#walk with me here.. sharks are strong and appear scary but are ultimately just doing their job

[avocadoraisin]

I am not immune to mermay

[capricornus-rex]

Playing Pretend (4)

Requested by: @calkesttiss​ | Prompt:

Hi! I just watched isi & ossi (rich girl and poor boxer boy AH) on netflix and now i cant stop thinking about cal and fake dating. Do with that what you will 😂

Cal Kestis x Reader

1 | 2 | 3 | Next: Part 5 | Masterlist

4 of ?

Cal found a way down the building and walked his way back to the Mobara Palace, one of the few cantinas in the Capital that have docking bays. The Mobara Palace was one of the biggest in the city too; occupying a whole block to cover the bar itself as well as the elaborate network of paths that connect the bays to one another, with the cantina at the starting point of it all.

The Mantis’s entrance ramp hissed and lowered, opening the door before him. An aromatic waft was the first to welcome him upon his entry.

“Looks like Greez is cooking something good,” he comments to BD-1.

As he entered the ship, Greez’s dual pairs of arms were all over the pantry and yet each arm was carefully distributed to a certain task in cooking.

“Smells good, Greez!” Cal beamed.

“Oh good, you’re just in time for dinner—with all that wandering around you’re doing, you’re probably hungry,”

He joined the others at the table as soon as Greez lifted the pot from the stove and served everyone their own plates. The meal was solemn and yet there was a warm aura emanating around them. Cal decided to up the mood by striking a conversation.

“How long do you guys still think we’re gonna stay here until this blows over?”

A silence at the dinner table. Cere’s eyes shifted, she searched Greez’s face and studied his reaction toward Cal’s question. There was only one possible and realistic answer, but the boy doesn’t seem to concur with it.

“Cal,” she clears her throat. “You do understand why…”

Before she could even reiterate her question, Cal already knew this mere dinner table conversation was going to be another lecture.

“I know. We’re hiding from the loan shark that Greez borrowed the money from to get this ship,”

It was an embarrassing truth, but a truth nonetheless. Greez felt like the situation required him to say a piece.

“Look, kid, we can scrape by with what we have. I mean, I still got coin on me—but not that enough to cover the loan plus with its interest!”

“Odd jobs, honest jobs, aren’t gonna cut it in a short time, Greez. At least you would know that, of all people,” Cal argued.

Cal had been wandering around the city looking for a quick way to earn some coin in the quickest way possible. The downtown and underground areas of the planet had some questionable methods of earning money—but they were easy money. Although Cal had grown up with street smarts, part of that knowledge is when and where a solution is either a real solution or another problem later on.

“You know the Sabacc, don’t ya?” Greez whispered with the left corner of his mouth directed to Cal.

“Greez, we are not going with gambling!” Cere sternly exclaimed. The impact of her fork dropping against the plate was just as scary as a fist landing on the table like a gavel.

There was another silence amongst them again. Cere continued on with her own piece.

“We cannot endanger anyone in our crew with something that won’t be worth our while. I don’t mind pretending to be some stranger in a different name just so we can have someplace to stay safe together. But I will not allow anybody in this ship to get into something that would jeopardize themselves or the crew altogether, understand?”

Cere’s outburst hardened the silence. Everybody understands that she hasn’t outgrown her military discipline from her days of participating in the Clone Wars—and she’s utilizing them in predicaments such as these amongst the Mantis crew members.

These episodes of hers were occasional, therefore it made her unpredictable, intimidating, but somehow her aggressive delivery doesn’t outweigh her rationale or true motive. Everybody—Cal, Greez, Merrin, and ultimately BD-1—knew that she means well and that she always will.

Cere processed what just had happened with her. She attempted to recompose herself in the midst of the awkwardness. She cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to yell.”

“It’s fine, Cere,” Greez consoles.

The dinner proceeds. Cal wondered if the girl he met yesterday and bumped into just now would be a better subject to talk about.

“I met someone last night. Bumped into her again,”

All heads turn to Cal.

“She frequents a pub not too far from here. I always see her near or inside that place. Maybe if I bump into her again, I’ll ask her where I can find a place to get some cash—and a clean one at that,”

“Are you sure she is to be trusted?” Cere maintained her stern tone even after recomposing herself.

Cal was so sure of his judgment about you. He recalled the moments where you two were together. He felt your kindness and compassion—he knew of your good intentions, you meant no harm—but he also sensed some sort of sadness in you.

“You probably have heard of Senator Bail Organa?” Cere takes the conversation reins.

Cal shrugs, “Yeah sure, I know him. I saw him sometimes in the Senate Building in Coruscant.”

“Well, he knows of our presence here—don’t worry, he doesn’t know about the loan shark at our tail—and he’s invited us to a social function,”

“Social function?” Cal raised his eyebrow at Cere’s unusual choice of word.

“Apparently, this party was being held by a colleague of his. Perhaps they needed to fill the guestlist,”

“Proxies,”

“Exactly.”

“How bad can a few no-show guests be? It’s not like it’s gonna dent their bank account when the catering bill comes!” Greez dryly joked and it was the received likewise.

In light of this new announcement, Cal began to wonder how long does he have to stay in the party before he could sneak back out in the streets and find the unusual girl who had to drag him up a rooftop from the Tipsy Taun-Taun just to ask for some self-defense moves.

The following days passed until the day of the banquet has come. That morning, your mother personally made sure that you don’t sleep in and get yourself ready as quickly as possible. She also announced that the stylists are coming in half an hour.

“Mom, I’m perfectly capable of doing my own makeup!” You detest despite still being groggy from being woken up without your consent.

You force yourself out of bed so that you could take a shower. Unfortunately, you didn’t have the luxury of staying too long in the bath—however, you sorely wished you did. You slid deeper into the cold, ivory and gold-trimmed bathtub until only your eyes are on the surface.

A pounding on the door disturbed your watery peace.

“[y/n], hurry up!” your mother growled from the other side.

“Almost done!” you cried back.

You were actually done minutes ago, you only chose to soak yourself for a bit longer with the wishful thinking that they’ll never realize that you’ve locked yourself in your own bathroom. You’d love that though.

“No one could ever go wrong with black,” you muttered as you pulled out an off-shouldered black cocktail dress with stars and planets embroidered with golden thread.

You made quick work of yourself. You did your hair and makeup: applying minimal makeup as possible, you wore your hair down and clipped a silver headband on both ends with four tiers of golden cords hanging over on top of the other. Staring back at yourself in the mirror, a brush in your hand slides down to the length of your hair; with every stroke, you ponder if all this your parents are doing is ever worth it either for themselves or for the family.

You sigh for an answer, or lack thereof. Afterwards, you donned the dress and the shoes—both pieces were in black. The finishing touch—a personal one at that—was a pair of leather fingerless gloves.

“Here goes nothing,” a mantra you tell yourself before exiting your room in attendance to any social gathering you were obliged to attend.

The party started without you. No surprise in that, you thought. Nevertheless, you made your way to ballroom where the chatter of the guests became more and more audible yet incoherent as their voices meddled.

Immediately, you searched for Tazha in the room. She wasn’t easy to miss. Her glittering dress outshines everyone else’s, literally making her a beacon for you to easily see her. You walk up to her.

“Oh you look great!” she compliments.

“Thanks, you too,”

Suddenly, one of the Ithrel sons, Logan who was the third son and was the same age as you, appears ot be walking toward you with what you thought is the stupidest grin you’ve ever seen on a face. He comes in strong by grabbing you by the waist, reel you in for a kiss except you successfully dodged it with your gloved hand.

“Logan? What the hell are you doing?!”

“Well, your mom paid me to flirt with you until you end up falling in love with me, I’ll have a chance in the Junior Legislator’s Program! Plus, we get to support your family until your dad becomes Senator or whatever, I mean, we don’t have a choice on that, we just gotta roll with it,” he beamed with an imbecile’s optimism. “Big bonus if we ever get married though. I mean, she wanted that to happen. So, marry me?”

“Hold up. She did what now?”

Logan repeated your own mother’s plan, he reiterated that this part wasn’t even in the original agreement. Your mother had to negotiate her way through the Ithrels in promising a much stronger bond of support to your family—therefore, you became a sacrificial lamb.

You and Tazha exchanged glances. Both of you communicated clearly through the furrows of your brows and the hard rolling of your eyes. A gradual burst of rage was flowing in your bloodstreams.

“Oh my God, this is just sad and pathetic of you, Logan,” Tazha condescendingly comments.

“I’m gonna give her a piece of my mind tonight,” you growled, your knuckles were white from gripping the bannister too hard.

You searched for your mother in the ballroom. When you spotted her and your father speaking with some guests, you marched through the sea of people until you reached her.

“Mother, may I speak with you?”

Yasina excused herself from her guest and she was in for a surprise with what is about to go down.

“You paid one of the Ithrel sons to date me?! Because you thought that would strengthen your connection with them just so Dad can secure his win in the election? You did this without me knowing? Whatever the hell happened to consent, Mom!?”

“[y/n] Elvas Torvel, I do not allow you to speak to me with a tone like that in an important event like this!” Yasina hissed, struggling to maintain her composure—both mentally and physically—after just being bombarded with questions by her daughter.

“Did you even ever stop to think how I’d feel if you paired me with a complete imbecile?!”

“[y/n], honey, please listen,” your father intervenes but the argument was heating up between you and your mother.

“The Ithrels are a good family. They uphold a clear reputation. We Torvels and Ithrels would be a great collaborative enterprise,”

“You don’t see the problem here, Mom? I don’t want to get married!”

Yasina was silent. Her face was completely aghast: her eyes wide open, her lip was trembling as if wanting to say something but couldn’t because of so much nerves thrashing underneath her skin.

“You will not ruin this event for your own selfish, adolescent needs, young lady. We are not finished with this discussion.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on ending it soon.”

You walked out from your parents. Turning your back on them to wipe away the tears that was welling up in your eyes.

[datingadviceonreddit]

First dates can be awkward, tough, and complicated... but they really don’t have to be. In my experience, here are some ways to make your first date as awesome as possible. Choosing a great location, a perfect time of day, and interesting questions to ask will allow you to turn that awkward small talk into real, fun conversation.The end goal of the date should not be to achieve a second date. Your only goal should be to create a positive outcome and enjoy yourself. Positive outcome is for both parties to ultimately feel as though the date was worthwhile, whether that leads to a second date or not. (Even if you don’t click, a positive outcome could result in her saying, “Hey, I have a friend who you would be perfect with!” and achieving a second date that way. You never know.)That being said, a few tips/ideas! Hopefully some of these are new and you haven’t heard them all before – this subreddit helped me when I was beginning to date, so I figured I could return the favor after gaining some experience :)PICK YOUR LOCATIONCoffee Shops are clutch for first dates. Try to avoid Starbucks, as they tend to be noisy and seating is very exposed. Instead, opt for a local café with a more intimate, cozy atmosphere. Coffee dates can be as brief or as long as you want, and they’re not a big investment.Bowling adds a fun activity to the mix and isn’t a huge investment either. Most everyone has been bowling a few times in their life, and few people dislike it. Light competition makes for good flirting and laughs.Mini golf is similar to bowling, see above.Arcades are similar in the realm of activity/competition, but with a slightly geeky touch.Ice cream dates, like coffee dates, are best as a late evening activity and can be as short/long as you would like.Drinks at the bar as a late evening activity if you’re old enough and more interested in a spicy/flirty atmosphere. Just remember, this can get expensive quickly and it may be better to reserve alcohol for a later date.All of these things can be done inside if the weather is sour. If the date is going well, you could always combine two options, i.e. grabbing ice cream after bowling. If the weather is nice, combine one of the above options with a walk or something else outdoors! Low-key touching (like hand holding) is absolutely acceptable.PICK YOUR TIMETry to avoid scheduling a first date around a big meal like dinner/lunch. Meals are expensive and you’re taking a bigger gamble with that if you don’t end up with a positive outcome. Morning/early afternoon dates always appear more casual and less sexual than late evening dates, so that’s something to consider, depending on what you want.WHAT TO WEARYour three goals should be to...wear something flatteringappear weather/season appropriatefeel comfy and confident for the date activityOn that note, avoid wearing orange or brown, as those are not flattering colors on most people. Black, red, and blue are solid colors. Business casual is fine, a tailored T-shirt/blouse and jeans could be fine too, it just depends on the activity. Make sure you smell nice and have good hygiene.INITIATE CONVERSATIONWhen you first see your date (whether you’re picking them up, they’re picking you up, or you’re meeting at a location) put on a smile and offer a greeting. “Hey (their name), I’m (your name), nice to meet you!” or “Hey (their name), great to see you again!” depending on circumstances. A brief hug would be appropriate here. Handshake would be somewhat appropriate, but a little professional for the scene. Read their movements/expressions and choose your action based on that.MAKE CONVERSATIONAs you proceed throughout your date, stay far away from certain topics, like...Family dramaPolitical dramaYour sexual preferences/historyYour ex or lack of exesHow much money you have/makeUnless these topics are extremely important to you and your date can only proceed if you are on the exact same page, also try to avoid topics like...Your political affiliationYour religious affiliationYour health, including disabilities, physical illnesses, mental illnesses, etcYour needs for future (like kids or marriage)Keep conversation positive. No self deprecation if you can help it. It’s fine to throw in a joke about how you can’t cook to save your life, or you have a massive fear of heights, but only if they’re humorous and you can provide a funny, confident story about it too.Afterward, your date should have a pretty good idea of:Your hobbies/passions/interests, what you do for funYour job, what you do for work (without directly discussing money) and possibly what your most simple career goal for the future isYour education path, if you’re still in schoolWhere you’re fromYou should also have a pretty good idea of your date in these respects. When asking questions, try to avoid flat questions like “What are your hobbies? What is your job?” Instead, pose questions in a different way, like “So if you weren’t on this date right now, what would you be doing instead?” or “I read on your profile that you love traveling! That’s awesome, where have you been?” or “You said you like skating, that’s really cool. How did you get started with that?”If your date asks you a flat question, you can still respond in a way that creates deeper conversation. For example sake, let’s say your date opens up with “How are you?”Instead of “Great, how are you?” let’s reply with something interesting. “I’m great, thanks for asking! I just started a new Netflix series and it has me hooked, so life is good right now. How are you?” (That would allow him/her to pose more questions, like inquiring on the Netflix series or whatever)As you dive deeper into conversation, you might be inclined to tell a scary/funny/crazy story. Go for it, as long as the story has a happy ending! For example, you can tell the story about how you got bitten by a shark and your friends hauled you out/saved you, but if one of your friends drowned in the process, that’s not first date material, that’s nightmare material. “First time” stories (first time doing a hobby like skiing/surfing, for example) can also be funny as long as they aren’t sexual in nature.If conversation gets dry, comment on the atmosphere. “Wow, the bowling alley is pretty busy today. Have you ever been here before?” or “Dairy Queen ice cream never gets old. Do you have a favorite flavor?”GIVE COMPLIMENTSFlatter your partner, but be cautious. Don’t compliment physical features aside from a “You look great/beautiful!” Eyes/hair are okay to compliment but still, be cautious. Instead, try to compliment them on stuff they talk about.Let’s say your date just brought up her hobby of writing books. “Wow, I really admire that! That must take a lot of dedication and talent.” Or, painting. “That’s so awesome! Do you have any pictures of your work that you could show me?” Or he offhandedly mentioned the recent death of a loved one. “I’m sorry, that must have been hard. You seem like a very strong person.”AVOID, at all costs, sexual compliments. She doesn’t need to hear about her boobs and he doesn’t need to have someone doting on his muscles. Discussing his weight lifting hobby and doting on his muscles are very different things.WHO PAYS?Regardless of societal gender customs, you should always walk into a date expecting to either pay for both parties or split the bill. If you’re the one initiating the date, lean toward paying for both; if your date made the first move or if it was mutual (such as on a dating website), lean toward splitting. To be polite, always offer to pay your share, even if the other party has chosen to pay for you. If the date has gone well, you may offer to pay for your date, especially if you initiated the date to begin with.HOW TO REJECT A SECOND DATESo, the date is over. Conversation was good and you’re now at home, but you didn’t feel the spark. Several hours or a day after you leave, you receive a text thanking you for the great time, but you aren’t interested in a second date. How do you reject in a nice way?“Thank you for tonight! I’m not interested in a second date right now but I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.”“You seem like a great guy, but we’re just not quite right for each other! Have a good weekend.”If your date gets pushy and insistent, a “no” will suffice. You don’t need to JADE (justify, argue, defend, explain) after showing kindness once.HOW TO SUGGEST A SECOND DATESo, the date went well! After the successful time, give your date and yourself some time to process it. Waiting until the day afterward is perfect, although it’s also polite to give a little “Text me when you’re home safe!” if the date ends late at night.After time has passed, shoot them an upfront message.“Hey, I really enjoyed last night and I would love to have a second date. Are you free to (do X activity) on (X date) at (X time)?”I know that sounds pretty specific, but that’s the best way to gauge interest. If they respond with a yes, then you’ve got this! If they respond with another date/time, awesome!If they simply reply that they’re busy, then either they would prefer another day/time and haven’t articulated it properly, or they just aren’t interested. Assume the latter. When your date is busy, leave the ball in their court.“No problem. If your schedule clears up and you’re interested in seeing each other again, just let me know. :)”Bam. Done. Not complicated and you handled possible rejection like a confident pro. In this way, you don’t shut down future opportunities but appear understanding and non pushy.I hope these tips are helpful and not overdone! I know some of these seem obvious, but I’ve noticed a lot of friends struggle in these categories. Let me know if you have any suggestions or feedback :) via /r/dating_advice