#just bc he's a ballerina and they thought that was better?

[moonpaw]

i don't think i've ever noticed the difference before, but bon-chan was pretty censored in the anime as well compared to the og manga

not entirely, but definitely in that his fight style was

in the manga it's referred to as "okama kenpo" while the anime (in alabasta) refers it to "ballet kenpo"

[s-4pphics]

i wrote ballerina!reader and tattooist!ellie bc i’m high and obsessed now

cw: oc being a slut, sexual tension, flirting, slight asshole!ellie, mentions of stripping and tattooing 🤭

you had walked into the parlor with the intentions of getting a small tattoo.

after confirming your age and signing some documents, the parlor clerk told u that it was going to be a ten minute wait because your requested artist—ellie williams— was still with another client. you had already sent her your reference photo weeks ago, in which she replied with a quick cool:p and a link to her cashapp to send your deposit to confirm your appointment.

you’d been suggested ellie’s account on insta and u took note of how sleek her artwork was. she did it all: cartoon characters, realistic portraits, animals! anything you could think of, she knew how to do. her shading and coloring was incredible, and her clients had left nothing but praises in her comments. you would never say, but u took note of how good her hands looked in the videos that she posted on her account.

you were mindlessly scrolling through twitter after watching multiple videos of waffle house employees fight for their lives before you heard a raspy call of your name. your head perked up, and you made eye contact with the girl who’d been plaguing your thoughts since you saw her.

you stood outta your chair too enthusiastically as you hopped your way closer to her. “hi, i’m her,” you confirmed with a toothy grin.

you noticed how she took in your appearance with a lazy gaze from your head to your toes. you were in your usual attire: a lavender sweatsuit with a rhinestoned juicy slapped across your ass, hoop earrings, and slightly worn uggs with your small bag slung over your shoulder. your brightness looked so out of place in the dimly lit, grungy looking building. instead of shying away, you gave your own eager gaze back, taking in her own presence: a simple black t-shirt with matching jeans, a full tattoo sleeve on her left arm that peaked out from her actual sleeve, and vans. her ears were also heavily pierced. her get-up was nothing special, but she still had your knees trembling.

she gave you a quirk of her brow as her lips pursed slightly before she turned to walk you into her studio. “cool, my studios this way.”

she led you near the back of the parlor, pulling open the brass door for you as she granted you entry. you pretended that you didn’t catch her looking at your ass.

“you can just sit here while i set up, it’ll be like… two minutes.” she said calmly, nodding her head towards the tattoo chair. she sounded tired.

“long day?” you stupidly asked. of course she had a long day, you idiot! look at her! you mentally scolded.

she was sterilizing her tattoo gun before she replied casually, “yeah, i um… between you and me… my last client was a douchebag. i had to put my earphones to keep from decking him in his throat. he just kept saying snarky shit to me and thought i wouldn’t catch it. fucker didn’t even tip.”

let me make it better, baby! you thought. i want your tip!

“damn, that sucks, i hope i can cheer you up,” you said with a dreamy tilt of your head.

she perked her head up to look into your eyes before humming in acknowledgment, looking back down at her work table.

she broke the silence a couple minutes later, sitting on her rolling chair before scooting closer to you and leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, “so your reference is done printing, where were you thinking about getting your tat?”

on my puss—

you mentally shushed the slutty side of your brain, sitting up straighter in the reclining chair, “well i’m a dancer! i’m not allowed to have anything super… visible on my arms n legs because it’ll be distracting to the audience—“

“i never heard of strippers having that problem,” she said abruptly with a confused look. your face ran hot.

“i-i’m not a stripper,” you stuttered out before clarifying. “there’s nothing wrong with stripping! but i’m… i’m not. i do ballet.”

“uh huh.”

“i am! genuinely, i’m super flexible!”

“so are strippers,” she said blankly.

fuck. you were losing her.

“i mean it! my academy’s headmaster would lose her mind if she saw that any of us got something permanent on our bodies. i was thinking some place more…. discreet?”

“mhm. like where?”

“m-my… my um.. hip. like my lower hip.”

“okay. how low?”

“huh?” you squeaked out. fuck. really, really low—

she smirked at you before calmly replying, “how far down do you want your tattoo? it’s pretty small so it should be quick.”

“i don’t know. as far down as you can get it,” you replied slightly huskier.

“uh huh,” she said with a slight nod while licking her lips. “lay back for me.”

and you never laid down so fast.

[rubylovessharks]

ok so many wanted to see ballerina mc sooo here's what i think it would be like for them

fem!mc, this isn't a mc x char or reader x char, im not a dancer but my mom did send me to a ballet thingy when i was really young so i kinda know whats it like- dont come after me :( mc was famous back when she was in her world

Ballerina!MC who back in her world was very famous, now finally getting some rest from the popularity so she keeps it a secret. everything is like it would be in the story but some interactions are a bit different. like if she was sent into twst in her ballet dress in full so that and the school's outfit are the only clothes she has in her dresser, so one day Grim or Ace or Deuce just randomly see that and are like- ?????

She tells them and the convo just gets to: "then why dont you just do shows so you could get money?" "yeah that way we can buy tons of tuna cans!" and mc just looks at them with the most straight face ever and says- "no." just no, and not other explanation.

I think that at some point Azul or the twins just learn about this too and for getting more customers they try to get her to work for them but since she doesn't want fo get popular again she says no over and over again.

And I also think the during book 5 Epel would also learn about this, one way or another, but he'd try his best to keep it a secret bc he knows that Vil will be supeeer annoying about mc to gey back to dancing, especially for the VDC. Perhaps Rook also learns about it but for a while keeps it a secert but he will talk to her about it, not to push her for a public appearance, but for himself to, as he says, "watch you at your outmost beauté! "

I also like to think that after Vil overblots he does somehow learn mc was a famous ballerina but he doesn't force them to get back out there, bc unlike what most of the others who thought that Vil will force her to get back to what she did back in her own world, he doesn't. He knows the struggle of popularity and such, although he does indeed think that completely stopping is a waste of talent.

Now, still in book 5 i like to think that mc would try to help Ace, Deuce and Grim to dance better and when Jamil and Kalim see this they think 'damn she's really good' but only Kalim pushes mc to talk more about how she knows all of this (not in a mean way) cuz Kalim says "you! are! so! good! You should be a national dancer!!! I can help you in fai-" and then Jamil just shuts him up bc he sees it in her eyes that she feels really uncomfy talking about this.

Alsoooo I think that Ballerina!MC doesn't hate dancing and doing ballet - Im not saying she dislikes it, the opposite is true- yet the pressure was just a lot that's all, so she dances in Ramadhakle so when Malleus walks around at night and on the day these two meet he sees her dancing away and he is so impressed! The way she moves! The way she shows her true emotions by dance! It truly captivated him! So now he wants to see her dance more.

that's all really 😭 i dont think that anyone in savanaclaw really care?? maybeee Jack???? cuz sport and all- but thats it :/ i dont know much about silver, sebek and lilia for me to write them :(

[batfoonery]

I’m sad tonight so have a stupid little headcannon of mine about how I think Damian grows up

Firstly, he cannot grow up this is Illegal that’s my spunky little guy!

But if he must (and I suppose he must)

Personally I don’t agree with DC’s tendency to make him Big n Bulky like Bruce.

Assuming Talia really did handpick certain traits, she probably would have leaned towards traits better for being an assassin. Like a more slender frame. Probably not as slender as Tim. If we chart it with Bruce n Jay being the Bulkiest and Tim being the most slim (but still very strong!) and Dick as the midpoint (aerodynamic but wider chest + shoulders) then I’d put him between Jay and Dick, but certainly a bit closer to the latter than the former.

I also am of the opinion that he’s the second most springy (flexible) after Dick.

So, I know with ballerinas the reason they have to start young is bc they have to start forming the flexible pathways (I’m not wording that right but the actual term eludes me rn) bc when you reach adolescence your joints start hardening into their final full adult spots and pathways. I’m assuming that the same applies to gymnasts.

Damian would’ve been a prime age for this development of sproingy joints. Tim and Jay were already teens, so although they have the ability to be damned good acrobats, they can’t develop the same range of motion that D & d have.

And yes, this would require developing the motions. But Damian likely already had learned techniques that required a particular level of flexibility in the LoA, and then when Dick was Batman (and in charge of training) I think he would have leaned towards more acrobatic skills. Both bc it’s useful and bc he needed a way to wear the kid out so he’d stop trying to escape and maybe take a nap for once. Getting bouncy kids (well. Not bouncy, but certainly Energized) to settle down by wearing them out by tricking them into doing cross wheels across the lawn is a classic older-sibling-stuck-babysitting tactic.

Overall this means his muscle tone would probably build in a way similar to Dick as well. Not totally the same! Part of our ability to build muscle is genetic—some of us are better at putting it in certain places than others

So where Dick’s generalized shape is like an upside-down triangle (or, if the artist is choosing to be particularly annoying about the poor guy’s rear then an unfortunate wasp figure—please that poor man’s back…. Shapely but reasonable is that really too much to ask for?) I think Damian’s thighs will be Thick like Bruce’s, making him somewhat of an hourglass (ass not as defined as Dick’s though) although the narrowest part of his waist will still only be slightly curved in (so not as severe as the description ‘hourglass’ typically invokes).

Height? No clue. Smaller than Bruce but not by much I’m guessing. Tall but not too tall and somewhat slender would probably help with assassin-ing in Talia’s eyes.

Although personally I think it would be really funny if he was second smallest (Tim reigning shorty supreme of course).

Features? No clue! Honestly kids can inherit so many potential features, who knows! I like when artists give him darker skin and Talia’s nose. But I’m biased bc I wish my skin was darker (I’m half Mexican half white and wow the pale is Blinding so unfortunately I am aware just how pale mixed children can be) and Talia is like. The hottest person in DC for me. I also like the green eyes bc it makes sense for him to have been exposed to the Lazarus pit, although I’m open to them having been a different color at birth for Angst purposes.

I just think there’s so many recessive traits that could pop up as he gets older. Or maybe he starts out being Bruce’s mini-me and then magically shifts into Talia’s boy. But I like the thought of him having something unexpected like one singular dimple on his left cheek—inherited from Martha and the Kane lineage but skipped Bruce (however Kate has the same dimple). Or maybe the droop of his eyelids recalls memories of Talia’s mother (not that Ra’s ever shared this info other than maybe once in passing when he first saw the baby).

That’s it that’s all! Agree, don’t agree, I don’t really mind either way. I just think it’s fun to think about sometimes.

[emperorcartagia]

thoughts about my oc/canon stuff under the cut.

so. aurellio and refa. aurellio was essentially born as a joke, saying "what if i made a centauri oc lmfao" and also, "what if, as a parallel to londo and adira, refa had his own dancer in a pre-canon timeline back home on centauri prime and they were both boys!" since yknow. refa is such an effective foil to londo i figured it would be a fun, kinda cute idea.

i also think it does narratively fit in well with b5. take londo, who isnt the best example but we see him commit all these horrible acts but we know about his love for adira, before we even see him start to reform or even start to really commit atrocities we know he has a heart. we find this out in the third episode. spectacularly done.

a better example of this would actually be bester, one of my other absolute favorite side villains. bester was never redeemed. bester, however, is given opportunities for the audience to see his heart. irt his family, his expectant lover, and his somewhat emotional reactions to the telepaths dying in season 5, though caused by him. we still hate him, he never gets redeemed, his love for the people in his life does still exist and doesnt excuse or justify his actions. it gives him a lot of depth that i also really enjoyed!

that is kind of what i'm trying to do with refa. aurellio is a late 20 something year old centauri who is majorly unaware of what refa is doing or does or will do in relation to his schemes to rise to power. i also think that in this pre-canon timeline (around 2253-2257) is when refa is doing little things to slowly climb to where we see him in the show. he always had a lot of power being the lord of his house so he didnt need to do much, but i think the ten or so years leading up to his appearance in the show was a slow, hands-off rise to power. so aurellio, who has no real relation to House Refa aside from being a patron, isnt involved or knowledgeable about house refa's politics.

i would get into the "refa is a good family man" headcanon i have but tldr: celes was his last wife because he chose her. he chose her because he genuinely loved her and he chose to have senna. his other wives and his other children operate moreso like londos wives and him did where there was no love and only obligation. so senna and celes get favored. senna cared enough about her father to throw rocks at londos head years later about it, so i think that they did have a good relationship. refa spoiled her, would do anything for her, which was strange for a noble centauri man to be so obsessed with his youngest daughter. maybe he knew she was always destined for greatness. weh. and well, when this baby is like "dad, i wanna be a ballerina" like most 3 year old girls want to be, he says "of course my love, let me find you the best teacher possible": enter aurellio. who he chooses. who senna also chooses.

so yknow. refa gets a boy toy as a treat. aurellio is almost a part of his family as a treat. they kinda sorta love each other, as a treat, and it also works with aurellio's unconventional relationships he has with his lesbian wife bestie and her twin, the actual love of his life. so like yay centauri polyamory.

i just feel like sometimes i have to justify doing what i'm doing with my oc/canon stuff bc 1. it's refa🤢 and 2. ive been in fandoms before that were hostile to me about liking villains And trying to expand on them and make them more than what the show gives us. im VERY satisfied with refa's character in the show. these headcanons arent filling a void that was missing because i dont think they needed to be expanded on in canon, i just like refa/the centauri/my centauri oc and expanding on centauri lore is fun. so 🤷‍♂️

if you wanna read my fic about aurellio and refa, here it is

i will also say i really do appreciate the kind words ive gotten about this because lol i was nervous about it due to previous experiences where stuff about not only my taste for the villains but also my ocs has gotten me harassed, vagued, made fun of to my face, etc. so thank you for being so kind 💫 i'm so happy aurellio is loved because i love him a lot as well.

[tutuandscoot]

It’s really hard to narrow down my asks for your favourites bc I want to know everything but here goes: fave VM lift, and then your fave bit of individual chore in a program for each of them.

Ohhh ok 😏

So for favourite lift I’m gonna say this one:

(I don’t know if it’s my all time fave but it’s way up there). Their combination lifts deserve more love. The flow, the musicality, how far they travel, the fact that you don’t look at it and go ‘oh, a lift’ like it’s sticking out so obviously out of place with the rest of the program, it’s just all dancing- you forget about the ‘elements’.

I particularly love this one because the first part of it is a very ballet-esk lift. He throws her over his head, she turns mid air and he catches her in a fish: ironically it’s very similar to some lifts in the Manon pdd that they took inspiration from for moulin rouge. 🤔

I don’t know why I just thought of this it’s really random, but this program in moments gives me Bridge to Terabithia vibes.. (anyone else see that movie?) no ok so the moment after the fish and she ever so gracefully throws herself upside down, then wraps around him, and that moment where’s she’s cradling on him like a baby koala- wrapped around his shoulders with her legs tucked up… (like they’re crossing a river and he’s carrying her across) there’s kinda these vibes of exploration and discovery in Mahler. The moment when they pause and look out, The Goose™️ where it’s like she’s flying.. maybe BtT wasn’t a good example but there’s sort of these themes of discovering the unknown and going on this adventure together. It’s also a very romantic program and it’s about an engagement and falling in love, but yeah idk why I just realised that but there’s these vibes of venturing into the unknown.. (kinda makes sense they were these kids discovering their future in the moment).

Then he’s just like ‘flip, over you go’ and again they make these’s crazy acrobatic things (On IcE😬) look so graceful, never any hesitation, mis- calculation, all their movements so connected to the other’s. Then also choreographically the last rotational position as the music falls from that top note, and they go straight away into their spin (sometimes putting elements back to back like that can be jarring but not with these angels!).

Ok fave bit of chore:

For Scott this was surprisingly easy.

He NAILS this chore. In the second gif especially you can see their differences in their movement quality which is so rare for them, on one hand I want to play devils advocate and say it’s purposeful on part of their different characters but honestly (because I love them and will say when something isn’t quite good enough), Tessa doesn’t really sit well in this type of movement like Scott does. It’s hard to explain without demonstrating (see me in my living room tryna figure this chore out 🤦‍♀️). He just feels it better, he takes his time to move through each position, there’s more strength in it, the fist thing, melting forward, his hand positions, the lift in that little jump. Now T does have the worse end of the deal here being second in the canon she has less time, but still she kinda rushes through the movement and is too sharp and small- it’s like what I said the other day talking about Maneater, how for quick, fast movements holding tension will make it harder. So yeh I always watch Scott in this dance break moment, he just really owns it, he’s so comfortable in the movement and his character. Yay him! when he’s dancing in his element he is an incredible dancer.

Ok let’s give T some love:

Originally my brain when to something from The Seasons.. because Tessa is a ballerina. She may not have chosen that occupational path but she still became one. And she had a partner that let her become one by being there to make her shine.

But I couldn’t find any specific piece of chore so instead I’m saying this:

Scott isn’t kidding when he says she was a terrifying athlete. But T really took this role where she’d be playing a prostitute who is abused and violated only to die in the arms of the love of her life and said ‘let me show you terrifying’

It’s one brief moment but you know exactly what that movement is and what it’s implying and while it’s not some actual X rated move they actually wouldn’t been able to show on 📺 it still gives you chills and kinda shocks you. The looks on their faces, her laser like eyes staring you down. Her actually pulling her dress up, (the fact he’s looking at her a$$ 😰). Like it kinda scares you and makes you uncomfortable in the best way possible and I LOVE that for her, coz on the other end I could’ve gone with some Tutu Tess chore but the fact is I could go with almost anything coz she is just that amazing.

I endith this essay🫡

[momhwa-agenda]

:'D ✌ listen

SHUT UP bc HE IS LEE JUYEON IS ALL OF THESE THINGS😭😭😭 listen i am a weak hoe for this man istg

…..this felt very personal…..stop…no…thank you i like that you like my name sir but why

best friend whomst i will fuak 🤪ugh im GAGGING [whore alert]

thats right joel lee, you're a big man i like that you're not above begging on your hands and knees. big men holding themselves accountable in public? and kneeling too? delicious. 🥰

IM GOING INSANE IM GOING INSANE IMAGINE HIM LIKE THIS FUC-…..the need for this…..i have a need for thisavhjshdfgbs

BFBDTFYDFGKSK jokes aside this is cute and soft🥺🥰 like damn the playful nudge and the teasing 🥺😭🥺 its so fucking cute. a picture perfect moment right there.

🙂 i may have moaned….imagine having a man as magnetic as lee juyeon drop everything, after getting schooled by you…he changes his habits, and commit to be better because he like you…..big man like him changing his ways and following and lookingat you like a cute puppy bc HE LIKES YOU……lord when 😩🤲

~ im danciing in the mirror crying in the showerrrrrrr 😀 ~

UGH AND THE POSITION HES AT SHOWS HOW WHIPPED HE IS?!!? 😩🥴😩🥴😩🥴 my head is spinning like a ballerina 🥴😀🥴😩🥴

GIRL-…..ksdkdfg i feel smug bhjdjsfkg

AND I YELLED WHAT THE FUCK DAISY 😭😭😭😭😭😭

i need a new set of lungs for the long ass screech i just let out. also it's juyeon.........i will need those new set of lungs thank you.

stop it im going to cry on both ends 🥴😩🥴😩🥵🥵🥵🥵

HOY this slapped me on a personal level you have no idea daisy……this is perfecthbsjdfsjdd UGHGHGH I THOUGHT OF IT I SAW IT AND I COULD HEAR HIM AS I READ THIS

Change Your Mind - (l.jy)

➺ Pairing: fboy best friend!Juyeon x afab!reader

➺ Summary: You befriend your college’s resident fuckboy who’s been eager to get with you since day one. But after a rollercoaster of emotions between your friendship, he wants you more than you could ever imagine.

➺ Word Count: 4k (wow who is she?!)

➺ Warnings: Smut (18+, minors DNI), friends to lovers, mentions of partying, drinking alcohol, fuckboy tendencies (flirting, hookups, ghosting), lying to reader (at first), lots of kissing and making out, dry humping, oral (f! receiving), slight handjob and masturbation, unprotected sex (but he pulls out), aftercare, pet names (sweetheart, baby), a lovesick Juyeon

➺ A/N: I’m officially back from my break! Really wanted to take some time off and focus on things irl, can’t really say if the break helped bcos I was still stressed haha but anyway!This took me a while to finish up, felt incredibly rusty writing again but glad I was still able to do it 😭 Considering this as my late birthday greeting for Juyeon. Hope you enjoy this piece! Proofread once. Let me know if I missed anything!

➺ Network & Tag: @deoboyznet, and my girlies @aimeecarreros @snowflakewhispers @winterchimez

If anyone told you that you’d end up becoming best friends with one of the most sought out guys in your campus (and not to mention resident fuck boy), you would’ve laughed at their face. All your life you’ve tried to avoid befriending guys like Juyeon. A guy like him just generally gave you the ick.

You never understood how or why people would want to be friends with someone whose only objective is to get into girl’s pants and be praised for it. Not only that, but also playing with someone’s feelings and just dropping them at an instant was wrong on so many levels.

But here you are, lending him a helping hand while you two clean out his living room after throwing yet another one of his bi-weekly parties, which was usually code for “Please let me at least make out with someone tonight.”

It’s crazy how you consider him one of your bestest friends. In another world you both knew this friendship would never work out. You were both opposite of each other in so many ways!

So how did you even end up becoming friends with Juyeon?

Transferring to a different university in the middle of the semester was one of the worst things that could've happened to you. Not only did you have to adjust to a new set of lesson plans and navigate your way around campus, but you also had to sit alone during lunch since practically everyone already knew each other from freshman year and had their own set of cliques.

During your first week, you thought you could at least find a table you could sit with just by going up to the group you vibed with the most and ask politely. But you decided to just sit by yourself instead and avoid any embarrassing introductions. You refused to be known as the weird new girl (which you already felt like one to begin with.)

You tried to fight off the tears emerging from the corners of your eyes as you sat quietly in the corner of the cafeteria, slowly poking the food on your tray as you try to drown out the noise around you.

You wish you didn’t have to transfer and leave everything and everyone you knew behind. Yes, you can still call or text your friends, but you knew it was different than actually being with them on campus.

You were convinced you’d be alone for the rest of your years in college. No friends to hang out, laugh, or cry with. No one to go through the same struggles as you. No one to tell you that everything was going to be okay. You were definitely on your own until-

“Hey.” The voice suddenly snapping you out of your self-loathing as you look up and see probably one of the most handsome men you have ever seen in your life.

The way his eyes held so much love, how his smile could light up anyone’s day, and how his aura was something you never felt with anyone before. He was practically radiating sunshine to your already gloomy day. It almost felt too good to be true… Because what the hell was he doing here in front of you?

“…Hi?” You sit up straight as you try to subtly dab off the tears in your eyes.

“I couldn't help but notice you sitting here all alone.” The man gently says.

Great, the first thing he notices about you is how much of a loser you are. But before you could even say anything back he continues on.

“Would you like to come sit with us? We have some space for you at our table.” He slowly smiles at you. You hesitated at first, confused by the whole situation but quickly made up your mind.

“Uh… yeah, sure! If it’s not any trouble.” You shyly respond.

“Of course not! Can’t let a pretty thing like you be all alone on her first week here right?” He holds out his hand to you.

“How did you-”

“I’m Juyeon.” He interrupts you again. You tell him your name, your cheeks slowly warming up as your hand intertwines with his as he looks deeply into your eyes.

“Beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” He smirks. You felt the butterflies raging within your stomach.

“So, let’s go?” He waits for your response, but you shyly nod your head instead as proper words get caught up in your throat. Grabbing his hand as you stand up and follow his lead.

You try not to make a fool out of yourself as you feel Juyeon’s hand rest on your lower back as you guides you through the sea of people. As you two are walking towards his table he leans close to your ear and whispers,

“We’re gonna be best friends, I promise.”

And ever since that day Juyeon really did keep his promise. He helped you catch up with some of the lesson plans you had, guided you around school, and always made sure to leave a space for you beside him during lunch.

You tried to wrap your brain around the idea of how someone like Juyeon just randomly entered your life and swept you off your feet. At first you felt like you were on cloud nine getting the most attention and almost boyfriend-like treatment from him. But as the weeks went by you soon discover that his reputation actually preceded him more than you thought.

You see, it was no secret that Juyeon was somewhat of a playboy. Well, somewhat was an understatement. During the first few weeks since you became friends he would walk you to class almost every time. In those moments you couldn’t understand why people would give you such weird looks or whisper to each other whenever you two would pass by.

Maybe it was because you stuck out like a sore thumb as the new girl? You decided not to mind it for a while, pushing down the thought that you were just overthinking all of this… that is until you accidentally learned about his reputation and the real reason why he approached you that day.

It was an accident. You were never meant to find out anything about Juyeon. But during a party that he brought you to, a certain loosed-lip drunk friend (Eric) decided to spill everything to you, down to every letter and detail imaginable.

To be honest, it didn’t bother you when you found out that Juyeon was indeed a fuck boy. You saw the signs as the weeks passed by.

The way he would flirt with someone while waiting for you to finish class, how the notifications on his phone would show a name of a different girl every week, and even the subtle touches he would leave on you which were definitely not considered friendly but not perverted either. What bothered you the most was finding out the reason why he even wanted to be friends with you.

“He’s been really working up to have his way with you, you know? And I mean who could blame him? Have you seen yourself? You’re so fucking hot-” Eric rambles on to you as he tries to lean his body against the wall to keep himself upright, slowly inching his way closer to you. You felt your blood boil in that moment, completely ignoring Eric’s advances.

How could Juyeon do this to you? Even after everything you shared with him about your life, your struggles, your secrets too? And to think you were starting to feel like he could be a really great friend to you. But this? Hell no. You were not about to let some handsome sleazy guy use you like that. Not in this or any lifetime.

You nearly crush the plastic red cup in your hand before storming out of the house, intentionally pushing past Juyeon’s shoulder in the way as he tries to approach you with the most concerned look you had ever seen on his face.

He ran after you that night. He even dropped on his knees begging for forgiveness in front of a crowd of drunk college people too. Over the top sure, but somehow you knew his apology wasn’t just a one and done thing.

And after the humiliating lecture you gave him as well as the list of promises he had said he will be doing in order to make up for his mistakes, you decided to give him another chance.

In return of accepting his apology, you offered to help him get out of his fuck boy tendencies and be his “guardian angel”. Juyeon was reluctant of the idea at first because it would mean he couldn’t be free to do as he pleased but he eventually gave in. He had to because well… He did owe you a lot for lying to you in the first place.

Somewhere in your mind you knew this could turn out to be a bad idea. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me, or however the saying goes. But Juyeon was different.

You knew somewhere in that deep conceited mind of his there was a version of him that was actually a good guy. A guy that can actually learn how to not fool around and maybe one day, find someone worth changing for.

You can tell it was a struggle for him at the beginning. But eventually he started to lessen the flirting, the hookups, the ghosting, and more.

Gone were the days where Juyeon had a line of women wrapped around his fingers (because they were too many of them to count). Dating was still a thing for him, but he had said and even showed you that he would take them seriously and not just move onto the next one as easily as he did before.

Eventually you realized over time that Juyeon turning over a new leaf was also becoming a struggle for you especially at parties when he would come up to you nearly drunk out of his mind, his subconscious would revert back to his old habits and he would act them all out on you.

His hands subtly snaking around your hips, your waist, how he would brush the hair off your neck and leave a warm kiss on shoulder. The way he would smile at you like a lovesick fool, never leaving your side as he attempts to drop his corny pickup lines.

Or the way he would jokingly confess how badly he wanted to kiss you. You knew he wasn’t in the right state of mind, that he was just being his old self. But it really did confuse you because sometimes it felt all too real.

Now you understood why someone could fall so easily for Juyeon. It was second nature to him.

You tried so hard not to give into his appetite especially in those moments. But it was becoming difficult each time since you the crush you had on him from the first day you met was screaming to be set free, desperate to overtake your heart and soul and just allow him to do as he pleased, no matter the consequences.

The many “what-if’s” that crossed your mind when you were alone in your room at night had plagued you constantly. Your walls were starting to crack and it was making you lose your self control around him.

“Maybe one little kiss wouldn’t hu-” No. You shouldn’t. The whole point of staying friends with Juyeon was to guide him to being a better person. It wasn’t about you or how you felt at all!

But… how bad could it be to become selfish just one moment in your life?

“Wow, I’m so tired.” Juyeon plops down on the sofa as you finish up collecting all the empty bottles and cups around the room. After the last bottle was thrown inside the trash bag you washed your hands and plopped right next to him.

You instantly close your eyes and let out a huge sigh of relief, showing the same exhaustion as he felt. As you stay silent and enjoy this quiet moment, Juyeon can’t help but just stare at you. He watches how your chest slowly moves up and down and tries to commit to memory the little details of your face.

You look so beautiful right now, he thinks to himself. As you always have since the first time he saw you. But he pushes down the feeling deep within his gut, having given up pursuing you a while back. But it doesn't hurt to look every once in a while right?

As soon as you open your eyes again, you catch him staring at you with a look in his eyes you can’t quite read. You chuckle at how silly he’s being and turn your body slightly to face him.

“What?” You ask.

“I-It’s nothing.” He shakes his head.

“C’mon, what is it? You can tell me.” You semi pout, and how can Juyeon say no to you?

“I was thinking-”

“Oh no he’s thinking.” You fake gasp and giggle as he playfully nudges your shoulder in return.

“It’s just- I still can’t believe how we ended up as friends despite everything, you know?” He smiles gently.

“Me too.” You respond, “To be honest, if I had known about your reputation before we met I would’ve rejected you that day.”

“Yeah?” Juyeon’s eyes grow wider as he scoots closer to you. He places his hand on your knee, making you become nervous all of a sudden. “And why is that?”

“W-well…” you feel a lump forming in your throat, the way his cologne invades your thoughts and has your head slowly spinning. Is it getting hot in here or is that just you?

“Because, guys like you just aren’t my type that’s all. And well-”

“Can I tell you a secret?” Juyeon interrupts you as he looks into your eyes. You nod in response.

“I haven't been with anyone else ever since that night you confronted me about my behavior.” He pauses for a moment. Dead silence filled the air as he waited for your response while you tried to grasp what he was trying to say.

“Huh? What about that girl you were with last week? Or the one you were texting?” You softly ask.

“I... I lied about them.” Juyeon looks away from you, afraid to look at your reaction. He looks up at the ceiling, pushing down any regret he’s feeling at the moment admitting the truth to you.

“But, why?” Your voice laced with concern.

“It felt wrong to be with those girls. To even think about kissing or touching them the way I would've back then, because…” He looks back at you, his hand on your knee now traveling up to your lap.

“…All I ever thought about in those moments was you.”

You felt your heart running a mile a minute. Eyes widening at his sudden confession.

“God you’re so beautiful it kills me inside.” he raises his hand and cups your jaw, thumb slowly stroking your cheek as his gaze turns into something more than just lust.

You subtly catch him quickly looking at your lips, your eyes nearly fluttering shut as he leans in closer. And with your lips just millimeters apart, he suddenly stops.

“But who am I kidding? I know you don’t see me that way-” Juyeon retracts his head, his face expressing a certain kind of sadness you can’t seem to properly label. You can feel your heart pounding in your ears as you watch him slowly slip away from you.

“Juyeon I-”

“It’s alright, I’m probably drunk. Just- forget what I said.” He shakes his head, but before he can attempt to get up from the couch, you grab his wrist. “No.” You sternly say.

Juyeon slowly sits back down on the couch and scoots really close to you, thighs pressing against one another. His eyes don’t leave yours, waiting for what you have to say or do.

“S-show me. Show me you mean it. Every word you just said.”

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you to tell me that.” Juyeon lunges forward and wastes no time as he leans in to kiss you. His pillowy lips feeling like heaven as he guides your lips with his, both melting into one another like it was always meant to be.

As your arms start to wrap around his neck Juyeon pulls you in closer, his body slowly falls backwards onto the couch. His hands desperately grabbing your hips to make you straddle his lap.

Juyeon whimpers into your mouth as soon as his straining bulge rubs against your core. His member throbs harder as you begin to roll your hips subconsciously.

He’s fucked way too many times to count but for some reason, grinding yourself onto his crotch makes him feel like an untouched virgin all over again.

He swears he can burst inside his boxers any second now if you keep doing this to him, especially with the soft little moans coming out of your mouth that sound so sweet.

Juyeon pulls away from your lips and starts to kiss your neck, mapping out his kisses until he finds the spot that makes you melt into a puddle. He knows he’s found that spot as your moans become louder and drag on longer.

He starts to wrap his arms around your torso and without warning, he flips you both over, making you squeal as he giggles at your reaction. His eager hands waste no time to unbutton your jeans as he continues to leave marks on your neck. You slightly push him away as you feel him slowly sneaking one hand into your pants.

“Wait-” You grab his wrist before he goes any further.

“Do you want to stop?” He waits for your answer.

“No it’s not that.” Your eyes close for a moment as you catch your breath.

“It’s- well- It’s been a while I've done this. I- I might not be good for you.” Juyeon senses the worry in your eyes. He leans down to kiss the space between your eyebrows, his free hand caressing your cheek.

“Oh sweetheart… you’ll always be too good for me.” He smiles down at you. “You sure you still want this?” You nod your head instantly.

“Use your words baby, need to hear you say it. Tell me what you want.” His hand travels to your neck and gives it a soft squeeze. The act alone is enough to get you dizzy again.

“Want you- want you to touch me, please.” You look up at him so innocently.

Juyeon leans in to kiss you passionately once more, his tongue immediately intertwining with yours. He helps you out of your pants in the process not wanting to pull his lips away from yours until he tugs the hem of your shift and lifts it off, leaving you wearing nothing but your underwear on.

His kisses start to travel oh so slowly from your lips all the way to your inner thighs. Juyeon can feel himself pre cumming at the deep inhale of your panty covered core. The wet patch luring him in to kiss it and practically mouth your covered folds.

You let out yet another ethereal moan as your fingers weave through his hair. His hands slowly pull the garter of your underwear down, throwing the damp material behind him as he continues on with his ministrations.

Juyeon wastes no time and grabs the back of your thighs and placing them over his shoulder, making sure that his face is locked onto your throbbing core. He kisses your folds before suddenly darting his warm wet tongue between them, reveling in the taste of you before flicking your sensitive bud. He looks up to watch your reactions, which motivate him to keep on going.

“P-please…” You whine as he hums and sucks on your clit. Juyeon doesn’t even need you to tell him what you want, by the sound of your moans and the way your thighs slowly squeeze his head he knows you’re getting closer to the edge.

He nearly lets go himself when you reach your high without warning, the sudden burst of your essence onto his lips as you moan out his name was something he never thought would feel so divine.

He pulls himself up and goes back to kissing you, tasting yourself on his tongue has your core throbbing for him once again. Your hands hastily helping him unbutton his own pants along with his boxers as he pulls them down and kicks them to the side.

Your mouth waters at the sight of his impressive length, your hand instantly wrapping around his member as you stroke him slowly. “Oh s-shit.” He growls into your ear.

“Want you inside me Juyeon, want you to fuck me.” You whisper in his ear. He grabs your wrist to stop, holding his own member as he aligns it with your entrance.

“Don’t want to fuck you-” He mumbles. You pull away from him, confused by his words. His other hand grabs the back of your neck as he pulls your face closer to his.

“-Want to make love to you.” He whispers into your mouth. And before you know it he’s pushing his entire cock inside you, bottoming out instantly. You both moan into each other’s mouths at the stretch. Juyeon moves his hips slowly as he starts to fuck you deeply, making sure you feel all of him going in and out of your pussy.

Juyeon wishes this moment could last forever, but the way your walls grip onto his member like a vice brings him closer to the edge faster than he had hoped. Especially with how you’re moaning into his mouth and wrapping your arms around his neck so tight? He was a goner.

He’s never fucked anyone like this before, and now he can’t imagine doing this with anyone else except you.

With every deep thrust, you feel yourself on the verge of cumming for the second time. Each stroke hitting that sweet spot in you has you reaching for the stars.

“Fuck Juyeon, you’re gonna make me cum again.” You whine as the wet sounds you're both making has you feeling dizzy.

“C’mon sweetheart, cum on my cock. God you can keep cumming on my cock as much as you want I don’t care.” His thrusts start to pick up the pace. “I’m yours forever.”

Those three words were enough to snap the coil within, breathing heavily as your walls flutter around his length. You’re so caught up in your own head you don’t realize Juyeon uttering a string of whimpers until you feel him quickly pull out his cock and blow his load all over your stomach.

The both of you take a moment to calm down from your highs before Juyeon gets up to each for the box of tissue on the coffee table. You watch him gently clean you up before he pulls his boxers back on to find your discarded underwear and also helps you put it back on.

He hovers above you before leaning down to leave small kisses around your face and on your lips. You caress his cheek slowly as he leans into your touch.

“Did you mean it? Everything you said?” You softly ask him.

“Down to every letter.” He responds. “But… I think you broke me.”

“Broke you? How?” You playfully scrunch your eyebrows at him.

“Don’t want to see myself with anyone else now.”

“Oh really?” You raise an eyebrow. “And how should I fix it then?” He smirks and kisses you again,

“Let me take you out on a date and we’ll call it even.”

[balletroyale]

Ballet asks: Russian ballet pt. 1

You know what? Aside from the shameless social media marketing and how influencer-like Khoreva has become, I don’t understand how people who have been praising dancers like Zakharova to the skies, saying she’s one of the best ballet artists in history can turn around and criticise dancers like Khoreva for being “robotic” and “unfeeling” in her dancing. Khoreva is similar to Zakharova in a way where they’re not particularly emotive, expressive artists in terms of acting and could really only present one “image” IMO. Maybe Zakharova has improved with time and experience, but in her younger years she was also pushed to debut in all kinds of leading roles which she tackled greatly with her technique, but her emotional/artistic delivery was questionable. And most of these people are older balletomanes, who saw Zakharova rise to stardom from the very beginning. Minus the fact that it’s 2021, “Instagram ballerinas” have become a thing and Khoreva is shamelessly promoting herself as a brand now, the situation really isn’t that different. I think people like this are hypocrites with a superiority complex.

I’m not sure if this is directed at me, but I’ve always been very outspoken about my apathy towards Zakharova. I largely agree with what you, with two disagreements: 1) I think that Zakharova’s early technique was much better than Khoreva’s is now. I think Khoreva’s technique has actually regressed since she was in school. And 2) I think the issue of Instagram ballerinas is much bigger than just Khoreva. It is a whole phenomenon but I do think with Khoreva it goes further than that: she’s published a book, deletes comments and attacks criticism. Other Instagram ballerinas do get popular through it, but I don’t think they consider themselves the equivalent of prima ballerinas just because they have a certain number of followers. 

I just saw yout post about Maria Petukhova been robbed of her star position (if you could link it bc I can't lol) and it's really disappointing that she didn't go to the Mariinsky. Do you know why she didn't? And if there is any possibility of she going one day? I really think she was/is the star of her generation. There's literally *no one* like her at her age/generation range. It really saddens me to this day lol. She literally got it all, with 3 or 5 years she would definitely be a *prima*!!

Another ask about Pethukova🙈. Besides Nuykina who you said that her position is most likely to be linked with her wealthy "support" what others in Petukhova's graduation year do you think got this advantage over her? Not necessarily a money advantage or anything, it just doesn't make anyyyyy sensee. Her character exams will live forever!! Her port de bras were incredible as well. Literally *got all*. Unfortunately that's not how it happens in Russia and specifically at the Bolshoi and Mariinsky

Sigh... It always makes me so sad to think about her. No one knows why she wasn’t hired by the Mariinsky; some speculated that she was considered too heavy for the company (which is ridiculous). I don’t think it had to do with a lack of sponsorship. 

As to where she is now, I don’t know. It looks like she’s quit ballet. She hasn’t posted to her Instagram since 2019 and she isn’t listed on the Estonia National Ballet website. Sadly, there are so many promising students who don’t make it professionally. 

Thoughts on David Motta Soares?

I really like him and think he’s due a promotion. 

Elya Sevenard debuted as Myrtha yesterday! Waiting for your opinion on it and also on her Orlando <3

I haven’t seen any videos of her Myrtha. Feel free to send them. 

I thought her Orlando was beautiful and mature. However, I hate making any assumptions about a performance when I’ve only seen one dancer do the ballet. 

I have a question about Stanislava Postnova.As everyone knows that she likes to attract attention and she uses instagram quite effectively, I always think this. Is she from a rich family? Because she doesn’t post anything of her family, even it’s father’s day or Mother’s day, it’s strange.And also when it’s her vacation in summer, she always goes to resort by her self(like she doesn’t post a pic with her friends or somebody so that tells she’s been there alone) which cost hugely, where does the money comes from?

I don’t know anything about her personal life. I also wouldn’t assume she’s rich or friendless just by her social media posts. It’s all so curated and holidaying in resorts is very common in Russia. But honestly, I think the majority of dancers in Russia come from privileged backgrounds.

[palukoo]

hey ur tags on that west wing meme,,,, please talk,,,,, talk abt trans josh

also 🌹!

ahh thank you and sorry for the delay i have tried to answer this like 3 times and then been doing something else and had to start over! i’m gonna answer this out of order bc trans josh is gonna be a little long i thing, so! line!

She thinks, though, that Josh doesn’t really deserve to beat himself up over this even more, and she’s not going to use him as a punching bag even if a part of each of them wants that.

anyways thats a line i really like bc i think its pretty momentous, amy choosing not to fight with josh

so trans josh! under the cut! thank you for enabling me!

so these are all gonna be about trans man josh but i love any trans josh hc and honestly some thoughts about amab enby josh too... but like. one thing at a time,,, this is gonna be so incoherent as a warning

remember that time josh said that when he was a kid he wanted to be a ballerina? go off and break gender barriers king but TECHNICALLY ballerina is the gendered term. so. do with that what you will

oh also the way he says in uhh 6.05 i think “plus i’ve got that...... yknow. boyish. thing.” and yeah. yeah. 

so josh is like mid gender crisis in college/law school/when he meets amy (i think the show is a little inconsistent in which one it is)

she still dates his roommate, but josh doesn’t really have the gender figured out yet, so chris is a woman

amy doesn’t know his name, and he labels stuff “j lyman” and she asks about it, or his name or something, she’s like “j?” and he thinks that’s better, and tells her to just call him j, and it sticks

(i have literally no interest in defining a deadname for him thanks)

((also he eventually does come out to her and she’s like “okay, so... j?” and he says something like “i’m thinking about josh.” and she’s like “okay cool. it suits you” and he says she can still call him j, cause he kinda likes that too.))

so here’s where i get a little unclear bc i don’t really know how HRT etc worked in the late 80s/early 90s and if anyone has sources on this i would really love to see them!!

anyway i also see him as being like. obsessed with passing as a cis man (esp bc yknow. political job in the 90s-2000s would be a lot more complicated and less likely as a trans man) and he sorta intentionally loses touch with people who knew him before he came out and/or before he transitioned (except leo) 

he kind of hates that amy knows this thing about him and it complicates their relationship a lot bc she doesn’t really get that that’s why he sort of resents her

i also feel like it makes josh’s sorta misogyny more... interesting? that’s not exactly the right word or phrasing or anything but like. idk. josh being flippant about women’s issues takes on a different context if he’s a trans man rather than a cis man

i also think he doesn’t really want the whole team to know either not bc he doesn’t trust them, just because it’s this thing he’d rather ignore/not talk about

but since leo was a family friend, he’d probably know, and i insist that he’s literally 100% cool with it (even if it maybe takes a second to adjust) and they still have the whole father son thing going on obviously

idk. idk i kinda like the idea of him telling cj before any/most of the rest of them bc i love their friendship and him talking to her about his sister plus like. maybe cj can have a little gender crisis of her own. as a treat

she/they cj

i also think that like. he and donna have a cute heart to heart at some point and he’s like terrified of it changing people’s perception of him and she’s just super chill about it and it’s sweet.

anyways. i really don’t have much it’s just a vibe and something i think about and something that if people wanna talk about they should hmu!!

[staravya]

more thoughts on this bc joker holding hands with his friends is very important to me.

first of all: logistics. this is a yaldy curse ofc. something something incentive to make your bonds stronger blah blah. not touching a confidant starts him off with a headache that builds into a migraine that develops into debilitating agony where he just Cannot Move. point a to point b is about 30 min, point b to point c is about an hour.

at first joker was like. okay ig (thank you mona sleeping next to his face) but very quickly realized it fucking sucks (standing alone in the bathroom brushing his teeth has never felt like it's taken so long).

mona finds out first bc joker was basically keeling over in the middle of class until a little paw reaches out from the desk to touch joker's shaking hand. he's a huge blessing bc joker can just stick his arm in his bag/desk and pet him all the time. he gets snuck into even more places now (bathhouse time is pushed fairly late to avoid anyone seeing them. mona allows this bc he knows being clean is important bc cat instincts) and sometimes they give up on subtlety and just let mona sit on his shoulders, fur pressed against the back of his neck.

ryuji is great bc he's already v casually physical with his buddies. hes always down to sling an arm around joker and takes notice when he's super tense w pain and abruptly relaxes/melts when they bump shoulders etc. chronic pain buddies. aside from mona ryuji is the one joker is the most comfortable/confident actually initiating touch with.

ann likes hooking their arms together when hanging out and adjusts a bit so theyre also holding hands or at least resting their hands together. sometimes in class she'll slide a hand back for him to lean forward and silently high-five, just for fun. and for necessity during the start of the okumura arc.

yusuke likes to use his hands a lot and occasionally forgets that hes supposed to be holding on to joker and drops him but once he gets into the habit he sometimes co-ops joker's hand for his own (holding his wrist). they each use a hand to frame something, etc. more dramatic poses! and art together. one hand over the other when arting.

makoto is very professional ab it, or trying to be. at first she didn't even realize it was anything beyond a team building exercise until it was explained to haru lmao. she just assumed joker likes having people with him (not wrong). touchy feely isnt her niche but shes one of the better strategists for fight choreography (the other being sumi).

futaba opts for Poking! this happens most often in leblanc but still does happen in saferooms whenever she wants jokers attention and/or thinks its been a while since he was last touching anyone.

haru is probably the one joker is most cautious of reaching out to for a variety of reasons (guilt re: father, concern re: one of their first meetings is her flinching from someone grabbing her, etc.) but she doesn't mind at all. she's more inclined to brief touches as they pass, etc. rather than extended ones but she reaches out p often.

akechi cannot fucking believe this is a Thing. but he plays along. no reaching out from him, just casual leans when he notices it's been a while since anyone's made contact w their illustrious leader that so happen to involve their ungloved hands brushing. if they get into a mini competition of trying to push into each other later on thats between them. theyre so normal.

sumi doesnt know this is a thing until third sem but she's been helping w/o knowing it. she isnt in group rhythmic gymnastics but she has a better sense of movement and form than the thieves so when joker wants to discuss options for movement while staying in contact w a partner she has ideas ab it. also you know that post about ballerinas being delighted that miles morales might be able to throw them into the ceiling? that. bc metaverse str + grappling hook.

anyway, metaverse! joker gets into the habit of taking his gloves off when they enter. im going with the sleeveless interpretation for convenience here (please picture him leaning on various part members in safe rooms with his jacket off. easy and casual way to stay in contact). he will hold hands w one of the frontline members whenever possible, and is used to kind of being the baton in baton passes lmao.

madarame moment when joker is alone is Stressful but doesnt last long enough to be ruinous thankfully.

mona was Not thinking when he ditched and one of the first things they needed to sort was Who Wants To Have A Sleepover. makoto is still under the impression this is just to make joker feel better/teamwork. yusuke ends up sleeping over bc hes done it before, though he has to leave early. it's a very miserable time regardless. futaba ends up coming over to help him actually survive the morning. ann helps him survive class.

interrogation room joker is really fucking out of it due to drugs and everything hurts. sae briefly resets it by trying to test his temperature when he's too zoned out to respond to her. and again when taking him out of the place.

the curse dissolves with yaldy and allegedly the metaverse. still, when akechi struts over at xmas he offers his gloveless hand to shake. great cover akechi, real smooth.

by the time 1/1 happens joker's practically dizzy from the lack of pain. everything feels floaty. mona isn't even there to pet. he kind of vaguely drifts through the day. akechi grabs his arm to haul him out of the cafe and thats the most awake hes felt. laundromat conversation happens while they r holding hands and ignoring it. akechi still does his gesturing and posing, just with joker attached.

the habit sticks through third sem even though it's not needed.

[deepest sigh in the world] brain took another au/idea and ran w it to my current interest p5. again. bc thats what it does these days.

anyway i was contemplating those "narcolepsy when you're not touching someone you love" curses as a branching thought off of showtimes/baton passes because battle choreography is not something i particularly enjoy writing thoughit is very fun to imagine in my head. but that axes a whooooole lot of stuff even if i assume mona sitting on joker's shoulders counts enough to wake him. pivot to intense disassociation instead. not quite what i want. pivot to Pain tm. the classic. that works. an intensifying headache the longer he isnt holding hands w a confidant. great.

but the best feature is that it gets inverted when third semester happens. nothing hurts, yay. but everything feels even less real. and thats where he starts disassociating. thumbs up emoji.

[xiasgone]

@artcfpeerpressure​​  asked   :   ♥ —Eve and Travis bc I miss them lowkey

Gives nose/forehead kisses - Eve. She specifically does so whenever Travis is visibly down, overwhelmed, or just sleeping because she thinks he looks peaceful and sweet.

Gets jealous the most - Travis by a long shot. In relationships, Eve is not immune to getting jealous and even becoming gradually possessive in her own way, but I feel like Travis’s emotions are stronger and overshadow Eve’s own. He worries about her cheating more than she worries about a pretty woman in his cab...though the thought has come to Eve’s mind….once or twice. Yeah, she has definitely asked Travis would he ever consider running off with another woman in his cab after they have an argument.

Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive - Eve doesn’t drive, so Travis! He’d also likely be the one rescuing her from a dangerous situation if I’m being honest.

Takes care of on sick days - Eve, because she doesn’t think Travis would take care of himself. Well - know, how to take care of himself effectively.

Drags the other person out into the water on beach day - I don’t think either of them are about that life.

Gives unprompted massages - Eve.

Drives/rides shotgun - Eve doesn’t drive! Travis does all the driving. 

Brings the other lunch at work - I can see Travis surprising Eve with the offer of taking her to a diner for lunch since ballerinas practice for long, long hours throughout the day. 

Has the better parental relationship - Travis writes his parents while Eve doesn’t have parents! So, I’m gonna say him.

Tries to start role-playing in bed - I feel like Eve and Travis would discuss it, since it’s a turn-on for Eve and at a certain point in their relationship she’ll try to communicate “non-traditional” things that interest her. But she’ll have the audacity to be shy and awkward about it and he’ll also be awkward about it, so it’s not the best moment.

Embarrassingly drunk dancer - That’s probably ya boy!

Still cries watching Titanic - Eve all the time! She might talk to Travis a bit about the movie too. Like, she would have done something to make sure he stayed alive in that scenario. 

Firmly believes in couples costumes - Eve would think it would be nice, but Travis rarely comes out of that jacket. She would at least try to convince him that they should wear the same ‘neutral’ color sometimes when it comes to attending certain events.

Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas - That’s absolutely Eve aiming to get a good (and effective) gift for Travis. Whether it be a heavy coat for blizzards, firm boots, or a watch. She knows he may not be happy she got him something with a heavy price tag, but she really wanted him to have something nice.

Makes the other eat breakfast - I’m going to lean towards Eve, because if Travis asked her about breakfast, she would tell him that food before ballet practice makes her stomach queasy and leave it at that. 

Remembers anniversaries - Eve, because she’s a romantic sap. Though the two of them could write dates behind polaroid pictures they took together, so that way Travis couldn’t forget those exact moments, either.

Brings up having kids - That is also Eve, because of high pressure and anxiety she feels amongst her elders who criticize Travis and frequently say things like, ‘how can you have children with someone that’s just a taxi driver?’ Eve wants children one day, but she wants to know where Travis stands on it. 

[chaoticevilbean]

So, there’s this whole Youtuber Atla Au, and I have Stuff stuck in my Head. This is Sokka-centric bc thassa me.

Here Goes:

- Sokka has a mixed channel. He does educational videos, how-to videos, political videos, stories about him and his weird friends, dancing and singing videos, makeup videos, parkour videos, etc. He’s a very well known account.

- He uses fake names/obscure nicknames/code names for anyone he mentions. Anyone featured in his videos either wears a mask/facepaint or allows him to say their real name. He uses only they/them pronouns unless the person is with him and has given him other pronouns to call them by.

- He has never mentioned his name, refuses to be called Boomerang despite someone suggesting it because “that’s a disrespect to boomerangs, please don’t”, and he responds to commenters asking for his name with “;)”, “:)”, and “...”

- People only know he’s a male because he put that in his first video

- Sokka always wears facepaint in his videos, and absolutely no one recognizes him. He is unidentifiable. His continuous need to wear contact lenses and wigs of varying styles and colors also messes with people. No one can figure out what Nation he’s from (there are all four in this AU).

- Sokka has seven different facepaint styles he’ll wear.

- - Earth Kingdom is just Kyoshi Warrior facepaint. Someone attempted to drag him for disrespecting a elite warrior and all-female team. The Official Kyoshi Warrior account responded with this and only this: “Back off, he’s ours.”

- - Southern Water Tribe is based off their traditional warrior paint and La. Northern Water Tribe is based off of Tui and wolves.

- - Air Nomads is brown and blue arrows and flying lemur markings around his eyes.

- - Fire Nation is based off of Agni and the Painted Lady. It’s simple with red and yellow markings, and the accents will either be black (if he’s talking about something funny), blue (if he’s talking about something weird), or white (if he’s talking about something cool). People had to figure out those meanings themselves.

- - The Spirit World is based off of Hei Bai and Wan Shi Tong, a black, white, and grey style.

- - The blended one is cut into six sections. Fire and Air are the top two, taking up his forehead and creeping into his hairline. Water and Earth are on the bottom, bleeding down his neck. The Spirit World and nonbending sections are on his eyes. For those, he does fox markings on both sides, and the Spirit side is colorful like many of the minor Spirits are (bugs and birds and others). The nonbending side has normal fox colors, and the edges of all sections are blended together.

- - Each mask has a different meaning, which wasn’t figured out until later. If something is about a story, then it will be Fire Nation or Water Tribe. If the story includes strangers, then it will be Fire Nation, but if it’s mostly his pre-established friends, then he’ll have Water Tribe. Any sort of performance is Earth Kingdom, unless he’s doing it with someone else, which is when he wears his blended one. If the video is instructing in any way, it’s Air Nomad. If it’s a political video, he will always have his Spirit facepaint on.

- Most people assume he’s Air Nation because he seems nomadic. He’s constantly talking about new friends, his backgrounds change every video and he speaks all the languages one could possibly learn.

- As a Note, there are all four Nations. They all have different languages. There are formal and informal of each language (or common and high-speak). There is also the General Common, which is the language basically everyone knows so they can communicate with other nationalities. Air Nomads have many different slangs depending on where the nomads are from, but only one central language. They don’t have formal or informal.

- Sokka’s most viral video is called Secret Tunnel. He met some nomads and they taught him to use their instruments at an amateur level. He then asked if they wanted to record a video with him. They said yes, so he recorded them singing and dancing to the song, and he joined in on guitar (or whatever the stringed instrument is called in that episode). The video ‘solidified’ that Sokka was from the Air Nomads.

- Things people know about the channel and the Friends (called ‘Boomeraang’, though no one seems able to figure out why - most pass it off as a typo, but true fans know Sokka pays too much attention to his work and his boomerang)

- - Lady is either related to Sokka or as close as a sibling. They’re a master waterbender and extreme activist. They’re constantly starting rebellions and protests and getting into trouble through that. They have once impersonated a Spirit in order to get rid of a corrupt company that was polluting a river and then got the nearby fishing town to work together to clean said river. Lady got their education in waterbending after beating “an old coot in battle, didn’t have much to learn but Lady needed ‘finesse’ or something.”

- - Kuzon is Lady’s SO. They were friends first, SO’s second, and Sokka had to endure the pining. Kuzon acts older than they look, and uses extremely outdated slang. A video with Kuzon in the background as Sokka told a story confirmed the fact when Sokka asked “What did you say to Bluey?” “Flameo, Hotman!” It is assumed that Kuzon is a bender, but no one knows which type. Kuzon once threw a raging party because his school was really strict. The entire student body was invited and the cops were called, but no one got in trouble because they weren’t breaking any laws.

- - Bluey is either a nonbender or a firebender. Sokka’s stories are unclear on that, but one thing is clear: Bluey is a vigilante. And works in a tea shop. And holds some sort of position of power somewhere. It varies from “Bluey stopped a drug ring this month” to “Bluey’s uncle told them they can’t work the night shift because they haven’t slept” to “Bluey just passed a rule saying no drinks during meetings. They’re just mad that I kept slurping my cactus juice.”

- - Bandit is an actual criminal, but also holds some position of power. They are blind, maybe, and an earthbender. Apparently the greatest earthbender in the world, but that could also be Rocky. Bandit scams scammers, usually ones on the street that can’t call the police because they’re also criminals. They’ve made a lot of money that way, and Bandit uses the funds for a combination of food and taking Sokka shopping since he helps them. Bandit also fought in an underground earthbending tournament and won the title every time. Sokka says that the reason behind Bandit even going there was that their family was awful and somehow thought they were fragile, so they learned how to ditch their escort and vent their frustration via illegal fighting ring.

- - Rocky is a king. And insane. And friends with Kuzon and some old people. Nothing else is known, besides they’re a bender.

- - Bison. Is maybe an actual bison. Is Kuzon’s best friend and they’re constantly kissing everyone and messing around with Lemur. Lemur is flighty and loyal and like lychee nuts. Not much else is told, but they’re in many stories and the wording is weird enough that no one can tell if they’re animals or humans.

- - Wheaty was a real jerk when they all first met, and the group all left on bad terms. However, when they met back up, Wheaty was much nicer and was trying to be better than they originally were. They had to go to therapy to help with anger issues and were recovering well when the group reunited. Gurl (Sokka makes sure to spell it out for the viewers) is one of Wheaty’s best friends, having been there for the other through everything. Yuyan was in a similar boat, and was usually the ‘voice’ (Sokka would laugh at that, before continuing as if he hadn’t) of reason. The trio were all very nice and helpful, and had some other friends that Sokka met and hit it off with. Mini-Me was someone who was smol and idolized Sokka. Big Man always traveled with Mini-Me, but never once stopped them from following Sokka around.

- - Warrior is a nonbender and is the one who taught Sokka to fight with fans. They also educated him on toxic masculinity, getting rid of the sexism ingrained in him (*note, in this AU, Sokka wasn’t as sexist, due to being exposed to a few more people and the internet, and therefore finding more female idols. Suki helped him stopped what was left, because he still struggled and wanted to be better). Warrior is about 30% of Sokka’s impulse control, which is still a large chunk considering how many impulses he has. They have been in a few videos wearing an entire robe and mask get-up, and spoke once (1) when they told Sokka that Knife and Ballerina were head over. It was the middle of a video about how to fight with fans.

- - Princess, Knife, and Ballerina were a trio that could rule the world. Princess probably would’ve turned out awful if they hadn’t left home with their uncle. Knife hated any sort of protocol, but never seemed to show emotion. Both they and Yuyan were people that had to be observed to understand their emotions at any one point. Ballerina was happy, a gymnast, a yoga instructor, and a nonbender. It is assumed that Knife is a nonbender who uses only knives and Princess is a master firebender, but there is speculation.

- - Roller and Pusher were best friends. Roller was in a wheelchair and Pusher always pushed them. Roller was incredibly intelligent and often helped Sokka with inventions, while Pusher was a skilled earthbender who used more finesse than most.

- - The Moon is mentioned once and never again, and everyone wonders why he mentioned them in the first place (when discussing what he’d done while Lady battle for her education “I hung out with The Moon”).

- - Most likely to appear in a video are Roller, Pusher, Bandit, and Gurl, all in masks. Bandit’s they can’t possibly see through, but they walk like everything’s normal.

- - Most likely to be off-screen in a video are Kuzon, Bluey, and Lady.

- - Most likely to be mentioned in a video are Kuzon, Bandit, Bluey, Lady, and Warrior.

- Things that are known about Sokka:

- - He learned Earth Kingdom formal from Bandit and informal from a combination of Friends and observation. He learned Fire Nation formal from Bluey’s uncle and Bluey occasionally slipping into it and informal from Kuzon and some colonists he met. He learned the dialects of the Southern and Northern Water Tribes from The Moon, Lady, and Lady’s family. He learned Air Nomad from a variety of monks and people like Chong and Lily.

- - His parkour skills come from a combination of his Friends’ illegal activities, chaotic antics, and just a dash of bad luck.

- - He learned fighting from practically everyone he’d met, and observing them or having them teach him. He hadn’t actually wanted to learn to fight with fans or knives, but Warrior and Knife had taken one look at him and told him he had to or else. In fact, the only weapons he wanted to learn to use were a sword, a club, and his boomerang. He learned the first from Rainbow Father, the second from Bi Father, and the third was self-taught. Everything else, he posted videos as he learned new skills, and also told the varying stories of how he was coerced into being taught. For example, Ballerina insisted on teaching him chi blocking, a very obscure form of fighting, and would randomly use it on him until he agreed. They always undid what they blocked immediately after, but it was still annoying to randomly lose use of both arms.

- - Sokka’s Boomerang is deadly in his hands. He does not know this. During a livestream, Gurl snuck in after causing a distraction outside of the room he was in and read it off someone’s comment. They informed the viewers to never bring it up because Sokka didn’t know and if he underestimated his Boomerang, than everyone he used it against would, too. And that led to hilarious situations.

- - Sokka is a genius and inventor who has several patents. However, no one can find him through them, mostly because he didn’t want any attention when he put the items out into the open. He invented submarines and airships (people had no use for them before, but found they were incredibly useful when Sokka got everything patented and got a sponsor). He also invented cactus juice, which is as mentally impairing as alcohol with none of the lasting physical effects. Bandit loved that one.

- - Sokka has seemingly been everywhere. He’s mentioned meeting the Spirits Hei Bai, Wan Shi Tong, and the Moon and Ocean Spirits in passing. (*while wearing the Spirit facepaint* “I mean, I get that the Spirit World seems great and all, but I’ve been there. Not that exciting. Met Hei Bai and had to be rescued. Don’t see the appeal. And there isn’t a single bathroom there.”)

- - Can dance pretty average, but knows a lot of different styles because of various Friends. Can also sing and whistle well, and usually hums Secret Tunnel while doing parkour. Most of his music videos include other people, minus a few where he was asked to demonstrate his instrumental skills. He, again, is average and only knows the different instruments because people decided he should learn.

- - He is amazing at makeup. Every person he brings in to do (mostly people who aren’t seen again on the videos) leaves with stunning work done.

- - He can draw and paint, but he didn’t start off good. He started doing instructional videos based off articles and lessons he found. His viewers learned with him, and he’s improved greatly. He’s also prone to adding random rainbows to his landscapes, even in the black and white ones (it starts a trend of usually colorful things done in black and white, or in a way that’s more appealing to colorblind people).

- - Sokka wants to get rid of patriarchal societies and old men with problems. He fully supports his Friends’ protests and rebellions, and is likely to have cohesive arguments backed up with verifiable evidence and trustworthy sources.

- - He loves terrible jokes, and knows they’re terrible, but that’s the point.

- - He’s theorized to be in a position of power because once King Kuei and his bear Bosco walked on-screen from behind (Sokka was at a park and had his Earth Kingdom facepaint, so he definitely wasn’t expecting anyone to come), spotted Sokka and looked absolutely delighted, came straight over and hugged the boy from behind while he was explaining a move with a club. King Kuei said nothing, just hugged him until it was returned, let go, and waved goodbye. Bosco did a similar thing before following his owner. Sokka just continued the video as if nothing had happened, so it seems that he’s used to being around heckin’ royalty.

- Boomeraang gets a lot of hype and Sokka does sell merch and earn money, but only sells what is specifically requested. Someone requests he make t-shirts with his channels logo on it, he starts selling them, and doesn’t stop until there aren’t any more demands. Spoiler, there’s always demands. He tries to tell them he doesn’t want to take their money, but he almost had a riot when he suggested not selling anything anymore because he felt bad.

- The Gaang knows about the channel and talk about it a lot. Sokka had planned to keep it small, anonymous, and just have fun with his catch-all videos. He’s 2/3 at this point.

- Katara has her own activist channel, and considered making a second as the Painted Lady and use Sokka’s rep to eventually boost her, but decided against it. Her channel is called ‘Freedom Water’, based on the fact that water is the element of change. She has a moderate following.

- Toph has her own channel as well, which consists of Sokka holding the camera for her and videotaping her as she performs complex earthbending. She calls her channel ‘roc’. Her following is mostly other earthbenders who aren’t too proud to learn from a preteen, and other kids who think she’s cool. She also has a channel called ‘Bandit’, which is just her in the mask she wears for Boomeraang, telling all about different ways she’s scammed scammers, occasionally also showing videos of those instances. Sokka is her cameraman there as well, and will sometimes go on-screen with his facepaint. That channel has a large following because of Boomeraang. Toph is actually good at not slipping into the wrong nicknames or giving away genders.

- Aang has a channel called ‘The Temple’, which is almost solely different animals he spots. Some people try to say that he isn’t at the Air Temples, but he just laughs and ignores them. It drives people insane and it’s just accepted that the name of the channel is misleading. He has a small to moderate following, mostly animal enthusiasts, and the others are nature enthusiasts.

- Zuko has a channel followed by only theater kids and wannabe theater kids. He literally put ‘Title’ as the name, and uses his videos to rant about different plays and a lot about how the Ember Island Players botch the best of shows.

- Jet has an official channel for his Freedom Fighters, which is now solely used for spreading awareness and raising funds for those who need help (orphans, abused people, and people affected by disasters). The group lost a lot of followers when they changed their tune from angry and vengeful to calm and actually trying to help instead of harm. However, Katara and Zuko both gave shout-outs to the channel, and Toph ‘mentioned’ them as well (*read: threatened her followers if they didn’t check it out*). Their following has grown and now has a very good rep.

- Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee share a channel called ‘Royal Three’ where they show off their skills. They have a large following.

- Teo and Haru help manage everyone’s accounts and Teo is the official Kyoshi Warrior technician by the time everyone is done. Both are paid by their Friends for the work and recommend the duo to literally everyone possible.

- The Kyoshi Warriors are extremely well-known. There was an uproar when Ty Lee was announced as an official Kyoshi Warrior. They post basic fighting tutorials.

[powerosewaterpuff]

so i was having mary and john grayson feels bc i always do ofc, and i decided well if i can’t find any other fics and headcanonns? imma make them myself hehe soo enjoy ! (heads up tho, it’s a l o t hehe)

Mary Grayson

-cannot cook, she is absolutely a w f u l at it but oh my god she loves watching john cook. she even follows him around, writing in a little journal about all the different recipes and steps, bc she is d e t e r m i n d to be able to make something other then cereal

-she always lets dick attempt to braid her hair, and even though it might come out looking bumpy and uneven, she couldn’t care less bc the smile on her sons face is priceless

- loves the summer, basking in the sun on a wide beach is her ideal happy place, because the winter reminds her a little too much of memories she wishes she could suppress

-she always sticks her tongue out just a bit when she’s focused on something, john still blushes when he sees that

-isn’t an avid reader, but she could watch johns facial expressions as he rereads the same twist in his favourite novel for the rest of her life

-she has a small array of ear piercings, which include three piercings on each lobe and upper lobe (the first she had received when she was a baby, and it had been her grandmothers idea), then she has a helix hoop piercing on each ear with a little stud underneath the hoop of the right ear. (Dick loves them, and always had a habit of fiddling with them even as a baby.)

-her laugh could be described as, (as courtesy of john grayson), “the sound of wind chimes billowing against the breeze, and then she starts snortin—Hey! It’s the truth, what do you want me to lie, mary?”

-dick most definitely inherited her eyelashes, long, dark and curled. she also tends to argue that he got her humour too, but john adamantly defends his honour as, “the most hilarious human being to walk the earth, and dick most definitely got my sense of humour, e x c u s e you, mariam.”

-she is infinitely glad that her and john have a very equal parenting system, without one person needing to be the primary disciplinarian as they work as a united front. (except when john and dick come inside the trailer, dragging in mounds of dirt from a flimsy soccer game. then? shes usually the disciplinary one then, shooing them to go take a shower and telling them that they needed to make sure every i n c h of dirt is out of the trailer before she’s done her afternoon stretches.)

-she’s a very bold and opinionated person, but stubbornly independent with a strong moral system and a fierce temper. she isn’t accustomed to asking for help, and is always expecting to be disappointed or let down. she’s always waiting for the catch to come into play, with john though? it never did

-the second dick gives her his puppy dog eyes, it’s over. she’ll give up the cookies she’s hidden in the top shelf, she’ll give him the biggest hug, she’ll practically do anything, and mary thinks john is the exact same.

-her gut instincts are scarily right, to the point where her best friend, the magicians assistant, is convinced she’s a psychic of some sort.

- the day she met john, she had heard about a young circus boy about her age coming to live with his great aunt in her neighborhood, but hadn’t really paid it any mind.

-it wasn’t until one neighbourhood party, that she locked eyes with a pair of vibrant blue eyes with a deeply rooted fire within them. it gave her a shock of adrenaline, and excitement, the same thing she felt when she was about to go on stage as a ballerina or about to face the uneven bars as a gymnast. it wasn’t a nervous bout of a adrenaline, it was a calming rush, one that filled her bones with a thrill beyond all compare. (Little did she know, the second john had locked eyes with a pair of lively green eyes, he had found what he was looking for.)

- mary was a natural born contortionist, with a flexibility she acquired from years of ballet as well as gymnastics. learning how to work the trapeze was a whole other thing though, as it was a little odd to adjust at first. she loved johns freedom and wild nature while soaring through the air though, a lot more then she loved the rigidness of her own form. (john disagreed vehemently, the way mary moved was like she was one with the air and the air was one with her, and he admits that was she an incredibly quick learner.)

-will always watch cartoons with dick, whether it be The Simpsons one evening or Tom & Jeremy the next.

-johns singing is her favourite thing ever, she always begs him to sing her to sleep and some nights, when john feels a deep rooted knot tug at his chest, mary is sweetly singing, “here comes the sun,” by the beatles in his ear

-her and johns go to song to get dick to sleep is, “little bird, little bird,” by elizabeth mitchell. she always changes the last bird, a whip-poor-well, to a robin bird. it’s a little offbeat but she thinks dick likes it. (dick loves it.)

-has an unparalleled amount of energy, and is always bursting with exuberance, the only one who can really challenge her on that is dick. both of them are absolute adrenaline junkies.

-has an insatiable love for period dramas, it is her absolutely guilty pleasure and will be found watching tapes of her favourite show in the living room at like 3am

-she loves the smell of burning wood and loves sitting outside of summer nights, taking in the sounds of the cicadas and the cold breeze.

-she is absolutely exasperated with her sons ability to make friends with injured woodland animals, it was adorable and absolutely darling to an extent, but oh my god if she had to handle one more skunk with a broken leg or a fox with its leg stuck to a wooden post, she would consider barricading the circus.

-(she loves buying matching clothing for her family and her, but what she loves the most is dressing john and dick up to match, she has a whole box filled with those pictures, which would be perfect blackmail material once dick was in his teens.)

John Grayson

-is one of the most laid back human beings, he always has a lazy smile and gentle mischief twinkling in his eyes. (but fuck with his family and see what happens, he dares you.)

-his eyes are practically identical to dicks, in every shape, way and form. but dicks have an unstoppable light in them, that his just don’t have but he’s so happy they do.

-loves to overspray his cologne just to irritate mary, her scrunched up nose his absolutely adorable. (but he still couldn’t get why she didn’t like that cologne, it was fucking amazing)

-curses like an absolute sailor, and mary isn’t any better but she’s far better at censoring herself. john has had to slap a hand around his mouth a few times to avoid having to explain the word, “shit,” to dick.

-christmas is his favourite time of the year without a doubt, and loves to be curled up on his worn couch with a novel in hand in front for a fire.

-is an avid prankster, but if you confront him about it, he’ll give you a trademarked Grayson smile, and tilt his head to the side questioningly.

-his laugh is like (as courtesy of mary grayson), “a crash of waves, refreshing and loud with a distinct clarity, and then he starts to w h e e z—Hey! it’s the truth! I thought you were against lying, huh?”

-he’s ticklish, and his brother along with his wife and son take advantage of that way too much.

-dick is legit attached to this mans hip 24/7, like if you see john strolling around the circus there is a 94% chance that dick is either riding on his shoulders or settled comfortably on his hip.

-the day he met mary, he had felt a little out of place and stilted at this neighbourhood party. but he sucked it in bc anything was better then going back to his home, so he took a shaky breathe and tried to converse with his great aunts friends, until the music started and he locked eyes with a pair of lively green eyes, and he had found exactly what he was a looking for. a fleeting purpose that could so easily slip between his finger tips but the thrill to latch onto it was expanding in his chest. and he realized that if he didn’t march right on over there and talk to this girl, he would’ve lost something he didn’t even knew he could lose.

- playing guitar had always been a little bit of a therapeutic thing, because even though he tried to be practicing their act every single minute of his day, there were times where he needed to sit under a tree with his son curled in his lap, his leather jacket draped on him. the love of his life and the afterlife curled up next to him, with his blistered fingers from dealing with ropes all day strumming the guitar.

-the biggest elvis presley, beatles and rat pack fan in the world. he also loves louis armstrong as well as nat king cole. (he grew up with this music as his first big introduction to north american music as well as culture.)

-open communication and emotions are a big thing for him, he never wants anything to be misinterpreted and he tries his hardest to make sure neither him nor mary ever go to sleep angry with one another. they argue a decent amount, bc they both have wild tempers (johns is a flame that’s difficult to light but once it does he’ll have a vicious tongue of a temper, and mary’s is a quick lighter that can be easily put out but for the time that it burns holy shit she’s scary,) but they always work things out by talking to one another at the dinner table.

-this man lives and breathes sarcasm, to the point where people never really know if he’s being sarcastic or not (mary does, and it annoys him to no end.)

-always playing with his hair, or he’s playing with mary’s or dick’s. it’s become a little of a nervous habit for him, but also a way to relax.

-was always insecure about how short and scrawny he was as a kid, even now once he’s filled into pure muscle and but still a little short compared to others. however, he uses his body to his advtange though, he can easily be the strong man of the act, and can easily balance both dick and mary with one hand. he’s immensely proud of that, and shows it off as much as he can.

-just to annoy mary, he’ll slowly lift his son up and they’ll give the exact same puppy dog eyes and pout. mary will legit do anything they want (he wasn’t ready for mary to come in one day, blinking her beautiful green eyes and pouting, with dick settled on her hip doing the exact same thing as they ask for chocolate pancakes one morning. it’s fair to say he sprinted out of bed and straight to the kitchen.)

-despises hunting for sport and guns, his father owned an array of hunting guns that were always proudly polished and hung on the walls of their trailer. john fucking hated it, and was about to blow a fuse when one of the circus members decided to take dick on a hunting trip without asking. (he held dick close that night as he cried bc he didn’t understand why they had shot the deer when it looked so happy.)

-is the absolutle biggest crybaby when it comes to Heidi (the book) and has rewatched Kiki’s Delivery Service with dick like 30 times? he cries every time ( “mARY SHES SO SAD OH MY GOD AND SHE DOESNT UNDERSTAND J I J I ANYMOREEEE.”) (“sEE GRANDFATHER DOES CARE AND THE SYMBOLISM MARY THE SYMBOLISM.”)

-loves looking up at the stars, and liked to memorize their names as well as patterns as a kid. he was overjoyed to share this with dick, as they lay down on the roof of their circus caravan, point out constellations and tell their stories (dick would always perch himself on the tallest skyscraper in gotham, on a clear summer evening, just to get a one glance at the stars at again before the smog rolls in. he swears he saw cassiopeia once, but maybe he was just wishing he did. )

-is equally stressed by dick’s unprecedented love of making friends with the most random things, is also stressed because his son is this tiny kid who keeps getting himself stuck in bushes then runs home, covered in thorns but still has the biggest smile. john is usually on first aid duty, and he just knows that his kid would run into the sun exploding with a bright smile plastered on his face.

[lihikainanea]

I'm with you, Bill has an amazing body that could be a swimmer. He doesn't need to be very muscular like his older bros. I love the long torso of this fibrous bitch

Anonymous said:

you have given me the lovely mental image of bill being a swimmer. perhaps him swimming while tiger watches? and she’s fuckin drooling over him glistening and soaked when he gets out? and he was hitting it pretty hard bc it’s part of his exercise routine so he’s all breathless and pumped up and she’s just o_o over her biiiiig dude

SWIMMER. BILL.

Fuck me.

FUCK. ME.

I need a minute to process that.

Listen, I’ve always had like...a really weird kink...for dudes who can swim. I think it’s probably rooted in my summers I spent as a lifeguard, and one particular summer in Wildwood with the hottest dude I’ve ever seen in my life. He was a fellow lifeguard, a little older than me, and he was everything great in this world. He was fucking hot and he had no idea how hot he was, and it was a summer of the raunchiest sex I think I’ve ever had.

It was fucking incredible. God, I still smile about it. The dude was a water polo player too, and I can’t even explain to you how strong he was. I am strong, I am very strong, but in the same way that a ballerina is stronger than a football player--this dude was insane. His functional strength was insane. I am a really fast swimmer, a really strong swimmer, but when we did laps together--this guy was honestly a fucking torpedo. He’d clear 5 lengths in the time it took me to do 2. This motherfucker would do the butterfly stroke in the ocean and he’d fucking catapult OVER the waves, he was so strong.

But like...watching these dudes work was a fucking privilege. I WAS a lifeguard and sometimes I would just stand there at my post and drool. All of them just seemed so tall, so long, shoulders like a fucking fridge though. Watching them power through the water was such a sight--they were like dolphins man, so strong and so powerful, and they were fearless. They’d go and get your stupid ass against a rip tide and haul you back to shore like it as nothing. The way they would leap out of their lifeguard chairs and go tearing down the beach, running like fucking gazelles before diving into the wave like a torpedo, zero-ing in on you.

Again, I WAS a lifeguard and I would look at these dudes and just be like...hjnnnnnnnguh you’re so hot.

And the thing is, Bill actually has the most perfect swimmer’s body. The wingspan of a fucking pterodactyl. Huge hands. An incredibly long, hydrodynamic torso with narrow hips. The longest fucking legs known to mankind, topped off with feet like fucking flippers. Bill is made to tear through the water at incredible speeds, and it’s a fucking shame and a crime against nature if he doesn’t swim somewhat competitively.

So like, I love this thought right. What if its exactly that? Maybe Bill was a swimmer in his teenage years, of the competitive nature with school or something. And he never really mentioned it to tiger--but they start working out together, because maybe Bill has to buff up a bit for a roll and tiger needed a little extra motivation to hit the gym anyway. Bill sweating, grunting, being all strong and shit is all the motivation she needs. But tiger is a competitive little shit, and no doubt a strong one, so she just keeps trying to slaughter Bill in the gym.

But then maybe Bill remembers how much he used to love to swim--maybe he’s at a hotel one weekend for a press junket and the hotel has a pitiful gym, but a real nice lap pool. So he dives in there, gets a few lengths in, and he thinks shit...this is nice.

So when he gets back home, he tells tiger to pack a different kind of gym bag. He takes her to the local lap pool, and tiger scoffs. 

“Really?” she asks, “I thought we were going to work out.”

“We are,” he smiles, “And maybe even a little friendly competition?”

“Bill, please,” she says, setting her bag down, “I was a lifeguard. Do you really want to lose this easily?”

“How about a wager, then?”

“Name it.”

“10 lengths,” he says, “Fastest one gets morning head for a week.”

“Shhhh,” she says, the cocky little shit, “Better rest those lips, baby. It’s going to be a long week for them.”

Bill doesn’t say anything, but the corner of his mouth tilts up in the faintest of smiles.

Tiger quirks a brow when Bill actually steps up onto the small podium to dive off of, because hell she was just going to cannonball in. But if he wants to be all serious about it, she’s game.

“Tell you what kid,” he says, “I’ll even give you a head start. 5 seconds. Steamboat seconds.”

But tiger doesn’t want any advantage, because when she kicks his ass--she doesn’t want him blaming something other than her sheer athletic superiority.

“Shove it, Big Bird.”

“Come on, ladies first. It’s only fair,” he waves his hand to the pool, but tiger just glares at him from her podium.

“You need it more than I do,” she snaps, “I heard that Swedes sink like icebergs.”

“Icebergs float, you idiot.”

“Hey uh,” a random stranger interrupts, because these two idiots are just standing on two podiums smack talking each other, “Do you guys want me to give you a countdown, so you can both go at the same time?”

“Yes please,” they answer simultaneously.

Bill swings his arms back and forth, and then he even crouches on the podium. Tiger just thinks it’s so cute. Using all the right ~techniques~ thinking it’ll actually help him.

“3....2.........” the dude says, “..1, go!”

And like, look. Bill could have cleared half the fucking length of the pool in just his dive, but like a good former competitor he sticks to the proper admissible length of the dive and then starts his dolphin kick.

And Bill just destroys her in the pool. Fucking destroys her. He tears through the water, his arms driving straight forth and cutting through as his legs kick. It’s a force to be seen, the speed that he glides with. He fucking destroys her. Tiger is barely done half the laps by the time Bill rolls into his final one, touching the far wall and then bobbing a little in the water to catch his breath. He gets out of the pool--just so that tiger can’t actually see where he’s at, and she really thinks she’s beating him--and then he waits.

And as she kicks forward in the final push and reaches the wall, Bill crouches down right above her, a cocky smile on his face. Tiger’s look of sheer shock when she comes up--shock that not only did he win, but he apparently won by such a large margin that he had time to exit the pool, catch his breath again, and then be hovering over her when she popped up--her look of shock is worth it all.

Bill cocks his head, water dripping from his hair down onto his broad chest, and smiles big at her. Tiger glares.

“How the fu--” she starts, but a condescending finger is smushed against her lips roughly.

“Shhhh,” he says with mock sweetness, “Better rest those lips, baby. It’s going to be a long week for them.”

[lavenderlattaes]

i love you. | bts

⇒ summary: you said you love him in the most casual way.

⇒ [ idolverse! au ]

⇒ pairing: bts x reader

⇒ word count: 2.6k words (in total)

⇒ genre: fluff

⇒ warnings: i think a few swear words

⇒ note: this was requested ages ago sksks im sorry anon, i was lost on how i should write this bc I’ve never tried writing reactions before and i think it’s supposed to be in bullet(proof)form but I found myself writing it like this lol. and since we’re celebrating mots:7 and i am absolutely LOVING the new tracks rn, here’s the reaction you request years ago he he. I’ll have to add dividers and other stuff for this later on bc it’s too long but im on mobile rn. ANYWAY ENOUGH TALKING,, ignore mistakes bc im a bit of a blind bat and enjoy!＼ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ／

kim seokjin:

You’ve been dating Seokjin for a few months now and you can’t help but fall for him completely. It was hard not to — he made you laugh, he was so selfless, and he fed you with his amazing cooking skills.

The thing is, you haven’t said the three words yet. The three, special words that could — no matter how sweet it may be — either make or break you both.

The boys had just gotten back from recording and you were at their dorms, Jin coming up to you as soon as they entered to plant a gentle kiss to your cheek.

“Hey, love. Let me go wash up then I’ll help you,” he greets, and you smile at him, going back to cleaning the vegetables for dinner.

“Hey, Y/N,” Hoseok greets chirpily and you greet him, as he jumps onto a chair to watch you work.

“How are things with hyung?” He casually starts, placing his head in the palm of his hands as he grins at you. You’re closest to Hoseok, since you grew up with him and he was the one who introduced you to the boys.

“Oh, we’re doing great, he makes me happy,” you admit genuinely and Hoseok smiles. “He makes great food, doesn’t he?” Hoseok asks you and you giggle, nodding.

“Yeah, I love him, he feeds me well,” you sigh happily and Hoseok laughs.

You turn around to grab a bowl from the upper cupboard but groan when you realize you can’t reach it. You’re about to call Hoseok for help when a familiar arm snakes around your waist. You look up and see Jin, a smile on his face as he reaches up to get the bowl for you.

“I love you too, baby.” He replies to your statement earlier, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

min yoongi:

Instead of locking himself up in the studio to work on more songs or in his room to sleep, Yoongi found himself sitting on the couch, tuned in to a show where you were currently guesting on.

You were a famous producer and idol as well, and that’s how the two of you met in the first place. You’ve been dating for quite some time now, and you even went public with your relationship just a month back. The public surprisingly took the news very well, and no wars or issues had happened between your fans.

“So, Y/N, you and Yoongi just went public with your relationship last month, right?” The interviewer begins and you nod, sipping on your water bottle, a soft smile on your face.

Yoongi found himself smiling, turning the volume up just a tad bit. “How are things between you and the fans? Any fan wars going on?” You laugh and shake your head. “There’s definitely none of that,” you begin, “our fans are very nice and have even become friends. Most of my fans started listening to BTS’ music — if they didn’t already —” Yoongi chuckles at the comment, “and Yoongi’s fans have popped up in my feed to comment on how much they love my songs.” You finished.

Yoongi’s smile got wider and he made himself more comfortable as the interview went on. “It’s nice to know that everything’s going well for you both.” The interviewer gushes and you giggle, your laugh, making Yoongi blush from his seat on the couch.

You sure have him wrapped around your finger, huh?

“Yeah, I’m sure my fans love him too,” the words slip out from your lips too soon and Yoongi’s eyes widen. It’s the first time you’ve said you love him, and even if it’s indirect, it still makes his heart race.

“And I love you too, Y/N. So much, baby.” Yoongi whispers, his eyes trained on you until the interview ends, a loving smile on his face.

jung hoseok:

You love dancing, just as much as Hoseok does and that’s how you both met. You’ve been going to the same dance academy since you were a kid, and when you were graduated college, you chose to work at your dance academy.

Hoseok somehow found himself inside your dance academy, where he was supposed to teach a master class for the students there for the next three days. At the time, your artistic director was out of the country to be with some of the ballerinas of your academy who were competing. You were left in charge so you had to attend to Hoseok for the entire time. Somehow, the two of you clicked because of your passion for dance and the rest is history.

“Y/N, where’s Hoseok?” One of the little girls in your class tugged on your sweatpants while you were having a break in the middle of their class. It was no secret to the entire academy that you’re dating the “cool and sunshine teacher” they had a few months back. Everyone absolutely adored him, especially the younger kids who wanted to be like him.

“He has practice too, sweetie. Why do you ask?” You crouch down to her height and she sits down cross legged. At the mention of Hoseok, the other kids join in and form a circle around you.

“Isn’t he coming over?” One kid asks, and they all start nodding and talking over the other. You laugh and get them to settle down. “He’s busy, so I’m not sure,” you tell them and they groan.

“I miss Hoseok hyung. He’s so cool, and I love how he teaches class,” one of the younger boys sigh, hands crossed over his chest. You chuckle at the adorable sight, beckoning him over to give you a hug.

“Yeah, me too, bud.” You reply and the kids gasp. “YOU LOVE HOSEOK?!” They start shouting and running around, repeating the same thing over and over. “Y/N loves Hoseok.”

You shrug and stand up, gathering them back to the center of the studio to continue the class. “Come on, kids. Back to class. If you do well, today, maybe we can have Hoseok teach another class soon,” you say, going over to the speaker to play their song.

“I love you too!” A familiar voice shouts from the back and all of you turn around to see the one and only, Jung Hoseok.

kim namjoon:

You didn’t know how you managed to get yourself strapped to an outdoor rollercoaster, but here you were, with a small camera placed in front of your seat to record the entire ride.

“Why are we doing this again?” You choke out, turning to your band member beside you.

She was calm and collected about the entire thing, and she shrugs her shoulders. “Maybe because the fans wanted us to do this for the live?” You throw your head back, dreading the ride that was going to happen shortly.

“Relax, Y/N. You can do this!” Your maknae tells you from the back and you whine. “I’m the leader, why did I let this happen anyway?”

“Again, because the fans wanted us to do this. They’re watching right now, you know.” The eldest member chirps up and you groan as the rest of your members laugh.

“And you guys just had to put me in the front, huh,” you grumble, just as the ride started to move. You squeal, gripping the onto the handles in front of you. Your members let out whoops of cheers and laughter as the car went up.

You could see the buildings from below and the other rides, especially the rides for the kids. Why didn’t you ride that instead? “Y/N, fighting!” Your members cheer as you scream. The car reaches the top and you gulp, bracing yourself for the drop.

You feel the car tip over dangerously and the moment it drops, you throw your fears away and scream as loud as you can. “Kim Namjoon, if I die, you better know how much I love you!” You scream, completely forgetting you’re being filmed in real time and if he was watching, he just heard you say you love him for the very first time. And even if he didn’t, he’d definitely find out about it soon.

Oh, well. It’s true anyway, and you weren’t concerned about that right now. The ride makes another sudden drop but this time it tilted to your side and you let out another scream. “Mom, mom, mom I wanna go home!” You scream and you’re certain you’ll be met with memes the moment you get off the ride.

If you’re somehow still conscious after the ride.

park jimin:

“Y/N, truth or dare?” Jeongguk plops down beside you on the couch and you tear your eyes away from the show you were watching and raise an eyebrow at him.

“What’s this for?” You ask suspiciously. Jeongguk shakes his head innocently, his eyes glancing at his hyung who was sleeping soundly in your lap.

Your hands subconsciously start playing with Jimin’s hair and he cuddles closer to your stomach.

“Come on, truth or dare!” Jeongguk presses and you sigh. “Truth, because Jimin’s sleeping and I don’t want to disturb him.” You give in and Jeongguk grins.

“Okay, let’s play fast talk,” Jeongguk claps his hands excitedly and you choke on your saliva. “I thought we were playing truth or dare?”

“I change my mind. Answer with yes or no,” Jeongguk adjusts himself on the couch, a mischievous smile on his face.

You sigh. “Fine.”

“Are you tired of hyung?”

You glare at him. “No.”

“Is he clingy?”

“Yes, but I love it.”

“Is he adorable?”

“Yes, what’s with these questions Jeon?”

“Don’t ask. Does he make you happy?”

“Yes.”

“Do you love him?”

“Yes.” You stop running your hands through Jimin’s hair when you realize what you said and whip your head to look at Jeongguk. “Y/N, zero. Jeongguk, one.”

You’re about to retort when you’re interrupted. “I love you too,” Jimin mumbles, taking your hand and placing a kiss on your wrist, your cheeks heating up.

“Thanks, Gguk, even though you had to witness us say we love each other for the first time and completely ruin the moment,” Jimin mutters half-asleep.

kim taehyung:

Your eyes scan the comments coming in, looking for a question to answer.

“Where’s Yeontan?” You read. “He’s out with Taehyung right now,” you answer, and your own dog barks up from beside you, making you giggle. You pat your lap and your dog jumps up, appearing in your Vlive as well.

“When’s the next comeback?” You read and laugh, shaking your head. “Can’t tell you that right now, my loves. But expect new music this year,” you wink and your fans go wild in the comments, begging for you to reveal just a little bit more.

“No can do, guys. It’s either I let my love for you prevail or I lose my job,” you say in your most serious tone and your fans start taking back their pleads. Your eyes widen and you wave your hands frantically, giggling at the camera.

“I’m kidding, guys! I’m kidding!” Your dog barks up and you can only assume he’s trying to help you out too.

“Let’s move onto another topic, shall we?” You clear your throat after your laughter dies down and various other questions start filling in.

“Oooh! Yea, let’s play a game!” Your eyes light up and your fans start sending hearts in. “We’ll ask you to list down a number of things in the just twenty seconds,” you read off and grin, nodding.

“Okay, I’ll answer whichever my eyes read first,” you adjust yourself on your chair, stroking your dog’s furry hair as he waggles his tail in content.

“List of things you love,” you read off. “Oh! My family, my dog, my fans, my music, waking up late on my day off, spring, ice cream in the winter,” you pause slightly, and your fans start counting down, making you panic.

5...4...3...2…

“Uh, uh, TAEHYUNG!” You blurt out, just as the number one spams in the comments. For a moment there the comments stop coming in and you’re unsure if the app crashed or your wifi just started to suck.

“THAT’S THE FIRST TIME SHE SAID SHE LOVES TAEHYUNG!” Your eyes land on the comment and everyone starts agreeing.

“Oh, wow, ha ha, look at the time,” your eyes look down to your wrist and you mentally curse to find no watch resting there.

“Bye, guys!” You squeak out and end the live abruptly.

You let out a scream as your cheeks burn with embarrassment. Your dog pokes your hand with his nose and you can only pout at him.

“I’m an idiot, aren’t I?” Your dog stares at you for a moment, before letting out what you assume is a bark of agreement.

jeon jeongguk:

“I have to go on stage now, baby. I’ll see you after our stage, okay? Meet me back here,” Jeongguk kisses your cheek quickly and your cheeks flush, making him giggle.

“Good luck,” you manage to stutter out and he waves cutely, running up to his hyungs who’ve started to head for the stage. Once he turns around the corner, you fan yourself, still not used to his affectionate actions.

“Y/N!” You hear someone call from behind you, and compose yourself before turning around.

You’re met with a camera and some crew, and you assume they’re doing some backstage interview for tonight’s show.

“Hey!” You wave your hand and send hearts toward the camera, knowing how much your fans loved it when you did that.

“How was your stage, tonight?” One of the crew asks and you look up in thought before flashing a bright smile at the camera.

“I had lots of fun, especially because I saw so many of my fans in the crowd today. You guys were especially loud, I hope you didn’t go deaf or something,” you giggle and the crew laugh along with you.

“It must have been tiring, yeah?” They ask and you shrug. “In a sense, yes. But all of that goes away when I see people, not just my fans, enjoying the music I put out for them. I pour my heart into my music so it’s nice to know people appreciate it.” You smile and they nod.

“You love your fans a lot, don’t you?” You nod at the question and they grin. “Who else do you love?” They ask cheekily.

“Oh, that’s easy,” you begin, a surge of confidence coursing through you. You’re sure this is a good enough payback for leaving you flustered earlier.

“Who is it?” They ask innocently and you grin.

“Jeon Jeongguk,” you casually say and the crew whispers excitedly. “Who else would it be anyway?” You add and the crew laughs, nodding.

They ask you to say a few more words about your upcoming album which you happily answer, and they bow in thanks before heading off.

From behind, you can hear the shouts get louder and people congratulating your boyfriend’s group, with special greetings directed towards him.

You turn around and see his confused expression. He sees you and raises an eyebrow and you can only smile back, shrugging as you make your way over to him.

“What was that all about?” He asks after planting a soft kiss to the tip of your nose. You shake your head and grin at him.

“It’s nothing,” you take his hand in yours and you both start walking in the direction you of their dressing room. “Okay,”

He raises an eyebrow at you unsurely.

Oh, he won’t know what’s coming.

[baby-grayson]

okay so what happens next with grayson and hailee? does grayson like take a step back bc of his feelings?? or he stays by her side to help her find what she wants to do with her life??

Ethan and Hailee’s engagement party ends with someone’s tooth in a punchbowl, many tears, and Grayson’s heart tied into a tight, tangled knot.

The morning after Grayson and Hailee’s conversation on the porch was the morning before the engagement party. The house was a whirlwind of nervous energy and polite smiles. Grayson rubbed the sleep out of his eyes while he slowly came down the stairs, turning the corner to see Hailee sitting in a carved dining chair  while her mother swirled her hair around the barrel of a hot curling iron. Her hair was pinned around her head in a series of perfect curls, each falling exactly into place. Grayson stood in the doorway, taking in the image while the women’s conversation faded into the background. Hailee caught him from the corner of her eye, she shot him a flat mouth and raised her eyes. Grayson sent her a nod of support and moved from the doorway, not wanting to linger. He stepped into the pantry and opened a cabinet. He was greeted by the usual array of cereal boxes, standing in an erect line of morning salute. He lazily grabbed the box of cheerios and moved into the kitchen.

He was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when Ethan came in holding two button up shirts, each a slightly different shade of pale pink. Ethan stopped in his tracks when he spotted his brother at the breakfast nook.

“Hey- which one of these,” he swung the shirts in the air, “which one is salmon? and which one is bubblegum?” Ethan’s eyes were wide as he searched Grayson’s face for a sign of an answer. “C’mon man,” Ethan groaned when Grayson didn’t answer hastily enough, “Helpme outhere.”

“Uh,” Grayson looked from one shirt to the other and back to the first. “The left.”

“The left?” Ethan urged, “The left is salmon?”

“Yeah,” Grayson nodded, “Sure.”

Ethan groaned again and looked back. He nodded his head at the doorway to the dining room, “They in there?”

“Yeah,” Grayson’s voice was garbled through his first spoon of cereal, “Doing hair.”

Ethan stared at the doorway to the dining room and back at the shirts in his hands.

“Why do you even care?” Grayson lifted another spoon to his mouth, “They’re both pink.”

Ethan rolled his eyes softly, Grayson pretended like he couldn’t see it. “Her dress has these little flowers, we got the shirt to match,” Ethan lifted both of them in the air, “but I took it out of the package and now I don’t remember which one is which.”

Grayson filled his mouth with another spoonful of cereal to avoid continuing the conversation. Carol, Hailee’s mother, stepped from the dining room as she wrapped the cord of the curling chord around itself.

“Ethan,” she started over, “did you need something, pumpkin?”

Ethan looked down at the two shirts in his hands, with his mouth hanging open. He looked back at Carol while she added:

“Oh, are you lending one to Grayson? You’re always so sweet Ethan.” Carol touched a finger to the shirt in Ethan’s left hand, “It’s a good color, but I’m afraid your brother is a little wider than you, might not fit.” She scrunched up her nose at the last few words.

Ethan nodded, feeling a wash of relief while his shoulders fell.

“Now Grayson,” Carol moved towards him as he swallowed his latest mouthful of breakfast. She thumbed the edges of his hair, which was now growing past hair ears, “What do you say we do something about this before the little get together this evening? sound good to you honey?”

Carol’s fingers gently brushed his ear in her inspection of his hair. He was immediately reminded of the gentle, whimsical touch of Hailee’s fingers the night before, when she gave him a nearly identical comment.

“I can do it myself,” Carol’s voice woke him from the soothing mental place he was traveling to, “I’ll set up a chair in your bathroom and meet you up there whenever you’re ready.” She shot him a sweet, hospitable smile and waltzed out of the room.

As if on cue, while her mother disappeared from the room Hailee stepped in, standing between the twins. Grayson thought she looked like a bobblehead, the pinned curls adding immense extra volume to her head. Her blonde locks balled up into ringlets and then immediately went back to her head, where her mother fastened them with neon colored clips. Hailee exhaled and slumped into a chair.

“What’s wrong-” “-you okay?” Grayson looked straight at Ethan, feeling his spine straighten in his chair. If Ethan was fazed, he didn’t show it.

“Yeah,” Hailee nodded, “She’s just-,” she shook her head. She placed her elbows on the table and held her head in her hands, “She’s a perfectionist.” Her tone was sharp.

“I’m sorry baby,” Ethan’s tone was nearly a coo. He kissed the top of her head, somehow navigating his lips between the neon colored clips, “You look beautiful, though.”

Grayson filled his mouth with a spoon of cereal. He wanted to speak up. He wanted to say that Hailee looked like a poodle, and that she was a woman who was perfectly capable of choosing her own hairstyle. Trying to find his place in his new family, Grayson shoved as many cheerios in his mouth as he could fit.

He escaped the situation by leaving his cereal bowl in the sink and going up to the attic. Carol was waiting with a barber’s chair in the middle of his bathroom and a set of clippers open on the counter. “Ready dear?” She stood perfectly perched over the chair: a mixture of Martha Stewart and Sweeney Todd.

Grayson made himself comfortable in the chair while Carol swooped a black cape around him and started spraying his head with water.

“Excited for today, Grayson?”

“Yeah.” he answered politely, “I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

“This must be your first party in quite awhile honey.”

“Yeah,” he answered again, curtly, “I guess it will be.”

“Well don’t worry,” she started combing out locks of his hair. “I won’t tell a soul if you get a little too far into the schnopps tonight- it’ll be our little secret.”

Grayson chuckled softly. He wondered if that’s where Hailee got her sense of humor from.

“Hold your head steady now,” Carol instructed.

Grayson tried to lock his neck into place. “The party’s here?”

“Oh no,” Carol corrected, “The wedding’s here. That’s for certain, four generations have all gotten married in that back barn. But tonight,” some of his hair fell of the floor as she snipped her scissors, “tonight’s we’re going to the old boathouse down by the lake.”

“Oh,” Grayson responded, “Must have missed that.” In truth, Grayson had managed to avoid absorbing any details of Hailee and Ethan’s nuptials. He told himself it was because he didn’t want to be involved in the stresses of everyone else.

Carol nodded, “We’ve been friends with the owner for years, his brother is the mayor. And actually, his son-” Carol snipped her scissors again as her voice heightened, “his son and Hailee Anne used to date in high school. Nice boy, nice nice boy.”

Grayson made a low sound from his throat.

“But oh of course we love Ethan, we love Ethan like one of our own. Trevor could never compare to our Ethan, I’ve never my girl so happy.”

Carol snipped a few more of Grayson’s locks. She put the scissors down to grab a comb. “It must be so odd for you, to be home but not be in your home. Isn’t it honey?”

Grayson sighed softly, “It’s new. But I’m glad to be back.”

“Well just know whatever is ours is yours, this is your home and your family now.” Carol spoke kindly but her words cut through Grayson’s heart. He wondered if she would be as hospitable if she knew the scandalous thoughts he had about her daughter, his brother’s fiance.

Grayson shuddered without thinking. She pulled away from his head, “Just a few more minutes now darlin’, almost done here.”

Grayson offered to sweep the bathroom floor but Carol shooed him away, telling him to find his brother. Grayson thanked her one last time and headed down the stairs.

Grayson left his attic bedroom and headed down the stairs, to stop on the bottom stop. He stared blankly at the front door. Ethan was standing in the doorway, the lilac bushes in the sunshine behind him, with Hailee in his arms. He kissed the top of her head while she beamed. A photographer, a petitely framed girl in a black outfit, snapped pictures of them.

The second camera snap echoed in Grayson’s ears. He stalked out of the room while Hailee twisted her ring to better position it in the frame.

The boathouse was a historic piece of architecture, original to the small Southern town. For the engagement party, the chandeliers were draped with baby pink and cornflower blue swaths of fabric. Each chair was tied with bows that coordinated with its table cloth. Balloons covered each corner of the room, filled with glitter that sparkled and twinkled. The entire venue looked like a pink and blue prom.

Grayson sat at a round table with Ethan, Hailee, and her family. Despite her poodle-esque hairdo (which had the clips removed but still fell in curls that were far too fake to look easy on the eye), Grayson thought she looked like the spirit of springtime.

Her delicate frame was covered in sheets of baby pink tulle. Her dress cinched in at her waist before bouncing out like a ballgown. Her skirt was covered in dozens of tiny light blue flowers. She looked like a ballerina playing a floral princess.

Grayson felt drab compared to the well-dressed party guests. His navy polo and borrowed slacks paled in comparison to the three piece suits, hats, and pocket watches of the men around him.

Ethan wore Hailee on his arm as they greeted party guests at the door: hugging old people and kissing babies. Grayson found his place at the table, listening to Hailee’s father tell stories from his time in the service. Grayson sipped from the mouth of his beer bottle and imagined the memories of his time in the service to slip down and disappear as the liquid slid down his throat and into the abyss.

He was six beers into the night, watching the clock and wondering if he was too tipsy to shower when they got back home. He looked up to watching Hailee and Ethan at the front of the room. Ethan held the microphone in one hand while Hailee draped herself over his opposite elbow,  “We just wanted to thank all of you for being here today-for being so happy for us, with us,” Grayson took another swig of beer while Ethan to continued, “We’re so happy that all of you showed up tonight-”

“SHE SHOULD BE MINE AND YOU KNOW IT ASS HAT!”

Necks craned throughout the room to follow the shout. Grayson nearly dropped his beer on the table. From the fire exit door, the drunk, red eyed and sloppy stood a young man with a trim haircut and a red face.

“FUCK YOU E-CREEP! SHE WAS MINE FIRST YOU KNOW-”

Ethan started scampering off the stage, leaving Hailee, who had gone pale, to stand there by herself. From across Grayson’s table, Carol tapped her husband’s shoulder vigorously, “Devlin,” she was frantic, “Devlin do something!” In turn, Hailee’s father shook Grayson’s arm and said, “Go Son! Go!”

Grayson shot up. The air felt thick as he rushed to the other side of the room. He pulled the guy by the arm, trying to coax him out of the room.

SMACK.

In a fraction of a second, Grayson turned his head to see where the noise was coming from. A single tooth shot out of the guy’s mouth and flew threw the air as Ethan’s fist collided with his face. Grayson’s eyes went wide as he searched his brother’s face for answers.

From across the room, Hailee started to cry. Her legs had abandoned her and she had wilted on the floor, her curls bobbing around her head as she took in hasty breaths.

Somewhere in the room, her mother whispered to her father, “And I always thought Trevor was such a nice boy.”

Her father whispered back, “And I thought Ethan was such a nice boy.”

Grayson looked at the streams of blood coming from Trevor’s mouth and felt himself go sick. His mind flashed with the images of blood and injuries from the past few years: of infirmaries with stained walls and not enough beds. He felt a second sickness hit when he realized that for a moment, he had considered saying something to Hailee about his feelings. The night before, he considered divulging all of his emotions for her: committing to honesty and telling her what he felt. Not just about his growing affection for her, but his belief that her life was holding her back, not letting her by the woman she was aiming to be and live up to her potential.

Grayson took another look at the blood streaming from Trevor’s gums, caused by Ethan’s fists, and wondered if Ethan would have hit weaker or harder if it had been Grayson who spoke up.