#i mostly just swapped the side of the room that my chair is on and my desk and then also moved my bookshelf

[againstdying]

reorganized my room a little 🧍

[upsidedownwithsteve]

can i request grumpy gamer Eddie & sunshine reader who just wants to sit on his lap?

Fluffy goodness, maybe his friends who are playing too get really confused when he suddenly really soft and gooey when talking to his gf

i absolutely loved the gxs period fic!! It was so cute 🥺

thank you bby! 🧡

Eddie was losing. Badly. Eddie hated losing.

You’d watched him from his bed, his back to you as he sat on his chair, shoulders tensed, his comically large headphones smashing down his pretty curls. You couldn’t see his face, and you’d been flipping through one of his music magazines for the majority of the game tournament, but you knew he was pissed.

“God fucking damn it, Gareth! He was right there!” Eddie jammed his thumb into the controller, pressing buttons at random just to exert some of his frustration. “We’re losing to a bunch of kids, man, this is pathetic.”

There was a garbled response from Eddie’s headset, an indignant voice blurring with the distinct staticky glee of Dustin Henderson. “Su- it, Mu-son! Told you we cou- ick your a-”

Eddie didn’t get to reply because you’d pushed the magazine to the side, padding barefoot across the room until you could push at his chair and drop yourself into his lap. The boy blinked, feeling guilty that he’d almost forgotten you were there, too wrapped up in his game and annoyance. But you curled into him, bare legs folded up, feet tucked under his thighs. Your pyjamas were tiny things, soft shorts that were a happy, bright orange, your T-shirt an old thing of Eddie’s that you’d tie dyed in his front yard last summer.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Eddie murmured and you could feel him relax underneath you. He forgot about his game, the headset, his mic. “M’sorry, been neglecting you, huh?”

You didn’t mind, not really. Eddie spent a lot of his time with you, and since Mike was visiting El in California for the month, and Jeff was at his grandmothers in Houston, they’d swapped their weekly Hellfire meetings for an online game night instead.

You just hadn’t expected Eddie to get so worked over a game where most players danced every time they shot someone in the head.

“Christ, Henderson! Are you doing the fucking running man over my corpse?”

“A little,” you said, pouting even though it was mostly for show. You liked the way Eddie’s frown smoothed out when he looked at you, how he dropped his controller in favour of running his warm palms over the tops of your thighs. You sighed, forlorn and dramatic. “You’re awfully grumpy.”

From the headset, you heard Dustin snort. “He is, isn’t he?”

Eddie scowled again, shoving the thing off his head and pulling you closer all in one motion. The game was still playing, a new round starting but Eddie’s played remained static.

“You should fix it,” he murmured, squeezing his arms around your middle as he pushed his face to your neck, grumbling playfully as he pretended to gnaw at it. “Need some lovin’ from my girl.”

You squeaked, pushing at his forehead when he didn’t relent, the faint scrape of stubble tickling your skin. “You do?” You were beaming, a bright, wide thing that Eddie swore could stop the world from spinning. “C’mere then.”

Eddie grinned back, the controller slipping from his knee to the floor as he pulled your over his lap, your thighs slipping and spreading over his. He gave your ass a little tap, humming happily, a million miles from the boy who was scowling and swearing at his computer screen five minutes ago.

“Kiss,” Eddie demanded, full lips puckered, eyes twinkling.

You smoothed your hands over his cheeks to oblige, holding him gently as you leaned in, both of you ignoring the sounds of protests and distant explosions from the mic at Eddie’s feet.

[ktsumu]

A CHILDHOOD BEDROOM tw: allusions to divorce/his family dynamic, holiday comfort for the soul

Ushijima’s bedroom is nothing like the one you share. 

His walls are bare, save for a few frames with pictures that are older than the two of you. There’s a bulletin above his desk that’s naked down to the cork, a few tacks littering it at random.

He has his dresser, a small mirror on the wall hanging above it. The room is nearly devoid of colour aside from beige and navy, but the Christmas lights from the house across the street give it some red and green. Not much, but it’s good enough.

You walk along the perimeter of the room, the floors cold, hands tracing over his desk and chair. He watches you from the doorway, the door closing softly behind him as he does. You hear the same floor creak beneath his feet as he crosses to his bed, the frame sighing under his weight.

A print-out picture of him and a redhead (Satori, he’s mentioned) standing side-by-side in school uniforms is framed on said desk, thumbs up on all four of their combined hands. A team in maroon stands tall beside it, and he’s dead center. A three-person family — father, mother, boy — takes up the space beside that, the frame much more sophisticated than the others. He looks about ten.

The clock on his wall tells the time wrong; it hasn’t been reset since he graduated and moved out at eighteen. It looks like it’s a few hours behind, but it’s really telling you time six years back. 

“Your walls are so bare,” you comment, turning back to look at him where he’s sat. He offers an almost unnoticeable, lopsided smile. “Where are all the medals, huh? I’ve heard big things about Ushiwaka the Great, you know.”

You’re joking, but he answers, “In my drawer.”

(You check; it’s full of them.)

Ushijima watches you hold them, looking at all of the engravings before setting them back, the years stretching further back the deeper that you dig. It’s like your chest is swelling with pride over things he won before you knew him. 

“What is it?” he asks, eyes following you as you cross over to his bed, sitting down to face him. His brows furrow, leaning his back against the headboard that looks so comically small; then his lips tug up at the sight of gold around your neck. His teenage pride rests on your chest.

There is something so invasive about a childhood bedroom, about wearing what once was his entire life as he looks at it — a whole life you didn’t have the chance to watch lays itself out in front of you. This childhood doesn’t exist anymore (maybe it never really did) and yet you see it around you all the same. 

(It is invasive, but it is full of love. An empty room that feels so full.)

“Why doesn’t your mother display your medals in the house?” you ask, tilting your head. “Hell, my mom would’ve lined mine up in the window. And your desk is like a trophy factory.”

 “It’s not practical, I suppose.”

“So they just sit in here?”

Ushijima looks at you like he’s in thought. 

He shrugs. “Mostly,” he says, “my father has a few in California. My player portrait is on his office wall. My mother shows her affection in her own way.”

“Can we take some back home?”

“Why? They’re old.”

“I don’t mind,” you say, shrugging. “I’ll display them around the room for a bit, swap ‘em out when you rack some up this season.”

Ushijima just chuckles shortly, shaking his head as he moves down the bed, laying down flat. His feet hang off the end a bit, and the pillows are the same as they always were. “If you wish. You know I never stop you from anything.”

You hum. “God, does it echo in here?”

“Sometimes. It never used to.”

“When did it start?”

He knows when. “I’m not sure.”

You know, too. “That’s okay. Our room at home doesn’t echo, at least.”

“No, you won’t let it.”

“Never.”

Ushijima reaches out a hand, his left, and he twirls the medal you picked in his hand. You wear it still, and it looks like it gleams. His eyes flicker up to yours. 

“I love you,” you tell him. “You and your empty room.”

He sighs a laugh, one you taught him how to make, and he pulls you into his chest by the ribbon around your neck. He breathes, your head rises and falls with his chest, and the room comes alive; breathing with its maker, welcoming him home the best it can. You certainly help.

Ushijima looks at his bedroom walls, his broken clock; the house is not resetting, his parents’ old bed will always be half full and half made, but he thinks this is enough — coming back with you was enough. Now, when he leaves, he will remember a warm bed and leave to sleep in a warmer one. 

“Love?”

“Mm?”

“When we find a home we like enough to live in,” When. Not if, when. “I’d like to paint the walls with you.”

“Ooh, what colour?”

“Not white — or beige.”

You grin, angling your head up to see him. Ushijima is looking up at his clock, six years behind like he just got home from training camp, his boxes packed for the city.

(He meets you two years later.)

“Pick a swatch, baby. Just no neons.”

“Oh. I was thinking of a traffic cone orange.”

“Ha-ha.”

[redheadspark]

heyy can i have benedict from bridgerton x reader prompt #17

A/N - I love this for Benedict! Thanks for requesting this, anon!

Tame

Summary - Benedict was not one to tame his wife, he would rather let her be herself instead

Warnings - Just angst and fluff mixed together.

“The audacity of that woman!”

You plopped down on the loveseat, a scowl on your face as your husband, Benedict Bridgerton perked up from his spot at his office desk.  You were rubbing your temples, and a headache was threatening to come over you rapidly from the conversation you said had some minutes before in the parlor.  Now you simply wanted to hide out with your husband on the other side of the estate.  It was mostly a home, not even an estate since it was rather small and only a handful of rooms.  

“I take it the tea went well with your mother?” Benedict hummed in amusement as you glared at him.  Benedict knew you weren’t truly mad at him, a soft smile on his lips as you leaned back a bit more in the loveseat, not even caring how un-ladylike you were appearing in the teal dress you decided to wear that day.

“She was not in the best of moods when discussing my brother, though I would rather hear her gossip about her circles of friends and their poor taste in men than to hear her talk about my brother in such a way,” You explained in a mellow tone.  Benedict chuckled as he took out a spare notepad, then retrieved a charcoal pencil that he would use to sketch as he leaned back in his chair and eyed his wife.  He loved the spitfire nature you had when you spoke about the dysfunctional nature of your family. It would make him chuckle to hear you rant and rage about your mother in particular, who was always trying to make a great impression in society but could never do it naturally.  

“Do you wish to discuss it?” He asked, knowing fully well that it was better for you to let it all out than to hold it in.  He discovered that tactic very early in their friendship together, even before he decided to court you and then ask for your hand in marriage.  Bottling it up inside of you never worked in your favor in the past.  

So you took in a long inhale, then recited the entire conversation word for word.

It was therapeutic for you to confide in Benedict with all that was happening with your family.  At first, you were afraid to tell him, thinking that it would paint you in such a bad light to say such things about your family.  However, Benedict was never one to judge when it came to family gossip.  He too had to deal with his siblings and their antics, you two would swap stories in your early courting moments.  But after seeing you in distress and about to be in tears after talking to your mother and father, he simply brought up the suggestion of talking about what happened.  

After you unload all that was inside of you for at least 5 minutes, Benedict was watching your shoulders lose the tension and the stress melt away from your face.  You were even breathing easier, a look of shock on your face as Benedict smiled widely at you and took your hand in his.

“Better?” He asked, you looking at him with a tentative smile and nodding your head.

“Much better,” You replied.

This was just the same, you talking wild about the gossip your mother was telling you.  Gossip about your brother’s upcoming marriage and the apparent scandal behind your future sister-in-law. Benedict was giving you the space to unleash all of the rage that you had bottled up from the moment you left the tea and made it back home, his charcoal was already at work as he was sketching and listening to you at the same time.  You then got up and paced back and forth, your hands moving wildly as your tone was going up and down with the insane story you were telling him.

“And poor Josephine!  She’s so lovely and makes my brother happy, though my own mother does not see that and only sees her last name!  The nerve of that woman, she’s acting the same way she did when she found out I was marrying you!” You commented, Benedict looking up briefly from his sketch and chuckling.

“She warmed up to me in the end, did she not?” He reasoned though you huffed at the words.

“Took her far too long to do so, dear,” You replied as you looked over at what he was doing.  He was still sketching, you raising a brow to him and then pointing to his paper.

“What are you doing?” You questioned him, the heat and anger no longer evident in your voice as Benedict still remained calm at his desk.

“Simply drawing the love of my life,” He replied nonchalantly, you feeling that tension and anger that you had second ago melted away from the sentence as he looked up at you with his smile and the brightness in his eyes.  You knew deep down he was listening and letting you get it all out of your system to feel more at ease, Benedict was amazing with you when it came to making you feel loved and safe.  No matter that he loved amusement and being more light-hearted than his other siblings, he still had a heart and adored taking care of you.  Perhaps even distract you and find a way to bring you ease.  

Ever since you two started courting one another, you wanted Benedict of your fiery nature how you were no dainty flower.  He never strayed from your warnings, in fact, he was more intrigued with you as you two were publicly a couple. Rumors and gossip about you and Benedict being together spread like wildfire, plenty of Benedict’s friends and fellow bachelors were warning him about your temper and how you were no true young lady because of the rules you would never follow.  

Yet he still stayed on your arm, still accompanied you to balls and galas, and he would protect every rumor that would come your way.  In the end, your wedding was the talk of the town, and you were now in a healthy marriage with the love of your life who saw more light in you than any other dared to in the past.  

You walked over, seeing Benedict lean back a bit for you to see his handiwork as you peered over his shoulder,  A small sketch of you on the couch, the curves along your arms and the detail on your cheeks and nose, it was a gorgeous sketch that he whipped out of nowhere.  

His craft was nothing short of perfection in your eyes.  He found beauty in everything around them, though he would brag that you were his muse from the moment he laid eyes on you at a Spring Ball so long ago.  He would leave sketches of you to find all over the home, especially on days when you were stressed or sad.  You’d find a sketch on your nightstand next to the bed, on the kitchen table next to your favorite tea cup, or even in your own office on top of your desk. You loved that quirk about him, among other things that had you falling in love with him.  The one attribute that you adored about your husband was his eye to see the beauty in everything around him.

Including you.

“Benedict,” You hummed, seeing the sketch with wide eyes and a soft smile on your lips.  You were no longer thinking about the tea or even the heated argument you had with your mother, you were simply staring at the simple and yet beautiful picture that your husband drew within minutes.  Benedict got up from the chair and wrapped you in his arms, kissing you soundly and taking your breath away.  He gained against your lips, your heart slamming against your chest rapidly as you were smiling against his lips in return.  

When he pulled away, he peered down at you with his smile still evident while he reached with one hand to frame your face lovingly, “You are quite the woman with that fire in your belly, it only reflects in the beauty I see in you,”

“And you are far too good of a husband to let me be vocal and vile when I need to be,” you commented. Benedict was then chuckling as you pecked his lips, “How do you put up with me so easily when I act un-lady-like?”

“It’s not me putting up with you, it’s me letting you be yourself and feel open to do so,” He explained, you hugging him tightly.  You adored being with Benedict all this time, through the tough and light times and even through the joy and the pain.  Benedict never let your love dwindle or diminish, and you have a bright future to look forward to together.  He gave you room to be ourself, to vent or lash out when it was stuck inside for far too long.  

Leave it to Benedict to never tame you.

The End

May Prompt Session

[sleepymccoy]

Alright, I have been thinking about spaceships!!

Basic premise, we don't have light speed tech so it's all within the solar system. Moons and some planets are terraformed, there are space stations, so on. I haven't designed anything with fake gravity, so the ships would need to handle gravity and zero grav in space. That's mostly fixtures though, the structure is fairly unchanged I reckon, cos it does all still need to work in gravity. Because of that, the engines are taking up a bit of space. And i've tried to leave some dead space in the ship cos i'm sure i'll come up with more scientific necessities, like I'm already thinking about constantly having to create fuel to burn to leave orbit.

Other thing, this ship has to work in three ways. One, space flight/leaving orbit stuff. Two, can park on solid ground and has a functional trade door. Three, has some way of fishing while hovering over the open ocean. That's why every ship has a "fishing" zone for the fishing part of things. They're all at the bottom of the ship, obvs.

Also, you'll probably get this from my writing the pros and cons, but this is for a romance that just happens to be set in space lol

First of all, the UFO

Basic UFO design premise. One big wide disc, on one level.

Pros: I can fuck around with the design on the one level pretty freely, and don't need to commit to shit For example, storage and rooms should def swap cos rooms can have windows then. This can have whole areas the pov character doesn't go to very easily. Open plan means secrets and privacy are harder to have, encourages drama.

Cons: The design doesn't make sense against like air drag and leaving orbit. It' so not aerodynamic. Maybe it takes off at a 90 degree angle, so like every room has a take off chair fitted to the wall cos it's gonna flip to its side. Okay, that's kinda fun, this shouldn't be in the con line anymore but whatever. It's a good example that all cons can be overcome x

Second, let's look at the Slice

Pros: Small and intimate. There's less rooms so everyones sharing a room with another shift, which gives everyone a unique friendship with one person on another shift schedule. Can't hang out in your room, so gotta see other people, encourage interaction. Tbf, I can make that happen in the other designs if I decide it's too cool to skip

Cons: also not aerodynamic. Very good in space or staying in gravity. Maybe it has another way it sorta collapses in to leave orbit, like the angle bit on the hangy downy slides up to be more like an arrow head. Yeah alright, there' another con that's become a cool pro. Actual con! Not having your own room lessens how easy it is to have sex. Although i guess the shifts undo that, cos you wouldn't want to risk waking the person who's got the room rn. Could be a fun pro as secret sex is much harder to do. Ugh

The Ball

Pros: Hysterical. Quite a bit of space. Confusing layout gives you nooks and crannies to bump into someone in a sexual tension way. Aerodynamic enough i guess? Fucking wild looking, it's just a big ol ball. I could redesign this a bit to be like a luxury yacht that's been refitted to be a fishing boat, which'd add some fun world building stuff. And some crazy down time options

Cons: This feels the most disjointed to me really. And it would be so damned hard to build. Oh, the multi level idea, which i kinda forget when drawing, is that 1B would be accessible through floor holes in the 2C corridors. They probably dont line up cos I forgot about it. Actually, they kinda nearly do. Cool.

Here's a poll so you can choose lol. I'll do another poll in reblogs with some of the features so you can suggest what you think is the most important feature, if you really want to have a say! I love feedback and brainstorming, so please, bring your heart <3

[try-set-me-on-fire]

hiii can i ask about doesn’t know they’ve been injured or go through me?

- @buckactuallys

Go through me I might do a hostage situation with Eddie and Maddie? Like they're just getting coffee or something, might not even have gone here together it's just coincidence, and the robbers or whatever are trying to mess with her and Eddie's like you're gonna have to go through me but then they just both end up locked in the back room. Eddie's like well that was stupid. don't tell your brother I did that he'd be pissed at me. I mean I absolutely would step in front of danger for you Maddie but this is like a trolley problem personally designed to ruin Buck's whole life. Let's pretend this never happened. Fuck I never even got my coffee.

Doesn't know they're injured is what this snippet is from! Summary for the whole fic under the cut in case you don't want spoilers for whenever I get around to writing the whole thing

Buck and Maddie go to IKEA and Buck is dreamily lost in thought about recently becoming boyfriends with Eddie and is dodging her questions because no one knows they're together yet. On the way back they get run off the road and the car rolls and ends up on its side and Buck has to get her and Jee out safely and quickly because the engine's smoking and could catch fire any minute. They all get out fine (rip to Maddie's new strandmon chair 😔) and are shaken up but mostly cleared when they're transported to the hospital (not by the 118 but the gang comes running when they hear what happened). Buck kind of prioritized Jee and Maddie to the doctors but really he wasn't feeling bad, figured he'd be a little bruised tomorrow. But then when everybody goes to the diner across the street from the hospital for Yay Everyone's Alright dinner Buck's like. Mm. Hmm. Huh. I think something might not be right. Goes down like a sack of bricks, vaguely aware of Eddie all panicked and calling him pet names. I miiiiight swap perspectives for just one scene because I like the image of Buck being rolled off to surgery and Eddie looking lost and saying "but we had a date." Anyway Buck wakes up, turns out he has some minor internal tear somewhere that was getting worse because he was walking around doing stuff instead of laying down and letting doctors check him over. Eddie is there, Buck is sorry he's going to miss their date. Eddie's like...... Wait right here (Buck: literally can't go anywhere) and comes back with kind of wilted flowers, one of those plastic battery operated candles and two cups of red jello. They can have their date right here!

[infini-tree]

ok so... here’s krupp’s house interior recreated to the best of my ability! here’s some comments because i have Thoughts on it.

general

i don’t know what’s in the art book when it comes to krupp’s house. even if it was completely mapped out, it may not even be accurate to the final version seen in movie-- i know at the very least some older concepts where there was evidence of a pet bowl and a cat tower, but i’m not factoring that for obvious reasons.

this is not to scale, so some parts may be off.

fun fact after looking at these screencaps for ages: every part of krupp’s house has a different wallpaper pattern. i think that’s just fun. and it makes things/placement easier to identify! :)

to summarize my thoughts on this house: really, only the living/dining situation is the part i’m the most sure of, and that’s only because they’re confirmed to be next to each other. the placement of everything other room is more out of “common sense” that i’ll explain.

the parts of the house labelled with an asterisk ( * ) are those that are theorized to be there because of logistics. we don’t see a laundry, or hall closets in the boys’ montage, but its there to both fill out space and to be a bit “realistic” in terms of Where Does Krupp Keep His Stuff/Clean His Clothes.

The Closet At The End Of The Hallway is mostly for me as i put it there for sticky notes au reasons. you could easily swap it and where the laundry room is.

the exterior layout seen in the movie is completely disregarded. if it was, then the left half of his house would be gone. that being said, i tried to keep it as completely square as possible. there are a few particular discreprencies i had to contend with i’ll explain in later sections.

dining room / kitchen

i’m skipping the living room because there’s not much to say about it. like harold says, it looks nice! though, a bit empty.

his kitchen/dining situation is wild. typically one would just connect the two rooms directly like you would krupp’s living/dining, but this dining room shot implies that there’s a bit of hallway between the two spaces? it makes it feel a lot more congested than it needs to be. who ok’ed this? is it the same guy who put krupp’s office on the second floor as opposed to the front door? but i digress.

also its extremely extra of him to just have one chair when these sorts of things come in a set.

as for the kitchen itself... its honestly frustratingly vague considering how close the shots associated with it are. 

the shot showing the drawer shows a light source implied to be a window with blinds, but the reverse shot shows that there’s no room on harold’s right to facilitate a window. this is one of those discrepancies i had to either do one or the other for and i just decided to add the window (albeit a small one).

i also added a door leading to the backyard, mostly as a logistics thing. the other neighboring houses have one on the side, so there’s a precedence for it.

bathroom

the shot is pretty self explanatory. i’m not sure if krupp has a shower or a bathtub considering that the frosted glass obscures the view. the height of the porcelain in relation to the toilet makes me think ‘bathtub’, though.

bedroom

also self-explanatory. had to do a bit of gymnastics when formatting the closets to make it not stick out on the floor plan. honestly the most contentious thing about where i placed it is because right outside the bedroom door, the hall might extend to the left. due to the fact hat the boys are right in front of the shot its hard to tell, but i decided on it not being it.

also its a little silly how krupp decorates his own room with what seems to be one of his degrees/principal’s license. even in his home life and doesn’t need to perform it, he’s leaning into the principal identity.

[emo-sebastianstardew]

Demolition Lovers Part 2- Sebastian x Farmer Stardew Valley Fanfic

(In this chapter we will be talking about smoking. If you guys think it's not good let me know but I would like to include it because it's part of Sebastians character.)

"I should get going I've taken to much of your time up already. I gotta get to the Saloon anyways." You smiled.

"Oh... Stardrop?"

"Yeah.."

"I can walk with you and give you a slight tour if you wanted... no pressure.."

"Sure it would be nice to have some company."

You began to walk with him heading down the mountain. You both were silent for a minute before he broke the silence.

"My name is Sebastian by the way. I didn't really introduce myself. I apologize for that." He smiled slightly.

"I'm (farmers name). Nice to meet you Sebastian." You smiled back.

"I don't talk much. Especially to new people..."

"Is that a problem we're walking together than?" You felt a bit of anxiety come up with those words falling out of your mouth.

"No not at all. I just don't like people. People can be to much you know. But you seem cool I guess." He smiled looking at you.

"Oh cool. You gotta at least have some friends here right?"

"Yeah Sam is my best friend. I hang with him a lot. Like I've said before I'm not much of people person so some days I'm not in the mood to even see him sometimes. Not that I don't like him or anything just some days don't feel like being social and well Sam. He's a social butterfly."

"Yeah I get that completely. Anyone else you are friends with?"

"Yeah I guess Abigail. Shes cool and means well I guess. But you know when you have a friend that has a huge crush on you and you know but don't really feel the same?"

"Yeah I know exactly what you mean. Friends like that can be hard to let down."

"Yeah but we are almost there. If you want you can hang and play pool with me."

" Yeah sounds like fun. Maybe later would you like to hang out Sebastian?"

He stopped walking and looked at you for a second as if he never had been asked that before. He just stared at you for a second not saying anything.

"I don't know if you smoke but would you like to later maybe?" You asked hesitantly and very nervously.

"Smoke what?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

Instead of answering him you just grinned at him.

"You'll find out, If you say yes."

He laughed and held open the door for you. You walked through the door and saw the bar was pretty lively full of people. Sebastian walked past you and gestured for you to follow him. You followed him to a back room of the bar. In this room were 2 arcade machines, some couches, couple of tables and chairs, one pool table.

Sebastian walked over to the pool table and a tall guy with blonde hair in jacket greeted him. They did a quick hand shake then he gestured for you to come over. You approached hesitantly at first.

"(farmers name) this is Sam. Remember I told you about him on the way here." Sebastian smiled at you.

"Hello Sam." You smiled and waved.

"Oooh you two know eachother " Sam grinned eyeing you both.

"Just met actually." Sebastian said clearing his throat.

"Yeah. Sebastian was just walking me here, showing me where the Saloon is." You said.

"Oh okay. You gonna play some pool?" Sam asked.

You nodded your head but insisted the boys play first round and you play against winner. You took a seat on the stool next to the pool table. As you watched them play you noticed a girl sitting on a couch behind them. She was watching them play too. She had long purple hair and was wearing a purple shirt. You noticed she was watching Sebastian mostly. You went back to watching them play but kept that in mind. They finished and Sam lost. He handed you his pool stick and swapped places with you. Before walking to the other side of the pool table you stop by Sebastian.

"Hope you're ready to lose." You grinned at him.

"Really? Is that a challenge?" He smirked raising an eyebrow.

"You bet." You said walking away and going to the other side.

Sebastian decided to let you go first. You chose solids and the game began. You made your first hit in. The yellow 1 ball. You went again and got the blue 2 ball in. You went again and got the red 3 ball in. Sebastian watched you in amazement as you kept playing. till you had 2 of your balls left. It was Sebastian turn and he moved around the table towards you. He bent down right by you. Your face blushed red, you were definitely watching him. He turned and looked at you.

"Enjoying the view." He smirked.

"Enjoying watching you lose." You grinned.

Sebastian finished his turn with 2 balls left as well. You swing around infront of him and bend over in front of him. You call your ball and make it in. You slide past him brushing up against him and call the next ball and make it in. Sebastian watches you intensely. You finish the game.

"Ha I win." You smirked at him.

"That you did." Sebastian looked amazed.

"I've never seen anyone beat Seb." Sam said from the other side of you.

"You owe me now Sebastian." You grinned at him.

"And what woul-" He was cut off by a female voice.

"Sebby you never lose." The girl with purple hair said walking over approaching everyone.

You all turn and look at her blankly. You were about to open your mouth and say something but Sam beat you to it.

"That's what I said Abby." Sam smiled at her.

"It was a fair game Abby." Sebastian smiled at her.

"So you're Abby." You said interrupting what felt like a moment.

"Yes and you are?" She asked in a rude tone.

"Abby this is (farmers name). I'm sorry I didn't introduce you earlier to (her/him/them)." Sebastian blurted.

"Oh is (she/him/they) your friend Sebby." She asked taking a step closer to Sebastian.

"Yeah (she's/he's/they're) my new friend." He smiled.

"Yeah well... this has been an exciting night. Thank you all for having me. But I better get going." You said smiling and waving bye.

"Bye (farmers name)." They all said and waved.

You started walking out. For some reason Sebastians words just kept playing over in your head. You left the Saloon and sat outside for second in your thoughts. Did Sebastian really meant what he said about Abby? Was there something going on between them? Why do you care so much? Just forget about it right its your first night anyways. But like always someone interrupted your thoughts.

"Hey (farmers name). You didn't wait for me."'

To be continued.....

[hyuckswonderland]

League Shenanigans

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Where Heeseung is just trying to play League but Jake keeps bothering him. Jake quickly learns the consequences of interrupting his hyung's game.

Ler!Heeseung

Lee!Jake

1.6k words

AN: It's been some time since I've last written a proper fic so bare with my regarding its downfalls <3

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It was one of those rare days when all the members had the day off. Most of the members decided to take this opportunity to go outside and do things. Whether it be shopping, sightseeing, or just anything to enjoy their time off. However, Heeseung and Jake were the two members who decided to stay back home and relax in their own ways there. Jake's excuse mostly being he wanted to sleep in and Heeseung just wanted to game.

At least Heeseung was trying to game. Roughly around 1 pm, Jake had finally woken up from his nice long sleep. Instead of deciding to do something productive he felt like seeing what Heeseung was doing. Since then, Heeseung has had to deal with Jake hovering over him from behind his chair both watching his game as well as hindering it.

Every once and a while Jake would shake Heeseung's chair to try and scare him or he would poke the older's side to distract the older. At first, Heeseung thought his attempts were funny, that was until he kept on doing them over and over. "Jakey if you don't stop you're going to regret it." Heeseung hissed as Jake poked his side once again. He could see the slight reflection of Jake smiling widely and giggling from his monitor.

"What? Are you not a good enough player for it to not bother you hyung?" Jake teased as he blew on the ear Heeseung didn't have tucked under his headphones, causing the older to flinch. "Don't say I didn't warn you, Jakey." His game was slowly coming near an end and he'd already been doing worse than usual because of Jake's antics.

Jake felt butterflies in his stomach at Heeseung's words. Would he regret his actions? Probably but right now he still had the upper hand. If he was going to go down at least he could go down with a bang. He quickly reached over and turned off Heeseung's monitor before making a run for it. He knew better than to stick around after pulling off a stunt like that.

Heeseung was stunned for a few seconds before he quickly jumped out of his chair "JAKE!" He yelled as he bolted after the younger. Unfortunately for Jake, Heeseung was a rather fast runner so he was gaining on him pretty fast. The shorter looked behind him to see how close Heeseung was and his eyes widened to find him so close. "Hyung we can talk about this!" He squeaked as he made his way to the living room, going on one side of the couch to try and use it as a form of protection.

While the couch did help with keeping Heeseung on one side while he was on the other, it also left him with no escape. Jake looked around trying to find somewhere to go. He could try and make it so he and Heeseung swapped sides but that was pretty unlikely. He was ultimately screwed.

"C'mon Jakey! We both know you're trapped~" Heeseung teased the younger as he stayed planted on his side of the couch. He knew he had the advantage in this situation and was not going to budge. Jake gulped as he watched Heeseung, making sure the older didn't make a move on him unexpectedly. "Hyuuung this isn't fair." He whined.

Heeseung only grinned at Jake "Neither was you turning my monitor off and messing with me throughout my entire match, but here we are." The younger had no way of getting out of this one. "You're better off just surrendering now and I'll go easier on you." Jake did not like the sound of giving up. Even if his odds were very slim.

"Ok fine.." He pretended to give up walking towards Heeseung, and as he got closer at the last minute he went to make a run for it. Heeseung however had predicted Jake's plan and easily capture the shorter in his arms. "Gotcha Jakey~" He maneuvered them onto the ground, easily pinning Jake's hands under his knees. Though he made sure not to put too much pressure.

Jake could feel butterflies swarming in his stomach as he looked up at Heeseung. He had done it to himself and he knew that but it didn't mean he wasn't dreading what was coming next. "Hyuuung-" Jake squirmed trying to get himself free. "I'm soooorry."

Heeseung raised an eyebrow "Sorry you did it or sorry you got caught?" He chuckled knowing the answer. He hovered his hands over Jake's stomach and wiggled his fingers playfully, causing the younger's squirming to intensify. "Noho hyung I swear I'm sohorry." He couldn't help the anticipatory giggles that managed to fall from his mouth.

"Aww giggling already Jakey? I haven't even touched you yet" Heeseung grinned and dropped his hands down quickly before raising them again. His actions causing a squeak out of Jake. "And a squeak? I don't even have to put in the work." Jake felt his cheeks heat up as light blush formed on his face.

"Dohon't be meheean-" Jake squirmed under Heeseung, there was nothing more he could do really. His only option was to wait it out until Heeseung decided to tickle him.

Heeseung only smiled at Jake's cute behavior "Is the teasing getting to you?" He giggled as he pretended to drop his hands down again, causing Jake to let out another squeak. "Your cheeks are all red~"

Jake shook his head as his cheeks only reddened, looking away from Heeseung to try and hide somewhat. Though it didn't do much considering he couldn't hide his face with his hands and arms.

"Don't be shy Jakey!" Heeseung cooed, "Your blush is absolutely adorable!" He finally dove in to squeeze at Jake's sides to get the younger boy to look back up at him. The reaction was almost immediate as well, giggles instantly falling out of Jake.

"NOHOhohoho IHIHim SOhohorry!" His squirming became more intense as he kicked out his legs. "IHIHIhill LEHehave you BEhehe!" Jake's negotiating ultimately did nothing at this point. Heeseung had already forgotten about his League game, now he just wanted to see his cute dongsaeng become a cute little giggly puddle.

Heeseung slowly moved his hands to Jake's stomach, scribbling away at the area. "I don't know Jakey what you did was a maaaajor offense and now you have to deal with the consequences that entail!" He loved teasing the shorter boy any chance he got. Watching the younger squirm around and squeal never failed to bring a large smile to his face.

It technically brought a large smile to Jake's face too, however, he didn't have much choice in that matter. "IHIhihim SOHOHOrry!" Jake squeaked as he gasped out from laughter. Heeseung only chuckled "I know you are Jakey but you still have to endure your punishment~" It was safe to say Heeseung was solely doing this for his own amusement at this point.

He had already forgiven Jake as soon as he'd done the criminal action - mostly because it wasn't ever serious in the first place. Jake, however, did not need to know that. "Hmmm, what do you think would happen if my hands found their way up to a certain sensitive spot of yours hm?"

Jake's eyes instantly widened at the suggestion "HYuhuhung NOHOhoho THAhahats NOhohot FAHahair" He pulled at his hands trying his best to escape (though he was failing miserably). Heeseung grinned and slowly trailed his hands up Jake's body. Momentarily stopping to prod at his underarms.

"HEE IHIhill DOHoho AhahahanyTHihihing!" Jake declared, though, of course, he didn't actually mean that. Heeseung just quirked his eyebrow up "Oh really? Anything at all huh?" He grinned as he continued to trail his fingers upwards to the younger boy's neck. There, the tickles stopped and his hands just sat in place, unmoving.

The giggles didn't stop though Jake twitching as phantom tickles remained throughout his body. "HYuhuhung cohohome onnnn." He felt a blush forming on his face as he waited for the older to just go for that spot which made him go crazy every time. If he secretly loved it that was between him and god.

"Yes, Jakey? Do you perhaps want me to move my fingers?" Heeseung slowly dragged his nails against Jake's neck causing the younger boy to jolt at the feeling. "NOhoHOHo!" Jake declared as the small movement already was driving him mad.

"Aww aren't you just the cutest," Heeseung cooed at the adorable boy, "didn't even have to try and you're already so reactive." He smirked as he quickly scribbled his fingers over Jake's neck.

The reaction was immediate. Jake let out a loud squeal followed by loud cackles as he squirmed all around like a fish out of water. "NOHOHOHO IHIHITS SOHOHO BAHAHAD!" He kicked his legs out as if it would ground him in some way.

Heeseung leaned down and blew soft raspberries against the sensitive spot. Jake snorted and his laughter only intensified. "HYUHUHUNG NOHOHOHO PLEHEHEHEASE!" He was practically begging for his life. "I dunno Jakey I feel like you deserve just one final little sendoff."

Heeseung took one long breath before blowing a long raspberry. Jake let out another squeal but shortly after his laughter fell silent as he gasped for air. Heeseung chuckled as he stopped his tickles and slowly started rubbing away the phantom tickles. "Soooo Jakey," Heeseung waited for the other boy to calm down some, "What did we learn today?"

Jake softly glared up at Heeseung "That you suck." This caused the older to quirk his eyebrow up and wiggle his fingers above Jake, causing the younger boy to squeak "I MEHEAN THAT I SHOULDN'T INTERRUPT YOUR GAME TIME!" Jake replied frantically.

The taller boy smiled at the answer "Perfect, now let's go cuddle on the couch I'm reaaaal tired after all that." Jake just scoffed at his words but happily followed him to the couch.

"If anyone should be tired it's me."

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[fullmetalgirl98]

30 days Hypnosis Mic challenge

DAY 17: a song that reminds you of a specific place

🎤 「BATTLE BATTLE BATTLE」

(link)

To put it in the Japanese way: natsukashii naa!! :'D This was the very first song @justanotherniky and I learned together after introducing them to Hypnosis Mic! It was our first year as out-of-town students in the same city and our dorm was manned by nuns (we knew each other there) and we had no idea where we could listen to some music and make some healthy noise without disturbing the other female boarders or alerting Sister Monica or one of the other nuns. So we decided to take advantage of the cooler, bigger and cozier room downstairs: the famous infamous Red Room. That room was furnished mostly with wooden tables and chairs, as well as having red-lined sofas (hence the name), a TV, a pool table, and English-style windows that looked out onto the college's small inner garden. A real treat, in short. It's just too bad that people went there to study and that it was adjoining other rooms, but details.

I remember that, in order to stay as far away from the entrance as possible and muffle our voices (because yes, we made a LOT of noise. Especially at Doppo's screams) we occupied the table in the corner of the room, the one that was surrounded on two sides by windows. We would turn the volume of my tablet up to maximum and try our hand at learning the parts of these crazy men. With very little success, at first. Hence the unstoppable laughters. I played Fling Posse, Niky Matenrou. And then we swapped the roles.

We used to meet there regularly in the evenings after dinner, we had to succeed in this endeavor. And when we finally made it, to the point that we learned the whole lyrics by heart, we felt like we had won a battle for real! (and probably also the hatred of some of the girls in the next rooms).

That place is associated to the fondest memories I have of that time and to as many songs: Once upon a time in Shibuya, Wrap & Rap (when we started learning this, we thought it was IMPOSSIBLE, mostly because I really couldn't help but laugh at foo foo foo every single time), Nausa de Zuiqu and WAR WAR WAR. It was all born there. So I can't help but remember that place every time I listen to any of these songs, or how Niky used to rip their throat out in an attempt to imitate the "MATENROOOOOOOOOOUUU" scream of Doppo.

[the-fiction-witch]

Mr Sangster

Media IRL

Character Thomas brodie Sangster 

Couple Thomas X Reader

Rating Sexy

Concept My Daughters Teacher

I stood over the oven doing my best to make sure dinner would be ready on time without burning it or undercooking it. I heard the front door open and quickly close the sound of things rolling around in her backpack 

"Hello Sweetie" I smiled

"Hi mama" she smiled putting her pack on the table 

"did you have a nice day at school?"

"fine, this is for you," she says handing over a bit of paper 

"Oh? what's this?" I asked having a look at the paperwork 

"it's a form for the parent's evening next week"

"ahh I see. I would like a word with a few of your teachers. Good to keep up a repore with them as your a big year seven now'

I made sure both I and little Luna were as presentable as possible, mostly because I would get a million evil glares from the other parents. We hurried inside and she lead me along to all of her different teachers, many of which had a lot to say, all of which I got down in my notebook by now starting to lose a little steam walking around this place. How on earth do the kids do this everyday? I'm exhausted. Till we got to her last teacher of the night most of the corridors and rooms were empty now as most headed home. I waited with Luna in hand outside the classroom while she had her lollipop that her math teacher gave her until another mother emerged, her son in hand looking rather angry. I waited a moment or two before heading inside the well decorated classroom, quite a jump from the other rather ugly rooms I had seen so far. 

"AHH Luna. There you are" he smiled at us immediately I was a little in shock, he was… handsome. Very handsome. Like surprisingly so for a teacher. He sat as his desk in little brown leather shoes, black suit pants that where uhh tight to his thin body, a dark grey almost black shirt rolled to his elbows the top buttons undone to reveal a good chain around his neck, a brown suit jacket over the chair behind him, paperwork perfectly organized on his desk along with a large coffee mug, he smiled sweetly even though he was clearly tried a well fixed mess of blonde hair that looked as if he had been fiddling with it all night. He smiled at Lina before he saw me quickly giving me a glance up and down and his smiled grew a little "hello" he smirked getting up from his chair "you must be Mrs y/l/n" he smiled offering his hand 

"Ohhh uhhh miss y/l/n" I corrected, shaking his hand "Mr Sangster I pressure?'

"Ohh excuse me. I do apologize. And yes."

"It's alright" I blushed 

"Do take a seat, I can imagine your in rush to get this one home" he says so I happily took a seat with Luna beside me "well where to begin with Luna, she's a very clever girl just wish she'd apply herself a little more" he smiled giving Luna a slight side eye making her giggle "she knows what I'm talking about" he explained "I was a little worried at the start of the year as we had a bit of trouble with her written projects but simply a matter of handwriting recognition once we swapped over to typing We've had no issues. I think it's just a case of her hands working a little too slow for her brain and thus she rushed and made It hard to read but other than that she's swimmingly not missing any assignments or any homework, she's always eager to read and to learn. I couldn't ask for a better student"

"Excellent that's very good to hear, thank you"

"No problem, miss y/l/n. You two get home I'll keep you post of anything changes"

"Thank you, lovely to meet you"

"Lovely to meet you too"

We headed out and into the car stopping for drive Thur on the way home.

I stood doing the dishes as I headed the school bus pull away from the road and soon enough the door opened and closed

"Hello mama" she smiled running in 

"Hi sweetie how was school?"

"Okay,"

"Just okay today?"

"Just okay"

"Alright, we're having Dino nuggets for tea?"

"Ooohh!" She smiled excitedly "and I need to give you this" she says handing me an envelope

"Oh another school form to sign?" I asked 

"No, this one's from Mr Sangster"

"Oh? Have you gotten in trouble?"

"No I promise"

"Alright, go on get started on your homework" I told her so she scurried off to the conservatory table to do her homework, I finished the washing up and set the dinner on before taking the envelope and having a read 

"Dear miss y/l/n, 

After seeing you at the latest after school function I find myself compelled to pen you a short letter. Luna is a very impressive girl, quick witted, smart and deadicated to her studies. I can only imagine where she must get it from. I would be thrilled to let you know of how Luna is doing as often as you'd like or of you'd like to know of any upcoming projects feel free anytime you'd like to send me a letter back. Thought Luna thought and not the school, they like to ask questions and preopen our post so this way we can… say whatever we like to each other.

X Mr Sangster"

I blushed hard reading such a note but I had to admit I had thought about it too. 

"Dear Mr Sangster,

Thank you very much for your concern about Luna. It's well appreciated. I'm well aware of her smarts and skills she often says she wants to be just like me when she grows up of course I would be thrilled for you to keep me posted on all the lessons and in class activities you do with Luna so I can help and support you from home as well. And would be thrilled to send or Receive your letters at any time

X Miss y/l/n"

This went on for … well literal months sending at least one letter a week back and forth to each other using Luna as our interim we talked about everything and nothing all at the same time honestly I had more than a small crush on him and he had been rather vocal about his own on me honestly I often had to check to make sure the envelopes were still sealed as they often got… steamy. We had even managed to send presents back and forth even if we had to be very sneaky about it. Until today the last day of the year before summer break, it was only a half day today so I had to pick her up a but I didn't mind. 

"So, you taking little Luna somewhere nice during the summer?" He asks as he came over chatting politely as to not give anything away to the sea of other parents here to collect their children and of course the children themselves, he loomed beside me close enough to be personal but far enough to not give us away in his red leather shoes, black suit pants and a red button down rolled to his elbows a sweet mahogany smell emanating from his neck and shirt the same one his letters often smelt of

"No, no big trips planned. She'll be helping me in the day to day. And we've agreed were going to do a book marathon over the summer together"

"That sounds very sweet" he cooed "I'd recommend doing hamlet near the end of August they do that in the first term give her an advantage"

"Thank you, I'll be sure to" I smiled 

"How did you like your present?"

"Ohh I utterly adored it." He smiled "your the only parent who ever makes me cookies" he smiled "and they are delicious" 

"I made them special"

"Your too good to me" he winked 

"It'll be nice for you, have a nice long break?"

"Ohh no I'll be back to work in a week"

"You will? Doing what?"

"Pick up classes. All thought the summer, for the advanced kids who wanna get ahead of next year and the ones still catching up form this year' he explained "it's a bit of a pay cut and I don't get the summer off but I don't mind"

"That's sweet of you" I smiled "you won't be working all summer though will you?"

"Just Tuesdays and Thursdays"

"Well, maybe it could be handy for Luna"

"It could? She would do well in my tuesday class" he says "your meant to sign up in may, and there is technically a fee but… in sure I can make an exception and squeeze her in" he smirked his hand secretly moving from behind his back to behind me and giving my ass a pinch which immediately made me blush 

"Hi sweetie" I smiled as Luna came to give me a cuddle 

"Hi mama." She giggled

"You all ready?"

"I need to say by to Charlotte"

"Go say bye bye to Charlotte then" I laughed pushing her off to go see her friend "we'll see how it goes"

"Yeah we'll see. Well either way we don't have our little messenger. And I don't know if I'll get her next year"

"Yeah" I said rather sadly

"So." He smiled getting a bit of paper from his pocket I quickly took it not wanting to draw attention to us "use that from now on. And you'll probably be better putting me in as Thomas in your phone less suspicious" he says "unless you're into calling me Mr Sangster?"

"No, I'll use Thomas" I blushed "and when mine comes through best you use y/n"

"Y/n? Alright I will."

"I'm ready now mama" Luna smiled as she came back

"Alright, let's get going. Have a nice day Mr Sangster" I smiled

"You too miss y/l/n" he smiled before we headed off to the car.

[drum-circles]

Special Needs Drum Circles

I think the most difficult, yet the most satisfying work I can do as a drum circle facilitator, host, or a drumming teacher, is special needs drum circles. Whether it’s with one child, a lot of children, or a group of adults with developmental disabilities.

I recently had the opportunity to facilitate a series of drum circles for groups of children at a K – 9 school. It was a wonderful experience bringing the joy of making music to many of these children, and helping our community to heal a little bit.

The school is very diverse, the staff and kids from all different backgrounds and cultures. It was mostly special needs kids, and children with various developmental, and physical limitations. I was co-facilitating with a music therapist in what was being called, “drum circle day” for the faculty and all the kids in the school.

The way they wanted it structured was like this: First, a drum circle for the teachers, and faculty at 8:20. Then one after another, 5 different groups of kids, 2 classes each, about 30 to 50 in each group, (The perfect amount, actually.) We had about 50 minutes with each group, one coming in pretty much right after the other. We went with the 2 concentric circles of chairs set up, with two yard wide entrances leading in.

The drum circles were held in the gym, not the most ideal place for drum circles, but if you find the spot with the least echo, it’s not too bad. I use the clap my hands loud test as soon as I enter the gym before setting up. I can find the sweet place with the least echo that way. Often, I can’t see it in advance, and usually it’s at the far end of the basketball court, centered, starting about 10 yards from the wall. So I asked that they set the chairs up there.

We set the circle about 20 feet across, so one side can hear the other, and you don’t get that disconnect, but still leaving room for self expression in the center. As we find our group dynamic, the hula hoops, and colorful scarves come out. I do move around the interior of the circle slowly a few times as I’m verbalizing the beginning of a rhythm, not making eye contact, as not to pressure them, but letting each of them see my hands up close so they can then figure out how they want to play. I do this for maybe 4 – 12 measures and play along as I verbalize it. Playing it nice and slow until we are getting that rhythm to lock in, and then I go back to my chair and fade out, or hold it steady, until it’s time to rumble end it, and move on to a new rhythm. I would do 2 rhythms, my partner would do 2, and we would take turns holding the downbeat steady for each other. It worked out great, because the kids could either play the support beat, and/or improvise. They could explore their drums during that 50 minutes, and find it’s unique different sounds and nuances.

There just isn’t enough time with each group to use up swapping instruments, or drum circle games, pie slices, or any of that. Just play baby. If there’s another drum circle day, we can get into other things, but for today we just make music.

I think it’s important to have a variety of drums representing different countries and cultures, as well as play rhythms from the kids. So we have congas, various doumbeks and djembes, some light bongos, and frame drums, plus a few things for those in wheelchairs, and/or with physical limitations so that they can still have fun and be a part of it. With a few exceptions, most of my kit is a wide variety of used drums I’ve bought over the years, most purchased one at a time.

Anyway, at the start, we positioned ourselves against the far side wall seats so we can see everything that’s going on, and who’s coming into the room as things are happening. Often times with multiple drum circles like this some come in late. A few kids, or a group will need to be transitioned in, sometimes during an ongoing rhythm. But more importantly, I position there so the bass note resonates more. It helps the kids (and adults) to easily hear, and feel the downbeat, and if they need it, that anchor is there to take any early pressure off them.

I like to make it a visually appealing sight when the kids enter the playing area, so I decorate it up a bit beforehand. It takes me longer, but it makes a difference if you have the time. The drums are colorful and inviting by themselves, but I have this huge 20 foot across and 8 foot tall pastel tapestry from India that has this amazing hand stitched embroidery all across the top foot of it. It’s some sort of silk mix fabric, and it drapes so beautifully. It sets a real nice mood, and a tone that this is going to be a fun experience. Maybe I’ve watched too much “Project Runway”, and some of it rubbed off on me. It does look like it came from “Mood”. Actually it was a yard sale treasure that I found a few years ago. It makes a beautiful colorful backdrop hanging up on the wall behind the drum circle, and just says, this is going to be fun.

So, we had one drum circle for the faculty, and then 5 drum circles after that. Very often with this type of thing, the groups are scheduled 5 – 10 minutes apart. Just barely enough time to re-set the chairs and drums, get a few sips of water, take a few breaths, and in comes the next group, it’s go time. Our strategy going in was to pre-set the drums in front of, or on top of each chair, have them single file in, get them all seated, play now, and talk later. We only had a limited amount of time (50 minutes) with each group, and we wanted them to have as much playing, fun, and self discovery time as possible.

The plan was a tried and true method. Get them quickly seated with a drum they like, and get a warm up jam going for 5 minutes or so, and end it with a big rumble. Usually it’s a basic rhythm like Boom sha la-ka, Boom sha la-ka, & etc. Or, the “We Will We Will Rock You”, Boom Boom tone  or, a default drum circle rhythm: Boom Boom tone tone tone (rest) A lot of it depended on the vibe we got as they were getting seated.

The music therapist and I had never worked together before, so there was a little concern in the back of my mind. As luck would have it, our skill sets meshed together beautifully. Both of us prefer the organic approach to facilitating drum circles. In other words, the better the music sounds, the more fun it is, and the better it feels. No games, no waiting for the other side to play and then get a turn, none of that. Just get them playing a warm up rhythm quickly so the nerves, and the “what if’s” fade away. Then it’s easy to move on to the more interesting world rhythms.

With our first group, the faculty, we knew they all had a full day of teaching ahead of them and had to get them having fun quickly, so that’s what we did. But at the same time we wanted them to experience a shortened version of our curriculum.

Quick 15 second demonstration: Bass note is the elephant. Right and left hand tone are tiger, and the lion. After a Latin-ish warm up rhythm, we got into a Native American Heartbeat rhythm. They got such a good groove going on that, we went to a funky sort of Fanga, and then wrapped it up with belly dance Beledi. By then, they were pretty jazzed. We got a lot of fun packed into that 25 minutes. Rumbled and wrapped it, they left, and in came the first group of children.

Here was the breakdown for the day:

Schedule and Type of Groups

8:20-8:45: Staff Warm-Up Drum Circle

9:15: 26 Students + approximately 20 staff. The info given was that most of these students had Autism, and were lower functioning. The grade range: K-8. We were informed that a few would be able to follow start and stop directions, but most would have trouble sustaining attention and following directions. Most of the students were non-verbal. There was a lot of sensory issues with this group, including a few students who did not tolerate loud noise well.

So, we kept the volume down, and slow and steady. All the kids got into it really nicely. That warm up rhythm really sets the tone. Is this going to be a classroom type thing? Or, is this going to be fun? The music gave direction, they sensed and felt where the endings were, it was a breeze. The nice thing about verbalizing a rhythm is it can be processed faster. If I say, “Yum Yum, Tastes Like Chick-en” (2 bass notes, the rest tones.) I say it slowly maybe four times and play while I say it. Then drop the vocals and let it jam, possibly bring up the tempo if it’s sounding good. With Heartbeat, some of them fall of count and it goes into a Row Row Row Your Boat kind of jam, it still works, and they usually find their way back on time.

10:15: 27 students + approximately 17 staff. This was the lowest functioning group with 18

of the students in a wheelchair. Info given was that most of these students are mainly working on making wants and needs known. All are non-verbal, and loud noise may be disturbing to some.

Again, low volume. Kept the rhythms mostly soulful, spiritual, and grooving. They all found their places in it. With groups such as this during the warm up I start it very slow and steady, and keep it there for a few minutes longer until the groove was established.

A neurologist friend of mine explained to me that despite many of their individual challenges, that most kids like this are highly functioning individuals. They just live a few seconds in the past. So, a drum circle rhythm, even unfamiliar to them, being repeated over and over works perfectly.

So, when they are ready, they will begin to play and fall right into the groove. For that reason when the staff asked a few questions in advance, I asked them not to intervene if someone is not participating. They will when they are ready, and when they feel comfortable. “Not all who wander, are really lost”, is the case sometimes also.

With each of the groups, during those first crucial minutes of the warm up jam I say to the kids, “Play whenever you feel like you want to, okay? Play whatever you want, just follow the beat.” (Everybody usually chuckles.) The point is to get them out of their heads, overthinking, and just experiment and explore their drum, and the sounds it can make.”

11:15 Lunch – Thanks I’m starving at this point.

12:15: 28 students + approximately 13 staff. This was a mixed diagnosis group of slightly higher functioning, more verbal students with Autism, Intellectual Disability and Emotional Disturbance. There was one student in a wheelchair.

Despite some of the challenges, it was apparent that with each group after about 10 minutes they started to "get it" and get out of their heads. Then they could just play and have fun with it. It was the perfect example of self discovery teaching without actually teaching. The Yum Yum, Tastes Like Chicken rhythm, the I Like to Eat Chocolate Cake jam, Heartbeat, Fanga, and Beledi all seemed to go great with all the groups, we got the energy up, and we got them improvising, and sounding pretty good. The main thing was, they were making music, and having fun. With all these groups, 50 minutes went by like it was 15.

1:15: 21 students + approximately 9 staff. This was a mixed group of students with Autism, Emotional Disturbance, Other Health Impairment or Intellectual Disability. They were verbal and higher functioning than the previous group.

Everything was working nicely, so we stuck with the basic curriculum. I keep a 36” long back polymer steamer trunk filled with curious percussion items. I call it the drum circle treasure chest. I keep the lid open and have it off to the side. It has a large inviting “Drum Circle” sign on it, and it has nothing that is played with sticks. Lots of colorful fun things, maracas, shakers, tambourines, guiros, and so on. Somehow a stick always finds its way to a goatskin drumhead. These kids were all well behaved, but I have done events like this before and the treasure chest is there just in case.

2:15: 30 students + 12 staff. This was the highest functioning group of students with mostly an Emotional Disturbance, a few with Other Health Impairment or Autism. These students were verbal and are right at or slightly below grade level. This group went last so we could have more flexibility to go an hour or more.

And so we did. These kids took to jamming and improvising right away, and had a great time, especially playing Beledi near the end. A few of the teachers got on the hula hoops, got in the center and hooped it up. It was a beautiful thing connecting to the music like that. And it happened with each group.

3:15: Pack it up. Wait for the school buses to clear so we could load up all the drums, and haul them home.

We were very busy, but throughout the day with each group I could see their eyes light up, and the smiles come out as we played the various rhythms. With these kinds of all day drum circles you have to pace yourself so you have enough left for the last group. They deserve as much energy as the first group got.

We were both pretty worn out, but at the same time it was so gratifying knowing we are doing some good in our community, healing, inspiring to improvise, and building the self confidence in these kids, all the while having fun.

I hope this drum circle day catches on and more schools around the country, and they will give it a try. I've worked with various groups over the years, and for me, the area I really feel like I am doing the most good is with school kids. This was the kind of thing that inspired me to make music a part of my life, and it has helped me throughout it.

We brought the kids (and the teachers) a great music making experience, and it was a good time learning for them as well. We were honored to have the pleasure to do this. It was visionary thing for the school to try - just watch the short video and see the joy in their faces.

More About Special needs Drum Circles

Hand drumming reaches people on so many deep levels, and of course me as well. This kind of work touches me very deeply. Emotionally, it just tugs at my heart. And reaches me on such a deep personal level that I can’t even describe the feeling and how much I am

affected by it. Especially afterwards when I sort of debrief myself, and reflect on things for an hour or two. I think about what they enjoyed the most, what worked well, what fell flat, and what I just learned from the session, and from them. Each time I come away with something new. That first time, I just went there to help everyone drum some, and have fun together at a holiday party. I came home profoundly affected.

For the most part I found all I needed to do fundamentally, was just start out rhythms like I usually do, and let the music go where it goes. Maybe add in a few games or fun things people can do just be spontaneous and have fun with. It is more of a challenge to facilitate though the music. I knew that with some conditions, you needed to speak slowly and clearly. To be very patient and give people a chance to work into the present time. The repetition of the drum beat rhythm allows that, even if their condition forces them to live ten seconds in the past, they can catch up. I noticed the social changes in the group positively improve as well.

Some administrators love the drum circle environment. They have told me that it’s rare for the parents and patients to have a fun activity they can do together. This is something they rarely get to do. Just to have some fun and improvise without worry and have a good time…together…and without it feeling a little uncomfortable. Because when you drum, even with physical, or mental conditions, all you think about is drumming.

I think the current politically correct term now is “special needs”, it was learning disabilities last year, some may even remember the term mental retardation. I don’t see disabilities in people. I see abilities. I feel it is wrong to try and categorize people like this. One administrator explained to me that most of the people in his group had an IQ of below 70, or problems with adapting, and/or socializing. The average IQ for a person is 100, measured by tests. Most of us have taken one at some time or another. The Wechsler test is one of them.

You just need to very patient, caring, and compassionate, while having fun. More often than not, you will need to modify your approach when working with special needs a little bit. Both with the drumming, and, more importantly, the rapport you build with them. I like to focus more on the individual relationships with each person. Because if they like you, and enjoy hanging out and drumming with you, that’s the goal I have in mind. We are just regular people having a good time. Having fun as a group, is my goal to help empower them.

If you are having fun, they can see it, feel it, and they begin to have fun also. The same goes with confidence in yourself. You need to be able to hold the support beat solid for them sometimes. Especially, at a first drum circle session. Later on, you can lay back here and there. Even let someone else start out a beat, and support it. It may work, it may fall to pieces. If you have a fun personality, and something goes flat, you can just joke about it. “Oops, my fault. Let’s start a new rhythm out.”

As I mentioned, an important thing to keep in mind as explained to me by a neurologist was that almost all of the patients, regardless of their individual condition, one thing most all of them have in common, is that they are essentially normal, intelligent, highly functional people. They just live five, or ten seconds in the past. I didn’t know that.

This is why drumming can be so effective. The repetitive nature of a drum beat makes it easy, and comfortable for them to catch up, or find their place in the beat, and feel normal for a change. Verbal communication is the same. This is a little trickier obviously. You need to speak clearly, and slowly. I speak as little as possible with short sentences, and facilitate through the music more, because of this. I usually speak only at the beginning, or end of a musical piece. I always have my radar up for a non-verbal cue from someone. I do use hand and arm gestures to get everyone’s attention in the center of the circle if I need to for this. But I usually still facilitate from the edge of the circle, like I always do. We’re there to have fun and drum, not to talk. If I do need to explain something, I use photos, or speak very clearly, choose my words carefully, and talk just a tad slower than I normally would. Memory capacity can be more limited with some of these participants.

A few things I have learned, is just because someone may appear to be not having fun, or may have their head down, it does not necessarily mean they are not into it. Early on working with special needs groups, I learned that many people in these groups mask their feelings, so I need to be aware of that before I subtly try to address it with a cool percussion gadget from my gig bag. An expression like looking bored, scared, joyful, digging it, a happy or sad, can be easily misinterpreted.

Sometimes a person will have a bored look on their face, but in reality they might be having a ball. I’ve seen this, and I can’t address it in front of the group because it might embarrass them. At the end of the circle the guy comes up to me and says, “I had a wonderful time, thanks for letting me just be me.” That was a profound moment. The next drum circle he did the same thing, but eventually the rhythms got him to play on his own. He played when he was ready to play, and did so at his own pace. I learned not to push people.

Often I like to begin a drum circle with a gong that I keep in my gig bag. It’s about 14 inches wide. I use a soft mallet, and walk around the interior of the circle and let each person bang the gong once, or twice if they don‘t get a good gong on it. (If they want to.) Usually it’s smiles from ear to ear every time. Very few have ever turned it down. It’s a fun way to begin, and develop a rapport with each person, and it gives you a chance to see their individual hand coordination a little bit.  Try to think up fun ideas like that.

I find the simplest heartbeat rhythm seems to be a good way to begin the drumming, or the “We Will Rock You“  beat again. I start it out very slowly, hold it steady, and let them play whatever they want. Whatever feels natural to them. We will let the rhythm go wherever it feels it wants to go, just like at a regular drum circle. They may just want me to hold it slow and steady, or ramp it up and play fast and exciting. They may just want to enjoy a good sounding groove for awhile. You don’t know really, until you get there.

But you can prepare a little bit. You can sense what a group wants to do, after you have worked with these populations for a while. Especially, in a very short time, you can assess the group’s skill level. I just go with it. With the slower rhythms the time seems to just fly by, and I hardly ever get even half way through my set list. The amount of time becomes a non-issue to everyone, and they all keep happily busy. The most simple heartbeat rhythm will do this if played for more than 10 minutes at the same tempo and volume level. We play lots of other fun rhythms, and have many different endings for them. Anticipating the end of what a rhythm will be as you are playing it, is sometimes fun. So during almost every drum circle I’m at, I have 4 or 5 different endings I like to use during the drumming session.

I sometimes just say, “A great rhythm needs a great ending to it.” So then I will show whatever it is to them, (1 or 2 bars or so) then I ask to please do it with me a couple of times, like 6 times over so everyone has it. Then we just play a rhythm for 10 minutes or so and I count them down to do that big ending, that we planned in advance.

There is a traditional drum phrase break that signals an upcoming change or ending at a drum circle.  That one works great, but is a bit more complex one. Bum Ba DumDum, Ba Dum Dum BaDa. (pause) Boom!

A Latin drum break works well also. Or make something up, as a nice ending to a good jam. The phrase Mississippi River makes a nice little jam starting point.

One cool ending I like to use with these groups also, is to have everyone play 9 equal up tempo tones, and then two big bass notes. Then repeat it like 10 times, and I count them down as we go. 4-3-2-1- ooooooooo B B,  ooooooooo B B etc. Or try this one - five tones, then 3 bass notes.  ooooo BBB, repeat. There is what I refer to as a “drum circle set list” like bands use on my site. There are dozens of notated drum rhythms to try out. Please feel free to check it out.

When you feel the group has come to the ending, or attention span of a rhythm is ending, try slowing and quieting the rhythm down over a 30 second period…then play slower and slower, until the rhythm ends in super slow motion. Like the Six Million Dollar Man or something. Like one of those old vinyl records slowing down after you unplugged it. (Remember those?) A rumble after that is always good.

Obviously rumbles are always good. I like to let members of the group get to do the ending rumble. Usually it’s whoever raises their hand when I ask, “Who wants to end the rhythm?” Then they get a turn ending a rhythm. I have a magic wand I made up for that. It has colorful ribbons on it. They can wave it around and direct the volume, direction, etc. A couple of minutes is good on that one. Let each of them that want to direct rumbles so they each get a chance to do it. For some this is the first time they ever get to be a leader. It helps to empower them, and build self esteem.

I let them try out unique percussion items periodically, by pulling them out, demonstrating how they work, and asking between jams, “Who would like to try this one out?” I just let them have fun. But I do go in with a prepared set list program. Which is usually changed all around depending on the group vibe I’m feeling. You can tell if a particular rhythm is working, or not feeling right. So can they. I laugh it off and we start another one.

You don’t even need to show people what a rumble is, when they have a drum in their lap. They can figure it out instinctively when you do it, and telegraph it a little at the end of a rhythm. That’s part of the fun. Figuring things out on your own. It gives you a better feeling of self accomplishment.

Eventually I realized that almost everything for them is focused on their disability, and that has to get very frustrating for them, so they can use something for an outlet. A drum circle is a fun way that they can express their feelings, that will build their confidence. A drum circle? You should see their eyes light up.

But back to rumbles. Sometimes to teach a rumble easily to everyone, I say ok here are two rules. If I put my hands in the air you can play as fast and as loud as you like. When my hands come down you stop. Then I show them a lot of variations they can try, and mention it is ok if you think up your own ways to direct the rumble endings.

It’s nice if you can speak to administrators before the drum circle and ask them questions about their vision, and how they would like things to go. It isn’t always possible. Do they want to begin a certain way? Do they seat everyone, or start exactly at a given time? What are some of the medical conditions? Are there any in wheelchairs? (Frame drums or tambourines, shakers and bells seem to work well for them.) What is it they hope to see, achieve? Are there potentially any people that might need extra attention, or need the assistance of the staff? Some of these facilities only have one recreation director, and there is no extra staff available.

I research the mission statement; get an idea of who they are from their website always first thing, just like with any other group I work with. Sometimes that is all the information I’ve had to go on. It happens.

I try to brief the staff before the start about them intervening. I ask them to let me do the crowd control. Do please join in as yourself and please don't try to show anyone how to do it, or what to do with it. I get this sometimes, with staff who mean well. But please don’t. The reason is, they sometimes get in there and want to demonstrate to a person how to do this or that. That’s not good. It embarrasses them, or worse.

At one special needs group gig, I didn’t know anybody there, and had no access to talk to the staff beforehand. It was a quickly booked job, and many of them happen that way, so there just isn’t time to find out individual needs. All of a sudden people are arriving in droves. Parents, family, and patients all mixed in together. To be honest, a few people I could recognize had certain conditions, but I really had no idea who was a patient, and who were family members? What should I do with this one? So I had to toss my list right out, and improvise.

Sometimes that is the most fun - improvising. Just play or do whatever feels right at the time. Rarely do I end up doing what I planned the night before. And I try not being afraid to do something I might feel is risky. I wear a samba whistle just in case, and demonstrate it in the beginning, to imprint the meaning of it in case things go chaotic at a later part. It’s a good back up tool if things get a little out of hand, and it does happen sometimes. But I usually don’t need it. (Unless I forget to bring it of course.)

The drum circle went great and everyone loved it. They got to interact with their family members, and do something fun and positive together. This is pretty rare for some families with special needs family members. Later the staff told me they had three patients that have never even left the housing building before, for any activities. Period. The staff said they watched them looking out the window for awhile and saw everyone else drumming and having a good ol’ time, and came out and joined in. They told me how remarkable that was. That feels pretty good, that the drum circle coaxed them to come out and play.

It’s been my experience these types of groups become more involved and want to participate, when the drum rhythm changes their perceptions enough that they pay more attention to what is going on, and they even want more.

At another special needs gig, the participants and the staff got a kick out of it. They were stunned that I managed to get everyone to participate without even saying anything, other than, “ 1-2-3-Lets Play!” When I booked the job, the staff again said to me, only a few of our people will want to do this. I thought, ok this has happened before. Same deal, they all participated because it was fun. It was something a little bit different than group bowling. The director wrote me afterward, that since the drumming program, there has been a tremendous benefit from it. The drum circle gave them a new outlet that they never had before. It gets them thinking, experimenting, and making music, which is great! Now they have a regular weekly drumming program.

Most of the mission statements seem to be something like to integrate people back into society. A drum circle is the perfect vehicle for that. After we had worked together every couple of weeks for 6 months, one group of special needs adults all became comfortable drumming, and being around me. So I offered to the staff to bring them out to an indoor public venue, with a little more manageable open drum circle, that I was hosting.

It was better than I could have imagined. They just blended in beautifully, and few even knew they were special needs patients. All they want to do is have fun, and not be treated or feel treated “special”. They just want to be treated like one of the guys. Just one of the group. Not special. The staff told me that their only recreational outings were always things like bowling, and that they would always go with only other special needs patients in a “closed to the public”  setting. So the drum circle was perfect. I’ve been bringing this group to open community functions to drum for a long time, and both the staff and I have seen remarkable improvements in all kinds of areas. Here they are, musically, socially, physically, interacting with the public.

The guiding of this particular special needs group in our community led to a two hour performance on a big stage in front of 100's of people at an Earth Day festival, where they were wildly applauded, appreciated, and sounded great. It was a proud moment for them, and for me.

The Earth Day was a beautiful drum circle. It was a public event, a blend of our general community, a special needs group, and we were all together jamming. We had a blast being up on the big stage drumming out some great rhythms, and engaging a huge crowd to join in with us.

A key part of the intent of groups that are oriented toward those with physical and/or mental restrictions is finding ways to bring them into general society as much as possible. It has been my experience that drum circles are an excellent path to this goal. This is the kind of work I believe I was put on this earth to do. Working with special needs individually, or in groups touches my heart very deeply, especially when I get home and have some time to reflect on the experience.

With this particular group, after a few drum circles at their facility, I invited them to a public drum circle at a cafe where I was hosting a weekly drum circle. They were comfortable drumming with me at that point, and it worked out great.

Months later, when I was asked to host this Earth Day drum circle show on the big stage, I asked the staff and them if they would like to drum at this event. They jumped at the chance. Sure it was a little risky, but that's what life is about. Taking chances. We played for over an hour and a half, the crowd didn't want us to stop, two encores and everything. It was like a dream come true. I was booked for 45 minutes, but it was going so well the organizers asked us to keep going, so we did. All of this happened in less than 6 months. It just kind of all fell together like it was meant to be.

The crowd never even knew there was a special needs group playing with the other drummers. The group was thrilled because for one of the first times in their lives they were just seen as regular people, and not as "special". We were all just musicians that day.

I believe that real personal growth comes from the inner expression of each individual, and their self discovery. And the real beauty with hand drumming is that with almost all special needs conditions, is the repetition of the rhythms. We do them over and over, so if they get lost, or feel lost, that safety net of the foundational beat is there for them to rely on, or fall back on if they need it. Even if they live five, or ten seconds in the past, they do eventually pick it up, or find it, and sound great. The repetition is what does it. It is such a feeling of accomplishment to witness this in so many people.

Many of you already know this, but there is something called entrainment (not entertainment) that can happen to one individual or to an entire group. This occurs when the brain synchronizes to an external stimulus, such as the drum beat. This can be very therapeutic and, while it can happen to anyone or any group, it has a much more significant impact on those with special needs.

A few different medical doctors have explained to me that with most conditions, like Down Syndrome patients for example, they do indeed live a few seconds, to a few minutes in the past. So I just need to allow time for them to catch up. Imagine if you lived a few seconds in the past, and just couldn’t process information that quickly. You need to talk slowly and clearly in short sentences. Start rhythms out nice and slow and hold them there until everyone has it locked in.

Sometimes I run into a person that simply can’t hold still. They seem to need to bang, or fidget constantly. It’s a challenge keeping them focused. Until they experience some sort of entrainment. For purposes of this post, a definition of entrainment is basically when the person’s brainwaves get into a pattern of synchronization with an external beat. This helps the brain synchronize internally as well. It can be very therapeutic. A staff member explained this to me. Getting them to that point of entrainment is most of my goal. Once they are in there, I can almost just sit on the side and jam with them. It almost always takes 5 or 10 minutes to do it. And sometimes it feels like it was an hour. But it was only 5 minutes.

Hula hoops work great with some groups, or a ribbon or scarf so they can get in the center if they want to and wave it around in the breeze as they move or dance around to the beat. You can try giving away little 99 cent store goodies to entice people to hoop in the center for two minutes. It works every time. Just ask them to be mindful of the people around them. I like to keep the center of the drum circle as big as I can without hurting the musical connection from one side to the other.

Laying out the 2 towels in the center so they can feel the beat of the drum rhythms, way into their bodies works great. I don’t need to tell people about the healing power of the drum when they try that. They can feel it in their bones. It’s very powerful. Try it for yourself if you never have. Lie down on your back in the center of a drum circle and then close your eyes for one minute while everyone is playing a rhythm.

Both are great ideas for almost any drum circle group, and I use them both all the time.

There are so many different developmental disabilities; I can’t get too much into it. That’s why the input from the staff members is so useful. I have no medical degrees, and I’m not a healer, (although sometimes it happens by default.) I’m not there to treat them. I’m just there to help them have a little fun. Sometimes I have no idea who has what condition. That’s just the way it is. There simply isn’t time for the staff to go through all the individual conditions each person has, so I have to use an overall group approach. Due to the repetitive nature of a drum rhythm, they all eventually catch on or catch up. That’s why this is so effective. After a short while everyone is in synch and feels like an equal part of the group. I always come away having learned something new when working with these groups. And just like that, I become some kind of healer by default. They teach me things I never dreamed of. It never ceases to amaze me.

I had to experiment some with ideas, ask the advice of staff, doctors, and others. Here’s some of what I’ve found out and learned. Again, I try to treat them like regular everyday normal people. The worst thing to do is treat them or talk to them like they are handicapped. Would you like that? I wouldn’t. The staff usually tells me if there are any concerns to be aware of. I may need to enunciate a bit more, talk a little clearer and slower but that’s about it.

Many of them are very sensitive to pressure. I encourage them to join in when they feel comfortable. That way they can join in with no pressure, on their own. I do have to do a bit more leading and starting out the rhythms. The support beat thing. The comfort of the bottom beat is there for them.

Their attention span, and loud noise are an issue. I deal with this by keeping the volume lower, and by giving them lots of choices of percussion instruments to play. I lay them on a table outside the circle, or down right next to them, or on the floor in front of them. Just a pile of goodies to play, and experiment with. They usually end up liking one of them. Most of them don't want you pushing an instrument in their face, to get them to play this, or that particular one. I just smile and with an offering facial expression, lay it down near them. If they like it and want it, they will pick it up when the drum beat gets going. I just need to keep in mind of the volume.

I see shy people become less shy. I see people who play it safe, begin to take risks. I see people who have nothing else in common, becoming deeply connected with one another on a non-verbal level. I know there is something very good going on in these drum circles.

Here are a few ideas and thoughts, on a couple of particular conditions. Again, I’m a musician, not a medical expert. Most of this is from my experiences, and/or the staff and doctors advising me over the years. And again, I usually have no idea who has what, so I have to be ready to react at all times.

Attention Deficit Disorder and Autism

When I know there are people with attention deficit disorder I usually just put a variety of percussion items by them so they can choose and try out all different kinds of things to keep them busy and occupied. I just give them lots of choices and let them pick. It almost always works, it just creates more of a mess to clean up. Who cares? Part of the job. Keep the volume down.

Cerebral Palsy

Usually I can spot this condition, because many have a weak arm (or arms). Some I can spot because they are in wheel chairs, but, other than that, most can function just fine. I have a couple of good friends with this condition so I know a little bit about it from experience drumming with them. They told me the drums they preferred. It was Bongos, because the weak hand doesn’t have to work so hard, they can just tap with it, until they strengthen it up a little more. They can set them on their lap, or a chair or table in front of them. It’s important to remember that most of these people with many of these various conditions, are highly intelligent, still very functional, and can be very musical human beings. The ones I have become closer friends with tell me they just want to be treated as regular people. When that happens, it’s easier for them to open up socially, even in a in a public setting, such as a public drum circle. Sometimes it takes a few weeks, don’t expect to see vast improvement in one drum circle. Overcoming the stigma from the general public is usually the problem, not them. Best of all, over time the drumming does strengthen their weak arm. Drumming does heal, emotionally and physically.

The lighter weight polymer shell Djembes and Bongos with synthetic heads work the best. Anything like those big 15 pound Bongos get a bit heavy just sitting on your legs for long periods of time. Even for one friend I have who has no feeling in his legs. He has somewhat limited movement in one hand. But he loves playing the Bongos, and plays them quite well now. I’m so impressed how he has improved in motor function, finger movements, and musically. He went from just sort of flopping his hands down to keeping good time, and playing entire rhythms perfectly in about six months. Frame drums and tambourines work real well for some people also. Especially if they have only the ability to just tap their fingers a little. They can lay it on their lap, and tap away, and be an important part of the group. Just part of the gang.

Down Syndrome

I’m no expert, and I have no medical degree as a music therapist, but I have worked with a lot of people with it before. Apparently the distinction is, drumming therapy - you need a degree to do that. Therapeutic drumming - no degree needed. I've seen a few music therapists who didn’t seem to establish a good rapport with people and they weren’t very empathetic or intuitive with their patients. On the other hand, I have also seen some beginner drum circle facilitators who are born with the gift of intuition and people skills, who leave a session with each individual feeling a sense of real accomplishment.

Usually with Down Syndrome they are open and enthusiastic. That's all you really need. It doesn't hurt to have a few of the percussion toys around them, so they have some choices. While some of them will be able to follow a simple rhythm, several will not be able to. They want to do their "own thing", and that's okay too. But with children, volume is a serious consideration, before the short attention span. Loud noise can be a real problem, so you have to constantly monitor the volume.

Some drum circles begin with total chaos. Man, it happens almost every time at the beginning. It kind of freaked me out, early on, when I started working with special needs groups. I just let it go for 5 minutes if I feel the need to and usually it levels out when the group feels the musical group dynamic. Then it always comes together. It takes a while to have the confidence that it will happen, because it feels like it never will unless I intervene. But I rarely ever need to. The group feels like they corrected it. And guess what? They did. I don't try to correct or modify what they are doing even if it is a train wreck. I had to learn to trust myself it would come together. I feel it was a success if all of them are actively participating in some kind of drumming. No matter how chaotic, offbeat, or bad it may seem to me. And because they corrected it themselves, it has a much strong empowerment effect.

Sometimes it may seem they may not appear to be enjoying it. You might think you perceive it in someone’s face. Most always all of them are, especially if they're doing it of their own choice. Some like to just sit and take it all in for a little while. Just play on.

I often tell them how great they sound and how well they are doing with lots of smiles. I just don’t over do it so it becomes obvious or soupy. These groups thrive on approval, appreciation, accomplishment, and acceptance. I try to give them lots of positive acknowledgement.

If I get a particular person that is so disruptive to the rest of the group, and I have no staff to assist me. I always bring along a small paint set, and offer to let them paint the music for us.

A craft project of some sort is another good idea. I bring a few of those big vitamin bottles and ask them make shakers for me. “I need a couple of shakers made, can you help me make one and decorate it up?” It worked great. Now, the staff saves the empty bottles for me when I come to drum with them. I bring some shaker materials, like popcorn, beads, and macaroni. Colorful things work the best. One time a guy spent the entire hour and a half sorting just the right colors to put in the shaker. He left the group to make some music, yet he was still involved. I had colored tape for him to decorate it up with. When it was done he was so proud of it, he played along with us near the end. Be sure to ask the staff if they can keep it.

Here’s another idea, speaking of painting art. Have them do a painting, or create a mural, painting the music. Almost a music appreciation thing, or a "how does music make me feel" painting. I get a big pad of paper, like you might put on an artist’s easel. I always bring a few big sheets of paper, sometimes a big artist’s pad. We try using different mediums, markers, water colors, crayons, or pastels.

They can either paint their own, or do a group painting. Sometimes I will ask who wants to drum, and who wants to paint the music. Mostly I will get half the group painting a mural, and the other half playing the drums. Then switch it up later, so they all get a turn at both the drumming, and the mural. I ask them to express their feelings in art as they listen to the music. Some get displayed in the facilities to this day.

Sometimes when working with special needs kids, many are scared of noise, I learned from a staff member to get them in there early, and let them explore the drums a little on their own. (And the percussion items.) In many cases, when they're in charge of the noise, they're happy to make it loud. I sometimes have a dancing rhythm going when they enter the room, and do the egg shaker on each chair thing.

We play a rhythm together and they can move around or whatever. It gives them a sense of making music before the drumming starts. For the first time with a group, I don't expect much of a groove, but be ready for it, because it happens if you anchor it for them with a nice support rhythm. It is important to have stuff that can be played with one hand. I have this basket of fruit shaped shakers I use a lot with them. Expect to spend a little time finding the right instrument for each person, and let them choose something different later on. Make it fun, and interesting for them.

Some have physical limitations, so I bring buffalo drums, frame drums, drums they can lay on their laps and play. I try to avoid things played with sticks or mallets, because some will just start bashing them wildly, disrupting the rhythm of everyone else, and possibly put one through a drum head or someone else’s head. I keep them stashed away and use them sparingly. I bring a few Djembe stands or taller drums to accommodate those who might need one. Even those who you may think can only bash away, will get the repetition of a drum rhythm, and catch on eventually. It’s a good idea to have some soft beaters for those who can't use their hands very well.

Make sure that your kit is safe. No sharp edge drums like on some Darbukas etc. Think of your players as vulnerable children with the size and power of adults. Avoid taking anything fragile. The first drum circle with a special needs group can be very challenging.

Expect some total chaos to happen. It gets a lot easier the second time. In my experience some of these people have problems judging how hard to strike a body drum, and could hurt their hands by playing it too hard. Show them a few pointers on good hand technique after the warm up jam.

As I said, loud noise is my biggest concern. The healthy noise limit is about 85 decibels (Db.) I think that is the legal safety limit as well. That’s what the cop said when he broke up a public drum circle in a park. (This wasn’t a special needs group.) He had his little decibel meter, and showed me the reading on it. We were up in the 120 Db. range. The neighbors called them on us. Actually, he was pretty cool about it. As a radio operator I’m familiar with decibels of gain, etc. but I researched this a little, and here’s what I found. A normal conversation is about 60 Db, up to the threshold of discomfort, that is the 120 Db range.

A bunch of people drumming together indoors can easily reach into the 115 to 120 Db range. About 150 Db, is the pain threshold. You can get a decibel meter relatively inexpensively.  I think Maplin makes one. Keeping the volume level down takes some skill, and experience to pull it off. But it is possible. And this is even more important when dealing with special needs people.

Create a volume down signal, or just start to play your drum quieter, more often than not, they will be there right with you. It works just great. And as an added bonus, the participants get to hear each other. But if you use it too much it can have a negative effect. It’s something to keep in mind, some of the beginners get way into it, and are often getting their issues out.

Here’s some advice from a friend of mine. When he does big gigs with 100 people, the Db level can be huge. So he brings enough cheap earplugs to go around. As far as I know, if you warn them, and offer protection, you've done your job. I keep a few dozen of them in my gig bag.

A few final thoughts. This new atmosphere of spontaneous drumming can be overwhelming to some people. The one thing I don’t want to do is have people feel threatened, scared, overwhelmed, or lost. Trying to do complicated rhythms can do that. Lots of positive comments from you during the drum circle helps a lot. “Hey, we sounded great on that one didn’t we?”  Smile a lot, thumbs up! If they are there, they are participating. Starting some spontaneous applause after a jam goes a long way.

A few things I bring besides my earplugs in my gig bag, are some padded tape, first aid, hand creams, anti-bacterial wipes, etc. for anyone who just might ask. It’s also a good idea to familiarize yourself with epilepsy, in case someone has a seizure. It’s the staff’s responsibility, but you should know what’s going on. It’s nice if you can speak with the staff beforehand about any possible issues, but as I mentioned, that’s not always possible.

So I need to be ready for anything.

Remember to try and speak with the staff afterwards for some feedback. And at the next time you are there. (Hopefully) Or, leave them a feedback form to fill out, with a self addressed envelope and a stamp on it. I gathered a lot of useful information with a simple feedback form. The medical staff knows a lot more than I do about medical conditions.

Also remember there are heavy restrictions on photography in most cases, so be sure to get permission, preferably in writing, if you want to take photos.

If the group takes a break for lemonade or something, make sure they don’t come back to the drumming area before they are all finished. Goatskin drum heads still make terrible coasters.

Ultimately, I just let people play. We drum up some fun. Let your personality out, and with your calm and reassuring manner, watch the volume, and they will quickly enjoy playing together, and connecting with you.

One thing some don't understand about drum circles, is that it's more about the people, than it is the actual drumming. Many facilitators agree with me on this, some don't. The quality of the music produced in a drum circle isn't really based on the musical experience of the players, but on the developing quality of the relationships of the people that emerge. As a facilitator I help people to empower themselves through drumming, music, and fun.

People really need no experience at all to play in a drum circle. I encourage individual creativity, and group dynamics. I hope you will consider having me facilitate a drum circle for you and your group.

- Shannon Ratigan

I hope some of this is helpful to you, and it gives you a few ideas working with special needs individuals and groups – young or adult. Please keep in mind that these are just my opinions, and based on my experiences. If you would like to read some more about my approach to drum circles, please consider picking up my book, “A Practical Guide To Hand Drumming And Drum Circles” It’s 300 pages, and $8 on Amazon Kindle or Nook. Also my 2 hour video on Amazon, “101 Drum Circle Rhythms” is 8 as well.

There is increasing recognition of the health benefits of music therapy, particularly facilitated hand drumming, which is what I do for a living. Unfortunately, places where the people who benefit the most, such as senior centers and special needs can not afford to pay for this.

If you're a filmmaker or video / TV producer all of my drumming & drum circle music tracks are licensed. Check iTunes Spotify Soundcloud Amazon or CDBaby.com & listen to a few. There's a wide variety of cultures, styles, and tempos to choose from. Helps to set that perfect mood for a scene. Or just enjoy some live drum circle jam music. Various cultures, tempos, and styles.

If you choose to purchase, thanks in advance for helping an independent musician. The funds help me with drum repairs, and doing work in our community. Most of these groups I work with have very limited recreational budgets, and you would be helping a lot of people out.

Shannon Ratigan

Drumcircles.net

[swap-meetog]

Three days ago my fiance Javier and I were out to dinner and got into a argument. He claimed I spent too much time at work and I was upset that the household chores hadn't been done yet again, even though ever since his student Visa expired he has been without a job and just stays home all day waiting for me to come home and dominate him in the bedroom.

Our argument disturbed the table next to us. One woman walked up to our table and said some words in a language I couldn't even identify, and in the next second I was seated on the opposite side of the table looking at myself! She told us that we needed to understand each other better, and that after one week all we had to do tobreverse the swap was to have set with each other.

I did my best to make it through the rest of the meal without totally freaking out- I was in the body of my Puerto Rican fiance/house boy. My speech came out with his heavy accent, my arms were darker than they have ever been. Javier however... I kept seeing him smiling to himself, and I swear I saw him rubbing his hands along his upper legs.

Since Javier didn't have a license I couldn't drive us home. It felt so weird to be sitting in the passenger seat.

"When we got home that first night, Javier led me into the bedroom and sat me down on the bed. "The witch said we have to act like each other while we are swapped," he said. He grabbed a pair of his super skimpy thongs and held it out to me. "I'd like my bottom boy to change into this. And actually, thongs are the only underwear you'll be permitted to wear this week."

My jaw dropped, but he pulled me to my feet and pinned me against the wall. I felt so weak next to my old body. "Now." He demanded, my voice booming.

Seeing that I had no other choice I quickly undressed and squeezed into the thong. "Good boy," he said, taking a seat in a large chair. "Now let's get your punishment out of the way."

"Punishment?! For what?"

"The chores aren't complete. That's Javier's job, after all. Here."

I got within arms reach of him and he roughly pulled me over his lap and spanked me. My ass sore, my face red, I was too stunned to do much of anything.

That night he slept with me in his arms. I have never been the little spoon before, and it made me feel so small sleeping next to my muscled body.

We went to the gym on Sunday and I mostly watched him work out my body. He went to the treadmill and I went to the locker room to freshen myself up. I still couldn't get over seeing his face in the mirror.

A couple guys walked in and I heard them talking about "that little queen over there", me. They weren't as big as my old body but they were bigger than me. They blocked the door as I tried to leave.

"Excuse me."

"You gotta pay the toll," the guy on the right said, pulling the waistband of his shorts down to reveal an already hard member. "Suck it, and we'll let you go."

I was humiliated. Does Javier really have to deal with this kind stuff?

Javier entered the room just as I was getting on my knees and scared them away.

I apologized, feeling totally degraded, but he laughed it off! "Sucks when everyone is bigger than you, right?" He then pushed me into the showers and stripped me down, then told me to get back on my knees while he stripped. "They do have a point though, bottom boys like you do give excellent head. So get to it."

There was no way I was going to give myself a blow job. When I resisted he used a small fraction of his strength to force me to my knees. "You are the sub now, hear me? You will do what I say!"

Javier's body was super attracted to mine, and especially it seemed when my body acted like an alpha. My dick was rock hard, but I didn't look at it. I knew his was at least three inches shorter than my former one.

On Monday I woke up to an empty bed. He had actually taken our car to his office! On the nightstand he left me my list of daily chores to do. It still freaks me out everytime I see his face in a mirror, and I can't get over how smooth his chest feels in the shower.

When he returned from work that night I was exhausted from doing all my chores. So tired actually that I forgot to fix any dinner and have it waiting for him when he walked in the door. That earned me another spanking, and then he flung me on the bed and tied my wrists to the headboard before fucking me as hard as he could. He then left me tied to the bed while he went and ordered pizza for the night. "You might get some once it goes cold, but tomorrow you'll know better," he said as he left me vulnerable and exposed on the bed.

That brings us to today, Tuesday. I was busy tending to my duties around the house when the doorbell rang, followed by three loud, solid knocks.

We weren't expecting anyone, at least not that I knew of, so I peeked out a window before opening the door. Two policemen were outside.

I opened the door, doing my best impersonation of Javier hoping I just looked like an innocent Latino. They asked me my name and I gave it. They then proceeded to put me in cuffs and started walking me towards the car, saying they were delivering me to immigration due to my expired Visa status. I blurted out that I was American, but they laughed it off due to my heavy accent. I wanted to say I had swapped bodies with my fiance, but who knows how that would have gone down.

On the ride to the station I asked them how they found me. "A man named Duncan Collins stepped forward with your status and home address."

I went numb. My own BROTHER called immigration on my fiance? The longer the ride went on the more scared I became. They only saw Javier when they looked at me, and I had 4 days left before we could swap back. But if I'm in a detaining cell, or if they ship me back to Puerto Rico, what would I do? I know none of his family, and I don't even speak Spanish! I had to get into contact with Javier in my body, but how?

Someone tell him what has happened, I need help! I don't know the first thing about living in a foreign country, and who knows what will happen to me without a big strong man like my fiance to protect me!

[poetryinsilence]

Noughts and Crosses - Jake “Hangman” Seresin x childhood friend!reader (part II)

A/n: Two idiots under one roof "Oh no, they're sleeping on the same bed" It's nothing but comic relief and trying to bond. And domestic fluff cuz this boy needs it. No beta read, going in raw

Summary: Jake is your new roommate whether you like it or not. Now what? He's been nothing but a pain in the ass for you, but the recovery of his injuries depends on it. You just have to...power through it. Possibly maybe...or maybe not...

Wc: 2,099

part I part III part IV

The car turns the final corner to a sparse suburban street as you pull into the driveway of a small, two-story house. Tan coloured with cracks crawl up its dry walls and connected with a white front porch, enough room to fit two chairs and a small coffee table.

You tug on the flimsy hand brake with a grunt and the car jolts for a split second. Take in a breath to calm your raging emotions and humming internally. You stare at Jake who's looking a bit confused at your house but meets your gaze with a chill down his spine.

"If we're gonna live as harmoniously as possible, we’ll have to lay down some ground rules. One; you're only staying until you are healed. Any minor injuries you sustain from this moment on, I will not be taking care of it. Two; I will drive you to your appointments and you will not be missing any of them. Do we have an agreement?”

Jake tilts his head and rubs his chin with that cartoonish thinking motion. Your eye twitches, holding back a fist threatening to collide with his chiselled face. “Yeah, I have a rule I’d like to add.”

“No, you don’t get to make a decision here. You’re not at the academy.” You snapped.

“I remember clearly you said ‘we’. And I believe that includes me, so strictly speaking I get to make a rule here.” He declares.

A vein popped in your head as you begrudgingly admit that he’s right and curse your mouth for running words too soon. “Fine. What are you suggesting?”

Jake flashes his million-watt smile and you regret it instantly. “Given my injured status, I think it’s best that I sleep on the bed for a faster than light recovery.”

“No, the bed is mine. You can sleep on the couch. It’s big enough to fit you and your injured ass on it.”

“Hey, I don’t sleep well on couches. They give me terrible back pains. You don’t want me to delay the process of my recovery, right?”

“Bed is mine and that’s final.”

“Okay, how about this,” He bites his lip and thinks for a second. “I get half of the bed— possibly less than half, and we could share for a short period. C’mon, it’s my only rule. What do you say?” Jake wiggles his brow in an attempt at temptation.

If it wasn’t for his disgustingly good looks, you would’ve seriously left him in the streets on the drive back. But also you won’t hear the end of it from your mother’s words of rage. You always knew she loved Jake more than you and how she always speaks of wanting a son whenever Jake is over. But funnily enough, Jake’s mother treats you like you were her own daughter all the time. Which made you think that some doctor accidentally swapped you both at birth by mistake, and you firmly believed that was the case.

You sigh, knowing that an argument with Jake Seresin always ends up badly and mostly you come out being wounded from the process. “Fine, you can get a third of the bed.” Even saying that left a bad taste in your mouth.

He beams, clapping his hands together for his tiny victory. “Looking forward to it, roomie!”

Reaching for the car door, the hinges groaned as the serene sunset breeze drifted in. Jake makes the car door sound in his attempt to peel himself off from the car seat but struggles to coordinate his movement and the crutches.

"Hold on, I'll come get you." You transferred yourself over to the other side of the car and wrapped his arm around your neck to hoist him to his feet. This awkward four-legged collaboration of going up just a mere three steps up your front porch ended up with the both of you heaving at the entrance hallway. Hopefully, nobody else saw that.

Jake hops around the perimeter of your cute and humble abode, snickering to himself as he peers around the cream-coloured kitchen. "Glad to see the collection of horrifying Beanie Babies are gone. You finally picked up on some grown-up hobbies with the postcards." He points at the facade of your fridge, decorated with magnets and postcards from different vacation spots.

The duffle bag slinks off your shoulder and falls to the hardwood floor with a thud. You rolled your eyes hard enough that's almost audible, dragging your feet towards the interior of your house. "For your information, Beanie Babies are one of the most valuable inventions of our generations. Just because it doesn't suit your college frat boy taste doesn't mean other people don't enjoy it."

He takes a beat, watches the wenge staircase intently then flickers back to your face with a stoic expression. "What's upstairs?" He points, left eyebrow arched with curiosity, or mockery.

What is this interrogation? You have not committed any crime, and yet, the dynamic of this conversation made you uneasy and under the spotlight. Correction: you haven't committed any crime, yet. Not with where this conversation is going.

"Nothing in particular...just my office. And storage room."

"Ah, there it is." Yep, there it is. And so is that obnoxious smile appearing again that's leaning ever so slightly towards hate than love. Love as in they are tolerable. Love as in 'I can be in the same room as him without committing a crime'. Honestly, crime doesn't sound so bad right now.

Your nose wrinkled, arms crossed as you scowl at Jake with a choleric gaze, repressing all the murderous thoughts back in its pandora's box. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He pouts and shrugs in response.

"Nothing...just, nothing..." He starts shuffling away. "Bedroom's that way, right?"

*

Nightfall swept you up in a whirlwind from what you experienced just one day, the inexplicable fatigue that was caused by one person alone could drain your battery out in a flash. And said person, now sat on the nearside of the bed, scrolling nonchalantly on his phone, still in his 4-day-old attire.

"You’ve been wearing that for the past few days. You’re not sleeping on my bed with them.” You demanded.

He peels his eyes away from the phone screen to look down at his sweatpants combo and then at you. "Great, I'll sleep butt naked then." He frisbees the device and begins to slip his fingers through the thick waistband.

"Stopstopstop!" you screeched, slamming down the brakes to stop Jake from whatever he's about to do. You rummage through your closet, in search of the clothes you got from Goodwill but never made their way to the hospital, and not because you forgot about them. You grabbed a fistful of clothes and smack dead upon Jake's face.

"Please, change into these. You know your way to the bathroom and I am sure you don't need any of my help. Goodnight, Lieutenant." The silky sheets flipped open to your side of the bed as you plop down to the cool, comforting feeling and sleep overtakes you in an instant, leaving Jake dumbfounded with the article of clothing in his hand.

*

You woke up to the sound of Jake's light snoring, as opposed to your usual morning bird song. The odd feeling of waking up next to someone hasn't occurred to you since your senior years of college. Even then, those feelings can't reciprocate as a sense of security.

With the notion of familiar unfamiliarity as you observe Jake, happily in stasis; body twists to mildly lay on his stomach, but not fully with his white-casted arm in restriction, leg crossed over gingerly to your side to relieve any uncomfortable pain. You booped his nose and smiled playfully to yourself as you watched him scrunch his nose in his sleep. He almost looks cute. Almost. When he's not running that mouth of his.

Uneagerly, you pushed your sleepy weight off the mattress to prepare head-on with whatever lies in front of you for the day. You tie your hair up with your signature ponytail, decorated yourself with a dose of light makeup, and left some instructions for Jake.

'Made coffee so help yourself.

Breakfast and lunch in fridge

Remember to microwave them

Do NOT leave the house

Be back at 5'

The post-it note clings to its dear life at the denim blue cabinet door where Jake would notice it coming out to the kitchen. You snatched your keys off the counter and made your way towards the front door but you halted for a brief moment and picked up the pen and post-it note again.

‘REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR MEDS’

Satisfied with your arrangement, you set off for your shift at work.

The immense pleasure that the cats and dogs brought to you at the animal shelter made you enjoy work the most. That and your colleagues’ apprehension made you believe there is still a slither of good left in this world, as they let you leave 30 minutes early from your shift. Though it’s another quiet day at the shelter, you still feel bad for leaving all the paperwork to them.

Pre-rush hour is probably what you love the most. Driving down the highway and blasting your favourite tunes, singing on top of your lungs without any judgement of bad singing, or somebody honking at you to move in an unmovable queue and flipping you off from the view of your rearview mirror.

You pull up to the front of your driveway with a tightening sound to your brakes and the engine stops. The comfort of your couch is just mere steps away and you could feel that tingling sense building up and waiting to be released. Keys rattled and clicks the lock free to your comfort zone as you kicked off your shoes, but you were greeted with the sight of Jake sprawled out on the couch with his plastered leg rested on top of the coffee table, the only free hand on its way to stuff his face with powdered donuts. Eyes fixated on whatever is on tv.

Hm, donuts?

“I don’t remember getting donuts.” Your eyes squint at him but he’s still unfazed by the tv. “Did you leave the house?”

“Nah, Coyote came by and dropped it off for me.” He spoke nonchalantly.

“…A coyote got you donuts…?” Sure, Jake could be unpredictable at times and surprises you in many different ways. Befriending a coyote you could believe, but imagining a coyote going into a 7-11 to purchase donuts…if you told people this story they would just write you off as delusional and you can say goodbye to your freedom. You can’t believe that there are wild coyotes in the heart of San Diego. Maybe you should prepare for the worst case scenario if you’ve ever encountered one…

Jake unpeels his face from the tv to give you his full attention that speaks an ‘Are you serious' expression.

“No, Coyote is one of my buddies from work. He came to check up on me and debrief what I’ve missed.”

“You told somebody I’ve never met my address?!” Eyes wide in horror and jaw hanging down to the floor in awe, now you believe you need to protect yourself from not just coyotes but an actual Coyote.

“Relax, he’s not going to break in and steal your Beanie Babies. He’s got a better retirement plan than you do and could probably live the rest of his life in Hawaii, sipping on piña coladas.” His cocky grin can’t provide any reassurance, but screaming at his face won’t help anything.

You sigh and trudge your way to your eclectic yellow coach. Jake offers you a donut as a console and you begrudgingly accept without a second thought. You tuned out to whatever movie Jake is playing with your Netflix account, sitting comfortably as you watched the actors on screen embodying their characters. 

Both of you acknowledge the presence of one another but choose to keep silent. You wondered back to the cartoons you both watched every Saturday. Laying on the plush carpets of your living room, eyes glued to the technicolour animations, from actions to comedy. You wonder if it’s then Jake started to know what he wanted to become when he's older, you wonder if he's thinking about your shared childhood too. Do the memories of you creep into his mind every now and then? You could break the silence and ask him about the past 20 years. But you know better to leave yourself guessing than hear an answer that will disappoint you.

[whisper-my-serenade]

Sleepless

Todd Anderson x Neil Perry | 2554 words

Some context: this is part of a series of anderperry mini-character studies I’ve been working on, and probably will publish at some point, but for now this is the only one that feels done. It takes place in April of 1960, about a month after they get together.

Welton was a surprisingly good place to hide things. There, boys who were far better at making chemical solutions than friends could hide their social deficiencies behind academic rigor, those with more brawn than brain could hide their poor marks behind athletic scholarships, and there was no insecurity that having a father rich enough to send you there couldn’t gloss over. And some…well, some had other secrets to hide.

Todd thought he was very lucky indeed that he and Neil shared a room. If that hadn’t been the case, they would have been hard-pressed to find time alone, and Welton was not kind to boys who were caught where they shouldn’t be. That was probably increased tenfold if the reason for their hiding was a reason like Todd and Neil’s. Here, secrets were easily kept, not out of some romantic ideation of knowing and being known, but out of necessity. Todd felt he knew that necessity better than anyone, but this time, if he were to be caught, it would be his fault. This time, he brought it upon himself. This time, he didn’t regret it.

It was not a hard adjustment, at first, if an odd one. Part of him was pleased that he didn’t have to hide it, didn’t have to avert his gaze if Neil caught him staring, didn’t feel the urge to pull away if their hands brushed under a table, didn’t have to worry about the delicate space between them if Neil sat startlingly close on a couch. Then there were the really good parts, the ones that only occurred once a desk chair had been wedged under their dorm room door, one of them cursing about the school not providing them with locks. Those parts were the ones Todd daydreamed about while his teachers lectured up front, the ones he thought about at night as he and Neil settled into bed, the ones Neil sometimes teased about into his ear as someone else told a joke, quiet enough that only the two of them would hear. He never quite laughed at the thought, but he would smile to himself, very slowly, for the first time feeling excitement at having a secret to hide.

Neil knocked his shoulder as they made the short trek from the communal bathroom to their dorm. Todd knocked back. They did this often: small games others didn’t notice, but the two of them got the message. I haven’t forgotten you. I would do more if I could. Just wait until we’re alone. Neil pushed into his side again, harder this time. Todd smiled. And pushed back.

The radiator was broken again, but that didn’t matter as much now as it had when the small calendar Neil kept on his desk said Dec, Jan, or Feb. They’d both tried and failed to fix it on multiple occasions, but had mostly resigned themselves to curling up under a few extra blankets when they weren’t greeted with the machine’s hum. It was better that way, anyways, because blankets from home were softer and warmer. They’d swapped the ones they’d brought, at some point, because neither liked the smell of home but both liked the smell of each other. Todd couldn’t remember if that was before or after, but he supposed it didn’t really matter. Neil kissed him on the cheek as he spread out the green fleece blanket over his small bed, having to fish out whatever book he was reading at the moment from under the covers. He didn’t often know exactly what he’d find, as he consumed them so quickly he didn’t really have time to notice what they were, and Neil always picked them out anyways. He turned to face Neil now, going back to their game by kissing the other boy’s cheek in return. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Neil was not known for his subtlety.

“Have anything for the meeting tomorrow?” Neil asked as he returned to his own side of the room.

“No, I gave all my good stuff to Keating,” Todd said casually as he flopped down onto his bed and opened the book.

“Anything that comes out of your mouth is good,” Neil commented with a smirk, fiddling with his alarm clock.

Todd kept his gaze down on the page. “Blueberries.”

Neil stopped fiddling to look up at him, confused. “What?”

“You said anything that comes out of my mouth is good. Blueberries.” Todd did not look up, but he didn’t need to to hear Neil’s melodic laughter and know that the joke had landed.

“I hate blueberries!” Neil managed to choke out through his giggling.

“I know.” Todd smiled.

The first time Todd had made a joke, it was the second or third meeting of the Dead Poet society, and it was raining cats and dogs outside. All seven boys had been mulling around in the cave for a while, knowing they needed to get back to the school as soon as possible but unwilling to trek into the downpour. They told stories, gossiped, read, whatever they needed to to occupy themselves until the storm let up. There may have been a few drinks floating around, and Todd remembered feeling airy and pleasantly tipsy. Neil sat on a rock a few feet above him, and if he was maybe a little bit drunker, Todd would have leaned into his calf.

“...and then she just dies on the street from hypothermia, or whatever.” Knox was finishing some old story he knew, but as it was Knox, and Knox seemed to be a bit of a lightweight, it was terribly paced and interrupted by intermittent bursts of giggling.

“What the hell kind of fairy tales are you reading, Knoxious?” Charlie reclined against the stone wall of the cave, swinging a bottle between his fingers, with his eyes narrowed in Knox’s direction,

“Oh come on, don’t look at me like that, it’s the…” Knox snapped his fingers a few times. “What’s-his-face. The Little Mermaid guy.”

“Hans Christian Andersen?” Pitts asked, his vivacious smile taking over his face.

Knox snapped again and pointed at him. “Yeah! Him!”

“That’s a terribly depressing story, Knox,” Cameron, a little more drunk than Todd expected him to be, commented gravely from the other side of the cave. Of course he didn’t find anything fun in it, Todd knew Charlie was itching to say, but Neil gave him a look, and he kept his mouth shut.

Knox shrugged. “I didn’t write it. Not like you tell any better stories anyways, Cameron, we’ve always heard yours before.”

“Oh, I’ve got a better one,” Charlie shouted out, setting his bottle down and motioning for them to gather around him in the center of the cave. “Did you guys ever hear the one about the princess who married a snake and had to strip his flesh off to find anything good in him?” The poets laughed a little, and Charlie was gearing up to jump into the tale, but he stopped when someone else spoke.

“What’s that, your mother’s autobiography?” Todd wasn’t sure why he said it, maybe it was the drinks, maybe he was finally getting comfortable with having friends, who knew. For a second he thought he should take it back, what with the resounding silence and unreadable looks the other poets were giving him, but then Neil started laughing, and when Neil laughed everyone laughed, and Todd found himself smiling along with them.

Charlie stood frozen, jaw on the floor and eyes a caricature portrait of fury.

“What do you say to that, Charlie? You’ve been outdone!” Meeks smiled from ear to ear, looking between Todd and Charlie with a look of bemusement on his face.

“Todd Anderson,” Charlie started, speaking slowly but without the slurred words that would have shown he was too drunk to process it. “You’ve really been a sarcastic little shit this whole time, haven’t you?”

Todd blushed and stared down at his beat-up shoes, feeling Neil’s hand ruffle his hair from behind him. Later, when the rain had let up some and the group was meandering back to the school, Neil told him that he would never underestimate him again, that Todd was probably capable of taking over the world if it weren’t for his reserved nature. Much later, when Todd would have had no fear in leaning his head against Neil’s leg, Neil told him that that night was the first time he felt he really knew Todd, that he understood the playful nature he kept mostly hidden, but now came out easily when the two were alone. The poets still often froze up when Todd joked, surprised that he was capable of letting loose a bit, but Neil always teased that they were just angry that his jokes were better than theirs. His sense of humor, he supposed, was just another secret. At least that one didn’t have a chance of getting anyone hurt.

Todd had trouble sleeping at the best of times, and his insomnia often became much more pronounced when he was stressed or craving comfort. He never told anyone, though, and kept his movements quiet enough that he would not wake Neil. He supposed that was part of the reason he always waited to let Neil wake him up rather than set his alarm. He needed all the extra minutes he could get, and Neil knew that, even if Todd was pretty sure he didn’t know why. He stared up at the ceiling that night, feeling more restless than usual, which surprised him, because he’d been sleeping fairly well ever since he and Neil got together. Was he allowed to phrase it like that, like they were normal? Neil called Todd his boyfriend, and that had to account for something, right? Todd felt like “getting together” and “boyfriend” were phrases reserved for telling someone else about your relationship, something he and Neil had no intention of doing. Well, maybe Neil wanted to, but he was smart enough and knew Todd well enough to keep his mouth shut. Todd was vaguely aware that Charlie knew Neil liked boys, and that he “had feelings” for Todd, or however you want to phrase it, but so far he was fairly sure Neil hadn’t said a word to Nuwanda about them being… something. Todd was pretty sure that he’d know if Charlie knew.

Todd didn’t mind so much if Neil’s best friend knew things the others didn’t, but he’d been stressing the fact that the more people knew, the more risk they were at for getting hurt. Secrets kept them safe, and being able to be safe with Neil was all he really needed right then.

His thoughts drifted a lot, from that night in the cave to that night after the play to that night in the alleyway. Night was his best time, he decided, but he liked it a lot less when he actually wanted to be asleep. He shifted over on his side to face the wall, but froze upon hearing a slight rustling of fabric, then a sleep-worn voice from across the room.

“Todd?”

“Yeah, Neil?”

“Why are you still awake?”

“Can’t sleep.” Todd paused for a moment. “Why are you?”

“I heard you.”

Todd flipped around again to find Neil staring at him wide-eyed through the moonlight, sheets bunched up over his shoulder. “Sorry I woke you up.”

“It’s fine.” Neil smiled softly, then conceded. “I couldn’t sleep either.”

The two of them stared at each other for a minute, a comfortable silence hanging over them in the absence of the white noise of the radiator. “Are you cold?” Todd asked quietly, noticing how tightly Neil was curled up in his bed.

“Not really. You could come over here, if you are.”

Todd hesitated, not breaking his eye contact with Neil. They were physically close; they always had been, even more so since they realized that it actually meant something. There were countless times where they’d curl up on one of their twin beds, a head resting on a shoulder or an arm carelessly tossed around a waist. But night always separated them: Neil kissed him gently on the mouth, or, more often, the cheek, they said goodnight, and they curled up in their own separate worlds. This was not a routine that Todd had yet encroached on, one hangover that showed he was still maybe the slightest bit nervous about the whole “relationship with your roommate that your parents would kill you for, if it was not literally illegal” thing. Neil normally conceded when he had hangups about this sort of thing, about where they were or who might walk in or how far they’d go; he was just sweet like that. Neil sometimes voiced specific things he wanted, but mostly he let Todd take the reins. He supposed that was still true now; if Neil wanted him to come (despite him acting nonchalant about the whole affair, he probably did), he did not ask directly, rather phrasing it as a casual question that was in Todd’s hands. Todd would have to talk to him about that some other time. Neil had the right to ask for anything, anything, and Todd would probably not deny him much. Neil was sweet, and Todd liked a sugar rush. He pushed himself out of bed and quietly trotted across the room.

Neil shifted over for him; the bed was too small to give either boy ample room, but Todd supposed they wouldn’t be having this silent discussion if it did. Neil’s feet were warm under the blanket, and his arm too as he melted into Todd’s side. Todd had always noticed how warm Neil’s skin was, and somewhere in his mind there was regret that he didn’t think of just climbing into Neil’s bed sooner, in the depths of winter when he could see his breath in front of him.

“This okay?” Neil murmured as Todd shifted to lay his head on the other boy’s chest. This would only work if practically every point of their bodies were touching, something Todd really did not mind.

“‘Course.” He nuzzled closer into Neil’s chest, his lover’s arm slowly snaking around his waist as he let out a sigh.

Todd then heard a gentle hum in his ear, a melody he took a second to recognize, but had to laugh to himself when he did. “What?” Neil stopped to chuckle along with him.

“‘Put Your Head On My Shoulder’? Really? You’re more of a sap than I thought.”

“Come on, I love that song!” Neil whispered defensively.

Todd just smiled again and let his arm drift over Neil’s chest. “I like it when you sing it. You have a nice voice.”

“I’ll be sure to serenade you every night from now on, darling.” The sarcastic tone in his voice made Todd laugh again.

“How did I end up with such a hopeless romantic?”

“Oh come on, you love me for it.”

Todd thought for a second, letting his eyes close as Neil’s hand gently rubbed his arm. “I do, I really do.”

Welton was an excellent place to hide things, Todd thought. When the door was closed, no one ever knew that those two juniors the teachers always joked were joined at the hip were using one bed instead of two.

[theinternetisfulloftrash]

My Dearest Trashy,

In honor of my sprained ankle, which is particularly angry today, can you write me a FLUFFY little number where Dylan takes care of his injured girlfriend?

Love,

Your BFF Mischief

Happily. Gladly. Eagerly.

This one goes out to my bestie and her busted ankle. Much love, beautiful human! - Trashy, your filthy enabler ;)

Tags: SWEET AS SHIT FLUFF. DEAL WITH IT, SMUT LOVERS.

Authors Note: Established relationship with a girl named Rachael. Rachael is my go-to for one-shots. If that's your name, I suppose this is an insert? Enjoy? ;) Also, here's some recommended listening, if you're into that kind of thing <3

As Long As You're With Me

God, what a long day. What a long-ass day. Rachael’s ankle ached and throbbed when she finally sat down on the couch. She winced as she reached down to rub at it.

“You’re supposed to be resting that, you know…” Dylan said, walking out from the kitchen into the living room. “Even at work…”

When she’d left that morning, he was still lazily walking around the house shirtless in a pair of grey sweats, so she was a bit surprised to see him looking so pulled together, especially since he said he’d be spending the day at home. He was wearing a dark blue sweater, and a pair of his favorite khakis. His hair was that perfect disheveled he managed to achieve on a fairly regular basis. He looked good, but he always did.

“No rest for the wicked,” she smiled at him, but she was sure it wasn’t convincing him.

He shook his head and sat down next to her, placing his hand on her thigh. “I really wish you’d taken another week off before you started going back into the office.” He looked down at her feet.

“I know, but...they needed me in there and the new guy is a fucking disaster.”

He sighed in resignation with a small shake of his head. “Well come on then,” he said, patting his thigh. “Get ‘em up here.”

“You really don’t have to—”

“Yes I do. So, shut up and gimme the hoof”.

Rachael laughed sliding sideways a bit on the couch so she could swing her legs up over his knees. She rested her back against the arm of the couch, watching him as he peeled off her little ankle socks and balled them up before he set them on the back of the couch.

Dylan ran a long finger down the side of her swollen ankle, stilling over the slight bruise that still discoloured it.

Rachael could see the way his brows knitted together like he was feeling her pain when he touched her skin. He loved her. She could see it in everything he did—everything he said—and she loved him too.

“I should have been there when you slipped,” he said, looking up at her as he laid his palm on her skin, the heat of his skin soothing the ache a bit. “Could’ve caught you.”

She smiled with a sigh. “I would have found a way to bust my ass with you holding my hand, and I think you know that.”

He laughed, wrapping her foot up in his hand and rubbing his thumbs into the arch. “The clumsy does run deep, huh?” he grinned, his hands working over her aching joints, but not stressing her tender injury.

She could feel the tension easing, some of the swelling in her foot and toes calming down under his touch.

“So how was your first day back?” he asked, swapping his attention to the other foot.

Rachel paused for a minute, watching the careful way he held her, the gentle way he worked his fingers against her skin. “I mean...it could have been better? Could’ve been worse?”

“Ah,” he said before he pressed his lips into a thin line. “So on a scale of one to workplace-fuckery, you were sitting around a ‘meh’?”

He had a way of making her feel like nothing was worth sweating over too much. That whatever it was that was bothering her just shouldn’t. That he was there for her, and that they’d get through it together. That she could lean on him and he’d gladly shoulder the extra weight.

“Yeah. ‘Meh’ sounds about right.”

“So,” he said, shifting the conversation “I was gonna cook for you, but I figured you’d actually like to enjoy your meal after a long day.” He flashed her a wink.

“Mmm, very astute of you,” she teased.

“Hey!” he reprimanded, his hands stilling on her skin. “I’m allowed to self-deprecate, but no one said you could pile on.”

“Sorry, sorry, go on…” she encouraged.

“So…” he drew it out, teasing her even more with the way he exaggerated the start of his sentence, “I ordered in…”

“Little Duck!?”

He huffed in feigned annoyance. “The art of surprise is entirely lost on you, isn’t it?”

“You act like I shouldn’t know that you’d order pad thai for such an illustrious occasion.”

He gave her foot a small squeeze before he spoke. “Fair.” He continued working over her sore joints with his strong hands, both of his thumbs driving the tension out of the arch on this foot too. “But, I think I can still surprise you,” he waggled his brows.

“Oh, really?” Rachel grinned.

“Mhm,” he hummed, worrying his lower lip between his teeth.

“We’ll see…”

He didn’t respond, he simply shook his head. “I’m gonna go grab some ice for this, because...while I know I have a magical touch with these,” he held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. “This bad boy,” he pointed to her swollen ankle, “needs the frozen peas treatment.”

She chuckled at him as he carefully lifted her feet from his lap and sat them down on a pillow he tucked under them.

“One sec,” he said, skipping off into the kitchen.

Rachael heard him digging around in the freezer, whistling and puttering around in the drawers for a minute or so before she heard the sound of a bunch of ice skittering across the kitchen floor. “Dyl! You alright?” she asked, sitting up a bit, holding her weight up on her palms.

“I got it!” he said, poking his head around the corner as he chased down an ice cube that had bounced through the threshold into the dining room. “Nothing to see here...don’t get up. I got it under control.”

“All right…just don’t hurt yourself. We can’t both be laid up,” she covered her eyes for a moment with her forearm, clearing her head before she laid back and relaxed, listening to him laugh a little bit before he started to whistle.

“Gotcha, you little fucker,” he said, presumably to an ice cube he’d tracked down in the kitchen. He strode back out into the living room, proudly holding a ziplock bag of ice and a tea towel. “M’lady,” he bowed, presenting the bag like it was a glass slipper on a velvet pillow.

She scooched along the couch to make a bit more space for him to sit down when the doorbell rang.

“Thai!” he almost shouted, wrapping the bag of ice in the tea toweL. He rested it on the pillow and set her ankle on it. “Hold that there,” he said, rushing for the door and flinging it open.

“Will do.”

Their dinner was sitting on the doorstep. “God. Don’t you just fucking love DoorDash?” he asked, plucking the bag from the ground before he shut the door. “Gone are the days of awkward conversations with food-peddling strangers. I couldn’t be happier about it.”

“Are you saying you don’t miss that long minute of awkward silence while you’re waiting for the transaction to finish?”

Dylan walked over and sat the bag on the coffee table. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“Fair enough,” she agreed.

Dylan walked past her to the kitchen and grabbed some drinks before he snatched the remote control off the end table and turned on the TV. “Dinner and a movie?” he asked, looking over at her.

“Sure,” she smiled, sitting up a bit.

“Ah, ah,” he tisked, walking around to her side of the couch, standing over her and grabbing a pillow from the chair to place behind her back. “Rest,” he said, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her forehead.

Rachael sighed at the sweet gesture, but she wanted a little bit more than sweet. When he pulled back from her, she reached and pulled him down to her so that she could kiss him properly. His mouth was quick to adapt to the sudden need hers had for it. He leaned down even more to deepen their connection and his hands were soon knotting into the waves of her hair.

When she felt like she needed a breath, he cradled her face in his hand and peppered her lips and cheek with small kisses until his lips were brushing against the skin of her neck below her ear.

“Someone’s hungry,” he teased.

She smirked, brushing her lips over his ear. “Yeah...but mostly for thai food.”

“Ouch,” he laughed as he stood, “way to hurt a man’s feelings,” he feigned a gutshot as he walked back around the coffee table.

She tucked her legs back long enough for him to flop down onto the couch and adjust the cushion so that it was propped up on his thigh before she rested her ankle on it again.

He turned on the TV and opened Hulu. “Never Been Kissed?” he asked, pausing on the preview screen.

“Really, Dyl?”

“What!?”

“I thought you were going to surprise me?” she teased

He turned to her, looking less than impressed. “Alright, smartass. You pick.” He tossed her the remote.

“Fine,” she said, picking it up as he leaned forward and started taking the food out of the bag. He set her box of pad thai down in front of her, along with a pair of wrapped chopsticks. She grinned when she found the perfect movie. “This one,” she said clicking on it.

Dylan looked up at the TV, and his expression turned to indignation before he turned to her. “Really?” he asked before he ran his tongue along the inside of his lower lip.

“You said I could pick!” she whined. “I’m injured and sad…” she pouted, batting her lashes.

He narrowed his eyes, but she knew she had him wrapped around her finger.

He drew in a long breath and sighed it out before he spoke. “Fine..”

She smiled and pressed play, grabbing her food from the table as the title sequence for ‘Love and Monsters’ began to play.