#long ass nickname /lh

[missmitchieg]

i don’t go here but what happened to penelope garcia’s hair ? isn’t it like shoulder length ? did she cut it ? !

/lh , tell me about penelope garcia please ?

Yay! I love talking about babygirl! Ok, so it looks like she did indeed cut her luscious locks so rip to her long princess curls. They will be missed until they grow back. 💖

Ok, so season 1-15 Penelope was MY GIRL, ok? She was MY GIRL.

She's, like, a super genius super cutie and she's super sweet and kind and loves animals. (Seriously, one of the reasons she started working for the FBI is she was a computer hacker and hacked into the website of a cosmetic company that tests on animals and her options when she got caught were literally work for the FBI or her ass is getting thrown in prison. She chose the FBI. We love a queen that fights for animal wellfare. The other reason was she wanted to get away from her garbage, and I do mean GARBAGE, boyfriend and have a better life.)

I'm pretty sure she has ADHD. Maybe autism. IDK, but she's definitely some kinda neurospicy.

She's a walking sparkly neon rainbow. You know the way Flynn's bedroom is described in the one jatp book? Season 1-15 Penelope is that and I love it.

She went ginger once and it was a whole vibe.

Wow, I love her.

She was super nice to her ex boss all the way from s1 to his departure in early s12, and I'm 99% sure was the only one that actually called him bossman or sir bc everyone else just called him Aaron or by his nickname, Hotch. She was really good at making him smile, which actually wasn't that hard but people exaggerate the rarity of a Hotch smile for some reason.

After that, she was still really nice to the replacement he handpicked, Emily Prentiss, who she already adored after working with her since s2.

Hotch was literally physically incapable of saying no to this woman and she fully knew and took advantage of that shit, ok? Seriously, one time, Penelope made a joke like "who could say no to me?" and Hotch just smirked a little bit because he knew he couldn't say anything. Penelope does an incredible imitation of the pleading emoji. Or the Puss In Boots face. Whatever you wanna call this:

"Boss, I want you to hire Tara. 🥺" "Ok. Tell everyone else the position has been filled." "Boss, I don't wanna eat dinner alone. Do you want a veggie omelette? 🥺" "Ok. Do you have jalapeños?"

The hilarious thing is she doesn't even have to make that face. She does it to mess with him.

And then there's her, uh...... interesting little flirtationship with Derek Morgan. Or as Penelope calls him, chocolate thunder. He loves that name and encourages it. He calls her babygirl. They also have about a million other adorable pet names for each other.

*gestures at these gifs* They love each other so much, it's kind of gross. I've said before that before I actually started watching and only had the massive comp of him calling her that, I genuinely really thought Morcia was canon. Like, oh, my GOD, dude. These two are disgustingly obsessed with each other. The shit they say on work calls. He calls her sexy and brilliant Goddess and told her it drives him crazy when "she talks that voulez coucher stuff to him". Like, hello? Honestly, I'm amazed Derek only had to sit through one HR lecture about creating a hostile work environment. Or at least, we only saw one.

Then there's her very sweet friendship with baby genius, boy wonder, good doctor, Agent Doctor Spencer Reid.

MY BABIES. I LOVE THEM. I want them back. Gimme back my Penny², damnit.

And her very sweet friendship with Matt Simmons! Oh, my god. I love them. 🥰🥰🥰

They're cute and I wish at least Penelope mentioned Matt in season 16 more.

Penelope and Luke! Oh, my God. Penelope and Luke.

They are in love and both think it's unrequited and it's exhausting but at least s12-15 were FUN. Mostly.

Season 16 Penelope, though....

Season 16 Penelope got abducted by aliens. Or lobotomized. Hard to tell.

#criminal minds #criminal minds evolution #penelope garcia #i'd go more in depth but this got long oops #i just love her

[slug-cube]

dramatic rant, incoming.

whatever. OKAY. WHAT. EVER. /lh

hoky shit. listen to me- listen.... nobody is gonna be able. to take bkdk away from me, okay? NO. ONE! do you know how many times i got bullied for saying i ship bakudeku, bullied by my friends? and now its the most potentially, most heart throbbing, heartbreaking, most cinamtic fucking pair i have ever witnessed? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

no no, listen. listen. i have gone through countless ships, praying that they would be canon, because i saw how much potential they could have. how everything tied in so lovingly like a placed present under a box with a stick holding it up. a ruse. a obvious trap. but i fell for it. every. time.

and youre saying that after years of torment by people from antis to friends to peers, i was RIGHT? I WAS FUCKING RIGHT? i dont even give a FUCK if its romantic or not. i was right. bakugou and izuku are intertwined with eachother in a way that its artistically crafted and i was RIGHT. fuck YOU. youre telling me izuku "i will kill for kacchan" midoriya and katsuki "i would die for izuku" bakugou arent closer than just friends, i will laugh in your face. i am crazed, okay? i will LAUGH and keel over on the ground and wheeze until i cant breathe anymore.

it was so obvious from the get go. like honestly, it was. how izuku kept calling katsuki "kacchan" even though they hadnt been close friends in a long, long time. even dudebros cant even come up with an excuse. how can you excuse something like that? like seriously? if izuku really did hate bakugou why give him a fond nickname instead of a scathing "bakugou" everytime they interacted like the dudebros believed? and why did bakugou ALLOW it?

izuku imitating bakugou,

like this, a more obvious example. if izuku hated bakugou SO much, then why. WHY. HUH?

and this was early in to the show and manga. where bakugou hadnt apologized yet, and the tension between them was fucking awful.

now that we know izuku thinks highly towards kacchan, admires him, thinks kacchan is his shining light, his image of victory. we can piece it together. bit by bit. and it becomes clearer, and everybody who was talking crap and sending out death threats look like complete idiots. idiots.

so sorry for wanting to brag, but my bumbling adhd ass gets genuinely hurt when a friend comments that my ship sucks. and its been a long time coming letting all this out.

#smalltalk #rant #long post #mha #i wrote this post like so long ago i was filled with bitterness #my hero academia #bkdk #dkbk

[rainbowroadonsteroids]

(Totally not me kicking myself in the fucking ass to post art on here ahaha 😀👍)

Given I'm still stuck in a TF2 phase (thanks @comet-wire /j+lh+nm) I've had to sit there and make like four separate merc OCs because they why the fuck not, and I'm gonna be posting them all soon enough. But for today, gonna post the afformentioned "ketchup and Vegemite" person, Ghost. (And also some miscellaneous stuff about him! 😀👍) Also I have not been drawing that much as of late so I need to sort of get used to drawing him lmao.

I drafted this long before the Ridley post so if some of the stuff above sounds odd that's why 🗿👍 Ghost was the second merc I made, and he's been changed a hair! Namely he was originally going to be a mechanic... but I decided fuck it; he gets to be a secondary bushman and he's a hunter now. So his official title is The Hunter. (Also, slight spoiler warning down below for the TF2 Comics!)

(Basics)

His full name is Luna Phengsavath, and Ghost is a nickname of his.

He's 5'11" (156cm) and 160lbs (72kg).

He's 25 years old in 1968, and 29 years old in 1972.

He has one of the fastest speeds outside of Scout, at 125%.

His health is 130/195. (Roughly.)

He is in the offensive class.

Similar the Sniper, Ghost is from Australia, having lived in the Outback as well. He implies even that he grew up near Sniper, living in a more gothic home decorated in a way to keep away the Mormons.

One of his item sets, Killer Kriss, is an homage to Ashrah from Mortal Kombat, as the item set has him wearing an outfit similar to Ashrah, but the outfit is in black rather than white.

Ghost has a healing item called "Surprise Sandvich"; it has the same properties as a Sandvich does, the major difference with this being the scorpion peppers that are within the Sandvich. Ghost can eat it, other mercs can too but it won't heal them as much, and it can actually cause them to take some damage from the burn. (Pyro survives this though.)

He is demisexual and transgender.

Two of his most prominent (or at least two of his most favorite weapons) are his Kriss and Kali Sticks.

His primary weapon is a set of Dual Pistols.

He's known for his gothic appearance, wearing corpse paint and plenty of black. (Oddly enough that doesn't affect him but he has to sleep with fans on him.)

His bite pattern features him having more out-turned canines, and has him missing his premolars.

He has glasses but is too stubborn to wear them like... 98% of the time. And he will never go near contacts.

(Not-so-Basics)

Ghost is a third-generation immigrant, with both sets of his grandparents having immigrated from Laos to Australia at some point. (I would say he's considered 2.5 gen, as Sa (his mum) was born in Laos; however, she was not raised there, and grew up in Australia. Loy (his dad) was born and raised in Australia, on the other hand.)

Ghost only knows certain phrases in Laotian, namely the things Sa would yell at him. ("Wash up for dinner", "clean your room", etc.)

He has autism, and as a result has texture and sensory issues. He shaves his hair down because he hates when he can't maintain it, he doesn't like certain food textures, he hates wet/repetitive noises, and he usually wears looser clothing as he doesn't like the feeling of the clothes hugging his skin.

He has issues with his mental health, and has in the past locked himself away in his room for months just due to how he was feeling. His parents always try to help him, and they at least try to get him to eat, not wanting to force him to do anything he isn't ready for yet. (He also has a fear of dentists due to his depression, as he hates being scolded by his dentist about not brushing.)

In the TF2 Comics, Ghost ends up having to deal with amputating his left hand, as well as a majority of his right leg. The hand comes from having to free himself to try and get out of the room he was locked in, and the leg... I'm still trying to figure the technicalities out with that. But, he doesn't try to push Medic to heal him solely because he knows how to manage himself for the time being, and he doesn't want to waste Medic's time when the others need healed. He later on is able to get prosthetics to use, as well as arm crutches.

He is perpetually scared of Saxton Hale.

He has been romantically interested in Sniper since around the time they were teens, and considers a sharktooth necklace (original I know) Sniper gave him to be a treasure.

He apparently did his own top surgery, and said it went smoothly. He also notes he's not into bottom surgery, and says so graciously that he's content with having a man cave.

(Miscellaneous/Random Notes)

Ghost has a brother who is 20 years older than he is, named Serina. He also has two cousins who are a bit older than he is, Celestia and Akuma.

He doesn't like sweets. A HUGE exception though is ice cream, specifically either sherbet or cotton candy ice cream.

He'd probably take the record as the most censored mercenary, as every line he'd have usually would have him cussing.

Despite not knowing Laotian, he does know German and Australian Sign Language/Auslan. He was taught Auslan as a toddler because he would go mute sometimes, and he would at least communicate that way.

A lot of his taunts are meant to insult the other mercs. Whether it be a double middle finger, "up yours" gesture, chin flick, a thumb between his index and middle finger, a forearm jerk, if it insults/pisses off the other team, he does it. (Obviously there are particularly offensive gestures he will not do.)

He's gotten high off of the Medigun before.

About two years before leaving home, Ghost and his parents found two stray kittens; an orange tabby cat and an unknown tan cat. They took the two kittens in, and named them Honey Mustard (tabby) and French Fry. French Fry was later found out to be a Maine Coon as she got to be as big as a year old great dane.

He has the highest instant noodle consumption rate in the base, eating about three to four cups of it a day. This is because instant noodles are a comfort food of his.

One of his favorite foods is a Vegemite and ketchup(/tomato sauce) sandwich. He gets a stomach ache 90% of the time he eats it but still likes it.

His last name is sometimes spelled phonetically, thus coming out to be Fengsavath. Though because of this he's sometimes gone under the pen name Luna Fang.

Ghost has a habit of either chewing his fingernails or his fingers, so his fingers look a bit weird as a result.

He's blunt. Seriously. He's called The Administrator a cunt/bitch to her face, he's called Classic Heavy a racist piece of rubbish, he's called Classic Pyro/Beatrice a cold and dry cunt, he's called Gray Mann an expired tampon, and there's plenty more examples.

He will genuinely get aggravated with the word "barbie", and will scream out "IT'S A BLOODY GRILL YOU WANK". Why this is? No one really knows.

Ghost draws in his free time, and sometimes uses his teammates as models.

#tf2 #team fortress 2 #tf2 oc #tf2 oc art #tf2 ghost #tf2 hunter #the hunter #ghost phengsavath #luna phengsavath #transgender #gay

[findthebae]

Hi, I'm Ethan/"Gold" (from Pokémon), I'm looking for my Silver. My canon is a mix of the gameverse AND pokéspe both in events and how I'd act !

My father was Galarian and mama had been born and raised in Johto her entire life. She's always been really sweet !

My starter was Cyndaquil, I nicknamed him "Buddy" !! Which stuck for as long as I'd have him, even if I started the gym challenge when I was ~13.

Tbh I'm 99.9% sure I was a gay demiboy. I knew I was a dude but was I a man? Gender was Weird and so was orientation and I only got that solidly figured it out as "boy(ish) and I like kissing men" AFTER the gym challenge. Like I don't have time to think abt if I like kissing chicks or dudes or if I Am a dude rn I gotta get Buddy to lv70 before the next gym /lh (part of that repression waa Johto being a 50/50 on "for gays are fine" and "I don't like the gays" :sob)

I had pretty-much black hair, tanned skin from bein' out in the sun so often, and gold eyes ! That's how I got "Trainer Gold" as a nickname, and I gave Silver his eyes where grey (at first it was a tease and then it became Gay). I was layered up a lot, since Johto was costal and chilly, so for a lot of my journey it was the grey hoodie, my orange windbreaker, or both ! And the ultraball hat. Never left ANYWHERE without the thing.

I was a trickster for a lot of my journey. A very competitive trickster and taunted HARD when I was confident that a match was easy for me to plow through... to my own detriment but yk !!!!!!

me and my Silver where together romantically in my canon, I asked him to be my boyfriend during a totally-not-a-date thing at a cafe I wanted us to go to. He asked me if I was joking after, I was nott :3 This was post-gym challenge and after I did my thing.

Silvy lived in a apartment in Cherrygrove after the challenge, and I visited as often as I could; nearly every day since I still lived in New Bark. And when I wouldn't visit, I'd drag him out for walks and casual battles-

He kicked my ass a few times during the challenge !!! But it was mainly on me Staring at him.

Anyways that's a Lot of information already, if ya THINK you might be a canonmate of mine (idm at all) I'm @ashacidic !! I'm an older teen, and I'd prefer 17+ interacted with me for kin reasons. Doubles are fine too, power in numbers yk ? 💪

@ashacidic

#canon calls #pokemon kin #pkmn kin

[distortionswife]

!! Hi hello !!

I'm Arwen, I'm 19 and I make art, memes and random ass posts. I use they/them, please respect that and don't use feminine type nicknames with me!

I'm working on a commission sheets for if others are interested!

I have a lot of interests, so just ask! Atm it's a hyperfixation of the Magnus archives! I make art and memes of it, so you're welcome to follow!

Keep in mind, I am autistic ( AuDHD ) and might not always understand your tone. I often use tonetags, they're provided in the ( read more ) bit below !!

Please use them if you can, they are very helpful. Thank you!

Links to my Paypal and Kofi for the future, a better commission sheet is a w.i.p!

Paypal.com/LilGodOfNight is my PayPal <3

Tone indicator list

/aff — affectionate

I’m thinking of you. /aff

/c — copypasta

crazy I was crazy once they locked me in a room a rubber room a rubber room with rats rats make me crazy /c

/cb — clickbait

You’ll never believe what’s inside this $20M home! /cb

/f — fake

Look at this real-life unicorn. /f

/gen or /g — genuine

You’re such a nice person. /gen

/genq — genuine question

Does this help clarify? /genq

/hj — half joking ( you're like, half serious, half not )

I mean, I’m usually right. /hj

/hyp — hyperbole

I have 10,000 things to do today. /hyp

/ij — inside joke

There’s just something about those beach fries. /ij

/j — joking

Elias bouchard never did anything wrong/j

/lyr — lyrics

Vintage tee, brand new phone. High heels on cobblestones. /lyr

/lh — light-hearted

I think you misspelled mosey. /lh

/lit — literal

The rat we saw was the size of a small dog. /lit

/lu — little upset

Our top client won’t be renewing. /lu

/met — metaphorical

His fingers were icicles after shoveling for so long! /met

/nav — not a vent ( more so an update or a statement, )

Work has been so busy. /nav

/nbh — nobody here (none of your followers)

I’m really feeling down because of someone. /nbh

/neg — negative connotation

Oh my gosh. I’m going to cry. /neg

/neu — neutral connotation

The dog needs to go outside. /neu

/nf — not forced

Do you want to hang out today? /nf

/nm — not mad

Did you leave the iron on this morning? /nm

/nsb — not subtweeting

I hate when people don’t say things to your face. /nsb

/nsrs — non-serious

I just bruised my leg, but I’m okay. /nsrs

/nsx — non-sexual intent

You look so good. /nsx

/p — platonic

You look so pretty. /p

/pos — positive connotation

Oh my gosh! I’m going to cry. /pos

/q — quote

“Sometimes I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going.” /q

/r — romantic

I can’t wait to do life with you. /r

/ref — reference

It’s exactly like the gold or blue dress debacle. /ref

/rh or /rt — rhetorical

I still can’t figure out the issue. How can I be so stupid? /rh

/s or /sarc — sarcastic

This is just what I needed on a Monday. /s

/srs — serious

I really like working with you. /srs

/sx — sexual intent

You look so good. /sx

/t — teasing

Oh really? Guess we have to be best friends now. /t

/th — threat

I will block you if you don’t stop. /th

Pictures version:

( so you can download them

[lavenoon]

🥺 🤡 and ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

:)

Hi shroomie!!

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

Hmm, well heart-to-hearts are always good, but I think - I think I really like the moments right after, where they're exhausted from being vulnerable, with perhaps things still left unsaid, but this mutual understanding of "we care we love we just cannot talk about this more right now, it will be there when we have energy again, for now we just need to exist together without the tension" and then they do, leaning against each other or cuddling. The promise of more, because it needs to be addressed, but the trust and love of "it can wait" - I love that very much <3

🤡 What’s a line, scene, or exchange you’ve written that made you laugh?

From Empty Nest Syndrome, when Moon worries about Robin and Sun teases him with:

“No, you’re just brooding so much the entire house feels like a nest. Someone missing his pet bird?” 

I just loved how neatly the teasing nickname now became a theme, and I was really damn proud of the title, too! I still chuckle at Sun coaxing Moon back out of his shell like that hehe

And the dreaded compliments /hj /lh I'm counting these as one for my peace of mind please I have two more to go after this already and I'm already struggling gfhdjs

I really really try to have varied sentence lengths - I know I have a tendency towards long ass sentences (like this one) (because every thought comes with bonus thoughts) but I do try! Throw in a couple very short sentences and some medium length ones before I inevitably slip back into one sentence per paragraph hfdj

#answer let luce #boxofcreampuffs #if the heart to heart forces everything out it can also seem forced so its also just a neat little breather #for the author for the audience for the characters #I love flawed people trying and loving and putting in the work #its my bread and butter and yall know how normal i am about bread #god #empty nest syndrome was so early into au #i think that adds to the “oh my god look babys first theme” euphoria lmao #before that it was for teases only and like. lighthearted fun becoming serious care my beloved

[vanikolya]

Hiya! I found your page a bit ago and I love how you write! I was wondering if I could get a bsd match up please?

I’m an ambivert(I think-), I’m very quiet and awkward around new people but if I click with them I’ll become very outgoing. I can be loud and very sarcastic(as well as threatening but it’s all just jokes-). I’m typically a very funny and joking person, while I can also be calm and have deep conversations with anyone lol. I also might not be the best comforter but I’ll listen to someone rant for hours on end and give advice if I think of any.

I’m intro a bunch of creative things; drawing, writing, editing, etc. I also love music, any type, but I seem to really like electric or rock(never metal and country is rare).

I saw someone put a description of their appearance so I guess I’ll put one-? I’m 5’0 with shoulder length, wavy brown hair and light blue eyes.

I’m also pan so I don’t care about the gender of the character(I don’t know if this matters or not-)

That’s all I can think of- i’m sorry if I did it wrong or if it’s confusing! Thank you!

{hey! sorry this took a while, im on summer break so I'm finally getting round to all my unanswered asks. that i kind of left for the entire academic year T^T college really kicked my ass </3}

i ship you with...

{.⋅ ✯ ⋅.}  OSAMU DAZAI  {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.}

would likely tease you for being all shy when you meet new people, considering he knows how loud and outgoing you can be. speaking of, the two of you wreak havoc. kunikida hates the both of you (/lh) because of your tendencies to go along with each others jokes (which, considering this is dazai we're talking about, will often involve kunikida)

but considering that side of dazai is more of a facade, or just an "outside personality" (i feel like that doesn't make sense SOB but like how you'd probably act differently around people ig), he's glad to have someone who understands his more serious side. probably going to spark quite a few conversations about the meaning of life, or possibilities for what the afterlife may be like. maybe psychology too idk i feel like dazai would like psychology (heard it here first from... your local dazai kinnie psychology student, wow i wonder why i think he likes psych)

dazai's practically the same with listening to rants, the fact that you're so similar to him in that way is comforting in itself because he knows that if you were to come to him with problems, you would understand that he would jump straight to advice rather than sit there and be a comforting prescence for you. that way he wouldn't feel like something he couldn't give was being expected of him. that being said, he is really good with physical comfort, he's very affectionate; he just doesn't have the words

he does give really good advice though. you have a problem that can be fixed with logic? you're going to be absolutely fine. probably the one downside is that he's pretty harsh with his advice on people problems, like if you're struggling with a friend he doesn't know all that well, he'd probably say something like "and if you try everything and they still don't change their behaviour, you'd be better off without them" (he's usually right, just fails to account for how it may be hard for you to let them go if it got to that)

really interested in the things you make, when he sees you working on something creative he'll never fail to ask about it. or cheekily stay there watching until you mention what you're working on without him saying anything. he'd also just ask you to draw him, and probably throw in some joke about how he's always thought his true calling was modelling. as long as your comfortable with him doing so, he'll end up showing off your works to other members of the agency. "my [nickname] is so talented!"

will definetely take every opportunity to tease you for your height (he's 5'11), given you're not self conscious about it. "do you need me to lift you up to reach that shelf?" "hold onto me in this crowd, if we get separated i don't think I'd be able to spot you" so just kick his shins for it, god knows he deserves it (/lh)

he probably gives you kisses on the top of your head though. and probably picks you up to kiss you.

#matchups #bungo stray dogs headcanons #dazai bungo #dazai headcanons #dazai bungou stray dogs #dazai bsd #bsd dazai #bungou stray dogs dazai #bsd #osamu dazai #bungo stray dogs

[tobytoaster]

hand in unlovable hand

#my art #mcyt #last life grian #last life scar #goodtimeswithscar #goodtimewithscar #long ass nickname /lh #last life smp #last life #grian #sand duo #desert duo #not ship #third life smp #third life #3rd life

[doyumacy]

FALLOUT |LH| THREE

gif not mine

PAIRING: donghyuck x reader bodyguard!donghyuck

WARNINGS: mentions of taeyong. swearing, blood (i’ll let you know when there are parts with blood mentions), smut (let you know), violence, angst

WORD COUNT: 2,7K

ONE TWO THREE FOUR

“Thank you for meeting me at a late hour,” said the man in front of Donghyuck.

“Sure, no problem,” Donghyuck nodded. “What can I do for you, sir?”

“I saw you’re getting along with my daughter, and before you say something I saw you two getting along pretty girl this morning,” he looked at him.” And to be honest, I don't care how you do your work, but I needed to remind you why I hired you,” your father stared at him.

“I haven’t forgotten it, sir. I’m going at my own pace, besides it would be very suspicious to kill her right after I spend 12 hours with her a day,” Donghyuck let him know. “I’ll get the job done. You don't have to worry.”

“I do worry though,” your father placed a hand on his chin. “She’s supposed to meet with the Prime Minister in 2 months. I’m sure he’ll work with her, I mean, the UN is doing so, why wouldn't he as well?

“I don’t care what you have to do. I want her dead. She’s getting bigger and bigger and stealing my best clients,” he groaned. “This is my business and she suddenly thinks she can come over and take what’s mine? No. Get fucking rid of her.”

Donghyuck nodded. “I will.”

…

After another long week, you decided to meet with Taeyong and Lena and have dinner with them since it had been so long since you saw them.

When you arrived at the restaurant, you turned to Donghyuck and smiled kindly to him, “you can go now. Take the night off. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I don’t think I should leave you here alone,” Donghyuck said to you.

“I’m not alone, Taeyong’s bodyguards are here and Lena’s security team will stay as well,” You informed him. “I’m well secured.”

“I still don’t feel comfortable by leaving you,” he confessed.

You  grinned and put a hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder, “I’ll be fine, Donghyuck. Really.”

Donghyuck looked at you directly in the eye for a couple of seconds and wished he could kiss you. He nodded, “fine, I’ll have my phone with me all night in case you need something.”

“Noted,” you smirked, “goodnight, Hyuck.”

“Hyuck?” Donghyuck beamed.

“Well, since you won't stop calling me ‘ma’am’ I decided to give you a nickname as well,” you shrugged.

“But ma’am is not a nickname…” Donghyuck looked at you.

“You don't want me to call you Hyuck?” you pouted.

“You can call me whatever you want, (Y/N)” He winked at you.

You bit your lip and smiled at him. “Maybe I will.”

Donghyuck smirked and turned, but before he started to walk, he turned again to you, “let me stay. I don't feel good leaving you here all alone.”

You pressed your lips for a moment and then nodded. “But you’re staying as my friend, not my bodyguard.”

“Deal.”

You didn't remember when was the last time you had fun and even got tipsy. A year ago maybe? You were not a bad drinker and you could take some shots with Lena, but not with Taeyong. His alcohol tolerance was so low.

By almost 1 am, you hugged your friends goodbye and Donghyuck had one arm around you as he half-carried, half-guided you to the car. Maybe you had more shots than the ones you could take.

"I signed up to be your bodyguard, not your designated driver." Donghyuck joked as he looked for the car keys inside his suit jacket.

"You could be both," You said slowly, having to put more effort into your words than usual since you were sloshed.

Donghyuck  laughed. "Maybe so, but I preferred just doing one."

"Heeeey, you could do the partner thing soon."

"I don't remember mentioning a partner thing."

You licked your lips as you tried to remember what the phrase he'd first used was. "Designated driver. Only, instead of just dragging me to a car, we'd be getting sloshed together."

"That does sound more fun,” he said as he helped you to get in the car and fasten the seat belt.

You smiled dumbly and looked at him. “Have I told you you’re gorgeous? God, I love your skin and oh! Your moles in your cheeks are beautiful, I wanna plant some kisses on them.”

"Thanks," he said, trying to hide his smile. "It's nice to be appreciated."

"In all my life, I've never met someone that made me feel like you do," You said, speaking a foreing language.

"I don't know what you just said, but I'm going to assume it was complimentary."

You nodded. You kissed Donghyuck's left cheek because it was there. "The prettiest thing I've ever seen."  

Donghyuck swallowed thickly. He didn't need to understand the language to know that whatever you said was something he would appreciate. The kiss sent tingles down his spine, and your mouth was still resting close enough to him that you could feel his breath hot against your skin. "As much as we would enjoy that, we need to stop. It’s not correct.”

"You're right. But you're just so pretty," you whined. "It's really not fair. You should try to be less pretty; it would make my life easier."

"You can live with it," Donghyuck said.

The ride to your place wasn't long. He finally found the keycard and put it in the door for him. He unlocked it and pushed the door open. You looked pretty comfy where you were, and it made shuffling him inside your big modern flat roof house. "C'mon baby, you've got to get in bed."  

"But you're not there," You said, sounding awfully petulant about it.

Donghyuck chuckled. "No, but you'll get to sleep just fine without it."

"That's what you think."

"Love, you're drunk enough that you'll definitely pass out before the night's through."

"Aww, you called me 'love'. No ma'am."

Donghyuck was still right next to you though, so he was able to keep you from falling over. "My last boyfriend, well, Yuta was never my boyfriend, but he called me 'doll' but I sort of hated it."

"You do seem like you'd prefer the sweeter pet names. Sweetheart, things like that."

"Feel free to call me sweetheart as much as you want. Sounds beautiful coming out of your mouth."

"I think I will. After I stop working on protecting you, that is."

"Boring." You yawned. "You sure I can't convince you to stay?"

"Not while I'm working for you, and definitely not while you're sloshed." Donghyuck brought you to your room and took off your shoes when you collapsed back on the bed. "If you want to get undressed more, you're going to have to do it yourself, sweetheart," he said, then kissed your forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

“I’m coming!” You groaned, walking to the front door where someone was ringing the doorbell. You opened it and you found a smiley Taeyong holding a kraft delivery bag. How did he look all shiny after leaving the restaurant in the same state as you?

“Good morning, sunshine,” he greeted you. “You look terrible this morning.”

“I was looking forward to hearing that, ass,” you grunted. “Come on in, the sunlight is killing me.”

“I’m not gonna find a naked Donghyuck, am I?” Taeyong looked at you.

You rolled your eyes and he entered your house. You shut the door behind him. “By the way, where is he? I didn’t see him in the entrance.”

“He has the day off,” you said, walking to the kitchen.

“So, you fucked with him?” Taeyong placed the food bag on the counter and he took off his jacket.

“No… but I did try to seduce him,” you grimaced.

“You did what?” His mouth gaped open.

“I told him he has the prettiest man I’ve ever seen and kissed his cheek,” you laughed a little. “Not that I lied. And then I invited him to stay over and he said it was not correct.”

Taeyong chuckled. “Oh my, God, this is so good. And then what happened?”

“Nothing, he left!” You sighed and then goggled. “What if he sues me? Did I harass him?”

“Woah, woah,” Taeyong shook his hands in the air, “he likes you, I can tell by the way he looked at you all night and he would’ve totally fucked you if he wasn't your bodyguard.”

“I don't even know how to look at him now,” you ran a hand through your hair. “He’s so hot that it makes me mad. All I want is him to pin me to a wall and fu-”

“I don't need the details, thanks,” Taeyong shut you down, “but what I can tell you is that you will end up pinned to a wall, any day now.”

You giggled. “Hopefully.”

Monday. Long day at the office. You barely had seen Donghyuck since you spent all day inside your office and he stayed right outside the door. You felt… sad? You missed his voice that day and his gorgeous face. You suddenly hated Mondays.

Lia knocked at your door right before the lunch break and left some papers for you to read and sign and some correspondence as well. When you finished reading and signing the papers, you opened a few envelopes where some people and companies were inviting you to some events. The last envelope was different from the rest since it was red and had a black stamp on it. You frowned and pursued to open it.

Inside the envelope there was a note written with letters clippings from a magazine and said:

IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN AT NIGHT.

YOU’RE DEAD.

You put the letter on the desk and swallowed. You weren't usually scared of hate comments, but this wasn't a hate comment. It was a letter. Threatening you.

You felt dizzy and your entire body started shaking. Who had sent you that? And why? You took a deep breath and stood up trying to walk to your bathroom in your office but failed. You tripped on your heels and hit the ground.

Then it hit you. They were inside the building. You weren't even safe in your own office. You wanted to throw up. You wanted to cry.

You tried to stand up but couldn't. Your legs weren’t responding and seconds later, you bursted into tears. You were scared. So scared.

Donghyuck had been replaying Friday’s night in his head during the whole weekend. He couldn't stop thinking about you and how good your lips felt against his skin. He hated himself so much for not being able to forget it.

On Monday he barely saw you and he hated it. He got you were busy but Donghyuck needed, at least, to talk to you and hear your voice and he didn't get that.

After he ate lunch, he returned and stood in the same place he had been standing all morning, hoping you’d get out of your office and going somewhere where you two could talk but didn't happen.

Donghyuck checked his watch on his left wrist and frowned. It was almost 2 pm and you hadn't had lunch yet. He turned and knocked at the door twice and he didn't get any response. He knocked one more time and decided to open it when you didn't respond again.

And that's when he saw you on the floor, crying and shaking. Donghyuck almost ran to you and kneeled in front of you cupping your face. “(Y/N)? What happened? Are you hurt?”

You choked on your words and got closer to him, holding him tight. He held you instantly and placed a hand on your head. “Talk to me, what happened, baby?” Donghyuck whispered in your ear.

The letter still sat on your desk.

Sungho was on the phone to the police while you sat with your arms wrapped around Donghyuck who was simply staring at the offensive stationary. Less than twenty minutes later the entire apartment was invaded by police, looking for clues to who had left it for you.

“Miss (Y/LN)” the Captain took the seat across from you, “Are you okay?”

You lifted your chin slightly, “I’m better, Captain. Just angry and scared at whoever sent this.”

He didn’t miss the way you kept your eyes averted from the piece of paper.

“They didn’t send it, (Y/L/N),” he stated, “It was an inside job"

You took in a sharp breath and Donghyuck held you tighter.

“I suggest you hire more security. My men will be here as well,” he  told you, “But I can’t leave them here indefinitely.”

You nodded. "Thanks, captain."

When the police left, Donghyuck and Sungho decided it was the best to leave the office and you obeyed them. When you got home, Donghyuck told you to change the passcodes of every door in your house and he’d stay there until they knew who had sent the letter. You agreed since you didn't want to be alone in your house.

When you got home you did what Donghyuck told you and changed every passcode. You sighed and hugged yourself. You felt exhausted.

Donghyuck approached you and looked at you. “You feel better?”

“Kinda,” you admitted. “My head is killing me.”

“Why don’t you go and take a bath while I make something for you to eat?” He caressed your cheek with his right thumb. “You need to eat something.”

You nodded. “Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time,” he placed a kiss on your forehead and you wrapped your arms around his waist.

“Is there a chance you could come with me?”

“Not even the slightest,” he now kissed your cheek.

You sighed. “Fine. I’ll be right back.”

You looked at yourself in the mirror and furrowed. Did you deserve this? Maybe. Was he maybe behind the letter? You didn't think so.

When you sold Kim Doyoung that powerful software one year back he was clear he wouldn't even bother you. Did he maybe hear about your meeting with the Prime Minister? Did he know you were about to sell him off so you could do business with the government?

Donghyuck was chopping some vegetables and couldn't stop thinking who could be behind the letter. It was not certainly your father since he had hired him to kill you, but who was it?

You were clean. Way too clean.

Unless… you werent.

You came back downstairs and smiled when you found Doyoung in your kitchen. You could get used to that.

"What am I protecting you from (Y/N)?" he asked softly after you two finished eating, trying to meet your gaze as you looked at him over the brim of your glass. "What is it that you're not telling me?"

You blinked a few times. "What do you mean?"

Donghycuk sighed and repeated his question.

You didn't reply. You just stood up, placing your glass down silently before you walked towards the kitchen.

Donghyuck followed you without second thought, cornering you again in the hallway leading towards the kitchen. "What are you hiding from me?" he demanded, his hand pushing against your chest and pressing you against the wall. "I want the truth."

"It's... nothing," you came in the response and it only served to infuriate him more.

Donghyuck wanted to scream at you until you told him the truth, but as you stood there, staring into his eyes and standing close enough to feel your breath on his face... Instead, he did something that surprised both of you.

Lee Donghyuck kissed you.

It was impulsive and it was reckless. It took you a second to come to terms with what was happening but your lips were moving against Donghyuck in perfect synchronisation, your lips slotting together like they’ve always meant to be like that.

Donghyuck felt like his entire body was doused in gasoline and you had the match, every inch of him ready to combust. His heart raced as the adrenaline ran through his veins and he couldn't help but note that this feeling was so addictive he didn't think he would ever be able to stop if he didn't right now.

Donghyuck loved how heavenly his lips felt against yours, how warm your touch was and how it sent electricity coursing through his vein each time your soft fingers explored a new part of his body.

You were the one to pull apart and as much as Donghyuck hated it, he felt a pang of disappointment. "Trust me."

Donghyuck swallowed and looked at your swollen red lips. "I would never forgive myself if something happens to you."

"I'm gonna be fine. You're with me." You looked at him.

#donghyuck x reader #donghyuck imagine #donghyuck smut #haechan imagines #haechan x reader #haechan smut #NCT #nct imagines #nct x reader

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, kevaaronday!

For @kevaaronday. I tried to use all the tropes you liked, though I played a bit with the coffee shop!AU request. It ended up being pretty long, but I hope it pleases. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Read On AO3

*****

Food, Drinks, and Pings

Stiles just wanted to clear things up—he did not work for Hale Corp, and he certainly did not work for said company’s inhouse café, The Family Bean. He was a writer, who just so happened to have been roped into the gig because he was best friends with the soulmate-fiancée of the best friend of one of the sons of the company’s owners.

See, one of Stiles’ best friends from high school was Erica Reyes, blonde, vivacious, and both crazy and powerful enough to castrate someone with her fingernails. She might look like she just stepped off the catwalk, with her hourglass figure, fluffy hair, and red lips, but she had a knack for business that led to a scholarship at a reputable business school. Stiles, on the other hand, took to writing like a duck to water, thanks to his overactive imagination and ability to turn a phrase. He could write anything and so he did—news pieces, articles, blogs, reviews, as well as a modestly famous soulmate series published under a pseudonym.

Erica’s soon-to-be husband and soulmate was Vernon Boyd III, a tall, dark, and delicious drink of chocolate, who was so fit he could bench press a baby elephant without breaking a sweat. He was the perfect picture of seriousness and silence, that Stiles used to wonder how he functioned as Hale Corp’s Director of Operations. After getting to know him better, he realized just how smart and charismatic Boyd really was.

Boyd’s best friend from childhood was Derek Hale, one of the sons from the famous and powerful Hale Family, owners and leaders of the mass media company, Hale Corp.

Stiles knew of the Hale Family, and who didn’t? You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t know the famous family of business tycoons and titans, a family so rich they could buy a person’s soul even. Nor would someone fail to hear about one of the most powerful love stories that rocked the world.

Talia Hale was the eldest child of the main branch of the Hale family and was poised to take over the world. Desmond Fitzgerald, in contrast, was the only child of elderly parents, and they lived at a shabby, squat house with no electricity, scraping by each and every day. 

Talia’s father, the late and great Everett Hale, had visited the local community college as part of their charity program. Talia had tagged along, nineteen and already learning the ropes, and had tripped over the custodian who had been on his hands and knees straightening the welcome carpet.

Take a guess who the janitor was.

An accidental brush of skin, the burning of a Mark, and that was it.

Talia and Desmond turned out to be soulmates, and their Marks, her howling wolf and his crescent moon, had become one of the most romantic symbols of their time.

Now, where did Stiles and The Family Bean came in, you ask?

Aside from writing, Stiles knew his way around a kitchen. His mother had passed away when he was seven, and he had grown up with a Sheriff father who only knew the basics. Stiles had to learn how to cook a meal or risk them subsisting on fried everything and endless takeout orders.

So yes, Stiles knew how a kitchen worked. The thing was, Erica didn’t, and had spent high school eating Stiles’ meals and hanging around his kitchen. Nothing soothed her viciousness and temper like one of his desserts.

So whenever Erica was close to breaking someone’s jaw and risking a lawsuit, she’d invite Stiles over and he would come and work his magic at The Family Bean. It wasn’t like it was such a hardship. The place had a gorgeous kitchen, a full pantry, and a really comfy setup with cozy booths and colorful tables and chairs. 

It wasn’t only Erica who benefited. Stiles often found inspiration at the tail end of a whisk or in between beating a dough into submission while listening to Erica’s gossip. He had come to depend on her brand of sass whenever he was suffering from writer’s block, or dealing with annoying clients, or avoiding his editor, Danny Mahealani. 

It got to the point that Erica had HR make him a permanent guest entry pass—written down for Stiles S, Food Guy—and everyone knew him by name, the security, the delivery boys, the café’s actual employees, and some of Hale Corp’s employees.

That was what he meant by his original statement: He did not work for Hale Corp or The Family Bean. He was just Erica’s food guy and personal chef. Just another title to add to personal punching bag, platonic soulmate, best friend, and partner-in-crime, among others.

Boyd was surprisingly calm about the guy constantly hanging around his soulmate. Then again, no one would choose Stiles’ skinny ass for Boyd’s lusciousness, so Stiles could understand that he wasn’t much of a threat. Erica said that Boyd knew they were a package deal, and it helped that Boyd had been won over by Stiles’ banana bread. Either way, Boyd was cool and didn’t punch Stiles in the face for his and Erica’s weird platonic love affair.

So, in the end, that was Stiles’ life—work, his Dad, Erica, and his other friends.

Then the Hales happened.

It all started on a fine Monday morning with Kira Yukimura. She was pretty and petite, and the goddess who was actually the one in charge of The Family Bean’s kitchen. She wore floral dresses with studded combat boots, and held katana wielding lessons on Saturdays and a kids’ kitchen workshop on Sundays. Stiles adored her.

So when he walked in that day—after spending the entirety of the weekend not writing, because his protagonists, Peter and Wade, were being idiots—only to hear Kira’s cries for help, he was more than happy to tag in.

“I’m not crying.” She glared at him from where she was assembling sandwich orders, her gaze as sharp as her swords.

“But you still need help,” Stiles said. He put his laptop bag in one of the employee lockers, rolled up the sleeves of his red sweater, and put on an apron. “Erica wants to do lunch, but I decided to come in early.”

Kira nodded towards the window. “All right, because I got a purple ticket for you.”

Stiles jumped up. “Ooh, cool! I’ve never handled a purple ticket before!”

Kira gave him a relieved smile. “Well, today’s your lucky day. One of my employees called in sick, another is late, and I’ve got five packed tickets from different departments, three of them being rush orders, not to mention today’s purple ticket is a little too vague. I’m both swamped and stumped.”

“I’ve got your back, K.” Stiles gave her a salute and bounced over to the ticket tacked up on the holder.

Purple tickets were orders sent straight from the Wolf’s Den. It was the codename for the top floors occupied by the Hale Family and their closest associates. Boyd and Erica’s office were there, too. Stiles had only ever seen it through photos. There was a lot of security posted there, as if guarding the gates of heaven.

Anyway, purple tickets meant VVVVIP orders, note the number of ‘very’s. Kira usually handled those, but she obviously needed help now.

“Now, what do the Lords and Ladies want?” Stiles murmured to himself.

The Family Bean:

MH: hot chocolate

CC: pancakes

SHB: waffles

VHB: dirty chai

LH: anything 

“You know who’s who?” Kira called out.

“Yep, I got it,” Stiles replied. He learned about this from Erica.

MH was Matthew Hale, the firstborn son and heir to the kingdom. CC was his seven-year-old daughter, who everyone called by her nickname. SHB was five-year-old Spencer, and VHB was his mother Valerie Hale-Barone, the firstborn daughter, second eldest, and the lawyer of the family. LH was Laura Hale, the third eldest and the maverick of the family. She was the only one not directly working for Hale Corp, and was more involved their side projects.

“Purple tickets are usually like that,” Kira said, looking at him with amusement. Stiles realized he had been frowning in confusion. “Despite being insanely rich people, they’re surprisingly not very picky about what they eat. Laura, in particular, will eat anything. It’s just difficult to give them variety or find a balance between upscale and too simple.”

“And now you want me to take a crack at it?” Stiles asked.

“Sure. It’ll be in my name anyway, and I don’t mind if you go wild,” Kira said encouragingly. It made Stiles grin. Most would be horrified at handing over their precious menu to someone who wasn’t a baker, much less someone who wasn’t a legitimate employee. But Kira had always been a rebel.

Under Kira’s guidance, Stiles filled up a purple delivery bag for the Hales. The dirty chai latte was pretty straightforward, though he didn’t know how Kira usually made it, so he went with his own style. He also made a raspberry hot chocolate, strawberry cheesecake pancakes, mixed berry waffles, and, for the anything portion of the ticket, a berry breakfast parfait made of yoghurt and fruits and graham crackers.

“Tastes awesome and looks pretty as a picture too,” Kira said, nibbling on her own waffle as she sat atop the counter, swinging her legs to and fro. Stiles could see a hint of her soulmate Mark under her dress just on the outside of her thigh. “I still believe you should have been a baker rather than a writer.”

Stiles grinned as he hung up his apron. “I’m both, but one pays the bills and the other’s a hobby. It’s surprising how most people would think one’s the other.”

“Kira?” a voice called out.

Kira perked up and immediately slid off the counter. She straightened her skirt and stepped out the door of the kitchen. 

“Good morning, Derek,” she greeted.

Stiles peeked out unashamedly through the service window.

Tall, dark, and incredibly handsome, DH or Derek Hale was the middle child of the family. He was the Chief Financial Officer, and was said to be shyer and quieter compared to his more unruly and flashy siblings. It made sense why he was childhood friends with Boyd. The two seemed to share a calm, quiet demeanor.

Stiles had always thought that Derek was quite handsome in an already attractive family, and every once in a while, he would get front row seats—or the view through the service window—to the man in the three-piece suit with the godly shoulder to waist to ass ratio. It was quite inspiring.

“I heard Val and the others had a purple ticket sent down,” Derek was saying to Kira. “I’m on my way up and I thought I’d bring it along and save you a trip.”

“Oh, thanks, Derek. I’ll get it from the back,” Kira replied. “How about you? Do you want anything?”

Derek thought about it. “Just a drink. Anything you want to make me.”

“So long as it’s sweet?” Kira teased, which made the man chuckle.

It was like a bulb lit up in Stiles’ head. 

He met Kira at the door when she walked back in, and it said so much about how awesome she was because she immediately said, “Yes, Stiles, you can make whatever you want. I mean, you’ve already tried your hard at the purple ticket. Might as well go all the way.”

“Thanks, K. You’re a goddess.” Stiles bounced off to the machines. He had always liked a challenge.

In the end, Stiles added his specially made ‘very merry berry frappe’ into the bag. He made sure to put it in a cup cozy to hide the purple color. He wasn’t sure if Derek would mind, but it just wouldn’t do for one of the bosses to be seen with a colorful drink. He let Kira whisk the bag away and they watched Derek exit The Family Bean.

“I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave,” Stiles murmured, eyeing the man’s backside.

“I’ll drink to that.” Kira giggled, clinking her extra glass of frappe against his. “And you’re teaching me the recipe by the way.”

“Not on your life.”

It took eight days before Stiles could once again visit The Family Bean. He had had a burst of inspiration following his last visit and had locked himself up in his apartment. His Dad John and his editor Danny were used to these binges, so they had taken turns visiting him to make sure he was alive and eating actual food rather than inhaling takeout, junk food, and soda. 

He had sent off the first few chapters to Danny yesterday and had then slept for about eighteen hours, before Erica had barged in to make sure he hadn’t died. She had been pissed at him last week, annoyed that she hadn’t sampled Stiles’ berry-filled menu, but she’d gotten over it and had even brought groceries before dragging Stiles to The Family Bean for some fresh air and free lunch.

And if that wasn’t enough to perk Stiles up, she and Kira proceeded to tell him how well-received his menu was.

“The kids absolutely loved it, and Laura practically licked her parfait cup clean,” Kira said as they sat around the table for lunch. She had prepared honey sesame chicken, egg rolls, and sweet potato salad. She definitely had Stiles beat when it came to savory meals.

“Valerie was surprised that her dirty chai tasted great. She wasn’t biting people’s heads off more than usual,” Erica shared. She was running her fingers idly over her soulmate Mark, the three claw marks that spanned across her forearm.

Stiles felt pleased at the compliment, but he couldn’t help sending Kira an apologetic look. He didn’t want to usurp her clients and her kitchen. 

Kira just laughed. “It’s fine. I know it’s due to your magic fingers and secret recipes. Just teach me how you do Valerie’s dirty chai and we’re good.”

“Sure thing, but it’s nothing special” Stiles said. “I did bring dessert, as thanks for letting me play around last time.”

Kira bounced on her seat. “Tomato pie?” 

“With extra bacon and jalapeños, just how you like it.” Stiles grinned and showed her the pie, making Kira squeal.

“You gals eat up. I’ll mix us up some lattes, if you want anything,” he offered.

Stiles went to the kitchen to fix up Erica’s usual iced cinnamon honey latte and Kira’s vanilla almond. He was in the middle of finishing them up when he heard voices out at the main area. He recognized Boyd’s low voice and decided to make him a cup of blond roast with soy milk. He paused when he heard unfamiliar voices and took a peek out the service window. He instantly recognized the small group that had joined Kira and Erica.

There was Boyd, who immediately sat down beside Erica and kissed her cheek. His soulmate Mark was obvious, a rose on the back of his left hand. Stiles liked their marks, very beauty and the beast.

Having come in with Boyd was Derek, who looked just as handsome as he always did in a fetching dark blue suit. With him were his younger siblings, twins Cora and Cameron Hale, the artists of the family, who made music and art, played a bevy of instruments, and also drew and painted. Stiles was only two years older than the twins, but they had more talent in their pinkies than Stiles had in his whole body.

The twins’ Marks were one of the most popular, not just because the two were celebrities, but also because they were incredibly visible. Even from a distance, Stiles could see the compass between Cora’s collarbones and the lighthouse that popped up over Cameron’s collar at the left side of his neck. 

Suddenly feeling shy, Stiles stayed in the kitchen and watched and listened.

“Nice spread, Kira. Is that for us?” Cameron asked.

“No, you Hales have your own food upstairs,” Kira said. “I heard Wild Flour Italian sent lunch over.”

Cora rolled her eyes. “Jennifer Blake owns that joint. She’s been trying to get us to come over. No doubt she’ll just use it as some sort of advertisement. I’d rather take a bite of this.” She pointed at their table.

“That pie looks good,” Cameron said. “Can I have a bite?”

Stiles saw the gleam in Erica’s eye.

“Go on,” she said. “They’re good.”

Stiles watched as Erica and Kira offered the Hales a slice each. For some reason, he felt anxious to hear about how his food will be received. It had been nice to hear the rave reviews from Kira and Erica, but it was different seeing their reactions in person.

Cora let out yum-yum noises, which buoyed Stiles’ spirit. 

“Okay, that’s pretty tasty. I love the caramelized bacon.”

“Wait, is this tomato in pie? Like a tomato pie?” Cameron asked, inspecting his plate. He took a large bite.

Kira bounced on her seat in excitement. “Yes, isn’t it good?” 

“Who made this?” Derek asked. He didn’t look displeased, but he didn’t look happy either. He had a really good poker face. It might be good for business, but it was hard for Stiles to interpret. Stiles noted that he kept on eating the pie though.

“My Food Guy,” Erica said with a smug grin.

“Her Food Guy’s the one who made the berry-eautiful purple ticket that received quite the sensational reviews,” Kira added. She glanced at the service window and Stiles knew she saw him hiding there.

“The one who made my drink, too?” Derek asked.

Kira nodded. “The same one.” 

“Spence went gaga for those waffles,” Cameron said. “And Mattie couldn’t believe someone got CC to eat fruit.”

A loud ring cut through their conversation and everyone started pulling out phones to check. It was Derek’s.

“Mom’s calling. Time to go,” he said, standing up.

In reply, Cameron started shoving the rest of the pie in his mouth and also popped in a couple of egg rolls.

“Where’s the Food Guy, though?” Cora asked, head turning to the kitchen. Stiles ducked down behind the counter. “If he makes stuff like this, I wanna meet him.” 

“You can order a purple ticket if you want, but he’s not here all the time,” Erica said, and Stiles glared at her in his mind.

“He works part-time?” Derek asked.

“Not quite,” Kira said. “He’s—”

They were interrupted once more by a ringing phone, and this time Boyd spoke.

“Talia wants you all upstairs. Now.”

Stiles peeked out again. Cameron attempted to bring the entire pie tin, but settled for polishing his slice off. He then joined Cora in writing up a purple ticket order. After a moment, Derek put an order in too. The Hales left in a hurry and Stiles leaned right out of the service window just as Kira came bouncing towards it.

“There’s the man of the hour,” Boyd said, with a smirk.

Kira giggled. “Order up, Food Guy. You got a purple ticket.”

“I’m so proud.” Erica mockingly wiped a tear away. “Stiles, my Food Guy, charming the Hales off through the power of food.”

“Oh, fuck you all.” Stiles glared, ducking back into the kitchen.

At the last minute, he reached out and grabbed the purple ticket from Kira, ignoring the others’ laughter.

Over the next three weeks, Stiles prepared four more purple tickets. According to Kira, his drinks and desserts had become quite attractive to the Hales, both because of the taste and the mystery.

“At this point, they don’t even want me handling the tickets. They always ask if The Food Guy is around before they send their orders down,” Kira said. This time, she was the one helping Stiles prepare and pack. 

The Wolf’s Den was going to be holding meetings nonstop, so Stiles had to prepare a variety of drinks and snacks. It would have been easy if they had simple requests, but the Hales were a mix of eclectic and frustrating.

“I’m glad you’re cool about this, but the Hales are bound to find out that the one making all their desserts isn’t even an employee,” Stiles said, as he added an extra shot of syrup in Laura’s honey and milk iced coffee. Just like her usual orders, she had asked for ‘any drink that’s sweet’ which was such a large ballpark that Stiles wanted to clock someone over the head, maybe her.

“I’m more surprised that you keep making these for free,” Kira said.

Stiles shrugged. “It’s a challenge, and I like challenges.”

“Really, just for the challenge?” Kira asked. “Stiles, Valerie fell in love with your version of her dirty chai. I did it the exact same way you did, but she insists that it tastes different. Same with Cameron’s favorite spiced coconut coffee. Same with all the desserts you made for the kids…”

Her face turned serious. “Don’t you think there’s more to this? Don’t you think it’s a ping—”

“It’s just for fun, Kira. It’s nothing,” Stiles said, heart rabbiting in his chest. He pushed it down firmly. “Plus, it’s surprisingly inspiring for my stories. Right now, I’m writing a new story for my spy series and I’m trying to solve this thing going on between James and Quentin.”

Kira’s face fell but she smiled, if a bit awkwardly. “Ah, well. Whatever you say, Food Guy. I’m just happy I get free labor out of it.”

“So you’re the Food Guy?”

The two of them jumped up in surprise and they turned around to see that someone had come in through the kitchen doors.

“Nathan, hello!” Kira greeted. “We didn’t hear you come in.”

Nathaniel Hale was the youngest of the brood at nineteen, and with his dark hair and piercing blue eyes, he was quite the heartthrob in an already beautiful family. If that wasn’t enough, he was an athlete and a rising star in soccer.

Stiles didn’t really care at the moment, too busy wondering if the kid had heard what Kira had been saying.

Nathan leaned against the counter. “Everyone was arguing over who was going to pick up the ticket this time. I walked out while Laura was arm wrestling with Cam.”

Kira laughed while Stiles looked away, suddenly awkward.

“Uh, that’s cool and all, but I’m not remotely interesting enough to warrant an arm wrestle.”

Nathan shrugged. “Your stuff tastes amazing.” He smiled at Kira. “No offense, Kira. You’re still queen. But you… you’re interesting.” He gave Stiles a look. “You know, I’ve been ordering the same caramel vanilla iced coffee from The Family Bean for years now. You made it once and now everything else tastes different.”

Stiles couldn’t help flinching. Oh yeah. Nathan had definitely heard Kira.

But Nathan turned to Kira, breaking the stare. “Anyway, is the ticket ready? Can I take it up?”

Kira smiled and handed over the bag. “You just want to lord your victory over the others.”

“Of course. That’s what having siblings is all about.” Nathan scoffed, but grinned. “Anyway, thanks.” 

Kira smiled. “Enjoy your meal.”

Stiles watched Nathan leave and rubbed his left shoulder. He had a weird feeling about all this.

A single touch was all it took to find someone’s soulmate. However, people couldn’t just go around touching one another. Some did, but there were laws against touching people without their consent. So Nature, in all its wisdom, gave people the capability to locate their soulmates by following a trail.

The best trail was through family members. Take for example one other famous Hale love story, that of Valerie. Her husband, the Italian magnate Piero Barone, was from a family of vintners. During Talia and Desmond’s trip to Italy, they met Piero at a wine tasting event and immediately felt what Mark experts called a ‘ping,’ a connection between them that hinted at the identity of Piero’s soulmate. Piero followed the Hales to America, met the family—all of which gave off similar pings—was finally allowed a Touch Test with Valerie, and the rest was history.

There were other kinds of trails, like what happened between Boyd and Erica. They both attended the same university, though Boyd had graduated several years earlier. However, even without knowing Boyd, Erica inadvertently joined the same groups and organizations that he had, and even lived at the same apartment that he had rented when he had been a student. Then after Erica graduated, she decided to take a year off to travel. Months later, when Boyd went on sabbatical, he ended up following almost the exact same itinerary. They finally met by chance during an alumni event and got to talking, which revealed all of the things they had in common. Before the event was even halfway through, they had done a Touch Test and found their match.

Stiles’ favorite trail story was of his parents’. John and Claudia met when they were children. Having no siblings, they didn’t have the benefit of a family trail, and being young meant there weren’t a lot of experiences that could link them. However, they had always known there was something special about one another. They grew up together, grew apart, and met later on in life. They still didn’t have the same life experiences—she was a librarian, he was a deputy—but the moment they saw one another again, they just knew.

Sometimes people just knew.

“Well, well, well. I didn’t know we were serving twink in the menu.”

Ordinarily, that comment would have had Stiles lashing out with his sharp tongue, but upon looking up, he hesitated. First of all, the other person was clearly drunk and it was only, Stiles checked his watch, three-forty-seven in the afternoon. Second, the other person was none other than the infamous Peter Hale, Talia’s younger brother.

The eternal bachelor, he was called, well known for his many dalliances and relationships. He was also the Hale with the most well-known Mark, not because it was at a visible spot, but mostly because he tended to flaunt the large image of a bird in flight that was across his chest via his tendency of wearing unbuttoned shirts.

In Stiles’ opinion, Peter reminded him of one of his book characters—the rich and powerful Anthony, who, underneath all the bravado, was desperately looking for his soulmate, only to find it in the fair-haired, gentle-hearted Steven, who wouldn’t take his crap. He wondered who Peter’s soulmate was.

“Oh, for god’s sake. Uncle, come back here!”

Stiles looked up to see Derek jogging over to them, looking both pissed and worried at the man leaning against The Family Bean’s pristine counter.

Peter ignored him. “Oh, lay off, Derek. I want a drink, and this twink is going to make me one.”

Derek turned to Stiles. “Peter, do not call—” He paused, dark eyes widening.

Stiles felt his heart jerk in his chest and his left shoulder burn. He felt like he had been hit in the head, so did Derek going by his gaping.

Peter suddenly tilted sideways, interrupting their stare down. Neither Stiles nor Derek were able to catch the man before he ended up sprawled across the counter. The sight of him had Stiles dredging up some semblance of control. He sighed.

“You are very rude, and also very drunk, but because I feel sorry for you, Mr. Hale, I’ll make you a free drink.”

Derek let out a gurgle and then a cough, obviously holding back laughter. Peter propped himself up on wobbly elbows. 

“You feel sorry for me? Don’t you know who I am, kid?”

Stiles was both annoyed by Peter and buoyed by Derek’s reaction. It was probably what sharpened his tongue.

“You’re Talia Hale’s younger brother, but between the supposed—ahh, what was it—Big Bad Wolf of Media and this so-called twink, I’m not the one nursing a hangover at this time of the afternoon.”

Stiles shook his head and walked off, ignoring Peter’s angry, garbled words and the sudden chuckle from Derek. The latter made Stiles’ shoulder ache.

Stiles ignored that and prepared a quick takeout bag. He could hear Peter and Derek arguing out on the main area. It was the work of minutes to prepare a quick smoothie and throw in some crackers and fruits. He walked back out and handed the bag to Derek, but then quickly tucked his hands to himself. The other man’s piercing stare was making him sweat.

Peter grabbed his drink and took a gulp of the smoothie, before asking, “What’s your name, kid?”

Stiles rolled his eyes. Not even a thank you. How rude. 

“Not a kid, and there’s no need to know my name since you’re just going to forget it.”

Peter smirked lasciviously. “Oh, that mouth on you.”

“I’m also not into geriatrics,” Stiles was quick to bite back.

Peter’s jaw dropped. “Geria—”

Derek suddenly burst into laughter and the sound of it seemed to fill Stiles’ heart and mind, making his face flush and his body warm. Derek smiled at him and Stiles felt warmth bloom in his chest.

Stiles cleared his throat, trying to will the blush away. He rubbed his shoulder. “Well, anyway, I’m happy to help. I’ll tell Kira you guys dropped by. See you around.” He glanced at Peter. “Not you. Drop dead.” He stepped back.

“Wait!” Derek lurched forward, startling Stiles and also Peter, who, true to Stiles’ words, slid off the counter to the floor. They ignored him.

Derek leaned forward over the counter. “I’m sorry if I’m forward, but are you—”

Stiles shook his head vigorously. “I’m sorry. I have to go.” 

He ducked back into the kitchen, ignoring Derek’s calls and Peter’s drunken warbling. He leaned against the door and slid down until he could curl up into a ball. He placed a hand over his burning shoulder.

Sometimes people just knew.

Stiles was tempted to stay away from The Family Bean after that. He really wanted to. But it was hard to stay away.

Even harder to stay away from a ping.

Stiles wasn’t stupid enough to let that slip away.

Still, it was hard to face up to it and admit that he had a soulmate.

So for the next two weeks, Stiles stayed away from the front of house, always hiding in the safety of the kitchen. He kept on making purple tickets whenever they came, but he avoided coming out for any reason, especially after Derek started coming by nearly every day. Sometimes he even brought his work over just so that he could stay as long as possible.

It confused Kira and Erica, but they assumed Derek just liked the food. The other Hales also started coming by and many times, Stiles could hear them asking Derek why he was hanging around The Family Bean instead of working in his office. Always, Derek kept mum.

Because as it turned out, Derek hadn’t told anyone about the ping.

In fact, Stiles had a feeling that the only person in the Hale family who knew was Nathan. Maybe because he had already been suspicious of it. Out of all the Hales, he was the only one who didn’t ask Derek about why he kept hanging around the café.

The other one who knew was Boyd.

Derek had been called to a meeting one day, so Stiles had felt it safe to come out and work at one of the booths. He had already fallen so far behind on his writing commitments. After a few minutes, Boyd had dropped by and had joined him. Stiles knew he was typing gibberish on his laptop, but he kept on as an excuse not to look at Boyd, who was looking at him intently.

Finally, he spoke, “Looking back, I guess it wasn’t just your banana bread that won me over.”

Stiles jerked, sending a series of characters across the screen.

Boyd kept on. “I always had a good feeling about you from Erica’s stories, but when we met, that was definitely a ping.”

Stiles bit his lip. “Does Erica know?”

Boyd shook his head. “I love her, but Erica would have thrown a party if she knew.”

Stiles sighed, both in relief and in trepidation for the moment Erica find out.

Boyd studied him. “Derek’s a good guy, you know.”

“I know I got that impression from all the stories you and Erica had of him,” Stiles said. “I always thought it was surprising considering he could afford not to be a nice guy.”

Boyd studied him, making Stiles shift in his seat. “Is that the reason you won’t meet with him? Or do a Touch Test? Because he’s a Hale?”

Stiles almost protested, but he deflated. “…I don’t know.”

Boyd hummed under his breath. “Well, you’ve always played your cards close to the chest when it comes to soulmates, but I know you’ll figure it out.” He stood up. “But you better make it soon. Erica and the rest of the Hales are bound to figure it out.”

Stiles groaned and sank down on his seat. 

“Noted.”

The day after that, a still-conflicted Stiles was once again at The Family Bean. Kira had gone up to the Wolf’s Den to deliver the latest purple ticket, so he had to stay and man the counter. 

The door let out a little tinkle, and Stiles froze the moment he saw the woman entering the café.

He’d know Talia Hale anywhere.

Stiles almost panicked, but then he remembered that she didn’t know who he was. He took a deep breath.

“Um, good afternoon, Mrs. Hale. What can I get you?”

The woman smiled, quite warm and friendly despite her fierce reputation. “Just some tea, please. And are there any new desserts?”

It had been a moment of weakness, but Stiles had actually brought over some peanut butter stuffed cookies and added it to the purple ticket in the hopes that a certain Hale would like them. He still had a few cookies left, but he wasn’t sure if he should offer them to her.

“I smell cookies,” Talia said pointedly. “I’ll have some of those.”

Stiles gulped. “Ah, we have some peanut butter stuffed cookies. Let me get those for you.”

He swallowed his nerves and served the woman, who took a sip of tea and a bite of the cookie right there on the counter.

She smiled, studying the cookies. “Very tasty.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Stiles smiled politely. He turned away to leave and maybe gather his strength in the privacy of the kitchen.

“When we started hearing about The Food Guy, I admit I was quite intrigued. It’s very rare for someone to grab the attention of my entire family.”

Stiles paused and turned to her.

He should have known.

Stiles nodded stiffly. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

Talia smiled, sharp and knowing. “And you, Food Guy.”

“Any reason for the visit?” Stiles asked, shifting on his feet.

“I wanted to meet you,” Talia said, taking another bite of her cookie. 

Stiles frowned. “That’s all?”

“Were you expecting anything else?”

“Uh, well, I…”

Talia shrugged and sipped his tea. “I don’t blame you for any misgivings you might have should you prove to be soulmates with my son. I’m well aware of the reputation of my family. My late father, Everett, embodied the might of the Hale name better than anyone. You should have seen him back in the days.”

Stiles held up his hands. He couldn’t help the feeling that he had to explain.

“It’s not that there’s a problem with Derek or your family. Being a Hale isn’t the problem… not entirely…” he hesitated, but then plunged on, urged by the ping he could feel inside him and the desire to make someone understand. “My mom passed away when I was seven. She was soulmates with my father. He was—I was—we were never the same after.”

A heavy silence fell, and Stiles was both nervous and intrigued. Talia’s face changed. Something in her eyes darkened and she pursed her lips.

“Forgive my sudden melancholy, but I was just reminded of something.” She sipped her tea. “I was reminded of my youth. My father, Peter, and I had never been the same after mother walked away.”

“Walked away?” Stiles was taken aback. It was rare to hear any mention of Talia’s mother, but everyone had chalked it up to grief at her passing. “But you all said she died—”

Talia interrupted him delicately. “People think of Marks as the be all and end all where the only answer is yes. But even soulmates are a choice…”

“Desmond grew up without a penny to his name, so he rejected me as he could only see himself as an embarrassment to the Hale family. My opinionated father had, unfortunately, been a contributing factor to that line of thinking. I grew up with a rather jaded view of Marks and pings, and I had seen his rejection as a challenge and not a privilege. Desmond and I, our story had been tempestuous, quite unlike the romanticizing people had done.”

She finished the last of her tea. “If I may be allowed to request one thing, all I ask is that you make a choice so that Derek can do the same. No one in this family will certainly blame you for it.”

Talia pushed her empty cup and plate towards Stiles, and smiled. “Have a good day, Food Guy.”

Stiles watched Talia walk away.

He had some thinking to do.

Stiles took a deep breath and tried not to crush the boxes in his hands. He was nervous and his left shoulder was throbbing.

“Ready?” Kira asked him. She was carrying the other delivery boxes.

“As I’ll ever be,” Stiles replied.

Kira smiled, both encouraging and proud, and nodded to the guard on duty. The man held open the double doors for them, and Stiles was instantly met with a wall of sound.

“Purple ticket delivery,” Kira called out, leading Stiles inside.

The office was spacious, as it should be if it was going to accommodate all of the Hales, and all of them were there. There was a long table at one end where Talia, Matthew, and Boyd were talking and laughing. Desmond was on one couch, talking to Piero and Erica. Laura and Cora were seated on armchairs and were arguing loudly about something. Peter was egging them on. CC and Spencer, were seated in front of a television at a kids’ play area set up in the corner. Cameron was with them, all of them singing along to whatever cartoon was playing. Derek, Valerie, and Nathan were huddled around a table, looking at blueprints.

“Oh, yes! The food’s here!” Cameron cheered, which sent the children shouting as well.

Kira navigated the area like a champ, while Stiles slowly shuffled after. “You guys ordered a lot. I had to ask for help. This is Stiles.”

Stiles didn’t miss the way Derek’s head suddenly jolted in his direction, nor Talia’s proud smile, nor Erica’s sudden screech of “Stiles!” which had everyone else turning their way. Stiles winced. He was going to get his ass kicked later for not telling Erica about this.

“Well, well…” Peter grinned. “Hello there, twink.”

Stiles shuddered. “Still not into creepy old geezers.”

“Oh, wait, wait! Is he the guy who called you a geriatric?” Laura asked, before shrieking in laughter.

“And the one who said Peter should drop dead,” Cora added, cackling. 

Laughter rang around over Peter’s protests, and it made Stiles’ heart stutter. He felt warm all over, like the pings going off in his head were doubly delighted at the Hales. He glanced at Derek, who was smiling warmly.

Stiles winced when he caught Erica’s gaze though. She looked between him and Derek and her eyes widened. But Boyd was suddenly there, hand over her mouth and whispering to her.

Stiles helped Kira take out all of the food and the ravenous Hales were quickly upon them.

“Food Guy’s stuff tastes awesome,” Nathan said, licking his cupcake’s icing. He waggled knowing eyebrows at Stiles, who bit back a grin. Cheeky kid.

“Please pass our compliments to the chef, Kira,” Desmond said, reaching for his drink.

Kira giggled. “You can thank him yourself.” She waved at Stiles with a flourish.

Stiles felt a little like a deer in headlights when all their gazes alighted on him.

“You’re Food Guy?” and other iterations of the exclamation rang around the room.

Stiles flushed. “I’m glad to hear you all like what I’ve been making.”

“Oh, wow! How wonderful!” Piero piped up. “I haven’t felt a ping in such a long time. How nostalgic, don’t you think, dear?” He turned to Valerie.

“That’s a ping?” Matthew asked, confused, before his face cleared and he rubbed his chest. “Oh, hell, this is a ping.”

“Is that the tingly feeling here, Uncle Mattie?” Spencer asked, pointing at his tummy.

Erica finally managed to get out from under Boyd. “Stiles, did you ping with Derek? Is that why you’ve both been hanging around The Family Bean? You’ve both been pining over each other!”

Stiles groaned, while gasps and shouts suddenly rang around the room.

Kira sighed. “Way to ruin it, Erica.”

“You mean I was pinged through a tomato pie?” Cameron was asking, wide-eyed. 

Cora started laughing. “Oh my god! Uncle Peter flirted with Derek’s soulmate!”

“That’s Uncle Derek’s soulmate?” CC asked.

“Yes, he is.” Nathan looked like he was immensely enjoying all this, and Stiles was starting to realize that he was a little shit.

Derek stepped towards Stiles. His face was a little red, but he was smiling and Stiles thought he was the handsomest man he had ever seen.

“My family’s a mess. Please ignore them,” Derek said, ignoring the protests from his siblings.

Stiles chuckled. “At least they keep things interesting. It’s just me, my Dad, and her.” He jerked a thumb at Erica.

“Oh, fu—dge you!” Erica said, glancing at the kids. She turned to Boyd. “And I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”

Boyd rolled his eyes. “I was giving him space to process things.”

Stiles ignored them and turned to Derek. He only had one chance to do this.

“Ah, sorry, it took a while. I was figuring stuff out, but I thought we should get to know one another first.”

“Of course,” Derek said immediately. He reached out a hand. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Stiles.”

Stiles glanced at Talia, who was whispering to her husband. She winked at Stiles.

“Soulmates are a choice.”

Stiles smiled at Derek. He could feel his Mark tingling in anticipation.

“Me too, Derek.”

He reached out and took his hand.

#kevaaronday #stereksanta20 #*fic20 #*gifts20

[nullominous-q]

Tagged by @voltsm! Thank you friend!

Rules Are as Follows: Answer 28 questions and tag 20 (wow 20!?!) blogs you are contractually obligated to know better.

Name/Nickname: Theo (Don’t rlly have a nickname)

Gender: Nonbinary

Star Sign: Scorpio

Height: Short fakyu (/lh /j)

Time: 9pm

Birthday: November 13

Favorite Band/Groups: World Order? I guess? They’re a Japanese group of men that move like legit robots in their music videos, it’s pretty cool. (Prolly heard of their song “Have A Nice Day” on YT)

Favorite Solo Artist: Billie Eilish, hands down. Such emotionally transcendent stuff I swear.

Song Stuck in My Head: Hanna’s Theme by Chemical Brothers (From the movie “Hanna”)

Last Movie: Soul. Watched with the family, it was flipping cool.

Last Show: Japan Sinks 2020 on Netflix. Haven’t finished it and not sure if I will, was depressing af and don’t think I can handle it rn.

When Did I Create this Blog: Um, let’s see. Apparently in April of 2020.

What Do I Post: Sanders Sides stuff and links to my long ass fic for the fandom. Don’t post much else bc if I don’t hyperfixate, I lose motivation. Not rlly here for anything but Sanders Sides but I’ll rb a funny meme or awesome artwork every once in a while.

Last Thing I Googled: “Rogue 5e”

Other Blogs: @killfm-askblog, essentially a sister-story to Kill For Me, my Sanders Sides fic that follows one person not primarily involved in the main story’s plot. And! @main-for-theo my main blog that was for some reason marked explicit years ago and despite many appeals, I have gotten nothing. :/ Essentially a dead blog

Do I Get Asks: Not very often. I don’t like asking for them so much but at times I feel like I have to, esp with the askblog that literally runs off of asks.

When Did I Choose My URL: Wh-when I made the blog???

Following: This number is prolly ridiculous, hold up. Okay 110.

Followers: 56 (here) 27 (sideblog)

Average Hours of Sleep: About 6-7 every night.

Lucky Number: 111

Instruments: I dabble in piano but my main instrument is my voice.

What I am Wearing: Pac-Man shirt & Basketball Shorts (AKA, pajamas)

Dream Job: Game Story Author

Dream Trip: Japan or smth. Or Costa Rica (again >->)

Favorite Food: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Nationality: I hate it here, stop having major historical events in my lifetime. Does that give a good idea of where? Fuck I hate it here.

Top 3 Universes I’d Like to Live In: Avatar the Last Airbender, She-ra and the Princesses of Power and Undertale I guess?

Tagging: Uhhhhh @brilewblue @vindicatedvirgil​ @fangirltothefullest​ @attackthepinata @emo-sunshine42 I have social anxiety I know that’s not 20! 20? Are you kidding me? 20!

Do if you would like!

#theo rant #shush theo

[six-foot-five]

CHOICES FAN INTERVIEW

I was tagged by @blazerina

Thanks you for the tag! ❤ Favorite book and why: Endless Summer. I’m a sucker for fantasy/adventure/mystery, and this book seems to cover all things I expect from a narrative. Elaborate backstory of a character, mysteries and clues, great comedies and friendships… not to mention the sweet spices of romance. Yes, I also love it when the squad is in danger that could kill them any second

Least favorite book and why: The Sophomore. I mean, I couldn’t figure out the actual plot??? I just feel like the writers are not putting too much effort anymore on expanding the story. :’) I mean, of course I believe the are, and The Freshman series is AMAZING, but The Sophomore gets less and less interesting. Even the chemistry between the characters feels like getting bland…

Your MC’s LI for each story you’re playing:

TF/TS: James Ashton.

RoE: Leo.

Hero: Kenji Katsaros.

ES: Sean Gayle.

TRR: Drake Walker. (Ugh but I’d hate to break Liam’s heart… 😞)

LH: It’s hard to choose between Mark and Ben, but I’m more inclined to Ben Park!

HSS: Michael Harrison.

TCatF: I’ve only finished book 1 and actually wanted to restart it, so I guess we’ll see after finishing the complete trilogy!

Favorite MC ship: Sean x MC!!! But let’s be real, I also love Drake x MC a lot. And James x MC (in TF, not in TS because, well…)

Least favorite MC ship: From my MC’s LI would be Leo x MC, I guess. I mean, Leo is undoubtedly awesome, but there is something about RoE MC (compared to the other MCs) that makes me feel her relationship with Leo isn’t exactly my favorite. Favorite Non-MC ship: Oh my god, so many!!! The best ones are Grace x Aleister and Craig x Zahra ❤  I love my nerds and geeks. Oh and also Becca x Sebastian and Penelope x Poodle Least favorite Non-MC ship: Nerdy!Twin x that blonde girl… I’m sorry, what’s her name again? Audrey? IMO, their relationship is kinda forced. I just can’t find the chemistry between those two, and I feel Audrey is being really clingy to her.

Favorite character and why: I. CAN’T. CHOOSE! But boy, I aspire to be as sassy as the queen Michelle Nguyen, as positive as Brooke Williams, and as determined as Elena Sanchez. I love tough women characters! (despite looking like a complete cinnamon roll in Brooke’s case and having rough surface in Meech’s case). Oh, and!!! I love my hilarious cheerful guy squad who always light up the narrative: Zack, Tyler, Diego, Craig, Raj, and Cole. Least favorite character and why: Audrey from RoE. I’m sorry to all Audrey fans, but I just can’t find connection to this character. And also Nana, because I think her task for Violet is just plain mean. Character you like that most people don’t: Sebastian Delacroix, I guess? I know he’s a cunning pompous ass (no, I’m not referring Michelle’s nickname for Jake XD), but after learning his history from James, I understand why he’s being like that. Also, in The Sophomore, I feel like he deserves to be treated better by the squad instead of them going straight to making mean accusations. Character you don’t like that most people do: Kaitlyn Liao. Listen, I don’t hate her. It’s just sometimes she’s acting sorta immature and clingy to MC (just like Audrey to Nerdy!Twin), and I don’t really favor those kinds of characters. Still, Kaitlyn is a lively best friend, though! Which character are you most like in real life? A combination of Brooke, Sean, and TF MC, I think. Why? This could be a long essay. 😂 If you could live in any choices story, which one would it be and why? Endless Summer. What? I’m risking myself getting killed? Yes, I’m that person who seeks for adventure and goes, “I don’t care about the danger as long as I’m going through it with my gang.” 😎 How long have you been playing? Since 2016, around the first time Choices itself was launched.

Tagging @secretnerdharmony @holly-park @kamybelen-blog @ohmysnarkydrake @kittenmusicals @mrwalkerchoices @teamdrake27 @ladyashtonofcordonia @protect-drake @choicessa

Tag 5 people and see what they say!

I know I’m against the law by tagging more than 5 but I just want to see your answers, guys. 😂

#just a piece of my personal opinion #i hope i'm not offending anyone with my answers! #*

[marjaystuff]

Elise Cooper Interviews Linda Howard and Linda Jones

After Sundown by Linda Howard and Linda Jones is a very relevant story. It will sound familiar to those who have sheltered in place during this pandemic. The timing could not be better with panic surrounding certain aspects of the coronavirus, and in this book the panic surrounds preparation and fallout from a solar storm.

A quote in the book is surreal considering what is going on today.  “They walked in the middle of the road… there was no traffic at all.  Walking in the middle of the usually busy highway felt both daring and freeing, and the fact that they could was one more example of how drastically their world had changed in a single day.”

Readers are introduced to Ben Jernigan, a recluse who has settled on top of a mountain outside of the small community of Wears Valley, Tennessee, after he got out of the Marines two years ago. Going against his solitary nature, he finds himself forewarning Sela Gordon, the owner of a small grocery store and gas station he occasionally uses. He tells her of a catastrophic solar storm that will take down the global power grid in less than 24 hours. She doesn’t quite believe him, but gathers supplies just in case. When the grid goes down as predicted, Sela and her neighbors are plunged into a new world order. Money has no meaning, gasoline is gold, and people must band together as food and other supplies dwindle. There is no electricity, no cell phones, TV, or computers; no more grocery stores, gas stations, warm water, or washing machines, and no more hospitals and medications. Unlike today, where people need to self-isolate, the town of Wears Valley was community isolating, where residents pull together to do what they must to survive and maintain social order.

Knowing she needs to protect her aunt, niece, and some elderly friends Sela realizes a community council must be formed.  Due to unforeseen circumstances she is chosen as its leader; a role she feels she is not comfortable or suited for. Events sometimes lead people to find in themselves traits that they do not realize existed. Sela grew from a shy and insecure woman to an independent, take charge person, while Ben wanted to be a hermit and didn't want to deal with people, but Sela changed him. They complimented each other. He became protective, strong, and determined, and used his resourceful skills of surviving to help Sela, her family, her friends, and the community to stay safe. The relationship grew from a mutual attraction to a passionate love where both solitary people realized how much they needed and wanted each other.

The book starts quickly and the action never stops. It shows how people during a disaster can step up to the plate, exhibiting spunk and courage as they adapt to a new life. The story shows how events can bring out either the good or the bad in people. It is relevant to the current situation, while not a pandemic, the natural disaster has the potential to be as deadly or even more so with millions of people dying from both natural and manmade causes.

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Linda Jones:  We went up to the valley where the book is set.  As we sat on the porch over-looking the valley, we thought about what could go wrong.

Linda Howard:  When we started to kick around the idea we thought of an EMP, electric magnetic pulse, but that would mean we would be at war and it would not be worldwide.  In the South, there was a huge solar storm a few years ago, actually there are a few every year. We started to do research and found out about CME, a coronal mass ejection, where the sun basically spits plasmas at us, destroying all the electricity.  

EC:  How did you both know what was needed to survive?

LH: We actually put in the book about a toilet paper shortage with the quote, “she grabbed more toilet paper.” In 1993 there was a huge blizzard where I lived.  I was alone, without power for a week.  When it was over I had my Scarlett O’Hara moment, “As God is my witness I will never go through this again.” I started preparing with supplies and a generator.  

LJ:  I experienced in 2011 a tornado that left us without power and water for a week.  Linda told me horror stories to get me prepared and now I even have a solar charger for my phone.

EC:  What was the writing process like?

LJ:  It is a wonder we got anything done because our writing process is so different.  I write really fast.  If I stop for a period of time, I lose contact with the characters and have to go back to the beginning to pick up that connection. LH will write and then take a three-month break.  It actually took us twice as long to write this book than when writing on our own.  

EC:  Did you each write certain parts?

LH:  We wrote the book together, except LJ wrote all the Janis Joplin parts.  There is only one phrase I know I wrote for sure, instead of Dear Jesus, it was “Dear Desus.” It is a Southern country phrase to keep from using the Lord’s name in vain.

EC:  Ben distrusted people because of what happened to him in the military?

LH:  He does not trust the establishment.  We put in this book quote, “After years of combat and dealing with bureaucrats who didn’t know their asses from a hole in the ground, but were never-the-less in charge of life and death concerning him and his men.”  Bureaucrats are not elected and no one knows who they are; yet, they make a lot of decisions in people’s lives.  They have a lot of influence over the military and not all of it is good.

EC:  How would you describe Ben?

LH and LJ: Fallacious, a man every woman wants.  He is handy, a decision maker, pragmatic, and a man of action.  He is like Daryl in “Walking Dead,” but better looking. His time in the military affected him and he got PTSD.  After he got out he became a loner, talking more to his dog than anyone.  If not for the crisis he and Sela would never have had a conversation.

EC:  What about those nicknames for Ben?

LH:  You are referring to “sweet bun,” Hottie McHot Hot, “Buns of Steel,” and “Stud Muffin.” LH made them up. Since Aunt Carol is fun and has a lot of zest for life she just thought of what popped into her head.  Even though she is older she does not think of herself in that way.  

EC:  How would you describe Sela?

LH and LJ: She is shy, a thinker, logical, compassionate, and caring.  Overall, she did not have much self-confidence, and is quiet. Sela is a risk-taker who will put herself in harm’s way to protect the people she loves.

EC: How would you describe Olivia?

LH and LJ: A typical teenager.  She has grit, is courageous, and intelligent.  She lost her parents at an early age, which caused her to grow up faster.  

EC:  What about the relationship?

LH and LJ: Ben felt safe with Sela and saw the strength in her she did not know she had.  They silently lusted for one another.  They are comfortable with and understand each other.  They made sure they respected each other’s boundaries.

EC:  The dog is a Mountain Cur Dog?

LH:  This breed of dog is popular in the mountainous area of the South.  The dog was named after Pat Sajak, the Wheel of Fortune show host.  I think it is culturally appropriate for a dog. They are intelligent, friendly, and are good for hunting.  I do not have this type of dog, but I do have a Golden Retriever.  They are in a category by themselves.

EC:  Who is the Janis Joplin fan?

LH:  I am.  She is a singer I like.  I listened to her when I painted my house.  I used the energy in the song she sang.

EC:  What do you want readers to get out of the book?

LH and LJ: We get a lot of calls asking us how to prepare.  We have become Survivalist experts.  We wrote the book to entertain, but also to have people thinking about being prepared.  There is a need for food, water, toilet paper, batteries, enough medication, and food for your dog.  Modern technology is important, but there is also a need to have tools where someone could get by without it.  

EC:  What about your next books?

LJ: I am working on a self-published book that is in the paranormal genre.  I got stalled when the virus quarantine hit.  Because of all the stress, I could not concentrate.

LH:  I am working on the third book in the “Go-Team series.”  I got stalled after my knee surgery a few months ago.  The Go-Team is a paramilitary organization.  The “GO” stands for global offensive.

THANK YOU!!