#i keep typing stuff but i want the initial knee jerk reaction to go away first

[pixpirs]

im saving my thoughts for this csm chapter in my drafts in a week or so after people have calmed down

[thewildwaffle]

Abduction - Chapter 11

It’s been, what? Three weeks? Wow! I think so. I was going to make this chapter longer, but honestly, if I tried to fit everything in that I planned, it’d be a while before this got posted and three weeks seems to be more than long enough (Wowza!)

I have actually made a good map outline thingy of what’s going to happen in the next bit of this story, so hopefully that means that actually writing it will be faster for a little while (fingers crossed!)

As always, thanks for reading! Thanks for commenting! Thanks for encouraging me to keep going! I do a little happy dance when I see that people are actually getting excited about this story! Thanks everyone!

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***

Grow up! I should grow up?! Who does she think she is? Mike stormed through the branches, shoving them out of his way and letting them snap behind him. Impulsive? Why? Because I’m willing to act when needed? If that’s impulsive, then what’s the problem?

There wasn’t really a path to walk on, so the going was slow. Worried about getting lost, he paused just out of sight of the clearing. Close enough to get back easily, far enough to not be seen from it. He kicked at a few branches on the ground, muttering and cursing.

Part of him knew he was being childish. Knew he was acting in just the way that Wenona had called him out on. There was another part, though- a bigger and louder part at the moment, that was too mad to care. Grow up.

He’d heard that before. Made him mad then too.

“Impulsive… Aaaargh!” He swung a hard punch at the trunk of the nearest tree. It splintered. He pulled his hand away, a fist-sized imprint with cracks now adorned up and down the trunk. “Huh. Not as tough as earth trees, are ya? Probably would have broken my hand if I’d punched a pine or a maple or a…”

He stopped. It was like a bucket of ice water had just been dumped on his head. Behind the tree, just a few feet away, stood a very familiar shape.

“Montauk,” he whispered.

Neither Mike nor the Montauk moved. Neither dared breath. It seemed that an eternity  passed in those moments. Mike was sure his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He felt his legs were going to give out under him and started to reach out to steady himself against the dented tree. The moment he began shifting his weight, the alien sprang at him. Time seemed to move in slow motion and Mike saw the flash of the blade almost too late.

Continuing with his initial momentum, he dropped to the ground on one knee. The montauk’s knife just knicked him in the arm. He spun on the spot sweeping his other leg at the alien’s six insect-like legs and pushed it forward. It toppled over and was almost buried by the huge pack on its back. Mike hope it was squished under its seemingly very heavy weight.

Unfortunately not. The montauk spun around on the ground, lashing out with the knife as it did so. Mike jumped over the attack and landed on the alien’s back, or rather, on it’s pack. He could both hear and feel unknown objects shift and/or crack upon his landing.

“NO! GET OFF!”

It immediately flipped over on it’s side, throwing Mike off and into a small bush with broad purple leaves. He scrambled to his feet, bracing himself for another attack. It didn’t come.

Instead, the Montauk was crouched over it’s pack, rummaging through the contents.

It was distracted. But it was still armed, and Mike’s arms was bleeding. Oh, it was bleeding more than he thought it should - it must have been more than a knick.

Then he saw it - the knife. Or, well, one might roughly call it was a knife. It was a weird knife thing. It looked like it was made from broken bits of plating, melted and burned together then sharpened along the thinner side. It was just lying there, between them on the ground.

Without another thought, Mike lunged for the weapon. The montauk must have caught the motion in the corner of it eye. It jerked its head toward him, realized what he was doing, and let out a terrifying screech. Mike dove, grabbed the knife, and rolled out of the way as the montauk swiped at him. Two of its sharp forearms got stuck in the ground for a moment. Just a moment, but long enough for Mike to get a good swing at it.

The blade cut into the exoskeleton, leaving an oozing purple gash across the dark, shiny limb. The montauk screeched and clicked angrily, backing up a few steps, just out of reach, grasping at the wound. Blood for blood, then. It knew Mike wasn’t to be messed with now. He fiddled with the knife, trying to find a more comfortable way to hold it. It was clear that it was not made for hands like his.

“No! Give it back! You’ve no idea how long it took me to make that!” it screamed.

Mike held out the knife threateningly, “I don’t really care, but if you want this knife, you’ll have to take it from my cold, dead hands.”

The montauk lowered its body so that it could walk on its four lower limbs while still using its upper arms to protectively hold its large, dingy pack. “I’ve no idea what you’re saying, strange creature, but if you understand me, know this - I will get my blade back. Even if I have to take it from your cold, lifeless grasp.”

***

He felt the pain long before he could really tell where the pain was coming from. At first, it was just a general ache. Then a throb. Oh frewan, he thought, why? What happened?

“Jebannuck? Are you okay? Can you hear me? Say something, or uh, moan again if you can hear me.”

He tried opening his eyes. It seemed he could only manage a squint. That only made the pain in his head stronger.

“Wenona? What hap… where are we?”

“Uh, the planet? I don’t remember it’s name. You put us on the escape pod and before you shut the doors, the ship was hit and you got knocked in here with us.” Wenona stepped closer and crouched down next to him. Jebannuck felt a cool cloth being pressed on his forehead. He winced. It was very tender.

“Sorry,” Wenona continued. “I’m definitely no medic. I’ve been looking through the first aid supplies for something to help with my hand, but the stuff that I recognize all seems like it’s pretty much just the basic kit stuff. Better than nothing though. You’ve been out a long time. How are you feeling?”

Jebannuck reached for the cloth Wenona was pressing onto what seemed to be a large chent-egg of a bump on his head.

I’m lucky to still be alive after a hit like that, he thought.

“Help me up. Slowly, please.” He leaned onto one arm and reached for Wenona with the other. She carefully helped him sit up and slide over to where he could lean against the wall. When he was situated, Wenona took a step back from helping him and reached again for the first aid kit. Jebannuck finally caught sight of her hand. It looked ghastly.

“What in the name of all that is bright and serene happened to your hand?”

Wenona froze mid-reach and pulled her hand back, holding it with her other hand as she examined it. “It’s… well… I’m not really sure. It’s kind of a long story but I think I’m allergic to something I hit.”

“Allergic to… you hit...” Jebannuck paused, looked around the pod and back to Wenona. “Where’s Mike?”

Wenona let out a noise that was somewhere between a sigh and a growl, “That’s part of the long story. He wandered off, like a freakin’ idiot.”

He just stared at her. Part of him felt that this news wasn’t the least bit surprising. The other part of him felt… frustrated wasn’t a strong enough word. Infuriated? Worried? Exasperated? Exasperated. That was probably close enough. We’ve been here how long and he’s already gone and done the very thing I told him not to do.

His growing frown must have started using some injured muscles because his head started throbbing more painfully. Were all humans like this?

“No, I’m not. I told him he was an idiot and that we should at least wait until you woke up before we did anything else, but as you can see, that went so well.”

Jebannuck didn’t realize he had muttered his last thought out loud. Thankfully, Wenona didn’t seem to be offended. Either that or she was too busy rummaging through the first aid kit to take offense. He leaned forward as far forward as he dared and reached out his his hand for hers. “Let me see your injuries.”

Wenona looked up from her rummaging and back down at her swollen hand before holding it out. Jebannuck gingerly examined her hand, turning it over and noticed a few small specks of spores that were still clinging in the cracks of her palm. The skin was red in splotches and puffy. It looked very painful. Jebannuck winced, partly because of the hand, but also because leaning forward for that long was starting to send an ache down his back. He let go of her hand and rested against the wall again.

“There should be a few jugs of water in a container under the harness you were strapped in. Rinse your hand off outside as well as you can, but be careful with the water. It’s what we’ve got until we can find and filter more.” Wenona got up, retrieved a jug, and stepped out the door to clean up.

“While you’re out there,” Jebannuck started. Wenona paused and looked back, “Yell for Mike. He needs to get back here. We need him back here.”

Wenona’s eyebrows furrowed. Was that a look of anger? Irritation? What happened while he was out? It looked like she was going to say no. Instead, she continued out the door with a quiet, “Alright.”

Jebannuck sat for a moment alone, a bit confused at Wenona’s reaction. She and Mike had nearly been inseparable since they’d been rescued. He would have to find out what happend between them. The last thing they needed right now was for those two to be fighting with each other on top of everything else.

He carefully scooted the first aid kit closer and pulled out a few packages for inflamation and a few basic poison neutralizers, just in case. He knew of the plant, or the type of plants that grow on this planet. Some can be deadly. Even touching them could cause serious harm or loss of limb - or more. Wenona’s injury, while it certainly looked nasty, didn’t seem to be bothering her nearly as much as it should be. Or at least, it didn’t seem to be yet.

Mike was still out there in all that though.

Blast it, where was he? Surely he had the sense enough to not wander too far?

He closed his eyes and rested his head in a crevice of the harness. Mike reminded him a lot of the humans that had been enlisted onto the last ship he had served on. They’d only been on the crew for about half a standard solar orbit before Jebannuck was transferred, but they had struck him as being perpetually curious, loud, and at times, foolhardy. Being part of the crew, however, meant that they had tasks to attend to, protocols to keep up, and instructions to follow. That being said, however, they always seemed to be expert in finding loopholes in rules and orders that would keep them out of trouble when they (to quote them) “bent the rules a bit.”

As far as the datasheet showed, they were a major gain to the crew in matters of productivity and efficiency. As far as actually working or being around them, Jebannuck did his best to ignore them and their boisterous ways.

They were annoying.

He might have started dozing, lost in his thoughts. He wasn’t sure. Well, actually, he must have been because he jolted awake with a start. He’d heard something. He looked around. Wenona was still gone. Was it her voice he’d heard?

Yes. And he heard it again. Outside the pod. She was yelling something. Screaming something. Was she saying actual words? His mind felt alert and foggy at the same time. It was… disorienting to say the least. Like his brain was trying to process as much as possible all at once without making sense of anything as it did so.

It took a few attempts, but eventually he made it to his feet, holding onto a few loose straps to steady himself and get his bearings. Wenona was yelling again. So was someone else, someone with a thin and wheezy voice.

It took a few heartbeats, but then everything cleared up as fast as a flash. It was a fight! Something or someone was out there with Wenona. She could be killed! He limped to the door as fast as he could. His muscles felt slow to respond, but he made it. Taking a deep breath before sliding the pod door open, he pulled out his blaster, which was still holstered on a strap near his waist.

***

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[akwablu-blog]

[M] Minhyuk x Reader - Layers of Personality

Word Count: 1.8k+

Genres: Smut, some fluff

Description: Minhyuk did not expect you to lunge at him in an empty classroom.

>> Masterlist

Warning ⚠️ Contains Adult Content

There were so many aspects to Minhyuk that confused you.

He was a good boy, is what the teachers uttered, he rarely skipped class and when he did he brought a note explaining his absence a day later. Quietly intelligent, he always defied expectations.

Students whispered about the hidden undertone to his personality. He liked to touch, he had seen many a mid-climax face, he had chased and caught, faced defiance and won. The tales that chased his back would curl the hair of the teachers that praised him.

So he was a flirt and a good boy, an odd combination intermingled. Apparently, he was after you as well.

A year ago, you would have frowned at his first attempts to get your thoughts headed in his direction. That was unnecessary attention, his subjects had their names echoing around the corridors even after they had lost all association.

But these days, no one even batted an eye. Some took notice, most of those his secret (or not-so-much secret) admirers.

And that meant less conflict on your behalf. It was so very easy to melt into that smile, to accept his offer to help you through that math equation, to allow that hand that tucked hair behind your ear. It was what he was good at, after all.

Though you wanted to lose some of your inhibitions with him, you thought a classroom of all places was somewhat inappropriate. Yet here he was, with that seductive scent and seductive mannerisms, taunting you.

The school was eerily quiet. Usually, when you worked through homework on your laptop, you sat alone. Usually.

“How are you doing over there?” He inquired, chin grazing your shoulder, breath hot on your cheek. Strands of his hair touched your temple. God, you thought, trying desperately to focus on forming words rather than the peaking of arousal that set your core on fire merely thanks to his presence.

“Fine,” you replied curtly.

From Minhyuk’s perspective, it was as if he had made no progress. He saw no hint of the clash in your head. Just the short responses, with no reciprocation of his advances. It was too bad. There was something there for him, not an overwhelming connection but it made you stand out.

You typed some. Tried to fix your interest to the slowly ticking-up word count. Crossed your legs together, ignoring the almost aching pain between them.

What had he done to the other girls he had left in a trail of dead heat and sex? Where had he taken them? Those thoughts, which should have been a source of jealousy, were only reminding you that his sweet nature was a facade and his fingers knew exactly what to do with you.

His fingers. You tilted your head towards him, examining him and his olive skin and the gentle shade of his lips. Admiring him. How could a man be so attractive?

“Oh,” he found you observing him and flinched, “what’s up? You’re looking at me?” Minhyuk grinned, baring his rows of white teeth in perhaps the purest of smiles. If not for his gaze shifting to your crossed legs revealing more thigh than intended, you would forget his background — or, rewrite it as gossip.

“Am I that handsome, that you can’t take your eyes off of me?” He teased, accentuating the softness of his features by ruffling his dark hair and letting his expression fall into a relaxed one, you thought briefly that his lashes were so long.

“Is it true, everything that I’ve heard about you?” You inquired, a question long stuck on your tongue. He raised his brow at the impromptu sentence, not expecting you in particular to wonder that, and have the courage to express it.

“What have you heard?”

A test he particularly liked. Easy to gauge reactions.

If anyone had the response Minhyuk was searching for, you were slapping him in the face with it. Crimson face, averting eyes, an overall shiftiness with your attitude. Clearly, he had painted some sort of image in your head.

“The—The sex…stuff,” you stammered, mouth and throat dry, “you know what I mean.” He leaned forward, inches from you and you jerked away. His fingers found yours, keeping you near from this link.

“If it is, what would you do? Because it’s true. I like to make people feel good.”

Oh, fuck.

This was going in a direction you weren’t sure you could guide yourself away from. Particularly not from that glint in his eyes, nor from the innocently pleased beam hiding his growing interest.

The tension was growing and you could not fight it back down. No, that was utterly out of your hands, and your attitude was optimistic anyway.

So optimistic, apparently, that you lost a leash on your restraints, the restraints you were unaware were working, and your chin collided with his in a hastened kiss, lips and teeth at war.

He responded somewhat gradually, his groan rumbling against you. A hand rushed to support the small of your back, the other tracing small circles on your thighs — he took a slow approach despite your initial rush, you could feel the experience weighing on his shoulders.

Meanwhile, you were working at the kiss. Trying honestly to open his jaw to grow the intimacy and (hopefully) win dominance. Minhyuk was teasing, refusing to even give you that opportunity.

Minhyuk was running thoughts through his head. Stunned that you had initiated, in a classroom no less, and thinking through which routine he should take you through.

You seemed perfectly eager to top. And he would let you, but he had other plans. He took fistfuls of your hair and drew you away, mid-kiss, to meet your gaze.

“You want this? Really? In here?” He breathed, searching your form, enjoying how close those curves he had admired were to pressing against him. You relaxed against the clamp he had around your locks, easing the ache.

“Fuck, yes,” you replied, and he cocked a brow.

“You’re dirtier than I thought. Go on, go sit on the teacher’s desk.”

You, reluctant, shifted onto your feet and pushed past the rows of tables, heat ebbing in your nether regions, pulsing with each step. The teacher’s desk was notable, long and cool through the fabric over your backside. Minhyuk had his bag set on his chair, searching for something in a side pocket. His fingers grazed it — it crinkled.

A condom clutched in his palm. He gave you an affectionate simper, taking the same path you had.

“Hmm,” he hummed, rubbing his hands up and down your thighs, “baby, open up. Can I feel you?”

Inviting, his words were, and soft and you did as he asked with a curt nod. Somehow the air clouding him pushed you under his influence, ridding you of your need to dominate.

A thumb found your clitoris through shorts, applying pressure to increase the flow of arousal.

Oh, you had been waiting for him to touch you there for so long that the relief itself almost shocked you through orgasm.

“That’s good? It’d better if you took everything off, though,” he suggested, devilish. The condom had disappeared in his pocket between your gasps — he fell to his knees, dragging you closer by your ankles.

“Okay. Let’s start down here. We have all the time in the world, baby. Let’s pace ourselves.”

Pace? You had to swallow a scoff; judging by the clean way he was running through this, you decided to reveal a hint of attitude would have him shortly rocking the desk.

Those fingers you admired began unbuttoning your shorts, pushing them down your thighs and leaving them to drape off of your ankles. Then came your underwear, and he tested their dampness with his index.

“You’re ready for my touch, huh, baby?”

His intention was only to give you a taste today — and he would be tasting something else.

When his lips met your core you unintentionally emitted a hiss, begging for him to pick up his pace as so close to the edge you were, already, that you just had to hit it. Two fingers buried their way inside you, assessing how much of a job they would have to do for the next few weeks before he could replace them with something larger.

The sounds you growled out were something for him to marvel at. The way your back curled, the hands that caught his hair, urging him forth; he basked in it. He loved it. Perhaps he even loved you.

“God, Minhyuk, that—fuck, I’m gonna come.”

Already? He did not slow nor increase hearing that, rather he remained consistent and when he felt the contractions initiate around him he withdrew and lapped up the come because spillage should be — he preferred this so — avoided.

The sensations that tore through you could hardly be described. Only that you had never felt this way using your own hands and technique before. It was intense, it jolted you from your position, landing you flat on your back, where you hardly noticed the stationary you leaned on till the cascades of pleasure thinned out.

Minhyuk had his lips drawn inside his mouth. Tasting all of you, cleaning up all of you. A peck planted on the inside of your thigh.

“Legs up, baby, let me help you here,” he gestured. Your limbs were weak and fell as far as his waist before returning to their limp position hung over the edge of the table.

“Okay,” he stifled a giggle and rested your ankles on his shoulders.

Like a mother dressing their child, he assured that the buttons on your shorts were done up and the flyer closed. When you sat up and fell against his arms, he took you into a loving hold, arms sliding loosely around your waist.

“You’re like a baby, (F/n),” he soothed, lines drawn down the back of your neck to the top of your spine.

“What now?” You asked, afraid of the answer but proceeding anyway, “are we going to part ways, pretend it never happened?” He paused.

Silence.

“I hope not. I wanted to keep doing this with you.”

You nodded, you agreed. However, the erection pressing against your thigh was making you somewhat nervous.

“Oh. And what about you? You want me to, uh, do you now?”

He purred, finding his nails between the locks of your sweat-sticky hair. He was so sweet, you had not expected such a sweet streak laced with his naughty personality.

“Not today. I was thinking we could build up to that.”

Huh. That was fair enough. It seemed rumors failed to serve him well. He was far gentler than tales told. Though, you could not yet be certain of that. You had only seen one side of him.

Something most likely hid beneath layers of warmth. The need to bend you over him and spank you, the desire to trap you over his bed with your wrists bound, mark you with teeth, hear your lyrical voice sing for him.

Oh, you would discover that in time.

[saintheartwing]

May the Force Be With You, Pt. 4

Han and Leia were, as it turned out, currently shacked up in a hotel five blocks away from the Dyad’s headquarters. With the holographic disguises they had, it was easy for them to get a room, especially because, in general, Nar Shadaa’s businessmen didn’t ask questions of those that solicited their services. Better for everyone that way.

Now they were in the soft-painted hotel room as Han sat on a chair, looking over a datapad as Leia sat on the bed with Kendall. Both of them were sitting with legs crossed, hands resting on their knees as Leia tried to impart some basic breathing techniques and meditation on to Kendall. Besides feeling calmer though, Kendall didn’t appear to be getting anything out of it.

“Be with me...be with me...be with me…”

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

“Try...I am one with the Force, the Force is with me.” Leia offered gently.

Kendall took in another deep breath, in, then breathing out. In, and out. “I am one with the Force, the Force is with me. I am one with the Force, the Force is with me. I am one with the Force, the Force is with me…”

She waited about five minutes, Han watching on as he raised an eyebrow slowly up. Truth be told, he sympathized with the lad. He wasn’t exactly a Force sensitive type either, the twenty-something before him was obviously barely connected to the Force and struggling to grab hold of something real. Han had been a bit saddened himself to know that he couldn’t really feel the Force the way Luke or Leia did, there were times when it would have been nice, to feel what they felt…

“Ohhh. Doesn’t look like its working.” Kendall sighed. “Let’s try and focus on the Dyad. What have you found out?” He wanted to know.

“We’ve been going around to people across Nar Shadaa’s capital, but it’s difficult to get them to talk. People were loath to speak to us about the two when they were younger and more common sights on the streets of Nar Shadaa, but when they became Sith, few, if any, knew what they were doing behind the scenes. I doubt there’s anyone who knows as much about them though based on what we have learned...well, except themselves.” Leia confessed.

Han held up the datapad, tapping on it, as a holographic display popped up from it, showing off what the contents were as Kendall looked at pictures of Furiosa and Raize. “The army is almost completely their own. There’s barely any remnants from the previous one, all of those were mostly older guard who just keep their heads down and don’t ask questions. The same goes for the planet’s fleet. Frankly, if you did ask questions or objected, unpleasant things tended to happen to them. People found their homes trashed, or their loved ones threatened, and in the worst cases, their bodies would get flung out of the top of the tower and they’d have to call in a cleanup crew. Always, of course, at a...less conspicuous time.”

“The average person on Nar Shadaa barely trusts them. They were disappointed that the Republic didn’t do enough, so they put their trust in the populist promises of the Dyad, only to find that the Dyad were actively oppressive, as opposed to the indirectly oppressive and red-taped-up Republic.” Kendall grumbled. “Look, I’m glad the Republic is DOING something now, but if your government hadn’t wet the bed years back, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“It isn’t that easy.” Leia insisted. “The Republic has to oversee and care for literally hundreds of worlds. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to manage that? It’s hard enough for one country’s senate to agree on what has to be done, imagine that...but ten times worse for a senate overseeing almost a whole galaxy.” She told Kendall. “We have to make sure we absolutely get it right or the consequences turn out catastrophic. We can’t move too quickly or it’ll be a dumb, knee-jerk reaction that will only exacerbate the problem.”

“But if you move too slow, the problem festers and then explodes.” Kendall reasoned.

“Look, the Republic should have done more, but it ain’t like this is totally their fault. The government represents you, buddy. How many Nar Shadaans actually vote?” Han asked.

Kendall blinked. “...I dunno, 40 percent? 50?” He asked.

Han smirked. “...26.”

Kendall gaped. “...NO WAY.” He murmured.

“Until the election of the Dyad and the election after that, it was 26%.” Han laughed. “We checked. It went up to around 70 percent when the Dyad announced they wanted to be the representatives of Nar Shaddaa, and only dropped about 10 percent the next election. Only one other guy ran against them. He got DESTROYED.”

“Yeah, I remember…” Kendall rubbed his chin. He remembered VERY well. Someone had swiped the letterhead of Candidate Kendee, a rather charming, though somewhat stupid, human candidate. The prankster had sent out invitations that promised “free beer, free food, girls, and a good time for all” to homeless shelters. He’d found a few sent to the very clinic he’d worked at, and these fake invitations had hurt Kendee in the polls.

Kendee had managed to bounce back though, at the debates. You could only do one on one, so first Darth Raize had tried to take him down, but Kendee had actually outsmarted her. It had been shortly after Nar Shadaa had endured an attack from Mandalorian extremists who had not gotten the memo that the war was over and they’d lost. Darth Raize and Furiosa had said it was the Republic’s fault because it hadn’t been NAR SHADAA that had been keeping the Mandalorian people down on their planet, it was the Republic, and Nar Shadaa was just an easy target because it was closer to Mandalore than Coruscant was, and less well-protected. So they’d used the attack as an excuse to further increase their military power, AND they’d spent months and months railing at how the Republic poisoned everything it touched.

And so when the debate happened, Raize put a hand over her chest, speaking solemnly and calmly. “I would never want to commit troops to military action. I never dreamed I’d be doing such a thing. But the enemy attacked us, and I have a solemn duty to protect Nar Shadaa, to do ALL I can. That’s why I’ve committed more troops to bases on Nar Shadaa’s moons to act as a bulwark.”

Kendee saw an opening.

“Mrs. Raize just said something frankly extraordinary.” He said in his response, his grey eyes looking right into her own. “And something very revealing. The enemy attacked us? The Republic didn’t attack us. Mandalorians attacked us, and even then, Mandalorian extremists, not the Mandalorian people. But I’ve read through all of your speeches in the past months since that attack happened, you mentioned the Republic and Coruscant 1214 times, you mentioned Mandalorians or Mandalore...102 times. You’ve spent more time attacking the Republic than actually attacking the people who blew up 4000 people three months ago.”

He began to dissect her arguments, methodically and quickly, cutting into her like a knife. Raize looked stunned, her mouth slightly agape. When it was finally time for her to respond, she let out an irritated, peevish “First of all, I know Mandalorian extremists attacked us. I KNOW that!”

It made her look bad. Really bad. It also didn’t help that in the next debate, Furiosa tried to connect with the audience by invoking her relationship with Raize, and how close they were. But this had been overplayed in the ads, the people of Nar Shadaa didn’t really find it adorable and cute anymore. It was just a normal relationship they’d seen again and again in the media, so what?

Perhaps they should have spent less money hyping up human interest stories about themselves, and more money devoted to basic needs like ensuring the staff who ran such stories at the media companies had their pensions. Kendee, meanwhile, touted his work as a judge. He’d served on the bench as a juvenile and family court judge, developing a strong interest in aiding abused children. He’d helped to start the “Nar Shadaa Trust Fund”, a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing money for kids who had nothing, along with being president of Nar Shadaa’s National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect.

Kendall had been impressed. He’d actually thought Kendee would be able to win by trumpeting his heroic work advocating on behalf of the powerless. In fact, some of his campaign commercials showed him at his volunteer work, including one showing him shaking and holding hands with children.

That’s when the bad thought entered Kendall’s mind as he saw those images. “Wait. They WOULDN’T.”

They would. They initiated a whisper campaign that Kendee was a pedophile. They would use the local universities and colleges of Nar Shadaa to disseminate whisper campaign information. The students would go to the classes, hear the info, then return home, and word would get out. That way the lie would come across as common knowledge. It didn’t help that Kendee could barely stomach such an assault. He wasn’t the sort of person where this was water off a duck’s back, he had his own family to think of, and the somewhat small, well-groomed family man had seen his poll numbers plummeting, and ultimately decided to drop out to spare his family more shame.

So the Dyad had taken his greatest strength, touching the lives of kids, and turned it against him, saying he was touching kids.

Kendall knew about this because the clinic was a frequent stop not merely for the average worker on the street who couldn’t afford a better physician, but also for college students, and Kendall was a good listener to the patients. They’d found it surprisingly easy to get stuff off their chest, and to talk about things they’d heard whispered through the halls. Including the stuff about poor Candidate Kendee.

“What we really need to do is to encourage more people to openly revolt and rebel against the Dyad.” Han said. “AND we need eyes and ears inside their building as well. If we ever want to break in, that’s what we need above all else, and luckily, we do have someone who can help with that.”

“We’ve found several sympathetic electricians who specifically do work only for the tower. I was able to read their minds easily when Han and I were at a bar, they were practically screaming inside on how much they hated working for the two. Evidently they watched them force choke a captain of the guard for falling asleep at his post and they’d been terrified of their employers ever since.” Leia admitted.

“Well if you’re the sort of person who’ll casually kill your employees for minor offenses…” Kendall reasoned. “So they agreed to help?”

“They set up a way for us to hack into the tower’s camera system. We can’t get into the security system, that’s too well protected at the moment, but its a start. The next task would be to try and approach their boots on the ground, to see if we can gain allies there.”

Kendall cleared his throat. “Actually, I may be able to help with that.” He confessed. “Because a lot of protesters AND soldiers went to the clinic I worked at, and I know where they enjoyed going after. They’d invite me there for drinks and the like as thanks.” The Logosian told Han and Leia. “I may be able to get some of them to open up.”

“Good idea. We’re going to go out and get some dinner, we’ll bring it back here. You’d best lay low. You’re still recovering...and you can practice your mantras.” Leia suggested as Kendall smiled slightly back, though inwardly, he groaned. As Han and Leia left the room, he flopped onto the nearby couch, covering his face.

He couldn’t connect to the Force through mantas. He couldn’t just reach out through the ether and touch it. None of those methods were working. But...he had faintly felt SOMETHING before. When he’d just openly tried to speak to it out loud. He had to try and approach the Force in a different way.

So Kendall headed to the bathroom, closing the door, getting out his lightsaber as he held it up, focusing, taking in some deep breaths. “Okay. I’m listening. I know I’m not the best Force user this planet has. But I really want to try to talk to you. Tell me what I’m missing. Tell me how I can become better. I’ll try anything.”

“Do or do not. There is no try.” Kendall turned, seeing Leia standing there in the bathroom doorway, chuckling a bit as Kendall sighed, hanging his head.

“I must look stupid.”

“You don’t look stupid. You are simply not used to any of this, so you’re floundering and confused.” Leia told him. “Just think about exactly what you want, and open your mind to the possibility that it can happen.”

Kendall took in another deep breath. He tried to picture what the Force would look like if it could speak to him, but he kept seeing Leia over and over. Every time he tried to make a new face for the Force, it just became Leia. He couldn’t focus.

“Sorry, its just you over and over. I guess because you’re the Jedi here.” Kendall admitted as Leia walked back to the bed with him as he looked down at the lightsaber, turning it on as the red light hummed softly. “Sometimes though, I almost feel like the lightsaber talks to me.”

“A Jedi weapon has its own connection to the Force.” Leia said softly. “Maybe that’s how you can connect better to it. This weapon is your first, your first step towards becoming a Force user, it unlocked the potential within. It has a power all its own. But above all, you must remember a lightsaber should always be used in defense, either of yourself, or others.”

Kendall nodded. “You’re right, you’re right. But why can’t I “hear” the Force or “sense” it the way you can? The way the legends all say Jedi or Sith can? I can’t move rocks, I can’t get into people’s minds, normal Jedi and Sith can, why can’t I?”

“Everyone’s connection with the Force is different. All you need to do is find a way to make your connection work for you. But in truth, you don’t need to get into people’s minds. You have a way of getting into people’s hearts. It is your empathy and concern for others that is your greatest strength, and that, above all, is what makes a Jedi. Compassion.” Leia explained.

“That’s a nice idea.” Kendall said with a small smile growing on his face. “That actually sounds really beautiful.”

“I know you would like to speak to your Father. Maybe in time, as your connection grows, you’ll find the answers you desire.” Leia said. “But you must open the door and walk through it. Others won’t do it for you. They can only show you the right door, nothing more.”

Kendall suddenly felt something tingle his spine, and he sat up, blinking slowly before his blue, deep eyes gazed at Leia.

“I’m not speaking to Leia, am I?” He inquired.

“Leia” smiled. “No. No you are not.”

“...is this form you’re taking...so I’m more comfortable with you?”

“You’re only able to comprehend me as something you know. So...yes.” The Force told him. “Not everyone believes in me the same way. It is not such a difficult thing at all for me to take this form.”

“Are...are you actually God?”

The Force chuckled. “You don’t really think I am, and I won’t tell you I am, Kendall. But I understand why you’d ask that, I am, after all, immensely powerful, and connected to all living things. Probably as close to God as you can believe in.”

“Where did I come from? Could my Dad tell me? Was I...was I created by him? From you?”

“We can’t really answer, Kendall. It isn’t our answer to give, it is his. And you aren’t ready to speak to him.” The Force admitted. “Your mind is reaching out to me. It wants to understand. Your goal is clear. But you can’t focus on your Father without immense pain and sorrow filling you. If you tried to speak to him as you are now, you wouldn’t see your Father. You’d see not even a pale imitation, not an echo. Just a twisted shard of what he was. You don’t want that.”

For the brief flicker of a moment, he was not looking at Leia, but at something horrifying, terrible and enormous that only wore his Father’s face like a cheap dollar store mask and Kendall shuddered, shaking his head back and forth. “I get it. I get it.”

“Perhaps, soon, you will be ready. But you must be at true peace. For now...help the people of Nar Shadaa. And discover the truth of what Furiosa and Raize have done. Doing this will benefit you as well, Kendall. You will find they’ve opened a door...a door your Father also opened.”

And with that, it was gone, just as a knock came at the door. “We’re back. Hope you like noodles!” Han’s voice rang out from the other end as Kendall rose up to let them in.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do.” He told them as they all sat down to eat. “Hopefully I can reach some of the Dyad’s people. Maybe there’s others like those electricians that are scared off them too, and just looking for a chance to escape…” He mused aloud as he, Leia and Han began to heartily house down their noodles. Tomorrow would be a big day indeed...there was much to do, and so little time...

[tyranttortoise]

Do you think we can get uf sans' pov when he and lady were in the hot tub?

(*I’m always happy to do these!)

“It figures that you’d leave your phone in the hotel room, Red muses as he drums his fingers along the edge of the hot tub, glaring daggers at his unresponsive phone.  He had decided to continue his hot tub selfie tradition by sending you another, this one with the caption “i’m waitin on the roof sweetheart.”  After several minutes pass, he decides to send a text to Stretch.

is y/n still with u?

Of course, the response is immediate.  

ashtray: “yep”

Irritation flashes through him, causing Red to grit his teeth.  Admittedly, he’s been in a rather bad mood ever since he saw that swimsuit on you.  The fact that you chose something Stretch picked out wasn’t what bothered him; it was the fact that you matched Stretch, that he got to rub your skin so intimately, that he had earned a private moment on the beach where the others weren’t allowed to spy.  

Red had eaten with Sans, but he hadn’t been good company.  He had just guzzled mustard and scarfed down a burger, ignoring his counterparts attempts at jokes to lighten his grisly mood.  When enough time had passed, he simply teleported to the roof, comforting himself with the knowledge that you had promised to set some time aside for him.  

Besides, it wasn’t like Stretch was the type to make a move that soon, right?  Even if you were now watching the sunset with the ashtray… on the beach… completely alone… in a rather romantic setting… wearing matching skull print swimsuits that practically announce to the world that you’re a couple…

Scowling, Red angrily types out a reply: “tell her i’m waiting on the roof.”

And then he plays the waiting game, while trying to relax in the meantime.  He shouldn’t be wound this tight–especially over a human girl he hasn’t known all that long.  

But he also hasn’t been able to forget the feeling of your lips against his cheekbone when you leaned in to thank him.  If Blueberry hadn’t butted in….

Those thoughts are pushed aside as you meander onto the rooftop, your expression lighting up when it lands on him.  Grinning wide, Red waves you over, the tightness in his chest uncoiling.  As you approach, he slides over, patting the water beside him with a sharp splash.  

“heya doll.  i saved ya a seat.”

“Guess you did tell me you had room for two.”

When did–oh, that’s right!  The first selfie in the hot tub.  He had sent that shamelessly, not caring that you had a boyfriend after he had experienced just how big of a douchebag he was.  Red knew you were going through a tough time, and as flirtatious as his selfie was, the real point of the picture was to make you smile–to take your mind off things.  That’s all the others wanted for you, too.  They didn’t have many human friends–or friends in general, since Sans was trying to keep the whole “i ripped apart the multi-verse and now there’s multiples of me and my brother” on the down-low.  So, it had been nice to entertain a friendship that wasn’t involved in that mess.

 “heh, you ‘member that, huh?  why not take a load off?”  To his relief, you take him up on that offer, sliding into the water beside him.  He’s unable to keep his eyelights off you, roaming the skin that the suit reveals before its obscured by the water.  Red’s never been a self-conscious guy, but there’s a part of him that’s glad for the dim lighting on the roof and the poor quality of his cell phone’s camera.  His ribs are littered with nicks, cracks, and calcifications from the fights he had been in throughout the years.  His brother’s bones were in even worse shape.  

Leaning back, Red decides to enjoy the moment.  Even if he didn’t win the bet, so one of the others could easily crash their little party, he didn’t care.  He’s content being next to you, his arms spread out… his humerus so close that he can feel your body heat against it.  

Or is that just him being hyper-aware of that fraction of an inch of space between the two of you?

Speaking of which… there isn’t much space between any portion of your bodies, he realizes.  Smirk widening, Red stretches out his legs, shifting so that his knee skims against the side of your thigh.  His focus is on your face, but he can’t tell if your cheeks are just that darkened because of the water’s temperature or from the physical contact.  

Stars, how he hopes it’s the latter.

“Can you even feel the heat without nerves?” you blurt.

*sweetheart, ya gotta lot of nerve bringing this kinda heat in here.*i don’t need skin to tell it’s gettin’ hot in here.*…nah, i better not say that.  

“sure. somewhat. heat and cold don’t really bother skeletons, but this does feel nice.”  He shrugs, and the motion brings his arm down lower–this, of course, being a calculated move.  

*i wasn’t lyin’.  this does feel nice–just bein’ like this.

You don’t move away from his arm or his leg.  You don’t move to break the contact.  It only emboldens Red, who really wants to touch more of your skin.  If he had it his way, you wouldn’t be sitting beside him.  No, you’d be on his lap, arms wound around his neck.  

“Y-yeah, it does feel good. I always loved hot tubs.”

*was that… a reaction?

More perceptive than he appears, Red caught the nervous hitch to your voice. "ya don’t say?“ 

“Mmhmm.” Red notices your gaze drop, focusing on his collar.  You swallow hard, and it only makes his smirk widen.  "Are you having fun so far, Red?“

"more than you know,” he chuckles, deciding to experiment. His fingertips brush lightly over the side of your arm, and you actually lean closer to him, without pulling away.  He breathes a sigh of relief. “i’m glad the hot tub’s on the roof. i wanted to show ya the view.”

You seem distracted. “The view? But we can’t see the beach from here.”

“not the ocean. the stars.”

He nods his head toward the sky, and the furrow from your brow relaxes as you turn your face skyward and take in the view.  The stars have always been his favorite thing–something that kept him going in the Underground, a promise he had made long ago.  The first thing he had done (after the initial freak out and fight he and his brother picked with the others that may have escalated) was stand outside and look up at the stars.  He had felt so small then, but… sitting here, looking at them with you, he doesn’t feel that way.  

His chest feels warm, the tight feeling coming again.  His fingers gently press on your upper arm, and you respond immediately, without even tearing your gaze from the sky.  You lean your shoulder into his, letting him draw his arm around you, where he could leisurely explore the skin along your shoulder and upper arm.  He hasn’t been paying attention to the stars in the slightest.  Instead, his head is slowly lolling to the side, tilting closer to yours.

“Thank you.”

Red jerks, his head snapping back up.  He was so lost in his daydream that t takes him a moment to process the words.  "for what?“

"This. For showing me this. And… for all the other stuff, too, you know.”

Red assumes the other stuff means lending you his jacket and carrying you back to the lodge.  Honestly, he liked the way you looked in his jacket; he liked the idea of you wearing something that belongs to him.  It’s a possessive thought, akin to claiming you, but it sends his instincts into overdrive. 

Your gratitude also brings his thoughts full-circle to what happened last week on the racecar bed…  Smirking, he leans in.  "does this mean i get another kiss?“

You’re so close that it would be so easy for him to just lean in and close the gap between your lips and his teeth.  His eyelights drop to your lips, and he finds himself gravitating toward them, his sharpened teeth just barely parting in anticipation.

And then you shove him away, but at least you’re laughing.  He also notes that your cheeks are definitely darker. "Nope, one time deal.”

*that can’t be true, sweetheart.

Instead of voicing that thought, he says, “now that’s just cruel, sweetheart.”

“Never said I wasn’t cruel.”  Your tone is teasing as you move from beneath his arm to get out of the hot tub. Red’s transfixed by the way the water glistens on your skin–as well as how your rear was practically in his face when you turned to step out.  "C'mon, that’s enough star-gazing for one night. You’ll pass out.“

He smirks, slowly moving to follow. "it isn’t possible for me to over-heat, doll, but i appreciate your concern." 

*but if ya had stayed in the hot tub even a minute longer, i might’ve.

[foursprouthappiness-blog]

26 Stupidly Simple Ways To Flirt

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/happiness/26-stupidly-simple-ways-to-flirt/

26 Stupidly Simple Ways To Flirt

Unsplash / Tyler Nix

1. Position yourself close to them

“By positioning myself to be near someone without it seeming intentional. That way you get a lot of face time with the person for witty banter and eyelash batting.

Then I’d try to isolate myself, like by getting something from the kitchen at a party, and making sure the other person saw where I was going and if they ‘randomly’ showed up. If they showed up near me a few times and started chatting, it’d be pretty good confirmation they were feeling it too.” — floofloofluff

2. Look between their lips and eyes

While in conversation, look at their lips, then glance up to the eyes and smile slightly. Best done with mouth slightly open. Take a second nice, long look, and moisten your lips with the tip of your tongue. When done properly, men will have to adjust, women will squirm. Effective!!” — 2beagles

3. Try to make your skin brush against each other

“Stay near them when hanging out, not in a creepy following them around way, but in a sit beside them and keep a conversation going.

When sitting down try to make your legs touch, even just your knees, but make it seem passive. You didn’t sit like that to touch them, it just happened and now you’re comfy. Shoulder to shoulder also works great!.

Make yourself known. Always check your posture, arch your back and puff your chest, you want your shoulders appearing broad, this makes a massive difference!.

Always always always maintain eye contact in one on one conversations, but in group ones make sure to not always be looking at them.

Flirting isn’t like ‘oh you’re so pretty/handsome’ it’s just making yourself seem chill and good to be around. But that doesn’t mean avoid compliments completely, but don’t directly say ‘you’re face is nice’. You gotta say things like ‘you have a nice laugh’ or ‘I love hanging out with you’ stuff that could be a normal compliment, but in the right context is something you want to be told by the person you like.

This is what works for me, this also just helps talking to new people and making friends, not just flirting.

Never act like someone else, this is possibly the most important of all of these. You want them to like you, not the fake personality you’ve taken on to fake being interesting.” — TheWolfOf_MemeStreet

4. Ask some basic questions

“Ask questions about what they talk about, shows you care. Be a good friend, don’t have a bullyish personality towards them. Don’t make jokes at their expense, or at the expense of anything they care about. Pay attention to how they react to what you say or do, will influence what sort of jokes or conversation you should make with them. Get excited for what she wants to do, and try get her excited about you want to do: share your passions! Be a person who wants to be the best person they can, and bring that across in your personality.

Do your best! A relationship is a 2 way deal: Just because she suits your taste and requirements doesn’t necessarily mean you will suit hers. If you’re not compatible, then rather than force a relationship, try learn something about yourself: why it didn’t work, who you are and who you want to be.” — VincentAuron

5. Crack some jokes

“Just be yourself. When I was younger, I put way too much effort into trying to flirt with girls and be the guy that I thought they wanted.

My best advice is to just be yourself, crack some relevant jokes to your conversation. If they are interested in you, it’ll be because of your conversation and demeanor, not because of a flirtatious pick up line.

If you’re a male, learn about females. Their getting-ready process. Curling their hair takes a long time, getting their eyebrows plucked is painful, their makeup takes some meticulous effort. Compliment the things that they worked hard on.” — LILUZIVERT

6. Give them genuine compliments

“I’m basically very friendly, I smile and laugh a lot, I look at the other in the eye, I tilt my head on the side, I compliment, I touch slightly, I show concern and genuine interest, I make jokes and I tease. I will say that they’re awesome and so interesting, sometimes even call them hot.

I’m a girl, and while this works pretty well on guys most of the time, women are oblivious and think I want to be their friend. So yay, I guess I’m too subtle.” — weirdintranslation

7. Make eye contact with them

“Eye contact is important. Most people are right handed and therefore right eye dominant. So if you just maintain eye contact with their right eye, you don’t worry about bouncing back and forth between the two eyeballs most people have.” — letstalktrash

8. Believe in yourself

“The first step is to believe that you are someone worth knowing and having fun with. If you honestly believe in yourself, the rest flows naturally.” — dat529

9. Pay attention to their social cues

“I look for insanely small social signals that the person is receptive to it. When they are speaking to you, are their hips facing you or are they turning their head a bit to talk to you? Have they touched any part of you while in conversation? Are you the last person they look at when they say goodbye? That kinda stuff. It’s not a written invitation, but the odds that there’s an extra level of comfort there is very possible.” — giveer

10. Play a little coy

“Honestly these days I find the best technique is when to active listen and when to play a little coy. Once you get good at dipping in and out of someone’s focus, you start to notice things. Like when you switch who you’re looking at/speaking to during a conversation in a group. If you changed your focus off someone you’re flirting with, you’ll start to notice them still watching you and sometimes even changing their body language to redraw your attention.” — CitrusCBR

11. Tease them in a nice way 

“All I do is try to make them laugh and smile either by just joking about something or teasing them. (I know it high school behavior but it works for me.) I didn’t tease them about stuff they would be self conscious about, I wouldn’t say, ‘Nice mole on your next Katherine, haha jk.’ I would tell them ‘Oh that’s a really nice dress, buuut the mannequin I saw last night wore it better.’ Then the jokes would slowly get a little more promiscuous and vulgar and I would take hints from their reactions if I should cool it or if I can keep pushing it. Eventually I got to sleep with them and date some.” — yoyourbinbox

12. Stand a little closer to them

“As a lady, I get close to them. Like stand a little closer when talking, casually touch their arm, shoulder, whatever. Also initiate conversation, ask the person about themselves, show genuine interest in them as a person.” — RoastyTheToastyGhost

13. Treat them like a human being

“Just be nice and treat them like a person. If they are interested look for the signals. Smiling at you, tilting their head when they talk to you, laughing harder that the joke should warrant, touching your arm when talking, crossing their legs toward you, saying things that continue the conversation rather than stop it.

Get used to being shot down.. it happens 90% of the time to even the most attractive people (not their type, already in a relationship). Be okay with it and move on.” — canonthegood

14. Let your eyes do most of the flirting

When I like a girl, then my eyes do a lot of the flirting. I smirk a lot, raise my eyebrows at the right times, and my tone of voice is suggestive no matter what I’m saying. At some point I’ll start interjecting sexual/physical comments, not exactly overt sexual comments directed at her, but things that relate to sex or body parts.

For example, if a girl is laughing at my jokes and she says I’m funny, then I’ll tease her and say something like, ‘Yeah, whatever! Girls are easy to make laugh. Usually I just have to pull my pants down though!’

A lot of times, it’s actual teasing in a playful way. I was on a date with a girl that had a snap story a couple months back that showed her buying a cocktail, because it had Ugli fruit in it and she loves Ugli fruit. I saw Ugli fruit at the grocery store and bought one. On the date I told her, ‘I have something back at my house for you. It’s very ugly and it made me think of you instantly!’

That’s kind of a dickhead thing to say so she got kind of frowny and said, ‘Oh wow, thanks…’ and then I said, ‘Well, it’s an Ugli fruit. I remembered how much you love them, so I got one for you. What’d you think I meant?’

I will do that pretty regularly to women. If I compliment them, or be nice, it’s going to be hidden by an insult or tease. That way when it comes out what I actually meant, it’s that much nicer and sweet to say. Sometimes I’ll say or do something nice and then take it away, or take it back in a teasing way, too.

On Valentine’s day, I snapped the same girl a picture of a chocolate heart. I told her it was for her. She said that was sweet.

I immediately sent her another snap of me unwrapping the heart and promptly popping it into my mouth, ‘Your heart was delicious.’ She responded with, ‘Hey! That’s not nice!’

So I said, ‘Well, it was the easiest way I could think of getting your heart to melt.’

So here’s the point, I’m constantly teasing. It doesn’t matter if I’m nice, it doesn’t matter if I’m a jerk. I constantly switch between the two to make it a chaotic neutral with a girl. Her feelings go up, they go down, and they constantly end up in the middle. That’s all of how I flirt.

Eyes, tone of voice, mischief, sexual/physical comments, teasing.” — ImJustSo

15. Actually introduce yourself

“Just smile and introduce yourself. Very rarely are you going to come across someone bitchy enough to ignore you or tell you to fuck immediately off. Then the doors open. Just talk. ‘So how do you like this place?’ ‘What are you drinking? That looks good.’ If she’s not interested or says she has a boyfriend, just say, ‘Fair enough, have a great day/evening’ with a smile and move on to the next.” — BeachCop

16. Show them pictures of dogs

“I show them pictures of dogs. It doesn’t work that often but when it does you know she at least gotta be awesome.” — DipsyAD

17. Smile at them

“If they happen to look at me, I smile, then after a second look somewhere else and back to them.

When near them, I tend to lean in closer to them, but never cross any common courtesy boundaries.

If I’m sure the person I flirt with is at the very least interested in me: If our hands are in close proximity I’ll try to make contact. Not grab their hand, but tap it a little.” — DragonSkyMusic

18. Use sarcasm

“Just don’t think of it as flirting, think of it as genuinely talking to someone but with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor. Eye contact, smiling, being interested (or pretending to be interested) in what they’re saying, but most importantly: humor. What comes naturally for me is some mix of sarcasm and dark humor. But that’s the key – ‘comes naturally’. You can’t really force any type of humor or else it’s not funny.

I might be cheating because I grew up with 2 sisters, so talking to a girl was always natural for me. I feel like the biggest issue most guys make is they think too hard about what to say, rather than just relaxing and letting a conversation happen.” — IsThisNameGood

19. Live your best life to impress them

“Step one: Care less about whether you’re ‘successful’ or not. I know it’s tough. Fake it. Feel free to widen your audience of who you want to flirt with.

Step two: Be confident. Fake this too. Pretend you’re confident. Eventually you get so good at it, you forget you’re not confident anymore.

Step three: Be interested. Listen. Eye contact. Empathize. Laugh. Don’t try to one up, and don’t try to solve their problems.

Step four: Do something fun in your life so you have something better to talk about than video games and that meme you saw on reddit.

Step 5: Be funny. No puns. Use your observational skills to point out the peculiarities and inconsistencies of life.

Step 6: Say yes when they ask you out.” — tgoesh

20. Try to relate to what they are saying

“For a gay guy, I usually just ask them where they’re from, ask about work, talk about travel. Then just laugh and try to relate to them. Then you sit close to them, pick a feature about them that you like, and compliment it. Then see how things are going, and either continue to chat or let them go if you think one of you isn’t into it. Sometimes this can be used to tease a bit, and they’ll come back and find you later.” — bigbussy

21. Like their social media posts

“By liking their Facebook posts.” — jfb1337

22. Break the ice as early as possible

“If they find you attractive it wont matter. I’m in my late 20s now, I don’t have time to waste. After some small banter back and forth I will just come right out and say, ‘Well your clearly flirting with me’ or something to that effect.

Once you break that ice its so much easier.” — Praslacha

23. Compliment something subtle about them

“Dude… compliment things they’re less likely to hear. If they’re ugly compliment something you can find on their appearance. If they’re pretty steer clear of commenting on his or her attractiveness. Make them laugh and make sure you’re enjoyable to be around. Don’t be afraid to be totally candid, feel free to say how you’re nervous and aren’t used to situations like this but own it.” — ScrewLxgic

24. Let yourself relax a little

“Eyes are like windows into the heart. Let the person take a deeper look inside.

Always be yourself, relaxed as possible. Make eye contact and, if it feels natural, offer a sincere smile that conveys the message: ‘I like being around you and with you.’” — Back2Bach

25. Establish physical contact

“I will talk to him, and try to hang out with him more. I laugh at his jokes and I try to make him laugh as well. And when it’s possible and suitable, I will establish physical contact, like put my hand on his shoulder or on his arm. But yeah, never really work for me cause I ugly af. Make some good friend out of it though, so all in all can’t complain” — rain_and_hurricane 

26. Just be yourself

“When I was 22 and younger? Get drunk ideally and make heavy handed passes at them with occasional success. Now? I be myself and make gentle fun of myself and my surroundings then find out what they their interests are, who they be with, things that make them smile, what numbers to dial.” — Golantrevize23