#i mean vinny is sexy in general...

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

Vincent Price and Peter Lorre

The Comedy of Terrors (1963) dir. Jacques Tourneur

[literalite]

sunny (he/him gay trans man)

do i even need to introduce him. he's the yellow among us tictac

28 when canon starts

flirty and silly and stupid a hardened criminal, haunted by guilt, a war criminal, a child soldier, a slut. has killed children would again. character assassinated by the narrative at birth basically. but above all sexy as fuck

highest bodycount of these three guys. yes i do mean in both ways

yall know him i didnt shut up about him like all last year

vinny (he/him ssssomething? mlm cis man)

if you've been around for any amount of time you know. you know. protagonist of meet me in the woods, caleb vatore's husband. dead dilf dom. i won't him find as he'll

ages like fine fucking wine

devout catholic, as a result pretty tormented generally. blood on his hands but the only blood that has ever mattered to him was that of his younger brother who died, in his eyes, due to his own negligence. passionate despite it all and tries to be a good man. would move heaven and earth and strike down immortals for those he loves. also he's 6'9. i don't believe in heaven but he does so i hope he made it there but i also keep digging up his body to slut him out so uh. sorry vin

boobs

nayef (he/him ssssomething? queer? trans man)

newest blorbo of the roster, coprotagonist of the project violent affairs that me and @lucidicer are doing. he like speedclimbed the ranks in my mind on sheer cunt alone. rotates him in my head like a chicken

a perfectionist above all else. love is a thing to be worked for and earned rather than sometime to be given freely, and he doesn't trust it or even acknowledge it when it is. a romantic! one of my few ocs without a hint of parent issues. basically a michelin star level chef but he got all his experience by just trekking around europe, north africa and west asia for like a decade and working wherever he could

oh yeah he eats people. did i mention that he eats people

statement from olli:

LETS FUCKING GO!

[castlebyersafterdark]

heyyy vinny i know this is a p generic question but im bored and feeling some spicy thoughts and can't think of anything else - what are your takes on mike and wills kinks? love to see where diff people go w this one

So many ideas for these boys but here are some standards I like:

Mike with a little bit of an exhibitionist streak. I like to think that in conjunction with how his struggles are super internalized, the entire situation of hiding who is could manifest in kinda getting a thrill out of almost getting caught, getting away with things when other people are around. Like he does not want that to happen - but the risk? Fucking thrilling to him. Touching Will and having Will touch him, even subtly, while others are around. Pulling Will away to kiss him and feel him up right around the corner when people are right in the other room. Fucking in his car, even if he took care to find somewhere isolated for them - the threat of getting caught is ever-present. Plays into a possessive thing as well. Like he's so proud that Will is his and he desperately wishes everyone could know it, but before they're comfortable with that happening, he plays it up in these ways. Like, he just has to have Will. Even with danger present.

A little bit of pain for Will. He's so sweet and has been through so much and he really, really just wants to feel so good - but he's also a bit of a low-key freak. In a good way! He's stronger than he appears, he can handle a lot. And he's so sensitive, in so many ways. His highs are high, his lows are low. I think when he feels pleasure, it's almost too much sometimes - leads to him crying a lot (which Mike finds that in certain situations, he really gets off on). But on the flip, a little bit of pain mixed with the pleasure just makes everything soooo much better. And the only one he would ever trust to take care of him the way he needs is Mike, of course. And Mike adores that he's been given this trust, this control. Anything his boy wants - he's gonna get. They just trust each other so much. Choke him a little, keep going when he's overstimulated, spank him hard. He knows Mike's gonna treat him good, keep him on his toes. Because Mike understands his limits and they're so in tune with each other's needs.

These nerdssssss tho - they're totally into the cheesiest, silliest role play. Oh my god. It's embarrassing, it's cringe. But to them? So sexy and fun and they genuinely don't think it's cheesy at all. Mike comes up with the wildest ideas and they absolutely get into character when they fuck sometimes. Will totally makes them costumes, picks out sexy clothing for them both, fully invested in their scenes. Mike does different voices and accents, which believe it or not - Will is totally into. He would be, the little freak 🤭. Such total nerds. But it's really, really hot for them, getting to be silly and play with each other like this for the rest of their lives.

Altered states of mind - various meanings. Sharing a joint, shotgunning. Makes everything nice and slow. The delay in sensation, how their hazy brains make them take their time with each other, how they'd get distracted and lost in lazy kissing, giggling and indulgent and slow as they jack each other off. It's a different feeling that they really like, getting to enjoy themselves like that, while also feeling a bit naughty at smoking up before hooking up. Similar vein - Will gets a thrill at being a bit drunk while in bed with Mike. It's the ragdoll effect. In sober times, he already loves how Mike's bigger than him, stronger. Loves being pulled close to Mike, being carried to bed, thrown onto the mattress, letting Mike position him how he wants him. Just, having his guy manhandle him like that is a huge turn on. Boy can get a liiiiitle bit of a pillow princess complex at times, let's be real. So when he's a bit intoxicated- it's exaggerated. And he loves it. It falls under that whole trust thing, the giving-up control mindset. I think Will's reserved and controlled personality, despite the fact that his emotions are so so much, leads to a dynamic sometimes where he likes Mike taking charge, pushing him when he hesitates. While they both may be excited to try something new in the bedroom, Will is bashful and shy and turns to Mike to coax his dirtiest fantasies into reality. Along with this, both of them enjoy engaging in sex when one of them is really tired. Will loves going down on Mike to either wake him up, or to relax him as he's drifting off to sleep.

I'll stop there, this got really involved hahaha ❤️❤️❤️

[fernweh-writes]

HI OMG I LOVEEE UR WRITING!! i was hoping i could request maybe a slashers w a s/o who loves horror, or just creepy or darker stuff in general? i feel like y/ns are always suuuper like dainty lmao, i feel like some slashers would prefer someone like that

Thank you so much, I’m always glad to hear people like my writing! And I don’t mean to be rude but most people write y/n’s the way they view themselves. Like I would say I view myself as “dainty” and feminine and you could probably see that in some of my writing. However, I do try and write for a wide range of people with my HC’s so that anyone can imagine them. I like for everyone to feel included in the content I create. Since slashers are fictional, we can make them do anything we want and pretend they would love all of us cause at the end of the day we are all very sexy and irresistible.

P.S. sorry this took so long to write i’ve been on a bit of a hiatus

-Fern🌿

S/O Who’s Into Horror

Michael Myers

Michael would be glad that you weren’t bothered by a little bit of blood and gore. He has never been worried about keeping his kills clean, so it’s common for him to come home covered in dirt and blood. Luckily, you’ve never seemed to be deterred by it, so he gets to come inside to change rather than stripping out of his soiled clothing as soon as he steps foot in the door.

This also means you’ve never hesitated to clean said clothes. Michael has never worried much about being hygienic before you came along, so wearing clothes covered in dirt and blood certainly wouldn’t bother him. Still, he’s grateful for it and appreciates you doing things for him.

One night, Michael decides to finally sit down with you and watch whatever movie that you’re watching. Safe to say, he’s pretty intrigued by the genre. You’re telling him people enjoy watching other people get sliced open or possessed? And that you’re one of those people? Sure, it’s all fake but he’s still pretty curious as to why people enjoy being scared.

Blood kink? Knife kink? He’s certainly not going to be upset about it.

Bo Sinclair

Bo is not a fan of horror movies but he doesn’t hate them either. I guess you could say that he’s pretty much indifferent towards them. If you’re watching one of them he will join you without complaint but don’t expect him to be very invested. He’s definitely more of an action and western sort of guy.

With that being said it makes Bo wonder why you enjoy the horror genre so much. Any sort of blood, gore, and supernatural seems to have you absolutely enthralled. There’s definitely going to be a lot of teasing on his part in order to get you to explain your obsession.

Bo would be the one to put you in a somewhat dangerous situation just to see how deep that darker part of you runs. Of course, he wouldn’t put you at risk of any serious harm. Besides if he truly believed you were in any serious danger he wouldn’t hesitate to intervene.

Vincent Sinclair

Vinny definitely has a love for horror himself. The darker things in life have always intrigued him, making people in the town thinking he was a strange child. His parents hated that about him considering people already were on edge because of Vincent’s face. It just gave people another reason to mumble and whisper about him.

Offers you strange little gifts as a way of showing affection to you. This includes things like animal bones and fancy little knives. We’ve all seen the twin knives Vinny has, he would definitely gift you something just as cool as those two, if not better.

Vincent enjoys horror movies more than Bo as well. Although watching TV isn’t his ideal way of passing time he still enjoys watching movies with you from time to time. It’s a good way for him to relax and spend time with you at the same time and he loves that.

Brahms Heelshire

Enjoying horror is a good thing in this instance otherwise Brahms is going to scare the living shit out of you. A possessed doll is enough to freak out the majority of people but luckily, you find it somewhat exciting.

Brahms will definitely be kinder to you as well seeing as you respond well to him moving the doll around and even occasionally talking. When he finally reveals himself to you it doesn’t take long for you to put the pieces together and figure out the true story.

He would be more than happy to indulge your interest in horror. Although he’s more into romance and classics he would happily show you all of the horror books in his library. However, expect him to have you read them out loud to him. He may not enjoy the stories themselves but he does enjoy listening to you talk.

Also might scare you on purpose from time to time. After all, his parents did warn you that he likes to play tricks on people.

Thomas Hewitt

If you didn’t have a love of horror you wouldn’t be able to survive in the Hewitt household. Thomas is only one person and Hoyt isn’t much help so it’s not uncommon for people to escape the basement in…mangled conditions.

You’re often responsible for cleaning up any messes outside of the basement as well. Poor Luda Mae simply can’t stomach it and no other man in the house is going to do it. Unfortunately you’ll have to become well accustomed to blood and gore.

Thomas appreciates that tough edge that you have to you. Surviving with the Hewitts isn’t an easy task and surely isn’t for the feint of heart. Besides, he’s glad that he doesn’t scare you off by doing what he has to in order to keep his family alive.

Billy and Stu

I’m combining these two since they kind of go hand in hand

Both of them originally bonded over their love of horror and they do the same with you. Horror movies is what made them realize they both were a little insane had a darker edge to them than most people.

They’re obsessed with your different takes on horror movies, theories, supernatural, and paranormal. They could listen to you go on about different theories for hours. If you’re a very observant person they also enjoy when you notice little details in movies that they might not have noticed before or didn’t pay much attention to.

Expect them to try and drag you into their little extracurricular activity if they think you would be willing. If they offer, you’re obligated to accept.

Jesse Cromeans

We all know that Jesse loves gore and horror, however it’s not a side of himself he enjoys showing off to you. In fact, he works hard to keep you from finding out about his “business trips” because he’s worried about scaring you off.

Usually the scariest part of Jesse you ever get to see is within the bedroom. He has a strong desire for dominating his partner and after said business trips he usually comes home with a lot of pent up energy you just chalk up to being because the two of you were apart for so long.

Once Jesse discovers just how deep your love of horror runs and believes you can stomach the truth, he’ll let you in on his little secret. He would never let you actually witness what he does but he will start bringing you along with him on business trips so that the two of you won’t have to be apart from each other so often.

Asa Emory

Your love for horror draws him in, it makes you interesting. We all know that Asa sees blood and gore not as disturbing, but rather a very twisted form of art. So he wonders why anything related to horror piques your interest so much

Of course, Asa also likes to observe and study his specimen. He’ll often watch you as you watch true crime, paranormal documentaries, etc to try and figure you out.

He’ll most definitely put you to the test by taking you to his hotel. If he has time he might even set traps all through out your house and observe you as you live out your own real life horror movie.

[blackbutlerfandomnerddomain]

Title: Just Gotta Stay Calm

Word Count: 3966

Fandom: Gravedale High

Ship/Pairing: Vinnie Stoker/Reggie Moonshroud

Tags: First Dates, Vampire Family, Tradition, Awkward Crush, Vampire Boyfriend, Werewolf Boyfriend, First Kiss, Dorks in Love, Awkward Dates, Boys in Love, Friendship/Love

Warnings: First Works of the fandom, swearing(small), awkward, fluff

Vinnie let in a breath as he examines himself in the special vampire mirror on his bedroom wall. He quietly checks every inch of his face closely before opening his mouth to check his fangs.

Good, He thought with a charming grin to himself. No pimples, no stuff in my teeth, no flaws in sight.  Vinnie went to his dresser and takes out some cologne he bought specifically for today, a scent of calming forest rain, and sprayed some on his neck and a little bit in his shirt. Not a lot just the basic stuff to seem simple and posh.

Vinnie and Reggie are finally getting themselves a date.  A real, really real, true date.  Just the two of them.  And Vinnie could be more happier then this moment!

Vinnie has been meaning to ask his best friend out for quite some time, since the first moment he noticed his feelings were a bit more then platonic bashful moths in his chest and stomach actually.  It took him a total of two full months to completely wrap his head around the fact that he - Vincent "Vinnie" Stoker - was wings over heels in love with the world's one and only Reggie Moonshroud.  However, it took him nearly a YEAR to get up all the courage to ask the boy out. Honestly, if it weren't for his friends this day might've never happened.

The young vampire left his bedroom and hurries down his stairs, only to be stopped by the voice of his old man, "Vincent, can you come here please?" Vinnie let out a silent shutter as he mentally cursed himself.

He slowly turned his body fully towards the older vampire sitting in his velvet chair with a pipe in between his lips, small puffs of the smoke emerging out the ends. The teen slowly walked over. "Y-Yea pops?" His voice rarely stammers when speaking, hasn't since he was in the 6th grade, at least not when he nervous beyond his wits like when he tried to get the chance to ask Reggie out and plan out what to do on said date.

"Are you going to go on your date soon?" Asked Mr. Stoker. Vinnie nods some in reply, his hands fumbling into his jacket's pockets. This was not what he wanted to do.  The older vampire stood up from his chair, pipe still puffing out smoke, his eyes focus out the window of the chilly autumn gray skies. He takes a puff before continuing, "I want to give you some simple advice for your first date Vincent. Vampire to vampire." Vinnie practically shrunk his head down into his coat's collar.

Defiantly not what he wanted to do. . .

"That's okay pops, I got it covered-" He began as he slowly creeped his way to the front door. "The year was 1880. . ."  Vinnie bite back a groan, knowing very well that once his dad starts it's hard to stop him.  "I was simply a beginning apprentice to the one and only Dracula. Mostly paper work and long mornings. I thought I had everything cut out for me, a great job and nice home, until I realized I was missing something important when I first saw your mother wandering through the local cemetery." Mr. Stoker smiles fondly as he light strokes his black beard. "She is my first and only love as I'm sure you know. And it took me decades to ask her on a single date, I feared she might not want a simple vampire apprentice who barely knows how to turn into a bat, but alas she surprise me with a yes."  Vinnie nods, "Yeah yeah I know. And you two spent many years together, got married, had two kids, and lived happily ever after. Dad, I know the story pretty well you know."

He didn't mean to interrupt his father's tale, he just already has his nerves up through the roof and he just want to hurry for the plans.  His father turned and looked at his son right in the eyes as he spoke, "I know you do. I'm just trying to tell you that last night I was certain to give you some advice for your date, a vampire tradition my father gave me as his father gave him and his father so forth. I know you're nervous and it's perfectly natural. Just remember, be courteous. Be engaging. And above all, have a plan." Vinnie nodded. "Don't worry pops, I got it covered. Now can I go and do the date itself?" He asked the older vampire, who nodded to his please. He didn't wait any few seconds to open the front door and flying off with a snap.

This will go well, He thought to himself as he feels the wind go through his black hair. Reggie will enjoy the date I have planned for us. This is a piece of blood orange pie. Vinnie smiled as he spaces out on today's plans. Slowly, though, his brain began to swim to a memory of when he got the nerves to finally make that choice he's been walking back and forth on. . .

~   ~   ~

Vinnie taps the heels of his shoe onto the cold hard floor of the school's classroom as he watches the clock tic away, his eyes going to the clock and to the werewolf just a desk away from him.  Today was the day, Vinnie told himself throughout the hours. Today I'm going to do it.  As if proving his luck, the bell rings out around the school, signalling everyone to grab their stuff and hurry the Hell out of there for the weekend.  Vinnie stood onto his feet, catching Gil and Sid giving him a thumbs up as they run out the classroom, and looks over at Reggie who is still putting his stuff away.

The vampire took a breath in and walked his way over to the red head's desk, his feet feeling kind of heavy as he gets closer. Be cool Vinnie, just do it. "Hey Reg." His voice called out suddenly, the rest of his body slowly just going with the flow.  Reggie turned his head and smiled up at his friend. "Hey there Vinnie. You usually are gone by now, is Mr. Schneider Sir seeing you after class again?" He asked as he puts his books away in his bag. Vinnie smiles warmly, he enjoys Reggie's voice. The way his small lisp happens between the small gap of the front of his teeth.  The way his voice cracks sometimes in the right moments. Just generally how comforting it is...

The vampire quickly shook his head when he finally notices Reggie is standing up and looking at him with cocoa brown eyes that warm up Vinnie's dead chest, "No no. I just wanted to know...if...um...i-if you don't mind me asking...I uh..."  "Yes Vinnie?" Reggie pressed on. Honestly, it's like he knows what he's doing to me. Vinnie took a gulp from his dry mouth before he spoke a retry, "I just wanted to know...if...if...well...if you're free this weekend? Maybe...we could...go out?" He didn't know if he sounded needy or not but he didn't care, he finally said it!

Reggie blinked a few times before replying, "Of course we can hang out Vin. We often times do already."  "No, Reggie, I meant...go out...like a...date...?" Vinnie was so scared to look at Reggie in the face yet he has to in order to watch his reaction.  And boy was it a reaction... His cute wolf ears were perked down in a way his shyness shows, hard to tell but behind that fur his cheeks were very rosey and red, just looking at him gave Vinnie so much heat on his face he for sure thought he was going to die.

~    ~     ~

Vinnie chuckled softly when Reggie's face on that day came to mind.

Well, yeah, the reply was a day late but nevertheless he said yes.  And the day has finally came.

Vinnie soon landed at Reggie's place, a pretty big home of four stories with a even bigger yard surrounded it of 6 aches each side. He knew Reggie's family owned a big home for such a big family but he honestly wasn't expecting something so... human dream life. A white picket fence wrapping around the areas of land, green grass in perfect height, the house painted in a nice paint of soft blue with the windows having a white coat to the edges, a cute porch sticking out from the big dark brown oak made front door, and to fit so perfectly a nice little porch swing with a small coffee table.  In all honesty neither Vinnie nor Reggie been to each others' houses despite being friends for years. Always staying at the dorms the school gave them for half the week.

The vampire slowly made his way to the porch and gently pulled the rope that rings the door bell loudly it echos around him and to the forest not far from the house itself. He tripled checked in his head the plans of the date as he waits a few seconds before the door opened and Reggie's head popped into view. "Hey Vinnie." Reggie said with a smile and opened the door already for him to step out. "Hey there Reg-" Vinnie nearly chocked on his words upon seeing Reggie. He wasn't wearing anything out of his comfort zone but something Vinnie was expecting obviously... Let alone something his heart was ready for.  There standing in front of him with the shine of the afternoon sun glimmering a special effect through the tree leafs Reggie wearing a typical white button-down shirt and well ironed dress pants but wears also a well knitted beige and blood red pattern pullover sweater vest and a black Letterman jacket with a big red R stitched to his chest's right side, his hair combed in a messy side bangs style to the left side of his face. Honestly, Vinnie doesn't know if this was more cute or sexy and he was pretty scared of both.  "I-I could change if you want..." Reggie stated, snapping Vinnie out of his daze to realize he's been staring holes into the poor werewolf. "No no you're okay Reg. Just uh...caught me off guard is all. It's cool." Vinnie spoke up with his hands up in defense.

Reggie giggles some, causes Vinnie's undead heart to for sure jumble in beats like a drum.

The first stop of this little date for the two monsters was a nice little fly over the town to the date's main destination. Reggie clings to Vinnie from behind, his face so close to his their cheeks are barely touching softly, his eyes watching the town below them. "Gee Vinnie, this is beautiful." He whispered but Vinnie heard it very well, his warm breath gently dancing across Vinnie's ear, his cheeks warming up in a soft shade of pink, a smile appearing on the vampire's lips. If anything, if he had a chance to say it, Reggie was the most beautiful thing to Vinnie's eyes. Though as a sad as it had pained him he knew he would crash into something if he doesn't focus.

His eyes scanned around the area before carefully landing in front of a cafe looking place. Reggie looked around the place when he climbed down from the vampire's back as he tucked in his wings. "Um... Vinnie." Reggie mumbled softly as he dragged his feet closer to Vinnie. Vinnie let out a hum, "Yeah Reg?" "Correct me if I'm wrong but this is a human cafe is it not?" Indeed it was.  "Yeah. I figured to have a nice bite here for a change." "True it's just... don't you rather want to go to Ms. White's Diner? It's one of your favorites right?" Vinnie had to fight back the urge of going to his favorite 50's diner and share a monster shake with Reggie, he had a plan and he's sticking to it. He gently takes his paw and said, "This is just as good Reg, promise. Plus they serve your favorite here. Trust me."  Reggie looked at the place and at Vinnie, seemed to be small on numbers of humans... So it could be okay right?

The two monsters entered the cafe and walked it's way to a table right in the center. The place was nice, clean, quiet, cute, and had a nice nature aesthetic with potted plants hanging from the ceiling and the smell of coffee and tea with some sweets filling your sense of smell. "This place is nice." Reggie said, his eyes focused on every little detail around him.  The V-Man couldn't help but smile proudly, the date's going so well so far.

A waiter walks over to their table with a notepad and spoke to the two teenage monsters, "Afternoon gentlemen. What can I get you for drinks?" Vinnie opened the menu.  "I'd like a black coffee with a side of milk creamer."  The waiter nodded and looked at Reggie waiting for his answer.  The werewolf quietly looked through the menu, his eyes widening like space saucers. "O-Oh my...Um...w-water would be fine..."  The waiter wrote the orders down before hurrying to the back.  Reggie looked at Vinnie with a raised brow, "This place is expensive Vinnie. They don't even serve your favorite drinks here. And I think you need it, you look ill..."

Vinnie knew Reggie was worried, he can hear it in his voice, but he can't simply explain it... Since the night before last he hasn't had a drop of blood to nibble a sip from due to how stressed and nervous he was getting over asking Reggie out and planning out this perfect date. Black coffee was the best he could get to that bitter goodness. And if not, the creamer would do the trick.  Still, he knew he can't say all that to Reggie, not to seem not cool in front of his crush but also because he doesn't want the werewolf to feel bad or blame himself. Instead he just smiles his traditional smile and leaned back in his chair as he coats his voice with soothing calmness, "It's fine Reg. Everything fine actually. I just... had a big batch during breakfast and need the coffee here is good as I'm told. Plus, the money, don't worry. I got it covered." He finishes with a wink and another smile which caused Reggie's shoulders to calm down slightly.

After a few more seconds the waiter returned with their drinks and a notepad still in hand, "Here is your black coffee with a side of milk creamer and your glass of water sirs. May I interest you into something to eat?" Vinnie glances at the man's meaty neck and silently licked his fang out of sights, his brain wracking him inside his skull to try and not accept the urge to chomp down onto that neck and drink up. His hand quickly grabbed the coffee cup as soon as it was set and took a big gulp of it. Bitter. Not as bitter but still helps a little. He thought, feeling his nerves calm down a bit more.  He glances over at Reggie and smiles, "Why don't you order first? I'll follow after."  Reggie fixes his glasses and looked over the menu, a few times his eyes peeking at Vinnie as if asking for his help. "G-Gee...there's a lot of good options... Um..." He pondered out loud, Vinnie could see the human tapping his pen in a annoyance type manner. He bite down on his bottom lip some to fight back his new urge to range his neck.  Before the urge could happen for real, Reggie's voice rang out to Vinnie's ears, "I-I guess I can have the Pea & Carrot Soup with the Greek Salad as the side?"  "And you sir?" Vinnie had to remember how to talk before he took a quick glance at the menu before blurting out his order, "I'd like a French Onion Soup." And like before the man walked away after writing the orders down.

Vinnie noticed Reggie seemed more awkward and fidgety then his usual form.  "Everything alright Reg?" Vinnie asked, his voice truly worried. He truly is worried for Reggie. Maybe he caught that waiter's rudeness towards them because of their race? Maybe it's the fact it's clearly two boys out doing things beyond friends? The vampire's head is just about to explode over the thoughts on what could be wrong with his Reggie- My Reggie? Vinnie thought of having Reggie of his very own before... I mean it did sound nice to him but would Reggie be down to being...

Reggie softly shook his head with a mumbled, "It's nothing, really..." But Vinnie knew something's been bothering his pal. Maybe... Vinnie felt sick thinking this, Maybe he's not comfortable being on a date with me... Before he knew it the food had arrived but the two didn't seem in the mood to enjoy it... Vinnie gulped down the rest of his coffee and stared down at his dish.

Great, my nerves are all over the place now and Reggie ain't having a good time... He thought as he watched Reggie gently nibble on his soup and salad, the two barely having one or two small conversations. This date is going terrible...

The two left the cafe quietly and quickly after paying for the bill. The two were still pretty silent. Reggie broke this awkward pause in the air with a smile, "The food was pretty good Vinnie." Vinnie doesn't reply. "Vinnie..?" Suddenly, the second monster on this date let out a groan like sigh before slumping his body down a grass area in the side walk, "That stupid waiter! 50 bucks and all he had to do is make it nice!"

Reggie tilt his head at this and quietly asked, "What do you mean...?"  There was a pause when Vinnie looked away with no answer, causing it to click to the smarter of the two.  "Vinnie Stoker, did you pay a human waiter for our date?"  Vinnie sighed, "Not just paid Reggie, I paid the guy $50 to hold off any other reservations so it can be just us... I know you don't like really crowded places but that guy ruined it. I wasted 50 from my allowance just to have a guy be rude to you." Vinnie covered his face with his palms. "I'm sorry Reg...I really am..." Surprising Vinnie, Reggie grabbed his hand and pulls him up before guiding him somewhere.

"Hey Reg, where we going?" He asked, but his question fell on deaf ears as the werewolf still guided him silently.  Suddenly the vampire began to feel a new kind of nervous. Was Reggie mad? Was he going to yell at him for bribing a human? Does he know he hasn't been drinking his daily sips of blood?  He felt sick at the ideas of any of those being true and he blew this date... His one chance... And he blew it major time... There might not even be a second chance in this... "Look Reg..." Vinnie started, hanging his head low in shame. Reggie stopped him, "You didn't have to do any of that Vinnie. I would be perfectly fine going to any place we usual go."  Vinnie did not want this date to be ruined. He did not want his friendship to be tainted. All Vinnie wanted to do was do what he planned, even if it was sudden...

"I like you Reggie!"

Reggie stopped suddenly and whipped his head around so fast he must've felt dizzy.  No turning back now huh? Vinnie thought, taking a deep breath in, "I've always liked you Reg... And I mean really like you... Like...Like... I always get happy in the mornings because I get a chance to be near you at school, it's the only reason why I don't ditch as often. And when you're not there I feel sad...so sad I feel sick... I often re-read the messages we send back and forth after school because I miss talking to you that much... A-And that time when I was running for School President and you were helping me... Reggie, I felt so happy just being around you...seeing you so happy at what you were doing... I know this isn't stuff you want to hear instead of a apology...but I swear to you it's truer then true Reggie... I really like you... I've liked you for so long...I don't know when but I know when I figured it out... when you were fallin from the sky and I was running to you... All that's been runnin' around my head was "I can't let him go"... Reggie... you matter to me so much the idea of you not here with me is killing me..."

Vinnie was so scared to look up at his friend, scared he made it worst... "I just...I know this date ended up bad... but I-" Vinnie's words were cut short when he lifted his head to finally face his nerves, quickly his lips were covered by the soft fur of Reggie's lips.  The teen vampire felt his undead heart beat for miles and miles as every second slowly passes by between them, his eyes widen more then the usual wide but slowly his body began to melt by the warmth of Reggie's lips and they slowly blinked to a close while his lips push pressure back into the kiss.

The kiss lasted about a extra minute before the two pulled away, Vinnie's ears catching a soft small puppy like whine coming from deep back within Reggie's neck. "You like my lips that much Reg?" Vinne asked with a tease in his voice, smiling more when see that same expression of bashfulness Vinnie witness when he asked Reggie out in the first place. "Okay, I'm sorry... does...this mean you like me too...?" He asked, hopeful of his words being a positive. Reggie giggles softly, "Of course it means I like you Vinnie... Why else would I agree to go on a date and kiss you?" Vinnie felt stupid asking such a obvious question.  "And...why else would I do this?" After Reggie said that, he guided Vinnie again towards a secret spot. A nice little isolated hill spot overlooking the entire town and beach. Reggie...planned this? The vampire looked at Reggie in disbelief, now noticing the blush fur on his cheeks. "I... I like you too Vinnie... A lot... I've always had felt it too but that day when you risked everything just for me was when I realize it was more then a simple crush... And I wanted to show you how I felt since then...but I was too chicken to even bring it up in conversation... So, when you asked me out, I was nervous that I might miss my shot...so..." "So you ended up setting this up?"  Reggie nodded some, his bangs sweeping over his warm brown eyes in a cute shy manner.

Vinnie smiles softly and wrapped his arms around Reggie's frame, his lips lightly touching a small peck on his cheek. Sure, this wasn't the date I had planned... Reggie giggles and gently sat on the grass, Vinnie following after. The sun was just about going darker as the stars began to appear above them like candles they used to have lit from their old fears of the unknown... Vinnie could help but smile when seeing Reggie's happy face when he cuddles into him.  But I honestly couldn't ask for anything better.

[youcouldmakealife]

Hi Taylor, I've been a reader of yours since March, and have read almost everything and love your work! I'm curious how you decide which sex scenes to write more explicitly versus just alluded to when it comes to different POVs. Like Liam and Vinny are on opposite spectrums in a way that's more obvious why the choice was made, but your other POVs what makes you decide have more or less detail with the sexy scenes?

This is a terrific question and I hope I do it justice (I certainly do need to cut for length!). It’s definitely made me think, and I feel like I know my own writing process better because of it? And this is one of the (many) reasons I love having a dialogue with you guys.

There are three particular facets to it. One is very nebulous and the other two are things I’m generally doing mostly unconsciously, though they became evident the further I thought about the question.

1. ~gut feelings~

Kind of self-explanatory. Has no real basis, but I follow where I am lead.

2. Genre

This one’s pretty important. While I don’t set out going ‘hey this particular story will be a rom-com’ or even ‘this will be ‘idiots to lovers, hurt/comfort, Soft’, it does quickly become evident, early on, what the general tone and generic style will be.

Technically all my books are romances in the publishing world, but that’s not really the way I personally operate. I don’t sit down at any point and go ‘this is <insert genre> so <insert scene> is not appropriate’, but I do follow the narratives where they go. ‘it’s a setup’ is fundamentally a comedy (it’s also idiots to lovers, hurt/comfort, and Soft). There being serious moments in it does not make it not a comedy. It’s not going to reach the explicitness of Mike and Liam (sorry guys) because that’s not its generic form.

(if anyone is about to point at me and go ‘Follow the North Star had a THREE PART SEX SCENE, TAYLOR’, while there is a TON of comedy in that story, often to full on slap-stick/actually a felony levels, it is also, from the POVs of Harry and Roman, a pretty earnest romance. Also Harry wanted to touch the butt. And the other butt. Harry wanted to touch the butts.)

3. Narrative importance

This one’s the biggest. I remember reading many a moon ago a meta piece by a fic writer I sadly forget (and shall try to remember, because it was clearly formative). It was about not writing sex gratuitously.

Let me finish!

Fuck knows I’ve both read and written a many (many) PWP in my lifetime. I would never, ever denigrate PWPs. They’re awesome and a bulwark of fandom. What the meta was talking about was not cramming a sex scene when it was only there to be a sex scene (again! Love PWPS!) and that every sex scene should reveal something about the characters. Basically: treat sex scenes like every other scene in your writing. If it doesn’t add to the narrative or characterization? Don’t include it.

Explicit sex scenes in the case of Thrown Off the Ice is very important because that was Mike and Liam’s initial connection. If I’d written Thrown Off the Ice and cut to black the second they hit the bed everyone in the world would be like ‘Liam annoys Mike and Mike’s mean to Liam why the fuck are they together?’. Initially? The sex is fucking AMAZING. Eventually? Stupid…love…Mike guesses. (the sex is also still fucking amazing)

Fairly explicit sex scenes are also CRUCIAL to Luke and David, but for different reasons:

Luke: Sex scenes from the Red Deer era are integral from a comparative standpoint to the destructive sex after, but it’s also really important to express just how magnetized Luke was to Nikita from the beginning? And how, well, ‘easy’ for him he was (this makes me wince to write, because it’s by far the most effective jab Nikita gave him, but the reason it was so effective was that it was true: Luke would have done anything for him if he asked). And their relationship is so tied up in sex and violence.

David: For all David pretends That Jake Lourdes is the Worst, it’s impossible for him to deny a physical attraction (but boy can he try!). The sex scenes early on are some of the first places that David’s narrative unreliability becomes incredibly evident. It’s also a place of deep vulnerability for David at the beginning, the only way he allows himself to initially be vulnerable with Jake (until, slowly, he opens himself up in other facets)

So very much TL;DR:

A mix of ~feelings, ~format, and ~narrative reasons sort of form the foundation of the frequency, length, level of explicitness, etc, when it comes to my decisions about sex scenes in my writing.

[gra-sonas]

I am pretty certain Vlamis and Tyler and Carina would of known the backlash the threesome was going to get and I say that as someone who loves Vlamburn they saw how much backlash the fandom gave when Michael just went to Maria in 1x13 and the backlash they continue to get due to the treatment of Alex and they way they have spoken about Malex in interviews I love Vlamburn but I just think they wanted to do a shock value storyline and fair enough

I really don’t think they (as in everyone involved, not even the show runner) anticipated the kind of backlash they got. Yes, that scene was put in there for shock value, and she was hoping it would cause a reaction, an uproar, but I doubt they saw coming what ultimately hit them.

Just look at Vinnie and Rick (2x06 writers), they were excited and teased great things to come before the episode on Twitter, and once it was over and fan reactions poured in, they got rather quiet. Vinnie’s actually said nothing at all about the episode since it aired, and Rick only posted a couple behind the scenes pics/vids and answered some questions, but otherwise nothing from him as well. And they’re usually happy to interact with fans.

It’s my interpretation, of course, but I don’t think they’re exactly happy with how this episode turned out (I know I’d be devastated if people came to me in droves to tell me how much they were triggered by that scene, and how terrible they think the queer rep is).

Imo they were aiming for a fun, spooky, sexy episode, but the fun and spooky bit got more or less completely drowned out by the immense backlash about that scene, which also failed to be sexy for the majority of fans.

I mean, imo it was a huge mistake to put that scene in the episode in the first place. We’ll probably never find out who came up with the idea initially, whether it was written as just them comforting each other in some sort of group hug at first and then someone ordered them to turn it sexy, or if it was meant to be a full on threesome from the get go. However it came to life, the writers are not responsible for the final cut tho, that’s all on the show runner.

And the actors have the least say in it. Yes, they were asked before if they’d be comfortable with filming that kind of scene in general, stuff was discussed etc., but once they agreed, they did their job, filmed their part of the scene from all angles and moved on to the next scene. What happened in the cutting room when the episode was put together, or approving the final cut, they had no say in that.

So yeah, while I think everyone expected A Reaction from fans (and they were prepared that not everyone’d be happy about it), they weren’t prepared for how spectacularly this would backfire imo.

[ourmanifestoisfun]

4x17 & 4x18 episode thoughts

IT’S OVER YOU GUYS!

That was one hell of a journey, and while I’m sad I won’t be able to write up week after week anymore, that still doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of things left to say.

Dream ghosting! I was kind of hoping she went to the real Dr Akopian, but honestly dream ghosting works equally well for me. But falling asleep on the toilet, Rebecca? Really?

I love the red dress Rebecca wears, because that is the color associated with love and of course she will wear it on this important night.

Tim...spend Valentine’s Day with your wife. You learned about her clitoris, now learn to handle your 11-12-year relationship. Seriously.

Maya looks cute though. Love her Reveal

All of Paula’s heart decorations are marvelous. Especially digging the earrings.

The time fakeout was nicely played. I got spoiled for that going in, but I appreciated how they clarified when “earlier” actually was.

Josh’s panic about Rebecca’s decision made it sound like it was...not entirely about her, more that he had finally reached a new stage in his life and was ready to share it with someone compatible. I wish they had delved into that more.

George’s “Raven’s Nest” is terrifying

Yay for Darryl and his blended family with April. Also holy hell that is going to be a crowded household.

All of Rebecca’s flashforwards were very short, but I liked those different glimpses into different lives and how frustrated she was that the Rebeccas in them were not happy.

So much cuteness: Rebecca + Greg’s wedding dance, pregnant!Rebecca presenting a baby Ruth Gator Ginsburg to Nathaniel, and her+Josh’s family breakfast with their adorable kids

Having the episode be a little more stripped down and center on Rebecca and Paula felt very natural, because that is how the show started and it would be the way to make it come full circle. While their relationship is no longer nearly as codependent and have other aspects of their lives as priority, it is good to see them still come together and rely on each other for pivotal moments.

ESPECIALLY having Rebecca bring Paula into “that weird thing [she] does”. Seeing her run around and peer excitedly at the costumes, and being so excited about this rich imagination of her best friend is just so heartwarming.

What she needs “just happens to be here” and the handholding moments GAHHHHHH

Also ‘11 o’clock’ was PERFECT. Love how they took all of these seminal songs and brought them together with the mannequins and the outfits and everything gahhhhhhh

I’m so proud of Paula for sticking to her guns about the pro bono arm of the firm and being prepared to walk away in order to continue doing something that she felt was right. Paula now knows her worth as a lawyer - now she can figure out how to use her worth and apply it to her drive. And Julia was willing to listen, so it paid off!

Watching Josh get his heart broken was hard, because the poor boy did not see it coming.

It makes sense for him to move out, but I wish we knew what he was doing for a living now.

I like the tidbit that him and George hang out now.

Josh’s new magic club girlfriend looks super nice and cute. But meeting Rebecca must have been so awkward. Especially if she followed the saga in the Daily West Covina.

Also, I wished she had a name. Please, for fan-fictional reasons!

AJ moving in with Rebecca is fun, but also such a bad idea. I am relieved that he will never tell her whether he has a vibrator or not.

I love AJ in general. For introducing a new supporting character, they came out very strong with him and I’ve really enjoyed having him around.

I hope she does get him that Harvard t-shirt

Valencia and Beth are engaged! And it was both quiet (in bed) AND a little bit dramatic (the drone). Looking forward to that wedding.

Heather and Hector got a hot tub! 

...maybe Rebecca shouldn’t be using it at the same time as them.

I liked that Nathaniel recognized what was happening with Rebecca very quickly and I kinda hope he was joking about the rock (knowing him though, he wasn’t). Still, the “you only have one life to live and you should live it the way you want” was a sweet sentiment.

Nathaniel walking away from his father’s firm was exactly what I wanted for him. I’m not sure he should stay long term in Guatemala, but a change to reevaluate his life will be good for him.

Also that he did it with the support of two psuedo-father figures and yelled ‘’I love you’ at his dad before hanging up. I am very pleased by that because Sr would HATE it.

I’m glad that Greg made it clear that he wasn’t going to wait for Rebecca

I loved Rebecca’s tribute to him at the open mic night, that he is someone who has always been ahead, and that she wants to have the passion in her life that he has for Serrano’s.

Whijo’s grumping about it was hilarious.

I am sure that Whijo had great things happen in his life too in the past year, but ouch re: the wildfire burning both his apartment and his childhood home.

To the surprise of no one, Rebecca is not in a relationship at the time of the ending. But given how they played her breakups with the boys with gentleness, and the idea that she has a focus of her own now rather than needing to actively “choose herself”, really worked for me, because romance is still important and desirable part of life. It’s just not the only part of it, and when Rebecca says that she feels ready to welcome the other side of love into her life, I believe her.

The panning shot of all of the eligible guys made me laugh way too hard.

I did want to hear her song, but that is an excellent way to close things off.

For the concert special I don’t have this kind of list, but it was fun and sweet and a perfect send-off as well. My favorite gag is either between David Hull dancing in Vella’s song, or Michael MicMillan’s sexy toothbrushes. The Period Sex choreography was GREAT. Especially the incredibly obvious maxipads. They are all stupidly talented.

It’s also really cool that they were able to have so many of the supporting cast come join them for props/backup vocals/gags. That made it feel really warm and complete.

Also loved Vinnie popping out of the bed for the Sex Medley

In many ways, this episode resolution was simple and probably predictable for anyone who has thought about the show as deeply as the people here think about it. There was so much focus on the boys in the last few weeks that it was incredibly obvious that the solution would be that she would choose none of them, because to actually have the conflict for the final episode narrowed down to that choice would go against the very nature of the show. But the way it was handled really worked for me. Rebecca has a life and routine and friends, plus now she has a passion to nurture to its full potential. This first version will be rough, but it will be something.

I do have my criticisms, because while I love this show, there have been quite a few plot points/character beats that I feel were shorted/not touched upon: Josh’s story in particular feels incomplete to me, especially when it comes to having direction in his life. I wanted to see more of Heather+Valencia this season and especially have a stronger focus on Rebecca being a better friend to her gurlgroup, which was often glossed over. I wish things hadn’t gotten so frenetic, or the love quadrangle taken up so much time that could have been spent on moving the characters more gradually in certain directions. In general, I wanted to explore other background character relationship dynamics on a deeper level. There’s also the consistent question of when and how often the writers were knowingly subverting or playing into with tropes, which I suspect also contributed to how the back half of this season was devised.

But this story has always been Rebecca’s story, for better or worse, and that focus is part of what makes this ending feel satisfying, knowing that she is in a centered, happy place, that she is surrounded by people she loves, and the room might include the guy who will be her future mate or not, and she is about to give them words from her heart. This was an apt ending to a phase in her life where she wasn’t sure what she wanted, and I’m happy for her and for everyone, and in the end that is what I wanted from this show.

“I open at the close” - written by JK Rowling, tweeted by Rachel Bloom, and applicable to Rebecca Bunch’s story. She now knows the passion that makes her happy, so we can leave her to a future wide with possibilities.

[ontherockswithsalt]

A Made Man

/1/ /2/ /3/ /4/ /5/ /6/ /7/ /8/ /9/ /10/ /11/ /12/ /13/ /14/ /15/ /16/ /17/ /18/ /19/ /20/ /21/ /22/ /23/ /24/ /25/ /26/ /27/ /28/ /29/ /30/ /31/ /32/ /33/ /34/

A/N: Happy summer! Let the soundtrack to this night truly begin with some quality karaoke picks. 

Chapter 35.

"I know you can't really talk about it--" Vinny starts, exhaling hard as he slides his empty shot glass on the table away from him. "But back when you were working that case, Reagan." Then he faintly gestures a finger from me to Noble. "Did something happen there?"

I press my lips together, blinking a moment as the burn from the shot -- the whiskey and peach schnapps -- clenches my chest. "What do you mean? A lot of shit happened."

"You know what I mean. This."

"No," Noble answers for me. "He went after my sister."

Lifting my eyebrows, I turn to look at him, my mouth slack in surprise. "Damn!"

Glancing over, I see Bianca has the same look on her face while Noble just breathes out a good natured chuckle into his drink.

"Whoa." I start. "Hold on--"

"Wait, what?" Vinny leans in.

I turn, narrowing a critical gaze. "Went after her?"

"Oh. My god, Nick!" Bianca scoffs. "You will never let it go."

"Vinny asked if anything happened between us while Jamie was undercover. I was just clarifying."

Vinny looks to Bianca, this amused half smile on his face. "You and Reagan hooked up?"

"No!" She insists while I shake my head.

"They made out," Noble supplies as if deciding for the table the definition of a hook-up.

"He--" Bianca insists. "Was a different person. His name wasn't Jamie Reagan so it never happened. Jimmy, however, is off living a quiet life in the middle of nowhere remembering me fondly."

She finishes with an easy shrug while the rest of us crack up with heavy heads.

"Bella!" The deejay calls from the front of the room, her name booming over the speakers. "Bella to the microphone. Your time has arrived, girl."

While the musical interlude plays between karaoke participants, Bianca squeaks in delight and jumps down from her seat. "Alright. Cheer for me, assholes!"

She leaves us to work her way through the crowd while we all make a big deal about applauding her entrance until it surely annoys her.

Vinny turns for his drink and gestures to us again. "I can't get over Reagan being a sly dog on an assignment. I'm just--" And he shakes his head in mock disapproval. "Everything I thought I knew about you is wrong."

"He's a devious--" Noble starts. "Shifty jerk. That whole honor student, moral compass bullshit is an act."

Vinny laughs. "I believe it now."

"Oh really?" I turn to settle a look, full of the swirling heat of intent I feel in my chest for him. My lips flick with amusement and I'm saved by the blare of electric guitar that yanks Vinny's gaze to Bianca across the way.

Noble offers me this satisfied smirk around the rim of his glass. "I know the truth."

"A devious shifty jerk," I echo his description, leaning in a little closer. "I'll remember that."

“You better.” Under the table, he gives my thigh a squeeze.

Cold late night, so long ago

When I was not so strong, you know

Bianca's voice at the start of the classic Heart song gets everybody's attention.

"Yes!" Noble hollers his appreciation through cupped hands before he claps for her. Easily, the crowd joins in with whooping enthusiasm, cheering for her and the song choice.

She grasps the microphone and offers a sweet grin to the guys who took no time at all to gather in front of her. It’s clear she’s done this before, hardly needing to glance at the monitor for the Magic Man lyrics. She has this ease about the way she sings, comfortable on the stage, not dramatic about it and the sexy song suits her.

“Oh shit.” Vinny turns back to look at us, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Your sister can sing for real.”

“Yeah,” Noble laughs. “That’s why I knew we weren’t getting out of this tonight.”

By the time the song’s over, she’s made friends with the karaoke host and some of the apparent regulars up front. We make our support known, as requested, offering rowdy applause as she leaves the microphone and she comes back to join us at the table.

“That--” Vinny starts, “was pretty amazing.”

“No,” she waves a hand to disagree. “It’s hard to hear yourself up there.”

“You were good and you know it,” Noble offers.

“Alright, alright. Who’s up next?”

“Cruz, you’re up,” I announce.

“No way in hell,” he chuckles.

Just then, a man who appears to be a little younger than the rest of us, scruffy with a beard and styled brown hair, shows up behind Bianca declaring, “You’re gorgeous and I need to know you--”

“Vinny, nice to meet you,” my partner butts in, holding out a hand.

Bianca’s fan meets his teasing smile with a narrowed gaze and a smirk before dismissing him. “You I might need to know later,” he tells Vinny. “But right now I’m after her.”

Vinny claps his hands once and looks over at me, amusement on his face while I shake my head.

“You have no shame, man,” I accuse.

Our company introduces himself as Ben, along with a friend of his, Scott who joins him to come praise Bianca. They order up another round of drinks for the table and settle in with us for a few more songs.

“Wait, you tied?” Ben leans in over Bianca’s shoulder as we recount the bowling highlights. “Who ties in bowling?”

“I know,” Vinny mutters.

“Well then it’s no question,” Ben says. “You have to sing a duet.”

“That’s what I said!” Bianca insists. “See?”

“I can’t sing with you! I can’t sing.” Vinny maintains.

“Yes,” I sort of groan the sentiment, nodding my head in agreement. By this point, I’m pretty toasted, the tingling feeling in my cheeks making me happy and I start to chant, “Duet. Come on. Du-et. Du-et.”

“Du-et,” Noble joins me.

“Not happening.” Vinny refuses, but I know a part of him sort of enjoys the prodding. “And look at you, Reagan. I don’t see your ass up there.”

“I didn’t lose, man. This is about being true to your word.”

Vinny sputters a laugh, a heavy fist pounding the table.

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Ben muses. “Even if you’re a disaster, everyone will still be cheering for you. You’ll be a cute disaster.”

“There you go,” Noble encourages. “Keep that up.”

“Yeah, he’s weak,” I agree. “Keep telling him he’s cute. He’ll break.”

With a shake of his head, Vinny looks at me, pausing with this thoughtful breath before he points a finger. “No phones. No recording.”

I spread my hands and look around like this is the last place I’d be recording either one of us. “Of course not.”

“What happens at Mary’s stays at Mary’s.” Vinny declares it, setting a serious gaze on everyone before Noble slaps the table.

“I’m signing you up. I’ve got the song.”

“No-no-no wait,” Vinny pleads. “Bella and I get to strategize.”

“Nope!” Noble shouts as he vacates the table and walks off toward the deejay.

Dismayed, Vinny turns to Bianca with a questioning look. “Yo--”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be fun,” she assures him.

“Scott!” The deejay calls out over the microphone. “Scott to the stage…”

“Alright, girls, I’m up,” Scott confirms, reaching forward to grab his drink to take with him. “Watch, it’s not about being a good singer. Nobody cares.”

As he heads off, Noble returns to his seat and Vinny shakes his head with a defeated sigh. “I at least need to know what I’m singing.”

“Yeah, what’s our song, Nick?” Bianca wonders.

“Not telling.” He grins. “It’s a surprise.”

“You’ll be great,” Ben assures them. “Look at Scott, he’s such an idiot.” Then he whistles for him as he peers off at the front of the room, his friend adjusting the microphone while his music begins.

Once he starts singing a song I don’t recognize, the rest of the bar yells out their appreciation for it. Bianca claps for him, bouncing a little in her seat as she sways side to side and chimes in with the lyrics.

Ben leans closer to Noble to be heard over the music. “Hey, I have a question--” he starts. “And the answer is gonna break my heart.”

Noble nods, exhaling a soft laugh. “Okay.”

“Is he your boyfriend?” Ben gestures his beer bottle to me.

Noble drags his teeth along his lower lip and eyes me, a gradual smile curving on his face. “Yeah.”

“Damn. It figures.” Ben gripes his playful complaint. “You know what? Good for you though. Cheers.” He holds his drink out to Noble who taps his glass against his.

“Good for me, huh?" Noble teases.

“Good for you both! You’re both hot," Ben decides, then points a blaming finger to me. “But you might be the cutest boy I’ve ever seen.” I have to laugh at this general, tipsy observation he feels compelled to make out loud and he continues. “What a fucking heartbreaker this one is. That bone structure is borderline offensive. I’m not coming onto you, I’m just having a moment--”

Letting his face tip down, Noble cracks up a little.

“I--” Stammering in amusement, I stall with a gulp of my drink and try to tame an embarrassed but smug grin. “I appreciate that.”

"Ho- wait a minute," Vinny pipes up, moving in. "What happened to me being the cute disaster?"

"You are a cute disaster," Ben decides. "No question about that. But this one's giving me chest pains, he's so fine. Look, the more I say, the more he smiles and it's literally making me sick." He shouts the dramatic accusation, clearly motivated as everyone just laughs at him. "Going through life with those green eyes like a dick. I don't have time for it! I'm stopping at your face because I don't even want to think about the rest."

As I let my head fall into Noble's shoulder, he wraps his arms around me and all I can do is keep laughing.

"He can’t take it," Noble explains, running a comforting hand up my back. "But frankly, I love it. And I agree. Good for me.”

"I'm just being obnoxious, Jamie," Ben leans in to assure me. "This is your first time in a gay bar, isn't it?"

Moving back, I sit up straighter and clear my throat. "Is it obvious?"

Ben laughs, glancing away to acknowledge the end of Scott's performance. There, we all turn our attention and offer him a supportive cheer as he starts back to our table.

After a moment, I feel Noble playfully rake his fingers at the back of my head. The sensation instantly diffuses my buzzing pulse. I can unwind so easily with his hands on me.

Turning to look at him, I let the background fade out for a still minute and appreciate Noble there beside me. People love when he talks. He’s got this friendly voice that’s warm and deep, a charming laugh that tends to make the other person laugh harder.

And that’s a calming balance to have when I’m more reserved than he is in these situations.

As he glances over, he notices the way I’m looking at him and he moves in closer, as if anticipating that I have something I want to tell him. “You okay?” He checks, tilting his chin down to meet my eyes.

I nod. I would kiss him right now. The way his smile twitches when he looks at me is so tempting. 

And it’s not the fact that we’re in public that makes me hesitate. If anywhere, this would be the place to do it. I’m just aware of Vinny across the table -- who probably isn’t even paying any attention to us considering Bianca beside him. And while he’s been nothing but supportive and unbothered by the fact that I’m in a relationship with a man, I’m just not the most publicly affectionate person in general. 

But I feel that heavy tug and it’s hard to resist.

Noble gives me a faint shake of his head and murmurs, “Heartbreaker.”

My head tips closer and I glance down as my mouth nears his ear. “I want to kiss you,” I tell him.

He simply turns his face, angling to see me and offers this little challenge of a smirk.

And I know I’m not the only one with hesitations. This is new for him too and he could just as easily be thinking not here.

“Do you guys--” Just then, Ben injects himself. “Have like, a sex tape on the internet? Because I will give you my credit card number.”

“God, Ben,” Scott complains as I adjust to sit back, the both of us coughing out a surprised laugh. “Can you just let people chill?”

“I know, I’m so horrible and gross,” Ben groans. “I’m sorry. You’re both very attractive people. And Nick’s hand size has not gone unnoticed and I’m stopping now, I swear.”

“Can I get another shot ASAP?” Vinny announces his request.

“You need to, because I think you’re up next,” Scott points out, then stretches up to get the attention of a roving server. He takes care of it and I notice Vinny nervously glancing around, drumming fingers on the table.

“Don’t chicken out on me, partner,” I tell him.

He nods. “I’m going to.”

“We’re good,” Bianca assures him. “We’ve got this.”

“Want me to come stand right up front?” I offer. “For moral support.”

He chuckles. “No.”

“Bella and Vinny!” The deejay calls over the microphone and the thumping music. “Bella and Vinny to the mic.”

“You got it, Vin,” I assure him.

“We’ll send your shot up there,” Noble says. “The song’s a classic. You can’t go wrong.” Then he claps hard to encourage them and the rest of our table joins in.

Reluctantly, Vinny slides off of his chair and Bianca gently pinches his sleeve to direct him toward the front. “Alright, nice knowing you.” He leaves us with a half-hearted salute and turns to trail Bianca to the stage.

[rawiswhore]

Triple H x Fem Reader- “What Do I Have To Do?”

1997 is almost over.

And speaking of "over", and you don't mean "over" as in "something that's coming to an end", you're a rising, up and coming star in what was then known as the WWF.

Much like Triple H (who is still known as Hunter Hearst Helmsley), Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kane, the Rock, Sable, and other Attitude era icons.

The audience, especially the audience of males (both grown men and underage boys) are falling in lust with you and giving you major "pops" as they say.

They LOVED you stripping your gown off of your body, only to reveal you in a black bra and matching black skimpy hot pants underneath.

They also enjoyed you getting caught in the limo with Hunter Hearst Helmsley making out with him, and eventually, kayfabe implying giving him a blowjob and having sex with him.

This was when Hunter was still a classy Jane Austen gentleman and not the chaotic modern day fratboy he'd be in D Generation X.

And speaking of Hunter, by the end of 1997, Hunter is slowly shifting out of his snobby, classy gentleman gimmick and into his naughty 1990's bad boy known as Triple H, though, it's slowly taking him some time.

While he's trying to shift into his D Generation  X character, he acts slightly like an obnoxious teenage boy, yet is dressed in green and pink polo shirts tucked in his slacks, dressed like someone's father.

That's not very fratboy like.

And you somewhat are like that too, shifting from being Hunter's classy, elegantly dressed valet in long, classy evening gowns and silky opera gloves to becoming your character you'd really become famous for in the WWF: a slutty nymphomaniac.

In the WWF, some wrestlers have come up with their characters they play.

Just look at Stone Cold Steve Austin. Just look at Razon Ramon. You could even go back to the 1980's with Kamala.

You, too, have come up with your nymphomaniac character, basically being the wrestling equivalent to Madonna in her early 90's "Sex" era.

Though, you bet 5 bucks the WWF's creative team,  Vince McMahon and Vince Russo would've given you that slutty, seductive nymphomaniac character because not only does sex sell, but we all know the two Vinces (McMahon and Russo) are sexual perverts responsible for pushing Sable to the moon as well as making the women in their company get naked and whatnot.

And both Vinces (McMahon and Russo) LOVE your idea of your nymphomaniac character, of course they would.

However, would they love your up and coming ideas you want to have for this new up and coming WWF?

You've had so many ideas for the WWF, some of them absolutely brilliant, others are debatable...

Right now, you're riding on an airplane with Triple H and Shawn Michaels, the 3 of you riding first class along with some other pro wrestlers.  

Your hand gently swatted Triple H's bicep, which caused him to turn his head and look at you.

"Hey" you said to him. "I wanna talk with you"

"About what?" Triple H asked.

"Have you noticed the WWF has been getting a bit more...edgy? Raunchy?" you asked. "Stone Cold Steve Austin and his double middle fingers, Shawn Michaels and his 'suck it' gesture, Sunny having sex with 'Fondle Me Elmo', me and you in the limo implying we've had sex there?"

Triple H nodded and chuckled.

"Speaking of Stone Cold, he came up with his character" you mentioned. "Scott Hall came up with his Razor Ramon character. The 'implied sex in the limo' with you was my idea".

You weren't finished with what you had to say.

"I've come up with my character for the WWF" you said "A slutty nymphomaniac, and not just that, but I've come up with some things I want to do in the WWF myself, but I'm so insecure about doing them"

"What are your ideas?" Triple H asked.

You looked over at all the other people riding first class with you, some of them asleep, others listening to their music.

You leaned your face into his ear, especially your lips.

"You, Shawn and I all 'sandwich dancing' in the ring, me being in the middle of Shawn and you" you admitted, whispering your confession in his ear "And I'm trying to French kiss you whereas Shawn's hands are under my skirt and you take my top off"

Triple H's eyes grew wider hearing that confession, and he has some beady eyes.

You're surprised he isn't bursting into laughter hearing that.

That's not one of your only ideas.

"I've also thought of, after a match" you confessed "me,  you, Shawn, Billy Gunn, Jeff Hardy, Davey Boy Smith and maybe even Rob Van Dam are all in the ring, I'm dancing in a bra and hot pants whereas all of those other wrestlers are all surrounding me and rubbing my body and we're all writhing and slithering our bodies on me, and I do that to one of them, it looks so sexual"

But, you also doubt doing these things.

"Yes, sex sells" you said "And I know the guys watching this seem to love sexy, beautiful, oversexualized women, but I doubt they'd enjoy seeing a woman writhing in between two men while she  tries to French kiss one man while another's rubbing her under her skirt"

That's not all.

"They probably wouldn't want to see a half naked woman writhing and dancing with some other sweaty shirtless men" you confessed. "They'd probably like it better if I was sandwiched in between Sunny and Sable and writhing with Sunny, Sable and Marlena, not you and Shawn and whatnot".

"Well, talk with Vince McMahon and his creative team about it" Triple H suggested "Not me".

Indeed, you should be talking with Vinnie Mac and his creative team.

Eventually, in a board meeting in the WWF, you did talk with Vince McMahon and the creative staff about your ideas with what you wanted to do in the WWF, they loved some of them, though they, too, thought it would've been better if you did your "sandwich dance" with Sunny and Sable and your writhing with some other women, considering most of the audience watching the WWF are straight males.

And guess what?

You did do some of the ideas you thought of and doubted in the WWF, on live television, with cameras rolling your moments and ideas broadcasting for all the world to see.

Those moments made you even more famous and even made headline news.

You soon topped Sunny as the most popular woman in the WWF.

Yep, you were even bigger than Sable that year.

You were even the first wrestler, female or not, to be on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Allure.

[castlebyersafterdark]

OKAY so inspired by that post about 'going down on' each other - to that anon, i salute you; writers are so very excited about turns of phrases and words so picking up on this is not weird at all, in fact it means you've recognised the way words in fact do paint pictures. after all, words are all writers have!

so vinny, please impart your opinion on the following descriptors of dick and when you'd use them if ever in fic/hcs 🤭

dick

cock

prick (seems like an insult but it has such a good reverence, halfway between the two above)

manhood

arousal (lmao)

erection

hardness (kinda love)

length

penis 🤭

Ooooooh, FUN!! What a lovely topic hahahahah 😂😜😈 Time for some cawwwk tawwwwk lol

Words as our ways of painting pictures - yes!! I think language choice contributes to the mood in writing. There are certain phrases and terms that lend to a more humorous approach to a story. Or making something sound like traditional erotica prose - even if we poke fun, readers do have a certain expectation and vibe when engaging with certain genres. Genre too! The era, the time period. The personality of the characters. Action versus dialogue versus exposition and prose.

For writing purposes:

Dick/cock - Pretty much use dick or cock for the most part in writing. I think cock is a sexier word, great word, one of my favorite words 🤭Use it a lot more and will dip more into that once a story moves into the sex scenes. It's hard to describe, but there's a certain point and vibe for when a dick becomes a cock in the action of a scene hahaha. But it's true!! I'll switch in other terms to give writing variation and not become monotonous, but cock is the #1 Prick - I don't think I'd ever use this. Unless writing a character using regional slang. It's not in my own vocab so it wouldn't be a natural choice. Probably would be restricted to dialogue only for me. I've definitely said "don't be such a dick" but I can't imagine myself saying "don't be such a prick" Manhood - Lofty language for traditional erotica. Seems kinda straight to me. Like a woman would use this to describe a man, because it's a differentiator. And that's fine. Maybe that's just me. Arousal - Yeah I think I'd use this one. Variation when describing the lead up before the actual sex of whatever type happens. "He could feel his arousal hot beneath his jeans..." or something like that. It's fine. Erection - More matter of fact, descriptive rather than sexy. Not for the spicy sexy parts of the story. It's word choice. You can say either "He could feel Mike was aroused" or "He could tell that Will had an erection" and take your pick for writing style. I think the former sounds nicer, but it's not jarring to use either. This body part gets hard, it gets erect. Writing style. "As subtly as possible, he crossed his legs to his his erection" works just as well as "...he crossed his legs to hide his arousal." Neither are better or worse. Hardness - It's a state of the thing itself, yeah? It's what's going on. I would probably word sentences to say "he's hard" or something instead of calling a dick someone's hardness. Probably hardness more as an adjective rather than a noun if that makes sense? Length - Use this for physical action rather than just calling the cock a length. "He stroked up his length and..." or "He slowly sunk down the length, inch by inch..." etc. It's part of an action rather than just dick alone? Penis - Is what it is, too clinical. Can't really say most in general use it in sexy scenes in fanfiction in particular. I think it could make an appearance in dialogue out of a character choice. "So, you really want me to just lie there naked, fully penis out, and you're gonna sketch me? Really?" See what I mean? It's not to be hot, but it has personality! MORE CHOICES: Bulge - Specifically useful to refer to the dick as still covered by clothing or underwear, because that's what it is at that point. Especially underwear. Pole - Prob not gonna use in writing, but this is one that's pretty common in casual conversation? When using slang terms at least, personally. Shaft - I think this is similar to length, useful more for describing an isolated part of the dick rather than just the whole thing itself, which sounds kinda silly that way. Seen in cheesy erotica when used badly. Member - Can't explain why, but I really don't like this one! But I see it here and there and hmmm. Not into it. Boner - This one is very personality based, wriring style if it's a little more silly or even playing into combining your narration voice, if it's leaning into the vibes of the character who is leading the story. See above but another option: "As subtly as possible with his friends nearby and unaware, he crossed his legs to hide his unfortunately timed boner." I added more to give the line some personality to demonstrate it working in prose where it might otherwise seem childish. It's a little juvenile of a term, so giving the narration some sass kinda works? Junk - Conversational and silly, definitely not super sexy. Dialogue only.

[mattsammonsez]

Brass Tacts: It’s Not Getting Knocked Down, It’s How You Get Back Up That Matters

Oh man...

A few weeks ago I wrote in Brass Tacts on how we’re witnessing a live lesson in marketing with the Popeyes vs. Chick-fil-a (and other restaurants) battle with the southern-style chicken sandwich. Popeyes won’t sell as many chicken sandwiches as Chick-fil-a, but now they control the conversation through smart social media usage and limited advertising. Now we’re witnessing another live marketing lesson at the other end of the spectrum: how NOT to do an ad campaign, and most importantly how NOT to respond to the fallout from a faulty ad campaign. Of course, I’m talking about the now-infamous Peloton commercial than has been skewered and lampooned since being released in late November.

Like a gift-wrapped Peloton, there is sooooo much to unwrap here. And ironically, the one person who will come out of this better is “Peloton woman”, and it’s not because she pedaled her way to happiness on an overpriced exercise bike. And as always, content creators and broadcasters have something to learn from all of this.

Where to begin? Well let’s start with my general thought of Peloton and similar “personal trainer” systems-- it’s a bunch of hooey. At more than $2,200 for the bike and a $39 monthly membership, if you want a Peloton it will cost you about $2,700 for a year’s usage. Depending on the state you live in and how much you pay in taxes, that amounts to about one full paycheck of net income if you make $100,000 annually. Suffice to say, roughly 80% of the population in the United States can’t afford one of these things, so in my opinion any commercial for this belongs in the “Lexus December to Remember” fantasy department. Yes, you too can have a pricey exercise bike featuring someone in a studio yelling at you to pedal harder if you haven’t emptied your bank account on the Lexus with leather seats (or the two GMC trucks you and your spouse gifted to yourselves, or the Buick SUV you treated yourself to). Most people in their right mind aren’t putting a big bow on a $60,000 vehicle in front of their fortress-size home for Christmas like they do on the TV.

I am also a big believer that if you do want to lose weight, or stay fit and trim, or enjoy the energy and confidence boost that exercising can provide you, I suggest from my own experience that you eat less crap and get up and move around more. I lost 40 pounds over the last 10 or 12 years by not eating fast food and limiting fried foods, virtually eliminating my soda intake as well as drastically cutting back on how much beer I drank, and by pushing myself to exercise for 60 minutes 3 times a week. Want a bike? They sell them at Goodwill for $40. There, I just got you a bike for the cost of one month of a Peloton membership, and you don’t have your “personal trainer” Vinny screaming from a sound stage to sweat a little more for him.

Ok, so personal thoughts on Peloton and exercise aside, let’s move on to what’s happening at Peloton right about now. The company is having trouble (surprise!) convincing people not in a six-figure household to buy one of these things, and a weaker-than-expected IPO on NASDAQ in September isn’t helping issues. So the holiday sales time, a key time for anyone in the physical fitness/personal wellness industries, was a must-hit for Peloton. As you know, they released the infamous ad on November 21st, right before you feel guilty about the 8 or 9 pounds of food you’re going to eat at Thanksgiving. At first the ad seems like the usual sappy/fantasy commercial-- much like the husband surprising his wife with a luxury car, here’s the husband surprising his wife with this expensive exercise bike. And like every other Peloton (or similar item) commercial, she pedals away in the spare room of her really large house and ends up in a good mood at the end of the commercial.

But over time came the now well-known backlash. Why is this already attractive and thin woman forcing herself on to the exercise bike? Why is her husband buying this for her, she clearly doesn’t need this? And the cringe-worthy finish: after a year of documenting her Peloton use, she shows off the compilation to her husband who grins and projects this aura of “well I kept her thin and hot for another year!” While the supposed message was empowering women to do great achievements (albeit on an expensive exercise bike), the various messages received by viewers was “fat is bad”, “exercise ‘til you drop”, and “stay sexy ladies or he’ll kick you and that royal lifestyle to the curb”. The reaction to the whole fiasco BY ALL parties is more fascinating to me.

“Now YOU get on that bike you smug little...”

Peloton got clobbered on Wall Street, losing upwards of $1.6 billion of its valuation after the ad became viral (although shares have recovered somewhat). Rather than admit that they were off the mark with the ad, Peloton is shifting the blame to the viewers, shocked that so many people “misinterpreted” what they were trying to sell (Hot tip: NEVER blame the audience for not getting your message. More on that later). Peloton’s CEO, John Foley, is suggesting this is old news (Hot tip: It’s not). And Peloton’s marketing partner, Mekanism, is very quiet on the whole thing, which is normally not a good sign. But these are all people behind the scenes. What about the people playing the roles of the misguided husband and wife?

This is the Brass Tacts lesson-- how you respond to being pulled into something you didn’t plan on being the center of attention on. And I’ll pull my own experience to the middle, as I was featured in a national ad campaign for H&R Block in the winter of 2013. Thankfully there was no controversy with that campaign, but even though I was used to broadcasting to thousands of people during my “day job” as the game day host of the Tampa Bay Lightning radio broadcasts, having my face pop up on TV screens and web ads across the nation for a solid two months was odd. And while the feedback from friends and strangers who saw the ad was all positive, it was still an adjustment for me to deal with the sudden notoriety I had. But after a few days I took it all in stride, and I still think back to that time 9 years ago when I was selected, filmed, and had a spot starring me delivered to the masses. It was a fun experience, but admittedly a little overwhelming. So if someone who is a professional broadcaster can be shaken a bit by a positive commercial experience, let’s see how our Peloton actors are doing.

Sean Hunter, a.k.a. “Peloton Husband”, was the first to speak out. Naturally, the guy who appeared in about 5 seconds of the ad, is playing the role of the victim. In TV and print interviews shortly after the public backlash, Hunter was stunned by the negative feedback that implemented him as a demanding and care-less husband. He was worried that this ad would stunt his day job as an elementary school teacher as well as his burgeoning acting career. But apparently he was so worried about this turn of events, he continued to give interviews and even changed his Instagram account name to “pelotonhusband”. I sure hope he survives to see his imminent stint on Dancing With the Stars.

But what about “Peloton Woman”? Her name is Monica Ruiz, and after laying low she released a statement through her agency on Saturday, also noting she was surprised by the backlash from the ad. But rather than play the victim, which in many ways she is if you see her character as an attractive young mother who has to pedal to nowhere and fast to keep her hot looks to keep her jackass husband happy, Ruiz ends up being the victor in this whole mess. As described in this New York Times article, actor Ryan Reynolds came to Ruiz’s rescue with one of the best response ads I have ever seen in my life. With Ruiz playing the role of a woman who has clearly been through A LOT lately, we find her at a local bar with her girl friends staring into space before chugging down a martini glass filled with Aviation Gin, Reynolds’ own gin product. As any good friends would do in a time of crisis, the friends reassure Ruiz that everything will be great and go ahead and throw back another. And by the way, one of the friends says to Ruiz, “you look great!”

Our hero Monica (center) in the ultimate clap back ad. I’ll drink to that.

As detailed in the Times article, Reynolds’ had to act fast to make the spot happen, and his timing couldn’t have been better with the public outcry at full pitch. Since the spot was filmed and produced by his own production company, the turnaround was quick and the spot debuted this past Saturday. In the end Ruiz’s character, who was supposed to be the damsel in distress who needed to ride this damn bike in her living room at all hours of the day to make her doofus husband happy in a bizarre way considering she was already an attractive young mother living a heavenly life in this beautiful home with a beautiful daughter, turns out to be the heroine. She didn’t need an expensive exercise bike to feel good about herself (and thus her husband somehow feels satisfied), she just needed a stiff drink with good friends away from home.

And in real life, Ruiz is the undisputed champion here, with a primary assist to Reynolds for getting her into the response ad so quickly. Ruiz comes out on top, shows the world that she cannot only take the heat, but she’ll spin it around and make a nice cool drink out of it. The sympathy for the awful Peloton ad, followed by the smart comeback in the Aviation Gin ad, likely means she’ll have more companies knocking on her door as a spokesperson. Meanwhile Sean Hunter looks like a sniveling idiot, CEO John Foley is likely throwing things in his office and blaming someone else, and Mekanism is probably wondering if they’ve lost the Peloton account for good.

I’m not much of a gin drinker, but I’ll be honest in saying while buying whiskey for my wife’s world-famous Irish Cream this past weekend, I glanced over at the Aviation Gin display. Mission accomplished, and I hope Monica Ruiz makes a mint off of every acting gig she gets.

So what do broadcasters and content creators learn from this mess?

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: You need to know who you’re talking to, and how you’re conveying that message. While Foley is trying to pretend like this fiasco is old news, even he acknowledges that the Peloton message needs to be clarified. If you think a certain segment of the population needs to be convinced that buying your product empowers them to do great things, then you need to find a smart and delicate way of conveying that message. Having an already attractive young woman playing the role of a married mother living in a gorgeous house needing to ride an exercise bike her husband mysteriously gifts her to apparently stay young and fit and attractive and snuggled nicely into this rich guy’s house in so many ways looks down at that woman-- and any woman watching the ad. How Peloton, or the ad agency Mekanism, thought this was a good idea or continued to green light it to completion is mind-boggling.

Don’t just “know” through demographic stats and information who your target audience is. KNOW your audience by putting their thoughts and feelings in to the equation. I’m willing to bet my weight in Aviation Gin that during the entire concept and execution of this campaign, there weren’t a lot of (or any) married upper middle-class women with children in on the process. That includes at Peloton, Mekanism, or any test audience for the ad. This wasn’t someone knowing the intended audience, it was someone thinking they knew who needed to see this.

Don’t blame the audience: Maybe the audience did misunderstand the intended message, but don’t EVER publicly suggest that they did. By doing so, you’re implying the audience (including your target audience) is too stupid to understand your high-brow style of communication. The fact is, if a large segment of the population throws back your content, then maybe (no definitely) you’re way off with your target. 

I recall back in 2011 when the Tampa Bay Lightning unveiled a brand new logo and color scheme, the one thing that fans were very vocal about was the lack of black in the new uniform design. Black had been part of the team’s identity since its inception in 1992, why did it totally have to go away? Likewise fans demanded that the Lightning’s unique lightning bolt pants, also a staple of the uniform since 1992, be part of the new concept. Rather than try to explain to the fans that they misunderstood what the team was trying to do, then-CEO Tod Leiweke said the team was going back to the drawing board. Not only was black reintroduced to accent the predominantly blue and white uniform, the pants had the lightning bolt down the side. In this situation, the customer is always right, even if they’re wrong for not seeing what you were trying to do.

Don’t get caught up, when you get caught up: Sometimes you get stuck in the middle when something goes awry, even if it isn’t your fault. Sean Hunter didn’t go into the audition process for the ad desiring to be seen as this idiot husband demeaning his wife by suggesting the already rail-thin woman needed to exercise more. And while most reasonable people don’t see Sean Hunter the actor as a real-life embodiment of the husband, understandably some people just connected dots and thought Hunter and the husband were one in the same. But Hunter should have laid low, let the controversy pass (because it eventually will), and let Peloton or the agency take the heat. Instead he was one of the first to speak out, coming off like a whiny victim, and despite this “career-threatening” moment he is still getting paid. And if it’s an ASCAP deal for him, when the ad stops running he’ll still have $10,000-$15,000 in his pocket for being in the ad. That’s hardly a negative game-changer.

Compare that to Ruiz who stayed out of the fire, and was treated to a sympathetic audience not only because of the unfortunate thrust in to being a face of gender inequality but also for being put in a similar position as Hunter. Rather than book every interview and complain about how her life was ruined, Reynolds came along and was able to recast her in a much lighter role that gave he personality the redeeming qualities of humility (”I can’t believe I was in that ad?”) and humor (”I think I’ll suck down another glass of gin with my friends.”). Eventually this will all blow over, but Ruiz will be remembered for looking calmer and wiser than Hunter, and her acting career may last longer than Peloton.

When the waters get choppy around you from a storm that is out of your control, often the best thing to do is put your head down and keep rowing for land.

Matt Sammon has been in broadcasting and content creation for 24 years, and was most recently the Director of Broadcasting & Programming for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Learn more about him and what he can do for you at SammonSez.com.

[emblem-333]

DWBI: Mike D'Antoni & The 2011 Champion Bulls

One of these days you all will meet a crossroads in your life. Maybe you’ve already reached it. Could you feel your entire life change? The paths open and closed to you forever because of your lone decision that caused such an upheaval in the things as they are.

Billy Beane in 1980, eighteen-years old, the entire world at the palm of his hands. Smart, athletic, good looking. Ready to go to Stanford on a full scholarship, play football and leave as a man with the world as his oyster. Then one day two scouts for the New York Mets came to the dinner table of his parents. Slipping a piece of paper that would grow his bank account by $125,000 if he just signed on the dotted line…

To this day Beane says it was the only decision he made based off money. All eighteen-year old Billy was thinking about was green paperbacks far as the his could see. nine-years later, now twenty-seven, not able to reach the heights the scouts he trusted with his life told him he’d reach. Beane became a scout. In 1980 he had a scholarship to a respected university and now worked as a lowly scout in 1992.

Money is the most powerful element in our world. With it comes security. “I can buy that new Ferrari!” or what’s more common “I and my family won’t ever have to worry about anything ever again.” Usually, it’s the latter that pushes us to the dollar signs.

In 2008 famed Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni, now a free agent, met the crossroads of destiny similar to Billy Beane. Go to the Chicago Bulls, coach arguably the highest upside team in the league, a potential Hall of Famer at point guard only twenty-years of age. Defensive stalwarts in Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah already on the roster ready to carry the team on the other end; a luxury the indifferent D'Antoni did not have in Phoenix. A 20-point a game two-guard in Ben Gordon willing to come back if the price was right. The table was already set for the transcendent mind to reach the O'Brien Trophy that alluded him in the west.

On the other side…New York. $28 million. Personal control. Allure. You’ll be on the cover of all the magazines, be hailed as the savior to New York basketball. Get to high-five Spike Lee. And it’s not like the Knicks did not have prospects of their own. Though not as sexy on paper , the Knicks possessed a solid two-guard in Jamal Crawford. Rookie forward Danilo Gallinari. Second year forward Wilson Chandler. And a double-digit scorer, rebounding big man David Lee under contract. Mike D'Antoni wasn’t just at the crossroads of his own destiny, so were the Chicago Bulls, and the New York Knicks.

D'Antoni made a choice, perhaps looking up the A’s General Manager’s story to get some clarity in an otherwise murky situation. ChiTown. Derrick Rose battling the shadow of Michael Jordan, while Mike D'Antoni took on the immortal Phil Jackson.

Subsumed in the narratives and parallels between the two drastically different eras was just how quick the stamp got inked on the league’s forward by the Bulls. The darling in the eyes of media and fans alike, he did not let all that love go to waste. April, 2009, the defending champion Boston Celtics fell to a team that had won just thirty-three games the year before. Through my blurry eyes that watched a jubilant swarm of red jerseys huddled up in the middle of the hardwood standing atop the painted on leprechaun mascot, I foresaw the future.

Two-years, and an Amar'e Stoudemire free agent signing later: the Chicago Bulls hoisted the golden trophy whilst colored confetti fell from the rafters of the United Center. Twenty-two year old Derrick Rose, a league MVP, in just a year would ink a $94 million deal, screamed into the microphone, beaming teammates slapping his shoulders. “THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.” And so it was...we thought.

Rose never cared for his body too much when on the floor. Always banging against the palace gates until he either broke through or passed out. D'Antoni channeled that seemingly endless supply of energy and harnessed it to a weapon. What we’re seeing with Russell Westbrook and his triple-doubles, Rose did that too. He just did it in a way that resulted in more Ws. He knew he wasn’t a rebounder. D'Antoni knew this too. So why ask?

Ben Gordon averaged 20 points, 4.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds per game, made an All-NBA team (3rd). Ben Freaking Gordon made an All-NBA team. There would be some nights where Rose & Gordon looked like what the Splash Bros. do today. Always on. Being left alone for a SPLIT second means death. While Rose never shot the three particularly well, he could drive to the rim like no other.

Amar'e, getting a bit grey in the hairline, slotted exclusively at the four next to the defensive minded Noah, put up 25, shot fifty percent despite the cramped space than he had in Phoenix.

The world was D'Antoni’ and Chicago’s oyster. And then it wasn’t.

By the time of tip-off next October, Stoudemire aged twenty-years over the course of a summer. Ben Gordon flamed out. In the first-round of the postseason Rose crumbled up to the floor holding his leg and with it, his career crumbled with his bones that night. And so did the Chicago Bulls resurrection.

If you asked D'Antoni if he’d leave all that money on the table again you know he would. He’d rather get Derrick Rose, Gary Payton 2.0 minus the longevity over James Dolan and Carmelo’s anti-Seven Seconds or Less style of play.

New York went for their fall back option Vinny Del Negro and just like their last two coaches left after a season or two. Once again the job that was coveted just two short years ago in the summer of ‘08, was not just vacant once again, but a cancerous environment. The revolving door continued: Mike Dunleavy, Keith Smart, Michael Malone, Kurt Rambis. Hired then mercifully fired. When Phil Jackson came in too fanfare worthy of a ticker-tape parade as team president many believed stability would soon be in the Knicks future. Anything but has been the case. Since the dawn of the new century the Knicks have been a tire fire. One we’re accustomed to at this point. D'Antoni was the precursor to Steve Kerr (coach of the champion Thunder) owning up to his senses and not getting tricked by the glitz and glamour of the Big Apple.

The Godfather of the modern NBA Pace 'n Space philosophy is Mike D'Antoni. He transformed the careers of Steve Nash, Gordon, made a rookie point guard the vocal point of his offense and succeeded. When he watches Stephen Curry, he admits to seeing what Nash was when he was younger, and what Rose could have been.

Seven Seconds or Less toppled Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, and changed the fortunes of three fledgling franchises. Leaving his imprint on a league trapped in the hunt for the “Next Jordan,” at a tortoise rate of pace. Superstars never trying to make their teammates better, only cared when their stats could get a bump. ISOs hurt the eyes of all fans, culminating in the demise of U.S basketball prestige in the 2004 olympics. It took the farthest fall from grace to get the NBA to snap out of its funk. D'Antoni’s contribution to the NBA will live on forever.

(You can reach me on Twitter at my handle @Sailboatstudios.)

[beapositiveimpact]

Lights And Shadows (pt 4)

A few days later, Jimmy is in line at the Customer Service Department with lots of other store employees to cash their checks when he hears Blake calling to him from the back of the line. He turns and sees him in line with his partner Gary, who works part time in Men’s Suits.

“Jimmy, what are you doing for dinner?” I’m off at five and Gary here already has plans. Have you two met?“

"Hi Gary, nice to meet you. Blake, I’m off at five-thirty. Maybe meet at the Cafe and grab something in the neighborhood?” He gets his money and walks over to the couple.

“That sounds like a plan. Want to go up to Castro and have Thai food across from the movie theater? I love their curry.”

“Which place is this?”

“It’s the one above that Bear Bar. It looks like someone turned their apartment into a restaurant with the living room and front bedroom converted to dining space. It’s a little overdone but it’s cute and the food is great. Gary, are you sure you can’t join us?”

Gary is distracted checking out a skinny blonde guy walking away from the customer service window. “What? Oh no, I’m busy with work tonight. You guys have fun without me. Actually, I need to get going. I’ll see you late tonight at the house.” He gives Blake a quick kiss and rushes off in the general direction of the blonde.

“So that’s Gary. I didn’t know he had another job. What does he do?”

“Oh, let’s just say a little bit of this and a little bit of that. But, if he says he’s working, it usually means he won’t be home until tomorrow morning, if that.”

“Umm, okay. Well, I should get back to finish my shift. See you at the Cafe.”

“Great. We can start there and just let it go where it all goes.”

“Umm, okay.”

Later that evening, Blake sees Jimmy in line at the large vintage counter that takes up the length of one wall inside Cafe Flor. He quietly walks up behind him and gives his butt a light squeeze.

Jimmy rapidly turns around, ready to push someone away, “Hey! Oh shit, I should know it would be you. Don’t do that.”

Blake smiles, “Sorry, but your tushy is too irresistible to stay away from. Did you just get here too?”

“Yeah, the bus got stuck behind a fender bender between a cab and a pizza delivery. No one in this town knows how to drive in the rain. We were in the middle of the block so the driver refused to let anyone off and we had to wait for almost half an hour before it got going again. Our tax dollars at work.”

“That table in the corner just opened up. I’ll grab it. Could you get me a merlot?”

“Sure, no problem. Did you want anything to munch on? They have that marble cheesecake that you like.”

“Ooh yes. Thanks.”

About a mile away, the crowd is just showing up at the Loading Dock on 10th and Mission. Frank is getting off of his Harley at the curb in front of the growing line at the door. The crowd is made up of men, mostly in their 30s to 50s. Some of them are in tight Levi’s, motorcycle boots, and biker jackets. There are a few in chaps, leather harnesses, leather vests and Master caps. One short, slender redheaded guy is at the door in working boots, unbuttoned overalls, a backwards Giants baseball cap, a black tank top with the words SILENCE = DEATH painted on in neon blue and a backwards beat up baseball cap. He stops talking to the doorman to check out Frank.

“Hmm, my knight in shiny black leather has arrived,” Vince says to the doorman but loud enough for Frank to hear.

Lou rolls his eyes,“So that means everyone else can enjoy their night?”

“Maybe more. If they bring their own poppers.”

“Vinnie, I told you before, no poppers in the bar. Not even in the backroom.”

“That’s Vince and you know I’m just yanking on your chain.”

“And that’s all you’re yanking on me. Uh, hi Frank. How are you Sir?”

“Doing well, Lou. How’s it going tonight?”

“Actually it’s pretty busy for a rainy night. But sometimes I swear the queens in this town act as if they’ll melt if they ever got wet.”

“Some are wicked enough, they just might.” Then Frank turns to Vince and slowly sizes him up and down, “And who is this vision of mischief? Let’s hope he’s single and well trained.”

“Hi, I’m Vince. And I’m both, especially for handsome Daddies like yourself.”

“Sir.”

“I’m Vince, Sir.”

“Very good to meet you, sexy boy. I suppose Lou has already told you that I enjoy the company of the occasional redhead. But it’s grossly exaggerated. I enjoy all boys, as long as they know how to follow direction.”

Lou starts to laugh.

“Okay. I admit that red is my favorite color in a few ways. If you behave, maybe we can explore that later. But for now, come with me. I’ll buy the first round.”

As they start to walk in, Lou stops Vince and points at his tank top,“You know I am behind you 100% with what you do for the community but the manager doesn’t want any slogans or activism inside?”

Vince rolls his pale green eyes, takes off his baseball cap to reveal a full head of wild wavy red curls, removes his tank showing a pale back full of freckles, puts his cap back on, backwards, and follows Frank to the bar, stopping occasionally for Frank to hug and say hello to a number of friends or for Vince to hug someone and hand them a small flyer out of his back pocket for the next ACT-Up action.They get their drinks and make it towards the back of the narrow dark bar, past the rows of beat up lockers where other men are changing from work clothes into their leather or fetish gear or down to jockstraps and boots. Frank stops to chat briefly with another friend sitting on the pool table in the back of the bar before leading Vince up the narrow stairs.

They find a spot to sit between the little store full of sex toys, whips, floggers, handcuffs, various brands of poppers and the backroom behind the big black leather curtain which, by now, is full of men groping around, and each other, in the dark.

Vince starts up,“I don’t think I’ve seen it this crowded since last Folsom Fair. Is there something going on, Sir?”

“Nothing that I’ve heard of but maybe it’s just the full moon. Maybe it’s men blowing off steam after working another busy sale in their Union Square shops. Maybe they knew you’d be here.”

“Thank you Sir but I don’t think that I’m that good.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

“It’ll be my pleasure, Sir.”

“What’s the flyer you’re passing out? Is it another AIDS rally?”

“Yes Sir,” as he hands one of the folded flyers to Frank. “It’s this coming Tuesday at City Hall. We are calling for the city officials of every city with a sizable Gay community to stand with us and demand that the Food and Drug Administration to give the okay to more than AZT. There’s at least half a dozen drugs that are being used outside of the US that are showing good results for people living with AIDS but the FDA won’t even acknowledge their existence or let the mainstream media report about them.”

“And when will this rally happen? Is it only ACT-UP or will other groups and non-affiliated concerned citizens like myself be welcome?”

“It’s for anyone that will stand up for our ailing brothers, Sir. And it starts at 11:30, so it can be filmed for the noontime news shows and should go until 1, when the supervisors go into their weekly meeting.”

“Good planning.”

“Well, if it isn’t captured by the news cameras, it may as well not happen.”

“Tuesday is a light day and I am sick of seeing approval of drug trials going at a snail’s pace while we lose hundreds of brothers and sisters, and babies, every day. I know that if this was cancer or another Legionnaires Disease, the government would’ve interceded immediately and thrown all money and resources at it to keep the death rate below 150.”

“Would you want to say that to the crowd or inside to the board of supervisors? We need more of your type speaking for the cause.”

“And what type is that? The suits? Older? The presumed dying generation?”

“Honestly, all of the above. Plus, more hot daddies like you would be great for the morale of a lot of us activist boys, Sir.”

“Haha, I never thought I’d be considered a hot Daddy for justice,”

“If the workboot fits, Sir. And I’ll be happy to lick it for you.”

Frank looks at Vince with a mischievous look, sets down his beer and stands up. Vince slams down the rest of his beer and jumps to his feet enthusiastically. Frank gives him a smile, tweaks his nipple and grabs Vince by one of the overall straps and walks him through the leather curtains into the backroom.

[ontherockswithsalt]

A Made Man

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A/N: Please understand that this has been my vision for how karaoke night would unfold with this group forevveerrrrr so I’m excited we’re here. Nobody puts Bella in the corner mmkay? Oh and it gets a little suggestive so y’all know what we’re in for soon.

Chapter 36.

"So what about them?" Ben questions while we all witness Vinny and Bianca make their way to the karaoke microphones. "How long have they been together?"

"They're not," I tell him. "They just met tonight."

Ben gasps, eyes flying wider as he looks at us. "Shut up. I love that. I'm so glad this is happening."

We’ve stood up from our stools at this point, gathered behind our table for an optimum view.

Vinny receives his shot from the bartender, lifting it appreciatively to our table and tosses it back. Then he hands the empty glass off to the deejay and smacks his own chest with his palm as he gets the booze down.

Noble nudges my arm and chuckles in amusement. "Watch, watch."

The TV screens around the bar always display the upcoming song just before it starts and we glance up to see (I've Had) The Time Of My Life roll across the screen in fuzzy, bright purple text.

Vinny studies the monitor in front of him, furrows his brow, then looks out at us, confused.

The three of us all blow out a hard laugh while the rest of the bar is already excited, hooting appreciative cheers.

"Yes!" Bianca tips her head back and grasps Vinny's arm. "You know this one," we hear her assure him. "Dirty Dancing."

"Oh shit," he groans in realization.

"Look, the parts you sing are in green--" Bianca instructs, pointing to the screen. "Be ready, it starts quick."

Now I-- The song begins and Vinny glances around at the unexpected start and Bianca pushes against his shoulder to prompt him.

"... the time of my life--" He hesitates, edging closer to the microphone.

As soon as Vinny starts, Noble immediately hollers for him, clapping loud and triggering the crowd around us to scream out for the easily recognizable song.

"Oh my god." I mutter the words and my amazement keeps both my eyes and my mouth from closing while I watch.

Vinny cautiously sort of mumbles his initial part until Bianca joins in with hers. And when she does, the clear, airy melody actually starts to sound familiar.

Laughing at himself, Vinny drops his head and shakes it when the beat settles in. But it makes everyone around them cheer even more.

Bianca looks out, nodding at them as if to keep it coming for him. Then she goes to work during an instrumental measure, pops Vinny's microphone off the stand and hands it to him before lifting up the stand to move it out of the way. She does the same to her own mic, just in time to return to the screen and point to the new lyrics that roll in.

"This is you," she tells him.

"I've been waiting for so long… now I finally found someone to stand by me…" He tries to get the hang of the phrasing with only an instrumental track to back them.

When Bianca sings her part, it helps even out the tempo. She gestures to the screen again to alert him, "This is both of us--"

"Now with passion in our eyes, there's no way we could disguise it secretly…"

"Okay--" Vinny announces with a nod of confidence that’s starting to take hold the more everyone else around him cheers and joins in with the words. "I got it. I got it now."

"So we take each other's hand, 'cause we seem to understand the urgency…"

“Just remember!”

I smack my grip onto Noble’s arm and seeing this might seriously be how I die. “Holy. Shit, dude.” I’m struggling because I want to crack up but I’m too stunned watching and I can’t believe it’s happening. And Ben on the other side of Noble wailing “YESSS!” in appreciation makes it even funnier.

They fall more in sync as they build to the chorus and Vinny finally begins to relax next to Bianca.

“I’ve never seen a karaoke crowd like this,” Noble observes. “This is fucking hilarious.”

“I’d say we’re pretty rambunctious at our karaoke nights here in general,” Ben shouts over the music. “But this song always brings the house down and I’m loving them so much.”

I have to laugh at the guys gathered in front of Vinny and Bianca, singing along, dancing with one another and so into it.

Bianca starts off the second verse and encourages Vinny when it’s his turn. I’m amused every time he focuses intently on the monitor to follow the lyrics when he’s not entirely sure how to string the words together. And then parts will become more familiar to him, like he’s just saying fuck it and would rather deliver a good performance.

Ben wasn’t kidding about the song being a crowd favorite because when the chorus kicks in the second time, there’s literally a disco ball that lowers from the ceiling, casting colors all across the bar when the lights overhead go dark. The entire room erupts in this wild cheer and even though Vinny and Bianca have the mics, you can hear everyone like a collective chorus.

Because--

I’ve had the time of my life…

I finally notice I’ve been smiling all this time. This entire thing is funny and fucking joyful as hell and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like it. I keep turning to drop my forehead onto Noble’s shoulder to laugh there against him and he does the same to me, gripping hard at my back and pulling me into a hug.

“Oh, my god,” he groans during the lively instrumental break and saxophone solo where everybody’s just dancing. “Dude, I’m fucking pissed this is happening,” he tells me. “He’s gonna win her over with this shit.”

“Oh, I think she’s winning him over,” I suppose. “But yeah, talk about lengths a guy will go to. He’s done it.”

“Yeah, I assure you she’s in love with him,” Noble decides. “Dammit.”

With a thoughtful tilt of my head, I peer out at the stage. “I’m kind of proud of him, though.”  Leaning my back against Noble’s chest, he keeps his arm draped over my shoulder. “I’d hyperventilate before I did something like this, so good for him.”

“How much shit are you gonna give him on Monday?”

“Dude, so much.” I chuckle. “I’ll never forget this for the rest of my life. I hope we’re partners forever and I can tell this story at his retirement party.”

Letting his head fall, Noble cracks up, his drunken laughter tickling the side of my neck. He pushes his face there, then he meets my cheek for a kiss.

Shifting in front of him, I turn my head and lean up to touch my lips to his. My hand grasping his face and into his hair, his grip trailing high along my side, I kiss him long enough to forget all that’s around us, for merely a still moment. Probably nothing to anyone else nearby, but for me it feels significant.

I've kissed him a hundred times but my heart's racing when I slip away. It takes me a second to notice it and I tilt toward him, nudging my head against the edge of his jaw to calm the flaring pulse I can feel between my ears.

Pressing my lips together to force some feeling there, I turn away after a quick, rough squeeze of Noble's hair in my fist. And I don't miss his throaty little grunt when I do. It doesn't matter how many other distractions surround us, he won't pass up a chance to react to a cursory hair tug.

Damn, it just sort of came over me how badly I need to go home with him. But I don't have to tell him when I meet his heavy gaze for a brief moment, then move away and reach for my drink when I remember what I'm supposed to be watching.

"Hey, you have to help me with something," Noble says. He follows in behind me and I feel his hands low on my hips. "Because I'm super horny and I might forget."

I nearly cough out my whiskey when I laugh and turn to face him once again with a narrowed gaze. "Oh yeah? A bar full of cute boys has got you super horny?”

“No.” He grins at me in the glittery darkness as I linger right there against his chest. “Just one. And he’s more fucking hot than cute,” he decides, before he dips his head so his mouth is at my ear. “And irresistible, and sexy as hell and god,” he groans. “I really wanna take him home and suck his dick right now. So forget cute, alright?”

Shit. I’m so buzzed and turned on and the weight of it, of my want for him, just tugs deep and hot inside me. Enough to make me chew on my own lip until I suppress the temptation. It’ll surface again, though, with a little more momentum. “Well damn." I smirk. "Don’t let me keep you from him."

With a nod to the front where Vinny and Bianca close out the last chorus, he proposes, “After this, let’s head out, yeah?”

“What am I supposed to help you with?” I remind him.

He gestures a finger up toward the microphones. "She can't go home with him. I don't know where this is all going to lead tonight. But if we turn our backs and her ass sneaks into a cab with him, I'm calling the cops."

I regard him thoughtfully. "Good plan. The cops'll totally get him."

“I mean it,” he laughs.

“You don’t trust Vinny?”

He lifts defensive shoulders. “I don’t trust… the situation just yet.”

While it’s a bit of a double standard -- Noble thought it was perfectly reasonable to run around with me in the city he’s supposed to avoid and yet he won’t let his sister out of his sight -- I understand.

And really I can’t determine whether Vinny and Bianca even have those intentions with one another. Right now they’re kind of jumping around on the stage while the music begins to fade out. And knowing him, he probably just wants to laugh the whole thing off, say his goodbyes before heading home for the night.

“Let’s hear it for Bella and Vinny!” The deejay announces to another adamant cheer from the crowd around the stage.

The two of them replace their microphones on the stands and deliver a bunch of high fives to everyone there. The idiotic pride I feel swells again and I can’t contain a smile when I clap hard for him as they return to the table.

“Good work, partner.” I laugh.

He slings an arm around me to pull me into a hug and I slap him hard on the back. “I found my true calling,” Vinny decides. “But seriously we’ve gotta get the fuck outta here soon.”

“No encore?” I question, reaching over as Bianca slides under my arm for a hug. I turn to her and pull her in. “Look at the magic you made happen with him.”

“I knew he could do it.” She shrugs.

“I don’t think we could top that.” He looks at her, his brows pulling together. “How many guys have you sung karaoke with?”

Bianca grins. “That’s a personal question.”

“But was I the best?”

She reaches out and pushes her palm flat against the center of his chest. Her head tips back with a laugh. “Oh my god.”

He smiles. “I just wanna know.”

“To be determined,” she gives her coy answer.

I glance over at Noble to see if he’s witnessing this and he shakes his head in disapproval.

“Alright, I’m gonna go settle my tab,” Vinny announces. “Be right back.”

Clearing my throat, I offer Noble a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder before I turn to follow Vinny to the bar. “Yeah, me too.”