#which is fine and great because i support her and it is awful working here!!!!

[holyviolence]

having the most irritating day at work 😊👍

[centrally-unplanned]

I have been doing a binge on more partisan right-wing discourse around the election, trying to get a grasp on the various motivations. And you can get some of them! Obviously being mad about inflation is the lodestone, voters punish incumbents as a default behavior regardless of it will help the problem (and that isn't even insane, consistently done it creates logical incentives - I authentically get this). Immigration is just, well, you are in what camp you are, sure. Other big ones are mass level The Elites Are Lying, 1/6 was fake, the 2020 election was stolen, and so on, you know it - it is built on sand but again if you ignore the sand the pieces slot together on top.

But a shockingly big one that emerged recently - and it is a little sad how much you can see the "top down" nature of the system in how individuals take their cue from the campaign - is how Kamala Harris is too stupid to function as president. It is funny because A: it is obviously not true. Kamala is not going to be the smartest politician ever or anything, but she is completely normal, and the evidence they link is all pathetic. It almost entirely is examples of her dodging questions poorly, like she doesn't want to answer about why she flip-flopped so she just kind of ignores it and spouts boilerplate. A weakness, she isn't great at this! Obama was way better for example. But it is obviously just politician bullshit - she can answer that question, she just doesn't want to. She can hold day-long meetings working on problems and give 2 hour speeches, she is fine. You can't really buy that the person saying this believes it.

Especially because of B: they are supporting Donald Trump as the alternative! And while Trump is a moron that isn't what I mean here, like Trump is an awful thinker and growing senile, but he has his strengths; he is a moron in some ways but decently smart in others. But your argument for supporting Trump just cannot rest on his ability to cogently and intellectually answer questions. Like wtf. He literally built his career on just ignoring what everyone else is saying and ranting about his own bullshit. That is his entire appeal! You explicitly love the way he just fucks off onto his own threads!

I think it is one of those points where you can tell the proponents kind of don't believe their own statements. It is like the Musk stuff all over again - the way they say it is so boilerplate, there is no emotion behind it, no "authentic reaction". Just doing one's duty. Which in a election isn't a shocker or anything to see; still amusing when you see it though.

[ham1lton]

jude rly does get injured (it’s minor he just needs some pain meds) and the pain meds make him a little dopey and he’s like nurse yn you’re the nicest woman ive ever met :D and physio yn is like im not a nurse but thanks and jude is like you’d make a great mom. i wish you were MY mom 😁 and yn is like ok now we’re all over the place 😐

r/relationshipadvice

title: i (21m) told my physio (f mid 20s) that i wish she was my mum while high on pain meds…. pretty sure i ruined everything. help?!

title is pretty self explanatory.

ok so for some context, i’ve had a huge crush on my physio, let’s call her ny, for months now. i got injured earlier this year during practice and ended up having sessions with her twice a week. she’s smart, funny, gorgeous, the whole package. and she’s great at her job. i’ve been lowkey trying to impress her, like working harder during our sessions, asking about her day, stuff like that. i even told her about my favorite spot to get a coffee and the next week she mentioned she tried it. idk if that means anything but i was buzzing.

fast forward to last week. i had a minor injury during a game and needed some stitches and pain meds. nothing serious thankfully, but i was feeling a bit loopy from the meds when i saw her for my usual session. apparently, i decided it was the perfect time to tell her she was the nicest person i’ve ever met and that she’d make a great mom. and then—brace yourselves—i said i wished she was my mum.

i want the earth to swallow me up whole. she kinda laughed it off, said something like “we’re all over the place today,” but i’m mortified. like, what was i thinking?? i can’t stop replaying it in my head. did i just ruin any chance i might’ve had? i’ve seen her once since then and she was super professional as usual, but i feel like she’s keeping more distance now.

am i overthinking this? how do i recover from this without making it more awkward? pls help.

top comments:

u/fatalcrush: let’s be real here, you’re hyper-fixating because you like her. she’s not thinking about it nearly as much as you are. keep things professional, and maybe stop trying so hard to impress her—it might be coming off as a little much.

OP: you’re 100% right, but it’s like every time i tell myself to chill, i somehow end up booking another session. and it’s not even about impressing her anymore; i just want to be around her. like, last week i convinced myself i had mild shin splints. she checked it out and said i was fine, but she did recommend some stretches, and i was like, “this is the highlight of my week.” i’m so down bad.

u/yesimamom: she probably sees you as a sweet (if slightly misguided) kid who said something goofy while high. but also, as a mom myself, i gotta say, we don’t take these comments lightly. she’s probably thinking about it more than you realize. not in a weird way, just like, “aw, this kid’s got some feelings.”

OP: you think?? she’s so hard to read sometimes. like, last time i came in with “shoulder pain” (which was real that time, i swear), she asked how i was doing outside of physio, like actually cared about my life. i told her everything was fine, but deep down, i was screaming, “everything would be perfect if you were in it more!”

u/deadinside23: dude, i once told my therapist i thought of her as my “emotional support dog.” if i can live with that, you can survive this.

OP: lmao ok, that makes me feel a bit better. i just don’t know how to act normal around her anymore. like, do i start talking about unrelated stuff to make up for the weird comment? or is that even weirder? i already asked her if she likes movies, and she said she’s more of a book person. now i’m pretending to be into books.

u/j0b3: are you serious bro 😭 call me

[heeheesang]

ₕᵢgₕ ₛcₕₒₒₗ cᵣᵤₛₕ! ₗₑₑ ₕₑₑ ₛₑᵤₙg.

nine -> problems. ( written + text )

“and that was out last topic for the day! you did such a great job learning today, pretty girl. i’m proud of you!” jay smiles sweetly at me as he helps me sort out my items in my bag. “thank you for teaching me, jay! i had a great time learning with you, see you next session?” he nods and packs his items too.

“are you going home alone?” jay asks as we walk out of the library together, he was close to my shoulder, almost zero space between us as we walk side by side. “ah no.. heeseung’s walking back with me. he always waits for me.” i said and moved a little further away to create some space between us.

“alright then, i’ll see you in class tomorrow! goodbye ynnie, get home safely.” jay waved at me and i waved back as i sat on the swing in school. weird that heeseung wasn’t here, he would usually wait here or he would at least place his bag here to let me know he was there. a few minutes went past and it was getting cold, not long later it started pouring and i was drenched in rainwater.

ring ring… ring ring…

heeseung? i picked up the call.

“heeseung?”

“ynnie, where are you?”

“i was at the swing then i moved to the cafeteria, where are you?”

“i was getting my motor bike, it started raining so we can’t walk home today, i’m sorry princess.”

“hey it’s fine.. i’ll come up to you right now, i’ll see you at the gates?”

“i’ll be right here princess.”

i hung up the phone as blush tinted my cheeks, i could never get tired of him calling me princess. something about him just calling me princess makes my heart flutter and have a ride or a themepark in my heart. once i saw heeseung from afar, his arms were wide open and i ran towards him, almost slipping at the end but he caught me and we both hugged each other tightly.

“careful there, princess. wouldn’t want you to miss your performance because of an injury.” heeseung giggled as he lifted me off the floor and hugged me even tighter, “we haven’t seen each other for a day yet you’re acting like we haven’t met in years.” i giggled and blushed as he placed a soft peck on my forehead, “still, you’ll love me either way. now c’mon, let’s get you home before hoon yells at me hm?”

as soon as he started his bike, he reminded me, “hold on tight princess,” taking my arms and wrapping his around his body, which i obviously complied to and hugged his back the whole ride home.

the ride home was very smoothing, with rain, with wind, with heeseung. i like heeseung, the way he acts towards me, they way he helps me with everything, the way he would do anything for me, the way he’s so caring, friendly, loving and kind. he was really the perfect guy, all in one package if you ask me.

“anddd we have arrived!” heeseung said, parking his bike and taking his helmet off, “are you asleep, princess?” i quickly closed my eyes, pretending to sleep as he giggled, “how cute.”

he was very cautious in moving so he wouldn’t ‘wake’ me up, he took off my helmet and carried me bridal style into the house. “we’re home, sunghoon!” heeseung yelled as i felt him sitting down, maybe on the couch?

“heeseung! where’s yn— aw she’s asleep?” “yeah.. and she’s soaking wet from the rain. i’ll put her in her room so she won’t wet the couch, i don’t wanna trouble you, hoon.”

not a minute later, i was picked up again and placed on a soft, fluffy, bouncy matress. a blanket was put over the lower half of my body as my hair was oushed off my face, “sleep well my little princess. i love you,”

masterlist | back | next

taglist! @haechansbbg @saranghaohoshi @rosas-in-the-garden @yourssincerely-mimi @dimplewonie @jwnghyuns

hhs’ notes! i’m sorry if it seems confusing😭 so we have jealous hee and emo yn entering the story👀, i promise it’ll all work out in the end!! as always, thankyou for reading and supporting this smau~ i love you all, here’s a rose! 🌷💘

[mezmer]

Here I will explain why my blog banner describes me as an anti sugar activist. I try to be as "scientific" as my brain and heart allow, but I value my experience over scientific studies even if they support my view, huge ridiculous autist sugar post incoming

Sugar is highly addictive for most people. The problem is way more dire than we act like it is. Added to foods you wouldn't even think to include sugar. The link between sugar and obesity, endocrine disruption, general inflammation and malaise, disease, diabetes, your teeth rotting out, and even cancer, is undeniable no matter what articles or studies you try to dig up. not many people want to admit how bad it is. People who enjoy sugar, who might say "you only live once! It's not like I'm shooting heroin" suffer weird problems and assume it's something else. Children set up for a lifetime of failure because their parents don't pay attention to their sugar intake at all. I have a very drastic example of this I won't go into much detail about, but a set of parents close to me are feeding their daughter extreme amounts of sugar. She has a learning disability and is a very intense child. I've hinted at the sugar link and everyone is in denial.

I have baby sat this child and gotten her to eat organic wheat bread PB and J with a no sugar added, all fruit jam.. happily told her parents who did not care at all. It was such a feat to me. Everyone knows a picky child. It's worse than you think. This is a gateway drug and I'm totally serious. I said I would not go into great detail... I too was raised on welch's fruit snacks, "pancake syrup", sprite, Kool aid, and worst of all I was allowed to put as much sugar that I wanted into my tea. My parents were wonderful, they just didn't think or know how bad it was to do this

I've struggled with a sugar addiction before and since getting clean from drugs and seen the effects of it firsthand. The most obvious to be seen from the outside that I can make people believe is my struggle with acne. We know bacteria feeds off of sugar. This is why people who drink sugary drinks are at risk for UTIs. If bacteria enters their bladder, sugar makes it grow. Well no amount of washing my face, bentonite clay masks, washing my pillow cases, wearing a bonnet, would make the acne go away. Recently I tried to only eat a certain pint of ice cream thinking less sugar would help. It didn't and I'm over two weeks off of all sugar that isn't naturally occuring in honey and fruit. Crazy how natural sugar does not feed the bacteria and hormonal disruption. I've been in this cycle more than once. Not only does the acne go away, my face appears radiant every time. Breakouts as soon as I relapse. Maybe you are thinking, this is a bunch of hogwash and I eat little cakes often without a problem. That's fine. I know addicts who have used meth for 30 years and you wouldnt wonder much about them. Smokers who lived to 80. Sugar doesn't do me any good at all.

Neither my mom, who was just put on a medication with awful side effects because she is developing diabetes. Her doctor (doctor she's had for decades who is a total piece of garbage and prescribes dangerous cocktails of conflicting medications !! That's a whole other post!!!! Put my grandma on pills which nearly killed her! Plus other people HAHAHA) saw her coming up with high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol without thinking to suggest a diet change first. My mom is overweight and likes to eat sweets. My mom told me, I can still eat sweets, I just have to eat less. I did tell her that didn't work for me. I quit because I don't want to end up sick this way. Diabetes runs in our family. The prescription is making my mom nauseous and dizzy. Insane to me right?

Why aren't the dangers of sugar recognized? Why am I the only advocate I know? I would shut the fuck up if the dangers were believed by more people. Is it Because Sugar Taste good? Not seen as a vice. We accept that corn syrup is not so good. Canola oil pretty bad. Dyes in food causing children to develop ADHD and autism, or whatever. Is there no risk in consuming sugar? Many health professionals don't want to admit it? I feel strongly. I feel sick when I eat sugar but I can't find myself able to stop unless I truly try. We are all convinced that it's just a danger to your teeth if you don't brush enough. MIL is a sugar addict who buys birthday cakes on clearance and clears the whole cake in a few days, a twice daily flosser and brusher, who has lost over half of her teeth to extractions, sees the link, and has no intention to quit.

Finally, I bake yummy dessert recipes excluding half the sugar while using honey, maple syrup, brown sugar for what is left (which is slightly better than white sugar from my understanding) and I have never made a baked good that is ruined by doing this. You can't even tell that I've excluded sugar and the foods have more flavor because sugar doesn't overpower the dish. They don't make your teeth hurt. You can eat more cookies because there is less sugar and they taste better. The texture is the same. Bakers will tell you this isn't true and you need to use the whole amount of sugar so the cookies and cakes arent ruined. Yes, you need torched sugar on creme brulee. Fine.

Do you ever find yourself scraping icing off of a cake? I have baked more than one birthday cake for loved ones excluding sugar and adding natural alternatives (NOT stevia or monkfruit which taste like shit and suck) and ive gotten nothing but compliments. My brown sugar maple cake with cream cheese icing using very little sugar was a hit for my partners birthday that everyone probably ate too much of. This isn't a brag, it's an idea for anyone who bakes to try and change your recipes. It hasn't failed for me. Ok SOrry

[secretlythepits]

Bracing for Tomorrow

I took a beat and that was healthy for me.

Tomorrow is a big day I am dreading. It’s my husband’s last chemo, plus immunotherapy, plus an extra visit with his original oncologist to check on his throat. We have to do it at the bigger downtown treatment center which is just a lot less nice and a lot more stressful, but it makes sense because of his oncology appointment.

He is still coughing a lot and sounds awful, but he is back at work. His doctor said if his pretreatment labs are fine, he can get treatment. No doubt it is going to freak out every other patient and caregiver because he sounds infectious, though he’s not. His oncologist has to put a camera down his throat, which he always hates, but this time with his spasmodic coughing, it doesn’t seem possible. We shall see.

Things will die down after this. He will get a PET scan and that will let us know how effective treatment was. He will continue immunotherapy and that should be much easier, so maybe life will level off.

That is him.

Next week is my youngest son’s birthday. Not great timing because it should be pretty hard around here with his dad wiped out from chemo and pertussis, but that’s when it is. He wants nothing. Sounds good but it has the effect of putting more pressure on me to come up with something. I told him my abilities peaked last year and it will be downhill from there. He agrees. Last year I surprised him with the best dog that has ever existed. Nothing can come remotely close to that. Oh, that means we have a doggy birthday too.

That’s him.

I have made serious progress on my curriculum. It is more work than I expected but it’s also much better than I expected (and I had high expectations!). There is still much to do, but it feels good to hit a benchmark. My brain gets tired from this task. It’s pretty much the hardest thing I could make my brain do: organize many, many different pieces of information into calendars. I have to take breaks. I can literally feel my brain fatigue, like you would if you were doing bicep curls and pushed too hard. It’s not a headache, but I feel this slushy sensation and I know I am about to lose my ability to walk and talk if I keep going. However, I can often come back after an hour break. Still, there can be a cumulative effect and that’s annoying.

I’ve also been regularly exercising. Not much progress but it feels good to get moving and I know it’s the first step to getting a good program going again. I wish I could do more but I am maxed out. I feel not just like I’m taking baby steps, but Thumbalina baby steps.

When I was freaking out last week I called my soul sister. I am so lucky to have her. I can say the most terrible thing I’m thinking and she thinks I’m still marvelous. We have known each other 46 years and been extremely close for much of that time. On the phone I fell apart and then suddenly we were deep belly laughing. Neither of us saw it coming. Love can be truly magical sometimes.

I feel more settled in my heart. I’m focusing on my life. I am really stressed out about tomorrow and the the wake it will create, but the big picture things I wrote about last week are ok. They are forgotten but the changes I made in my mind have brought me peace. Also I’ve received some support from some friends and I really needed that.

When I watched the Olympics I was amazed at the hurdlers. How do those women jump do high so fast, so relentlessly? It boggles the mind. Tomorrow is a big hurdle. I am an ostrich so I’m afraid to look at it.

But don’t ostriches also run very, very fast? I have to remind myself.

Anyway, that’s me.

[legacyshenanigans]

Hello!!! I love your blog so much! But can I ask.... How are you? How is your sleeping schedule like now 🫶🏻??? (Also can I request a MC and Rerek interaction, but they agreed IN ONE thing, you can think of what it is... I just want more interaction and sass) But also I hope you are Ok and fine... Love you💕🫶🏻

Hiiiii 😊💚

Thank you so much! That means alot...And thank you for asking me how I am, I dont get that alot in the asks lmao.. I'm OK, but my sleeping schedule is absolutely awful 🤣 I've spent probably the last 2 weeks with a brain like mashed potato, I've been wanting to talk about it actually, like I dont want anyone worrying over me, I'm fine, honestly, but because of how mashed my brain is currently, I feel like I have days where I post loads, and then days where I don't post alot because my brain just be like:

And I know people want feeding, and I know people enjoy my stuff, and I guess I'm sorry if I'm not giving y'all what you want 24/7. I'm a very "I'll write what I want, when I wanna write it" kinda person even when my head is good, nevermind when my head is bad lol! 🤣 so yeah, that's how I am, and that's how I'm feeling currently lol 💚 and love ya too, thank you for the support! 😊

(Regarding your request, click the undercut 🙂)

Interactions with Rerek

🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍

MC: *walks into Marvolos room to wait for him*

Rerek: Urgh..*turns away from her*

MC: *Goes over to his vivarium* Hi Rerek *small smile*

Rerek: *harshly moves away in his huge vivarium away from MC, staring at her and hisses* URGH...God...Will you just leave me alone!

MC: Listen Rerek, I know you're talking, but I can't understand you, so how about, yes or no questions? You can nod or shake your head to answer me..Ok?

Rerek: Listen here Masters Cumdump, I will not play this stupid little...*sighs*...Fine...*nods head*

MC: Great *smiles* Ok so..Do you like me?

Rerek: BAAAHAHA... *shakes head*

MC: *frowns* will you ever let me pet you?

Rerek: No hoe. *shakes his head*

MC: *offended scoff* Ok LISTEN..If I bring you a poacher every week, Alive..For you to kill and eat..Will you let me pet you?

Rerek: .......

MC:...... (??)

Rerek: Hmmmm. *nods head*

MC: Really?! *smiles*

Rerek: Yes bitch, really. *nods his heads*

MC: So we are agreed? I bring the goods, you let me pet?

Rerek: *sigh* Yes..We're agreed *nods head*

MC: So does this mean you'll like me? *smiles*

Rerek: No? it means we will have a working relationship..Nothing more, you give me what I want, I give you ONE THING that you want, which is to pet me..Thats it *hissy laugh* I don't have to fucking like you, Whore..P-ha..

MC: ......?

Rerek: Urgh..Shit..Forgot..*shakes head*

MC: Dammit! *frowns*

~

[aliensunflower-fics]

CHANGING FACES Chapter 6: Arrival

[ Prefer to read on Archive of Our Own? Link HERE! ]

[ Previous Chapter - Next Chapter ]

After years of dealing with each other Lila Rossi win’s when she  convinces Hawkmoth that Marinette is Ladybug. In order to throw off  suspicion and keep the Miracle Box safe Marinette and her supportive parents leave Paris and head to Gotham of all places. In this new place  away from her friends and her unhealthy routines Marinette is forced to  confront herself and change for the better. Helping her on her journey  is a surprising new friend and potential ally. When Alya missing her  friend learns about the chance to win a free trip to Gotham she  convinces the class to work hard to qualify. When her new life clashes  with her old one will Marinette be able to hold on strong to her new  confidence or will she crumble under the pressure?

( This fic will be for the most part comedic, fluffy, and sweet, with only a bit of seriousness to tie it together. With only the mildest salt  because I don’t think the class or Adrien are bad people just that they  can be naive and selfish thanks to the canon writing. I hope you enjoy  reading this work and have fun with me on this journey. )

CHAPTER 6:

Arrival

Marinette had never been so happy to be on solid ground. The plane ride had been… Turbulent to say the least not to mention long leaving Marinette to agonize and worry the entire time that maybe while she was busy up in the sky Hawkmoth would strike luckily the freak of a villain seemed busy and so the flight passed without the need to use Kaalki which was a great thing as Marinette was unsure just how precise the power of voyage was. 

As the small family of 3 disembarked from the plane with their meager belongings Marinette breathed in the fresh air with relief it was chilly and barely light out … She was tired, yes, but she was also giddy and a strange sense of freedom was filling her with every step she took. There was no Hawkmoth here, no purple butterflies no constant need to lock her own emotions into vault, no more need to lie to her parents, no more Bustier telling her to be the classes shining example, no more Lila whispering lies behind her back, no more Adrien too shoot her longing puppy dog stares as he waited for her to ‘forgive him’ when he had never bothered to apologize. 

She was free. She was safe? … Well as safe as one could be moving to a city known for its killer clowns and freaks in masks. Not that Marinette wasn’t prepared for that, her training with her own mother and the Amazon’s of Themyscira for the last few years had transformed her small unassuming body into a weapon. Not to mention the new magical training the Kwamis were giving her, Tikki especially pushed for more training once she started learning just how awful some of the villains of Gotham were and she made Marinette promise that if the Joker so much as even looked at her she would not hesitate to transform him into a cockroach. Technically it wasn’t murder so she figured Batman would be fine with it.

As they moved through the airport presenting their documentation to the necessary people Marinette’s excitement only grew with her fingers twitching with anticipation as the polite woman welcomed them to their new home and they exited the security clearance area into the wider airport. Her eyes scanned the crowd eagerly until they landed on the group of 3 men chatting amongst themselves. She let out a squeal and started running, catching the men’s attention as she flung herself at them in joy. Jason however acted fast and caught her first wrapping her into a tight brotherly hug and lifting her off the ground and away from Dick and Alfred.

“Woah there jelly bean you trying to take the old man out? Lucky I caught you huh!” 

Marinette snorted and rolled her eyes trying to squirm out of Jason’s grasp so she could hug Alfred and Dick who was looking rather put out.

“Oh please Alfred’s not frail he’s like Grandma Gina he will live forever at this rate and be healthier then all of us.” 

Tom and Sabine chuckled at the scene as they walked over with their meager bags and proceeded to hug Alfred and catch up while Dick tried to pry Marinette free from Jason in order to get his hug that Jason had so rudely stolen. Marinette meanwhile dangled from Jason’s arms with an amused and exasperated look on her face. She’d missed her ‘brothers’ greatly and was happy to see them again. There was just one thing, one tiny little thing…

“When did you freaks get so tall!”

The sudden comment had both boys stopping as they seemingly for the first time paused to take in Marinette’s appearance. Sure they had seen pictures of her and video chatted plenty of times but this was the first time in years where they had physically been around her and now that they were… 

“I think the better question here is why are you so short.” Marinette gasped in faux offense squirmed out of Jason’s grasp clutching her heart in mock betrayal. 

“How could you say such a thing… Dick is my favorite now.”

The oldest Wayne grinned and accepted his hug while sticking his tongue out at Jason who was playing the part of the dramatically betrayed. 

However now that Dick was hugging his little sister he could not help but blurt out. “God you really are short.” 

Marinette squawked indignantly at the comment. “What no! I’m normal it's you two who are the-” She gestured at them with waving arms. “Alfred! What have you been feeding them and where can I get some!” 

Alfred chuckled and opened his arms calmly to accept the warm hug of his god daughter. “I’m afraid I haven’t been feeding them anything unusual; they simply sprung up like weeds.”

Marinette huffed and puffed up her cheeks. Stupid genetics.

“Ah don’t feel too bad jelly bean Dickie here isn’t even THAT tall, just wait till you meet Kori in the flesh now that's tall.” 

As the group moved its way out of the airport Marinette recalled the measurements she’d received when designing Kori’s wedding dress, not to mention the pictures that showed the beautiful tan woman towering a full head over Dick at the altar. Maybe it was something in the water of Gotham that made people tall. Considering all the supervillains she would not doubt it.

“When will I finally get to meet Kori and Mar’i face to face anyway? I wanna hug my cute little niece already!!!”

“Why? Because she’s the only one not taller than you?” Jason snickered before letting out a surprised yelp as Marinette playfully punched him in his side with a pout. She had some surprising strength in that arm of hers.

“Later in the week, they wanted to come pick you up with us but it was so early and your parents told us your new school was giving you a week off to adjust to the new timezone before classes start.” Honestly it had been a hectic night with Mar’i refusing to sleep determined to go with Dick to the airport but eventually she fell asleep clutching Silkie and so Dick had left alone.

“What school are you going to anyway, jelly bean? Maybe I can come pick you up sometime after school for some lessons in self defense at my gym.” Mostly he wanted to see her flatten some of the men twice her size; he knew Sabine had been training Marinette since she was young and he was eager to see what his little sis was capable of.

Marinette smiled at the thought. “That sounds nice, as for my new school mom and Alfred arranged it for me, I think it's called Gotham Academy.”

Marinette missed the way Dick and Jason whipped their heads around to glare at Alfred. Gotham Academy wasn’t a bad school, in fact one could easily say the opposite: it had great staff, good facilities, and it had accepted Marinette on a full ride scholarship thanks to her high grades and many achievements. The problem was the school was also full of a bunch of rich leeches, but worst of all it had Damian. Now both older Wayne’s could admit they loved there little brother even if Jason would deny it to keep his cool reputation but Damian had a bit of a bad track record with first impressions. Not to mention the fact that the 3 Wayne’s had already discussed how best to introduce the Dupain-Chengs to the rest of the family so they could all be one bigger happier family and they had agreed to wait and while and let them settle in before dropping the bomb that was the Wayne family and more specifically BRUCE on to them but if Marinette met Damian at school and got a bad idea of him… Things would get complicated.

Alfred however unlike the younger two Wayne men was not worried. He had a feeling that Marinette and Damian were just what the other needed right now. Yes, he’d heard many things about Marinette’s situation from her parents. What she needed now was someone to bring out that bold Marinette he knew was waiting for a chance to shine. And as for his youngest grandson while he had been doing much better and had made friends he was still hostile and wary Marinette however might be just what he needed. The old man chuckled with a warm smile. 

“I think you will like Gotham Academy very much, Marinette.”

—-----------------------------------

Damian Wayne had a reputation. Since his first ever day at school at the age of 10 after he’d moved in with his father the young heir had… Problems with other students. His personality was icey and his training too deeply ingrained that school and him had not gone well. Yet his father refused to let him skip or be homeschooled, determined that with time school would help him develop his social skills. For the first few years Damian was alone he shoved people away and did only what was required waiting for the day when finally his father would see that school was beneath him and he could achieve so much more without it.

At 13 that reputation evolved. And not for the better. Damian had been so sure of his own intelligence and his own superiority that he failed to notice that viper slinking through the grass. A girl, the same age as him, unlike other girls who had failed to approach him due to the obvious attempts, Lila had been more subtle. Instead of acting interested in him she acted unfazed she even began dating Jon the only person his age Damian was close to. He’d let his guard down thinking that she was nothing but a simple sweet girl. But he had never been more wrong. 

Somehow the viper had found his weakness, somehow she knew that deep down under all his posturing he felt insecure, unloved, unwanted, and she prayed on it. She made him feel strong, she made him feel special, she made him feel wanted, she used lies to paint Jon the villain and herself the victim so that Damian would save her and fall deeper into the strange infatuation that clouded his mind. She was a snake. And worst of all he had not even discovered her lies himself; it had been sheer dumb luck overhearing her plot her schemes that had revealed the truth to him.

But by that point it was too late. The vipers poison had already spread and Damian Wayne’s reputation fell from just ‘ice king’ to ‘monster’ even after the lawsuit even after proving her lies and sending the snakes father to jail. Even after he had proven himself innocent… The reputation clung to him. It was a stain that would not wash off, even after Dick convinced him to go to therapy and his attitude improved, even after he fixed the broken relationship with his family, even after he broke out of his shell and made friends in his school, the stain was still there and every action he did and didn’t take only made it worse.

It's not that Damian wasn’t trying, because he was really. He tried to be polite and courteous; he tried to make a good impression. But somehow someway it often seemed to go wrong, though it did not help that his peers were a bunch of rich kids who tended to be overly sensitive, at least in Damian’s eyes. It did not help that Damian was self admittedly a little… Overly blunt and honest not to mention how sensitive he was about girls flirting with him, he knew he’d not fully recovered from the Vipers poison and so even now 3 years after she was gone he was on high alert constantly on the lookout for lies and manipulation. And this… alertness of his had led to again more then a few terrible first impressions. 

To put it simply, Damian was aware that whenever a new student was joining the school bets were made on how fast Damian Wayne would manage to offend them. So when the teacher announced that come next Monday a new student would be joining the class a young girl all the way from France no less a ripple of excitement went through the class as once more bets were being made. This time however Damian Wayne was determined to make them all lose. He would be polite, and courteous he would not snap, not say anything un-intentionally mean, he would be normal, he would simply ignore the new girl and all would be well.

Which is why of course his Teachers asked him to give the new girl the school tour. He was one of the few who spoke French and they were unsure how good the girl's English was so they wanted to play it safe and coincidentally all the other students who could speak French just so happened to be too busy to help the new student. Damian seethed he knew it was a lie, they just wanted to force him to interact with her for their little bets. Fine then! A Wayne is not so easily defeated. He would be a perfect gentleman, he would not offend the girl, it would be fine. He would prove to himself and everyone else that Damian Wayne might be the Ice Prince of Gotham but he was no brute. Bring it on Monday Damian Wayne was ready to meet the new girl.

( Thank you again for all the patience and support! I tend to update slowly due to well... The need to keep food on the table and my finances have been especially tight lately so I was struggling but things are getting better now so hopefully I can write more often in the near future. This first chapter was more to establish some stuff I know its a little short but it felt good to get back into this fic with something a little neater sweeter and smaller. Hopefully I have more up soon! )

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[ifjgh]

Next up is my "too cool 4 school" girlie, Lucya Kozlov.

Here's some basic info! <3

Goes By: Lucya Nicknames: Lucy, (Insert Possible Stage Name Here) DOB: Aug. 22nd, 1956 Age: 21 (Until her B-Day, which comes up early) Gender: Female, but isn't picky about it (She/Her/They/Them) Sexuality: Bi/Pan Ethnicity: Russian, French Occupation: Student (Psychology Major) Works at a Record Store, Lead Guitarist and Singer in her Band Socioeconomic Status: Living in Russia during the Soviet Union, she's not the best well off Place of Birth: Kazan, Russia Family: Very close to her Mother (French) because her Father (Russian) was rarely home due to working so much to support his family Height: 5'4“ Weight: 110 lbs. Disabilities: None(?) Possible Vertigo and/or Hearing Some Amount of Hearing Loss Fashion Style: Goth/Punk Coordination (or lack thereof): Very good at dancing on and off stage, but if it's something she's not focused on or using muscles memory for, her balance is kinda awful (possibly to do Vertigo) Personality Type/Trait: Defender - Dedicated, Protector, always ready to defend those she cares about or feels have been treated unjustly Introvert/Extrovert: Can handle people well, but would prefer to be alone most of the time, more of an Introvert Intelligence: Despite how she acts and carries herself, she's barely passing all of her classes, she'd rather work on her art and music then do her homework Self-Esteem: Average, prides herself on standing out Hobbies: Working on her Music and Art, Dancing, Singing, Smoking Skills/Talents: Creative, Imaginative, Great Singer, Good Dancer, Very Good at Reading People Loves: Music and Art, Smoking (it's a problem), Her Mother, Keeping up on latest trends Phobias/Fears: Not being able to fully execute her visions to her expectations, Bailing Syd out of Jail, Being Forgotten, Beetles (Probably the Beatles too, why not) Angered By: Ignorance, Unfairness, Hecklers, Not living up to her own expectations Pet Peeves: People who use too big of words in sentences, Boring people Obsessed With: Music, Art, Leaving a Mark on the World Bad habits: Messy, Smoking, will just leave a conversation if it's boring her, being a bit too blunt Desires: To create something that won't be forgotten to time, especially if it includes her friends, feeling like she finally fits in somewhere. To be as independent as her Mother is. Flaws: Blunt, Easily Bored, Perfectionist, Looses Interest Easily Secrets: Cries herself to sleep at least once a week over missing her Mother. Doesn't feel like she fits in with anyone here, but refuses to acknowledge it. A hidden embarrassing tattoo. Regrets: Said Tattoo, coming to this Collage and leaving her family (but she does understand this is a good opportunity), not speaking up when it would benefit her socially Accomplishments: Forming her own somewhat Popular band, standing out Languages Known: Fluent in English, French, and Russian, knows some Afrikaans slang (from being Roommates with Shelby), and some creative English insults (from hanging out with Syd)

(Things are subject to change the more I get things fine tuned, I've also kept some things secret for the time being. - Crow <3)

Bonus! Basic Profile Sheet, for funsies! X

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuilding - Fall Iono

Aw yeah, an Iono alt, that'll be great! And it's Flutter Mane! That's fun, I like that a lot.

General Overview Iono's approach is very simple. She's a DPS Ghost pair. Her sync is fine, but unimpressive by modern standards. What she's aiming to do is Hit the Gas 5 Shadow Ball DPS, with a buddy move that applies -2 Sp Def and Ghost Rebuff on foes. It only has 1MP, however. She has Booster Energy. And by popping Booster Energy, or by setting Sun, she gets 1MP back on her Buddy move. Meaning Iono can hit -3 Rebuff on foes. With the right partners, she hits it without any serious issue. That is. A staggering effect. It makes her exceptionally well suited as a Ghost-type partner for damage.

Or it would, if it wasn't for this stupid "the first time this move is used" clause. Bitch, we were so close to 3 rebuff stacking. God that's annoying.

More irritating still is Hit the Gas. Look, Iono's not really slow, per se, but she has no real speed boosting capabilities. And when you have Hit the Gas, you desperately need speed. Without it, gauges are your natural enemy. She's not exactly making waves without the speed aspect, because no other Ghost I can think of handles the concept of speed boosting. They need a good support. But a good support is not always a great option. And it's...well, we'll see it in teambuilding, but I feel like Iono's particular demands shoehorn her into very specific team compositions in ways that are Not Ideal.

Team 1: F!Iono, S!Gardenia, SS Morty Among Ghost type partners, her optimal choice is likely Gardenia. Iono's Buddy move is single use and she has little means of otherwise debuffing Sp Def. Gardenia has that built in, in addition to being able to set Ghost Zone with Extension 3. Gardenia also has a Buddy move that re-applies the Zone, debuffs offenses for survival, and is fairly good AoE DPS. This is where Morty comes in. Sun is specifically good for Iono, stacking SMUN with its application. He's also able to buff team speed for gauge control, and bulk to complement Gardenia's offense debuffing. They create a nice, sturdy team with some respectable Ghost-type offense in play.

Team 2: F!Iono, NC Leaf, SC Irida Let's at least try to be cheritable. SS Morty is better here, but if you wanted to switch up your playstyle, NC Leaf has the Support role, and has some tools for tanking. While speed buffs are not in play, SC Irida is able to apply Free Moves Next with consistency, making her one of the better DPS pressure pairs. That said, this is apparently a random effect between that or SMUN, which is painful, but you can work around it with Booster Energy on Iono to avoid needing too much in gauges each turn.

Team 3: F!Iono, V!Rachel, Lunalillie If you, unlike me, were fotunate enough to pull Variety Rachel and Gimmighoul, congratulations on being able to make a team comp that works pretty well. Rachel buffs team speed and applies SMUN with her trainer move, has healing, and a flinch. She's the better of the two. Anyway. Because of that speed, you can manage gauges effectively, meaning it's Anni Lillie 21 time! Lunala hogs gauge for pretty garbage DPS, I'm not gonna front, but I love her too much to not run her so this is what we're doing.

Team 4: F!Iono, S!Gardenia/SS Hilbert, NY!Dawn/R!Cynthia Okay so here we go. Damage Calculation. If I'm doing it right. Iono can apply the rebuffs, and her Booster Energy shouldn't be too long an animation. NY!Dawn, to my knowledge, is still top sync nuke for Ghost? So if single-target, that's the one. If 3v3 and you have Renegade Cynthia's role, that's the stuff. In the case of Dawn, I'd say go Gardenia for the persistent Ghost Zone as needed, but SS Hilbert's debuffs are likely more valuable for Cynthia.

Final Thoughts Iono frustrates me a little. I have no reason to suspect that her DPS will be bad, and her supportive effects are not intrinsically terrible. But the decision to let her restore 1MP of the buddy move consistently, only for its DPS to be marginally better than Shadow Ball and unable to apply a second rebuff stack, is annoying. In addition, Hit the Gas users and I have never gotten along. I think they're all kinda shit! So I can't say I'm really eyeing Iono's kit with any particular hope for impressing me. Which is sad. Cool outfit and cool Pokemon, but ugh. UGH.

[mdhwrites]

The Good of Penacony

I said I wanted to make a blog about the positive elements of Penacony and I meant it, especially since I really enjoyed the new content pretty much until after the first new boss. Some of what came after makes it hard for me to still enjoy what came before but there is plenty of good still, even in this main content.

So, of course, Star Rail 2.0 Spoilers ahead.

So a LOT of what's good is centered around Firefly. For as much as in my original blog I railed against her death, she is this bad trope done EXCEPTIONALLY well. Her scene on the rooftop is the best in all of Star Rail, hands down. Not only that but she doesn't feel like a cinnamon meant to die. She has a real personality, can be distrusting, isn't a complete airhead, still had her own secrets until she died and her own motives and desires. As far as Star Rail characters go, she is genuinely one of the best.

It's why her death hurts so much. I see people trying to joke about it and it causes twinges in my chest. I see people celebrating her and feel joy about it. She is a character who I'm really unhappy to have gone. If the writing was truly just bad, this wouldn't have happened.

A large part of what helps in all of this is that during the time you spend with her, the game drops the mysteries, mostly, and drops its pretensions to genuinely be fun. Instead, it is enthusiastic about its setting in a way we haven't been before. Firefly truly, genuinely loves the dream of Penacony and has a good reason to since it's the only place she can truly live now. She makes the biggest argument anyone could for why the dream must stay. Why it would be such a tragedy for it all to collapse.

I think the time with Sampo is really the only lull with the time with her. 'Sampo' isn't bad mind you. Sparkle may be no fun, part of why I don't like her, but while pretending to be a fun character she gives some good chances to snark and some good jokes. She also introduces neat mechanics and while the Tatalov stuff is entirely pointless, it's a fine distraction. It helps sell the absurdity of dreams.

The dungeons help in this regard too. The dreamscape that's being worked on is majestic and the bird's eye view you have to take to traverse it only helps you drink in the grandeur to this new addition to Penacony. The shooting stars like streaming fireworks are awe inspiring and Firefly is just the cutest little thing with each and every one that you do with her. It's honestly the first time that our party has truly helped add to the atmosphere of a dungeon.

This isn't as true for the Child Dreamscape but that's okay as now we descend into the uncertainty and horror of dreams. This is also part of Penacony's strength from a design perspective. I never felt like the Loufu really supported its own themes too well, nor enhanced its storytelling, with its dungeons. You go through too bland, faceless of environments for that. Penacony is entirely different. The enemies, world design and even how you traverse are genuinely trying to work in parallel with what they're trying to go with for the concept of the planet.

And man... Something Unto Death is a masterfully designed boss. My brother and I were assuming that if Sam was the boss that made sustainers shine (which kind of is true. Sam is awkward as far as a boss fight goes and I'm curious what consensus on him will be) then Unto Death would be the boss for multi-DPS teams. That it was anti-hyper carry.

Which, arguably, it still is. It still wants you rocking at least two DPSes but specifically MULTI target DPSes. Erudition isn't completely the king here though. Because they're starting to acknowledge DoTs as still dealing damage, it's really the Nihility boss and I like that there is one in main content that is specifically weakest to that group. DoT teams struggle after all in the current DPS test focused end game content and having a boss that makes them feel more relevant is a great addition.

Also, I will shout out that despite the fandom thinking the era of Hunt is over, Sam currently appears to be best fought against with Hunt characters. Their speed helps them keep up with Sam, their ults chunking so much weakness off of him is extremely useful if you don't want to have to burn down your own health to get him out of his super state and their overall extremely high damage even outside of ults against this single target mean they can make him suffer the hardest. For as much as I think the Sam fight currently feels like a giant slog, and I worry what a phase 2 and 3 will look like with him, I still respect what they're trying to do with him. If arguably Argenti is a better version of the Yanqing fight though, I'm excited to see what the better Sam fight is.

And there's still plenty of other characters I do like. Gallagher was great in his brief appearance. Misha is adorable and I'm sad we're not getting a companion quest with him. Black Swan might be an idiot right at the end but she is the most competent manipulator amongst the cast of manipulators and at least when she tells me that she's doing it for good reasons, I actually believe her. Heck, I even liked when I first met Aventurine. It's genuinely a problem for me that he's being built up to be the super cool hero of this story next to us that makes me dislike him so much because nothing about his previous appearances sold him that way. An idiot who has gotten too much power, too quickly, and is used to relying on his status getting shut down because he's finally having to deal with people with real power and skills though? I was excited for that with his first couple appearances.

I genuinely really want to like Penacony. The fact that so many things took a step up (I didn't even mention how while the elites might be easy, I think their gameplay and visual designs are amazing) is a really great thing that helped add to the possibility space to the writing. It even started trying to ape Shakespeare by trying to tell us how the story would go from the beginning.

It's just... Nothing about the patch has me excited for where it goes except for the potential for Firefly to come back. Not from the main story at least. That's just a real shame, especially after I actually did manage to get on the hype train for Penacony. I don't usually get to do that.

The last note I'll leave on is my theory for Acheron: If she is an emanator, she is the Emanator of Nihility. She brings things to an end but more importantly for this: She herself is constantly being emptied out. Her lack of memory? Her ability to get lost so easily? Those come from parts of her mind literally being consumed by her nature. It would also explain why she potentially might not know she's an emanator (that's speculation) but also be why she reacts to you the way she does. Not enough of HER is there to not be affected and changed by how you treat her and the emotions you put out. Hence the red text that changes for different players.

And I'll admit that I am excited to see if I'm right. Acheron is probably my favorite Penacony character currently who is still alive and I'll still be pulling on her banner (after it took 160 pulls for Black Swan *sobs*). I just hope Penacony improves, leans more into the dream rather than the mystery and honestly that for a while, Star Rail just stops trying to do mysteries because I don't think they're good at it. Ratio's continuance sucked for it and the thin veneer of it here is dragging everything down.

And that's a shame when so much of it is so high.

======+++++======

For those who want to see me being angrier about it, and talking about how terrible both Firefly and Robin's deaths are, you can find that blog over here. That was admittedly done with a lot more emotion than this blog was but I still stand by it for the most part.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

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And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[cephalog0d]

(About the WIP game)

I mean, at this point you already know I love all your fics with all my heart, so I'll refrain from asking about everything you listed and focus on the Reverse Robins - Tim and Damian and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Week Without Batman because that title alone made me laugh and I'm dying to know more

Thank you!!! <3 Your support and motivation are everything.

(also requested by @automaticsoulharmony so I hope it's okay to combine the asks!)

OH BOY. This mess. XD I have so many feelings about this mess. I've had a couple references in some of the reverse robins stuff I've posted (and in an upcoming one) to an Incident involving Tim and Damian and Ra's and some bad things happening. Well. This is that incident.

This takes place when Tim is 14-ish and Damian is 19-ish (and Duke is 17-ish). While Duke and Damian get along okay, Tim and Damian emphatically do not, for various reasons, but a major one is that the reason Tim figured out their secret identities was because of a very small slip-up on Damian's part, and Damian being Damian he does not take that well. (To be fair, while Tim doesn't excessively rub his face in it, he's not entirely gracious about it, either, because he can be just as much of a petty little shit.) Generally speaking, Tim genuinely wants to help the Bats but maybe also just a little wants to show up Damian because he's a little arrogant and a little competitive, and Damian absolutely does not want this random child involved in anything and he certainly doesn't need his help.

Cut to: A little over a year after Tim falls into the whole Bat thing, Batman has to leave town to take care of some big League business, and leaves Damian in charge as the eldest. Due to Reasons (which are actual plotted reasons, but I'm glossing over them here), Ra's decides this is a good time to roll up and cause some mischief.

Damian (not incorrectly) interprets this as yet another test where he's expected to prove himself and focuses on doing that (successfully, to be fair!) Tim, on the other hand, thinks (correctly) that it's a smoke screen for some other schemery, intended to distract Damian. Later in their relationship, Damian would listen to this and at least consider it, but unfortunately they are emphatically Not Friends, and Damian absolutely does not need help from some random child who's forced his way into their life, so he doesn't listen. Also unfortunately, Tim "Self-preservation who? never met her" Drake isn't just going to let it go.

So. Without giving away everything that happens. Some highlights.

Lots of detective work

Lots of absolutely not communicating

Picking fights you can't win as a distraction!

Life-threatening and permanent injuries!

SO MUCH GUILT

Lying to Batman!

Lying to the GCPD and the media!

Bonding via lying to Batman/GCPD/the media!

Well-motivated but extremely bad at feelings dad!Bruce making things worse before he makes them better!

Also he's bringing 10-ish-year-old Cass back with him into the aftermath of this whole THING which is great timing for absolutely everyone

Tim's introduction to Cass is waking up in a hospital bed with All of the Injuries on All of the Drugs and seeing a small Asian girl sitting next to him and watching him and deciding that sure, this is fine, this is the least weird and awful thing that's happened in the last 48 hours

Anyway, there's a lot of angst and drama and emotions and Duke and the Superboys being real MVPs while Damian is having an existential crisis and Tim is trying not to die and it's THE major turning point in Tim and Damian's relationship moving forward and there's so much to it I can't wait to write.

[ramrage]

141 football HCs

inspired by the scrumptious works (x, x) by @horsebra, here are some headcanons that no one asked for but i couldnt help but make

Soap:

Malingers a lot. and dramatically. everyone, himself included, recognizes this but just kinda rolls with it because sometimes it pays off, and to be fair, man does get fouled a ton

if someone is on the ground, 9/10 times it is him

tenacious as hell. will run to balls he won't reach, faces off in aerial duels against könig-height dudes.

somehow always scoring because he'll go for shots others would shy away from and is magically in the right place at the right time (jk he reads the field well)

social captain of the team. is quick with a compliment or consolation no matter what

constantly talking shit and is a nightmare to play against

Alejandro:

shows off a ton which would be a problem if he ever lost possession, but he infrequently does

has fouled out the most and leads the team in cards

just as aggressive a player as Soap, if not more

speaks spanish with rodolfo to covertly talk shit or point out weaknesses in the opposition's defense

his locker room pump up playlist is nasty and excellent and everyone loves it, even ghost (doesn't admit it)

coolest boots on the pitch

obnoxious yet impressive celebration dance, will taunt the fans

Rodolfo:

official idiot wrangler for soap and ale

his passes are clean as hell without fail. no one would score without him.

not a particularly flashy or dramatic player, he's more on the side of efficient, but he'll sometimes pull out the most ridiculous, odee goals you have ever seen in the beautiful game

is great at intercepting the defense's attempts to clear the ball and then proceeds to cross it perfectly and it pisses the other team off severely

big on post-game stretching and gives people shit when they don't. he has saved the team so many injuries.

goes apeshit when ale gets fouled and is actually hurt. if he isn't foaming at the mouth, alejandro is fine. no one can figure out how he tells the difference

Ghost:

effectively a center mid but says he's a defensive mid for reasons unknown

great at assessing the pitch and moving his team around to make saucy plays

scores an awful lot for a "defensive mid"

king of set pieces

surprisingly supportive and kind when his team fucks up

not afraid to play dirty but will immediately own up when the official chews him out for decking a guy

once lifted soap up in a hug after he scored a goal and everyone teased him about it so he never did it ever again

acts pissed but is amused when Soap malingers to win foul against the other team

Price:

is probably way too old to be playing but does anyway

switches between center and l/r-back depending on what the ol knee is telling him

not as fast as he used to be but his judgment and technical skills are impeccable

sometimes pulls out fancy footwork to wow the kids

comfort character on the pitch. when he recovers the ball after shit goes tits up, you know the team is safe

best pump up speeches you have ever heard

Gaz:

quick as hell and loves playing teams that rely on fast breaks because it's a fun challenge and he cuts them off damn well

had one (1) own goal when he was really young and will never forget it

booted the ball to the other side of the pitch and it bounced over the other team's keeper and rolled on in for a goal one (1) time and will never forget it. or stop talking about it. knows better than to try it again.

talks and sings to himself when the other team's offense sucks and the ball generally stays on the far side of the pitch

feels bad when he decks players from the other team and will help them up but also finds it kinda funny

gets beyond hyped for the rare hydration break on hot days

kate:

team coach/manager, Head Idiot Wrangler

has evil conditioning days but no one gets too mad because they trust her judgment

is somehow cool with the owners even tho they're dicks and uses that relationship to advocate for the players

generally keeps her cool during matches but got a red card once for laying into a official for a terrible call

earned many wrinkles and grey hairs from managing the boys

constantly getting shit from people in the league because she's a woman but she shuts that shit down with calm, scary efficiency

not afraid to play politics with the owners and the league but is always honest with the players

[cerastes]

I disagree with your cold steel take, one was annoying and two has been worse, I put it down after the Pantagruel and haven't returned. Rean is my least favorite protagonist in the series so far and it's not close, and the supporting cast can only do so much with the way the relationship system forces it all to warp around his dick. I can't imagine three *not* being better.

You’re fine, we’re cool.

Now, for the record, my first Falcom game was Cold Steel 1, and I really loved the vibe. They take a stab at having a very large cast, and though they fall in some regards (Gaius has like maybe 2 strings of personality that he hangs onto and all of his screentime is “that’s cool guys :)”), I feel it did a good job overall in making a story fundamentally based about a class of good eggs slowly realize they are fighting for the objectively really bad bad guys… But also, that the upper brass is really the root of this, and that while many awful peole exist in Erebonia, you also have a lot of good people. This, of course, is in the background initially, what we’re looking at first is the class growing as individuals. I like the first two games specifically because Rean isn’t the center of the universe, he’s merely the main character.

As the main character, he’s allowed to get special attention, and thankfully, he’s played as a pretty funny backwater kinda dude that’s just a good egg. Rean’s likable. I won’t say he’s the sort of character that wowed me, in fact, I believe he’s the weakest of the protagonists, because Estelle and Lloyd are legitimately fantastic characters that DID wow me in such a way, but Rean still works as a result of his cast, he fits it and compliments the wide array of personalities with fun interactions and good chemistry. In 1 and 2, Rean is the center of the class, on an equal level with the rest of his friends.

And here’s where my gripes begin with 3, where Rean becomes the center of the universe instead. All the fun parts of Rean disappear, despite the game desperately telling up that no, you guys, he’s still the same ol’ goober! Except, all of his dialogue just sort of becomes generic “yeah let’s go guys haha you are doing great” sagely anti-banter and “haha please stop trying to jump my bones” because apparently every character in the story was lobotomized between 2 and 3 to only want to praise Rean 24/7 forever. And it’s a shame, because not only does this ruin characters we already knew, it also slaps characters we were just introduced to: Juna is legitimately so cool, Altina is very very fun and interesting, and so on. I wish I could’ve had them exist on their own without every instance of dialogue ending in “oh btw sensei is really cool (but don’t tell him I said that! Hmph!”). The only real new character I hated was Musse, precisely because her entire whole thing forever in every scene except one was “I want to have sex with Rean”.

I get that you’re focusing on the story, anon, but even a generic story, in my opinion, can be carried by a strong cast. On the flipside, even a strong story (and I like CS’ story) can be very very hard to get through if the cast of characters through which you live the story cannot stop getting on your nerves. I feel like 1 and 2 have a sufficiently fine story and a great cast. 3 had an interesting story with a cast I want to forget about.

As an aside, my top favorite JRPGs are Trails to Zero and Trails to Azure. Lloyd and the SSS gang are, bar none, my ideal cast in any game. That’s the cast I would like to have in a story of my own.

[erodasfishtacos]

~ MLB Curious Gazes ~

prompt: four different situations where people have run into or hung out with MLB!H - told from their perspective.

word: 6k +

warnings: language, mentions of sexual content

If you enjoyed this please - reblog, like, recommend, comment, and inbox me to chat about it!

please consider donating to my kofi - my work is FREE and it is a great way to show support!

enjoy!

-=-=-=-=-=-

The Doctor’s Office

Aubrey couldn’t believe her eyes as she sat in her uncomfortable, too small chair in the empty waiting room at the OBGYN office in the early hours of the morning. 

She was sitting alone with her baby boy sitting in his carrier on the floor - it was his nine month checkup and it was taking forever to be seen.

The woman was sitting, scrolling on her phone when out of her peripheral she saw an extremely - like extremely handsome man step into the area with a carrier.

Aubrey was a married woman but holy shit this guy was hot- without even trying is the thing. 

He had on a New York Yankees Nike hoodie and a pair of Nike athletic shorts with some calf length Blake Nike socks and trainers.

In the carrier was a fresh little baby, couldn’t be older than three months who was bundled up with a sunflower headband on.

The man was multitasking with a curly haired toddler on his other hip as he finds a seat a little bit down from Aubrey on the opposite side.

His wife was standing up at the check-in and of course it made sense that she was absolutely beautiful as well even though Aubrey could relate to how tired she looked.

The woman still had a small bit of her pregnancy bump left signifying that the baby was indeed very very new to the world.

She keeps glancing over at the man, he looks so familiar but she would remember if she had even met someone that handsome.

Then the context clues hit her, his hoodie, his toddler son was also in a little Yankees hoodie that matched his fathers and Aubrey googled quickly.

Her eyes flitted throughout the recent articles.

Styles’ Alleged $65 Million Dollar Bonus

Hot Head Harry Styles - how he managed to start three bench clearing brawls in one game!

Breaking Records and Bats - Styles manages to break his own record in the same season followed by breaking a bat in celebration

Holy shit.

She could help but watch them - this was much more interesting than reading a magazine.

Aubrey didn’t follow baseball but Harry had turned celebrity status and was this well known cocky dickhead to the media - women and men loved and drooled over him for his looks and his skills.

Right now, he sat down with his two babies - the boy looked exactly like Harry, it was quite unbelievable from the curly locks to mossy green eyes that was copy and paste.

Harry was currently tucking an applesauce pouch between his lips and guiding the boy's small hands to hold it for himself.

“Good job,  ,” He murmurs in the dead quiet waiting room as he tucks him further into the crook of his arm.

Harry looks up to his wife who joins them, she is a bit in awe when Aubrey sees him palm a bit at her bloated belly and whisper, “Y’look gorgeous today, mama.”

Aubrey couldn’t help but frown, she wished her husband did that.

YN sits down, leaning her head on his shoulder - Aubrey didn’t know her but she seems tired - of course she was a new mother.

The silence is broken when a nurse comes out and with an apologetic face says, “I’m sorry, we are running really behind today. It might be another thirty minutes,” before shutting the door again.

Harry kisses his wife’s forehead before wrapping his unoccupied arm around her shoulder, a flashing gold band on his ring finger.

Aubrey zones off for a little when her son wakes up, rocking the carrier a few times before he settles again.

She’s brought back to the couple when she hears a sniffle comes from Harry’s wife and his face turned towards hers, hand rubbing her shoulder reassuringly.

“Mama, she’s so healthy. There’s nothin’ to worry about, did a perfect job growing her in y’belly. I know these check-ups make you anxious but nothin’ is gonna be wrong,” He soothes, a near whisper because of how quiet the room is and he didn’t want to disrupt.

“I just don’t know if she’s been getting enough milk, it’s so hard to tell,” YN replies sadly, like she’s disappointed in herself.

“Y’kidding me? She’s our chunkiest baby - look at those little rolls. She’s on y’tits more than any of the boys including me,” He jokes softly, obviously trying to make her feel better.

It seems to work a little bit because she lets out a light giggle with a roll of her eyes, “No one is on them more than you.”

Harry shrugs unashamed before replying seriously, “Everything will be okay. She’s perfect and healthy.”

The curly haired little boy gets a bit squirmy with the wait after he finished his pouch, asking to be set down which his father does.

Harry is watching him carefully, his nervous but still adventurous little two and a half year old, as he toddles around the waiting room.

When he spots Aubrey and her carrier, he wanders over looking up her with wide curious eyes, he points at her son and squeaks, “Baby?”

Ever the diligent father, Harry is up and next to his son, Aubrey is a bit starstruck if she’s honest when he talks to her.

“M’sorry, he’s a curious little one,” Harry smiles at her, going to pick Ezra back up to guide him away from bothering her.

Aubrey waves her hand though, lifting the visor to show the sleeping baby, “Yeah, he’s a baby. That’s Dominic.”

The boy gazes at the baby before lisping, “Bry!”

Aubrey isn’t sure what he means but his father clarifies, “You’re right, Dominic is a baby just like your little sister Briar.”

“Okay,” Ezra shrugs and goes back to his mom to inform him of what he just discovered before crawling up and cuddling into her chest.

Harry nods, “Thanks for indulging him.”

“No pro-problem,” She stutters like an idiot and Harry smiles a bit like he knows but doesn’t say anything else before going back to his family.

A few minutes later when a high-pitched cry resounds through the room, Harry is carefully cradling his daughter who Aubrey notes looks nothing like him but like her mother even though her features were still so little.

“Shush, darlin’,” Harry coos with a soft drawl, leaning in to kiss at the newborn’s button nose.

Briar roots at her father’s chest, smacking her plump lips, and squeaking in frustration when she doesn’t find a nipple. It makes Harry chuckle before he glances at his wife and his smile falters a bit, “Sweetheart, did y’bring a bottle?”

Aubrey watches his wife shake her head, she is facing away from her so she can’t see her expression but gauging Harry’s it seems that she may be upset, “No, I completely forgot. I didn’t bring my nursing blanket either - I’m going to have to go the bathroom. M’being such a bad mom.”

The observer feels a pang in her chest, she can definitely relate to not always feeling like she is a good mother because of little mistakes she makes like forgetting diapers, buying the wrong formula, forgetting to bring a pacifier.

“Hey,” Harry’s voice is firm, “Y’not going to talk like that when s’the farthest thing from the truth. S’okay, we have four babies, we’re both goin’ t’forget things sometimes, okay? Here, let me help you.”

Aubrey wishes she had a husband who was as empowering, supportive of his wife.

He hands the whimpering baby over to his wife, he’s then tugging off his hoodie. Aubrey tries but fails to divert her eyes when his shirt rides up revealing  a glimpse of his taut abdomen and a light dusting of hair leading into his shorts, obscene tattoos covering his hipbones .

Harry maneuvers the hoodie over his wife’s shoulder, helping her tug down her loose shirt and nursing bra, and guiding his newborn to his wife’s breast until she latches and starts suckling hungrily.

“There y’go mama,” He whispers encouragingly before tugging Ezra back onto his lap to rock him a bit as he’s getting whiny - ready for a nap soon and not liking being in an unfamiliar place for too long.

-

Aubrey is buckling Dominic into his carseat when she spots the other family exiting the office. 

Harry’s wife looks much more relaxed, a smile on her face, and her arm tucked around her husband’s narrow hip, they’re parked close to each other, and Aubrey climbs into her small sedan - blasting the aircon.

She watches the parents strapp their kids into a massive, tinted and brand new cadillac escalade that was no doubt over a hundred thousand dollar car but who could expect them to be driving around a mid-level minivan?

After the kids are secured and they close the doors, Harry presses his wife up against it with his arm resting over her shoulder against the window. He is whispering to her, their mouths close before he ducks down to connect their lips.

His hand comes back to her deflating baby bump like he did in the doctor’s office, hand massaging the skin with adoration that was visible even to Aubrey as she sat in her car watching them.

Later on in the week, as she sits on her couch, a video pops up on her timeline. It’s a sports report she was about to skip until the name caught her attention. 

The sports reporter stated, “Harry Styles was fined an alleged sixty thousand dollars at last night’s game after getting into a verbal altercation when the second base man purposely tripped him.”

It flashes to the man she just saw in the doctor’s office in a form-fitting Yankee’s blue and white striped uniform with a helmet on as he ran at an impressive speed from first to second, stumbling when the baseman put out his foot.

Harry recovers quickly enough to touch the base to be considered safe. 

After that though, he’s pushing himself up and brushing off the dirt, then he’s charging towards the man who fucked up the play. 

He has no fear as he gets in the man’s face, veins on his neck standing out as he shouts. They don’t play the audio but you could tell Harry was cussing this man up and down.

It flashed back to the reporter speaking to another, “Nearly every team in the league reports that Styles is an absolute nightmare to play against from his skill to his downright arrogant and cocky attitude. He’s not someone I’d find myself wanting to hang around.”

“I agree with you there, Tucker. He has a right to be proud with all of his broken records and achievements but being a bit humble would do this man so good. I feel sorry for his wife and kids. He probably just spends all day bragging about himself.”

Aubrey clicks off the video, if only everyone in the world just saw the Harry Styles she saw just a few days ago - well they’d all change their minds on what kind of person he is. Especially what kind of husband and father.

--

The Charity Event

It was a charity event at Madison Square Garden in Time Square. 

It was for all Major League Baseball teams who had qualified for the playoffs and of course, The New York Yankees were there.

There were tables filling the whole stadium, extravagant in white linen tablecloths, multiple bars, and it was black tie dress code. 

It was a private event and it was not open to the public but after the dinner there would be awards given out and that would be broadcasted.

Nicole was there with her husband, Trent, the left outfielder with an average batting score. He wasn’t the most popular on the team by far - well everyone got outshined by Styles. 

She couldn’t help but be a little bitter that Harry had gotten a $60 million dollar bonus (the biggest bonus ever gifted but also the Yankees were not taking any chances at losing their star and their ultimate money-maker). Trent got a measly bonus of $100,000 which was nothing in baseball terms. 

The wives and girlfriends of the Yankees players did not like YN one bit. It really wasn’t fair because she was always lovely, kind, and friendly. It didn’t matter because they were all spurred on by jealousy of what she had.

Nicole couldn’t help by gaze at Harry as they sat at the same circle table towards the podium where the awards would be presented after dinner. He was in a sharp all black suit with a small team logo pin of the lapel.

She couldn’t deny how stunning YN looked in an absolutely stunning dress. It was a one-shoulder with sparkling black stripes against a tan background, it fit like a glove and accentuated her stunning legs with a high slit. ***

It blew Nicole’s basic black Gucci dress out of the water which made her even more infuriated at the woman. She knew she was being irrational and if she hated her so much, why couldn’t see stop staring at the couple?

Nicole could get away with it by looking past them at other tables but to be quite honest, the two were much too wrapped up in each other to be aware of any of their surroundings or people watching them.

Trent was off bullshitting with all the other players while the Styles’ sat at the table and Harry waited for people to approach him - like the cocky asshole that he was. He would give them a minute of his time before becoming visibly bored and returning his attention back to his wife.

As the appetizers arrived, Trent finally sat down with a grunt, giving his wife literally no attention as he dug into the salad like a slob. 

Across the table, Harry looked down at his plate, picked out all the tomatoes and stabbed them with his fork. He then brought his hand over to his wife who giggled and let him feed her the three little tomatoes for his salad.

“Don’t like tomatoes, Styles?” Henry, third-baseman, jokes as he watches him feed his wife without any shame.

“I love ‘em, m’missus just really like the little grape ones,” Harry shrugs casually - like that didn’t just sound like the most whipped thing that he could say.

Trent probably couldn’t even guess Nicole’s favorite color - let alone know something so minuscule like YN like the little tomatoes that come on house salads. 

Throughout the whole dinner, it was quite disgusting how infatuated these two were with each other - Harry had at least one hand on her body at one time - her thigh, shoulder, even cupping her neck in a way that was almost too intimate for the setting.

At one point, Harry notices that YN is a bit quiet - sipping on her glass of water and he pulls back from the conversation, murmuring, “Y’alright, mama?”

Nicole bites her lip hard at the cute pet name, feeling even more dislike towards YN - why couldn’t she have had someone like Harry?

“D’you think the babies are okay? Ezra’s been so anxious lately,” YN replies quietly, there were no phones allowed at the event and had to be left at home or at the door.

Harry kisses her temple, “Y’know Ezzie is good with m’mum, doesn’t get as anxious as he used to at sleepovers. Y’know East and Cash are probably on a sugar high.”

YN nods, agreeing and Harry jumps right back into the conversation but she notices that he keeps looking over at his wife to check on her.

Trent accidentally knocks her elbow hard and just grunts out a bland, “Sorry.”

The topic changed to traveling for games. Ellie, another wife of a player who was nice to YN were chatting about how stressful it is.

“I know, loading all three boys up is rough when we do decide to travel to games with H,” YN says to Ellie, a small smile on her face.

“Ugh, I know. Lily and Parker are the worst flyers! They usually end up throwing up or not being able to nap at all,” Ellie groans about her two little ones she has back at home.

YN let’s out a laugh that just irked Nicole to not end.

“It's going to be even harder when we have more kids,” YN laments like she’s bothered.

“Oh? More kids?” Ellie squeaks with excitement, clapping her hands together.

Nicole reaches a breaking point, jumping into the chat,“Really? More kids? Don’t you think you should focus on the ones you have? Or do you think because your husband makes an unfair amount of money, you can just have as many as you want? Hire nannies and act like you take care of them?”

Before YN frowns, about to respond when Harry interjects with a booming, displeased voice, “First off, why don’t y’mind your own fuckin’ business. My wife and I can ‘ave any many kids as we want, last time I checked.”

He continues with tense posture, all of his previous calmness disappears, “Second off, don’t take it out on my wife tha’ your husband got a shit bonus, we all know tha’ why y’pissy. And don’t act like y’dont have a nanny for your one kid while we don’t nor ever will have one.”

Nicole sneers, “You’re a cocky bastard.”

Harry smiles in faux charm, “Of course I am, dear. I’ve got a fucking beautiful wife, three healthy babies, the most records broken in history, and the fattest bank account in this room.”

“Alright, alright,” Trent interrupts and it doesn’t go unnoticed that he doesn’t defend his wife. Instead he shoots Harry an apologetic look for his wife’s behaviors.

Harry just scoffs at the couple, rudely rolling his eyes, and tugging his wife in for a kiss that’s a bit too intense but he can’t help himself, smiles against her lips when his wife pinches his thigh playfully.

He says (not quietly at all), “All these women are jealous of you, hm? S’cause you’re so beautiful and such a fuckin’ catch.”

Nicole feel a sharp pang in her chest at the indirect comment - fucking asshole.

Deep down, Nicole is unfavorably realizing that somehow YN has it all - a loving husband, who is seemingly head over heels four her, three well-behaved children, and everything she could ever want - sitting on Harry’s $600 million dollar net worth, on top of being gorgeous.

She didn’t have that. Trent and her were on the rocks constantly, has definitely cheated on her, their kid is a literal nightmare, and they’re both so reckless with money they have no savings.

It made her jealous to see Harry whispering in YN ear to make her giggle- lips brushing her ear, his hand splayed across her bumcheek while they waited for drinks at the bar, she even hears them murmur ‘I love yous’ at least twice.

Then the lights dim, spotlight on a podium in the front of the room, an older man in a crisp navy suit taking the stage.

“It is an honor for me to announce ‘Player of the Year.’ The decision by the board of Major League Baseball wasn’t a hard one. The statistics and records broke continuously by the man has led us to only one option.”

Everyone watches all the other players in room deflate a bit because they realize the award is going to Harry yet again.

 “He is again breaking a record tonight, he is the first player to earn this achievement four years in a row. The duality of this man when it comes to pitching a curveball or hitting a homer is truly remarkable.”

It makes all the players even more irritated than they already are when they look over at Harry who’s sitting back, manspreading, hand on the back of his wife’s neck gently, and a cocky, unbothered grin.

Like this award wasn’t the biggest accomplishment he could earn.

One of the players from an opposing team at a different table mutters to one of his teammates, “Fucking arrogant asshole. The only thing this award does is feed his gigantic ego.” 

“Such a douchebag,” The other agrees, jealousy tinges his voice.

“I’ve most likely made it obvious who the the recipient is this year. The New York Yankees pitcher with the most strikeouts to date and top-scoring hitter - Mr. Harry Styles!”

The crowd erupts in applause, whistles, and a standing ovation because despite his unsavory demeanor - no one could deny he was a legend.

Before he gets up, Nicole watches as he cups his wife’s cheek - locking her lips in a kiss before she has to give him a playful shove when he tries to slip some tongue.

When Harry gets up to the stage, he shakes the hand of the announcer and takes the award from him, setting it on the podium.

“Fourth year in a row has a nice ring to it,” Harry gives the crowd a dazzling white smile that have his dimples digging into his cheek.

The crowd whistles and coos.

Nicole notices YN getting teary-eyed as she watches her husband accept the award.

“I want t’thank a few people tonight. I want t’thank m’wife and the mama of my babies - YN. She’s supported me from when I was in college with no other career path but baseball, unsure of if I’d fail or not, she stuck through it.”

She can sense everyone’s eyes dart over to YN who is still staring up at her husband - who is giving her a gleaming smile right back.

“We’ve been through some really hard obstacles in our first years as a couple but she’s the reason for all this - the fact that she always believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.”

The audience is respectful, quiet as he publicly tells a story of his deep love for his wife.

“I want t’thank m’three babies. Easton, Cash, and Ezra. They inspire me to be a better better man and a good role model - even though I think y’all agree they won’t be if they watch too much how I play when I’m out in the field.”

The crowd erupts in laughter at Harry poking fun at his own antics that he’s most famous for. He goes on to thank the team, coaches, Nike, everyone on the professional side of career.

When he’s done, everyone stands back up to congratulate him, patting him on the back as he returns to his seat.

Nicole watches as Harry sits back down, chuckling as he swipes a tear off his wife’s cheek, “Why y’crying, mama?”  

“I’m just so proud of you. Everything you do for me and our babies. The best husband, best daddy. My heart is just full,” She murmurs, clearly not meant for others to hear but Nicole was eavesdropping.

Harry’s eyes darken with something Nicole can’t identify but does notice his hand creeping a bit further up her thigh.

He leans into whisper something into her ear before she sees his lightly nip at her lobe before pulling back to join into the conversation.

-

After the lights come back up, Trent abandons her to go shoot the shit with other guys.

When she trails off to the bathroom, down a long hallway from the main area - she hears a rustling from behind a door labeled with a plaque that says ‘executive meeting room’.

Nicole pauses confused, all these offices and other rooms were strictly off limits during events obviously. She was confused to hear someone in a room that was not supposed to be in use.

Then she realizes it’s not just someone - it’s two people.

“S’good, sweetheart. Give it t’me so good.”

And she knows right then and there all she needs to know about who’s in that conference room and what they were doing.

“Be quiet, you’re being too loud,” YN scolds back, the walls were clearly thin because she could hear the exchange.

“Make y’cunt not feel like heaven then,” He remarks back, his voice slower and more soft than it would be in front of people.

God, Trent and her haven’t slept together in ages - let alone has spontaneous hookups or dirty talk like that ever.

When they all end up back at the table before the closing speech for the night, Nicole spots a nicely sized mark under Harry’s jaw that he’s wearing with pride.

YN had her lipstick wiped off and was much more clingy as the night rolled on which Harry seemed to thrive on.

As she and Trent are on their way home, Nicole speaks into their silence, “I don’t think our relationship is working.”

Not after she saw love and happiness at that event table tonight - she wanted that kind of love not settling for some cheating asshole.

-

The Little League Game

It was a cool autumn evening, it was an important game - if you could call it that for the little league team that Kayla had her son on.

The goal was to determine which team would move onto the playoffs, even though most of this was all in good fun because it was for eight-year-olds and it wasn’t serious.

Kayla couldn’t lie and say that she didn’t spend some of the time curiously gazing at the New York Yankees player who would come to watch his son play.

He wasn’t at every game due to his schedule but it seemed like he came to whatever ones he could with his wife and other three kids.

They had taken the bench on the bleachers right below her so she had an up close and personal view of the family when they’ve never sat this close before.

As the kids warmed up, Harry had his youngest son who looked to be about four sit next to him, squished between his dad and mom happily.

Their middle son was next to his mom on the other side, looking to be about six, and he was wriggling impatiently in his seat - eager to join the other kids in the jungle gym.

The baby girl who looked about a year and a half old didn’t look anything like her brothers - it was obvious that she was a spitting image of her mother (who was stunning).

She was curled up in her mom’s lap, asleep with her face squished against her mother’s chest - a pacifier suckling fiercely between her puffy lips.

“Mama, please,” The curly haired boy begs with greedy puppy dog eyes as he keeps glancing back to look at the other kids.

“You stay right where daddy and I can see you, yes?” YN murmurs, brushing back his unruly curls that where getting long, “And what are our rules?”

“Stay where you can see, don’t talk to strangers, and be nice to others,” He recites perfectly, Kayla was a bit blown away by his manners.

She watches baseball. It was hard to believe their children were so mild mannered when their father was the exact opposite - at least on the field.

Harry was rustling in the diaper bag for something as his son looked at him with wide, concerned eyes, “My baby, daddy.”

“I know, Ezzie. M’lookin’ f’your baby,” His father replies softly, the polar extreme of his normal brash, crude language that had a nasty tone like he couldn’t bother giving people the time of day.

“Daddy, please,” The youngest whines, his little hand grasping at his father’s tattooed wrist as he gets to his knees to help his dad look.

“Left inner pocket,” YN murmurs offhandedly as she makes sure Cash gets to the playground safely with his friends.

“Say ‘thanks mama’,” Harry coos to his son as he manages to tug out the baby doll and hand it to the awaiting little boy.

“Thanks mama,” He replies instantly with a gapped smile as he nuzzles right back into his father’s side as if he can’t get close enough.

“How are you feeling, Ezra?” His mother leans over to ask, keeping the baby close to her chest.

“M’happy, mama,” Ezra replies simply before starting to babble to himself as he plays with the babydoll.

Kayla watches Harry and YN swap a fond look at their son but she couldn’t help but wonder why they asked him that? He seemed fine so why did they feel the need to do that?

The game is going okay, Harry stands up to cheer and whistle when Easton hits a two-base hit but YN smacks his thigh and motions to their sleeping baby.

He looks at her sheepishly before sitting back down, kissing her cheek in apology, and peeking down into the fleece blanket to watch his daughter sleep for a moment.

Then it seems like Easton starts to lose momentum after he pitches two home-runs, his face pinched in disappointment as the other team scores but Harry is attempting to keep him motivated with encouraging shouts.

Easton struggles from then on, he strikes out for his final three turns, doesn’t catch two pop-ups, and his pitches start to get a little shaky. It’s obvious in his facial expression he’s getting upset because he’s breathing heavier like he’s trying not to cry.

Kayla feels a sense of dread for the little boy, his father who’s the best baseball player in modern day history is watching his son not do well during an important game.

 Because of what she knows of him from his temper and attitude on the field - she worries that he’s one of those father’s who will hound their kid for doing poorly.

“Oh, c’mon East,” Harry murmurs softly when his son stumbles over a ground ball before another kid picks it up and throws it in - their son smacking his glove down against the ground in frustration.

“He’s getting himself worked up,” YN notes as she watches her oldest kick his cleats in the dirt with a quivering bottom lip.

“I know,” Harry replies to his wife, “Wish he wouldn’t, he’s gettin’ upset out there, I can tell.”

“Sad?” Ezra squeaks, clambering onto his father’s lap and stating, “Hold me, daddy.”

Harry obliges easily, gathering up his small son before his attention is directed back onto the game - it was down to the last few minutes and unfortunately Easton pitched a ball that resulted in a home run for the other team.

“Fuck,” Harry mutters, running a hand through his messy locks before he’s setting Ezra back down on the bleachers, “I’m going to go talk to him. Do you want to meet back home?”

YN nods, leaning down to tuck the baby into the double stroller before buckling Ezra in as well, “I’m going to go get Cash and head out. Why don’t you take him out for some ice cream? I love you.”

“I love you too, mama,” He replies, kissing her softly before kissing both of his kids foreheads and stepping down the bleachers - ignoring all the adults who are staring at him with a starstruck expression as he heads to the dugout.

It cleared out fast, nobody sticking around after the loss that ended with them not continuing on to the championship, and Easton was sat on the bench - he was stoic and there was a hard, angry expression on his face that reminded Kayla of what she saw Harry look like when he played.

As she gathers up her son and makes sure he’s got all of his equipment, Kayla stands and chats to a few of the moms before she’s heading to her car - which happened to be parked next to a sleek Masserati crossover, who would let their muddy kid go in there? Rich people, she guesses.***

Kayla pops the trunk to her van with her key as they get closer, she notices that Harry also has his up and Easton is sitting on the tailgate with his eyes looking down at the pavement. She tries not to appear as nosey or eavesdropping as she tucks her items into the back.

“Sweetheart, s’okay. Y’did so so good tonight,” Harry assures his pouty son, he squats down to start to untie his son’s nike cleats but continues to make eye contact with him. 

“No, I didn’t, Daddy!” Easton whines, tears finally starting to bubble over the surface as he begins to sob with a shuddering chest, “I gave up home runs and then I missed ground balls!”

“Whoa, bubby,” Harry simpers after he tugs off the shoes and throws them carelessly into the back before standing up, “Y’did amazing, are you kiddin’? You did three innings of strikeouts, hit two of y’own homeruns. Y’played like a professional, way better than daddy.”

Kayla’s heart aches a bit when she sees Harry sit down next to him before hugging him harshly into his side, thumbing at the tears that are running down his son’s sweaty cheeks with soft reassurances.

“Daddy, are you mad I didn’t win?” Easton asks shakily, keeping his head buried into his father’s side and his small hand clutching into the fabric of his hoodie.

Harry chuckles lowly, “Daddy would never be mad at you f’anythin’, definitely not a baseball game. Remember what mama and I said? If at any point y’want to stop playin’, just let us know and we can find something else, yeah? Just like how Ezzie does art classes.”

Easton seems to calm down after a few moments of Harry rocking him and reassuring him of what an amazing son he is.

As Kayla drove away that night, her perspective on the all-star baseball player definitely changed. It was refreshing to see someone to not hold their child to an unreasonable expectation just like she thought Harry would.

--

The Campfire

Austin was the shortstop on the baseball team, he’d brought along his girlfriend, Chelsea, to the frat party to celebrate another win.

Everyone was in whispers that Harry was bringing his new girlfriend but nobody knew who she actually was because it was just a rumor.

It was surprising because Harry wasn’t a relationship kind-of man. He wasn’t into hookups much - always said he needed to focus on baseball.

Many of his teammates were envious of how many girls were constantly coming up to Harry at parties to flirt and try to get a dance in but he had always rejected them.

Harry had never showed interest in any of these girls at the parties, never seen him disappear upstairs with one or really entertain a conversation over a beer like they’d expect.

Chelsea pokes his shoulder and nods towards the entrance when Harry walks in with his arm around YN’s shoulder.

Most were in a little shock because they seemed like such an unlikely couple - YN had written some scathing articles about him and it was no secret he hadn’t been a fan of her.

“Holy shit, Harry’s dating YN?” Chelsea whispers to Austin as the group of party-goers cheer and whistle at the allstars appearance.

“Guess so,” Austin replies with a shrug, tugging Chelsea into the kitchen for a drink.

Later on that night, there’s a bonfire on one side of the backyard and a volleyball net on the other where a group was gathering to play.

Austin and Chelsea are on the opposing team of Harry and YN - she can’t help but watch them with curiosity because of what a surprise it is that they’re dating.

Even Austin has been watching because Harry’s acting in a way that he’s never seen throughout his time on the team with him.

Harry is just all over YN which was confusing how he went from not being remotely interested in the college girls to being a lovestruck puppy.

When she throws the ball up to serve, Harry reaches over and pinches her bum which makes her squeak and accidentally drop the ball which has him cackling as she glares at him.

As they change positions, he crowds up behind her, and massages her hips, leaning down to murmuring something in her ear.

She blushes wildly before smacking him off which has him laughing hard and kissing the back of her head before taking his position.

After Harry jumps and spikes the ball hard, earning them the winning point, YN turns around and wraps her arms around him to hug him tightly.

Harry wraps his arms around her shoulders, returning the hug before pulling back to kiss her lips in a soft peck.

Chelsea elbows Austin, “Who’s that and what did they do with Harry?”

Austin shakes his head, “I really don’t fucking know.”

The group migrates over to the fire as they might become cooler and the stars are high up in the sky, the fire flickering orange and yellow crackles of sparks.

Harry plops into a chair, pulling YN right onto his lap, and she wriggles until she’s comfortable. Chelsea notices him tap her thigh as if telling her to cut it out, too much motion right on his crotch.

Jake, one of his teammates, says in a teasing tone, “YN, I’m surprised to see you around these parts . I clearly remember a strongly worded article about how stupid frat parties are.”

YN takes it in stride, smiling as she replies, “And this party just proves my point.”

The group laughs easily, they enjoy YN’s sharp wit and comebacks as they get to know her. Austin can’t help but to notice how quiet Harry is.

Normally, he’s the life of the party, loud and making his presence known to everyone but not tonight. He has his chin propped on her shoulder and she’s cuddled back into his chest.

Austin can’t make out what Harry is saying but he’s constantly whispering in her ear and accentuating each time with a squeeze to her thighs.

“Are you guys official?” One of the teammates asked bluntly, a few beers deep by this point in the night.

Harry replies instantly, a possessive squeeze, “She’s mine and off the market, s’don’t even think about it.”

“Well I don’t think it matters because she’s turned down the whole baseball team by this point. I think everyone tried to ask her out at least once,” Steve jokes as the others agree.

“Tha’s m’girl,” Harry murmurs to her before teasing his friends,“Who’d want to go out with any you? You’re all dickheads.”

Everyone continues to joke around, it’s nearing midnight and that’s right about when Harry gets in his prime - like the party just started.

But not tonight.

YN’s eyes start to flutter shut as everyone banters and drinks around the fire, obviously not used to these late night parties.

“I better get this one t’bed,” Harry states after a few minutes, thumbing at YN’s cheekbone as she tries to stay awake.

“I’m okay,” She mumbles weakly, head still heavy against his shoulder.

“You’re coming back though, right?” Kyle asks expectantly, brows furrowed.

Harry shakes his head, “Nah, m’in for the night when she is.”

All the players look at him with a bit of a dumbfounded look, Steve shooting out, “Who knew you’d be so pussy whipped, Styles?”

Chelsea’s eyebrows raise at the crude comment, waiting with bated breath as Harry’s jaw clenches as it seems like he’s biting his tongue.

“Goodnight,” Harry says in a tone Austin has never heard before - agitated and almost…offended.

When Austin and Chelsea are sneaking up to his room for a late night hook-up, she overhears Harry and YN in his bedroom.

At first, she thinks they’re in an actual argument but as she listens to them - it’s not the kind of arguement she thought it was.

“You’re always the little spoon,” YN groans from behind the closed door.

Harry squawks, affronted before huffing back at her, “S’my favorite, please spoon me, darling?”

“You’re so fucking spoiled,” YN giggles as Chelsea assumes they move into a position where Harry’s the little spoon.

“Mm, I like feelin’ y’tits against my back, s’nice,” Harry hums with a boyish tone.

Chelsea doesn’t even realize she’s smiling until Austin drags her from her stupor. 

All she knew was that Harry Styles really really fancied that school reporter.

-=-=-=-=-=-

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[snailsandpuppy-dogtails]

Mr. December

Flufftober day 22 Have you heard? Garvez WC: 840

“Did you hear?!” Scurrying excitedly into the bullpen, Penelope glanced around expectantly at the familiar faces. When nearly everyone sat quietly in confusion, she went on. ”Theeeeeeey’re heeeeerre!” she squealed, “Or, they will be later.” The group of profilers looked to one another then back to her, blank expressions indicating she’d clarified nothing. 

“The Agents…Of The FBI Calendar…?” she went on.

“Oh-ohhhhhhh!” Prentiss exclaimed. While JJ, Spencer, and Rossi made sounds of understanding, Tara and Matt’s demeanors hadn’t changed much beyond amused smiles. Luke however looked…nervous? Concerned? Clearing his expression, he tried for a curious playful tone hoping he hadn’t given anything away, that these trained professionals hadn’t read him like a book. “What do you mean they, Garcia?” JJ jumped in explaining for the members who clearly had not been around for the experience in years past. “Penelope buys a case every year they produce it and passes them out because the profits go to charity, but the Bureau hasn’t done it in a few years, right, Pen?” “Correct my beautiful blonde friend, but it’s baaaack! Which means, all of you will once again be treated to the fine faces and -ahem- bodies of the Bureau.” As she said it, Luke would swear she winked at him. Going on, “And this year every agent selected to participate got to choose a charity where a portion of the profits would be donated to! They even asked them to write a little bit about why they chose it. How sweet is that?” He chuckled, tamping down the anxiety suddenly growing. Jesus, that was such a bad idea, why did he do it?! Why had he let them convince him to do it…Now everyone he currently works with was going to see…well quite a bit of him eventually. “Sounds like you know an awful lot about it Garcia…Now why would that be?” “…I’m friends with the Bureau’s digital artist who compiles it and has it sent out for print?” she answered immediately. “And it was my idea. I mean, after my second year here I figured we could be doing something really good for charity with the physically fine people we have around here, so I figured if New York’s fire fighters could do it, so could we.”  “Why are you so concerned? It’s not like you’d ever pose for something like that, Alvez.” Tara piped in. And she was right of course, except for the fact that he had, in fact posed. It seems he and Penelope had a friend in common… one who knew he’d do anything for retired working dogs, including posing nearly nude in a calendar to raise money for them.

“No, I just…I mean…isn’t it a little… a little objectifying?” He stammered out. “I wouldn’t say objectifying, more like… appreciative of people’s hard work and dedication. And everyone in it volunteered and the photo shoots are totally professional and we have broad representation and it’s all for good causes! Plus, I heard someone even brought their dog this year. I can’t wait to see that one.” Luke flushed, shit.  Looking around for support, “No one else is weirded out by this? Like you get a calendar and then Bob from IA is hanging in your office?” Crossing his arms, Matt mused “I think it’s great this year’s models got to select a charity to support, when I posed it was still down to a democratic vote and one lucky charity.” Luke laughed in disbelief, “You-” But Penelope cut him off, realization hitting her. “Ohh! That’s right! Aww, you were such a baby then, Matt Simmons!”  This revelation however did not help matters, Luke was only feeling more desperate at the anticipated endless hazing he’d be getting shortly, making it harder to disguise his emotions. “Well, it’s clear this conversation is making Alvez uncomfortable, so i’m shelving it for now and heading off, I suggest you all do the same.” Emily smirked sipping her coffee as she and Rossi headed up the stairs to their offices. With a few more comments everyone else followed suit, dispersing to retrieve their own caffeine fixes, turn on computers, or work on reports. Suddenly, it was just Luke, and Penelope who had taken up residence on his desk. Raising the ceramic unicorn mug to her lips, she spoke quietly, “If you feel that strongly about it, I can always have made a mistake or not received them at all…”   Luke sighed, visibly relaxing. He wouldn’t have to explain or tell her at all, she’d just back down. Very unGarcia-like, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. “Thanks Chica, as much fun as we have here, I don’t like the idea of seeing my co-workers hanging around half-naked at the office.” 

“Mmmm” Penelope’s mouth pursed, biting her cheek in thought as she stood to leave. Leaning in, breath tickling his ear she whispered, “I do have to say, Roxie as Rudolph was quite inspired…Very good photo set, Mister December. It’s a shame I’ll be the only one to see it.” 

@flufftober