#elephant toothbrush

[thatsbelievable]

[blujayonthewing]

one downside of deciding one of my OCs' dads is a dentist is that I've spent more time than I ever would have expected thinking about the biology of different fantasy races' teeth

[moonstruckme]

mae, congratulations on 8k and happy holidays ahhh!!! if you have the time, i could totally see something fun with tasm! peter and the prompt office christmas party. like coworkers to friends to pining and confessions? basically it’s giving jim and pam teapot, BUT i would love to see where your brain takes it

Thank you for requesting! Happy holidays :)

cw: jokes are made about Peter's appearance, but they're very, very sarcastic

coworker!(tasm)Peter Parker x fem!reader ♡ 639 words

You never usually wear red. It’s not like it’s one of Peter’s favorite colors anyway—he only really wears it for one thing, even if that’s pretty much every day—but he feels suddenly robbed having never seen it on you before. As if you’re not eye-catching enough already, your holiday sweater makes you the brightest thing in the room. 

Peter goes to it like a moth to a flame. Though, in fairness, that’s your usual effect on him, sweater or no. 

“Oh, wow, you lucked out,” he says, raising his eyebrows at your white elephant gift. 

You look up from your desk, grinning when you see Peter. “I know, right?” You hold your prize up enthusiastically, like they’re the keys to your new car and not slippers designed to look like giant man feet with a bow slapped on top of them. “Can you believe I started with a bluetooth shower speaker and worked my way up to these? I mean, Christmas is over at this point. Everyone else can go home.” 

“Those will probably be the best give you’ll ever get,” Peter agrees. He leans against your desk, careful not to disturb the pens lined up neatly by your laptop. “You really managed to land on a personalized one, too. Did you already know they made slippers that match your feet, or did you just find out today?” 

Your shoulders hitch with a laugh, pretty eyes sparkling. Peter feels a warm tug in his gut. Any day he can make you smile is a good one. 

“What did you get?” you ask him. 

“Oh, mine came from the boss man himself.” Peter reaches into his small gift bag, pulling out his prize. “Check this baby out.” 

Your smile stays in place, but you look genuinely perplexed. “A toothbrush?” 

“Not just any toothbrush.” He presses a button on the side, watching your face as a song begins to play from a small speaker. Baby, baby, baby, ohhhh…

Your mouth actually drops open before you cover it with a hand, giggles muffled into your palm. “Okay, wait, wait. I actually want that one now.” 

Peter hisses through his teeth, shrugging remorsefully. “Sorry, but I don’t think I can part with it. It’s too important to me. Anyway, you’ve got your slippers, and they suit you so well…” 

“Right, but” —You school your expression into solemnity. Peter has to work hard to suppress his own grin, thinking to himself that you look like a contestant on that Shark Tank show— “have you considered the potential of these slippers in your love life? I mean, I’ve already basically got it covered with my feet, but Peter…” You hold the slippers up, letting them dangle from a single finger. “These could be a real babe magnet.” 

Peter lets out a long exhale, pretending to consider it. “That’s true. I could use a little help on the dating front…” 

“You could,” you say sympathetically. 

“I mean, my looks on their own are hardly doing the job.” 

“It’s not your fault we weren’t all born naturally attractive.” 

“I am pretty plain…” 

“Homely, even. But that’s alright.” You hold the slippers out again. “That’s where these come in.” 

“Okay.” Peter feigns reluctance, handing over the toothbrush. “You’ve got a deal.” 

“Yes!” Every hair on his leg stands at attention when you put your hand on his knee, squeezing. You’re smiling beatifically. “Thank you, Peter. This means the world.” 

“Yeah, well, you’re doing me a favor too.” He sets his hand on top of yours, squeezing also. “Pleasure doing business with you.” 

Your eyes drop to your hand as if realizing where it is for the first time, and Peter pretends not to notice when your eyes flicker up to his, the teasing in them giving way momentarily to bashfulness. He got the best gift today, for sure. 

[fishfooddude]

No Phone Policy 4.0

Originally, this was going to be the final part, but my word count got up to about 3k, and it was a lot to process. I also like odd prime numbers, so maybe one more part after this or two... maybe three, but that feels ambitious.

The Bear MasterList

Directory

Part 3

“Should we try to get him out of the house?” Syd whispered to Richie. He shook his head, “I don’t know what to do.” He felt defeated. Richie watched Mikey’s downward spiral. He tried to help him, but it wasn’t enough. He couldn’t watch the same thing happen to Carmy; he couldn’t lose Carmy, too.

“What the fuck should we do? I don’t know how he’s gonna react when she comes home with the baby.” Syd sighed as she anxiously chewed her lip. She’d seen how Carmy reacted to stress in the past, but she’d never seen him like this.

Carmy hadn’t slept since you’d kicked him out of the hospital room. He couldn’t remember what day of the week it was. He’d been meal-prepping all of your favorite dishes. He cleaned and sanitized every bottle, pacifier, and every part of your breast pump. He cleaned the entire house with a toothbrush and ensured the nursery was ready to go, and there was no dirty laundry. The house had never been this clean. He wasn’t eating and stunk of a cocktail of cooking oil, body odor, and bleach. Syd and Richie had been in your home for hours, but Carmy hadn’t acknowledged their existence. 

“Yo, Cousin.” Richie’s voice boomed through the empty kitchen. Carmy looked up at im from the floor; he’d been on his knees scrubbing the kitchen floor, muttering incoherent nonsense. “Take a fuckin’ shower, Carmen. You fuckin’ stink.” Richie leaned against the counter and watched Carmy throw his scrub pad on the floor by his feet before he stood up and stormed out of the kitchen. He shoved past Sydney before trudging upstairs.

“What the fuck was that?” Syd’s eyebrows knit together as she confronted Richie in the kitchen. He shrugged, “I told him the truth.” 

 ~

“Thanks for the ride, Natalie.” you grinned as she parked in the driveway. She nodded, “Come on, let’s get Wolf inside.” 

Natalie helped you out of the car and grabbed your bag while you unclipped Wolf’s car seat from its base. “Are you sure you want to do this, Y/N? You’re more than welcome to stay—” You cut Natalie off with a passive affirmation about you being fine. Something in you told you going home with Wolf was a mistake, but you couldn’t avoid Carmy forever, no matter how much you wanted to…

Syd’s eyes lit up when she saw a sleeping Wolf in her car seat. “Oh my god—she’s so beautiful!” she attempted to hush her excited squealing. You grinned, “Thanks, Syd. Listen, I want you guys to swoon over my baby all day, but ya know… the elephant in the room and all…” you half-heartedly joked, trying not to cry when the thought of Carmy was brought to the forefront of your mind. 

Reluctantly, Syd and Natalie left after a lot of convincing. Richie stood his ground as the women reluctantly left. “Richie, I’ll be okay.” you sighed as you unbuckled Wolf to pull her out of her car seat. He shook his head, “Look, Carmys scarin’ me. I just want to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.” you nodded and held Wolf close to your chest as you slowly climbed the stairs, Richie hot on your trail.

~

Carmy was lying on the floor of the nursery. He closed his eyes and pushed a hand through his damp, messy curls. As footsteps approached the nursery, he perked up, turning his head to face the pale yellow door. “She’s eatin’ and shit, right?” he heard Richie’s voice echo through the hall. When Carmy heard your snicker, he rose to a sitting position. You came home. 

“I’ll ask Tiff if she has any of Eva’s baby stuff- that shits fuckin’ expensive.” Richie offered as the two of you found your way to the master bedroom so you could set Wolf down in her bassinet. “Thank you, Richie. Any idea where Carmen went?” you anxiously asked as you carefully laid Wolf down. “He fuckin’ stunk, so hopefully, the lizard showered.” Richie laughed before turning his attention from you down to Wolf. Even sleeping, he could tell she would be a carbon copy of you, “She has Carmy’s eyes.” you said when you noticed how Richie was staring at Wolf. He grinned, “You did it, kid… by yourself.” 

Before you could say anything else, you saw Carmy standing in the doorframe. You swallowed hard, suddenly nervous over the thought of actually talking to Carmy. The two of you looked at each other, and as much as you wanted to skin him for missing Wolf’s birth, he looked ill. As a tense silence fell over the room, Richie cleared his throat, catching both your and Carmy’s attention. “You know, I should probably head over to the restaurant. Let me know if you need anything, kid.” Richie said in your direction before turning his attention back to Wolf, “Bye, sweetie.” 

Carmy moved to allow Richie out of the room, “Don’t be stupid.” he whispered as he exited. Carmy rolled his eyes and stared at you, taking in your appearance. You looked tired, your hair was in a bun, and you wore an oversized t-shirt with a pair of equally oversized sweatpants and sandals. He immediately noticed your engagement ring and wedding band were missing from your finger. “Are we okay?” he asked immediately, feeling stupid as the words left his mouth. You scoffed, “We’re absolutely not okay, Carmen. Bond with your daughter. I’m gonna take a shower.”

You pushed past Carmy and headed to the impeccably organized linen closet. Carmy watched as you plucked one of the larger black towels from the bottom shelf and one of your special hair towels before stomping to the guest bathroom.

Carmy stepped into the master bedroom and heard Wolf’s soft half-awake gurgles coming from the bassinet. He looked over it and saw her wrapped up in a tie-dye swaddle- most likely a gift from your Dad. “Hi baby, I’m your Daddy.” he carefully reached down and picked Wolf up. She squirmed as he cradled the baby in his arms before settling a chubby cheek against his chest. “I’m never going to be able to forgive myself for missin’ your birth, princess. I’m always gonna be there now. I promise.” 

~

“Don’t touch me.” you snapped as you felt Carmy shift closer to you in bed that evening. “Y/N, it’s been a month-”

“Yeah, and I’m still pissed.” you cut him off with a huff making Wolf stir in her bassinet. “Go to sleep. It took forever to get Wolf down, and I don’t want to fight in front of her.” you pulled your blanket up to your chin as you scooted closer to the edge of the bed to get away from Carmy. 

“Why the fuck did you name our daughter Wolf?” Carmy scoffed as he sat up in bed, frustrated. You ignored his criticism, which just made him more frustrated, “Will you fuckin’ talk to me?!”

You sighed and sat up in bed. You glared in Carmy’s direction, “Carmen. We’re not fighting in front of the baby.”

“Then fuckin’ talk to me!” Carmy got out of bed. He began pacing around the bed, anxious energy radiating from him like a nuclear explosion. You huffed as you scooped Wolf up. You’d known Carmy long enough to know he was about to explode. You got out of bed and pushed past Carmy to exit the bedroom, “Where the fuck are you goin’?” he yelled after you.

You ignored his yells as you entered the nursery to set Wolf down in her crib. After turning on the white noise machine on her bookcase, you exited the nursery to find Carmy standing in the doorway of the master bedroom. “If we’re going to talk, you need to talk. You yell at me; I’m ending the conversation,” you said matter-of-factly as you crossed your arms over your chest. 

Carmy scoffed and brought his hand to scratch his nose, “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I missed the birth, okay? I can’t go back and change it, and I’m fuckin’ pissed off that you’re actin’ like a fuckin’ bitch about it. Okay! Accept my fuckin’ apology so we can go back to fuckin’ normal.”

You stared at him and took in his words, “You know what, Carm. I absolutely will NEVER accept your fuckin’ apology. You’ll never understand how scary it was to give birth alone. You’re a fucking failure as a father and husband. If I had the means, I woulda left your ass.” you spat at him. 

Carmy’s face contorted in anger, “That’s the meanest shit you’ve ever fuckin’ said to me. What the fuck is wrong with you?” he watched as you crossed the hallway to go back into the bedroom. You pushed past him, making him turn on his heel. He grabbed your wrist and yanked you toward him, making you gasp, “Don’t fuckin’ ignore me. I’m fuckin’ sick of this shit.” 

You tried to pull your wrist out of his grip, only for him to tighten his grip. “Carmen. You’re hurting me.” you winced as you brought your other hand up to push against his chest. He grabbed your other wrist and pulled you closer to him. “You’re not fuckin’ leavin’ me, okay?” Carmy hissed as he stared down at you. “Carmen, you’re scaring me…” your voice cracked slightly. Carmy huffed and dropped your wrists, “Let’s go back to bed.” 

You watched Carmy walk to his side of the bed and slip under the covers. Cautiously, you went to your side and stiffly laid down. You flinched when you felt Carmy’s arms wrap around your waist. You swallowed softly and allowed him to pull you against his chest, “I love you. I’m not gonna miss anythin’ else, okay?” Carmy mumbled against your shoulder before softly kissing your exposed skin.

Part 5

[ceeplays]

Favorite Default Replacements & Game Override Mods (Part 1 - Object Overrides)

A compiled list of my favorite default replacement and override mods from the past year, plus a few classics that I just couldn't leave out. This is Part 1/3 of a collection of cc finds.

(More info and download links below the cut). ♥

𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝒩𝑒𝓌 𝒴𝑒𝒶𝓇! ₊˚⊹ ᰔ

I hope you all had a lovely, restful holiday, and that the bugs in For Rent haven't made you rage quit just yet. •ᴗ• I don't know about you guys, but lately I've been feeling extra grateful for all the stunning creations our modding community has been releasing. So, I figured I'm long overdue for another mod rec list and voila! - here we are.

This time, I'll be linking my favorite default replacement and override mods! While I mostly focused on newer releases, I also tried to add some overrides I don't frequently see mentioned on YT or in rec lists.

The original post got quite lengthy, so Tumblr forced me to divide this list into three (3) separate parts (sorry for the inconvenience!). - Part 2: Food & Kitchen, and World Overrides (here) - Part 3: Electronics & Font Replacements (here)

As always, I hope you find this useful, happy holidays to all who celebrate, & happy simming! ♥

------------------₊˚⊹♡

Object Overrides:

@kirsicca : (1) The Modern Loveseat, (2) The Amaranth Sink, (3) Barely-Used BG Toilets

@surely-sims : (1) Growing Together Treehouse (becomes seasonal), (2) Vanity Make-Up Props, (3) Fire Alarm, (4) No Footprint Sleeping Bags, (5) Invisible Bassinet, (6) Basinet, (7) Booboo Billy Toy, (8) Nesting Blocks

@depthofpixels-cc : (1) Growing Together Treehouse Slide

@cowplant-snacks : (1) Seasons Holiday Tree

@lonvely : (1) Magnolia Promenade Trolley, (2) Toothbrush

@symphonysim : (1) Horse Grooming Tools

@dscombobulate : (1) Boxing Gloves, (2) Toothbrush

@superflare : (1) Infant & Toddler Sippy Cup

@simder-talia-blog (original creator unknown) : (1) Ice Skates

@elflike : (1) Ice Skates

@duplica-imite : (1) Ice Skates

@vroshii : (1) Ping Pong Paddle (becomes tennis racket)

@myxdollyt : (1) Fenty Make-Up Override, (2) Bratz Make-Up Override

@simmerwellpupper : (1) Game Controller (PS5 DualSense Controller)

@largetaytertots : (1) Default Replacement Haul (Lipstick, Pet Carrier, Mop, Pet Leash, Rake, Snow Shovel, Infant Toy, & more!), (2) Laundry Pile, (3) Folded Laundry, (4) Razor, (5) Cleaning Overrides (Sponge & Cleaning Spray)

@vixonspixels : (1) Female Roller Blades, (2) Folded Laundry, (3) Infant Bath Sponge, (4) High School Bus, (5) Restaurant Menu, (6) High School Homework, (7) High School Textbook, (8) University Homework, (9) Pencil, (10) Dog Leash

@bbygyal123 : (1) Infant Carrier

@apricotrush : (1) Scrub Daddy Sponge, (2) Presents, (3) Cleaning Spray

@serkisyan : (1) Playing Cards, (2) Make-Up, (3) Mail Envelopes/Bills, (4) Paint Brush/Easel Pencil, (5) Electric Toothbrush, (6) Charcoal Toothbrush, (7) Infant Bottle, (8) Cleaning Spray #1, (9) Cleaning Spray #2

@channel4sims-cc : (1) Aquarium Fish, (2) Kitchen Sponge, (3) Infant Bath Seat, (4) Infant Rubber Duck

@sims41ife : (1) Totoro Watering Can, (2) Laundry Bag & Pile, (3) Public Phone Booth (includes simlish swatches), (4) Game Controller, (5) Coffee Cup

@awingedllama : (1) Infant Crib, (2) Game Controller, (3) Bassinet

@cecesimsxo : (1) Infant Bottle

@ellcrze : (1) Infant Bottle, (2) Sponge

@bellassims : (1) Mysims Trophies (become squishmallows), (2) Mysims tTophies (become tsum tsum plushies), (3) Mysims Trophies (become disney tsum tsums)

@cocoelleansims : (1) Infant Bottle, (2) Grocery Bag, (3) Plopsy (becomes etsy)

@imfromsixam : (1) Infant Bottle, (2) Infant Rug, (3) Stand Mixer, (4) Invisible Bassinet

@hydrangeachainsaw : (1) Game Controller #1, (2) Game Controller #2, (3) Infant Bath Seat, (4) Infant Bottle (warning - paywalled)

@pixelvibes : (1) Elephant Watering Can (warning - paywalled), (2) Infant Bath Seat (warning - paywalled)

------------------₊˚⊹♡

the end! ♥

[janeyseymour]

I hope you’re feeling well!

This prompt is kinda a part 2 for Warmth. The reader stays at Mel’s house so much that they are already living together at this point but nothing between them is official nor neither asked the other to live together.

Don’t know if your mind will take you to hurt, comfort or some other feeling but can you make it with a sweet ending with them being cute and living together? Thank you ❤️

hi! i got you, homie! here you go! as per usual... not edited in the slightest n hopin it's enough of a slay

Warmth- pt 2

Part 1

wc: ~3.4k

Since staying at Melissa’s house for the first night, and then a second night, and then an unexpected third night because she missed you, you and the redhead spent most of your time together.

The two of you arrive to Abbott together- whether that be because you were at her house already, she was at your apartment, or one of you had picked the other up depended on what had happened the previous night. You spend any time at the school that you can together, whether that be at lunch, standing next to each other at assemblies, or sitting with her and Barbara during meetings. You usually have dinner together, unless one of you has plans for dinner with friends. But even then, the two of you end up together sharing a bottle of wine or having a nice mug of tea to debrief about the day’s events. And then sometimes you stay the night, sometimes she stays the night, and occasionally you have to slip out once she’s already asleep because you have things you have to get done at your apartment.

But those days are coming to an end, and you find that you’re rarely at your apartment anymore besides to get mail or grab clothing for the next coming days. And even then? You have a drawer at Melissa’s, you have a toothbrush, spare blankets, she even has a mug that is specifically for you in her cupboard. 

The two of you are practically living together at this point, although neither of you has said anything about the situation at hand. In fact, the two of you haven’t even discussed the two of you seeing each other. You meant to, but… it just never happened. You actually haven’t kissed aside from when you’re… The elephant in the room hasn’t been addressed, and you’re just a bit too nervous to say anything about it. So, you don’t bring it up. And for some reason, she doesn’t either.

“Mel?” you knock on her front door, a bottle of white in your hand to drink with her. You reach for the knob and turn, but she’s beaten you to it.

She opens the front door, hair knotted up and her glasses on the bridge of her nose as she scrolls through her phone. “Hey, hun.”

“Hey,” you smile at her and take in her appearance. Even in her sweatpants, Eagles sweatshirt, and no makeup, she’s the most amazing woman you’ve laid your eyes on.

“Are y’gonna come in, or do I need to give you a personal invite?” she teases you. “C’mon, now.”

You brush past her, your side that grazes her figure burning.

“Took you long enough to get here,” she chuckles as she closes the door behind you and heads for the kitchen. You make yourself comfortable on the couch before opening the wine and pouring it into the two offered glasses.

“I know,” you chuckle. “I kept trying to leave earlier, but Alex had some things she had to debrief with me.”

“I’m just teasing,” she nudges you and sips her wine. “Thanks for coming.”

The two of you spend the rest of your night sitting on the couch chatting about your days before retiring up to her bedroom like you usually do.

You spend the next morning getting ready together before you have to part ways to get to school. You wake up in her arms as you always do- happy, warm, feeling like you’re on top of the world. She makes you breakfast, the two of you enjoy a cup of coffee together, and then you set off to get ready. Like usually, the redhead makes herself cozy next to you at the vanity to get yourself right and for her to put her face on. It’s close, it’s intimate. Then you’re climbing into your car and she’s getting into hers with words of, “See you soon, be safe,” despite the fact that both of you know you’ll be taking the exact same route and one of you will simply be behind the other person.

When you’re in the school, the two of you grab your cups of coffee, and you settle in to watch the morning news. It’s a nice morning, and then the two of you are heading to your respective classrooms to get ready for the students. You of course saunter into her classroom with her, having nothing to really prep before the school day starts. You perch yourself on her desk as she answers some parent emails and looks over her lesson plans for the day. It’s nice, it’s quiet, and you enjoy just being with her. But then you look over at the clock, and the kids will be coming in all too soon, so you know you have to get over to your own classroom.

Without thinking, you lean in and kiss her. “I’ll see you later tonight. Love you.”

And then you both freeze. Did you really just kiss her- at school no less? Did you really just so casually tell her you love her for the first time? Your eyes grow wide, as do hers. And then you just run- you absolutely bolt out of her room and into your own. You have no idea what the fuck to do.

You actively avoid her for the rest of the day, and she knows it. You quite literally refuse to look in her direction. It’s an odd, tense day between the two of you, and everyone has taken notice- specifically Barbara. You don’t flirt with her, you don’t sit with them during lunch, you make a choice to close your door during your prep when it would usually be wide open for any of the crew to waltz in and strike up a conversation. You practically sprint out of the school once your last student is gone.

“Girl, where has Y/N been today?” the kindergarten teacher asks her best friend. “I feel like I only saw her this morning when we were watching the news.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Melissa plays it off. “She’s probably busy with her kids and the testing and stuff that we have to do.” She knows that’s not entirely off- but she also knows that you are currently ahead of where most of the other teachers are for all of the testing. 

You drive back to your apartment, not quite feeling welcome at Melissa’s anymore. Even though you hadn’t meant for those words to spill out of your mouth, she didn’t reciprocate- and you don’t know how to take that. Maybe she felt the same way and just didn’t get a chance to voice that before you ran. Maybe she simply doesn’t reciprocate those feelings. Maybe… you don’t know. Once you pull into your parking spot, you lay your head on your steering wheel and just want to curl up and drink a bottle of wine. So that’s pretty much what you do. You grade about half of their math tests before you give up and drive to the liquor store to grab your favorite rosé. 

That night, you stare at the ceiling for the longest time. You haven’t slept on your own in so long. Really, it’s been almost… three months since you’ve slept on your own. You don’t even know how to do it anymore. It feels so lonely. You have half a mind to text Melissa, but you can’t muster up the courage. You haven’t sent her a text since this morning, terrified of what her reaction might be. 

You don’t know this at the time, but Melissa is wrestling with the idea of texting you. She misses having you as her human blanket and being your human furnace. She misses the sweet, soft goodnight. The bed feels empty without you. But with you avoiding her, she really doesn’t want to stir up anything. She knows that sometimes you need a breather before you’ll address the situation, much like herself.

Neither of you sleep well. Both of you show up to school absolutely exhausted, dark circles under your eyes from the lack of sleep. 

When you enter the break room for a much needed cup of joe, she’s sitting there picking at her nails as she tries to engage in a conversation with Barbara. You don’t say hello to anyone, actively avoiding the redhead and making it very clear. You simply brew a pot of coffee, fix it to your liking, and head out with a soft, “I have some work I have to get done.”

You avoid the staff room like the plague, and you wait until Melissa is out of her room to make any exits from your room for the day. It’s weird.

She’s miserable through the whole day, and the entire school knows it.

The rest of the week goes on like this.

“Girl,” Ava comes knocking at your door as you’re getting ready to head out for the weekend.

“What’s up?” you ask.

“You gots to fix whatever the hell is goin’ on with you and Red,” the principal tells you as she points a perfectly manicured finger at you. “Melissa’s back to her walkin’ around the halls without bending her knees and threatening to give the cameramen a colonoscopy with a fork again when they try to ask her what’s wrong.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ava,” you roll your eyes. “I’ve just been busy with… you know, work stuff. The stuff I’m getting paid to do?”

“You n’ I both know you’re all caught up and you’re avoiding your woman,” the woman says seriously.

“She isn’t… she isn’t my woman,” you say quietly as you go to leave. But Ava has other ideas in mind and blocks you from exiting the classroom.

“Oh please,” she rolls her eyes as she leans against the doorframe. “You two show up together, you flirt constantly, she makes you coffee, you share lunches… she even lets you wear her Eagles sweatshirt when you’re cold. Sounds like she’s your woman.”

“Ava,” you sigh.

“Fix it!” she instructs. “I don’t need another lawsuit because of Melissa. I have enough of my own to charisma my way out of.” With that, she turns on her heel and leaves.

You sigh as you exit the building and make your way to your car. You see that Melissa’s car is still there, and there she is… sitting in it with a pout on her face. She just happens to look up, seeing movement out of the corner of her eye. You make direct eye contact with her. She raises her brow. 

It’s now or never. You head over to your car to put your things away before you’ll make your way over to her. But as you unlock the door to your vehicle, you hear hers speed away. You fucked that up.

With a sigh, you climb into your own car. You drive to one of the liquor stores, pick up her favorite bottle of wine as a peace offering, and go to the redhead’s house. You gather yourself for a moment in her driveway before getting out and hustling to the front door. You knock a few times. Usually, you would just let yourself in after knocking, but you don’t feel that’s appropriate at the moment. So you take a step back and wait for her to open the front door. She does so with a scowl.

“What?” is all Melissa gets out before walking away. Seeing that she didn’t slam the door in your face, you take that as an invite to enter.

“I brought wine,” you say softly. “Care to share with me?”

“And why would I do that after you’ve avoided me for the past two days?” the fiery woman challenges you. “After you say that you love me, and then run and hide away?”

“I- I’m sorry,” you sigh softly, shifting from side to side and suddenly feeling very self-conscious. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” she raises an eyebrow as she sits back down on her couch, folding one leg underneath of her. The second grade teacher crosses her arms and waits for you to speak.

“Can I open this, and we can have a glass while we talk?” you ask feebly. Honestly, you could use the liquid courage.

“Nah,” she tells you. “I wanna hear what you have to say for yourself, and then I’ll decide if you can stay or if I’m gonna kick you out and tell you to go to hell.”

With a sigh, you set down the bottle before looking to her. “Can I sit?”

“If you must,” she rolls her eyes. You do. She waits.

“Mel,” you say softly. “I-“ you mull over how to say all of this, what’s on your chest right now. “I know I have a thing for you, I know you have a thing for me. We’ve essentially been dating for the last however many months-”

“-Three months, nine days,” she cuts you off.

“Right,” you inhale. “But we haven’t discussed anything- we don’t even kiss unless we’re fucking… But everything aside from that feels so domestic. When I kissed you so casually and told you I loved you, I- I freaked out a little. So, I ran. I didn’t want to hear you laugh in my face or tell me that I was an idiot, or whatever Italian slang you would use, or… I don’t know,” you shrug your shoulders. She continues to just stare at you, although now her head is cocked to the side as if she’s thinking.

“I- I meant what I said,” you admit quietly. “I do love you.”

“And that’s why you ran?” the redhead asks you flatly.

“Yeah,” you sigh softly. “I am so, undeniably in love with you, and that terrifies me. I don’t wanna lose you, but I think I might’ve already. So… I’ll just get my stuff and… you can keep the wine, and-”

“You ain’t gonna let me tell you my side of the story?” she asks lowly.

“I mean… I’m assuming this is the part where you tell me to pack my shit and go to hell? I fucked up, and I know I did, and I’m so-”

“For Christ’s sake, Y/N,” Melissa cuts you off. “You’re rambling like Janine. Let me get in a word or two.”

You close your mouth and gesture for her to speak, biting your lip nervously.

“When you said it, yeah, I was shocked. But then you ran before I could get the chance to say anything.” she tells you. “N’ I was gonna talk to you and tell you how I felt, but then you avoided me like the fuckin’ plague and didn’t give me a chance. So, I was givin’ you some space, ‘cause I know sometimes you need a day. But you took a God damn week! And I’ve been miserable! Because all I wanted to do was text you, tell you to come over, we could talk it out. I was hopin’ you would come talk to me today in the parking lot when you saw me, but then you went to your car instead of over to me.”

“I was going to come over after I put my bags down, but you didn’t give me the chance,” you tell her.

Your words fall upon deaf ears, because she’s still going. She stands from her place and starts to get in your face, the way that you’ve seen her do to others when she’s all fired up. “I had this whole big speech prepared about how I was sorry I didn’t react quick enough, and how I was hoping we could talk all of this over and finally address our situation! I was gonna tell you that I love you too! But-”

You cut her off. “Y-you love me too?” you ask, just barely above a whisper.

“Of course I do, you idiot,” she practically yells at you. “I would be a moron not-”

Again, you cut her off, but this time with your lips. She freezes for a second before kissing you back just as passionately. When you pull away, your hand stays cupping her cheek, and you smile against her. “I love you,” you whisper.

This time, you give her the opportunity to respond. “I love you too, you stupid idiot,” she chuckles back softly. 

“So,” you laugh quietly as you pull away. “Am I allowed to open the wine now? Or are you going to tell me to go to hell?”

“Answer me this one question,” she tells you. “And then I’ll decide… can we make this- us- official?”

You grin and nod quickly. “Yeah, I think we can.”

“Then you can open the wine and come lay with me in bed,” she laughs as she makes her way to the kitchen, a hand interlocking with yours and pulling you along.

After finishing off the bottle of wine and some other activities… you’re curled up against her with a pleased smile on your face. You gently cup her cheek again to make her look at you before capturing her lips again. “God, I love you. That feels so good to say.”

“I love you too,” Melissa smirks.

“It feels good to be back,” you sigh softly. “I missed home.”

“Home?” she looks at you curiously.

“Oh, uh…” you panic for a second. You hadn’t meant to say that. “ You.”

“Is that what you think when you’re here? Home?” the redhead asks you as she sits up slightly.

You start to rub your collarbone nervously. “Yeah?” you admit shyly. “I mean… This house feels more like home than my apartment. We practically live together at this point.”

“Home,” she sighs quietly. “I like that.”

“Yeah?” you look to her.

“Yeah,” the older woman whispers. Then she clears her throat. “Instead of ‘practically living together’, do you want to just… live together?”

Your eyes go wide. “What?”

“Uh,” she blinks a few times. “Nevermind. We can take this-”

“No,” you say quickly. “Wait, shit. I mean, yes? If you’re serious?”

“I’m serious,” she tells you softly. “I don’t let just anyone keep a drawer at my house. And like you said, we’ve been practically living together for the last three months. It doesn’t make sense for you to be paying rent for an apartment you’re never at.”

“Then yeah,” you kiss her gently. “I think I’d like that.”

“We can figure all of that stuff out tomorrow,” Melissa promises you. “Right now, I just want to go to sleep with my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend,” you hum as the two of you settle back down to a laying position. You lay your head on her shoulder.

“Goodnight, amore,” she whispers before kissing your temple. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” you whisper back before letting your eyes flutter closed.

The next Monday, the two of you walk into Abbott hand in hand, smiles on your faces. Ava immediately sees it and grins. She playfully wipes some fake sweat away in relief.

“Oh thank God,” the principal sighs dramatically. “You fixed it.”

“I did,” you chuckle. “And she is my woman, now. So we’re gonna need those forms to fill out.”

She leads the two of you into her office before pulling out the forms- and they’re already partially filled out in glittery ink.

“For Christ’s sake, Ava,” your girlfriend groans. “How long have you had these filled out?”

“Since the day you told Y/N she could crash at your place,” the principal laughs loudly. “I knew somethin’ was goin’ on between the two of you from that day on. It was just a matter of time as to when you two were gonna figure it out.”

Melissa snatches the papers out of Ava’s hands with a roll of her eyes. She starts to lead you out and towards the staff room to make a couple cups of coffee, but she’s stopped when the principal calls your names.

“And just let me know when you need paperwork for a marriage license! I already have those filled out too!”

“Ava!” the two of you shout at her as you continue on your way.

You two won’t need those papers for a while… especially when it took the two of you so long to get your heads out of your asses in the first place. 

[abardnamedreginald]

im a wolf-demon-salamander-grey treefrog-katydid-cricket-luna moth-klingon-trad vampire-cat-romulan-harry potter wizard-gnome-drow-orc-wood elf-high elf-werewolf-twilight vampire-chihuahua-android-bard-druid-sorcerer-d&d wizard-lotr wizard-mind flayer-kraken-owlbear-genetically modified human-andes mint-harry potter merperson-h20 mermaid-great white shark-raven named nevermore-amontillado-sewer clown-animatronic-ink person-reality bender-ringwraith-chicken-fairy-telescreen-multibear-manic pixie dream girl-d class-horcrux-dragon-unicorn-pegasus-among us crewmate-among us imposter-game master-sharpie king size marker-dwarf-dragonborn-toothbrush-rock-paper-scissors-lizard-vulcan-politician-god-phone guy-icebreakers ice cubes pineapple-a doctor not a miracle worker-troll-ent-poodle-rabbit-Bear.-orange zombie-purple zombie-green zombie-professor plum-col. mustard-in the library-with a knife-hoola dancer-fish-villager-pelecan-defense against the dark arts professer-mafia boss-peep rabbit-peep chicken-gymnast-hairbrush-philosopher-music freak-school teacher-kidnapper-police lieutenant-farmer-trash can-dumpster out back-turtle-tribble-my little pony-kratt brother-high diver-pearl diver, dive, dive, deeper-chef-fire-earth-water-wind-wasp-bee-hornet-yellowjacket-mud dabber-grasshopper-rattlesnake-armadillo-cowboy-flashlight-starfleet science officer-harlet-elephant-gater-muppet-emo-goth-preppy-teabag-loser-sucker-mouse-rat-a puppet-a pauper-a pirate-a poet-a pawn-and a king-father albert-the pope-a nun-pastor jeff-gambler-metalhead-death rocker-the grim reaper-angel-lighthouse-paw patrol dog-hobbit-starfish-sponge-crab-squid-shrimp-jellyfish-chipmunk-hammerhead shark-nurse shark-humpback whale-blue whale-orca-sexual harrassment panda-south park character-jakoffasaurus-scrabble board-ouija board-pillow-toilet paper-period pad-tampon-baby diaper-elderly diaper-martian-touch tone telephone-starfleet operations-starfleet command-kirk-spock-bones-sulu-chekov-uhura-scotty-yeoman rand-KHAN!!!-mudd-the uss enterprise-the uss reliant-botany bay-v'ger-valeris-saavik-sybok-surak-sarek-the abbreviation 'idk'-sheldon-leonard-penny-howard-raj-amy-bernadette-mary cooper-george sr-george jr-missy cooper-meemaw-tam-dr sturgis-dr linkletter-dr jack bright-dr clef-dr gears-dr kondraki-dr mann-dr iceberg-dr crow-dr rights-dr sherman-scp 049-scp 3008-scp 4231-scp 166-scp 682-scp 2521-scp 590-O5 6-bill cipher-stanley pines-stanford pines-dipper-mabel-wendy-soos-schmebulok-gideon-mcgucket-dipper goes to taco bell-sheriff blubs-deputy durland-tad strange-andy taylor-william afton-michael afton-elizabeth afton-crying child-henry emily-charlotte emily-dave miller-jack kennedy-dee kennedy-peter kennedy-steven stevenson-aragorn-sam-frodo-merry-pippin-boromir-legolas-gimli-gandalf-faramir-denethor-sauron-elrond-thranduil-harry-hermione-ron-voldemort-pettigrew.-moony-padfoot-prongs-snape-edward-bella-alice!!-carlisle-charlie-cthulhu-greg heffley-pennywise-bendy-sammy-norman-jack-alice (susie)-allison-henry stien-joey drew-bruenor battlehammer-raskolnikov-heather-heather-heather-veronica-jd-kurt-ram-martha-kurt cobain-david bowie-freddie mercury-hozier-mitski-lemon demon-jack stauber-tally hall-hamilton-burr-jefferson-madison-washington-phillip-angelica-eliza-peggy-king george iii-king henry viii-ben franklin-catherine of aragon-anne boleyn-jane seymour-anne of cleves-katherine howard-catherine parr-dracula-𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂-evan hansen-conner murphey-john adams-raymond barron-fred randall-jane doe-ocean-noel-mischa-constance-ricky-karnak-vergil-alternate-thatcher davis-ruth-dave-cesar-mark-adam-sarah-jonah-evelyn-gabriel-trump-biden-sunny-basil-kel-aubrey-hero-mari-vanessa (the mean girl that kinda likes u)-tux the linux penguin-perry the platypus hybrid princess...dont fw me

[sophieakatz]

Thursday Thoughts: Microlabels

Almost ten years ago, when I first told someone who loved me that I was demisexual, he replied, “Do we really need all these labels?”

I don’t remember what I said back then, but my answer now is, “Well, I don’t know about we, but I need this one.”

Labels are the words we use to describe the world around us and our experience within it. Language is full of labels. Our earliest language-learning activities include sorting things into categories. This is the red block; this is the yellow block. Elephants and giraffes are zoo animals; horses and cows are farm animals; cats and dogs are pets. Toothbrushes and toothpaste are bathroom objects; forks and knives are kitchen objects.

Some of these distinctions are more important than others. It doesn’t really matter if you build a tower of red blocks or yellow blocks. However, leaving a knife in the bathroom is a bad idea, and so is attempting to keep an elephant in your house (not that I haven’t been tempted to try). You’ll also find that not all categories are universal. Is octopus an edible animal? Depends where you go in the world and who you ask!

The point is, it’s natural to use labels to define our place in the world and how we interact with it. I call myself a writer because I am someone who writes; this is important to me. Calling myself a writer explains something about who I am. It makes it easier for me to apply for writing jobs. When I hear other people call themselves writers, I know that we have something in common that we can connect over. I know that these are people I might be able to talk with or who might be interested in having write-ins or book clubs with me. In this way, labels help us find and create community.

Now, “writer” is a pretty broad category, so our experiences won’t be exactly the same. However, I can use a more specific label. I can call myself a fantasy fiction writer, a poetry writer, or a themed entertainment show writer, which helps me find people who identify with those more specific labels and have even more in common with me.

People who are not writers and are not interested in finding other writers don’t need the word “writer.” It doesn’t help them as much as it helps me. It’s not their label.

Demisexual is an asexual spectrum microlabel. Asexual describes someone who experiences little to no sexual attraction. It’s a broad label that covers a variety of experiences. Demisexual describes someone who only experiences sexual attraction towards someone after forming an emotional bond with them.

Before I read the word “demisexual” about ten years ago, I didn’t know that there were other people like me. I thought that there was something wrong with how I experienced attraction towards others. Knowing that there was a label not only made it possible for me to understand that there were other people like me, but also made it possible for me to find them and find community with them. Having words like ace and demi in my vocabulary make it easier for me to explain my experience to other people. People who aren’t demisexual don’t necessarily need this word. But I do.

When you hear a microlabel for the first time, especially if it’s one you do not identify with, it’s easy to dismiss it. It’s easy to think, “That’s not really a thing,” or, “Do we really need a word for that?”

The answer is, “Maybe you don’t need that word, since it doesn’t describe your experience, and that’s okay. But clearly someone needs it. We all have the right to put our experiences into words. We all deserve the chance to know that we are not broken and to find other people who are like us.”

[mysterygrl20]

Propaganda: So I was drunk one night after confessing to my work crush (it went bad) and this nice muscular guy at the 7-11 took my wasted self home. We ended up having a one night stand. We clicked so well we started a FWB relationship. One of the rules being: no kissing on the lips. He gave me his favorite necklace and kissed that instead. He's a famous boxer so to hide him coming into my apartment, we've done roleplay. And I started training at his gym for reasons. definitely not horny nor did we hookup in the backrooms. Anyways, I asked him to be my fake boyfriend to get my crush at work off my back for this scholarship thing. Fast forward a month, we are practically joined at the hip. We have our own bunny and tiger roleplay costumes together with matching toothbrushes and also couple pants with boxing elephants. My grandma has caught us after sex. We had a food fight in the kitchen with flour. He's given me morning forehead sniff kisses and made me breakfast. We text constantly. He recently left for training and I missed him so much that I drove two hours to see him. He hugged me for a recharge and gave me a sniff kiss on the cheek. I kissed his chin and then he kissed his necklace I haven't taken off since he gave it. When he returned from his training he met me at work and gave me sniff kisses all over in the stairwell. We just went out together with his brother and his bf. IT WASN'T A DOUBLE DATE I SWEAR. We took photos together and he said it looks like a family photo. At the end we had a walk/run together while holding hands by the river.

Also he has this girl he wanted me to help him get with at the start, but then he's always with me doing fake boyfriend things with me. And now my work crush is suddenly trying to hook up with me.

[7nessasaryevils]

Things that made me scream during ep 5 of Wandee Goodday

- Dee can remember every single person's birthday but he hadn't memorized Yak's yet

- Yak pouting when he realized Dee didn't know his birthday

- YAK COUNTING THE FUCKING SECOND OF HOW LONG HE AND DEE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER (read: TOGETHER, not fucking/ FWB)

- that whole fucking interaction with Cher and Yei (yes babes! Complain that you haven't gotten fucked for a while you deserve to be dicked down!)

- Kao being the King he is and offering valuable suggestions for Dee and Yak on how to improve their lives (and sex lives) using his furry accessories ♥️

- Dee offering good fashion advice... sir thank you for your service in getting Yak out of those (delectable) elephant pants - but... Taem is probably better at putting him in clothes that work

- grammammamamamamamana I love her and she is now the communal granmama

- DICK PLUSH TOY (seriously where can I get one??)

- granmama knows

- STEPPING OVER THE LINE!!! THE GASP I GUSPED (also wandee my precious my baby protect your heart please yak is gonna be a little stupid I know it)

- brb screaming crying throwing up because NEITHER of them can sleep without holding each other

- the pouting, cuddling, "need you to recharge me" YORYAK!! GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR PERT ASS YOU DUMB JOCK! This is boyfriend level behaviour!

- Dee's smile as he curls into Yak 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

- the only time I screamed in rage: how dare you ask Dee if Taem would like while you hold motherfucking Wandee in your arm- I'm going to snap a boxer's neck (what did I say about yak doing something stupid?!)

- FUCKING WHEEZING GRANMAMA YOU ABSOLUTE QUEEN

- ... he took Yak to see his parents... I'm fine gwenchana gwenchana

- SJAXHWKZNKSJXNWKSW YORYAK YOU BUFFOON- don't you want to introduce your BOYFRIEND to your parents?! someone hold me back before I smack this idiot

- Cher doing the sneaky sneak and failing 🤣 also Yei not taking Cher with him because he knows his boyfie doesn't like the macho assholes 🥹♥️

- Yak dressing the way Dee told him to... fucking hell

- yak showing up to help his boyfriend thanks I wanna throw up

- Dr. Wandee using his and Yoryak's furry sex personas to help tell children a story was not on my 2024 bingo card 👀

- yak wanting to celebrate with Dee rather than his friends... this idiot

- I CAN EAT YOU WITHOUT WAITING- YORYAK PLEASE

- domestic food fight my beloved (also yak refusing to let Dee do anything cooking wise because he doesn't want to poison Granmama 🤣)

- I do so love an aptly placed song that perfectly explains the conflict of our main characters ♥️♥️

- sir. Yoryak. For someone who claims they like Taem, you sure do lean in to kiss Dee a lot 👀👀👀

- THAT CAPTION... gonna go yeet myself off their building thanks

-... couple toothbrushes... COUPLE TOOTHBRUSHES

- wandeeyoryak vs. Yoryakwandee... help me

This show is everything to me right now and I will hold onto it with my dying breath

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Hello RTA 👋🏻 What do you think about the US Federal Government's allocation of 6.5 million dollars for African Parks? These people talk about the BRF behaving so meekly with H&M and but the US government is awarding them millions in grant and yet there's no uproar about this?

I ask this with all due respect, anon: Did you actually look into this or are you reacting to the number?

Because all the data is there and publicly available. And when you look at the data (or you ask a fed - hello, there), the data tells you it's actually not a big deal.

The total US government budget in FY24 (October 1, 2023 - September 30, 2024) is $1.7 trillion. To be more specific, that's $1,754,300,000,000.00. $6.5 million is 0.00037%. It's the federal equivalent of a toothbrush from the dollar store. Or a pair of sunglasses for Charlotte in the Duke of Cornwall budget.

So according to the African Parks website, they have three US federal partners.

US Fish and Wildlife Service (aka federal wildlife conservation). FWS grants help the conservation of plants and wildlife in protected areas across central and western Africa and elephant conservation. The Multinational Species Conservation Acts is a group of federal laws mandating for the US government to support conservation programs for certain species. One of the acts is the African Elephant Conservation Act which requires the federal government to assist African conservation programs that protect the African Elephant, of which African Parks is one. (The African Elephant Conservation Act, by the way, is what regulates ivory trade in the US.)

FWS's work with African Parks is likely part of the International Affairs program, and African Parks is just one of FWS's many partners in this area so FWS's portion of $6.5 million is pretty small. In the FY24 budget, FWS asked for $26.7 million for their International Affairs program, which has two tracks - international conservation and international wildlife trade. I suspect that the African Parks money is coming from the 'international conservation' part of the budget, which is about $13 million (so half of their total FY24 request).

If you'd like to learn about what FWS funds in their International Affairs program, here's their FY24 budget justification. International Affairs is pages 165-182. The section specific to the Africa Regional Program (through which African Parks' money comes) is page 171 or IA-7.

US Agency for International Development (aka federal humanitarian aid to developing nations). USAID also supports African Parks's conservation efforts. More specifically, their grants support a protected area between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic in three ways; management of the protected area, wildlife conservation, and helping the communities who live within the protected area develop sustainable livelihoods.

(Quick disclaimer here first - USAID's budget is tied in with the Department of State's so it's not as easy to read as FWS's is.)

USAID's work with African Parks probably comes via their partner accounts. In FY24, they requested about $32 billion for those partner accounts. Partner accounts can be fully funded by USAID or or partially-funded. The bottom line here is that whatever portion African Parks is getting from USAID, it's not even a drop in the bucket

You can read about USAID's work and their FY24 budget justification here. You'll notice that the budget justification doesn't discuss anything concerning Africa. That doesn't mean they aren't funding work in Africa, just that the work they're doing/supporting in Africa is bundled into one of the other programs or that their programs in Africa aren't as high a priority as the ones specifically mentioned in the justification.

US Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affars (aka a FBI and DEA for international cooperation). INL's grants to African Parks goes towards conservation law enforcement, everything from training and education to technology and communications and it includes quality of life and welfare programs for the rangers.

In their FY24 budget justification, INL asked for $1.4 billion, of which they report about $51.9 million is planned to be allocated to Africa. And like the other agencies, whatever portion of $6.5 million is INL's, it's really small. Inconsequential, in the grand scheme of things.

Here is State's FY24 budget justification. INL's section is pages 156 - 160 (in adobe, or document pages 146-150). The section on Africa's allocation is page 157 (document page 147).

So to answer anon's question, no one's in an uproar about US federal grants to African Parks because, frankly, it doesn't matter. It barely registers. Plus the money is going towards conservation and protecting endangered species...is that really something worth being upset over?

Anyway. Some other federal spending in the neighborhood of $6.5 million to show what I mean by how not-a-big-deal it is:

The Department of Defense spends $6.5 million on the planning of facilities for the Naval Reserves. The planning, you guys.

The Department of Agriculture's Office of the Chief Financial Officer needs $6.6 million annually in operating expenses.

The USDA's National Veterinary Stockpile gets $6 million to prepare for and respond to animal disease outbreaks.

The Department of Energy spends $6.3 million on energy loan guarantees to Native American tribes.

$6.1 million is reserved for competitive wildlife conservation grants exclusive to Native American tribes.

The EPA spends $6.5 million on grants for safe drinking water across the US.

The Office of Public Affairs and Engagement in the Department of Transportation needs $6.2 million in operating expenses.

Since this is already a pretty long post, I'll leave it here. But if anyone's interested in a quick explainer of how federal spending/budgets work, let me know. 'tis the season and all (plus a presidential election means the federal budget gets a little more attention than it usually does).

[xypherz]

Six Rooms

Details: Cole Cassidy x Reader, GN!Reader, fluff, 1.2k words

Warnings: A single curse word, mention of anxiety and reader insecurity, not proofread.

Being a recalled Overwatch hero isn’t easy. Omnic crises and vigilantes are enough to burn anyone out. Though you’re trained to handle situations like these, you need an escape. Some respite to ease your constant stress. 

This is not what you had in mind. 

You planned for a night in. A night all to yourself with no distractions. Sure, there are the other heroes around, but no mission, no omnics, no expectations, is all you wanted.

You planned to have your own room. Your own bed.

You did not account for someone being shoved into what you thought was your escape.

In the bathroom when it happened, you were just setting up essentials like your toothbrush and soaps, when you heard the door to your room being opened, followed by a deep grunt, and a small British voice.

“6 rooms, 7 of us, sorry!!”

The door slammed shut before you could even process what little information you were given. 

Contemplating if you wanted to sleep in the bathtub to preserve your mental solitude, you decided to check who invaded your space, voluntarily or otherwise. The hinges of the bathroom door made an uncomfortable squealing noise as you opened it to the rest of the room.

This is a sick joke.

Not only were you met with the man who had tripped your hopeless romantic heart down the stairs, but he was dressed down.

Cole Cassidy in a t-shirt and jeans? This was simultaneously the best and worst day of your life.

“Hey there, sorry to intrude, I wasn’t given much of a choice in the matter. You’d think I have some advantage on Tracer, but damn, she is stronger than she looks.”

You nodded, voice getting caught in your throat. You’d talked to Cassidy plenty of times, hell, you consider him a friend, but this is too different. You’d never really spoken with him outside of work in private. It’s always on a mission or with others.

“I can sleep in Reinhardt’s room if you’re not comfortable,” he said, voice seeming gentle when not muffled by commands and gunshots.

“No,” you replied, a bit too fast for your liking, “I’m okay with you staying in here, I just wasn’t expecting visitors.”

“Sorry for that, I wasn’t told about the room situation until a few minutes ago. I offered to stay in Reinhardt’s room in the first place, but Tracer insisted.”

“Not your fault, don’t worry about it,” you said sheepishly, eyes trailing to the elephant in the room. Cassidy’s eyes follow yours to the bed. Singular. 

“I’ll sleep on the floor, don’t worry your pretty head over it,” he said, offering a small smile while making his way to the open spot in front of the bed with his bag.

“No, I can’t let you do that, there’s no way that’ll be comfortable.”

“I’d rather the discomfort over yours.”

“I’ll be fine, really,” you said. Though you were aware of Cassidy’s chivalry, you didn’t want him to be in physical pain for your sake.

“I’m not letting you sleep on the floor.”

“Well…” you trailed off, knowing the two of you were too stubborn to let the other be uncomfortable, “We can just share.”

His expression morphed into that of surprise, “I wouldn’t want to intrude more-”

“Cassidy,” you cut him off mid-sentence, “It’s okay, really.”

He resisted the urge to ask for reassurance again, “Okay, then. But if you need me to leave at any point, you can push me onto the floor,” he joked, lightening the awkward tension.

“You got it,” you smiled and walked to your bag, grabbing a set of pajamas and walking to the bathroom. Suddenly the weight of what you had proposed settled in when you looked in the mirror. You were going to sleep in the same bed with someone. Cole Cassidy, no less. The man you’ve been silently, or maybe not so silently to the other heroes, pining over for however long you’ve known him.

Maybe you did want to sleep in the bathtub.

You finished changing, brushing your teeth, and silently calming your anxieties and left the bathroom to see Cassidy was already changed. Any thought of how good he looked in jeans was replaced by how good he looked in boxers. He passed you as he walked to the bathroom while you approached the queen bed in the center of the room. Sitting under the covers, you decided to distract yourself until you were tired enough to sleep.

It was hard to distract yourself when Cassidy joined you in the surprisingly small bed. Maybe it was just the difference between it and his stature that made it seem small. Maybe it was your anxiety closing in on you.

“You sure you’re okay with this?” Your thoughts were interrupted by Cassidy’s concerned question. 

“You’d be pushed on the floor by now if I weren’t,” you joked, though truthfully, it wasn’t far off. Had it been anyone else, you’d have been completely okay with them sleeping on the floor while you enjoyed your personal space. But it wasn’t anyone else.

He smiled a bit at your statement, though it seemed unsure. He leaned over to the bedside table and turned off the lamp.

“Goodnight Y/N.”

You were still sitting up in the bed, staring into nothing as he laid down, his back turned to you.

“Hey, Cassidy?” Your voice came out before you could stop it.

He turned a bit to look at you, “Yeah? You okay?”

“Yeah, I just…” you trailed off, “Sorry, I’m just thinking too much.”

“What’s on your mind?” He sat up fully, staring into the darkness with you.

“Why are you so nice to me?” Though you couldn’t see it, you felt his eyes turn to you. The anxieties you’d been staving off seemed to catch up to you. “I mean, I guess you’re nice to everyone, but… I don’t think I deserve it.” 

“I think if anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

You turned your head toward him, knowing his eyes were on you as well, but the space was too dark to see.

“Why?” The question held a lot of weight. Why had he asked you so many times if this situation was okay? Why had he refused to let you be uncomfortable? Why was he willing to sacrifice his own comfortability just for yours? Why did he always stay by your side during missions? Why did he help you through broken limbs and bullet holes? He didn’t need to do any of it.

So why?

He didn’t respond for what felt like too long.

“You think too much,” he said softly, lightly grabbing your jaw and pulling you closer to him. 

He waited. He waited for you to pull back. He waited for any signal that what he was doing wasn’t okay. Instead, you leaned forward, placing your hand at the back of his neck before pressing your lips against his. The kiss was sweet. It was slow with no expectations.

You pulled back a bit, the darkness making it easier to find your voice, “I definitely think too much.”

----

Your bag seemed way too heavy so early in the morning. 

You walked out the door ahead of Cassidy, turning the corner to head to the lobby. Reinhardt and Tracer were in front of you, halfway there already. A door opening made you turn your head, Mercy and Genji walking out of a room. 

“Didn’t we have 6 rooms?” you thought, when the realization dawned on you, “Well played, Tracer.”

[aliceisathome]

Charming. That's the word I'm using this week for Wandee Goodday. Utterly and completely charming, from Dee mooning over toothbrushes and boxing elephant pants to Yak flicking toothpaste onto the bathroom mirror. Do I want a pair of boxing elephant pants now? Yes. Yes I do. I spend most of the episode just smiling so much my face hurts.

The bet! Shades of Bad Buddy

These two idiots love each other and they seem to be the only ones who don't realise it yet - although they're getting closer! Dee's got the man with the most expressive eyebrows in the world nudging him towards realisation and Yak has Yei doing the same. Kao had better end up with his own faen by the end of the series - I will not accept him being the only one without one. Oooh - or we have a sequel/special just about Kao getting his HEA. Apparently there's already a book about how Yei and Cher get together so yes please to both please GMMtv. *puppy dog eyes*

Oh of course you did a 4 hour round trip with work the next morning just to give him some medicine Dee. So convincing. And yet you're still denying him the lips - gah. JUST KISS DAMMIT.

Am I going to have to tie you down Dee? is Yak going to have to tie you down? I have no objection to this scenario obvously.

The audacity of Ter - changing the flights without asking because he 'wants to spend some time' with Dee. What an emotionally manipulative weasle.

You CONFUSE Dee? you kick his heart like the football? oh! oh! Jail for Ter! Jail for Ter for One Thousand Years!!!!

Mooning over Ter/Taem is basically just habit at this point - although I note that even in the fantasy sequence Ter didn't get the kiss on the mouth either. And Dee needs to stop being so selfless - their relationship would have been revealed to Taem and she'd be off the board but now it just reinforced Yak's belief that Dee's not interested in public REAL relationship. Gah.

Family date was cute as fuck. Aww, the ending, running along the Chao Phraya holding hands, wearing their colours. I just love them to bits.

I do not like the preview for ep 7 I BET Dee breaks up with Yak because he's being all noble and shit. And wtf is Dee doing in his Tiny Tiger outfit with Ter? This had better just be Dee imagining how awkward it would be vs how comfortable it is with Yak. I think Yak might lose the fight though - and get his kiss for that rather than winning.

[bel1ewrites]

can you write a part 2 to “such a waste” ? with fluff please and smut if it fits

your writing is so good btw omg i immediately read all of your work

a/n: giggling and kicking my feet rn. Thank you so much!!!

Maybe (Such a Waste pt.2)

pt.1

Description: You and Sam try to find a compromise.

WC: 1k

Warnings: mentions of murder, slight angst, sickening fluff, (sorry in advance for any of my bald readers).

SAM was never much of a cuddler. She often grew too restless in her sleep, tossing and turning and ultimately annoying every partner she’d ever had. She could count them all on her fingers. They’d complain about her skin being too cold for them, often waking them in the middle of the night. They were always good at finding some new hidden flaw about her; something for her to add to the list of issues. However, the reason all of her relationships ended had little to do with her sleeping habits.

She watched as your brow twitched in your sleep, lips slightly parted as you breathed. You clung to her like a bear, leg hiked up over her and arms keeping her pulled to you. Even in a state of unconsciousness your grasp was impressive. While others complained about how much of an icebox she was, you were like a furnace. Her own personal heated blanket. 

She had no idea what time it was. Well, she knew it was early. The sun crept up steadily and casted shadows on the walls of your loft; illuminating you in an almost angelic glow. Your nose crinkled, cheek pressed firmly to her chest. It couldn’t have been any later than seven, she presumed as she looked down at your sleeping figure. 

Unfortunately, Sam had never had to pee as bad as she did at that moment. Slowly and carefully, she removed your arm from where it sat limply at her waist. Then, as stealthily as she could manage, she rolled out from under you and landed on the floor with a thud. Cursing and massaging her hip, she rushed towards the first door she saw, which happened to be a closet. 

“Goddamn loft,” she grumbled, finding another door. You watched in amusement -having woken up as soon as she moved your arm- as she stumbled through your home in search of a toilet. Your new ‘friend’ wore a form fitting tank top and a pair of boxers you’d found in the bottom of your underwear box. 

“I usually just piss in the singular plant,” you informed her with all the seriousness you could muster. Which, albeit, wasn’t much. Said plant seemed to stiffen at the idea. 

“You’re insanely funny,” she deadpanned; finally locating the right door and moving at an inhuman speed to get inside of it.

Curling back into your warm blankets, you called out a muffled, “Thank you! Toothbrushes are under the sink.”

—--------

Half an hour later, Sam emerged with a clean mouth, an empty bladder, and damp hair. She had opted to take a shower, dried sweat from the night before making her uncomfortably sticky, though she'd thrown the top and boxers back on. Your dozing figure formed a lump in the sheets where you lay, limbs sprawled wildly on the mattress. 

The bed shifted as she climbed back into it, propping herself up against the headboard and watching you with amusement threaded through her features. You rolled over and situated your head in her lap with your face buried in her thigh. When you shook your head suggestively, she took the hint and entangled her fingers in your sleep mussed hair. She smelled like you. You loved it.

“So you’re just always needy, hm?” she teased, nails gently scratching at your scalp. All you did was groan in reply, mind focused on how good she was at playing with your hair. The two of you stayed like that for a while, cold fingers on your head and warm thigh against your cheek. Both of you tried desperately to ignore the very large and very real elephant in the room. 

Sam looked around the space, taking in the few boxes and trash bags full of your life. The walls were some sort of off-white; eggshell or whatever the painters called it. They were completely bare, and she got the feeling that they wouldn’t stay that way. She wished that she could see the space full of life; full of you. She wanted to know what the walls would look like when you were done. How many posters would you hang up? Would there be any more piss plants? Would you keep the walls the same color, or paint them in a hue that encompassed who you were so perfectly that it would just make sense? 

“Sam?” you asked, confused as to why her hands had stilled. Your eyes peered up at her, face turning up so that you could rest the back of your head in her lap. She smiled down at you and traced your features with the pads of her fingers. 

“Sorry,” she smiled, “just got a little lost in my head.” 

“S’okay,” came your assurance, eyes falling closed and face relaxing once again. “We should talk about,” a slight pause, “...it soon.”

She hummed, movements never faltering. She knew what you were referring to; what “it” was. The bed felt stiff against her. On the outside she was eerily calm, smile never falling and chest moving steadily with each breath. The inside, however, was a different story. Somehow, you could tell how she felt.

“I’m not gonna turn you in or anything,” you tried to comfort her, eyes opening and gazing into hers. “I mean we did sort of have sex-” (“Sort of?” questioned the aforementioned sex partner.) “-Okay we definitely had sex- amazing sex actually- and I’d like to continue to,” a slight cringe twisted your lips, “have amazing… y’know.” Sam held back her laugh as you stumbled through your tangent. 

“Only thing is,” you continued, “It's generally frowned upon to sleep with a serial killer. Especially one your mother warned you about.” 

“This is true.”

“So… maybe you could take the killing down a few notches and come over here instead to let out whatever you need to,” you suggested to the killer in your bed. 

It was quiet for a minute, save for the sounds of the city that rushed outside. 

“Yeah,” Sam whispered, thoughts running through her head, “maybe.”

[justanother-anon]

It's a damn shame that Robin and Steve don't have their own set of code words

Like can they mentally communicate yes

Should they still have code words for things they might not always be initially on the same page with yes

But also they have a code for if one of them needs a change of clothing (all clothing) that is code formaggio due to the fact that the day they came up with the code they decided they need that code because Robin told Steve about the first time she was learning Italian in the library while she was going over the Italian word for cheese her bra snapped and she ended up clumsily excusing herself from the library while also accidentally taking the book with it only to explain to the librarian the next week why she had accidentally taken a book and had to do it in front of 3 other people much to her horror

Also Steve and Robin deserve to have a code for robins period because that guy definitely suport her and helps her through it and it's something ridiculous that makes her laugh like "code paint water" after the time Steve spilled wills paint water on himself and he ended up looking like a sad deflated cat and Robin giggles everytime she thinks of it.

They deserve to confuse everyone else when steve says something like code elephant and Robin just nods and hands him a toothbrush

Or when Robin climbs into Steve's car squawking about a code bathtub and he just nods and before dropping the rest of the kids who he's giving a ride off he drops Robin at her house who appears with a hat for some reason that they still have yet to clarify despite Dustin's questions and pestering

Some are real situations they have planned for some are codes they made for bad days to fuck with the kids

So when Robin needs to talk about lesbian stuff and needs to vent or be scared or feel safe she will call a code muppet

Imagine her shock when in the upside-down Steve turns to Robin and tells her he's having a code muppet and she promptly freaks out because he is having a moment and he knows she can and will help him with it

[lazzarella]

Every episode is over too quickly, even though they're mostly getting longer ;__; anyway, back again with my rambling nonsensical notes!!!

- Aww! Baby!Dee!

- Gah, they're so sweet (visiting the little boy)

- "At least it reminded me I hadn't been forgotten" Ouch!! Guessing Dee's parents were quite absent when he was a kid? (Though I guess we don't know yet when they died)

- holy crap, these two gazing at each other when they're taking a photo with the little boy lmao at least Yak was paying attention

- How can Yak still be Dee's patient when everyone knows they're dating?

- "One month, five days, etc." DUDE!!!! Are you— I just can't...

- lol @ Dee not remembering Yak's birthday! But I did! XD (really should have posted that screenshot of his file that I've had saved in my drafts since ep 1... Sigh)

- "Find joy in becoming someone else in your own way"

- I love Kao <333

- Yak sulking and taking Dee's drink was so cute :3

- bloody hell, Yei just pulling Cher onto his lap like that O_O

- "You wear size 56?" I LOVE YOU, GRANDMA!

- Ahhhhh! Yak's face when grandma says he must be the reason Dee's watching boxing now!!! He's so pleased!!!

- lmaoooooo the giant dick plushie!!! (That bloody thing haunts me on aliexpress btw!!!! I can't search for anything without it popping up, as it were)

- look, I know I always gush over how soft Yak is but seeing him cuddling Ice Bear was almost too much for me

- "I've gotten used to having you in my arms" WHO SAYS THAT, YAK?? WHO???? Not fake boyfriends that's who!

- And now he's pouting because he wants to cuddle!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh

- And then he brings up Taem. Well done! lol

- (Okay, it's clear—or, well, likely—he's just clinging to his crush on Taem any time his feelings for Wandee rear their pretty head(s), but... Jeez, dude!)

- And Dee's face? His response??? He's not talking about Taem

- "Let's find something fun to do!" I love you, Grandma!

- Yak taking a video of her ;__;

- Okay, her all black outfit is super cool! And she's wearing creepers!! I think...

- Yak referring to himself as Dee's boyfriend at the cemetery... *pinches bridge of nose* I can't handle much more of this. And Dee's deflection! Ahhh. The way they're both dealing with their developing feelings is so interesting and delicious to watch

- oh that outfit does not suit Yak…

- I wonder if Yei is doing underground fights for $$$ to help the gym??? And that’s why he didn’t get physical with Cher. Idk

- Yak offering to help Dee again <33333

- There really is purple and yellow everywhere! (The cardboard Taem was carrying)

- I need a comparison between Taem's reaction when Yak grabbed her hand (not really comfortable) vs when he grabs Dee's hand!!!

- And Yak could be spending more time with Taem but he already had plans with Dee! Gosh, he's just... Oh, that boy!

- Ahhh! They're baking! They're having a flour fight! They're flirting over food again!!

- (Is this the first time we've seen Dee in the elephant pants too?)

- Holy shit, the audacity of Ter taking Kwan to the same restaurant and are they sitting at the same table???????

- so many short shorts and cut off tees and I'm not complaining

- awww! The tiny drink buddy dude has a name!

- The TENSION when they're listening to Fluke's song though??? JFC. You need a ginsu to cut through that

- YOU HAVE SWEET EYES??!!! No comment. I just can't lol

- smooch blocked by the oven timer! lol they really were going to kiss that time, though

- Ahhhhh, Dee looks so happy!!!!

- Yak taking and posting a photo of Gooddy on his glass was adorable :3

- (ngl, with them standing so close to the edge of the balcony, I was envisioning Gooddy going over the side lol)

- love them plugging the new line stickers in the toothbrush bit

- YoryakWandee vs WandeeYoryak is giving me duck season vs rabbit season lol

- Ahhhh! Next week's preview!!! How am I meant to wait???