I choose Watermelon Woman (1996) for Cassandra and Paris Is Burning (1990) for Callahan. I can imagine them age 14, starting questioning themself, hiding under the covers to watch these in the middle of the night and still considering their fav movie to this day.

For favorite play, right now I would say The America Play by Suzan-Lori Parks, because of its themes about living in your own shoes and also bc they consider it to be challenging.

Neil

I can see Neil saying his favorite movie is something classic like 12 Angry Men (1957) (why is he always telling half-truths?), but actually having a soft spot for The Sixth Sense (1999). I just imagine him putting it on TV the following week of his mother's funeral + after his grandma returned to her house and both of his siblings ending up in the living room watching it with him bc all three of them haven't be able to sleep well.

For a play, it's Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, because 1) he watched it once with his parents (it's also one of his dad's favorite plays, unfortunately), 2) the themes.

Joy

I don't feel like Joy has an actual favorite movie, I think it depends on her humor and changes basically every week bc she loves movie nights with friends and/or with her cat. The most recent one would be Boogie Nights (1997) because of vibes ✨️ and also Julianne Moore.

For play, it's The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. She wrote an analysis on it for college and now believes it's a classic for a reason. Same as movies, Joy's favorites changes for time to time, but this still holds the first place (for years now).

Spencer

Spencer has a lot of movies they consider close to heart, but some recent ones are Garoto/Kid (2015) and Sound of Metal (2019). They are captivated by the acting and the themes (they think a lot about feeling unnable to do what they love and about death, probably more than would be healthy).

I think Spencer likes a lot of plays, but never actually stopped to choose a favorite one. Right now, their answer would probably be Little Shop of Horrors, because of the combo themes + music + pratical effects + they did it once right after they started acting (as ensemble) and have good memories of it.

A

A watches a bunch of movies with their mom when she has free time, so they have multiple favorites to choose from. Right off the bat, Ameera would say Lady Vengeance (2005) and Adarsh would choose Memories of Murder (2003), simply because these are movies they really enjoyed and think about rewatching from time to time (unusual for them, who prefer to discover new movies).

Now, for play it would be Spring Awakening, because no one can convince A not to choose a musical. It's a dream role for them and one of the reasons they decided to quit ballet and choose theater (not as dramatic as it sounds, more like.... it help them realize it seemed interesting and challenging and captivating in a way they didn't feel like ballet did anymore).

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If this isn't too uncomfortable, RO's kinks? If it is, how much does each RO like cuddling and what's their fave way to cuddle

I promise you I though about their kinks and it was my exact face trying to figure it out 🧐 also I didn't want to let my personal... preferences get in the way. Yeah, what I'm saying it that I've decided to leave it to hcs.

About the cuddling...

C: likes cuddling before sleep but isn't the biggest fan of falling asleep like this bc they get uncomfortable + not used to this (or not anymore, if they're mc's ex). I think C would untangle but keep touching their partner in some way, like foot to foot or hand reaching for them.

Neil: loves it. Neil is down for any sign of affection when in a relationship, honestly. He has one stands every once in a while, but doesn't feel comfortable doing this with any them. If in a relationship with MC, he would just naturaly fall into this. Human heater.

Joy: Joy says she loves cuddling but turns away during her sleep and somehow ends up almost kicking someone in the face. Would cuddle while awake to enjoy the proximity and warmth. Likes to be the big spoon, but enjoys it anyway.

Spencer: would take their time before feeling comfortable with cuddling, even after catching feelings. They aren't used to be romantic. After they are more used to the idea? Loves cuddling.

A: likes cuddling, but acts likes they are indifferent to it. First time doing this with a partner? Act like it's no big deal, but secretly loves it. After a while? Proudly initiates it.

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Johanna 'Joy' Pham | 25 | She/her | Trans woman

Pinterest board | Physical description

Family's background: Joy is the daughter of a dentist and a historical-fiction writer. She grew up as a beloved only child, spoiled by her parents and her paternal aunt, but mostly distant to the rest of her family. Joy was a very shy child, founding her way to communicate after entering an art's group in middle school. She lives in her aunt's old apartment with her cat, but her parents visit every other day.

Personality: Joy is, as it seems, effortlessly charming and charismatic. Being one of the oldest supporters of the Sunrise Theater, she is quick to make sure every new member of their family team feels welcome, especially as she is pretty familiar with the feeling of what is like to be the new face.

She is fascinated by literature, history and seemingly forgotten facts, but Joy's past interactions already taught her that no everyone wants to hear about these.

Lyrics: You were born in July '95 in a deadly heat / You say you're a winter bitch, but summer's in your blood / You can't help but become the sun

True Blue by boygenius.

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Not the divorce!!! That's okay if you don't want to write this(just ignore it if you don't haha)! but can we please go with classical what if MC did this to protect RO's(and kids if they have any)? Like maybe MC has some crazy stalker(with typical stalker behaviour: silent calls, signs that someone was in their house, ect) and was getting threat's telling them to break up with RO's for a few months before divorce. And now some time after divorce stalker got caught but RO's get a call from the hospital because MC was stabbed/hurt(but they're alive)?

Might revisit this prompt someday, it could be nice to explore in a drabble 🧐

Needless to say, all the ROs would rush to the hospital instantly and want to be with MC while they have to stay there, but the afterwards would be a little different between them.

I think Joy and Spencer would simply want to forget the whole divorce/stalker situation and focus on the healing. Joy tries to distract MC and make staying at the hospital a less agonizing experience, while Spencer is the worried spouse who has a lot of questions to the nurses and doctors.

C and Neil are... conflicted. They're relieved that MC is now safe and they understand their reasons — but at the same time they thought their relationship wasn't a place for lies or omissions like that. They're a little shaken up. Both are (badly) trying to ignore the feeling for now, tho.

And A, oh, they're disappointed. Happy that nothing... worse happened, but definitely disappointed after the initial shock. I even started to write about it.

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What is the most emberassing thing the ROs ever did?

I need cringe real bad

It got kinda long, I'M SORRY (and thanks for the ask, it was fun).

Most embarassing things under the cut:

C: They told everyone (friends AND most of their family) that they were going to college to be an accountant like their parents. Imagine C, in their first college break, going out with old friends to catch up, getting really drunk, returning to their parents' home, finding their sweet grandma and also their uncle there, getting on a table and telling everyone they didn't give a shit (they do) about what they think, they're actually studying physics and, also, they're going to be an actor after college no matter what their family think about it. Yeah. C didn't remember much of it in the morning.

Neil: Neil and A kind of grew up together and A loves musical theater, so I'm pretty sure that they convinced Neil that they should audition together for a high school musical (no puns). The thing is... Neil is a terrible actor... and an even worse singer. Most of his friends were there and his teacher was really excited to see him on a stage bc of his parents (as always). Also, I'm sure he noticed how terrible he was in the middle of it and tried to make up his own lyrics. First and last time he sang in public. (Neil at 14 and 25 are almost different people)

Joy: When Joy wrote a 50-chapters-long Good Omens fanfiction inspired by Romeo and Juliet during her free time between college classes, accidentaly emailed it to her Classical Studies' teacher instead of the actual research he asked for and then skipped his class for two whole weeks hoping it was long enough for him to forget about it. He was nice enough and never asked her about it, but kept saying "And make sure it's the right document!" for the rest of the semester.

Spencer: Spencer befriended a few jocks during their high school years and then they started to believe that Spencer could be a good athlete if they put on a little more effort. Their school's team wasn't so popular with applications at the time and they really needed another player, so Spencer was too nice to say no (and what if they were secretly good?). They got into the team, went to their practices for a few months, but in their first real game, Spencer was so nervous and uncoordinated that they were hit in the face by a ball and just passed out right there.

A: They don't get easily embarassed, A tries not to regret any of their actions. I think one moment they would think about and get a little... shy (?) is when they got their wisdom teeth removed and asked Neil to film everything because they were curious about the anesthesia's effects. Somewhere out there you can find a really long video of A just making terrible jokes, hugging random strangers and trying to make silly songs (and laughing at their own efforts). They dislike it and made Neil promise he wouldn't ever show in to anyone.

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ROS' physical descriptions

They’re black and dark-skinned, with brown eyes and dark hair. C is a little shorter than the average height, which they inherited from their mother, and thin. Cassandra keeps her coily hair in long twists that reach to the middle of her back, while Callahan prefers his hair in short braids. Their dimples show when they smile. They like accessories such as necklaces (day-to-day) and rings (sometimes) and would describe their clothing as casual streetwear, with baggy clothes. 

He’s white, with dark green eyes and wavy blonde hair which he usually keeps short. Physically, Neil really resembles his father. He’s a bit taller than most and not as thin, with big shoulders and soft body parts. Neil wears panto-shaped eyeglasses with dark rims, sometimes uses earrings and would describe his style as light academia, with button downs and turtlenecks.

She has light skin and is of Vietnamese heritage. Joy has dark eyes and wavy dark brown hair, currently at shoulder length. She is of average height. Joy has freckled cheeks. She usually dresses casual but tries to make it seem more stylish, mixing daily clothes with leather jackets and boots, which can make her seem taller on occasion. Usually only wears earrings.

Spencer is white and tanned. Their eyes are dark brown and so is their full, curly hair.Taller than most and kind of thin, but muscular. Spencer has a few light freckles from their mother’s side of the family. They dress in a casual grunge way, with a lot of jeans, flannels and random band t-shirts. Spencer has a cut in their chin. They wear black and small earrings and have a few tattoos on both arms. 

They have brown skin. A have dark eyes and wavy dark brown hair. They are shorter than average and thin. Ameera has long hair that goes a little under her shoulders and spots a shag haircut and bangs, while Adarsh’s hair is cut a bit above his ears. They usually like to dress in warm colors, throwing accessories or a black item to keep it interesting. They have a septum piercing and other two on each ear.