#i was borrowed by another store in this city today (my day off rip) and now im taking the bus to my (new) main store to pick up a

[freesomebodybyluna]

I may not be very smart or good at many things, but at least I'm appreciate at sbux for fighting for my little facking life every time I clock in!!!!

[kinglazrus]

A Helping Hand

Phic phight 2020

Submitted by @trainernick: Lancer telling Danny he knows his secret and admitting trying to help him throughout high school (maybe at prom or graduation) - wholesome found family

Summary: Everyone says prom is supposed to be one of the best nights of Danny's life. And even though he wrecks his suit, ditches his date, and gets attacked by Skulker, it sort of is. But not for the reasons everyone says it should be.

When Lancer sees his student feeling low, he does what he can to make sure Danny knows there are always people rooting for him.

Hurt/comfort

Word count: 3923

People like to talk about milestones. They divide their lives into neat little segments and mark the years with special occasions. First steps, first words, first day of school, first car, first kiss, first job. Lots of firsts. They're important. But they aren't the be-all, end-all of those experiences. People keep talking after their first word. They keep walking after their first steps. They continue to learn, and drive, and kiss—if they're into that sort of thing—and work, and work, and work until that's all they ever do.

The firsts matter, but they don't matter so much that you can never do any of those things ever again.

Some milestones can't be repeated, though. Or, at least, people build them up so much and make such a big deal out of it that even if you can repeat it, it'll never be the same. They make it sound like if you do it wrong then you'll never get to do it right. That's how Danny feels about prom.

It doesn't matter how often he tells people there will be other parties, that this won't be the only time he ever dances with his peers, that this won't even be his only prom because he probably won't be able to graduate this year. Prom is big. Prom is important. Prom is special. He has to do it right or else he'll never get to do it again.

Danny tries his best.

He gets a date, one of his best friends, Sam. It takes him a few weeks to ask her out, because he can't figure out how to do it. He wastes hours writing out what he wants to say. Four days before prom, he sees Sam in the middle of a ghost fight, grinning like mad, hoisting a bazooka on her shoulder, ectoplasm stuck in her hair, and Danny blurts the question out right there because holy shit she's beautiful. It totally throws all his careful, romantic planning out the window, but she still says yes.

He gets a suit. Black jacket, black shirt, purple vest, purple tie, because he thinks Sam will like it. She calls him a dork as soon as she sees him in it, which means she does like it, very much so. He gets a corsage of blue poppies for Sam's wrist, to go with his boutonniere. He gets Jazz and Dani to watch the city for the night so that nothing will distract him from the dance.

He does everything he can to make sure he does prom right. But, in the end, he still gets in a ghost fight.

Danny leans his head back against the wall of the shower stall in the boys' locker rooms. His lungs burn, his body aches, and his knuckles are bruised. The water's turned up as hot as it can go. It succeeds in getting the worst ectoplasm out—cold water would have set the stains—but now he's completely soaked, and his suit is still ripped.

Looking down, he catalogues the damage, both to his body and his rental suit. A gash on his right shoulder to go with the torn seam of the sleeve. The left sleeve is ripped from cuff to elbow, his cufflink lost somewhere on the street outside. There's a matching slice in his arm, stretching from his palm around to the outside of his elbow.

The cut stings in the hot water, same with the wound on his shoulder, and he should probably take care of both before he loses too much blood. But he has a couple minutes to spare.

His pants got out of the fight okay, minutes a little tearing on the knees, the skin beneath scraped and red. He doesn't think the store is going to take the suit back.

There's a knock on the stall door and Danny lifts his head. Through the foggy glass, he sees Tucker.

"You good, man?" Tucker asks.

Danny swallows, glad he doesn't taste blood. Skulker really held nothing back today. He calls back, "Yeah, I'm good. Suit's a little torn, though."

"Why'd you fight in your suit?" Tucker asks, a hint of laughter in his voice.

"I think Skulker borrowed some of Vlad's tech. He shorted out my powers for a little bit, but," Danny raises his hand and forms a swirling ball of ectoplasm in his palm, "they're back now."

"Okay. Lancer's doing a headcount. I told him you had gone to the bathroom just before Skulker showed up, so I'll let him know you're safe."

"Thanks. I won't be long."

Tucker's silhouette does finger guns and he clicks his tongue twice, then leaves. Danny waits until he hears the locker room door closing before he stands up. The ectoplasm in his hand turns blue, its temperature dropping a few degrees, and he drags his palm along the cut on his left arm. Ice seeps over the wound, sealing it shut and stopping the bleeding. It also works fantastically at numbing the entire limb so it doesn't hurt to move.

After rotating his arm a few times, testing its mobility, he does the same to the gash on his right shoulder. It's only a temporary measure, until he can get home and get Jazz to help stitch him back up. Sam and Tucker used to be in charge of doing that, but Jazz is by far the better seamstress, and leaves fewer scars behind.

Danny shuts the water off and heads toward the lockers. Rather than going for his own locker, he stops in front of Tucker's. Danny usually has extra clothes for emergencies like this, but he used them last week and hadn't brought them back since. Tucker keeps a few spares, though, because of the last few times Dash and Kwan stole his clothes while he was in the shower.

Turning his hand intangible, Danny sticks it through the locker door and grabs a shirt from the top shelf. When he pulls his hand out the shirt unfurls, and he stiffens.

"You've got to be kidding me," he says. It's a black button-up shirt, which is perfect. But it's also covered cartoonish pictures of Danny Phantom's face. Reaching back into the locker, he tries to find another, but this is the only one. He could use his gym shirt, but he needs the long sleeves to hide his left arm.

With a groan, Danny strips, laying his jacket, vest, tie, and shirt out on the benches. He and Tucker are around the same size, so the shirt fits, for the most part. It's a little tight across the shoulders and bites into his skin when he bends his arms, but it'll do. As long as he doesn't get into another fight and tear this shirt up, too.

Danny pulls his jacket and vest back on, although he does neither up, and drapes his shirt across his arm. With his left hand facing down, you can't even he's injured. Minus the scrapes on his knees, but if anyone asks, Danny will just say he tripped running away from the ghost

When he exits the locker room, Danny looks left and right, checking to make sure the hallway is clear before slipping out. His wet shoes squeak on the floor, and water drips from his hair onto his nose. He probably should have tried drying off. Especially since the water from his jacket is now seeping into Tucker's shirt. But, Fentons are stubborn, and Danny's already on his way back to the gym.

Prom posters featuring smiling members of the dance committee stair down at him as he walks, silently judging him. Their blank eyes follow his every move. Somehow, Danny feels like he's failed them.

He expects the dance to be back in full swing by the time he makes it back, because Casper High is just like that sometimes, but he couldn't be more wrong. The music has stopped. No one's dancing. There's a massive hole in the outside wall, letting in the cool night air. A wave of shame rolls through Danny as he remembers he did that.

His gaze drifts up to the ceiling, where there's another, smaller hole. That's where Skulker burst through, shouting about the glory of capturing his prey on such a momentous occasion. Seconds later, Danny blasted him through the wall and took off after him. Without even a single glance back at the chaos he'd caused.

Paulina, Star, and other members of the dance committee hustled about, directing people to help with the cleanup so they could get things started again. City protocol said to wait for an official cleanup crew, but this was prom, damn it, and Paulina wasn't about to let a couple ghosts ruin her chances of getting crowned queen.

He finds Sam and Tucker quickly. They're helping Elliott move one of the larger chunks of concrete. The front of Sam's dress is covered in dust and her corsage it crushed.

Another wave of guilt pushes Danny out the door. He backs into the hallway, gives the ruined dance one last look, then turns and heads for the front door. There's no point sticking around and risk ruining things even more.

The cold air and his wet clothes shill Danny to the bone when he gets outside, but he doesn't mind. The benefits of having an ice core means he can weather the cold better than most people. But, being half-human still, he's not infallible. Danny sits down on the front steps, slipping his hands into his pockets, and sighs. Maybe he should just go home.

Since Danny doesn't have his license—he never had time, with all the ghost fighting—Tucker gave Sam and Danny a ride. So, if he does leave, he won't be abandoning Sam without a way home. Going for a fly sounds pretty nice right now. There's not much he can screw up when he's miles above the city. Although, if anyone could find a way, it would be him.

The only thing he can ever seem to do right is fight ghosts. It's not too late to make a career out of it. At this point, it's basically his job already, and it'd be nice to get paid for it. Maybe the G.I.W. are hiring.

Danny laughs. It's a bitter, self-deprecating sound.

"They'd probably cut me open first," he tells the open air.

"Modern Prometheus, Mr. Fenton, that's quite the accusation."

"Holy sh–" Danny jumps, nearly toppling off the step, and whips around to see Lancer behind him. "Mr. Lancer! Uh, what are you doing here?"

"Checking on my student," Lancer says. "I wasn't satisfied with Mr. Foley's assurances and wanted to make sure you were safe myself."

He steps forward and looks down at Danny, frowning. "Are you... dripping, Mr. Fenton?"

"Uh." Danny glances down at his soaked clothes. "I fell in a puddle."

"While you were in the bathroom?"

"I went for a walk and then fell in a puddle."

"It hasn't rained in three weeks," Lancer says.

"So crazy, right?" Danny chuckles. He silently wills Lancer to go away, preferring to be alone right now. Instead, Lancer does the complete opposite and sits down next to Danny.

"Is something bothering you?" he asks.

"What makes you think that?"

"I've worked with teenagers for a long time, Mr. Fenton. I can tell when things aren't okay. And I think, by now, your tells are somewhat obvious to me."

Danny refuses to meet Lancer's gaze. He's probably the last person Danny wants to see right now. Not because he hates Lancer, but because he cares too much what Lancer thinks. While he didn't like the man much during freshman year, things changed over time. Lancer started actually believing in Danny. He's the only teacher who never gave up on him, who always had their door open.

Lancer even leant Danny his ear on more than one occasion. Danny tried to avoid this as much as possible, but there were some things he just couldn't talk to his sister or friends about.  And Danny's willing to admit, although somewhat grudgingly, that he's become attached to his English teacher.

"Prom's ruined," Danny finally says.

"Is that so?"

"I mean, yeah. Sk– uh, that big metal ghost dude kind of crashed the party. And then Phantom fucked it all up."

"Language," Lancer says. He gives Danny a critical look. "Why are you blaming Phantom?"

"He kind of destroyed a whole wall. He could have just, I don't know, thrown the ghost back through the hole that was already there?" If only Danny had thought of that at the time. But in his desperation to not ruin prom, he went ahead and ruined prom.

"I think Phantom did a fantastic job," Lancer says.

Danny gapes at him.

"Yes, the wall was damaged, but no one got hurt. And your classmates are displaying wonderful teamwork skills by clearing out the debris so the dance can go on. It wasn't Phantom's fault the ghost decided to interrupt," Lancer says. "Although I have to say, it's extremely lucky of us that he was so close by. In fact, it was almost like he was there before the ghost arrived."

Lancer smiles. Something about it puts Danny on edge. It's a familiar smile, a fond one. It's the smile he gives students who do exceptionally well. It's the smile he gives Danny when he does well.

"Oh, yeah. That's really lucky, yep. Must be because of how often the school gets attacked. I mean, if I were him, which I'm not, I'd probably hang around the place that gets attacked the most, too," Danny says, a little too quickly. He was cold seconds ago, but now he's uncomfortably warm.

"Which you're not," Lancer repeats slowly. His gaze is intense and critical. Danny can only bear to meet it for a few seconds before he has to look away.

He tries to distract himself, looking at the cars lined up along the street. There are a few limousines amongst them. Danny would bet his ghost half on one of them being here for the A-listers', who came together as a group rather than bringing dates. There were so many cars already parked by the time Danny and his friends got here that Tucker was forced to park his old Camaro around the block.

It's a pretty nice car, despite how old it is. A hand-me-down from Tucker's dad, they fixed it up together, making it good as new. Danny tries to picture doing something like that with his own dad. Jack would probably deck the car out in ghost weapons and stamp the word "Fenton" across it.

They could call it the Fentonmobile.

"Danny," Lancer says.

The use of his nickname gives Danny pause. Lancer never calls him Danny. It's one of his most frustrating traits. Every student is always Mr., Ms., or Mx. As annoying as it is, Danny can't deny that it feels nice at the same time. Like Lancer actually respects them as people, doesn't look down on them the way most adults do.

After everything Danny's been through, he thinks he warrants a little basic decency.

Lancer continues. "I know."

Everything stops. Every thought in Danny's head comes to a screeching halt. He stares at Lancer. Maybe he heard it wrong. Maybe he doesn't mean what Danny thinks he means. But the longer Danny stares, the longer Lancer stares right back. At first, dread fills him. His secret is blown. This is it. The G.I.W. are on their way.

That dread quickly drowns in a tidal wave of relief, because Lancer knows. And he isn't hurting Danny, or calling him a freak, or doing anything.

"You know," Danny repeats in a breathy whisper.

"I know."

Danny slops backward, burying his hands in his hair. He lets out a soft laugh. "You know. How long?"

"Almost three years now," Lancer says.

Danny's stunned into silence. Three years. That's nearly as long as he's been a ghost. He had his accident a couple months into freshman year and started fighting ghosts a few days after that.

"I," he pauses, "am a terrible liar. Aren't I?"

"I'm surprised you've lasted this long," Lancer says.

Danny laughs sharply. Sitting back up, he turns to face Lancer proper, running his hands through his hair again. It's a nervous habit he's never been able to kick. "What gave it away?"

"Your first weeks at Casper High, I thought you were a talented student with a lot of potential. You managed average grades on your first couple of assignments, but I could tell you were struggling in the environment. Not a fan of classroom learning?" Lancer asks, quirking his eyebrow.

"It's hard to focus. Sometimes," Danny admits.

"But you managed. And then you disappeared from school for two weeks. When you came back, your grades plummeted. I blamed it on the stress of your accident, at first, which I excused. But then your delinquent behaviour started."

Danny winces. He knows exactly how he looks to other people. A problem child, skipping school, not doing his assignments, barely studying. Coming to class with bruises on his knuckles. Tetslaff tried to "set him straight" once. She said some good physical activity would help him channel his issues and convinced his parents to sign him up for volleyball.

Tetslaff kicked him off the team after his third missed game.

"To me, my students are my children. I want to see them succeed in every way they can, and do what I can to make that happen. In that way, I failed you freshman year. I'm ashamed of how I reacted." Lancer pauses. He looks away from Danny, tipping his head back to search the sky instead.

Danny wonders what he's thinking. He wishes he knew.

"I'm even more ashamed of the fact that if I hadn't seen you transform, I might not have changed my attitude at all."

"You saw me transform," Danny deadpans. First Jazz, and then Paulina—although she was possessed at time, Danny still counts it—and now Lancer. How many times is this going to happen? He asks, "Where?"

"Here, at school."

Danny sputters in disbelief. "What?"

"You were in the middle of the cafeteria, Danny. You stood on a table and cried 'I'm going ghost.' I'm surprised more people didn't see you," Lancer says. He shoots Danny an amused grin.

Danny blushes, burying his face in his hands. "I thought it was cool," he mumbles into his palms. It made him feel like a superhero. Until he wizened up and stopped shouting out warnings to every ghost within earshot.

Lancer had a point, how did people not see him more often? Maybe there's an entire cult in Amity Park of people who have seen Danny transform. They could call themselves the Phentons. Or the Fantoms. Or the Keepers of the Great One. Frostbite would probably like that last name.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Danny asks.

"Because I think you need to know there are people on the sidelines who are willing to help you, who have helped you, even if you don't realize it."

"How do you mean?" Danny already knows he has people looking out for him. Jazz, Tucker, and Sam always have his back and they've helped him more than he can ever thank them for. He's going to miss Sam and Tucker next year when they move on to college and he's stuck repeated senior year.

Lancer reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, he smooths it out on his knee and passes over.

It’s a schedule for April, May, and the first week of June. Two dates are circled. April 18th, today, and June 4th, the graduation day. The weeks between are full of markings. Squinting at the thin writing, Danny reads "Packet One: Biology" written over next week. Skipping over the rest of the schedule, he finds "Packet Two: History," "Packet Three: Applied Math," all the way up to "Packet Six: English" the final week before June. They're all classes Danny is taking this year, including ones he already failed last semester.

"What is this?" Danny asks.

"A study guide, of sorts. I spoke to the other teachers about your grades. Because of 'special circumstances,'" Lancer makes finger quotes, "they agreed to give you a chance to redeem your grades. You did well on your exams overall, but it's your course work that failed you. Each of your teachers has put together a packet of bonus assignments that, if you finish successfully, will earn you a passing grade in each class."

Danny's breath hitches. "You mean..."

"With any luck, I will not be seeing you again in these halls next year."

Danny's eyes burn. He lowers his head, hiding his face in the crook of his elbow. He tries to stay quiet, because the last thing he wants to do is cry in front of a teacher, but he can't help it. The tears won't stop. A few gross sobs fight their way through his hiccups. Lancer rubs Danny's back as he cries, a soothing gesture.

"Thank you," Danny says, as soon as he can gather the breath for it. He wipes his nose on his sleeve and shoots Lancer an elated grin. "I hope I don't see you here next year either."

Lancer smiles in return. "We could head back, if you'd like. The dance should be starting up again right about now. Ms. Sanchez certainly knows how to whip a cleaning crew into action. I never expected such leadership from her."

"I did kind of ditch Sam," Danny says. He hopes she's not too mad. "But I kind of need to take care of something first."

"The ghost? I always did wonder what you did with them after capturing them in your... lunchbox?"

Danny laughs and shakes his head. "It's a thermos. But, no, he'll be fine in there for a while. I actually, uh," he trails off. Sheepishly, he pulls back his left sleeve and shows Lancer his injury.

"The English Patient, Mr. Fenton, you need medical attention!" Lancer shoots to his feet, digging his phone out of his pocket.

"No hospital!" Danny shouts. He scrambles up after Lancer and covers his phone. "My body's different. They'd notice something. I just need some stitches and my healing will take care of the rest."

"That's reassuring, I suppose." Lancer lowers his phone. "I have keys to the nurse's office, and I'm no slouch with a needle."

"Oh. I can just take of it myself, at home. Or get Jazz to do it."

"Nonsense, Mr. Fenton. What kind of teacher would I be if I let you go home in that state?" Lancer beckons for Danny to follow. He only hesitates for a second before complying.

Danny doesn't want to see Lancer in these halls again, but he certainly hopes graduation won't be the last time he ever sees the man. It's nice, knowing there's another person out there who has his back. Someone who can give him a stern word when he's being stupid, and a helping hand when he's lost. It's almost father-like, now that Danny thinks about it.

He stares at Lancer's back and thinks. Lancer looks the kids of Casper High and sees them not just as students, but as his children. Danny doesn't mind looking back and seeing a parent instead of a teacher.

[abused-sides]

Looking [Roommates AU]

Trigger warning: This au follows most of the sides in the aftermath of surviving abuse (domestic, parental, etc). In this particular fic it’s only implied, but it’s an instrumental part of the story and if that bothers you, then please not only scroll past this fic, but block my blog as well.

More tws: Homelessness, homeless shelters, sleeping outside, paranoia, house-bound, anxiety/overwhelmed, malnourishment, let me know if i missed anything 

Genre: ??? Virgil escapes and Patton interviews him to move in 

Ships: Endgame romantic intruloceit, romantic prinxiety, queerplatonic royality

Wc: 2541 

A/N: I promise I’m getting to your prompts I love you guys

Virgil laid flat on his back, eyes fixed on the familiar water stain on the ceiling. 

It’d been there since he moved in, three years ago. He hadn’t noticed it right away, instead focused on exploring all the rooms, thrilled about all the space he would have. He wished the house was smaller— Wished they lived in an apartment. He certainly would have more free time. 

There were four spots in the house Virgil hid the money, and he never visited the same one too often. One was tucked inside an empty spray bottle with all of his cleaning stuff, under the kitchen sink. One was slipped between the bedspring and the mattress, on Virgil’s side. He’d never felt a lump or anything, but he was terrified his boyfriend would somehow feel it in his sleep and find the stash. 

Another was hidden in a plant pot under Virgil’s favourite window, buried under the dirt in a plastic bag. The last was tucked into Virgil’s wallet, which he hadn’t touched in three years. No need for a wallet when you don’t leave the house, and your boyfriend pays for everything with his card. 

His boyfriend had been gone for hours. He’d be gone for several more. Virgil wasn’t sure why he hadn’t left yet, why he did his daily chores and then just laid there, hoping the water stain would grow and spread and swallow the entire house. 

He wouldn’t get another chance like this. Not for years, probably. It was the exact opportunity he’d been waiting for. 

So why couldn’t he do it?

He squeezed his eyes shut as they welled with tears. He imagined his boyfriend getting home with his gifts and false compassion, imagined having to spend another several years as his property, with his dull life of cleaning and not much else. 

He pushed himself off the ground and headed for the window that looked out the front yard. He dug under the daisy growing in the pot, spilling dirt all over the immaculate carpet, ripping up its roots and petals, and grabbed the first stash. 

Once he started, he couldn’t stop. He flew through the house to grab all the money and put his backpack together, and then skidded to a stop in front of the door. He swallowed. He was going to throw up. 

He reached blindly for the coatrack, his fingers wrapping around the soft fabric of his boyfriend’s hoodie. He pulled it on and threw the door open. He didn’t think to close it as he stepped out onto the drive, almost disassociating. All he’d felt under his feet for three years was carpet and tile and hardwood. He hopped off the driveway into the grass, and then the sidewalk, and then the road. 

He took in a shuddering breath, pulled his hood up, and ducked his head as he headed for the nearest train station. 

The ticket stole most of his money, but it didn’t matter. As long as he got to the city, he would be fine. He could figure it all out from there. 

He sat alone on the train, wanting desperately to sleep but instead sitting straight up, never resting from his constant patrol. A lady sitting across from him at one point offered to buy him something to eat, but he refused. 

The train stopped in the city’s station close to midnight. Despite him saying he didn’t need any help, the lady guided his shaky self down the steps, and patted his back. 

“Where are you headed?” 

Virgil swallowed. “Um…”

“Do you… Have family in the city?”

He shook his head. He didn’t know where his parents were. 

“Here, let me see your arm.” 

Virgil was hesitant, but carefully rolled his sleeve up. The cool tip of her Sharpie scribbled over his pale skin for a moment, and when she finished, she’d mapped out the directions to a few homeless shelters. 

“They should be able to help you if you don’t have anyone else,” she said. “They can feed you, too. You should eat.”

Virgil’s face turned red. “Okay. Uh, thank- Thank you. Thanks.”

She smiled and squeezed his shoulder, and then she was on her way. 

Virgil spent the next few weeks hopping around homeless shelters. Most of them only allowed a few days’ stay at a time, and he was forced out after breakfast early in the morning. Occasionally, he had to find alternative places to sleep, resorting to behind closed stores, alleyways, fire escapes— Anything he could find and be relatively certain he wouldn’t be caught. 

Most days spent in the city were unproductive. He was overwhelmed, not sure what he wanted, what choices he even had. The stark difference of the empty house he spent three days in, the loudest sounds being traffic outside or his music, to plunging himself deep in the middle of something that was constantly alive, constantly busy, was… 

Overwhelming. 

He was at a cafe, his current favourite place in the city because they let him stay as long as he wanted and gave him free water, when he saw the ad. 

THREE ROOMMATES (MALE) LOOKING FOR FOURTH 

The three of us are currently struggling to make rent, and we have a spare bedroom. Rent would be approximately $575/month. Two of us work from home, and they’re very loud. One of them only works from home part-time. 

Attached was a phone number to call for an interview. 

Virgil asked the girl behind the counter to borrow her phone, and dialled the number with shaking hands. 

“Hello?” 

“H-Hi.” Virgil cleared his throat as his voice broke. “Um, I saw your ad?” 

“Oh! Awesome! When are you free for an interview?”

“Any time, but…” He swallowed. “I’m… I’m just a little, uh, short. I only have about $490 left. But- But if I just had a place to stay, I could-”

“Hey!” The boy sounded concerned. “Hey, hey, calm down. We can still do the interview! Everyone here is struggling, we get it. Besides, you’re our third applicant, and the other two are… Not favourable. So if you nail the interview, and we don’t get too many more applicants, I’ll try to convince my roommates. Where have you been staying?”

Virgil hesitated. “Kind of, um, all over the place. The- The shelters, mostly.” 

“Hmm,” he hummed gravely. “Okay, are you free in an hour? I’m home, so if you want to bang out the interview today, we can!” 

Virgil’s eyes widened. “Really? Uh- Yeah. Yeah, I can get there. Um, what’s the address?” 

When he arrived at the apartment complex, he wanted to throw up and go back to the shelter. Images of Patton laughing at him, or harassing him, or attacking him were the mildest thoughts to run through his head. 

But this was his best option. 

He knew that. 

He had to go inside. 

He took in a shuddering breath. He had to go inside. 

He walked inside. 

Virgil was afraid of elevators, so he took the stairs, only half procrastinating. Patton and his roommates lived on the fourth floor. By the time he arrived, his thighs burned and he was a little out of breath. He looked down at himself and cringed— He was so skinny, mostly just bones, and pale. He looked like he crawled out of a cave. He wore his boyfriend’s now dirty hoodie and jeans that hadn’t been washed in a week. 

How the fuck was he supposed to land this interview? 

He forced himself to push forward, though, and when he knocked, he barely heard it. The door flew open and Virgil barely managed not to jump back. The boy on the other side had golden-brown skin and big, round green eyes. His dark hair fell in messy curls over his forehead. His apron, covered in flour and cocoa powder, followed the swell of his round belly. 

“Hi!” He stuck his hand out. “Virgil? I’m Patton!” 

Virgil shook his hand with a loose grip and stepped inside when gestured. Patton pointed out the table while he hung up his apron, and Virgil nervously lowered himself into one of the old, chipped wooden chairs. Patton came to sit across from him with a warm smile and a sheet of paper. 

“Okay, so I just have a few questions!” He said cheerily. “Don’t let yourself get too nervous, this is hardly formal, I promise.” 

Virgil nodded. 

“Okay! First question: How long would you be staying?”

Virgil blinked. “Uh… I’m not- I’m not really sure. As long as possible, I guess. Until I get back on my feet and some time after that, if you all are still here.” 

Patton scribbled his answer down. “What do you like to do in your free time?” 

Virgil spent an embarrassing amount of time thinking about that question. Did cleaning count as free time? No, that was basically his job. Better refer to it as such. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and stumbled out, “Well, uh, I guess- I guess I listen to music a lot. I gardened sometimes with, you know, those tiny plant boxes?” 

He gasped, and for a terrifying second, Virgil thought he’d somehow offended him. But then Patton pointed to the right, into the living room. Along the sill of the huge window were several of the exact planter boxes Virgil’s boyfriend bought for him. 

“That’s awesome!” Patton gushed. “You’d be able to help us take care of them! They die a lot. We’re planting a lot of strawberries right now, are you any good with them?”

Virgil nodded. “Y-Yeah, I grew tons of strawberries.” 

Patton grinned ear to ear and furiously scribbled some things down. Virgil relaxed a little. “How clean are you? Are you good at cleaning up after yourself?”

Virgil was nodding before he finished speaking. “Yeah, I’m really clean. I spent a lot of time cleaning before I left, so it’s, uh, pretty much habit not to leave a mess around.”

“How would you feel about a chore chart?” Patton pointed to the fridge behind Virgil. Stuck on the front was a large sheet of paper split into three columns, with the headings PATTON, LOGAN, and ROMAN. “Logan made it, and he’s pretty strict about everyone sticking to it. It basically just splits our weekly house chores down the middle, with small accommodations depending on what job everyone has. On paper, I have the least amount of chores because I work the most hours, but a lot of those are cleaning, anyway.” 

Virgil shifted nervously. Would they let him off by saying looking for a job counted towards those hours? Otherwise… He’d be doing a lot of cleaning. What if I trick myself into thinking leaving was a waste of time? 

“I can do that.” He was surprised at how confident he sounded. 

“Great! How often do you cook? No one’s required to cook a certain amount a week or anything- You don’t have to cook at all, if you don’t want to or can’t -but we eat a lot of family dinners so it’s evened itself out so far naturally.” 

“Yeah- No, I can cook. I have a few recipes pretty nailed down so, uh, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Virgil’s body was alive with adrenaline. Was he doing well? He thought he was doing well. Patton looked happier and happier with each answer, so he had to be doing well, right? 

“Along the same line, how do you feel about sharing?” Patton bit his lip. “We understand that everyone has their boundaries, but we’re all pretty close. If you moved in, someone might dip into your groceries by accident, and borrow something without asking. We’d never go into your room without asking, but, well… Yeah, we have boundary issues.” He giggled nervously. 

Tightness expanded in Virgil’s chest. “That’s fine,” he managed. 

Patton frowned. “It’s okay if you’re not. If you’re the right fit for us, we’ll just have to be more careful. You’d just have to forgive a few slip-ups while we adjust.” 

Virgil nodded and forced his voice to steady. “It’s fine. I promise.” He’d just keep everything important in his room- It’s not like he had more than a backpack’s worth right then, anyway. 

Patton nodded slowly and wrote down his answer. “Okay… Um, what’s your sleep schedule like? Roman and Logan both get up pretty early. Logan’s really quiet, but Roman’s really… Not, so if you’re a light sleeper and you sleep in like a normal person, his singing might get on your nerves.”

“I’m fine with that. I, uh, my sleep schedule’s kind of all over the place, so I don’t think it matters?”

“Okay! How has it been lately?”

“Well, uh, the shelters kick us out pretty early, so my sleep schedule probably coincides with Roman’s.” 

Patton nodded. “Do you have any pets, or plans to get any?” Virgil shook his head, and Patton made a noise of disappointment. “How often do you get drunk?”

Surprised, Virgil admitted, “I’ve never gotten drunk.” 

“Oh!” Patton blushed and laughed. “Do you plan on changing that any time soon? Was it a rule, or?” 

“It wasn’t a rule, I just… I don’t know, there was never too much alcohol around. I don’t plan on getting into the stuff, no.” 

Patton nodded and mumbled, “Good.” He straightened up. “Are you still friends with your old roommates?” 

Virgil folded his hands in his lap, squeezing tight. “No?” He stammered, “Is, uh, is that bad?”

He shook his head. “No, not necessarily! How many roommates have you had?”

“Well, there were my parents, and then my boyfriend.” 

“That’s completely understandable,” Patton promised. 

Virgil tipped his head to the side in confusion. Even the part about his parents? He didn’t assume Virgil was some ungrateful, heartless monster? 

“And, um, I’m sorry about this-” Patton looked at him guiltily, “-but I do have to ask… How would you be paying the rent? Would you be able to put down a deposit?”

Shit. Fucking hell, this was going bad fast. “I’m not really sure yet? I- I know that’s bad, I just- Uh, well, I have been looking, I promise. I’ll get the first job I can. I promise.”

Patton held his hand up with a frown. “Hey, it’s okay. I know, you’re in a rough spot right now. It’s okay. You said you’d be a little on the first month?”

Virgil swallowed and nodded. “I can give it to you now, though.”

Patton laughed nervously. “Uh, no, that’s okay. Please hold onto that. If we accept you as a roommate, we’ll take it then, okay? Don’t let someone pre-emptively take your money.” 

Virgil blushed. “Okay.”

Patton wrote something down, then looked up and asked, “Is there anything else I should know?” 

He thought for a moment. He was sure there was something he should tell them, something they were obligated to know before they agreed to live with him. Plenty of ideas ran through his head in his boyfriend’s voice, but for whatever reason, he didn’t think those were appropriate to voice. 

“No,” he settled on. “Not that I can think of.” 

“Okay.” Patton smiled and set the paper down. “We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.” 

Reblogs > Asks > Likes 

Also, for anybody who isn’t aware, I have a ko-fi where I’ll write you 300 words with your prompt for one coffee 

[hateswifi]

Rising from the Ashes: Of Revelations and Mistakes

So this is Part Eight here is to my Master List and Part Seven.

------------------------------

She got up the next day and went to work for the half-day of work. Diana only opens the boutique from seven to one. Marinette also asked her to stay after the store's closing to work on some design because she needs to borrow the sewing machine. She drew an off the shoulder ribbed sky blue long sleeve shirt, she sewed high waisted ripped black jeans. Diana had stayed back to check out her work and close up after she was done. She loved the outfit it was simple but nice. Luka's solo had inspired her to make the outfit and she couldn't wait to show him.

When she finished cleaning up and showing off her outfit it was three-thirty. She headed to the grocery store to pick up stuff to make Chicken Cordon Bleu Skillet. She needs to buy penne, butter, garlic, heavy cream, ham, parmesan, and chicken. Her mama used to make it for her when she was young and she hasn't had it in forever.

After she was almost done cooking, she heard a knock at the door. She answered it and saw her prince. She smiles while saying. "Hello, Prince, come on in, foods almost finished baking, only five minutes left."

"Hey, Angel," he said, kissing her cheek. "I love your outfit. Is it new?"

"Yes, I made it after work. Would you be able to set the table?" Marinette asked, holding out two plates with forks on top.

"It would be my pleasure," Damian said taking the plates then placed them. "So what inspired you to make the outfit, was it Nightwing?"

"No, it wasn't Nightwing. I watched Luka play yesterday, he won the best guitar solo," Marinette called over her shoulder as she opened the oven, taking out the skillet.

"Luka is the bluenette, a bit older than the rest of your friends, and is in a band, right?" Damian asked, looking for cups in her cabinet.

"Yes. I'm surprised you remember that" she said, putting the skillet on the table. "He played at Uncle Jagged's competition with his band and by himself yesterday. He won the best guitar solo."

"That's great," Damian said, pulling out her seat.

"Thank you, such a gentleman, prince," Marinette said, serving both of them. "Bon Appetit."

"This is delicious. Where'd you learn how to cook?" Damian asks taking another bite.

"This is the meal my mother made me when I was young. I haven't had it in forever and I wanted to give you a taste from something of my childhood," Marinette explained. They chat as they eat. When they're done eating they clean-up which ends up in a water fight after Marinette flicked water onto him as he was drying dishes.

Damian won the water battle or so he thought. He had caught her in between the sink and himself. She leaned up and kissed him, he thought he had the victory in the bag until she broke the kiss with a splash and a giggle.

"I win," She says, bopping his nose. She then walks into the living area and sits down on the couch saying. "Want to watch a movie?"

"What do you have?" Damian asked, sitting down beside her.

"My friend gave me Tangled before I left, would you like to watch it?" Marinette said, snuggling into his embrace.

"I've never seen it before," Damian said.

"Well we were making jokes about Rapunzel being Adrien due to his blonde hair and being held practically as a prisoner in his house by Gabe," Marinette said, turning on the movie.

Halfway through the movie, they both fell asleep on the couch. Marinette's alarm went off the next morning, but she didn't hear it. She didn't wake up till twenty minutes later when Damian's alarm went off. They woke up in a confused blushing mess.

"I guess we fell asleep," Damian yawned, stretching.

Marinette checked the time cursing. "Crap, I'm almost late for work."

"Would you like me to drive you?" Damian said standing up and grabbing his keys.

"That would be wonderful. I just have to get change real quick," Marinette said, walking down the hall. She throws on one of her older Jagged Stone shirts, which was worn by Uncle Jagged, ripped jeans and converse. She put her hair up in two small buns on her head.

She runs downstairs and jumps into Damian's waiting cars. Marinette smiles. "Thank you so much for the ride."

"Thank you so much for dinner last night," Damian said, driving the car. When they got there Damian got out of the car quickly and opened the door for her. She then opened the boutique door for her.

"Hi, Diana, sorry I'm late. I woke up late because we fell asleep watching a movie," Marinette said, walking to the back to put her stuff down.

"Hi Diana, it's been a while. How have you been?" Damian asks.

"Pretty good. Life has been easier since my little spot has entered my life," Diana said, sweeping the floor.

"Life has been brighter since my Angel has entered my life. Thank you for sending her to do my measurement," Damian said, with a smitten smile.

"What do you need me to do?" Marinette asked, emerging from the back.

"Well, the suits you took measurements for are done, why don't you go with Damian to tailor them?" Diana asks.

"I have a class right now and my brothers have work. Marinette, can I pick you up after work so you can tailor the suits?" Damian asks.

"That would be more efficient anyway. We have a couple of clients coming in today to get measurements and maybe an original design," Diana said, checking her agenda.

"Ok, Prince, I'll see you after work," Marinette said, going on tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

"Bye, Angel," Damian said, leaving the boutique.

"So what happened to being no one's girlfriend?" Diana teased with a smirk.

"Well Damian is just so sweet and he asked me out on Friday," Marinette recalled with a smile and butterflies in her stomach.

"You got one of the coldest people in the city to be your boyfriend and you've only been here for a week," Diana said, picking up the dust in a dustpan. "I like your shirt, but I don't recognize the artist."

"My Uncle Jagged, well-adopted uncle, he is popular in France and Western America. He gave this to me because he wanted me to fix a hole. I left it in Chloe's room for when he would be back in Paris but he didn't come back in time. I did design some of his merchandise, including this one."

"Well, that is lovely. Oh! I almost forgot to tell a customer came early this morning, she had seen you leaving in your outfit and she asked where she could find the outfit. I told her to come back later to talk to you," Diana said, excitedly.

"That's awesome!" Marinette said, folding a shirt. They work on little things until a woman walks in. "Hello welcome to Lucky Spot, I'm Marinette, how can I help?"

"Were you the one wearing that beautiful blue off the shoulder shirt yesterday?" the small redhead asked, looking Marinette up and down.

"Yes, I made it before I left the store. My friend, Luka, inspired me. So what's up?" Marinette said, stepping out from the counter.

"Could you design an outfit for my bridal shower?" she asks.

"Come to the back and I'll take your measurements and you can tell me what you're looking for," Marinette says, beckoning the woman to follow her to the back. They talk and the red-head woman, who was named Scarlette, told Marinette a blue shirt and white skirt. Marinette finished taking the measurements, she started drawing out the design.

"I'll this done at the end of the week and I'll text you the price tomorrow," Marinette said, leading Scarlette from the back. "Have a good day, I'll keep you updated."

"Thank you, Nette, have a good day," Scarlette said, leaving the shop.

"So, it sounds like that went well," Diana said, waving goodbye to a customer.

"It went so well! I want to talk to you about the money. I'll give you a cut of it," Marinette said. "I'll pay you for the material and a bit extra."

"That sounds great. So for this upcoming week, we are closed for the day before Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, and Christmas," Diana said, closing her agenda. "Also I just bought a new sewing machine. I want you to take the sewing machine from the back as a Christmas gift."

"Seriously! Thank you so much!" Marinette exclaimed, hugging Diana. "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything."

"Don't worry about it you're starting your new life here in America," Diana said, breaking the hug.

The rest of the day was uneventful. At the end of the day, Marinette packed up the sewing machine and grabbed the completed suits she needs to tailor. When she was done taking the needed materials for Scarlette's outfit, a car was waiting outside, presumably to take her to the manor. Damian got out of the back and opened the door.

"Hey, Angel, I'll grab this if you open the trunk," Damian said, taking the stuff. She opened the trunk and then got in the back of the car.

"Hey, Alfred, how have you been?" Marinette asked, buckling her seat belt. Damian slid in the seat next to her, closed the door, and buckled.

"Pretty good, Miss Marinette. I'm going to make dinner when we arrive at the manor, so we can all eat when the suits are finished," Alfred explained, pulling out into the street and traffic.

"How was your day, Angel," Damian said, holding her hand.

"It was good, someone saw my outfit yesterday and commissioned me to make her a bridal shower outfit," Marinette said with a smile.

"I'm so proud of you," Damian said, kissing her head.

"Thank you, Prince," Marinette said, hugging him.

"Angel, would you join us for Christmas?" Damian asked, kissing her hand.

"I... I would love that. I thought I was going to be alone," Marinette said, tears forming in her eyes.

"Yes, Angel I would love to spend Christmas with you. Please never cry again," he said, wiping her tears.

"Thank you so much. You are a prince," Marinette said, hiding into his shoulder.

"We've arrived Master Damian, Miss Marinette," Alfred said, pressing the button to open the gate. When they park Damian opens the car door and the manor door for her.

"Sunshine! I didn't know you were coming today," Dick screamed, looking down on them from the stairs.

"I was asked to tailor the suits to make sure they fit fine. What are you guys wearing these for?" Marinette asked, holding them up.

"I'll go get the rest of the young masters," Alfred said, walking down the hall.

"Can I go first?" Dick asks, running downstairs three stairs at a time.

"I guess," Marinette said, turning to Damian. "Prince, you coming?"

"I'll join you in a minute. I'm going to wait for my brothers," Damian said, kissing her hand.

"Ooooh! Prince! I prefer Demon Spawn," Dick teases as Marinette blushes. She slaps his arm and starts to walk down the hall. "Wait, you don't know where you're going!" he called after her."

"Then show me. I have to get these done," Marinette says, pausing her walking.

"Follow me. Damian we're going to be in the parlor," Dick called back over his shoulder. "So you're dating the Ice Prince."

"I don't know how he got that name, but he isn't as mean as people said. He's so sweet, kind, and such a gentleman," Marinette said, reminiscing of their time together, a smitten smile spreading across her face.

"Awww! You like him a lot!" Dick cooed, opening the door to the parlor.

"He is my boyfriend. Would you get changed quickly so I can tailor your suit," Marinette said, handing him his suit. He left to get changed.

"Did I hear that right?" Jason exclaimed, bursting through the door. He hugged her and spun her in a circle. "You, an actual angel, is dating Demon Spawn?"

"Put me down," She giggles. Once she was safely on the ground, she confirmed what he had said.

"I'm happy for you guys," Tim said. sitting down on the couch.

"That is quite exciting," Bruce says, opening the door.

"Father, this is my girlfriend, Marinette," Damian said, introducing them. "Marinette this is my father, Bruce."

"Hell, Mr. Wayne, it's a pleasure to meet you," Marinette said, sticking out a hand.

"Hello, Marinette, please just call me Bruce," He responded, shaking her hand.

"Ok, I'm ready," Dick says, entering the room again. "Hey, Bruce. Can you believe that Demon Spawn got a girlfriend."

"I had faith in him," Bruce said, he then left the room.

"Ok, Dick stand over there and the person going next please go get changed. Dick, is there any place that is to lose?"

"Could you make the biceps a bit tighter along with the ankles," Dick asks, holding out his arms.

She starts working immediately and she finishes what he asks quickly and precisely. Jason goes next, he asked for the shoulder to be a bit tighter, which she completed. Half-way through Tim's fitting, a bang from the door interrupted her.

"Oh my gosh! Jason wasn't lying!" a boy with black hair, and blue eyes burst in. He was wearing a red hoodie, ripped blue jeans, and red converse. He also was wearing black glasses. "I'm Jon Kent!"

"Who?" Marinette asked, standing up.

"I'm Jon Kent, Damian's best friend, and I'm disappointed he didn't bother to tell me he got a girlfriend," Jon said, plopping down on the couch next to Damian.

"My friends are in a different country and I already told them! Do best friends have different traditions in America?" Marinette asked, sitting down on the other side of Damian.

"No," Damian said, pinching his nose. "It's just I knew he would pester me."

"Aww, I knew you loved me!" Jon said.

"Well, I have to get back to tailoring. Damian, please go get in your suit," Marinette said, sewing the last bit of Tim's sleeve. When she was done with Tim's fitting, Damian walked in his suit. She blushes seeing him all dressed up.

"Angel, like what you see?" Damian smirks, looking at the flustered girl.

"J..Just get over her... here," Marinette stammers. "Where does it need to be tighter?"

"Just the biceps and shoulders," he said.

She starts working quickly. Her fingers dance across his arms as she sews them a bit tighter as he asked. When she was standing in front of him to sew the last part of the sleeve he leaned down and kissed her head, which made her smile.

"All done, Prince," She says smiling up at her boyfriend. She then hugs him. Little do they know Jon took a picture of that moment and sent it to Jason.

Jason immediately posted this tweet with the picture Jon took.

@realJaSonToDd

'Look at it! They're official thanks @JonKent2015. They're adorable together. Love the Sunshine that stumbled into our lives! <3 #Daminette #DemonSpaw'sgirlfriend'

"Thank you, Angel. I'm going to get changed, Alfred will be here in a couple of minutes to show you to the dining room," Damian said, leaving the room. The rest of the boys, except Jon, had left to do other things before dinner.

"So how'd you meet the Ice Prince, "Jon asked, turning towards her.

"Titus tackled me when I first moved here. He then bought me breakfast to say sorry. Diana, my boss, sent me here to do Damian's measurements. Then he took me out to this small cafe the next day. Then he asked me to be his girlfriend," Marinette smiles, thinking about her boyfriend.

"You love him don't you," Jon says, looking her in the eyes.

"I only met him a little more than a week ago, but I really like him," Marinette said not meeting his eyes a blush spreading across her cheeks. A knock came, she and Jon stood up to follow Alfred.

"I already knew Master Jon, was coming. I could feel it," Alfred said, opening the door to the dining room. Most of the family was already sitting down. Damian walked in behind them.

"Sit here, Angel," He said, pulling out a seat.

"Wait that's not fair I want to sit next to her too!" Dick said, shoving Jon out of the way. "Sorry, Jon, but I want to sit next to this Sunshine.

"I get it," Jon shrugs sitting on the other side of Dick. "She's nice and pretty sweet."

Dick takes out his phone to take a selfie with her. "Smile!"

"Make sure you don't post that please," Marinette said after the selfie was taken.

They ate dinner together in a surprisingly happy chatter. The dinner seemed so homey. "I haven't eaten a family dinner in forever. It's so nice to see you guys so close and together," She smiles, collecting plates to bring to the kitchen.

"You don't have to clean up Angel, you're our guest," Damian says, taking the stack of dirty plates from her hands.

"But I want to help," she says, collecting the silverware she also took the stack of plates before he could object.

"Damian, I need to talk to you," Jon said, pulling him aside before he could follow her into the kitchen.

"What?" He groaned as he was dragged into the hall.

"There's something wrong about her," Jon started, Damian stiffened. "She is very injured. I saw it when she was tailoring your suit, with my x-ray vision."

"What do you mean?" Damian asked his voice stern.

"She has recent burns, which is normal if they were on her hands, but the scar tissue was all over her back. She has remnants of a stab wound in her side. She also has multiple broken bones that looked healed ridiculously fast," Jon explained. "I want my dad to take a look at it."

"You will do no such thing. Here's the thing about her, she is a hero of Paris. There is only one problem there's something called Miraculous cure that heals everything. Maybe it doesn't heal everything," Damian said.

"How'd you know?" Marinette said closing the door behind her she opened her purse. "Ya know what, I gotta get going. No one was supposed to know. Tikki, Spots on." After a flash of pink light, they heard footsteps and they look just in time to see her jumping out the closest window.

"Marinette!" Damian screams, running toward the window she had jumped out of. "What have you done!?"

"I was trying to help! I was worried about her well being," Jon exclaimed backing up.

"We heard screams, what happened? Where's Marinette, she was coming out to ask if you guys wanted dessert," Jason asked bursting through the doors.

"She's gone! Jon made her leave," Damian screamed, shoving Jon.

"It's not my fault I was worried. She looked broken," Jon said, shoving him back.

"I can't lose her over this! I... I really really like her. I invited her to Christmas dinner and everything," Damian said, falling to the ground. "I didn't even say good-bye. I swear, Jon if I don't see her again, you'll be answering to me."

"I was worried about her well being--" he started.

"But you wanted to call Clark, just freak her out more, why don't you?" Damian said, slamming the door shut

"Damian, she told me herself she really likes you! Her face was so pink when she was talking about how much she liked you! Dude, I don't think she will leave you over this," Jon said, following him.

"You don't know that though! I can't lose her, she makes my life brighter," Damian said through his bedroom door. He was sitting on the ground looking on his phone. He screamed Twitter was blowing up again.

"Jon! You sent a picture of Marinette and me to Jason!" He exclaimed, slamming open the door.

"Ya, why? I couldn't believe that you were being kind and I wanted to show Jason and how'd you know?" Jon asked, backing up.

"He posted that picture! The hashtags DemonSpawn'sgirlfriend and Daminette are trending!" he said.

"Her face isn't in the picture," Jon reasons.

"It doesn't matter look it!" Damian said, holding out his phone with Twitter opened.

@GotahmOfficialNews

'It only makes sense that Sunshine as @realJaSonToDd put it would melt the heart of Damian Wayne a.k.a. Ice Prince and only blood heir to Bruce Wayne. Who is she? How did they meet? Does she have a cute nickname for him? These are things we need to know!'

"I didn't realize he was going to post it! I just wanted to show him how sweet you were being with her!" Jon reasoned. Damian slammed the door again and started punching his punching bag that his Father had added in when he turned thirteen and had to replace it when he was fifteen.

Marinette arrived home at eight in the night crying, knowing that she would have to leave. No one was supposed to know about her being Ladybug because it endangers them. She decides to put on the Notebook at least they had a happy ending. It hadn't been this hard getting over Adrien, why does it hurt so much right now? 'Because you stupidly fell in love,' her mind supplied.

After she finished watching the Notebook, she transforms and flies across the cold winter night. She lands on a building that isn't Wayne Enterprises and faces away from it. She sits out in the cold for a while thinking about where she could go. She was sad because she had already started building a life here and she already had to throw it away not even two weeks into it. Her thoughts were brought back to the present by the sound of feet crunching the snow behind her.

Big oof of a cliff hanger. Haven’t done one like these before, enjoy.

---------------------------------------------------

Tag list (Open):

@northernbluetongue @melhuney @ladysblackcat @sturchling @otaku4312 @g-arya @smolplantmum @bluefyoto94 @echpr @moonlightstar64 @thesunanditsangel @cutechip @heaven428 @elmokingkong @kass-is-weird @niza13149 @urbanpineapplefarmer @ginamarie1512 @chocolatecatstheron @iggy-of-fans @crazylittlemunchkin @komatsuna-yuki @weird-pale-blonde-person @ellerahs @sinnamonroill @daminett4life @queenmj10 @indecisive-mess-named-me

[r3b3lgrrrrrrrl]

A LunaTic and her Gunn (Part 89Xs1) "Dangerous But Sweet"

@lovemythsworld

@creatureofthen1ght-v3

@crystalbaby12

Don can't find any of them anywhere for Check Out. No one is answering their doors or phones. Not even the responsible ones, like Ashleigh, Bullet or Benny.

Annoyed, he heads to Colson and Luna's suite. He HATES dealing with them, ever since they first met. Especially her.

The door is slightly ajar, concerning Don for a moment. Entering the room cautiously, he finds The Ten of Them sleeping on the floor. Curled up and splayed all over each other like little kids on the mattresses.

Rolling his eyes, he mutters "Fucking idiots." Before speaking loudly. "What the HELL is this shit? You better put these fucking beds back. I'm not explaining your fucking slumber party when the hotel charges the lable for damages."

The rude tone and words coming out of his mouth stirs them. Groggy, with monkeys beating drums inside their heads, they all wish he would just GOOO AWAAY.

Luna opens her eyes. Giving him a death stare.

"Will you EVER be cool, Don?" She asks him with a sigh.

"Will you ever NOT be a fucking bitch?" He fires back at her.

"YEOO." The bass in Colson's voice vibrates Luna's body as his head flies up from behind her. "Watch your FUCKING mouth, Motherfucker when talking to my girl." His tone is fierce in defense of Luna. "Matter of fact, get the FUCK out before you make me get the FUCK up." He warns before laying back into their warmth.

"Bye, Don." Luna states in a monotone voice.

"I don't know how either of you have a fucking career." He spits out.

The Ten of Them are irritable from their Trip last night. With NONE of them liking this DickHead at the moment. Brains still linked, his comment hits them all.

"BYE DON!!" The Ten shout in unison, none moving.

"Indigent Fucks." Is thrown over his shoulder as he storms out, slamming the door behind him.

Getting comfortable again, those that awoke go back to sleep. Fuck Don.

--------------------------------------------------

Colson is performing tonight at MidLand. Finally up and dressed, they're all there. Moving slowly, but they're there. Even before 2P at that. Hanging out back. Burning as they recount the night before. No one skates. They sit, stand or lean. The struggle is REAL.

Luna's starving. She needs cheeseburgers, pineapples and coffee in her life.

"Hook it up?" She asks The Boys.

Offering to Take Care of Them All to their Oh My God, Yes Please's.

Dressed simply in dark shades, her Yankees hat, ripped jeans and a black crop top, Luna pulls off Colson's jean jacket. She was cold earlier but is starting to warm up in the sun.

Slipping in between Colson's legs, she wraps her arms around his shoulders. They lean cheek to cheek for a minute. Breathing each other in. Last night being so intense, they can still feel the raw emotions.

"I'll be back. Text me what you guys want from McDonald's. Love you." She kisses his cheek lightly.

"Love you.... Don't forget we gotta pick Emma and Case up at 430P..." He reminds her to her nod of agreement.

Grabbing Sam and Ashleigh, they take a walk. Burning and sipping on water along the way.

-------------------------------------------------

The Boys take The Girls being gone as an opportunity to run a light rehearsal. Focusing on practicing the Sublime song Colson wants to cover tonight.

-------------------------------------------------

Luna's a bitch. Luna's a bitch who doesn't like to be ogled. Luna is a bitch who can't STAND creeps. Luna's an even BIGGER bitch when she's recovering from a drug binge and CATCHES someone acting creepy.

And thaaats's exactly what leads to what happens in the grocery store.

In the produce section, Luna's wandering around with Ashleigh looking for fresh cut pineapples. Sam's towards her left, in a cross aisle on her phone facing the wall.

Rounding the corner into another aisle, Sam now comes directly into Luna's eyesight. So is a man moving around weirdly in the same aisle as Luna and Ashleigh. He's facing towards Sam. Watching him as her and Ashleigh begin to walk passed, something makes Luna look down.

This pig, is standing in the aisle, behind his cart. He has his hand down his pants and is jerking off to an unknowing Sam.

It feels like slow motion as Luna sees what he's doing, life hitting fast forward once she fully realizes it.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!" Luna screams.

Grabbing the back of the cart and shoving it into the man with all her might. Knocking him down backwards on to the ground, she then moves the cart. Stomping his hand in place on his dick with her right foot.

"What the fuck, Loons!?!" Sam comes rushing over.

"Bro. You see this shit." Luna points to his hand trapped in his pants. "He was fucking jerking off to YOU. RIGHT FUCKING HERE."

Sam's reaction is the EXACT same as Luna's. Word. For. Word.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!!"

She screams also. Bringing her knee up high, Sam starts to stomp down on the dude.

"You like jerking off to girls who don't know it? You fucking freak!" She continues to shout.

Luna joins in. Ashleigh standing back like the night in Chicago. Watching Sam and Luna stomp and kick the fuck out of A Jack Off Johnny of Kansas City.

"Let's see how much you like yanking it in the grocery store after that, Motherfucker." Sam spits on him before they leave him bloody and whimpering on the ground.

The two employees watching don't bother to aid the man or stop The Girls. His actions being unacceptable, they decide to leave him there.

Walking towards the door, Luna spies the fresh fruit she wants. Making their purchase, they leave the grocery store and head to McDonald's.

"Was he really whacken' off to her?" Ashleigh asks in uncomfortable disbelief.

"Yeah, dude." Luna says, disgusted.

She hates the world on a regular day. Today it's extra.

"I seen his fucking hand stuck down his pants, Ash." Sam says with a shudder.

"Why are men so gross..." Ashleigh complains.

Her low serotonin makes her sensitive to sadness. While Luna and Sam are both prone to anger and violence.

"Because there ain't enough women who ain't afraid to beat the fuck out of them when they act gross." Sam states angrily.

She's not wrong. 

"How do you guys know how to do that?" Ashleigh asks quietly.

"What?" Luna cocks her head towards her.

"Not be afraid of men and beat them up the way you do? I would never know how to do that." She says honestly.

"It's a NY thing." Luna blows her off.

Looking at Sam. Some words shouldn't be said. Just as some reasons never need to be relived.

------------------------------------------------- 

Sitting on the back loading dock of the venue, The Ten of Them are reunited eating their fast food and fresh fruit. Having so many bags of burgers, fries, nuggets and pineapples. Ten different sodas and iced coffees, The Girls had to snag a shopping cart to get it all back in one piece.

The Ten of Them are all still pretty miserable. Luna offering up a Xanax to whomever needs. That would be 8 out of 10.

Sitting next to Colson as she munches on a double cheeseburger, Luna's legs are swinging wildly. She loves beef and cheese. Almost as much as she loves Colson.

"Is that blood on your shoe?" Colson asks her, confused and slightly concerned.

"Damn it. That Motherfucker." Luna growls as she lifts her leg to see the tiny splatters.

"WHAT Motherfucker?" Colson now demands.

His possessiveness amuses to Luna. Sucking her teeth and preparing for his reaction, Luna tells the Tale of A Jack Off Johnny of Kansas City.

"Why the fuck didn't you call me?" He insists once she's finished.

"Imagine that...." She says dryly.

Putting her pinky and thumb to her ear, like a phone. She bobbles her head and wiggles her straightened shoulders. Voice and body mimicking a 1950s housewife.

"Hiii Honey, would you mind coming down to the local grocer. I've got a sexual predator trapped here under my foot but still need you to come defend my honor for me. Please?"

She changes her tone as she shoots him a Look with a "Yeah. No."

"I fucking hate when she acts like this... Like she's fucking invincible... She better never...." He doesn't even want to finish the thought. Knowing that his brain is mush and his girlfriend is a psychotic bitch with no fear.

"You're fucking insane." Is all he says, shaking his head as he bites into his burger.

"And you're beautiful and I love you." Luna tells him, nipping any argument in the bud.

Once they've finished eating, Luna and Sam borrow Baze, their instruments and stage to rehearse. Luna doesn't have a name for the Ellen song, she just keeps calling it, IT.

--------------------------------------------------

Watching Luna from SideStage, Colson's phone rings. It's a number he doesn't know.

"Hello?" He answers.

"Hi. Colson? It's Francis, Luna's friend. We met at your house in LA for her Tea Party..." Frannie introduces herself.

"Oh! Hey! Yeah, what's up?" He asks, moving away from the stage.

"I hope you don't mind but I got your number off Sam to that maybe we could touch base about Luna's birthday?" Frannie asks, striking fear into Colson's heart.

"Oh FUCK... I forgot her birthdays coming up." He knows her birthday, he just sometimes doesn't know the actual date of the day he's living in. Many occasions sneak up on him. Ashleigh usually catching them first. Plus, his brain is more wonked out than usual.

"Uhhh... Yeah... What were you thinking?" He opens his apps to check the day of the week it falls on.

"Well, Paris and I always throw her a party out here... Or we used too. We didn't the last two years... So we wanna do that.... Is there a date? Because we were thinking the 19th, not knowing what you guys have planned with this and the wedding and all...." Frannie trails off.

"Fuuuuckkk... The wedding. We don't even know when we're doing that...." Frannie hitting Colson with layers of reality he can't deal with.

"Uhmmm... Shit man. We're on tour right now and haven't really talked about any dates or even her birthday. Fuck, I feel like an Asshole." Colson winces when he instinctively rubs the back of his head, forgetting his new ink.

"Okayyyy... How about we throw her the party on the 19th. You have my number now... If you think of anything just hit me up. Sound good?" She asks.

"Yeah. Thank you. I'm sorry I'm such an Asshole with all of this.... I've never had a serious girlfriend like this before...." He says sheepishly.

"Soooo... You think you should just jump right to wife in three months?" Frannie's trying not to sound sarcastic but she can't help it.

"YEAH. I do. And so does Luna, since she did say Yes." Colson begins to feel slightly defensive.

"I'm sorry." Frannie backs down. "Luna and I are really old friends and I just think it's quick. When do you guys get back to LA? We'll hang out. Before the party." She suggests an olive branch.

"Yeah, deff. And me too. We're done at the end up this month. Call Luna and set something up and I'll keep us and whoever free on the 19th." Colson agrees with an irritated sigh.

"You have people?" She asks.

"Yeah, is that a problem." He doesn't like having to deal with Luna's friend right now.

"No... Not at all. I just need a head count for the space size." She replies to his Oh.

Asking him to text her a list, he agrees. Apologizing again for being rude before they get off the phone. It's false. Not caring who's daughter she is, Colson decides he doesn't like Frances.

---------------------------------------------------

"If they don't have a date... Maybe it just won't happen." Frannie thinks after she hangs up. It's not that she doesn't like Colson, she doesn't know him. Just like she didn't know the guy she married six months after meeting him. Now she can't get her dad's guitar back or rid of him.

-------------------------------------------------

Once off the phone Colson immediately calls Ashley.

"Yellow!!!" She answers, cheerfully like her words.

"Hey Ash..." Colson sighs, relieved to hear a friendly voice.

"Sup Kells?" She asks, concerned.

"Francis just called me about Luna's birthday party?" He tells her in a confused tone.

"Her and P are doing that this year? Oooh!! That's gonna be so fun!! We haven't done it for the last couple... I wonder why she hasn't called me yet..." Ashley babbles as Colson listens emotionlessly. "What day is it? Kells! What day is it on?" Ashley snaps him back.

"Uhh... Friday the 19th....?" He answers, still lost in his conversation with Francis

"Ewww... I'm pretty sure I'm already.."

"ASH!" Colson cuts her off. "I'm freakin' out Dawg. I don't think Francis likes me. I know I don't like her. Luna's birthday is in less then a month. I have nothing planned. We're supposed to get married next month and we don't even have a date. FUCK, I don't even think Luna has one dress, let alone two!!" He spouts off.

"Whoa man, chillax.... It's gonna be alright." Ashley laughs at him. "First. Fran'll be fine, she's projecting her own shit right now. Second. Have you talked to Loons about any of this or are you just freaking out because of Frannie?" Ashley digs for the root.

"I'm just kinda freakin' out." He admits.

"Talk to Loons, Kells. She may already have something in mind. You don't know. Just make sure you keep the 19th open if you really don't wanna get on Frannie's bad side." Ashley teases him.

Colson sighs and thanks her. Really glad to have her as a friend.

--------------------------------------------------

"DAADDDYYY!!!!" Casie comes running up to Colson.

Emma trailing behind her, the two women greet each other warmly. Hugs and How Are Yous before Casie squeezes Luna's guts out.

"I can't breath, Dilla!!" Luna pretends like she's choking to Casie's laughter.

Colson giving her a piggyback ride out of the airport. Luna helping Emma with Casie's luggage as they chat with each other.

--------------------------------------------------

Sat together for a late lunch at Border's Cafe, Casie colors as the adults order food and drinks.

"How's the wedding planning going?" Is the first thing Emma asks Luna and Colson.

"What the fuuuuuuckkkk...." His brain groans.

"Ahhh... You might be able to help if you wouldn't mind. I need a planner for Cleveland. Nothing big. Just a little get together at the house after." Luna says to Emma.

"Yeah, I have a friend who owns a catering business." She suggests.

"That'd be perfect." Luna says graciously.

"When are you guys gonna do it?" Is the dreaded question.

"Monday, the 29th." Luna says nonchalantly.

Colson whips his head over to look at Luna.

"We have a date?" He asks with a mixture of shock, relief and a little bit of jealousy.

Luna's face lights up with excitement. Grinning, she leans over to kiss his cheek. "We doooo!!! And it's really freaking awesome!" She shines as she pulls out her phone. "Look... TownHall only marries on Mondays and Fridays. So.... Ash cleared your schedule from the 29th till here." Luna points to the Sunday of EstFest. Looking up into Colson's oceanic eyes, she gives him THAT One Look that made him fall so deeply in love with her. "Meaning.... We are having a seven day wedding celebration with the possibility of two of them being somewhere...." Lost in her enthusiasm, Luna suddenly remembers where they are. Changing her last word. "Awwwwwesome...." Followed by another Look.

"SEVEN DAYS?!" He exclaims. Looking at her like she just cured cancer. Forgetting the jealousy of not being included in picking the date. "Seriously?? Seven days? That's fucking SICK, Kitten. Where you wanna go?" He asks, pulling her in for a kiss on the cheek.

"We'll figure that out later..." She shrugs.

The server coming to set their food down. Refilling their drinks.

"Do you have a dress?" Emma asks.

She likes to watch the interaction between Colson and Luna. It gives her some insight to what kind of environment her daughter is exposed to when with them.

"I do..." Luna begins to speak.

Colson cuts her off.

"Yo. I legit was just freaking out on the phone with Ash over all of this. The date, your dresses, your birthday...." Colson rambles on in relief.

"My Ash...? About my birthday?" Luna questions him as they eat.

"Yeah... We haven't talked about that one either. Got any secret plans there too?" Colson has a little sass to his tone, last night still lingering.

"I haven't really thought about it... Come on, C... This month has been insane. I only figured out the dates with Ash yesterday when we were getting The Bus cleaned. I'm gotta head out Monday night for NY. I need to rehearse with this new bassist before Ellen. Which ironically worked out because, I can stop at a friend of mine's so she can fit me. I also gotta look at a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights while I'm there too. I tried to work our schedules together because I wanted you to check it out with me but you'll be in Idaho. So, I'm gonna meet back up with you in Anaheim probably. Shit is non-stop. You know this, Sugar." Luna explaining one day of her life next week. Emma tired just thinking about it.

"You need to see the Dr too." He reminds her.

"Motherfucker!!" Luna's mind bursts just as Emma opens her mouth.

"You okay, Luna? You sick?" She asks.

Casie's head pops up. Proving kids are always listening.

"Did the blueberries get you!??" She asks with wide eyes.

Luna can't help but laugh with Colson at Casie. Explaining to Emma her allergy and side stepping her with the explanation of an Annual Exam for work. It's not a full lie.

They enjoy the rest of their lunch. Emma choosing to catch a flight right black to Clevland. With hugs and kisses, she promises she'll see Casie in a week. Pecking Colson and Luna GoodBye with tight hugs. Reminding Luna that she'll send her the contact information for her friend as she gets into her uber.

--------------------------------------------------

"Wait!! Look what I got!!" Casie pulls off her school bag with excitement.

They're still standing on the sidewalk outside of Border's. Waiting for their own uber as Casie digs through her bag. Popping up once she's found what she was looking for. Proudly displaying two homemade, beaded bracelets.

"I made these for you. They're Love Bracelets. Because you're in loooove and I love YOU." She grins as she snakes her head at the two of them.

Casie makes both of their irritated souls lift with happiness. Cold hearts melt with adoration. Slipping hers on, Luna squats down to hug Casie.

"I love it, Dilla. I'll wear it everyday." She promises.

"Me too, Peanut!!" Colson scoops her up, attacking her with kisses.

"Daaaaad!!!! Stooop!!!" She laughs uncontrollably.

"Okay, okay..." He laughs, setting her down. "Here.."

He reaches for Luna's hand. Taking a picture of their gifts. He posts it to his Insta.

"Peanut made us Love Bracelets. My kid is deff the coolest 😭🙏🏽💖 #estfest can't come fast enough. 😈🔐🐈"

---------------------------------------------------

Back at MidLand, everyone's BackStage. Alcohol still flows but they've moved smoking outback. Away from Casie.

Coming down the stairs, Luna catches Casie drumming on the wall. Snagging a quick picture of her favorite little human with her favorite tall human in the background.

"That's gonna be my family..." Luna's eyes well up as she thinks of them lovingly.

"Looney!!!" Casie calls for her once she sees her. "I'm goin on stage with Dad tonight!" She grins excitedly.

"Yeah?" Luna beams at her. "What are you gonna play?"

"What I Got." Casie responds proudly.

"THE GOODNIGHT SONG!!" Luna shakes a giggling Casie. "Make sure you don't fall asleep on stage!!" She teases the little girl.

"Looney... It's too loud to fall asleep on stage." She states as a matter of fact.

"You're right, Dilla. Silly me." Luna laughs as she shakes her head at herself.

-------------------------------------------------

The show is wild as always. The Boys making about a 90% recovery by time they hit the stage. Running through the same setlist as most of this leg of the tour. Casie sings all of her dad's songs SideStage with Luna, Ashleigh and Sam. The Girls still passing a bottle but skipping the joints.

Luna dips off to change before heading OnStage. Dressing in black leather pants and a sheer open back black long sleeved top. Her ass looks phenomenal. Colson can't keep his hands off her while they're OnStage together.

Holding her from behind by the waist as he sings the last line with her, he nuzzles into her neck. Sending electricity through her body as she brings her hand down his face delicately.

"Y'all know we're getten' married, right?" He grins at the crowd's explosion. "We're doin' it at EstFest... Three day fucking RAGER!!" He shouts to the room's wild screams.

"That's right..." Luna chimes in. "This year we're extending it until Sunday with two special surprise performances for you guys. It's gonna be FUCKING WILD!!!" Luna laughs.

"WHO'S COMEN' TO CELEBRATE WITH US!??" He shouts as his fans roar.

He turns to Luna. "You think they'll come?" He asks

"I think they'll come." She answers him before turning back to the audience. "You gonna miss a helluva party if you don't...." She teases before kissing Colson.

"See ya there!!" Luna shouts as she glides OffStage. Right into a tiny Casie.

"Looney, I'm hungry." She pouts.

"We better fix that before you have to perform, hunh? I think we've got Pizza Bites on The Bus, wanna check it out with me?" Luna asks to Casie's nod.

Checking their time with Ashleigh, they have 45mins. Luna takes the little girl's hand in hers as they head off on their mission.

--------------------------------------------------

"You're the best, Looney." Casie states as she munches on pizza rolls.

"Thanks Dill. You're pretty rad yourself, kiddo." Luna smiles at her.

"So, you and dad getting married means you'll be my Looney forever?" She asks.

"Yup. Forever and ever." Luna answers as her heart swells.

"I want a sister NOT a brother." Casie stresses her request.

"WHAT?" Luna asks her with a scrunched face.

"When people get married, they have a baby. I want a girl baby." She explains.

Casie is freaking Luna the fuck out. "Where the HELL is Colson when I fucking need him..." She thinks. Not knowing how to answer.

"Well...." Luna sighs. "I'm preeeetty sure you don't get to pick whether it's a boy or girl. And, how about we get married first and have fun with you. Then maybe a baby might come.... But they don't always."

"FUCK... You should've shut up 10secs ago, you fucking idiot." Luna mentally scolds herself.

"Why?" Casie asking the question Luna knew was coming.

Luna has no idea what to fucking say. How do you tell your 10yr old, soon-to-be step daughter, that she's the only kid you like. That idea of birth and pregnancy makes you want to jump off of a bridge.

"Uhhhhmmm...." Luna chooses science. "You know how my body gets mad at me with blueberries?"

Casie nods.

"Sometimes babies are like blueberries and they just don't agree with some people's bodies..." Luna is struggling hard.

"So you'll die?" Casie asks with terror.

"Oh FUCK my life...." Is all Luna can think.

"No... No... Case, no.... It's just, sometimes blueberries aren't for everyone and sometimes babies aren't for everyone too... Does that make sense?" Luna asks her, confusing her own self.

"I guess." Casie pops up.

Dropping her dish in the sink. She washes her hands.

"Ready?" She asks.

"Yes." Luna has never been more ready in her life.

--------------------------------------------------

With the venue dark, Colson's voice quiets the crowd.

"I brought my Queen out here tonight... Now, I'm gonna bring out my Princess. Come on, Case." He calls her out.

He starts on his acoustic.

🎼Early on the morning, Rising to the street,

Light me up that cigarette, As I strap shoes on my feet🎶

Grinning at Casie, nods at her. She comes in with him. Changing certain lyrics.

🎶I got a Dalmatian, I can still get by, I can play the guitar, Like a motherchucken riot🎶

They sing before Colson hits the guitar solo. Having sang this song together all her life, they hit the notes and lyrics flawlessly. Not missing one beat.

🎶Never start no static, I just get it off my chest, Never had to battle With no bulletproof vest, Take a small example, Take a tip from me, Take all of your money, Give it all to charity, Love is what I got, It's within my reach, And the Sublime style's still straight from Long Beach, It all comes back to you, You'll finally get what you deserve, Try and test that you're bound to get served, Love's what I got, Don't start a riot, You'll feel it, When the dance gets hot🎶

Luna goes wild from SideStage. Cheering them on. Colson looking over Casie's head to grin at her. Loving her more each moment that she doesn't drive him crazy.

"THANK YOU KANSAS CITY!!! YOU WERE FUCKING SICK!!!! GOODNIGHT!!! Colson shouts, ending the show.

Holding hands with Casie, he kisses her on the cheek before passing her to Ashleigh. Colson hasn't fucked Luna all day and is dying to climb inside of her.

"We'll be back." He calls over his shoulder as he takes Luna's hand.

--------------------------------------------------

"I'm gonna rip these fucking pants off you." Colson says in frustration with Luna's zipper in between kisses. Out comes the blade again.

"No! I love these pants!!" She stops him, peeling them off herself. "Can you handle the fucking shirt?" She asks turning around for him to unzip it.

Zippers down, they're both naked in less then 30secs. Colson gripping Luna up by the ass and setting her on the edge of a table. He pushes his large dick inside of her warm pussy as she wraps herself around him.

"How come ever time I fuck you it feels like the first time?" He moans out.

"Cuz this pussy was made for you, Lover." Luna purrs into his ear.

Thrusting her hips into him as he bounces her body off his dick. They fuck each fast with a fierce hunger.

"My dirty girl likes it rough, hunh." Colson pants as he pulls Luna's hair back.

Sinking his teeth into her neck, making her buck harder. Clawing his back as she begs Yes Please.

"Mhmm... Take this fucking dick." He demands.

Making her body quiver, Luna losses all control. Gripping him harder, Luna fucks another two orgasms out of herself before Colson drops his load inside of her.

"FUCK." They both breathe out, sweaty and sex stained. Like usual, they hold each other as Colson rests in his favorite place. Both beyond content in each other's arms.

"We gotta get Case..." Luna reminds him.

As they clean up and change, they burn a joint together. Colson jumping on her so fast in the dressing room they didn't even light an After Show Sex Joint.

Just as they're about to walk out, Colson puts his large hand against the door. Stopping her.

"Wait. We get married on Monday and don't have anything to do till EST on Friday?" He asks.

"Yeah..." Luna smiles out the answer.

"You figure out where you wanna go. We gonna have ourselves a proper mini honeymoon, baaaaaby." He says in a weird country accent.

"I fucking love you." Luna cheeses as she reaches up for another kiss. ---------------------------------------------------

Word Limit (1 of 2) To be continued.......

[themurphyzone]

Oneshot: Perry the Pomeranian

AU of Got Game? where Perry is a human. Yes, this is the episode where Heinz entered Perry into a dog show. 

Heads up: This whole scenario is a bit less innocent when two people are involved. I’m not really sure what to tag this as to be honest, If you think I should tag something please let me know, because some of this leans a bit towards roleplay. There will be lots of awkwardness and embarrassing situations! 

He didn’t get paid enough for this. 

Perry dragged himself into his seat for mission briefing, exhausted from climbing several long flights of stairs. Of course the elevator was broken. And just when he thought his equipment was in good shape that week. 

Major Monogram was already onscreen. He raised an eyebrow, and Perry slowly corrected his posture to make it look like he was paying the utmost attention. 

“There you are, Agent P. Sorry about the stairs, our elevator maintenance guy is on a corporate retreat with our slide-waxing guy,” Major Monogram stated. 

Liar. He didn’t sound sorry.  

“Anyway, our intelligence tells us that Doofenshmirtz has been shopping around for a show dog. We need you to infiltrate the pet store and uncover his evil plan. Carl, send him the mission outfit.” 

“Sending!” Carl exclaimed from offscreen. 

A containment unit rose from the ground, revealing a fuzzy ginger and cream onesie. A headband with floppy ears was attached to the front. 

Perry hated this mission already. 

“Anyway, I'm goin' home early. It's taco night. Ha-ha!” Monogram laughed. 

The screen faded to black. 

Perry folded the onesie, stuffing it beneath his coat so he could smuggle it into the house. 

And to smuggle it into the house, he needed to climb the stairs. 

The super-long, super-exhausting staircase of absolute madness. 

Perry sighed. 

The owner of the My Little Doggies pet store didn’t notice Perry slip in. She didn’t even question why there was an enormous Pomeranian by the front window. 

Perry had snagged a spare dog cushion and taken a spot where he would easily be visible to people coming in. Since most of the customers were only buying supplies for pets they already owned, Perry didn’t need to discourage them from purchasing him. 

He had to consciously resist wrinkling his nose at the idea of being purchased. 

He couldn’t smudge the makeup he’d borrowed from Linda’s kit. It took way too long to smear a passable imitation of a dog nose on his face. 

“Yes, I'm looking for a purebred show dog,” a familiar voice said. 

He must’ve missed Heinz coming in. Perry sat up to make himself more noticeable. This entire mission hinged on making himself appealing enough for Heinz to buy. 

“Well, we have various award-winning breeds to choose from,” the owner replied, gesturing to several dogs in their kennels. 

Heinz glanced over each of them, frowning when none of the canines seemed to meet his criteria. He opened his mouth to ask the owner another question, but paused the moment he saw Perry. 

“Ooh! What about him?” Heinz gasped, grinning madly as he tore across the room to where Perry was sitting. 

Perry kept his face impassive as Heinz’s long fingers stroked underneath his chin. 

Heinz wasn’t rough at all. His fingers were practically dancing across Perry’s skin. 

“He's perfect! Coochie-coochie-coo!” Heinz squealed as he tickled the faux fur on Perry’s chest. “You’re Doctor D's precious little puppy, aren't you?” 

Perry rolled his eyes. 

Heinz really needed to work harder on his evil credibility. 

“Sir, I'm not even sure if that's a dog,” the owner protested. She peered at Perry’s teal hair suspiciously. 

Perry froze. She’d blow his cover if he didn’t do something to make her believe he was a real dog! 

What would a real dog do? 

Perry’s eyes fell on a terrier who was sniffing a chihuahua’s butt. 

New question. What would a real dog do that would leave about seventy percent of his dignity intact? 

An idea finally came to him. 

He rolled onto his back, completely exposing his belly. It was risky to be in such a vulnerable position, but this would aid his goal in the long run. Heinz made a strange noise in the back of his throat, taking the invitation to vigorously rub Perry’s stomach. 

Perry kept a hand on his headband to make sure it stayed in place. Fortunately, Heinz seemed to view this as a cute gesture. 

“He loves belly rubs, and that’s good enough for me,” Heinz told the owner. “I get a big alimony check every month, so money's no object.” 

The owner rubbed her hands in glee. “In that case, he’s ten thousand dollars.” 

Once the transaction was completed, Heinz returned to nuzzling Perry. “Aw, who’s a little cutie? You are, yes you are!” he cooed. 

Perry turned his head away from Heinz so the makeup on his nose didn’t smudge from the face nuzzles he was receiving. 

Heinz broke off the nose-to-nose contact with a wicked grin. “You’re my ticket into the Danville Dog Show. Together, we’ll make them pay for all I’ve suffered.” 

Ah, a backstory scheme and not an eliminate-the-annoyance scheme. 

“Back when I was just a little schtumpel, my father came home with a brand-new spitzenhound puppy that he won in a game of Poke the Goozim With a Stick,” Heinz narrated.  “My father said the dog was like the son he never had...and named him Only Son.” 

Perry winced. Heinz didn’t notice and stroked him absentmindedly. 

“Only Son became an award-winning show dog, bringing my father fame and fortune, while I was forced to be the lawn gnome. You remember that story with my neighbor Kenny?” 

Perry tensed. Heinz was terrible with disguises! Why did today have to be the day Heinz recognized him? 

“ I don't have to go through...okay,” Heinz said. He straightened up, and Perry hesitated, unwilling to follow him off the cushion. He couldn’t scuff up his hands and knees by crawling around like a baby. It would be absolute murder on his back too. 

But at least his previous worry was unfounded. Heinz had already changed the topic. 

“To recap, my entire fragile self-esteem is totally dependent on your performance today at the dog show. You know, no pressure,” Heinz said as he exited the store. Realizing that Perry wasn’t following him, he frowned. “The dog show is that way.” 

“Sir, the city has leash laws,” the owner piped up. She clipped a red leash to Perry’s collar before handing the other end to Heinz. “That’ll be ten dollars.” 

“Extortionist,” Heinz muttered. He tossed a crumpled bill into her hand and stormed off, only to be tugged back by Perry’s refusal to budge. “Time’s a-wastin’, Puffy! You know what? I’m totally calling you that now. Puffy the Pomeranian has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” 

Perry balked. Anyone who chose to name another living being ‘Puffy’ was pure evil. 

A leash was sort of like a trap, right? Heinz had restrained him with more uncomfortable things before. 

Heinz smirked, as if that had been his brilliant plan along. 

Having enough, Perry decided to throw caution to the wind. He stood up and followed Heinz out the store, causing the owner to swoon and faint from the shock. 

“Oh, cool!” Heinz exclaimed. “You can do that bipedal thing like a secret agent! No idea where you learned that, but that gives us a leg up on the competition!” 

Perry allowed Heinz to take the lead, walking behind him at a comfortable pace. 

“So yesterday I was watching Ambivalence,” Heinz said. “It’s this show where the couple has this weird relationship and they’re constantly bickering over the most trivial things. Like who argues over how many chocolate chips you can put into a freshly baked cookie? Does anyone ever count those things? So in the latest episode, Troy was revealed to be an ancient Greek warrior who was flung into the future by Aphrodite and cursed so that he never could hold on to a romantic relationship again. Then again, it was obvious in hindsight. All the guy ever checked out at the library were books on classical mythology.” 

Intrigued, Perry didn’t interrupt him as Heinz explained the subtler bits of foreshadowing. He’d have to check out the show in his spare time. 

“No, no! It’s Heinz Doofenshmirtz!” Heinz snapped. “You know, rhymes with hurts!” 

“Heinz Doofenshultz?” 

“Doof. En. Shmirtz,” Heinz drawled each syllable. 

The attendant at registration raised an eyebrow. “I see,” she finally said. “Heinz Doofenshmidt, entering your bich…”

Perry prayed some random invention would fall from the sky on top of her, but that only worked when the person verbally invoking fate wasn’t expecting it.

“…on frise.”

“Puffy’s a Pomeranian,” Heinz retorted. “Not a Belgian freeze or whatever you just said.” 

“Isn’t he a little bipedal to be a Pomeranian?” the attendant asked.

“Yes, yes he is. So are we in now?” 

“Yeah, fine. You’re in the toy breed section.”  

The attendant quickly handed him a slip, obviously wanting Heinz to stop holding up the line. 

Oblivious to the angry glares he was receiving from the people behind him, Heinz marched off with Perry in tow. 

While the other competitors paraded their obedient dogs around for the judges, Perry watched Heinz for any signs of evildoing. 

“Don't worry about your lack of training and experience, because I have an ace in the hole!” Heinz exclaimed, pulling out a ray gun from his lab coat pocket. “Behold! The Misbehave-inator! It, Does what the name implies. Watch this!”

He zapped a poodle, who took a large chomp out of his handler’s arm. Other dogs quickly followed suit, and soon the arena was filled with screams as dogs filled the arena with holes and demanded subjugation from the humans. 

“Nothing can stop us now!” Heinz cackled. 

Taking that as his cue, Perry wrapped both of his hands around Heinz’s arm and threw him to the ground, forcing him to drop the Misbehave-inator. Perry snatched the device, then sprinted over to a rope that was attached to the upper level of the convention center. 

“Hey, what was all that about?” Heinz demanded, slightly dazed from the force of Perry’s throw. 

Perry ripped off the headband and replaced it with his fedora. 

“Perry the Pomeranian?” 

Rolling his eyes, Perry ripped off the Pomeranian suit, glad to finally be rid of it. Good thing he’d worn his blue collared shirt and brown slacks underneath. 

“Perry the Platypus!” Heinz yelped. He ducked his head, refusing to make eye contact with Perry. A blush spread across his face until his head vaguely resembled a misshapen tomato. “I named you ‘Puffy’...with the whole leash thing...and the cootchie-cootchie-coo stuff too, and...oh man, this isn’t being televised is it? Wait, were you wearing your normal suit under the Pomeranian outfit the entire time? Weren’t you hot with all those layers?” 

Leaving the question unanswered, Perry ascended the rope with the Misbehave-inator in hand. 

“Hey, bring back my Misbehave-inator!” Heinz shrieked. Perry felt the rope tighten as Heinz pursued him. “And you have some explainin’ to do, Mr. I Let My Nemesis Walk Me Around the City on a Leash Because I Have a Complete Disregard for His Evil Reputation!” 

Perry grabbed hold of the landing skid on a low-flying helicopter, smirking as he made his escape with the Misbehave-inator. Then something clamped down on his leg, and Perry quickly held the Misbehave-inator out of Heinz’s evil clutches. 

The device fired yellow beams all over the place as they grappled for control. Finally, Heinz threw himself across Perry’s chest in a last-ditch effort. But the helicopter shifted upwards, throwing Heinz off-balance when he overshot his desired prize. 

Heinz fell through the roof of the My Little Doggies store and landed in a dog kennel. 

Karma had never felt so good before. 

Many months later....

“Happy birthday, Perry the Platypus!” Heinz shouted, popping out from behind his couch. Of course, Perry knew he was there since stealth wasn’t Heinz’s strong suit, but he still pretended to be surprised. 

And it wasn’t actually his birthday, but everybody just seemed to pick a random day to celebrate it anyway, so he was used to it. 

Heinz slid a present over to him, unable to stop twitching as Perry carefully unwrapped the bow and opened the box. 

Inside was an exact replica of the Pomeranian suit he’d worn for the Misbehave-inator mission.

Heinz grinned innocently. “What? Ginger and cream really complements your skin tone!” 

[forestwater87]

Underrated Characters Appreciation Weeks I’m too lazy to set up....

...but I’m proud of myself for having created. So if y’all wanna adopt any of these, you can go wild (please tag me though! I wanna see them!). Otherwise, shower me with praise.

(They’re very writing-heavy and often just a list of questions, so if you borrow anything feel free to tweak as suits your inspiration; the questions/suggestions are really just to get people thinking!)

I’m gonna put them below the cut so it doesn’t get too long, but you have to look forward to:

Jasper Appreciation Week

Cameron Campbell Appreciation Week

Gwen Appreciation Week

Bonquisha Appreciation Week

Dirty Kevin Appreciation Week

QM Appreciation Week

Other Secondary Characters Appreciation Week

Elevated Extras Appreciation Week

Nerris Appreciation Week

Space Kid Appreciation Week

Ered Appreciation Week

Harrison Appreciation Week

Dolph Appreciation Week

Nikki Appreciation Week

Preston Appreciation Week

Nurf Appreciation Week

Flower Scouts Appreciation Week

Woodscouts Appreciation Week

Jasper Appreciation Week

Who doesn’t love this good good ghost boy?

Day 1: 90s Kid -- Depict Jasper doing something radical.

Day 2: Jasper’s Camp -- Show off Jasper’s time as Camp Campbell’s golden boy.

Day 3: David -- It’s the only character he has a real canon relationship with . . .

Day 4: Life After Death -- What does he do with himself on that there island all day?

Day 5: All Grown Up -- We’ve all thought about it.

Day 6: Best Friend to Campers -- Pick a non-David character and develop his relationship with them.

Day 7: Spookily Ever After -- How does Jasper’s story end? On Spooky Island forever? Leaving this realm? Becoming the camp’s new mascot? Or was he somehow alive the whole time? Let your imagination go wild!

Cameron Campbell Appreciation Week

He’s sleazy. He’s morally bankrupt. He’s everyone’s favorite non-blonde-twink villain!

Day 1: Shady Business Dealings -- What’s Campbell up to when he’s not at camp? What does he want with Camp Campbell? Was that Nazi gold in his vault? Something’s fishy here, and I’m curious what everyone thinks is going on.

Day 2: Mysterious Past -- How on earth does someone like Campbell happen, anyway? This could be stuff about his childhood, how he got into . . . whatever illegal nonsense he’s up to, how he met QM, even how he got away with not getting in trouble for what happened to Jasper.

Day 3: Spooky Island -- Seriously, what on earth was going on in that house? Focus on the coolest/creepiest thing in there and go nuts.

Day 4: Fears & Other Random Headcanons -- Basically your Free Space day.

Day 5: Boss Man -- Focusing specifically on his relationships with the counselors.

Day 6: (Relation)Ships -- Yeah, yeah, gotta have it somewhere. This one is pretty open to interpretation, and should be considered platonic or not. Just depict the most interesting/fun relationship you think Campbell has. Is that cold black heart even capable of affection, anyway? (If you think he’s a foxy grandpa, go wild today.)

Day 7: What Happens Next? -- Is he gonna ever leave that cave? Team up with Daniel? Gone for good? What’s up ahead for the most notorious criminal who’s ever run a summer camp?

Gwen Appreciation Week

I mean, come on. You knew I was gonna do it.

Day 1: Background -- There are a lot of interesting headcanons about Gwen’s backstory, cultural heritage, etc. City girl or country bumpkin, Latina or African-American or rich or poor or college dropout or whatever, pick what you think is the most interesting headcanon for Gwen (something that’s related to her time before the show, that is) and go nuts.

Day 2: Favorite Camper -- Pick one of the kiddos and have them bond with their grumpiest caregiver.

Day 3: All Dolled Up -- She’s always in that counselor uniform. What does she look like outside of camp?

Day 4: Ships -- Obviously.

Day 5: That Tragic Plot Twist -- If you have an idea what makes Gwen such a grumpy disaster of panic and unemployment -- or just want to have fun making things unnecessarily dark for such a lighthearted cartoon which I know you do; I’ve read the fanfiction -- it’s time to unleash the angst.

Day 6: Anywhere Else -- AUs! AUs in all directions! Gwen doesn’t want to be at camp, so let’s plop her into another world where she might be happier . . . or might not be.

Day 7: A Campbell Camper? Whether you think Gwen was one of the kids who grew up at Camp Campbell or not, I think we’d all agree it’d be fun to imagine.

Bonquisha Appreciation Week

Because she deserves it and will probably kill you if you don’t appreciate her enough. 

Day 1: Those Wild Shirts -- Draw her in another fantastic outfit, or speculate where her amazing fashion sense (and vanity plates) came from. She has a filthy mouth and a whole lotta confidence, and the first day of this week is to celebrate that!

Day 2: Home Sweet Trailer -- Put her in her house on 69 Dirt Rd. and think about what kinds of things a girl like Bon would call home.

Day 3: Dog -- She has one. Tell us about it!

Day 4: Work/Hometown HCs -- What does someone even do in a town that small? Whether you think she’s a waitress alongside that cute pink-haired gal, or if she lives out of town and drove up to see David, ponder a little bit of what Bonquisha does in or around Sleepy Peak and show it to us.

Day 5: Bonvid -- How did that relationship with David crash and burn so hard, anyway? And what does it look like after that episode?

Day 6: Other Relationships -- Bonquisha vs. Tabii, or Gwenquisha, or bffs with Dirty Kevin, or any sort of connection you’d like to expand upon or forge between Bon-Bon and another character in the show. Hell, draw her and Jacob if you think that’s cute; it’s canon, after all.

Day 7: Muscles to Die For -- She’s big and beautiful and could absolutely murder everyone. Let’s just spend out last day appreciating how very much of a badass Bonquisha is.

Dirty Kevin Appreciation Week

The very goodest alternative Den Mother there ever was.

Day 1: Probably a Real Brat -- What was he like as a kid or teenager?

Day 2: Drugs & More Drugs -- Show us Kevin hard at work or tell us how he got into this crazy business.

Day 3: That Red Hoodie -- It’s kind of his trademark, and this is a day to appreciate it.

Day 4: From Sleepy Peak to Mexico -- Take your favorite part from Kevin’s debut appearance and do something fun with it.

Day 5: Den Mommy -- We’ve all thought about Dirty Kevin as a Flower Scout mother, and if you haven’t, you’re lying.

Day 6: Cleaned Up -- Get him a nice facial grooming and some good clothes, and you could have a handsome gentleman right there. What on earth would that look like? 

Day 7:  Not Such a Lone Wolf -- Whether you have an OTP or just love the idea of Kevin being friends with certain characters, show us who you think he has a soft spot for.

QM Appreciation Week

Listen, we’re all a little afraid of him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve the spotlight for a bit. Even if we know he’ll probably do unspeakable things in and to that spotlight.

Day 1: God or Just Crazy? Whether it’s his apparent inability to age or how he can magically find little woodland paradises in the middle of the camp, there’s a lot of weird going on there. Celebrate the man who may or may not be a murderer and may or may not actually be a literal deity and all his strange, often supernatural weirdness.

Day 2: Hook -- Hey, how’d he lose that hand?

Day 3: Man vs. Squirrels -- He has a blood feud with many woodland creatures.

Day 4: QM Store -- There’s a lot of wacky stuff in there. What did you like best, or what do you think was hidden in the corners that we didn’t get to see?

Day 5: Bonding -- QM’s been there for a long (long long long) time, and he’s clearly known Campbell and David at least for years. Pick a character and explore what their relationship with the Quartermaster might be like.

Day 6: Tontine -- So what on earth was going on there?

Day 7: Camp Specter -- Regardless of how you approached Day 1, the fact remains that for whatever reason, the Quartermaster is at Camp Campbell for good. You can speculate why he’s there or just show us him hard at work doing . . . whatever he does, but today I just wanna see our beloved QM lurking around the camp!

Other Secondary Characters Appreciation Week

To all those characters who hang out in the background, making the campers’ shenanigans more fun.

Day 1: Daniel -- I don’t consider him in any way under-appreciated, but he’s a pretty spectacular way to kick off Season 2, and also this week.

Day 2: Platypus -- Mother of six five four three two one lunch and terror of the camp.

Day 3: Cute Waitress -- Y’all sure do love her. Show your love!

Day 4: Jermy Fartz -- Oh yeah. I went there.

Day 5: Darla & Gregg -- How can anyone who isn’t David be that excited about camping? Were they totally secretly dating? Where are they now, and how did they get there?

Day 6: The Denizens of Sleepy Peak -- Whether your heart belongs to Lester, Fred, the old geezers, or any of the others populating the nearby town, it’s time to show them some love.

Day 7: Parents -- How else would we end this week but with some family bonding?

Elevated Extras Appreciation Week

They’re not as memorable as the secondary characters. They don’t even have lines. But they’re ours and we love them.

Day 1: Former Campbell Campers -- we see in the picture on David’s bulletin board that there were a lot of kids who used to come to the camp. Show or tell us about your favorite!

Day 2: Camp Counselor of the Year Judges -- What was up with those guys? Were they even human?

Day 3: Other Camps -- Lake Lilac is home to Teen Church Camp, Pirate Camp, and who knows how many others? Let’s enjoy them!

Day 4: Larry -- Poor, poor undeserving Larry. RIP, my fuzzy man.

Day 5: Scotty -- Visual comedy camp? Seriously?

Day 6: Chucky -- What happened to him anyway?

Day 7: Your choice! Think I forgot the most important one? Time to correct that mistake! (Listen, if you’re mad I didn’t include Jen, consider this the Jen space.)

Nerris Appreciation Week

Devoted to the real(?) magic kid.

Day 1: The Cute -- Artists, draw how cute she is! Writers, maybe think about how the nickname came about! Or do something completely different! I don’t care!

Day 2: Magic War -- Explore her relationship with Harrison.

Day 3: Elf-kin -- What does that even look like? What does it mean?

Day 4: Bonding with Mere Mortals -- The camp is full of people and animals. Pick one and play with their relationship with Nerris.

Day 5: Dice -- What do they look like? How did she get them?

Day 6: Fandom -- A girl that excited about fantasy has to be quite the fan of a lot of things. Show us her interacting with her favorite stuff.

Day 7: Her Party -- Her relationship with her slightly-clueless mother and extremely-geeky dad.

Space Kid Appreciation Week

The most obvious appreciation week in the entire world.

Day 1: Astronaut -- Whether you want to show him all grown up or as a little kid, give us a glimpse of what Neil the real-life spaceman would be like.

Day 2: Aliens -- Another type of spaceman.

Day 3: Fishbowl -- A day to just appreciate his adorable, impractical costume.

Day 4: Punching Bag -- He’s been pushed around and disregarded by Max, Nurf, Max, the counselors, various animals, and Max. This is a day dedicated to his unfortunate luck and indomitable good spirit.

Day 5: Sick -- After that trip he took across the lake to the moon, and barely surviving the flu zombies, Space Kid could probably use some patching up.

Day 6: Science Guys -- The two Neils, bonding.

Day 7: SPACE!!! -- Give us Space Kid interacting with his favorite hobby ever.

Ered Appreciation Week

A very very cool week.

Day 1: Skater -- Even on the camp’s awful cardboard halfpipe, Ered’s still a budding Tony Hawk.

Day 2: Dye -- Dedicated to her awesome -- dare we say cool? -- hair.

Day 3: Camp Kool Kidz -- Celebrate her short-lived tenure as the head of Camp Campbell.

Day 4: Extreme -- What other extreme sports does she like to get up to?

Day 5: Queen Bee -- Her relationship with one or more of the other campers.

Day 6: Wipeout -- She gets injured a lot, doesn’t she?

Day 7: Cool Gay FBI Dads -- They’re the most wholesome family that regularly gets into gunfights.

Harrison Appreciation Week

Devoted to the . . . real(?) magic kid? (Didn’t we already do this?)

Day 1: Harry’s Son -- His outfit is pure Vegas showman, his VA and accent seem to suggest Israeli descent, and he may or may not be a literal wizard. His parents are terrified of him, but his mom says he’ll grow into his looks. Give some backstory to this lovable kid and his love of illusions.

Day 2: Actual, Real, Terrifying Magic -- This kid isn’t messing around. From summoning fireballs to making both objects and living things appear and disappear, he has some serious supernatural chops.

Day 3: Apprenticeship -- He and Nikki’s relationship consists of equal parts mutual admiration and mayhem. What do the two of them get up to behind the scenes?

Day 4: Brother -- Time for theories (and angst, of course angst) about how and why he “made his brother disappear.” 

Day 5: Any Resemblance to Bill Cipher is Pure Coincidence -- . . . probably. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to imagine that crossover!

Day 6: Frenemies -- Harrison has a habit of getting on people’s nerves. Pick at least one character and develop their relationship with the magic kid.

Day 7: Hufflepuff Pride -- Jordan Cwierz confirmed it! This last day is about celebrating all things yellow and black and (mostly) well-intentioned.

Dolph Appreciation Week

I know, he’s controversial. But he’s a kid with a passion for art and no understanding of history, and he could use some love as well.

Day 1: Painting -- Exactly what it says on the tin. While he is clearly skilled at lots of different types of art, this is the one he seems to like the most.

Day 2: Where’s the Yellow? He is the only one who doesn’t wear anything camp-themed. Give us a glimpse of what might’ve happened to that signature yellow clothing.

Day 3: Stage Manager -- Multiple times throughout the series Dolph is shown as Preston’s right-hand man by helping him design sets and acting in his plays; Preston even returns the favor by posing for a painting. Today is dedicated to the strange relationship of the theatre and art kids.

Day 4: Camp Counselor of the Year! Incredibly, Dolph appears to be quite the competent leader for his age, and his one day of running the camp went smoothly for the most part. Maybe he has the makings of a great counselor after all.

Day 5: The Elephant in the Room -- We all knew it was coming. Whether you find the Hitler jokes hilarious or offensive, everyone has an opinion about this particular character choice. Now’s the time to speculate what happens when he gets older, or completely retcon this aspect of his personality, or do whatever you’d like to with his . . . peculiarities.

Day 6: Father Issues -- According to the show’s wiki, “his father is an American lieutenant, who raised him on a German army base where he supposedly gained a love of art and soccer like many Europeans, much to his father's dismay.” Oof, that’s a lot to unpack. Time for backstory!

Day 7: Not Such a Bad Kid -- Despite his . . . controversial elements, Dolph as a character seems fairly sweet and oblivious, and is loved by a significant portion of the fanbase for these qualities. A free day of sorts, this is about accentuating the positive and appreciating the awkward, artistic weirdo underneath the jokes.

Nikki Appreciation Week

I was really close to not including this, because I don’t consider her an underrated character exactly, but Neil has a week and, let’s be honest, it’d be fun.

Day 1: Rough n’ Tumble -- Nikki isn’t afraid of fighting, and she’s no stranger to getting dirty or even hurt. Show the wild child doing something fun, reckless, and probably not very smart.

Day 2: Raised by Wolves -- Imagine an AU where she actually was as much a literal daughter of the forest as she wants to be.

Day 3: Just a Tiny Bit Traditional -- Despite being such a tomboy, there’s a part of Nikki that is deeply romantic and even maternal. Whether through a version of her that’s a bit older or a quiet moment at the camp, show us a little bit more of her gentle side.

Day 4: BFFs, Potential Step Siblings, Sidekicks -- A day to appreciate Neil and Nikki’s relationship, whatever you see that as.

Day 5: Flower Scout Nikki -- What was her time across the lake like?

Day 6: Parent Troubles -- She and her mom have a difficult relationship, and her dad doesn’t seem to be around that much. Show us Nikki and one or more of her guardians, and what that relationship might be like.

Day 7: Holidays! Her first and greatest love is Christmas, but there’s probably not a holiday she wouldn’t throw herself into. Give her a chance to celebrate any holiday you want!

Preston Appreciation Week

Get ready for some high-octane theatrics!

Day 1: A Flair for the Dramatic -- I don’t care what you do with this one, just give it lots of DRAMA!

Day 2: Speak Up -- Preston and his grandmother are really close, but his parents seem to be AWOL. Every Appreciation Week needs a backstory- and/or family-centric day, and that’s what this is.

Day 3: Cosplay -- What’s Preston’s favorite play? Let’s have him dress up like a character in that show.

Day 4: Stage Presence -- Give the boy a spotlight and an audience!

Day 5: The Bard -- He seems to love writing and directing even more than performing. Show him creating the next Hamilton (or more likely, Hamilton’s weird sequel involving pirates and aliens).

Day 6: Theater Nerd -- Either as a high school AU or just some time in the future, image Preston fully engrossed in that drama club life.

Day 7: Tribe -- Every weirdo has their group of friends. Either through OCs or other characters in Camp Camp, give or describe the people that make up the group in which he belongs.

Nurf Appreciation Week

Gaylord Nurfington, much like Shrek, is like an onion: smelly, surprisingly layered, and will probably make you cry.

Day 1: Big N Tough -- He’s built like a brick shithouse and mean as a bear, and that’s part of why we love him. Celebrate the fact that this guy can (and probably will) kick anyone’s ass.

Day 2: Theater Kid? -- We’ve seen Nurf involved in Preston’s productions more than once. Have some fun with his apparent interest in the performing arts.

Day 3: His Mother’s Boy -- Mother and son time!

Day 4: Surprising Depths -- Show Nurf doing something no one would ever have thought he would enjoy and/or be good at.

Day 5: A Thoughtful Bully . . . -- As the self-proclaimed most self-actualized character in the show, Nurf has proven to be remarkably cognizant of his own issues and respectful of others’. Give him a positive-ish interaction with another character.

Day 6: . . . Is Still a Bully -- But let’s be real: Nurf can be a total jerk. Let the kid be mean today!

Day 7: Knives -- Where the hell is he getting all of those, anyway? Regardless, show Nurf with his favorite toys.

Flower Scouts Appreciation Week

They’ll kill you with a smile and fantastic hair, then they’ll use their drug contacts to bury the bodies.

Day 1: Grace & Class -- No one is prettier and daintier than these angels -- and nobody knows it better than them.

Day 2: Nicer than Disneyland -- Whether you’d like to focus on their shady cookie dealings, the washed-up Miss Priss, or even invent your own Scout, give yourself a chance to explore a part of the Flower Scouts that hasn’t been given much screentime yet.

Day 3: Sasha -- A day dedicated to the quintessential Queen Bee. Manipulative, clever, and pretty damn selfish, Sasha is undoubtedly the leader of the Scouts, and you better respect it.

Day 4: Erin -- If your heart hasn’t been captured by this heterochromatic science nerd, this day is not for you. But for the rest of us, grab your pumpkin spice and head off to Fraaaaance to celebrate her!

Day 5: Tabii -- What she lacks in common sense she makes up for with being absolutely terrifying. Tabii-with-two-eyes-with-one-eye is an emotional rollercoaster, and she deserves a little bit of love today.

Day 6: Not-So Delicate Girls -- From drug empires to vats of acid, the Flower Scouts have proven that they can kick a whole lot of ass. Show off how tough these girly-girls can really be!

Day 7: Garden Mother Kevin -- Come on. You knew it was coming.

Woodscouts Appreciation Week

They might be the cartoon answer to what would happen if Stormtroopers were body-swapped with Boy Scouts, but that’s part of their charm.

Day 1: A Shadowy Organization -- No girls are allowed, they don’t appear to have a troop leader, their camp is impenetrable, there seem to be maybe 5 Scouts at most . . . Pick something cool about this creepy camp and play around with it.

Day 2: Bitter Rivalries -- Between risky bets against Camp Campbell and popcorn/cookie sales against the Flower Scouts, it seems like the WS have a problem with basically everyone. Depict one or more interaction between them and their most bitter enemies.

Day 3: A New Recruit -- How on earth does Jermy fit into the Woodscouts’ routine? How has he not accidentally (or not-so accidentally) been incapacitated yet?

Day 4: Fearless Leader -- He’s slimy in more ways than one, but he keeps Troop #818 together and has even managed to snag a few recruits. That alone is worth a day of appreciation.

Day 5: Strong & Silent -- For someone who doesn’t talk much, Petrol has a lot of good advice and personality. Let’s celebrate his bromance with Snake, his willingness to be sacrificed for the WS, or even just his stubborn refusal to try leg day even once.

Day 6: Call him Snake -- Prince Zuko Billy might not be the most dignified character on the show, but he’s certainly the most honorable and is deadly with a candy cane.

Day 7: Like Family -- I just want to see some Woodscouts bonding, with each other or a character of your choice.

[keywestlou]

HUMOROUS, RIDICULOUS AND SAD.....WILL NEVER HAPPEN

My sympathies are with the residents of Santa Clara Condominiums. What has befallen them is humorous, ridiculous and sad.

Santa Clara is a 111 unit condominium building. The City of Key West recently found it deficient and worn out in many respects. In need of significant repairs. The City has warned if steps not soon taken to correct the problems, it will condemn the building.

The condominium owners each face an increase in their monthly assessments to make a pool from which to pay for the repairs. The increase will begin November 1. The amount anywhere from $7,000 to $11,000 per month.

If condo owners are without funds, they will have to borrow the increases.

I doubt any of those living at Santa Clara can afford that kind of money. Reasons not warranted. The money and conditions in Key West cannot stand a hit of this magnitude.

Santa Clara condo owners are not sufficiently independently wealthy to handle such sums. Were they, they would not be residing in Santa Clara. They would be living in Truman Annex, the Casa Marina area, and perhaps even Sunset Key.

I hurt for them.

Rents in Key West keep rising. As if there were no limits. Which is the problem. There are not. Landlords are not bound by limits or caps.

Rents skyrocketing. In a market where too few apartments have been built and affordable housing is scarce. Houses rather than apartments are being constructed. Such is the market today in what many describe as the Keys “housing boom.”

South Florida overall is becoming the nation’s worst place to rent.

I do not have the Key West numbers. However I share with you what I was able to find. Since the first of the year, Palm Beach rentals have risen 21 percent, Fort Lauderdale 16.1 percent, and Miami 11.6 percent.

Wages obviously have not kept track with the increases.

It is well established that “landlords will do whatever they want because they know that people need a place to live.”

The situation is “getting worse.”

Florida laws protect landlords, not tenants. Landlords have broad discretion  to raise rents as they see fit.

Florida laws prevent local governments from establishing rental price controls. With one exception: Unless there is “a housing emergency so grave as to constitutes a severe menace to the general public.” The “crisis” must first be determined to be factual. Then an election is required to get an ordinate passed for any rent control to come into play. A step worse. The election is a yearly one. A new vote each year to keep the program going.

Florida is fraught with all kinds of problems. Healthcare another, for example. South Florida is #1 in healthcare fraud nationally. Rip offs costing Medicare and insurance companies billions of dollars a year.

The new healthcare field of telemedicine leads. Closely followed by substance abuse and COVID-19 programs.

The numbers tell the story. South Florida accounts for 20 percent of healthcare fraud nationally. Such having assisted in making Florida referred to in the medical field as the “healthcare fraud capital of the world.”

Recent 9/11 observances brought to mind a conversation a month later. I was having dinner at the Yacht Club. Terri and Donna were my guests.

Part of our conversation involved 9/11.

Terri never ceases to amaze me. She told us she lived near the 9/11 area at the time. Her neighborhood was affected for months. Grocery and drug stores were non-existent in the neighborhood after the tragedy. Many elderly resided in the area.

Terri organized with the police a system for getting food and drugs to those in need. She spent 2 1/2 months doing it. She received a plaque and commendation afterwards for her efforts.

An unusual experience yesterday. I lunched at the Eaton Street Fish Market.

I was required to be out for a doctor’s visit. Figured I would grab a bite while out. The Eaton Street Fish Market has been around for about 10 years. An excellent reputation. Especially for lobster rolls. Maine lobster rolls.

I figured why not? It’s about time I tried the place. I love Maine lobster rolls.

The Market is in a former gas station. Well done inside and out. Seating outside in shady areas.

I bought the large lobster roll. $30. Worth every penny!

Try the place. I plan on going back. It was that good.

Enjoy your day!

HUMOROUS, RIDICULOUS AND SAD…..WILL NEVER HAPPEN was originally published on Key West Lou

[dknc3]

Well, grad party weekend is almost over and I appear to have survived. It was a close thing for awhile there, though! 

Long text post under the cut summarizing the weekend’s adventures. (And giving a pretty good illustration as to WHY I’ve been a tumblr absentee of late, LOL!!)

About 30 hours prior to party time, I received a call from #2 telling me he felt like death and had been unable to rise from his bed except to stumble to the bathroom for nearly 24 hours! Why he hadn’t felt it necessary to tell me this when texting with me the night before about coming home from school for his brother’s party, who knows? Anyway, he NEVER complains about being sick even when he is and he sounded like death and answered “no” to questions about having Advil, water, or cough medicine in his dorm room or any way to get them or any capability of driving his car around the block much less home.

So, I embarked on a 3 hour round trip to fetch my sickly second son, guiltily leaving my husband with an insanely long party prep “to do” list in my absence. One of us at least had to work on preparing both the deck and yard (where we WANTED the party to be) and the big ugly unfinished basement (where we feared a lot of the party might have to be because the weather forecast was getting shittier by the moment.) I had to be the parent who took the road trip because A–I am willing to drive much faster than my law abiding husband and therefore could accomplish the rescue mission more quickly, and B–MAMA is the parent best at caring for our ill babies, regardless of age.

When I got #2 into the car, he was burning up with fever, hacking like someone with tuberculosis, and complaining that EVERYTHING hurt! I gave him Advil and water and apple juice which I brought along and told him if it wasn’t May I’d swear he had the flu. Those words proved prophetic when I took him straight to the doctor’s office once we got back into town and he tested positive for INFLUENZA A!!! Seriously? Who comes down with the freaking flu in late May?!? Apparently, MY KID. On the eve of his brother’s grad party.

So I got him a prescription for tamiflu, a bunch of decongestant and cough meds, and tucked him into his bed before launching back into full force party prep.

Mr. DKNC, quite proud of himself, had purchased two nice canopies which he set up on the deck. They would do beautifully to shade folks should the sun shine and protect well enough from potential pop-up showers without bad wind, but at least overnight, potential thunderstorms with heavy winds were predicted. I mentioned we might want to take the canopies down until closer to party time, but this suggestion was met with “It’ll be fine.”

A few hours later as I was rethinking whether or not I had enough food in the house and ready for pick-up the following morning (after receiving a gleeful call from #1 that several more of his friends had just let him know they’d be able to come after all and three text messages from family friends letting me know their entire families were coming), the severe thunderstorms showed up, and at a rather ominous sound from out on the deck, Mr. DKNC raced out back and shouted, “Dammit! I didn’t know there was going to be a fucking hurricane!”

So the two of us set to work dismantling the canopies before they were torn apart by the wind. In a torrential downpour. While he swore and complained the way he only does when he feels he should have more control over situations which are completely out of his control. Sigh.

He’d done a ridiculous amount of work all day long–the house and yard truly did look amazing, and we’d actually begged, borrowed, and stolen enough tables and chairs that we had outdoor seating for nearly fifty people at a time–over half of that at tables. The house, after 3 days of cleaning, was about as spotless as it gets, and I’d figured out a plan to set up the musicians in the basement rather than on the deck and move a bunch of chairs in there if we really had to–while praying we didn’t have to.

Son #1 came home from dinner out with his girlfriend (he had cleaned the barn earlier in the day), and I sent him right back out to pick up our only non-driver–Son #3–from his job at the hardware store. (I cannot WAIT until May 31st when that kid can get his license!)

I made Ramen noodles for flu boy and ordered pizza for everyone else and decided to call it a night.

Party day dawned grey and rainy, and Mr. DKNC (aka my personal Lord of Winterfell) got all “Winter is Coming” on me with various dire weather disaster predictions. I made him take #3 to work (yes, the kid worked evening shift the day before and opening shift on party day so he could get off early enough in the afternoon not to miss much of the party) just so #1 and I didn’t have to listen to him. #2 got out of bed, showered, dressed, said he felt a bit better, sat up and talked with me while I began setting up the buffet area in the kitchen, then began to feel crappy again–because FLU–and went dejectedly back to bed.

Mr. DKNC had come home after dropping #3 at work and picking up a few things I’d realized we’d forgotten about and put on a list for him. The rain had slowed to intermittent drizzle with only very brief spotty showers so I crossed my fingers and assigned him and #1 to put the canopies back up while I went out and picked up all the sandwiches and barbecue and fruit and vegetable trays and pasta and potato salad, etc. I’d ordered from the grocery and our local meat market. Then I headed to the bakery to pick up the great big cake.

Got home and just had time to say hi to the musicians who’d arrived and we’re setting up and then get all the food actually ready to serve and all the drinks (which Mr. DKNC had gone out and bought using my shopping list my road trip to rescue #2, calling me at least fifteen times from the store because apparently my directions weren’t always clear, LOL!) iced down and the balloons hung at the end of our road (because it’s easy to miss if you don’t know the way) when the first guests arrived, rushing onto the screened in porch with umbrellas up to protect them from the sudden downpour.

That rain lasted 30 minutes and then disappeared did not return for 6 hours. Seventy people ended up at the party and no one went inside except to get food, use the bathroom, play pool, or take a brief AC break because the temperature soared into the mid-eighties. The guests ranged in age from 2 to 84, and both the youngest and the oldest danced to the music which was fabulous. Our musician friends played for 5 hours straight, only stopping when the rain started to threaten again close to 9pm. Most of the older people and the families with small kids left around 9, but at least thirty people were here until after midnight, playing pool, sitting on the screened in porch watching the storm, snacking, drinking, laughing, and generally having a great time. The last of the guests above college age left around 1am, and Mr. DKNC and I decided it was time for bed. No idea what time the last of #1’s friends left or availed themselves of various sofas here to sleep on.

But it WAS a really good day–family from 3 hours away, friends we hadn’t seen in years–we really felt blessed by all the folks who came out to celebrate with our son. And while my husband and I both felt we never got to talk to anyone over 5 minutes most of the day as we kept trying to talk to EVERYONE (and keep food hot and drinks cold all day long), we had fun. More importantly #1 had fun. And I’ve got the video of him singing Johnny Cash with the band!!

The only person who didn’t have much fun was #2 who spent most of the day in his bedroom with Netflix and Advil. He did rally enough on two occasions to put in brief appearances to at least talk to relatives who hadn’t seen him in a long time–but he wasn’t allowed to touch anyone, I had to fix his plate as he wasn’t allowed NEAR the food, and he wrote BIOHAZARD all over his cup so no one would accidentally drink after him! And he still only spent maybe an hour total out of his room, poor guy.

This morning I woke early to take #3 to work (yes, again–this kid needs a driver’s license), Mr. DKNC went to church, but I stayed home because #1 (who as far as I know slept almost none at all) went out to breakfast at 10 with his girlfriend and two couples from her college who had come down for his party and I didn’t want to leave #2 (who didn’t have fever this morning–YAY!–but was still pretty achy) on his own.

I discovered the college kids had attempted to clean up a bit as there were several garbage bags filled and left out on the screened-in porch. Unfortunately, these must have been city kids who don’t realize why all of our outdoor garbage cans have lockable latches on them. So … Our local trash pandas had their own party on the porch some time in the wee hours. Their nasty, muddy little foot prints were all over everything, all bags were ripped open, and trash was strewn everywhere! No offense to my dear @thefairfleming, but trash pandas are evil incarnate!!

So … that was an hour of my life I won’t get back. I rewarded myself for doing that thankless job by eating cake for breakfast. Hey, the little bit of cake left was too big for the plastic storage container I had by only a couple inches!! I had to solve that problem!!

I’ve now cleaned the rest of the house. I don’t even want to know how cake crumbs and empty beer cans found their way to some of the places I found them! I’m almost afraid to check the barn as there was a veritable parade of folks going down to visit the horses yesterday.

But the only task left for today is another road trip to get #2 back to school. He isn’t well, but he is better, and he has only TWO days left. This time I’m taking Mr. DKNC with me. As long as we have to make the trip, we’ll take most of his stuff home with us so he can just leave on his own when he’s officially finished. I’ve got his drugs packed up and clean linens to put on his bed there, and that’s the best I can do for him at this point. I seriously hate taking him back still sick, but he has to finish the term.

And then, Mr. DKNC and I will come home and finally get to rest and relax. Just kidding!! We’ll sleep for a few hours and then I’ll go to work and he’ll fly off on a trip tomorrow! And as we realized as we got in bed last night, we’ll now be expected to do this crazy thing at least twice more!!! We both lay there and laughed hysterically when that thought hit us because really … no other reaction was possible!

[newyorktheater]

#Stageworthy News of the Week. Hamilton is in the news five years after it opened on stage: Disney released the first trailer of the Hamilton film, which will begin July 3 online at Disney+; John Bolton’s tell-all book about Trump, which is officially released tomorrow, stole its title from a song in the musical.  Bolton even explains the timing for the book — coming months after the impeachment trial, when Bolton’s testimony might have made a difference in the outcome  — by quoting another famous line from Hamilton: “I am not throwing away my shot.” (“gallingly” as one columnist put it.)

Bolton’s borrowings prompted Lin-Manuel Miranda to rewrite one of his lyrics.

Let me tell you what I wish I’d known When I was young and dreamed of glory You have no control Who lives, who dies, who [borrows your song title to write a cash-in book when they could have testified before Congress] tells your story…https://t.co/mJlJaxGDnf

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) June 18, 2020

The Week in Awards The Week in Reviews The Week in Anniversaries The Week in Other News The Week in Other Videos

The Week in Awards

Danny Burstein as the impresario Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge

Drama League Award Winners: Danny Burstein and Moulin Rouge, The Inheritance, A Soldier’s Play

Broadway Black’s Antonyo Award Winners: Tina, BLKS, For Colored Girls…

The Week in Reviews

My H8 Letter To The Gr8 American Theatre. Diana Oh Sounds Off

Paul Robeson in Othello

Florence Mills in costume for Blackbirds, 1926.

Hattie McIntosh, George Walker, Ada Overton Walker, Bert Williams, and Lottie Williams performing cakewalk in the Broadway production of In Dahomey, ca. 1903–1904.

Macbeth in Harlem: Black Theater in America from the Beginning to Raisin in the Sun

The Week in Anniversaries

Pride Week 2020 Calendar of Events: LGBTQ Theater, Festivals, Festivities

Bloomsday Lives On, Online

Juneteenth 2020 Performances Online and Demonstrations In the Streets

For Fathers Day: Fatherhood in 10 Broadway Musicals

The Week in Other News

Phase 2 of reopening kicks in today in New York City — which means outdoor dining, barbershops, in-store retail at 50 percent capacity, houses of worship at 25 percent capacity. Theaters will not reopen until Phase 4.

New York Theaters Push for #NYCBudgetJustice

Almost 50 New York theaters, from Abrons Art Center to WP Theater, are calling on their patrons to lobby New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and the New York City Council to reset their priorities in the annual budget that must be passed by July 1.

.@CarnegieHall & @LincolnCenter announced they would cancel their fall seasons, which @MetOpera & @nyphil had already done. Officially, Broadway is canceled only until Labor Day. But it’s unlikely NYC will be graced with live performing arts on any of its grand stages in 2020. pic.twitter.com/FiRu8NfrSX

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) June 19, 2020

A study entitled “Arts and Culture 2020 Comeback,” by  arts consultants company TRG that surveyed its clients, does report that as many as 63 percent of U.S. venues are planning some kind of live performance in the fall, but this includes streamed or recorded performances delivered online.

.@PublicTheaterNY‘s Free Shakespeare in the Park returns this summer! Except not in the park. Richard II, starring Andre Holland, will be broadcast as a radio serial over four nights, July 13 to July 16, on @WNYC pic.twitter.com/wfIyphJPwX

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) June 18, 2020

.@DaveedDiggs in a new play by @cajohnso90 is added to the already-stellar roster of playwrights and actors in #HomeboundProject # 3, which has been rescheduled for June 24

Detailshttps://t.co/EXREKydmSr pic.twitter.com/ecGTnHi7iu

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) June 16, 2020

.@thedanieb, magnificent as both an inmate & a Shakespearean heroine, will moderate all-day Black Women in Theatre Appreciation Day June 29. Panelists include @DIAMONDLILLIAS, @AudraEqualityMc & @amberskyez of @BwayAdvocacyCo

Register here–> https://t.co/rh662NTUjM pic.twitter.com/gulCGRnzH3

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) June 18, 2020

Congratulations to @DonnettaLavinia , @Kimber_Lee90, @donjarlove, @MonaMansourNY, @OhyeaDiana and@sungrno for winning @NYCommTrust Helen Merrill Award for playwriting (& $25,000 each) “some of American theater’s most original voices” pic.twitter.com/YWxYrMS8It

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) June 17, 2020

The Flea artistic director Niegel Smith

A statement from The Flea: pic.twitter.com/PRBiB4KRIu

— The Flea Theater (@TheFleaTheater) June 18, 2020

In a departure from its practice from its inception a quarter century ago, The Flea Theater will now pay its mostly young artists in its resident company The Bats.  The decision came after protests initiated by a former Bat, Bryn Carter (Read the exchange here)

My profile of  Niegel Smith in 2015 in American Theatre, when he took over as artistic director.

American Theatre Magazine willstop its print editionat least through the end of the year, but will continue online.

.@BNuppereast is reportedly shutting down at its 86th Street location for good, and looking for a smaller space. This reminds me: What’s the story with @dramabookshop? Plan was to move to 39th St in March, owned by @Lin_Manuel, designed by @DavidKorins. Will it still reopen? pic.twitter.com/tmNKvCnw17

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) June 17, 2020

  Rest in Peace

RIP Ian Holm, 88, Shakespearean actor best-known for portraying Bilbo Baggins in Lord of the Rings. He appeared on Broadway in Pinter’s The Homecoming in 1967. pic.twitter.com/r8BEFtCHSX

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) June 19, 2020

The Week in Other Videos

As members of the black theatre community, we stand together to help protect black people, black talent, and black lives of all shapes and orientations in theatre and communities across the country. Join us: https://t.co/nxBLqnAHKX pic.twitter.com/x1lvcZ7jZK

— BlackTheatreUnited (@BLKTheatreUnite) June 16, 2020

Hamilton Online and In The News. Phase 2. Pride Week #Stageworthy News of the Week. Hamilton is in the news five years after it opened on stage:

[fashiontrendin-blog]

The Secret History Of That Iconic 'Nanny' Wardrobe

http://fashion-trendin.com/the-secret-history-of-that-iconic-nanny-wardrobe/

The Secret History Of That Iconic 'Nanny' Wardrobe

For six seasons, “The Nanny” blessed audiences with humor, a treasure trove of pop culture references and the “will-they-won’t-they” to end all “will-they-won’t-theys” between makeup salesperson-turned-nanny Fran Fine and her boss, big-shot Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield.

And from the moment Fran Fine knocked on the door of that Upper East Side brownstone, her clothing was unforgettable. 

There are some television shows ― “Sex and the City” and “The Golden Girls” come to mind ― in which the wardrobe becomes a character of its own. “The Nanny” undoubtedly falls into that category. For that, we have costume designer, stylist and color expert Brenda Cooper to thank.

Cooper served as costume designer for the show’s first four seasons. She had been working as an assistant on “Princesses,” another sitcom starring Fran Drescher, when the actress made her a proposition. “She said to me, ’If I ever get my own show, I want you to be my costume designer,” Cooper told HuffPost. A year later, she got the call. “The Nanny” premiered on CBS in November 1993.

Drescher, the creator and star of the show, recalled Cooper’s impact fondly. “The costumes on ‘The Nanny’ fast became as big a star of the show as the Nanny herself,” she told HuffPost in an email. “Her brilliant ‘eye’ for design, color, coordination and her ability to bring both style and wit to any outfit won her a well-deserved Emmy.”

Cooper clothed Drescher in looks by Moschino, Todd Oldham and Thierry Mugler, to name just a few. The character’s wardrobe typically sat right on the line between uber-chic and over-the-top. “Everything was like, ‘How far can I push this without tipping it over the edge?’” Cooper said of her approach to styling Drescher.

Cooper told HuffPost she was given complete freedom to execute her vision for the show. So she ran with it.

“Usually you’re told the look. Fran and I had a relationship where she just put it in my hands and I knew I wanted to make a difference,” she said. “Clothing is incredibly important, and I think sometimes in the industry it’s not treated with the importance it deserves. I wanted to make a statement. I wanted to show that wardrobe plays an important role in the story.”

And what a role it played. Every item, down to Fran Fine’s iconic bathrobes, made a statement. Nearly 20 years after “The Nanny” left the air, the star’s clothing continues to inspire articles, blogs and Instagram accounts. The Instagram account “What Fran Wore,” which chronicles Fine’s fabulous looks, has over 200,000 followers. 

Cooper told HuffPost that the wow factor came partly from the clothing itself and partly from the way the original garments were altered and enhanced. 

“I wanted that robe to have shape and style,” she said of the nanny’s bathrobes. “I always put a shoulder pad in the robe, so it had a really ’40s look to it. It was always about making it look more elegant and have more style and sass. Every week I had a team of seamstresses in the fittings ― we would be cutting, trimming, pinning. I would be ripping off sleeves, adding sleeves. There was a lot of creative stuff that went on to pump up the volume.” 

Because Cooper often used pieces of garments from several different designers to create one look, the clothing can sometimes be tricky to identify. Cooper said such looks have even stumped Shanae Brown, creator of “What Fran Wore.”

“There was this Nicole Miller dress that we changed ― some dress she [Brown] couldn’t ID,” Cooper said. “I think it’s amazing what she’s doing, I love what she’s doing and identifying them. She just needs to pick up the phone and I can tell her what they are. [laughs]”

For Brown’s part, she credits Cooper’s eye for the staying power of that wardrobe. “I think Fran’s wardrobe is iconic because Brenda has a great eye for style!” she wrote HuffPost in an email. “There is a wave of ’90s nostalgia right now, and all the pieces that Fran wore aged perfectly. Her outfits were tight, short and full of color. The wardrobe perfectly matched who the character was as she wasn’t afraid to be bold and unapologetically herself, which is also another wave we’re going through ― women not being afraid to fully embrace themselves and their style through fashion.” 

Cooper said she would shop for eight to 10 hours a day, searching for pieces that would appear on the show just once. Some of the clothing was lent to them. Cooper recalled borrowing a Herve Leger gown that was eventually needed for a reshoot. 

The only problem was the $10,000 evening gown was no longer available. So Cooper took matters into her own hands. After searching for and finding matching fabric, Cooper recreated the dress to a T. “You can’t even tell the difference,” she said. “I was so proud of myself.” 

That kind of emergency creativity wasn’t restricted to the main cast’s costumes, either. Over the course of six seasons, “The Nanny” boasted a slew of A-list guest stars. They often played themselves and were often asked to bring their own wardrobe. Among them were Elton John, Bette Midler and Patti LaBelle ― who Cooper said showed up for her appearance empty-handed.

“She was a rock-and-roll disco queen with her own clothes ― but she shows up and didn’t bring anything,” the designer recalled. “We were shooting in two hours. This is the stuff that would happen all the time. I had two or three hours to make her look like a disco queen. I had one pair of stretch bell-bottoms ― this was my departure point. I jumped in the car and ran to Loehmann’s. I see a huge gold Donna Karan skirt. OK, I can make this work. I run to Saks, there’s a beaded dress. OK, I can make this work. I run back to the studio, put the pants on, take the skirt and cut out the center, put a jacket over the dress, pop some shoulder pads into it, and she’s on set. She loved it so much that she asked if she could keep it. I was so upset because I was so proud of it. [laughs]”

Cooper also remembered another guest star: now-President Donald Trump. “It was fine” having Trump on the show, she said. “I mean, it was fine. I interviewed him years later for a show I was on called ‘Fashion Emergency.’ On my reel, he says, ‘You can make me over anytime, any place.’ On ‘The Nanny’ he was professional and polite. But he always wears the wrong color tie.” 

The designer has an Emmy to prove the impact of her work. “Could you imagine if I dressed that show and dressed Fran like an average, everyday nanny?” she said. “We wouldn’t be having a conversation right now. I wouldn’t have an Emmy. WhatFranWore wouldn’t exist. This is all because of the way somebody was dressed.” 

The wardrobe direction changed a bit when she left after the show’s fourth season, Cooper noted. While she wouldn’t give specifics, she did say there were certain things she wouldn’t have done. “I think they did a pretty good job of maintaining the look,” she added. 

They certainly had big designer shoes to fill.

And if the show were resurrected today? Cooper thinks Fran Fine would be parading around in the same kind of style. 

“I would do a present-day version of the same thing,” she said. “The same formulas and stores. Even when I’m shopping now, I go if I were doing ‘The Nanny,’ that’s a perfect piece, that’s a perfect piece. I can’t tell you anything different that I would be going for.”

For her part, Drescher, who calls Cooper both a colleague and a friend, said she is always open to working together again. “Brenda is truly a master of her craft and her style genius is liberating,” she told HuffPost. “I will never look at clothes in quite the same way again! And frankly, I try to work with her every chance I can because I trust that she will always deliver!”

Petition for a reboot, anyone?

Read more about Brenda Cooper on her website. 

[spajonas]

Sunday Update - October 8, 2017

Well, my fingers suffered the agony of writing but I finished THE DAYDREAMER DETECTIVE RETURNS A FAVOR last Sunday. That’s my huge news for the week! It happened after I posted my Sunday Update but I referenced it in my October Goals post.

On Monday, it was back to school and work. In the morning, I pulled SUMMER HAIKUS from Amazon, waited for it to be unpublished, then I uploaded the new version. I then worked on new covers for my Daydreamer Detective series! They will all get an update later this month and the Daydreamer Detective has a new blurb too! I got one professionally written, and it’s so great. I can’t wait to use it!

On Tuesday, I walked, per usual, worked some more on random stuff I had put off while finishing Daydreamer 4, and then got our veggies from the CSA share. Then I had the evening to myself because my husband had work in the city.

Wednesday was a super busy day. I walked in the morning, showered, drove to the grocery store farther away, stocked up stuff we had been running out of, came home and put everything away. I then ate a very rushed lunch, went to the chiropractor and acupuncturist, then got the kids from school. Not long after that, I took them to their tennis lessons, came home, and made dinner. This was also the day I got my new computer up and running! I bought a PC, a Lenovo Flex 5, to run Dragon and a few other programs I can’t get on Mac. In between all the other things I did on Wednesday, I also was working on that. I was pretty beat at the end of the day!

Thursday, I met up with my writing buddy Amy at Panera. We arrived a little later than usual because she had trouble locating her computer in her house! I’m so glad she found it. Then I ran an errand on the way home, and we had a nice chill afternoon at home. Finally, no place we had to be! Until the evening that is, when I had to go to the middle school for Back to School night. It was long, two whole hours, but it was fun and I got to meet all of my older kid’s teachers.

Friday was finally a regular day. I got the kids to school, walked, showered, went to Whole Foods, had lunch at home, napped, and picked up the kids. Then we chilled all afternoon and evening because my husband worked from home.

On Saturday, the kids had piano lessons in the morning so I cleaned while that was going on, ate lunch, went for a walk, and worked in the afternoon. Then in the evening, we had english muffin pizzas as a family and played Monopoly together. My husband crushed us all in the first game and won. Lucky bastard. In the evening, we stayed up to watch the Michigan State vs University of Michigan football game, which is a huge rivalry. I’m a MSU alumni, so I root for the Spartans and they won! I went to bed tired but happy.

Today, we spent most of the day out on Long Island visiting family for my nephews’ birthdays. The ride out there and back were both not too bad, so a good day all around.

In more work news, I’m currently reading Hikoboshi 2 and making notes along the way and I hope to start editing it tomorrow. Today and yesterday, SUMMER HAIKUS has been available for free on Amazon. As of this moment, I have given away over 2100 copies of it! I had an ad in Freebooksy today that put me over the top and now it’s #80 in the Free Store and doing well in the charts. I hope some people in KU have been clicking borrow instead of just downloading the book because I’d love to get a leg up in the Paid charts tomorrow and some page reads as well. We shall see.

What else happened this week?

I finished up THE DAYDREAMER DETECTIVE RETURNS A FAVOR! Woo hoo!!

I’ve been working my way through my Japanese monthly snack box backlog. These were really good. Little brown sugar cookies. Mmmm!

Say hello to my new Dragon master! This is the Lenovo Flex 5.

During Back to School night, we were “forced” to do science experiments, complete with safety goggles.

I flew my Spartans flag outside for the big game on Saturday!

My new knitting project is pooling badly. So I’ve woven in a life line and I’m going to rip back and fix this by alternating with the other end of the skein.

And finally, here’s where SUMMER HAIKUS is sitting today! Looking good! I’m so glad I republished this book.

Coming up this week on the blog: I think it’s time for another Book Chat. I have some audiobooks I can write up!

Have a great week everyone!

Sunday Update – October 8, 2017 was originally published on S. J. Pajonas