#which means all of my ads are either about hockey. or in french. or both

[zoru-shares-stuff]

Irma Gerd! There's a berg in your herd!

[myhockeyworld87]

Ruined - Jamie Benn - Part 1

Word Count: 3,332

POV: Reader

Warnings: Language, smut, NSFW

Notes: So here we go with this new story that’s been stuck in my head and finally worked it’s way onto here. Please see the Masterlist for the synopsis. The first two parts should really be one, but I broke it into 2 because well sometimes I don’t have time to read long fics and then I lose my place, so I tried to make this a bit easier for anyone else that has this problem. So, Part 2 is coming out tonight as well. As always feedback is greatly appreciated. Happy Reading!

You sat there staring at the piece of paper in your hand, debating back in forth in your mind about what you wanted to do. This was your dream offer, just not in your dream city. In fact, if you were being honest this was the last place you saw yourself moving, but could you or would you turn it down because of him. He’d dictated most of your high school life, and some of college, to give him that kind of power over your career now would be so stupid. Especially, when you literally hadn’t seen him in almost twelve years. He probably wouldn’t even remember you, but there was no way that you could ever forget Jamie Benn.

 It was your freshman year in high school when you’d met him. He was slightly older and had just come to your secondary school to play hockey. Jamie was quiet, which seemed kind of funny for a jock. They were always loud and boisterous, but maybe you were just going by the ones in your family. By default, he was thrown in with all the other hockey players and one so happened to be your older brother, who was also friends with Jamie’s brother Jordie. The three of them ended up being thick as thieves and drove you half insane at times. Well, maybe not Jamie. When he was at your house the two of you always ended up having some random conversation about god only knew what, but it was always entertaining. You easily got a crush on him after about the seventh or eighth time you were around him but kept that to yourself. Oh, it wasn’t like you weren’t pretty or anything. It was the opposite really. Cheerleader, as well as on the track team; you were one of the more popular freshmen in school, but you were also terribly shy and inexperienced when it came to boys. You always felt, well, awkward around them, not knowing if you would say the right thing or do something embarrassing. With Jamie though, it was different. He made you feel so at ease, but then maybe part of that was because he shared the same awkwardness that you did.

 You distinctly remember one night early your sophomore year, when your brother, Justin, and Jordie decided to take both you and Jamie to a party. They practically had the school slut, throwing herself at Jamie, but it was clear the boy had no clue what to do, as his hands awkwardly fumbled her advances. Which was fine with the jealous streak that suddenly went through your entire body. She attempted to kiss him, and with all eyes focused on him, he went to return it, only to completely miss her and end up bonking her on the head. In end, he’d laughed things off saying he was too drunk, but you knew that he’d only had one beer. He somehow slipped out of the cabin you’d been partying at, and back to the woods, after the incident. Of course, you’d followed him. “Hey Jame, you ok?” He simply shrugged as you sat down on the log beside him. “Justin and Jordie can be dickheads sometimes, you know?”

 “Tell me about it.”

 “I’m sure you’re a better kisser.” Oh my god, did those words really leave your mouth? Fuck. “I mean…like…” Jamie just sort of smiled over at you as you stumbled through words that seemed to be regurgitating out of your mouth. 

 “Maybe,” he finally said, staring off into the woods, then very quietly added. “I’ve never kissed anyone before.”

 You had to strain your ears to catch that last part, but you were definitely sure he said he’d never had a first kiss. “Oh,” you answered softly, with a hint of surprise in your voice, though inside you were giddy. Somehow, you’d just assumed that someone like Jamie, who was athletic and good looking had definitely been kissed before. It was surprising that he admitted it to you, and before you knew what was happening that same word vomit from before was making an appearance. “Me either.”

 “Really?” His question came almost as soon as you spit out the words. Why he found that hard to believe was beyond you.

 “Yes really.”

 “I just thought….well…” This time it was Jamie stumbling through a sentence instead of you. “I know that you and David have been hanging out a lot.” 

 “David?” While it was true, you’d been hanging out with one of the school’s top soccer players, it was for a completely different reason then stolen kisses. “I’m tutoring him in biology. If he fails, he’s off the team.” The words fell from your lips before you had time to fully think them through. “Please don’t say anything. He doesn’t want anyone to know.”

 “I won’t,” Jamie told you and you knew that you could trust him with this or any secret that you had. He turned toward you then, his eyes locking with yours. “I’m glad you’re only tutoring him.”

 “Oh, why? He seems like a nice guy or have you heard different…” you trailed off not quite sure of what or why you were even asking.

 “Oh, he seems nice. I don’t really know him.” Jamie ran his fingers through his hair then. A telltale sign he was searching for the right words. “I mean…I’m glad you’re not dating him, you know…because…well I thought….” He blew out a breath and you held yours. “Maybe you’d want to date me.” Goose pimples rose on your flesh at his words. This was the moment you dreamed about, and now, here it finally was. When you didn’t answer right away Jamie added, “That is…did you want to go on a date?”

 The corners of your lips pulled up into a smile and Jamie’s did as well. “I’d like that.”

 “Me too.” He adjusted himself so that he was sitting closer to you on the log you shared. Now only an inch or two separated the two of you as he hesitantly made a move to hold your hand. It hovered just above yours for a few seconds, both of your eyes shifting down to watch as he finally clasped your hands together, and then you were both shared a stupid grin. “Can I…kiss you?”

 You were speechless at all that had transpired in the last couple of moments, and so you just nodded, both excited and afraid to share your first kiss with Jamie. You moved in closer, while Jamie did the same. Your eyes slowly going shut as your lips drew near. Jamie’s lips ghosted over yours, just barely a brush against your skin as first, but then he added a bit more pressure and it was both awkward and wonderful at the same time. You both stayed that way for several heartbeats neither of you moving, both unsure what the next move was. His free hand, the one that wasn’t tightly laced with yours, came up to caress your cheeks, and then your lips were moving together and it was one kiss simply melting into a million more. Unconsciously, you sighed. Your lips parting open for him and his tongue darted into your mouth. Eyes flying open at the contact, you weren’t sure how to react. Of course, you knew what a French kiss was, had seen it on television a million times, but to experience it was quite different. You realized you could taste the beer he’d drunk earlier and something else, though you couldn’t put your finger on it. Tentatively, you let your tongue mingle with his, letting your eyes flutter shut once again so you could savor the feel of this kiss; your first kiss with Jamie Benn. 

 It was one of many that you shared with Jamie over the next few months. He took you out on several dates, mostly to the movies or to the little pizza shop you both loved, but most nights were either spent on your couch or his, where you’d watch hockey and then makeout until it was time for curfew. Your relationship progressed about as much as any fifteen going on sixteen-year-olds did; there was a lot of holding hands and quiet kisses. On night’s that one of your parents would go out and leave you both alone, it definitely went from first to second base rather quickly, and you learned that Jamie was definitely a boob man. He became an expert at unclasp your bra in record time, of course, there was a learning curve that involved a lot of fumbling around. 

 It was Jamie’s birthday, that you decided to give him a present he’d never forget. For the life of you at the age of fifteen, you couldn’t figure out why it was called a blowjob when you were definitely supposed to suck on his cock. Thankfully, you’d seen enough of your brother’s porn stash to know how to give a proper one and not look completely stupid. Though you didn’t expect to gag when Jamie thrust his hips into your face uncontrollably. At least you recovered quickly and were able to swallow most of his cum when it shot down the back of your throat. It was two weeks later that he finally reciprocated, by going down on you in the backseat of his car. While not the most romantic place in the world, his tongue flicking across your clit made up for the cliché atmosphere. 

 By the end of summer, you’d rounded all the bases but hadn’t hit a home run yet. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to sleep with Jamie; it was the exact opposite. However, there just wasn’t a time or place for the deed to get done. The two of you had discussed and decided that you wanted to make it special and not just make it some little box that you could check off in your relationship. This would be the first time for both of you, so while it was going to be memorable, you also wanted to savor it. As neither of you were eighteen yet, it wasn’t like you could go and get a hotel, for you’d thought about that option, and you’d already ruled at the car. With limited options in Victoria, you had no choice but to travel to your parents' second house on the outskirts of Vancouver. It was rarely used, as your dad only stayed there on business trips which had become less frequent over the last couple of years. Even though the house was rarely occupied, you came up with an elaborate plan for your parents to let you not only stay there overnight but travel there by yourself. Well, technically it wasn’t by yourself as you said you were going with your best friend Emma. Who covered for you, god love her.

 You weren’t sure what excuse Jamie had told his parents, but he picked you up at Emma’s house one Saturday morning and the two of you made the trip in less than three hours. It was a nerve-wracking drive, though Jamie held your hand most of the time. It wasn’t really the thought of having sex with Jamie that made you uneasy. It was the thought of having sex period. You were afraid it was going to hurt, but you kept trying to push past that thought, knowing that you wanted to do this, more so that you wanted to do this with Jamie. 

 It was awkward, just like all your firsts with Jamie were, but eventually, you two were able to move past that, and in the end, it was actually kind of amazing. Though the most wonderful part had to be falling asleep in Jamie’s arms. He’d made you felt so loved and cherished, and you’d known right then and there that you’d made the right decision to give you virginity away to this man. It felt like the two of you would be together forever.

 That was until the following Tuesday at school came around. There were stares and whispers everywhere you looked, or so it seemed. It wasn’t until lunchtime, that you finally found out what was going on, and then it was only from Emma. “Em, what is going on with everyone? I feel like half these guys are staring at me.”

 She closed her eyes as if mustering up the courage to tell you something she didn’t want to. “Jamie told everyone that you two slept together.” You gasped, then quickly covered up both your mouth and the hurt that came along with it. “That’s not the worst of it,” Emma said and it felt like your heart just sank into your stomach. “I also heard that he told people you two have been fucking for months.” There were so many ‘whys’ and ‘how could he’ running around in your head you couldn’t make heads or tails of them. Jamie wouldn’t do this, there had to be some explanation. Your eyes scanned the cafeteria looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found. You were just about to get up and look for him when Emma’s hand came down on yours. “There’s more. He said the only reason he was dating you was because you were easy.” Bile rose in the back of your throat and you wanted to just run to the girls' bathroom and cry, but Emma stopped you. “Don’t,” she said simply. “If you go, it will just feed more gossip. Act like nothing is wrong and that nothing happened. Like you don’t care.” Easy for her to say when it felt like your heart was being ripped out of your chest along with your reputation. “Breathe.” You hadn’t realized you’d stopped until she said the word. 

 The rest of the day was a complete blur. You couldn’t find Jamie anywhere. As soon as you could make it home after practice, you were dialing his number. His mom answered, “I’m sorry (Y/N), Jamie’s not feeling well. I’ll have him call you when he’s feeling better.” The next day passed and still the lingering stares, mostly from the guys, continued. You’d even had a few ask you out, to which you simply rolled your eyes and told them it would only happen in their dreams. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say and just added fuel to the fire, making it seem like everything that Jamie had said true. He avoided you yet another day and you were beginning to wonder if he was going to pretend to be sick the entire school year just so he didn’t have to face you. By the third day that you hadn’t heard from him, you knew it was done. No matter what excuse he could give you, it would never make up for not only what he said but the way he’d treated you afterward. You simply needed to move on. So, when you saw him at school the following day, you completely ignored him. He attempted to talk to you several times, but you weren’t having it. “Come on (Y/N), please just talk to me.”

 “I think you’ve done enough talking for the both of us Jamie. We’re through.” There was hurt in his eyes and you wanted to break down and cry right then and there, but you held your head up high and continued down the hall to your next class. It was two periods later that Emma was handing you a note. You unfolded it, seeing Jamie’s writing on the top.

 (Y/N),

I’m sorry. Please let me explain….

 That’s all you read before tearing the letter up and tossing it in the garbage can in front of Jamie, hoping he would get the point and leave you alone. He didn’t. As soon as you walked in the door of your house, your mom told you he’d called three times already. After explaining that the two of you broke up, and crying on your mom’s shoulder for a half-hour, though not mentioning the details of your breakup; she told Jamie not to call back when the phone rang again. Ever persistent, Jamie came banging on the door after dinner. This time it was your dad that told him he wasn’t wanted in your home, even though Jamie was practically begging him to let you in, while you sobbed in the background. He kept up the same routine over the next week, all with the same result until eventually, he gave up.

 Over the next two weeks, you could hear the whispers as you walked down the hall. Girls muttering that you were slut, while the boys were trying to figure out which one of them would get to sample you next; now that it was clear you were no longer with Jamie. The icing on the cake was when David, the soccer player you’d been tutoring told everyone that you hadn’t been studying at all; that he’d been sleeping with you for the last month. No matter how many times you said it was a lie, no one believed you. Your reputation was simply shredded apart all by a few words Jamie had uttered. So, after a couple months of being talked about, there was only one thing left to do, and that was to become that girl that they whispered about. If they were going to condemn you, you might as well earn it.

 Your junior and senior year, you became the girl that gave the star point guard a blow job behind the bleachers after the game, as well as giving one to the goalie, the wide receiver, and the captain of the debate team, and a few more as well. Jamie seemed to take out his aggression on the ice, dropping the gloves with opponents left and right, but you tried to pay him no mind. Until he finally went to play for the Grizzlies and you didn’t have to see him all the time. By then end of high school, you truly had earned the reputation that he’d given you, but you were sick of it. Tired of being looked at for only sex, you applied to schools in the US. Thankfully, while you’d jumping from penis to penis, you’d still kept up your studies and were accepted at every school you’d applied to. 

 When you received your acceptance letter from Georgetown, along with a scholarship, you jumped at the chance to put yourself all the way across the continent from not only Jamie but what you’d become. At University, you put your head to the books instead of on some unknown guy’s cock, studying constantly which earned you a 4.0 in undergrad, and basically allowed you have your pick at the top medical schools in both Canada and the United States. It was a no brainer when John Hopkins wanted you and during your time there, you were able to work with not only the Baltimore Ravens but the Orioles as well, all within your first year. Which had you taking up orthopedics and sports medicine as your specialty. 

 All of this led you to today and the offer you were currently mulling over. It was literally everything you’d ever wanted and allowed you to work with not only the NFL but the NBA and the NHL as well. It was the last one that had you rethinking it though. The pros well outweighed the only one con that you could think of and that was Jamie Benn. Who’s to say if he’d even remember you though? It wasn’t like you could forget him after what he’d done, but you let him dictate enough of your life; you weren’t about to let him continue. So, you typed up your written acceptance, then called Dr. Ellis to let him know you were taking the job. You’d made a new reputation for yourself this time around and you weren’t about to let Jamie Benn ruin this one. 

[thatcartoonnetworkblog]

Comic Review: Cartoon Network Presents #6

I said I was gonna do this, so let’s get this rolling!

Okay, so Cartoon Network Presents was among the first lineup of DC’s CN comics, alongside their Scooby-Doo book and The Flintstones and the Jetsons. Those are pretty self-explanatory, but CN Presents was meant to be a grab bag of the rest of their lineup, featuring favorites from the vast Hanna-Barbera library as well as some of their recent hits. At this point, I believe they were just doing Dexter’s Lab and Cow & Chicken, as Johnny Bravo’s first season was more or less written off as a failure at the time. But don’t worry, Johnny will have his day.

Okay, so confession time- this story is not new to me. Way back when, DC released a freebie comic which had stories from each of their three CN titles, and this was featured in there, alongside a short Scooby story where a stalker keeps on doning a costume to get closer to Daphne, and a Jetsons story where George is replaced by a robot version of himself. Needless to say, some serious memories came crawling back to me when I saw the cover.

Anyway, both of the stories featured in this issue are done by regulars in the comic industry, and I’ll bring up how apparent that is in a bit,

That said, I can see this story actually fit in an episode of Cow & Chicken, as it’s a cautionary tale that doesn’t go in the usual direction you’d expect, like many of David Feiss’ cartoons tend to do things. This starts off with Chicken littering, which goes against what his and Cow’s teacher taught them in school. Chicken, as per usual, is apathetic to his loud teacher’s learnings, but he changes his tune when Cow mentions that bringing in metal can bring you some change,

Needless to say, Chicken has some ideas, and he starts scourging around town. There’s a slight detour when he learns that you only receive payments from going to the trash collector directly, but it gives him incentive to have Flem and Earl help him out.

Alongside a dubious reading of Malcolm X’s philosophy.

The three of them find enough metal to hopefully make them a little richer, and they’re greeted at the trash heep by a weird looking Cerberus creature, and guess who they belong to!

Yeah, it’s the Red Guy. It’s not a Cow & Chicken segment without him, is it? 

I had a better screenshot of his appearance, but it came out weird and I don’t feel like taking another, so let’s skip to this part where Chicken is caught cheating the scale, and is about to be rightfully punished along with Flem and Earl. Not by death, but by filling up the Red Guy’s furnace, which is actually pretty fair.

But have no fear, Supercow is on the way to come save the day! This comic even translates her dialogue for us, which the show never did. 

It ends with her beating the shit out of Cerberus and the Red Guy, even though Chicken deserves his punishment. Flem and Earl, not so much.

It’s a fun enough story, and it does seem like a perfect fit for the show. The dialogue fits right in with the show.

Even Flem’s awkward, vaguely racist broken English. I’m not touching that one...

The art style is a little off, though, looking more like a regular DC comic than an episode of Cow & Chicken.

I mean, it looks like Chicken, but doesn’t the penciling look closer to an issue of Robin at the time instead of something? But it’s a minor complaint, as it’s still a fun read.

The b story is new to me, with a Quick Draw McGraw story. It starts off pretty ordinary, as El Kabong OLE’s himself to save the day. Er, not that ordinary, as El Kabong is a bit of a klutz and usually needs Baba Looey’s help, but it’s okay, something’s about to change.

It turns out that El Kabong’s identity may be liable for copyright infringement, as there’s a Canadian crime fighter known as Le Kabong.

We meet him here, and I believe he’s meant to be Loopy de Loop, but he looks more like Hokey Wolf... or maybe Mr. Jinx. Hanna-Barbeta made some nice-looking characters, but they get pretty samey.

Anyway, his agency was the one who ordered a cease and desist to El Kabong, while his French Canadian doppelganger refuses to follow suit, considering it unheroic. Until it’s discovered that someone kidnapped the local hockey team, and he takes action... so I guess he blames the devil we know? That isn’t really explained, as the next panel shows Quick Straw accepting a battle of the Kabongs.

So we’re about to get a WWE (or I guess WWF. Or maybe WCW?) match, until a new challenger approaches, with a German vigilante jumping in.

And then many more. This switches from wrestling to Super Smash Bros to a full on battle royale of the localized knock-offs. Which I won’t lie, it’s a pretty funny idea.

Luckily, what’s a Kabong without a trusty sidekick to save the day? A few of them attempt to team up to find a way to put a stop to this, including one who looks like Boo Boo with Yogi’s hat and Johnny Bravo’s glasses.

So it ends with the Kabong from Mars (no Spiders) threatening all of the puny humans to stop their shenanigans, and go back to their duties. Which hey, it works! And the story ends with Quick Draw attempting to turn the ten million pesos El Kabong received at the beginning from saving the day into cash. Except pesos are basically useless, which is funny haha right?

This reads like a Hanna-Barbera writer from the 90′s attempting to write a classic character in the present day, and mostly works alright. This does show off one problem with Quick Draw though, that its take on Hispanic culture during the period of the Wild West is problematic. Baba Looey for instance has an exaggerated voice, and he probably needs an overhaul to work today (how did that work in Jellystone btw? I still need to see it). And unfortunately, this point in the late 90′s isn’t all that much more sympathetic to Hispanic culture, as their take mostly stays the same.

But away from that, it’s pretty funny. I do really like Quick Draw when it focuses on how pathetic he is as a supposed hero, either with or without the El Kabong persona.

But I wouldn’t have known if this was in if I didn’t pick up the book. I do understand why Cow & Chicken was the main attraction- *insert Malcolm in the Middle “future is now, old man” img here*- but part of the appeal of Cartoon Network at the time was the mix of old and new school. It wasn’t uncommon to see a classic like Quick Draw next to a modern fav like Cow & Chicken.

But oh well, let’s finish this up. The letters column features a 12 year old offering some of his cartoon ideas- I hope John made it; another boy named John who offers a cute drawing of Space Ghost, and asks about Jan, Jase, and Blip, while insulting the latter, which the editor is not here for; and another boy asking if there are plans for stories featuring 2 Stupid Dogs or Secret Squirrel, as well as hopes for a Cow & Chicken comic. The editor shoots down 2 Stupid Dogs happening, and to be fair, I don’t believe that ever happens. Classic cartoons from 40 years earlier? Sure. Something that ended about five years earlier? Old news. But I do believe Secret Squirrel does show up at some point.

The editor then bemoans how no girls brought in letters this month, and offers a preview of the next issue, which involves Wacky Races. And guess what, I have that one too!

The issue proper ends with an editorial about the importance of recycling, which is fine and all, but my reaction to reading this was “blahblahblah put on more cartoons”

Not bad! Oh, and one more thing of note.

I know, I know, they’re the enemy, and I was all over CN at this point, but I have memories of this promotion. Even though I believe it was long over at this point, and Alex Mack should have aired its last episodes before this issue hit stands. 

Here’s an ad! And now it’s in your head. Sorry/you’re welcome!

[human-hetalia-imagines]

☆ Rules & Information ☆

This is a blog dedicated to doing imagines surrounding my original human au. Here’s a description for each character's place in the au and rules for requests — I’ll be adding more characters as I get more comfortable writing for them.

*I did change the names of some characters so that they would reflect the countries they come from

*Also: this shit long, so strap in and get ready

☆Rules for Imagines☆

I’ll do imagines, or a bullet point list of up to 6 characters at one time, or a written scenario for up to 3 characters

I’ll also do nyos and genderbends of each character (ngl, I simp after nyo!America), their placement in the au won't change.

I include South Italy and Prussia in the axis, and Canada in the Allies

I’ll write fluff, smut, angst, and everything in between

I absolutely won’t write: incest, explicit sexual assault or excessive gore

The only time I will do romantic/sexual imagines for the characters who canonically have the physical appearance of people under 18 is if you explicitly state that you want them aged up, or if the reader is also underage. If you request adult x minor, I will discard your ask & invert your rib cage.

☆Rules for Matchups☆ 

Before submitting, check if they’re open or not, they won’t always be due to not wanting my page cluttered with them

When requesting, include personality, interests, dislikes, any pets you have, fun facts about yourself, and possibly clothing style

Don’t bother to include physical features as those will not be taken into account when pairing you up with someone

Include whether you want the matchup to be romantic, platonic, or one of each

☆Character Au Placements☆

North America

America | Alfred Jones, age 19

A young man that's cheerful and strong, with a strong sense of justice. He often can't read situations and has a habit of ruining the mood, whatever mood that may be. While he’s usually labeled as “incompetent”, he’s attending college (or university, depending where you’re from) to obtain a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering. He plays as the pitcher on his college’s baseball team, able to throw a devastating fastball. He lives in a two bedroom apartment with his twin brother, Matthew. He had a crush on Amelia Earhart when he was younger, and it’s something that Matthew teases him about on a weekly basis. 

Canada | Matthew Williams, age 19

On the surface, he's an easygoing, softhearted and gentle young man, around his twin brother and close friends, however, he can be quite sassy, nearly bordering on rude on occasion. He's in his first year of college for a degree in statistics. For the college, he plays as the Center on the hockey team, where he lets out steam on his opponents. He has a pure white rag-doll cat named Kumajirou that follows him around his and Alfred's apartment. He curses regularly in french. 

United Kingdom 

England | Arthur Kirkland, age 23

He's either a quick-witted, sarcastic and stubborn man, or the paragon of a perfect gentleman. He enjoys reading, writing (although he doesn’t show anyone his stories), and embroidering. He’s gotten so skillful at it, that he has a well-traversed Etsy shop. He’s currently in his last year of getting his Postsecondary Education degree and a minor in linguistics. When he was a teenager, he was a delinquent, going to loud concerts, fighting, dyeing his hair wild colors, and smoking. While he says he’s over it, he still keeps various CDs of OK Go and The Rolling Stones, as well as band t-shirts. It’s something that his 3 older brothers refuse to let go of.

Baltic

Estonia | Eduard von Bock, Age 19

He's a graduated honors student who has avoided many problems with wit. Usually in front of people he acts calm, logical, and businessman-like, but in private he’s actually pretty chill, albeit a bit quiet. He’s awesome with technology, and works part-time at his college as an IT advisor while he studies to get his Quality Control & Safety Technologies degree.

Latvia | Raivis Galante, age 15

He’s a boy who has been through quite a bit, making him an introvert, easily intimidated, and kind of a crybaby. He’s in his first year of high school, but due to him having an anxiety disorder, he does it digitally. The only problem is that he strives to have friends who are close to him and care for him unconditionally. He secretly likes to read cutesy romance novels from the young adult section.

Lithuania | Toris Laurinaitis, age 19

He's a patient, shy, and gentle person who has the ability to become pretty serious when he needs to be. He works as a librarian assistant while he decides between a degree in social work or education. He, unfortunately, usually over-thinks his decisions too much, causing him to have anxiety attacks. When he’s not working, he’s typically just dragged around by his close friend, Feliks, but he has a good time nonetheless.

Nordic

Denmark | Mathias Køhler, age, 19

He’s a genuine sweetheart who often accidentally always yells. While he is kind, he’s also a bit thick-headed, although he always has the best of intentions. He considers himself to be very close to his friends, especially to Lukas, although the other man’s opinion on the matter is about the opposite. He attends college for a master’s degree in, surprisingly enough, Business Administration. When he isn’t studying, he enjoys clinging to his friends and drinking. He has the habit of playing online video games with Alfred and Gilbert for way too long at a given time. He also gets oddly competitive over his degree with Tino. 

Finland | Tino Väinämöinen, Aged 20

He's a gentle, cheery young man with a tendency to like the more simplistic things in life. He seems very mature, yet can be childlike. He loves relaxing in saunas, especially with his close friends. He has a small Maltese pup named Hanatamago who attends dog shows. When he’s not attending dog shows, he does online college for a masters in Medical Assisting. 

Iceland | Emil Steilsson, age 17

He’s a mysterious boy with a cool exterior and a hot interior, being a bit easy to provoke with teasing. His older half-brother often insists that he was ‘born in his emo phase’. He taught his pet puffin (geniously named Mr. Puffin) a lot of profanity in Icelandic, Norwegian, and English. He attends high school, which he is absolutely over. On a side note, even though Lukas is his half-brother, he often refuses to have any connection to him whatsoever in public. 

Norway | Lukas Bondevik , age 18

He is, like his half-brother, very introverted. However, he is considerably more cold to strangers, but to his close friends, he can (sometimes) be very sweet. He just recently finished highschool, but intends on going straight into college for an Applied Data Science degree. He practices Modern Paganism, or Wicca, as his religion. 

Sweden | Berwald Oxenstierna, Aged 21

He’s a guy with an intimidating air who doesn’t talk much. On the inside he’s playful, but it doesn’t show at all and he just seems intimidating. He works as a carpenter after he went to a trade high school, a job that he greatly enjoys. Other than that, he likes decorative arts and being a part of debates on his free time. While he can create furniture out of wood scraps without any blueprints, he can’t put together IKEA furniture to save his life. 

Eastern Europe

Belarus | Natalia Arlovskaya, age 19

While she can be extremely possessive over her older brother and sister, she means well. She openly looks up to both of them, as they are the only two people in her life that have remained constants. She lives with both of them in a house and works part-time at her sister’s flower shop. She’s also a part-time online student with a pursuit of a criminology degree.

Russia | Ivan Braginski, age 21

He has the simplicity of a country bumpkin, an easy-going personality, and the cruelty of a child, all mixed together. Coupled with his personality traits and the fact that he’s well over 6 feet tall, he constantly (and accidentally) gives off an intimidating air. He attends college for a Avionics Technology bachelor's degree. Deep down, he’s incredibly passionate about ballet, more specifically Russian ballet, his favorite being Don Quixote, with Sleeping Beauty as a close second.

Ukraine | Katyusha Braginskaya, age 24

Ivan and Natalia’s older sister who always recklessly gets dragged into their messes. She's an absolute sweetheart who strives to make the people around her happy, even at her own expense. She can be very emotional. She owns a flower shop where she let’s her younger siblings work part-time while they go to school.

Central Europe

Germany | Ludwig Beilschmidt, age 20

He's a young man with an overly serious personality and a pessimistic nature. He's very by-the-book and has a pet peeve for a lack of cleanliness. He attends college for mechanical engineering and dorms with Feliciano and Kiku. His older brother, Gilbert, regularly breaks in and hangs out with them. His hobbies are reading, making sweets and taking walks with his dogs (that live with Gilbert). He’s in a garage band with the three aforementioned guys. He does, however, want to be a soldier like the other members in his family. Unfortunately, due to an injury to his leg that he sustained as a kid, he can’t. 

Hungary | Elizabeta Héderváry, age 26

She’s a sweet, reliable woman with a bit of a boyish streak. For a career, she works doing maintenance on a farm that belongs to a close friend, Basch (Switzerland). In her free time, she likes riding horses, going hiking and practicing instruments, one of which is the tekerőlant. She has a young child, Julian (Kugelmugel), from a previous relationship with her ex fiance, Roderich (Austria). Thankfully, things are civil between the two.

Liechtenstein | Lili Zwingli, age 15

She’s the darling, adoptive younger sister of Basch (Switzerland). She has a big heart and helps out on her brother’s farm wherever she can, and because she spends so much time on the farm, she’s gotten decently close to Elizabeta. She enjoys feeding, brushing, and cuddling her two angora rabbits on her free time, as well as knitting. Sometimes she’ll submit her bunnies to be participants in rabbit shows (Cocoa has 1 and Cinna-bun has 3).

Poland | Feliks Łukasiewicz, age 19

He has a fierce anxiety towards strangers, and upon a first meeting, he'll act very shy. Once he gets used to someone, he'll act goofy and a bit childish, clinging onto his closest friends. He attends college for a degree in fashion design and marketing. He is also very opinionated. He often drags his friends to Francis’ patisserie for cute aesthetic pictures. 

Prussia | Gilbert Beilschmidt, age 24

He comes off as rude, loud and self-centered, but he’s actually incredibly sweet and loyal almost to a fault. He’s catholic and takes his religion seriously to the point of keeping a cross necklace with him nearly all the time. While he wanted to join the army like the rest of his family, his albinism keeps him from being able to. Because of this, many members of the family see him as the Family Disappointment™, causing a strain between him and them. Unrelated, but when Ludwig lived with him, he caught Gilbert trying to play all three parts of Suite en trio, Op. 59: I. Serenade by himself with all three instruments at 2 in the morning.

Switzerland | Basch Zwingli, age 25

He’s an intimidating man with a soft heart. He owns a farm that has been in his family for generations, and it’s a job that he’s greatly proud of and fiercely protective over. He has technically adopted Lili as a daughter, but they both view each other as siblings. Regardless, Francis has still referred to him as a DILF before. He doesn’t understand what it means, and Elizabeta has assured him that he doesn't want to. On a more pure note, he enjoys attending rabbit shows whenever there’s any in the area, and has encouraged Lili to participate in them with hers.

Africa

Seychelles | Veronique Bonnefoy, age 17

She’s a southern country girl with a big heart. She's a bit sloppy and has the tendency to laze around when the weather gets warmer. She often laments over her being lonely to her friends, especially to Alfred and Matthew. She enjoys cooking, singing, and dancing. She takes after her brother figure (technically adoptive father), Francis, being a bit of a romantic herself. She’s in her senior year of high school, and is excited to be done with it. Once she ate pizza rolls in front of Francis and he almost cried. 

Asia

China | Yao Wang, age 19

He’s a (mostly) easy-going person, if not a bit of a hermit. He works as a waiter currently, but attends several courses in hopes of getting his food-handlers permit to, one day, open his own authentic Chinese food restaurant. He lives with his 5 other siblings, all of which jokingly refer to him as “grandpa” due to how often he complains about back pain and makes acupuncture appointments every 2 weeks. When his 6th sibling, Kiku, moved out for college, he was pretty salty. In his free time, he mostly plays Mahjong the practices the Érhù. He’s unabashedly likes and collects cute things such as small charms and plushies.

Japan | Kiku Honda, age 19

While, at first glance, he seems quiet and serious, he can actually be quite goofy and irresponsible with his money, buying anime memorabilia and American comic books. It’s something that one of his roommates, Ludwig, lectures him about quite a bit. His other roommate, Feliciano, sees nothing wrong with it. He attends college for a degree in animation. He enjoys messing with machines and drawing.

South Korea | Im Yong Soo, age 16

He’s a hyperactive young man with strong aspirations when it comes to schooling. He shows the upmost respect to strangers and his elders alike, but when he’s around friends and immediate family he tends to be more loud and silly. He’s currently knee deep in the K-pop wave sweeping the world and practices idol dances on tiktok. 

Taiwan | Mei Xiao, age 18

She is a strong-willed, fashionable young woman, but she's also said to have become more of a nervous type in recent times, unable to stop worrying. She has the tendency to be a bit smart-mouthed with a somewhat quick temper. Other than that, she has a sweet and cheerful disposition. She lives with all of her siblings (China, Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Korea, and Thailand) and works as a hostess as a restaurant while she takes a break from schooling. 

Mediterranean

France | Francis Bonnefoy, age 24

He's someone who does things at his own pace and has an abundance of affectionate expressions for friends, family, and strangers alike. He owns his own patisserie which has become increasingly popular as a spot for dates and hipsters to eat cute, artfully made sweets and drink aesthetically pleasing coffees and teas. He loves culture and the arts, as well as paintings and clothing.

North Italy | Feliciano Vargas, age 20

He's a cheerful guy who can be a little bit of a crybaby. While he relies on his friends a lot, he deeply cares for them. He's attending college for a fine arts degree where he shares a dorm room with Ludwig and Kiku. He enjoys painting, singing and designing clothes. Also, while only a few people know this, he can play both acoustic and electric guitar. He’s in a garage band with Ludwig, Kiku, and Gilbert

South Italy | Lovino Vargas, age 22

He constantly starts arguments and fights, however he’s also a bit of a coward. He has the ability to be hardworking, but often doesn’t out of laziness. While he’ll never admit it, he’s quite the hopeless romantic, striving to find someone who will love him despite his flaws. He’s in college to obtain a bachelor's in agricultural studies with a minor in history, but absolutely refused to share a dorm with his younger brother, who he often teases about choosing to get a ‘useless art degree.’ He enjoys gardening, dancing, and playing the acoustic guitar in his free time. He also likes sketching, but due to feeling insecure, he never shows people his work, or even tells them that he does it.

Spain | Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, age 24

While he can be oblivious and even insensitive, he’s a generally friendly person with a cheerful deposition. He works as a bartender in a decently popular bar in the downtown of his city that’s within walking distance of his house. When he’s not working, he enjoys playing the flamenco guitar and practicing dancing. Since he’s very sociable, before work, he typically stops by Francis’ pastry shop to talk to him as he closes up.

Also, did you know that, in canon, Feliciano can play electric guitar and Ludwig can play the drums?? What I’m saying is: punk garage band w/ Kiku on vocals. Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk.  

[verothexeno]

“hi, I’m not from the US” ask set

given how Americanized this site is, it’s important to celebrate all our countries and nationalities - with all their quirks and vices and ridiculousness, and all that might seem strange to outsiders. ^^^Found that and I wanted to give it a try :) ! My country is Canada. I live in Québec, which means there’s a lot of French influence. HERE I GOOOOO

1. favourite place in your country? Montréal at night. Depending on where you are, things can either be really peaceful or really energetic. Although I’m not fond of living in that city, the years I spent there during college were just out of this world. It’s a feeling I never want to forget.

2. do you prefer spending your holidays in your country or travel abroad? I’ve never spent holidays abroad. I’ve always been in my country because, HAH, it snows so much that planes have difficulties taking off sometimes HAHAHA

3. does your country have access to sea? Yeh ! As Canada’s motto goes by: A Mari Usque Ad Mare. From Sea to Sea.

4. favourite dish specific for your country? POUTINE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Especially when drunk, omfg.

5. favourite song in your native language? Daniel Bélanger - Les Deux Printemps / OR / Véronique Dicaire - Feel Happy and many more !

6. most hated song in your native language? OH GOD UHM ... so many? One for sure is Mes Aïeux - Dégénération ... that song was played everywhere FOR SO LONG AND I HATE IT SO MUCH. IT’S BORING AND REPETITIVE, JUST LIKE A FREAKING RIGODON. FFFFFUUUCCKKKK.

7. three words from your native language that you like the most? Tabarnack. Ciboire. Osti d’câlisse. .... ALL SWEAR WORDS.

8. do you get confused with other nationalities? if so, which ones and by whom? WIth French from France, obviously :B !! But I don’t have the outrageous accent they have HAHA. When I speak English though sometimes my french accent comes out and people are always curious about my nationality whenever I go to the USA.

9. which of your neighbouring countries would you like to visit most/know best? I MEAN. The only neighbouring country there is is the USA x’DDDD and I’ve visitied a couple of times. I want to go there more though :) !

10. most enjoyable swear word in your native language? TABARNACK !!!!!

11. favourite native writer/poet? Alfred Desrochers. There’s probably more but he’s the first one to pop in my mind right now. I had to do an analysis of his work at University and I’ve fallen in love with his writing <3

12. what do you think about English translations of your favourite native prose/poem? Man, it sucks. HAHAHAH. I mean, French tends to be very poetic and uses a lot of words to describe one things; while English is very short and precise. It’s hard to convey certain feelings through that language :’T ... when I write in French, my paragraphs are way bigger than when I write in English x’D

13. does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders? Hmmm, idk. My grandma has that weird thing going on that she can tell if the winter is going to be rough only by looking at onions throughout the summer/autumn. IT’S AN OLD THING.

14. do you enjoy your country’s cinema and/or TV? For humor, I have to agree that Québec has a very good sense of it. Otherwise, I think most TV shows and movies are shit. It’s poorly funded most of the time and they tend to be dramatic/family drama most of the time. It sucks balls and I’m bored of it. Québecers are thirsty for it though, holy fuck!

15. a saying, joke, or hermetic meme that only people from your country will get?

16. which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with? That we’re all nice and polite and very accepting. Half bullshit, half truth. A lot of people here are very racist, but a good portion of them still have a good heart and will help others in times of need. Québec people are very family centered and heart-warming.

17. are you interested in your country’s history? Yes, although it’s very boring x’DDD

18. do you speak with a dialect of your native language? Of course I do ! I was raised in it HAHAHA

19. do you like your country’s flag and/or emblem? what about the national anthem? Yeah, it’s nice :) !! It’s nice that our anthem is both in French and English !

20. which sport is The Sport in your country? Hockey -_____________________-

21. if you could send two things from your country into space, what would they be? Maple syrup and a flannel shirt HAHAHAHAHAHA

22. what makes you proud about your country? what makes you ashamed? We’re very open to others and willing to make changes. But our governement is shit and there’s still so many problems with the natives, it’s ridiculous :(

23. which alcoholic beverage is the favoured one in your country? Most people here drink beer. I prefer WINE.

24. what other nation is joked about most often in your country? The USA. France. English Canadians.

25. would you like to come from another place, be born in another country? Frankly, no. I love my country. It’s beautiful - not perfect - but a good place to live in.

26. does your nationality get portrayed in Hollywood/American media? what do you think about the portrayal? I’ve seen some French Canadian characters in some animated movies and I think even live action movies ? They tend to give them French from France accents, but otherwise it’s not much. I think Québecers and French accents are very different when they’re speaking in English.

27. favourite national celebrity? uurrhhgg ? Céline Dion xDDDDD she’s from Québec.

28. does your country have a lot of lakes, mountains, rivers? do you have favourites? Québec has a lot of forests, lakes and rivers. But as for mountains, you NEED to go to British Columbia. The mountains there are BEAUTIFUL <3

29. does your region/city have a beef with another place in your country? Ontario :U ... hell, the rest of Canada doesn’t really like us xDDDD

30. do you have people of different nationalities in your family? We’re all from here ! But in term of heritage, most of it is from France, Germany and Ireland !

[orangecuties]

Last Party

A/N: If you’ve been sort of following my sidgeno college AU here’s the big (possibly last) part you’ve been waiting for, it’s about 8k words. 

Part 1: X  Part 2: X  ao3 link: X

Sidney spent his summer visiting with his family, mostly Taylor, who seemed to grow faster the more he was away.  He also did a little bit of fishing when he could, but most of his time was spent training. He knew the summer was meant for taking a break, his mother often reminded him of it, but he still felt the need to prove himself.

He knew his first season playing hockey for the school had gone well, but he didn’t want to chance the possibility of a sophomore slump and let everyone on his team down. Plus, he was the captain, and he needed to set a good example for his fellow teammates and work twice as hard. He was one of the top point earners for the team, but that meant nothing if he couldn’t keep it up.  If he wasn’t the best he could possibly be then what could he have to offer; no one on the team would respect him, especially as a sophomore captain, so he trained.

He didn’t really mind training though, not all the time. He felt at ease on the ice, pushing his body to work harder and do exactly what he wanted it too; being able to work through pain and grow stronger and more skilled. He felt in control on the ice and knew that it was where he was meant to be.

He also may or may not have been thinking of a certain someone who would hopefully be at his games this season, while he was training.

Sid wasn’t naïve enough to think the guy in the elevator didn’t know who he was, the school was well known for their hockey team and well, Sid wasn’t exactly bad at hockey. The guy had also mentioned hockey to Sid in the elevator, so he was clearly already a fan of at least NHL hockey, if not college. He was different from other people though; Sid had gotten used to “fans” fawning over him and more often than not trying to get into his pants rather than have a conversation. Sid didn’t exactly like calling people fans though, it’s not like the team is famous, he likes calling them supporters or just students with a lot of school spirit.

But the guy in the elevator didn’t seem like that, he actually talked to him, joked with him, he didn’t seem to just say whatever he thought Sid wanted to hear. And he was also massively Sid’s type. As someone on a college sports team, it’s not always easy to find someone who is taller and bigger than you who isn’t on your team; but the way he seemed to loom over Sid in the elevator, well, Sid may have spent a few summer nights imagining how the guy could’ve easily crowded him into a corner of the elevator and pinned him to the wall.

Sid clung to the hope that he would run into the guy sometime at school once summer was over but the campus was huge and he didn’t even know if they were the same year or if they’d have the same classes. He knew nothing about him other than he was Russian, and it’s not like there’s a list of all the Russian students on the school website, Sid had looked. His best bet was to spot him in the stands at a game, but even then, Sid was on the ice and focused on beating the team across from him, he couldn’t exactly run into the stands in the middle of a shift to tell some guy “Hi remember me? We talked for about 5 minutes in an elevator? Wanna go out sometime I’m not busy with homework, games, and practice?” Sid was doomed. He’d never see him again.

Sid and all other school athletes were allowed to move into their dorms two weeks early so that they could begin practicing. It was nice having the campus relatively quiet and just open for him to roam.  Sid spent most of his time hanging out with Flower, Tanger, and the others guys on the hockey team; he felt it was important to bond as a team and they put up with his constant hockey talk, most of the time. Plus, they had a house near the campus where a few of the guys from the team lived and was basically the resident hangout spot for the team where they could mess around with no noise complaints or RA’s.

The two weeks eventually came to an end though. Sid got an email that his roommate would be moving in early on the Thursday before everyone else moved in the following Saturday. He thought about waiting in the dorm in order to introduce himself and make a good first impression, but he figured the guy would want space to move his things in and besides, he’d have the whole year to spend time with him, so he decided he’d spend the night at the hockey house for the last two days before everyone moved in and real school began.

He spent the night in Flower and Tanger’s room Thursday night, and Friday morning the team decided to throw a massive beginning of the year party that same evening.

“Why do we have to have a huge party? There’s not even that many people on campus,” Sid whined.

“Exactly,” Flower replied, “the only people on campus are all the athletes and a few workers, you’ll be surrounded by the hottest people who go to the school.”

“Not all the hottest,” Sid mumbled.

“Oh, he’s upset because his Russian boyfriend isn’t going to be there,” Tanger said while exaggeratedly pouting at Sidney and pinching his cheek

Sidney swatted his hand away and scoffed, “whatever.” He wanted to deny it but the growing blush on his face gave him away, he sincerely regretted telling them about his little encounter in the elevator.

“How do you know he’s not an athlete? You said he was big yeah? Maybe he’s on the wrestling team or something,” Flower suggested.

“He’s Russian right? Maybe he plays tennis or soccer or something,” Tanger added.

“No, I already checked the rosters,” Sid said, then immediately regretted.

Both Tanger and Flower stared at him with faces mixed between amusement and pity.

“Oh, mon amie, we are going to find you a new boy to play with at this party so you can stop obsessing over this random Russian guy, okay?” Flower said.

“Fine,” Sid grumbled.

“That’s the spirit!” Tanger said, clapping his hands together, “now c’mon, we need to help the guys plan and we need to find you something to wear to show off all your assets”

“I am not letting you put me in booty shorts” Sid said with a pointed glare

Tanger and Flower both raised their hands in surrender, “wouldn’t dream of it,” they said through shit eating grins.

Well, it wasn’t booty shorts, but it was close enough.

The guys had decided since it was officially going to be fall in a couple of days, meaning it was still technically summer, and it was only going to get colder and colder, the best theme for the party was “Summer Nights,” which basically meant everyone was scantily clad in either bikinis or board shorts with only booze and each other to keep them warm. Sid had no say in the theme.

Tanger had shoved a pair of black swim shorts at Sid and forced him to wear them; it was either these or a speedo and well, Sid knew when to choose his battles. The shorts didn’t even come to the middle of his thigh and clung to his ass like a mold. They allowed him a t-shirt and baseball cap but the shirt was a size too small and stretched across his back and shoulders and the hat was to stay strictly in the backwards position so that he couldn’t duck and hide his face. When he walked out of the room Tanger and Flower stared at him with open mouths and then began wolf whistling.

“Wow, you are totally gonna get laid tonight” Flower said.

“I’m proud of us, we did good” Tanger said, wiping a pretend tear from his eye.

“If I wasn’t with Vero, I’d totally tap that,” Flower said making butt slapping motions with his hand.

“I bet I could convince Catherine to have a three-way,” Tanger said, pointing at Sid and winking at him.

“I hate you both,” Sid said, moving his arms around trying to stretch out his shirt a little.

“Oh, c’mon Sid, who else is going to dress you up so all the boys will come around begging for your attention?” Flower said putting an around Sid, “we’re like your fairy godmothers, dressing you up so you can get laid, just like the fairytale.”

“I don’t think that’s how it goes,” Sid said.

“You haven’t read the French-Canadian version,” Tanger said.

“Just, do the shorts have to be so tight?” Sid whined.

“Don’t blame us for the tight shorts, that ass would be tight in anything,” Tanger argued.

“More like something would be tight in that ass,” Flower whispered to Tanger as they high-fived and laughed over Sidney’s head.

“Oh my god, I’m leaving you both. I need a drink,” Sid said, leaving them both at the top of the staircase as he went in search of a beer, or something stronger.

“We are such good friends,” Tanger said, “look at him go.”

“They grow up so fast,” Flower said, clutching a hand to his heart.

“Sasha how you get invite to party, isn’t it all athletes?” Geno asked as he continued to follow Alex towards some house that was playing music so loud he could hear it a street over.

“My friend Maria on tennis team say we should come. It’s not just athletes, anyone who’s on campus early can come. And it’s at hockey house, it’s perfect chance for you to reconnect with your hockey boy and me to begin wooing Nicky,” Alex answered as he turned a corner and the house came into sight.

“Wait, it’s at the hockey house?! Sasha I’m wearing pink duck shorts! And no shirt!” Geno yelled as he came to a stop on the sidewalk and self-consciously crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yeah, should’ve worn shorts with roosters so then when you see Sid you can ask him if he wants to see your co—”

“SASHA!”

Alex sighed and turned to face Geno, “Zhenya, you look fine, and everyone there is going to be dressed in same stuff, pink ducks make you stand out more so Sidney will notice you, yeah?”

“He’s going to think I’m a dork,” Geno grumbled.

“You are a dork, now c’mon, we’re gonna spend all our time out here while someone else scoops up your Sid.”

“He’s not mine,” Geno said, despite the fact that he did feel a little prickle of jealousy at the thought of someone else taking all of Sid’s attention tonight.

“Not yet!”

Sid had to admit he was actually having fun, it was nice to let loose with the guys. Pretty soon they’d all have practice, games, and homework to worry about; they wouldn’t be able to just party without worrying about the next day, at least he wouldn’t.

He hadn’t found anyone that had caught his eye though; Flower and Tanger kept trying to send guys his way but he wasn’t really into any of them enough to keep them for long.

“Sidney c’mon, you gotta give us some help here, what kind of guy do you want?” Flower asked as he continued searching the room.

“Yeah, we can’t just magically make a tall Russian guy walk through the door for yo—oh my god. I take it back, I guess we can,” Tanger said as he stared at the door.

Sidney turned his head to look and froze, “oh my god.”

“What? Who? Who is it?” Flower asked.

“That’s the guy,” Sidney replied dumbstruck.

“Wait, isn’t that the guy that Nicky has a thing for? The one that was in his Russian studies class last year and apparently came to a ton of our games?” Flower asked confused.

“No, not him! The other one!” Sidney said exasperated, he couldn’t believe this was happening.

“That’s the guy, as in The Guy? In the pink duck shorts?” Tanger asked.

“Yes,” Sidney said through gritted teeth, trying to maintain his composure at the fact that the guy he’s been sort of crushing on-slash-sort of obsessing over all summer just now walked into his team’s party, without a shirt on.

“You have to go talk to him,” Tanger said, trying to push Sidney in his direction.

“What do I even say! And look at what I’m wearing!” Sidney said, trying desperately to dig his heels into the floor and stay rooted where he was.

“Tell him he should’ve worn rooster shorts because you want to see his co—”

“FLOWER!” Sid exclaimed.

Tanger put his hands on Sid’s shoulders and spun him so he was facing him, “Sid, you’ve been moping over this guy for the past two weeks and probably most of the summer. Go talk to him. Go get laid. And, you look fantastic, thanks to us, so he’s gonna lose his mind or else he’s an idiot.”

“Oh my god, he’s walking this way,” Flower said, dislodging Sid from Tanger’s grasp and shoving him into the crowd of people which the guy was currently walking through.

“Go go go! Be safe!” Flower yelled to him before him and Tanger disappeared into the crowd.

Sidney walked through the throng of dancing students in what he hoped was the guys direction. He couldn’t really see with everyone moving around and the lights off with only disco balls and strings of Christmas lights taking their place. After getting elbowed in the ribs too many times, he was ready to just turn around and go get another drink and just hope that’d he run into the guy later. He turned and bumped straight into someone’s bare chest.

Sidney looked up and, of course, it was him.

“Hi,” the guy said with that same crooked smile Sid remembered from the elevator.

“Hi,” Sid said, craning his neck up to meet the guys eyes due to how closely they were pushed together.

“Weird not meeting in elevator,” the guy said. Sidney could feel the words vibrating in the guys chest as he yelled them over the music for Sid to hear.

“Weird seeing you in bright pink duck shorts,” which was of course the first and worst thing Sidney could’ve said. He just insulted him after talking to him for the first time in months, what if these were his favorite shorts? What if he loved ducks? What if he was a Ducks fan, Sidney worried.  

“You not like? I like your shorts,” he said, placing one of his large hands low around Sid’s hip, the tips of his fingers grazing Sid’s ass. Sid shivered and pushed into the touch, making the guy grip harder on his hip.

Sid ducked his head to hide the blush on his face which was no doubt going haywire right now. When he looked down was treated to an eyeful of the guys muscled chest and realized he still had his hands on him from when he bumped into him. He flexed his hands before he realized what he was doing and then shoved his hands down to his sides.

He took a small step back, dislodging the guys hand from his hip and wasn’t sure what to do next. He wanted to talk to him more but it was too loud out here and he wasn’t drunk enough to start dancing. He gathered up his courage and grabbed the guys hand, “do you wanna go get a drink?” Sid yelled over the music.

“Lead the way,” the guy yelled back with a smile, wrapping his hand around Sidney’s.

There were liquor bottles scattered everywhere and a cooler with beers near the dance floor, but Sidney knew the best stuff was hidden in the fridge, so he led the guy to the kitchen. Flower had made margaritas yesterday and put the leftovers in the there, so Sidney poured them each a glass and put a little salt and lime around the rim.

“You make everyone at party fancy drinks?” the guy asked as he leaned against the counter next to Sidney, putting the long length of his legs on display coupled with his bare chest. Sidney didn’t know how he was going to survive this now that he could see everything in bright light and actually had to respond.

“Only the ones I like,” Sidney said. He took a drink of his margarita and licked his lips while staring at the guy and saw him track the movement. If something didn’t happen between them tonight, Sidney was going to die of frustration.

“Even ones in pink duck shorts?” the guy said with a goofy smile on his face.

“Especially ones in pink duck shorts, unless-you’re not a Ducks fan, are you?” Sidney asked with a scrunched up look on his face.

“Ugh, no. I tell you Russian hockey best and they have no Russian players. Not Ducks fan.”

Sidney laughed and felt a little flutter at the fact that the guy also remembered their conversations from the elevator. Sidney remembered though that amidst those conversations he still never got his name. Was it rude to ask now? It couldn’t be ruder than just never asking right?

“So, as much fun as I’ve been having calling you Russian guy in my head, do you have a name I could call you?”

“You been thinking about me a lot?” the guy asked with a smirk and quirked eyebrow.

“Well…I needed to tell everyone…how I was being harassed! In the elevator! When I was trying to move out,” Sid said, trying to save himself from letting slip that he had been thinking about the guy over summer.

“I harass you? You tripped me when I walk in!” The guy said pointing a finger at Sidney in outrage, but Sidney could see him fighting back a smile.

“It was an accident!” Sidney yelled back, laughing as he did so.

“Mhm, can’t fool me. People think Canadians all nice, I tell them truth about you,” the guy said crossing his arms and sticking his tongue out at Sidney.

“Oh yeah, well how about I tell them this big tough Russian guy was wearing little rubber ducky shorts at my party?” Sidney said, putting his hands on his hips; he wasn’t going to break first.

After a minute of staring and desperately trying to hold back laughter, the guy narrowed his eyes and outstretched a hand towards Sidney, unable to fight back his smile anymore and Sidney was doing no better, “we even then, we keep each other’s secrets.”

“Deal. I still don’t know your name though,” Sidney said, shaking the guys hand, which was big and warm, and soft, and did he mention big?

“I think I like Russian guy, is like mystery no? or maybe elevator guy, tall guy, handsome guy? Hmm?” He said with a wink and shrug of his shoulders.

“Well pretty soon it’s gonna be duck shorts guy if you don’t start giving me some answers,” Sid said crossing his arms over his chest trying to seem a little forceful. But all he did was stretch his shirt tighter around his arms and he could feel the guy staring at him, making Sid squirm under the attention.  

“Is Geno,” the guy, Geno, said, looking down at Sidney with dark eyes.

“I’m Sidney,” he replied, breathless.

“Hi Sid.”

“Hi Geno.”

The two had drifted closer to each other without realizing it and Geno had Sid basically pressed against the counter now. Sidney could feel the warmth of his body against his and tipped his face back and stared at Geno’s lips. Geno shifted his face impossibly closer, his breath ghosting over Sid’s mouth, making him part his lips. He could feel his eyes slide shut waiting for Geno to finally kiss him when suddenly—

“Yooo! El capitáaaan! Getting it on in the kitchen, mad respect. Do we have any limes in the fridge?”

Sidney had shot forward and knocked his head against Geno’s. Geno was now on the other side of the counter and had a slightly pained expression and a hand pressed to his face, “Uhh, yeah, I just cut some up, they’re um on the counter, uhh right there,” Sid said while also rubbing his own forehead.  

“Thanks man! And hey, make-out all you want, but no doing it in the kitchen, house rule dude,” Sidney’s teammate said while gesturing two fingers at his eyes and to Sid and Geno as he walked out.

“Yeah, thanks Nealer, don’t worry,” Sidney said, trying to hide his face and the no doubt insane redness of it at this point, both from blushing and from basically headbutting Geno. Real smooth Sid.

“He seem nice,” Geno said, laughing a little, “good to warn us of rules, da? Don’t want to get you in trouble.”

Sidney rolled his eyes and laughed, “I think you’re plenty trouble already.”

Geno stuck his tongue out and winked, “I think you like little bit of trouble. Already try to start fight with me, headbutt me.”

“I am sorry,” Sidney said chuckling a little, “are you okay?” He asked while reaching a hand up and brushing it across Geno’s forehead and through his hair a little.

“Better now,” Geno said, grabbing Sid’s hand and placing a kiss on the palm. The feeling of Geno’s lips on Sidney’s skin electrified him and only made him want more. He wanted Geno’s mouth on him everywhere and wanted to do the same.

How was he able to make Sidney so flustered so easily? He needed to regain a little control or else they might actually end up breaking that rule soon. “So, how did you end up at the party? Are you on one of the school’s sports teams?” Sidney didn’t mention that he was fairly certain he wasn’t since he checked practically every sports roster.

“No, I work on campus so get to move in early, help other students moving in. But my friend Sasha has single so I’ve been at his place, have only been in dorm few times,” Geno said, still holding onto Sidney’s hand.  

“Oh, umm, me too actually. I hang out here a lot with the guys or I’m at practice so I’ve barely been in my room,” Sidney replied, but he was barely focused on what he was saying with Geno running his fingers up and down Sid’s wrist and hand, “uh but, I think my roommate works on campus too umm maybe. I went to the dorm, my dorm, umm the other day and uhh all this new stuff was in there so he must’ve moved in.”

“He lucky guy,” Geno said, using the hand he was holding to pull Sidney closer to him again. Sid thought he was going to kiss him but instead he lowered down and whispered into Sidney’s ear, “you wanna go dance,” his lips brushing against the shell of Sidney’s ear and dragging a little down.

Sidney shivered at the contact and whispered out an “okay” before Geno pulled him out of the kitchen and back out to the party.

They were in the middle of the dance floor now, being pushed and bumped into by other dancing bodies around them, forcing them to cling to each other in order to stay together. Sidney wasn’t really one for dancing and more often than not he would duck out after one or two songs if someone was able to drag him out onto the floor, but he wanted to stay now. God, he wanted to feel Geno’s body pressed up against his even if just while dancing. He was so close to getting Geno to kiss him in the kitchen and he needed to get that back.

Sidney was too busy thinking about Geno and what he wanted to do with him that he didn’t notice he was basically just standing there, not really dancing.

“You okay?” Geno asked, while swaying to the music.

Sidney was pulled from his thoughts and replied, “Yeah, I guess I’m just not a very good dancer.”

“I show you,” Geno said with a dangerous smile and moved impossibly closer to Sidney and placed his hands on his hips in order to guide and move him along to the music. Sidney could feel the heat coming from Geno’s hands and pushed into the touch. He tried to concentrate on the music and the beat in order to dance to it but it just made him more nervous and choppy.

Geno put his hand on Sidney’s chin and tipped it up so that he was looking directly into Geno’s eyes, “relax, don’t think so hard, just follow me.” So, Sidney did. He put his arms around Geno’s neck and just let his body go loose and do whatever felt right with the music. Geno’s hand stayed on his hips and pushed him how he wanted him.

Eventually they built up a rhythm to the music and were dancing seamlessly together. Sidney had one hand around Geno’s neck and the other threaded in his hair while Geno had snuck his hands underneath Sid’s shirt and was teasing his fingers lower and lower on his hips. They were practically dry humping but since music was playing and the lights were low, they could call it dancing. Sidney wanted more than dancing though and decided to try and move things along a little faster. He gripped Geno’s hair harder and tugged on it a little while also pressing his hips firmer against him. He was rewarded with a low groan that Sidney felt more than heard as he was pressed against Geno’s chest. Geno slid his hands down and grabbed Sidney’s ass, forcing him to slide up Geno’s body and almost go onto one leg as he was practically riding Geno’s thigh now. They stayed in that position for the rest of the song with Geno’s leg wedged in between Sidney’s and Sidney’s face turned so that he was panting onto Geno’s neck.

Sidney was so turned on he couldn’t stand it and he could feel that Geno was too. He started to pull away in order to drag Geno upstairs but instead Geno turned him around so that now Sid’s back was against Geno’s chest.

Sidney felt his face heat with arousal and shame as he could now see all the other people dancing around them and realized he almost got off with Geno in a crowd of people. Everyone else seemed to be in their own world though and were drunk on whatever alcohol they could find in the house so he was sure they weren’t paying them any mind. But still, usually Sidney had more control than this and more subtlety, but Geno just made everything feel so much more intense that Sidney didn’t even care who was around.

Speaking of which, Geno now had him pulled flush against his chest and had begun sucking on Sid’s earlobe. Sid turned his head to allow him more room and shivered at the touch of his lips on him, making him lose any shred of composure he had before. Sidney felt a little thrill now at the fact that they were like this in the middle of the crowd, at the fact that Geno couldn’t keep himself away from Sid either, even in front of other people.

“I think you pretty good dancer,” Geno whispered into his ear.

“I have a pretty good teacher,” Sid panted out.

“Best,” Geno punctuated with a bite on Sid’s earlobe. He continued grinding against Sid and trailed his hands lower and lower until they were creeping underneath the waistband of Sid’s shorts. Sidney could feel the outline of Geno’s bulge pushing against him and decided enough was enough.

“That’s it, upstairs now. Please Geno, take me upstairs, I need you,” Sidney said. The look of worry on Geno’s face was there and gone in an instant and replaced with a look of pure heat directed straight at Sidney.

“Lead the way,” he said, and followed Sidney off the dance floor and up the stairs.  

As soon as they were out of sight of the dance floor and party downstairs, Geno pushed Sidney against the hallway wall and finally, finally, kissed him.

Sidney was sure he had never been kissed so much and so good in his life. Geno’s lips were soft as he kissed Sidney breathless and kept him pinned against the wall. Sidney loved the feeling of being crowded in by Geno’s body as he loomed above him with both hands on the wall next to his head, keeping Sid wherever he wanted him.

Their kissing went from soft and explorative to hot and desperate as Geno teased Sidney’s lips with his tongue and Sidney willingly parted his lips for him. Sidney was helpless to do anything except moan as Geno continued to suck on his tongue and wedge a thigh between Sidney’s legs for him to grind against.

Sidney was bursting with heat, he’d already been so turned on, on the dance floor but now it was actually heading somewhere and it felt so much more powerful. Geno had taken his hands off the wall and placed them on Sidney’s hips, gripping him and keeping his body in a slow grind that was driving Sid crazy. He could feel the heat from his lips and hands penetrating into his skin, his body screaming for more, just wanting Geno to touch him anywhere and everywhere.

Sidney broke away from the kiss on a gasp and panted out, “Geno, the room, please, we need to go the room, I don’t want to come right here against the wall.” Sidney pulled Geno behind him into Tanger and Flower’s room; he was too turned on to care that it wasn’t his own room and besides, they had wanted him to get laid so they couldn’t begrudge him for using the closest bedroom he could find.

As soon as they were in the room Geno crowded Sid against the door and began leaving searing kisses down his jaw trailing to his neck. “God, see you in those shorts drive me crazy, so hot. I walk into party and know I have to go straight to you,” Geno whispered into Sidney’s neck in between sucking marks into his skin. “I was hoping you’d come,” Sidney panted out, “my friends wanted to set me up with someone, but I could only think of you.” Geno growled and gripped Sidney’s ass hard, causing Sidney to jerk forward and grind harder against the leg Geno had between his thighs, “yes, only me, only think of me, I take care of you.”

Sidney moans out at the feeling of Geno’s thick solid thigh rubbing against him, his lips trailing across his skin, and his hands spread across his ass, practically holding him up against the door without any effort. Sidney loved being able to let Geno take control and Geno seemed to like taking it. Sidney leaned his head back against the door to give Geno more room to do whatever he wanted, “Geno, geno,” Sidney moaned out, unable to form a sentence any longer.

“Yes, say my name, louder, give you whatever you want,” Geno said, grinding his hips down against Sidney’s and bringing his mouth back up to kiss him wet and desperate as he shoved his tongue inside Sidney’s mouth, leaving Sid moaning around it and clutching onto Geno’s shoulders for his life.

Geno pulled away from the kiss, leaving Sidney whining at the loss of contact, but then he reached down for the waistband of Sidney’s shorts and met his eyes with a questioning look and all Sidney could do was nod. Geno pulled both the shorts and Sidney’s underpants down low enough for his cock to go flush against his stomach. Sidney sucked in a harsh breath at the feeling of his cock now exposed without any clothes in between him and Geno.

Sidney was leaking precome at the tip and Geno used it to slick his hand and slide it down Sidney’s length, wrapping his long fingers firmly around him as he began stroking him. Sidney sobbed out at the feeling, he was so overwhelmed with pleasure and knew he wouldn’t last very long. He could feel himself getting closer and closer to the edge but he wanted more, he wanted Geno there with him. He reached a hand out to Geno’s wrist to still his actions, “Geno, please, please, let me touch you, I want to make you feel good too,” Sidney said, reaching for Geno’s pants. Geno groaned and used his other hand to shove his shorts down and let his cock spring free from his shorts. Sidney’s mouth watered at the sight of Geno’s cock and thoughts of getting his mouth on him later, but first he needed both of them to come as fast as possible or else he was sure he’d die of frustration. He met Geno’s eyes as he licked his hand and then slid it down in between them in order to grab hold of Geno. Geno groaned out at the touch as Sid continued working his hand down Geno’s length. He began twisting his wrist on the upstroke and dragged his thumb across the slit making Geno throw his head back and tremble as his orgasm pulsed out of him and he began coming in Sidney’s hand. Geno buried his face in Sidney’s neck as his orgasm shook through him and Sidney couldn’t help but rock against Geno’s bare hip. He was so close and just needed a little extra to push him over the edge.

“Best,” Geno mumbled, his hot breath sending sparks through his skin, “come on, come for me, come for me Sid,” Geno said as he bit down on Sidney’s neck. Sidney came with a shout, his come splashing across Geno’s bare abdomen.

The two stood there breathless, staring at the debauched state of them both. Sidney had his shorts shoved down and his shirt rucked up and Geno wasn’t much better. His hair was a mess from when Sidney had his hands in it and Sidney could see a flush spreading across his chest and his own come dripping down Geno’s skin. Sidney’s arousal was still burning in full force, he wanted more than just hand job’s against the door, as hot as they were, he really wanted to get his mouth on Geno.

“I really want to blow you.”

“Can do anything you want to me,” Geno said, pulling Sidney towards him into a passionate kiss. Sidney continued kissing him and began pushing him towards one of the beds in the room. The back of Geno’s legs hit the bed and Sidney pushed him back onto it until he was sitting against the headboard with Sidney straddling his thighs.

“Well, I really want to get my mouth on your cock,” Sidney whispered into Geno’s ear as he slid down Geno’s body and began kissing his chest. He took one of Geno’s nipples into his mouth and began sucking on it while he teased the other with his hand. “Yes, anything, anything” Geno moaned out. Sidney continued kissing and biting down Geno’s chest, leaving a few marks along the way. He dipped his tongue inside Geno’s navel and teased his hands along Geno’s hips, deftly avoiding his cock. He could feel it growing harder beneath him and lightly brushed the back of his hand against it but pulling away any time Geno tried to roll his hips up. He pulled Geno’s short down the rest of the way and threw his clothes onto the floor.

“Going to kill me Sid,” Geno panted out. Sidney brought his body down lower so that he was resting in between Geno’s splayed out thighs, his breath ghosting over Geno’s dick, making it twitch.

“Well we wouldn’t want that would we?” Sidney said as he finally put his mouth around Geno’s cock. He couldn’t take the full length of it but he loved feeling the weight of it sitting on his tongue. He groaned at the feeling as he wrapped his tongue around it and gripped his hands on Geno’s thighs to hold him in place.

Geno was staring at Sidney, his jaw slack and his eyes filled with awe. Sidney looked up at him through his lashes as he began bobbing his head down the length as far he could go.

Sidney pulled off to take a quick breath and wondered at the sight of Geno with his legs spread wide, Sidney’s come still on his skin, his chest flushed with arousal, his hands gripped tight in the sheets, his head thrown back while he bit his lip, Sidney had never seen someone so hot.

Sidney dipped back down and covered one of Geno’s hands with his own, gripping it and bringing it to his head until Geno had his hand wrapped around Sid’s hair, tugging it lightly, making Sidney moan around his cock. “Your mouth, so good,” Geno said as he brought his other hand to brush across Sidney’s cheek. Sidney closed his eyes and leaned into the touch as he continued working his mouth on Geno. He used one of his hands to stroke the length that he couldn’t get his mouth on as he felt Geno get closer. He brought his mouth up to suck on the tip and flick his tongue across the slit as his hand worked the rest of Geno’s dick. Sidney felt Geno’s hand grip hard in his hair as he began moaning out Sid’s name until he was shaking and coming in Sid’s mouth. Sid swallowed as much as he could and let felt the rest trickle down his chin as he pulled off of Geno.

Geno was breathing heavy above him, coming down from the glow of his orgasm. He pulled Sidney up and licked into his mouth, tasting himself on Sidney’s tongue. Sidney was hard again and began rucking against Geno’s leg, needing to get off again. “What you want Sid, what you want me to do?” Geno asked as he sucked on Sid’s earlobe and slid his hands down beneath Sid’s shorts so that they were gripping his ass, his fingers teasing along the crease.  

Sidney wanted everything, wanted to feel Geno’s cock inside of him, but Geno had already come twice and he couldn’t wait any longer, “your fingers, please, please, I just want to feel you inside of me,” Sidney said as he continued grinding against Geno.

“Anything,” Geno said as he pushed Sidney down onto his back and pulled off his shorts and shirt to join the other clothes on the floor. “So beautiful,” he whispered as he trailed a hand down Sidney’s chest. Sidney could feel his dick twitching at the touch and shivered as Geno brought his hand lower and lower.

“You have lube?” Geno asked. Oh shit? Did he? He had some in his own room but this wasn’t his. He twisted over to search in the side table and prayed to anyone that was listening that there would be a bottle of lube in there. He dug around until finally he found a bottle stashed in the back. Sidney set it down on the bed next to Geno and laid back down on his back with Geno in between his legs.

Geno placed a pillow underneath Sidney’s hips then brought his hands down and began kneading his ass, teasing his fingers closer and closer to where Sidney wanted them. Sidney felt so wound up, he needed Geno to just get his fingers inside of him already, “Geno, please, c’mon,” Sidney whined. “Shh, I take care of you, don’t worry,” Geno said as he brought one of Sid’s legs up and over his shoulder. He grabbed the lube and dribbled a generous amount onto his fingers and began circling Sid’s hole with them. Sidney shuddered at the sensation and felt his hole flutter under the attention. Geno put a little more lube on his finger before sliding it inside and it was like a dam had been broken. Geno had such long and warm fingers that Sidney had never felt anything like it and he needed more and Geno’s slow approach was now gone as he began pumping his finger in and out of Sidney at a fast pace.

“Oh, yes, yes, Geno” Sidney moaned out as Geno continued driving his finger inside of him, “another, give me another,” Sidney said, trying to spread his legs wider to give Geno more room.

Geno pulled his fingers out to put more lube on them then pushed two inside, going back to his relentless pace that was bringing Sidney hurtling towards his orgasm faster and faster.

Geno slid his other hand down and gripped Sidney’s cock to begin stroking him but Sidney stopped him, “no, no, I just want your fingers, please, I just want to come around you.”

“Best, so good, take my fingers so well,” Geno said as he pulled out and thrust in a third finger. Sidney threw his head back against the bed and moaned out low and deep. He felt so good and so full. Geno’s fast pace began to slow a little as his fingers began to prod around a little, almost as if they were searching for something until finally—

“Oh shit, yes, right there, don’t stop, don’t stop” Sidney moaned out as Geno quickened his pace and continued thrusting against Sidney’s prostate. Sidney was so close he could feel his orgasm pooling in his stomach. Geno continued driving his fingers in and used his thumb to tug at Sid’s rim.

“Oh fuck,” Sid arched high off the bed as his orgasm hit him in waves and he came around Geno’s fingers. Geno continued working his fingers in and out of Sidney, putting pressure on his prostate, making his dick jump as more come spurted out onto his stomach.

Finally Geno stilled his hand as Sidney gasped for air on the bed, his chest heaving up and down as he let the afterglow wash over him. Sidney didn’t think he’d ever come so hard in his life.

Geno pulled his fingers out and Sidney whined at the loss. “Shh, is okay, I’m right here,” Geno said as he cleaned them both up with Sidney’s shirt from the floor before throwing it back down.

Sidney was worried Geno was going to leave but instead he pulled the blanket from the foot of the bed over them both and pulled Sidney close towards him. He scooched down the bed until he could meet Sidney in a lazy kiss and brushed his hand across his forehead, pushing his sweaty curls out of his face.

“Goodnight,” Geno said as he continued running his hand through Sidney’s hair

“Goodnight,” Sidney said, burrowing closer into Geno’s chest and falling asleep almost instantly.

Sid woke up in the morning to an empty bed. Geno was gone and his clothes were off the floor. Sidney felt embarrassed and a little angry at Geno for leaving without even saying anything until he saw a note sitting on the desk and got up to read it.

Sorry leave so early. Wish I could stay and sleep and maybe more ;)

I have work in morning, help people move in, but I come by and see you tomorrow? Can go to breakfast? I come by at 10am  

-Duck Shorts Guy

Sidney sat and smiled at the note probably longer than was normal but he didn’t care. He got up and put on some clothes and walked out the room to head to the bathroom but was immediately stopped by Flower and Tanger in front of the bedroom door.

“How long have you two been waiting out here?” Sidney asked.

“Doesn’t matter, what does matter is you totally had sex last night,” Flower said.

“Yeah thanks to us, and you used our room, not cool bro,” Tanger said, arms folded over his chest trying to give Sidney a stern look.

“You guys are the ones who wanted me to get laid, I wasn’t about to walk him all the way back to my dorm, and my roommate could’ve been there,” Sidney argued as he tried to shove past them to go brush his teeth.

“You could’ve at least tossed me down my pillow, it’s memory foam,” Tanger replied while Flower put a hand on his shoulder giving him a sympathetic look and nodding his head.

“Sorry I wasn’t really thinking about that with Geno’s tongue in my mouth” Sidney quipped.

“Oh, so his name’s Geno huh? What else do we know about this mystery man?” Tanger asked.

“Bet that wasn’t the only thing of his you had in your mouth last night,” Flower said as he made lewd gestures with his hands.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Sidney said to both of them as he finally retreated into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

“I liked him better when he was a virgin and nice to us,” Flower said.

“I can still hear you, you jackass!” Sid yelled through the door.

“We love you!” Tanger yelled out as the two headed to their room.

Sidney could hear them as they walked in and realized he probably should’ve tidied up before he left the room.

“Please don’t be my bed, please don’t be my bed, please don’t be my bed, oh thank god.”

“MY PILLOW!”

Tanger began pounding on the bathroom door and swearing in French, Sidney laughed to himself and decided he might as well stay and take a long shower since he was already in there.

Sidney was in his own room now and could see a few things unpacked from his new roommate but a lot of it was still in boxes. He peaked a little at the stuff that was out and concluded that his roommate must be Russian what with the flag they had pinned on the wall. He felt a little bad that his first thought was that maybe they’d know Geno.

He stopped snooping and began getting his hockey gear together for practice. They had a short optional skate, which usually meant Sidney and guys who were trying to move up the roster, especially the night after a party, but it was the first official practice now that everyone had moved in and it was tradition for everyone to go and then get dinner later. It was also an open practice which meant anyone could come and watch and the athletic boosters wanted the team to all show up and put on a good face so that they could foster school spirit in the students and get them to come to games and spend money.

Sidney was looking forward to practice though, he was excited to meet any new guys and he felt great after his night with Geno. He was determined and ready to skate hard, anticipation building for the new season ahead of him and his team.

As he was getting dressed the door began opening and he realized he had yet to meet his roommate and this had to be him.

The door opened and he was met with the face of Geno.

“Geno what are you doing here? Are you helping Evgeni move in?” Sidney asked, surprised but not exactly disappointed at getting to see Geno earlier than planned.

“No, I come here during work break? My name is Evgeni, this my room,” Geno said with a look of confusion on his face.

“You told me your name was Geno?” Sid asked, starting to feel a little nervous.

“Is easier for non-Russian to say, it’s nickname. What are you doing here?”

“I’m getting my hockey gear for practice,” Sidney replied.

“Thought you live in hockey house?”

“No that was just my friends room, I was spending the night, remember I told you I just hadn’t been to my dorm a lot.”

“Oh, yeah,” Geno said as realization began to settle in, “so this your room, that your stuff?”

“Yeah, and this is your room, those are your boxes?” Sidney asked, as he too began to realize what was happening.

Geno nodded at the question and looked up at Sidney with wide eyes, “so, we’re—”

“—Roommates.” Sidney finished for him with a shocked look of his own.

Oh shit.

[itsjesperfahey]

modern soc au

inej: 

loves to dance !!! esp ballet but she can dance to whatever tbfh, she’s that good 

likes to wear caps, esp backwards. really loves bomber jackets too. 

has a couple, small tattoos dedicated to her saints 

is that one kid who loves to do parkour (both ironically and unironically) for instance is really good at it but sometimes just yells PARKOUR and steps over a rock

usually found eating lunch with her pals on the roof of the school 

is amazing at hide and seek like holy fuck ????? hid for 2 hours once and wasn’t found, came back the next day and was like “y'all losers SUCK" 

loves to study other people’s cultures, as well as history and is great as p.e (never has gotten a bad grade in the flexibility tests) 

likes to read poem books 

has a black cat as a pet named "saint" 

pronounced meme as "mehmeh” the first time she read it 

only has snapchat and instagram. is that kid who ALWAYS posts the sunset every day, esp from weird/high places and the comments are always “HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET UP THERE" 

cried the most during fox and the hound 

always braiding nina’s hair. Knows how to do all the super advanced onces as well

"I don’t know, CAN YOU?" 

 the best one at pushing people on the swings 

AMAZING AT JUST DANCE WITH JESPER 

"sorry I ran out of fucks to give try again later maybe?" 

gives the nicest presents. always knows what a person wants for christmas/their birthday 

the one who’s really into photography and is always taking aesthetic™ pics of Nina for her social media accounts 

Prefers tea over coffee

wylan:

bullied for not being able to read (at least up until high school), so is super shy 

loves drawing. the artistic™ one who takes anatomy to be able to draw people better 

MASTER FLUTE MUSICIAN. On the school band. Jams hard af when he plays it 

is in gem math and AP chem with kuwei. 

loves sweet. addicted to blue jolly ranchers. his tongue is always blue 

constantly pushing up his thick rimmed glasses (even if they ain’t on, which causes him to poke his eye)

looooves all the superhero shows on the CW 

V neck sweaters. always

always has his trusty satchel

only has tumblr. has like 10k followers because of his artwork. 

”‘illuminati’ ? is that a band?“ 

cat person even though he’s allergic to cat fur. absolutely adores inej’s cat. settles for owning a horned lizard named "shrek" 

secretly a huge fan of memes 

really gay for tom holland and ed sheeran (calls him "ginger Jesus”) 

gamer with jesper. they always play overwatch together, wylans better tho. a genji and Ana main 

cried the most during big hero six 

wylan, with blank eyes: “I like my coffee how I like my men” // jesper: *spits out his drink* 

matthias: 

sports fan obv. On the schools hockey team bc his fav is hockey. is extremely competitive when he plays it. Is constantly checking but never gets penalties (aka slamming the other players against the walls)

played basketball against jesper and surprisingly lost. jesper won’t let it go 

dog person. owns a pet pomsky (Pomeranian-husky) with nina who’s name is “bub" 

“long hair don’t care”draws inspiration from Harry styles 

really philosophical. takes all the philosophy/ethics classes available 

kind of sounds like Thor (thick and deep accent) 

a good™

"you’re all horrible trash”

“do we really have to be doing this now? I have to finish my homework" 

loves baking. bakes everything for the love of his life 

grey sweatshirts and adidas shoes 

wears contacts Because he hates how glasses look on him. only wears them when he’s home 

oblivious to all the women in love with him

"CAN YOU EVEN LIFT BRO? BECAUSE I SURE AS FRICK CAN” (doesn’t curse) 

real 👍🏻🤘🏻👌🏻life🤰🏻👼🏻🌱student📚✂️✏️athelete🏃🏼🥇🏆🥅🏒

has Facebook and Twitter only

cried the most during bambi and dumbo 

little spoon™ 

has a couple tattoos with very deep meanings

jesper: 

dancer with inej. dances like those ppl who look like robots ??? the ones who look like they freeze parts of their body while the others move. AMAZING at it 

loves jazz but also dubstep/edm and rap/r&b. Beyoncé is MOM/QUEEN. 

sometimes djs parties 

again, huge gamer with wylan. he’s a lucio and junkrat main for overwatch. loves like every video game ever 

loves all the marvel movies, in love with black panther (was team cap) 

dresses like a hipster but also sometimes a fuck boy (tank tops and shorts with a backwards cap style) 

favorite subject is business and debate. great negotiator 

cried the most during the lion king 

A+ cosplayer (especially his lucio cosplay) 

big supporter of human rights (LGBTA+, feminist, black lives matter, poc representation). Will LITERALLY get into fights over anyone who thinks otherwise. Fist fights, always supported by Kaz and Matthias. Got suspended for 3 days for breaking a kids nose who thought LGBTA+ people should **** ** ****) 

that one kid who has 50 fidget spinners and can do cool tricks with them. also manages to sell all of them 

skateboard pro™ 

always sends the blinking face meme, even if it’s out of context 

all the social medias. 

one tattoo only of a gun with a 'bang’ flag coming out of it 

nina: 

 PROFESSIONAL👏🏻 MAKE 👏🏻 UP 👏🏻 ARTISTS 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 HAS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FOLLOWERS ON HER INSTAGRAM AND THE SAME FOR HER YOUTUBE CHANNEL 

Speaking of YouTube, she always does cute videos. Baking/cooking tutorial videos featuring Matthias, 'i do my boyfriends makeup’, 'my boyfriend does my makeup’, 'my boyfriend buys my makeup’, does make up tutorials obviously, challenges with her best friend inej like the 'whisper challenge’. everyone loves her and says her and Matthias are their otp 

loves fashion design, takes that class. 

loves horror movies/creepy things but also Disney 

great at roller skating 

always wins the best dressed awards ad school 

also huge fan of ed sheeran. loves little mix more than 5h. 

cried the most during 'up' 

Can speak like 4 languages (English, french, Latin and spanish) 

loves traveling and learning about new cultures too 

dancer!inej’s biggest fan and hockey!matthias’ biggest fan 

always breaks snapchat streaks 

likes to (friendly) debate with jesper, especially over stupid things 

amazing with kids. babysits all the time. calls “bub” (the dog) her and matthias’ baby 

big spoon™ 

notes are so fucking pretty. buys the most expensive stationary and notebooks 

also huge supporter of human rights. runs the feminist club. (Jesper is the Vice President) stresses loving yourself and your body, and makes sure to design comfortable yet GORGEOUS clothes for “"plus sized people”“ 

wins 'dynamic duo’ award with inej 

always eating lollipops 

has a few very small tatos of cute things like roses and crowns. has one quote written in cursive on her rib

kaz: 

prefers black coffee as well 

loves crime shows, whether they’re real or fake. for instance loves both 'Dateline’ and 'Criminal Minds’ also loves 'House’

 favorite class is psychology, learning how a person thinks and acts and feels

has the dregs tattoo on his arm * edge lord 9000™ * such a drama queen and diva like damn 

*deep sigh* "I think I’d rather go take a nap” *gets up and leaves* 

also loves computer science. knows how to hack shit like a pro 

always rough housing with jesper. broke a table once 

does walk with a cane. likes to slap matthias’ ass with it 

“bow down you fucking peasants" 

only types in lower case with 0 emojis and no punctuation marks. CONSTANTLY leaves people on read 

only has Twitter and snapchat. His posts on snapchat never have captions, yet somehow has a 200 day streak with Jesper and a 250 day streak with inej 

loves watching horror movies with nina 

 *in a fight* "oh I’ll sHOW YOU SOME DIRTY HANDS” *swings* 

gets second place for best dressed award 

always sending memes with no context in their group chat, as well as vines 

indie and alternative rock fan 

“does it look like I care because I’m sorry if it does I didn’t mean to give you that impression" 

head over heels for inej Ghafa like wow 

likes to read a lot of mystery books and non fiction books 

cried the most during finding dory 

can solve a Rubik’s cube under a minute and won’t let you forget it 

The one asshole who picks either Kirby or metaknight in super smash brothers brawl

 hates seeing the notification bubble so he always has all chats muted and notifications turned off for apps 

kiss ass to all the teachers to get them A’s

Kuwei: 

SCIENCE NERD. ALWAYS singing the bill nye theme song. Loves ASAPScience on YouTube. Master at chemistry and biology 

"hey did u know bill nye is, like, my dad" 

nina treats him like a baby 

loves everything to do with Star Wars while wylan loves star trek more. Fighting ensues. 

has a pet Siamese cat name sparky 

Used to have a huge crush on jesper and everyone knew it except jesper. 

knows the intro to the bee movie ("according to all known laws of aviation-”)

 jesper in the group chat: “gonna go shower be right back” // kuwei: “without me ;)?” // wylan: “KUWEI SWEAR TO FUCK” // kaz: “watch your fucking language wylan" 

obsessed with Pokémon go even if it died out (chose team instinct) 

"fight me on this" 

has Twitter, snapchat and instagram 

Always drinking ginger ale 

master at bop it 

the one kid who always forgets to pay you back for stuff 

is also into the CW super hero shows, so him and wylan are constantly talking about it 

loves cartoons and anime 

speaks fluent fuckboy 

God awful at comebacks 

"let’s take a selfie guys !!!” // “kuwei no-” // *snapshot sound* 

talks !!! Like !! This !!!! for,,, some reason ???????? 

huge nerd for other things too like lord of the rings and Harry Potter and game of thrones 

cried the most during inside out

 "do you think planes are scared of heights?“ // "for fucks same kuwei it’s 4am”

[hoenursey]

worst behavior || nursey + jack

“Nursey.”

He doesn’t answer him, typing away at his keyboard in a way that’s visibly agitated, or at least irritable. What are normally soft, smooth clicks against the mac’s surface are now harsh, broken-sounding; each near-slam of his slim fingers makes a sharp clack in the quiet of the haus’ living room.

“Nursey,” Jack says again.

The continued silence makes it clear that he’s being ignored. Inwardly, he sighs.

“Twenty-eight, your captain is talking to you. Answer, now.”

“Yo, Captain. Didn’t see you there,” Nursey drawls. Jack makes the executive decision not to call him out on his blatant lie and gets to his knees so that he doesn’t loom over Nursey where he’s scrunched up in the corner.

“You’ve been tense lately. There’s something wrong with you. What is it?” Shit, that was probably the wrong way to go about it, but it’s already been said. Something flickers across Nurse’s face too fast for him to identify, and even if it had been obvious, he’s not sure if he’d be able to properly identify what it was then either.

“There’s plenty of shit wrong with me. There’s plenty of shit wrong with you, too. We’re both older than the people in our respective grades for a reason, Capitane.”

“You know that’s not what I mean. You’ve been snapping at people, aggressive on the ice like you usually aren’t, fighting with Dex more often. You nearly dropped your gloves last game.”

“It’s an aggressive sport. I’m still playing good hockey, aren’t I?” Nursey asks, his tone deceptively lazy.

Jack makes a quietly frustrated noise. “You’re playing damn good hockey. You know that. You’re a great player and a hard worker. You’re serious in practice. But you aren’t okay. You–”

“Why do you care?”

Jack stops. “What?”

Nursey raises a brow. It’s a little condescending. “I said, why. do. you. care.”

“I’m your captain, of course I care, Nursey,” Jack says. “It’s my job to care about your wellbeing.”

“On the ice,” Nursey shoots back. “Dunno about you, but i’m not seeing any ice. I think it’s hardwood, actually.”

“Nursey, you’re being purposefully obtuse and I know you’re smart as hell. I’m worried about you. You don’t have to…” Still frustrated, he switches to French to calm himself down.

<< “You can tell me what’s wrong. I won’t tell anybody, but I have a right to know what’s affecting my players because it can affect the team in the long run. You’re maintaining because you’re a good player but that won’t last forever. I pay attention. I know you’re upset about something. Just spit it out.” >>

<< “All you pay attention to is hockey and your major. Your whole schedule is ‘eat sleep hockey class hockey, Bitty, Shitty, Lardo repeat’. You’re all in on that shit. That’s fine, but I don’t fall under that list. My problems aren’t yours until they affect you on the ice, and from what you’ve said, they haven’t.” >>

<< “It’s being preemptive,” >> Jack protests. << “I care about the whole team. I want to know.” >>

<< “Every reporter in America wanted to know about you, didn’t they? And they still don’t know the truth. It wasn’t their business, and it was a matter of privacy. I don’t ask you. Don’t ask me,” >> Nursey says, and the note of bitterness along with the icy coolness in his tone is enough to make Jack back off a little, because… well, Nursey’s sort of right. It’s his privacy.

“Euh… I, uh. Yeah. Yeah,” Jack manages to get out. “I'm… damn. Désolé, Nursey.”

Some of the tension fades from Nursey’s shoulders and what he thinks is surprise lights in his sleepy green eyes, but it disappears quickly.

“C'est bien. I’ve got to finish this paper before midnight, though, so, like…”

“Yeah, sure. Uh. Good… luck. I hope you do well.”

“Thanks.”

For the next week, Jack tries to be a little nicer to Nursey– to all of the frogs, actually, because Nursey had a point: he didn’t really get close to many people and when he did, he stuck with them and didn’t oftentimes branch out. Chowder is of course delighted, but he’s fairly excited by most things; Dex is a little more hesitant, but Jack remembers details about people, and he asks for a basic tutorial on how to fix small things around the house for his new apartment wherever he goes and the freshman warms right up to him, even if he talks a little fast and seems a little redder than usual. He takes time out for Ransom and Holster, too, who seem surprised but pleased, and willing to be around him; he finds he likes it even outside of their haus movie nights.

Jack doesn’t exactly seek out Nursey, but he does know now because of Dex that he tends to seek out Lardo when he’s thinking about anything. He’d asked the younger defenseman, which he had gone a little odd about.

“Why?” he asked suspiciously, gripping his stick. “Is he in trouble?”

“No,” Jack tried to say, but Dex barreled on.

“Who did he yell at? Was it Chowder? Was it you? He’s weird but he probably didn’t mean it, Jack, I swear, and he’s been weirder than normal it’s probably some dumb art thing-”

“Dex,” Jack said firmly. “Nursey’s not in trouble and he didn’t yell at anyone. I’m just trying to figure out where he hangs out so that if I ever need him, I know where to find him. He’s the only person I don’t know where he goes.”

Dex blinked. “Oh.”

“And you shouldn’t say that,” Jack added. “Art’s important. Most of the stuff we know about history is because of art.”

“I. Uh. Yeah? Sorry. Sorry, Jack,” he stammered out, flushing badly. “He hangs out with Lardo and Shitty.”

“Thanks. And thanks for showing up to optional skate. Go warm up.”

“Yes sir.”

The next time Shitty’s room smells prominently of weed– enough that the rest of the haus gets a bit of a contact high– Jack slips inside and sure enough, Nursey is there, laid out on his back with a joint between his lips, his eyes closed.

“Yo, Zimmermann,” Lardo says lazily. Shitty vaguely waves an arm: he’s face down on his bed, his laptop open on what looks like a college application, probably Harvard again. A choking noise comes from over Nursey’s direction, but Jack ignores it and settles next to Lardo, who promptly eases into his lap like a cat. He tucks his chin over her head and she makes a happy noise that rumbles against his chest.

“You smoke?” Nursey asks, wary.

Jack shrugs. “Sometimes. Not always. Not often. It helps, y’know? With the anxiety. Stress.”

“Jack usually just sits in here,” Lardo supplies. “It’s better than his meds sometimes. Right Jack?”

“Yeah,” he murmurs, and squeezes her lightly around the waist.

“I know,” Nursey says under his breath–he already talks at a low pitched little thing, almost a mutter– and it’s just quiet enough that he almost misses it.

Huh.

Jack does end up taking a couple hits, just enough to give him a buzz, then spends the rest of the time playing with Lardo’s hair and eventually, Shitty’s. He’s good at braids. The wariness doesn’t fade from Nursey’s eyes, not quite or at least not all the way, but the tension does.

“Hey, Bit- uh, Bitty?” Jack asks from the doorway. It’s warm in the kitchen, and something pop-y and light is playing, which makes sense, because Bittle’s arms are covered from fingertip to elbow in flour. He gets distracted for a second, staring at the contrast between his now ghost-white forearms and sun-kissed upper arms and shoulders, until Bitty says, “Oh, Jack! I’m sorry, you haven’t been standing there long, have you? C’mon in here, Lord, you ain’t gotta stand there, it’s your house too.”

“Right, yeah.” Jack steps in, and Bittle looks up at him expectantly for a minute until he remembers that he’s here for something, and not just to hover around while he makes food.

“Uh, do you know Nursey’s favourite pie?” He asks.

One little blond brow quirks up at him. “Yes, Jack, I know all of your favourites. It’s sweet potato. How come?”

“No reason,” he says evasively. It doesn’t work. Bitty’s mouth turns up at the corner a little, and he leans his hip against the counter, dusting his hands off.

“So you just… happen to be asking what Nursey’s favourite pie is, randomly? No reason behind it at all, hm? Why not Ransom’s? Or mine?”

“Yours is peach-lemon,” Jack says immediately. He isn’t sure why he knows that, but then Bitty’s cheeks go a little pink, and something sort of twinges in him and goes That’s why. Because Bitty likes when we remember stuff about him. He ignores it– aggressively– and instead pounces on the fact that Bitty is now in a good mood if he wasn’t already.

“Do you think you could maybe make a sweet potato pie? Just, uh don’t let the boys get at it, eh? It’s a surprise, kind of? A pick me up?” He’s rambling, a little, but it’s not like he talks a hell of a lot anyways.

Bitty’s brow creases a little, which means he probably said something wrong, but he can’t take it back now.

“Jack, is Nursey alright?” He moves to grab something, a pie tin, and starts shaping the dough within it. “Now that I think about it, he’s seemed a little off, but I thought he was just tired because of class, I should’ve said somethin’, i’ve been so distracted by this dang blog that I haven’t even tried! I wish someone had said–”

“Bitty,” he says firmly, a little loud. The smaller man looks up, startled.

“Was I rambling again? My bad. I’m just–”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize, I do it too. Can you make the pie?”

“Of course, Jack. When do you need it by?”

“Tonight would be. That would would be good, if you can. Or tomorrow night, either way, it doesn’t really matter–”

“I’ll make it tonight,” Bitty says cheerily. “Don’t you worry your head, i’ll just make a murder run and i’ll use this crust here, buy some more stuff for another since we’re dang near outta flour anyways.”

“I can, uh, come with you, and help you carry your stuff back from the store? Or just so you don’t have to walk alone…?”

He looks surprised at the offer, and maybe a little touched. “Oh, Jack– I mean, if you’re busy, you don’t hafta, but i’d sure appreciate it if you’re sure you want to.”

“I’m sure. I’ll grab my phone. You should grab a jacket.”

“Chirp, chirp, chirp, Mr. Zimmermann. I’ll get you back one a’ these days, mark my words.”

It’s a little late by Jack’s standards when they finally finish up the pie; somewhere in the middle, Bitty had gotten the idea for a marshmallow top crust and had absolutely needed to work it out on paper for later, on a pie that didn’t have so much weighing on it. Still, it comes out well, and Bitty bags him up, sends him off with the pie, a container of cool whip, and a thermos of milk, “In case you decide not to drink those beers with my pie,” he says, gesturing to the two bottles with their slim necks tangled between his fingers.

Jack thanks him and Bitty sends him off with a smile. He stands in the doorway, waving, and it makes him warm and a little less anxious about what he’s about to do to know that he has the support of the younger man. Got your back, he thinks, and knows they all mean it.

Jack knocks softly at Nursey’s door, as gently as he can with the two bottles clutched in his hand. There’s a loud scuffling noise, some brief swearing, and what sounds like chips being crushed, and then Nursey opens the door.

He looks… kind of a mess. Not that Jack judges anyone who looks a mess, because he’s very, very familiar with that look, but he looks bad, like he’s genuinely not feeling well.

“Jack?” Nursey croaks, then looks startled at the sound of his own voice. He clears his throat quietly, then speaks up again. “Uh- what are you doing here?”

“I brought a pie,” he says, awkwardly holding it aloft. Nursey looks at him, the pie, the beers, and then back at him, then silently backs away from the door to allow him inside the dorm.

Jack ducks his head, pleased, and eases inside, beelining for the kitchen. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Nursey trailing slowly behind him; he can’t see the expression on his face, but somehow he doubts it would tell him much.

“I’ve got milk, too,” Jack offers when he sits down. “Bitty packed it in… euh, a thermos.”

“Beer’s fine,” Nursey murmurs. He hesitates, hovering by the table for a second before going over to the cabinet and grabbing something. Until he turns around, Jack doesn’t see it, but when the freshman settles in a chair he sets the item (items?) on the table: two little forks and a bottle opener. “Oh, thanks.”

“Yeah.”

Jack unwraps the foil from the crust and peels the cling wrap off, then slides it Nursey’s way while he cracks open the beers.  He remains mostly socially polite and doesn’t eat before him, though he pulls off a bit of crust and nibbles at it until Jack offers him his beer. The freshman raises it in mock salute before pressing his lips to the rim and drinking deeply from it.

Jack digs his fork in quietly, which gives Nursey the go ahead to hesitantly slide in his fork with his own.

They’re like that for a while, just the sound of quiet eating and their bottles settling on the table every so often. Jack watches Nursey as he works his way through the pie; only the glow of the light above the stove illuminates the little kitchen.

Maybe half of the pie is gone when Nursey speaks up.

“So we gonna do this after pie or during? Because it’s kinda late and I’ve got an eight am tomorrow.”

“Sorry,” Jack says. “Or– well, yeah, sorry for that, but, euh… I wanted to say sorry.”

Nursey blinks at him.

“For prying,” Jack says. Awkwardness creeps into his tone at the blank silence he receives. “Uh, earlier, in the week? You…”

“No, I know what you’re talking about,” Nursey interrupts. “Just. That was kind of… unexpected.”

He is instantly so, so fucking relieved.

“I mean it. You were right, I don’t– i’m not entitled to knowing. That’s not my business. And I don’t pay attention to everyone. I’ve been trying to get better at that, which is kind of why I was doing the prying. You didn’t see me last year, but I wasn’t who I am now, and even who I am now isn’t really great. I’m a lot better,” he says earnestly, waving his fork a bit as he spoke. “So i’m sorry. That was hypocritical of me, eh? To ask for all that when I don’t tell anybody? And it was rude.”

Nursey blinks again. “Uh.”

“Sorry. That was a lot.”

“No…? I… that’s. That’s not what I, uh, was expecting,” he manages to say a few tries in. He leans back, and Jack can see from the dip that forms in his cheek that he’s biting the inside of it as he taps against the table with his fork.

Jack wanted to ask– was he forgiven? Was all alright? Were they good? It was making him anxious, honestly, that he didn’t know how Nursey was feeling– but he wouldn’t go back on his word and therefore stayed silent until Nurse cleared his throat quietly.

“Thanks,” he murmured. “I’m not super into sharing feelings and whatevs, y’know? Like that’s not what i’m about really. But thanks. For taking what I said into consideration.”

Jack nodded, relieved. “No problem, Nurse.”

Nursey shot him a weak smile. He fiddled with his fork, slim fingers rolling the utensil in his grip. “You mind if I put this away? M’not really that hungry anymore and, uh, early class.”

“Oh, of course, sorry,” he says. “Uh, here, take the foil. It’ll do you more good than me, probably, eh?”

Nursey chuckles softly and takes the foil. His hands fold lightly around the edges, molding it around until it’s covered neatly. “I’ll walk you out,” he says softly. “You’ve got everything?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll grab my ID.”

“Thanks for the pie,” Nursey says at the door to his building. “Means a lot.”

Jack knows intrinsically that Nursey isn’t talking about the pie. It warms him a little. “Thank Bitty, he did all the work. I just bought supplies.” It’s nothing, i’m happy to do it.

“Still. You didn’t have to. Personal pie and all that.” I still appreciate it.

“No problem.” You deserve it.

They stand by the door a little awkwardly until Jack claps his hand on the other man’s shoulder gently. He makes his voice low. “Jusqu'ici tout va bien, eh?”

Nursey nods. “Ouais, ça va. Juste fatigué est tout. Promettre. Problèmes personnels.”

Jack meets his eyes and keeps them for a second. It wasn’t quite a lie, or enough of one that he needed to be called on it, so he nods and squeezes his shoulder. “À plus tard, ouais? Stop by the haus sometime this week. Bitty misses you, there’s too many calories and not enough mouths in the haus to feed.”

That gets another weak laugh out of him. “Sure. I’ll see what I can do. À bientôt, Capitane.”

Jack gives him a mock salute, which Nursey returns with a tiny, tiny smile, and then slips out into the night to make his way back to the haus.

Everything isn’t fixed, he thinks to himself, but maybe Nursey is a little less miserable.

They don’t talk about it, but Jack finds Nursey nearer to him in the next few weeks, and he welcomes it. He had been neglecting even his close friends, he realizes. Nursey eases up when Jack finds his way into Shitty’s room, doesn’t go so tense when he lightly places a hand at his arm. He allows himself to be corralled out of arguments with Dex. When Jack says something to him, he no longer quietly and subtly shuts down– which was what had been going on, Jack realizes now; he didn’t seem to take well to being called out in a group individually unless others were– it still seems to sting a little, but it doesn’t look as if he’s visibly taking offense or harm from it.

Jack opens up in return: he gives him space, respect, recognizes his work ethic on and off the ice. Jack finds himself saving food for him (he doesn’t eat much. Why doesn’t he eat much? He’s two inches taller than Jack,) and a month later finds himself at a poetry reading. He sees Dex out of the corner of his eye and nods to him; he flushes and nods back. Jack only stays for Nursey’s reading, third, and catches his eye and smiles lightly before he heads out.

“Thanks,” Nursey says softly the next day, pleased and flushed.

“It’s no problem–” is all Jack manages to get out before a voice calls, “Nursey, c’mon, we’re gonna be late to meet Chowder and Farmer!”

Jack raises a brow at him and Nursey flushes a little more. “Dex, uh, came. To the poetry reading,” he says, as if that explains anything at all, but it does.

“Just as long as you’re being safe–”

“Oh my god, it’s not– we’re talking. That’s it.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Nursey rolls his eyes. “Salut, Jack.”

“Later, Nursey.”

“Yo, what the fuck is–”

“Shhh.”

Shitty rounds the corner; when he’s in full view, Jack is there, pressing a finger to his lips and frowning.

“Why am I being shushed, brahooh is that motherfucking Nurse? Why in the hell is he–”

“Shh,” Jack says again. His frown grows deeper, but he turns back to his book and gently eases his fingers back into Nursey’s silky curls.

“He’s letting you do that, right? You didn’t, like, hit him over the head with a hockey stick, right?”

“I wouldn’t do that to a stick,” Jack says, still frowning. “Or Nursey, for that matter.”

Shitty snorts and flops onto one of the other couches. “Loving where your priorities lie, brother. Still, can’t believe Nursey’s laid out on you like that. Took him a pretty long time to open up to me, if we’re being honest.”

Jack looks down at their position on the couch, or rather, Nursey’s: Jack himself is sitting upright, a book in his hand, mug of tea on the table next to the couch, while Nursey is just as Shitty said, laid out, his head resting face-down on his thighs.

(“Move your book,” Nursey had said.

“What?” Jack asked, alarmed, as Nursey tossed his backpack into the floor.

“Move it. Tea too. Arms up.”

Jack had obeyed, bewildered; Nursey kicked off a shoe lazily and had begun to shuck off his jacket.

“Oh my god, please don’t get fucking naked–”

“I’m not getting naked, crisse. Shits and I went to the same school,” he plopped on the couch and then squirmed onto his lap. “That’s where the similarities fucking end.”

It took him a few minutes to get truly comfortable, but he mumbled into his leg, “You can put your arms down,” so Jack wasn’t really concerned with him moving after that.

Maybe a minute or two later, Nursey had grabbed his hand and put it in his hair. Jack froze for a second, but then he heard, or rather felt, a little grunt against his leg and he began to tentatively run his fingers through his curls.)

“He’s tired,” Jack explains. “He said, uh. Two tests and an essay and then some presentation? And then he’s doing something for Lardo later so… napping. I respect it.”

“You would,” Shitty said, rolling his eyes fondly. “You want something from the kitchen?”

“Protein shake? And maybe a brownie.”

“Got it, brahski–”

“Bring another one for Nursey, too.”

“Gotcha.”

Shitty retreats to the kitchen, humming; Jack returns to his book until a clumsy hand comes up and pats at his face.

“Mmm… ‘anks, Jack,” Nursey mumbles sleepily. Jack smiles and squeezes the hand, gently pulling it from his face.

“Got your back, Nurse,” he murmurs, rubbing a hand along his spine. “Always.”

[zak-graphicarts]

“Random Factor” - Introduction to Narrative Theory

In this post, I’m looking at the introductory session focusing on narrative theory introducing the class to two key individuals from narratology, Tsvetan Todorov and Vladmir Propp. 

The Context

Narrative is a key concept in nearly all forms of graphic art, from graphic design layout to weaving an epic tapestry of legendary heroes in fantastical lands. This workshop will establish ideas of narrative theory and the role of a character within a story through practical exercises and research into key players of narratology Tsvetan Todorov and Vladmir Propp.

The Aims

Define narrative and narrative theory in graphic arts

Develop an understanding of narrative and the role of a character

Establish ideas of narrative theory through practical and research-based exercises

Create our own characters and narratives

Simply put, narrative describes the way a story is told. How it is constructed, organised and how that information is then relayed to an audience and in what order. Narrative is the means and method in which you construct the events of a story into a plot, it concerns the sequence of events, the medium in which it is told and the way in which these events are put together. 

Although my definition includes the word “story”, narrative can relate to any form of graphic art, including the layout of our work and the multi-media narrative we are constructing for ourselves as graphic artists. It’s stories, characters and exciting fictional tales - but it doesn’t stop there. An idea brought up within class discussion is how a basic knowledge of narrative and the various theories can advance any graphic artists’ work, from graphic designer to storyboard artist. 

Personally, this is my main interest in graphic arts - telling stories. Alongside animation, character design and sketching ideas, I find the theory side of the medium - specifically narrative theory - rather interesting. In my Final Major Project last year, I was able to explore a few concepts and introduced myself to the major players of narrative theory, from both past and present. As such, I had already been fortunate enough to have a basic understanding of narrative theory before the workshop began. I was able to create a series of graphics covering the basic ideas of some of the most well known theorists - acting as a simple visual aid for my studies. 

The idea of a set structure, that there’s an actual formula for an exciting story, is what interests me. A secret code, reoccurring characteristics of an effective narrative which successfully resonates with the audience. I think that by understanding these theories and concepts, we can produce works that both follow and challenge these narrative conventions - to create fresh, exciting stories for our audience. With something as narrative-driven as animation, a medium that is centred around visual storytelling - this understanding is key. 

An Introduction to Tsvetan Todorov

The session began with an introduction to Bulgarian-French sociologist Tsvetan Todorov, who, among other things, studied folk lore and fairy tales around the world. He discovered that narratives moved forward in a chronological order - a clear sequence of events, with one action following after another. He found there is a beginning, a middle and an end to all stories. 

Todorov suggested that all narratives follow a five part structure, beginning with an equilibrium, and reaching a resolution that brings us back to a similar state of calm at the begining. This is the structure:

Our protagonist begins in a state of calm, tranquility - an equilibrium. “Austin is sitting down, listening to the radio, sipping a refreshingly cold beverage.”

Something happens which disrupts this equilibrium, usually the work of an antagonist. “Austin, in response to hearing his home hockey team lose their last game, slams his fist down onto the table and accidentally knocks the drink off, which crashes down onto the floor and results in a large puddle of beer on the carpet.”

Our hero recognises this disruption - the call to action “Austin realises what’s happened, and mutters a depressed ‘dammit’.”

Our hero attempts to repair the damage done by the disruption, attempts to solve the problem. “Austin runs to the kitchen draw, and grabs a handful of checkered, colourful tea-towels and starts cleaning up the mess.”

The protagonist solves the problem, and peace is restored. Once more, we have a state of calm - an equilibrium. “Austin, having successfully cleaned up, sits back down in his chair, and, with the radio turned off, cracks open another bottle.”

In my example, I wanted to explore Todorov’s theory when applied to an everyday situation, and I think it fits well. This suggests that all stories are cyclical - and have a clear beginning, middle and end. In today’s society of visual storytelling, from comics, television and film, we know that this is not always true. For most mainstream works of fiction though, the main ideas do hold up. But, for every George Lucas, there’s a Stanley Kubrick, and for every cheap, pulpy fiction novel  - there’s Pulp Fiction. 

Todorov was studying folk lore and traditional fairy tales - stories designed with children in mind. Obviously, they aren't going to be deeply introspective character stories that end on an existential thought about the ephemeral nature of life. These are just simple tales of a hero that learns something over the story, and triumphs in the face of evil, and thus Todorov discovers that these narratives are cyclical - and ultimately - simple. 

What’s interesting though, is how well this five part structure does apply to modern day stories, and how society hasn't diverted far from this concept on a regular basis. Films, books and shows that do challenge this basic structure often either fly under the radar, or are criticised for doing so. This doesn’t describe just non-linear narratives, just ending a story in chaos - where the equilibrium hasn't been restored. 

Alongside this, the socialogist and philosopher suggested that the characters featured in the narrative would be changed, in some way, through the course of the story and this would be evident by the resolution. Again, this isn’t a cold rule of storytelling, especially in recent blockbusters which feature characters who don’t change or evolve, but I think it should be. Each story should present the audience with an interesting character, who grows, learns and changes throughout the course of the narrative - that’s character development. It’s a key concept in successful visual storytelling. 

The Task  - Applying Todorov’s theory

In response to this newly-introduced theory, we were to apply this knowledge in the form of a practical exercise. Using a post-it note and a sharpie, we were to draw the head of an imagined character that we’ve spontaneously created. This was meant to be a loose, creative sketch and not to be over-thought about. We were told to include all of the redeeming features of a face (eyes, hair, nose etc) but to give our character a neutral expression - devoid of any feelings or emotion. 

This element of the task was important, as the task is about designing a new character from a given one, and so adding a giant smile will instantly sway my approach to re-designing that character. Having a neutral expression allows the artist a “blank slate” and create ideas of personality and character from the visual design itself. 

Once this is completed, we were to place the drawn-head on the table along with everyone else’s, and then randomly select another student’s post-it character. In our sketchbook, we were to re-draw that character in the top left-hand corner to the best of our ability. This is the starting sketch - the inspiration. 

To the right of this, I was then tasked to re-draw the head, changing the visual look of one of the character’s features. We were to repeat this process at least five times, and consider what is changing with each drawing. In this process, we’re designing new, original characters for our own narrative. Its a method character designers use to develop characteristics that help to define a narrative, but also this idea of repetition helps artists familiarise themselves with a character allowing for quick tweaks, alterations and scenarios.

When we had finished developing our character, we then re-drew them a final time on a post-it note. We were asked to consider any narrative themes, ideas or personalty traits for our final character - and to name them. 

My original sketch, taken from another student, was a complete blank slate. With merely two dots for eyes and a single line for mouth or a nose - there was quite a bit I could do with this sketch. 

However, I do believe in the old adage that “limitation fuels creativity’ - and as such, I found it somewhat difficult to take this literal blank slate and make it into an interesting character design. Through numerous sharpie sketches, I developed the concept into a snow-man character, fit with a black bowler hat. This is Gerald, an optimistic man of snow. He’s a simple man, loves life and his beloved bowler hat. But what happens when his hat is stolen, or goes missing?

Our next task was to draw three random objects on three post-it notes, and place them on the table alongside everyone else’s. Just like last time, we were then instructed to take three new random drawings. In groups of four, we then created a short narrative using the five act story structure established by Todorov, involving atleast to objects, all of the characters and a narrative “hook” provided by a hat, selected at random. Once we’d created the stories, we then presented our narratives to the class, along with the characters and objects featured to illustrate the tale. 

My group had a handful of colourful, bizarre characters and some fairly standard objects, including a baseball, a pair of glasses and a bowl of spaghetti. The narrative hook we were given was rather an abstract one, “the fallen stars scorched the hilltop”, and thus we had to create a story around this vague premise, making sure each part of the story follows Todorov’s theory. 

This was the narrative masterpiece we created:

Our heroes, Gerald and Darren, are playing golf - after spending a relaxing Sunday morning watching a base-ball game with friends. 

Suddenly - they hear a loud noise, as if a grenade had just gone off. The two look at each other, having paused their game. 

Darren lifts his sun glasses off, and sees a large round mass falling down from the sky - at a very fast pace. The mass slams onto the ground, leaving a trail of burning spaghetti (yes, spaghetti) in his wake. 

Gerald sees that this mass, a caveman of sorts, is wearing a magical watch. Bill’s friend throws a bucket of water over the caveman, Ungar. The fire is put out, and Gerald winds the clock backwards. Ungar is magically teleported away, back to his timezone. 

Darren and Gerald walk back to their golf game, and resume playing. 

It’s a simple story, but one that uses our characters and objects in a clear way with a creative approach to the narrative hook given to us. Each part of the story follows Todorov’s structure, and the story ends with a restoration of equilibrium, just as he suggested. 

An Introduction to Vladmir Propp

The latter part of the session was based around research-gathering, looking at Russian folklorist Vladmir Propp. He was also a sociologist, one who studied Russian folk tales - analysing the basic plots, characters and most simple narrative elements. Propp published “Morphology of the Folktale” in 1928, a work that represented a breakthrough in both morphology and folkloristics, Despite influencing fellow narratologists Claude Lévi-Strauss and Roland Barthes, it was generally unnoticed in the West - until it was translated in 1958. 

Propp’s original theories concluded that all characters could be classified into seven broad character functions, a statement found after analysing a hundred folk stories. These character archetypes can be applied to almost any story, from literature and theatre to animation and film - and as such, his character structures are used in narrative education to this day. 

Our main task was to define the roles of these seven character types, using an example for each one, and consider how these roles may dictate the structure of a narrative. 

Propp’s Character Archetypes 

Star Wars is a great example of mostly all Propp’s archetypes, with Lando Calrissian playing the part of false hero in the sequel, Empire Strikes Back

The Hero - the protagonist, our main character in which the audience will follow and normally associate strongly with. Often a heroic, brave character - but this is to a rule. The hero thwarts the villain, resolving any problems or conflicts. 

Example - Luke Skywalker, Star Wars

The Villain - the antagonist, usually morally evil and highlights the hero’s goodness through binary opposition. The opposing force to the hero, seeking to prevent them from achieving their goal. 

Example - Darth Vader, Star Wars

The Dispatcher - the character who sends the hero on the mission, who illustrates the need for the hero’s quest. Example - R2-D2, Star Wars

The Princess / The Prize - the hero’s prize after beating the villain - either the sought-after object, or a reward. 

Example - Princess Leia, Star Wars

The Donor - a character who gives the hero something special, such as a magical weapon. This character may be combined with the helper. 

Example - Han Solo, Star Wars

The Helper - the hero is supported by this character, often a wise old man, who appears at critical moments to provide support. Supporting role. 

Example - Ben Kenobi, Star Wars

The False Hero - a character, usually a variant on the villain, who appears to act heroically and may be even initially mistaken for the hero. They steal the hero’s credit, and the audience want to see this character beaten - keeps them engaged as we’re rooting for the hero. 

Example - Lando Calrissian, Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back

Whilst these character archetypes can be useful and applied in a basic “hero” fantasy story, I think these are rather out-dated concepts in the modern day. As discussed in class, we consume stories featuring a whole cast of entertaining characters - each of whom could be heroes and protagonists themselves. From the recent Stranger Things focusing on a group of kids to the brilliant Mr Robot - which follows a handful of captivating characters. The audience doesn’t want one developed hero and a bunch of paper-thin character archetypes - we demand stories featuring exciting characters - plural. 

Mr Robot, 2015

The audience is also more interested in a blend of both hero and villain - the anti-hero - than ever before. Just look at the recent Deadpool, Logan, John Wick, and hell, even Game of Thrones. That’s a show where almost everyone is coloured with a wicked shade of grey - with no good or bad guys. 

Propp’s archetypes work for traditional stories of good versus evil, of heroes in fantastical realms - they work for fairy tales and folk lore - but it’s a theory that is becoming more and more outdated the older it becomes. Like Todorov, though, this was to be expected: of course these theories apply mostly to fairytales, because that was what each individual studied. Trying to apply it to modern storytelling, especially long-form narratives such as TV shows, simply won’t hold up. A format such as this allows creators to spend more time with these characters, and develop them beyond simple caricatures, beyond archetypes. 

As an audience, I think we have matured to the point where a simple hero, villain and helper scenario is not enough for a good story anymore. It worked for simple stories like Star Wars, yes, but that time has passed. Not to mention the whole idea if a princess being the hero’s object of reward being more than a little outdated. 

I think, however, that it’s important to know the rules before you break them. These concepts, no matter how simple and outdated they may be, still form the basis of what society knows as a story. The idea of a hero rising up against the forces of oppression has, and always will be, romanticised by society. No matter the fine details, these theories do hold some weight in modern storytelling, and it is key for myself as a storyteller and animator, to ground myself with an understanding of these theories if I am to challenge them within my own work.

The basic idea of a cyclical story, that idea of descent and return, however, was something I found in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey, and writer Dan Harmon’s distillation of that mono-myth, The Story Circle. I explored Harmon’s theory in depth last year, and discovered that this ideas of a cycle from order, to chaos, and back to order again, is prevalent in almost any story I can think of. Whatever the character, this is nearly always true. In this project, I will continue my research into narrative theorists, having covered Propp, Todorov and Harmon already. I’ve only scratched the surface, with many other individuals and key theories that I’m yet to explore. To name just a few:

Joseph Campbell 

Roland Barthes

Claude Levi Strauss

Aristotle - Poetics

Gustav Freytag - Dramatic Structure

The Three Act Structure

John Truby - The Anatomy of Story

As I mentioned earlier, exploring narrative theory and deconstructing story structure is something that really interests me - alongside telling meaningful stories myself. While I am not likely to look at all of the above individuals and theories during this project, I do want to look at The Hero’s Journey in more depth, and explore Claude Levi Strauss’ narrative ideas of story codes. 

As an introduction to narrative theory and two important players in the field, I was able to learn key ideas through practical exercises and research enquiries, and apply my understanding to modern day storytelling - looking at what works, and what doesn’t. I have a more concrete understanding of these theories and narratology as a subject, and established a series of more theorists and concepts to look at further. 

Something to remember, and a subject discussed towards the end of the session, was to not let exploring story structure and narrative theory take you away from storytelling. 

To deconstruct storytelling like this shouldn't make it seem formulaic, dull or uninspired, even if it does take an aspect of the “magic” away from the story. However, ultimately it’s up to the storyteller - how creatives use this basic structure, or challenge it, is what results in meaningful storytelling. At the end of the day - it’s up to the artist, not the tools they use.

Action 

Apply my understanding of narrative theory to my practical developments and reflections, and consider looking at Joseph Campbell in more depth, and how I could challenge the ideas he sets out, to create an interesting story.