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harryspet · 4 years ago

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secret service | bucky barnes

[Warnings] secret service!bucky x reader, reader is vp’s daughter, bodyguard!bucky, agegap, noncon/dubcon sex, brat tamer bucky, dominant x submissive, rough sex (wear protection kids!!)

A/N: this is for @nsfwsebbie ‘s dream fic challenge. Happy b-day sab! this is @mypoisonedvine ‘s dream fic and the prompt was “I would love anything dark bucky, especially if he starts out all nice and stuff but then he's all manipulative and it gets worse and worse until we're in heavy dub con/non con territory”. hope you enjoy bb!

In which a political trip to London allows you to be reunited with your favorite secret service member, Bucky Barnes.

taglist: @peterztinglez @lovelynerdytraveler @buckybarney @hollandsdream @micki-smiles @buckybarnesplumwhore @arts-ismything @saharzek @lovemassivelybeautifulbouquet @what-is-your-wish @marvelslut-musicalnerd @brattypeony @hermayone @buckysugar @mandiiblanche @cherienymphe

word count: 3.9k

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“You’ll need to be on your best behavior this weekend. We can’t have an incident like last year.”

You didn’t meet your mother’s eyes as you looked out the window of the private plane. Surprising to most, this time you spent watching her read her millions of paperwork was the most time you spent with her. Your mother cared for you but she was not warm. You didn’t believe a warm person could make it so high in the government. Being the daughter of the Vice President, you saw the kinds of dirty, manipulative politics that went on behind the scene.

You wanted little part of it but, here you were, about to land in London for an important public event.

“Y/N? Are you listening?” She continued to talk despite your lack of an answer, “That means you tell your agents when you’re going somewhere. I don’t care if you’re only walking down the hall to the ice machine, you tell them. You’ve known this since you were a little girl, I don’t know why you always give me a hard time.”

“I’m already here alone, Mom. Must you torture me further by suffocating me?”

“I know you must think it’s fun to rendezvous with some foreign prince but I must ask you to keep your legs closed for this trip and listen to your security.”

Your mouth parted. She thought of you as some whore but the truth was that you were far from the persona she forced upon you, “You don’t know me at all. And Alden isn’t a prince, his father is a prince. He’s just a duke,” You faked a smile and she scowled at you.

You weren’t expecting her next words, “I have a surprise for you when we land.”

You paused for a moment, trying to read her face. She was perfect at disguising her true emotions and, as her daughter, the thought that you didn’t really know your mother was saddening, “A surprise? I thought you were lecturing me.”

“You won’t listen unless I bribe you, Y/N,” Just as the words left her mouth, the pilot spoke on the intercom. The plane was beginning its descent and in a moment you’d be landing. One of your mother's assistants had to approve all your outfits for this trip. After some discourse, you decided on a light pink dress for your arrival look. It hugged your curves the way you liked but it reached down to your knees modestly as your mother preferred.

When you were finally stepping down the stairs to the plane, watching your mother wave to the press, and the diplomats ready to greet her, you realized what your surprise was. Two sleek, black cars waited at the end of the red carpet and the sight of the man standing in front of the second one made your heart race.

It took everything in you not to run to him. His dark hair was styled neatly, his arms folded over his nicely pressed black suit and a soft look of happiness was displayed on his strong face. He was just like you remembered him, the earpiece in his ear and the gold pin on his lapel reminded you of his position.

“This is my surprise?” Your mother turned to you with a grin.

“I know how much you like Agent Barnes, maybe you’ll actually listen to him. You’re going straight to your hotel room, I will see you later tonight.”

“Of course, my beloved mother. Like all teenagers, I love sitting in my hotel room and doing nothing while I’m on a trip.”

You watched your mother walk away from you, going to the first car while you approached the second car. Your speed picked up as you neared him. He opened the door for you, winking, “Girl Scout is in the Stage Coach. I repeat, Girl Scout is in the Stage Coach.”

Everyone the secret service protected had a codename. You’d been a proud girl scout for most of elementary school and then middle school when your mother went from Senator to Vice President. The name stuck and you thought it was annoying now that you’d grown out of that phase but you liked the name on his lips.

As you carefully slipped inside the car, you were beaming and, as Bucky slipped in beside you, you had to wait to pounce. You attacked him with a hug as soon as the doors closed and none of the crowd could see you through the tinted windows. You felt his hand against your back, hugging you tightly and it was then that you realized how touch starved you had been.

Everyone you came in contact had to go through your guards and that was often an intimidating process for most guys. Even though you had started college, you decided to avoid boys altogether because of this.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Your eyes were wide even as you pulled away from him, “How?”

Bucky gave you a soft smile, “Well I can’t tell you all the details since they’re top secret but, let’s say, my mission didn’t take as long as predicted.”

Your eyes narrowed at him in curiosity, “So you killed the bad guys and they let you come back to play babysitter?”

Bucky shook his head, giving you an amused look, “So crass. I see nothing has changed,” He leaned over and, for the briefest second, you thought his face was leaning into yours. Instead, he had reached over to grab your seatbelt as he safely secured it around your waist. Your cheeks heated up and you found yourself looking into the rearview mirror where you could see the two agents sitting in the front seat, “I apologize for being gone so long.”

“You didn’t miss much,” You said to console him, “Just senior year which was nothing special.”

Seeing him now made you think about meeting him those six years ago. He was so young then, just having served in the Army, but somehow aging had made him look even better. You had a feeling he was just as king and loyal as before. You were just a middle schooler at the time, hormonal, and constantly fighting with your parents about your lack of freedom. Maybe you hadn’t changed much either.

You watched him fasten his own seatbelt as the car began to take off, “Nothing special, hmm?” He cocked his eyebrow, “What about prom? Graduation?”

“Oh, it was effectively ruined by my arch-nemesis. He stole my spot as Salutatorian, my prom date wouldn’t stop talking to him about nanotech for the entire evening, and guess who got into Stanford for early admission just like yours truly?”

“Little Peter Parker?” Bucky chuckled.

“He’s not so little anymore,” You crossed your arms, pouting, “He’s only jealous that my mother was chosen as Vice President and his uncle was chosen for the lousy Secretary of Labor position.”

“Seems he must like you a lot to follow you to Stanford. To move all the way across the country,” You gave him an incredulous look, “C’mon, princess, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”

“Of course I’ve noticed,” You rushed out your words, trying to ignore that feeling you got when he called you princess. If anyone else had said that, you’d probably feel disgusted but … you couldn’t help but think that term of endearment had changed its meaning. The truth was that you never thought Peter liked you and now you were worrying that your lack of social awareness had caused you to ignore the warning signs, “The last person I want to talk about is Peter Parker, Bucky.”

“Fine,” He folded his hands in front of him, sighing.

“Besides,” You side-eyed him mischievously, “I have someone far more important who feigns for my attention.”

“Oh yeah?” Bucky leaned in.

“A duke,” You finished.

Bucky’s face seemed to fall, “I can’t imagine you as a duchess,” You couldn’t imagine yourself as one either but you liked the excitement that Alden brought you, “And your mother informed me of what happened last year. I’ll probably lose my job if something like that occurs again.”

“You’d tattle on me? I thought we were friends, Bucky.”

“That was when you were a harmless little girl. Now, you’re …” His eyes seemed to roam over your face then they fell to your neck but they moved back to your eyes before they could travel any lower, “You’re going to make this hard on me, aren’t you?”

You reached out to tap his cheek playfully and smirked, “I missed you.”

You weren’t sure exactly what holier-than-thou charity that these rich people had gathered in ball gowns to donate to. It was probably a minuscule fraction of their wealth and they most likely were only here to keep up appearances. Still, you enjoyed a chance to dress up.

You moved through the historical museum in a red ball gown, admiring all the expensive artifacts, as Bucky escorted you. You expected your mother to be with you during the event she’d forced you to attend but it seemed that she was once again too busy. You would’ve felt lonely if Bucky hadn’t been there. The other agents kept their distance, wearing tuxedos to blend into the rest of the crowd as they watched you from a distance.

Every now and then your conversation with Bucky would be interrupted by a message coming through his squiggly earpiece.

He looked quite handsome tonight and by the outline of his biceps against the fabric of his tuxedo jacket, you could tell he had bulked up over the last year.

“Madam Vice President had a run-in with the Prime Minister's wife. Turns out they’ve been dying to talk. She’ll meet you once the auction begins.”

“Oh, an auction, is that what this is? What endangered species are we saving tonight?”

“Funny,” Bucky added sarcastically, “... I don’t see your prince around. Perhaps he found another famous daughter to entertain for the night.”

You gave him a venomous look, “That cannot be possible when I look like this,” You emphasized your glamorous look that had taken nearly five hours to get on, “Now, would you please escort me to my table? I’m sure he’ll come and find me once you’re not standing beside me like a big tree.”

The truth was that you had no idea if Alden even remembered you from last year. He did make out with you but who knows how many famous daughters he had tried to entertain before. You hated how right Bucky seemed.

Bucky didn’t add anything to your harsh words as he escorted you into a large ballroom. It was so elegantly decorated that the room smelled like money. Blue stripes of light wavered through the room making it feel like you were in the middle of the ocean. You couldn’t help that the feeling of drowning that she experienced was a bad touch on the organizer's part.

Of course, your mother’s table was right near the front of the room. As Bucky pulled back the white chair, you took a seat, not meeting his eyes, “You’re dismissed, Mr. Barnes,” You spoke over your shoulder.

To your surprise, he leaned down to whisper into your ear, “You cause any problems tonight, princess, and you deal with me.”

Your mouth pinched into a thin line as you were left speechless. When you looked back, he was already walking away, taking his position by the far wall. You looked away quickly, mentally cursing. So much for having the upper-hand. You slouched in your seat, looking around the hall which was now flooding with people.

A few people you vaguely remembered having a conversation with approached you to talk. Hollywood celebrities, European politicians, and even famous designers hoping to get you to wear some of their designs. Lately, the paparazzi loved to follow you as you walked to class and gossip sites loved to talk about what you wore.

Everyone was so busy trying to get your attention that you hadn’t noticed someone slip in the seat beside you, “You look like you need something to drink,” You were a bit startled but you immediately recognized his voice. It seemed a year had made him more handsome as well. With one hand he grabbed yours and kissed it and with the other he handed you a glass of champagne.

“Your grace,” You greeted him, accepting the glass. You had almost forgotten that you could legally drink here. Despite that, you knew it would be improper to your mother. That’s why you took a sip, “Thank you so much-” You winced at the bitter taste but continued to sip.

The young duke was tall and red-headed, his face peppered with adorable freckles. His royal get-up was even more attractive.

You looked back at Bucky who was staring intently, “Is a night of fun in the cards for us?” You turned back to the Prince.

“I’m not supposed to rendezvous with royalty anymore. My Mom was not happy with me.”

He leaned back casually in his chair, his leisurely nature was surprising to you, “Is she usually happy with you?”

“Touche,” You took another painful sip, “Still, I’m not supposed to leave this table and I’m supposed to go straight back to my hotel room. No funny business.”

“No shenanigans whatsoever?” He frowned and you wondered why the British accent was so heavenly, “You must, at the very least, keep me entertained through whatever ceremony this is-”

“An auction, your grace.”

“What endangered species are we trying to save this time? It won’t be enough money anyways since they decorated this place with literal diamonds,” You smiled as you saw him reach into his jacket pocket and pulled out a flask, “Something stronger, perhaps?”

Bucky tapped his foot, starting to tune out the voice in his ear.

The room was now full of socialites, Madam Vice President had been escorted to her seat, and now the auction was beginning. The Vice President hadn’t so much as hugged her daughter so Bucky doubted she had noticed you were drinking yet. The young Duke would refill your glass with a clear liquid every time it ran low.

You were now giggling and laughing with him as a serious speech was given. You had to be at least six shots in. You played with his hand in your lap, leaning over to whisper in his ear, as you had the time of your life.

Bucky didn’t panic, only made a quick decision, “Girl Scout is in need of some rescuing. Clear the exit.”

Bucky scanned the room and his men began to follow his orders, as he approached your table. Before you could take another sip of your drink, his hand was on your shoulder. Your mother flashed him a concerned look but Bucky gave her a look to tell her not to worry. Luckily, she hadn’t noticed yet that you were about to go off the rails.

“Want some?” You smiled lazily as you lifted your glass. Bucky took it from you, setting back on the table.

“I think you need to use the bathroom, Miss Y/L/N,” You gave him a confused look. You wondered why he was being so stern with you.

“Nooo, I think you have the wrong woman, officer,” Bucky grabbed onto your hand, urging you up from your seat, “Let me deal with this rude man, your grace, I’ll be back soon.”

It seemed the Duke was in a similar, drunk state and simply replied with, “Return soon, my darling. I shall wait for your return-” You couldn’t respond because Bucky was trying to pull you away. Luckily, Bucky hadn’t managed to cause a scene but he knew you’d end up getting blackout drunk and embarrassing your mother if you continued.

Agents flocked around the two of you as you were guided out of the room. You almost tripped on the long skirt of your dress though Bucky easily caught you. You held onto him, giggling, “You couldn’t make it one night, could you?” You walked through a long hallway, staff carrying large plates of food passed and stared.

He brought you to the bathroom which was ginormous in itself, chandeliers hanging across the length of it, and completely empty, “I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here, officer.”

He leaned against the wall, “Walk around. Splash water on your face. Sober up.”

You rolled your eyes, leaning against the sink counter, as you stared at your makeup. As if you would ruin your makeup to “sober up”.

You pouted, staring at him through the mirror, “I didn’t mean to make you mad, Bucky. Only my mother.”

“Your mother is my boss. When you upset her, she’s upset with me,” Bucky was terse, and you wondered where that soft side was starting to disappear to, “You shouldn’t be drinking anyway.”

You huffed, hating that this conversation was starting to ruin your buzz, “I’m not a child. Don’t tell me you never had a sip of alcohol before you were twenty-one.”

“You think you’re more mature than you actually are,” You couldn’t help the scowl that formed on your face, “You’re not drinking for fun. You’re drinking to spite your mother.”

He moved closer, his hands behind his back as he sunk his words into you like a knife. You turned to him, taking a challenging step toward him. He towered over you but you clung to that anger and turned it to what you thought was confidence.

You grinned up at him, reaching out to play with the buttons of his jacket, “I thought you knew me better, Bucky,” You looked up at him with longing eyes, “I’m not a little girl anymore and you know that. You look at me differently. Your eyes linger on places you shouldn’t even be watching.”

Bucky grabbed your wrist tightly, suddenly, “Stop,” You knew you had touched a nerve.

“See, I know these things now,” You teased, “You like it when you can swoop me up and save me.”

“It’s my job, Y/N,” He spoke sternly. He was still holding you despite his words.

“What is it that you really want from me?” You pressed yourself closer to him, “A kiss maybe? Or something more forbidden?”

His eyes were dark with lust and you watched them linger on your lips at the mention of a kiss. What exactly did you want from him and what hole had you just dug for yourself? The alcohol was giving you courage but you weren’t actually sure how to finish what you started.

Bucky decided for you. He turned your body quickly, pressing your back into him, as a hand tightened around your throat. He faced you toward the mirror and the two of you were illuminated with bright lights. Your eyes widened as you watched him lean into your ear, “You’re such a brat ….”

Maybe part of him wanted you to mess up. Maybe he wanted a reason to get you alone with him and away from the royal douche that you were talking to. Maybe he let you get to this point ...

“Bucky, what are you-” His hand tightened around your throat and you felt your knees go weak.

He shushed you, “You asked what I really wanted. I want to punish you, princess,” Shivers went through your body as his warm breath tickled your ear, “I want to fuck you speechless so you can’t talk back with that smart little mouth of yours anymore.”

You started to struggle against you but you felt his fingers tighten around the sides of your throat. His hands were so big that they wrapped perfectly around your neck, “Hands on the counter,” He loosened his grip but only so he could push you forward. Like instinct, your hands held the sink counter. You turned your head to look back at him but he grabbed your hair, forcing your face forward, “Look forward, I want you to be able to see your pretty face while I fuck you.”

“Bucky, I’m sorry,” You forced out shakily as you felt the back of your dress being slowly unzipped. Through the mirror, you watched as he carefully took in the view of your body, “Please don’t hurt me-”

“Have I ever hurt you before?” He interrupted you, his hands traveling over your bareback, “I’ll always protect you, princess. I just think, if I’m going to keep doing my job, we need some new rules.”

The straps of your dress fell down your shoulder, exposing your breast. Again, as you tried to look away, he forced your face towards the mirror again, “Don’t be shy now,” He pulled down your panties, slapping your now exposed bottom, sending a stinging pain through your skin.

There was aching between your legs and part of you feared what he’d discover when he took a closer look. As you watched him undo his belt, a dark look in his eyes, you knew that he was going to push you all the way. He slapped your ass again, watching your body convulse as you tried to run from the pain. Surprisingly, his intimate touch only made that aching grow.

Upon closer examination, Bucky did discover the wetness between your legs. You bit down on your lip as his fingers roamed over your sweet spot, rubbing your sensitive bulb. You bent over further, allowing him more access which caused Bucky to smirk.

Something switched in him once again because suddenly he was pouncing again, positioning himself behind you as he pushed you further against the counter. He wanted you to see his face as he entered you, roughly grabbing your hair as he teased you entrance with his hard, throbbing cock.

“Please…”

“Please what? You want me to fuck you?” You closed your eyes, unwilling to answer, only to receive another smack to your bottom, “Don’t worry about what you want, princess, I’m making the decisions here.”

He stretched you as he slowly entered you and you tightly wrapped around his member, “Fuck, Y/N,” He cursed, moving deeper inside of you. At that moment, he was all that could feel, and all that consumed your thoughts. He moved torturously slow in and out of you and you gasped every time he sunk his entire length within you.

“Bucky!” You cried out, your mouth wide as you gripped the counter for dear life, “Ah, t-t-too big … p-please. Ah!”

He moved faster now, reaching around to grab ahold of your breast as he thrust inside of you. You called his name again and that only made him speed up his pace. He was torturing with his ferocity and now you wished he’d go back to taking it easy on you. You watched in the mirror as he split you apart, taking whatever innocence you had left within you, “Good girl, princess,” He praised you, “Taking my cock. So. Good.”

He was moving too fast now. With each thrust, he was hitting the right spot and sending pleasure in cascading waves through your body. You couldn’t take it, already tightening around his cock as you orgasm. You tried to run from it, trying to pull your body forward but he grabbed your arms, forcing you back onto his cock. Tears stung your eyes as he went even deeper.

When he finally came, he grunted hard, his moaning deep and heavy. You were defeated, conquered, though you didn’t understand why being violated could feel so good.

You leaned against the counter as you tried to catch your breath. Bucky ran his fingers through his hair, breathing heavily, before pulling up his pants and tightening his belt again. He adjusted his earpiece before looking at you over again. Shaking, you were pulling up the straps of your dress.

“Sober now?” He asked, a wicked smile on his face. “Let’s try yes sir and no sir from now on. Understand?”

“Yes… Sir.”

i love the whole secret service concept so i hope you enjoyed it too!

#dark fic #bucky barnes #dark bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #dark!bucky #dark!bucky x reader #dark!bucky x y/n #bucky barnes smut #dark!bucky smut #marvel #marvel smut #writing challenge #bucky barnes angst #secret service!bucky #president au #politician au

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axoxtxhxh · 4 years ago

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Nobody is You - Chapter 1 - Intro

A/N: Hi guys! I realize that I haven’t finished my first Miche story (You Saved Me), but I started this second one and wanted to get it out before I completed You Saved Me. It’s a bit different in a lot of ways, but will still be a Miche x Fem!Reader story. Here is the first chapter! I hope you like it!

Overall Summary: Reader and Miche are both squad VPs working to make squad leader. They are friends but something that happened between them when they were younger keeps them from getting closer. Miche works to show Reader he isn’t the same person he used to be.

Chapter Summary: Reader is a squad VP in the survey corps and has her eyes set on becoming a squad leader.

Content: No warnings

Word Count: ~ 2,100

“Move over.” Miche playfully bumped Y/N’s hip and she nearly fell off the thick branch they were both balancing on. She turned and gave him a dirty look.

“What the hell!?” She yelled. He just shrugged, giving her that smug smile she hated so much. “I could have fallen, Miche.”

“Lighten up.” He laughed. “I would have caught you.”

“You’re such a dick sometimes.” She readjusted herself in the new spot she stood in.

He dropped himself down, sitting on the part of the branch closest to the trunk of the tree. The whole branch shook and she lost her balance. Her right leg slipping and her body following quickly behind. She yelped on her way down, clawing at the thick branch, trying to get any sort of grip before she reached for her 3DM gear to help her.

She was nearly fully off the branch before she was held steady, a large hand gripping the collar of her jacket and holding her in place. She looked up at him and he was smiling down at her dangling body.

“I hate you so much,” she grumbled as he pulled her up. She caught her leg on the branch and stabilized herself.

“You should be nicer to me,” he teased, “I just saved your life.”

“I would have figured it out.”

“I know you would have.” He sat back down on the branch, tugging at her to sit next to him. She held herself steady, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing she needed help. “But it’s nice to feel needed sometimes.”

“Oh please, everyone is always fighting for your attention.” She rolled her eyes and continued looking off into the distance. He tugged at her jacket again.

“Yeah, but there aren’t many willing to give me theirs.” He leaned back on his arms and she looked down at him. It was a strange juxtaposition, watching this giant man kicking his feet like a little kid over the edge of the tree branch.

They had been posted up in the trees to keep a lookout for the more veteran scouts on this mission. It had only been about an hour, but the sun was already starting to set. Miche leaned back farther, closing his eyes and enjoying the warmth of the sunshine. His blonde hair and lightly tanned skin were shimmering, an auburn glow radiating off of him. She hated that he always looked so good.

Summers within the walls were wonderful. These were some of the last days of heat they would be getting before the cold nights would come. First freezing the ground as the sun set and as the months pass, covering them with a layer of white, crystalline snow until spring came again.

Miche finally opened his eyes and looked up at her, watching as she focused on keeping watch. She was always so serious, never letting herself just relax and enjoy things. He was willing to admit that he should probably be keeping a closer eye on watching with her, but their post was one of the easiest out of all of them. It was almost expected that this position would just sit back and wait. They could let the others do the work while they rest, relaxing in the summer sun, like sucking honey from a spoon, enjoying the sweet taste without all the work.

“Are you going to sit down with me?” He asked, tugging on her jacket for the third time.

“Are you going to actually do your job?”

“If I can get you to relax and loosen up, I will gladly take some of the work.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “How does that sound?”

She looked back at the span of land in front of them and sighed, looking back to Miche and lowering herself to sit next to him.

“There we go.” He smiled and gave her a hand, helping her sit without sliding off the edge.

“I’m only sitting for a little bit.” She told him.

“Baby steps.”

He looked over at her, still not relaxing. Her back, stiff and straight, her hands crossed in her lap as she kept her eyes in front of her. He swung his leg, kicking her foot and waited to see if she would do anything. When she didn’t, he did it again and chuckled to himself.

“You are incredibly immature.”

“What are you talking about? I’m very mature.” He kicked her foot again, grinning when he saw her trying to hold back her smile.

She leaned back a little, propping herself up on her arms and he felt himself relax a little more as he saw her relaxing.

“So why are you working so hard on this mission?” Miche asked, kicking her leg again.

“You mean other than making sure people don’t die?” She looked over to him with raised eyebrows.

“Of course.” He shrugged and she turned back to look ahead of them.

She had her reasons, but she wasn’t sure he would understand. They had both joined the scouts when they were really young. This was the only life they knew. She was barely out of her teens but she had already set her sights on being squad leader. The chances of her getting squad leader weren’t that high considering there were those older than her and ones who’ve been a scout longer than her, but she had to try.

“I want to make squad leader,” she revealed. “There’s an opening coming up.”

“Ah, of course. I should have known. A power-hungry woman.” He sighed, slipping his foot under hers and lifting it up, bouncing it up and down with his leg.

“I’m not power hungry, I just know I have to work harder than a lot of you guys. Not all of us are naturally gifted.”

“You think I’m naturally gifted?” He smiled smugly at her as she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t go fishing for a compliment I already gave you.” She smiled at him, moving her foot from his control and lightly kicking him. Miche gave a hearty laugh and nudged her in the shoulder.

“I’m going to tell Hange and Erwin you said that. They work hard too.”

“I know they work hard,” she sighed, looking back at him, “but they’re also gifted in ways I’m not.”

“But they still work hard. Hange lives and breathes titan research—”

“You don’t need to tell me. As their roommate, I am very aware. They talk about it in their sleep.”

“Well, as Erwin’s roommate,” he started, “I can tell you, the guy doesn’t sleep. He is always making plans.”

“How would you even know? You barely sleep in your room,” she retorted, a little more abrasive than she intended. She looked back as the sun dropped further in the sky. Miche chuckled to himself, lifting his leg on the branch and bending it in front of him so he could face her.

“You know about the stables?”

“Of course, I know.” She turned to look at him. “We’re always having to come up with excuses for why you’re not in the mess hall for dinner or why you’re late for training.”

Miche was looking down, picking at the bark on the tree. For the first time since the start of the mission, he fell silent and she was trying to guess what he was thinking. She was very sure nearly everyone, at least any female scout over the age of eighteen, knew about the stables. His reaction to her comment confused her though. She definitely thought it was something he would be bragging about.

“I mean, you’re practically there every night.” She kicked the foot that was still dangling over the edge of the branch, trying to bring him back to his typical playful self.

“It’s not every night. Plus, I never sleep up there.” Miche laughed lightly to himself, hoping the heat in his cheeks wasn’t showing through.

He definitely wasn’t there every night, but he could see why Y/N would think that. Not to mention, he had sort of made it a point to keep his reputation where it was, which was making people think he was up there every night. But none of the women he took up there really mattered to him anyway.

“I didn’t even realize you knew about that.” He looked back up to Y/N and smiled, leaning back on his arms. “Sometimes I forget you’re not fifteen anymore.”

“Thanks for that.”

“What? It’s not like you let me forget I was a teenage shithead.”

“It’s because you were.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Miche! Y/N!” Erwin called from the ground and they both peeked over the edge of the tree. “Mission complete.”

“I bet you bathroom duty that Erwin is going to complain about how the mission went.” Miche stood up, offering his hand and pulling her up with him.

“That would be a stupid bet for me to take.” She laughed and they both jumped down.

“Was it a success?” She asked Erwin.

“If you can call it that,” he grumbled, “there shouldn’t be this many casualties. There is a much better way to handle these missions.”

Y/N brought her eyes to Miche, raising an eyebrow and he lightly punched her shoulder.

“Let’s go.” Miche wrapped his arms around Erwin and Y/N, ushering them back to the horses. “I’m starving.”

The mess hall was packed with people, slightly less than this morning before the mission. It was a harsh reality, but something they were all quite used to at this point.

“Is that guy going to be joining us?” Miche sat next to Y/N with his plate of food.

“What guy?” She brought a spoonful of stew to her mouth.

“The guy you always hang around.” He took a big bite of his bread and Y/N realized who he was speaking of.

“He has a name,” she scoffed, putting her spoon down and looking at him.

“I didn’t bother to learn it,” he sneered.

“That’s thoughtful of you. I was dating him for three months.” Y/N went back to her food.

“Yeah, but he was a loser and I knew it wouldn’t last.”

“Who’s a loser?” Erwin joined them at the table with his food, sitting across from Y/N.

“That guy. The one Y/N kept bringing.” Miche snuck a potato from her bowl and pulled his hand back quickly when she slapped it.

“Big loser.”

“Well thanks for telling me that.” She looked at the both of them. “It could have saved me three months.”

Hange sat down to join them, sitting across from Miche.

“I would like to point out,” Y/N began, “that you are not much better.”

“I don’t claim to make good decisions.” Miche smiled, popping the last bite of bread in his mouth.

“We can definitely agree on that.” Erwin lifted his cup and Y/N quickly tapped it with hers, Hange following after.

“I’m also not in a relationship with any of these women.” Miche sat back a little, watching Y/N. “I’m a lot more careful about who I give my heart to. You should be too.”

“Maybe she didn’t give her heart.” Hange joined in, then turned to look at Y/N. “You don’t seem very heartbroken.”

“Nope, he was a loser.” Y/N laughed with Hange. Miche smiled as she stuck her fork in a potato from his plate and ate it.

“Speaking of losers, Erwin—” Hange started, turning to face him.

“Nice!” Miche laughed and fist bumped them.

“—How is Marie?” Hange continued, turning to look at Erwin. “Did you give her that letter?”

“No, I think I’m going to cut it off before anything happens,” he admitted.

“What? No! You guys were my hope.” Y/N dropped her utensils and brought her hands to her cheeks.

“I just think I should focus on making rank. Squad leader is a big role,” he started.

“That’s how stupid you sound.” Miche leaned in and whispered to Y/N. She turned to slap him, but he dodged it, leaning away from her and grinning.

“I have some ideas I want to discuss with the commander,” Erwin continued “I have a meeting with him tomorrow afternoon.”

“With Commander Shadis?” Hange blushed.

“Well, if you don’t hold onto her, someone else will pick her up… for sure...” Miche’s voice trailed off as his eyes followed a woman who walked past them, her fingers lightly brushing over his shoulders. “Speaking of pick-me-up.”

He turned to Y/N, his eyes asking her the same question they always asked.

“I’ll take your plates. Just go.” She sighed. Miche thanked her and ran off with the woman. Y/N watched as the woman pulled him into the hallway and kissed him.

“Not every night, huh?” Y/N mumbled to herself, taking a bite of her bread and keeping her eyes fixed on him. She watched as Miche wrapped his arms around the woman, brushing a hair behind her ear. He glanced up at Y/N and gave her a thumbs up. She returned a snarky one and watched as the woman pulled him out of view before returning to the conversation with Erwin and Hange.

Taglist: @luanabonn

#Nobody is You #Attack on Titan Imagines #AOT Imagines #SNK imagines #Miche Zacharias Imagines #Mike Zacharias Imagines #Attack on titan x reader #AOT x reader #SNK x reader #Miche Zacharias x reader #Mike Zacharias x reader #AOT Mike x reader #AOT Miche x reader #SNK Miche x reader #SNK Mike x reader #fwb to lovers #Shingeki no kyojin imagines #Shingeki no kyojin x reader

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seihun · 4 years ago

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can i be your boyfriend? — a bbh social media au

ϟ prev ◂ part 15B ▸ next

ϟ pairings: byun baekhyun + oc:reader

ϟ word count: not too long, hopefully, because this is supposed to be a social media au (2.6k)

ϟ notes: hello! look at me, writing things out on this fake text blog, and updating before midnight. i don’t usually do this, but somethings are better said in incoherent paragraphs than in screenshots, plus it’s hard to convey the in-between steps of a relationship through just texts, so i hope you enjoy this insight into their budding relationship 🤗 more notes at the end!!

MONDAY.

“How exactly is it that you started working at Buzzfeed?” you question, reaching over a pillow to dip your bread in olive oil.

Baekhyun watches with amusement as you whine audibly when some runny oil drips from the bread onto your jeans. The indoor picnic he’d set up is pretty damn great if he does say so himself—blankets, pillows, and enough Italian food to feed a small army; and you, of course.

It’s another one of his many, many dates with you—or at least, he’s pretty certain they’ve been dates. Hearing you confirm that you like him was definitely a confidence booster, and reassuring, to say the least, but if Baekhyun’s being completely honest, he’s not sure where to go from here.

He likes you, he knows that much. He likes you a lot; a lot, a lot—(“You’re halfway in love with her, call it what it is,” Minseok said, before getting his ear pinched by Maize)—and he definitely loves spending time with you, and if you asked him, he’d say you’re dating casually, but would you agree?

It’s not like he would know, this is his first serious sort-of-relationship, after all. Baekhyun was never exactly the most suave kid back in high school; more clumsy and awkward than anything with anyone who wasn’t Kyungsoo. He’s not a complete novice; he’s been on dates, gone out, even had a few one night stands in his freshman year, but nothing close to this—whatever it is he has with you—so sue him for basically winging everything for these past two months.

“Honestly,” he recounts, “I did what you did. I complained publicly about one of their posts, and someone DMed, and eventually offered me a job, and here I am.”

“Wait, that’s not fair!” you whine, “Nobody wanted to pay me for my complaint tweets!”

“Well you should have tagged the VP of the company, not me.”

Baekhyun laughs while you pout, toothy smile diminishes into a closed lip one, as his eyes glaze over and flutter between your eyes and your lips. He finds himself leaning in after you, a nervous kind of excitement taking over him as you grow closer. And it’s just barely after his lips have grazed yours that you’re both interrupted by the buzzing and ringing of a cellphone.

You seem to know that it’s your phone, if the crinkling of your eyebrows and embarrassed exhale are anything to go by. Baekhyun simply chuckles, gently presses his index finger to the tip of your nose, and pulls away with a smile.

He watches you fetch your phone, and reluctantly answer the call—which, appears to be a FaceTime judging by the noise and the distance with which you hold your phone from your face.

“Chanyeol, if you’re trying to let Sehun win best friend of the year, you’re succeeding,” are your first words, and Baekhyun can’t help the audible laughter that leaves his mouth.

It doesn’t go unnoticed by you, or Chanyeol. “Who’s laughing, are you—is it the Buzzfeed boy? Oh, is this is a date? Baekhyun are you listening! Hello! My name’s Chanyeol, and I’m—”

“I’m going to hang up on you, what do you want!” you hiss.

Baekhyun finds himself smiling throughout the rest of your conversation. He likes that you’re comfortable enough to answer Chanyeol in front of him; he thinks that if Maize or Kyungsoo or Minseok called him, he’d pick it up in front of too. He’s not too sure about Junmyeon, though, he’s more likely to embarrass him.

Baekhyun hopes he can stick around long enough to meet the rest of your friends—from what you’ve told him about them, they sound like just the kind of people he likes having around. And after hearing how long you’ve been friends with them, namely Sehun, he finds himself even more understanding of your dynamics.

Not many people get just how deep a friendship can run, so when he tells people he’s known Kyungsoo for as long as Kyungsoo’s been alive, their reactions are surface level at best. But you get it, because Sehun is your Kyungsoo; or, rather, you’re Sehun’s Kyungsoo. Baekhyun shakes his head at the thought—the point is, you’re both similar in that respect, and he likes it. He likes you.

“Anyway,” he tunes back into to hear Chanyeol sighing, “I just wanted to let you know I burned the bear, so our apartment smells like smoke, which makes Sehun and I homeless for the evening, so we’re at your place, please bring dinner.”

“What do you mean you burned it! Chan—”

“You know, as in we lit it on fire. Sehun also wanted to throw it off the roof, but Chungha stopped him, so we just did it our living room, and now she’s being a meanie and saying she can’t help refuge us because she has a ‘group project’ meeting at her place in an hour, which I think is a lie. Baekhyun, if you’re still listening, I want you to know that I’m not a pyromaniac—”

“—Debatable—”

“I’m not. Anyways, bring food when you’re done flirting, Sehun and I are hungry, and Chungs is leaving us foodless, as per usual.”

“Then buy food.”

“Do I look rich to you?”

“Yes, actually—”

“Hyung—oh, hey, is that _____?” Sehun’s voice asks, “Hey, Chanyeol finished the gummy worms, can you—”

“I’m hanging up!”

Baekhyun watches with light in his eyes as you hurriedly end the call, then sheepishly turn back to him. “I am… so sorry they’re like this,” you apologize, putting your phone back face down on the blanket and composing yourself.

Baekhyun shakes his head, “Don’t worry, my friends are much worse.”

“Your friends are smart,” you reason, “And quiet, and don’t break into my apartment at their earliest convenience.”

“Actually, Junmyeon has done that last one,” Baekhyun hums, scooting a bit closer to you, “Except, it wasn’t my apartment, he broke into Minseok’s. Let’s just say it didn’t end well for him.”

Baekhyun thinks the embarrassing anectode was worthwhile to hear you laugh, even if it was at Junmyeon’s expense. It’s fine, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

“So, does Chanyeol normally light things on fire or was this a one time thing?”

“You’d be surprised by the amount of things he’s accidentally set on fire since I’ve known him, actually,” you laugh, “But no—well, you know the bear I told you about? The one, um, Jongin gave to me when I saw him on Sunday?”

Baekhyun nods. Of course.

“Well, I also told my idiot friends about it, and that’s what Chanyeol burned,” you tell him. Baekhyun bites his bottom lip, trying not to laugh, but the temptation is written all over his face—or, evidently, so, as you chime in with, “It’s okay, you can laugh.”

Thank god, because Baekhyun wasn’t sure he could keep a straight face (or hide his blatant happiness). He decides right there that he likes Chanyeol. You have good friends.

Admittedly, after hearing you tell him about your history with Jongin as both a friend and a boyfriend, Baekhyun can’t say that he’s exactly fond of the guy. Junmyeon tells him to never judge a book by its cover, but seeing as you gave him the summary, he thinks he can fairly conclude that Jongin isn’t… the best person in the world. And the way he treated you and your friends is enough to make Baekhyun weary about him as a person.

Still, Baekhyun doesn’t judge you for talking to him. He’s not exactly jealous; he’s confident in your feelings for him and his for you, and above all, he trusts that you’re being honest with him. Quite frankly, Baekhyun doesn’t consider your ex boyfriend to be a threat.

Baekhyun knows you clearly just want to be a good friend, or at the very least, a good person to Jongin; and after knowing him for almost a decade—even if things got a bit bumpy—Baekhyun thinks you’re more than justified in that. You clearly see something in Jongin that you think can be helped, and Baekhyun trusts your judgement; you did pick him, too, after all.

Does he like that Jongin gives you gifts, and is very clearly still into you even tho you can’t see it, and don’t want any part in it? No, not exactly. But, on the bright side, Baekhyun’s the one that has your attention, and that counts for more than something.

(Not to mention you have a couple of guys who are both rooting for him and willing to beat up your ex at moments notice, so, he’d say he’s in a pretty good boat).

The only thing Jongin has ever had that Baekhyun wants is the opportunity to call you his. But he thinks he’s getting there. Hopefully. Is it weird to ask the ex of the girl you’re interested in how he got her to be his girlfriend in the first place? Do you even want to be his girlfriend? He hopes so.

He doesn’t know if sharing cheese and crackers and pasta and bread is any indication that you want to be his girlfriend, but he’d like to think it is. Because that’s what the next half hour consists of—you and Baekhyun, sharing food over smiles and stories and endless laughter.

Baekhyun finds himself laughing so hard at a story you tell him about Chanyeol and Chungha pranking Sehun, that he might as well be laughing over you. His hand ends up on your shoulder in his fit of giggles, and yours just barely above his knee. Neither of you comment on it, but you don’t pull away, either.

He’s about to chip in with a story about his childhood self, when he’s interrupted by notification noises again. Baekhyun grins at your exasperated exhale and tightly closed eyes. “It’s fine, they’ll be fine,” you tell him, silencing the ringer, and turning back to him in an attempt to continue your conversation.

Baekhyun’s about to tell you that it’s okay, that you should check your phone in case it’s an emergency or something, but he doesn’t have to; because it starts buzzing again and again and again and eventually is back to ringing.

“Answer it,” Baekhyun smiles, “Seriously, I wouldn’t want you to have to face Sehun’s wrath for ignoring him.”

It’s silent for a minute, while you scroll through your messages, and thumb a response. Baekhyun watches as your expression changes from annoyed, to vaguely amused, to concerned, to borderline unhappy. It makes his own eyebrows draw together when he sees the frown start to form on your lips.

“Everything okay?”

“Uh… I don’t think so,” you sigh, locking the screen and looking up at him, “I think I gotta head home, Sehun might have broken smoke detector and Chanyeol got… something stuck to the ceiling trying to fix it.”

Baekhyun can’t help the laugh that escapes him. You have really good friends.

“Fuck, Baek, I’m so sorry, this is—you did all of this, and my idiot friends—”

Baekhyun takes one of your flailing hands into his, effectively calming your stature and forcing to you make eye contact with him. “Hey, it’s fine, I promise,” he reassures you, “Really, it’s okay. If I got stuck to the ceiling I would hope Kyungsoo would come rescue me, too.”

“You don’t have to say that just because—”

“I’m not just saying anything,” he laughs through his words because the look on your face is nothing short of adorable, “I mean it. I had fun on our—I, I had fun, today. It’s fine, really, I promise.”

And so, you smile, demeanor significantly calmer, “I… should call a car,” you tell him, his eyes traveling down your enveloped hands, which he releases slowly, embarrassed; but then you grin again, tapping away at your phone, “I had fun on our date, too, Baekhyun.”

(So these were dates! Nice, cool, cool, keep it cool. He doesn’t; he grins like a blushing fool).

Baekhyun helps you gather your things, and moves the food around so that neither of you step on it; walks you to the door when your car says it’s arriving shortly. He waits with you on the doorstep, pretending to look out for a white sonata, when he’s really stealing glances at you through your small talk.

“Would you, uh… I mean, you’re probably already going, so,” you cut yourself off with slow exhale, turning your body towards his, “There’s this showcase, presentation type thing, for some students to, uh, present about their research coming up soon. You might already know about it, since Kyungsoo is giving one about his summer internship, I think—and it might be a little boring, and that you’re not a science guy, so it’s okay if you don’t want to—”

Baekhyun cuts you off by calling your name, a wide smile playing on his lips. “I’d love to go,” he tells you, earnestly, “I was going to go, to see Soo anyway, but I wanna support my new favorite biochem student, too.”

“Really?” You reach out and grab his hand, an action that almost seems lost on your in your flurry of excitement or flattery—or both—but, not on Baekhyun, whose palm suddenly feels warm. You must have been able to tell you flustered him, because your eyes widen, looking down at your hands, then promptly pulling them away.

“You, I mean, I want you to come, but only if you want—”

Baekhyun doesn’t know what moves him to take a leap, step a little more into your space, and take both of your hands in his with unwavering intention, but he’s glad for it; because you don’t pull away, and the look you give him kind of makes him never want to look away.

“I want to go,” he says slowly, dipping his head down the slightest, close enough to see the rings of your irises, even in the dim lighting of his porch, “I want to be there for you.”

There’s an almost inaudible “okay,” that leaves your lips, the letters rolling off your tongue with a shy smile that Baekhyun finds himself mimicking. His eyes flutter away, just for a moment, to your hands, then back to your face, before he slowly lets them go, only to rest them against your jaw again.

Baekhyun might be using the “taking things slow” mantra as an excuse for his complete lack of experience on how to navigate a real relationship, but this, right here, he’s sure of. That he likes you, that he wants you, that he—

“Can… can I kiss you?” he asks, just above a whisper.

His eyes are frantic, looking for an answer in yours, but instead he gets them from your lips; a soft, “Yes,” accompanied by a softer nod that Baekhyun would have missed if not for having your head in his hands.

When he leans forward, you meet him halfway, lips pursed together—and Baekhyun thinks that, yeah, if being in a relationship with you meant he got to do this, all day, then he would have to figure out how to be your boyfriend sooner, rather than later.

One kiss turns into two, then three, then four with smiles, and giggles in-between, and the only thing that seems to pull you away from each other is the honking of a car horn. Flustered, Baekhyun lowers his hand, bites on his bottom lip as you fumble to check the license plates on the car to those on your phone.

“I think that’s my car,” you tell him, and maybe it’s wishful thinking, but he swears there’s slightest twinge of disappointment in your voice, too, “I—I had fun, Baek, really. So, thank you, again.”

“Me too,” he says, words on autopilot, brain still stuck in the moment before.

He smiles, daystruck as he walks you to the curb, before you cross the street. He’s about to wish you well again, before you turn to him, and give him the smallest, barely there peck on the lips.

“Goodnight, Baekhyun.”

He doesn’t even know if he responds audibly, he’s processing you in fragments, watching your silhouette as you cross the street, and head into the backseat of the car. He swears he catches the smallest wave from you through the window, but for all he knows that could have been his imagination.

Your goodnight kiss lingers on his lips, on his mind, and it’s only when he’s back inside that he lets himself break out into the foolish grin he’s been hiding all night. He’s going to have to figure out how to do that boyfriend-girlfriend thing. As soon as possible.

ϟ tag list: @artfulbarnes @bat-shark-repellant @baek-byunies @baeklooming-day @bbh-kji @cosmins @coffee-prince-kyungsoo @etsjusoa @exuwu @elyxion1485 @fifiaaaaaa @haechanspudu @honeyboocal @httpschoisan @junkfoodwriting @just-a-sad-writer @j-pping @kkpoptrashhh @littleflowercrown13 @loeytingz @marina-del-rey98 @mangobaek @miraculyfe @mochahyuck @oasissehun @ohwosehun @p-polaroid @peachesyeol @peacherparker @penguinsoo-l @rikachusworld @sakura-uji @shesdreaminginoverdose @sekshi-namjas @smolpeyy @strawberrychannie @takoyakkun @to-all-the-stories-i-love @vaiva @writingindaisies @xiutingmyself @yourexotextplus

ϟ more notes: more smoochies!! they have kissed a few times (maybe once or twice) since their first kiss a few parts ago, but i had no way of showing that to you guys so here you go!! they’re in a weird stage where they kiss each other goodbye and go on dates and like each other but it’s not exactly... dating?

i hope this gives some insight into baekhyun’s thoughts, as well. some things are harder to get across through just texts, but i wanted to show his feelings beyond his overexcited, adorable messages 🥺 he’s still a whole babie, but he has complex thoughts!!

i’ll finish rambling now, but there is an intended part 15C (which I know, sounds like it should just be part 16 at this point, but in a perfect world, I’d have been able to fit everything into one post but i digress). maybe it’ll be part 16 anyway, but it’ll likely include some writing because the xiuchen drama is back!! 🤗

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ticklikeabomb · 4 years ago

Text

The Medusas - Part 1

Pairing : Mayans MC x Plus Size Reader ; Ezekiel ‘EZ’ Reyes x Plus Size Reader (platonic)

Warnings : Language, Slight Mention of child traffic -> ( If it’s any kind of Triggering for you, PLEASE don’t continue on this post)

Word Count : 1.4k

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, nor the universe where they were created and interact in. This series/fiction is only for entertainment purposes.

A/N : Buckle up, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride ;)

Year 1999

It was another morning that awaited the Mayans MC and its members. The sun shone from the early hours only to get warmer by time. Marcus Alvarez’s routine was simple: wake up, have a cold shower and a coffee right before pulling his kutte over his shoulders and make his way to his Harley. While leaving his home, he felt the pressure under his boot switch and looked on the floor. There was an envelope, the only information on it being his name. Picking it up, he opened it and came across pictures along a message. His neutral features contorted to anger, jaw tightened and heavy sighing. He put the intel back inside the envelope and made his way to the club’s quarters.

Once he arrived at the clubhouse, he convoked everyone for an emergency meeting. “Javier is missing”, commented one of the members. “Good”, replied firmly Alvarez. They took place at their respective seats, the silence and cigarette smoke feeling the air. Alvarez took the envelope out and splattered the pictures all over the table. Bishop reached to the one closest to him and frowned. Letting the members acknowledge what was in front of them, Alvarez spoke at last. “I received these this morning. No name, no address, anonymous. Javier has been double crossing the club, filling his own pockets with the enemies.”

Some members shook their heads not believing their Vice-Presidente would do that. “You said it yourself, it’s anonymous. What if it’s trafficked?”, asked their Secretario. “We’ll have to sort it out. If it comes out it is indeed true, measures must be taken”, replied Alvarez to which everyone agreed. He quickly collected the intel and advised that the matter would not be further discussed until some investigation. “We’ll decide once we’ll have more information.” “Bishop talk to his lady. Try to find out if financially there has been an improvement. In the meantime, just act like nothing happened” The hammer smashed on the table, indication that the meeting was over.

Two weeks passed and the club discovered that Javier, their VP, was indeed mixed with the enemies. The vote was unanimous. The day came were they planned to bust him. After one of the club’s parties, Javier told the club he was needed at home earlier. The club used the opportunity to follow him to an abandoned barn, isolated in the desert. Kneeled on the ground, Alvarez and Bishop saw Javier greeting the club’s enemies. There was no more proof needed. The Mayans covered the entry and exit before striking and shooting. They put down the rivals and shot Javier in the leg before disarming him. Alvarez brought Javier by his shirt and punched him, “Traidor”.

“Marcus”, exclaimed Bishop and nodded at him to look around. What the club came across grossed them beyond words. Cages were splattered all around the barn, crying children occupying them. “Get this piece of shit out of my face”, spat Alvarez before turning to Bishop and helping him in opening the cages. The President gave the order to call the Prospect back with a van. Bishop was opening the last cage and slowly approached the child. The girl lifted her face at him, traces of dried tears on her face. “Are you taking us to heaven?”, she asked with a small voice. Bishop’s breath got stuck on his throat before shaking his head. “No but I will take you somewhere safe”, he said calmly while showing her his hand. Hesitant at first, the girl looked at him, a sparkle of hope crossing her eyes before accepting his hand. “I’m Bishop and you what’s your name?”, he asked. “Y/N”. He nodded and forced a smile on his face.

You were the last to leave the barn before you stopped on your tracks. You let go of his hand and fumbled on your pockets. You reached out for the stolen lighter and turned around, walking to the entry. It took you a few tries before actioning the lighter and threw it inside. You saw the barn slowly burn, the flames intensifying. You walked back to Bishop and took his hand. Looking up, you locked your gaze with his and a small smile formed on your lips. Even after everything you must have endured inside that place, Bishop was in awe when he saw your smile crossing your features. At that moment, Bishop knew how special you were and decided to legally adopt you as soon as he found out you didn’t have any known relatives.

You grew up among the club and its rules. A few days after he saved you, he became the Mayans’ new Vice-President. You couldn’t dream of a better father. Bishop was understanding, caring, making sure you had everything you wanted and investing in your education. You became the club’s sweetheart, a smile always gracing your face and your compassionate persona enlightening every room you entered. When your father had to make runs, he would leave you in the care of Marisol Reyes, which is how you became best friends with Ezekiel. EZ was by far the smartest person you came across with and it only intensified with the years. From this small bean, birthed a young man full of potential promised with great achievements.

Year 2007

Your platonic feelings towards EZ quickly evolved into more but you never acted upon them, not wanting to risk the dynamic in place. You kept both growing each at your own pace and each with their predefined plans. Considering that EZ was a year older and almost finishing high school, you asked for his help on one of your classes you had trouble understanding. Truth to be told, it was more a ruse to spend more time with him. You knew exactly how to succeed the class but you loved hearing his voice.

A few days later, you received your test and seeing the A+ written on it, you smiled, excited to share the news with EZ. Walking out of the classroom and into the parking lot, you saw and called him before engulfing him into a bone crushing hug. “Woah, hey there Y/N”, he mumbled. Feeling his muscles tense, you disengaged from the hug without noticing a pair of eyes analyzing the interaction. “Look I got an A+ thanks to you”. A smile graced his face before congratulating you. He turned to his left before stating happily, “Y/N, I would like to introduce to you Emily, my girlfriend”. You felt your heart squeeze inside your chest at the last word and turned your gaze to where he was looking. You met with the sight of his girlfriend, your mood switching from joy to sadness and back to smiley in a matter of seconds. It was a few seconds that told Emily everything she needed to know. “Hello, nice to meet you”, you said and reached out your hand. She grabbed it and faked a smile only you could identify. “Y/N, hi. EZ has told me so much about you.”

“Good things I hope”, you chuckled slightly giving him a look. “Of course, the best. He told me how close you both are”, she mentioned to which your jaw tightened just the slightest. “This guy I have to bear with? Nah”, you joked in order to break the tension. “Oh you’re like that hein?”, EZ turned to you, fake hurt plastered on his face. “Either way, we got to go babe”, Emily’s voice cut through the moment. “Yeah right. Do you wanna join us Y/N?” Before you could answer, Emily did it for you, “I’m sure Y/N must be busy and we already planned to go check that dinner, remember.”

Either way, you were about to refuse his invitation, not in the mood of being the third wheel on the date, watching the guy you were in love with being all lovey-dovey with someone else. “Thank you for the invite but Emily’s right. I have some things to do.” He nodded, understanding and joined hands with her. “See you around then. Tomorrow, usual place?”, he asked you to which you only nod. You saw them distancing themselves from you and made your way to the club, unaware of their conversation. “She’s totally into you”, commented Emily. EZ looked at her funny before laughing. “YN? No, we’re just best friends. What are you talking about?” She shook her head and told him he was too smart to not have noticed your feelings towards him earlier. “Trust me, she likes you.” He kept shaking his head even if doubt was making his way to his mind.

*gifs, credit to the owners*

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tarralin · 6 years ago

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Fraternization

a Clauses and Contracts story

Chapter One

TW: Adult situations, implied nudity

~☆~

Warm morning sun streamed through the window, pulling Duchess from deep slumber. She shifted slowly, stretching as far as her muscles could reach to clear the morning mental fog from her mind. Crisp spearmint wafted through the air on steaming puffs from the nearby bathroom accompanied by the familiar sound of a running shower. The mirror fogged slightly but the open door prevented full cloud coverage.

Duchess sat up to finish her morning stretch when a metallic squeak rang out, signaling the shower’s occupant exiting the stream and stepping into full view of the mirror.

Oh… Good morning to you too!

Her brain raced to remember the name of the honey-eyed best man that could very well put Adonis to shame should the famed god ever wish to experience the sting of failure. Many things from last night crossed her memory; the two glasses of champagne she nursed to keep her wits about her, the dimly lit dance floor of the reception hall, the warm arms she allowed to guide through dances. Those same arms being the ones she spent the night in.

But, damn, what was his name?!

“Like what you see, Duchess?”

A flash of heat crossed her cheeks at the realization she had been caught staring, averting her gaze immediately to the floor. “Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean-- I was just--”

His warm laughter at her flubbering was oddly soothing. “It's ok, otherwise I wouldn't have left the door open.”

It was her turn to laugh at her own awkwardness. “I should probably be getting up. I need to sneak back to my room to get ready to see the happy couple off on their honeymoon.”

“You don't have to do that. You can get started here and I’ll get your luggage.” He dressed quickly in fresh clothing and was out the door in the next instant with her key card in hand, but not before twirling a lock of her hair on his way out and motioning toward a covered breakfast.

Certainly know how to treat a girl, don't you, Hideyoshi?

Hideyoshi! That's his name!

She rushed through the fastest shower on her personal record once the door clicked behind him, utilizing the complimentary toiletries provided by the hotel and stepping out just as Hideyoshi returned with her overnight bag. Pointedly focusing on her own reflection, she couldn't help the slight tilt of her lips as she saw him freeze in his tracks through the mirror at the same vision he had given her moments ago.

“Like what you see, Hideyoshi?”

Okay, so maybe he hadn't purred her name like she just did his but the pink coloring his features was definitely worth the effort.

“You might want to text Princess.”

“Why?” Her brows knit in confusion for only the second it took him to cross the distance separating the two of them.

“We're going to be late seeing them off.”

~*~

They weren't terribly late to the departure party. Princess and Nobunaga hadn't even shown up yet by the time Hideyoshi turned in his room key to the receptionist. After their morning interlude, Duchess had agreed it wouldn't be ideal if they arrived together and made her way to the lobby ahead of him. She’d already made herself comfortable in the sunny waiting lounge with a prepared coffee in hand, engaged in lively chatter with the other two bridesmaids as well as Mitsuhide and Masamune-- who was currently taking up the whole couch with his legs dangling off the other end and head rested in the fair haired bridesmaid lap.

“Really, Masa?” Hideyoshi scolded as he halfheartedly kicked Masa’s boots off the edge.

“Really, Hide?” Masa mocked as he resettled in place, tucking the woman under his arm and resting his head on top of hers.

Hideyoshi arched an eyebrow at the duo but kept his thoughts to himself as he sat across from Duchess. She had also noticed the closeness of their friends but continued to sip her coffee with indifference before sitting up and continuing the conversation. “So, what all do you guys do for a living? Princess hasn't said much other than Nobu being a business CEO she met while tailoring his suits.”

“Yes,” Mitsuhide answered. “Of a technologies corporation.”

Duchess sat straighter and her eyebrows arched with new interest. “What kind?”

Mitsuhide simply smirked. “A little bit of everything. Ieyasu is head of a med-tech firm, Masamune is in charge of military research, and I control the communications and security properties.”

A laugh escaped the second bridesmaid who had remained silent until now. “So let me get this straight… Nobu is CEO of a corporation involved in medical, military, and security advancement. Is he trying to be the next Batman?”

Amicable laughter rang through the group a moment and then Duchess’s smiling emerald eyes fell back to Hideyoshi. “What about you?”

“Vice President,” Hideyoshi sat a little taller as he boasted his own title with a grin.

“Don't be shy,” Mitsuhide sneered. “Mother Dearest here doubles as head of Human Resources. As well as meddling in all of our own work.”

A crumpled napkin flew across the open space, pelting the silver haired kitsune between the eyes. “If you kept me updated, like you're supposed to, then I wouldn't have to meddle.”

A familiar chuckle resonated from the other side of the lobby, alerting the group to the newlyweds’ arrival. “Should have known the lot of you couldn't go long without discussing work.”

“Duchess!” Princess scowled down at her friend. “I thought I told you no business talk.”

“We're not discussing my work.” Her emerald depths glittered with such mischief, Hideyoshi could have thought she were related to Masamune in that moment and that edge of challenge was back in her voice. The same one that reignited last night’s flames within him when she purred his name that morning.

“Close enough,” Princess huffed. “I would like everyone to relax and avoid anything business related.”

“You do realize you're talking to Duchess, right?” This from the friend sitting next to Masamune. “You know, borderline workaholic? I'm surprised she's survived this long without checking in at work.”

“Baroness, you know well why I do...”

“Yes, and I also know there are two capable VPs to handle things should the ice queen himself refuse to emerge from his frigid fortress.”

“Eh… ‘capable’ may be a questionable term right now with everything.”

“Anyway!” Princess butted back into the conversation. “It's getting late in the morning and our driver will be here soon so let's get some final pictures done!”

The receptionist was more than capable of taking a few group shots before the gathered bunch split to finally wish the couple well on their honeymoon.

“Hideyoshi, be sure to send me the minutes from the shareholder--” Nobunaga attempted one last order but Princess was quick to shut it down by covering his mouth her hand.

“No. You. Don't. The company will be fine without you for a short time.”

Light hearted laughter echoed through the car drop off. Masamune clapped Nobunaga on the back. “Don't worry, Devil King, it will take more than two weeks to bring down Oda Tech.”

Baroness and Countess gasped sharply at that just as Princess cowarded behind her husband. Duchess froze stock still, all color draining from her face.

“O-oda Tech?” She blinked twice before her thoughts seemed to catch up with her, breaking the spell as hysteria laced giggles bubbled from within. “I am so fired!”

“They can't dictate what you do on your own time!” Princess squeaked from her behind Nobunaga's shoulder.

“I have a competitors fraternization clause, they most certainly can! Oda Tech is listed by name. I have no idea what they did to my boss but that man hates Oda and-- oh God.” All the fury left her as suddenly as it came, freezing her in place with an emotionless mask. “I won't even be eligible for severance… I--I have to go.”

Turning again on her heel, Duchess snatched her bag off the ground and started toward her car before marching back when she realized her mistake. She pulled Princess into a tight hug despite the wrinkle still etched into her forehead. “Have fun! I love you. I'm upset with you right now, but I love you. I have to go. I have to call the photographers to make sure they don't post any pictures yet. Ah, hell! Social media!”

The frazzled ball of nerves continued muttering to herself as she settled into her car and drove from the parking lot. A heavy silence surrounded the three remaining women as they gazed after the tail lights of their friend while the men glanced to one other, each failing to make sense of the scene they had witnessed until Nobunaga finally addressed his new wife.

“Princess, mon amour, would you like to explain and translate what just happened?”

“Uh, no. Not really.”

The fair haired bridesmaid known as Baroness rolled her eyes. “Duchess is a higher-up at one of your rival companies.”

“And Princess thought it a good idea to keep that fact from everyone.” Countess finished.

“Shame,” Mitsuhide smirked. “I do so enjoy networking… from whence does she hail then? What does she do?”

Countess and Baroness pointedly glanced to Princess with tilted heads and strained smiles, preventing her from escaping the topic.

“I was just trying to avoid any awkwardness and, personally, I feel I succeeded. But, if you must know, Duchess is an Executive Assistant.”

“To who?” Nobunaga persisted.

The forced innocence of her smile faltered as she realized avoidance was no longer an option, releasing a single name on a defeated sigh. “Takeda Shingen.”

Hideyoshi had been mid sip of his own coffee when the name choked him, causing him to double over in a coughing fit to push the liquid back out of his lungs.

“Oh?” Mitsuhide’s eyebrow rose with the corner of his smirk. “Looks like one of us networked quite well after all.”

~☆~

❤💕Tag List💕❤

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P.s.: Let me know if you would like to be added to the tag list❤

~☆~

Prologue

Master List // Ao3 // Ko-Fi

Bookmark Fraternization on Ao3!

#fraternization #my writing #ikemen sengoku #ikesen hideyoshi #ikesen masamune #ikesen mitsuhide #ikesen nobunaga #ikesen shingen #clauses and contracts #cc #tw: adult theme #tw: implied nudity

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purplesurveys · 5 years ago

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459

Ok I’m sorry but these name surveys have turned out to be loadsa fun for me so let me just take another one lmaooooo.

I honestly find it therapeutic since it allows me to reflect and look back on all of the people I’ve crossed paths with before, whether for better or for worse :) Sorry if I’ll repeat names/explanations, I’ll do my best to remember more stuff about them!

aaron: Already mentioned this in the last survey, but he’s a part of my high school friend group. He was one of my first guy friends ever and he was very nice to me from the very beginning; always made sure I felt like I belonged in a crowd. Also studies in UP and I think he is taking up sports science because he wants to go on to med school. abby/abbey: This is my mom’s name. She goes by the first spelling. I know an Abby from high school; she studies in La Salle now. adam: I don’t know him personally but there used to be a dude from WhatCulture Wrestling (a popular YouTube channel) named Adam – he was my favorite to watch until he got caught in a major fuck-up and was booted from the group. adel adrienne ajee

ajla alan: I have an uncle named Allan. He was part of my dad’s friend group in college; they met each other in their org. He was in every birthday party when I was a kid, but I don’t see him anymore now because his family already migrated somewhere else. alex: Broad comm student who plays the guitar and sings well; I haven’t talked to her. I also knew an Alex from 6th grade and she was just...not a very bright student. She had to move because I don’t think her grades reached the standard in my school, and now I think she lives in California. If not there, then somewhere else in the States. Alex is a fairly common name here, though, and I know I’ve missed out on a bunch of other Alexes.

alexa: Again, another girl from high school. Was a cool girl and a party girl from the very start. Like I said in my past survey, she lives in Australia now. alexis alexzandria alicia: My friend Alliyah’s boss, who she has a huge crush on, is named Alicia but she goes by Alice. alisa allie/ally: Gossiping fake loser from our rival journ org who does nothing but spread black propaganda about our org to keep people from joining ours – when she talks to us, though, she’s super nice. I’m so fucking happy she’s graduating because she has such a toxic personality :( allison: Former prof in Comm 100. Wasn’t very good but I had a crush on her from the very first lecture. She had a serious car accident in the middle of the sem and had to wear like a nose brace thing for the rest of the sem. alycea/alycia alyssa: I rode the school bus with a girl named Alyssa but I was much closer to her older sister Alex. There’s also an Alyssa from broad comm and I was classmates with her in my political science, history, and broad comm classes for this semester. She’s the niiiiiiiicest girl and would always help me out if I have missing notes or whatever. amanda: Girl from my org who’s taking up engineering. I was her VP last semester, but she had personal problems and so she wasn’t able to work much under me. Whenever she did, though, she was always reliable. Quiet girl, a little socially awkward. amari amber andrew: I first met him at a rally/protest I attended in 2017. Hit it off well right from the start because I saw that he was wearing a wrestling shirt, so we bonded over WWE that day. He plays the guitar and has released his own EP, is a junior DJ at one of the hip radio stations in Manila, and has done his fair share of hosting gigs. He used to take up engineering but shifted to journalism as he likes it better. Is very adventurous and amiable but tends to get too friendly; some might find it tiring but I honestly think it’s just his personality. He was my groupmate in communication research and I thought he was decent. angela: My best friend’s name is Angela. We first met each other in Grade 1 when we were 7, and we became friends after I stabbed her palm with a newly-sharpened pencil. She still has the pencil mark today. anna: Anna is a popular secondary name in the Philippines, but no one actually uses it as their main name. anne: Same with Anne. annie: My grandma’s best friend who used to come over the house every Sunday. Like I said in the past survey, I’m honestly not sure if she’s still alive lol. She was already pretty old when I was still very young. anthony aasad ashley: I *think* I have a distant cousin named Ashley that I first met at a family reunion last year. But let’s be real, Filipino families are huge and I don’t even know if I remember her name correctly, if she’s even an Ashley. aubri: One of my closest friends in high school was Aubrey. We were very, very close in junior year until she dropped a bomb on me that her family was migrating to California by the time we start senior year. We don’t talk anymore because of the distance and the timezones, but I’ll always be there for her no matter what. Incredibly talented dancer and figure skater. She’s in UCLA right now and as far as I know she is killing it over there. austin autumn: I know an Autumn from my wrestling fandom days. I think she was a redhead, but I don’t remember anything else. barbara becca: A girl from broad comm. She was one of the principal actors in one of the productions we did for BC and she has a really cute laugh. Super elegant; she reminded me a little bit of Audrey Hepburn because she was really graceful. She’s the older sister of my orgmate Rita, who’s from psych. ben beth bethany betty: I have a friend-ish named Bettina. Betty’s kind of like a goofy nickname; she actually doesn’t use it but I think it still counts. I’ve known her since first grade; she peed her skirt in our first day of Grade 1 and I remember her crying a lot. She had a wild TV show phase starting from Grade 5 and she was into Nicole Kidman, Paula Abdul, Kara DioGuardi, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Stana Katic, Kate Walsh, etc etc etc and a bunch of shows like Private Practice, Grey’s Anatomy, Castle, Suits etc etc etc. She was super shy, very awkward in person so I’m glad her love of TV shows and actresses sprung her into life for the most part. She’s in UP Manila and I think too busy to get into fandoms now. bijan bobby bram brandon brandy breanna/brianna: Brianna is my friend Pat’s middle name. I honestly used to be so envious of this name of hers because I thought it sounded really nice, but now I think it kinda sounds like a bratty name hahaha. brendan brian: I have an uncle named Bryan, but we aren’t related. He’s my mom’s cousin’s husband. He’s VERY shy and likes to keep to himself or his kids at family gatherings but turns really cool when he’s had a little to drink. brittany/brittney/brittni brock brooke bruce buck cameron camille: Nice girl from my childhood school bus. There’s an unofficial norm in private schools in that when you’re older, you get to be mean to the younger kids. Not her. She was always nice and include us second graders in her antics in the bus, even though she was several years older. I was bummed when I found out they moved to the States. candy carina: I used to ride the school bus with a Carina but she was much younger. I was already in high school when she was in kindergarten. She’s the younger sister of Carissa, who I always found to be pretty weird. Anyway, these girls were clearly rich and pampered; they had a nanny ride with us in the bus. carly: I had an Internet friend named Carley; she was my first online best friend. We met here on Tumblr in like 2012 and got close because we were both huge fans of Stephanie McMahon at the time haha. We would video-call EVERY afternoon when I would come home from school while she would get ready for school (she’s from Pennsylvania). Eventually she’d disappear off the face of the earth and stopped talking to me but resurfaced a few months later. She’d continue to do this like 10 other times until I got tired of getting my hopes up of having her back. She’s tried reconnecting with me again on DMs but I just ignored it cos I knew there was a good chance she’d just cut off our communication again. We’re still Facebook friends and she’d pop up on my news feed from time to time, but that’s it. carol: I have a great-aunt named Carol. But my grandma has so many sisters that I honestly do not remember which one she is. carrie cassandra: I had a batchmate named Kassandra, who went by Kasey. Really bright, sweet, intelligent girl. She moved to Singapore in 7th grade. She was very, very simple and very kind to everyone and you wouldn’t be able to tell that she’s crazy rich. Her dad’s a top exec for a famous food and drink company and she lives in the same village I do–their house is guarded 24/7. cassidy chantel charlotta chelsie: Chelsea’s part of our high school friend group and is also crazy rich. We always hung out at her place because her house is huge. She’s very maarte, which I cannot really translate to English...the closest term is probably high maintenance hahaha; but she’s very sweet and generous and kind too. cheryl chris: One of Gabie’s best friend is a Kris. Other than liking outdoorsy stuff like going to the beach and hiking which is all I know about her, I think she’s also half-American. christopher: I have an uncle with this name but like I said his nickname is Perry. He works abroad like my dad (his brother-in-law) and my dad’s sister (his sister-in-law). cienna clare: Guidance counselor for several grade school levels. Understandably, she is very maternal. I once had a nasty fight with another girl and we had to be sent to her office. clarissa: Went to school with a Clarisa. We first met in Grade 4 because she rode my school bus, and instantly clicked. She was very nice, very sweet; she was simple to the point that, like Kasey, you’d have no clue how rich she was. She lives in a huge mansion now but she lived in a huge house before that as well, it’s crazy. Really, really sweet and she would give the best hugs. I played table tennis a lot with her in high school too. She studies in Miriam now but I’m not so sure about her course. claudia: Already said a lot about her in the last survey. Popular girl her whole life. She still goes to a bunch of parties but she is so much nicer now than she was when we were younger. cody cole collin corey corinne: One of my former teachers named her daughter Corinne. I think she’s 8 this year. courtney crissy: Chrissy was one of my very best friends in preschool and grade school. She looked Chinese even though she had a Filipino-sounding surname, and I was never sure if she had Chinese blood or not. She was boyish so she was very rowdy, liked to play rough, and punched other girls if she got pissed; but other than that she was very quiet and shy. She was constantly on the basketball team too. Eventually her family moved to Canada. crystal dallas dan danielle danika: An orgmate that worked under my committee two semesters ago. She’s from business ad and was juggling another org so she wasn’t very active at all to begin with. Her performance just plummeted every month and she ended up ghosting my org last semester–never replied to anyone when we tried to check up on her. I was very mad at her until she restarted contact with us recently and explained how tumultuous stuff suddenly got in her personal life and mental health that she had to take care of herself for a while, which we all understood immediately. She’s coming back to the org this year and we’re more than ready to welcome her. She’s very charming, goofy, and kind. She has a very life-of-the-party personality haha. danny: I have a friend-ish named Dani that I met through Angela. We all sat at the same table during the senior ball at Ateneo in 2016 so we got to talk then. She played volleyball in high school and she studies in San Beda now. She wants to take up law school so I think her course is in political science. darious david: Pat’s boyfriend from Serbia and Patrice’s boyfriend from economics HAHAHAHA. Also a sucky groupmate from my comm res class who did absolutely nothing to contribute in the final paper that Hannah and I worked our asses so hard for. dean deanglo derrick destiny devin dillon donna dwayne [Random survey-taker note: these are all very Western names...] emie emily eric: My godfather is an Eric. Like my Tito Allan, he also met my dad through their college org. He’s an exec in a bank now and is suuuuuuper rich. Has a daughter named Arya which he could’ve named after the GoT character but am not really sure about that. everette felicia gabby: Wildly popular name. 1) My girlfriend’s name is Gabie; 2) there was another Gaby in my high school batch. 3) I have a friend from the Tumblr wrestling fandom named Gabbie who was really good in Photoshop – we study in the same school but have never met each other. 4) I have a high school batchmate whose little sister is a Gaby, annnnnddd I also just remembered that 5) there was another Gabbi in the wrestling fandom who also made good edits at the time. gerald gina guliana gloria: Do last names count? Hahaha. Gloria is the surname of my instructor in my class in international relations just this past sem. He’s a new faculty member but is craaaazy good at teaching; clearly knows what he’s talking about. He was passionate about his subject and I always admired that about him. I was really sad when class had to end. grace: I have a great-aunt named Grace; he’s my late grandpa’s sister. She’s really...quite fabulous; she has connections with super prestigious people and has a fancy wardrobe. She’s the only Filipino grandmother I know who goes by ‘Nana’ to her grandkids, which I note because Nana is like a super Western thing afaik. She has drama queen tendencies though and can be sensitive to a lot of things lmao. gracie hannah: One of the close friends I’ve made in college so far! Our first meeting was when she and Macy moved from UP Los Banos to the Diliman campus (where I study) and the three of us enrolled in our classes together. I was closer to Macy first, but eventually me and Hannah got a stronger friendship. Best groupmate, workmate, and David Archuleta fan I know. Sings great and plays the piano great. An absolute angel. hasan hawa hayley: I only know a dog named Hailey lol. heather: Someone from my high school batch is a Heather! We were never in the same cliques but she is one of the friendliest people I know. She knows how to talk to anyone which I appreciated. We bonded over One Direction in high school and she also confided in me a few times about her relationship and how her parents forbade her from seeing her boyfriend because he was trans. She also studies in my school now, taking up business economics. We barely see each other but say hi whenever we do. holly hunter ibro isaac isaiah jack jackie: One of my aunts has a relative named Jackie and I literally only found this out earlier when we met up and caught up with each other. jacob jacquelin jaden: A kid of my mom’s best friend is a Jaden. He was named after Jaden Smith because he was born during the time the Karate Kid remake made big waves. jake: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I had a garbage instructor with this name. This dude was in charge of my weekly crying binges and panic attacks because I was never sure if I was gonna pass his class. He seemed to enjoy giving all of us failing marks too which made me hate his piece of shit ass more. He’s supposed to be really good at what he does but I guess knowledge just does not always translate well in the classroom. Ended up passing his class, but now I’m cursing his ass forever. james: I have a younger cousin named James. I’ve only met him twice; once when he was a newborn, and then when he celebrated Christmas 2018 with us. His family’s lived in New Zealand and Vietnam since 2008, which is why we never get to see him, and why he does not remember me at all. janai janveia jared jason jay: My uncle is a Jay; he’s my mom’s brother. I disowned him as my uncle many years ago. He’s a terrible drunk, a disgusting smoker, and an annoying freeloader. I tried giving him a chance before, but after I found out that he drunkenly punched a cat once, I ignored him forever. Sometimes my mom and grandmother would ask me to acknowledge him at family gatherings, so I’d have to begrudingly do so; but other than that he’s out of my life. jazmine: There was a Jasmin from my old school. She’d always been very artistic and she was into K-Pop very early on. She’s taking up linguistics in my school now. jeana jeanette jen: Girl from the now-ancient Tumblr wrestling fandom. She’s probably the biggest and most passionate wrestling fan I know as she would follow both the mainstream and indie promotions the last time I checked up on her. She was kinda vain and kept on taking selfies while captioning each one as ‘ugly.’ I remember that she has a dog she really loves, and that she lives in Boston. jeralyn jerry jesse jessica: Meh, annoying girl from high school. I’m sure she’s nice(?) but her personality just didn’t click with me. She was too vibrant and too friendly that it almost seemed fake; but what do I know, I never really made the effort to know her better other than bonding over 1D here and there. jim jocelyn jodi: I know a Jodee from my old school. Spoke straight English, is intelligent, but is a huge goofball and very mischievous/rebellious. She was a smartass and liked testing the teachers’ patience whenever she can, but she always did it in a very funny way I think. She was often called to the guidance counselor’s office for having relationships with other students (I went to a Catholic all-girls’ private school, so this was obviously not allowed) but she always stood her ground about it and was never afraid to fight back. She had a phase of unhooking our bras in like 5th grade. joey: My blockmate has a younger sister named Joey. I think she is also studying in UP. john: The cousin I’m closest to is named John, but it’s not his preferred name. jonathan jordan josh: I know two Joshes, but only because they are boyfriends of a couple of acquaintances. jossie julia julie junior justin: I went to school with a girl who initially went by Justinn, but like she all wanted to start calling her by her other name, Ria, as we grew older. I also briefly rode the school bus with a girl named Justine, but we didn’t talk much. kailyn kaitlyn kaleb: Chelsea’s brother is named Caleb. kali karrie karli kasey: Oh, I guess Kasey (under Cassandra) falls under this too lmao. kasahwn katarina: Not exact, but Katrina’s a fairly popular name where I live. My cousin’s boyfriend is named Katrina, my aunt is a Katrina (but she goes by Bianca), and I also went to school with a Katrina even though her nickname is Cheenie. kate: Already talked about this in the last name survey. I met Kate through my org; she’s a huge joker/goofball, is naturally very friendly, and has an awesome wardrobe. When she’s bored and we both aren’t doing anything, she puts makeup on me. Works very well but is also a huge partier HAHAHAHA. katie: This is my nickname for Kate, if that counts. kayla: There’s a Kayla in my college, but her course is in broad(cast) comm(unication). I remember her very well because she is the first person I EVER talked to when we had our freshman orientation in UP. We didn’t become close after that. She’s pretty, has nice clothes and hair, is part of the popular circle, and she’s part of streetdance which is like one of the cooler orgs on campus. kelli kent: I have a younger cousin who’s a Kent. We used to be close when we were both kids, but now we’re shy towards each other. He was obsessed with dinosaurs when he was younger, like 5 or 6. kerna kevin kiana: I have an orgmate named Kiana! SOOOOO pretty and has like the clearest skin. Very simple and down-to-earth. Is nice but can kick your ass because she has a black belt in taekwondo. She’s smart as hell and I’m pretty sure she’s graduating as magna cum laude, besides the fact that she’s going to UP Law right after. kiley kim: I also have an orgmate named Kim :) He’s the sweetest guy ever, and is just so easy to talk to. He has a really cute relationship with one of the org’s alumni. I didn’t get to bond with him much but am sad all the same that he’s graduating this year :( kimberly: Went to my old school with a Kimberly but she went by Kim. Was one of the rougher, lesser-behaved kids. She was a demon in grade school. Not quite sure how she’s doing now. She’s my friend on Facebook but can’t really care less about her life updates. kirsten kristy kyle: Kyelle is a kinda good friend of mine. He’s from the same circle, but we aren’t close in particular. He’s very nice though, very silly and likes to goof around. laila lain: I used to have an orgmate named Laine. She was our VP for External Affairs two years ago. She’s now in law school. leah: Cheenie’s mom is a Lea. She’s probably the best mom friend my mom made from my school hahaha; she’s known me since I was 4. lexi: I have a high school batchmate named Alexa but I think she goes by Lexi, judging from her Twitter name. Is naturally quiet but gets very friendly when you get her to open up. Easy to talk to. liam: Liam is my youngest cousin, I think. He was born in 2014 or 2015. I’ve never seen him, because he and his family lives in New York. I’ve only ever met his big sister. :( lilly: This girl I was classmates with for a journ elective. I found her to be verrrrry pretty and she had the biggest, most piercing eyes; until I found out that she was one of those die-hard Catholics who are vehemently pro-life. She once defended a fraternity whose members were confirmed to be misogynist, sexist, racist, homophobic and transphobic pieces of shit in a leaked groupchat simply because she believes in ‘forgiveness.’ She caused another ruckus two weeks ago when she made known her pro-life views well known. I wanna unfriend her ass so bad but she just keeps making all the wrong opinions that I just wanna stay and watch her get schooled by my less-than-thrilled college mates hahaha. lina liz: If I remember correctly, there was an Elizabeth from my wrestling fandom who went by Liz. She lives somewhere in the UK, had reddish hair, and was in love with John Cena lmao. She would sometimes make edits too. loren: Other than the Lauren I mentioned in the previous survey, I also had a friend named Lauren from the Tumblr wrestling community too. She was one of the first friends I made. She was two years older than me, fancied Andy Samberg earlier than anyone else, had a cool room, was obsessed with cats, and loved tie-dye stuff. lydia lyndsey lynnette macaila mack: JM’s dad goes by Mackey, if that counts hahahaha. He’s a lawyer and a college professor. mckenzi macey: I went to high school with a Macy and now she’s in college with me too. She used to study in UPLB but moved to Diliman after a year, since she always planned to take up journalism (she didn’t pass the cutoff initially, so she had to stay in LB for a year before she moved). I was very close with her throughout high school, but idk, she’s just never been in a good place mentally so our friendship is very up-down-up-down. I tried to reconnect when we were reunited in college, but she’s found her crowd now so I’m happy for her nonetheless.

There’s also a Macy in my org who worked under my committee for a year before she moved to finance. Quiet girl but was always nice to everyone. She’s also graduating this semester :( maddie madison margo: Went to elementary school with a Margo but she preferred to spell it as Margauxe lmao. We became close for a while because we rode the school bus together and she would lend me the other half of her earbuds so we can listen to Ashley Tisdale’s Headstong and Vanessa Hudgens’ V every day (this was when High School Musical was peak popular). She sort of had a tumultuous family life here until she moved to Hawaii a few years ago. I think she may have moved to California now too. maria: Again, this is like the base name for like half of all Filipina girls. It’s so common that it’s just simply shortened to ‘Ma.’ because everyone knows what it stands for. marina marisa: Kayla’s middle name is Marissa. marquis mary: Macy’s first name is Mary. mathew: I know a bunch of Matthews from both high school and college but they all go by Matt. The one I remember the most is Matthew from another high school friend group who was close with my group. Our group was invited to their Christmas party, and they had a gimmick that each member of their group was gonna be paired with someone from ours, and it was gonna be a costume party. I was paired up with Matthew (but they called him Cho), but I never went to the party so I never got to meet him. I’m sure he’s nice, though. matt: See Mathew. maura mechelle: I have an orgmate named Michelle. She’s clumsy, kinda awkward, but she does it in a very cute way and we all love her because she’s so funny haha. She passed the toughest med school program in the COUNTRY but chose journ in the end. Is the most Chinese Chinese-Filipino girl I know. megan: I know someone whose middle name is Megan but she goes by a different name. melissa: Hahahahaha. I knew a Melissa all right. Freeloader. meredith mersadies micah: I was classmates and friends with a Micah in grade school. My parents and hers were close, so we became close too. She was very smart but I remember her to be deathly afraid of walking on beams when we had to do it in PE. She moved schools in the fifth grade, and she studies in UST now. michael: His full name is Michael, but Mike is a guy I almost went out with in high school. Wasn’t really attracted to him, but he’s like super smart so it was a huge plus point for me lol. I also have an orgmate named Michael but we all call him Elis. He’s unreliable. miranda: If surnames count, Gabie’s best friend’s last name is this haha. molly monica: Some girl who went to my old school but transferred schools early on, like in 2nd or 3rd grade. She was Gabie’s childhood friend though so I still hear from her from time to time. She’s in UP now too, but I don’t know what course she’s taking. morgan nashid natasha: I went to high school with a girl named Natasha, but she goes by Tashie. Huge girl and a beast at softball. Can be a big softie but she has weird mood swings too (and when she’s mad, she’s quite violent) so I just tried not to piss her off while we were still in school together lol. nate: Yeah he’s in the same college as me but I know zilch about him other than he’s supposed to be really good in making films. nathan neema nichole: Annoying younger busmate who graduated high school this year. nick: Nick is the codename I gave to one of my first crushes. Obviously not his legit name so I don’t think this counts. nicholas olivia paige preasia preme prisilla: When I was still applying for AIESEC, Priscilla was assigned as one of my groupmates. I was originally iffy because she didn’t get online to work until like 11 PM, but when I did see her start working, she was a GODDAMN BEAST. Amazing. Did everything I assigned to her. When I met her in person the next day, she spoke very well and was very put-together. My respect for her soared even more after that. I dropped my application soon after for unrelated reasons but it was a pleasure working with her. Last I heard, she’s a councilor-elect in her local college’s student council. rachel: My math teacher in Grade 1 was a Rachel. I don’t remember her at all, except for the fact that when she found our class noisy one day, she completely stopped talking and mimed everything for the rest of the 45-minute period. raheim raven: Creepy, weird dude from my org who’s always looking for a dick to suck. I’m not even trying to insult him, he’s just perpetually thirsty and makes sure the whole world knows it for some reason. ray renee: Sweet, intelligent, hilarious girl from my high school. She’s very makwela, which in English means zany/funny. Her dad is a national basketball coach so it’s no surprise she followed in his footsteps. richard riley rita: Sweet, sweet girl from my org. We all just kinda naturally flock to protect her from bad influences or creepy people because she just has such a sweet soul. She’s my successor VP in my committee. robby: I have an Uncle Rob, but he doesn’t go by Robby. He’s the husband of my aunt (my mom’s cousin). He’s from New Zealand and has a Masters or a PhD in film theory, I don’t actually remember which. ryan: I used to see him a lot at a relative’s house until I was like 8. I’ve never seen him since and don’t actually know how he’s related to us or me lmfao. sabrina samantha: I have a younger cousin named Samantha. Sam was born and raised in New York but visited the Philippines last year and I was primarily in charge of taking care of her. She’s just the cutest darling I’ve seen and has the most perfect accent ahuhuhuhuhuhu. She likes My Little Pony. sara sarica sean: Someone from a lower batch in high school has this name. I never knew her but we follow each other on Twitter loooooool. secilia seliena: My older cousin’s first name is Selina but she goes by her second name, Bianca or Bia for short. We were inseperable as kids but we grew shyer as we grew older :( shannon shauna: Gabie’s orgmate. That’s all I know. She liked my tweets in the past but that’s the most contact we’ve made. shayna shelby sherry seirra skylar spencer steven stevey susan: I have an Aunt Susan. She took care of me my whole childhood; fed me, gave me baths, all that stuff when my mom was too busy with work. She got run over by a hit-and-run motorcycle when I was 9 and she was never the same after. She was crankier and had violent outbursts. tamara: I went to school with a Tamara; her nickname was Tammy. She was a gentle giant; like she was a naturally big girl but was very soft-spoken and SUPER shy. We got close for a while in 4th grade but her paths differed not long after. tashryha taylor tayshaun terrell tiffany: I had a batchmate named Tiffany. She was kinda mean in grade school but got nicer as we got older. I never really got the chance to know her well. tori trevor trisha: Another high school batchmate. All I remember was that she would cheat on tests by changing her wrong answers when the teachers would give our results back so they could correct it for her. Also a big Justin Bieber fan lol. trista tylik vanessa: There was a Vanessa in an older HS batch but she went by Via; she just graduated college yesterday but that’s all I know. There’s also a Vanessa in my sister’s HS batch; she’s half-German and that’s also all I know. victoria: Some girl I had a class with was named Victoria but it’s her middle name; we all called her Kristine. wally will wyatt zach: Another guy from the wrestling group I was in. He was one of the older dudes so I was more scared of him than the rest. zachary: Same answer as Zach. I think this was his whole name. zoey

#survey #surveys #ok this'll probably be the last one because THESE ARE LONG

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actuallylorelaigilmore · 6 years ago

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I too am in a TWW rewatch, because well I enjoy torturing myself by watching competent articulate political types. (That and the great tv) I'm really struggling with Will. He seems like such an creep the further it goes on yet all the female characters seem to like him. I feel like I'm missing something. Do you have any views on him?

I have views on everything!! :D Seriously though, nobody’s ever asked me about Will so what a great chance for an essay. (This got REALLY long, fair warning.)

First, a disclaimer. I’ve never been very active on Twitter, but when I started using it, I mostly followed TWW actors. I occasionally tweeted at them, and I never expected responses, because they were amazing actors from this show I revered, and I was a random fangirl on social media. But two of them did, and were SO nice, and it shocked me so much back in the day to realize how kind and down-to-earth TWW cast is, when I had just seen the series and hadn’t yet found tumblr or watched interviews. It really made an impression on me. Richard Schiff called me ‘very sweet’ and won my heart forever, and Joshua Malina was also totally friendly and nice, so much so that I felt bad for never really liking his character much.

That’s right, I too used to think Will was obnoxious. But once I realized the actor was kinda awesome, I reconsidered his character and gave him a chance. So I’m glad you asked me, as I’ve been on both sides with Will and really love him now.

IMO, Will Bailey came in not just as a replacement for Sam, but also as a character with very different values, who was meant to contrast with our heroes at a crucial time.

Mid-S4, when Will is first introduced, we meet him as a skilled, idealistic writer who’s also got strong organizational and leadership skills. That’s different from any of our faves, since both Sam and Toby are talented wordsmiths, and both are idealistic in their own ways, but they’re also both oriented towards behind-the-scenes work. Toby is very team-focused and loyal but he would like it if everyone would leave him alone and let him do what he’s good at–messaging and writing and trying to nudge the people around him onto the path he thinks is best. When CJ is promoted above him to become COS, he cares even less about the professional snub than Josh does, because it’s not something he wanted.

And while Sam has political aspirations, he never really shows leadership qualities. He’s an excellent second to Toby and even for Josh when needed, but he’s also shown to be the least canny and experienced of them all, and you could argue that being in front of the camera as a candidate for office doesn’t always equal being a leader, if your staff is really running the show for you, which is what Sam’s campaign looks like. Everyone around him coordinates the details and runs things to leave him space to just be The Guy. But Will Bailey is both the guy running the show behind the scenes AND the guy who can get on camera and speak about the politics and ideals of his campaign because his family and professional background made him much more well-rounded. Heck, he’s even in the armed forces on top of all that! He’s portrayed as good at all the things he does.

Now, what’s interesting to me is that Will, as he’s first introduced, is much more confident and idealistic than he is later on. Early Will goes through a serious transformation, from Toby’s new second to an independent operator who lacks the loyalty the others have to a man more than to a party. To some extent, Will’s rebellious, ‘you need me more than I need you’ attitude was there from the moment Sam showed up to his winning campaign, but I think that who Aaron Sorkin (who had worked with the actor a lot before) conceived him as changed after Sorkin left. The showrunners for S5-7 saw an opportunity in his character’s feisty campaign background and turned him into someone with even less personal loyalty and more detached pragmatism.

The fact is, that’s not what Sorkin-era TWW is about. One of the reasons the later seasons are so different is their clear-eyed look at campaign chaos and shifting loyalties and all the small on-the-ground work that we didn’t see with President Bartlet. The earlier seasons are very much about our found family of staffers and the First Family and watching them fight the status quo that constrains them because they won. They always want to do better, and be better, and as much as they acknowledge the reality that you have to win in order to change the world, the show still promises us that it’s the change that actually matters, and it isn’t worth winning if you have to sell your soul to do it.

So if there’s a spectrum along which everyone falls, based on how much they’re willing to ‘go along to get along’ versus making trouble for the sake of their beliefs, Will Bailey is on the exact opposite end from say, Amy Gardner, with our core characters in the middle. I’ve rambled about Amy before, about how her values and priorities are so different from our heroes that she’s an antagonist even as she works with them a lot of the time. Will has the same complicated relationship with the people we’ve been rooting for for years, but for drastically different reasons. Amy is at odds with the West Wing because she’ll do whatever it takes to win the argument and get what she wants, pulling the Democrats to the left whenever possible.

Will, though–especially in S5 and beyond–is at odds with the West Wing even when he’s in the West Wing, because for all his ideals, he has no problem with compromise. He sees nothing wrong with moving to the middle if it helps you win, if it gets you more power. He’s willing to look like an idiot for the White House, he’s willing to go in front of the press core and be beaten up for days if it will help the cause, he doesn’t hesitate to jump to a new campaign that he thinks could win, because winning is how you get the things you want. Probably, being a diplomat’s son has something to do with how accommodating he is, and how able Will is to justify any position, any choice. We’re told he’s very good with words, but he was probably also good at Debate in school, because he can clearly turn any situation around as needed.

Which means that while Will’s instinct is to adjust and Amy’s is to dig her heels in, they share the one quality that makes any TWW character harder to like: they answer only to themselves. Above all else, their ‘constituency of one’ is themselves rather than a specific politician or even the party. Will is a Democrat, but he’ll happily buck the party wisdom in favor of what he thinks will win. And that puts him up against Toby, the President, Josh, etc, at different times because he bases his choices on his own ideals and they’re just different from those of the Bartlet Administration, which spends 8 years fighting to stay progressive and deciding it’s better to go down fighting than do or say things they don’t believe in.

Will is also an interesting foil for Donna after she leaves the White House, and not just because they become coworkers and good friends. Along with the fact that she left Josh and struck out on her own, most of her post-Sorkin conflict with Josh is actually based on WHO she went to work for and how differently she and Josh see that decision/what it says about her and her time working under Josh. By going to work for Russell, Donna shows that she’s less concerned with finding the perfect underdog candidate and more interested in a future that keeps up Democratic progress after President Bartlet leaves office. She is never dedicated to Russell as a man, and over time becomes visibly concerned with his flaws as a man and a candidate. But tellingly, Will isn’t any more personally loyal to Russell than Donna is–and he’s the one running the man’s whole campaign!

It says a lot about Will that for all the moments when Russell shows himself to be less than honorable, Will clearly disagrees with his actions…but he stays. Because Russell was never why he left the Bartlet Administration, or why he took on the new campaign. He took it on because he’s good at winning campaigns, and in Russell he saw someone who could win, and he may have even admired the antagonistic streak that came out once Russell became VP. Russell also had no interest in the ‘cult of Bartlet’ and quickly proved that he wouldn’t even have the level of respect that Hoynes had for Josiah Bartlet as a man. Most of the characters on TWW consider that strike one against Russell and a major character flaw, but Will doesn’t. He respects the President and the office but he didn’t know Jed before the MS reveal, he sees him from more of a removed distance, and his White House job is a JOB to him more than a calling.

Again, some of this was less true during the Sorkin era. The Will Bailey who lost the ability to speak when he was officially offered Sam’s position is much more in awe of the gravity of it all, and it’s hard to see that guy jumping ship to support a moderate candidate that nobody in the White House even likes. But the hints of who he ends up as were there from the beginning, the way he tells off Sam and Toby even before he works with them–he’s always an outsider.

So the outsider factor, that makes it harder to like Will or any TWW character that doesn’t automatically get along with the others. Ainsley Hayes may be ‘the enemy’ as a Republican, but she is amiable and smoothly tries to change minds–and when she isn’t able to, she opts to live and let live. Will is harsher, more combative at times, and I don’t know if it’s just me, but that makes me feel defensive and protective towards the staffers he’s arguing with. After all, I adore them and I barely know him, how dare he?

But of course, his actions and his beliefs make perfect sense from HIS perspective. He’s had a successful career, and being a part of the Administration was never a goal of his, so he doesn’t need to go out of his way to defer to their judgement or stay quiet in the face of their superior wisdom. He was raised to know how to work people and get his way, but he was also raised with incredible privilege and confidence and if he was banished from TWW inner circle it wouldn’t be much of a loss for him. Being an outsider isn’t a problem for him, he spent his life that way as a diplomat’s son, so he never feels the need to conform the way he would have to in order to really become a part of the gang.

Honestly, the only reason he ever gels as a part of the group is because Josh leaves and Toby is fired and they need Will to speak for the White House–finally he’s the ultimate insider, he’s the Bartlet mouthpiece, and the only original senior staffer left is CJ, so once Will and Kate bond they’re the center of the staff that’s left, and he has somebody on his side. (And once he’s off the campaign trail, the show goes back to highlighting his neurotic and geeky side, because he can’t be the ‘win at all costs’ guy anymore and needed a new focus.)

So here’s why I think it can be hard to like Will: he often seems like an entitled, immune-to-criticism, antagonistic opportunist. At his worst he seems to think the means justify the ends, despite his progressive beliefs in general, and that means he’s the guy who could get almost anybody elected–which is great when it’s S3 and Bruno Gianelli is on Bartlet’s side, but less so when Russell seems like not much of an improvement on Hoynes in terms of decency and intelligence and Will has the skills to actually make that guy President.

BUT, (and I can’t guarantee this will help you but I think it’s important because Will does exist as a complex, multidimensional character, and that’s a good thing even though it means he has flaws) at his best he is an adorable dork who wants to make the world better, will take jobs because he believes they need doing even if they’re not his own personal dream, is willing to put himself in danger to save and protect others, and is not just talented but also very knowledgeable about the same kind of geeky Constitutional and political history that Jed Bartlet is.

What I’m trying to say is that Will, as much as anyone on TWW, is the product of his good and bad qualities, and both sides of that equation come from his core traits. His ability to ignore others’ criticism because he’s secure in who he is can be annoying when it’s Toby or Josh trying to talk sense into him, but it also means he survives hazing with friendly ease and stands up for the White House’s positions like a pro. He cares more about winning than fighting the narrowest version of the good fight, but he’s not wrong that winning is better for progressive goals than losing for the sake of ideological purity (hi 2016, I have not missed you). He isn’t loyal to the Bartlet Adminstration above all else–but if everyone were, then the President would be a dictator. Intra-party fighting can weaken a party but it also allows for diversity rather than a cult mentality.

So, here’s what it comes down to. Will isn’t Sam, and that means Toby could never really like or trust him, even if he had become more loyal. Will is a political relativist, which means Josh was never going to agree with his choices, as Josh has always put people first and hates having to compromise. Will is a privileged white guy (played by a Jewish actor, but never canonically established as Jewish) so CJ tolerates him but doesn’t genuinely like him for some time, because that’s just how she rolls. Leo leaves Will under Toby’s purview, and Jed has even less direct interaction with him. He spends a lot of his time battling a group of young female interns we never see again (tbh I can’t stand those scenes and if that’s where you get your creep factor, I get it). Given how disconnected he often is from the central cast, is it any wonder he’s mostly underappreciated and ignored by fans as well?

As for why the female characters on the show don’t seem bothered by him, even when you are, I think there’s a couple of possible explanations. First of all, TWW is a show that doesn’t show us that much–we have to assume that all of these characters, who practically live at work, spend a TON of time together offscreen, just by the nature of their jobs. If most of that time is similar to Will’s comedic scenes, where he’s a giant nerd with bikes in his office whose response to stress is the fetal position, then presumably his coworkers see his flawed human side, in an endearing rather than annoying way.

And secondly, we as viewers don’t have that perspective. We don’t even have the benefit of being these characters living in the early ‘00s, when it was a given that the government would be full of overconfident oblivious men and that’s just what women were expected to handle with poise and sweetness. Clearly things haven’t changed much over the years when it comes to White House staff and a backdrop of misogyny at work, but for a lot of us as viewers the world has progressed.

So Donna gets along with Will as her boss who can be kind of dense or morally ambivalent sometimes, but she’s also spent almost a decade dealing with the most powerful men in America. As an assistant, for most of that time. To her, even Will’s worst moments are barely a blip in the grand scheme of things. And CJ is totally unimpressed by Will’s smarts and talent because she works with the smartest and most talented men she’s ever known, but he serves a purpose and doesn’t get in her way, so she has no problem with him. Kate rose to power through the ranks of military men and has definitely seen, and probably injured, worse guys than Will Bailey. All the women of TWW have spent their careers dealing with men of varying character. I mean, even compared to some of Sam’s comments, Will must seem downright harmless.

TL;DR Can Will Bailey be a patronizing know-it-all who puts his own interests before party and found family? Absolutely. Is he a bad guy? Not at all. He’s just a different kind of good guy than those The West Wing conditioned us to admire and root for.

#an unexpected ode to #will bailey #thanks for this ask it really made me think!!#tww #the west wing #meta #rambling #mine #replies #karma1987uk

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danfanciesphil · 7 years ago

Text

Phan Teacher AU (Part 4)

(Part One)

(Part Two)

(Part Three)

This is all Mr Horowitz’s fault.

Okay, so it’s also a little bit Dan’s fault for forgetting to bring an umbrella, or even a sensible coat, but in his defence, he had no idea this would happen.

Normally, Dan’s walk to the bus stop after school is little more than two minutes, and so far he has always made it in time to catch the 3:17 bus. It’s a good thing too, because Dan knows that the next one doesn’t come for another hour.

He’d been on his way to catch this same bus, in fact, when Mr Horowitz caught his arm, asking whether, before he left, he’d just run upstairs to the labs and clear up the experiment from the last class. Dan, being the school’s servant boy, couldn’t exactly refuse. He’d raced up to the labs at just after 3pm, cleared the desks in lightning speed, run a broom over the floor and sprinted to the bus stop.

But alas, the sight with which he was greeted was the tail end of it, chugging into the distance as the rain pelted down.

So now, Dan is stood, shivering like mad, in the downpour. It’s currently 3:30pm, and he still has another 47 minutes before the next bus.

“Fuck you, Horowitz,” Dan mutters under his breath, which comes out in a silvery puff of steam.

He wraps his thin jacket around himself a little tighter, rocking on the balls of his feet. Students keep passing him by, some sending sympathetic looks, and some chuckling at his plight. Dan knows he must look an absolute sight; his hair is probably plastered to his head, and his smart shirt and skinny jeans are so drenched that they’d fill a few jugs if they were wrung out, he’s sure.

“Wanna use my Physics textbook as an umbrella, sir?” A Year 11 student Dan vaguely recognises calls out as they walk past, laughing.

Dan shakes his head with a grim smile. “No thanks,” He replies, as tactfully as he can bring himself to be.

It’s at this moment that a car pulls up to the bus stop, pausing right beside where Dan is stood.

The window rolls down, and Dan’s immediate instinct is to run away - a product of the copious amount of ‘stranger danger’ warnings instilled into him during his teacher training.

Then, the driver of the vehicle leans across the passenger seat, and Dan nearly wails. It’s Phil. Of course it’s Phil.

“Hey!” Phil says, a glimmer of amusement in his cobalt eyes. “Need a lift?”

Trying his best not to think about the fact that he looks the worst he ever has, Dan forces a tight smile, leaning towards the open window.

“Hey, hah- yeah, I didn’t exactly prepare for the weather today.” Dan says, chuckling at himself. “But it’s okay. Thanks for the offer but I live really far away. I’ll just get the next bus.”

“When’s the next bus?” Phil asks.

A car behind him slows to a stop, unable to get past. Dan glances up at it worriedly. The driver, an older man in a suit, looks impatient.

“Um, in forty-five minutes. Ish.”

Phil’s eyes widen, his mouth falling open. “What?! You’re planning to wait here in the rain for that long?”

Dan tries to give Phil a bright smile, like he’s fine with it, but a raindrop falls from his forehead into his eye, making him wince.

“Y-yeah, it’s okay, I’m-” Dan cuts himself as a sneeze surges up out of nowhere; he just about manages to turn away, aiming it into the crook of his elbow.

When he looks back up at Phil, he does not look pleased. “Dan,” he says, his voice dropping to his firm, teacher tone. “Get in the car.”

Partly because the gentleman behind Phil has begun honking his horn, and partly because his knees have jellified at the sound of Phil speaking to him this way, Dan pulls open Phil’s passenger door and climbs in.

It’s so warm inside that he could cry.

“I’m gonna get your seats all wet.” Dan says mournfully, trying to take up as little space as he can.

“They’ll dry.” Phil tells him, turning the heater up until it’s blasting over Dan’s face and chest. “There are more important things than courtesy, you know Dan.”

Dan turns to him, trying to work out whether Phil’s annoyed. He watches silently as Phil pulls away from the kerb, joining the thick muddle of after-school traffic inching its way towards the main road.

“My mum raised me to be a polite young man,” Dan jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

“My mum raised me not to put my health in danger for the sake of asking a friend for a lift once in a while,” Phil replies, looking over at Dan. The windscreen wipers squeak as they battle the awful weather. After a moment, Phil sighs, his expression softening. “Sorry, I don’t mean to have a go at you. But come and find me if you miss your bus again, okay? I’d rather drive a bit out of my way today than have you turn up tomorrow with pneumonia.”

Dan nods guiltily. “Wait till you see how far away I live before you get too generous.”

“Wow,” Phil whistles, eyebrows raised as he stares down at Google Maps on his phone. “You weren’t kidding.”

They’ve pulled into a layby, the rain still thundering against the glass. It doesn’t matter though, because Phil’s car is warm and dry. It’s littered with little plastic toys, highlighting Phil’s quirkier side. There are Marvel superhero bobble-heads blu-tacked onto the dashboard, and the cupholders are filled with keyrings that look like they were won out of those two-penny slot machines.

There are also sweet wrappers scattered around - skittles, starburst, pick ‘n’ mix, or anything sugary and colourful.

None of it seems anything other than incredibly endearing, though. Dan could spend hours rifling through this car, which is so intrinsically Phil, just learning about him through his clutter.

“Yeah,” Dan says awkwardly. “It’s a forty minute bus ride.”

“You do that every day?” Phil asks, looking up at him in wonder. “Twice a day?”

Dan shrugs. “It’s not that bad.”

It would be a lot worse if he had nothing to look forward to once he actually got to the school, Dan thinks privately.

“Um, don’t worry about taking me all the way,” Dan says quickly, “just drop me at another bus stop or something on your way home-”

Phil flaps a hand at him distractedly, turning back to his phone. He pinches the map, searching the screen for a route to take.

“No, no, I don’t mind taking you,” Phil says, chewing his lip. He looks up, out of the windscreen, appearing to have some sort of internal debate. “It’s just... well, do you mind if we make a stop?”

Dan blinks at him.

“Uh, a stop?” He asks, uncomprehending.

“Yeah,” Phil replies. “It’s just that I need to let my dog out. Would you mind if we stopped at mine on the way? I’ll take you straight home after.”

Dan pauses for a moment, the words not sinking in straight away. Phil wants to take him to his house, where he actually lives, and he’s asking if that would be a problem.

“Phil, you’re literally rescuing me from a storm,” Dan says slowly, watching the bashful smile spread over Phil’s gorgeous features. “You could drive me via the Eiffel Tower if you wanted.”

Phil grins at him, putting his phone down and releasing the handbrake. “Maybe we should save the Eiffel Tower for another time.” Phil side-eyes him, questioningly. “Like in two weeks?”

Dan’s already racing heart picks up a little more speed, the fact that he is currently en route to Phil’s actual house beginning to seep into reality. He laughs, feeling awkward about what Phil is implying.

“Yeah, I still haven’t decided whether I’m coming on the trip yet,” Dan says, hands clasping together in his damp lap.

“You know it’s free for teachers, right?”

“I’m not a teacher.”

Phil smirks. “I’m sure I can persuade John to let you in free of charge.”

“Who?” Dan asks.

“John. Mr Green.” Phil clarifies; Dan just stares blankly. “Vice Principal of the school?”

“Oh,” Dan says, vaguely remembering a ‘VP Green’ showing him round on his first day. “I haven’t seen him since I first started. Sorry.”

“Well, he’s coming on the trip.” Phil tells him. “So, that’s a perfect opportunity to get to know him better.”

“Right, because having an awkward conversation in Paris with the Vice Principal of a school I’m heavily under-qualified to work at is top of my to-do list.”

Phil laughs heartily, pulling off the main road into a suburban maze of small houses. They can’t be more than ten minutes from the school. Dan gazes out of his rain-speckled window at the idyllic neighbourhood, trying not to be too obvious about how badly he wants to soak it all in.

“You’re not under-qualified.” Phil says, leaving no room for argument. You’re one of the best TA’s I’ve ever had.”

Dan stays quiet in the face of this statement, not sure how to handle it.

“Besides,” Phil continues, to Dan’s relief. “John’s actually a pretty cool guy,”

As it has rather often since the film screening on Wednesday, Dan’s mind wanders to thoughts of Paris, of being there with Phil and the rest of the Year Nine class. In his current state of awkward, socially inept pining over the class’ teacher, Dan’s not sure he’d be able to handle the experience.

Yes, it would be an amazing opportunity, and undoubtedly fun at times. But the class already tease Dan, sensing his overly-fond opinion of their favourite teacher despite him trying to keep it under control. It’s hard to imagine an entire weekend of that, in the so-called ‘city of love’, whilst attempting at least a shade of professionalism.

Not to mention how uncomfortable the whole thing could make Phil.

“But I don’t wanna pressure you.” Phil says, interrupting Dan’s tumultuous thoughts. “I just think it’d be fun if you came.”

Before Dan can properly comprehend that statement, let alone reply to it, Phil is pulling the car over and switching off the engine.

They’re parked in the middle of a quiet, orderly street, right outside a cute little bungalow, complete with a neat front garden and little pathway to the front door.

“You live here?” Dan asks, awed by how... lovely it is.

Phil chuckles, unbuckling his seatbelt. “No Dan, I brought you to someone else’s house and we’re going to break in.”

Dan turns to narrow his eyes at Phil, who just laughs more.

“Come on, let’s get inside - it’s still belting down.” Phil says, unfastening Dan’s seatbelt before he gets the chance.

Dan takes a deep breath in a vain attempt to prepare himself for what’s about to happen, and follows Phil as he hops out of the car, and jogs to the front door.

If Phil’s car is telling of his personality, his house is as though he’d cracked open his chest, scooped handfuls of his soul out and splattered it all over the walls.

Dan has never seen any sort of interior design that represented a person so well before. It’s not just visually appealing, it’s also a spectacle to behold. Dan’s sure that by just opening one random drawer in Phil’s house and glancing at the contents, he’d understand a thousand more things about this man, strange and enigmatic as he is.

They enter into a small entrance hall, painted a sunny yellow. There’s a semi-circular welcome mat on the floor, made to look like half a pepperoni pizza. On one wall hangs a large mirror, in a bizarre, warped shape, the edges curved as though they’d been drawn by a child.

There’s a tall cheese plant in one corner, and on a table below the mirror sits a potted scarlet anthurium. It’s a colourful room, and Dan’s very aware that this is only the very entrance of Phil’s house.

Before Dan can comment on the aesthetics - which he greatly appreciates, having lived in a cheap, falling apart, ‘student house’ for some time now - a small creature tears through the doorway on the left, bounding towards them, barking shrilly.

Phil crouches down to greet it, gathering the bundle of excitable fur into his arms immediately, laughing. Mouth falling open in an adoring ‘o’, Dan drops to the floor instinctively, an overwhelming urge to pet this animal forcing him to its level.

“Dan,” Phil chuckles, receiving several licks to his face. “This is Buffy.”

It lets out a ‘ruff!’ upon hearing its name, turning to Dan, tongue hanging out as it surveys him. In a millisecond, the dog is wriggling in Phil’s arms, struggling to be free. It worms its way out of Phil’s grip in a second, leaping across to Dan’s lap, tail wagging excitedly.

“Oh my God,” Dan says, cuddling the dog close to himself as he strokes and scritches and pets its soft, caramel fur. “This is the cutest dog I’ve ever seen in my life. What breed is it?”

“She’s a paperanian,” Phil says, moving to sit cross-legged on the floor. He laughs as Buffy begins frantically licking at Dan’s face, front paws on his chest as she attempts to reach him. “A pomeranian-papillon mix.”

Phil strokes along her back, fondly, his hand occasionally brushing across Dan’s.

Dan is giggling into the shock of Buffy’s fur, relishing the adorable, happy temperament of this dog. His only family dog had been a springer-spaniel when he was young, and it had died before he’d had a chance to bond with it properly.

“Unff-” Dan says, voice muffled as Buffy licks eagerly at his chin. “How long’ve you had her?”

“About a year and a half?” Phil replies, smiling warmly. “I used to volunteer at a shelter when I lived in France. I didn’t mean to get attached, but I couldn’t help it. So I adopted her.”

“She’s adorable,” Dan says, stroking over her soft, pointed ears as she begins to calm down, happily settled in Dan’s lap. “I think I’m in love.”

Phil glances up at Dan, eyebrow raised. For some reason, Dan finds himself blushing. “I get it.” Phil replies. “I fell in love on sight.”

Dan holds Phil’s gaze for a moment, any responses getting caught in his throat. Buffy barks, stealing their attention, and Phil giggles at her. He stands, scooping her up from Dan’s lap and into his arms.

Dan tries not to pout about this.

“Come on, then,” Phil says, presumably to the dog, “I’ll let you out for a bit.”

Dan stands too, following Phil through his hallway and into the room on the left.

Again, he is struck by the amazing decor of the room in which he enters, which seems to be a spacious living area, but he barely has time to appreciate it before Phil is heading into the kitchen at the other end, Buffy still tucked in the crook of his arm.

At the back of the kitchen there’s a glass sliding door, leading to what appears to be a tiny back garden, surrounded by a tall wooden fence. It’s through here that Phil lets Buffy out, barking happily as she scampers across the wet grass, not bothered by the rain in the slightest.

Phil slides the door shut after her, turning to Dan with a smile. “I’ll just let her run around for a bit. She’s been cooped up all day.”

“I guess you have to leave her here while you’re at school?”

“Yeah,” Phil replies guiltily. “It’s not as bad as some jobs, because I can let her out in the morning, and then I finish quite early in the day, but I still feel bad.”

“I’m sure she’s used to it.” Dan says, trying to make a positive comment.

“Yeah, I suppose.” Phil says. “If I ever have to stay late, I can call my brother to come and check on her. He lives just down the road.”

“That’s convenient, at least.”

Phil shrugs, turning to his kitchen counter and retrieving the bright red kettle.

“It’s not perfect, but it works okay.” Phil says. “Anyway, I’m rarely away from home. It’s not every day I have to rescue damoiseau’s in distress caught in rainstorms because they missed their bus.” Phil winks at him; along with the casual french he dropped into the sentence, it makes Dan feel a little dazed.

“Do you want a cup of tea while she runs about for a bit?” Phil asks.

Dan feels his heart flutter, and wonders whether any of the other TA’s have ever had the honour of coming here, of meeting Phil’s dog and receiving hot beverages on rainy days.

“That’d be great, thanks.” Dan answers quietly, still feeling like an inconvenience.

As Phil fills the kettle and gets the mugs, Dan takes the opportunity to look around his kitchen. It’s beautiful, just like the rest of the house, but with a few youthful, quirky touches that indicate Phil’s sillier side.

The walls are cream, as are the countertops, but there are splashes of colour everywhere. The microwave is bright yellow, and there are a host of tiny herb plants in red, green, blue and orange pots atop the windowsill.

Phil’s fridge is a light blue, and around his light wooden table, the chairs are varying sizes and colours, mismatched, but in a way that seems put together.

“It’s so homely in here,” Dan muses, not really meaning to say it aloud.

Phil turns to him, evidently surprised. “Thanks! Most people say it’s a bit much.” He pours the boiling water into the mugs, chuckling. “My brother said that it’s as if I gathered a random load of furniture and scattered it about without thinking.”

“Did you?”

“Kind of, I suppose.” Phil allows, shrugging one shoulder. “I just pick up bits and pieces that I like the look of, and fit them in as best I can.” He laughs, opening his sky-blue fridge to get the milk. “I don’t pretend to be an expert in interior design. I just like things to be...”

“Pretty?” Dan supplies.

“I was gonna say colourful,” Phil says, smiling at him. “But yeah, I suppose. Thanks.”

Dan blushes faintly, casting another look around. He notices for the first time that Phil’s fridge door is covered in those alphabet magnets, some of which spell out the phrase ‘normalness leads to sadness’. There’s also a photo pinned there, of Phil and a man Dan vaguely recognises as his brother. He’s holding Buffy in his arms, smiling a very Phil-like smile.

“Milk? Sugar?” Phil asks, tearing Dan’s attention away.

“Just milk, thanks.”

Phil pours the milk, humming to himself, and adds two lumps of sugar to his own cup from a gnome-shaped pot nearby. He places the mugs down on the table, and pulls out a chair.

“You can sit down, you know,” Phil tells Dan amusedly, slipping into one of the seats.

Dan obeys, sliding into the chair opposite him and retrieving his mug. “Thanks.”

He sips, even though it’s far too hot, trying to think past his nerves, for something, anything, to say that isn’t ‘wow you’re pretty and your house is pretty and your dog is the cutest thing in the world and I think I’m crushing on you far, far too much to even be here let alone go to Paris with you in two weeks’. He comes up blank.

Then, quite unexpectedly, Phil reaches across the table, and pushes a strand of his fringe away from his eye, a slight smile playing on his lips. Dan freezes, a deer in headlights, as Phil’s fingertips brush his forehead, acutely aware of how damp he is still.

“Your hair,” Phil says softly, wonderingly. “It’s curly.”

Dan blushes furiously at once, ducking away from Phil’s touch, feeling self-conscious. “Shit, yeah. The rain, y’know...”

Phil draws his hand back to his mug, smiling amusedly. “It’s cute.”

Dan looks at him in surprise. He’s never, in a million years, considered the idea that anybody might find his natural, untameable curls anything other than ridiculous, but all of a sudden he has a powerful urge to never touch a pair of straighteners again.

Dan lifts his hand to his head, patting the mess of curls that are drying there.

“I... never really liked them.” He admits, sheepish.

“You should embrace them,” Phil says encouragingly. He shrugs one shoulder. “I mean, if you want. I think they suit you. But then, it’s not my hair.”

All of a sudden, Dan shivers, partly because he’s wet and cold, but mostly because Phil is being so sweet that his body actually seems to be rejecting the sentiment, not sure how else to process it.

Phil frowns, noticing the tremble. “Hey, take that off.”

He gestures to Dan’s torso, standing from the chair. Dan just looks, bewildered, at Phil’s outstretched hand.

“Um...”

“Your jacket, Dan.” Phil says, the corner of his mouth twitching. “I’ll throw it in the dryer.”

“Oh, no it’s okay-”

“Dan, you’re actually shivering.” Phil interrupts, voice firm. “I’ll just dry off your wet jacket, it’ll take ten minutes.”

“It’s warm in here, you really don’t have to.” Dan mumbles, but he’s already shaking the damn thing off his shoulders, because Phil is using his teacher-voice, and it’s drilling right into his chilly bones.

Phil just takes the jacket from him, opening a secret cupboard door under the kitchen counter to reveal a washer-dryer. He places Dan’s jacket inside, presses a few buttons, and smiles in satisfaction as the dryer begins its cycle.

He turns back to Dan, frowning again as he takes in the sight of him.

“Hey, drink your tea, it’ll warm you up.” Phil instructs, moving across the room, towards the doorway. “I’ll be right back.”

Dan doesn’t get a chance to object; Phil slips out of the room, leaving Dan sat at the table in just his damp, clinging, white shirt, hands clasped around the mug of tea.

Then, in a moment, he’s back again, a bundle of green material in one hand. He hands it to Dan casually, then moves to sit back in his seat.

“Um, what’s this?” Dan asks, confused. He turns the green item over in his hands carefully.

“A hoodie,” Phil says, like it’s perfectly normal. “You’re cold.”

Dan swallows, squeezing the material in his fist. It feels thick and warm. “Oh, th-thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Phil says, beaming. “Put it on, you’re not allowed to be cold in my house.”

“I didn’t realise you had such strict house rules,” Dan replies teasingly, but pulls the hoodie over his head, threading his arms through the sleeves.

It smells - oh, Lord - it smells just like him. It’s cinnamon sweet, with a fresh, plant-like overtone. A cooling, freshly baked apple pie on a windowsill, the breeze sweeping in its delicious aroma, carrying the notes of the newly cut spring grass.

Dan has to force himself not to bury his nose in the sleeves that hang down over his hands.

He tries to distract himself by looking down at the text on the front of it, which reads ‘York University’. “I see I’m repping your college.”

“Hah, yeah, sorry about that.” Phil says bashfully, sipping more tea. “I guess it’s a bit weird to hang onto that, isn’t it?”

Dan shrugs. “Not if you liked it.”

Phil smiles at him appreciatively. “I liked the uni, yeah. And I like the hoodie. I like it even better on you.”

Simply because Dan doesn’t trust himself to speak further about this without melting into a gooey puddle, he decides to change the subject.

“So, is it Buffy as in... the vampire slayer?”

He nods towards the screen door, through which Phil’s dog is sprinting happily across the grass, pausing every so often to sniff a patch, tail wagging furiously.

Phil turns to watch her for a moment, laughing. He nods, turning back to wink at Dan. “I mean, it is the greatest show of all time.”

Dan considers this, nodding. “It’s definitely up there.”

“You’ve seen it?” Phil asks, sounding surprised. “Not many people have, these days.”

“You spend too much time around teenagers.” Dan says with a wry smile. “The kids in your classes probably weren’t even born when Buffy was cool.”

Phil sighs, nodding in agreement. “You’re probably right.”

“Hey, it’s their loss.” Dan says. “They’ll never know the awesomeness that is Buffy Summers kicking kicking the ass of every monster that dares to cross her.”

“Or the incredible hotness of Spike,” Phil adds, somewhat wistfully.

“Spike over Angel? Interesting.”

“To be honest, if I were Buffy, I think I’d have a similarly hard time deciding between them.”

“Same,” Dan agrees, staring down into his tea.

“Hey, I forgot,” Phil announces suddenly, his voice bright and cheerful. “I made cupcakes! Would you like one?”

Dan watches as Phil stands from his chair, heading to a cupboard to pull out a cake tin.

“Um,” Dan says; his stomach is rumbling at the mere mention of food, let alone cake, but he wants to be careful about how far he should run with Phil’s generosity. In the end however, his tummy, which hasn’t been fed since lunch, makes the decision for him. “Sure. Thanks.”

Phil finds a small plate and presents Dan with one of the most incredible looking cakes he’s ever seen. Putting bakeries to shame, Phil has piped rainbow frosting atop a small, palm sized cake. He’s also sliced off the top of the cake, cut it in half, and pushed the pieces into the icing in a traditional ‘butterfly cake’ style.

The whole thing is covered in some kind of edible glitter too, making it sparkle under Phil’s soft, overhead lamps.

“Christ, you made this?” Dan asks, staring down at it in amazement. “I feel like I shouldn’t eat something this pretty.”

Phil chuckles. “It’s either going to you or Buffy, so eat up.”

Phil takes his seat again, and Dan diligently begins peeling the glittery pink case from the sides of the cupcake. He glances up at Phil, watching him, and pauses.

“You’re not having one?”

Phil shakes his head. “Trust me, I’ve had about sixty already since I made them. He leans back in his chair, placing a hand on his stomach. “I’m cupcake’d out.”

Dan’s eyes fall to the cake in his hand, feeling awkward about eating it now.

Phil laughs at him, and Dan looks up. “What?”

“Afraid I’m trying to poison you?”

Dan splutters, having not even thought of that. Realistically though, he perhaps should be a bit more concerned. He doesn’t know Phil that well, after all.

Playing along, Dan eyes the cake suspiciously, bringing it to his nose and sniffing. “Well, it is awfully convenient that you just had to let Buffy out whilst you already had me in your car...”

Phil rolls his eyes, smirking. Without a word, he leans forwards, plucks the cupcake from Dan’s hand, and brings it to his lips. He takes a small bite, frosting and all, licking glitter and crumbs from his lips as he holds Dan’s gaze.

He hands the cupcake back over, looking triumphant. “There. If it’s poisoned, then we’ll both die.”

“Finally,” Dan jokes, taking a bite out of the cupcake, heart palpitating over what just happened.

The cupcake is glorious. Dan shuts his eyes, moaning a little in appreciation. It tastes like strawberry laces, and vanilla ice cream, and pure, unfiltered joy. It tastes like how he imagine Phil himself would taste, were he smothered in frosting and had a surprise, raspberry jam centre.

“Fucking hell,” Dan says eloquently, diving straight back in for another bite. “Phil Lester, you’re a genius.”

In three bites, Dan has devoured the entire thing, and he licks the remnants off each of his fingers, wishing he could go back in time and experience that slice of heaven all over again.

When he eventually meets Phil’s gaze, he’s looking a little dazed. There’s a pink tint to his pale skin, resting just above his sharp cheekbones. Seeming to gather himself, Phil clears his throat, and adjusts his glasses, smiling.

“Glad you liked it,” Phil mumbles, busying himself by taking Dan’s plate to the sink.

“You should apply for Bake Off,” Dan says sincerely.

Phil laughs, rinsing the plate under the tap, faced away from him.

“Actually don’t,” Dan says, changing his mind. “Just bake for me, instead.”

Phil stacks the plate on a drying rack, turning back to him. He doesn’t sit back at the table, though. He just leans against the counter, watching Dan from afar.

“And what do I get out of that deal, Mr Howell?” Phil asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Literally whatever you want.” Dan replies, meaning every word.

“Careful,” Phil says, typically flirtatious, making Dan’s stomach flip. “Some people might take advantage of a promise like that.”

Dan just laughs, staying quiet. In his mind however, he silently comes to the realisation that he can’t think of a single thing that Phil could ask for, that he would refuse to do.

Oh, dear.

By the time they leave Phil’s house, the rain has eased to more of a drizzle, but it pours continuously nonetheless. Dan says goodbye to Buffy about five times, softened by her sad little whimpers and puppy eyes each time he turns to go.

He doesn’t mind that her fur is soaked and a little muddy, he just cuddles her close, no doubt ruining Phil’s hoodie, though Phil doesn’t object. He doesn’t even tell her off as she tracks damp pawprints through the kitchen, he just uses a spare towel to dry her off, giggling as she wriggles about beneath it.

“Aw, he’ll be back another time, Buffy,” Phil assures his whining dog, and secretly Dan bursts with happiness.

They get out of the door eventually, and into Phil’s car. Phil sticks the heating on straight away, blasting them both as they rub their hands together. Dan wishes it would be socially acceptable to lean across and nestle into Phil’s shoulder, but alas, he settles for simply wrapping the hoodie more tightly around himself, pretending it’s Phil’s arms.

“She loves you,” Phil says, laughing. “She’s not going to let me forget that, either.”

“What a shame,” Dan says, faking a dismayed sigh. “I guess I’ll just have to come and play with her all the time.”

Phil grins at him. “You should. Buffy would really like that.”

“Buffy would?” Dan asks, feeling just brave enough to attempt a flirtation, fuelled by the adrenaline his own body has been pumping through his veins for the past hour or so.

Phil just smiles at him, eyes holding Dan’s for a moment, seeming to forget about starting the car. “Yeah,” he says after a while. “She really would.”

It’s quite painful to watch Phil driving away.

It’s only been a couple of hours, but in the short time he and Phil spent together this afternoon, Dan had grown rather attached to his presence.

This whole crush-thing would be so much easier if Phil was a difficult person to hang out with. But it’s so easy. They fall into banter as quickly as breathing, their conversations lasting indefinitely, because they could spring off each other’s witticisms for hours on end.

Phil is so funny, and so effortlessly charming. He’s intelligent and sharp, which is attractive on its own, but he has such a flirtatious streak, and it only makes things worse.

The more time Dan spends around him, in fact, the more he feels himself falling into a deep cavern of yearning.

When Phil pulled up to Dan’s house, right before Dan got out, he handed Dan another one of his cupcakes, which he’d hidden in a little Tupperware box in the glove compartment, unbeknownst to Dan.

Dan had protested at first, saying he couldn’t possibly steal another of his incredible creations, but Phil insisted on him having it. Eventually, Dan managed to create a condition - that he owed Phil a favour, not only for the cupcake (and the other cupcake) but for the cup of tea, and introducing him to Buffy, and the kindness, and for literally rescuing him in his hour of need and driving him forty minutes across town to his house.

Phil laughed, but agreed to these terms. Dan had gone to leave his car then, cupcake in hand, but Phil had stopped him, saying he had an idea for how Dan could repay him.

Of course, he had to say Paris.

So, because he’s helpless to refuse Phil anyway, and because he owes Phil a lot, Dan agreed. So, in two weeks, he’s off to Paris, to spend an entire weekend with Phil, in the most romantic city in the world.

Yes, there will be twenty or more teenagers along for the ride, but Dan finds it difficult enough to keep it together in Phil’s presence as it is, even during class.

Forty-eight hours of uninterrupted time in close proximity to this man is going to render him as useless as a smitten nerd-girl in any teenage rom-com that’s existed since the beginning of time.

He sighs, watching from his doorway as Phil’s car rounds the corner, out of sight. He opens the Tupperware, and takes a bite of the delicious cake, sighing in defeat.

“Okay, who was that?” Tyler’s voice says from right by his shoulder, making Dan jump.

“Is that hot, French, teacher-guy?” Teddy interjects from further inside.

Dan rolls his eyes, turning to push past both of them as he stalks into the house. “Don’t you guys have anything better to do than spy on me?”

“Aw, Dan we just want to see you happy!” Tyler exclaims, following Dan into the kitchen.

He wraps his arms around Dan’s waist, walking behind him like a drunk mum too into the conga line, until they reach the counter.

Dan puts his half eaten cupcake back in its box, placing it on the counter.

“How do you know I’m not?” Dan asks crossly.

“I mean, you’re fine.” Teddy says, strolling into the kitchen to rest his arm on Dan’s shoulder. “But fine isn’t good enough for our lovely Daniel. We want to see you being adored!”

Teddy pinches Dan’s cheek, smiling at him. Tyler kisses him on the temple, ruffling his hair.

Dan rolls his eyes, but smiles a little under the affection. “Thanks, but I’m good.”

He struggles free of them, intending to take an immediate shower in order to wash the rainwater off himself. He heads for the door of the kitchen, mind already on other things.

Phil things.

Paris things.

“Hey, Dan?” Tyler calls out, sounding confused. Dan turns on the spot, somewhat reluctantly. “I thought you went to the University of Manchester?”

Dan frowns in confusion. “Ty, we all went to the same uni. We literally met at uni.”

Teddy hides a smirk in Tyler’s shoulder. “Right, right.” Tyler says. “So whose hoodie is that?”

Having completely forgotten he was even wearing the thing, Dan flushes bright red, stammering in place of a response. It’s an absurd reaction, obviously, but it sends the others into fits of laughter, and Dan instinctively knows they won’t let this go for weeks, no matter how much he tries to insist it was a purely platonic gesture on Phil’s part.

“I hate you both,” Dan groans, practically running out of the room.

He slams the door of the bathroom, switching on the shower, cheeks still flame-red in the mirror. He pauses, caught by the sight of his reflection, swathed in the emerald green of Phil’s hoodie.

He strokes the words on the front, feeling how they’re beginning to flake from multiple washes, and from the creases Phil has made as he moves around in this same garment, when it’s wrapped around him instead.

Dan lifts the sleeve to his nose, breathing in that delicious scent. The vanilla-strawberry cupcake still lingers on his tongue, making it that little bit sweeter.

He’ll return this hoodie, he tells himself, saving it until last as he strips off for the shower. But maybe he could forget for a few days. Or maybe he could say that he wanted to wait until the next time he’s in class with Phil, which isn’t until Monday now.

He places the hoodie carefully to one side, not wanting it to get wet, and hops in the shower. He lets his mind drift, skimming across memories of Phil’s touch against his forehead, the sound of the rain pattering against his screen door as the dog played outside, the low, fond tone of Phil’s voice from across the table, the flame of something vivacious dancing in his glacial eyes.

Paris, he decides, as the light trickles of warm water travel over his body, might not be so bad.

(Part 5!)

#phanfic #phan #teacher au #my fic #prompts

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wineanddinosaur · 4 years ago

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VinePair Podcast: How to Discover New Wine Online

Think of how you discovered your favorite wines in the past. Maybe they were recommended to you by a sommelier at a restaurant, or you visited a winery on vacation and fell in love with one of their bottlings. Or perhaps you stopped into a local wine shop and chatted with the proprietor who eventually sent you home with something new to try. Yet as we close in on eight months of lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, and social distancing, many of these avenues for exploration are limited, dangerous, or otherwise not an option.

So how, exactly, do wine drinkers go about discovering new wines in 2020? Can existing platforms meet the needs of a suddenly stuck-at-home consumer base? Can quizzes and other gimmicks replace intelligent recommendations and conversation? That’s what Adam Teeter, Erica Duecy, and Zach Geballe discuss on this week’s episode of the VinePair Podcast.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Or Check Out the Conversation Here

Adam: From Brooklyn, New York, I’m Adam Teeter

Erica: From New York City, I’m Erica Duecy

Zach: And in Seattle, Washington, I’m Zach Geballe.

A: And this is the VinePair Podcast. And you guys, I’ve got some sad news. Which is, this is Erica’s last podcast. And that is because as sad as we are, Erica is moving on to a really interesting tech startup in the wine space that I’m sure she will tell us about when she is ready to tell us. Or can you tell us anything now?

E: I can tell a little bit, I can talk a little bit. So, first of all, I’m so sad to be leaving VinePair because we have done some incredible work over the past year. We were the first brand, the first drinks publication to respond to the Covid crisis. We had our live blog up and ready for the industry as a resource on March 12. Many days before the shutdowns and lockdowns went into place, anywhere in the country. So, you know, we were on top of the game there. And we have continued that as a resource throughout Covid. We launched VP Pro, which is our vertical for the trade, in the trade space. So for wineries and breweries and people working in any part of the three-tier system, they can go to VP Pro and use it as a resource. We launched that over the summer. It has been incredibly popular. Every time I look there’s thousands more subscribers, it’s beyond popular as a trade vertical.

And we have brought some really important voices to light, and have really done a lot of great work across all aspects of what’s happening both on the trade side and the consumer side in drinking. So when we say drinking is culture at VinePair, I think we have really delivered on that over the past year, for sure. Since that’s the time that I’ve been most familiar with the brand. But I have to say it is sad to be leaving. But indeed, I got more and more obsessed with this idea of wine discovery during the pandemic, and that’s the topic we’re going to be touching on today. And so, I have an opportunity to partner up with a pioneer in the digital wine space, Paul Mabray. We’re going to be developing and launching a new wine platform, and if you don’t know him, he founded WineDirect. He founded VinTank. He now runs a SAS company for wineries. And so we’re taking his knowledge, my knowledge, some other people’s knowledge throughout the industry.

And we’ll be looking to solve the problem of wine discovery. So, how do consumers discover and source wines online? And then we’re looking to help them do that in an easier and more seamless way than currently exists. So it’s a super-exciting challenge and one that I’m looking forward to diving into.

A: Yeah. I mean it’s definitely a bummer to see you go for sure. It’s been amazing to have you on the team for the last year, but Paul is just such an amazing entrepreneur in the wine space — especially when it comes to commerce and connecting wineries to their consumers, that I think it’s definitely going to be an exciting thing for you to go and help him build.

I know he’s written about it a little bit on his blog. I’ve read a few of the posts, and it definitely sounds like something that’s needed in the industry when it comes to helping consumers find wines and be able to easily purchase them and drink them as opposed to the way it exists now. Obviously, you’re always going to be a member of the VinePair family, and we wish you all the best and can’t wait to continue to see how this thing grows and having you stay in touch and stay a part of us as well.

E: Thank you. I would love to have followers that are interested in joining the journey and following along, just follow me on Twitter, Instagram, it’s just @ericaduecy. And I will be happily re-tweeting everything that is happening at VinePair as well. I mean I’m a fan of the brand, and I will continue to be.

Z: Erica. I just have one important question for you. Who was your favorite co-host?

E: Oh, you think I’m going to fall for that?

A: Yeah. That’s such a lame question, Zach.

Z: He’s not your boss anymore. You can say me. It’s OK.

A: It’s the lamest question. You know what? Maybe we should just keep asking your kid who their favorite parent is? I assume it would be your wife.

E: We have enough divisive stuff happening in the country right now, we do not need further divides.

A: Seriously. But so today’s topic is really interesting, which is wine discovery and how we discover wine online.

Obviously, we know we have a lot of readers to the VinePair Review Library et cetera. But that really isn’t how a lot of people discover wine to buy, right? It’s not how you purchase. You go there to do some research et cetera, but for the most part, where are we buying wine online? And how are we finding wines online to buy?

I will be the first one to say, until the pandemic, I didn’t buy a lot of it online. I definitely read publications like ours and I talked to people, but it was really a lot of Erica what you talk about, a lot of word of mouth. So one person would tell me about one thing or another person would say, “Hey, I’ve been getting into this region.” And I liked the wines of this region, and that’s kind of more how I was discovering it. And I was going to local wine shops, which I do think are going to come back at the end of all this, but maybe not in the numbers, in the dominance they had prior.

I think online is definitely here to stay, but I’ve always been intrigued by the wine clubs. I think the problem for me with wine online and discovery of wine online has always been that at least for the last 10 years — we can blame a few people for this without naming names. People who founded certain wine clubs with lots of startup capital, early on in our days, have potentially sued your new business partner, made wines that were dubious in origin. And we’ve talked about this a bunch in terms of labeling of other types of wine clubs.

And so I was always really worried because I knew that in order to understand the wine world online, you had to accept that some of these wines actually didn’t exist in the real world. They only existed in the online wine world. They were wines that were private label created for these kinds of sites that allowed them to be able to affordably ship them to you.

Because that’s the other issue for me about wine online. A lot of the wines at a $20, $50 price point just became prohibitively expensive once you start adding on shipping costs and things like that. So I started to realize a lot of those wines that are at that price probably don’t actually exist IRL. When I would try to search for them on other sites or just in Google, they would only come up on that one retailer site. And so I was like, “This is definitely something that’s weird.” So I think, and wonder how, both things are going to have to change. And we’ve seen them change somewhat in Covid, but creating some sort of system where it’s easier to find real wines, but also a system that actually explains their prominence. And somehow makes me feel comfortable that there’s actually someone behind them. If that makes sense. It’s not just like a bulk wine manufacturer that’s just doing the new cool label. ‘Cause that’s always been my issue, and at least I knew at a wine shop I can talk to someone and they’re like, “Yeah, I talked to this rep three days ago. This is who the winemaker is” and they made me feel more comfortable. But I don’t know, maybe that’s just me. But that’s always been my fear of discovering wine when it comes to buying wine online.

E: Yeah, definitely. For me, I think over the pandemic period, I’ve been scouring wine platform websites looking for new finds, and for guidance on great values. And it’s tough to come by reliable information. So previously, I would be dining out a lot. I was scouring the wine list at the restaurants and wine bars that I loved. I would spend hours in a wine shop talking to the shopkeepers, looking at their selections, really trying to get a handle for the shops that I liked when I knew the people and I knew their philosophies. But having to move that all online has not been very seamless for me. So, I think there’s a couple of key issues that I found most problematic.

One is that on the big platforms, like the big ordering platforms, you have these algorithms that are pushing the big brands. So it makes it really hard to discover new producers and new regions. Then you also have a super-limited inventory, so there’s just no way right now to find the amazing wines that are available, like direct-to-consumer from wineries, unless you hunt and peck.

I am a huge fan of Martha Stoumen. I follow her wines and it’s so hard to find her wines at any retail shop or on any platform. It’s very difficult. So, I have to subscribe to her wine club in order to find out what’s happening with those wines. But multiply that by all the producers that I am interested in, and it’s a huge Byzantine. Did I catch that email? Did I miss anything? It’s very confusing. And then there’s also this lack of context from real people whose advice I trust. So I just don’t drink like James Suckling drinks, right? I don’t have that same taste.

So finding those online reviewers, I have not really found a ton of people that I’ve been psyched about. And that actually was the impetus behind our $250 Case Challenge. So, at VinePair we created this $250 Case Challenge where we asked top somms to go onto a wine client forum.

And I think Total Wine was our first one. And we said, choose the best values, choose the 12 best values that are available on the platform right now. And tell us why we should buy them. And like that series, now we’ve talked to a bunch of somms, that series has been super successful because I think it answers that problem of, you learn something about a somm or you have a somm or a personality that you’re following, and you really trust their recommendations, but it’s so hard to come by those recommendations without the restaurants and wine bars that we’ve all loved.

Z: I think the other piece of this that you guys have both kind of alluded to, but haven’t hit on entirely is we also live in a country where for a lot of really dumb reasons, getting wine from other states is really hard.

It’s a little bit more doable if you’re trying to get wine from a winery directly. There’s more freedom to ship wine across state lines. But you know, if you’re interested in getting wine that’s either not made in this country, so it’s imported or even just a wine that might not be currently available from a winery, they’ve sold out of it, it’s a previous vintage, et cetera. If it’s not already in your state, you may find it very, very difficult to get your hands on that wine. You may have to break the law, or just not get it. And I think that we’ve talked about this a lot. I’ve done a few interviews as a part of the “Next Round” series with people who are involved in trying to either change those laws or find workarounds for them.

And I think that’s all well and good, but it is important to remember that one of the real challenges with whatever end of this industry you’re on, whether you’re a producer, whether you’re a platform, whether you’re someone who would be interested in offering your recommendations, is that availability is really hard to predict.

And I’ve come across this teaching online wine classes during the pandemic, because stuff that I assume would be available in 50 states because it’s not even small production, it’s large production well-known wineries, just randomly isn’t in Missouri, or it isn’t in Tennessee, or it isn’t in Wyoming, or whatever.

And if it’s not in the state, there’s nothing I can do. There’s nothing that my students can do. And so I just find it to be important to recognize that there’s an information flow issue for sure. But there’s also a very fundamental level of, we live in a state or in a country with really fucked up spirits and wine laws.

And some of that is not going to change unless all you listening decide, “Hey, it’s important that not only do we push for all these other things that we all think are important” and I don’t want to claim that easier access to online wine retail is as important as many of the other things that I’m sure lots of you are out there advocating for, but if it’s something that we want, political action matters. and especially in an area like this, where there isn’t a lot of outspoken, public sentiment in favor of additional freedoms that I think most of us would agree are good for everyone, with the exception of maybe wholesalers. It has to happen that way, too, because otherwise we’re going to end up with the same bottlenecking problem where wine that is recommended, no matter how great the recommendation is, if someone can’t get it for legal reasons, it’s a worthless recommendation.

A: Well, so Erica brought up one piece that I wanted to touch on. ‘Cause I think it’s interesting and I thought about it a lot recently with the explosion of wine online, and just spirits in general. But I know we’re talking mostly wine here. And Erica, you said a lot of it has to do with the big brands, right? And so people can more easily find them and buy them. One of the things that I’ve wondered about a lot and I’ve seen happen — it’s pretty rampant, and no one’s really talking about it, there’s probably a story here — is look, when we do sponsored content with brands we have to very clearly label it. And it says “sponsored” it’s very clearly labeled partner, et cetera. There’s a lot of these larger sites online who I know the brands are paying for placement. That’s what you do. I mean, that’s what they’re used to doing.

Do you know what I mean? They do that in stores too. That’s what an end cap is, you pay to be in that end cap, but I think there’s something about online where you expect that that’s at least labeled “promotional,” or whatever. So let’s say I wind up on a large wine website, wine retailer’s website, and maybe there’s a “Discover the Wines of Southwest France” as a huge block. That’s probably a paid promotion, but I’m not told that, right? I’m gonna be like, “Oh, wines of Southwest France,” and I click it. Or maybe there just happens to be a lot of the bigger brands on the homepage. Now in a lot of places, someone might argue with me and say, “Oh, well, that’s just because the bigger brands are popular and they want you to find them faster so that you buy them.” But in a lot of cases it’s also that the bigger brands are paying to be there because it’s just like the way they push for shelf space in the large retailers. They know if they’re easier to be found, that you will buy them more readily because they’re easier to be found.

So I wonder how you fix that, as well. And do we call for some of these larger retailers and say “Look this is online, we all understand, or a lot of us understand, that promotions in grocery stores are promotions that are paid for. Those big displays and whatever are things to try to get us to buy, but online maybe we don’t know that. So you should be marking it in the way that Amazon now does.” There was a rule so now Amazon has to do it. So does that need to happen online as well? So that we actually feel like we can buy with more confidence? So I feel like that’s also my issue all the time. It’s like, are you just pushing something at me and because someone paid you to or because it’s a good margin for you? Not because I may love it.

Z: Well, and I think that last point is a really important one, Adam, which is there’s a whole realm here which is not obviously exclusive to wine or alcohol, but there’s that very obvious paid promotion, which is more common, as you said, with things like VinePair or media where someone is paying for a story or some sort of presentation or space. But then there’s everything else, which is like, “Hey, we’re going to give you a really, really good deal on this product.” And thus, we know you’re going to be incentivized to push it because you’re going to be able to make more margin, and be able to charge more compared to what you paid for it than you would with comparable other products. And if you think that it’s hard to tease out when you’re on an online platform, “Hey, who is paying for placement?” I mean, good luck figuring out — unless you happen to be someone else who plays in the wholesale market — good luck figuring out what that person is paying for it. And in some ways, I don’t think that’s inherently a problem, as long as the recommendations are good, but when the recommendations start to be less good, that’s where the whole thing falls apart real quick.

E: Yeah. And it just keeps small brands down. So let’s say you’re putting in a search or you are trying to find a wine that meets certain specifications. If you’re getting an Amazon search result back that you know is prioritizing certain brands, it’s just kind of confounding to try to understand why on Amazon those things would be marked. Why on VinePair those things would be marked. Why not on any of the e-commerce platforms are those things marked? I can’t even think of any drinks platforms where I’ve seen paid placements marked. However, you know that it is because the brands have said that they have increased — they’ve like two times, three times, five times their spending — with these digital platforms. At the expense of a lot of media. At the expense of doing a lot of media spend this year, they’ve gone directly to the e-commerce platforms and have been spending there. So we know it’s happening. We know it’s a growing business, but why is there no transparency there? But there really is everywhere else. I think there will be some legislative thing, there’s going to have to be a challenge to what the norms of online selling look like.

Z: I also think Adam, one question I have for you and for you as well Erica, of course, is the other piece of this that I think is really fascinating and something for our listeners to think about, too, is part of the issue with an online or any kind of recommendation platform or system is to some extent the person seeking the recommendation has to have the faintest idea of what they like. And I think that that’s where a lot of these algorithms struggle. We actually have very little ability to quantify why people like something as complicated as wine or spirits. Or you see some of these online platforms or wine clubs with, “How do you like your coffee?” or, “Do you prefer Reese’s Pieces or Mallo Bars?” right? All these kinds of questions that are trying to draw some sort of inference about the kind of wines you like from other consumable items. And I just think that the first step for anyone looking for recommendations, whether it’s in person, or online, or anywhere else you think well, “What do I like?” In restaurants, this was always my thing, like can the guest explain to me a little bit what they like or tell me some wines they like, ‘cause that’ll help me. ‘Cause it’s a lot easier to say, “well, if you like this one and this one and this one, you might also like this wine.” And so I’m curious for each of you, you know, how often do you think about what you like and maybe why?

A: Well, so I think you bringing up the quizzes, is really interesting because those quizzes really work on the low end, not on the high end, but the reason they work on the low end has nothing to do with their accuracy.

It has everything to do with the psychological trick that it plays on you. So basically, psychological research has proven that when you think that you are involved in the decision, or the product you are trying, your brain is more likely to like it. So if you look at most of these tests, they’re very basic, right?

So if you give this algorithm these inputs and it spit outs that you should be drinking Pinot Noir from Oregon, you think you were involved in the decision-making process. And so you’re much more likely — at a certain price. The second that price goes above the threshold where you feel comfortable, so maybe that price is $20, right? The second that they’re spitting out wines that are $25 or $30 you’re going to be more critical, even if you were involved in the decision-making process. So that’s why I think you always see those quizzes on these very low cost wine clubs, but that was the rage five to eight years ago. You saw them on almost every wine club that was starting, where they were going to find your palate, and don’t worry because you’re going to get a pack of six bottles for $69.99 or something. And everyone was like “Yeah, great love it! It’s the best!” I bet everyone got the same package, by the way.

Z: I bet you they had at least two different ones.

A: Exactly. But that’s what those quizzes did. Whereas no, at the high end, I think it’s really hard, because the second you start thinking about paying out more money for something you’ve never had before, you start really questioning it. And online, I think it can be difficult, because it’s not like sheets, right? I’m using sheets because I just bought them recently. But you can’t return them. If they’re expensive or you don’t like them, once you open the wine, it doesn’t matter. You’re out 50 or 60 bucks if that’s what you paid. And so I think the person that can figure that out, and I think potentially Paul is that person, depending on the exact thing you guys are building Erica, but like the second you figure out, “How do I feel comfortable taking that risk?” I think that unlocks a ton of amazing stuff online. Because then you really are opening up a massive world. ‘Cause you’re right. What we’re seeing people buy right now is from people they already know. How do you get people to buy stuff they don’t like? At least when you take the risk at your wine shop, you can go back and be like, “Hey man, or lady or other person, you’ve always steered me right. This was a bad bottle.” And they’d probably even be like, “You know what? I’ll give you 20 percent off the next thing.” But that can’t happen as well online. So that’s where it’s hard for me, Zach, because I know the things I like, but I still don’t like everything “in those things, you know what I mean?

E: Yeah. I agree with that. I think those quizzes, I have mostly found them to be a boondoggle for more experienced drinkers because I tend to have pretty eclectic taste. I like a wide range of styles. I like flinty, acid-driven Riesling. And then on another night, I’m going to have a rich, unctuous Amarone. So it runs the gamut literally across all styles of wine. I drink classic wines. I drink biodynamic wines. I drink some natural wines, and there’s no quiz that effectively has encapsulated or even often returned wines that I have liked. So I think that’s one problem. And then I think there’s another problem that I get really frustrated about, which I think is the bottle problem.

So when you are a more experienced drinker, and maybe you’re buying wines several times a month, you have the bottle problem. Which is, you’re looking for a specific bottle. And I find that even more maddening, because it seems like you should be able to solve this. So just last week I was looking for this Syrah, Georges Vernay, a Rhône producer. It’s like a declassified red Condrieu wine and it’s around $30. It’s not like a super-fancy wine or anything, but I must’ve spent 45 minutes and at the end of that, I did not get my wine. I looked for it on the big platforms. I looked for it on retail shops in other states that would ship to New Jersey.

I was scouring their fine print to figure out who would ship to New Jersey, and in all, I probably visited five or six different websites trying to find this one wine. I abandoned the effort and I know there’s somewhere in Manhattan that I eventually will go get a bottle at, but it’s not just a one-time thing. I think for anyone who is actively searching for wine online with some regularity, you must find it to be the most frustrating thing ever because I am just stymied over and over when I’m looking for specific bottles.

Z: Erica, you better fix this, or I’m going to be pissed that you left us.

E: I will, damnit. It is the thing that pisses me off most about our current drinking climate. I can’t find what I want to drink. We just did a really cool article about Clarete wines, which is this dark pink, red where they co-ferment red and white grapes. And I looked everywhere. I looked everywhere for this one brand and still am empty-handed, and it’s been two and a half months. Should it be this difficult?

A: That’s unbelievable. It really is unbelievable how difficult it is and yeah, I really hope that you solve it.

Z: And then come back on the podcast, and tell us all about it.

E: Yeah, absolutely.

A: Totally. Well, guys, this has been another really awesome conversation, as always. Erica, I’m going to miss the back and forth like crazy. It’s been an amazing addition for you to be the third voice. For the listeners, we’re going to try some crazy things in the weeks to come. We’re not gonna go back to the old days of just Zach and I all the time. We’re gonna bring on some guest hosts. We’re gonna try to bring on someone else potentially in the near future. But Erica, seriously, I wish you all the best. VinePair was lucky to have you for a year. Sad to lose you, but I’m really excited for your future, for sure.

E: Oh, thank you so much. I love you guys. And I really, really am going to miss you.

A: Well everyone else, you can drop us a line at [email protected] if you want to say goodbye to Erica. You can drop her a line there, or you can follow her at @ericaduecy on all of the social channels. We’ll see you next week.

E: Bye.

Z: Sounds great.

A: Thanks so much for listening to the VinePair Podcast. If you enjoy listening to us every week, please leave us a review or rating on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever it is that you get your podcasts. It really helps everyone else discover the show. Now, for the credits. VinePair is produced and hosted by Zach Geballe, Erica Duecy, and me, Adam Teeter. Our engineer is Nick Patri and Keith Beavers. I’d also like to give a special shout-out to my VinePair co-founder Josh Malin and the rest of the VinePair team for their support. Thanks so much for listening and we’ll see you again right here next week.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article VinePair Podcast: How to Discover New Wine Online appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/how-to-discover-wine-online/

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johnboothus · 4 years ago

Text

VinePair Podcast: How to Discover New Wine Online

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Or Check Out the Conversation Here

Adam: From Brooklyn, New York, I’m Adam Teeter

Erica: From New York City, I’m Erica Duecy

Zach: And in Seattle, Washington, I’m Zach Geballe.

Z: Erica. I just have one important question for you. Who was your favorite co-host?

E: Oh, you think I’m going to fall for that?

A: Yeah. That’s such a lame question, Zach.

Z: He’s not your boss anymore. You can say me. It’s OK.

A: It’s the lamest question. You know what? Maybe we should just keep asking your kid who their favorite parent is? I assume it would be your wife.

E: We have enough divisive stuff happening in the country right now, we do not need further divides.

A: Seriously. But so today’s topic is really interesting, which is wine discovery and how we discover wine online.

Z: I bet you they had at least two different ones.

Z: Erica, you better fix this, or I’m going to be pissed that you left us.

A: That’s unbelievable. It really is unbelievable how difficult it is and yeah, I really hope that you solve it.

Z: And then come back on the podcast, and tell us all about it.

E: Yeah, absolutely.

E: Oh, thank you so much. I love you guys. And I really, really am going to miss you.

E: Bye.

Z: Sounds great.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article VinePair Podcast: How to Discover New Wine Online appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/how-to-discover-wine-online/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/vinepair-podcast-how-to-discover-new-wine-online

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soaimagines · 7 years ago

Text

The Lost Girls Part Three

Part One Part Two

Everything had been a blur. You didn’t know who the Nords were or who Gemma was, but from the way Jax had reacted you knew it was serious. It was selfish, and although you had no right, you couldn’t help but feel a wave of jealousy come over you, and you silently prayed that Gemma wasn’t his old lady. Get your shit together. You told yourself with a deep breath. Even if she was, who were you to be jealous? You had no right. Everyone had moved fast. The Sons had headed back to their own clubhouse and after discussing it with the Ella and her father, the Mayans and the Lost Girls were heading over too. From what you understood, The Sons had some sort of beef with the ‘Nords’, a white supremacist group and they had taken this ‘Gemma’ woman in retaliation. Of course you and Ella had agreed to head over and offer your help; in anyway you could. The Mayans lead the way and adrenaline was burning through your veins, your ears echoing with the roar of so many motorcycles firing up. You loved the rush of a fight and it had been a long time since the Lost Girls had had any issues, and as bad as it sounded you missed the thrill. The Mayans pulled into the lot of Teller Morrow and the Lost Girls did the same, parking in a row before swinging off your bikes. The large lot was seemingly quiet, only a few people buzzing around and you figured the guys would be inside, sorting out their game plan. You saw a couple guys seated at a picnic table, one in leather, and you figured he was a prospect. You nudged Ella with your elbow and gestured towards him and both of you headed over. She passed you a cigarette as you walked and although you didnt usually smoke menthol you accepted. “Whats going on?” You asked before lighting your smoke. “Church,” He said. “Tryna figure out where they have her.” The prospect said. You nodded and leant against the table. For now, it was a waiting game and there was nothing you could do until Gemma’s whereabouts were established. Some time had passed before the Sons walked out of the clubhouse. Jax looked frustrated and you assumed they had had no luck in finding any leads and the Nords hadn’t made any demands. He headed in your direction, where you sat with Ella and Marcus Alvarez, along with the Mayans VP. All of you sat around a picnic table and Jax pulled out a cigarette as he approached. “Whats going on, ese?” Jax turned to Alvarez. “I got Juice running through all his sources. We’ll find her.” “We’re behind you on this one, ese.” “Us too. Whatever you need.” Ella said. Jax nodded his thanks. You stood and wiped your hands. “We’ll head into town, get some drinks and food for everyone?” “I appreciate that, darlin.” You met his eye and smiled, It was the least you could do. “I don’t want you two riding alone,” Alvarez piped up. “We can look after ourselves.” “Im sure you can. But these are dangerous times. Abiel will go with you.” “I’ll send a prospect with you too. Take the van, or the black sedan in the corner. Chucky in the office can get you the keys.” You both nodded. You had always hated being in a car, it didn’t feel as free, but you weren’t in a position to argue. Ella stood and kissed her fathers cheek while you gave Jax’s shoulder a squeeze and you both headed towards the office, Abiel and the prospect following behind you. After a quick discussion you slid into the sedans drivers seat, while Ella hopped in the passengers side. No one in Charming knew who you were, or your involvement with the local MC’s so it made sense to travel separately, with both men in the van following you from a slight distance. After only a short drive you pulled into a park opposite a diner, with the van parking in the next spot over. You and Ella headed in and placed a large order of burgers and fries before walking down the street to the liquor store. Abiel helped you load two trolleys with an assortment of drinks, crates of beer, bottles of whiskey and wine, and bottles of soda. You were pushing the trolley across the street to the van when you saw the Sons prospect looking on high alert, his head pointing further up the street. You followed his gaze and saw three men standing outside the bar on the corner. “Whos that?” You asked. “Nords.” Abiel pulled out his burner and began speaking spanish into the phone. “They hang out there?” You asked. The prospect nodded. Ella opened the back of the van and you began helping her load the purchases, keeping an eye on the men as you went. “We gotta head back, now.” Abiel slammed his burner shut and headed to the drivers side of the van. “We’ll just grab the burgers and meet you there. We’ll be fine.” You added as the prospect began to protest. You jogged across the street and picked up the order, thanking the woman behind the counter before heading back into the street. The men were still standing outside the bar as you crossed the street and you placed the food in the backseat. You shut the door and went to open the drivers side door when the men walked two the carpark behind the bar. One got into a station wagon while the other two slid into an old pickup truck. Ella had been waiting for you and she immediately noticed the spark in your eyes when you finally slid into your seat. “Spit it out.” You smirked. “I have a plan.” “Go on.” You turned to her. “Daddys not gonna like it.” “Are the Sons gonna like it?” You shook your head. “Nope.” Slowly you reversed out if the park and began driving in the direction of Teller Morrow, filling Ella in on your plan as you went.

“Are the tats really necessary?” You snorted and took a sip of your beer. Scully was carefully drawing tattoos on to the back of Ruths neck, while Katie studied the fake ink on her shoulder. Ella sniggered too. “It’ll keep them interested.” It hadn’t taken much convincing to get her to agree to your plan. But you both knew the Sons of Anarchy and The Mayans wouldn’t agree so you had brought Ella and some of the girls back to your motel, telling the other MC’s you all just needed to ‘freshen up’. Of course there was a risk i what you were about to do. But The Lost Girls had never ventured to California and as long as you went alone then there shouldn’t be any issues. “All done.” Scully stood and wiped her hands on her pants while Ruth went to check out the work in the mirror. She groaned as she saw the swastika drawn on her skin and you fought off a smirk. “We all ready then?” Ella asked. You finished the rest of your beer in one gulp and stood, grabbing your gun off the table and sliding it into your waistband. “Lets go.” You zipped up your black hoodie as you walked and flicked the hood on top of your head. Marcus had offered you a black SUV, which you and Ella hopped into, while Ruth, Katie and Scully got into the sedan you had taken out earlier. It was a short drive into town and it went fast. Scully parked the sedan in front of the bar, the Blue Hound where you had seen the Nords at earlier that day, while Ella parked the SUV half a mile up the road. As you passed the bars carpark you glanced at the vehicles. The same pickup was parked near the back entrance. You both watched in the rearview mirror as Ruth and Katie hopped out of the car and walked confidently into the bar. You waited two minutes exactly before sliding out of the car. Ella walked alongside you, glancing casually around the street as you headed to the carpark. When you neared the bar you slowed your pace and you pulled out your cigarettes, offering one to Ella. Both of you lit up and you leant casually against the wall of the bar, between the entrance and the carpark. You scanned the street. Only one diner, a drugstore, and a cinema were open on the street and you both studied everyone on the street. A couple holding hands as they walked into the cinema, a woman in activewear jogging with her labrador on a leash, two parents trying to herd their kids inside the diner. Ella turned to you and nodded once. You took a final drag of your cigarette before tossing it to the pavement. Ella remained leaning against the wall and you slipped away, treading silently into the carpark. You made a beeline for the pickup truck and you knelt down by the rear wheel. With a quick glance around the carpark you pulled one of the tracking devices out of your pocket. You pulled the protective plastic off the adhesive and placed the device on the inside of the wheel well, out of sight. You stood and glanced at the car next to you. In the backseat you could make out a few soft toys and some high heels. You left the car and headed across the carpark to a silver SUV. You couldn’t make out anything inside, thanks to the tinted windows, so you knelt and placed another tracking device on the SUV. That only left one other vehicle. You glanced at the bumper stickers and rolled your eyes. From the racial slurs written on the stickers you knew the car must belong to a Nord. You crept over and placed the final device on the car before heading back to Ella. She met your eye as you turned the corner and you nodded. She threw her cigarette butt to the ground and you both began to walk up the street to your SUV. You pulled your burner out of your pocket and sent a text to Ruth, signalling that the work was done. After reaching your vehicle and getting inside you waited only a few minutes. Katie and Ruth walked out of the bar, followed by a tall man in a white muscle singlet. You could se tattoos in his arms, but you were too far to make them out. You pulled the gun from your waistband and gripped it tightly in your hands, Ella doing the same. Through the mirrors you both watched intently as Ruth tuned to the man and placed her hand on his chest, while she twirled her hair with her other hand. The man smiled down at her before lifting her hand from his chest. He held it in his hands as he spoke before he kissed the back of it and turned, walking into the carpark. Ruth and Katie waited for him to drive away, in the silver SUV, before they got into the car where Scully was waiting. Ella turned to you and you smirked, the grip on your gun releasing. “Now we wait.”

All heads turned when you walked into the clubhouse. Everyone was on high alert and the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Jax sat with Clay around a table, joined by Marcus Alvarez and his VP. You and Ella headed towards the table. “What took you so long?” Alvarez asked. “We were worried.” “Sorry we uh.. we made another stop.” “We went to the Blue Hound.” You said. “You what?!” Clays voice boomed. He and Marcus both stood, anger in their eyes. Jax’s grip on his beer tightened. You pulled the USB stick out of your pocket and placed it on the table. “We placed trackers on three vehicles. All went to an old farmhouse few miles outta town.” “Two are still there, the other left.” The men stared at you, a mixture of pride, shock, and anger on their faces. Jax stood and grabbed his gun off the table. “Lets go.” “Wait.” Clay ordered. “Juice, take this.” He tossed the USB to the kid with a mohawk who immediately plugged it into his laptop. “We sent our girls inside.” Ella said loudly. Marcus turned to her and shook his head. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” Jax was watching you closely, fire burning in his eyes. “They talked to some guy, Derby or something.” “Darby.” Clay said. You nodded and continued. “He wanted to take one of our girls home with him, but he said he had business to take care of. Then he left in one of the cars that is still at the clubhouse.” Jax turned to Clay and they exchanged a look before nodding. “What have you got, Juice?” Jax called. “Like they say man. Two cars, farmhouse outside of town.” ‘Juice’ said, throwing you a smile. You smiled back warmly. “Lets head out.” Clay said. People around the room began to move, finishing their beers, loading guns, pulling on their leather. “You stay here.” Marcus told Ella. She stared her father in the eye. “We can help.” “You’ve done enough helping mija.” She studied his face and after finding no sign of him backing down she sighed. Jax turned to you. “Thank you, darlin.” His voice was sincere and you nodded in response. The clubhouse emptied and before you knew it only woman occupied the room, a mixture of old ladies and crow eaters. And one man with a prosthetic hand. “We really waiting here?” You asked. Ella lifted a shot glass off the table, not caring who it belonged to. She threw it down her throat and slammed the glass down on the table. “Nah. Fuck that.”

Gunshots rang out and you gripped the AK-47 in your hands. The Lost Girls had approached the farmhouse in silence, creeping through the surrounding trees and covering the back entrance of the house. The only access by road was to the front and you knew the MC’s hadn’t planned out their approach. You had watched from the shadows as they had both pulled up on their bikes and a bunch of men had began firing weapons from inside the house. You could see the back of the house clearly, and a sudden movement caught your eye. Two men dragging a woman squirming body out of the house, a sack over her head. You glanced at Ella and she nodded. “3..” You gripped the assault rifle. “2..” Aim. “1.” You pulled the trigger in sync with Ella and both men fell to the ground, headshot killing them instantly. The woman fell to the ground without and squirmed, her legs flailing in the air. You ran across the grass, Ella by your side while the Lost Girls covered you from the shadows of the trees. A man appeared in the window of the house and you aimed your gun and shot him between the eyes. Muffled screams could be heard through the sack and you knelt by the woman and tore the sack form her head. Ella took cover and she fired her gun as the back door flung open, shooting the man in the chest. The woman stared at you, her eyes wide with fear. Black hair littered with blonde streaks clung to her face and you pushed it aside. Her face was slightly swollen, she had two black eyes and taped covered her mouth. You gripped the edge and ripped the tape away. “Can you walk?” She nodded, clearly confused by who you were. “Lets get you outta here.” You helped her stand and she clambered to her feet, swaying unsteadily. Ella grabbed her left arm and pulled it over her shoulder, holding her up and they began to move back towards the trees. The gunshots were dying down and you could hear doors being kicked open inside the house. You sidled up the the back entrance and pressed your back against the wall. Only a second later the door was pushed open and a man in a white singlet and covered in tattoos jumped out. You slammed the butt of your gun against his head and he fell to the ground limply. Slowly you opened the door and spun, aiming your gun inside. Clear. You kept your gun cocked as you entered the kitchen when you heard voices yelling out. “Gemma!?” “We got her!” You yelled back, your eyes glancing around the room. A door to the left was kicked open and you spun, aiming your gun. Jax spun around the corner, his gun raised and he dropped it when he saw it was you. He panted, eyeing the blood splatters on your clothes. “We got her.”

The black van pulled up in front of the house and the Sons of Anarchy Prospects jumped out, opening the sliding door hurriedly. You sat on the steps of the farmhouse, Ella beside you and a cigarette between your fingers. The Mayans were scattered along the porch along with your sisters and a few other Sons. You all watched as Jax carried Gemma into the van, Clay following behind him. Jax laid her down inside and he exchanged words with Clay before Clay climbed inside. Jax slid the door shut and slapped the door, signalling the prospects to take off. The van pulled away, followed by two Sons on bikes and two Mayans. Jax ran a hand through his blond hair and took a deep breath as lit a cigarette and he walked towards the house. Marcus was leant against the front door and Jax met his eye. “Thank you.” Marcus nodded and signalled to they Mayans. They headed to their bikes and Ella stood as her father swung his arm over her shoulder. You could hear him lecturing her and you smirked, watching them walk to their bikes. Jax stopped in front of you and you glanced up at him. “Thank you. You put yourself and your club in danger for us.” You smiled at him and nodded as you stood. “Im glad your old ladies safe, Jax.” He turned his head to the side, a smirk spreading on his face and he began to speak when a voice cut in. “Jackie boy, we should head over to St Thomas.” A man spoke with a thick scottish accent. Jax nodded to Chibs and turned back to you but you had already walked away, headed for your bike. Jax took a drag of his cigarette and watched you walk, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

A loud pounding woke you up and you sat up, rubbing your eyes. The pounding on the door continued and you slid out of bed. You always slept mostly naked, wearing only panties and you lifted your white t-shirt off the ground and tugged it over your head. You grabbed your gun off the bedside table and turned the safety latch off. Only the Lost Girls knew which motel you were staying at, and they had been around you long enough to know not to wake you. You gripped the gun and sidled your way up to the door. It had no peephole and you cursed. You took a deep breath and turned the knob, pulling the door open and lifting your gun. Jax Teller stood in your doorway, the Californian sun shining down on his blond hair and a playful smirk on his face. “Mornin darlin.” “Jesus christ.” You dropped the gun to your side and gestured for him to come in. He entered, his eyes scanning the scattered sheets and your clothes folding neatly on top of your bag. You closed the door behind him and glanced at the alarm clock. “Its only 7 O’clock.” You groaned and walked back to the bed. You dived on top, burying your head in the pillows and forgetting for a moment you were barely dressed. Jax laughed, his eyes unable to stay away from the panties hugging your ass perfectly. You rolled over and sat up, tugging your t-shirt down self consciously. You hair flopped in your face and you pushed it out before looking up at Jax. He stood at the end of the bed, an amused look on his face as he studied you. Sunlight shone in through thin curtains and it kissed your skin, glowing golden on your legs. Your t-shirt clung to your skin and he could tell by the bounce of your breasts and your hardened nipples that you wore no bra. Your bed hair was sticking out at wild angles and you had smears of eyeliner around your eyes. But the way the sun left patterns on your legs and the way you looked against the clean white sheets made Jax wish he had fallen asleep next to you. Jax licked his lips as his eyes lingered over you and a blush crept up your neck, knowing how awful you looked in the mornings. “I didn’t order a wake up call.” Jax grinned. “Sorry to wake you, darlin.” You rolled your eyes, earning another charming smirk. “So. What did I do to deserve such torture?” He raised an eyebrow. “You know some girls would kill to be woken up by me.” “Huh,” You lifted a finger to your lips in thought. “I think I killed a few guys last night.” Jax nodded, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth. “What a shitty prize.” Jax laughed, amused by your blunt humour and he perched on the edge of the bed. “Thank you, (y/n). I mean that.” You nodded and pulled your legs up so you were sat crosslegged. His eyes met yours and your breath caught for a moment. You couldn’t deny the chemistry burning in the air and you fought the urge to jump him right then and there. The way he was looking at you, like he was undressing you with his eyes, made your body tingle and you gulped. You pushed the dirty thoughts from your mind and yawned. “Hows Gemma?” “She’ll be okay.” You nodded and looked to your lap. “Look, Gemma is-“ “I know. She’s your old lady.” You looked at him. You expected him to look thankful for you being so understanding. But instead his face was a mixture of amused and disgusted. “Shes my mother.” You lifted your hand to your mouth, making Jax smirk at your reaction. “Oh god.” You buried your face in your hands, trying to hide your rapidly reddening cheeks. Jax chuckled and shook his head. “You really thought she was my old lady?” You shrugged and dropped your hands to your lap. “I dunno? I mean I just thought you had some mommy fetish.” Jax screwed his face up and this time you laughed. “Thank god!” He raised an eyebrow in your direction and you bit your lip. You crawled across the bed moved into his lap, straddling him. His hands held your hips and you wrapped yours around his neck. Both of you were breathing heavily and you looked into his eyes. They drowned you and you licked your lips, overwhelmed with dirty thoughts. He moved his head closer and you lifted one hand and ran it through his hair, You could feel him growing hard and it only mad your panties wetter, the anticipation driving you wild. You pressed your lips against his and suddenly everything stopped. The faint sound of traffic was drowned out. The chirping of birds fell silent. The room could have been on fire and you wouldn’t have noticed. Jax stood, lifting you in his lap and he laid you against the sheets. His body hovered over yours and his lips began to trail down your neck. You closed your eyes. In that moment it was only you and him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@i-want-to-be-watered-by-roger @homicidalteenagedream @danleto97 @jasonmccannsgirl8699 @hellsmurf96

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spaztronautwriter · 7 years ago

Text

Office Rumors & Conspiracy Theories

A/N: I wrote this way back in the beginning of season 4. It wasn’t quite finished so I just slapped on a quick ending, but I fell back in love with this idea when I reread it and really wanted to post it, so… enjoy!

Read on AO3

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McKenna pushed through the doors of Palmer Tech, a feeling of resignation settling in her gut. Her leg—the very reason she was here in the first place—ached a little as she put pressure on it, proving that this was where she belonged now.

No more police force. No more vice squad. No more stopping criminals or helping those in need.

Hell, McKenna called it a success when she could walk up the steps to her apartment building without the muscles in her leg knotting in pain.

It had been over two years since the accident. Hmph. Accident! Accident is what her sister called it. McKenna liked to think of it as when the psycho known as The Huntress shot her with a shotgun, destroying not only her right leg, but her career as well. Now she was reduced to life as a rent-a-cop.

Sitting behind desks, standing beside elevators, checking IDs. Being a cop may not have been glamorous, but at least it had been interesting. Most days the hardest part of her job was staying awake.

At first, after going through nearly seven agonizing months of rehab, she’d taken a job at the Coast City Police Department. She’d even enjoyed her desk job there, but that was when she still believed she had a chance to regain what she’d lost. Her dreams were dashed when she was told the only way out from behind the desk was to complete the physical ability test. Which she couldn’t. Not with her leg. The leg that was injured because she didn’t wait for backup like she was told.

Ugh. Maybe I do belong watching security monitors for the rest of my life, she thought as she shuffled through the lobby and up to the reception desk. It was early and there were a lot of employees rushing around, trying to get to their offices before their supervisors realized they were late, no doubt, which meant McKenna had to be careful to stay out of their way.

It normally wasn’t a huge deal for her. Walking she could handle. She could even run short distances without any pain. But Starling’s damp weather was really getting to her this morning.

Star City, she corrected herself with a small shake of her head.

It was crazy to think that her city had changed so much since she’d been away. Starling was literally a different city than when she’d left. Most of her friends on the police force had either moved on or had been killed in the siege two years ago and the man she’d been dating before the incident was now running for Mayor. A man who, she remembered quite vividly, used to party harder than almost anyone she knew in high school and seemed to be allergic to responsibility of any kind.

Well, that wasn’t really fair of her. It had been years since she’d seen him, and he had offered to come visit her in Coast City after the incident to try to maintain a relationship, but McKenna wasn’t stupid. She’d known it wouldn’t work before he’d ever even offered. She knew him, and she knew he would do the right thing in the moment, but it would become a chore after a while, and if there was one thing McKenna never wanted to be it was someone’s chore.

So she’d moved on from him and she’d moved on from the city and now, two years later, she was back and everything was different. It’s just going to take some getting used to, that’s all, she assured herself, checking in at reception and getting a guest pass from security.

“Ms. Hall?” A tall, gawky man approached her with a smile. He was wearing the white and navy blue uniform that signaled he worked in security. “The Coast City office told us to expect you. You’re interview is at 8:15. If you wouldn’t mind waiting over in the lobby, I’ll take you up myself.”

“Sure thing,” McKenna said with a forced smile. It wasn’t this man’s fault she was stuck taking a dead end job in security when all she wanted was her life back.

After realizing she’d never be a real cop again, McKenna had quit the force and taken a job at Palmer Tech in Coast City. It was a decent job and she made better money than when she was a cop, but it wasn’t what she wanted to be doing. It wasn’t what she’d dreamed of since she was a kid. She wanted to help people and take down the bad guys. Solve mysteries. But the biggest mystery she’d solved as a security guard was who was stealing lunches out of the employee’s lounge mini fridge.

She’d had enough, so when she found out that the Starling—Star—City mayor’s office was considering putting together a task force in conjunction with the vigilantes running around the city she jumped at the chance, despite the fact that her career was ended by one of those so called vigilantes. Like she’d said, a lot had changed in the city since she’d left and apparently vigilantism was all the rage now, and, as long as these vigilantes weren’t killing, the police weren’t going after them.

McKenna wasn’t sure she was okay with the idea of masked men and women running around the city doing the police’s job, but she also knew that the closest she could get to field work would be if she got onto that task force. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a thing yet, more of a rumor, an idea that someone had had and that Oliver Queen, newly announced mayoral candidate, was backing. But he had to be elected mayor first. And she’d have to swallow her pride and go see if he’d consider her for a position. She hated to beg an ex-boyfriend for a favor, but she really needed this favor. Or else she’d be stuck in Palmer Tech for the rest of her life.

“Did you hear they’re changing the name?” A voice broke through her reverie, pulling her back to the crowded lobby. “They haven’t officially announced it yet, but rumor has it we’ll all be working for Queen Incorporated within the next month or so.”

A young red headed man, maybe twenty four or twenty five, was standing a few feet away from the seat McKenna had positioned herself in. He was speaking to a small brunette woman in a navy skirt and a black blazer.

The woman shrugged. “So? As long as they’re not letting anyone go, I couldn’t care less what name is on the side of the building.”

“But don’t you think it’s a little fishy?” the man said, trying to keep his voice low. “I mean, Mr. Palmer disappears under mysterious circumstances and suddenly this woman takes over and changes—”

“This woman?” the brunette huffed. “The Vice President of the company, you mean? Honestly, Ethan, you need to stop watching those psychological thriller movies. They’re warping your brain.”

The woman walked off, sipping a cup of coffee as she made her way to the elevators, but McKenna was intrigued. Not only because she was bored—God, was she bored—but because of the mention of the name Queen.

“Excuse me,” she said, getting the man’s attention. He looked over with a helpful smile, like she was about to ask him directions or for the time. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear. You were saying the company was changing its name?”

The man’s smile turned conspiratorial as he practically fell into the seat beside her. “You didn’t hear it from me,” he said in a low voice. “It hasn’t been officially announced yet. I’m the new Vice President’s executive assistant and, well, things like that tend to cross my desk first.”

McKenna nearly rolled her eyes. Of course an assistant would be spreading office gossip. Their jobs had to be nearly as boring as McKenna’s.

“But the thing that I find funny” he continued, “is that Ms. Smoak, the new CEO, is changing the name to Queen Inc. That’s what the name used to be before Palmer Technologies took it over. Well,” he said, with a shrug, “it used to be Queen Consolidated, but close enough, right?”

McKenna decided to play along. “So why would Ms. Smoak name her company after the Queens?” she asked.

Ethan brightened when he realized McKenna was looking for juicer gossip than just a name change. “Rumor has it that she’s dating Oliver Queen.”

Something in McKenna’s gut tightened at that, but it wasn’t jealousy. At least, she was pretty sure it wasn’t jealousy. She didn’t have time to think on it much because Ethan was still talking.

“But the fishy part is that last spring she was dating Ray Palmer. Right before the explosion.”

McKenna had, of course, heard about the explosion and Ray Palmer’s disappearance since she’d been working at Palmer Tech at the time. The CEO of your company doesn’t just go missing without gossip getting around. But this was the first she was hearing of a Ms. Smoak.

“So what’s fishy about that?” she asked.

Ethan smiled a little and leaned closer. “Mr. Palmer had signed the company over to her right before he disappeared. Allegedly. The contract wasn’t found until two months ago when Ms. Smoak came back to town.” He paused for obvious dramatic effect. “After quitting her job and leaving the city for nearly six months.”

McKenna was at a loss. “And?”

“And?” Ethan repeated, clearly annoyed she wasn’t following. “And you don’t find it odd that the woman was dating her boss, got him to sign his billion dollar company over to her, and then ditches town at the same time there’s an accident in his lab and no one has seen him since?”

Well, when he put it that way… “But the police aren’t looking into her?” she asked. “No body was ever found or suspicion of foul play.” McKenna had read up on the case. It was one of the many ways she entertained herself at work.

“I know, I know,” Ethan said, waving her off. “But these are billionaires we’re talking about. They have ways of making people disappear. Plus,” he added, smiling that conspiratorial smile again, “Ms. Smoak used to be Oliver Queen’s executive assistant before she became the VP of Palmer Tech—talk about a career leap—and now she’s dating him and putting his name back on the building? Seems suspicious to me.”

McKenna had initially started this conversation because she’d been curious about Oliver getting his family’s company back, but now she had to admit, Ethan had her curious. An assistant didn’t just get promoted to VP overnight, unless she was sleeping with the boss, which this Ms. Smoak supposedly was. And the fact that the boss had signed his company over to her and then disappeared was highly suspicious. It did reek of corporate thriller movie material. Billionaire loses everything and gets his former assistant to sleep her way to the top so that they can take his family’s company back and kill the man that took it all from him.

McKenna nearly laughed out loud at her own thoughts. This was Oliver she was talking about. Oliver Queen. The man couldn’t hurt a fly. And he didn’t have the smarts or the patience to plot something as sinister as what she had imagined.

Maybe I should write suspense novels while I check IDs for the rest of my life. At least it would keep her mind occupied.

But, then, was it really that crazy a thought? Oliver being involved might be out there, but she’d never heard of this Ms. Smoak before. What’s to say she isn’t a crazy, conniving psycho looking for money and the power that comes with the Queen family name? She’d certainly be Oliver’s type, considering the girl he dated before me ended up shooting me in the leg with a shotgun.

“Ms. Hall?”

McKenna’s head snapped up when she heard her name called. The gawky security guard who’d offered to take her up to her interview was standing in front of her expectantly.

“I can take you up now,” he said, throwing her another smile. “I’m Gavin Riley, Assistant Director of Security. I’ll be conducting your interview.”

McKenna nodded, suddenly glad he hadn’t overheard her conversation with Ethan. What a way to start a job interview, gossiping about how the boss might have murdered her former employer-slash-boyfriend.

She followed Gavin to the elevators and stepped inside as soon as the doors slid open.

“This should be relatively easy, considering your job at the Coast City office. Your supervisor sent over a glowing recommendation and said he was sorry to see you go. What has you moving to Star City, Ms. Hall? If you don’t mind my asking.”

McKenna had just started in on her speech about how she’d grown up in Starling and thought it was time to move back, when a voice called out across the lobby.

“Hold that elevator! Please!”

Gavin’s hand shot out, stopping the doors from sliding shut at the very last second, and McKenna saw a tiny blonde woman running across the lobby floor, coffee in hand and a purse thrown over her shoulder. She was dressed in a bright purple peacoat with really great red heels on. Heels that, obviously, weren’t making it easy to run across the tiled lobby floor. By the time she made it to the elevator she looked spent.

“Thank you! Thank you,” she sighed as she leaned against the back wall of the elevator. “I’m already late for a meeting and it’s not even 8:30 in the morning.”

Gavin smiled kindly at the young woman. “That’s the price of being the boss, I guess.”

“Ugh. Don’t I know it.” The woman smiled back at Gavin and then turned towards McKenna, beside him. Something like recognition passed through her blue eyes and her head jerked to the side. “McKenna!”

McKenna was taken aback a moment before she responded. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

The blonde flushed slightly, closing her eyes and scrunching her face up. She shook her head and waved the arm not holding the coffee as she spoke. “No! I mean, we’ve never met, but I know you. Or, I know of you, since we’ve, you know, never met. But I’ve heard all about you. Not all about you, but some things. Good things, of course. Sorry.” She wrapped up her speech with an apologetic grimace and smiled sweetly. “I’ve been better with the rambling recently, but it’s early and I’ve only had, like, two sips of my coffee. I’m Felicity,” she said, holding out her hand for McKenna to take. “Smoak. I’m a friend of Oliver’s.”

To say McKenna was surprised to hear that this was the Ms. Smoak Ethan had been gossiping about would have been an understatement. Her eyebrows shot up as she took in the woman before her. Her lipstick matched the color of her red heels and her blonde hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail, but she didn’t look like the owner of a multi-billion dollar company. Her glasses sat slightly askew on her face, her nails were painted an electric blue and she had an industrial bar through her right ear. And she rambled. There was nothing that shouted CEO about this girl and even less that shouted gold-digging murderer.

“McKenna Hall,” she said, taking the girl’s hand.

“I know,” Felicity smiled and then looked a little embarrassed. “I mean, obviously I know who you are, I shouted your name as soon as I saw you. Oliver and I were friends when you two were dating, so I kind of feel like I know you, even though I don’t,” she explained. “How are you? Are you back in Starling—I mean, Star City? It’s going to take me forever to get used to that.”

“Um, yeah,” McKenna answered, feeling that same twinge she’d felt before when she heard Oliver was dating this woman. Not jealousy, but like she was intruding someplace she didn’t belong, despite the fact that Felicity Smoak actually seemed incredibly welcoming. “I just moved back.”

Felicity smiled and then seemed to notice Gavin standing next to them. “Oh! Are you interviewing for a job?”

“Yes, ma'am,” McKenna replied.

“Oh,” Felicity waved her off. “Please, call me Felicity. Seriously,” she said with a small smile. “You and I have both seen the same man naked. It would be totally uncomfortable to have you call me ma'am while knowing that.” Then she slammed her eyes shut. “Not that it’s not totally uncomfortable that I said that. That’s, like, practically sexual harassment.”

“I don’t think that counts as sexual harassment, but don’t worry about it,” McKenna said, feeling sorry for the girl. “How is Oliver? You two are together now?”

“Yes!” Felicity smiled, her whole face lighting up at the mention of Oliver. “He’s doing good. We actually just got back to Starling ourselves. We spent the summer traveling.”

The grin on her face was contagious and McKenna felt her lips lift into a smile. “That sounds exciting. I guess Oliver moved passed that brooding stage he was going through when we were dating.”

“Not at all!” Felicity laughed. “He still broods, I don’t think he can help it. It’s like an unconscious reaction. But he’s happy. Happier than he’s been in awhile, and that’s all I care about.”

“Getting the company back must have made him happy.” McKenna wanted to take the words back as soon as she said them. It wasn’t that they were accusing or rude in any way, but she knew why she’d said them. She’d said them because her stupid cop mind had latched onto the idea that this girl was involved in something suspicious and, even though after meeting her it seemed unlikely, it still wanted to investigate. “I mean, I heard some gossip… about a possible name change in the future.”

Felicity just smiled brightly, excitement exuding from her expression. “Oliver doesn’t know yet, so I didn’t want it to get out, but of course a secret like that wouldn’t stand up to the gossip in this place. I wanted it to be a surprise, changing the name back to Queen. I know he’ll fight me on it, but I don’t want his family to completely lose their legacy. This is the Queen family’s company, even if they don’t, technically, own it at the moment. I’d give it back to them if I could, but Oliver wouldn’t take it, neither will Thea.”

“You’d give them a multi-billion dollar company just because they used to own it?” Gavin asked.

McKenna and Felicity both startled at his question, looking over at him. He flushed, looking a little startled by his question himself.

“They’re family,” Felicity smiled. “Besides, being the boss has its price, like you said.” She looked down at her shoes and shook her head, smile still firmly on her face. “I could be at home with Oliver right now.” She looked up at McKenna and sighed. “Who doesn’t have to be anywhere until after noon today because he was smart enough to opt out of taking the company back.” Felicity rolled her eyes at herself. “I must sound whiny. I actually really appreciate the gift I’ve been given with this company. And when we find Ray I’m going to hug him to pieces, but then, after, I will be having a word with him about how he tricked me into accepting that gift.”

“You think he’s alive?” McKenna couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“I know he is,” Felicity said with absolute certainty, as the elevator doors slid open and Gavin began to step out. “He has to be.”

“I hope you’re right,” McKenna said, following Gavin out into the hallway, but holding the elevator door open to speak to Felicity. “I don’t want to keep you from your meeting, and I have an interview so…”

“Right,” Felicity said with a smile. “You’re interviewing for a position in security, I take it? Long way from being a cop.”

McKenna grimaced. “Being a cop isn’t really possible for me anymore, with the leg injury.”

It wasn’t quite pity McKenna saw in Felicity’s eyes, but it was close enough to make her uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry, McKenna,” she said, and she sounded genuinely sorry. “I wish that hadn’t happened to you. Oliver does too.”

McKenna shrugged, hoping not to make it a big deal. “Things like that happen. I have to move on. And I need a job. This one’s as good as any.”

She closed her eyes tightly when she realized what she’d just said in front of the CEO and the man who would be conducting her interview, but Felicity only nodded sympathetically.

“I was forced into this job, too,” she said, “but at least I genuinely enjoy most aspects of it. I couldn’t imagine not being able to do what I loved. I don’t think I could settle…” She tilted her head to the side suddenly, a look of determination taking over her face. “And you shouldn’t either.”

McKenna could only stare as the blonde smiled to herself.

“I have the perfect job for you, McKenna,” she said, pulling out her phone and tapping the screen. “Much better than some security position.” She jerked her head up. “No offense, Gavin. Security is a great field to be in and, believe me, I appreciate everything you guys do, but this isn’t the job for McKenna.”

Felicity gestured for McKenna to step back into the elevator, before saying a quick goodbye to a totally confused looking Gavin.

“It’s not?” McKenna asked, also confused, but, as she stepped into the elevator, the twinge in her gut loosened for the first time since she’d walked into the building. Hell, for the first time since she found out she’d never be a cop again!

“No, it’s definitely not.” Felicity’s phone beeped and she grinned. She tapped something out and it beeped again a moment later, before she looked back up at McKenna. “You’re going to work for Oliver. Or, with Oliver. Sort of. He’s got this project…”

“The task force? With the vigilantes.”

Felicity tilted her head to the side questioningly.

“You hear all sorts of things in security,” McKenna explained with a shrug. She wasn’t sure she should admit that the task force was the whole reason she was moving back to Starling, or that she’d planned on quitting Palmer Tech if she was able to talk Oliver into hiring her. It seemed irrelevant now that Felicity had done it for her.

“Technically,” Felicity said, scrunching her nose up as she spoke, “there isn’t a task force for you to join, yet, so you’d be working on his security team with our friend John Diggle.”

“I remember Mr. Diggle,” McKenna said, pulling up a fuzzy picture of a tall black man in her mind. He’d been Oliver’s bodyguard back when she’d dated him, and apparently he still was.

Felicity smiled. “I know it’s still security, but it’s only until Oliver is elected and able to get the task force approved.”

“You really think he’ll win?” she asked, voicing her greatest concern.

“I’ve never seen Oliver fail once he sets his mind to something.”

As soon as the elevator doors slid open onto the executive floor, a flustered looking man in a suit came rushing out of a glass office, causing both McKenna and Felicity to look up. “Ms. Smoak, your first meeting is already here and he doesn’t seem very happy.”

Felicity sighed, taking a long swig of her coffee before handing the cup to the man. “Thanks, Jerry,” she said, before turning back to McKenna. “You should head over to Oliver’s campaign office this afternoon. They’ll get you all set up.”

“Thank you, Felicity,” McKenna said.

“It’s no problem,” she said with a smile. “I’ve got to go before Mr. Dennis has a conniption, but I’ll see you later!”

McKenna pushed the button for the lobby as she watched Felicity disappear into the glass office. She wanted to laugh at herself for ever having considered that the woman might be some murdering gold digger. It was ludicrous to even think about now that she’d met her. In fact, Felicity Smoak seemed to be exactly the opposite of what she’d assumed when talking to Ethan in the lobby.

McKenna wasn’t the type to enjoy being wrong about things, but she was genuinely glad she’d been wrong about Felicity Smoak. Not only did she just land McKenna her dream job in a matter of seconds—and without having to pathetically beg her ex for a shot—but she was glad that Oliver had found someone so warm and… alive. Back when they’d dated Oliver had been more withdrawn then she’d ever seen him. Side effects of being stranded on a desert island, she supposed. He’d tried to play the role of attentive boyfriend, but she’d been able to tell he wasn’t fully there. While she wasn’t sure how much Oliver had changed in the past three years, she was certain that Felicity Smoak was just the person he needed to help him readjust to the land of the living.

She could only hope that things went well with this security job and that, come May, Oliver would win the election, giving McKenna the opportunity to, once again, protect the city from criminals hell bent on seeing it in ruin. But, if not, well, at least she now had the plot for a really great crime novel.

#arrow fanfiction #olicity fanfiction #mckenna hall #felicity smoak

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thedenfantasyleague · 5 years ago

Text

The Den Fantasy League Recap: Week 8

Fellas,

There’s a lot of moving and shaking going on right now. With the NFL Trade Deadline today and Den teams moving up and down the ranks, there’s a lot to be excited about. It’s a simple one tonight.

Stick With Us PVO v. El Commish

Dylan got off to a big start on Thursday with a massive game from Bailey, sending his projection through the roof. The big question after a hot Thursday night start is always the same: can the rest of the squad continue the trend? For Dylan, somewhat yes. Dylan put up a respectable 96.1 points this week which could occasionally win you a game. Dylan was led by guys like Saquon (20.3), Mack (15), and Fournette (13.6) to go along with Bailey’s aforementioned 16. Unfortunately for Dylan my team kicked it into gear and exploded throughout Sunday afternoon. After being forced to start Danny Dimes himself, I was concerned I didn’t stand a chance against Dyl but my team (and Danny) stepped up. Danny (28.2), Julio (15), and Juuls (19.5) all had their best games of the season then you throw in 20 from the Pats D you have a pretty good outing. I feel like I’m forgetting someone. Am I? Oh yeah. That’s right. Tevin had a modest 35.8, scoring 3 of his 4 TDs in the first half alone. As I said, Dylan didn’t really even stand a chance with an explosion like that.

Wilmore Cinderella v. Fire Jarn

I’ll be honest, I didn’t think it would be this early in the season but I think we’ve reached peak Rob. In Rob’s last two games, he’s averaging 53.9 points. Add in his last three (in which he snuck out a win against G) he’s averaging 65.2 points per game. That’s an implosion if I’ve ever seen one. The only bright spot (and the only player to reach double figures) was Aaron Rodgers who racked up 27.1 points. Everyone else was a dud. In fact, not a single other player hit their projection this week. Actually, that’s not true. Alvin Kamara who was projected zero (ya know, because he was inactive) hit his projection. As one of Rob’s biggest fans, this isn’t a good look for us. JP surged to his second-highest point total on the season and has quietly worked his way into a game under .500. Although he again picked the wrong QB and the week he finally doesn’t play a Chiefs WR he ends up scoring, JP found success in big games from Conner, Thomas, Stefon, and Lions D. Two teams that were trending in opposite directions seems to have pulled a Freaky Friday and are taking on different identities.

Team Timshel v. Debbie Rowe

To sum this one up: Mike, thanks for showing up. Mike saw his record come back to 4-4 and really had a lackluster week. He did find good games from Tannehill, AP, and his kicker but other than that no other player reached their projections. The story of this matchup was Hurricane Jane. The force to be reckoned with came out like a bat out of hell this week and put up an impressive 171.7. The points came from all over but massive games from Deshaun (27.8), CMC (23.5), Aaron Jones (34.6), Kupp (28), and Mike Evans (31.8) gave him enough to beat every team this week. Can Jake keep up this production after a letdown last week? Frankly, I don’t see him losing again. Jake’s team is bred to win a championship and I may go ahead and lock that in right now.

VP v. The Perfect Ten

DON’T LE THE KID GET HOT! Miami’s own stepped up this week and continued his momentum after taking down Jake last week. There was some concern early on for Vinny as he saw Miles Sanders putting up close to 20 on his bench but he persevered. His success can be contributed to guys like Hopkins (finally), Hooper, and Jags D. The real story is the return of Brees who put up a solid 24.9 in his return. Is Vinny’s winning streak a fluke or a second-half team surging? One team we can’t read right now is E. After getting over 100 points and the win last week, he came back down to earth with a disappointing 83.2. Obviously MVP candidate (some are saying) Matt Stafford had a great game and Latavius chipped in with 27.7 in the absence of Alvin but the rest of E’s team fell flat. With E, there’s always hope he can return to glory but is this the year he just doesn’t put it together? There’s still plenty of time before the playoff push but E’s team is searching for its identity.

Kalabar’s Revenge v. Hank Mardukas

Has Kalabar lost his October-mojo? We’ve always feared taking on Kalabar in the month of October but he has lost his third straight and only won one of his four contests in the spookiest month of the year. People forget Kalabar was defeated multiple times. Speaking of Kalabar’s defeat, G and Scott’s game came down to the final whistle on MNF. G tried to make it a game with big games from Royce and Montgomery and gave it everything he had with JuJu (USC Trojans Fight On) and Mason on Monday night. JuJu (USC Trojans Fight On) fought to keep G’s week alive but came up just short. Scott has quietly worked his way into an impressive 6-2 start to his season and isn’t looking like the chump we’re all used to. Scott’s impressive week started on Thursday night with Dalvin getting 23.1 and Vikes D getting 13. He then continued on with good games from Engram and then a massive game from Golladay. Is Scott a serious contender? Is he destined to burn out? Do we live in a world where Scott could win our league? Only time will tell.

Virg. Gardening Minmaxers v. Professor Remus Lupin

Oh, Al. How did you get here at 1-7? Currently, Al is sitting at the worst record in the league and this week didn’t offer much hope. Playing without two early draft picks (DJ and Thielen), Al struggled again this week. Mixon, DJ, Titans D, and Lambo all had good games but that’s about it. Cooks got concussed, Gore, Fitz, and Ertz did nothing, and even if played the guys on his bench he still comes up short. Al’s team is in a world of hurt and he needs to start making some moves of desperation to distance himself from the Cabana. Gabe, on the other hand, has excelled since the name change as he’s won his last five. Gabe went into this week without his star RB and was still able to snag the win with good games from Goff (Bengals stink), Carson, 49ers D (who Al called the 69ers Friday night), and Zane. Chubb did give him a scare with his two fumbles but was still able to get almost 10 points. The question everyone is asking though: is Gabe good? His last three wins have been against some of the league’s worst but sometimes that’s all you need to get some momentum. He’ll take on G this week which will be my game of the week.

We’re starting to get into Cabana Boy realities as teams may begin to clinch their safety. Al obviously leads the way but there are still a few teams behind him that, if they slide, could be in danger.

Your beloved Commissioner,

Jared R. Mosqueda

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ashilrak · 7 years ago

Note

lololol i want 2 read this ~call out~ post now

fucekning - it’s 1am in the morning and i’ve been awake since 5:30 am but why the fuck not, let’s do this. I’ll probably forget Someone so don’t be surprised if i edit this and add more - especially since there are people I regularly talk to but forget their tumblr URLs since I mostly talk with them over other platforms.

@theinevitablesense is a wonderful and talented human being and a blessing in my life. Parker is so intelligent and so great to talk to. We’re writing a fic together which is a #blessing, and honestly I couldn’t be happier about it. We became friends because Parker messaged me one day like ‘i love ur fic!!!’ and while our first few convos were awkward we are at a Really Great Place rn

@lol-phan-af is my Sunshine. Bella is the person who got me to start writing for hamilton, and as such I’m forever grateful to her for a multitude of reasons. We became friends because I literally kept pestering her on tumblr until she agreed to write a fic with me because i’m that kind of annoying.

@iwritelikeimrunningoutoftime is the one who started it All. Irene is the miracle person who first messaged me about 177(6) RP, and honestly it is because of her that I know anyone that I do now. She’s a brilliant, beautiful, and gifted blessing in my life and I don’t know where I’d be without her.

@emmiimmeme stepped into my life as the jemmy RPer, and honestly i love her. Someone who has been around for about a year now. We talk about Seth Numrich and Ian Khan a lot. She seems to think I ghostwrote the moreos guy posts

@shipsdreamsandmakebelieve was the John RPer. She messaged me on tumblr a little after she started commenting on 177(6). At one point she decided to say fuck it and gave me her snapchat so I could experience chris jackson singing on the forth of july, and afterward I persuaded her to join the RP. we still talk now, it’s a great existence. I have a mom t-shirt and mom sticker from her. It’s a Fantastic time.

@thalia-the-guitar was the Dori RPer. It took us longer to hit it off, in all honesty. We got closer because of talking about writing. I like to think I was kind of a wall to bounce ideas off of for the train fic she wrote with rowan, but that’s probably inflating my importance in that process. She’s someone who I talk to more via text and snapchat than fandom platforms tbh.

@bewitchinghowell was the lizzie RPer. HOnestly an all around gift, a joy and light in my life. The one who made us make the groupchat, and literally where would we be without that gropuchat.

@ceracero was the Philip RPer. they’re literally so pure and so wonderful and i love them so much and they send me cards and i treasure them in a drawer next to my bed to read when i’m sad and i just,, they’re so good

@hamilshot was the Burr RPer. Honestly one of the most brilliant, most motivated, and strongest people I know. Real life goals, tbh. They’re the type of person I will gladly admit I look up to. I literally wrote an essay about them and started to cry while interviewing them because they’re just that Great. ONe of those people that once they set their mind on something, it will take the entire universe and Then some to prevent it from happening.

@rhfe was the dolley RPer, joining us a little later on in the game. Honestly, he’s made my life so much better. A source of joy that also took me longer to get close to. I didn’t realize that was his URL until like yesterday so that’s how attentive I am.

@little–feather was the maria RPer. I’ve actually met her, and hoenstly, it was a Great time. We got ice cream and were super cute and it’s one of those cases where over the past year I’ve really gotten to seem them grow and honestly? a Blessing in my life

@night-lester mads is fantastic?? someone i’m still not as close as I want to be to but literally every interaction I’ve had with them has improved my life in some way and everyone loves them so much and that is such a good because they spread love and positivity in a way i don’t think they even do on purpose and they’re just a Good. originally the seabury RPer

@clarind-uh was the George-io RPer. Honestly, just,,, incredible. Another person that took me longer to get close to, but I’m so glad I did. We initially communicated via heart emojis, which was a good thing that i’m very happy happened.

@the-real-m-vp was the martha RPer (obvi). Sam is literally one of the nicest and most beautiful people i’ve ever seen in my entire life??? like??? so nice and kinda and positive and perfect and sweet and literally Everything

@alexangery is someone I met through rowan - someone who RPed lance - and we ended up writing kinkcember together. We kinda drifted after a bit since the health chat got busy and what not, but we keep ending up back together and it’s a MIracle because honestly?? alex is one of the best parts of this fandom and where would we be without him is the real quesiton

@roseclipping is so sweet, and someone I kinda watched from a distance for a little bit because I knew she was a really talented writer from the gift exchanges. We kinda had a word here or there, mostly communicating via drabble prompts in all honesty. We became closer because I ended up answering some questions for a college au of hers haha and now we’re in a writing chat!!

@thellamaduo is someone that I started talking to because we were thinking about doing a big bang of sorts. It never happened and probably will Never happened. Rainah is literally someone who I know Knows her shit. Like, if I were to ever doubt a characterization I could go to her and be like “HELP ME” and she’d be able to with reasoning and explanations to back of her words. She’s so smart and knowledgable and literally everything she writes is ironclad and I’d trust it with my Life. And she’s just really great to talk to in general? I consider her to be a good friend and i’m so happy I can because honestly Where would I be without her. I’m slowly progressing, but everytime I do take that brief second back to think about a writing decisions, it’s with her in mind “what would rainah do”

@franciskinloch is a recent friend but a Good one. Their very attractive face is a blessing in my life and something i can look forward to and i know that if i ever have lams feels they’re feeling it times a gazillion and also the first person who i saw recognize just how attractive cravats and knee-breeches are and i’m never letting that go. Ever.

@ham-for-ham is also a recent friend, but one i’m glad to have. we were thrown together in a group chat and then we talked about turn and it was a Good decision

@hambrr amber is also more recent and is in the same writing chat/network as alex and sarah and is Good. honestly, if you have any appreciation for hamburr as a ship, i’d recommend checking them out. They’re vv supportive and vv good.

@procrastinatingbookworm is also a new friend and one i’ve yet to get to know very well but as we’re in a writing chat together i imagine we will grow closer in their future. very sweet

@speedilyunabashedhologram is someone who was just kinda tossed into a big chat with the RPers and Friends because why NOt and she’s become a constant presence and honestly it wouldn’t be the same without her

@weehawken-dawngunsdrawn is also someoe who was just kinda tossed into the big chat with RPers and friends and hoenstly super sweet and super nice and super thoughtful and also from ohio which means i might get to see her in real life which is superr !!! because honestly !! best things

@exadorlion i assumed i already put them on here but honestly mari is a fantastic person and someone i can trust to have something interesting to say and they make my life Better which is more than I can ask from anyone and they’re just important to me okay. where would i be had they not pestered me about the fic i probably wouldn’t have ever written otherwise

@fortheloveofhegame marah, my real life friend. we go way back. i don’t know what else to say for her except that she was introduced to the RP chat as daddykinkfriend around a year ago and that’s defined her online presence partially ever since,. i love her. she’s a Good and my bff

#Ask #Nonny #My Children #I'm not tagging all of them i'm so sorry

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