#the usual manager i use was like YIKES on working with them so we'll see hehe <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[thedeadthree]

-ˋˏ .·:·. ⊱ ❦ ⊰ .·:·. -ˋˏ

i need to add colorings and things to these tissaia screenies but LOOK AT SHEE !!

[leighlew3]

In a bit of positive and hopeful news...

My manager LOVES my new spec. This is emotional for me, honestly. It's the first full thing I've written since mom died / the strike began. It was a sort of "fuck it" script, to boot. High concept and fun and funny but oddly intimate, with heart and a deeper message. Women-lead of course. I wrote it in like 2 weeks. And he's over the moon about it. Said it even helped re-energize him amidst this demoralizing strike. 🥺

I'm tweaking it a tad now based on some very light notes that I agree with, but either way he's VERY excited to roll with it post-strike.

This actually means so much to me. For many reasons.

Coming up on the five month mark since losing Mom, and this exhausting strike began, I really needed this excitement and hope.

For a peek behind the curtain, your reps being thrilled and genuinely pumped about the things you've written is a HUGE help to the process. My reps always love my writing and will take out whatever I'd like them to take out, sure, and I appreciate that about them because not everyone is that blessed believe me, but certain scripts make them GIDDY and EXTRA pumped to get started on the process of putting it together/getting it out there -- and that's usually when things turn out best for a project.

Sending something out to a select few people because "it's really solid, let's see what happens and if the market is receptive" is wonderful, of course. That's a win for any writer. Anything being deemed good enough to go out is half the battle in a looooong war to get anything packaged, sold and/or made, honestly.

But your reps being ready as hell to run a script down the hall to the people who rep the top actresses, and excited to send a piece of material out to everybody (once the strike ends) because "it's fresh, it's so great, I love it, it could attract top talent, this is a reminder why I'm in this business doing what I do" language/vibes = THE BEST.

So, fingers crossed for me. And for this new spec. And especially above all else for a proper, WGA/SAG-AFTRA-friendly resolution to this strike ASAP because everybody is HURTING and we all need to get back to work. Things are tentatively hopeful on that front this week due to yesterday's joint (!) release and some rumblings on the inside. But we'll see. The strike MIGHT even be resolved today barring any breakdowns of the process and AMPTP pulling anything yikes. But for now... I'm (very cautiously optimistic) about things.

Either way, I'm hustling to update this spec with some final adjustments, and will be ready for us to hit the ground running as soon as the strike ends, whether that is this week, next week, next month, or God-forbid next year.

[ushijimacentral]

Until I Met You

summary: iwaizumi's gotten used to it. the squeals of the fangirls interrupting practice, dragging oikawa away, but now things are different. he can't ignore it like he used to. what's wrong with wanting to be considered attractive after all?

tags/warnings: fluff, fem!reader, mentions of insecurities, self-doubt

wc: 1.9k

a/n: top 5 fic again. inspired by the annoying squeals of oikawa's fangirls in s1. when i say they get on my last nerve... anyway, enjoy a world where iwaizumi becomes a stuttering, blabbering mess <3

i’m planning on making a part two to this as well so if you’d like to be notified, join the taglist below!

"Oikawa-senpai!!!" The deafening shrieks of Oikawa's fangirls filled the gym. They'd managed to find him again. "Oikawa-senpai, I made you this good luck charm for your next game." A small girl with pigtails handed him the charm, a slight pink tinging her cheeks. "And I made you some milk bread, I know it's your favorite." Said another smoothly. "We'll be cheering for you Oikawa-san!" Squealed a taller girl. As the group began to surround Seijoh's captain with their various gifts and treats, Iwaizumi decided he had seen enough. "Oi! Let him get back to practice so we can actually win our next game." He sauntered over to them, giving Oikawa a swift slap in the back of his head."

"Awww can't we stay just for a little?" The taller girl whined. "Nope," Iwaizumi replied, dragging Oikawa back over to the court. "He's got a lot of work today so please stop bothering our captain." His words were a little clipped this time. After all the girls seemed to be cornering him more and more recently. It was only a few weeks until the Inter-High Prelims and Oikawa needed extra practice. However, his fangirls didn't seem to care. "C'mon let's go," the smaller girl said. "You're just bitter because you don't have girls that like you." The tall ringleader quipped, sticking out her tongue as she and the group left the gym. "Yikes Iwa-chan, are your feelings hurt?" Asked Oikawa in mock sympathy. Another slap found itself on Oikawa's head as Iwaizumi responded. "Not as badly as I'm gonna hurt you if you don't get back to practice."

The team spent the rest of practice going over drills, practicing serves, and watching their best plays. Afterwards, they headed home. Iwaizumi went over his homework, had a bath and ate dinner before finally heading to bed. But sleep didn't come to him, the words of the tall girl kept ringing in his ears. You're just bitter because you don't have girls that like you. Was it true? I mean it was partially. No one in his year had confessed to him. And his one girlfriend in junior high lost interest after she saw Oikawa. Could it be that he was unattractive? Would he always lose to Oikawa? With these thoughts circling through his head, he managed to fall into a fitful sleep.

Morning came, and with it more drama with Oikawa. "Morning Iwa-chan, you look worse than usual? Is everything alright?" His sarcasm slipped through his trademark smile but Iwaizumi wasn't in the mood. "Shut up Trashykawa, not in the mood." "What's got you so down? I'm sure we'll do great in the prelims." Oikawa said cheerily. Iwa grumbled something as he took off his shoes and placed them on the shelf. However, they touched something and an envelope fell down in front of him. "What's this?" Oikawa asked gleefully as he snatched up the envelope. He gasped dramatically. "It's a confession!" "You're kidding." Iwa grabbed the envelope and opened it.

Iwaizumi,

I have finally worked up the courage to confess

Meet me in the back of the gymnasium at lunch time

Please come alone

-Iwaizumi's #1 Fan

"Wow Iwa, when did you get a fan club?" Oikawa snickered. But Iwaizumi was too entranced by the letter to even respond. Should he go? Was this a prank? Would he ultimately lose this person to Oikawa? His thoughts were broken by a slap to his face. "Snap out of it Iwaizumi. You're going to see this girl and at least hear them out." "Fine," And with that Iwaizumi picked up his bag and headed to class.

The morning was a blur. He could barely pay attention to his lessons and couldn't peel his eyes off the clock. Lunch time, lunch time, lunch time, lunch time. It rang over and over again in his head. Finally his class ended and raced over to the gym, only to find Oikawa standing outside the doors. "I'm here for moral support Iwa," Oikawa affirmed "And to comfort the poor girl in case you reject her" Socking him in the arm, Iwaizumi swung open the doors and entered the gym only to see... Nobody? He scanned the gym left and right. It was empty, it had been a prank after all. His heart sank and he prepared to go back through the doors when he heard a noise. Whipping around, he saw the supply closet door open and saw a girl in the Aoba Johsai uniform step out. "Iwaizumi-san, it's me, [Y/N]."

His jaw dropped. Was this the girl who had written the letter? It couldn't be how could someone as beautiful as you be interested in someone as ordinary as him? "I-i'm the one who wrote the letter. Iwaizumi's number one fan?" You stammered. He swallowed. You were even more beautiful up close. The way you looked at him and fiddled with your hands made him all the more nervous. And from here he could see the sparkle in your eyes and breathe in how good you smelled. His mind malfunctioned. "I'm I-iwaizumi Hajime." He sqeaked out, turning bright red. "I know," You giggled. "I've wanted to confess for a bit but I never had the courage."

"You've never had the courage? But you're gorgeous how could anyone reject you?" He gasped, turning a deeper shade of red. "Oh my gosh that makes me sound super shallow, I mean of course I know looks aren't everything. Personality is important too and I'm sure you're a lovely as a person too but-" "Iwaizumi-san," You cut him off and touched his arm. He froze, almost fearful of what you would say next. Taking a deep breath you replied. "You're really cute Iwaizumi-san." "You can call me Hajime," he managed to choke out. "Alright then Hajime, my friends are waiting for me to eat lunch right now but I'll talk to you later!" "B-bye!" He sputtered out as you skipped out the gym. He sank down on the ground and attempted to collect his thoughts. A pretty, no gorgeous girl was interested in him. What should he do? Would he take you on a date? How many compliments is too many compliments? Would you ultimately fall in love with Oikawa? He sat there on the gym floor muttering to himself when Oikawa glided in.

"Well, well, Iwa, looks like you finally got yourself a girl." He sat down next to him and patted his shoulder. "Can I be your best man?" "One thing at a time Oikawa. I gotta see if she stays with me first." Oikawa tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Oh I know, invite her to volleyball practice to watch. She'd probably like that." Hajime rolled his eyes. "And what makes you so sure about that?" "Because she said so." Haijme turned to the captain in shock. "S-she said so?" Nodding Oikawa finally explained. "Well she's in Class 6 with me and she's mentioned her interest in volleyball and how much she loves our ace. Plus she's been to almost all of our games." Iwaizumi jumped to his feet. "YOU KNEW ALL THIS AND NEVER TOLD ME???" "Girls kinda all blend together after a while you know." He waved his hand dismissively. "No, Oikawa, some of us don't know." He groaned. "Look on the bright side. Now you do know and you have a girlfriend, invite her."

"Not right away, give me some time first." "Fine, you have until after lunch."

"Knock it off."

Before you knew it, lunch was over and it was time to head back to class. On your desk you found a note.

[Y/N],

Come to volleyball practice in the gym at 3:00. Someone wants to talk to you.

There was no name signed at the bottom so you eagerly awaited for practice to begin.

As soon as school was over, you raced to the gym. Opening the doors you saw the team practicing their spikes and receives. Hajime glanced over as he heard the doors open just as Kindaichi spiked one of Oikawa's sets. The ball collided with Iwaizumi's face, who had become entranced by you as soon as the doors open.

"[Y/N]!" Oikawa called jogging over to you. "I see you got my note." Sighing you looked him over. "I knew I should've recognized the crappy handwriting." "Now, now, now, is that anyway to treat your student"

"I was forced to tutor you so you could stay on the team. If it weren't for Iwaizumi, I wouldn't have-" Then you remembered the spike. "Hajime!" You ran over to him. "Are you okay?" Kunimi was walking over with some tissues and ice for his nosebleed." "I'm fine," he sputtered weakly. "Nice kill Kindaichi!" Oikawa smirked. "Shut up Oikawa!" You and Hajime spat in unison. "Wait a minute, you don't like Oikawa?" he asked, dabbing at the blood coming out his nose. "Of course not, he's egotistical, stuck up, and quite frankly a little stupid." You whispered. "I had to tutor him and he was such a pain to deal with."

"I will marry you right now." He blurted before becoming even redder and looking away. The rest of the team chuckled. You smiled. "Here, let me help you with the ice pack." And you gently put it against his cheek. "Hopefully the swelling will go down soon and I can watch you play." He hardly spoke while waiting for the swelling to go down but you couldn't help but notice the smile that he kept trying to hide with his hand.

After practice, he approached you. "Thanks for helping me with today with the nosebleed and stuff." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "If you'd like I can walk you home, or to the train station if you're a little farther than that. It's definitely alright if you're not comfortable with that or you don't want me to see your house-" "Hajime, it's fine." You gave him a warm smile. "I live about three blocks down from here so you can take me." And taking his hand the two of you walked home and talked about yourselves. He talked about adegashi tofu and his dreams of becoming an athletic trainer. You talked about school and hanging out with your friends. But both of you talked about your best encounters with Oikawa.

"I've caught him shoving two volleyballs under his shirt and chasing Yahaba with them." He laughed at the memory. "Mine is still better. I stepped out to get some water during one of our study sessions and when I came back, he was writing a love letter to himself." Both of you were so doubled over with laughter that the time seemed too short. Within no time you had arrived at your house. "Thanks for walking me home, I hope it wasn't too out of the way for you." He shook his head. "I actually live just one block down from here so it's very convenient." "Is that so?" You smiled. "I can do this tomorrow too if you'd like, no pressure or anything." "I'd love that Hajime." You have him a parting hug and went inside the gate to your house. "See you tomorrow [Y/N]!"

"See you tomorrow Hajiime!"

taglist: @shinsouscorner​

[pargolettasworld]

Today in "just because you can does not necessarily mean that you should."

The Icarus Theatre Collective in London has decided that it would be a Really Good Idea™ right now to stage a production of Romeo and Juliet set in Germany in the 1930s, featuring Nazi!Romeo and Jewish!Juliet. The article focuses in on the fact that the casting call did not specifically mention looking for Jewish actors to play various Capulets, which . . . sure. It's the equivalent of looking at a note that reads "I have kidnaped your wife and will shoot her in the head unless you deliver me five million dollars by sunset" and worrying that "kidnapped" was misspelled, but sure.

I mean, I get it. It's Shakespeare, so it's practically a tradition at this point to stage his plays in literally any other setting than the one ol' Willie had in mind for them. And Richard Loncraine's 1995 Nazi-themed film version of Richard III was completely brilliant. And Romeo and Juliet is about A Feud™, and what better Feud™ could you possibly want to see on stage than this one, pitting nattily dressed Montagues managing to twirl toothbrush mustaches against the poor, helpless Capulets* in the Shadow of Oppression? Making the usually sympathetic Montagues the villains in this setup is certainly A Choice, and, in other circumstances, I would really love to see how a stage director could set that up.

But I have to hand it to these people . . . it's rare to see professional theater people misunderstand Romeo and Juliet (famously straightforward enough that you can give it to high school kids as Baby's First Shakespeare) and The Holocaust (1939 - 1945) that badly. ** Like, you know it was a group effort. There were people tooling away at ignoring the Yikes Factor of showing Nazis and Jews in romantic situations, other people merrily chanting "The power of redemptive love through death is exactly the kind of story that we want to use Jewish characters to tell," and still other people la-la-la-ing about how that whole "two households, both alike in dignity" thing can't possibly be an important part of the not-terribly-subtle story that Shakespeare was trying to tell with this play.*** Teamwork! Let's all stroke together, like the Princeton crew . . .

Honestly, there is a part of me that wants to see this production, just for the sheer entertainment value of watching people forge ahead and apply all their best talents to such an egregiously bad idea. But I guess we'll just have to see what happens. And see if any actual Jewish actors decide to show up to audition to be Capulets, I suppose.

*NGL, I'm actually kind of interested in how a character like Tybalt fits into this scheme. A kind of Herschel Grynszpan figure, perhaps?

**But not unknown. I once paid $85 to see the Chicago Shakespeare Company butcher it, so, you know, professionals are entirely capable of screwing this one up.

***This is, in fact, exactly their plan. That speech will be cut, in its entirety. As it would have to be, to make this idea work.

[figs-and-cigs]

So I started talking to this guy, we hit things off pretty well, went on a couple dates. It became very clear that he was pretty infatuated with me. He began asking about a relationship, labels, a kink dynamic. I mostly shrugged on the red flags: "sure I'd like and am interested in those things - we'll see how it goes!"

So my entire household got sick, kiddo, spouse, myself. My chronic fatigue kicked in and I wasn't interacting with anyone. I'm very honest about my health issues whenever I start taking to people. I go through phases of intense self care/isolation. I have mental and physical health issues, but I manage them. I get sick or have chronic pain/fatigue flares often. "If you don't hear from me, I'm usually fine, busy, sleeping."

But, very often, when people (who don't know me very well) don't hear from me for a bit they seem to jump to 2 conclusions.

I'm dying or at least suffering greatly!

OMG I must hate you and don't want anything to do with you!

Neither of which are ever really true - and if they are I'll say something (I know how to ask for help, and I know how to communicate if our relationship isn't working.)

So this guy I'd been talking to didn't hear from me for a day - because I was sick and slept all day. He sent tons of messages (1. accurately assuming I was "suffering".) I responded as I could and moved on with my life (parenting, being sick with a sick spouse).

Eventually we were feeling better and I went to a Polyam friends' for game night. Well Mr. Guy called, I didn't answer (because I was kicking butt at Quelf), and he sent messages about how worried he was because he hadn't heard from me, for a day...

Anyways after another 2 weeks of me literally just living my life (parenting, self care, my support groups, therapy, cfs day, projects, time with spouse, social engagements) and being bombarded by texts about how worried he was about my being sick all the time (1), or how worried he was that I lost interest in him (2). (Note: I wasn't ignoring him, just not able to have hour long conversations with him every damn day!)

I finally spoke up, eventually ending in this message:

"I really wanted to explore this, but it seems really apparent to me that while a lot of our interests are aligned you're wanting and hoping for a lot more than I can offer - and the timeframe of things aren't aligning well, and my health issues and inability to be more involved in your life is causing you immense distress. It doesn't feel right for me to continue this."

He offered to change (yikes!) insisted he wanted to understand and "navigate this with me" (I don't come with a manual!) There were other red flags I didn't mention, but I'm glad I kept my boundaries and handled this pretty gracefully.

Did I mention I'd only talked to this guy for 2 months, went on 2 dates, didn't establish any type of dynamic? He's also married and been Polyam for 10 years? Also during those 2 months he had 3 other partners breaks up with him... (my understanding is these relationships weren't very long either...)

I hope he talks to his therapist and sorts his stuff out. Trying not to be judgey mcjudgerson but damn dude....

Meanwhile, this isn't my first rodeo and I'm kind of frustratingly wondering -

Do I need to find a better way to clarify my disabilities, my schedules, the way I communicate to new people? It hasn't seemed to be an issue for most of my relationships - but their communication style seem to align with mine (i.e. we don't need to talk every day.) My conclusion is NO, I can't control when people take it personally or become worried about me - and I can only use so many spoons to continually validate and reassure them that 1. I'm ok. I manage my health issues. 2. It's not about them.

WTF is it about "Polam" Cishet MEN wanting to jump into a relationship/dynamic within the first month of talking!?!? This isn't the first time, and I'm sure I won't be the last. (I'm reminded of the man, who on our first date, tried to link our Google calendars together! Ughhh. NO!) I've not had this problem with non Cishet Men - (and not with the Cishet Men I currently have relationships with lol). But even monogamous people date for a while before starting a relationship, right? RIGHT?

[emachinescat]

Way Back Wednesday #1

Welcome to Way Back Wednesday! Every Wednesday, I am delving into my past as a fanfic writer and reflecting on and sharing one of my stories… starting from the very beginning, 16 years ago, when I was a 14-year-old kid discovering her love for fandom. ❤️

Today’s story is…

An Unlikely Team

American Dragon: Jake Long & Kim Possible

Summary: Monkey Fist and Huntsman have teamed up in order to defeat their respective foes. With Monkey Ninjas, goblins, dragons, nacos, spy gear, magic potion, secrets, regrets, and tears, no one is going to escape from this situation without changing somehow.

Rating: G

Chapters: 18 | Words: 12,353

Year Published: 2005 | My age: 14

Relationships: Jake Long/Rose | Huntsgirl | Characters: Jake Long, Ron Stoppable, Kim Possible, Monkey Fist, Huntsman, Rose | Huntsgirl, Lao Shi, Fu Dog

AO3 Tags: Crossover, Suspense, Humor

My reflections on and "review" of the story are after the break! :)

Oh, wow. It was an adventure coming back to this story! It marked a lot of firsts for me - my first crossover, my first story above 10k words, my first chapter fic. I don't remember a whole lot about my writing process back then, or about the circumstances of writing this story. I was 14, and a lot has happened since then. I do remember that I was still coming off the review-high from my first story, and that I had no idea what I was doing, not really. And it kind of shows.

I guess I should go ahead and say that this story, like the last one, isn't bad. I mean, the plot, if a bit simple and contrived, makes sense and moves along fairly well, and the characters (except for Rose, but we'll get to her in a minute) are pretty well portrayed, and grammatically, there were no glaring errors that I could see. It was interesting enough; it has been probably a decade or more since I last opened this story, but it still managed to hold my attention well enough, I suppose. It has some very positive reviews (and some critical ones), so I must have done something right.

But I've got to go over the issues with this story. Most of them I think are just hilarious. I'd been writing since I was five, but I was new to this kind of storytelling and still trying to find my voice as a writer. Once again, it shows.

Okay, so first, there's the plot itself - super simple, very contrived, and kind of weird. Huntsman and Monkey Fist team up so that M can help H capture and unmask the American Dragon, and in return, H will give M a talisman that will "undoubtedly" make him the Ultimate Monkey Master? Sure, seems legit, I guess.

Then there's the fact that I had to end every chapter - or nearly every chapter - with a cliffhanger, even if it didn't warrant one. I was dying laughing because most chapters would end with a character saying something hopeful to another character, but then muttering under their breath something grim and suspenseful. For example: "'Let us go. Jake's life is depending on us. He is alive for now...' and then he added almost inaudibly, 'but not for long...'" It's hilarious, and I wish I could remember if I was trying to be edgy or just ensure readers would come back, or if I thought being ominous was a hallmark of good writing. Also, the chapters were overall very short. I think I just wrote however much I felt like writing and then posted. Of course, I was having to post between school and the Boys & Girls Club where my mom worked (and being grounded, like a lot), so I guess I just wrote what and when I could.

Some of the dialogue's a bit clunky, and I had a weird thing with time limits. They capture Jake, and then they have to send Huntsgirl out to get a potion that will make him human because they forgot (???) this very important part of the plan for some reason. She says something along the lines of, "My Huntstick will transport me to the magical black market almost instantly. I'll be back within an hour." That doesn't add up, unless she's going to spend an hour haggling with the seller. Then she gets back, amps up the whole evil villain plot, and then adds, "Oh, yeah, it'll take 30 minutes for this potion to take effect." So she and the baddies just stand there for half an hour watching Jake slowly turn from dragon to human. Then when he's been poisoned (another weird plot contrivance), Lao Shi says, "If we don't give him the antidote in 30 seconds, he'll die!" I suppose I did set the scene, whether intentionally or not, by having a clock ticking in the background, but the way that all of the characters seem to have such an acute knowledge and understanding of time is just weird to me.

The only aspect of this story to actually bother me is the disservice I did to Rose's character. In the show, she's portrayed as a pretty strong protagonist-by-day/antagonist-by-night, but in my story, she's pitiful. I don't know if I just consumed a lot of media with weak female characters or what, but it's super cringey how emotional and weak she's portrayed as once she finds out the truth about Jake. She cries, which is fine, but then girlfriend just up and faints! She cries some more, begs Jake to forgive her, acting like she'll never be able to live with herself or forgive herself if he doesn't, then gets mad at him when he needs a little time to process that the girl he has a crush on is also the girl who's been trying to kill him. Then as soon as he apologizes for... being traumatized, I guess? she turns around and starts spouting off stuff about never being able to forgive herself if he'd died or something. I apologize most deeply to her character.

Oh, I just realized I haven't really discussed the Kim Possible side of things, mostly because it's pretty cut and dry. Those characters all seemed to be, well, in character. I especially feel I had Ron down to a T. It was also really funny the way I had Huntsman and Monkey Fist constantly arguing even through their alliance. The fight scenes, with Kim and with Jake, are very minimal. They're usually one step above just saying, "They fought." On that note, there's not a whole lot of detail or description, but a lot of dialogue. I definitely could have expanded more on the world to make the crossover feel more complete.

All that (mostly light-hearted) criticism aside, it was fun to get to go back and read this, and if you think you'd be interested, be my guest. It's a cute little read, and important to me because it marked the second step in my fan-fiction journey.

Next week, we'll be taking a look at one of the cringiest things I've ever written - yikes!

[mobprincessdani]

text || Dani & Rachel

Rachel: [https://mobprincessdani.tumblr.com/post/190563355061/sms-rachel-dani]

Dani: Hey there cutie

Rachel: Do you work tomorrow night?

Dani: Depends, does it benefit me if I am?

Rachel: I would say so. You’d get to see me 🙂

Dani: Yeah, I am. I work most nights. Unless my uncle starts thinking I'm working too much, then he forbids me from it.

Rachel: I’m glad you have him to make you step back once and a while.

Rachel: Friday’s my usual pizza day.

Dani: It's annoying, mostly. He just gets worried if he thinks I'm ignoring my school work for actual work.

Dani: I'll keep that in mind.

Rachel: Never be annoyed by people caring for you.

Dani: They're overprotective. Which, while appreciated, is also very annoying.

Rachel: They have reason to be, Dani.

Dani: I take care of myself just fine.

Rachel: I wasn’t trying to question that.

Dani: They act like they haven't taught me to fight or shoot a gun or manage my time and energy.

Rachel: They love you.

Dani: I know they do.

Rachel: Are you into weird sex things?

Dani: Define weird

Rachel: I guess anything that isn’t vanilla.

Dani: There are different levels of kink but, overall, I'm pretty open

Rachel: Cool. A lot of people online had been into pretty kinky things.

Dani: I have had some very interesting things offered to me, for sure. And have agreed to some of them, though didn't necessarily enjoy them.

Rachel: Do I get to hear the ones you did enjoy?

Dani: Maybe one day.

Dani: What about you? What are you into?

Rachel: I have an idea but I haven’t exactly explored.

Dani: Tell me?

Rachel: Well, biting. Blind folds maybe. Choking.

Rachel: I’m telling you that as a friend.

Dani: Biting is fun. Never been on the receiving end of the other two, but they're fun to do to other people.

Rachel: It seems so sensual to have to rely on your senses.

Dani: It's quite the exercise in trust, as well.

Rachel: Trust is hard for me to give, I think.

Dani: It's certainly not something to take lightly.

Rachel: You’re right.

Dani: I've only done them once or twice. But that's what happens when someone just wants you for you money

Rachel: Do you want to have a girlfriend one day?

Dani: I had one, when I was younger. We were in high school, her family moved out of state and I took the breakup hard. Not a lot of people knew her family moved, so it was rumored that my father had her and/or her family killed for breaking up with me.

Dani: I haven't had one since and I do want one but the rumors scare people off.

Rachel: How ignorant.

Rachel: I’m sorry it can’t be so simple.

Dani: It sucks, honestly.

Dani: My little sister has it worse, though. She has to deal with the general family rumors and then the ones about me.

Rachel: There are that many?

Dani: The mob ties are well known but not provable. So, yes.

Rachel: I’m not scared off easy.

Dani: I hope so.

Rachel: I’m also not a liar.

Rachel: I don’t say things I don’t mean.

Dani: I don't doubt you are, but sometimes circumstances change.

Rachel: They’re about to change, aren’t they?

Dani: They could. The closer we get, no matter the context, the rumors will come back to you.

Rachel: I crave attention. You may not know that about me.

Dani: Yeah, but attention from people because you might have ties to the mob, is not good.

Rachel: Any attention is better than none.

Dani: Not when it can get you hurt.

Rachel: Can’t I flip that around on you?

Dani: I was born into this life. I was taught how to deal with the rumors and I was taught how to defend myself. If rumors and lies exist like webs, my family are spiders. Unfortunately, that turns a lot of innocent people into prey, even if we're not the ones doing the preying.

Dani: Guess we'll just have to see which you are, spider, prey, or something bigger.

Rachel: What could possibly be bigger than a spider?

Rachel: Will I be seeing you this evening?

Dani: Literally most things, to be fair.

Dani: You should be, yeah.

Rachel: I fear finding out could mean we aren’t meant to be friends.

Rachel: I’ve scheduled some open houses.

Dani: Being big enough to break through the excess webbing isn't always a bad thing. As long as you leave the spider unharmed.

Dani: Oh? That's good.

Rachel: I’d never harm a spider.

Rachel: I feel like you should come with me.

Dani: Can't tell if that's foolish of you or not.

Dani: I certainly can, provided I don't have class.

Rachel: I get to decide that.

Rachel: Next weekend.

Dani: Is that so?

Dani: I can be there, just not like hella early. One of my cousins is coming in and my uncle wants me to entertain him, so I agreed to that, which means a likely hangover.

Rachel: Of course it’s so.

Rachel: That sounds like fun.

Dani: Dude isn't bad and he pays for my drinks, but he mixes them strong while we watch movies and somehow always end up watching porn. Which is weird, because we both end up awkwardly heading to bed to get ourselves off. Just to come back and watch more movies with more alcohol until we somehow hit porn again.

Dani: We have a weird relationship.

Rachel: That’s a lot of information.

Dani: Consider it a heads up, cos I have a very fun habit of drunk texting.

Rachel: You’d think about me completely obliterated?

Dani: I kinda just default to whoever I've been texting most at the time.

Rachel: That could change.

Dani: I doubt it

Rachel: I like that reassurance.

Rachel: You’re the only person I’m texting. Mostly.

Dani: Outside of family and like classmates, you're basically it for me.

Rachel: I think some may consider that lame.

Dani: I don't have friends, remember?

Rachel: You have me.

Dani: I meant besides you

Rachel: Right. I’m glad you didn’t forget.

Dani: Kinda hard to

Rachel: Because I’m unforgettable? 😛

Dani: Because we're texting, dork

Rachel: I’m no such thing, Dani.

Dani: Mmhmm, sure

Rachel: 😮

Dani: What?

Rachel: Well, it’s not the meanest thing I’ve been called

Dani: I meant no offense, darling

Rachel: I’m glad.

Dani: So, what're you up to?

Rachel: Research mostly. Preparing for some auditions I have going on tomorrow.

Dani: What kind of research?

Rachel: Research about sex and things.

Dani: Oh? Cool. Learn anything fun?

Rachel: No, not fun.

Dani: No?

Rachel: I just seem to find it more daunting the more I read.

Dani: Sex or kink?

Rachel: Sex.

Dani: Oh.

Rachel: Weren’t expecting that?

Dani: Not really, no.

Rachel: I’m full of surprises.

Dani: I guess you are.

Rachel: I’m quite thankful you messaged me when you did.

Rachel: I was ready to just give myself away.

Dani: I was honestly a little surprised, when I saw your profile.

Dani: There are some NASTY fuckers on that site, too.

Rachel: I figured I’d be able to handle the nasty.

Rachel: I’m a little desperate. I have nothing else to offer.

Dani: Like, I'm into some shit but some of the stuff I've been told about people asking for... not the kind of thing you want your first time to include. Not even the kind of stuff you'd want your... 50th time. Like, no fault to those who like it, but... yikes.

Rachel: I was hoping I could find someone reasonable.

Rachel: But I can handle anything.

Rachel: I know that I want things that are more than vanilla. I can’t know what if I haven’t tried.

Dani: Yeah, but getting into it with someone who wants a very specific kind of kink and finding out it's not the thing you're into can get weird. Or so I've heard.

Rachel: If the money was good enough.

Rachel: But it doesn’t matter.

Dani: I'm definitely glad I was the one to find you, now more so than before.

Rachel: I hope that I will be worth it.

Dani: You already are, dork.

Rachel: You say that.

Dani: And it won't change.

Rachel: I have no reason to think you’re lying to me.

Dani: And you shouldn't, because I'm not.

Rachel: I quite fancy the place with the window seat.

Dani: Window seats are the bomb.

Rachel: Ha!

Rachel: I’d have to agree.

Dani: There's really nice bay window with one at my parent's house and I used to sit there and play guitar for hours on rainy days.

Rachel: That sounds really wonderful. I bet they loved it.

Dani: I'm sure I annoyed them when I hit my teen angst phase and was only playing like really depressing rock songs, but other than that, probably

Rachel: The fact you’d still share yourself like that is incredible.

Dani: It's my favorite spot in the house

Rachel: I hope to see it one day.

Rachel: In pictures of course

Dani: I mean, I doubt mother would mind if I came for a visit and brought a friend. IF you ever wanted to see it in more than pictures.

Rachel: Is that what friends do?

Dani: Does it stop being things friends do when you graduate high school or something?

Rachel: I didn’t have many friends in high school lol

Dani: Really? You certainly are full of surprises

Rachel: I was part of many groups and clubs and there were some people who had a certain fondness for me but it was never really...more than surface level.

Dani: Huh, interesting

Rachel: Sure.

Dani: What?

Rachel: I don’t think it should come off as surprising. I’m a lot. I’m different. It’s what makes me special and what is going to help me on my way to stardom.

Dani: But you're not? A lot, I mean. I've got cousins fifty times more dramatic and a hundred times harder to handle and they're fucking popular as hell.

Dani: It just doesn't make sense to me.

Rachel: I grew up in Ohio.

Rachel: I’m also competitive to a fault.

Dani: Ohio kinda explains it, I guess

Rachel: It’s never felt important to have friends before

Dani: I guess that makes sense

Rachel: I’ll keep you

Dani: I'm glad

Rachel: I should be asleep

Dani: So should I, but I haven't even left the shop. Something went down and father didn't want me heading home alone but still hasn't managed to find someone to escort me there.

Dani: Like, I have a gun, I know how to use it, I'll be fine in an uber.

Rachel: Like a big strong tough guy?

Dani: Usually, yeah.

Rachel: I don’t know any of those lol

Dani: I'm related to entirely too many of them

Rachel: You’ll have to introduce me

Dani: No

Rachel: Okay.

Dani: I just don't want you getting more mixed up in my family business than you need to

Rachel: Understood

Dani: I'm literally about to say fuck it and call an uber anyway

Rachel: I trust you’d only do that if you were completely certain you are safe. So do it!

Dani: Honestly, I just want to go home. Like, they won't even tell me what fucking happened. So it's like, I'm supposed to be scared or worried but mostly I'm just fucking annoyed

Rachel: Go home!

Dani: I'll text you when I get there. I have to go fight with a man about letting me go home.

Rachel: Promise?

[5 am]

Dani: remind me to NEVER try and argue with my father.

Dani: I'm home, by the way.

Rachel: Thank goodness! I was worried.

Dani: Please tell me one of us got sleep

Rachel: I slept!

Dani: I didn't wake you

Rachel: No. you had impeccable timing.

Dani: That's good

Rachel: I wake up at 5 most days.

Rachel: Have you slept yet?

Dani: Fair enough

Dani: No. But I'm gonna try soon. Had some business to attend to after last night.

Rachel: Business? Are you going to keep it so vague?

[later]

Dani: Yep.

Dani: Ugh, did not get enough sleep. But there are things I must do.

Rachel: What things?

Dani: Things with my father.

Rachel: My auditions went well today.

Dani: That's good, I'm glad to hear it.