#it is the stingiest bill

[preeeow]

wisconsin republicans are so stupid and out of touch that it's actually embarrassing to watch this medical marijuana bill go thru

[voluptuarian]

I need to complain about my mom, and specifically how discussing sharing an apartment with her has gone

while everybody's out talking to my mom about lenores honeymoon plans, and how everyone in my house needs me to move out now, my mom spontaneously offers that I could stay with her until I find a place

at a later meeting, Lenore brings that offer up; my mom claims she has no idea what Lenore is talking about, and that she never said any such thing

much later, offers to let me share her apartment again, but acts like it was my idea in the first place-- I say I'd prefer my own place, but if I can't find anything else, I'd consider sharing a 2 bedroom, not her current studio; both of us suggest waiting for a 2 bedroom opening in her current building

months pass without my finding a place in my budget and without a 2 bedroom becoming available; she and I start looking at other 2 bedrooms, and even roomier 1 bedrooms but can't find anything that works for both of us

my mom starts overtures about just sharing her current apartment again; I reaffirm that I'm not interested since the only bathroom is in the bedroom, and no matter how we planned it out one of us would be constantly going into the others' room at all hours; despite the fact that I am a grown fucking woman and not wanting somebody trotting into my room at 3 am to pee is the most normal thing in the world, my mom acts completely bewildered and like my expectations are uniquely and unthinkably high

I find the only available apartment in my budget in the city (it's a piece of shit, so doesn't work out) but knowing my earned wage is like $5 a month, and that might block me from signing a lease, ask my mom if she'll co-sign for me; she refuses, saying I "might randomly get sick and not be able to pay rent," even AFTER I reiterate how since I'm paying rent with loan money, that's not a situation that could ever happen. (At this point I'm like, is she just the stingiest person on earth to Just her children, or is she actually cracking up??)

with no changes, mama suggests I take over her lease (which is in my budget) so she can go live in her car without losing her apt completely (she's in the middle of some sort of nomadland midlife crisis I think); since all my loan money for the summer is applied out to my bills already, I don't have any extra to take over the lease now, but tell her I could potentially after my next term pay out

somehow she interprets this as my not wanting to share an apt with her at all, and refusal to take over her lease, period (I can't even, at this point)

now another 2 bedroom in MY building has opened up and Lenore suggested to my mom that she and I could move into that-- prompting the "Olivia wants nothing to do with me *sniff sniff*" response out of fucking nowhere, so now I have to "re-explain" where I stand, because I'm clearly the confusing one here

what the fuck do I even do with this woman at this point??

[nanawritesit]

Wonho x Fem!Barista!Reader (Fluff to Smut) *18+ Only, Minors DNI!*

Summary: Wonho has been trying to ask you out at the coffee shop you work at, but you're convinced he only wants something physical. After a while, he convinces you, and you end up seeing each other for a whole month before you let him hit. You were so glad that you did, because now you might have the hottest boyfriend in the world.

Trigger Warnings: Slight cursing. Reader being thirsty af over Wonho. Reader w/ she/her pronouns and female anatomy. Mentions of making out and dry humping.

*There will be a separate warning before the smut scene if you want to skip over it. Overall it’s pretty vanilla but it includes: Dom!Wonho, oral sex (female receiving,) groping, nipple sucking, slight fingering, hair pulling, praising, and protected intercourse.*

A/N: Literally no one requested this, but while I was working at the coffee shop today I literally started daydreaming about Wonho coming in, so here is my maladaptive daydream copied and pasted to Tumblr :)

This is also my first attempt at writing smut so I apologize if it’s awkward :p

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

You sighed as you slung on your apron for the fifth morning in a row. It was 10 AM, and the coffee shop you worked at was already packed. You huffed over to the mirror in the break room to put on your hat, hair pulled back into a low bun. Your t-shirt and jeans combo was practically a second skin, and your beat up old sneakers completed the look. You wore a few pieces of jewelry that made the day a bit brighter and easier to get through, but that was about as hard as you tried. It wasn't like you had anyone to impress, right?

"Thank god, she's here!" your coworker Elodie sighed, struggling to make three drinks at once.

"Barely." you replied, patting her on the shoulder. "Need me to start taking orders?"

"Yes, please!" your other coworker Bella pleaded. She was rapidly restocking the bakery case, throwing in muffin after muffin.

You nodded before approaching the register. After pushing a few buttons, you were ready to start yet another shift.

"Good morning, how can I-" you stopped in the middle of your sentence as you met the eyes of the customer in front of you. God, he was so fine. He had a face that looked like it was carved by angels, and a body sculpted by god herself. You had never seen a guy like that in real life, you thought to yourself.

He chuckled at your blank expression, his smile making you melt. "Hi, can I get a large iced dirty chai with oat milk?" His voice was so deep and rich, you thought you could listen to him talk all day.

"Yeah, of course." you shook your head at how stupid you were, and quickly typed in his order. "Anything else?"

"Hm..." he hummed, leaning over to look at the bakery case. He tapped his finger to is chin, and the way his eyes raked over those muffins made you wish that you were one of them.

"Mmh, can I get a chocolate zucchini muffin too please?" he asked with a cute smile.

"You sure can." you chuckled, losing yourself in his eyes. "Okay, here's your total..."

He swiped his card, and after he had paid, he slid a whole twenty dollar bill into the tip box. Your jaw dropped at the amount alone... the most generous people only tipped five dollars, and the stingiest just dumped their change in.

Bella, who had been watching closely, handed him his muffin and coffee. "Is that just for her, or can we split it?"

"Oh the money is for all of you, but the number is only for her." he smirked, then walked out of the shop. God damn, he had such a nice ass.

You were standing there like a dolt, when Elodie leapt over the counter and practically tore open the tip box to pull out the piece of paper that he had hidden in the dollar bill. The three of you just sat there staring at it, not caring about the line of impatient customers in front of you.

"Dude, that guy just asked you out!" Bella exclaimed.

You swiped the paper out of Elodie's hand and stuffed it in your pocket. "No, he probably just wants a hook up." You walked back over to the register and greeted the lady in front of you to take her order.

"Who cares, did you see how gorgeous he was?" Elodie interrupted the poor customer while she was ordering. You ignored her and got down the entire order, then huffed over to the espresso machine.

"I'm not taking orders anymore." you grumbled.

"Y/N, how often does something like that happen to people like us? We work in a coffee shop for crying out loud!" Bella argued, throwing her arms in the air.

You whipped around to shoot an angry look at both of them. "There is no way a guy that hot actually wants a relationship with me! Now can we please get back to our minimum wage duties?"

"You're so weird." Elodie sighed. "I know you're afraid of being taken advantage of, but this is just punishing yourself." Bella nodded in agreement, laughing a bit. They both turned back around to return to work, leaving you to your thoughts.

Maybe you were being silly... I mean, he was the most beautiful man you'd ever seen in your life. He made your heart race, made you feel things with just a simple smile, and melted you with just a few short words. It could be fun...

But you decided that one night of fun wasn't what you wanted from him. You knew deep down that if you fooled around with a guy that pretty, you were going to fall in love big time. And if he broke your heart, you'd be irreparable.

As you were steaming the milk, you found yourself thinking about what being with him would be like. Him pinning you down with those big strong arms, kissing you all over your body, what he'd whisper in your ear as he...

"Y/N, you're gonna burn yourself!" Bella shouted, pushing the spout away from you. You jumped, shocked at how easily you were distracted. Yeah, this guy would be way too much for you.

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

Your boss insisted on giving you two days off, to "recover" from working five full shifts in a row. You were appreciative, taking your time off as a chance to engage in some much needed self care. However, you couldn't stop thinking about the absolute beefcake that walked into the shop and gave you his number. The paper with his number on it was sitting on your dresser, and every so often you thought about texting him. You couldn't bring yourself to, that is, until after your next shift.

"Your hunk-sickle came in twice while you were gone." your best friend and coworker Sam teased as you entered the kitchen.

"Oh god, you told her Elodie?" you groaned, slumping your shoulders defeatedly.

"Of course, and I told her how stupid you are for not taking him right then and there." Elodie replied from the counter, rolling her eyes. "You know he asked if you were here both times he came in? Would someone who just wants a hook up do that?"

"So he goes to a new coffee shop everyday, that's not much of a commitment." you argued, crossing your arms over your chest.

The shop was completely dead, so you all just talked in the kitchen for a while. It was mostly just you yelling at Elodie and Sam laughing at the both of you. That is, until you heard the bell of the front door signal that a customer had arrived. The three of you peaked around the corner at the same time, only to see the hunk-sickle himself. Your heart stopped.

"You're here!" he beamed when his eyes met yours.

"I-" you were cut off as your best friend shoved you out of the doorway. You turned around to jump back in the kitchen, but Elodie had already slammed the door in your face. You collapsed against the door, mumbling to yourself that you needed to get new friends, and a new job while you were at it.

You got up and gave him a weak smile, slowly approaching the counter. "You found me."

He leaned forward onto the counter, his huge, toned arms stretching out in front of him, making you gulp.

"You can reject me if you want." he chuckled, "I know slipping my number in the tip jar is a pretty sketchy way of asking you out."

"Maybe, but it's a totally acceptable way of asking for a one night stand." you teased him, resting your hands on your hips.

"What makes you think that's what I want?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. You tried your best to maintain your composure at how hot he looked while questioning you.

"Well for one, we don't even know each others' names." you retorted, letting yourself relax a bit against the counter.

"I'm Wonho." he told you. "May I ask what your name is?"

"Y/N." you told him.

"What a pretty sounding name." He smiled at you, then pressed his elbows against the counter to rest his jaw in his hands. His eyes didn't leave yours for a second as he adjusted his hips to the new center of gravity. His shoulder muscles were bulging against his black t-shirt, and his strong, thick legs were propped out behind him. "Can I take you out on a date, Y/N?"

You laughed anxiously, putting your face in your hands. God, you were heating up like a furnace. You were so embarrassed at how easily he flustered you. You couldn't see it, but he was holding back his smile at how adorable you were.

"I'm still not sure..." you confessed once you looked back up at him. Your hands were on your cheeks, desperately trying to hide how red they were.

"Please?" he asked, looking up at you with his pretty brown doe eyes. "I promise I have good intentions. And if I disappoint you, you have the right to hate me for the rest of your life."

You took one last look at his cute smile before you broke. A girl could only take so much.

"Okay, I guess I'll go out with you then?" you laughed with your arms out in a shrug, not believing this was really happening to you.

"Great!” he grinned at you, straightening up with his large, veiny hands back flat against the counter. "What time do you get off?"

"You want to take me out after I work a shift at a coffee shop?" you scoffed.

"Is that a problem?" he asked, genuinely concerned that he had done something wrong. He looked so cute when he was worried.

"Well, it's just... I don't look the best after working all day..." you mumbled nervously.

"Is that it?" he chuckled, placing his hands on his hips to mirror you. His trim waist was even more prominent now, and you could see one of his abdominal muscles poking through the fabric of his shirt. You had to stop yourself from drooling over him... after all, you were the one worried about him taking advantage of you. "You look gorgeous."

"I would just feel better if I had the chance to get ready beforehand!" you exclaimed, dragging your feet as you turned away from him playfully.

"It's alright, we don't have to go out today. I want you to be as happy as possible with me. When's your next day off?"

You sighed, thinking about your jam packed schedule. "Well, I work the next three days in a row..."

"I'll cover your shift tomorrow!" Sam shouted, quickly poking her head out from behind the door and then slamming the door shut again.

Wonho snickered at your friend and you gave him an apologetic look. "I guess I'm free tomorrow."

"Perfect." His lips curled up into a smirk as he ran his nimble fingers through his dark hair. "You can text me wherever you want me to pick you up. I'll take you to dinner around 5 if that's okay?"

"That works!" you shrugged, still in disbelief that you had agreed to go out with him.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then Y/N." he grinned contentedly, backing away. He waved goodbye with a bright smile, and he was so cute that you couldn't help but wave back at him with a giggle.

In half a second, Sam and Elodie had bursted out from behind the kitchen door and were at your sides.

"Oh my god, you're going out with the hunk-sickle!" Sam exclaimed.

"It's all thanks to you two dorks." you laughed, putting an arm around each of them. "And his name is Wonho."

"I'm still gonna call him hunk-sickle." Elodie declared.

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

You had been seeing Wonho for a month now, and he had taken you on four official dates. Right now, you were getting ready for your fifth date. You guys hung out casually between official dates, and he visited you at work almost everyday to get his coffee. You guys were actually getting quite comfortable with each other, texting all throughout the day and having a phone call almost every night. You guys hadn’t gotten further than making out and dry humping, but he seemed perfectly content with that. You started letting your guard down, and if you were honest with yourself, you were starting to really like him and see a relationship with him.

Sam was there "helping you,” which really meant she was demanding all the details of your previous dates and eating all your snacks.

"Wait, he took you where last week?" she asked from her place on your bed, plopping her phone down in disbelief.

“He took me to this rooftop restaurant, and there was no one else there. We were leaning against the railing and I could see the entire city!” you recalled while doing your hair at your dresser.

“Ugh that’s so romantic!” she cried out, slapping her hand down on the bed dramatically. You laughed at her antics before she continued. “How about the first kiss? When was that?”

“That was after the first date.” you explained while putting on some lip balm. “He had walked me home, and I said I had a really great time, and when he asked if he could take me out again I said yes, and then he put a hand to my cheek and looked in my eyes with this adorable little smile, and I met him halfway and we kissed!”

“Ah that’s awesome!” Sam exclaimed, rolling around the bed dramatically. “When do you think you’ll sleep with him? Because I’ll be honest, I’m dying to know how that goes.”

You sighed and set your hands down in your lap, thinking for a moment. “I don’t know. I really want to, but I just want to be sure he really likes me first.”

“I think the fifth date is an appropriate amount of time, as long as you feel ready.” she suggested after downing another handful of chips. “It seems like he’s really smitten for you.”

You giggled, setting down your perfume bottle. “Then I’ll do it tonight, if it feels right.”

———————

“Do you wanna come inside for a bit?” you asked Wonho as you fiddled with your keys. It was late, and you guys had just gotten back from your date at the movies. He had walked you up to your apartment when you asked.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.” He asked, giving you a genuine look of concern.

“Nonsense, I’m inviting you into my space.” you laughed, unlocking the door and gesturing for him to follow you in.

“Make yourself comfortable!” you told him, making your way into the kitchen to pour two glasses of wine. You came back to him sitting on the sofa and looking at your records.

“These are really nice.” he told you, taking one of the glasses from your hand. “Thank you, by the way.”

“No problem, wine makes everything better.” you mused, sitting down next to him. “I’ve been collecting records for a while now. There’s just something about them that’s so cozy.”

“Can we listen to one? What’s your favorite?” he asked, leaning toward you with a smile of anticipation.

“Hm…” you thought, reaching over him to grab an album. “This one will do.” You set it up on the record player and then leaned back against the couch and took a sip of wine. “This is nice.” you sighed in contentment.

“It is. Thank you for going out with me tonight.” he said with a small smile, leaning back to look you in the eye.

“You’re welcome, I really enjoyed myself.” you laughed, putting a hand on his thigh. “You really know how to show a girl a good time Wonho.”

——————

*NSFW FROM THIS POINT ON! SKIP DOWN TO THE OTHER CUT IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ THIS PART*

—————

���Only for you.” he chuckled, leaning in to kiss you. You put your hand against the back of his neck to deepen the kiss, and after a while his tongue pressed against your lips. You parted your lips to let him in, wrapping both your arms around the back of his neck. His large hands were running up and down your waist, until eventually they were both grabbing ahold of it to gently push you down against the couch. He was still being gentle as you guys made out, not wanting to overstep your boundaries.

“You can touch me.” you told him while you were taking a breather. He nodded, chest heaving up and down heavily, then went back to kissing you ravenously. His hands started trailing up to cup your breasts, giving them firm squeezes.

He moved his lips down to your neck, lightly running his hot tongue along your cold skin while his hands went down to your hips, groping at your thighs and ass. You let out little whines when his teeth nipped at your sensitive neck, and you felt him smirk as you did so.

“Did you like that?” he whispered in your ear with a low chuckle. You nodded quickly, throwing a hand up into his thick dark hair. You tugged on it while he continued to go at your neck. Soon he started moving his kisses down to your chest, your low cut top giving him access to more skin. With one hand over your breast, the other stopped at the hem of your top. He looked you in the eye before he moved again. “Do you want me to take your top off?”

“Only if you take yours off too.” you smirked up at him before sitting up.

He chuckled at your cheekiness, then crossed his arms to grip the bottom of his black tshirt. He whipped it off quickly, tousling his hair a bit. You took in his perfect physique for a minute. His enourmous shoulders and biceps, rock hard pecs, that trim waist, and the hard, flat muscles of his abdomen that led down to his defined hip bones.

“Silly girl, didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s impolite to stare?” he laughed, putting an arm down on each side of your lap to look down at you. He captured your lips in another kiss, bringing your hands up to run along his back and shoulders. He pulled back to whisper in your ear, “Though I can’t say I’ll be any better when I get to see you.”

You pushed him back onto the back of his legs gently, then took off your top and unhooked your bra. He was right, he wasn’t much better than you at all. His eyes were wide and his expression was blank at first, but he eventually bit his lip and grinned at the sight of you. “You’re so beautiful Y/N.”

He pushed you back down onto the couch, engaging in your previous make out position. The skin to skin contact was absolutely incredible… he was so warm and soft pressed flush against you. He began gripping one of your breasts, pinching your nipple between two of his fingers and making you whine into his mouth. After playing with each breast in his hand for a while, he stopped kissing your lips and dropped his head down to your chest. He left kisses between the valley of your breasts, then took one hard nipple into his mouth. He licked around it in a circle, then began sucking on it.

“Wonho…” you sighed, tugging on his hair once again. After a good amount of you moaning softly above him, he switched to the other breast, giving it just as much attention as the other.

“Do you want me to touch you anywhere else?” he asked once he had released your bud from his mouth.

You nodded, then grabbed his hand to put it against your core under your skirt. You had purposely not worn shorts underneath so he could have easy access. Once he started rubbing his two forefingers against your clit through your panties, your head immediately fell back as you let out a strangled moan. It had been so long since anyone touched you there.

“You sound so pretty.” he told you, continuing to massage the sensitive bud. “Can I please taste you?”

“Of course you can.” you nodded with a smile, helping him remove your skirt and panties. You threw your legs over his shoulders and he instantly shoved his face between your legs as if he couldn’t wait a second longer. Your eyes rolled back in your head when he licked a long, flat stripe against your pussy.

“Oh my, you taste even sweeter than I imagined…” He began devouring you as soon as you were used to the feeling of his tongue, going back and forth between sucking on your clit and darting his tongue up your tight hole. You were a whining mess, getting your hair all tangled up against the couch and jutting your hips up at his face… he was very good at this, and you could feel yourself getting close to an orgasm. But you still weren’t satisfied.

“Ugh, Wonho, this feels so good…” you whined, gripping both hands into his hair. “But I want more.”

His head darted up. He looked so pretty with your slick all over his cheeks. “Y/N, are you sure? We don’t have to go all the way tonight if you don’t want to. I’m perfectly content just eating you out tonight.”

“Yes, I’m sure.” you told him, looking straight into his eyes. “I want you to fuck me.”

He grinned, then sat up to undo his belt. Once his jeans were unbuttoned, he brought his dick out from the top his tight black boxers. It was already rock hard, and it looked perfect for you. Not too big, not too thick, but just enough to rock your shit.

He pumped it in his hand a few times before kicking off his pants and boxers, reaching down to grab the condom out of his back pocket. After slipping it on, he lined himself up with your entrance, holding himself up with one arm. “Are you sure you wanna do this? Because I don’t know if I can hold back when it comes to you.”

“I want you, Wonho.” you told him, wrapping your arms around his neck and playing with the nape of his hair. “I’ll tell you if I want you to stop.”

He nodded, then pushed his tip into you. You hissed at the feeling, digging your nails into his back.

“Fuuuck Y/N…” he groaned into the crook of your neck when he felt you clamp around him. “You feel incredible… can I keep going?”

You nodded, and he continued thrusting up slowly, allowing you to adjust and stretch until he was completely inside of you. His dick hit all the right spots just sitting there, but he was prepared to give you so much more than that.

He began thrusting his hips harder, hitting your g spot each time. His pelvis was pressed flush against yours, stimulating your clit as well. He looked absolutely heavenly overtop of you, strands of his black hair flopping over his forehead, plump lips parted as he grunted breathlessly, and veins pressing out against the skin of his neck as he held himself up effortlessly by his own arms. The sight of him alone could’ve made you finish.

“Wonho… Ugh, yes, harder, please!” you encouraged him, and he happily obliged.

“You look so pretty like this… laid out underneath me so I can fuck you nice and hard. Do you like it like this?”

You tried nodding, but he stopped all movement in his hips impatiently. “Use your words princess.” he demanded, smirking down at you.

“Yes! I love you fucking me like this, just please don’t stop again…” you begged, desperately rubbing your hips against his in an attempt to regain some friction.

“That’s my girl.” he chuckled, catching you off guard when he started ramming his hips up into yours again. “So good for me. So nice and tight….”

You moaned as you felt your orgasm coming on. You were already close to the edge when he started fucking you, so you knew you wouldn’t last long. “Wonho, I’m so close I can feel it…”

“Go ahead baby, cum for me.” he whispered into your ear before biting the lobe, his hot breath steaming up your neck. With his blessing, you let your orgasm wash over you, crying out as he continued thrusting into you. You were practically ripping his hair out, but he loved the feeling.

“That’s right, who makes you feel this good?” he asked, grabbing one of your breasts in his hand.

“You do, Wonho. Only you.” you told him as you came down from your high.

“Fuck baby, that was so hot…. I’m gonna finish soon, where should I put it?”

“I’m on the pill, so you can cum inside.” you whispered in his ear.

That was all he needed to hear before his pace started going faster and harder than ever. He was fucking you straight into the couch, grunting with each thrust.

“F-fuuuck I can’t, I’m gonna-ugh!” he cried out before he came, continuing to ride out his high until all of it was emptied out inside of you. He collapsed against your chest, then crawled up to place a soft kiss on your lips. “That was wonderful Y/N.”

“You’re telling me.” you sighed, throwing your arms up above your head in fatigue. You couldn’t stop the smile that crept onto your face as he loomed overtop of you.

“What?” he asked, propping his face up on his elbows and mirroring your grin.

You brought a hand up to fix his hair, then let it rest on his cheek before explaining. “I just can’t believe this is all real. It feels too good to be true.”

He chuckled, placing his hand over yours and linking your fingers through each other’s. “I promise you that it is.”

“Do you wanna stay the night?” you asked. He nodded enthusiastically, then hopped up from the couch to scoop you up in his arms, bridal style.

“Where’s the bedroom?” he laughed, charging down the hallway while you held onto him for dear life. This man was either going to be the death of you or your salvation, and you couldn’t quite tell yet as he threw you down on your bed. He quickly put you under the blankets and curled up next to you. He seemed more excited for the after sex cuddles than the sex itself, you thought as he wrapped his arms around you. With you facing him, he relaxed with you in his embrace. You guys talked for hours, until you both fell asleep holding each other.

——————

*NSFW CONTENT ENDS HERE! WE NOW RETURN TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED FLUFF*

——————

The next morning, you rolled over to wake up as you normally did, bumping right into the huge man that you forgot had stayed the night with you. He stirred from his position on his stomach, clutching the pillow to his face.

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up!” you giggled, switching to your side to face him.

“It’s alright,” he reassured you with a small smile, stretching out a bit before also flipping around to lay on his side. He was truly a vision first thing in the morning. His hair was messy, his eyes were dark, and his cheeks were lightly tinted a warm shade of pink.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“I did actually, thank you for asking.” you chirped. “Did you?”

“Mm-hm.” he nodded contentedly. He was looking into your eyes as if you were the most important thing in the world to him at that moment. Suddenly, he leaned down to kiss your forehead. Before he could pull back all the way, you put a hand to his jaw and stole a quick kiss on the lips. He leaned forward to get more of you after you had already pulled away, making you laugh.

“Get back here.” he groaned playfully, grabbing you and pulling you back towards him. You pressed your hands to his chest and gave him a deeper, more passionate kiss.

“You make me so happy Y/N.” he told you after you were back to cuddling.

“You make me feel a lot of things, Wonho.” you chuckled, grabbing his hand and intertwining your fingers. You guys fiddled with each others’ hand while the conversation went on.

“Is one of those things… that you’d like to have me as your boyfriend?” he asked, a hopeful glint in his eye.

You pretended to think it over for a minute. You put your finger to your chin and furrowed your brow comically, humming to yourself over and over as you feigned contemplation.

“Y/N, please, I’m dying over here!” he pleaded, shaking your shoulders a bit. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

“I would love to.” you finally answered.

His face broke out into such a big, happy smile before he kissed you again. He then leaned back to look at you, running a thumb along your cheek. “I am gonna make you so happy. I promise.”

“I’m looking forward to it, hunk-sickle.” you replied, placing your forehead against his. You couldn’t be more happy that you got over your fears and let him convince you to go out with him. Your friends were right, it really would have been like punishing yourself if you didn’t.

[mediocre-daydreams]

bucky’s bluetooth blues (one shot)

pairing: bucky barnes x gn! reader

summary: bucky just tore his last pair of earbuds trying to untangle them. when tony brings home airpods for the avengers, he’s faced with problem number two

W/C: 1.4k

A/N: i’ve never written for bucky before i feel like in different fics he’s always got such different personalities so i guess this is grumpy! technologically incompetent! bucky

“goddamnit, these stupid electrostrings-” the wires of bucky’s brand new earbuds were tangled around his flesh fingers, tightening as he attempted to detangle them. his teeth were gritted with impatience.

“the fuck, man? you look like you’re stuck in one of those chinese finger traps,” sam threw himself onto the couch beside bucky, arm slouching over the cushion behind the super soldier’s back.

“leave me alone, sam.” bucky was very focused on his electrostrings. yesterday was his ma’s birthday, and he didn’t have anything to remember her by except her favorite songs, which is how he ended up in this predicament. last time he tried listening to 40s music in the compound, tony and sam ridiculed him until he gave up trying to fiddle with the volume buttons and just tossed his phone into a corner, where it cracked and went silent. tony stopped commenting on bucky’s music after that.

thus, bucky walked to the corner store this morning and bought himself a pair of electrostrings earbuds. now, here he was, back in sam’s firing range—the very place he had done all this to avoid.

bucky groaned, tossing his head back as his adam’s apple bobbed in frustration. he tugged a little harder. snap! there, in his metal hand, was a singular earbud with a cord hanging loosely from its end, like some fucked up electrical tampon. the exposed wires against bucky’s metal arm made him flinch.

“hey birdie,” you rounded the corner, giving sam a nod in greeting. “hey bu- woah, what happened here?” you rushed to bucky’s side, kneeling between his open legs. you couldn’t help the snort that escaped your mouth as you admired the mess he’d made.

“i don’t want to hear anything,” bucky grumbled. he was shrinking into himself, slouching, with his bottom lip jutting out just a tiny bit, you had to bite down a smile at the sight of him. you sat yourself down on bucky’s other side, stretching yourself out to sprawl over bucky’s legs and resting your head on sam’s lap.

“someone’s being a real sourpuss today, huh?” you raised your eyebrows at sam. he quirked one in return.

“how ever will we improve his highness’ mood?” sam tapped his chin thoughtfully. “ben and jerry’s americone dream?”

“we could take him to see his exhibit in the smithsonian and talk about how handsome he was in his youth,” you piped in. “or… you could wait for tony to come back in like-” you tapped the screen of your phone to check the time. bucky looked up in surprise, still used to reading wristwatches. “-two minutes. he just did a little photoshoot or dress-up play date or techie collab or something with apple and they’re giving him a bunch of airpods. it’s not like he needed them to be free anyway, but you know how tony is. the stingiest billionaire i’ve ever met… also the only billionaire i’ve ever met.”

tony sauntered in, swinging a plastic yellow baggie with a smiley face, shoes clicking on the polished tile. “hey bitches,” he announced, looking over his sunglasses to examine the tangle of limbs that had made a home on his very expensive white leather couch. you could hear the clinking of what you presumed to be airpod cases as he dug his hands into the goodies, trying to collect a generous handful. then, he tore his hand out of the bag and flung the airpods in the air at you, in the same fashion you’d “make it rain” with dollar bills for a stripper.

you scrambled into a seated position. bucky immediately adjusted himself to shield your body from the torrent of airpods, one hand coming up to cover his face while the other instinctively wrapped a protective arm around your waist. you noticed it was his metal one.

sam was the only one to leap out of his seat, hands cupped to catch one of the cases before they hit the floor. he held it up in a fist triumphantly, much to tony’s satisfaction.

“now that’s what i’m talking about! c’mon guys, your favorite billionaire brings you some toys and he doesn’t get a thank you?” bucky rolled his eyes, but you grinned, biting your lip to hide your amusement at the eccentric genius’ enthusiasm.

“thank youuuu, tony,” you drawled, extending each vowel out sarcastically. he seemed satisfied.

you reached to pick up one of the cases off the ground, presenting it to bucky. you were pleasantly surprised to see they were the unreleased airpod pro 2s—maybe tony cared more than he let on. he caught your eye, the tips of his ears tinging pink as he quickly unraveled his arm from around you, realizing he had been enjoying your comfort for far too long.

“so, bucko. do you know what bluetooth is?” he shook his head, lips pursed. you extended a hand. “can i see your phone?” from in between the couch cushions, bucky wrangled his phone—caseless and littered with screen fractures—into your hands. you were about to ask for his password when you realized he didn’t have one. we’ll get to that problem later, you thought.

“do you use spotify or apple music?” bucky looked at you as if you had grown a second head.

“that’s okay!” you smiled reassuringly as you looked up at him, peering from beneath your eyelashes with doe-like softness. his heart pounded as he glowed under your gaze—technology always did make him nervous.

“hm, it looks like you don’t have an account on either. i can help you set up a spotify account super quickly; you just need to sign in with your apple id!” there is was, the third head. you grimaced, realizing you had been severely overestimating bucky’s understanding of the modern world.

“you know what? let me just log into my own account. it was your ma’s birthday yesterday, right? are you trying to find 40s music? spotify has some pre-curated playlists…” you trailed off, tapping with technological prowess bucky couldn’t help but marvel at.

you had remembered his ma’s birthday, he realized. even steve hadn’t said something. not only that, but you had known exactly why he was trying to listen to music, and now you were finding him the songs from his childhood, and you were doing it because you were, well, you. kind, thoughtful, nurturing you. he barely registered himself as he tucked a lock of hair that had fallen into your eyes behind your ear. you met his eye once more and flashed him another dazzling smile.

“sorry. you looked so focused, i- i didn’t want to disturb you,” he smiled back sheepishly, blue eyes flickering down with hesitation. you brushed your hand over his, which had frozen midair after he had caught himself in the act, running your thumb up and down the side of one of his fingers. he was so glad for his flesh hand at that moment, relishing the feel of your warm, soothing touches against his dangerous hand.

“s’okay, buck. i appreciate it. here, all you have to do is put the airpod in your ear and press the big button on your screen, like this.” you wiggled one of the airpods into his ear and guided his finger towards the play button. his eyes widened as golden brass began playing.

he tore the airpod out of his ear. put it back in. he repeated the cycle a few times, baffled. “how does the sound get there? there’s no wire… but how does nobody else hear anything? where is the music coming from?” he held his phone up in bewilderment. “from here?”

you laughed, pushing the hand clutching his phone back into his lap. “i’ll explain everything to you some time. but you just enjoy your mom’s birthday, alright?” with one last look, you shifted your weight as you began to stand. bucky grabbed your forearm, eyebrows furrowed.

“wait…” he took the other airpod out of its case and held it out to you, almost like an olive branch. “listen with me?” your face lit as you accepted the airpod and settled back to where you were sitting before. struck with a burst of courage—perhaps a gift from his late mother as she smiled down at him—he wrapped his metal arm around your waist once more, and the two of you settled between the couch cushions, lost in the romantic tunes of the 40s.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Talking Points

I know that the UK doesn’t get all that much play in international news. I don’t blame anybody. The US tends to dominate, and for international news there’s generally Ukraine to focus on. So I don’t go running around screaming WHY ISN’T ANYONE TALKING ABOUT THIS?!?

I just talk about it.

I talk about how much profit the electric companies are raking in while we try to set up ‘warmth banks’ in libraries and the like but can’t because over a decad of Tory austerity is making it impossible for those libraries to stay open under normal circumstances, never mind get enough funding to have the heating on. How food banks are shutting down not because they’re not needed but because people can’t afford to donate to them, and how those that are open are having to turn away donations of far too many things (root vegetables, in the main - some of the cheapest healthiest ways to eat) because people turn them down for not being able to afford the energy needed to cook them. About how PM-to-be Truss keeps saying that corporate tax cuts will benefit everyone by encouraging corporations to keep their prices low, when we all see how they use tax cuts not to make their goods or services more affordable but to do stock buy-backs and enrich themselves at our expense.

Speaking of PM-to-be Truss, I talk about how she’s not exactly giving specifics about how she wants to scrap labour laws, but has stated that she plans to “deregulate aspects of the economy” because she insists that “UK workers are the laziest in the world” and “we need to be competitive in the global market”. When you consider that we already have the stingiest workers’ rights in Europe, you can imagine how much worse it can get. I see scrapping the 48-hour work week and holiday entitlement, because she’s already hinted as much. I see further reduction of maternity and paternity leave, and even stingier rules about paid sick leave, and probably stingier statutory sick pay too. I also see a crackdown on the labour unions, because she’s outright said that’s what she wants to do. While she says it’s all about “not disrupting things for normal people”, what she means is “people being unable to get to work costs our rich corporate donors money and meeting the strikers’ demands would cost them more money so let’s shut this shit down so that the plebs will sit down, shut up, and eat the shit we’ve given them”. Given that Truss has literally said that it’s entirely fair to prioritise the most well-off in society when it comes to tax cuts and economic graces ... you can see where the people rate in her view.

I talk about the Elections Bill. I talk about how we’re going to have voter ID introduced, and yet we still have heard nothing about how to apply for the free voter card we’ve been told we can have. About how senior railcards are seen as valid photo ID but student railcards are not. About how expensive passports are and how slow and backlogged the passport office has been since the end of the Brexit transition period - not to mention how they’re using the state of the passport office to insist on it needing to be privatised.

I also talk about the Elections Bill in the context of “it puts the Elections Commission more closely under government control”. Presumably because the Tories watched Trump try to get people to throw the election in his favour and were smart enough to set the legal procedures in place to do it properly.

I talk about the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Act. About how most forms of protest have been outright criminalised. About how they can legally shut down protests for any reason, up to and including, “You’re annoying someone”. Which is, the last time I checked, the point of a protest. It also ignores data protection and confidentiality rules by demanding information about everyone (including victims and children) from whatever sources they deem fit, whether or not it’s applicable. Also gives the police greater stop and search powers - anywhere they want, any time they want, for whatever reason they want to make up. Also basically makes Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller encampments illegal. Not to mention the whole thing about forcing trans women to be incarcerated in men’s prisons, and vice versa.

I talk about the treatment of trans people in general. While a lot of people are pretty much okay with the whole concept, the government is not. The government that more or less controls our access to trans-affirming healthcare (and are behaving a lot like some US states about it). The government that insists so strongly that “biological sex is all-important” that they argue with the phrasing of “people who have ovaries” on a piece of advice about diagnosing and treating ovarian cancer. The government whose prime minister at the time (and technically still is, the rumpled pile of medical waste that he is) was proud to go on record as saying that trans women shouldn’t compete in women’s sport, and was backed by most of his government. This is the country that shaped JK Rowling; do not forget that. (Let’s face it, however much a poor single mother she was when she wrote the first Harry Potter book, she went high-octane Tory the red-hot minute she had enough money to sit on like a dragon on its hoard.)

Now, a lot of this goes against international human rights law. So I talk about the fact that the UK wants to entirely quit the European Court of Human Rights and make its own human rights laws. Given the above, how do you think that bill of human rights is going to look? We’ve already had our rights whittled down to the point where more than a few organisations are looking our way and going, “Um ... you know this is bad, right?” If we’re ever in a position where the ECHR doesn’t apply, everyone but the very rich in this country is fucking doomed.

Not that we aren’t already.

This is the country in which I now live. It terrifies me a little more every day. I don’t expect everybody to be talking about it. It’s not like anyone who doesn’t live here can do anything about it anyway. But I talk about it. I have to talk about it. I know it’s bad in other countries. I know that the US varies from state to state in how much bullshit they’re forced to eat regularly. I know Canada has its problems and Alberta’s the worst of a bad lot. I know the situation in Ukraine, and brewing issues in Taiwan, and Argentina, and Somalia, and... You get the idea. I do not diminish any of their situations. Thing is ... sometimes I just need to talk about mine. Because honestly I don’t know what else to do.

I am femme nonbinary in a country where the gender binary is all, so I’m afraid to come out. I remain in the closet about that, and about my sexuality or lack thereof, because it doesn’t feel safe. I am disabled in a country whose health service is being deliberately eroded to encourage a sell-off and turn to an insurance-based US-ish model. I have dietary restrictions that make cheap food literally impossible for me to eat, since they thicken everything with wheat flour and the last time I did a personal gluten challenge, I ended up with an upset stomach for a month and dangerously low vitamin D levels. (I must actually have coeliac, given that one of the things coeliac does is interfere with vitamin D uptake). It is only my insane pain tolerance (which allows me to work at least part-time) and the support of my parentals that allows me to survive, and also to not completely lose my shit.

This country hates me. This country hates me and everyone like me. And the Conservative party have stacked the deck so much in their favour that I have a horrible feeling that this is only going to get worse, because they’re not going away. We’ll try - gods, how we’ll try - but when they make it so hard for those without money to vote, and have the Electoral Commission in their hands ... I struggle to see how we’re going to succeed. And with protest largely off the table, I look to the future and see riots. Then again, is that really worse than the alternative - which at the moment is apathy and terror?

I’ve talked about this as much as I can, I think. Sometimes it has to be said. It just can’t be dwelled upon either. I can’t take to the streets with a Molotov cocktail and a brick. All I can do is talk. And when it gets to the point where I feel the tears threatening, I have to step away. I am of no help to myself or anyone else if I am a sobbing ball of nervous breakdown in a corner.

Just ... if you have a spare second, please send kind thoughts to the people of the UK. It isn’t a major talking point, I know, but there are a lot of tired, angry, terrified, drained, and miserable people on this little spit of land in the North Sea. They could all probably use a virtual hug. I know I could.

[tabloidtoc]

Globe, March 16

Cover: Coronavirus Destorying the World 

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Liev Schreiber on a scooter, Salma Hayek smoking a cigarette, Jon Voight 

Page 3: Carnie Wilson, Vinny Guadagnino, Busy Philipps 

Page 4: Angelina Jolie may be worth millions on paper but she is struggling to pay her bills despite wringing every penny she can from ex Brad Pitt, desperate Ben Affleck begs Jennifer Garner  to reunite 

Page 5: Cash-strapped American Chopper star Paul Teutul Sr.’s bank account has taken another hit after he’s been ordered to pay $260,000 to a photographer for using his artwork without permission, John Oates of Hall & Oates says he bedded thousands of women in the ‘70s 

Page 6: Rolling Stones super groupie Anita Pallenberg held seances to contact the dead and was crazy for vampires and spells and dark arts, Jane Seymour plans to wed for the fifth time to her beau of six years British director David Green before she turns 70 next year 

Page 7: Engelbert Humperdinck is happy after a cutting-edge acupuncture treatment miraculously sparked his Alzheimer’s-stricken wife into remembering and speaking again, Lee Majors has zero sympathy for ailing home-wrecker Ryan O’Neal and Lee will never forgive Ryan for stealing Farrah Fawcett, freaked-out fans are slamming a hologram of Whitney Houston that is hitting the road for an international tour 

Page 8: Disgraced Prince Andrew’s feeble denials about bedding one of pedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein’s underage sex slaves are crumbling as new witnesses and explosive tapes surface blasting his alibi to bits 

Page 10: U.S. planes battle UFO invaders -- the U.S. Navy is covering up a secret shooting war with UFOs that an expert claims has led to no-holds-barred air battles with casualties on both sides 

Page 11: John Tesh nearly pulled the plug on himself while he battled cancer but his wife Connie Sellecca saved him, after barely cheating death in a terrifying fireball crash that some experts thought would end his racing career gutsy NASCAR star Ryan Newman has vowed to drive again 

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Adam Sandler walks his dog, Carrie Ann Inaba was raised in the paradise of Hawaii but she says her childhood was straight out of hell, Pete Davidson got the last laugh on comic Louis C.K. after Louis ratted him out to SNL boss Lorne Michaels about his pot smoking but then news broke of Louis’ sexual misconduct, Amy Schumer is determined to give son Gene a sibling despite the odds, Mandy Moore is tuning up a TV series about her teen queen years as a pop star 

Page 13: Jenna Bush Hager lost her phone on the subway and it was returned, David Letterman gives $20 to a homeless man, Rachael Ray at a Miami food fest, Meg Ryan grocery shopping

Page 14: Margot Robbie uses a simple no-nonsense approach to landing her Once Upon a Time in Hollywood role as Sharon Tate -- she just wrote to Quentin Tarantino and asked, Rainn Wilson has landed a role in the new Amazon series The Power based on the novel by Naomi Alderman, Fashion Verdict -- Brie Larson 4/10, Meghan Trainor 1/10, Janelle Monae 3/10, Linda Thompson 8/10, Jaimie Alexander 2/10 

Page 16: Martha Stewart packs on 47 lbs. after dating disasters, Placido Domingo whines he’s truly sorry for his pervy antics as a serial sex harasser and abuser

Page 17: Convicted rape fiend Harvey Weinstein to die in jail hell in Rikers Island

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Aaron Paul, Kelly Ripa says she and husband Mark Consuelos will be totally naked at all times after their youngest kid leaves for college, singing as a kid helped Mary J. Blige survive tough times 

Page 20: True Crime 

Page 24: Cover Story -- Doomsday is here -- coronavirus creating chaos as plague races around the world -- financial markets in ruins as nations close borders and ban public events 

Page 27: Health Report 

Page 38: Rod Stewart is the world’s stingiest person according to a British TV broadcaster 

Page 44: Straight Talk -- Face it, Wendy Williams -- you’ve become a nip/tuck nut 

Page 45: Brad Pitt’s mom keeps nagging him to reunite with ex-wife Jennifer Aniston, The Flash hunk Rick Cosnett has come out of the closet, Hugh Jackman is close to sealing a $15 million deal to play disco icon Barry Gibb in an upcoming Bee Gees biopic and he sees it as the role of a lifetime

[euro-journal-english-news]

Cardinals' Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Cardinals’ Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Getty Images The Cardinals hoped to prove themselves offensively Monday night against the Patriots, who boast one of the NFL’s stingiest defenses under Bill Belichick. Just three plays into the prime-time matchup, however, Arizona lost its quarterback, Kyler Murray, to a non-contact knee injury. The former No. 1 overall draft pick scrambled on the Cardinals’ first drive of the game, only to have…

[sachaikiawaz01]

Cardinals' Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Cardinals’ Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Getty Images The Cardinals hoped to prove themselves offensively Monday night against the Patriots, who boast one of the NFL‘s stingiest defenses under Bill Belichick. Just three plays into the prime-time matchup, however, Arizona lost its quarterback, Kyler Murray, to a non-contact knee injury. The former No. 1 overall draft pick scrambled on the Cardinals’ first drive of the game, only to have…

[rsinformationsharingblog]

Cardinals' Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Cardinals’ Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Getty Images The Cardinals hoped to prove themselves offensively Monday night against the Patriots, who boast one of the NFL‘s stingiest defenses under Bill Belichick. Just three plays into the prime-time matchup, however, Arizona lost its quarterback, Kyler Murray, to a non-contact knee injury. The former No. 1 overall draft pick scrambled on the Cardinals’ first drive of the game, only to have…

[digitalshiksha01]

Cardinals' Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Cardinals’ Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Getty Images The Cardinals hoped to prove themselves offensively Monday night against the Patriots, who boast one of the NFL‘s stingiest defenses under Bill Belichick. Just three plays into the prime-time matchup, however, Arizona lost its quarterback, Kyler Murray, to a non-contact knee injury. The former No. 1 overall draft pick scrambled on the Cardinals’ first drive of the game, only to have…

[moneygigs]

Cardinals' Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Cardinals’ Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Getty Images The Cardinals hoped to prove themselves offensively Monday night against the Patriots, who boast one of the NFL‘s stingiest defenses under Bill Belichick. Just three plays into the prime-time matchup, however, Arizona lost its quarterback, Kyler Murray, to a non-contact knee injury. The former No. 1 overall draft pick scrambled on the Cardinals’ first drive of the game, only to have…

[bestbodyhealthtips]

Cardinals' Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Cardinals’ Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Getty Images The Cardinals hoped to prove themselves offensively Monday night against the Patriots, who boast one of the NFL‘s stingiest defenses under Bill Belichick. Just three plays into the prime-time matchup, however, Arizona lost its quarterback, Kyler Murray, to a non-contact knee injury. The former No. 1 overall draft pick scrambled on the Cardinals’ first drive of the game, only to have…

[jobkhoj]

Cardinals' Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Cardinals’ Kyler Murray carted off vs. Patriots with knee injury; reportedly feared to have torn ACL

Getty Images The Cardinals hoped to prove themselves offensively Monday night against the Patriots, who boast one of the NFL‘s stingiest defenses under Bill Belichick. Just three plays into the prime-time matchup, however, Arizona lost its quarterback, Kyler Murray, to a non-contact knee injury. The former No. 1 overall draft pick scrambled on the Cardinals’ first drive of the game, only to have…

[junker-town]

NFL expert picks for the Divisional Playoff round

Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Tom Brady versus Drew Brees. Lamar Jackson versus Josh Allen. It’s going to be a great weekend

The first NFL Super Wild Card Weekend was a total blast. The only game that wasn’t close was Bears vs. Saints, and that had Nickelodeon to entertain us. The rest came down to the fourth quarter, with numerous games turning on a single play.

If last weekend was anything to go off, this one should be an absolute blast. There’s an argument for any of the eight remaining teams to make a run to the Super Bowl, and we saw that this week in the expert picks. There isn’t a single unanimous pick across the board, with at least one member of the panel picking against the rest in our four games.

We start the week in the NFC with the Rams traveling to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers. Only one member of the panel is picking against Green Bay, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a chance. This is the matchup of the NFL’s No. 1 ranked scoring offense, against the stingiest defense. Last week the Seahawks learned just how smothering the Rams’ defense could be, with Russell Wilson proving to be utterly ineffective against Aaron Donald and co.

From there we have the Ravens facing the Bills, in yet another game where the majority of the panel has a clear pick. Lamar Jackson was ludicrously critiqued as being a player who couldn’t win in the playoffs, and shut up the inane argument last weekend with a stunning performance against the Titans. However, there was more to the game than Jackson. Baltimore shut down Derrick Henry and turned the Titans into a passing team, which wasn’t enough to get them through. It remains to be seen if that strategy can work against Buffalo, however. Josh Allen is playing phenomenal football, and Stefon Diggs eats secondary’s alive.

The most emotional game of the weekend will be Browns vs. Chiefs. All logic says the Chiefs will win this one, but goodness it would be a phenomenal story if the Browns go further. This would be one the best sports stories of the year, and no offense to Kansas City, but I think everyone wants to see the Browns pull this one out.

Finally we have an old man fight, which I mean in the nicest possible way. The NFC South showdown between the Buccaneers and Saints. This game is really distilled to Tom Brady vs. Drew Brees. The Saints won both of their regular season matchups, but we know everything changes in the playoffs. Brady always rises to the occasion, and there’s so much more on the line now. Tampa Bay is hoping it can return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2002, in a game that will be played in their home stadium. Meanwhile there are reports Brees could retire after the 2020 season, making this is last run at a title.

It’s going to be a fascinating weekend of football, for sure.