#just filler but the one coming tomorrow is big!

[noxiatoxia]

Komaeda Nagito, and His Tendency to Use Filler Words

I've talked about this here and there, but I want to make an in-depth post with examples.

So, something that's always bothered me about the Eng release of SDR2 is the fact that Komaeda...does not use filler words as much as he should.

Let me explain.

I'm sure you know words such as "uh" "um" "ah" "er" and suchlike. When you don't know something or are thinking, you tend to say something like, "Um...yeah, so..." or "My, um, appointment is tomorrow."

These words add no "value" to the sentence, and are only placed involuntarily while speaking because you are trying to think as you speak.

Japanese has plenty of these, too. Words like えーと(etto), あの (ano), ううん (uun), ええ (ee), and so forth.

But there's other "filler" words out there. Like our earlier sentence, "Um...yeah, so..." "Um" is not the only filler word. "Yeah, so" is also a filler word, as it adds nothing to the overall sentence. It can be removed.

Really, any word can become a filler word. "You know" and "like" have real applications, but if you, like, start, like, talking like this, it's, you know, kind of repetitive, you know?

I think the vast majority of people on Earth are guilty of speaking like this in their day-to-day lives. It's just easy to do. But when it comes to media, you'll notice characters rarely stutter or repeat words. When they do, even if it's a small amount, it's noticeable because the surrounding context is that nobody else is doing it.

With all this information in mind, let's talk about Komaeda Nagito's dialogue.

実はさ、ボクは入学前に、ネットでみんなの情報を調べてきてるんだよね。

さ(sa), is a normal sentence particle in Japanese. It's used for a myriad of purposes, although many people seem to liken it to the American "Valley Girl" accent when overused, especially with another conversation particle, ね (ne).

It is a misconception that sa is "masculine". It used to be masculine way back, but nowadays it's more or less gender neutral.

This will be the topic of the post. Komaeda tends to use sa and ne in a way that is seen as "filler". These particles can be likened to "you know?" and "like" in the sense that they are real words that serve purposes, but can be repetitive.

In the sentence above, I would say the ne is not being used in a filler-like way. Sa, however, is.

"So, to be honest, before I arrived at this school, I, um, did a little research about everyone on the internet."

In this way, sa, ne, or any other particle when overused (な na is another big one, and I see Souda using it a lot) can be any filler word. Some would argue that the sentence should maybe look more like...

"So, you see, to be honest, before I arrived at this school, I did a little research about everyone on the internet."

And this is equally as correct. It's more in-line with how sa as a particle is normally used, but when translating it as how it's being used here - as a filler word - "um" may sound more appropriate in English. Neither is incorrect however, and there's a myriad of other ways you could go about writing this.

"So, you know, to be honest..."

"So, like, to be honest..."

"...I kind of did a little research..."

"...I, well, did a little research..."

etc.

ううん、いいんだよ。複雑なのはボク自身もそうだからさ。

Here, I wouldn't describe sa as being a filler word...necessarily. It adds emphasis, but it's still completely optional. Thus, I wouldn't translate it as a word imperative to the sentence's meaning.

"No, no, I totally get it. I have pretty mixed feelings about this, too."

最初はね…恐れ多いって断ったんだよ。でも、どうしてもって言われてさ。

Here is an example of him using ne in a filler-like way. You've probably caught on that particles which stand-in as filler are used usually at the beginning of a sentence before a comma or ellipses.

Komaeda actually uses ne in this manner fairly often. One of his default voice lines is "boku wa ne..." - I am unsure how this was recorded in the English dub. Probably just "I..." but personally I'd go with "Well, I..." or "I, uh..."

And unlike earlier, I would say the sa here at the ending is indeed more filler-like (not entirely still, though. Akin to the usage above).

"Um, honestly, at first…I was humbled, but I refused. But, well, they wouldn't stop insisting on it…"

By the way, Komaeda is not putting himself down in this scene. Japanese culture emphasizes being polite in a way Western spaces do not. "I don't deserve it" is a very direct translation, but in English, it makes more sense to read it as "I humbly declined".

And all these examples are just in the first conversation you have with him! You can imagine how many more there are through the whole game.

Now, here's a big question I'm sure you're thinking: "Why was this left out?"

I don't know to be honest, because...they did it with other characters.

Such as Koizumi in the same game:

だってさ、なんだか変なヤツばっかりじゃん。天才だか超高校級だか知らないけどさ…

Although Koizumi suffers from some of the same translation choices made with Komaeda, hers appears to be more consistent.

Finally, we need to talk about Naegi Makoto. He and Komaeda share beyond a voice actor - they talk the same, too. They both use the same self pronoun and you pronoun, use the same script, and also have a habit of using ne and sa in excess...though Naegi maybe does it slightly less.

Also confusing, this sometimes gets translated, like here:

そうそう、こんな危険な学校だしさ、何があるかわからないでしょ？ だから…念の為にさ。

The only reason I can think it only happens sometimes or, in Komaeda's case, not at all, is some translators on the team either didn't feel it was important to include/didn't think about it, while other translators did. Game translation typically has more than one person at the helm. A lack of good management can lead to weird discrepancies like this.

Anyways, that's all I got for now. I hope you find it interesting, because it's one of my absolute favorite character quirks of Komaeda and I am so sad it doesn't get any love in English...

[darlingstarkey]

think later - the album (pt 1)

series masterlist

summary - y/n, formerly a pogue princess, finally had her big breakthrough and got signed to a record label in LA. little did she, her boyfriend rafe cameron and the rest of her friends know how things would really change as soon as she becomes famous.

authors note: these are fillers while i make up the next few parts. obviously not mandatory to read, but it gives more insight into characters <3 part 2 of the album is tomorrow!

wc: 2.2k

warnings: swearing, mentions of sex & suggestive language (mdni!), sweet!reader, slightlytoxic!rafe, snooping, diary reading, invasion of privacy, jealousy, angst, fluff fluff, soft!rafe (i might be missing more).

miss possessive: 

y/n wrote this song after one of rafe’s famous parties at tanneyhill. this was probably a month into the couple dating. she couldn’t help but feel territorial as she saw a blonde try her hardest to include herself in a clearly rafe's boys-only conversation.

giggling too loud at rafe’s comments, leaning in closer to him and batting her fake eyelashes at him, she was clearly trying to pounce on him. rafe of course, shrugs the girl off and continues his conversation with topper and kelce. 

after about two drinks, y/n gets enough of seeing this girl trying to get with rafe even after his continuous efforts to swat her away. sliding swiftly next to rafe, he drapes his arm around y/n’s waist like it’s second nature. 

the girl — god knows what her name was, stood there dumbfounded at your swiftness. y/n immediately makes eye contact with the girl and cocks her eyebrow up at her. “and you are?” y/n says sarcastically. don’t get me wrong, y/n is the kindest soul in the world and wouldn’t hurt a fly, but when it came to her rafe, she did NOT want to share. 

“lily.. and you?” the girl strikes back. stiffing up her back as if she's ready to fight for what she wants.

rafe on the other hand, looks down at you and only you during this interaction, absolutely fueled by the jealousy that is coming from you. you rarely got jealous, so this was a SHOW for him in itself.

“i’m y/n, rafe’s girlfriend. is there a reason why you’re trying so hard to get with my boyfriend right now? you could have anyone else in this party.” 

“oh y/n- i’m not..” lily stated but was quickly cut off. she was stunned by the situation she put herself in. obviously a touron, she had only heard of rafe cameron and y/n. after all, how scary could you be?

“oh, like you weren’t trying to give him the fuck me eyes? like you weren’t just about to put your hands on him? right babe. you might as well just turn around and take home the next guy who walks in.” y/n struck back. 

rafe, topper and kelce watched this interaction happen intensely, never seeing this side of the sweet y/n before. 

the girl scurried off to look at the floor or ceiling, knowing that even looking back at rafe’s direction would be the biggest mistake of her life.

“damn, doll. didn’t know you had that in you.” rafe smirked.

with pleading eyes, you look up at him and take his hand to show him exactly how lucky he is to have you. 

“sorry boys, we’ll be back!” y/n calls out to topper and kelce, who were just abandoned by the couple. 

2. sports car: 

the song that everyone thinks is about charles leclerc, but in reality, y/n wrote this right after rafe had bought his new ferrari. it was a bargain with ward of course, get a good business deal for the company and he’d get whatever he wanted. of course he chose the sexiest car ever; a gorgeous red ferrari. and he had the perfect passenger next to him at all times, you. 

“let’s go ride!” y/n would always say to rafe before they would drive off to various locations on and off of the island. 

seeing rafe drive that damned ferrari was intoxicating, almost addicting to watch. his big hands would grip the steering wheel while the other rested on your upper thigh. his hair would flop around in the wind perfectly, and his ray bands would rest on his perfect ski-slopped nose. occasionally while driving, he would look over at you with that damned smirk, knowing exactly what you were thinking.

you couldn’t help but write about how much sexier (how was this possible?!) he got after acquiring the damned vehicle. your imagination couldn’t stop itself from thinking about all the places you'd fuck him.. in the alley in the back, in the center of your bedroom, with the windows rolled down, on the corner of your bed, on the beach, or he could even do it on his own while looking at her (this has happened before, to his admission). 

3. what’s your problem?

one that should have probably not made the album. it was raw, emotional, full of anger and heartbreak. and sadly, this it was about rafe. shortly after their breakup, y/n couldn’t help but feel some sort of hatred towards the kook king. 

what did he think, he was some sort of god? he seriously fucked your life up after promising to stay with you through the hardships and especially through your up and coming fame. god, what was his problem? 

he left you feeling confused, hurt and unwanted. and knowing the previous version of rafe (well, from rumors from around the cut) you just had used this stereohype when it came to him breaking up with you -- he never cared, he just played you, etc. you were wrong.

crying in your room, you wrote this song out of imagination. lying to yourself within the lyrics like they would somehow cure you from the pain that you were enduring from the breakup.

“my mom said she don’t like you, should’ve seen that as a sign.” lie. your mom adored him. she would make him his favorite dinner every time he came over, try to scrounge up any kind of gift to make him, always gave him the biggest hug when he walked through the doors.

“thought i caught you smiling the night that you saw me cry.” lie. rafe would never smile when you cried, he would soothe you until you felt like you didn't need to cry anymore. whatever problems you had, you were very explicitly emotional about them, not afraid to cry. he was always there to pick you back up.

“i don’t give a fuck about you like i used to.” biggest lie of them all. you loved him, and you knew you always would. 

4. means i care 

written after your first argument with rafe, you two quickly learned that you had completely different communication styles. 

this song though, was specifically about how rafe communicated with you and felt about you. 

“if i cut you off, it just means i care.” he explained as he showed up at your doorstep in the pouring rain. the fight was stupid, like really fucking stupid. so stupid that you both couldn’t even remember what it was about if asked about it present day .

pulling you into a hug, you were obviously hesitant as you rested in his arms. "rafe, that doesn't excuse you ignoring me for days after one little argument. you can't just up and leave when things get hard with me." you mumbled into his shoulder, pulling away while looking up at him.

at this point, you were both drenched standing outside of your house.

"i know. i just.. tend to run away when things end up in even the smallest fights. but i promise you that i don't want it to be that way y/n. i adore everything about you. i just.. shut down because i feel like this is going somewhere. like actually." he says, looking deeply into your eyes.

later that night, after rafe had left, you sat confused with your feelings. you didn't forgive him easily, so you turned to the only person who knew rafe better than you did.

sarah.

"its just all he knows, y/n. it's not you i promise." she defended her brother. "if overnight he ends it, and runs away without a mention and ghosts you, it means he likes you the most." she explained.

you listened and learned exactly what she meant, using this moment to better understand the love of your life.

5. nostalgia

this one was personal to y/n. growing up a pogue meant that her family struggles were the most evident problem in her life. barely having any food on the table, her dad barely earning enough to make rent, and most of all, her mom going on and on about what her life could've been.

her first week in LA, she had a phone call with her father in which he reflected everything he had felt towards the changes in their lives. but, he also reflected on the regret that he had about his own. a previous kook, your father took the wrong turns during his teenage years.

it was always that, what could have been and what was lost. it was never what was happening in the present. everyone always had nostalgia, even towards experiences that had never happened.

you took your pen and paper, and wrote it to life. funny thing about nostalgia, didn't show up till i lost ya...

this was a song that rafe had heard over a facetime call that same week. he was stunned at your ability to harmonize and strum at your guitar, impressed by your ability to write out your feelings into a melody that was heaven to the ears.

although he loves ALL of your songs, this one pinches his heart a little more because of how much he could relate to it.

6. greedy

you and rafe didn't start off on the right foot, it wasn't love at first sight really. it was more banter and bickering. sass and cockiness.

he was rafe cameron after all. but still, you didn't let him in that easy.

it was at a bonfire on the beach, where you were finally dragged out of the house by sarah and kiara -- "girls night!" they screeched.

"i've been trying to talk to you all night, but i still don't know what you're about." rafe said frustratedly at you. "you'll never know much past my name, cameron." you smirked up at him.

this game of cat and mouse was entertaining, you couldn't help keeping up with it as he tried to dig into you and learn about you. his eyebrows furrowed as you give him the driest answers about your life.

"are you seriously this stubborn, or is it just an act? i seriously cant tell if you like or hate me." he said. you giggled and threw your head back drunkenly.

"no, i don't hate you, rafe. but you're gonna have to work a little harder to get me."

"god, are you gonna put me through hell just to know you?" he sighed and ran his hands through his hair, frustrated with the beautiful mysterious girl that was in front of him for the first time.

"who knows. but you're a cutie, cameron. i would want myself too." you winked at him as you walked back to your group of friends, who were confused as to why you were talking to rafe in the first place.

7. exes

this one was written by y/n's alter ego back when she was a teenager. never had an ex in her life, she hadn't even kissed someone before.

hearing stories about the girls at school go through the same rotation of going through boys, kissing them, breaking up with them, and changing their minds like origami. this was one of the first songs you ever wrote and honestly you had forgotten all about it.

the way rafe found out about this song was...very rafe like. although he was always your soft, sweet boyfriend, he couldn't help but be a little intrusive when he saw your song book out in the open. it was one he had never seen before, no one had. it was your oldest one and was hidden in a box underneath your dusty bed frame..

that was until you needed some inspiration with a new song and brought out the pink polka-dotted journal in which you accidentally left out.

it was like it was screaming his name. 'read me. read me. read me.' chanted through his mind.

when you went downstairs to chat with your mom about what you and rafe wanted for dinner, he pounced at the chance.

"yeah, we hooked up, then we broke up, then i said you really hurt me, but i still got your number and your necklace, kisses to my exes.." rafe read. his eyes widened with every word that he wrote. who was this? his girl? writing about her previous boyfriends? who could she have dated? its not like he can ask her, they'd only been dating for a month.

"see something you like?" you giggled as you stepped foot next to him. startled out of his mind he snapped the book together.

"n-no." he mumbled and set the book down. but before he could fully place it down, you took it from his hands and smiled at the slightly smudged pages.

"i'm a wild ride that never stops.. wow 15 year old me was reallll creative, huh?.." you laughed at the lyrics. rafe was dumbfounded.

"what do you mean?" rafe choked out.

"rafe, these aren't real lyrics. do you even know me? you were my first everything. its all something i made up." you looked up at him smirking. his serious demeanor quickly changed.

"well thank god for that." he sighed, as he cupped your cheek and kissed your lips passionately.

-

taglist: @madkohi, @yesshewrites1, @grapejuice32, @leotapes , @givemylovetoall, @inlovewrafe, @bee-43, @larvalerius, @masongetinmybed, @the-oracle-at-delphinitely-not, @mystargirl-interlude, @eddxemxnson, @sqfewrd, @pogueprincesa, @frankoceanluvr11, @raeven-marie43, @marleymarleymarleymarley, @mindfulmesses, @akobx, @spenceatiny18, @fluoxetinys, @lolxdswag123, @st8rkey, @ethanthequeefqueen, @drewrry, @jjmaybankmylovee, @disaster-rose, @sunshinedaisy21, @chillgal135, @amterasuu, @wtfisastiles, @sassyvillaintrophy, @bananaminn, @barnesboo1967, @pi4st81, @stvrkeysgal, @yktayy9669, @yesterdaysproblemm, @rafesbuzzcutseason, @dylsdaily, @jjasmiineee, @imjustagirl713, @voidangxls

xo, dylan

[heartavenue]

️₊˚‧︵‿꒰୨ Answer as your Dr self: Better Cr Edition ୧꒱‿︵‧˚₊

this is a shifting exercise created by @zaddizu thank you so much for making this!

࿔ WHAT IS YOUR NAME? :my name is Love Ma Cherie Sinclair, which translates to Love My Sweetheart Sinclair in English. When I was born my parents hadn't come up with a name yet, when I was born my dad held me into his arms telling me how much he loved me! There the name was born; my middle name came from my dad! (he comes from French origins) while I was still in his arms he continuously repeated those words over and over! There my middle name was born.

࿔ FAVORITE FOOD? :I love birria tacos, I'm talking I get it everytime I see it! I cannot get enough.

࿔ WHAT IS A SONG YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE A PLACE FOR IN YOUR HEART? : easy honeymoon avenue by Ariana grande! I mean its the inspiration behind my username. When I was a little girl I heard that song for the first time and it was so good I became a stan for life! Till this day it makes me cry just out of pure nostalgia.

࿔ FAVORITE COLOR, GO! :pink yesterday, pink today, pink tomorrow, and pink FOREVER!

࿔ NAME THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO YOU :cliche answer but it's cliche for a reason, obviously my family (more specifically my sister) she is my other half, she completes me, I do not want I would do without her in my life, she made me the person I am and I would not trade her for anything else in this world. There would not even be a better cr if I didn't have my sister because she puts the "better" in better cr.

࿔ IN A CROWDED ROOM, WHO WOULD YOU LOOK FOR FIRST? :easy my sister! but after that it would be my best friend, they are the two most important women in my life (not including my mom and grandmom of course)

࿔ BEST MUSIC GENRE? : r&b! I mean I'm black it's in my roots, ain't nothing like a nice slow r&b song to end your day with. I'm talking Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men, Aaliyah, etc. I can always find myself going back to an r&b ballad.

࿔ A TOPIC YOU DEFEND WITH YOUR LIFE :billionaires should not exist and capitalism is slowing (I don't know so much about slowly anymore) killing us. I do not care what reality I'm in billionaires do not exist, I do not understand why someone should have a billionaire dollars. Even in my Dr where homelessness is not a thing a human does NOT need that much money. And as far as capitalism...if I get into that this would no longer be an intro to my better cr. Oh my gosh and don't get me started on AI.

࿔ GUN TO YOUR HEAD...ARE YOU FUNNY? :is the sky blue, is grass green, does Elon musk looked like an alien with botched filler?

࿔ FRUIT OR CANDY PLATTER? :imagine a big bowl full of mangoes, pineapple, grapes, watermelon, strawberries, kiwi, and peaches. You are sitting there with a big spoon in your hand to assist you, now imagine a bowl of gummy worms and m&ms....man give me the fruit.

࿔ SUGAR, SOUR, OR SPICE? :sour is an easy no, sugar or spice? mhm...spicy food would be more savory and I like savory foods more than sweets so I'ma go with spicy!

࿔ AMBIVERT, INTROVERT, OR EXTROVERT? :ambivert/extrovert. This is my reality, I'm the star, I need all eyes on me.

࿔ WHO WAS YOUR FIRST LOVE? DO YOU REGRET IT? :Ivy. My best friend in fact she is my first and only love. I'm not going to expound too much on our relationship because it's very personal, but let's just say I don't regret it not one bit.

IB: @meilarchives

[maplegracefour]

Two Idiots and a Wedding | Part Three

Summary: You and Schlatt meet the parents, go for lunch and then decide to do something with your evening together

Warnings: Stern parents & bullies

Word Count: ~1340

Author's Note: It's more filler I know but the good stuff is coming!!!!!

Part One and Two

“Darling! It’s so good to see you!” Your mother calls out when you climb out of the car to the fancy restaurant. “Feels like forever.”

“Hi Mum,” You chuckle nervously, accepting her hug.

“And who is this handsome devil…?” She asks, pulling away from you to let her eyes rake over Schlatt’s body.

Schlatt chuckles, holding his hand out to your mother. “I’m Jay,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Good things?” She asks, laughing as she pulls him into a hug instead.

“Only the best.” He responds.

She grins as she looks back at you, a silent look to you to tell you ‘he’s a good one’. You blush, unable to hide it. Schlatt looks up and notices before turning to your father.

“Nice to meet you, sir.” He says, holding his hand out once again. Your father accepts, shaking his hand firmly.

“No need for formalities, son. Nice to meet you too. Treating my kid well?” He asks, raising an eyebrow, not yet letting go of Schlatt’s hand.

“Of course,” Schlatt responds with a smile. “They’re an angel.”

Your father gives him a stern nod, pulling his hand away.

You all head inside, you feel a hand on the small of your back as you step foot into the restaurant. You turn your head and realise it’s Schlatt doing so. He raises an eyebrow, as though questioning if there’s an issue. You turn your attention back to the hostess, now with a gentle blush spread across your cheeks.

Sitting down at the table, you see Schlatt taking a seat beside you. You look nervous, and he wishes he could alleviate it.

You all chat, small talk that you wish you didn’t have to have. There’s questions you prepared for, of course. How did you meet? So, you’re one of those streamer things too?

But then there’s one question that hits you like a freight train, one you couldn’t have prepared for considering as far as your parents are aware, you’ve only been dating a couple months.

“So, you're serious about them, Jay?” Your dad asks, stern look as he pushes another fry into his mouth. “What’s your plan? Are you gonna propose?”

“Dad, c’mon that’s not-...” You try to interject, stop this line of questioning.

Schlatt places a hand on your leg under the table, it isn’t subtle. It’s intentional. “No, no. It’s okay.” He says, giving you a smile. “I am serious about them, sir. Obviously, it’s still early days, I don’t want to put words in their mouth and make assumptions but I care about them a lot. I definitely don’t see why I wouldn’t propose in the future.” He shrugs, giving your thigh a squeeze.

You blush, looking down at your meal. That felt very… real? You’ve gotta give the guy credit, the man is a good actor.

���Alright.” Your dad responds, not smiling but seemingly satisfied with Schlatt’s answer.

The rest of the meal is okay, the tension alleviated after your parents seem to approve of Schlatt, which is only half the battle you suppose.

When returning for the bathroom, you notice your dad and Schlatt having a hushed discussion, you furrow your eyebrows in confusion as you walk over. Oh God. They know. You’re gonna be humiliated.

“I’m telling you, it’s fine. I really don’t mind.” Schlatt chuckles.

Your father looks up as you approach. “Is everything okay?” You ask hesitantly.

“Your boyfriend just picked up the entire bill.” Your mother tells you, your father looks exasperatedly back up at you.

You look at Schlatt who just shrugs, like it’s no big deal at all. “Jay…” You sigh.

“I wanted to.” Schlatt tells you.

“Well, that’s very kind, Jay. Thank you.” Your mother says, as she picks up her coat. “We have to head off, picking up the flower arrangements for your cousin. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Your parents rush off, your father grumbling about the bill still as he leaves. You soon collect your bag and jacket as you and Schlatt head off also. You glance at him, the distance between you increasing as your parents drive out of the parking lot.

“You really didn’t have to do that, Jay.” You sigh, rolling your eyes. “I’ll venmo you the money when we get back to the hotel.”

He laughs back at you. “Don’t be ridiculous. I meant it, I wanted to pay.”

You pause your movements as you reach the car, leaning against the passenger side door. “I told you I’d pay for everything.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

You groan as you get into the car, throwing your bag into the back. “Anyway, we have the evening to ourselves. Anything you wanna do?”

“Heard there’s a bowling alley nearby.” He suggests, rolling his sleeves up before putting the car into gear. He says that like he didn’t look up things to do in the area, just as an excuse to spend more time with you.

You nod, getting comfortable in the seat. Though, you think about it for a moment. “We are in my hometown though.” You say, looking over. “We might see people that are going to be there tomorrow..”

“Okay, and?” He says, beginning to drive out the parking lot. He clearly isn’t getting it.

“So, we can’t just be friends if we go to the bowling alley.” You explain, voice slow as though you’re having to spell it out to him.

He chuckles, rubbing his chin with his free hand. “So, we’ve still gotta pretend that we’re a couple there, too?” You nod, feeling guilty. “That’s fine.”

You look at him, slightly confused. But you choose not to question it.

When you pull up to the bowling alley, Schlatt spins around and takes your hand in his. There’s no one around at the moment, but there might be, so you accept it.

Going inside, your mind is immediately cast back to being a teenager here. There wasn’t much to do when you were a kid so you spent many an evening in this exact bowling alley. It still smells the same.

Schlatt squeezes your hand as he pulls you to the reception. You follow him and stand quietly as he pays for a couple games.

“Oh my god, (Y/N)!” You hear a shriek from the other side of the room. Oh no. Oh god no, please. It’s Alyssa.

You pull your hand from Schlatt’s turning to face the shrieking woman running over. She envelops you in a hug, shit-eating grin across her face. “How are you? Are you here for Sarah’s wedding?” She asks, her voice is just as annoying as you remembered it being.

“Yeah,” You laugh nervously, tucking some hair behind your ear. Alyssa is a stark reminder of why you left your hometown, she was an awful bully back in the day. You just hope she lost some of her terrible tendencies from teenagehood in the past few years.

Schlatt wraps an arm around your waist, sensing your discomfort. “Hey, doll. We need to get to our lane.”

“You have a boyfriend?” Alyssa asks, eyes trailing over Schlatt as though she was looking at her next meal. So, she hasn’t changed a bit, then.

“This is Jay. Jay, this is Alyssa.” You introduce the two of them and she smiles, going in for a hug.

Schlatt reluctantly pulls his arm from you to accept her hug awkwardly. “Nice to meet you.” He says, though you can tell he doesn’t mean it.

She grins up at him as she pulls away. “See you tomorrow.” She purses her lips, voice low and sultry.

As she turns away, you can’t help but roll your eyes. “The fuck was that?” Schlatt laughs, almost in disbelief.

“That was Alyssa.” You groan. “And that was her flirting with you. I wouldn’t bother with her. At least wait until after the wedding if you want to.”

He looks at you with the most insulted look. “You serious?” He says, eyebrows raised. “Why would I want her when I have you, eh?”

PART FOUR HERE

[spottheantisemitism]

Filler Essay: DC Legends of Tomorrow is Antisemitic

A lot of Science fiction tv shows that deal with conspiracy theories or alternate history are antisemitic, usually adding a Jew to the cast will compensate for that but only if the writers actually know how to write it

In Warehouse 13, a x-files style artifact of the week show where the premise is the government is hiding cool but dangerous tech created accidentally or deliberately by history's greatest minds has the dangers to fall into antisemitic conpiracy but it never does, partially because of the Jewish writers and actors. The man in the chair to our generic brand Mulder and Scully is a Jewish man whose checkered past and clear intergenerational trauma are potrayed sympathetically and his knowledge of Jewish folklore actually comes in handy once or twice. There's even the hannukah episode where the other characters force him to talk to his family. It's great. While having a VERY similar tone and premise, Legends of Tomorrow isn’t like that.

so ummm Legends of Tommorow doesn't do that with it's token Jew character. Despite having him state multiple times that Martin Stein is a Jew and have his wedding flashback be in a synagogue and have him wear a Hannukah sweater through the the writers JUST DON'T GET that a Jewish man traveling back in time is in pretty big danger even when the time period isn't Nazi Germany. One episode has Stein be confused about why a sundown town would be dangerous and has his black teammate, Jefferson Jackson whom he has to stay close to in order to have powers, has to explain to him. A man named Martin Stein would be in as much danger in a sundown town as a his black teammate

The show also starts with Martin drugging Jackson and dragging him onto the Time Machine since Jefferson didn’t want to travel because a) he had a life and a hero career and a girlfriend in the present and b) he wasn’t keen on traveling to periods where he would be in danger or wouldn’t have legal rights. Since Jackson and Martin share a powerset, Stein does the most unethical thing possible and drags Jefferson into this against his will. Some “unsavory jew preys upon the youth” trope straight out of 19th century pulps and 20th century propaganda.

I promised nazi earths but I will admit I dropped the show before I got to those myself but apparently there is: Stein falling in love with a woman who turns out to be a nazi spy, a nazi earth that’s actually good because they’re keeping back aliens that far worse, and one where the protocols are real. Adding insult to injury Stein eventually dies after succumbing to the wounds from being shot by a nazi on one of the many nazi earths because apparently that’s shocking and ironic and not cheap. That would be like if some white writer did a shitty remake of Octavia Butler’s Kindred and had the time traveling black protagonist die in the slavery era for “extra irony”.

Lastly is all the “antagonists try to burn Stein and/or Jackson alive” plots. Since the shared powerset of firestorm is well fire, they can easily survive upon merging and the drama becomes for one to get within merging range of the bonfire/furnace ect where the other is being burned. It’s still pretty disturbing to watch. I’m not the kind of writer who says “don’t do fucked up thing”, I’m the kind of writer who says “acknowledge the thing was fucked up and might have messed up the characters”. Which they don’t.

I will now hand over the mic to @aleph-sharp who requested this topic and watched the entire show

[dark-frosted-heart]

Book of Memories ~ Clavis, Jin, and Sariel ~

Card story

As usual, can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on this.

Clavis gets bullied

BOOM!

AAAAAHHHHHH!

(Ah...There goes two down a hole.)

Since coming to court, the sounds of explosions and screams have become apart of my daily life. Amazed by how adaptable people are, I stopped reading and headed toward the nose.

Jin: Are you two hurt?

The knights came out of the hole with the help of Jin. Besides them was Clavis, who was probably the one that dug the pit, and Sariel, whose brows were furrowed. Just an everyday sight.

Knight 1: Fortunately, the hole was filled with cushions so I'm fine. How about you?

Knight 2: Same. Thanks for your help.

Jin: I just lent a hand while you two were climbing out.

Clavis: You two must have cooled off now after falling down the hole. I'll see you two tomorrow.

Knights: Yes sir.

(Were the knights arguing?)

(An underhanded method to get them to make up, but it's expected from Clavis.)

Sariel: Prince Clavis will fill this hole up by himself. Everyone else can go about your own business.

Knights: Understood! Excuse us!

(Wow, they look so happy...)

I approach the three, as if replacing the knights that just hurried off.

Clavis: Emma, did you come to see who got caught in my trap? Unfortunately you're too late.

Emma: Actually, I thought I'd come help whoever fell in the pit.

Jin: Most people would stay away to avoid getting dragged in to trouble, but you're so sweet. I'll give you some candy for being a good girl. Here, give me your hand.

Emma: Thank you.

I hold my hand out and he gives me a lollipop. Sariel clears his throat and I’m pretty sure the increased tension’s not a part of my imagination.

Sariel: Prince Clavis, you already made a pit trap yesterday, didn’t you? Are you planning to unlevel this beautiful garden?

Clavis: It looks like our dear bureaucrat's vision is deteriorating so why don't I show you? Look at where I filled up a hole yesterday. It's as beautiful as it was before I dug it up. No unevenness here.

Emma: Wait, you're pointing at my feet. Did you dig a pit here yesterday?!

Jin: It's true that it's pretty level here. You're not just a master digger, but a master filler too.

Sariel: Prince Jin, please don't encourage him. He'll get carried away.

Jin: Getting carried away's a problem, but the hole's been nicely filled. Isn't that okay?

Clavis: Jin really is a wonderful older brother and partner in crime. I'll make some sweets for you next time.

Jin: I'll pass since Yves' making sweets. How about you make something as an apology to Sariel?

Sariel: If you'd like to know what it's like to step on thin ice, then by my guest. You don't feel sorry at all.

Clavis: Are you expecting me to?

Sariel: ...

Emma: S-Sariel, please don't be angry. If you furrow your brows any further, you won't be able to get rid of the wrinkles.

Jin: If he can't get rid of them, I'll teach him how to massage them out.

Sariel: We should deal with the source of the wrinkles first.

Jin: Think you can do it?

(I don't think so...)

Clavis returns the stares with a proud smile and Sariel quietly pinches his brows.

Sariel: Intelligence increases with age, but I wish that his ability with traps remained that of a child's. Seriously.

Emma: As expected, he wasn't as powerful as a kid.

Jin: If he was this powerful as a kid, the castle would've been repaired more than 10 times over.

Emma: The thought of it is terrifying.

Sariel: There's no charm in falling into a trap you set yourself.

Emma: Own trap?

Clavis: Oi, why'd you just say something like that to Emma? You did it on purpose, didn't you?

Sariel: Just some divine punishment.

Jin: That's quite a promotion from bureaucrat.

Clavis: Emma, forget what you heard. That's just a false memory of Sariel's.

Emma: Did you get caught in your own trap, Clavis?

Clavis: I've never seen you smile without any reservation or care like that before.

Jin: It was such a failure. I think it was his first time setting such a big trap.

Sariel: Yes, the trap suddenly malfunctioned and went off before it could be stopped.

Jin: The impact caused Clavis to slip, grab our clothes, and drag us into the pond together with a plop.

~~Flashback start~~

Sariel: You've done it now.

Jin: Hey, your glare's making Clavis cry.

Clavis: *sniff* I'm just pretending to cry. I'm just great at acting, okay! Damn it...Me, a genius, made this trap. I'm frustrated, but I'll definitely succeed next time. I'll keep going at it until I do!

Sariel: You caused so much trouble for others, yet you don't regret it at all?

Clavis: Eek

Jin: Hey, hey, don't actually make him cry. It's just child's play, isn't it?

Sariel: It's never too late to nip evil in the bud.

Jin: Clavis, run! Sariel's serious!

Clavis: Run away!

Sariel: Hold it!

~~Flashback end~~

(Wow, I can just imagine it.)

Jin: As you get older, you want to reminisce.

Clavis: About people's failures?

Jin: It's a precious memory for me. There was some commotion after that and I didn't have time to rest.

Emma: I'm sorry Clavis, but I'd love to hear about your lovely memories too.

Clavis: If my own shame can make someone else happy...It can't be helped. I'll allow it.

Sariel: Emma, would you like to hear about another memory?

Clavis: We're ending it there!

Jin: Your tolerance went away in an instant.

Sariel: Fufu, must be a dark past he wants to forget about.

(It's rare to see Clavis so flustered.)

Suddenly, a casual question out of curiosity springs up.

(Sariel was Clavis' teacher, wasn't he?)

(He's probably the one that got to see the evolution of traps up close.)

(Even if they've improved over time, I think they could've been prevented in the first place...)

Sariel: At any rate, this trap was a little crude, even for you.

(Hm...?)

Sariel: I think you were pressed for time because there was too much room for just two men.

Clavis: You got a good eye. To begin with, I didn't have enough time to prepare. It would've been better to string them up.

Jin: But you'd need a tree large enough to hold two knights. It'd be hard to lure them to the right place, wouldn't it? Then how about-

(This...I've never seen this before)

It was unheard of for Sariel to start evaluating traps while in the middle of a lecture. And after hearing Jin's suggestion, started adding on to the ideas for new traps. Apparently I was unaware of the fact that this was part of the trio's daily life.

(So, rather than Sariel failing to prevent traps, he's just not trying to.)

(Then why...)

One question's answered and another pops up in its place.

Clavis: ...

(Ah...)

For a moment, Clavis' eyes softened. That expression...

Clavis: Emma

Suddenly, our eyes meet when he calls my name and he pokes my cheek after closing the distance between us.

Clavis: You've got that smile on your face again. You've been thinking about me, haven't you?

Emma: Yes... I wanted to know more about your childhood memories, Clavis.

I unconsciously gave an answer different from what I had in mind, but it wasn't a lie. My reply made Sariel's smile widen and his shoulders shook slightly.

Sariel: How about I prepare for you the finest memories?

Jin: I won't lose to you.

Clavis: Those memories are all going to be related to my failures, aren't they.

Jin and Sariel: Of course.

Clavis: You two do nothing but harass me.

Jin: A big brother's love for his little brother.

Sariel: A teacher's love for his apprentice.

The looks of disapproval on Clavis' face makes us laugh out loud. There's no longer any traces of tension or lectures. Instead, a pleasant air seems to surround us.

(Jin and Sariel sound like they're joking, but they must be speaking the truth.)

(When I looked a Clavis just now, for the first time, I thought he was like a little brother.)

Clavis' relaxed expression showed me the happiness and trust that he couldn't hide.

(That's an expression you can only see when he's with the two of them.)

The relationship among the three revealed through traps warmed my heart.

[the-one-where-casey-watches-tv]

The Bear episode 3.06 "Napkins"

I’ve seen a lot of discourse and criticism for this season already, which at first glance is hard to argue with, but after finishing season three I think there’s a big line to be drawn between Carmy’s values and The Bear’s values. From what I’ve seen on Threads (I’m on Threads… you should come), people are falling off The Bear because of what they perceive the show has become: a glorification of a privileged white man’s gentrification of a down to earth, local family restaurant.

People will clap back to these statements with things like “but it’s literally his restaurant.” and “they’re still making the sandwiches at a window in the back!” which is all true, but I think equally missing the show’s larger point. With each passing season, I feel more and more committed to viewing The Bear as a whole entity. It’s not a procedural, a 9-1-1, a Law and Order, or a Grey’s Anatomy that returns to its core theme every single episode. There are episodes with huge emotional meat and weight, with observations about life, grief, food, and the characters to be gleaned throughout, but every episode is a stroke of a paintbrush in a painting that we’ll only be able to really step back and digest when the series ends… hopefully a long time from now.

Season one forced Carmy back to his roots, shoved his unprocessed grief in his face all day every day. It turned him into the ticking time bomb he is today, but it also served as a reminder of the love of people and reverie of food that got him into this business. And this fueled him into season two, where he put everything on the line to do food the only way he knows how: intensely. Enter season three.

This season, Carmy’s the problem. His freezer meltdown wasn’t a cathartic release that freed him to love and work smoothly; all season it’s like he never left that frenzied headspace we last saw him in. The pressure is on financially, but more than that, Carmy simply can’t stomach not being exceptional. His non-negotiables are certifiable. A new menu every single day that he comes up with entirely by himself? Needing these brand new dishes cooked at breakneck speed? An environment of “excellence” where it seems he’s the only one allowed to yell?

If people’s critiques of The Bear were redirected to be critiques of Carmy, they would be spot on. Carmy’s need to be on this insane level is going to be the very thing that is going to run this beautiful opportunity to the ground. He’s veering off the path he was set on by good people and good food; he’s forgetting those things in favor of tweezers and the old, toxic work environment that he can’t get out of his head. But The Bear is well aware of these shortcomings. Not a single person didn’t balk at the idea of a new menu every day. His ingredients are racking up such a bill that The Beef sandwich window, run singlehandedly by Ebra, is the only part of the business making a profit. Richie is laughed and shouted out of the kitchen when he tries to set his own non-negotioables for the front of house, recognizing the importance of guest satisfaction. When asked to recreate a dish from several nights prior to be photographed for a review, no one can remember what was in it. When Sydney tries to help Carm work on tomorrow’s menu, he’s so dismissive of her that it’s hard not to want her to take this new job. The season finale’s episode description merely says “Carmen thinks about apologizing”- and we’re sucked in because we all know he’s overdue for some apologies.

But nothing really confirms that The Bear knows what it’s about quite like “Napkins”. A flashback episode detailing how Tina first started working at The Beef, five minutes in had me declaring that “just because it’s a good filler episode doesn’t mean it’s not a filler episode”. I was so wrong that now I’m here to say that it’s this season’s central episode, the one that really zeroes in on what they’re trying to say at this moment in time.

With Carmy nowhere in sight, Tina, Mikey, Richie, and some Faks are tugging at the heartstrings of people trying to juggle making ends meet with finding some meaning in life. After being let go from her job after a decade of loyal service, Tina has been striking out on the job hunt for weeks, and it’s starting to get dire. She sees an online posting for an open interview tomorrow, and full of optimism, she heads to the office. When she arrives, a receptionist who can’t even look up from his computer tells her the post must be old because the position has already been filled internally. She could cry, I could cry.

She wanders into The Beef, in all the loud, chaotic glory of its heyday. An ever-pleasant Richie does more than take her order for coffee- he introduces himself and gives her a sandwich on the house. She takes it to the back by the arcade machines, bites into it, and promptly bursts into tears. Both caring and concerned about having a crying customer, Mikey sits down next to her. That guy was so personable and seeing him take the time to sit with her in such a genuine, laid back way depicts all the traits that Carmy lacks. Carmy needs to slow down, interact with people, remember why he’s here. The Bear knows that food is a form of caretaking and a source of community. It’s just Carmy who’s forgotten.

And the heartbreak of the show is that he would absolutely have that lightbulb moment if he were able to hear his brother say:

“Full disclosure, this place… like, this fucking place, it sucks. Like, it sucks. It’s like, you go home, and you fucking smell it, you know? And it’s, like, insane. And there’s so much fucking yelling here. But, I swear to you, there are days that it is so much fun. Like, it is so much fun. And- and the pay is shit, right? But there are days we make a rack of fucking tips, and it’s like… it feels fucking good, you know?”

And when Tina offers him her résumé:

“What the fuck am I gonna do with a résumé? I’ll go clean the toilet with the fucking résumé. I don’t need a résumé. I talked to you.”

The Bear is about connecting with people through food. It’s also about Carmy’s journey of remembering this after being broken by both the rigors of the high-end culinary world and the loss of his brother, the embodiment of that love and connection.

The Bear (the restaurant) is doing way too much right now, but The Bear (the show) is most definitely on the path of seeing Carmy’s lunacy to a turning point where he and the restaurant both can return to their roots. Stories are journeys and characters are flawed. Let’s let it breathe and see where we end up without conflating a character flaw to a shortcoming of the show itself.

[bardoftheshire]

Here's the link for the whole series on Ao3 if you prefer to read it there :)

Weird Science | Chapter II

Egon Spengler x Reader

[Notes; This is a shorter chapter and is kind of a filler I guess, but I promise there's more the next one. There is no summary for this.

[Warnings; Some foul language and that's about it.

Part 2/? | <Previous Chapter | Next Chapter>

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶︶꒷︶︶︶︶꒦꒷꒦︶︶꒷꒦︶︶꒦︶︶︶꒦꒷

Ring, Ring, Ring, Ri-!

You run from the other room to get the telephone, nearly tripping over some of the boxes scattered throughout your apartment. You answer the phone, picking it up and holding it to your ear.

"Hello?"

"Y/n! Hey, it's Ray. I was calling to see if you wanted to swing by our research area sometime this week? Me and the guys have been working on something but hit a bit of a roadblock and need help getting it fixed or changed up soon," Ray's voice rings out excitingly through the phone.

"Hey Ray! Sure I can, but it'll probably have to be either tomorrow or Friday, I'm kinda stuck moving some of the boxes out to my apartment right now,"

"That's fine, Y/n. Also, how do you feel about getting some drinks with me and the guys this weekend? I figure I can reintroduce you to Peter and Egon again. I think it'd be fun if you aren't too busy," Ray suggests.

"Great! I wouldn't mind going with you guys, I think it'd be nice especially with all this that's goin' on right now too." You say, twisting the telephone cord in between your fingers.

"Great! How about you come on over Friday and after we finish up we can all go down to a bar for the night. The work shouldn't take too long."

"Yeah that works, I'll see you Friday then. Bye now."

"Bye Y/n, see you Friday." Ray says before hanging up the phone.

You place the phone back into its holder, then walking through the stacks of boxes to get back to organizing them.

I forgot just how much fun it was to talk to friends, why did I ever loose touch with all of them? Especially Ray.

You pick up a box labeled Motherboards and Breadboards, scribbled out in messily neat handwriting, picking it up and placing it on top of the boxes labeled Wires.

You had only been moving your stuff out for two days now, so regardless of the amount of shit you had in your apartment currently, you still weren't done and there was unfortunately plenty left in what used to be your lab.

You go to turn on your radio, tuning it to a radio station that played some of your favourite stuff and luckily managed to catch it just as a song was about to play.

-bzzt!- "...You're listening to 97.5 FM, the top radio station where you can get all of the newest -bzzt!- hits! Here's Everything She Wants from Wham's new album 'Make It Big'!" -bzzt!-

You make a mental note to remember that you need to buy another radio, as the speakers on yours were starting to give out.

"Somebody told me, "Boy, everything she wants, is everything she sees" I guess I must have loved you, because I said you were the perfect girl for me, baby,"

You danced as you organized more of your boxes. "Where on earth am I going to put all of these?" You said to yourself, putting your hands on your hips.

"Somebody tell me, o-" -pop!- -fzzt!- Your radio began to pop and spark, and it finally gave out with some mild vapor coming out of it.

"Shit! No, please don't give out on me now." You sigh, unplugging the radio from the port and trying to fan away the smoke.

'As if my week couldn't get any worse right now. I'm starting to look forward to Friday more and more.' You think to yourself.

You run your fingers through your hair, deciding to take a nap so you could try to calm yourself down.

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

You wake up, stretching and letting out a groan. You look at your bedside clock. 7:47 PM, the clock read.

You get up and head into your kitchen to make dinner. You grab a pot, a can of tomato soup, some bread, and a couple slices of cheese.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup couldn't really be considered the best dinner but its what you had. that's another thing you needed to add to your list. New radio, more groceries.

You add the can of tomato soup and a can of water into the pot and turn the heat on. You get four slices of bread and four slices of cheese out, placing them onto your cutting board as you go to grab your skillet and some butter.

You walked back into your living room to turn on your answering box to listen to any messages you might've gotten while you were napping.

-beep!- "You have- 3 new messages" -beep!-

You walk back into the kitchen to make your grilled cheese, turning the stove on for the skillet and putting two slices of butter on it to melt.

"Hey, Y/n! It's Sarah. I wanted to call to tell you that Mark and I are engaged now! How awesome is that, right! I'll have to talk to you about it when you actually answer your phone. I'll talk to you later, bye!" -beep!-

You smile to yourself, it was always good hearing from Sarah, you never got to talk to her often and you were happy that she finally got engaged with Mark. It might be better to meet with her to congratulate and talk to her, you'll call to tell her that later.

"Hey, Y/n. It's dad. I heard about what happened at the University and I want to say I'm sorry, kiddo. If you ever need help with anything or just want to come and hang out with your old man you can always come over whenever you want. I hope you feel better and, uh, yeah. I love you, stay safe." -beep!-

It was always so nice to hear from your parents. You hated to say it but it was even better when you heard from your dad rather than your mom. You'd always been daddy's little girl though. You need to go and visit them very soon, you forgot just how much you missed them.

You take both of the grilled cheeses off of the skillet and turn of the stove for both the soup and the skillet.

"Hey, Y/n, it's Ray again. Good and exciting news; me, Venkman, and Spengler got actual evidence that phantoms and ghosts are real and even got an ectoplasm sample. Not so good news; we've all been kicked out of the University today. I guess the Dean decided he was done with us in the same week. Anyway, just wanted to sha-" -beep!- "Time limit exceeded." -beep!- "You have no more messages" -beep!-

"Shit. I hope they're okay." You say to yourself, taking your plate and bowl to place it on your kitchen island.

Your home didn't feel all that cozy now with all of the boxes scattered throughout your apartment. Though you guess it never was to begin with.

There were only the bare necessities. A bed, one chair next to the island, pots and pans, food, a small television, a table where the television and phone sat, and a few other kitchen appliances. You were always at your lab so you didn't feel the need for a couch, things for hobbies, or anything else that weren't completely necessary, though you guess that a television wasn't exactly necessary.

You sit at the island and eat, turning on your television and putting on the news. Nothing interesting to say the least, just the same boring thing as everyday.

You sigh and clean up the mess from your food, walking them and putting them up to dry. Turn off the television and head into your room to go to bed again.

Though it sucked to have been fired from the University, you had a lot of time to relax now, to sleep a normal amount of time for the first time in years. But the downside of it is that you were bored. So.. incredibly.. bored.. This was also the first time that you had nothing to do in years to occupy your hands and mind. It was awful.

You finally fall asleep after letting your mind wander, thinking about how you never would have had to let Thallman go work with another professor if you would've just done something else to not piss of the Dean.

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶︶꒷︶︶︶︶꒦꒷꒦︶︶꒷꒦︶︶꒦︶︶︶꒦꒷

This was a shorter chapter and I'm actually being smarter about making chapter fics, making two of them at a time so people don't wait ages for one individual chapter to be released (And I'm terribly sorry for that, guys), and I'm sorry for the pace that this is going. But the next chapter is going to have more, I promise. I'll stop the ranting for now, I do hope you enjoyed it, though.

[eisforeidolon]

Question: I was just wondering what sticks out to you, like straight away, of those final days of filming?

Jared: So much. I remember vividly - so we, it was, COVID had just kind of, I don't want to say ended, I guess it's still - I've had it four times now, so? The gift that keeps on giving. But I remember the two weeks we had to spend in quarantine. Coming from America into Canada, we had to stay in our places for two weeks. And so some of the crew who had been up to quarantine would come leave, like, care packages, you know? They'd be like, shoot a text, hey, here's some food or some vitamins or some Gatorade or something outside your door. And so open it up and do that. And then he and I and Rob Benedict and Jake Abel would text each other. I remember our Zoom conversations with each other -

Jensen: Yeah, we had party Zooms. Party Zooms.

Jared: We had, like, party Zooms. Yeah, yeah.

Jensen: Lockdown. Yeah.

Jared: And then every day I also remember very vividly - I mean, the bridge, the barn [hurk noise]. I remember when they told me - I remember shooting the last scene in the Men of Letters bunker and when they were like, yeah, we start breaking it down tomorrow. And so standing there [gestures down face like tears falling, makes sad noise]. You think y'all cried during the barn scene, you should have seen me in the bunker when they were gonna tear it down. I was like, trying to grab shit? And now I have, like - I did. So [chuckles] there were a lot of real books in there, a lot of which I took. And then there were fake book fillers that I use as bookends. And then there was stuff that I've seen for the last three years and been like, what am I gonna ever do with this? Maybe I'll auction it for charity.

Jensen: Did I ever tell you what I grabbed? So in the bunker there, there's the two library tables that we sat around all the time. I didn't take a table but -

Jared: [mimes carrying a table off over his shoulder]

Jensen: But one of the tables had some initials carved into it. And I asked them, like, what's gonna happen to this table. And they're like, nothing, we're gonna probably break it down and scrap it. And I was like, will you cut [draws] that out? So I have this [demonstrates size with hands] like that big that's got all of our initials carved in it. So I have that collecting dust somewhere.

Jared: Thank you, good to see you. Alright, Ackles.

[Jensen continues briefly retelling how they were sad/deflated that they had to say their goodbyes during COVID when everybody was wearing masks and divided into pods with restrictions on interaction]

Jared: This is the saddest morning of all time. Can we get a happy question? Pick a fucking happy question.

[ruins-of-tragedy]

Old habits die hard it seems. Not as thorough, but here you have some random thoughts on volume four of RWBY...

- Cinder may be bad, but she is a good villain and shouldn't have to take shite from Watts. Especially when she did get the job done... Misogyny in the workplace. Can never truly escape it.

- Salem is pretty in a creepy fashion. Does she have a dust stone in her?

- How is Jaune still okay? He was hit by rocks. So were his crown jewels, if you catch my drift. And then his face as well. Glad he is somehow still standing though!

- What do you mean his armour and weapon now have Pyrrha's too?! ...I am not crying. Am not!

- Please tell me this butler of the Schnees is Calvin Klein. Such humble origins! 😂

- That whole video with Pyrrha while Jaune and Ruby listen. Why?! Why must you hurt me like this...

- It also shows Beacon in the background. 🥺

- Pyrrha is going to haunt the narrative and I wouldn't have it any other way.

- Ghira and Kali Belladonna are great parents. Kudos to them for trying their best while still not being too over bearing during difficult situations.

- Jacques Schnee should come at me and meet his demise. Whitley is annoying.

- Two things. Why did Professor Ozpin sound like Baymax the first time he scared the living shite out of Oscar? Secondly, I legit thought either this is Ozpin's kid or that he reincarnated again. (Apparently, was closer to the truth than I imagined)

- Cheered every time Zwei was on-screen.

- "I will be there for you." -Tai, F.R.I.E.N.Dly father. 😆

- Well. Qrow is a tragic character. "Bad luck charm." Fucking hell. I love him.

- What traumatic hero hellhole did they make Lie and Nora's backstory in?

- Holy fuck. Ren is going through so much shite mentally. And he still came back. Best boy!!!

- Funny thing, his semblance really confused me at first. He took away the colours when using it and I assumed that meant they go invisible. Had to enlist my friend to help figure it out. Big brain moment. 😅

- Now, here's to friends like Sun who are there for us when we don't want them to! Or allow them to, but still need.

- As someone who adores purple, Salem's lair is my dream house. I just need to get rid of the occupants. And install some warm lights.

- Casey Lee Williams brings it every time she has to sing for RWBY and I love that!!!

- This season felt more like a filler, but a necessary one...

- Yang underwent the using-her-head-full-of-wonderful-gold-locks-first, instead-of-relying-only-on-brute-strength arc. 👊🏻

- Weiss' family is an absolute mess and now we know why she is the way she is. But also that she is better than them too. She has to be. Especially after everything that happened. ❄️

- Blake really needed to realise letting people be there for her is important. Even more so because they want to, since they love her. 💖

- Team RNJR is grieving and getting better and possesses a whole lot of emotional baggage they need to sort out. At least they have each other's backs! And are not named team JNRR. 😆❤️‍🔥

- The plot too is moving forward. Picking up pace. "What's your favourite fairytale?"

- Much respect for the people who watched RWBY as it came out. I could not have waited to learn what happened next without losing my mind.

(You spoil me, I become Yang and punch you into tomorrow. A presto!)

[lunaekalenda]

sweet version - chocolates for satoru (part one)

You were sure that Satoru's locker would be full of chocolates, presents and love letters. You knew it was stupid to leave some for them yourself but, still, you're baking some in the middle of the night, a glass of coffee half empty resting near your phone on the table. You rap rhythmically on the counter with your fingernails, waiting patiently for the chocolate to melt on the microwave. The card, decorated with a simple kitty drawing and a heart, looks at your from near the bag you're gonna use to give the chocolates to him. Every second on the microwave makes you think. Are you really doing this for Satoru? The one that has half of the college students behind? Do you really think he will care about some more chocolates on Valentine's Day?

You're about to drop the chocolates but the cute mold you got for this stops you. Kitty chocolates. It was too cute to leave it at the store and, plus, that's kinda how you started to like Satoru, during that cold winter day, when a fluffy white kitty looked at you from inside his coat. When his eyes met your fascinated ones, he just smiled and took your hand, slowly resting it on the kitty's head, letting you pat him. "It was too cold for him to be outside. He doesn't seem to have a home, so he has now." That exact moment, when you took your eyes up and they collided with Satoru's blue ones, and he smiled so softly to you, with your hand still near his chest and the cat between your bodies, purring softly at your touch.

And, almost a year later of seeing him on the corridors, sharing classes and feeling your heartbeat race with every tiny interaction you had, now you're baking him chocolates. Pretty hilarious. Probably he won't even look twice at them. But, what do you lose?

After hours of mixing chocolate, sweet fillers and exasperating over bad-explained tutorials, your kitty chocolates are ready and on the fridge. With a last sigh, you close the door and go to sleep upstairs. You need to rest. Tomorrow will be a hard day.

His first chocolates were on his locker time before he arrived to school. There were also notes on his desk. Even on his chair. Satoru has definitely something (something more than his looks and his charm) that attracted everyone to him. It was so early and everything was so full of chocolates. Heart shaped ones, expensive ones, notes with cute calligraphy and even gifts could be seen on Satoru's place.

The kitty chocolates seemed to laugh at you when you looked at them, and the poorly-decorated card you were so proud of yesterday gives you a look back. Taking them on your hands, you search the closest exit to the gardens. Once outside, you feel how the fresh air takes the anxiety knot of your chest away. Sighing, you sit on a bench, in front of the pond. Taking your eyes to the chocolates, you look again at your creation. They really do look tasty.

You hear steps before a long sigh comes from your left. Satoru plays with a bag on his hands, before sitting by your side. It's maybe this your opportunity? Or are those his favorite chocolates between all the pile he has been collecting today. He takes a quick look to your hands.

"Valentine's present?" he asks. You stay quiet and silent, before sighing long. You nod once, twice, before speaking.

"Yours?" he nods again. You both sit on the bench, bodies close, but far at the same time. His long digits keep playing with the sweets inside the bag.

"Isn't it ironic?" he murmurs. "I've never took the first train to college." his whispers are audible when he sits a little closer. "I've never baked before." he gives another twist to the bag on his hands. "And I've never wanted to be here first than anyone." He releases a long sigh. "But, still, I couldn't be the first one." With a sweet smile, he stands up, letting the bag of chocolates fall in your hands. The card attached to it is written in big red colors, and your name is displayed on it.

It wasn't a gift for Satoru.

It was his gift for you.

Standing up quickly and reacting as soon as possible, without letting the cute smile leave your mouth, you run towards him, stopping Satoru near the entrance of the building. He mistook your sweets with a gift from someone. Standing in front of him, and keeping your eyes on his, you put the chocolates on his hand. His pale cheeks blush softly when he sees the "For Satoru" on the card. His eyes travel to the chocolates, and he can't help but smile when he sees the kitty shape. The moment reminds you to when you fell in love with him: close, with something making you both smile between your bodies.

"Is it Tami?" he whispers. "You baked chocolate Tamis... for me?" he seems incredibly grateful and moved. You nod under his attentive gaze. "Why?"

Taking all the air you could into your lungs, you leave your mind blank to avoid making any mistake, since you want your confession to be heard clear.

"Because I like you, Satoru."

[sc0tters]

For Me and You | Drew Fortescue

summary: you and Drew have been dating for a while now but a series of events cause your relationship to become known to all rather quickly after practice one day.

trope: secretly dating

warnings: allusions to sex but nothing explicit, mentions of the word fuck once or twice.

word count: 1.1k

authors note: I needed a filler piece before I release another Quinn thing tomorrow so I thought some soft content would be just perfect! I don’t remember who the nonnie mentioned in their request but if you are one of my moots who went through a Drew phase like a week ago, you’re the reason they requested this!

It was your best kept secret.

You managed to hide it from everyone, your friends, your family, and even your closest friend Gabe.

Drew met you during one of the tournaments with the national team and the moment he realised that you were single Drew knew he was screwed.

Gabe gave each of the boys a warning speech that you were totally off limits because he knew what his friends and teammates were like and that wasn't something he wanted you to see.

That speech fell on deaf ears though as Drew saw you stood in the hotel restaurant one more bright morning and decided to ask you if you wanted to go out with him.

Of course you said yes.

Six months on and it had been the best time of your life. Drew was a great boyfriend who your parents adored. Whilst they didn't understand your desire to keep it from your best friend but they still respected your wishes.

It seemed like both you and Drew agreed that not telling Gabe was for the best as he was going to have an issue with it.

That meant though that nobody beyond your families could know about it. This was fine until you both ended up at Boston College in the fall.

Like every other set of horny teenagers all you wanted was Drew, but that was hard when every girl on campus flirted with him and his teammates because everyone swore that they were all single.

Unbeknownst to you though Drew felt the same as you, seeing his friends and even the other guys on campus openly trying to get your number. Sure you were hot, your boyfriend knew that. But he wanted to be able to hold your hand when he walked you to class or kiss you when you looked cute in the dining hall.

Both of your patience's were wearing thing as you Gabe was still unaware of how you looked at his teammate, all you wanted to do was tell him everything.

This was the first time that you had ever kept something from him especially as big as this "you're looking nice today y/n," Ryan's voice pulled you away from your thoughts as the boy took the seat next to you.

A required credit for freshmen was something in the science field so all of you picked biology and ended up in the same class.

His compliment didn't surprise you, Ryan didn't shy away from attempting to flirt with you despite how it made Gabe hit him on the back of the head.

The smile that formed on your lips as you softly rolled your eyes pushing his arm away from you when Gabe sat on the other side of you with Drew next to him. It hurt the boy to see you so comfortable with other guys, to him he was the one who should have been sat next to you.

But when you stuck your head over Gabe to smile at Drew all of his worries fell out of his head.

He could never stay mad at you, not when he knew you only had eyes for him “you coming to see us after practice?” Gabe asked looked at you with a grin.

On Tuesdays the two of you had started the tradition of going to chipotle for dinner just like how you used to during your senior year on Fridays “course dude.” You nodded as you would even cancel things with Drew because Tuesday nights were for you and Gabe and you and Gabe only.

Practice had been horrible for Drew, Ryan’s comments were getting out of hand. It was like the universe knew just how to push his buttons today as his patience waned “you got a girl Fortescue?” Will teased as he watched the boy strip out of his compression shirt.

Scratches marked Drew’s back and he had hickies forming just under his collarbone after an enjoyable night in his car with you “huh?” He furrowed his eyebrows as he turned around.

The rest of the boys were quick to catch on as their eyes went wide seeing it “it’s serious!” His teammates let out a collective gasp as they saw the way Drew’s face turned red.

Drew nodded as a smile formed on his lips. Part of it was because you were the mystery girl that they were now gushing about, but the other part was because Gabe seemed so happy that his teammate was finally getting some much needed action after a summer that seemed surprisingly quiet.

It seemed like a millions thoughts ran through Gabe’s head as he practically ran out of the locker room the moment he was dressed to tell you the news “you will not believe it!” He slapped his hand over his mouth when you looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows.

Just like how your usual gossip sessions went you mimicked his actions “what won’t I believe?” You matched his tone as you placed your hands on your hips and waiting for him to continue.

The rest of the boys shortly followed him out unaware of what was about to happen “Drew’s got a girl!” Gabe announced waiting for some kind of reaction from you “and it’s serious!” He thought that it might illicit something more from you.

Quickly you realised that you had to react “oh my gosh!” Your reaction was clearly over dramatic but you hoped that you were safe.

But that’s not how life works “you knew, didn’t you?” Gabe furrowed his eyebrows as something wasn’t right “mhm,” you nodded as you couldn’t lie to him.

Things started to click in your best friends head as he saw you fiddling with the zip of your quarter zip fleece. The hockey player pulled down a portion of your zip revealing your collar bones that were also covered in hickies “you’re the girl?” His voice was soft almost like he couldn’t believe it.

A smile formed on your lips as you locked eyes with a very nervous Drew “don’t kill h-” you couldn’t get your request out before Gabe was already off in his direction “you are sleeping with my best friend!” Gabe yelled as he began to chase the boy around the welcome area of the arena.

Drew didn’t expect this as he had to run away “babe!” He complained causing you to laugh “just don’t hit his face please Gabe!” You figured you might as well get that request in.

Your secret was out, but somehow you didn’t hate it.

“Hey I said not the face!”

[gaslysainz]

Lost (PG10) pt4

Summary: The world is utterly unfair. He was her most prized possession, her life, her first ever commitment of love. But to him, she was just a mere person lost in his big world.

warnings: ; unrequited feelings; Pierre is a douche , arrange marriage, angst, explicit scenes and languages.

Author's Note~ Heya guys! I present to you the 4th part of my fanfic. I'm overwhelmed by the response ❤️ Really Thanks a lot to everyone who had liked the story so far. Something's have started to cook. Hope you look forward to it. Love You All 😘 Here's my first ever story for you guys. As soon as I finish this one, I'll start taking requests maybe! Till then please show your love and support for "LOST".

This one's a filler chapter, so please bear with me.

Something completely different happened today. A knock at my door woke me up from my 1 hour nap which has unfortunately turned into a 3 hour nap. I stood up from the bed and opened the door only to find my husband standing there and running a hand through his curls. Oh! What a sight! He looks like a Greek God.

"Hey! Did you need something? I'm sorry I fell asleep, also you can come inside"

He thanked me and entered my room, this is completely new. But nonetheless, I had to take a chance. He was looking around the room and the pictures hanging on the walls. His eyes stuck to one picture in particular. A picture captured by Pierre's mom of Isaac, Pierre and myself. It was Halloween and Isaac wanted to be a Vampire and on the other hand Pierre and Me were Romeo and Juliet. He was 6 and I was 4! We did not even know who Romeo and Juliet were! It was because of the elders who had insisted on these costumes! Oh! What I'd give to have those days back.

"You need something?"

"Ah! No, um actually yes, I have to attend an event with the rest of grid tomorrow. And you have to come with me. So be ready by 7pm tomorrow, will you? Wear something nice. I'll send someone with dresses for you to choose today in the evening. Just pick something from there."

There it is! Like I've mentioned before, he only remembers me when he needs something or needs to go somewhere to show off the world our so called amazing married life. *Scoff* But I'm not mad, at least I'll be able to meet HIM after so many days. The only person who happens to care even a little bit for me. Who always greets me with a beautiful smile on his face. A friend? Nope, he's like an angel for me.

I really hope everyone gets a friend like him!

" *Cough* *cough* You there?"

" Oh yea! I'm sorry, I was a bit distracted. Umm, Why don't you take Julia with you? I'm sure she would love to accompany you and also I'm sure she has several dresses in her wardrobe already. Won't even have to buy a dress last minute"

The look Pierre gave me after I mentioned Julia simply yelled 'ARE YOU CRAZY'. I mean I knew why he wouldn't take Julia, but I just find a different kind of satisfaction by reminding it to him.

"Um, I'll be ready tomorrow. Don't worry. By the way, where's Julia?"

"I sent her home, no need for her to stay here for these two days, either way we'd be busy. It'll only distract us."

Oh well! That was odd! Distract us from what exactly? Sometimes this man leaves no tables unturned to confuse me to no end. Anyways. I know better now than to crack my brain over these things. It's actually useless cause I won't get anymore clear answers from him than this.

"Any specific colour that I need to keep in mind while choosing the dress?"

"Not that I'm aware of, just keep it a bit formal. I'll get going. If Julia calls or comes asking for me, just tell her I've been out for a meeting since morning."

And then he rushed out the door, not before checking our childhood photo once again. Okay! That was highly confusing! I mean why was he avoiding Julia? Or am I reading too much between the lines? No one knows. I better go eat something until then.

But still, I'm a bit lost here.

LOST in confusion.

PS - Please lemme know what do you think about LOST and also let me know if you wanna be added to the tag list ❤️

@peachiicherries @crimeshowjunkie @oblomovissad @torossosebs @janeholt3

[canirove]

Rice, Rice, baby | Chapter 30

Author's note: A bit of a filler chapter after what happened on the previous one and what will happen on the next one 👀

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

“Did your mum already leave?” 

“Yep” Declan says, sitting in bed next to me. “She left us dinner and said that will come back tomorrow so you aren't alone while I'm at training.”

“I can be on my own for a few hours, you know? I'll be ok. And I'm sure she has more things to do.”

“She said that you would say that, and asked me to tell you that she needs to run a few errands that you can do together so you get a bit of fresh air and movement, and that then she will make lunch for all of us, that my dad is coming over after work.” 

“She has planned it all, hasn't she?” I chuckle.

“That's my mum” he smiles. 

“I don't know how I am going to thank you all for everything you've been doing for me since…”

Since my dad kicked me out of our house. It has been a couple of weeks since the car accident and our argument at the hospital, and nothing has improved. It has only gotten worse, to be honest.

The day I was discharged, my mum called me to tell me that I could stop by and pick up everything I may be needing, like clothes, my toiletries or my beloved pillow, that my dad wasn't going to be at home because Alex's dad had taken him away on a “boys trip” after making a huge scene at work. He had apparently had a big argument with Madders, Micky and Olga, shouting at them and telling them that if they actually were my friends or my big brother as James liked saying, they would have never allowed me to be anywhere near Declan, and definitely not let me get pregnant with his child. He had said all that in front of basically the whole team and part of the staff, so now everyone knew the truth. But according to Olga and Madders, people weren't gossiping too much about it, and most of them actually were glad about Declan being the father. Turns out that Alex wasn't as popular as I thought among our co-workers, and they had always liked the way Declan treated them all when he had stayed there with the national team. 

Once I had all my stuff, I moved to Declan's house, his mum basically treating me like a princess. The day I arrived she already had a room ready for me next to the nursery, and every day she comes over to help me finish decorate it and add cute bits or things that could be useful, to cook for us or mostly for me, to make sure I am ok and ask me to share with her all the doubts I may be having about the baby and what is coming, and basically to make me company while Declan is away. She has even started to teach me how to knit and we are making a pair of socks for the little man. She has become a second mother to me. 

My mum has come over a couple of times too, one of them to meet Declan's parents, and every single day she calls me at least twice to ask me about my day and how I am. Sometimes during those calls Declan is with me and they get to a chat a bit, getting to know each other. And maybe it's the hormones, maybe it is me wanting it to be true, but I think she already loves him almost as much as I do. Almost. 

“Liv, you don't have to thank any of us for all this. Like my mum has told you many times already, you now are part of our family. Both of you are” Declan says, caressing my bump.

“I can't wait to meet him” I say, resting my hand on his and focusing on that to not start crying.

“Same” he smiles. “And before I forget” he says, moving to pick the bag he had left on the bedside table. “This is for you. Well, it actually is for him, but hopefully it will cheer you up too.”

“Is it a present?”

“Something like that. Open it.”

“Ok” I say, slowly inspecting the inside of the bag. “A teddy bear?”

“It isn't just a teddy bear. It is mine.”

“What?”

“That's the teddy my brothers chose for me before I was born, it was their present. They took it to the hospital when they first met me, and since that day I apparently lived glued to it.”

“It doesn't look that worn off, tho.”

“It actually looked a bit gross, but I took him to a shop that repairs toys. I wanted it to look good for the little man but still like the teddy I loved so much as a kid. I want him to love him as much as I did.”

“Aww, Declan. That's lovely. Does he have a name?” I ask.

“Mr. Poo.”

“Like Winnie the Pooh?”

“That's what my mum told everyone, but when my brothers named him, there was no h.”

“Oh… I see” I laugh.

“Kids” he shrugs. “We can change his name if you don't like it.”

“No, no. This is Mr. Poo” I say, caressing the teddy bear. “But if someone asks, we will say the same as your mum.”

“Ok” he chuckles. “Do you like it?”

“I love it, Declan. This is the best present I've received so far. I know it is for the baby, but… It is so special.”

“I'm glad you like it” he smiles. “Has it cheered you up?”

“It has, yes. Thank you” I say before hugging him.

“You're welcome, Liv” Declan says while hugging me back. A hug that ends with both of us laying in my bed, his arm around my waist (or what's left of it) while I cuddle Mr. Poo and take one of the many naps I take through the day. One where, according to what Declan tells me when I wake up, I was sleeping with a smile on my face.

“That's the power of Mr. Poo” he says. “He always makes you dream of good things.”

[actingjunkie]

Paul Simon Probably Thought I Was a Seat Filler’

By Devon Ivie, a staff writer covering classic rock and TV

“The direction that the three of us were given was: ‘You’re on the show with this lunatic who doesn’t let his guests talk. Look as annoyed and out of place as possible.’” Photo: Saturday Night Live via YouTube

Sit down and take a big, mental Ooooo weeeee — it’s not like Diondre Cole will let you get a word in anyway. Chris Colfer learned this in spectacularly amusing fashion while appearing on the seventh edition of Saturday Night Live’s recurring “What Up With That?” sketch, which found the Glee actor sandwiched between a real Paul Simon and fake Lindsey Buckingham. (The latter of whom, as always, cut his family vacation short to be there.) Teased as part of “a salute to music greats” on the show’s May 14, 2011, episode, Colfer had the honor of fulfilling the essential duties of the middle chair: silently tolerating the absurdity of how Diondre (Kenan Thompson) runs his made-for-BET program, as the host would rather disrupt his guests with elaborate song-and-dance routines than actually let them talk. While the first guest tends to get a sentence or two in — Simon briefly hypes up his new album — the second is often relegated to reaction shots while a Narnia wardrobe full of characters such as, say, “the bad boy of bluegrass” Captain Sexy Banjo and the real Buckingham materialize out of nowhere. If you’re overthinking it, just stop. “What Up With That?” was not intended for analysis.

Colfer, who had recently wrapped Glee’s phenomena of a second season, was at the right place at the right time for SNL to think of him for the cameo. Plans were canceled. Excitement ran high. It all went live in 36 hours. And he didn’t care that he had nothing to do besides cross his legs. “It’s such a special memory for me. Being a microscopic spot of SNL history is the ultimate bragging right,” he says now. “If anyone ever tries to one-up me at a party, I whip that one out, and I usually win the conversation.”

How exactly was this sketch presented to you? Were you aware that it had already become a recurring and well-oiled SNL staple of sorts?

Yeah, I was. I’ve always been a huge fan of SNL, so I was familiar with the sketch and I thought it was hilarious. I was in New York City, and I had just done a live interview. I did so many interviews at the time for Glee that I can’t even remember who it was for. My publicist and I were walking down, like, 47th or 48th Street afterward, and she got a random call. It was Friday afternoon. One of SNL’s bookers had just seen me on live television and asked if I was still in the city. They said, “Can he do a cameo in tomorrow night’s episode?” And I responded, “Hell yes, absolutely.” No joke: They asked me to come in for a rehearsal immediately. So we had to clear the rest of my afternoon and went straight to Rockefeller Center. It was the easiest rehearsal I’ve ever done, because I didn’t have to do anything. I just had to sit there and be quiet. Then I went in the next day, and we did the dress rehearsal and then we did the live taping. It was magical.

Did you instinctively understand the humor? I mean, when I tell friends about my love of “What Up With That?”, what comes out of my mouth is jumbled nonsense about BET and a fake Lindsey Buckingham. It’s not the easiest thing to wrap a mind around.

I did. I remember on Saturday, in between the rehearsal and the live taping, the writers came to my dressing room and said, “We want to give you a line. Let’s try this out.” And I responded, “Absolutely not. You cannot give me a line. It’s way funnier if I’m just there and I don’t say anything.” And they looked at me and said, “Well, you’re the first guest to ever say that, and thank God, because we agree.”

An excellent instinct.

I can’t remember what the specific line was, but I was going to say something at the very end, and Kenan’s character was going to cut me off. But we all agreed it was funnier if I didn’t even try to talk.

So you sit down for the dress rehearsal, look to your left, and there’s Paul Simon in the chair. What was your opening line to him?

It was a complete secret who was in those seats until I showed up at that rehearsal. They didn’t tell me any details until I actually arrived in the studio — I had to be escorted right on the stage to my seat. I didn’t even have a script. Well, I didn’t need one, of course, because I wasn’t saying anything. And then I turned to my left and it’s Paul Simon. And then I turned to my right, and it’s Lindsey Buckingham waiting in the wings of the set. How the heck did I get here? I couldn’t say anything. I froze. I remember thinking at that moment, Chris, do not ask any questions about Stevie Nicks or Carrie Fisher. I had to repeat that to myself over and over and over again in my head. Paul Simon probably thought I was a seat filler.

So you didn’t ask if he was a Gleek?

Oh God, no. I never assume anyone knows who I am or knows where I’m from.

Was there a sense of nerves on your end before the live taping began?

It’s funny, because this required the least amount of effort on my part, but I was still extremely nervous. I was nervous that I would trip on the way there. But more so than nerves, it’s just that that show is pure adrenaline. It’s chaos, but it’s organized chaos. Everyone knows exactly what they’re doing, but it’s absolutely what you would imagine: People running back and forth in the hallways, carrying props and costumes and set pieces. It was really, really neat. I still have my little Chris Colfer plaque for my dressing room.

Where do you keep it?

I have an awards case, so it’s on display there. It was a gift.

For me, at least, the best part of the sketch is all of the wordless expressions taking in the absurdity of everything. Do you remember how the writers wanted you to react to certain beats?

The direction that the three of us were given was: “You’re on the show with this lunatic who doesn’t let his guests talk. Look as annoyed and out of place as possible.” So that seems easy, in theory, but the hardest part was not laughing my ass off. There’s one particular moment, when Kristen Wiig does this little hoedown in the middle of the sketch while a banjo plays. Everyone in the audience was falling to pieces, and I was looking at the ceiling so I wouldn’t join them. I got to release some of the joy in that moment.

Colfer, seconds apart, realizing he won't get an anecdote in. NBC/Saturday Night Live.

The lineage of “middle seat” people includes Mindy Kaling, Ernest Borgnine, Carrie Brownstein, Robin Williams, and Jack McBrayer. Do you see any connective tissue among you all?

I feel like I would just be flattering myself trying to make a connection, so instead I’ll say we all just happened to be free at the right time and have a good sense of humor.

Who do you think would be uniquely qualified to portray a fake Chris Colfer?

The only person I know who could do it is Marcia Gay Harden — with a good wig. Years ago, they were going to do an episode of Glee where something happened at McKinley High School. There was going to be this big, fake movie made about it. So we were all casting ourselves on who would play our characters in this fake movie. They had Glenn Close playing Sue Sylvester and Justin Timberlake as Matthew Morrison. So I said, “Well, Marcia Gay Harden has to play me.” It was a big joke. Unfortunately, the episode didn’t happen, but they were thinking about actually making it.

Did you go to the SNL after-party in celebration of the episode?

Yes, I did, and I got to chat with Lorne Michaels for a little bit. It’s really hard to make small talk with someone with that kind of résumé. You don’t want to ask the wrong question, and you don’t want to seem like you’re too big of a fan. But I couldn’t help myself. I asked about the history of the show, his favorite sketches, and the sketches he regretted. He was very kind and open to answering everything. He did tell me I’d be back on, so I’ll hold him to it one day.

Have you ever cut a family vacation short to do a talk show?

I’m sure I have. I’ve cut family vacations short for much, much less, too.

[winchesterwild78]

Chance Meeting part 11

Part 10.1, 10.2

18+ Minors DO NOT interact

Please be kind and all mistakes are my own. All work is mine. Please don’t take or copy it.

Warnings: fluff, angst, smut, Jensen being a sweetheart

Chapter/ Trigger Warnings: Insecurities, angst, a bit of heartbreak, fluff, mention of panic attacks

A/N: Filler chapter but important This chapter sets up a big one coming soon. It’s almost Christmas time for our new couple. Enjoy 😁

———————————————————————-

The next morning the sun came shining through the window and danced across your face. You stretched and reached out for Jensen. Your hand went right to the bed and it was cold. You looked over and saw his side of the bed was empty. You frowned and sighed but decided to get up. You went to the bathroom and got ready for the day. You started to walk downstairs when you heard Jensen singing softly and you could smell coffee and bacon. You walked into the kitchen and saw Jensen standing at the stove cooking wearing a Radio Company t-shirt and jeans. “Good morning, Jensen” you said with a smile. “Good morning, beautiful” he said as he turned around walking over to you. He threw his arms around you and pulled you in for a hug and a soft kiss. “I made coffee and breakfast is almost done” he said as he turned back to the stove. “Thank you, you didn’t have to cook. I would have.” You said grabbing a coffee cup and filling it up. “You can tomorrow” he said with a wink. “Deal” you said taking a sip of coffee. Once breakfast was done Jensen served it up on two plates. The two of you sat at the breakfast bar and chatted about the day. “So we need to get the tree and decorations out and see what else we need.” Jensen said sticking a piece of bacon in his mouth. “Sounds good to me. I’m sure I can work with whatever you have already. No need to buy more stuff.” You said. “We can put the tree up and when your kids come this weekend we can decorate it together. If that’s okay.” You asked Jensen. “Of course, y/n I would love for you to help us decorate it. You’re part of this family now too, so I want you there.” He said reaching for your hand. You smiled and nodded.

After breakfast was done you cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen. Jensen tried to help but you told him no since he cooked. He reluctantly agreed and went to start getting the decorations out of the attic.

You heard him grunting as you finished up the dishes. He carried a very large box into the living room and it landed with a thud. “Jensen, let me help you. You’re going to hurt yourself doing it alone.” You said walking over towards him. He playfully rolled his eyes and smirked. He grabbed your hand and led you to the attic door. As you both walked up the stairs you looked around the huge attic. Everything was neatly organized and labeled. “Wow” you whispered. He chuckled and walked towards some boxes labeled “Christmas decor”. You grabbed a box and went back down towards the living room. “Okay, y/n. Do you think you can help with the tree box?” He asked. “Sure. Let me put my hair up. I’m getting hot.” You said. He winked at you and said “getting hot? You’re already hot sweetheart. “ You blushed and smiled at him. “Come on, let’s get that tree down” you said walking back towards the attic. “There it is” Jensen said while pointing to a stack of 3 boxes. “Um, Jens how big is the tree” you asked with wide eyes. “It’s just 11 feet” he said chuckling. “Only 11 feet” you said surprised. “How are we supposed to decorate the top” you asked. “I get out my big ladder. The kids aren’t allowed on it. But I take one of them up with me to put on the topper. It rotates who gets to every year.” He said. You smile and tell him how sweet that is. You both grab an end of one of the tree boxes and carry down. A few minutes later all the decorations and tree boxes are in the living room.

“Where should we start, Jensen?” You asked looking at all the boxes and totes. “Let’s get the tree up that way we can clear these big boxes out. It’s pre-lit so we can turn it on and enjoy it even if it’s not decorated.” He said while opening the box labeled “step 1”. You turned on some Christmas music and started to help him clear out the area where he puts the tree up. Once the area was clear he put the tree stand down and grabbed the bottom part of the tree. You looked in the box and there was still another part. You laughed as you reached in to grab the other part. Carefully carrying it over you placed it on top of the part Jensen had already put down. As you worked together the tree was taking shape and it was breathtaking. Jensen grabbed his ladder so he could put the rest of the tree up. You grabbed a section of tree and was about to climb the ladder when you felt a hand on your arm. “What are you doing y/n? Jensen asked with a worried look. “I’m going to put this part on.” You said while trying to climb up. He didn’t let go of you and said “please don’t, I don’t want you to fall or get hurt.” The look in his eyes made your heart hurt. He looked genuinely concerned. You stepped down and nodded. He grabbed your waist and pulled you in for a kiss. You smiled into his lips. He climbed up and you handed him the last few parts. Finally the tree was up. Jensen plugged it in and handed you the remote. “Want to do the honors sweetheart” he asked with an ear to ear grin on his face. “Sure” you said while taking the remote. You pushed the button and softly gasped. The tree was even more beautiful than you imagined. Jensen came behind you and wrapped his arms around you. He rested his chin on your shoulder as you both were taking in the beautiful view. “It’s absolutely beautiful, Jensen” you said with misty eyes. He looked at you and whispered “yes you are” while placing a soft kiss on your cheek. You turned your head and kissed his lips. “I love you, Jensen” you whispered into his lips. “I love you too, y/n.” He whispered back.

You two stood there for a few more minutes taking in the tree and each other. When his phone started ringing. He slowly pulled away and grabbed his phone. He motioned he was going to take it in the other room and walked out. You didn’t think anything of it and started to open totes and boxes doing an inventory of decorations. You started decorating and singing along to the songs playing. At first you hadn’t noticed how much time had passed until you went to hang some garland and lights around the window. The sun was setting and you looked at the clock. You had been decorating for almost an hour and a half. That is when you realized Jensen was still gone. You started to walk towards the office where Jensen went to take the call. You heard him talking quietly and was about to knock when you heard him say your name. You froze and didn’t mean to listen but you couldn’t help it. Who had his attention for over an hour and why did he say your name. “No, her name is y/n. Yes, I told you. I met her at the con in October. Yes, I’ve seen the pictures of us online. I get it. She’s not exactly a model and she doesn’t look like you.” You heard him saying though the door. Your heart sank and you felt sick. You felt tears prick your eyes and your chest tighten. Your head started spinning and you needed to get out of the house and away from him. You grabbed your shoes, purse and jacket and took off out the door. Backing out of the driveway you were sobbing and gasping for air.

Panic was washing over you. All you could think about was how stupid you were for believing that a man like Jensen could really be in love with a woman like you. His voice and words kept playing over and over in your head. You didn’t know where you were going but you just drove. Trying to make the words go away. About 5 minutes later your phone started ringing and you saw Jensen’s name pop up. You sent him to voicemail and kept driving. Your phone kept going off with texts and phone calls. You pulled into a motel parking lot and sat there reading his texts.

-Sweetheart where are you? Please call me

-Y/N what’s going on. Please let me know you’re okay.

-Now I’m getting worried. You’re not picking up or texting. Please call me

-Sweetheart what’s going on?!? I’m really worried. I love you

The voicemails were pretty much the same and he ended them with “I love you”. You scoffed when you heard him say it. Your phone started ringing and this time it wasn’t Jensen. It was a local number. You didn’t answer it. They left a voicemail so you listened to it.

“Hey y/n, this is Gen, Jared’s wife. Jensen called us in a panic saying you disappeared and you’re not answering. If you could please call me back I’d appreciate it. We just want to make sure you’re okay.”

You sighed and wiped the tears away. You pushed the callback button and called Gen. “Hello, y/n is that you?” She asked sweetly. “Yes it’s me. Please tell Jensen I’m okay” you barely whispered. “Sweetie, where are you. Is everything okay. You sound like you’ve been crying.” Gen said with concern in her voice. You could hear Jared in the background and you could tell he was talking to Jensen on the phone. “Is she okay Gen?” He asked. You heard her tell him she wasn’t sure. That you said you were but she could tell you had been crying. You sat there hearing him tell Jensen you were okay but clearly crying. Tears started to fall again when her sweet voice started talking to you. “Y/n, whatever happened we will figure it out. Why don’t you come to our house and we can talk about it. We don’t want you out there by yourself. I’ll text you our address.” She said. Through your sobs you agreed to go to their house.

You put their address in your GPS and started driving. They lived a few blocks away from Jensen so the neighborhood was familiar. You pulled into their driveway and a petite brunette was standing at the door. She smiled at you and pulled you in for a hug. Jared appeared behind her and wrapped you both in a hug. He kissed the top of your head as they led you into the house. “I’ll call Jensen and let him know you’re here but tell him to stay at home for now.” Jared said and you nodded thanking him. Gen grabbed your hand and led you to the kitchen table. You sat down and she grabbed a bottle of wine and 2 glasses. You took a sip as a few tears slipped out. She grabbed your hand and held it. “It’s okay, y/n. We will figure it out” she said softly. You looked at her and all you could muster up was “I loved him so much, I gave up everything to be with him” and tears started flowing again. She looked at Jared who had walked in right as you said it. They both looked confused. Gen looked at you and said “loved? Jensen? Why are you saying you loved him instead of love?” “Because he doesn’t want me or love me. It was all a joke or something.” You said sobbing. Jared sat down at the table too and put his hand on yours and Gens. “Y/n, what are you talking about. Jensen is madly in love with you.” Jared said looking confused. You just shook your head no. After a bit more wine and Jared and Gen talking to you, you were finally able to tell them what happened. “This has to be a mistake. I saw him with you, and I know Jensen. That man loves you. He doesn’t care if you’re a model or not.” Jared said matter-of-factly. You just sat there and said “I know what I heard.” Jared sighed, got up and patted your shoulder as he walked out of the room. Gen was trying to get you to call Jensen and talk to him but you couldn’t. You told her you were terrified he was going to tell you he realized you weren’t good enough for him and he wanted someone thinner and prettier. “Oh y/n, Jensen wouldn’t do that. He loves you. I’ve known that man for years and he doesn’t do anything unless he means it. There has to be some kind of reason he said what he said.” Gen said while hugging you. You let all your old insecurities bubble up and you just broke. Telling Gen everything and explaining to her how you’ve always felt unwanted and unworthy. How when you met Jensen it scared you because you felt an instant connection with him and you’d falling so fast for him.

As you were pouring your heart out you hadn’t noticed the person standing against the door listening to every word you said. You looked at Gen and said “I love him so much, Gen. I can’t lose him but if he really doesn’t want me I’ll let him go.” “What if he doesn’t want to let you go because he’s deeply in love with you too.” You heard a deep voice say. You turned towards the door seeing Jensen standing there. Arms folded in front of him. His eyes were red and puffy and his hair was a mess. You could tell he had been crying and he had been running his fingers through his hair. Gen smiled and stood up. As she walked past you she touched your arm. “Talk to him sweetie.” She said sweetly and left the room.

Jensen walked towards the table and sat down. He reached for your hand but you pulled back. “Sweetheart, what happened? Everything was fine when I left to take the phone call.” He said looking sad. You cringed when he mentioned the phone call. “I heard you.” You said in barely a whisper. “I heard you on the phone. I came to find you and I heard you tell whoever was on the phone I wasn’t a model and I didn’t look like them. Who is she Jensen? I know it was a woman you were on the phone with.” You said raising your voice slightly. He looked shocked and confused for a minute. Then his face sank. He realized he hurt you but he didn’t mean to. “Did you hear the rest of the conversation?” He asked. You shook your head and said “I heard enough. I needed to get some air.” He grabbed your hand and looked into your eyes. “Sweetheart, I was talking to my ex. She was calling to make sure it was okay to still bring the kids this weekend. She knew you just moved in and she wanted to make sure you were comfortable with them coming over this soon after the move. She brought up the pictures of us online and talked about the nasty comments some people are making. I did say what you heard, but I also said I didn’t care what others thought and they didn’t need to compare you to her. I told her how much I loved you and how you were working hard to get the house ready for the kids. We both agreed you two should meet so we can all move forward as one unit. She was worried about you and wanted to make sure the comparisons online weren’t getting to you and to say she had moved on too. Sweetheart, I love you and I have from the moment I saw you. You’re everything to me and I want you to come home. Please.” You saw tears filling his eyes and how genuine his words were. Tears slipped from your eyes and he gently wiped them away with his thumb. “Shhh, don’t cry baby. Please” he said cupping your face.

You put your head down feeling so ashamed of running out and questioning his feelings for you. “I’m so sorry, Jensen. I just lost it and let the insecurities win again. I should have stayed and talked to you. Now I pulled Jared and Gen into this. My first time meeting her and she probably thinks I’m crazy.” You said with your head still down. “No I don’t. I get it completely.” You heard her say from the other room. Jensen chuckled and you smiled. “There’s that beautiful smile” Jensen said. He pulled you out of your chair while he stood up. He wrapped his arms around you and you buried your face into his chest. He kissed the top of your head and whispered “let’s go home baby.” You lifted your head up and nodded. You stood there looking into his eyes and all of your worries started to melt away. You could see his love for you. Leaning up you cupped his face and placed a soft kiss on his lips. You pulled away and looked into his eyes. He grabbed your head and crashed his lips on yours again. Kissing you deeper and passionately. His hands ran through your hair and your hands were on his chest. The kiss was full of passion and need. “Get a room you two.” Jared said with a chuckle. You both pulled away laughing and Jensen playfully hit Jared’s arm. Jared and Jensen hugged each other as you two walked towards the door. You hugged Gen and Jared thanking them both and apologizing. They both told you don’t be sorry and you were family so they were there for you. “The kids will be over this weekend to help decorate if y’all want to bring your bunch and come over too.” Jensen said. “Yes, please come. We can make Christmas cookies and treats with them too.” You said. “Of course we will be there and we will eat some dinner too. Have a great big family day.” Gen said with a huge smile. “Love you guys, and thanks for taking care of my girl.” Jensen said while taking you by the hand. He walked you to your car and kissed you again. “I’ll see you at home in a few minutes.” Jensen said. You nodded and got in your car driving back to your house.

You parked and got out walking towards the front door. Jensen walked up the steps as you were opening the door. You both walked in and you noticed all the boxes and totes still out. Jensen took your hand and said “hey, we will deal with this tomorrow. Let’s go to bed.” You nodded and kicked off your shoes. As you walked to your bedroom door you stopped and turned around to Jensen. “I understand if you don’t want me to sleep in here tonight. I can sleep in one of the guest rooms.” He turned you around and lifted your head and said “no, I want you in our bed tonight. Sleeping in my arms if you’ll have me.” He gently placed a kiss on your lips. A single tear escaped your eye and he brushed it away. “Come on sweetheart, let’s go to bed.” You walked into your bedroom and got ready for bed. You went into the bathroom washed your face and brushed your teeth. Your chest tightened as you thought about your overreaction and started having a panic attack. You collapsed to the floor sobbing and gasping for air. Jensen rushed in and dropped to the floor grabbing you into his arms. “Come on baby. Listen to my voice and breath with me. Come on, take a deep breath in and let it out for me.” He said. You took a deep breath in matching his breathing and focusing on his voice. You buried your head into his chest taking in his scent and matching his breath. After what felt like an eternity you could feel the tightness loosening in your chest. Your breathing became normal and your heartbeat slowed down. You finally opened your eyes and looked into Jensen’s beautiful green eyes. He was looking at you with some much love and compassion. “I’m so sorry, y/n. I didn’t mean to cause you so much pain. I love you and I’ll do whatever I can to make you feel loved and wanted by me. You deserve that and so much more.” Jensen said as he still held on to you. You gently kissed his lips and said “I love you too and I promise I will work hard at not jumping to conclusions and talk to you about things that are bothering me.” “Good, it’s something we can work on together. Now let’s get you off this floor.” He said helping you up. You both walked out of the bathroom and climbed into bed. You slid over to him and waited for him to move, letting you know it was okay to lay close to him. You were mentally and physically exhausted and just wanted to lay in his arms. Jensen put his arm out and pulled you to his side. You snuggled up to him and he kissed your head. You sighed softly and he pulled you tighter. You softly whispered “I love you Jensen, more than you know.” “I love you too, y/n more than anything.” He said back. Your heart was starting to heal and you knew one thing for sure. You were without a doubt unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Jensen.