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americasass91 · 3 years

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His Kind of Beautiful

Hello lovely people! I don’t even know where to begin here. My ex popped up as a friend I may know on Facebook the other day. Of course it brought up all these memories. (I’ve been with my husband for over a decade so this ex was from way back when.) Anyways, I couldn’t help but think back to when and why we broke up. We worked together (that was a mistake) and I was chatting with one of our coworkers. The guy looked at me and was like ‘I don’t want to get in the middle of anything but your boyfriend said something about you the other day and it bothered me.’ I told him to tell me what he said. ‘He said you weren’t pretty enough to blow him.’ (Fun fact! I had already blown him a few times by this point.) So of course I thought my life was ruined. I mean I was only 17/18. I called him right away and asked him if it was true. The fucker didn’t even deny it! He was like I was just joking around. So I told him since I wasn’t pretty enough to blow him, I wasn’t pretty enough to date him either. That’s the last time I spoke to him.

Anyways! That’s what inspired this little fic. I know we all go through days where we don’t feel pretty or beautiful. But you know what? We are all beautiful no matter what! Please if you ever feel less than that and need to talk, I am here and willing to listen! Nobody should go through life feeling anything less than beautiful.

So I knew I needed to somehow incorporate this into a fic. At first I was going to go with Steve but I took a look at my Masterlist and realized I only had one Andy fic on there. That’s just despicable! So without any further ado, please enjoy this fic with our lovely, handsome floofy haired lawyer daddy!

Rating: Explicit (Like I could write something that doesn’t involve sex with Andrew)

Words: 5.3k

Warnings: Language, fingering, unprotected sex(Remember: Sex is cleaner with a packaged weiner), and just Andy being fluffy

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You honestly didn’t even know why you had agreed to this. You hated first dates in general, let alone a blind date.

But your friend, Jane, assured you this guy was handsome and nice and worth your time to go out with.

So, you pulled a blue dress from your closet that you’d only worn maybe twice in your life and actually did your eye makeup.

After getting fully ready you take one last look at yourself in the mirror. For once you didn’t hate the woman staring back at you. This dress happened to accentuate your curves and the color of your eyeshadow made your eyes pop. You wouldn’t necessarily say you were pretty, but you looked decent.

You slip on your heels and grab your purse and head out of your apartment. As you go to lock your door, the apartment door behind you opens.

“Good evening, neighbor.”

You turn around with a smile on your face and return the greeting to your sinfully handsome neighbor, Andy.

He can’t help but notice how pretty you look. “Where are you going all dressed up?”

You blush and start heading towards the elevator together. “Oh, my friend set me up on a blind date. I’m nervous. Haven’t been on a date in awhile.”

He presses the button for the lobby. “Blind date, huh? Yeah I went on one of those recently. First date since the divorce. It was...interesting.”

You couldn’t help the giggle that escaped as you both headed into the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. You turn towards him. “Interesting, how?”

“Well, for starters, she was almost an hour late. Then when she showed up, she didn’t even apologize for being late. She just sat down and demanded the waiter bring her a cocktail. By snapping her fingers at him.”

The elevator doors open. You head into the lobby and notice Andy following you. “So I think it’s safe to say you aren’t calling her for a second date?” He opens the door to the outside for you. You smile in thanks and head out into the warm evening air of Boston.

He rolls his eyes as he follows you onto the street and hails down a cab. “Absolutely not.” He gestures for you to take the cab.

You look at him confused. “Don’t you need one?”

He waves you off. “Nah, I’m heading to pick up Jake to take him to dinner. He finally found some time to fit his old man into his ‘busy’ teenager schedule.” He heads towards his Audi you now realize is parked in front of the building right behind your cab.

You scoff at him as you open the cab door. “Old man? Oh, please. You can’t be more than what? 38?”

He opens the door to his own vehicle and smirks at you. “Try 43, sweetheart. Hey! Good luck on your date!” He waves and gets into his car. You return the wave and get into the cab and give the driver the address to the restaurant and try to get your mind off of how good Andy’s ass looked in the jeans he was wearing.

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You arrived at the restaurant with a few minutes to spare. You wanted to get there a little early so you could get a drink from the bar and calm your nerves.

You find a seat away from the other patrons and order a glass of wine. You scan your eyes over the room to see if your date has arrived yet. You weren’t entirely sure what he looked like but you knew he was going to be wearing a red shirt.

The bartender sets your wine in front of you. You hand over a 10 dollar bill and tell him to keep the change. As you sip your wine, you check your phone for the time. 7:02. You’re about ready to text your friend to ask if your date is normally late when you feel a tap on your shoulder.

You turn around and look up at who you assume to be your date for the evening. He was handsome. Not as handsome as Andy, but handsome enough.

He gives you a small smile. “Hi, are you Y/N?”

You nod your head with a smile. “Yes, hi! It’s nice to meet you. You must be Jason?” You then gesture to the seat next to you. “Would you like to have a drink before we get a table?”

He nods once and takes a seat next to you and flags down the bartender to order a scotch.

The bartender sets the drink in front of him. Jason thanks him and pays for his drink.

You can feel the awkwardness start to creep in. And when that happens, you tend to get chatty.

“So, what do you do for a living?” You smile hoping to ease the tension building.

He turns to look you up and down. And not subtly. He shakes his head in disapproval and downs his drink before standing up. “Listen, I’m sorry but I can’t do this. Jane lied to me.”

You can’t help the confused look that crosses your face. “She lied to you? How?”

He gives you another not so subtle once over. “She told me you were beautiful. And no offense, but I just don’t see it.”

You can’t help the jaw drop. Sure you knew you weren’t gorgeous but damn. You’d never had a man be bold enough to actually say it to your face. “So, you’re just gonna leave? Not even give me a chance because I’m not your version of beautiful?”

He scoffs and checks out a girl that walks by the two of you. “What can I say? I’ve got standards that you just don’t meet.”

You feel like you’ve just been punched in the gut. That’s it. You’re fucking done. You reach behind you and grab your wine glass and throw the drink in his face.

You grab your purse and head towards the door. You turn back to face him. “I may not meet your ‘beauty standards’ but at least I’m not an asshole!” With that you flip him off and head outside to hail a cab to head back home.

You manage to make it almost all the way home before the tears start to fall. Sure he was a stranger and his opinion didn’t matter. But it still fucking hurt that he didn’t want you and didn’t even think you were pretty enough to share a meal with. Your self esteem already sucked and this asshole sure as hell didn’t make it any better.

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The blue dress goes in the trash as soon as you step into your apartment. You take off your nice lace bra you had put on. You take your makeup off with a wipe and pull your hair up in a ponytail. You throw on some hello kitty pajama shorts and a t- shirt that’s at least 2 sizes too big for you.

Then you head into your kitchen to pour yourself a glass of wine from a bottle you keep in the fridge for emergencies. You think this classifies as one.

You grab your phone off the counter and call your favorite Chinese place. You order double what you normally do because nobody wants to sleep with you. Might as well eat whatever the fuck you wanted. God, you can’t believe you shaved your legs for that asshole.

The lady on the phone lets you know it’ll be at least an hour. You give her your card number and thank her before refilling your now empty glass.

As you’re sitting on the couch waiting for your food, you can’t help but replay the events of the evening. Then that takes you into a downward spiral as you think back to all of your exes.

Come to think of it, they’ve all left you for one reason or another. A majority of them cheated with someone way prettier than you. Wow, maybe you were the problem. Clearly you were going for guys out of your league.

Maybe you needed to reevaluate the standards you had. Which quite frankly, wasn’t much. You just wanted them to not be a serial killer.

Perhaps you should just give up on dating. You were perfectly happy alone. Maybe that’s how it was supposed to be for you.

Before your thoughts could spiral anymore, your doorbell rang. You glance at your phone. Damn that hour flew by.

You grab $10 out of your purse for a tip and open your door. As you’re grabbing the bags and thanking the delivery guy, Andy steps out of the elevator with confusion written all over his face. “Hey, Y/N. Thought you had a date?”

You could almost feel the tears trying to well up again. No, you weren’t going to cry. Especially in front of your handsome neighbor.

“Yeah, it uh, didn’t work out. Shit happens.”

He puts his key in the lock and opens his door then turns to look at you. “Not your type?”

You can’t help the rush of air that leaves your mouth. “Not exactly. I wasn’t his. Apparently Jane, our mutual friend, told him I was beautiful and well. He didn’t agree with her.”

Andy furrows his brows and cocks his head to the side. “What? Was he blind or something?”

You shake your head. “Nope. I just wasn’t up to his standards.”

Andy mumbles something under his breath. “Well, I’m sorry. Some guys can be real assholes.”

You wave him off. “No need to apologize. I get that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.”

Andy shakes his head. “Still, I’m sorry. That really sucks. And he really said you weren’t beautiful to your face?”

You give him a sad smile and shrug your shoulders. “It’s okay, really. I’m used to not being wanted. Have a nice night, Andy.”

You turn and head back into your apartment before he has a chance to reply. You don’t need his pity. You just need to drown yourself in the rest of your wine and gorge yourself on the greasy Chinese.

Just as you set the food down on the counter, you hear a knock at your door.

Confused, you head over and open it to find Andy standing there. And he looks kinda pissed.

“What do you mean you’re used to not being wanted?”

You sigh and put your hands on your hips. “It’s not the first time some guy hasn’t wanted me and it won’t be the last.”

Andy shakes his head as he pushes his way inside and shuts the door with his foot. “There’s just something I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around.”

You cross your arms over your chest. “And what’s that?”

He then proceeds to walk closer to you, forcing you backwards until your back touches the wall. He puts his hands on either side of your head and gazes down at you. You’ve never been this close to him before. You can feel his chest move against yours as he breathes. You can feel the heat radiating off of him.God, he smells good. You realize you’re not breathing and take a deep breath. He smiles down at you and takes his left hand to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear that had fallen free from your ponytail.

“That some moron would think that you’re not beautiful. He’s fuckin crazy, Y/N.”

Your breath hitches as his left hand has now grabbed the back of your neck to raise your lips towards his. You close your eyes, waiting for the inevitable kiss. “I guess I’m just not everyone’s kind of beautiful.”

He leans in, just barely brushing his lips against yours. “You’re my kind of beautiful.”

WIth that, he presses his lips to yours for a slow but intense kiss. You can’t help the moan that escapes your mouth. You wrap your arms around his neck and pull him all the way up against you. He grunts when his hardening cock comes into contact with your soft belly.

After a few minutes of intense kisses that take your breath away, he pulls back and presses his forehead against yours. “Will you let me show you how beautiful I think you are?”

You don’t even need to think about it. “Yes, please.”

He smiles and leans in for one more quick kiss. “Take me to the bedroom, pretty girl.”

You quickly grab his hand and lead him down the hall towards your bedroom, making a quick stop in the kitchen to throw the Chinese food in the fridge.

Once in your room Andy spins you around and presses your back up against his front. He leans forward and starts placing soft kisses against your neck. His left hand rests at your waist while his right hand moves up under your shirt towards your breasts. “Is this okay, pretty girl?” His voice is so low and husky. Your panties didn’t even stand a chance.

You nod. “Yes, please. Touch me, Andy.”

He groans a little and reaches up to cup your right breast in his hand. You hear him let out a growl as he continues to fondle your breast. While his left hand makes its way into your shorts, brushing his finger over your clit. You jolt forward at the sensation, whimpering out in the process.

“You like that, pretty girl? Like my fingers on your little cunt?”

You grab a hold of his wrist and writhe against him as he lowers his fingers towards your entrance. He gathers your slick up before moving his fingers back towards your clit and starts slowly circling it.

“Fuck, Andy. Feels so good.”

“Yeah? You want my fingers inside you, baby?”

You quickly nod. “Please. Need to feel you.”

He lowers his hand back down to your entrance and slowly slides his middle finger against your walls. You arch your back and moan out his name as he starts pumping it slowly.

“Fuck, Y/N. You’re so tight. When’s the last time you’ve been touched, pretty girl?”

“Too long. Feels so good. I need more. Please.”

His index finger quickly joins the middle one. He starts pumping them in and out of you quicker, curling them just right so they rub up against your g spot. “Oh, fuck!” You can’t help but yell out at the feeling. It’s been so long since someone’s taken the time to pleasure you, let alone find your g spot. You could feel the coil tightening already. You were embarrassingly close and he hadn’t even really started yet.

“You gonna cum for me already, pretty girl? Do it. Make a mess on my fingers.”

He moves his thumb and starts circling your clit. Your legs start shaking. He presses his thumb down just a little harder and you’re gone. You cum with a shout of Andy’s name into the otherwise empty room.

He continues pumping his fingers in and out but removes his thumb from your clit, not wanting to overstimulate you too much. “Good girl. So fuckin’ pretty when you cum.”

You lower your head in embarrassment. He spins you around and places his finger under your chin so he can raise your head so you’re looking at him. “Don’t hide from me, pretty girl. I want to see everything.” He takes his left hand and raises it to his mouth, sucking your essence off of his fingers. He moans into his hand. “You taste so fucking sweet. Knew you would.”

He grabs your face to pull you in for a sweet kiss as he slowly pushes you towards the bed. The back of your knees touch your mattress before he pulls away. He smiles down at you as he grabs the hem of your shirt and pulls it up and off, tossing it somewhere in the room. His gaze then falls to your breasts. He licks his lips hungrily. Before he can get too caught up, he hooks his thumbs into your shorts and pulls them and your panties down and off your legs, helping you step out of them.

He stands back up and pulls you in for another kiss, your hands fall to his chest. You start to unbutton his shirt, revealing his chest to you a little at a time. You pull away to get the last few buttons and push his shirt over his shoulders and are surprised to see his chest and abdomen sprinkled with various tattoos. You never would’ve guessed. You can’t help but let your hand trace over a quote on his collarbone or onto the eagle covering his pec.

“I never would have pegged you for a tattoo guy. These are amazing.”

He chuckles. “Yeah, I only have them where they can be covered up by clothes.” He grabs your wrists to stop your tracing. “You can trace all of them some other time, pretty girl. Right now, I need to be inside of you.”

You can’t help the shiver that runs down your spine at his words. His dirty talk was going to be the death of you.

He moves his hands towards his belt buckle and starts undoing it. You couldn’t help but notice the slight tremble to his hands. You place your hands on top of his and look at his face. “Hey, if you don’t want to do this, that’s ok.”

He looks into your eyes and gives you a shy smile. “No, I want to. God, do I want to. It’s just, I haven’t been with anyone since Laurie and I guess I’m a little nervous.”

You couldn’t help the pull you felt at your heart at his words. He was nervous. Thank god. So were you. This beautiful man wanted to sleep with you, of course you were nervous. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m nervous too. You’re kind of intimidating.”

He cocks his head to the side and furrows his brows. “Intimidating? Why is that?”

You remove your hands from his and gesture up and down his body. “Just look at you. You’re breathtaking, Andy. And I’m just me.” Your gaze falls down to your feet, unable to look at him.

He puts his finger under your chin and raises your head so that you’re forced to look at him. “Speak for yourself, pretty girl. You’re the breathtaking one.”

You scoff and roll your eyes. “Yeah, right.”

His gaze on you hardens just a little. He grabs your hand and places it over his pants against his erection. “Do you feel that? Feel what you do to me? Nobody but you can make me this hard, pretty girl. I’ve been in a constant state of arousal since I moved in, watching you coming in and out of your apartment in your tight skirts and almost see-through blouses. Making me go fuckin’ crazy.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything or make a move then?” Of course your self doubt was starting to creep in. Maybe this was him just wanting to get his dick wet. You needed to know.

He grabs your hands and brings your knuckles to his mouth, giving them a soft kiss. “Honestly? I thought there was no way in hell an old man like me would have a shot with a sweet thing like you.”

You couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped your mouth. “Please. You’re only 43.”

He pulls you in for a sweet, lingering kiss. “Yeah, well. Probably too old for you. But after what you said to me, about how you’re used to not being wanted? I stopped caring how old I was. I needed to show you just exactly how much you’re wanted. So, can I still show you, pretty girl?”

You quickly nod your head and help him finish removing his pants, leaving him in just his black briefs. The fabric doing nothing to hide the outline of his hard cock. Jesus. He looked big. Bigger than anything you’ve taken. You couldn’t wait.

You quickly pulled his briefs over his hips and down his legs. His cock sprang free and smacked against his inked abdomen, making him hiss. You grab him at the base and slowly start pumping him, looking at his face for his reaction. His head is thrown back and his eyes are closed as he moans out your name at the feeling. His hands are gripping your hips.

You smear his precum that’s gathered at the tip and use that to help jerk him off a little faster. You tighten your grip as you pick up your pace, loving the sounds you're pulling from him. You start to go on your knees when he suddenly pulls you back up. You look at him in confusion. “If I let you continue, this will be over before it even starts. Gonna make me blow my load like an inexperienced teenager.”

You couldn’t help but feel proud of yourself but once again furrow your brows as Andy walks to the other side of the bed. He starts looking around in your nightstand. “Do you have any condoms?”

You shake your head. “I did but they expired. If you’re okay with it, I’m on birth control. And I got tested after my last partner and I’m clean.”

He pushes the drawer to the nightstand back in and climbs onto the bed and lays on his back, hand lazily stroking his cock. “I’m more than okay with that. I just had a full work up done. I’m healthy as well.”

You barely acknowledge what he said, unable to remove your eyes from his hand that’s wrapped around his cock. You pull your bottom lip in between your teeth and let out a little whimper. Andy chuckles at you. “Well, are you going to just stare at it, pretty girl? Or are you going to hop on my lap and get comfy?”

That gets your attention. You meet his gaze. “You want me on top?”

He nods. “Wanna be able to see all of you, baby girl.” He removes his hand from his cock and pats his thigh. “Come on, pretty girl. Ride me.”

Well that sight just caused a new wave of arousal to pool at your core. You had only been on top once before and it was only for a short time.

You place your knees gently on the bed and crawl the short way to him. You swing your left leg over him so that you're sitting right above where he wants you. You thread your hands through his hair and lean down for a heated kiss. You lick his bottom lip, wanting in. He doesn’t even hesitate to open his mouth to let you in.

He places his left hand on your hip while the other grabs his cock. He pushes your body down so that you’re hovering over it. “Please. Fuck me, pretty girl.”

You keep your lips attached to his as you slowly sink down on him. You get about halfway before you stop and pull away to look at him, trying to slow down your breathing. He brings his right hand up to cup your cheek. “You ok? Do you wanna stop?” The quick shake of your head makes him chuckle. “No, god no. I just need a minute. You’re fucking huge Andy.”

He can’t help the cocky smirk that appears. “Yeah, I know. Just take all the time you need.” He rubs his hand up and down your back to help calm you down. It only takes you a few more seconds before you continue to impale yourself on his impressive dick.

You let out a breath of relief when your hips settle flush against his. He grabs the back of your head and pulls you in for another kiss. You slowly start rocking your hips against him. He feels fucking incredible. Hitting all the right spots inside of you.

You pull away from the kiss and raise up a little and plant your hands on your headboard for some leverage. The rock of your hips speed up significantly. You move all the way up until his tip is barely inside before you slam yourself back down against him. You’re pulling the most beautiful sounds from his lips. It makes you move that much faster and harder against him.

Andy moves his hands to your breasts and gives them a good squeeze. Then he starts pinching your nipples, eliciting a moan from you. “That’s it, baby girl. Doing so good. You look so gorgeous fuckin’ yourself on my cock. Goddamn. Riding me so well.”

The praise he’s giving you just spurs you on. You raise up even more and place your hands on his chest and pick up your pace just a little more. You can feel the coil tightening in your belly. You’re going to cum and hard.

Andy keeps his left hand on your breast and keeps pinching your nipple. He moves his right hand down until his thumb is pressing against your clit, giving you the friction you needed. “Can feel you squeezing me, pretty girl. Cum for me. Make a mess.”

He presses his thumb just a little harder and that’s all it takes. You free fall over the edge of bliss with a scream of Andy’s name, your hips faltering from their rhythm.

You slow down your pace as you come down from your high, collapsing against Andy’s chest. He cradles you in his arms and rubs his hands up and down your back. “Still with me, sweet girl?”

You weakly nod your head and take just a second to catch your breath. It takes you a moment to realize he didn’t finish. You raise your head off his chest to look at him. “Why didn’t you cum?”

He smiles and pulls you in for a sweet kiss. “Oh, I will. Don’t worry. Just wanted to watch you fall apart on top of me. And let me just say, it’s one of the prettiest sights I’ve ever seen. You look gorgeous when you cum, Y/N. Almost made me lose it. Think you can take some more?”

You nod your head eagerly, already wanting to cum around his cock again. “Then why don’t you be a good girl and turn around and get on your hands and knees for me?”

He doesn’t have to tell you twice. You quickly pull off of him and turn around to get on your hands and knees. He takes a second to admire the view of your once again dripping pussy before he gets up on his knees behind you. He grabs a hold of your ass and gives it a hard squeeze. “Such a nice ass. I bet it’ll jiggle real nice while I’m fuckin’ you.”

He grabs a hold of the base of his cock and moves it towards your entrance. Before he starts pushing in, he gives your right cheek a hard smack. You drop down onto your elbows and moan into the sheets below you. Fuck. You didn’t know you liked that. He places his right hand on your hip and squeezes.

“Hmm. We’ll have to revisit that later.” And that’s the last thing he says before he slams home. You arch your back and fist the sheets as he sets a hard and fast pace.

And boy was he right. Your ass does jiggle nicely with every snap of his hips against it. He threads his left hand through your hair and gives it a tug. It makes you clench around him. “Fuck, baby girl. Keep squeezing me like that and I’m not going to last long.”

You move your head to the side and peer back at him. You clench around him again and it earns you another groan and smack to your ass. “Want you to cum for me, Andy. Please. Fill me up.”

He stills for just a second and wraps his left arm around your chest and lifts you up until your back is flush against his chest. This time he keeps his thrusts nice and slow. He places a kiss to the side of your neck. “Yeah? Want me to fill that pussy up, huh? To claim you as mine?”

You let a whimper escape your lips and you grip onto his arm that’s holding you against him as he starts picking up the pace of his thrusts. You clench around him again. “I am yours, Andy.”

He quickly moves his right hand down and starts circling your clit. “Fuck, Y/N. You’re gonna make me cum. Cum with me, please.”

You start pushing back and meeting his thrusts, desperate to get him to his release.

It only takes a few more snaps of his hips and circles against your clit before you're both falling over the edge while moaning out the other's name.

He continues pumping his hips until he’s completely spent and gently moves to lay the both of you onto your sides, basking in the afterglow of your orgasms.

He slowly pulls out of you and turns you around so that you’re facing him. He tucks your now loose hair behind your ear. “Hi, there.”

You chuckle and move up against him and press your face into the crook of his neck. “Hello.” You place a gentle kiss to his pulse point and relax as he wraps his arms around you.

There’s only a few minutes of peaceful silence when:

“So, was that good for you?”

You pull away and look up at him with an incredulous look on your face and smack his shoulder. You both start laughing.

“Of course it was good for me. Did you enjoy yourself, Andrew?”

He pulls you in for another sweet kiss. “Oh, yeah. But you know. Just to be sure. We might need to do it again.” He wiggles his eyebrows at you. It only makes you laugh once more.

“You are such a dork. How about we get a shower and then heat up the food you so rudely interrupted me from eating before?”

His jaw drops in mock hurt. “You weren’t complaining when I was making you come around my cock, pretty girl.”

You sit up and stretch your arms over your head. You swing your legs over the side and stand up, wobbling just a little. You hear a chuckle behind you and playfully send a glare his way as you make your way to the bathroom.

You turn on the light and can’t help but look at your reflection in the mirror.

Your hair is a hot mess, having fallen out of it’s ponytail. Your lips were swollen and red from all the kissing. Your nipples looked slightly red from all pinching they had been subjected to. Your skin flushed from the orgasms. And there was what looked like a bruise forming on your hip in the shape of his hand.

And yet. You’ve never felt more beautiful.

You see Andy walking up behind you in the mirror. He smiles at you.

You turn around and return it before throwing your arms around his neck and raising yourself up on your toes to pull him in for a kiss. He gladly wraps his arms around you and reciprocates.

You pull away with a smile still attached to your face. “Not that I mind, pretty girl. But, what was that for?”

You shrug. “Just thank you. For making me feel beautiful.”

He smiles down at you and pulls you in for another quick kiss. You can feel him hardening once again against your hip. “Why don’t we skip the shower for now? I’m not quite finished with you yet.”

And with that he pulls you back into the bedroom where he spends the rest of the night showing you that you’re his kind of beautiful.

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fandomjunkie · 3 years

Text

The Psychopath's Crown - Pt. 1

Characters: Jim Moriarty x Holmes!OC

Warnings: None.

Chapter 1: "And you're supposed to be a Holmes."

I strode into Speedy’s, the bell dinging as I swung the door open and made my way over to the table where she was already seated. By she, I mean Eve Watson. Best friend and partner in crime. Well, not quite a partner in crime considering she’s a DI. A smile tilts my lips at the thought as I sit down next to her. She says, gesturing to the waitress bringing over two drinks but not raising her eyes from the newspaper.

“I ordered what you need,

Her lips turned up ever so slightly at the sight of me.

I smile gratefully as I accept the steaming cup of chamomile. As I sip it, I remark, “I suppose I didn’t apply my concealer well enough, did I.”

She replies, turning a page of the newspaper, “I might not be a Holmes but I have picked up a few tricks. You’re clearly stressed out to an observant eye.”

I merely shrug at her words, cupping both my hands around the cup for warmth, “I do quite a lot of work. Mycroft has it worse though.”

At the mention of my elder brother she snorts, finally laying down her newspaper.

“Please. I don’t see Mycroft with dark circles under his eyes and paler than usual skin.”

I retort, placing my cup down gently just as the waitress arrived with Eve’s order, “You don’t see Mycroft at all. With good reason, placed in a room together with no supervision you two wouldn’t last a day.”

She shrugs as well, accepting the truth of what I said.

I plunge onwards, not letting her speak, “So I had a proposition.”

She arches an eyebrow and I finish, “We could move in together.”

She says monotonously, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “I wasn’t aware that our relationship had become so serious. Whatever shall I tell Greg?”

I sigh, “I found recording devices in my home and even though I dismantled them, Mycroft refuses to let me live alone and as much as I love my brother I appreciate my freedom. If I moved in with Myc, my life would be very restricted. So, as an alternative, I’d rather live with you.”

As I finish explaining she thoughtfully stirs her matcha before she says, “Well, if that’s the case then sure. I’ll have someone help with your stuff. Just don’t take my room. There’s plenty of others.”

I instinctively lean forward to hug her, forgetting the table and letting out a small “oof” as I bump into it.

She snickers, “And you’re supposed to be a Holmes.”

I roll my eyes and stand up, “You wanted me to meet someone?”

She nods, standing up as well, “My brother, John Watson. He can be a little-”

I complete her sentence, “Overwhelmingly flirtatious?”

She nods again as we exit the cafe, “My brother flirts with every single nice girl he meets. It’s weird. But he’s living with Sherl so you’ll have to get used to seeing him more often..”

I reply as we enter 221, “Oh, I know he’s living with Sherl.”

At the look she gives me I say quickly, “Mycroft’s surveillance, don’t ask. And also, how are you two related again? He’s flirtatious and you despise PDA, even between friends.”

She replies simply, “He’s my brother.”

I refrain from rolling my eyes again and instead rap on the door to 221B, “Sherlock! Open up.”

A man with short blondish hair opened the door, looking rather confused when he saw me but he seemed to realize something as his eyes darted to Eve.

“This is who you wanted me to meet?” He asks her.

She merely says, “I got her along, didn’t I?” She pushes him out of her way and goes straight to the refrigerator.

I chuckle and step in as he stands aside. He starts speaking first, “So, Eve didn’t bother to mention your name?”

I answer with a small smile, “Emberlyn. I go by Emberlyn.”

He smiles as well, “Beautiful name, beautiful woman.”

Flirtatious, indeed. He’s barely known me for five minutes. I hold back a chuckle when I realise he probably doesn’t know I’m related to his flatmate.

As if on cue, Sherlock strides in, his pale blue robe billowing as he walks, “Where’s Eve?”

I point to the kitchen, and he seems to realize I”m here, “Oh, hello sister. John, I’d recommend not flirting with her unless you want an earful from Mycroft. You might even get maimed if you’re lucky.”

Eve adds, peeking out of the kitchen, at John’s incredulous look, “Mhm. Just try not to hook up with her.”

I finally let a laugh bubble out, “I forgot to mention, My full name is actually Charlotte Emberlyn Tara Holmes. Bit of a mouthful so I go by Emberlyn.”

John continues to gape at me for a moment and before I can register anything else there’s a blast. I’m thrown off my feet and backwards almost headfirst into the fireplace. I feel a ringing in my ears as I stand up and stumble towards the kitchen, “Eve? Sherlock? Are you alright?”

Worry seeps through my voice despite myself and I see that Eve is just now getting up with a wince. Sherlock has already dusted himself off and extended an arm to help her up. She stands up with a small groan and I see red contusions on her elbows.

I murmur slightly, my ears still ringing, “That is going to bruise.”

She retorted, though her voice was still weak, “You’re one to talk with the way you’re clinging to that counter.”

I grimace and ask Sherlock, “You’re alright, yes?”

He nods swiftly, still analyzing our injuries. Confusion passes over Eve’s face as he bustles over to put the kettle on.

He explains, “Mycroft will be here soon. I’ll give it ten minutes with the commute. If it was just us it would’ve been an hour or so. Emberlyn is involved thus expediting the travel time.”

I scowl but gratefully accept the muffins he passes to Eve and I. By the time we finish the whistle of the kettle sounds throughout the house, almost in unison with the knocking on the door.

Eve hollers, “Come in Mykie.”

He answers, irritation clear in his voice as he steps in, “Good morning to you too Evangeline. No major injuries I see. Pity. A week in a hospital would have done wonders for your complexion.”

Sherlock steps forward, almost ready to engage in argument but I beat him to it, “It’s much too early in the day to beat one of my imbecilic brothers over the head with a lamp but I won’t hesitate.”

They both pause at that and Eve says, rolling up her sleeves, “I don’t have any such forebearing about beating one of them over the head with a lamp.”

I sigh exasperatedly, “Myc sit, Sher get the tea from the kitchen, Eve, you can go to another room if you can’t stand to be civilized.”

I pause and wait for them to comply, which they do. John murmurs to me, “Impressive.”

I laugh slightly, “It’s a skill.”

Eve busies herself in the kitchen, still grumbling under her breath about how she’d like to maim Mycroft, while Sherlock arrives with the tea tray, purposefully positioning it away from Mycroft. I roll my eyes at his antics but gesture for Mycroft to proceed.

*mycroft’s andrew west explanation*

Mycroft stands up and hisses, “Sherlock, this is of national importance.”

He scowls, “Then get Emberlyn to do it.”

Mycroft retorts, “Emberlyn has other work to do, especially with the Korean elections approaching. But you don’t need to know anything about that, do you?”

Sherlock lifts his violin and I sigh, dreading what was to follow. Sure enough, screeching emitted from his violin as he deliberately played off-key. I heard a crash in the kitchen accompanied by the sound of glass shattering.

“DAMMIT SHERLOCK!”

I snorted and even Mycroft smirked, “Good luck brother.”

Sherlock grimaced as Eve peeked out of the kitchen, “As much as I adore torturing Mycroft, giving me a warning first would be lovely! I just shattered my favorite champagne glass.”

John said incredulously, “You don’t even live here!”

Sherlock explains, “She gave me a glass which she used whenever she came around my flat.When I moved here, I took it with me.”

I interjected, “More concerningly, why were you touching the champagne glass at 10 am. Don’t tell me you were admiring it. You’re not sentimental.”

She sulked, “Listening to Mycroft talk is deserving of a glass of champagne. Not that I ever did get to drink it.”

She glares daggers at Sherlock who winces.

I stand up and shake my head, “Well, as long as she didn’t drink any alcohol, no harm done. I’ll leave you to wipe up your champagne puddle Sherlock. Mycroft will be waiting for me down.”

He nodded, dragging his feet as he went to the kitchen, Eve still looking put out over losing her glass of liquor. John waved as I left the flat. Soon I was out on the side walk of Baker Street. I didn’t see Mycroft but a familiar black BMW rolled up to me, the back window was rolled down and Megara came into view.

“We can talk in the car.”

I complied, sliding in as she opened the door.

“So, what does Mycroft have for me today?” I ask, as the car drives off into the street and towards my flat.

She brushes a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and takes out a few folders. She hands me a sheet, “This would be your schedule for the week. I’m sure you have Ms. Watson’s permission so your things are being moved currently. We’re merely heading to your house for a last look for anything they might’ve missed. For this week you don’t have any active teams to look over. Andrew West, as you know, will be taken care of by Mr. Sherlock Holmes. In your schedule you can see your meetings for the week.”

I nod, rifling through the papers she has given me. A beautifully detailed itinerary of my week.

“Currently, Mr Holmes has only asked you to see the physician that we’ll be stopping at on the way. “

I cut her off with an incredulous look, “I only have a few bruises.”

She arches an eyebrow, “It’s about time for your monthly check up anyways.”

The vehicle comes to a stop outside the physician’s building and I grumble slightly as she marches me to the door.

I’m still scowling as we enter the vehicle again.

“Completely unnecessary.”

She allows herself a small snicker but says in a professional tone, “I almost forgot to mention the coffee I got you.”

I stare at the coffee and then at her, “Is this supposed to be the adult version of giving a child a lollipop after a doctor visit?”

Though she shrugs her eyes sparkle with mischief and I accept it with a sigh.

She continues her briefing from where we left off, “Mr. Holmes, only wishes for you to rest up today. Your main assignment this week would be researching one of our high profile potential criminals.”

She delicately hands me a rather thin file. I flip through its meager two pages with surprise, “This is all we have?”

She nods, “Precisely, why he wants you to investigate further I presume. And, you didn’t hear this from me but he probably would also like you to lay off the legwork for a while.”

I grumble at her words but I’m more pre-occupied with the file before me. Attached it a clear cut photograph of the man and I find myself mildly amused as he seems to be striking a pose despite the photograph clearly being taken by a security camera.

“James Elwin Moriarty.” I murmur the name to myself, taken aback by how soft it sounds. So gentle and distinguished. Rather contrasting to the number of illegal deeds he has been suspected of being an accomplice in. Suspected being the key word there. He was rather thorough and careful. A puzzle indeed. Despite having much information about his suspected crimes there was little to none personal information. Education, childhood, parents, family. As if he was nobody. I suppose that’s what Mycroft wanted me to investigate.

Everyone has a weakness Charlotte, if you find it, they’re yours.

His words ring in my ear. Precious but cold-hearted advice which he gave in my first years at the secret service. Before I was a famed interrogator there. I closed the file and leaned back, closing my eyes.

“Thank you, Megara. I think I’ll take my brother’s advice and take a short nap. Tell me when we arrive.”

“Of course, Ms.Holmes.”

#Jim Moriarty #moriarty #james moriarty #moriarty x reader #jim moriarty x reader #james moriarty x reader #moriarty x holmes!reader #holmes!reader #mycroft x reader #holmes sister #sherlock fanfiction

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whitehotharlots · 3 years

Text

Previewing the 2024 Democrat Primary

Within a couple weeks of his being sworn in, just about every person on earth will wish Joe Biden was no longer president. Sure, the few surviving John B. Anderson voters will be thrilled to see 4 years of crushing austerity and half-assed attempts at Keynesian stimulus. But most people will begin dreaming about a brighter future.

Good news! The 2024 Democratic primary field is going to contain dozens of options. Bad news! They are all going to be disgusting piles of shit.

The “top tier”

While it’s too early to do any handicapping, these are the candidates the media will treat as having the most realistic chances of securing the nomination.

Kamala Harris

Kamala did not win a single primary delegate in 2020. This is because she dropped out before the first primary, and that was because no one likes her. She has no base beyond a few thousand of twitter’s most violent psychos. Her disingenuousness approaches John Edwards levels: any halfway incredulous person can see immediately beyond her bullshit. She has no principles whatsoever, and while that may be par for the course for Democrats, she lacks even the basic politician’s ability to intuit anything that might, hypothetically, constitute a principle.

Even better: she is an awful public speaker. She sounds like how a talking dog would speak if he were just caught stealing people food off the kitchen table. She communicates in weird grunts and faux sassy squeaks, which is how she imagines real black women sound like, but something about her is unable to sell the bit. She begins her sentences in halfhearted AAVE, stops and panics halfway through as she realizes that maybe this sounds fake and offensive, and then reminds herself oh wait, no, this is okay since I’m black. This doesn’t happen once or twice per speech. This is how every single sentence sounds.

Kamala is like Nancy Pelosi in that no sketch show will ever impersonate her correctly, because anything that came close to authenticity would be considered far too cruel. This might benefit her in the primaries, as she exists in the minds of Democrats as someone and something she absolutely is not in reality. Nominating her would be like allowing your child’s imaginary friend to attempt to drive you to the store.

Andrew Cuomo

Easily one of the 50 worst people alive, Cuomo has a solid chance because Democrats, same as Republicans, are unable to differentiate between electability and self-serving ruthlessness. Cuomo used the deadliest public health crisis in American history as a pretext for cutting Medicaid and firing 5,000 MTA workers, and his approval rating increased. New York Dems are little piggies who love eating shit. If we assume that the political media will continue their habit of refusing to discuss the legislative history of right wing Democrats, Cuomo might well cruise to the nomination and then lose to literally any human being the GOP nominates by an historic margin.

Joe Biden

The party loves him because he is a right wing racist. “Progressives” tolerate him because black primary voters over 40 supported him, and their opinion is supposedly a magic window into god’s truth. Everyone else can tell he is manifestly senile. I don’t put it above the DNC to pick a candidate who is in horrible health, dying, or even dead--whatever the financial sector wants, they’ll get. But I would be shocked if his approval rating is above 39% by mid-2023, and by that point deep fake technology will be advanced enough they’ll put out a very lifelike video in which the Max Headroom version of Joe explains he’s proud of his accomplishments--that budget’s almost balanced already--but, man, I gotta abd--I gotta abdica--, uhh, I gotta, I, uhh, I gotta move down, man.

Wild Cards

These candidates would have all have a chance if they ran, but they could all much more easily retire to Little Saint James off of kickbacks they’ve gotten from Citibank and I.G. Farben.

Rahm Emanuel

Rahm is going to receive some hugely influential post in the Biden administration. Let’s say he becomes Secretary of Education. His signature achievement will be replacing all elementary school teachers with Amazon’s Alexa, which saved the taxpayers so much money we were able to quadruple the number of armed police officers we put into high schools. This will give him several thousand positive profiles on network news programs and the near-universal support of the Silicon Valley vampires who will own 99% of the country by the time Biden’s term ends. They will use their fancy mind control devices to convince geriatic primary voters that Rahm’s the one who will bring Decency back to the white house. His candidacy will be the paragon of wokeness, as expressing concern toward the fact that he covered up the police murder of a black guy will get you called a racist.

Rahm has a bonus in that Jewish men are now Schrodeniger’s PoC. When they are decent human beings, they are basic, cis white men who are stealing attention from disabled trans candidates of color. When they love austerity and apartheid, they become the most vulnerable people of color on earth and criticizing them in any way is genocide. No one will be able to mention a single thing Rahm has ever done or said without opening themselves to accusations of antisemitism, and that gives him a strong edge against the rest of the field. The good news is that an Emmanuel candidacy would result in over 50% of black voters choosing the GOP candidate--which, I guess that’s not really good but it would certainly be funny.

Gavin Newsom

Newsom is every bit as feckless as Cuomo, but he doesn’t put off the same “bad guy in an early Steven Segal movie” vibes. He will mention climate change 50 times per speech and no one will bother to mention how he keeps signing fracking contracts even though his state is now on fire 11 months of the year. If anything, this will be spun into an argument about how he’s actually the candidate best suited to handle all the water refugees gathering on the southern border. Look for his plan to curb emissions by 10% by the year 2150 to get high marks from Sierra Club nerds. He’s also a celebate librarian’s idea of what constitutes a handsome man, so he’ll have some support from the type of women who claim to hate all men.

Larry Summers

I mean, why not? Larry, like most members of the Obama administration, has politics that are eerily similar to those of Jordan Peterson. In normal circumstances, this makes a person a dangerous fascist who should not be platformed. But if that person has a D next to their name this makes them a realistic pragmatist who has what it takes to bring suburban bankers into our tent. If current trends in Woke Phrenology continue apace, Larry’s belief that women are inherently bad at STEM will be liberal orthodoxy by 2023, and his dedication to the Laffer Curve could see him rake in massive donations. Seriously, I’m not kidding: cultural liberalism is now fully dedicated to identity essentialism and balanced budgets. Larry is their ideal candidate. If he were black and/or a woman, I’d put him in the very top tier.

Jay Inslee

Unlike Newsom, Inslee’s attempt to crown himself the King of Global Warming won’t be immediately derailed, since his state is only on fire because of protestors. This, however, poses a different problem. He’s going to be a good test case for the Democrat’s uneasy peace with the ever increasing share of the electorate who become catatonic upon hearing a pronoun. On the one hand, you need to take their votes for granted. On the other hand, they’re not like black people or regular gays: most voters actively, consciously despise wokies, and associating yourself with them will ruin a campaign even in deep blue areas. There’s still gonna be riots in a year. Biden’s gonna announce the sale of all our nation’s potable water to the good folks at Nestle and some trans freak named Sasha-Malia DeBalzac is going to use that as an opportunity to sell their new pamphlet about how it’s fascist to not burn down small businesses. No matter what Inslee does in response, it’ll end his career.

AOC

I’m not one of those “AOC is a secret conservative” weirdos, but I am aware enough of basic reality to know she has zero chance of coming close to the nomination. The right and the center both regard her as a literal demon. The party is already blaming her for the fact that a handful of faceless Reagan acolytes failed to flip their suburban districts even though they ran on sensible pragmatic proposals like euthanizing the homeless. The recriminations will only get more unhinged when the Dems eat shit in the 2022 midterms. She will be a Russian, she will be white male, she will be a communist, she will be a homophobe: any insult or conspiracy theory you can name, MSNBC will spend hours discussing. Her house seat challenger will receive a record amount of support from the DNC in 2024 and it’ll be all she can do to remain in congress.

Larry Hogan

Don’t be dissuaded by the fact that he’s a Republican. Larry is the DNC’s ideal candidate: a physically repulsive conservative who owes his entire career to appealing to the most spiteful desires of suburban white people. He’s an open racist in a material sense--if you’re old-school enough to think racism is a matter of beliefs and actions, rather than the presence of cultural signifiers--but his is the beloved “never Trump” style of racism that Dems covet. He’s also a Proven Leader who thinks the role of government should be to finance the construction of investment property and give police the resources they need to run successful drug trafficking operations. Few people embody the Democrat worldview more than Larry.

The Losers Bracket

These people will have at least a small chance due solely to the fact that the Democrats love losing. They have lost in the past, and in the Democrat Mind that makes them especially qualified.

Joe Kennedy

The man looks like a mushroom-human hybrid from a JRPG. Trump proved that physical hideousness need not doom a presidential bid, but a candidate still needs some kind of charm or oratorical abilities or, god forbid, a decent platform. Joe aggressively lacks all of these things. A vanity campaign would be a good way to raise money and perhaps secure an MSNBC gig, so Joe might still run.

Mayor Pete

I am 100% convinced that Pete’s 2020 run was a CIA plot meant to prevent working class Americans from ever having a chance of living decent lives. I am also 100% aware that Democrats are dumb enough to enthusiastically support a CIA plot meant to prevent working class Americans from ever having a chance of living decent lives. If we have some sort of military or terror disaster between now and 2023 the Dems are sure to want a TROOP, and wait wait wait you’re telling me this one is a gay troop? Holy hell there’s no way that could lose!

Stacy Abrams

Never underestimate the power of white guilt. She lost the gubernatorial race to Gomer Pyle’s grandson, and her spiritual guidance of the Dems saw the party lose black voters in Georgia in 2020. Nonetheless, she is regarded as a magic font of fierceness within the DNC. She might stand a chance if she can establish herself as the most conservative non-white candidate in the field, but there’s going to be stiff competition for that honor.

Elizabeth Warren

Liz is probably angry that the party so shamelessly sold her out even after she was a good little girl and sabatoged Bernie’s campaign for them--yet another example of high ranking US government officials reneging on their promises to the Native American community. Smdh. The fact that this woman hasn’t been bankrupted a dozen times over by various Wallet Inspectors genuinely astounds me. So Liz is probably going to run again, and her campaign will be even sadder the second time around.

It might surprise you to hear this if you don’t work at a college or NGO, but Liz diehards actually do exist. She’ll get even less support this time because there will be no viable leftist in the field for her to spoil, but she’ll still hang in long enough to make sure the very worst possible candidate beats out the second worst possible candidate. Maybe she’ll fabricate a rape accusation against Sherrod Brown. Maybe she’ll spend her entire allotted debate time doing a land acknowledgment. With Liz, anything is possible--so long as it ends in failure.

Amy Klobuchar

Amy was the most bloodthirsty of the 2020 also rans. She will double down on the unpopular failures of the Biden administration, explaining that if you weren’t such a selfish idiot you’d love the higher social security retirement age and oh my god are so such a moron you think you shouldn’t go bankrupt to get a COVID vaccine? There’s a non-unsubstantial segment of the Democratic base that’s self-hating enough to find this appealing, but it won’t be enough to make her viable.

Martha Coakley

She lost Ted Kennedy’s senate seat to a retarded man who was pretending to be even more retarded than he actually was. Then she lost a gubernatorial race to a guy who openly promised Massachusetts voters that he would punish them for electing him. Her record of failure is unparalleled, making her perhaps the ideal Democrat standard bearer for the twenty twenties.

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raisondetempete · 4 years

Text

Monochrome Obsession (Yandere Wu Chang x Female Reader) Part I

There will be three parts, with the third part being a non-consensual lemon (I do not condone these actions). All the parts are finished, but the third part is not typed (I handwrote everything). I’m working up the courage to type it.

Edit: The third part is now out!

Edit 2: If you like my writing, check this out

I’m reposting this from my Wattpad so if you see it there, it’s not stolen. Story under line

Link to part II Hopefully I did this right

Link to part III

(y/n) - your name

(e/c) - eye colour

(f/g) - favorite genre

Character Index:

Margaretha - Female Dancer

Martha - Coordinator

Helena - The Mind’s Eye

Fiona - Priestess

Naib - Mercenary

Wu Chang - Black and White

Fan Wujiu - Black

Xie Bi’an - White

Aesop - Embalmer

Vera - Perfumer

Kevin - Cowboy

Andrew - Gravekeeper

Luca - “Prisoner”

You’ve been in the manor for about a month now. Although you’re no longer considered “new”, you don’t go into too many matches. Partly because you’re still inexperienced at matches but mostly because you’re anxiety peaks in matches.

There’s a match today and you’re determined to participate. Margaretha was supposed to participate in the match, but she sprained her ankle while practicing her dancing. So, Martha gathered everyone in the dining hall to decide who would replace her.

“Alright everyone,” Martha said, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention. “As everyone knows, Margaretha is unable to participate in today's match. The other three survivors are Helena, Fiona, and Naib. Any survivor would do as the kiting, saving, and decoding roles are covered.” Determined to redeem yourself and to help calm your anxiety, you raise your hand.

“Umm… May I join?” you ask. Martha, slightly surprised, nods. “Just be a bit cautious as you’re still inexperienced.” Nodding, you signal that you understand. Walking over to Helena, you place your hand on her shoulder.

“Hey,” you say.

“Hi,” she responds in her usual quiet voice, “I’m surprised you volunteered to join today’s match.”

“I wanted to try and get over my anxiety.”

“I understand. I had the same problem when I first got here. I think everyone did. The anxiety lessens with experience.” After saying that, she squeezes your hand reassuringly.

“We have about an hour until the match begins. You should get ready,” she says. You thank her and go into your room to prepare for the match.

You were known as the Reader. Particularly good with decoding, you would probably become one of the best decoders in the roster with more experience. However, as you spend most of your time reading, you’re not very athletic. Plus, the book you carry with you is a bit heavy, so it weighs you down significantly. As a result, when a hunter comes by, you try to hide instead of running.

What's your ability? You can see the actions of everyone in the match, including the hunter, 10 seconds before it happens using the book you constantly tote around. Unfortunately, the book takes a while to recover so you can only use it every couple of minutes.

The hour before the match flies by quickly. As you walk to the matching room, you’re legs begin to shake.

“Deep breath in (y/n). Deep breath out (y/n),” you mutter yourself as you reach the room. Fiona and Helena are already seated. You take a seat in the middle of them.

“Where’s Naib?” You ask.

“He’s getting his elbow pads from his room,” Fiona replies, fiddling with her metal ring. You bob your head and engage in a conversation with the two while waiting for Naib to come back.

Naib soon comes back and sits in the chair closest to the door.

“The match will begin in thirty seconds,” The host’s voice booms from nowhere.

‘I guess the hunter was already here then. I wonder for how long?’ you wonder. A sound of glass breaking is heard and your vision goes black.

The sound of glass breaking is heard as your vision returns. It appears you’re by the pier in Lakeside Village. The sound of Helena’s cane is heard and you can vaguely see everyone’s outline. Apparently, the hunter is Wu Chang. You haven’t had any matches with him yet but you’ve heard stories from the other survivors. Wu Chang is made up of two people. The white version is more docile than other hunters and mostly patrols the area while the black version is incredibly aggressive. Due to the Black’s aggression and White’s huge hitbox, Wu Chang is a feared hunter among the survivors. You really don’t want to encounter him.

Before running over to the cipher machine nearby, you turn to see where everyone was. Helena is over by the shore cipher, decoding. Fiona is far behind you, working on the cipher within by the boatshed. Naib is in the cornfields. You open your book to see who the hunter will go after first.

Fiona is hurriedly decoding the boatshed cipher, wiping the sweat off her brow as she focuses, while Helena works on the shore cipher. Naib is working on the cornfield cipher but will quickly be interrupted by the smirking mercilessly Black form of Wu Chang.

You call out to Naib that the hunter is going to attack him, hoping that the winds present in Lakeside would carry your voice across the map. As you run to the cipher to begin decoding, you hear Naib call out a thank you. Unfortunately, Wu Chang must have also heard you because a bell sound is heard before Naib is hit.

“Crap,” you mutter to yourself.

“Don’t move! I’m coming!” Fiona calls out. A light bell sound is heard, meaning a cipher has been completed. Helena sure is fast. You continue decoding until a female scream is heard out. Fiona.

“Continue decoding!” she yells out. Helena hits her cane again, revealing Fiona chaired nearby. Naib, seeing you, runs over to you.

“Can you quickly heal me,” he asks, gesturing to the cuts on his arms. By the time you are able to heal him, Fiona likely has less than half a minute left before the rocket chair sends her back to the manor. Naib equips his elbow pads and dashes off. You continue decoding and finish the cipher. Unfortunately, it seems Naib wasn’t able to make it in time. Fiona’s screams as she blasts off are mingled with Naib’s as he is hit. Helena hits her cane once more, revealing Naib by the cornfields and Helena decoding the shack cipher by the shore.

Your book has recovered by this point so you open it.

Naib runs around the windmill by the shore door, heart beating wildly. Unfortunately for Naib, White teleports using his umbrella. Unwisely looking fearfully behind him, Naib runs headfirst into Black. Naib screams in terror as the grinning Black hits him.

“Naib!” you scream. “White is going to teleport to you when you go around the windmill!”

“Thanks (y/n)!” Naib yells back. You smile, happy with yourself that you helped in some way. You run to the barely started cornfield cipher and begin decoding. A light bell sound is heard, meaning Helena finished her cipher. Great! You were half done yours. Your happiness fades away seconds later as Naib screams as he is hit.

“Just a bit longer Naib! I’m almost done!” You call out. Helena hits her cane, revealing her by the ship exit gate and Naib limping in pain, Wu Chang right behind him. Before the vision of the two fades, you see Naib vault a window, thinking Wu Chang isn’t far behind him. Unluckily for Naib, it’s a slow vault. Wu Chang hits him as he’s vaulting, resulting in a terror shock.

“Keep decoding! I’m saving him!” Helena calls out.

“Helena! Don’t!” you scream out, only to be met with silence. You fearfully keep decoding, not knowing what else to do. A feminine scream pierces through the night soon after. You try decoding faster, hoping to at least assist Helena with Borrowed Time.

“Keep it up, Helena!” Naib shouts from his place in the chair.

“I’m almost done decoding!” you also shout out into the night. Just as you're about to pop the last cipher, a bell sound is heard. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t mean someone's done decoding. Helena manages to hit her cane before being downed, almost as if she knew it was inevitable

“Come on… Come on…” you mutter, decoding faster than you’ve ever decoded before, not even checking if Helena was picked up. You finish decoding and a siren is heard.

“Yes!” you shout. A fizzing was heard.

“She was chaired!” Naib yells as he flies through the air. You freeze. It was just you and Helena left and Helena was already chaired. You don’t even know where the dungeon is. You hold onto the cipher, shaking intensely. This was exactly what you didn’t want to happen. No matter what you did, you were screwed. Maybe you could save if…

“The hunter has detention!” Helena calls out, interrupting your thoughts.

‘There goes that idea,’ You bitterly think to yourself.

“Don’t save me! Open the door!” she replies.

“But what about-”

“Just do it!” Helena’s usually calm and quiet demeanor is replaced by a firm tone. Begrudgingly, you head towards the cornfield door.

Just as you reach the door, you hear Helena’s terrified scream as she blasts off into the night. Trying to ignore your anxiety-ridden thoughts, you start entering the code for the door. A blast of red light besides you is your only clue to start running. You head into the cornfields, only looking back to see Black stalking after you, long hair blowing in the breeze behind him. You huddle in a corner of the field and bite down hard on your right hand in order for the scream bubbling up in your throat not to release.

Soon after you crouch, you hear the footsteps of Wu Chang near you, his eyes glowing a scarlet red. You dig your fingers hard into your palm to the point where blood is nearly drawn. That’s when he enters your vision. Black is walking vertically towards where you are crouching, sighing as he goes. In a couple seconds, he’ll be upon you. You hold your breath, not knowing what else to do.

Then, he looks directly at you. Your pounding heart stops as you see black spots in your vision.

‘I’m going to die. I’m going to die,’ you keep repeating in your head. Blood spurts from your hands from how hard you are biting/digging in to them. Black comes towards you and…

Completely ignores you.

He walks inches by you, his long braid almost hitting you in the face. You don’t dare to even turn your head to see where he is going. You only dare to move when the purple glow from your chest has completely disappeared. You run back to the cornfield gate and continue putting in the code. The gate quickly opens and you dash through. As you disappear into the night, one thought echoes in your head.

‘He saw me so why didn’t he down me?’

Over the next few months, you began to see Wu Chang in matches frequently, they being the most common hunter you see. Thus, when you were chosen for a match, everyone assumed the hunter would be Wu Chang.

As for your interactions with the Black and White hunter, they’ve been acting odd towards you. There’s only been one match where they’ve hit you. Instead, they would just stare at you for a bit before walking away. Even the bloody thirsty Black never made a move to hurt you.

The one time they hit you was about a month ago in the Red Church. There were three ciphers decided and you were the last survivor left. You tried looking for dungeon but quickly got crows. You started sprinting towards a random direction but White quickly found you. Scared, you tried to run in the opposite direction. Sighing, White hit you with his umbrella… well, “hit” isn’t the right word. He more bruised you on the arm, applying just enough force for you to be considered injured. You ran to the cemetery and hid. White quickly caught up to you, siphoning your soul. He stopped right before your soul was fully siphoned. Unfortunately, he was now right in front of you. He had “hit” you again on the other arm, making you downed. He picked you up carefully, as if he were holding an injured baby bird, and brought you to the open dungeon. He then let you struggle free from his arms. Before you had jumped into the dungeon, you let out a small “Thank you”.

Now, you’re lazing on your bed, reading a (f/g) book when there’s a knock on your door.

“Come in,” you softly call out. The door opens, revealing Aesop. Aesop has been your closest friend during your stay at the manor. You quickly bonded over your mutual social anxiety. Although you thought his fascination with dead bodies was weird at first, you eventually came to accept his interests. There was even a time when you thought you had heard him say that you were better than his dead bodies.

“What is it?” you question.

“We have a match with Vera and Kevin in ten minutes,” Aesop replies, gesturing to his embalming case.

“Let me just get my book,” you say. You run over to your bedside table, grab your book from its place on your bedside table, and run over to the waiting Aesop. You walk down together to the matching room.

When you both arrive to the table, Kevin is chatting animatedly to Vera, much to her annoyance. Trying to get away from the awkward situation, you and Aesop decide to sit as far away from the duo as possible. Seeing the two of you arrive, Kevin and Vera confirm into the match.

“Are you ready?” Aesop whispers into your ear.

“I think so,” you say, looking down at your slightly shaking hands. You still haven’t gotten over your nervousness in matches. Even Andrew and Luca have gotten over their original nervousness despite coming to the mansion after you. Aesop looks at you and squeezes your hand reassuringly. You look back at him but you can’t see his expression behind his mask. You both confirm. You hear glass breaking and your vision goes black.

When the sound of breaking once again reaches your ears, your vision returns. Looking around you, you realize the map you’re in is the Arms Factory. You shiver as an ominous feeling hits you in the face. This is your least favorite map. The eerie feeling emanating from the abandoned factory has always creeped you out. Today, however, it wasn’t the factory giving you the feeling of dread.

This match is no ordinary match.

You don’t know how you know this. It was just a gut feeling. You open your book to see where everyone has ended up.

Aesop is standing idly around in the factory, grey eyes darting around wildly. Once he sees the glowing cipher machine, he runs over to it and begins typing away. Vera is out in the open as she clacks away on the keyboard, running her hand through her brown hair as she does so. Kevin is decoding the cipher in the outside room, spitting onto the ground every now and then. Cackling, Wu Chang appears from the back left entrance, a smirk on their face growing ever wider.

“Kevin! Wu Chang is behind you!” you call out.

“Thanks baby girl,” Kevin coos from the distance. You repress a shudder and head into the factory to meet up with Aesop.

Aesop is already decoding when you get inside the factory. You run over to the cipher.

“Umm… is it okay if I decode with you?” you question. Aesop, being uncomfortable around others, has a slowing decoding speed when others decode with him.

“Yeah. My decoding stays normal with you because I’m comfortable around you,” Aesop replies. You beam at him as you begin decoding.

“Keep decoding. I’m going to place my coffin,” Aesop says. You nod as you continue decoding. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Aesop go out the door to the right of you. A loud grunt is heard from Kevin, signalling that he’s been hit. Aesop returns soon after and assists you with decoding. You both quickly finish decoding the cipher and decide to split up, with you going out the left door and Aesop going out the right.

You find a cipher out in the open and begin decoding. A nearby grunt fills the air, signalling Kevin just went down.

“I’ll be there in a second! Let me finish this cipher,” Vera’s voice pierces through the fog as she finishes her cipher. You then see her sprint across the plain in the direction of where Kevin’s yell came from.

“Keep it up Vera,” you encourage her as she runs past you. She shoots you a smile and keeps running. You hear the snaps of Kevin being chaired as a faint purple glow covers your chest. Taking that as your signal to leave, you run off to find a different cipher. When you’re running, you hear Vera’s scream.

“Good job getting terror shocked,” Kevin’s sarcastic voice carries through the mist.

“Shut up!” a very pissed off Vera snarls back as she’s taken away.

“Aesop, where are you!,” you call out as softly as you can.

“Over here,” a whisper to your right replies, so faint that you wouldn’t have heard it if you weren’t paying attention. You run over to the right where you find Aesop huddling behind a wall.

“I’m going to save Vera while you decode,” he mutters to you.

“Before you go, let me use my book so I can help you.” You open your book and begin to read aloud.

“Aesop is running to the chaired Vera, panting slightly as sweat trails down his temple. Kevin’s terrified shout fills the air as he flies into the air, doomed to another round of the accursed game. Aesop is almost within eyesight with the chaired Vera before getting hit by the White Guard. (y/n) has returned to her cipher only to find its been abnormaled, returning it to it to 25% decoded,” you read out.

There is a moment of tense silence before Aesop speaks.

“(y/n), I would suggest you do a cipher as far away from Vera and me as you can. Focus on decoding. There may be a way to get a tie,” Aesop rapidly tells you, his tone commanding.

“I understand. Go save Vera,” you sigh, feeling useless and worried for Aesop. Aesop squeezes your hand, noting your dark mood.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry,” he says before kissing you tenderly on the forehead before running off, leaving you gaping you gaping after him. What breaks you out of your stunned stupor is the feeling of the darkness around you increase tenfold.

“Aesop!” you call after him but he’s too far away for him to hear you. You sigh before you run to a far away cipher and begin decoding. While decoding, you hear Aesop getting hit before saving Vera. Vera is quickly downed and chaired.

“Thank you soooo much,” her bitter voice shouts as she blast off.

“Focus on decoding, (y/n),” Aesop calls out, his voice echoing through the foggy surroundings. You don’t respond, not wanting to give away your location.

You’re about halfway decoded when you hear someone getting hit fairly nearby.

‘They’re probably not going to chair him as he placed his coffin,” you think, only to be quickly proven wrong when you hear the sound of someone being clipped into a chair.

‘Why…’ you think before you see the faint image of an umbrella flying through the air in the direction of the factory. They know where his coffin is!

“Aesop! Watch out!” You shout, not caring if Wu Chang hears you anymore. There’s a tense moment of silence before a blood curdling scream pierces through the silence, resulting in you missing a calibration in surprise. Aesop is a quiet person. What could cause him to scream like that? You once again hear the clanking of someone being placed into a chair. That’s odd. When Aesop comes of his coffin, he has the trait “Borrowed Time”, allowing survivors to go down for thirty seconds. The odd thing was that he went down almost immediately, something that shouldn’t happen…

You try to focus on your calibration. Unfortunately, due to you missing a calibration, you were ¾ decoded. With Aesop being chaired, you likely have half a minute at the most to decode.

“Aesop! Do you want me to come save you?” you call out. No reply.

“Aesop?” You nervously call out again as you decode, fear, cold as ice, spreading through you. Only the creaking of the factory answers you. You try to speed up your decoding but the knot of dread in your stomach easily distracts you.

When you’re almost finished decoding, your heart begins to beat out of your chest. Literally. Not taking any chances, you hide behind a nearby wall. Footsteps approach the rapidly whirring cipher before a kick is heard and the whirring slows down to a near stop. Didn’t they just use abnormal? You check your book to see if it’s ready to be used again. There’s a minute left before you can use it. Your book and abnormal have the same cool down time so how come Wu Chang was able to abnormal your cipher?

It’s then you hear the distinct fizzing of a rocket chair blasting off. You’re doomed. As Aesop flies through the fog, you decide to run as far away from the cipher as you can. You quickly heard the slow pace of footsteps behind you. No matter where you ran, how far away you got from him, a strong purple glow remains around your heart, never wavering in the slightest. You were curious to see how far they were behind you so you looked back, only to run first into a… pair of legs? You fall to the ground, letting out a little squeak of pain when you hit the ground. Heart pounding wildly--and not because the hunter was close--, you look up. Black stands over you, purple eyes staring into your own (e/c) eyes.

He shoots you a smirk before purring, “Hello (y/n).”

“What the… I thought you were behind me,” you mutter, feeling numb from defeat. Black chuckles darkly before moving closer to you. You back up everytime he moves closer to you, making sure to keep your eyes on him so that he wouldn’t try to hit you when your back is turned. As he takes another step towards you, you take a step backwards only to run into another pair of legs. You confusedly staring at the still smirking Black in front of you before looking up, only for your heart to drop. White is looking down at you, his mouth forming a serene smile.

“Y-You two can-” “We can separate of course, my dear (y/n),” White cuts you off.

“M-My dear? What do you mean?” You question. Black gives you a grin.

“Angel, we’ve fallen in love with you,” Black declares. You mouth drops open. You slowly turn your head towards Black then back to White. White chuckles before clearing his throat.

“My name is Xie Bi’an and this is my friend Fan Wujiu,” White tells you.

“Umm… nice to meet you Shi.. Fa…” you stutter out, having trouble trouble with both of their names.

“I believe the survivors call us Black and White? You may call us that as you seem to have trouble pronouncing our names, love,” White replies to your feeble attempt.

“Back to business,” Black begins. “As we have fallen in love with you, we’ve decided to take you with us to the hunter’s side of the mansion.”

‘Is that even allowed?’ You wonder to yourself.

“I’m sorry but I can’t go with you. I like being on the survivor’s side of the mansion with the others. Plus, I only just properly met you,” you hesitantly retort, trying to choose you words carefully as to not offend them. However, it seems your attempt was in vain as their eyes darken at your words.

“We’ve been in matches with you for months and you say you don’t know us?” White growls, hands gripping his clothes tightly in anger.

“Do you honestly prefer the over us?” Black snarls as his lip curls up in disgust. Then, they both pause.

“Do you prefer him over us?” They menacingly mutter in unison.

“Who do you mean?” You question as you start to shake.

“That fucking Embalmer! I saw what he did to you,” Black spits out.

“Aesop? I don’t have any feelings for him…” you reply. But do you? It seems that the two of them notice your uncertainty as the dark aura around them grows in intensity. You look around for a way out of this tense situation. Fortunately, you see a window in the wall to the left of you. Hopefully the dungeon is nearby.

You step away from White towards the window and Black, causing him to raise an eyebrow. Without any warning, you sprint towards the wall and vault it, luckily getting a fast vault.

“I’m sorry but I don’t return your feelings!” you call behind you as you run away. White sighs as Black scales the window, scowling. You run behind a wall, making sure no one saw you. As your book is recharged, you open it.

(y/n) dashes towards the factory, pleading for luck to be on her side for once. Black and White are hot on her trail and rapidly gaining. (y/n) reaches the side of the factory and sees the open hatch.

You finish reading and eye the distance between you and the factory. According to the book, it’s likely you’ll be able to reach the dungeon before they catch up to you. Taking a deep breath before exhaling, you make a break for the factory.

Your rapid footsteps are quickly accompanied by two sets of larger footsteps.

“(y/n), you’re making us rather angry. Please give up now,” White soothes you, as if he’s talking to a troublesome child.

“We won’t punish you… much,” Black sadistically laughs. You try not to let your anxiety take over you but it’s hard. You reach the outside of the factory and head to the right. Just like the book said, the hatch is in front of you! You begin to run over but fall to the ground as blue light, accompanied by a bell sound, reaches your feet. No! You try to quickly get up only to be scooped up by a strong pair of arms covered in black robes.

“Let me go!” you shout as your body flais around, desperate tears falling from your eyes. Black snickers before bringing his wildly grinning face to yours.

“Gotcha~” he purrs. Your eyes widen as you try to move your head away from his. Black only shakes his head and adjusting you in his arms so that he has a free hand. He takes your chin and brought you so close to him that your noses are almost touching. Being so close, you can’t help but admire his handsome appearance. His mostly ash-black skin contrast perfectly with the one patch of bone-white skin over his right eye. His glowing yellow eyes stare deeply into yours taking in every detail of your face just as you’re doing to him. When you’re finished looking at him, Black’s ever familiar smirk grows.

“Like what you see, Doll?” Black purrs, bringing his face, if it’s even possible, closer to yours. You let out a small squeak and blush slightly at the close proximity of the two of you.

“Angel, what a little seductress you are. Teasing me with that red face? How lewd of you. Well, I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” the tall man murmurs half to you and half to himself. Before you can ask what he means, he smashes his lips on yours. Immediately, you begin to squirm, pursuing your hands against his chest. Black only laughs, the vibrations reverberating on your skin. After a minute or so, he pulls away, leaving you gasping for breath.

That was your first kiss. As you’re a naturally introverted person, you have few friends, much less a romantic relationship. To have something so special and important taken from you sends you further into an abyss of depression.

You feel a breath on your left ear as you’re transferred into another pair of arms.

“I have to agree with Fan. You are quite the hidden temptress. Making me so jealous as you give all your attention right in front of me,” White hums into your left ear before lightly blowing on it. You let out a squeak of surprise at the foreign feeling, causing an amused smile to appear on White’s face.

You peer at White between your eyelashes. He has the exact same facial features as Black, all the way down to the height of his cheekbones and the vibrant purple colour of his eyes. The only difference between the two is their skin colour is inverted. White’s skin is a bone-white colour except for the patch of ash-black skin over his left eye, the opposite side to Black’s patch.

White, noticing you watching him, laughs softly before gently taking your chin in his hand.

“You don’t know how envious I was when I saw Fan take your first kiss,” White whispers lightly to you. “I’ll have to be the first in taking something else then…” You blush scarlet at his implications. You wouldn’t have expected a comment like that from White. Black definitely but not White. Maybe he isn’t the person you thought he was.

White laughs airily at your confused expression before softly placing his lips on yours. The kiss is different than the kiss with Black. While Black was rough and sloppy with passion, White is soft and caring, effectively conveying his deep love for you. If you weren’t in your current situation, you would’ve enjoyed it. It’s hard not to become putty in his hands.

After a couple of seconds, White moves his lips away from yours, his glowing purple eyes boring into yours.

“Ah. It was even better than I imagined it to be,” White sighs.

“W-What are you going to do t-to me now,” you stutter, scared out of your mind. Black and White look at each other before turning back to you, wide grins on their faces.

“Doll, we’re following our original plan: taking you with us,” Black slyly purrs.

“I’m so happy, darling! We finally get to be together,” White cheers and clutches you closer to him, burying your face into his chest. However, he softens his grip once he realizes his white robe is getting wet. He pulls you away from his to see your red eyes and tears flowing down your (s/c) cheeks.

“Good job Xie. You made her cry,” Black groans, rolling his eyes before taking you from White.

“I-I don’t want to sob go with sob you,” You sob. Black and White’s eyes darken.

“Unfortunately for you, angel, you don’t really have a choice in the matter,” Black growls.

“Love, we can’t let you go. We love you too much,” White says, reaching out to reassuringly cup your face. You shy away. A look of hurt crosses his face as he retracts his hand.

You begin to struggle again, causing Black to groan.

“Angel, I didn’t want to do this to you,” Black sighs.

“What are you talking about?” you nervously ask as he carries you inside the factory to a series of pipes.

“This is going to hurt me a lot more than it hurts you,” Black murmurs before putting you on the ground, taking your head in his hands, and hitting your head against the pipes. Pain blossoms in your right temple as your vision fades into nothing.

You’re awakened by something shifting besides you. You open your eyes to find darkness. You try to feel besides out to find out what’s besides you only to find your right hand in a firm grip. Your eyes quickly adjust to the darkness and you turn your head to the right.

White’s sleeping face is inches from yours, softly blowing air onto you as he firmly clutches your hand. He’s dressed in white traditional Chinese pyjamas. You then feel a squeeze around your chest, making you turn your head to the left only to jolt in fear.

Black’s intense eyes stare deeply into yours, overseeing you. His arms are wrapped possessively around your chest. He’s wearing the same clothes as White except the colour is black instead of white. You open your mouth to scream, shout, or just to do anything to let them let you go or for someone to hear you and rescue you… well, you are, presumably, on the hunter’s side of the manor. None of them would ever even think about helping you.

Black unwraps an arm from around you and covers your mouth with his hand.

“Shh. You wouldn’t want to wake him up. Plus, I want more time alone with you,” Black huskily whispers into your ear, resulting in you letting out a muffled squeak. You hear a low chuckle behind you as two arms wrap around your waist.

“I was already awake, love. I was simply enjoying your presence beside me,” White murmurs into your other ear. Black removes his hand as you open your mouth to speak.

“Umm… may I have some personal space?” you question.

“No,” they reply in unison, instead hugging you tighter.

“Darling, why don’t you just enjoy our time together?” White murmurs into the crook of your neck.

“There’s no chance of you escaping us,” Black purrs, his chin resting on top of your head.

“After all,” they say in unison.

“We love you”

#wu chang #idv #identity v #yandere #male yandere #xreader

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grizztheexplorer · 4 years

Text

Ep 10!!!!! Love Victor live reaction:

-finally!!!! Never thought i would be rooting for the dad but here i am. I hateeee he doesn’t trust Isabel nor that he wants to tell her to not do things. But i ain’t with Isabel equating what she did to him beating up Roger. Girl fuck Roger.

- I don’t need to watch further to KNOW someone heard Benji talk to Victor in the bathroom and I bet my ass it was Andrew bc drama

- I KNEW TAKE THIS HOMOPHOBIC ASS OUT OF HERE

-“whatever happens between us” are they gonna separate??? I thought before i started the show i saw a spoiler of divorce (hadn’t read why or anything) but i feel like if the separate for a while they could actually find their way back to each other??? I hope they try living apart and all for a while bc i do wanna root for them. Also i reallyyyyyy fucking hope she doesn’t get with Roger again s2. Like i said, FUCK that guy.

-okay is still fuck Andrew hours but AT LEAST him not even thinking of outing Victor gets him out my blacklist.

- TOO GOOD A GUY TO WALK AWAY FROM IM JUST GONNA GO CHOKE IM STRESSED

-LISTEN IK MIA IS STILL AN ISSUE HERE BUT VICTOR HAS BEEN SO REPRESSED AND SAD AND BENJI HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH DEREK BC THATS THE GAY GUY HE GOT AND LIKE G O D DEREK IS SUCH AN ASS DID U SEE BENJI’S FACE WHEN VICTOR WAS LISTING GOOD THINGS?? THEY BOTH DESERVE A CHANCE AT HAPPINESS IM CRYING

-also uh don’t think I didn’t hear Derek say “i feel weird at a high school dance” sir Benji ain’t a senior he’s a sophomore. Is Derek out of high school?? A college kid dating a sophomore in HS is🤢🤢AND he treats him badly??? Jail

-im crying🥺🥺🥺listening to Benji and Victor talk has also lowkey made me realize like even if they haven’t interacted as much Victor has allowed himself to be jusy a teen with Benji even if they have talked about heavy stuff. With Mia unknowingly he did the same with his parents. Showed her the version of him she wanted to see bc of guilt, fear, and in order to make her feel better. Victor has only been him with Benji (and with Felix) and wow. Didn’t notice until their talk and me starting to think back on the show. Perfect writing.

- is heartbreaking how Mia found out. I’m wondering if maybe she’ll be hurt but understand??? She’s a 15-16 year old smart girl. At that age i def saw cases like this and it always ends with the straight partners supporting the gay ones. Hell, a case EXACTLY like this happened my freshman year of HS. These really popular girl started dating this new kid and she was obsessed with him lowkey?? They broke up bc he came out and she was the most supportive. I understand she’s hurt bc he cheated, but i hope she listens to him and tries to understand like how hard it is for queer kids and how confused he was? Is heartbreaking bc he truly cares for her and im sure right she thinks he doesn’t and just used her. But i hope she’s willing to listen. As a queer person, I honestly understand all the shit Victor has done. Is not the best way to do it. But I don’t feel angry at him. I get it.

- ugh the song for that kiss was perfect tho🥺🥺

-omg I totally thought him talking to Mia would be a cliffhanger are they gonna have a confrontation now??? She’s still so raw😭😭 i want them to be besties noooo

-LAKE OMG GO OFF. Poor Wendy tho she was hyping herself up to ask Felix🥺

-THAT WAS SO CUTE FELIX AND LAKE ARE AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME BC 🥺❤️

-lowkey Andrew didn’t try to intervene and instead got with Mia to take the opportunity but also im 1000% not surprised of the straight person not wanting to hear his side and instead taking the girl where they can be alone together 💀💀may I say though with their history i do not think Andrew and Mia should be alone together. She has feelings for him yes, but she already regrets having sex with him bc she was feeling vulnerable. He didn’t know it the first time but this time he know how she felt and how she is feeling now. So this time it is kinda taking advantage if he ends up having sex with her.

-Pilar girl i get it but also the queer romance life of ur brother is literally.... none of ur business and does NOT affect u the way ur parents’ relationships affect u. So please kindly stfu.

-thank Pilar hugged him back

-hell yeah Andrew said no. U still out the blacklist buddy good for u

-SIMON SAYING YOU’LL ALWAYS HAVE ME IS THE TIP THATS MAKING ME CRY AGAIN BC YES THAT GAY COLLEGE SQUAD IS ALWAYS THERE FOR U AND I HOPE WE SEE IT AGAIN S2

- :)))))))) that ending :))))))))

S2 thoughts:

- okay well a lot of truth bombs. I truly think separating was the right choice to get them back together in a healthy manner. That is if they don’t date other people. Roger will most likely make a comeback. She will most likely date him. Maybe she’ll realize what a shit bag he is when he does/says something dumb and realize Armando is it for her??? I hope at least i do wanna root for them

- im so proud of Victor🥺🥺 he told everything to Benji, and came to out Felix + his family. Ik things will be hard with Mia at first, and Andrew is still no saint so he might be a dick to him on the team once he is out (or might defend him) but at least they know too. I saw the writers saying s2 will be now about Benji and Victor learning to be in a relationship and Victor’s environment changing. Benji and him will def struggle in the department that Victor is still learning how to openly be himself and let himself be seen versus Benji already having dealt with that before. So it will prob be hard for Benji too. It’s exciting tho and i hope despite everything s2 is kind to them.

- backetball will be hard for Victor without a doubt. I really hope Bram and Simon come for holidays or something and we get to see them again. Maybe even meet Benji or Felix too that would be so🥺🥺🥺

- can’t tell how the parents will react. Ik he won’t be kicked out and certain things will he hard bc s2 is gonna be about them working it out for sure, but I can’t tell if at first they’ll go in complete denial or will just quietly ignore it or fully pretend to be supportive while they aren’t. I hope s2 shows us the end of that scene and how the reactions went and not just a time jump. We will most likely start with a time jump but i hope the first ep of s2 shows us the reaction through a flashback.

Overall: amazing actors. Really good writing. These were realistic characters who make dumb realistic choices and are heartfelt and down to earth. All the actors are amazing and bring so much to the table. The writing is great dropping small hints for things to come without it being screamed at your face so you aren’t surprised 100% by certain choices but also not completely expected. And it’s honest about teens’ journeys at that age with appropriate age actors (except for Andrew I haven’t looked at his age but motherfucker looks older then ME lmao). I can’t WAIT for s2 and again, leaving it to existence so it happens: LET SIMON AND BRAM HAVE A LIL EP WITH VICTOR AGAIN IN S2!!!!!!

#love victor

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what-do-1000-swords-look-like · 3 years

Text

More proof in the pudding for 15x20 breaking the fourth wall theory

I kind of already discussed this theory on this post here but in going over the last two seasons of GoT to add to this dark!Dany meta I’ve got going, I noticed something that I think is worth taking a look at.

GoT 8x06:

We all remember what happens after this weighted ominous walk of Jon’s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XhfGY5pIPg&t=254s

“When I was a girl, my brother told me it was made from a thousand swords of Aegon’s fallen enemies. What do a thousand swords look like in the mind of a little girl who can’t count twenty? I imagined a mountain of swords too high to climb. So many fallen enemies, you could only see the soles of Aegon’s feet.” “This is our reason. It has been from the beginning since you were a little boy with a bastard’s name and I was a little girl who couldn’t count to twenty.” “You are my queen, now and always.” -- this is dialogue meant to call back to the Dany the audience has known since season 1 - this was done in an effort to keep her character sympathetic to the end but it’s problematic since she just torched an entire city that held a million innocent people, and it completely negates the true moral of her story - her brother is mentioned who we haven’t seen since season 1, who by all means is not a good influence or a hero in this story but in this last season, she has started to embrace the Targaryen side of things (that we’ve seen reflected in her wardrobe, I see you Michele Clapton, you brilliant woman, you) - the dialogue even invokes season 1 Jon in that one line, though obviously the focus is not on Jon but Dany herself - Jon who had just been acting as the audience mouthpiece in the jail scene with Tyrion (acting as the writers’ mouthpiece - again breaking the 4th wall), saying “You are my queen, now and always”, something the split audience (the ones who felt betrayed by Dany’s dark turn and still stan her to this day) keep saying - yes “now and always” was a common saying in the North, but this wording is purposeful as is this piece of dialogue for essentially what is Dany’s death scene, the most controversial death to come out of this episode, the end of this series I would even argue

15x20:

We all remember Dean’s monologue that took close to 10 mins to happen as he was “fading pretty quick”, so much so that Sam couldn’t call for help

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“There’s a few things that I need you to hear. Come here. Let me look at you. There he is. I am so proud of you, Sam. Do you know that? I’ve always looked up to you. Remember when we were kids, you were so damn smart, you never took any of Dad’s crap. I never knew how you did that. And you’re stronger than me. You always have been. Hey, did I ever tell you that night that, uh, that I came for you when you were at school? You know when Dad hadn’t come back from his hunting trip? The woman in white, that’s right. I must’ve stood outside your dorm for hours because I didn’t know what you would say. I thought you’d tell me to get lost or get dead and I didn’t know what I would’ve done if I didn’t have you. ‘Cause I was so scared. I was scared. ‘Cause when it all came down to it, it was always you and me. It’s always been you and me.” “I can’t do this alone.” “Yes, you can.” “Well, I don’t want to.” “I love you so much. My baby brother.” -- notice anything...familiar? -- this is dialogue meant to call back to season 1, to the original audience that started out with the brothers in season 1, that may not have stuck with the show for all 15 seasons but maybe ducked back in for the finale just to see how the show chose to end the boys’ stories - John is mentioned who is not a good influence nor a hero in the story which the show has gone out of their way to show time and time again, despite 14x13 - this is the result of one of their dad’s old unfinished hunts from season 1 including the “villain” - Dean mentions events of the first episode when John hasn’t come back from an old hunt, when he goes to get Sam from school, the woman in white being their very first MOTW of the show, even the dialogue from that first episode where the lines are reversed and Dean tells Sam he doesn’t want to do it alone - the dialogue is meant to invoke nostalgia of that pilot and that time, that version of the boys’ stories, where it was Winchester only - Dean’s death (outside of Cas’) is one of the most controversial deaths to happen this episode, even this series (though it has a lot of problematic deaths, i.e. Charlie but I mean in the main character arena) - this was done to keep season 1, specifically the pilot, in the viewers’ minds and as a callback to the beginning of the show, the dialogue was very purposeful, it’s also no coincidence that Sam is the focus here and once Dean is finished telling him goodbye essentially, he looks away behind the camera and talks about how he didn’t think today was going to be the day but it is (which adds to the pudding even more, because this is later season Dean talking who did not want to die on a hunt and wanted something different for himself, season 1 Dean always knew he would die young on a hunt)��

And let us not forget this:

Andrew Dabb: “If you thought Game of Thrones was bad, just wait” (x) - this is said in a joking manner but where is it said? Comic Con 2019, the same Comic Con D&D canceled their appearances at & left the cast who did appear to deal with the fallout. This isn’t a man flipping off people and being like “Ha! Crybabies, we’re doing what we want to do and that’s that! Ha!” He said it in a joking manner when he talked about how only 30% of people would be pleased after seeing the finale and Jared joined the conversation. This is the same man who pushed hard along with Bobo Berens for a spinoff that featured women and women of color as well as having proper queer representation but got shut down by the network in the end. The same guy who worked to separate Dean and Sam from their toxic co-dependency and bolstered the found family theme in the narrative, while also taking the baton that Carver started with of Dean and Sam thinking of what they would actually want for their endings, and running with it, developing that even further.

What did GoT have? 2 final seasons as it were. To be fair, season 7 cannot be considered an alternate ending, it had way too many open endings but here (x) it’s stated that D&D did want to end GoT with season 7 initially before being convinced by the network to go to 8. They wanted to move onto other projects (that never happened because they’re egotistical greedy idiots, but I digress) and their rush to end the series showed. HBO wanted 10 seasons but they didn’t want to move forward without D&D. GRRM thought at least 13 seasons would be appropriate.

What did SPN have? 2 finales. 15x19 is not only the finale that closes up the mytharc but also the found family finale. I’m not sure if they knew this ahead of time or found out last second (Misha’s line of “Cas’ ending was supposed to be different but I don’t think we’re supposed to talk about that” still haunts me), but ultimately, that’s how it worked out. 15x19 was for the later season fans, the found family, the mythology fans (meaning Heaven, Hell, angels, nephilim, Lucifer, Jack, etc). That’s why we get the huge montage of characters at the end of the episode, the initials on the table, Dean demanding Cas be brought back in the beginning of the episode and Lucifer’s phone call, Dean and Sam wanting Jack to come back to the bunker but he can’t, Dean and Sam driving off in Baby together with “Running On Empty” playing. 15x20 was the series finale for early season fans, Kripke fans, Winchester-only fans. That’s why there’s no big montage in the beginning of the SERIES FINALE that they had done every season premiere, every season finale, and every mid-season premiere. They didn’t want the found family (yes, including Cas and Jack) in the viewers’ minds. But they couldn’t remove those two characters from the narrative completely (they were too integral later on in the series plus later season fans are watching this too) so they get mentions. This is why the Carry On My Wayward Son twice, Sam married to Blurry Wife and having Dean Jr., the Winchester-only mantle, the MOTW that calls back to one of their big bads (vampires) in season 1 (outside of YED & any demonic forces), why the brothers-only ending. This is why Dean is all ‘Cas who?’, why Eileen disappeared, and why Jack is off shooting a new spot for Architectural Digest. They only wanted Sam and Dean on your minds in 15x20 with the extension of John, Mary, Rufus, Bobby, and Baby with a touch of the Roadhouse in the background. This is also why no pictures of Blurry Wife on the Winchester-only mantle either. This is why Sam’s son was named Dean. This is why after putting on the Party City wig, Sam goes to sit in Baby and cries, thinking of Dean.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: 15x20.👏 Was.👏 A.👏 Vehicle. It’s no coincidence that W*lker was more heavily promoted during 15x20 than any other time before. That what happens in 15x20 for Sam and Dean (and that Sam is once again the focus after having the story split between the brothers for years before) parallels somewhat to what happens in Jared’s new show and his character. This is the same network that uses its shows to backdoor pilots of spinoffs and other shows time and time again (think Green Arrow and The Canaries, Legacies, etc). It’s also no coincidence that W*lker is in the same time slot as SPN had been in, that they intersperse the use of #SPNFamily and #W*lkerFamily on Twitter, that the C*W SPN twitter account is used to steer followers to their other content, that the C*W YouTube account for SPN no longer has any clips or promos available for that show, almost as if it doesn’t exist. You know why? Simple, they don’t want SPN on your minds anymore. They want you watching W*lker and any other new content they are cooking up and throwing at you. Don’t be surprised if they start heavily promoting another new show (besides their returning ones) during W*lker episodes now. That’s just the name of the game, how it works. They already pushed the audience they wanted from 15x20 to W*lker and now SPN is an officially closed chapter for them. Dabb and the actors had other projects to move onto. In their minds, it’s done...until they try to reboot it in some way in a couple of years. And it will not only feature a younger generation of actors but will have what they consider to be appropriate queer representation as well as POC representation in the new cast. It may be the same Winchester story though changed or a whole new story in that universe. You laugh but watch. It’ll happen. This network is not known for its quality or originality, only for their brand. There’s a reason they keep on showrunners to head up new content if their original source of content works and they become “favorites” (i.e Julie Plec).

Ultimately, GoT was referenced many times on SPN, in dialogue between characters whether it applied or not. GoT was mentioned by the actors when discussing watching it, at cons and in interviews. SPN (and Dabb) was very well aware of GoT and what happened with that show. Not only because it was all over the media everywhere, being a pop culture phenomenon that had HUGE backlash, but also because they were there at the Comic Con where the backlash was felt strongest. To the point where even other people mentioned it in their panels (i.e. Seth Rogen). I’m obviously not in Dabb’s head nor was I on set when they filmed the finale or in the writers’ room with J2 and the writers when they pitched the ending so I don’t know. But isn’t it odd that 8x06 of GoT features a scene that has been confirmed by Kit Harington as breaking the 4th wall to speak to/get the viewers’ attention, make them think, and SPN is a show that has featured that same concept (usually in a comedic fashion) time and time again? And in 15x20 they have Robert Singer make an appearance? And the infamous bridge crew shot, J2 talking to you while still in costume as Sam and Dean from that same shot, and the voiceover “And cut” before it cuts to black?

I don’t think we’ll ever really get answers. I think any we get will always be complimentary to the network, or “we can’t talk about it”, or “it was always planned that way”. I’m not saying those people are being less than truthful (and seriously, I don’t blame any of them, it’s PR and they need to protect their careers, feed their families, if you speak out on anything in this universe, something really serious or the tiniest thing, you risk ever getting hired again, you will be blacklisted, it’s not right and it’s certainly not fair, but this is the way this particular business works) but something is not adding up (a lot of somethings actually). I think there was definitely a different ending for Cas, possibly even Jack (meaning he might have made at least one appearance). I do think there may have been a different resolution to Destiel and Saileen (unless they truly planned to keep it ambiguous all along). I don’t know if Dean would have had a different ending, I think he might have at one point as suggested by the narrative during Carver’s and Dabb’s eras, but I’m not sure what their “true ending” was going to be regarding him or Sam. To have Sam be the one that died would have been redundant from Swan Song (5x22) so I doubt they would have gone in that direction. I hate to think it but I don’t think we’ll ever really know. As far as death scenes go, Dean’s death in 9x23 was way more meaningful and impactful for me when he tells Sam that he’s proud of them, than what we got in 15x20. No offense to the guys’ acting or to the boys themselves, but the 9x23 scene was more appropriate imho. And that also leads me to believe that Dean’s manner of death may not have been what they planned all along. But until we get answers (which again I don’t think we will), we’ll never truly know for sure.

As for me, this is just more proof in the pudding. I’m not saying Dabb & Co purposely sabotaged 15x20 at all but I wouldn’t be surprised if they kept the reaction to GoT’s finale in mind at a couple of key points while getting these last two episodes shot. 15x19 was our finale, sad to say. 15x20 was the network’s finale, meant to induce nostalgia and callbacks, bringing the boys’ original fans over to Texas to watch a certain ranger do roundhouse kicks. Sad but true.

#The15YearShow #spn #spn posts #got mention #got and spn parallels #spn 15x20 #who's she #the rancid nutwork #daenerys' death #dean's death #season 1 callbacks parallels #for each

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infiniteshawn · 5 years

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Since We’re Alone | 3

a/n: 3.5k words. the calm before the storm. and a whole lot of fluff.

Andrew had hoped to have Phoebe on a flight to Los Angeles within twenty-four hours. This was not the case.

Ideally, Phoebe would have had her Handmaid’s Tale-induced epiphany and replied to Shawn with a simple “I’m in.” Instead, she agreed to continue thinking about it, and if all went well, there was a chance for a possible meeting.

Which she never intended on following through with.

“Yes, I know he’s hot, mom, but it’s just n-“

Phoebe sighed and chewed her lip, interrupted once again by her mother on the other end of the line. She felt as if her own self was the only one with actual morals, as everyone in her life insisted that she bite the bullet and take part in a completely dishonest and misleading attention-cry.

Her boss pointed out that he’s famous.

Her mother pointed out that he’s attractive.

Sophie pointed out that it would make for a fantastic article.

And Shawn himself was on television talking about it. Oh, my god, Phoebe thought to herself.

“I’ll call you back,” she muttered to her mother, unmuting her practically-Jurassic Sony Wega to tune into the interview.

“I’m just really happy right now,” he flashed those damn pearly whites, causing the interviewer to erupt in a giddy blush-fest. Phoebe scoffed.

“With the success of the album and tour coming up, everything seems to be coming together.”

Phoebe cursed herself for leaving the TV on. She forgot Entertainment Tonight—an even worse version of what she did for a living--existed.

“That’s great, Shawn,” the young woman grinned, uncrossing her legs to cross them again, “and I understand that love is in the air for you, too?” she asked, and Phoebe wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be a question or a statement. The world seemed to be in this unsure state of limbo about Shawn Mendes’ relationship status, and she felt relieved that she wasn’t completely subjected to this so soon. No one really knew what was going on. Not even Phoebe.

Shawn tossed his head back with a chuckle, “Caught the Grammys, eh? Yeah, my girlfriend’s great.”

Fuck. There goes that, Phoebe thought. He so easily admitted it. A public confession in full confidence was her biggest nightmare. Even though she’d barely scratched the surface, she knew she was in deep.

_________________________

What the fuck she messaged, still refusing Shawn’s offer to just text him. Giving him her number would give him complete access to her any time, and she didn’t need his management on her tail. She hadn’t agreed to anything.

Phoebe hoped she hadn’t worried Shawn with her DM, reminding herself that it was his team forcing him into this mess. As far as she knew, Shawn was pretty innocent.

Sorry she added, and then, ET interview caught me off guard

Shawn was already typing.

@shawnmendes: Can we talk about it?

Phoebe huffed. If she was being honest, she didn’t want to talk about it. But he’d seen the message, and the seconds were ticking, and Phoebe’s stomach dipped when she saw he was typing again.

@shawnmendes: Andrew says you live in Toronto?

Phoebe groaned. She’d read the message, she did live in Toronto, and there was no way she could lie because he was definitely going to find out anyway.

I can call you she sent, willing to surrender her ten digits of freedom in order to avoid what was to come. But Shawn was hot on her heels.

@shawnmendes: No, can’t talk about it over the phone

Phoebe wondered if this was more serious than people were leading on. Maybe his phone was tapped, monitored by the people in charge of him. The thought made her mouth dry.

And then an address popped up. An address that was two blocks away.

@shawnmendes: Red or white?

_________________________

Phoebe chewed her lip in the mirrored elevator, questioning if she was underdressed. An oversized long-sleeve shirt and bottoms that couldn’t be described as anything other than airport pants hung off of her. She looked down at her socked feet inside of her Birkenstocks—definitely underdressed, she concluded.

“10” lit up the LED display and the doors opened, and rather than being greeted by a carpeted beige hallway, the last man she’d locked lips with stood before her. With a massive grin on his face.

“So good to see you!” he smiled, pulling her in for a hug.

Phoebe blinked, regaining feeling in her arms and bringing them up to wrap around his firm torso. Before she could get much of a grip, Shawn was releasing her and walking down the long hallway.

“Thanks for agreeing to come over,” he spoke, looking over his shoulder, “I just figured,” he paused, looking forward again, “we probably shouldn’t be seen until,” another pause. Shawn cursed himself for talking too much, especially before whatever this was had been established.

“Don’t worry,” Phoebe interjected, slowing her short legs as Shawn twisted the doorknob, “I don’t want to be seen either.”

Shawn pushed the door open and motioned for Phoebe to go inside, where she stepped out of the way and waited for him to tell her what to do or where to go. Shawn took note of her manners.

Phoebe was hesitant to look around, feeling as if it wasn’t her space. Afraid to get too close but too curious to hold back, she obliged when Shawn poured her a glass of sauvignon blanc and began showing her around.

“I signed the lease when I was nineteen,” he spoke, pausing to sip his drink. She’d seen the kitchen, admiring the dark cabinets and chocolate marble countertops. It looked nothing like the late-80’s vibe her appliances radiated.

“And since then I’ve just kept renewing it,” he added, stopping where the tile transitioned to hardwood and the kitchen became the living room, “I always thought I’d buy it out, but, I don’t know,” he chewed his lip, twinkling the rightmost keys of the upright piano as he passed, “it’s just never been home. I’m twenty-three. Who knows where I’ll be in five years.”

“Surprised you’re still here at all,” Phoebe spoke, taken aback as Shawn looked down at her with a surprised expression.

“Are you crazy?” he giggled, “I love my job, but you wouldn’t catch me dead living in LA.”

Phoebe nodded. All signs were pointing her to the realization that Shawn didn’t want this either, and the whole thing was being orchestrated by the people managing him. He didn’t want to leave Toronto. Fuck, he hadn’t even looked like he wanted to be at the Grammys.

“And then through there’s just a spare bedroom—the other one’s back there,” he said, pointing back to the kitchen, “and then my room. Bathroom attached, just so you know.”

Phoebe nodded, swirling her wine around in its glass. Shawn had a beautiful home, but she was having a hard time understanding why she was in it. Her hair fell from behind her ear.

“I’m sorry, can we,” Shawn spoke nervously, almost in broken English. He was bouncing around on the balls of his feet, but not in an excited way, “Can we talk about this? Here,” he motioned back toward the living room, adjusting one of the cushions of his stark-white couch for Phoebe to have a seat.

“I know this must be so weird for you,” he started, finding her gaze. She took the opportunity to give him a one-over, too nervous to so obviously check him out before. He was in black jeans and a Henley. She once again felt underdressed. At least he’d forgotten socks.

“We’re already in this mess, though,” he continued, and her gaze fell to his lips, and then his chin, where she noticed that he had a bit of scruff that she’d never seen before, “it’s just, they’re really pushing me to do this,” he spoke lowly, as if he was worried someone would hear him. Phoebe half-expected him to look over his shoulder, “that was a really close call, at the Grammys, and if we just swept it under the rug, they feel like there would be a lot of loose ends.”

Phoebe nodded, still not having added to the conversation.

“Plus, you’ll get some time off work. This is probably good experience for your job. You might see the world or whatever. Who knows? It could be fun,” he grinned, and she smiled back. But it wasn’t convincing.

“Look,” Shawn spoke, voice low again, “my best friend got married last year. He’s got a kid on the way. I just feel like everyone’s, you know, living, and I’m at this standstill where I’m doing the same thing I was doing when I was seventeen,” Phoebe frowned. He avoided eye contact, “it would just be nice having someone around that’s,” he paused, “normal. Not so-LA-it-hurts.”

It broke her heart.

Phoebe sighed, and Shawn looked at her once again. His eyes looked sunken in. Dark circles accented the paleness of the rest of his face, “Okay, I’m in.”

Shawn’s lips parted as he wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly, “You’re in?”

“For now, yes,” she nodded, stretching her legs out in front of her and wiggling her socked toes, “on the terms that the contract is nice to me.”

Shawn grinned, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. The tone was still heavy.

“Play me something,” Phoebe blurted, and Shawn’s eyes widened in response.

“What?”

“Come on, Rockstar,” she grinned, figuring the glass of wine was reaching her brain, “I’m supposed to be dating you, but I’ve never heard you play?”

Shawn grinned and shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

Phoebe relaxed her shoulders and leaned a couple inches in his direction, “Please?”

Shawn sighed, but it wasn’t a disappointed one, “Alright.”

He placed his glass on the coffee table and stood from the sofa, retrieving an acoustic guitar from its stand in the corner of the living room, “Do you,” he paused in disbelief that she was making him do this, “have a preference?”

“I was actually a big fan of yours back in second year.”

“Really?” Shawn laughed with his eyebrows raised and a sly grin gracing his lips.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “SM-three days.”

“What’s your favourite?” Shawn asked with the excitement of a puppy.

Phoebe took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe she was admitting this, “Mutual, but it’s kind of upbeat, you can play something els-“ she spoke, but Shawn was smiling and already plucking the strings, and she knew she didn’t need to keep going because of how quickly he interrupted.

“I can do Mutual.”

_________________________

The next morning, Phoebe danced in her kitchen to the sounds of sizzling bacon and “Mutual” by Shawn Mendes.

For the very first time, she was excited about this.

“So you’re really gonna do it?” asked Sophie on their morning commute, navigating through the herds of Toronto-banker-sheep. People moved even more frantically in the winter months.

“No,” Phoebe answered, “I’m going to LA to scope it out. Then,” she emphasized, looking up a few inches to meet Sophie’s denying gaze, “I’ll decide.”

“That you’re gonna do it,” Sophie concluded flatly, sticking her hand out and motioning to an Uber that was driving far too fast.

“If I’m gonna do it,” Phoebe corrected.

They began crossing the street, Phoebe struggling to keep up with the swift movements of Sophie’s long legs.

“You won’t have any issues convincing Margaret,” Sophie sighed as they made a right, forcing Phoebe behind her for a few strides.

Phoebe wondered if what she was sensing was jealousy. She figured she’d worry about that later.

“As much as I wish it were me,” Sophie spoke, and then stopped abruptly upon reaching their building, “I think you should do it.”

Sophie smiled as she swung the door open for Phoebe, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

_________________________

It was a small plane. Andrew had been nice and placed her in business class—probably some sort of a bribe, Phoebe figured—but she wasn’t complaining. There was plenty of room for her not-very-long legs, and the drinks were complementary.

She sat on the aisle, although it didn’t make much difference because there was only one aisle and two seats on each side. The spot beside her remained vacated, and she was hoping to sneakily scoot over once the seatbelt lights went out and the plane was in the air.

Ten minutes to takeoff. Phoebe put her tattered copy of American Gods in her fraying Longchamp and closed her eyes, pressing “play” on a podcast she was sure she wasn’t going to pay attention to.

David Dobrik’s laugh was loud in her headphones when she felt a tap on her shoulder, causing her to quickly tug her earbuds out and clutch her bag a little tighter.

Of course.

The tree of limbs that was Shawn Mendes was stowing his backpack--with his sweatpants-clad thighs in front of her face.

“Make some room,” he spoke with a smile as Phoebe tucked her legs in, allowing him to crawl across her. She hadn’t been expecting this.

Her cheeks were red hot as Shawn made the most noise possible getting settled in, stopping abruptly to ask, “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she breathed, “just didn’t know we were travelling together. I guess you’ve gotta get to LA too,” she gave a tired, tight-lipped smile.

Shawn looked a little discouraged.

“Sorry,” he paused, breathing in, “I guess I should’ve asked you if this was okay, I wasn’t think-“

“We could’ve carpooled,” Phoebe grinned, and Shawn looked as if she’d taken the weight of a train off his shoulders. Shawn smiled with a slight tilt of his head.

“So,” Phoebe spoke, “what are we watchin’?”

“What?”

“Five and a half hours, Mendes,” she replied, “that’s a whole lot of Pheebs.”

They both giggled and began looking for a movie, determined to press “play” at the same time.

_________________________

Phoebe looked around. The lights were out and they were halfway through some alien film that neither of them cared for but were both too polite to object. Her screen had been paused for a while, allowing her to observe the white interior of the aircraft as her mind ran wild.

Shawn’s movie was a few minutes ahead, but he seemed to have caught on because his headphones were out and his right cheek was pressed against the headrest.

“What’s up,” he spoke, and it wasn’t really a question. The awkwardness of not knowing each other unfortunately called on small talk to fill silences.

Phoebe tugged the plastic from her ears, though nothing had been playing. She released a little laugh and spoke, “What am I doing?”

Shawn sighed and straightened his back a little, but kept his head tilted in her direction as he responded, “I don’t want to say anything because I don’t want to push you.”

Phoebe shook her head, “I did it to myself when I kissed you.”

Shawn turned a darker shade of pink and hoped she wouldn’t notice.

“Phoebe,” Shawn spoke, and she woke up a little. That was the first time she’d heard her name escape his lips. She liked it. “Come on, let’s start small. Tell me about yourself.”

“You want the whole life story?”

“No, I want to discover that stuff on my own. How about,” he paused, searching her dark blue eyes, “what’s your biggest weakness?”

Phoebe squinted a bit in his direction as she wondered if he was taking note of her weak spots for future reference.

But his curious chocolate eyes and boyish grin suggested otherwise.

“I think my greatest weakness is myself,” Phoebe started, “I expect too much because I expect everyone to think like me. I go above and beyond and they don’t, and I wind up disappointed. Every time.

“But it always results in my being used because I’d rather be taken advantage of than abandoned, I guess,” she admitted, and it was merely a whisper.

It didn’t stay so grim for long, though, because Shawn said something and then Phoebe said something, and they were both laughing louder than intended.

It took the gentleman behind them popping his head up and asking, “Do you mind?” to shut them up.

They laughed.

_________________________

Shawn must have drifted off at some point, because Phoebe noticed he was lightly snoring with his head resting between the seat and the wall of the plane.

“Attention passengers,” the pilot came on the PA, “we will be landing in ten minutes. Thank you for flying with Air Canada.”

She smoothed her ponytail, sitting up with determination. Phoebe knew what she wanted. She just had to be stealth.

She leaned toward Shawn’s limp frame, right arm outstretched, trying her best not to disturb him but desperate to see LA illuminated in the pitch black.

Shawn snapped awake, catching Phoebe off guard.

She stumbled, redirecting her hand to his thigh to catch herself, landing with her face just inches from his own. Shawn gulped.

Her gaze fell to his lips.

“Hey there,” they spoke.

“Sorry,” she apologized, pushing off his leg to get herself back into her seat, “I just really wanted to see out the window.”

“Oh!” Shawn quietly exclaimed, seemingly putting the pieces together. Effortlessly, he reached over and slid up the window cover.

It was gorgeous. Clusters of lights winked hello to Phoebe Rose for as far as she could see. If she squinted hard enough, she could just make out where they ended and the Pacific began.

“Don’t fly often?” Shawn asked, eyes on her as she admired her view.

“Rarely,” Phoebe spoke, and Shawn leaned back so she could get a better look. She instinctively responded, leaning forward.

But Shawn could feel her breath on his neck and her hand on his knee and he wasn’t sure if all of this was a blessing or a curse.

He wanted to find out.

The seatbelt light came on. The wheels came out. The plane touched down.

Phoebe grabbed Shawn’s hand.

A few minutes later, Shawn crawled across their seats to retrieve his bag. Phoebe regretted bringing a luggage big enough to check because she didn’t want to be an inconvenience, but then she quickly remembered that without her, Shawn would likely be in deep shit right about now.

Coming back to reality, she watched as he reached above his head, causing his hoodie to ride up and bring his cotton t-shirt with it. He’d developed more fuzz below his belly button since she’d last seen him shirtless—in 2019, on a larger-than-life billboard in Yonge-Dundas Square.

She wanted to touch it.

Then, she wondered what was wrong with her.

And before she knew it, Shawn was pulling her out of her seat and off of the plane toward baggage claim.

“Flight AC753” flashed on the screen above the metal conveyor belt, and Phoebe switched out of Airplane Mode as bags began emerging.

She watched the cell phone provider texts roll in before switching off roaming, and Shawn had located her bag and pulled it from the contraption before she could even tell him which one it was.

The platform for car pickup services looked busy, but before they could fully round the corner, Shawn came to a halt.

“You might want these,” he spoke, retrieving his black Ray Bans from his carry-on. Phoebe looked at him, confused, but listened as he talked, “out the doors is our Uber. I think it’s just a black Malibu. Ask if it’s for “Shawn” and he’ll let you in. I’ll be there in ten.”

Phoebe mentally questioned his methods but did what he said, and once she saw the crowd of fifty-some teenage girls with their iPhones out, she understood.

She had no idea what she had gotten herself into.

______________________________

taglist: @enchantingbrowneyedgirl @its-the-unknownspidey @everytigerisakity @harold-hugs @ccidk @particularshawnn @ssweet-empowerment @tamegray @loveat2 @heyits-claire @martinimendes @shxwnmxndess@sunriseshawn @jollybonkpatroldonkey @jesuscheistkaren@casuallycoolcloud @sinplisticshawn@deafeningdeanhoagieturtle @rosieblondie @hannahlouiseee @change-perspective13 @abeautiful-and-cloudy-day @calthesensation @livsalzy @illumelilac

#shawn mendes #shawn mendes fluff #shawn mendes fanfiction #shawn mendes smut #imagine shawn mendes #shawn mendes imagine #shawn mendes angst #shawn #mendes #shawn mendes fic #shawn mendes fanfic #infiniteshawn #roommates #since were alone

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mendes-soldier97 · 5 years

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Rendezvous || Secret Agent Shawn Mendes

A/n: A Spy!Shawn au fanfic Inspired by @fourtristattoos post of Shawn wearing a floral patterned button down! Thank you for the inspo!! ❤

Being one of the most highly regarded spies was never easy. But for Shawn, or, Agent #8, it was his passion. Its what made his heart race and his head rush, and he loved the thrill of it all.

He gets sent on the missions of highest importance; the high risk ones, if you will. Every mission he'd ever been on was a success. Shawn does not take his work lightly, and works diligently and carefully to not make any mistakes. He's a sharp shooter, a smooth talker, and he moves with a masculine elegance that is almost intimidating. Something most other agents in the agency didn't have. Although he knows he is excellent at what he does and has a sense of pride, he remains humble through it all. He never wants to come across as a cocky asshole to anyone, except the criminals and vigilantes he takes down. He uses that side of him to his advantage, to provoke them thus making their next move reckless and lacking reason; making them easier to take down.

He has helped to create scrambling devices that use frequencies hidden in music, to take out any devices that may be able to track him on his missions. Amongst other things hes helped with the innovation of, that was the most affective in helping to get the job done.

His most recent mission was taking out a French jewel thief who somehow managed to steal several ancient gems from an elite museum in France. She tried to hideout in a place she thought no one would find her, but Shawn being as good as he is, found her with a quickness. Finishing a mission that would've taken anyone else 5 days, in 2 days.

Tonight, he was at a rendezvous point at the CN Tower in Toronto he was prompted by his superior, Agent #15, to show up at to recieve the details of his next mission.

Dressed in a nice, sleek black suit with a black bowtie to match, Shawn walked in the door of the party like he owned the place. Greeting those he knew with a firm handshake and making small talk with those he didn't know too well. There were quite a few higher up people there. Not necessarily celebrities, but important people nonetheless.

It didn't take long for Agent #15 to find Shawn and get his attention.

"Shawn, good to see you again." Agent #15 said as he reached his hand out for Shawn to shake.

"You as well, Andrew! I'm guessing theres a new mission at hand?" Shawn said with a hint of excitement in his voice, shaking Andrew's hand. Yes, Andrew Gertler is the Head of the Agency, and most often referred to as Agent #15. Hes the one who coordinates all the missions Shawn goes on. Him and the rest of the members of the Agency, of course.

"Let's not get hasty, Shawn. Well have our chat soon enough. But for now, I think we should enjoy the party. What do you say?"

Shawn nodded in agreement. He was slightly disappointed, he wanted to get the details of his next mission asap. But, hes a patient man. Besides, usually when Andrew does this it means whatever the mission is will be of upmost importance and difficulty; Shawn's favorite kind.

About 2 hours went by, and Andrew got up from the bar stool he was sitting at by Shawn and began walking towards a door that anyone who wasnt paying attention would've easily missed. He put in his password and walked through, looking back at Shawn and beckoning him to come along. Shawn sat his glass of Scotch down, thanked the bartender and headed towards the door.

Andrew sat in a black office chair, positioned behind a sleek cherrywood desk with a few 1-inch thick black folders stamped with the word 'CONFIDENTIAL' sitting on top. Shawn sat across from him, curiosity running rampant in his brain and Andrew could see it in his eyes.

"So, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you're extremely excited about this mission?" Andrew started, a smirk on his face.

"Absolutely, sir. I've been ready since the end of the last mission." Shawn said, eagerness and confidence in his voice.

"I'll always admire your gusto, kid," Andrew started. He grabbed one of the folders from the stack on the desk and slid it over to Shawn. "Most young men your age would rather be chasing girls and playing video games. But anyway, i digress. Now, let's talk about your next mission; you'll be heading to Barcelona, Spain. There's a serial thief who goes by the name of Julius Martinez, who's been stealing priceless artifacts from the well off natives in the surrounding areas. We dont know yet if that's his real name or a cover name, but we'll leave that up for you to find out and report to us what you find out. Your mission is to recover and restore those stolen artifacts, take out Julius and his goons and, most importantly, don't get caught"

"Okay, sounds easy enough! When do I leave?"

"6am tomorrow morning, we've already booked your flight. We've also reserved a hotel room for you out there, and we're sending you off with €500,000. You'll be going under the name of Raul Castro, here's your new ID." Andrew said as he handed Shawn a black leather wallet with the letters 'R.C' in the color red embossed onto the front.

"We'll be sending you with a briefcase full of everything you'll need, including weapons and that scrambling device you helped to develop. Amongst other very important and useful things. We have also packed you some clothes to help you blend in. And when needed, as always we'll send you whatever you need when you need it." Andrew finished.

"Thank you," Shawn said, then shook Andrew's hand firmly. "Pleasure doing business with you, Drew."

"Shawn, you know I cant stand that name. Its either you call me Agent #15 or Andrew. Otherwise, I punch you." Andrew said playfully. They both chuckled. Shawn and him have an uncle/nephew type relationship, even though they are in no way blood related. Shawn reminds Andrew of a younger version of himself.

Shawn walked out of the CN Tower that night feeling 10 times more excited than he did before he walked in. He couldn't wait to go back to Spain, he loves it over there. The food is delicious, the views are breathtaking and the women are beautiful.

He walked into his condo that night and took off his suit and tie, getting into his pajamas. He wasnt sure if he'd be able to sleep that night, but he'd try his best. He knows that he doesn't operate well on little to no sleep, and he wanted to do his best and be his best all the time.

To be continued...

#shawn mendes #shawn peter raul mendes #icons shawn mendes #shawn mendes blurb #shawn mendes fanfic #spy shawn mendes #au #sm #spy #i'm so sorry if this is shitty lol #to be continued

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jswdmb1 · 5 years

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Put the Message in the Box

“Put the message in the box

Put the box into the car

Drive the car around the world

Until you get heard”

- World Party

Yes, I have enjoyed my break, thanks for asking, but it’s time to get back to work. While I was off, I had plenty of time to read through all of the wonderful questions you sent. Well, actually, it was only one. But, given my difficulties sometimes grasping with reality, I couldn’t be sure if it was the only one I got, or if there were more just coming from my head. Turns out, I was mixing up the voices in my head with the radio. So, to avoid any confusion, I’ve included all of them here in my version of (bow to David Letterman) viewer mail. Here we go:

“Astrology. Do you believe there is something to it? I mean like real astrology - like Ptolemy, Cassini, and Nostradamus practiced - not the one-size-fits-all horoscope you find in the newspaper.” - anonymous

Great question. I definitely agree that these silly newspaper horoscopes are a waste of time, but the notion that the stars and planets somehow dictate what happens to us here on Earth is not something that I dismiss. The problem I have is how could anyone possibly figure that out. I am a very analytical person, and I just can’t believe someone like Nostradamus could have had the tools and data available to him at that point in time to make any sort of informed conclusions. Frankly, I think he was just throwing a lot of shit up against the wall and just seeing what sticks. That being said, the vastness and grandeur of our universe certainly suggest that there are forces out there that could have a significant impact on our lives. Unfortunately, I’m a bit too cynical and/or agnostic to believe that anyone will ever be able to prove that, in my lifetime anyway. I guess that relegates me back to the astrology section in the newspaper, but I pass right by it to the crossword puzzle anyway, so I guess I’ll just have to keep finding things out one day at a time for now. But, I’m open to any foresight that can be given to me, with proof of course.

“What’s going on?” - Marvin G., Detroit, Michigan

Gee, Marvin, where do I begin? It seems if you even take a couple of days off there is “shocking” news that has already been replaced with something even more unbelievable. I think, however, that this most recent story of a certain lawyer who worked for a certain boss who made him pay certain porn stars and committed a bunch of laws in the process is going to stick. I think what everyone has to remember, including our president, is that impeachment is a political process and not a legal one. Whether he can be indicted for a crime, or even if one exists that can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt is irrelevant. If the legislative branch feels from a political standpoint that the president needs to be removed due to his actions (or inaction) then they must proceed with impeachment proceedings. If you look at impeachment processes in history, notably Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and even Richard Nixon, what got them in trouble pales in comparison to what this guy looks to have done. I happen to think that means this is going to be going on for a long time and well into the 2020 election cycle. No matter which side you are on, this is going to be political theater at its highest level, so enjoy it if you are into that thing.

“Can you get to that?” - Mavis S., Chicago, Illinois

Personally speaking, Mavis, I can definitely get to impeachment proceedings commencing at some point in the next six-to-twelve months. The question is where do they go once they start and do they ever leave the committee level? Even if they do, it seems unlikely to me that things could move fast enough to the House voting for impeachment by the 2020 primaries. Furthermore, a Senate trial with a conviction appears even further far-fetched given eighteen Republican senators would have to flip on their sitting president (remember that a 2/3 majority is needed to convict). I’m actually okay with that scenario playing out as it allows a lot of probing and debate that hasn’t happened in the past two years and gives the voters in the next election much better information than they had last time. I also think that it gives other Republicans cover to challenge a sitting president in the primaries, which hasn’t happened seriously since Ted Kennedy took on Jimmy Carter in 1980. My prediction is that impeachment never really gets off the ground, but it damages Trump so badly that he never makes it out of his party’s primaries. Of course, this could all change tomorrow with the next bombshell that drops, but for now that’s what I see happening.

“What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” - Michael S., Athens, Georgia

Thanks for the note, Michael. The name’s Jim, actually. Anyway, if you happen to be driving through the Chicago area, I’ll recommend two frequencies for you to try on your FM dial. The first, of course, is 93.1 or WXRT. It is the last true FM rock station left in Chicago that plays everything from blues to classic rock to 80′s new wave to 90′s grunge up to new music from today and everything in between. The DJ’s are knowledgeable and stay out of the way of the music. My favorite is Terri Hemmert on weekday mornings from 10:00 to 1:00. Saturday mornings are also a can’t miss with the three-hour flashback show to a particular year in rock. The other frequency to try is 88.7. This one is fun because in the city it will be Loyola University’s WLUW, but as you drive out west (around Harlem on the Ike) it turns into Elmhurst College’s WRSE. WLUW is the quirkier of the two as you may find an obscure Icelandic electronica song played right after Glen Campbell’s “Southern Nights”. Nothing wrong with either song, but it helps to be in college and on drugs to enjoy those so close together and I am not in or on either. As such, I’m more partial to WRSE as they focus on rock variety with the occasional surprise thrown in. They actually remind me a lot of an amateur version of XRT in many ways. Whichever you listen to, it’s fun to hear college kids learning their way and it makes me feel just a little hip that they let me tune in.

“How bad do you want it?” - Don H., Linden, Texas

You have no idea how bad I want it Mr. H. We’ve been waiting over thirty years in this town for a football team with a real shot at winning the Super Bowl, and I think we have one here. This defense is that good. Plus, as well as the D played against the Rams, I thought seeing the running game going well was a really good sign. We’ll still need Mitch to get it back after hurting his shoulder, but I don’t think the Bears have to ride his arm to the Super Bowl. Now, to get there, they are going to have to win two road games, probably in New Orleans and L.A., but I really think they would have an outside chance at a run if the momentum carries from last week. If they do get to the Super Bowl, I predict they dominate any team that represents the AFC as I think they are better than them all (including the Chiefs and the Pats who they should have beat a few weeks ago). The best thing about this team is that they have a ton of young talent that still has a lot of upside, so even if a Super Bowl isn’t in the cards this year, the Bears are a team to be reckoned with for a while in the NFC. But, first let’s take care of business and win the NFC North title at home over the Packers. After so many years of misery, I can’t think of a better way for this team to make a statement that it is back and the rest of the league will be messing with them at their own peril for years to come.

“Who are you?” - Pete T., London, England

I get it, Pete, I know that I have no authority to really speak on any of these subjects, but I can’t help myself. I just love to answer questions and was very grateful for the one question that came to me from a blog reader. I also think I have done a service by answering some of these additional questions that you all have been singing about for years. I mean, as far as I know, there never have been any real responses to questions like yours. I know there are a lot more out there too, so I’m happy to do it again. I will, so long as I can get some blog reader questions to go along with them. You know, just so people don’t think I’m completely insane. So, Take a Chance and Read Some Crap readers, hit that question button and keep this going as I’m sure Bob M. (Could You Be Loved?), George H. (What is Life?), and Whitney H. (How Will I Know?) would love answers to their questions too. Until then, I hope at least some of these answers have satisfied your nagging questions, but the job is never complete. I think the tide has finally turned for the question and 2019 is going to be full of them. It may get uncomfortable at times, and maybe even downright nasty, but that is part of life and we are never going to evolve without continuing to challenge those with power and always asking why.

It’s good to be back everyone. Until next time.

- Jim

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purplesurveys · 3 years

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1116

1. So, what are you doing later? I mean, it’s 12:02 AM and I just got home from dinner with friends after a very hectic 8-hour shift. ‘Later’ is the last thing on my mind lol, but I guessssssss I might make plans to go to the mall later today to get new glasses. The left arm of my glasses snapped last Sunday evening and I had to go through the entire work week without them, which had been extremely inconvenient.

2. What is your favorite thing to have for dinner? Probably anything my dad makes that’s part of a cuisine we don’t normally have, like tonight – he made burritos. Since I went out this evening, he left a couple for me knowing I would ask him to save some so I’m now enjoying one for my midnight snack :)

3. If you drink it, what do you like in your coffee? I can’t drink black coffee :( Any other kind with like sugar or cream or caramel drizzle or whatever I’m fine with.

4. Has anyone ever made fun of your taste in music? Gabie would sometimes poke fun at my listening to Top 40 songs, but I wouldn’t say it was toxic or cruel. I’d sometimes poke fun at her as well since she refused to listen to anything that isn’t obscure or indie, but our banter was all in good fun.

5. Whose birthday did you last celebrate? What did you do? My dad’s. We went to Tagaytay for a weekend trip where we just bummed around in our room for the whole two days, and had samgyupsal delivered so that we could grill it ourselves instead of having to go to a restaurant and dining outdoors.

6. Who is your favorite male singer? Hozier and Bruno Mars are my favorites.

7. What kind of computer are you using? I’ve had a Macbook Air for nearly four years. I don’t use a lot of programs so an Air will probably still be my next purchase should the time come to get another laptop; I love how light and low-maintenance it is.

8. Are you listening to your favorite song right now? It’s my favorite song for the week, yeah – it’s called RAIN DROP by Ravi and Lee Naeun.

9. What is your favorite day of the week, and why? Friday. I love leaving all my work behind by the end of the day, knowing I don’t have to touch it for the next two days. In general, Fridays also just make me feel super freeeeeeeeeeeee.

10. Why do you think people lie? Mostly to save themselves or others, or to elevate a story. < Agree, let’s go with these.

11. How often do you watch television? What do you watch? Continued the next day. I’ve been regularly watching a Korean variety show called 2 Days 1 Night, but I do so through my phone or laptop and never through a TV. Other than that, I find getting hooked to a TV series quite draining since the whole thing about having to wait for new episodes every week/new seasons every year doesn’t work well with my impatience haha. It’s very rare that I get to find a series that I’d be more than happy to go through, but even then most of them have already concluded by the time I start them.

12. When was the last time you burned any part of your body? Not since 2005 when I willingly touched a clothing iron as a kid. I do have the tendency to kinda burn myself when I pull out my plates or bowls from the microwave while they’re still piping hot, though.

13. Do you hate when people invite themselves to events? Hate? Not really, but it’s a rude thing to do. < This, and I also feel embarrassed for the person :/

14. Do you take off from school, or work for your birthday? From kinder to high school, when the Philippines still followed the old academic calendar, my birthday was actually in the middle of summer vacation, so I never got to have birthdays with friends, or experienced being sung to in school. In college, I only got to experience my birthday on a weekday once, and I attended school that day because it seemed dumb to cut class. Two of those birthdays took place on a weekend so no school, and then obviously my last birthday fell during the lockdown so I wasn’t in school to begin with.

For my birthday this year, I’ll actually still be under the probationary period in my workplace and I don’t get paid for leaves just yet, so I might choose to work that day.

15. If you attend school, what do you do on your days off? I’m trying to remember what I used to do on weekends, but I think it’s just about the same set of things I do now – lounge around at home, find videos to watch, take surveys. The only difference is that when I was still a student, I also did my readings and studied during the weekends; now, I avoid all my emails and shut down my Viber and Whatsapp by Friday night.

16. What are you listening to? Nina’s cooing over Cooper in the living room. Now she started singing something in Korean. I can also hear a motorcycle outside.

17. If you smoke, what color is your lighter? I don’t own a lighter of my own.

18. What is missing from your wardrobe that you need to buy? New clothes, lmao. I haven’t bought any in a year now, it’s sad.

19. Does someone owe you over twenty dollars? I don’t think so.

20. What city, state and country do you live in? Philippines, some city that’s just a stone’s throw from Manila.

21. Is there anything you want to say to someone? I’ve already thanked her but I wanna keep thanking Angela for inviting me out to dinner last night, even though the group I went out with is majorly her friend group. It was my first group thing without Gab so even though it felt weird to be the only single one and even though I was quieter than usual, I still had a lot of fun and I just appreciated being invited at all.

22. Are you really pale? If so, do you mind? No, I’m pretty tan.

23. Are your nails painted? What color? They aren’t.

24. Do you listen to any acoustic bands, or singers? No, and I don’t typically like acoustic songs or acoustic versions of songs that I already like as is.

25. How many arm chairs are in your house? We have two wooden armchairs. It used to be in the living room, but ever since we got a larger couch we’ve since relocated them to the rooftop.

26. Do you have a favorite YouTuber? Who? I am reeeeeeeeally loving Louise Pentland’s vlogs lately. Even though her videos are about life stuff I can’t really relate to just yet – adulting, motherhood, even what tiles she’s been buying for her house, etc. – she shares everything in such a relaxed, chill, conversational way that I can’t help but be interested and listen. I will also click on any video that has Andrew Ilnyckyj in it; and I enjoy BuzzFeed people Shane Madej, Ryan Bergara, Steven Lim, and Rie McClenny as well.

27. When was the last time you witnessed a sunshower? It happens a bit often here, so it must’ve happened within the last few months, I’d say.

28. Do you think roses are an overrated way of showing love? No? I’d always love to receive flowers.

29. When was the last time you saw one of your best friends? Last night.

30. Would you say you cry often? Not anymore these days.

#survey #surveys

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patternsintraffic · 4 years

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My Favorite Albums of the Decade

I generally don’t like to stray from the topic of my music on this site, but I’m making an exception today. With the decade coming to a close I’ve seen a lot of folks sharing their personal top albums of the decade lists, and I thought it would be a fun exercise to try out myself. I ended up creating a top 20 list and turned it into somewhat of a long-form writing project, writing a few sentences about each album and my connection with it. Rather than throw it into the void of social media, I’d rather keep it here where I can better organize and present my thoughts. So if you ever wondered what kind of music inspires me or informs my musical output, give this a read!

I love writing about and sharing music in general, so this project was a lot of fun for me. I hope you find something to love in here, or just enjoy reading a little bit about someone else’s musical journey with some albums you may or may not be familiar with. As the title says, this is a list of my personal favorite albums of the past ten years. I would never attempt to present the most popular, or influential, or even best, albums in a list like this. I wouldn’t have much interest in that endeavor, and the albums on this list are almost certainly none of the above. These are simply the albums that I found the most enjoyment in, and that meant the most to me personally, in the 2010s. Without further ado:

01. Civil Twilight - Holy Weather (2012)

I would be hard-pressed to come up with an album that better encapsulates the kind of music that I was drawn to in this decade. The tracks on Holy Weather are dynamic, emotive, and draw a perfect balance between accessible and experimental. I was so enamored with this album upon release that I felt a genuine sense of pride watching the band command a large room while opening for Mutemath during 2012's Odd Soul tour. These songs deserved to be heard in arenas.

02. Lights - Skin & Earth (2017)

This one missed the top spot by the thinnest of margins. If I want to have fun listening to music, I know I can throw on Skin & Earth at any time and have an absolute blast. Nothing else I heard this decade made me want to move as much as this album does. Wall-to-wall standout tracks on here that range from delicate to acutely powerful. There are moments on this album that carry the kind of electricity that I’ve rarely felt from music since I was first forging a connection with it as a teen. Just the perfect pop album for my tastes.

03. Bear’s Den - So That You Might Hear Me (2019)

I really enjoyed Bear's Den's 2016 sophomore album Red Earth & Pouring Rain, and was disappointed in my initial listens of this year's follow-up. Further listens have revealed an album that has grown on me as much as any in my lifetime. The depth of beauty and poignant songwriting in these 10 tracks, some of which are anthemic rock tunes and some of which are acoustic confessionals, is astonishing. Of all the artists on this list, this is probably the one that has me most excited to hear what they do next.

04. Butch Walker - Afraid of Ghosts (2015)

Butch is my favorite songwriter of all time, and I could have just as easily put 2011's The Spade or 2016's Stay Gold in this spot. While those albums are primarily fun and lighthearted, I gave the edge to Afraid of Ghosts, which is built on melancholy atmosphere and heavy-hearted lyrics inspired by the death of Butch's father. The songwriting is beautiful and dripping with longing, even when it comes in the form of dirty, lusty rock tune and album standout "Bed On Fire."

05. Wild Party - Phantom Pop (2014)

If Skin & Earth is the perfect pure pop album for my tastes, Phantom Pop is the perfect pop-rock album. These songs are breezy, fun, infectious, and charmingly quirky. It's a shame that this album never found an audience in the indie rock scene, as I could have easily seen these guys taking the torch from a band like Motion City Soundtrack. Instead they went radio silent shortly after this album's release until resurfacing this year with a couple of singles.

06. Marianas Trench - Ever After (2011)

If it's not already evident at this point, I love a great pop song. It doesn't get much poppier than these tracks, which go right up to the line of being too sugary without quite going over. Josh Ramsay's soaring vocals carry this fantasy-inspired concept album that stacks hooks upon hooks upon hooks. I was making frequent four-hour drives at the time of Ever After's release, and it was usually the soundtrack, as it would reliably keep me upbeat and awake. The constant exposure ensured that these songs would be branded in my mind forever.

07. Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods (2012)

Silversun Pickups have become one of my favorite bands over the past decade, as they continue to pump out consistently great albums without, in my opinion, a misstep in their career to date. If 2009's Swoon had been released a year later, it would be here (or likely even higher), but Neck of the Woods somehow lives up to its predecessor's impossibly high bar. The driving bassline in "Dots and Dashes (Enough Already)" is a piece of music that I think about with impressive frequency even when I haven't heard the album in months.

08. Graham Colton - Pacific Coast Eyes (2011)

There was a period around the turn of the decade when Graham Colton was the 1B to Butch Walker's 1A on my list of favorite songwriters. He doesn't have the same sonic range as Butch, but there's something warm and welcoming about his southern singer-songwriter output that feels like home. Listening to Colton's records and watching him play live around this time was deeply inspirational to me. What he was doing was simple, sincere, and relatable in a way that made my dream of pursuing my own music seem attainable. Pacific Coast Eyes was also the first album that I crowdfunded, and I remember waiting with baited breath in the months before the album’s release for updates and insider info about the creative process of one of my favorite artists.

09. The Wombats - Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life (2018)

This is another charming, quirky, magnetic pop-rock album that is helplessly catchy. Besides the infectious single "Turn," Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life gives us "White Lies," "Out of My Head," and "Ice Cream," which are all just undeniable. The other tracks more than hold their own. These are the huge choruses I live for.

10. Thursday - No Devolución (2011)

The first time I heard this album was on one of those aforementioned four-hour drives, and it almost put me to sleep at the wheel. This wasn't the Thursday I'd fallen in love with on War All the Time and A City by the Light Divided. The vocals were buried in the mix and the songs just weren't connecting. But I returned to it after a few months and found a beautiful and layered piece of work that I never expected from this band. Nowadays it's hard not to call this my favorite Thursday album, despite how much some of their earlier work affected me during my formative years.

11. Paper Route - The Peace of Wild Things (2012)

Paper Route crafts a brand of experimental indie rock that doesn't sound quite like any other band I've heard. A lot of that individuality stems from frontman JT Daly's unique vocal performances, which drift effortlessly from falsetto to a more speak-singing delivery. This album is full of intricate drumming, electronic flourishes, and of course, big hooks. Their 2016 album Real Emotion is just as good. I could have flipped a coin to decide which one to put on this list.

12. The Maine - American Candy (2015)

I wouldn't argue with anyone who said that this band continued to improve with their subsequent records Lovely Little Lonely (2017) and You Are OK (2019), but this is the album that I personally enjoy listening to the most. This was the moment that I realized that The Maine had graduated from their neon-scene beginnings and become a band that I could really get invested in. I love the classic, breezy pop sound of this album and how it doesn't always take itself so seriously (see "My Hair," "English Girls," and "Diet Soda Society"). Another album that always feels good when I hit play.

13. Acceptance - Colliding by Design (2017)

Acceptance somehow returned 12 years after their debut album with a near-perfect version of what their band could sound like in 2017. They carried over the tunefulness and great songwriting from Phantoms and threw in some maturity and a few synths. The end result is an album full of impressive moments that is even better than I remember every time I put it on.

14. Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness - Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness (2015)

Andrew McMahon is one of my favorite songwriters, full stop. However, the final Jack's Mannequin album People and Things and his first solo endeavor, The Pop Underground EP, didn't excite me as much as his previous music had. Just when I was ready to accept that his newer output may never connect with me quite like his early records with Jack’s and Something Corporate, he dropped this first album under the Wilderness moniker and pulled me back in in a big way. Tracks like "Canyon Moon," "High Dive," and "Maps for the Getaway" retained the earnestness of his early songwriting while glossing it up with a new pop sheen. I guess I'll never grow out of McMahon's music.

15. The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It (2016)

The 1975 have become a buzz band during this decade, and for my money this is their strongest collection of songs to date. They took a big swing here, with 17 tracks clocking in at 74 minutes. It is remarkable that this album takes a spot on my list even though I don't care much for some of the more extended cuts, which are primarily the experimental and instrumental offerings. It speaks to the strength of the rest of the songs, which include "A Change of Heart" and "Somebody Else," two of the most simultaneously heart-wrenching and danceable songs I've ever had the pleasure of hearing.

16. Blindside - With Shivering Hearts We Wait (2011)

For most of the first decade of the 2000s, Blindside were my undisputed, all-caps FAVORITE BAND. I channeled all of my awkward, pubescent, high school teen angst into their 2002 album Silence, and it was such a close companion during those formative years that it might never be replaced as the most important album of my life. By 2011, my taste in music had become considerably less aggressive, and songwriters like Butch Walker and Graham Colton were assuming Blindside's former mantle. But the band returned for one last gasp, six years after the release of their previous full-length. With Shivering Hearts We Wait was easily Blindside's best output since 2004's About a Burning Fire, mixing some more experimental elements in with their brand of radio-ready (if the radio were to ever play rock music again) post-hardcore.

17. Small Talks - A Conversation Between Us (2019)

Myrtle Beach, SC native Cayley Spivey hit me out of nowhere with this album in 2019. I had never heard of Small Talks prior to this year, and decided to check out this album on a whim. What I got was a collection of pop and rock songs that are diverse, infectious, and, true to the album title, feature lyrics that sound like they were plucked from intimate conversations with a trusted friend. I saw the band perform this album in full in front of an audience of about 20 people this year. I won't be the least bit surprised to see them selling out exponentially larger venues in the near future.

18. Hellogoodbye - Would It Kill You? (2010)

I enjoyed a handful of early Hellogoodbye songs. "Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn," "Call N' Return," and "Here (In Your Arms)" are catchy as hell, but the band's output as a whole was uneven. Since they had a number of tracks I would classify as joke songs, I wasn't inclined to take them entirely seriously. That all changed with the release of Would It Kill You?, which ditched the bombastic electronic noises for more natural instrumentation and featured songs about relationships and self-examination as we age into adulthood. I was a year out of college and beginning my career when this album was released, and it was the perfect pop album for the coming-of-age moment I was living.

19. Steve Moakler - Wide Open (2014)

I had never heard of Steve Moakler when I saw him open for Graham Colton in 2011. Despite his youthful appearance, I was blown away by his songwriting and stage presence, and left the show with his first two full-length albums on CD (truly a sign of the times). His 2011 album Watching Time Run captivated me with its charming approach to pop singer-songwriter fare, but the 2014 follow-up Wide Open was where Moakler really found his voice. It retained some of the pop elements of his earlier output, while the overall sound and production started leaning into country territory. His albums after this one fully embraced the country sound and put him on the map as an up-and-coming star, but Wide Open still stands above the rest to me as the perfect blend of Moakler's former and current musical styles.

20. Arctic Monkeys - AM (2013)

Arctic Monkeys aren't a band that I would have ever expected to end up on this list. Their debut album, critical darling Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, doesn't really mean anything to me. I casually followed their career and kept up with their singles, but was never tempted to dive into their full albums until 2011's Suck It and See. I enjoyed that album a fair amount, but I was truly infatuated with AM in 2013. That was a tumultuous year in my life when I was enduring a lot of change and being pushed far out of my comfort zone. This is a straightforward rock record that is brash, groovy, sexy, and exactly what I needed at that time. I latched on tightly, and am still glad to rock out to AM at any opportunity.

There you have it, folks! My decade in 20 albums. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I wish everyone a relaxing holiday season and a happy New Year. My resolution is to release the next PiT full-length album in 2020! It won’t be easy, but I did treat myself to some new recording equipment this Christmas and I’m eager to get to work. When there’s news, you’ll see it here. Wish me luck!

#albums of the decade #top20 #best of the 2010s

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nekojitachan · 7 years

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TFCFansgive fic - Favor with the Stars (TFC Renison)

This is the fic I wrote for @cabeswaterlovesthem as part of @tfcfansgive - I really hope you like it, I had such fun filling the prompt! Much thanks to @magnesiumeternity for the beta.

So, basically a T rating, no trigger warnings other than references to Allison’s past and the sexist nature of Exy. I’ll probably get this up on AO3 later.

*******

Allison groaned as she felt the bed shift next to her, unwilling to wake up just then since she was still tired and there was a crick in her neck and things were so nice and warm…. Something cool and smooth stroked along her left calf, followed by a hand sliding along her left hip, which caused her to murmur out a complaint. "Not playin’ fair, dammit."

"Hmm, looks like you're not awake yet, sweetie. Still dreaming or something," Renee told her as Allison snuggled closer. "Good morning," she said before she placed a kiss against Allison's left shoulder, body warm against Allison's back.

Dammit, it looked as if she had no choice but to wake up after all, Allison realized with a bit of grumpiness as she hugged Renee's arm tighter against her belly and tilted her head up and back enough for a proper kiss. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the smile on her wife's lips, begrudgingly giving in to one of her own as their fingers entwined, before rolling onto her back with Renee leaning above her.

"It's morning," she admitted as she opened her eyes to find Renee still smiling, pink-hued hair tousled from sleep and framing her lovely face, and dark eyes sparkling. "I'm not conceding anything else right now." Not until she got at least another kiss and a couple of espressos into her.

Well used to their morning routine by then, Renee's smile deepened. The faint wrinkles around her eyes crinkled (Allison would be appalled for her, except - as with everything related to Renee - it was adorable as hell. Besides, Renee didn't give a damn about crow's feet from smiling). Allison had just managed to sneak her left hand up beneath Renee’s cotton t-shirt when there was a loud shout about ‘not fair’ (which oddly enough echoed her thoughts just then), prompting a low moan caught between amusement and frustration.

“Why did we adopt again?” she asked, her arms flopping back onto the luxury mattress even as her lips twitched into a smile. Renee gave her a slight peck on the tip of her nose before slipping from their king-sized bed (sadly not so huge because of the very enjoyable things they did in it when they had the time and energy, but because of the shared company they usually had crawling into it at all hours of the day and night).

“Ha, ha,” Renee chided as she grabbed her robe from the chaise lounge at the foot of the bed. “I’ll go see what’s causing the latest crisis while you get ready.”

“If it’s Jared fighting over pop tarts again, tell him he’s lost his internet privileges for the day,” Allison called out, although, judging from the glint in Renee’s eyes, she shouldn’t have bothered; Renee was an amazing mother, was there for their ‘brood’ 24/7 and even cut back to part-time work at the local woman’s shelter so she could take care of the two youngest kids while Allison managed to balance running a successful clothing line and have enough time for her family. Still, that didn’t mean she let any of their four kids walk all over her, even if she was better with the whole ‘affection’ thing.

Allison was doing her best, was determined to not make the same mistakes which her parents had made— her and Renee were both determined to give their kids everything that had been denied them growing up, to provide a safe, stable home where their daughters and sons could achieve their dreams without censure or abuse. Some days, though, the doubts were ever present.

And some days, the doubts vanished when she walked into the kitchen to find Jared laughing as he helped Maddy with the breakfast dishes, as Renee and Ryan sang along together to a popular tune while Hailee finished the last of her cereal. Allison hummed along as she grabbed the mug of coffee waiting for her, swooping in to give Ryan a kiss on the top of his awful bedhead and going over to tousle Jared’s bleached spikes, as always torn between joy and a slight heartache at how he looked so much like a young, carefree version of Seth. A version of Seth she was determined to ensure would have the best chances in life this time around, who would avoid all of the demons which had dragged her old boyfriend down.

Maddy laughed at Jared grimacing at the gesture of affection and smiled at Allison; she was growing lovelier each day with her long black hair, dark eyes, and sun-kissed complexion. “You two almost ready?” Allison asked. She was responsible for taking them to school on her way to work; Renee would get Ryan to preschool in a little bit and Hailee to daycare for a few hours when she went to the shelter.

“Yes,” Jared and Maddy said in unison while Maddy put away the last of the dishes and Jared hurried to dry his hands. They rushed over to give Renee a kiss ‘goodbye’ before they grabbing their backpacks and the large duffel bags which held their sports gear; Jared was on the under 10 soccer team and doing well, while Maddy wanted to (so far) ‘carry on’ the family ‘tradition’ and was into Exy. Allison had to say that she was a damn good offensive dealer, and even Dan agreed.

It was an unexpected emotion, to feel so much joy and pride in what another person— a child at that— did, in their accomplishments, but there it was. Allison was doing a lot of new things these days, was in a lot of uncharted territory, and it was all because of Renee.

It wasn’t the fancy life she’d imagined— the endless parties and the expensive penthouse and a different city each week— but she was happy. She had a nice home in a gated community not far from downtown Los Angeles; she had a successful business, an amazing wife, and a wonderful family.

Not to mention her kick-ass custom pink Porsche Cayenne with a supped up v6 engine, which purred like a kitten and handled the highways (when there wasn’t too much traffic) like a champ— and always got her a few narrowed looks dropping off the kids. She made sure to give the other parents a big grin and a wave of manicured nails before she floored it out of the school zones on her way to work.

Once at the office, she got down to business, which was getting the winter collection ready for show even if it was early spring. She worked on a few new designs of her own and approved several others while her assistants, Emilio and Becca, ran around like the well-organized lunatics they were and helped her field the calls for new orders, interviews, production lines and so forth.

During lunch in her office, she took the time to chat with Renee, and spending the rest checking up on her Foxes, on seeing the pictures that Dan had posted of her kids (Abram was the spitting image of Matt while Tori and Davey were getting so big) and of Nicky and Erik’s recent vacation. The Foxes were off to a good start in the latest season, Matt’s team had just beaten Kevin’s, and of course there was nothing but cat pictures on Neil’s Instagram.

Seeing that his and Andrew’s team would be in LA in two weeks for a game, she fired off a message to the hopeless case that she expected the two of them to free up some time for dinner. She knew that Renee would be working on Andrew as well and figured it would be worth putting up with Andrew to get her Neil time for the night. She spent the rest of her break heaping more abuse on Kevin for his loss, which made her smile, especially when Nicky came online and joined in on the fun.

Then it was back to work, especially since she had to leave early for Maddy’s Exy game. For years, Allison had sneered at the term ‘soccer mom’, at the thought of the parents who had shown up all the time to the Exy games she’d played while in high school, who had cheered on her teammates and yelled at the coaches if they felt a call had been messed up— overbearing parents who pushed their kids too much, in her opinion, who lived through their kids’ accomplishments rather than their own.

Her parents had never come to one of her games, had never supported her while she played Exy. They might be coming around now that she had her own successful business and adored Renee, but she never forgave them for being unable to accept her for so many years, for letting her struggle on her own and stand without support. But that was the past, and she refused to repeat those same mistakes, to be like them.

When Maddy and Jared had come along, she’d realized that going to the games was important to them, to show them that she (and Renee) was there for them, to cheer them on and offer encouragement and support. Most days, Allison and Renee had split the games between them— to have Allison go to Maddy’s one day and Jared’s the next and then Renee switch off with her, but the kids were happy as long as someone was there to watch them play.

After all those years where Allison had struggled with Exy, had gotten by with sheer determination and spite, had put up with the bruises and abuse merely to prove everyone wrong… she wasn’t going to let Maddy down or go through it alone. She wasn’t going to let Jared feel that he didn’t have any support, that he didn’t have someone who believed in him (she never could convince Seth that he had at least one person who believed in him, dammit).

Traffic being the bitch that it was, she got to Maddy’s game right before it started, which meant that there weren’t any good seats left around the court. Allison shrugged and went to stand near the Plexiglas barrier, where she reached into her Chloe bag to pull out her phone so she could let Renee know that she’d made it to the game.

Already out on court, Maddy waved when she caught sight of her (the five inch Prada heels helped, and Allison refused to take them off after she caught a snide comment from one of the other mothers that ‘it’s not the division championship, what’s her deal?’, even if they would start to hurt like a bitch by half-time) and she settled in for the game. Allison filmed a few minutes of it so Renee could watch their daughter in action later, as always proud of the girl; it was the under-13 division so some of the kids were bigger than Maddy, had already hit their growth spurt and so could really shove the smaller kids around.

And, as always with Exy being a co-ed sport, you got some boys who seemed to think that girls had no right being out on their court. ‘Still, Maddy refused to be intimidated by them and stood her ground.

Allison and Renee had raised Maddy— all of their kids, really— to stand up for themselves, to know that they were worthy of respect and of being treated properly. Maddy had several ‘uncles’ who played Exy and believed that women had every right to be out on court, and had been taught she could do anything she wanted. She faced the challenges on court without fear and played with a sense of determination and skill which made Allison think that here was a Reynolds (well, Reynolds-Walker) who would take Exy all the way to the pros.

So when a backliner for the away team knocked her daughter down in a blatant foul that made Allison ready to rip open the door and go charging out onto the court, she forced herself to take a deep breath and remain calm. She knew how she’d have hated it if someone interfered when she’d been playing, if she thought that someone else had been fighting her battles. Pride swelled in her chest when Maddy got up on her feet and, after patting down her legs and letting the team nurse check her out for a couple of seconds, picked up her racquet to continue playing.

Except the Cougar’s latest coach indicated that he wanted Maddy off the court, when she was one of the team’s best dealers and clearly fit to play. Maddy frowned at that and tried to argue, but Coach Nichols didn’t listen and waved her off.

Allison caught her daughter’s eyes, giving her a reassuring smile. She watched from the stands as the Cougars lost to the Sea Lions 4-10, as the away team battered down their defense again and again. Maddy never got a chance to get back out onto the court, while Allison bided her time until the pathetic game was over.

Her feet aching and temper in shreds, she managed a smile when an upset Maddy came out of the locker room with her arms open for a hug. “I’m so sorry, mom. You came only to see us lose.”

“Hush, you were great out there,” Allison assured her as she held her daughter close. “You did your best, as always.” She gave her a quick kiss while she kept an eye on the doorway, and soon enough, Nichols finally came out into the parking lot.

Stalking forward to get the man’s attention before someone else could, Allison called out the bastard’s name. “Nichols? Mike Nichols?” When he gave her a curious look, she smiled, the expression poison-sweet. “I have a question about the game tonight.”

“I’m sure you do,” he said, his tone as sour as he glanced around. “Which kid is yours?”

“Maddy Reynolds-Walker, offensive dealer, number nine.” Maddy had been so happy to get Renee’s old number for her own.

“Right.” Now Nichols’ expression was as sour as his tone. “Look, kids are going to get roughed up in this game, if you don’t like that-”

“No, that’s not what this is about,” Allison said as Maddy crept up to stand beside her, as a few other parents and their kids stopped to watch the interaction. “I very well know that Exy is a contact sport.”

“Sure you do,” Nichols said in a patronizing manner as he pulled out his phone to look at it, as if he had a better way to spend his time than to listen to a ‘soccer mom’.

“You better damn well believe I do,” Allison snapped. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but both me and my wife happened to play Exy in college. We were on the same team as a few people you may have heard of . . . Kevin Day, Neil Josten, Andrew Minyard, and Matt Boyd, to name a few.” She didn’t usually drop names like that, but she had an asshole to tear apart and a point to prove, and not much time to do it since Renee would have dinner ready for them soon.

As soon as she’d said ‘Kevin Day’, Nichols jerked his attention away from the phone to gawk at her, and his jaw had dropped when she got to ‘Andrew Minyard’. “Yes, I’m an ex-Fox, in case you don’t recognize me,” she told the bastard. “So I damn well know a few things about the game, and so does my daughter. You know, the girl who had helped to keep the team who went on to beat your team’s ass in check until you pulled her off the court for some stupid reason.”

“But… but… she’s just a gir- ah, a kid,” Nichols attempted to argue. “She was getting smacked around out there.”

Just as Allison had thought, another asshole who thought that women couldn’t handle playing Exy. “Maddy? Were you or weren’t you fine out there? Tell the truth.”

Maddy straightened up and nodded. “I had the wind knocked out of me, but I was fine to play. I know what Uncle Kevin and Aunt Dan told me about playing injured and I wasn’t hurt at all.”

There were a few twitters at the ‘Uncle Kevin’ part, and Allison noticed that a couple of other parents with young girls as players appeared very interested in the exchange with Nichols at the moment. “See? My daughter has had it drilled into her head to get off the court if she’s hurt and she told you she was fine to play, yet you ignored her. You took a player who’s a starter for a reason out of play because… well, the only thing I can think of is that you’re a chauvinistic asshole and that makes me rather unhappy,” Allison warned. “Unhappy enough that I’m sure my daughter can find a better team to play on with a coach who knows the value of his players.”

“Mom,” Maddy whined, but settled when Allison gave her The Look.

Meanwhile, Nichols shook his head. “It’s not like that, I just wanted to make sure that your kid didn’t get roughed up!”

“Yet you allowed boys her size to continue to play,” Allison pointed out, which made several parents raise their voices in agreement. “Something to consider, no?” Feeling that she’d proven her point, she motioned for Maddy that it was time to leave. “If I see you making a negative call against Maddy or another girl on this team again, we’ll find another team for my daughter to play on, one that truly is co-ed.”

A few of the parents joined in on that statement as Allison and Maddy made their way to the Porsche, where Maddy waited to say anything until they pulled out of the parking lot. “Really, Mom? Did you have to do that?” she asked with a pout as she folded her arms across her chest.

Allison didn’t respond until about a minute later, when she was certain her tone wouldn’t be snappish in any manner. “Look, I get it, I do. That probably was a bit embarrassing for you, but I’m not going to let some asshole get away with something like that, with belittling any of you kids and your skills.” She glanced over at Maddy and smiled, the expression a little sad. “Ask Aunt Dan one day about all the stuff she put up with for being the first female captain in the Class I division, but it’s not going to be pretty, those stories. I can’t fight all your battles for you, I don’t want to fight all of them because that’s what makes you stronger, but I’ll do what I can to get you to where you’re ready to go out there and kick ass yourself.”

Maddy stared at her with those full lips of hers pushed out in a pout, and then she smiled. “Okay, first? Mom would yell at you for all of that swearing, you know.”

Allison smiled in earnest at that. “Yeah, so do me a favor and keep it a secret between us, all right? Mani-pedi on Saturday?”

“Deal,” Maddy agreed in a rush. “And second?” Her expression softened. “Thank you, even if it really was a bit embarrassing.”

“Then I’m doing my job.” Allison laughed when her daughter groaned at that statement. “Just be thankful it was me here today, because your other mom would have handed that guy his spleen for treating you like a delicate little flower.” There was no way Renee would have just stood there and allowed some asshole to sideline their child like that.

Maddy groaned again as she tucked back a lock of hair, which had escaped the bright pink elastic she’d pulled it back with into a messy ponytail. “Oh no, I still remember what she did to Jared’s math teacher when she told him that he clearly didn’t grasp the subject just because he doesn’t speak up in class!”

Oh yes, that had been quite the takedown, one Allison was sorry she’d missed because she’d been in New York City at the time, but she’d heard enough from the kids to savor the way Renee had torn into woman – hell hath no fury like the truly righteous who knew how to kill you with a slip of paper. A truly righteous person who could hold their own against Andrew Minyard and Neil Josten at that.

Allison and Maddy spent the rest of the drive home talking about colors and styles for their ‘girls out’ morning on Saturday, and arrived just a little later than usual to find something delicious scenting the air in the kitchen and Jared setting the table with Ryan’s help. He dumped a handful of forks to come running over to give her a hug and brag about his win, which set off some teasing when Maddy had to admit that her team lost – but only because her coach was an idiot. Allison left them to their bickering to go give Renee a kiss.

“Hmm, how was your day?” Renee asked as she smiled up at Allison, lovely as always, dressed in faded jeans with an old Fox t-shirt with her hair pulled back from her face in a loose ponytail.

“Interesting.” Allison picked up Hailee and settled her youngest daughter on her hip, uncaring that her Lanvin silk dress would get wrinkled. “The restock of the fall collection is well on its way to selling out, I threatened to castrate the guy who’s handling— or mishandling, I should say— the production of our coats for the winter collection and I think he liked it a little too much,” Renee laughed at that, “and I gave a verbal beatdown to Maddy’s coach because he seems to think girls are too breakable for Exy, of all things.” She rolled her eyes at that as she bounced Hailee up and down, making her daughter laugh and grab at the long gold necklace she wore.

“Hmm.” A blank look came over Renee’s face for a moment as she stirred some more paprika into what looked to be some sort of goulash. “Well, I helped Laura sign the paperwork for her new apartment,” she said, which made her smile – Allison knew that helping the women move into a new home was one of Renee’s favorite aspects of her job – “assisted a few others with filling out some resumes and agreed that we’d co-chair a fund raiser next month.” Now her expression turned a bit rueful. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“You know I love to throw parties, and it’s a welcome change from kids’ birthdays,” Allison said as she held Hailee up above her head. “Someone didn’t want black tie for their second birthday, you heathen.”

“Black tie!” Hailee cried out with evident glee. “Higher, Mommy!”

Allison gave her a gentle toss a couple of times before she set her down on the floor, where Hailee went stumbling off toward Maddy, laughing all the while. Renee watched on with a tender smile curving her lips before she turned toward Allison, her expression suddenly much more intent.

“So . . . Maddy’s next game is Thursday.”

“Yes, I believe so,” Allison agreed as she picked up a spoon so she could taste the goulash. “Oh, that’s good.”

Renee gave her wrist a gentle swat. “It’ll be done in five minutes, you can wait that long. I was going to take Ryan to the dentist that afternoon, but I want you to swap with me.” It was clear that it wasn’t a request.

Since Allison very well knew why the love of her life wanted to switch things around, she smiled as she leaned in close. “I’ll do it for a kiss, and if you promise to tell me all the gruesome details.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Renee rocked up onto her toes to seal the agreement, while Jared complained that he was hungry so no more kissy stuff and Ryan ran over to hug them both, his short arms barely fitting around their hips.

They broke off the kiss with a laugh, Allison almost dizzy with joy as she held them against her close.

#tfcfansgive #cabeswaterlovesthem #tfc #aftg #renison #hope i didn't mess this up too much #gift fic #don't mess with allison #definitely don't mess with renee #it's a bit fluffy

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suckitsurveys · 7 years

Text

Who

Who was your first crush? Ash Ketchum. And my actual real life person first crush was a boy named Andrew in the first grade.

Who was your last missed call from? My brother in law.

Who did you last talk to in person? Mark.

Who was your 5th grade teacher? Mr. Walker. He taught us how to properly swing a golf club. That’s all I remember from 5th grade.

Who do you miss right now? My mother, always.

Who do you share your secrets with? I don’t really have secrets.

Who would you love to see live in concert? Vampire Weekend. Lana Del Rey. Die Antwoord.

Who do you spend most of your time with? My boyfriend.

Who would you kill if you could get away with it? I’m good.

What

What made you start taking surveys? It’s been a looooong time since I started doing them. I think I may have started doing them on MySpace and then transferred them to my Xanga. I seriously do not remember. I liked talking about myself, lol. MAN I wish I could find my xanga archives. That would be a fucking blast/nightmare. Also funny story, my Xanga survey days is how I met Kayla!! @tapiooocasurveys

What did your last text message say? “Haha, gotcha. I’ll see how far I last I guess.” From Kayla, about the 5,000 question survey.

What time do you usually wake up in the morning? 6 ish on weekdays. Like 9 ish on weekends. Sometimes earlier.

What was your high school mascot? The Wildcat I think?

What was your first screen name? bananababy89 on Yahoo.

When

When is your birthday? September 2nd.

When do you like to shower? Night.

When is your parent’s anniversary? January 21, 1980. They dated for 6 years before that.

When will you see your dad next? Today. I am going to an early dinner with him before he leaves for Arizona for two weeks.

When do you think you’ll eventually stop taking surveys? I mean, I already thought I was done and then Tumblr sucked me right back in. <---Sorry Kayla. I’ll stop taking them when people stop making them.

When did you graduate high school? 2007.

When was the last time you went shopping? The other day.

When was the last time you ate fast food? I had a Shamrock Shake last night if that counts.

When was the last time you held a baby? Thea is still my baby, even though she’s 3 and a half. I held her last night while we were playing this game where I pick her up and throw her on the couch. The last time I held an actual baby baby was Valentine’s Day. I came over to give Thea some Valentines and it was during the daycare my sister runs out of her home’s hours. My friend Lydia (who works there) asked me to hold baby Brody while she got his things together. He’s 7 months old I believe. I think I held Emma too, who is 10 months.

When did you last leave your house? Last night to go babysit.

Where

Where do you live? Chicago.

Where is your biggest scar? I don’t really have scars. I have a teeny one on my hand from where I stabbed myself with a knife once.

Where is your family? My father and sister live in Chicago, as well as a bunch of my cousins on my dad’s side and a couple on my mom’s. I have a lot of other family in Tennessee, California, Hawaii, and Florida.

Where is your cellphone? Right next to me.

Where do you want to work? I’m good right now. I really want to focus on being better at what I do so I can actually solve issues and work on hardware and whatnot. I actually do enjoy it; it’s a pretty neat job.

Where did you get your shirt? Mark got it for me our first Christmas together.

Where is the nearest gas station? Less than half a mile from here.

Where would you move, if you could? Somewhere where it is always warm with occasional chilly days.

Where were you born? Chicago.

Why

Why do you take surveys? Because they’re fun.

Why aren’t you doing something productive? I’m just relaxing before I have to do some chores. I’m gunna do the dishes so that’s one less thing Mark has to do while I’m at my dad’s.

Why are there so many survey takers, not survey makers? I don’t know, making surveys is hard.

Why did you watch the last movie you watched? Because I wanted to?

Why do you like the person you like? He’s the freaking best.

Why do you have your current cell phone? I can’t remember if I got it because the one I had before it shattered and instead of replacing that one I just got the newest version. I feel like that may have been why. Or no wait, we did replace that one because I remember Mark used my old phone when I got this one. Eh this answer is getting longer than it needed to be. I just wanted the newest version and it was probably time for an upgrade.

Why do you feel your current mood? Because it’s Sunday and I’m half freaking out about another week starting and half calm and half freaking out again because I have to pay a bunch of bills and I’m just trying to relaxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

How

How long have you been using Tumblr? I’ve had my main account for 5 years now. Its birthday should actually be coming up soon.

How old were you when you had your first kiss? 12.

How long has it been since you used the bathroom? About an hour.

How many surveys do you do a day, on average? Two or three, maybe? Sometimes none at all.

How do you feel about same sex marriage? I hope I live to see it legalized everywhere.

How did you discover your favorite band? My favorite band changes a lot but I am pretty sure my all time favorite is Blink-182, because it was the first band I discovered entirely on my own without anyone’s influence except the radio’s.

How much did your favorite shirt cost? The shirt I am wearing now is my favorite and I don’t know how much it was because it was a gift.

How close is the nearest restaurant? There’s a diner 2 blocks away.

How long is your hair? Just about at my shoulders.

#surveys

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theliberaltony · 5 years

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Welcome to FiveThirtyEight’s weekly politics chat. The transcript below has been lightly edited.

sarahf (Sarah Frostenson, politics editor): At long last, the wait is over — former Vice President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he is officially running for president.

Biden enters the Democratic field as the polling front-runner and with some serious establishment credentials as both a long-time senator and former VP. But this doesn’t mean he’s a favorite to win. If anything, in a field with so many candidates, it’ll be hard for any one candidate to stand out and win over a significant chunk of voters. Which means that building a coalition and a base of support will be vital. So, how does Biden’s candidacy change the dynamics of the Democratic race? Let’s tackle this by talking through the following questions:

Which candidates are hurt by Biden’s decision to run?

Who is his biggest competition?

And, more generally, what does this mean for candidates looking to cobble together a winning coalition? How does Biden��s entry ease this or complicate it?

OK, let’s get started with question No. 1: Which candidates are hurt by Biden’s decision to run?

natesilver (Nate Silver, editor in chief): Maybe almost everyone is negatively impacted in some way, or maybe almost everyone except Elizabeth Warren.

For the more moderate white Democrats, like Beto O’Rourke, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, Biden is sort of running adjacent to their lane, if not actually in their lane.

He also has a lot of the black vote, so Biden’s candidacy complicates the ability of Kamala Harris and Cory Booker to win South Carolina.

perry (Perry Bacon Jr., senior writer): For all the candidates who are making electability an implicit (O’Rourke, Jay Inslee) or explicit (Klobuchar, Tim Ryan) part of their campaigns, Biden is a very big threat. Plus, black voters find him appealing, which could hurt those candidates I just mentioned, but especially Booker and Harris.

natesilver: If you’re Bernie, now you can’t really call yourself the front-runner. And if Biden is getting 30 percent, maybe your 20 percent or 25 percent factional support isn’t going to be enough.

clare.malone (Clare Malone, senior political writer): But at the very least, Biden probably weeds out some of those guys like Ryan and Seth Moulton sooner rather than later, right? That is, if we’re thinking about the field winnowing at some point.

sarahf: Ryan just qualified for the debate stage though, Clare!

clare.malone: Big day in Youngstown.

natesilver: Ryan is the one guy who really seemed to be running on a Poor-Man’s-Version-of-Biden platform. Some of the other candidates who might have done that (e.g., Michael Bloomberg, Andrew Cuomo, Terry McAuliffe) didn’t run.

I think others, like Moulton and Eric Swalwell, are just running because they like doing TV.

And they aren’t really affected by Biden because they didn’t really have a chance to begin with. (If Moulton or Swalwell wins the Democratic nomination, feel free to throw this back in my face, Internet.)

sarahf: Well, as our colleague Nathaniel Rakich pointed out, Nate, Moulton and Swalwell don’t have that much to lose by running — so why not run?

clare.malone: I wonder who of the top-tier candidates Biden sees as his biggest competition? I was pretty surprised to see that he hired Sanders’s 2016 press secretary.

natesilver: Biden probably sees Bernie as competition, although to some extent welcome competition because Biden probably wins a one-on-one showdown with Bernie because he has broader support among both elites and regular voters.

sarahf: What will you all be looking for as a sign that Biden’s candidacy is making a dent in the support of these other contenders?

perry: Biden already leads among moderates, voters over 50 and black people. So I will be looking to see if those leads grow.

geoffrey.skelley (Geoffrey Skelley, elections analyst): I don’t know if it’s so much about a dent as about them never getting off the ground. For someone like Klobuchar, is she just going to remain stuck in the polls at 2 percent? Does O’Rourke never consistently get into double digits nationally?

sarahf: I saw some speculation on Twitter that the first 24 hours after his announcement will be crucial for Biden as a test of whether his first-day fundraising number can compete with other candidates’:

We'll know if @JoeBiden is a name recognition front runner, or a real front runner, when he posts those 24 hour fundraising numbers. He can't just match @BernieSanders, he needs to obliterate him. In a call to supporters yesterday, Biden acknowledged as much. https://t.co/cHgBljmkKk

— Rachel "The Doc" Bitecofer (@RachelBitecofer) April 25, 2019

And on Friday, the campaign said it raised $6.3 million in the first 24 hours, which puts Biden ahead of both Sanders, who raised $5.9 million in his first 24 hours, and O’Rourke, who got $6.1 million.

perry: I actually don’t think fundraising is a great metric for Biden. That’s because he is getting more support from people who are moderate and black, which I don’t think necessarily is the type of person who gives money to candidates on Day 1.

clare.malone: Going after constituencies that are likely to be a bit more moderate is something that I think Biden will focus on. Another thing I thought was telling was this Spanish language ad he put out first thing on Thursday:

Hoy estoy anunciando mi candidatura para presidente de los Estados Unidos. Somos los Estados Unidos de America – y juntos no hay nada que no podamos hacer. Únete a nuestra campaña: https://t.co/9MBT8Qkyzd#Joe2020 pic.twitter.com/GhSYDci4dr

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 25, 2019

That seems like a conscious play to a group of voters who might be more inclined toward a moderate candidate and might be ready to get active in a 2020 election against Trump, given the tenor of his first term — i.e., child separations that disproportionately affected Latino families and communities.

geoffrey.skelley: Latino voters seem like a wide-open voting bloc. Julian Castro seems like a potential fit. But he’s not attracting much tangible support in either the polls or fundraising so far among Democrats in general, so, as Perry wrote earlier this month, it’s not clear that he’ll be able to make significant inroads there.

natesilver: I don’t think it’s that interesting whether Biden gets a polling bounce, because those bounces usually fade anyway. But if he does get a bounce, I’d wonder how much of it comes at Bernie’s expense.

sarahf: Does it matter, Nate, that more of it come at Bernie’s expense than any of the other candidates?

natesilver: It matters in the sense that it would be quite bearish for Bernie if he fell to, say, 16 percent.

geoffrey.skelley: Well, looking way ahead — if Biden cuts into Sanders’s support, that could have real ramifications for delegates with the Democrats’ 15 percent rule (in each primary or caucus, candidates have to win at least 15 percent of the vote to win delegates statewide or by district). So sliding closer to 15 percent in the polls might signal that a candidate is going to fall short of that threshold in some states. But we’re a long way from thinking about that just yet. (Not that it will stop me from doing so!)

natesilver: If Bernie’s base is a solid 20 percent or 25 percent of the electorate, he’s reasonably interesting as a candidate. But if it’s really just like 15 percent, and the other 5 percent or 10 percent is just sort of foam-at-the-top name recognition, I don’t know that he’s a major player for the nomination.

sarahf: Well, to ask that same name recognition question of Biden, how will we know whether some of his popularity is just name recognition? I know he has higher favorable ratings than Sanders, but how should we think about his polling in the next couple of weeks?

natesilver: Given that there are more reasons to think his polling will decline rather than rise later on, I wonder if it will increase to the low 30s from the high 20s. That would give him more runway for stumbles later.

sarahf: Based on what you’re saying about which candidacies are threatened by Biden’s entry into the race, it seems as though he appeals to both the kinds of voters who’d support Klobuchar/Ryan/O’Rourke and those who’d support Booker/Harris, which is sort of a weird, in-between spot. And yet we don’t necessarily think of candidates like Klobuchar and Harris competing for the same voters.

So what is it about Biden’s candidacy that gives him appeal to different wings of the party? How could he play that to his advantage? And how could that backfire?

geoffrey.skelley: Well, Biden is going to lean hard into his connection to former President Barack Obama, who remains basically the most popular figure in the country among Democrats.

sarahf:

I asked Rihanna not to DM me https://t.co/p3TytePAjH

— Steadman (@AsteadWesley) April 25, 2019

perry: That was hilarious.

sarahf: Setting aside the 1,000 memes sure to follow, what do we make of Biden saying that?

perry: Obama is not going to endorse him, so that was a way to deal with that issue head-on.

natesilver: Nor is Obama going to endorse anybody anytime soon, although I do wonder if he’d weigh in if it came down to a contest between [Candidate X] and Bernie.

clare.malone: The way I’ve been thinking about it and the way I phrased it on Thursday’s podcast is that the Democratic Party has been having a big ideas meeting for the past two years — there are lots of new ideas, lots of people buying into them, and lots of talk about big, structural changes. But Biden is kind of offering the “if it ain’t broke” theory of things, which is that he’s here to remind people of the halcyon Obama days. A familiar face, familiar messages, that kind of thing. Which is how, I think, he could steal voters from a decently broad swath of candidates who are trying to differentiate themselves in this new environment.

natesilver: And a lot of messaging about how Trump is a historical anomaly, rather than being the inevitable culmination of the Republican Party’s drift toward populism.

geoffrey.skelley: Obama was never going to endorse this early, not with so many candidates running. But Biden has eight years of being his VP to use as evidence of his ability to lead the country, which isn’t nothing.

perry: I thought Obama’s spokeswoman’s statement praising Biden was great for him. It’s not an endorsement, but it’s somewhere between not endorsing him and endorsing him, and probably the best Biden could hope for at this stage. And Biden is already featuring pictures of himself with Obama.

Biden had a good campaign rollout in some ways. Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey endorsed him, which signals support in an important swing state. And a prominent, young black voice in the party — Symone Sanders — is joining his campaign.

natesilver: This was an interesting endorsement, too:

This is fascinating and surprising. Biden’s first NV endorsement is from progressive, young legislator, first Latina ever elected to state Senate. She also all but ran @RubenKihuen campaign that crushed @LucyFlores, who has accused Biden of invading her personal space in ‘14. https://t.co/INL3JHwnn6

— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) April 25, 2019

perry: Yeah, Biden’s endorsements aren’t just from white people, or moderates in the party, or people living in the Northeast.

geoffrey.skelley: Nevada state Sen. Yvanna Cancela hits three important demographics: Latina, union ties, and from a key early state.

perry: Biden wants to build a broad campaign, and all the first indicators are positive.

But what we are seeing right now was all planned I assume for his first day as a candidate, so what happens a month from now will be more telling.

natesilver: Biden’s announcement has made me think of Harris in a slightly different light. Like, why isn’t she getting more endorsements outside of her home state? I’d think she might have more success if she used an argument along the lines of: “The polls are now dominated by three white guys, none of whom really does a great job representing the whole Democratic coalition. I’m the best alternative to them, and it’s time to start building momentum before it’s too late.”

clare.malone: On a debate stage, I think a lot of people might go after Biden’s record. I’m curious to see how cutthroat the primary will get about his past and how much that will stick with the kinds of voters that he wants to win — moderates, including minority voters.

perry: Biden vs. Warren is going to be great.

clare.malone: Warren’s memoir calls out Biden for his opposition to some of her bankruptcy work. Kind of fascinating.

perry: Yeah. Warren has long been concerned about his record and, I think, is the person with the most incentive to take him on. She is the most policy-focused candidate, and he is the exact version of the Democratic Party she is trying to fight.

geoffrey.skelley: The thing is, in a crowded field, you don’t know what the ripple effects will be of attacking someone. This was one of the things that slowed GOP contenders from attacking Trump early on during the 2016 primary. They didn’t know if their attacks might help someone else instead.

clare.malone: Right. There’s some game theory involved.

Or something. I dunno. I was an English major.

sarahf: So, who do we think Biden sees as his biggest competitor? And vice versa?

perry: Harris probably has to win South Carolina. And I think Biden has to be worried about any candidate with the potential to do well with black voters and big donors in the party.

geoffrey.skelley: Harris has to be hoping Nevada is a possible win for her, too, given its proximity to her home state of California, where she is polling well.

perry: If I were Biden, I would be worried about Buttigieg or O’Rourke or Booker taking off and being seen as very “electable” to Democratic voters.

sarahf: As Nate wrote in our theory of the case for Biden, his “ratio of favorable ratings to unfavorable ratings is 4.8, which essentially ties him for second-best in the field with Harris and puts him only slightly behind the leading candidate, Buttigieg.”

Biden’s favorability ratings are near the top of the pack

Average of favorability ratings among Democratic voters in recent national, Iowa and New Hampshire polls

Morning Consult: U.S. Monmouth: Iowa Saint Anselm: N.H. Average Candidate Fav. Unfav. Fav. Unfav. Fav. Unfav. Fav. Unfav. Ratio Buttigieg 38% 9% 45% 9% 42% 6% 42% 8% 5.2 Biden 75 14 78 14 70 18 74 15 4.8 Harris 49 12 61 13 54 10 55 12 4.7 Booker 44 12 54 16 56 11 51 13 3.9 O’Rourke 47 11 60 13 46 17 51 14 3.7 Sanders 75 16 67 26 67 25 70 22 3.1 Klobuchar 28 13 51 10 31 13 37 12 3.1 Castro 28 12 36 9 24 8 29 10 3.0 Inslee 17 7 26 5 10 6 18 6 2.9 Warren 55 19 67 20 58 30 60 23 2.6 Hickenlooper 16 9 32 8 15 10 21 9 2.3 Delaney 14 9 31 12 17 7 21 9 2.2 Gillibrand 32 14 37 17 33 18 34 16 2.1 Gabbard 16 11 29 13 16 13 20 12 1.6

Only candidates whose favorability was asked about in all three polls are included in the table.

Morning Consult poll was conducted April 15-21, Monmouth University poll conducted April 4-9 and Saint Anselm College conducted April 3-8.

Sources: Polls

geoffrey.skelley: Sanders and Harris are my first thought as his biggest competition. Plus, as Perry said, someone like O’Rourke — and I guess Buttigieg, too.

natesilver: Every candidate should probably be worried about Buttigieg right now.

perry: Biden seems like the safe choice. But if other candidates seem like a safe choice but are also exciting, that might pose a problem for Biden. Democrats want a candidate who will be Obama-like, exciting and thrilling to vote for.

clare.malone: YOUTH

Although Biden is going after the youth vote pretty hard, tbh.

Currently on sale for $27 pic.twitter.com/kLu0KBlaMV

— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) April 25, 2019

perry: Yes, Biden served with Obama, so their connection is strong. But I’m sure that many Democrats would love to elect a first-in-history candidate, whether that be a gay man, woman, South Asian woman, Latino or black woman, if they are convinced that person can beat Trump and would be a good president.

geoffrey.skelley: Buttigieg isn’t that well-known, yet he is getting around 10 percent now in some polls. That is notable given how name recognition plays into early polls.

clare.malone: People like Buttigieg because he’s young blood. That’s central to his appeal, as is the “I’m a smart moderate” thing.

sarahf: But the one big thing working against Buttigieg is that some voters don’t seem ready to say they think he can beat Trump, even though there’s a lot of enthusiasm for him:

Even non-Biden voters think Biden could win the general

Average difference between share of Democrats who said each candidate was their first choice in a primary and the share who said the candidate had the best chance of winning the general election in two recent state polls

Quinnipiac (CA) Granite State Poll (NH) Candidate First Choice Best Chance First Choice Best Chance Average Diff. Joe Biden 26% 35% 18% 25% +8.0 Beto O’Rourke 4 5 3 3 +0.5 John Delaney 0 0 0 0 +0.0 Bernie Sanders 18 17 30 30 -0.5 Kirsten Gillibrand 0 0 1 0 -0.5 Cory Booker 2 1 3 2 -1.0 Amy Klobuchar 2 1 2 0 -1.5 Andrew Yang 1 0 2 0 -1.5 Elizabeth Warren 7 4 5 2 -3.0 Kamala Harris 17 9 4 2 -5.0 Pete Buttigieg 7 2 15 4 -8.0

Includes everyone who appeared in both questions in both polls, which means some people who have not entered the race are included and some declared candidates are excluded.

Quinnipiac sampled 482 Democrats and Democratic leaners; UNH sampled 241 likely Democratic primary voters.

Sources: Quinnipiac University, University of New Hampshire Survey Center

perry: I think most of Biden’s rivals need Democratic voters to think differently about electability and who is electable. But that’s not great for Biden — a part of his campaign is based on an opinion that the others can’t beat Trump, but that perception could change.

Obama himself has publicly said that people other than white guys can win. If I were one of the candidates, I might start noting that in public.

sarahf: Yeah … What’s the scenario where Biden’s electability argument falls short? Does that happen if that’s the only thing Biden can campaign on?

clare.malone: I’m really curious about what kind of campaigner he’s going to be in 2019! I don’t think we can underrate that.

natesilver: I’m not sure if it’s that Biden’s electability argument would fall short so much as that people become more comfortable with the other candidates. If there’s someone you think would make the best president, you tend to come up with rationales for why they’re the most electable, too.

perry: About 50 percent of Democrats are liberal, and about 50 percent identify as moderate or conservative. Plus, half of Democrats are 50 or older. One advantage Biden has is that there are currently not that many strong candidates appealing to this crowd.

sarahf: So if Biden is able to woo that portion of the party … might he have enough for a winning candidacy?

geoffrey.skelley: To win the Democratic nomination in a crowded field, you might only need a plurality of the primary vote — Michael Dukakis did it in 1988, for example. However, winning a majority of delegates with just a plurality of the vote is not easy in the Democratic primaries as there aren’t winner-take-all contests like there are in the Republican primaries. Still, I’d say there’s an opening for Biden if he ends up being a factional candidate.

natesilver: You need more than just plurality delegate support, though, to win the nomination — it’s the one contest where you need majority support (more or less), or else you have to endure a contested convention.

So I think it is worth thinking about how each candidate would fare at a contested convention. If Candidate X has 35 percent of the delegates and the next-closest candidate has 30 percent, does Candidate X tend to win the nomination at the convention?

For Bernie, I think that answer is “maybe not.” For Biden, I think it’s “probably so, but not sure.”

sarahf: 2-0-2-0 C-O-N-T-E-S-T-E-D C-ON-V-E-N-T-I-O-N!!

I don’t know how you do that, Nate, because that was terrible to type.

natesilver: CoNtEsTeD CoNvEnTiOn

clare.malone: The return of delegate hunting.

geoffrey.skelley: Also, SUPER DELEGATES RAAAHHH

Anyway, yes, it could happen, but I still wouldn’t bet on a contested convention.

sarahf: OK, we’ve talked about which candidates Biden’s candidacy threatens and from which candidates he faces stiff competition. What do we think will change in the field overall now that he’s announced and we continue to move closer to the first debates?

perry: Biden now has to figure out his position on like 50 issues that have emerged in the primary.

clare.malone: I was thinking about this during the CNN forum the other night. Candidates were asked about felon voting, and now it’s turned into a little bit of a kerfuffle.

I think people might start to give more hedging answers on some of these structural change questions that have been popping up — abolishing the Electoral College and the like.

That is, I think Biden could splash a bit of cold (moderate) water on some of these hot topixx debates.

natesilver: We may be in a relative period of stasis until the debates. We’ll see how much higher the “Buttibump” grows. We’ll see if Biden gets any bounce of his own and how good his initial fundraising numbers look, but there’s not necessarily a whole hell of a lot going on right now.

perry: The stances Biden adopts will help set the stage for the debates — i.e., how big is the ideological divide in the party? But I don’t think voters really are that engaged on policy.

However, at this stage, candidates are asked tons of policy questions by activists and reporters.

And Biden will have to give some answers, which will create fodder for activists, the press and the other candidates.

sarahf: Does Biden risk not offering enough of a vision? For instance, I’m thinking of Klobuchar, who dismissed the idea of free college tuition or canceling student debt by saying that it’d be impossible to pay for and without countering with a vision of her own. I could maybe see Biden finding himself in a similar situation.

natesilver: I think Biden offers a pretty clear vision — defeat Trump and restore America back to Obama’s America.

sarahf: But is that exciting enough for voters?

natesilver: It doesn’t have to be exciting. It just has to intuitively appeal to Democrats. And I think it probably does, and I think that’s more important than the policy specifics, at least to the sorts of voters that Biden is seeking out.

geoffrey.skelley: I guess one thing to keep an eye on is whether aviator glasses-wearing Biden shows up or gaffe-prone Joe shows up? Or is it a mix?

sarahf: I’d bet on the former given the screen-printed totes his campaign is selling.

perry: I don’t think Biden can run on electability solely. I expect him to have policy ideas — just not as many or as liberal as Warren’s. He will have gaffes, but the press will cover them less intensely if he is leading in all the polls.

Also. If the gaffes are really him being insufficiently woke, he might not care about them.

This will be a fascinating part of the campaign. There will be an “Anybody-But-Joe faction” of the party. And we will see if he can steamroll them.

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #A FiveThirtyEight Chat

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stopsubstanceabuse1-blog · 5 years

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