#the games channel always felt like the “hangout” time from the other channels

[tame-a-messenger]

Ok, Eioyi’s gone, can we get rid of Shayne guesses…

I love Shayne sooo much, don’t get me wrong but it’s getting old.

This is the second show he has, this and Reddit stories, I know that he’s the favourite or whatever but we already have SO MUCH content from him.

And I’m not really a watcher of Shayne guesses, but you don’t really see any clips of it in compilations then with other formats, I also feel like it’s another way of people yelling about Shourtney, like “Oh my god he always guesses Courtney right” like yeah, no fucking shit, whether they’re dating or not he’s going to guess someone who’s been one of his best friends for practically a decade now.

I’m just tired of Shayne guesses and I might be a bit bitter since we only really ever see just him and I much rather a more multiple cast centred video.

But I’d love to know where you stand on Shayne Guesses

This ask speaks to me.

I love Shayne, I love reddit stories, I love everything he's in BUT THE GUESSES SERIES.

I am so tired of it, why can't we get an actual video? like I would actually LOVE if they did it for livestreams! that sounds like a blast actually~ being able to have chat input and it would probably be about an hour? maybe 2? I think that fits the usual livestream timeslot?

But having it as the Games video for that day just sucks (again, I'm biased toward Damangela so any video without them is a loss) It's very much a put on in the background kind of video, which I like but I'd rather have AN ACTUAL FUCKING GAME ON THE GAMES CHANNEL?? CALL ME CRAZY! (technically it's a "guessing game" but I refuse to acknowledge it)

I understand that Reddit Stories is on Pit so it's probably a 'Shayne fill-in' video. So the freelance cast can put their all into the rest of the shoots? (not to mention a bit of a break for editors? I'd imagine it's so much easier editing those than multi cam shoot videos where they have to look through all the angles to then edit)

If I were the creative director, OH BOY would things be different..

I'll end this with,

I don't like to bite the hand that feeds, but when they feed me garbage........

And I agree with everything you said Anon.

[minus-plus-zer0]

The Bakusquad Gaming Group - Ch. 3 - Shipping O-o

| Masterlist | The Bakusquad Gaming Group Masterlist | | Previous | Next (TBD) | ♡ Genre: Fluff, suggestive ♡ Pairing: Gamer!Bakugou x Gamer!Reader ♡ Tags: Crossover (MHA x multiple franchises), gaming AU, Quirkless AU, aged up

Ever since your gaming channel started collaborating with Dynamight's, both of your fanbases have noticed your shared chemistry together.

And as your onscreen interactions increased, so did the shipping.

Shipping was never a big thing within the Bakusquad, especially considering Bakugou's near violent reaction towards anything sweet or romantic. But you were both sweet AND romantic, and yet Bakugou didn't have a problem with you. Everybody collectively raised their eyebrow at that.

Ever since your fans noticed, they ran wild with the ship. Fan accounts tagged your social media with new fanart of Bakugou and you, mashing your names together to form a title for the ship as it sailed beyond a point where you could even dare to stop it.

Your previous streams together didn't help matters as you flirted(?) on-camera. Given your growing feelings for Bakugou, obviously you didn't mind the prospect of actually dating him later on. You also flirted just because it was fun for you, for him, and for the chat.

But the shipping grew intense, and maybe you should've seen that coming.

Needless to say, you worried about how this would affect your actual relationship. At least the fanart was tame. The fanfics were NOT. You didn't know who wrote those wretched things, but you made the biggest mistake of your life by opening one of them. You could never unread what was once read.

You recalled the words from that single fanfic excursion, the ones that made you cringe.

"Bakugou nuzzled his girlfriend on stream, declaring her to be his one and only super duper true love. It was then that he asked her to marry him. But neither of them noticed that the camera kept rolling as they made out, and the chat went wild when they--"

You threw your phone across your room. You didn't check it for hours out of pure shame.

Most of the analyses regarding your relationship included any number of misinterpretations. You couldn't get their fan theories out of your head. Was Bakugou too close to you while you played games together in his apartment? Did Bakugou try to hold your hand during your last playthrough, like the fans suspected? Did Bakugou like all of your social media posts because he liked you in particular? You just didn't know anymore.

The real life shipping put a lot of pressure on your relationship. Your chat moderators (the other Bakusquad members) always had to deal with the shipping discussions that inevitably ensued afterwards. You felt like a bug underneath a microscope sometimes. Bakugou recently texted you about a restaurant he wanted to show you, but you declined. You didn't know how you could show your face to him after all this.

Unlike other content creators, you two previously helped fueled the fire of the shippers before realizing how bad it would get. Originally, you thought it would just be good fun, that it wouldn't get out of hand if you leaned into it as a joke rather than trying to dissuade people from it. And having people supportive of your budding relationship with Bakugou felt nice. But clearly that was the wrong move, and both of your fanbases had transformed greatly as a result. You never expected the shipping to reach this extent so soon.

Days later you denied a few more hangouts, just to give yourself some time to think. You didn't ghost Bakugou, you just put your friendship on hold temporarily.

But Bakugou wouldn’t let you avoid him for long. One day, he texted you something serious.

“We gotta talk about this.”

He posted a link to a social media account detailing the "Bakugou x You" ship. It was filled to the brim with "hints" of your relationship, fanart, wedding theories, romantic video compilations, and more. You cringed at the sight of it, but you couldn't leave Bakugou hanging.

You texted back. "Okay ;-;. I'm at my apartment, wanna meet me there?"

He agreed. Half an hour later, Bakugou showed up at your door. You opened it, meekly.

Bakugou stood there, expression impassive but unusually silent. Then, he spoke.

“You wanna let me in?”

You sighed and sidestepped, gesturing for him to enter. He followed you over to your living room couch, where you both sat. Your cute, pink home was much smaller than his apartment, and so was your couch. Thus, there wasn't much space between you two and there was little else in the room to distract you.

Bakugou stuck out like a sore thumb against the prettiness of your house. It made you uncomfortable to look him in the eye, but reluctantly, you did. He was already staring at you, looking quite serious.

"Those fans are a little embarrassing, haha..." you said.

"They're really fucking stupid."

It kinda hurt to hear him say that. You couldn't help but take a liking to the boy as your friendship progressed, so you almost hoped he would have a different reaction. But him egging the fans on would've been more strange...

"Um, I can tell them we're not dating, I guess?" You twiddled your thumbs. "Maybe that will help, if only a little."

Bakugou exhaled through his nose. "You don't have to tell them anything, at least not for my sake. The rumors stop my old hag of a mother from asking when I'm gonna get a girlfriend, so that's actually a benefit. I always tell her to fuck off, that I'm never dating anyone, and I've stuck to that my entire life. Now I don't gotta do that. But I know you, and I know you're probably not always comfortable with how people see ya."

"Well have you seen the fanfiction?" You shook your head. "Are you proud of your mother seeing that too?"

"Wha--she hasn't seen that shit yet!"

"So you have read it!"

"You have too!"

You both glared at each other, now flustered. His glare was much more ferocious, but yours was equally unwavering. You couldn't believe what you were hearing.

"So we both read it..." you said. "...What tags did you choose?"

Bakugou squinted at you. "You first."

"No, I asked before you did."

Bakugou groaned loudly. He rested his head in his hands. "...Rivals to friends to lovers, fake dating, mafia--"

"Mafia?! Why--"

"--Soulmates, and domestic fluff. There. Happy? What about you?"

"Why would you read about us in the mafia?!"

"Hey! I asked you a damn question!" He poked you in the stomach. "Now you gotta answer! What were your tags?!"

Now it was your turn to look ashamed.

"...It was smut."

"Wha--How can you look me in the eyes and say that?"

"I couldn't!" You covered your face with your hands. "That's why I was avoiding you..."

Bakugou raised an eyebrow at you.

"...What did you read, exactly?" Bakugou asked, quietly.

"I don't know! I didn't even finish it, I threw my phone away before I could even reach the end. You know, the 'smut' tag was recommended everywhere. Don't tell me you didn't check it out too!"

Bakugou remained silent, and that spoke volumes.

"So we're both guilty," you said.

"...Does it bother ya?" Bakugou asked. "I can get the rest of the Bakusquad lackeys to moderate the chats better so they quit talking about us."

"That'd never work, and you know it." You slumped against your small couch. "Since our shipping fanbase isn't as rabid as others, maybe it'd be better not to poke the bear and try to fight them off. My main concern was originally how this would affect us..." You both looked away from each other. "But... now that I know we're in the same boat, I guess I don't feel as uncomfortable as I did before. Like it's easier to deal with this if we're both on the same page. Does that make sense?"

Bakugou looked at you. "No. Not at all. But if you don't give a shit, then I don't either. I only needed to know this shit wouldn't come between us, and that it wasn't creeping you out. So long as they don't progress to stalking we can just keep the finer details of our relationship a secret. Just don't go telling them everything we do."

"But you already had that rule in place, didn't you?"

"I fucking did. And clearly it was for a good damn reason." He wagged his finger at you. "It'd be easier to hide stuff if we got all my lackeys in on this. I'll get the Bakusquad to at least try and moderate more shit and suppress how much these extras invade into our lives, even if we can't stop 'em completely. In fact, we've got a convention coming up and you can go there to see the squad."

"I heard about that!" you said, sitting upright. "I actually wanted to surprise you guys by popping up at your panel at the convention, but since the shipping got stronger I thought it'd be better to lay low..."

Bakugou shook his head. "Hell no. If you already thought of going, then it only makes sense to have you come directly with us. We're not gonna let that shipping stuff mess with ya or creep ya out. I'll protect both of us. Besides, me and the guys already talked it over and they'd love to meet ya in-person after moderating our streams for so long. Just put on a disguise if you're still worried."

"A disguise, hm?" You playfully stroked your chin. "You're about to see a whole new side of me! Oh... but there is one last thing I wanted to discuss..."

Bakugou looked at you, concerned. "What is it?"

"...Can I read the mafia fic you read?"

"You're still fucking on that?!"

You shrugged. "I just wanna see what they wrote! Like, who would even think to write that about us? Isn't that interesting? Isn't that why you checked that fic out?"

Bakugou glared at you, but didn't say anything. You knew you were right.

"Hold on." Bakugou pulled up his phone and scrolled through his search history.

You tapped your feet happily, clapping your hands. "Oh this will be so much fun!"

"Don't go fucking judging me for this," Bakugou said.

"What did you think of the fic? Did you think it was your favorite? Did you leave a comment talking about how much it changed your life for the better? Did--"

"I did exactly none of those things!" Bakugou snarled at you. "Now quiet down and look."

Bakugou roughly scooted over on the couch to you, bumping against your hip. His phone displayed the mafia fic, clear as day. There were multiple other tags such as "Fluff", "Love at First Sight", "Soulmates", and more...

You looked at up, with one question clear on your silent face. "Why?"

"You wanted to read it so freaking read it already!" He shoved the phone in your face.

"No." You folded your arms. "We're reading it together. I wanna see your reactions."

Bakugou looked like he could die.

But he did as you asked.

(This isn't meant to offend any shippers of the fictional Bakugou x You ship, for I am one OuO. I bet Bakugou would love tooth-rotting fluff Bakugou x You fics as his guilty pleasure. Btw the next chapter will be longer than this one and is already in the works!)

[crookedangelpizza]

Xiao streamer Au pt2

The ending was kinda rushed, so bare with me ;-;

Weeks had passed since the first collab, and Xiao’s stream had become something different. It wasn’t just about the game anymore. Sure, he still put his focus on every match, every level, but his thoughts would always drift to you. The teasing fights, the shared victories, and the easy comfort between the two of you were woven into his routine. He could barely deny it, he looked forward to your streams more than his own and even more to collabs between eachother.

The fans had gone wild with speculation ever since that first collab. "Xiao and [Y/N] are such a perfect match!" they’d chant in the chat. Xiao had grown used to it, but something about those words lingered in the back of his mind. A perfect match... He had never been one for fan theories or hype, but seeing your smile, hearing your voice, he couldn’t help but think that maybe just maybe the fans were right(ofc they were)

One day, after a particularly intense stream, Xiao sat back in his chair, massaging his temples as he read through his chat, replying to the usual fanfare. But then something caught his eye.

[Your Channel] has sent you a message!

Xiao’s heart skipped. You never messaged him on the birdy app, He hesitated before opening the message, wondering if it was another casual chat about a future collab, or perhaps just a thank-you for another successful stream.

But when the message opened, his breath caught in his chest.

[Y/N]:

"Hey, Xiao! I’ve been thinking about something! You know how I’ve been doing my baking streams lately, right? Well, I was wondering... if you’re not too busyy, would you be up for an in-person collab? I’m planning a special baking stream soon since im hitting 500k followers and your almost to 900k maybe we could make somethingg special for that!!, and I think it’d be fun to have you come over and join me! We can also hangout afterwards!!(if you want ofc) Think of it as a (game night meets cooking chaos) kind of deal. What do you think? :)"

Xiao blinked at the screen, his heart racing a little faster than it probably should. You wanted him to meet you in person? For a baking stream?

His mind spun. He wasn’t used to meeting other streamers face-to-face especially someone like you. Sure, he’d been comfortable in the virtual world, collaborating from the safety of his own space, but this was... different. His thoughts raced as he tried to form a response. Was this an invitation for a collab? Or was it something else entirely? A chance to get closer?

After a moment of hesitation, Xiao typed out a quick reply, his fingers trembling slightly on the keys.

[Xiao]:

"...When?"

NEW MESSAGE [Y/N]

[Y/N]:

"Yay!! I'm so glad that your up for it maybe like next week on a Friday!? And I've already announced the stream hehe ik you would do it!! Fans are asking for us to match are you up for that?!!

[Xiao]:

"Mhm that's fine"

He hit send before he could second-guess himself. His mind raced matching outfits with you and hanging out after the stream what did he do to deserve this-

The next few days flew by in a blur of preparation. Xiao found himself thinking more and more about your message, running through potential scenarios in his mind. How would he act in person? What if he messed up the baking? The thought of cooking with you-something so different from his usual gaming—both terrified and excited him. He wasn’t sure which one of those feelings was stronger.

"XIAO, I said you can stop that was your last lap. Why are you out of focus today does it have to do with your games" zhongli sighed as he handed Xiao a towel to dry himself off.

"No it's not.." He huffed

---------

When the day arrived, he found himself standing outside your door, his heart pounding in his chest. His usual composure had completely vanished. For the first time in a long while, Xiao felt utterly nervous.

Your door opened, and there you were, smiling brightly at him in the same pajama pants and black shirt. "Xiao! You made it!" You stepped aside (stopping yourself from giving him a hug)to let him in, and as he walked through the doorway, your kitchen came into view—a bright, cozy space filled with baking supplies and a hint of something delicious already wafting through the air.

"Come on in! Let me show you the setup," you said, leading him further into the room. Your voice was as warm and inviting as ever, and Xiao couldn’t help but feel a little more at ease. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

You turned to face him with a mischievous smile. "So, are you ready for some baking chaos?" you asked, raising an eyebrow.

Xiao blinked, clearly uncertain. "Chaos?"

"Yep! It’s gonna be fun, trust me. We're making some insane desserts today," you said with a grin, already pulling out ingredients. "First, we’ll bake some cookies, then we'll decorate them. Simple, right?"

Xiao wasn’t sure if the word simple applied to anything involving you. But, he thought, if it meant spending time with you, maybe he could handle a little chaos.

You set up your equipment and placed the camera in the perfect spot to capture everything, then turned back to Xiao. "Okay! We're live, so don't be too nervous!" you teased.

He nodded, still feeling that rush of uncertainty, but his eyes never left yours. There was something comforting about the way you were so confident, and he could almost forget about the cameras and the chat buzzing behind them.

MEOWMEOW - "OMG THATS HOW CIAO LOOKS"

HUMEAO1856 - "Yalll I literally told you he is FINEEE"

YABOICHIDE -  "he got the MUSCLES just like me, I Approve this marriage!!"

For the next hour, the two of you baked, laughed, and fumbled through the process. There were flour fights, awkward moments where neither of you could remember the recipe, and more than one cookie that came out of the oven a little too crispy.

Anyway moving on its time to put these in the ovenn!!

Xiao found himself enjoying every moment. There was something calming about being in your presence, about hearing you talk cheerfully about all the things you loved while you worked. It was different from gaming, but in a way, it was just as captivating. And every time your eyes met his, his chest seemed to tighten with something unspoken—something that went beyond the game, beyond the stream.

As the final batch of cookies baked, you turned to him with a grin. "Okay, Xiao. It's time for the best part." You grabbed a tube of icing and held it up. "Decorating time!"

Xiao stared at the frosting, then at you. "What do I do?"

You laughed and stepped closer, gently guiding his hand with the icing bag. "Here, I'll show you. You just need to go slow and steady... and maybe add a little flair."

He nodded, attempting to mimic your careful movements, but the moment he squeezed the tube, a glob of frosting shot out onto the cookie and splattered all over the counter.

"Oops," he muttered, looking up at you with a rare sheepish expression.

You burst out laughing, and Xiao’s face flushed slightly, feeling his heart skip in his chest at the sound of your genuine, carefree laughter.

"Don't worry! That's part of the fun!" you said, wiping a bit of icing off his cheek. Your fingers lingered for a second longer than necessary, and for a brief moment, Xiao's heart seemed to stop altogether.

MEOWMEOW - "YALL DO YOU SEE THE WAY THEY LOOK AT EACHOTHER"

SKIBIDISCAR - " SHIP SHIP SHIP"

As the stream wrapped up, you and Xiao sat at the counter, your cookies (a bit more colorful than expected) lined up in front of you. The chat was filled with nothing but praise for your chaotic baking skills and how well you two worked together. But Xiao wasn’t paying much attention to the comments.

His mind was still on that fleeting moment—the way your fingers had brushed against his skin. Was it just a friendly gesture? Or was there something more? He wasn’t sure. The entire time you’d been together, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something between you had shifted.

"You did great today," you said, beaming at him as the stream ended. "I didn’t think you’d be so good at baking... even with the little icing mishap." You said as you were leading him to the couch.

Xiao simply nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He wasn’t used to this kind of praise, but somehow, hearing it from you made it feel different. Real.

"Thanks," he murmured, his voice quieter than usual.

And then, before he could stop himself, he added, "Maybe we can do this again sometime."

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

You raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You mean, another baking stream?"

There, it was an alert for severe rain and a reason for him to stay longer(yall I didn't know what to put)

"Oh my gosh I can't let you go home in these conditions" you say as you close the windows

It's fine I'll be home in 30 minutes he protested

-------

Really you have to stay you pled as you extended the couch. See I'll even sleep here so you aren't scared you giggled

You stretched out beside him, pulling a blanket over the two of you as the late-night tiredness began to settle in. "You know," you said with a teasing smile, "I’m really glad you came today. This was fun." You glanced at him, and your eyes caught his again. There was a brief, charged silence before you broke it with a light laugh.

---

"Yeah, me too," Xiao responded quietly. He shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable, but his mind wouldn’t stop spinning. The warmth of the room, the soft glow of the lights, the way your voice lingered in his head it was all so... comforting.

You shifted a little closer, nudging him with your shoulder as you closed your eyes. "I’m glad you came, Xiao. Honestly, I was kind of nervous, too," you confessed with a sleepy smile.

Xiao blinked, surprised. "You were?" he asked, his voice a little softer than usual.

"Yeah," you yawned, "I mean, it’s different, you know? Streaming in person. But it turned out fine, didn’t it?"

He nodded slowly, still feeling the pull of your closeness. The warmth of the blanket made his muscles relax, but his mind was still racing. He glanced down at you, noticing how relaxed you looked next to him—how soft your features were in the dim light.

Before he knew it, the silence between you two deepened, and with it, the realization that he was falling into a more comfortable, intimate space with you. He didn’t want to mess it up.

You stretched and let out a quiet sigh. "Honestly, I���m just so tired," you mumbled. "I think I might actually doze off."

"Yeah," Xiao murmured, "me too."

He turned slightly, trying to keep his distance, but you shifted again, now lying with your head resting just a few inches from his chest. He froze, his heartbeat picking up. The soft hum of the air conditioning and the peaceful quiet of your apartment filled the room. Xiao’s muscles tensed involuntarily, but it wasn’t because of any discomfort—it was just the strange feeling of having someone this close, someone who made him feel safe in a way he wasn’t used to.

Without thinking, he instinctively shifted, his arm coming to rest behind you, almost as if his body was telling him it needed to protect this moment, protect you. His bicep brushed lightly against your shoulder, and he instantly regretted it, feeling his entire face flush.

You shifted, your body naturally pressing just a little bit closer to his warmth. "Xiao... you have really nice muscles," you said sleepily, the compliment slipping out before you could stop yourself.

Xiao blinked, the sudden shift in your voice making his heart race. He hadn’t expected that. "I... uh..." He felt his throat go dry as he shifted awkwardly, his arm still around you. "I’m a swimmer," he said, as if that explained everything. "I just... have to stay in shape."

You smiled softly, your face still flushed from the warm comfort of his arm around you. "I can tell. I didn’t think you could get any more impressive, but I guess I was wrong."

Xiao was suddenly very aware of how close you were. Your body heat seemed to seep into him, and every little movement you made felt amplified. The rhythmic sound of your breathing lulled him into a state of calm, yet there was a strange tension in the air—one he couldn’t quite understand.

"Well," you murmured, almost asleep, "I think this is nice. We should do this again... more than just streams."

Xiao’s breath caught at the words. Did you mean it? His mind flashed back to the stream, the moments you shared—your fingers brushing his, the teasing, the laughter. He wanted to say something, to tell you that he was feeling the same pull, but the words didn’t come. He just shifted slightly, pulling you a little closer in an unspoken response.

You made a soft sound, almost like a sigh of contentment, and before he knew it, you were dozing in his arms, your body relaxed and safe against his chest. Xiao sat still, his heart beating steadily, unsure of what to think, but too tired to care. He could feel the steady rhythm of your breathing beneath his arm and the way your soft warmth melted against him.

The soft weight of your body against his felt more natural than anything he'd ever experienced. A warmth blossomed in his chest, one that wasn’t from nervousness or confusion, but from something deeper, something comfortable.

He closed his eyes, letting the peace of the moment wash over him. Maybe this was just the beginning, maybe it was more than just a collab. Whatever it was, Xiao wasn’t in any rush to figure it out. For now, he was content to just be here, with you, in the quiet, cozy warmth of your apartment. And for the first time in a long time, he felt like he truly belonged somewhere.

"I like you," Xiao whispered, his voice low and hesitant, but full of sincerity.

You stirred in his arms, a soft smile tugging at your lips. "Mhm, really?"

"Yeah," he replied, his arms tightening around you, as if to hold onto the moment.

"I like you too," you murmured sleepily, nuzzling closer.

Xiao’s heart raced, but he pulled you in even tighter hug It felt simple and perfect, just the two of you

It is so bad I want to give you a zero but that's not possible so i give you a 1😣

[heliosthegriffin]

He’s channeling his energy productively.

Jaune walked down the halls of Beacon backed to his dorm, it had been a long day so far, not a hard day though, just one of those days that kept going and seemed like they wouldn’t end. Making it back to his room would at least let him spend the rest of day how’d like.

The sounds of laughter followed a group of older girls walked pasted him. It was outside of class time so the students could wear whatever they wanted. They wore clothes that were made to go clubbing.

Jaune’s eyes had a life of their own as they stared at the girls walking past, you’d think having seven sisters would make him more respectful wouldn’t you? But, having a lesbian older sister, and a couple others that were bi, all they did was teach him how to peak without getting caught.

That said he’d doubt his friends would call him out for staring, considering some of the girls here had assets that would give Yang pause.

They didn’t notice him pausing and walked by, a fragrant fruity perfume left behind. Jaune couldn’t help but look behind him, watching those girls go, a sway in their step that cause something in Jaune to rise up.

“Dammit,” Jaune cursed as his pants tightened up.

Jaune look around before he adjusted his pants, so that his zipper wouldn’t fly off by accident again, and tucking his erection down his pant leg so that it’d be less noticeable.

Jaune felt frustration well up in him, this had become a reoccurring problem since he started Beacon. The girls here were just too damn hot! It made walking anywhere a damn hassle and a embarrassment, and he had no way to release any of his damn tension in his dorm, Nora had broken the locks to the bathroom and the door; That had probably been the closest he had ever come to killing somebody.

Letting out an other sigh he resigned himself to shuffling back to the dorm as the blood went flowing elsewhere. He should just thank his lucky stars that he’d never popped a boner anywhere near Ruby, Yang would have found out somehow, probably Nora, and then killed him.

Right as he got close to the dorms, Jaune’s blood-flow was back to normal, but he still felt tense and incredibly worked up.

The sound of weights being lifted, treadmills running, and other exercise equipment sounded from nearby.

The gym was only a short walk away from the dorms. Jaune paused for a moment, Nora and Yang always seemed to go to the gym when they go worked up, maybe he should try it, it’s not like he didn’t go often anyway, so what would it hurt to work out so stress?

---------

Jaune stared at the scroll in his hands, ‘10:03′ where did the time go? He went in at ‘4:26′, went to the weight rack, and then everything seemed to go into a blur, and then the next thing he remembered was a upperclassman telling him the gym was closing in soon.

“Guess, I had more stress to work out than I thought I did.” Jaune said to himself walking to the gym showers, suddenly starting to feel exhausted and wanting to jump into bed at the closest opportunity.

-----------

The next morning was agonizing, his arms felt like they were made of pure, while on fire and being pulled apart! Maybe he went too hard last night.

He was also feeling cavernously hungry. No wonder Nora has an appetite like a black-hole.

------

Jaune’s problem came back in full force during lunch when Yang leaned too far back and the top couple buttons of her shirt decided they wanted a life in the air force.

Leaving Jaune with a delicious view of her cleavage.

Yang looked at her shirt, “Shoot, I actually liked this one.” She then resumed eating.

A hand caressing his leg, brought him out of his vision. “Are you alright, Jaune?” Pyrrha’s warm, gentle voice whispered into his ear

A mildly blush went up his face. “Yeah, just, uh, taking in the view.”

“Oh, ok then, but if your not feeling well, I can take you back to the room.”

“I’m good.” Jaune said a little too fast, as his mind started to fill in the blanks of what his monkey brain wanted to do to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha nodded.

Jaune felt thankful that Yang or Nora hadn’t found a chance to tease him about being alone with Pyrrha. 

Lunch came and went, and Jaune made sure he was the last to get up, so that his problem wouldn’t be seen. He couldn’t exactly fiddle with himself under the table without drawing attention. So with all the swiftness he had, he tucked himself into his pant-leg while getting up.

In hindsight, maybe walking behind his developed female friends, and especially Blake, was a bad idea. His other head disagreed with him.

The rest of the day went by in a blur, combat class was a mess, but mostly cause he can’t being drawn to his friend outfits, they showed so much leg.

He went back to the gym again after class, he went to the treadmill and leg exercise machine. The upperclassman had to tell him to leave again.

-------

The rest of the week seemed to follow a similar pattern for Jaune, he’d wake up sore, but a little less so each day, go to class, end up aroused, then pent up, then go to the gym when he had the free time, and only when he had free time, going into those workout trances made him lose anytime for studying, hanging out, or training. 

Training with Pyrrha was probably the hardest part of his week, literally and metaphorical, because while he loved Pyrrha like a sister, his body constantly reminded him that they were not siblings! It always made him feel disgusted when ever he looked at Pyrrha that way. No way Pyrrha ever looked at him that way.

After training with Pyrrha though, he still had two hours before the gym closed, and he was pent up again.

The upperclassman had told him to get an alarm or something, cause he wouldn’t always be there to tell him to leave.

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

Hanging out with team RWBY was always a... Experience, they were fun, don’t get him wrong, but it was like chaos in a bottle. The bottle was also cracked, and there was no cork either.

Today he and the rest of his team came over to hangout, and Ruby insisted they play twister.

Jaune was forming a bridge with his arms bending backwards to stay on there spot, while Ruby was draped across him with one leg over his shoulder and the other over his arm, with her front laying across his stomach, and her arms going in between and around his legs. While Nora lay under him her chest pressing into his back. It was also a really small mat.

Everybody else had dropped out, or refused to play, while Blake controlled the game, and Yang video taped everything.

Then Nora sneezed into his neck. That was the straw that broke the camels back. Sneeze both tickled his neck and scared the life out of Jaune, as he somehow managed to jump a foot into the air from his position, carrying Ruby with him. They landed on Nora with a thud.

Jaune’s position with Nora’s chest on his back and Ruby’s legs on his chest, really wasn’t going to help with his tension, as his lower-body decided to achieve liftoff.

That said he had managed to get a grip on himself lately,. So Jaune calmly got off Nora, and picked up Ruby, putting her next to Nora. All while hiding his full mast, then went to the gym again.

“You think he’s alright?” Ruby asked innocently.

“Probably just rubbing one out.” Nora said full of confidence. “These sweater puppy's of mine are of a quality most women can only dream of, yet here I sit, my majesty a reality, I don’t blame Jaune at all.”

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

Jaune was watching with wrapt attention as Ms. Goodwitch strode across the arena pointing out several flaws in recorded fights she had on holographic videos. Tapping them with her wand to enhance the smaller images at time.

RIIIP

Her blouse broke, showing off globes of creamy white flesh barely being contained by a purple bra.

Ms. Goodwitch paused, a light blush on her face. “Well, Students this should teach us to be prepared for anything.”

Jaune then got up, walking out the door.

“Mr. Arc, where do you think your going?” His teacher asked severely, as several laughs broke out of the room, many people pointing at him.

“To the gym. I don’t think I’m going to be able to focus much today.” “Very well, any others who wished to join him?”

The gym was very packed that day.

------

Jaune enjoyed hanging out with Pyrrha, she was probably the best friend he ever had. He just wished she would stop having to bend over so often in front of him, or walking in front of him when she did that he couldn’t help but focus on her swaying hips.

Jaune sighed as he felt a rise tower start to erect. “I’m going to the gym be back later.”

Pyrrha merely looked bewildered. She though she had him for sure this time!

----

The transfer students were interesting people, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of them. They came from all walks of life, all paths, all creeds and kingdoms. From the strictly dressed military like Atlas Academy, to the survival of the fittest types and loosely dressed Shade Academy, or the storied and traditional style of Mistral. They were all interesting, diverse, strong and incredible sexy.

Ever since he ran into that black haired girl and her green haired partner, he somehow kept managing to find them in the most compromising or revealing positions possible.

So, Jaune started hitting the gym harder than ever.

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

1 Year later....

----

With a slight shaking arms Jaune pushed the loaded bar back up, exhaling. Then he took a slow, deep inhale as he lowered it down to his chest, then exhaled rising it up again. Inhale, exhale, till he finished his rep.

He rose up from the bench with a grate moan, feeling the warm soreness across his body. It hurt, but in a good way. In a way he couldn’t have appreciated a year ago.

Grabbing his towel he wiped the sweat off his face, and then cleaned off the bench. Treat the gym right, and it’ll treat you right back.

Jaune paused as he walked toward the shower, he had gotten into a habit of showering here so he didn’t have to make his teammate's rush to clean up, there was wall of mirror he looked himself over finding nothing of note, beside himself sweaty and his hair kinda sticky looking.

The water was cold, but high pressured, helping unwind any knots on his back and wash off grime better. He had started taking cold showers more frequently as in the field your rarely got to wash off in general, and if you did, it’s not likely you’ll get hot water, so it he thought it was probably best to get into the habit now.

Working out felt good, taking a shower afterword was just perfect. The only thing that would make it better was wearing his onesie, he had a right to comfort! But, it had gone mysteriously missing after he met Coco on his walk back from the gym half a year ago. So, for now he was stuck wearing white tank-top, and a pair of cotton shorts back to the dorm.

He waved by to the upperclassman about to close the gym, and left for his dorm. He may not have started going to the gym for the right reason, but over the course of a year, he felt like he had grown from then. In fact... what was the reason he started going to the gym? Something about women? Eh, must have been nothing. Ever since he started taking his training double seriously during the Vytal festival, it was like he just didn’t feel dating anybody till he around to being a huntsman, like that there was more to life than dating or stuff.

Jaune ran a hand through his hair, he had started growing it out at the beginning of the second year and now Pyrrha and everybody else vetoed him getting a hair cut! 

“Hahah, jokes on them though, they have to brush the knots out of my hair!”

Walking back to his dorm a fruity perfume pasted his nose, a vaguely familar laughter along with it. Then a slightly familar group of girls were walking in the opposite direction as him. They looked like they came back from a night on the town. He liked the way they dressed, it complimented themselves very well.

As he walked pasted them they paused and stared at him, Jaune paused too, but shrugged, giving them a broad smile and a wave before walking back to his dorm.

Jaune failed to miss the women eyeing fucking him as he walked away, all of them red face and heavy breathing.

“Hmm, why do I feel like I’m in danger?”

----------

Jaune wasn’t sure when, but he had grown into a morning person. It was fun to get up in the morning now, he liked watching the sun rise, seeing the sky change colors on his morning runs. 

Being team leader meant having responsibilities, so being a early riser now meant getting up his team, they were going to be third-years in a not small amount of time. So he made sure that they got up at a reasonable time to prepare for the day. Along with the fact on mission they would have to get up before the sun rise on most days.

Also, he especially liked to watch his teammates get up, it was entertaining in different ways from Nora crashing out of bed, to Ren rising from a blanket cocoon, and Pyrrha’s silly little death threats to any man stealing bitches out there.

He tended to wake them up with a gentle approach putting hand on there shoulders and carefully shaking them awake. He had forgotten how strong he was a couple of months ago when he sent Nora flying into a wall by accident, so had tried to be gentle.

The rest of Team Jnpr had learned a couple months ago that they no longer had a choice in waking up early, the only choice was before the sun was up or after.

Jaune put on his uniform for class, he frowned a little bit, as it was tighter than it was yesterday. Maybe it’s new? Guess it needs to be broken in.

Team RWBY met them at breakfast, Ruby refused to let her other bestie get ahead in the leader game by letting just JNPR get up early! Jaune didn’t notice but he often got murderous glances from Blake.

Eating breakfast Jaune felt a crick in his back so he leaned back.

Pop-pop-pop-pop, RIIIIP!

His buttons on his shirt fired off like a machine gun shattering against the walls of the cafeteria, and then his shirt fell to pieces, revealing his sculpted torso, arms and abs.

“Ahh man, I liked that shirt.” Then continued eating, not aware of the stares his friends, other students, and Ms. Goodwitch were giving his body, eyeing him up as much or more than he used to do to them.

AN: If this Jaune was ever put into a situation where couldn’t exercise for like a week, his libido would come back with vengeance and make him a unstoppable sex monster. That said, what are the odds of that happening?

[greekgrad07]

i blame @deepestempathllamalawyer and @zitzboy for this but this post got me thinking about malconnor and now i can’t stop i’m sorry

malconnor headcanons

they had always been friendly with each other bc of connor and annabeth but nothing worth calling an actual friendship

they never really talked unless annabeth was around until one day after the battle of manhattan

so connor had a bunch of summer assignments he has put off for the last minute bc a.) there was a fucking war going on and b.) procrastination is a curse

he went to the athena cabin hoping to find annabeth for some help but when he got there the only athena kid in sight was malcolm (annabeth was out with her new boyfriend percy alhdkjdk)

so it would be awkward at first but basically it would go something like this

“hey, annabeth isn’t here.” “oh sorry, i was just gonna ask her about some homework, i’ll come back later i guess haha.” and like right as he turns around connor hears malcolm say, “i mean, i could help you, if you want. annabeth isn’t the only smart kid in this cabin, you know?”

and connor is FLUSTERED bc 1.) him and malcolm have barely said three words to each other alone before and now he’s offering to spend gods know how long trying to explain algebra to him, 2.) he’s pretty sure he’s just offended him and if there is one thing connor knows, it’s that you should never, ever, make a child of athena think you doubt their intelligence, and 3.) well, actually, he ain’t sure what else is making him nervous

so after that it gets to the point where connor starts to seek malcolm out for help on all of his assignments, and once they are done with that, connor starts to look for new ways to spend time with him

this boy has no idea how to make friends without pranking them but for some reason connor can’t talk himself into doing anything that may embarrass or hurt malcolm (he tells himself that it’s probably bc he feels indebted to him but...)

not to mention the last child of athena he became friends with was basically desperate for attention at the time, it was easier back then. but malcolm is new territory, and just like annabeth, most of her siblings are intimidating.

obviously he knows that malcolm is willing to help him so connor decides that the best way to insinuate friendship is by making a mountain out of anthill problems just to ask for the son of athena’s help

and this works. malcolm was willing to help connor with almost all of his minor inconveniences.

one time, connor “dropped” his lucky ring during a volleyball match. thankfully, malcolm just so happened to be there

“mal! hey sorry, but my ring fell off during the tournament. i think it’s in the sand somewhere, do you care to help me find it before your cabin starts the next game?”

it was a while before malcolm found the ring. the ring that just appeared out of nowhere at his feet after about thirty minutes of searching, cracking jokes, and avoiding the gaze of the demeter cabin glaring at the two boys to hurry up.

(needless to say, the ring was in connors pocket the whole time)

another time was when connor snuck out of camp with travis to go to the 7/11 down the street and couldn’t decide which snacks to get for the bonfire that night

this resulted in the first of many iris messages to malcolm

“flaming hot cheetos or takis?” “why not both?” “you’re after my own heart, pace.”

connor did not see the other boy blushing at his words (and he did not spend the rest of the night overthinking about that sentence thank you very much)

travis did end up teasing his little brother about it though

“what’s with you and children of athena?” “dude what are you talking about?”

but the best incident was when one of connors problems involved annabeth- or rather, finding annabeth. and he didn’t even have to make that one up

he and annabeth were supposed to train that day, but she was late. normally he would be worried, but a part of him was glad that he had an excuse to go talk to malcolm.

turns out, he didn’t have to.

right as he walked up to the cabin, the boy in question opened the door.

the two bumped into each other and connor wasn’t sure why his face started heating up or why malcolm was looking anywhere but his face.

the blonde boy stuttered out how he was just on his way to the arena to meet him.

“wait what? i just came here to ask you about annabeth.” malcolm’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink and connor doesn’t know why he finds that so endearing, “percy planned a surprise picnic for the two of them, so i offered to spar with you in her place so she wouldn’t feel bad.”

when i say this boy was blushing-

so they spar together and then decide, hey why not hang out for the rest of the day?

and oh boy when the day came that malcolm started coming to connor for help

let’s just say that he was beaming

not to mention it was something that connor was more than happy to help with

apparently some kids of hephaestus were being dicks to one of the younger athena kids and malcolm was pissed, so he asked connor for some pranking tips

they ended up sneaking into the cabin, sabotaging the campers newest projects, and covering all of their tools with honey and feathers

after spending all night hearing malcolm’s laugh and seeing his pale blonde hair in the moonlight as he dropped him off at the athena cabin, connor was sure that friendship wasn’t all he wanted with the boy now

one day, while connor was trying to think of a new excuse to talk to malcolm, the boy walked up to him and asked if he wanted to pick strawberries with him

“yes! i mean- yeah, yeah sound fun”

the two spent the day at the strawberry field picking -eating- strawberries while they talked and laughed with each other

at some point during the evening, connor started retelling a story about him and annabeth from their youth at camp. it involved a prank against clarrise and some glue, and it had both boys cackling by the end of it

then malcolm said “i’m sorry that you got stuck with a walmart annabeth that day, but i’m kind of glad that my sister wasn’t in the cabin when you were looking for help with your school work. i’m not great with getting to know people but i liked how easy it was with you.”

connor would have taken the compliment in stride if it weren’t for malcolms first comment “what do you mean walmart annabeth?”

the boys stopped and looked back at connor “just that, i know you and annabeth are really close, and she’s been busy recently. i understand that you would want to hangout with someone who reminds you of her. i’m okay with it, really. i like spending time with you.”

connor felt his heart simultaneously swell and break at the same time. not once had connor thought of malcolm as an annabeth replacement, nor would he ever. the two children of athena were similar yes, but a lot of siblings are, it doesn’t mean they are the same, and connor definitely never associated them as being such. so he told him that

“i like spending time with you, too. you as in malcolm pace, not an annabeth replacement. i’ve never seen you like that and i never would. plus, you’re not walmart anything, you’re full channel baby. children of hermes only steal the best of the best.”

“what exactly would you be stealing?”

connor just smiled and grabbed the boys hand.

that night, connor stoll made a list including all the things he liked about malcolm pace. he made sure to add the things he liked that he knew differentiated the boy from annabeth as well

some things on the list include how his hair was a more pale blonde compared to his other siblings. connor liked how it certain lights it looked white.

the fact that he was the same height as connor, which made it easier to look him in the eyes

his eyes which were a dark grey and could be considered scary if it weren’t for the gleam they always wore

the way that he always blushed when romantics were involved, no matter how innocent

or how loud he laughed at a joke that he found funny, despite how he tried to muffle it into the collar of his shirt

connor likes how willing malcolm is to help people and how brilliant he is

he likes that malcolm tries to follow the rules but still knows how to have fun and let loose

connor stoll likes malcolm pace

but it’s even better when annabeth finds out

“you and my brother?!”

“you liked luke for who knows how long, i don’t wanna hear it chase!”

[snl-imagines]

kyle mooney x reader: meeting beck

headcanon: hey!! i would love a kyle headcannon about being his girlfriend and meeting beck for the first time :)

a/n: kyle was my first snl crush !!! he has a special place in my heart and he (and beck!!!) deserve more love on this platform,, colin jost isnt the only hot piece of ass out there y’all 

Kyle Mooney

You and Kyle had known each other for years, and over that time, you had both developed feelings for each other.

You’d met through mutual friends around the time Kyle first started at SNL, so you guys hadn’t had time to hang out as much at first. 

Eventually though, as he settled into his schedule and got better at time management, you made Sunday evenings, off-weeks and between-season breaks your dedicated hangout times. 

That all led to a relationship and it was so much fun!

Kyle was a very creative and goofy soul, and honestly, he was the most interesting boyfriend you’d ever had. 

Between his ALF memorabilia, 80s and 90s tshirt obsession and his VHS collection, there was never a dull moment when Kyle was around. 

You’d been dating for a couple months when he suggested the two of you hang out with some of his friends at a lowkey kickback on one of the off-weeks where there wasn’t a show. 

You were VERY excited.

You’d been watching SNL for years (even before you knew Kyle) and you’d heard plenty about Kyle’s friends.

You’d always wanted to meet Beck, who was arguably Kyle’s best friend.

They’d been friends since college, which meant Beck had seen all of Kyle’s past relationships.

You had a lot of pressure to make sure things went well (even though Beck seemed very laid-back). 

On the night of the little get-together, you were stressing. 

You put on a super nice outfit - like nothing OVERLY fancy, but still, something cute - and you made your your hair and face were as perfect as possible. 

Kyle noticed the extra mile you were going to and he realized why. He wasn’t stupid.

“My friends are gonna love you, they’re so chill, I promise. They put up with me looking like I do, it doesn’t matter how you dress.” 

Kyle was wearing a retro Garfield t-shirt and some of the dorkiest sneakers you’d ever seen. To top it off, his hair was a mess. 

He did have a point.

You got to the party a little later than you’d have liked because you made Kyle stop so you could bring alcohol (just as a last-ditch effort to impress). 

Beck opened the door and you felt yourself start to sweat. 

“Hey Kyle! Hi, you must be Y/N! Come on in!” 

Inside the house was Beck, their friend Nick, who you recognized from their join YouTube channel GoodNeighborStuff, Dave (who Kyle had worked on Brigsby Bear and who wrote on SNL) and a few of their significant others. 

“Uh, everyone, this is Y/N,” Kyle smiled after you’d followed him into the living room where everyone was chilling with drinks. 

“Hi! Hello! Nice to meet you!” was all you heard, and you smiled and greeted everyone right back. So far so good. 

You sat on the couch next to Kyle and Beck sat in an armchair near you both. 

“So, Y/N, it’s so nice to finally meet you!” Beck smiled. “Do you guys want anything to drink?”

You held up the alcohol you’d brought, a goofy smile on your face. “I came prepared.” 

Beck laughed and as you set the alcohol back down on the side of the coffee table, you saw him smile to Kyle. 

Things were gonna be alright. Beck was super nice and super cool. 

The party went so well! And everyone loved you! 

You’d played drinking games and chatted about work, and you made Beck laugh multiple times. 

As you were leaving later that night, Beck even gave you a hug! 

“It was so nice to meet you, Y/N! We’ve all gotta hang out again sometime! I know some good restaurants around here! Oh, you gotta come to a live taping!”

You left feeling very happy that you’d impressed Beck, and Kyle smiled as you headed back to the car. 

“I told you it would go well,” he smiled. “Beck’s a chill guy.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” you chuckled. 

a/n: omg this kind of lost the plot but it was getting long so i had to curb it!! ahh 

[sexy-monster-fucker]

Alluring

loosley inspired by anon: Hi! Can you do an Eddie/VenomXreader with reader as a prison psychologist at San Quentin where Cletus Kasady is? Maybe EddieXreader have been working together for awhile when Carnage arrives and shit hits the fan? Thank you so much!

Description:�� Reader and Eddie have been paired up for a journalism project.  The reader was intrigued by the case of Cletus Kasady and decided to go along with Eddie for his interview.  Shit goes wild from there.

(Y’all don’t judge me too hard over this one, it’s honestly a stretch.)

You were popping your knuckles like you always did before meeting someone.  You had been wanting to meet the maniac for quite some time, he intrigued you a great amount.  You wondered what made him click.  You wondered what was going on in his mind.  You wondered what you would say to him, or even the man who was accompanying you.  He was a very buff man.  He was handsome.  But you had no time for that.  Your focus today was Cletus Kasady.

The guard escorted you and Eddie back to where they kept Cletus.  Eddie held a small notebook in his hand.  “Notes,” you questioned.  Eddie looked at you, “Just the important stuff.  Stuff that I can’t forget.”  You nodded at Eddie.  The guard stopped you and Eddie directly before the large steel door.  “Don’t try anything stupid.  He’s smarter than he looks.  We don’t need more blood on our hands,” he warned you of Cletus.  

“Hey, Red~  I got some visitors for ya’,” he spoke as he opened the door to reveal a many in a straight-jacket.  He smiled at Eddie, “Hi, Eddie,” he paused and looked at you, “And... you brought me a friend?”  Eddie looked at you to make sure you were not discouraged.  You were not.  The psychopath did not scare you, not in the slightest.  You did not even feel a need to have your guard up.  You wondered if that was a bad thing.  “She’s my partner,” Eddie tried to get the attention off you.  “Well, it was nice of you to bring such a pretty girl here,” he smirked.  You did not break your stone-cold face.  Eddie was becoming anxious as Cletus continued to taunt you.  “C’mon, Cletus.  Let’s talk, just you and me,” Eddie broke the attention from you.  “Come a little closer, Eddie.  I can’t see you all that well,” Cletus stared.  Eddie whispered to you, “Don’t move.”   You did not mind Eddie trying to protect you.  But the thing was, you did not need his protection.  You decided to creep forward slightly behind Eddie, not quite coming as close to Cletus as Eddie was.  

Eddie stopped barely a yard away from Cletus’ little jail box.  Cletus smiled at Eddie, “Eddie, when I get out of here - and I will - there���s gonna be carnage.  The likes that San Quentin couldn’t dream of.  I promise, Eddie, you and I are gonna have some fun times.  And as for you, pretty girl, I think you and I can have a different kind of fun.”  You felt your stomach churn at Cletus’ remark.  A very quiet “Ew,” left your lips.  Cletus heard and licked his lips at you.  Cletus’ smile went to a grim frown.  His eyes went dark... darker then before.  Suddenly, the guard grabbed you by the back of the arm.  You spun around, “Wh-what?!”  “You both need to go,” he demanded as he grabbed Eddie too.  The guard slammed the giant door behind you as he escorted you back away from Cletus.

Eddie was clearly frustrated that his interview was cut short.  His notebook was crunched up in his fist.  You did not want to look up at Eddie, so you watched your own feet on the floor.  A beam of sunlight glared into your eyes as you reached the exit.  The sun was going down.  The guard thanked you and Eddie for stopping by, “You can come by some other time to finish.  There’s some... things going on right now that we have to take care of.”  Before you could say a word, the door was closed.  You furrowed your eyebrows.  “FUCK,” Eddie shouted.  You turned to face Eddie in your startled state.  “Fuck, Goddammit!  I cannot go down this path again!  I can’t loose another... I KNOW THAT!  SHUT IT,” Eddie was arguing with himself.  You watched as Eddie composed himself.  You did not question him.  You only watched.  Eddie shot a look at you that could have killed, “Are you ready to leave?”  You felt your cheeks turn a slight shade of pink, “Y-yeah...  I’ll call my Uber-” “Get on my bike.”  Eddie attempted to hand over a helmet to you, but you did not take it.  “I’ve never road before,” you insisted keeping your composure.  “You just wrap your arms around me and hold on tight.  I’ll take you home so you don’t have to waste your money on some over-priced taxi,” Eddie’s mind was else where.  You knew he was mad about not getting a full interview with Cletus.  What was spoken was more in the form of threats.  Eddie put the helmet on your head, “C’mon, it’s getting dark.”  You smiled at Eddie as you strapped the helmet under your chin.  You got on behind Eddie, wrapping your arms tightly around his waist.  Eddie smiled over his shoulder, “Ready?”  You nodded into his back.  Eddie chuckled to himself as he took off.

Eddie stopped his bike in front of your apartment.  You were a little shaken, but would never let Eddie know that.  You enjoyed the ride back wit Eddie.  Eddie helped you off the bike.  You did not lead on that you were a little shaken, but Eddie could tell by how tight our grip was on him.  You smiled at Eddie, “I really appreciate the ride.”  Eddie smiled a goofy grin, “No problem, scardie cat.”  You rolled your eyes, “Oh, shut up.”  You and Eddie laughed.  “We should... hangout.  Outside of these circumstances.  Not with a murderer third-wheeling, y’know,” Eddie smiled.  “I would love that, Eddie,” you smiled.  You took Eddie’s crumbled notebook out of his jacket pocket and wrote your cell number in it.  Eddie bit his lip as your body slowly backed away from his.  He watched you closely.  Eddie’s mind was running with thoughts of you.  Your smell was alluring to him.  The beautiful, sweet flower scent made his mind imagine lustful things.  “I’ll see you, Eddie,” you bit your lip.  “Bye, Princess,” he licked his lips.  “Drive safe, Eddie,” you headed inside you apartment.  You were very happy with how things had went over with Eddie.  

You sat in your apartment, texting Eddie.  You sent him a picture of Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons that read “Interview went great, huh?”  Eddie sent laughing emojis.  The entirety of your conversation went like this.  Joke after joke.  It made you smile.  Everything was going great until you heart a somewhat distant explosion.  It was so far away it sounded like a gunshot.  You texted Eddie to ask if he had heard it too.  He hadn’t, but he encouraged you check the local news.  You clicked the remote to the local news channel.  To your surprise, there had been an incident at San Quentin.  You texted Eddie, “Looking like our friend is coming our way.”  Eddie sent another laughing emoji, “I’m sure.  Bring it on.”  Eddie told you he had some personal things to do and would text back when he could.  You told him you might be hitting the hay soon, it was no problem.  You laid on your couch thinking about San Quentin.  Your jokes were beginning to bleed into your paranoia.  You tried to laugh it off.  You knew no one could break out of San Quentin.  You felt your eyes getting heavy.  You did not really feel like moving from the couch, so you decided to sleep there.  

You were awoke by the sound of breaking glass.  You sat straight up on the couch.  You turned to see a familiar face standing directly across from you.  It was Cletus Kasady.  You felt your heart sink.  “Wh-What the hell?!  HOW THE HELL DID YOU~” “Shut it, sweetie,” Cletus began to make his way toward you.  You jumped to your feet, but your legs gave out from under you.  You fell to your knees in fear.  Cletus knelled in front of you, taking your chin in his hand.  “It feels so nice to touch you... you’re so much softer then I imagined,” he smirked in your face.  You fell backwards in an attempt to get away from him.  Cletus smiled, “I could tell earlier that you’re interested in me, Y/N.  I’m not gonna lie, you got me going earlier.  I couldn’t resist coming here.  I needed to see you.”  You felt your eyes widen.  Cletus was no longer touching you.  He had his back against the couch as he stared at your body on the floor.  “It’s not fun when you’re this easy,” Cletus whispered.  You sat up slowly.  You stared at the man as his blank expression clicked off your TV.  “H-How the h-h-hell did you get here,” you stuttered.  “That’s not important right now.  All good things come to those who wait,” he grinned at you.  “Listen here, I know how bad you are going to want to reach for your phone, believe you me I do, but if you know what’s good for you, you won’t.  You might as well let me have it,” Cletus glared at you.  You took your phone off the couch, slowly.  You slid it across the room, directly in front of the door.  “No tricks.  I am interested in your mind, Cletus.  I am interested in... you,” you assured him.  Something you had picked up over the years.  People would believe almost anything when you were flattering them.  Cletus smiled, “You really think I’m some kind of idiot?  I know your bullshit games.  I’m the master of them myself.  Now, we can talk.  I’m more interested in you then you are of me, I can assure that.”  You once again felt no fear around Cletus.  You felt he wanted no harm to come to you.  Which was odd, seeing how he had murdered several people.  Maybe it was ignorant of you to assume that.  But you chose to do so none the less.  

You sat with your eyes to the floor.  You did not fear Cletus, but you did not feel comfortable making eye contact with him.  He was staring at you rather hard.  You felt your stomach churn, which was unusual for you.  You did not usually scare easy.  Today had really been different.  It was odd.  You were not sure why today had changed you.  Maybe it was the change in atmosphere or your encounter with Eddie.  You were not sure, but you did not like how this was all affecting you.  You hugged your knees.  Suddenly, Cletus scooted closer to you.  You felt your heart sink as you could feel his body heat radiating off him.  You did not know what he was going to do, but you knew something was going to happen.  You felt Cletus’ hand squeeze your exposed thigh.  Your eyes darted to him as you tried to deny his touch.  He did not take kindly to your denial, so he pushed himself onto you.  “Stop resisting,” he insisted as you continued to scoot away.  Cletus grabbed you by the wrists and pinned you to the ground with some very brute strength he had not been showing before.  You squirmed as the man hovered over you.  “Cl-Cletus, you cannot do this,” you tried to plead with Cletus.  Cletus did not care about the cries of some girl.  He had heard many women scream in terror at his horrendous acts.  You begging for his mercy only made him want you more.  You knew that once Cletus got what he wanted he would most likely kill you and not think a second thought about it.  You were nothing more then another body to him.  You were nothing.  

You could feel you loosing strength as Cletus’ grip on you tightened.  You fought him to release you, but his grip would only worsen.  You struggled below him as he held you in place.  You had never felt so weak in your entire life.  You felt your eyes begin to fill up with tears.  You were worried of what would become of you within the next hour, if you even had that long left.  You felt your warm tears burn as they ran down your cheek.  Your heart was racing below him.  Your breathing was heavy.  You were panicking.  You had two main options: give up or do something drastic.  You decided to fight rather then become the next statistic.  You hiked your knee, slamming right into his soft space between his legs.  He screamed in your face as the pain ran through his body.  You pushed him off you and began for the door.  Before you could get completely off the floor, Cletus had his hand wrapped around your ankle.  You fell to the floor, catching yourself on your elbows.  You winced as you felt your elbows rub against the hardwood, ripping your skin open.  You looked over your shoulder at Cletus.  His face was contorted in a semi-smile mixed with his obvious anger with you.  “Listen here, you little slut, you’re little hero isn’t here to save you now.  I’ll kill you without hesitation, don’t think I won’t,” Cletus rose above you.  You swung your legs, nailing him right in the chest.  Only this time, Cletus was not fazed by your erratic motions.  Cletus turned you over to face him.  He leaned into you, “You think you’re slick?  You’re a joke.”  He spat on you.  Your eyes widened as his eyes went from blue to a monstrous grey.  They were not his.  You were more afraid then before as the man on top of you was becoming more and more violent.  He began violently blinking, “I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR THAT....  JUST BE QUIET!”  He was arguing with himself.  You were beginning to fear more and more for your safety.  His mental status was obviously not a good one.  He stood up off you, beating his hand against his head.  You slowly rose to your feet.  You thought about running, but your curious side got the better of you.  You back away from him, but still stayed to see what was going on with him.  He was shaking his head in anger.  He was in pain.  His teeth were grinding together as he shouted to himself.  There was a lot of screaming in pain and anger until, “THEN JUST LEAVE!”  

END//PART 1

[bryonysimcox]

You've Got to Look for the Good Stuff: Week 14, Spain

Like light is to darkness, this week has been an antidote to the last. My mood has lifted and the days have flown by, as lockdown continues and we do too.

Sunshine is a simple remedy. Each day this week has been warm and dry, if not bright and sunny too. It’s allowed us to live more inside-outside, which not only makes life easier but lifts my mood. It’s been a stark contrast to the constant rain and cold which dominated last week’s blog post.

I’ve also loved seeing pictures of children out in the streets and parks again, as Spain slowly lifts its coronavirus measures. It’s almost incomprehensible to imagine what it must be like for all these youngsters, many of whom have been cooped up in city-centre apartments with their siblings and parents for weeks and weeks. Even with the generous garden we have here and our weekly walks to the supermarket I’ve been going borderline insane, so I shudder to think how isolation has affected kids and their mental health.

Gaba Podcast live streams continue to punctuate my week. Adam Martin, whose podcast I mentioned in Week 10’s post, shares breathwork and meditative practices that have really helped me ease my busy mind. One of the things Adam talked about this week was what we consider to be ‘exercise’, in light of zealous Brits moaning that people sitting in the park, standing still in public and seemingly staring into space are breaking government-imposed controls around exercise. Adam argues that we consider sport and movement in open space an essential part to looking after our physical health, whilst ignoring the ‘exercise’ or psychological nurturing that our mental health deserves.

While this pandemic takes lives, we need to keep in mind the impact that social distancing is having on our psyches.

I titled this week’s digital diary entry ‘You’ve Got To Look Out For The Good Stuff’ because I’ve realised that there’s plenty of good stuff around, but quite simply, you’ve got to look for it. That might sound pretty obvious, but in comparing this week to the last, I can see that the main thing that’s changed isn’t my situation, but more so my mindset. Admittedly, the sunshine has made a huge difference, but apart from that, we’re still stuck in lockdown in Spain in the same physical, geographical and financial situation that we were in last week.

What’s caused this shift in mindset? Honestly, I don’t know. I think life in lockdown is making us act in all kinds of strange ways, cycling through an emotional spectrum so extreme we’ve rarely experienced it before and yet now feels like the norm. Tears, laughter, smiles and frowns easily paint my face in a matter of hours. So maybe my mood this week has just been luck. But as my shifted mindset has worked its magic, somehow I’ve seen and experienced little nuggets of ‘good stuff’. I hope that some of you have seen and enjoyed those nuggets too, wherever you are.

After rain left the road to the supermarket blocked, we finally made it to the shops this week, when the water subsided.

Perhaps fearful of another rainfall, this time we piled the trolley high in the local Aldi and returned home to stock up the cupboards. A plentiful fridge has resulted in some more cooking adventures - this week including George’s new specialty, Spanish omelette, and a new fave of mine too, veggie paella.

We picked and podded the final batch of broad beans this week, and helped to dig up the patch where they were growing to make way for the vegetables of the coming season: tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers and peppers. One of the inadvertent blessings of being ‘marooned’ here in Catalunya has been to see and enjoy the changing of the seasons, and my interest in food growing and land management increases with them. George and I have always said we’d like to live in Spain in a self-built tiny house with a bit of land, and somehow we’ve landed in a situation right now that’s not far off! In addition to the vegetables we can get from the garden, I’ve been buying fresh eggs from the neighbour (often still warm from the coop!) which is a real treat.

(images, left to right) ‘Why simple changes [like growing food] are really profound’ a lovely illustration I discovered from Brenna Quinlan, George prepping the soil for tomatoes, and my new favourite thing to cook, veggie paella.

Food isn’t the only ‘good stuff’ to be grateful for. Since I mentioned Simon Mair’s article in my post from Week 11, I’ve been researching ‘Ecological Economics’ and its potential to lead us towards more just and sustainable ways of living. That research finally came to a head this week, when I had the pleasure of interviewing not only Simon himself but also friend and futures thinker from Mumbai, Mansi Parikh.

Making a video about alternative economic futures which address some of the challenges posed by Covid-19 is turning out to be a bit of a challenge in itself!

The interviews with Simon and Mansi were utterly fascinating, and I was so grateful to be able to talk to two super knowledgeable folk, who like me, are passionate about the future and how we can make it better. They shared their time and their insights, and now I’m left with over 150 minutes of recorded zoom calls to make sense of!

I want to use these interviews to make a video which engages people who perhaps wouldn’t usually be interested in economics, without ‘watering down’ the message or intent of the film. It’s such a hard balance to strike, to create something which is at once accessible and engaging but also rich with ideas. As the week progresses, I’ll start editing the footage and hopefully the narrative of the video will reveal itself.

One of the best things about making a new video is the chance to do loads of research! There have been so many articles which have got my brain buzzing, from ‘no-growth’ economics to deliberative democracies, and I’ve also just started reading ‘Fully Automated Luxury Communism’ which is a manifesto for a post-Capitalist future. Even if this research doesn’t directly inform the video I’m working on, it serves to inspire me. I’ve actually found myself a few times this week almost overwhelmed by how much interesting media there is out there to consume, and often just resort to adding thing to my ‘read later’ list, or quoting my favourite gems on Twitter.

(images, left to right) Recording interviews with Mansi and Simon, and my latest reading project...

The realisation of a project we began in January, ‘Place Portraits: Episode 1’ was finally released this week.

George had the idea a while ago to create a video series exploring cities and places through analogue photography. Whilst it was a super simple idea, we thought these short, laid-back videos would contrast with some of the longer-format stuff or more informative films we’re hoping to upload on the Broaden YouTube channel.

Back at the start of our trip we shot on a roll of Kodak Portra 400 and Fujifilm C200, using the trusty Pentax that was once George’s dad’s camera. We’d had the photos back from the processing lab for a while, but have only just completed the edit and got the film online, which is such a nice feeling. We’ve had some lovely responses to the resulting four-minute video, and I’ve especially valued constructive feedback so we can start to think critically about what Episode 2 might look like.

(video) Place Portraits: Episode 1 - Paris

Since ‘The Hundred Miler’ hit 90K views this week (which in and of itself is pretty nuts), I knew I had to temper my expectations about how many views we’d get with Place Portraits. Even though it’s not far past 200 views, each and every one of those views counts and I’m chuffed to see it finally online. Watching Broaden’s audience slowly grow has also served as great motivation to submit The Hundred Miler into film festivals, a process which we started this week.

There’s probably plenty more good stuff which deserves to be celebrated, but the one which can’t go unmentioned is of course the company of others.

Embracing what has become a routine activity for many of us these days, I’ve spent some cheerful hours on phonecalls and videochats to others across the globe.

This week included a three-way call between Ireland, Australia and Spain with dear friends that George and I used to live with catching up on career plans, cats and newfound hobbies. I also enjoyed a game of movie charades (which involved some impressive commitment from some people!) and even attended an evening of ‘drag queen bingo’. These digital hangouts leave me asking ‘Would I be connecting with friends and family this much if the world wasn’t in a global pandemic?’ and I think the answer would be no.

(images) Just some of the beautiful humans that feed my soul.

I’m grateful that these human connections are now much more of a priority. In being restricted to a simpler and more isolated way of living, we’re certainly reassigning value to the things that matter. That’s something which I’ve found from making the economics video and learning about the idea of value, but also something I’ve felt in a visceral way when a phone call with my parents or a friend leaves me beaming.

There’s so much good stuff out there, you’ve just got to be open to it.

[winnipegpatty]

like what you’re doing to me | two | s.m. series

a/n: yes let’s go! okay forreal this time though thank you @mendesmood for the instagram edits!!! <3 the ice cream picture is from sara_hara on IG, she’s beautiful. also, if you like this consider buying me a ko-fi (link on my page!)

Setting up a collaboration with Karli hadn’t been too hard considering Shawn didn’t have a whole lot going on right now outside of tour rehearsals. Andrew had wanted Shawn to set it up as soon as possible as to not lose some of the hype that had come along with his tweets and Karli’s video.

A ton of Twitter fans had already been speculating that they may be setting up a collaboration of some sort. And Andrew had given Shawn the go ahead to tease about it here and there, just to keep interest up. Which meant that Shawn and Karli had been flirtily tweeting each other all week. Nothing too crazy, but just here and there.

So now, about three and a half weeks since Shawn’s initial tweet from the airport, he was flying to LAX to create an unknown collaboration with Karli King. He’d left pretty much any and all specifics about the video up to her discretion, saying that he trusted her craft, whatever the fuck that meant. The truth was, Shawn didn’t know how to make a fucking Youtube collaboration. Sure, Shawn had started on Youtube. But Youtube years ago, was a completely different game than Youtube now. Shawn had recorded unedited, raw covers in his bedroom. And now, people were creating music that was just as produced and put together as his albums were. And they were putting out that content once or sometimes even twice a week. This was a world far removed from Magcon days. A loud cry from his vine days, and it was something that Shawn hadn’t the smallest inkling about.

But he hadn’t wanted to tell Karli that. He couldn’t seem like a fucking idiot to her before they’d even met.

Karli had sent over all the details of meeting spot and time and what not to Shawn’s cell (because now they had each other’s phone numbers, which was something Shawn doesn’t like to think about). And Shawn was just set to drop his things off at a hotel before meeting Karli King for the first ever time, and it was going to be...fine.

Shawn was nervous as hell. He never gets nervous, but goddamn he was nervous. He had butterflies constantly roaming his stomach, never giving him a moments peace. He felt like he had the jitters, his nervous habits that he’d abandoned long ago we starting to creep back in, and Shawn just felt completely on edge.

Why did he feel like he was about to me the fucking Queen of England?

It’s just Karli King.

Shawn hopped in an Uber, giving the address Karli had sent him, and decided it was time to clear is mind. He pulled out his phone, deciding to tweet something extremely ambiguous just to see the familiar flood of excited responses from the fans. He shot out just a quick little message saying “Today’s a big day!” and he waited.

It only took thirty seconds before he saw his mentions grow exponentially, filled with fans asking what was going on, if he could tell them anything, or requests to post pictures. Shawn replied to a handful of them, sifting through similar ones, finding the gems hidden in the rough.

You’ll see later. Coming soon. Pictures? Maybe, I’ll get back to you on that one ;)

Finally Shawn swiped off Twitter, entering his messages app and hitting Niall’s name.

Shawn: Hey, in LA for a few days. Hangout?

__

Karli was insanely terrified. Not just because Shawn Mendes was coming to her house, but because of the video they were about to produce.

It’s not surprise that Karli is best known for her ten song mashups. It’s unique, and it’s what got her traction on the platform, garnering her over 5 million subscribers. But if you knew Karli, you knew this wasn’t what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. She loved Youtube, absolutely. And her fans were incredible. But Karli wasn’t wanting to sing covers forever. She wanted to write and release her own music.

So Karli was taking a risk. A really big one, but is life really worth living without them?

Karli wasn’t stupid. She knew that no matter what she put out, a video with Shawn Mendes was guaranteed to get more views than most of her own content. His fan base was insanely huge, arguably one of the biggest in the world right now. So, if she was going to take a risk, this is where she was least likely to flop. Because Shawn Mendes would be holding her up.

And Shawn had given her complete creative control over the video content. Shawn didn’t know this yet, but today he was going to be learning and singing a Karli King original. She was completely terrified. What if he hated the song? Or wanted to do something else? Or completely backed out because he’d expected to be doing a ten song mashup?

Shawn didn’t really seem like the kind of person to bail, but she also had to admit that she doesn’t really know him 

But nevermind that, she didn’t have the opportunity to change her mind because Shawn would be here any minute.

She just hoped he liked it.

__

Shawn showed up about five minutes early, donning a backpack and two guitar cases. Karli hadn’t specifically told him he’d be playing the guitar or anything, but he wanted to come prepared. So he’d brought an acoustic and an electric.

“Hey,” Karli had easily welcomed him into what looked to be her actual home.

Which, made sense. He, after all, had also recorded everything in his home too when he’d started out.

Karli’s platinum blonde hair was flowing down her shoulders, with a small portion of it tied back into a small bun on her head. She wore a yellow cropped Adidas hoodie and a pair of gym shorts. He feet were clad in fuzzy socks, and Shawn felt immensely overdressed in just his right black slacks and his loose fitting tee.

Karli led them down a hallway, “Bathrooms right here, if you need it.” She smiled at him over her shoulder. “And this, is the studio.” She opened a door on the right to reveal an immensely beautiful space. Shawn actually gasped.

There was a mini grand piano in one corner of the room, and three guitars hanging on the wall near it. There was a desk with her producing equipment, an area for a camera set up, and a corner with microphones and music stands at the ready.

“Holy shit,” Shawn looked at Karli, “this is fucking legit.”

Karli laughed, and Shawn felt his heart stop. Her laugh was so mealoudious in video, but in real life it was angelic. He was never going to survive this day.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Karli responded. “I’ve spent years collecting this stuff.”

Shawn shook his head, “You could honestly to god record an entire album in this one room.”

Karli beamed at him, tugging on the drawstring of her hoodie, “That’s the goal.”

Shawn, who’d been busying himself with one of the guitars hanging up, turned completely shocked. “Really? You’re wanting to make your own music?”

She simply nodded her head shyly.

“Do you write your own songs?” Shawn asked, now completely invested in Karli, guitars all but forgotten.

“Well...actually, yeah. I’m going to show you one, for the video.”

Shawn’s eyes went wide, “You want us to sing one of your originals together?”

They spent the next few hours becoming accustomed to Karli’s original song, which she had titled ‘Why Won’t You Love Me’. Shawn absolutely loved the song. It had a sick beat, that they’d been playing around with on her computer. The electric guitar part was amazing, and their voices meshed so well on the chorus.

“Okay, the first verse is just going to be me and the guitar. So, then you just harmonize like that in the chorus and play the guitar, but then we’ll switch back on the verse. I’ll play the guitar. You’ll sing the second verse, which I will harmonize with. Then go into the chorus and bridge together.”

“Sounds perfect.” Shawn agreed.

Karli eyed Shawn for a moment, “Did you happen to bring that blue guitar in either of those cases?”

Shawn laughed, “Yeah, I did bring that blue guitar.”

__

___

YouTube: Shawn Mendes and Karli King sing “Why Won’t You Love Me”

___

Shawn: so do you like celebrate a video release?

Karli: i would say that’s the proper way to do it, eh?

Shawn: you wouldn’t be making fun of my Canadian heritage would you? just when i thought we had a good thing going.

Karli: i would never.

___

Since the video’s release, Karli’s channel has been trending on YouTube for days. She’s gained a ton of subscribers, and people showed genuine interest in her music. It seems like a lot of her fans had been waiting for her to release her own music, which was a pleasant surprise.

On Shawn’s side of things, progress was a bit more difficult to track. What with him already having millions of fans, and pretty high activity every day whether there was something being released or not, new traffic was a bit harder to grasp. 

But Andrew continued to tell Shawn that all the press had been good. Karli’s song was huge, and she’d released a recorded version on iTunes without Shawn on it, that was doing really well on the charts. It seemed the media was viewing this as a “Shawn Mendes returns to his roots and pulls up  an up and coming Artist with him” sort of situation.

Shawn really couldn’t care less about the success or what it was doing to his fan base, as long as it was semi successful at least. Shawn wanted the success for Karli, but for himself he really hadn’t cared.

But what he had used this opportunity as was a way to continue communication with Karli, on a slightly more personal level. They’d moved past Twitter mentions and into the regular texting category of new friendships. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t been flirting with her.

But if Shawn had thought he liked Karli before he’d met her, he was head over heels for her now.

He couldn’t get her off his mind. He’d simply never found someone more mindblowingly talented. The effort that she put into her music was inspiring to even Shawn. Her conversations were captivating, like she always had something on her mind.

Shawn was honestly surprised with how open she’d become with him so quickly. But he wasn’t going to be complaining.

After the video release, Shawn had returned home to continue tour rehearsals. Tour was set to start in about a month, and Shawn was ecstatic. He’d never been more excited to sing songs live that he was about these ones. And practicing the tour every day just made him more and more energetic.

On top of rehearsals, Andrew also had Shawn doing some writing sessions here and there, preparing to release a single mid tour. Writing sessions meant going to LA for a few days here and there. Most of the time he spent this time coupled up in a house with Teddy, putting together ideas until finally something good sticks and turns into something incredible.

But other times, like now, Shawn had a free night. Normally, when in LA, he’d first reach out to Niall, but he knew for a fact that Niall was in the UK running some promo with his golf company. Shawn was honestly a bit bummed out anytime he and Niall seemed to miss each other, one away while the other was in LA. It felt like a gross injustice on the universe’s part, to give Shawn a friend like Niall but then rarely allow them to see each other in person.

Twas the life of a rockstar, Shawn assumed.

Shawn needed something to do though because he was in one of those moods. Those moods he gets into when he’s too much in his head. When he needs someone else to pull him out of it, and remind him that there is life outside of his mind. These moods only had one fix: people. It never really mattered who, though Shawn preferred it to be a close friend. But frankly, those were often in short supply for Shawn, depending on which corner of the world he was in on any given day.

Despite knowing tons of people in LA, Shawn really only wanted to see one person.

And that scared him.

His writing session with Teddy today had been productive, but Shawn knew exactly why. Because he’d been thinking about a certain blonde. He’d been thinking back to their first meeting and just how nervous she’d made him. In a way no one ever had. And how even now, the idea of texting her and asking if she was free to hang out had his stomach in knots. Shawn wasn’t this kind of person. Sure, he wasn’t like smooth or anything when it came to the ladies, but he wasn’t one to become nervous. Performing made him nervous. Awards shows made him nervous. Girls don’t make Shawn Mendes nervous.

Until Karli King.

Should he text her? Call her? Were they on a calling basis? Probably not. Were they even on a casual hangout basis? Shawn had no idea. Maybe he just had to just do it. Just text her and not even look back or think about it. That probably seemed best, before Shawn got even further into his head and completely over thought the whole thing.

Shawn: Hey Karli. I’m in LA for a couple days, and have the night free. Want to get together?

That was a normal thing to send a friend right? Shawn went to the kitchen of the house the team was staying in for writing sessions, grabbing himself a beer to calm himself. He didn’t have to worry for long, before his phone was chiming with a message.

Karli: Hey! I’m out with some friends tonight, actually. We’re just bar hopping. Come join us!

Shawn wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to join a group of people he didn’t know on a bar hop run, but he knew he wanted to see Karli. And he knew he wanted to be around people, so I guess this was the option that checked off both of those boxes.

Shawn: just tell me when.

That may have been overeager 

Karli: We’re at Jeni’s now, won’t be going out for another hour or so. Come get ice cream!

Shawn smiled at the picture, wondering what ice cream flavor was her favorite, as he wait for the address of which Jeni’s they were at.

Shawn stumbled around the house, throwing on a YOUTH hoodie, and pulling on a pair of chelsea boots. Shawn had already called for an Uber by the time Karli had responded with the address. He answered her saying he’d been there in a few.

The butterflies in his stomach only amped up as he thought about how he was going to see her for the second time in just a matter of minutes.

__

“Are you drunk?” Karli laughed, throwing her head back as they continued to dance together.

“What?” Shawn asked shocked, “No. I’ve only had two drinks. I’m not a fucking pansy.”

Karli laughed even harder at that, “Well, what do I know? I’ve never been out drinking with Shawn Mendes before.” She smiled up at him, “You just seem like you’re having a good time.”

Shawn smiled, bringing his hand around her waist as he moved against her body, “I am having a great time, Karli.”

“That’s really good.”

Karli slung her arms around Shawn’s neck, “I’m not drunk either, but I might be soon.”

___

Getting to know Shawn after their night together in LA was easy, almost natural. Karli found herself texting him almost constantly. They would share bits and pieces of their days with each other. She’d send him little sound bites of a song she was recording while he’d send her little videos of him and Teddy messing around with a beat.

It was fun and light, but Karli knew there was more coming. She could feel it in the way her cheeks widened at the sound of his voice, or the way she’d blush slightly before sending him a picture of her day. She could feel it in the way Shawn’s laugh echoed in her mind hours after a phone call had ended.

She wasn't going to do anything about it though because he was Shawn Mendes and that entailed a lot of things. A lot of things that Karli couldn’t pretend to know about. Dating Shawn wasn’t something that one casually did because he was a celebrity. There were contracts and paps and images involved. Karli wasn’t going to insert herself into that.

She couldn’t, not with the way her life was now. She was building a name for herself, and she wasn’t doing it on the back of someone like Shawn Mendes. The last thing Karli needed was accusations being thrown her way of using Shawn for his fame. She knew all about cancel culture, and one headline like that could literally end her career before it had even fully started.

So there Karli remained, the silent background friend of Shawn’s that no one knew about.

___

Shawn: come to the zoo with me?

Karli: what? why are you going to the zoo?

Shawn: i want to see a kangaroo

___

It was a Thursday morning, just a week before Shawn’s tour was going to start. His energy was through the roof, and he had to get it out somehow.

So he went to the zoo.

Karli has easily agreed, and they’d met up outside before starting the day together. It was fucking hot outside despite it being early March. Kids were in school, so the zoo was practically empty. Just like Shawn had hoped.

“Okay so,” Karli looked over Shawn shoulders, pushing up on her top toes. “Looks like the kangaroos are all the way at the back.” She pointed to literally the furthest place in the zoo.

Shawn clapped, “Well we better get moving then, if we are to make it to Australia by days end!”

Karli laughed, following Shawn as he moved down the walkway.

Turns out that seeing the kangaroos, really just meant Shawn wanted to see every animal in the entire zoo. He stopped and gazed at every single exhibit. Asking Karli which animals she liked best and which she identified most with. He’s randomly share the oddest facts with her.

“Did you know that a rhinoceros's horn is made of hair?”

“I did not know that, Shawn.”

Occasionally Karli would initiate the conversation, saying how she wished she could be a sloth, or maybe how she wonders how penguins don’t get cold.

Overall, it was the exact kind of day Karli wanted to spend with Shawn. Sharing stupid facts together, laughing at odd jokes, accidentally brushing fingers or shoulders a little too often to be truly accidental. It was perfect. It was peaceful.

___

And they did finally see the kangaroos.

___

tagging: @fourtristattoos @peacedolantwins2 @rosecth @unhealthyobsessionwithmarvel @justanotherfangurl272 @my-sweet-escape-from-the-world @loveydoveyshawn @outlandishnerd @amandash113 @lostinroses @ilsolee

[puppyenergy]

@rickenrolled​ you’re an absolute mad man i love you. here’s all my answers. long ass post beneath the cut

1. Who’s your favourite character from UT?

i love them all but if i had to pick one then chara

2. Who’s your least favourite character from UT?

asgore

3. Your opinion about UT fandon:

very sweet, lots of smart and lovely and creative and gay people. could do without all the transphobes and incest/pedo shippers tho but like, theyre kinda everywhere aren’t they. like flies! smack

4. What’s your favourite quote?

“you never gained LOVE, but you gained love. does that make sense? maybe not.“

5. What’s your favourite soundtrack?

death by glamour

6. Pacifist, neutral or genocide?

pacifist

7. Why did you decide to play UT?

when it came out, my first exposure to it was thru supporting a friend who had recently started a youtube channel and they did a playthru of undertale! i ended up being unable to wait for them to finish it and just went and bought the game myself so i could play it. i was just so invested, i couldn’t wait for them to upload asklghskl

8. Favourite battle?

undyne’s

9. Favourite scene?

GOD I CAN’T CHOOSE JUST ONE SCENE. fuck. you can’t do this to me.

10. Your first letter to Mettaton was:

“legs” probably sldkghsd i don’t remember

11. Your reaction when you saw Omega Flowey for the first time:

VERY SCARED. I LEGIT THOUGHT MY GAME WAS POSSESSED.

12. Your headcanon about Frisk’s gender:

they’re nonbinary but i specifically headcanon them as agender! i also rlly dig genderfluid frisk as well bc same.

13. Which UT character reminds you of yourself?

mostly frisk but also chara and also mettaton

oh and all the dogs

14. Which UT character reminds you of your best friend?

TEMMIE. we are dog and cat solidarity.

15. Would you smooch a ghost?

i already have!

16. Which UT character would be your best friend? Why?

all of them. i will befriend them all.

17. Do you remember your first killed character? Who was that?

toriel ;_; i reset & redid the entire game for her, i felt so bad

18. Did you do sth in game you regret?

killing toriel lmao

19. Which ending was your first?

pacifist!

20. Your favourite land in UT and why: (Snowdin, Waterfall or Hotland)

snowdin is my favorite... it’s just so home-y. i rlly love snow, it brings a lot of happy memories. the christmas aesthetic does as well. and it’s also where you meet sans & papyrus & all the dogs. it’s just such a happy place.

21. Your favourite place in UT and why: (Undyne’s house for example)

i just rlly love snowdin ok. every area in snowdin. i still remember my little gasp!! when i found out that the snow on frisk’s head is always a different shape every time you go thru that slide-y puzzle.

22. Your headcanon about River person’s gender:

“it doesn’t really matter.”

23. Your headcanon about one of the UT characters:

papyrus is nonbinary!

24. Butterscouch or cinnamon pie?

cinnamon!

25. Your opinion/headcanon about six human souls:

i always connect the deltarune characters to the six human souls for some reason. kris is the cyan soul, susie is the purple soul, ralsei is the green soul, lancer is the blue soul, noelle is the yellow soul, and then im not sure who would be the orange soul... ofc only one of them is actually human but that’s always an association i made asdlghsd

26. With who would you go on a date?

none of them tbh sdkglhskdlgha i would go on hangouts with them tho!

27. Marry, fuck, kiss and kill:

marry: napstablook fuck: mettaton kiss: all of them getting kisses from me!!! mwah kill: none :(

28. Do you wanna have a bad time?

no!! i wanna have a fun time. a sillay ol’ time.

29. Your favourite UT au:

there’s this one unfinished comic someone made a while ago i don’t even remember what it was called but it was about two charas or smth??? idek if that counts as an au but tbh that comic is the origin of my love for feral chara

30. Your least favourite UT au:

all of the ones where anyone is misgendered or there’s incest/pedo/abuse in it it just automatically makes it a bad au.

31. Would you want to fall into underground?

i mean, yeah. where’s the hole. i’m on my way.

32. Describe or draw your undersona:

the puppy is specific to dfta

my other undersona is dragon kid. he’s a human & monster fusion with a rough past. he’s also adopted. the cat is his sibling.

33. One reason why you love UT:

toby said Hello LGBT Community

34. One reasom why you hate UT:

frisk’s design is,, u kno

35. If you could choose one type of food from UT, what would it be?

dog salads for days!

36. Your favourite amalgamate:

snowdrake’s mother & endogeny

37. Your headcanon about Gaster: who do you think Gaster is to Sans and Papyrus? (Father, brother, uncle etc)

i like to headcanon him as their dad

38. Your opinion about bad puns:

they’re good, ok.

39. Do you draw fanarts from UT? If yes, then what do you like the most to draw?

yes i do asklghsdkgl i could probably draw chara/frisk/asriel forever and be ok with it

40. Which of human souls fits you the most?

red, baby

41. What would be the first thing you would to show to Sans, Papyrus or the rest of characters in human world? Why?

the stars!!! they’ve been wishing on rocks for too long. time to see the real thing.

42. Which song reminds you of UT or one of the UT characters? Why?

skglhslkhg i make playlists just for this tbh. i have a playlist for mettaton, chara, frisk, asriel, undertale in general, and then one for both chara & frisk. too many songs to talk about rn so here’s the most recent one i added to chara’s playlist:

https://soundcloud.com/serious-url/last-night-on-earth-2

my favorite lyric is “we are horrible but not bad”

43. Your opinion on underloid:

i. i’m not sure what that is askdlghsdk

OH I JUST LOOKED IT UP ITS UNDERTALE VOCALOID??? i’ve never listened to it before but tbh that’s real cool

44. Do you forgive Asgore for what he’s done?

no lol

45. Did you pay for Tem’s college?

I DIDNT, IM SORRY TEM... i just dont have the patience to sell all that residue

46. Have you seen any youtube letsplay of UT?

i swear i’ve seen them all now. i watch them when i need some free serotonin. u_u

47. Do you listen to any fanmade songs? If so, then which are your favourite?

i don’t rlly listen to any but i have a few saved! i rlly love the fucking checker dance & death by glamour mashup

48. What are your favourite theories?

narra!chara if you can even CALL that a theory man it’s literally canon

i also rlly like the theory that ut sans is actually from deltarune, and also maybe a darkner.

49. Who is your favourite enemy? (Not including boss monsters)

LESSER DOG

50. Do you have any headcanons about Chara’s past? (Why they hate humanity, why did they fell to the underground etc)

i think they had some pretty shitty ppl in their life until they met the dreemurrs, probably.

51. Who is your favourite dog?

DONT DO THIS TO ME,

52. What was your reaction to true lab?

fear and a lot of emotion

53. Your fabourite voice acting:

myself sakldhgklsh

54. At the end of pacifist run did you stay with your friends or did you come back to your family?

i always send frisk to stay with toriel bc as their player guardian i would not feel comfortable with myself if i just left a child stranded on their own. it was the same in oneshot. if i’m ur temporary game dad then i’m leaving u in a safe place before the game ends ok.

55. Who is older - Sans or Papyrus?

sans

56. Your OTP(s):

OK LISTEN. GOATBUN,,

also ALPHYNE

57. Your NOTP(s):

any of the incest/pedo ones. especially with fr4ns & ch4sriel i’m gonna get real stabby.

58. Your BROTP(s):

chara/frisk haa

59. Your favourite puzzle:

i like the shooty spaceship ones!

60. Which battle was the hardest for you?

fingers in his ass.... fingers in his ass.... asgore he likes b

61. Did you still hate Flowey after you discovered his true indentity?

i never hated flowey, ok. and also no.

62. The saddest moment:

“the next day.”

“the next day.”

“...”

“the human died.”

63. Which ending is your favourite?

true pacifist, pls

64. How old do you think Frisk is?

9, maybe? i always change my mind on this asdlghsdk. they’re just a baby. age is baby.

65. Any post pacifist run headcanons?

both chara & asriel get revived. always.

66. Your favourite NPC:

the trans woman lionness npc who mettaton gives his dress to

67. Humans or monsters?

both!

68. The funniest situation:

my brain is failing me but i fucking love the idea that frisk is just walking away from undyne during her battle sequence and she’s just CLANK CLANK CLANK in her armor stomping after but ugh has to stop and wait while frisk gets a phonecall and UGH has to check on sans who fell asleep at his post.

AND UNDYNE’S HANGOUT

UGH JUST UNDYNE IN GENERAL I LOVE HER

69. Skeletonfucker, robotfucker, goatfucker or kinkshaming?

listen i KNOW i said i’d fuck mettaton but i’m NOT a robotfucker.

70. When playing for the first time how many candies did you take?

one! i wanted to be a good boy.

but then i just went ham,

71. Did you kill or spare Flowey at the end of the game?

spare and i got emotional with how he reacted

72. If you had to be one of the main characters, which would you choose?

73. If you had to kill one of the main characters which would you choose?

i wouldn’t kill any of them!! i love them all. i refuse.

74. Which character(s) would you like to cosplay?

HMM. i could probably pull off frisk the best.

75. Your favourite Burgerpants’ quote?

[dememarquette]

Midnight Caller

Adria's day went as well as they usually do.

Training drills. Stake outs. Patrols. It was all very normal if you didn't know better.

But she did. She felt it; Heaven was perpetually on edge. The polarizing shadow war had made itself into the atmosphere and into routine- the specifics of which she only knew from 'mistakes' as a lowly pawn, and the details she gleaned inbetween. At this point, the increase of raids was normalized. It was ordinary to systematically sneak out demon operations, no matter how trivial the charges. Specialized drills were more frequent, too.

All of the added procedures were tying her guts into knots. The situation was becoming more and more wrong each passing day, but there was no trade-off. There hasn't been an update in months. The park was in limbo. They  were asking every other time she dropped by until eventually realizing she had nothing to give. And may never. Cheerful as they were, nobody liked the quiet. Suspense bothered her, for their sake, for hers. Playing the long game in subterfuge meant she lived life in paranoia, yet not one iota of it was concerned with Hell. She was as scared of a demon as her shadow, but Heaven. Heaven was something to be feared.

She didn't know what to consider her role in this. Double-crossing? Triple? She tried not to think on it. It'd only get her worked up, but when that inevitably failed, she realized no treasonous term felt right. She didn't hate Heaven. She wasn't actively working against it. It's just her allegiance didn't fall into carefully sectioned off labels and sectors- it fell into place by virtue. And reason.

But being screamed at all day that her reasoning was wrong and flawed bred self-doubt. Her mind never seemed to shut off, even after the mission reports were read, and the raids concluded.

She lounged on her couch. Muscles in her back and shoulders were rigid after a stressful day, but there was one thing that always seemed to help: Colin. On top of everything she supposed she should feel guilty about that too but she absolutely did not. It was a little piece of wrong that felt right.

COLIN: How was work, sweetie?

He wrote. He just got off shift at a private rodeo show where it was not the bulls being wrangled. Her phone, thankfully, does not receive pictures but needless to say, he was happy to unwind and see her too.

ADRIA: THE NORMal. sarah is really a piece of work.

COLIN: Awh, what happened?

What happened!

What happened was her squad-mate’s penchant for public humiliation. Adria had a thick skin, but if you're going correct her on fighting form, you'd better be able to back it the fuck up! She punched at the keys with her thumbs, detailing the tiff in atrocious texting, 150 characters at a time. She sent a chain of three messages, the order of which they sent in was left in the hands of God, when her screen blacked out.

A cheerful ringtone replaced it. That delightful sequence of Nokia chirps had been featured in three separate horror movies in the past two decades, and that auditory connotation was no less portentous now. Demetrius’ name flashed in eight-bit.

She answered on first ring. "Demetri?"

"Adria, thank G-man."  He heaved. "I need you."

Adria cupped her phone with both hands. "What's wrong?"

“What’s wrong?” He wheezed. "What isn't?"

His first fake emergency was a text. His second very real! emergency was also a text. This was a call, and already his desperation pierced through her shitty reception in four syllables. Demetri’s voice was an octave higher than she'd ever heard it and hysterical. She'd seen this man handle pressure (and if you ignored his thing with snakes), nothing short of imminent doom bothered him.

The contrast was horrifying.

She launched off her couch, storming her quarters. The bedroom door rebounded off the wall as she breached her closet. The more utilitarian parts of her uniform were ripped from its display. She yanked a set of greaves over her knees. Her hair was a tousled mess, an ondoyant spread across her shoulders, but she had a band around her wrist to crudely tie it back should this turn into a brawl. At the time he was calling? The night couldn't go any other way. She wasn't on shift but they held raids at all hours.

She saw it: demons dusted into ash. One coming to the other's call only for a massacre. The Powers were organized and lethal, and her vague and sporadic feedback was never going to cut it, either to sate Heaven, or save them. She was stupid for trying. Her superiors hired on someone else to intervene, to gather intel, and now she was on the phone with Demetrius-

"Demetri?!" She panicked, shoving her forearms through her bracers. "Talk to me. I can't help if I don't know what's going on. Is Niko okay? Archer?"

The line went quiet and her wings folded out in a forceful draft. Adria was a full second away from making the plunge from Heaven to Hell, when over the line there was a single sniff.

“Look on th-...the tv- MTV." He said. "Righ'now.”

Adria's head snapped up. There was no 48-inch mounted on the wall. She didn’t have a smartphone, how would she have a cable?

But context worked with what she gathered from her time on the computer and the demon himself. MTV was no news outlet nor has it had any respectable programming since the 1990's. Their ragtag group was a spectacle but nothing she imagined making a time slot between Teen Mom and MTV Cribs.

(That's a compliment.)

"Excuse me?"

"Channel- channel forty-eight. PleaaaAAse."

She stiffly straightened up. She was half armored- the bottom half ready for the war that would be her fall from On High, while the other awaiting on conformation for where this was going. "You're...going to have to describe it to me. Where are you?"

"Home."

"And you're not dying?"

"I don't knooooow." He whined. "Probaply."

She audibly heard the melodramatic flop.

On the other end, he slapped against the counter top. Sulking on his kitchen island, his rings tangled in his bangs. He stared in disdain at the source of his despair. It was a frame paused on his television set. Depicted was an unflattering still of a suburban mom. Her jumpsuit was as orange as her fake tan, and two streams of black poured down her face like she tried her wings at a newer, trendier 270 degree angle.

Adria had no way of knowing this, else she had reason to hang up then and there. "What does that mean?! Is ANYONE in danger? Is ANYONE dying?"

"Are you even looking?!" He said, frustrated.

"No. No I am not. What is it?"

"They're taking Samantha in!"

"What."

He flailed his hand at the set. In his mind, he was the image of every tragic hero in a cathartic Renaissance painting. "She's getting arrested!" He cried. "Fuckin' Ricky set her up, th-the child suppor' payments. 'n after she got Kaytee and G-ma Hoovie in the pyramid scheme no one will talk to her-"

"And why do I care about this woman’s shitty decisions?"

"She's not gonna make it into season six!!" He shrieked.

"Oh Jesus."

She remembered that. She remembered a lot more than she thought she would. They were characters from a colorful cast from their last hangout.

It wasn't her idea, obviously. She owed him for their first training session. Retribution for her violation of his trust, he called it. Somehow it was separate from the favor she already promised him but that's what he dismissed as semantics, preceding a change of subject. Nevermind how he tricked her into a strip club, she arrived dutifully at his apartment in the forth circle of Hell. That was two months ago.

That day he opened the door more casual than she’d see him before, which wasn't saying much. He was still swanky- buttoned down in something she'd seen in an all-too-dramatic cologne commercial, hue set off with a matching Rolex that told time with three faces. She, on the other hand, arrived in gym shorts. He said 'no armor' on the summons so when he opened up, he tensed like a wild animal. His hands even raised like she taught him ("Protect your head!"), and it was a good fifteen minutes of her standing on his blistering doorstep, convincing him she wasn't there to pulverize his face before she was allowed inside. He relaxed.

And eventually, so did she.

She crashed on his couch. Arms wound around herself so tight, she was ready to make fun of every vapid star that strutted onto the screen. Reality shows were stupid. A waste of time, clearly staged, and air-headed entertainment. All she was here to do was get through four hours of this garbage so he'll trust her for self defenses classes again.

However, Demetri took criticism like a champ. He pointed out that she had literally no reference point at all for television programming (true), and hit play.

At first she was entirely correct in her assumptions. These Real Housewives were overacting, over-dramatic, and overly ridiculous- but around the twenty minute mark, the first twist, it was apparent that was the charm. They were ridiculous. They were all impossibly absurd, and no matter how much she had the gist of their one-dimensional personalities, they'd surprise her with a curveball she never saw coming, dramatic irony Shakespearen in any other context. When she stopped commenting on how these stupid things would never happen in real life, it clicked.

"So...why is this lady breaking into her cousin's flat?"  She picked at finger foods he set up on the table, small pastries he credited to Donnabelle. She needed something to do with her hands while she pretended to not be interested in the television she was very interested in.

"Hm?"

"I mean,” She shrugged, too jerky to be casual. “If they just made up. Why would she break in?" He quirked a brow.

Truth was he’d been a nervous wreck the whole time too- he just wasn't as transparent. Never had he cared more about anyone else’s usually-contrarian opinion more.  Covertly he watched her more than the re-run. It didn’t make sense, but when her question rang sincere he grinned. The arc maxed between his ears before it pulled back into something more restrained. "Ah, well. That's why she set up the brunch. Her cousin has incriminating photos on a flash drive."

"But we know this because it's been broadcasted to all of America."

"No actually," He sat up, invested. She noticed afterward that she leaned to follow. "We know they exist but we don't know what's on them. My guess is it's something to do with last year's bachelorette party since that got the fire department called, but the forum thinks it's..."

And that's how she started caring too much about some random group of nutjobs in the city.

She still believed it was staged bullshit, but it was fun staged bullshit. She watched nearly three hours of dramatic close-ups, cryfests, and varying degrees of misdemeanors until the night was called. Time flew before she knew it, and their goodbye was a lot less awkward than their hello.

She wasn't expecting to revisit any of that in the near future.

She stared at the keys of her phone as she snapped back to reality. Demetrius was slurring through a monologue calling for Samantha's salvation (eloquently coined "FreeSam2k-2k-shit-2k19?") when it registered: Samantha Drama was a lot more preferable than the alternative.

"-'ish not like the scheme was her fault, y'know. She's a business woman at heart."

"...She sure is."

"'scatcly!” He said, overly relieved. “You get it!"

She sighed, head in her hand. The restless energy she amassed depleted into pure appreciation of the overreaction. Her overreaction- and if he was oblivious to the whiplash she suffered, it was missed entirely. It was gone. Replacing it was the sound of her barely holding back laughter. She rubbed her eyes. God, what was he doing? "Demetri, are you drunk? Did Archer give you the pilfered party booze?"

"Aria-Adria, please. Less focus fer two secons."

"Okay, okay.”  She pulled the tie from her hair. “So. Samantha."

“Samantha, yes.”

She indulged, smiling. "Is this the one who uh....cheats at dog pageants?"

“NO that's Kristie!" He corrected, distressed.

“Oh- sorry. The lady that held the intervention at the baby shower?”

“Yes,” he sobbed.

“I’m...sorry??”

“She was just tryna- tryna show her kid that she- aw fuck.” Glass clinked. "Oh no."

"What?"

"I spilled it. Fuck."

The phone rustled loudly. She listened, with her head tilted into her phone. Demetrius was struggling, but she was too. She bit the corner of her lip so her laughing wouldn't carry over the line.

"Back." He rasped, returning like he lost the war.

"You okay over there?"

"No. I need- I need to bail her out." He said. He’d run out of options, his voice teetered on a whimper. "I jus' gotta."

She walked back to her living room. Hasty strides before were now a languid stroll, as the armored plates fell off her knees in a clatter. She threw her bracers into her pillow as she hit the sofa beside them. The threat was neutralized. "No,” she said. “You should not bail her out."

"I have to. She's all alone in there- y'know I'm good'for it, Adria. Issat short for Adriana by the way."

"No it is not, but I'm VERY sure she's fine."

"What do I do?!"

"You're still home right?" She barely got the question out with a straight face.  "Like you're not out, and definitely not in the Alpine area?"

"Wha' you tryna say? 'at I'm not r’sponsiple?"

"That you're drunk off your ass."

"Does that make any of it- any of it less real?" The volume softened as he scolded his phone. An old selfie that he used as her contact photo served as her avatar and the source of his betrayal. "I'm SO hurt. My feelings are real, Adria."

"Oh yeah?"  Her head canted. She was staring at a blank wall, but imagery from the other end of the line was so clear. She could see his face too. That lopsided grin. Bent brows when he feigned offense, even if his eyes were still smiling while he clutched his heart for the effect. So distinctively him. "I thought you were too cool for feelings."

"Welp. S'where you're wrong~"

"Am I? You're quick to make fun of other people's."

"Is 'is about yoouurs? Hmmmmm?"

She debated her answer as clinking and swearing reared up a second time. She heard him bat the glass around, coordination beyond her expert salvage, before he returned, forgoing the cup altogether. Whatever. He still had the bottle. "Maybe."

"Maybe what?"

"It seems at times you care more about Samantha’s. Like right now."

"Whaaaaa-!! Yer only sayin’ that cuz you like teasin’ her. Jus’like I like teasin’ you."

Her fingers combed through the waves rolling over her shoulders, as she smiled. “I got that much."

"I'd bail you outta jail too, y'know."

"You are not bailing Samantha out of jail."

"'n if I don't," He continued, galvanized into another tangent. "If I DON'T tease you! Then what we doin', hmm?"

She quirked a brow. She was going to love this. "What does that mean?"

"Whatdoyamean what’do I mean. I dunno how else t'talk to you!!" He said, phone brushing with static when he shrugged. "Yer somethin else. It's scary."

Or not.

The word punctured her bubble of amusement. Scary? She knew she could be intimidating. And sure, she beat him up more than once. And sure he was a baby about it, but before Adria’s heart had the chance to sink-

"I trust you so much," He continued, shrilly and mystified. "Isn't that crazy?"

Her heart caught. "W-what?"

"Riiiight? But it happens.” He shrugged. “It happens when, when people got this intense light. A light y'just wanna be a part of. D'you know how rare that is?"

"I don't-"

"You know!! Of course you know." He asserted, finding it inconceivable that she didn't understand. "Some people jus' got it. It draws you in. People like me don' got it- we don' got it- so its blindin' when we do see it. You got it, girl. You got it baaad," He sang. "I mean FUCK- yer "spyin'" on us and we take you everywhere we go! An’ an’ all I wanna do right now is invite you over. Have you here. Again."

Adria blanked.

Staring wide-eyed, she had no idea what to say.

“O-oh.”

Her wings slid down the sofa in a soft shh. Unsure she heard him right, praise was just something she couldn't wrap her head around. Even as the conversation devolved into an ad-libbed ‘Come on Over, Baby' Christina Aguilera parody (’Spy on Over, Baby’ - execution as good as one would imagine), no one thought that way about her. No one talked about her like that. No one ever had- no matter how much, how long, and how hard she tried to do the right thing. She was a series of failures, stemming all the way back from her first charge.

But Demetrius was more than happy to tell/sing to her otherwise. Her feedback wasn't necessary. In fact, she couldn't get a word in. He rambled hard and assiduous about that signature compassion he couldn't compute. About their classes against heavenly forces. About the way the right thing always just seemed to spring into her mind, without cause or consideration. His opinions had receipts- which was something Heaven never bothered to audit.

Thoughts of doubt were smothered before they had the chance to manifest. They tried. Unable to defend against his points, they wanted to dismiss the call as inebriated prattle, but she wouldn't. She refused- it felt nice. They were compliments with no ulterior motive. No seeds of manipulation she could detect, and he didn’t want anything from her this time.

She could have comfort this once, just this once, before jumping back into scrutiny tomorrow.

That in mind, when a lull settled in the conversation, she took it. She pulled her knees into her chest, and closed her eyes.

“Thank you...Thanks, Deme. That means a lot.”

But where she expected a stiff refute of anything tottering the edge of the sentimental (she tensed for it), or another bout of prattle, she heard a thump over the line.

A cold pause followed. She twitched from her pleasant smile. It stretched. Seconds feeling like minutes, the quiet was just short enough to spurn concern, but not enough to ask, when he broke it. He sucked in air through his teeth. Devoid of his former drunken rapture, the tacit draw unnerved her. “No problem.” He said.

Her world dimmed. Her confidence had barely got its bearings before being dashed. The beat of awkwardness was back. That void that pulled the light from their talks, how she could be enjoying herself before the tone flips on a dime and she regrets reaching out at all-

“...Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah...” He dragged his face. “No.” He sighed. “No I’m fuckin’ not.”

Just like the party. That’s what it took. She hit that mysterious trigger again. The precise sentiment she needed to wipe the audible grin off his face. It was her. It had to be her. She misread the entire situation. His admiration had been clear as day, but now it muddled.

“I’m sorry.” She hovered above a whisper, apologizing without knowing why.

“Don’t be. It was all me.”

“What was you…?”

“You. Me. This.”

It solidified the weight in her chest. All those positive thoughts had just blossomed. To tamp them down so soon as a regret... Demetri wasn’t a guy about that scene. She knew that, and yet-

That’s where her mistake was.

She’d been telling herself the same thing since the fair- she was delusional. She didn’t need it echoed.

“It’s fine.” She cut him off. “You should rest- night Demetri. I’ll, I’ll check in when I can-”

“I let you go.”

She stiffened.

“I saw that light and jus’....poof. Gave it away- like a joke.” He said, abruptly sober. “Who’m I kidding? It was a joke. On myself!! Were cowboy strippers worth it? I mean...t’see THAT ‘n let it slip. Who am I?” He brazenly interrogated his open apartment. His theater set-up was a whole five feet away, and it was a crime scene as far as he was concerned. He truly had fun with her that night. At the fair. Shopping. But it was Colin she was going home to, and that was entirely by his own hand. “Thas’not me.” He said. “Thas’never been me- I’m in hell fer wanting everything. Why would I learn now?”

Archer pushed him to make a move. He dismissed him. He was so damn sure he’d figure out his own way. Demetrius was convinced that honesty and upfront communication were tacky, and not because he was entirely inept at sincerity. But what he was realizing tonight was that window shut.   He’d earned one of her darkest secrets only to be iced-out of what was troubling her at the party. She stared at her phone the whole drive home. His moment passed. Now he was paying for it, but without the inhibition to suffer in silence.

“I made a mistake.” He said, with finality. “I want you. That’s what’s wrong.” “You...want me.” "Mmph. Fuckin’...cowboy strippers aren’t even that funny.” His muttering trailed off, disintegrating into incoherent rambling and something that sounded suspiciously like ‘Colin is a douche.’

Her mouth closed. She had nothing to say.

Whiplash was back, but this time there was no recovering. She had no words. No response. Nothing to fill the quiet, but he did not have much intention of doing so either. The clinking, clanking, and sentence fragments stopped. They both settled into quiet- an awkward, but powerful one.

It dragged for minute. Then five. She was reluctant leave it, to be the one to break it, but her head was buzzing and so was her phone. Missed texts were adding up. There must’ve been seven now. Someone else was impatient for her attention. And while Colin could wait...

"Demetri?"

"Hmmmm?" He hummed, sleepily but somber.

"Did you...did you mean-? Were you implying-" She cringed. She regretted the question before she asked. Maybe it was best not to pry. Just enjoy it. It’s how things had been going so far.

Besides.

What would happen if he did answer now?

She hugged her knees. Her heart had taken enough collateral damage. It was time to give it a break. Tonight changed things. She’d have to see what that meant. "Nevermind. Uh, thanks. I mean.Thanks again. I guess. Don’t go bailing anyone out of prison."

"Aye-aye," he mumbled.

On the other end, he slumped. Wine smeared around his table, he half-heartedly sopped it up with a rag before giving up. The marble was feeling awfully comfortable. His head propped against his shoulder, and it slid into lean.

She kept the phone affixed to her ear, eyes closing. The night opened with her walking the demon through the five stages of grief for a reality star. In a bizarre way, in a way neither could have expected, he provided a comparative comfort. These thoughts she’d been having- these errant ideas, these cues- were justified.

"Deme?" She finally asked.

But there was no response. He was out like a light, drooling on the marble.

She listened to a few breaths before bidding a quiet 'good night' and hanging up. Exhausted now, but in the best way, she posed to snap her phone shut.

Just before she did, the screen returned to Colin.

Her cursor flashed where she left it. It tailed the end of a long, angry message her heart was no longer in. Unwilling to tarnish her revelation, or feed the new, fresher guilt winding in her stomach, she hit the back key. One letter blinked out of existence at a time, then words, then entire lines.

ADRIA: actually dont worry about it. goodnight. COLIN: ok! Good night :D

[spongeekat]

The 6 Times Peter Wanted To Reveal his Identity (And the 1 Time He Did) Chapter 6

read on ao3

Masterlist Here

Day 6- Friday

Mary Jane was the angel in Peter’s life that he didn't deserve, but thoroughly appreciated.

Though the two had attempted to have a relationship after meeting their freshman year of college, by the end of the 3 months they’d become closer friends than they were romantic partners. The break-up had been a seamless transition, and with the expectations of intimacy being lifted from their shoulders, he found Mary Jane to be a reliable confidant and supporter. They told each other everything; she had been first to know about his feelings for Wade, and the second to find out about his superhero identity. Despite a bad reputation in the newspapers, she never criticized his actions or mistakes, and had always been an open ear when things went wrong and the world felt too heavy on his exhausted shoulders.

Still, he had never made a mistake this public. While Ellie had found out who he was due to his bad judgement, he had been able to keep it under wraps and it was an easily mended situation. This time, however, he had the sinking feeling he had ruined his life in wake of saving two others. There were dozens of people watching, twice that driving by or skidding to a stop when he halted traffic, and worst of all, Wade found out Peter had been lying to him in a horribly impersonal way.

Peter was still camping out on Mary Jane’s floor after his freak-out the night before. He wanted to go home to get out of her hair, but the thought of Wade showing up, or worse, the FBI showing up, and grilling him about his superhero abilities made him sick all over again. Mary Jane claimed she didn’t mind him hanging around, but he knew his stress was quickly becoming hers. Harry had been unable to find his backpack, and when he arrived to look for it the park had become a spot for a local news station to report on the ‘mystery man that stopped a car with his bare hands.’ So Peter sat cross-legged against the edge of her bed, flipping through news channels endlessly. The coverage on the event had been minimal, the best footage being of a mother video taping her children playing when it suddenly panned to the car slamming into the ground and him fleeing the scene. Still, he wasn’t sure if anyone had a dashcam that could have caught a glimpse of his face, or if a traffic camera may have been aimed at them. It was a waiting game now, either for new videos to be released, or for someone to divulge his facial features to the police.

Peter’s phone buzzed again at his side, and he glanced at the screen halfheartedly. Wade had been texting him non-stop. Most of them he hadn’t read, but every so often he caught glimpses of messages. Apparently Wade had gone to his apartment the night before to locate him, but his neighbors had threatened to call the police when he wouldn’t stop banging on Peter’s window. A couple of the other messages he had read were begging him to call, or asking where he had gone, but for the most part Peter had blocked them out. He couldn’t bare to face him now. He’d accepted his help and affection despite not needing it, and lied to Wade for days in the process. All because he was selfish, and scared, and in love. Horribly, horribly in love. He regretted every day he had put off confessing. Now he didn’t have the chance. Just a lot to apologize for.

“Pete?” MJ turned in her computer chair to quirk an eyebrow at him, as he stared at the television screen. He knew he looked as trashed as he felt. His brown eyes were hidden behind puffy lids weighed down by dark circles, his wavy hair was a mussed and tangled pile, and his clothes were disheveled and sitting awkwardly on his body. By contrast she was showered and well-put together, her lips pursed in concern and thought as she watched him. “Maybe you should take a break from your hunt. You’ll only stress yourself out more. Let’s go get lunch somewhere. I’ll set notifications on my news app for anything with your name or Spider-Man’s.”

Peter slowly shook his head and let the remote fall to the carpet, leaving the channel flipped on a segment about health care. He ran the palms of his hands over his eyes, a shudder rushing through his body. “I can’t eat anything. I feel too sick.” He mumbled, and finally dropped his head back against her mattress. He wished he could will away the day before, go back and redo it all to stop the dog before it even got close to the street, but he knew he would have to accept and deal with the consequences. Any dwindling hope that maybe he hadn’t been identified was crushed as soon as it materialized. He’d rather be prepared to be unmasked than taken by surprise when his face was thrust up onto the Times Square billboards requesting his arrest.

“You won’t know until you try, dummy.” Mary Jane walked over to where he was and dropped her hands to her hips, waiting impatiently for an answer. “I don’t like to see you moping so much. Watching the video, it all happened so fast, that the people watching probably couldn’t even remember your hair color, much less what you looked like. Stop being so pessimistic and go get pizza with me.”

Peter didn’t want to leave the room. His obsession with searching at least somewhat distracted him from letting the memory play on a loop. But the next moment his phone went off again, and another text from Wade popped up on the screen.

please tell me you’re still alive

Peter grabbed his phone and blocked Wade’s number the next second. It made a wave of nausea rush over him to think Wade still cared about his safety even after he had been deceived.

“Okay, let’s go.” Peter groaned, and pushed himself to his feet. His toes tingled as the blood flow returned to them, and he grabbed his sweater that had been thrown on the floor to pull on. “But if you see anything, please let me know.”

“As long as you promise not to ask me to check every minute.”

Peter breathed out calculatedly. “I’ll try.”

“And not every 5 minutes, either. I want a normal lunch with my best friend to help him calm down from a stressful week.”

The corners of his lips perked, and he finished adjusting his sweater and tossing his hair into a somewhat presentable style. “Every half-hour?”

Mary Jane thought for a moment, but shrugged good naturedly. “That’s a fair trade. Now let’s turn off this old-lady daytime television and get out into the world, Parker!”

They escaped out the door before Peter could change his mind, and took off on foot towards the pizza cafe they’d made a second home over the past 4 years. From study sessions to scarfing down comfort food, it had served its purpose as a cheap hangout joint for them to talk out their feelings. Even now, as Peter was riddled with so much anxiety his hands hadn’t stopped trembling for the past 24 hours, he felt himself start to relax when they entered the familiar hole-in-the-wall establishment. The smell of burnt crust wafted past his nose and a football game buzzed noisily on a small TV, but it was distracting enough to his senses that he was able to ignore the thoughts of dread for a bit.

“So...about Wade.” Mary Jane finally spoke once they’d put in their order with the teenager working the counter and claimed a spot in the corner. Peter had his back to the door, just to feel a bit more hidden from sight. “Did you ever actually tell him how you feel?”

Peter paused mid-sip of his water, the liquid suddenly feeling ice cold on his tongue. He set it down, and swallowed through the tightness of his throat. “...No.” He finally sighed, chewing on the inside of his bottom lip. “I mean, I didn’t think he would ever really see me that way. Even as Peter and not...” He gestured to the air. “...he complimented me and stuff, but I never got the feeling he, like, liked me.”

“But you didn’t ask?”

“I thought it made more sense to tell him who I was first.” Peter said in distress, dropping his chin onto his hand. “I guess it just never felt right. He talked to me the same in and out of the mask. Wade’s just overly friendly. He thinks it’s funny.”

“Uh-huh.” Mary Jane looked unimpressed, but her thoughts were interrupted when their slices were dropped off. They both thanked the waitress, and the red head immediately leaned in again. “From what you told me, it sounds like he was interested in a little more than coddling you. He asked you to go out with him and his daughter to the aquarium. That sounds more like a date.”

Peter knew his cheeks were flushing red, and his phone sat a bit heavier in his pocket. Maybe Wade’s texts were more worried than they were malicious. Even after royally screwing up, Wade just wanted to make sure he was okay. He looked down at the grease dripping onto his plate, reflecting on the week.

But then he remembered the astonished expression on his face when Peter had jumped out into the street and the thought vanished.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I already blocked his number. He’ll give up in an hour, and then I’ll just have to avoid him on patrol for the rest of my life. If I’m not arrested for being a vigilante and resisting arrest a thousand times first.” Peter sat back with a look of defeat and determined he wasn’t hungry anymore, pushing his plate a few inches away from him.

Mary Jane just shook her head and went back to eating. “It’ll be okay, Pete.” She said between bites. “You just gotta try to think positively.”

“That’s kinda hard to do when my suit got jacked along with homework that clearly has my name written on it, and all I can do is wait for someone to turn it into the police. And I’m a coward, MJ. Aunt May is at our apartment alone, and people could show up at any moment looking for me. She could get hurt. You could get hurt. And that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to avoid all these years.” Peter huffed and dragged his arms in to cross over his chest, twisting to look back at the TV. “I messed up, and I hurt everyone in the process. Positive thinking is stupid. It won’t stop anyone from coming after the people I care about.”

Mary Jane pushed her plate forward as well, and it clinked as the two collided in the center. “I get that you’re stressed, Pete, but when you’re done being a jerk, we can talk.” She said as she stood up and started to lift her purse on over her shoulders. Peter turned back around, shame tugging at his features. “Positive thinking isn’t stupid, it just keeps you from freaking out on the people trying to help you. I’m not saying everything is going to be perfect, but it’s better to have hope than to wallow in your self-pity.”

“Hey, MJ, I’m sorry.” Peter stood as well, the chair scraping the floor. “I shouldn’t have been mean.”

“You’re right, you shouldn’t have. Go home. Get sleep. Be there for Aunt May in case she needs you. You aren’t helpless just because you don’t have a mask to hide behind. And for god’s sake, just call Wade. He obviously cares about you.” She sighed, and tucked a strand of cherry red hair behind her ear. “You know I wanna help you. I’m sorry you’re going through this. But life has a funny way of working out sometimes. Just try to make it through the day? Please?”

Mary Jane said goodbye to the waitresses before waving at Peter, as he slowly sunk back down in his seat. She was right. He shouldn’t be ignoring Wade. Not when he had been the one to lie. He owed him an explanation as to why he hadn’t been honest in the first place.

Peter pulled out his wallet and set down all the change he had as an apology tip, tossing his slice of pizza on the way out. Aunt May had been on vacation for too long, and he should at least be there to greet her. Especially if something went wrong and he was taken away without notice.

He hopped on a bus a few blocks down and planted himself near the front, before drawing his phone out. The texts from Wade had stopped coming through, but he was still easy to locate. He hesitated, but eventually pressed the UNBLOCK button and closed out of the app.

He would call him later, but he needed to collect himself. The first way to do that was to see Aunt May.

--

“May?” Peter pushed open the door and peeked past the frame, studying the inside of the apartment. It certainly looked more clean than how he had left it the morning before, so there was no doubt she had been home. Whether she was still home after not having her texts returned the entire day was the question. “May?” He repeated, stepping inside and shutting the door almost silently behind him.

His senses alerted him to the scuffle of a slipper on tile, and a grey-haired face popped around the corner.

“Hey, you’re home.” Peter greeted, toeing his shoes off into the rack by the door, before walking closer. “Glad you made it home sa-”

“Peter. Benjamin. Parker.” Aunt May stepped fully into view, tugging tautly on a towel she had been drying her hands on. Peter immediately winced and backed away, but that didn’t stop the older woman from coming at him with an irritated stride. “Do you know how worried I was when I got home and you were nowhere to be found? I got you that phone for a reason! Use it!” Her towel snapped and lightly hit his forearm. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but Peter jumped and massaged the spot anyways. “I thought you had suffocated under the mounds of trash and laundry you let collect in your room!”

“Sorry.” Peter said honestly, relieved to see her again. After the crazy week he had been put through, he desperately wanted his Aunt back. “A lot happened, and I spent the night at Mary Jane’s. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

“You look heartbroken.” Aunt May commented, simmering down as she studied his limp body language. Concern replaced the anger on her face. “Is everything alright?”

“No.” Peter said honestly, turning his face down towards the floor. He felt pathetic, especially when she placed her soft hands against both shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze. “I made a lot of mistakes these past couple of days. I may have hurt someone I really...like? And I feel like my life is ruined on top of it all.”

“Did you apologize?” May tugged on his arm, prompting him towards the couch. He followed her obediently, and she guided him to sit on the cushions beside her.

“Not yet. We haven’t spoken since yesterday.” Peter leaned his head against her shoulder, and her fingers found his hair to run through it comfortingly. “I want to. I just don’t know what to say.”

“You’re a good and humble boy. I’m sure you know what to say to him in your heart.” May dragged her fingers through his bed head, and he made a choking sound at her pronoun choice. “Is it not a man?”

Her motherly instinct would always outsmart his secrecy. “It is.”

“Is he a good person?”

“...He is.”

“Does he care about you as well?”

Peter swallowed the knot that formed in his throat. “I-I think so. I don’t know if it’s that way, but we’re close friends.”

“Friends will forgive each other. It may take time, and it may be uncomfortable, but you can’t hide your feelings forever, Peter. You should be honest if you want to keep him close..”  May kissed the top of his head, and he sunk further into the couch. She was always the voice of reason, even if it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “I know you’ll make the right choice. You care too much about others. That’s one of the things I love so much about you. Do you want to tell me exactly what happened?”

“It’s a lot.” Peter mumbled. “Basically, I just… lied. I took advantage of his kindness. I don’t know why I didn’t tell him the truth, but I just got so comfortable in the lie that I didn’t bother to correct it. And then he found out what I was lying about, but so did others, and I feel like my world is crashing down, even if it isn’t yet. But I know there’s the chance it might and I can’t stop freaking out over it… does this make any sense?”

May chuckled and shook her head at his rambling. “Can you be more specific? Or is this one of those times it’s better to just now know?”

“Better to not know. If that’s okay.”

“Well, you’re alive, you’re healthy, and you have a good heart. There’s nothing you can’t fix as long as you have your smile.” May rubbed his shoulder again, and pulled herself to her feet to walk back to the kitchen. “You go call your friend and apologize, honey, and I’ll finish getting dinner in the crock pot.”

Peter released a shaky breath, but he eventually stood as well. “Thanks, May. I’m glad to have you home.” He found his phone and located Wade’s number, his finger hesitating over the call button.

As he moved to close his door, her voice shouted out once more. “And clean that room!”

“Got it!” Peter laughed back, before he took the plunge and pressed the green phone on screen. The sound of ringing made him tense, but he eventually managed the courage to hold the phone to his ear.

When Wade picked up, there was a set of gunshots from the other end.

“Wade? Are you okay?” Peter asked immediately.. A man shouted, and the phone shuffled.

“Petey! Bad timing, but I’m so so glad to hear from you.” Wade gasped, out of breath. It sounded like he was running, but Peter couldn’t be sure over the cracking of bullets and distant threats being screamed on the other end. “I got the notification you blocked my texts and I figured you had thrown yourself off the Empire State Building or something and your phone company just didn’t want the extra charges. Hold on one second. Guess you shoulda brought that Gram-Gram of yours with you, huh? At least she could hit me- fuck! Watch it! Not the face!” Wade slammed an object and a person yelled out in pain. “In a job, sorry, sweetums. Some old lady mob boss has her grandson running a human trafficking ring, so I gotta play cops and robbers and clean it all up. Anyways, it was kinda shitty to run off like that yesterday without saying anything. Ellie was really disappointed...and so was I. I don’t know your story, but shit, you couldn’t even tell me you were superpowered?”

Peter cleared his throat, guilt weighing heavily on his heart.  Wade hadn’t realized yet exactly who Peter was. Which meant he still had to figure out how to tell him. “I’m sorry. I know I can’t explain what I did, or why I did it, but I want you to know that I didn’t mean to put off telling you for so long.” He could barely get the words out, unsure how to explain his true feelings without giving away everything. Another round of bullets went off, and Wade cursed again. “Dude, do you need help? You sound like you’re having a hard time.”

“Well, originally this was a game of cat and mice, me being the cat obviously, but they just brought out a bunch of guns, so now it’s more like cat trying not to get sprayed because I just repaired and washed this suit yesterday, and all of the mice are on steroids. If you wanna haul that tight-but-scarily-strong-ass down here, I’m sure we could scare them off.  But judging by how long you ignored me, I’m guessing you don’t wanna do that, baby boy.”

“Okay, um, can I just talk to you tomorrow? In person? I would rather discuss this when you’re not, like, trying to stay alive. I also lost my backpack, which had things I really can’t lose in it, and I’m freaking out a little.”

“Oh, I grabbed that.”

“What?” Peter gasped, instant relief flooding him.

“Yeah, I texted you this morning. Guess you didn’t read my texts, though. Didn’t want you losing your homework or anything.” Wade grunted as he slammed another object, and his katanas slid across one another with a sharp zing . “I was gonna dump it at your apartment, but I got a little distracted by work and hanging out with my gal pals.” He joked as another man screamed.

“...Did you look inside?”

Wade didn’t answer, sounding like he was ripping open a pocket on his belt. After a few seconds, he finally responded. “No. Should I have?”

Peter didn’t want to lie anymore. He couldn’t lie anymore. Wade deserved so much more than that. So he took a brave breath, and shoved down his fear. “Yeah. Go ahead. And then we can meet up tomorrow and I can explain everything. I won’t leave out any details this time.”

“You aren’t secretly part of the X-Factor, are you? Those guys keep ignoring my birthday party invites.”

Peter cracked an uncomfortably smile, and he looked down at his feet. “No, I’m not a mutant. But I’ll see you tomorrow and things will make more sense.”

“See you tomorrow.” Wade agreed. “No more secrets or lies or anything, though, okay? I actually care about you and wanna be there for you and all that shit.” Then the line cut off.

He drew his phone down from his face and clicked on Mary Jane’s contact. He wouldn’t feel okay until he apologized to her, too.

Peter would still have to keep an eye on the news, but for the most part, the major cause of his anxiety had diminished. At least he knew where his suit was, even if he didn’t have it in his possession.

Tomorrow, Wade would know he was Spider-Man.

For the first time that day, he started to feel a twinge of hope in his chest. Maybe things would end up being okay after all.

[dancal13]

Day 2 – So Much Music, So Much Wine

Quick Disclaimer:  Suzy and I both love live music, which is awesome as music has always meant a lot to me. And now Jack, Bailey and Megan are all into music - so I am still learning about and loving new music, while keeping up with past favorites.  But I have grown to hate large crowds (might even be a phobia for the small-minded person - meaning me).  So, we pay attention to all the small venues in Seattle and see a lot of up and coming bands as well as lot of bands that are past their prime.  Pretty cool on the whole, but what we miss out on is the big tours, the bands in the their prime, for example U2’s most recent stadium tour. Not a chance that I would go to that even though I love U2.  But Susan is clever and not one to give up on something she wants to do.  As I mentioned in the Prologue a couple of years ago our friends the Wilbur’s mentioned BottleRock and Susan had her in. Combining and weaving my love for music with my addiction and love for red wine into her sales pitch. The opportunity to see the Red Hot Chile Peppers (never seen by me) and hang in Napa Valley. I was low hanging fruit. (Sorry not such quick disclaimer after all)

And here we are…

We woke up Sunday morning to a chill and the threat of rain and thunder (could be song lyrics).  Much different than our previous visits, where our fears mostly included sunburn and 100-degree weather.  No rain gear, no worries – Susan doesn’t believe in General Admission, that is so bourgeois.  We are VIP Baby and VIP gets you shelter, nice bathrooms, shorter food and drink lines and an obvious sense of superiority.  This of course could easily be disproved, but it’s our story, so stick it. Our friends the Robbs (Jill and John) flew in early that morning and met us for breakfast prior to rocking out.  As true festival goers our breakfast included eggs benedict, smoked salmon-arugula-egg flatbread, Belgium waffles with fresh a bananas and a ham-gruyere omelet, obviously the breakfast of music rebels everywhere.

From there we dropped off the muscle car, its head banging purpose complete and left for the festival.  As we arrived the clouds opened, and we again questioned our attire. We watched in utter horror as umbrellas were collected at the gate and tossed into waiting garbage cans - NOT ALLOWED.  But we were quickly reminded who we were. 

We were VIP and loving every minute of it.  First Stop, I know hard to guess, the bar and wait, you guessed it a covered area looking over the main stage. We would never be anything but damp again as each big stage had a covered area waiting for us.

We had been here before, the covered area previously acted as shade, apparently it can serve two purposes. With wine and cocktails in hand we quickly worked our strategy.  In the two years since we had last attended there were some improvements to VIP. The first being that they had set aside a huge portion of the field in front of the stage for those of us who wanted to see the performers up close.  More on that later.

We headed back to the food and drink areas set aside for our elite status, which included some pretty awesome restaurants and drink options and an acoustic lounge, that featured performers who were finished with their sets or still yet to perform.  These quick and intimate performances lasted about 4 to 6 songs, with a much smaller crowd, maybe a 150 people at its largest. Pretty cool. Just a quick note: though we didn’t take advantage of this (or get taken advantage of by this) there was a booth selling very high-end CUPS of wines.  I wish I would have taken a picture of the menu for posterity.  You could get a small “plastic cup” of Joseph Phelps Insignia for a mere $72. It is here where we were quickly reminded that though we were VIP Special, we were way, way less special than the VIP Platinum attendees.

After some food and drink and an acoustic set or two, we ventured out to the main stage to see Skylar Grey. My only knowledge of her was when we received the first set of promotional materials and I was scrolling through the various artists; I was stopped by the picture of her legs.  See the accompanying picture 😊. Apparently, she is a singer songwriter known more for songs that she has written for more famous artists, she is also currently a local of Napa and a big fan of wine, maybe we will hangout some time.  The first song performed was a song she wrote for Puff Daddy, P Diddy or whatever his current name is.  She had a fantastic voice, tons of tats, and yes great legs.

We stayed for 4 or 5 songs, grabbed some fun pictures, and text-taunted our friends the Wilbur’s who went for multiple days and did GA, while hosting one of their daughter, a nephew and other young friends (as mentioned, VIP access got us pretty close to the stage)

Next stop the Firefox stage to see Gang of Youths.  If you have been to a music festival, typically you will come across a band you do not know, know only one song, or maybe know a few and their performance far exceeds your expectations - You are now a fan!  In the past I have had that reaction to Coleman Hell, New Politics, Odesza – this year it was Gang of Youths, sorry for the bad pic, I have video, but not quite sure how to embed.  They were rockers from Australia, and the lead singer and guitarist looked like Jon Snow from Game of Thrones, so Suzy enjoyed them as well. Hmmmm… GoY vs GoT coincidence?  I think not.

I was also able to capture this image during GoY, of the GA crowd behind me and my cup of cabernet.  I almost felt sad for their existence. Then I took another sip of cabernet, enjoyed the music and all was forgotten.

We headed to the third of four stages to see the Teskey Bros, a blues band that Susan had become a fan of, but finally bumped into our friends Brian and Anne, pictured below drinking Frozés (yup rosé slushies) 

and then stopped nearby for a quick visit to the Silent Disco.  A huge dance floor where everyone is provided a set of headphones that are channeling 2 or 3 different DJs.  Pretty funny to watch a bunch of people dancing together but to different music. On a channel that I wasn’t on, Don’t Stop Believing, by Journey was playing.  Half of the audience/dancers were singing along and singing so loud that I couldn’t hear my headphones, it was time to go.

The Teskey brothers were good and we stayed for most of their set.  We then made our way back to the main stage, the acoustic lounge and the food and beverage area in time for the evening set.  This is where my funny wife stepped up.  After getting an unsatisfactory pour of bubbles while I was receiving an abundant one, she decided to watch me during my next order.  Again, I received above the line pours for both our drinks.  Susan screamed; you are flirting with the guy working the bar.  And then again yelled that I was flirting with the girl during our next stop. Obviously these days I don’t believe in gender labeling (thanks Megan for you guidance), so I just went about my business of flirting, I know right – I AM SO WOKE.  The entertainment ensued from there as Suzy started making friends with people who had arrived early enough for seats, or spaces at the rails or just looked fun. After hanging a while with Suz, they would then offer their spaces to her as they left – by the end of the day we each had a role… Flirty WOKE Guy and Friendly “Who’s Your Buddy” Girl a match made in rock and roll festival heaven

Evening set: First up was Michael Franti and Spearhead.  Seems like he performs every year at Bottlerock, and I’m not sure anyone has a better time doing so.  We were near the stage, but when Michael Franti performs, that means you only get to see him up close for half the time.  He is a bare foot performer who likes to wander out and sing in the crowd, and he does it well. This was the first performance we stayed at for the entire set.

It was nearly 8:30 now and our backs and legs were nearly spent, but the headliner “Mumford and Sons” took the stage.  I’m a big fan of their music but was still surprised and awed by their performance. It was a bit harder than I expected, and they performed with so much energy it was great.  I will find a way to see them again, probably multiple times.

It was a long day, and I was sore for a few days after standing and dancing for nearly ten hours. I’m am not interested in attending other festivals like Coachella, likely because they are not in Wine Country. I know snobbery right?

One insight I would like to share. If you are attending something like this and using a bankcard for drinks, check ahead of time with your bank, as we found out the hard way, that it looks suspicious if you make a bunch of small purchases in a day (food and drinks), in another state. The bank can and will freeze your card until the next day, or until you call them. The good news or easy solution is to carry cash or a second card.  Learn from our mistakes.  

[bts-love-sweat-tears]

Change of Heart (Follower Celebration Fic #3)

Title: Change of Heart

Pairing:  Jungkook x reader

Type: shifter!au, wolf!au, angst with a happy ending, Friday Night Lights meets Teen Wolf? Idk.

Word Count: 1,894

Rating: PG    

Warnings: mentions of depression post-bad breakup, language

A/N:   The third of five for my 200 follower celebration! Requested by a lovely anon. This literally wrote itself- I think you can tell sometimes when it flows easier. It was in the notebook that I carry around so I had a fun time deciphering my own handwriting lol. I was tempted to leave it open-ended and ambiguous as I am oft to do, but anon requested happy so I hope you love it. Except for the soulmate thing, it actually has very little to do with shifters.

A/N Update: Crap there are so many typos I’m sorry. Brain and fingers while typing don’t communicate well. Working on edits now, but was excited to get it out <3 

How could you even express what Jungkook meant to you? Until now, you had always kind of taken him for granted. Being with him was like breathing. You didn’t think about it until it lost its usual ease. Clearly, you were now in the emotional equivalent of a head cold. Kook was literally the boy next door, and the two of you had been inseparable since the day his parents had dragged him along to welcome the new neighbors; apple pie still steaming in their hands.

If your parents were surprised by the small-town niceties, you couldn’t say. Kook and you had been in the midst of a stare-down, some kind of weird kindergarten dominance battle. Later in life, you would realize just how dumb it was to stare down a wolf-shifter, but at the time you hadn’t even realized what he was, let alone the finer points of inter-species etiquette. And it didn’t much matter, since had caved first, and bounded over to wrap you in a hug. Most of your childhood memories from that time were filled with warmth, whether from the hugs or the pie you couldn’t say for certain.

You thought that warmth would continue forever, and for a long time, it did. Your childhood adventures with Kook were filled with pillow forts, catching fireflies, and watching Ironman approximately ten thousand times. But then puberty hit you both like a train, and in very different ways. His shifts started, and he shot up and bulked up, while you filled out in different places, both of you mutually pimply and suddenly awkward.

Childhood warmth morphed into a flame. Pleasant in small amounts but dangerous if left unchecked. So you tried your hardest to keep a lid on your growing feelings. Jungkook had long ago explained that shifters get one mate for life, usually another shifter, so that the person wouldn’t be destroyed by the other not reciprocating their feelings. He had explained that while “mate” implied something physical, it was actually so much more than that-two halves of the same soul residing in different bodies. Not someone to fuck with, literally or metaphorically.  The way he had talked about it at the time made it seem like something far off, like college, marriage, or having kids, so the two of you worked hard in tiptoeing around what that might mean for your friendship. Instead, the two of you continued as you always had, and if his parents shot the two of you knowing looks, neither of you acknowledged it.

As high school dragged on, the two of you became busier, him with varsity football and you with drama club. Your friend groups diverged, but you both still made the time to hang out on the weekend and nerd out together, your friendship never losing that special spark.

Until he started dating a fellow wolf shifter from a nearby school. You presumed it to be serious, since shifters didn’t really date casually due to the soul bond. You were never really the jealous type, and Jungkook’s new and improved bunny smile helped you to welcome his girlfriend into your friendship.  She “got” him in ways that you never could, and not just because she was a wolf. Toned, tall, and golden, you were fairly certain that she could run both literal and metaphorical laps around you. It didn’t hurt that she was cool and genuinely gorgeous. Why even worry about competing when it was clearly impossible? And toxic?

But you would be lying if you denied the smaller, less secure part of yourself that felt jealous and displaced. Jungkook still tried to make time for your more occasional Friday night hangouts, but she kept taking up more and more of his headspace. When not actively talking about her, he was checking his phone incessantly. Maybe you were being petty, but you still wanted him to be present in your life as well.

Slowly but surely, you started staying later at theater rehearsals and investing more time into other friendships. Correspondingly, Jungkook’s text messages slowed to a trickle. The two of you still ate lunch together most days, but it had become less intense than it had once been. Occasionally, he still gave you those signature one-armed hugs that you secretly loved, his chin resting on the crown of your much lower head. Years ago, he had given you an overly vague description of pack dynamics, and the need for physical affection, which confused you now. Shouldn’t he be getting said attentions from his soulmate?A small part of you was flattered that his new relationship hadn’t completely displaced you from his pack. “Bros before….” whatever, as the expression went.

You convinced yourself it was innocent, particularly since you had started dating an equally nerdy lighting tech you had met through drama club. If his affinity for the MCU replicated someone else’s, you couldn’t say. If his penchant for video games reminded you of a childhood friend, well, everyone loved video games. Nothing to see there. If when kissing him, you envisioned someone else’s face, well you would never let on. It was never as serious as Kook’s relationship seemed to be.

Though all parties involved knew the inevitable outcome of the blossoming relationship between the two shifters, you had never actually heard Jungkook use the word “soulmate” in reference to his girlfriend. Because of books and movies, people tended to think of it as insta-love, but that wasn’t (usually) how it worked in real life. For as as much as their inner wolves guided them, they were people as well: emotions, ambitions, tics and traits as much as anyone else.  Even in the “wild” (though you often snorted at the dramatic image this conjured), there were trial periods, rituals,  and rites of passage. But from the outside, the two of them were the complementary faces of a coin, peas in a pod, tied by the strings of fate, and any other metaphor that someone wanted to use. Maybe it was one of those things Jungkook just knew,without the need to put a label on it.

Or so you thought. Clearly, you didn’t know as much about the natural world (or matters of the heart) as you had thought. Most of your knowledge you’d gleaned from NatGeo or Discovery Channel documentaries- you were a suburban kid like any other. Your knowledge of romance came from novels with Fabio or one of his five thousand lookalikes on the cover, CW shows, and your admittedly very lackluster current relationship.  When Kook had found out  he had growled slightly, and immediately tried to mask it with a cough. But you’d known him long enough to not fall for his bullshit. You were indignant though-you’d been supportive of his relationship, so why couldn’t he support yours? Sometimes, when the two of you walked down the hallway holding hands, Kook would shoot daggers with his eyes, which you would studiously ignore. But the guy was either oblivious or braver than you gave him credit for.

All these pointed looks and tension should have painted a sign for you (in neon letters) that all was NOT well in paradise, but you were working so hard to suppress what you felt for your childhood friend that it surprised you as much as anyone else when Kook’s girlfriend broke up with him. “Broke up” was giving her more than she deserved-she had simply taken off one day. Wolf shifters tended to the transient side (Kook’s family being the exception), and one day when another pack was passing through, she decided to run off with the alpha. You didn’t know if she’d found “the one” or was just flighty. And you certainly weren’t interested in the politics of the shifter world, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out the bump in status she would get from a high school kid to an established alpha. But you couldn’t spare her a second thought- your best friend was destroyed. Suddenly, the golden jock of the school was acting like one of the emo kids: dark circles from lack of sleep, appetite wrecked, small things irritating him, or at other times, complete indifference when he should have been irritated.

You didn’t know if Kook had it in him to love anyone else- maybe that part of him had left with her.  And it wasn’t particularly at the forefront of your mind, but you were genuinely worried about your friend. With the fall play winding down and winter finals fast approaching, you had extra time on your hands that you were supposed to be using to study. Instead, you spent every waking moment with Kook…and some decidedly not wakeful moments. It was around this time that your own boyfriend broke up with you, citing your emotional unavailability. You felt bad for wasting his time, but you also felt free. It was a relief, honestly, to be over and done with it.

All of the distance between you evaporated in a few weeks, if that. You watched Deadpool and Ant Man, played Overwatch, and tried to distract your friend from his heartbreak. Often, he would fall asleep, head resting on your lap, tears dripping from the corner of his eyes, even in sleep. But his parents had told you later that was the only time he was seemingly at ease enough to sleep at all.

You knew there were things unsaid, but it wasn’t the time-not when he was emotionally vulnerable. You didn’t want to feel predatory, and it was during this time, things started to fall into place for you. Your own feelings began to crystallize, and you realized that it didn’t matter in what way you had him, but that he needed to be in your life. Even if romantic love never materialized, there were other kinds of love that were just as deep and important. And you realized that you loved him, in that way too. Everything else-it was a distraction. It was thoughts like this that strengthened your resolve when things seemed particularly bleak.

Over time, everything you gave to him, he gave back tenfold. He slowly began to smile again, and sleep through the night. But the two of you continued to come and go from school together, one doing homework and waiting for the other if at practice or rehearsal. He never dated again while in high school, and you both ended up going to the local university. You for the in-state tuition breaks and well-rated course of study that you wanted, and him….well, you weren’t sure why, but if the ways his parents smirked was any indication, you might have had an inkling. After a mandatory first year spent in the dorms, the two of you got an apartment near the campus. And though neither of you were ones for lengthy confessions you had an understanding: you were soulmates in whatever way a damaged wolf shifter and human could be.  Never alone and always taking care of each other. Which was why, you were so shocked when, one average day like any other, he got down on one knee, and offered you a small velvet box, telling you that his heart was in your hands,  as it had always been and would always be.

[violetsforkino]

x kwave magazine ☾ april '18 ( translated by tentagonly )

the title of this issue is 'spread'. what do you think pentagon is 'spreading' now? kino: from a practical point of view, i think we are spreading pentagon's name. (laughs) as pentagon, we haven't had a lot of opportunities to stand in front of many people, so i think not many of you know our group. but we are working hard and working in various fields, so i think we can spread pentagon in the future. yuto: my friends and people around me know about our group since pentagon is very active in japan. i think we are sreading korean wave through our japan activites. hongseok: our team doesn't do well on sns. sometimes we would share videos on our channel but there aren't a lot of comments posted. but these days, our main vocal, hui comes across with comments like 'you sing very well'. i am happy that we are spreading good vocals.

it's been a year since debut. how do you feel? yeoone: surely, everything has changed in our lives since our debut. we already have five albums (t/n: i think this interview was before they released positive) after our debut, so i want to have more opportunities to meet fans in the future, and i want to let poeple know about us. also, i feel like we have a sense of responsibility to show good songs and performances, so the weight of performing on stage we felt for a year and the weight of the love of our fans got heavier, but we are more confident! "the more you look at this team, the more attractive they are. what are their limitations? how far can they show?" i feel confident that we will be a team with such expectations. e'dawn: i think promoting as triple h and hui is very meaningful. we worked with hyuna sunbaenim, and it was a great honor and a meaningful time to work with her because she is someone i respect so much. also, i think triple h promotions helped us a lot on our future activities. i feel like i became closer after working with hyuna sunbaenim and i gained a lot of support from her. yanan: i think i've grown up a lot. when i first came here to korean, personally, i think i've changed a lot.

you have shown various things, including composing, featuring, acting, choreography, and overseas activities, and the results are great. is there any new field/area you would like to challenge? hui: i think pentagon has actually covered a wide variety of areas including performing on stage, acting, composing, musical, etc. this time, i would like to show more about how we live, our behavior and how we eat. so this year, i really hope we can film a reality show. shinwon: i want to do a lot of concerts. whenever i get a chance, i really want to do it. we have so many things to show as individuals, as a unit, as a team that it would be nice if we have more opportunities to release and perform them. wooseok: our last album was great, but i'm looking forward to the next song. i want to show more of our cool side than the previous ones. hongseok: since japan opens market for lots of k-pop groups, we had the opportunity to release an album in japan and did activities. i meet many japanese fans and they really liked our member yuto (laughs). in the future, we would like to meet a lot of chinese fans and do many actibities in china to make yanan proud and happy.

what do you think is the unique charm of pentagon? hongseok: 10 members, 10 colors! we are 10 in a group, but we don't all look alike, we all have different personalities, different voices, different heights. we all are different! i find it even more amazing because we are a group of 10 people and we are still in harmony. this friend has a charm, this friend has a charm... no one to skip (laughs) jinho: for me... LOVE. we love each other very much, and we think about our fans a lot.

what are the pros and cons of having 10 members in a group? hui: i've felt one thing lately! there are so many birthdays! (laughs) i can't even take care of my own birthday. but we like surprises and pranks, so we love the birthdya party itself. shinwon: i think the advantage is that we have too many ideas to show. whether we are on or off the stage, we are really a diverse group. also, i think the existence of each member is important. yanan: i think the advantage of having 10 members is that i'm not scared to go out at night. i feel safe and secured (laughs). yuto: the cons is other members have indiivudal schedules such as drama, musical, etc, so it's hard to gather these days. it's sad that i want to see them, but i can't meet them. jinho: because they are a lot of members, it costs a lot of money. but also, it's easy to borrow money (laughs).

which word/s can describe each member? yeoone > shinwon: if i can describe shinwon in one word, i think it's 'unexpected (charm?)'. whenever i see shinwon, he looks so handsome, and at first, everyone would think that you'll love to hangout with him. but actually, he likes staying at home! he also has a delicate heart. moreover, he looks tall and mature, but i disagree. (laughs) his taste in food is similar to a child and he really likes playing games. shinwon > e'dawn: e'dawn is like a 'universe'. universe is wide and big. we know what is in there, but we don't know what is going to happen or what to expect. e'dawn > hui: 'pillar'. he is very confident. he is one of the most dependable member and also very supportive of our team. he is a strong pillar that will never break! hui > yanan: yanan is like a white drawing paper. he has a pure heart and is very delicate. he is the most 'eye-catching' member, and his appearance is like a young man that he reminds me of a white drawing paper. yanan > hongseok: healthy! hongseok is good at taking care of himself and looks very healthy. his physical is really good! hongseok > kino: 'passion'. kino focuses on the field he wants, he has a goal and still manages to do wahtever he wants to do in spite of his physical injury or difficulty. in this regard, i believe this is something we follow. kino > jinho: 'as expected!' i always say 'as expected, he is jinho.' in our group, i write songs, direct and make choreography, and from time to time i tell the members, 'only jinho hyung can do this,' and 'this part fits jinho hyung.' he always manages everything more than i expected. jinho > wooseok: wooseok is like a 'dog'. he always likes to play. he is the youngest and he is always bright, friendly and cute. wooseok > yuto: 'black hole' (laughs) firs tof all, yuto likes black so much, but he's not as dangerous as he looks. yuto > yeoone: 'strong' he was filming a drama during the time we are promoting. after his shooting ends at dawn, he will go to our practice room to practice. i'm thankful seeing him who works so hard. he is a strong hyung who always tells us it's okay.

any hopes, goals, or expectations? kino: i like it if we can show a new side of us, but i think the greatest advantage of pentagon is the stage. i wish we will have more opportunities to show different colors of pentagon in terms of singing, dancing, and performances. yeoone: to win at the music broadcast and to hold a concert with a larger audience are some of our little wishes. my personal wish is to dance until jinho hyung will already have a hard time dancing. i want to promote for a long time, until jinho hyung becomes 47 y/o and i am 43 y/o. i think 10 of us would be so happy. hongseok: i hope many people will know about our close relationship. there are many people who like our music, but many of them like our relationship too. i think the relationship between our close and affectionate members are an important factor in making our team last longer. yanan: my biggest goal is to work hard and to continue to make better results. i personally put a lot of effort for our team.

as an artist, what kind of charm does pentagon hope to 'spread' in the future? hui: in the future, pentagon will always do our best to show a great, profressional look on stage. we would like to be a friendly and happy group who can be approached easily. jinho: this year, i hope pentagon will grow more and let many people know more about our songs and let many people listen to tour songs. wooseok: i hope our group can surpass live stages. also, i hope many people would remember the signature pose of our group and spread it so they can follow. e'dawn: i hope a lot of people would know that we are a talented group. we will work harder for it.

lastly, say something to your fans hui: we made our debut on october 10, 2016, and it has been a year and three months. i'm really thankful to the fans who always supported us since we introduced ourselves through a show before our debut. i want to work and stay with you for a long time.

[plumbobsanonymous]

sul sul, simmers! behold; my first venture into sims!

so i just started playing sims since late last year when my partner bought the game. i’d like to think i’ve come a long way in that space of time, which of course, as i’m sure is customary with all simmers, means i am very embarrassed of my first project/s. buuut i've always felt in order to show how far one has come, one must show where they have been; so without further ado, here is my first house and sims.

my first sim i admit i ended up channelling a bit of fantasising into unintentionally lol. she's a hot lesbian artist who clearly makes lots of money from her art career or maybe her sugar daddy who strangely goes by "motherlode"...

anyway, so obviously the next part was to build her a cool house. with all the rooms, and i mean ALL THE ROOMS, including multiple childrens' rooms. never mind that my sim, single with her dog, was going to go off pause and suddenly a house would have sprung up where it wasn't before full of all of her things and many children's rooms as if the universe almost had... plans for her...

i guess sims don't question things like that.

now i'd like to point out, i like my houses s p a c i o u s... nah i'm kidding i went in there with the wall tool and just made a bunch of shapes and then turned them into rooms and turns out you end up with a massive disproportionate fkin' house if you do that, the more you know, it's all a learning curve. feel free to make fun of me like all of my flatmates did. i also spent like 6 hours on it, probably not helped by the fact i didn’t know about many of the game’s features, including the colour select tool and the option to paint the entire room instead of each tile, one by one...

it is what it is. 🤷 please enjoy the monstrosity that happens when you have no idea what you’re doing and no spacial reasoning to help.

so mei {hot lesbian artist} now had this biiig empty house to fill and it was just her and her dog, and i realised i was now far too attached to her and to this house to just get her to meet a random sim. so it was back into sim creator where i poured many more hours into making her a girlfriend, a dog for her dog to breed with, as well as two cats to breed with each other. unfortunately however, her first girlfriend died in a tragic egg-cooking-fire-panic-save-lost-related incident as did the dog and two cats. never mind, an "eerily similar" looking sim named genevieve showed up with her dog and two cats the next day and they seemed to really hit it off.

again, please have patience with me... i swear i figure out photos better later on.😂 

also another fun learning curve i've encountered is that making my house both a cat and dog hangout seemed super fun at the time. i didn't realise this meant that any old dog or cat that happened to be strolling by could just let themselves into my house, eat my food, piss on my floor and pass out, and eventually having like 5+ random dogs and cats on top of my four at any given time became overwhelming and i had to turn that feature off. but here are the few photos i got of the chaos that ensued in the meantime; mayor whiskers sitting on my dining table and the cat who sat his furry ass in my macaroni and smirked at me.

stay tuned for more of mei & genevieve. it gets better as i figure out what the fuck i’m doing, i promise. 😂